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Art Stroll

The Hairy Art Palace in Yellow Springs

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Welcome to the Hairy Art Palace where women with hairy arm pits create art with yarn, floss, felt, paint and laughter.  Meet Hairy Mary, play I Spy with the art (win a prize) or try the other goofy art games and puzzles, enjoy wine and the black and white food table (that’s black and white food not the table.  Well actually the table’s black too.) and of course view Awesome Art.   The Jafagirls have created a funhouse of interactive art.  If you’re willing to crawl along the floor you can even see the “The Dog Gallery.” Then listen to a radio interview with Bitty the dog.

OK that’s my opening,  Corrine and I have been working like dogs (not Bitty, he’s lazy) getting this show together.  We are psyched and getting into the sweaty armpit part of the process.  Will we have the gazillion details done before the Friday the 14th opening?  Yes!  And “Yes” we will take baths before the reception.

Speaking of hairy armpits, we will have Portable Hairy Armpits for you to try on.  A Photo op if you dare.

The Jafagirls, Corrine Bayraktaroglu and moi, Nancy Mellon do street art in Yellow Springs.  Since I have to go back to work, details, details, what follows is “the details about who, where, why, when”  from the delightful Deb Housh, the extroardinare Gallery Coordinator for the Yellow Springs Arts Council:

The Yellow Springs Arts Council presents “Hairy Art Palace”, an exhibit of mixed media works by local “infamous” artists, Nancy Mellon and Corrine Bayraktaroglu, aka the JafaGirls. A Third Friday Fling Opening Reception will be held on Friday, October 14, 6-9 p.m. at the YSAC Gallery, 309 Xenia Avenue.


The show will present a mixture of works in media ranging from traditional to contemporary, as well as photography that showcases recent street art projects. The JafaGirls are best known for their Knit Knot Tree of 2008, which picked up international press and was written about in the Washington Post, NY Times, Boston Globe, International Herald Tribune, among other news sources. That project sparked a flurry of other knit bombing, felt flowering and guerilla art acts and displays by the JafaGirls in Yellow Springs.

They use processes and forms of art often considered too ladylike, too old fashioned or irrelevant for “high” art, and they blow those preconceived notions out of the water. Nancy and Corrine craft for a purpose—to bring community together, to encourage questioning of one’s surroundings, to make people smile, and sometimes to convey strong messages about politics and culture.

Works by the JafaGirls are highlighted in a newly released book entitled Craft Activism: People, Ideas, and Projects from the New Community of Handmade and How You Can Join In, which will be available at their show.

For more information about the JafaGirls or a private viewing go to http://jafagirls.wordpress.com or email jafagirlart@yahoo.com. For more info about Yellow Springs Arts Council, visit www.ysartscouncil.org


The Hairy Art Palace  will be open during the Friday 14, Art Stroll 6-9 p.m. and Artist Studio Tour Saturday, October 15, noon-6pm and Sunday October 16, noon-4pm. Additional extended hours will be Saturdays from 10am-1pm October 22 and 29th. A YSAC special event, “Experience Saturday”, will close out the show on November 5 from 7:30-10pm.

Bring quarters for the Art Ball Vending Machine! P.S. I’m back.  Friday the 14th starts off a grand art weekend in Yellow Springs, Art Stroll Friday night and Saturday and Sunday are the Yellow Springs Artist Studio Tours. The Scarecrow Festival will also be going on in town.  I saw a spooky, Steam Punk, headless lady being created by an artist for Wavelength Salon.  They are going to be all over downtown Yellow Springs.  See you in the Springs!

Yellow Springs Street Fair is Coming!

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Street Fair is Coming!

Plans for summer events are really brewing around Yellow Springs.  The Chamber is full of signs ready to go out and huge maps of booth positions.  Artists are dropping in with questions.  You can feel the energy in the air.  Street Fair is coming June 11th 9 a.m.-5 p.m.! Everywhere I turn, artists are working feverishly to get a booth full of pottery, sculpture, paintings, hand-crafted clothes, bags or unique jewelry ready for you.

One of my favorites is Jennifer Float’s booth with her colorful and whimsical paintings.  Jenny is a happy painter.  She has a very high “Awww” factor.  Everyone smiles when they see her work.   For the last 2 months, every time I see Jenny shop sitting at Village Artisans (an artist co-op in Yellow Springs) she has half-done canvases stacked on every surface and a brush in hand.  Jenny doesn’t do much sitting when she shop-sits.

So, you probably know about Street Fair, but do you know about some of the other cool events being planned for this summer?  On June 17th, the Friday after Street Fair, is Yellow Springs’ Art Stroll from 6-9 p.m.  One of my favorite shows is happening that night.  Every 2 years is the Miniature Show at “would you could you In A Frame,” at 113 Corry Street. This year, fifty-two artists have created over 100 pieces of fabulous, tiny art. Included are 3-D works, paintings, embroideries, encaustics and more, all no larger than 3 inches x 2 inches.

Art by Lance Rudegeair

The new gallery in town is Springs Gallery in King’s Yard, 220 Xenia Avenue. It will have its Grand Opening celebration during Art Stroll.  I’ve already had a peek inside and  loved the art.  Many of their artists will be present at the opening.

The Yellow Springs Arts Council Gallery, 309 Xenia Ave. is having a great reception that will include art, live music and belly dancing.

Also on Art Stroll night, the Art’s Council in partnership with the Jafagirls is going to have a truly disgusting, Interactive Public Art Project at the Art Park at 100 Corry Street. The world’s first Traveling Gum Wall will be there. This summer and fall the Traveling Gum Wall is going to be popping up all over town, serving as a fundraiser for the Arts Council.  Gum is sold for a buck a piece.  You buy the gum, chew, chew some more, squish it onto the Gum Wall, and then sign the back.

Whoops, almost forgot, the Gum Wall will be at Street Fair too at the Arts Council’s Oasis,  309 Xenia Ave.

Much more is going on during Art Stroll, Art Sale at Village Artisans, live music, beer making demo, wine tasting, Free Art Friday,….

Maybe I better explain Free Art Friday.  It’s a movement around the world to leave art on the streets for anyone to find and take home. It’s been a while since the Jafagirls of Yellow Springs have done a Free Art Friday. But the word is out, Friday the 17th there will be art for the finding.  (Check the trees!)

Quick run down of other offerings for the summer:  Twice a month, 1st and 3rd Saturdays, will be “Dance Piazza” with DJ Juju at the Art Park, 100 Corry Street.

From 7-8 p.m. there are dance instructors to show steps to anyone who wants to join in.  From 8-10 p.m. It’s an international Dance Party with DJ Juju.

Here is a list of the styles of Dance taught for the first hour of each Dance Piazza. The last  two hours dance any which way you please!

  • JUNE 18 – International Folk Dances with Miami Valley Folk Dancers
  • JULY 2 – Bhangra (Punjabi Folk Dance) with Karanvir Singh
  • JULY 16 – Swing Dance with Jill Christie of the Dayton Ballroom Dance Club
  • AUGUST 6 – Mexican Folk Dance with Nuestro Orgullo youth dance troupe
  • AUGUST 20 – Flamenco Dance & Guitar with Mariya Tarakanova & Brent Del Bianco of Flamencotalk
  • SEPTEMBER 3 – West African Drum & Dance with BabaaRitah Clark
  • SEPTEMBER 17 – Appalachian Clogging & Old Time Music with Rick Good (formerly of Rhythm in Shoes) & Friends

July brings : The Cotton Club” a YS Kids Playhouse jazz musical and  the “Yellow Springs Experience.” July 15th –17th three days and nights filled with the “Cirque Carnival,” Live music and Dance, Wellness and Spa Sessions, Nature Hikes and Art Workshops.  Woo hoo!  Tell you more about that later.

See you in the Springs!

Third Fridays in Yellow Springs

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On Third Friday, there was a fiddler playing in the moonlight in the first garden of Alan Macbeth’s fantastical building on Xenia Avenue in Yellow Springs. On the side of the building is a beautiful, warm mural of an African woman and her child. To get to the Yellow Springs Arts Councils Gallery you pass under the swooping brick arch and enter by the fountain. There is another garden in the back with tables and chairs to sit and enjoy this enchanted, peace filled space.

The show I came to see was a whimsical combination of Sharon Mohler’s sculpted miniature stories in the round and Karen Russell’s colorful textile quilts and paper art. For a month beforehand Karen had been reporting on face book about how she just couldn’t stop herself making these gorgeous tiny paper boxes. It was amazing to see the final results when she put them together. Sharon’s tiny sculpted stories are heart warming; they are frozen moments from “three generations of memories.” She calls them Sharon’s Songs. On her web site she says: “Life has been a bumpy road for me, but it has never been dull. I am blessed with a good memory. I can remember things that happened when I was only two years old. So these works are called my “songs” because they are the ballads of my life.” Sharon once told me that in her home she has stacks of hatboxes everywhere, lovingly filled with these sculpted stories.
Sharon and Karen’s work will be up at the YSAC Gallery through October 31st
Since there are 2 artists they decided to have 2 receptions. So you have a second chance on October 15th, this coming up Third Friday to meet the artists and see their work.

On my way back to visit some of the other art receptions on Corry and Dayton Street, I was pulled in by the joyful live music cascading out the open doors at the Emporium. I stood on the sidewalk and watched the musicians laughing and jamming together with people of all ages dancing in the glow of the Emporium’s golden light. Right in front, two little bitty girls were gyrating like mad. The Emporium holds a wine tasting with live music every Friday night.

Across the street on Xenia Avenue, there were drums being played and Soul Fire Tribe, the fire dancers of Yellow Springs, were dancing and whirling fire sticks and hoops. I can’t just walk by when they are performing, I had to stop and join the crowd ooohing and ahing.

September was a perfect Third Friday Fling. But if you missed that one there is a very special one coming up October 15th. Two times a year, Yellow Springs puts on an art stroll. (I know that sounds confusing, the September Third Friday that I just described sounds like an art stroll. Third Fridays often have art receptions but usually not to the degree that Art Stroll Night is dedicated to them. There is added effort for all the businesses/galleries and restaurants in town to have new art, live music and great food. Plus many more people come out to see the art and chat with each other. It’s sort of the friendly super bowl of Art Strolls for Yellow Springs.) Traditionally all the spots with a reception that night have balloons out front.  Also traditionally Art Stroll is from 6-9 p.m. but it often goes on later.

This year Art Stroll is in memory of a beloved Yellow Springs artist who passed away this past year- Eddie Eckenrode. At Sam & Eddies Open Books, 232 Xenia Ave. (one of my favorite Yellow Springs’ shops for getting unusual cards and birthday presents,) there will be an Art Reception to celebrate Eddie’s new permanent collection, in the upstairs gallery. On display will be an amazing collection from and history of an Ohio artist’s life.

I’ve got to let you know right now that I am not going to cover all the places with receptions, new art up or wine tastings and live music for Art Stroll. I can’t, you’ll just have to come and discover them yourselves!

But I’ve got to tell you about 2 of the art receptions because I am completely biased about them.

The first one is at the Village Artisans at 100 Corry St. Village Artisans is a Co-Op of 20 local artists. I have happily been one of them for 6 years. We are oil, acrylic and water color painters, potters and wood turners, carvers and inlay artists. We work with stones, gourds and precious metals to make jewelry, ornaments, bowls and drums. We are calligraphers and philosophers, textile artists that quilt and embroider and sew and make fabric bowls and wall art. We work with cameras and computers and stained glass. We make books and author books. And pretty much everyone makes cards. (I sure hope I didn’t forget anyone!)
The Village Artisans is putting on the Dare 2B Square show for the month of October. All the art is 12”X12” and is being sold for $100.00 our reception is on (I bet you guessed it) Art Stroll, October 15th from 6-9 p.m. We have over 20 extra artists from this region that are being showcased and then there is the home crew from Village Artisans who are also well represented. And if I do say so myself it is a great show. Come talk to the artists and enjoy our wine and cheese and other goodies.

The other reception that I am totally biased about is at “would you, could you In A Frame” 113 Corry St. The “Stitch Gasp” show is going to be totally weird and totally wonderful. The artist is Corrine Bayraktaroglu aka Jafabrit, (and my Jafagirl art partner.) She has been on an artistic journey from oil paint to graffiti art to stitched art that is fascinating. At her reception on Art Stroll night you will get to see all the stages from art journals to paintings to glorious hand stitched art. Besides, you’ll get to hear the stories behind the art. Stories told in a delightful, non-reverent British way. It will be fun, I promise you.
Art Stroll in Yellow Springs, 6-9 p.m. October 15th- Be there or be square. (Where have I heard that before?)