Little People’s Garden Teaches Big Life Lesson

a stellar example for the #Mountainair Community Garden consortium

“Children need to know where their food comes from,” said Liz Ludwig, Farm Service Agency county executive director.  “It’s not made in a factory; it’s grown in the soil, raised by farmers and ranchers, and cared for by people we call farmers.” 

Initiated by Ludwig, the Little People’s Garden — now in its fourth year — was planted at Kinder Kare learning center in Montevideo, providing preschoolers a hands-on opportunity to learn where their food comes from and how to make healthy food choices.

Read all of Little People’s Garden Teaches Big Life Lesson, which closes with the paragraph below, at:

USDA offers interactive and exploratory lessons as a creative way to connect gardens with nutrition messages in the classroom. Whether your garden is large or small and your growing season is long or short, these materials can help you. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack began the People’s Garden Initiative in 2009 in an effort to challenge employees to create gardens at USDA facilities. Since that time it has grown into a collaborative effort of more than 1,200 local and national organizations working to establish community and school gardens across the country. To date, there are 1,918 gardens across the United States. Learn how to start your own at www.usda.gov/peoplesgarden

catching up briefly

…blog & social media housekeeping notices: 

• email update notices to iCreate board will be discontinued following this post. Board members can keep up by subscribing to rss feeds or email updates. Alternately, they can (and really should) follow on iCreate on Facebook. 

• All blog posts are syndicated to both ICreateNM and Shaffer Hotel Facebook pages. However, the blog is no longer syndicated to Mountainair Online (Facebook) or Twitter. 

• Most but not all gardening related content will appear on either Mountainair Online (the blog) or Everybody Eats to increase reach, with some periodically re-blogged here

OFFCenter May Calendar

…workshops, ongoing lessons…today, an emphasis on housing…Shelter exhibit & the annual Albuquirky House Tour Fundraiser…

Shelter. all species' homes Friday May 3, 5 - 7, through May 29 From insect to animal or human, what does shelter, protection and safety look like to you? Albuquirky House Tour Fundraiser! OFFCenter presents its 8th Annual Fundraiser Albuquirky House Tour & "Little Houses" Silent Auction

iCreate Board Meeting, Saturday afternoon

#Mountainair Online has been unofficially notified of an iCreate board meeting tomorrow afternoon, Saturday April 27.  Presumably, the meeting will be at Lenora Romero's as usual, although neither that nor the agenda have been confirmed.

For times, more specific information and meeting agenda call Lenora Romero 847-2419 or Kay Stillion, 847-2301

Saturday is also a Community Garden workday, starting at 9 am, followed by a planning meeting at 1 pm. Logically, the iCreate meeting would be later in the afternoon. Whether or not it will be after the Musical Theater Improv class (3 pm, MAoB) or if the class will be cancelled on account of the meeting was not specified. Call Kay to find out.

Using Improv to Help Scientists Communicate

Interested in iCreate's Saturday improv classes? Learn more about improv to improve basic and professional communication skills. Call Kay Stillion for more information about classes at Mountain Arts on Broadway (MAoB)

Actor Honored for Using Improv to Help Scientists Communicate

State U. of New York at Stony Brook

Alan Alda shows medical and nursing students at Stony Brook how to use acting techniques to explain science to a general audience.

By Paul Basken

Alan Alda came to the State University of New York at Stony Brook one summer night in 2006 to help celebrate its annual film festival and to talk about Never Have Your Dog Stuffed, his just-published memoir.

The actor managed to accomplish another task that evening: raising the likelihood that scientists will be able to convey their knowledge to the many people who need to understand it....

Everybody Eats: How Gardening Can Feed the Soul

In The Backyard Parables (Grand Central Publishing, 2013), author Margaret Roach uses her fundamental understanding of the natural world, philosophy, and life to explore the ways that gardening saved and instructed her. In short, she learned how the garden feeds the soul. Roach has harvested thirty years’ worth of backyard parables—deceptively simple, instructive stories from a life spent digging ever deeper—and has distilled them all in this memoir along with her best tips for garden making, discouraging all manner of animal and insect opponents, and at-home pickling. 

The following excerpt is an introduction highlighting her early gardening experiences and the road to finding spirituality in nature.

iCreate notes: Lenora Romero and Kay Stillion are sending a listing to a(n unspecified) local weekly to promote the free Music Outreach program. Classes (guitar, ukulele and violin) Tuesday and Thursday afternoons at the Shaffer Hotel. Board member, Pegeen (We Do Music), who also teaches in the music program, will be starting classes at the Sanctuary Zone in Estancia, starting day yet to be set. To learn more about the Sanctuary Zone and its programs, take a look at Winter 2012 newsletter. 

2013 #Mountainair #CommunityGarden start up

Detail from community garden mural, Azusa CA. So when will our
garden get more of a mural than the big zigzag on building?

…Friday of last week, Tomas Wolff called a community garden meeting today. Not having heard to the contrary, shall we assume it is still on? Email wolff.clayworks@gmail.com or call 847-0324 to confirm and inquire after agenda details. Tomas writes,

Fellow gardeners,

 It being Spring, I thought it would be good idea to get together and talk about the community garden plans. How about Saturday, March 30th at 12:00 noon at the Mountain Arts on Broadway (MAOB) art center?

The trees are blooming in the valley!

Music appreciation courses from Curtis Institute of Music

Supplementary resources for #iCreate Music Outreach Program for Mountainair youth and adults as well as a useful resource for the MPS music department and anyone looking to hone their musical appreciation.

With the February 2013 announcement, Curtis becomes the first classical music conservatory to utilize a massive, open, online course (MOOC) platform in partnership with Coursera, a leader in MOOC education.

---

EXPLORING BEETHOVEN'S PIANO SONATAS

Taught by Jonathan Biss (Piano '01)

Dates to be announced.

A series of lectures on one of the greatest bodies of music ever composed, from the point of view of a performer. Each lecture will explore a different facet of the music; all will attempt to locate the source of the tremendous psychological power of Beethoven’s music.

Sign up for this Coursera class: free, online

Fresh edition of Small Farm News

…now online and featuring a variety of stories of interest to farmers market vendors. local growers, kitchen and community gardeners. Read more food related posts at Everybody Eats. Most future gardening, local food and food sovereignty posts will appear there. 

Fresh edition of Small Farm News

Welcome to the newest edition of Small Farm News, the newsletter of the UC Small Farm Program. We no longer publish a traditional print newsletter, but have transitioned to this online-only format. We hope you find this new edition interesting, useful - and easy to share. You can read it all now or bookmark Vol. 1 2013 for later.

In this issue:

OFFCenter Spring Calendar

…Events/Calls for Art/Workshops/Ongoing classes. The OFFCenter Community Arts Project (808 Park Ave, SW Albuquerque 87102, 505-247-1172) is an iCreate music outreach partner…x-posted iCreate & Mountainair Arts

NORMAL STUDIO HOURS RESUME -- Tuesday, Mar 12 Spring forward! The studio hours will be back to our normal schedule: Tues - Thurs: 1 - 7 pm, Fri: 1 - 5 pm, Sat: 10 am - 2 pm Call for Art / Upcoming Exhibit / Spring Sale! "Re-Style/Free-Style" Upcycled Wearable & Functional Art Forum Clothing • Jewelry • Purses • Accessories & More CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS! Submit your creations: Wed., March 27th - Wed. April 3 during regular studio hours (see below)

Rescuing Wasted Food with People Power

…there is an iCreate recital this week-end. If someone sends me written information or it shows up in the public domain on a news feed, I will post it; if not, then not. That's basic blog policy for community announcements. While waiting, here's an interesting article, relevant to the iCreate community service and sustainability mission. 

Forty percent of the food in the U.S. goes to waste. Let’s sit with that for a minute. Almost half of what we produce is going to the landfill. Meanwhile, over 50 million Americans live in food-insecure households. Ouch. 

There are changes we can make in our own lives to adjust those numbers. By looking with a critical eye at what gets thrown away and reducing our own food waste we can raise awareness about the issue. We can also contribute to, volunteer with, support, and start organizations that save food from landfills and get it into the hands, and stomachs, of those going without. 

Boulder Food Rescue is one such project. Powered 90% by bicycle--that figure only drops to 80% during Colorado’s freezing winters--BFR picks up food that would otherwise end up in dumpsters and distributes it to over 40 organizations including soup kitchens, low-income schools, elderly homes, low-income family units and homeless shelters. In the last year and a half, the organization has rescued over 250,000 pounds of food....They’ve created what they call The Package Deal; a step by step guide to starting a food rescue program...

Read the rest of Rescuing Wasted Food with People Power.

Saturday Improv Theater Workshop

Christmas performance, December 2012

…3pm at Mountain Arts on Broadway. This will be an on-going workshop group, 3- 4 pm most Saturdays at arts center (i.e. when no art council function has been scheduled). If you enjoy writing (play outlines), improvisation, creating with others, or think you might, please join us.  If you sing or dance, we'll custom make a part for you, but neither are required, only a willingness to have fun.

For more information please call Kay Stillion at ....847-2301

(also posted to Mountainair Announcements as Musical Theater Workshop). 

Ed note: this blog will be on hiatus due to insufficient content stream. Relevant notices as received will be posted on Announcements until further notice)

OFFCenter Workshop/Events Feb 2013

…between gardening posts (don't miss today's CP-SWCD sponsored Desert Composting Workshop at the MHS library) & while waiting for an update/report on recent iCreate board meeting. Visit, like and subscribe to the iCreate Facebook page for more posts, links and images. Free music outreach lessons continue Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Shaffer Hotel. On Thursdays, Kay stays on to play at Packs Cafe.

Elle Curley-Jackson & Eva Leong-Casey: Jewelry & Metalsmithing Foundations Workshop/ Open Studio Series Wednesdays, 5-7 pm Feb. 6th - March 13th Instructed Workshops with Elle: Feb. 6th, 20th & March 6th Facilitated Open Studio with Eva: Feb. 13th, 27th & March 13th Learn basic jewelry making and metal smithing techniques to create your own unique bracelet or earrings. Three sessions (Feb. 6th, 20th & Mar. 6th) will be instructed by Elle Curley-Jackson to teach the techniques/steps necessary to complete your creation in a variety of metals, and three sessions will be facilitated by Eva Leong-Casey as practice sessions/open studio time for jewelry making and finishing projects.

Making a Cigar Box Guitar

…a neat DIY project, just perfect for an iCreate or your own personal creativity project.  Instructables is an interesting DIY site and resource too. It feature a wide variety of 'how to' instructions from recipes, gardening, repairs, building, sewing and more…

Charlie G Wathney writes, 

"I made this cigar box guitar for my brother for Christmas. The scale length is 23 inches. The fret board radius is 14 inches. It has Classic Guitar strings on it (DGBE). So its like a baritone Ukulele."    

Continue Reading »

Inspiration Farm: Cultivating Food & Creativity.

…a perfect fit for iCreate…next up: a brief update on the recent dehydration workshop from NMSU Extension hosted by Claunch-Pinto SWCD ~ plus information on the return of the popular monthly gardening workshops.

 

Published, Jan 21, 2013

"Changing times calls for changing lifestyles." says Brian Kerkvliet. "So we put more energy into the land? The more you get your fingers in the soil, the more endorphins rush through your head. You get excited by all of that." 

Using permaculture and biodynamic practices, Brian's family is endlessly experimenting and innovating to find what works. His wife Alexandra and daughter Rosalie introduce us to the goats, pigs, and cows who are essential players in their farm's web of life.

Painted Pie

…iCreate's kind of story, creativity and outreach...

You never quite know how you are going to impact on the lives of others, their hopes, their dreams or their desires.  In this beautifully crafted animated short inspired by the post-Impressionist (notably Vincent): an old lady painter and a young homeless boy are destined to meet and it will, perhaps, bring both a type of peace. Accompanied by Little Person by Jon Brion I do have to admit that this made me well up a little, but then as anyone will tell you I’m a great big softy.

Created by four students, Painted Pie is two meals within itself: a breakfast for the eye and suppertime for the heart.

Painted Pie

OFFCenter Calendar - Jan 2013

…Winter Open Studio Hours Tu-Th: 1-6 pm, Fr: 1-5 pm, Sa: 10am-2 pm (exceptions for special scheduled events)  Happy Holidays & Best Wishes for the New Year! Moveable Masterpiece Reprise! Moveable Masterpieces Friday, Jan 4, 5 - 8 pm OFFCenter's emerging and established artists together with your family and friends can move from "masterpiece" to "masterpiece" on Friday night, (Jan 4) as you paint artwork together. Make an offer on any painting you like at any stage. All proceeds benefit OFFCenter Community Arts - a safe place for everyone to make art free of charge. Independent Drawing & Painting Group at OFFCenter Tuesdays, 11:30am - 1:30pm Starting in January, 2013, Art Instructor Dave Blecha will lead an Independent Study Drawing and Painting class on-going throughout the year. The class will require pre-registration and be offered in 6 week segments . A class fee of $30 will be charged for each 6 week section. Ths class is intended for artists who are looking for in-depth facilitated exploration into the experience of drawing and painting. The first section is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, January 8th from 11:30am - 1:30pm if the minimum enrollment of 6 people is reached. To register, email studio808@qwestoffice.net or talk to Ron at (505) 247-1172. Amy Biehl HS Seniors Exhibit: "Heart and Mind" Opening Reception: Friday, Jan 18th The Heart and Mind Show will feature the artwork of Amy Biehl High School students reflecting their experiences as volunteers within the various community organizations they serve as part of their curriculum requirements. An opening reception will be held on Friday, January 18th from 5-7pm. Exhibit Dates: Fri. Jan 18th - Fri. Jan 25th GIANT PUPPET PARADE LEADERSHIP TRAINING Celebration Art From Concept to Creation, Principles of Making a Giant Puppet Parade for adults 3 sessions - 9am to 12noon 2nd Sundays, Jan 13, Feb 10 & March 10, 2013 *$5. donation suggested per individual We are inviting enthusiastic community members and group leaders of community or school groups to attend this leadership workshop. It is intended for amateurs, musicians, dancers, artists, teachers and any individual willing to learn new creative skills and then share those skills to help others to create giant puppets, costumes, banners and more and join the 2013 "We Art the People" folk art festival and giant puppet parade in September and other events! *With your $5. donation you will receive: The Handmade Parade Puppet Building Manual with 24 pages of planning tips, recipes, and how-to sketches. Pre-registration Required: Please register by calling or emailing Sunny Birklund, Parade Coordinator at 505 944-6605 or sbduende@msn.com. Call for Art -- "Well Red" "Well Red." - the power and passion of the color red First Friday ARTScrawl Exhibit Opening, Feb 1, 5-8 pm Artists are invited to submit up to 2 pieces in any medium exploring the myth, meaning or feelings from the color red. Subject matter is open, but pieces must be dominated by red hues. Bring your artwork into OFFCenter during our regular Open Studio hours from Tues, Jan. 22 through Tues, Jan 29 Call for ART -- "Upside Down Downside Up " From Edwards' Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, pp. 58/9 Upside Down Downside Up Exhibit Opens ARTScrawl First Friday March 1, 5 - 8 pm Up Through March 29 Artwork due during regular Open Studio Hours: Feb 22 - 28 Artists submitting for this show will work with both the original artwork and the copy being produced inverted at all times during the process. Working in this way disorients the perception of the person copying the work and forces the artist to draw what they actually see. From this altered perspective lines and relationships are seen differently and certain values pop out or recede as the copying artist forms a new relationship with the copied work using this technique.* Submitting artists must choose a work by a renowned or recognized artist (past or present) to copy and all submissions must be no larger than 16" x 20" including matting and framing. There is a limit of 2 submissions per artist and all artwork must be received between Feb. 22nd and Feb. 28th during regular OFFCenter open studio hours. Each submission MUST be accompanied by a small copy of the source image, and the artist must include the title and artist of the original piece, name of submitting artist, size of piece, media utilized and price on a provided template. The source image and the resulting artwork is considered one submission. *For more instruction/information See Betty Edwards' book "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" for "upside down drawing." http://www.drawright.com   Donate Your Vehicle to OFFCenter! You can now donate your old vehicle (running or not) to OFFCenter Community Arts. It's fast and easy. Just go to this link, fill out your vehicle information and they'll pick up your vehicle, assess the scrap metal or resale value, send you the forms for your taxes and send OFFCenter a check! Help Raise Awareness about OFFCenter click logo for wedsite Help raise awareness about OFFCenter by writing a review of your experience of OFFCenter on one of the leading websites that allows people to find, review, and share information about great nonprofits. The Great Non-Profits website is used by donors, volunteers, journalists, and concerned citizens to learn about the nonprofit services available in their communities and beyond. Just click on the logo to visit the site and write your review. Free Weekly Workgroups ON-GOING CREATIVITY WORKGROUPS (FREE): just drop in! Writing Group with Mandy Gardner - Wednesdays: 3-4pm Painting and Drawing with Dave Blecha - Thursdays: 1-3pm Card Making with Karen Turner - Thursdays: 3-5pm Basic Guitar with Kay Stillion - Fridays: 2:30-3:30pm Basic Ukulele with Kay Stillion - Fridays: 3:30-4:30pm Knitting and Crochet Circle - Saturdays: 11:30am-1:30pm You can always access our schedule of events/workshops at our online calendar: http://www.offcenterarts.org/calendar.htm Winter Open Studio Hours: | Tu-Th: 1-6pm, Fr: 1-5 pm, Sa: 10am-2 pm (exceptions for special scheduled events) Questions/Comments:  studio808@qwestoffice.net or (505) 247-1172