Big huge mega thanks to all the awesome peeps who came out to the opening reception for the SMARTS Arts of the Community II exhibit at Intermedia Arts last night.  I am so grateful and humbled by the sweet compliments on my artwork from many people.  Was told that the curating committee loved my stuff instantly and even checked out my website to see what else I had, so sweet!  David Luke who hung the show (and to whom I owe deep gratitude for giving me prime real estate) said to me “I hope you don’t mind if I describe your work as delicate, funky, weird and science-y.”  My answer: of course not!  That’s exactly how I describe it myself.  Actually haven’t specifically used the word science-y before but two different people said it to me last night and I think it fits.  Too bad it’s not actually a real word.

I got to chat a lot with Susan Hensel and we mutually discovered that the two exquisitely drawn graphite male nudes by Donna Dralle are actually of composers Haydn & Handel, which makes me giggle.  Also saw fellow WARM members Jeanne Souldern, Debra Roinestad, Angela Sprunger, and Loretta Bebeau.  Chatted with Eyenga Bokamba a bit, and also reconnected with Leann Johnson when I recognized her across the room and remembered we did the Labor Room project together at Center 4 Independent Artists several years back.  She has a really nice monoprint homage to her father in the show.  And at the end of the evening I met Jeremy Smith and Steven Berg, who run the StevenBe Yarn Garage Workshop which is literally right up the street from where I live and I can’t believe I haven’t been there yet.  Jeremy got me all excited to stop in and find some new yarn and rekindle my knitting projects.  (Who wants me to knit them something?)  I ended up hanging out with them at Moto-i for drinks after and heard about their MN fashion week show April 14th, the proceeds of which will go to aid south minneapolis teen Guadalupe Galeno-Hernandez who was shot and paralyzed last year.  Plus they have a fair trade yarn spinning project in South Africa in the works.  And of course they have a fantastic collaboration fiber installation piece in the SMARTS show, which you should go see if you haven’t already, hint hint.  It’s up through March 30th.

It’s exciting to learn more about the fantastic things going on right in my own neighborhood, some of which I didn’t even know existed.  So much more to explore.  In fact I met two people who live only a few blocks away from me (in addition to the yarn shop).  So to conclude: community, connection, art, energy, neighborhood, yay.  Happy dance.  Feels like it’s gonna be a good year.  I think I’ll go peruse the tweets from the Solutions Twin Cities 4 event, see what I missed.  Hope they post some video for us poor souls who had to miss out.  Also need to make something to submit to the Art 4 Shelter fundraiser coming up at Circa Gallery in May which Eyenga convinced me to get involved in; deadline is April 20th.

A sneak preview of what I’ve got in progress: