Onward and Forward

I actually start back to work tomorrow for the school year.  On August 1st, on a Friday, can you believe it?!?!  What I am NOT griping about is what is planned for work tomorrow.  Our technical first day back is a professional development day for everyone, so the art teachers go to our yearly meeting spot, the Birmingham Museum of Art.  I love our museum and their staff.  I helped my supervisor and dear friend Stacia Jacks with troubleshooting for the workshop.  She has come up with some really amazing projects and ideas.  While we were experimenting with encaustic, I made this bad boy.  I ended up really liking it.

So in other words, my first day back at work will be having fun, making art, and catching up with all my art teacher friends.

Oh and did I mention I am having a root canal next Wednesday afternoon?!  THE FIRST DAY BACK WITH STUDENTS?!?!  The bad part is this only solves part of the problem, even if that solves it.  I have to go back the very next day for more work.  I will whine about my dental crisis later, on to discussion about the folk art festival!

The morning of the festival I was feeling great!  The weather was amazing and so was the food and company.  We walked the few blocks it took to get to the parking lot where the shuttle buses were that everyone to the market.  I rode with Phylis (Phyl for those of you who know her through her awesome blog, http://plbrown.blogspot.com/)  She is hilarious and so fun to talk with.  We both agreed it would be impossible for everyone to stay together in the market.  There really was not meeting point, nor was there a deadline for dinner.  The day was really up to us for exploration.  Someone (I now forget who) gave great advice that starting at the top of the market was the best way to go, because the crowds generally start at the bottom).

As soon as I got up top, I decided to start on the right and work my way around.  I took as many photos as I could.  I have tons on my computer and so many more to share with my students in more detail.  Some of the booths/artists didn't want photos taken, so that is why I don't have photos of some of the most amazing things I saw.  I do have a story behind all these photos, but it would take FOREVER to explain each one, because the market truly is enormous and overwhelming.  I will explain in more detail about the things I bought, in a later entry.  Enjoy the market!

The ambience of the market itself was something magical.  There was so much attention to detail, color, design, and cultural representation.  Every tent you went to had wonderful decorations above you.  Some even moved in giant circles.  

The photos of the trees were next to the stage where performers from all around the world shared dances, songs, music, ect. from their country.  

I thoroughly enjoyed talking to the artists in the booths.  I loved listening to their stories, sometimes even getting a chance to watch them work in person.  There were countries represented I am not so sure I'd ever heard of.  

These artists were just a tiny fraction of the ones I had the pleasure of talking with.  I have to get up early in the morning, so I shall continue my discussing my experience tomorrow.  Happy back to school to everyone!

Intro to Crizmac and The Meaning Behind the Festival...

My first full day in Santa Fe started out not so great.  Basically my severe symptoms of altitude sickness began in the middle of the night, but I was feeling better when it was time for breakfast.  The breakfast is included with your room and let me tell you, it was the BEST breakfast I have ever been given at a hotel as part of a buffet.  It was a shame that I was feeling so puny, but the food I did eat was unbelievable. The tables in the patio dining areas were copper and SO fantastic. Here is a peak at to what was offered for breakfast...

After a delicious start, we all headed to the room we were using for our workshops.  We went through introductions with everyone.  I was lucky enough to be in a room with some really amazing, dedicated, and experienced art teachers from across the country.  Stevie talked about Crizmac and their purpose for putting together these types of trips and professional development opportunities for art teachers.  She also delved deeper into the meaning behind the International Folk Art Market and it's purpose beyond simply selling art.  Her Powerpoint presentation was fascinating.  The one quote that stuck out to me was, "It's not just a market, it's a miracle."  I learned so much about different artists from various countries and how the work they would sell during that weekend may feed their entire village for a whole year.  I learned many of these artists are saving the dying arts, traditions, and customs of their cultures.  Through creating their work, they are helping sustain their lives and art through continuing cultural traditions.  Understand that there is a very wide variety of items sold at the market.  The market is open to artists from around the world.  They go through a very intense selection process and MUST sell the EXACT items they send photographs of at the market.  It is very strict that everything is handmade and of the highest quality.

During Stevie's presentation, it was empowering to hear stories of women in different countries take the power of their artistic freedom and creativity to make work to support themselves and their families. We would later (the next time we met to work hands-on) have the opportunity to meet some of the artists while we worked on our projects so we could talk with them more in depth about their work, processes, creative inspiration, and cultural significance.  They brought items for us to buy, including some things that were not available at the market, but I will get to that in another entry.   

When we broke for lunch, I walked to the plaza with a group of the girls.  We walked around and tried to find a place who had a reasonably priced lunch menu.  We settled on the Thunderbird Bar and Grill.  The decor was cool.  Here were a couple of 3-D pieces on the wall.

 By the time my food came out, I was feeling pretty terrible.  It's not fun to stare at your lunch and not be able to enjoy it.  I felt sorry for my lunch dates, because I knew they were concerned and there was really nothing anyone could do.  As soon as we were done, we headed back to the hotel for the second part of the workshop.  I went upstairs to rest for a while, because I simply felt terrible. The altitude sickness was really creating havoc on my stomach.  I took a nap and rested up for our big dinner that evening.  I knew that even if I couldn't really eat, I definitely wanted to get to know the other participants of this wonderful opportunity. 

We met for dinner downstairs (thankfully I was feeling better and a little stronger). I was able to walk the few blocks it took to get to the restaurant.  We had reservations for our entire group at Casa Chimayo.  We walked in and the first thing I saw were hanging peppers, which is just one of the things you think of when you think of New Mexico. 

We were free to order anything from the menu.  I chose green chile tamales and they were to die for!  

Afterwards we walked back to the hotel and admired the lovely weather.  There really is something to be said about the lack of humidity there.  Being outside actually FEELS awesome ANY time of the day, even when it's really hot.  Anyway, on the way back there was this super cool place that had tons of intricately carved wooden doors of all types, sizes, and varieties.  There was no sign saying when it was open, but it was very explicit about there being no photos taken of their "stuff."  So I got a shot from the outside and a selfie with one of their Indian inspired elephant statues sitting outside the gates.

Back tracking to the afternoon session of the workshop, I was really sad I missed the talk about quilting.  An American representative for a Pakistani quilter cooperative was there to discuss the work these women do. My sweet roommate brought me scraps of quilts they were giving as examples of the hand stitching work these women do.  Each stitch is hand done, ever fold, every different piece of fabric.  They are works of art on the front AND the back, I think anyway.  I especially loved the tassels. 

The group also discussed the lesson plan associated with the quilt squares.  Luckily, Nancy had introduced the project that morning, so I had taken photos of some of her examples, so I knew what was expected and the reasoning behind it.  The theme was up to us, but most people wanted to stick to something related to Santa Fe.  This is one of Nancy's examples.  This piece was very interesting.  We were to begin working on quilt squares of our own, so we could be finished by the end of the Monday workshop.

They also discussed the retablo project we were to begin working on.  Since I lost a little bit of work time, I decided to work on that piece (or complete it rather) when I got home (but I will get to that in another entry).  I decided to wait till Monday morning to get my materials, since I really didn't know what I was doing yet. Marty explained the entire discussion to me and showed me photos.  Thank goodness for her!  

The next couple of days were designated to finally getting to go to the folk art market.  There was so much to see and experience.  I can't wait to talk about it in my next entry!

Heading Out West...

For years now, my boyfriend Destin has told me story after story about his love for New Mexico.  To sum it up, when he was a kid (boy scout), he went to Philmont Scout Ranch, then later worked there when he graduated from high school.  If you know anything about Philmont (which I didn't), it's the mecca for Eagle Scouts/Cute hippie outdoorsy types.  When I first told him about this workshop in Santa Fe, I thought his head was going to explode.  He was excited to live vicariously through me.  I do hope one day we can go there together, obviously, because after this trip I feel an even deeper connection to who he is as a person (blah blah mushy stuff blah).

I'd been in contact with Stevie so frequently through email I felt we were already friends.  I was so excited it was time to finally pack and get ready for a completely different climate.  I had already been warned.  Drink lots of water.  Don't drink alcohol.  The air is much thinner up there, they said... I am getting ahead of myself.  The flight to New Mexico was a piece of cake.  It was REALLY early and I had a layover in Dallas.  Once I got to the airport, I got to my gate, the flight was on time, everything waa golden.  Here is my plane from Dallas to Santa Fe.  There is a single row on the left (no overhead storage) and a double row on the right (with very small storage overhead.  SO so small.

I have NEVER had anyone tell me what the landscape over New Mexico looks like in some areas.  I had no idea the irrigation systems for some crops made ginormous circles all across the landscape.  I am talking ALL across the landscape, which began my interest in the look of the landscape itself, especially the geometric patterns. 

The way the ground suddenly changed so drastically fascinated me.  I am so happy I had a window seat to see this amazing natural beauty from above. 

Once we touched down at the airport, I had a major "awwww" moment.  If it wasn't the darned cutest little airport I'd ever seen.  So charming.  There was absolutely no question of where I needed to get my rental car, thankfully.

After settling all the paperwork for renting a car for the first time, I found my wheels in the parking lot.  It was definitely highly sensitive on both the gas and brake pedals.  Definitely took a bit of getting used to.  (Later, I realized how grateful I was to have a car to get myself around. Lesson learned, folks)

I arrived in Santa Fe REALLY early that day and knew I couldn't check into my room yet.  I put the address for my hotel into my phone and was at least headed in the direction of where I was staying.  Once I figured out the general direction, I realized how close it was to all the main things one would want to see and explore in Santa Fe.  The hotel was nice enough to let me park my car there while I walked around town until check-in. (I should have gotten a better photo of the hotel)

At this point I was starving.  I took notice of the street signs (or so I thought) and headed toward the center of town.  As I walked, I found it hard to find a place serving lunch or even food at all.  I finally made it to the plaza and walked around for a while before finally deciding on The Plaza Cafe.  Obviously located in a great place, I was able to walk around and shop close by the restaurant.  

This was the first meal I had in Santa Fe.  It was called "Street Tacos."  It was steak, onions, cilantro, avocado, ect. with rice and awesomeness... Unfortunately when I travel, my stomach isn't always feeling fabulous when I first get somewhere, but I ate as much as I could.  The sauces it came with were incredible.

From there, I wanted to see as many local shops and galleries as I could before meeting everyone at 5:30 to head to the big welcome for the folk art market's artists.  I walked around to see what places had to offer to sell.  I wanted to see what locals artists were creating, what art was popular in the galleries, as well as figure out where the best places to find authentic Native American art and other items to buy.  Here is a photo of the plaza.  Generally there are vendors, both food and art/jewelry, selling their wares around.  There might be someone playing music or singing.  I found every time I visited it something different was happening.

I finally wandered back to the hotel (after getting lost, but no matter, getting lost in Santa Fe is really fun) and they let me in a little early.  The interior of the lobby was nice. Even their elevator had a fun metal mirror.

I was given a roommate and our room was adorable.  Everyone attending the Crizmac workshop stayed in this hotel, the Inn of the Governors.  Here was our room.  

Now remember, I was forewarned to stay hydrated, so I kept drinking water and refilling my water bottle.  By the time I got into the room, I felt a little tired, but ready to go when it was time to meet everyone downstairs.  I met my roommate beforehand.  Her name was Marty and she teaches art in Illinois.  We walked downstairs to meet everyone.  We walked as a group over to Santa Fe Railyard Park where the artist procession was happening.  As we walked up, artists were standing around and talking, some were resting inside the building, and some were taking photos for people.  This was my first market, so the idea was that the artists were dressed in their country's authentic clothing, jewelry, ect., while holding a sign so you knew where they were from.  This was basically like the opening ceremony for the Olympics, but for ARTISTS.  It was mind blowing, truly. 

I wasn't sure what to expect.  Most of the ladies I had spoken with so far didn't know what to expect.  We walked on to where the festivities were happening.  There was a stage, food vendors, and a sea of colorful people.  The electric energy in the air was exciting.  We stood around and listened to the music while deciding what to eat.  I was dying of thirst and decided to try a Santa Fe local favorite, which was watermelon lemonade.  Yeah I am not big on watermelon, but I wanted to be adventurous and I knew it was better than my old standby the soft drink.  Again, I knew I needed to stay hydrated...  It was pretty good, if you like watermelon.

So after wandering around for a bit, we found Stevie and Nancy waiting for the actual artist procession to begin.  They had picked out a killer spot where the artists had to stop to get their photos taken.  Finally the procession began and the energy of the crowd was incredible.  I have a video I took, but for some reason "eblogger", who I use for this blog, keeps giving me an error from every browser I use, so I give up.  Maybe I will have a post just for videos later on.

It was about this time I started to feel a little weak, a little woozy, and a little nauseous.  I told everyone I was heading back a little early, because it was an easy route and I could tell something just wasn't right.  I managed to snag this beautiful photo on my way home.  I was feeling a bit bummed as I walked back to the hotel, so I think I needed this moment to reflect on.

I ended up going to bed pretty early that evening.  What I didn't know at the time was I had altitude sickness and I was unprepared for how to fully deal with it (and what was to come).  I will blog about my first full day in Santa Fe tomorrow, but don't worry, I wasn't sick the ENTIRE time I was in New Mexico and I managed to see and do a ton even though I felt like poo a good portion of the time.  Goodnight!