Sheron Long's Blog, page 40
September 9, 2013
Daily Cultural Encounters at Conflict Kitchen
Venezuelan takeout
© Conflict Kitchen
Sharing a Meal with Our “Enemies”
What do you really know about the people in Cuba? Iran? Afghanistan? Venezuela? North Korea?
Jon Rubin and Dawn Weleski expect that you will be a lot more informed after lunch at their restaurant.
Conflict Kitchen, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is dedicated to encouraging cultural encounters and promoting dialog about countries with which the United States is in conflict.
Every few months, the restaurant completely changes its storefront and its menu, featuring one country at a time. It has served foods from Afghanistan, Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba and is planning to feature North Korean cuisine next. The menu is simple, often only offering a handful of items, but the conversation that accompanies the food is meant to be full of “Oh, I see” moments.
Afghan menu
©...
September 5, 2013
Creative Expression with People as Pixels
Marilyn Monroe
© Craig Alan
Portraits of People . . . A Thousand Points of Life
Perceptions change as we look at the world from different perspectives. Such variations in viewpoints are what make life interesting.
What we see at a distance affects us one way. When we move in closer, we may experience something else. This evolution is the spice of creative expression.
What do you see in the image above at first glance?
Yes, it’s Marilyn Monroe, portrayed in a unique minimalist, semi-pointillist style. But look closer. You see much more. Her face, her hair, the textures, the colors are all built from humanity. Atlanta-based artist Craig Alan uses people as his artistic building blocks.
Oh, I See
The first perception provides one view. But with a closer look, something else emerges.
Put into the simpler words of one surprised fan, “OMG, it’s made of little...
September 2, 2013
Josh Humphrey: Making Music with Reclaimed Wood
Josh Humphrey in his shop
© Josh Humphrey
A Luthier’s Creative Process
Guitar, made from reclaimed redwood
© Josh Humphrey
In Josh Humphrey‘s hands, a weathered piece of redwood from a dilapidated shack is transformed into the caramel-colored face of a one-of-a-kind guitar.
Humphrey is a luthier, a craftsman who makes stringed instruments.
The 20-string Raja guitar, pictured on the right, is one of the many unique pieces he has crafted from reclaimed and other local woods.
How did he become a luthier? It took his dad’s business, heavy rock music, and an apple tree, with several Oh, I see moments along the way.
Dad’s Business
During his teenage years, Humphrey’s dad owned a wood and tool shop. Humphrey was set free to do what he wanted there. It was, as he says, his “play area with power tools.”
Heavy Rock Music
...
August 29, 2013
Marching on Washington and Toward the MLK Dream
When will Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream come true?
© Thinkstock
For All Those Who Spoke Up, Who Will Pay It Forward?
Friends help friends, sometimes in silence but more significantly by speaking up for their dreams.
1963: The March on Washington
Fifty years ago, a crowd of at least 250,000 people gathered at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to raise their voices for jobs and freedom.
Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. About ten minutes into his address, gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, called out:
Tell ‘em about the dream, Martin.
And that was the point when King departed from his prepared speech and delivered the words we remember 50 years later:
[image error]
King giving his “I Have a Dream” speech, originally titled “Normalcy, Never Again”
(National Archives and Records Administration)
August 26, 2013
Back-to-School Transition: As Easy as ABC?
Rushing back to class
© Thinkstock
Parent + Student = Different Perspectives
Children and parents around the country are preparing for the grand upheaval known as back to school.
While children shudder as the careless summer evaporates, a collective parental sigh of relief greets the dawning of a regular school schedule.
Students preparing to go back to school will face:
the elation of finally seeing friends again
the misery of making sack lunches
the challenge of getting supplies organized
and the ultimate struggle: getting up early.
How do their perspectives on the above compare to their parents’?
Friends
One student declared, “What I love about school is that I get to see my friends and enjoy every day with them. I haven’t seen them all summer!”
Her parent’s perspective was a little different. “Seems like there was...
August 22, 2013
“Missed Connections” Offer Alluring Life Lessons
Missed Connection on the Red Line
© Digital Vision/Darrin Klimek
Carpe Diem: Seize the Moment . . . or Not
Our eyes met several times today on the A train. You have blond hair and were wearing a black jacket. When you got off at 5th, you looked at me through the window and smiled. Would love to see you again.
I never do this but . . . we saw each other on the Red Line today. You’re tall (like me) and have the bluest blue eyes I’ve ever seen. It was hard to stop sneaking a peek at you. You got off at Market Street. Figured it’d be worth a shot to post this.
You were at the Springsteen concert last night (Row S) sitting next to me. The girl you were with started out next to me, but then you switched seats (thank you). If you see this and would like to chat, reply back and we can go from there.
In this fast-paced world of devices, headphones, and anonymity,...
August 19, 2013
Yarn Bombing Has Its Purls of Wisdom
The Andy Warhol Bridge
© Knit the Bridge
Street Knitting As Public Art
The Andy Warhol/7th Street Bridge in Pittsburgh has been bombed!
So has the Craft and Folk Art Museum in Los Angeles.
And so have numerous trees, statues, railings, phone booths, bicycle racks, and lampposts.
Yarn bombing, or yarn graffiti, is often the work of stealth knitters who wish to beautify a public place with their artistic expression. This soft form of graffiti has become more mainstream in the last few years, though, and more communities are embracing it as public art.
Meet three creative yarn bombers.
Jessie Hemmons, The Street Bomber
Ishknits, or Jessie Hemmons, is a self-described yarn bomber who started her work in Pennsylvania and has recently brought it with her in her move to northern California.
Jessie Hemmons, installing her work
Image © Dustin Campbell
Hemmons...
August 15, 2013
Art Goes Across Cultures in “Tribute to Mandela”
How is it that a Belgian emerging artist, working with Chinese seals, honors South African activist and former President Nelson Mandela with a monumental portrait in the streets of Shanghai?
The inspiration that comes from going across cultures is, at least, part of the answer. In this video, seal artist Phil Akashi, shows his creative process.
If the video does not play, watch it here.
Mandela, An International Hero
Nelson Mandela (1918– ) celebrated his 95th birthday on July 18, 2013.
[image error]
Nelson Mandela, 2008
© South Africa The Good News
His vision of equal rights for the citizens of South Africa led to resistance against apartheid policies and to his imprisonment for 27 years.
After his 1990 release, he and President FW de Klerk negotiated an end to apartheid for which they won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.
At age 77, Mandela voted for the first time in the...
August 12, 2013
Overcoming Obstacles: What’s Right with Lefties
© Thinkstock
Happy Left-Handers’ Day!
What is wrong with the photo above? No left-handed person would voluntarily write in a spiral notebook like that—it’s horribly uncomfortable on the hand!
About 10% of the population is left-dominant. They prefer to write, toss balls, cut paper, and open cans with their left hands. Often this means they have to overcome obstacles daily by struggling with tools, like spiral notebooks, thoughtlessly designed only for right-handed people.
About twenty years ago, a fed-up group of lefties, the Left-Hander’s Club, started International Left-Handers’ Day, which is now celebrated annually on August 13. According to the official site, the event allows left-handers to “celebrate their sinistrality and increase public awareness of the advantages and disadvantages of being left-handed.”
So, what are some of the...
August 8, 2013
In Tune with Paris: The Music of the Eiffel Tower
Hundreds of feet high, Joe Bertolozzi “plays” an Eiffel Tower railing.
© Franc Palaia
The Voice Inside The Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower has been called many things. La Grande Dame. The Iron Lady. The ultimate symbol of Paris.
Several more imaginative names were provided by the artists and writers who protested its construction in 1887. A truly tragic street lamp. An ungainly skeleton. A half-built factory pipe.
Now, thanks to Joseph Bertolozzi‘s unique path for artistic expression, an even more inspirational name can be applied. The Eiffel Tower has become a musical instrument.
Oh, I see. There is music everywhere. You just have to be open to finding it.
A musical fence . . . with quite a view.
© Franc Palaia
Tower Music
Composer/musician Bertolozzi has a penchant for discovering new ways of creating music. He has a long career of traditional...
