Steampunk Bicyclists Swarm Main Street!
That’s right, last night nearly 50 bicyclists, many in Steampunk attire, swarmed the Westside and downtown Ventura!
Steampunk swarm started in midtown near the City of Ventura Maintenance yard, rolled down San Jon to the Artists Union Gallery near California Street and the Beach Promenade.
There, the Steampunk swarm doubled in size, and moved along the Beach Promenade startling pedestrians and astonishing surfers. 
The swarm gained speed up the bike path along the Ventura River and veered onto Main Street before traveling up Ventura Avenue, generally taking the lane as no bicycle path is provided and cars have a generous left turn lane which doubles as a passing lane.
The Steampunk swarm entertained Bell Arts patrons and more FFArtRiders joined the swarm there while others peeled off. Highlights at Bell Arts included Imre Juhasz’s digitized photographs printed on canvas and at Vita, Dianne Bennett’s paintings and Borbala Arvai’s fairy habitats.
Next, the Steampunk swarm took a surprising jog around a Westside neighborhood, and came out again on Ventura Avenue to pause at the closed 643 Project before taking over Main Street for a long cruise up to Bernadette’s at Fir and back down to check out the WAV, home to next month’s ArtRide afterparty May 7.
The Steampunk swarm cruised Main one more time before taking Kalorama over to the galleries on Laurel. Then
the Steampunk swarm dispersed until April 18 when it will swarm again at the Artists Union Gallery at 1:30pm. Join the Steampunk swarm for a fun ride to participating ArtWalk galleries and studios or meet us at Bell Arts Factory at 4pm for a S
teampunk Fashion Show and ArtWalk afterparty!
Need help getting you Steampunk on? Head over to Bell Arts Factory, 432 N. Ventura Avenue. For the next two weeks, from 3-5pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Bell Arts is offering FREE workshops. Bring possible outfits to wear on the bicycle ride or in the fashion show and the talented artists there will assist you in styling. Sessions in over-dying and screen printing Steampunk motifs are in the works.
PS Thanks to Gary Stevens for taking so many great pictures last night and for getting them so quickly on his site, Gary’s World. Thanks, to Gary also, for permission to post them here. All but the very top photo and the one on Main at night are by Gary; Jenessa Nye provided those two. Please don’t copy (steal) these images or others (or text either)–ask first.
Getting Our Steampunk On!
That’s what we’re doing around here: getting our Steampunk on for the April ArtRides! I’ve got outifts together for my nephew, and my son, and now to figure out MINE! I just wish I had this FABULOUS necklace to wear!
Want to get YOUR Steampunk on? As usual, we’ll start at the Artists Union Gallery, ride along the beach promenade to Main, roll up Ventura Avenue to Bell Arts Factory and beyond if we have time, cruise Main Street a time or two, then stop by the WAV Project to scope it out for next month’s afterparty, and finally, stop by Laurel Street Galleries to see what’s up! We should be done before it gets dark at 8:10pm.
Check back tomorrow for photos and a complete report!
Each April we celebrate two of my favorite things in life: poetry & the earth, and so every April I experience supreme torture because every day in April poetry readings and Earth Day events compete for my attention. This month is no exception and I will post as much as I can about various events.
I know not everyone is a fan of poetry. In fact, most people aren’t. As a college teacher who is often charged with the task of “teaching” literature to college students, including poetry, I find it’s that people haven’t had a chance to relax and find poems they enjoy.Being forced fed poetry in school, and being told to find the “hidden” meanings isn’t all that fun if you’re battling it out on your own and it feels like the teacher has all the secrets and doles out the answers when you and your classmates act pitifully enough. And even though, it doesn’t always make sense. There’s too much jargon and other nonsense that can interfere with a basic appreciation of the form. After all, do we require people to know all about music before we let them listen and find music that tickles their fancy?
Personally, I love reading, writing and listening to poetry of all kinds. On this blog, at least once a week, mostly on Mondays, I publish poetry, my own and sometimes the work of others including E.E. Cummings, Wendell Berry, Mary Oliver, and fellow blogger Paul Squires aka GingaTao! For five years, from 2001-2006, I hosted a monthly poetry reading series at Zoey’s Cafe here in Ventura. I published some three dozen poems in ArtLife from 1996-2003 as well as in other poetry publications and books, most recently in qarrsiluni on the web in an issue that was just published (Mutating the Signature January-April 2009 Editors: Dana Guthrie Martin and Nathan Moore print edition). I’ve also co-edited a poetry anthology, between sleeps. And I have my own poetry manuscript in the works, love and terror at 3:15am–poetry from the 3:15 experiment 2001-2009, which I hope to wrap up soon and start sending out to contests and to get published. You can read some of my poetry here on my Poems & Projects page.
And Earth Month! A whole month to call attention to our one and only precious planet Earth! My first memories are of my toes in the earth under the house where I’d followed a bunny, and in the sand in the Pacific and in the fresh mud after the snow had melted in Peoria–all before I started school. Then memories of climbing trees and marveling at them followed by rock climbing, sailing, and backpacking with Girl Scouts in middle school.
It was natural for me to double major in literature/creative writing and in environmental studies. These two passions of mine vie for my time and attention on a daily basis: do I go for a bike ride outside or stay inside and write? Do I garden or work on my poetry manuscript? Do I go to the wild to go camping or stay home to attend a literary event?
How will YOU be celebrating?
If you live in southern California, how about joining us for our Steampunk ArtRides April 2 & April 18? Or starting your own ArtRides in your community? Or how about just getting out for a bike ride instead of a car commute? (Need a bike? I’d love to sell you a bikergo!) How about learning more about climate change and trying to live more “green”this Earth Month?
And for Poetry Month, check these ideas out:
Poem In Your Pocket Day: Join thousands of individuals across the U.S. by carrying a poem in your pocket on April 29, 2010. Poetry & the Creative Mind: Each April, The Academy of American Poets presents a star-studded celebration of American poetry. Poem on the Range Project: Put poetry on the map by submitting your videos or photos of places associated with iconic poems. Poem-A-Day: Great poems from new books emailed each day of National Poetry Month. Sign up for your daily dose of new poems from new spring poetry titles. Spring Book List: Check out the new books of poetry available each spring. Poem Flow for iPhones: Available through the iTunes store, this innovative mobile app features daily poems presented as both fixed and animated text. National Poetry Map: Find out what is happening in your state by visiting our redesigned and updated National Poetry Map.
The San Buenaventura ArtRiders Bicycle and Social Club for Earth Month’s Steampunk ArtRides to participating First Friday and ArtWalk galleries and art studios celebrate how to reCYCLE in a BIG reINVENTive way!
No you don’t HAVE to have a Steampunk bike (I’ll be on my bikergo of course) but it’s fun to imagine a bunch of us riding around on these crazy bicycles!
Steampunk FFArtRide April 2:
Meet at the Ventura Beach Promenade Fountain at 5:30pm; ride leaves at 6pm.Steampunk Sunday ArtWalk ArtRide & Fashion Show April 18:
Meet at the Ventura Beach Promenade Fountain at 1:30pm; ride leaves at 2pm. Steampunk Fashion Show & ArtWalk afterparty at Bell Arts Factory 432 N. Ventura Ave. from 4-6pm with beer donated by Anacapa Brewery (thank YOU!) and food TBA.Participants are encouraged to dress with the Steampunk theme of reINVENTion, reCREATion, and reCYCLE. To help prepare you, come to FREE on-going workshops at Bell Arts to help you get your STEAMPUNK on: Tuesdays from 3-5pm and Saturdays 10-noon.
Think Jules Verne science fiction.
Think Victorian-inspired like corsets and hoop skirts with a punk twist.
Think gears and wrenches, watches and horns.
Think vintage, and otherwise wacky, fun, ornate clothing in natural fibers and colors as well as jewel tones.
If all else fails, think Tweed Ride.Please DO bring recent inventions, bicycles with headlights, cups for libations, and musical instruments.
Please DON’T wear contemporary looking clothing (blue jeans, t-shirts, athletic shoes). Instead, choose browns or blacks, tweeds, stripes, because in addition to being a blast, ArtRides are a performance art piece as well as environmental activism: dressing up draws attention to cycling and to cyclists.
This family friendly ride is free, but donations are welcome.
Learn more about Steampunk and ArtRides at http://bikergogal.wordpress.com.
Join us on facebook: San Buenaventura ArtRiders Bicycle & Social Club.Coming up FFArtRide May 7: Disco Ball!
Go Steampunk for Earth Month! Join Us April 2 & 18!
Our Steampunk April ArtRides celebrate the reINVENTiveness and reCREATiveness and reCYCLEness of Earth month.
There’s lots of info out there on the internet and I’ll be sharing photos and videos here and on bikergogal too between now and April 18. This photo of Raina Woolfolk came to me from one of the Burning Moms.
Not only is Raina a rider of stunning Steampunk Bicycles and wearing of Steampunk garb, but she is also a talented artist and jeweler, on sale in her esty store.
I know I’ll be riding my bikergo and I have some ideas on ways to Steampunk it out! But what will I wear? I’m working on it with help today from Rosel Weedn at an inspiring and free Bell Arts workshop! There’s one the next two Tuesdays from 3-5pm as well as on Saturdays from 10-noon.
I’m working with some goodies from previous thrift store trips (tomorrow is half price day at Goodwill from 3-7pm!) I’ll have something ready corsetty and Victorian-esque and likely in sapphire blue to wear for the First Friday ArtRide, Friday April 2, which meets at the Artists Union at 5:30pm and leaves there at 6pm. I may even have something different to wear for the ArtWalk Sunday ArtRide April 18 which meets at 1:30pm at the Artists Union and leaves at 2pm. That ArtRide ends at Bell Arts Factory, 432 N. Ventura Ave at 4pm for Project Green Runway: Steampunk ReCycle Fashion Show and afterparty with beer donated by Ventura’s Anacapa Brewery.
Rides are free but we accept donations! Children are welcome; they need helmets and to be accompanied by an adult. Children under 8 need to ride WITH an adult.
Hitting 200,000 Page Views! Thank YOU!!
Yes, Art Predator now has over 200,000 page views!
Thank you to everyone for reading Art Predator since it began in November 2008! Over that time, this blog has grown steadily to average 350 page views a month–for all of 2009 and for this month, with a high of over 550 a day in September.
How did I get to 200,000 page views? With readers and subscribers like YOU! It’s really easy to subscribe–just a click on the upper right hand corner of the sidebar gets you to a simple form. Please do! It’s a nice reward for all this blogging to have not just readers but SUBSCRIBERS!
Want to know what people have been reading? A little bit of everything from poetry and politics to music and wine to astrology and astronomy to Burning Man and travel: all that engages my soul and that I hope will engage yours. Read more…
OFF with their lights! Tonight 8:30pm is Earth Hour!
The Red Queen famously pronounced “Off with their heads!” Well, the World Wildlife Fun
d says,
“Off with their lights! At 8:30pm! Saturday March 27 2010!”
For tonight anyway, turn out your lights at 8:30pm and join an international movement of people in over 120 countries and 50 states as together we turn out the lights in a call to action on climate change. Certainly to be the largest mass action ever, families like mine are turning out the lights tonight for one hour or longer because we care for our planet and our future. Read more…
Tonight, Friday March 26 at 7:30pm, my dear poet friend and fellow Burning Mom Lee Ann Brown will be in Venice/LA from NYC (where she’s a prof of poetry) to read at Beyond Baroque from her recently released The Book of Practical Pussies,” a collection which she co-edited, published, and which includes selections of her own poetry. Read more about the collection here.
LEE ANN BROWN is the author of Polyverse (Sun & Moon Press), winner of New American Poetry Series Award, and The Sleep That Changed Everything (Wesleyan University Press). She is editor and publisher of Tender Buttons Press, holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Brown University, and is currently Associate Professor of English at St. John’s University in New York City. Her song cycle, The Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time and other readings can be found online at PENNSOUND and The Electronic Poetry Center.
“I’m going to sing some unpublished ballads, and new sonnets,” says Lee Ann in an email.
Lee Ann will be reading with LA poet INDIA RADFAR. Read more…
What red wine would you choose to pair with white wine drinker? That’s the question asked by Wine Blogging Wednesday #67 host Joe Roberts of 1WineDude. And no cheating with an Australian sparkling shiraz, either, Joe says.
Because I’m on WBC-or-Bust campaign, and I want to get one of 12 spots on the bus to travel around Washington wine regions before and after this year’s Wine Bloggers conference in Walla Walla, a Washington red is an obvious choice so I asked the Wine Guy at Trader Joes and he suggested the 2007 Red Diamond.
In real life, given this challenge, I would base my recommendation on what I knew or learned about the person, what was the occasion, and what food was being served. So I asked myself: Read more…
Dear friends and fans of Art Predator.
Some of you may know that my husband broke his C2 vertebrae in a bicycle accident on Friday, February 5. The accident occurred during a rehearsal where we were being honored as bicycle activists in our community. Several cyclists in our group were going to do a simple stunt; Marsh went first (and last).
This C2 break is known as a “hangman’s break”–it’s the kind of break where 95% of the people die instantly; for those who live, almost all have limited mobility (that means they are in a wheelchair–like “Superman” Christopher Reeves). Typically, doctors fuse the vertebrae in the neck which means a loss of 75% mobility in the neck. They do this to reduce the risk of full paralysis as well as the risk of injury during the healing process. They also typically put a halo on someone with this sort of break.
In case anatomy isn’t your strong point, as I understand it, C1 is like a ring at the base of the skull. C2 is like a point, like finger of bone that slides into the ring and connects the brain and the head with the body. The “ring” moves around the “finger” so that the body can move on the head.
In Marsh’s case, because of the nature of the break in the “finger,” Dr. Sabit told us fusing his neck (his C1 and C2) was a huge risk. Not only would he lose 75% of the mobility in his neck but he might be paralyzed in the process.
So Dr. Sabit took a different risk: he put his hand down Marshall’s throat, moved the bones into place, then, in his words, “shoved” his body back into his head, sliding and popping it back into place. This is a move he saw once as an intern and had never done himself. Read more…
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