Tirarium Finds A New Friend at Chatham Democrats Party!

Boy oh boy, am I behind on my blogging.....woweee.

Whose to blame? Well, of course, I am. But I'm gonna go one further and pass this bill on to our NC General Assembly. 'Cause these guys have been keeping me BUSY!....

To make a long long story short, this evening the Chatham Democrats hosted a very nice (delightful actually) party at the offices down the street on Chatham Avenue.

The headlining speaker was Representative Robert Rieves, a wonderful human being, and a valuable advocate for the people of NC in our House of Representatives.

However, we had several other great activist and/or candidates there as well. Among them Diana Hales, Del Turner, Jim Crawford, Jane Allen Wilson and Gary Franks!

Officer Gary Franks studies The World According To Tyler

One of the largest presences there (in many ways) was Carl Thompson, who served as a Chatham Commissioner for 16 years! (I learned just tonight).

Aside from being quite a large man in stature, in talking with Mr. Thompson, seeing him in action, and knowing the work that he has gone on to do since his tenure as a Commissioner (co-forming the Chatham Community Development Corporation), I come to find that Carl is also large in heart, and this shown through this evening loud and clear in the way that he introduced Robert Rieves, a young man who he actually knew as a young man, and has encouraged on this path (thank you Mr. Thompson!), as Mr. Rieves described this evening.

Mr. Thompson is also large in family, and I have had the privilage to run into his wife and daughter often around Chatham County. But tonight, I got the special privilage to meet two of his other family members; his son, Carl Jr. and his sister, Reval.

I had a really good time talking with Reval, and was not too suprised to see that the warmth that I have  seen in  Mr. Thompson, also glowed in his sister, Reval.

And not too suprisingly, this I also found in his son, Carl Jr, a young man, who, in addition to his father's patient disposition, also inherited his father's bearing and stature, which are formidable! (though Carl Jr chalks this up more to cornbread than to genes).

When I introduced Carl Jr. to a treadknot Tirarium that Elizabeth had 'commissioned' for the headquarters, he confessed that he had in fact been wanted to check it out all evening!
As a tactile person myself, I could definitely relate to this impulse, and was greatly gratified that the treadknot had evoked this impulse in him! (also, in retrospect, I am little bit touched that this big guy was too polite to reach out and inspect this wierd thing, as I probably would have..).

Anyways, Carl was very cool about allowing me to capture on camera his own tactile exploration of the tredknot. And I am grateful for this, because I think this is an awesome picture!
The Treadknot meets The Incredible Hulk! Hallelujah!

Thanks Carl, Good meeting you Bro.

MEANWHILE, OVER AT THE ENVIRONMENTAILTY PUBLIC ART STUDIO...

People were really digging in!...

I’m just going to say it: Elizabeth Cox Rocks! And so does Phil!

FESTIVAL FOR THE ENO- DAY 1: "ChaCHING!"

This nice young lady, Andrea Tuttle (?) found herself a nice tredknot “chaCHING!” coin purse to hang from her purse strap!

And Ann, who I met many years ago at the Festival for The Eno, when she was hosting John, the Boston and Back biker, (LINK) returned this year to the Reptire Hut to pick up a tredknot cha-CHING to give to a German colleague, Bernhard June, in Limburgerhof Duetschland, down along the Rhine!

This fellow became enamored with the chaCHING too.

 He said that as a vegetarian, he was searching for substitutes for animal hide leather.

I told him look no further, because he is standing at the gates of Tire Tofu heaven!

(How I let that guy out of there with out buying something I’ll never know.)

Even my new friend PJ, who so impressed me last year with her purchase of a provocatively purple house plant, returned to the Reptire Hut this year to purchase a tredknot chaCHING!”!, persuasively proving the point that she is particularly perceptive person.

SpeakING of “ChaCHING!”s…this was an unusually great year for those tredknot cha-things!

To what can I attribute this?

-The great weather? Maybe.

-People’s current spending habits? Probably.

-An increase in the silver dollars the US Treasury is minting? Unfortunately probably not.

-My brilliant new and long-labored-over interactive tredknot coin purse display?...

 “cha-CHING”!

FESTIVAL FOR THE ENO: DAY 1 EARLY VISITORS!

I am always impressed by the few people who find walking around, taking in the Festival's crafts in its earliest beginning hours. These people, clearly on top of their game, seem to enjoy taking things in with a clear view finder, the emptiness the space. I am inspired by these rare people!

One of the first visitors that I received this year was my friend Micheal Savino.

(you may have seen Micheal's ads in the Independent for massage therapy). He brought with him his lovely lady friend, Caroline (?), who was wearing a beautiful rivery shirt, and who modeled a ‘Flo Tie’ marvelously. It was nice to see the new flo tie getting a little attention! And boy did she don it well!

Another fun fellow to meet right off was Reid, a young jeweler from the mountains, who really keened into Reptire Designs. He connected with an Orouboros Street Snake Belt, and became the first person to ever buy one!

It was touching to me that another craftsman such as Reid would appreciate Reptire Designs,

 and want to take home a snake belt to bedeck himself with!

FESTIVAL FOR THE ENO WEATHER BLESSINGS!

If there is one thing that we could all agree on at the Festival For The Eno this year,

it is that the weather could not POSSIBLY have been ANY more PERFECT!!!!.......

This is nothing to sneeze at. Being July 4^th weekend, many people in this area have had some experience of feeling overheated at the Festival, many of them, tragically, never to return again.

Nevermind that this is, yes, a RIVER FESTIVAL!, and that getting in the cool refreshing running waters of the Eno is OF THE ESSENCE for enjoying this great Festival!

Like most sane people, I wear my swimming trunks the who festival, and by taking a 10 minute soak every 2 hours or so, , I am able to keep my core body temperature (and outlook) to a nice chill. Yes, in most years, this is ESSENTIAL!

But this year, that wasn’t even necessary, just something I did for pleasure anyways, and boy did it ever feel nice!

And boy do I regret that those people and others were not around to experience just how perfectly wonderful this festival can be.’

You win some, you loose some, but this year, some people missed out on a beautifully good time!

But those tried and true supporters of this festival, who I see year after year, weathering the weather, well they really got their due this Festival, in spades!

SETTING UP THE REPTIRE HUT AT THE FESTIVAL FOR THE ENO

SET UP

So as I mentioned in a previous post, set up was double challenging for me this year, because I had to prepare, organize, load, and set up not only my Reptire Hut, but also the EnvironMentality Public Art Studio.

Thankfully, I had great help, and so this was, with a lot of extra ‘focus’ and determination, acheivable!

A LOAN FROM JEANMARIE AND HER FABULOUS ‘REMIX’!

A day or two before the festival, I stopped by Jeanmarie Griffiths Remix in Carrboro to pick up a dress form she had offered to loan to me. Jeanmarie and I first met through the Reuse Alliance NC, when we were preparing for Reuse Conex.

Since then, I have to know, and deeply admire Jeanmarie’s spunky spirit, which especially really shines through in her wearable art, but also in creations such as her REMIX shop, and events she has invited to participate in, such as the Valentines Day Craft Market. Jeanmarie seems to cultivate community around her, and I cherish the friendships I have made at her events.

It is well worth mentioning that I was PARTICULARLY blown away by Jeanmarie’s contribution to FRANK Gallery’s RUBBISH2RUNWAYS Trashion Show and Exhibition last year. While I am very proud of my own submission of “Forbidden Fruit Dress, it did not hold a candle to Jeanmaries incredibly funky and sexy dress made from camera film negatives laced together down the sides of a pair of full hips. Such accessories as highheel shoes and sunglasses really set it over the top. How this dress did not win a prize I will never understand. I know that amid some pretty stiff competition, it got my personal Grand Prize.

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of working a Scrap Exchange Outreach event with Jeanmarie, during which she graciously offered to loan me one of her dress forms, so that I might exhibit “Forbidden Fruit Dress” in my Fashion CouTire corner at the Festival For The Eno, an idea which tantalized me.

  As I arrived at her shop to pick up the dress form, another fellow showed up for a visit also. An older somewhat elfish man, with a twinkle in his eye, and bubbling over with stories and conversation, upon being introduced by Jeanmarie, I soon learned that his name was David, and that I had an extraordinary tale to tell!

I wont go into too much detail here, because the story deserves to be told in its entirety.

I hope to interview him and share his story on this blog someday soon!...

Just a teaser hint- kid shows up in NY City in 80’s, suitcase full of rubber garments!...