Garden of Fire 2017

We have celebrated the Garden of Fire Festival previously, but this year was certainly memorable.  Although this summer was mostly a rainy washout, the weather was on our side COMPLETELY for this festival! Rain fell before the event began and there was a MAJOR downpour just after I packed up my supplies, but not a drop while we played outdoors.

Let the Festival Begin

Members of the Corning Native American Council led the opening ceremony with chants of unity, health, and happiness.  There were nearly 400 people from 6 area youth agencies on premises to enjoy this experience.  The purpose of this festival is to celebrate six weeks of art education with an "earth" theme.

Earthy Centerpiece

The crowd congregated around the Three Sisters sculpture made of glass and metal.  Three artists collaborated to create this permanent fixture at Care First in Coopers Plains.  Mud was used this year to add an earth element by means of a sculpture of the Sky Woman, an Iroquois Creation Story.  Students worked under the direction of artists to create the work, but had their own voice to develop the depiction.

Paint Earth's Elements

This activity packed celebration offered treats in every corner of the property.  Several organizations participated to create a variety of options.  There were canvases for collaborative representations of the earth's elements.  The Food Bank of the Southern Tier offered a mobile farmers market and every child got to fill a bag with fresh vegetables.  

The Southeast Steuben County Library provided two separate activities.

harp & heART

Maryalice brought her harp to offer some "Music and Creativity."  She played songs of varying tempo and beat.  Students were asked to use different types of drawing media to let the music dictate their imagery.  

"Nancy" on the Road

My Giant Knitting Nancy loom made another appearance this year.  I brought this loom to the first Garden of Fire festival in 2013, but many of the kids who wove on it then are now in college.  Ironically, the kids who used the loom this year turned it into a game.  Kids entered the end of the weaving, shimmied toward the center of the loom, then hit it in reverse to exit the weaving.  I have taken this loom to several events and this has never happened. 

A knitting nancy or ned was used historically to create woven tubing.  Items such as fishing nets, stockings, and socks were made with these looms, but I wanted to demonstrate to students that they can produce similar creations using their own fingers.  

Patience is Important

Providing a photo tutorial was intended to help guide the students to learn on their own, but I discovered that the festival atmosphere had each kid on activity overload.  

Calming Activity

Finger weaving or knitting creates tubing with versatile uses.  Headbands, belts, bracelets and necklaces were the options to make, depending upon time and patience.

Nimble Fingers

Some students grasped this technique and made long rope!

Quick and Simple

With limited time to learn and create, a few kids created bracelets, which only took 5 minutes to make.

Try and Try Again

Some adult students had the hardest time grasping the technique to this weaving process.  

Quick Learners

Some students quickly learned the technique, then shared their knowledge, allowing me a lunch break.

Festival's End

To end the festival, everyone gathered for a closing ceremony.  The Corning Native American Council along with some magnificent drummers led chants and songs, students recited poetry and team administrators thanked everyone for a wonderful event.

It was a joy to be part of such a magnificent youth program in my community.

I wonder what the theme will be in 2018.

For more information on Garden of Fire, visit:

https://gardenoffire.com/blog/

Check back soon for coverage of the week-long Theatre Camp with Centre Stage Community Theatre.

Thanks for visiting!

~erica

Fashion Club in Full Swing!

While our Fashion Club project is really top secret, it's essential to tease our followers with some progress photos.  I know you're so intrigued by this process and cannot wait to attend the Recycled Runway Fashion show on June 3 at the Corning Museum of Glass.

Fashionista Assembly Line

In order to complete this project, we built an assembly line of teens to create the silver jacket for our "Glitter Ghost" look.  If you have a Blue Apron subscription, you may recognize the packaging!

From Mess to Mesh

Ashti holds up the 2 hours worth of work to reveal the mesh from the mess.

Our model, Claire assembled the start of the accessories for this fashion.  

Sandwiched Imagery

Sara, our model from 2016, prepared the pants legs by sandwiching images from tissue paper packaging with clear mylar and plastic bags found in the SSC Library offices.

Lydia shows a sample of the wig we are creating.  The final look will be very textural and voluminous.  Remember folding your gum wrappers this way and making bracelets?

The countdown is here with the show less than 60 days away.  The pressure is on to get this fashion look complete and refined!  Stay tuned for more sneak peeks at our progress and be sure to attend this annual fundraiser for The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes.

xo,

erica

Recycled Runway Fashion Show 2016

Recycled Runway Fashion Show 2016 was a SPLENDID SUCCESS!!!  All models, designers and assistants involved helped create a beautiful show of local talent.

Recycled Runway 2016 Finale

As the months have passed since we started our Friday Fashion Club series in January, you have been allowed to follow some snippets of our design progress.  This was our first program recap.

Water bottles, cardboard circles, yarn, glue and staples

This image was just a sneak peek at the design we submitted for jury.  We knew with only 5 sessions, 1.5 hours each, our hands had to work FAST to finish our fashion.  From January through May, we chipped away at the design requirements and I am pleased to FINALLY reveal the results.

Three of our nine young designers entered their own fashion to the jury and were also selected!  These fanciful beauties were proud to prove their ability to our communtiy.

Christina is a second year designer.

"The Writing Woman"

Christina took her second year design from a writer's perspective.  With assistance from a model mentor, her design took flare fit for the runway.

"Twins in a Bag"

Nicole and Leila designed their fashion from Target shopping bags.  These bags have been a favorite medium of years past, but they have never been seen in a twin pack.  This was also Nicole's second year design, but she recruited her best friend as a first year designer.

Here is a view of these veteran designers from 2015.  As you can see, a year makes a big difference.  These ladies took their designs to a new level in their second year designs!

Please note, the marvelous Strinni Studio sponsors this beautiful event.

Last year, the SSC Library Fashion Club strutted the runway with this 1920's inspired dress.

Read more about this style in Catch Us on the Runway.

Our lovely Sarah traveled the catwalk for the Fashion Club's first year design.  Oddly, we had another Sarah strut her stuff in 2016.  And without further ado, I introduce you to the "Age of Reason."

(drummmmmmm rolllllll pleassssssssse.......)

"The Age of Reason"

"The Age of Reason" was inspired by 18th Century garb and created with dozens of water bottles used for hydration during Family Movie Matinees. They were shaped around a hula hoop for structure, then stapled and secured into a skirt.  The top is made from card board circles, which were layered with multiple colors of yarn and glue.

This mess became the top to "Age of Reason"

The hair was inspired by the big wigs of the 18th century, think Marie Antoinette.  This image surfaced about the same time as our Friday Fashion Club began and we knew the hair was the direction we needed to travel!

Although Marie Antoinette and 18th century fashion was our inspiration, we wanted our lady to keep her head!  These models arrive on scene nearly 9 hours before the runway begins.  There is dressing room assignment, assistants need to arrive, details need to be dealt, lunch needs to be served.  Designs are tested, rehearsals smooth out kinks in various angles, sweat accumulates, and the day drags on....in a good way!  There is no cake to eat, but plenty of excitement and activity. By the time the actual show begins, all nerves are set aside and relief takes over.  Everyone sees the finale just beyond the horizon.  Each model takes to the catwalk with their best moves and the audience approves EVERYTHING!

Backstage, waiting for the show to begin

This is a great experience for any designer or fashion forward follower of any age. The best part of the Friday Fashion Club is supporting these budding career and hobby interests and directing the energies into a professional outlet. Families involved absolutely adore seeing their loved ones on stage.  We were lucky to even have the local news station on hand hosting interviews and taking video.  Please enjoy our design on stage in this video link.

Please pay close attention at 1:30 into the video...THERE WE ARE!  TA-DA!!!

Another year, another success.

The Program is the Proof

You might find another name you recognize a few lines down.  If you seek, you may find proof of this blogger strutting down on the catwalk as a spider.  

Check back soon for more program coverage.  Summer is approaching along with lots of fun.  If you like costumes, comic cons, cooking, art, technology, reading, and games, keep your radar right here.  We have you covered!!!

Fashion Club...continued

Fashion Club is steadily designing with trash.  This is the second design group from the Southeast Steuben County Library to participate in the annual Recycled Runway Fashion Show, a benefit for The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes.  Each fourth Friday, from January through May 2016, the group will finalize their juried design to perfection until it is exposed on the catwalk.

Mess o' Materials

The trouble with reporting the fun we're having in the program is the desire to show off our progress, while keeping you all intrigued and interested enough to support every designers' efforts and purchase a ticket to the show.  Remember: the fashion show is a benefit fundraiser for our local ARTS Council.  Although we are training young ladies and gents to think and work creatively, we are also participating in a much larger effort, so please--support our local ARTS scene.

Gimme Your Water Bottles!

The main elements of our design are the clear plastic water bottles used to hydrate our patrons during movies and other programs.  These get recycled every month after Family and Adult movies.  There is a 5 cent deposit on these containers, which makes them more valuable than most trash in our state, but they are so plentiful in supply, we needed to re-purpose them for our design.  

Curly hair?

"The Age of Reason" is the title of our design.  We are going BIG!   Big hair and big dress.  Curls, height volume--we need it ALL!

BIG Hair

There are many directions to go, but teases are the only direction I will take you...until the catwalk. 

Yarn circle elements

Yarn and cardboard circles are the other elements in our design.  Yarn is always donated to the library, so we have an over abundance.  The cardboard circles are also a donation that is scrap from a local production company.

Here we go 'round in circles

It feels like we are working around a Mulberry Bush, 'round and 'round we go.  Strong staples and dedicated hands get this job done.

Bit o' Bottle

These bottles have grown into a tower and the piece is not even complete.  I just love the way these beauties seem to suspend in mid air.

Our designers are having a great time working together toward our goal.  The program series is past the halfway mark and the Fashion Show is just over 2 months away!  

This means I better get working on my own piece.  That's right, I have my own Trashcan Fashion piece in development.  Make sure you get a ticket to the show...I'll look for you in the crowd.

Check back next month for more snippets of our design and remarkable pieces from last year.

Rounded Pi Day

Rounded Pi Day was this Monday, 3/14/2016.  It was Rounded Pi, because Pi is 3.14159......so Monday was 3.14.16--Rounded Pi--irrational, I know (wink, wink).  We needed to celebrate this irrational number with a party and LOTS OF PIE!

Pi Participants and Prizes Table

Pi Participants needed to register at this table to get their tickets to enter for Pi prizes and pick up Pi Pins.  Guests learned they would be challenged with interactive games, poetry, calculations, and strategy to complete tasks at each station and enter to win fabulous p(r)i(zes).  With guest collaborators from the Twin Tiers Section of the Society of Women Engineers (S.W.E.), and the Corning Museum of Glass, Pi Day was Packed with activity. 

Prizes included 2 paperweight eggs from the Corning Museum of Glass, a Pizza Pie certificate from Atlas Pizza in Corning, and a Pi (777 Digits) poster from artist Michael Albert.

Educators from the Corning Museum of Glass with Pi Dividers

The educators from the Corning Museum of Glass brought a glass challenge, the Pi Divider.  Glass makers use this tool when making vessels with canes to calculate the amount of canes they need to make a vessel of a particular size.  In place of glass canes, colorful straws were used to demonstrate the idea.

Mousetrap Race Cars with S.W.E.

The Society of Women Engineers devised Mousetrap Race Cars with a little help from books they borrowed from our library sytsem, STLS.  Challengers took to the "streets" (A.K.A.- the Dewey Decimal Math aisle--510) to race these hot rods.  S.W.E. was also gracious to provide S.W.E. s.w.a.g. (stuff we all get) to Pi participants.  

Teen Tech Raspberry Pi micro-controller games

An assortment of Raspberry Pi micro-controllers were placed in the SSC Library conference room for all to sample.  Raspberry Pie sounds delicious, but these are not edible Pies!  These mini controllers are power houses of teaching and learning opportunity.

Edible Pies

For those seeking edible pies, we had a few treats to savor, but there was a major requirement.  You must complete a Pilish Poem or Pi-Ku and perform it for me before getting to polish off Pies.  Just entering that community room caused taste buds to salivate and this mission was easy to complete.

Pilish Poetry and Pi-Ku

The activity I devised was Pilish Poetry or Pi-Ku.  Pilish writing matches the number of letters per word to the corresponding number in Pi.  The shortest Pilish Poem could have a three letter word, followed by a one letter word, then by a four letter word.  Pi Ku writing matches the number of syllables in a line with the corresponding number in Pi.  We had some reluctant performers, but once they understood the rules: No pie without a Performance, I had a ton of readers stating stanzas under the Pi Pie.

There was also a Pie in the Face game, which is very much a scary game of chance...watch out or you may get covered in whipped cream!

Pie in the Face completed our Pi-venture

With this much fun, we will revisit Pi Day in 2017.  Lucky we initiated this program on Rounded Pi Day.

Picture Perfect Pi Day

Friday Fashion Club

 

We are at it again-- taking our trash and creating fashion forward art!  Fourth Fridays at the Southeast Steuben County Library are dedicated to  Last year we participated in the Recycled Runway Fashion Show, a benefit for The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes and it was a smashing success!  Here is a recap of last year:  Catch Us on the Runway.

Our design is TOP SECRET, so you will have to purchase your ticket and get a front row seat to the show.  To tease and excite you, here is some bait to whet your appetite.  Enjoy!

Busy Fashion House

Mini Masterpieces

REpurposed Plastic

Layout Sample

Recycled Runway Fashion Show will be held in the auditorium of the Corning Museum of Glass on June 4, 2016.  Check back for sneak peeks at our progress in the coming months, but better yet, come out and support this fantastic fundraiser!