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

Library Unmasked-The Steampunk edition

Library Unmasked went Steampunk for it's third edition at the Southeast Steuben County Library.  The #libraryafterhours party was yet another smashing success!

Geared Up for Unmasked

Doors opened at 6:30 for this event.  Those who came to cosplay headed to the registration table to enter the contest.  Some parents even attended in full garb ready for fun.

These Parents Rock!

If you look close at that mom's hand, you might recognize a geared up cuff/ glove from our First Friday Art Club Steampunked Costumes earlier in July.  Our talented Hannah created those huge gears out of myriad cardboard boxes.  Aside from geeked out parents, our teens and kids had fun cosplaying, too. 

Willow the Watch Maker

"Willow the Watch Maker" created most of her costume in our Steampunked Costumes art class.  That hat was white and hiding in the Creation Station, the library maker space, for over a year.  Now it has new life and new places to roam.

The Reporter

Although parents discussed the meaning of Steampunk with their kiddos, some strong willed ladies chose their own path for cosplay.  Here you see Rosie the Reporter.  Too Cute!

To include some technology, Hannah set set up the green screen with cool steampunk backgrounds to share on social media.  Search #LibraryUnmasked to follow the scene.

You can try this in the Creation Station!

While families got caught in Steampunk land, groups also tested out Breakout EDU with Kayla.  This puzzle was like an escape room in a box.  Stop over before summer is gone to test your escape skills.

Rainbow Pallette

Painted Love by Jennifer Sekella was on hand during the night to paint faces and make everyone look fabu for a few hours. I got a gear that kept me going well past midnight.  The kids were excited to have some feisty color to complete their Friday festivities.

Butterfly and Tiger

Let the crafts begin!

Power Potion

Crafts included Potion Jar and Skeleton Key necklaces hosted by my trusty teen volunteers, Jenni and Sarah.

Premium Help in every Corner

Leather bracelets were made with Ann Recotta of Soulshine Studio.  The leather strips were donated by Aurora Shoe Company.  Many thanks to all those helping hands making a crafty and memorable occasion.

Kathryn W. stepped in to help, too!

There were several artists on hand selling their work and offering drawings to guests.

PolarNasu 

PolarNasu (Derek Morrow) took the digital drawing approach.

Filomena Jack

Filomena Jack took the funky and fabulous path, per usual.  She had paintings, drawings, jewelry and pizzazz to keep everyone engaged.

Joe Schichtel

Joey Schichtel kept the crowd entertained with his impressive illustrations and dark humor.

Emily Swan

Emily Swan graced the group with her prepared illustrations.  Color, cut and stand the characters up for an action packed experience.

Patrick Thomas

Local author, Patrick Thomas was in the house promoting books he wrote.  We got his steampunk book, As the Gears Turn, to add to the collection.  Be sure to check it out.

Has anybody SEEN Troy?

Troy from the Corning Museum of Glass brought elements from their Curious and Curiouser exhibit on display at the Rakow Research Library until February 17, 2019.  Glass eyeballs and locomotion video are all very Steampunk essential.

Dancers ready to Bust a Move

The roof was raised with performances from YunG-K, J-Cuzzo and Lukey Bear.  These young men are high school students with too much talent to keep packed in Corning.  Their performances were part of their "School's Out" summer tour and they made some new fans in the process.

Yung-K and J-Cuzzo

The finale to the festivities was the cosplay contest, judged by members of the 11th Hour Cosplay group.  They are such a fun group, they event dressed to the Nines.

Steampunks Away!

The winners of the Steampunk Cosplay contest won weekend passes to Twin Tiers Comic Con in September.  Page One Entertainment donated some of the passes for the winners.  

Steampunk Crew

The winners from left to right are Frankie with Goth Before Goth was Real, Christina as Early Inventer (Glider), Remy and Ryker as The Gear Brothers, Robin as Formal Engineer, and Hannah as Willow the Watch Maker.  Kudos for all the effort put in these designs!

Goodies Galore!

We were graced with several donations from area businesses, like ice cream from Dippity Do Dahs, certificates to CD Cafe on Market Steet, Table-Top games from Michael Steffins, Metacheckers from Ed Bond, a dinner certificate from Denny's Sub Shop in Big Flats, ice cream from the Sweet Spot, pizza from B's Pizza, ice cream from McDonald's in Corning/ Painted Post, comic con passes from Page One Entertainment, plus many artsy goods from the presenting artists. Penguin Random House also sent us a BIG BOX O' SWAG to raffle off for the evening.  With over 45 prizes to raffle, lots of people went home with a treat.

That wraps up the biggest summer program I create.  I hope you've been inspired to get in the cosplay game, work your art, create your craft, sing your song and rock out in the skin you're in.  We look forward to another Library Unmasked in 2018.  Thanks for visiting!

Get Unmasked again in 2018

Recycled Runway 2017

After seven classes and over twelve hours of hustle and bustle, Southeast Steuben County LIbrary's Glitter Ghost haunted the catwalk of the 2017 Recycled Runway Fashion Show. This fashion show is the annual fundraiser event for The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes and it was a smashing success!

Dress Rehearsal

The show was on June 3, 2017.  Being a Saturday, models and designers gave up their day of sunshine and outdoor adventures to be stowed away in the corners of the Corning Museum of Glass behind black curtains.  Every design was a surprise to our guests and no one wanted to spoil the anticipation.

Wig Design Plan

Jacket Design Plan

After each design session, led by Tatyana Buchholz at the library, I would write a blog to tease readers about our progress, but now is your chance to see the final product.  We had a vision to create a wig using that famed elementary school technique of folding paper in an accordion pattern.  The jacket was built with the simple looping process used to make advent chains for Christmas.  I remember making bracelets using these techniques on my bus rides home from school, but this class pulled it all together as a professional level design worthy of Project Runway--using only trash!

Final Hours of Design

As our group finalized this design during the last class, our model, Claire, got a good taste of how much attention she would receive on the day of the show.  Every model who participated in Recycled Runway was treated like royalty for a day, from hair and makeup to treats to keep everyone happy.

Silver Lashes--A MUST!

Our wonderful photographer, Chris Walters, shot images during the entire day. There were 31 fashion looks to fit and fluff along with 34 models to glamorize.  Bella Capelli Salon provided 7 stylists to sponsor the hair styles.  The SSCL Fashion Club created a wig so hair was not an issue.  Painted Love by Jennifer Sekella provided makeup and face painting for everyone.  Being a ghost character, Claire only needed a white wash to her face and a little bit of lipstick to give her a sense of "life" as she haunted the catwalk.

Glitter Ghost about to Emerge

I had the joy of organizing the grand event, so the moment I got to give a hug to our Glitter Ghost, I stole this shot before she stole the hearts of the audience.  Claire has been a dedicated library program attendee since 2010 and I have had the pleasure of watching her grow into a young lady.

Tiny Claire in 2012

Time brings change and watching kids grow and flourish into successful adults is a feature I appreciate in the library field.  I help develop individual interests and it seems that Claire is dedicated to the same interests as my own.

Style and Swagger

There were 2 rehearsals for models and technicians to refine their performance before the audience arrived.  We originally chose high heels to finish this outfit, but the boots gave a cow girl feel that everyone in the class preferred.

Glitter for Days

The moment our Fashion Club created their design proposal and named it "Glitter Ghost," the girls could not stop thinking of how to use glitter on stage.  During the final session, two students devised a ring-like pouch that could be used to dip into and dazzle the crowd.

Haunting

The glitter effect was haunting and our photographer captured it wonderfully in this shot. After all 31 designs graced the catwalk, I was honored to lead the encore presentation.  Being the Queen Bee of Organization, I held my trusty magic wand to take our bow.  It is apparent that we were adored and got tons of approval for the best show ever!

Find our Glitter Ghost in the Light Beam

This production is a tremendous labor of love.  There are 12 dedicated members of a planning committee who jury the proposals.  The planning team spends months scheduling meetings, arranging details and editing everything in their path.  This was my first year with the Queen Bee title and it was a fun ride!  You are sure to see me sporting that magic wand again in 2018.  The question is, will our SSC Library Fashion Club proposal be selected???

Talent Gala

Recycled Runway 2017 received so much talent and competitive designs, I worry our little Fashion Group will be against some tight competition next year.  The bright side is all 8 students want to submit personal proposals!  Best of luck to them.

Glitter Gone

That is a wrap for Fashion Club with Tat at the Southeast Steuben County Library.  If you would like to see images from the gala, check out the ARTS Council's Facebook page. Prepare to be IMPRESSED!!!

Fun for All Ages!

Be sure to save Friday July 28, 6:30-9 pm. on your calendars.  Construct your Steampunk Cosplay and entertain your friends and family at the 3rd Library Unmasked experience.  

All gears, cogs, and frills welcome.  

Thanks for visiting!

Check ya on the flip side.

~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