i’m happy to report that i only have two remaining final photo edits to do with youth staff members. after that, all the images will be complete for this year’s, my inaugural issue, 110 Degrees After School Youth Magazine. it is so exciting. i am very happy with the work the youth created, and i have to say that it has been a very fun exercise to be able to work in more abstract ways with the images.
we saw a mock-up of the cover yesterday (which is beautiful!!), and suddenly it all hit home. i only have two more weeks with this staff before the year ends. i feel strange about it. i’m really going to miss these cool, young people. their diversity makes them a super strong group. that said, i am looking forward to moving on to our summer project, Voices Freelance Project (VFP).
i was toning images this morning and couldn’t keep my focus, so i hopped onto iTunes and downloaded the most recent release from Balkan Beat Box, which includes members from one my favorite bands from Brooklyn, Big Lazy. for anyone not familiar with them, check them out! they are super fabulous…and the upbeat pace kept by the horn section kicked my booty into gear and i got all the images done well before my 11am meeting this morning with the designer, Anne.
Gertie and I have been heading over to Reid Park almost daily for a jog/walk/run. she’s a great exercise partner…except when she sees a bird and takes off, jerking me along and causing me to look like i’m trying out some extremely modern dance moves….maybe i am, okay? so what?
this past monday a lovely group of women gathered to attend Her Shorts, a film festival dedicated to short films created by women behind the video camera. the festival was hosted by tucson-based Plugged Art Collective. it was really interesting. there are four that really enthralled me. one in particular, Alegrias by Arielle Falk, challenged my slight inclination towards claustrophobia. in this 9 min video the artist slowly put on 20 ski masks, one at a time, pauses once all 20 are on her head and then slowly removes them. in my head i kept saying, “faster! faster! hurry! take them off! you’re going to suffocate!”
tonight the former photography director of Voices, Josh Schachter, has an opening of a photo project he lead in India. Josh worked with kids growing up in “New Delhi’s Kathputli Colony, home to nearly 4,000 traditional Indian artists – magicians, puppeteers, fire-eaters, musicians, and dancers.” all the images in the show were shot by youth, and there are some very powerful photos. if you are in town, head on over to The Drawing Studio for the opening reception from 6-9pm for “Photography On Fire.”
also!! so very exciting!! Spike and Mike’s Sick & Twisted Festival of Animation is showing here in Tucson at The Loft. i try to go every year, and i’m never disappointed and i’m always challenged, awed and made to feel really uncomfortable. i’m planning on going tonight after Josh’s show.
this weekend also hosts the Tucson Folk Festival. the headlining act is the lovely Ruthie Foster of Austin, Texas. i’ve been spreading the word all week…go! she’s a must see!
two last very cool things! one…the awesome Becki will be making one last Tucson appearance before she heads overseas to Tanzania for the Peace Corps. i’m so excited for a quick and dirty road trip with the lovely lady. also, my web site – www.KristaJoyNiles.com – has finally been secured and is in the creation process. i’ll let ya’ll know when it goes live.
for those of you who have noticed the lack of music on my blog, it is because Sonific Songspot has closed their doors, for now. i’m looking around for other providers, so that your blog experience can be a whole one. cheers!
Interpretive dance is cool. I’ve never done it with a dog.
Twenty ski masks. That’s a lot of bank jobs.
NOT my last Tucson trip … just my last for awhile! Can’t wait!
That India photo lecture sounds so great. Wish I could go.
Check out Imeem if you want to add playlists to your blog. They have a pretty good selection. What I don’t like is that some songs you can hear in full on the site but will play only a 30-second clip on your blog. Most of them seem to play in full, though.
Hearty congratulations on reaching the “krausening” stage of the launch of 110′. And a year in Tucson! What a magnificent garden of interestingness, to revel in your ardent effort and collaborations!!! Sounds like you have wonderful sights and sounds and people to hug your senses in precelebration this weekend! Really fantastic for you.
Had read about the Tucson Folk Festival, wish that I were there to wander and listen, to breathe it in.
Hey, are there any jugglers amidst the fire eaters and magicians, in the Schachter India photo project?
wait.. not a year until shortly after the launch, but nine months! ah!!! appropriate right?
i do that doggie dance all the time. sometimes it really hurts the shoulder when you are not paying attention and the pup takes off.
congrats on all your hard work paying off! i hope to make it down for the launch. just a week and a half until i make the big move!!
oh, and i really hope there are as many fun things to do in phoenix as there are in tucson. you life sounds so full and exciting!