There’s a great interview with local animator and writer Andy Smetanka in the Winnipeg Free Press this week, advancing a showing of his animations there. As usual, Andy is erudite and funny as he talks about his work and his town: “I’m too attached to Missoula,” he admits. “It’s a little like Boulder, [...]
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I haven’t really mentioned this publicly yet, but I guess the cat is officially out of the bag: I am embarking upon a book project to document the life and work of Drummond artist Bill Ohrmann; and this week Humanities Montana announced that I am among several folks selected to receive research grants for the coming year. I’ll be talking about this more in the future, needless to say; but for now, here is the press release announcing all of this year’s grants. [Read More...] Advertisement Here are a few things I have learned since starting a gourmet popcorn stand at the weekend outdoor markets late last month:
Actually, I had heard various versions of this last pearl of wisdom before I ever conjured the idea that would become my new weekend venture. I have even owned a small business in the past, and know from that experience how expensive it can be just to hang a name on a sign. But apparently it was time for me to re-learn some old lessons when I decided, with just ten weekends left in this year’s outdoor market season, to introduce Missoula market-goers to Junkpit Von Lederhosen’s Cornutopia of Popped Delights. As of Monday morning, the production team behind the upcoming film version of “Winter in the Blood” has hit its goal of raising $60,000 via the online “crowd-funding” site Kickstarter.com. With 34 hours left to go in the fundraising campaign, “Winter in the Blood” has raised $60,709. That means the project will receive [...] For those planning to travel from Missoula to the first annual Montana Folk Festival next month, organizers have announced that a chartered bus will be available to take you there — and, of course, back again. Here’s the info straight from the source. [Read More...] The upcoming Montana Folk Festival, which takes place in Butte July 8-10, has put out a statewide call for volunteers to help run the citywide festival. Here’s the press release I received this morning, for those who might be interested. [Read More...] For most people in my adopted town of Bloomington, Ind., it was probably just another sunny Sunday morning. I don’t recall the date, though given where I was on that day, it must have been the spring of 1993. As had become something of a weekend tradition, my roommate’s girlfriend Christy was making her awesome vegetarian sausage-and-biscuits in our dingy apartment kitchen with the slanted floor. Eric and Rachel showed up, and then Kelley and Terry. We mixed up some mimosas in a cheap plastic pitcher, and shot some footage for our weekly cable-access TV show, which had recently gone viral in our little town, spawning newspaper articles and even drawing a little bit of financial support from fans. Rachel had her Mamiya medium-format camera, and we all climbed out the kitchen window onto the roof, where Rachel shot some goofy faux-rockstar photos of us. The whole time, Eric was chattering in his 50-mile-a-minute way about his idea for a video production company. Ween’s “Push the Little Daisies” came blasting from my stereo, and we all agreed that Daisybrain would make a fine name for the company. Eric would find the space, and we would help fill it with equipment, and it would become a local hub of grassroots media and art-video culture. It’s quite possible that none of those folks remember that day like I do. I imagine that part of the reason I recall it so vividly was because, somewhere along the way, while dancing to the music in my bedroom, my knee inexplicably buckled under me, dislocated for a moment, and left me writhing on the floor until my knee popped back in place. [Read More...] In case nobody Tweeted you the news yet, today is the second annual National Day of Unplugging. Organized by Reboot, a network of “young thought-leaders and tastemakers” who aim to rejuvenate Jewish traditions in the 21st century, the idea is that, from sunset tonight through sunset tomorrow, we all should shut off our computers, televisions, cellphones, and other electronic umbilical cords, in order to “help people become more aware of their dependence on technology and not to allow it to interfere with the important things in life.” I learned this, of course, via the Internet, where Reboot has created a Web site devoted to the cause, as well as Facebook and Twitter feeds. (Actually, to be perfectly clear, I learned about it from a friend’s Facebook status, where he posted a link to his blog, where I found the link to the organization’s Web site, www.sabbathmanifesto.org.) At the Web site, I learned that the idea behind the National Day of Unplugging is to encourage people to slow down and “reconnect with friends, family, the community and themselves.” Um, wait…What? [Read More...] I received a note when I arrived at the office today that actor and playwright James McLure passed away yesterday after a protracted illness. Though he didn’t live here fulltime, McLure was a giant in the local theatre scene, due largely through his sustained involvement in the Colony, the annual gathering of theatre-folk at the University of Montana. Over the years, McLure was involved in several noteworthy productions in Missoula. I won’t ever forget his show-stealing turn in Ron Fitzgerald’s “Boomtown” last year — which ran at the Crystal Theatre in a two-week rotation with McLure’s own, brilliantly witty play, “Used Cars.” I only meet McLure once, while reporting a fun story about last summer’s river-float by participants in the Colony. I can still picture him standing waist-deep in the water, talking to me about this “magical place” he so loved. Here’s a short ode to McLure, written by Greg Johnson, artistic director of Montana Rep. [Read More...] Years ago, as a teenager, I attended a meeting of my church youth-group led by a guest minister. I still remember how he arrayed our group in a circle, and without any explanation, whispered something in the ear of one of our group members. She laughed, turned, and whispered in the ear of the person next to her, who then passed the message along around the circuit. The secret eventually got around to me. Now, 20-plus years later, I don’t remember much of it, but it had something to do with a bicycle, a list of items from the store, and some places and names. “Pass it on,” I was told. Eventually, the circle was completed. The minister asked the last person in line to say what he had heard out loud. Then, the minister read from a piece of paper the original message he had whispered in the first girl’s ear. Neither a single fact nor even the basic gist of the story had made it all the way around the circle. [Read More...] |
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