Meet Your Makers: Loyal Stricklin

WORDS  Katie Vega

I love to go antiquing.  I love antiquing because everything old I lust over is so well made.  These treasures I find (and fall in love with) were made with real-life human hands, years and years and years ago, and they remain intact, although patinaed.  Certain people are bringing the craftsmen “let’s make things that last” lifestyle back to the forefront with their magical hands.  One of those craftsmen is Michael Stricklin.

Michael Stricklin is founder of the American-made leather goods company Loyal Stricklin, and he lives and breathes the handmade lifestyle.  A Homewood, Alabama native, Michael and Loyal Stricklin now call historic Opelika their home.  In the words of Michael himself, Loyal Stricklin’s story is “one built on hard work, late nights, and too many cups of coffee”.  We talked to him to get a little insight on his talented self…

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MP: Tell us how this all got started and how it has evolved.

LS: “I started working with leather out of my bedroom in early 2012.  I had a little money in my pocket and I really wanted to make a purchase that I could value.  At the time, I was in architecture school at Auburn—a program that I loved, but even then, I wasn’t satisfied.  We would spend months designing a project only to make final drawings and models, without ever actually having the chance to build our designs.  I craved to see a design go from drawing board to real life use.  I had some experience in woodworking and welding, but I couldn’t do either of those from an apartment, so I bought some leather and got to work.  I worked slowly and only make 2 or 3 items a week, but I didn’t give up.  A year and a half later I had graduated from undergrad and had the summer off from school before going to grad school for a Master of Integrated Design and Construction, so I spent the entire summer working on leather for 8 hours a day, honing my skills, and challenging myself.  That fall I really got down to work, making as much as I could.  I spent hours drawing new wallets and bags while in class.  I was obsessed, and the aesthetic that is Loyal Stricklin was born.  I was fortunate enough to have some great press from FOLK Magazine and collaborations with 1924us and a few others that really got my name out there.  I then moved my workspace into an old southern house in Opelika, and worked out of there until I moved into the Opelika Train Depot with Cottonseed Studios. Growth has been pretty rapid, but at a level that I have been comfortable with. I couldn’t be more thankful.  I now have three part-time employees.”

MP: Why do you think buying handmade, local goods is important?  Why is it especially important in the South?

LS: “So many products are made overseas, and are made to fall apart.  I started this venture because I wanted to use items that wore in, not out.  I’d rather pay $100 for a wallet that will last me 20 years and be even more beautiful beaten up, than spend $40 on a wallet that will fall apart and go to the garbage after a year or less of use.  American made is usually a bit higher in price, but you can see the quality difference, because when a craftsman is making something, he cares about the final outcome and the quality of their item they have made themselves.  I’ve found that plenty of Americans are fine spending a bit more for higher quality items, but it feels like many of them don’t even know that American-made is an option.  “Made in China” has become the norm and our generation has become a throwaway culture. I generally think of buying local as buying American-made, whether it’s  made in Alabama or Alaska, it’s important to support other Americans’ craft.”

MP: What are some of your favorite things about Alabama, or the South in general?

LS: “I love the seasons here. We get everything.  Beautiful, glowing falls; cozy, gray winters; fresh, breezy springs; and lush, overgrown summers, and even a little bit of snow here and there.  I could do without the humidity and mosquitoes, but after a number of years, I’ve embraced the sticky, wet air!

The south has been on fire lately.  Maybe I didn’t notice it as much as when I was younger, but there is just something so special about the South.  It just radiates a culture all its own, and it should be celebrated.  I’m proud to be a Southerner and call Alabama home.  I love to travel and see how other people live, but the more I grow, the more I feel my roots taking hold here.  The South has something honest and genuine to offer the world; maybe it’s the sweet tea and porch swings, maybe it’s the kind, smiling strangers, but either way, I’m just happy to be here.”

MP: Run us through the process of making your goods.

LS: “It all starts with a drawing.  I usually come up with an idea, draw it a dozen times, and then figure out dimensions on poster board templates.  From the templates I make a few samples and then a production process is born.”

MP: What is something most people don’t know about you? 

LS: “I’m a pretty goofy guy when it comes down to it.  I have a serious look a good bit of the time, but all I really want to do is share a good laugh with a friend and play with my pup.”

To learn more about Michael and Loyal Stricklin and to see his beautiful work, visit their website at loyalstricklin.com, like them on Facebook, and follow them on Instagram (@loyalstricklin).  You won’t be able to resist getting your hands on some of his goods (the Leather Tote Bag and Ruck Sack in Russet are a couple of my favorites).

Triumph & Disaster, and other Art Events

SOUTH SPECIFIC

September 4 - 30, 2014

Curated by New York-based Y&S, South Specific brings together the work of eight emerging artists. Hailing from the American North, West and South, each of the artists’ explorations of material and process ultimately results in works that supersede their own components to speak in the conceptual language driving contemporary art practice today. 

Featuring the work of some of the most of-the-moment (read: collectible) artists in the US, this show is a don’t miss as it brings artists never before shown in Montgomery .Featured artists include: Dean Levin (b. 1988, South Africa/Los Angeles), New Orleans-based Julian Wellisz, Evn Robarts’ (b. Miami, FL), Henry Levy, a Los Angeles based artist, and three of the eight artists on the Still House Group’s permanent roster - Isaac Brest, Jack Greer and Dylan Lynch who work in the group’s shared Red Hook, Brooklyn studio. 

Y&S is a New York City based non-profit dedicated to the support of emerging and unrepresented artists. Founded and driven by a group of art enthusiasts, Y&S strives to give young artists a platform on which an ever-broadening audience celebrates the works of their own generation. Y&S creates a bridge between young artists and a young audience, through group shows, lectures, studio visits and publications. 

Visit www.youngandstarving.com

Triumph & Disaster Gallery is located at the Courtyard of The A&P in Old Cloverdale. Follow it @triumphdisastergallery and visit www.triumphdisastergallery.com

Commonplace

October 9 - 31, 2014

Featuring William Christenberry, William Eggleston, William Greiner, and Birney Imes, this exhibition brings together four photographers, native to the South, who pioneered and mastered the use of color photography as a fine art. Commonplace presents the rare opportunity to view in public internationally acclaimed works in the landscape from which they were made. 

Triumph & Disaster Gallery is located at the Courtyard of The A&P in Old Cloverdale. Follow it @triumphdisastergallery and visit www.triumphdisastergallery.com

New Alabama Art: Native Daughter, Native Son 

September 11 - October 3, 2014

Presenting new work by Margo Russell and Michael Vaughn Sims, Stonehenge Gallery is hosting a reception on  September 11 at 5:30pm. Margo Russell received the Emily B. Gassenheimer Award for “Woods Behind the Fort” at the 2011 Montgomery Art Guild Museum Exhibition. She received she BFA from the University of Alabama and her MS in Art Education from Florida State University.  

Michael Vaughn Sims is the recipient of an Artist Fellowship in Visual Arts, awarded by the Alabama State Council on the Arts for 2014-2015. He received his BFA in Theatre from Auburn in 1989 and his MFA from Yale School of Drama in 1992.  After sixteen years in New York as a theatrical designer, he returned to Lowndes County in 2008 to pursue a career as an independent fine artist. 

Stonehenge Gallery is located at 1041 East Fairview Ave. Call 334 262 8256 for more details.

Digital Storytelling in the Video Age

Tyler Jones on the Southern Makers Documentary

Tyler Jones and his team at 1504 Pictures make documentaries, commercials, music videos, and short films. While 1504 works across diverse genres, each of their projects share a common quality: a love of storytelling. Whether the story is about a not-for-profit’s efforts in its community, a band’s search for meaning, or the importance of place, 1504 uses the narrative power of documentary to tell sophisticated stories.

Short films currently dominate the internet, and therefore, dominate media. Jones explained that film’s primacy results from its universality compared to other forms of expression. “Film is the universal language. Writing does not travel well. Film is a way to let people see and hear real people,” Jones said. Think of it this way - how often have you watched an un-subtitled video from somewhere like East Africa of Southeast Asia? Ok. How often have you read something, un-translated, from a newspaper or magazine from East Africa or Southeast Asia? Film conveys emotion, excitement, wonder. Film provides visual stimulation that anyone can understand, regardless of the language they speak.

That’s why Southern Makers partnered with Jones to create a short documentary film about the artistic process, featuring four Southern makers. Jones traveled across Alabama, spending time with Chef David Bancroft of Acre in Auburn, Andrew McCall, a basket weaver from Lowndes County, Mary Anne Pettway and Lucy Mingo, two of the Gees Bend quilters, and Artist Butch Anthony of Seale.

With Bancroft, Jones wanted to show the hunting process all artists must go through as they think about the materials that will make up their works. Since Bancroft is a chef, they went turkey hunting. McCall and Jones wandered the woods looking for wisteria for basket weaving in what Jones called the “gathering” process, a step more focused and preparatory than “hunting.” After the hunting and gathering comes creating, where the women of Gee’s Bend have been creating their own improvisational, abstract style of quilts since the 19th Century. Finally, Jones filmed Butch Anthony, artist and curator of his own Museum of Wonder, to show the installation process. The film will show makers making, from start to finish.

Jones explained that the name of his company, 1504 Pictures, was a reference to the Renaissance. 1504 was a pinnacle year for Italian Art, a time when art stopped being created for art’s sake. In 1504, art began to develop layers, a voice, commentary beyond what was depicted. Jones and his team strive to bring the spirit of 1504 to their work, skipping surface level skimming and taking deep dives into complex, layered stories. Watch a couple of their videos, and you’ll find their efforts have been successful. 

20 Feet from Stardom: Almost There

WORDS  Evans Bailey

It’s hard not to compare 20 Feet From Stardom and Waiting for Sugar Man. Both share elements familiar to just about every rock-doc. The interviews with rock luminaries saying how awesome the subject is/are and how much their tunes inspired the far more famous person, the archive footage, and the interviews with the subject. Both movies also have a common subject, forgotten artists who never quite made it to superstardom, and both movies won
best documentary feature at the Academy Awards. But where Waiting for Sugar Man drove home to a familiar “Behind the Music”-type redemption, 20 Feet From Stardom veers slightly off course.

For those out-of-the-know, 20 Feet focuses on several oft-heard, but never truly famous background singers from the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s. Most share the same background—black gospel choirs. Most also reach a similar conclusion—being not-so rich and famous. Despite this commonality, there are some standouts from the at least 15 singers featured in the movie. Darlene Love describes the shock at having her lead vocal on “He’s a Rebel” attributed to another act. Merry Clayton talks about the midnight session where she sang the haunting refrain of “Rape! Murder!” on the Rolling Stones “Gimme Shelter”— while pregnant. Finally, Sting (leave it to the famous person to steal the show) gets down to the real gist of the film: it’s not really talent that separates these background women (and some men) from becoming huge superstars; it is really just a combination of luck and circumstance.
Unfortunately, the decision to include so many talented musicians in the film leaves little opportunity to explore more of the luck and circumstances that is so obviously at play. For this many singers with this many stories, you only get hints. Tata Vega says she would be dead now if she were famous. Betty Love briefly describes how creepy-ass Phil Spector derailed her solo career to keep her as a backup. Why can Luther Vandross or Sheryl Crow go from backup to superstar, and Lisa Fischer can’t?

There’s just not enough time to cover all the circumstances in just 91 minutes. So filmmaker Morgan Neville takes a different route.

About two thirds of the way into the film it flashes from the late 80’s early 90’s to the present and
the life of Judith Hill. You may remember Hill from Season 4 of the Voice. Tall, gorgeous, and ridiculously talented, Hill was set to star in a backup role as part of Michael Jackson’s comeback tour before he died—leaving her career in limbo. Talented enough to have fans, she’s still not rich or famous enough to turn down gigs. To compromise, she wears wigs for her backup singing jobs so her fans won’t be disappointed. Not to take anything away from her talent or story (she was robbed, Carson Daly!!), but the first 60 minutes of the film and the last 30—focusing on Hill—seem like different films with only a tenuous connection.

I’d much rather watch fuller versions of either, but the mishmash final product is still worth its Oscar. Everyone dreams of being famous, and most would settle for the ohh-so-close lives studied in this film. Grab a few beers at Leroy and go see it at the Capri April 12-15. 20 Feet is not as clear or “feel-good” as Sugar Man, but the tunes are way better and you get to see 70’s David Bowie as a coked-up ghost.

Catch this film at The Capri, April 12-15. The Capri is located on Fairview Avenue. Visit www.capritheatre.org for info.

Meet Your Makers: Green Pea Press

WORDS  Jennifer Kornegay

As technology rushes ever forward, it brings with it amazing advances that make our lives easier by allowing us to do so many things so much faster. Case in point: sending a file from your phone to a wireless printer that shoots out the finished product in the time it takes to you walk across the room to grab it.
That’s just one example, but one that’s apropos when discussing one of our favorite Makers, Green Pea Press in Huntsville. Located in historic Lowe Mill, which features more than 100 working artists, small businesses, restaurants and live performance venues, Green Pea Press is a member-based organization that provides access to equipment for artists working in fine art print media, including wood/linocut, etching, letterpress, screen print and bookmaking as well as educational lectures and workshops. Members “buy” time in the studio to create their own work, and the general public can take advantage of GPP’s classes. The Pea Pod, an offshoot of Green Pea Press, shows and sells the members’ original pieces: fine art prints, t-shirts, posters, cards, textiles and more.
Founder Rachel Lackey believes the recent resurgence of interest in the printmaking arts and other artisan trades is really a backlash to the notable drawbacks of the digital age. “Everything is so removed and impersonal,” she said. “People want handmade now; they want that connection again.”
We doubt Rachel’s got anything against you printing some directions or a recipe on the aforementioned home printer. It’s so far removed from its ancestors, it now bears almost zero resemblance to what she’s passionate about. And that’s what she wants you (and everyone else) to understand and then appreciate: the art of print media and a process that takes its time on purpose. That’s why GPP exists.

MADE: When did Green Pea Press start?

Rachel: We opened in January 2011.

How did you get into print media?                                                                                                    I went to Memphis College of Art and then the University of Alabama Huntsville where I took some printmaking classes. I was hooked. When you see digital print next to letterpress, there’s no comparison. It’s so tactile. You can see the impression, see the craft that went into it. It just looks better.

So why start Green Pea Press?                                                                                                 When I graduated, all of the sudden, I no longer had access to the press equipment or the print shop at UAH, so it was over. I couldn’t do it anymore. I talked to other artists who said the same thing. They had loved printmaking in school, but quit it because they didn’t have equipment. We all kept saying it would be great if someone started a print shop here, and I knew it would be, but originally, I didn’t want to be the one to do it; I thought it would be too much work.

What drove you to do it?                                                                                                                  A sculptor here in Huntsville had hand-built a large etching press that he said I could use, so that sparked it. Then I really started doing the research on opening a community print shop. Then, I just took the leap and did it. I relied on my determination, but I had so much help. An older guy here named Bill Axenroth, he had a print shop he ran for 40 years, and I got some equipment from him. He thought I was crazy because he had seen the industry die off; he couldn’t believe anyone would care about it, and he’d never really seen the fine art side of it. Now, he teaches some of our classes. I’m so happy he got to see it come back.

Tell us about the big birthday y’all celebrated recently.                                                                 On March 29, we had a birthday party for our letterpress machine. It turned 100 years old. This amazing piece of equipment first began its work in 1914, and it’s still going.

Which is your favorite of the printmaking arts?                                                                                   I love etching, but love mixing them too. I’ll do an etching and then hand-color with watercolor, and then I might letterpress over it.

How many people are using the studio each month?
We have 36 members, and they pay annual dues to come use the equipment for their work and then sell their art in our store, the Pea Pod.

You also do print work for local businesses, right?
Yes. Local businesses can hire us to print cards or screen print t-shirts for events. That side of things is going really, really well, proving how much people value this art.

What about GPP classes?
Our screen printing workshop is the most popular. Every other month we do letterpress. We do a letterpress workshop for Valentine’s Day each year that is a big hit. We have both kids and adults making these cool cards. We did more than 200 cards this past year. And we do summer classes for kids.

Are you excited about Southern Makers?
Oh yes! I am thrilled to be a part of it. Knowing that so many artists and craftspeople will be there, the biggest names regionally in artisanship will be there, is amazing. But it will also be great to see some new faces. Nothing is more inspirational than seeing what other artists are doing and getting to interact with them.

Learn more about Green Pea Press at greenpeapress.com and meet Rachel and the GPP team at Southern Makers on May 3.

Be Somebody: Nebraska Reviewed

WORDS  Evans Bailey 

Alexander Payne’s latest film, Nebraska, finds him returning to the familiar Middle America of his previous works Citizen Ruth, About Schmidt, and Election. Starring Bruce Dern, Will Forte (of Saturday Night Live fame), and the delightful June Squibb, Nebraska also finds Payne returning to familiar thematic devices, road trips and self-realization.

The film starts in Montana, where Dern’s aging Woody has found a late purpose in life — to travel to Lincoln, Nebraska and collect his “winnings” from a mail insert sweepstakes. His son, Forte’s David, has nothing better to do, so he decides to accompany his father on the trip to keep Woody in line and spend some quality time with his mystery of a father.
The film, and the road trip, get sidetracked in Woody’s hometown of Hawthorne. Woody, his family members, and his supposed friends in Hawthorne have plenty of debts to settle. Once the rumor of Woody’s windfall spreads around town, the stakes inevitably get raised. All the cantankerous Woody wants is a new truck and a replacement air compressor. But the quiet and prideful citizens of Hawthorne aren’t above stooping to petty theft in an effort to get at Woody’s winnings.

There’s redemption for Woody and David in the end, but it’s hard to shake the feeling that Payne has a strange contempt for Middle America. The characters are funny (especially Squibb, who plays Woody’s no-nonsense wife), but sometimes the humor is so biting and reveals such ugliness that one can’t help but wonder if Payne would like to see the place wiped off the map. While trying to ride a fine line between respect and contempt for these characters, the film too often veers towards the negative. Payne also chose to shoot in black and white, which he admitted on a recent visit to the Colbert Report was to portray the bleakness of the wintry Nebraska landscape.

Dern’s portrayal of Woody has earned him an Oscar nomination. While the character of Woody is certainly unique, the accolades Dern has received seem to owe themselves more towards a lifetime of achievement than his particular portrayal here. Nebraska has also gotten a Best Picture nomination, but it has no hopes (absent a Crash-like coup) of taking home the statue in a loaded field which also has American Hustle, 12 Years a Slave, The Wolf of Wall Street, Gravity, and Dallas Buyers Club. Two other nominees, Philomena and Her, will also be at the Capri in March.

Nebraska is worth a view, but don’t expect to be blown away.

Catch this film at The Capri, March 21-27. The Capri is located on Fairview Avenue. Visit www.capritheatre.org for info.

Meet Your Makers: Chris Bennet

WORDS  Katie Vega

A simple definition with a simple purpose. The last time
you probably heard the word “forager” was in ninth grade U.S. history when your teacher was giving a lecture on hunter-gatherers. But a small group of foragers remain in our population, using what we already have, given to us by the soil we walk on, to feed themselves, their family, and the patrons in their restaurants.

Chris Bennett, a native of Pell City, grew up with the constant urge to explore on his family’s 84-acre farm. College didn’t feed his need to wander, and after dropping out, he fell in love with cooking. Chris has fed mouths all over the country, including Richmond and Chicago, but found his way back home in 2005. This guy may have a narrow goal - connecting people to the land’s unknown or overlooked edibles - but his interests are as expansive as the list of herbs that grow in Alabama. He is an extreme lover of fried eggs, the Stones’ Exile on Main Street, and Bottletree in Birmingham. So that’s about all we need to know, right?! Fiiine, here’s some more...

Chris Bennett: “As a kid, I really wanted to be an archeologist. I love history and finding things. I guess you could say even though I’m not mapping out a burial ground or uncovering ancient ruins, I’m digging up everything the South grows in the wild and is edible.”

MADE Paper: How did you get into foraging?
CB: “I got into foraging while cooking in restaurants all over the country. While working in Chicago, I picked upEssential Cuisine by Michel Bras. He’s a French chef who forages all around his restaurant in Lagioule. He talked a lot about time and place, and about how what grows wild should reflect in our food. Nothing says more about where you are than what is growing wild. He really made me want to find out everything that was growing around the farm that was edible.”

MP: Is there anyone that inspires you in the field or foraging, someone who you look up to? And tell me why. CB:“Ido. IlookuptomyfriendHankShaw. Heisa forager, writer, and cook who writes the Hunter, Angler, Gardener, Cook blog. He knows just about everything there is to know about hunting, fishing, gardening, cooking, and foraging. He has also been really supportive with the book I have been working on.”

MP: What’s the most interesting thing you’ve ever found on a hunt?
CB: “After years and years of looking for stinging nettles and being convinced that they do not grow in Central Alabama, I stumbled upon some. I was picking the leaves of oxeye daisies and all of a sudden my hand felt like it was on fire. I looked around for bees or ants and could not find any. I looked around and sure enough, scattered among the oxeye daisies, were stinging nettles.”

MP: What do you use your findings for?
CB: “Right now, I love putting chickweed in salads for the crunchy texture and its raw green pea flavor, and making pine needle tea for its citrusy, pine flavor.”

MP: What excites you and keeps you in the field?
CB: “I’m constantly amazed at the new things I find here in Alabama. It seems like I find something new every year. I am constantly blown away by how many wild edibles we have here in the South.”

MP: What are three things you can’t live without? CB: “Woods, animals, books.”

MP: What do you love about our state? What keeps you here?
CB: “I think the thing I love the most is how green the state is. It’s called Alabama the beautiful for a reason! I also love how ecologically diverse the state is. I think what keeps me here is how much more there is to discover. There’s more to explore. There’s more people to teach. There’s also a burgeoning food and drink scene in Birmingham that I have had the pleasure to be a part of and to see grow.”

MP: Tell me one thing most people don’t know about you. CB: “I used to weigh 250 pounds. Most people don’t believe me when I tell them. I went vegan and immediately lost 50 pounds, eventually became vegetarian, and I’m now a proud omnivore.”

To see Chris’s adventures and findings, follow him on Instagram (@foragerman) and visit his website at hollowspringfarm.blogspot.com. Oh, and you better be at Southern Makers to meet this guy and so many other amazing Alabama makers.

Makers At Home: Painter Tim Vaught

WORDS  Caroline Rosen  PHOTOS Jon Kohn

Tim Vaught lives like a late 19th century English professor. Books are stacked on books, frames and unfinished paintings jut from every nook and cranny, mementos of a life lived fully spread themselves out across any flat surface. Cluttered, but not messy. On at least three occasions when I met Tim at his home, he would start talking about a book, and then miraculously reach into one pile or another, pull the book out, and then turn to the exact page that would illustrate his point. It felt like my favorite teacher had invited me over for tea.

Tim grew up a military brat, bouncing between El Paso, Texas and Montgomery, Alabama. Even as child, he knew he loved the woods more than the desert. Tim graduated high school in Troy, Alabama, then walked across the street and enrolled at Troy State as an undergrad. At Troy he decided to become an architect, but that required a move to another institution. His transfer to the University of Florida culminated in a life changing trip to Italy.
“The architecture program was based in a small town about 40 miles inland from Venice,” Vaught said, “we could get out of class, run like hell to the train station, spend all night in Venice with a $5 pizza slice and a bottle of wine, and then take the slow train back in. That was our Friday night out.” When he visits Venice today, he misses the mystique, the allure of a city at night when you are 23 and anything is possible.

The study of architecture eventually brought Tim to the Auburn Rural Studio, where he was one of the first students. His first professor was Samuel “Sambo” Mockbee. At the time, Tim commuted a few times a week from a house in Montgomery to the school in Greensboro. He would drive West in the morning, with the morning light, and he became fascinated with the color of the light on the landscape. He kept talking to Mockbee about the colors, and Sambo finally told him “you keep talking about the color on the landscape. Do something about it. Paint it.” A librarian with the program gave Tim a few tubes of paint, and he got started. He painted his first painting, and sold it in a matter of days.

But for the next two years, Tim tried to paint, and couldn’t. Looking for help, he took a class at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Art, and even though it was a beginning class, it was his launch point. His architecture background gave him a strong sense of composition, but he had no formal painting technique. The class provided him a primer on the fundamentals, and from there he just painted, and painted, and painted.

Tim got serious about painting in 2006, and in the back of his mind, he wondered if he could possibly paint for a living. It’s the siren song all artists who’ve yet to go pro hear, the internal whisper that maybe, just maybe, you could quit your real job and dedicate yourself to art. When the economy crashed a few years later, Tim didn’t have a choice. The architecture work he’d been doing dried up, and his architecture firm laid him off. Tim rolled with that punch, moving to Idaho to hone his craft with a major western landscaper.

In Idaho, Tim learned how to be an artist. He explained that it was not necessarily painting, “but the mindset, the approach, how to think about your art. You might have talent, but so many talented people don’t know how to push themselves, to market themselves. to think like an artist.” The artists out west taught Tim to practice, to practice something, anything. It doesn’t mean you’ll do anything with it, and you may spend five weeks painting the same thing, but it takes that dedication and craft before you know how to paint.

Tim’s passion is the shapes of trees, bare branches, branch structure, and how the organic nature of trees contrasts the rigidity and unforgiving nature of his prior architectural training. Look closely at Tim’s tree paintings and you will see his fascination with tree’s organic structure. Then, take a step back, look at the painting again, and realize that all of Tim’s tree paintings share another characteristic: the study of light in the trees. Since childhood, Tim has loved the woods more than the desert and you can see it in his paintings. Tim’s initial inspiration, the light in the trees, it is there in everything that he paints.

I Love That You Are Annoying: When Harry Met Sally

WORDS  Evan Bailey

When Harry Met Sally. Simple plot: Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan) have a chance meeting on their way to New York after graduating college. From there, the film moves in and out of their lives through chance encounters and first starts of a relationship which culminate in (*SPOILER ALERT*) marriage. Central thought, spoken out loud by the characters and made abundantly obvious throughout: sex ruins male/female friendships. Lock a few ADHD-riddled lemurs in a room with typewriters for a long enough time and you could probably get a 30 minute sitcom episode that resembles When Harry Met Sally. But that sitcom would not be close to as loved, revered, and feted as When Harry Met Sally, which is playing on Valentine’s Day at the Capri.

One of the reasons is the setting.  This is a movie made by New Yorkers who love New York City - Rob Reiner (director), Nora Ephron (writer), and Billy Crystal (Harry) are all natives, and Meg Ryan (Sally) might as well be, she’s from Fairfield, CT.  Think of a typical New York film setting, and chances are you’ll see it in When Harry Met Sally. New York is really just background though - the characters barely seem to notice where they are. The real star here is the back and forth between high-maintenance Sally and depressed Harry.  

Harry and Sally talk. They talk about relationships, they talk about themselves, they talk about other people. They talk, and talk, and talk and finally, after they have almost literally run out of breath, they finally decide to act on their feelings more than a decade after their fateful car ride to New York.

You probably know a Harry or Sally (if you don’t you just might be the Harry or Sally in your group). They’re smart, they’re clever, they read books, they are dramatic, they have opinions about art and film and every thing they say they think is interesting (“pot?” “kettle?”). This is not a bad thing. In certain doses, a little bit of Harry or Sally every now and again is good for you.  But, over the long term it becomes grating. Always trying to be the most interesting, the most depressed, the most provocative, the best fake orgasm-haver. There’s no room for you at the top, just them.    

That’s the only problem I have with this movie. It’s a good romantic comedy that’s not traditional and by the book, but by the end, you are kind of happy that these annoying people found each other. At least they won’t be terrorizing other people with their observations about their sex lives, and their quirky restaurant orders (everything “on the side”). I also have a personal aversion to Billy Crystal, but that has more to do with his later work and his corny Oscar hosting than When Harry Met Sally. He’s not bad here, and that’s a good thing.

Support your local movie theater and support Billy Crystal, his career needs the help (Hi, Parental Guidance), and go see When Harry Met Sally.
Catch this film at The Capri, Friday February 14 at 7:30pm. The Capri is located at Fairview Avenue. Visit www.capritheatre.org for info.

Meet Your Makers: Mama Mocha's

WORDS  Katie Vega

When I walked into Mama Mocha’s on Gay Street in Auburn, I was instantly captured by the coffee shop aura, as I usually am.  But there were forces that could not be found at a typical Starbucks that made that pull even stronger: the screen printer at the front desk, the list of events on the chalkboard (everything from church to drag shows), and the sheer amount of bodies inside the emporium at 4:45 (it closes at 5:00).  I fell in love. Well, I thought I fell in love.  Then I had the coffee. And that’s when my affection and excitement kind of spun out of control.  And my love affair began…

Mama’s and founder Sarah Gill are real jewels for our state—providing fresh, real coffee—right outside our front doors.  Sarah’s first memory of coffee was the smell of her grandmother’s house.  But her real love affair for coffee began as a teenager, when her church youth group acquired a donated espresso machine.  She began making coffee for the homeless, and not only did she fall in love with the art of coffee making, but also with the connection it birthed between her and other humans.

Here is Sarah’s story in her own words…
“I decided that I wanted to work with coffee for the rest of my life.  I worked at Starbucks in Oxford for the health insurance. I got divorced and had a little break down. When I went back to work, I shot up the corporate ladder. I poured myself into it. I learned a lot about finances and high volume, but I absolutely was not cut out for the corporate world.  

I moved to Auburn and managed a shop called Cambridge downtown.  I really fell in love with Auburn.  It’s a really progressive town in Alabama that is constantly generating new ideas because of the student body coming in and out.  The townies that live here are awesome—a lot of them are old hippies.  

I went to the SCAA conference in Atlanta in 2009 and for the first fifteen minutes, I cried.  There were so many people there that loved what I loved.  I met people who made roasters, people who imported green coffee,  and people who supplied packaging.  I learned about heat transfer, communication efficiencies with customers who are used to ordering a Caramel Macchiato Starbucks, and how to tell them what to order instead without sounding pretentious.

I went and told my parents about it and told them I wanted to open a roasting company and coffee shops.  I didn’t know how, but I wanted to do it.  I know how to make drinks and I can talk to them about how the coffee should taste.  And my mom was like…let’s do it.

The first location was a used bookstore that served French Press coffee and simple Italian drinks.  I was talking to the bookstore owner about getting some business planning books, and she offered me the back room, which was full of 5,000 books.  All I had to do was help her move the books out and renovate the space and I would rent it.  And we did it.

I opened a roasting company.  Cambridge eventually closed and I brought the baristas with me.  I started selling to regulars immediately and getting contracts right off the bat.  I read as much as I could and went to as many seminars as I could on heat transfer and chemical compositions.  Eventually, the bookstore owner sold me the store.  It’s one of the oldest buildings in Auburn.

About six months later, we had so much business and I really wanted a presence elsewhere in Auburn.  We opened a store a couple of blocks away, sort of as a test store.  I want to open shops all around the Southeast.”

Tell me something about yourself most people don’t know.
One of my biggest dreams is to buy a bunch of land and live off the grid.  I want to be the matriarch of my own family holler.  

What do you love about Alabama?
It would be really hard to imagine living anywhere else.  The food and the culture of people.  The fact that I can be a tough country Southern women, and it’s okay.  Sometimes as a woman business owner it’s hard playing with the men.  I’m really glad I’m so tall (she’s 6 foot 3)!  I can hold my ground and be who I need to be.  Also, shopping local is enormous in Auburn, and people in the community see my efforts and they have responded really well.

What’s your guilty pleasure?
Bourbon.  All day long.  
And Miley Cyrus Radio on Pandora.  

What are four things you can’t live without?
The Bible, conversations with my mom, bourbon, and my husband.

Go visit Sarah and the baristas at Mama Mocha’s in Auburn.  I suggest the Italian-style Vanilla Cappuccino. Choose from two locations: Gay Street and Tichenor Ave.  Like Mama Mocha’s Coffee Roastery and Mama Mocha’s II on Facebook, and make sure you follow them on Instagram: @mama_mocha_coffee_emporium

SANTAAAAA!!!!!

WORDS Evans Bailey 

Who are we? Why are we like how we are?  Is it something engrained in our essence since birth, or do we learn to be ourselves over the course of our upbringing? Can we change who we are? Those questions and a little bit of Christmas cheer are the subject of this month’s film.

“Oh no,” you might say, “I’m not sitting though another one of those movies in black and white with subtitles. I’ve had enough of your artsy-fartsy stuff Capri Theatre, thankyouverymuch.” Well there’s nothing to worry about here, because we are talking about 2003’s Elf, a film so fluffy and light it makes cotton candy look like a Wendy’s Baconator.  

Buddy the elf (Will Ferrell) is an orphaned human raised amongst Santa’s elves at the North Pole. He is a true elf through and through, from the goofy shoes and hat, to the strict diet of candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup. One day, Buddy learns of his true origins, a magical place named New York City, and his real dad, a ball-busting children’s book publisher played by James Caan. His foundations rocked, Buddy sets off in hilarious fashion for the big city to see if he can get pops off the naughty list.

Buddy finds work at, where else, a department store and in its North Pole Christmas display.  While moonlighting as a fake elf, he meets his romantic interest Jovie (a pre-TV Zooey Deschanel), who’s a little burned out on the whole Christmas-thing. Buddy’s elf antics create havoc at work and some serious upheaval in Caan’s professional and personal life. Buddy tries to warm over his grumpy dad’s heart, and even manages to almost put in a “regular” day’s work (complete with “work clothes”), but its mostly all for naught until the end. The plot meanders a bit, but thanks to Santa’s late arrival, Buddy’s elf skills, and some (almost cheesy) Christmas spirit with an assist from a singing Jovie, Elf has a charming ending that ends up falling firmly on the side of nurture and human’s ability to change their cold, Christmas-hating hearts.

Elf is stupid fun, but it is most definitely fun.  Ferrell and a great supporting cast (Kyle Gass from Tenacious D, Ed Asner, Amy Sedaris, Peter Dinklage (“he’s an angry elf”), Mary Steenburgen, Bob Newhart, Andy Richter) are clearly having a lot of fun with the material, and director John Favreu’s (Iron Man, Made) light touch keeps the film from losing too much steam in its muddled middle.  Immensely quotable (“Not now arctic puffin!”), Elf is a modern Christmas classic that even a ball-busting children’s book publisher can enjoy.

Meet Your Makers: Zkano Socks

 WORDS Katie Vega

When you think of socks, you think of Fort Payne, Alabama, right?  No? Yeah, me neither.  

That was the case until I talked with Gina Locklear of Zkano, a down-home business with a serious passion for making socks.  Believe it or not, around 15 years ago, a very large percentage of socks purchased in the country were made in the quaint little town of Fort Payne. Here’s what Gina had to say about life, making in Alabama, and socks.

Tell us more about your family’s history in the sock making industry?

GL: This one is going to be a bit lengthy, but it’s the only way I know how to explain how it all came to be.  My hometown has a rich textile history and we were known for making socks.  We were even once referred to as ‘The Sock Capital of the World.’   I was around 12 years old when my family started the mill, and after seeing them start this business on their own from nothing and watching it develop into a success over the years, I naturally wanted to be part of it in some way.  Things drastically changed when NAFTA was signed.  A small town that was once booming in the hosiery business began to shut down, seemingly overnight.  I saw family and friends lose their sock mills, all because they couldn’t compete with the low prices of manufacturing overseas.  In the last 10 years, my family’s business has changed and at times, the future has been uncertain.  We are fortunate to have stayed open, but it has been a struggle.  All of this just made me want to jump in and do something to help in some way.  I realized I could do this by creating a brand of our own. I thought, if we can produce and market our own socks, rather than producing them for other companies like we always had, it could possibly save this family business. Zkano was born. 
 We love when makers like you decide to keep it in Alabama.  

Why did you decide to produce here?

GL: Our business’ roots are here, as well as Fort Payne’s textile history. There is nowhere else we’d consider making socks.  I love that we are helping to keep this small town’s hosiery tradition alive, even if it is in a small way.  

Why did you decide to use organic cotton?

GL: Other than my concerns of the harsh environmental and social impact of growing conventional cotton, I wanted to use organic cotton for the same reasons I’ve been living an organic lifestyle for the past nine years. Like organic food, organic cotton is free of chemicals and synthetic pesticides.  Another benefit: organic cotton makes an amazing product. The difference between an organic cotton sock and a sock made with conventionally grown cotton is incredible. The organic cotton makes a much softer and much more durable sock. 

Do you ever wear any socks besides Zkano?

GL: Nope, I only wear Zkano.  I have so many.  I need a new sock drawer.  I love our socks. They are kind of part of me and wearing them makes me happy.  

Do new ideas about socks float around in your head all the time?

GL: Yes…all day and all night.  I often wake up in the middle of the night thinking about new sock designs and color combos we can use.  I even dream about them on a regular basis.

Besides socks, tell us some of your other passions.

GL: Other passions…my family + friends.  I also love traveling and I’m a bit of a foodie. 

Tell us about your new collaboration with Billy Reid.

GL: We are pumped about this collab.  This project has been in the works for 6-8 months, and I’ve enjoyed working with his team very much.   We partnered with them to create a limited men’s collection of organic cotton socks for the holidays.  They are sold on Billy Reid’s website and in his retail stores. 

Where can we buy your socks?

GL: Other than our website and Whole Foods, our socks can be purchased at a handful of small boutiques and natural foods stores.  Our Alabama stores include Alabama Goods, Theadora, Molly Green, Manna Grocery, Werner’s Trading Co., and Alabama Chanin. 

Check out zkano socks at www.zkano.com and meet Gina (and her lovely socks) at Southern Makers in Montgomery on 05.03.14.  

Oh, and guys, head on over to www.billyreid.com to get  your hands (and feet) on a pair of these sweet socks.

Nerd Alert: Computer Chess, Reviewed

WORDS Evans Bailey  PHOTOS Jon Kohn

Computer Chess is an artsy/mumblecore version of the recent Ed Helms vehicle, Cedar Rapids. There’s a shitty hotel, a convention for nerds in a shitty convention hall, some partying, a hooker, and a convention head who thinks way too much of himself. But, where Cedar Rapids goes through the motions of a simple “don’t be so uptight” tale (WITH DRUGS), Computer Chess goes off on far more thought-provoking tangents (WITH DRUGS).

As the title implies, the glasses and short-sleeve-with-a-tie-wearing characters (and one girl) are gathered together to pit their chess playing computers against each other in a tournament to see which computer gets to play the convention’s human leader in a classic man v. machine matchup. Stuck together over some lost weekend in the late seventies or early eighties, the film loosely follows each team of programmers as they proceed through the tournament and interact in-between matches. There’s the academic squad, who’s leader may or may not be in cahoots with Pentagon, the loose cannon, who knows about the feminine side of programming but not how to reserve a room, and conspiracy spouting “fans.”  

Shot in a grainy gray befitting of the era, Computer Chess leaves Cedar Rapids in its wake based on its depth. The depth comes not from the chess action, which is rarely featured, but from the characters post-match (sometimes hazy) musings on chess and the burgeoning realm of artificial “intelligence.”  There is a dark current to the film, too. All of the players clearly love chess, the theory, and the competition, yet they gather together to play their favorite game by proxy. These are people who have poor social skills, ostracized by others, who don’t want to directly interact with one another in a “safe” place. The darkness is greatly underscored by the spookiness surrounding with the Cal Tech team. Their computer seems to be on the fritz, making suicidal moves that torpedo their chance of repeating as champions, but their young programmer learns in a late night session with the lone girl that his computer only wants to play (*GASP*) human opponents. We don’t learn until later that the Cal Tech device may be the second coming of HAL 9000.

With no real protagonist and no overarching message, the faux-documentary vignettes and tangents can be a little confusing at times. But there’s some deep stuff going on here, a little bit of the surreal, and a fair amount of squirmy humor too (and LOTS of cats). The young programmer’s almost three-way with some cult-like members is particularly cringe-inducing.

Released earlier this year to some fanfare at the Sundance Film Festival, Computer Chess is the fourth feature from Austin-based director Andrew Bujalski (Funny Ha Ha). The film has cult-potential, but the directing style and the lack of any recognizable actors (except maybe Wiley Wiggins, a/k/a Mitchy Cramer from Dazed and Confused) will probably keep Computer Chess from reaching Lebowski-like status. There’s also not enough heart here to make a classic.  In the end, the computers win.

Computer Chess runs at The Capri from November 29.

Meet Your Makers: Explore Southern Makers

WORDS Katie Vega   PHOTOS Michelle Marie Photography

Southern Makers, a celebration that was a mere dream just a couple of years ago, has now turned into a Taste of the South and Garden and Gun publicized event—held right here in Montgomery, Alabama.  The first annual Southern Makers—curated by Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood, Matter, EAT South, and Southern Accents Architectural Antiques—was assembled to bring Alabama’s top chefs, artists, designers, and craftspeople together to one central location.  And they did just that…and so much more.

The second annual Southern Makers is set for May 3, 2014, but you don’t have to wait all those months to get in on the action.  Explore Southern Makers was established to act as a pop-up for the main event—aimed at gearing people up for the main shindig, especially those people who weren’t aware that Southern Makers existed.  To learn more about it, we talked with Andrea Jean, Marketing and Communications Director at Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood and key player in establishing the celebration of Southern Makers.

Why do you think it’s so important to support and show off Alabama’s talent in an event like Southern Markers?  Primarily, Andrea thinks there is a lack of awareness around the amazing talent that lives and works in the South. You always hear about designers, architects, and artists coming out of big cities like New York and Los Angeles; but the South, not so much.  She also finds it interesting to explore why these people choose to live in the South versus the Northeast, West Coast, or overseas—places where they also could thrive. She believes that southern makers are connected to the heritage, the traditions, and the land, and these play important roles in their modern creations.  From chefs to artists, architects to designers—the South is in their souls.  Southern Makers’ curators and creators believe passionately in the potential here in Montgomery and across the Southeast.  Andrea believes this is a way to provide an experience that communicates the core of their brands.

How did the idea of a pop-up for Southern Makers come about?  Andrea, along with others involved, sees Southern Makers as a movement and touring mini-versions of the event throughout the Southeast seemed to make sense.  Their goal?  To spread the word and tap into the realms of other visionaries who may not know about Southern Makers.  

Explain the PechaKucka format and why it partners well with Explore Southern Makers.  PechaKucha is an innovative presentation style that originated in Tokyo.  This format will bring together creative minds from the art, food, and design communities across the Southeast to share their inspiration, talents, and ideas.  Each presenter has twenty slides, each up for twenty seconds, and they will talk about the images along the way.  The hope of these intimate gatherings is to prompt dialogue and conversations between makers and guests.  Explore Southern Makers, powered by PechaKucha, will tap into the creativity and design techniques used by artists that live and work across the Southeast.

Who are the featured makers at Explore Southern Makers Huntsville?  Will they make their way into the lineup at the big event?  
Edwin Marty with EAT South, Garlan Gudger with Southern Accents Architectural Antiques, Wood Studio’s Keith Cochran,  Kellie Guthrie with Re-Invention/G.E.A.R by R-I, Tasia Malakasis with Belle Chevre, Tony Reid with Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood, and Downtown Hunstville , Inc.’s CEO Chad Emerson will be featured at Explore Southern Makers Huntsville.   These presenters encompass a wide range of makers—activists, animators, arbiters, architects, artists, chefs, critics, curators, designers, dreamers, entrepreneurs, fabricators, fashionistas, historians, rabble-rousers, scientists, insiders and outsiders—each woven with the common thread of wanting to celebrating the best in creativity and design across the South.  Presenters at Explore Southern Makers have or will be a part of the movement and these gatherings are being used as extensions of the annual Southern Makers celebration.

What should people bring to these pop-up events?  Attendees just need to bring themselves, a few bucks for a drink, and most importantly—an open mind.  Andrea says they hope to prompt discussion and further the Southern Makers movement with these informal gatherings—where imaginative people simply get together and share ideas.

Give us a little teaser for the main event in May.  Think Southern Wonderland…

Explore Southern Makers hits Huntsville on November 7 from 6 pm – 9 pm at Amendment XXI.  To get updates on other pop-up events and the main shindig, visit their website (southernmakers.com), Facebook (Southern Makers), and Instagram (@southernmakers).  

Feature Film at The Capri: Shaun of the Dead

WORDS  Evans Bailey

Shaun (Simon Pegg), is a loser. Thirty-something, he works a dead-end job washing machines and TVs. He lives in a dumpy flat with two buddies from college -- one asshole and one dimwitted, part-time pot dealer, Ed (Nick Frost). When his girlfriend gives him an ultimatum request for one dinner date after he spends their anniversary at the local pub, the Winchester, Shaun is too lazy to get a reservation in time. He also thinks his step dad hates him, but isn’t man enough to talk it out. His sole ambition is to go to the Winchester (“we do the quiz”) and laugh while Ed imitates an orangutan.

Sounds like a classic set up for a coming of age tale, right? The man-child gets a mentor or maybe faces some adversity, or both, and one montage later he can barely recognize his former self. He takes responsibility, takes initiative, and is interested in more than just the bottom of a pint glass. 

That’s probably what would happen in a shitty film. But Pegg, Frost, and director Edgar Wright (who co-wrote with Pegg), have something entirely different in mind. It’s nothing short of the zombie, sorry, “zed word,” apocalypse!

The first zom-rom-com, Shaun of the Dead, is a fresh, funny film, which follows Shaun on the very bad, no-good day when the dead rise to feast on the living. Even after the zombies show up, he can’t quit the Winchester. Before stopping for a pint and a little listen to Queen from the jukebox, he first has to lead his mum, step dad, girlfriend, her flatmates (David and Lucy), and sidekick Ed on a violent romp through the zombie-infested gardens and streets of London. Back at the pub, he keeps his shit and what’s left of his gang together (except literally for David), while the oncoming hordes force all of his immaturity issues right to the forefront. Shaun finally meets his problems, and a slew of the undead, right on the head and finishes the film a better man.

The high quality of the film is the product of the sharp writing from Pegg and Wright, who also teamed up on the underrated Hot Fuzz and this year’s World’s End.  They make too many calls and reference to classic zombie films to mention, but showed such appreciation for the genre that George Romero cast Pegg and Wright as zombie extras in Land of the Dead. In the midst all that tongue in cheek, though, the film weaves equal parts slapstick, trivia nerd bait, touching moments and gory violence befitting any undead infestation into an engaging story. Combined with Wright’s energetic direction, Shaun is truly “fried gold.”

Meet Your Makers: At Design Week Birmingham

WORDS  Tiffany Bell 

The first ever Design Week Birmingham (October 21-28) is being hailed as a weeklong celebration of great design to promote communication, collaboration and lasting relationships among the design community.

From pop-up shops to a letterpress and screen printers fair (and a packed schedule in between), the event first caught our attention when we learned Jared Fulton of Plenty Design Co-op was at the helm. You may remember seeing Plenty’s modern furnishings at Southern Makers or in an earlier issue of MADE.

Naturally, we sat down in one of our favorite handcrafted pieces to get the Design Week Birmingham scoop in a recent interview.

How did the idea for Birmingham Design Week come about?  A group of designers have been talking about it for years. It finally felt like the right time to try it. Birmingham has a wonderful design community and we want to celebrate that.
 
Who is behind it all? Local design professionals in different disciplines. In May we started spreading the word about organizing it. By word of mouth and reaching out to design organizations we formed a team dedicated and passionate about the idea. We are all volunteers, doing this in our free time. It is pretty amazing to have 20 to 30 people from difference design backgrounds working together.

Who are some of the designers featured and where are they coming from?  Featured designers include Charles Spencer Anderson and John Peterson, as well as several other thoughtful and innovative designers. They come from San Francisco, Charleston, Atlanta, across Alabama, and many from right here in Birmingham.

What shouldn’t we leave the house without when we come to DWB? A sketchbook for taking notes? Nope, leave that behind, come ready to have a good time and meet other likeminded people interested in good design.

This is clearly not your average craft fair. What are some of the highlights of your multi-faceted event? Monday night is going to be a blast with a kick-off party at Bottletree Café and the viewing of the documentary Sign Painters. Friday night’s Rapid Fire powered by Pecha Kucha is a must see – 12 presenters have 7 minutes to rapidly show their work and what inspires them. The closing lecture is going to be amazing with two nationally known speakers, graphic designer Charles Spencer Anderson and citizen architect John Peterson, and an after party at Good People Brewing Company. Really, it’s hard to choose – they all are so great in their own way.

The bar seems to be set pretty high for vendors. How have you maintained the level of quality? It comes down to wanting to promote great designers making things regionally and locally. We want to include things that we as designers would find interesting and want to purchase.

What’s the cost for admission to any DWB events? The way it works is Design Week Birmingham curates a few events including The Design and Thinking documentary viewing, Rapid Fire powered by Pecha Kucha, Saturday’s Printer’s Fair and the closing lecture ceremony with two great speakers. These are the events included in the premium pass for $35. Then, other organizations that want to host events around the theme of design awareness and why design matters can get placed on the schedule. These are either free, have their own tickets, or reservations are required due to limited space.

Bring the kids or leave them at home for this one? Definitely bring the kids to the Printer’s Fair on Saturday, highlighting screen printers, letter-press artists, book makers, digital printers and anyone using printed media. The screen printers will be doing live demos which can be a very hands on experience for kids. For the most part though, DWB will include events geared toward an adult crowd. 

Any strange requests from vendors/designers so far?
The agent of someone we considered for our keynote said he would require 25K and a certified personal driver to escort him around town.

Any plans yet to make this an annual fall event?
 Definitely. This year we will see what’s good and what isn’t, and tweak it to be even better next year. We have talked about home tours, open houses, and more interactive design events for next year.
 

For tickets and details, visit dwbhm.com

Make The Trek to Art Trek

WORDS Elliot Knight  ARTWORK Spencer Herr (Autumn)

September is an important month for visual arts in Montgomery. A number of events and exhibitions take place this month and will provide opportunities to view artwork from Alabama artists and learn more about visual arts in the River Region. These opportunities culminate Sunday, September 15 with the annual ArtTREK and Montgomery Art Guild Regions Bank exhibition. ArtTREK is organized by the River Region Art Gallery Association and participating galleries will be open from 1-5pm on Sunday afternoon. Kick off the afternoon at the RSA Tower downtown with the opening reception of the 47th annual Montgomery Art Guild and Regions Bank exhibition. Awards will be presented to winning artists at 1:30pm. The Georgine Clarke Alabama Artists Gallery, located at the Alabama State Council on the Arts office on the first floor of the RSA Tower, will also be open and will feature an exhibition of winning artworks from the Bluff Park Art Association from the past 50 years. Beginning at 2pm, a trolley will begin taking people from the RSA Tower to all of the other participating galleries, and will make a loop throughout the afternoon.

Take the ArtTREK to experience a wide variety of artwork from paintings, photography and printmaking, to folk arts and fine crafts and learn more about the artists in the River Region. This event and the addition of the trolley tour offer a great way to support local artists and experience all of the galleries in the area. 

ArtTREK at The Georgine Clarke Alabama Artists Gallery
RSA Tower, First Floor, 201 Monroe Street, Suite 110
Montgomery, AL 36104, Phone 334 242 4076, www.arts.alabama.gov, Hours:  Monday-Friday 8am-5pm

The Alabama State Council on the Arts is proud to showcase the work of Alabama artists in our downtown Montgomery gallery.  The gallery exhibits six to eight shows a year showcasing visual art ranging from painting, photography and printmaking to folk art and fine craft.
 
Galleries participating in ArtTREK and exhibitions that will be on display during this event:

Marcia Weber Art Objects, 1050 Woodley Road, Montgomery, AL  36106, Phone 334 262 5349, www.marciaweberartobjects.com
“Just Us Folks”
September 15 - October 30, 2013
Self-Taught art by Anne Buffum, Spencer Herr, Woodie Long, Sarah Rakes and others

Georgine Clarke Alabama Artists Gallery, 201 Monroe Street, Suite 110, Montgomery, AL 36104
“50 Years of Bluff Park Art”
October 30, 2013
Selections from Alabama artists who are part of the permanent collection of the Bluff Park Art Association in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Bluff Park Art Festival.

Stonehenge Gallery, 1041 East Fairview, Montgomery, AL 36106, Phone 334 262 82560, stonehengeinc.com
New Works by:  Mary Lynn Levy, Emily Gassenheimer and Melissa B. Tubbs
Thru October 5, 2013
Gallery hours: 10-5 Tuesday - Friday, 10-4 Saturday

Montgomery Visitor Center in the Train Depot
300 Water Street, Montgomery, AL 36104
The 34th Annual Waterfront Show and Competition.Featuring artists throughout the state of Alabama. In honor of the region’s river roots, art in this show has either a water or downtown Montgomery theme.

SAC’s Gallery, 529 S. Perry St., Ste. 14, Montgomery, AL 36104, Phone 334 265 993, www.SACsGallery.org
SAC’s Gallery will be featuring art and fine crafts from throughout the region. SAC’s Gallery is a not-for-profit, cooperative gallery with art in all styles and price ranges.  
Gallery hours: Tuesday-Friday 12 pm - 5 pm

The Gallery at the Prattville Creative Arts Center, 342 Chestnut Street, Prattville, AL 36067, Phone 334 358 0297
Dimensions featuring the works of Ed George, Kellie Newsome and Barbara Simpson will be on display through September 30.  Textural abstracts, vibrant acrylics and exciting watercolors, along with multimedia relief and sculptural pieces will fill the Prattville Gallery with a truly artistically dimensional show with the works of these three very diverse artists.  Also on exhibit will be works by members of the Prattauga Art Guild. 

Gallery hours: 2-5pm September 15 during ARTrek, and normal gallery hours Friday-Saturday 10am-2pm and Sunday 1pm-4pm

Anita P. Folmar Youth Art Gallery, Armory Learning Arts Center, 1018 Madison Avenue, Montgomery, AL 36104
“Rivers, Trails and Cotton Bales” featuring works in an array of colorful styles and multifaceted media depicting sites and scenes of the River Region.
Thru September 30, 2013
Gallery hours: Monday-Friday 10am-5pm

 

Q&A with cinda b Founder Cinda Boomershine

Cinda joins huetopia Fall 2013 as one of this year's celebrity guests. Here, she talks shop with MADE about her wildly successful brand.

What is it about the Cinda B brand that most excites you? 
We make everything in our line right here in America. Being “Made in USA” is critically important to me.  When I started cinda b in 2004, I had two goals.  One was to make a fabulous, casual, chic, functional line of bags.  The other was to make those bags in the USA.  Initially, no one appreciated that the bags were made here.  I found that incredibly frustrating.  But as our economy changed people started to realize the importance of buying American made goods.  

For those readers that haven’t tried your line, what is the best feature of the Cinda B product?
I’d say our unique fabrics are our best attribute.  They are all custom - designed by me and my team.  They are all water resistant, stain resistant, machine washable (and pretty darn stylish if you ask me.)

How do you select your colors for your line?  Is it based on trend, Pantone or gut instinct?
When selecting new colors we have a rather strategic and methodical approach.  We are constantly looking at trends and talking to customers.  But we also mix in a healthy dose of gut instinct, and then cross our fingers and hope that everyone likes what we have created.

How did you arrive at your selection for the Cinda b fabrics and accents?
We design all our fabrics from scratch using a similar approach to how we select our colors.  We watch trends and talk to customers about what they would like to see, then we start designing and let our creative minds take over.  The pattern is the result of blending a little science in with a little art.

At the recent Southern Makers event we asked the public “What inspires you?” Since you design a great product and custom patterns, we feel this is a good question for you too. 
That is a tough one as I find inspiration by just about everything I see.  It could be the repeating pattern on the top of a manhole cover, or a vintage scarf my friend happens to be wearing.  But if I had to name one thing, it would be my travels.  I love traveling to new places, staying in new hotels and seeing a different side of our wonderful world.  Many of the cinda b fabrics have been largely and directly inspired by my travels.

What can we expect from Cinda B in the future?  Will we see you branch out of the luggage industry with your great patterns?
We are always thinking, planning (and dreaming) of products extensions for cinda b.  I’d love to see us expand into everything from stationary to personal accessories to more baby items. 

Do you have any advice for our budding designer / artist / entrepreneur readers that will help in their quest to start their own company?
If I can do it, you can do it!  Start by writing a business plan.  It doesn’t have to be pretty, but you need to do it, as it will help you flesh out all your ideas and give you a path to follow.  Then take one little step down that path every day.

Q&A with Oscar Adames: J Brand Jeans’ US Denim Guru

How is it you were crowned “J Brand Fit Specialist”?
I have been in the fashion industry for 17 years, seven with J Brand.  I have traveled the US and the world appreciating all types, shapes and sizes of women and from this I’ve learned how jeans should look and respond to a woman’s body.
 
Have you fit anyone we would know in J Brand?
Ohhhh more than I can remember!  Serena and Venus Williams, June Ambrose (style architect), and so many more. But my main goal is to fit Rihanna!
 
What is the most common mistake women make when buying denim?
Women always think they are one size bigger than they are.  They focus on what they think their faults are rather than accenting the positives.  Focus on the style and fit that looks best on you rather than hiding what you think is wrong.
 
Is there a fit or style that is a universally flattering fit for most body types? Skinny, Straight, Flare, Boot Cut?
J Brand Maria High Rise Skinny is a universal fit for women.
 
What is your most asked question when fitting women?
“Does my “sitting area” look good in these jeans?”

When you travel, do you see that most of the country embraces high fashion trends or do you have to teach trend?
Both! Each area has their own trend and style. But then there are places like NY and LA that set major trends.  Each city will have things that “locals” are wearing and it differs from place to place.  This is what really helped me hit “Guru” status; I see it all and have a healthy knowledge of what is out there and melt it all together for the individual I am helping.

Are your subjects more likely to buy “outside of their comfort zone” when you fit them?
Yes.  I get women to wear what looks good on them rather than what they “think” looks good on them.  The way others see you is not how you see yourself and this is a hard thing for women to understand on their own.
 
What “rules” can you give our readers for buying a great pair of jeans?
BE OPEN MINDED.  Be open to multiple styles that will accent different areas of your shape in different outfits.  You may need a few different pair of jeans to complete different looks - don’t settle on one pair or fit.
 
Who is your easiest subject to fit in a jean?
A confident women who is not afraid to show what she has.  Jeans are like bathing suits: they show everything. A woman who is not afraid to walk out that door showing what God gave her always wears them best!
 

  

Behind The Seams: Bell + Bragg

WORDS Andrea Jean   PHOTO Bell + Bragg

You don’t meet a lot of people who truly believe in “art for art’s sake” but Brad Bell does. Speak with him for five minutes about creativity, art and surroundings and you know he just gets it. That “it” is what makes Bell + Bragg so refreshing. Design duo Brad Bell (2008 AU Architecture Graduate) and Wife Amy Bell (Architect at Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood) opened their gallery in 2012.  The gallery lives at 420 S Gay St. in Auburn, right down the block from local hotspot Amsterdam Café, incubating the local art scene. Oh and I almost forgot to mention, you can buy the art too…

What led you to open a Gallery in Auburn?
Last year around this time we were sharing our space with two other folks. A local artist was using our basement as his studio and our storefront was a clothing boutique run by a local fashion designer. The creative energy was extremely contagious. After they both moved on to explore their passions elsewhere, we decided that the ever-changing exhibit and installation space would be a great fit.

How do you choose the artists you show at the gallery?
Some of our shows are highly curated and planned to a T. Others are completely spontaneous and happen when an artist comes by to share their new works with us or needs space to photograph their work. We have shows up to four weeks and pop-up shows that only last one night. We like to keep it fresh and unexpected. Our current exhibit, “After All,” is a solo show by local artist, RC Hagens. RC’s work is heavily influenced by contemporary street art, but primarily stencil graffiti.

Explain the thought process and inspiration for the gallery and the art you sell?
Whether it’s experimental paintings, haptic installations or delicate 3-D pieces, we like to show contemporary and progressive work. Our gallery is as much about the culture and incubating the local art scene as it is about selling art. It’s more of an interactive space - somewhere between the student pin-up space and curated museum.

How does one go about getting on your mailing list?
Come see a show, chat with us and sign our guest book.

www.facebook.com/BellBragg