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The Ballet

November 4, 2020 By Zola Zeester Leave a Comment

FREE To WATCH On2In2™

The Spanish National Dance Company, ‘Compañía Nacional de Danza’, was founded in 1979 as the Spanish National Classical Ballet, and has evolved toward a more contemporary style with a distinctive identity based on Spanish cultural and folklore roots. The company tours Europe, achieving international prestige under the direction of Víctor Ullate, María de Ávila, Maya Plisetskaya and Nacho Duato.

Giselle, is one of the world’s most often performed classical ballets as well as one of the most challenging to dance. The romantic, ghost-filled ballet tells the tragic story in two acts of a beautiful young peasant girl who falls for the flirtations of the deceitful and disguised nobleman Albrecht. When the ruse is revealed, the fragile Giselle dies of heartbreak, and Albrecht must face the otherworldly consequences of his careless seduction. [10 Facts To Know About Giselle, Kansas City Ballet].

If you missed the live stream broadcast of Giselle by the Spanish National Dance Company in December, 2018, there’s still time to watch a video recording of the performance. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button or select from the video posts located in right top corner of the media player below.

Dancers tell their stories and provide a glimpse of the goings-on backstage and behind-the-scenes → Ballet Backstage

Drawing on classical ballet and modern dance as well as non-western cultural dances, contemporary dance is exciting, unpredictable and constantly evolving. FREE To WATCH performances → Dynamic Dance

We’d love to hear from you! If you’d like to comment on this article, join the conversation, or share your inspiration, and you have not yet registered as an On2In2™ playmaker, please sign up via the ‘Engage page’. Don’t worry, it’s pretty quick and easy (unless you’re a robot).

Feature photo of Spanish National Dance Company by Maite Villanueva CC BY-SA 4.0

Shooting Stars

November 3, 2020 By Zola Zeester 1 Comment

First Astrophotograph is John W. Draper's Moon Daguerreotype, taken on March 26, 1840 from the rooftop observatory at New York University. — Moon daguerreotype by J.W. Draper (1840), PD

Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre (1787-1851), inventor of the daguerreotype photographic process, was the first to attempt to photograph an astronomical object in 1839. It was unsuccessful because telescope tracking errors during the long exposure time caused the moon to appear in the image as a fuzzy, indistinct spot. A year later, John William Draper (1811-1882) was the first to successfully take an ‘astrophotograph’ – a detailed photo of a full moon taken from the rooftop observatory of New York University on March 23, 1840, using a 5-inch (13 cm) reflecting telescope and 20 minute long exposure. Later 19th century advances in technology allowed photographing of celestial objects that revolutionized astronomical research at the time by recording images of stars invisible to the human eye.Night photography offers a chance to capture and document inspiring scenes few people have the opportunity to experience due to artificial light and air glow pollution.Night photography offers a chance to capture and document inspiring scenes few people have the opportunity to experience due to artificial light and air glow pollution.

Get how-to tips on night sky photography technique from National Parks photographer Chris Nicholson in this video presentation: “Shooting Stars: How to Photograph Night Skies”. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button or the video post on the media player below ↓

Matt Hill joins Chris Nicholson in this step-by-step guide to ‘painting with light, including live demos, in the video presentation: ‘Illuminating the Night: Everything You Want to Know About Light Painting. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button or the video post on the media player below ↓

Watch “Understanding Astrophotography with Christopher Witt and Todd Vorenkamp” video presentation, and you’ll be shooting stars in no time. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button or the video post on the media player below ↓

Information/Resources:
Photography Tips to Capture the Night Sky by Andy Porter, the National Forest Foundation (May 27, 2016)
10 Things: How to Photograph a Meteor Shower, NASA
Wikipedia: Astrophotography

Travel, sports and outdoor photography tips from the pros

Find the best locations and experience the night sky teeming with glittering stars

We’d love to hear from you! If you’d like to comment on this article, join the conversation, or share your photography inspiration, and you have not yet registered as an On2In2™ playmaker, please sign up via the ‘Engage page’. Don’t worry, it’s pretty quick and easy (unless you’re a robot).

The star trails feature photo is courtesy of Andrew Preble/Unsplash CC0

Activist Arts

October 30, 2020 By Zola Zeester Leave a Comment

“If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him… We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda; it is a form of truth.” — John F. Kennedy

Throughout history, art has been created by people for many different reasons and purposes, both non-motivated (no specific-purpose other than a basic human instinct to create) and motivated (e.g., the artist intends to communicate a specific emotion, comment on an aspect of society, or bring about political or cultural change), and works of art have often been controversial for a variety of reasons, provoking intense debate, criticism and indignation as well as influencing new ideas and shifts in prevailing sentiment.

An art movement is art with a specific common goal among a group of artists for a certain period of time (months, years or decades). There have been many diverse art movements during the 19^th and 20^th centuries, their meanings and objectives explained by the artists involved in the movement or art critics and historians.

In the US, the ‘60s were years of social unrest and cultural change, and contemporary artists responded to the turmoil and addressed the issues by producing creative works of activism. The Black Arts Movement (1965-75), aka Black Aesthetics Movement or BAM, emerged when a group of African American artists were inspired by the Black Power movement to create expressive works of poetry, novels, visual arts, and theater that reflected pride in black history and culture and explored the African American experience as a means of arousing black consciousness. Although it began in New York, BAM spread across the country and influenced a generation of artists.

In Southern California, the Black Arts Movement generated new forms of artistic and cultural expression and the development of community-based arts organizations in an effort to end discrimination in entertainment industries and focus attention on the conditions within black working class neighborhoods.

In her book South of Pico*, MacArthur winner and Columbia University professor Kellie Jones explores how artists in Los Angeles black communities during the 1960s and 1970s created a vibrant, engaged activist arts scene amidst racism and social upheaval. Building on her research and work on the Hammer Museum exhibition Now Dig This! Art and Black Los Angeles, 1960–1980, Dr. Jones, along with a discussion panel including UCLA professor Robin D.G. Kelly, will expand your understanding of the history of black arts in Los Angeles and beyond. If you missed the live broadcast of this event, there’s still time to watch a video recording. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button or the post located on the video player below ↓

Creative Perspectives – artists reveal thoughts and feelings about their work and living a creative life in this On2In2™ video collection, available to watch free & on-demand.

Find out how you can help with art history research right from home, and discover the life of an artist using a very cool, free to
use online tool “AnnoTate”

Information/Resources:

Political Change from the 1960’s to Now: Connections Between Arts and Activist Movements by Andrea Assuf (The Public Humanist, Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities, October 30, 2009)
On Black Aesthetics: The Black Arts Movement by Candice Frederick (New York Public Library, July 15, 2016)
The Black Arts Movement (blacklist.org)
Witness: Art and Civil Rights in the Sixties (Brooklyn Museum)
Wikipedia (Art and Art movement)

*Zeester Media LLC may receive a small commission for a book purchase you make via the link within this page. This in no way affects the price you pay for the purchase.

We’d love to hear from you! If you’d like to comment on this post, join the conversation, or share your inspiration, and you have not yet registered as an On2In2™ playmaker, please sign up via the ‘Engage page’. Don’t worry, it’s pretty quick and easy.

Feature photo is courtesy of Pixabay CC0

A Collector’s Passion

September 24, 2020 By Zola Zeester Leave a Comment

The hobby of collecting is defined as the “seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining whatever items are of interest to the individual collector”, and the range of collections is well,….. unlimited because there are no rules in collecting and collectors’ passions are as diverse and unique as each individual collector.

Collecting also has a long history that can be traced to book collecting in ancient Egypt, art patronage and collecting during the Italian Renaissance period (14^th – 16^th centuries), and the acquisition by affluent scholars of unusual items (called “cabinet of curiosities”) beginning in the 16^th century.

There are many theories as to what compels so many of us to collect things. Like rubber bands — oh yes, @zeester must admit to a compulsion to collect rubber bands, sea shells, rocks and wine corks. The yen felt by collectors may be connected to the human ‘hunter – gatherer’ survival instinct, but could also be fulfilling some psychological need relating to aspects of memory, organization, or purpose. Whatever the reason, hobby collectors find fun in collecting as well as profit, and their personal stories are as fascinating as the collections they’ve created.

Billy Wilder (1906-2002), a legendary filmmaker, was an avid art collector. He described his passion for collecting as a “sickness”, and said, “I don’t know how to stop myself…………Name an object and I collect it.” There is no denying, however, Wilder enjoyed his hobby, saying it was “more fun than making movies”, and he acquired one of the finest and most extensive art collections in Hollywood. In 1989, a large selection of paintings and sculptures from his collection sold at auction for $32.6 million.

Edward Wharton-Tigar (1913-95), a decorated WWII British spy and business executive with a passion for cricket and collecting, amassed the world’s largest collection of cigarette cards (over 2 million). His entire collection which includes a rare T206 Honus Wagner card is held by the British Museum. After more than 75 years of collecting, Wharton-Tigar considered his “collector’s mania” an inherited trait. “My mother had it and so did my grandmother. If you have it, you have it. There is simply nothing you can do about it. You are driven by this desire to complete things.”

It’s a WOW — an old garage full of beautiful classic cars! Lenny Shiller from Brooklyn NY talks about his motivation to collect classic cars and the enjoyment he has working on his eclectic collection in the video Lenny’s Garage from Bullrush Films.

Ξ More collectors tell their stories ⇒ WATCH: Collector Confessions

In Heads and Tales: The Odyssey of a Medals Collector, art collector and historian, Stephen K. Scher, tells the story behind the building of his medals collection, including the motivation, temptations, mistakes, and successes. It’s a rare opportunity to learn from a collector’s personal experience.

We’d love to hear from you! Collecting, as with many hobbies, can lead to social connections and new friendships. You can connect with people sharing similar interests by joining the On2In2™ social network via the “Engage” page.

Information/References:
Wikipedia: Collecting, T206 Honus Wagner
The Los Angeles Times, November 14, 1989 (Wilder Auction)
The New York Times, August 30, 1989 (Wilder Auction)
The Independent, September 3, 1994 (First Hand: I constantly dream about my card collection)

Feature photo of a troll doll collector is courtesy of Grastisographry CC0

Birds of America

September 19, 2020 By Zola Zeester 1 Comment

Some time around 1820, French-American artist and naturalist, John James Audubon (1785-1851) started work on a personal project to paint every bird species located in North America, using unique methods and materials as well as extensive field observations. It was a tremendously challenging and costly endeavor, and many doubted Audubon’s ability to pull it off. In fact, the idea would seem a little wild & crazy even today with 21st century technology. But, Audubon was no ordinary guy. He was also totally committed to finding and illustrating every bird in North America for publication, working more than 15 years toward his goal and raising cash by teaching, selling art works, taking oil painting commissions, hunting and selling animal skins, and conducting exhibitions and demonstrations.

How to view and download John Audubon's extraordinarily beautiful illustrations in The Birds of America. — Common American Swan (The Birds of America, plate 411) is courtesy of the National Audubon Society, John James Audubon Center and Montgomery County Audubon Collection

The result of Audubon’s work is The Birds of America, first published in England as a series of 87 sets of prints between the years 1827 and 1838. Now considered to be the greatest study of birds in history as well as one of the greatest examples of book art, the original publication included 435 hand-colored, life-sized prints of North American birds on handmade paper that were produced from copperplate etchings and engravings with water-coloring applied by assembly-line colorists. An accompanying text (‘Ornithological Biography’) was written by Audubon and the Scottish ornithologist William MacGillvray and published separately in five volumes (1831-1839).

The cost of printing the first edition of The Birds of America was an amount equivalent to more than $2 million US dollars in today’s money. Audubon financed the massive print project with pre-paid subscriptions, but only the wealthy could afford the subscription price which limited the publication to no more than 200 complete sets. Consequently, more affordable editions were later produced using lithography and published during the mid-19^th century.

“The Birds of America’ will then raise in value as much as they are now depreciated by certain fools and envious persons.” — John James Audubon

Almost two centuries later, Audubon’s bird art is still captivating and revered among birders and art collectors, and his influence on ornithology and natural history has been widespread and enduring as The Birds of America and Ornithological Biography significantly contributed to the understanding of bird anatomy and behavior. Watching the short video, ‘Audubon’s Birds of America’ from the Lost Birds Project, you’ll get a sense of the massive beauty of these works of art as David W. Carson, curator of the History of Science Collection at Cornell University, conducts a private viewing of The Birds of America.

Six of the birds illustrated by John Audubon in The Birds of America are now extinct, and many more are endangered. Also — According to a recent study, North America has lost more than a quarter of its entire bird population during the past 50 years. [North America Has Lost 3 Billion Birds, Scientist Say by Nell Greefieldboyce (NPR, September 19, 2019)] ⇒⇒ Learn how you can help by visiting the National Audubon Society’s Action Center.

A copy of the complete The Birds of America series is available FREE of charge for viewing and high-resolution downloading via ⇒⇒ the National Audubon Society’s digital library, courtesy of the John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove in Audubon, Pennsylvania and the Montgomery County Audubon Collection. Be sure to check it out, and let John Audubon inspire your own creative work.

Audubon’s personal copy of The Birds of America is held within the Stark Museum of Art Rare Books & Manuscripts Collections in Orange, Texas. An original, complete series is on public display (one page is turned each week) in the Audubon Room of the Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. It was purchased by the university in 1839 for the astonishing price of $970 (equivalent to approximately $80,000 today). Undoubtedly, a wise investment. In December 2010, a complete first edition from a private collection was sold at a Sotheby’s auction in London for US$ 11.5 million (a record breaking auction price).

Other permanent public display locations: Trinity College (Watkinson Library) in Hartford, Connecticut; University of Pittsburg (Hillman Library); Liverpool Central Library; Woodstock Inn in Woodstock, Vermont; and the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University (Ewell Sale Stewart Library) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Look around– there are surely more opportunities for viewing a first edition as there are currently 107 held by institutions, and many periodically offer special exhibits.

Information/Resources:
The Life of John James Audubon: The Naturalist (1869) [FREE ebook] The primary source material for this biography was Audubon’s notes and journals, written/edited by Lucy Green Bakewell Audubon and Robert Williams Buchanan. The JJ Audubon image is an engraving by H.B. Hall based on a portrait by Henry Inman that appears in the book.
John James Audubon – The Making of an American (2004) by Richard Rhodes*
Audubon’s ‘Birds of America’ at Yale: Creating a masterwork one feather at a time. Article by Mike Cummings, Yale News, June 30, 2015
“Ornithological Biography” or an Account of the Habits of the Birds of the United States of America Vol 4, (1838) by John James Audubon [FREE ebook].
Featured photo of Columbian Hummingbirds is from plate 425 of The Birds of America
Wikipedia: The Birds of America

If you just can’t get enough about birds, there’s more here ⇒ Bird ID Challenge (test your birding skills); Birdsong Melody (the music and magic of the mockingbird); The California Brown Pelican; and Fast and Fearless (the Hummingbird).

Audubon was the first, but there’s a new illustration of birds to get excited about! The Wall of Birds* tells the remarkable story of artist Jane Kim’s 2,500 square-foot mural celebrating the diversity and evolution of birds at The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. It took her 2 1/2 years to create the one-of-a-kind, life-size mural showcasing all 243 modern families of birds, and the book “is a visual feast, essential for those who love art, birds, and our natural world”.

*Zeester Media LLC may receive a small commission for a book purchase you make via a link to Amazon within this page. This in no way affects the price you pay for the purchase.

Sacred Shadows

September 8, 2020 By Zola Zeester 2 Comments

Intersections (2013), is a sculptural installation created by Anila Quayyum Agha, a Pakistani-American artist. Simple in its materials and artistic method, the effect is a powerfully elegant, original work of art that wondrously transforms a room into an ethereal space filled with intricate shadowy geometric patterns enwrapping gallery visitors who then become a reflecting element of the artwork. Agha said her art is influenced by personal experiences as well as the complex social and political issues of our time, and the intent with the Intersections installation was “to give substance to mutualism” while exploring the disparate views of “public and private, light and shadow, and static and dynamic”. It was awarded grand prizes in the 2014 international ArtPrize competition, and later exhibited at the Rice Gallery in Houston, Texas as well as the Peabody Essex Museum and Indiana State Museum.

The video documentary, “Intersections”, produced by Walley Films, is an exceptional opportunity to view this transcending work of art as Anila Quayyum Agha recounts her inspiration, discoveries, and creative process.

Agha’s installation pieces focus on transforming public spaces using Islamic architectural motifs, light and shadow, casting viewers of all cultural backgrounds under shadows that allow all to contemplate and reflect.

Resources/Information:

Anila Quayyum Agha website anilaagha.com
Past Installation, Rice Gallery
ArtPrize, Grand Rapids Michigan (Intersections). ArtPrize is an annual public art event and international competition.

Watch: CREATIVE PERSPECTIVES A diverse group of artists reveal thoughts and feelings about their work and living a creative life in this On2In2™ collection of short video documentaries. It’s an interesting and inspiring bunch.

Feature photo: Still shot from video documentary, “Intersections” © Mark & Angela Walley

A Thousand Sparks

September 8, 2020 By Zola Zeester Leave a Comment

“If you watch a thousand sparks cascading,
They’re all wee thoughts,
or possibilities,
or ideas;
And, if you could think like that……….”

Robert Fullerton

At 13 years old, his formal education ended, and at 17, he started working at a shipyard in Govan, Scotland. An early start to a life of grueling labor, but Robert Fullerton looked through the reflecting glass visor of his welding helmet and found inspiration in the spirit of the shipyard.

In the video documentary, “Mining Poems or Odes” from the Scottish Documentary Institute (produced by Jack Cocker, directed by Jack Cocker), Robert Fullerton reveals how he learned to write, his creative process, and ‘tools of the trade’.

Robert Fullerton’s story reminds us that sparks of inspiration are everywhere, and the real magic is in a book. His passion for books and writing began when his workmate and mentor, Archie, gave him a copy of The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists* by Robert Tressell**, the pen name of author Robert Noonan (1870-1911), an Irish-born house painter.

The novel is set in the fictional town of Mugsborough, and based on Noonan’s personal experiences of poverty and exploitation and his views on the relationship between working-class people and their employers, the gross injustice and inequalities of society, and workers’ acceptance of the status quo. Out of work and ill, Noonan was in dire straits during the writing, and there are traces of the anger and bitterness he was feeling in the Ragged story, along with compassion and a sense of humor.

Widely regarded a classic of modern British literature and ranked as a ‘best loved’ novel in a 2003 BBC survey, the completed manuscript originally called, The Ragged Arsed Philanthropists, was rejected by three publishing houses before Noonan died in 1911 at age 40. His daughter was able to sell the book rights to a publisher for £25, and an edited version (with most of the socialist ideology cut out) was published in 1914. Forty years later, Robert Noonan’s original manuscript was found, and the unabridged edition was published in 1955.

*Editor’s Note: The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists is available to read free in ebook form or online, and is also free to download and print, courtesy of Project Gutenberg. The volunteer organization founded in 1971 by American Michael S. Hart (1947-2011), inventor of the ebook, has created a digital library offering over 53,000 ebooks of literary works in the public domain that can be accessed, read, downloaded and printed—all free of charge.

Information/Resources:
Wikipedia: Robert Tressell, The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Govan, Project Gutenberg, Michael S. Hart
“Welder Turned Poet….”, The Daily Record (February 14, 2016)

The historical works created during times of social unrest and cultural change continue to inspire today Activist Arts

There’s more inspiration here→ Watch: Creative Perspectives,
an On2In2™ collection of short videos

Feature photo of welder is courtesy of Pixabay/Pexels, CC0

**Zeester Media LLC may receive a small commission for a book purchase you make via the link to this Robert Noonan biography “One of the Damned: The Life & Times of Robert Tressell” by F.C. Ball. This in no way affects the price you pay for the purchase.

Word Play

July 3, 2020 By Zola Zeester 1 Comment

Many of us have felt that urge to write ‘something’ at some point in our lives. Some follow through on the idea, while others never quite get started or start but never finish because creative writing is a challenging endeavor requiring passion and perseverance. But, now may be the perfect time to take on that challenge and begin the process of creating with words.

“Creative writing” is described as the process of creating a literary work of any type, including memoir, essay, short story, novel, poetry, and screenplay. While some aspire to write a best seller, the joy for many writers is in the writing process, its practice and development, or they have something to say and hope to have an impact on the lives of others.

The poem “Where We Dwell” was written by Arian Foster, professional athlete and poet. Video from Todd Martin

If you’re feeling it, explore and learn more from these online resources:

⇒ Modern Poetry – FREE to Download This Yale College course, taught on campus twice per week for 50 minutes, was recorded for Open Yale Courses in Spring 2007. It covers the body of modern poetry, its characteristic techniques, concerns, and major practitioners. The authors discussed range from Yeats, Eliot, and Pound, to Stevens, Moore, Bishop, and Frost with additional lectures on the poetry of WWI, and the Harlem Renaissance.

⇒ FREE online creative writing courses are offered by Open University along with articles full of helpful advice and tips

⇒ Find More FREE Creative Writing Classes – a list of online creative writing courses offered free by top universities and educational websites (provided by learningpath.org)

⇒ Everything You Need to Write and Publish Your Book Using NY Public Library E-Resources

⇒ 9 Simple Activities to Inspire Your Writing, by Emma Johnson, Writer’s Edit (online literary magazine created for writers and book lovers)

⇒ 35 Writing Courses to Take During Coronavirus – BookFox is a resource guide for aspiring writers

⇒ Wesleyan University offers via online classes that focus on elements of three creative writing genres, short story, narrative essay, and memoir. [Access to some video lectures and assignments are free so that you can evaluate a course offering prior to purchase. If the course fee is beyond your budget, financial aid may be available.]

You’ll find creative inspiration from Robert Fullerton’s story of life in the shipyards, how he learned to write, and his creative process, A Thousand Sparks

Take a look at the On2In2™ article Contemporary Poetry. You’ll find both live and recorded readings featuring unique and inspiring literary voices of today.

Feature photo courtesy of Taner Argali/Unsplash CC0

Ephemeral Art

June 22, 2020 By Zola Zeester Leave a Comment

“Building a sandcastle is ‘about capturing a moment’ amidst the forces of nature.” — Renzo Piano

How to build a sandcastle with a few simple tools and a basic structural and sculpting techniques — Photo: Flickr user, Amanda B, CC BY 2.0

The first references to sandcastle building on a beach go as far back as the 19th century. Since that time, the love of sandcastles has grown worldwide to include all ages as it remains the perfect beach activity for creatives, and the sculptures have progressed from small to massive, simple to complex art forms.

Building beautiful sandcastles requires simple tools, a few structural and sculpting basics, and understanding it’s all about having fun in the moment.

Here are a few sandcastle building tips for the beginner:

First, there’s an art to sandcastle construction, and success takes patience and practice. [See ‘How To’ information and free video lessons listed further down this page.] You must also understand and accept that a sandcastle is a temporary structure, and it’s destruction is part of the creative process. So, don’t forget to take a few photos and enjoy the moment.

Get Help. It can get hot on the beach, and those buckets of sand and water are heavier than you might think; therefore, you may need friends and family to help with the heavy lifting.

Plan. Sketch out your castle design before getting started. Gather up the tools (basics: buckets, shovels, spray bottle, mason’s trowels and artist’s palette knives)

Sand Quality. The best sand for building is fine-grained because it can be tightly compacted. If the sand is course, full of shells or debris, you’ll have stability problems trying to build the castle up high or at a steep angle.

Location. Watch the waves, and find a tide schedule. Try to build your sandcastle above high tide to save it from early destruction.

Building. Fill a bucket with very wet sand. Pound the top, and carefully lift it straight up (no twisting or tilting). Push sand up around the castle foundation at an angle for added support.

Cracks. Patch them up right away by packing them with more wet sand, and reduce the structural stress by slicing off some of the top and/or sides with a trowel.

Carving. Use various tools and your imagination to create windows, doors, and steps. Start from the top down. Keep the sandcastle moist by spritzing with water using a spray bottle.

Decorate. Make your palace special. Search the beach for bits and pieces that can be used to decorate the sandcastle or collected for a separate art project.

Get Inspired. Attend sandcastle/sand sculpting festivals and competitions as a spectator or participant. [See short list of events we’ve discovered at the bottom of this page for information.]

How to build a unique drip sandcastle using dribbling technique — Matt Kaliner, CC BY-NC 2.0

A ‘drip castle’ is a variation of the traditional sandcastle, created by dripping a slurry mix of sand and water from a fist (the technique is sometimes referred to as “dribbling”). In the short video, King of the Castle, Matt Kaliner, university sociology lecturer & sand sculpting hobbyist, demonstrates the dribbling technique while building his weird and wonderful sculptural sandcastles.

‘How To’ Information/Resources:

Basics for the Beginner Jenny Rossen, a professional sand sculptor and artist, explains the basics of sandcastle construction in a short video.

How to Build a Sandcastle In 8 video lessons, expert/international champion sandcastle builder, Mark Venit, explains each step in the process of building a grand castle in the sand.

How To Build a Sand Sculpture – choosing a good sand, building forms, and best sculpting tools

Blueprints Before High Tide: An architect explains the perfect sandcastle (Heard on NPR Weekend Edition Saturday ,August 1, 2015)

Sandcastle and Sculpting Festivals and Competitions:

Major Sand Sculpting Events Around The World – Discover exhibitions and competitions in Australia, India, Indonesia, Portugal, USA and more!

US Sand Sculpting Challenge and 3D Art Expo – Called the most creative atmosphere in the world, World Master Sand Sculptors come from all over the world to compete at this event. Entertainment, Food & Activities (Labor Day weekend 2019) Broadway Pier and Pavilion, San Diego, California

Weston Sand Sculpture Festival – Something for Everyone! Marine Parade, Weston-super-Mare BS23 1BE, UK

Neptune’s International Sand Sculpting Championship – Virginia Beach, Virginia (September 27 – October 6, 2019) festival, competition, clinics

Sandcastle Days – South Padre Island, Texas October 3 – 6, 2019 (Admission FREE) demonstrations, competition & lessons

American Sandsculpting Championships – Fort Meyers Beach, Florida. For more than 30 years, held the last 2 weeks of November. (Free Lessons)

International Sand Art Competition – Key West, Florida

The Siesta Key Crystal Classic – Siesta Key, Florida, November 15 – 18, 2019 (Free Lessons)

Texas SandFest – Port Aransas, Texas, April 26 – 28, 2019 (Rain or Shine) festival & competition

Cannon Beach Sandcastle Festival & Contest – Cannon Beach, Oregon, June 7-9, 2019

Hampton Beach Master Sand Sculpting Classic – Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, June 2019 (dates to be confirmed) Free Lessons

Blue Water SandFest – Port Huron, Michigan, July 2019 (dates to be confirmed) Free Lessons

Revere Beach Art Festival (September 15, 2018) & International Sand Sculpting Festival (July 2019, dates to be confirmed) Revere Beach, Massachusetts

We’re the social type as well as beach lovers. Please register via the ENGAGE page to join the conversation, share your inspiration, ideas and creation, and network with On2In2™ playmakers.

Feature photo by Benjamin Carlson/Unsplash CC0

Contemporary Poetry

June 3, 2020 By Zola Zeester Leave a Comment

“Poetry is a distinct pleasure, and unlike any other art form. It requires no special knowledge to enjoy it, just the patience to tune to its unique way of doing things; and once you’ve dialed into its wavelength, I can promise you’ll never want to go without it again – and nor will the world ever look quite the same.” — Don Paterson, Picador publisher

WATCH On2In2™

Singularity by American poet Marie Howe, inspired by Stephen Hawking and the cosmos, is a contemplation on our origins, interconnectedness and separateness. This short video of Ms. Howe’s reading of Singularity somehow enriches her reflective words, and inspires to do our own reflecting on life and home.

Mihaela Moscaliuc is the author of ‘Father Dirt’ and Immigrant Model’ where she explores the feelings of living in different worlds. Michael Waters is a 2017 Guggenheim Fellow, and his new collection of poetry delves into the sensual and spiritual with characteristic intensity. If you missed the live stream broadcast of Poetry: Mihaela Moscaliuc and Michael Waters, there’s still time to watch a video recording. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button on the media player below ↓

Ange Mlinko’s poems are about urban life, language and its failings, and the things we see and do not see, and all with a “unique sense of humor and mystery” (New Yorker). She is the author of five books of poetry: Distant Mandate, Marvelous Things Overheard, Shoulder Season, Starred Wire, and Matinees.

If you missed the live stream broadcast of Poetry: Ange Mlinko , there’s still time to watch a vide recording of the event. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button on the media player below ↓

MacArthur winner Alicia Elsbeth (‘A.E.’) Stallings is an American poet and translator, born and raised in Decatur, Georgia and currently residing in Athens, Greece. Her work has appeared in Best American Poetry, Poetry magazine, the Atlantic Monthly, and the New Yorker, and she has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and United States Artists. If you missed her live talk, there’s still time to watch a video recording. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button or the post on the video player below ↓

Added Inspiration! Explore more On2In2™ about creative writing here → Word Play A Thousand Sparks

Historical works of art created during times of social unrest and cultural change continue to inspire Activist Arts

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