Village puts the kettle on for Rand McNally Best of the Road team

The Rand McNally/USA Today Best of the Road Rally 2011 put Yellow Springs, OH, on the map, literally, when the town threw in its felted hat to compete for the category of "Most Fun Town."

On June 23, 2011, five two-person teams set out from New York to visit 30 Best Small Towns of America and determine Most Patriotic, Best Food, Most Beautiful, Friendliest and Most Fun.

Yellow Springers young and old came together to plan, schedule, and decorate the town in preparation for our visiting dignitaries, Juliana and Joan Broste of Littleton, Colo. The mother-daughter judging team arrived Tuesday, June 28, along with a fully-loaded RV and media crew.

I was particularly impressed by the way the Rand McNally media crew threw themselves into the fun including spending time learning about yarnbombing with Jafagirls ("Just Another Flippin' Artist") Nancy Mellon and Corrine Bayraktaroglu and a full table of Flower Power participants at Brother Bear's Coffeehouse. Even their driver, Bob, got into the act!

Follow the adventures of all the traveling teams as they cross the country on a mission. Click here to read the team blogs and watch their videos.

photos by Susan Gartner -- Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Papermaking with Sarah Strong at Strong HeArt Studio

Above are photos from Sarah Strong's Papermaking Workshop which took place at Strong HeArt Press & Studio last Saturday. Participants Sally Childs-Helton and Cy McQuigg are pictured creating unique handmade paper in a beautiful setting behind the studio at 143 1/2 E. Limestone Street.

My timing was just right to capture the entire process from lavender stems to the sun-dried finished product. The whole experience was other-worldly...a peacefully-paced, pre-computer, serenely meditative creative experience filled with the lush smells and sounds of summer. If you missed this wonderful experience, there will be another opportunity coming up as part of the YS Experience July 15-17.

Japanese Handmade Paper Lanterns with Paper Artist Sarah Strong

• Limited to six participants. Adults only please.
• Two-part workshop:
Saturday, July 16 – Create Hand Crafted Paper
Sunday, July 17 – Make a Beautiful Japanese Lantern
• Both workshops run from 9 a.m.-noon
• Meet at Strong HeArt Press & Studio, 143 1/2 E. Limestone St., Yellow Springs, OH 45387
• $65 per participant

Strong HeArt Press and Studio is situated along the edge of Historic Antioch Campus and The Glen Helen Nature Preserve in Yellow Springs, OH

Go to yellow-springs-experience.org to view all classes and register. Click on "workshops" under Categories and look for Japanese Handmade Paper Lantern

Contact Sarah at sarah-strong@sbcglobal.net or call 317.525.1785

Flower Power Project 2011: Come out and play!

Jafagirls ("Just Another Flippin' Artist") Corrine Bayraktaroglu and Nancy Mellon organized a Flower Power 2011 Sew-In yesterday at Brother Bear's Coffeehouse to prepare for the arrival of Best of the Road Contest Judging Team Joan and Juliana Broste. It's all part of vying for the title of "Most Fun Town" in the Best of the Road Contest sponsored by USA Today and Rand McNally. Pictured Flower Power participants are Kipra Heermann with her granddaughter Corinne Totty, Kim Krier and her children, Marian and Noah, and Molly Finch. We're doing it again this morning at Brother Bear's, after the 10 a.m. Welcome-to-Yellow-Springs ceremony at the Train Station. Watch for these beautiful felt and yarn creations to show up on a telephone pole/sign post/railing/bench near you. Come join us!

photos by Susan Gartner -- June 27, 2011
posted to A Yellow Springs Blog -- June 28, 2011

Community Yoga celebrates Summer Solstice

A Summer Solstice Celebration was held on the front lawn of the Bryan Center on Tuesday evening, June 21. Participants gathered to celebrate the longest day of the year and the fact that an earlier summer shower ended in time for the event to go on as scheduled. Included in the event was a community yoga class led by Yoga Springs Studio instructor Carmen Milano and WYSO's General Manager Neenah Ellis.

photos by Susan Gartner

Cut-a-thon and more at June 17 Art Stroll

Wavelength Salon Spa stylists Michael Harrod and Gayle Sampson cooled off their clients during the salon's Art Stroll Cut-A-Thon to benefit WYSO. A make-shift salon was set-up outside in the Art Park at Corry and Dayton Streets. Customers kept three stylists busy nonstop from 5-9 p.m. while DJ Bobby Lite (aka Robert Hasek) provided the perfect music accompaniment. The salon raised $760 in 4 hours and had a great time doing it!

Up on Xenia Avenue, Asanda Imports featured a live painting demo with local artist James E. Harrah who worked on a contemporary portrait of Clint Eastwood as the High Plains Drifter.

photos by Susan Gartner -- June 17, 2011

More yarnbombing

International Yarnbombing Day -- a community event

International Yarnbombing Day – June 11, 2011

[from Wikipedia] "Yarn bombing, guerrilla knitting, or graffiti knitting is a type of graffiti or street art that employs colorful displays of knitted or crocheted cloth rather than paint or chalk. While yarn installations may last for years, they are considered non-permanent, and, unlike graffiti, can be easily removed if necessary. Nonetheless, the practice is still technically illegal, though it is not often prosecuted vigorously.

"While other forms of graffiti may be expressive, decorative, territorial, socio-political commentary, advertising or vandalism, yarn bombing was initially almost exclusively about reclaiming and personalizing sterile or cold public places. It has since developed with groups graffiti knitting worldwide each with their own agendas."

The local effort in Yellow Springs was coordinated by Jafagirls ("Just Another Flippin' Artist") Corrine Bayraktaroglu and Nancy Mellon and attracted men, women and kids. Although the holiday is technically June 11, Yellow Springers had to celebrate one day early due to the biannual Street Fair scheduled for the same day.

photos and video by Susan Gartner

Yellow Springs Street Fair June 2011

photos by Susan Gartner -- June 11, 2011
posted to A Yellow Springs Blog -- June 12, 2011

Celebrating a peaceful form of bombing

To celebrate International Yarnbombing Day, local yarnbombers waited out the rain Friday morning and then took to the streets -- mostly Dayton and Corry -- to wrap their town in soft, colorful knit graffiti. A special effort was extended to the Morgan House Bed and Breakfast and a newly planted tree in honor of Arthur Morgan. The community event was coordinated locally by Jafagirls Nancy Mellon and Corrine Bayraktaroglu.

photos by Susan Gartner -- June 10, 2011

They came, they saw, they chewed

On Sunday, June 5, the World's First Traveling Gum Wall made its public debut at the Yellow Springs Arts Council Gallery, 309 Xenia Avenue. The Traveling Gum Wall, an interactive public art project, was created by Jafagirls ("Just Another Flippin' Artist") Corrine Bayraktaroglu and Nancy Mellon as a fundraiser for YSAC. Packets of gum are on sale to participants who then chew the gum and stick it on the wall. All participants get to sign the back of the Gum Wall for a permanent record of their contribution to art. A free Jafagirl postcard goes to anyone who donates packets of gum. (Please no sugar-free gum or gum advertised as not sticky.)

The next scheduled appearance of the Gum Wall will be Street Fair, Saturday, June 11. The wall will be located in front of the YSAC Gallery at 309 Xenia Avenue. In the revered tradition of sticking your gum somewhere, Jafagirls invite you to Stick It For Art.

For more info, contact jafagirlart@yahoo.com

photos by Susan Gartner -- June 5, 2011