A "SUPERNATURAL" FIBER ARTS TEA GATHERING WITH FIBER ARTIST XENOBIA BAILEY @ KNITTY CITY IN NYC

FRIDAY THE 13th/VALENTINES DAY EVE 2.13.09, FROM 6-8:00PM. THE MOST FABULOUS YARN STORE, THIS SIDE OF THE HUDSON RIVER, KNITY CITY,... IS HOSTING A VERY SPECIAL EVENING.

TITLED: THE HEART OF CROCHET: A "SUPERNATURAL" FIBER ARTS TEA GATHERING WITH FIBER ARTIST XENOBIA BAILEY... ( that's me folks )

THIS WILL BE ONE OF THOSE WARM GATHERINGS ( minus the fireplace ), WHERE I SHARE PARTS OF MY CREATIVE CROCHET JOURNEY AND INSPIRATIONS WITH A POWERPOINT PRESENTATION,... PLUS,... I WILL SHOW & TELL (no instructions) A FEW SAMPLES OF MY WORK AND WORKS IN PROGRESS... WHILE WE ALL NIBBLE ON LITE BITE SIZE SNACKS, AND SIP OUR DELICIOUS CUPS OF MY SPECIAL BLENDED, FULL BODIED TEAS, FROM THE RICH CONTINENT OF AFRICA.

EVERYONE ATTENDING IS ASKED TO BRING THEIR FAVORITE TEACUP OR MUG, FOR THE TAKING OF COLOR DIGITAL PORTRAITS ( portraits shot by me ) FOR DOCUMENTATION AND PERSONAL MEMOIRS FROM THIS CREATIVE GATHERING, AMONG THE SHOPS NATURAL FIBERS, TEA, BOOKS AND OUR IMAGINATION OF DELIGHT, IN THIS SHOP ON THE UPPER WESTSIDE.... THE IMAGES WILL BE BURNED ON CD'S, TO BE PICKED UP AT A LATER DATE.... BUT NOT TO LATE.

WE'ER LIMITING THE NUMER OF ATTENDEES TO 25, SO BE SURE TO SIGN UP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, TO INSURE YOURSELF A SEAT. THE LOCATION IS 208 W, 79th ST, ( BETWEEN BROADWAY & AMSTERDAM ), NEAREST SUBWAY: 1 Train to 79th Street walk half a block east on 79th... TELEPHONE: 212. PURL-TWO (212. 787.5896)

THERE WILL BE A CHARGE OF $25.00 TO HELP DEFRAY COSTS,... BUT THIS IS SURE TO BE, ONE OF THOSE "BACK IN THE DAY" MOMENTS,... A VERY SPECIAL GATHERING,... WE ALL WILL EXPLORE IN THOUGHT, FOR A WHILE,.... OUR OWN ELEMENTS OF MYSTICAL WONDERMAKING IN HANDMADE ITIEMS FROM NATURAL FIBERS "THROUGH THE ART OF CROCHET".

HOPE YOU CAN MAKE IT.

TEAS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR SELL AT KNITTY CITY.
http://www.knittycity.com/newsletter

THESE ARE THE LABELS FOR MY BLENDS OF TEAS THAT I JUST LOVE....

MASTERFUL FIBER ARTIST NICK CAVE'S SPELLBINDING SOLO EXHIBIT AT JACK SHAINMAN GALLERY, CHELSEA, NYC, 1.8.09-2.7.09

LIKE THE EXHIBIT NEO HOODOO AT P.S. 1, I WAITED UNTIL THE LAST FEW DAYS TO VISIT JACK SHAINMANS GALLERY IN CHELSEA, TO SEE NICK CAVE'S MASTERFUL WORK, THIS IS MY VERY FIRST TIME SEEING THE SOUNDSUITS IN PERSON, AND I MUST SAY THIS BODY OF ART WORK IS SOMETHING TO SEE.

NICK CAVE'S WAS IN TOWN FRIDAY TO SHOTOI A VIDEO OF HIMSELF DANCING IN THE SOUNDSUITS AT THE JACK SHAINMAN GALLERY ON SUNDAY, HE TOLD ME THIS VIDEO WAS FOR HIS NEXT MAJOR TRAVELING EXHIBIT THAT WILL OPEN AT YERBA BUENA ART CENTER, IN SAN FRANCISCO CA.IN MARCH.

WHEN I FIRST WALKED INTO THE GALLERY, I WAS MET BY A NEW (TO ME AT LEAST) SCULPTURAL WORKS OF NICK'S. A VERY CLEVER STUDY OF FOUND OBJECTS AND RECONSTUCTION OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN ICON OF THE PAST CENTURY... VERY GOOD USE OF MATERIAL... VERY WELL THOUGHT OUT VISUALLY... AND AS USUAL.... MASTERFUL CRAFTSMANSHIP.

THEN... WHEN I WALKED INTO THE OPEN GALLERY SPACE... I NOT ONLY TOOK OFF MY HAT!!... I HAD TO THROW IT ACROSS THE ROOM.... I HAVE FINALLY "SEENT" THE FUTURE... NICK CAVES HAS CLOSED THE AESTHETIC TIME GAP OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN AESTHETIC IN MYSTICISM, THE DECORATIVE ARTS AND THEATER AS RITUAL.... VERY INSPIRING WORK.

THESE FAKE FUR PIECE HAD REAL PRESENCE AND A LIFE OF THEIR OWN.... THIS IS THE KIND OF COSTUMES THAT I WANTED TO CREATE WHEN I WAS WORKING IN MY NIEGHBORHOOD THEATER "BLACK ARTS WEST" IN SEATTLE WASHINGTON.

THE ONLY PROBLEM WAS, THE SCRIPTS HAD NOT BEEN WRITTEN.... I AM VERY EXCITED TO SEE WHERE NICK TAKES THIS WORK.

NICK TOLD ME FRIDAY WHEN I SAW HIM AT THE GALLERY, THAT HE WAS PLANNING TO CREATE 90 SOUNDSUIT AND THEN TAKE THEM INTO THE COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY FOR LOCAL DANCERS TO PERFORM IN THE SUIT... ALL I CAN SAY IS.... MY!.. MY!!.. MY!!

NICK IS A MAJOR COLLECTOR OF OBJECTS AND TEXTILES FROM THE THIFT STORES.... FROM THIS PASSION FROM COLLECTING ITEMS THAT CATCHES HIS FANCY, COMES A HIGHLY DEVELOPED SELF TAUGHT SKILL OF ASEMBLAGE AND COMPOSITION.

HE CAN ALTER THE MOST COMMON DOMESTIC DECORATIVE OBJECT INTO A PERFORMING SHRINE...

SPENDING TIME IN A GALLERY WITH THIS BODY OF WORK, WILL SET THE IMAGINATION OFF INTO ANOTHER ORBIT....


HERE YOU CAN SEE THE SKILL THIS MAN HAS WITH VERY COMPLEX COMPOSITIONS WITH DECONSTRUCTING AND PATCHWORKING TEXTILES TOGETHER.... HE HAS CREATED HIS OWN VISUAL LANGUAGE THAT WORKS FOR HIM.

THIS TOWERING WORK OF ART, IS MADE FROM CROCHET HATS ASSEMBLED TOGETHER.... CAN YOU BELIVE THIS?...

DETAIL VIEW OF TOP.

DETAIL VIEW OF MIDDLE.

DETAIL VIEW OF THE MOST "FANCY-EST FEET I EVER DID SEE".

DETAIL VIEW OF PATCHWORKED SEQUINCED DRESSES THAT WAS DECONSTRUCTED, THEN RECONSTRUCTED TO CREAT THIS STRONG DECORATIVE TEXTILE SURFACE, AND THEN THE ARTIST FINE HAND STITCHED QUILTED THE ENTIRE SURFACE.

DETAILED VIEW OF FOUND SEQUINCE GARMENT, THE ARTIST ADORNED WITH WHITE BUTTONS.... THERE HAD TO BE MILLIONS OF BUTTONS AND BEADS IN THIS WORK.

DETAILED VIEW OF EMBROIDERD FOUND OBJECT FINELY HAND QUILTED, WITH PATCH WORK BUGLE BEADS APLIQUE. ON TOP.

THIS IS A REAL GOOD CLOSE-UP SO THAT YOU CAN SEE A FEW OF THE MILLIONS OF TINY HAND STITCHES THAT GOES INTO THIS BODY OF WORK.

THE COLLECTION OF FOUND OBJECTS (COLORFUL MID 20Th CENTURY TIN TOYS) ALONE ON THIS PIECE IS ENOUGH TO MAKE YOU STOP IN YOUR TRACKS.

THE BODY OF THIS PIECE IS TOTALLY COVER WITH CROCHET PATCHES...


YOU CAN SEE MORE OF THE ARTIST SURFACE HAND QUILTING.


THIS MAN REALLY KNOWS HOW TO WORK WITH PATTERNS.

CHECK OUT HOW HE WORKS WITH ADORNING THE FEET... DO'NT THIS JUST (REALLY, TRULY) KNOCK YOUR SOCK OFF....




GO ON, NICK CAVE'S, WITH YOUR BAD SELF!!!






ALL I COULD SAY WHEN I LEFT THE JACK SHAINMAN GALLERY WAS.... CRAZY.... CRAZY.... CRAAAZY!!!.... NICK CAVES REALLY GOT A HOLD ON SOMETHING HERE... YOU CAN MARK MY WORD.

I AM SO PROUD TO HAVE STUDIED WITH HIM.... TRULY A YOUNG MASTER!!!

FREE AFRICAN DANCE CLASSES AND OTHER FREE CLASSES @ THE STANLEY M. ISAAC NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER, UP-TOWN, BET. 95TH & 97TH ST. IN NYC

THIS CLASS LOOKS REALLY WONDERFUL FOR ANYONE THAT WANTS A GOOD WORK-OUT FOR THE RIGHT PRICE (FREE) DURING THESE FINANCIALLY HARD TIMES.

EVERYONE LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE HAVING BIG FUN. YOU CAN TAKE YOUR TIME AND MOVE ACROSS THE FLOOR WITH THE RYTHYMS OF THE LIVE DRUMS UNTIL YOU CATCH ON TO THE STEPS AND THE MOVEMENTS,... THE MAINE THING ABOUT THESE CLASSES IS TO HAVE A GOOD TIME AND RELEASE STRESS.

ALL RIGHT NOW!!!.... GOOD WORK-OUT FOR THE BODY AND SPIRIT...

I MADE A CROCHET HAT FOR A SISTAH (AFRICAN DANCE) FRIEND OF MINE, CRYSTAL HARRISON, A REAL UP SPIRITED AND LOVELY PERSON. I DELIVERED IT TO HER AT HER DANCE CLASS THAT SHE TEACHES AT THE STANLEY M. ISAACS NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER, AT 1700 THIRD AVE. (BET. 95TH & 97TH ST.) IN MANHATTAN. 212 828-6342.

I REGISTERED AND GOT PHOTO ID FOR SOME CLASSES WHILE I WAS THERE, THIS CENTER HAS SOME REALLY WONDERFUL FREE ACTIVITIES GOING ON THERE, IT LOOKS LIKE THEY HAVE INTERESTING ACTIVITIES FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY.

ACTIVITIES FOR THE TWEENS AFTER 4:00PM, WHICH INCLUDE, BASKETBALL, CHEERLEADING, COOKING, DANCE, EARLY COLLEGE AWARENESS, FASHION, GAMES & BIDEO LOUNGE, HOMEWORK HELP, MARTIAL ARTS, MENTORING, PEER GROUPS, RECREATION, THEATRE ARTS, TUTORING AND OTHER GREAT ACTIVITIES FOR THE YOUNG PEOPLE.

OTHER ACTIVITIES ARE, AEROBICS CLASS, AFRICAN DANCE, BELLY DANCE, GIRL SCOUTS, LATIN DANCE CLASS, AND YOGA.

THE CENTER CELEBRATED IT'S 10TH YEAR LAST YEAR, 1998-2008... THIS IS SOMETHING I NEED TO PUT IN MY SCHEDULE...