MontiArts September Newsletter
Do You Remember? Da-Dada-Da Dah of September…
What a great song. (Earth Wind & Fire- September…for those who don’t know what I’m talking about) As we jump on the crazy train of school beginning again and summer coming to an end, we want to remind you that you can still take a little me time and do something creative when it works with your schedule. Everyone needs that. At MontiArts we have a few fun events you should for sure add to your calendar so you don’t miss out.
Scroll on down to catch an artist profile on our very own Ben Lunquist near the end, too.
Stay Curious & Creative. - Sue Seeger
Mosaic Bench Project Continues
Our CMAB funded grant project with professional mosaic artist Laura Ruprecht is progressing and the results are truly mind-blowing. Seriously, it’s been amazing getting to know the artists who’ve been coming in to learn about this art form and dedicating themselves to mastering it. The pieces are stunning so far. We are finishing 3 & 4 of 6, and the final two designs will be revealed to us Sat.
Mark Sat Oct 25th on your calendar right now— That will be the public unveiling party from 7 to 9 at MontiArts.
Last month we gave you a peek at the coyote. Here he is grouted. Fantastic, eh?
Here is a detail of a grouted chipmunk.
Rolfe, one of the mosaic makers, at work.
The team is a great group of folks who come in whenever it works in their schedules. Many are becoming expert level and are able to work on their own now. If you would like to learn how to do mosaics, and want to contribute towards Monticello’s growing collection of public art by helping on this project, you can still get involved.
Email sue.montiarts@gmail.com, and I’ll arrange a time when you can come in and we can show you what’s involved. This is not a drop in activity, and it takes a while to learn, so we ask for serious inquiries only, from those who are willing to put in the time to learn this skilled art work.
You would pay hundreds of dollars to learn this at an art center. Here you can learn for free, in exchange for helping to build gorgeous public art.
Last 2 Sessions For Arts In The Parks
This program is another CMAB funded opportunity for Monticello residents to participate in arts activities right in their neighborhoods. There are just 2 sessions left— Thursday 9/12 at 4th Street Park, and Thursday 9/19 at West Bridge Park (which just got a makeover and is gorgeous btw). These events all include a Spanish translator, thanks to local artist Yasmin Solares.
At the beginning of each session we’ll lead people through a photography activity because…
We’re having a community Photgraphy In The Parks Photo Show on Fri. Oct 25th from 7 to 9!!
“But Sue— That’s the same night as the big Mosaic Unveiling Party. What if we want to go to both?”
Well, you lucky people, guess what—- DOUBLE EVENT— DOUBLE THE FUN! So come on down and both events will be going on at 213 W Broadway from 7 to 9.
MontiArts’s Back Door Mural
I mean…. I’m pretty sure we have the most beautiful back door downtown now. (Yes, gauntlet thrown down, DT biz’s. Lol)
Is this gorgeous or what?! Residency artist Brian Larson worked long and hard with the help of MontiArts High School Art Club interns. The Club got to help Brian, the lead artist on the project, refine the deisgn, and learn about mural painting and a little about public art projects in the process. This is another great CMAB funded project.
Photo Hike Sun Oct 6th
For those who need a little help preparing for our Photography In The Parks Photo Show on Fri 10/25 at MontiArts— we’ve got you.
Meet at Montiview Park - which is up by the water tower behind Community United Methodist Church. We will have some clay and other “critters” you can borrow, (and may even have some to purchase from clay artist Wyatt Galinski if he has time to make more for us). We’ll be giving a short talk about photography, aimed at beginners/kids. We will have volunteers in bright orange vests stationed along the trail so no one will get lost. We will have a limited number of beginner level digital cameras to sign-out for the event for those who need them.
This is a cool opportunity to try your hand at outdoor photography and a fun way to explore the park. Having the little critters as subjects turns it onto a little adventure as you find cool little vignettes to place them in.
Mark your calendars— Sun Oct 6th, 3 to 5pm
New Class: “I Am” Painting; A Creative Self- Portrait
We’re very happy to offer a new class at the end of the month by local artist Lori Swanson. I had the opportunity to observe a few sessions of her class which we hosted at MontiArts for the Senior Center, and I thought it was such a cool concept, and Lori’s teaching style, centered around individuals accessing their inner creativity, was a perfect fit for MontiArts.
Lori is a skilled abstract painter who exhibited a wonderful piece in our last Community Art Show, and helped us set-up the show too. Here’s how she describes the class:
“When was the last time you allowed yourself to play? Whether it was yesterday or years ago, now is the time to join me, as we explore how to bring play into art as well as experiment with various art mediums. Together we will discover types of visual languages and your unique expressions. Exploring our life experiences and mantras, we will create an authentic driven “I Am” abstract art piece. Wait. Abstract? Yep. Come play and find out how fun abstract painting is! This class is 3 sessions long and is $30. It will take place on Tuesday, September 24, October 1, and 8 from 6:30-8:30. “
HERE is a sign-up link. And below is an example created from her Senior Center Class. I think this is a great chance to creat an inspirational piece for your own personal creative journey.
We’re So Lucky To Have Ben!
We started doing features on members of our creative community because people seem to like getting to know a little about area artists, how they work, what interests them etc. We thought, hey- what about our team? We are all local artists, too! So, for the next few issues we’ll be getting personal and sharing a little about the folks that keep MontiArts chugging away like the well-oiled arts machine it is.
First up is our buddy Ben! Ben Lundquist grew up in Monticello. He was a monster on the ice I’m told, when he was a hockey player for back in the day. Now, after going to school and living all over the US, he has returned to his hometown, family in tow.
Ben works for the Monticello School district as a Behavior Specialist, as well as being the Assistant Director of MontiArts. Over the past few years I’ve gotten to work with one of the nicest and most talented humans I ever have, and I feel very lucky to have him as a coworker.
Time for a little interview— Thanks for all you do for us, Ben!
Sue — Hi Ben. thanks for making time for this. I know with school starting it is an absolutley bananas time for you. I know in your work for us you run both Open Mic, and the High School Art Club, and do all kinds of other things, like create videos and manage our website, But I want to ask you about your own creative interests. If you suddenly had no need for income and all the free time you needed, how do you think you’d spend your days?
Ben — Hi Sue. Hmmm. I think that I would probably wander a lot, maybe through cities and the woods. One of my creative catalysts is an agenda free period of time where I can let myself notice nothing and then probably something, take the time to sit with it, and then make something to know it better…whether it be music, videos, writing, woodworking, etc. So, you might either find me out wandering, or in a room with microphones, scraps of poems/songs, sawdust, instruments, and video footage etc… There are so many things that I would like to make, so I would be trying to follow those ideas through.
Sue — When you played in bands, what was your favorite thing about that? Do you miss it?
Ben — When I was in my mid-twenties, I lived in an old, yellow house in Boston with 9 other creative people…mostly musicians. (This is where I met my wife, Kelly). We were sad to pay $275 per month on rent while making all sorts of songs, stories, art, etc… We formed many variations of bands, which was fun to fill out each others’ ideas. The thing that I miss most are the nights when we would sit around our living room and go around the circle sharing something new that we’d made. It really was a magical time and a really interesting way to get to know people through their songs/stories and the songs/stories through their people. Every once in a while, I’ll sit down and play some of those old songs and it is kind of like conjuring the people up. I miss those moments.
Sue — I know you are a brilliant song writer. I’ve always loved hearing orginial music from you when I’ve had the opportunity. Do you ever think about performing beyond Open Mic or taking your music to some online platform?
Ben — Partially thanks to hosting Open Mics for 5 years, I’ve put together quite a list of original songs that I really like. I am in the very slow process of starting to record two separate albums… one old-timey record, and one more experimental record. So, I am in that process right now.
Sue — We are so lucky to have you as our in-house videographer/editor. Do you think you’d ever like to get more into filmmaking?
Ben — I really enjoy making videos and telling stories with that medium… so I have a some ideas for projects that I’d like to pursue at some point and see where that energy takes me.
Sue — This is sort of work-y, so sorry, but can you tell us what you like most about your work with MontiArts?
Ben — When I grew up here in Monticello, there wasn’t really any outlet for creative people, so I find it really meaningful to be able to help make space for creatives of all kinds here. It really hits me sometimes when a young person performs at open mic or shows up to art club or becomes a high school intern for us. We make a space where artists are seen, listened to, and appreciated and I don’t know what is better than that. Personally, I really love telling the story of what is happening at MontiArts so that our projects, events, programs, and classes get on people’s radar. But even more meaningful for me is the fact that whenever I zoom in on any project, it shows how meaningful the interpersonal connections and collaborations between artists are. It really is special here and I love that the City is leaning into the idea that artists really do enliven their environment. Plus, the act of making anything is just such good energy to be around. I am super lucky to get to do this.
