Several galleries are closed for the year’s first Friday … but only the schools should get a permission slip. Nonetheless, quality is not lacking. Here is TAG’s can’t-miss list for tonight’s First Friday Art Walk in down town SGF tonight. Not enough? Get your complete listing of FFAW stops. Find TAG Team to pick up a copy of the January issue of TAG Magazine.

Don’t Miss!

• The Pain Killer Series by Eric Vaughn at Good Girl Art (325 E Walnut) — I had my wisdom teeth taken out a decade ago and I still remember the things I don’t remember doing while in recovery, on a very strict, per-the-prescription regiment. The stuff that’s legal these days is ridiculous — even the fizzy sinus caplets make me feel like I’m three Outland Specials deep. If Vaughn’s work reflects any piece of that, there’s a good chance he’s putting out some interesting acrylics. Also catch John Trammell (Okla.) and his mixed medium series Wanted: Smiles.

• Beer Tasting + Live Art at Farmers Gastropub (431 S Jefferson Ste. 160) – An absolute don’t miss. Combine an O’Fallon Brewing beer tasting with Artists at Work, where local artists create right in front of you. Not to mention this will be a surefire spot to be among the first with a hot-off-the press copy of the new TAG Magazine. I think you will like it.

• Reformed Art: Bad Trash Gone Good at Squidfoo (407 N Boonville) – One man’s trash might be another’s treasure, but now it’s both. Recycled and upcycled  garbage given purpose once again. To look pretty or … be a robot. It’s not an official FFAW stop, but definitely worth the handful footsteps North of the square just to see.

Other highlights:

Daria Claiborne (pottery) at Fresh Gallery; Italian Glassblowing Techniques at Springfield Hot Glass Studio; Travis Marler (illustrator) at Park Central Branch Library.

Closed:
The Creamery Arts Center, Design Salon & Art Gallery, Drury Pool Art Center, Evangel’s Bellweather Gallery, Hawthorn Galleries, MSU Brick City, MSU Student Exhibition Center, OTC Fine Art Gallery, Springfield Pottery, Randy Bacon Gallery

Here is TAG’s can’t-miss list for tonight’s First Friday Art Walk in down town SGF tonight. Not enough? Get your complete listing of FFAW stops. Find TAG Team to pick up a copy of the December issue of TAG Magazine.

Don’t Miss!

• A Cozy Christmas Celebration + beer and TAG Magazine, at Randy Bacon (600 W College) — Christmas music, cookies, crafts, refreshments and Randy Bacon’s favorite stills from the last decade will be on display in addition to a beer tasting from O’Fallon Brewery. Also a sure-fire stop to be among the first to grab a copy of TAG Magazine.

• Robert E. Smith: Springfieldian, Folk Artist, and Friend to All at Park Central Branch Library (128 Park Central Square) — A tribute to the work of a Springfield icon featuring 24 pieces of work from the private collections of SGFers. Copies of the book titled in his name Robert E. Smith will be available for purchase. Dallas Jones will provide the tunes.

• Stories About Things and META at Good Girt Art (325 E Walnut) – Exhibits by Kat Philbin and Kolmega Kalbfleisch will be joined by a laser light show and set by Black Box Revue’s DJ Johan.

• Winter Jewelry Trunk Show at Hawthorn Galleries (214 E Walnut) – Innovative original designs by local jewelry artists including India Marie Knowles, Nadine Janus-Jones, Lee Richards and Denise Temofeew accompanied by live music from harpist Darice Augustson.

Other highlights:

15 artists displayed as part of the 2011 Retrospective at Squidfoo Art Gallery; Jane’s Fantastic World of Nature at Obelisk Home; Christmas Ornament Party at Springfield Hot Glass Studio

Here is TAG’s can’t-miss list for tonight’s First Friday Art Walk in down town SGF tonight. Not enough? Get your complete listing of FFAW stops. Find TAG Team to pick up a copy of the November issue of TAG Magazine.

Don’t Miss!

• Photography, beer and TAG Magazine, at Caradee Photography (305 E Walnut) — Contemporary images from SGF photographers Cara Stucke and Mark Gilmore will line the walls in addition to a beer tasting from O’Fallon Brewery. Also a sure-fire stop to be among the first to grab a copy of TAG Magazine.

• Julie Blackmon at Creamery Arts Center (411 N Sherman Pkwy) — If you are unfamiliar with Julie Blackmon’s award-winning photography, that needs to change tonight. Her world-renowned photography will be the main event, but Springfield Regional Arts Council will also be kicking off its The Art of Process series.

• Christie Snelson at Boca Mocha (320 Park Central West) – Reduce, reuse, recycle, right? In a go-green era, Snelson picks up canvases from the Salvation Army and paints over them. There will be a handful of live artists as well (including Jane Troupe, James Richardson, John L. Payne and Tyler Thrasher).

• Women Artists of the Midwest Exhibition at Hawthorn Galleries (214 E Walnut) — New work by Lisa Esposito, Alishia Brundege, Jeanne Davis, Lyn Phariss, and Louise Thies will be on display for the 4th Annual exhibition of female artists from the midwest. Additionally Copper Run Distillery will be on hand for tastings of rum, vodka and moonshine from right here in the Ozarks.

Other highlights:

Tracy Lea Marshall and Noah Sheets at Squidfoo Art Gallery; Dryden Wells at Springfield Pottery; Chef HJ Schumer at OTC Fine Art Gallery; Christmas Ornament Party at Springfield Hot Glass Studio

School is back in session and so are the First Friday Art Walk stops at the universities. September’s art walk is incredibly loaded so get out and enjoy the arts! Here are TAG’s can’t-miss stops during your walk tonight, complete listing of FFAW stops.

Here are the stops we won’t miss. Take a peek at the entire schedule.

Don’t Miss!

• Color Theory, at LemonDrop (416 W Commercial) — An amazing lineup of artists will be on display (Tracy Marshall, Jon Hoffman, Josh Nail and Samuel Smith) with live music from Some Young Animal. Not technically on the First Friday Art Walk billing, but this show tops the don’t-miss list.

• Stephanie Cramer, Jazz and Beer at Revel Advertising (214 W Phelps) — Cramer’s work is always a pleasure to view, add live jazz music from MSU students plus a beer tasting from O’Fallon Brewing and I believe it’s called a party.

• Jodie Laravee at Park Central Library (128 Park Central Square) – Laravee’s digitally-enhanced pencil drawings will line the library with live music from Steve Ames (the lowdown fancy, Hamburger Cows).

• Cyndilee Dawson at Obelisk Home (214 W Phelps) — The work in Dawson’s exhibit is encaustic, a style which layers beeswax and oil paint, then melted together by torch. For real.

• Civil War Art by 5th Graders at The Creamery (411 N Sherman Parkway) -Children’s art is always interesting to me, extra dosages of honesty, perhaps? The Creamery will host images of the Civil War as illustrated by SGF elementary students.

Other highlights:

Isaac Karner at OTC Fine Art Gallery; Inviting the Bell to Sing by Mike Dickey at Drury Pool Art Center Gallery; Glass Pumpkins at Springfield Hot Glass Studio

SO CONFLICTED BY THE RAIN! The plants need it and it’s cooling us down, but I want to art walk! August’s First Friday Art Walk in downtown SGF is feeling a touch charitable with SGF artists helping Joplin counterparts. Tonight’s walk has tons of great options, and a lot of residual (read: not technically a part of FFAW) events. Get out and enjoy the arts, but don’t forget your umbrella.

Here are the stops we won’t miss. Take a peek at the entire schedule.

Don’t Miss!

• Artists4Joplin at Squidfoo Art Gallery (407 N Boonville) – Find a large collection of diverse work from more than a dozen local artists (including John Worcester, H.E. Croan, Jeremy Mosher) donated for a month-long auction to benefit Joplin artists who lost equipment in the tornado. The silent auction begins at 6 p.m. (low reserves), but the exhibit will be up all month. Live art by Gary Bedell, Austin Barton and Justin Gault.

• Fundraiser for Martha Goldman at Good Girl Art (325 E Walnut) — Good Girl artist Martha Goldman lost her home in the Joplin tornado. Buy works from SGF artists Julie Blackmon, Chad Woody, Jane Almirall, Stephanie Cramer, Randy Russell and more to raise money for Goldman.

• As I See It by Chelsea Nunn at Obelisk Home (214 W Phelps) – The paintings of Nunn are colorful, vivid and just a little bit quirky … fun.

• Christian Gideon at Fedora(309 Park Central East) — SGF photographer Christian Gideon gained international notoriety for his “What If You Lived At IKEA?” collection.

Other highlights:

Stephanie Cramer at Revel Advertising; Randy Schertz at Kiss My Gas Scooters; Mediterranean-style blown glass at Springfield Hot Glass Studio (ALWAYS a must stop at Art Walk).

Closed:

The University-sponsored galleries (OTC Fine Art, MSU Brick City, MSU Student Exhibition Center, Drury Pool Art Center, Evangel Bellwether) are down for the summer — back in September.

Artists4Joplin, a collective of local artists, will hold a month-long auction at Squidfoo Art Gallery and Studio (407 N Boonville) to support the Joplin Arts Relief Fund. The silent auction will run from August 5-September 2 with proceeds to help replace supplies, canvases and other equipment lost in the May 22 tornado. Live music and live art by Gary Bedell, Austin Barton and Justin Gault on Friday, August 5.

Among others, you will be able to bid on work from:

• Jeremy Mosher
• H. E. Croan
• Hiram Mesa
• John Worcester
• Justin Gault
• Audra Rausa
• Jessica Hudson
• Fonda Golding
• Karla Trammel
• Kristen Atkinson
• Austin Barton
• Bernice Baver
• Marcus Howell
• Maneesh Anand

An example of one of the postcards sent to PostSecret.

One of the largest and longest continuously running community art projects in America is about to come to SGF. Created by Frank Warren in 2005, PostSecret encourages people via its website to anonymously send homemade postcards to a mailing address sharing a personal secret they have never revealed to anyone before. The results have been astonishing: The PostSecret site is, according to its own description, the largest ad-free blog in the world with more than 450 million visitors to date. Additionally, PostSecret spawned four books, a traveling art exhibit and a lecture tour hosted by Warren that is coming to Gillioz Theatre Friday, September 9 at 7 p.m. Tickets go on sale this Friday (July 15) at noon on the Gillioz Theatre ticket site.

The secrets you’ll find on the postcards range from hilarious to heart-wrenching, and the live version looks as though it will be that and more. Past stops have included videos, examples of secrets “banned” from the books (presumably by the publisher, though we don’t find an explanation), a revealing of Warren’s own secrets and an open-mic opportunity for the audience to reveal secrets of its own. The results could be therapeutic, inspiration or even a little shocking, but regardless of where in the spectrum it lands you can bet it will contain examples of mature content and may not be suitable for children.

Tickets will be $22.50 for all seating when they go on sale. Doors for the show are scheduled to open at 7 p.m.

Before you head to the lake or retreat to the back yard, the First Friday Art Walk in downtown SGF is beckoning you to join in. Sure it’s hot, but there is plenty of art (and A/C) to make the trip worthwhile.

Here are the stops we won’t miss. Take a peek at the entire schedule.

Don’t Miss!

• Science + Art: Bridging the Gap at The Creamery Arts Center (411 N. Sherman Parkway) — Science has been an inspiration for artists throughout history. Today, the arts meet technology, innovation and design in the IDEA Commons. Senior research scientist Rishi Patel and graphic designer Jeff Rawson of JVIC are capturing amazing microscopic views of familiar objects and materials utilizing Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) technology. This interactive exhibit offers a rare and intriguing examination of the ordinary landscape around us.

• Featured Artist Dave Garner at Fresh Gallery (Campbell and Walnut) — Garner is currently working on a series he calls “Re-enactment” to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Wilson Creek. Although horrified by the bloodshed and divisiveness of the Civil War, he also sees the necessity of marking and reflecting on this historic conflict. His desire in “Re-enactment” is to capture the spirit of the men, women, and children who call themselves re-enactors.

• The Art of Tanya Johnston at Good Girl Art Gallery (325 E Walnut) – “My work is an investigation into memory, identity and the development of a personal mythology. I have sought to explore these topics through creating paintings and light boxes that employ the use of symbols and archetypical images, such as storms, birds and eyes, as a way to evoke an emotional response,” Johnston said. That’s just the beginning.

• Spring in Springfield at Fresh at Hawthorn Galleries Inc., (214 E. Walnut St.) – Meet Cox, a native of Missouri but California raised, and Fitzgibbon mix their styles to bring the colors of SGF. Meet the artists from 6-10 p.m.

Closed:

The University-sponsored galleries (OTC Fine Art, MSU Brick City, MSU Student Exhibition Center, Drury Pool Art Center, Evangel Bellwether) are down for the summer — back in September.

Happy birthday Art Walk! First Friday Art Walk has been an institution in downtown SGF for a decade. Here’s to the next 10 years (raising an empty hand — use your imagination, folks, and toast). The June edition lists several stops with “TBD” or “show to be announced” listed as the featured exhibit/artist which is pretty disappointing considering the anniversary. Nonetheless, here are the stops we won’t miss. Take a peek at the entire schedule.

Don’t Miss!

• Squidfiti at Squidfoo (407 N Boonville) — Not an official stop on Art Walk, but Squidfoo (which opened in May) presents an urban art show featuring Troy Harris, Derek Schlueter, Unsung Hero and John Worcester.

• Elegance by Kristen Naugle at Obelisk Home (214 W Phelps) — Texture and manipulated color highlight the photography and painting of Naugle.

•  Tina Noble and Maneesh Anand at Good Girl Art Gallery (325 E Walnut) – Noble brings the contrast of white and black, bringing “darkness into light.” Anand will present a collection of abstract ink drawings.

•  Barbara Williams at Fresh (Campbell and Walnut) – Williams was the best in show winner of the Fresh Emerging Artist Competition.

Other highlights:

Gavyn Sky at Inveno Health; John L. Payne at Randy Bacon; Elizabeth Chapman at Revel Advertising (still, but in case you missed her abstract work in May, don’t miss it again); Springfield Hot Glass Studio (ALWAYS a must stop at Art Walk).

Closed:

The University-sponsored galleries (OTC Fine Art, MSU Brick City, MSU Student Exhibition Center, Drury Pool Art Center, Evangel Bellwether) are down for the summer — back in September.

FIND Art Across America at LemonDrop (5/16/11)

photos by Alex Stocksdale

Alex@TAGsgf.com

Derek Schlueter

FIND Art Across America hits LemonDrop (416 W Commercial) tonight and aside from the rig hauling a 55-artist truck gallery coast to coast, you can find some the region’s most progressive artists at the local event. Jefferson City’s Derek Schlueter will paint anything. The world is his canvas. Train cars that pass through J.C. are a top target and though his favorite medium moves quickly, Schlueter will be in one place tonight at LemonDrop.

TAG: Your Facebook says you work in murals, canvas, digital design, what will people see from you at LemonDrop on May 16?
Derek Schleuter: The people will see a mixture of some of my newer colodge stuff, will also having a couple metal signs, and some of my faces that I been getting into lately. Overall they will just see something totally different than some of my other shows. I’m very excited and grateful for this opportunity to display my art.

TAG: Is there a medium you prefer?
D.S.: Does steel count? If not steel I prefer road signs, canvas, metal doors, anything and everything.

TAG: How did you get introduced to art and when did you find out you could be an artist when you grew up?
D.S.: I first started noticing art at a young age around the train tracks, my definition of art blossomed from there. Just seeing how other people were able to paint magnificent colorful pieces and a train was amazing to me a such a young age. From that day forward I spent all my time drawing my name “Derek” I forgot about school and was always in another world.

TAG: Who are your favorite current/historic artists?
D.S.: Let’s see Larry Carlson, Alex Gray, Duece7, Geso IBD

TAG: What setting is best for inspiration?
D.S.: Just a good night out with my friends, I find inspiration all around but mostly it revolves around the train tracks. Its hard for me to keep up with writers in other cities but luckily the trains are a way of other people keeping up with the recent work that I’ve been pushing.

TAG: You’re in Jeff City, what’s the art scene like, is it pretty active?
D.S.: I wouldn’t even consider Jefferson City to have an art scene that I would be interested in, nor would they consider anything I do to be artistic in any way. As for staying active im a veteran when it come to the train scene in Jefferson City.

TAG: What’s playing in the headphones these days? Favorite current album nobody else has heard of?
D.S.: That new and old school J-Wally, Electric Moses, Chrizzle, Bassthoven, Andre Nickatina, Mac Dre!

TAG: Drink of choice?
D.S.: JONES SODA blueberry lemonade

TAG: Food of choice?
D.S.: BBQ

TAG: Where can people find your work?
D.S.: Well since most of my work is usually moving I try keeping up with facebook, and flickr as much as possible. HIGHgradeGRAPHICS INC on Facebook. Shouts to DBIRD and all the homies back in Jeff City! ONE.

"Snowqueen" by Megan Frauenhoffer

Megan Frauenhoffer

Megan Frauenhoffer received her BFA in studio art and printmaking from Missouri State University before moving to the land of ice and snow (Minnesota) to pursue her MFA in Visual Studies at Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Frauenhoffer, who lived in SGF for six years, has been featured in exhibits from L.A. to Miami to Denmark. She is among the artists featured at the SGF stop for FIND Art Across America on May 16 at LemonDrop.

TAG: Your drawings are very detailed, you also work in other mediums. Describe your art for anybody who is going to see it for the first time at FIND Art Across America.

Megan Frauenhoffer: My art explores emotions that hide between reality and the subconscious. Each image becomes a reverie that reflect on the effects of awkwardness, confusion, anger, grief, or loneliness. These moments of contemplation are infused with fantastical tales culturally embedded from our childhoods. I use folktale allusions to connect to wider understanding of struggle and growth as well as reinvent the story’s outcome. The use of creatures alludes to the individual’s subconscious impulses and the primal animal natural in all of us. In the art I use a combination of illustrative detailing, emotive marks, dark imagery, and ethereal environments using printmaking and drawing media. The medium of printmaking allows me to create those unusual marks based on the photo-exposure process for the stencil creation of silkscreen or the obsessive carving away of linoleum for relief printing. These processes contribute to the expressive qualities of the figure as well as the ability to make multiples which I experiment with collage, print variations, and monoprints.

"Mixed Blessings" by Megan Frauenhoffer

TAG: Some of your work shows subjects frequently seen in art (birds, fish, women, etc.), but not (for lack of a better term) traditionally. What are your favorite subjects to draw and what inspires how you present them?

M.F.: One of the last subjects I drew was my dog who was recently put down. That print has more psychological depth and emotional draw than my recent works. I also had a thing for bees/wasps because of my aversion but also fascination of those insects. I’m mostly inspired by fables and myths in my images and often imbue my subjects with mythological powers or have them caught in a moment of transformation or entropy. I don’t ever want to have a pretty picture, something always needs to be off kilter.

TAG: When did you realize you could be an artist when you grew up?

M.F.: I guess when I picked it as my major in college… late in the game, eh? I suppose I always thought of it as a hobby before, but then I never envisioned myself as anything else. After the decision was made, I became fully committed to learning everything I can to be successful.

TAG: What/who inspired you to follow the path? Have you always been drawing?

M.F.: My parents have been very influential and supportive of my decision to be an artist. Both had inclinations in life to follow a dream but were discouraged from it because of practicality or society telling them it wasn’t their place. When I was little, my mom used to bribe me with new coloring books to get me to clean my room. Growing up, I found drawing by myself easier than socializing with classmates. I stuck to my strengths.

TAG: What’s your favorite spot to create?

M.F.: My studio is where the artworks takes off. I need a decent drafting table and a place that’s shut away from distractions and people. When I’m printing, I use a printmaking shop, which is a completely different territory. It’s usually a co-op situation where people are constantly using the same space. In graduate school, I would use the shop at 2 am – 7 am so I could spread out and not be around people when I was printing.

TAG: Do you have any nuances before you get started or is it grab a canvas and go?

M.F.: I’m not a clean freak, but if there’s clutter in my work space, I have to clean and organize until it doesn’t distract me anymore. I hate when I can’t find the right ink I need or my PVA glue and glue brushes. I’m also clumsy with my supplies. If I don’t have them put away, I’ll inevitably knock them over on my drawing or laptop. After my studio is organized, I need my ipod playing to set the studio mood. Once those are set then I’m good to go!

TAG: How do you feel about the art scene in Springfield? To me, it seems like there’s a generational disconnect, is that the case? If so, what’s the remedy?

M.F.: I would have to agree, I often found art events boring back when I lived in Springfield. The galleries all displayed the same artwork over and over. The only time I got excited was when the students had their BFA shows. I think the recent cropping of venues exhibiting the younger crowd help bridge the disconnect a little. These sites give public exposure beyond school exhibitions to emerging artists. I think it helps to give young artists a chance to grow in Springfield before they resort to graduate school or move to a bigger city.

TAG: How long were you in SGF?

M.F.: I lived in Springfield for six years and then moved away to Minneapolis for graduate school. I still have friends living here that I visit often and I enjoy seeing the artwork of friends who exhibit in Springfield.

TAG: Did you have a favorite place to eat in SGF?

M.F.: I always enjoyed Bambino’s whenever I ate there. The last time I visited town, there were all these new places that popped up since I’ve been away. There’s a bistro market downtown?! I can drink and enjoy a breakfast buffet during art walks? I love it. It reminds me that I need to explore and discover all these new places.

TAG: Best place to eat in SGF if you only have a $5-spot?

M.F.: I don’t know what this says about my eating habits, but if I had $5, I spend it on Andy’s Frozen Custard or coffee and a bagel at the Coffee Ethic. For economic reasons, I usually cook for myself. When I “eat out” it’s places where I can indulge on dessert or read a good book with a hot drink.

TAG: Favorite SGF band?

M.F.: Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. When I was living in Minneapolis for a couple of years and they were becoming popular on the radio station there. It made me nostalgic.

TAG: Beer or wine?

M.F.: White wine. The closest I get to liking beer is hard cider. I can’t stand beer, it tastes like salt water to me.

TAG: Favorite current or historic artist?

M.F.: Historically, I enjoy Edvard Munch’s artwork. I model my approach to variations and printmaking experimenting after him. Current artists I find inspiration are my peers and established artists I see in art magazines, blogs, and exhibitions.

TAG: Where can people find your work (online or in person)?

M.F.: My main website is meganfrau.com. I’m on all the usual sites like my Facebook fanpage, Flickr, and Behance. I’m bad about updating some of those social networking sites, but it helps expose my artwork and I’ve come across so many great artists, friends, and contacts through those venues. I also sell art through Etsy, BigCartel, and Society6, which are linked through the website (http://meganfrau.com/blog/store).

Joey Trent, with some original work

FIND Art Across America hits SGF on Monday, May 16 at LemonDrop. We’ll be releasing new (and old) stories to introduce you to the artist cast you’ll find at the event. (Originally published 1/13/2010)

Joey Trent grew up in Los Alamitos, California, inspired by the art of Nick Baxter and Guy Aitchison. He’s been tattooing at Hearts of Fire Tattoo since February of 2009. shortly after he moved to SGF.

TAG: How’d you get started tattooing?

Trent: It all started from being in art classes all through school. I just got more and more interested.

TAG: What’s the process of taking that the next step from artist to tattooist?

Trent: I did an apprenticeship for six or seven months in Kirksville. I was working two other jobs at the same time, so I was keeping real busy.

TAG: So, how’d you end up in SGF?

Trent: My sister, Carly, was living here and going to school. We have other family around so it was an easy decision.

TAG: When somebody comes in to the shop, when do you know how the final product is going to turn out?

Trent: I usually know before I even start. Once I get the finalized drawing and a proper stencil to go off of, I have a good idea if it’s going to be good. If it’s something that’s going to be stupid, I know right away, too.

TAG: What are your specialties?

Trent: Organic biomech and calligraphy

TAG: Do you have any favorite specific tattoos you’ve done?

Trent: I did a large chest piece on a girl that was a crow. It was a lot of fun and turned out great. Right now, I’m working on my sister’s sleeve and it’s been a lot great project.

TAG: What do you get out of each tattoo?

Trent: It’s good to see the end product. I like to look at the whole thing and learn from it, so I can make the next project that much better.

TAG: When did you get your first ink?

Trent: I got a koi fish when I was 15.

TAG: What’s the worst place (on a person) to tattoo?

Trent: Any time you get anywhere near somebody’s private parts. Especially, if they’re just nasty.

TAG: If your life were a movie, what kind of music would be on the soundtrack?

Trent: Gangsta rap

TAG: What actress would play the lead female?

Trent: I don’t know, who do you think Carly?

Carly: Winona Rider

Trent: I don’t really like her.

TAG: Cake or pie?

Trent: Cake

TAG: What kind?

Trent: Confetti

It will be fun to see downtown transform from the Art Walk crowd to the pub crawl crowd tonight, but hopefully there’s a lot of crossover. Either way, it’s a huge art weekend with Artsfest on Saturday and Sunday, but it all starts with the May edition of First Friday Art Walk in downtown SGF. Here are the stops we won’t miss. Take a peek at the entire schedule.

Don’t Miss!

•  Sad Animals by Cole Closser at Good Girl Art (325 E Walnut) – Paintings, prints and comics of animals in moments of despair.

•  A Celebration of Color and Texture at Fresh (Campbell and Walnut) – Alicia Farris (watercolor) and Fonda Golding (glass) are the featured artists at downtown’s co-op art stop.

Other highlights:

Artsfiesta! at Founders Park (not officially part of FFAW, $3 cover, but surefire fun);Elizabeth Chapman at Revel Advertising; Springfield Hot Glass Studio will be handcrafting Floral Fantasies (ALWAYS a must stop at Art Walk).

Closed:

¡Nada!

This is the weekend much of the local arts community waits all year for. ArtsFest, the single biggest art-related event on the SGF calendar and the primary fundraiser for the Springfield Regional Arts Council, kicks off Saturday morning at 10 a.m. and wraps up Sunday evening at 5 p.m. For someone wanting to be surrounded by creativity it’s as good an opportunity as you’ll find in the city, with community arts organizations, individual artists and craftspeople, creative businesses and local musicians converging to show you the best they have to offer. Wanna take it all in to the last drop? Here’s what you need to know.

THE ARTISTS

As we previously reported, more than 130 artists will be set up in booths all along Walnut Street between National Avenue and John Q. Hammons Parkway, displaying works from practically every medium you can think of. Painting? Yup. Sculpture? Totally. Photography? Uh-huh. Jewelry making? Fo’ shizz. You can check out the full roster in alphabetical order here, complete with photo examples of the artists’ past works.

THE PERFORMERS

Two days of live music on four stages (plus a fifth stage for dance companies) awaits, with a dizzying number of total performers involved. (An informal hand count puts the total at close to 80.) Here’s how the whole thing breaks down, with acts on all stages listed from opener to closer. (All subject to change, of course.):

SATURDAY, MAY 7

Bandstand Stage

• Acoustic Essays
• Little Hoover’s Big Band
• Lonesome Hollow Bluegrass Band
• Caduceus, The Doctors’ Band
• Republic Community Band
• Organic Soul
• Summit All-Star Band
  

Coffeehouse Stage

• Shawn Lee
  
• Fourfront Jazz Quartet
• Kellswater
• Lyal Strickland
• Missouri State Jazz Symposium II
• Missouri State Jazz Studies Ensemble
• Missouri State Jazz Symposium I
• Nathaniel Carroll

Dance Stage

• Ozark Dance Academy
  
• Disney Dynamics
• A&B Dance
• Showtime Productions
• Sonshine Dance Troupe
• Troupe Sarrab
• Petra Ballet
• Willard Mini Tigerettes
• Springfield Ballet
• Credo Dance Academy
• Starlighter’s School of Dance

Music at the Inn

• Banjo Billy Matthews
• Jake Rogers
• Jay Caughron
• Reel Greene
• Aunt Lulu & Her Environmental Friends
• Lija Fonner
• Paul & Paul & Friends
• Stringfield
• Devlin Pierce

Showwagon Stage

• American Kids
• The Skinny Improv
• Springfield Little Theatre Youth Performance Troupes
• Springfield Little Theatre cast of Children of Eden
• Mariachi Viva Jalisco
  
• Supercharge
• The Retrognomes
• Pat’s Clogging Studios, Celtic Fire Irish Dance Studios and the Crew
• Connect 6 Handbell Choir
• Rhythm of Rountree

SUNDAY, MAY 8

Bandstand Stage

• Cole Porter (sponsored by Rhythm & Boom at Lindberg’s)
  
• Missouri State Flute Quartet
• Missouri State Community Flute Choir
• Missouri State Island Breeze Steel Band
• Solid Groove (sponsored by Rhythm & Boom at Lindberg’s)
  

Coffeehouse Stage

• Dan Cogell
• Jake Rogers
• Lyal Strickland
• Jackson Hunt
• Nathaniel Carroll
• Canto 17

Dance Stage

• Ann’s PAC
• Troube Sarrab
• Springfield Ballet
• Petra Ballet Company
• Ozark Dance Academy
• Starlighters School of Dance
• Credo Dance Academy

Music at the Inn

• Live Oak Band
• Jay Caughron
• Reel Greene
• Devlin Pierce
• Lija Fonner
• Bill Haller
• Lou LeBrun
• Hamburger Cows

Showwagon Stage

• Quantum Groove
• Jessel Harry of The Western Paradise
• American Kids
• Springfield Little Theatre Youth Performance Troupes
• Springfield Little Theatre cast of Children of Eden
• A Cub Bella
• Connect 6 Handbell Choir
• Glen McKenzie & The Road Kings

THE FOOD

Face it: You’re going to be hungry at ArtsFest at some point. Checking out everything takes time, after all, and you’re going to be bombarded with aromas from every direction. You’ll find an extraordinary number of food options up and down the street, starting with the Food Tent at the corner of Hampton Avenue and Walnut Street and continuing with business-specific food booths sprinkled throughout. Here’s whom you’ll find where:

• Amycakes, Booth 44
• Andy’s Frozen Custard, Booth 123
• Backyard Burgers, corner of Florence Avenue and Walnut Street
• The Coffee Ethic, Booth 151
• Corn Dude, Booth 126
• Crosstown BBQ, Food Tent
• The Greek Festival, Food Tent
• Honey Heaven, Booth 92
• Just Nuts, Booth 64
• Mama Jean’s, Booth 135A
• Ozarks County Kettle Corn, Booth 125
• Ozarks Food Service, corner of Hampton Avenue and Walnut Street
• Taco Wagon, Food Tent
• Tropical Treats, Booth 135B

MORE FUN

Art is the focal point of ArtsFest, sure, but it’s not the whole thing. For the kids there’s a play area called Art Town Downtown, home to numerous hands-on activities, and a special market for kids to pick up pieces of art they like for $5 or less.

For the social media mavens there’s a scavenger hunt set up on the ArtsFest Facebook page where meeting a handful of goals at the event gets you a duck from the Tweet Pond and the prize that corresponds with the duck’s number. Or how about just playing the role of artist yourself? Springfield Pottery will be setting up the Claymobile at the corner of Walnut Street and John Q. Hammons Parkway to teach you how to make clay on a wheel into something beautiful.

AN EXCITING TWIST

Remember all those updates we’ve brought you in recent months about Mother’s Brewing Company, the new SGF brewery moving in on South Grant Avenue downtown? TAG’s resident beer guru Ben Stange tells us Mother’s will be on the front lawn at Ebbets Field during ArtsFest, previewing two of its beers ahead of the brewery’s big Mother’s Day Festival and grand unveiling on May 14.

SWAG-O-RAMA

Not only can you purchase works by the artists at ArtsFest, but you can buy a variety of other souvenirs as well. Official ArtsFest T-shirts, playing off the logo seen in the poster above, will be available for $12 (short sleeve) or $15 (long sleeve). Speaking of the poster, a special print on thicker paper and signed and numbered by its designers will be available in very limited quantities for $20, ready for framing.

THE SURPRISES

There are good ones. Very good ones. That’s all we’re at liberty to say.

THE TICKETS

Maybe the best news of all is that ArtsFest is a pretty cheap event for so much going on–just $5 per day gets you in for both days. Your budget’s even tighter than that, you say? Head to any SGF McDonald’s location and you can purchase advance tickets for $3 each.

SGF artist Francois Lariviere will represent our city as part of Art Across America, a 55-stop national art tour. Nicholas Tarr sat down with Lariviere to talk about his art, his influences and ability to cross mediums.

Video produced by Eli Cunningham, Black Raven Creative

FIND Art Magazine, based in Los Angeles, is loading a semi-truck with art and taking it on a national tour for “FIND Art Across America”. Along the way, it will hit more than 55 cities, the likes of San Francisco, Denver, Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston, Miami … and Springfield. Twice. An artist from each stop is included in the exhibit, and SGF will be proudly represented by Francois Lariviere (coming soon to a TAGsgf.com Art Focus near you). The first stop will hit Lemondrop on May 16 and features an absolutely loaded lineup. More than a dozen local artists will be featured in the exhibit, with live music from Sincerely Yours with Nick Fury, and The Spacetones with more music to be announced later. If that isn’t enough, there will be drinks, and The Taco Wagon on hand with grub. And the best part? It’s free.

FIND Art Across America is sponsored locally by Lemondrop, SpringfieldArtScene.com, 5#Apparel and TAG Magazine

The Local Artist Lineup

• Francois Lariviere
• Derek Schlueter
• John Worcester
• Pixel Masher
• Zac Swanson
• Nicholas Tarr
• H.E. Croan
• Gary Bedell
• Tyler Gross
• Josh Nail
• Shawn Clark
• Joey Trent
• Joe Oelke

SGF photographer, Christian Gideon was sent to furniture mecca IKEA in Dallas by his wife. When your wife asks you to shop for furniture, you need to make it interesting, so a few friends joined Gideon who depicts what it would look like if people actually lived at IKEA.

The post on his blog has received residual links from all over the world, including Italy’s second-largest newspaper in print.

What if you Lived at IKEA?

SGF artist Nicholas Tarr has his fingerprints all over this city. He works in just about all forms of art from sculpture to fashion, and a few large scale projects, you might know. Tarr, TAG contributor with Art Focus, was featured on SGF Local Live on Sunday. Listen to the interview below.

Art Focus: Interview with John Worcester

Artist John Worcester
Interview by Nicholas Tarr

Image courtesy wpclipart.com

These are tough times for creatives and the things they create. With belt tightening being a common theme among endowments, committees and other charitable organizations the do-it-yourself approach to raising money for art projects is more popular than ever. Lots of people are learning how to use such DIY fundraising sites as Kickstarter and IndieGoGo to create audience-sourced infusions of cash to move forward with their next movie, music album or even saving a building. But what happens if you don’t raise the money you need? And how can you work to avoid such a problem in the first place?

Tonight’s monthly meeting of the Missouri Film Alliance of Springfield is about just that, and the organization is opening the doors to artists and creatives of all mediums to learn from the panel it has put in place. Tonight beginning at 6:30 at Creamery Arts Center (411 N. Sherman Pkwy.) you’ll hear from a panel of local fund-raising artmakers including Doug Wilson, one of the producers of Linotype: The Film, a local movie project that recently raised almost $25,000 through such independent means. They’ll be on hand to explain techniques they used to generate maximum interest and donations through their online campaigns, as well as take questions from the audience. If you have an art project looming on the horizon and need some financial help to see it through this is the chance to learn from those who succeeded in finding it. Best of all, it’s FREE to attend. That may be the last time you get to hear that word on the way to bringing your piece to life.

The 2011 edition of Springfield Artsfest is set for May 7 and 8 on historic Walnut Street and the list of participating artists is huge. TAG Music Editor Chris DeRosier and I began to speculate on the actual number but don’t have enough hump day brain power for simple mathematics. “Triple digits” was our official decision, for now. (The official word, courtesy of Sarah Hough at the Urban Districts Alliance, is approximately 130.) Not only is the lineup large, but it’s incredibly diverse. No matter your preference of artistic visual stimulation, you’ll be able to find it — mixed media, drawing, photography, jewelry, pottery, blown glass, painting, sculpture, and woodwork is just a taste of the variety you’ll find.

Check the lineup.

Spring’s almost here even though the snow has (allegedly) not completely left. Shake off the greys of the cold months at a loaded Art Walk. The arrival Here’s your guide to the March edition of the First Friday Art Walk in downtown SGF. After you check out the places we wn’t miss, take a peek at the entire schedule.

Don’t Miss!

• Thawed book release and signing with Gary Bedell at Canvas (315 South Ave) — SGF graphic artist, animator, graffiti artist, designer and musician Gary Bedell will be releasing and signing his first book with a musical backdrop of DJ P and Sincerely Yours. Thawed will be on hand to purchase as well as full-color prints from the book.
•  Les Sept Péchés Capitaux at LemonDrop (416 W Commercial) – A diverse multimedia taking a look at the seven deadly sins through video, art and written work by more than a dozen of SGF’s creatives.

Other highlights:

Emerging Artist Competition at Fresh Gallery; Transience by Shauna Smith at Good Girl Art Gallery; Jesse Ring at Springfield Pottery; Springfield Hot Glass Studio will be handcrafting Venetian-Style Goblets (ALWAYS a stop at Art Walk)

Closed:

Nothing!! After a large number of stops been closed in recent months, March is scheduled to have a full slate. Huzzah!

Snow Miser came and enforced his will, but don’t worry there are still 14 spots opening tonight for First Friday Art Walk. Due to travel delays, a second February art walk is coming next week (Feb. 11). Here’s your guide to the February 4 edition of the First Friday Art Walk in downtown SGF. These are the places we won’t miss – check out the whole schedule.

Don’t Miss!

• Bruce Stidz: The American West at OTC Fine Art Gallery (325 Park Central East — 3rd floor of Gillioz) — British-born, Stidz went road-tripping and returned to SGF with a score of landscape photographs. Landscapes wouldn’t generally make the “don’t miss!” list, but his framing and use of lighting set the work apart. This is destination photography.

•  Running with the Engine: The Fire Photography of Harry K. Garvin at Drury Pool Art (840 N Clay) – Garvin became a part of the Los Angeles fire department, planted directly in the action to capture the imagery of the battle and the emotion of firefighters.

Other highlights:

The Locker by Delanie Cooper and Flawed by Amy Carroll at Good Girl Art Gallery; Linda Mitchell and Brad Noble at Hawthorne; Springfield Hot Glass Studio will be handcrafting Valentine’s Day Treasures (ALWAYS a stop at Art Walk)

Open:

Normally this is where we list what’s closed (obviously), but that would be a lot more keystrokes.
Canvas, The Creamery, Drury Pool Art Center, Farmers Gastropub, The Gillioz, Good Girl Art Gallery, Hawthorne, MSU Brick City, MSU Student Exhibition Center, Obelisk Home, OTC Fine Art Gallery, Park Central Library, Revel Advertising, Springfield Hot Glass Studio

There are several stops closed, and not a lot really riveting, so it could be a quick stop tonight at Art Walk. There are a couple of stops that will definitely please. This is your starter guide for tonight’s January edition of the First Friday Art Walk in downtown SGF. These are the places we won’t miss – check out the whole schedule.

Don’t Miss!

•  Sensual Sects by Becca Rutledge at Good Girl Art (325 E Walnut, Ste. 101) – A “playful” look at the sensuality of insects. It might sound weird, but the vibrant colors and rarely seen connection between bugs should be visually exciting. I’m not really sure what to expect, but in the least it’s a must-stop to see what the buzz is all about (count it).

• Brad Noble at Hawthorn Galleries (214 E. Walnut St.) — The surreal work of SGF’s internationally-acclaimed painter Brad Noble will be featured in town for the first time in the better part of a decade. “Noble’s paintings explore the relationship between ourselves and our subconscious,” via FFAW. Live music by Dale Augustson.

Other highlights:

Springfield Hot Glass Studio will be handcrafting abstract animal sculptures (ALWAYS a stop at Art Walk)

Closed:

Creamery Arts Center, OTC Fine Art Gallery, DB Design, Drury Pool Art Center, Evangel Bellwether Gallery, Gillioz Theatre, MSU Brick City, MSU Student Exhibition Center, Randy Bacon Photography,

In spite of the presence of a dedicated full-time independent cinema in SGF there have been only occasional opportunities to see local films on local big screens. Outside of SATO48, the postponed Springfield Little Film Festival and the locally unprecedented success of Winter’s Bone (Roger Ebert even puts it as #5 on his Best Movies of 2010 list) the focus has generally been put elsewhere. That changes tonight with the first in a five-month run of monthly all-local film nights at Moxie Cinema. Called Queen City Cinema, the plan is to let SGF filmmakers submit their movies, whether short or long, and for selections to screen at Moxie on the first Tuesday of the month from now through May. Admission is FREE. The movies begin tonight at 9:30 p.m. and at 8:30 p.m. for each of the next four months.

These are the four films submitted tonight for your viewing pleasure:

oops, by Chris Beckman, a 2011 Sundance Film Festival selection (Short Film category) and Vimeo Awards winner last year:

This… Is the Orange Line, by Nathan Maulorico, played at the Cucalorus Film Festival late last year:

One Piece at a Time, by Max Rosen:

Loose Cannon, by Brook Linder:

As for the months ahead, the schedule isn’t set yet. The plan with the film series is to keep a “rolling” submission deadline (read: plan one screening at a time rather than all at once), so local moviemakers can still finish and submit movies for potential inclusion. All it takes is dropping off two DVD copies of the movie at Moxie for consideration. For viewers it means keeping an eye on each screening’s schedule as it’s announced, which you can do through the Missouri Film Alliance of Springfield’s Facebook page, Moxie’s website and the site you’re reading right now.

Julie Bunny Must Die!, written by Ned Wilkinson, open January 7

Julie Bunny Must Die! is one part action movie, one part musical comedy.  SGFer Ned Wilkinson (yes, of Nick, Ruell and Ned the Band local fame) wrote the book, music and lyrics. Cartoonist Adam Chase battles villains from his comic book Julie Bunny: International Spy. Julie Bunny Must Die! received a great response from crowd’s at a theatre festival in Orlando in May and will open Vandivort Center Theatre in 2011. Without knowing much more, it sounds a bit like that Brendan Fraser movie Monkeybone written for the stage (I think that’s a good thing. Yes I know Monkeybone was awful — the idea, however, was not.) Julie Bunny, directed by Shawn Teague, opens Friday, January 7 and will run through Jan. 16.

Tickets available at the Vandivort Center Theatre Box 0ffice, 305 E. Walnut St., or call (417) 831-8001.

Since the recent announcement that SGF landmark Gillioz Theatre is about to begin foreclosure proceedings the downtown venue’s staff has feverishly pushed to raise money through private donations to start paying back the $1 million the facility owes in bank loans. In a little more than a week the Gillioz has received almost $100,000 in donations toward its $500,000 goal, and now its next-door neighbor is pitching in with an event of its own.

Next Tuesday, December 28, Big Whiskey’s American Bar & Grill (311 Park Central East) will host a “Save the Gillioz” night, in which a portion of all the day’s proceeds will go toward the Save the Gillioz Fund established through Community Foundation of the Ozarks. It’s a shrewd choice of nights by Big Whiskey’s, given that December 28 is also the night of the Insight Bowl pitting Missouri against Iowa in college football, a game sure to draw a large, money-spending crowd.

Of course, if you can’t make it to the bar on a Tuesday you can always go directly to CFO’s donation site and give to the fund that way; just be sure to specify “Save the Gillioz” in the “Fund/Program” field so it goes to the right place. The first 100 donations of $2,500 or more even get their own free rental of the Gillioz for a night. Hopefully all of that will make sure it’s still there to be rented when the time comes.

Springfield Contemporary Theatre announced in a press release that Dirty Rotten Scoundrels has been postponed to next season. DRS was scheduled to run at the Vandivort in February, but has been replaced by Lend Me a Tenor. Set in the 1930s around a missing celebrity singer, Lend Me a Tenor brings a chain of events humor, including the always riotous “given a tranquilizer” gag. Lend Me a Tenor will be directed by Richard Dines and will open Feb. 18.

Springfield Ballet presents The Nutcracker

The holiday classic, The Nutcracker, hits the historic Landers Theatre tonight and runs through the weekend with special guests making appearance on stage. The Skinny Improv’s Jeff Jenkins is playing the part of Uncle Drosselmeyer and is joined by professional dances from Oklahoma Festival Ballet.

Tickets start at $16, call 869-1334. For more information call Springfield Ballet at 417-862-1343.

Showtimes

Friday, Dec. 17 – 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 18 – 2 p.m., 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 19 – 2 p.m., 6 p.m.

The bulk of the year’s MoPoetry slams involve poetry which is restricted only by timed rounds. Tonight’s slam (Thursday, Dec. 16) is restricted by style: Haiku. MoPoetry holds the Haiku Slam annually and anybody can participate — just be among the first 16 to sign up (poet registration begins at 6:30 p.m.). The winner takes home a $50 cash prize and loads of glory. Members of the audience are selected at random to judge and those not scoring help influence the judges.

If you plan to participate, poems may not exceed 17 syllables and, of course, must be original work. The head-to-head competition will begin around 7 p.m. at Nathan P Murphy’s (smoke free, 18 and up).

Stand up comedy sure looked alive Thursday night at the Outland for the Chicago Stand Up Invasion. Local comedian Merr (host of Laughing Stock) was the evening’s master of ceremonies and got things started. Chicago comedians John Ming and Derek Smith — by way of Oklahoma — presented their stylings before former SGFer Kenny DeForest took the stage as the headliner. Of course, a loud (intoxicated) few couldn’t control themselves, but also provided some of the funnier off-the-cuff moments as the comics got to take a few moments to skewer the misbehaving few to the delight of the audience. The Chicago Stand Up Invasion continues tonight at Icon Nightclub (8:30 p.m.).

Photos by Alex Stocksdale

The Art Factory is located just east of Kansas Expressway on College.

Tickets to the Art Auction are a suggested donation of $10.00 at the door and directly benefit Art Factory 417 and Springfield Regional Arts Council. Art Factory 417 is located just east of Kansas Expressway. The entrance is on the north side of the building. The live auction will take place on the main studio level of Art Factory 417 and the silent auction will take place in the upstairs loft space.

Stand up comic Kenny DeForest returns to SGF for the Chicago Stand Up Invasion

Less than 10 years ago Springfield had dedicated standup clubs. Sir Laugh-A-Lot was consistently pulling national acts, and for a short time Harpo’s (before a quick, not-so-painless death) had full rooms for the likes of Dustin Diamond. It felt like the switch was turned almost overnight, and the light was out on standup comedy. Suddenly there were no more options. One by one the clubs shut down and music venues pulled the plug on comedy nights. Stand up comedy in SGF was on life support.

Kenny DeForest had considered comedy, but no viable options to perform left him (and other comics) stageless. SGF comedian Merr (aka Mark Archambeault) found himself in the same position after having long been an opener for the national acts. Merr took to the music open mic nights and convinced DeForest to do the same. The early response to the change of pace from acoustic songwriters was mixed, but week by week the questioning faces began to turn. The two plotted shows at different venues and developed followings, but gigs were still hard to come by. DeForest fell in love with making people laugh and left Springfield for Chicago seeking further opportunity.

The Windy City held much of the same. Improv comedy gathered the masses, while standup was performed in the smoky back rooms of side street bars. Chicago comedy made famous by sketch and improv groups has launched several careers, but few in the way of standup. Similarly in SGF, The Skinny Improv has always performed for packed rooms. The “keep it clean” nuances of the Skinny certainly help fill seats with church groups and business functions, but outside of Saturday Night Live mainstream comedy is centralized around standup.

Merr says he thinks the standup success of the 1980s also led to its demise. There was total saturation in the ’90s and people got turned back off. There were too many unfunny comedians taking one of several stages nightly in every town. By the start of the 2000s crowds had turned away. “Comedy has grown into a very personality-driven and unique craft. There are no more taboos, there isn’t anything that hasn’t been done, it is now more of a relationship grown between the performer and audience because the craft and topics are known and the technique and style are what is unique,” he says. Hence the success of improv. Every night of an improv show will be different from the night before.

DeForest took improv training at I.O. Theatre (formerly known as Improv Olympics) and says he enjoyed the experience, but it wasn’t the same as getting behind a mic and sharing with a crowd. Though the path is a lot longer with a less comfortable crowd. “I think it’s safer to go to an improv show. There’s a full cast supporting one another and they’re not going to get too deep because it’s all off the cuff,” DeForest says. “I think people are more reluctant to explore stand up, because they don’t want to put themselves in the position to be uncomfortable or have their ideas challenged.”

SGF comedian Merr has helped revitalize stand up with Laughing Stock

In the last year SGF has seen an outbreak of national comedians at big venues. Jeff Dunham, Loni Love, and Bill Engvall have all hit the local stage. Ralphie May is confirmed for an SGF date. According to Merr those national comics don’t indicate the growth of the local scene, just the growth of large venues who will take the chance. “I think it helps to an extent, but it isn’t going to really springboard comedy in Springfield. Maybe a few people will go and realize how entertaining it is to be at a live show as compared to seeing them on TV but overall, it is not going to help boost local comedy. It’s not like people go see The Eagles at JQH Arena and think to themselves, ‘That was great! I need to go watch some local show!’,” he said.

Besides, DeForest says, national acts sell tickets because of the name, not because of the talent. “There are a lot of comedians getting work who aren’t really funny but they’re marketable because they have a recognizable name. The average person knows the name and buys a ticket, but that’s the only comedy show they’re going to go to that year.”

It’s the small grassroots comedy shows that are putting local standups back into the fold. In SGF it’s Laughing Stock, the monthly stand up showcase at the Outland put in motion by Merr. In Chicago, it’s events like Speak Easy, a weekly project of DeForest. Both are early-week features — Laughing Stock on Tuesday and Speak Easy on Monday — that allow local comedians longer sets with no restrictions. The growth in popularity of these events signals the upward trend of standup, though there’s a long way to go. As Merr has quipped in his routine, “there are more (exotic dancers) working tonight than comedians. I like my chances.” Several other comedy nights have begun to spring up locally as well.

DeForest brings a group of comics from Speak Easy to SGF this weekend as part of the Chicago Stand Up Invasion. It’s a double header in town for the group (tonight at the Outland — 10 p.m. —  with Merr on the bill and Friday night at Icon Nightclub — 8:30 p.m. — hosted by Big Ron Hughes for a Dead Day Party). He hopes seeing comedians with names you don’t know helps the effort of moving standup forward and tonight’s show at the Outland will go a long way in showing how far local comedy has come since it was nearly given a toe tag. DeForest is excited to surprise his SGF supporters with his growth onstage while looking forward to sharing the stage once again with Merr. “He’s one of the big reasons I got started and I can’t wait to hear his new material,” DeForest says. It will be fun to reunite after all the shows we did together before.”

Though the crowd might feel uncomfortable, once won over a standup fan sticks. “The bizarre thing is how standup fans are really loyal,” DeForest said. “I have people come to the back room at sh**-hole bars to hear me work out jokes about how my farts sound.”

Chicago Stand Up Invasion Line Up

According to Kenny DeForest
“The Chicago guys will be a nice taste for everybody to see how good non-recognizable standup can be. They are two guys who go two completely different directions.”

• Kenny DeForest: The former SGFer is a self-proclaimed lover of “bull sh**ting” and the creative process. He can’t keep away from a lonely microphone making nightly stops at Chicago open mics. When he was in town before he still held onto notes during his shows. “Even if I go onstage now with nothing, I can rip something off for a few minutes and get some laughs,” he says.

• John Ming: After performing standup for the better part of a decade Ming started to receive some national recognition. As he began to sour on the direction of his material he met a girl. He got away from standup for a bit. Once single, he dove back in with a full head of steam.

• Derek Smith: DeForest describes Smith as a “Southern hipster” … he makes Jesus soaps on ropes. The Oklahoma transplant has a large following in his home state and frequently returns to a warm room in which to produce laughter.

Drury graduate Chris Beckman has been invited to attend the 2011 Sundance Film Festival where his video oops will be screened in the short film program. Beckman’s video was one of 81 short films chosen for the festival which will be held in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah January 20-30.

Beckman describes his video as, “A lucid, seamless voyage through the Internet’s infinite repository of ‘throwaway’ social documentation and into the humanity of everyday life – via YouTube’s clumsiest videographers.”

Beckman began the project by selecting 100-150 videos off of YouTube of people doing accidental things, such as, dropping the camera. Eventually, Beckman used portions of 40-45 YouTube videos. “It’s cool that people feel free enough to upload videos of them dropping the camera,” Beckman said. “It’s another thing that kind of attracted me to the videos. Salvaging almost useless things to make something that people want to watch.”

Beckman, who graduated from Drury in May 2010 with a degree in Fine Arts in the Department of Art and Art History, originally created the piece for a class called Video Art co-taught by Drury professors Blaine Whisenhunt and Greg Booker with assistance from Brian Shipman, a Drury video instructor.

On being selected for Sundance, Beckman said, “I was really surprised. Definitely pleased. When I first started this project I thought it was a class assignment that I could expand to play in a gallery. The fact that it got a life of its own and all kinds of people appreciate it kind of floored me. It’s exciting.”

Earlier this year, oops won a Vimeo Award, which honors videos that premiere online. Beckman’s video can be viewed at: http://vimeo.com/awards/about#experimental

Beckman plans to attend the Sundance Film Festival next month. Eventually, he hopes to go to graduate school where he will study film or art.

Read the full news release from the Sundance Film Festival at: http://www.sundance.org/press-center/release/2011-short-film-program-announced/

oops from Chris Beckman on Vimeo.

Gabriel Iglesias has been described as unbelievably funny, electrifying, and a gifted performer who has the ability to consistently deliver a quality comedy experience in every venue he performs in. His high-octane show is a hilarious mixture of storytelling, parodies, characters and sound effects that bring all his personal issues to life. Gabe’s clean, animated comedy style has earned national crossover appeal. Ask anyone who has seen him in concert and you will probably hear the same thing, “He was so funny!”

Known as the “fluffy” comic in a Hawaiian shirt, the 33-year old funny man often riffs about his girthy middle – whether it’s talking about how little dancing it takes for him to work up a sweat at the nightclub, or how hearing his girlfriend coo the words “chocolate cake” over the telephone works for him like phone sex, he evokes laughter.

Gabriel’s mass appeal opened the door to a rare opportunity to film a second one hour special and DVD. The new special entitled “I’m Not Fat… I’m Fluffy” Live from El Paso premiered on Comedy Central November 8, 2009. The new show is packed with a perfect blend of impeccable voice skills and an uncanny knack for hilarious storytelling that Gabe is known for. His vast imitative skills re-create numerous sound effects from speeding cars to microwave ovens to a plethora of dead-on voices. The new special is destine to top his previous hugely successful Special/DVD “Hot & Fluffy”.

Gabriel’s credits include; “Last Comic Standing”, ABC’s “My Wife & Kids,” Showtime’s “Resurrection Boulevard,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “Good Morning America,” “The Late Late Show,” FOX TV’s “The Family Guy,” “Showtime at the Apollo” and BET’s “Comic View.”

For more information visit www.fluffyguy.com and www.gillioz.org!

The Fluffy Shop Tour
Coming to the Gillioz Theatre
Friday, February 25th at 8 p.m.

TICKETS ON-SALE:
Friday, December 10th
Tickets are $35.00
*Additional fees apply

Improvadors (photo from Improvadors.com)

Meet the Improvadors

This is your starter guide for tonight’s December edition of the First Friday Art Walk in downtown SGF. These are the places we won’t miss – check out the whole schedule here.

Don’t Miss!

* Monsters, Music and Mayhem by DA Frizell at Smart Group and Gallery (405 W Walnut) – Known internationally for his musical work with Avenged Sevenfold, Disturbed, and Sevendust, Frizell makes his SGF artistic debut. The exhibit will feature more than 60 works from ink drawings to 3D sculptures.

* Altered Perceptions by Sean Fitzgibbon at Good Girl Art (325 E Walnut, Ste. 101) – Multimedia art meets historical images as Fitzgibbon uses acrylic, pencil, charcoal, objects … anything. Good Girl will also feature the senior exhibition of Missouri State’s Ashley Byers.

*Kelly Bigbee at Farmer’s Gastropub (940 N. Clay) – (431 S. Jefferson, Ste. 160) – Bigbee, of Flower Child will be demonstrating candle and soap making — useful tools for gifts and keeping unstinky in general. She will also have floral art on display as well, not to mention the grub (fill the belly on your first stop?).

Other highlights

: Cardboard Testimonies at Randy Bacon Photography; mosaic art by Juanita Herrell at Hawthorn Galleries; Iraq Suicide Attack Pillow Project: A Memorial at Drury Pool Art Center; Stevia Bonebrake at DB Design; Springfield Hot Glass Studio will be hand crafting large-scale glass fish and elephants (ALWAYS a stop at Art Walk).

Closed

: One80One, MSU International Center

The Gillioz Theatre announced today that Ralphie May will be performing February 19, 2011.

Ralphie May’s new comedy special, RALPHIE MAY: AUSTIN-TATIOUS was released on DVD and CD in May 2009. Recorded live to a sold-out crowd at the Paramount Theater in Austin, TX, this marks the comedian’s fourth recording in just a few short years.

Ralphie’s popularity exploded from the success of NBC’s hit show, “Last Comic Standing” making him one of the biggest comedians in the country.

Most recently, Ralphie just finished shooting a new movie titled “The Best and Brightest” starring Neil Patrick Harris and Amy Sedaris, scheduled for release later this year. In 2008, Ralphie was named one of Variety’s “10 Comics to Watch.” His 2007 one-hour comedy special, PRIME CUT aired to higher ratings than Larry the Cable Guy or Ron White during Comedy Central’s “Blue Collar Weekend.” Ralphie has worked as a writer and producer on ESPN’s “Mohr Sports” starring Jay Mohr and has also written for the ESPY’s.

Ralphie has performed stand-up on numerous late night talk shows, including four appearances on CBS’s “The Late Late Show” as well as eleven appearances on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and he was the first comedian in over 10 years to receive a standing ovation on “The Tonight Show.” This is definitely a show you don’t want to miss! For more information visit www.ralphiemay.com and www.gillioz.org!

Ticket Info:

Tickets available at Gillioz Box Office, online at www.gillioz.org, or by calling 417-863-9491.

Tickets on-sale:
Friday, December 10

Show date:
Saturday, February 19 at 7:30pm

Ticket Price: $29.50
(additional fees apply)

Handmade Ornaments at Springfield Hot Glass

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Alex Stocksdale was among the crowded sidewalks for the November edition of First Friday Art Walk. He snapped photos from Drury’s Pool Art Center exhibit of Julie Blackmon to preschool art at Global Fayre and a couple spots in between.

This is your starter guide for tonight’s November edition of the First Friday Art Walk in downtown SGF. These are the places we won’t miss – check out the whole schedule here.

Don’t Miss!

* Gavyn Sky at Revel Advertising (214 W. Phelps, Suite 102) – The newest addition to the Art Walk tour is Revel and they aren’t just showing the shop. Gavyn Sky, has won multiple awards as an abstract artist from right here in SGF, and will be the featured artist. Revel is a definite don’t miss tonight.

* Parents Cooperative Preschool at Global Fayre (324 S. Campbell) – As a parent I’m a sucker for kids art. It actually started in college when a friend who taught a Sunday School class would hold on to the drawings of the kids, but I digress. The quirky perspective of children is always interesting, stop by Global Fayre.

*Julie Blackmon at Drury Pool Art Center Gallery (940 N. Clay) – Since the college’s reopened their galleries for Art Walk, Drury has strung together impressive exhibits. Jacqueline Warren was a treat last week, and you won’t be disappointed again in November with the Dutch-inspired work of Julie Blackmon.

Other highlights

: Clay work by Gin O’Keefe at Good Girl Art, Stephanie Cramer at Inveno Health, mixed media art by Jared Cluck at MSU International, photography by Carl James with the music of Steve Ames at Park Central Library, Springfield Hot Glass Studio will be hand crafting ornaments live (ALWAYS a stop at Art Walk).

The winners of Laughing Stock land a featured weekend spot.

The results are in for Laughing Stock IX and the lineup for the second installment of The Laughing Stock Presents (Saturday, November 13) is set.

Headliner (20 min.): Mark Auvil
(10 min. each): Ginny Bell, Tim Messersmith
(5 min. each): Ol’ Man Willy, Matt Barnes, Kameron Johnson
Opener: Merr, host of Laughing Stock (opener is previous month’s winner)

NSFW: Video from Laughing Stock No. 6 (Lisps subject to camera mic)

Sordid Lives, a raucous white trash comedy, officially opens at the historic Landers Theatre on Friday night. We at TAGsgf.com understand how that can be a long time to wait. Thanks to our man, Chad Harris of Fair City News, we have tickets to Thursday night’s VIP pre-viewing just for you. So tune into TAG’s Facebook feed for opportunities throughout today and tomorrow to win tickets to Springfield Little Theatre’s Sordid Lives tomorrow night.

Here’s how

Find TAG on Facebook and be the first person to answer a trivia question correctly to win a pack of four tickets on Wednesday morning (between 10 and 10:30 a.m.). On Thursday we will have two sets of two. Same format, one set will go between 9:30-10 a.m. and the other between 3:30 and 5. Keep your eyes out!

Hank Williams: Lost Highway shares the music and story behind an American music legend. It opened last night at the Gillioz Theatre and runs through Sunday only. Branson star Tim Hadler stars as Hank. TAGsgf.com found the secret rehearsal space for Lost Highway and has a little sneak peek of the show. Hadler talked about getting confused for Hank in public, and hear a little bit of the music.

Tim Hadler as Hank Williams

Here’s another sneak look at Hank Williams: Lost Highway. It turns out that Hank’s band can crank out the bluegrassy jams. The story of Hank Williams hits the stage at the Gillioz Theatre on Wednesday and runs through Sunday (Oct. 27-31). From the rise to musical celebrity through the self-destruction that led to his young death, hear the music and see his struggle in Hank Williams: Lost Highway .

Hank’s Band in Lost Highway is pretty damn good

Related

Hank Williams: Lost Highway (sneak peek 1 featuring Hank’s Move It On Over)

Jess Heugel

Jess Heugel is no stranger to the waiting game. When he’s on a shoot, Heugel picks a backdrop and fades into the background. Then he waits. “I realize how few times a day when a moment is just right,” he said. “You can go search for something all day, but sometimes it’s better to just be patient and wait for something to happen within a scene.” Coincidence that Heugel, and wife Kelly, had visa applications turned down twice when trying to enter Myanmar.

The Heugels were allowed visas on their third attempt and the result is featured at the Park Central Library downtown. Magnificent backdrops are a constant theme, from palaces and temples to impoverished streets. The pictures, taken in 2009, demonstrate the unspoken lives of Myanmar’s oppressed. Myanmar was probably a once-in-a lifetime experience and Heugel hopes the photos introduce people to the strains on the Burmese people. “The photos are really centered around letting people see that there’s a country out there where everything is run by the government,” he said. “We never hear anything about them, and their government is very satisfied with that.”

It left Heugel thankful for the opportunity at all, considering the restrictive military dictatorship. “Being allowed into Myanmar as an American is a very special thing,” Heugel said. “(Their government) couldn’t be happier about the U.S. trade sanctions. They just want to be left alone.” Once there, Heugel connected with a travel company and spent three days taking in the Burmese controlled way of life. “We had a very powerful experience there – never felt unsafe, but definitely felt the oppression that was weighing on the people. We went to go and do and experience what life was like for every day people in Myanmar. Yes, they’re oppressed, but they’re not unhappy.” A military dictatorship rules their lives, politically nothing exists outside of the military – except the monks.

A Monk Asleep (Heugel)

Experiences with the monks became the eventual “driving force behind the show.” While walking around outside a temple “trying to be respectful and not disturb anything” Heugel was engaged by a group of monks and welcomed into a monastery. They drank tea and talked about Buddhism. “They invited us to the temple and took a couple hours to show us around,” Heugel said. “Of course it was with limited English, but they let us witness a very special place.” It created his favorite shot in the collection – a photo of the monks leaping on the ground. For Heugel, it represents a rare opportunity. “When it happens you get to let (the experience) be a part of your life. If it happens it’s wonderful. If it doesn’t, you never knew the difference,” he said.

Heugel is no stranger to taking in new experiences. His travels have delivered him all over the world and his camera has become an extention of that. As a teenager living in Nairobi, Kenya, he picked up a camera in need of “a way to process and document that.” He came to Springfield for school (Heugel’s a 2004 graduate of Evangel University) and stayed for a job at the News-Leader. He moved briefly to Jamaica where he helped at an orphanage and a coffee farm owned by family of a friend. Heugel said he enjoys opportunities to shoot in Easter Europe – he will have a show featuring work from Ukraine at The Coffee Ethic in January. Another exhibit is in the works, supporting non-profit group Dusty Feet, which he shot from Kenya this summer. His parents, missionaries, currently live in Sudan and his next project is in Esotnia. “Who knows from there?” The Myanmar show will be featured at the library through the end of the month.

Shwedagon Monk (Heugel)

On the job:
Five Questions with Jess Heugel

1. What’s in the camera bag?

• Canon – 5D body, 40D body
• 3 lenses – 17-40, 70-200, 1-400

2. When do you know you have a good shot?

Half of the time I’ll know (a good shot) as soon as I take it. Half of the time I’ll get home and start dissecting a picture and it will come alive. I’m not out there: “Click” then look at the picture. They call it “chimping” – there’s not a lot of time for that. Sometimes you know as soon as you release the shutter, sometimes it’s when you get home.

3. How much do you edit your photos?

There’s a little bit of color and tonal tweaking, but not much.

4. How’s shooting for yourself different from shooting for the paper?

It’s really the life of the free lancer, I’m the king of the temporary job. Shooting like this is very … a lot more free flowing, a lot more liberating. It’s really where I feel more comfortable. I’m not a worrier, not a pre-planner.

5. How can people keep up with your work, professional and personal?

The website – www.JessHeugel.com or on Twitter – @JessHeugel

Tim Hadler as Hank Williams

The story of Hank Williams hits the stage at the Gillioz Theatre at the end of the month (Oct. 27-31). From the rise to musical celebrity through the self destruction that led to his young death, hear the music and see his struggle in Hank Williams: Lost Highway. Tim Hadler stars as Hank, with a talented backing band. King Clarence as Tee Tot? Sure enough. We’ll have more on the low sneaks as the open draws closer.

Tim Hadler plays Move It On Over by Hank Williams

rocky-horror-show

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Photos by Louis Schaeffer / Springfield Contemporary Theatre

The Rocky Horror Show opened last weekend at Vandivort Center Theatre and continues this weekend (Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and a matinee at 2 p.m. on Sunday). The show is directed by Nathan Shelton and runs through Halloween. Before the opening, TAGsgf.com caught up with Heath Hillhouse, who is playing the role of Dr. Frank N. Furter.

The Rocky Horror Show has a little spice for everybody – comedy, spookiness, insanity and effects. With director Nathan Shelton at the helm, the effects will no doubt catch your eye in the cult phenomenon that spawned The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Heath Hillhouse plays Dr. Frank N. Furter who stole a page from Frankenstein.

The Rocky Horror Show opens tonight at Vandivort Center Theatre at 7:30 p.m.. The show is presented by Springfield Contemporary Theatre. TAGsgf.com caught up with Hillhouse while crews were putting the final touches on the stage to talk about the differences between the movie and live show, his role as a gender-confused psychopath and about working with Shelton . Somehow we didn’t discuss The Time Warp. The show closes on Halloween.

Heath Hillhouse talks about the Vandivort’s production of The Rocky Horror Show

Happy birthday, Moxie!@

The Moxie Cinema has been a part of downtown SGF for five years. They celebrated the occasion on Saturday and Alex Stocksdale joined in the celebration and snapped some photos.