Thanks to Cox & Forkum!

I want to take a moment to thank the artists at Cox & Forkum for their generosity in donating the rights to use one of their excellent cartoons for the Maker Faire:NC 2011 T-shirt!  And no, I'm not going to spoil the surprise by telling you which cartoon was chosen by our shirt designer!  We will be offering the 2011 shirt for pre-order before the event.

Thanks so much, John and Allen!

Exposure: An expedition to the oil threatened Gulf Coast

A friend of mine, artist Phil Nesmith, is undertaking a journey to the Gulf Coast to capture images of the effects of the oil spill.  Phil uses an all-but-dead form of photography called ambrotype to capture beautiful and sometimes haunting images.  Ambrotypes are very hands-on and each one is unique. 

It is fitting to use a photographic method from the time when our lust for oil was just beginning in order to capture the spirit of this disaster. Working slowly with vintage large format cameras and with the slow wet collodion process will bound certain aspects of what images can be made, but the focus of this project is not simply to document events as they unfold. Instead, this unique approach will result in images that will tap into the elegiac qualities possible with the medium, as Mathew Brady, and others like him once did in capturing the disastrous realities of the American Civil War.

I wouldn't post this here if I didn't think that it really fit in with the Maker philosophy; embracing antique photographic media is very much an arduous pursuit of great passion.  If you'd like to read more about the project and/or donate, visit Phil Nesmith's Kickstarter site.

Durham Art Walk is This Weekend

The Durham Art Walk is a unique downtown art tour featuring artwork by over 200 artists.

Check out the art along with the newest retail spaces, galleries, restaurants and creative downtown businesses.

Enjoy musical performances, great food and find surprises around every corner. Free shuttle service is provided. The event is free and open to the public. Rain or shine.

When: Saturday 4/17 - Sunday 4/18

Where: All over the place in downtown Durham

Make sure to drop by the Original Projects exhibition too.  This has been held over from last weekend due to overwhelming popularity.  I will have some of my work on display there too!

Ten More Exhibitors Added!

I'm thrilled to announce that we've just added ten more confirmed exhibitors to our already-long roster!  There are still more coming!  Have a gander at these fine people/projects/companies:

• Spoonflower (our beloved sponsor!)
• ioBridge (our beloved sponsor!)
• Center for Design Innovation
• Making Green Art
• The Scrap Exchange
• The Clockwork Cabaret
  
• Solar Thermal Power
• The Beauty & Mystery of the Honey Bee
• CrafTees
• StickStaffCane
• Hooks and Eyes Handspun Yarns and Fiber Crafts

These eleven bring our total to 32!  Go have a look at the rest!