2010
02.22
As I make my way into the Ancient Way Café for lunch, I wonder if I can skip lunch and go straight to dessert as I see a listing of their homemade all organic pies. But I’m good, I eat my lunch first and enjoy dessert with the general manager and head chef, Maqui. I learn that Maqui was a potter for years but fell into an opportunity at the Café as he says, “I have become an artist of food and now I get to create edible glazes!” As a long-time resident of the area and a past board member of the El Morro Area Arts Council, he understands the challenges that both the artists and community face.
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2010
02.18
As of this writing, the Anaheim Ballet Company’s YouTube Channel has 25,571 subscribers, and 885,139 channel views. It’s most popular video, Ballet: Dancers, has been viewed 5,493,785 times.
While online videos are an obvious medium to showcase a dancer, or dance company, other social networking tools can also be effective for marketing and community building. Below are a handful of blog posts with suggestions for how dancers can use social media, along with a few dance-specific social networks.
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2010
02.15
It’s easy to drive right by the businesses of El Morro Valley, but you can’t miss The Old School Gallery, with its brightly colored exterior. Several artists within the El Morro Area Arts Council established the gallery 11 years ago to find a place for local artists to display their art. The building itself was built in 1947 and served as a one-room schoolhouse for many years. Today, the space is used for a gallery and so much more. Attracting people from as far as the Acoma and Laguna Pueblos the space is used for art workshops, community meetings, yoga and tai chi classes, musical performances, and youth programs. The gallery has one staff member and the rest is volunteer-driven. It represents artists from approximately a 50-mile radius and displays new art shows quarterly.
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2010
02.11
Foursquare is a location based social networking program you can use on your iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Palm Pre, or computer. People who use the program “check in” at locations such as restaurants, bars, stores, and tourist attractions. When they check in, they have the option of sharing their location with their friends on foursquare, Facebook, and Twitter.
If they want, they can also leave a “tip” about the place they are visiting. For example, if you look at the the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s page on foursquare, you’ll see that (as of this writing) 1,215 people have “checked in” (773 of them are unique visitors).
Some of the “tips” people have left about the SFMOMA include:
“Great selection of books and jewelry. Great place to buy gifts. You don’t need to purchase a museum ticket to go to the store.”
“Check out the Richard Avedon exhibit (until 11-29-09). He rocks the camera lens!”
“Head straight for the rooftop garden, stopping for some Blue Bottle coffee on the 5th floor. Admittance to the MOMA is free on the first Tuesday of every month.”
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2010
02.04
Based on some web searching, and suggestions from my Facebook and Twitter pals, I’ve begun a list of organizations and groups supporting Haitian artists and artisans. I hope you’ll help me add to the list by adding more names and websites in the comments. Thanks!
Organizations Supporting Haitian Artist and Artisans
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2010
02.03
As I continue to venture around New Mexico taking in the sights, food and culture, I head southwest of Grants down the Ancient Way Arts Trail towards the El Morro Valley. Along the way I pass the El Malpais National Monument and the Ice Caves, go up and over the continental divide, and arrive in El Morro. Once here, I find the brightly painted Old School Gallery and a feed store on one side of the road and the Inscription Rock Trading and Coffee Co., the Ancient Way Café and a campground on the other side. And practically in their backyard is the El Morro National Monument.
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