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A Word From Ames C.art’s Newest Board Member, Lyndsay Nissen:

I just joined the Ames C.art team in March.  I grew up in Ames and after high school I lived in Madison, Wisconsin and Santa Cruz, California.  Now I’m back!  I am an artist and mostly create paintings and sculptures, using recycled materials.  I am passionate about art and how it can improve the quality of life here in Ames.

Since returning, I see so much momentum here in Ames to grow and expand the arts community.  It is very exciting to be a part of a group that is doing that exact thing.  My goal is to bring together more people who actively do art or have an urge to create. Through AmesC.art I intend to lead classes and promote the arts anyway I can.  I can’t wait to get more fun, creative activities started!

A Spotlight On:

In this new section of our newletter, we would like to highlight and showcase the wonderful talents of our creative community.  We will be featuring tutorials, artwork, projects, and achievements of our members.  If you see someone doing something awesome or would like to share something you’ve done yourself, please email us.

This month, we would like to share the wonderful talents of Lyndsay Nissen.  She has recently joined the Ames C.art Board of Directors and is already thinking up great ways to enrich our creative community.

Lyndsay has a  tumblr feed featuring some of her great artwork.  Even if you only have a few minutes to scroll through her work, it’s worth it!

Community Events We Dig

KHOI Community Radio Benefit:
The new community radio station, KHOI, will be holding a benefit on May 1st, 2012, at the Octagon Center for the Arts.  The radio station will begin broadcasting in the summer of this year.  Arnie Arnesen and Steffen Schmidt, the co-hosts of “Talk of Iowa – Politics Day” and long-time commentators on Nation Public Radio, will host the benefit. They will entertain guests with their views on politics and news.  There will be a light supper of British pub foods and beverages.

Admission is $15 and seating is limited.  Please RSVP by phone (515-292-2878) or email, and provide the names attending.

HeARTs for Art Survivor Art Show:
ACCESS, Ames’s Assault Care Center Extending Shelter and Support, will be holding its second annual HeARTs for art show on the first weekend in May.  Exhibition hours are Saturday, May 5 9:00-5:00 and Sunday, May 6 1:00-4:00. There will be reception on Saturday, May 5 at 1:00.  The goal of the show is to “uniting crime victims, healing through art.”  If you are in town that weekend, think about going and supporting this great program.

May Ames C.art Events

05/09/2012 – Creative Collision,
7-9pm, Café Diem in Ames

05/16/2012 – Ames C.art Volunteer Work Night,
7-8:30pm, Ames Public Library

Know of a creative event coming up? Let us know at info@amescart.org

It seems like forever ago that we were dreaming up our ArtVend project that cold board meeting back in January 2010, we were just putting pen to paper designing the mural. It’s with great joy that ran the first test vend of the machine last week using our own board member’s ceramic work. And to answer your first question, no it didn’t break! While the packaging is rough, it was a proto-type to see if we could successful vend ceramics without breaking them or jamming the machine.

That’s what of the things I love about this project, we can vend just about anything local makers dream up.

While you may have seen the project outline on the ArtVend project page to download, we wanted to make sure it got to everyone possible. We’ve also put together a pdf outlining how to prepare your work to be vending. While there are few hard fast rules:

• - can handle the drop and won’t jam the machine.
• - made within a 50 mile radius of ames
• - is priced 25 cents to $12.25
• - leave a little room on the back for our tag so we can keep track of inventory

There are some general guidelines to make sure your items are accepted the first time around without a need for packaging adjustments.

When you send in your items, make sure to include a signed copy of the consignment agreement and a filled out inventory sheet.

Project overview
Preparing your work for Vending
Consignment Agreement
Inventory Form

If you would like your work to be included in the machine when it’s placed in Wheatsfield in early September, please contact kristin [at] amescart [dot] org to arrange for drop off or shipment by Tuesday, August 30th.

Stickers (6 per page) – download the pdf by clicking here.

Fliers (4 per page) – download the pdf by clicking here.

Poster (1 per page) – download the pdf by clicking here.

To download, just click the links above and you’ll be prompted to accept the pdf download. And that’s it you are all set.

Oh, and have you pledged yet? Go to kickstarter and pledge today. Whether it’s a $1 or $10, every little bit helps.

Best wishes,

Kristin

Here’s how it works:

+ Each month we choose a charity to make for.
+ Here on the blog we’ll post a nice round up of project ideas and all the details.
+ Make your projects (as many as you are able) and attach the donation tag with all the info filled out.
+ Bring them to the next Creative Collision.
+ We will drop off all the projects as one big drop – if you would like to volunteer to come with that would be great – it’s very rewarding meeting the people who will benefit from the making.

February Handmade Charity Project

For the month of February we are going to make hats, scarves, mittens and gloves for all the fine folks over at the Ames Emergency Residency Program.

If you’ve never heard of the Emergency Residence Project, let me share with you a bit about this great program.

The Emergency Residence Project (often referred to as the ERP) provides shelter with meals, referrals and intervention to prevent homelessness.

According to their website:

“This year marked our 25th anniversary of providing shelter.  It was also our busiest year.  Through our Emergency Shelter, Transitional Housing, and Homeless Prevention programs we helped 2,372 people. We housed an average of 45 individuals a night, about ½ of whom were children.  Our closeness to them and our ability to make a difference, every day, in their lives gives us more than enough motivation to continue this work.”

Definitely a project worth of our handmade efforts. They need a lot of support, with all the cuts to budgets and the freeze on housing vouchers, not to mention the crap economy.  There are a lot of people in need of shelter. If you have some extra resources, check out their Offer Help page, there are a lot of non handmade ways you can give that will make an impact too!

This time of year, all the people they are helping – adults and kids alike, could really use some extra warmth and comfort, so we are making them some!

Over on p2designs there is a great round up of patterns for charity making, all free. Just download them and get cracking.

For Knitting: KnittingPatternCentral has a huge load of patterns

For Crocheting: CrochetPatternCentral also has a huge load of patterns

For Sewing: Check out Burda Style

Remember, Men usually get the short end of the stick when it comes to handmade goods, so try and make a men’s hat as well. I particularly like this Turn a Square knit men’s hat.

Drop off will be at the next Creative Collision: Wednesday, March 9th, 2011.

Do you have an idea for a local charity to make things for? Leave a comment and we will try to get it set up!

Already know what pattern you’ll be making for this month’s charity? Let everyone else know so we can all swap ideas around.

See you all in March!

xoxo – Ames C.art

What: Creative Collision
Where: The Ames Progressive, 118 Hayward Avenue, Ames, IA
When: Wednesday, January 12 at 7:00 PM

Join the Ames C.art Facebook group to get updates about upcoming Creative Collision meetings. We will no longer be using Meetup.com after February 1st.

Creative Collision is a place to share, combine, collaborate, and learn from one another. From fibers to painting, everyone and every medium is welcome. Come to share your work, get feedback, or to enjoy the company and conversation of other creatively minded folks. Bring a portable project to work on, like knitting or your sketchbook.

Have you ever wondered what the Ames Progressive does and how you can get involved? Well, Nate’s going to start us out by fielding all our questions about the music, the publication, the art, the craft fairs, yoga, and more!

Come early to take advantage of one of the Ames Progressive?s great offerings: Yoga! Bring a mat, bring yourself, and enjoy!
Yoga from 6 – 7PM
$3 suggested donation
(give what you are able)

Help Spread the word by printing and passing around this month’s flier! Just right click the image above, click “view image”, and then “file>print” from the web browser menu.

See you all at the AP!

Kristin Roach

At first we were just a few.

But before too long the table was full! What a great time of knitting, crochet, and stitching! I forgot my knitting project, my thread for my sewing project must have rolled out of my bag, and all I had was my sketch book. No one minded while I drew Sarah’s super cute knit chipmunk.

Crystal brought a great selection of vintage crochet books as well as pattern for a great charity project.

We are sponsoring a Craft Hope send out. Drop off your dishcloth donations by the mural exhibit during opening hours (June 15th – June 19th; noon -6 pm) to be included in our send out. The oil spill needs cotton clothes to clean up the animals. I think we all have time to knit or crochet a dish cloth for this great project.

Our next fiber meeting will be a great mix of fun things as the Creative Collision! Bring any mobile project you would like to work on and come enjoy creating with other makers! It will be July 14th from 7-9pm; brookside park again. Bring a fold up chair if sitting at a picnic table rubs you the wrong way.

Kristin Roach

The Ames Collaborative Art Annual Project strives to mobilize artistically inclined youth, adult, and elder residents of out community to create large scale collaborative art projects within Ames, Iowa. Help support the 2012 Ames C.art Annual Project by sending donations to: Ames C.art, 2321 N. Loop Drive #102, Ames, IA 50010

{2010 mural, Thinking of Ames, located at the corner of Chamberlain and Welch in Ames, IA}

What is the 2010 Campustown Mural Project?

The Ames C.art Mural Project began as an initiative by the Campustown Student Association in the Spring of 2009. The owner of T-Galaxy agreed to the mural’s proposed location on the T-Galaxy building’s north wall. In October of 2009, Ames Collaborative Art (Ames C.art) accepted the invitation by the Campustown Student Association to coordinate and actualize the Campustown Mural Project as the initiation of the Ames C.art Mural Program.

This collaborative mural project was an entirely volunteer-driven effort intended to bring different populations of the Ames community together: school age children, college students, university staff, city residents, and local artists. We joined together of different aspects of the community to create a piece of public art which everyone can enjoy and encourages pride in and celebration of the Ames community.

Order your copy of “Thinking of Ames” on Lulu today!Get your own mural mug, postcard, or shirt on Zazzle!

The Making of the Mural

Special Thanks to all the community members that made this project possible: Griffle Inc, Sherwin Williams, Lowe’s, T-Galaxy, The Campustown Student Association, Craft Leftovers, the Ames Progressive, the Campustown Fire Station, The City of Ames, The Paint Iowa Beautiful Grant Program, Ames Community Art Council, Ames Public Art Commission, and all the wonderful volunteers who took the time to paint this mural – without you, this project would have never become the reality it is today.

We are all so happy to announce the dedication of the mural and opening of a week long exhibit celebrating all our volunteers!

Ames Collaborative Art (Ames C.art) cordially welcomes YOU to attend the Campustown Mural Dedication  Ceremony
11am – 12noon on Saturday, June 12,at 206 Welch Ave

At this inaugural celebration of the Ames C.art Mural Program, we will recognize and thank the many community members who made the Campustown Mural Project possible.  In a playful riff on the traditional ritual of breaking a bottle of champagne in dedication, Ames C.art invites you to participate in a water balloon-christening of the mural wall. The brief ceremony will lead into the opening of the mural project exhibit in the campustown post office building.

Exhibit open noon to 6 p.m. June 12th and June 15th – 19th, 2010

Everyone is invited and we hope to see all of you there!

Over the last 10 days Griffle has been taking time laps photography of the project for us. We were all so excited to see what it looked like that they stitched it together for a half project release. Check out all the work we have done so far. Thank you so much to all the volunteers who have come out to make this project happen. A special thanks to Fire Station #2 and their continued support!

If you are interested in helping with the mural, just stop by this Thursday – Sunday 11am – 7pm. No experience needed, we need all skill levels to get this project to the finish line.