Puppet aficionados and jewellery fans unite in this one-night-only shadowy storytelling extravaganza!
Show Description – Three jewelers, after years of honing their precision jewelry making skills, delve into shadow puppetry. With an attention to detail, Kirk Lang, Aran Galligan and Melissa Cameron will tell stories through sound and shadows. Music interludes by acoustic singer-songwriter Aaron J. Shay, whose music blends an old-world folk sound with a modern lyrical style.
Pocket Theater
8312 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103
Yes, they let grown-ass adults take over a theatre for an afternoon to play with their paper toys behind a screen and in front of a bright light. What can I say, some of us have really got game! (No really, we see you, Aran.) Come along, we can play in the dark together 😉
I warned you, (did I not warn you?) that I was going to take over the world?
Yes, you read right, I am now in charge of Global Enamel News. [GEN]
Should I be in charge of GEN? No, no I shouldn’t be in charge of GEN, but this is the current world order, and so we’re all going to make do, as best we can. On that note – I NEED MORE NEWS!
But before I really start to beg, lets have a quick debrief of what have we learned since last time;
1/ the deadline that I have to deliver my email listicle to The Enamelist Society [T.E.S.] news desk (what they choose to then call my listicle is their business, you hear… much in the same way that I, just then, made up that they have a news desk – see, two can play at this game, T.E.S…) is about 2 months before the new issue of the T.E.S. newsletter will hit inboxes. Ya dig? I’m going to need as much warning as you can give me.
2/ some links make it intact through the vagaries of publication, some don’t. Next time I will endeavour to make the links small enough that they remain click-able despite the PDF-ing process. If you can give me a shorter link, I’ll gladly take it.
3/ T.E.S is not afraid to publish material that is post-current. I’ll still pass it on, if you give it to me, so I guess it’s up to you if you want to read old news. Do with that intelligence what you will.
4/ I am clearly not afraid to fill my allotted space with self promotion. (I’d have said shameless, if I could say felt no shame, but hey, raised in organised religion, what choice do I got?) PUH-LEASE give me something else to work with. Please! I’m pleading, and that’s awfully close to begging, yeah?
OK, I WILL BEG. *if you don’t mind, picture me on my knees, right next to you, right now, pouting and wailing in a cracking voice*
“MORE
INPUT
PLEASE!”
It’s quite simple. JUST SEND ME YOUR ENAMEL EXHIBITIONS. NEWS. JUICY TIDBITS. OBSERVATIONS. ANYTHING! and you can stop this pitiful sight.
We’re collaborating here, people! So please let me know, and I will, in turn, pass it on to the rest of the globe, as is my (new) remit.
enamel (at) melissacameron (dot) net 😉
xx m
PS – next deadline, April 29, the one after that, July 30.
I wrote this quote down, not because it’s particularly relevant to what I’m researching, but owing to what I do, and really, who I am, it was very ‘sticky’.
P7: “Here, on the cusp of its demise, gunsmithing entered a golden age of craftsmanship. Gunmaking was similar to the high-end crafts of silversmithing and goldsmithing, clock-making and pewter works.”
That cusp was brought about by the opening of US government small arms manufacturers at Harpers Ferry and Springfield Armory (not to be confused with the much later Springfield Armory, Inc.), in the late 1700’s, which soon brought with it machine production/mass production of weapons for the US military. And as with most of the industrial revolution, mass production of small arms and ammunition spelled the end for the individual gunsmith. It’s interesting, especially in a series exploring the horrific outcomes of gun use, to think of guns before mass production and commoditization. When guns were hand made (and not always that well) for individuals, and parts were not interchangeable, making repairs as idiosyncratic as the weapons themselves.
Which, strangely, reminds me of this Beretta ad from a few years back that looks like a short film (actually, that’s how it was marketed.) I remember thinking at the time that they were really pushing hard on the craft angle to create desire for this object. I found, and still find, parts of it quite discomfiting, because of its blatant appeal to my craft/artistic sensibilities – it’s seductively produced, and the weapon is being made with great craft ability, and seemingly, great care. That said, seeing it again now only just outside of the time period in which it was produced, there are several parts that would be laugh-inducing – if not for the actual object being so carefully stage-managed through it’s “production”.
/ / / Back to the purpose of this post, and for the gun-spotters, incidents 38 – 42 netted no new guns being entered into my drawing archive today.
Tyler Matthew Balais (25) was shot with a hand gun by girlfriend Kassandra Lorrenne Imbert (22) around 12:40am on the 1st.
The pair had been drinking at a local downtown bar New Year’s Eve when they got into a fight. At one point Balais had locked Imbert out of their home at 617 High St. She later got in and was taking down Christmas decorations when he went upstairs and pulled out a pistol, threatening to kill himself, according to testimony. He and Imbert wrestled with the gun and it went off, shooting him in the head.
The bullet was found lodged in the ceiling, according to Imbert’s defense attorney, Mark Costello.
It was not the first time Balais had threatened suicide. In almost the same circumstances, he had been fighting with a former girlfriend and they had wrestled over the same gun. It went off, but no one was injured, Costello said.
In September Imbert eventually pled no contest to negligently causing his death and received a sentence of five years probation. As to reports, it was a handgun – and we’re up default Pistol 1.
Ruger SR1911 – Default Pistol 1
Christian Rosales (21), was shot when leaving a New Years party with friends around 2am. From KSBW8:
A man approached them asking for change for a $20. When the group said they didn’t have change, the man aimed a gun and replied, “Well that’s too bad homies cause you gotta give me everything you got,” Torres said his brother recalled. “He was pointing the gun at everyone.”
Rosales attempted to overpower the gunman to protect his friends, Torres said.
Rosales was shot once in the stomach, and died at the scene. The gunman fled.
“His courage saved my brother. He’s a hero,” Torres said.
Salinas police Cmdr. Stan Cooper said no suspects have been identified in the killing, and no arrests were made. Cooper said some witnesses have come forward.
DP2
Default Pistol 2 – S&W M&P
Alonzo Cortez (22) was hit by celebratory fire at about 12:15am on New Years Day. He was taken off life support at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital on Monday at 5:11pm. Officers investigating at the scene noted many people firing as well as fireworks going off well into the morning. Colquitt County Sheriff’s Office Inv. Chris Robinson said “We have no idea where it came from or what caliber.” This is our second accidental death after celebratory fire.
We’re back to Default Pistol one.
Ruger SR1911 – Default Pistol 1
There is really little known about the next double murder, other than that father and son were shot within minutes of one another outside their dwelling, and that neighbours didn’t react as quickly to the gunfire as they might have because they were used to hearing gunshots on New Years. Lavar Edwards, 39 and Dejuan Davis, 21 were shot at about 4am, soon after which Edwards was seen running back towards his home, bleeding profusely. Both died from their wounds. DP 2
Default Pistol 2 – S&W M&P
Another one from the Archive with precious little detail. The Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to a call from Anacoco made around 7pm on New Years Day. They discovered Calvin Stubbs, aged 30, and Norma Ross, aged 48, both dead, who witnesses told them were shot by Derrick Ross (36), Norma’s nephew. Derrick was later found dead near the property, from what the Coroner’s Office determined was a self-inflicted gun shot wound. DP1
And yes! I will be in Kirkland for the opening reception on the 12th of April from 5pm. Please come along and say hi!
The second is a huge international enamel art exhibition organised by National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute,
Chinese Taipei Enamel of Art Association
2018 Blaze: International Art Enamel
April 19th (Thursday) to August 19th (Sunday), 2018
National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute Taipei Branch 4 Floor (41, Nanhai Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan 100)
A Design Competition with Designs Aiming for a New #GunSense Emphasis on Regulations & Reform
And while we’re on the subject of Boris Bally, he’s organising a design competition to raise money for the The Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence (RICAGV), which was founded in 2013 after the Sandy Hook Shooting. If you’re nowhere near being able to see Boris speak, perhaps you’d like to help out his cause by getting involved with this.
The Competition:
We are looking for bold, affordable works of wearable, useable or decorative art to further an awareness of the gun violence epidemic we still face. We hope to promote conversations that spark debate while providing needed resources to support real action including a planned gun amnesty/buy-back organized by artist Scott Lapham. The competition will also support the RICAGV’s continued advocacy for responsible gun laws.
Designers, artists and metalsmiths are intrigued by material, technique and the challenges presented by engineering obstacles. Not only do they shape objects for wear, use and decoration but also for political commentary. The goal of this competition is to showcase, promote and sell the best designs which may employ an arsenal of wit and skill to transform weapon imagery beyond its deadly intent. The winning entries will ultimately support the entrants as well as the efforts of the RICAGV.
Criteria for selected work:
Jury will consider overall design originality, skill, impact and production feasibility. The design’s ability to convey the mission of the RICAGV will be crucial.
Jury:
A group of nationally recognized Jurors will select the final pieces to be placed into production:
Emily Zilber Editor, Metalsmith magazine, Independent Curator
Dominic Molon Richard Brown Baker Curator of Contemporary Art,
RISD Museum
Linda Finn Executive Director, RICAGV
Peter Diepenbrock Sculptor, Designer
Boris Bally Metalsmith, Organizer
First Place Award:
The Top Award will receive a purchase order from RICAGV for the purchase of twenty units at their maximum wholesale cost of $100 (value up to $2,000).
Finalist Awards:
The RICAGV will initially purchase the original prototype entries from each of the finalist’s jury-selected designs. The designs will remain the property of the designer with the stipulation that the RICAGV may promote and sell these designs. These top designs will be professionally photographed and promoted on the RICAGV website, in mailings and at events using the designer’s name in all promotions. These selected designs will be offered for retail sale to the public by the RICAGV and their affiliated locations. As orders are received, they will be turned over to the artist for timely production. The RICAGV will in turn fulfill orders directly to the customer. Artists will receive their wholesale price and RICAGV will receive the balance to support their ongoing work.
The Jury reserves the right to pick as many design finalists as they wish.
This exhibition, begun in 2016, seems to pick up more relevance as it goes. If you’d like to see it in your town, please let us know.
Irreverensibility by Phillip Renato
Before I present all the details, I wanted to tell you that this show is a real labor of love for the curator, Boris Bally. I had the privilege to hear him speak last year at the Association for Contemporary Jewellery20:20 Visions Conference in the UK about the genesis of this exhibition, and to speak with him about the show both there and at SNAG. In speaking with him, it’s clear that he’s driven by the pure desire, in fact need, to make these things go away from the hands of vulnerable people in this country. He also just happens to be one of the most generous and humble artists that I have ever had the pleasure to meet, so if you are anywhere near St Louis, I really do urge you to go see him speak. (And if you do, please tell him that I sent you, and that I’m thinking of him.) And more amazingly, he is but one part of an incredible line-up of presenters, panelists and artists who will be talking about gun violence in St Louis and the USA.
Craft Alliance Center of Art + Design will partner with Maryville University to present I.M.A.G.I.N.E. Peace Now, a powerful traveling exhibition created as a positive response to the rising tide of gun violence in America. Conceived by metalsmith Boris Bally and brought to St. Louis through the help of his long-time collector Michael Staenberg, the exhibition features works by some 100 artists who have crafted sculptures using decommissioned firearms collected during community buy-back programs.
Over the last twenty years, we have seen the rise of this violence sweep into our schools, movie theaters, malls, and neighborhoods. Throughout history, artists have often served as the voices and illustrators of movements for change. This exhibition is an invitation to conversations about violence in America today and about potential constructive responses to that crisis.
Maryville University Opening Reception + Panel Discussion
Morton J. May Foundation Gallery
Thursday, April 5, 5:00 – 8pm
Conversation Towards Peace
Thursday, April 5, 7:00 -8 pm
Maryville University Auditorium
Single Shot by Rob Jackson
With the opening of I.M.A.G.I.N.E Peace Now, we invite you to join metalsmith / activist / organizer Boris Bally, Geriann Brandt, director of Maryville University’s Criminal Justice program; a spokesperson from Moms Demand Action; and Becky Tingle, CRC, CLPC, child therapist with Alive, Inc. They will discuss the effects of gun violence in our everyday lives. Panel moderator is Art Holliday, award-winning KSDK newscaster. This event is free + open to the public.
Craft Alliance Center of Art + Design Opening Reception + Curator’s Talk
Friday, April 6, from 5:30 – 8:30pm
Boris Bally Curator’s talk, 5:30 – 6:30pm
Craft Alliance’s Delmar Loop Gallery
Earthbound by Sonya Clark
Gun Shy
Thursday, April 12, 4pm
Maryville Auditorium
Matt Donovan will read excerpts from Gun Shy, his book-length work-in-progress that delves deep into America’s gun culture. Donovan is an acclaimed author whose works include A Cloud of Unusual Size and Shape: Meditations on Ruin and Redemption and two collections of poetry – Vellum and Rapture & the Big Bam.
Bullets into Bells
Saturday, April 14, 7 – 9 p.m.
The Stage at KDHX in Grand Center
In partnership with the Saint Louis Poetry Center, local poets and activists will read from the anthology Bullets into Bells: Poets and Citizens Respond to Gun Violence.
The Gun Day following the 2018 March For Our Lives in the USA
I went to the March For Our Lives in Seattle on Saturday. Here’s a few of the messages that I heard and saw:
A man, walking in arm with a woman, held a sign that read, ‘I never want to get another “We’re on lockdown” text from my wife again.’
A child carrying, ‘I don’t feel safe,’ another, ‘vote them out.’
A woman with a cane standing on the side of the street with a sign that read ‘respect for free’ saying loudly to the passersby: “Know you’re strong! Know you’re wonderful!”
A couple carrying a small child each, one of them also holding a sign, “NOT ONE MORE”.
An older woman with a sign ‘This is killing us’.
A pair of guys; ‘Guns are stupid’ and ‘The kids are all right’.
Two elementary-school aged boys, vigorously yelling “VOTE THEM OUT”.
Several signs held by US war veterans – men and women – promoting tighter gun controls.
A sign in the distance: ‘Australia fixed this, so will we’.
Girl with sign ‘2020 voter’. A younger boy, sleeping on his father’s hip, sign tacked to his back ‘I vote in 9 years’.
Several ‘I’m marching in memoriam’ signs.
Woman with sign; ‘Students, thank you for your strength. We got your backs’.
Chant: “Hey Hey Hey Hey, NRA; how many kids have you killed today?”
No one should die from gun violence in this country.
Now I’m going to get back to outing the gun manufacturers whose merchandise is designed and made to kill people.
This incident, #34 for the year on the Gun Violence Archive, is the first shootout I’ve come across. The Archive helpfully points out that a shootout is “where VENN diagram of shooters and victims overlap.” Maurice Delaney, 38, and Ali Mohamed, 31, killed one another around 4:25am on New Years Day 2017 in Chicago at a North Side Uptown neighborhood business. I found multiple sources to say that both guns disappeared from the crime scene before officers could take them in as evidence. DP 1 and 2
An 18-year-old teen was killed in a brawl that spilled out into the car park of the 508 Nightclub in Des Moines, Iowa. Frederico Thompson Jr, a father to a young girl, died around 3:30am at the scene. An article from 9th of January, 2017, remarks that there is no suspect named in the case, but the bar has had its liquor license suspended.
Another article in the Des Moines Register from the 1st of January, 2018, writes that police detectives claim to know who the killer is, but do not have the witnesses statements or photographs to back it up. There’s no information about the gun either. DP 1.
Ruger SR1911 – Default Pistol 1
Nineteen-year-old college student Christian Dawson died in Azure Banquet Hall, in Dallas, Tx, from what was reported to be a stray bullet. Several other people were shot, but none had life-threatening injuries. One year later the killing was still reported to be unsolved by the Dallas Police Department. No gun known. DP 2
Default Pistol 2 – S&W M&P
* * * T R I G G E R W A R N I N G * * *
Incident number 37 on the first of January involved Marissa Hope Reynoso (26), Elijah Chavez (4), Ezra Chavez (1) and Jorge Luis Chavez (25). Jorge Chavez and Reynoso had broken off their 5 year relationship in the preceding months, and members of the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department had responded to two other calls from Reynoso about Chavez in that time. The gun was reported as a 9mm hand gun that had been previously reported stolen, some years before. Reynoso is survived by another daughter from a different relationship.
I have drawn a lot of 9mm weapons so far; the two Default Pistols are both 9mm, and so was the Glock 17 drawn for the Chicago police, and a Sig Sauer P226 and P229, also used by me to represent guns fired by police. So I’ve decided to add a new one, to the, uh… arsenal. The Glock 19 has been mentioned before round these parts, is famed for being a lightweight version of the 17, and is apparently a very popular gun. In that post I wrote that it was one of the guns that would likely get featured round here, so I guess it’s about that time.
A day late, but better late than… a double serving of gun deaths next Monday.
Please excuse me my tardiness, Alexa ate my homework… OK, now I’m lying on top of being late – as if I’d trust a robot to do my data mining. I was actually enjoying some sun in LA over the weekend with Turbo, to celebrate a few anniversaries – one of which I mentioned last week – and catching up with Kaoru Rogers, fellow jeweller and (serial) immigrant.
But now it’s back down the data mine.
Aaron Patrick Presley (the 37 year old is also reported as being called Patrick Presley,) was killed just before 5am in a tavern in Milwaukee. Tiron J. Grant (31) allegedly shot Presley after Presley confronted him when he said hello and grabbed the hand of a woman in the bar, who turned out to be Presley’s fiancée. I could find no further details about progress in the case against Grant beyond charges and the preliminary hearing date – January 13th 2017. The only mention of the weapon was that a revolver, and the suspect’s clothes, were hidden by the suspect in alleyway garbage bins near the tavern.
I’ve drawn one revolver so far, the Ruger Single Six .22 from incident #15, as a .22 caliber was specified in the reporting that I unearthed. I had a hunch that there was a more common revolver, so after a quick dig, I give you the Smith & Wesson Model 10. Why this weapon? Well, on Wikipedia’s list of most produced firearms it sits at the top of revolvers with 6 million units sold. This makes it the biggest selling revolver ever (at least on that list), though given that it’s been in continuous production since 1899, the Model 10 has had over 100 years to climb to that spot – which on that chart makes for a slow build rather than a meteoric rise (but then confirming sales data for 100 years is somewhat of a tall order). By comparison, the already featured Glock 17 is listed just below the Model 10 with a low estimate of production of 6 million and a high of 10 million. It has only been in production since 1982, so that in itself is an indication of the rapid increase in the global gun population.
It’s also interesting to note that it is “previously known as the Smith & Wesson .38 Hand Ejector Model of 1899, the Smith & Wesson Military & Police or the Smith & Wesson Victory Model.” Thanks Wikipedia.
Smith & Wesson Model 10
I’ve already drawn a weapon that is known as the Smith & Wesson Military & Police, which you might recall is a pistol. It’s nice to know that Smith & Wesson like to keep their branding current while getting to add a certain old-school, or perhaps I should say, time honoured, vibe, thanks to some cleverly manufactured “continuity.”
There’s a non-hilarious anecdote to open the proceedings, before we get back to the horror at hand.
When I wrote about Sir Bob Geldof a few weeks back, I forgot to insert my infinitesimal anecdote. My family were celebrating the 21st birthday of the youngest of my siblings a few years back at an ever-popular riverside restaurant in my home town of Perth…
Quick aside: about a week or so back, on finding out that I came from the western-most Australian capital city, my Lyft driver said, “Most isolated city in the world!” It’s the achingly familiar catch-cry of residents and visitors alike, to which I’m not sure that I actually hold because there are plenty of other contenders, like Auckland, or Honolulu, or others that you can google. BTW, Lyft-er had been to my home town, and proceeded to tell me about happy times spent at The Court Hotel and Connections. As my fellow Perthlings can attest, they knew how to have a good time!
…Anyway, sitting outdoors at fancy restaurant surrounded by large family-of-origin and their spouses, and who walks in to also sit on the balcony, but the aforementioned knighted gentleman! “WTF is he doing in Perth?” was on the lips of the collected Cameron party. Til someone remembered that it was St Patrick’s Day. In our defense, we were all focused on other celebrations – the birthday dinner had been slightly delayed to coincide with Turbo and I coming to town in time for the impending nuptials of a couple also seated at that table. March is a big month for me and my people 😉
St Patrick’s Day is also the anniversary of my move to the US, which happened in 2012. Yup, six years this Saturday. A little while back I realised that I’ve practiced here longer than I have – in either of my careers – within Australia. Explains a few things..
—
Well, that was an unusually gentle introduction. Now the guns.
We start this week in Cobb County, Georgia, where a Canton resident, Chad Erik Roberts (35) was killed by two officers of the Woodstock Police Department, Matt Davis and William Vincent. Roberts had first contact with the police at 10:09pm on the 31st of December, when he was stopped in a parking lot next to a gas station. From the Cherokee Tribune & Ledger-News:
“The driver of the vehicle initially spoke to the officer but then fled in his vehicle, striking the officer,” Rich said. “Officers with the Canton Police Department pursued the vehicle into the Woodstock area.”
Woodstock Police and Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office deputies joined in on the chase and a tire deflation device was used to disable Roberts’ vehicle, which came to a stop in the northbound lanes of Interstate 75 near the Wade Green Road exit, investigators said.
“The driver exited the vehicle and presented a gun during contact with law enforcement,” Rich said. “Two officers with the Woodstock Police Department fired their weapons during the incident. The driver sustained gunshot wounds and died as a result of his injuries.”
Later in the same article, it states that, “The Canton officer who was hit by the man’s car was transported to a local hospital, treated and released, Canton Police Chief Mark Mitchell said.” while the two officers who shot Roberts were put on administrative leave pending an investigation.
With initial contact between the police and Rogers around 10pm – where he apparently ran over the foot of an officer as he departed – my thought was to double-check that this shooting was not misfiled as a January 1 event. But it turns out that at 2am, around four hours later, the shooting took place on the blocked-off interstate highway, once the victim/”driver exited the vehicle and presented a gun during contact with law enforcement.” (From the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.) If you think it sounds odd, you’re not alone, and it being an officer-involved crime has given it a bit of extra attention.
I was unable to find out anything about the guns of any of the people involved. The Woodstock Police Department falls in Cherokee County, GA, and after much research I found out that they carry the Glock 23. It’s not the best reference, but the neighbouring Cobb County PD publish in their policy documents that they use a Glock 22, so this choice has a bit of weight behind it. Georgia’s law enforcement seem to have a lot of Glocks in their register, and they probably belong to a huge swathe of the rest of the population due to Georgia’s “Guns Everywhere” laws, (Al Jazeera) as well as a couple of cities who have managed to make owning guns mandatory. (I am not linking to that data.) The 23 is meant to have the same dimensions as the Glock 19, excepting weight, to account for the slightly bigger round you can fire in the 23. And the 19 is a slightly scaled-down version of the 17, which is the first officer-fired gun that I drew in this series.
So here’s my second Glock, but the first drawing of a Glock 23. There’s two, one each for Davis and Vincent, the officers who fired on Rogers.
Lewis was on a bicycle and had a prolonged – 11 minute – encounter during which he fired his weapon (the officers did not feel threatened at this point so continued with other negotiation methods) and refused to speak with the officers. Only when he pointed the weapon at the officers from a distance of about 10 feet, did three of them open fire at Lewis. Officers Joshua Brown, Daniel Carlson and Brandon Gonzales have been placed on leave pending an investigation.
By contrast with the first incident this week, the guns that officers in the Springfield Police Department carry were easy to find in their Standard Operating Guidelines. The Department Issued Handgun is a Glock 9mm semi-automatic handgun. There are a lot of Glocks that take a 9mm cartridge, so I’m going to go with the one I used for the Chicago PD earlier, the Glock 17. Three of them, because of the three police who fired at Lewis.
Missed our initial afternoon tea? Well you’re in luck, it’s Tea II – Electric Boogaloo
You might remember the invitation to Plate Glass, the enamel exhibition I recently curated, from a few weeks back. Well this is an invitation to the closing party. Yes, Sally at Fancy and I enjoyed our first Afternoon Tea so much that we’re doing it again!
Join us for closing shenanigans at Fancy;
1914 2nd Avenue, Seattle
any time between 2-5pm on Saturday the 10th of March. We’ll share some more apple crumble slice and another pot of tea 😉
