Hot wing...

We now have chickens...4 of them. This is Hot Wing, and her sisters are named Pecker, Mrs. Twit, and Fluffy (aka Napoleon). Can you tell that Kicky and EZ E named them? We spent most of the weekend cleaning the yard and getting their coop ready, which made us realize how woefully out of shape we are. My arms ache, but our yard looks so much better. We cut down a bunch of brush between the trees by our shed and made a garden map. It was fabulous to sit outside and make a list of the projects we hope to accomplish this Spring/Summer. First on the list (besides 4 little chickens in a coop): barn roof and electric. That before/after is going to feel amazing! Yesterday I sat in the yard just staring at the barn, imagining a functioning space with art studios and a party loft (sort of like this). Exciting!      

Before and after...

I know how much ya'll love a good before/after and I happen to find this one particularly inspiring. Here's the story...Tioga County Council on the Arts (where I work) is located in the heart of downtown historic Owego, NY. Our building was constructed in 1870 and was originally occupied by a bank. The Arts Council bought the building fourteen years ago and folks have worked really hard to bring it back to life. Unfortunately, as I've mentioned before, Owego, along with many surrounding communities, was devastated by a flood in 2011. As a result, the Arts Council lost their classroom and storage space. Thanks to many generous donors and grants (and a lot of elbow grease), that space has been beautifully renovated and this is it! 

As you can see from the before photos (see bottom of this post), the walls were covered in paneling, the floors were covered in (stinky) burnt orange carpeting, and there was a drop ceiling. Once all of that was removed, Brian Kennedy Contracting repointed all of the stone and brick and Ken Luby painted the floors and ceiling. Our furnace was moved to the first floor and flood-resistant wiring was installed throughout. 

I love this old Arts Council sign painted on glass and couldn't resist hanging it up as a nod to our past...

Even the stairway looks so much better! 

and now it's accessible...

Let's take a look at the before photos (afters on the right). I made an attempt to take the after photos from the same angle. Yikes...

A low railing took the place of a wall...

This is the pair of photos that really knocks it home for me. 

Now it's the perfect space for workshops and meetings. We have a full line-up of Spring workshops- click here for more information. Pretty fabulous, eh? 

Haphazardly lazy...

Sunday was haphazardly lazy (I mean that in the best possible way). The day was all about taking care of wooden spoons, watering neglected plants... 

   

playing in the dollhouse...

   

finding strange collections...

and building forts...

It was just what we needed!     

Spring-ish...

I thought I'd do a little round-up of past Easter-ish posts. We don't really celebrate Easter per se, so I was a little surprised to find that I've shared so many Easter-related posts. The photo above of EZ E (post here) is my absolute favorite photo of him thus far. He truly rocked that carrot boutonniere. The drawing that Shelley Weber made from that photo is one of my most valued treasures.

I broke out the carrot garland last week. The post is here. I'm working on a garland of other fruits and vegetables that I'll share soon.

My minimalist bunny post is here. I made the peg people to fit inside those fabulously shiny eggs. I'll be filling the exact same buckets with treats this weekend.

My silly plastic canvas rabbit mask is here. One of my very favorite bloggers- Chiara Alberetti Milott- won that mask and shared her post here. I obsessively check her blog every.single.day. She's super talented.

My puff painted eggs are here- they received some hilariously snarky comments on a random Yahoo Shine post. People are crazy. Too funny!

Any plans for Easter? What about Spring? I just want to get lost in the garden and for my hands to smell like dirt. I'm thinking about planting morning glories again this year. I've been feeling really uninspired and overwhelmed lately- the Northeast is always rough this time of year, I suppose. I seriously need to snap out of this funk. Anyone else feeling it? UGH. I really, really miss you all. xo, Abbey

Square...

We went to a square dance this weekend for work. I used to have to square dance in highschool, but I've never been to an actual dance put on by anyone other than my gym teacher, who we all adored, in part, because he would sing along to all of the songs. A square dance that I actually had to help organize, though? That's unchartered territory, my friends, and frankly, I was a little nervous. Thanks to a Folk Arts grant, the Arts Council has been putting on these dances for about 15 years. We have 5 square & round dances scheduled in Tioga County this year (click here for more details). I was curious to see what it would be like- who would come, where the dance would be, what the music would be like, etc. 

We had so much fun! The dance was held in a gorgeous old community center in Berkshire, New York. Originally built in 1932, it had been abandoned for 55 years. About 15 years ago, a group of people got together to save the building and to create a space for their community to gather once again. They built a new foundation, refinished the wood walls, floors, and ceilings (stunning!), replaced the heating system, etc. They're still working to restore the stage and make new curtains, along with several other projects. It was the perfect setting for a dance. The outer edge of the room was lined with vintage chairs and hay bales to sit on...

EZ E and Kicky ran around while they waited for the dance to start. The building had been used as a gym for a highschool before the school was torn down. The floors still have the telltale markings of a gymnasium.

In fact, the space is once again being used for basketball games. The windows have a protective layer of chicken wire to keep basketballs from crashing through. 

All of the light fixtures were protected by these fabulous, original metal cages. 

The ceiling was unbelievably gorgeous.

Here's the handmade basketball hoop at one end of the building. The stage was on the opposite end. 

Kicky and EZ E hung out on the chairs and talked about how they should've worn cowboy boots.

I was really surprised by how many people came to dance. At one point I counted 58 people, which seemed like a lot for a Saturday night in a rural little town. I loved watching the windows steam up while people danced and laughed.  

The variety of boots made me feel like we were in Texas! Check out those fancy red boots...

It was hard to take photos because everyone was moving so fast. 

This is the outside of the Berkshire Community Center. I was so impressed by their commitment to save this building and keep a place for members of their community to be together. I know it sounds cynical, but sometimes I feel like authenticity isn't easy to come by-  it can be astonishingly refreshing, particularly when you're least expecting it. Singing along to the band playing Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline songs and watching a genuinely enthusiastic audience spin and laugh and whisper and try...it was lovely.            

Spring...

Our snowbells have arrived. Thank goodness because I am SO ready for Spring. I just want to be outside digging in the dirt. You?

Big event...

I'm helping to organize an event at work and would love for YOU to participate! Feel free to spread the news and let me know if you have any questions. Here's the scoop...

Tioga County Council on the Arts is thrilled to announce a new collaborative art event called artfully SQUARED. Artfully SQUARED is open to creatives of all ages and skill levels. Here's how it works: use ANY medium to make a piece that measures 7" square, donate your artwork to Tioga County Council on the Arts (TCCA), and then come see the exhibition and buy original artwork for your walls! All artworks will be exhibited in TCCA's ArtSpace Gallery during the entire month of April and each piece will be available to purchase for $20. In addition to our regular weekly gallery hours, TCCA will be open 10 am - 5 pm on Saturdays for the whole month of April. There is no fee to enter and all proceeds will benefit the programs at Tioga County Council on the Arts . Submissions have already started coming in- we'll be sharing them here soon. Click here for an entry form. We can't wait to see what YOU make!

Positive change...

Time has been just spinning by over the past few months. I'm still trying to adjust to a full-time work schedule and, as I'm sure you've noticed, haven't quite figured out how to fit everything in. After five years of posting every single weekday, I'm entering my sixth year of blogging rather quietly and that feels a bit odd. I do miss this space, but precious time with Kicky, EZ E, and PRH trumps blogging (as it should). As director of Tioga County Council on the Arts, I've also been meeting a lot of interesting people and have started to feel more like part of a community offline. We're planning a lot of exciting projects, including a big art event in April (more on that soon) and a new Arts Council website. It feels like I'm participating in something that will make a difference. This quote from Katrina Rodabaugh is hanging above my desk at work:

"I believe that creative collaboration leads to vibrancy that ultimately creates positive social change."

I couldn't agree more and have been working hard to facilitate that idea. It's been really fabulous! I hope you're all doing well, too.  

Btw, I may be quiet in this space, but I do have a few personal projects kicking around here and here. xo, Abbey

Open House POSTPONED...

Thanks a lot, snow.

Valentines...

I'm a big fan of Valentine's Day- any day devoted specifically to telling people that you love them is alright in my book. The babes and I worked on their classroom valentines yesterday. We tried to offset some of the chocolaty, flower-delivered, commercial madness with our messy, little homemade gifts, inspired by the valentines on this board. I'll share photos tomorrow! The valentine above is from this series of projects.

interwoven:: make: thread: craft: art

Aren't these studio shots inspiring? I don't know about you, but every February I feel like I could use a creative shot of sorts. Who better to come to our rescue than artists Katrina Rodabaugh and Lisa Solomon?! These super creative ladies have created a textile-based online course called INTERWOVEN:: make : thread : craft : art.

INTERWOVEN will guide students in four techniques over four weeks, with each week focused on a different textile project. What I love about online courses like this is that you can work at your own pace. The private website will be available all day, every day, from the first day of class on February 4 through April 30.

Lisa and Katrina describe it best: "The course is designed with the beginner crafter and the experienced artist in mind. It aims to offer everyone a supportive creative community, daily inspired prompts, thorough tutorials, personal feedback, insider tips for tools & resources, and inspiration to nail the basics AND take these projects to the next level."

Sounds awesome, right? Click here to sign up. Lisa and Katrina are offering a special 10% discount to Aesthetic Outburst readers. Just use the code 'JOINUS' at checkout.