A last word

So, as I was writing my concluding paragraph to my Reflection, I realized how much I've gained from this class.  It went by REALLY fast, and at times, I know I felt like I wasn't really learning anything new at all. But in looking back at all of it, and really thoughtfully reflecting on the experiences, I saw that I learned much more than I do from an average AVCE class, just by actually DOING, and being active in the learning process. Since this act of reflection was also a learning experience for me, I wanted to include it in my documentation as my final post.

This process as a whole has shown me many things. I have learned something from every aspect of this class. The most exciting thing for me, is that I learned how gratifying and enjoyable community arts involvement can be. I've been involved in the communities of the demographics Jenna and I chose

to focus on before, but never from within an art-making or art program perspective. I enjoyed it a lot, and look forward to continuing work with BICAS. Because of our involvement with the Armory Park Center, Casey has invited Jenna and I to assist in an oral histories project that BICAS is working on with the Center's seniors, and children of the community. From the scholastic perspective, I have learned a lot about my role as a student and future educator. As students, we can get very caught up in OUR projects, and how WE envision and experience them. In this, we often forget that there are many ways to learn from an experience, and that we will learn the most if we get multiple perspectives on the effectiveness of our ideas. Education is always a two-way street, with two ends to see from. In order to grow as students and as educators , we need to be able to put our feet in both pairs of shoes. 

-sp  

BICAS Auction and Final Reflection

After working for so long on the Pre-Auction on Saturday, December 3, 2011, I arrived on Sunday the 4^th to see the auction in full swing! It was amazing to see so many people, all passionate about BICAS and the Tucson community. I revisited my curated print show to see it rearranged! This was somewhat upsetting, seeing how Kasey and I put so much effort into arranging the print show so that the works would create a nice transition into one another, while being complemented against the colored backgrounds.

It was okay though, everything was still nice, and it seemed that everyone enjoyed the print show regardless. I stayed at the auction long enough to make (and lose) a few bids and worked the show by helping people with questions. I ended up leaving early because I was not feeling well (it was seriously the coldest weekend in Tucson!). I heard however, that it ended nicely, and cooperatively.

In all, I had a blast working with BICAS and with my colleagues in ARE 520. It was such a great experience that really opened up my eyes to the possibilities of community based art education.

THE AUCTION

The auction this past weekend was wonderful. I don't really have any other word for it. Seeing how much certain items went for (ahem, tiny chihuahua sculpture) was so exciting.  Seeing that artists from all over Tucson were donating their work, which also translates to donating time, money, and effort, was super inspiring.  

Everything about the event was wonderful- the space was amazing, everyone knew what they were doing, the acts were great and on time, nothing got damaged (to my knowledge). 

image courtesy of BICAS

I'm not sure what I expected of the Art Auction,  but I know that I did not expect it to go as smoothly as it did.  I think I assumed that it would be this crazy chaotic experience, so when the auction began, and most of us were still just standing around enjoying ourselves, not running around like chickens with our heads cut off, I was surprised.  I don't know what it was exactly that made the night go so well, but whatever it was, I was grateful. I feel really grateful to have been able to be a part of the experience. 

the Auction!

The big event ended up being much bigger than I had imagined it. Sure, it had been talked up to us all through the semester, but actually being there and seeing it all come together was really amazing. The entertainment was fun, the artwork was creative, and the food was spectacular. It was really great to see the community to come together to create such a fun and inspiring pair of evenings.

It felt like the event went very smoothly. It was very cold that weekend but nobody seemed to mind, there was still a huge turnout and everyone was smiling and socializing thoughout the evening. I worked with the caterers in preparing and replenishing food items on their display of creativley cooked local and organic foods, all of which were donated from Tucson Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and other local companies and eateries such as Maynard’s Market on Toole Ave and B-Line on Fourth Ave.

I had a great time walking around and examining the exhibition of locally created art. My favorite pieces were the sculptures, and it turned out that they were many other peoples favorite too. The Chihuahua made of bicycle parts ended up going for $1,400! It was exciting to see that kind of money being raised for BICAS, and it was great to see the community support that is a large part in making the program so successful.

Auction

The week of the auction has come and gone. I really loved the space (minus the frigid aspect of it) and was thrilled to see it full of people. I came by both Saturday and Sunday to help out in the morning. On Saturday I made some magnets for the merchandise table and on Sunday I helped with the bid sheets. On both nights I floated around and tried to help out where I could. I popped into the catering area a bit, but they seemed to have it pretty under control. I bid on a few items and won two! The last thing I did was help close down the bidding with my official red pen.

Great Work Everyone!

I had such an amazing experience in ARE 420 this semester! I learned about the infinite possibilities in art-making using recycled materials. I learned about the value in developing relationships with all types of people in our Tucson community. The most important lesson I take away from the experience is that I really can make a difference in my community, and as a group, BICAS is making a huge difference in many aspects of our community. BICAS helps provide access to transportation for people who need it, they give a voice and a chance to strengthen a sense of community in the gay, lesbian, and transgender population here in Tucson, and they educate all ages on bike construction and safety. My hopes for BICAS this semester are; that the auction party and auction helped to earn funding that can carry the organization through this coming year and beyond, that our class helped to spread the word about BICAS on campus, and students in class will continue to support BICAS in various ways. I hope to see you at my tie dye lesson on January 3rd at BICAS at 4pm! Great work everyone! I am now in love with community-based art and I hope you all feel the same way!

BICAS AUCTION

The auction was so much work, and I loved every minute of it. I love the people who work at BICAS. They are down to earth, generous, dedicated, friendly, respectful, and treat everyone as equals. I wrote several times in my field notes, “Wow, these are the type of people I want to be around.” It was neat how they treated volunteers as though they were part of the BICAS family. I volunteered to decorate the outside of the space with Christmas lights with Alicia. They showed us where the lights were and let us go to work. I loved how they trusted us to figure things out and let us do it how we wanted. Not being micromanaged made me feel like I was actually helping and part of the team. Members from BICAS that I had not met introduced themselves and sincerely thanked me for helping.

The auction itself was so busy, and it was a great opportunity to meet people from the community and work with the people in BICAS. I want to volunteer to work the auction every year. What a wonderful experience!

BICAS Audioscape

This is an audio piece I created both for BICAS to potentially use in some way and to explore the organization, what the offer, and who they serve.

I was interested in this project because I was attracted to the variety of noises that happen in the BICAS workshop -- so much metal, so many interesting people talking about interesting things as they create and repair, and of course the train that runs close by. Part of what I found interesting about this is that bicycles by their nature are really so quiet compared to the rest of the world they occupy. The wheels click, maybe there's a bell, maybe it squeaks. Take them apart, however, and suddenly they're wind chimes, clothing, chihuahuas.

Collecting interviews was easy for the most part. I knew I wanted to create a piece that was informative so it would be useful, but I also wanted it to sound interesting and different. I asked all interviewees the same questions. Of course Casey from BICAS had the most elaborate, informative and correct answers, so hers founded the roots of the work.

Arranging sounds and music was the hard part. I am usually a pretty quick learner, but dealing with computers while trying to learn something new and complicated always presents some problems. I used a program called Nuendo. At first I wasn't hearing the audio files completely -- they would drop off in inconsistent places. It turned out my computer was not hefty enough to run the program. My husband's computer was, however, and Nuendo is a lot easier and less frustrating when it's running properly on a large enough machine. Still, the learning curve was steep, and that was something I should have anticipated before choosing to do something unfamiliar for a project.

I'm glad that I did, however. I am looking forward to practicing more so that I can create more professional-sounding and even-toned works. I still have a lot to learn. This work is half my ideas and half what the computer would allow me to do. It is definitely a crooked doghouse that I made here.

I learned quite a bit from this experience, outside of sound engineering, and I think that some of my impressions come through in this piece.

Art for the Auction

The art auction was so amazing I could not believe the turn out of visitors it had, as well as the quantity of art the exhibition pulled together. I actually had a lot of fun contributing my time to BICAS this semester, especially with the donation of my art. In which my first piece was a wind chime I had created at a workshop, which was conducted by a university graduate student. It was such a fun workshop and the result was astonishing, because it was basically constructed with small bike pieces tied together with fish wire, and anchored by a cassette which was then hung with a bike tube. The result was beautiful, I almost wanted to keep it but I eventually thought it would be best donated to the auction. My sister and fiancé also joined me at this workshop, in which they as well donated their wind chimes to the auction. In addition to my wind chime I also created two paintings using acrylic base paints, and incorporated bicycle theme to them. This auction had so many talented artists who displayed such creative art, It was one of the most entertaining art exhibition I have ever been to.

16th Annual BICAS Art Auction

As our semester-long collaboration with BICAS comes to a close I am amazed at success of their 16th Annual Art Auction. It was an immense pleasure working alongside such a talented group of university students and BICAS staff, and I cannot begin to thank everybody enough for the experience. The process of this partnership ended up being as exciting and rewarding as the actual event, and I am proud of the contributions from my group and the entire class.

I was there to assist at noon on Saturday, December 3rd for the 'preview party.' I wasn't assigned to one specific task, but instead I shifted to wherever my help was needed the most in any given moment. As a result of this dynamic, I was able to experience a variety of art auction preparations and responsibilities; which included: organization of merchandise, labeling of merchandise, street sign placement, establishing and blocking off hazardous portions of the property etc.

The acrobatic, comedic and musical performances both nights were lovely; and the food was delicious! Although this may seem like a minute detail for some, the fact that the food was labeled 'vegan, gluten free, vegetarian' etc. was so helpful and considerate, especially coming from somebody who is allergic to gluten. I also have a passion (complete understatement) for local, organic and sustainable food and was beyond thrilled to hear that the ingredients for the dishes were provided by the Food Conspiracy Coop and Sleeping Frog Farms! I have strong ties with both.

Ultimately, a University of Arizona professor took home my group's community-based, bottle cap project for $50! I'm so excited to know its making its home on our campus.

I'm so thankful for community programs such as these, and that Tucsonans are as supportive and willing to raise awareness by either donating artwork, volunteering for the auction, buying auction pieces, or working behind-the-scenes etc. I plan on continuing my friendship with BICAS and cannot wait for next year's art auction! Thanks again to everybody!

Filming the Auction

The art auction was a lot of fun I enjoyed helping Leon with his filming project. For both nights I walked around and filmed interesting aspects of the auction. I was really surprised how many people were at the event and I can't wait to see the video!

the art auction!!

The art auction was a really fun. I showed up at noon both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday was fun because I got some experience hanging up and helping to put together the show. I hung up some photos which had it's moments of sucking because I smacked my thumb when a hammer about four times (same thumb) and I hung some Christmas lights with Amy for the kids corner. I had to leave an hour before the show started because I had my own art gallery opening that started at 5. I only stayed at this opening for an hour due to I had to return to the auction because I had signed up for greeting people at the doorway. Greeting people at the doorway was a cold job that after two hours I was happy that I could move. On Sunday again at noon I went to hang bid sheets. I liked this day because once the auction started I could really see who was going after what and how much the prices were going up. Also I would stroll to make artwork that I had entered to see how much that was going for. during the auction I had a fun time watching that guy with the sewing machine.

The auction is over and so is the semester! With food, drink, live music, acrobats, juggling, and so much more, left my head spinning at the end of the night. Everyone was so happy and energetic. I hope everyone got to bring something home with them. I won a lovely piece of art made by one of our classmates that I am proud to display. The picture I am posting is of a unique artist who uses a sewing machine powered by a rechargable battery. The battery is charged by his bicycle. Every piece created by the artist is free handed, no tracing or guides are ever used. 100% of his profits made at whistle stop were donated to BICAS. I wish I could tell you his name, but he never gave it to me. His card says P.NOSA and you can check him out at www.pnosa.com. I have learned a lot from this experience about art communities and I feel as though I have made a connection. I hope all of you continue your involvement and support with BICAS. Have a great winter break and I will see you in spring!

What a success!

All of our hard work has paid off and the auction is complete! During the day Saturday we helped with the lighting outside of Whistle Stop, decorating with Christmas lights all around the porch and entryway. That night we went back for the opening, and Downi and I assisted with the merchandise table, which gave me an opportunity to speak with Kylie about her previous experience working with BICAS and their auction. Last year, which was one of their biggest years, brought in $14,000 so I can only hope that we were able to help bring in at least that much this year! I also was able to interact with many of the guests, which was a great experience to find out more about the variety of people that are familiar with BICAS or who had just seen a poster or ad and decided to stop by. It helped answer my question about the how a community resource like BICAS is sustainable when they cater to such a large variety of populations. From the bike community, artists, the neighborhood around Whistle Stop and BICAS, families and of course the UA community, there is a wide range of populations that take advantage of what they have to offer and the auction was proof of this. It's also clear that the staff care deeply about what they do, and really enjoy it and interacting with the community.
After having had the chance to help out with the auction once before, I can honestly say that I felt this time was much more rewarding. With the change in the structure of the class and also the way we work with BICAS, mostly thanks to Casey acting as a liason, there was a better opportunity for our class to help with what needed to be accomplished. It also informed some of my questions regarding the partnership between a university and community art program, proving that when done right, it can be extremely beneficial to both parties.

Making Art

I wanted to try something I have never done before, so I made Christmas ornaments. Tuscon has so much flavor and identity, and I wanted to pull that into my designs. I was going for something that represented the desert and the age of the city.



I have had so much fun learning about and getting involved with BICAS. I called some friends back home and asked them to make some cards to donate to the auction as well. It was really neat to get others involved in BICAS too.

BICAS Art Auction - Huge Success!

For the BICAS art auction, my father and I created pieces for the auction and I volunteered to help with the auction; specifically setting up the bid sheets for the day of the auction.

Setting up the bid sheets for that night’s auction

            In helping with the auction, there was one thing I noticed about how it was run that reflects how BICAS functions as a whole; there was not one single person that seemed to be in charge. All the BICAS employees knew what had to be done and how it was to be done, so I could go up to any one of them and ask if I could help with something. When I arrived to set up the bid sheets, I was a little confused at first because I felt like an outsider coming into an already running machine. However, I found that everyone was open to some suggestions I had to setting up the sheets. Overall, it seemed like the processes in setting up the auction are ever changing and ever experimenting to find the best possible way to set things up and that depends on the new perspectives people bring.

Early on the night of the auction.

            The night went smoothly and I heard a lot of positive feedback from the attendees. There were a lot of impressive pieces and I had to stop myself from bidding on everything myself! Overall, I think the auction was a huge success. However, I would have liked to have learned about anything that didn’t work or any improvements BICAS wants to make for next year’s auction. I think that sort of information would help us grow and improve our understanding on how events like this function. 

Art Auction

The art auction was such a great success, I really didn’t know what to expect but I was really impressed by the final presentation. I especially love the display of art, so nicely placed and spaced out enough, to give each individual artist their recognition. I was also amazed with all the finished pieces it was amazing to see all the talent willing to donate their work for a good cause. The performers were also a nice contribution to the auction as well, I’ve never been to such a fun art exhibition.
I was primarily helping at the kids corner, in which the lead volunteer was Ms. Hansel. I assisted her on helping the kids draw and assemble bike puppets. The puppets were paper prints of a basic bike design that was then glued on a piece of cart board cut the same shape as the bike. The kids would then color the bikes, and after we would add spokes to the end of them creating a puppet. After the children finished coloring their bike they then could create a drawing on the wall which was lined with paper. We basically gave them the idea to draw a landscape, roads or trails of where they would ride their bikes. The kids had so much fun drawing trails on the walls, and creating their bike puppets.

Rain Boots

Last weekend blew by with the wind and the rain and I have very little to show for it...no pictures, no merchandise that I from the hip BICAS auction; in fact, I am not even sure what the turn out was. What I can say is that I enjoyed setting up the merch table with Vicki, and seeing how everything is arranged for such a grand event. I was interested in how prices were determined for items that were for sale out right, and not bid on. I was also curious to see if the donations that Vicki and were pricing would sell, as well as if the items that I donated would raise some money for BICAS. Sadly, these questions were not answered.

When setting up the merch table, I noticed that no one had signed up to work the parking lot in the evening. So Vicki and I wrote our names, not thinking about the possibility of the rain forecast.

The most fun I had was working the parking lot in the rain with flashlight, umbrellas and rain boots. Tucson is so rarely cold and rainy, that one must soak it up whenever possible! Vicki and I worked the Saturday event to make sure that cars were parked in an organized fashion. It was dark, cold, wet, and muddy...so I prepared myself with two pairs of socks, my trusty red galoshes, my leopard print wool coat, a striped umbrella, and two flashlights, and we worked the parking lot.

The lot had a steady stream of traffic, despite the weather, and people were gracious about the mud, and having to park in the back of the lot.

My boss, was also gracious the following night. He commented how he lives across the street from the Whistle Stop Depot and realized that I was working instead of being present at the auction. Which leads me back to my original quandary of not knowing how the whole event turned out. From what I have read, it was an all-in-all success.

ART AUCTION~ WONDERFUL NIGHT!

Finally, the art auction successful celebrate last week in the Whistle-Stop which is really amazing building . On Saturday, it was raining and frozen outside but still full of people inside. When I arrive there all art works organized ready there, everything is dazzling. It is an amazing night that with delicious food, wonderful performance and music. Everything is perfect!!

On the Sunday night, I am helping with the kids corner, while, they can do free drawing, they can coloring or make bicycle art craft. Kids are so exciting to make a bicycle and free drawing, they did really great job!!

It was a great experience to participate in this event. So thankful and enjoy in it~

Whistle Stops for BICAS Art Auction

This past weekend all of our hard work was brought together into the concluding Annual Art Auction for BICAS...and I do believe it was a success! 

 I had a really wonderful time volunteering to help the catering team. http://www.monsoonkitchen.net/ They were such a lovely group of people who had put in a lot of hard work to get the food prepared for the event. For this lover of food, it was the perfect place to be! Working together with a few other volunteers, we were able to transform a corner of the Whistle Stop Depot into an eclectic buffet style arrangement with several food options. I was impressed that they had taken so much care in considering different food allergies or dietary preferences when putting together their menu. Once again, I found myself really enjoying the opportunity to connect with new people and engage in conversation with my Tucson community. I had a blast learning about the caterers themselves and how they had gotten started in their little business. There's something really beautiful that happens when you show up with two hands and a willing, eager attitude to help... I feel blessed to have experienced the fruits of this with the people I met through BICAS.

Our very own Shawna presenting the fruits of our labor

Some of the food that was offered for the public to enjoy! 

Overall, the weekend was a success! We had an incredible location, a fantastic team of hard working volunteers, a wide variety of artists and artwork from around Tucson itself, a spectacular turnout of attendees, a range of talented musicians and performers, and numerous others who contributed to the success of the event.