Final words about the 1,000 Dolls project:

(and some images too)

Herald-Leader article

We hope to see you again next year. Stay tuned.

Event at Kentucky Theater

Seeing all 1,000 dolls together for the first time in a concrete setting, with the knowledge that they were all present and accounted for- well, that is an amazing feeling, considering the fact that we have touched almost all of them.

At first, some of us were a bit skeptical. One thousand dolls? Really? Is that really going to happen? But then, as we struggled through the sweat shops and long nights, coupled with sing-alongs and frustration and splinters and maybe a bit of blood, it seemed more and more possible with each new wave of wooden dolls and sock creatures.

The culmination of months of work was showcased for us, along with the wider Lexington Community on Wednesday April 7^th (a date which will go down in history as the Day of All Dolls). This tremendous display of communal effort and basic awesomeness represented our over-all pride in our work and the community that supported us. With dolls hailing from Ohio to North Limestone (and maybe some other places- we are not quite sure), we exceeded our goal and displayed the official number of 1,111 dolls.

To the soundtrack of “The Puppy Song” and “Energy,” the rhymes of several local and passionate hip hop artists, and the punk rock renditions of suffragette resistance songs, the Kentucky Theater hummed with activity and delicious cake. People crowded around the doll display, picking out their favorite, no doubt to find at a later, more mysterious date, which will soon be announced… maybe. Depending upon the weather. We were able to give the first of the 1,111 dolls to our earnest mayor, Jim Gray, who opened the event to our varying and equally talented musical acts: Robert Schneider of Apples in Stereo, Sheisty Khrist, Just Me, Divine Kurama, and lastly, The Spooky Qs. And when Schneider invited the younger members of the audience to display their dancing skills on stage, we were only moderately fearful for instrument casualties. However, no violins were lost that night, and we were able to relax and enjoy an excellent slide show of pictures from throughout the semester, put together by the lovely Katie Brewer.

To conclude our slightly silly article, we would like to say that the event at the Kentucky Theater was very much a success. We would also like to present to you a verse from the bottom of our souls, in order to motivate doll- searching.

We made some great dolls

You should go find them out there

Have an adventure

That was our haiku dedicated to the CETA class of 2012 and all those who helped us reach and surpass our goal of 1,000 dolls. The day is coming for you to find your favorite doll. Be prepared.                                            

                                                                                                                               

Love,

Aimee & Stacey

It's That Time Again

We've reached our final TIB submission deadline of the semester. Leave your parting thoughts here.

This I Believe

Essays for week 12 belong in the comments!

TIB # 10

Please post your essays here before class Friday!

Article on Workshops

The Living Arts and Sciences Center was bursting with activity on the morning of March tenth. The Community Engagements Through the Arts class- casually referred to as CETA- was hosting one of its final workshops at the beautiful learning center and the entire first floor was packed with children and their parents, busily sewing socks and buttons and yarn to make some fantastical creatures.  All of these “sock monkeys” will be part of the 1,000 Dolls Project- CETA’s community art piece for the semester.

Alyssa O’Bryan, the student leader of this particular workshop, hurried around threading needles and greeting new arrivals, but when I asked her how she thought the event was going, she took a quick break form her hosting duties to give me her assessment. “Yeah, I think it’s going really well. It has kind of come together perfectly.” With a quick smile, she hastily returned to the task at hand and went to greet a large group parents and children that had just entered through the front door.

           As the weeks go by, I am often asked for a count of the finished dolls, and I have not yet been able to give a definite answer. Thankfully, since the Living Arts and Sciences Center workshop, I am confident that the final goal of 1,000 dolls is drawing near- a goal that the Lexington community is awaiting with excitement. During the workshop, parents and children alike asked me multiple times if I knew what day the dolls would be hidden along North Limestone. Of course I could not give an answer more specific than, “oh…um…. Sometime during the first half of April,” but my vague answers were usually met by an increased interest and intrigued raised eyebrows. Lexington is excited for the 1,000 Dolls of CETA and they will not be disappointed. 

By Aimee Ashcraft

This I Believe

Tell us what you're believing in this week.

TIB whatever-number-we're-on

Post your This I Believe essays in the comments by Friday's class time, and don't forget to check on the photos blog (link in the sidebar) for more fabulous pictures of our class and workshops.

Blog Assignment

Kathleen Burke will be speaking to our class this Wednesday-- please leave your comments/questions about the reading here by noon on that day so she can give thoughtful responses!

TIB 7

This I Believes are due before class Friday.

TIB 6

Its time for a very special This I Believe post-- submit your TIBs inspired by/based on your experience with door-to-door folklore by class on Friday!

TIB 5

Post your This I Believe essays before class on Friday! Can't wait to read them!

TIB 4

Your This I Believe essays are due here before class tomorrow!

Sorry for the lateness; illness is a serious distraction this week.

1000 Dolls: Making Progress

Being a part of Community Engagements through the Arts, or CETA, as we have affectionately been calling it, I have had the opportunity to participate in some of the workshops that help us to reach our goal of making 1000 dolls. Doll, in relationship to these workshops, is a very loose term that invites all sorts of interpretations. I never thought I’d be working in a wood shop, but here I am, sawing away at wooden doll shapes with potentially dangerous power tools. Wooden dolls with paper faces, sock rabbits and snakes and monkeys, and clay dolls will all join ranks in our 1000 doll army.

The first workshop I attended was the one held at the Kid’s Cafe. Children and adults of the community, as well as members of the Lexington Catholic Art Club, attended and were invited to draw what they imagined would fit into pre-drawn shapes. Fueled by cookies and punch, their imaginations produced a slew of varied and creative works of art. Together, we made over 100 designs for dolls at the end of the workshop. All the wood shapes to go with these designs will be cut out by the CETA students themselves.

In another, smaller workshop held at Theo Edmond’s studio home, the CETA class learned how to make dolls out of clay. While a daunting task at first, Dan Selter taught us some easy tricks to making some successful clay figures. “Make them chunky,” he advised. We made over 50 wonderfully unique clay dolls that day. While it was a messy craft, it was too enjoyable to be apprehensive of the feeling of clay beneath your fingernails. As Katie Brewer put it, “I hate clay, but I love this.”

Slowly but surely, we are on our way to 1000 dolls, no matter how skeptical some may feel. I look forward to co-heading the sock monkey making workshop at Mulberry and Lime on Wednesday, February 15th, and making more dolls to reach our goal.

-by Stacey Venneman

Photos & Assignment

The Photos blog has been updated! Click the link on the right hand side of the page to see thrilling photos of our first four weeks of class!

Also, please leave your questions/comments for the guest speaker this week in the comments below!

TIB 3

Your This I Believe essays are due before class Friday, so leave them in the comments!

The class has been hard at work making dolls! Our first workshop was this Saturday at the East Seventh Street Center Kids' Cafe. There's a piece about it here: http://neighborlyway.wordpress.com/2012/01/30/120-of-1000-dolls/#comment-207

Doll Workshops & Leaders

Saturday, January 28: Kids' Cafe, 1-3, led by Kristina H and Tyler

Wednesday, February 1: Common Ground, 4:30-5:30, led by Mindy and Katie

Wednesday, February 15: Mulberry & Lime, 6-8, led by Stacey and Kristina F

Wednesday, February 22: Third Street Stuff, 6-8, led by Stevie and Hanna

Saturday, March 10: Living Arts and Science Center, 10-1, led by Alyssa (and Danny?)

Monday, March 26: Latitude, 10-12, led by Aimee and Julia

TIB 2

Post your This I Believe essays here before class on Friday!

Class Responsibilities

The complete list of course responsibilities:

Blog Manager-- Mindy Borie

Class Minutes-- Julia Jarvis

Contact Information-- Danny Woolums

Thank-you Card Writer-- Hanna Leatherman

Article Writers-- Stacey Venneman and Aimee Ashcraft

Doll Registrars-- Kristina Farr and Kristina Houchins

Social Media Manager-- Tyler Thacker

Campus Media Manager-- Alyssa O'Bryan

Technical Director for the Kentucky Theater-- Katie Brewer

Photographic Documentation-- Kurt Gohde and Kremena Todorova

Publicity for Local Media-- Kurt Gohde and Kremena Todorova

Blog Assignment Week 2

Leave your questions for the speaker in the comments!

This I Believe #01, 2012

Please post your This I Believe essays before class on Friday, January 20th. (:

Blog Assignment #1, 2012

Please post a paragraph-long question in response to the reading for Wednesday's class (Normative Dimensions of Landscape by Rich Schein). Post your question by noon on Wednesday.