2017-12 5enses by 5enses

DECEMBER 2017 | VOLUME 5, ISSUE 12 | 5ENSESMAG.COM

5enses

Russ Chappell

takes heed not to make ducks and drakes of a rare visitor to local lakes

Robert Blood

sculpts and scopes new abstracts and bronzes at Sean Goté Gallery

Terry Nolan

talks about wearing the red suit and enjoys some well-wishing testimonials

James Dungeon

talks stories and storied talks at the Smoki Museum’s storytellers event

Justin Agrell

makes a pixel-perfect leap of logic and discusses video games as art

Peregrine Book Co. staﬀ

Chad Castigliano

Alan Dean Foster

Robert Blood

closes the books on 2017 with yet another sterling set of staﬀ selections

illustrates a ﬁne example of the ways in which we frame picturesque art

Reva Sherrard

ascends from the depths of (re-) vengeful goddesses and evens the odds

James Dungeon

perks up and artfully wishes for a community art show at Method Coﬀee

Ty Fitzmorris

winters over in the wilds and bares the barrens of our frosty forests

The Winter Photography Exhibit at ’Tis

Showing now through Christmas

Listed & noted Arizona artists

pictures whimsical fun and wishes everyone a happy holiday season trolls the internet and discovers “Dr. Wanker’s Short Adventures”

Tally Ho, Trismegistus!

From giallo to gelato, everything’s fair game in comics by Clay Smith

Here & (T)here

Bronzesmith Fine Art Foundry

including works by ... Kim Obrzut, Larry Yazzie & Oreland Joe

Sean Gote´ Gallery

4 16 5 17 6 18 7 19 21 10 11 4 12 8/9 14 22

indicates a native plant that’s as close to home as the bark to a tree

702 West Gurley • 928-445-2233 • Open Tue.-Sat., 11-6

Allen A. Dutton

In which: Mara Trushell

Publisher & Editor: Nicholas DeMarino Copy Editor: Reva Sherrard Featured Contributors: Alan Dean Foster, Ty Fitzmorris, Reva Sherrard, & Russell Miller Staﬀ Writers: Justin Agrell, Robert Blood, Russ Chappell, James Dungeon, & Mara Trushell

Discover events in and around Prescott and not-but-near Prescott

Oddly Enough

Smart, quirky comics about the strange but true by Russell Miller

COVER: Images from Method Coffee’s annual “Wish Board” community art project. Courtesy images. Find out more on P. 12.

by Prescott Area Photographers December 21, 2017 thru January 23 , 2018 4th Friday Art Walk Reception December 22, 5:00 – 7 :00 PM

In the ‘Tis Art Center Main Gallery 105 S. Cortez St. Prescott www.TisArtGallery.com

[.xob eht edistuo kniht ]

WWW.SUMMERSDANCEWORKS.COM 928-583-7277 • 805 Miller Valley Road Ages 18 months to adult

5ENSESMAG.COM • DECEMBER 2017 • CONTENTS • 3

Plant of the Month

Arizona Cypress Photo by Mara Trushell.

By Mara Trushell 617 Miller Valley Rd 928-515-0006 mobilityprousa @gmail.com

upressus arizonica (Arizona cypress) is the only native species of cypress in the United States and is an indicator of past environmental conditions. This relatively fast-growing, large tree is a common addition to urban landscapes (as wind breaks, erosion control, and landscape ornamentals) and can be spotted throughout the Southwest. Native populations, however, are sparse within Arizona. For example, there is a beautiful and dense population on the south side of Arizona 260 as you travel through the canyons between Payson and Pine. Stemming from the interior of Mexico, native Cupressus arizonica populations are scattered through the sky islands of southern Arizona and continue throughout the Prescott, Tonto, and Coconino National forests. These populations are tucked in drainages and sheltered mountain slopes from 3,000-7,500 feet with varying growth-forms inﬂuenced by the immediate environment.

upressus arizonica has been documented to grow anywhere from 15 to 90 feet tall. Their form begins as conical but diverges to broad and variable with age. Fragrant (when crushed), scalelike needles that are gray to blue-green spread across dense branches. This monecious species (males and female reproductive parts occur on separate individuals) have been recorded with male and/ or female cone development from November to March. The female cones are relatively large (10-25 mm) and resin-covered, each consisting of four to eight scales that hold and protect seeds until dispersed. Male cones are inconspicuous prior to maturity, when yellow pollen is released for fertilization. C. arizonica has a red-brown-gray trunk that, with age, develops peeling bark and becomes furrowed. Next time you ﬁnd yourself navigating interior chaparral slopes, exploring semidesert grassland drainages, or enjoying a rich riparian system, keep an eye out for Cypressus arizonica, a truly majestic species, whether a single massive tree or a smaller charismatic growth within its native environment. ***** Mara Trushell is a local natural science enthusiast and board member of The Arizona Native Plant Society. ***** Clay Smith is an inveterate absurdist with an ear for cognitive dissonance, an eye for Italian horror movies, and a taste for jalapeño bacon. You can reach him at ClayIsNapping@Gmail.Com.

4 • FEATURE • DECEMBER 2017 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

Bird of the Month

Surf Scoter

By Russ Chappell

FROM LEFT: A female Surf Scoter, photo by Walt Anderson; a male Surf Scoter, photo by Alan D. Wilson, Creative Commons 2.5.

juvenile Surf Scoter was recently spotted at Watson Lake along the shore northeast of the boat dock near Arizona 89. This surface-diving duck is classified as an accidental, winter visitor in Carl Tomoff ’s “Birds of Prescott, Arizona Checklist.” “Surfers” migrate from Canadian and Alaskan breeding grounds to the coasts of North America during the winter, feeding on mollusks, crustaceans, aquatic insects, small fish, and vegetation, like aquatic weeds, wild celery, musk grass, and seeds. They usually feed in water less than 10 meters deep, near breaking waves, with flocks diving in a synchronized fashion. Dive duration varies depending on prey density, season, and water depth.

***** Visit Prescott Audubon Society at PrescottAudubon.Org. Contact them at Contact@PrescottAudubon.Org. Russ is a member of the Prescott Audubon Society and enjoys photographing and studying the large number of species in our region, and learning to be a better steward of our beautiful natural resources.

dult male Surf Scoters weigh about 2.3 lbs and average 19 inches in length, with females 2 lbs and 17 inches. Males are a velvet black with white on their foreheads and napes, with thick bills that appear orange at a distance but have white, red, and yellow spots, with a black spot near the base. Females are brownish, becoming lighter towards their bellies. There are paler patches below their eyes and occasional white markings on their napes. The bills of females are black with shades of green or blue. Juveniles appear similar to females but are paler with whitish breasts and bellies. Displaying little vocalization, males make a gurgling call and a sharp pukpuk while courting. Females make a crow-like call while protecting their young. Annually, Surf Scoters experience a complete body molt, becoming increasingly vulnerable to predators as they lose flight feathers around late July through early August. Most Surf Scoters are faithful partners and meet prior to arrival at the breeding grounds. Females build bowl-shaped nests in the ground, lined with debris and down, and lay five to nine creamy white eggs. Incubation is about a month. Immediately upon hatching, fledglings begin feeding themselves. Abandoned before they are able to fly, fledglings congregate in small groups. During migration, they travel as a group separate from adults. Many young don’t return to breeding grounds until reaching breeding age. Their large range and population of between 250,000 and 1,300,000 earns Surf Scoters the status of Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation.

his is a good time to visit Watson Lake, say hello to this rare visitor, add it to your “list,” and perhaps take a photo to share at a PAS meeting. Or, in the meantime, you may enjoy several related videos via the Prescott Audubon website. Happy birding!

5ENSESMAG.COM • DECEMBER 2017 • FEATURE • 5

A class of their own

Sean Goté Gallery hangs Dutton abstracts & local bronzes

By Robert Blood he name Allen A. Dutton should ring a bell. His black-and-white photography of Arizona landscapes and surreal photo montages are — platitudes be damned — vibrant, vital, and evocative. Despite a plethora of shows and works in other mediums, you may not have had the chance to see his abstract painting work or his ﬂeeting but masterful bronze work. Now through the end of 2017, though, you can remedy that thanks to a show at Sean Goté Gallery. And, while you’re there, why not take in some of the jaw-droppingly masterful bronzes of Bronzesmith Fine Art foundry and Gallery. The “Bronzesmith Collection,” which runs alongside the Dutton show, features foundry proofs by the likes of Kim Obrzut, Larry Yazzie, and Oreland Joe, among others. To put it mildly, it’s a heck of a pairing. ***** Visit Sean Goté Gallery at 702 W. Gurley St., 928-445-2323, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, SeanGote.Com. The Allen A. Dutton and Bronzesmith Fine Art Foundry and Art Gallery show hangs through the end of 2017. Find out more at BronzesSmith.Com. Robert Blood is a Mayer-ish-based freelance writer and ne’er-do-well who’s working on his last book, which, incidentally, will be his ﬁrst. Contact him at BloodyBobby5@Gmail.Com.

6 • FEATURE • DECEMBER 2017 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: Bronze statues by Larry Yazzie via Bronzesmith Fine Art Foundry, bronze statues by Oreland Joe via BFAF, abstract painting by Allen A. Dutton, and “Eve Tree” bronze statue. Courtesy images.

Peregrine Book Co.

Staff picks

Drag Review A New Year’s

Catered by Reva Sherrard “Architecture on the Carpet” By Brenda & Robert Vale This is deﬁnitely not a book for everyone because it’s focused on a single subject. However, to this reader, it’s absolutely fascinating to see the comparison between the birth of construction toys and modern architecture. ~Joe “Weird Love” By Clizia Gussoni & Craig Yoe It’s diﬃcult to describe why I found myself drawn to the point of obsession with this series of comics. They read like strange soap operas from the 1950s. It’s absurd kitsch. I guess they just feel like home to me. ~Joe Mystifyingly absorbing and entertaining vignettes of some truly weird loves indeed. I’ve had many an incredulous laugh over these satisfyingly pulpy bits. ~Reva “The White Road” By Edmund de Waal A thorough examination of porcelain’s long history and beauty, and how it has enchanted cultures for years. ~Lacey “Coming to my Senses” By Alice Waters With language that is straightforward and simple, it doesn’t take long to realize Alice Waters is sharp, witty, and brave. ~Lacey “Down and Out in Paris and London” By George Orwell With rebellious clarity,

Orwell’s reflections on the reality of extreme poverty in Paris and London are both sobering and graphic. ~Lacey “The Book of the Cat” By Angus Hyland Famous artists show some love for our furry friends. My new favorite book. ~Susannah Exquisite, witty, reverent renderings of cats in their manifold poses and moods: languorous, intent, self-contained, poised, bemused, radiantly blissful, politely dubious. A miniature treasury of fine art classic and modern, essential for every person blessed with the good taste and fortune to enjoy the company of cats. ~Reva “City on Fire” By Garth Risk Hallberg This novel, Hallberg’s first, is stellar. I marveled at the beauty of his sentences, fell in love with his characters, and didn’t want it to end. Well worth the commitment! ~Ty “A Plague of Giants” By Kevin Hearne Did you enjoy the Iron Druid series by Mr. Hearne? Or have you not read him before? Well, either way, buy this book. ~Jon Kevin Hearne writes sheer candy for all lovers of myth, RPGs (D&D, anyone?), clever action-packed fantasy, and wisecracking dogs. Fun, violent, and solidly grounded in world mythology. ~Reva

***** Visit Peregrine Book Company at PeregrineBookCompany.Com and 219A N. Cortez St., Prescott, 928-445-9000.

@ Thumb Butte Distillery

400 N. Washington Ave., Prescott $20 @ NewYearsEveDrag.Bpt.Me $25 door

Hosted by the beautiful plus-size Barbie Aimee V Justice

TRAX Records 234 S. Montezuma St. 928-830-9042

Turntables & quick special orders Buy/Sell/Trade new & used vinyl & CDs

Commission-free gallery space at Method Coffee in 2018

art 3180 Willow Creek Road inquire via Facebook

Call for

5ENSESMAG.COM • DECEMBER 2017 • FEATURE • 7

Here & (T)here

Find out what's happening in and around Prescott Talks & presentations

Jewelry workshop • 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2: Beading and craft designer Katie Hacker hosts a free jewelry workshop. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000, PeregrineBookCompany.Com)

“Native Roads: A Pictorial Guide to the Hopi & Navajo Nations” •5-6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 7: Jim Turner discusses the trading posts, prehistoric sites, and geological wonders of the Four Corners region. (Prescott Public Library, 215 E. Goodwin St., 928777-1500, PrescottAstronomyClub.Org)

“Have a Local Christmas!” • Noon-4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9: The ﬁfth-annual gathering of local artisans at Peregrine Book Co. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-4459000, PeregrineBookCompany.Com)

Nature, health, & outdoors

LAN party • 10 a.m. -10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2 : Play multiplayer computer games like “Killing Floor" & “Rocket League.” A monthly Prescott PC Gamers Group Event. (Step One Coﬀee House, 6719 E. Second St., Ste. C, Prescott Valley, PPCGG.Com, $10)

Jay's Bird Barn bird walks • 8 a.m. Dec. 8, 14, & 23: Local, guided bird walks. Via Jay's Bird Barn. (Jay’s Bird Barn, No. 113, 1046 Willow Creek Road, 928-443-5900, Jays BirdBarn.Com, RSVP)

Live antique auction •9 a.m. viewing, 11 a.m. auction Saturday, Dec. 9: Auction including Navajo rugs, furniture, handmade quilts, Kachinas/Katsinas, and more. (Batterman's Auctions, 400 W. Gurley St., Battermans.Com)

“The Monkey Wrench Gang” • 8:30 a.m. Friday, Dec. 15: Discuss a classic and controversial novel by Edward Abbey. A monthly Natural History Institute Book Club meeting. (Natural History Institute, 126 N. Marina St., NaturalHistoryInstitute.Org)

Democratic Women of Prescott Area fundraising holiday party • 5-8 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10: Fundraising party event including cash bar, buﬀet, silent auction, music, and dancing. RSVP via Info@DemWomenPrescottAZ.Com or 626-340-7060. (Hassayampa Inn Marina Room, 122 E. Gurley St., $50)

homemade cookies. Free for members. (Smoki Museum, 147 N. Arizona Ave., 928-445-1230, SmokiMuseum.Org, $6-$7)

Prescott Valley Farmers' Market • 3-6 p.m. Tuesdays, November-April: Weekly farmers' market featuring local food and much more. (Harkins Theatres parking lot, Glassford Hill Road and Park Avenue, PrescottFarmersMarket.Org) Prescott Winter Farmers' Market • 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays, November-April: Weekly farmers' market featuring local food and much more. (Yavapai Regional Medical Center Pendleton Center parking lot, 930 Division St., PrescottFarmersMarket.Org)

Groups & games

“The Greatest Story Ever Told — So Far” • 8-9 p.m. Monday, Dec. 11: Award-winning theoretical physicist, and New York Times bestselling author Dr. Lawrence Krauss holds a brief-butspectacular after-hours event. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000, PeregrineBookCompany.Com) COURTESY PHOTO.

An Evening with Red Hawk • 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16: Author and poet Red Hawk discuses “Return to Mother: A Lover's Handbook,” his collection of poetic commentaries on Lao Tsu's “Tao Te Ching.” (Lotus Bloom Yoga Studio, 777 W. Hillside Ave.)

Storytellers at Smoki • 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 27: Annual day of storytelling for parents and kids of all ages. Indian artists share a variety of stories from their cultures and volunteers provide warm cider and

Prescott Indivisible • 6-7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1: Monthly meeting of a non-partisan group promoting a progressive, inclusive agenda supporting human rights and the environment. (Granite Peak Unitarian Congregation Education Center, 882 Sunset Ave., 928-443-8854)

Christmas craft fair • 9:30 a.m.-2:3o p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2: Annual fundraiser featuring Christmas decorations, bake sale, pictures with Santa, paid lunch. Beneﬁts the Dewey-Humboldt Historical Society. (Agua Fria Christian Church, 2880 S. Second St., Humboldt, 928-277-5609 or 928-499-9972) Frontier Christmas open house • 6-8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2: Annual open house including cookies and cider, plus make your own Victorian ornaments. (Sharlot Hall Museum, 415 W. Gurley St., 928-445-3122, Sharlot.Org, $5)

8 • EVENTS • DECEMBER 2017 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

10 14

“Death Café” • 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14: People gather to eat cake, drink tea, and discuss death. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000, PeregrineBookCompany.Com)

PFLAG Support Night • 6:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15: Monthly support night for LGBTQ+ community and supporters. (First Congregational Church, 216 E. Gurley St.)

GYCC LGBTQ Coalition • 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 19: Monthly general meeting open to all LGBTQ and allies in Yavapai County with guest speakers. (First Congregational Church, 216 E. Gurley St., Facebook.Com/LGBTQYavapai)

NAZGEM Support 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 22: Monthly support group meeting for members of the transgender community as well as family, friends, and youth. (Granite Peak Unitarian Congregation Education Center, 882 Sunset Ave., Facebook.Com/LGBTQYavapai)

“Don't Spend Christmas Alone” • Monday, Dec. 25: The 37th annual event in which volunteers visit the home-bound and deliver a free meal or drive them in for a community dinner and celebration. Volunteer opportunities still available. (St. Luke's Episcopal Church of Prescott, 2000 Shepherd's Lane, 928-778-4499)

New Year’s Eve boot drop • 10 p.m. and midnight, Sunday, Dec. 31: The seventh annual boot drop event. (Whiskey Row, BootDrop.Com)

Performing arts “1940s Radio Christmas Carol” • 7:30 p.m. Nov. 30 & Dec. 1 & 2, Dec. 7, 9, & 14-16; 2 p.m. Dec. 3, 9, 10, & 17: This Christmas Eve, 1943 radio show is an excursion into the mayhem and madness of live radio. (Prescott Center for the Arts, 208 N. Marina St., 928-445-3286, PCA-AZ.Net, $14-$23) “A Charlie Brown Christmas” • 6 & 7:30 p.m. Nov. 30-Dec. 2, Dec. 7 & 8, & Dec. 14-17; 2 & 3:30 p.m. Dec. 3, 10, & 17: The Peanuts discover the meaning of Christmas. (Prescott Center for the Arts Stage Too, alley between Cortez and Marina streets, 928-445-3286, PCA-AZ.Net, $10)

Christmas parade & courthouse lighting • 1-3 p.m. parade, 6 p.m. lighting Saturday, Dec. 2: The 35th annual Christmas parade and 63rd annual courthouse lighting ceremony. (Downtown Prescott, Prescott.Org) “Scrooge the Musical” • 7 p.m. Dec. 8, 9, 15, & 16; 2:30 p.m. Dec. 9, 10, 16, & 17: Leslie Bricusse’s classic adaptation of Charles Dickens’ immortal tale. (Prescott Valley Performing Arts Family Theater, PV Entertainment District, 2982 Park Ave., $14)

Contra Dance • 7-7:30 p.m. lesson; 7:30-10 p.m. dance Saturday, Dec. 9: Contra dancing, via Folk Happens. (First Congregation Church, 216 E. Gurley St., 928-9255210, FolkHappens.Org, $4-$8)

beautiful plus-size Barbie Aimee V Justice. (Thumb Butte Distillery, 400 N. Washington Ave., NewYears EveDrag.Bpt.Me, $20-$25) COURTESY PHOTO.

Visual arts

4th Friday Art Walk • 5-7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 22: Monthly art walk including artist receptions, openings, and demonstrations at a dozen-plus galleries. (ArtThe4th.Com)

Arts Prescott Cooperative Gallery • Nov. 24-Dec. 21: Annual Fundraiser show, this year beneﬁting Bethany’s Gait. (Arts Prescott Cooperative Gallery, 134 S. Montezuma St., 928-7767717, ArtsPrescott.Com) Art2 • 4th Friday Art Walk participant. (Art2, 120 W. Gurley St., 928-499-4428, ArtSquaredPrescott.Com)

Mountain Spirit Co-op • 4th Friday Art Walk participant. (Mountain Spirit Co-op, 107 N. Cortez St., 928-445-8545, MountainSpiritCo-Op.Com) Prescott Center for the Arts Gallery • Nov. 5-Dec. 19: “Holiday Market,” featuring works by local artisans. (Prescott Center for the Arts, 208 N. Marina St., 928-445-3286, PCA-AZ.Net)

Huckeba Art Gallery • 4th Friday Art Walk participant. (Huckeba Art Gallery, 227 W. Gurley St., 928-445-3848, HuckebaArt-Quest.Com)

Random Art • 4th Friday Art Walk participant. (Random Art, 214 N. McCormick St., 928-308-7355, Random Art.Biz)

Ian Russell Gallery • 4th Friday Art Walk participant. (Ian Russell Gallery, 130 S. Montezuma St., 928-445-7009, IanRussellArt.Com)

Sam Hill Warehouse • Student, faculty, and alumni exhibitions. (Sam Hill Warehouse, 232 N. Granite St., 928-3502341, PrescottCollegeArtGallery.Org) Sean Goté Gallery • Dec. 1-Dec. 25: Abstract paintings by Allen A. Dutton and bronzes from the Bronzesmith Fine Art Foundry including works by Kim Obrzut, Larry Yazzie, and Oreland Joe. (Sean Goté Gallery, 702 W. Gurley St., 928-445-2233, SeanGote.Com)

Open mic poetry • 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 20: Poet Dan Seaman emcees monthly open mic poetry. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000, PeregrineBookCompany.Com)

Mountain Artists Guild • Oct. 30-Dec. 22: “Holiday Show” gallery show. (Mountain Artists Guild, 228 N. Alarcon St., 928445-2510, MountainArtistsGuild.Org)

The Beastro • 4th Friday Art Walk participant. (The Beastro, 117 N. McCormick St., 928-778-0284, TheBeastro.Org)

“White Christmas” • 7 p.m. Dec. 14-17: The Yavapai College Performing Arts Department presents Irving Berlin’s classic Christmas. (Yavapai College Performing Arts Center, 1100 E. Sheldon St., 928-776-2000, $13-$38)

New Year’s Drag Review • 9:30 p.m. Sat., Dec. 31: 4AM Productions presents “a drag show you will never forget,” hosted by the

• Dec. 21-Jan. 23: “Winter Photography Exhibit,” featuring work by Prescott Area photographers. Opening reception is Dec. 22, 4th Friday Art Walk. • Jan. 2-14: “STEPS Art Education Program Student Exhibit,” featuring work from the fall 2017 class series for ages 5-16. Artists’ reception is noon-2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018. (’Tis Art Center & Gallery, 105 S. Cortez St., 928775-0223, TisArtGallery.Com) COURTESY PHOTO.

Smoki Museum • 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 27: “Storytellers at Smoki,” including American Indian storytellers sharing stories from Southwest cultures. (Smoki Museum, 147 N. Arizona Ave., 928-445-1230, SmokiMuseum.Org) ’Tis Art Center & Gallery • 6-9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1: “Art Connects Us All,” one-night show with original artwork supporting Northland Cares HIV Specialty Care Clinic, NorthLandCares.Org, 928-776-4612, sponsored by Clayote Studios. • Nov. 16-Dec. 30: “Art à la Carte: Art to Satisfy Your Artistic Appetite,” featuring woven wearables by Jo Manginelli, polymer clay jewelry by Judith Skinner, and needle-felted sculpture by Deborah Salazar. Opening reception is Dec. 22, 4th Friday Art Walk. • Nov. 23-Dec. 19: “Winter 2017 Eclectic Works Exhibit,” featuring eclectic works.

Thumb Butte Distillery • 4th Friday Art Walk participant. (Thumb Butte Distillery, 400 N. Washington Ave., 928-4438498, ThumbButteDistillery.Com) Van Gogh’s Ear • 4th Friday Art Walk participant. (Van Gogh’s Ear, 156 S. Montezuma St., 928-776-1080, VGE Gallery.Com) Yavapai College Art Gallery • 4th Friday Art Walk participant. (Yavapai College Art Gallery, 1100 E. Sheldon St., 928-4457300, YC.Edu)

Nostalgia or art?

A picture’s worth, revisited

“A

By Alan Dean Foster rt is in the eye of the beholder.” The first known mention of this common aphorism is from the 3rd century Greek, and nothing much has changed regarding what is “art” since then. Opinions rage on. Is a boulder placed over a ditch “art”? The L.A. County Museum of Art seems to think so. Is a cartoon balloon animal blown up to Green Giant size art? Some believe it makes Jeff Koons — and others who execute likewise — artists. For that matter, is the rendering of the Green Giant on cans of vegetables “art”? Here’s where it gets interesting. Of the enormous, indeed unquantifiable, amount of art produced over the last few centuries originally for purposes of advertising, what can be considered art and what is simply junk? While a small quantity of such material was considered art (or at least containing some artistic merit) when it was originally produced, how does the vast volume of such endeavors hold up today? One only has to drop in on PBS’s highly entertaining and informative program “Antiques Roadshow” to find out. Substantial valuations are proposed for everything from travel posters to General Store box displays. None of this material was birthed for the purpose of creating art. Yet people will pay thousands, sometimes tens of thousands, of dollars for a poster promoting ship travel to South America, or cans of shoe polish, or plain old sacks of flour. But are the people buying such items interested in them as art or for purposes of nostalgia? The answer often seems to be both.

t cannot be denied that there are places where art and nostalgia combine to drive buyer interest. What particularly interests me is the artistic overlap. Did the artist involved intend to produce something of artistic merit from the very beginning of the relevant commission, or did art eventuate not because of the subject matter but in spite of it? A good example are the covers and interior illustrations that graced American magazines and paperback books from the late-19th to the midtwentieth century. This is advertising art at its purest. The intent is to utilize “art” to sell content. Since it was only the content that was important, the art itself was often simply given away, or in many cases, thrown away. Today, such paintings and drawings comprise a hugely popular subset of modern art called illustration art. Illustration goes back to the ﬁrst

art for its own sake. Like any art, the results vary widely from skilled to crude. Sometimes the results are easy to appraise. Who would turn down one of N.C. Wyeth’s illustrations for Argosy Magazine?

O Alan Dean Foster’s

Perceivings

books, or if one prefers, to Egyptian hieroglyphics. The idea is not to create something worthy in itself but to sell content. The shift from recognizing such work as mere sales accoutrements to art that is of value separate from content seems to evolve over time. No one now denies the artistic value of work by Arthur Rackham or Harry Clarke if presented apart from the writings they were originally commissioned to illustrate. A better and more recent example of this continuing trend involves the cover art for pulp magazines and paperbacks. The work of commercial artists from the ’30s and ’40s such as Walter Baumhofer, Margaret Brundage, Edd Cartier, Nick Eggenhofer, Norman Saunders, and others was not only consistently disparaged (when it wasn’t being utterly ignored) by the “serious” art community; when the material was published the original art was often given away by the publisher since the artist usually had no rights to their ﬁnished work. Which didn’t matter much, since at the time such “art” had no value. Try to tell someone today that an original Margaret Brundage cover painting for Weird Tales magazine has no value. It’s not just nostalgia that’s driving the market for such artwork, be it a cover painting for Saucy Western Stories magazine or a 19th-century ad for coﬀee. Such work has come to be recognized as

A poster for the 1931 film “Dracula” sold for $525,800 via Heritage Auctions in November of 2017. Image by Heritage Auctions, HA.Com, fair use.

10 • COLUMN • DECEMBER 2017 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

n the other hand, what determines the artistic value of an original illustration advertising sewing machines that originally appeared in a New York newspaper? Just as in ancient Greece, it’s all in the eye of the beholder. Original art advertising Nestlé’s baby food today might not be considered worthy of consideration as art for its own sake. But the only thing that may diﬀerentiate it from Alphonse Mucha’s 1897 work also advertising Nestlé’s baby food is time and perception. We all have to rely on the latter because we aren’t allotted enough of the former. I haven’t even mentioned posters advertising concerts. The impetus behind them was to promote concerts, not to be recognized as art. Yet today concert posters from the ‘60s are not only recognized as such, they spawned their own artistic movement. Speaking of commercial posters promoting concerts, if anyone has any Toulouse Lautrec posters lying around advertising the Folies Bergère, you own Art with a capital A … even if the original purpose behind such work was nothing more than a lowly bit of advertising. ***** Alan Dean Foster is author of more than 120 books, visitor to more than 100 countries, and still frustrated by the human species. Follow him at AlanDeanFoster.Com.

Myth & Mind: Furies

& hunts

By Reva Sherrard King Agamemnon’s ships lay in harbor, manned and ready to sail to war in Troy, awaiting a wind that wouldn’t come. As days crawled past a plague spread in the still air under the drooping sails. With more and more of his army sickening and the outcome of the war in the balance, Agamemnon chose to sacriﬁce his daughter, Iphigenia, to gain divine favor. When the girl’s throat was cut a wind sprang up, scoured the plague from the army’s lungs and drove the ships to Troy. Queen Clytemnestra grieved wildly for her daughter. While her husband was at war she turned for comfort to his rival Aegisthus. When Agamemnon returned victorious, bringing a captive princess as his prize and concubine, the lovers killed them both. It was now the duty of Orestes, Agamemnon and Clytemnestra’s son, to avenge his father’s murder. He slew his mother and her lover with his own hand. But the crime of matricide woke the Erinyes, or Furies, goddesses of punishment. Relentlessly they pursued Orestes and drove him mad.

***** hat are the Erinyes? Etymologically, erinys (Greek, singular) likely means just what the Romans glossed it as: fury. These female powers are older than the Olympians, representing an equally ancient law. The laws and cultural values — and breaches thereof — embodied by Zeus and company belong to the machinery of civilization, a complex system of balances and compromises intended in situations of high population density to maintain social harmony well enough to enable the ruling class to consolidate power, control the flow of resources, and wage war for political ends. The law enforced by the Erinyes is infinitely simpler, unconcerned with social equilibrium. In the myth of Orestes the self-perpetuating series of murders has less in common with Hammurabi’s “eye for an eye,” which ends with the retaliatory punishment, than with Newtonian physics: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The Erinyes are as fundamental as a force of nature: remorse of the guilty, revenge of the wronged on a cosmic scale. Further west in Europe, it was the Wild Hunt (see October’s article) that pursued and punished in folk tradition, cursing mortals guilty of transgressions ranging from breaking the Christian Sabbath to murder and sexual predation to roam the earth forever. As such the legend is akin to that of the Wandering Jew, the Flying Dutchman, and Stingy Jack, who was barred from both heaven and hell when he died and is associated with the origin of the jack-o’-lantern. The difference is

“The Remorse of Orestes,” by William Adolphe Bouguereau. 1862, public domain. that the man cursed to lead the Hunt is subsumed into a phenomenon far older than himself.

n its earliest iteration, the Hunt is known as the Host (mesnée, familia) of Herlechin or Hellequin, the legendary Germanic King Herla (Herla Cyning in Old English, Herla König in German; all names pronounced with a K sound) who can be traced back to a West Germanic tribe, the Harii (“warriors”) described by the Roman historian Tacitus in the 1st century C.E. as attacking under cover of night with dark-painted bodies and black shields to give the impression of a “ghostly army.” Interestingly, one thousand years later a monastic chronicler in Normandy (a region with intense Germanic inﬂuence from its proximity to England and recent mass colonization by “Northmen,” or Normans) reported that a lucky monk had survived being chased by a band of black-faced demons called Herlechin’s Host, while 36 years later the chronicler of an English abbey wrote of a troop of “black, huge, and hideous” supernatural huntsmen terrorizing the monks and nearby villagers. Dark and devilish Herlechin began to feature in French passion plays, later transforming improbably into the Commedia dell’arte trickster Harlequin, a black-masked subordinate who makes chaos of his master’s plans. Coincidence, but a salient one, that Harlequin began with some of the native barbarians whose culture and religion, generally in the

form of “witchcraft,” wrought havoc throughout the still-current age of Roman cultural supremacy. For who was the king of the Harii, the “HerlaKing,” but Wotan/Odin? In the period of militant Roman and Christian expansion his role shifted from patron of wisdom and spiritual ecstasy to god of war, until his peoples were conquered and he was recast as the Sabbath-breaking leader of the Wild Hunt, along with the equally central Germanic goddesses Holda and Perchta. Bereft of their context in the dominant culture yet still psychologically potent, a way of life and its deities were set adrift over the lands they once ruled. Disenfranchised by one of history’s great upheavals, bound to the peoples who created them but robbed of a home in their memory and reverence, the forces embodied in the old gods took on the restlessness of eternal exile, condemned to hunt or march forever, a source of terror and ill omens to the people who broke faith with them.

o action is without its reverberating echo, so long as there is cultural context; no human exists independently of culture. As long as there are living, there will be ghosts to remind us of the consequences of the past. ***** Reva Sherrard works at Peregrine Book Company, studies Old Norse religion, and is writing a novel.

5ENSESMAG.COM • DECEMBER 2017 • COLUMN • 11

Method Coffee’s community art project returns By James Dungeon [Editor’s note: The following interview was culled from conversations between the reporter and Joseph Burton, owner of Method Coffee, 3180 Willow Creek Road, 928-7771067. The annual “Wish Board” participatory show runs early December through mid-January.] How long have you been posting a wish board and how did it get started? I’d say probably six years all together. Thinking back, during that time it started, I want to say something awful was going on. I remember just wanting to give people a format for people to just talk about their New Year’s resolutions in a more meaningful and significant way. We’re all kind of flippant about ideas like that now. … It was altogether an organic process. I really liked the idea of different-colored tags and how it would kind of develop its own aesthetic value as it was contributed to. You probably know how I feel about Method. It serves the community as a gathering place and a community place. I’ve always felt that way and coffee shops have historically and culturally been more than just places where people buy a cup of coffee. There’s a history there with penny universities, and I see that play out in our shop every single day. We have customers that are very, very dear friends that never knew each other until they met at Method. There are people who’ve been neighbors for a decade who never got to know each other until they met here. Anyway, I’ve always wanted to support whatever the community wants to use Method for. As a result we have things like the open mic nights, the gallery space on the walls, and this annual “Wish Board” show.

What was that first year like? There were people at first who felt it was kind of corny. We have a stack of the papers by the register and there’s always some kinds of jokes, people asking questions if it’s magic or will it come true. But then, when people go over to the board and are sipping coffee or waiting for a bagel to toast or whatever, they start to read through them, and I think it really affects them much more than they thought it would. It ranges from things like “I want a puppy” to “I hope that my son doesn’t die from leukemia.” We have regular customers who come to us for years, and as they age together and experience a lot of the same end-of-life type of experiences, they put up wishes about those same things. I remember one that said something like, “I wish I had more time in my life so we could go hiking together.” Things like that hit you. People pull from all these different things in their lives. They pull in all these different perspectives. We get so worried about all kinds of different things and … well, I don’t want to preachy or sanctimonious, but when there’s someone out there who says, “I wish for a canoe” and you see someone who says, “I wish my child survives their bout with cancer,” it puts things in perspective. Of course there are silly and clever things, too. There’s a wide range. Even that first year, though it was slower to start, by the end it reflected a really wide range of people and experiences. Now that it’s become an institution at Method, people know what to expect, though there are still a lot of people participating for the first time. What kind of themes or stories have emerged over the years? There’s the John Thomas ones. He’s a tall, dark-haired kid with a beard. Well, he’s not a

12 • FEATURE • DECEMBER 2017 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

kid anymore, but he was when I hired him about six-and-a-half years ago. There are lots of wishes involving John Thomas. That’s become a tradition. There’s a guy, Adam, who’s no longer here but still a very dear friend of mine. He had a very, very serious girlfriend and I’d hired another girl at the shop, a gal named Katey, who put on a wish on the board, “I hope Adam asks me on a date,” and literally days later he and his girlfriend broke up mysteriously and suddenly. That started this fun urban myth, a folkloric thing about the wish board and to be careful what you wish for because you could be causing someone else’s pain and misery. What kind of wishes do you put up? I usually put up something about my son, Jack, and our family — the health and welfare of our family really. So there’s usually one heartfelt one and then I usually do one quirky one. We save all of them, actually. They’re available for the public to look at in albums. Some of the wishes are in conversation with each other, and we try to keep them together. I’ve always thought it’d make an interesting coﬀee table book. How did you plan the visual presentation of the boards? They’re more aesthetically pleasing than I would’ve expected. That’s a beneﬁt we realized after the fact. We pick pallets of three colors of paper each year, and that’s where the community-driven part of the art installation really comes to life. The boards we use? Jack, my son, and I made them and stained them with espresso from the shop.

IMAGES: Method Coffee “Wish Board” wis

What kind of feedback have you gotten about the “Wish Board” installations? People love it. They look forward to it. Obviously, each year, we get people who are doing it for the first time time, too. Now, it’s embraced so much more quickly that it immediately starts to get built up. We post pictures of wishes right away on our Instagram and Facebook. It’s surprised me how many comments or likes on old pictures of images of the wish board we still get. Just recently, a newer customer posted a picture and shared it from our social media and said how it really struck them what a neat idea it was. I love that. It sounds cliché, but the positivity spreads. It ripples outward in the pond and is this kind of ongoing, perpetual thing. … This year, with what’s been going on in the world, and all the senseless violence, I really hope that if there’s any magic in the board that, certainly, some of those well-wishes help make things better on a global scale. My little boy is 12 now, and closer and closer to becoming an adult, too, so I’ll definitely write one for him. That’s the macro and micro, right? That’s what it’s all about. ***** Method’s Coffee’s annual “Wish Board” participatory show runs early December through mid-January at Method Coffee, 3180 Willow Creek Road, 928-777-1067. See more images via their Facebook page. James Dungeon is a figment of his own imagination. And he likes cats. Contact him at JamesDungeoCats@Gmail.Com.

shes from 2011-present. Courtesy images.

News From the Wilds Skyward

River Otters, which frequent the perennial creeks of the Mogollon Highlands, begin traveling as mated pairs and search for dens in which to bear their young, which they will do from now until February. Photo by Ty Fitzmorris.

By Ty Fitzmorris he coldest season has come round again, and the wilds have entered the depth of their quiescence. But though the nights are at their longest now — the longest of the year is on Dec. 21, the Winter Solstice — the coldest (and, for many species, hardest) parts of the winter are still to come. December is slightly warmer and bears a bit less rain and snow than January, when the days will be already growing longer again. This lag between the darkest and the coldest times is a result of an interaction between the thermal qualities of the air masses in the atmosphere and the thermal mass of the landscape — the air holds its temperature long after incoming solar radiation has declined, but now begins to lose its heat to the rapidly cooling land. It is for this reason that the warmest parts of the summer are typically after the Summer Solstice, and that the coldest parts of the winter are after the Winter Solstice. As a result of low temperatures and lack of sunlight, plants and insects now enter the depth of their winter diapause, when almost no activity is to be found. These two groups are the primary food sources for almost all of our species, so their somnolence brings extreme hardship for

birds and mammals, the two groups that remain most active. Only the most resourceful and innovative can find food during this time, and often creatures are more desperate because of this. Predators such as Cooper’s Hawks, Sharpshinned Hawks, Coyotes, and Bobcats, become more daring in their attempts to catch small birds and rodents, and as a result prey species become more adept at avoiding their predators. Many birds band together into mixed-species foraging flocks (see High Mountains, Ponderosa Forests, Pine-Oak Woodlands, and Riparian Areas on the following page), while rodents spend more time in near-hibernation in their dens after storing food for the last several months. Larger herbivores, such as Mule Deer and Pronghorn, live off of stored body fat for the next few months, and stay on the move to avoid predators. For all species this season is the time of highest overall mortality. ***** Ty Fitzmorris is an itinerant and often distractible naturalist who lives in Prescott and is proprietor of the Peregrine Book Company, Raven Café, and Gray Dog Guitars, all as a sideline to his natural history pursuits. He can be reached at Ty@PeregrineBookCompany.Com.

14 • FEATURE • DECEMBER 2017 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

• Dec. 3: Full Moon at 8:47 a.m. This is the only “supermoon” of 2017, when the Moon is at its nearest to the Earth, causing it to appear slightly brighter and larger than otherwise. Notice that this full moon passes directly overhead toward midnight, much higher in the sky than the sun was at noon yesterday (or tomorrow, for that matter). The underlying reasons for this are complex — at the Winter Solstice our position on the Earth is leaning its furthest away from the Sun, so the Sun will be at its lowest in the sky at noon. But when we rotate around to midnight (where we’re facing directly away from the Sun) the Moon will be high in the sky, since our position on Earth is aimed more directly at it. • Dec. 13: The Geminid Meteor Shower is at its peak after midnight. This shower is considered to be the brightest and most numerous of all of the meteor showers of the year, with between 60 and 120 visible meteors per hour. The waning crescent Moon will not compete with this extraordinary meteor shower, and conditions should be excellent for viewing even the most faint meteors. This meteor shower is one of the youngest observable from Earth, only appearing in Earth’s skies in 1860, and growing brighter and more numerous until now. • Dec. 17: New Moon at 11:30 p.m. • Dec. 21: Winter Solstice at 9:28 a.m. The Earth is at one of its two yearly extremes with regard to the angle at which the poles face the Sun. The Northern Hemisphere is tilted at its maximum away from the Sun, causing what we experience as the shortest day and longest night of the year, while in the Southern Hemisphere the opposite is true. Every day after this one, until June 21, 2018, the days will get slightly longer (at higher rates around the equinoxes), while the nights get shorter. Interestingly, however, this is not the day of the earliest sunset and latest sunrise — those fall on Dec. 3 and Jan. 7, 2018, respectively. •Dec. 21: Ursid Meteor Shower. This usually small shower periodically undergoes a dramatic increase, from its usual 5-10 meteors per hour to over 100 meteors per hour. While astronomers are not decided on the cause of this periodicity, it seems that it happens every 8 years, next expected in 2023. The waxing crescent Moon will set around 8:30 p.m., leaving dark skies ideal for meteor viewing afterward.

News From the Wilds, too A very brief survey of what’s happening in the wilds ... By Ty Fitzmorris

and Bufflehead, have arrived in our lakes by the thousands, and High mountains are easily observed as they feed • Pine Siskins, Red Crossbills, and from now until early spring. Rare Cassin’s Finches may appear from birds, such as loons, ibis, some the north during especially cold goose species, and several kites, years, often finding and flocking appear in the lakes in midwinter, with House Finches and Lesser blown off course by winter storms Goldfinches. This behavior helps sometimes thousands of miles migratory species learn the distriaway. Notice that some species bution of food in places with which dive while others “dabble,” or upthey are unfamiliar. end. The divers tend to feed in the Visit: Spruce Mountain Loop, No. deeper areas, while the dabblers 307. stay closer to shore. It is partly because of the importance of Willow Ponderosa Pine forests and Watson lakes near Prescott • Dark-eyed Juncos arrive in force to North American waterfowl that from colder lands to the north and they have been recognized as ImNorthern Flickers, which feed largely on insects join with Bridled Titmouse, Mounportant Bird Areas by the National tain Chickadee, Brown Creeper Audubon Society, which affords the rest of the year, switch to eating the berries and several species of nuthatches them some protection. Both Watson and of trees such as Desert Hackberry (Celtis reticuto form mixed-species flocks. These Willow lakes, however, carry extremely lata) during the winter. Photo by Ty Fitzmorris. species stay together for months, and high levels of chemical and biological apparently gain protection from having contaminants, and the effects of these on many eyes of different types looking waterfowl are relatively unstudied. for predators. They avoid competing with each may excavate burrows. Dens can sometimes be Visit: Willow Lake Loop Trail, off of Willow Creek other by dividing up the microhabitats of trees found because of nearby latrines, large deposits of Road. — look for Juncos foraging on the ground, Chicka- scat. This year’s young stay in the den with their dees in the tips of branches, nuthatches foraging mother for their first winter. Deserts/Chaparral in a downward spiral around trunks, and Brown Visit: Tin Trough Trail, No. 308. • Some very few last native flowers persist, such as Creepers foraging in an upward spiral. Desert Marigold (Baileya multiradiata) and ClifVisit: Schoolhouse Gulch Trail, No. 67. Grasslands frose (Cowania mexicana), providing nectar for a • Hawks continue to migrate from the north, few species of butterflies, native bees, and flies. Pine-Oak woodlands escaping colder temperatures. Look for SwainVisit: Agua Fria National Monument. • Bushtits are very active when the weather is son’s, Rough-legged, and the very rare Northern calm. These tiny, mouse-like birds are distincGoshawk. tive in that they forage in large flocks, but the • Gunnison’s Prairie Dogs (Cynomys gunnisoni) birds trickle from one tree to the next in a slow begin their winter hibernation deep in their unbut continuous stream, chiming continuously derground tunnels, to emerge again in March or Average high temperature: 51.7 F (+/-4.2) with beautiful calls. Once they have landed these April. This is the smallest species of prairie dog in birds search each tree assiduously, gleaning many North America and the only one in the Mogollon Average low temperature: 21.8 F (+/-3.5) thousands of insect larvae, thereby keeping many Highlands, and is one of the most important of all Record high temperature: 78 F (Dec. 2, 1926) insect species under control. species in maintaining the health of our grass• Several species of harmless spiders move into lands. Their burrows both oxygenate and nitroRecord low temperature: -9 F (Dec. 24, 1924) human dwellings, the most obvious of which is genate soils, which fertilizes grasses and forbs. the Giant Crab Spider (Olios giganteus), which Prairie dogs are also important sources of food Average precipitation: 1.66” (+/-1.62”) can often be seen running on walls and ceilings. for many other species, such as hawks, snakes, Record high precipitation: 6.96” (1965) These spiders are non-venomous, and can easand Black-footed Ferrets. They are a “keystone ily be relocated to the outdoors by trapping them species” in that they are one of the species that Record high snowfall: 46” (1967) under a cup carefully so that they aren’t injured. formsthe basis of their ecosystem. Record low precipitation: Visit: Little Granite Mountain Trail, No. 37. Visit: Mint Wash Trail, No. 345. 0” (9.5 percent of years on record) Pinyon-Juniper woodlands Riparian areas Max daily precipitation: 3.13” (Dec. 30, 1951) • Raccoons spend long periods, up to three weeks • Waterfowl of many different species, including at a time, in their dens. Dens are typically in Pintail, Ruddy Duck, American Widgeon, GadSource: Western Regional Climate Center trees, though in the higher elevations Raccoons wall, Green-winged Teal, Shoveler, Canvasback,

Weather

Santa clauses

Reﬂections on, by Terry Nolan, Mayor Santa

“ “ “ “

Really, I think he’s just a very genuine guy. When he started being Santa for the DeweyHumboldt Historical Society, he was even great with the animals that came in.” ~Sue Palacios He likes to interact with everyone. With his friends, he teases you, and he’s got a good sense of humor. And, when he’s not wearing that Santa hat, no matter where and when you see him, he’s always got that cowboy hat on.” ~Patti Lake

“ “ “ “ “

Number one, he’s got a real beard and he’s just a jolly-type person. He’s so giving of himself and always has been for the community. He’s just so great in that Santa role.” ~Sue Palacios The first time was 20 years ago, when I did it for the vet center. They needed someone and I just volunteered. I’ve been doing it more than 20 years now and still do it to this day. … That first year, it just came naturally. I just enjoy the kids so much, little kids especially. They’re cute and it’s just awesome to see them smile.” ~Terry Nolan Other Santas, they can look the part really good — we’re talking $3,000 suits — but the way he handles the kids is … . It’s hard to put into words. I’ve been doing this with him for five years and the closest thing I can come up with is that he’s so grandfatherly. He absolutely loves the kids.” ~Chad Castigliano He’s just so community-oriented and talented with the kids. It’s like his second calling. There’s the ho-ho-ho kind of Santa, and there’s Terry. With him, there’s no rush and he gets to know each child he interacts with. When they’re afraid, he takes his time and tries to win them over, and he’s very good at that.” ~Patti Lake I was raised in Phoenix and I remember when Park Central was built. When I was a kid, before, there weren’t mall Santas; the Santas were at the stores. My parents took me as a kid. … With my kids, I took them to see Santa at the mall, but it was nothing like what I do with Chad. It’s a really neat thing for the kids and for the families.” ~Terry Nolan

16 • FEATURE • DECEMBER 2017 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

I’ve always been good with kids. It just comes naturally. It’s not a persona. You just be the person they expect you to be. … It’s something I enjoy doing. It inspires me to do this with the kids. It’s uplifting.” ~Terry Nolan

Part of it’s the way he talks. His voice is so calming. But it’s also the words he uses and the way he talks to kids on their level. He has this magic. And it’s not something he’s going to tell you. He’s just such a good guy. He’s amazing, and funny, and I’ve had so many people tell me good stories about him. He’s a real-life Santa Claus.” ~Chad Castigliano ***** All photos by Chad Castigliano, Chronicker Photography. Find out more at Chronicker.Com.

A winter’s tale

Post-Christmas native storytelling day returns to Smoki By James Dungeon [Editor’s note: The following interview was culled from conversations between the reporter and Cindy Gresser, executive director of the Smoki Museum. The annual Storytellers at Smoki event is 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 27, at the Smoki Museum, 147 N. Arizona Ave., 928-445-1230, SmokiMuseum.Org., $6-$7, free to children 12 or under and native people.] How did Storytellers at the Smoki get started? I believe we started this about five years ago. It started pretty small. We just reached out to a few people, to folks we knew would really enjoy it. It turned out to be this wonderful thing where people came and relaxed and heard some really great stories. The kids really enjoyed it. People have folks in town for the Christmas holiday and want something to do, and this has been a hit. We’ve had to move it to a bigger venue. It’s been a great reason to sit around the fireplace. How did it come into being at an event, though? We were looking for another children’s activity, something that would engage kids and also have learning involved in it. One of our volunteers came up with the idea of string games. I remembered playing them when I was a kid. My mom used to crochet and knit, so there was always string around. So I brought in a loop of string and started playing with it. One of my Hopi friends came by my office and saw me making a figure with it. He looked at it and said, “Oh, you know bow and arrow.” I said, what, he said, “You know, bow and arrow.” But I’d learned it as teacup and saucer. We knew the same thing, just with different stories. I gave him a loop and we sat down for the next two hours making forms out of string and telling stories. He told me something that I already knew but got me thinking: For many native peoples the time to tell stories is in the winter. It makes sense, right? It’s when families gather together, stay inside, share meals, and try to keep warm. It’s when elders try to impart things to kids. Stories are a way of teaching that’s entertaining, too. So, we thought, when’s a good time to do stories in Prescott in the winter? We are Arizona’s Christmas city, and people come here from all over the country, so it made sense to do it around the Christmas holiday. So that was that. What’s your target audience with the Storytellers event? It was families. As it’s grown, it’s grown from our membership to the people they invite who are visiting and from out in the community. There are more and more kids from extended families coming who are from outside the area. You know how it goes: The toys after Christmas are sitting there and now it’s time to get out of the house and do something. Prescott has a pretty limited youth audience, but those numbers go up during the holidays. It’s a good time for them to listen to stories, learn something, have fun, and have cookies. What are some of the stories about? Manuel (Lucero) tells the story of how Bat got his wings. Fil Kewanyama tells the story of how Mouse defeated Hawk. Niicci (Lucero) tells the story of why the moon is never the same size. There are stories about things in nature that we see everyday. These are new ways of looking at them, of understanding them, that add interest to your daily life. Gary Keene tells amazing stories from the two different cultures he comes from, and his son, Noah, whom we’ve all known since he was a little boy, has started telling stories, too. … Last year, we had a visitor from Scotland in town for the holiday who came and stayed all day to hear the stories. We got to talking and she just thought the stories were fascinating. She finally got up and told a story of her own. It’s

Manuel Lucero IV, assistant director of the Smoki Museum, member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, tells a story during Storytellers at Smoki. Courtesy photo. good to have sharing, and sometimes it happens in unexpected ways like that. Why do you think storytelling is such an enduring tradition? It goes back to the days before television and internet. When there were forms of entertainment outside the home, what did you do when you were at home? You told stories. Some were from your family and some were from far-away places. I think, as people, we naturally want to come together and tell stories. Even if you’re just sitting around a table to eat or have a coﬀee, what do you do then? You sit and talk. You tell stories. Sometimes they’re stories about your day. Sometimes they’re stories about your life. They’re stories about the things and people around you. You’re always telling stories; you’re always storytelling.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 20 >>>

5ENSESMAG.COM • DECEMBER 2017 • FEATURE • 17

‘That’s not real art’

Considering game theory, art, art theory, and video games

By Justin Agrell

moreover, it has to be a game people want to play.

he first game that blew my mind was “Doom.” If you’re unfamiliar with the game, it was one of the first 3-D computer games available for later DOS computer systems. (It also featured quite a lot of pixelated violence; it was the mid-’90s and I was a young boy, after all.) When I discovered “Doom,” my mind was transported there, to Mars, fighting Hell-demons. The visuals and speed of interaction were ground-breaking. Thinking back, it wasn’t books or music or paintings or film that gripped my interest so firmly. It was video games. You may dismiss or reject them as works of arts, but stop and think about that for second. But I’m getting ahead of myself. First, some context.

ne of the most fascinating aspects of game development is that it’s one of, if not the only, art form that can “be wrong.” Mashing a piano, throwing paint on a canvas, filming nothing for hours can yield “bad” art, but it’s art all the same. (Indeed, people pay good money for lots of bad art.) When I’m at my computer preparing to code, it seems as though the machine is just waiting in anticipation of me to make the slightest mistake in order to tell me just how wrong I am. The only thing that comes close is writing — which has editors who are just as eager (Hi, Nicholas! [Editor’s Note: Hi, Justin!]). The artwork for a game must be formatted, framed, and moded. The music shortened, looped, and bitrated. The code must compile and the story must be coherent and flexible if it can be accepted at all. If not performed to strict specification, then it won’t run at all. There can be no presentation of the work.

y first passion was drawing. In elementary school I sketched throughout the day. At first my sloppy doodles littered whatever spare surface was available to me hardly representing the nonsensical images in my mind. They were purely for my entertainment and to pass the time. As time progressed so did my skill, and by the end of the 5th grade I had reached the point of classmates paying me for sketches with their lunch money. When I think about art, I remember this time in my life. OK, back to video games and art. When I first went to college, I wanted to create games but the concept of pursuing a career in the field was scoffed at. I was to become a mechanical engineer. I was to create useful and practical designs for the “real world.” It wasn’t long before I learned how unsatisfying that was for me. Mechanical engineering is not invention; there was no creativity. I was to be studying prefabricated materials’ tolerances

Two-bit Column and safety standards. My college was grooming me for foreman work regardless of my need for innovation. I returned to the idea of game design and though it didn’t become a career path, it’s still my passion and hobby. Once a month, I host an event where we all bring our computers and play games throughout the day (Find out more at PPCGG.Com). I’ve learned programming and pixel art design in order to create my own free game. When I mention game development as my hobby, I often get mixed reactions. If I were to say I was writing music, drawing, or writing a story, there’d be little hesitation of acceptance and intrigue. The fact remains that I have to do all of those things to create a game. And,

challenge you to embrace the effort and creativity required to develop a video game. Venture out and find one, new or old, and play it through to completion. Make sure to take the time to observe the artwork. Every object had to be made by hand, every sound created or recorded. Every second of play must be planned for and every interaction coded. Seriously, take a minute to reflect on that. You might just find yourself impressed. ***** Justin Agrell has been a certified IT technician since 2005. He loves Linux, adventure motorcycling, and computer gaming. To get in touch, just email him at Justin@U4E.US.

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18 • COLUMN • DECEMBER 2017 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

Happy holidays

from 5enses & Chronicker Photography

Photo by Chad Castigliano, Chronicker Photography.

5ENSESMAG.COM • DECEMBER 2017 • FEATURE • 19

is that, when you’re picking teams, never to count anybody short just because they’re smaller than you. They may end up playing —and winning — for the other team. My grandmother told me that story when I was 6 years old. Me and my cousins were playing basketball and my grandmother was watching. One of my littler cousins wanted to play but we told her she was too small and that she couldn’t play with us. My grandmother called us over and told us that traditional Cherokee story. When you’re a kid, you really remember that kind of a thing. When I tell it, it makes me think of my grandmother. She’s no longer with us, of course, but it’s a happy memory for me and it makes me feel good that I can pass on these teachings to my own children as well as others.

... FROM PAGE 17 [Editor’s note: The following interview was culled from conversations between the reporter and Manuel Lucero IV, assistant director of the Smoki Museum, member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, and a participant in Storytellers at Smoki.] Would you give us an overview of the event? For many Native American tribes, storytelling is done during the winter. It’s the time when our elders speak, when Grandma and Grandpa tell us stories. At the Smoki, for the last several years, we’ve had children come in from all over, as well as adults — I should say children of all ages. We have hot apple cider and homemade cookies, and all those good things about wintertime. A lot of Native American stories have lessons tied to them. Think about old fairy tales. They always have a moral at the end, right? A lot of native stories have that, too. They teach us what to do in certain situations or what not to do in certain situations. What are some common themes or characters across cultures? Here in the Southwest, you get a lot of stories about Coyote. If you remember from the old Warner Bros. cartoons, he’s always trying new and improved ways of trying to catch that roadrunner. He always tries to do things differently, and it never quite works out the way he thinks it will. Well, the lesson for young people there is sometimes you stick with something tried and true, you know it’s going to work out just fine if you stick with it. In the Southeast, it’s Rabbit who’s the trickster. He’s the guy you don’t want to be, being too witty for his own good. Think of Bugs Bunny wearing costumes and tricking people to get his way. So, those are two popular examples. What’s one of the stories you like to tell? One of my favorite stories to tell is how Bat got his wings. It’s a story that has to do with playing a game of stick ball — what we’d today call lacrosse — and there was this very small animal, Mouse, who wanted to play. The animals had gotten together to see who was the best, the four-legged animals on one team and the fliers on the other team. So, while they were picking teams, Deer, the captain of the four-legged team, tells Mouse he’s too small, to go away, that they don’t need him. He’s very sad and walks off. As he’s walking in the woods, he comes to a tree where all the fliers had met and were picking their team. Their captain, Eagle, looks down at little Mouse, who says he wants to play, and says, I don’t know. Then Hummingbird speaks up and says, I’m the fastest of the fliers and you don’t judge me by my size, so everyone agrees, and Eagle fastens Mouse a pair of wings. So they play the game and it’s back and forth, back and forth, and the score is tied. Mouse comes in as the sun goes down and is so fast he trips up agile Deer, gets past Bear by going between his legs, and scores the winning goal for the fliers. And, to this day, Bat still isn’t used to working his wings, so that’s why he flies the way he does. … One of the morals

Why is winter the time for storytelling? Like I said, it’s the traditional time. Native people think of time and the seasons a bit differently. We also think about them in terms of where you’re at in your life. To the East is the morning, where the dawn starts, in the spring, when you’re an infant just coming into this world from the spirit world. Then there’s the South, which is summertime, when it’s warm and you’re finding yourself, when you’re finding your first love and you think you’ve got everything figured out, when you’re a teenager. To the West is fall and change, which also represents adulthood and becoming the human being you’re meant to be. To the North is the time of elders, which also represents wintertime. Think about what’s next. The elders are close to completing the circle. That’s why grandparents love babies so much; they’re getting ready to pass on and go home again, which where that little one just came from. So, when it’s winter, we think about our elders.

FROM TOP: Gary (left) and Noah Keene share a story during Storytellers at Smoki; Nanabah Aragon shares a story at the same event. Courtesy photos.

20 • FEATURE • DECEMBER 2017 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

Why do you think storytelling is such an enduring tradition? Times change, but people don’t. We still have the same problems and still face the same situations in our dayto-day lives. When we hear a story, it sets something up. Later, we’ll be reminded of it and the best way to go about things. Stories show how people work things out, how people overcome problems. … It’s funny, we’re living in a time when people can’t seem to understand body language when they’re talking face-to-face any more. There’s more to communication and storytelling than just the words. There are expressions and emotions. When you sit down and listen to someone tell a story, you understand it in a diﬀerent way — perhaps even more so now. It’s important that we sit and listen. ***** The annual Storytellers at Smoki event is 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 27, at the Smoki Museum, 147 N. Arizona Ave., 928-445-1230, SmokiMuseum.Org., $6-$7, free to children 12 or under and native people. James Dungeon is a ﬁgment of his own imagination. And he likes cats. Contact him at JamesDungeonCats@Gmail. Com.

Acting out/up

‘Dr. Wanker’s Short Adventures’ wraps up season one By Robert Blood [Editor’s note: The following interview was culled from conversations between the reporter and Kevin Goss, writer, producer, and star of “Dr. Wanker’s Short Adventures,” which is available on YouTube via Dr. Hans Wanker’s channel.] Why don’t you introduce us to your web series, “Dr. Wanker’s Short Adventures”? It revolves around this short actor who actually has a doctoral certificate in theater from a school in this fictitious country, Schweisenland. He comes to America on a work visa and gets a job at a community theater in Prescott. In the first episode he loses that job and falls and hits his head and has a vision of being on a movie set. So, he decides to pursue that and go to L.A. in search of a movie career. The series follows him in Hollywood going to auditions and not getting cast and having to get a job as a flower delivery person for a florist and meeting a woman. This love interest plants a seed in his head that the reason he’s not getting cast is because he’s too short and he decides to figure that one out — if that’s really the reason. Initially, he thinks it’s because of his European accent, so he goes to a vocal coach, but after that he realizes that, hey, some of the most famous actors in Hollywood have accents. Michael Caine, Christoph Waltz, Arnold Schwarzenegger — they’ve all got accents. So, several episodes in, he decides to go down to the casting director who rejected him and confront her and see if that’s why she didn’t cast him and, if so, prove to her that he can act. How would you describe the character of Dr. Wanker? As our co-director on the project, Andrew Johnson-Schmit, says, he’s hapless. He’s an intelligent and confident man, but he has an unfortunate name and doesn’t live in the same reality as everyone else. One of the things I like about him is that every barrier and obstacle he comes into contact with becomes something to overcome. Even though he seems to fall flat on his face over and over again, he picks himself up and pushes forward. Why do this comedy as a web short? Why that medium? I’d written a draft of the script to be a short film. I’ve worked on a handful of independent films in Arizona, so I sent it out and pitched it to everyone I knew that had more experience than me. Andrew and Angie, his wife and the other codirector, bit and wanted to get involved, but didn’t want to do a short film. They thought it could be better broken into short episodes and released

Promotional poster. Courtesy of Heissenkuken Productions. as a web short. The idea was that instead of a 15- or 20-minute short that people were likely to click away from, they could watch little bite-sized pieces as it was released or after the fact. And that made sense to me. I knew we’d have a lot of work ahead to split it up. The real challenge was to build each individual episode so that it was an independent story but would build and help tell an overarching story that would keep people coming back. What was it like reworking the material you’d already wrote and rewrote for a different medium, or at least a different mode of presentation? I really enjoyed it. Andrew and Angie ended up joining me and we’d have writing meetings. Sometimes we added stuff between and sent it to each other, but the best stuff came from when we were all working together. It really did improve a lot, and they helped me cut stuff that didn’t need to be there. We found new, more creative things. One thing I really liked that they were big on was that the medium of film needn’t always be spoken. A lot of it can be visual. Sometimes when things were getting too wordy, we’d cut something back and go with a visual expression or prop or something else to get the message across.

By the time people read this, all but one, if not all of the first season of “Dr. Wanker’s Short Adventures” will be out. What’s it been like releasing it piecemeal? It’s been a lot of work. There’s been a lot of social media and word of mouth. It’s been nice, though, to watch the viewership go up with each episode. The first one has less than 3,000 views on YouTube but less than a week after releasing the fourth one, we already had 17,000. So, we’re building an audience. … We’re doing a really big promotional push after the final episode is released. There are really two different ways to promote web series. In the age of Netflix, putting out a whole season at once lets people binge watch. The other method is like television, with spaces in between. We’re hoping to get that former group once everything’s been released. As it’s been picking up steam, I’m already writing again and have been getting some material ready for, hopefully, a season two. I don’t see the full release of season one as the end of anything. I’m always looking for inspiration and pretty active in theater circles in Prescott, so I’m always getting ideas for other things as well. That’s all we had prepared. Anything else you wanted to add? I wanted to thank you for even considering running a piece about “Dr. Wanker’s Short Adventures.” Of the people I’ve heard back from about the press release, some have said they can’t print the word “wanker.” I responded, well, it’s a real last name. I knew that might happen when we started, but I wanted to make the character have a memorable name that added to his character and added another challenge beyond him being short. Since deciding on Wanker, I’ve found out there’s a doctor in Kansas and a judge in Nevada at the State Supreme Court level. You know, we kind of put our own social stigma on words as a society and, in a way, this short asks what it would be like to live with that, to have that name. Because the character’s from a country that speaks a derivative of German, it’s his family name and his heritage and yet people snicker at it. It’s a joke and a bad word. So, it’d be a challenge to have that name, as some real people do. ***** Watch “Dr. Wanker’s Short Adventures” on YouTube via Dr. Hans Wanker’s channel or interact with him via Facebook and Twitter. Robert Blood is a Mayer-ish-based freelance writer and ne’er-do-well who’s working on his last book, which, incidentally, will be his first. Contact him at BloodyBobby5@Gmail.Com.

5ENSESMAG.COM • DECEMBER 2017 • FEATURE • 21

Not-asholy days

here are plenty of reasons for the season in Arizona’s ReligionSpeciﬁc-Holiday City. Still, there’s no reason to limit yourself to sanctiﬁed festivities. Consider celebrating ... Dec. 4: National Cookie Day. (Just one?) Dec. 5: Bathtub Day. (Put a plug in it.) Dec. 5: Day of the Ninja. (The OG were farmers.) Dec. 6: National Gazpacho Day. (No cold feet about cold soup.) Dec. 7: National Cotton Candy Day. (In December?!) Dec. 12: Poinsettia Day. (That’s what I said … a.) Dec. 16: National Chocolate Covered Anything Day. (Oh my.) Dec. 17: National Maple Syrup Day. (Oh my. Oh, my.) Dec. 23: Festivus. (A Festivus for the rest of us.) Dec. 31: Make Up Your Mind Day. (It’s your last chance this year.)

at Love, better known as “Deadwood Dick,” was a black cowboy who was born a slave, but freed after the Civil War. He mastered many Indian dialects and became a sought-after trail boss during the era of the great cattle drives. He was a legendary champion of the early rodeos and by his own admission lived “an unusually adventurous life.” Well enough educated to write his own autobiography, he included cattle drive history, shootouts in Mexico, involvement in some of the Indian Wars, and befriending such well-known characters as Bat Masterson. ODDLY ENOUGH ... When the railroad was established and the cattle drives died out, Nat Love ended his career as a common Pullman porter, one of the best positions open to a black man in those days. Not once in his writing did Nat ever mention bigotry or racism.

*****

he Star-nosed Mole lives in the Eastern United States. Growing to a length of 5 inches, this mole has a healthy appetite and eats constantly. It feeds on insects and worms and has been known to eat a portion of an earthworm, tie it into a knotted wad, and roll it back into its den to be eaten later, like leftover meatballs.

ODDLY ENOUGH … This little burrower can swim extremely well, feeding on ﬁsh, crustaceans, and water bugs. Even pond ice won’t stop this mammal. It will hunt and ﬁsh day and night all year round. ***** Russell Miller is an illustrator, cartoonist, writer, bagpiper, motorcycle enthusiast, and reference librarian. Currently, he illustrates books for Cody Lundin and Bart King.

22 • FEATURE • DECEMBER 2017 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

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ART WALKS

2017 Jan. 27 Feb. 24 March 24 April 28 May 26 June 23 July 28 Aug. 25 Sept. 22 Oct. 27 Nov. 24 Dec. 22

Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary

& animal sights Opening Thanksgiving Weekend!

November 24 and 25, 2017 And continues every Friday & Saturday night from December 1 through December 30

6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

1403 Heritage Park Rd.; Prescott, AZ 86301 â&#x20AC;˘ www.HeritageParkZoo.org Phone: 928.778.4242 501(c)(3) non-profit organization supported by the community.

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