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1.3.12 Vol. 27 #12
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Viking Union 411 516 High St. Bellingham, WA 98225 Phone: 360.650.6126 Fax: 360.650.6507 Email: as.review@wwu.edu Online: as.wwu.edu/asreview @theasreview facebook.com/theasreview
©2011. Published most Mondays during the school year by the Associated Students of Western Washington University. We are a student-produced, alternative campus weekly covering news and events that are of interest to the Western community. We support all programs, offices and clubs affiliated with the AS. We have a direct connection to the AS Borard of Directors, and although we report on board actions objectively, our relationship should be made clear. Submissions: We welcome reader submissions, including news articles, literary pieces, photography, artwork or anything else physically printable. Email submissions, or send them to the mailing address above. They will be returned as long as you include a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
NEWS / FEATURES
In This Issue:
Photo illustration by Cade Schmidt//AS Review.
4 5 6 7 8
DRESSED IN DRAG
Auditions for the 20th annual drag show
ART WALK
A look at the monthly Art Walk
BELLINGHAM STYLE
Four clothing companies with Northwest pride
WORK IT OUT
Women’s Night at the Rec Center
DELICIOUS DRINKS
Find the AS Review on Facebook, Twitter and at as.wwu.edu/asreview
What to do with your leftover holiday beverages
Letters: We also welcome letters to the editor. Please limit your letter to 300 words and include your name and phone number. Published letters may have minor edits made to their length or grammar, if necessary. Calendar/Ads: We don’t sell ad space. Sorry. Email as.review@ wwu.edu to have an event listed in the calendar.
Editor in Chief
Assistant Editor
Lead Photographer
Copy Editors
Assistant Photographer
Staff Writers
Kirsten O’Brien
Cade Schmidt
Joe Rudko
Adviser
Jeff Bates
Adrienne Woods
Evan Marczynski Grace Moore Anna Atkinson Eriver Eugenio Nick Markman Lauren Simmons Megan Thompson
THROUGH THEIR EYES VU Gallery exhibit gives the camera to the community Megan Thompson • AS Review In the upcoming Viking Union Gallery show, the word “artist” is redefined. A Western student artist, who chose to remain anonymous for the show, passed out cameras outside of the Wade King Student Recreation Center and told people to simply take pictures. The result is “An Experiment,” which will run from Jan. 9 through Jan. 20, with a closing reception on Jan. 19. The cameras passed out by the artist were not given exclusively to students, Viking Union Gallery Director Ashley Hollender said. One of the participants is four years old, and another six. “What [this artist] is intending with this show is to directly address art making as a way to encourage active communication with each other,” Hollender
said. “It’s something we’re losing touch with in today’s society.” The anonymity of the artist stems from his wish to place an emphasis on the participants as artists themselves and to encourage interaction for the audience, Hollender said. “Here you have the great opportunity to use open communicate and actively participate,” the artist told Hollender. Hollender knows the artist personally, and had heard of the work he was doing, she said. “I approached him about the possibility of doing a show in the VU Gallery,” she said. “I thought the involvement of the community would make for a great exhibit.” the
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EVENTS Looking ahead: JAN 8 - JAN 13 sunday jan 8 Women’s Night
9 to 11 p.m., Wade King Student Recreation Center Free
thursday jan 12 ry sto e h t e7 See n pag o
This Associated Students Women’s Center event will focus on creating a safe and comfortable atomosphere for woman-identified individuals to exercise.
monday jan 9
“An Experiment” at the Viking Union Gallery Jan. 9 - Jan. 20, VU Gallery Free
What happens when you give a camera to a stranger? This AS Viking Union Gallery show will feature a collection of photographs taken by community members. The “photographers” were asked to take photos of their environment and were collected by an anonymous artist.
tuesday jan 10
Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration 6 p.m., Communications Lawn Free
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 16, the AS Ethnic Student Student will hold a march and candlelight vigil beginning on the Communications Lawn and ending in Red Square. Afterwards, at 7 p.m., there will be a discussion in the Underground Coffeehouse.
AS Productions presents: Allen Stone with Kris Orlowski and Eclecticity 7:30 p.m., VU Multipurpose Room $7 with Western ID, $10 general
Twenty-four-year-old Allen Stone is an up and coming artist from Chewelah, Wash., a small town in the northeastern corner of the state. His music draws influences from the classic soul music of the 60s and 70s, and is reminiscent of Marvin Gaye and Aretha Franklin. He is joined by Eclecticity, from Bellingham, and Kris Orlowski, a singer-songwriter from Seattle.
UGCH open mic night
Kick-off winter quarter with the ever-popular open mic night in the coffeehouse. Acts often include comedic routines, live musical perfomances and spoken word pieces. Anyone is welcome to perform.
wednesday jan 11 UGCH weekly concert series: Brainstorm
8 p.m., Underground Coffeehouse Free
Brainstorm is a two-member, Portland, Ore. based pop band. NYLON magazine called the duo “a brand new band with unbelievable potential.”
Poster by Austin Jansen//AS Publicity Center
Signups at 6:30 p.m., show begins at 7 Underground Coffeehouse Free
January 3, 2011 • 3
4 • as.wwu.edu/asreview
STRUT YOUR STUFF Celebrating 20 years of drag
Lauren Simmons • AS Review
College is the opportune time to try out new things and experience new talents. What better place to perform than at the 20th Annual QRC Drag Show. The auditions are from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan.10 in Viking Union 462A. The Drag Show, put on by Associated Students Queer Resource Center, is looking for about 20 student performers for the show this year. The show raises money for the Sean Humphrey House, a family care home for low-income people with HIV/AIDS, and the Evergreen AIDS Foundation, a facility for HIV/AIDS testing, prevention and education. Both are located in Bellingham. The Drag Show consists of amateur drag queens and drag kings performing acts of all kinds, such as lip syncing, live singing, dancing, using props or just being fierce, said QRC Coordinator Jordan
Deal. “Most of what makes drag good is just being creative and having ideas, not necessarily having a specific talent,” Deal said. During the show, there is also a raffle for prizes that were donated from local businesses, a drag makeover auction and an opportunity to write an “I Saw You,” where audience members can write their own missed connection and have it read aloud, Deal said. The audition process for the drag show is simple and laid back, Deal said. Those auditioning do not have to come in full drag; they just need to have an idea of what they want to do in terms of a performance. “We try to be really open to people who have never done it before, because that’s a lot of what we have in college. People who have never done it before – [we want them to] try it out and just run with it,” Deal said. the
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Most of what makes drag good is just being creative and having ideas, not necessarily having a specific talent. -Jordan Deal, QRC coordinator
Heels, sequins and feathers: last year’s drag show. Photos by Cade Schmidt//AS Review
January 3, 2011 • 5
Western senior Austin Strand’s photographs hang at “Free Beards & Jivin’ Women,” an art exhibit in December’s Art Walk.
Senior Sculpturing stuMeri Rose Ekberg at “Stepping Blindly,” her solo show at the Art Walk. The show representdent
ed a culmination of three
WestArt Department.
years of work in ern’s
Senior Fine Art Student Austin Strand (right) discusses his photographic work with a visitor at
“Free Beards & Jivin’ Women.”
Ekberg’s “Dried Up” was among many sculptural works portraying human dependancies on materials such as oil, plastic and animal products.
(ART)WALK THIS WAY
Photo and text by Joe Rudko • AS Review
The first Friday of every month means the Art Walk is on display in downtown Bellingham. Several galleries, restaurants and boutiques open their doors from 6 to 10 p.m.
to show a variety of local and visiting artists. On the Dec. 2 artwalk, the Mount Bakery Cafe, Jinx artspace, Ideal and Bayou on Bay were among just a few of the business that hosted
artwork. The next Art Walk is Friday, Jan. 6. For more information , including a map of participating venues, visit downtownbellingham.com/artwalk/. the
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BHAM THREADS
Four clothing designers with distinct Bellingham flavor Nick Markman • AS Review
Anyone who frequents Vendor’s Row outside of the Viking Union has seen them. They sit behind small metal counters, playing music as they show off hoodies, crew-necks, stickers and T-shirts to students making their way through campus. Make no mistake, though, these vendors are far more than just students and alumni simply selling T-shirts. They are legitimate, established companies, brands and entrepreneurs. While local pride and a passion for apparel connects the clothing companies of Wes J Clothing, Disidual, Overcast and INNATE, each has managed to diversify and brand themselves in different ways. Wes J Clothing Live life, love local. While these words represent one of Western alumnus Wes Jagod’s many hand-drawn and printed designs, they are also reflective of the purpose of his company, Wes J Clothing. A 2005 graduate, Jagod began designing as a hobby
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ness,” Jagod said. “It has definitely been a pleasure because, more than anything, I’m able to know that a lot of the work at the end of the day, I at least had some part in it.” Jagod said his intent with his designs and apparel is to keep everything as “purist as possible.” He hand draws all of the designs using pen and paper techniques while trying to minimize any computer manipulation that is common in modern printing practices, he said. Jagod states that Northwest pride is a big aspect behind Wes J Clothing as well as the influence behind many of his designs. “Everything’s beautiful here and in every season,” Jagod said. “Being able to portray that and find that in relation to others who love the Pacific Northwest for what it has to offer, that’s what means the most to me.”
been a theme in some designs, Pape and Harkson try to avoid becoming locked into a market that, in their opinion, is sometimes “repetitive and cliche.” “That’s why we did the ‘Washington grown’ one,” Harkson said. “It still represented the Northwest, but it wasn’t the word ‘Northwest’ or the Space Needle skyline.” Currently, Disidual is operating out of the garage of their residence on 21st street. Along with the AS Bookstore and the University of Washington Bookstore, Disidual clothing can be found at Sportsman Chalet and on their website. “We like to have fun with it,” Pape said. “It is a business, and it has gotten to the point where we need to be professional, but we like to have fun while we’re doing it and make it a fun working environment.”
Disidual The concept for Disidual, derived from “distinct individual,” came about when Western seniors Brendan Pape and Christian Harkson met in a communications class winter quarter 2010. With Harkson’s prior screen
INNATE To label INNATE as a clothing company would be a mistake. Since it’s creation in 2008, founders Corey Warren and Dylan Warnberg have managed to create a multifaceted
Western alumnus Wes Jagod screensprints a design onto a Wes J t-shirt. Photo by Cade Schmidt//AS Review. Junior Collin Hamey prints a shirt with Overcast’s “Roots of Seattle” design in his basement on oct. 6. Photo by Cade Schmidt//AS Review. The INNATE storefront on 1420 N. State St. Photo courtesy of INNATE CLOTHING.
in 2007 based off ideas he had throughout college. With some financial help from his mother, Jagod was able print his first run of two designs through Redboots Design, a local printer. “I didn’t make anything for the first six months and then I got my first online sale from Minnesota,” Jagod said. “Random.” Since then, Wes J Clothing has become an established local brand, selling in Four Stars Boutique, Sportsman Chalet, Urban Boutique, Fairhaven Bike and Ski, Yeagers Sporting Goods and through his website, wesjclothing. bigcartel.com. As the sole owner, designer and administrator for Wes J clothing, Jagod has immense responsibilities and personal investments within the framework of his company. “I’m immersed directly in every aspect of the busi-
printing experience with Tacoma-based company Imperial Motion and a mutual desire to print T-shirts, the two attempted to use the Western graphic design department’s printing press, but were denied since neither of them were design majors. “We were like, ‘that sucks. Let’s just start trying to buy some of our own stuff and print some cool T-shirts for fun,’ ” Pape said. “It has really progressed from there.” Disidual’s emergence into the local clothing company scene happened rapidly. In less than a year and a half, the company was able to purchase all of their own equipment and move their shop out of Pape’s bedroom. With their backgrounds and interests in board sports, Pape and Harkson aim to provide casual wear that both extreme sports advocates and the general public can wear and enjoy. While Northwest and local pride has
cultural hub for screen printing, photography and just about every other form of artistic and creative expression imaginable. “We wanted to build a brand that promoted a generally positive and inspired outlook on life,” Warren said. “Kind of taking inventory on every individual’s innate abilities, whatever they might be, and encouraging them to believe in themselves.” The company’s website serves as a shop, blog and community center. It is regularly updated with upcoming events in music and art, as well as original photos, updates on the company, and as a networking site for fellow artists. While INNATE encompasses many forms of media, the backbone of the company lies in its
See THREADS on page 7
EXCERCISING FEMINISM Night at the rec encourages women to get active
Nick Markman • AS Review
The Associated Students Women’s Center, in conjunction with the Wade King Student Recreation Center, will host Women’s Night at the Rec on Sunday, Jan. 8 from 9-11p.m. The event, although open to everyone, will be catered toward woman-identified individuals. Sasha Parsley, the Women’s Center assistant coordinator, said the purpose of the event is to create a safe, comfortable, female-supported environment where woman-identified individuals can learn about, and engage in, fitness activities. “So often, women are engaged in outdoor activities and fitness activities under the pressure of, ‘oh, we need to get thin, we have to look a certain way, we have to burn calories,’” Parsley said. “It’s really tied to a whole messed up body-image system.” Attendees of Women’s Night at the Rec will be able to engage in a variety of different sports, fitness programs and games. There will be volleyball games and instruction hosted by the Western Women’s Volleyball Club Team, lacrosse and rugby skills demonstrations, innertube water polo, water aerobics, self-defense classes, muay thai (a form of martial arts), pick-up basketball games, Wii video games, Zumba, and rock-climbing instruction classes geared toward women’s bodies and techniques.
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“It’s a late night event, but it also has a fun social atmosphere because there is going to be food there and there’s going to be door prizes and all different things like that,” Parsley said. The event will also host a Women on Weights weightlifting clinic throughout the entire two-hour span in the weight room. The weight program, which is normally held in the Rec on Saturdays from 10-11:30 a.m., incorporates female personal training to accommodate womanidentified individuals who may have reservations about lifting in the weight room. “I’ve worked here for going on for four years and I know, as a woman, I sometimes get intimidated by the weight room, especially when there’s a lot of males in there,” said Rec Center’s Operations Coordinator Jamie Harrison. “It’s really nice to be able to go in there and be confident.” This will be the third year of Women’s Night at the Rec. Parsley said that the program aligns with the Rec Center’s goal of making female-identified individuals more comfortable during their use of the facility. “[The Rec Center is] really trying to make changes, but they recognize that there’s a lot of limitations and so that’s why they’re really excited to work with us,” Parsley said. “We can bring a whole new group of people there, they can support us and then there is a real mutual benefit.” the
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I’ve worked here for going on for four years and I know, as a woman, I sometimes get intimidated by the weight room, especially when there’s a lot of males in there. It’s really nice to be able to go in there and be confident.
”
Poster by Adam Volkman//AS Publicity Center
Jamie Harrison, Rec Center operations coordinator.
January 3, 2011 • 7
THREADS from page 6 screen and design printing. INNATE has its own clothing line, but it also acts as a printing service for the community. “We recognize that the T-shirt is the common denominator of every global citizen,” Warren said. “Everyone wears a T-shirt. We want to take advantage of that and use those as billboards for positive messages.” INNATE has a retail location on 1420 North State St. The store is open to the public Friday and Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. “Our M.O. for the shop is pretty straight forward,” Warnberg said. “Print, promote and provide for people, for pleasure, for planet and for profit.” Overcast Clothing From the company name to the happy-face cloud logo, an homage to the area’s usual weather, Overcast Clothing is Northwest all the way. Not only does Overcast represent the Northwest and its people, they give back to them as well. Overcast Clothing provides printing services to people that want custom shirts and designs no matter how small the job, Collin Hamey said, one of Overcast Clothing’s developers. A main aspect of the company is its charity donations, which provide funds to help alleviate homelessness in King County. “We actually donate $1 for every shirt we sell to help the efforts at the Union Gospel Mission down in Seattle,” Hamey said. “It is really important for us to give back to our community, even in this small amount.” While the brand was not developed until April of 2010, the idea for Overcast Clothing, started by juniors Hamey and Elliot Snyder, had been in the works for years. Snyder first produced the company’s popular “Roots of Seattle” shirt, depicting the Seattle skyline atop a network of tree roots, as a sketch. When the drawing gained attention, people began suggesting that the design be printed on a shirt. That is when Snyder approached Hamey with the idea. “It was always a dream of mine to have my own company, and we had a mutual friend that did screen printing,” Hamey said. “We dipped into our savings and bought a round of ‘roots’ tees and hoodies and they sold pretty well.” Since then, Overcast Clothing has produced a series of original designs, all targeted toward anyone who has any sort of connection with the beautiful Northwest, Hamey said. “We really just like to see people enjoying our creations,” Hamey said. “We are not really out to make a huge profit, just the joy of walking around and seeing someone you don’t know wearing a shirt that we created.” the
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This story orginally appeared in the Oct. 10 issue of the Review
8 • as.wwu.edu/asreview
BEFORE YOU DUMP IT DOWN THE DRAIN Making the most of your leftover holiday drinks
With winter break over and New Year’s Eve celebrations passed, there is sure to be an abundance of left over Champagne, sparkling cider and other celebratory drinks lying around the house. While some may choose to dump out the drinks, they can always be saved for a later time. There are a variety of ways to enjoy these beverages in different and delicious ways. For each drink, your favorite sparkling water or sparkling juice can be substituted for a non-alcoholic version. photo illustration by
Cade Schmidt//AS Review
Sparkling Cider Punch
Ingredients: 2 lemons 3 large oranges 6 ounces frozen lemonade concentrate 1 liter club soda 2 bottles of sparkling cider 1 tablespoon white sugar ice cubs Directions: Slice lemons and oranges into thin slices and then place them in a large punch bowl. Slightly thaw lemonade concentrate and pour in. Add and stir in club soda and sparkling cider, followed by adding sugar to taste.
Strawberry Champagne Punch
Ingredients: 1 bottle of champagne or sparkling juice 2 liter chilled ginger ale 10 ounces frozen strawberries, partially thawed Directions: Combine ingredients in a punch bowl and gently stir.
Champagne Peach Punch
Ingredients: 11.5 ounces peach nectar 6 ounces frozen orange juice concentrate 1 / 4 cup lemon juice 1 / 2 cup peach schnapps (can be left out for a non-alcoholic ver sion) 32 ounces carbonated water 3 bottles of champagne or sparkling juice Directions: In a large punch bowl, combine peach nectar, orange juice concentrate, lemon juice and peach schnapps. Mix well then add carbonated water and champagne. Drink recipes from allrecipes.com
Eriver Eugenio • AS Review