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october 2016
VIVACITY IN THE MILE HIGH DENVER NATIVE AND STYLE VIRTUOSO GRACE WOOD TALKS TRENDS, TATTOOS AND ADAPTING TO THE MILLENNIAL INVASION
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Note from the Editor: Vivacity in the Mile High 4 Alien Brain: Brandye Kemp 6 Local Shop Highlight: Carbon Cafe & Bar 16 FLORA || FAUNA Feature: "Colfax Queen” 22 The Consignment Assignment: Buffalo Exchange 40 City Hall presents: RAW Verve Exhibition 48 Editor’s Opinion: Is your refrigerator running? Because I might vote for it. #2016election 58
ISSUE 4 | October 2016 Listen to this issue’s podcast, hear the playlist and read online at www.carleehenderson.com Collaborate with us! Follow FLORA || FAUNA on Instagram: __flora_fauna__ Subscribe on Facebook: @florafaunamag
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© All rights reserved. FLORA || FAUNA is a Denver based zine publication highlighting local artists, entrepreneurs, businesses and the like. All material in FLORA || FAUNA may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the consent of FLORA || FAUNA Editor-in-Chief Carlee Henderson. Inquiries: carleeah718@gmail.com www.carleehenderson.com
A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR.
vi·vac·i·ty viˈvasədē/ vivacity (n.): the quality of being attractively lively and animated. The theme of this issue, Vivacity in the Mile High, represents many things I have come to know since moving here: the people, the music scene, local businesses, and events. But most importantly, the theme represents so much of the city’s identity. Denver in and of itself is a vivacious character; its energy and vibrant demeanor has so many from all over the country infatuated with its enchanting presence. It’s attracted in more people than it can manage, which begs the question... Why? Its connection with nature? Yes. Great economy and work opportunity? Yes. Weed? Most definitely. The influx of millennials moving to Denver has shaken up a lot and the city is welcoming the lively change. It has to. It’s not going to just kick us all out and say, “We changed our mind!” No. It welcomes the strange and beautiful vibrations of change because sometimes, we don’t have a choice. What is special about this issue is that every article ties into one another with a fluid congruency; they all reverberate off each other’s unique offering to the city during this time of expansion. The aspect of urban living and the downtown infrastructure also plays a strong role as it was important to capture its energy. Its magnetic connection with those who reside here allows everyone to vibe together with purpose and to continue building a better community. That’s what this zine’s intention was and still is. To connect and to grow.
Welcome the change.
- Carlee
Editor-in-Chief @carleeah7
ALIEN BRAIN. Actor Brandye Kemp moved to Denver two transplants. Her upbringing in Memphis in NYC set her up for being completely here in the Southwest. In the best way
years ago among many other and her background acting lost in translation possible.
Photography and Interview by Carlee Henderson
NAME: Brandye Nicole Kemp AGE: 28 years YOUNG
BIRTHDAY: October 14th... Libra as fuck. CITY: Memphis > NYC > Denver
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, ‘Speech and Theatre’, Middle Tennessee State University
All photos were taken in and around the Denver Center for the Performing Arts
“I have a gift for seeing congruencies in myself and strangers. I have a downright freaky ability to relate, and impersonate, through connecting with the psyche. It’s weird to explain, but I ‘become’ another, and in a reciprocal way, I am able to express a vulnerable and true part of myself.”
YOU’RE FROM MEMPHIS, TN. TELL ME ABOUT YOUR HOMETOWN AND HOW YOU CAME ABOUT WANTING TO BECOME AN ACTOR: Memphis is its own place, entirely. It doesn’t feel like Tennessee feels as a whole. It is raw. There is a bright light about town now, perhaps with the migration of so many people from other places, and the social boost from the Grizzlies moving there, the ever-expansion of its ‘melting pot’ quality, and the growing popularity of the city’s universities. Sure, I have been away for my own reasons; it’s never the place, but our own ghosts. No matter, I am proud to say I was raised in Memphis, an unmistakeable trademark of pride that comes from Memphians. Truly its own entity, Memphis has a fiery pulse, no lack of a rhythmic beat. The reasons I wanted to become an actor are a bit separate, but where and how I was raised play a ‘threading’ role. I’ve heard a story as my Aunt Shannon tells it; I was three years old, and presenting to her a “cup of rawks,” (cup of rocks) I had gathered, in my best British impression. I can remember embodying the Disney characters from my favorite stories. Pretend was bigger than play for me, I wanted it done RIGHT, in the most real and believable way possible. I can remember being completely obsessed with different accents and cultures as a child. Watching Saturday Night Live and PBS British comedies with my grandmother shaped my odd humors. In preschool, I played a ‘gift bearer’ for the Jesus in the Nativity pageant. Completely stoked to have a hundred people watch me, I was already an actress before I knew the word. I didn’t get into theatre performance until high school, and I couldn’t get enough. It fueled me in a ferocious way.
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR DECISION TO MOVE TO NEW YORK CITY. Hindsight tells all, it wasn’t a decision for New York City. I didn’t have the foggiest idea of what I was truly getting into. I chose New York because: first, I wanted to be around different people from all over the world, and the idea that the whole world was divided into neighborhoods blew my mind, and second, many of my classmates from the theatre and dance department were moving there, and I didn’t want to be ‘left behind.’ I know now that I didn’t exactly want “New York,” I wanted “more.” And, hell, I got it.
WHY ACTING? I’ve no qualms in laying this out… acting is the most natural gift I possess. I enjoy the methodology of the craft, but before I learned, I understood. I have a gift for seeing congruencies in myself and strangers, and I have a downright freaky ability to relate, and impersonate, through connecting with psyche. It’s weird to explain, but I ‘become’ another, and in a reciprocal way, I am able to express a vulnerable and true part of myself.
WHAT KIND OF ACTING DO YOU PREFER? Dark shit. I’m a comedic actress, and comedy’s where casting loves me, but I’ve always found the dramatics more satisfying to my soul.
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOUR ACTING TAKING YOU? WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS? I used to know. That’s what is so great about college and your early 20s, you have more certainty, or at least, less inhibition. It pains to me to be so transparent and admit that ‘acting and I’ haven’t been speaking to each other much lately. I came to a place during my life in New York where I didn’t know where it fit anymore. I had a life’s load of shit dumped on me while I was attempting to chase down and strangle a pavement pounding lifestyle of New York’s work and dream balance. My pattern had become a total soul-suck. That is what led me here to Denver.
I needed some time to myself.
Denver is the first place I have lived where I have had the headspace to look myself in the mirror and sift through the shit staring back at me. It has been a time of healing and growing. When I got here, I was DEFINITELY a girl, now I’m feeling like a woman. My acting goal is to now, make some.
WHAT IS DENVER’S THEATER AND ACTING SCENE LIKE? It’s under the surface, but very available. I have not been in a production since moving here, but I have been in the audience and taken classes. If you want theatre opportunity, seek it and you will find. Denver Center for the Performing Arts is a given, and shows make a stop here on their country-wide tours. I know about the surface, but I am not submerged in the community following here. My Denver life is very “survival mode.”
FAVORITE PLACES IN DENVER: Tattered Cover Bookstore on Colfax, Samadhi Center for Yoga, the Bonsai Sanctuary at the Botanic Gardens, Cheesman Park, Denver Bicycle Cafe, Mutiny Bookstore on Broadway for Tuesday night stand-up comedy, and, literally every Whole Foods, admittedly my happy place.
SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE MOVIES? ‘Lost In Translation’ is my favorite in this part of my life. I relate (maybe a little too much) to the loneliness, and finding humor, by yourself, in the loneliness. I can never figure out why I enjoy ‘Chef’ and ‘Moneyball’ so stinkin’ much, but I do. Amelie is an all-time go-to, I love the artistry. ‘The Revenant’ is so gorgeous, it cripples me. My tastes are all over, as with mosts of my interests. ‘How to Marry a Millionaire’ captured me at a young age, first seeing it on a large screen at The Orpheum, a vintage theatre in Memphis, with my grandmother. It’s not out of character to catch me indulging with the book-turned-movie, ‘Think Like a Man.’ If there’s no vampires, I’ll probably watch it. INSPIRATION: Culture amazes me and I cannot, cannot, cannot, get enough of learning from people who are different from myself. New beliefs, sounds, body alignments, habits, personality quirks. I will learn about people forever. //
local shop highlight:
CARBON CAFE & BAR 1553 PLATTE ST. DENVER, 80202 TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY CARLEE HENDERSON
Carbon Cafe & Bar is quite the multitasker. Part coffee shop, part bar complete with signature cocktails and happy hour, it’s the quintessential local hangout. They got you covered on all levels: coffee, booze, good food, music, art, events, space to study and socialize, hell, even homemade doughnuts next door. The cafe also offers a private back patio with a stage for live music. The lineup changes and local talent frequent the stage often. Did I mention the doughnuts next door? "This coffee shop looks much older than it actually is,” says barista Emily Brainard. “It’s hard to find this style and architecture in Denver as nothing is that ‘old’. So to have the aesthetic we do reminds me of Boston where the shops are darker, historic dwellings. (...) When I moved here, I wanted to work somewhere I could see myself hanging out. "The coffee shop before this one, Paris on Platte, was one of the first coffee shops in Denver. When I tell my friends about my shop’s history, they say, ‘We used to go there and chain smoke cigarettes!’ It was just the place to be and hang out.” The new cafe offers a big city feel in the small LoHi neighborhood. It has grit and a simple sophistication with clean lines, exposed brick walls, and plenty of abstract art for sale. The art varies from a group of different local artists. //
HOURS: Sun-Wed 7am-10pm Thur-Sat 7am-11pm HAPPY HOUR: Every day 4PM - 7PM FOLLOW: Instagram @carbontaps Facebook @habitcarbon www.carbondenver.com
Interview by Carlee Henderson @__flora_fauna__ @carleeah7 Photography by Blake Jackson @jake_blackson Text by Grace Wood @gracieandthevalentines
f L Co AX n e E u q
A FLORA || FAUNA FEATURE
There’s something about Colfax Ave. that has a strange vibration; an energy that ranges mile after mile. But one thing holds true: whether people love it or not, Colfax is a lifeline to the city of Denver. It has character. It has grit. It has a “fuck you,” attitude with prestige as it brushes up against our state’s capitol. It’s honest and real; what you see is what you get. Grace Wood has spent most of her life here; a rare native these days. She comes with the ideal Denverite package: charming, stylish, smart and badass. She’s fun and witty, and her energy upon walking into any room draws everyone in. Her vivacious personality matches so much of her life from her fashion to her home decor. In July, Grace and her boyfriend Arthur found a three story Victorian downtown to rent. Naturally, the apartment for lease was on the top level, complete with mountain and skyline views overlooking 14th Ave. No big deal. The decision to sign at this location came with other fantastic benefits of being closer to all of their favorite things: music, great food, Cheesman Park, and Voodoo Doughnuts (!!!) a block away from them off, where else, Colfax. This location makes sense in a metaphorical way, too. Grace’s vibrant personality fits comfortably between the serene and genial Cheesman Park and the bold, animated Colfax strip. The soft and hard contrast fits the stylist’s personality and style perfectly.
FLORA || FAUNA: What’s it like to grow up in Colorado? I grew up in Colorado but also spent a lot of time elsewhere. I was born in Los Angeles, CA and moved here when I was less than a year old.
My father was a Cali boy who spent his days surfing and riding a motorcycle; my mother was a fashion forward beauty who grew up in Northern Idaho on horses, lakes and mountains. They both loved to be active so Colorado was perfect. They would always take me and my three siblings to the mountains on the weekends to go camping, hiking, backpacking, snowboarding, you name it. We were raised tough. We also spent our summers in Northern Idaho riding horses, playing in the big lakes, and jumping off cliffs and bridges into water. My father made sure to expose us plenty to Southern California with surfing and time in the Ocean. I fell in love with Colorado while also being influenced by my horse loving Idaho family while I dreamed of being a surfer girl.
When did you first get into fashion?
My mother has always been a true aesthetic, and I was raised in get ups and was fawned over by my mother and aunts. I would often mimic my mother’s expressions in mirrors and play dress up in her clothes. I’ve always had the bug for self-expression through beauty. I am proud to be one who is showing up in the unexpected. How would you describe your style?
I like to present myself in different ways. I love androgynous style but I also love to be ultra feminine. I live in western shirts, Chelsea boots and sweet vintage dresses, utilitarian Carhart’s, Levi’s and the easy commuter style, with leather and mixed prints and textures. I have a collection of vintage frilled shirts that look like they belonged to a conservative country grandmother that thrill me and also disguise my tattoos when I deem appropriate. I often want an elegant androgynous presentation, long sleeved menswear and suits and well made tailored neutrals. I also dig the look of frivolity and outrageous prints in sets. I’ve learned through my mother and my sister to get these things at thrift stores or second hand, saving the new purchases for simples and staples.
What is your view on Denver? Denver’s growing rapidly since weed became legal. I think it is an excellent place for creatives and is a sanctuary for health, food, and wellness if choose to seek it. I hope to see more bike lanes put in, more vegan restaurants, and street style that rivals NYC. Denver still provides the possibility to live in a beautiful place in city as well as an easy exit to mountains.
Describe Colfax Ave in three words: Rich Dirty Poor.
What are some of your favorite places in the city? I love Union Station. It’s picturesque, lively, seems of another era and we are lucky now to have it be the hub of transport again. The A line to the airport makes it so much sexier to go downtown. I love Cheesman Park because it’s so beautiful with trees so big and there are always people running or out with their dogs. I also love the Denver Center for Performing Arts because of its architecture and the fond memories of every play or musical or concert I’ve attended there. I am still discovering places to be in love with as I’ve finally found the right combination of boy-work-school-home.
Pick two tattoos and tell me how they came to be a part of your life: I have a stick and poke tattoo on my left hand of three chevrons. It was hand poked by my sister Amelia who made the same one on herself. She poked me before she left to teach in Asia, four years ago. It means progress, always moving forward. I wanted it because I’ve always wanted to be more like her. I also have a big rattlesnake tattoo, an obvious I’m fond of rattlesnakes from a distance of course but their power and command of their environment. I’ve had rattlesnakes with my boyfriend and feel as if they are beautiful, and sacred.
Don’t Fuck With Me. am drawn to a few run ins with hypnotizing,
“I am inspired by textures and patterns both luxurious and rough... Any bad ass biker bitch who balls on a budget has my heart.”
VOODOO DOUGHNUT MILE HIGH; 1520 E Colfax Ave
Where do you find the pieces that fill your home/ how would you describe your decorating style? I’m a thrifter. I find beautiful things through the combing of thrift stores and Craigslist. Sometimes I get lucky and find a six-foot Flokati in perfect condition for sixty bucks, and sometimes I cave in and buy a cowhide rug for full price. I’ve always enjoyed my mothers curating, and I’ve been taught a style of decorating that is whimsical, sweet and colorful. I think I’ve hit my stride with knowing what I want. Western and Eastern influences, like a gifted cowskull that is still covered in the dirt from which it came from and a beautiful hand painted rooster kite. I have this magnificient oriental shade that was a great find, a handed down treasure that was brought back from Asia in the 1960’s. My mother has provided me with beautiful furnishings, of which she has found in the gold mine of secondhand that is Florida. She hand restores most of the goods that she chooses for her home.
I have also come to be obsessed with plants. I wasn’t always but now I just have this desire to be surrounded in greenery, and to take great care in encouraging life and growth.
Current trends you love: Bolo ties, harnesses, platform everything, wide brimmed hats, midi-length dresses and skirts, short bangs; yum. Trends you never want to see again: Peplums, ultra low waisted pants, jeans, anything; fake designer bags, ultra short mini dresses and shirts, leggings as pants. Advice to those looking to find and build a unique wardrobe? There are so many women and men that I look up to walking the streets of Denver, stylistically. I’d say get inspired by people’s looks and figure out what you want for yourself. Once you have a clear idea of what you like and what makes you feel like a million dollars, try for creative ways to acquire it second hand, make it your own. There are untold amounts of compliments I’ve received on my second hand clothing and I am proud that I’ve been able to not only save a buck but contribute to a less harmful practice of fashion.
“Don’t take yourself seriously. Have fun with your outfits and be willing to take chances.
Don’t worry about looking too girly, too boyish, too dressed up, too anything.
Invest in things that fit you, resist the things that don’t. Stay classic with pearl snap shirts and vintage dresses. Stay cool with leather jackets and a good pair of boots. Don’t take shit from men, women, or children about what you look like. Don’t buy fast fashion, Don’t buy just to buy. Do curate your home, your looks, yourself!” - Grace Wood
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CONSIGNMENT ASSIGNMENT THE
New York Fashion Week was full of Southwest themed collections this year and I’ve never felt more proud. Leather, suede, patterned ponchos, bandanas, floor sweeping bohemian dresses, flared high waisted jeans... Represent. Denver’s eccentric Buffalo Exchange on South Broadway has all you need for your fall wardrobe, accessories and must-haves. Their eclectic style selections vary as they hand pick each item they sell in their store. Started in 1974 by Kerstin and Spencer Block out of Tuscon, their unique spin on the “buy, sell, trade” concept has since evolved from a 450 sq. ft. shop to 49 stores in 19 states across the country. Consignment, ironically, is the place to look for high fashion trends. $ > $$$$ //
All photos are from the South Broadway location in downtown Denver
Denver: 51 Broadway St; Mon-Sat 11AM-9PM, Sun 11AM-8PM Denver Annex: 226 E 13th Ave; Mon-Sat 11AM-7PM, Sun 11AM-5PM Boulder: 1813 Pearl St; Sun-Thurs 10AM-7PM, Fri-Sat 10AM-8PM www.buffaloexchange.com
RAW DENVER PRESENTS: VERVE Text and Photography by Carlee Henderson
“RAW is a fun and alternative way for artists to showcase both to their local community and the world-at-large. We are not your average art show. We are loud, colorful, creative, and all about our artists. We are RAW.” (www.rawartists.org) RAW is an independent arts organization that operates in over 60 cities across the United States, Australia, Canada and the UK. Each city hand-picks a variety of local artists from different forms of media to represent the city. The result is a one night event full of energy and creativity in one space. Artists and viewers alike network and build a strong relationship in their art community. The funny thing about this year’s event is the location: the bustling South Broadway strip... An area of the city where drinking cheap beer over Colorado craft beer is accepted, leather pants are preferred, and chain-smoking four cigarettes happens in a matter of 20 minutes as you discuss the last band that played at Hi-Dive.
When: Thursday, Sept.22 7PM - 11PM Where: City Hall 1144 Broadway, Denver (303) 832-2383 Website: www.rawartists.org Instagram: @cityhalldenver Facebook: @CityHallEvents
It’s 7:32 p.m. and I’m alone. I park a few blocks away from South Broadway and walk to City Hall. No, I’m not on my way to pay a parking ticket, the building is an event space that offers music, fashion and art under one roof. The invitation called for formal attire. I opt for a DVF inspired wrap dress and sneakers. It’s South Broadway. You’re not going to find me in heels. This is as good as it’s going to get. It’s windy as hell and everyone driving by can definitely see my ass as my dress gets caught in the wind.. ‘Shit,’ I think. ‘I really should have worn pants.’
I eat an Altoid in the short line, show them my ID and ticket then proceed into the event. Immediately upon entering the space, there’s a warm and welcoming vibration of live music, bartenders mixing cocktails and artists connecting with their guests who fawn over their eccentric works. The venue is packed. It’s a good turnout and staged well. Artists are scattered throughout the warehouse style loft space which ranges over four stories and includes a stage with plenty of balcony seating on every level for onlookers. I make my way to the lower level by the stage.
I watch as three models walk on stage posing in white leotards and nude heels. ‘Stupid,’ I think. I continue my gaze. The booths are all unique. A photographer is placed next to a jewelry maker. A makeup artist next to an editor with various film playing. I walk by a painter who’s talking to a glass blower who produces really colorful and unique bongs and bowls for their high demand Denver clientele. One was a cactus, for example; it was cute.
“THE INVITATION CALLED FOR FORMAL ATTIRE. IT’S SOUTH BROADWAY. YOU’RE NOT GOING TO FIND ME IN HEELS. THIS IS AS GOOD AS IT’S GOING TO GET.”
The music is good and the artists are all really kind and grateful for the reception they’ve received. I see photographer Blake Jackson who was nominated as one of the artists represented for the show. We had collaborated for the feature of this issue and it was great to see him in his element. It also made me proud as an editor to work with an avant-garde photographer in Denver. I congratulate him and continue to snake through the crowd. I was really impressed with jewelry maker Malia Jenkins of VENTURE WILD and Alexandra Lauren Varone of Fiercest Fox. Both local designers’ works were hand crafted and beautifully designed. They both had their own spin on using nature and Colorado as influences of their work. Flowers, star constellations and gemstones were all uniquely showcased and represented. Beautiful.
Above: Malia Jenkins of VENTURE WILD. Follow her on Instagram: @venturewildcollective
Above: Mixed media artist Alexandra Lauren Varone of Fiercest Fox. Follow her on Instagram: @fiercestfox
I end the night with friends downtown. I really loved spending a night out on South Broadway. Its energy is so unique. The strip varies from art galleries to trendy fashion boutiques, dive bars and live music venues. I highly recommend taking a day to explore all it has to offer... and to order a plain cheese slice with a Coors Banquet from Pie Hole (only after midnight).
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"If voting made any difference, they wouldn’t let us do it.�
#2016election www.carleehenderson.com