DUBUQUE AREA ARTS COLLECTIVE Arts / Issue IV
CONTRIBUTORS AND VOLUNTEERS: Louise Kames
Grain Feature writer
Ivonne Simonds
DAAC Creative Director Grain Layout Designer
Bob Bucko Jr
Board President / Ruix Grain Editor
Dominic Velando DAAC Member Grain Lead Editor
Madison Rhymes Grain Feature writer
Mallory Heims
Creative Team Member
Nick Brimeyer
Creative Team Member
Heidi Pettitt
Creative Team Member
Crescentia (Volz) Mello Jessica Weis
Vice President Grain Feature writer
Rick Eagle
Board Member Music Series
Jon Eagle
Ruix Blogger Podcast Host
Creative Team Member
Angela Ventris
Creative Team Member
Jackie Banigan Grain Feature writer
Heidi Zull
Grain Feature writer
Keri Jean Schwanekamp Creative Team Member
Drew Bissell
Board Member Ruix / Music Series
Amanda Reynolds Board Member
Matt Hohmann Board Member Sound Engineer
Dustin McLaughlin
BODY SLAM & Cover Photography (Cover Art by Angelo Joseph and Terri Berg)
JOIN OUR TEAM & VOLUNTEER! Michelle Bechen Board Member Photographer
Gibby Metcalf Board Member
DAAC CREATIVE TEAM
Dean Wellman Board Member Video Producer
Plan Events & Programming, Curate / Hang Exhibits, Write Articles for Grain, Design Layout, Pitch-in Ideas, Do gallery hours, Meet awesome people AND MORE!
DUBUQUE AREA ARTS COLLECTIVE THE DUBUQUE AREA ARTS COLLECTIVE IS A GROUP OF LOCAL CREATIVES WORKING IN A GRASSROOTS FASHION TO ENHANCE ARTS IN THE AREA AND PROVIDE AN ENTRYWAY FOR YOUNG AND EMERGING ARTISTS TO ENGAGE AND ENRICH THE ARTS AND CULTURE OF DUBUQUE. THE DAAC CONNECTS EMERGING ARTISTS WITH EXPERIENCED ARTISTS, CREATING OPPORTUNITIES & FOSTERING RELATIONSHIPS THAT GO BEYOND TRADITIONAL NETWORKING.
VISUAL ARTS & COMMUNITY OUTREACH
DAAC MUSIC SERIES, RUIX ZINE AND PODCAST:
We offer a space for artists where they can cultivate artistic skills, offering free workshops and programming directed by local experienced artists. We encourage members of our community to share their talents and skills through workshops, mentoring, and exhibitions in our creative space.
Grain’s sister publication, Ruix Zine, focuses on local and regional music, including our Music Series, in which the DAAC hosts semi-regular shows in the DIY spirit. These shows are being documented through audio and video recording, and we are also conducting interviews with select artists for our archives, as well as for broadcast on regional cable television. Keep your eyes peeled and ears open this spring for more concerts featuring excellent touring and local bands of all genres.
ART EXHIBITS AND PERFORMANCES We also curate programming at our gallery and performance space. The DAAC features local and regional art, while also displaying works from national and international artists. We also promote the arts through podcasts, print publications, and blogs. We host 4 to 6 gallery shows each year, including our flagship event, The Salon, which promotes upcoming and underrepresented local artists.
In addition to our quarterly zine, there is also a weekly blog and monthly podcast, where you can find information on upcoming events, alongside observations on the state of local music and art. We also we sit down with our favorite area musicians and artists and chew the fat. You can find Ruix Podcast on iTunes.
Becoming a DAAC member & volunteer is easy. Email us at submitDAAC@gmail.com, and tell us a little (or a lot) about you and what you do. Attend our monthly meetings, and join the fun!
CALL FOR ARTISTS OF ALL DISCIPLINES: We are looking for artists and performers to showcase their work at the new DAAC gallery. Send samples or images of your work, along with your artist statement or proposal at: submitdaac@gmail.com.
CONTACT US: Currently at: 902 Main St, Dubuque IA. On May 1st, 2016, we will be at a new gallery space located on the second floor of the Smokestack (62 E 7th St, Dubuque IA). OPEN SAT & SUN, 12 TO 4PM
graindbq@gmail.com DAartscollective.com DubuqueAreaArts.org (Under construction)
ABOUT US
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: For most people living in Dubuque, art happens once a year under a tent, or on a stage, neatly packaged, and sponsored by banks and beer. Grain Magazine is a stage where we illuminate the artist’s journey, with or without sponsorship, outside the packaging, day in and day out. That stage now extends to our online blog (DubuqueAreaArts.org) and on social media (@grainmag) where you can keep up with the Dubuque arts scene and get exclusive content. As for the issue in your hands now, we are extremely proud to present: Photos by the mega-talented Dustin McLaughlin depicting the DAAC’s body painting show from the 2015 Dubuque Ink and Art Expo. We also got the scoop on what exactly happened to the nowdefunct Eronel, a music/art venue and bar owned by true Dubuque originals Rick Eagle and Drew Bissell. Finally, the unintended theme to this issue is unexpected change. Many of the people we interviewed left Dubuque after we spoke with them. The impact of such losses can’t be understated in a place that needs creative people to help write the next chapter of this town’s story. What is to be done? We don’t have all the answers, but between our efforts and your readership, the discovery process has begun.
On Behalf of the Team,
Dominic Velando
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11.
21.
BODY SLAM A New Canvas Experience
PACKAGING DESIGN Sighting the Sound
HARASSMENT LETTERS Hate Male
LIVE COMPETITION:
ARTIST FEATURE: By Bob Bucko Jr.
By Jackie Banigan
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DIY:
ART The New Meditation By Jessica Weis
By Heidi Zull
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EDUCATION:
PROFESSIONAL WORLD Art Careers: Putting art Degrees To Work By Louise Kames
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LITERARY FEATURE:
TANGIBLE SPACE Moonsick Magazine By Bob Bucko Jr.
LITERARY FEATURE:
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ARTIST FEATURE:
CULTURE Why Do Minorities Have to Make Everything About RACE? By Madison Rhymes
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ARTIST FEATURE:
SHOW QUALITY Interview With Local Breeder Brian Wilhelm By Dominic Velando
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MUSIC:
STRAIGHT NO CHASER The Former Owners of Eronel Discuss Shows that No One Wants to See and More By Dominic Velando
CONTENTS
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GRAIN Issue 4
DubuqueAreaArts.org
Photography By Dustin McLaughlin dustinmclaughlin.com
DUBUQUE AREA ARTS COLLECTIVE
T
he Body Slam art contest was a space for artists to create art in a time sensitive, circumstantial setting. The artists were challenged to form a lasting impression on viewers using a medium that is unique and striking but ultimately temporary. Crescentia Volz’s Tiger Lily was successfully developed and artfully executed. Like the artwork’s title suggests, Volz ultimately created a character. She was challenged to consider the audience’s experience of her live painting. She organized her process in a way that would allow viewers to watch her character come to life. “I planned the best way to paint the design, to maximize my time and make it interesting for the audience to watch.” Volz explained, “I drew my design onto the base coat with a makeup pencil in a light green.” The audience was able to see the artwork develop from the base coat to the under drawing, and to the final artwork.
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Volz also embraced chance by utilizing her randomly selected model as a base for her character. She took advantage of her model’s unique hairstyle. “While the base coat dried, I turned my model’s pixie haircut into a field of grass and a lily,” Volz said, “I used fashion makeup to emphasize her pixie nature.” The muddy texture on the arms and legs suggested her playful and impish demeanor. The bright green leaves and vibrant orange and pink flowers represented nature, with which nymphs and fairies are often associated. The subtle placement of glitter conjured the ethereal essence of the character. Tiger Lily is a wonderful example of a temporary work that creates a lasting impression. Volz created a memorable artwork and a marvelous character through thoughtful consideration of her canvas and her skillful painting.
BODY SLAM
A NEW CANVAS EXPERIENCE By
Jackie Banigan
LIVE COMPETITION Dubuque Ink & Art Expo
By Jackie Banigan
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ANDONIA GIANNAKOUROS
& EMILY APPLEMAN
ANGELO JOSEPH AND TERRI BERG
CRESCENTIA VOLZ
Painter And Mixed Media Sculptor
Painters and Mixed Media Artists
Painter and Mixed Media Artist
In Giannakouros’ and Appleman’s work, they portrayed the ties between the human soul and the Earth through the four elements. The intense pigmentation of the tree represents fire and its association with life, energy and strength. The clouds represent water as a cleansing power. The clouds were centered around the face and spread to the torso to express the healing power of the mind. The night sky portrays air. The roots of the tree represent earth and its strengthening force.
The concept of Berg’s and Joseph’s piece was to beautify the model with images of rejuvenation, goodness, and joy. They used imagery such as fruits, vegetables, flowers, animals and a sun motif, as well as positive phrases such as “be well” and “be love.” The imagery and phrases convey the living quality of being healthy and happy. We used a very vivid, colorful and almost a graffiti style approach. The artists believe that the only way to effectively rebel is to be positive.
Volz wanted to convey a story through creating a character: Tiger Lily. She is an earth spirit, a sprite who lives in the dirt and calls the flowers to bloom. Her arms and legs are stained from her years playing in the mud, and the flowers have bloomed on her body and become a part of her. With an elfish smile and a playful gate her calling is not a chore, but a joy. A lily sprouts from her hair, and the dew glitters on her leaves as she frolics in the grass.
Model: Haleigh Pappas
BODY SLAM: Competitors
Model: Julie Schmitz
Model: Laura Klavitter
DUBUQUE AREA ARTS COLLECTIVE
JESSICA WEIS
DOUG MACKIE
ALI LYNCH
Painter And Portrait Artist
Actor, Sculptor, Painter And Computer Graphics Artist
Tattooer, Painter And Mixed Media Artist
Model: Benjamin Willes
Model: Ryan William Andrews
Mackie chose to interpret the landscape of the body as an expression of the DNA connection that human beings have with nature and other extraterrestrial life forms. Mackie compares it to ancestry.com, but instead bringing out the various possible hidden beings from throughout the universe that could be residing inside us. The artwork implies that the model’s limbs are woven from the fabric of plant life and the soul of Mother Earth.
Lynch wanted to convey the feeling of being underwater. She loves marine life, especially drawing it. The ocean is a mysterious and almost alienesque part of the earth, but it’s also very calming. For her very first body painting experience she decided to paint something comfortable, and hoped the audience would connect with the work on a similar level.
Model: Elainee E. Koehler
Weis’ aesthetic tends to lean towards incorporating the human form with nature to convey human connection with the earth. She likes to use natural or found materials as media for this same reason. So it was natural for the artist to incorporate the tree as a part of the model’s body. The model was literally part of the tree with the trunk wrapped around her leg, thus symbolizing humanity’s ultimate connection with nature.
Photography By
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Dustin McLaughlin
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I
wake up in the morning and the starting gun has sounded. My mind is off with a flurry of thoughts about what I have to do for the day or what I should have done yesterday. I get the kids ready and rush out the door. I sit and flip on the morning news and am bombarded with one fearful news story after another. The fear and anxiety starts to take over my body. What is wrong with me? I cannot shut off the incessant stream of negative thoughts. I stop…and try to disconnect; clear my mind of those thoughts and feel the expanding space of my being. I sit in the stillness of the present moment and try my best to find tranquility. It truly is a daily process, trying to find ways to cope with our fast paced and hectic lives. Everyone has different levels of anxiety and different ways to cope. Some simply read a book or listen to music. Others may turn to meditation. Creating art, however, is another way to access a meditative state of mind and the profound healing qualities it brings. According to psychologists, creating art is one of the best alternatives to meditation. That says a lot about the healing qualities of creative expression.
Creating art is about reaching a state of awareness and breaking free from the constant negative chatter in our minds. “All true artists, whether they know it or not, create from a place of nomind, from inner stillness,”
You do not need to be an artist to benefit from the profound healing qualities of art. There are many ways to express yourself without having to even pick up a paintbrush. Below I have listed three mindful art projects that anybody can do.
COLLAGE MAKING Collage making is a wonderful way to tell your story through images. It is also a great way to express yourself without having any technical drawing or painting skills. Simply cut and paste images that you are drawn to and that represent who you are. The collage example here is a reflection board that represents my love and connection with nature. Use this platform to make reflection boards as an expression of who you are, a goal board that represents future goals you would like to achieve, or you can just have fun and piece together images you love in an abstract way. It is extremely gratifying, and is great opportunity to reconnect with you!
- Eckhart Tolle
ART
SENSORY BLIND DRAWING Sensory blind drawing is where you draw in complete darkness or blindfolded. So much of the stress we experience from creating art comes from the judgements and criticism we think we may receive.
When you create art in complete darkness, you free yourself from that inner art critic and just create lines, shapes, and patterns simply because that is what you feel. It is purely fun and completely from your mind! It is an extremely freeing experience, and it is so fun to turn the lights on and see what creations you made!
ADULT COLORING PAGES Adult coloring pages are all the rage now. With our fast paced world we live in, it is easy to understand why people are looking for non-traditional ways to disconnect. Like meditation, coloring allows us to switch off our brains from other thoughts and focus on the moment. It helps relieve stress and anxiety and brings you back to thehappy, simpler times of your childhood. You can do this alone or with loved ones. A great idea would be to host an adult coloring party and invite your friends to join in on the fun.
Even in our own community we are seeing the popularity of adult coloring. Twice a month, at Carnegie-Stout Library, you can attend adult coloring sessions. Be sure to visit their calendar to see dates and times. The Dubuque Area Arts Collective have also put together a collection of adult coloring pages done by local artists. You can color this great piece by Jacob helm right here in our magazine. Or go to our website www.daartscollective.com to download and print many more!
Enjoy and be artful!
THE NEW MEDITATION DIY: Art as Meditation
By
Jessica Weis
Art by Jacob Helm
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Art by Jacob Helm
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women’s issues. BULL publishes dudes writing shit about being a dude! Like, damn! Go hang out with them for a little bit and stop sending me emails.
Gwen Beatty is a local writer, as well as an actor, musician, barista, and legal clerk.
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What was the impetus to start Moonsick Magazine? How long has it been online?
It began as an “oh fuck, I’m about to graduate college” project. I was frustrated and filled with doom feelings about spring and my headspace was a little fucked. Between appointments I’d watch my friend look at grad schools or stress about her CV, and I came to the realization, and it sounds stupid as I say it here, that no one was going to give me an assignment ever again. Nobody was going to say, “Hey, read this, make this, do this thing.” I was working for a different literary magazine at the time and up until that point I didn’t think I was accomplished enough, whatever that means, to run one by myself. But I said, “fuck it,” beat down that shitty internal leviathan, bought a web domain, and Moonsick happened. It was the assignment I gave myself. Now we’re talking about it nine monthly issues later.
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Moonsick solicits material exclusively from female-identified writers. What feedback has Moonsick Magazine received, both from authors who have submitted and your audience? How do you feel Moonsick has been received, and do you feel its intended purpose is being achieved? Well, some dudes were pissed. One went so far as to tell me I was a bad feminist for not including men. But with each pissed dude comes the satisfaction of knowing I’m doing something important. There are journals for men, like BULL - Men’s Fiction. Here’s a quote from their website: “We’re looking for good stories that address men’s issues, span male perspectives, or otherwise appeal to a male audience.” Okay. And that magazine is pretty good, actually! They’ve published some work that I really, really dig. So that’s the magazine I point to when boys go, “Waaaah, these girls have a magazine! Why can’t I be in the club? Boo hoo!” Moonsick features women, but we aren’t necessarily publishing solely about
Moonsick’s inbox has a “MEN” folder. A lot of guys have tried to send work under female pseudonyms from Frank Whatever at Gmail dot com, or just under their real names. Some of it isn’t malicious. Sometimes it’s clear that they’re just idiots who didn’t read the submission guidelines, but other times it’s pretty clear they’re trying to get their work accepted so they can say, “HA HA I PULLED ONE OVER ON THOSE FEMINIST BITCHES.” We don’t respond. Those submissions go to the “MEN” folder to die.
“ I said, ‘fuck it,’ beat down that shitty internal leviathan, bought a web domain, and Moonsick happened. It was the assignment I gave myself. Now we’re talking about it nine monthly issues later.”
LOCAL: Literary Magazine
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DubuqueAreaArts.org The problem is multifaceted and I’m definitely not an expert. I want to point you to the VIDA count, a project born of Cate Marvin, Erin Belieu, and Ann Townsend. Each year, VIDA compiles data about top tier journals, press outlets, etc, and they map out gender disparities in easy to swallow pie charts. It’s just an illustration, and VIDA as an organization does a lot more than just make pie charts, but it’s an interesting thing to look at. A thing I’ve run into a lot is, “Oh, women aren’t getting published? Prove it.” So there you go. Let’s start there. I proved it.
I’m not here to play the gender police, though. I’m not scouring the internet to find out people’s gender identities, or asking non-binary submitters if they feel more male or female today. That’s just bullshit and a waste of time. The goal of Moonsick is to provide a safe space for women to submit. A lot of women I’ve talked to have told me it’s sometimes daunting to submit out into the big, wide dude-world. I’d say something like a fifth of the submissions I receive contain a thank you: for Moonsick, for saving them a spot on the internet. Those emails rule. So, to answer your question, yes. I think so.
“The goal of Moonsick is to provide a safe space for women to submit. A lot of women I’ve talked to have told me it’s sometimes daunting to submit out into the big, wide dude-world.”
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In what ways is the lit scene actively and tacitly ignoring and/or dismissing women, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and members of other marginalized groups? How do you, and other writers, subvert this?
“The literary canon taught in school is made up mostly of cisgendered, white dudes. And okay! Some of that shit rips!”
The problem, like everything, is greyer, fuzzier, isn’t condensable into something easy to swallow. Everything is intersectional. And I’m white, so I’m not going to act like I understand the intricacies of the bullshit people of color are experiencing in the lit scene, but I am a queer woman, so I do understand at least my intersections. The literary canon taught in school is made up mostly of cisgendered, white dudes. And okay! Some of that shit rips! Like, Spenser was a sexy weirdo and I’m into it! But when writers who belong to marginalized groups are taught, it becomes an auxiliary course, not a requirement. This alone is enough to tune our ears to the white, male voice, and wire our minds to think of white dudes as “real” writers, everybody else as an “elective.” Since the beginning of this Moonsick thing, people have said stuff to me like, “I didn’t think my writing was real writing worth submitting because I wasn’t [white, male, straight] enough.” And this, obviously, is coming from people in retrospect, and perhaps they hadn’t made that connection up until they said it to me, but think about how many non-white, non-male, non-straight people are unconsciously perpetuating this bullshit in their head. We need to read their work. Goddamn it.
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What is your writing background? Along with founding Moonsick, you also edit. Do you have previous editing experience, and are there other editors and/or regular contributors to the magazine? As far as editing goes, I worked for a magazine called Cease, Cows for about a year in 2013 and First Stop Fiction, both during and after that. I’ll always love those magazines and the people who run them for teaching me to do what I’m doing
now. First Stop Fiction also published my very first fiction piece, so double marshmallow hearts for them. Academic editing actually helped in ways that I didn’t expect it to. When I was teaching kids who barely spoke English or who didn’t give a fuck, I had to figure out how to explain what worked and what didn’t work in their writing in a way that was simultaneously clear and engaging. A lot of times with Moonsick rejections, I send
DUBUQUE AREA ARTS COLLECTIVE a bit of feedback because I don’t want submitters to full stop after a rejection from Moonsick. Evolve, evolve. Moonsick is just me for now, although, I constantly refer to myself “us” in emails. Actually, I think I’ve even done it in this interview. Yeah, fuck, I don’t know why I do that. Anyway, I’d love to have
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In addition to being a writer, you are also actively involved in local theatre. What are your experiences as an artist in Dubuque? How is the city accommodating of artists and the arts? How can it improve? Theatre isn’t really a part of our shared cultural consciousness anymore, so it’s a hard thing to market, especially in a place like Dubuque. We need money, space, an audience. But that’s the arts, I guess. In a lot of ways I think Dubuque is getting better, and for such a small community we’ve put up some great shows. We can hold on to that. In recent years, I’ve seen a pretty big shift in the kinds of shows we’re doing, how we’re doing them, where we’re doing them, what kind of audience we’re drawing, and I think the theatre community as a whole is headed in a neat direction. Two summers ago we did a show about weed with props made of cardboard, I simulated a blowjob on a small stage in a bar, and goddamn if that wasn’t the biggest draw we’d had in years. It provoked people. It wasn’t even close to being the best show we’ve ever done, but people showed up.
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You recently selfpublished a chapbook (Kill Us On the Way Home), and founded Moonsick as an independent internet publication. Were these decisions conscious or made of necessity? The power of controlling your own mode of distribution is subversive in its own right - in what other ways does calling your own shots benefit both your art and the diversity of the scene? What is the attitude toward selfpublishing, and how has that changed in recent years?
Photography by Seth Godwin an editing crew, as submissions are increasing every month and it’s a lot for me to tackle alone, but I like being in charge of what I publish. It’s a perk I didn’t have as much while reading slush at other journals. AND I’d like to be able to offer more than just experience to an editor if I hired one, so until I stop losing money on this literary baby, a reading team seems out of reach.
Kill Us On the Way Home was sort of selfpublished. Ryan Werner, my partner, runs a press out of our apartment. He knows how to do what I don’t, like formatting and design, and he definitely got the last call on everything. He has seen me naked, though, so I guess it’s self-published because otherwise it’d be nepotism. I was on the fence about whether or not I’d have him put it out under the umbrella of his press, or if I was going to make up a press
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of my own, but I knew from day damn one I’d be putting it out on my own terms. I watch writers send their manuscripts all over the goddamn planet for years and years before it gets picked up, and what a stressful waste of time! It’s a saturated market, but your work is valid! Just fucking do it and then maybe someone will notice and pay you American dollars for it!\
“Theatre isn’t really a part of our shared cultural consciousness anymore, so it’s a hard thing to market, especially in a place like Dubuque. We need money, space, an audience. But that’s the arts, I guess.”
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Any plans for 2016? Last year you put out a book and traveled to the West Coast to read - will there be a tour this year? What is the future of Moonsick? Any desire for a print edition or compendium of previous issues? I’m hoping to go out for a little five day tour in March and then a bigger guy at the end of July. It’s a little daunting because I haven’t been out reading for more than a weekend at a time, but reading, even when the turnout isn’t great, reaffirms that this is what I’m going to do. As for Moonsick, I’m hoping to do a print edition of my favorite pieces from past issues within the year. It’s a big project, though, so I’ll definitely need some help. Takers?
Visit Moonsick:
moonsickmagazine.com
Interview By
Bob Bucko Jr.
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J
ay Schleidt is a visual and sound artist based in Iowa City. His unique packaging for audio objects has garnered attention from all corners of the underground, as well as from the University of London, who possesses several of Schleidt’s designs in their permanent collection. He also recently created an award for FilmScene, a nonprofit cinema organization based in Iowa City, that was presented to famed Monty Python animator Terry Gilliam. Jay’s work is playful, at once seemingly tossed off and intricately layered. His designs are labyrithine yet functional, often forcing the consumer to decide between regarding the intact item as an art object and accessing the recorded material by violating the sanctity of the sealed packaging. A long time friend and collaborator, I met with Jay at his home studio in February in an attempt to unlock the thoughts and process behind his creative output.
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So how did you get started with art and music?
I’ve always recorded my whole life on tape. Being a high school kid, I started noticing album art and I realized that the things I was making, my own musical output, was completely different than any ‘real’ music that I listened to - of course I was unaware of experimental musical communities around the world that have been in existence forever - but, at the time, it seemed reasonable to me that the music is not ‘normal’, so why would you have a normal package? That got me to thinking about what else I could use to represent the music and sounds in a more appropriate manner.
“When you spend time with a friend’s music, it is like you are walking in their tunnel. This is how Lation connects us. Tapping into the universal nipple that feeds our creative drives and the desires to share these passions with loved ones and strangers.”
2.
What was the impetus to house music in unique handmade packaging?
Back around 1999, I would make mixtapes of my own music for friends and make a cool package for that, and eventually it got to the point of ‘I want to do more with this particular mix, I think I want to put out 20 copies of this.
FilmScene award designed for Terry Gilliam
ARTIST FEATURE: Packaging Design
I might have a particular supply of a certain number of a certain object, and I might sit on it for a while thinking how someday this could interact in some way, almost Marcel Duchamp readymade style, putting the things together. A lot of it stems from collecting things. I collect a lot of art supplies and random things that come in sets. I wonder, “why would one person really need 15 of this one specific thing you’re never going to use?” But I’ll save it, packrat style, in the hopes that someday I will use it.
DUBUQUE AREA ARTS COLLECTIVE
Interview With
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Do you see a relationship between visual and aural aesthetics? In a world in which physical formats are an anachronism, what is the value of a tactile connection to music? You’re sitting there listening to the record and you’re looking at the album art, reading the back, going through the info. It’s almost this accompanying thing that is totally relevant to what you are listening to. I try to imagine that the person will get something and that, in order to listen to it, they will need to go through an unlocking process. I feel that having a physical piece of sound art in your personal collection allows you to have more of a connection to the people involved in the making of it.
4.
What is the difference between something that exists between two people and something that is shared between 6 people or 20 people? Is there an equivalent process in visual art to the small runs of cassettes and other recorded materials you produce? I would liken it to an artist print. It’s not like Van Gogh, where everyone has a “Starry Night” backpack or whatever - it’s more like the artist made this piece, and they are releasing a certain limited amount of prints, and it comes from the artist or their workshop. But when you start making more than one… well, that’s how I first started doing this. I would record some stuff and give it to a friend. They would be like, “that’s cool, I let my friends hear that.” Oh, maybe they want a tape too. I realized at some point that I can’t make each person a completely separate thing, but I can try to get close to that. Because the more friends I make who share this interest with me, the more copies I want to have around that I can share with them.
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Jay Schleidt
5.
You participate in mail art with friends and acquaintances. How does this relate to your work? A lot of it is personal communication is some way, a lot of it is jarbled nonsense that evokes memories we share. It invokes a lot of the Lation ideals, which are all about going into someone else’s tunnel and following that for a bit and letting that influence how you interact with the world… or not.
“I feel that having a physical piece of sound art in your personal collection allows you to have more of a connection to the people involved in the making of it.”
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Besides creating packaging for other artists and labels, you also curate the Darbolistic Rex label and ‘manage’ the aforementioned Lation collective. What is Lation?
Well, I have a complicated relationship with everybody that is not myself. In regards specifically to projects of a mutual interest. Pretty early on, I was already receiving communication from people interested in what I was doing and wanting to get involved or have me do a similar thing to their music with album art. I used to say yes to everyone. Sometimes that’s awesome, sometimes it’s not. I’ve always enjoyed the idea of being a curator or publisher, collaborating with an artist you admire to produce something new for the world. When you spend time with a friend’s music, it is like you are walking in their tunnel. This is how Lation connects us. Tapping into the universal nipple that feeds our creative
drives and the desires to share these passions with loved ones and strangers. Lation has a way for everyone. Making a pizza is a good example. It can be a team building adventure or a personal voyage, standard cheese/sauce/ dough or peanut butter and squash on rye crust, toppings all over or your side/my side.
7.
Tell me about your experience creating an award for Terry Gilliam? I was asked by FilmScene to make an award that would be presented to Terry Gilliam when he came to Iowa City last year. Being a lifelong fan, I totally saw this as an opportunity to, not exactly ‘collaborate’, but... he’s one of the few people I would be able to name as having some kind of influence on me in a few different ways. So I made a piece, and inside was a working 8 mm wind-up camera. You wind it and hit the button, and if you have the thing opened up, you have a tiny paper windmill I attached to the mechanism that turns around when you hit the button. It’s hidden inside, so it’s a little secret just for him and the people he shares it with, and it’s also a callback to his multiple failed film attempts at recreating Don Quixote. I got to meet him - he actually spent 10 minutes with me, just talking. I told him “I did not even know you were coming to town to do your lecture because I am so focused on being a hermit and an artist. I essentially spend most of my free time at home working on art projects and it’s because I was inspired by you and people like you to pursue this avenue.” Gilliam told me, “Good for you, that’s the way to do it. Parties will come and go - all the social things are not as important in the long run if you feel this drive to create. You have to focus on that.”
Interview By
Bob Bucko Jr.
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SOUND Packaging by See/hear more at: jay.lation.org
Jay Schleidt
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Do you remember the last time you saw a listing for artist needed in an on-line jobs board or the Sunday newspaper classified ads? What can I do with a major in Art or Design? Louise Kames is chair of the Art and Design department at Clarke University. The following is a collection of her valuable insights on putting a degree to use in the professional world.
PUTTING ART DEGREES TO WORK EDUCATION: Professional World
“Follow your passion and pursue a career in art and design. Expand your preconceptions of how artists and designers impact the world around us.�
DUBUQUE AREA ARTS COLLECTIVE
Follow your passion and pursue a career in art and design. Use your head and expand your preconceptions of how artists and designers impact the world around us. Think about your daily activities from the time the alarm goes off to your arrival at school or work. Does an app on your iPhone or Android phone awaken you? Someone designed the phone, the case, and the app. Is your bedding or your pajamas graced with a repetitive pattern? The composition of t-shirts, blue jeans, skirts and sweaters all pass through the hands of designers, as do the webpages, catalogs, direct mail marketing pieces that alerted you to these articles of clothing. Did a clothing store layout or point of purchase display attract you? Even before you dressed you encountered a decorative shower curtain or bathroom tile, lighting, fixtures and so forth. All designed by someone.
“I’m going to highlight the career path of four BFA degree graduates from the Clarke University Art and Design Program. Each chose an emphasis in studio art, not graphic design. Each has forged a strong career path.” The breakfast table offers numerous examples of packaging design. Did you check the morning news on screen or on the printed page? Again, all designed. Consider your transit to school or work: vehicle design, interior design, bus pass, bill boards, wayfinding or signage and the multitude of images and interactivity you peruse using the digital interface on your phone.
These examples culled from our everincreasing visual world came from the talents of easily identified positions such as graphic designer, motion designer, game designer, web designer, animator, production artist, industrial designer, interior designer, or fashion designer. But the design world is becoming more expansive. Jobs will emerge in the tech and design field that simply don’t exist today. You can increase marketability by adding allied skills in writing, coding or fabrication techniques. Adding an academic minor in theatre, communication or business broadens your expertise as well as professional contacts. While the list of potential careers is wide open in the design field, a studio art graduate will not find the same easily identified creative jobs. Teaching art is an obvious choice if you want to see immediate job listings, but there is strong likelihood you may need to relocate to areas that need teachers. Certification or an advanced degree are required to teach in the traditional venues of K-12, community college or university settings. However, alternative teaching opportunities exist at art museums, community centers, senior centers, artist non-profit studios, with Americorp, or as a curriculum planner or sales advocate for art material manufacturers. I’m going to highlight the career path of four BFA degree graduates from the Clarke University Art and Design Program. Each chose an emphasis in studio art, not graphic design. Each has forged a strong career path. While there is little likelihood that you can earn a living as an independent studio artist right out of college, you do possess many marketable and desired skills for today’s workplace. Jesse Bakey, (Clarke 2012 BFA with a studio emphasis in sculpture) initially took the traditional route and landed a middle school teaching position with Clinton (IA)
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“Jobs will emerge in the tech and design field that simply don’t exist today. You can increase marketability by adding allied skills in writing, coding or fabrication techniques. Adding an academic minor in theatre, communication or business broadens your expertise as well as professional contacts.” Community Schools, only to loose the position after the first year due to district cutbacks. It did not take long for McCullough Creative, the leading Marketing firm in Dubuque, to recognize Bakey’s unique talents. He was hired as Production Artist at McCullough in summer 2015. In this position he fabricates trade show and museum exhibits, signage, props and displays of all kinds. Bakey’s undergraduate degree emphasis in sculpture provided him with the technical and creative tools to find a home in the fabrication shop. In a recent McCullough blog, Bakey shared, “I wake up and it’s not like I’m going to work—I’m going to make art. It’s not necessarily the stuff that I would choose otherwise, but it’s still building something, it’s still working with my hands, and I’m still learning from it. To me it really feels like the college studio art classes. That is what I really like about it. It feels like you are constantly learning, trying new things, and just pushing yourself to find what else you can do.
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Ink Paintings by
Marianne Bennett Bakey’s position at McCullough Creative is an example of innovative careers that merge disciplines of studio art and design. Fine art sculpture skills meet design. Marianne Bennett, (Clarke 2009 BFA degree with a studio emphasis in ceramic sculpture) secured a competitive, two-year Resident/Internship at Terra Incognito, an urban ceramics arts center, located in Oak Park, IL. In exchange for maintaining studios, mixing glazes, firing kilns and assisting with center classes, Bennett enjoyed use of the ceramics facility and was mentored by professional studio
artists. While at Terra Incognito Bennett’s interest in the tattoo industry began to take shape. Tattoo art, like production ceramics is a utilitarian art form, the artist’s creative talent is put to a functional use. Developing a unique visual language helps your work stand out from generic or stereotypical images. While Bennett’s academic work focused on ceramic sculpture she continued to take advanced classes in drawing and art history. These help to ground her expanded repertoire of imagery. Following an internship, she creates tattoos out of the studio Animal
Farm Tattoo, in Chicago, IL. Her complete portfolio can be viewed on Instagram @mariannebennetttattoo.
“Developing a unique visual language helps your work stand out from generic or stereotypical images.“
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presence on social media. She is a selfprofessed, slashie or illustrator/designer/ art director/creative strategist. Her playful watercolor illustrations and surface patterns have been featured on Martha Stewart Living, Apartment Therapy, DIY Studio and Print and Pattern websites and can be found printed on greeting cards, journals, table linens, wallpaper, ceramic tiles, and rugs. Ehlinger’s Instagram page touts nearly 10,000 followers. You can view the work at VerySarie.com.
“Social media sites offer today’s emerging artists a low cost option for selfpromotion. On-line venues such as Etsy, Instragram and Facebook disrupt the traditional visual artist trajectory of having to secure a gallery to promote one’s work. “ Social media sites offer today’s emerging artists a low cost option for self-promotion. On-line venues such as Etsy, Instragram and Facebook disrupt the traditional visual artist trajectory of having to secure a gallery to promote one’s work. Today artists can work anywhere and do not necessarily need to move to an art mecca like New York. This is particularly strategic for young artists who will spend less on studio rent in a more rural or regional home base.
Watercolor illustrations by
Sarah Ehlinger Sarah Ehlinger graduated from Clarke University in 1998 with a BFA degree in studio art. In addition to her art interests Ehlinger worked behind the scenes in Clarke’s theatre productions. This allied interest has been critical to here career path. Her artistic talent as well as the theatre experience led to an internship at a repertory theatre in Arrow Rock, MO following graduation. Soon thereafter, Ehlinger moved to the Minneapolis, MN and secured a position creating props with the prestigious Guthrie Theatre. This led to work as a visual stylist, creating
displays and backdrops for trade shows, department stores and commercial interiors. Her varied artistic sensibilities and experiences, including painting, sculpture, and an aptitude for all manner of design were integral to securing a job with a large design agency where she was soon promoted to a position of art director. Each of these workplaces expanded her skill set and network of professional contacts. Ehlinger’s career is now centered on illustration and surface pattern design. She resides in Los Angeles, CA, works in a home studio and has an active professional
Art and Design college graduates leave school with multifaceted perspectives drawn from a liberal arts education with wide ranging coursework in the sciences, literature and art history, often with a global outlook. They possess creative problem skills along with strong communication and collaborative skills. These emerging creatives are well versed in speaking about and critiquing their own and others work. Wide ranging ideas drawn from multiple disciplines are realized in physical or virtual form. They are researchers, strategic thinkers, risk takers and engaged in local communities. These are skills and attributes applicable in a private studio, business or industrial workforce.
Feature By
Louise Kames
See more at: roseeyed.deviantart.com
DUBUQUE AREA ARTS COLLECTIVE
M
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My family is weird. I’ve grown up with social activist, interracial lesbians for moms, in addition to my father and his wife. I have biracial cousins - one Black/White, the others White/Chinese, first generation - biracial aunts and an uncle with a White grandmother who can talk anyone under the table about politics. My oldest brother was adopted and is technically my step-uncle twice removed (or something like that). My childhood consisted of friends who were Indian, Black-Polish, White African, and Hispanic. And we actually get along. We are the epitome of the “American melting pot”. It is my experiences with them, television, and comics that serve as inspirations for my show centered on racial misconceptions and White privilege, and the advocacy that follows from it.
I didn’t realize how weird my family is until I was older. I’d always assumed racism and White privilege were issues that didn’t affect me. I thought they existed on some vague level like global warming or nice cats but didn’t know how until the television show Sleepy Hollow premiered. It was the first series I’d seen with a Black person in the lead that also featured a large number of additional minorities of other races interacting without being about a struggle to survive in the hood. It was just like any other American program, but with an authentically diverse cast that reflected the “American melting pot” and my family. Comparing it to my surroundings made me realize how much it is lacking in other shows, magazines, movies, and books - how much of my family is missing.
White or not, may have acted in ways similar to those depicted in the comics. It was not likely done with malice, and you may have viewed the situation very differently. Through these comics and the descriptions beneath them, I aim to clarify how these well-meaning instances can be perceived by minorities. Of course, I cannot speak for everyone - but I can describe the world as I see it.
So yes, we’re prejudiced, but it doesn’t make us evil. I can be all those things while also being an advocate. Advocacy doesn’t mean that I am perfect, simply that I try to be aware of these biases so that I can fight to not let them control the way I treat people. Only when we all become aware of our biases and do this, will we be able to truly make America the diverse and accepting “melting pot” we claim it is. But in order to do that, we have to be able to talk about these issues, preferably in a less formal way, first. So let’s look at race, laugh a little, think a bit, maybe even cry. And most importantly, let’s talk.
“We are the product of millions of years of ingroup biases, automatic thought processes, and an intellect that has led to endless moral ambiguity and challenges. “ But one place I could find them was in American comics. I appreciate them, not only for their artwork, but for the stories they weave and the diversity reflected in them by artists like Fiona Staples (Saga), Amy Reeder (Rocket Girl), Leila Del Duca (Shutter), and Karl Kerschl (Gotham Academy). Most importantly, I came to appreciate their ability to openly communicate. Comics are a hybrid of many different types of art that come together in an informal way to make serious topics such as race more approachable. I hope to do the same with my comics by depicting scenes that serve as examples of White privilege or common racial misconceptions that many minorities may find themselves faced with. Some of you,
“Comics are a hybrid of many different types of art that come together in an informal way to make serious topics such as race more approachable.“
By
Madison Rhymes
You do not need to agree with my views. My only goal is to get you to think about a new perspective on issues that we often hesitate to talk about. If there is one thing I have learned in my family, it is that many problems can be solved if we just communicate. There’s a good chance you’re prejudiced, at least culturally ignorant, maybe even a little racist - and so am I. We are the product of millions of years of in-group biases, automatic thought processes, and an intellect that has led to endless moral ambiguity and challenges. You’re prewired to have a preference for people who look like you (in-group biases), automatically associate things or people to stereotypes (automatic thought processes), and subconsciously internalize beliefs after repeated exposure.
Exhibit Reception: April 1, 7-9PM Artist Talk: April 30, 3:30PM Quigley Gallery- Clarke University
A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO WHITE PRIVILEGE ARTIST FEATURE: Culture
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fter a horrific rape and murder happened in the downtown neighborhood last summer, much of Dubuque was upset. A particular news outlet reported a portion of the horrific event as “had sex with” instead denoting it as sexual assault or rape.
I am a feminist and a writer. I live downtown. My first response was to write a poem. My second response was to write an editorial and send it to the Telegraph Herald. (I must note here that the TH was not the local news outlet that used the questionable phrase that had many people upset). However, I and a handful of other women decided to write the TH and tell the community about how the use of this phrase was wrong. I felt it important to set the record straight that you cannot have sex with someone who is incapacitated or dead or with someone who is unable to provide consent. That is more accurately known as rape.
I wrote a paragraph discussing the intersection of the issues in the early covering of the articles. When I submitted my editorial to the TH it asked for my name and address. I knew they would print my name. I was okay with that. I stand behind my values. But, I was afraid of possible backlash. A week went by and I forgot about the editorial and didn’t take notice of when it was printed. About a week later, I received this in the mail.
The first responses were that it could be someone playing a joke. Then, my friend let me know that it was dated the same date our editorials’ were printed in the TH and that our full addresses were printed too. Additional responses told me I should report it, but I questioned if I should. It didn’t seem very threatening. I told myself that this was probably just a onetime occurrence and not to worry about it. I told myself that if it escalated, then I would report it to the police. The other women who wrote into the TH also received the exact same messages. That same night someone pounded on my door waking me up in the middle of the night. I was frightened and believed that it might have something to do with that postcard. I couldn’t sleep. But it didn’t end there.
“At my core I was experiencing what millions of women experience when they speak up and then are forced into silence through harassment and violence. “
The next day I received another postcard. He then decides to call me Heinie, addressing me directly (which was even scarier because this is a family nickname). I posted this again to social media.
HATE MALE LITERARY FEATURE: Harassment Letters
I was confused and needed to find out what this was. I immediately posted it to social media asking people to help me figure it out.
“I felt it important to set the record straight that you cannot have sex with someone who is incapacitated or dead or with someone who is unable to provide consent. “
Now it was personal. It was threatening. It was continuing. I was afraid that the personalization of the postcard meant that this person was stalking me especially because of the random pounding on our door the evening before. I was afraid this person was going to show up at my house or stalk me or harm me in some way. I didn’t know who this person was, what they were like or why they were doing this or where this would escalate to. I was really upset and in tears because I was afraid. At my core I was experiencing what millions of women experience when they speak up and are then are forced into silence through harassment and violence. I took the afternoon off and begged my partner to come home. We went to the police station to report it. I was taken seriously, and the postcards were copied and a report was made. However, I was surprised to find out that this person was known throughout
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Yet, the amazing outcome of using social media is that I connected with lots of other people that had gone through the same experience or wanted to help. Strangers wanted to share their stories with me. I received private messages keeping me up to date on the TH policy change discussion. I received emails of harassment examples sent to organizations in town. I had friends share this with their friends. I had people provide my numbers to others who were writing in and getting similar messages so we could discuss our experiences.
Dubuque and to the police. He had been doing this for years to several people and organizations. This person was in his 70’s and was not mentally stable, but had never physically harmed anyone. They asked me if I wanted to press charges. I said of course. Nothing happened from my request since the district attorney wouldn’t pursue it. I was relieved, but also upset at the idea that his behavior is so proliferate that he had become infamous, known by name, and that nothing could be done. I felt defeated. My response to that was more words. I decided to write another editorial to the TH telling them that their policy to publish full addresses was dangerous and absurd. They told me that the policy was old, but that they would take time to review it. They were also aware of the infamous mail harassment. They didn’t publish my address again with the second editorial piece, but the damage had already been done. The harassment didn’t end. I had a few quiet weeks where I thought that the coast was clear. I was very wrong. It got even more personal. The next postcard I received had a picture of me on it from local magazine HER, and the return address referenced “I wear what I want when I want, period or not”-- glued pieces of an advertisement. Now he knew what I looked like. I wanted to not care. To not to be hurt. I knew I shouldn’t waste my time with someone in this state. I went again to social media, and my friends were there to support me. They told me to continue to report it, but I was disillusioned. I had been told that this was not officially harassment and that nothing was going to legally happen. My next response was to write another poem entitled “Return to Sender”.
“A shared experience upon a community can be alleviated by the shared action of its people. I sincerely believe that and social media helped facilitate that. It wasn’t just me. It was everyone that connected to this experience and took action.” About a week later I received my last postcard. The return address stated “Call today! Donut Maker”. I shared my last postcard on social media, even though I think many of my friends might have been tired of it.
A shared experience upon a community can be alleviated by the shared action of its people. I sincerely believe that and social media helped facilitate that. It wasn’t just me. It was everyone that connected to this experience and took action. And it worked! Just recently, the TH changed their policy and full addresses will no longer be printed with editorials. You can still access any of the editorial pieces that I wrote at the TH website.
by
Heidi Zull
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Skyler Garner with Tressa
Brian Wilhelm with Nightmare
DUBUQUE AREA ARTS COLLECTIVE Brian Wilhelm specializes in breeding “bullies” (such as the American Pitbull Terrier). Wilhelm and other members of their group, 8TRE Bullies, can regularly be seen walking their show-quality dogs throughout downtown Dubuque, as well as on competition stages throughout the midwest.
1.
Do you consider dog breeding an art form or more of a scientific hobby? It’s kind of both. We breed for structure overall, and to do that, you have to study genetics and what look you’re going. We also do it as an art form, because we try to match color coordinations. So, we can try to pull tri-color genes or all-white dogs, or we can consistently drop a look that we want based on what is more hot at the time.
2.
What’s hot right now?
Tri-color’s really hot. Ticking is getting bigger-- spots all over their bodies. They come in almost any color you can imagine.
3.
So, the creativity is there but it’s within strict parameters in terms of health.
Yeah, health is always first and foremost. You don’t want to breed dogs with defects or breed them too early. There’s a lot of planning.
4.
Eventually you’re going to breed an exclusive bloodline. Will there be a certain look to that breed, or is it just about the legacy? We do a family-run business. [The family members] are all very involved. We just want to produce top-quality dogs no matter what the style. We have dogs in every style and look, so we can mix-and-match. We’re starting to get more into the exotic look — bulldog genes, smashed-up faces-- it’s a new style of the breed.
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6.
The lay-person will see a pitbull and notice the muscles, the smashed-up face, and the cropped ears. Why do you think breeders strive for those things? BW: The pitbull was bred to be a working dog. They start cutting the ears for fighting, so there’s less to grab onto and get injured. Now, it’s more of a heritage. It’s a rite of passage. It reminds us of where our dogs came from in history. Not to say that we promote fighting. We still love our breed from day one [into] the future. We work hard to preserve the past and present a new breed in the future.
5.
What’s your experience been like in Dubuque as a breeder? Is it different than other places? Dubuque is very accepting of our dogs. We walk our dogs down the street in every neighborhood. Some people are still scared of the stigma, but for the most part, in Dubuque, it’s really relaxed. People wave at us, the cops drive by and wave at us. We come from small towns in Iowa, and our dogs aren’t even allowed to walk on the streets or even be owned. So to be comfortable and be able to do what we love and not be judged for it, it’s really heartwarming. We fit in.
Image and Interview By
Dominic Velando
SHOW QUALITY
INTERVIEW WITH LOCAL BREEDER BRIAN WILHELM ARTIST FEATURE: Lifestyle
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Photography by
Erin Hedley @hedleye
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Rick Eagle and Drew Bissell spoke with Grain Magazine about Eronel, the music and art venue at 285 Main St. that they owned together from February 2013 to April 2015. This interview took place days before Eagle moved to the Denver-area. Bissell also expects to move there in a matter of weeks.
1. DB:
What was the inspiration to start Eronel?
We had kind of come up with the idea for that place when Eagle owned this other joint called Off
RE:
We paid ten bucks at the door for this band. Do you remember that? I was shocked.
DB:
One of the first bigger shows we did, we were kind of going back and forth with this band. They were adamant. [They said], “Instead of you guys paying us a flat rate and doing no cover, let’s charge 10 bucks at the door and we’ll just take it. That will be what we get paid.” So we thought, okay, cool, man. If that’s what you guys want to do, we’re going to let you self-sabotage. And fucking tons of people showed up.
RE: DB: RE:
Kicked us right in the face. We’re in the office looking at the cameras. They made so much money So did we. It was a good thing. We were just pissed that we were so wrong.
MUSIC: Nightlife
Minor, and he pulled me in to do some of the booking there. We started talking about maybe trying to find a bigger spot to do all their shows at. Off Minor was always kind of our little spot-- heavy metal bar kind of thing.
“Dubuque is a progressive town, [but] I don’t think there will ever be [for instance] a bar in this town with just craft beer, or a venue just for music on that kind of scale.”
DB:
In such an ego-driven way. It was like, fuck that. We always felt like we knew the pulse of Dubuque, but I think in some way, maybe we were in denial about what the pulse of Dubuque actually might be.
3.
Do you think it was a longevity thing and could you see it getting more successful if you had hung on? Or do you think the community just wasn’t ready?
DB:
One of the things that swayed us when we were approached with an offer to be bought out was that business had plateaued. Even if we put our all into promoting the show or nothing into promoting the show, we had set clientele. Business was not going up or down. We could count on the same exact people, same number of people, week in week out. I don’t know if it was a matter of the town being ready. I think it was more maybe our idea being too lofty for what we can actually pull off in this town. Dubuque is a progressive town, [but] I don’t think there will ever be [for instance] a bar in this town with just craft beer, or a venue just for music on that kind of scale. There’s always going to be a balance you have to strike with daily drinkers, after-work drinkers.
2.
Do you guys feel like you had a pretty good finger on the pulse of Dubuque and knew what was going to happen when you booked bands? Were you surprised when people didn’t turn out?
RE: DB:
I’ve been surprised. I think we just did it. There wasn’t an expectation.
4. DB:
Unless the population expands a lot.
I will book somebody I’m really into, that I thought, ‘This is the type of thing I hear people talking about’, and there will be ten people at the show. Even on a Thursday night, [which is] kind of a drinking night. That surprised me. But sometimes, we’d bring in a band, and it’s like, “Dude, there’s a hundred people here.” Why? How?
It would take a lot. But, it might just be a mentality. There are other small communities out there that we’ve played lately with our band [Venereal Crush] where that creative force is there. I think that wasn’t a spontaneous thing. People will probably never hear about the work that goes into that. If it’s one fault that Eagle and I have, it’s that mentality of, “We’ll just do this.” And at a certain point, if you’re not asking for help, then nobody’s gonna come help you. If we’re not reaching out to people, they might not know we exist or might actually ignore us, which was a little bit of the case too.
5.
Are you done with Dubuque? Have you done what you can do?
RE:
No. We’re going to continue the DAAC. We’re going to do the music programs. Ivonne started the DAAC and it’s a pretty cool thing.
DB:
I think it’s cool watching our creative energy behind the stuff we were really proud of at
DUBUQUE AREA ARTS COLLECTIVE Eronel is getting funneled into the DAAC. Like this music program we have coming out with these kids (Editor’s note: The DAAC Music Series).That is gonna feel cooler than most shows I’ve ever done. Even our mentor meeting this past Wednesday made me so stoked. More than any shows coming up.
6. RE: DB:
How did it feel selling Eronel? Almost like a relief.
It was a huge fucking relief. Toward the end, you realize it’s always going to feel like a job. I used to feel like I had to fill these dates just to fill them and have bands every
8.
So, lots of cities tout how they’re experiencing some big progressive movement, but it does seem like something is happening in Dubuque. Perhaps you can just attribute that to an influx of transplants coming through and falling in love with Dubuque?
“We always felt like we knew the pulse of Dubuque, but I think in some way, maybe we were in denial about what the pulse of Dubuque actually might be.”
RE: DB:
A lot of people experience that. I think everybody experiences that [in Dubuque].
The number of bands that we had come through Eronel and Off Minor and think that they knew
Friday and Saturday. You start to relax your standards a little bit. You just get whatever you can if it gets people in. I never want to have to do that kind of shit. But I think we got into it knowing it wouldn’t be forever.
“This is a beautiful town. I’m never going to lose that feeling. There is a lot of cool progress going on. At times, it just feels like it’s so slow moving that it’s never going to come.”
Iowa, and they come to this town and go, “Dude, what the fuck is this place?” This is a beautiful town. I’m never going to lose that feeling. There is a lot of cool progress going on. At times, it just feels like it’s so slow moving that it’s--
RE: \
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We set a lease for 5 years, and I was kind of worried about that. We didn’t even know if we’d last 5 years.
7.
Eagle, it seems like you get into these ventures, you own something, it dies, and it pops up somewhere else. You’re not trying to build an empire. Your legacy is that you’re always doing something.
RE: DB:
Yeah, I’m definitely not trying to make a name for myself.
It seems that your and my natural inclination is [to] work on something, and then hand it off to somebody. Cool, you take over now.
9.
--never going to come.
Let’s say, years down the road, you don’t live here or you’re doing other things, and this progressive movement really, finally starts happening. Would you be frustrated or feel left out because you put in so much work?
DB:
Yeah, it’s frustrating. At least, for myself. I feel like I put work into that. But, when you’re just pulling in the same crowd all the time, it’s frustrating. With this progress, you’d think there would be a spreading of awareness of cool shit that you can come and pay attention to.
DB:
With the [Dubuque] art scene in particular, if there’s a little bit more awareness of it being an accessible thing more than once a year, that would be rad. A lot of people equate an “art scene” with an “arts and crafts scene.” I feel like, for some reason, with Dubuque it’s really rooted in that idea that arts and arts and crafts are the same thing. That often feels unhealthy, that they aren’t going to come to a gallery because they think it’s going to be the same thing as walking through a bunch of tents of pottery. That’s not the case.
RE:
Iowa, in general, is always going to be in the wake of the waves of [progressive] things that go on. Maybe that will get less and less with the proliferation of social media and communication between different scenes and ideas, but there’s always going to be that delay. In 10 years I don’t see it being much different, because it isn’t much different than 10 years ago.
Interview By
Dominic Velando
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GRAIN SPONSORS:
gail@chavenellestudio.com
chavenellestudio.com
COFFEE SHOP / BAR LIVE MUSIC / ART GALLERY 100 + BEER SELECTION
373 Bluff St, Dubuque, Iowa 52001
(563) 585-0919
Mon-Sun: 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.
620 SOUTH GRANDVIEW AVENUE (in the old Milk House).
Open Monday-Friday 7am-5pm Saturday 7am-3pm Cafe hours: 7am-2pm each day, closed Sundays.
563-580-1175
chefs@eastmillbakeshop.com eastmillbakeshop.com Baking orders and catering questions can be answered over phone or by email at any time, but feel free to browse our website for any information.
East Mill hosts a Monday Night Market 3:30-6:30 in our back parking lot, rain or shine.
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS, DAAC MEMBERS AND VOLUNTEERS. Your donations and time keep Grain and the Dubuque Area Arts Collective alive.
902 Main St / Dubuque IA DubuqueAreaArts.org daartscollective.com graindbq@gmail.com salondbq@gmail.com