The Comet - April 2022

EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE

EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE

everything will be fine

THIS issue

editor: Ron Evans

contributors: Sarah Sims, Cory Calhoun, Skylar Hansford, Lance Reese, Lindsay Breidenthal, Bill Griffith, Christopher F. Hart, JessicaDawn.Co thecometmagazine@gmail.com

crossword..................................PAGE 7

juan carlos paz.......................PAGE 8

write on the river.............. .....PAGE 12

paper cuts ii.............................. PAGE 14

work, fight, give.......................PAGE 16

everything is fine....................PAGE 19

ellen bruex (smith) ................ PAGE 22

the history of muzak...................PAGE 24

poetry........................................page 28

art beat......................................PAGE 30

dear moxie.................................PAGE 32

FUNNY PAGES................................PAGE 36

issue #42 - April 2022

Cover art “Alkhaz” by Maria Michurina for Paper Cuts II

COMET HEADQUARTERS

Greetings,

Did you know the origin of April Fools’ Day was based on a calendar shift? In the late 1500’s France switched from the Julian calendar - where the new year was marked by April 1st - to the Gregorian calendar that moved the new year rollover to January. Legend goes that all of the ‘fools’ that were slow to adapt to the new scheme were mocked and referred to as April Fools. We would likely have a similar reaction to someone shouting Happy New Year in April today, I suppose. Although April Dipshits’ Day would never have taken off back then the way it might in modern times.

And now we seem to be well on our path to doing away with Daylight Savings. The times are a-changing! Or not, actually. It would have been neater to watch this tradition die a painful death back when we had to manually adjust 30 clocks. These days I think my microwave and car clocks are the only ones that don’t self adjust - and are therefore always wrong. Well…half the time.

Anyway, with spring in the air more events are popping up and we are doing our best to keep up by featuring ones we think you should try to make it to - but many venues and businesses are not exactly promotional wizards so ‘letting the world know’ often stops at a single Facebook post. Ergo…if you are involved with an event you’d like to push please send it our way - thecometmagazine@gmail.com. We will likely be expanding

the GTFO events page the way things are picking back up but we could use your help in filling it. We have had quite a few writers reaching out again about getting involved with The Comet and there will be a few new names in here, sprouting like a fungus, over the next few months. I always encourage people to submit anything from a column idea or one-off rants and raves to poetry about your cat and short short fiction. In fact we have a Flash Fiction contest in the works and I’m hopeful that will pull some new (to us) writers out of their fortress of solitude and into the blinding light of publication. More info on that soon…

For now just enjoy the spring air, allergies and all - it does feel pretty glorious - and celebrate that we may soon be doing away with some old bullshit concerning time and farmers (it was never really about them - our whole world is a lie!) and revel in all that time we will be saving.

Wait…not saving…ugh. Now I’m confused and my beer is getting lonely so - love you byeeeeee!

Happy Trails,

Ron Evans Editor of The Comet

Ninja Holly (Thorpe) ambushing my top secret writing locale. One of three. All super not secret.

Music and Wine Makes Life Fine

Puzz e Corner

THEMELESS CROSSWORD #9

ACROSS

1. On-camera sightseeing journal

11. Utah city named for a Biblical kingdom

15. New Year's Day spectacle in the US

16. Opposite of baja

17. Total snoozefests

18. Argonaut who slew Castor

19. Common conjunction

20. Cry from under a sheet, perhaps

21. Hatcher of "Desperate Housewives"

22. Popular clog type

24. Ill-fated ship of 1912

early-internet surfer

48. Big name in filtration

13. Pong maker

14. Alkaline

23. Omicron ___ (aka the star Mira)

25. Mah-jongg piece

26. Consummate

27. It's picked up in bars

29. Like older films that are back in theaters

32. XCIII times VI

34. Like missiles or speed-trapevading devices

35. 1992 Whoopi Goldberg comedy hit

DOWN

1. Cutting short

2. Popular clog remover

3. Certain sign reader

4. Viper's head?

5. Hyphenated 2005 hit single by 52-Down

6. Repair-bill factor

7. Roars by at high speed

8. Weather Channel meteorologist Maria

9. Tribute, of sorts 10. Some appliances

11. Rum cocktail 12. Antiquated

36. Visine competitor

38. Like some lounge material, perhaps?

42. "___ be my pleasure!"

44. Sphere

47. 1949, 1979, and 1999 50. Ginger cookies

52. "Odelay" musician 53. Arabian Peninsula country

Type of iron

Greek portico

"Sack" starter

Reddi-___ (dessert topping)

South American tuber

___-mo replay

COMING NEXT ISSUE: PART 3 OF THE MEGA META!

Seebelowfortheanswertolastissue'sPart 2. Visit tinyurl.com/2022megametarules forcontestdetails.

DOUBLE ANAGRAM CHALLENGE

tinyurl.com/coryanagrams<

__

SOLUTIONS TO LAST EDITION'S META CROSSWORD PRIZE CONTEST

The meta answer is RESPONSIBLE (Hint: Look for an 11-letter adjective). Five of the answers had clues that began a nd ended with bold, blue letters:

17A. "OPEN," "SALE!", and "10 items or less"

23A. Undertypicalconditions,thestatewater'sinwhentempsarehigh 39A. Thingthatgets"pulled"inordertodeceive 51A. Elasticpropertiesthatallowstretchedmaterialstosnapbacktonormal 63A. Richcoffeecakewith a two-colorswirl

Fromtoptobottom,thefirstletters spell OUTER, andthelastlettersspell SHELL Thepuzzle'stitle, "SolidInnerCore,"hintsthatthe answerinvolves the inside ofsomething--like,somethinginsidean OUTERSHELL? Yes--but insideanother OUTERSHELL that'shidinginthegrid.See,thosefiveclues' pairsofbold,bluelettersalsoappearintheircorrespondinganswers(in lightblue,inthegridatright).

Notethattherearesomeletterswithinthose OUTERSHELL gridletters(in yellowinthegridatright). Fromtoptobottom, they spell RESPONSIBLE, a synonymfor "solid" thatforms an "innercore. "Congratulationstothe winnerofMarch'smetacontest,CynthiaPeterson!

SOLUTIONS TO LAST EDITION'S ANACROSTIC CHALLENGE

ANSWERS: ELO, Dow, "Why?", initials, nab, sheath, tough, aft,Roy, rough QUOTE: War, huh, yeah! What is it good for? Absolutelynothing! QUOTE'SAUTHOR: EDWIN STARR (spelledoutbytheanswers'firstletters)

I CRAVE FEEDBACK! Thoughts? Suggestions? Lemme have it. CSCXWORDS@GMAIL.COM

CORY "DAMN YOU" CALHOUN'S

CROSSWORDS & MORE MADE EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE COMET

FEATURING:@bakea Juan Carlos Paz

Hunting monsters since 1984

2022 Writers’ Contest

There is still time to submit to the 2022 Writers’ Contest. Six winners will be awarded a total of $1,200 in cash prizes for short fiction or nonfiction (maximum 1,000 words), on any theme or topic. For competition guidelines and to submit your work visit the Write On The River website - www.writeontheriver.org. Deadline is April 1, 2022.

INTERVIEW WITH A WRITER: DR. JOHN GALLANIS

By Holly Thorpe

Write on the River interviewed Dr. John Gallanis, a nonfiction writer and retired doctor who placed in the writers’ contest in 2018, 2019 and 2020. Gallanis shares stories from over 40 years in the medical profession.

Current project

“Currently, I am compiling a collection of ‘doctor stories’ into what may become a book. But I want it to be more than an anthology and perhaps even more like a memoir: a doctor’s perception of patients’ response to illness taken over several decades,” Gallanis said. “They’re good standalone stories, and collectively they can represent the power of positive thinking, but I’m looking for some kind of moral…I’ve been doing this now for two years. I’d like it to mean something.”

Gallanis practiced medicine for four decades, in both urgent care and family medicine. He cared for thousands of patients during his practice.

In family medicine, Gallanis cared for and said goodbye to many patients. He had a standing order to have the hospital call him when a patient was about to die. He said he got the chance to ask many of them the same question right before they died: ““What did you learn? What was it all about?”

“They all said the same thing: it’s not about the money, it’s not about the power, it’s about the love you have with other people,” he said. “They don’t bullshit you when they’re dying.”

That message, along with stories of human perseverance and resiliency are what he wants to share in his book.

“It’s not for me, it’s for them. I want to give people their message. I’m not look-

ing to sell books, I’m looking to memorialize a message that was given to me by thousands of patients… their message is important to me, but it’s not my message, it’s their message.”

Collecting patient stories

“While I was practicing, I would take notes of interactions during the past days on weekends. Usually, in some quiet place and typically in my cabin in the Mt. Baker National Forest, but also at the Japanese Garden in the Seattle Arboretum,” he said. “During those times I could ask my ‘higher power’ what it was I was supposed to learn from these experiences. The reply was always the same: ‘just wait.’ ”

Writing in retirement, Gallanis is sorting through those notes and files and supplementing them with new research. Online, Gallanis is able to find death certificates of past patients — some of them bearing his signature. He also can find old obituaries for past patients. He uses these to help remember patients and

learn more about them.

“My one regret is that I took care of these patients when they got sick, I knew their name and their state of health, but I didn’t know what they’d accomplished,” Gallanis said. “You don’t have time when they’re sick… but now I have the time to go back.”

He has discovered that some of his patients were renowned artists and architects and that others had survived death camps in Poland.

“The obituaries bring me peace,” he said. “They don’t scare me or make me sad at all, though I cry sometimes when I see them because I miss them. But I do think we’ll see each other again. That’s why I have the invitation list.”

The invitation list is a running list of 300 names that Gallanis has compiled of deceased past patients whose stories he wants to share.

“These are the people I’m going to invite to my big party when it’s my time to go,” Gallanis said. “I loved every one of them. I had a wonderful practice. Every

night I said my prayers thanking God for the privilege of taking care of them.”

On writing

Shortly after Gallanis and his wife Terri moved to the area in 2016, Terri read about the Write on the River competition and suggested he submit a story.

“My wife really did hound me about it, she nagged and nagged and nagged, ‘You’ve been talking about writing, why don’t you submit something for Write on the River?” He said. “When Susan called me [about being a finalist], I was just beyond myself. I thought, maybe there is something to this writing. I enjoy doing it, I enjoy rehashing the stories.”

Since then, the Senior Center Writers’ Group and WOTR have provided ongoing support for Gallanis as he continues to write. He has used critiques from the writing contests to improve his writing and said he has learned from the guest speakers that WOTR and the library host. The Four Minutes of Fame open mic was another big motivator for Gal-

lanis to share his work with others.

“I’m less stressed trying to take care of someone having a heart attack with medics on the way to the office than I am standing in front of people telling my stories,” he said.

After this book is done, Gallanis said he may write about his time flying airplanes - including flying into a Thunderbirds airshow by accident and losing an engine and nearly crashing. Or, he said, he might tell some stories about his time big game hunting.

“I’m not a very good hunter, but I used to go big game hunting and there are some hilarious stories about that,” he said. “I might branch out and try and do other stories behind doctor stories done.”

To learn more about Write on the River, become a member, or register for events, visit writeontheriver.org. Membership is $35 per year, and offers free or discounted access to all WOTR events. Questions? Contact info@writeontheriver. org.

PAPER CUTS II @ COLLAPSE

The Pacific Northwest Collage Collective (PNWCC) is hosting its second regional art exhibit at Collapse Gallery in Wenatchee, April 15-30, 2022.

An open call on Instagram was announced in March to artists residing in Washington, Oregon, Alaska, British Columbia and Idaho looking for their finest collage work (analog or digital) to go on exhibit. 45 artists were accepted into the open call and will have their work on display at the gallery. All work is priced at $150 or below.

“Last year we had our first Paper Cuts exhibit at Collapse Gallery and it was a very special event. We had artists come in from all over the PNW region to celebrate art, make new friends and the following day we collaged together for hours. We loved having local Wenatchee residents come by and enjoy the art with us and share in the collage meet-up. Both events are open to the public and suitable for all ages. The more the merrier!” Co-organizer Kellette Elliott says.

For the Paper Cuts II exhibit, the only requirements were that the work must be a collage, smaller than 8x8 inches, and that they reside in one of the states mentioned above. Each artist could submit up to two

pieces with no specific theme required.

“The artwork this year is astounding. We have artwork ranging in abstract to representational work, complex to minimal. Techniques using embroidery, transfers, printmaking and photography. It’s truly a wonderful breadth of work. We have artists that have been working professionally in collage for years like Clive Knights, Lydia Selk and Kevin Sampsell. We have other artists that sell their work at markets throughout the year like Andrea Lewicki and Lara Rouse. Artists like Tess Ettel, Cheryl Chudyk and Anna Maddox are not only regional collage artists, but are in the International Collage Club as well.”

Co-founders of the Pacific Northwest Collage Collective, Kellette Elliott and Laura Weiler organized this exhibit. Kellette Elliott is an art educator and working artist who has been published in magazines across the world, books and numerous freelance projects. Laura Weiler is a freelance artist with a college degree in the arts. She has used her skill in collage for album covers, books, magazines and large scale public art installations. After meeting at an art show they both had work exhibited in Portland, Oregon, they quickly became friends. They wanted to

start a collage collective that highlighted artists of the Pacific Northwest and build a community through art shows and collage meet-ups. In January of 2021, their dream came true. They formed the Pacific Northwest Collage Collective which has over 100 members across 5 states, 2 countries.

There will be an opening reception at Collapse Gallery Friday, April 15 from 4-9pm. Then the following day they will host a collage making session open to all ages at the gallery from Saturday the 16th,

10-3:30pm. Materials will be provided, or you participants may bring their own.

On Instagram: @pnwccollagecollective @collapse_gallery

Collapse Gallery

115 South Wenatchee Ave. in WenatcheeWashington 98801 Open Fridays and Saturday

ARTISTS FEATURED IN THE EXHIBIT

Marty Gordon

Madison Dowling

Danney Parkins

Grayson Schoenbine

Laura Weiler

Antonia Gustaitis

TRAVELING EXHIBIT COMES TO MOSES LAKE MUSEUM & ART CENTER

By Ron Evans

This Friday The Moses Lake Museum And Art Center will be premiering a collection of WWII era posters with a focus on the relief and recovery efforts.

“Work, Fight, Give: American Relief Posters of WWII offers a wide-ranging collection of original relief posters and memorabilia that provides an exciting new window on understanding a watershed event in our nation’s history. Work, Fight, Give is the first exhibition to challenge our traditional memory of World War II, putting relief efforts at the forefront through an array of visually exciting poster art, poster stamps (known as “Cinderellas”), photographs, banners, and programs issued by the various relief agencies and by the National War Fund—an agency created by Franklin Roosevelt in early 1942 to consolidate the hundreds of relief agencies that sprang up to aid those countries and peoples devastated by war.”

~ A synopsis snippet from ExhibitsUSA

The show opens Friday, April 1 with a reception and speaker presentation from 4-7 p.m. I reached out to the museum’s manager Dollie Boyd for more details about the collection.

Tell us what appealed to you about this particular traveling exhibit?

We like to host traveling exhibits that highlight our collective history. This exhibit appealed to us because of the chance to explore a deeper topic of World War II history, namely the efforts to recover from the devastation of war. Little did we know when we booked the show almost two years ago, it would be such a timely topic.

At the opening this Friday night we will have a speaker delivering a presentation about missionary spies of WWII, there will be food, and a free craft activity for adults.

How many pieces are on display?

There are 41 pieces in the show, 40 original posters and one object, an original donation collection box from the WWII era.

Work, Fight, Give was curated by collector, author, and professor Dr. Hall Elliot Wert. It is on loan from ExhibitsUSA, a division of the Mid-America Arts Alliance.

What’s the largest piece on exhibit?

The largest piece is a framed poster depicting Uncle Sam riding into battle - it measures 51 5/16” x 35 5/8” framed. It’s a very dramatic, warrior-like version of Uncle Sam. One of my favorite pieces is for Greek war relief. The graphics are very bold and remind me of B-movie posters from the 50s. Most of the posters are quite dramatic and unflinching in their portrayal of the effects of war.

Is the focus more about the message of the posters, or the art? Both? Strange question maybe but there are certainly multiple facets to a collection of this type.

I think it’s about both. You can tell the posters were designed and illustrated by true artists. The graphics are eye-catching and in many cases, beautiful. There are panels throughout the exhibit that give you historical context to the creation of these posters.

I hope people will appreciate the aesthetics of the collection and gain a bit more knowledge about this pivotal time in our history. I imagine there will be discussions about current relief efforts for displaced Ukrainian citizens. We intend to have information available to our visitors on how they can donate to current relief efforts.

What’s coming up down the road for the museum?

Our next show opens May 6. It’s a group show from the Women Painters of Washington, Eastern division. Also, going on right now in the Community Gallery is a show called Honor Thy Father, by Prosser artist James West Nelson.

Any links you wanna share? Moseslakemuseum.com.

Signing up for our monthly newsletter is a good way to stay up to date on what we are doing. C

MANY MOONS WILL RISE THIS APRIL

This Friday sees the premiere of a new art exhibit at Lemolo Deli & Cafe in downtown Wenatchee. The show, titled “Many Moons” is a presentation by Dangerous Women - a diverse collective of female (and some male) artists based in the center of Washington State. Here is what Creative Director/Producer for Dangerous Women, Rhona Baron, says about the exhibit and its connectivity to the stage performance.

and Ari Gabinet. Because the moon is so visually compelling, we decided to stage our first visual art show, inspired by the moon.

FEATURING: BERNADINE PHILLIPS, MARTHA FLORES, LORI AYLSWORTH, MUNOZ, DAWN KRANZ, JULIE EDWARDS, MARY BIG BULL LEWIS, KASEY KOSKI

MOONS IS HUNG IN ANTICIPATION OF “UNSETTLED,” WITH ORIGINAL PERFORMANCES BY DANGEROUS WOMEN’S CREATOR/CAST. COMING MAY 20 AND 21 TO THEATER AND NARRATED BY THE MOON, UNSETTLED ILLUMINATES THE CENTRAL WA THROUGH THE EYES OF INDIGENOUS AND PIONEER WOMEN.

“Dangerous Women needed a narrator that could float outside of time for our 2022 theatrical production, Unsettled. The moon is traditionally feminine, recognized as an ancient by indigenous people and a symbol of feminine power in other traditions. Kathy Smithson will play the moon in Unsettled, with poetic script written once again by the duo of Rhona Baron

Why did we need a narrator who floated outside of time? Because the blending of different cultures and their traditions on stage pushed me, as Creative Director, away from conveying a story in linear time. Instead, the audience will experience women’s history through the lens of changing seasons, overseen by many moons.

Dangerous Women is thrilled with the quality of work being provided by a variety of image makers, and deeply appreciative of those who are donating all or part of sales to our non profit group, sponsored by the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center.”

Tickets: 509- 548- 6347- Icicle Creek Center for the Arts

Bernadine Phillips

LoriAylsworth

BrianMunoz

MarthaFlores

EVERYTHING IS FINE.

BOUNDARIES. WHAT EVEN ARE THEY?

BY VERUCA SALTY

Boundaries - What even are they?

We’ve all heard the word, we’ve likely all been told to respect them and/or not cross them. But what even are boundaries? Well, I’d like to tell you. But first I’d like to suggest a drinking game where you have to drink every time I use the word “boundary/boundaries” in this article.

Anyway, there are few different types of boundaries (DRINK!): porous, rigid and healthy. Porous is exactly what it sounds like; boundaries with holes in them, loopholes and wiggle room for people to push against your boundary until you eventually cave. Rigid boundaries are stiff and unwavering (equally unhealthy as porous ones). And healthy boundaries lie somewhere in between (elusive to me as of yet). Unfortunately for me, I mostly just fluctuate between the two extremes, porous and rigid. I’m super cool, easy breezy covergirl, it’s all good…..until it isn’t…..and then suddenly my boundaries are a stone wall and you’re never getting through them. I have this frustrating

need for love and acceptance, usually at the cost of my own well-being (aka people pleasing), and that causes me to have soft boundaries. I just want to feel loved and needed and I will bend over backwards for you until my spine cracks. But the thing is, once my spine cracks… and it always does, I get unreasonably mad and resentful. I can suddenly see in crystal clarity all of the boundaries you’ve crossed and undermined and ignored and bulldozed through and I’m LIVID. It’s not like I keep tallies of all the boundary crossing… I mean, that would be weird. It just all comes into focus and I realize where I’ve been too flexible and too soft with my boundaries, and then I get pissed (often at myself as well for not maintaining the boundary). That’s when the rigid boundaries pop up. It’s a really sad attempt at regaining some kind of control in my life and unfortunately it has worked in the past, so now it’s a bad habit that I am constantly working on breaking. Also, I just learned this little tid-bit of info - complaining is actually a symptom of having poor boundaries. DAMN IT. I complain ALL THE TIME. About ALL THE THINGS. So, what science and psychology are saying is that if I had healthi-

er boundaries I wouldn’t have to bitch and moan about every little thing so much. I guess that makes sense, but who even am I without my bitching and moaning? Complaining has become part of my core identity at this point. I once knew someone who did a 30 day “no complaining” fast. Kudos to them but count me out. I would fail immediately by complaining about how much I miss complaining.

Honestly, I don’t have a lot of suggestions on how to solve unhealthy boundaries; I’m mostly just here to rant and hopefully connect with other imperfect humans. Boundaries are hard. Like, real hard. We (especially women) are taught at such a young age to stay small and be “nice” and to not make other people uncomfortable. All the while making ourselves uncomfortable and crossing our OWN damn boundaries. Sigh. All I know is that I’m to a point in my life where I need more peace and less stress, guilt, shame, etc. for doing what I want and need in life to be healthy. I’m getting much better at honoring my own boundaries and saying no even when I know it will upset people. The most important takeaway from all of this is to remember that if your boundary

upsets someone else, that’s a them problem, not a you problem. You don’t need approval or validation from anyone but yourself when setting a boundary. And you will almost always know in your heart when it’s a “yes” or when it’s a “fuck no.” If it’s a “fuck no,” that’s great! Say that. If it’s a yes, just make sure it’s not a yes because you’re wanting something unspoken in return. That’s not a real yes, that’s a “yes, but,” and that’s another topic for another time.

Now, go forth and set those healthy boundaries. And don’t cave when there’s pushback; because there will always be pushback - especially from people who aren’t used to respecting boundaries. My rigid boundary self would like to recommend that you just cut all those pushback bitches out of your life immediately, but I wouldn’t trust them if I was you. I still haven’t quite found my healthy medium. Do as I say, not as I do.

And if you’ve taken me up on the drinking game, I would like to apologize to your liver. Good luck out there friends. C

By Ron Evans

WVC instructor and Wilson College MFA candidate Ellen Bruex (Smith) premieres her show “An Index of Beginnings and Endings” this Friday at the MAC. For the past seven months, she has taken an ethnographer’s lens to her personal experiences by keeping a close record of monumental and ordinary transitions as they happen. The artist utilizes poetry, the symbol and structure of doors, and a display of her Index to invite viewers to step through, reflect on, and share their own recent experiences.

ELLEN BRUEX (SMITH) An Index Of Beginnings And Endings

WVC MAC Gallery

Friday, April 1, 2022 5:00 - 7:00pm

Bruex (Smith) has also been adding color to the valley - and beyond - over the past few years with her creative partner Heather Dappen as muralist team Fight The Beige and this is her first ever solo exhibit. I reached out to Bruex (Smith) for a quick QnA on this unique show.

Give us a brief background in your artistic endeavors and your roles working at Wenatchee Valley College. Like most adults who dare identify as artists, I’ve been making art for as long as I can remember. Officially, I have a BFA from Kendall College of Art & Design and

I am working on my MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts (visual arts and creative writing) from Wilson College. I teach Art History, Art Appreciation, and Figure Drawing at Wenatchee Valley College... and likely other classes in the future. I am also an Art Department Instructional Technician at WVC, which is like a studio assistant. I help out all around the Art Department in various ways when I’m not teaching.

What was the catalyst for this show?

The main catalyst for this show has been the work and research I am doing as part of my Master of Fine Arts program. I am

studying how beginnings and endings manifest in lived experiences and the ways in which endings facilitate beginnings (I call this “generative apocalypse”). As an interdisciplinary artist, I also wanted to challenge myself to combine visual art and creative writing, which is why you will see drawing, sculpture, and text in this show.

Another catalyst for this show was the unraveling and the eventual dissolution of my marriage. I started thinking about “generative apocalypse,” not knowing that I would be documenting such a massive ending as part of this project. Because of

that, the cards and the poetry are at times deeply personal, and I hope that viewers will get a sense of – and perhaps relate to – the honest struggle and the healing that can come from going through really hard times.

I hope that people will walk out more attuned to the magic of their own new beginnings, tender gratitude toward that which could end at any moment, and an appreciation for the cyclical nature of it all. I will also invite viewers to participate by considering and sharing what transitions they have been experiencing recently.

Have you been working on the cards over a period of time, or were they all put together in a single explosion of creativity?

I started recording beginnings and endings on index cards in late August 2021. Whenever I experience something that I deem to be a beginning or an ending of any kind, I document that experience with the date and a short phrase on an index card. This has become a regular practice for me, so

the cards have been created in real-time as things happen. The addition of doors came later, in a more singular explosion of creativity, and are made specifically for this show. The doors are a symbolic structure, and their surface treatment is inspired by and reflective of the index cards.

Talk a little about the thought process when you were creating these - was there always a ‘big picture’ concept in your mind, or were you simply focused on creating one message/statement at a time?

The overarching concept of my recent artwork has been to use lived experiences as a type of research to closely study life transitions. I started this process by simply following an urge to document my experiences, but without any idea why I was making these cards. It was a diary of sorts, a record-keeping of my own life. I did not initially intend for these to be seen by anyone, and I did not create them with an audience in mind. When the opportunity for a gallery show arose, the cards said, “Yes!”

Are these pieces for sale? Are they going to be used or assembled for any other project - book, zine, stickers?

This is an ongoing project, so I will continue adding to it as time goes on. The loose plan is that these cards will become an outline for a book of visual poetry. That book will be part of my thesis project in 2023, at which point the final project will likely be for sale. Stay tuned!

Side note: any fun updates from the Fight The Beige camp?

It is kind of funny that my show at the MAC is all black and white - not beige, but not colorful either! Heather Dappen and I have a significant mural project on Wenatchee Avenue to be painted in late spring or early summer. I’m intentionally not revealing the exact location because it’s not technically official yet, but we are excited.

Most recently, Heather created a mural in Portland! That makes three states for Fight the Beige so far: Washington, New York, and Oregon.

We’re always looking for more walls!

Socials:

@belugadijon on instagram (Ellen) ellenksmith.com

@fightthebeige on instagram (Heather & Ellen’s murals)

By Ron Evans

Muzak. Many younger folks may not even know the word — while many of those who are middleage or older still shiver in their stockings when they hear someone dare speak its name aloud. Known on the streets as ‘Elevator Music’ — Muzak could safely be described as Easy Listening, mostly instrumental, covers of pop standards designed to be background music in department stores, hotel lobbies and yes…elevators. This is the story of how this bizarre and -perhaps surprisingly- popular music genre once infiltrated every nook and cranny of everywhere people gathered, waited or shopped. And keeping in mind Muzak’s insanely long lifespan - from the premiere of The Wizard of Oz to the release of Jurassic Park! - consider this a seriously abbreviated version of the story. Oh, and what does this have to do with Seattle? Hop on in to find out. There’s room for one more in the elevator.

BIAS DISCLOSURE: I kinda have a thing for Muzak and Easy Listening music of the late Mid-Century. I understand if you no longer wanna share the elevator with me. Although, I prefer them empty if I’m being honest.

These days most public spaces are likely to play whatever music fits the vibe of the establishment, but that freedom comes at a cost. Up to $150 a month if you wanna cover all your licensing bases. Play for free now if you want but BMI, ASCAP, and SESAC (the big three in music licensing) will eventually find you, as I found out running RadarStation. They actually send out “secret shoppers” to find sinners not paying for the music they are playing as background atmosphere in their business. They may casually ask, “hey. What are we

listening to, friend?” Then hand over their card, with authority. What a job, eh?

So...many shops, bars and hotels opt for a music service subscription for filling the awkward silence while hopefully stimulating productivity out of employees. These services stand directly on the shoulders of one of the most hated music genres in history.

Now, if you were already on the hater

techniques. While radio was a thing by this point in time, the setup and equipment for the transmitters and receivers in these early stages were expensive, clunky and non-intuitive. Thus, in 1920, Wired Radio Inc. was born. But it wouldn’t be until several years later when, power and utility conglomerate, North American Company acquired the patent from Squier - that the business would start to see widespread in-

sic, news and information to households and hotels. And, seeing as they controlled a buttload of the power that people already relied on, it was a no-brainer to pitch their customers the music service as an add-on to their power bill. And it took off. That is, until around 1934, when radio was starting to get its act together and was rapidly becoming a popular way for the average folk to get their audio fix. Amidst dwindling subscriptions to the service, NCA shifted its focus from living rooms and hotels toward retail shops and, especially, department stores - which were becoming more prevalent.

Squier had continued to be involved with Wired Radio Inc. even after NCA bought the patent and it was his idea to rebrand the company as Muzak. The tale goes that Squier was a fan of the simplicity, musicality and made-up-ality of the brand name, Kodak. It was a snappy enough title to get the attention of Warner Bros., who bought Muzak in 1937 and helped to spread the service into more locations. Soon though, they too lost steam on the project and sold it to entrepreneur William Benton. Benton was the fella who thought Muzak was broader than just shopping experiences - he pitched the service to clinics, hospital waiting rooms and dentists. In other words, ‘let’s make our product the very soundtrack of fear and pain.’ A great and terrible business decision all at once. Talk about poor association planning.

side of Muzak, the fact that it was invented by an American Major General will do little to convince you that it was not meant to be a weapon. Major General George Owen Squier, who invented telephone multiplexing in 1910 - shared/split phone lines - also came up with the idear of transmitting music using similar equipment and

terest.

The variety of music that was being “piped” into homes via Wired Radio was as varied as popular music from the day in general. Jazz, blues, gospel, classical and opera. Performed by many of the hitmakers and stars of the day, NCA saw the benefits of using the technology for providing mu-

Another major change from the early days of Wired Radio was less of a focus on pop music in lieu of less “intrusive” numbers, as to not overwhelm shoppers, clients or patients. Familiar tunes you can tap a toe, hum along, or rhythmically clench a sterile pillow to - was now the name of the game. Muzak officially found its calling.

The real genius of the way the songs were paced and dynamically arranged was that it was not only designed to stimulate shoppers to part with their WWII era nick-

Major General George Owen Squier (pronounced ‘square’ which I invite you to enjoy. - WikiCommons

els, but also to motivate employees to step it up and keep moving them units. Whatever them units may be. This was no accident, but a “science” that Muzak proudly called Stimulus Progression. The company claimed that they could customize a playlist of music that was “paced out” in a manner (15 minute blocks followed by 15 minutes of silence) that the tempos, melodies, and even the breaks in musiccould actually get your employees to work faster and with better attitudes. Or…keep customers in the store longer. Sneaky bastards. And the purpose of filling the empty air of an elevator with Muzak? Well, just that. After all, is there anything worse than spending elevator time with strangers and no music? A fart would almost be better than silence. I said almost…

By the 1950s the company was essentially acting more as a proper record label and they formed their own orchestras to perform hours and hours and teeth-pulling hours of instrumentals. This gave the company even more control over the masses as they could now dial in every little nuance

of musically encouraged psyche arrangement. In fact, accusations - even lawsuits - were slung toward the company alleging mind control and subliminal messaging, but these cases never went anywhere. The usage of “mind-controlling” Muzak was not limited to shopping experiences however - during WWII the company was feeding their instrumental tunes of manipulation into the factories where guns and bombs and planes and tanks were being assembled. There’s a thought.

It’s important to note that in the early days of popular recorded music, Pop Standards were all the rage. Meaning that essentially anyone could record their version of many of the hits of the day that were being passed around like a doobie in a smoky pool hall. And even a bit later, acquiring the rights to record instrumentals of such acts as an up and coming sensation called The Beatles was reasonable. Thus, Muzak Beatles was not only a thing - it was an incredibly popular thing. And lucrative. But as a young Bobby Dylan sang, the times were a -changin’. By the late 60s,

the singer/songwriter movement was in full swing and suddenly the ‘standard’ model of pop music gave way to the notion of original songs by the original artists. Another thing the young hip folk wanted more of? Lyrics. This was the death knell for Muzak’s odd but fruitful journey in pop music - but it was by no means the end of the company. The focus simply shifted fully to the background music mode - which was its true calling all along.

As the years ticked by, the company struggled but managed to stay afloat by making shrewd but questionable creative business decisions. By the mid-1980s, the lush and elegant production of symphonic strings, horns -and whatever the hell an oboe is- had given way to cheaper, hokier synthesizer soundtracks that feel more like someone hit the DEMO button on the Casio keyboard their aunt Connie got them for Christmas. This is the version of Muzak that most Gen X’ers remember. “Attention K-Mart shoppers…” etc.

By the late 60s, Muzak competitors

had started popping up - most notably, Seattle-based YesCo Inc. YesCo’s slogan was “Foreground Music,” an obvious play against what Muzak was now famous for. The major difference was YesCo was licensing original recordings of popular music of the time as opposed to the outdated symphonic re-recordings that Muzak had pioneered.

If you can’t beat them, join them - in 1986 Muzak merged with YesCo and relaunched as Muzak 2.0 essentially. Instrumental light jazz or rock songs continued to be big business (anyone who was ever on hold in the 80s or 90s can tell you that) but the company continued to grow by reaching further into the foreground market. In fact, what Muzak was essentially doing in the late 80s and early 90s was laying the groundwork for future cable and satellite radio services like XM, Sirius and DMX.

It was during this time that a few key players in the forthcoming Seattle grunge explosion were unhappily employed by Muzak. Mudhoney’s Mark Arm worked

When you wear your mind control on your sleeve! - WikiCommons

Engineer Fred Graham at the knobs of an early Muzak tape machine.- WikiCommons

One of the last Muzak “boxes.” Haha. The um...future. - WikiCommons

The end of grunge? - WikiCommons

Where we are now. Mood media (Muzak) the app

in the duplication room and has since referred to the job as “soul-sucking.” Bruce Pavitt worked in the warehouse at Muzak while he was also running a fledgling little indie music label called Sub Pop. During an interview for Decoder Ring podcast, Pavitt said these guys all got together during working hours and shot the shit about local bands and listened to demos and other tapes that had been passed around. Pavitt even claims the first time he ever heard Nirvana (a band Sub Pop would later have a little bit of success with) was in the Muzak building.

As time went on the world’s music habits continued to change and it only seemed to wander further and further away from whatever Muzak was cranking out (and the methods they were using). So it may surprise you to hear that in 2011 Muzak had been acquired by Hold Music moguls, Mood Media (for over 300 million - impressive for a seemingly obsolete, universally hated entity eh?). Mood Media still hawks their background and foreground tunes to businesses all over the world. Gone are the bulky boxes, remotes and cables - these days an app on your phone will do just fine.

You can still spot a few Muzak vans cruising around Seattle to this day, and many businesses are still employing some

of the ideas and tools invented (or at least perfected) by the company. And perhaps it’s little surprise that there has also been a resurgence of interest in Muzak and elevator music in recent years. Much like the cocktail lounge and Exotica revival of such easy listening armchair travelers as Les Baxter, Arthur Lyman and Martin Denny - hipsters and collectors alike are out scouring Goodwills, swap meets and yard sales on the hunt for vintage Muzak reels, LPs and cassettes. Even amidst the grunge takeover, Muzak was being “honored” by Seattle musician Sarah DeBell who formed Grunge Lite and self-released a cassette of easy listening versions of notable songs by Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden etc. The cassette became quite popular and even Kurt Cobain thought it was great and once stated he hoped it would stand as the last chapter of the Book of Grunge.

So the next time you really wanna sustain the party - or motivate the troops at work - maybe keep the Radiohead and CardiB on the shelf and program a groovy, non-distracting-but still-toe-tapping playlist of Muzak instead. In 15 minute blocks of course.

Please use responsibly. C

Over the years at the Wenatchee Valley Museum, there have been some odd and strange things that have been donated to the collection. While currently there is a screening process and procedures in place for donating items, this wasn’t always the case. We occasionally find oddities lying around for years gone by with little or no explanations.

Like this one! While some may see this as a trendy fashion accessory, it actually has more of a use to Old McDonald. This object is called a “calf weaner.” No, not that kind of wiener! This halter object was used in the 1800’s to help farmers wean calves off of nursing on their mothers. Imagine mom talking one poke and saying “no more, you’re done!”

Curated and written by Anna SpencerCollections Coordinator at Wenatchee Valley Museum And Cultural Center wenatcheevalleymuseum.org

LOCALLY WRITTEN POETRY

UNTITLED

By Jo Fine Bow

I started spending time with people again people who set my soul ablaze people who taught me how to live again

Who taught me how to love again

Not just loving them

But loving myself

I was no longer disillusioned by your distrust for humanity

I found my people

I found my purpose

And I found myself

I started smiling again

Not because I was masking the sadness

But Because I found my bliss

I started laughing again

The kind of happiness that makes your face hurt

I found that euphoric feeling in the universe

The one made from the cosmos

I started living again

The kind of life that if I died tomorrow

I know I’d be happy with what was left behind

SILENT KILLERS

By Kearsten Weeks of Kraken Kreative Studio

Silent Killers - By Kearsten

Weeks of Kraken Kreative Studio

It’s not ghost haunting float or boogie men balloon in hand which terrifies me

it’s crying children cornered closet rug-burned knee praying for a family’s love silent killers haunting homes

It’s not fire engulfing an entire town or acid rain pouring down which terrifies me

it’s caging kinfolk

cornered dark side of the knee praying for a country’s love silent killers haunting homes

It’s not stair creaking at night or howling shadows lace draped which terrifies me

it’s creating human-suffering cornered take-a-knee praying for a world’s love silent killers haunting homes

SATURDAY, APRIL 2, 2022 AT 7 PM Movie Night: Spawnat The Time Capsule

SATURDAY, APRIL 2, 2022 AT 9 PM Himiko Cloud, Devils Gulch and The Missionaries, Dylan Morrison, plus guest at Wally’s House of Booze

SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2022 AT 7 PM – 9 PM Mama Mags Live in Leavenworth At Stein

SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2022 AT 9 PM Ball Bag, The Nightmares and Always Naked!! At Wally’s House of Booze

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2022 AT 7 PM Money Talks Tour Old Skools - Mizere & Kuttl3ss with special guests Crisis Tha Rhyme Don CJ Jackson at Old Skool’s in Ellensburg

FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2022 AT 9 PM Potbelly, Finger Guns, and Not All There At Wally’s House of Booze

SATURDAY, APRIL 23, 2022 AT 1 PM – 7 PM Cider Dogs 2022 -Blue Skies Food Shack! -Live music - Hans Joseph 3-6pm -Doggie door prizes at Union Hill Cider

Wanna plug your kickass event? Send it our way at thecometmagazine@gmail.com

ARTBEAT

up to

show by dangerous women, open until 8pm

Brecht

Idon’t know if the call for creativity has ever been so dire - or so threatening to the machine of war and mindless consumption. I always fall headlong into the giddy optimism of spring but current events cast a sobering light on the path ahead. This is your cue, fierce and tender beasties, to consult your map, your oracle, and your heart before the next move. Refuse apathy by creating conversation, music, a garden, a smile, a movement, a meal… you get the idea. If you want to be involved with the arts, get out for the First Friday Artwalk, see a show, attend a poetry reading, or contact the NCW Arts Alliance.

The North Central Washington Arts Alliance (now officially named) has spent the last year mapping out a plan for connecting people to arts-focused events, opportunities, support, and advocacy. This little non profit is just starting out but it is a move toward collaboration, communication, and a better understanding of the human experience. If you have information for the Art Beat list of events, opportunities, etc. or would like to support these efforts in some way, please reach out!

Contact: arts@ncwarts.org

FIRST FRIDAY

Jim Dandy Haberdashery: Grand Opening with live music 4-6pm! Inside of Simply Unique at 201 S. Wenatchee Ave., open until 6pm

Pickle Papers: Susan Kimmel, bookbinder and calligraphic artist, 3-7pm

Lemolo Cafe & Deli: ‘Many Moons’ a group

Wenatchee Museum: Regional High School Art Exhibit, 4-8pm

Tumbleweed Shop & Studio: The Knotty Weaver, open until 7pm

MAC Gallery: Ellen Bruex (Smith): An Index of Beginnings and Endings, 5-7pm

Class with a Glass: Group show of students exploring ‘The 7 Elements of Art’, opening reception featuring live jazz combo with Mary Groff-Sanders & Rhia Foster, 5-7pm

Gallery One: ‘Undomesticated’ juried exhibit, runs through 4/30, 5-7pm

Moses Lake Museum - ‘Work, Fight, Give’: American relief posters of WWII, through 4/29, Moses Lake

UPCOMING EVENTS

Rodeo Records Remix

A Mark Pickerel & PUNCH Projects Pop-up

Every Saturday in April at the Thorp Fire House, 12-4 pm

6 -Life Drawing Session: 5:30-7:30pm register with Collapse Gallery

7 -Environmental Film & Speaker Series:Owl by Paul Bannick, Wenatchee Valley Museum - 7-9 PM

15 -Paper Cuts 2 & Jay Riggio: This April at Collapse Gallery we’re having two congruent shows and our opening is mid month, reception Friday April 15th 12-9pm

Book signing & talk with Chris Rader and Rod Molzahn, Wenatchee Museum 7-8:30pm

21 -Teatime with Timea Tihany, ‘Craft in the Digital Age’,Gallery One 7-8:30pm – ZOOM (registration closes at 5pm the day of the event)

25 - Poetry Podium, Collapse Gallery, doors at 4, reading starts 4:30

OPPORTUNITIES & DEADLINES

Wenatchee Downtown Call to Artists: The Wenatchee Downtown Association’s Design Committee is looking to upgrade an existing mural wall located at 11 N. Wenatchee Ave. next to the Antique Mall Of Wenatchee. Proposal deadline May 15 - Wall size: 50’w X 16’h . Timeline for completion is October 1st, 2022 Contact Linda@wendowntown.org or Katie@wendowntown.org

MAY EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES

4 -Apple Blossom Musical: Wizard of Oz, Numerica Performing Arts Center

20, 21 - ‘UNSETTLED’ a performance by Dangerous Women, Icicle Center for the Arts, 7:30pm

27, 28 -Full Circle Theater presents ‘A Blythe Spirit’, Numerica Performing Arts, 7:30pm and 28, 29 at 2:00pm

SCAN QR CODE TO SIGN UP FOR THE NCW ARTS

Art is not a mirror held

reality, but a hammer with which to shape it. - Berthold

ARTS-CENTERED RESOURCES, OPPORTUNITIES AND EVENTS IN NCW

BY LINDSAY BREIDENTHAL

Dear Moxie, My husband and I are getting more comfortable with “Exploring” more in our sex lives. I’m a little more experienced when it comes to more kinky acts but he’s super willing and eager to try stuff and I don’t know the best way for us to go about finding new things we both want to try.

S.C.

Hi S.C.,

I always love hearing about couples who are still learning and exploring together! I think you could definitely benefit from a ‘Yes, No, Maybe, List’! You can find one inside For The Love Of It (Wenatchee) or you can download their free PDF off their website (ftloi.net) from home. A “yes, no, maybe list” Is exactly what it sounds like. It will begin with some basic consent things – names to call you that you’re okay/not okay with, areas of the body that may be off-limits, certain triggers you may have and what to do if that trigger rears its head, so on. Then there will be a few pages of different acts/kinks/fetishes listed out and you both go through and fill out your own list with either a yes, a no, or a maybe (as in you are open to talking about it but still unsure) and whether you would want to “give” or “receive” said act. Then you both compare lists which will not only offer answers about what the other or person may like or be interested in, it will help kickstart more of that conversation naturally just by going through your lists together. Good luck and have fun!

Dear Moxie, I really enjoyed your last article about the toxicity of Fifty Shades of Grey. My partner and I have started exploring more of a Dom/sub dynamic for our intimate life- 50 shades always had a sort of red flag feeling for me, especially since I am the “sub“ in our dynamic. My understanding is that the sub actually holds all the power in that dynamic because they are giving their consent for the other person to act out the Dom roll. So thank you!

Hi AG!

Thank you so much! I’m very glad that that article was well received and resonated with people. But there is something I want to expand on a little bit that your email points out. The whole idea of “The sub has all the power” is a common misconception, albeit a well-meaning one. The truth is no one actually has ALL the power- and that’s because both the roll of the Dom and the roll of the sub are filled by people who both had to get their consent. Don’t get me wrong, I completely understand where this idea comes from. The role of the sub is usually the one on the “receiving end” of different acts that may become too intense and they wish to stop the ‘scene’ or act- for example: impact play such as spanking, paddling, or flogging or edge play such as sexual asphyxiation (choking). But both parties had to consent to these acts and these roles and both are equally able to withdraw their consent at any time. For any reason. A sub may wish to withdraw their consent, even if it’s just temporary to take a break, because the physical act they are on the receiving end of is becoming too intense for them (this is just one of many examples). But it’s not uncommon for a Dom to feel an emotional impact of playing that aggressive role towards their partner. For this reason (and many others) the Dom may wish to “safeword” and take a break from that role or act. Their withdrawal of consent and feelings around it should be as equally respected as the sub’s. It’s not a real power struggle- it’s a consensual exchange of power for the purpose of a role you are both playing. No one person should have ALL the power.

Hi CJ!

animal hides. That is the astringent.

Dear Moxie, I recently purchased a vaginal tightening cream but it’s extremely irritating (but I’m normally already very sensitive and prone to irritation in that area) and I’m wondering if you could recommend something like that that might be less irritating! Thank you!

Ah- oh no, please don’t use tightening creams! They’re a scam and extremely unhealthy for the vagina! First off, the vagina is never as loose as people believe and the whole idea that that could happen to the point of being a problem is an idea that is almost always perpetuated by misogyny. Because let’s be honest… The entire process of getting “aroused” is supposed to relax the vaginal muscles and self lubricate them to prepare for sexual activity, the point being that if your muscles are more relaxed you don’t run the risk of micro tears or internal bruising or general soreness from something being inserted into the vagina before it’s ready. I absolutely understand where some people who have experienced any sort of muscular atrophy in the vagina, from birth, age, menopause, not working Kegel muscles, etc. would think a “tightening cream” sounds like magic. Vaginal muscle atrophy IS a thing- but a tightening cream is not. Let me explain- The notion of having a “tight” vagina is directly related to your Kegel muscles, your pelvic floor. A stronger pelvic floor, stronger Kegel muscles not only has the feeling of being “tighter“, it can help prevent and in some cases solve “Incontinence issues,” it can help in preparation for and the recovery from birth, it helps keep those muscles strong during menopause (or in general), and can even increase the intensity of your orgasms. The vagina is a muscle. Therefore “strengthening it” has to be done like any other muscle: exercise. A so-called “tightening cream” is not going to exercise your muscles. If we could do that… It should be able to work on any muscle and gyms would become obsolete. Would you like to know how tightening creams really work? They are an astringent. You know, an astringent, the thing that you can put on your face if you’re super oily and need to dry the skin out a little bit. And that’s exactly why you feel like you are “tightening“. Because you didn’t actually strengthen the muscle, you tanked its elasticity so that it could not stretch. One of the active ingredients in almost all tightening creams is called potassium alum- which is instrumental in tanning

Getting rid of your skin’s elasticity in order to feel tighter not only puts you at risk for vaginal micro tears, which can put you at a much higher risk for infection such as bacterial vaginosis, they can also screw with your body‘s natural pH balance, which can make you more prone to and even cause yeast infections. So when you are using a “tightening cream“ you are not actually tightening anything. You are taking away the vagina’s ability to stretch, drying it out to do so. It also is only a temporary fix. Exercising your pelvic floor, your Kegel muscles, will actually change the strength. It will actually work those muscles.

If you want to feel where your Kegel muscles are- imagine going to the bathroom and stopping your urine mid flow, the muscles that you used to do that are your Kegel muscles. So holding them tight like that can help exercise themyou could also look up various Kegel exercises, or use things like a Ben Wa/ Kegel balls (which you can usually find at your local adult store, such as For The Love Of It here in Wenatchee). If those exercises don’t seem to be enough, or you are unable to do them, or you are still having things like incontinence issues despite working those Kegel muscles- it is always good to explore the option of visiting a pelvic floor physical therapist.

Moxie Rose:

(sex and kink advice/education) from For The Love Of It in Wenatchee, WA.

The information provided in this column is for educational purposes only, and does not substitute for professional medical advice.

Questions or comments: dearmoxierose@gmail.com c

ARTHUR WESLEY DOW’S FLOATING WORLD:

NOTE: This article was written in Europe so different spellings and grammar rules apply. Probably.

-The Comet

Widely celebrated by art historians as the first design text of the American Arts & Crafts movement, Arthur Wesley Dow’s Composition: A Series of Exercises Selected From a New System of Art Education revolutionized the American classroom. When Dow’s program for liberating individual artistic “Power” (his term for self-expression) came along in 1899, arts education was still locked into the academic tradition of copying the masters. Dow gave primary, secondary school, and even university teachers a visual grammar, a pattern language toolbox that could be used to make every aesthetic decision: right down to the decoration of their studios or the parlors in their homes. Composition’s presentation of visual art as an analytic and constructive — rather than imitative — activity was the first tangible breath of abstraction to reach the American classroom. And, for more than half a century, it was hailed by artists and art instructors alike as offering a system to create freely constructed images on the basis of harmonic relations between lines, colors, and patterns.

Dow’s pedagogical mastery had humble Yankee roots; as an eighteen-year-old high school graduate in 1875, he taught farm children and teenagers in a one-room schoolhouse in a remote corner of Ipswich, Massachusetts. About this same time, Dow took up sketching as a complement to his pioneering antiquarian research in Ipswich’s town records, and then, finding inadequate the heliotype productions of his own hands and those of Boston printers, he began to practice wood engraving and lithography, always with a craftsman’s rigor. (He once spent an entire day hand-grinding a carpenter’s awl into an engraving tool for his first experiments with carving local pear wood.) Absent from the early editions of Composition, some of these experiments appear in the greatly expanded 1913 edition, which also includes color plates.

Printed in green-gray ink, the 1905 edition beautifully conveys Dow’s central principle of “Notan” — a neologism adopted from Ernest Fenellosa, the influential art historian and Boston Museum of Fine Arts curator of Oriental Art, who combined the Japanese words for “light” and “dark” to describe the play and placement of contrast, without the distraction of other elements like color, texture, and fine details. Drawing on Dow’s experiences with stu-

dents at both Brooklyn’s Pratt Institute (1896–1903) and his own Ipswich Summer School of Art (founded in 1890), Composition was unique in its inclusion of student work right alongside that of Renaissance and Japanese masters.

While scholars unanimously attribute Dow’s artistic embrace and pedagogical promotion of ukiyo-e — the “pictures of the floating world” depicted in Japanese woodblock prints — to his encounter in early 1891 with Fenellosa, Dow had for a dozen years been cultivating a wholly original program of minimalist abstraction that grew organically out of his love for Ipswich’s unparalleled riparian landscape. When he declared that “one evening with Hokusai gave me more light on composition and decorative effect than years of study of pictures”, it was due to a lifetime of haunting the marshy borders of the Ipswich River, Labor in Vain Creek, and Thatch Bank, which led Dow into mysticism, nurtured by his reading of Whitman and Thoreau as well as the Quietist tracts of French mystic Madame Guyon.

Copying the inscriptions on seventeenthcentury tombstones in Ipswich’s burying grounds, Dow appreciated how the blue, green, purple, and even pink-tinted slate

gravestones harmonized with the hues of this region. His preference for the bluish haze of cyanotypes (a collection of 264 of which are viewable here) over photography was of a piece with his aversion to the stark white marble of modern headstones, which he called “coldly out of place by the side of the mossy green and purple slates of the first settlers, partaking of the colors of ground and sky”.

The woodblock stamp on Composition’s title page — which imaged the low drumlin Eagle Hill fairly floating in the midst of the “Silver Dragon”, Dow’s name for a meandering tributary of the Ipswich River — bears the Greek letters for synthesis. Dow’s emblem proclaimed not just the synthesis of East and West, but of one’s inner landscape with outer Nature, which for this native of an inland reach of Plum Island Sound’s tidal estuary, was a floating world of dories, gundalows, hardwood copses, salt hay ricks, and billowing cumulus clouds rolling in from the Atlantic.

Originally published in The Public Domain Review at publicdoaminreview.org. If you wish to reuse it please see: publicdomainreview.org/legal/ c

Examples from the “Dark-and-Light Composition” chapter in Dow’s 1905 edition of Composition

SHOW SOME FLOCKING RESPECT!

BY LANCE REESE

My wife has an addiction to new wave 80’s bands. Actually she has an addiction to all 80’s music, including an eclectic fixation on Australian bands; back in the day she had a pen pal down under and they used to exchange mix tapes. In an age long before www was a thing she had exposure to tons of stuff not circulating the US airwaves.

For today we focus on new wave and how because of her addiction I’ve been dragged to every 80’s reunion tour to come through the Pacific Northwest for the last 23 years. For sure there’s been some gems – anyone remember when she orchestrated Steve Kilbey to play at the bike shop a few years ago? But also some disappointments. She hates when fractured pieces of a one hit wonder roll through as she’s left distraught, and always with this sentiment: “I’m never going to see a band without the original line up….” But we always do. You have to take the bad with the good.

The Church’s 30th anniversary Starfish tour was magic, the ‘lips like sugar’ Echo and the Bunnymen’s Ian McCulloch still oozing words on a voice of liquid gold.

Then there’s moments when she announces things like “We’re going to see A Flock of Seagulls,” in the basement of a local pub no less, and hell - I’m game. The pub is a favorite local watering hole and live music is live music. I’m not hard on local bands at the time so someone coming through that got international success with a music video, I’m there.

Because of circumstances we have an extra ticket – a big to do with her sister who wanted to go but couldn’t make it last minute because her cat was going to be sick later or something. But we have a free pass to give away so I hit up my buddy Chris, probably a bad idea as we always drink too much and have way to good a time. But no one minds an obnoxious drunk, right?

“Flock of Who?” he asks when I throw out the idea. “Seagulls? What song do they play?” They had a hit called “I Ran” I tell him and he say’s he’ll get back to

me. Phone rings a short time later “Yeah – that’s the intro song to GTA – Vice City. I’m in.”

So we prep up. My wife spends 4 hours in the bathroom getting show ready and we’re off to the pub. We’re super early - if we’re doing it we want to get a good seat. The whole stage thing is a new addition here, a brand new addition off the side of the regular tap room so I haven’t been there or seen it yet. We check in and it’s just a big open space, stage in the middle on one side, bar against the wall opposite it. It’s set for standing room only – and really we’re in the mood to pull up a chair. I go back into the pub and ask the bartender if we can bring a table and chairs in to the venue to sit and watch the show.

So here’s the thing...when I say this is a favorite local watering hole, I’ve been a regular here for a very long time. Long before I should be served at a bar, I’ve been occupying a stool. Billed as the first micro brewery in the country - this place was brewing India Pale Ales before most of the country knew what hops were. More important were the Perfect Porter, the Russian Imperial Stout and the holy grail Scottish Ale. This was long before marketing departments took over naming beers.

My first experience there while I was working at a record store and we all decided to go down on a Friday night to catch local legends Quarter Mile Pumpkin (they’d later abbreviate to QMP after they sold their drag car and stopped racing.) They’re set up on a small stage in the corner when I get there a little late. The doorman eyed me as I walked up but before he could say anything I pointed at my group already seated in a corner booth. He looked at me and waived me in. Turns out when my boss got there the bouncer told him there was a $5 cover to which he responded, “We’re from the local record store, we don’t have to pay.” The big guy bought on it and when I walked up at 18 years old I was treated in kind. After that I was a regular, drank most nights there for the next three years underage. My first pint was a Scottish Ale pulled from a cask,

and I drank it as I watched the band’s underage girlfriends huddle outside the back door in the cold unable to get in.

In the years that followed the pub was my second home, eating Scottish eggs, British bangers, half price Tuesdays meant $1.50 pints of black and tans, and five dollars meant I’d be well on the way and adventure was always to ensue. Climbing the brick wall on the face of the building, New Years dances on the table (not my fault they broke,” dousing Molly Lee and her big loud mouth with the last of a stout. Wound up on the upside and the downside of more than a few scuffles and at least once ended up in the back seat of a squad car.

All of this to say the staff knew me well here – I’m a hell of a tipper to boot – so when I ask to move a table into their standing only venue they say, “Sure – go for it.” So we do, find a nice spot in the center, back by the bar. It’s still early and we’ve got our drinks so we do our thing and the roadies set up the stage, putting up the gear, tuning guitars and such.

Pretty soon the place is filling up and security comes over “hey – you can’t have that table here, it’s blocking the walkway, we need to move you.” Shit, they’re going to put us in the corner somewhere and we won’t be able to see…. but no. They grab the table and stick it right up front. Right… up… front… dead center, pressed against the stage. The overhang of the table’s actually over the edge of the stage and almost into the mic and keyboard stand. We’re the heart of the crowd now, and because we’re early the pints keep coming, and they keep winding up empty so we keep ordering more until the room is packed around us and we see the roadies heading back to the stage, one last sound check we think, before the realization sets in - this is the band. No opener and it’s not the original line up – jut the OG singer/ keyboard player. The signature forehead swoop of hair was gone in favor of a long braided pony tail, his overalls looked comfortable but in no way played homage to the kid on MTV.

Biting our lips we look at each other, then up on stage. We’re staring up his nostrils, he’s got this look of resignation, a tired old circus animal doing his routine so he can return to his cage and get his dinner. Immediately he announces “I’ve got a really popular song that I wrote in the 80’s. I’ll play that later, but for now I’m going to play it how I would write it if I wrote it today.” And he launches into some new version of “I Ran.” It’s not well received and he can feel it. There’s a point in the original music video where he plays a note on the keyboard and holds it for too long, so long that he switches hands to play that same key with a different finger. Well he goes to hit that same note on the new version and blows it, like hits completely the wrong note. Loud. And for a minute he tries to go with it and stick it out, but it’s bad. I’m drunk by now, pretty sure Chris is too and we lose it. It was so disrespectful, I’d be appalled if I saw someone behaving like that towards an artist today, but that night we were that group, laughing at a performer – literally to their face as they struggled through a set, trying their best to hold it together. So much scorn in his eyes as he tried to look past us but the rest of the crowd wasn’t much better.

He played a minor hit or two, then finally the original version of “I Ran.” The crowd went nuts, so he followed it up with a couple of new songs that weren’t good. “Play ‘I Ran’ again,” we all started yelling. But apparently twice was already enough, he wrapped up his set and left the stage.

A couple years later I saw a VH1 documentary where they interviewed the original line up and tried to convince them to play a show together again. They hated each other by then, although they did get one guy to say he was game despite all the shit they’d been through. Then they asked the singer about the popularity of “I Ran.” “I fucking hate it,” he said “but it’s all anyone wants to hear, so I have to keep playing it.” Truer words may never have been spoken.

For the record, my wife still insists it was a really good show. God Bless the 80’s.

THE FUNNY PAGES

COMICS AND NOVELTIES

April showers ing May flowers!

“I’m afraid for the calendar. Its days are numbered.”

“Singing in the shower is fun until you get soap in your mouth. Then it’s a soap opera.”

“If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring?” “Pilgrims.”

ROSIE’S COMIC by

Rosie

1) In 2014, the CIA got its first and only official CIA twitter account. Their very first tweet was:

A) We can neither confirm nor deny that this is our first tweet

B) Ever feel like someone is watching you?

C) We’re better than @Mi5, but we can’t tell you why, that’s classified

D) 1 million retweets we release who really killed JFK

2) For the first time ever, the FDA has authorized a condom that’s specifically designed for:

A) Anal Sex

B) Masturbating

C) Micro-penises

D) People who take Viagra regularly

3) Back in January, two women aged 27 and 29 got into an argument with a man and ended up assaulting him.

They were arrested and both faced felony charges for the assault, but the real meat of the story here is what they assaulted this dude with... What was it?

A) One of the women’s “emotional support ferret”

B) Loads of glitter

C) Their boobs

D) Their breath

4) A 10 year old girl and her parents were shocked when the girl asked Amazon’s Alexa for a daily “challenge” and it said to her:

A) Try holding your breath until you go to sleep

B) Send a nude photo to a stranger

C) Put your pet’s paw in the garbage disposal

D) Stick a penny in an electrical outlet

5) America’s first rollercoaster was created at Coney Island in 1880. Its inventor, LaMarcus Thompson invented the rollercoaster for ONE REASON. What was his reason for its creation?

A) He wanted flying carriages and this was the closest he could get to it

B) He wanted to give people a distraction from SIN

C) He wanted so simulate the feeling of having an orgasm

Horoscopes for April!

Yay, it’s Spring or whatever! Here are your love languages according to your sign:

Aries - Your love language is being right… and whiskey.

Taurus - Your love language is pasta. Period.

Gemini - Your love language is living in a perpetual state of executive dysfunction.

Cancer - Your love language is crying in bed with your cat.

Leo - Your love language is taking naps… while simultaneously being a workaholic.

Virgo - Your love language is butt stuff. Sorry, I don’t make the rules.

Libra - Your love language is being waited on hand and foot. And never saying thank you.

Scorpio - Your love language is giving until you’re completely drained.

Sagittarius - Your love language is pretending like you have no cares in the world.. when you actually have ALL the cares in the world.

We can neither confirm nor deny that this is our first tweet.

D) He wanted people to feel drunk without consuming alcohol ANSWERS: 1 -

Capricorn - Your love language is filing your taxes, paying your mortgage, opening a savings account, etc.

Aquarius - Your love language is procrastinating.

Pisces - Your love language is crossing boundaries but you’re cute, so it’s ok.

Spring has sprung at the Numerica PAC with these events!