I met Carrie Knowles at her studio off Bloodworth Street in downtown Raleigh. The quiet neighborhood and her comfortable studio were the perfect spot to catch up with this busy writer/artist. We talked about her writing, visual art, the importance of collaboration, and her most ambitious and exciting project to date, the Cary Cross Currents Chamber Music and Arts Festival.

You began your career as a writer and you are a visual artist as well. What was it about the visual arts that attracted your attention?

I like how words can create images…visual images in our minds. Writing to me is both telling a story and painting a picture. Moving from the written word to a visual world was an easy transition. I’m not a trained artist, but I took a studio drawing class in college. I had this very unorthodox drawing ...]]> This article written as a guest blogger for Triangle Artworks, is the second in a series of “Conversations With”  members of the creative community in the Triangle who are thinking big, working hard and making a difference in our Region.

Carrie Knowles, in motion, as usual.

I met Carrie Knowles at her studio off Bloodworth Street in downtown Raleigh. The quiet neighborhood and her comfortable studio were the perfect spot to catch up with this busy writer/artist. We talked about her writing, visual art, the importance of collaboration, and her most ambitious and exciting project to date, the Cary Cross Currents Chamber Music and Arts Festival.

You began your career as a writer and you are a visual artist as well. What was it about the visual arts that attracted your attention?

I like how words can create images…visual images in our minds. Writing to me is both telling a story and painting a picture. Moving from the written word to a visual world was an easy transition. I’m not a trained artist, but I took a studio drawing class in college. I had this very unorthodox drawing professor who made us talk about what we were going to draw before he would let us draw. Not just talk about it, but discuss it in detail. We would spend the first two hours of the four-hour studio just talking about what we were going to draw. We’d look at the shapes, the shadows, the contours, then we’d take a break, get out our pencils and start drawing. I was the only non-art major in the class. One day, after class, the professor stopped me and asked what I did on Saturday mornings. He told me he had recommended me for a job. I got hired to teach art at the Detroit Art Institute with a group of art teachers from the university. I was the assistant teacher for the professors and had a great time learning about sculpture, printmaking, clay, and painting.

After leaving school I continued to enjoy drawing and creating things but didn’t take myself seriously as an artist. For a number of years, I helped organize and run the Boylan Heights ArtWalk. I loved working with the various artists and putting the show together and as time went on I began to want to do more artwork myself. I like working on paper and use traditional printing methods in non-traditional, non-toxic ways. Various editors have often commented that I was a very “visual” writer. It is an easy transition for me to go from writing about something to creating an image about the same thing. I see writing and visual art as the same.

You moved to Raleigh from Chicago years ago, before it was cool to be here. How did that decision affect your life?

I had a great life as a freelance writer in Chicago, then we moved down here to Raleigh. I felt I had done something very, very wrong in some past life and was being punished. Thirty-three years ago, Raleigh was a very different town than it is today. It was shocking coming from Chicago. You couldn’t get dinner after 8 o’clock, the airport wasn’t an international airport … we couldn’t get anywhere without going someplace else to change planes first. Other than Friends of the College at the University, where my husband was offered a position, the arts culture was barely visible. I wept for three years then woke up one morning and told myself to just get over it. If we weren’t leaving Raleigh then I decided to get involved and make Raleigh the kind of place I want to live in. I started volunteering with arts advocacy groups, Artspace, NC writers network, United Arts, Burning Coal Theatre, Raleigh Chamber Music Guild, and others where I built a lot of connections and met many friends. Read the entire article at Triangle Artworks.

KONY 2012 is a film and campaign by Invisible Children that aims to make Joseph Kony famous, not to celebrate him, but to raise support for his arrest and set a precedent for international justice.

Sometimes you just have to say it or write it, when you feel it.

I have not researched this thoroughly nor can say I am knowledgeable on recent events in Uganda, Africa or anywhere where  social injustice lives, but even if just a bit of this video and movement can help make a difference in our world-wide causes, I am “in support” it. I am in support of stopping crazy people behavior when it interferes with other peoples rights as humans on this planet. We as a collective people can’t seem to stop the manufactured bad things that happen next door or 3000 miles away, but we can call it out, try, do something!, get out of our safe zone for a millisecond, and if possible change a few things, if not rewrite history. The Invisible Children movement has made some traction with Washington insiders and ...]]> KONY 2012 – YouTube.

KONY 2012 is a film and campaign by Invisible Children that aims to make Joseph Kony famous, not to celebrate him, but to raise support for his arrest and set a precedent for international justice.

Sometimes you just have to say it or write it, when you feel it.

I have not researched this thoroughly nor can say I am knowledgeable on recent events in Uganda, Africa or anywhere where  social injustice lives, but even if just a bit of this video and movement can help make a difference in our world-wide causes, I am “in support” it. I am in support of stopping crazy people behavior when it interferes with other peoples rights as humans on this planet. We as a collective people can’t seem to stop the manufactured bad things that happen next door or 3000 miles away, but we can call it out, try, do something!, get out of our safe zone for a millisecond, and if possible change a few things, if not rewrite history. The Invisible Children movement has made some traction with Washington insiders and young people around the world, so chances are if you add your voice to this action, we will all visualize and experience a better world.

[I'm not writing about Facebook because they paid me to do write this, because they did NOT!]

If you have ever wondered what positive purpose Facebook could possibly have, or  perhaps you are in the camp of thinking social media is a fad, farce or waste of time, I urge you to think again. Without social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, MySpace and tons of other social media outlets we would not be able to have unscripted, personal dialogue and vision into and with other countries, causes, and people. At the time of this writing Invisible Children on Facebook had these numbers:

2,938,855 likes · 2,356,424 talking about this

That’s an incredible reach my friends, and in my opinion quite a force for change.

Yeah, sometimes on Facebook you might think it lame when your friends tell you about their morning commute, baby’s first dribble, or where they checked in for dinner, but  you also get the chance to see other pressing concerns for our  society as well…. the classic good with the bad scenario. Personally I will take the good with the bad as I fear the alternative is worse. No social media equals no interactive dialogue or vision to places, people or things outside of my immediate view or local community. I treasure my community, local and global, including the lame and exceptional and especially my good luck in being born into a society where free speech is possible.

So I ask you, ”what would you do if your child was abducted and forced to be a sex slave or rebel authorized to kill?”

HOW TO HELP:
Visit: http://kony2012.com
Donate to Invisible Children: https://stayclassy.org/checkout/set-donation?eid=14711
For info on Invisible Children: http://invisiblechildren.com

I had the pleasure of meeting Jeff Polish on a warm sunny day in June. The first thing he told me, in response to me asking “How ya’ doing” was that he had just quit his day job as a biology teacher to pursue his dream job of telling stories. His show, the uber successful The Monti, is officially his full time job and he couldn’t be more delighted, prepared and ready to take it on.

I learned about The Monti about a year ago and quickly realized I had to get to a show. I did and now I’m hooked. Being a fan of ...]]> Last June I interviewed Jeff Polish, founder and host of the Monti, on behalf of Triangle Artworks: making arts work in the triangle. The article that follows is part of a series called ” A Conversation With…” which highlights the efforts of our creative community who are thinking big, working hard, and making a difference.

I had the pleasure of meeting Jeff Polish on a warm sunny day in June. The first thing he told me, in response to me asking “How ya’ doing” was that he had just quit his day job as a biology teacher to pursue his dream job of telling stories. His show, the uber successful The Monti, is officially his full time job and he couldn’t be more delighted, prepared and ready to take it on.

I learned about The Monti about a year ago and quickly realized I had to get to a show. I did and now I’m hooked. Being a fan of personal stories myself, the opportunity to share a burger and a few stories with Jeff was one I would not dare miss. We talked, we walked and we stopped for pie. The entire experience was delightful. It was meaty, sweet, fun, thoughtful and left me hungry for more, and that’s exactly why The Monti is so successful. Below is part of our very candid conversation:

Cyn: When you started The Monti in 2008, was it a way to share your personal story?

Jeff: Well, when I started The Monti I felt it was very important to give others a voice and provide a space where interesting people can tell interesting stories. All that was needed is a microphone, a story and an audience to tell it to. Of course there were a few guidelines too; speakers can’t use notes, they have to stick to a time limit and theme, and their stories have to be true. But truth be told, I was looking for a form of myself. Yes, I do like hearing stories, but I needed to be heard. As a child I didn’t feel like I had that and the feeling inside of me was an intense need to be received and loved. The Monti gives me that. In the 3 years I have been doing this, I feel it is less about me now. Although The Monti comes from me, I really feel what I’m doing is more about the show, the storytellers themselves and filling a need in the community.

Cyn: Some people say The Monti is the Jeff Polish show. How do you respond to that?

Jeff: It’s true, I do spend more time on stage now. When I first started The Monti, I would give a very short intro then turn it over to the storytellers. Now I’m on stage for 15 minutes. And it’s not because I’m hogging the microphone. I see my time on stage as a service to my storytellers. I’m warming up the audience and letting the storytellers, who are petrified, know that if you do this, this will happen. I always, always use profanity intentionally in my opening monologue because I want them to know that profanity is ok. I want to be a little blue, a little funny and get some audience action and then turn it over to the storytellers. It takes time. If you were to remove me from The Monti equation it would be a totally different event. And it’s not because I’m the star of the show, it’s because I’m helping to move things for the audience and for the storytellers. Now, I’m just the host. [Read more]

Read the entire article here: A Conversation with …. Jeff Polish from The Monti. « Triangle ArtWorks.

www.pknraleigh.com

Project Poster to promote PechaKucha Night Vol.9.

Client PechaKucha Night Raleigh

www.pknraleigh.com

Project Poster to promote PechaKucha Night Vol.8 at ideaSPARK/SPARKcon 2011.

I love reading great articles that support my interest in promoting Raleigh,NC,  the place where I have resided for over 20 years!, as a great place to work, live and play. Raleigh has changed a lot, an I mean a lot over the past 5 years, so if you are asking yourself, “seriously? Raleigh?… last time I was there it was, eh…” do yourself a favor and visit Raleigh soon. A great way to experience our downtown is to attend one of our First Friday events, which happens to be this Friday, January 6. As a suggestion, I would start at Artspace, Visual Art Exchange or The Carter Building and simply walk around. Raleigh has a wonderful FREE bus, the R-line, that can take you to all three art districts within minutes. The galleries usually have wine and snacks to hold you over to dinner time. Look for Triangle.com photographers roaming about and get your photo taken with friends and later visit their website to ...]]> Which Is America’s Best City? – Businessweek.

I love reading great articles that support my interest in promoting Raleigh,NC,  the place where I have resided for over 20 years!, as a great place to work, live and play. Raleigh has changed a lot, an I mean a lot over the past 5 years, so if you are asking yourself, “seriously? Raleigh?… last time I was there it was, eh…” do yourself a favor and visit Raleigh soon. A great way to experience our downtown is to attend one of our First Friday events, which happens to be this Friday, January 6. As a suggestion, I would start at Artspace, Visual Art Exchange or The Carter Building and simply walk around. Raleigh has a wonderful FREE bus, the R-line, that can take you to all three art districts within minutes. The galleries usually have wine and snacks to hold you over to dinner time. Look for Triangle.com photographers roaming about and get your photo taken with friends and later visit their website to see your picture online, it’s a great way to feel part of the community. Then about 9p things start to slow down. But don’t worry, we know you are starved by now!, wherever you are at the moment probably has at least 5 good restaurants within walking distance. If you are still up for exploring, the nightlife continues at one of our many cozy bars, some offering live music.

Nothing says “Holiday Spirit” better than spending quality time with those you cherish. Whether you sip some eggnog, make some cookies, gather with friends or fight with paper, scissors and tape, take time to enjoy, it’s all good!

From my family to yours, have the merriest & brightest season ever!

Cyn Macgregor

P.S. Now seems like a good time to announce that I have returned to my maiden name of Macgregor.

 ]]>  

Nothing says “Holiday Spirit” better than spending quality time with those you cherish. Whether you sip some eggnog, make some cookies, gather with friends or fight with paper, scissors and tape, take time to enjoy, it’s all good! From my family to yours, have the merriest & brightest season ever! Cyn Macgregor P.S. Now seems like a good time to announce that I have returned to my maiden name of Macgregor.

Congratulations on another great PKN night. It was fun, entertaining, and thought-provoking. – Cris Cohen

We had talks ...]]> We had a great PechaKucha event at the Visual Art Exchange December 8th! We had about 90 folks show up, which is impressive since December is a very busy month for everyone. I heard more than once that PKN was a before or after event that evening. Many thanks to Pabst Blue Ribbon and Lonerider for suppling liquid refreshment. Our volunteers brought wine and other goodies to fill our tummies. The VAE turned out to be a great venue for our crowd as they truly enjoyed seeing artwork during the breaks and that also created chit-chat among everyone. I feel our Raleigh PKN is growing and developing into a great family where ideas are exchanged and folks are inspired. Here are a few quotes,

Congratulations on another great PKN night. It was fun, entertaining, and thought-provoking.
– Cris Cohen

and

Thank you so much for making this amazing event happen.I had to leave before the end since I have 2 papers due tomorrow. But I did enjoy the event and will  be a follower in the future.

– Pinar Yoldas

We had talks from artists who told tales of Kickstarting a project, imaging visually what a new species without a central nervous system would look like, poetry of balance and space, new work ideas, new ideas for intoxication management, how introverts rule the world… and more. If you missed this event, we will have our videos on YouTube shortly, search “pknraleigh” for the channel.

The video was shot by Larry Evans and he also managed the audio thanks to his good friends Amy & Anthony who supplied the PA system. These events are always a collaboration of great skills and talents and would not happen in such fin style without each and everyone who contributed.

What did you really love or not like so much about our recent PKN? Will you attend again? How about  presenting a talk in the future?