Babs takes you to the Traverse City Film Festival

Today is looking like a gray little thing, but Babs Young is on the case.  She sent some photos from the Film Festival street scene that are guaranteed to brighten your outlook.  These creations are the work of Jason Hackenwerth, a sculptor who works with balloons.  See for yourself.  I dare you not to smile. 

Amazing stuff.  Reminds me of the pictures of Carnival in Cannes that my adventurous aunt brought back from her travels.  (Doris was something else.  Back in the 1950s she lived in France for a time and rode all over Europe on a motorcycle.  She absolutely scandalized her younger sister, my mother.  I digress.) 

Jason Hackenwerth will also be at ArtPrize in Grand Rapids in September/October.  I went and looked up the ArtPrize event, and it is an eye-opener.  Rick DeVos, of the endlessly wealthy and political DeVos clan, got it started, and rustled up what’s being billed as the world’s largest art prize: $250,000 for first place, $100,000 for second place, $50,000 for third place, with seven $7,000 prizes completing the list.  The website says ArtPrize is a radically open competition. Open to any artist in the world who can find space. Open to anybody in the city who wants to create a venue. Open to a vote from anyone who attends.  We admit… it’s an experiment. A fun experiment. Come and see.

I’m pretty sure I have to go to this thing.  Miss Sadie and the Cowboy are giddy at the possibility of a road trip.  Maybe we can find a little space somewhere for some artism.