Sisters set for big arts extravaganza

Last updated Apr 10, 2007 12:0pm0

Jim Cornelius count

Volunteers spent an evening making party favors for the My Own Two Hands Art Party and Auction set for Saturday night at Ponderosa Forge. There will be an art stroll and chili feed on Friday.

Lynn Rothan will be silent-auctioned at My Own Two Hands. count

“Boat”

What started out as a creative fund-raiser has become one of Central Oregon's premier arts events - and Sisters' "Party of the Year."

Sisters is gearing up for the My Own Two Hands Art Party and Auction, April 13-14. The event is the major fund-raiser for the Americana Project, the educational outreach program of the Sisters Folk Festival.

Dozens of artists - ranging from students to full-time professionals - have donated works which will be seen at an art stroll in downtown Sisters Friday night. Many of the pieces will be auctioned at the Saturday night auction and party at Ponderosa Forge.

The 2007 theme is "Gather Round," and the art works reflect the notion of community.

In the Friday evening art stroll art-lovers can tour shops and galleries around Sisters and see works of art, enjoy food and wine and take in live music (see map page 20). Works by Sisters students will be on display at Sisters Library, City Hall and the school district administration building. The library show will be catered by high school culinary arts students under the supervision of Janice Comfort.

"The kids' art is the product of what My Own Two Hands is all about," said Sisters Folk Festival events director Katy Yoder. "Which is bringing arts education to kids."

The program, in addition to funding The Americana Project, helps fund visual arts programs in Sisters schools.

That support is dazzling to Yoder.

"The artists' select themselves by generously contributing an art piece," she said. "I think the most exciting aspect for me is experiencing the extreme generosity of our artists," Yoder said, noting that many of the pieces could be marketed for thousands of dollars.

Artists donate their high-value work "because they believe so strongly in arts education for children. They are really walking the walk when they do that," Yoder said.

She noted that the Sisters business community is a vital link in the support chain, sponsoring artists and providing art stroll locations.

Friday evening culminates with a big chili feed and party at Bronco Billy's Ranch Grill & Saloon and music from Americana Project students Elisabeth Ames and the Countrypolitans.

The band is a high energy, alt-country outfit that has gained a nationwide and international reputation for hot licks and exciting live shows.

"It should be a whole lot of fun," said Americana Project Director Brad Tisdel. "I would expect to see an alt-country band that has been making great waves in the music world lately."

The chili feed is a $10 ticket at the door.

That's followed with a big art party and auction on Saturday night at Ponderosa Forge and Ironworks. The auction draws art collectors from around the state to bid on works by Central Oregon's finest artists.

The party will also feature live music, this time from the 12th Avenue Hot Club. The Portland group plays Django Reinhardt-influenced gypsy jazz that Tisdel said will make "the perfect backdrop" for the party and auction. He described listening to their music as being like sipping a fine wine that pleases all the senses.

Yoder noted that anyone who cannot attend the auction can make proxy bids.

For more information on My Own Two Hands and The Americana Project, call 541-549-4979 or visit http://www.sistersfolkfestival.org.

Live music is key feature of art stroll and party

The My Own Two Hands art stroll and auction, Friday and Saturday, April 13-14 is a feast for the eyes, with hundreds of art pieces on display from the region's finest artists.

The event is also a treat for the ears, with the sound of music permeating every aspect of the events. Art strollers can enjoy performances by local bands and solo musicians at locations across Sisters on Friday afternoon and evening. Americana Project students will perform at locations that feature the art of their student peers.

The streets of Sisters will resemble an old-time scene out of the birthplace of jazz in New Orleans when the Sisters High School Jam Scene Brass Band takes to the pavement to parade through Sisters with funky grooves and lively tunes.

The band will also take the stage at Bronco Billy's Ranch Grill and Saloon as strollers gather for a chili feed and party.

The Friday evening festivities will be capped off by a performance by the alt-country powerhouse band Elisabeth Ames and the Countrypolitans. The band has opened for heroes such as Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson. They were selected to play for John Carter Cash's wedding in Oregon - with Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash in attendance.

Playing for country music legends was a career pinnacle for Ames, who reveres the traditions of country music - the real deal, created by icons like Cash, Merle Haggard, George Jones, Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline.

"My favorite kind of country music is the traditional stuff that kind of died out in the '80s and '90s," Ames told The Nugget last summer. "What I've tried to do is stay rooted in the honky-tonk music that I like but bring it into the present."

Performing for an event that supports young songwriters is a perfect setting for Ames, who writes about half the band's material, blending seamlessly with covers of the great stuff from the legends.

The Saturday night art party and auction at Ponderosa Forge & Iron Works will feature a visit from 12th Avenue Hot Club of Portland.

The quintet's "Vintage Acoustic Swing" creates the ambiance of the 1930s and '40s, with gypsy jazz that evokes Django Reinhardt, classics that recall Duke Ellington and a touch of Latin jazz.

According to Americana Project director Brad Tisdel, the group lends just the right touch of panache and class to the event, which is just as much celebration as it is fund-raiser.

My Own Two Hands supports arts programs in Sisters schools and particularly The Americana Project, which provides in-depth exploration of the social and cultural impact of American roots music as well as offering instruction in songwriting, recording and several musical instruments.