Art In Odd Places Festival, NYC oct 25

A story about nature and the city.

When I sent this proposal in to AIOP, I was pretty sure they wouldn't take it so I never worried about the logistics of finding a log in NYC. Or, for that matter, getting there.

Well, I flew into LaGuardia Friday night and drove up to Bear Mountain to see if I could find a log. I stayed up in the hills and in the morning it was off to find a log. I am driving and running around in the hills, searching until I found the perfect log. (a big shout out to the people who maintain trails). After rolling it back to the car and getting it into the car (grunt). Meanwhile, I'm seeing deer, wild turkeys, and bobcats.

I hop back in and turn on the radio and off to the big city, bright lights. An easy drive with a bit of getting lost in NJ and I am on 14th Street looking for parking. 45 minutes later I decide to park in a lot. Dump the log on the sidewalk and drive right in. No one says a word as I take out a piece of rope and a huge pair of tongs. They notice, but are polite or worried I'm insane with a huge pair of tongs.

Now I get pulling. A few blocks and I am on 14th street around 10th Ave. moving east. By the time I get to 5th Ave or so, Paul Benney has joined me (yea!), which is good because I have neglected to eat all day, so I am tired. We get pulling. Paul is an animal. People take pictures. People say, "you getting punished?". People pay no attention whatsoever. All told, very fun. Three people try it. Some guy named Will pulled most of a block. I have to remember to send photos to him…

Well, we got to the eastern end of 14th st. and it was still early, so we went back. Back through the farmers market, past the sort of crazy guy on the phone to his mother, to around 7th Ave. Lunch called. Good Food Café. Lunch won that call.

After eating, we felt good. And finished. The log was left parked next to a bunch of bicycles. A few hours later I wandered back to see it and it was gone. Someone in NY has a nice piece of wood that is very flat on one side.

Ken Performs in the Art in Odd Places festival

Hey fans in New York! OK any everywhere...
I will be in New York on the 25th - umm... pulling a log across Manhattan. on 14th street. I'll start at 10 am so be there or be square. Why you ask? The Art in Odd Places Festival! http://www.artinoddplaces.org/ is putting on a show. Me too. Paul Benney may be pulling also. Paul Fu**ing Benney!! It just doesn't get better than this.

Anyone with access to a log in NYC let me know. This is the sticking point so far... darn those cities.

much love
Ken

Ken Dances in Italy!

Ken just spent a fine few days shooting a commercial with Project Bandaloop in Cortina Italy. The shoot happened on Cinco Torre, a group of 5 towers on an amazing mountain.

Very bright costumes, amazing food, views and company. a very nice time was had.

West Wave Festival 2008

Hey everyone, we are performing wednesday the 20th and Friday the 22nd at 7 pm at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. See us on the main stage doing... stuff and things! Kimm E Ward and Andrea Weber are coming out of FTPG hibernation for this! Shawn Oda is back and we are introducing Fiona McCann to the FTPG world.

We will be featuring one of Lawrence Labianca's brilliant sculptures also.

Come out and see a whole pile of what the Bay Area has to offer and, of course, Fellow Travelers!

Info: dancersgroup.org
tickets: ybca.org

FTPG has met its match

As you know from your previous reading, the East Bay Community Fund gave us an $8,000 matching grant in September. Well, thanks to the generosity of all of you, we made our match!!! This means that 'Intersecting Stories' has the money to pay all the artists who are working on the project .

We will keep you posted as to how everything is going and how the piece is shaping up! stay tuned...

Upcoming performances in the Wrecking Ball performance at ODC Theater, Jan. 19th (the last before the theater is rebuilt) and in the Dance IS show on March 8th.

Fellow Travelers Performance Group artistic directors Ken James and Cynthia Adams are announcing the newest fellow travelers: Leo Sergio. 8 months old, fiesty, and a great jumper, Leo Sergio James is officially the youngest of the fellow travelers group.

Updates and pushing to new things

You NEED to go to the Cartoon Art Museum in SF as soon as possible. Not only is there an Edward Gorey exhibit, but also Lark Pien has an exhibit. Lark is the artist who worked with Chris Black and Myself on the Adventures of Cunning & Guile and she is the best. You don't want to miss this.




FTPG updates:
I am going to be an OHIO ARTS COUNCIL INDIVIDUAL CREATIVITYEXCELLENCE AWARDS PANELIST in December. I will be in Columbus OH to watch artists work and help fund it. Very exciting.

Having recieved a very generous grant from the East Bay Community Foundation, we are in fundraising mode. The $8,000 grant is for artist fees for my new piece scheduled to come out in 2008. This one will be an installaiton piece - dance is small spaces and outside of theaters. We are hoping to be able to move it easily to galleries, studios or any space we can perform in. In order to recieve the grant, we have to match it, so if you have liked the work you've seen in the past - you can have a huge impact on helping create this new one. anything you send doubles! yeee-haw! like public radio on a smal scale.

That is about it for today. this is the last weekend of PASTIME and it is in Golden Gate Park. Free and fun - if you miss this you will kick yourself. also, Circ Zero is at Theater Artaud with sol niger -