Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Worcester Vol. 2 Recap

Keith Cross of Milkrow Studio produced this voice over version of his Pecha Kucha Night Vol. 2 topic "Learning Letterpress". Modern digital design students may find the process of letterpress limiting but Keith encourages everyone to see the liberation letterpress can have:


Stay tuned for LIVE Pecha Kucha Worcester Videos on our youtube group.
PKN Vol. 2 pictures by Michelle May, Rich Beaubien and Donna Dufault Flickr group.



About 100 people came out on Sunday Sept 14th for Pecha Kucha Night Worcester Vol. 2. The evening was filled with laughs and enthusiasm from the crowd as they reacted to presenters Dr Gonzo and Jeffu Warmouth, quiet admiration for Lennie Peterson and Trisha Barry's work and thought provoking presentations from Michael Gennert, Jeff Baker, Ian Hickey and Keith Cross. It proved to be another fun night of diverse topics and inspiration!

Special Thanks goes out to:
Ian Hickey at 55 Pearl for feeding everyone his amazing creations that were based on his presentation "The Creative Process of Cooking"
Joe Madaus for providing video documentation for all the presenters.
Jeff Baker for making the projections possible.
Al Dancy, Donna Dufault for being our go-to volunteers.
Scott Boilard for creating beautiful presenter gifts.

We had a blast and are looking forward to Vol.3 on Jan 24th 2010!

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Pecha Kucha Night Vol 2 is tomorrow!!!

Sunday Sept 13th is Vol 2 of Pecha Kucha Night Worcester.
Michelle May Scott Zoback and I (Cynthia Woehrle) are very excited about the presentions that are lined up:

Jeff Baker~ Tech Head, Creative Heart
Trisha Barry~ 12 Months w/ a N.E. Farmer
Keith Cross~ Learning Letterpress. Mind Your P's and Q's
J. Stu Esty~ Community
Michael Gennert~ Robotics
Ian Hickey~ The Creative Process of Cooking
Lennie Peterson~ The Marriage of Music and Art
Jeff Warmouth~ Playing with food: An edible Journey through art, comedy and popular culture.

Sharing their passion in the 20x20 format about everything from Robots to Letterpress to Cooking and more!

A few things we want you to know.
Free Parking for 55 Pearl is available in the two lower lots on Pearl Street as well as on the street. The parking garage is closed on Sundays.
Doors open at 7:20
Hors D oeuvres served compliments of 55 Pearl.
Cash Bar.
"Stadium" style seating is set for 110 people and is first come first serve.
The front staircase entrance is open for this event with handicap access through the side door at the patio.

Its going to be a great time!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Presenter Profiles: Jeff Warmouth, J Stuart Esty, Ian Hickey

Join us on Sept 13th 2009 at 55 Pearl Worcester Ma doors open 7:20


{Image © Jeff Warmouth}


Presenter Jeff Warmouth

Bio:

Jeffu Warmouth is a photo-based contemporary artist who has managed to make a career out of playing with his food. His work incorporates photography, video, objects, and installations, and uses jokes and comic twists to subvert logic, language, identity, and culture.

Jeffu has exhibited in alternative spaces and museums, including the DeCordova Museum, the Boston Center for the Arts, and Art Interactive in Cambridge. His award-winning film/video work has screened in festivals internationally. He received his MFA from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and heads the Interactive Multimedia program at Fitchburg State College.


Presenter J. Stuart Esty

Owner of Dr Gonzo's Uncommon Condiments, J Stuart Esty is passionate about community and jalepenos. His creative and "uncommon" ways of getting his message out through social media certainly attracts attention! Read on...

Bio:

What led this inventor of the (seen on TV) "Jiffy Home Lobotomy Kit": just insert the stainless steel icepick behind your ear and stir in a circular motion until all your problems and worries disappear..., proud founder of Spruce Up Yours Landscaping International LLC, this high powered Washington lobbyist, tirelessly fighting for our rights to carry concealed Kazoos, this former lead accordion player of a Maraca Rock and Roll Revue (until he was exiled from Columbia after an alleged affair with Juan Valdez's burro), to dabble in the world of spicy comestibles? Maybe we'll never know the reason for his shift in focus. All we can hope for is that he will continue to weave delicate textures, tastes and heat profiles in an effort to liberate us all from a world burdened by Bland.

Now, contrary to popular opinion, this iteration of Dr. GONZO is not (and never has been) a 300lb Samoan attorney. He is (and will continue to be) the traveling professor of Advanced Mixology and Arcane Aviation Physics at Hardknock University. Home of the Fighting Black and Blue Humping Lumper Marching Band; that not only carries the instruments in tight formation across the rugby pitch, they also carry the people that play the instruments in tight formation across the rugby pitch, and the (oh, so hard to get on) Intramural Cross Country Pruning Shear Relay Team, where we take running with scissors to the next level...

Stay tuned to YouTube's DrGonzosCondiments channel for behind the scenes footage of Dr. GONZO's 'Secret' Underground lab, Xtreme Grilling Team and early failed high volume production experiments of our "World Famous" Peppermash. Yes, sometimes the best humor involves the failings of another so, have a giggle at our expense.

J. Stuart Esty can be found loitering in and or around Dr. GONZO's All Natural MEGA Spicy Comestible EMPORIUM at 122 Main St. (located in the heart of the hysterical courthouse district) in Worcester, MA (the cultural Mecca of Central Mass).




Presenter Ian Hickey



Chef Ian Hickey is presenting on Creative Processes of Cooking, He continually challenges himself to create a tilt on modern American Cuisine. I recently had the opportunity to hear his thoughts on this topic and was fascinated by the process behind building a menu and the challenges in balancing innovation with accessibility. I can't wait to hear more about the art that goes into cooking!

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Presenter Profiles: Jeff Baker, Keith Cross, Michael Gennert

Tech Head, Letterpress, Robots

Pecha Kucha Night is excited to introduce you to three more presenters!

Jeff Baker- Photographer
Keith Cross- Designer
Michael Gennert- Robotics

Join us to hear what all 8 of our presenters have to share!
Sept 13th 2009 doors open at 7:20 for mingling - hors d'oeuvres compliments of 55 Pearl - Cash Bar - presentations start at 8:20.
55 Pearl Street Worcester Ma



Jeff Baker has been running Visions by Baker since 1993. He describes himself as a photographer of people and the life events we share and has traveled across the globe, from Las Vegas to Ohio and to Japan to capture these life events. He's a multi-award winning and nationally certified photographer.

He tells me that he has had a creative heart since he was a child and goes on to say...

"My Grandfather gave me my first camera when I was about 10 years old. Professional training may teach how to use a camera, but his guiding eye helped me learn to see. Photography gives me balance between the logical and the creative, the left brain and the right brain. My Grandfather's guiding eye, together with today's photographic tools, provide the combination that allows me to focus on my art, my vision, of people around me."

Jeffery A. Baker Sr., CPP.
Visions by Baker Photography, LLC.
www.VisionsbyBaker.com
508-769-6113


Keith Cross
is keeping Letterpress Alive


Check out this video on Letterpress Video Credit goes to Boaz Sender

"Letterpress has seen a tremendous surge in popularity and interest over the past ten to fifteen years. The subtle yet seductive bite of letterpress thrills and delights designers and typophiles who crave tactile experiences in their RGB lives. Once considered by some a "hobby" or an "obsolete" printing technology, letterpress printing is now a "niche market" for those catering to well-trained eyes and, often, well-heeled clients. I most value letterpress as a teaching tool, albeit a very cumbersome one. In my letterpress classes at the Massachusetts College of Art I teach a new generation of design students the origins of their craft, help them visualize their designs in new (well, old) ways and afford them the patience to consider the possibilities." Keith Cross



Keith Cross is a designer, letterpress printer, educator and head honcho at Milk Row Studio,a creative branding and design operation in Worcester. Keith studied graphic design and printmaking and at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
Milk Row Press, now Milk Row Studio, was named after the Milk Row Cemetery in Somerville, MA. These days, Keith is keeping the tradition of letterpress ALIVE by teaching letterpress classes at his alma mater's MassArt Press. He is a member and former President of The Letterpress Guild of New England and a member of the Society of Printers.


Mike Gennert is Department Head of the Computer Science Department and co-founder and Director of the Robotics Engineering Program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. His research includes Robotics, Computer Vision, Image Processing, Artificial Intelligence, Scientific Databases, and Programming Languages. He owns 8 M.C. Escher ties, a cat, and a robot.