Olga the Traveling Bra Story

FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 2008

BUSTED! at the Knit Knot Tree in Yellow Springs, Ohio

Well, I guess it was inevitable...a big ol' bodacious Bra traveling around all by herself was bound to attract the attention of The Authorities sooner or later!

But who'da thunk I'd ever end up getting BUSTED

for making a public spectacle of myself in peaceful Yellow Springs, Ohio?

Certainly not me! But, here's how it all went down...

I was in Yellow Springs yesterday to check out a

unique art exhibit I'd read about on the Internet....

My Chaperon, Esqueleta (a very old but respected local artist) hosted a little cocktail party in my honor which was attended by several other localceleBRAties...But then Esqueleta (being a big old party pooper) started resenting all the attention I was getting (especially from a cute little bra-ling named Vicky)....
So she broke up the party and made me help her with her knitting!

Hmphf!...I did not think being a yarn holder was very becoming of one

so bodacious as I......so Vicky and I decided to ditch the ol' bag of bones and skipped off to see

what I came here for in the 1st place...the famous Knit Knot Tree!

Woo-Hoo! It was SPECTACULAR!!!I'd read about the Knit Knot Tree on the artist's blogs Jafabrit's Art andJafaGirlArt, and was so captivated by it's beauty, I just had to come and see it for myself!And as I hung upon the brightly colored tree branches, I felt inspired to release my own creativity...as well as my inhibitions...and so - I just let it ALL hang out!

Apparently this was quite entertaining for the local residents, as they were lining up just to get a gander at this wild and crazy bra hanging upon their tree...even Marco Comegys, Yellow Springs' famous local bra model, stopped by to have his picture taken with me!

But then....
I guess things got a bit too rowdy and I was BUSTED

for "wild flirtation with the local men" and being a "public nuisance"!

Oh the humiliation!

Luckily, the Police Chief let me off with only a stern warning

to "control myself"...

...then he stamped my passport to ensure I'd have a permanent record

of my very wild and breastly day in Yellow Springs, Ohio!

The artists/creators of the now FAMOUS KNIT KNOT TREE in Yellow Springs, Ohio are Corinne Bayraktaroglu and Nancy Mellon. They were inspired to start this project by a group of graffiti knitters, called Knitta, who tag inner cities with vibrant, stitched works of art. Corrine, Nancy, and the Tree all have become local celeBRAties in their own right - please read more about the Knit Knot Tree here and here, and see more amazing examples of other tree sweatershere and here!

And in case you're wondering

Why a Knit Knot Tree?

Here's what Corrine says:

"Well it's simple really.

Because we can, because it's fun,

because it makes people smile,

because it brightens up a dreary winter's day,

because children go ooooooh!aaaaaaaah!

because!!!!!! Life is too short to be getting yer knickers in a knot!"

Cycle of Giving and Doorstop Faeries

It happens a lot in our Village and it's one of the many things I love about living here. You put the call out for something and before you know it you find the Doorstop Faeries have left something in your mailbox or near the front door. Sometimes you know who it is, other times you don't. 

In our case we know and we want to thank them.

♥

Sam Eckenrode, Selwa Whitesell, Karen Russell, and Joy Joseph 

♥

We shall in turn make a gift out of your old boxes and turn them into our little BOX-isms for Free Art Friday.

This Friday's box is 

"the fly and the poop"

based on a Kurt Cobain quote.

If you're a really mean person you're going to come back as a fly and eat poop.

If you live in town or plan visiting Yellow Springs on Friday I will be posting a clue where it is on here or twitter, look for the hashtag #FAFyes.

It goes out after 1pm.
Clue
If you find me it will make you go ha ha, but sitting out here it is chilly.

Cheers

A jafagirl is SHAMELESS

Yep, jafabrit, BLUSH! is in Margot Potter's newest book as one of the Shameless one's. 

Book Link

Margot has this wonderful way of writing, which is as fun as she is, and SPOT ON with tips and advice about marketing and branding.

To be honest I wasn't quite sure how I was going to fit in with the theme of the book. I am not selling my work online or marketing a product. I guess I just take some things for granted and it hadn't really occurred to me that the jafagirls have become a brand. It wasn't planned that way. I admit it. I do enjoy shamelessly  promoting the arts, but mine is more altruistic in nature. Which is not to say I don't toot my own horn now and again. I'm doing that right now, yes ;)

 I love creating art, talking about it and sharing it, and that includes running an art blog highlighting the arts/artists in Yellow Springs, Free Art Friday around the world and of course the jafagirls. 

Spreading Good Cheer 

Jafabrit

Online Reviews

Snap out of it Jean!

Crafty Owl in a Box for FAFyes

This is Nancy's contribution for Free Art Friday and what a cutie. Pull the black ribbon tab and inside you will find words of wisdom underneath.

WHOever finds it, I hope you enjoy.

Jafabrit's  Owl BOX-ism is here.

If you see this

on a piece of art hanging around Yellow Springs, Ohio it really does mean it's FREE.

"Hum,"you say, "What's the catch?"

NONE 

Take it, leave it,  or share it!

This week the jafagirls left out a Karma Box.

To peek what's inside the box click here.

Controversial Painting for Sale

Own a piece of YS history! This piece of art “After the Dinner Party” was one of the pieces that sparked the controversy over public art and  will be for sale at the Holiday Art Jumble. Proceeds support local artists and the Arts Council Community Gallery (more info here)

Background History: Here’s the scoop-

On March 1^st, 2012, the visual part of Women’s Voices Outloud, was hung in the John Bryan Community Gallery located on the second floor hallway. This Annual event has been around for 33  years, 20 years exhibits in the Bryan Center. The show is for women of all ages to present stories, journal entries, poems, songs, dance and visual art to the community. 

There was not a lot of work this year, but it covered all ages and many styles, Ceramics by Lisa Wolters, tiny miniature sculptures by Sharon Mohler, a political satire piece by Corrine Bayraktaroglu, a 3D Protest Mannequin called “Hairy Mary” by the Jafagirls, a Mixed Media piece by Patricia Hyde and other paintings, small textile pieces, calligraphy, photographs and drawings. It filled the hallway that goes off the main hallway.  We were hoping that some more artists might put something up later on.

In the days that followed a controversy brewed in which 3 works listed below were deemed disturbing by an employee of the village and the Village Manager stating that they bordered on “sexual harassment.” of employees at the Bryant Center.

• Sherraid Scott’s pencil drawing of a nude female model.
•  The Jafagirls’ mannequin “Hairy Mary”
•  A painting done by Nancy Mellon that was a women’s consciousness raising piece called “After the Dinner Party” that showed the whole internal and external clitoris organ and the whole internal and external organ of the penis dancing together in whimsical, dreamy sort of way.

The ensuing controversy inspired Sharon Mohler, a previous curator of WVOL who had to deal with a similar controversy in 1999, to galvanize support for the integrity of the show and the artists.In a show of support for local artists and freedom of speech Sharon organized other female artists to contribute life studies in all media.  They did not fail to disappoint and the halls filled up  with ceramic nudes, male and female, a polymer clay sculpture of an nude modeling art class, photographs, sketches and many beautiful paintings- all of nudes.   One large painting arrived with the paint still damp. It was an exciting and joyful show.

Over all the years at WVOL other nude paintings and sculptures have been in the visual part of the show.

For the reception another artist in town, Susan Gartner made a tasteful selection of cookies that were bikinied tops and bottoms of the female form.  She also added her own collage of drawings that had been given to her by artists when she was a nude model.  She wrote a paper that spoke of how wonderful it was for women to be nude models.  That it was a great way to learn to love your own body and be content in it’s shape.

During the week that the new art was going up the Interim Town Manager contacted Arts Council repeatedly and told them that YSAC would have to censor any public art for politics and sexuality/nudity if they were going to be managing/using the JBC Gallery or putting up any Public Art in an outdoor venue in Yellow Springs.

Women’s Voices Outloud is not run by the Arts Council.   The month long gallery show and the one night performance that make up WVOL have over the years been handled by Volunteer Coordinators, Laurie Dreamspinner, Liz Hale and others.   But the Arts Council for 20 years has managed the gallery.

Two of the JBCC secretaries went to the YS News to tell them about the controversy.

Megan Bachman of the YS News wrote an article.  She also took pictures of the event. A picture of one of the nude painting was placed on the front page of the Yellow Springs News.

The Village Staff and Town Council were told to not speak to the news.  So from the village, the article only included a quote from the YS lawyer.  He said “the Village needed to honor the artists First Amendment right to free speech and also to protect its employees from a hostile work environment.” 

No one has been allowed to put up a show at the John Bryan Community gallery since the end of March 2012 and a Public Art Policy is still in the planning stage.

Free Art Friday: Box of Smiles

hand stitched lip Pin, jafa booklet of fun,

 smiley cd, bubble bottle

  Oh where oh where will this box go?

I know, how about next to a yellow bike rack.

fafYES BOX-isms