Thursday, March 11, 2010

Michael deMeng's New Orleans Workshop


N. O. spells: The Big Easy - Feb 16-20, 2011

Its official!  My New Orleans workshop is a go.  Over the last 6 months or so Kathy Malkasian of Valley Ridge Art Studio have been working on the idea of a New Orleans workshop, We are still working out some of the finer details but it definitely is a go!

A Place for Notions and Potions: An Apothecary Kit
The dates are going to be February 16 - 20 of 2011.  
I wanted to come up with a workshop that suited the mysterious nature of the place, so here is what I came up with a workshop "A Place for Notions and Potions: An Apothecary Kit". 
Kathy and I wanted to create an amazing environment for students to work on art as well as to be exhilarated by the amazing place.  I have always loved the idea of teaching in places where the location inspires the art, and the art inspires the student to explore the area.    So we picked New Orleans because, after all it is one of most fascinating places in the world, rich with history, food, music, strange ghost stories, etc. etc. etc.
The class will consist of three days of workshop with me and two days of city tours to unusual places interspersed.  Not to mention there will be plenty of time to explore the city on your own, or perhaps leisurely sit back and enjoy a Pimm's Cup at the historic Napoleon House (one of my favorite haunts...been around for 200 years).
Sounds pretty nifty doesn't it?
Here's the workshop:
A Place for Notions and Potions
I recently came across a strange book from 1912 filled with old prescriptions from a pharmacist or as they use to call them apothecaries.  It is wonderful.  Filled with old scribbles and medicinal hieroglyphics.  It reminded me of how much I love that era of when apothecaries and snake oil salesmen offered strange cures using strange methods.  It was a time of when science and superstition mingled together and medicine were but a nudge away from each other at that time. 
So in this class we are going to play with a little hocus pocus of years gone by and create an apothecary box for special potions to remedy or whatever ails you.  The apothecary box will be highly personalized using found objects and the process of assemblage, not only that you’ll modify the bottles and contains for all your elixirs and concoctions.  Love potions, shrinking pills, anti-snoring balms…whatever you like.   What’s really exciting is that we will be the mysterious city of New Orleans while we create this apothecary chest for notions and potions.  Hurry, hurry step right up and enter a land of the wondrous and strange.

More info on the way!
contact Michael deMeng
or
Kathy Malkasian
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