2016-09 5enses

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ALAN DEAN FOSTER supplements your monthly reading requirement P.10

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LYNN SCHMITT previews the Prescott Area Artists’ Studio Tour P.11

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JAMES DUNGEON learns about student art at The Raven Café P.20

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CODY LUNDIN takes questions about taking questions P.13

SEPTEMBER 2016 | VOLUME 4, ISSUE 9 | 5ENSESMAG.COM

WORLD BISTRO LIKE US ON

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5enses

September MMXVI Volume IV, Issue IX

Lisa Zander

Copyright © 2016 5enses Inc. Publisher & Editor: Nicholas DeMarino Copy Editor: Susan Smart Contact us at 5ensesMag@Gmail.Com & 928-613-2076 Visit 5ensesMag.Com & ISSUU for more

In which:

4 18 5 20 6 7 10 11 12 + 14 8/9 16 22 Paolo Chlebecek

wades through the weeds and sniffs out a flower that’s more than meets the eye

Sharon Arnold

fastens his seatbelt and races toward hitherto untold connection speeds

James Dungeon

butts in on a conversation that’ll make yellow in the extremities

frames student art within a class-y context at The Raven Café

Peregrine Book Co. staff

COVER IMAGE: A scene from a 2015 Highlands Nature Festival field trip.

Photo by Maxine Tinney.

CODY LUNDIN: Photo

by Christopher Marchetti.

thumbs through a few readling lists and bookmarks some fantastic titles

Kathleen Yetman

harvests the fruit of a not-at-all-deadly nightshade that’s a culinary boon

Alan Dean Foster

proscribes specious prescriptions and supplements supplemental meds

Robert Blood

takes a detour and re-tours the Prescott Area Artists’ Studio Tour

James Dungeon

gets out(doors) at the Highlands Nature Festival and waves to Cody Lundin

Ty Fitzmorris

Left Brain/Right Brain

catalogs a cacophony of end-of-summer gasps and garrulous grandeurs

Robert Blood

Discover events around Greater Prescott via a pop-sci metaphor

Oddly Enough

pieces together a conversation about Ashley Darling’s whimsical wearables

Smart, quirky comics about the strange-but-true by Russell Miller

The Highlands Center for Natural History  Naturalist

City & Field Walks Free

Thursdays and Saturdays 9am at the Highlands Center Wednesdays 9am at select City of Prescott Trail locations  Botany, History, Exploration: How a southwest grass was

named for two Spanish gardeners Thurs, Sept 8, 6:30pm. Free Arizona Native Plant Society Presentation  Audubon Bird Walk Sat, Sept 10, 8:00am Free  2016 Hiking Spree Kick-off Free Saturday, Sept 10 Kick-off 9:15am. Sponsored by Credit Union West and The Hike Shack.  5th Annual Wildflower Celebration at the Community

Nature Center of Prescott Free Sat, Sept 10, 7:30 - 11:30am

 Moon Walk

Friday, September 16, 7:00am Free

928-776-9550 • highlandscenter.org

highlandscenter.org “A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know..” ~Diane Arbus

“The Eyes Have It“ Fall Photography Exhibit by Prescott area photographers September 22—October 25 Reception Friday September 23 5 – 8 PM In the ‘Tis Art Center Main Gallery 105 S. Cortez St. Prescott www.TisArtGallery.com

Self portrait Diane Arbus

Adorn Your Lifestyle Buy | Sell | Trade •

UNIQUE APPAREL & EXOTIC GOODS

928-776-8695

133 N. Cortez, Historic Downtown Prescott

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5ENSESMAG.COM • SEPTEMBER 2016 • CONTENTS • 3

21 and over only please

Plant of the Month

Camphorweed Heterotheca subaxillaris. Photo by Max Licher, via SEINet, fair use.

Sunday, October 9, 2016 • 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm Tastes from local restaurants, wineries & breweries • Behind-the-scenes tours Silent auction and raffle • Entertainment, games, and live music • Free parking shuttle Tickets are $75 per person To order tickets: (928) 778-4242 or www.HeritagePark Zoo.org Event Sponsor:

Lyn & Steve DeLano

Supporting Sponsors: Dinner & Wine Sponsors: SINCE 1888

P RESCOTT ✪ A R I Z O N A

1403 Heritage Park Rd.; Prescott, AZ 86301 • www.HeritageParkZoo.org Phone: 928.778.4242 501(c)(3) non-profit organization supported by the community.

4 • FEATURE • SEPTEMBER 2016 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

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By Lisa Zander ur plant of the month first caught my eye in early spring as it sprouted in profusion along the Prescott-area roads I bike and run. Curious about this plant that I’d never noticed before, I plucked off a small piece of a sticky, egg-shaped leaf that pointed skyward. When I crushed the leaf, a strong aroma was released. I became intrigued with this mystery forb and kept a watchful eye as it grew taller.

As the spring and summer months went by, my frequent sightings of these same sticky basal leaves left me slightly concerned about the invasive nature of this common roadside weed. When it finally bloomed in late August, the big reveal were rowdy clusters of bright yellow disc and ray flowers — this plant was a member of the Asteraceae, the Aster Family. More specifically, through the Yavapai County Native and Naturalized Plants website, I identified the plant as Camphorweed (Heterotheca subaxillaris), and was surprised to learn that it is native to our area.

And that aroma?

As often is the case, the strong smell belayed the plant’s medicinal chemical compounds. The late herbalist, Michael Moore (not to be confused with the documentary filmmaker of the same name) wrote that Camphorweed can be used as an antiseptic and antifungal and

that an ointment made from the plant may help to ease pain and inflammation. How fitting that this native weed I exercise alongside might also help ease an athletic injury.

I

n “Weeds: In Defense of Nature’s Most Unloved Plants,” Richard Mabey says, “How and why and where we classify plants as undesirable is part of the story of our ceaseless attempts to draw boundaries between nature and culture, wildness and domestication. And how intelligently and generously we draw those lines determines the character of most of the green surfaces of the planet.”

It’s easy to overlook roadside weeds and their place in the world.

Perhaps it is as Ralph Waldo Emerson optimistically suggests, a weed is “a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.” ***** Visit the Highlands Center for Natural History at 1375 Walker Road, 928-776-9550, or HighlandsCenter.Org. Lisa Zander is the program coordinator and collections manager for the Natural History Institute at Prescott College. Her path as a plant enthusiast began in the Pine meadows of Eastern Washington, where as a child she liked to imagine that Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja spp.), could be found in all the colors of a painter’s palette.

Bird of the Month

Yellow-rumped Warbler Photo by John West.

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By Sharon Arnold rizona is famous for attracting winter visitors called snowbirds. In Prescott, a true avian version is the Yellowrumped Warbler. Lower elevations in Prescott are often the spring and fall migration stopover and wintering haven for the Audubon’s sub-species of this colorful warbler. Although some of these “butter butts” are known to breed in our coniferous forests, most breed in mountainous states north and west of Arizona, in Canada and in Alaska. Now is the time to look for migrating Yellowrumped Warblers foraging in trees and shrubs. Their sharp “chip” call notes give them away, and they may be traveling in large flocks.

In summer, charcoal grey, black and bold white plus the five brilliant yellow markings including the rump spot that gives them their charming nickname, define these plump, 5.5-inch warblers.

Winter birds may be a pale brown retaining their yellow rump and some yellow on their sides. They sport large heads and bills, flashes of white in their wings, and a long tail which is white underneath.

Winter visitors begin migrating to higher elevation nesting areas by early or mid-April. These warblers commonly use older stands of Ponderosa for nesting. They are most abundant in cool mixed-conifer for-

ests that include Douglas fir, white fir, and Aspen. In summer, look for them in the Bradshaw Mountains at elevations above 6,000 feet. Like other warblers males arrive first and begin to set up territories a week before the females show up to begin building their nests.

Bringing Wild Birds To Your Backyard! www.jaysbirdbarn.com

1046 Willow Creek Rd, Suite 105 Prescott

(928) 443-5900

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atch for Yellowrumped Warblers actively tracking down insects in outer tree canopies at middle heights. You may see them sally out to catch insects in midair often chasing their prey on long, fast flights. In winter they spend lots of time eating berries from shrubs, often traveling in mixed flocks.

You may be able to attract Yellow-rumped Warblers to your yard by providing black oil sunflower seeds, raisins, peanut butter, and suet cakes rich in nuts and berries. Look for migrating birds in Watson Woods and along the reaches of Granite and Willow creeks. ***** Visit Prescott Audubon Society at PrescottAudubon.Org. Contact them at Contact@PrescottAudubon.Org. Sharon Arnold spies on birds locally and wherever travels take her. She is a strong supporter of efforts to preserve habitat for birds and other wildlife.

5ENSESMAG.COM • SEPTEMBER 2016 • FEATURE • 5

Peregrine Book Co.

Staff picks Catered by Reva Sherrard “Seven Brief Lessons on Physics”

By Carlo Rovelli Carlo Rovelli writes about some of the fundamental laws governing our universe with a direct simplicity that is rare in scientific literature. He acknowledges the inevitable gaps in his explanations, but does a remarkable job communicating complete ideas in a small space. This book is for anyone who wants to gain a basic understanding of the most brilliant ideas ever conceived (and what they mean for us as human beings), regardless of scientific background. — Sean “The Vegetarian”

By Han Kang WOW!!! I couldn’t put this book down, it was my top priority. This is an incredibly strange dreamlike novel. This is R- rated and not for the fainthearted. — David “Blood Song”

By Anthony Ryan Anthony Ryan’s debut novel is about as well-written and enthralling as high fantasy gets. The pace is perfect right from the beginning, the characters are complex yet relatable, and the setting strikes a balance between magical and entirely believable. Definitely a great distraction for fans of Martin or Rothfuss who are eagerly awaiting more great fantasy. — Sean

“Anatomy of Violence”

By Adrian Raine Neuroscience and criminology! One of the best researchers in his field. — Caleb “In the Wolf’s Mouth”

By Adam Foulds Foulds captures the bewildering impact of war and violence with precise, shattered lyricism. The narrative voices of his different characters are each pitch-perfect: a humble but dogged shepherd, a British soldier whose ambitions outstrip his abilities, a young Italian-American whose psyche is fractured by combat, a Sicilian mobster, a bored and determined provincial princess.

His tone is not the brutal nihilism over-resorted to in war fiction, but intimate, tender, vulnerable.

I gulped the novel down whole while I should have been sleeping. — Reva “After The Crash”

By Michel Bussi A plane crash has a single survivor: a 3-month-old child that two families claim as their own. This incredible French mystery takes you through mistaken identity and class struggles, and drops a classy stunner of an ending. I had no less than five guesses for the conclusion and each was wrong. To me that makes a great mystery.

— David

***** Visit Peregrine Book Company at PeregrineBookCompany.Com and 219A N. Cortez St., Prescott, 928-445-9000.

6 • FEATURE • SEPTEMBER 2016 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

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Vegetable of the Month

Eggplant Photo by Kathleen Yetman.

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By Kathleen Yetman ggplant, or aubergine (Solanum melongena), is a plant in the nightshade family domesticated in Asia thousands of years ago. The plant is indigenous to an area encompassing Northeast India, Northern Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Southwest China. Descriptions of the plant have been found in Sanskrit documents as early as 300 B.C.E. By the Middle Ages, eggplant had spread to the Mediterranean area and from there north into Europe and south into Africa.

Eggplant is closely related to tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers, which are also members of the Solanum family. Here in Yavapai County, seeds are generally germinated in a greenhouse in the

spring, and seedlings are transplanted in the ground in between April and June. The plant is technically a perennial but is usually grown as an annual with a harvesting season between July and November. The fruit is botanically a berry with dozens of edible seeds inside. Eggplants come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors: slender and oblong, round, the size of a butternut squash and as small as a golf ball. Black, dark purple, lilac, reddish-purple, orange, green, yellow, white, and purple, and white striped varieties can usually be found at farmers markets. The name “eggplant” was given to the small, round white variety that resembles a chicken egg during the British occupation of India.

ggplant is popular in food cultures around the world. It’s the main ingredient in the Arab dish baba ghanoush and the Italian dish ratatouille. It’s widely used in Indian cuisine and appears in popular dishes in Turkey, Bangladesh, Romania, Greece and Iran. It is bitter when raw, but softens when cooked. Eggplant can be prepared in many ways — the most popular of which are roasting, stewing, and sautéing. Its meaty flesh is capable of absorbing vast amounts of oils and fats, making many dishes rich. Eggplant is a good source of fiber, vitamin B1 and copper.

Recent research has revealed that eggplant hosts dozens of compounds that function as antioxidants, making the fruit a healthy addition to meals. ***** The Prescott Summer Market is 7:30 a.m.-noon Saturdays at Yavapai College, parking lot D. Find out more at PrescottFarmersMarket.Org. Kathleen Yetman is the managing director of the Prescott Farmers Market and a native of Prescott.

Free Self-guided Start at any location Meet the artists Purchase unique art

Prescott’s finest submarines since before downtown traffic 70 juried artists in 43 studios + 40 artists in 3 art centers

418 W. Goodwin St., 778-3743 M-F 10:30-2:30, Weekends closed

5ENSESMAG.COM • SEPTEMBER 2016 • FEATURE • 7

Left Brain: September’s mind-full events Events

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“Armed with Our Language, We Went to War” • 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 1: Laura Tohe, award-winning poet and Arizona State University professor, discusses Navajo code talkers. (Prescott Public Library, 215 E. Goodwin St., 928-777-1500) White Spar bird walk • 7 a.m. Friday, Sept. 2: Local, guided bird walk at White Spar with Bonnie Pranter.

(Jay’s Bird Barn, No. 113, 1046 Willow Creek Road, 928-443-5900, RSVP)

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J.A. Jance • 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 8: New York Times bestselling mystery author J.A. Jance discusses her new thrillers, “Downfall” and “Random Acts.” (Prescott Valley Public Library, 7401 E. Civic Circle, 928-759-3040)

“Death Cafe” • 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8: People gather to eat cake, drink tea, and discuss death.

Hosted by Dani LaVoire. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000) “How a Southwest grass was named for two Spanish gardeners” • 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8: Debbie Allen, master gardner, of the Arizona Native Plant Society, talk. (Highlands Center for Natural History, 1375 S. Walker Road, 928-776-9550)

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Willow Lake bird walk • 7 a.m. Friday, Sept. 9: Local, guided bird walk at Willow Lake with Eric Moore. (Jay’s Bird Barn, No. 113, 1046 Willow Creek Road, 928-443-5900, RSVP) “Board Game Night” • 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9: Open game night for enthusiasts of all ages and origin stories, facilitating all tabletop, card, and board games. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000)

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“Wildflower Celebration” • 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 10: Fifth annual celebration. (Community Nature Center of Prescott, 1375 Walker Road, 928-776-9550)

Highlands Center bird walk • 8 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 10: Monthly Prescott Audubon Society bird walk. (Highlands Center for Natural History, 1375 S. Walker Road, 928-776-9550)

2016 Hiking Spree Kickoff • 9:15 a.m. presentation, 10 a.m. hike Saturday, Sept. 10: Kickoff for the ninth annual hiking spree. (Highlands Center for Natural History, 1375 S. Walker Road, 928-776-9550) “Viva la Verde!”

• 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 10: Gary Beverly shows and discusses his film. (Granite Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation Building, 882 Sunset Ave., 928-445-4218)

“Being Mortal” • 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17: Film screening plus brief talk and discussion with Death Cafe hostess Dani LaVoire, via Granite Mountain Hospice. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000)

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Antiques on the Square • 8 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 18: Survey more than 50 vendors' glass, art, pottery, furniture, primitives, jewelry, and more. (Yavapai County Courthouse Square, 928-443-8909)

“Breakfast with the Mountain Lion” • 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 3: Enjoy a continental breakfast while the keepers feed the featured animal, share interesting facts and artifacts, and conclude with a craft. (Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary, 1403 Heritage Park Road, 928-778-4242, $8-$20, RSVP) Prescott Astronomy Club history • 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 7: Russ Chappell and Jeff Stillman discuss the history of the Prescott Astronomy Club, which was founded in 1974. A monthly Prescott Astronomy Club meeting. (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Building 74 Lecture Hall 107, 3700 Willow Creek Road, PrescottAstronomyClub.Org)

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“Canning, Pickling, Food Preservation, & More” • 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 17: Learn about food canning, pickling, dehydration, freezing, etc.

Via GMO Free Prescott. (Native Garden, 602 S. Montezuma St., 928-237-5560, $5)

International Day of Peace • 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21: International Day of Peace candlelight vigil at the Yavapai County Courthouse Square. Jean Wilcox, of the Prescott City Council, will speak and Rev. Grace Burford will offer an invocation, plus music by Jonathan Best and Meg Bohrman. This event is part of a week of events celebrating the International Day of Peace and commemorating the life of humanitarian aid Kayla Mueller.

Events are scheduled. Sept. 18-23. Visit the Prescott Peace Builders on Facebook for a full schedule of events. (Locations vary, 928-4430630) PHOTO: Rev. Carla Brokie, Granite Peak UU Congregation minister, participates in the 2015 International Day of Peace celebration in Prescott. Courtesy photo.

“The Ballad of Arizona” •1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10: Jay Cravath presents a program using music, storytelling, and live radio-style newscasts to present important, but often neglected events in Arizona history. (Phippen Museum, 4701 Arizona 89, 928-778-1385, $5-$7) “The Quilts of Emma Andres & Her Contemporaries” •2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10: Gail Van Horsen presents the award-winning quilt designs of local Emma Andres and her contemporaries, 1930s-1940s. (Phippen Museum, 4701 Arizona 89, 928-778-1385) “The Yemen Contract” • 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10: A.J. Kerns takes readers into the shadowy world of international terrorism once again in his latest Hayden Stone adventure. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000) “Plants Inspiring People" • 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10: Carrie Cannon discusses Hualapai ethnobotany. A Second Saturday Lecture Series event. (Smoki Museum, 147 N. Arizona Ave., 928-445-1230, $6-$7)

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“The Hydrogeology & Ecology of AridLand Springs” • 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13: Abe Springer, professor at Northern Arizona University, talk.

(Prescott Public Library, 215 E. Goodwin St., 928-777-1500) “From XST to F-117A” • 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 14: Dr. Alan Brown, aka “Mr. Stealth,” talk. An ERAU Prescott Aviation History presentation.

(ERAU Davis Learning Center, 3700 Willow Creek Road, 928-777-6985)

8 • EVENTS • SEPTEMBER 2016 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

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“Managing Fish & Wildlife along the Arizona-Sonora Border” • 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22: Bill Radke discusses the general wildlife opportunities in Southwest Arizona and birds specific to the pair of refuges he manages along the Arizona/Sonora border. (Trinity Presbyterian Church, 630 Park Ave.)

Advanced phenology workshop • 8a.m. Friday, Sept. 23: Learn about the plants and animals that appear in Prescott each seasons and learn how to document your observations of animal and plant behavior. (Walnut Creek Center for Education and Research, 928-445-3831, RVSP)

BioBlast 2016 • Saturday, Sept. 24: A day of S.T.E.A.M. Activities, Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. (directions online, NAU.Edu/Merriam-Powell/WCCER, 928-776-9550, $10-25) Recharge Ponds bird walk • 7 a.m. Friday, Sept. 24: Local, guided bird walk at Recharge Ponds with Eric Moore.

(Jay’s Bird Barn, No. 113, 1046 Willow Creek Road, 928-443-5900, RSVP)

Watson Woods bird walk • 7 a.m. Friday, Sept. 15: Local, guided bird walk at Watson Woods with Ryan Crouse.

(Jay’s Bird Barn, No. 113, 1046 Willow Creek Road, 928-443-5900, RSVP)

“Wicked Prescott” • 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24: Parker Anderson discusses his new book, cattle rustling, saloon fights, and more. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000)

“Literacy in Math Class: Bridging the Gap” • 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15: The Yavapai Reading Council and presenter Pamela Clark tackle a tough topic. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000)

Fain Park bird walk • 7 a.m. Friday, Sept. 30: Local, guided bird walk at Fain Park with Bonnie Pranter. (Jay’s Bird Barn, No. 113, 1046 Willow Creek Road, 928-443-5900, RSVP)

“Kuiper Belt Objects” • 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15: Dr. Stephen Tegler, of Northern Arizona University, discuses Kuiper Belt objects. Via the Prescott Astronomy Club. (Prescott Public Library, 215 E. Goodwin St., 928-777-1500)

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“A Sand County Almanac” • 9:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 16: Discuss “A Sand County Almanac,” by Aldo Leopold. A monthly Natural History Book Club meeting.

(Prescott College Natural History Institute, 312 Grove Ave., 928-350-2280)

“Moon walk” • 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16: Monthly evening forest walk. (Highlands Center for Natural History, 1375 S. Walker Road, 928-776-9550) “My Heart is a Drunken Compass” • 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16: New York Times bestselling memoirist Domingo Martinez discusses the follow up to his first book. (Yavapai College Library Susan N. Webb Community Room, 1100 E. Sheldon St., 928-445-7300) “Zoo by Moonlight” • 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16: Enjoy the zoo by moonlight. (Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary, 1403 Heritage Park Road, 928-778-4242, $4-$6)

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Multi-day “Highlands Nature Festival” • Sept. 2-4: The Highlands Center for Natural History hosts inspirational field trips and more, via many organizations. (See the cover story on pp. 12-13 for details.)

Naturalist city & field walks • 9 a.m. Thursdays, Saturdays, and first and third Wednesdays: Naturalist field walks at city trails and the Highlands Center. (Highlands Center for Natural History, 1375 S. Walker Road, 928-776-9550) Prescott Farmers Market • 7:30 a.m. Saturdays: Enjoy local organic produce and goods from local farmers.

(Yavapai College Parking Lot D, 1100 E. Sheldon St., PrescottFarmersMarket.Org) “Dick & Jane” • September: See vintage books from the Dick and Jane series as well as photos and related objects. (Prescott Public Library, 215 E. Goodwin St., 928-777-1500)

September’s art-full events :niarB thgiR

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Events

“Meet the Artist” • 5:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2: Reception for Jan Fischer, whose art is showing at the Prescott Winery. (Prescott Winery, 216 N. Alarcon St., 805-617-5167)

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Art Heibel & Warwick • Through Sept. 11: New art from Patty Heibel and Pat Warwick. (The Raven Café, 142 N. Cortez St., 928-717-0009) “A New Look” • From Sept. 11: New art from student painters from Yavapai and Prescott colleges under the auspices of Dana Cohn. (The Raven Café, 142 N. Cortez St., 928-717-0009)

Poetry Discussion Group • 1 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 7: Monthly poetry discussion. (Prescott Public Library, 215 E. Goodwin St., 928-777-1500) “12’ x 12’ Art Swoop FUNdraiser & Creative Spirit Costume Party” • 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10: great food, libations, and an art treasure of your very own.

Come dressed as your favorite piece of art, artist, art critic, etc. All proceeds benefit the ‘Tis STEPS Art Education program for young artists, and more. (’Tis Art Center & Gallery, 105 S. Cortez St., 928-775-0223, $25)

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“Empty Bowls” • 11 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 11: The 19th annual Empty Bowls event, for a $15 donation, take home your choice of a ceramic bowl crafted by a local artist and enjoy soup prepared by local chefs. Proceeds are distributed to local food banks. (Yavapai County Courthouse Plaza, 928-765-5103)

“One Man, Two Guvnors” • 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15: Via satellite, The National Theatre of London’s production of “One Man, Two Guvnors.” (Yavapai College Performing Arts Center, 1100 E. Sheldon St., 928-776-2000, $10-$15)

“Indigenous Materials” • 7:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 16: Spend a day in the outdoors exploring the creative potential of common plants found in the Prescott area. (Milagro Arts Center, 126 N. Marina St., MilagroArtsCenter.Org, $55-$70) Navajo Rug & Indian Art Auction • 9-11:30 a.m. preview, noon auction Saturday, Sept. 17: Annual auction of historic and contemporary Navajo weavings and authentic Native American art. (Smoki Museum, 147 N. Arizona Ave., 928-445-1230, $6-$7)

“Inkjet Printing for Everyone” • 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17: Class covers color management, profiles, Canon and Epson protocols, paper choice, and lab procedures.

(Milagro Arts Center, 126 N. Marina St., MilagroArtsCenter.Org, $55-$65)

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4th Friday Art Walk • 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23: Monthly art walk including artist receptions, openings, and demonstrations at more than 18 galleries.

(ArtThe4th.Com)

“Milagro’s Art Celebration” • 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23: Art celebration with kids activities, food, demonstrations, sale of small art pieces, raffles, and silent auction. (Milagro Arts Center, 126 N. Marina St., MilagroArtsCenter.Org, $10)

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“Artisans in the Pines” • 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 24: Local artists offer their handcrafted goods. (The Mountain Club Clubhouse, 910 W. Clubhouse Dr.)

“The Art of Brewing Your Own Kombucha” • 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 24: Explore the whys, how-tos, and benefits of a DIY ancient elixir. Includes taste testing and starter kit.

(Nectar Apothecary, 219 W. Gurley St., 928445-4565, $30, RSVP)

Watercolor workshop • 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 24: Caroline Linscott

Orlowski • Through Sept. 12: Portraits and florals by Neil Orlowski. (The Raven Café, 142 N. Cortez St., 928-717-0009) “Twisted Flora & Fauna: The Art Exhibit You Have Been Waiting For” • Through Sept. 13: Steel creations by Leslee Oaks and paintings by Jodi Maas and Suzi Zerbe. (’Tis Art Center & Gallery, 105 S. Cortez St., 928-775-0223)

Jan Marshall • Sept. 6-Oct. 6 show run; 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9 opening reception; 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 14 artist talk; 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23 4th Friday Art Walk premiere: Prescott artist Jan marshall explores a contemplative relationship with nature and humanity through her conceptual paintings and drawings that reference landscapes of both the psyche and the physical world.

(Yavapai College Art Gallery, 1100 E. Sheldon St., 928-776-2031) IMAGE: Art by Jan Marshall. Courtesy image. teaches water color techniques.

(Mountain Artists Guild & Gallery, 228 Alarcon St., 928-445-2510, $40-$50)

(Prescott Center for the Arts, 208 N. Marina St., 928-445-3286, $14-$23)

“Coloring Book Night” • 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24: A relaxing evening of coloring, materials provided, plus a discounts on related purchases. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000)

“Little Women, the Musical” • 7 p.m. Sept. 9 & 10, 3 p.m. Sept 11: Follow the adventures of the Marsh sisters in Louisa May Alcott’s classic saga, as a musical.

(Yavapai College Performing Arts Center, 1100 E. Sheldon St., 928-776-2000, $20-$30)

“Manhattan Short Film Festival” • 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24: Take part in a global short film festival. Via Prescott Film Festival. (Yavapai College Performing Arts Center, 1100 E. Sheldon St., 928-776-2000, $16-$12)

Prescott Artists Studio Tour • Sept. 30-Oct. 2: Ninth annual studio tour featuring local artists in their studios. Via Mountain Artists Guild, raffle proceeds benefit children’s art programs at MAG and ’Tis Art Center & Gallery. (PrescottStudioTour.Com)

Contra Dance • 7 p.m. lesson, 7:30 p.m. dance Saturday, Sept. 24: Contra dancing. Via Folk Happens.

Calls by Deb Comly, music by Wild Thyme.

(First Congregation Church, 216 E. Gurley St., 928-925-5210, $4-$8)

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Open mic poetry • 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 28: Poet Dan Seaman emcees monthly open mic poetry.

(Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000)

Multi-day “The Addams Family” • 7:30 p.m. Sept. 8-10, 15-17, &22-24; 2 p.m.

Sept. 11, 18, & 25: A musical in which Miss Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family — a happy man her parents have never met. Directed by Randy Faulkner.

Yoga classes • Mondays, Tuesdays, & Thursdays: Yoga classes including Ayurveda, over-50, mindful, and dynamic flow yoga. (Flying Nest Movement Arts, 322 W. Gurley St., 928-432-3068, prices vary) Social dance classes • Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, & Sundays: Learn the Argentine tango, West Coast swing, tribal belly dance, Lindy hop swing, flamenco, and Latin dance.

(Flying Nest Movement Arts, 322 W. Gurley St., 928-432-3068, prices vary) Performance dance/movement arts classes • Wednesdays & Thursdays: Learn contemporary dance, movement for life, and normative movement. (Flying Nest Movement Arts, 322 W. Gurley St., 928-432-3068, prices vary) “Saturday Night Talk” series • 7 p.m. Saturdays: Weekly talks sponsored

by Vigraha and Sukham Seminars. (Vigraha Gallery, The Courtyard Building, 115 E. Goodwin St., 928-771-0205, $5)

PFLAG • Through Sept. 14: Art show featuring pieces by members of PFLAG. (Mountain Artists Guild & Gallery, 228 Alarcon St., 928-445-2510) “Bringing Together the Elements of Earth & the Heavens” • From Sept. 15: New art by Corbin Ross. (’Tis Art Center & Gallery, 105 S. Cortez St., 928-775-0223) “Objects Found” • Through Sept. 20: Annual group art show featuring found objects. (’Tis Art Center & Gallery, 105 S. Cortez St., 928-775-0223) “Night in the Aspens” • Through Sept. 21: Acrylic and pen and ink pieces by Jim Check. (Arts Prescott Gallery, 134 S. Montezuma St., 928-776-7717) “The Eyes Have It” • From Sept. 22: Annual fall group photography show. (’Tis Art Center & Gallery, 105 S. Cortez St., 928-775-0223) “The Playful Hand” • From Sept. 23: Mixed media by Marjorie Claus and Anne Legge. (Arts Prescott Gallery, 134 S. Montezuma St., 928-776-7717) “Intersections: Art & Words” • Through Sept. 24: Visual art using text for graphic impact. (Prescott Center for the Arts Gallery, 208 N. Marina St., 928-445-3286) “Day of the Dead” • From Sept. 26: Visual art celebrating el Dia de los Muertos. (Prescott Center for the Arts Gallery, 208 N. Marina St., 928-445-3286) “Arrangement for a Silent Orchestra” • Through Sept. 30: Julie Comnick’s painting and video project which explores the gradual dissolution of culture in contemporary society through he symbolic ruin of a personal and cultural icon, the violin.

(Milagro Arts Center, 126 N. Marina St., MilagroArtsCenter.Org) “Monsoon Magic” • Through Sept. 30: Art show featuring monsoon-themed art. (Mountain Artists Guild & Gallery, 228 Alarcon St., 928-445-2510) Gilbert & Comnick • Through Sept. 30: Diane Gilbert’s “Slow Waltz in B,” an interactive textile installation and Julie Comnick’s “Arrangement for a Silent Orchestra,” a painting and video project. (Milagro Arts Center, 126 N. Marina St., MilagroArtsCenter.Org)

9

Science ... or industry?

A rash of supplemental reading material

D

By Alan Dean Foster id you ever get the feeling when strolling through the vitamin and supplement section of a supermarket, general store (Walmart, Target), or specialty vitamin store that it’s a wonder you’re alive because you don’t take at least a pound of supplements a day? Between the relentless barrage of television ads touting unpronounceable medicines designed to cure all the diseases you don’t have, to the row upon row of supplements intended to fill all the empty places in your body, brain, skeleton, and neuromuscular system, you end up agonizing that you won’t survive until tomorrow unless you ingest half the Amazon rainforest.

Just last year, Walgreen’s, Walmart, Target, and GNC were told to cease selling a brand of supplements because, well, the bottles didn’t contain the supplements they claimed. Or rather, the supplements were highly adulterated with other, useless substances. If you can’t trust add-ons sold by some of the biggest retailers on the planet, who can you trust? Maybe, after all, Aunt Matilda’s herb garden is a better place to look for peppers and mint.

P

urity and truth in advertising aside, unless you’re prescribed a specific supplement by a doctor, what’s the point? My mother’s parents both lived to be a healthy 94 and, to the best of my knowledge, never took a supplement pill in their lives. My grandmother’s idea of food supplementation was to add chicken fat and sour cream, while my grandfather would sneak out for a steak whenever he had the opportunity.

In reality, I know what their secret supplement was: It’s called walking. They lived in Manhattan and they walked everywhere, including into their very late 80s. My grandmother would walk halfway across the island to buy the butter she liked (Julia Child would have approved). Certainly, genetics played a large part in their long lives, but it was complimented by common sense eating and plenty of exercise. Our more distant ancestors did pretty well without supplements. Do we live longer now? Of course, but much of that’s due to modern medicine — a great deal of which is devoted to coping with the problems that arise in our bodies from what we eat now.

I

’m not saying all supplements are bad. I take a daily couple myself, largely to compensate for our unbalanced but tasty modern American diet. It’s when we overcompensate, supplement-wise, that we get into trouble. It can be a tricky ground. For example,

Alan Dean Foster’s

Perceivings

powerful that you can be led to believe that taking those big horse-calcium pills will not only prevent but reverse the effects of osteoporosis. And they might, they might, except ...

There’s also plenty of evidence that a bunch of that supplementary calcium forms plaque in your arteries. Which leads to heart attacks. Not to mention kidney stones and constipation.

T

he body is a wonderfully organized mechanism. Be careful what you put in it, no matter how flashy the advertisements, the number of bottles trying to entice you from the store shelf, and the miracle results touted by manufacturers who are neither supervised nor regulated by the FDA. And never forget that snake oil, the real thing, is a supplement.

it’s generally accepted that we don’t get enough vitamin D, particularly D3. Vitamin D is made in ***** Alan Dean Foster is author of more than 120 our own bodies as a result of exposure to the sun. books, visitor to more than 100 countries, and Office workers, cab drivers, teachers, etc. usually do not get enough sun, not even in Arizona. Hence still frustrated by the human species. Follow him at AlanDeanFoster.Com. a likely deficiency in vitamin D. But, exposure to the sun causes skin cancer. That fact is driven into us relentlessly by the medical establishment, and rightly so. What to do? Take vitamin D supplements. But carefully, in measured amounts, and depending on your own individual situation. A street maintenance worker in Arizona needs less vitamin D supplementation than his administrator sitting in a Phoenix office. It’s hard to know what to do because supplements are so oversold.

Some, like vitamin D, are wellstudied and fairly safe (though you can overdose on anything).

Some are not well understood even though they’ve been around for decades.

Take calcium. Kids need extra calcium because they’re building bone. Older folks need calcium to offset the chance of developing osteoporosis. And here’s where supplementation gets tricky. The best calcium, like anything for your body, comes from intake via actual food. Dairy, beans, vegetables, fish, and more. There is considerable evidence that “Atlas Dosed.” Image components calcium from tablets doesn’t build public domain. Illustration by 5enses. back bone in older (over 50) folks.

But the supplement industry is so

10 • COLUMN • SEPTEMBER 2016 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

Open doors, minds

Get ready for the ninth annual Prescott Area Artists Studio Tour

By Robert Blood [Editor’s note: The following interview was culled from conversations between the reporter and Lynn Schmitt, jewelry artist and a co-chair of the executive committee for the Prescott Area Artists Studio Tour. The ninth annual studio tour is 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday through Sunday, Sept. 30 & Oct. 1 & 2, via sponsored by the Mountain Artists Guild. Find out more at PrescottStudioTour.Com.] What’s your history with jewelry making?

I started making jewelry about 11 years ago — I can’t believe it’s been that long. I started out designing slightly Victorian pieces because I had Victorian costumes and needed something to go with them.

Nobody was making that kind of stuff, so I made my own. Now, I use mostly metal and wire. I like using wire to form things. You can be bold and very graphic or you can be quiet and subtle. I’m pretty much self-taught, but I’ve always made things.

I come from a family of makers: my dad was an artist and my mom sewed. We’ve just always done things like that. I learn really well from reading and have a huge library, not just about jewelry making techniques, but also the history of jewelry, the history of gemstones, their meanings, where they’re found, those sort of things. I became kind of entranced by all of that. It’s become a passion.

And your history with the area and the Prescott Area Artists Studio Tour?

I’ve been here since 2003, so almost 13 years.

The jewelry market here is fairly saturated. I’ve been in some galleries here and done very well. In Sedona, too. Now I’m in Mountain Artists Guild, obviously. I sell mostly through shows now and a little bit through my website. … I heard about MAG and got involved because of the studio tour.

That was five years ago. I went on the tour because of a couple of people I’d known from other venues. When I talked to them, they strongly recommended meeting more artists in their studios, and they mentioned the tour. Maybe I saw a brochure or something, too. Anyway, I went to three or four different studios. I’ve always been around artists, and it’s always fun to see how and where they make their art. I was also curious about one artist in particular, Bandhu Dunham.

He’s very well known in the glass blowing world.

Anyway, I enjoyed meeting everyone. It was fun to see people talk about their art and fun to see where and how they made it. Bandhu was interesting to talk to because I have a nephew who’s a lamp worker, so I understood what he was doing more, so we could talk in more detail. After that I joined MAG, took a big breath, and decided to join the studio tour. This will be my fourth year as part of the studio tour. I’ve always done it at

Barbara Andress discusses art with patrons of the 2015 Prescott Area Artists Studio Tour. Courtesy photo.

Lynn Schmitt works on jewelry in her studio. Courtesy photo.

Deanne Brewster’s studio. I felt I needed to do it at a different studio in a studio other than my own because I live in Prescott Country Club and I’m wasn’t sure anyone would want to drive out here.

I’ve got to be realistic. Deanne wanted to know if I wanted to join her and Barb Andress in 2013. The three of us just clicked, and each year it’s gotten better. and we’ve started really good friendships.

Since then, we, Deanne and I, have collaborated; turning ceramic pieces into jewelry and art. – earrings, pendants, pins and even necklaces. Someone makes a ceramic piece that I turn into jewelry or a pendant or something. Deanne started talking about being on the executive committee for the tour, I agreed, and have been on the board the last three years or so.

How has the Prescott Area Artists Studio Tour changed in recent years?

Last year, as a group, the executive committee started thinking about branding the studio tour a little bit differently. We decided on a very specific logo with an arty background we can change out every year. We pulled from artwork on the tour, but we modified it slightly so no artist looks like they’re getting special treatment. Everybody on the board has a different background, different experiences, and different expertise, so it helps us put things together. My background is in computers, so I’ve been able to change the way the tour is presented online and help with the brochure.

We’re really trying to focus more on the art itself, so, on the website, each artist has their own mini page with more images. Next year we’ll focus more on social media, maybe. … This year the Town of Prescott is again part of the tour as an art

CONTINUED ON PAGE 19 >>>

5ENSESMAG.COM • SEPTEMBER 2016 • COLUMN • 11

IF YOU GO …

WHAT: 2nd annual Highlands Nature Festival WHEN: Labor Day weekend, Friday through Sunday, Sept. 2-4 WHERE: Varies by event WORTH: Varies by event, free-$40 WEB: HighlandsCenter.Org/events/ highlands-nature-festival REGISTRATION: HNF16.EventBrite.Com or 928-776-9550 WHO: Highlands Center For Natural History with

As the twig is bent ...

Highlands Nature Festival returns to Prescott

By James Dungeon [Editor’s note: The following interview was culled from conversations between the reporter and Mara Kack, education director at the Highlands Center for Natural History, which is hosting the second annual Highlands Nature Festival, Friday through Sunday, Sept. 2-4, find out more at HighlandsCenter.Org/ events/highlands-nature-festival and register at HNF16.EventBrite.Com or 928-776-9550.]

So, what is the Highlands Nature Festival?

This is the second year. It’s a collaboration with nature-focused groups and organizations around town including Prescott Creeks, Native Plant Society, Prescott Audubon, the Sierra Club, Ecosa, and quite a few others. The goal is to get the community more ware of our local natural history and

An image from 2015’s Highlands Nature Festival. Courtesy photo. to celebrate the diversity of the Central Arizona Highlands — and emphasize how unique and beautiful our area is. … We’ve been attempting to develop the event to meet a wide audience range. The first year was definitely for adults who had some sense of the area already. This year we’ve planned several field trips for newer folks. There’s one trip to Watson Lake with Chris Hosking, of the City of Prescott, and Joe Trudeau, an ecological consultant, which will focus on local history. That would be a really wonderful trip for someone new to the area. There’s also a Prescott Creeks-lead field trip along the Greenway Trail that’s more focused on the urban water history of Prescott and natural history within an urban setting. That’s also a good hike for someone with limited mobility. It’s an easy trail, casual even, and ends at El Gato Azul for lunch. So, those are two examples of field trips that would be good for somebody who’s visiting for the weekend or someone new to the area.

Other field trips for the festival are more focused on specific components of natural history and ecological concepts. There’s a fire ecology field trip with Lisa Floyd-Hanna, who’s going to lead a group up at the Little Granite Mountain trailhead. Some of the hikes are more difficult and cover deeper ecological concepts. They’re for someone who might already have some knowledge of natural history. … The field trips are very small, intimate groups — 12 people per field trip. All our field trips are hands-on and interactive.

How did the festival get started? What about the timing and location of the festival?

There had been a lot of talk of doing a festival for several years. When it came up more recently, several folks talked about it and it came down to the Highlands Center having the most capacity to have a festival like this, at least for the first couple of years while the festival is getting on its feet. So, we had the room, and there was interest from all these support-

12 • FEATURE • SEPTEMBER 2016 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

The Central Arizona Land Trust, Central Arizona Geology Club, Ecosa Institute for Ecological Design, Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary, Natural History Institute of Prescott College, Prescott Audubon Society, Prescott Chapter of the Arizona Native Plant Society, Prescott Creeks, & Yavapai Group Sierra Club, with sponsors including Hike Shack, Yavapai College Regional Economic Center, & Jay’s Bird Barn, plus support organizations including City of Prescott, Slow Food Prescott, Southwest Monarch Study, Hassayampa Forestry and Ecological, & Walnut Creek Education Center ing organizations. As for the time of the year, August, September, and October are probably the peak periods for natural history around here. We have a lot of resident and migratory birds doing wonderful things; the majority of our wildflowers are blooming; and after the the monsoon rains, we get an influx of growth. Things are wet and lush. It’s definitely my favorite time of year to explore our local areas.

What are some of the challenges of putting together an event like this?

One of the biggest challenges is just getting the word out. We cater to a really wide range of audiences with these filed trips. There are so many topics and trips and leaders. It takes a little bit of investigation to find out what’s available, though. … In terms of some of those other topics, I already mentioned the photography and drawing field trips. There’s wildlife photography on Saturday at Lynx Lake with Stephen Bruno. You can use your phone, your manual camera, or your digital camera. Stephen’s comfortable teaching to a wide range of photographers, whether beginner or expert. It’ll probably be mostly birds that Saturday, unless they get lucky and see a bobcat by the lake, which has been known to happen. On Sunday, it’s landscape photography, also with Stephen Bruno. The drawing class — which I’m especially excited about — is with Neil Rizos. He’s a professional artist out of Sedona. He’s worked all over the world with birds and he’s going to teach about bird journaling. That’s actually at the Highlands Center, and the Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary is bringing in a raptor toward the end of the workshop. It starts at a very introductory level to drawing, then goes all the way to the live model. *****

Reflections

A conversation with Cody Lundin about “A Conversation With Cody Lundin” [Editor’s note: The following interview was culled from conversations between the reporter and Cody Lundin, whose keynote address to the Highlands Nature Festival is 7-10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2, at Yavapai College, Susan B Hall Community Room, 1100 E. Sheldon St., RSVP required. Register at HNF16.EventBrite.Com or 928-776-9550.]

What can we expect from your keynote address?

We went back and forth on topics, but, in the end, they decided they wanted an impromptu talk. They’ll literally get questions from the audience, written down, pass them to someone to filter through them, and I’ll answer them. The focus is is on Prescott — the Central Arizona Uplands — and nature. It’s also focused, in my mind, on what indigenous people did here, in my opinion. It’s actually kind of hard to give an interview about it because it’s so open-ended. …

I’ve done a lot of interviews, and I like things off the cuff. What’s unique about this, though, is that the entire time is scheduled that way. People can come in and ask whatever they want. I’m sure the organizers would prefer it focuses on the natural world. I mean, we’re not talking about street fighting. But, as far as content goes, it’s wide open. … I warned them about me, that I’m a loose canon, a wild card, and they know. People need to be educated more than hugging trees and saving toads. This is about understanding the outdoors, about what indigenous people knew since they grew up from babies, about how not to be a victim of the environment. You need to know what to do about a low body temperature, a high body temperature, and where the hell the water is. That’s what makes the Southwest so sketchy — you have to worry about all of those things. We’re well beyond a 1o-year drought cycle here, and you can’t assume those places in the back country that usually have water are going to have water.

As a primer, then, could you describe this area, the indigenous people who were here, and how it fits into Arizona at large?

The thing about Arizona is that it has more biodiversity in such a compact area than anywhere else.

California technically has more biodiversity because of something called the ocean, but you have to drive a long time. Here, you’ve got entirely different areas a short drive away. That’s why movies are shot here; you can make it look like Canada, drive an hour south, then make it look like the desert. Our state is so diverse and, because of that, there was a huge diversity of Native Americans in the state. They did

all sorts of things. I’m sure you’ve heard of the huge canal system that Phoenix is based on. There was agriculture and hunting, and a lot of different ethnic groups in the state. … It’s difficult to live on the land out here, in my opinion, but we have such a wide variation of terrain. I love Arizona. I’ve discussed winter survival then, a day later, discussed desert survival.

That being the case, what’s important to have when venturing outdoors near Prescott?

Any survival kit should be based on multiple-use items. In my first book, “98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive,” I tried to create a kit like that, for where the desert and mountain regions meet. I included what I thought was important and tried to cut through a lot of the bullshit that’s in my field. People think a lot of gear is required, but what you really need is things that address hypothermia, hyperthermia, and their ugly sister, dehydration. Those two are the biggest killers outdoors and, unfortunately, we have both. So, that book was designed to answer that question — how to create a survival kit based on those two things and the biggest amount of variables, and, of course, signaling for rescue. It’s not really rocket science, but other people dump hunting gear and traps and fishing gear in there, which is not necessary in a short-term wilderness survival situation. That’s more longterm wilderness survival — not for when your uncle is lost on a hike. He needs a signal mirror or, better yet, in conjunction with that, two people who give a damn about your uncle and know when he’s supposed to be back. One of the things I’d like to talk about is that you can’t enjoy nature if you’re dead. People may not be used to hearing the harshness that comes out of my mouth, but it’s important. You need to be able to signal to search and rescue. You know, we have some real badasses here — scuba crews, fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, jeep crews, dog crews, swift water rescue,

ground search, horseback units — and do you know why we have all of that? Because we have such varied terrain in Yavapai County alone. And, I might add, most of those search and rescue people are volunteers.

Where do you see the Highlands Center for Natural History and its role in education?

One of the reason I’m a huge fan of the Highlands Center is that they have a ton of stuff for kids. I think if kids grow up understanding our community isn’t just the Courthouse Square, that there are tons of things for kids to do, that they’re better off. They need to know about the environment we live in. The Highlands Center helps create informed, responsible users. They have gratitude for the natural world. I think that helps make them, in general, healthier people. There have been tons of studies about nature deficit and kids. In my opinion, that’s not normal. If you’re deprived of nature, it changes your outlook and your personality — it changes who you are. I think, if you’re exposed to nature, especially at a younger age, you’re better off. I’ve been in this profession for, what, 26 years, and I’ve taken a lot of people out into the wilderness. On the most aggressive courses, we all get our asses kicked, and people are grateful for it. People come back from aggressive courses and get married or get divorced, or stop using drugs or alcohol. Nature — especially in the Southwest — has a way of driving the bullshit out of people’s lives. It gives people clarity. I’ve had people who take aggressive courses just to still their mind to help them make an important decision that’s got nothing to do with what nature’s doing. I’ve seen it time and time an time and time and time again.

That’s why the Highlands Center is important. I know how nature affects people, and I’m really glad they’re out there doing what they do, affecting change in our community, especially in our kids. ...

Prescott is changing. Maybe you’re reading this and you’re a transplant, and you didn’t know the Highlands Center is out there. I’m happy to take part in an event like this and help spread the word. I feel the same way about the Prescott’s Great Outdoors festival. Anything that gets people involved, raises awareness, and helps push people to push officials to make more responsible choices. We’re in the Southwest — you need to make responsible choices when it comes to water and things like the location of subdivisions. I’m not anti-development; I’m against stupid development. In the Southwest, these things really matter. Every choice matters. And that’s why the Highlands Center and this event matter. People need to hear information about the environment so they can make informed, intelligent decisions. ***** The second annual Highlands Nature Festival is Friday through Sunday, Sept. 2-4. Find out more at HighlandsCenter.Org and register for evens and field trips at HNF16.EventBrite.Com or 928-7769550.

Cody Lundin. Photo by Christopher Marchetti.

James Dungeon is a figment of his own imagination.

And he likes cats. Contact him at JamesDungeonCats @Gmail.Com.

13

News From the Wilds Skyward

The last generation of California Sister butterflies for the summer emerges and eventually overwinter, reappearing next spring. Photo by Ty Fitzmorris.

S

By Ty Fitzmorris eptember glows in golden light, rich with scents of late summer — its sunrises are heady with the fragrance of white Sacred Datura flowers, fading into the noontime butterscotch of sun-warmed Ponderosas, and then into the dusk sweetness of bricklebush. In much of North America, September marks the beginning of the colder part of the year, with last harvests and cold nights. But in the lower latitudes, such as the Mogollon Highlands of Arizona, September is still summer, though with hints and foreshadowings of autumn. The monsoon rains usually continue into the early part of the month, tapering off eventually into glorious sunny days with extraordinary flowering of purple four-o-clocks, asters, and morning-glories, red penstemons and Scarlet Creeper, yellow sunflowers and daisies, and the tall, strange tree-like Wright’s Thelypody (Thelypodium wrightii), with its white flowers. Insect diversity, too, continues to grow and change, with some of the largest insects of the year making their debut. Look for the large brown Rhinoceros Beetle (Xyloryctes jamaicensis), the Great Ash Sphinx Moth (Sphinx chersis), and the gigantic leaf-mimic katydids of the genus Microcentrum, as well as the harmless (though somewhat alarming) Giant Crab Spider (Olios giganteus), which is often seen in houses as temperatures fall outside.

I

t is in this time of extraordinary plenty that many creatures begin to prepare for the coming cold season. Most of our woody plants are setting seed, which woodpeckers and squirrels are stor-

ing away in granaries; young of many mammal species are leaving home to establish their own territories; and insects are laying eggs, their unique adaptation to climatic stress. One of the most unusual egg-laying techniques in the insect world is the creation of galls, which are structures created by plants in response to an insect laying its egg in the plant’s tissue. Galls can look like pine cones (on juniper trees, which bear no visible cones), like apples on Emory Oak trees, like smooth, blushing tumors on Gambel Oaks, or like furry, curled leaves on Arizona White Oaks. Oaks, in fact, have the highest diversity of galls, with over 300 different types found on them. Many of these galls will appear now, as specialist wasps, moths, and flies lay their eggs in the growing tissue of their coevolved host-plant.

Our most water-dependent creatures, such as snails and mushrooms, abound now — species that one rarely associates with the desert Southwest. Arizona is home to at least 200 species of native snail, most of whom are completely unstudied, though they can easily be seen consuming riverside vegetation during this wet season. Our species of fungi number in the thousands (just in Arizona!) and, again, are substantially unstudied, but they present a bewildering diversity from now until the fall — from brittlegills to puff balls to earthstars. Their fruiting bodies are the only part of a mushroom that we typically take note of, but this is a small part of the organism. The real fungus is a network of filamentous mycorrhizae interlacing (and often enriching) the soil. In fact, the largest organism on Earth is thought to be a single mushroom 2,400 acres in size in Oregon, which may be 8,500 years old.

14 • FEATURE • SEPTEMBER 2016 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

• Sept. 1: New Moon at 2:03 a.m.

• Sept. 2: Conjunction between waxing crescent Moon and Jupiter. The very “young” crescent Moon (41 hours after new) will pass about a third of a degree from Jupiter, very low in the western sky, just after sunset.

• Sept. 16: Full Moon at 12:05 p.m.

• Sept. 22: Autumnal Equinox at 7:21 a.m.

The sun will set almost exactly to the west this evening, and everywhere on Earth day and night will be of equal length.

• Sept. 28: Mercury at greatest western elongation. The planet nearest the Sun will be at its highest in the morning sky before sunrise. Look for Mercury low in the eastern skies just over an hour before the Sun rises, to the right of Denebola (in Leo’s tail), and below the waning crescent Moon.

The mammals of the Central Highlands are, for the most part, at the peak of their year. Food is abundant, and most species are not under any real food or water stress, so it is now that the contests for mates begin. Mule and White-tailed Deer, Elk and Pronghorn all begin their annual rut in September, after their antlers and horns are fully grown. This period is defined by male competition for females and territories, and fighting, scentmarking, and tree-marking are common. Coyotes, foxes and Porcupines are also finding mates and breeding. Other mammals, such as squirrels and chipmunks, sensing the shortening days, are stashing food for the coming cold season.

S

ome species of birds will start to migrate into our area from the north toward the end of the month, and we will see species that we haven’t seen in large numbers since spring. Violetgreen and Northern Rough-winged Swallow can be found in flocks during this time, though they will have continued their travels southward by mid-October. Teal, hummingbirds and warblers, mostly in fall plumage, will pass us as they fly south. Look, also, for the earliest migrant hawks from the north, including Ferruginous, Swainson’s and some very early Rough-legged Hawks. ***** Ty Fitzmorris is an itinerant and often distractible naturalist who lives in Prescott and is proprietor of the Peregrine Book Company, Raven Café, Gray Dog Guitars, and is co-founder of Milagro Arts, a community arts nexus, all as a sideline to his natural history pursuits. He can be reached at Ty@PeregrineBookCompany.Com.

News From the Wilds, too A very brief survey of what’s happening in the wilds ...

By Ty Fitzmorris

• Young River Otters leave their parents and their home territories, dispersing into new habitats. This species is slowly reoccupying habitats from which it was extirpated by trapping, declining water quality, and habitat loss, and now can be found throughout the southwest.

• Monarch Butterflies appear toward the end of the month, beginning their long migration south, following creeks and drainages.

• Katydids, large-winged relatives of grasshoppers, fly in riparian galleries. These are some of the best leafmimics of the insects.

• The fruits of Coffeeberry (Rhamnus californica) continue to ripen and provide a valuable (and delicious) food source for many species of birds.

Visit: Bell Trail, No. 13

High mountains • Coyotes begin courting and can be seen running in pairs.

• Elk breeding season begins, and sometimes the resonant bugling of male elk can be heard in wilder areas.

• Porcupines begin their breeding season (with a substantial amount of care) in the Aspen groves in higher elevations.

Visit: Dandrea Trail, No. 285.

Ponderosa Pine forests • Black Walnut leaves begin to turn yellow as cold air flows down river drainages from the higher mountains, and the husks of walnut seeds litter the ground.

• Large patches of vegetation underneath Ponderosas turn bright red toward the end of the month. These wispy, near-leafless plants are Dysphania graveolens, a type of goosefoot that emits a pungent, resinous smell when touched. (Thanks to Lisa Zander at the Natural History Institute for the ID help).

• Some needles on Ponderosas start to turn orange, and are shed toward the end of the month, as new, soft green leaves replace them. Healthy Ponderosas lose nearly 40 percent of their needles every autumn, and even though this type of needle loss can be rapid it does not necessarily indicate health problems. Also, the wonderful vanilla-butterscotch odor of the Ponderosa is at its peak now — smell in furrows in the bark.

Visit: Aspen Creek Trail, No. 48.

Pine-Oak woodlands • Emory Oak and Arizona White Oak bear their nutrient-rich acorns, providing one of the year’s biggest crops for Acorn Woodpeckers, Rock Squirrels, and Cliff Chipmunks.

• Mule Deer begin their rut. Males can sometimes be seen sparring, and territorial marking, such as rubbed spots on saplings, can be found easily.

• Mushrooms “flower” in great diversity, especially in areas with downed, wet wood. It is during this time that most wood decomposition

Painted Redstarts begin their migration from their breeding grounds in the Mogollon Highlands to central and southern Mexico this month. Photo by Ty Fitzmorris. takes place, with their aid.

• Fendler’s Ceanothus continues to flower. The Navajo use this plant as both a sedative and an emetic (to cause vomiting), and the berries are an important food source for many animals.

• Mountain Mahogany (Cercocarpus montanus) bears its seeds. The long, spiral seeds burrow actively into the soil when they fall, both as a method for self-planting and fire-avoidance.

Visit: Miller Creek Trail, No. 367.

Pinyon-Juniper woodlands • Goldenrods (Solidago spp.) and bricklebush (Brickellia spp.) flower, the latter of which has arguably the best aroma of any of our flowering plants, which it releases at dusk to attract moths.

• Butterflies fly in great diversity, drawn to the flat, open flowers of the aster family, including the fleabanes, sunflowers, asters, and groundsels.

Visit: Juniper Springs Trail, No. 2

Grasslands • Pronghorns begin their short breeding season, with males entering their rut. During this time the males will fight for dominance, and winners will gather together a harem of females.

• Yellow and purple asters abound, along with sunflowers.

• The grasshoppers, our primary grass herbivores, reach their final, winged life-stage, and many species can be found in different microhabitats. Look especially for the massive, though wingless, Plains Lubber Grasshopper (Brachystola magna), which can often be found crossing roads such as Arizona 69, east of Dewey-Humboldt.

Visit: Mint Wash Trail, No. 345.

Riparian areas • Canyon Treefrogs (Hyla arenicolor) conclude their mating season and finish laying eggs, even as some eggs hatch into tadpoles.

Deserts/Chaparral • Paintbrushes (genus Castilleja) bear their bean-like seed-pods.

These beautiful plants are unusual in that they are hemiparasites, which draw nutrients out of other plants but also perform some photosynthesis of their own.

• Seep Willow (Baccharis sarothroides) flowers in desert washes. This plant was used extensively by the Tohono O’odham to make arrows and brooms, as well as to brew a tea for coughs.

Visit: Algonquin Trail, No. 225.

Weather Average high temperature: 81.8 F (+/-2.9) Average low temperature: 48.9 F (+/-3.2) Record high temperature: 98 F (1948) Record low temperature: 26 F (1903) Average precipitation: 1.71” (+/-1.51”) Record high precipitation: 10.02” (1983) Record low precipitation: 0” (7 percent of years on record) Max daily precipitation: 3.08” (Sept. 24, 1983)

15

Wearable Whimsy & Wanderlust Unraveling the fabric art of Ashley Darling What inspired you to make your first coat?

My first coat was inspired in part by my love of “treasure hunting” (scavenging thrift stores for unique items.), my adorable 18 month old daughter, Annabelle and an artist named Katwise. Five years back I stumbled upon Katwise on Etsy and instantly became inspired by her style. I sent her a message to tell her how much I adored her coats and that I’d like to make coats in a similar fashion.

She gave me the advice on the type of serger to get and from there is where my first fairy coat, in my own unique style, came to life. I started on that first coat four months after making the valance for my son. You could say that I began sewing in the spring, but by fall I’d fallen in love with coats.

I fell in love with how I could piece colors together to create a feeling, make a piece of art from something that was previously discarded and unwanted, and that I could design something that would welcome whimsy into an every day setting.

By Robert Blood [Editor’s note: The following interview was culled from conversations between the reporter and fiber artist Ashley Darling. See more of Ashley Darling’s work at AshleyDarlingDesign.Com. Contact her at Ashley@AshleyDarlingDesign.Com.] How did you get started sewing?

I can remember back to when I was a child looking over my mom’s shoulder as she sewed dresses and curtains. She was also the lead seamstress in the town I grew up in. My dad is probably one of the best upholsterers on this side of the U.S. The funny thing about all this, when I was growing up I had absolutely zero interest in learning the trade. I would rather be out playing in the trees in our back yard than sitting inside by some noisy machine. It wasn’t until I became a mom that I felt a desire to explore the talent sleeping in my genes.

For my first project I made a curtain valance for my son’s nursery. I was having the hardest time finding anything in the stores that wasn’t teddy bears or trains and I wanted to do a whole nature theme with Classic Winnie the Pooh. From there I began designing dresses and other adorable outfits for my daughters that were 1 and 3.

What kind of materials go into your coats?

And how much do the finished products cost?

This is the exciting part where the treasure hunt begins! I search out amazing once loved sweaters ranging in fiber contents from cotton to acrylic.

Sometimes I pick up cashmere, angora or different types of wools, depending on people’s allergies. There can be lace, vintage buttons, handmade glass buttons — different things like that.

The buttons are made by Lori Blalock, an artist I know based in Michigan. A kid’s coat starts at around $80. A coat for an adult is up to about $600. With the average adult coat being around $300. There are a variety of styles, and I don’t use a set pattern. Everything is intuitive. I’ll use the size of existing garments to make sure it’s going to fit right. I have the ability to do that without taking measurements. I joke and call myself the sweater whisperer.

How did you make the transition to making coats for adults?

Adult body types are a lot harder to sew for than kids. I figured one way to get over the fear of designing an adult coat was to make one for myself.

It turned out better than I expected. I received many positive reactions from people which gave me confidence to keep going. I’ve made 50, maybe 60, coats now, and it’s a little silly that I still get intimidated each time I start. I want each coat to be a masterpiece, to be something people don’t just wear, but expresses something about them that they, themselves can’t put into words. To do that, it’s got to fit; not just fit, but fit like a glove. … Related to that, I’ve donated a lot of my coats to help raise money for charity — Habitat for Humanity, the children’s hospital, people in accidents who have huge medical bills — which is something I’ve done since I started sewing. It’s important for me to give back to the community around me.

I usually custom make a coat for the fundraising event, which creates a challenge as to what size and style to donate. I always offer people the opportunity to have them custom fitted afterword.

What makes your coats so special?

Each coat is a piece of art that I’ve poured my heart into. I feel that their uniqueness reminds people that there’s an artist behind the work. The design is not something ‘cookie-cutter’ from a factory; it’s one of a kind and nobody else is going to have it. Each coat truly takes on a personality of its own. They’re alive with magic and whimsy, good energy and vibrance, and most profoundly, happiness. It’s hard not to try one on and twirl in circles.

16 • FEATURE • SEPTEMBER 2016 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

LEFT: Ashley Darling dons the first coat she ever made for an adult, namely, herself. Courtesy photo.

RIGHT: Ashley Darling models a white coat with a long hood.

Photo by David Cottle.

What are some of the themes and styles behind the coats?

Many of the coat designs center around what I refer to as the ‘key’ sweater. When I find that key sweater, I build around it. I visualize a theme that really takes on a personality. That’s when the coat transforms into a work of art. It sounds silly but I ask questions like who are you and what are you going to be? There are so many puzzles to figure out. Solving these puzzles is probably my favorite part of being an artist. Some coats have tendrils, some have a patchwork feel, some have a short skirt that’s more tattered, and other coats have long, really spinny skirts. Some hoods might turn into shawls. A lot can happen.

How into it are your kiddos?

They love it! They have as much passion as I do, and it’s really nice to see that in a pint-sized package. Often, they’re right with me as I’m designing. They’ll take a piece or part that they think I’m done with and run away with it, I’ll have to ask them, “Where’s that purple one with the gray stripe? I still needed that.” To discover that they’ve dressed a stuffed animal in it. My oldest is Gwen, she’s 10, Annabelle, she’s 7, and there’s Troy, who’s 6. They call the little used serger parts caterpillars, and they play with them. One of the more interesting things that happened recently was that Annabelle picked two leaves from a plant and wrapped one like a cape around her tiny Husky figurine and positioned the other leaf over its head like a hood. Seeing all the veins and

details in the leaves made me think about how I could construct a coat like that. So I made one for her, and she stayed involved and worked on it.

When she wears it, she says, “I designed this and my mom made it.” It’s pretty cool to see people’s reactions to that. It’s great to have her talking about it because I’m quite shy. My kids have a passion for this and they’re not afraid to shout it from the mountain tops. We make a great team.

This may be self-evident to some people, but how can clothes change people?

They can bring out the confidence in you. When you put something on that makes you feel incredible, that makes you feel pretty - it becomes an expression of your personality and changes the way you interact with the world. It helps you express something that you can’t always easily express with words. It’s a positive statement. And, often times, people want to talk to you about it.

It’s a form of expression that it can open doors to opportunities.

What kind of interactions do you have with strangers when you or one of your children are wearing one of your handmade coats?

It’s always very complimentary, and a lot of it comes down to, “Where did you get that?”

When I confess that I made it, people usually say, “What?!” After that, people ask about knitting, and I tell them, no, I go and rescue sweaters. I go and cut them up and — that sounds horrible doesn’t it? It’s a rescue, not a massacre. I re-piece them into another article of clothing, into art.

What’s the timeline on putting one of these things together?

A lot of the work is finding that key piece and getting my brain to plan the rest of the coat. The actual construction time often overlaps with the designing stage and ranges from a week to a month and a half. It depends on how busy I am and if I already have the sweaters on hand. If this is printing in September, that means we’re starting to talk about Christmas presents. Woah, right?! The coats can be simple or more elaborate.

By nature, the coats are mostly fall and winter wear, but I do make vests, which are more versatile. I should also mention that when I make coats for kids, I try to make sure, size-wise, they can wear them for at least two years. They grow so fast, it’s almost like they have a hidden stash of miracle grow somewhere.

Ashley Darling works on a coat commission recently. Courtesy photo.

Have you shown finished pieces as art anywhere?

So far, I’ve had shows at The Beastro, Thumb Butte Distillery, Textures and Textiles, Yavapai College Art Gallery and in boutiques in Cave Creek. I also have a show at the Mountain Artists Guild coming up. I feel so honored that the community has been accepting of my art.

Annabelle wears the first coat that her mother, Ashley Darling, made.

Courtesy photo.

Do you have a backlog of projects or do you get an idea and have to make it immediately?

When I have an idea, I usually run with it. One of my ideas that’s brewing right now is completely different from my other designs. I had a vision of a caged heart on fire, and recently found the perfect fabric with orange, yellow, and an almostred in it. I’m formally trained in color theory, so I know what I need to make an idea pop and feel magical. So it’ll be a heart on fire with lots of contrast in a big cage. Maybe a whole back piece.

Maybe the flames will form with a hint of color at the edge of the hem on the skirt. I don’t know if this is going to be for me - perhaps I’m channeling it for someone else. I don’t know what size to make it. All of this will come into play when it’s time to make the coat. Maybe I’ll do some work on the pieces. It’s hard to cut a heart from a sweater and not have it fall apart. I do like to make stuff as washable as possible. … There’s an art to this.

Sometimes you cut into a sweater and it all falls apart, other times you cut into a sweater and it magically all falls together. ***** See more of Ashley Darling’s work at AshleyDarlingDesign.Com. Contact her at Ashley@AshleyDarlingDesign.Com. Robert Blood is a Mayer-ish-based freelance writer and ne’er-do-well who’s working on his last book, which, incidentally, will be his first.

Contact him at BloodyBobby5@Gmail.Com.

17

Diagnosis: Technology

R

By Paolo Chlebecek ecently, while waiting for a download of the new Microsoft Office 365 at a customer’s premises, I realized something: Some Internet Service Providers are painfully slow.

I already feel likemy life is just a progress bar, slowly inching across the screen. Then it hit me; why not use my 4G cellphone to connect the laptop to the internet. I did, and it was blazing fast by comparison. Why should you care? Because the world of the internet is about to get much much faster, thanks to 5G. What’s 5G? For that matter what’s 4G? I can’t say it’s a very imaginative explanation, but most tech nomenclature isn’t. The “G” after the number just means generation. A new mobile data system has developed

In the fast lane

Phone in faster internet speeds approximately every 10 years since the first 1G system was introduced in 1982. The first 2G system was deployed in 1992, and the first 3G system appeared in 2001. 4G systems, like what is available in most smartphones today, were released in 2012. Move over 4G, it’s time for 5G. What’s the difference?

Back in the ’80s, the speed of 1G wasn’t even considered for mobile data use, only up to 2.4kbps. At that rate, it would take almost five hours to download a 4MB MP3 song.

By the time 2G and 2.5G came, we topped speeds of 64-144 kbps. The same file would then take about four to eight minutes to download. By the time 3G came out, you could get that same song in about 20 seconds. Then 4G, the current standard, would only take about 1 second. Now with 5G, you could get the whole album plus the accompanying HD movie in less

than 9 seconds. Really. Of course those numbers are assuming that you have an ideal connection and no interruptions.

W

hile 5G promises up to 1 GB in download speeds — which are as fast as the typical business network — it’ll take time to deploy it to the masses. (Hint: That’s you and me.) Thankfully, the FCC wants to get things moving on 5G mobile networks. It’s even willing to bypass some of the usual bureaucratic red tape to make things happen.

The Commission’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau has arranged to skip historic preservation reviews for small 5G cell sites across the USA. Provided those new sites aren’t going to “adversely impact” historic locations, they’ll get up and running that much quicker.

W

hy the need for such high speed? It may seem it’s an artificial requirement created by mobile carries to sell us the latest phones, and that may be true.

But, as my August column iterated, we live and love online now. It’s how our lives are worked, managed,

educated, and entertained. Now, with this type of speed, we’re far less limited to the type of activity we can do online. This is going to mean big changes for our slow Internet Service Providers in the future, as they must move to and compete with mobile broadband.

Naturally, this doesn’t guarantee that you’ll be using a 5G smartphone any time in the near future. The telecom industry has yet to settle on a 5G technology standard, let alone build the equipment you’ll need to surf the net really fast. The FCC also isn’t blowing the doors off to carriers, as it still requires “responsible” deployments. However, this raises expectations that the next wave of high-speed cellular data won’t take quite so long to arrive as 4G did. Meaning, you could see those blazing fast speeds just before they announce 6G, which is already in development. ***** Paolo Chlebecek is founder and owner of PaoloTek, which he started in 2003. He loves dogs of all sorts and oddly finds himself driving around town between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. every weekday. Wave hi when you see him or contact him at Paolo@PaoloTek.Com.

$5 off any service ≥$30!

515 E. Sheldon St., Prescott, www.erasalonandspa.com

18 • COLUMN • SEPTEMBER 2016 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

Has patron feedback ever changed the way you look at your own jewelry? Any surprises along the way?

One woman stands out. She looked at my work and pointed out that I didn’t have anything black and gold and she really liked that combination and wanted a piece with that. I thought, well, I should make something in black and gold. It got me thinking. Most people want to be nice when they’re in your space. They want to be polite and are hoping they’ll see something they want to buy. They want to see what you’re doing and what you’re about. Nobody’s been particularly surprising; nobodies been outrageous in a good or a bad way. Maybe there’s one percent that get snarly, like at any show, but that’s not worth thinking about. People ask why I have so much silver or, now, why so much copper. The copper is less expensive than the silver, so more people can afford it. A lot of the choices I make about materials comes down to making the end product more affordable. I sell pieces all the way from a $15 pair of earrings to a $300 necklace, so there’s a range.

A single crystal cube on a small necklace costs $25, and sells really well. They’ve been my bread and butter for a while.

What are some other challenges and quirks of organizing and running the tour?

Well, working with artists can be a bit like herding cats. It’s wonderful and rewarding, too, though. One thing I’ve learned is that artists tend not to read emails or aren’t very computer literate, which can be a challenge. Some people prefer to ***** print out forms, fill them out, then mail them back The ninth annual studio tour is 10 a.m.-4 p.m. in instead of doing it digitally. To help streamline Friday through Sunday, Sept. 30 & Oct. 1 & 2, via everything, we give suggestions about how to sponsored by the Mountain Artists Guild. Find have a successful studio, including making sure out more at PrescottStudioTour.Com. everything has price tags, having a clear checkout See more of Lynn Schmitt’s handcrafted jewelry space, someone else to help with packaging and at SlinkyLynnxChic.Com and on the studio tour. handling money, and signage to the studio. …

Another thing that needs to be mentioned is the Robert Blood is a Mayer-ish-based freelance raffle. Almost every artist has donates an item writer and ne’er-do-well who’s working on his to be raffled and the purchase of raffle tickets last book, which, incidentally, will be his first. helps fund children’s art programs at ’Tis and Contact him at BloodyBobby5@Gmail.Com. MAG. Last year we were able to give $300 each to MAG and ‘Tis for their programs. Ticket sales are another thing that can be hard to quantify Prescott’s 4th Friday because it’s $1 a ticket, but 6 for $5, so the math isn’t so straight forward. We also keep some seed money for the next year of the tour. I think last year EVERY was actually the largest TH sale of raffle tickets in the three years I’ve been associated with the tour, so it’s growing. … One thing we do is a post-tour pot luck for all the artists on the 2016 tour where people talk January 22 about their experiences.

February 26 There’s a survey and we March 25 April 22 try to address things Beginning at 5 PM May 27 that come up.

June 24

4 ART WALKS

4FRIDAY ’S

How many people attend the tour as patrons, on average?

Conservatively, we’re thinking 5,000 to 6,000, but it’s hard to know. Every studio has a signup sheet for the email list, which is one way to track things. Sometimes people signup at multiple studios, though, so there are redundancies. Because it’s a free event, there aren’t tickets or anything that could give us exact numbers. Last year artists reported more patrons than in previous years.…

We don’t have an organized way to get feedback from visitors because they haven’t, in the past, really wanted to fill out surveys. On the sign up sheet, there was a little box last year that asked where you heard about the tour, but people didn’t really do that, so we kind of gave up on it.

nitely a more mature crowd, though. We’d like to see more people in that 30-40 range. They’ve got disposable income and should be buying art, right? [Laughs.] I don’t think people in our current economic climate think that they can buy original handmade, one-of-a-kind art, but they can. If you’re looking for a deal and want things to be cheap like Walmart, then you’re mistaken, but the tour is a good way to educate people about art, the time it takes to make and how that is reflected in the price. how much it really costs. People think “ART” with quotations marks and all capital letters is pretentious and expensive. But art can be fun. Art can make you laugh and make you feel good. And you deserve to have art in your life. If we can get more people to feel good in our present climate, that’d be wonderful.

COT T

center – encouraging local artists to participate and promoting artists in the community. This year the tour has 70 juried artists. We have 23 new artists this year and are holding on to most of the previous ones, so we’re getting bigger. Within that, we also picked up a few of the artists who are at Arts Prescott Cooperative Gallery. We’ve added people who do different things — one guy does replica Native American war shirts, beading on leather, and that’s one of the ones that really sticks out. There are some really fabulous weavers, too. We’re hoping that, through the website, people get excited about a particular artist and want to come out and meet them. We’ve also been doing more with email marketing. Every week we’re sending out emails featuring six to eight of the artists on the tour, a picture of them, their work, and a link to their page on the website and a bio, leading up to the tour itself.

In part, you’re selling a story, and the studio tour helps artists sell their stories.

Exactly. You’re presenting a story. That’s the case even when you set up a tent on the square and you’re basically creating your own store. You’re doing your own marketing and merchandising, and you need to have a variety of price ranges to appeal to a broader range of people. It shouldn’t only be rich people who can afford one-of-a-kind jewelry or paintings or sculpture or ceramics or any type of original art.

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... FROM PAGE 11

Does the age range of patrons reflect the community?

I’d say the majority of people we see are from 50 to 70, in that older age range. A lot of them bring their grandchildren, actually, which is really good. It’s defi-

July 22 August 26 September 23 October 28 November 25

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5ENSESMAG.COM • SEPTEMBER 2016 • FEATURE • 19

A new look at ‘A New Look’ Students inspired

by Dana Cohn showcased at The Raven Café

By James Dungeon [Editor’s note: The following interview was culled from conversations between the reporter and Emma Fenton and Bill Rose, all of whom are showing pieces at “A New Look: Art Under the Auspices of Dana Cohn,” which runs Sept. 12-Oct. 16 at The Raven Café, 142 N. Cortez St., 928-7170009. The opening reception is 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 14.]

Before we get to some of the artists featured in the show, Betsy Dally and Maria Lynam, the art directors of The Raven Café, wanted to explain the idea behind it.

“So many of our friends and acquaintances have started their careers at the local colleges,” Lynam said. “Both Yavapai College and Prescott College are fortunate in having inspired instructors. Dana Cohn teaches painting at both institutions and we thought it would be a good introduction to the community to show them what can

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: “Quiet Beauty” by Cappi Comba, “Ah Um (Charles Mingus)” by Billy Rose, and “Missing Sock” by Emma Fenton. Courtesy photos. be achieved.”

“Once we decided [on the show] ... we selected work that includes oils,acrylic, watercolor and pastel,” Dally added. “It is from students who are in their teens to those whose interest in art blossomed in retirement.”

What was your art background before taking a class with Dana Cohn and what were your early impressions?

Fenton: I’d only taken one art class before, and that was “Drawing 1” at Yavapai College, so painting was completely new. I’d kind of dabbled in painting on my own before, and I wanted to see where it would take me. I knew of Dana because my sister was friends with him, but I’d never met him and hadn’t seen much of his. I was excited, but didn’t know what to expect. ... The first class we didn’t actually paint. We just went over the syllabus, but I had a good feeling about him from just the way he talked. I really enjoyed just kind of getting a feeling for painting the first couple of classes before things got more structured.

Rose: I was a science major before I took art classes with Dana and another one with Steve Mason at Yavapai College. After those classes, I decided to throw everything into fine art. I’d always done art for fun, as well as some music and performance art, but “Painting 1” with Dana in the fall of 2013 was the first time I took it more seriously. I took “Painting 2” with him after that, too. He was really encouraging and had a lot of

20 • FEATURE • SEPTEMBER 2016 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

great advice. He really only stuck it to you if you really wanted it, though, really asked for it. A lot of other classes I’ve had were structurally more focused on composition, all about form and getting things to be accurate. With Dana, if that was important for you, he taught you how to do it, but his thing was not so much to draw a cold, dead

‘A New Look’ The following artists have work featured Sept. 12-Oct. 16 at The Raven Café, 142 N. Cortez St. Jonathan Allred, Demi Anderson, Walt Barker, Howard Bedingfield, Jenny Borst, Dana Cohn, Cappi Comba, Cathy Cowen, Betsy Dally, Emma Fenton, Joanna Franke, Ellen Greenblum, Gail Holl, Mauricio Josytewa, Mariah McKennon, Jacie Morgan, Jordan Palmer, Ryan Parsons, Leslie Quinichet, Jason Rivera, Billy Rose, Daniel Scafani, Alexa Simpson, Mallory Van de Loo Brunk, & Terry Nagel Winkler

Emma Fenton (left) and Billy Rose (right). Courtesy photos. version of of the thing you’re looking at. Instead, he taught you to really look at the thing you’re drawing or painting, not just assume and recreate an archetype or symbol from your mind. I was surprised and excited.

What changed for you over the course of the class?

Fenton: Before the class, I had a feeling that art was very personal, but I didn’t have as strong a sense of how different people interpret different things in the same art. That was really interesting to me, how some of my different classmates could look at something and interpret completely differently than how I would. We had at least two group critiques in the class, which was very encouraging, not at all judgmental. A lot of artists get nervous about showing their art, especially if it’s very personal, but it was low pressure, which was nice. Dana has a certain technique, a style of teaching that’s more low key and casual, but also very personal.

He inspires you a lot and encourages you to pursue wherever you feel your art should go. He definitely advises you but never oversteps certain boundaries or tries to tell you what you should be doing.

Rose: It was nice to have that art community in the classroom, which was something I hadn’t experienced for a long time. Dana is the artist that you always wanted to know, that you thought existed out there somewhere in the world. I’ve left Arizona many times, and when you’re in Prescott, you just don’t meet people like him every day.

He’s so serious about art and literature. It’s all consuming for him, and that obsession rubs off on everyone around him.

What was something that was difficult for you, personally?

Fenton: A big part of it for me was not giving in to self doubt. I don’t think I’m doing anything

incredibly different with my art. The old masters, they had original ideas. I don’t think I have any original ideas. I’m still getting trying to get past that thought. I thought I wasn’t good enough. It was mostly an internal struggle, but I did talk to Dana about it. He really listened and encouraged me to just follow my heart and go with what my gut tells me about art.

Rose: A lot of the class is structured so that you can swap out projects to some degree, but I wanted to challenge myself. I forced myself to work in Pointillism. I’d been a very physical painter before, but that was very different, slowing down and putting down these very deliberate, calculated forms. It was really helpful, though, and it changed the way I paint. I’m still physical, but I’ve become more calculated and thoughtful, which is beneficial.

Any other memorable interactions?

Fenton: I have several memories of Dana staying and talking after class for 20 minutes straight about art, life, and just anything and everything.

There was one lady in class who was so inspiring to me. I’d see her across and the room and she always had a smile on her face. She didn’t think she was any good at painting, but just wanted to do it because she purely enjoyed it. That was really inspiring to me — to get in that mindset, not doing art to gain anyone’s approval, just doing it for yourself.

Rose: I met a couple of people in class who I became really good friends with, and reconnected with some people, including Jordan Palmer, who I knew growing up here. Dana pushed the people around him because he’s such a great artist and — I know this sounds really cheesy — but it’s not so much what he says about your art but how he reacts that really drives you. He’s such a funny guy, and every little thing has some personal story

or memory associated with it. It makes you feel like you’ve done something when you shake something loose from him. I had a painting of a big rig swerving out of the way of a guy that had this creepy feeling to it. Dana was just staring at it, and started talking about this movie, “Out of the Blue,” and I was so excited because my painting triggered these memories and feelings in him.

How does it feel to have your art at this show?

Fenton: I’m really excited. I’ve never been in a show of any type before, so this is my first quoteunquote art show. I haven’t really shown too many people my art besides friends and family. I was surprised I had the opportunity. Dana told me about the show pretty early in the class. I was hopeful but thought it might not work out, that I might not get in. When it came up, I was excited and entered, and really tried to think positively about it. I’m really trying to be more positive now.

It feels good to have my art out there.

Rose: I’ve had art shows before, but never shown anything at the Raven. It’s cool to come back here, to where I had the first part of my art education, and revisit that. I love that spot, and I look forward to seeing what else people who’ve taken Dana’s classes have done. ***** See art by Emma Fenton and Billy Rose and many more at “A New Look: Art Under the Auspices of Dana Cohn,” which runs Sept. 12-Oct. 16 at The Raven Café, 142 N. Cortez St., 928-7170009. The opening reception is 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 14.

James Dungeon is a figment of his own imagination. And he likes cats. Contact him at James DungeonCats@Gmail.Com.

21

Not-asholy days

T

he fourth holiday quarter is just around the corner. That’s no reason to gloss over festivities this month, though. Consider celebrating ...

Sept. 3: Skyscraper Day • The best and worst of industrialization.

Sept. 5: Be Late for Something Day • Stop and smell the roses first, perhaps.

Sept. 8: Literacy Day • Reading is fundamental.

Sept. 11: No News is Good News Day • Nothing to report.

Sept. 12: Video Games Day • Wasn’t that in July? [Reset.]

Sept. 13: Defy Superstition Day • Walk under a ladder and cross a black cat.

Sept. 16: Collect Rocks Day • Gotta hound it to you.

Sept. 23: Checkers Day • Diagonal alley.

Sept. 25: Comic Book Day • Who doesn’t love a good panelist?

T

his strange looking pistol is called a Dardick Model 1500. It was invented by a man named David Dardick and was revolutionary in its design. It’s a firearm that incorporates an internal revolver action, fed by a magazine loaded into the grip.

ODDLY ENOUGH …This weapon utilized another surprise for the owner, it fired triangular shaped cartridges called “trounds.” *****

T

his weird looking little semi-automatic pistol was designed in 1894 by Theodore Bergmann and Louis Schmeisser. Firing a bullet similar to a .25 caliber, this handgun utilized a five shot clip that fit into a completely housed magazine, forward of the trigger. The spent cartridges were ejected without an extractor by the residual gas pressure left in the barrel after the gun was fired.

ODDLY ENOUGH … Although many features incorporated into this pistol were ahead of their time and many of its functions are still used today in modern weaponry, this German-made pistol never seemed to catch on. Regardless, the 1896 model did receive some mild interest by the military at the time. ***** Russell Miller is an illustrator, cartoonist, writer, bagpiper, motorcycle enthusiast, and reference librarian. Currently, he illustrates books for Cody Lundin and Bart King.

Sept.28:AskaStupidQuestionDay • Does this one count?

-No Usage Limits-No Contracts Required-Free Install Options-Fast Local Support-

We will work with you.

22 • FEATURE • SEPTEMBER 2016 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

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