I think this is my favorite pic of Sherill and I at Zombie Prom. I’m so glad I asked Spiggycat to snap our picture, she’s a genius with portraiture. That dress weighs over 5 pounds, now I remember why I never wear it – it’s exhausting!
Husband went low-fi. He wore some gauze to hold his decaying limbs on and pinned a nametag to his shirt that said “Rob.”
In Friday’s Washington Post the Reliable Source reported on the mysterious letters being sent by someone calling themself “The Benefactor.”
Suspiciously, a letter alleging to be from the Benefactor showed up at the office on Friday. In the opening shift confusion the envelope was dropped into the mailbox for Board members with my name on it. I’m not clear whether a volunteer read it, didn’t understand it and wrote my name on the envelope or whether it arrived pre-addressed. (It only had my first name). That’s all I know, so here’s a picture of the letter:
Is it real? Is it a hoax? The letter (which was slipped under the office door sometime Friday) reads:
June 19, 2009
To Whom It May Concern:
I wish to convey my regrets for any concern I have caused the artists of Artomatic. I meant no harm. You may well imagine my surprise at seeing my small gesture reported upon in the Washington Post.
Allow me to explain myself. Since the passing of my husband of 43 years I have not been as socially active as I once was. My daughter, Margaret, accompanied me to the Artomatic Fair some weeks ago. I was enchanted by the work I was able to view. I was not able to tour the entire show but the work that I saw touched my heart and brightened my day. My income is limited so Margaret suggested I send a small token of my appreciation to some of the artists who touched me most.
I have asked Margaret to leave this note with the Directors of Artomatic. I do so hope that I have caused no lasting distress to all of the delightful artists in your show.
I wish you well in all of your future endeavors.
With warmest regards,
The Benefactor
Even though I’m drowning in deadlines, artomatic wackiness, and technological meltdown, my day started out with a big dose of happiness when I saw that our installation was mentioned on Lenny’s blog.
From the Huffington Post, Jill Yaworski visits Artomatic in, “Artomatic Celebrates Anniversary.”
Mark your calendars, Saturday June 13th is Artist Night at Artomatic. The “meet the artists” portion of the evening is officially 7-9 p.m.
Husband and I are excited that we’ll get to see Dr. Birdcage and Phil. We’re having another slumber party that night and we’re hoping Phil will read us bedtime stories from my collection of extra-terrestrial ethnographies.
“Dr Birdcage and Phil” has an excellent ring to it. Like Tony Orlando and Dawn, except not at all like that. Maybe like that a little. I’ll think about it a bit more and get back to you.
Can’t think about it right now, I’m distracted. It’s possible that Sherill and I may be getting slightly too enthusiastic about Artist Night. Specifically, about our dresses.
We’ve been overheard making statements such as, “Add the other corset and you could set your drink on my breasts!” and “My dress won’t fit into the trunk of my car” and “I won’t be able to wear a tiara and a veil at the same time.” These could perhaps be indicators that we’re out of control. I don’t have the energy for all this, so I was starting to loose momentum about dressing up. I actually started having second thoughts about the whole Bee Widow outfit after I took one of the crinolines out of the underskirt and decided it was still a bit awkward to wear all evening. Then I remembered something very important. I remembered that the actual Meet the Artist time is 2 hours and I could, you know, change clothes at some point into a less formal gown or maybe even…jeans.
Yes, there are far, far more important things to think about than ballgowns and boobs and bees, but they aren’t nearly as fun.
