Holgie Loves the Cowboy
January 16th, 2010 by Julia TaylorArt finds a place in life sometimes where you least expect it. We were in California last month, visiting the community of 29 Palms and met a local artist, a photo-realism painter, Chuck Caplinger. He lives in a dome in the desert and his wife, Holgie Forrester, is an actor. When you meet her you know you’ve seen her in commercials, television and film over the years. She started her career when she was 10 years old with Disney on Stage.
Holgie Forrester’s filmography.
Chuck is a well-know muralist and became famous 30 years ago on the Hollywood scene with his wall size paintings for Hollywood celebs particularly Marilyn Monroe. Visit Desert Art Studio here.
In his very early career as a musician he traveled the jazz world and worked with Sammy Davis Jr. Chuck was born in Texas, still sports the boots and accent and Holgie calls him Cowboy.
Fifteen years ago Chuck and Holgie moved from the LA scene to the desert and they both have worked hard to create an economy that will sustain artists with formation of a cultural center, funding for a series of murals around town and a school arts program. This is a small community outside of Joshua Tree which is now becoming a destination community with new restaurants and art galleries.
But what was most surprising was how Holgie uses her acting skills to help prepare marines on the local base to live and survive in Afghanistan and Iraqi villages. She works with the soldiers and American-Afghanistan Iraqi citizens to create real life scenarios for the soldiers so they can quickly acclimate to life in these villages. She saves lives with her acting and direction.
Art finds a way to change the way we live each day.
Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert, once said “Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.”
May we not be afraid to be creative and make some mistakes and may our best mistakes create art in the way we live!
For those who want to a little video recounting of the trip–here is an animoto version.
A few pictures on the road from Palm Springs, 29 Palms and LA at the end of 2009 with music by Benjamin Biolay
The High Price of Bad Policy–Esau’s Porridge
September 28th, 2009 by Julia TaylorToday I attended a TRE (Transforming Economic Regions) Roundtable organized by the Land Grant Universities. Neil Noyes, President of the Virginia Tobacco Commission, riveted all of us with his incredible vision which is now a reality of transforming the textile mills, tobacco fields and coal mines of Virginia by investment of the State’s Tobacco Settlement Fund of $35 million in capital into 5 R&D facilities in energy opportunity fields–nuclear, carbon, composites and renewable energies. $100 million in grant match to incentivize research partnered with Virgina Commonwealth Institutions just rolled out a month ago and they are making their first $20 million investment. This is happening in the poor, rural communities of Virginia. They invested in infrastructure–the typical industrial parks, roads and water but also invested in two major fiber optics networks that span two large regional areas. There is no research university in either region which led to the formation of the 5 R&D facilities. Neil described this as based on inclusive networks that value collaboration, are responsive to private sector needs and are not passive but activist networks for change.
Remember what happened to Wisconsin’s Tobacco Settlement money? We took the Esau approach and sold our birthright for a quick budget fix bowl of porridge.
Palm Springs Walk About
March 13th, 2009 by Julia TaylorToday was a lazy day with a very very long walk this morning. Here’s some pics from my walk about. There is a huge filming caravan down the street. I took lots of fast pics with the fast tap camera app but then didn’t save them-arrrgh.
Oh well there is tomorrow…
Our home away
Just an idea-what do you think? Twitter, kids and Art.
January 24th, 2009 by Julia TaylorI took my 9 year old granddaughter to her first symphony last night and remembered the gracious gestures of teachers, friends and family that brought me new experiences as a child. Some which shaped what I enjoy and value today.
It would be interesting to use Twitter and a tweet-up to provide some similar experiences to kids today. What if in any community, we could connect with each other, our kids and invite other children to do a tweet-up at a symphony, an museum, a live theater show, a walk in a nature preserve, or some experience we value and want to share.
Most arts groups will go the extra mile to provide a pre-show talk or after show talkback, discount tweet-up group tickets and then there is always the fun of pizza before the show.
I’d like to figure out a way to invite some kids (and adults) who might never get the chance to go the theater or symphony. It would be nice to forward the favor of those adults who were so generous to me growing up in a little town in rural Indiana and gave me the chance to see a different world.
This is just a Saturday morning idea and too long to tweet but I’d like to know what you think.
Here’s the review of the symphony–it was an amazing one especially for a first one for Livvy.
A little Adrienne Rich and a winter blast
December 21st, 2008 by Julia TaylorWatching the temperature start at minus 4 and then drift up to 0 degrees today, brings to mind the comments at Mary Louise Mussoline and Jim Cope’s Holiday Party last night about why we stay in this cold climate.
Most of us who live here over the years hold onto those sweet October evenings when you can still sit outside by the fire pit, watch the evening stars come into view and spin the conversations of old friendships a little longer . Then the temperature begins its shift to the 40s and its time to dig out coats, then the downward spiral to the 30s and 20s and it’s the time for finding the one good pair of leather gloves that still match from last season, untangling the scarves and unearthing the ice scraper from last season.
We stay here for those nights when the sky is clear and the snow falls caught in the streetlight and we walk hand in hand to the car down the snowy street. The sounds of the party spill out of the front door behind us and we are warm from the wine and the talk of friends who bind us all together in this place. The political discussion, the talk about the economic troubles all ebb away. What matters is the solidness of our friends who are with us when our emotional weather is the perfect summer evening and the rigors of the sub zero times and the absolute energy and sureness about life of the young people dancing, laughing and creating their own climate change.
It’s a good place to be, the weather withstanding.
An avalanche of snow from the roof
Here is one of my favorite poems from my college days. It seems to fit today as well as we huddle down with the weather and “troubles” swirling outside the keyhole.
Storm Warnings
The glass has been falling all the afternoon,
And knowing better than the instrument
What winds are walking overhead, what zone
Of grey unrest is moving across the land,
I leave the book upon a pillowed chair
And walk from window to closed window, watching
Boughs strain against the sky
And think again, as often when the air
Moves inward toward a silent core of waiting,
How with a single purpose time has traveled
By secret currents of the undiscerned
Into this polar realm. Weather abroad
And weather in the heart alike come on
Regardless of prediction.
Between foreseeing and averting change
Lies all the mastery of elements
Which clocks and weatherglasses cannot alter.
Time in the hand is not control of time,
Nor shattered fragments of an instrument
A proof against the wind; the wind will rise,
We can only close the shutters.
I draw the curtains as the sky goes black
And set a match to candles sheathed in glass
Against the keyhole draught, the insistent whine
Of weather through the unsealed aperture.
This is our sole defense against the season;
These are the things we have learned to do
Who live in troubled regions.
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Doyle’s Economic Stimulus Package
December 12th, 2008 by Julia Taylorhttp://www.scribd.com/share/upload/5959120/1xqzq405arg9tjmf479w
Why you absolutely should not cancel your holiday party!
November 10th, 2008 by Julia TaylorTonight after a very long day, I went to my favorite local restaurant which was extremely quiet. The owner came in and talked to me about all the ccancellations coming from major Milwaukee global companies for holiday parties. The companies did not want to celebrate the holidays with lay-offs occurring.
Ok—the troubles are upon us and we are all very aware of sensitivity in our workplaces. How can we celebrate the holidays when lay-offs are occurring?
As Winston Churchill said “However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.”
When times are tough, we all respond but sometimes these responses have unintended consequences. It only makes a bad situation worse. So when your company decides for decorum sake to not hold a holiday party, your company’s decision may also lay off even more Milwaukeeans ( think of restaurant staff) and close down local restaurants that make up the vibrancy of Milwaukee.
This is a time of fear and over reaction and I hope that at the CEO level, we decide to place the bet on the future of Milwaukee and on these local restaurant owners and their staff who take a risk daily on this community. In the scheme of the major decisions you are making, this may seem insignificant but it isn’t. It may be a small cut on the bottom line and more symbolic than anything. This isn’t the time to make the symbolic gesture without understanding that it is the wrong gesture for what makes Milwaukee a very special place for all of us.
Long and short of it, don’t cancel your holiday party. You need to make this decision for the community and your company, not someone in corporate event planning.
Check it out and hopefully, put your party back on the books. We need your vision and your vote on Milwaukee to move our future forward.
Trade on the MKE Culture Road
November 9th, 2008 by Julia TaylorWell, transit and culture are not necessarily soul sisters but neither are they unrelated. So while Monday is a big transit day, it is also a very big Culture day with the release of the Regional Inventory of Cultural Assets.
How do we stack up to other places? How dire is the situation? Almost 50% of the midsize arts groups operate at a deficit with no reserves. Milwaukee has lived on its manufacturing past’s assets in terms of foundations and personal wealth for 50 years. How does the cultural investment of the years impact our future? Take a look at the study. It is basically 3 major studies under one cover and will make you step back and realize what we have and how tenuous our quality of life institutions are in our region. Go to the GMC website to download the study. http://www.gmconline.org
The Transit Dilemma –Monday is T-Day
November 4th, 2008 by Julia TaylorDuring one of my job interviews with the GMC, the question was how would I move transit forward in the region? My answer then and now is the same–a multi-county Regional Transit Authority with a dedicated funding source. This is not a new idea. The GMC almost created a similar RTA twenty years ago. Where would we be today if the RTA was actually created and funded in 1988?
Early in my first year as President, the GMC Board endorsed moving forward with the KRM commuter rail project and supporting a regional approach to transit. As a result, we were able to legislatively create a three county RTA that was charged to report out to the legislature this November, the structure and plan for funding for future of the region. I was appointed the Governor’s appointee on the RTA at its formation. So on Monday, we vote and roll out our RTA plan to the legislature and Governor at the same time a few hours later at the GMC membership meeting we roll out the Cultural Assets Inventory for the Region.
This is a very, very critical time for our region and I need your help. We need 6 out of 7 votes on the RTA on Monday to advance a viable plan to the legislature. The County Executive and the Mayor both have staff appointees on the RTA and their votes are crucial.
This is the time to pick up the phone and call the County Executive and the Mayor and let them know your opinion on moving forward on transit or we may wait another 20 years for an opportunity like this. The Kenosha and Racine business community are aligned with this plan.
The bullet points on the preferred plan is below:
- 3-county (Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha) Regional Transit Authority (addition of other counties a possibility in the future)
- only that part of Racine east of the I to be included within RTA (”urbanized area” as defined by SEWRPC)
- Governor includes the entire proposal in his budget
- RTA is authorized to implement a sales tax, which will vary by county based on the approved transit plan of service for that county. (Fall-back position is for local municipalities to authorize the sales tax by a vote of the local municipal government.)
- transit plan of service developed first, then the cost of that plan calculated for the purpose of determining the amount of sales tax for that county
- sales tax to fund transit (bus and KRM), amount varying by jurisdiction, within a range of 0.1 to 0.5 cents per dollar
- sales tax to reduce property tax (statutory levy limits) by what currently spent on transit
- no referendum requirement of any kind
- no cross-county subsidization
The positive vote on the advisory referendum for parks, transit and EMS indicates community support for the dedicated funding source for transit. This is a great barometer for the legislature that the region is ready to move forward to build our future.
We have a choice in our future and it is often made up of collective actions by individuals. You can make a difference in this region for you and the generations to come.
Great Basketball
October 19th, 2008 by Julia TaylorWell in Beijing we saw some great basketball and the Bucks really coming together around new leadership and new players. Even the three pointer by Warrior’s Rob Kurz was great basketball and probably good for a lifetime of free bar tabs!
I’ll email the two pointer by the Bucks and then with 1.6 seconds left–Kurz’s shot–as soon as they are all uploaded!
Here’s my fav photo of the trip at the reception in Guangzhou with Junior Bridgeman, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bob Lanier and Willie Hines.
Jr. Bridgeman, Kareem, Bob Lanier and me!
At the Golden Cube in Beijing