Tag Archives: artists

The Art of Gift-Making: a Process Rife with Abundance

Posted on December 13, 2016 by Aprilart Studios

Gifting can be hard… really hard! In 5 Ways to Reclaim the Holidays, I explore ideas for using holiday gift-giving to build community while also producing kick-ass, original presents that will bring joy to your friends & family. Here, I’d … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Being an Artist, Building Community | Tagged abundance, art, artists, community, connectedness, creating, creativity, family, gifts, holidays, relationships, social change | Leave a comment

Encountering Cave ~ A “Blogella” in Three Parts (Pt. 1)

Posted on April 10, 2013 by April

Last Monday night, I had the experience of a lifetime–seeing my favorite living artist, the three-decade strong, genre-transcending, brilliant singer-songwriter Nick Cave perform live with The Bad Seeds at the Chicago Theatre. Exceeding my hopes and fears, the experience left me buzzing, … Continue reading →

Posted in Being an Artist, Local Events, People Who Inspire Me, Stories Behind Artwork | Tagged art, artists, chicago, creativity, darkness, inclusion, inspiration, music, nick cave, nick cave and the bad seeds, poetry, post punk | 12 Comments

Dial Tone defies Debby: a sensory recap

Posted on July 2, 2012 by April

Originally published in This Week in Sarasota In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve become a somewhat obsessive fan of the unique local project The End of the Dial Tone Radical Experimental Collaborative Music Band Band. It’s pretty serious — … Continue reading →

Posted in Being an Artist, Building Community, Local Events, Music, Published Articles, Stories Behind Artwork | Tagged April Doner, art, artists, collaboration, community, dance, end of the dial tone, eric de barros, experimentation, florida, Hunter Slade, improvisation, jake's tavern, john lichtenstein, Kari Bunker, live art, local, lois betterton, matt gunter, mike murphy, music, musicians, painting, performance, photography, poetry, radical, sarasota, scene, scott braun, Sishir Bommakanti, this week in sarasota, van jazmin, writing, zachariah skylab | Leave a comment

Personal Pledge: Buying Local this Xmas

Posted on December 16, 2011 by April

First off — MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY HOLIDAYS! I want to take a moment to share a personal commitment I’ve made this season, which I believe will make a real difference in my local community (and the world), and make … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged artists, change, citizenship, commerce, community, economy, grassroots, indie, local, responsibility, small business | 7 Comments

Breaking Down Artist Stereotypes

Posted on September 9, 2011 by April

(originally published in ABCD in Action) This is really just the beginning of what I feel will be a long string of essays/blogs, but it’s been rolling around inside me for all these months and I have to let it … Continue reading →

Posted in Being an Artist, Uncategorized | Tagged artists, diversity, empowerment, identity, inclusion, labels, perception, skills, stereotypes | 2 Comments

Why I Painted “Collective”

Posted on February 18, 2011 by michaelb

A lost wallet in snowy Chicago led me to encounter a group of young artists that deeply shaped my life direction. Continue reading →

Posted in People Who Inspire Me, Stories Behind Artwork, Uncategorized | Tagged artists, chicago, collaboration, collective, community, creativity, culture, diversity, hip hop, inspiration, paintings, power, travel, youth | 5 Comments