Festival of the Beautiful 2018

It’s the first Saturday of Mardi Gras, so it’s time for the second annual Festival of the Beautiful! We started this event along with the Galveston Arts Center and the Hotel Artist Lofts as a response to the rising ticket prices and heightened fences of Galveston’s Mardi Gras. This event is free and open to everyone’s interpretation of beauty! Costumes and handmade gifts (to be given away in lieu of beads) are highly encouraged.

The King of the Babies and Super Sallie are ready to go! But first we must consult the Oracle.

Undeterred by the pouring rain, we set out for the Artists Lofts to meet the rest of our crew.

We took refuge in the Proletariat to warm up before we began the rest of our festive journey.

Our crew paraded down Postoffice, giving handmade gifts to fellow merrymakers and onlookers.

Thank you to current artists in residence Kristina and Justin for bearing the ark back to the sacred fire!

Thank you to Becky Major for her excellent bull-horn skills, David for adding his sousaphone into our parade cacophony, and Dennis Nance for navigating our path through the fog.

After our downtown meandering we headed back to GAR to give our offerings to the magical fire.

Offerings were made, and the fire accepted!

We sealed the deal through music! Thank you to Mariana Kunst Fascion (of BOAN) for her amazing performance.

And Tex Kirschen and Erika Thrasher (of Studded Left and Indian Jewelry) for bringing it home!

Somewhere in the fog is Michael Allison, once again taking care of the sound, the lights, and the THICK MYST.

Not pictured is Dan Schmahl, because he was once again, the man behind the camera. Therefore he appears in none, or all of these pictures, depending on how you look at it.

It was an amazing night, with fun had by all!

Thanks to everyone who came out that night and helped us celebrate. When we emptied our pockets the next morning we found so many amazing gifts!

Until next year, you beautiful people!

 

6.17.17 | Pumaman

Come by and see the 2016-2017 Artists in Residence show featuring work by Leonardo Benzant, Fidencio Fifield-Perez, and Pat Palermo. It’s full of mysteries!

A big thank you to Emperor X for coming to Galveston and playing an amazing show for our opening.

We headed West with the residents for our annual after-show road trip. Here are Pat, Dan and Lucy in a Judd concrete box.

The Judd’s were infested with adorable baby bunny rabbits. Donald would have loved it.

The whole gang on a morning hike in the Davis Mountains.

Rainbow over Mountain GAR.

A quick bee update: This photo is from several weeks ago now, but our bees have settled in and are busy building comb, hatching brood, gathering pollen, and building up their honey stores.

And introducing the newest, unexpected member of the GARgang: Pumaman! (Pronounced Puma Man). Named in honor of GAR cofounder, Bert Geary, and his dedicated work with the mountain lions of West Texas.

We had been hearing the sound of a kitty in distress but couldn’t find the source for a few days. Finally we located this little one hiding in the engine of a resident’s car.

We put out food and water for him, but he wouldn’t come out.  Finally we ended up spraying water into the hood of the car, and he came running out!

He was exhausted from lack of food and water, in the heat of the Galveston summer.

But after a few days of rest, and regular nourishment he was up and about, finding and causing all sorts of mischief!

Now he’s a friendly and playful little guy, attacking everything that moves, then crashing hard for a nap on a lap. We haven’t introduced him to The Ghost and The Darkness yet, but I’m sure he’ll be a welcome addition to the GARdians!

05.04.17 | The Birds and The Bees

Curator, Regine Basha and her son, Ruben, visited Galveston this spring and we went to go visit the Roseate Spoonbills nesting on High Island.

It’s a sight to see! 

When you add in the alligators it becomes a primal nature wonderland!

Here is a migrating Indigo Bunting resting in the GAR courtyard. The spring migration seems to have come a little late this year, but there have been plenty of beautiful birds passing through.

New additions to the residency! Introducing the GAR bees!

Here is Eric, releasing the Queen (Beeyonce).

Many thanks to Anna Garza for coming to Galveston and talking about her projects empowering girls and building safe spaces for sexual minorities in Houston through the wisdom and power of Rock n’ Roll! This was a collaboration between GAR, WAKE the zine, and the Galveston Party.

Afterwards, Giant Kitty played a super fun set. Thanks so much for coming down, guys! This was such a rad show!

Last week we were honored to host a Da Camera Pop-Up Concert, Blow Up, My City, featuring Sonia Wieder Atherton on cello, Sarah Rothenberg on piano, and short films by Chantal Akerman.

Sonia Wieder Atherton accompanying Chantal Akerman’s Saute ma ville (Blow up, My City), which she filmed in 1968 when she was 18. It was her first film.

Sonia and Sarah playing Grand Duet for cello and piano (1959) by Galina Ustvolskaya. They brought the house down.

The following night Karima Walker treated us to a haunting, spectral desert meandering. Special shout out to Michael Allison, who not only opened for Karima, but did all our sound and projections for the show as well. Thanks, Michael!

Last, but certainly not least, a gratuitous spring garden bounty photo. This went into our bellies. The traditional GAR lunch is alive and well.

Thanks to everyone who has come out to all our music events this past spring. Looking forward to summer!

2.25.17 | The Festival of The Beautiful

This year for Mardi Gras we joined forces with the Galveston Arts Center and the Hotel Artist Lofts to present “The Festival of The Beautiful”.  No fences, totally free, sponsored by no one and everyone.

Costumes and handmade gifts replaced store bought jester hats and plastic beads.  Eric’s wizard costume came complete with a driftwood staff, barnacle incense holder, and beach flotsam necklaces to give to strangers and friends.

We left the GAR compound and joined up with the Hotel Artist Lofts.  Becky Major was playing the Euphonium!

Dennis Nance, Galveston Arts Center curator, looked amazing in his handmade costume and streamers. GAR resident, Fidencio Martinez, was spectacularly turned out as a potted monstera philodendron, and carried our Ark for the fire.

Sallie and GAR resident Pat Palermo carried the official parade banner.

We paraded downtown, gathering revelers as we went.  We quickly outgrew the sidewalk, walked the wrong way up a one-way street, and took over an official parade route for a few blocks, returning to the GAR compound for the rest of the Festival.

We had a ritualistic burning of our Festival Ark. Each group brought their own offering for the fire. In the fire our ashes all became one.

Studded Left from Houston kicked off the show!

And Vockah Redu from New Orleans brought it all home! And a very special thank you goes to Michael Stuart Allison for the projections and sound. A second very special thank you to Dan Schmahl, who took all our photos, and therefore appears in none, or all, symbolically, depending on how you look at it.

Thanks to everyone who came out, made costumes and gifts, and brought the festive spirit. It was a truly special night. Hope to see y’all next Mardi Gras!

12.20.16 | GAR Holiday Spectacular!

The view from the GAR front gates – yes, it is that weird. Always.

David Snyder’s prophetic show completely predicted the outcome of the election. Man, we wish he was wrong.

Deinstalling David Snyder’s show was at least cathartic, as we destroyed the mindless spectators with a sledge hammer.

It’s been a great year so far with the new residents! Here is Pat Palermo and a gaftopsail catfish.

Lunch is served!

Fidencio Martinez and Leonardo Benzant share their work in progress with UofH students.

The artists in residence were also able to present their work to the Galveston community.

The official GAR sport – Texas boule!

It’s best played in an alleyway with lots of pebbles and potholes and maybe a dead pigeon.

If you haven’t come by to see Scott Gilbert’s “True Artist Tales” in the GAR Gallery, it’ll be up through the holidays.

It’s what all the fancy ladies are doing…

There’s also a new issue of Binder Magazine available. Featuring handmade incense, created from lovingly gathered fragrant woods, herbs and spices in the Davis Mountains of West Texas.

Also, a sticker!

A behind the scenes look at Super Hit Press, where Binder is printed.

The newest addition to the GARden – boat planter! The mast is a pluot tree.

Gratuitous kitty photos.

The GAR kids, being silly.

It’s always good to end on a sunrise.

Happy Holidays, friends.

9.17.16 |The Eye and The Oracle

David Snyder explains his installation, “Knock-Off Oracle, Undecider’s Anthem… And a Disaster, After” at his opening in the GAR Gallery.

Josh, listening to the oracle.

In conjunction with the gallery opening we had a mini-music festival featuring 3 bands – Karima Walker, Deep Cuts, and Hearts of Animals.  This is Karima Walker’s atmospheric and haunting performance .

Thanks to Michael Allison for his awesome projections! Looked just as good from the inside as it did from the courtyard.  This was during Deep Cuts’ performance.

The three new residents have arrived and have begun exploring the strangeness of Galveston.

Ghost, the GAR kitty – hard at work.

Sunrise over the Gulf of Mexico.

8 .4 .16 | Big Bubbles and Bernie on the Beach

We sent off our 2015 – 2016 Residents in style – geeking out on giant bubbles!

I mean, how can you NOT smile with bubbles this big? It brought out everyone’s inner kid.

And snow cones!!

Dan puts the finishing touches on a “Bernie on the Beach”.

Special shout out to Michael Waugh for planting ground cherries all over GAR. These funny little fruits shouldn’t have been able to grow in this climate, but they did incredibly well.

Ghost and the Darkness having an early morning conspiratorial meeting. Caught in the act, boys!

Sun rising over the Gulf of Mexico. Happy Summer, everyone!