a b c

This kickstarter project was a fundraiser for Austin Bat Cave, a non-profit group in Texas. Fliss stumbled upon it while surfing the short-list one afternoon in mid-November. (What I call the short-list is termed "Ending Soon" on the website.)
The project was titled "Hand & Wing" and involved sending volunteers, on a weekly basis, to schools in Austin. These volunteers then helped students find their own "voice" in written form. Nice, yes? Any and every little thing which encourages pre-teens and teens and read and to express themselves in written form is of worth to our nation.
Definitely worthwhile, then, even though I knew no one in Austin and don't believe I ever have. That is, I had no personal stake in funding this endeavor. So, why did I? Especially as the project had already met and surpassed its fundraising goal, why chip in some of my own money?
I wanted the haiku thank you card. The projects on kickstarter all offer "rewards" for various donation levels. Some of these rewards are quite inventive, adding to the creativity quotient of the project. "Hand & Wing" had some very interesting rewards and the one that caught my eye read, "Buy a Word :: Pledge us a five-spot and we'll send you a word -- your choice of 'gawsy', 'jape', 'slipslop', 'mooncalf', or 'vermiculate' -- defined and mailed ... to your door with our thank you written in Haiku on the back."
How could I not be part of this exercise in literacy??? I looked up the words listed to find the one most appealing. Then I pledged a little more than asked, requested the word "gawsy", and settled back to wait for the mail to bring my treat. This week, the postman delivered!
My word choice was defined as an adjective, meaning "well-dressed and cheerful". Nice! But the haiku really captured my heart:

The insects shine bright
to our blinded eyes because
of your giving heart.

Well done, bats of Texas, well done!

art house whore!

I've suspected it was true for quite some time, but now it's official:
I'm an ART HOUSE WHORE
- and proud of it!
Yep, my reward came today from my little bit of money
- only $20 -
backing the Art House Cinema 502's very successful kickstarter campaign to raise funds for a blue-ray server.
I know this looks like an ordinary T-shirt.
Just an ordinary black T-shirt.
Well, except for that badge of honor over the left breast, of course.
(smile!)

However, it is not ordinary.
According to Joel Layton, the creator of this campaign, this shirt has magical powers! As he states, "Our shirt gives you a complimentary concession item each visit when you wear it to the theatre and watch a film. Value is ultimately determined by how often your shirt is used!"
Hey, maybe a trip to Utah is needed in the future... maybe!

bike-a-bee

There is something about Chicago that keeps my interest. Maybe it's because I used to escape there when I was stationed in Great Lakes, Illinois. When I was in Great Lakes, back in 1977, there was nothing there except the base and the business that fed off of it: the fast food joints, the pawn shops, the jewelry stores. So, almost every weekend, I caught the train down to Chicago and would bop around downtown all day. Music festivals, sidewalk art shows, galleries and parks and life.
I know that locale was probably part of the reason for my attraction to "Married With Children". It may have even tied in, subconsciously, to my decision to back a kickstarter project for an art show there.
Who knows? Maybe the Windy City has influenced my choice today, making my eye linger over this particular project. Then again, I haven't yet backed any food projects, so this would satisfy the need for that little pie-wedge of hot pink in my sponsor wheel.
(smile)
What other reasons to put 29 smackeroos toward this endeavor by Jana Kinsman? Well, I do like that she is part of a collective herself - that shows she's a team player. The fact that the collective is for "creatives of the female variety" is certainly interest piqueing, too.
It certainly is creative to transport bees to urban gardens, farms, and even schoolyards. After all, no pollination means no fruits or vegetables. Most folks with gardens want to have a harvest.
She needed places for her hives, but she would take care of the bees' needs. She had already scouted the areas where folks wanted to become part of her beekeeping community, where the people and bees worked together, buzzing along in harmony.
I know, very corny, right? But I can't help myself!
Which is the primary reason I've joined the hive. It sounds like fun and it sounds positive and, what's more, I like bees and know how hard city life has been on them.
Her campaign still has three more weeks, so I'll let you know the buzz as soon as I do.
Bzzz bzzzz bzz!

the freedom to run

Today, I chose this project to fund. Why?
Well, for variety, really.
Kickstarter offers thirteen categories of creative quests for angel's dollars. Those categories are: art; comics; dance; design; fashion; film & video; food; games; music; photography; publishing; technology; and theatre. They even show you, with a pie chart, the types of projects you have funded and the quantities for each type.
I had not yet funded someone's photography works.
Okay, this one sounded interesting and concerned a topic of which I knew nothing: parkour.
The artist was even doing some shots in Georgia, so that made it of more interest to me.
"Freedom To Run" seems to capture movement in a living way, too.
So... it really was just that simple, this choice.
I'll let you know how it turns out.

waddie welcome & the beloved community

I cannot recall how I found this project on kickstarter. However, as soon as I saw the title, I knew I wanted to be a backer.
Why? It isn't a local project, or even a project somewhere in Georgia. So, why?
The answer is in two parts.
My first attraction was the title, as I said. The university at which I teach has a Common Read book each academic year, a book which every freshman will read as part of their English core classes. Sometimes the book chosen is also incorporated into other disciplines, such as history, biology, chemistry, economics, criminal justice, education...you catch my drift.
The Fall semester of 2010 was my first as a full-time teacher at the university and I was immersing myself in the experience, including attendance at the seminars on the Common Read book for that year. Written by two local authors about a Savannah man with cerebral palsy, Waddie Welcome and the Beloved Community appealed to me on many levels. So much so, that I even spoke about the book to the publisher and authors after the first seminar.
Then I saw the title on kickstarter and the first thing I noticed was: the young woman involved with sharing this story is physically disabled. Nikki Booker had chosen, for her senior project, to bring this book to others in the form of a play, to share its message of community and inclusion.
Wow.
How could I not back it?
And share that project with others to also back?
And so I have.

time travel and literacy

J. Lee Graham does not lack for motivation.
When his first kickstarter venture failed to raise the needed capital to launch his book about time travel, In The Nick Of Time, into the hands of eager children, did he give up? Absolutely not!
Now, here he is, back in the ring to take another swing (as AC/DC would say). Focusing on getting books into the hands of readers, not reviewers, his project is revamped and has a lower funding goal. (Hey, critics will cost you, in case you didn't know. You didn't think Roger Ebert wrote for free, did you?)
I'm looking forward to holding an autographed copy in my hands.
And having another copy sent to the public library here.
Share the wealth, you know.
As he would say: mahalo!

seesaw - a muralcle on 34th street

Public art that changes every few months? That's the dream of James "Dr. Z" Zdaniewski and Matt Hebermahl. These two local Savannah artists have been working behind the scenes, slogging through the bureaucratic process, to legitimize art in the wild. Okay, maybe not "in the wild", but certainly not locked away in a building.
No, they want art exposed to the elements, art exposed to the world, art exposed for the enjoyment of all, regardless of time of day. Toward that goal, they have founded See Savannah Art Walls, aka SeeSAW, to encourage property owners to offer spaces for creative works and to encourage local artists desirous of working creatively on large spaces.
Sounds like a win-win situation to me!
How did I find out about the project? Well, you can thank Jim Morris, editor of the local entertainment newspaper. His op-ed (opinion of the editor, for those who may not know) article shone a spotlight on the project and caught my attention.
When I visited the kickstarter project online, I was lured in by the summary the two artists had written. They had certainly done their homework! Plus, they used the music of local hiphop favorites, KidSyc@Brandywine. I was first introduced to the non-gangsta, well-phrased lyrics of KidSyc almost three years ago at the Savannah Urban Arts Festival and was quite impressed. (His day job? He's a teacher!)
But I digress.
Why else am I backing this specific project? Here it is: the art is not going to be downtown where the tourists are. What does that mean? The art is for the Savannahians to enjoy and will not be "for sale".
So, I'm adding dollars for my age - that would be 53 buckaroos. In return, I'll be receiving my very own piece of art from the creators, a limited edition giclee print of their collaborative painting. Titled "SeeSAWstronaut", it features a rainbow wash of colors of a deep space explorer.
I'll be adding that to my retirement portfolio!

it takes a village

These pictures show the Tractor designed by Open Source Ecology.
In eight hours last month, two men took the pieces in the lefthand photo (above) and constructed the finished product on the right.
In eight hours.
One of the most impressive projects that fliss backed last year was the Global Village Construction Set. The project showed up on Kickstarter in early October, hoping to raise the venture capital needed before Thanksgiving. Not only did they succeed, they surpassed their goal, allowing them to move forward more quickly with their big dream and to share their dvd of instructions before the end of the year.
Talk about your big dreams!!! These folks in Missouri at Factor e Farm have focused on building, in do-it-yourself fashion, the fifty industrial machines required for the construction and maintenance of a village. That's right - building your own tractor, your own brick press, your own bulldozer from a set of FREE blueprints, with all materials and instructions readily available for a fraction of the cost of a manufactured machine.
Motors, power supplies, and other parts can be readily interchanged between the EIGHT prototypes they currently have. That's right: They have EIGHT of the fifty machines already prototyped, with the schematics, instructional videos, and product manuals published online and FREE for the taking. Because the construction is modular, you don't have to build the same core component, such as a motor, over and over; you need only swap the module into the machine you need at that time.
Part of the reason I have a love of science, and chemistry in particular, is the same reason I was drawn to this project. The ultimate goal of scientists is to make the world a better place for ALL of us. The ultimate goal of the GVCS is also to make the world better for ALL, specifically by allowing the spread of the benefits of civilization. Buildings can be constructed using bricks pressed from the very dirt at one's feet. Land can be revitalized to grow the crops needed for a stable town. People will have the tools and machines to transform their lives from subsistence to existence.
When I was in high school, back in the dreamy 1970's, this type of project seemed most possible, but somehow did not materialize. Thank God an immigrant from Poland saw the need for this step toward freedom for all and started creating a solution in the last decade. Thank God I was allowed to be part of this incredible dream and was able to help bring it into reality! In all the TEDTalks for 2011, the one for the Global Village Construction Set is in the Top Ten. Read all about it here - and help spread the word!
By the way, I have joined 1000 True Fans. I'm showing the conviction of my thoughts and my heart by dipping into my pocket for the next two years to continue supporting the GVCS and Factor e Farm. You may have missed being part of the Kickstarter fundraiser, but you can still be part of the process to make the world better by the sharing of this knowledge.
I hope you'll join me.

god help the girl - the musical film

Wow. As Christopher Walken might say, "Wowsie Wow Wow!"
A musical, that they want to film, in England! I just may have to make some travel plans, y'all, so I can see it live on the stage first, then watch it over and over back home.
You know it!
So, I put some serious money toward this project. Serious money. Then again, when you're making something on such a grand scale, as this will be, serious money is needed. Like, one hundred thousand US dollars.
When all is said and done, I'll be the outrageously proud owner of not only the special kickstarter edition of the film on dvd, and the T-shirt, and the movie poster, and have my name in the credits, but I'll also have this sweet enamel pin to wear about.
Oh, yes, and a postcard from the writer of the musical, Stuart Murdoch. Perhaps you've heard of him? I had not, but he's a musician with the band Belle & Sebastian. No, I hadn't heard of them, either, perhaps because they were across the Atlantic Ocean and not rock and roll.
That said, they're both on my radar now. They should have been before. Apparently, B&S have contributed to the soundtracks of several movies I enjoy, like "Forgetting Sarah Marshall", "Juno", "The Devil Wears Prada". Small world, right?
Speaking of such things, guess who will be producing "God help The Girl"? Barry Mendel! Him, I have heard of, mostly because of his association with some very good movies I've enjoyed. Here are a few: "Rushmore", "The Sixth Sense", "Unbreakable". Those were three of his first efforts. For him to be involved, this is going to be big.
I am so proud to be part of this.
It's only about halfway through its funding efforts right now, with almost a month remaining. Then this summer adventure of a boy and a girl and a girl, in the youth of their lives, can start living on its own power.
Wowsie Wow Wow!

digitul monsterz

This graphic design project looks like great fun! Geometrical shapes with faces and fangs - what's not to love?
The fantastical creatures are the brainchildren of Switzon S. Wigfall III, a local artist.
I think my Aunt Linda, a retired math teacher, would enjoy it, too. I plan to share my reward with her.
Reward? What reward?
Well, I've opted to receive a bookmark and a postcard with one of the hundred monsterz, my choice (!), to grace the faces of the two items.
Sah-weet!
Happy thoughts!

Education ALIVE!

Education ALIVE! is a joint venture between Savannah College of Art and Design and Pawn Works (with Chicago artist, Nice-One), for the benefit of a local middle school and a local high school. The goal is to create public art that is both innovative in its approach and instrumental in teaching.
Lofty goals - I like that!
I pledged for the highest backing level this time.
I look forward to the two coloring books and stickers for my nieces and nephews.
For me? The T-shirt with the wolf, of course!
RrrrooooOOooowwww!

assisted loving - complete!

Wow! This is the second time for such a fast turnaround, from dream to polished product!
Good work, Sam Queen!
Today, I received my reward for being one of his forty-three backers. (He may have set a record on kickstarter for surpassing his funding goal by 260%. Perhaps that is a reflection of the belief in his dream.)
I am so very pleased! And since Google allows Bloggers to attach photos to their posts, I can show you what a professional job the writer-director has done on the finished work. Very nice!
The film itself tells a beautiful story of love found, love lost, and love regained - for two residents of an assisted living home. Yeah!!! Not two PYT's, no sirreebob! That places the story heads above a lot of the so-called romances on the big screen. it's so very easy to have a love story between pretty young things, especially as they have the physical lust to drive it along. But, for folks of age and very faded looks, there has to be respect as the driving influence. These characters in this romance far outshine the glossy stereotypes in the mainstream flicks.
I am so very honored to have my name in the closing credits.
So very honored to be part of this venture.
Thanks, Sam, for providing the opportunity to me.

Oh, and before I forget, here's the link to his video for all to enjoy:
http://vimeo.com/35191718

And here is what he wrote in his note to me:
Faustina,
Enclosed is your Kickstarter reward for helping to fund my thesis film, Assisted Loving. I sincerely appreciate your generosity and hope that you enjoy the finished product! May the new year bring you many new adventures and buckets full of laughter!
Cheers,
Sam Queen

I do believe he is one of the most gracious folks I have not yet had the pleasure to meet.
Maybe I'll have the chance to rectify that omission one fine day.
Keep up the good work, Sam J. Queen!

12 shorts of slappinyaface

Call it fate, if it must be called anything.
This video project from Macon, Georgia, reminded me of a local cable access show by my husband and several of his friends. The show was thirty minutes of skits which lambasted local politicians and thugs alike and was hilarious much of the time! Called "Underground Savannah", it laid claim to the airwaves for six years. Sam Johnson, the creator of the show, was working on getting the episodes transferred onto youTube, but he died before the work was completed.
So, on second thought, call this project a memorial to a dear friend.
Let's hope for the best with it.
Then I'll have a new video to bring memories of the good, ol' days.

trek: a spoof musical

Yeah, you read that right. A musical. Oh, yeah!
About Star Trek. I can dig it, man!
I really can!
Written by Lauren Field and Gaetano Rodriguez in the spring and summer of last year, the play is ready for action and Accio Actors have the right stuff to do it!
So... why did they turn to kickstarter?
Well, they needed a place in which the musical could be brought to life.
That costs serious money.
A few props would be nice, too, and maybe sound equipment?
More money.
And seats for the audience...
Hold it! Those come with the venue!
Oh, yeah.
Okay, so money needed for props and mikes and the venue.
Check!
I've joined the party far after their funding goal was met and surpassed.
Surpassed by almost 33%!!!!
So I am not alone in wanting to be part of this, regardless of their not really needing my backing, regardless of their being in Florida, regardless of the distinct possibility - nay, probability - that I will never revel in the antics of this Starship Enterprise.
Regardless.
I still get the program to drool and dream over. I still get the soundtrack to sing along with. And I still get a prop for my hot little hand to hold.
You better believe I'm backing them!

the restaurant job

Now, "The Restaurant Job" is the kind of film I like!
Action, thriller, and... even the ocean!
No, this is not a beach movie. I'm referring to the "Ocean's 11" reward package.
That definitely hooked me. (All puns intended!)
My name in the credits, too? Oh, yeah!

12:15 sunday

Like an earlier kickstarter project I backed last year, this one has a focus on one man's life during the dark days of World War II. Also, like that earlier project, this one is a senior-year film for a student at SCAD.
Unlike the project last year, this one by Taylor Jenkins is based on facts from his grandfather's lips of his experiences after his plane was shot down in 1944.
I can so relate to that. My stepdad has very similar tales.
In fact, my stepdad was in a plane written about in "The Diary of Anne Frank". When he read the book, he was startled to find the description of his very flight on March 22, 1944. He talked of his crew being forced by the German captors to walk through the streets, parachute in hand, with people calling him a "baby killer" because their plane had crashed into a school - an empty school, as it turns out.
My stepdad and his crew-mates spent the rest of the war in various prison camps. He was only 22 years old when captured. His time in the prison camps is documented and on record at The National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force.
John Stone Jenkins, the bomber navigator who is the subject of the film, was more fortunate. After parachuting just seconds before the damaged B-17 blew up, he found a place to hide overnight, then made it back to safety. This film combines narration by the man himself with dramatic reenactments of the events.
Wow.
I know my stepdad would be most pleased that I am again thinking of him.
How did I find this project, you ask?
Sheer luck.
I was searching for projects in Georgia. I had already picked one up in Athens, a whimsical bus stop reinvention. Then I spotted this one, right here in my fair city.
Maybe I'll even get to see it on the big screen, if it makes its funding goal next month.
Here's hoping it will succeed!

the love shack bus stop

How incredible! In Athens, Georgia, there will be a public homage to the B-52's! That's close enough that I will be able to drive up there to visit it.
Awesome!
Dana Jo Cooley's bus stop design was the winner of the "You, Me, & the Bus Stop" competition in 2008. Modeled on the B-52's song of the same name, the bus stop will be physically located at the intersection of North Chase Street and Oneta Street. For anyone who will be trying to find it, the bus stop will be inside the Athens Perimeter Highway and southeast of the Athens Country Club. Hope that helps!
I hope to visit it in the near future. I've joined the campaign late (funding will close later today), but I still wanted to be part of the project. No worries of it being unsuccessful, as it is already overfunded by almost 20%, so my little sawbuck is doing little more than giving it a nod of approval.
Still, that is important. Important to me and to Ms. Cooley.
It's good to know another Georgia peach has your back!
And I'm looking forward to having that pretty little birch magnet for my fridge.
I really like magnets!