Glass Blowing - Hiram Toraason

At last year’s 2007 Lakeshore Arts Festival, Hiram Toraason dazzled everyone with his hand-crafted glass. The winner of Best in Category for glass, Toraason believes that it is important to take glass “out of a factory setting and [put] it into an artist’s hands to create fine art.” An ancient art form that can be traced back to the first-century B.C., glass blowing has become a popular form of artwork in the 21st century.

Born and raised in a small Illinois community know as Peru, Torasson experimented with oil painting, ceramics, printmaking and bronze casting when he was in high-school. He stumbled into glass work when he was in college and studied under acclaimed glass blower Bill Boyson. Torasson continued studying in Costa Rica and North Carolina before returning to Illinois in 2003. He now lives in Peoria with his wife and children and continues glass-blowing in his studio, Toraason Glass.



Torasson is not only a passionate man, but a fantastic artist. “I take a lot of pride in what I make and where I put it,” he says, “I’d like to think that everything I create is art.” And, it truly is magnificent art. We are very pleased to say that Hiram Torasson will be at the 2008 Lakeshore Festival again this year!

Make sure to stop by and discover all that Torasson Glass and the Lakeshore Arts Festival has to offer!

Drazin Brings Silent Films to Life

The late Buster Keaton and Yasujiro Ozu would have never believed that their silent films would eventually be shown with live accompaniment. David Drazin, nationally known for his piano improvisations accompanying silent films, will be performing his original works for Buster Keaton’s One Week and Sherlock, Jr. on August 26th at Dawes Park for the final installment of the Starlight Concert Series.

Although Drazin graduated from Ohio State University with a degree in Jazz Studies, he can play virtually any genre of music from Ballet to boogie-woogie to Harlem Stride piano. Archana Ram from The Daily Northwestern reported that Drazin first got into performing silent film accompaniments when he cut a deal with the manager of the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago to provide live improvisations for films if he could watch the films for free. He got the job, and has continued his services as staff accompanist for over 20 years. In an interview with Ram, Drazin commented on his thoughts on improv:

"The thing I like about (improv) is you can use the whole range of expressions that a piano offers," he says. "(In the films) when the chase starts or the fight breaks out, you can go wild. And in ballet, when the dancers are racing from one end to the other, you have to let them have it."

Aside from film music, Drazin has also accompanied various dance companies throughout the Chicagoland area including Northwestern University School of Dance and the Chicago Cultural Center. His CD recordings, including his latest release Piano Improvisations for Silent Films DD008, include Drazin’s finest work, as well as several live performance clips. To witness Drazin’s talent in person, be sure to check out his performance at Dawes Park, and don’t forget the blanket and movie popcorn for our final outdoor movie event!

This is Kristina signing out…

Wanda Jackson Rocked James Park!

Wanda Jackson and the Lustre Kings were a huge hit at James Park. People braved the ominous weather to see their beloved Wanda. An adorable woman with a voice that was larger than life, Wanda shared nostalgic stories with the audience and sang some of her favorite tunes. She was even kind enough to sign autographs and take pictures after the show. Here are some highlights of the evening!

Don't forget to come out tonight to Harbert Park to see Lamajamal at 7:30!!

Latin America

The Ethnic Arts Festival will represent a large variety of arts, culture and traditions from different countries all around the world. A widely represented area will be Latin America. Starting north with Mexico, passing trough the center of the continent with Guatemala and getting to the south with Ecuador, Colombia and Peru.

Colombia
El Dorado (Spanish for “the golden one”) is a legend that began with the story of a South American tribal chief who covered himself with gold dust and would dive into a lake of pure mountain water. Gold would play a pivotal role in luring the Spanish to Colombia. The earliest examples of gold craftsmanship have been attributed to the Tumaco people of the Pacific coast. Since then, gold-work still remains one of the most representative disciplines from artists in the region.
Ariel Arwen will be showing his jewelery of Rainforest seeds at the festival.

Ecuador
Much of the art in Ecuador is traditional and usually the skills involved are passed down from generation to generation. The Panama hat originally came from Ecuador despite its name. Though the hat has been made in Ecuador for over a hundred years, it was named after the place from whence they could be purchased – the Panama Canal – instead of the place they originated from. Panama hats are made from the Carludovica Palmata plant which grows in Guayaquil. The plants are boiled, dried and then woven into their distinct shape. The process can take as many as three months to complete.

Artists selling Ecuadorian Art	Description of their work
Cesar Burga	Wool bag, ponchos, shirts and tapestry
Cecilia Gualasqui	Dresses, blouses and knitting kids jewelry
Maria Santellan	Fiber cloths and bamboo jewelry

Guatemala
Textile is the medium Guatemalans use the most to express themselves. Through an intense display of colors artists show their skillfulness to create huipiles (wee-peel), skirts, belts and quilts. Artists are extremely gifted and crafted. Using a loom to weave, they spend several years on finish a piece.

Artists selling Guatemalan Art	Description of their work
Arvigo Crystal	Mixed media art craft
David Chavez	Bags, shirts, dresses and prints
Carol Fonds	Textiles and jewelry
Michelle Joravic	Clothing, textiles and jewelry

Mexico
Alebrijes are one of the many artistic creations in the country. The explosive colorful wooden sculptures are usually fiction animals made out from different animal parts or mythical creatures, such as a dog with wings or a centipede dragon. The Mexico City based artist, Pedro Linares started and developed this craft when dreamed of a rare and colorful creature. He then started representing his dreams and created a whole new artistic technique.

Artists selling Mexican Art	Description of their work
Aaron Debra	Rugs, weavings, pottery masks, tiles and sinks.
Ginger Blossom	Handmade artwork
Luz Castillo	Contemporary abstract motifs on shirts
Michele Feder-Nadoff	Traditional coppersmithing
Sofia LLantada	Jewelry

Peru
The retablo originated in Europe and came to Peru with the Spaniards in the early 16th century. Originally they were small highly decorated wooden boxes with complex Christian-theme images inside. They were carried by priests and used as travelling altars. Retablo has a unique art form which reflects all aspects of modern Peruvian life and beliefs.

Artists selling Peruvian Art	Description of their work
Silvia Montero	Musical instruments, weavings and ceramics
Kanita Petties	Ritual bathing products and home décor
Andrea Romero	Genuine stones, necklaces and bracelets

Che - vap - chee - chee

The 23^rd Ethnic Arts Festival food court will represent different cuisines from around the world to treat the public with gastronomic diversity. Greece, Philippines, Ireland, Indonesia and The Caribbean Islands are only some of the countries that the festival will host.

As expected Ćevapčići will return this year to delight festival-goers with Western Balkans cuisine. Ćevapčići (pronounced 'che-vap-chee-chee') is a dish of grilled minced meat found in the countries of the Former Yugoslavia. The word comes from the Arabic kebab with the Slavic diminutive -čići. The delicious little sausage-like meat is a close relative of Middle Eastern kofta, but with a distinctive Balkan flavor as their only spice is Hungarian paprika, consisting of small rolled patties of mixed ground meats that are heavily seasoned and grilled.

There are different versions of ćevapčići throughout Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Yugoslavia. Some use pork and lamb, others use pork, lamb and beef, and yet others omit the pork entirely. Originally, they were skewered and grilled over an open fire. Today, most cooks grill, broil or fry them. They are served with polenta, onions, and ajvar, (a sauce made from roasted red peppers), a flatbread and cottage cheese.

Don’t miss the opportunity to try an authentic cooked ćevapčići and come to the Ethnic Arts Festival next July 18^th and 19^th at Dawes Park in Evanston!