All right, why are you guys so awesome? You showed up looking fantastic, bought some serious art, had a few (hundred) basil Gin Gimlets, and didn’t want to leave at our laughably early closing time of 11pm. The theme of the evening was HOME, and it was apparent that our guests just wanted to be at home with the Catalyst family. So,…. we kept the drinks flowing, the music bumping, and ‘how about some Brioche French toast before you head out to work this morning, going on only 2 hours of sleep?’ Why thank you very much, isn’t this just the best family ever?
In case you missed out on the evening let me give you a little recap that will probably do it absolutely no justice at all:
Artwork and installation by Josh Wallace and James Fernella
This being an art show and all, lets talk about the art first and foremost. Besides being ‘amaaaaaaazing’ there was something to capture everyone’s imagination. The graffiti collage installation by Josh Wallace and James Fernella brought our urban neighborhood indoors and made [me] feel ‘cool and hip’ just standing next to it, while Carson Marjamaa’s bittersweet pen and ink “How To” drawings gave our hearts a little squeeze. Jaques de Groot’s Love Bombs were downright homey in our current climate, and I for one can’t think of a better use for a WMD than as a canvas for art, peace, and love. Speaking of Love: Do yourself a favor right now and look up Liz Brizzi, a curators dream. She cannot keep a painting on the wall they sell out so fast; and each one is better than the next. Brian Ostroff’s brilliant and provoking pieces left us wanting to see at least 3 more walls adorned with his work, Rajiv Jain’s enormous charcoals were hauntingly beautiful, and Heidi Spring’s colorful abstracts danced across the walls with a seemingly playful grace.
Love Bombs by Jaques de Groot
As if that weren’t enough:
Tarah Marie, singer/songwriter and birthday girl extraordinaire got her sweet songs stuck in our heads for the rest of a happy eternity. She was so good that when she walked off the stage she booked a gig for the very next night!
Juni Bucher reminded us again how amazing her voice is, not to mention that her and Tommy get the cutest couple alive award. (They stole that award from me. I’m going to have to review the tapes….;-)
There is oh-so-much more…. and you’ll just have to make it out to the next one on December 19th to see for yourself!
Thank you everyone for being a part of our Catalyst HOME show. Home is where the ‘art is ;-)
See you soon-M.Rose
Special thanks to Judy Berberian, for in addition to looking tres chic in her custom made studded leather wedges (built by Grant Doolittle: the other half of Please Dress Up) she organized, collected, hung and curated a hell of a show.
Video Installation by Sara Ludy
http://sasquatch23.com/ www.yopeace.org www.vyalone.com
Occasionally the Catalyst family ventures out of our downtown warehouse bubble, and last weekend we all herded up to Lake Isabella for Tommy’s birthday celebration #32. I don’t think any of us really realized how much we needed to get out of the city until that first evening when we were perched high upon the rocks watching the shooting stars; the soft strumming of the guitar accompanying us. The only complaints I heard all weekend were tummy-aches from laughing too hard, or tummy aches from eating too much. Who eats Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi-Mahi With a Buerre Blanc sauce when they’re camping? We do, that’s who. It was our best Tommy’s Birthday Celebration ever. Catalyst has had so many ‘bests’ this year, I don’t know how next year can ever compare. It will though, because we came back refreshed and brimming with new ideas, events and goals for Catalyst! Thank you Grant and Uncle for letting us take over your cabin for the weekend. Thank you Tommy for being born and organizing the weekend. Thank you Tarah, Juni, Rick, and Matt for sharing your music with us, and thank you everyone for all the laughs! I’ll take those kinds of tears any day J (MR)
"On the count of seven lets all go to bed"
“1…2…3…4…5…6…7”
“Wow, I really didn’t think that was going to work”
“Of course it did. We’re a collective.”
“I see another party over there.”
“Are they partying as hard as us?”
“No one party’s as hard as Judy”
“Did you hit the bottom with your head!?”
“Hell yeah I did!”
“Yeehawwww!”
“I hate when people graffiti on rocks.”
“Well, the Indians and the cavemen did it.”
“Yes, but they weren’t just writing their names.”
“How do you know?”
“Oh, so you think someone’s name was Mr. Swirly Swirly Bundle of Corn?”
“When I was a kid I won a zucchini eating contest.”
“Were there any other contestants or was it just you?”
“That’s a good question, you know me well”
“2 bowls of zucchini, Personal best!”
“People keep cutting in front of me to use the bathroom”
“That’s so rude. Well maybe they don’t realize that you’re in line.”
“Well clearly the line starts over here. In my bed. In the next room. How can they not see that? What, am I invisible?”
Here are some of the upcoming events the Catalyst crew has on the horizon-
-Acoustic night/poetry reading
-October 17th- HOME: an art opening with live bands and dj
-weekday morning yoga classes
-Boot Camp for models
drawing by Judy Berberian
drawings by Venti Hristova
Charcoal drawing below by Rajiv Jain
