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Festivals

[click "Play" button to hear Susan's conversation with Paul Bosch]

Telluride region features regularly in Bosch's art

IMG_0007 Pastor and painter of landscapes. Paul Bosch is part of a long tradition dating back to 19th-century America, when artists, particularly of the American West, expressed a rapturous identification with the surrounding terrain. Albert Bierstadt and Frederic Church are two examples. They went way over the top in their depictions of cathedral-like peaks and the Golden Glow that enveloped a scene. At the time, the presiding metaphor was God as Supreme Artist and men like themselves, were simply His obedient servants.

IMG_1701 Paul has been painting his entire life. "Someone has said  (Picasso?  Matisse?  Freud?) that painters are basically feces-smearers, and this was true of me in my crib, according to my parents." While he has been a university chaplain or campus pastor most of his professional life, Paul is also author of numerous published articles/essays on the subject of the arts as they pertain to religious faith, and three books on related themes.

 


20 May, 2009 /

[Click the "Play" button to hear Gene Baur]

Editor's note: Animal activist/author Gene Baur is coming to Telluride for Mountainfilm's Moving Mountains Symposium about food.  Listen to his podcast to learn more about his Farm Sanctuary and how the one-time McDonald's talking head wound up rescuing and providing refuge for farm animals.

Gene-1 Fido au gratin? Perish the thought. For activist/author Gene Baur of the Farm Sanctuary, dining on Babe is no different.

The cover of his best-seller, "Farm Sanctuary, Changing Hearts and Minds about Animals and Food" says it all: there's Babe, alive and well. On the back cover, you will find an image of The Man cuddling up to a Holstein. The endorsement by Dr. Jane Goodall (the gorilla lady) is the final nail in the coffin: "Filled with hope, this book is written for all who strive for a more compassionate world. I highly recommend it." Who doesn't want to be considered compassionate, especially when it comes to our four-legged friends? The package is enough to make a person swear off bacon cheeseburgers forever.  And that's Gene's point.

19 May, 2009 /

Tibet flag There is something new this year at Telluride's Mountainfilm, available to everyone, including those who enjoy the "festival without a pass." It is the TIBET ROOM, at the Silver Bell Gallery, corner of S Spruce and Pacific Streets.

Flags at Manasarovar Mountainfilm favorites Ace Kvale and Jimmy Chin will exhibit photographs there, next to a collection of fabulous archival prints on loan from theTibet House in New York. An eclectic assortment of artifacts from the Tibetan world rounds out the exhibits.

18 May, 2009 /

Astronaut John Grunsfeld has been to Telluride Mountainfilm twice, the first time in 2000, and the second in 2006.

IN 2006, John spoke on the subject was ET, NASA's search for planets with "life signatures." His objective: to help reframe people's thinking about life in the universe. He also addressed "Man, Moon, and Beyond," how NASA was planning its next push towards manned missions. Finally, John provided an astronaut’s eye view of the mountain ranges of our blue planet, not from the Hubble – which Grunsfeld has been in charge of repairing – but from his own Hasselblad. But the Hubble has been one of the astronaut's pet project for years.

18 May, 2009 /

[click "Play" button to hear Susan's interview with Jane]

Jane The girl can’t help it. Long before any inconvenient truths, before green became the new red, white and blue, longtime, part-time Telluride local Jane Goren was busy recycling, turning the detritus of people’s lives into edgy fine art.  

Jane came buy her obsession naturally: in the corner of Brooklyn where she grew up no one ever threw anything away.

SPAGHETTI IDARADO  In 1974, Goren moved to Los Angeles. Years later, in this landscape of insecurity both real and imagined, an earthquake struck. The artist began collecting discarded windows, which she painted on the reverse side of the glass in an offbeat attempt to restore order to a disoriented city. These images also allowed Jane to examine issues of voyeurism, surveillance, and the deceitful nature of appearances. The Telluride Gallery of Fine Art, her local gallery, has examples of this work in its stable, and a number of pieces are on display at La Marmotte.

17 May, 2009 /

[Editor's note: Click the "play" button to listen to Telluride Mountainfilm guest Chef Ann Cooper talk about why she thinks the National School Lunch Program needs major tweaking and what she and others are doing to address the challenge.]

Chef_ann_aboutphoto What's wrong with this picture?

While legions of parents are obsessing about whether their offspring are getting enough vitamins or consuming too much sugar and salt, as they are trying in growing numbers to encourage healthy eating habits, at school millions of kids are consuming French fries, processed chicken nuggets and syrupy fruit salad, standard fare on the average commodity-driven lunch menu.

According to Chef Ann Cooper, aka  "Renegade Lunch Lady," the National School Lunch Program is an antique – it was launched in 1946 as a public safety net – in dire need of recycling. She contends  we won't have much hope for future generations of healthy kids unless we begin teaching them what good food really is.

16 May, 2009 /

[click "Play" to hear Susan's conversation with Sarah Klein]

GoodMotherCardscreen Forget to make a brunch reservation on this special day and you wind up in the Seventh Circle of Hell. In Telluride, as in the best of all possible worlds, Mother's Day would be everyday. The Hallmark Card model of the holiday is a set-up, a guilt trip, that should, I believe, go the way of the Hummer.

Truth be told no matter how many saccharine cards, roses, truffles, heart necklaces, or brunches we buy, we can never ever pay off that eternal debt we owe the woman who packs our lunches, bandages our boo-boos, soothes our bruised egos, cuddles and encourages us through thick and thin, believes in us no matter what. The best of the breed inspires success without ever pushing an agenda. They teach, but don't preach, the requirement for a straight spine and strong moral fiber. They are smart, loving, resourceful, and charming. And, they do this with no guarantee of a quid pro quo.
09 May, 2009 /

TIO neglected to name the winners in the CoolSculpt competition in last weekend's Winter Snow Fest in the Telluride Mountain Village.First place was "Metaphor Machine" by students from the Mountain School, led by teacher Craig Wasserman.Second went to Duncan MacKenzie for his hypertrophic mushroom.Team Guest...

04 February, 2009 /

TIO's Eileen Burns was on hand this past weekend to capture (and join in) the festivities in the Mountain Village and on the Telluride ski mountain. Her video provides a view of the revelry, the scenery, and the art of ice sculpture that were enjoyed...

03 February, 2009 /

 Since 1977, the San Juan Mountains have been the site of an annual cultural event produced by the Telluride Society for Jazz. The Telluride Jazz Celebration combines performances on outdoor stages in during the day with theater and club shows at night: the best of both worlds.  With its new dates in June, which coincides with the 26th annual  Telluride Balloon Rally, the weekend event becomes even more colorful.

"Jazz means a certain kind of spontaneous interaction on stage and off. Because of how small we are, any impact on our home, Telluride, is positive," said Paul Machado, impresario, the Telluride Jazz Celebration. "At its improvisational center,  jazz in town is so good it makes your ears smile.

"Featured artists typically represent a tangle of styles  and rhythms that add up to one unforgettable experience in sound.

02 February, 2009 /