Hooey's Best of Show! |
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| So, I've been going to art shows for about 15 years now and have seen a lot of
art and craft and fine craft and stuff. (By the way, do you
wonder if I've ever won a ribbon? Why, yes indeed. Way back in the 90s at a
cornbread festival just outside Chattanooga. I was awarded a Blue Ribbon. THEY
liked me...). Anyway, I've decided to acknowledge my favorite
artists. |
My vote counts! |
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June 28 and 29, 2008 -- Nuns rock the Bartlett festival of arts! |
| So, June 28 & 29, Bartlett (where?) Festival of Arts: Nice people, few shoppers, some really good art, some scary windy wet weather, and some kick ass pastries made by nuns! |
| First, the pain of chocolate. I've discovered you do not have to go to France to get the best chocolate croissant EVER. You only have to go to Algonquin, IL. Check out their web site for info on their goodies (www.strogerabbey.org). I will vouch for these, in order of bestness (your bestness may vary) -- chocolate croissant, almond tart, apricot nest (I think that's what she called it... she being a nun in all her nun clothes WITH French accent... anyway, this apricot nest was like a flaky danish with some sort of custardy center with an apricot half in the very center. mmmmmmyum), and finally and still delicious apricot tart. Oh, and Tera bought some French Bread. It was good, I was high on pastries so couldn't really appreciate it. |
| I asked the nuns if I could take their picture, they weren't into it. I considered adding in this space an artist's rendition of the nuns and their pastries... I wasn't up to it. So, you'll just have to seek them out. And, I'm out of my trophy shirts so I just imagined giving the nuns my best in show winner shirt. You'll have to do the same. Fun to think about, isn't it? I wouldn't have done it. |
| Here's who would get the winner shirt -- Renee Heyer-Starrett Pottery: |
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Nice cute girl with neat-o pots! Here's what I got (with green beans for scale): |
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Here's more of her stuff: |
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| And then honorable mentions go to Iowa jeweler Kelly Bedeian (Rural Abandon) and Champaign-Urbana jeweler Patty Lindbloom (Patty and the Gabs). Tera bought the necklace I was eyeing. |
Now I have to set the tent up in the backyard to dry out... |
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| (by the way, the one good thing about the bad weather, it drove off the Sitar Guy across the way from me). Then back to the basement. Must make more winner shirts... |
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May 3 and 4, 2008 -- Weener Ware wins
the Hooey Prize! |

The very first Hooey Batiks best in show of
2008 has been presented to Weener Ware.
You may remember them from hooey prize #1, animalia pottery (... scroll down),
where they received honorable mention. Well this time they've gone and
done it. Only half of the weener ware team was present to
accept this prestigious award but word on the street is, Missing Half was struck
dumb when she received the news.
So anyway, if you don't know already, ww makes
fun funky stuff with bottle caps, resin, sparkles, neat-o retro images, and
magic. I'm partial to the clippy magnets. Here's my refrigerator, Where's
Weener?

(Scroll over to see the answers. By the way, the 2
square magnets on the right I bought from Anne
Leuck Feldhaus a million years ago... ok, maybe 13.)
Here are more better pictures of weener stuff I stole from
their site--click on them for more info
, , , , 
Honorable mention goes to former hooey prize
winner, Molly Bitters of Macabi
Studios (who also gets points for most enthusiastic yet surprisingly not
irritating artist. And of course she continues to hold the title of best name
ever.), and to Mother Nature for warming up on Sunday and shining the
sun on us, and to the nice lady who bought enough batiks so I could afford gas
home.
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July 7 & 9, 2007 -- Hooey Prize goes to an
actual Artist, YAY! |
...but runner up goes to the tree that made
good breezes and shaded me. So the Sugar Creek Art Festival (yes, they
let me in this year, AND I might have been given the best booth location!)
has gotten bigger, better and sweatier. Due to construction they had a few
of the artists on ISU's Quad. On the Grass, Under Trees, listening to Mike
and Amy Finders Band ... that's a Pleasant Sunday Afternoon. So
the two runners up are my tree (no photo) and the Finders (possibly
the worst photo ever) |
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The Winner of the Hooey Prize goes to Squirrel
lover, Molly Bitters
(also winner of Best Name EVER) of Macabi
Studios |
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(proud winner!)
She makes the most unique and pretty copper, leather and silver jewelry.
Check out her web site, it's got loads of info and so many pretty pictures! |
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(pretty!!! I took pictures of the earrings and necklace I have but it's
blurry and I'm too lazy to try again. So go here and look at the goodness.) |
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Yay! |
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Purchase awards go to Kris Hendershott of Art
and Soul Fiber. Check out this cute little felted bag and this luggage
tag!

Tera gets them for her b-day. Don't tell. Anyway, You can catch Kris
Aug 18th at the downtown festival of the arts in Champaign (I won't be there,
they don't allow wearables). |
Hey! I bought another bowl from Animalia! |
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Looks just like my
little thirsty sweet pea! |
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June 10 Art on the Lawn |
...and the winner is....my roll-y
cart! It was a big lawn. |
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June 2 & 3, 2007... Food rocks! |
I love Iowa City. I love the arts fest, I love the people, and most of all
I love the FOOD. Since I am the judge I have chosen Food as the best in
show, specifically, breakfast at Micky's Irish pub (which included an excellent
bloody mary and the best breakfast sausage ever).

Micky's Irish Pub
11 S. Dubuque
Iowa City, IA
(319) 338-6860 |
The Runner Up is this FABULOUS Cardamom-Blueberry Creme Brulee
we had at the Motley
Cow.
Incredible.
Amazing.
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The Motley Cow Cafe
327 E. Market St.
Iowa City, IA 52245
(319) 688-9177 |
| And Honorable Mention goes to the rest of the meal at Motley
Cow, our meal at the Red
Avocado, and the meals we have had during past Iowa arts fests at Devotay. |
| Yum, and Cheers. |
| (here's some other "Stuff we love in Iowa City") |
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| March 2007, Spring Bloom Art Fest |
The very first highly esteemed "hooey prize" was presented at the
Spring Bloom Arts Fest in Bloomington this last weekend to Animalia Pottery of
Columbia MO. Karen Pritchett and Todd Shelby kick ass. They've got fun, funny pottery and they're
just cool people. Too bad they don't have a web site (more
info, even more).
I am hoping to run into
them again at the Sugar Creek Arts Fest (if they let me in this year) and at
Edwards Place in Springfield. Here's Karen and Todd and some of their kick-ass
pottery:


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Honorable mention |
| Spring Bloom was chock-full of my favorite Chicago artists; Weenerware, Lisa Williams, and Eva
May. If I'd started the Hooey Prize earlier, they all would have won. Look
at this cool purse I got from Eva! |

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