Bikes, Bikes, Bikes!

The week that was

This last week, we hosted a number of separate activities for Bikes, Art and Community Health Week along with co-presenters Fargo-Moorhead Community Bike Workshop (FMCBW) and Great Northern Bicycle Company (GNBC). On Monday, Sara Watson-Curry and Judith Feist (of FMCBW) led the creation of bicycle spoke cards in the Museum atrium, allowing participants the opportunity to stamp, color, and make prints. Tuesday, Watson-Curry and Andy Bushaw led a collaborative art project using bikes to paint a large canvas:

A bike makes a perfect brush.

Wednesday, the action moved over to GNBC for a physical challenge. A group of cyclists tested their meddle with gold sprints and a bike tractor pull. Last night, GNBC busted out their incredible bike, The Mighty Quinn, and used this five-seater to power a projector and sound system showing the animated French film, The Triplets of Bellville. As the name of the week suggests, participants got a chance to celebrate the bicycle, a simple and elegant machine that certainly has its aesthetic qualities. Plus, all of these activities dovetail into Sunday’s Streets Alive! event, where many Fargo-Moorhead streets will be closed off for cars and opened up for bikes and other human-powered transportation.

And, there’s one more Bike Week event coming up. Join us in Woodlawn Park tomorrow from 1 – 4 p.m. for bike decorating and safety checks. Plus, we’ll take the opportunity to gussy up the route for Streets Alive! with some sidewalk chalk.

The week that will be

Artist Rachel Breen is currently working on a work of art to adorn the wall in Cafe Muse. Breen uses stencils that have shapes and lines cut into them using a sewing machine to create small points. She then dobs the stencils with charcoal using a technique called “pouncing” used during the Renaissance to “trace” designs onto walls in preparation for painting. Here’s an example of her work via Minnesota Public Radio’s arts blog, State of the Arts. And, here’s Breen at work in Cafe Muse; she will be working throughout the weekend and we invite you to stop by, say hi, and watch her work:

Breen’s work is part of a new series of artworks for Cafe Muse called “Art = Food,” and proposals are now being accepted for future projects. Email Colleen Sheehy at csheehy@plainsart.org for information.