kART Comes Home!

kART Across America returns home to Denver this Friday, September 5 after 108 days on the road, covering more than 6,000 miles, and setting a Guiness Book world record. Festivities at Translations Gallery begin at 7:00pm (855 Inca Street) after a short parade for Santa Fe's First Friday Art Walk. Meet live painter Laurie Maves, Translations Gallery recycled art exhibiters, and dozens of other local artists.

Blogs will continue, of course, after our return.

Edward Albee's Gonna See Right Through Me

Saturday, July 26 - Waterford, Connecticut
I’ve got some reading to do. About and by Edward Albee. Our interview with my hero is on Monday and I’m only halfway through his biography. Andy eats fresh fish at Fred’s Shanty. Catch up (catsup?) day.

Interns Rock

Friday, July 25 - Waterford, Connecticut
We’ve been instructed to stop in Bridgeport, Connecticut to see George’s family and talk with the Connecticut Post. Of course, as soon as we try and fix one problem, the floodgates open. We’re stuck in Southport for 3 hours and barely would have made it to the Intern Party at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center if it didn't last all night long. An outdoor stage has been converted into a dance party complete with light show and iPod-driven beats. Dancing into the wee hours of the night. Jeremy insists on getting footage of the sunrise as the rest of the city sleeps.

Bodies Stripped

Wednesday, July 23 - New York, New York!

At Bodies: The Exhibition, the lighting is dim, but Ken Talberth is bright in his discussion of polymer preservation as art. Andy and I walk through the exhibit in silence, filming bodies stripped of their skin in pursuit of science and education. It’s fascinating, appropriate, and harrowing.



Von Hottie cools us down (or heats us up?) with a cocktail named for her invigorating flare. Much needed after posing half-nude in Times Square with the guerilla performance artist with her own pin-up calendar.

Star Wars Fans Unite!

Tuesday, July 22 - New York, New York!
James Vogel’s art hasn’t been invented yet, he says. He creates puppets and costumes out of foam, plastic, paint, scissors, and glue for Broadway productions and New York festivities. The Lord Farquaad head is in the mail to the producers of the upcoming Broadway production of Shrek: The Musical. We’re set to the task of making foam light bulbs for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Ours is the 11th from the back if you’re tuning in.

Caution: the light saber has an infinite number of cutting surfaces making it the deadliest weapon in the world (galaxy? universe?). Andy learns the basic steps of light saber fighting from Master Flynn. Next is creating a character and choreographing a fight scene for national competition. Star Wars fans are right at home in Washington Square Park.

Where The Hell Is Matt?

July 11-July 20 - Where The Hell Is Matt?
Between Andy and I, we have 4 weddings in 9 days and time in 6 different states. In the meantime, we’re watching the most inspirational video to ever hit YouTube. See you in a few weeks. Get ready for Edward Albee.

The Gayest Person Ever

Tuesday, July 8 - New York, New York!
South Street Seaport has a great view of the artist-built waterfalls flowing over the Brooklyn Bridge. Reminds me of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s environmental installation work like the future project Over The River (6.7 miles of reflective, translucent fabric panels to be set over the Arkansas River on steel cables anchored into the river's banks). Grand art for a grand city.

Joel Derfner is gay. Really gay. You might say that’s his art, but more likely it’s composing music theater. Andy participates by writing a kART Across America showtune with the Harvard linguistics major and author of Swish: My Quest To Become The Gayest Person Ever and Gay Haiku. Jeremy participates by writing Straight Haiku.

Hey, man, what is that?
I don’t know, but it looks neat.
Hold on, I’ll shoot it.

Oysters Blessed By A Rabbi

Friday, July 4 – New York, New York!
Jeremy heads upstate for a weekend of Italian family feasts, cigars, home-brewed beer, ATVing, oyster shooters (is that kosher?), family flip cup, and a soft bed. I stayed for the fireworks.

The Poor Man's Smart Car

Thursday, July 3 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Chappaqua, New York
Hoping to be in New York for the Fourth of July, we book it through Morristown, New Jersey where a journalist asks us for an interview in an article he titles “The Poor Man’s Smart Car.” Gentleman and Scholar Dan Meyers calls from Colorado Public Radio: he’d like to do a follow-up interview (the first was in April), this time from the road. He asks if we’re still having fun. We’re surprised by our own answer, “Every day is new, interesting, free, and joyous.”


(Photo courtesy of NJ.com)

Miles traveled today: 160
Total miles traveled: 3686

Wiz Wit! or Pete's vs. Geno's Cheesesteaks

Wednesday, July 2 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
A graffiti artist covers his face before we can film him: he does some tagging around Philly too and doesn’t want to be recognized. Ironic. He’s from Colorado and gives us a shout out by painting “303” on his section. He goes by Pablo. A nice warm up for ...

The Philadelphia Mural Arts Program is amazing. Period. Started as part of an anti-graffiti movement, it turned the talents of graffiti artists into a positive community-building experience, Jane Golden tells us. Now, there are over 2,800 murals throughout Philly. We paint the side of a police building with Mayor Michael Nutter.

“Wiz wit” I yell to the guy at Geno’s. “Wiz wit” Jeremy yells to the guy at Pete’s across the street. It’s the only way to order your Philly cheese steak (wiz=cheese wiz, wit=with onions). Jeremy’s was probably crappy. Not that there’s a rivalry there!

Breakfast Tastes Better In Yiddish

Tuesday, July 1 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
We wake to a large breakfast spread. Jeremy’s grandparents are amazing! Syd came close to death a few years ago, so at 89 he feels like he got a “bonus” on life and lives it well. He is loving and speaks in a falsetto. Bea is helpful in mapping our trip to New York and murmurs things in Yiddish while she over feeds me with fresh berries, cereal, and homemade rugelach (it’s a Jewish Danish).

George is considering meeting us in Connecticut to pick up another of his golf karts and join us for a ride.

What if ... ?

Older Than The '57 Chevy. And A Better Dancer

Monday, June 30 – Washington DC to Wynnewood, Pennsylvania
It’s early. But Washington is up. Sean Babington lobbies on the Hill for Earthjustice in hopes of preserving Mother Earth.

A relatively quick drive to Bea and Sydney Make in Wynnewood, who stayed up late for us. They’ve been married 63 years, and I imagine it’s past their bedtime at 11pm.


Pop Pop Syd’s art is somewhere between dentistry, dancing, and playing gin. Grandmom Bea, 82, says her art is taking care of Pop Pop, 89.

Grandmom Bea's mother had a 1957 Chevy Belair ... in 1957.

Miles traveled today: 146
Total miles traveled: 3526

Cherry Creek Meets Stetson Meets Connecticut College

Sunday, June, 29 – Washington DC
BBQing in a thunderstorm at Adam and Yuri’s last night. Highschool and college friends joined. As did the Make family. Recovery day.

Crafty Bastards

Saturday, June 28 – Washington, DC
It’s the Crafty Bastards Arts & Crafts Fair! John Davis provides recycled leather cuffs and watchbands and Spooky Daddy dawns the voice of Cousin Loomis to puppet his plush friend.

Momma Make is in town. Her art is loving art. She’s impassioned by people like Gia Mora who is tearing up the DC acting, modeling, and music scene. Mom and I catch Gia in the leading role of Moliere’s The Imaginary Invalid which is delightful and touching. Gia shares the stage with René Auberjonois and matches his talent with more than 45 years between them. She’s only got the moon to reach next.

Chris Ross is in town. Trouble.