Seems like we’re always looking ahead in Central Oregon. The next festival. The next brewery. The next town hall even. But our focus is about to change. Time to look back, at least for a month. In May, several local groups, including the Deschutes County Historical Society, will mark National Historic Preservation Month by celebrating […]
Art Watch
Posted inCulture
A Bazaar Era for Redmond Bookstore
Second Shop Features Books and Art
Things appeared momentarily bleak for Redmond’s Friends Bookshop. The city’s planned library remodel could have spelled the end for the cherished 1,000-square-foot used bookstore, located inside. First, construction meant the store would have had to temporarily shut down. Next, a drastically smaller space awaited upon the library’s eventual reopening. That meant the Friends of Redmond […]
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A Novel Idea: Yaa Gyasi and “Homegoing”
After its inception in 2004, the Deschutes Public Library Foundation‘s “A Novel Idea” concept is no longer, well, novel—but it continues to be a forum that brings people together under the noble banner of reading good literature. When I picked up a copy of the 2017 Novel Idea selection, “Homegoing,” by Ghanian-American author Yaa Gyasi, […]
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Artwatch: Sarah More & Eva Ferrell
The Space Whisperer
Colors, patterns and Sarah More have a history together. Judging by her work, it’s probably not hard to guess that this week’s cover artist has a longtime interest in both. “As a kid,” she says, “I used to make these crazy abstract coloring pages for myself, which is not so different from what I do […]
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Canada to Cascadia
Fashion designer taps into roots for inspiration
Alicia Renner started bonding with her natural surroundings almost immediately, by planting trees as a teenager in northern Alberta and British Columbia—generally known to the rest of us as the Canadian wilderness. As the trees grew, so did her dedication to creating fashion in the form of handmade clothes and accessories. Renner moved to Bend […]
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Guitar Gods
Two Old Hippies Add One Fantastic Showroom
Like most Americans, I flirted with playing guitar. I took a lot of lessons. Practiced my scales. Pretended I was Tom Petty at 2 a.m. in my living room. Standing there in socks, playing “Free Fallin,” following right along with Tom on my iPod. Transported to a dream state: on stage, 20,000 in attendance, supermodels […]
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Bed, Bath and Way Beyond
THE Hostel in Bend delivers lodging… and a social life
Monday Morning (12:30am: Karaoke) We’re singing—no, screaming—the iconic Queen song “Bohemian Rhapsody” into a pair of microphones inside a crowded Bend bar featuring cheap beer, pool and, well, karaoke. There are four of us now, down from a high of seven earlier in the evening. Outsiders might think they’re looking at a bunch of longtime […]
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Source Spotlight: Collin Robinson
President of the Oregon PTA
“So when we talk about school choice, vouchers, public funds going to religious organizations, or private schools, that’s scary. Because they’re not held to the same standards. That’s the problem.” — Collin Robinson About a decade ago, Collin Robinson was a volunteer youth soccer coach for a team of kids from Bend’s Ensworth Elementary School. […]
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Escape Artist
Tattoo removal expert can erase your troubled past
Katie Hester fixes mistakes—the ones that could derail your whole life. It’s one thing to make bad choices. But it’s a whole other matter to wind up in a tattoo parlor etching them permanently onto your skin. Hester, a Bend native who doubles as a licensed massage therapist at Earth Body Massage, works as a […]
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Book (Sm)art
Handmade Artist Books on Display at A6
You won’t find these titles on the shelves at your big box bookstore. And don’t bother trying to download them, either. No, these handmade, one-of-a-kind “artist books” truly belong in a gallery – which is why a visit to Bend’s A6 Studio & Gallery remains your only chance to see, touch and potentially purchase them. […]