Help Transform the Bustop to Affordable Housing & an Art Space

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Good news! The Bustop "Gentleman's Club," a strip club for the past 40+ years in North Boulder, is undergoing a transformation to a nearly 3,000-square-foot art space, to be managed by the NoBo Art District, and affordable housing, which we all know this town needs so much   -- perhaps especially artists. (Three cheers?!)

 

To celebrate and help usher this transition in, we’re planning to hold a big, community pre-demolition event.  

 

First off, mark your calendar, come celebrate with us, and invite your friends:

Date: Saturday Sept. 29

Time:  approx 5 to 7 pm (time may be extended as programming extends. Stay tuned for details >>)

Location: On site at the Bustop, 4871 Broadway, Boulder

 

Secondly, we are looking for:

• Dancers of every size, shape, age…

• Photographers

• People willing to be photographed for a "Construction Fence Art Project" and other possible exhibits of this historic occasion

• Visual artists

• Musicians

• Logistical planning and on-the-ground help

   

See details and point people to contact for each of these below.

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This will be a free community event with music, dance, art-making and photography to launch a "Construction Fence Art Project." The construction fence will likely be up for 18 months, and we’d like everyone in the community to see how this place is being transformed. The event will include:

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Dance: 

1. Fun, shake-your-booty, free dancing in the streets kind of dance, and

2. Performance:

• "Transformation" and "dance for every Body,"* working titles for pieces being developed by the Mmmwhah! Ensemble for this occasion.  (With a hats off to the fabulous "Dance is for Every Body" event at the Boulder library.)

• dance prayer and ecstatic dance

• conscious burlesque, hip hop, hula, African, belly dancing...We have quite a range!

• See list of partners to the right.  Sorry, we're all full up and can't fit more performance in to this event now. 

  

How you can help:  

Mmmwhah! is looking for dancers of all ages, sizes, genders, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, ability, etc to be a part of the second piece being created by Mmmwhah! 

  

Contact Merlyn Holmes, Founder of Mmmwhah! and recently retired NoBo Art District Board Member, mer@hottea.com.

 

Live Music: By Mmmwhah! Ensemble members Bill McCrossen, Brian Mullins, Dexter Payne, and James Hoskins. African and Taiko drummers are coming as well. Players of the Sitar and Ngoni, pan drum and didgeridoo.   We're all full up for this event now.  Pre-recorded music will also be part of some of the performances:  Hip Hop and Hula, Middle Eastern, and Pop... 

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Photography: To launch the "Construction Fence Art Project" with a theme of "Portraits of NoBo." We will be shooting portraits and event pictures of artists and neighbors along the lines of John Mireles' "Neighbors" project. 

1. Come be photographed.  Artists and creatives, feel free to bring props or clothing, etc. suggestive of what you do. 

2. Photographers are also invited to document this historic event and shoot photos and videos for the website, social media and possible future exhibits.

Can you help? Contact Karen Dombrowski-Sobel, NoBo Board Member, kadsphoto@me.com 

 

Painting and Wheat-pasting: Wouldn't it be great to tack huge canvases to the walls and paint murals on them or to erect large wheat-pasting boards, and create art that can be used on the construction fence or elsewhere around NoBo? 

Can you help?

• For painting, contact Sue Wallingford, Founder of Boulder Art Therapy Sue.Wallingford@gmail.com 

• For wheat-pasting, contact Lisa Nesmith, President of NoBo Art District, noboartdistrict@gmail.com. 

 

General logistics:  arranging food trucks, helping to get supplies, posting flyers/extending the invite, etc. 

• We could really use a point person or team for this.  Is that you?

• Or, be a general helper?

Can you help?  Email Merlyn at mer@hottea.com