Page 22 - the NOISE June 2014

A neCTAR so PInK
allURes aN iCoNiC sedoNa
ABOVE, FROM LEFT: Mary Helsaple’s Sedona Angel and Javelina Prickly Pear Hairdo, are among some of the works featured in “Sedona Icons,” part of the “Sedona in the Summer” theater and visual art event at Indian Gardens Park this June.
ClaiR aNNa
by
Rose
This June a group of artists share their own individual per- northern Arizona and thus saved it, and of course the myste- der which we can create funny, other times poignant, many
spectives on what is iconic about sedona. A new summer event, Sedona in the Summer, will combine Theater and art to share the wonder of sedona in a new way.
Red Earth Theatre Company’s Kate Hawkes will be di- recting The Pink Nectar Café, based on the book of the same title by Jim Bishop. Studio 61 artist Jennifer Epperson and guest artist Mary Helsaple will be displaying a body of work called “Sedona Icons.”
The idea for this show came in two parts. As producing artistic director, Ms. Hawkes tells me how her role in the cre- ation of this event occurred. “we seem to have developed a knack for creating original shows in unexpected places (for example Recycling with a Unicorn at the sedona Recycles Cen- ter in september last year). In conversation with local author and long time resident, the inimitable Mr. Bishop, this writer had to note that his words had seen many forms — news- papers, books, online columns, and poetry — and queried whether his words had ever seen the form of a theatrical pro- duction before.
They had not, he confided, and when Ms. Hawkes affirmed the stories in The Pink Nectar Café would make good one acts, the wheels began to turn.
“Jim is good friends with Danny Garland at Indian Gar- dens Café and we thought it’d be great to do it up there in the park outdoors away from the heat of the valley,” Ms. Hawkes tells me. “Danny said yes immediately. I then met Jennifer, a mutual friend of Jim’s that he had been saying I should meet, and discovered she had been talking with Danny about putting some of her new work ‘sedona Icons’ up there —and so the vision grew. Let’s add a premier art exhibit to the world premier play!”
Dev Ross, a playwright, actress and director, is working with Ms. Hawkes to develop an adaptation of the book for the stage using five of the short essays. “They will be staged as a full production woven together with the letters of Ever- ett Ruess (whose story is also referenced in the book),” Ms. Hawkes says. “Live music (ideally native American flutes and percussion) will underscore the production. The linking theme of the plays (again, all from stories by Jim which are true stories) is that there are more wonders and mysteries than we can ever know in our land and history ... and simply as human beings in this world, there are occasions when we cannot know the answers and perhaps just need to let the stories speak to us and let the mystery be.”
Ms. Hawkes reveals more of what stories will be incorporat- ed into the play. “The stories include an encounter with the navajo Chindi, the dying Verde River, the mystery of a gam- bling addiction, the story of the lady who blew the whistle on the trustees who were selling the artifacts at the Museum of
rious Pink nectar Cafe itself,” she says. “The character of the young everett who vanished as a young man into the wilder- ness in northern Arizona and left behind a body of poetry and letters home that have been published, is our ethereal guide through the evening. The plays will be presented in a very simple and stripped-down style.”
Ms. epperson, meanwhile, reveals a little about the visual component of the show. “I’ve spent much of the time ex- ploring culture — the art culture, the human culture and the culture of place ... Having come from a city of several mil- lion people where much can remain anonymous, a town of 10,000 is easier to explore as a micro culture. what makes it unique, what makes it wonderful and mysterious? As an art- ist I like the challenge of mulling over these questions and encourage the viewer to do likewise ...
“‘sedona Icons’ resulted from my relationship with sedona. I am not a realistic recorder of place, other artists here are so much better at that than me. I look more at what else makes this a unique environment, besides the landscape. I began first by looking at our manmade environment — architecture in particular. The sedona Icons that will be featured are struc- tures built throughout our history as a community. However, like many western artists before me, I create places as I imag- ine them, not as they actually are. Let’s face it, our built envi- ronment changes in ways we can see in a lifetime, whereas the red rocks do not.”
“Most people imagine that artists who live in a beautiful nat- ural environment will paint the landscape,” Ms. epperson con- tinues. “Many artists do, and do it very well. However, the en- vironment influences me in other ways — shapes, color and light are great influences. The natural building materials and cowboy architecture, even the film industry has produced buildings that are quirky and unique. The fact that sedona is seen with the new eyes of visitors every day challenged me to create scenes that seem ‘real’ but are not. I am often sad- dened by deterioration of our built environment. we have a history that is rich but not well known. I simply want to chal- lenge the viewer to take a good look — see new things.”
Mary Helsaple has collaborated with Ms. epperson on community art projects in the past. “we both have a slightly quirky, warped sense of humor about how serious simple things get in sedona,” Ms. Helsaple shares. “we like the subtle back story involved in the creation of art. How the process can sometimes be a way of working the whole thing out. Lit- tle images, and in this case, Jim’s Pink Nectar Café spins as a metaphor for the larger scope of things in life. we all resonate with that and want to create a unique community art collabo- ration around that theme. ‘sedona Icons’ is our umbrella un-
times tragic or deeply personal impressions. we all realized we roll into every piece of art, play, or prose we create.”
whenever people ask Ms. Helsaple where she’s from, their response is usually, “Oh... sedona!” “I wonder what that means, and when I ask them, it is always a different, some- times bizarre story,” she says. “Others seem to have a ‘vision’ of what sedona is, based on those who have visited. It sure seems like someplace everyone wants to go! I see how jave- linas live in distinct groups. There is a lot going on between them, and how they interact with one another and the prickly environment. I created an image that illustrates ‘Yes, we have the same concerns of preparing for our day,’ attitude with Ja- velina Hairdo. sort of a spoof on ‘bad hair day,’ because they too have stressful days with traffic and finding food, etcetera. People forget that they live in a ‘prickly’ situation with hu- mans around. Pun intended!”
elaborating on the ideology of the show, Ms. Helsaple says, “some people believe icons are static. we believe they are il-
lusions ... constantly evolving and shifting. Being an artist that observes nature and how it connects to humans is my creative focus. I see sedona’s community of plants, birds and animals as a huge part of the sedona experience. Jennifer sees the style, the architecture, the past and present people who shape sedona as icons. But we also have lots of plant and animal icons. everyone who comes to Arizona wants to see a roadrunner or a javelina; they also expect to see cactus, a pink jeep, the chapel and experience a vortex.”
Sedona in the Summer’s performances of The Pink Nectar Café will be performed on Friday, June 26 & saturday, June 27 at 7:30PM and sunday, June 28 at 4PM at Indian Gardens Park, across the street from Indian Gardens Market. The art of
“sedona’s Icons,” will be on display through July.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to bring together perform- ing and visual artists to create and share art in a historical ven- ue,” Ms. Hawkes says of the upcoming event. “I believe that with a multi-generational cast, musicians and two unique art- ists producing something never before seen in an old haunt it will inspire the community to play and work together to both honor and explore their historical legacy. If we can weave stronger ties between the arts communities and invite audi- ences to experience us all together, perhaps then we become a stronger, more connected community in all ways.”
RedEarthTheatre.org
| Clair anna Rose is a rogue for the rouge.
clair@thenoise.us
22 • JUNE 2015 • the NOISE arts & news • thenoise.us