All bottled up, coming down.

Friday was the sad but necessary decommissioning day for "All Bottled Up," Leticia Bajuyo's New Albany Bicentennial Art installation in the Bank Street Brewhouse parking lot. Follow the link below for coverage. It's my goal to devise a plan to replace Leticia's memorable piece with something else perhaps more permanent, as I've grown accustomed to standout art in that otherwise unused corner space. Do you have an idea? Local artist Dave Thrasher already has suggested a 20-ft high bomber bottle boasting Tony Beard's label art. Sounds like a plan ... at least until a better one comes along.

October 28: Localism in practice, not theory.

On Oct. 28, you can help NABC say goodbye to Leticia Bajuyo’s “Brew History: All Bottled Up.” Here’s how.

It’s time for NABC to bid a fond farewell to Leticia Bajuyo’s “Brew History: All Bottled Up,” the New Albany Public Art Project Bicentennial Series installation commemorating New Albany’s breweries and taverns.

Leticia’s sculpture has serenely and elegantly occupied a corner of Bank Street Brewhouse’s parking lot since its completion in the late spring of 2010, but it was never intended to be permanent, so on the evening of Friday, October 28th, NABC is hosting a community celebration in the BSB parking lot to mark the occasion of its decommissioning.

It’ll be no ordinary wake, because in the process of honoring Leticia and her creation, we’ll be weaving together elements of art, recycling, alternative energy, localism … and plenty of beer.

Leticia and helpers will spend the day on the 28th gradually disassembling, and officially decommissioning, her “Brew History: All Bottled Up.” The beer bottles inside it will be available to those attendees and passers-by interested in souvenirs, and all the remaining materials will be recycled or incorporated in one of Leticia’s future projects.

("Brew History: All Bottled Up" is featured in the new book, Sculpture and Design With Recycled Glass, by Cindy Ann Coldiron, whose book will be available for purchase on the 28th, courtesy of Destinations Booksellers. Go here for more details.)

Beginning at 6:00 p.m., Bank Street Brewhouse’s usual parking area will be cordoned off for the occasion of the evening celebration, with beer, wine, chili and snacks available outdoors, and the usual menu being presented inside. In case of inclement weather, the party moves beneath the existing patio roof.

As an added incentive, we’ll be unveiling NABC’s IX – Ninth Anniversary Ale, a Smoked Chocolate Port-Barrel Aged Stout brewed last winter by former brewmaster Jared Williamson (available at the Pizzeria & Public House, too). The actual NABC anniversary date is October 25, but we’ll wait a couple of days just for the fun of throwing it into the Friday evening mix.

Music by Toledo Bend is being booked by our good friends at The Dandy Lion boutique and shop, located just a block south of Bank Street Brewhouse. The Dandy Lion will be open later than usual on the 28th, so plan on strolling down and paying them a visit.

But there’s more. From 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on the 28th, there’ll be an opening reception for "Powering Creativity: Air, Fuel, Heat," a joint exhibit of Ohio Valley Creative Energy and the Carnegie Center for Art & History. It’s happening right across the street from BSB, and the artists and organizers will be joining us to combine their after-party with Leticia’s decommissioning fete. Go here to learn more.

That’s not all! There’s even more on tap for Friday, October 28, because it’s also the occasion of Jeff Milchen’s visit to New Albany.

“New Albany First is proud to welcome Jeff Milchen, co-founder of the American Independent Business Alliance. Jeff is an international leader in helping communities to build vital local economies and in enhancing economic opportunity through supporting local independent businesses. We're thrilled to have him coming to New Albany.

“The event is set for Friday night, October 28th at 7:00 p.m. for a presentation/discussion on the importance of localism and supporting independent businesses. The event will be held on the beautiful second floor of the River City Winery on Pearl Street.”

I’ve invited NA First, Milchen and all the attendees to make the short walk from River City Winery and join the arts celebration at BSB. Know also that NABC will have beer samples on hand for both the Carnegie Center/OVCE opening (where jazzman Jamey Aebersold will be providing music) and the NA First/Milchen presentation.

Links:

Leticia Bajuyo, “Brew History: All Bottled Up” and New Albany Public Art Project Bicentennial Series: http://www.napublicart.org/bajuyo.php

The Dandy Lion: http://www.facebook.com/thedandylionshop

Ohio Valley Creative Energy: http://ohiovalleycreativenergy.org/

Carnegie Center: http://www.carnegiecenter.org/exhibits.html

New Albany First: http://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Albany-First/142589112460702

American Independent Business Alliance: http://www.amiba.net/

Destinations Booksellers
http://www.facebook.com/newalbanybooks

April showers notwithstanding, the Bicentennial Art Project installation at Bank Street Brewhouse is almost finished.

Leticia Bajoyo and her hard working volunteers are battling the elements as they near the finish line for completion of her Bicentennial Art Project installation at Bank Street Brewhouse.

The bottles in front compose the "lightbright" effect, while those on the sides stand upright and document the history of brewing in New Albany.

Upright bottles have been affixed with "retro" labels bearing the names and photos of past breweries.

We think the installation will be complete on Saturday night, although incoming storms add an element of the elements. More later.

Leticia Bajuyo's installation of her Bicentennial Art project piece at Bank Street Brewhouse starts today.

The past two days have not been the best time to try accomplishing anything, and so this slipped through the cracks, and now I'm scrambling. If anyone locates a peaceful moment, I'm in the market for one.

In short: Leticia Bajuyo's installation of her Bicentennial Art project piece at Bank Street Brewhouse gets under way today. Julie Schweitzer offers this revised installation schedule. Note that Leticia actively seeks volunteers to help her with this project.

I just heard from Leticia and below is her revised installation schedule. She is looking for volunteers to help with the project.

Sunday afternoon (18th) ... bring concrete form, set, and mix. Work till done with pouring pad.

Monday (19th) 2 p.m. - dark ... bring steel, plexi, and glass bottle cutter. Goal is to bolt steel frame together. If there are volunteers, they can peel paper off plexi and learn to cut bottles.

Wednesday (21st) 10 a.m - dark ... bring shelves and shelf backing. Goals include attach steel frame to concrete pad. If there are volunteers, they can poly shelves, finish bottle cutting, and place shelves.

Friday (23rd) 10 a.m. - dark ... bring front panels and labels. Goals include inserting front panels. If there are volunteers, they can label bottles and fill shelves.

Saturday (24th) ALL DAY ... bring roof and lights. Goal: Finish, of course. Specifically, put bottles in the front panels, add roof, install lights.

Previously, all this was explained:

The New Albany Bicentennial Public Art Project: Outdoor sculpture interpreting the city's history and heritage.

More on the New Albany Bicentennial Public Art Project.

Bunches of bottles against the wall.

Yesterday's WHAS-11 news segment on the NA Bicentennial Art preview at Bank Street Brewhouse.

NA Bicentennial Art: Bunches of bottles against the wall.

Leticia Bajuyo visited Bank Street Brewhouse today to provide a preview of her sculpture for the Bicentennial Art Project, and plenty of empty 12-ounce beer bottles were donated by our customers. Very shortly, the bottles will become the sculpture, and Leticia explained how and why in the context of her work to date.

Matt and Jim Patus topped the bottle donation chart, followed by Don Parsons. A number of others joined the fun and brought bottles. The gorgeous spring day contributed to the festive ambience as art, not sewers, was (for once) the topic of the moment in New Albany.

Permit me to thank Leticia, Julie Schweitzer, Karen Gillenwater, my workers Aleen and Shelly, and all the other people in attendance on a day that provided a measure of restorative cultural encouragement.

The New Albany Bicentennial Public Art Project needs your empty beer bottles at Bank Street Brewhouse on Saturday, March 20.

Press release

New Albany Bicentennial Public Art Project

February 20, 2010---- The New Albany Bicentennial Public Art Project is a multi-year outdoor exhibition of twenty temporary sculptures that interpret the rich history and heritage of New Albany, IN. In the spring of 2010, five temporary sculptures will be installed in highly visible locations in the downtown historic district. Each subsequent year, five new sculptures will be unveiled, culminating in 2013 with New Albany’s Bicentennial Commemoration.

This project is a partnership between the Carnegie Center for Art and History and the New Albany Urban Enterprise Association. It is directed by Julie Schweitzer Studios, with major funding provided by the Horseshoe Foundation of Southern Indiana. For more information or to get involved, e-mail Julie Schweitzer, Project Director, or call 812-944-4986.

As part of the New Albany Bicentennial Public Art Project artist Leticia Bajuyo is creating an interactive sculpture for display at the New Albanian Brewing Company's Bank Street Brewhouse.

On March 20, 2010, at noon, Leticia Bajuyo will be on site at the Bank Street Brewhouse to give a presentation about her work and the project.

The piece she will create is informed by the history of taverns and breweries in New Albany and dates back to 1830 with stories of homespun attitudes and community support, as explained on the project's FaceBook page, and web site.

In recognition of this, the primary materials of the sculpture are locally collected, used beer bottles. The collected bottles are used to create a work influenced by the Lite-Brite™ toy; these bottles serve as pegs on the front wall of the sculpture, but unlike a Lite-Brite™, these pegs do not create a stationary pattern. Here, images of New Albany’s brewery logos, projected from the inside the sculpture, change through viewer participation. Furthermore, the sides of the sculpture are constructed of bottles between plexi-glass walls. Sitting on shelves, these rows of bottles reference both the song “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall” and Tom Marioni’s social sculpture from 1970, entitled “The Act of Drinking Beer with Friends is the Highest Form of Art."

Attendees at the event on the 20th will be "paid" in New Albanian Brewing Company “scrip” for clean 12-ounce empties with labels removed. Attendees can redeem the “scrip” (25 cents per empty) as coupons toward their food and drink purchases. Lite-Brites™ will be available onsite to stimulate your creativity along with your appetite. Please join us with your empties and become a part of New Albany’s brewing history.