Our Piece For Arty Party

Last week, Hillary posted about this year's Arty Party, a really fun art auction that benefits Birmingham AIDS Outreach. This week She wanted to share with you her completed piece and some notes about the creation process:



When I created this, the driving force was the idea of extreme contrast and even visual discord. It's an odd concept for a necklace, and I had a hard time balancing it in my mind--even more so when I had a bead break after I had started construction. Even though I sometimes still question why I made this the way I did, I am pleased with the results and have gotten several positive reviews from people, as well as some ideas for improvement that I will probably turn into a similar piece in the near future.

It was a difficult piece to make from a design standpoint because most of what I make is simply made to be pleasing to the eye and intriguing because of it's beauty. This was made to sort of jump out at you and say something loudly-- maybe even something that you might not want to hear--but say it so eloquently that you can't deny it. But maybe in the back of my mind, that's exactly why I wanted to make this for Arty Party: HIV is one of those things that no one wants to hear about but everyone needs to know. It's also one of those areas where a person's reality is often in stark contrast to what they say and do: There are a lot of people out there who are living with this disease and the stigma and the health problems, who say nothing, and give face to being perfectly fine.

The name of the piece, I Don't Care came again from that idea of contrast and discord. There is a song by eatliz called I Don't Care that is strong and discordant. The lyrics for the song convey general nonchalance by saying things such as "I wanted to sing, but I don't care" and "I wanted to give but, I don't share", but the music and the fervor with which they are sung convey unequaled passion. The song speaks of someone who wants you to think she doesn't care and isn't interested, but in reality, is very emotionally invested. It is this kind of extreme contrast that I see in my piece. It is actually this type of extreme contrast that I see in myself many days.

So, I guess this year, without knowing it, I chose to donate something that is both personal and attempts to speak out for the people it is helping. As much as I debated whether or not I liked the piece because of it's sheer oddity and stark contrast, now that I realize why I created it and all the things it can mean, I have to be proud of it. I hope you enjoy it and will come to Arty Party to see it.

Pictures from Arty Party

We realize it has been a little while since we have updated, but Hillary won't sit still long enough to do a post!
She's been busy trying to create new pieces, list new things on the etsy shop, and attending Arty Party and the artist's party for arty party.
She says she had a lot of fun at both and wanted to share these pictures with you:



Champagne shooters courtesy B&A Warehouse


Hillary's new hat that she won in the silent auction.


Hillary's necklace and a lovely glass and copper dragonfly by Nina Spencer at Arty Party.


On a side note, Retro Handmade is gearing up for another challenge, which Hillary plans on entering. We will post more details about the challenge and Hillary's entry later on this week.

Retro Handmade Etsy Challenge

The Retro Handmade etsy team, which we belong to, is hosting a series of monthly challenges and would like your votes. We didn't participate this month because in addition to Hillary's recent personal projects, we are focusing on custom items and creating new inventory to put in our etsy shop. However, we hope to join the fun in future months. When we do, it looks like we will have a lot of tough competiton if this month is any indicator. The items everyone made are cute, trendy and downright amazing. Go check them out and vote for your favorite.

Gearing up for Arty Party

In a previous post, we mentioned donating a piece to Arty Party, a fundraiser for a local AIDS service organization. Today we wanted to give out more details about arty party and show you pictures of our completed piece!

Every May, Birmingham AIDS Outreach hosts "Arty Party", a silent and live art auction benefiting local the agency. BAO provides services for HIV positive people including food pantry, clothing closet, and medication assistance. BAO also has three prevention and education staff who do everything from speaking at high schools, to testing in bars, to working with prisoners, and more. The money raised from "Arty Party" helps go to these services that support HIV positive people and improve public health.

Birmingham AIDS outreach is currently accepting donations of art of all types for the auction.
To donate art or arrange a pick up, contact Jamie at 322-4197 or jamie@birminghamaidsoutreach.org. Birmingham AIDS Outreach is a non-profit organization. All donations are tax deductible, and the agency is able to provide you with the necessary form for your taxes.

Happy Hippy Jewelry , and our sister site, Artful Unity, will both be donating jewelry for the auction and we hope you will join us in supporting this agency, either by attending or donating.