The reception of In The Forest was very special… enjoy this video of the event.
In early May, there will be a Closing Tea event and the exhibit will go on a few days more beyond then. For more details, visit HereInTheForest.com.
One of the tree sculptures in the interactive installation "In The Forest"
“Do not touch, please!” Ever heard that phrase at an art gallery? If you have, this Earth Day (and in fact, all of April and part of May) you should come by The Art Thou Gallery on Solano Ave. in Berkeley. A group of six artists from the East Bay have created In The Forest, an installation featuring 2D and 3D sculptures of trees suspended above the gallery floor that visitors are invited to interact with. You can see an example of the sculptures in the gorgeous image above…
At In The Forest, visitors are invited to explore the exhibit through touch, sound and sight, shifting the configuration of the sculptures on the suspended tracks, altering images, video, audio recordings and even adding live sound to the installation by voicing into amplification tubes extending from above.
“Each individual is acknowledged and felt In the Forest,” said Kaitlin McSweeney, one of the installation’s creators. “We hope the exhibit will inspire visitors to consider how their presence is felt and is significant in the environments we live in every day.”
The artists all met through the 23HAM collective, and have known each other for well over a year. “The collaboration among us started many months ago. Now we are excited to see how people will interact with the installation as it continues to evolve,” said Andreina Davila, one of the other artists.
This Friday, April 22, come celebrate Earth Day between 6 and 10 pm at The Art Thou Gallery (free admission). Enjoy hors d’oeuvres and beverages, be part of the creation and support local Bay Area art and music by celebrated local bands Whiskerman and Foxtails Brigade… In The Forest.
About In the Forest
The exhibit and pieces were conceived and created by Andreina Davila (my wife, whom I am SO proud of!), Claire Tompkins, Chrysta Giffen, Drew Dara Abrams, Kaitlin McSweeney and Susanna Davy. Adam Scradam offered precious technical support.
Update (April 21, 2011): A version of this post just got published on BerkeleySide.
The City of Berkeley is considering terminating our curbside recycling program based on a a consultant report (read the full report here) which is seriously flawed (read a summary of the problems with the report here)
The Ecology Center urgently needs our help to save this community-based program:
1) Call or email your City Council representative today. Council members’ phone numbers and email addresses may be found here. To find your district, refer to the district map on the City’s website.
2) Do your best to attend the Berkeley City Council Meeting Tuesday, March 8th at 5:30pm in the City Council Chambers, 2134 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way.
3) Sign this petition (below) letting the Berkeley City Council know why you disagree with this decision.
4) Use your Facebook status update to spread the word. Here’s some text you can copy and paste: “The Ecology Center is at risk. Please voice your support! Like their Facebook page (http://facebook.com/ecologycenter.org) for more details.”
5) Above all, spread the word to friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers.
The future of our the Ecology Center, the Berkeley curbside recycling program is at stake!
Cafe Trieste
Topping the list is the Cafe Trieste on San Pablo. The baristas there get it perfect every single time. I have tried the drinks at another Cafe Trieste (at the Civic Center, in San Francisco), but it’s not the same… The photo above is from the best place for cappuccino in Berkeley.
Guerrilla Cafe
This is my new favorite place for coffee and hanging out for a while. The music and the ambiance is great. But the coffee is AMAZING! Highly recommendable if you are looking for a great cappuccino in the gourmet ghetto.
Cafe Cacao (Jan 2011: currently closed for remodeling)
I used to have a coffee (and lunch) more often here before. Now, our office is no longer close to it, I only swing by occasionally. But the cappuccino rocks! If you are around Heinz and 7th st. around lunch or for coffee, stop by Cafe Cacao.
Peet’s Coffee & Tea
Pretty much any Peet’s will serve a great cappuccino, but my favorite happens to be at the first Peet’s, on the intersection of Vine and Walnut. First opened in 1966, the coffee there is as good as it was the first day… I assume -I wasn’t there then! 
This is not SPAM! If you are a woman entrepreneur (or know one) in the Bay Area, read about a great cause and an even better opportunity for you!
In recent weeks, I have been working with my friends at the Madera Group to support Make Mine a Million $ Business, a program of the non-profit Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence.
I am taking the liberty to share below a post from the Madera Group blog, so you may get a feel as to WHY this is such an important cause and all women entrepreneurs in the Bay Area should be apply to make theirs a million dollar business!
Are you a female entrepreneur struggling to find innovative ideas to market your business? Or perhaps you are in search of some extra finances to take your business to the next level. Then look no further than Make Mine A Million $ Business Award! This competition, a program of Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence, is geared towards woman business owners who dream of expanding their revenues to $1 million. Winners of the award will receive specialized business coaching to make their business successful, as well as increases visibility to potential customers. 20 finalists will be selected to present their business model at The Make Mine A Million $ Business San Francisco Event from November 7-9, 2010. The deadline to apply is October 15th, 2010.
Don’t wait, apply today at http://application.makemineamillion.org!
Nell Merlino, founder and CEO of Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence
Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence is a non-profit company that strives propel economic growth by giving female entrepreneurs the resources and capital necessary to achieve success. Nell Merlino, the founder and CEO of Count Me In, seeks to empower women so they “realize that there is a path for business growth.”
She points out in an article in Icosa Magazine, “that women tend to be less aggressive than their male counterparts when it comes to networking, and sometimes they don’t believe in their power as the majority in the business world.” By giving women the tools and knowledge that they can, in fact, succeed, Merlino hopes to increase the percentage of female entrepreneurs who earn over $1 million in revenue, thus increasing the number of jobs in the economy and boosting the overall community development.
From Wikipedia:
Chaat (Hindi: चाट) is plate of savoury snacks, typically served at road-side tracks from stalls or carts in India and Pakistan.
So next time you see a sign saying “CHAAT” don’t assume it’s an internet cafe, please! (even if you read “Internet Access” in the same line…)
Get your copy of No-Sugar Added Poetry at http://bit.ly/getNSAP
Just go… thank me later! 
The Center for Health Leadership at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health is organizing Thursday, April 15 and Friday, April 16, 2010 a conference titled “2010 Leadership Conference and Workshops: Using New Media & Health Communication Technologies“.
I am humbled to be part of the team of three facilitators at the workshop Social Networking Tools: Using Facebook, Ning, and More for Health at 10:30 am on day 2, along with Courtenay Stewart (from Ning) and Will Brown (from Health Research for Action, UC Berkeley).
If you are participating in the session, we’ll be using the hashtag #SNT4Health. Follow @UCHealthLeaders on Twitter for updates and visit their web site for more details about the conference.
Check out the slides for our session: Social networking tools for Health.
