12 colorful years

As we begin a busy week of preparation for our annual color-themed holiday group show, I'm feeling a little nostalgic and thought it might be fun to look back on the previous eleven.  So, starting with this year and working all the way back to 2002, here goes! Year 12: 2013 - Grey Gardens.  Love the color.  Love the movie.  We're doing it for Little Edie.

Year 11: 2012 - Nottingham Forest, the Hanging of the Green.  Last year, when our new neighbors, Nottingham Realty Group, sponsored our December show, we thought, "Hey, we could do a Nottingham Forest show, like in Robinhood!"  Only took us a few days to realize it was actually Sherwood Forest, but whatever.  Oo-de-Lally!

Year 10: 2011 - Sugar Plum.  I'm sure this was a lovely show, but having a strong aversion to most things purple, I have blocked it from my memory.  You can have a look here.

Year 9: 2010 - Christmas Crush - This show featured both grape and orange "flavored" art. And I have a vague memory of cheese curls on the hors d'oeuvre table.  Sometimes it's about the "food."

Year 8: 2009 - Black and White and Read All Over . . . get it?  Like a newspaper.  Urban Times sponsored this one.

Year 7: 2008 - Brown Paper Packages Tied Up With String - sponsored by UPS, of course.

Year 6: 2007 - White Christmas, What You Crave - sponsored by White Castle. Oh, the puns just keep-a-coming. Yuk, yuk, yuk.

Year 5: 2006 - Gold, Frankincense and Spurs - A Cowboy Christmas.  I feel like Joanna Taft's husband, Bill may have come up with this idea.  I also feel like we are incapable of saying no to anything cowboy.  That's a good thing, right?

Year 4: 2005 - Crimson & Clover - so many good memories from this show.  Wes Lackey played Crimson & Clover on the violin in the gallery.  And, as you might imagine, he played it "over and over." We were overjoyed to discover that Dolly Parton had covered the song as well. We also remember this as the year we trapped put our volunteer greeters in a giant snow globe.

Year 3: 2004 - Blue Christmas - Jumpsuits, Velvet and the King aka the year Mark Vanest cemented his position as most accommodating volunteer.  Says us:  "Hey, Mark.  How would you feel about donning an Elvis suit and some roller skates and gliding around a gymnasium filled with fog as 'Elvis on Ice'?"  Says Mark:  "Okay."  How could we not love this guy?

Year 2: 2003 - Wintergreen - Cool, Fresh, Minty Art.  Getting harder to remember.  Let's see . . . Elyce Elder under a single spotlight in the gym, typing her green thoughts on my mother's manual typewriter.  "Cigarette girls" handing out awesome mints that came in tiny glass vials.

And finally, Year 1: 2002 - Seeing Red.  Such a long time ago!  I do recall an especially beautiful work on paper from Justin Cooper in this show.  And Susan Watt Grade's giant sculpture made from Nordstrom shopping bags. And hoping the title of the show didn't sound too angry.

Well, that was fun!  Thanks for indulging me.  Do you have any special memories of holiday shows past?  You can make some new ones on Friday, December 6 from 6 to 10pm at the Grey Gardens artist reception and open studio night.  Hope to see you there!