In this interview, Bainbridge Island Museum of Art Curator and Executive Director Greg Robinson has a fascinating conversation with award-winning children’s book illustrator Pierr Morgan.

We learn how Pierr, at the age of nine, knew she would be an artist, and at 16, knew she would be a children’s book illustrator.

Pierr tells Greg about the process of getting a book illustration gig with editors, and about the collaborative process of imagining and creating a finished book together with her frequent collaborator, Carole Lexa Schaefer, with whom she has published 10 children’s books.

Pierr’s children’s books have been selected twice by the Dolly Parton Imagination Library for distribution to thousands of children’s mailboxes in the US and internationally.

This podcast is one of a BCB podcast show called Arts and Artists on Bainbridge. It is part of a series of “Art Museum Encounters” in which BIMA’s curator will talk with artists and collectors whose works are currently on display at BIMA.

Another emerging series, called “Meet Community Artists,” includes conversations with artists, authors, performers and musicians on Bainbridge Island.

Credits: BCB host: Channie Peters; BCB audio editor: Tim Bird; BCB social media publisher: Barry Peters.

In this podcast, Librarian Tressa Johnson visits BCB studios with interesting tidbits about activities coming up in September at the Bainbridge Library.

Bill Thompson will present Photos of Travel in Ladakh, India on Friday September 4 (the night of the First Friday Arts Walk), 5-7pm.

John van den Meerendonk will present talks on Gardening With Ferns, on four Saturdays in September (5th, 12th, 19th, 26th) from 10am-noon.

Jeffrey Hora will help you Customize Your Experience on Facebook, on Saturday September 12th from 3-4pm.

Buddy Bassett offers a career-seeking skills workshop. He's from Compass Vocational Services, and will speak on Monday September 14 from 7-9pm.

The program called One Book One Community for 2015 will present the book: The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving, by Jonathan Evison. The facilitator will be a staff scientist in the Department of Bioethics & Humanities, on Tuesday September 15 from 1-2 at the Waterfront Park Community Center.

David & Kathleen Thorne share a travelogue about Route 66, on Wednesday September 16 from 7:30-9pm.

There will be a "Library U" talk on What’s New in Neuroscience, on Saturday September 19 from 10-11:30 am. The focus will be the new insights into childhood brain development, on Saturday September 26 from 10-11:30 am.

Andrew MacMillen will explore Mushrooming & Mycology, on Wednesday September 23 from 7-9pm.

Housing Resources Bainbridge (HRB) will present the topic: Density, Affordable Housing & Livable Neighborhoods, on Thursday September 24 from 7-8:30pm.

Credits: BCB host and editor: Joanna Pyle; BCB social media publisher: Barry Peters.

What could be better than strolling through the beautiful gardens at Bloedel Reserve? How about strolling with a 12-week program that improves well-being and enhances your outlook on life.

In this podcast, Bloedel's Communications & Outreach Coordinator, Erin Jennings, describes this 12-week free program.  The next 12-week session begins on September 9th with the first of three check-in meetings.

In the first meeting, participants will receive a beautiful workbook journal for writing or drawing in response to the self-guided contemplative walks in the book.  There are 12 one-hour walks, which can be done anytime over the 12 week session.  Participants who are not currently members of Bloedel will receive a complimentary 3-month membership for the duration of the program.

Erin agrees that this program is like a guided meditation or contemplation through exquisite natural beauty.  How could we not benefit from this?

If you are interested in more information, go to the Bloedel "Strolls for Well-Being" web page.  To register, email Erin Jennings or call her at 206-842-7631 ext. 19.

Bloedel thanks Peninsula Cancer Center for sponsoring Strolls for Well-Being.

Credits: BCB host: Channie Peters; BCB editor and social media publisher: Barry Peters.

Artist's book teacher Susan Callan talks with BCB host Channie Peters about the skill and craft of creating artist's books.

Although Susan loves to create artist's books, her passion is teaching others the basic skills to make their own, and then to watch their individual creativity blossom.

Susan became captivated by this art form at the time of early retirement about 20 years ago, took many classes to learn the craft and refine her skills, and then began teaching locally. Her initial teaching was done at a former creativity center on Bainbridge.  More recently, among many other places, she has taught classes at Bainbridge, Poulsbo and Kingston Public Libraries.

She suggests that members of the public might want to inquire about the possibility of classes being offered in the next year or so at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art (BIMA), the Seattle Book Arts Group, and the Bainbridge Artisans Resource Network (BARN).

Susan teaches basic skills and techniques, including changing one’s orientation from 2-dimensional to 3-dimensional, with technique builders such as origami.

This podcast also includes Susan’s favorite places to see artist’s book collections (including our own Bainbridge Island Museum of Art).

Credits: BCB host: Channie Peters; BCB audio editor and social media publisher: Barry Peters.

On Saturday August 29th at Battle Point Park, beginning at 11am, Bainbridge Island Metro Parks and Recreation District will host an all-day Birthday Bash to celebrate its 50th Anniversary.

In this podcast Lori Quick-Meija, Community Outreach Program Manager of BI Parks and Rec gives BCB host Joan Sutliff the inside scoop on this exciting family-friendly event.  Activities at the party will include community booths (there is still room for for non-profits and others to participate, hint, hint) with hands-on activities, classic cars, a childrens’ bike rodeo, mainstage entertainment, and a giant birthday cake!

The main stage will be located next to the Observatory; entertainment onstage will include demonstrations of swing dancing, cheerleading, break dancing and more.  From 2pm to 7pm the family friendly bands Johnny Bregar, Whozyamama, and Mutha Knows Best will perform. There will also be food and a beer garden.

Come join the fun on Saturday, August 29th and get a piece of giant birthday cake! The event is free, but participants are encouraged to bring donations of school supplies to benefit Helpline House’s backpack program.

Virginia Mason Bainbridge Island Medical Center is the generous sponsor of the Birthday Bash. Additional details about the Birthday Bash can be found on the Parks Department website. 

Credits: BCB host: Joan Sutliff; studio tech: Barry Peters; audio editor: Finn Mander;  Publishers Diane and Chris Walker.

Shelita Burke is a talented singer/songwriter who will be performing her own eclectic blend of indie/jazz/folk music at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art on August 28th.

When not touring and living in Paris, Shelita calls Bainbridge home.

She has performed at the Sundance Film Festival, in Iceland, Germany, Morocco, and Japan just to name a few. Shelita will be accompanied by the talented musicians and Bainbridge Islanders Jonny Cole on bass and percussionist Abraham Neuwelt.

In this podcast Shelita talks about what gives her inspiration and how living in the Pacific Northwest has influenced her.  Listen in as she performs two original songs in the BCB studio!

Purchase tickets for the show at Brown Paper Tickets.  The show is for all ages and will begin at 8:00 p.m. Friday, August 28th.  Students with valid identification get in for $10, advanced tickets $25, $30 at the door. Visit Shelita's website.

Credits: BCB host: Sandy Schubach; BCB studio tech: Charlie Hanacek; BCB audio editor: Tim Bird; BCB social media publisher: Barry Peters.

From BCB... http://bestofbcb.org/who-014-morgan-terry-and-spacecraft/ 

Spacecraft is an island music venue on a mission to bring unique and interesting live music to the culturally curious of Kitsap County.  

Set in Rolling Bay Hall, they strive to bring the freshest and most progressive musicians from the Pacific Northwest to Bainbridge Island. Spacecraft’s vision is to serve as a launch vehicle for new names, new ideas and experiences, and to inspire others to join in the process.

Listen as cofounder Morgan Terry and volunteer Vanessa Brewis-Condon talk about how they got started, where they’re headed, and the exciting and fresh musical acts they’re bringing to Bainbridge.

For more about Spacecraft, visit www.spacecraftpresents.org

Credits: BCB host, audio tech and audio editor: Sandy Schubach; BCB Publishers Chris and Diane Walker.

This podcast interview features Felix Narte, Jr., who, along with Lilly Kitamoto Kodama and Kay Sakai Naka, will be participating in a post-show discussion as part of a Seattle Opera presentation Thursday, Aug. 13 at Bainbridge Performing Arts of a new work of opera: "An American Dream".

"An American Dream" is set during World War II and explores the lives of two Puget Sound women: a Japanese American facing internment and a German Jewish immigrant preoccupied with those she left behind.

A Japanese American family burns precious belongings from Japan in an attempt to avoid arrest during World War II. Young Setsuko manages to hide her beloved doll before her family is forced out of their home. A new couple moves in: Jim, a U.S. veteran, and Eva, a Jewish immigrant preoccupied by her family’s situation in Germany. When Eva finds the doll, she discovers the truth—both about Setsuko’s family and her own.

"An American Dream" was borne from the Seattle Opera’s Belonging(s) Project. The project asked people to respond to the question: “If you had to leave your home today and couldn’t return, what would you want to take with you? Why is that object, that memory, or that connection to your past so important?” Dozens of responses were filmed and posted to a digital quilt, which you can find online.

Seattle Opera then commissioned librettist Jessica Murphy Moo and composer Jack Perla to weave threads from this digital quilt into a new opera. The World War II experiences of two Seattle women, one Japanese-American and the other German- American, inspired the fictional tale of two families in "An American Dream".

"An American Dream" appears at BPA one night only on August 13 at 7:30 p.m. Admission to BPA’s working community preview is by donation only. Tickets for the Seattle Opera performances at McCaw Hall on August 21 & 23 range from $50 to $125.

Learn more at the BPA website, by phone at 206.842.8569 or in person at BPA, 200 Madison Avenue North, Bainbridge Island. BPA Box Office hours are 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, and one hour prior to each performance.

This community preview is made possible through a special partnership with Seattle Opera (www.seattleopera.org) and is appropriate for ages 10 and older.

Credits: BCB host and audio editor: Reed Price; BCB social media publisher: Barry Peters.

From BCB... http://bestofbcb.org/cafe-017-compassion-tour/

David H. Breaux has been on a yearlong tour of the U.S. asking people he's met from Montreal to Manhattan and from Tampa to San Antonio a single question: What is your conception of compassion? 

While David has been spending about a month in each of the cities he’s visited, his stay on Bainbridge Island was just a few days this August. Still, he spent several hours on a bench along Winslow Way in the island’s primary commercial district, talking with people as well as collecting people’s written descriptions of the meaning of compassion in a notebook.

David began the 12-month tour in September of 2014 after a five-year stint on a street corner in Davis, Calif. His goal in encouraging people to discuss compassion is to strengthen our understanding of interconnection and inspire us to act toward the alleviation of suffering in the world.

David shares how he came to make the decision to launch the tour in this video: https://youtu.be/_bvF1dkZM0A

To learn more about the tour and to keep track of David, join this Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thecompassiontour/

Credits: BCB host, audio tech and audio editor: Reed Price; BCB Publisher Diane Walker.

Our podcast guest, Lee Grant, is a celebrated actress of stage, film and television, and a film director. During the McCarthy era she was blacklisted for 12 years from her professional career.

Her daughter, Dinah Manoff, is well-known in our local theater community, having come to Bainbridge after a successful professional theater career on Broadway.

Lee and Dinah will be featured in a Q&A about Lee’s life and her new book, “I Said Yes to Everything”, at Eagle Harbor Books, on Thursday, August 13, at 7:30pm.

Lee won an Oscar for her role as Best Supporting Actress in "Shampoo" (1975), and the Best Actress Award at the 1952 Cannes Film Festival for her role as the shoplifter in the 1951 film version of "Detective Story". She has been nominated for Emmy Awards seven times between 1966 through 1993, winning twice. She won the 1964 Obie Award for Distinguished Performance by an Actress for her performance in Jean Genet's "The Maids".

Born to Russian and Polish immigrants, Lee grew up in New York where she found her passion for acting.  After the McCarthy era blacklisting, she extended her career to film and stage directing and teaching, heading up the Actors Studio in New York from 2004-2007.

Lee’s new book, “I Said Yes to Everything” explains an actor’s, and a woman’s, need to overcome societal obstacles and to reinvent herself time and again to fulfill her own passion.

Credits: BCB host: Nancy Soule; BCB audio editor and social media publisher: Barry Peters.

Jennifer Steil is an award-winning American writer, journalist and actor currently living with her husband and 5-year-old daughter in La Paz, Bolivia.

On Thursday August 20 at 7:30 pm, Jennifer will speak at Eagle Harbor Books at 157 Winslow Way East, Bainbridge Island. There, she will read passages from her novel and answer questions about her fascinating and exciting international adventures, and her life as a Western woman living in an Eastern culture.

Jennifer's first book, "The Woman Who Fell From the Sky" is a memoir about her adventures as editor of the Yemen Observer newspaper. The book received numerous accolades and is on National Geographic Traveler’s recommended reading list.

Since 1997, she has worked as a reporter, writer, and editor for newspapers and magazines in the US and abroad. She holds an MFA in creative writing and fiction and an MS in Journalism. After four years in Yemen and four months in Jordan, she and her family moved to London.

Theatre was her first love and she spent four years working as an actor in Seattle. She became increasingly frustrated with the dearth of female voices in the theater world. She moved to Bolivia with her family in September 2012 where her husband is Ambassador to the European Union.

Jennifer’s new book and debut novel, "The Ambassador’s Wife", won the Creative Writing Competition Best Novel award. Set in the Middle East, it is full of intrigue and danger.  Critics have called it “Thrillingly suspenseful and deeply sensuous,” while expanding awareness of different cultures.

Credits: BCB host: Nancy Soule; BCB audio editor and social media publisher: Barry Peters.

BCB's guest for this podcast is Grant Winther, a life-long boating enthusiast, and a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Grant is an expert on boating safety and how to navigate the hazards of life on the water.  On Saturday August 8th, he will be the instructor for the Washington State Safe Boating Course -- "About Boating Safely".  It is an 8-hour introduction which includes course material on: boat types, safety equipment, navigating Puget Sound, situational awareness, mechanical difficulties, chart reading, anchoring & docking, and even tying mariners knots.

The course will be held at the Eagle Harbor Congregational Church, at 105 Winslow Way West, from 8am-5pm. There will be an hour for lunch. Arrival by 7:45am is required for registration.

Sanctioned by the U.S. Coast Guard, the course is required for anyone operating a water craft, and the Safe Boating Certificate may qualify for reduced insurance charges.  Safe boating awareness has proven to reduce accidents and injuries, and to reduce conflicts with shoreline property owners.

The charge for the class is $35 per person, or $50 per family (all members are encouraged to attend.) The price includes the course book, test, and Certificate of Completion.

For more information, contact Grant Winther by email.

Credits:  BCB host: Nancy Soule; BCB audio editor: Finn Mander; BCB social media publisher: Barry Peters.

From BCB... http://bestofbcb.org/wu-172-mindfulness-for-teens-august-9/

A retreat for teens on Mindfulness is being offered Sunday, August 9th at the Bainbridge Island Bodhi Center.  This is an opportunity for teens to sample meditation techniques to focus, balance, “stay the course”and excel while under pressure from SAT’s to sports performance to dating.

In this podcast, facilitator Cezanne Allen, M.D.joins Jennifer Waldron in the BCB studio to talk about what is mindfulness meditation and the value of creating a retreat day just for teens.   Mike Tomberg, M.D., a local family doctor at Virginia Mason is also co-facilitating this retreat.

Teens are invited to join Cezanne and Mike on August 9th from 10:00am - 3:30pm.  For more information and to register, go to bainbridgebodhicenter.com.

Credits:   BCB host:   Jennifer Waldron; BCB tech assistant: Finn Mander; BCB audio editor: Tim Bird; BCB Publisher Diane Walker.

In this podcast, Dinah Satterwhite, manager of the Bainbridge Island Studio Tour, tells us about the upcoming Summer Studio Tour, this Friday to Sunday, August 7th to 9th.

The tour is a free self-guided art show on the island, celebrating the beauty and craft of local handmade art.

This summer’s tour includes 48 artists who will show a wide variety of paintings, jewelry, sculpture, fiber art, photography, ceramics, prints and more. The show will be in five art studios around the island, two in Winslow and three in other Bainbridge locations. A driving map and brochure are available on the Studio Tour website.

The map shows easy driving and cycling routes to the studios. The brochure lists the artists and their media, and the website provides more information about the artists. All the artists are juried when they first join the tour and every few years thereafter. Many of the artists have repeat customers who look forward to seeing their new work.

At each of the five studios on the route, many artists works will be found.

The Studio Tour has been an island event since 1984. It’s a great way to become acquainted or reacquainted with local artists, and also a great way to support the local economy.

Credits: BCB host: Peter Harris; BCB audio editor, Finn Mander; BCB social media publisher: Barry Peters.

From BCB... http://bestofbcb.org/arts-002-bima-artists-books-collection/

This fascinating and informative interview takes us behind the scenes to the magnificent collection of artists' books in the Sherry Grover Gallery of the Bainbridge Island Art Museum, providing insight into a wide array of artists' books with different themes, materials, texts, and ingenuity.  

According to BIMA founder and artists' books curator Cynthia Sears, artists' books are “literalists of the imagination,” for their ingenious construction, literary cleverness, and sometimes, satire. In this podcast Cynthia tells BCB host Channie Peters where she finds most of the books she collects for the art museum, what is special about them to her, and where we can see more such beautiful and clever works of art and craft.

BIMA is one of the few art museums in America to offer a significant collection of artists' books permanently exhibited in a special gallery designed just for such pieces of art.  The collection is diverse and always astounding in the cleverness, design and execution of each artist’s book.  

In fact, description pales before the actual visual impact of each book -- so it's best to visit BIMA, and see for yourself.The Sherry Grover Gallery is on the second floor of the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, which is conveniently located at the intersection of Highway 305 and Winslow Way, just a short walk from the ferry. 

Credits: BCB host Channie Peters; BCB tech editor Tim Bird; BCB social media publisher: Diane Walker.