Wines for Humanity Phoenix

WOODSTOCK FOLK FESTIVAL Sunday, July 21, 12:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Woodstock, Illinois, is somewhat of an anomaly. At first glance, the small community is sleepy—almost pastoral. But the quiet streets, tiny railroad station, and gently swaying trees are offset by a bustling arts scene. A proliferation of open mics and intimate performance spaces—most notably the historic Woodstock Opera House—make the town a must-visit destination for musicians throughout the region. For Tricia Alexander, it’s just home, albeit a somewhat unlikely one. An inveterate wanderer for most of her adult life, Tricia made a career out of life on the road. Whether she was opening for Loudon Wainwright III or the late Steve Goodman at a packed concert hall or teaching youths the healing power of creativity as an artist-in-residence in Chicago, Tricia never stayed in one place for very long. But, after stints in England, India, and countless towns across America, she was ready for a break. "After about 30, 32 years, it just stopped being fun, being out on the road. I knew that I didn't want to be in Chicago. It's just too intense." So, after some trial and error, she wound up in Woodstock, where the intersection of city convenience with country charm helped her ease into her new surroundings. In addition to discovering a place to set down roots, she also found herself in the middle of the vibrant artistic community. "When I decided to quit touring, I realized that I was settling into a kind of semi-retirement, from being on the road almost all the time to doing a handful of concerts a year, and I wanted to be a part of a community where I could give back some of what I experienced. The organizations are here, and they're incredible. They're organizations that are not closed off. They're always looking for ways to interact and support each other and help things grow. In a town this size, it just feels like a miracle." From the Unity Spiritual Center of Woodstock, where she works as the creative manager of the music ministry, to art spaces and venues such as Stage Left Café and the Old Court House Arts Center, where she performs her spiritual brand of blues and folk music, Tricia has quickly become a mainstay of the Woodstock music scene. It’s that dedication, coupled with the passion for community arts development that she showed on the road, that inspired the Woodstock Folk Festival to honor her with this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award. "To be acknowledged for what has been my life's work, I get teary just talking about it. And to be acknowledged by this community I call home is just very special." In addition to honoring Tricia, this year’s festival, which takes place in Woodstock Square on Sunday, July 21, will also welcome music from artists including singer-songwriters Brother Sun, folkie Judith Avers, and string-based fusion band Sultans of String. The festival will also operate an open-mic stage at Stage Left Café, where locals and guests alike can share their music with a like-minded audience. It’s this concept of sharing that continues to inspire Tricia, who, in addition to prepping her new album and continuing to perform around the area, is currently working on an expanded series of concert-storytelling events at Stage Left and the Lakeside Legacy Arts Park. Far from settling into the boredom of retirement, she increasingly finds herself reenergized by the town she calls home. "Here I am, 62 years old, thinking maybe I should slow down another notch, and instead, there's been another burst of energy and new ideas and new connections and new faces supported by this wonderful community," she says with a laugh. "I love it here. Can you tell?"

Suction-covered tentacles. Tube-like fungi. Bisected human lungs. Judging by the creepy-crawly subject matter that inspires Peggy Skemp’s jewelry, I half expected her workspace to resemble a mad scientist’s lab, complete with mummified organs in jars. Instead, the sole specimen I found in the sunny apartment was a tiny puffer fish hanging from a string. “Don’t touch it because the spines are poisonous,” Peggy warns, explaining that her great grandmother had preserved it alongside all kinds of naturalistic specimens, including the tiny octopus used as the model for her tentacle jewelry. Peggy credits her obsession with nature to her upbringing in the woods of Minnesota and northern Wisconsin, her “environmentalist” parents, and her grandparents, whose passions included medical science, nature photography, and chemistry. Peggy’s own passions wavered between art and science, leading her to dabble in pre-med classes as she finished her degree at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. After a brief stint as a butcher, Peggy began to pursue jewelry-making full time—though with a biological bent. “My first collection was based on parasites, and it was a difficult sell,” she laughed. “But I found enough places to sell it right away that I could pay my rent, and the next season I transitioned to something a little more palatable.” I visited her home studio to chat about her current work—which features snake bracelets with rattling tails and intricate fish mobiles—as well as the now-classic human-anatomy pieces that can be found on the likes of actress Missi Pyle, comedian Sarah Silverman, and musician Jerry Only of the Misfits. The following interview has been condensed and edited. GROUPON: Your most successful piece has been the anatomical heart locket. What did you use as a model for the original design? PEGGY SKEMP: I just used a bunch of different textbooks, and then I have a friend who specialized in fetal-heart anatomy as her doctorate, so I showed it to her and she critiqued it, and I modified my design based on her criticisms. G: How do you ensure each heart is anatomically correct? PS: Each one is hand-carved from wax, and then [my assistant Joe and I] cast it by hand. They all come from a mold, so the original mold had to be correct first, but they’re not all the same because we customize them if a customer has a particular anomaly. I did one with an LAD stent—a piece of mesh inside the heart to enlarge the artery so blood can pass through if there is a blockage—but mostly they’re just carved from wax and then they’re cast in silver or gold or whatever, and then we hand-fabricate the hinge and the aorta to act as the snap. G: Why do you think this piece has been so successful? PS: I think that it has emotional appeal, and jewelry has traditionally been a special-occasion gift. I guess my jewelry is used for the special occasion of...not dying, or graduating college, [or] maybe occasions just marked by a hug before because the appropriate jewelry didn’t exist…I want to make something that’s going to last forever. I’ve made some s--t that aliens are gonna dig up in 2,000 years and be like, “Oh, this is how a heart works!” G: What are some specific special occasions your clients have celebrated? PS: Right now I have a lung patient who got her right lung removed, and she wants me to make a left lung locket with golden alveoli…I’ve [also] got kidney lockets for a donor and recipients. Three different sets of donors have asked, “Could you make me a kidney friendship locket so I can keep one and give one to the recipient?” G: Have you ever seen human organs up close? PS: I haven’t been to the cadaver lab. I skipped that day in anatomy class, and I wish I hadn’t. The closest I’ve seen is the Bodyworlds exhibit, or the La Specola exhibit in Florence. They’re actually hand modeled—they’re not real people. They’re anatomical waxes from the 1700s. The Specola waxes really inspired me. G: You’ve also made jewelry modeled after brains and eyeballs. Are there any other organs on your to-do list? Gallbladders? Large intestines? PS: I have gotten some requests for bladders and uteri and ovaries. One time on the internet I drunkenly purchased a 5-foot anatomical model of a uterus, and then I decided it would make me a very creepy friend or neighbor if anyone ever came into my house and saw [it]. So I’m feeling the same way about making a uterus necklace. Are ladies going to be ostracized? G: So where do you draw the line on organ requests? PS: I draw the line at “Why is this jewelry?” What does it mean that it’s jewelry? Some things don’t need to be necklaces. Like in some of my early work—I’m not sure if there ever needed to be a mating earthworm necklace. [Laughs]. G: Besides worms, you’ve also produced anatomical jewelry modeled on octopus tentacles, serpents, and other things one might find in an avant-garde horror film. What draws you to creatures with an ick factor? PS: I mostly just pick things that I think navigate the world in an interesting way, creatures that I empathize with. Snakes are really amazing and sensual because of the way they move and because of the way they see [and] taste things…I’ve always wanted to wear snakes. Literally when I was a little girl, I would dress up with snakes. G: Wait—are we talking stuffed-animal snakes? PS: No. There was a bush by my house, and I would reach into the bush and pull out some snakes, and I would wrap them around my arms and legs. I dressed as Cleopatra every day for a solid six months. There’s a picture of me sitting on Santa’s lap with a snake [and wearing] a golden dress. G: Do you find that your work appeals mainly to scientists, or is it also appreciated by those outside scientific fields? PS: I think that pretty much everyone is interested in biology. If you’re not interested in biology, that’s very questionable—maybe even grounds for communist-level suspicion…Lots of people are into fungus and snakes, and maybe if they’re not into it, it’s because they don’t know how cool it is. Photo: © R Hanel Photography

It only takes a couple of products (and some minimal hand-eye coordination) to pull off these two starter looks. For low-maintenance women who suddenly find themselves needing or wanting to wear a little makeup, professional makeup artist Erica Janssen has two simple suggestions: use as little product as you can, and choose long-lasting formulas. “If you put in the effort, you want to ensure your masterpiece lasts all day [or] night,” she says. Erica followed her own advice in creating two unique looks: a bold pink lip that’s ideal for spring, and a simple, yet dramatic smoky eye. She kept the product count low—both looks only require two products plus mascara—and the application processes easy. “For both looks, I chose long-wearing products that are easy to use and can be applied with just your fingers.” Pretty Pop of Color Products used: NARS Matte Multiple in Laos ($39), Bobbi Brown long-wear cream shadow in Sand Dollar ($25), mascara For this look, Erica lightened the product load by using the NARS Matte Multiple, which is a multipurpose color stick that she applied to Suzette’s lips and cheeks. “[Laos is] the perfect pop of coral-pink,” Erica said, which she noted is a foolproof hue “for a beginner that wants to experiment.” Erica applied the color right out of the tube, but you can also create a dewy finish by using a dampened brush. Erica kept the eye makeup very simple as well, blending a long-lasting, neutral shadow upward from the lash line and finishing the look with a coat of mascara. Simple Smoky Eye Products used: Laura Mercier Caviar Stick eye color in Khaki ($26), YSL Kiss and Blush in 08 Pink Hedoniste ($40), Smashbox Always Sharp waterproof kohl liner in Raven (optional, $20), mascara Whereas the first look highlighted the lips and cheeks, this look is about playing up the eyes. To start, Erica applied the eye-shadow stick generously along the lash line, blending upward with her finger so the color was darkest near the lashes and lighter near the crease of Suzette’s eye. You could stop there and finish with some black mascara, though Erica chose to blend a little shadow under the lower lashes and tightline the eyes with black liner. To balance the dramatic eye, Erica used the YSL two-in-one lip and cheek color, which is an air-whipped mousse that added just a hint of pink. Photo: Tim Burkhart, Groupon