Year: 2014

Meeting with Mardis at his Redlands home—which doubles as a constant creative hub for artists—gave the impression of the definite “working artist lifestyle.” Checkered floors, black walls and a variation of visual and sensory effects caused by the inhabitance of creative minds under one roof. I left with a new understanding of Nerdpop, but also the art from Shane Curran and David Arshawsky and tangible references to further understand the games and projects Nerdpop has undertaken. Read on as Mardis describes exactly what the Nerdpop empire is and where it’s headed.

Kimberly Johnson: Some may recognize NerdPop from hosting art and music events in the surrounding cities, some might know the name for having strong roots in the comic and illustrative field; others, however, are yet to be familiar with the brand as a whole. Can you describe what NerdPop is and how it began?

Rob Mardis: Nerdpop is my publishing and content brand. With Nerdpop, I write comics, design games and host events. I also find artists that I enjoy and collaborate with by either publishing and promoting their work or creating new works with them. I realized years ago that in order to make my fiction and games I had to build the support system for me to get them done. That is how Nerdpop began.

Aside from that, Nerdpop is an extension of the fiction that this area created. The Inland Empire, as well as San Bernardino County specifically, has had such a profound effect on me. It is a venue for me to share my ideas and experiences with the larger world.

To do this, I host events to cultivate a scene and artists. I’ve had a couple decent print runs and done a lot of zines with Nerdpop. We also do music and media reviews on the site. Nerdpop is set up to be able to produce a full project from start to finish.

KJ: In what ways would you say NerdPop benefits and utilizes artists of San Bernardino County?

RB: San Bernardino County is a unique place for creatives. The Inland Empire is one of the only places in the world where you are geographically located 1 hour between every kind of natural attraction and surrounded by multiple metropolitan areas. Most creative work is a summer job away in LA, SF, SD or LV. However, living in this area allows for myself and my associates to live fairly cheap and find work in LA or via telecommuting.

For example, Redlands artist David Arshawsky was working with Color Ink Book and I managed to pick him up for some projects over the years in between his commercial work. His work includes Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures, Pokemon toys and even the Homies miniatures. Somehow he ended up in Redlands and he’s had a tremendous influence on my ability to produce games for the Nerdpop brand.

KJ: Every month, NerdPop presents a music and art show held at The Vault in Redlands. Can you tell me what types of festivities commence at these events and what guests can expect?

RM: Our once a month events at the Vault are the largest consistent art show/concert in the Inland Empire. It’s a night designed to pack The Vault and connect the fans. It’s not a quiet affair, but a chance to get to know artists and their work. The big change that I will be doing with Nerdpop events this year is expanding to a once a week art competition Thursdays at the Vault and also adding a new once a month Nerdpop Game Day.

KJ: Speaking of the new Game Day, I hear you have a board game on display at The San Bernardino County Museum—that’s pretty wild. Can you give me a little insight on the background of the game as well as how the opportunity for its display at the museum came about?

RM: Trailblazers is on display downstairs at the museum in the center of their stage-coaching exhibit. I designed the game to highlight the history of the Inland Empire along the Bradshaw trail. Players compete by moving resources back and forth while avoiding the obstacles of robberies.

It came about as part of a Wells Fargo grant. I had been working with the museum on their ArtMuse shows and I offered my services as a game designer and product creator. My personal goal is to help non-profit institutions create commercially viable products. Trailblazers was the perfect opportunity. It led to me also doing a game for Calico Ghost Town and their cultural center in the Lane House.

KJ: What types of projects and events can we expect from NerdPop as 2014 unfolds?

RM: We are working on a game called “Son’s of the Empire” which is our entry into the End of Time—another creative project Nerdpop has formed. The story focuses on the apocalypse archetype, but set in the Inland Empire. There’s no real heroes, just perpetual black. The game speaks to what people have to do to survive.

This is what I’m doing to make sure the Inland Empire and some of the things that have been done here are remembered as well as dramatized. A work set in the Inland Empire that makes people understand why this area is important; the importance of our politics, plus the strange people that keep it going. Riverside artists Pavel Acevedo will be my first contributor to this series.

Nerdpop will be working on less dramatic projects as well, and they’re all utilizing Inland Empire artists. Artist Phillip Rollins from Redlands, is illustrating a Tarot set and I am writing a prose story to go along with it. San Bernardino artist, Shane Curran, and I will be finishing comic issues #2 and #3 of the Nerdpop series “Designers.” Every character in that series is based off of a historical figure or someone we’ve fictionalized. On top of that, David Arshawsky is sculpting all kinds of miniatures and toys for Nerdpop comics and projects.

We’re sponsoring Brettwjayne on twitch.tv as well as starting our own online streaming channel. It would consist of my artists doing Bob Ross-like painting walk-throughs, play-testing of the Nerdpop games, some talk shows and then a bunch of aggregation. I’ve been thinking about live streaming my events and some of the work that goes on there as well.

The Nerdpop Board Game “Founders” will start release in April also. My proposal for Nerdpop Game Day will hopefully be approved to take place at the San Bernardino County Museum by the end of April. Lastly, Thursdays at the Vault of Redlands, I will be hosting a weekly art competition with cash and print prizes.

For more information check out Nerdpop.net

The Review will hold their second annual film festival on Feb. 1 from 6-9pm. The event will be held in the theatre of the college’s Rancho Cucamonga campus. Michelle Dowd, Advisor for The Review notes, “The films all cover an array of comedy, drama, documentary to musicals. What’s great about this festival is that budding film directors do interesting things experimentally that you don’t really see in mainstream films. I don’t think many people really get the opportunity to see these things. You can watch stuff on Vimeo, but not many get to see it on the big screen sitting with other people and get the whole experience. I think it’s unique.”

The event is in commemoration of the release of the journal’s 11th volume which will be premiered during the festival and available for purchase. The festival will, of course, include the main attractions of the evening—independent films from students as well as filmmakers abroad—but will also feature music performances from Los Angeles act, Pixikill and Chaffey natives, FutureLove. Of the several enticing amenities surrounding this festival, let us not forget that this evening of films, tunes and food is 100% free and open to the public.

The Chaffey College Review has worked tirelessly to offer a journal of creative exploration that resonates with college peers and the public alike. They have as well set out to execute the same with their upcoming festival. “It is completely student run—completely. I am faculty advisor, but those students chose every single film that was in there, said Dowd. “I think what happens with a festival that is completely student run is you get a perspective of young people. I think that it’s really great to get a perspective from students who are just at the beginning of their careers and thinking about what speaks to them.”

Join The Review in celebrating honest literature, captivating visual art and innovative filmography at the second annual Revenge of the Chaffey Review Film Festival on Feb 1.

Stollenwerk’s careful curation provides a cosmopolitan and impactful assemblage in the relatively small space. Amy Sarkisian’s “fraternal prankster” sculptures, which include one with shoe mirrors, are natural foils to the darker works of Candace Lin in the media of video and vagina dentata-esque silicone. Yoshie Sakai’s campy autobiographical soap opera video project, in which she appears to play most of the characters, is housed in a domesticated room of its own within the museum, while LA-based The Miracle Whips’ queer femme art-burlesque performances are bawdily screened on a red velvet draped television, framed with gynocentric fill-in-the-blank cards. Fay Ku’s Aeon Flux-sinewy subjects, naked but for the impossibly extensive coils of shibari braids encircling and restricting them, present a commentary on the very public relationship between women and their hair. Also working in a graphite and paper medium, Evona Lynae’s elegant grotesqueries, in her own words, “fabricate figures in the midst of their transformations.”

Unruly is an artistic affront, in the best way possible, to the notion that “woman” has a narrow, restrictive definition. The works are challenging, bold and even frightening, as works of contemporary art should be.

Amazingly, Unruly is free and open to the public and in our own backyard (no trek to Los Angeles required!), running through March 15 during the museum’s open hours (M-Th 10:00am 4:00pm, Sat noon – 4:00pm, closed Friday, Sunday and holidays). This Smithsonian-quality show is not to be missed. It is not for those with delicate sensibilities, but those with a taste for new and exciting art will not be disappointed.

Soltes met Harrison in the mid 70’s when she was a dance student at the American Society for the Eastern Arts program in Berkley. Harrison and his partner Bill Colvig were there making Gamelan Instruments. Gamelan refers to a collection of instruments made in Indonesia, such as metallophones, xylophones, kendang (drums), gongs, and bamboo flutes, to name a few. In the Indonesian tradition these instruments are made for a particular village and musicians travel to that village to perform with those instruments. A very different process than that of European performances.

Soltes has had a long and distinguished career as a dancer, music producer, and filmmaker and has recognized and appreciated visionary musicians from all parts of the world throughout her career. Her friendship with Harrison had a profound influence and was the primary inspiration for the Harrison House Music & Arts residency program.

Soltes was with Harrison as he explored Arizona and Utah looking for a place to build in the desert. Finally a young composer friend, George Zelenz, introduced him to Joshua Tree. He bought an acre of land and began building a straw bale house. As a skilled instrument builder, also interested in the relationship of architecture to acoustics, Harrison designed the house with that in mind. The ‘great room’, with its exotic eastern influence and cathedral-like scale was built with specific musical proportions. As Harrison designed and built the house with help from friends, Soltes filmed the process. On the afternoon it was completed, she waited for him to arrive with her camera poised to capture his reaction. While waiting she discovered the floor was wonderful for Indian dance and told Harrison. He responded, “This place is for you, too dear.” The house was completed almost a year before Lou Harrison died.

The residency program was initiated after Harrison’s death, when composer Terry Riley asked if he could hold a concert in his honor. Luana Lynch, a Joshua Tree resident told Soltes she could bring an audience. “It was classical North Indian music and I thought people would leave at the intermission, but nobody left,” Soltes said. “I knew this was a special place, a special community, and a special house that he built. It’s proving to be that. Artists come here and very often do their best work.”

Through a series of synchronistic events Soltes bought the Harrison house, moved into a house nearby and started the residency program. There is currently no application process, although Soltes is considering starting one. “I invite artists whom I have known over the years, some who were closely associated with Lou and others whom I meet in my travels,” said Soltes. Residencies can last anywhere from a few days to a few months and Soltes believes in making each residency a deeply productive experience. Every artist is fully supported with transportation, food, and amenities, allowing them to focus solely on their work.

When Ted Quinn (Founding member of Radio Free Joshua Tree and the Listening Lounge) wanted to perform at the Harrison House, Soltes asked him, “Have you ever done a concert of your own original songs?” This challenged him and gave him the impetus and occasion to gather and publish “Things Worth Keeping: Ted Quinn” a songbook of his own work.

“It was an honor to play in this place where I’ve seen many great artists, ranging from Fred Frith of Henry Cow to a 30 piece Gamelan orchestra,” said Ted Quinn. “Eva’s passion, as a dancer, presenter and film producer makes her a true renaissance woman and a precious gift from Lou Harrison to our artistic community.”

The SHS Foundation has been funding the residency program for the last four years. In addition, Soltes is grateful for the generosity of private donors. For instance, the composer John Luther Adams was there for two weeks under the sponsorship of Sue Bienkowski, and the John S. Knudsen Trust will be sponsoring the upcoming residency of Danny Paul Grody and Kenric Taylor, two young musician/composers from the Bay Area.

In 2013, Music & Arts hosted a night of Balinese music and dance performed by the Cal Arts Gamalan Burat Wangi. Directors Nanik and Nyoman Wenten are long time friends of both Harrison and Soltes and were part of the program where Soltes studied dance. “For ten years we had talked of staging a Gamelan performance under the full moon,” said Soltes. “Last May we made it happen.” An outdoor stage was constructed specially for the performance, and has added an entirely new component to the venue for future outdoor events. “It was a very special evening that we dedicated to Lou, his mentor Pak Cokro (father of one of the gamelan directors) and Sam Scripps who sponsored the American Society for Eastern Arts Program where we all met in the early 1970’s.” That event precipitated the buying of a new house for Soltes, allowing for more parking by offering walking access from the street behind the Harrison House. It also provides Soltes with a new home and studio to pursue her own work.

“Lou Harrison: A World of Music” the feature documentary by Eva Soltes had its world premiere in 2012 and has been screened at festivals and venues around North America over the past two years. The completion of this phase of her work now allows Soltes time to edit three other films, as well as dance and music projects of her own. “Artistic performances have always been a part of my life,” Soltes said. “I realized a big dream a few years back when I invited an ensemble of musicians trained in the same classical Indian tradition that I practice, to accompany me in an Indian dance performance. For the moment, however, I’m happy to be programming the work of others.”

Soltes will be one of the performers in the upcoming “Desert Stories” series on February 1st at the Black-Box Theater in Joshua Tree.

“[Harrison House Music & Arts] is a labor of love,” Soltes said, “I am fortunate that my profession and passion are one. I often feel that artists and the value of art to our spiritual wellbeing and growth are under-appreciated and underestimated. I believe it’s important for everyone to do what they can to make the world a better place. I found something that I can do alongside developing my own creative projects that inspires and supports new art and living artists.”

For information on programs go to: www.harrisondocumentary.com

Jessica Wyland, photographer and writer, is the founder of the Wild Lemon Project. She grew up in San Bernardino but has traveled all over the country writing and developing her art. A true daughter of the IE, Jessica returned several years ago and replanted herself in this fertile soil. Lucky for us. She recently invited me to her office where we talked about the beginnings of the organization, still in its infancy, where it has been, and where it is headed.

Isabel Quintero: You are obviously very busy with the Wild Lemon Project, you work full time, and you’re a mom. But I know you just received the 2013 Woman of Distinction Award from Congressman Paul Cook. Congratulations. How did that feel? I know that on the Wild Lemon website you talk about, [in regards to the award], “the work [you] are all doing to embrace and nurture art and literature in our community.” What is that work? And who is all doing it?

Jessica Wyland: Well, one of the things that prompted me to start the Wild Lemon Project was that I have lived in another places; I’ve lived in New Mexico, Santa Fe, San Francisco, England, I’ve lived in L.A., I’ve traveled throughout the U.S., I’ve traveled through Europe. I’ve been to places that are considered cultural meccas or high cultural centers, and then I’ve lived in the Inland Empire, and people look down on the Inland Empire and I see the talent is equal to anywhere else I’ve been. I mean the writers are just as good, the artists are just as good, but the thing that’s different is that we don’t have the support system like other cities do.

IQ: When I spoke with Dotti and Ernie Garcia, that is one of the things they said. That we get a lot less in non-profit funds in San Bernardino than, let’s say, Los Angeles.

JW: I think there was a study…[that looked at] where there are holes in art and culture in California, and the Inland Empire and the Inland Central Valley, those [lacked] the most funds and opportunities. That’s one of the reasons I started [Wild Lemon Project]. I thought at least this will help. This will bring people together. We can put on events, we can promote events, we can be a place for people to go to connect with each other. The people are [working] with me, when I say “we,” I mean the larger community of artists and writers that I’ve met since we’ve started the Wild Lemon Project. We have a strong board; myself, Cynthia Wyland Camper, Rebecca Trawick, Karen Fojas Lee, Sara Demoss, and our poetry editor, Casey Goodson. But we also have loose affiliations with other groups like [PoetrIE], local artists and writers we’ve worked with, and we have really strong connections at Cal State San Bernardino, the community is really involved, the teachers and students are just amazing. There is so much talent and enthusiasm there.

IQ: Especially with the newish M.F.A. in Creative Writing program. People really wanted that and needed that in this community. I completely agree with you in that there are so many talented people here that go off to different places instead of staying and building community here.

JW: It’s understandable…because how can you focus on creating these opportunities for yourself while pursuing your art and your writing. My first job out of college, I had an internship for the mayor of San Bernardino, back then it was Judith Valles, and the woman that I worked for told me, “You’re supposed to bloom where you’re planted. Make your own city or town a better place.” I thought, “That’s hard.”… But once I decided I was staying here, I wanted to do something for the community.

IQ: We’re happy you did.

JW: Thank you.

IQ: We’ve already talked a little bit about the Wild Lemon Project; you write reviews, put on art shows, put on readings, and promote artistic events throughout the literary and art community in the IE. The question is, why do you think this is necessary? What is the ultimate goal of the Wild Lemon Project?

JW: I intend for the Wild Lemon Project to evolve naturally. So, if there is a writer, a group of writers, an artist, that have an idea, then I want to serve to help them. Let’s say they want to put on a show. Well, we’ll help them find a place, we’ll help publicize the event, we’ll bring food vendors to donate, or get a musician to come and play. If it’s a group of artists putting on a show, then we’ll get a group of poets to do a reading at the same time. That’s our ongoing goal; just to help put on events and promoting on the website. I’d like to get more people involved who can do just that, and almost function independently. I’d love to have representatives from all over the cities we want to serve. Say, you’re the representative from Rialto. You go around Rialto looking for opportunities for artist and writers; find a coffee shop for a poetry reading, find a restaurant that wants to host an art show each week. As the representative from your city, that’s your function and the rest of the Wild Lemon Project supports you but you’re the contact person. Like Fontana has the Arts Depot. I’d love to have a representative from Fontana who’s in touch with the Arts Depot so we can promote their events, and maybe we could put on a show at the Arts Depot.

IQ: That makes a lot of sense, because then you branch out and you’re not the only woman responsible for building the community because each city has a representative. I know there are people who are interested in doing just that and I am sure after reading this interview you will be inundated with willing participants. But I would like to move on to how you got your name, the Wild Lemon Project.

JW: How did we get the name? I was studying the relationship between agriculture and people (at Cal State San Bernardino), it was interesting to me. My hypothesis was that people who live in a certain place have similar characteristics to agriculture that thrives in that place. I started doing research about citrus and this area; learning about how citrus came to California and how it helped create this identity for California as a utopia–it’s always sunny, you can grow oranges in the winter. At the same time I was having these thoughts about how this area has a lot of talent and passion for art and writing but you wouldn’t know it from an outside view. Then, I was buying eggs from a woman in Redlands and she was telling me about how a lot of the orange groves were grafted on to wild lemon tree stock [because] the wild lemon is heartier than the oranges. And it’s true, lemon trees do so well here. If you’ve ever had a lemon tree in the Inland Empire, that thing just lives forever, no matter what! It’s always producing fruit, more than you can handle. I started thinking, the lemon tree is like the people here. It’s an immigrant, like most of us are. Wild lemon trees like space, they don’t like to be too crowded like orange trees. They’re hearty–sometimes the fruit is sweet, sometimes it is sour. I just started seeing all of these similarities between the people and the wild lemon tree. And my study of agriculture met up with my desire to help contribute to the literature and arts community, and then the name came.

IQ: I like that. I like that story. It’s not like, “We were sitting around and said, ‘Wild Lemon!’ That sounds cool.” It is very meaningful. Changing gears here, I wanted to talk about one of the Wild Lemon Project’s projects. I thought that the “This is My Selfie Exhibit” was really interesting. Can you talk a little bit about why you started that and whether it will ever be a live exhibit? Or if it will continue to only exist online?

JW: I would love for it to be a live show someday, but right now it’s just living on the website that way. What prompted it? Well, I think selfies are just fascinating. I remember when I was a kid, I had this little rectangular camera…I got it for my birthday and I took pictures of my cat, my bedroom, and I remember taking some pictures of myself. And then you’d go and drop off the film and there’s all that time. But what’s so amazing now is that with your phone you can take it instantly and you can see exactly how you look before you take the picture. You can pose yourself. I thought, this has a deeper meaning because you can capture your own image, just the way you want it to appear. It’s very personal, and very independent. You don’t have to rely on anyone else. I see a lot of people who post selfies in the car, they must have been looking in the mirror and they saw how they looked and they took a picture. But then at the same time it’s not independent because you’re sharing it out with your friends. You want praise. You want positive response. So, while it’s independent, taking your own picture, you’re also very needy; solicitous of feedback. I thought, this is just a strange phenomenon. You’re sharing something vulnerable in a way, because you’re taking/sharing a picture of yourself, but you’re also having power because you can make sure that the picture is exactly how you want it to be.

IQ: As opposed to before, when you used film and you may have only gotten half of your face, or the light wasn’t right.

JW: Right. You won’t even know. And if someone else takes your picture then you can’t quite control how you’re going to come out. It is an interesting thing that’s happening, and I love pop culture, and how everything is changing because of the internet–how we interact with each other, how we communicate. And the selfie is this trendy thing that’s happening and I thought let’s have people write about it too, and we got some really great stuff.

IQ: And you’re still collecting, right?

JW: It’s an ongoing exhibit, online. At some point, someday I would love to have an actual live show.

IQ: What else do you see or want for the future of the Wild Lemon Project?

JW: We’re constantly moving the organization forward, at the right pace for everyone involved. I’m happy with where it is now and hopefully with where we’re moving. You meet new people and it takes on a new energy and it starts turning into someone else. I met a new artist at Augie’s…and she had this idea for Parking Day and it was on September 20th, and a month before that I had never heard of Parking Day. Things like that, magical things happen if you’re open for those opportunities. IQ: I hope we are all open to magical opportunities like those, because I think that is the only way to help build an artistic and literary community in the

IE. Thank you so much for talking with me, Jessica.

For more information about, or to get involved with, the Wild Lemon Project please visit http://wildlemonproject.org/