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Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Oh My Gawesome!

Greetings from Brrrrraaaazzziiiiiilllll!!! Here's the first 3 parts of our adventure thus far! More to come...



- Part I -
The Bike Rid
e

Bom Dia! (Good Day/Morning!) Get ready for a doozie, because we're doing A LOT!!!

I hope all is well for all of you out there in DeJerklandia, as you brave the winter's cold and gear up for the frenzy of the holidays! Tiago discovered, while reading www.bikeportland.org, that Portland has been experiencing crazy-cold, and that our friends have been biking in 20 degree weather! Well, I can't say that we wish we were there, but I can express that we miss you all dearly, and wish you the best of luck in that hell-frozen-over-ish weather!

As for our side of the world, the weather is warm, varying from mild to hot, but all the while staying in the realm of spicy sauce descriptors. It's hard for me to imagine that Christmas will soon be upon us, as store windows display scantily-clad, beach-ready mannequins alongside saxophone-playing Santas and bright pink artificial Christmas trees. Yet, the kindness and proximity of Tiago's extended family, even upon our first meeting one another, does help me to get excited for the holidays we have soon to share.

Shortly after making our over 24-hour, Thanksgiving trip to Curitiba, BR, Tiago and I had the opportunity to participate in an uber-inspiring Critical Mass with about 50 locals. Here in the world's most ecologically sustainable city, which greatly mirrors some aspects of Portland (re: greenery, cleanliness, etc...), motorists are still largely uneducated as to sharing the road and being respectful of other modes of transportation. As such, bicycling (hell, even walking, I think) is still quite dangerous, even though anyone in Brazil will tell you that Curitiba boasts the bests drivers of any city in the country! Needless to say, I was a bit apprehensive at first to ride a foreign bike in this foreign place. However, when we arrived at the meeting point at Tiago's alma matter, all of my apprehension subsided as I found myself feeling strangely at home amidst the exuberance and delight brewing amongst the participants that were getting ready to ride. Though they were sans costume, (except for one street punk dressed as some freak-bloody butcher-Hannibal-Lector character), they started to ride in a circle as we prepared to leave, following each other in a derby of merriment, raising a ruckus with voices and plastic instruments, and rallying one another for the ride at hand - and in doing so, making me feel right at home.

The ride was long and kept a great, even, and conscientious pace. About 50 people participated - I'm told that usually there's around 150-300 people, but the day we went held a hot rain in store, and even though it was stupendous for us to be in rain that didn't make us shiver, I guess getting wet is not Curitibans' cup of tea! No matter though, as the small number afforded us a chance to converse with almost everyone on the ride and to learn a little more about the bike scene. I was pleased to see everyone, not just the same 2 people throughout the ride, taking turns corking oncoming traffic, and I was thoroughly impressed when - during a rough bit of condemnation from the aggressive traffic behind us - the leaders of the ride took 4 or 5 donut turns/derby circles in the middle of a busy intersection, completely disrupting traffic for an entire rotation of traffic lights! To my surprise, almost everyone on the street was completely receptive to our hijinx. All the passerbys that I offered flyers took them graciously, and people of all ages smiled at our antics.

Yet the highlight of the ride, (for me anyway), was watching the aforementioned punk terrorize motorists that had the misfortune, or miscalculation, of leaving their windows down. You see, this bloody-butcher-Hannibal man, with a thunderous scream, and tree trunks for arms (he were 9ft tall if he were an inch, I tells ya!), also came equipped with a modified chainsaw that sported a bike-chain mechanism and an intentional gassy leak, which he pointed without mercy straight onto unsuspecting car drivers and passengers! Some people simply looked afraid, and rolled up their windows. When others objected, the environmental butcher simply retorted something along the lines of imitating what the motorists themselves were doing to those of us not in cars... the awesome and surprising result? Feeble retorts, and in some cases, agreement.

Later in the ride, the butcher-punk told me of the protests they've had recently in Curitiba over the increasing bus fares. The public transit riders, sans union, share a sentiment that the public transit should be free. In addition to suggestion and solicitation of public figures, they've also taken to the streets and violently let their wishes be known, sending several police officers and protesters to the hospital in the process. I only wish our Portland Tri-Met riders would demand the same from our city...

At the end of the ride, we congregated under the covering of some sort of shopping building, since the warm tropical rain had been steadily drenching us for the last half hour of the ride. It was then that we learned that several attendees of the ride had recently been charged with breaking environmental laws in Curitiba - the offense? Installing guerilla bike lanes. The city is charging them with over $3,000 in fines, and this Saturday they're holding a fundraiser for their cause and for future bicycle/pedestrian awareness projects. The ride leader introduced us and asked us to share about bike culture in Portland. Tiago did most of the explaining, naturally, and I chimed in afterward about how inspiring the ride had been for me, and how proud I am of all of them for braving the streets of Curitiba and participating directly in the bike-fun movement while doing it. After a group photo and bit more socializing, we eventually headed home, wet and elated.
- Part II -
The Family, The Food and More Travel

Well, not too much to report here. It's all damned wonderful! The food is delicious here in Brazil, and man, is there a lot of it! Daria and Bohdan (Tiago's parents) are extremely accommodating, and the entire family exhibits the hospitality of some Southern mom-and-pop diner, with an "eastern european twist," (re: "Eat! Eat! You're too skiiiiiiiiny!"). My Portuguese is improving every day, and I am determined to be as fluent as possible by the time I return to the states. Yes, so far I love just about everything about South America! There are only two things that will take me some more getting used to... (1) not eating what appear to me as "finger foods" with my hands, and (2) not putting toilet paper in the toilet (and in some cases, not being afforded the luxury of toilet paper at all)! I never thought myself a privileged-princess with a need for/sensitivity to such amenities... well I guess I never thought about it that long or hard! My friend Emy tells a story about having to re-train herself to dispose of her toilet paper in the toilet upon returning to the States form a stint in South America... I wonder, multiple times each day, if I'll have to do the same...

Anywho - after arriving in Curitiba, we spent a few days settling into the room that Tiago and his brother Diogo grew up in (which wasn't too settling for me!), and then it was off to Salvador, Bahia, in the Northeast of Brazil, for more travel, adventure and fun!

- Part III -
Salvador, Bahia

The trip to Salvador, Bahia consisted of a several-hour long plane trip to the Northeastern part of Brazil. During the flight, Tiago and I flew over one of the prospective areas where we are interested in procuring land, sometime in the future. From the aerial view it looked like paradise, and I am anxious to go explore the region more, perhaps later in our trip. Also during the flight, I received a briefing from Tiago about what my demeanor should be like once we got to Salvador, including walking faster than normal, not making direct eye-contact with those trying to approach me or talk to me, and practicing how to say "No Thank You" in many different ways. I'm glad he had the foresight to tell me then, because those tips came in handy as soon as we arrived, and were bombarded with taxi and goods solicitations.

We could have afforded to take the fancy-schmancy shuttle bus to the bed-and-breakfast at which we were going to stay, or a taxi, but instead opted for the sort-of-fancy shuttle bus to near where we were staying. After waiting for over an hour, the bus finally arrived, and I got my first lesson in the need to dominate a line in South America. Geeze Louise - for a place where the every day pace is half that of the United States, these people sure do like to be first in line... and I don't blame them! In most places I've seen, the bus will start moving whether you have both feet in or not, so it's best to get on first... pushing and shoving is playing it safe, and I've learned to do the same, although each time i do, I wonder what my mother would say...

We arrived at our pousada (bread and breakfast) in the mid-afternoon heat; the heat during which locals avoid the beach and tourists stand out more on the streets. The place was BEAUTIFUL, and although it may be 2nd rate to some travelers, it was paradise to me. Only three blocks from the beach, with a snippet of ocean view, each room's facade was painted a different color, and like most of my experiences thus far in South America, the service was impeccable.

We unpacked, relaxed a bit, and then - on just 2.5 hours of sleep - went out to establish our bearings, get a big plate of food, a cold drink, and a heapin' of curious looks from the locals... (Turns out that the new skull tattoos Tiago and I are bearing - his birthday present to me this year - is also the sign for a local gang... We were informed by some young kids on the beach who thought we were awesome for being a part of that "hardcore" gang... ai yi yi.)

We stayed two lazy, hot nights at that pousada, and during the days we ventured to the historical heart of Salvador - the 3rd most populous city in Brazil, and 9th most populous in Latin America. Salvador was the first colonial capital of Brazil, and as such is host to a magnetic marriage of old, older, and new. The convergence of Brazilian tradition and European influence is overwhelming, and makes for a really colorful experience... and I'm not being facetious! It turns out that the homes of Salvador didn't originally have address numbers, and as such were painted a different color from all other homes on the same street... when the colonizing forces decided to raise taxes, people would stow away at night and re-paint their house a different color... leading to a truly varied viewing experience! The city is pretty much a giant tourist trap, with some areas containing more "trappers" than others, and I'd be lying if I said we didn't fall for some. We even took refuge from the heat in the nearby shopping mall - a very well air-conditioned establishment with lots of security. I got to see so much culture that was on the one hand familiar to me, and on the other extremely foreign. My favorite image, though, is of Tiago in the food court of the shopping mall, eating empanadas and tortas, sporting an un-car-friendly expletive-laden baseball cap, sitting in front of a McDonald's - a scene I'd never be privy to in the US of A. All in all, we enjoyed an enriching experience in Salvador, and the overcrowded city served well as a stark contrast precursor to the paradisaical adventures that came next...


To Be Continued...

Saturday, September 26, 2009

2 Great Events, 1 Big Week!

(And as usual, a heapin' of short notice!)


Hey all! I hope your summer was as amazing as ours! We got to travel a bit, soak up a lot of sun, and we even sunk a sailboat! Mr. DeJerk and myself went on a rickety rollercoaster of experiences, came out relatively unscathed and back in touch with our ridiculous selves. We're so happy to be sharing this great big world with all of you, and we've got two great events coming up this week to celebrate just how great and crazy life can be! (Oh yes, and of course to showcase some Work DeJerk!) Well I'll get right to it, since one of these events is happening TOMORROW!

Its been about 3 months since Tiago and the Mt. Scott Teen Corps finished the city-sanctioned mural that now accents the Arleta/Mt. Scott neighborhood in outer Southeast Portland, and I'd say it's high time for some celebration! So tomorrow, between 2-6pm, come on down to Mt. Scott Park (SE 72nd and Harold) for food, music and family fun! The Teens have put together a raucously good time for all, and local businesses are contributing the goods to get the party going! We'll have a ribbon-cutting, of sorts, and join the community in their much-deserved revelry!




If you can't make it tomorrow, then surely you must join us at this First Thursday's premiere poster-art event: ArtCrank! The event is one of many held throughout the country along the Artcrank tour, but is also super special because it is doubling as a fundraiser for the Portland-based Bikes to Rwanda project. Artcrank celebrates bicycles and posters coming together as two of the most fun and accessible means of creating and doing. All of the posters are priced at $30, with $5 from each sale going to Bikes to Rwanda. The work DeJerk will be complimented by that of some of our closest friends, and some of the best damn bikey artists around. These posters are going to be a steal and we'd love to see you there! Artcrank will be held at The Cleaners at The Ace Hotel (403 SW 10th) from 5:00pm-11:00pm this Thursday October 1st. Oh, and thank you to Jonathan Maus of bikeportland.org for featuring a painting of Tiago's in his coverage of the story! We love you bikeportland!

Signing out, with a sleepy head and full happy heart,

Drica DeJerk

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Catching up…

Catching up…


These past few months, it seems like all we DeJerks have been doing is playing catch up. Luckily, almost everything that’s been preoccupying us has been extremely worthwhile and rewarding! Keeping in that spirit, it’s our turn to catch YOU up on all the catching up we’ve been trying to do! Between a wonderful trip to San Francisco and Tiago’s installation at CELLspace, moving closer to town here in Portland, the completion of Tiago’s city sanctioned mural, and the coordination of our city’s May Day March and Rally for Immigrant and Worker’s Rights, it’s been a crazy few months and we (obviously) have lots to share. In an attempt to retain readership, I’ll try to minimize my verbosity, move chronologically and, well, just get to it…


The last time we updated you we let you know a little bit about Tiago’s awesome wheat-paste installation at San Francisco’s CELLspace art collective. Thanks to Russell Howze’s generous efforts of always including Tiago in his awesome projects, (see our previous posts about Stencil Archive, and Russell’s amazing book Stencil Nation in which Tiago is featured), we were able to venture to SF for the unveiling events of CELLspace’s now permanent street-facing stencil installation, Stencilada. We even got to spend a night in the collective’s newly renovated, and totally swanky artist-in-residency apartments! Thanks Russell! The collective’s efforts really inspired us, and they’ve done some really amazing things in the past 15 YEARS of their existence. We’ll have a post detailing their work and history coming soon! For now, here’s some pictures of the installation!

We really tried to maximize our trip, and with the support and guidance of our friend Paige, (owner of Portland’s Breeze Block Gallery), we were able to put together a nice kit of Tiago’s art and accomplishments, which we used to schmooze with some of the coolest SF galleries. You may remember my trip to New York last summer, when I tried to do just about the same thing, but without any of Paige’s wonderful tips and information. Let’s just say that Tiago and I are completely committed to this coast for now, and that we had 100% positive feedback from the folks we met. We made a lot of really wonderful connections, and even got the opportunity to showcase some art at Fabric8 – an online gallery and retail fusion with an eclectic physical gallery in the heart of the Mission district. They’ve been around for over a decade, and we’re stoked to have the good fortune to collaborate with them.

Moving right along… You may’ve noticed my absenc
e from the blog scene (or maybe you didn’t) over the past few months. One reason being my utter and complete involvement with this year’s May Day March and Rally for Immigrant and Worker’s Rights. Tiago helped a bunch by designing some really powerful posters that garnered attention throughout the entire city. I’m happy to report that this year’s event was a HUGE success with a crowd of over 3,000 people, and I think a lot of the attendance can be chalked up to the awesome image he created!


The rest of May brought the retirement of the physical La Casa DeJerk, our home at the outskirts of North Portland. After a year and a half of living it up in St. John’s, we DeJerks said goodbye to our first real home together, and hello to a brand new chapter of North Portland living at a house our friends bought in March. We’re really excited about this home, and our new band of living cohorts. We have big plans for depaving, permaculture gardens, a community freewall, and a safe space for our community members! We’ll keep you updated on the progress…


Back in November, I posted about a mural that Tiago was planning with the Teen Volunteer Corp at the Mt. Scott Community Center in Southeast Portland. Through the efforts of the teens and their volunteer directors, the project secured its funding through RACC (the Regional Arts and Culture Council) and physical work was underway shortly thereafter. After upwards two years of involvement, the end of May and beginning of June also brought the conclusion of Tiago’s work on the city-sanctioned mural, nestled in the heart of our old neighborhood in deep Southeast Portland. The teens were able to be directly involved in every part of the process. They directed Tiago by coming up with ideas of images that represented their community and they even helped him cut the stencils and paint the mural. The end result looks amazing, and was a rewarding process for all involved. We are currently planning a public unveiling celebration slated for July, and are looking forward to sharing the story of the process with the entire neighborhood! We’ll keep you posted about the date and time of the event once it is determined. I have to say that Tiago put SO much work into helping these teens achieve their artistic potential, and I am SO proud of all of them!

As a final note, today is our two-year anniversary of getting hitched, and tonight we’ll be celebrating in traditional DeJerk fashion by renewing our vows in the
company of our closest friends on the Summer Solstice Shortest Night of the Year bicycle ride. The last three years of sharing my life with Tiago, and the last two years of being “official,” have been the best and most rewarding of my life. Our love is a special testament to the potential of love everywhere; within everyone. I am so lucky to be Mrs. DeJerk, and I want to thank all of you for all of your support along the way. We’ve had our ups and downs like any couple, but I am continually amazed by how well we work together – how we communicate so openly and honestly, and how we perpetually inspire one another to grow and to change. We’d like to invite all of you in Portland to come celebrate with us tonight, and all of our loved ones across the world to think of us, and love in general, as the earth revolves and our hemisphere welcomes summer once more.


With open arms, and open hearts, we implore you to LOVE and BE RIDICULOUS!



With love,


Drica DeJerk

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Stencilada this Saturday

Announcing: A Very Special Shout-Out From Sunny San Francsico!


Mark Twain (one of Tiago's favorite American authors) once wrote that the coldest winter he ever spent was a summer in San Francisco. Well, friends, that may've been true for Mr. Twain - but for yours truly, coming from Portland, Oregon's crazy mixed-up idea of spring - San Francisco is a breath of warm, yet fresh, air, and Tiago and I plan on soaking up every bit of it while we're here!

And just why are we here, you ask? Well, to celebrate Tiago's first permanent installation unveiling of course!!!

This Saturday at CELLspace (2050 Bryant St.), (
San Francisco's own Mission arts collective), we'll be celebrating the unveiling of a new street-facing facade complete with stenciled panels by 8 national stencil artists, and "featuring special stencils on paper by Tiago DeJerk." The celebration will last from 1pm - 5pm, and will be complete with a public BBQ, good tunes, and even more paint and accessible walls. If you come down after 3pm, try to bring something to grill or drink, as supplies are limited.

We're so excited to be a part of this project - another wonderful opportunity for Tiago's career and our experience in this crazy world DeArt, provided by Russell Howze of Stencilarchive.org and Stencil Nation (the book Tiago was featured in last summer...).

We're also really excited to visit galleries and collectives all day - soak in the culture of the Bay Area, and get a semblence of a much needed vacation in at night! If you have any leads for us, or just want to suggest a cheap sushi joint, please please please drop us a line at info@dejerk.com! For now, though, we're going to head out for the day, and show this city how to Love, and be Ridiculous!

Hoping y'all are happy, wherever you are,

Drica DeJerk

Thursday, March 05, 2009

Happy Two-Thousand-Fine!

2009 Updates and a Call Out for Help!


Happy Two-Thousand-Fine to Everyone in the Land DeJerk, and Beyond!

Sorry w
e've been away so long - there's just been so much going on! Between holidays, birthdays, special projects and future shows, Mr. DeJerk and myself have been so busy, we're not quite sure which way is up these days... and it's not over yet! Not by a long shot! Let's see if I can catch you all up to speed...

First of all, we had an amazing Winter Solstice and ensuing holidays celebrating two-thousand-great, and ringing in two-thousand-fine, with over 40 friends and family members right here at La Casa DeJerk! Then January saw a slight lull in activity at the homestead, while Tiago and I buckled down to business to make sure the new year would start full steam ahead on the right foot. Tiago painted day and night to finish two big commissions and a handful of periphery projects that all turned out breathtakingly beautiful!

The lull didn't last, though, as February thundered in once again as the busiest short month of both our lives! While Tiago worked on pieces for his upcoming San Francisco show (details below), and we both prepared ourselves for
ZooBomb's Mini Bike Winter VI, I secretly stowed away any hours that I could in order to finish Tiago's super secret surprise birthday presents and party plans! (You may not know it to see him, but Tiago DeJerk celebrated his big 3-0 this February 22nd, and this little wifey went above and beyond the call of duty - let alone sanity - to let him know that he is still very loved... even if he is now a dirty old man!) Over 50 secret hours and three exhausting weeks later, I was able to provide him with 3 surprise birthday parties, 2 birthday wishes come true, and a brand spankin' new, hand crafted DeJerk-mobile - a side-by-side tandem of sorts sportin' the family name on the front, and a whole lotta love in between! I presented him with the, well, present, the day before MBW began, and so we were able to show it off to all our friends and foreigners for the entire weekend! It was a smash hit, and Tiago was happy to be the belle of the ball for two whole weeks!

Well, that sums up all that you'd need to know of our last two months! :P Now, getting down to business, we have A TON of exciting news! Here it is, in no particular order...


First off, as a result of my most daring managerial move to date, and months of coordination and design work from Tiago and others, we are proud to present to you Tiago's first international magazine cover art!
Amy Walker of Momentum Magazine was introduced to Tiago's art during Russell Howze's promotional book tour for
Stencil Nation in Vancouver, B.C. this summer, when the two agreed that Tiago is "the best bicycle artist in the world." Soon thereafter she contacted me to let me know how much she admired the Work DeJerk, and that she would love it if we could send some art for the Bikeosphere benefit art show for the magazine. I told her that we would -IF Tiago could be guaranteed a chance to do a cover for the rag. Six months and bunch of negotiations later, the final product is out and hit the shelves this week to much acclaim! I'm so proud of Tiago and his ever expanding ability to create his art in any medium, and I can't wait to see where this new field may take us!

Moving on, our good friend Nathan Bennet, the sculptor who decorated our wedding reception at The Watershed, has curated a show that opens TONIGHT at the Village Ballroom (700 NE Dekum). The show is a straight-up cornucopia of mediums, highlighting Portland's most up and coming artists, including you-know-who! Tiago has 3 wonderful works on display at the show, and it's up until April 6th, so you have plenty of time to go check his, and the other works, out!

Keeping in line with this year's theme of expansion, Tiago will also be featured in
Stencilada, a group stencil-art show at San Francisco's own Cellspace: Collective Exploration Learning Labs (2050 Bryant St.). The show is curated by Russell Howze, and features panel-work by 7 national artists, and "special stencils on paper by Tiago DeJerk." The opening date is March 28th, and we'll be travelling to SF for the week to enjoy the opening party and to try our hands again at big city gallery schmoozing! ...I mean, networking... we'll be networking our little booties off for 5 days straight, from the 25th to the 30th, so "holla" if you'll be around or if you have any leads for us in the Bay Area!

Lastly, and most importantly, we need to ask for your help in any way possible, for a fri
end of our community's who is in dire need. Hollis Hawthorne, dancer, lover, and muse to the San Francsico bike dance troupe The Derailuers, has suffered brain-stem injuries from a motorcycle accident while traveling in India, and needs to be air-evacuated by ambulance flight to Stanford medical facilities in SF. Hollis has been a major inspiration to our community, and a close friend of the extended family, for quite some time now, and friends and strangers from around the globe are rallying together to raise the funds for her trip back home. Estimates for the cost of the flight are upwards $200,000, and there are ongoing paypal efforts as well as benefits being thrown to reach that goal. As of this writing, these efforts have already raised $65,000, and that amount, coupled with Hollis' stedily stabilizing condition, make the goal extremely achievable at this point. Whether you're in New York or New Delhi, there are ways to get involved. This Tuesday, the Work DeJerk will be available for sale at the Portland benefit to bring Hollis home. Please check out the following blog to see how you can attend or how you can help: http://friendsofhollis.blogspot.com/. We know you'd do it, if it were one of us Jerks in this situation.

Alright, well there's definitely more news to share, but my tip-tappity-fingers are all but tapped out. Rest assured that there will be no more 2 month breaks from my updates in the near future, and that we missed all of you as much as we know you missed us!

Thank you for the love and support you've shared with us lately, and for that that we know you will share with Hollis! Keep on rocking that love, and for crying out loud - get ridiculous while you're at it!


Love, love, love,


Drica DeJerk