Michael Na Na Ping Garcia remembers a time when counterfeit Native art flooded the market.
“I couldn’t give jewelry away in the late ’70s,” Garcia said.
He described factories in which 100 workers or more, Native or not, were cranking out products like bracelets to be sold as “Indian art.”
The Beehive is an up-and-coming craft store and event space as well as the brainchild of Emilie Vest and Caitlin Shoemaker.
Vest currently works remotely in the medical field and volunteers to organize the Magnolia Farmer’s Market and Third Thursday.
Shoemaker started The Bobbin Weave in 2018 where she makes custom items including backpacks, bags and notepad covers and sells them at conventions.
“Caitlin was one of my vendors at the farmers market. We’ve known each other since we’re in high school and she was talking about opening a yarn store. I said, ‘I really want to open a craft store. Why don’t we merge the ideas?’ We sat on it for a couple of weeks and decided to do it,” said Vest.
Despite only signing the lease for their storefront around two weeks ago, the renovation has begun and at least 16 events not including the ribbon cutting and grand opening will take place in October.
Vest said that they have goals to work with local artists and the local art scene including the Magnolia Art Center by adding gallery space, selling local art and bringing in local artists to teach craft courses.
They hired local artist Jaci Tucker to paint the store windows in a bee hive theme.
“I want all kinds of stuff here. If somebody makes crochet plushies I think that’s that’s a version of art. I really respect quilting as an art form,” said Vest.
The shop will have gallery space for artists to show and sell their art Vest said.
Vest said they also plan to have areas for customers to test products like pens, stationery and journals to help discover what they love.
“We’re going to be a little slow on the inventory initially, but we will eventually have inventory for crafts and high-end art supplies. Also, we’ll have a tool rental area where people can use them when they come in during workshop hours, in addition to the craft classes and then the art classes,” said Vest.
Shoemaker said, ” I think the events are going to be my favorite since they will be laid back and creative. I think the classes are gonna be fun.”
Vest agreed saying that they hope to have skilled artisans and craftspeople to teach classes.
“We’re really hoping there’s a bladesmith who can come and do a knife workshop,” said Vest. “I think that being able to give people the skills that a lot of us don’t learn anymore is really cool.
The ribbon cutting for The Beehive will be on Oct. 13 with the grand opening on Oct. 14.
Vest said they plan to have a bookstore pop-up shop by women-run store Paper Hearts during the grand opening event.
“I’m hoping we have like an adult scholastic book, fair vibe,” said Vest.
The Beehive’s Facebook page has a full list of events along with the links to sign up.
Vest said that any artists and artisans who would like to take advantage of the available gallery space or teach a class can contact her through The Beehive’s Facebook page.
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – The Wichita sports and photography community is supporting the family of a well-known photographer and Wichitan, Linda Gregory. She was injured Monday while shooting photos at a junior varsity high school football game at Wichita Northwest High School. Gregory fell and hit her head in a sideline collision. An ambulance took her to a local hospital where, her husband, Mel, said her condition worsened.
Mel Gregory earlier Tuesday shared on Facebook that Linda was on life support, and they were waiting for family members to arrive. He thanked everyone for their support and said when Linda was injured, she was doing what she loved. Tuesday night, Mel shared an update that Linda remained on life support and isn’t expected to survive.
“There is little hope left for her but she ight live on in the bodies of others,” Mel wrote. “Linda has been my soulmate, my bestest in everything and she will go as she would like to have gone.”
In her years dedicating time to sports photography, Linda formed close-knit friendships with coaches, players and parents in the League 42 youth baseball league, as well as at Northwest High School.
Among those she impacted was Joanna Chadwick, a longtime journalist and teacher who’s dedicated much of her career to covering high school sports and whose husband used to coach at Northwest.
“I never knew I needed her. I have a mom, I have a mother-in-law, they’re amazing people. I never knew I needed Linda Gregory, and I don’t think I was the only one that did,” Chadwick said.
Chadwick discussed how effectively Linda told stories through the lens of her camera. She said Linda and Mel started taking photos for League 42 when the league began 10 years ago.
At Northwest High School, the couple never missed a game.
“When she came up to Northwest, I mean, they were at every game: home, away, they were there,” Chadwick said. “If they were sick, by God, they were going to be there for at least the first half.”
Chadwick recalled how a follow on Twitter and a chance meeting at a store led to a cherished friendship.
“That spawned the friendship and suddenly they became part of the family,” she said of Mel and Linda Gregory.
It’s a bond that many share with the couple.
“You know, you think about how a friendship can happen like that and you think about, ‘Linda and Mel love me, they love my family,’” Chadwick said. “But it wasn’t just us.”
For those that don’t know Linda Gregory…
“I can’t even explain it enough to people that didn’t know here, how many people she touched,” Chadwick said.
It’s those people, the community, that are supporting Linda and her family.
“Whether she took their child’s senior portraits or she showed up to their son’s t-ball game, she just loves the community and she loves people,” Chadwick said.
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Photographer Manja Wachsmuth renowned for her captivating culinary imagery, is set to have her fascinating image “Shattered Pinot Noir” featured in the highly anticipated Lürzer’s Archive’s BEST Ad Photographers 23/24. This inclusion marks the second occasion that Manja Wachsmuth’s work has been showcased among the industry’s most revered photographers.
The Burst series, initially created for the 2023 Women’s Work exhibition “ The Shape of Things”, encapsulates Manja Wachsmuth’s distinctive artistic perspective and mastery of the craft. The series captures the essence of both the tangible aftermath of bursting moments and the metaphorical echoes of the expat experience. “Like many, I sometimes grapple with a sense of fracture and detachment, magnified during returns to visit family after years apart. Surprisingly the act of smashing things has a rather therapeutic impact!”
Being selected for inclusion in the Lürzer’s Archive’s BEST Ad Photographers 23/24 for the second consecutive time is a testament to Wachsmuth’s dedication and undeniable talent. It is an honour that Wachsmuth humbly acknowledges, standing alongside photographers whose work has long been a source of admiration and inspiration.
“I’m thrilled and honoured to be featured in this year’s edition of Lürzer’s Archive’s BEST Ad Photographers,” Wachsmuth shared. “Since my early days in the studio basement during my apprenticeship years, Lürzer’s has been an endless source of inspiration and a guide towards photographic excellence, and I am grateful for the recognition and opportunity to share my creative journey with fellow artists.” For more information, print requests, and personal viewing of Manja’s printed portfolio, contact Film Construction’s EP Belinda Bradley
Manja Wachsmuth recently joined the roster of talented photographers and directors at Film Construction and has won awards and fans with her Scandinavian sense of elegant composition. Manja creates masterful food photography, captivating product shots, expressive portraiture and lifestyle imagery that captivates.
Danish-born but now resident in Auckland, Manja’s work is a testament to photographic power. From darkroom beginnings to culinary artistry, she has become a master of precision and purpose in commercial photography. Especially food and all its intricacies.
Lürzer’s Archive’s BEST Ad Photographers publications showcases the outstanding work of photographers who have demonstrated exceptional skill and creativity in the field of advertising photography. The publication serves as a definitive source of inspiration for artists, advertisers, and photography aficionados around the world.
