Please welcome Articulate City’s new member, Brent Waugh.  This Southern guy from Tennessee makes a great contribution to our club and we are so happy to have him join in on the fun! When Brent isn’t immersed in his overwhelming love for movies, or spending time with his fiancee, Megan, he’s outside trail running or cheering on his favorite college sports team! You know, manly stuff! Read on to get to know more about Brent and what he hearts about the Arts!

The Art I  ♥:  Visual Arts, Literary Arts, Cinema

Listening:  I mostly listen to NPR and talk radio. I’m seriously the least musical person you’ve ever met. If I had to pick a genre aside from KUNC, it would probably be country (I’m a Tennessee boy at heart).

Watching:

TV- I’m not a big TV-watcher, but my fiancee has managed to get me into: Parks & Rec, The Office, and Arrested- Development.  I’m also a fan of Dexter, Law and Order (the original, not all this new crap), and The Walking Dead. I love any travel show; in fact, Rick Steves is my boy.

Film- I watch movies all the time; in fact, my fiancee and I created our own movie club in Fort Collins- check it out on Facebook, FoCo Fo’Show. On the top of my head, I enjoy Indiana Jones, Apocalypto, Cold Mountain, and I’m a sucker for blockbusters.

Foreign Films- I’m a big fan of foreign movies such as The Good, The Bad, The Weird; The Lives of Others, Pan’s Labyrinth, The Secret in Their Eyes, I saw the Devil, and Y Tu Mama Tambien.

Reading:  I’ve always loved 1984. Other favorites include The Kite Runner, The Eight, The Devil in the White City, Love in the Time of Cholera, and Crime and Punishment.

Dining:  I love food. All of it. I like to eat local when possible, and I’m a big fan of El Monte and Tasty Harmony in Fort Collins. I’m a sucker for breakfast; Snooze and Rainbow are my favorites right now.

Browsing:  When I’m not working, I’m usually on ESPN.com checking scores or watching games.

Working:  I’m Assistant Director for Communications at the Office of CSU Events (At Colorado State).

Giving:  A Soft Place to Land, mentoring organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters..and, this question is making me realize I don’t give back enough (in terms of time) since I moved to Fort Collins.

Avoiding: I dislike or try to avoid..

#peoplewhotalkinhashtags, #thefactthatinowtalkinhashtags, ticking clocks, lazy people, when restaurants turn down the lights in the middle of dinner, Notre Dame fans, Chapstick, Tim Tebow (yes, I said it), when people spell definitely with an ‘a’, exclamation points, talking on the phone, bees, talking about dreams I had the night before, and dressing up.

Fancying:  I love a ton of things- my fiancee Megan, my rescue pup Theo (shout out to ‘A Soft Place to Land’), my Vols, Thanksgiving, gym shorts, hoodies, breakfast, waking up early, coffee, a good job, seeing movies in the theater, meeting new people, college sports, and my Garmin Forerunner, to name a few.

I’m also enjoying planning trips to Europe for this summer and to Argentina next spring.

The art we ♥:
Julie: I love all types of art – that’s perhaps obvious – and I really love the ideas and the people behind the art.

Jeanie: I love all the art too, but I have a special place for live acoustic music. My favorite art piece in the house right now was made by Fort Collins local artist Kirsten Savage and its caption is “be your own festival”. I’m also a little obsessed with Bryan Collins who is local as well. I like Banksy too, but he isn’t local. (“or IS he?” – Julie)

 √ Visual Arts  √ Theatre  √ Live Music  √ Dance  √ Literary Arts  √ Cinema  √ Other (too many to list)

Listening:
Julie: I’m on the board of directors for SpokesBUZZ Fort Collins and I haven’t taken the SpokesBUZZ Vol. II CD out of my car CD player for a month. For real – so many great musicians in Fort Collins! I also listened to a lot of Foster the People, Gotye, M83 and Friendly Fires in 2011. I think I’m going through a phase. The same one I went through in 1985 or so.               

Jeanie: Currently in heavy rotation on my iPod are Joshua Radin, Joni Mitchell, Javier Colon, and of course, John Mayer. In the car, I tend toward pop music and car-concert friendly stuff. Wait… I have car concerts to just about every kind of music.                                           

Watching:
Julie: I have episodes of “House” and “Glee” in my Hulu queue at any given moment. I love the movies – I just don’t get to see enough of them. I grew up on John Hughes (see “going through a phase”, above) and Rob Reiner, so I’m a sucker for a romantic comedy with a splash of neuroticism or a twist of coming-of-age. I also really dig documentary films.

Jeanie: I follow in my older sister’s footsteps on this one, but I am also watching Modern Family, Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, just finished up Arrested Development, and I like to try to see as many of the Oscar-nominated films as I can see in the year so I can decide if the Academy is screwing it up.

Reading:
Julie: Currently waiting for The Magician King to come out in paperback. I love reading, but I really hate reading hardback books. Maybe I need to switch to an e-book reader, but that just seems dangerous. Like I’d never stop reading, given that kind of immediacy. I’m also a fan of Chuck Klosterman, Alice Hoffman, Neil Gaiman, John Irving, Stephen King. I guess I have a dark side. Books are magic.

Jeanie: Unlike Julie, I like hardback books and as a side note, I don’t think I’ll ever understand people who read on Kindles or some other electronic device. I like the smell and feel of real books and they seem safer to read in the bathtub. Lately I’ve been reading a lot of magazines. Perhaps it should be a New Year’s Resolution to get back into books because I do love them. P.S.  I’m devastated that the magazine ReadyMade went under.

Dining:
Julie: If Star of India was located any closer to our house, I’d go broke. Also love Snooze (pancakes!) and I think Big Al’s has the best burger in town. Generally a fan of spicy, with ice cream for dessert.

Jeanie: Ice cream is my dessert, Julie. That and uncooked brownie batter….and cupcakes…and chocolate covered caramels.  I think I’m personally keeping many of the downtown restaurants open with my frequent support of them all. Right now I’m into the happy hours at Jax Fish House and the Canyon Chophouse. I’ve also spent my fair share of time at Café Vino and The Crown Pub.

Browsing:
Julie: Articulate City, natch. Also spend a lot of time with social media sites, for business and pleasure. If I find time to spend reading something other than status updates and tweets, I like www.theatlantic.com and www.fastcompany.com. But I guess those are actually more magazines than websites? It’s blurry.

Jeanie: a. Don’t say natch, Julie. b. You should let people know how much time you spend watching YouTube videos searching for cats that hang out with eagles, and for sloths. c. I’m into pinterest.com, perezhilton.com, and spend more time than I should reading facebook.com.

Working:
Julie: I am an advertising and marketing writer – I own my own company: Unconventional Ink. I work out of a collaborative workspace called Cohere, alongside other independent creative professionals. Love that.

Jeanie: I am a personal trainer for my own company, Mind Body Design. I spend time doing random other work things like dog sitting, being Avery the Downtown Squirrel, and spent time this summer at The Mishawaka Amphitheater working as a trough girl. I don’t think I’ll ever have that thing that some people call a career.

Giving:
Julie: Arts advocacy and creative and cultural causes make me really happy. In addition to Articulate City and SpokesBUZZ, I am also a board member at TCAMP and support Fort Collins Museum of Art, GNU Experience Gallery, Opiate Gallery, KRFC 88.9 FM and more. In general, I think giving to and getting involved in Fort Collins has contributed to my happiness here.

Jeanie: I’m currently giving money to The Fort Collins Food Bank, GNU Experience Gallery, TriMedia Film Festival, SpokesBUZZ, Opiate Gallery, KUNC, Environment Colorado, and pretty much any cause that gets me riled up. It really does make you feel better to give.

Avoiding:
Julie: the taste of wood. I chalk it up to clarinet reeds in junior high, but I shudder at the thought of Popsicle sticks, wooden coffee stirrers and some varieties of chopstick. Ugh. I also prefer people who have a sense of humor, particularly about themselves.

Jeanie: Julie that wood thing really is weird. I am currently avoiding closed-minded people, mega churches, and in the New Year, excess calories.

Fancying:

Julie: I really love being an aunt. I have a fairly obsessive relationship with the Tour de France, which takes me out of interacting in the real world for much of July. My philodendron, Phil, is the closest thing I have to a “pet” – he doesn’t mind my never really being home. I’d like to stay curious forever.

Jeanie: True on the aunt thing, predictable permacrush on John Mayer, Ryan Gosling, and Jake Gyllenhaal, current mini crush on Adam Scott of Parks and Rec, and seasonal crushes on most all of the NFL and men’s college basketball players and some coaches. I love my iPhone, I wish I had a dog, but I live with a sister that hates dogs, and I’m up for most any exciting adventure that gets presented to me, though I would avoid eating bugs.

Julie – note: it’s not dogs. It’s owners. Remember? Just like it’s not kids. It’s parents.

Lately Articulate City has been featuring many of our awesome, new members but we don’t want you to think we’ve forgotten about all of you amazing AC veterans. That being said, we are very excited to feature Brent Maynard! Read on to learn more about one of our faithful followers.

The art I ♥: Visual Arts

 Listening: In the car: XM Lithium, NPR  On the iPod:  Beck, Bush, The Strokes, The White Stripes, Rob Zombie, Cake, Blind Melon, Foo Fighters, Jet, The Cult, Gear Daddies, Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave

Watching: TV:  Mythbusters, Archer, 30 Rock, The Weather Channel, Community, Futurama Movies:  difficult… The Big Lebowski, every Clint Eastwood movie except Bridges, The Princess Bride, Better Off Dead, High Fidelity, The Tourist

Reading: Bicycling, Discovery, Harlan Coben novels on the plane, stalled on Benjamin Franklin – An American Life, various business process books

Dining: Love Thai, Vietnamese, and Japanese food… Thai Pepper. I also like to grill a sirloin or tuna steak.

Browsing: REI, PMI, some technical resource sites, Facebook, and my Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Team In Training site promoting my fundraising for a half marathon at Canyonlands / Moab 17 March!

Working: I have an office in Cheyenne and travel to several of my employer’s manufacturing sites in the U.S. and Australia as well as equipment manufacturing and repair shops in the U.S. and Europe

Giving: I miss working at The Full Belly Project in my home town.  Currently raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (honoring my cousin and a friend who inspired me many years ago to bike, run, surf, and enjoy a beer or six with good friends).  Enjoyed serving beer at Brewfest with other Articulate City volunteers!

Avoiding: Cars in the left lane NOT passing, litterbugs, smoke, blue cheese (and other moldy stuff), amplified harmonica music, fried food, people who gossip or run other people down, perfumes and other smelly stuff.

Fancying: Latest crush… There are so many – how do I choose?  No wife, most of my gadgets frustrate me, no pet.  Putting the kayak away,  keeping the mountain bike ready, tuning up the skis.  Excited to train for a half marathon!  Would like to find shop space to do metalwork, welding, functional art.

Please welcome one of Articulate City’s newest members and fourth quarter wang artist, Rachel. This emerging artist of Rachel Dawn Designs is spending her time creating new pieces of jewelry in her studio when she’s not disappearing to the latest music festival or spending time with her hubby. Keep reading to learn more about our new friend!

The art I ♥: Visual Arts, Live Music, and Cinema

Listening: Music is an important part of creating for me.  I ALWAYS have tunes on while I’m making jewelry.  A few of my all time favorites are Air, Pink Floyd, Beck, Johnny Cash, Ween, Pretty Lights, Modest Mouse, DJ Shadow, and The Pixies. 

Watching: My favorite show on television is Planet Earth.  I like to put it on mute and listen to the Ministry of Sound albums.  Try it.  It’s AWESOME!  Promise!  As for films, I have lots of favs!  Southland Tales, City of Lost Children, Amelie, Across the Universe, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, What Dreams May Come, 300, Wristcutters: A Love Story, The Adjustment Bureau, Run Lola Run and Labrynth.  This list could go on and on!

Reading: To Kill A Mockinbird, She’s Come Undone, The Alchemist, Ishmael, Tuesdays With Morrie, The Great Gatsby, The Giving Tree, and The Sneeches.

Dining: We’re pretty spoiled in Fort Collins but if I had to choose a few of my favs it would have to be Chioce City, Café Vino, and Youngs.

Browsing: I’m on Etsy all of the time posting pieces and scouring for treasures I can’t live without!  I’m completely addicted to Facebook (I could probably use a 12 step program), Allrecipes and Epicurius deserve credit for all of my victories in the kitchen, and last but not least, anytime I’m needing a little inspiration or feel like losing a few hours I go to Pinterest.  It rules.

Working: I’m working towards a full-time career designing jewelry in the meantime I bartend at Buffalo Wild Wings.

Giving: I enjoy involving myself with anything relating to art and music. I donate my jewelry to local charities and I stand by of Planned Parenthood.

Avoiding: I cannot stand ignorance, close-mindedness, negativity and anyone with a lack of compassion.  How can you possibly know where someone is coming from if you’ve never walked in their shoes?

Fancying: My forever crush is my wonderful husband.  Without the love and support from him I would never have the courage to follow my dreams.

The art I ♥: Visual Arts, Live Music, Literary Arts, and Cinema

Listening: Rural Alberta Advantage, Common Market, The Cars, Dire Straits and the Rolling Stones. I will resist all attempts at my musical tastes being pigeon-holed.

Watching: TV: Programs about nature or history, or nature and history, or the nature of history.  And anything narrated by Morgan Freeman. Movies: The Cell, The Big Lebowski, The Goonies. I was pleasantly surprised with the new Planet of the Apes (yes, I agree, James Franco is dreamy. Now stop putting him in. Every. Freaking. Movie.)  Also, I’m super excited for Immortals coming out in November!

Reading: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonothan Safran Foer (hands down the best book I have ever read); A Staggering Work of Heartbreaking Genius by Daniel Eggers, and Lamb by Christopher Moore have held my top three spots for some time now.  Chuck Klosterman’s Fargo Rock City threatened, but couldn’t quite pull it off.  I still have faith in David Eggers, but I have given up on Augusten Burroughs. Also, if you don’t like Shel Silverstein, Dr. Seuss and Carl Sagan, I will talk about you behind your back. (If you don’t understand why they are related, I will fight you.)

Dining: Fort Collins has so many amazing restaurants, so I feel terrible about saying this, but I LOVE Domino’s Pizza! But I would have to say I do have one restaurant themed aspiration:  If I’m lucky, on any Saturday afternoon in the summer, 10, 15, or 20 years from now, you can find me bellied up at the Pickle Barrel, 5 Barrel in one hand, and a delicious Wiley in the other.  Love that place.

Browsing: Slate, The Week, Deadspin, Prolly Not Probably, and then I let StumbleUpon do the rest. 

Working: I work for Big Shot Bikes.  I do a little bit of everything, so I have earned the title of Bike Ninja.  Alternatively, I like to think of myself as the Director of Awesome.  Or perhaps the Coordinator of Rad?

Giving: United Way (Make a Difference Day is coming up, so get signed up!!!!)  The Bike Co-op never got the time it deserved from me, so I encourage others to pick up my slack and give them a hand or two. And I don’t know if it counts, but I’ve ‘donated’ a lot of money to the Crown Pub ‘Foundation’ over the years as well.

Avoiding: Vegans.  Yep, I said it. Quit coughing on me and eat a freaking burger. (Sorry vegans.)

 Fancying: There’s this amazingly beautiful girl that I can’t get out of my head.  If anyone sees Jami McMannes, tell her to call me. She has my number….Other than that, I’m really digging this Internet thing. I hope it catches on.

Hunter shows off his own screenprinted tee at Articulate City’s CommuniTEE Night

This month’s Articulate City member spotlight shines on Hunter Honn. A University of Colorado Boulder graduate, he couldn’t help but come home to his roots in Fort Collins after graduation to be closer to his younger brothers. We met Hunter at Envision’s Young Professionals luncheon and he joined Articulate City not long after. This artist is currently running his own painting company and volunteering for the Fort Collins Peach Festival. He enjoys creating paintings to give to close friends and attending concerts. To learn more about Hunter, keep reading!

Art he hearts: Live music & dance

David and Liz cheer on team USA during this year's Women's World Cup.

You may have noticed some new faces among Articulate City party-goers. Two of these fresh faces belong to David and Liz Atwood, a delightful couple who love putting the ART in pARTy. The pair is known for their infectious laughs, sarcastic wit and ability to work “That’s what she said” into every conversation. We were lucky enough to sit down and get the scoop on David and Liz.

Their Roots: David was born and raised Fort Collins, CO. Liz is from the small town of Worland, WY. The two met while studying at the University of Wyoming. David works as a chief officer/mechanical engineer for Heinzmann/Regulateurs. Liz is an events coordinator for the Office of CSU Events.

Art they heart: Photography, drawing, painting, sculpting and stand-up comedy (yes, what Daniel Tosh does IS art)

On their iPods: German and French music, bluegrass, Mumford and Sons, The Aquabats and Bright Eyes

Shows they can’t miss: The Inbetweeners, Trailer Park Boys, Parks and Recreation, LOST, Bob’s Burgers, Saxondale

Favorite flicks: Anything done by Quentin Tarantino, Stanley Kubrik, Martin Scorcese, Joel and Ethan Coen, Steven Soderberg and Wes Anderson. Also, foreign films (especially German).

Reading: Harry Potter series, travel books,  Spin magazine, Outdoor Photographer magazine, Sunset magazine, German books. Actually, Liz says she will read anything.

Grub they love: Thai, Mexican, sushi, breakfast food, barbeque. Liz’s favorite Fort Collins joint is Tasty Harmony.

Their browsing history: ESPN, Pintrest, Tosh.O, When Parents Text, Fail Blog, Woot, Hyperbole and a Half, Hackaday, Sierra Trading Post, Amazon, Craigslist, eBay and MSN.

Things they avoid: David- Liz’s music, dairy products (except for ice cream), arguments, confrontation and traffic. Liz- mean people, spiders, driving in big cities, full-priced purchases, skin cancer and sports with balls.

What they fancy: Bicycles, their dog Banjo, their hedgehog Fern, being homeowners, drinking good beer, extreme croquet, postcards, mopeds, motorcycles, garage sales, enjoying life and having as much fun as possible.

There is much more to David and Liz Atwood. Look for them at ‘Snooze: The Nightcap’ and other Articulate City events.

Her roots: As a native Georgia girl, Stacia Fortenbery headed out West to attend Colorado State University. Upon graduating this past May, Stacia began working with the Downtown Business Association and Articulate City to plan some exciting events in the Fort Collins community.

Art she hearts: Live music and cinema

On her iPod: Mumford and Sons

Shows she can’t miss: Parks and Recreation, Conan, Chelsea Lately, and Real Housewives of New Jersey

On her bookshelf: Bossy Pants by Tina Fey, and the Harry Potter books (she is rereading the last one to prepare for the final installment of the Harry Potter films – a true Potter fan)

Grub she loves: Pizza and Mexican cuisine

Her drink of choice: Margarita on ice with a salted rim (Rio, anyone?)

Her browsing history: Facebook, Apartment Therapy, Film Drunk, and Warming Glow

Things she avoids: Taylor Swift (Geez, Stacia. Why ya gotta be so mean?)

Loves of her life: Griyffin (her pup), Johnny Depp, the beach and planning events with Articulate City

Now that you know a little bit about Stacia, don’t be shy to chat her up at the next Articulate City event.

Meet Jen Mclain:

The art I ♥:
Live Music and Cinema

Listening:
Lady Antebellum and Natalie Grant

Watching:
American Idol, Glee, and The Voice

Reading:
Real Simple magazine, “Half Broke Horses,” and “Room”

Dining:
Jeju, Cafe Ardour, Butter Cream Cupcakery, Bluebird Bakery, Tasty Harmony

Browsing:
Boden USA, Kayak Travel

Working:
Resurrection Christian School, middle school principal

Giving:
World Vision, ASPCA

Avoiding:
Complaining, being bored, snakes

Fancying:
Clooney (both George and her cat),  Zoe (her other cat), Cello lessons, planning vacations

The art I ♥:
Cinema

Listening:
Bob Dylan, Marc Cohn, Tim O’Brien

Watching:
“Seinfeld” reruns, “Modern Family”

Reading:
A Splintered History of Wood

Dining:
Jeju sushi

Browsing:
Pokerstars.tv

Working:
Running Frameworks Timber

Giving:
Spring Creek Gardens

Avoiding:
Windy weather

Fancying:
A whole month of 40 hour work weeks!