recycled glass xmas tree event and downtown plans 1200 condos plus

Copyright Anthony Saluto Productions p.o box 3425 bloomington il. 61702 ph 309 824 9176 em gosaluto@bellsouth.net sites, www.strollthehill.blogspot.com ,www.worldsbestphotos.blogspot.com www.bnstyle.blogspot.com

mack glass to perform art works upfront bcpa downtown

Christmas Gets “Fired Up” at the Bloomington Center for Performing Arts

As the year begins to wind down and the Christmas season is set to begin, things will be heating up at the Bloomington Center for Performing Arts…literally.

Join Jason Mack, owner of local glassblowing studio Mack Glass, and his team of artists as they wind hot glass into branches and needles of a Christmas tree. Mack and company will have their furnace on site and will be melting recycled glass at 2,100 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the glass is liquid, they will begin ladling it onto a large steel armature, while rotating the frame to create a spun effect.

The public is invited to view this process, which will take place the first two weekends in December. Join Jason and his team December 4-6 and 11-13, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day on the front lawn of the Bloomington Center for Performing Arts. It’s a perfect backdrop for taking photos with family and friends.

“We’ll take the glass bottles and jars that are donated to us, break them up and shovel them into the furnace. The labels, caps, spaghetti sauce, baby food, or whatever remains of the contents gets burned away and out comes a crystal-like substance. The community helps build the work and becomes a part of the work. That’s what makes the tree event so exciting; it’s about building something together.”

Mack Glass will have an array of hand-blown glass items on sale just inside the BCPA near the ticket window to help fund the building of the tree. They also have a special gift for anyone who helps support their project with a donation of $25 or more. The community is encouraged to bring their clear and green glass of any kind, with the exception of window glass, to help build the tree. If interested in contributing to this project, contact Jason Mack at (630) 303-0493.

Mack Glass Company, LLC was established by Jason Mack in April 2008 as a vehicle for producing glass sculpture and fine art events. Currently, their home base is situated in a late 19th century factory in Bloomington, IL. The company is composed of three core members and a number of freelance artists who vary depending on the production. You can find Mack Glass online, including photos of last year’s Christmas tree, at http://www.mackglass.com.

-end-

www.worldsbestphotos.blogspot.com , call for a quote, 309 824 9176

meters pay back in one year and pay for other improvements and increases retail sales dramatically.

doug farr drives home meters for downtown

by anthony saluto oct 1 2009

the presentation of the downtown redevelopment plan was presented to about 75 last night. the smallest crowd of the 3 mega meetings that have taken place during the plans year long development. farr says meters all the way. they are worth around 100k to retail sales each. all day parkers have to go. customers have to have to access to stores. the city will have them paid for in one year with all the computers etc. year two is profits to help do some of the other improvements like streetscapes, green spaces, etc.. all your neighbors have them, springfiield, champaign, and peoria, farr says. it was added normal is looking at doing them too. farr says, some are so smart, you can just wave your cell phone at them and they fill.

i know a lot of retailers that are swaying back and forth on being able to stay downtown with the current parking suffocation. many i would think would like to see the meters happen sooner than later. unfortunately when i hear the word streetscapes. thats a long process. i wouldn't think meters could get the green light until there is a final walk to install them to.

and actually this whole plan came to a finale rather quickly for the scope that it was. maybe if bloomington city council sees money in the way of meters, they will jump on it. so how long before meters are saving retail stores downtown, the meters could happen fast, since the money has been found to work on the streescapes on the rest of main street downtown.

farr says, have some greeters, info stations, pointing out tourists attractions downtown. slow down traffic around downtown to 20 mph, or so. families and neighbors will come more.

building around downtown will see 1200 condos over 20 years, trails will be extended, farr says. 20 more stores on n main, front, and washington should be developed to fill in empty spaces, and some town homes, to cushion into single family a little further. make it so everyone wants to filter into downtown from these neighborhoods, farr explains.

stroll the hill merchants association looks forward to meters so that customers will have hundreds of parking spaces freed up for parking near their desired destination.

a few shots from my studio

now located at 104 washington st. downtown bloomington,

i started with children in the early 90's. this was from a quick take session in about 15 minutes.


entertainers and models ... contact me to quote your head shots & portfolios

309 824 9176

anthony saluto studio gallery moving downtown

Copyright Anthony Saluto Productions p.o box 3425 bloomington il. 61702 ph 309 824 9176 em gosaluto@bellsouth.net sites, www.strollthehill.blogspot.com , www.worldsbestphotos.blogspot.com www.bnstyle.blogspot.comn follow me on twitter, www.twitter.com/anthonysaluto coming soon, a new business edition.

gallery/retail space for rent. contact redbird management 454 4888

anthony saluto gallery/studio move

as before, i am moving the gallery and studio back to my loft on the fifth floor above elroys in the livingston building. take the elevator and call first for full service portraits, from children to groups and everything in between. commercial has been dominating my shooting schedule. more often than not jobs are booked from callers viewing my blog.www.worldsbestphotos.blogspot.com , i consider lack of customer convenient parking to have played a major role in limited traffic i would hoped to have experienced. yet commercial and portrait calls kept coming. i may have been more booked than i really want to be. the gallery was much like a long art or trade show, and with so many rotating through downtown over the course of an average year i consider it successful venture. the feed back and appreciation from gallery and studio customers was over whelming at times. i have been doing this 35 years, and still feel like i am practicing. i have many new products and prints i hope to be working on. i have about 45 head shots on the books along with some food photography for a restaurant chain. i completed my aerials for the shopping center on rabb road. and since going digital 4 years ago, i have an opportunity to produce the widest variety of subjects from personal to commercial than i could ever hope for. my gallery, was designed to be a giant portfolio showing my range of work. the range seems to hold my interest and challenge me. as for all the 35 artists living upstairs downtown, i highly recommend the experience of a solo gallery to develop new client work. if i had to rely on print sales off the wall it wouldn't have worked as well. what worked well for me was the range of assignments that i was able to discuss and or do.

bnstyle will continue soon. stroll the hill merchants association may as well.

sthma, i am so invested now in digging up the truth and offering my own experiences opinions, i doubt if i will go long without new writings. a revenue stream would have to exist and being off the street and as available as i have been to comments will surely alter my story content. because as long as this plan is unfolding there will be situations that i wont think are making since. i will want to generate stories to support such a reconsideration. stay tuned.

bn is interstate rich / billboard proposal

where to park the buses

by anthony saluto

my new downtown bloomington marketing campaign suggestion passed around today to city and marketing professionals. we are interstate rich. placing billboards around bloomington normal could be a traffic boost to downtown. capitalizing on fell as publisher positioning lincolon as a contender as president. so that he could work on stopping slavery. all this took place on the second floor above burpos boutique on washington street.

anthony saluto Productions p.o. box 3425 bloomington il., 61702 ph 309 824 9176 .

loft liver Jeff Beninato Interview

by anthony saluto

jeff beninato landed in bloomington shortly after Katrina hit new orleans. in a scramble survival mode, he spotted an ad for a 3300 square foot loft downtown bloomington. he lives on the second floor of my building with his wife karen. they commute back and forth to new orleans about every two weeks. he has a great feel for the music scene here and there.

Where did you start out?

“I started out in bed with the radio stuck to my ear and that was how I went to sleep. I realized how much I love music and then I started playing with an instrument. I started out with drums first then went to guitar and started to go see bands play when I was a teenager.”

Where did you grow up as a teen?

“New Orleans.”

So you go way back to the New Orleans music scene?

“Yeah. Then I started to go see bands and get into clubs by that age… I started listening to bands but I never really liked the bass players. So I said, ‘you know what, I could be better than some of these guys’ and that was really where my inspiration came from. I started doing studio work at 17 and making a living on bourbon st. performing with guys much older but well seasoned and getting some hands on experience.

So you were playing for three or four decades? All your life?

“Yeah. All my life.”

Have you played with any famous people?

“Well, I’ve jammed with famous people, playing on bourbon st.

is where everyone that came to town would end their night so if you in town doing a concert you probably would come stumbling in the club.

Who’d be the most famous? Like Louie Armstrong?

“No. He never came back to New Orleans.” People like ZZ TOP would, horn sections from various plays like jesus christ superstar, Paul McCartney's band and many more cats that had hits at the time.

Fats Domino?

“I’ve played with his sons.” they were part of the band. we had quite a band, the horn section was the on the original Lady Marmalade.

Were you ever involved in the booking and the promotional side of the business?

“Absolutely. That’s all I did. I’ve gone into promoting shows, basically, and then started to veer away from playing, the business end of the music industry started to leave a bad taste in my soul. I've scheduled and promoted shows through the New Orleans Musicians Relief Fund including Wilco, Dr. John and members of REM. I wanted to do more producing and steer the artist in the right direction.

When you produce someone, you do what, take them through the steps of making a CD?

“Yeah. Help them write songs and try to get the best out of them"

But you’re not their agent?

“No.”

Do you remember Woodstock?

“I remember Woodstock but I wasn’t there.”

Do you remember where you were when it was going on?

“No. (laughing)”

There’s a big movie coming out, I think.

“Yeah. It looks good.”

I’ll tell you what I do remember, because I was probably not quite a teenager yet, and Main Street used to be old Route 66 I think. As a child, I remember the people coming through town but I think it was a concert was actually happening around here that brought hippies from everywhere, just free spirits with lots of time. Came right through downtown Bloomington. I must have been 11-ish. Anyway… The Coliseum: What do you think should be done in the way of the music bookings over at the Coliseum that would be beneficial for this thing for getting into the black? No pressure.

“Well, I think the location is great… I think the way things are promoted there is done well enough. You got to do more than just T.V. You got to do radio contests, things like that to get people more interested from outside the bubble.”

So contests would be a big attendance booster?

“Just to promote it you've got to get it out on the radio, give tickets away. Don’t just go for what the normal thing is. Don’t get me wrong, T.V. ads are good but, in a lot of cases, they aren’t much… just get it done. They can do smaller shows, Pink Floyd laser light shows, make it all ages.”

I think we all love Pink Floyd around here. Is the size/capacity restricting some performers from coming?

“It works both ways. It’s the guarantee you have to work out before you bring [the performers] in. If you make smaller shows… you have to bring in the right acts”

Have you been to any shows over there?

“Bob Dylan. The sound was pretty good… I thought Elvis Costello was fantastic…”

Would you be able to assist the people who are trying to book the shows over there with some of these newer lanes here in Bloomington?

“Yes, I think this is a good little city to bring into the world.”

That sounds like an incredible opportunity. I think if anything came out of this article, putting newer acts at the Coliseum would be an incredible project. Stay tuned. More to come.

stories i am following ...

loft dwellers behind on parking tickets see car towed over $340 past due bal. plan moving out of downtown.

dennys doughnuts expanding to champaign, decatur, and surrounding areas.

roof top parties cause for concern?

new roof top decks with ornate gating most asked about new development dt.

another new jean/clothing soon coming soon to 300 block

game store retailer moving from 400 block to 300 block downtown

neighborhood thrift the biggest retail success in years

more & more empty nester's asking what its like living downtown

parking meters, 1000 lofts, boutique hotel, new ymca, and lincolns trail coming soon

Copyright Anthony Saluto Productions p.o box 3425 bloomington il. 61702 ph 309 824 9176 em gosaluto@bellsouth.net sites, http://www.strollthehill.blogspot.com/ , http://www.worldsbestphotos.blogspot.com/ , coming soon, a new business edition.

By Anthony Saluto

doug farr unveils plans for downtown bloomington

photo © anthony saluto doug farr stands by his plan

"Boutiques are downtown's future, and parking meters are vital to boutiques" say farr experts.

The doug farr associates put on another meeting following up on some design ideas for taking downtown bloomington forward. I find the meetings very interesting, informative, concise, creative, and all wrapped up actually motivational. With the choosing of option one or option two, of a particular style idea, the choice is as easy as buying a shirt.

So your looking at a teched out ymca with mega garage parking spaces, hot looking facades, loaded with a state wide rarity 50 meter pool, as option a. Option b, is the existing market street garage which is announced as in terrible shape and a priority project. That was easy, option a, most of us would choose, next.

That’s not a hard sell, somehow there are a whole bunch of ways to tread through the financing of such things. a mega y, loaded with some shops inset possibly, an all serving parking deck within, with a 50 meter pool that will attract swim events from all over state and beyond. Sounds good, for business, lots of meals. lots more basis for a hotel downtown, boutique style. Meanwhile the ymca board has 3 present at the meeting, looking very keenly on how the plan is being unveiled..

Lots to think about. Doug farr claims he is simply collecting our own ideas, and packaging them up for us.

They have people here from berkeley ca., and a traffic expert from tallahasse fl, all contributing to the presentation of about 100 people for the second time. The room was much fuller on the first meeting originating many of of ideas from which to work from.

The other choices presented were whether to put a 3 story mixed use building on Washington and prairie vs. townhouses. At last glance I think the 3 story multi use building was winning. On the south side of Washington the drawings showed Gipson’s insurance as a 3 story mixed use building. Way to go bob.

© anthony saluto
Hooking up the trail to wind into downtown was a big hit with the room, down to the naming, Lincolns Downtown Trail was my version, or maybe just Lincolns trail, hmmm, downtown this way. About a decade ago, I biked the trail about 500 miles, and would find it to be an absolutely perfect option a stop uptown, now downtown, for many linking the two via trail would be a great time out for exercise or leisure.

Honey, lets see how long it takes to loose 10 pounds, lets walk Lincolns trial downtown every night, grab a 64 calorie beer or a glass of wine, check out some boutiques. What do you say? Great lets get a healthy salad while were there.

More boutique options were discussed in 3 story buildings on main on an empty lot, they looked great, blending in with some period look yet mixed.

The farr group said two things about parking, parking meters are vital to boutiques and boutiques are the future and mainstay of downtown. Also saying, let the box stores go to veterans, do about 1000 rental lofts, turn the streets back into two way, like the 60’S, slow down your average drive by speeds, and grow your downtown. Just some of the messages I took away from the meeting. For me that’s good stuff, I’m a boutique fan for sure. “Box stores just don’t have the scale of space to work with, and parking to support them to justify anchoring downtown in this market”, the panel presents. http://www.worldsbestphotos.blogspot.com/ call for commercial assignments interiors exteriors, aerial, illustration, head shots solo or groups, 309 824 9176

Lets face it, retail is not gearing up for many expansions right now, three to five years out, who knows. I have passed the buzz about the teched out ymca by many a friends, in a high approval style. Sure I know a super bookstore along with a pottery barn would generate more traffic than we know what to do with, but a y would be great, who knows possibly greater. with all those health conscious people that could also tie in spa, nail work, salons, lunching with friends, etc. it has been suggested that common ground expands into more grocery product, maybe like a whole common ground. photo © anthony saluto f arr associates experts talk with bn

I think doug farr is selling buildings the same way winnies is selling shirts, imagine that fun. Looks like bn business people are lining up to help get it done. actually for 200 grand, I would have this study just keep going for years, rather than stopping the study process, its seems to pump everybody up, that’s worth 200 grand by itself. It helps put everybody’s thinking in check and create synergy. Getting the study through Bloomington city council for launch pad was a great accomplishment by the downtown Bloomington association. Fred wollrab tells me Peggy Flynn was instrumental in getting the study prior to relocating back to ca.

steering committee member Fred Wollrab was credited with mentioning the 50 meter pool as pull for Bloomington. This would be a very distinctive competitive marketing advantage for downtown as a whole for long time to come. Hey did you hear the wollrab brothers split up there buildings, they did. Redbird remains as management.

Tim tilton was handing out new downtown trail ideas, like cotton candy. highlighted with his proposed route for the extension.

Actually the whole thing felt a little bit like Christmas morning for downtown and all bn citizens. Like Christmas morning, I’m not sure how we will have the patience for or all improvements.

new apartments, condos, boutiques, all cleaned up with some new street treatments, a proposed mega y anchor, enhanced parking, all on are the fast track downtown bloomington.
photo © anthony saluto
The study is win win for everyone, long term. Short term, i think everyone will continue to iron out problems in crucial areas such as an interim solution to boutiques customer parking, in ways that won’t interfere with inevitable changes forthcoming. The loads of participants gathering downtown for major swim events will have to lodge, dine, and shop along the way.

wanted>>part time reporters, night life photos, e mail gosaluto@bellsouth.net

do you have something ? news, announcements, feature proposal, press release, contributors, submissions in photos or writings, send it in! gosaluto@bellsouth.net

bloomington art pushing the edge

Copyright Anthony Saluto Productions p.o box 3425 bloomington il. 61702 ph 309 824 9176 em gosaluto@bellsouth.net sites, www.strollthehill.blogspot.com , www.worldsbestphotos.blogspot.com coming soon, a new business edition.

Jason Mack Interview

by bnstyle staff
How long have you been blowing glass?
8 years

How’d you get into it?
My mom got me into it. It was a Saturday afternoon and she asked me if I wanted to go to a bead making class with 7 of her friends. I was in high school at the time, 17 years old. 6 months later I set up a studio in the basement.

Are you self-taught?
I was self taught the first few years then took classes. I came to ISU and took the glass blowing program for year and a half. I recently graduated ISU with a B.S. in studio arts. I also went to Italy for a short time to study with master glass blowers there.

Describe your work in a sentence.
“do what you can with what you have”

What do you make?
Large installations mostly using hot glass.

What is hot glass?
Hot glass is when you create an installation in front of an audience. I use a combination of materials like wood, steel, plastic and other things. I do live installations because I like people to see how its made, it adds meaning to work and helps people understand how it works.

What materials do you use?
75 lb pot furnace to melt the glass. We collect glass bottles around Bloomington Normal bars. Then we crush those bottles down and melt them in the furnace. We need to collect 400 pounds of bottles before a performance

You had an art show recently, tell me about some of the more popular exhibits.
It’s called “storm clouds”. I suspended 3 shopping carts from the ceiling and poured hot glass in shopping carts. The glass went through the shopping carts and then rained down on the floor. This was done while the band “Ohtis” was playing live. Music is large part of installations.

What is the biggest piece of art you’ve made?
Recently a land mass of glass of 1200 pounds. We spent 7 days on it. It’s made out of 900 pounds of insulator caps which we collected around Bloomington and then melted down.

Where can we see your work?
Mackglass.com., check out our webpage for more details.

Any advice for other glass artists?
It’s cheaper to melt bottles.

bnstyle eats about town

Copyright Anthony Saluto Productions p.o box 3425 bloomington il. 61702 ph 309 824 9176 em gosaluto@bellsouth.net sites, www.strollthehill.blogspot.com , www.worldsbestphotos.blogspot.com coming soon, a new business edition.

sushi floats my boat

By Allie Hundley
“Hey, I know you’ve been stressed out lately so I’m going to take you to the best sushi restaurant in town,” my friend tells me. “The best sushi…” I ponder to myself. I suppose it’s worth taking a look. It’s not as if I was paying for it. After a short drive from my dorm I realized we were going to “Oriental Gourmet.” I had always noticed it there before, since its in the same strip mall as Best Buy and Fiesta Ranchera, but it looked slightly dingy on the outside. “Is that where we’re going?” I asked. “Yeah, it’s awesome.” I was not thrilled.

But upon entering the establishment I quickly realized how the bustling little restaurant was actually the best sushi place in Bloomington. First of all, the place was packed. We were lucky enough to find a table for even the two of us. “Man, is it always this busy here?” I couldn’t believe that I had never heard of this place before. “Yeah, well, I mean, they do have amazing sushi.” I let him order as sushi had never been my forte. We both had soup, me the miso, and him the sweet and sour. It was absolutely delicious.

We ended up with over 8 orders of various tidbits and pieces of their exotic flavor brought out to us on a large wooden slab, garnished with slices of ginger, wasabi, and a piece of plastic grass for décor. It was remarkable to the eye and a marvel to taste. Everything was so fresh and prepared remarkably well. It was amazing.

For a college student meal it's a little on the high end but for good sushi, it is a very fair price. I've been there a few times since and am always more than satisfied. I would highly recommend.