Staffpicks

Through Dec. 24
Last-minute Christmas shopping
If you like standing in line, bumping into smelly strangers, being cut off in parking lots and being trampled every time that stupid blue light starts to flash, then you’re in luck — it’s last-minute shopping season for Christmas. Every year at this time, reluctant husbands, fathers, bachelors, evil clowns and other procrastinators realize they not only haven’t bought any Christmas presents for their friends and families, they also haven’t returned that ugly tie they received last year. This is their chance to wander haplessly and dazed through Oxmoor Center for four hours buying things people don’t want or need (and Mom, if you don’t want the Madden ’05 game for Xbox I bought you, I’ve got a tie I’ll trade you for it), only to walk upstairs and be warmed by the fact that you can, indeed, buy draft beer at the food court. Ah, salvation. Merry Christmas, and a Happy Hangover. —Kevin Gibson
Oxmoor Center
7900 Shelbyville Road
426-3000
www.oxmoorcenter.com
Free!; 9 a.m.-10 p.m. (12/21), 9 a.m.-11 p.m. (12/22-12/23), 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (12/24)

Monday, Dec. 26
‘By the Wayside’
Last year, prompted by a chance encounter with a homeless woman she’d met the day before while volunteering at Wayside Christian Mission, film student Soozie Eastman set out to make a documentary on homelessness in Louisville. The resulting film, “By the Wayside,” screened earlier this year at the Kentucky Center, and it gets a return engagement on Monday, the day after Christmas. While perhaps a bit too focused on one organization (Wayside), the film is a quite strong representation of life in our community, and the interviews within are unsparing and sobering. The Monday screening is at the Anchorage School, and proceeds will be donated to Wayside, the Salvation Army and New Beginnings. If you’re feeling a bit restless (or heartless) amid all of the holiday hysteria, I promise you this film will bring you back to earth. —Cary Stemle
Anchorage School
11400 Ridge Road
[email protected]
$5; 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 28 & Friday, Dec. 30
Kwazy with Kwanzaa
With the hubbabaloo over whether to celebrate the “holidays” or “Christmas,” it could be easy to overlook Kwanzaa (which means “first fruit of the harvest”). This celebration, which runs from Dec. 26-Jan. 1, began in 1966 to celebrate the African-American diaspora’s cultural contributions to the world. Next Wednesday is Kwanzaa Fest, a celebration featuring drumming by the River City Drum Corp, storytelling, dance, stepping by the Most Wanted/CEC Step Team and an appearance by Christopher 2X. The Archdiocese of Louisville’s Office of Multicultural Ministry hosts the event. Next Friday, the Jeffersonville Parents in Education Group will have its celebration with a drum circle, storytelling, poetry readings and step dancing, among many other activities. —Elizabeth Kramer
Kwanzaa Fest
The Catholic Enrichment Center, Thea Bowman Hall
3146 W. Broadway
776-0262
Free; 4-7 p.m.

Kwanzaa Celebration 2005
Nachand Field House
601 E. Court. St., Jeffersonville, Ind.
RSVP (812) 218-0074
Free with can of food; 6-9 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 28
‘Squeezin’ Between the Holidays’
Wednesday is traditionally known as hump day, and when it’s smack dab in the middle of Christmas and New Year’s Day, well, add a couple more humps. But Heather Yenawine, Matt Anthony, Jessica Underwood and Chad Balster have a sweet idea for bridging that gap — a dance party. Wednesday night at Glassworks, the deal goes down. Yenawine has started a DJ company with her mate, Randall Bolton, who works at ear X-tacy and also writes about music for The C-J. Anthony is a jock on WFPK-FM and spins around town. Underwood is an event planner who’ll do the red-hot décor Wednesday, and Balster is a resident glassblower at Glassworks. So, what’ll happen? The DJs say it’ll be “an eclectic and smart dance party that will fuse genres such as hip hop, Eurodance, electronica, funk and world rhythms.” Listen for some MIA, Prince, Luscious Jackson, Bjork, Imogen Heap and Jamiroquai. Balster will engage in fire-spinning in the hot shop area downstairs. If that doesn’t get you over the hump, nothing will. —Cary Stemle
Glassworks
815 W. Market St.
584-4510
$3; 10 p.m.-2 a.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 28
Will Owen-Gage
If anything can melt the ice of late December, it just might be the hot blue guitar electricity of Will Owen-Gage. When this young un’ comes up from the Texas Hill Country to visit papa John Gage, he brings his boots, extra pomade and his guitar. One of the best things to come out of Kerrville, Texas, this 18-year-old blues-rock phenom will perform to benefit the continuing efforts of the Kentucky Theater, which brings you Homefront each week on WFPK-FM among other concerts and arts programs. Joining Will onstage are some of the area’s finest players, including Tim Krekel. Back in Texas, the Daily Times sang his praise in ink: “Listen to this guy for five minutes and you’re transported to a place to which only the greats have been able to take us. Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton all come to mind. Yes, Owen-Gage is that good.” Bring an extra pair of socks, you’re gonna have ’em knocked off by the first riff. —Cindy Lamb
Kentucky Theater
651 S. Fourth St.
589-6419
$10; 7 p.m.

Dec. 28-29
Red Cross’ Donorama
Wanna be a good Samaritan and donate blood, but don’t know how? Roll up your sleeves and go to Executive West Hotel today and tomorrow for the 27th annual Donorama Holiday Blood Drive.
There will be juice and food, and there’s a Bose home entertainment system giveaway that you could always re-gift, or keep during this giving season.
For whatever reason, whether it’s work or stress or distractions, the holiday season usually presents a blood shortage, and the Red Cross needs all the blood it can get. If you’re at least 17 years old and weigh more than 110 pounds, you’re eligible to save a life. The needles don’t hurt, and that woozy loss-of-blood feeling can be fun with the right company. —Lindsay Sainlar
Executive West Hotel
830 Phillips Lane
540-7000
11 a.m.-7 p.m.

Through Dec. 31
Alphabet Quilts of Kathleen Loomis
Fiber artist Kathleen Loomis and writer Sue Grafton have something in common — they both like the alphabet. In this exhibition at the Carnegie Center, it’s apparent Loomis is someone who loves the shapes of letters. Rightly so — her father was a typographer, which led to Loomis’ interest in what the letters could be made to say, resulting in her work in journalism and communications.
Her artistic skill is apparent in the variety of ways she created the letters. Loomis has quilted them by hand or machine, using hand-painted, hand-dyed or discharged fabric (where color is removed with bleach) or selvage edges. Grafton may say “Q is for Quarry,” but to Loomis, it’s “That’s My Q.” —Jo Anne Triplett
Carnegie Center for Art & History
201 E. Spring St., New Albany
944-7336
www.carnegiecenter.org
Free; Tue.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

Through Jan. 31
Winter Magic 2005
Objects of Desire can’t be beat when it comes to high-quality artistic jewelry. To prove it, the gallery is presenting works by a number of international contemporary artists, including Emanuela Duca from Italy, Ramon Puig Cuyas from Spain, and Saba Manouchehri from Iran, whose work is highlighted in a solo exhibition. Wearable art wraps by Louisvillian Vallorie Henderson are also on view.
There’s four more shopping days before Christmas. While you’re there, pick up something for New Year’s, too. —Jo Anne Triplett
Objects of Desire
1503 Bardstown Road
458-4164
www.objectsofdesiregallery.com
Free; Tue.-Sat. 11 a.m.-6 p.m.