Thursday, Aug. 28
Women’s Equality Day
Back in the day (the early 1900s, that is), a woman’s opinion was never taken into account in any important political decisions. My, how we’ve come a long way. The U of L Women’s Center, in cooperation with the Student Activities Office and Student Activities Board, is hosting the 12th annual University of Louisville Women’s Equality Day, to celebrate the historic passing of the 19th amendment. Groups such as the Imani Dance and Drum Company and Camino Flamenco are scheduled to perform, and there will be free food, music and dancing for all.
There will also be informational booths occupied by several campus and community groups, like Project Women, Kentucky Equal Rights Amendment Alliance and LGBT Services. Eleanor Jordan, chair of the Kentucky Commission on Women, will speak and, if you haven’t registered to vote, the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office will get you signed up. —Brittany Tracy
The Red Barn
U of L Belknap Campus
852-8976
Free; 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
AUG. 28-29
Debfest
Rebekah Trigg knew she had to do something. A car had run a red light and struck her cousin, Deborah Coombs, and Deborah’s husband while riding their motorcycle in Indiana.
The car drug Deborah several feet. EMTs had to amputate her foot at the scene, and she was in a coma for a month. Now in a nursing home, Coombs requires care beyond what her health insurance will pay for.
“She was wearing a helmet, and thank God,” says Trigg, who is organizing a two-day benefit to raise money for Coombs’ rehabilitation. “She has insurance, but for the kind of treatment she needs, it’s not enough.”
Trigg, a belly dancer, will perform, along with a host of friends/musicians including Lotus Blake, Black Acid Candy Box and Dangerbird, and poet/author Ron Whitehead. —Mat Herron
The Rudyard Kipling
422 W. Oak St.
636-1311
www.therudyardkipling.com
$10 donation; 6:30 p.m. (Thu.), 7 p.m. (Fri.)
AUG. 28-29
Zombie, zombie
You won’t hear that annoying Cranberries song, but you might get bitten Thursday night when the annual Zombie Walk begins. John King, of Louisville is for Lovers fame, Janie Jones and Mike Welsh kick things off Thursday at the 6th & Oak space, with screenings of “Evil Dead” and “Diary of the Dead.”
On Friday, the zombies walk among the living beginning at the corner of Eastern Parkway and Bardstown Road at 8 p.m. They'll wretch and stumble northward to Bearno’s Highlands and feast on brains and tunes from National Hotel, Crooked Old World and many others. “We added another costume contest prize, which is ’Best Victim,’ because people are really getting into playing victims along the way,” King says. —Mat Herron
Movie screening: Thursday, Aug. 28
6th & Oak space
Free; 8 p.m.
Zombie Walk: Friday, Aug. 29
Bearno’s Highlands
1318 Bardstown Road
456-4556
Free; 9 p.m.
FRIDAY, AUG. 29
Jam Star
Jeremy Johnson denies the assertion that the two 30-minute sets Your Black Star will play Friday mean the trio is becoming a jamband. Almost.
“We've been experimenting with a lot of psychedelics,” laughs Johnson. “I've been working on training (my foot pedal) to do my job for me, so I can smoke more pot during the set.”
After playing 275 shows in three years, YBS will feature six new songs from its forthcoming album, Workers.
“You can directly relate it to our experience as a band,” he says of the title. “The patterns in life, I’d say, is what this record is about, whether it’s anatomy, something as simple as an organ working and doing its job every day. It’s about patterns in life and the repetitions that you go through, and how those turn into an experience that isn’t just repetition.” —Mat Herron
The Monkey Wrench
1025 Barret Ave.
582-2433
$4; 11 p.m.
Aug. 29-30
WorldFest
With rising gas prices, long security lines at the airport and unnecessary baggage charges, it makes more sense to spend the summer at home and bring the culture to you. The sixth annual WorldFest, which kicks off Labor Day weekend, includes live entertainment, food, drinks and the Parade of Cultures. More than 150 vendors and exhibitors will set up shop on the Belvedere selling handmade crafts from all continents, along with henna body art and those scrumptious Kizito cookies. After perusing the booths and perhaps buying a trinket or two, be sure to head over and sample authentic foreign foods from across the globe, including German, Thai, Jamaican and Ethiopian cuisine, while listening to a variety of local and international musicians (see page 68).
The 24-hour event, which stretches over two days, will include an International Beverage Tent, where thirsty guests may choose from an array of coffees, spirits, wines and beer. —Caitlin Bowling
Belvedere
www.louisvilleky.gov/international/worldfest
Free; 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
Sept. 1-Nov. 1
Needles & Pin(cushions)
If your experience with pincushions is limited to the red, tomato-shaped variety, get ready to expand your horizon. As a part of its 50th anniversary celebration, the Embroidery Museum of the Embroiderers’ Guild of America has an exhibit of 45 entries from PieceWork magazine’s national pincushion contest. The pincushions, all of original design, display outstanding attention to detail, incorporating numerous embroidery techniques that include blackwork, needlepoint, quilting, hardanger, knitting, beading and appliqué. While you’re there, check out the rest of the museum and its remarkable collection of more than 900 textile pieces. —Amy Berg
The Embroiders’ Guild of America
426 W. Jefferson
589-6956
www.egausa.org
Free; 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (Mon.), 10 a.m.-4 p.m. (Sat.)
Tuesday, Sept. 2
‘Basquiat’
You may ask yourself, while sitting at home on the couch absentmindedly flipping through your On-Demand movie listings, “Where can I find a movie that stars all my favorite eccentric celebrities?” Could there really be a cast that includes Willem Dafoe, David Bowie, Benicio Del Toro and, dare I say, Courtney Love? Why yes, yes there is.
Julian Schnabel’s 1996 film “Basquiat” tells the rags-to-riches tale of Jean-Michel Basquiat, a homeless guy who transitioned from living in a box and drawing graffiti on alley walls to becoming a favorite among some of New York’s most elite artists, such as Andy Warhol (Bowie). Schnabel, a close friend of Basquiat’s, creates a highly personal portrait of the artist as a naïve, talented person disillusioned by fame and fortune. The equally eccentric soundtrack includes artists from Tom Waits to Grandmaster Flash. —Brittany Tracy
Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft
715 W. Main St.
589-0102
www.kentuckyarts.org
$5; 8 p.m.
Through Sept. 27
‘Artists In Our Midst’
There are more visual artists in the Louisville area than there are hairs in a paintbrush. That’s something Kaviar Forge & Gallery realized last year, when it hosted its first “Artists In Our Midst” exhibition. The scope of this year’s show has been expanded, open now to artists who live or work in Kentucky, not just its largest city.
The resulting juried exhibition and competition has more than 30 artists on display, mostly from the Louisville area and who work in assorted media. Painter James Russell May, winner of the grand prize, will have a solo show tentatively scheduled for June 4-Aug. 8, 2009. —Jo Anne Triplett
Kaviar Forge & Gallery
1718 Frankfort Ave.
561-0377
www.craigkaviar.com
Through Sept. 30
‘From A-Z’
It’s time to relearn the alphabet. Lisa Austin’s solo exhibition “From A-Z” features elaborately designed mixed-media pieces full of her trademark humor. Expect to see vintage fabric, objects and photographs that give new insight into our utilitarian letters.
A number of Austin’s past creations have been a little risqué. “It is a safe one this time,” she says. “Because there are so many kids and families going through (the Kentucky Center), I had to keep it clean — but I had a lot of fun doing this series.”
Her reception is during the Sept. 5 First Friday Trolley Hop, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. —Jo Anne Triplett
The Gallery at the Kentucky Center
501 W. Main St.
562-0159
www.kentuckycenter.org
