The various goings-on this month downtown at Thump: Art Walk, and a bunch of exhibits.

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First Friday Art Walk, December 7, 5pm – 8pm

ART: Empty Bowls Redux
Each fall NeighborImpact (formerly COCAAN), Central Oregon’s champion for local economically disadvantaged people, hosts the Empty Bowls project to kick-off National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. Hand-thrown bowls created by local artists for the event will be on display at Thump Coffee and available for purchase to raise funds for NeighborImpact’s efforts.
Read more about the national Empty Bowls project at http://www.emptybowls.net
For more about NeighborImpact, go to http://www.neighborimpact.org

ART: Oregon Natural Desert Association 2008 Calendar (continuing through mid-January)
ONDA’s annual Calendar Sale raises funds for the local non-profit conservation organization whose mission is to preserve and restore public lands East of the Cascade Mountains. Featuring gorgeous landscape photography donated by shooters such as Greg Burke, Jim Davis, Scott Erickson, Mike Henetz, Bruce Jackson and David Sherrill, 100% of the proceeds from the sale of these breathtaking calendars will go directly to ONDA when purchased at Thump Coffee. These calendars make a wonderful holiday gift for anyone who has never seen the stark beauty of Oregon’s desertscape.

ART: Altered Books Redux
Local artist Mark Bernahl’s “Altered Books” are showcased again this month. “I started sculpting into books partly because I am color blind and this limited the type of art I can make,” Berhahl explains. “Plus, I always strive for making art that is beautiful and unique.”

Bernahl says it takes him approximately a week to carve one of his book sculptures. He chooses the images he carves from the title or the pages in the book. “When I see any book the first thing that comes to my mind is what sculpture is already in it, and can I get it out.”

Bernahl’s “Wishes” installation has become a fixture at the downtown Bend coffeehouse, and continues to hang from the ceiling because it has been so well received. “When I started making art I could not afford traditional art materials and framing my art was not an option,” says Bernahl. “So I started making art that did not have to be framed. This led me to making art in non traditional ways.”

Before moving to Bend eight years ago, Bernahl studied architecture in Colorado and Illinois. He is actively involved in Artists Local 101 and recently presented a seminar, “Artist Portfolio on the Web,” at the Deschutes County Public Library in Bend.

ART: Wishes Redux 2008
Mark Bernahl’s “Wishes” installation takes a bow to make room for Bend’s young artists (see Bear Creek story below). Starting on First Friday and continuing through the end of February, people can come in to create a new "Wish Plank" for 2008. Artist Mark Bernahl encourages people to take their new plank of wood home to work on it if they choose. The new wishes will be hung at the end of February.

Mid-December through January: Bear Creek Elementary’s Young Artists’ Exhibit

ART: "On a Winter’s Night, The Sky Showered Us With Gifts" Installation

This month Mark Bernahl’s popular “Wishes” installation, which has been hanging from the coffeehouse ceiling since May, will be replaced by enchanting works from nearly 150 Bear Creek Elementary School students.

When choosing a location for downtown coffeehouse Thump Coffee, one goal for owners Kent and Hazel Chapple was that the space allowed them to feature the work of young artists.

“When I taught fourth grade at Bear Creek Elementary in Bend, it struck me that many kids had never been downtown or to Drake Park. They stayed in their area of town,” says Hazel. “I wanted to give kids from varying neighborhoods and socioeconomic backgrounds a reason to come downtown — and I wanted them to realize that their art is worthy of being shared with the public.”

With the help of five Bear Creek teachers and their classrooms, Hazel presented the theme "On A Winter’s Night, The Sky Showered Us With Gifts." Using a variety of printing techniques, the students created wrapping paper to decorate gift boxes (donated by The Foot Zone). Then, each artist wrote about a non-material gift they wished to give to their family, school, city, country or planet. “Something to make someone else’s life a little better,” Hazel explains. The gift tags are attached to each box, which will hang from Thump’s ceiling, along with objects you might see in a winter night, such as stars, planets, snowflakes and moons.

By displaying works by elementary school artists during the holidays, Hazel hopes it might “bring them and their families to witness something to be proud of, their work and their city.” Her hope is to feature young artists annually, and to expand it to include more artists from grades K-12.

CUPPING: None this month, the cupper’s on vacation.

Featured Cup: El Salvador Finca Kilimanjaro Direct TradeAccording to Stumptown Coffee Roasters, Finca Kilimanjaro is the first-ever grand prize winner in the history of the El Salvador Cup of Excellence: “Since her 2003 victory Aida Batlle has maximized the potential of her SL28 coffee trees (hence the reference to Mt. Kilimanjaro, one of the original planting sights of the famous seed varietal) through vigorous commitment to picking and processing. Her family’s farm, purchased by her father Mauricio in 1973, is perched along the slopes of the Santa Ana Volcano in Central El Salvador. With altitudes ranging between 1580 and 1720 meters above sea level, Finca Kilimanjaro truly soars to heights above the rest. Finca Kilimanjaro’s silken texture overlays flavors of red currant, cherry jolly rancher and rosé with a delicate perfume aroma.”

Thumpology: Direct Trade
Thump is most fortunate to work with a coffee roasting company (Stumptown Coffee Roasters) who searches the world for the finest coffees and farmers who treat both their land and their employees with integrity. Stumptown builds lasting relationships with these farmers, visiting them multiple times a year and paying them directly, at least double Fair Trade prices. This insures that the farmers and their workers are paid equitably and that they have the financial resources to maintain and develop their farming infrastructure. When you see the words "Direct Trade" next to one of the coffees offered at Thump, know that Stumptown works directly with this coffee farm, paying them generously for their outstanding coffee. In turn, these farmers are paying their workers equitably and are committed to using sustainable farming methods.