LeatherFET or How to Fail at Organizing a Community Uniting Event.

3 09 2010

Charlotte Pano by James Willamor. Used under Creative Commons License, click for details.

What I write today is simply an opinion, my opinion.  I derived my opinion from my experiences in the local community.  I welcome all feed back and critiques.

LeatherFET was a fascinating event concept. Unite both the leather communities and the fetish communities for a party that would rock Charlotte all weekend.  Have good history and education track. Invite John Baku down for the keynote. Sounds wonderful. Can’t fail right?

Hmm, let us see what someone can do to make it fail. Let us take someone who has threatened to take the board of directors for a local BDSM education organization to court, left threatening voicemails that target a board member, her child and husband, and lost her sash and put them in charge of the whole event.  Put in charge of education someone who continually feels compelled to apologize to the community for her outbursts. Sell the event as an annual event even though it never happened before.

And belittle those who object to the leaders of the event as not supporting community building.

Yep the perfect way to have an event fail in my opinion. Most of the established community in Charlotte won’t be attending, I know I am with them. And I hope you won’t be either.

While I think the idea is a wonderful one, one I wish I could support. But in order to build connections in the community you have to have the respect of those in the community. I don’t have respect any longer for those associated with the event. One is known for the company we keep. And I choose to keep away.

If you want to read someone else’s opinion about the latest events in the Charlotte kink community, click here. (FetLife Membership required).

Peace.

MV





Fetish Art Festival in NC

2 09 2009

I plan on going to this event, once I heard about it.  It sounds like fun.  Wish I had some kinky photos to display.  Maybe next year.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: North Carolina Fetish Art Society, NCFetishArt@gmail.com


Durham to host first North Carolina Fetish Art Festival

Artists and art lovers of the kinky persuasion are working together to produce the North Carolina Fetish Art Festival in Durham on October 18, 2009. The first event of its kind in the area, the NCFAF will show work from artists throughout the state, from the new to the experienced. The festival will also feature stage performances, live art demonstrations, and activities that will give all attendees an opportunity to create art for the event.

The planners of NCFAF hope to build an event which honors and showcases fetish art and artists, offers exposure to new artists and to the state’s kink community as a whole, and celebrates their belief that the bdsm lifestyle is an art unto itself.

With a spacious venue and the skilled DJs of Dirge Factory already on board, the next phase of this event’s creation will fall to the artists of the community. NCFAF welcomes artists of all levels of experience, and all mediums. The event will have competitions with awards in several categories, and all exhibited art is eligible for recognition. Organizers invite interested artists to contact them as soon as possible, for exhibit space is expected to fill.

In addition to the more traditional exhibits, this event will feature “live art,” with local players and their models using a creative range of bdsm mediums to make living exhibits who will rotate through a designate display area. This category, too, is now welcoming volunteers to be creators and canvas. Those participating should be experienced in the medium in which they are creating, particularly in safety practices. Prizes will be awarded to top performers in the live art categories.

Attendees will have the opportunity to view and purchase much of the art exhibited, as well as many items on display in the artisan vendor area. Onstage entertainment by local fetish-themed performers, live artist demonstrations, and opportunities to participate in event artwork will also keep event goers engaged. The event will offer body painting, a littles’ craft corner, group-participation projects, and more. In addition, finger foods will be served and a cash bar will be available.

While the scope of this project is a new experience for many of the planners, they are confident that the North Carolina bdsm community will come out and make the event a success. “We already have received a huge outreaching of support to make the fest memorable,” says Zita, the event manager. “I have had the opportunity over the last few years to know some of the alternative artists in this area, and I am certain they will do their part to make our night beautiful. That just comes naturally to them.”

Proceeds from this event will benefit the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, an organization working to protect and advance the legal rights of consenting adults who engage in alternative sexual and relationship expressions. More information about NCSF can be found on their website at http://www.ncsfreedom.org.

For more information about the North Carolina Fetish Art Festival, or to exhibit, vend, purchase tickets, or volunteer for this event, contact the North Carolina Fetish Art Society at NCFetishArt@gmail.com.

Have you been to a Fetish Art Show? Let us know in the comments.

MV

Update: They sent me a flyer and an artist contract, should you be interest, both of which are available, after the break.

Read the rest of this entry »





Boot Pig Comes to Charlotte

6 10 2008

Capex, a Charlotte area BDSM education group,  is bringing Boot Pig to present this month.  If you are in the area, you definitely want to be there. So mark you calenders for October 25.  Capex is known for great Halloween parties, so I will see you there.

… A nationally renown presenter who’s taught at events across the country such as Great Lakes Leather, Tribal Fire, Folsom Fringe, South Plains Leather, TES-fest New York and many more. She was Ms. Olympus Leather 2003. She’s the former President and Secretary for the Phoenix boys of Leather. She is the founder of the “Simply Service” e-zine. She’s been the headliner at Southwest Fetish Ball. And she’s forgotten more about boot blacking than most of us will ever know. *Oink! Oink!*

Growing masochists, or raising pigs as the case may be, is a venture in partnerships. Like prized daylilies, we come in a ton of varieties with various beautiful characteristics, and some weaknesses. Bottoming can be a learned skill. You can be an informed consumer, a hot commodity, a fun, willing, active participant!

MV





The New Cell Block

20 03 2008

Looks like the Cell Block’s Lair is reopening in Fayetteville. I haven’t been there myself yet, but the feedback I have gotten has been positive. Looks like they have remodeled and are re-opening on April 12th. They are also having a BDSM swap meet that night. Their website is a little sparse (and a little tacky by my standards, but hey so are a lot of websites, so I won’t hold that against them). Should be a fun time if you are in the area at that time (which I won’t be as esclave still won’t have moved down here by then, and I will have other commitments that weekend). If you have been there before, well you know where to make your post: in the comments.

MV








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