Airigami is still here and still making magic. We’ve narrowed our focus (to explore new avenues). Kelly is running for local office. I’m managing a growing nonprofit for teaching artists while digging through decades of stories. And we’re cleaning out the studio to make room for what’s next.
If you want the longer version, read on.
Read MoreFor the third year in a row, we’re participating in Maker Faire Syracuse. We’re not saying yet what we’re doing. But it is happening on May the Fourth, so there’s probably a space theme of some sort to go along with Star Wars Day. As always, we’re creating something that we want you to be part of.
Read MoreI’ve launched a podcast, Brush With Knowledge. In the first five episodes recorded, I’m not sure balloons were even mentioned once. But it is about art and community. Specifically, it’s about the world of teaching artists.
Read MoreIt is December. A time to look back at what we’ve done over the last year. You’re probably as busy as we are right now, so rather than bog you down with a ton of stuff, we’ll just hit some highlights that we never got around to blog about this year.
Read MoreLast month’s installation at the Rochester Public Library is, unfortunately, now gone. But that’s ok. As more events come back, we have more coming. Next public event for us: Maker Faire Syracuse. And we just learned, we’re going to hit Maker Faire Miami just a couple weeks after that.
Read MoreThe community is invited to join us at the Bausch & Lomb Public Library building of the Central Library on Saturday, February 18, and Monday, February 20. Help us brighten up a Rochester winter with a colorful sculpture in the library’s atrium.
Read MoreWhat may seem like a daunting task can be made so much easier when everyone comes together. That's what happened at Reynolds Elementary School when Pre-K through 5th grade participated in the contraction of a giant rainbow for their school.
Last month, during National Library Week, we had an opportunity to create a fun piece at the Central Library of Rochester. This parent and child read together in this jumbo book made just for dragons. Due to popular demand, we even extended the display a few extra days, giving some more people a chance to get out and visit.
Read MoreWhat could be better than being featured in the New York Times Style section? Maybe getting to do some pubic events again. Here’s a quick update on what we’ve been doing and what’s coming, including Dragon Week, Maker Faires, and balloon fashion.
Read MoreIt’s been so long since we’ve shared anything on the blog, we figured we better make a big splash when finally breaking our silence. At last, we found something big enough to make that splash. This year, we’re participating in the KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival on a huge scale later this month. We are doing an installation. But we’re not JUST doing an installation.
Read MoreThis year has provided the opportunity to experiment with all sorts of things that we don’t usually do. One of the things we’ve been working on for the past few weeks is a live interactive experience for families: Chill With Santa. (Coupon code included.)
Read MoreHoliday celebrations are going to be smaller this year, but that doesn’t mean you can’t experience the traditional ball drop on New Year’s Eve. Or maybe that’s 100 ball(oon)s dropping in your house instead of at Times Square.
Read MoreWe keep seeing stories online about the need for businesses to pivot during the pandemic. Airigami is no different. We haven’t been able to travel the world to install multi-story sculptures. Instead, we’re staying local for now. We’ll just keep making all of you smile by building things to display on your lawns to celebrate special occasions.
Read MoreWe love getting to use our creative skills for fun. But in these interesting times, inspiration can be put to functional use. Kelly has been busy developing step-by-step pictorial instructions and developing mask designs for personal use to free up supplies for hospitals.
Read MoreSocial distancing is hard on the soul, especially on your birthday, a time when we normally celebrate with family and friends in person. Maybe you just want to send some cheer to a friend or loved one, or to say thank you to someone who’s working hard in the community. We've created Yard Stickers and Window Wishes as a safe, contact free way of sharing a colorful gift.
Read MoreWe want you to dust off that craft bin, bust out that ukelele, sharpen that pencil, and gather those pots and pans and make something. If you’re at home with the kids, have them make stuff too. It can be a poem, a painting, a pie. Even things that don’t start with the letter “p”. Especially things that aren’t perfect.
Read MoreOver the last few months, we've had a lot of requests to do a large build. Of course, right now any large public gatherings are off the table while we all practice social distancing. We have a solution: An online, streaming build, combined with basic instruction that will introduce people to the creative side of balloons.
Read MoreThe makers of Cheetos cheese-flavored snacks, have finally named the distinctive cheese dust that delightfully decorates your fingers. It’s called "cheetle!" We assume, of course, it is in honor of Airigami Artistic Director, Kelly Cheatle. This isn’t the first time we’ve made snack related art. Our Oreogami and Cookie Chronicles videos were quite popular a few years ago.
Read MoreGetting the opportunity for unstructured experimenting in the studio plants the seeds for all sorts of innovation. The idea of playing with materials with a child's heart, a designer's eye and a scientist's brain is so important when it comes to developing new ideas and techniques. Foil balloon mushrooms dot the room like tiny pieces of jewelry …
Read MoreWe create visual experiences, but we think of ourselves as story tellers. We just use a very visual medium to help present those stories. During the Native American Winter Arts Festival at the Ganondagan Historic Site, we collaborated with the Friends of Ganondagan to visually capture the essence of the Iroquois Creation Story.
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