Tapestry

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From November 9, 2006...

• Visionary Guild: A Home for Mentally Ill Artists
• Art Buchwald makes his mark in Birmingam
• Muse of Fire: Shakespeare at Sloss
• Community Calendar
• Birmingham band HoneyBaked

For many artists, finding a venue to exhibit or sell their work is difficult. It's even more of a challenge if the artist has a mental illness. Afraid of society's stigma, they may be too shy to explore possibilities. Or, people may not take them seriously. Les Lovoy reports on one organization that offers them a venue for their work, plus a whole lot more.

A profile of the Visionary Guild

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Writer and humorist Art Buchwald is best known for his long-running column in the Washington Post newspaper - but recently he's been making headlines for being "not quite dead." Earlier this year, Buchwald checked himself into a Washington hospice, after deciding to refuse dialysis for kidney failure. But his health hasn't declined as quickly as he - or the doctors expected. Commentator Cheryl-Anne Millsap remembers her first - and only - encounter with Buchwald, here in Birmingham.

Commentator Cheryl-Anne Millsap is a graduate of Birmingham Southern College. She followed in Art Buchwald's footsteps and is a columnist for a newspaper in Spokane, Washington. Buchwald recently checked himself out of hospice and is again writing his column.

There's a routine to going to the theatre. Sit in the audience, watch the play, get up for a 10 minute intermission, then come back to watch the second half. Well - this weekend director Elizabeth Bradley throws out the formula when she stages eight Shakespearean scenes throughout the footprint of Sloss Furnaces. The audience moves from location to location and will even be encouraged to participate. Bradley and actor Sylvester Little Jr. talked with the WBHM's Tanya Ott about the challenges this production presents.

Eight Shakesperian scenes

Muse of Fire's production of Shakespearean scenes runs Saturday and Sunday at Sloss Furnaces.

To hear the audio portion of the Community Calendar from Tapestry, click here.

Want to know more? Activeculture.info is a one-stop source for finding out what's going on in the Birmingham metro area.

The members of Birmingham band HoneyBaked are all classically trained - but these days their main focus is fusion. Their sound incorporates everything from jazz-blues to funk-rock, always with an improvisational flare. This is "Don't Let the Tail Wag the Dog", performed live at WorkPlay for their demo CD. Guitarist Jonathan Ross, bassist Jaime Isobe and keyboardist Peyton Grant stopped by our studios.(AUDIO MONTAGE)

Tapestry is produced by Tanya Ott, Michael Krall and Hunter Bell. Francesca Rosko tracks community events. Additional reporting this week from Les Lovoy and commentary from Cheryl-Anne Millsap. I'm Greg Bass and we'll see you next week.