Why Renaissance?

by Emilio Miller-Lopez

I am starting this post with the Webster Dictionary definition of Renaissance, because to me it is an important element in the concept of RenCon 2010, our new east coast event which launches this April in Maryland:

RENAISSANCE (from Websters)

1. the transitional movement in Europe between medieval and modern times beginning in the 14th century in Italy, lasting into the 17th century, and marked by a humanistic revival of classical influence expressed in a flowering of the arts and literature and by the beginnings of modernscience 2. a movement or period of vigorous artistic and intellectual activity

On April 9th-11th in Hunt Valley Maryland, Faerieworlds and Renaissance Magazine will launch RenCon, a gathering of music, art, lore, crafts and culture. The event will be a celebration of the current artistic, mythic and cultural "rebirth," and an intentional gathering of creativity, with influences from Medieval and Renaissance culture and art. RenCon will feature John and Caitlin Matthews, two of the world's foremost scholars of Celtic, Arthurian and Medieval lore, Brian and Wendy Froud, two of the most influential mythic and faerie artists of our time, and the German medieval influenced bands Qntal and Estampie. Our intention with RenCon is not to be a re-enactment of a time past, but to celebrate the visionary cultural and artistic movement it has inspired in the present, and to be part of a "rebirth" of the very meaning of Renaissance in this modern age.

FaerieCon Dreams Come True

Four years ago I awoke one morning from a rather strange dream. In the dream Faerieworlds had just ended and we were all packing up... and there was a great feeling of sadness and emptiness. I saw Brian Froud in the dream and asked him why it felt like this and he said with a chuckle, "Because you haven't done FaerieCon yet!"

The next day I called Robert and told him about the dream, and we contemplated the idea for a few minutes and decided we were too busy to take on an entire Faerie convention. But over a few short months the idea gestated in our minds and before long we took the leap of faith and launched FaerieCon in Philadelphia in 2007. Over two years we worked hard and made the best of the Convention Center in downtown Philly, but the concrete cube just never felt like the right place for the tribes of the Fae to gather for our annual convention.

Now in our third year, our dream of FaerieCon has come to life in a whole new way. Not only have all the rooms at the event hotel sold out a month in advance, but FaerieCon's new home is an ornate, lush and comfortable setting that feels like the perfect gathering place for annual east coast Faerie gathering. With a glorious group of international artists, authors, crafters, musicians, and thousands of guests adorned in full faerie regalia, 2009 is the Faeriecon we've all been dreaming of...see you there in November!

-Emilio

Come As You (Magically) Are

One of the most exciting things about our Faerieworlds events is to see the incredible imagination and creativity our guests bring to their costumes: so much style, beauty, sensuality, humor and downright craziness I like to say our guests don’t attend our events – they inhabit them. Each has a story, a reason for being, that is personal, an expression of their unique identity. They bring their extraordinary characters, personas and avatars into ours and we create one enchanted world together. At Faerieworlds, we love the fusion of the traditional with the visionary, the past mashed up with the future. Our bands at Winter Celebration are great examples of this: Woodland marries traditional Celtic themes with modern mythic music,Delhi 2 Dublin (amazingly) combines Celtic and Indian music, Beats Antique fuses a multiple of musical styles with circus performance and Zoe Jakes mesmerizing tribal belly dancing. And making their premiere performance at a Faerieworlds event, Abney Park brings the world of fantasy steampunk wildly, vibrantly alive in both sight and sound. All these amazing worlds and characters will meet, celebrate and dance the night away at the Good Faeries & Bad Faeries Masquerade Balls at Winter Celebration: I promise you this will be a whole new level of Faerieworlds, and personally - I just can’t wait!

– Robert

The Realm is Gathering

by Emilio Miller-Lopez

We stand tonight at the gates of new experience, as thousands begin to gather in our emerald wood to celebrate in the spirit of the land. Here in this forest where the old trees stand, we invite in those who remember, and those who have forgotten; to reconnect with a hidden memory older than our minds. In the moment of summer's ripening, the wind dances beneath the shadow of the mountain, and the valley is alive. Calling. Calling. Calling in the celebration of the harvest of first fruits. Past the gateway a cool wind is coming...autumn stands beyond the wooden door. Now the horn is sounding through the mythic wood...will you come to the first harvest dance?

In the Shadow of Mt. Pisgah

We walked in twilight through a corridor of arching oaks hung with lichen and tall, majestic Douglas firs. All around us the forest and the skies are alive: the crows heading off to roost, the screeching owl emerging for her evening hunt, even the occasional fluttering bat. The moon rises as the stars are taking their places across the heavens. We turned the corner and looked out over the vast moonlit field: here is the new home of Faerieworlds.

In four weeks, this splendid park, surrounded by trees and forests, bordered by a river, shadowed by the tallest mountain in the region, will transform into the Realm and fill with music, amazing vendors, enchanting performers and thousands of faerie lovers from across our nation and the world, all arrayed in their beautiful faerie finery. Everything about the space feels right, good and welcoming: It is alive with life and magic is afoot. We close our eyes and hear the summoning songs of Faun and Woodland, we see wonderful arts and crafts, we see families laughing, dancing, gathered together in campsites, we see community joined together in joy and celebration. We open our eyes and the waxing gibbous goddess has risen; all is blue and silver. Do we hear Adam Hurst's plaintive cello floating on the night breeze? The verdant spirit of Place, of Faerie, is palpable here, everywhere, waiting and welcoming; you can feel it. Reluctantly we head back home and begin to count the days.

- Robert

It's Almost That Time Again

As much as Faerieworlds is a spiritual experience for everyone involved, I have to admit that most people I talk to also agree that it's a fantastic place to buy special things. There are items available at this show that I really can't find anywhere else, and I'm just about as discerning as it gets when it comes to high-quality handmade art, clothing, jewelry, even food. I spend a disturbing amount of time scouring the internet for the best of the best, and yet I still find vendors at Faerieworlds that happily surprise me. Some of my favorite items of personal adornment have come from Faerieworlds, and there's something sacred about bringing home a treasured item from such a special event. There's a memory attached to it, and every time I touch it, or wear it, or glance at it I remember that I found it at Faerieworlds...and I bought it from someone who loves what they do.
- Stephanie

Eight Years in a Minute

by Emilio Miller-Lopez

After eight years of producing Faerieworlds events, we finally had a brief chance this week to sit down and review some of the live event videos we've captured over the years. At the Faerieworlds office here in Eugene, we have an archive of hundreds of DV tapes filled with live footage from Sedona, Santa Fe, Los Angeles, Hornings Hideout, Secret House and more. What we found out very quickly when we began cutting this trailer was that the hardest part wasn't going to be finding enough good footage to include in a one minute web video; the real difficulty was actually how to choose only a minutes worth of video from so many beautiful hours of captivating and moving moments. Many thanks to all the musicians, artists, performers and participants whose inspiring contributions have made Faerieworlds the unique and special gathering it has become. We hope you enjoy this glimpse of the magic!