1st Place at 9th Annual Art of Recycling

Rabi was awarded First Place at the 9th Annual American Iron Metal Sculpture Competition, which is part of the 2009 Minneapolis Aquatennial celebration, for his piece "Chronicles of a Warrior." This is first year American Iron has not had 2 categories (large and small sculptures) but rather judged all sizes together.

With this sculpture, Rabi put his late father's stories into a visual form. Emilie Sanfo wrote many fable and stories, but did not complete this epic. Rabi's twin brother Raogo completed the tale of the warrior, and Rabi translated it into English for the competition to accompany the sculpture.

Chronicles of a Warrior

I am wounded and tired
From luring them in this place
In this valley…
Where their fathers killed my father
They are armed to the teeth
Some of them are even brandishing
Some of my own weapons that I had to leave
Behind on the battlefield
Now I am almost on my knees
But my shield is holding me from collapsing
They are so many…too many
Even for the Lord of Wars
Who broke his sword and his shield
They know that I am lost
But as the hunter still fears the wounded lion
They step back when I push a loud breath
The clouds are gathering so the sun
Doesn’t witness my fall
The valley is cold but my sweat is burning
My eyes and my wounds
I hear my heart beating…
I hear the voice telling me to stand up
And fight

The piece will be on public display Tuesday and Wednesday, July 21st and 22nd, on Nicollet Mall in front of the IDS Crystal Court (717 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis). Please stop by the IDS Crystal Court from 10am-6pm if you get a chance.

All entries will eventually be posted on the American Iron site and we will post photos too tomorrow.

New Website

We've finally launched a new website! Please check it out and tell us what you think. You can also reach us at rabi@yarbidesign.com or nancy@yarbidesign.com.

We'll still use this blog every now and then to update you on our thoughts and exciting news. But we wanted to move towards a site with a more useful portfolio. We still have a bunch of photos to upload so come back often to see the updates! We'll also accept online sales pretty soon via PayPal.

Website Feedback?

Thanks to a referral, I am currently building our website but I need some feedback. So let me know what you think! Our trial period ends in 2 weeks. It's a pretty easy platform to work with and I can make any changes anytime I want without having to go through a web designer. There are some things that I don't love about it, but I think it's the best I've seen for the budget that we have.

Let me know your thoughts!

Web Designer Needed

As much as I love the blog, I think it's time we get a full fledged website but we need help! We'd love to work with someone who already has a connection to our business. We prefer to do some sort of trade, so give us a shout if you're interested!

The Spider Has Been Returned

Great news! The spider was found back on the wall of the Q.arma Building this morning. Guess the prank wasn't intended for us. Good thing we didn't call the cops!

Kidnapped Spider

Have you seen this spider around?



Yesterday, Rabi found this ransom note attached to a can of Raid: Wasp & Hornet Killer.



Although he abided by the directions yesterday, we still don't have the spider back on the wall of the Q.arma Building. Rabi stopped at the Diamonds Coffee Shoppe after noon today and saw that the ransom money was still taped to the trashcan lid. The folks at Diamonds didn't know why they were the drop spot.

Give us a buzz if you see the spider around. Obviously we're hoping the Wasp & Hornet Killer doesn't work on spiders and that this prank ends well with the safe return of the sculpture.

3-Minute Egg

Rabi was featured on the Twin Cities' Art Seen 3 Minute Egg during Art-A-Whirl.

Bronze Casting at Art-A-Whirl 2009

Rabi demonstrates bronze casting during Art-A-Whirl at the Q.arma Building.

Excelsior Art on the Lake

We just got our postcards in the mail today for Excelsior Art on the Lake and what a surprise! Rabi's "Femme de Baam" is featured on the postcard! Yeah. Hope you can join us for the 29th annual exhibit.

Excelsior Commons
Lake Minnetonka
Booth #191
Located 10 minutes west of I-494 on Hwy 7

Saturday, June 13 at 10am-6pm
Sunday, June 14 at 10am-4pm

Art-A-Whirl 2009

Check out Rabi's studio and his work in progress at the Q.arma Bldg during this year's Art-A-Whirl!

Q.arma Building
1224 Quincy St NE
Minneapolis, MN

May 15 @ 5-10pm
May 16 @ 12-8pm
May 17 @ 12-5pm

Art-A-Whirl is an open-studio and gallery tour of NE Minneapolis. It is an enticing event that calls and welcomes local and regional visitors who want to see the art being produced in the NE. Need a map? Click here.

More than 500 artists participate in AAW, including potters, tile makers, painters, sculptors, musicians, photographers, glass blowers, printmakers, and textile designers. They showcase their art in warehouses, galleries, homes, storefronts and cafes.

Beyond featuring over 30 artists for the upcoming Art-A-Whirl, the Q.arma Building will be hosting the following on Saturday, May 16:

Music
12pm: Fields of Green
1.15pm: Clear Skies
2pm: The Poor Nobodys
3.15pm: Bankrupt in Panama
4.30pm: Telepathos
5.45pm: Nightinghales
7pm: Chastity Brown

Events
1-2pm and 3-4pm: Bronze Pour Demonstrations by Rabi
2-3pm: Chain Saw Carving Demonstrations by fellow artist Kevin
All day: Pottery Demonstrations by fellow artists Anthony and Nick
All day: Youth Poetry Reading by Tru Ruts Studio

Movies, Brats and a Bonfire
Weather permitting. The lights go down, the film starts up. We’ll of course be showing Barnstormers, a delightful short film showing many artists painting on the side of an old barn, and a few others!

Rabi will also have work at the Frank Stone Gallery all weekend long, and a piece at the NEMAA Silent Auction.