1. Bacon. Butter. Waffle. Oh my. Making one of these golden delights would be enough to brighten anybody’s day. But for the creators of The Wafel Shop, this most recent batch is a little extra sweet. As of yesterday, the Kickstarter-backed project has a permanent home in a downtown Ann Arbor storefront. Like many creators, the duo behind The Wafel Shop hit a few snags along the way — and discovered that it can be tough to delay a dream. When their seemingly ideal space came up short, there was plenty of incentive to forge ahead anyway, given the months of work and planning already invested in the idea. But the creators made the difficult call to walk away, delaying their project while perhaps saving it, too. Now, the perfect home is theirs — and they still have the budget to move in and get cooking. It’s frustrating when the right call and the fastest way forward seem to be at odds. But for the creators and backers of The Wafel Shop, that first bite will be just a little bit sweeter.

    Bacon. Butter. Waffle. Oh my.

    Making one of these golden delights would be enough to brighten anybody’s day. But for the creators of The Wafel Shop, this most recent batch is a little extra sweet. As of yesterday, the Kickstarter-backed project has a permanent home in a downtown Ann Arbor storefront.

    Like many creators, the duo behind The Wafel Shop hit a few snags along the way — and discovered that it can be tough to delay a dream. When their seemingly ideal space came up short, there was plenty of incentive to forge ahead anyway, given the months of work and planning already invested in the idea. But the creators made the difficult call to walk away, delaying their project while perhaps saving it, too.

    Now, the perfect home is theirs — and they still have the budget to move in and get cooking. It’s frustrating when the right call and the fastest way forward seem to be at odds. But for the creators and backers of The Wafel Shop, that first bite will be just a little bit sweeter.

  4. Four years in the making. Photographer and educator Kevin Hoth found himself sitting on a mountain of new work that had never seen the light of day. These thousands of photographs, taken over more than four years, had the potential to form a major new body of work — but instead Hoth kept them languishing on hard drives as major life changes got in the way. Just two months ago, Hoth took to Kickstarter to source the funds and the motivation to share this treasure trove with the world. After successfully reaching his goal, Hoth is now busy printing photographs for his backers and preparing for a solo show in Denver next month. We’re guessing it won’t be four years until the next one.

    Four years in the making.

    Photographer and educator Kevin Hoth found himself sitting on a mountain of new work that had never seen the light of day.

    These thousands of photographs, taken over more than four years, had the potential to form a major new body of work — but instead Hoth kept them languishing on hard drives as major life changes got in the way.

    Just two months ago, Hoth took to Kickstarter to source the funds and the motivation to share this treasure trove with the world. After successfully reaching his goal, Hoth is now busy printing photographs for his backers and preparing for a solo show in Denver next month. We’re guessing it won’t be four years until the next one.

  5. impossibleyear: Gotham Defender Bike Light Polaroid Spectra ProCam / Expired Polaroid Image Softtone  The first piece of indie hardware I bought on Kickstarter. I’m madly in love with this thing, it’s virtually theft proof, brighter and cooler looking than any light I’ve had before. I lose bike lights like it’s my hobby (along with sunglasses, hats and umbrellas) so having this thing mounted to my bike not only keeps me safe, it will save me money in the long run. Check these guys out: http://www.bikegotham.com

    impossibleyear:

    Gotham Defender Bike Light

    Polaroid Spectra ProCam / Expired Polaroid Image Softtone 

    The first piece of indie hardware I bought on Kickstarter. I’m madly in love with this thing, it’s virtually theft proof, brighter and cooler looking than any light I’ve had before. I lose bike lights like it’s my hobby (along with sunglasses, hats and umbrellas) so having this thing mounted to my bike not only keeps me safe, it will save me money in the long run.

    Check these guys out: http://www.bikegotham.com

    View on Kickstarter
  6. Wondering Around Wandering Artist Mike Perry used his recent Kickstarter project to raise funds and generate interest in a free exhibition and community art space.  For three months, Perry and his crew are hosting workshops, screenings, discussions, and shindigs — all free and open to the public.  Perry just created a new Tumblr to document the process of transforming an empty Brooklyn warehouse into Wondering Around Wandering. Consider yourself reblogged!

    Wondering Around Wandering

    Artist Mike Perry used his recent Kickstarter project to raise funds and generate interest in a free exhibition and community art space. 

    For three months, Perry and his crew are hosting workshops, screenings, discussions, and shindigs — all free and open to the public. 

    Perry just created a new Tumblr to document the process of transforming an empty Brooklyn warehouse into Wondering Around Wandering. Consider yourself reblogged!

    View on Kickstarter

  7. Putting a modern spin on classic hits is all the rage these days, but New Orleans-based producer Earl Scioneaux ran a project that posited the exact opposite idea: what if he took the greatest hits of a contemporary group, like Daft Punk, and rearranged them for a funky New Orleans brass band? Judging by his final backer count — 1, 371 strong — it was a concept people could get behind.

    Since his project ended, Earl’s been letting backers have an inside look at his recording process, posting frequent updates with images, audio and stories from the studio. Our favorite so far is probably the Drinking Sign (bottom), which was captioned merely: “You know you’re in a New Orleans recording studio when…”

  8. New life for old sounds Thanks to the Creative Audio Archive and 180 Kickstarter backers, more than 1,000 unique recordings of seminal Chicago musicians will be preserved for the next generation. Malachi Ritscher was a musician, recording engineer and activist, who recorded countless live performances in Chicago’s experimental music scene over nearly 25 years. Ritscher committed suicide in 2006 as an act of protest against the Iraq war, leaving behind a slew of unanswered questions — and his unparalleled archive of seminal music. As a living tribute to Ritscher’s artistic dedication, the Creative Audio Archive is preserving and sharing his phenomenal body of recordings. We’re thrilled that this unique resource will continue to inspire future generations of musicians in Chicago and beyond.

    New life for old sounds

    Thanks to the Creative Audio Archive and 180 Kickstarter backers, more than 1,000 unique recordings of seminal Chicago musicians will be preserved for the next generation.

    Malachi Ritscher was a musician, recording engineer and activist, who recorded countless live performances in Chicago’s experimental music scene over nearly 25 years. Ritscher committed suicide in 2006 as an act of protest against the Iraq war, leaving behind a slew of unanswered questions — and his unparalleled archive of seminal music.

    As a living tribute to Ritscher’s artistic dedication, the Creative Audio Archive is preserving and sharing his phenomenal body of recordings. We’re thrilled that this unique resource will continue to inspire future generations of musicians in Chicago and beyond.

    View on Kickstarter

  9. Chess we can

    It’s a big weekend for Brooklyn Castle. The Kickstarter-funded documentary — they’re in the midst of their third project — is about to hit theaters all across America. Opening night is October 19, and you can find the screening nearest your city here.

    If you’re in the tri-state area on October 20, they’ll also be having a special celebration for supporters. Check out their latest project update for the deets.

    You can also preview a clip from the film over on NPR today.

    Congrats to the entire team!

  11. Oy vey! What do you want from my life?

    Yesterday, Cleveland Heights-University Heights Library unveiled a bronze tribute to graphic novelist Harvey Pekar. Standing 2 1/2 feet tall, it depicts Pekar stepping from a page of one of his books, and sits atop a wooden desk packed with paper, coloring pencils, and other tools meant to encourage visitors to draw their own comics. (It also holds some personal ephemera, like Pekar’s favorite books and his AARP card.) The project launched launched on Kickstarter less than 11 months ago and now takes its place in the physical world.

    Remarking on the special relationship between Pekar and the library, his widow Joyce Brabner had just this to say: “Ours was a family that believed a library card was a lot more important than a charge card.”

  13. Artist Andy DuCett spent two years conceptualizing and constructing the massive sets for a solo art show, “Why We Do This,” at The Soap Factory in Minneapolis. The ambitious exhibition houses all kinds of interactive cultural ephemera, like a giant game of Battleship, a sasquatch in a wood cabin, a fake thrift store that attendees can browse through, and — the kicker — the reproduced interior of an entire airplane, which he funded through Kickstarter.

    Since its opening, the gallery show has broken records (more than 1,000 people crowded in for opening night), scored critical acclaim, and been honored as a  critics’ pick by Artforum. Checking out some of the recent photos, we can see why.

    If you haven’t caught the show yet, stop by before the closing reception on November 10, when the artist hosts an estate sale. More deets over here.