Dogpatch Press

Fluff Pieces Every Week

Category: On the scene

November 18, 2014

Furry photo show leads to Movember cancer benefit, and “round table” talk on 11/22/14

by Patch O'Furr

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Harley (bandana) and Spottacus (glowing eyes) at “Furries & Despair”

San Francisco had a series of furry events last week.  Before it, I posted: “Independent shows and festivals offer new concept for furry events”. After, I posted about the enthusiastic response.  The creativity and demand for more couldn’t be contained in one event. Here’s further developments that spun off from the successful gallery opening of Ron Lussier and Bobby Pin’s “Furries and Despair” photo show.

Movember Benefit:

 
Donate at least $25 to Ron Lussier’s cause for Movember – and receive a 5′ x 5′ Signed Furry Portrait from his ‘Furries & Despair Show’!

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November 16, 2014

“New concept for furry events” brings enthusiastic response in San Francisco.

by Patch O'Furr

Last week, San Francisco had a series of back to back events: a street fursuiting “crawl”, a furry photo gallery opening, a fetish party, (a private special interest thing not representing others), and Frolic dance party.  The series drew more furries than my butt attracts fleas.

It was first-time fursuiting for Sketchywolf.  He attended all of the events, and posted about it:

I’ve never seen so much love for furries from random strangers! So many photos! So many smiling faces! … Fursuiting turned out to be even more fun than I imagined it to be! I love the reaction of others when they see a suit. Walking over to Frolic suited, and back to the hotel and the end of the night, I was stopped by people wanting to take pictures!  I danced, I partied, I hugged EVERYBODY. Oh! I had SO MUCH fun!

Before the events, I posted: “Independent shows and festivals offer new concept for furry events”.  Each was organized separately, but with loose ties.  They used special venues and locations to add character beyond the “sterile/consumer” vibe of a hotel (like one comment said).  I called it a model for growing beyond cons, and proposed a new, free-range fair or festival concept.  Judging by the enthusiastic response, the idea was more than hype.  It’s a sign of a burgeoning subculture.  Let’s look at how things went.

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November 11, 2014

Furry Night Live – ‘The Greatest Show in Fur’ – at Pacific Anthropomorphics Weekend on 11/15

by Patch O'Furr

This weekend:  Pacific Anthropomorphics Weekend brings a SECOND San Francisco Bay Area convention to San Jose, CA.  

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The long-established Further Confusion, occurring every January, is now augmented by PAW, a new event offering more than once a year activity.  It features:  “Photo Shoot, Dealers Area, Gaming and Semi-quiet Social Area, Open Cash Bar During Dances, Fursuit Dance Comp, Fursuit Games… and more!”

Courtesy of Super Jayhawk, from the Bay Area Furries mailing list:

“We’d like to announce that Furry Night Live, “The Greatest Show in Fur”, will be hosting a room party this next Saturday, November 15, at the Pacific Anthropomorphics Weekend Inaugural “Paw-Raiser” Fall Festival! We’ll be there to wish the new con well and will be having a party with a fursuit photoshoot, replays of classic videos from our legacy of all 10 shows since 2005, and throwing around ideas for new projects and videos we’d like to do.

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November 6, 2014

This week in San Francisco: Independent shows and festivals offer new concept for furry events

by Patch O'Furr

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Four events are back to back in San Francisco:  Fursuit crawl – Furry portrait show gallery opening – Wild Things fetish party – Frolic dance party.  

On Friday 11/7/14 is the “Embarcadero Fursuit Crawl“.  The street fursuiting fun will move downtown, to a grand entrance at the gallery opening for Ron Lussier’s Furry portrait show.   Ron’s creative partner, Bobby Pin, shares:  More Press for the upcoming ‘Furries & Despair Photography Show’!

Saturday has the “art and sex” party – Wild Things.  This furry fetish and petplay party has gotten tremendous response. (It’s for a special interest and adult activity doesn’t represent furries in general.)  Afterwards is Frolic dance party: the monthly “mini-con” that attracts several hundred attendees, and helped influence spin-off parties across the USA.

The San Francisco Bay Area has so much activity, that furries often have multiple events to choose from at the same time.  On Halloween there was a cosplay dance party, a house party, and a street costuming meetup.  Consider what it says about developing subculture.

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November 5, 2014

Howl Toronto’s Q&A for “The Furclub Survey”, from organizer Raverfox.

by Patch O'Furr

Furclubbing: “A repeat/regular nightclub event by furries for furries.”  It’s a New Thing that’s been spreading since the late 2000’s.

This kind of dance party is independent from cons.  This builds on the growth of cons, and takes things farther.  It’s more established than events that happen once, house parties or informal meets.  Those can be inner-focused, or gather cliquish friends to only seek each other.   This brings partnership with venues that aren’t hotels, and supportive interest in the kind of events they host and promote.  It crosses a line to public space.  A stranger may walk in off the street to discover their new favorite thing.  It encourages new blood and crossover to other scenes.

See the list of parties at The Furclub survey.  Any one that gives a Q&A will get their own article.  Raverfox tells you more about his party…

Howl Toronto (2014 – now)

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howl

 

Howl Toronto is active since summer 2014.

Mission:

For Furries, Suiters, and any other member of all fandom communities in the GTA and abroad, Howl is about giving us a place to come to and cut loose with your friends, your mates and your fandoms. Convention dances are annual events, we want to be a heartbeat throughout the year.

For Furry DJ’s, Howl is about giving those who love electronic dance music a chance to experience that thrill of playing to a crowd of shouting fans and community members. Convention dances happen once a year, and it doesn’t matter what side of the mixing board you’re on, that’s just not enough to fill the need!

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November 3, 2014

Fangcon brings peace, love and music with a Woodstock theme, on November 6-10, 2014

by Patch O'Furr

 

FANGCON is “the only anthropomorphic convention located within the state of Tennessee”.  Draconis submitted an exciting notice about their third annual event, happening this weekend.

Personally, if I wasn’t hosting a paw-print furry Twister game myself this weekend… I’d make like a Husky and pounce on their “largest Fursuit Twister Mat the fandom has ever seen.”  Psst… Twister’s slogan is “The Game That Ties You Up in Knots.”  Teehee.   

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October 29, 2014

Furries & Despair photography show – “An event people are going to love and talk about”

by Patch O'Furr

The show “Furries & Despair” features Ron Lussier’s fursuiter portraits, and Bobby Pin’s photos of Detroit.  The gallery opening is Friday, November 7 in San Francisco.  The press release has gone out, announcing a fursuit crawl to meet at the gallery.  This is an excellent event to support and have fun with the public!

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Bobby Pin tells me:

40 People already got tickets to our show through Eventbrite.  23 People are coming to the show through Facebook and 32 are maybes.  I think it’s gonna be an event people are going to love and talk about for awhile 😛

More about Ron’s portraits:

Here’s a press release to share as PDF:

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October 13, 2014

Denver’s Fox Trot Club – Q&A for “The Furclub Survey”, from organizer Kelar.

by Patch O'Furr

Furclubbing:  “A repeat/regular nightclub event by furries for furries.”  It’s a New Thing that’s been spreading since the late 2000’s.

This kind of dance party is independent from cons.  This builds on the growth of cons, and takes things farther.  It’s more established than events that happen once, house parties or informal meets.  Those can be inner-focused, or gather cliquish friends to only seek each other.   This brings partnership with venues that aren’t hotels, and supportive interest in the kind of events they host and promote.  It crosses a line to public space.  A stranger may walk in off the street to discover their new favorite thing.  It encourages new blood and crossover to other scenes.

See the list of parties at The Furclub survey.  Anyone that gives a Q&A will get their own article.  Kelar tells you more…

Fox Trot Club in Denver, CO (2011 – now)  5989342254_b9fa9e3ac0_m

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October 10, 2014

The Furclub Survey: introducing the world’s independent Furry dance parties.

by Patch O'Furr

From Howl Toronto.

Howl Toronto.

Furclubbing:   “A repeat/regular nightclub event by furries for furries.”  The concept has been spreading since the late 2000’s.  This kind of dance party is independent from conventions. It builds on their growth but takes things farther.  It’s more established than informal meets or events that happen once.  Those can stay inner-focused for friends who already know each other, but these events bring partnership with new venues that support and host furries. They’re a gateway to the public, so a stranger may walk in off the street and discover their new favorite thing.  It encourages new blood and crossover. It makes a subculture thrive.  There are connections to DJ and rave scenes.  But this is its own unique movement!

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The Survey Questions

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Any party that responds will get their own featured article! (Check back for new responses linked with party names below.)  

Do you know any others?  Please share these questions to them, and send responses or tips to patch.ofurr@gmail.com.

Casual answers are fine (they will get partnership to create and boost an article). Please include graphics, pics or vids. What can you tell the fandom about these?

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October 8, 2014

“Further Confessions” photo project puts fursuiting in an art gallery, and does FUN right.

by Patch O'Furr

keagos / further confusion 2014

“Further Confessions” gallery opening

Canessa Gallery in San Francisco.  November 7, at 7PM – 708 Montgomery Street.

Portraiture of fursuiters can be tough to pull off with as much energy as in person.  That’s why I love promoting “Street Fursuiting,” and candid photos of it.

Fursuiting appeals when it engages viewers to interact.  It’s animated and tactile.  Staging their play can dull that down.  Less-successful efforts can look like a diorama of stuffed toys. Cartoony suit design may not blend with surroundings, turning long views into eye-straining barf.

But no matter how they’re executed, they make memories with meaning to those who were there.  If you’re furry, you get it. Art for the uninitiated is just a different purpose.

Ron Lussier’s “Further Confessions“ project overcomes the “stageyness” barrier in a compelling way.  He juxtaposes portraits with personality expressed in hand-written statements.  They reach through the frame, and greet you as personally as a hug.  This stuff does FUN right.  I have to say it’s the best fursuiter portraiture I’ve seen, and I think it’s an honor to have Furries featured this way in an art gallery.

Fursuiters are invited to the opening!

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