2010 Fountain of Light : Photo by Mimi Clayton

For more info on massage, please visit amtamassage.org

Regular Prices: 60 min $90 90 min $130

Two Convenient Locations: Downtown or Rogers Park : Call for an Appointment: 773.991.3835

“Around Chicago”

2010 Fire and Art : Photo by Mimi Clayton

Aurora Borealis “The Essence of H two O”

2008 San Fran Bridge : Photo by Mimi Clayton

2010 Waterfall Illusion : Photo by Mimi Clayton

 Looking for that Perfect Holistic Gift?

 Find it at the Chicago College of Healing Arts Holiday Marketplace:
Local businesses, artisans, holistic healing practitioners to display wares in Rogers Park, Chicago – Holiday shoppers are invited to enjoy delicious gluten free and vegan treats while listening to local musicians and enjoying libations at the Chicago College of Healing Arts Holiday Marketplace. 

www.thechicagocollegeofhealingarts.com
chicagocollegeofhealingarts@gmail.com

CONTACT: Rebecca Pollock

1622 W Devon Ave
Chicago, IL 60660

773-596-5012

Thursday, December 8, 2011, 4:00pm – 9:00pm

Support local businesses and do your Holiday shopping at the Chicago College of Healing Arts (CCHA) Holiday Marketplace. Give the gift of Holistic Healing with a gift certificate for a Structural Therapy Session, Thai Massage or a Tarot Reading. Make your Holiday gift personal and give back to the community with a work of art from the not-for-profit Convergence Project organization. Choose a handmade gift from local artisans. We invite you to enjoy delicious gluten free and vegan treats while listening to talented local musicians.

The Holiday Marketplace is the perfect place to shop local, unwind and learn about Holistic living. Items for sale range from essentials to one-of-a-kind. Local artisans will showcase a variety of products, including clothing and accessories, art, massage, photography, holistic wellness, jewelry, self-care products and home decor. We invite you to support your community and learn how local artisans create holistic living and a greener tomorrow. 

Mimi’s Organic Exchange (MOE) and The Convergence Project www.theconvergenceprojectinc.com will be sponsoring the event. Mimi Clayton Photography will be displayed and available for purchase. I will be doing chair massage and will have Gift Certificates available for the Holidays! Many other fabulous folks will have items on hand for sale also. Fun times ahead If you are interested in participating, please contact myself or Rebecca of Chicago College of Healing Arts. Have a beautiful day!

Some of our featured vendors for the Holiday Marketplace include:

MOE’s Mimi Clayton with chair massage and photography
http://mimisorganicexchange.com/

MOE’s Curator, Diane Ponder of Living Room Gallery, Consciously Created Art
http://dianeponder.com/

Structural Therapy with John Northage, Founder of CCHA
Tarot and Rune Readings with Althea Northage-Orr, Founder of CCHA
http://www.transformationaltechniques.com/bios/

Tarot and Astrological Charts from Alan Salmi
http://alansalmi.com/

Thai Massage from the Chicago School of Thai Massage
http://www.chicagoschoolofthaimassage.com/

Crystals and gemstone jewelry from On the Rocks
http://ontherockschicago.com/

Reclaimed wood sculptures from Dennis Jose of the Art Lab
http://artlab123.com/

Kapok Pillows from Jonathan Udesky of Evron
http://www.evrondirect.com/Default.asp

Original artwork from Bianca Alexander from Conscious Living TV
http://www.consciouslivingtv.com/

Original railroad artwork from Tom Pedersen
http://trainsinvain.com/

Handmade jewelry & accessories from In Spirit Creations
alexia@hands-onpaws.com

Handmade clothing and accessories by Rags by Sock Monkey
http://www.etsy.com/shop/ragsbysockmonkey

Balance Boards & Beams by Liz Kantorski
http://www.balanceboardsandbeams.com/bbb/welcome.html

Artisan tea blends and tea accessories by SenTEAmental Moods
http://www.senteamentalmoods.com/

Gluten free and vegan treats from BOT Bakery and G-free-V
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bot-Bakery/156657357723196

Mead from Wild Blossom Wines
http://www.wildblossomwines.com/

Libations from Taste Food & Wine
http://tastefoodandwine.com/

Live music from various local artists.

Why the Global Good Trumps the Separate Self

Why are we here? What is our purpose? How can we make the world a better place? Since the beginning, these unanswered questions have challenged humanity, but it’s time for this  journey through existential angst to come to an end. By exploring the struggles of the individual search from the precepts of Descartes to the collective nature of Ubuntu tribal philosophy, we can discover the energy and creativity we all share within the quantum field. Join Emanuel Kuntzelman as he shares his thoughts on why cooperation, compassion and social action are vital to the next evolutionary phase.

6:00– 6:30 PM: GREENHEART FAIR

FEATURING CHICAGO’S TOP ACTIVIST ORGANIZATIONS

Greenheart Shop

Greenheart Travel 

Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation

GlobeMed 

CircEsteem

Spark Ventures 

Chicago Fair Trade

The Voices and Faces Project

The Peace School

Center for Global Initiatives

Opening Our Eyes (Documentary)

6:30–7:30 PM: TALK WITH EMANUEL KUNTZELMAN

7:30– 8:00 PM: FAIR RESUMES AND Q&A

Register here!

Saturday Oct 1 from 11am – 7pm
Sunday Oct 2 from 11am – 6pm

2010 Waterfall from Above : Photo by Mimi Clayton

www.ravenswoodartwalk.org

Mimi Clayton
111 N. Wabash Ave.
Suite 1322
Chicago, IL 60602
773.991.3835

Thank you to all that came to RAW 2011 and supported me and others on our journey. It was a success and learning experience. This is one of my latest photos from 2011 Ravenswood ArtWalk at Beyond Design.
See previous article of Mimi’s Photos for more new and limited edition photos! These can be purchased for the image, matted or framed! If interested, please contact me at 773.991.3835 or mimisorganicexchange@gmail.com.

• Over 40 studios open to the public
• 2 days of Live Music, Presentations, Film Screenings and more!
• Local Food and Goose Island Beer
• Rooftop Lounge and Sculpture Garden
• Free Trolley Service with Architectural Tour included!
• RAW Street Fair at Ravenswood & Montrose!
• All Spaces Totally FREE to enjoy!

Saturday Oct 1 from 11am – 7pm
Sunday Oct 2 from 11am – 6pm
Ravenswood Ave between Addison & Lawrence
Off the Addison, Irving Park and Montrose Brown Line Stops
RAW Street Fair Directly off the Montrose Brown Line stop!

Aurora Borealis “The Essence of H two O” Exhibition by Mimi Clayton Photography see more!, Mimi’s Organic Exchange , The Convergence Project & Diane Ponder Art
represented atBeyond Design
4515 N. Ravenswood and in the RAW Kids Area.

Mimi’s Organic Exchange (MOE) started out of my back yard and home in 2006. It was around my birthday and I love to organize gatherings. I wanted to have a party – a networking one. I had an array of talented friends, but they just didn’t know how to get themselves out there. They ranged from Art, Photography, Dog Training, Tarot Card Reading, Brass Band, Bike Tune-Ups, Food, Candles and Cork Mats. It has grown over the years into a community of diverse artisans, non-profits and healers. MOE recently presented three panels at the Green Festival and I was the Event Coordinator for Gluten-Free Vegan (GFREEV) Awards The Total Food Package. I am the Events Coordinator and Space Manager for The Art Lab also, where we have been having several presentations and art openings. Many of the great folks that were involved collaborated on the various different events in the past several months. I am sure we will continue to work together too.

Throughout the years, my team and I have found it important to educate about sustainability in a fun, social environment. The Convergence Project, Inc, a not-for-profit, stemmed from Mimi’s Organic Exchange. We are looking forward to collaborating with others and promoting opportunities to improve the quality of life within our communities and for the planet. We promote earth-friendly practices and businesses.

You sound like quite the organizer, Mimi. Tell me more about The Convergence Project. How exactly do you promote earth-friendly practices and businesses? I’m all for it; I’m curious about how you go about doing it?

The Convergence Project, Inc. (TCPI) was incorporated in January 2011. My team and I had discussed for years whether MOE should become a not-for-profit and if so why. We decided MOE is about entrepreneurs, small business, artisans, individuals and non-profits. It allows people to be without boundaries and the community to organically grow and support each other, without regulations and rules that keep them in the box. I call it “going off the grid.” It’s about being respectful such as saying hello, please, thank you and you are welcome.

I had always known there would be some sort of not-for-profit though. My team and I want to be able to give back and continue to teach others about sustainability in business, art and spiritual healing. We had a difficult time with licensing and finding contributors/sponsors in the beginning when Diane Ponder, Curator and Co-Founder, and I tried to have a Sustainable Expo in 2007. The city wanted to charge us $6,000 for a two-day event because we opened it to the public and were going to have food, drinks and acoustic music. They also wanted the 7,000 square feet place (which was eco-friendly, kid-friendly and conscious-minded) that I rented out to get a PPA (Public Place of Amusement) license, which would have cost $2,000 plus. Now, if we were a not-for-profit, they would have charged us $150 for a Special Events License. We ended up cancelling the event and holding smaller events since then, such as Local Markets, Teen Living Benefit, Chicago Local First Mingle, Art Shows, Lectures, Presentations and more.

Through many meetings and discussions with my team, we knew we had a passion and wanted to succeed in helping others. We finally got a sponsor that was willing to help us out after years of work and recognition. Diane, myself and a few others decided it was time to create The Convergence Project, Inc.

We continued our collaboration from the past to what is now converging many of the folks that we have worked with and continue to grow with. We started off giving the lecture Green Urban Living Lecture at the Merchandise Mart with Green Planet Bottling. We presented it to the public for the first time live at Ravenswood Artwalk (RAW) 2010. Included were Tweedle Press, Metropolitan Brewing, Living Room Gallery and Mimi’s Organic Exchange.

Metropolitan Brewery teamed up with Mimi’s Organic Exchange, Living Room Gallery and Koval Distillery to host artists in a one of a kind gallery experience at 5121 N. Ravenswood Ave during the Art Walk. It included eco-sustainable art by Diane Ponder, Didier Nolet, Darrell Roberts, Cydney Lewis and Judy Petecque. We had kid shows and readings by Ricky Recycle, “Loui Saves the Earth” by Alexandra Gnoske and “Seeds of Change” by Jennifer Cullerton. Music was provided by Belmondos, Zach Livingston and Brian McCullough.

Mimi’s Organic Exchange (MOE) sponsored the Healing Mecca Center at RAW 2010. It was to be an outdoor local market of information, products and services located at 1819 W. Montrose. We had 40 mile hour winds on that October 2nd. I was also the Performance Coordinator. I had to duck tape and saran wrap a tent onto the stage! My mecca center literally got blown away. We were able to move some of the vendors to the Metropolitan, such as Local Green Connect, Koru Street, Carman and Comisha Weathington and a few others. Organic and Vintage Wear had to head back to Michigan. Hopefully, next time, though. I am on the board again this year and it looks like there will be outdoor vendors this year too:)

Since then, we have collaborated with Conscious Living TV on Vert Couture, Chicago Creative Expo 2011, The Art Lab and The Chicago Green Festival 2011. I was on the Host Committee for the Green Festival both last year and this year. The Convergence Project was one of the “Pay it Forward” not-for-profits. Diane’s paintings, my photography, Angelynx tarot readings, Thai Massage by Roman, Gluten-Free Vegan Certified (GFREEV) and a few other individuals were represented and promoted. MOE and the Convergence Project presented three very different panels at the Green Festival.

1. METAGREEN Grounding the In-Vironment which included Angelynx, Sharyl Noday Channeling and Art, Voiceborne and Human Radiance.

2. Making Your Art Green with the Art Lab 123 which also included Conscious Living TV and myself.

3. Urban Green Lifestyles which included Recycle Me, Loui Saves the Earth, Eleanor Reily Handmade Soaps, Diane and myself.

We keep saying that we are going to take a break, but nope. Now we are bringing the National Green Museum Exhibition to Chicago and RAW 2011. It’s hush-hush for now, but I will let you know more in the near future.

Diane is on the Events Committee at Hyde Park and is one of the featured Chicago Artists Month coming up in October also. Living Room Gallery, MOE and The Convergence Project will be participating in RAW 2011, the National Green Museum Exhibition and the very First “Food Day” in October. Keep an eye out for all the CONVERGENCE GOING ON!

Wow. That is a lot going on! Can you tell us a little about what the first Food Day is going to look like, Mimi?

Kathy and I have been so busy with all the events, we have not been able to talk except through email. You would have to get in touch with her for more details. We, MOE & The Convergence Project, will be collaborating with some of the other projects to represent Chicago, though. We are already been working on ideas and getting some good responses.

Sounds great. What haven’t we talked about yet, Mimi?

I think that is plenty for now, don’t you? Thank you for your patience, Joan, as we are all keeping busy and educating the world! I look forward to connecting in the near future.

Thanks so much for talking with me, Mimi. It was fun.

Children can let their imagination roam free! The RAW Street Fair offers kid-friendly activities and artful instruction to stimulate the mind and body – for kids of all ages!

Artlab123 – Mimi’s Organic Exchange (MOE) and The Convergence Project will be on-site to foster the artist within. Children may use multi-media to design a flag for display along the 4400 block of North Ravenswood (just north of Montrose). Supervised painting projects using brushes and latex paint await the collaboration of beautiful colors. From chalk drawings to paint, various creative projects will be available for children of all ages to explore. Supplies have been generously donated by Dennis Jose, founder of The Art Lab Mimi’s Organic Exchange and The Convergence Project
Artlab.
Puppet Making – Lillstreet Art Center instructors will guide children through multimedia projects using materials including paper, fabric and yarn. Children will be able to create their own puppets and let them perform. …find out more!

Peace Tower – Courtesy of Diane Ponder, Curator and Co-Founder of the Convergence Project, a 6ft Peace Tower will be on display throughout the weekend to inspire ideas of peace and children’s creativity. Come explore outside the box and share your vision of peace and unity to display on the tower.

Mosaic Design – The Chicago Mosaic School will provide hands-on instruction in mosaic design. Children of all ages will delight in transforming their ideas into mosaic masterpieces. … find out more!

12pm, How to Be a Superhero for Planet Earth – Reading and Book Signing
Alix Gnoske, founder of Recycle Me & author of Loui Saves The Earth, will be reading Loui Saves the Earth where a young boy speaks up to help the earth. “In a world of discarded trash, it only takes one small voice to make a difference for wildlife.”

Kids can make a difference for our planet. Loui Saves the Earth is a very simple book that will please even the smallest children. Soon the little ones will be teaching these lessons to those around them. … find out more!

Balance Boards & Beams – Saturday only!
Liz Kantorski, founder and designer of Balance Boards & Beams, will have her full collection of balance boards and beams to play on, along with new blocks and sideways rocking chairs! Liz will also be making miniature balance boards, spin boards and other kid initiated creations from leftover bbb wood and fabric. Stop by the RAW Kids Activity Tent and join us for the perfect balance of working with your hands and your body. … find out more!

Sunday, October 2nd
2pm – 3pm, Ponder Painting Project
Diane Ponder, Curator & Co-Founder of MOE and The Convergence Project, will lead a cooperative group project with kids of all ages. It will include materials and a large surface to paint using an assortment of unusual tools found in everyday places. … find out more!

MOE Founder & Director, Mimi Clayton, has carried a camera and taken photos for as long as she can remember catching candid moments. She began taking photography classes in 2003 when she discovered Richard Stromberg’s Classes riding her bike and jumped head first into photography. Mimi is drawn to photograph natural expressions, CARPE DIEM moments, as well as being able to capture the essence that others may fail to notice. She has been diverse in taking photos for photography shows, head-shots, high school senior photos, weddings, music venues, documenting art shows, outdoor activities and special occasions. The pure enjoyment of photography, lighting and seeing life in a different way, keeps Mimi’s creativity and fascination alive. It is her way of journaling and embracing the visions. For more info, email Mimi mimisorganicexchange@gmail.comor visit www.mimisorganicexchange.com