Immerse Yourself in the "Le Chat Noir" Experience

Unlike some of the other offerings at the National Pastime Theater during Naked July 2013, Le Chat Noir is not a performance, but rather, an interactive art experience in which patrons can immerse themselves at any level they find comfortable. It is an open and inviting art salon in the Toulouse-Lautrec tradition that includes a nude figure drawing seminar, live music, and full audience participation if desired—all in an enjoyable, safe, and relaxing atmosphere in the historic National Pastime main performance space. It is a celebration of the beauty of the nude human form and, in that sense, it is the perfect embodiment of the spirit and the mission of the Naked July Festival.

A Relaxing and Inspiring Evening
There will be five Le Chat Noir sessions offered on Fridays at 8:00 pm during the Naked July Festival, and even though the format will be the same each night, each session will be different as new models and musical performances are featured. The event is BYOB, so bring your favorite beverages and get ready for a relaxing evening. Art supplies and easels will be provided for those who want to try their hand at sketching nude figure models, but audience members are also free to just walk around the space and observe the artists and models as they work. Expert figure artist Gary Schirmer will moderate the sessions and offer quick lessons and demonstrations for those who want to learn more about sketching the nude human form. 

Audience Participation
Veteran Naked July patrons who attended the popular “Shades” event last August will recognize the format of Le Chat Noir immediately since this year’s offering is designed to emulate that event that inspired so many patrons to become a part of the experience. As noted above, all patrons are free to sketch any of the available models, but they are also free to pose as figure models for their friends, spouses,  or others in the room. Due to the subdued lighting and live music, the environment is extremely relaxing and conducive to active participation—at last year’s event, many of the audience members experienced the simple joy of being a figure model for the first time in their lives. You may see artists sketching nude models or even nude artists sketching clothed models. The whole idea is to dissolve the barriers and invite patrons to completely immerse themselves in the artistic process or simply observe others creating art.

Gary Schirmer is a working artist and educator who has worked from the human form his entire artistic career. He experiments with multiple media such as chalk pastel, oil paint and oil pastel, ink and watercolor, and mixtures of those media. He combines portraiture and anatomical study with formal considerations of composition and surface treatment. He has been the curator of the Naked July fine art gallery in the theater lobby for the past several summers, and he has been actively involved with other aspects of the Naked July Festival during those years. Last year he painted the backdrop for one of the featured productions and did all of the bodypainting for several of the characters in that show.

Le Chat Noir is a unique experience that you will not want to miss. Many people admire paintings, sculptures, sketches, and fine art photographs featuring nude models, but few ever have the opportunity to observe or participate in the process of creating these works of art for themselves. The experience will be different every Friday night, so you may be tempted to come back more than once.