Hi-Wheeler Cycle Maker to be Featured at May Bicycle Art Salon

Oakland, CA, May 05, 2013 --(PR.com)-- Slimm Buick and Justine tenZeldam, of the Bicycle Art Salon, will be holding their monthly meeting Friday, May 17, 2013 from 7-10pm in Oakland, CA (3rd Fri. each month, location by invite only). The informal meeting, with Q&A, will feature Greg Barron of Rideable Replicas who builds Hi Wheel bicycles or “penny farthings” as most know them (www.hiwheel.com). The event is by invitation only, and your invite can be obtained by contacting the hosts. You will then be given the final location, which will be close to Lake Merritt BART. To apply for your invitation, email bicycleartsalon@gmail.com, or phone 510-356-5665.

The Bicycle Art Salon is a discussion group on the subject(s) of art, film, music, bicycles and more, at the home and studio of Slimm Buick. Attendees will include the great minds of San Francisco, Oakland and the World, and they are always seeking feedback on possible subjects and speakers to feature in the future. The event is free, and includes a “pot luck” meal. Those who are able are being asked to bring a dish they can share with the group (usually 10-20 participants). If unable to bring a dish, donations will be accepted. There may be art for sale as well, along with products from meeting participants and the featured speaker of the month. There is usually plenty of (free) street parking, and for those who ride bicycles they will have a safe spot behind a locked gate and/or inside.

The Salon will be highlighting a different artist, performer or craftsmon at each Salon, with guests such as Harrod Blank, Director of the Award-winning Documentary, Automorphosis and Nan Eastep, of Bspoke Tailor.

About your hosts: Slimm Buick: Slimm is a DJ, performer, artist and bicycle builder famous for his wacky Art Bikes. They've been shown at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), Yerba Buena Gardens, and numerous other galleries and museums. His next show will be the first weekend in April at the Oakland Museum of California, as part of the we/customize exhibit. A third-generation San Franciscan, he is also known for his knowledge of historic American artifacts and antiques, including recorded music of the 20th Century. He currently has a collection of over 3,500 vintage vinyl 45s (he is a part time Western, Blues, Jazz DJ). Slimm also rents some of his Art Bikes for special events, kids parties, corporate events, conferences, festivals and parades. These bike creations have been immortalized in print and film, including Sony Pictures' Rent and the Discovery Channels' Weird Wheels. His wife, Justine tenZeldam likes to ride her “Scraper Bike” and other Slimm Buick Custom Bicycles in parades or to the grocery store, and is known to occasionally belt out a torch song at the local Piano Bar, The Alley, where they met in 2005.

About Rideable Replicas: Since 1973, Rideable Bicycle Replicas has been turning out our spoked behemoths, using materials and techniques largely unchanged from those employed in the late nineteenth century. To ride one of their bicycles is like taking a trip back to another era--to a time when things were slower, but a lot more pleasant. Purchased by Mel Barron in 1973, and currently owned and operated by Greg Barron, RBR first began manufacturing standard and antique replica bicycles during the great bicycle boom of the 1970's. When the boom ended, they continued to make the bikes they enjoyed riding the most: the hiwheelers (also known as Penny Farthings). Rideable Bicycle Replicas was originally based in Cleveland, then moved Columbus, Ohio. Later heading out to the West Coast, they relocated to Oakland, California, and finally settled in Alameda, CA in 1987. With a few skilled craftsmen, they have continued to produce about 200 hiwheelers a year.