Colorado woman transforms old fortune cookie factory into art gallery
"I come down here a lot and just sort of contemplate life and the world," said Cookie Factory founder, Amanda Precourt, of an exhibit that's tapped into more than 600 public cameras all over the world that always show a sunrise and a sunset.
CBS
At the time, the cameras showed a sunrise in Bali, Indonesia, and a sunset in Philipsburg, St. Maarten.
It's no surprise the room is one of Precourt's favorite spots in the building she purchased and fell in love with nearly a decade ago.
"There were two inches of water and fortune cookies, like the fortunes floating everywhere, and vats that were made for making cookies still in here at the time," said Precourt. "I knew that it would really be amenable and really a positive place to have art of some kind, and came to the space the Cookie Factory is by a series of good fortune."
Eight years in the making, the Cookie Factory opened to the public, free of charge, in May. For Amanda, the mission behind the privately funded space is personal.
CBS
"I hope that the Cookie Factory will allow others to heal through art, as I have in my life. Art has been a very important space and place for me to find mental wellness," said Precourt. "People can use this as a place to gather and connect with friends and be with art, and also to come in total silence and just sit and be with the art, if that is what they need."
Its inaugural exhibition features work by artist Sam Falls, created in Colorado's Yampa River Valley.
"There's a great quote about art, that art is meant to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable," said Jason Jensdotter, who co-founded Cookie Factory. "I don't know if I agree with it all the way, but food for thought. I think this is a show that definitely comforts. It's based in nature. It is very poetic. There's a lot of poetry to these pieces."
CBS
The "Nothing without nature" exhibit will run through September, then switch to a new artist. As far as a long-term vision, Precourt is dedicated to keeping it a place for the community.
"I really want Cookie Factory to be received and seen as a gift that I'm making to the city," said Precourt. "I just hope that we add more discussion and more space and more places for people to get together and talk about important subjects that art sometimes can elicit."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Beyoncé reunites Destiny's Child at final Cowboy Carter show
Destiny's Child have reunited for the first time in seven years for the grand finale of Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter tour in Las Vegas. The trio surprised fans with a medley of some of their best-loved songs, including Lose My Breath and Bootylicious. Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams also joined Beyoncé for a rendition of her 2022 hit, Energy. The chart-topping group went their separate ways in 2006, but have previously reunited during Beyoncé's half-time performance at the Super Bowl in 2013 and at her Coachella headline slot in 2018. After the show on Saturday, Beyoncé shared a photo of the trio, dressed in gold jumpsuits, on her Instagram without a caption. Fans were treated to several guest performances throughout the Vegas show, with Beyoncé bringing out her husband Jay-Z and country singer Shaboozey for brief cameos. Blue Ivy, Beyoncé's daughter, also made an appearance. The 13-year-old has been a fixture of her mother's shows throughout the tour. The performance in Las Vegas was the 32nd and final of her Cowboy Carter tour, which also saw her perform in her hometown of Houston, Texas in June. The three-hour rodeo extravaganza has been praised for its high energy and artistry. It takes its name from Beyoncé's 2024 album Cowboy Carter, which was met with critical acclaim, including taking the top album prize at this year's Grammy Awards. The show has broken ticket records at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London and Stade De France in Paris. More in Culture How much is too much to pay for Beyoncé? Drake cancels Manchester gig due to 'travel issues' Does this look like a real woman? AI Vogue model raises concerns about beauty standards
Yahoo
2 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'Fantastic Four' wins battle of heroes at N. America box office
"The Fantastic Four: First Steps," Disney's hotly anticipated reboot of the Marvel Comics superhero franchise, conquered the North American weekend box office, earning $118 million and sidelining "Superman," industry estimates showed Sunday. "Fantastic Four" -- starring actor-of-the-moment Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Emmy winner Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Joseph Quinn ("Stranger Things') -- tells the story of a team of heroes trying to save a retro-futuristic world from the evil Galactus. "This is an outstanding opening," said David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research. "'Fantastic Four' was a modest and struggling superhero series; it just caught up with the biggest and the best." "Superman," the latest big-budget action film featuring the iconic superhero from Warner Bros. and DC Studios, slipped to second place at $24.9 million, Exhibitor Relations said. That puts the global take of the film, starring David Corenswet as the Man of Steel, over the $500 million mark. "Jurassic World: Rebirth" -- the latest installment in the blockbuster dinosaur saga -- finished in third place at $13 million. Its worldwide total stands at $672.5 million. The Universal film, starring Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali, takes viewers to an abandoned island research facility, where secrets -- and genetically mutated dinosaurs -- are lurking. "F1: The Movie," the Apple and Warner Bros. flick starring Brad Pitt as a washed-up Formula One driver who gets one last shot at redemption, moved up to fourth place at $6.2 million. "Smurfs," the latest film featuring the adorable blue creatures and starring Rihanna as Smurfette, slipped to fifth place in only its second week in theaters with $5.4 million in North American ticket sales. "The box office is on an excellent run that started two weeks ago," Gross said. "These are not the good old days, but 'Fantastic Four' and 'Superman' are performing extremely well. Superheroes are showing some swagger, and it's good news for the industry." Rounding out the top 10 were: "I Know What You Did Last Summer" ($5.1 million) "How to Train Your Dragon" ($2.8 million) "Eddington" ($1.7 million) "Saiyaara" ($1.3 million) "Oh, Hi!" ($1.1 million) bur-sst/ksb Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Fox News
5 minutes ago
- Fox News
Teens increasingly turning to AI for friendship as national loneliness crisis deepens
A new study shows that a third of American teenagers prefer chatting with artificial intelligence companions over having real friends. Common Sense Media's report, titled "Talk, Trust, and Trade-Offs: How and Why Teens Use AI Companions," revealed that the most widespread uses of AI are aged 13-17. The report explained further that the "use of AI companions is not a niche interest, but rather mainstream teen behavior" and that teens "find conversations with AI companions to be as satisfying or more satisfying than those with real-life friends." "AI companions are emerging at a time when kids and teens have never felt more alone," Common Sense Media Founder and CEO James P. Steyer said in the press release. "This isn't just about a new technology — it's about a generation that's replacing human connection with machines, outsourcing empathy to algorithms, and sharing intimate details with companies that don't have kids' best interests at heart. Our research shows that AI companions are far more commonplace than people may have assumed — and that we have a narrow window to educate kids and families about the well-documented dangers of these products." Although nearly half of teens used AI companions as a tool, the report also stated that 33% of teens use AI companions for social interactions and emotional support. For example, teens would use them for living out relationships, emotional support, role-playing, romantic interactions and friendship. A writer at Daze who cited the study raised awareness about the loneliness epidemic among young people and that it could lead to an invasion of privacy. "Some teenagers are telling AI their most intimate problems and secrets, which poses another problem – it's not a good idea to entrust this information to tech companies, some of whom have an extremely lax approach to data privacy. Would you really want Sam Altman or Elon Musk to have access to the contents of your teenage diary?" James Greig wrote in Daze. He added that it underscores a "larger crisis of youth loneliness" as teenagers stopped hanging out at malls and going to the movies, "which has corresponded with rising rates of depression and anxiety." "Being able to speak to an AI companion might alleviate the feeling of loneliness, and some people may find it helpful, but if it's becoming a replacement for socializing in the real world, then it risks entrenching the problem," Greig added.
