eNews - September 2008 Edition

From the Executive Director		Articles and Information
Poetry		Opportunities
Public Art Installation		Employment
Public Artist Roster		Events

From the Executive Director

Who. Wants. But. So.

A few weeks ago, I visited the Arts Impact Arts Leadership Summer Institute, where I found about 15 fifth grade teachers from six Pierce County schools were midway through a lesson that involved theater and writing. Working with teaching artist Gail Frasier, the structure for the assignment required establishing a dramatic framework of four parts: Who. Wants. But. So. As the lesson explains:

“When actors are preparing for a play, they identify their character’s objectives and actions. A character objective is something the character wants. A character’s action is something they do to fulfill that objective… Stories are the same – characters in stories have objectives. These objectives are usually interrupted by an obstacle, which creates a conflict in the story.”

It was great to see these classroom teachers work together to create a story, then act it out for their peers – just as they’ll soon be expecting their students to do back in the classroom. These teachers now have concrete strategies for teaching concepts that apply to both theater and writing, and will enhance their students’ understanding of both subject areas through movement as well as more traditional approaches. In the days since, I’ve found myself referring to that basic framework as relevant to so many things I’m facing. Who wants what? What are the obstacles? And what are we going to do about it?

The Washington State Arts Commission provides funding to Arts Impact to support training classroom teachers to use the arts in day-to-day teaching. Their arts-infused learning is focused on improving student achievement in the arts, math and writing. Theirs is an exemplary approach that is having tremendous results for hundreds of teachers and thousands of kids. But Washington is a big state: about 1 million students are heading back to school this month in our public schools.

Our state has a strong commitment to arts education. But national data confirms that policy isn’t enough: the Arts Education State Policy Database shows that there is often a significant gap between policies and practice. As a result, quality arts education is not available for many students.

WSAC shares a common goal with many arts and education agencies in our state: all students should have high quality arts education as part of a complete education. Later this year we’ll be launching our second statewide arts education research project. Gathering up-to-date information from schools across our state will help us all understand the successes, the challenges, and the best opportunities for improvement.

Like characters in a story, we have obstacles to overcome. Training, partnerships, research and policies are some of the tools necessary to take us where we need to go. Our kids are counting on us.

Keep in touch,
Kris Tucker Signature
Kris Tucker, Executive Director

What We Carry On The Trail

For the dedication of the Vancouver Land Bridge, Confluence Project, August, 2008

We know that Lewis saw the hoary aster. He left
a sketch & kept a sample pressed & dried
like something in a card sent back
from holy lands by some devoted uncle.

We know how well he kept his watch.
No doubt he heard the hiss of water
over sand, of fur sliding through an ocean
of grass, & knew the difference. All day he cast
the heavy net of his attention & sorted the catch
at night: the size & shape of a grizzly’s track,
the raucous calls of geese & ducks. He ground
ink, mixed colors, & left his mark. At times
his notebooks seem to fear
the awful abundance of things.

We know he never saw salt cedar,
Russian olive, the ruthless canes
of Himalayan blackberry.
They came, like us, later.

We don’t know whether he noticed
a certain lupine. Had it been in bloom
it would have seemed just one more patch
of color on the spread quilt of the day,
something to remind him
of his sister’s bonnet, his mother’s apron,
or laundry drying on a neighbor’s line.

He might have picked a stalk to count
its leaves or tally its tight buds
the way a man at rest might finger wet stones
after rain, or pick & chew a stem of grass.
He might have seen cocoons
hidden in the leaves. A few weeks more
& a butterfly, blue as trade beads or prairie sky,
would have been riding the breeze,
dependent on this single plant.

He could not have known how rare
that lupine would become,
how trained dogs would come
to hunt it by scent, how every year it blooms
more near the abrupt cliff
of absence. If wild bees hummed
prayers, they might contain the names of flowers
in trouble. Air doesn’t recall the shape
of a bird’s song. Water can’t remember
the weight of a swimming frog.

Like Lewis, like Clark, we have set our feet
on a bridge into the future, intending to arrive
with everything we’ve come to love—including
the brown pelican, Kincaid’s lupine,
Fender’s blue butterfly. We teach our children
each step is a name that matters.

We have traveled a long, long way & are traveling
still. We carry the cost of failure, the lengthening list
of what is gone already, of all that might be lost, knowing
what we have to do, believing that we will.

New Artwork Installation

Trailblazing, by Walla Walla artist Brad Rude, was installed on the campus of Tacoma Community College in late August. The sculpture is a metaphor for the journey of life, depicting bronze animals laboring up, lording over, and coasting down carved granite boulders, several negotiating precariously placed bronze planks. As students make their way through campus they encounter this two-part sculpture, one grouping on either side of a walking path, and can imagine themselves equally involved with their daily journeys. The work is located between buildings 18 and 20, on the south side of the campus.

Artwork acquired through Washington State’s Art in Public Places Program becomes part of the State Art Collection - a collection of over 4,600 works of art located at state agencies, public schools, colleges and universities throughout the state.

Artists added to the Public Artist Roster

Public art across the state will benefit from the Washington State Arts Commission’s addition of 68 artists and artist teams to their Public Artist Roster.

The Public Artist Roster is a roster of professional artists eligible for public art projects administered by the Washington State Arts Commission’s Art in Public Places Program. Every two years, the Washington State Arts Commission holds a regional open competition to select artists and artist teams for inclusion in the roster.

For the first time, applications and digital images were submitted online via the Arts Commission’s website. Program Manager Alice Taylor said, “Our move to digital was positive. Given today’s technology, more artists are working with digital images and the online competition resulted in a record number of new applications, with over 330 received by the June deadline.”

A professional jury reviewed and recommended artists based on a number of factors including artistic merit and the artist’s ability to create art on a public scale. Jury members include artists and arts professionals, and change each time a competition is held.

At the Tuesday, August 5 Commission meeting, Commissioners unanimously approved the artists recommended by the jury panel for inclusion in the Public Artist Roster.

Artists added this year included Washington artists Scott Fife, Drew Daly, Eric Eley, Ann Gardner, Mandy Greer, Randy Hayes, Jenny Heishman, Ben Hirschkoff, Isaac Layman, Susie Lee, Ries Niemi, Eugene Parnell, Paul Sorey, Katy Stone, Claude Zervas, and Rebecca Cummins & Paul DeMarinis. Artists from outside Washington included Anne Appleby from Montana, Douglas Hollis from California, and Valerie Otani and Stephanie Robison from Oregon.

Of the 236 artists and teams now on the roster, 60% are based in the Pacific Northwest and 39% are from other parts of the United States and Canada. Once on the roster, an artist or artist team is eligible for percent for art projects commissioned by Washington schools, colleges, universities, and state agencies. Local committees representing the project sites make all final artwork selection decisions.

The complete list of the artists accepted in 2008 is available online at http://www.arts.wa.gov/public-art/roster/list.shtml.

Articles and Information

The State Board of Education passed the CORE 24 framework for new high school graduation requirements, opening the door for all students to take two arts credits to secure their diploma.

ArtsEd Washington Executive Director Una McAlinden praised the State Board’s leadership and vision: “In passing the CORE 24 framework with two arts credits, our State Board has confirmed their commitment to a world-class education system in Washington State that recognizes the arts as essential to a student’s success in school, work, and life.”

Lisa Jaret, WSAC Arts in Education Program Manager and state-level Board member of ArtsEd Washington, was also delighted to see the inclusion of two arts credits in the CORE 24. “This aligns with the Washington State Arts Commission’s commitment to support arts education for all K-12 students – it’s one of the top priorities in our new strategic plan – and we look forward to continuing our partnerships with schools, communities, and arts organizations around the state, as well as with OSPI and ArtsEd Washington, to support these expanded graduation requirements."

WSAC Deadlines

Grants to Organizations
Project Support Round 2 applications will be accepted later this summer for projects that take place between January 1, 2009 and end no later than June 30, 2009. Deadline: 10/13/08.

Community Arts Development
Professional Development Assistance program has an ongoing deadline. Apply at least six weeks before the opportunity.

Opportunities

The Jazz at Lincoln Center program, The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad Program, is accepting applications to audition for their touring roster. The program supports touring and cultural exchanges of U.S. musical groups in a variety of genres including jazz, urban/hip-hop, blues, bluegrass, Cajun, gospel, zydeco, and country. Deadline: 09/15/08.

The Walla Walla Symphony has announced the formation of the Walla Walla Symphony Youth Orchestra for musicians aged 11-21. Auditions are scheduled for September 14 and 21.For more information about auditions, rehearsal schedule, and concert dates, visit their blog.

4Culture is seeking an artist or artists from Washington, Oregon, or British Columbia for two public art projects in the King County Correctional Facility lobby. Desired artwork will honor the activities of the jail, inspire hope, and introduce a sense of humanity and care. Selected artist(s) will be expected to coordinate with personnel to determine security requirements. Deadline: 09/15/08.

The City of Olympia is seeking an experienced Washington State artist to create exterior artwork for the new City Hall. Based on a jury of recent work, up to three finalists will be engaged to create a conceptual proposal based on the 30% architectural design, for review by the original jurors. Finalists will receive $5,000 for their proposals. The total budget for the project is $180,000 all inclusive. Deadline: 09/19/08.

The Utah Arts Council is seeking letters of interest and qualifications from artists interested in creating art for a multi-agency facility housing two State agencies – The Department of Environmental Quality and the Department of Human Services. The Utah Public Art Program, the Division of Facilities and Construction Management, community members and these agencies will be working with the architect and selected artist(s) to create work relevant to the agencies housed in the facility. Deadline: 09/25/08.

The Vermont Studio Center is offering full fellowships to four artists from each state: Indiana, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Washington. The program hosts 50 visual artists and writers each month from across the country and around the world. The Studio Center provides 4-12 week studio residencies on an historic 30-building campus along the Gihon River in Johnson, Vermont, a village in the heart of the northern Green Mountains. Deadline: 10/01/08.

Larson Gallery, at Yakima Valley Community College, is accepting entries (PDF) for the 53rd Annual Central Washington Artists Exhibition, a juried exhibit of artists residing in central Washington. Approximately $5,000 in prize money is awarded. Deadline: 10/03/08.

Northwest Film Forum (NWFF), a Seattle-based non-profit organization serving as a center for film artists, has a number of exciting opportunities. Submit a film for the Children's Film Festival Seattle 2009 and REDCAT International Children's Film Festival. The Festival, now in its fourth year, will be held January 23-February 1, 2009 at Northwest Film Forum. Last year, the festival presented 80 films from 20 countries. Deadline 10/15/08.

PUNCH Gallery presents an international call for artist projects. The winning project will be exhibited at PUNCH Gallery, located in the Pioneer Square area of downtown Seattle, during the month of December, 2008, and will provide an excellent opportunity to gain exposure within the Northwest regional art scene. Deadline: 10/15/08.

4Culture is accepting applications for inclusion in the 4Culture Artist Registry of artists pre-qualified for a variety of public and private art commissions. Project budgets range from $10,000 to $1 million. The Registry is featured on the 4Culture website and widely utilized by public agencies, design professionals, and private developers. Deadline: 10/20/08.

The Scottsdale Public Art Program has issued a request for qualifications (PDF) for an artist to complete a time-based public artwork at the annual Scottsdale Arts Festival. The ideal candidate will create an artwork that is highly interactive and will be visually prominent in a festival setting. As a nationally known event, the arts festival occurs during the height of Scottsdale's tourist season and can draw up to 40,000 visitors. The budget for the project is $11,000. Deadline: 10/24/08.

The Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council, which will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2009, seeks an original graphic design for a new logo to be used on all marketing and collateral materials, such as posters, newsletters, letterhead stationery, etc., and on a redesigned website to launch at the end of the year. The artwork must include “Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council” in a creative way that conveys the Arts Council’s brand and messaging. The selected artwork and artist will be profiled on the website and to the press, and a $250 cash prize will be awarded to the selected artist. Send submissions to info@shorelinearts.net. Deadline: 10/31/08.

Jack Straw Productions is seeking applications for its Artist Residency Programs, which offer established and emerging artists in diverse disciplines an opportunity to explore the creative use of sound in a professional atmosphere. Artists may apply to more than one program, but must submit a complete and separate set of applications for each. Writers Program: Deadline 10/31/08. Artist Support Program and New Media Gallery: Deadline 11/07/08.

For the eighth year EMP|SFM (Experience Music Project / Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame) hosts Sound Off!, the Northwest's largest underage battle of the bands competition. A launching pad for musical careers, Sound Off! has enjoyed hosting many young up-and-coming bands over the years including Schoolyard Heroes, Idiot Pilot, Mon Frere, The Lonely H, Dyme Def, Capitol Basement, The Lonely Forest, Natalie Portman's Shaved Head and New Faces. If you're age 21 or under and play rock, hip-hop, electronic, pop, or any other kind of music, this is your chance to join the ranks of these luminary groups and perform at EMP|SFM. Deadline: 11/10/08.

United Way of King County enhances the capacity of nonprofit organizations to deliver services in the community by providing training opportunities and discussion forums to staff and board members around key nonprofit management and governance issues. These trainings and forums are open to all nonprofit organizations and volunteers. Upcoming trainings include board recruitment, succession planning, and more. Visit the Training Calendar for more information.

Employment / Internship / Volunteer

PONCHO, in Seattle, is seeking a senior development professional to create innovative fund development programs for an organization with a strong history of supporting the arts.

The Gage Academy in Seattle is recruiting an Exhibitions and Community Events Coordinator to present exhibitions school-wide, organize major public events, and to coordinate hospitality for openings and board meetings.

The Henry Art Gallery at the University of Washington, the premier contemporary art museum in the Pacific Northwest, is hiring a Director of Education and External Affairs.

Events

Seattle - Arts Gumbo continues at the Rainier Valley Cultural Center in Columbia City with events now through December. The next event is Dances Under the Crescent Moon a journey through the dance traditions of the Muslim World with Helene Eriksen on September 12 at 8 pm.

Bellevue - The Wizard of Oz is playing at Meydenbauer Center Theater, running September 12-28th at 2:30 and 7:30 pm. This production is presented by The Attic Theatre.

Tieton - The second annual LitFuse will be held October 31 – November 2 in Tieton. The annual weekend-long poets’ workshop sponsored by Tieton Arts & Humanities is open to poets of all ages and abilities, and features American Book Award winner Lorna Dee Cervantes as its headliner. The theme this year is El Dio De Los Muertos, the Mexican Day of the Dead. A wide range of writers and writing styles are represented at LitFuse including Central Washington University professor emeritus Mark Halperin, and Washington State Poet Laureate Samuel Green.

Spokane - Transience, features Steven Chalmers photographs of "snowbirds" and the individuals who use RVs as permanent residences, along with landscape images of the areas in which they occupy, now through October 31, 2008 at the Chase Gallery.

Yakima - The Larson Gallery, on the campus of Yakima Valley Community College, is presenting Layered Histories, an exhibit that features work by two women artists whose lives are rooted in Eastern Washington: Lynda K. Rockwood and Gail Grinnell. Opens on Tuesday, September 16 and closes October 17.

Mukilteo- The Mukilteo Arts Guild is presenting the 2nd Annual Bluegrass and Folk Festival on September 20 from 9 am to 7 pm at Whidbey Island Coffee in Old Town Mukilteo. Featuring musicians from the greater Seattle area for a day of outstanding music.

Kirkland - The King County Library System is presenting "What Did You Hear In The War, Daddy?" songs and stories from World War Two, performed by vocalist Dina Blade with accompaniment by pianist Hans Brehmer Saturday, September 20, at the Kirkland Library from 2 to 3 pm.

Lacey - The Washington State Gourd Society, local gourd artists promoting the craft of gourding, will hold their 2008 fall meeting October 4 and 5 at the Thurston County Fairgrounds in the Heritage Hall.

Photo credits

Artwork Installation:Trailblazing, by Walla Walla artist Brad Rude, Tacoma Community College. Photo by the artist.

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