eNews - March 2011 Edition
From the Executive Director“I found new layers of my voice that I didn’t know were there.” Will Hamel, Washington state Poetry Out Loud champion
The twelve high school students who took the stage last Saturday for the State’s Poetry Out Loud finals represented more than 20,000 high school students who participated in this annual competition – each reciting from memory three poems they had selected from the program’s extensive list of poems. This year’s state winner: Will Hamel of Stadium High School in Tacoma, who recited Shiloh: A Requiem (April, 1862) by Herman Melville, A Supermarket in California by Allen Ginsberg, and Without Regret by Eleanor Wilner.
The day’s program included rounds of poetry recitation interspersed with jazz music and commentary - and lots of thank yous: the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the Poetry Foundation, and the Arts Commission were recognized repeatedly, as were the teachers, parents, and coaches who prepared the competing students. We said thanks to the judges, emcee, musicians, ushers, photographers, lighting crew, and audience. And we thanked the poets.
Midway through the 2011 Legislative Session, Legislators will soon begin developing budget proposals for the 2011-2013 biennium. We’re monitoring committee action daily, and hope you are doing the same; watch for updates on our budget and bills page, and become a fan on Facebook. We also encourage you to seek opportunities to talk with elected officials and community leaders about the importance of the arts. Our state funding today is half what it was just three years ago, but necessary to secure NEA and private funds. These dollars – and the programs they support - result in jobs, tourism, economic vitality and education. Together we will continue to make great things happen.
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Artwork Installation
Pioneer Middle School relocated from Steilacoom to DuPont in 2009. When considering a public art project for the school, its Art Selection Committee decided to honor the rich history of both towns. (Steilacoom, for instance, is Washington’s first incorporated town; the Hudson Bay Company started a trading post in DuPont in 1833; currently, both have a strong military presence with Joint Base Lewis-McChord.)
They selected artist Ross Palmer Beecher to realize that vision, noting her affinity for creating works imbued with cultural history.
DuPont/Steilacoom Parlor Fan Quilt is made up of sixteen squares, each 15 by 15 inches, which recognize historical moments, reflect the community, and acknowledge the school’s purpose. The quilt consists of an assortment of materials including oil paint on wood and tin, carved wood, fabric military patches, recycled glass from the school’s garden, tree leaves, soda can flip tops, aluminum cans, a computer keyboard, deerskin, arrowheads, a watering can, and small gardening tools. Some of the ideas for imagery and materials were gathered by art selection committee members who reached out to the community.
Artwork acquired through Washington State’s Art in Public Places program becomes part of the State Art Collection - a collection of over 4,500 works of art located at state agencies, public schools, colleges and universities throughout the state.
Beecher was featured in one of our American Masterworks videos - filmed in her studio, it's a wonderful glimpse of the artist and her work.
Arts Participation Leadership Initiative - WebinarJoin us for the next Arts Participation Leadership Initiative Webinar sponsored by the Washington State Arts Commission and The Wallace Foundation on March 16 at 10:30 am. The link to spiderphone will not be active until 15 minutes prior to the start of the webinar.
Part of an ongoing series, these webinars provide an opportunity for a larger and more geographically diverse audience to participate. Following last month's successful forum and workshop, the webinar will cover Personal Engagement in the Arts through Digital Media: Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Going featuring Professor Hanson Hosein, Director of the Master of Communication in Digital Media at the University of Washington.
Arts Education MonthMay is Arts Education Month in Washington State! What better opportunity to shine a light on the successes in our community and bring attention to the issues facing our schools. Here are some things you can do to highlight the importance of arts education in your community:
Articles and InformationCentrum is among fifteen non-profit organizations to be awarded funds to present National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters in concerts and workshops in 2011.
A new gallery of Tom Otterness' Wild Life sculptures in Connell by local photographer Toni Johnson is available on our Facebook fan page... (hint - become a fan now!)
Speaking of Facebook, Hyundai has generously selected Americans for the Arts as their designated nonprofit for a new Facebook Cause. Through the end of March, Americans for the Arts will receive $.50 to help advocate for the arts & arts education for every person that joins the Cause.
Grants / OpportunitiesArtsWest Gallery in West Seattle is accepting submissions from Pacific Northwest visual artists who wish to be considered for inclusion in upcoming gallery exhibitions. Two to three artists will be featured in monthly exhibits beginning September 2011 through August 2012. A committee of jurors from the regional arts community will select artists based on high standards of creativity, quality and professionalism. Deadline: 03/11/11.
Each spring, a nation-wide high school arts competition is sponsored by the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Congressional Art Competition is an opportunity to recognize and encourage the artistic talent in the nation, as well as in each congressional district. Deadline: 04/01/11.
The 2011-2012 TourWest grant cycle is now open. TourWest is a competitive grant program that provides subsidies to arts and community organizations for the presentation of out-of-state touring performers and literary artists. Funds are available to organizations that sponsor performances within the 13-state WESTAF region. Deadline: 04/01/11.
The Wisconsin Arts Board’s Percent for Art program is accepting applications for a major commission project for interior or exterior artwork associated with the UW Madison Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research (WIMR) with a budget of $260,000. This commission opportunity is open to artists living in the continental United States and who demonstrate that they have completed one or more commissions with a budget of $200,000 or more. Deadline: 04/29/11.
In celebration of an upcoming exhibition, Evergreen Muse: The Art of Elizabeth Colborne (1885-1948), the Whatcom Museum is accepting submissions for Fate of the Forest: An Open Hanging. The reception for both exhibitions will be held on June 17, 2011. Any artist who is a member of the Whatcom Museum can submit one exhibition-ready work in any media interpreting the Pacific Northwest forest. Deadline: 05/15/11.
Events / Workshops / ConferencesBainbridge Island - This 13th Annual Celluloid Bainbridge Film Festival will highlight film noir, with its crime-related plots, morally ambiguous heroes, urban settings, and dark, moody tones.
Seattle - Washington Lawyers for the Arts is presenting a timely workshop - the Annual Evening Tax Workshop for Artists and the Attorneys Who Represent Them on March 15 from 7 to 9 pm at Northwest Film Forum. The workshop will help guide artists and their attorneys through yet another season of gains, losses, formulas and forms. Learn all the basics you need, plus special tips and what's new for your 2010 tax return.
Seattle - The Latino Community Fund is presenting Race, Power & Elections: Redistricting in Washington State on March 17 from 6 to 8 pm at Town Hall. This special event will unpack redistricting issues and identify opportunities for action. The speakers will include national Voting Rights Act expert, Prof. Joaquin Avila from Seattle University, George Cheung of the Win/Win Network, and Cristóbal J. Alex of the Open Society Foundations.
Portland - The Ghosts of Celilo story is based on true events that occurred at Celilo Falls in 1949. Two Indian boys are kidnapped on the Columbia River and taken to a boarding school. They make a daring escape, accompanied by a white girl, to catch their ceremonial first fish before the floodgates to the dam close and bury Celilo. Their adventure is remembered by four colorful ghosts stuck at the bottom of the river where the falls once roared.
The Ghosts of Celilo opens March 4 at the Portland Center for the Performing Arts Newmark Theatre. The
Confluence Project will be sponsoring the last performance on Saturday, March 12 at 7:30 pm. Staff will be on hand to answer questions about Maya Lin's Tribute Walkway planned for installation at Celilo Park in 2012. A model of the proposed walkway will be displayed in the lobby. |
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