eNews - November 2010 Edition
From the Executive DirectorThe Ripple Effect of Arts at Work in Tacoma Toss a pebble into a pond and it sends waves in all directions. In the same way, the benefits of the arts ripple across the community, the economy, and the vitality of our state.
Those ripple effects are especially evident this month, as Tacoma celebrates Art at Work: Tacoma Arts Month 2010 with a long list of events in the heart of downtown Tacoma, in dozens of cultural organizations, on university campuses, and in neighborhoods across town.
At the recent kick-off event, I learned of the creative reuse of vacant storefronts, thanks to the support of property managers and the inspiration of local artists. Studio tours that now include 71 artist work spaces, up from about a dozen just a few years ago. I’d heard of the Blight Be Gone mural on an exterior wall of the Rialto Theater, and now I know that the mural was created by youth in Fab-5, a remarkable organization that provides urban arts workshops and other creative opportunities for youth of diverse backgrounds. I also heard how a downtown church – Urban Grace – is providing key support for city’s poet laureate program.
And my “let’s go” list now includes Kids Koncerts by the Tacoma Philharmonic, Gypsy Nights by the Northwest Sinfonietta, and the opening of “The Fertile Ground,” a new exhibition at the Museum of Glass.
And there’s more in Tacoma this month through Art at Work:
The benefits of these and other arts events ripple throughout the community by contributing to a vibrant and thriving economy, lively neighborhoods, and active communities. What’s more, these activities bring people together for shared experiences that connect people, offer new perspectives, and build understanding of one another.
Like that pebble in a pond, WSAC’s small but important investments create waves of creative activity throughout the state. It’s never been more important. Keep in touch,
Arts Participation Forum II - Changing DemographicsWho’s New in Town? Arts Organizations Respond to Changing Demographics
Hear national speaker Salvador Acevedo, Executive Director of Contemporanea, a marketing firm based in San Francisco, address how arts organizations can respond to rapidly changing demographics and patterns of arts participation among diverse and immigrant audiences. Also includes a talk by King County Demographer Chandler Felt and responses by Vivian Phillips, African American theatre producer, and Lane Czaplinski, artistic director of On the Boards.
We’ll also be presenting three workshops with Salvador Acevedo and facilitator Jerry Yoshitomi, of Meaning Matters, in order to help arts organizations develop work plans to effectively reach ethnically diverse and new immigrant audiences. All three workshops will cover the same content. 1. Tacoma, Friday, November 19, 9 am to noon, Broadway Center, Tacoma
All events are free and open to everyone. Register online NOW.
This is the second in a series of forums and workshops presented as part of the Washington State Arts Commission's Arts Participation Leadership Initiative supported by The Wallace Foundation.
Artwork InstallationSpring Reeds is located in the “ship’s prow” glass entrance of Cavelero Mid High School, in Everett. The 19 feet high by 17 ½ feet wide sculpture, created by Seattle artist Dan Corson, consists of 6-foot long fluorescent yellow-green acrylic rods that are attached to the cobalt blue painted wall. By gravity and some thermo-forming, the rods gracefully bend to the glass window. The fluorescent rod ends appear to be electrified and glowing even in the daytime and the blue-green color of the window adds an extra amount of luminosity to the rods and the blue wall. Spring Reeds is illuminated with ultraviolet lighting at night. The reeds are organized in the patterns of the celestial constellations. Routed patterns in the supporting wood help identify the constellations.
Spring Reeds is inspired by the marshy reedy area that acts as the transition between land and water, like high school marking the transition between being a child and an adult. Corson considered the prow of a ship going through that area of reeds, before hitting land, the murky liminal area of transition. Other considerations include the grassy meadows, the hay, and the horse farm that was in the area of the school. This project engages and enlivens the interior trapezoid shape, expressing the engagement of a prow as it works through the reeds. The artist’s concept includes slowly paddling along a reed bank watching the reflections of the stars in the water between the reeds.
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. Articles and InformationBainbridge Council Holds its Ground on Cuts to Arts Groups, by Tristan Baurick, Kitsap Sun, 10/27/10. "The scene on [October 26] was reminiscent of last year’s round of budget cuts: dozens of people from the island’s arts and cultural groups descend on City Hall wearing red, waving signs, and warning that the heart and soul of Bainbridge was endangered by the city’s budget cuts. But unlike last year, the City Council held firm, making no indication it would restore the $308,000 in funding for public art and cultural groups it cut from the 2011 budget."
Full Steam Ahead: How Seattle became the center of a movement based on a history that never was, by Matt Hammond, City Arts, 11/01/10.
Songs with heart suggested by WSU community, by Hope Belli Tinney, WSU Today, 10/27/10. Part of the State Art Collection, Technicolor Heart was created by artist Jim Dine and installed on the Pullman campus in 2004. The sculpture is going on loan this month to the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for a retrospective of Dine’s work that opens in January. WSU Today asked readers to suggest appropriate music for the heart’s journey to Michigan for the ten-month loan and created a video based on the suggestions.
ArtsEd Washington has launched a revamped website - www.artsedwashington.org. The website features advocacy tools, state and national research, opportunities for involvement, and news and events. It provides information specifically geared for educators including grant and award opportunities and ArtsEd Washington programs. You can also sign up for ArtsEd Washington enews to receive timely, relevant news about arts education in Washington state.
Grants / OpportunitiesThe Poetry Out Loud – school registration deadline is November 17. Poetry Out Loud is a national poetry recitation contest sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, and presented in this state by the Washington State Arts Commission. Any school serving students in grades 9-12 is eligible to participate. There is no cost to schools, and it’s a great opportunity to bring kinesthetic learning approaches and oral communication skills into English classes.
The Seattle Center, in partnership with the Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative, seeks nominations of young people and youth organizations in Seattle that have led the way in promoting peace, youth violence prevention, and the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Nominees must be age 12-17 and live or go to school in Seattle, or be an organization serving those youth. Deadline: 11/19/10.
Apply to participate in the Kennedy Center’s Summer International Fellowship Program, part of the DeVos Institute of Arts Management, offers international not-for-profit arts managers an immersive program of study in arts management strategy. For four weeks each summer, for three consecutive years, international fellows undertake academic coursework, a rotation of workplace assignments under the direction of senior Kennedy Center staff, and a structured series of professional development seminars. Deadline: 12/01/10.
The Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) is launching the 2010-2011 History Is _____ film competition. Submit a short film (five minutes less), responding to the prompt: History is____. Winning entries will be screened at a Red Carpet Gala hosted by MOHAI in May 2011. MOHAI is also searching for three established local filmmakers who wish to contribute to this community project by creating one 60-second trailer which addresses the theme of competition and inspires others to create their own films for inclusion in the competition. Deadline: 04/01/11.
Employment / Volunteer / InternshipsThe Oregon Arts Commission seeks a public art administrative contractor to assist in managing projects with contracted artists, including design development, fabrication and installation of works which may include significant integration with the structure or materials of the building. Deadline: 11/10/10.
The City of Seattle is seeking an Executive Director to lead the Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs. The Director manages specific programs and services that provide funding, technical assistance and advocacy for artists, organizations, neighborhood groups, educators and students, as well as the commission of the City's artworks through the One Percent for Art Program. The Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs is supported by the Seattle Arts Commission, a 15-member, voluntary citizen commission whose members are appointed by the Mayor and Council. Deadline: 11/09/10.
The Seattle Symphony is recruiting a Director of Communications to lead the public relations activities of the Seattle Symphony, Benaroya Hall and Soundbridge Seattle Symphony Music Discovery Center. This position works with the Executive Director, Board and Staff to achieve the long-term goals and objectives of Seattle Symphony, supporting marketing, fundraising and education initiatives.
Events / Workshops / ConferencesVancouver - Arts Equity is presenting Saxovision as part of their Live at the Fries series for one night only November 13 at 8 pm at the Fries Auditorium (on the campus of the Washington State School for the Blind). Michael "Shoehorn" Conley's Saxovision brings this tap dancing saxophonist, who works as a solo performer, bandleader, soloist, accompanist and sideman. Shoehorn is an original performance artist who creates music with his feet and dances with his horn and a variety of wind and percussion instruments, performing original poetry and songs from around the world.
Seattle - View The National Parks in Washington State, an exhibition of 42 framed photographic prints celebrating the beauty and diversity of National Park Service units in Washington State now through January 13 at the Washington State Convention Center.
Seattle - Washington Lawyers for the Arts is presenting Proprietary Issues in Public Art at the offices of 4Culture, 101 Prefontaine Place South on November 17 from noon to 1:30 pm. The workshop will offer invaluable information to artists, administrators, and attorneys working with art projects in the public realm. |
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