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June 2007 |
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In This Issue ·
Thomas Mural
“Breathtaking” for Downtown Waterloo ·
Public Art
Networking Meeting June 21 in Iowa City ·
Let Kids Do Art Over the
Summer ·
Bianchi Uses Passion
to Build Success ·
Try Perry for the Homegrown
in Iowa Exhibition and Music Series ·
IPTV Profiles Iowa
Artists in June ·
Hispanic
Cultural Festival/Midwest Folk Fest Ends Successfully ·
Gilbert Reflects on
Trip to National Poetry Out Loud Competition ·
Step Up Your Nonprofit
Knowledge! ·
IAC’s Saltzman
Publishes Articles on Traditional Iowa Foods IAC Calendar
Links In-Box of Artist Opportunities Contact Us 600 E. Locust (515) 242-6194 Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Newsletter Editor: |
Thomas Mural “Breathtaking”
for Downtown
One People,” the 29’ x 72’ mural now looks down on
portraits of musical and cultural luminaries such as Fats Domino and Louis Armstrong, Thomas’ signature flair is a canvas saturated with color, a style that served him well in reflecting the diversity he was going for in the mural. Thomas owns and operates the Thomas Studio and Visual
Jazz Art Gallery & Academy of Contemporary and Fine Art, Inc. in Join artists and representatives from arts
organizations, public arts commissions and municipal governments in The day-long meeting is hosted by the Iowa City Public
Art Committee, the The day will begin at 9 a.m. at the University of Iowa Museum
of Art where participants will learn about public art programs in Visit www.IowaTix.com for the complete schedule or to register. Registration is $28 per person, or $21 per person when two or more register together. After June 15, registration is $28 per person for everyone. The registration fee includes the bus tours, a box lunch and refreshments. As the school year draws to a close, many parents wonder
now what? Don’t let your kids go a day without something creative to do!
There are lots of opportunities for kids to get creative – no matter where in
·
The Des Moines Art
Center has a wide range of summer classes and day camps available for any
age level. Drawing and sculpture are only the beginning – try “art in motion”
or cartooning. Visit www.desmoinesartcenter.org
for class listings. ·
The Des Moines Metro
Opera Guild presents Peanut Butter
& Puccini June 14 & 16, a family opera adventure that includes a
tour of the theater, from backstage to the costume shop to the props
department to the catwalk, a kid-friendly opera The Billy Goats Gruff and a peanut butter sack lunch. Tickets are
$8 per person. www.desmoinesmetroopera.org.
·
The Sioux City Art
Center will hold classes (many are for ages 13 and older) such as “draw
crawl,” ceramics, making home movies, photography and more. Or get the whole
family involved in Sunday Family Fundays. There are also summer art camp half
& full day classes June through August. Visit www.siouxcityartcenter.org. ·
Arts on Grand in Spencer will hold Art
Camp July 16-20 for 3rd-12th grade students. Students
will explore art through nature by discovering trees, plants, grasses and
flowers on a field trip, then draw from the experiences to create projects in
clay, tie-dying, papermaking and more. Cost is $125 per child. www.spencer-ia/aog. ·
Riverside Theatre in (The following
article appears in the May 2007 issue of Art Calendar, the Business Magazine
for Visual Artists. It has been edited for length.) How do you market yourself when you live in a sleepy Midwestern town surrounded by cornfields and cattle farms? Professional artist Barbara Bianchi has built a career in mixed media collage despite living in Clinton, Iowa, population less than 30,000, located on the west bank of the Mississippi River. One of Bianchi’s publicity secrets has been to locate job opportunities in education. She has been a member of the Iowa Arts Council Artist Roster and Artist Directory since 1990. She uses her degrees in Art and Counselor Education to train elementary and secondary school teachers and students how to use art activities to build character and self-esteem.
globe. By staying on top of current trends in her field, she added a marketable skill and, for the last three years, has served as the arts partner in a 3-year partnership with Clinton High School Art Department through the Iowa Arts Council’s Arts Partners for Achievement program, teaching art teachers and students the use of computer technology as an art-making tool. Bianchi plans to continue working, teaching and
exhibiting for many years to come. “There is so much more to do,” she adds
passionately. “The upcoming solo exhibits at © 2007 Ligaya Figueras. For complete article, visit www.iowaartscouncil.org. A pleasant
summer evening, good food and danceable music, the perfect setting for an
authentic small town Sandy Dyas’
new book, Down to the River:
Portraits of Iowa Musicians, documents the history of In
collaboration with this unique exhibit the Perry Chamber of Commerce will
feature several of the For a complete schedule of events, visit www.hometownperryiowa.org. When you are applying for an Iowa Arts Council grant… DO: Go to the Web site www.iowaartscouncil.org to review grant programs. DON’T: Assume grant panelists know you, your organization or your programming. Many of our panelists are from outside the region and more than likely will not know what you do or are about.
the artists and arts traditions that are part of the
cultural fabric of the state by profiling the work of seven living
· Paco Rosic, who fearlessly, audaciously and expertly uses aerosol paints to reinvent iconic masterpieces, making an international name for himself almost overnight. · Illustrator Gary Kelley, who uses his boundless imagination to solve scores of visual problems for others, from small posters, advertising designs, book and magazine illustrations, to huge mural installations in surprising places. · Susan Chrysler White, whose stunning installations bridge the boundaries between 2-D and 3-D with colorful, layered, shimmering images in paint and glass. · Jim Shrosbree, who combines unusual materials and enigmatic settings to create objects that defy easy definition and that challenge us to explore the inner landscape of our minds. The programs will be broadcast on statewide Iowa Public
Television in June. For more information, visit www.Iptv.org. The Hispanic Cultural Festival/Midwest Folk Fest in
Columbus Junction was a well-attended successful event. Folk and traditional
artists from a variety of Latino cultures came from the tri-state area ( The two-day event included traditional food, music, dance and crafts as well as a parade and a queen and king contest. Local tours, a mother’s day tribute, and more capped this diverse sampling that celebrated the cultural heritage of Mexico, Puerto Rico, Ecuador, and Peru—all of which now enrich the upper Midwest.
The Cultural Leadership Partners Program (formerly the Department of Cultural Affairs’ Cultural Enrichment Partners Program and the Iowa Arts Council’s Operational Support Program) provides multi-year funding support for the general operating expenses of well-established arts and cultural organizations. Applications from new organizations are accepted every three years. The next deadline is 4:30 p.m., July 2, 2007. Because the application process can last a year or longer, potential applicants are encouraged to contact Bruce Williams at bruce.williams@iowa.gov to discuss the process prior to completing an application form. The Iowa Arts Council welcomes new additions to its Performing Artists and Teaching Artists rosters. Performing Artists Roster The
Porchstompers – The Porch Stompers have played both the Hey
for Forty dances in West Branch and the Central Iowa Barn Dance Association
dances in Pippa White – Pippa White is in her 14th year as a solo performer. She calls her One’s Company Productions “part theatre, part storytelling, part history.” Audiences call them unique, captivating, and touching. She has toured all over the country to perform at colleges, conferences, museums, libraries, festivals and performing arts centers. Tom
Swenson – Tom Swenson is a talented performer committed to
using theater to bring to life and to positive values relevant in the lives
of children of all ages. His acting experience ranges from major roles
in semi-professional plays and musicals to work in television and film. In
1996, Tom formed Winding Road Productions. Over the next few years he
visited over 3,000 schools, performed over 5,000 shows to over one million
children. In 2002, he added Mark Twain Today to his repertoire. In
2006, Tom, his wife Beth and their two greyhounds moved to Sally
Shaver – Sally Shaver is a performer and educator. She
delights audiences of all ages as Silly Sally the Clown or as a percussionist
and vocalist. She uses puppets, magic, music and dance when she performs in
clown to teach her audiences important educational concepts as she
entertains. Sally is also a professionally trained musician and has performed
as a percussionist and vocalist for 25 years. She is a certified Ballyhoo Foxtrot Orchestra – Formed in 2005 by John Benoit, this period ensemble recreates the jazz and popular music of the 1910s and 1920s. Their growing repertoire is an eclectic mix of foxtrots, tangos, waltzes, Dixieland jazz, novelty songs, European cabaret and light classical music. The nine-piece ensemble is made up of a vocalist, clarinet, saxophone trumpet, trombone, piano, banjo tuba and drums – all of whom are veteran jazz musicians drawn from the Des Moines area. Although the band has been available to perform for a variety of functions, their focus has been on concert performances. Teaching Artists Roster Darwin
Wolf – Though his passion is bronze sculpture, Darwin Wolf’s
residencies delve into many aspects of art and the works of the great masters
Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael; Ninja Turtles to the younger
residents. The quick and fun history lessons are inserted here and there as
students become sculptors. They also learn about sculpture processes
including how molten bronze is poured to become works of art. Michelle Edwards – Michelle presents residencies to school age children, educators, librarians, college art, writing and library science departments, parents and children’s book lovers on the evolution of a book from idea to finished product. This includes story development and illustrative process.
and their guardians met outside the hotel where a bus took us to the auditorium in which we would recite our poems. The format of the event was explained comprehensively and we were treated very well. After all champions had recited their first two poems, the top eight were decided upon and announced. It was then I discovered I had no more stressing to do the rest of the trip (I was not in the top eight)! My only duty from then on was to observe the competition’s further proceedings and enjoy the time spent in D.C. with my fellow state champions. I fulfilled this duty to the best of my abilities and loved every minute of it. Several of us spent much of one evening getting to know each other better. Then, the next day, we watched the final round of competition together and cheered on our friends as they filled the auditorium with their own style of poetry. We were all ecstatic about how the competition turned out, how smoothly it ran, and who the winner was. That night we spent our last bit of time together before we would separate to our respective states. We grew to be as close as we could have been for our short time together. All in all, the competition ran smoothly and enjoyably, and the people were delightful. If I had the whole thing to do over again, I would hope not a single thing would change. The Larned A. Waterman Iowa Nonprofit Resource Center is again in 2007 doing a statewide tour of Iowa to give six-hour training sessions in the Iowa Principles and Practices for Charitable Nonprofit Excellence. The training sessions are designed to help anyone involved in the nonprofit sector including management, staff, board members, volunteers, and professional association employees. Anyone who wants the skills needed to improve their nonprofit organization is welcome. Topics include charitable fundraising, governance, information and technology and financial management. June workshops are scheduled in June 6: Mary
Sundet Jones, Dawn Martinez
Oropeza, Sarah Ekstrand and Lisa Hartz to June 8: IAC Board of Directors meets in June 11: Bruce
Williams attends Honey Creek Public Art Committee meeting in June 13: Bruce
Williams in June 13-14: Bruce
Williams to June 15-16: Dawn
Martinez Oropeza travel to LeMars and June 19: Bruce Williams attends Sandy Dyas lecture in Perry regarding exhibition and publication funded by IAC June 21: Sarah
Ekstrand, Dawn Martinez Oropeza
and Bruce Williams attend Public
Art Network meeting in Riki Saltzman, folklife coordinator for the Iowa Arts
Council has published two articles based on her research of traditional foods
in Saltzman’s article “What a Difference a Day Makes: A Day
Trip Tasting the Traditions of Central Her second article appears in the publication “Letters to a Young Iowan,” a collection of essays compiled by Zachary Michael Jack (Ice Cube Press, 2007, pgs. 201-205). “For all the groups that have come here, their traditional foods are the nearest and dearest reminders of home, of childhood, of a safe and secure haven,” she writes. “For immigrants, absent foods become visceral reminders of their loss, hence the critical importance of ethnic-specific food markets and restaurants. Eating, like listening to music or going to museums, provides a window into these other cultures.” New Face at the IAC Welcome to Lisa
Hartz, a |
