Artists' Pipeline #44 - August 01, 2004

Autumn’s First Silent Auction and Cabaret will be the first fund-raiser in 14 years for VSA arts of Minnesota. Performances, reception and auction will be held Sunday, September 26 from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Nicollet Island Pavilion in downtown Minneapolis.

Performers with disabilities will include Minneapolis storyteller Kevin Kling, nationally-touring singer Stephanie Dawn, blues and boogie-woogie pianist Michael “The Hook” Deutsch, guitarist-songwriter Joseph Baird, and pianist-accordianist Alec Sweazy. ASL interpreters and audio describers will be provided.

Delectable refreshments and enticing silent auction items will be available – all for the purpose of raising funds to further the statewide nonprofit service organization's mission of making the arts available and accessible to Minnesotans of all ages and abilities. Local programs include artists in the schools, exhibits by artists with disabilities, an Access to Theatre project, arts festivals for students and adults with disabilities, grants for artists, accessibility assistance to individuals or arts organizations, and resources including a newsletter, Artists' Pipeline, listings of accessible films and live performances, and more. Founded in 1986, VSA is an affiliate of VSA arts in Washington, D.C., which works to create a society where people with disabilities can learn through, participate in and enjoy the arts.

Admission is $35 ($20 low-income). To attend and/or contribute items to the Silent Auction, please contact VSA arts of Minnesota, 612-332-3888 or 1-800-801-3883 (voice/tty) or email info@vsaartsmn.org.

After an hour of debate on June 16, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Congressional Arts Caucus Amendment to increase funding of the National Endowments for the Arts & Humanities (NEA & NEH). Sponsored jointly by Democrats and Republicans, the amendment passed 241 to 185 and included 48 Republican ayes. By way of comparison, last year's votes were 225 to 200 with 35 Republicans voting FOR the Arts Caucus Amendment.

The House also soundly defeated the Tancredo amendment, which would have decreased NEA funding by $60 million, by a vote of 112 to 313 (the same vote count as last year).

Minnesota will benefit from the increase for the NEA and NEH in two ways: First, the NEA block grant that comes to Minnesota will increase, and second, there will be more funds available for direct grants to arts organizations across the state of Minnesota.

Minnesotans voting WITH the arts (and their Congressional District numbers & party affiliations) were: Betty McCollum (4-DFL), Jim Oberstar (8-DFL), Collin Peterson (7-DFL), Jim Ramstad (3-GOP), Martin Sabo (5-DFL).

Minnesotans voting AGAINST the arts amendment: Gil Gutknecht (1-GOP), John Kline (2-GOP), Mark Kennedy (6-GOP).

For more information: 651-251-0868 or Minnesota Citizens for the Arts (www.mtn.org/mca).

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services will sponsor Aware Fair 2004, an educational and social event for Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Deafblind, and Hearing people, on Saturday, October 9, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Workshops, presentations, entertainment and booths will be set up at Brookdale Center, located at the intersection of Highways 100 & 152 in Brooklyn Center. For more information, contact marie.koehler@state.mn.us, 651/297-3640 (Voice) or 651/297-4525 (TTY). Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services is a division of the Minnesota Department of Human Services.

A Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability will be held August 12-14 in Washington, D.C. for ADA/504 Coordinators and Accessiblity Managers working at Museums, Theaters, Arts and Performing Arts Centers, Entertainment and Concert Venues, Cultural and Arts Service Organizations. This unique national professional network is devoted to training emerging leaders who are dedicated to not only complying with Federal laws and legislation but setting the standards for and engaging in best practices in the field. The LEAD Conference will be hosted at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. It will include sessions with experts on a wide variety of current and topical accessibility issues; training on key issues of policy and procedure; exhibit and vendor resources including accessible technologies, effective communication tools, and specific information on products and services; open forums for exploration of best practices in the field; one-on-one consultations on accessibility for your organization's website; open dialogue with John Wodatch, Chief of the Disability Rights Section in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice; and networking on what has helped make other organizations accessible to people with disabilities.

Minnesotans planning to attend include representatives of the Guthrie Theater, College of St. Benedict & Saint John's University, and others. VSA arts of Minnesota has attended the past two years. For more information: The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability (www.kennedy-center.org/accessibility/KC_LeadConf_04.pdf).

Dennis Behr

Art by Dennis Behr of Saint Louis Park is on display through August 8 at the Bloomington Art Center, 1800 W. Old Shakopee Rd. Take I-35W to the 98th Street exit and go west a half-mile to the Bloomington Center for the Arts, located between James & Logan avenues. The Art Center is on the north side of the complex. For more information: 952-563-8587 or Bloomington Art Center (www.bloomingtonartcenter.com). He also has work exhibited and for sale at Premier Gallery, 141 S. 7th Street, Minneapolis, 612-338-4541 or Premier Gallery (www.premiergallery.com).

Pam Wynn

Pam Wynn of New Brighton has published Diamonds on the Back of a Snake, a book of original poems that is now available through Laurel Poetry Collective (www.laurelpoetry.com), Amazon.com (www.amazon.com) and Twin Cities booksellers including Hamline University, Cokesbury, College of Saint Catherine's, Micawber's, Amazon, Minnesota Center for Book Arts, and Paper Patisserie. Wynn was a 2003 Artist Recognition Grant winner from VSA arts of Minnesota.

John Lee Clark

Twin Cities author and publisher John Lee Clark won a $6,000 Minnesota State Arts Board artist grant for the fiscal year April 2004 to March 2005. He requested money to help pay for equipment and transcription services. Clark also won a $1,000 Artist Recognition grant in December from VSA arts of Minnesota. He publishes the Tactile Mind Press (www.thetactilemind.com).

Julia Morrill

Visual artist Julia Morrill was featured in the May 20 issue of the Forest Lake Times (www.Forestlaketimes.com). You also do a Google search on Julia (or other of your favorite artists) to see other applicable articles, art shows, websites, etc

Nic Zapko

Actor Nic Zapko performed in "The Deaf Duckling" on July 25 as part of PlayLabs at the Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis. This bilingual play for young audiences was performed in English and American Sign Language by hearing and deaf actors. In a reinterpretation from fable to reality, a child discovers her personal beauty and place in the world. Author Aditi Kapil developed her interest in exploring the Deaf community's language and culture while performing as a "voicer" for Zapko in "Transposed Heads" with Ragamala Theater and Dance Company and in "Sweet Nothing in My Ear" at Mixed Blood Theatre, which will stage "Duckling" next spring.

Gus Manderscheid

A March production of "The Music Man" at the Saint Paul Jewish Community Center involved a cast of 28 including six kids with disabilities. According to Beth Gendler, Special Needs Director at the JCC, "the director, the musical director, and the producer worked beautifully with all of the kids... I have been continuously impressed by the deep and meaningful commitment that this agency has to including people with disabilities." One of the lead roles, Mayor Shinn, was played by Gus Manderscheid, an 8th grader at Highland Jr. High. At the March 28th performance, Saint Paul Mayor Randy Kelly presented Gus with a proclamation that read in part:
"WHEREAS, River Cities always need great leaders to protect the people from sin and corruption, pool halls and misbehaving band leaders; and
WHEREAS, who better to provide that leadership than a patriotic and charismatic Mayor; and
WHEREAS, Gus Manderscheid, as Mayor Shinn, has helped lead the cast of the Jewish Community Center's outstanding youth production of the Music Man; and
WHEREAS, the Saint Paul Jewish Community Center provides opportunities for young people of all backgrounds, talents and abilities to participate in the theater;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Randy Kelly, Mayor of the City of Saint Paul, do hereby proclaim Sunday, March 28, 2004 to be Gus Manderscheid and the Cast and Crew of the Jewish Community Center's Production of The Music Man Day in the City of Saint Paul."

Applications for the 2005 Bush Artist Fellows program will be available August 2. Artists may apply in four categories: literature (including poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction), scriptworks for stage and screen, film/video and music composition. Artists interested in applying are encouraged to attend an information meeting for an overview of the Program and ask questions. The one-hour meetings will be held:
August 30, 7:00 - Minot, ND - Minot State University;
August 31, 7:00 - Grand Forks, ND - UND;
Sept. 14, 7:00 – Marshall, MN - Marshall Area Fine Arts Council, 313 West Main;
Sept. 15, 7:00 – Sioux Falls, SD – Sioux Empire Arts Council Horse Barn, 309 E. Falls Park Dr.;
Sept. 16, 7:00 – La Crosse, WI – Pump House Regional Arts Center, 119 King St.;
Sept. 22, 7:00 - Duluth, MN - Marshall School Annex Building Commons, 1301 Rice Lake Road;
Sept. 23, 7:00 - Chippewa Falls, WI - Chippewa Valley Cultural Assn., Heyde Center, 3 High St.;
Oct. 1, 10:00 to noon - Spearfish, SD - Holiday Inn & Convention Center, 1-90, Exit 14.

Three meetings in the Twin Cities will focus on specific disciplines: Tues., Sept. 7, 7:00 – Scriptworks at the Playwrights' Center, 2301 Franklin Ave. E., Mpls.;
Thurs., Sept. 9, 7:00 – Literature at the Loft, Open Book, 1011 Washington Ave. S., Mpls.;
Mon., Sept. 27, 7:00 – Music Composition & Film/Video at Zeitgeist, 275 E. 4th St., #100, St. Paul.

The Bush Artist Fellows Program will award up to 15 fellowships of $44,000 each in 2005 to enable artists to further their work and their contribution to their communities. Fellows may choose to take time for solitary work or reflection, engage in collaborative or community projects, embark on travel or research, explore new directions, continue work already in progress or accomplish work not financially feasible otherwise. Application deadlines are:
Literature - October 22, 2004;
Scriptworks and Film/Video - October 29, 2004;
Music Composition - November 5, 2004.

To be eligible to apply, an artist must be at least 25 years old and a resident of Minnesota, North or South Dakota or 26 counties of western Wisconsin. Students are not eligible. Final selection of fellows is made in April 2005 by an interdisciplinary panel. For more information or to request an application, contact Kathi Polley, program assistant, at the Bush Foundation, 651-227-5222, 1-800-605-7315 or Kathi Polley; or write Bush Artist Fellowships, 332 Minnesota Street, Suite E-900, Saint Paul, MN 55101; or download guidelines from Bush Foundation (www.bushfoundation.org).

Banfill Locke Center for the Arts, 6666 E. River Road, Fridley, will hold Art at Rice Creek Sunday, Sept. 12, noon-6:00. The outdoor art festival has up to 30 display/sales sites in the park surrounding the Center available for rent. The fee is $25 for a 10x12 area, you keep all your sales, bring your own table and canopy setup, setup between 8:00 and 11:00 a.m. Those who will do demonstrations may do them at their booth, and get their booth fee waived. The demos need to be scheduled so they can be announced, in order to get the fee waived.

Attractions this year (the 25th anniversary of Banfill-Locke Center) include Galumph, Mu Daiko drums, author readings, storytelling, photography by Craig Blacklock & family activities.

Applications are due August 1 (or whenever they wrap it up). Contact Margo Ashmore, artist recruiter, for an application form at 612-867-4874, or email Margo Ashmore. Submit the usual contact info, and slides or photos of work samples. The only "screening" of the artists is making sure the work is family-friendly, to put complementary artists by each other, and to assure that the crafts are of the artists' own making, not imported or re-sold from other sources.

Minnesota Citizens for the Arts is soliciting nominations for its Board of Trustees. Two-year terms begin in October. Trustees should have a willingness to work, volunteer and come to meetings; understand the political process or know political connections and strategies; and have a mix of party affiliations, geographic areas, diversity, and size of arts organizations. The board prefers MCA members who have previously been a part of Arts Advocacy Day or volunteered for the cause in some other way. Individual dues are $30; household memberships are $40.

Nominations should be submitted by August 31. Include name, home & work addresses & phone numbers, organization & title (if appropriate), legislative district # (if known), community and political experience, and why you are interested in serving on the MCA Board of Trustees. Send by mail, email or fax to MCA, 2233 University Ave. W. #355, St. Paul, MN 55114; fax 651-917-3561; email mca@mtn.org. For more information: 651-251-0868 or Minnesota Citizens for the Arts (www.mtn.org/mca).

Lakeshore Players community theatre in White Bear Lake, MN has announced its first National 10-Minute Playwriting Contest. Winning plays will be produced in April 2005. First prize: $100; 2nd prize: $50; 3rd Prize: $25. Honorable mentions will be given productions and $10 Honoraria. Plays may be awarded without production if deemed worthy but not able to produce in Lakeshore's space. Winners will be announced February 28, 2005.

The Guidelines are that each play must be original, performable in 10 minutes with minimal production demands, be previously unpublished and unproduced, and have no more than five cast members. No adaptations, translations or musicals will be considered. No scripts will be returned. To be considered, SEND:

• up to five bound ten-minute plays (author's name must NOT appear on the script);
• $10 reading fee (which covers up to five plays);
• an index card with name, address, phone number, email (if you have), TITLE of play;
• SASE if you wish to receive evaluations from readers and a list of award winners;
• a statement awarding Lakeshore Players the right to produce the play.

Scripts must be received by November 30, 2004. MAIL TO: Lakeshore Players, Attention: Outreach, 4820 Stewart Avenue, White Bear Lake, MN 55110. For more information: Lakeshore Players community theatre (www.lakeshoreplayers.com).

Cornucopia Art Center in Lanesboro has a new Class & Workshop catalog that includes workshops on watercolors and photography by well-known artists.

A 3-day Watercolor Workshop will be offered by Mike Capser, who lives in Billings, MT, where he paints in a signature style of washy watercolor paintings, and draws and sculpts contemporary landscape, wildlife and figurative subjects. Listed among the top 25 Signature Artists in the U.S. for the past 12 years, Capser teaches using demonstrations and a relaxed but informative style to lead and challenge students to do new things with watercolor. Classes are Wed.-Fri., Sept. 8-10. Cornucopia will also host an art show & reception for Mike on Friday, September 10, 5:30 – 8 pm

One of the region’s top Photography instructors, Hank Erdmann of Shorewood, IL, will present “The Art of Nature and Outdoor Photography” Sept. 17-19. The workshop will focus on natural light outdoor photography with the goal of making order out of natural chaos and making clear images with impact and interest. The class will include field sessions (wildflowers, landscapes), slide lectures and critique sessions of students’ prior work.

The catalog can be downloaded at Cornucopia Art Center - Lanesboro, Minnesota (www.lanesboroarts.org) or ordered by calling 507-467-2446 or writing to Cornucopia at 103 Parkway Avenue N., Lanesboro, MN 55949.

BookPALS is an all-volunteer national literacy program in which actors & volunteers visit local elementary schools weekly to read aloud to children – and thus open the world of literacy and literature to these children. A related program is Storyline Online, featuring members of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Foundation reading children's books. The program is made possible by a grant from Verizon Foundation. Its 2003 showcase readers included Elijah Wood (Lord Of The Rings), Melissa Gilbert (Little House on the Prairie & SAG President), Esai Morales (NYPD Blue), Bonnie Bartlett & William Daniels (St. Elsewhere) and former Vice President Al Gore. This children's literacy program offers books by award-winning authors.

Lou Diamond Phillips is the new spokesperson for BookPALS (Performing Artists for Literacy in Schools). He starred as Ritchie Valens in "La Bamba" (1987) and garnered critical acclaim for performance in "Stand and Deliver," "Courage Under Fire," "Supernova" and in a Tony-nominated role as the King of Siam in the Broadway musical "The King and I."

To hear a free story in the Twin Cities area, call 952-352-1350. For BookPALS online: BookPALS - Performing Artists for Literacy in Schools (www.bookpals.net). The Online StoryLine can be found at: BookPALS - Storyline (www.bookpals.net/storyline). To volunteer or For more information: Deb Skophammer.

Leslye Orr is remounting her fun happy hour of intoxicating humor - the sobering comedy WOMEN WHO DRINK, featuring the performer as 16 loopy ladies and Kathleen "Sully" Sullivan as their bartenders. Grab the gang and come to the Center for Independent Artists, 4137 Bloomington Avenue S., Minneapolis (No. 14 or 22 bus routes). Performances are Sat., July 31 and Thurs., Aug. 5 at 7:00. Tickets: $12. For reservations, call 612-724-8392. For more information: Center for Independent Artists (www.c4ia.org)

The 4th annual Visible Fringe will show work by 17 artists who are self-taught, outside the mainstream, on the Fringe. This year's Visible Fringe locations through August 15 are: Café Barbette, 1600 Lake St. W. (at Irving) - Ben Boylan, John Largaespada, Dan Young, Kristine Cottom (Reception Aug. 11, 4:00-6:00);
Calhoun Square, 3001 Hennepin Ave. S. - Gary Seal, Robert Marbury, A. Bill Miller, Ariana Boussard-Reifel, Maaida Unber;
Interact Center for Visual & Performing Arts, 212 Third Ave. N. #140 (at 2nd St. N.) - Kate Hoff, Lester Hoikka, Greg Markstrom, Joshua Norton;
Minneapolis Theatre Garage, 711 Franklin Ave. W. (at Lyndale) - Lynda Angelis, Susanna Bielak, Gregory Euclide, Michelle Westmark (Reception Aug. 7, 11:00-1:00);
Thorpe Building, 1618 Central Ave. NE, will hold a Kids' Day Aug. 8 from 9:00 to noon.

For more information: Minnesota Fringe Festival (www.fringefestival.org).

Just a bit south of most of this year's Fringe Festival venues is the Center for Independent Artists, which will be hosting Frinj of the Frinj performers and artists July 28 - August 16. Tickets are set by the artists at $3 to $15. For details, go to Center for Independent Artists: Events (www.c4ia.org/events). The C4IA is located in the Instituto de Cultura y Educacion or El Colegio Charter School at 4137 Bloomington Ave. S., Minneapolis.

Also showing at the Instituto during this time, Mira Gallery presents Ritual del Animal, an art exhibition by Latino artists, which explores their beliefs and traditions reinvented and fused by the mysteries of the supernatural. The exhibition opens July 17 with a reception from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. Gallery hours are Wed.-Sat. 7:00-10:00 pm through Aug. 16.

On Monday, August 16, CIA and the Bancroft Neighborhood Association present a neighborhood Ice Cream Social from 6:00 to 9:00 pm, with free Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream and entertainment for all ages. The event takes place in the Bancroft Meadows garden across the street from the Instituto de Cultura y Educacion.

For more information: (612) 724-8392 or z.mistry@c4ia.org.

Minneapolis 55408 is Intermedia Arts’ eighth annual interactive community celebration of its neighborhood's artists and their diverse art forms. Bridgette Rongitsch and local artist Taneagh Haddad are curating this exhibition, which gives artists the opportunity to sell their work and to attend a workshop on “the business of being an artist” while community members engage in dialogue with selected artists about artistic diversity within the 55408 zipcode. Open through August 29 for a $2 suggested donation, Minneapolis 55408 features 2-dimensional art of any media, freestanding or pedestal mounted 3-dimensional work, web art, film, video & new media. Intermedia Arts is at 2822 Lyndale Ave. S. For more information: 612-871-2222 or Intermedia Arts (www.intermediaarts.org).

Kellie Rae Theiss Fine Art Gallery is featuring a traveling exhibit of Outlaw Printmakers through Sept. 4. Etchings, woodblocks, Lithographs and Linocut prints from 14 national artists. Located in the Warehouse District of Minneapolis, Theiss gallery specializes in original work only, featuring classical, surrealistic and impressionistic paintings and sculpture by local and regional talent. The artists are featured in solo exhibitions on rotation in the main gallery at 400 First Ave. N., Suite 318, Minneapolis 55401; 612-339-1094. For more information: Theiss gallery (www.theissgallery.com).

Innovation at the Speed of Laughter is a new book that makes use of the passion for improvisation to guide companies to a brighter future by creating better, and more, ideas. Written by John Sweeney, owner of the Brave New Workshop Comedy Theatre in Minneapolis, the book introduces readers to eight key principles the BNW has used since 1958 to create products and services that have helped some of the most innovative, well-known companies in the world become more productive and build better teams and workplaces. The idea generation process has also kept the BNW operating as the longest running satirical comedy in the nation.

As Marilyn Nelson Carlson, chairman and CEO of Carlson Companies, stated, "We all seek to employ the best minds in our businesses – but what good is it if we don’t encourage those minds to fly to new places and create new and better ways of seeing things? Innovation at the Speed of Laughter is a toolkit of techniques guaranteed to unleash new ideas, written by one of the most consistently creative teams in comedy theatre."

For more information: Innovation at the Speed of Laughter (www.speedoflaughter.com).

Birchbark Books in Minneapolis offers online bulletin boards to post community event announcements (literary, Native, Twin Cities, Kenwood area) as well as classifieds (buy/sell), services (offered/wanted/free/trade/pay) at Birch Bark Books (www.birchbarkbooks.com/community.html). Their store is located at 2115 W. 21st St., 612-374-4023, fax 374-4090, birchbarkbooks@yahoo.com. From the intersection of Hennepin & Franklin, go west on Franklin about 8 blocks to the north end of Lake of the Isles. Go left on Penn, one block then left on 21st St. It is a half block on your right. The store is owned by author Louise Erdrich.

Arts Administrator needed for a performing arts program in schools and convention settings. 20 hours/week; $12,000/year. Need detail-oriented self-starter. Community-based and computer background a plus. Send resume and cover letter by 9/30/04 to Arts Education Programs Director, COMPAS, 304 Landmark Center, 75 W. 5th St., St. Paul MN 55102.

Minnesota's largest community theatre seeks a full-time Costume Designer. Duties include: Design, construct, coordinate costumes/make-up/hairstyling for 6-10 productions annually. Lead and work with volunteers in creating cast wardrobe. Create and oversee costume budget. Qualified applicants have excellent communication and interpersonal skills and experience in all aspects of costume design and construction. BA in Costume Design is preferred. Competitive salary and benefits. Send cover letter, resume and references by August 12 to: Search, Rochester Civic Theatre, 20 Civic Center Drive, Rochester, MN 55904.

The American Council of the Blind (ACB) in Washington, D.C. is seeking a Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs. The primary duties are to: promote and develop ACB advocacy and legislative agendas; supervise advocacy and governmental affairs support staff; recommend actions and policies; oversee implementation of resolutions adopted at ACB conventions; provide technical assistance to individuals and ACB affiliates pursuing advocacy projects concerning the rights and/or obligations of individuals regarding blindness-related issues, and providing referral to other appropriate sources of assistance; represent ACB on advisory committees and consultative bodies; draft proposed bills and rules for presentation to members of Congress or administrative agencies; prepare written and oral comments on pending legislation and proposed rules; develop and maintain working relationships on Capitol Hill to promote ACB's legislative and advocacy agendas; maintain cooperative relationships with other disability and civil rights organizations; prepare articles on legislative, judicial, and administrative developments for ACB publications and Radio; staff ACB's resolutions and environmental access committees; and other duties as assigned by the executive director. Desirable skills or training include computer literacy, familiarity with assistive devices used by people who are blind, knowledge and use of Braille, and a law degree, or specific disability-related advocacy training. Salary depends upon experience. Submit a resume, cover letter, and brief writing sample by October 15 to Governmental Affairs Director Search, American Council of the Blind, 1155 15th Street NW, Suite 1004, Washington, D.C. 20005. Or email to staffing@acb.org or fax to (202) 467-5085.

Patrick’s Cabaret Seeks a part-time (30 hours a week) Administrative Associate who reports to the Executive Director, but works closely with the Artistic Director in implementing administrative functions such as office management and space rental coordination. Flexibility, initiative and organizational skills are priority assets. Patrick’s Cabaret exists to support artists in their growth and development. Serving a diverse range of local performing artists, from emerging to experienced, specifically reaching out to artists of color, GLBT/queer-identified artists and those with disabilities. For a complete job description, go to Patrick's Cabaret (www.patrickscabaret.org). Salary range is $15,500 – $19,500 and includes health, dental and retirement benefits. To apply, send cover letter, resume and references to Kasey Ross at Patrick’s Cabaret, 3010 Minnehaha Ave. S., Minneapolis 55406; or email Kasey Ross.