Artists' Pipeline #55 - December 2006

The Cornucopia Arts Center is located in downtown Lanesboro, a town of about 800 people in Southeastern Minnesota that has been dubbed one of "The 100 Best Small Art Towns" in the U.S.

Cornucopia has a Juried Sales Gallery featuring artwork by more than 70 regional artists working in diverse media: painting, photography, ceramics, glass, metal, fiber, wood, music, jewelry, and literary works. The Gallery is open year-round for consignment sales. To apply for membership as a consignment artist, download a sales gallery application: Cornucopia Art Center, Juried Sales Gallery Application (PDF document) and mail it attention: "Gallery Director" (email address: gallery@lanesboroarts.org). Application deadlines are: March 1, June 1, September 1 and December 1, with notification 30 days after the application deadline.

The Artist Spotlight project individually highlights the work of four Juried Sales Gallery artists each year. Artists create new work to be displayed for two months. The project increases the artists’ profile and raises community awareness of the chosen media. Showing through January 2007 is a Juried Exhibition of Young Artists from Southeast Minnesota High Schools, spotlighting Chatfield High School student Betty Ulwelling.

Cornucopia's next exhibit is "Ibsen 2006: Through the Eyes of Painters," running February 4 - March 25, 2007, with an Opening Reception: Saturday, February 25, 6-8 p.m. Direct from Norway, this exhibit features six contemporary Norwegian painters. Therese Nordtvedt, Hanne Christiansen, Tore Hansen, Bjørn Carlsen, Ulf Nilsen and Thomas Knarvik offer their artistic interpretations of the six most important dramas by Henrik Ibsen, Norway's greatest playwright. Commonweal Theatre will be performing Ibsen’s "Ghosts" down the street February 24 – April 22. Web site: Commonweal Theatre (www.commonwealtheatre.org).

Gallery hours are Thursday-Saturday 10:00-5:00, Sunday 11:00-3:00m Tuesday-Wednesday by appointment.

Upcoming classes include: Beginning Felting - Friday, February 23, 1:00-4:00, $30 – and Intermediate Felting - Saturday, February 24, 9:00-noon, $30.

The Cornucopia Art Center / Jerome Foundation Residency Program offers two-week and four-week residencies to emerging artists each year. The program is designed to provide opportunities for emerging artists to create new work. Emerging artists have professional art career goals and may even be in the middle stage of their careers, but have not received recognition equal to the quality of their work. Applicant artists should be able to define a “next step” in their career or artistic development and should be able to articulate how a residency will help them take that step. Artists from all disciplines are encouraged to apply, though primary consideration will be given to emerging sculptors, painters, poets and writers, with at least one residency each year focused on public art. Applicant artists must reside in the U.S. Living and working space is provided. Stipends of up to $2,500 for a four-week residency are provided for up to six artists each year, November through May. Resident artists are housed in two Cornucopia Art Center, Art Lofts (www.lanesboroarts.org/cac-artlofts.html) located above the art center. These lofts provide adequate live/work space for most artists, but if you require separate studio space or handicap accessible space, a facility can be rented to meet your needs. Applications postmarked by June 15 are reviewed by a panel of Cornucopia Art Center staff, working artists and community representatives.

Cornucopia Executive Director Michael-jon Pease recently departed to accept a position with FORECAST Public Art in Saint Paul.

For more information: Cornucopia Art Center, 103 Parkway Avenue N., PO Box 152, Lanesboro, MN 55949; Phone: 507-467-2446; email: info@lanesboroarts.org; Web site: Cornucopia Art Center (www.lanesboroarts.org).

The Artists With Disabilities Alliance (AWDA) will hold its first meeting in 2007 on Wednesday, January 17, 6:00 PM- 8:00 PM at Walker Church, 3104 S. 16th Avenue, Minneapolis. In addition to looking at possible monthly programs and activities for 2007, participants are invited to share art, writing, music, networking opportunities and other issues or stories. Please wear no fragrances so everyone can participate. Each meeting is in a wheelchair-accessible venue. To receive postcard or email notices of monthly meetings, contact VSA arts of Minnesota: 612-332-3888 or 800-801-3883 ext. 4, voice/tty, jon@vsaartsmn.org. The AWDA website is Artists With Disabilities Alliance (www.Angelfire.com/mn3/awda); meeting notices are also found on VSA arts of Minnesota, What's New (http://www.vsaartsmn.org/new.html).

When the 110th Congress convenes in early January, Democrats will be the majority party in both the House of Representatives and the Senate for the first time in more than a decade. In addition to having new leadership Congress is scheduled to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, commonly known as the No Child Left Behind Act. This legislation authorizes funding for VSA arts through the Arts in Education Program.

Americans for the Arts tracked ten local ballot measures in the November elections, and all passed overwhelmingly, as did a state ballot measure on the arts in Louisiana. Cities and counties that passed local arts ballot measures are Akron (OH); Alameda County/San Leandro (CA); Alameda County/Berkeley (CA); Austin (TX); Cuyahoga County/Cleveland (OH); Marin County (CA); Portland (OR); Salt Lake County (UT); San Francisco (CA); and Santa Clara County (CA). These local and state measures will infuse millions of dollars for arts education programs in local schools and increased funding for cultural facilities and general operating support for nonprofit arts organizations. Web site: Americans for the Arts, Arts Action Fund, 100% of Local and State Arts Ballot Measures Pass (PDF document) (www.artsactionfund.org/pdf/arts_ballot_measures_2006.pdf).

Americans for the Arts will hold Arts Advocacy Days March 12-13 in Washington, DC. Arts advocates from around the country will spend Monday at legislative training sessions, with guest speakers and in the evening hear journalist Robert MacNeil deliver the annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. MacNeil serves as board chairman of the MacDowell Colony, an artist colony in Peterborough, NH. After the lecture, rising leaders in the arts will gather for The Emerging Arts Leader Networking Reception. Tuesday includes a Congressional Arts Breakfast with Members of Congress and celebrity guests and then time for lobbying visits. Conference Headquarters is the Omni Shoreham Hotel, 2500 Calvert Street NW. For more information: Phone: 202-371-2830 or Web site: Americans for the Arts, Arts Advocacy Day 2007 (www.artsusa.org/events/2007/aad/default.asp).

VSA arts affiliates will also be meeting on Capitol Hill from March 9-13.

On December 2, at half time of a nationally televised football game between Louisville and UConn, VSA arts of Kentucky presented an award to the University of Louisville’s School of Music and its band director for vision and leadership in making their programs accessible to all, and especially to Marching Band member (and 2005 VSA arts Young Soloist Winner) Patrick Hughes. Hughes is a blind trumpet player who uses a wheelchair and marches (rolled by his father) with the UL band at football games. To read more, visit Patrick Henry Hughes (www.patrickhenryhughes.com).

The Metropolitan Center for Independent Living (MCIL) in Saint Paul sponsors free and accessible activities, classes, workshops and trainings. Some are at 1600 University Avenue W., Suite #16 and some are at 1919 University Avenue West in the basement level conference room. For more info on the following activities, to RSVP and/or request interpreter (at least one week in advance), contact Laura at 651-603-2028 or laurab@mcil-mn.org.

Basic American Sign Language (ASL) class meets every other Monday at 1600 University Avenue W., Suite #16 in the small conference room from 2:00 PM-3:00 PM on January 8, 22, February 5.

GLBT Support Group - Persons who are Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual or Transgender with disabilities meet on the first Tuesday of every month at 1919 University Avenue West in the basement level conference room from 6:00 PM-7:30 PM. - January 2 and February 6.

Game Day is an opportunity for individuals to socialize and have fun playing various interactive games: Trivia, Uno, Cribbage, Sorry, and many more – or bring your own! Game Day is the last Tuesday of every month from 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM at 1919 University Avenue West in the basement level large conference room – January 30, February 27.

"Reducing Stress in a Stressful World" – Got Stress? Let’s talk about it. This class will cover the causes, warnings and signs of stress, good and bad stress, reactions to stress, how to manage your stress more effectively, and stress-relieving activities and exercises. - January 18, 1:00 PM-2:00 PM at 1919 University Avenue West in the basement level conference room.

"Scent Free Spaces"– Learn about Scent-Free Spaces, who needs Scent-Free space, and how you can be Scent-Free on a SSI budget. Experience real-life stories of people affected by chemical access, ask you tough questions, and come ready to do some activities to practice finding scent-safer products and advocating for people who need scent-free spaces. - January 25, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM at the Scent-Safer space at 1919 University Avenue W in the basement level conference.

Disabilities affected by fragrance chemicals can include: allergies, asthma, respiratory (breathing) disabilities, paralysis affecting respiration, migraines, epilepsy, HIV/AIDS, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, other immune system disabilities, many cancers, autistic-spectrum disabilities, chemical injuries, Gulf War Syndrome, environmental sensitivities, and Multiple Chemical Sensitivities.

Learn how to avoid all fragrances, scented soaps/shampoos/lotions, essential oils, "natural" fragrances, scented dryer sheets, other scented products, and to look for products that say "unscented" or "fragrance free." For more info or to RSVP, call Jay (Individual Advocate) at 651-603-2036. Or participate in the MCIL online Discussion Forum titled: "Scent-Free" at Metropolitan Center for Independent Living (www.mcil-mn.org).

"Learn the Bus" Transit Training - February 2, 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM. This free all-day travel training will begin and end at MCIL’s main office: 1600 University Avenue West, Suite #16. The training will address safety concerns and awareness of surroundings, how to read a bus schedule, different ways to pay bus fare, using fixed-route buses vs. Metro Mobility, and application procedure for the limited mobility program (if you are not currently enrolled). Participants who have never taken the bus will learn how to ride, how to signal stops, how to use the lift, where to pay, etc.

In the afternoon the group will "test out the bus system" taking a route to Rosedale Shopping Center. Participants may eat lunch, walk around and shop and meet for a return route to MCIL.

Metro Mobility rides to and from this training may be scheduled to arrive to MCIL by 9 a.m. and pick-up no earlier than 3:30 p.m. BRING: coat, umbrella/hat, money for bus, lunch and shopping (optional), bus schedule (issued during morning session), a charged cell phone or change for phone call, watch, medication for the day, medical ID, ID card, emergency contact info, and means to bring home packages purchased. RSVP now - Limited to 6-12 people. First come, first served. Individuals unable to make this training will be first on the list for the next available training.

"Crazy Cookie Cutting Creations" - Learn to create colorful fun shaped cookies from scratch! Class will be held February 13, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM. in MCIL’s kitchen at 1600 University Avenue W., Suite #16. RSVP - Class limit is 6 people.

The Metro Deaf School is moving over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays to 1471 Brewster Street in Saint Paul, 55108-2612. The website remains at Metro Deaf School (www.metrodeafschool.org) and the phone numbers are still 651-224-3995, TTY 651-222-0984 and Fax 651-222-0939.

Six Minnesota artists have been awarded $1,000 grants through the VSA arts of Minnesota Artist Recognition Program. The 11th annual competitive grant, funded by a Jerome Hill Centennial Grant, recognizes excellence by Minnesota artists with disabilities. Selected from 48 applicants, the grantees are:

Robert K. Anderson, Saint Louis Park, Writing - creative non-fiction.
Barbara Harman, Minneapolis, Visual Art - monotypes.
Holly Tappen, Falcon Heights, Visual Art – acrylic, oil, charcoal, mixed media.
Frank Garcia, Duluth, Performance - clarinetist.
Amy Salloway, Minneapolis, Performance - storyteller.
Carei F. Thomas, Minneapolis, Performance – music performer/composer/theorist.

The Recognition Grants were awarded following a jurying process conducted by individuals with extensive backgrounds in the written, visual and performing arts. Panel members included:

Brian Balcom, theatre director, Fringe Festival & Guthrie, Edina;
Mary Anne Bennett, retired visual art educator, musician, Burnsville;
Jessica Pack, executive director, ArtReach Alliance, Stillwater;
Michael-jon Pease, marketing director, FORECAST Public Artworks, Saint Paul; recently executive director of Cornucopia Art Center, Lanesboro;
Denise Vogt, artistic director, Lakeville City Ballet; visual artist, writer, Lakeville;
Yvette Weijergang, painter, visual art instructor at Interact; Monticello.

A show of Bridget Riversmith’s new artwork is running through January 2 at J & S Bean Factory coffee shop, 1518 Randolph Avenue in Saint Paul (near The College of Saint Catherine, east of Snelling Avenue). The show includes several new gouache paintings which introduce new characters and stories (see attached image). An artist from Duluth, Riversmith is a past Artist Recognition Grant recipient. For more information: The Art of Bridget Riversmith (www.redrabbitriversmith.com).

Bridget is part of a group exhibit, Introductions: Artists' Self Portraits, set to travel rural North Dakota as part of the North Dakota Museum of Art's Rural Arts Initiative. The schedule is:

January 16 – February 2 - Millennium Park building, Mohall, ND;
February 26 – March 15 - Langdon Mall, 817 Third Street, Langdon, ND;
March 23 – April 12 - LaMoure Shopping Mall, LaMoure, ND;
April 13-27 - Saint Francis Convent, School Gymnasium, Hankinson, ND;
April 30 - May 28 - Fort Mandan/Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center, Washburn, ND;
May 31 - June 30 - Jamestown Art Center, Jamestown, ND.

Bridget is also in a group exhibit of American artists she met at a Hungarian Artist Residency in Budapest a year ago. The exhibit "Kismet" will open February 2 at South Plains College, Levelland, TX.

Minnesotans who have been victims of crime and have expressed their experiences through the arts are invited to submit their work to the fourth annual Art of Recovery. Sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Justice Programs and the Minnesota State Arts Board, Art of Recovery invites entries from visual artists, writers and performers. Visual art will be exhibited at the State Arts Board office in Saint Paul April 20 - June 29. The poetry, essays or short stories selected will be copied and displayed at the Arts Board and posted on the Arts Board website, and some individuals will participate in a public reading at the Arts Board office on April 27. Performers whose entries are selected must be available to perform on the evening of May 3 at Patrick's Cabaret, 3010 Minnehaha Avenue South in Minneapolis. Each individual will be allowed a time slot of 5-15 minutes.

Registration deadline: Monday, January 22, at 4:30 PM. Entry forms and more info are available at Minnesota State Arts Board, Fourth Annual Art of Recovery: Call for Entries (www.arts.state.mn.us/aor/index2007.htm). Or call the Minnesota State Arts Board at 651-215-1607, 800-866-2787, or TTY 651-215-6235; or the Office of Justice Programs at 651-201-7318, 888-622-8799, or TTY 651-205-4827.

Art Saint Croix, which provides opportunities in the arts for adults with disabilities in the Saint Croix Valley, will meet on Tuesday, January 9, 4:00 PM-5:00 PM at the Tamarack Gallery, 112 S. Main Street, Stillwater. Come in your wheelchair or bring a folding chair because the gallery has no chairs. Feel free to come early and browse through the artwork.

The main purpose of this meeting is to plan the 2nd Annual "Living Creatively" exhibit. "Living Creatively" will run February 11 to March 26 at the Lake Elmo Regional Art Center, 3585 Laverne Avenue North, Lake Elmo; Lake Elmo Regional Art Center (www.lakeelmoart.org). Artists can each submit up to five pieces that were not in last year's show. Entry deadline is January 22. For an entry form, contact Laura Albertson, this year's coordinator, at ad1991@netzero.com, 651-439-4291, or 150 Fifth Street, Marine, MN 55047. Or email Art Saint Croix at 102225.1412@compuserve.com.

The Lake Elmo Regional Art Center is seeking artwork for two upcoming juried art shows it will host at 3585 Laverne Avenue North, Lake Elmo.

"Womyn's Work" is a juried art show that is open to any female artist. The show, January 9 - February 10, 2007, is an exhibition of women working through imagery combined with text. A reception and cash awards will be held Friday, January 12, 7 PM-9 PM. Entries may be submitted to the gallery January 4-6, 10 AM to 5 PM. Entry fee is $15 per piece ($10 per piece for LERAC members), with a limit of 2 entries per artist. Registration deadline is Saturday, December 30.

"It’s About Time" is a juried art show on subjects relative to time, April 9 - May 19, 2007. Cash prizes and ribbons will be awarded at a reception on Friday, April 13, 7-9 p.m. Entries may be delivered to the gallery March 30 through April 4, 10 AM to 5 PM. Entry fee is $15 per piece ($10 per piece for LERAC members), with a limit of 2 entries per artist. Registration deadline is March 24.

LERAC accepts no commission from art sales; all sale proceeds go directly to the artist. To request an application or more information, call Bob Meyer at 651-256-1407 or 651-338-4954; email LakeElmoRegionalArtCenter@msn.com. For more information: Lake Elmo Regional Art Center (www.lakeelmoart.org).

Student and emerging artists, designers and writers are invited to submit work for inclusion in the April 2007 online exhibit of the Asclepian Arts Alliance. Dedicated to individual, community and organizational health and named after Asclepius, the Greek god of healing, the Asclepian Arts Alliance is a coalition of artists, physicians, educators, architects, designers, therapist and community, business and spiritual leaders. They are brought together by a common understanding of the value of thoughtful integration of arts and humanities into healthcare facilities, community health and healing initiatives, social institutions and business environments.

"The Artist’s Response" will be a dialogue of images and texts exploring individual and community heath, wellness, illness and disability. Artists may submit up to three pieces (images, text, recordings, scripts and performance abstracts) for consideration. Designers may submit a maximum of two project abstracts. Please submit work in the following formats: Visual - PDF, TIFF, JPG; Text - .doc, .rtf, .PDF; Video - MPEG, WMF; Audio - mp3, mp4, AIFF.

Five one-year Asclepian Alliance Associate Memberships will be awarded. Please submit entries before March 1 to outreach@cultureartsandhealth.org. For more information: Asclepian Arts Alliance (www.cultureartsandhealth.org).

The Red River Watercolor Society in Fargo-Moorhead is seeking entries by February 19 for its 14th Annual Juried National Watermedia Exhibition. For a prospectus, contact Kim Jore, 701-293-6314, bkjore@yahoo.com or Jacqueline Anderson 218-233-6937 or download it at Heritage Hjemkomst Interpretive Center, Juried National Watermedia Exhibition (PDF document) (www.hjemkomst-center.com/watercolorprospectus.pdf).

Springboard for the Arts is a non-profit service organization for artists and arts organizations. Its mission is to cultivate a vibrant arts community by connecting artists with the skills, contacts, information and services they need to make a living and a life. It provides management and consulting services, workshops, job listings and resources at its office across the street from the Saint Paul Farmer's Market, on the road throughout the Upper Midwest, and online. Springboard’s lists of Opportunities and Deadlines (www.springboardforthearts.org/Opportunities/Opportunities.asp) include events, grants, casting calls and classifieds in many categories. It lists organizations that offer grants, space rental, or other opportunities in its Resources database. And current arts jobs are listed at Springboard for the Arts, Job Listings (www.springboardforthearts.org/Jobs/Jobs.asp).

For more information: call 651-292-4381; email info@Springboardforthearts.org; mail to Springboard for the Arts, 308 Prince Street, # 270, Saint Paul, MN 55101; or go to Springboard for the Arts (www.Springboardforthearts.org).

Dance artists, community dance educators, K-12 teachers and college dance faculty & students are invited to an All-State Dance Education Summit on Saturday, February 3 at the Perpich Center for the Arts in Golden Valley. Registration forms and preliminary schedule will be available on the Perpich Center website after January 5 at Perpich Center for Arts Education, All-State Dance Education Summit (www.pcae.k12.mn.us/pdr/summit/summit.html). Registration Fee $35 / College Student Fee $15 / 7 CEU Clock Hours. For more information or to request a session proposal application, contact Derek Phillips at derek.phillips@pcae.k12.mn.us or 763-591-4803 or 800-657-3515.

Middle school and high school students are invited to submit scripts for the 2007 Playwright Discovery Program. Young playwrights with and without disabilities are encouraged to submit a script that takes a closer look at the world around them, examines how disability affects their lives and the lives of others, and expresses their views through the art of playwriting. The top playwright will receive $2,000 and a trip to Washington, D.C. to view their work professionally produced at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in September. Download the submission rules and application at VSA arts (www.vsarts.org). Application deadline is April 13. For more information: Irene Weygandt at irenew@vsarts.org.

Dean J. Seal will curate two “Spirit in the House” evenings at Patrick’s Cabaret, 3010 Minnehaha Avenue in Minneapolis on January 12 & 13 at 8:00 PM. Seal will tell his tale of the Prodigal Son and His Brother. Other performers include Jeramiah Gamble; Holly Davis, playwright; Amy Salloway, Jewish storytelling; Dance Exchange, liturgical dance that rocks; and Leslie Ball, sacred songs. Tickets $8. For more information: 612-724-6273 or Patrick's Cabaret (www.patrickscabaret.org).

Lake Elmo Regional Art Center is a community, cultural, resource and arts center whose mission is to showcase artistic talent, inspire artists to fulfill their dreams and strengthen the community through the appreciation of the arts. In addition to offering classes, films and hosting art exhibitions at the Art Center, LERAC arranges art exhibits at Lake Elmo City Hall, the Rosalie Wahl Washington County Library, at city festivals and other venues. Offsite exhibition opportunities are two months long and are free to members. Exhibited artwork may be for sale, and LERAC collects no commission from artist sales.

Current exhibits up through Friday, January 12, include:

Miriam Arneson Watercolors at Lake Elmo City Hall Chamber Room, 3800 Laverne Avenue N; Monday-Friday 8:00-4:30.
Linda Nelson Fine Art at City and County Credit Union , 8500 Hudson Blvd N., Lake Elmo; Monday-Thursday 9:00-5:00; Friday 9:00-6:00; Saturday 9:00-noon.

For more information: Lake Elmo Regional Arts Center, 3585 Laverne Avenue North, Lake Elmo; 651-256-1407 or 651-338-4954; email LakeElmoRegionalArtCenter@msn.com; Web site: Lake Elmo Regional Arts Center (www.lakeelmoart.org).

The Heritage Hjemkomst Interpretive Center, 202 1st Avenue N., Moorhead, is hosting two exhibits through March 31. "A Woman's Perspective Multimedia Art Exhibition" opens January 8 and has an artists reception and talk Saturday, January 13. It is sponsored by the Quilters' Guild of North Dakota, Web site: A Woman's Perspective (www.awp.handworks.org), Phone: 701-232-5389. Opening January 2 is "In Our Family: Portraits of All Kinds of Families," featuring. photographs by Gigi Kaeser and interviews edited by Peggy Gillespie and Rebekah Boyd. For more information: 218-299-5511 or Heritage Hjemkomst Interpretive Center (www.hjemkomst-center.com).

Two exhibits from the Corcoran Gallery of Art are on exhibit through Jan. 14 at the Plains Art Museum, 704 1st Avenue N., Fargo. "Black Is a Color: African American Art" probes the ongoing dialogue about black art and identity. Personal and cultural narratives combine to suggest themes that transcend traditional distinctions between representation and abstraction as vehicles for reflecting on and responding to the times. "We Are All From Africa" is a hands-on, minds-on exhibition in conjunction with Black Is a Color. A separate exhibit running through January 28, "ArtView: By Whose Stripes Art We Healed?" features the art of Richard Szeitz and Karen Patek-Szeitz. For more information: 701-232-3821 or Plains Art Museum (www.plainsart.org).

The Icarus Project Minneapolis is part of the Icarus Project Network (www.theicarusproject.net) - a group created by two people with bipolar disorder who wanted to address mental health issues in the progressive community, and find ways to support each other.

Icarus offers a weekly meeting for people dealing with mental health issues - bipolar disorder, depression, schizophrenia, anxiety, undiagnosed angst, etc. The two-hour meetings are somewhere between a support group and a discussion group; everything said in the group is confidential. It's a warm place to share and learn from others and open to many different perspectives, including people who don't take meds and people who do. The discussion group meets every Wednesday evening at 7:00 at Arise! Bookstore (www.arisebookstore.org), 2441 Lyndale Avenue South, Minneapolis.

A new part of the Icarus Project Minneapolis is more outreach-focused working on getting the word out about mental health to the radical/progressive/artsy community in the Twin Cities. Its first project has been an Outsider Artist film series. It’s also working on flyers, booklets, stencils, and other fun ways to educate radicals, punks, progressives, and others about mental health issues.

For more information: email icarusmpls@gmail.com or go to Stir Crazy, Icarus Project (http://icarus.stir-crazy.org).

Penumbra Theatre Company in Saint Paul launched its 30th anniversary season this fall with "Ain’t Misbehavin." The professional African-American company has been presenting one ASL-interpreted performance of each production. Its next shows are "Blue," "I Just Stopped by to See the Man" and "Get Ready." To receive email updates of Penumbra News, call 651-224-4601 or email penumbranews@penumbratheatre.org and type "add me to the list" in the subject line. For more information: Penumbra Theatre (www.penumbratheatre.org).

Artists of all disciplines are invited to apply for a 2 or 4-week residency in the home of The Great American Think-Off. The program offers stipends of $750-$1500 plus living and studio space. The focus is to provide emerging artists time for creative development and exploration. Application deadlines are April 1 for residencies July thru December and October 1 for residencies January thru June. 51% of all residencies are awarded to artists from Minnesota or the five boroughs of New York City. For more information: Lynn Kasma, 218-385-3339 or (email: nymills@kulcjer.org).

Children or families can call the Minnesota StoryLine (952-352-1350) any time, any day, and listen to a recording of a children's story read by a local actor. This is a project of BookPALS (Performing Artists for Literacy in Schools), sponsored by the Screen Actors Guild Foundation. They also offer StoryLine OnLine (www.storylineonline.net) which has beautifully produced videos of celebrities reading children's stories, free any day, any time! For more information: Gabrielle Rose Simons, Minnesota Coordinator, BookPALS, 320 Snelling Avenue S., Saint Paul, MN 55105; 651-690-0858, Web site: BookPALS - Performing Artists for Literacy in Schools (www.bookpals.net).

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (Boksuneun naui geot) is a new film (R), directed by Chan-wook Park, about a deaf-mute man, Ryu, who works in a smelting factory and inhabits his own silent world, oblivious to the din both at work and in his downscale apartment building. He idolizes his sister, who urgently needs a kidney transplant, and when he's laid off and then tricked out of his savings by organ traffickers, his wacko girlfriend, Yeong-mi, suggests kidnapping his former boss's daughter to pay for his sister's operation. Yeong-mi sees it as social revenge. Ryu, initially scared of the consequences, finally agrees after seeing another laid-off worker attempt hara-kiri outside the boss's home. After kidnapping the boss's daughter, their whole plan starts to quickly unravel with horrible consequences. The film was released in 2005 by Tartan Films.

A calendar of arts events in the Fargo-Moorhead area is published by the Lake Agassiz Arts Council and is available online or by monthly email at Lake Agassiz Arts Council (www.fm-arts.com) or 701-237-6133.

• Development Director - Mixed Blood Theatre Company
• Music Business Instructor - Minnesota School of Business - Deadline: 1/4/2007
• Audience Services Assistant Manager - Southern Theater - Deadline: 1/5/2007
• Program and Events Coordinator - Minnesota Museum of American Art - Deadline: 1/5/2007
• Phone Center Sales & Service Representative - The Minneapolis Institute of Arts - Deadline: 1/6/2007
• Assistant Professor of Art (Studio Art) - Augsburg College - Deadline: 1/9/2007
• Teaching Artist - East Side Arts Council - Deadline: 1/11/2007
• Public relations Specialist (part-time independent contractor) - Mixed Blood Theatre Company - Deadline: 1/12/2007
• Dance Instructor - Saint Paul Community Education - Deadline: 1/12/2007
• Production Intern - Jungle Theater - Deadline: 1/15/2007

For more information: Springboard for the Arts, 651-292-4381, 308 Prince Street, # 270, Saint Paul 55101; info@Springboardforthearts.org or Springboard for the Arts, Job Listings (www.springboardforthearts.org/Jobs/Jobs.asp).