SELDOVIA ARTS COUNCIL NEWS

Agenda for the Seldovia Arts Council Meeting May 11 2009

 

Call to order:

Minutes

Treasurer’s report

 

Old Business:

Westaf Grants

Ball in the House write up

2009 Grants for Winter Season 2009/10

The Refugees

Les Yeux Noir

Festival Committees

Headliners-Mummma

Mary Jane Lamond, Wendy Mc Isaacs, Patrick Gillis…tickets have been purchased. They will be picked up in Anchorage on  June 16..

Robert Post will be bringing his wife(his expense) and large amount of freight that will be bigger than I can get into my car.

Jamie Michaels, his manager, and Rad Lorkovic will be coming at the same time.

I am working with Jamie Michaels manager to rent a van to drive everyone down the peninsula, and then onto the ferry. 

Everyone will need housing in Anchorage on Tuesday night.

We will need housing in Homer on Wednesday night.  All have a KBBI interview on Thursday morning before the ferry takes off.

Housing- Jerry Stranik

 I have given all of the festival participants and their needs to Jerry Stranik.

He will need to contact the hosts and make sure they have their artist’s information. 

Transportation-Tania Spurkland

We will need to get a list of possible transportation modes to the artists and then arrange for them to come to Seldovia.  Many are coming on the ferry on Thursday.

 

T-Shirts- Greg Davis…

Greg called is waiting for a count on the T-Shirts sizes that we need.  He should also remember that we wanted guitar stickers and bumper stickers as well.

Publicity—Susan Zerwick.

Press releases are done and the article for the Summer Gazette in is in. Sing Out done..

A few posters have been printed and distributed around Homer.. We need more.

Web: Susan Zerwick and Susan Mumma

Official Website: www.seldoviaartscouncil.wordpress.com

Official Festival website: www.seldoviamusicfestival.wordpress.com

Facebook  social networking site..

Director’s blog

Festival Director’s Blog.

Hospitality---Suzie Stranik…

Need to make up greeting package for each artist with information about Seldovia, the festival, the program etc.

Decide on meals for artists

Financial--  Darlene Crawford 

Wristbands??

Director:  

Building permit has been applied for.

Stage Director—Laurel Hilts…

Stage Crew_ Rob Rurka-------

BIG QUESTION?  Are we going to have a second stage.

Sound Crew—Dan Mac Elrath

 

Program---- Who is going to do the program???  When printed …folded etc.

Signage:  Who will do this?/

Around Town:  Events…

New Business:

2009-10 Community Arts Development grant due June 1.

What do we want to include in it? Painting Workshop, Westafs, PlaidGrass,T.J.Casey? Scott Cossu

Eddie Wood workshops.

Trash Can painting… Who would we suggest as artists to paint cans?

 

Attached information sheets:

Painting Workshop (see attached proposition)

T.J. Casey

PlaidGrass

Letter from Lou Anne Person... 

Re:  Acrylics, large-format art class, taught by Lou Anne Person, ASID

 

Dear Members:

 

Thank you for the opportunity to teach art in your community this summer.  I am excited and certainly looking forward to it.  Following is my letter of intent that will define the class I propose to teach:

 

Date:

 

I will arrive on the ferry from Homer on Thursday afternoon of July 30.

 

Class to start Friday, the 31st, and continue Saturday and Sunday, August 1^st and 2^nd.  Exact times to be determined by travel plans and availability of the students.  We will offer evening times for those who want to keep working!  And perhaps don’t have young families.  We will firm these times by June 1^st.

 

Accommodations:

 

Judith and Kris Lethin, Dancing Eagles Cabin Rental, have offered to comp my room and board as a donation to the Arts Council. 

 

Class Location:

 

Each student will need a 6’ table space with good lighting.  I understand Seldovia has a number of options:  The community building, the Susan B. English School, and the Seldovia Village Tribe Conference Room.  I am anticipating a number of out of town artists so we may need to plan for at least 20 participants.  I think we will have a better idea by mid July.  I am flexible and willing to accommodate as many as sign up.

 

Advertising:

 

I have several mailing lists for people in South Central Alaska.  I am a member of the Alaska Watercolor Society and have access to their addresses.  I also know several artists in the Homer area whom I can ask to send emails for me.  I will get the info in the Frontiersman, Anchorage Daily News, and get the info out

 

to people in the Palmer/Wasilla area through my circle of friends and acquaintances.  My art is being displayed this month at The Red Beet Café in Palmer and they have a great mailing list, also.  In addition, I’ll get the information to the community in which I live, Willow. 

 

I will have invitational postcards made up to advertise the class.  My art is also on display at the Bagel Factory in Anchorage and the owners would be glad to have them available at check out.

 

I will email a bio that you can send out as you would like. 

 

Honorarium:

 

.   My fee is $250 per person for the 3 day class.  I will be assuming my own travel expenses.  If you would like to add on a fee to cover your Arts Council expenses let’s talk about that.  I want to keep the cost reasonable for local artists as well as those coming from out of town.  If the Arts Council or Seldovia Village Tribe would like to offer scholarships or partial scholarships for locals that would be wonderful.  I am also willing to offer one partial scholarship for every 10 participants.  I want to encourage maximum participation!

 

Materials List:

 

Along with my bio I will send a materials list.  I intend to bring a roll of canvas with me so that students can buy a piece the size they would like to work on, but people can certainly buy a large canvas in advance and use that.   I also intend to be loose about what can be painted and what size.  I will have a subject (flower) chosen and will teach with that subject.  However, since we are opening it up to beginners through advanced artists, I am going to be flexible with what they would prefer to paint. 

 

Class Outline:

 

I will be teaching the technique I use to paint large-format, gallery-wrapped paintings on canvas.  I intend to do this with acrylic paints. 

 

There are 6 steps I use:

 

1)     gridding the canvas

2)     laying out the picture with composition in mind

3)     drawing the picture on the canvas

4)     blocking out the drawing with paint

5)     fleshing the picture out

6)     final details

 

The first 3 steps can take us through Friday afternoon, if we start at 10AM.  We should be fully launched into painting the first day.  Of course, everyone can go at their own pace.  I am assuming I will be teaching to the beginners, and painting along side the experienced artists. 

 

Art Show:

 

I would like to end the class with an art show for family and friends. Judith Lethin volunteered to furnish soup!

 

I think I have about covered everything.  I will be showing at a juried art show in Washington the week before this class, and cannot get to Seldovia any earlier than the 30^th, and then I have to be in Anchorage on the 9^th of August.  Other than that, I am very flexible about everything….the times of the class, where it is held, the Honorarium, scholarships, etc, etc. 

 

Please let me know what your thoughts and wishes are.  As I sit here looking out over two feet of snow still on the ground, this gives me something to really look forward to.  I’ve just finished painting a large picture of lilacs, and finished one of a bouquet of summer flowers last week.  I am SO looking forward to summer for many reasons, and the Seldovia class is right up there on the list. 

 

Best Regards,

 

 

 

Lou Anne Person, ASID

Artist, Sisters of Spirit

 

Contacts:

 

Home  907-495-6399

Cell     907-240-0509

 

 Email from T. J. Casey

T. J. Casey Cowboy Poet

 

T. J. Casey will be available Sept. 14-25(He will be in Homer). His suggestion is a performance on Saturday Sept 19

He will need $750. Travel from Homer and Lodging.

This true Montana ranch cowboy is a knockout solo performer who’s happy and comfortable onstage performing for a school assembly or in the classroom teaching grades 4-12.

The countless stage hours he’s logged over the last three decades include performances with such recognized entertainers as Ian Tyson, Merle Haggard, Dierks Bentley, Waddie Mitchell, Ty Herndon, the Everly Brothers and more. 

Young people are special to T.J., and he’s constantly striving to help them connect with their Western roots and culture at a deep level, which he strongly believes will impart confidence and a positive attitude to benefit them throughout their lives.  He helps students learn about Western heritage, cowboy culture, and how to write poetry; as well as introducing them to the magical human/horse relationship.

In conjunction with his mission to youth, T.J. works with arts councils in Montana, North and South Dakota, Alaska and Nevada as well as Arts Northwest and Wyoming Arts Alliance.

 

This year, 2009, TJ's Pure "D" Cowboy CD has been named the Country-Western CD of the Year by the National Traditional Country Music Association.

To learn more about this amazing Montana cowboy artist, please check out the following website www.tjcasey.net, once there click on “schools”. There is a press kit available on the site.

Thank you for your time and we look forward to working with you again.

Please don’t hesitate to call if you have any questions.

God Bless
Marcie
Cowboy Enterprises Inc
P O Box 31676
Billings, MT 59107
406-245-0734
tjcasey@tjcasey.net
www.tjcasey.net

 

PlaidGrass

I have this group waiting to hear what we would like to do .

Hi all,

It has  been awhile since my last entry. I have had some family health issues which have called me away from Seldovia. Meanwhile, I have been working on networking and grants and the Seldovia Summer Solstice Music Festival while away via my computer and teleconferencing. In January I attending the Anchorage Folk Festival and the Alaska State Arts Council's conference. 

 

 

The The Seldovia Arts Council has not let the grass grow under its feet. It has presented two great shows, with special school out-reach while I have been gone. 

Much thanks to Mary Glover for taking over the Soul Street Dance Company's presentation in Seldovia February 23  and to Laurel Hilts for making the the Ball in the House concert a success on March 5.

Susan Zerwick has been working with here web committee and we are closer to an updated website. A teleconferenced meeting was held and some directions for the new website established. 

A general meeting  of the Seldovia Arts Council was held Monday 16.  Great reports were given on all of these activities. A slate of candidates was discussed for the WESTAF grants due April 1.

 

 

The Seldovia Arts Council is updating its website.  Check out http://www.ssmf9.wordpress.com  for our transitional web presence. 

 Happy Holidays!!!

The Seldovia Arts Council met on December 8 at the SVT Boardroom and by teleconference. This was the second such meeting we have organized this season. Teleconferencing allows us to collaborate while at home and abroad. It feels like we are all together, even when we are away. How cool is that!

This meeting we welcomed our new board members and officers. Our officers are Chairman, Susan Mumma, Vice-Chairman, Susan Zerwich, Secretary Tania Spurkland, Treasurer, Darlene Crawford.  Our new board includes Mary Glover, Laurel Hilts, Rob Rurka, Betsy Scott, and Greg Davis. 

We discussed the upcoming 2009 Seldovia Summer Solstice Music Festival.  Headliners have been chosen. They are Mary Jane Lamond and Wendy Mac Issaac from Cape Breton, Canada and Robert Post from New York City. We are now open for applications for other slots in the festival. Applications can be found on-line and are due by March 1,2009. We are still looking for housing for artists and welcome sponsorships for the event.

We are currently exploring a variety of artists for the upcoming year. Our January meeting will include continued discussion of options for 2008/2008. Please let us know if you have ideas for programming. We will need make decisions soon.

We are currently working on website updates and by-laws updates.

Our next event  will take place in February  and will feature  Soul Street Dance, a great hip hop dance group. Mary Glover will be coordinating this event. Please contact her for details.

Following that, in March,  Ball in the House will return.  Laurel Hilts will be coordinating this event. Please contact her for details.

 Our next meeting will be January 12 at 10:30 AM at SVT.  If you would like to have items included in the agenda for the next meeting please email Chairman, Susan Mumma by January 6.

We put our thoughts and feelings about our life, our lifestyle, our communities.... everything we do and the influences that have made us the people we are today into our artwork.  To me, this is why it is so important to maintain our arts council as a forum for free and innovative thought.

 

This holds a place for an artist whose music I enjoy.  I cannot post the contents without his permission but please try Greg Brown at Red House Records.

 

 

Photos of the festival:

Savannah Lewis has posted some wonderful pictures of the festival on our website. We are also asking for your photos . If you want to send us photos to see and use you will need to give us permission for each one.

 

Here are a couple of mine.. I have put my photo album in the comment section under the photo gallery on the festival site.  That is a great way to share!!!

 

Also, I have include some of the emails that I have gotten regarding the festival in the comment section of this blog..  We would love to have you send comments to the festival website. Please do!!

 

 

The Seldovia Arts Council has a new website and I'll be posting over there now, instead of here. It has an RSS feed and instructions on how you can subscribe to new posts by email, so you'll still be able to keep up with all of our activities.

The new site is at http://seldoviaartscouncil.org. Hope you'll join us there!

Seldovia Summer Solstice Music Festival will be held on June 20 and 21.  Headlining the festival will be veteran performers Joe Craven and Ralston Bowles.  Joe Craven  hailing from San Francisco, California is a multi-instrumentalist with a twinke in his eye and a contageous love for music of all types. Music is not limited to the guitar, the piano, the drum set or the voice. It is a rhythmic, pulsating, pattern of sound that can sooth or excite the soul.  Joe will be showing us that music can be created in unusual ways and that the the physics of music  connects  the emotions and the theory  and can and should  be accomplished by anyone. Joe was last heard in Seldovia when traveling with Allison Brown. It was then he won the hearts of Seldovians and Seldovia in turn became one of Joe's favorite places.  That is saying alot because Joe has traveled the world with the David Grisman Quintet. Welcome home back Joe!

 

Ralson Bowles, songwriter and guitarist accompanied by Drew Howard (Captain Midnight) on steel guitar will bring the songs of the heart to the festival. Ralson and Drew are from the Mid -west,  They each have had long careers in the music business, sometimes a venue host, sometimes a performer, but always  into the heart of music. Their style is a  blend of folk/rock with a little bit of country. Ralson's new CD sCarwreck  Conversations  and Rally at the Texas Hotel  on Wildflower Records  is a lesson in communications and gets right to the heart of some of the hard issues facing  humanity with songs such as "What kind of friend am I?", "Fragile", "What Do You Want From Me Now?", "Velvet Elvis" and more.....

Seafaring Strangers is a group from Homer, Alaska that has been playing together in various configurations for years.  Sally Wills,  Brian Court, Dave Gerard and Knute Tonga  and Tim Quinn play an assortment of acoustic music ranging from original songs and a cross-blend bluegrass and contemporary music.

 

Marion Walsh is a singer songwriter from Vancouver BC. She sings of her transplanting  from the Boston area where she played for years in coffee houses and radio to the west coast, in her CD HOUSE TO HOUSE.  Her finest instrument is her voice. She accompanies herself on the guitar, mandolin and piano.

 

Esther Golton  is from Talkeetna, Alaska. She has just returned from a national tour debuting  her new CD, UNFINISHED HOUSES . Esther’s whimsical songs feature her golden voice accompanied by unique styling on the mountain dulcimer and flute.

 

Relatively Famous is a group from Homer, Alaska . Russian songs and original music will be played by Sunrise Sjoeberg, Marjolean, Cardon, Brian Court, Mike Shellman and Tim Quinn.

 

Sarahnidipity is a family group from Girdwood, Alaska  featuring Sarah Bartholmew, Steve Bartholmew, Matt Spence, and Dustin Rider. Traditional bluegrass is featured.

Myspace.com/sarahndipity2006

 

Wes Wedell, guitarist and songwriter,   travels to us from Seattle Washington where he has spent time gathering stories from the folks along the way and putting them into song. His debut CD is called, Songs to Get You from Here to There. www.wesweddel.com

 

The Momma Tonga Band is a Homer Family Band featuring Mike Tonga, Heather, Tonga, Kristen Tonga, and Burl Tonga. 

 

Exotic songstress, Shawn Zuke and mega-cool base player Milo Matthews sing a combination of new-age jazz. Original songs with a rockin’ base sounds  feature, the flute, the diggery doo guitar, drums and more.  Myspace.com/llm333 and   lovelifemusic.com

 

The Seldovia fiddlers are just that. This is a group of young people including Serina Turner, Olivia Turner and their teacher Mary Glover.  Their songs include traditional melodies and Irish tunes.

 

Billy Goat feature tight bluegrass music by Seldovians Jeff Snedgen, Chris Lelo, Kerry Hendricks and Kirby Corwin.

 

Faolan  is a young Irish  band from Anchorage featuring the talents of Ahnna Sutherlin, William Sutherlin, Dane Walker, and Willow Feighery. 

 

Susan Mumma, is a Seldovia songwriter and performer . She will play some of her own compositions. www.myspace.com/susanmumma

 

Rob Rurka, guitarist,  is a  diamond in the rough.  He has been “instrumental” in the phoenix-like development of the local Seldovia  music scene and he is a darned good guitar teacher.

 

Tom Begich  is a veteran Alaskan performer with three CDs under his belt and a national touring schedule.  Tom’s newest CD, Cool Blue Light is receiving national recognition and taking him to far away places on a regular basis.  Tom’s work  reflect’s mastery of a classical guitar gone folk , excellent songwriting and lots of heart. ( He even writes sonnets)  www.tombegich.com

 

The Dan MAC jazz band features  Dan McElwraith on piano, Katie Strock on vocals and Lucius Oliver on drums.  This band  features original jazz pieces, songs of the 30-40 and more..

 

 

Seek Bob  is one of Anchorage Alaska hottest bluegrass/gospel style groups following in the tradition of Barefoot and the Emeralds. Kalia Yeagle, Emily Mc Laughlin, Garren Volper and Forrest Allen (son of Mary Shallert, famous fiddle teacher extrodinare)  will be a pleasure to host in Seldovia. www.myspace.com/seekbobak

 

Radoslav Lorkovic returns to Seldovia  from his recent travels around the world with Odetta, Jimmy Lafave, Andy White ,Joel Rafael and many more greats.  His solo  piano styles range from boogie woogie, stride piano, classical to soulful from his own heart. His cajun accordian playing adds even more spice to an already spicy performance.   Welcome back Rad!!

www.radoslavlorkovic.com

 

 

 

.

 

This year Seldovia Arts Council's Summer Solstice Music Festival was represented at the National Folk Alliance in Memphis February 19-25.  Susan Mumma was asked to  coordinate/host a guerrilla showcase at National for the FARWest Region. This was the first time that our Western Region has hosted an artists' showcase and involved three evenings room management, decorating and food preparation for artists and visitors to the room that lasted from 10:30 PM to 3 AM.  STARS OVER THE WEST was one of the prettiest showcases at the event.

 

 Susan also represented Alaska by performing.(This was the first time ever at a national event. )  Emily Kurn from Anchorage also performed.  Emily was chosen for a Performance Alley showcase as well. 

I went back to Anchorage again at the end of the month to see the Anchorage Folk Festival. It is here that I meet up with lots of the folks we having coming down for the Seldovia Summer Solstice Musice Festival. Old and new friends gather for two weeks of music and workshops. This year the headliners were The Stairstep Sisters, and the Savoy Family.. Wow. what great acts and the workshops they gave were wonderful.  On the second weekend, I  was joined by Randall Williams, the "capo guy" and outstanding performer from the world at large.  I helped Randall on his quest for fame and fortune in Alaska by going to various radio interviews with him and helping him see a bit of Anchorage. He later drove on down to Homer and then to Seldovia where he did a house concert and also a workshop for the Boys and Girls Club and the Community.