Arts In Action Summer 2009

You Make A Difference!

Membership at the Lawrence Arts Center

We often hear visitors say, “I wish my town had a community arts center like this.”

It is the result of many years of hard work, passion and commitment from visual artists, actors, dancers, musicians and art appreciators whose commitment has resulted in a phenomenal arts center in Lawrence.

In these challenging economic times, it is important not to lose ground. It’s time to remain steadfast in your commitment to the arts not only by purchasing tickets to performances, attending a class and the galleries, but also by financially supporting arts organizations that have had a significant impact on the prosperity of Lawrence and surrounding communities.

Here’s what your donation will support at the Lawrence Arts Center over the next year:

1. 15 art exhibits attracting over 100,000 visitors each year.
2. 87 performances of 22 dramatic productions.
3. 43 professional dance performances by the 940 Dance Company reaching 3,200 adults and 6,900 children.
4. 780+ classes enrolling over 8,000 students.
5. 6 preschool classes enrolling over 120 children.
6. 94 professional artists who make up our teaching faculty.
7. 8,000 students through onsite classes and an additional 10,000 people nationally through exhibition and performance programs.

Support your Lawrence Arts Center

Enjoy the important role of nurturing a love for the arts, expanding cultural experiences and inspiring the gifts and talents of yourself, your friends and family by giving to the Lawrence Arts Center. Make a tax-deductible gift and become a member of the Lawrence Arts Center. Your generosity will insure that we don’t lose ground — and helps us attract quality arts programming while keeping costs low.

Membership Benefits

As a means of recognizing and thanking our donors, we are very pleased to offer these benefits.

Senior ($30), Student ($30), Individual ($50), Family ($100)

• Name on Donor Board
• Recognition in Annual Report
• Recognition in The Arts in Action
• Subscription to The Arts in Action
• Advance notice of classes
• Priority class enrollment
• Enrollment by phone
• Advance program information
• Invitation to members-only events
• 10% discount on all classes
• 10% discount on gallery shop purchases

Friend ($125-$274)

• All above benefits plus 1 free ticket to Art Auction

Associate ($275-$524)

• All “Friend Member” benefits
• 2 free tickets to Art Auction

Partner ($525-$999)

• All “Associate” benefits
• 4 free tickets to Art Auction

Imagination Society ($1,000+)

• All “Partner” benefits
• 25% discount on a class/performance/Gallery Shop purchase
• Invitations to Imagination Society Events

Thank you!

The Board of Trustees and Staff of the Lawrence Arts Center wish to thank the following retiring Board members who have given their time and service to the Arts Center and to the Lawrence Community:

• Dave Adams
• Louis Copt
• Jason Edmonds
• Evan Ice
• Maurice Joy
• Dolph Simons, III

In The Gallery

The Lawrence Arts Center provides the community with 13-16 exhibitions each year in its two galleries. Individual artists are encouraged to apply to display their work in the galleries (see www.lawrenceartscenter.org/exhibition). Exhibitions are supported by grants, donations, sales and, primarily, by the proceeds of the Lawrence Art Auction, the major spring fundraising event of the Lawrence Arts Center (see www.lawrenceartauction.org).

In recent years, the Center has shown in its galleries more than 1,000 artists per year of both genders, all ages, many ethnic backgrounds, all media, and ranging from local preschool children to internationally known artists from such places as Tibet, Korea, China, Canada, Germany and Indonesia. The mission of the exhibition program is to represent and serve the community’s artists in every form and expression, young and old, contemporary and historical, “cutting edge” and “old school.” Such richness reflects the community that the Arts Center serves.

March 12 | “Straight from the Studio”

A one-day exhibition and reception of a life drawing project done in cooperation with Life Drawing I-IV / University of Kansas These large charcoal drawings are an experiment that extends the use of traditional life drawing toward development of individual ideas related to the body and/or the human condition. At mid-term, after developing the necessary skill, each student worked directly from the model on a periodic basis along with other sources as needed. As they explored ideas, students were encouraged to analyze the relationship between form and content while emphasizing the vocabulary of drawing. Art history was an important resource, including the late 20th Century work of Ivan Albright, Francesco Clemente, Glen Brown, Jenny Saville, John Curin, Nicole Eisenman, Odd Nerdrum, Eric Fishl, etc.

Professor: Judith Burns McCrea
Participating Student Artists: Tristan Bowersox, Satoshi Inoue, Chelsie Masenthin, Scott McPherson, Maryann Stenzel, Thayer Bray, Marley Cunningham, Amanda Intravartolo, Marissa Lindstrom, Marie McKenzie, Lucy Robertson, Yi-Hung Tseng, Olena Chervonik

March 13-15 | Palpung Dharma Foundation Exhibition and Sale

March 16 | 6-8pm | Lawrence Art Auction Donating Artists Appreciation Party

March 23 – April 18 | Lawrence Art Auction Preview Exhibition

April 3 | 5:30-7pm | Imagination Society Reception for the Lawrence Art Auction

April 3 | 7-9pm | Lawrence Art Auction Members and Friends Reception

April 18 | Lawrence Art Auction
Doors open at 6pm, Silent Auction ends at 7:15pm, Live Auction starts promptly at 7:30pm | Auctioneer: Ric Averill

April 20–24 | Lawrence Arts Center Preschool Exhibition

April 27 – May 15 | Annual Lawrence Public Schools Arts Students Exhibition
This exhibition includes work by Lawrence’s elementary, junior high and high school art students. If you have a student participating in this exhibition, please contact your student’s teacher for the exact dates your student’s work will be on display.

May 18–29 | New Works by Hak Kyun Kim
Hak Kyun Kim is the 2008-09 Lawrence Arts Center Ceramics Artist-in-Residence

June 5–July 17 | “From the ’60s to Sixty Something: A Journey of Art and Friendship”
Works by Jim Brothers and Louis Copt Renowned artists, each in his own right, sculptor Jim Brothers and painter Louis Copt have known each other since Jim was Louis’s art teacher in Emporia during the 1960s. In this exhibition, we celebrate the careers and friendship of these internationally known Lawrence artists.

July 24 – August 21 | Lawrence Art Guild All Members Show
Reception: Saturday, July 25—7-9pm
The Lawrence Art Guild is an independent non-profit organization created to promote art awareness in Lawrence and surrounding areas. It supports the creative growth of its members and area artists through monthly Artists Forums and several annual art exhibitions that feature work by members. Meetings are held on the third Monday evening of each month, 6:30-9pm in the Lawrence Public Library auditorium at 707 Vermont Street.

Lawrence Art Auction

Monday, March 16, 6-8pm | Artist donor appreciation party (for donating artists and friends only). Bring your artwork to donate, enjoy refreshments and see what other artists have contributed. Monday, March 23 | Preview Exhibition opens to the public and runs through April 18, in the galleries of the Lawrence Arts Center. Live Auction bids may be recorded until noon on April 18. Silent Auction bids may be made up until 7:15pm on April 18. Friday, April 3, 5:30-7pm | Imagination Society Reception (for Imagination Society members and invited guests only). A presentation will be made by featured artist Dave Van Hee. Friday, April 3, 7-9pm | Members Preview Party (open to the public). Remarks by members of the Lawrence Art Auction Committee and donating artists at 7:30pm.

Saturday, April 18 | Lawrence Art Auction. Doors open at 6pm.

New this year

Visitors to the Auction Preview Exhibition can bid on Live Auction items as well as Silent Auction items If a donated item does not attract a bid of at least 50 percent of retail value, it will be returned to the artist

Tickets

$25 in advance, $30 at the door
For more information, see www.lawrenceartauction.org.

As Lawrence’s first benefit art auction, the Lawrence Art Auction was established in 1981 to encourage artists and art lovers to support exhibitions at the Lawrence Arts Center. Now the Center’s largest single fundraising event, the Art Auction attracts donations of original art by nearly 300 area artists each year. Nearly 100 volunteers help host 700 guests on auction night, and approximately a dozen local businesses support the event as sponsors, underwriters and in-kind contributors.

“The auction is very popular, and I’d like to think it’s because we continue to look for ways to improve upon it, recognizing the needs of both artists and art buyers. This year we are making some changes,” explains Rick Mitchell, gallery director. “It will be possible for visitors to the Auction Preview Exhibition to bid on Live Auction items as well as Silent Auction items. In addition, for the first time, we will require that opening bids start at 50 percent of retail value. If a donated item does not attract a bid of at least 50 percent, it will be returned to the artist.”

Silent Auction and Live Auction

During the Preview Exhibition, beginning March 23, written bids may be made on both Silent Auction and Live Auction items. No ticket is necessary to enter the exhibition or bid on these items. Silent Auction items may be “bought out” of the auction for 150 percent of their posted retail value. Silent Auction bids must be recorded by 7:15pm on April 12. Successful bids will be posted during the Live Auction that takes place on Saturday evening, April 18.

The highest bid on a Live Auction item at the time the Live Auction opens at 7:30pm will be regarded as the opening bid. Opening bids for all items must be at least 50 percent of the posted retail value. Bidders are encouraged to offer retail prices and above in support of this benefit event. Retail prices are posted on the wall and listed in the auction catalog. Amounts paid over retail values may be considered tax-deductible donations to the Lawrence Arts Center (check with your tax advisor). Sales tax is charged on auction purchases.

Information for Artists

If you would like to contribute original art to the Lawrence Art Auction, contact Rick Mitchell at the Lawrence Arts Center, 785-843-2787 or lacgallery@sunflower.com. Donations may be made until April 12; however, early donations are advised and appreciated.

The Arts Center asks every art donor to provide a retail value for the donated work. We list the retail value in the catalog and on the wall label. Retail values supplied by artists are not questioned. However, please be as realistic as possible in setting a value. Retail values are not minimum bids. We set minimum bids at 50 percent of retail value in this auction. It is in the Arts Center’s interest to sell your work for the highest possible price; however, we cannot be sure that a particular price will be reached. Based on auction records over a period of years, it is nearly as likely that your work will sell for over retail value as below.

The auction is truly an open market. Anything can happen. Sales will range from 50 percent to 500 percent of listed retail value with an average sale price of about 85 percent of retail across all items. Tax laws permit artists to take the cost of materials as a tax deduction. You may not take the full sales price or the market value as a tax deduction. (Please check with your tax advisor.) To help offset the costs of making a donation, the Arts Center offers the option of taking 25 percent back on the sale of the donated work. Some artists choose to donate the entire amount to the Arts Center (and we say thank you!). But many choose to take the option to help them meet the costs of framing and materials. If you choose to receive 25 percent back on the sale of your work, you will need to complete a W-9 form, available at the Arts Center, and return it to us when delivering your artwork.

Donating artists also are entitled to a free web page for one year, a free one-year membership to the Arts Center, two tickets to the Art Auction, and a $15 certificate toward a class at the Arts Center. Please frame your two-dimensional works of art. If the work is large and needs to be behind glass, please consider using Plexiglass. Also, please make sure an adequate hanging apparatus is in place when you deliver the work.

A Statement by 2009 Featured Artist Dave Van Hee

Way out on the east edge of town, between the ghostly green sleep of Oak Hill Cemetery and the post industrial rapture of the abandoned fertilizer factory, in a free standing garage that is going to need a new roof one of these years, Dave Van Hee is fabricating something for your hallway or bosom. Born east of Troost in 1950 Kansas City, Mo., the underage entrepreneur often did lunch with Whizzo the clown. The hands that wrought jillions of exquisite aluminum figures gained unfair consecrational advantage when, in 1956, the very digits that fashioned tens of brazillions of holiday pins, shook with Hopalong Cassidy. (What’s-his-name the horse was also present, a silent witness.) After learning to read and write, Van Hee bought a pneumatic pop riveter and later enrolled in slab class at the Lawrence Arts Center. 2009 finds Van Hee still nurturing a healthy respect for drainage and climate control in the studio with universal mindful paintbrush hygiene for all.

What’s Going On

Update: The Committee on Imagination & Place

I&P Press to launch first book and celebrate Kansas poets laureate on July 1
The Committee on Imagination & Place of the Lawrence Arts Center announces the first publication of the Imagination & Place Press, “Imagination & Place: An Anthology,” on July 1, 2009. This eclectic collection features poems, essays and fiction by writers from coast to coast, broadening the conversation about place and its relation to the natural world and human culture.

July 1 is also the first day of the two-year term of the recently named third Kansas poet laureate, Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, and represents the conclusion of the term of the second poet laureate, Denise Low. Both are members of the Committee on Imagination & Place and are from Lawrence.

The public is warmly invited to attend a combined celebration taking place on July 1, at 7pm in the gallery. Admission is the purchase of a copy of “Imagination & Place: An Anthology,” available for the first time at the door that night. A place-based buffet reception will be included with admission. Enjoy a book signing and readings by area contributors to the anthology, as well as readings by Mirriam-Goldberg and Low.

The Committee on Imagination & Place was organized in 1999 to consider ideas related to human imagination and concepts of place. Imagination & Place conferences, exhibitions, publications, lectures and projects are interdisciplinary and arts-based. Previous publications include “The Wakarusa Wetlands in Word & Image,” “Imagination & Place Artists and Writers Portfolio, 2004,” and “Cottonwood 59/60: Kansas Conference on Imagination & Place.” Plans call for future books that will consider sub-themes.

See www.imaginationandplace.org for information.

Call for Submissions
Deadline: August 1

The Imagination & Place Press seeks submissions for an interdisciplinary publication on the theme of ownership as it relates to place, titled “Imagination & Place: Ownership.”

The idea of ownership impacts many facets of contemporary human life from real estate to intellectual property; from the simple possession of personal belongings to the elaborate legal relationships we have with others that have led to such institutions as marriage and instruments such as wills and trusts. Modern human beings own homes, businesses, vehicles, land, buildings, copyrights, securities, personal property, plants, animals, and even ideas and music.

Some questions and considerations on the topic of ownership in relation to place are: Ownership may encompass legal possession of land; a sense of belonging and responsibility for a place; or, in contrast, an entitlement to convert that which is wholly owned to “resources” for sale and profit. What constitutes sovereignty? How are control and ownership linked? What is the relationship to that which is not (or cannot be) owned? What are the implications of ownership over time and generations? What stories can be told about human beings and the meaning of ownership in their lives? What does ownership mean to indigenous cultures? Can other than human species be said to be owners?

I&P Press will consider writings of all genres (including essays, short fiction, poetry) from writers and visual artwork from artists having a variety of perspectives, experience, backgrounds, levels of education, disciplines and interests.

No previously published works should be submitted. The I&P Press will consider simultaneous submissions with the clear understanding that, if work is accepted elsewhere, the submitters will notify the Press immediately.

Submission guidelines for writings are as follows: Mail in hard-copy form to Imagination & Place Press, Lawrence Arts Center, 940 New Hampshire, Lawrence, KS 66044, no more than five poems or prose of no more than 7,000 words. Enclose a cover letter. No manuscripts will be returned. For correspondence purposes, send an e-mail, confirming your submission, to laciandppress@sunflower.com. Put “Ownership Writing” in the subject line. In the body of your e-mail message, include your name, full address and description of your submission.

Submission guidelines for artwork are as follows: Send an e-mail to laciandppress@sunflower.com with “Ownership Art” in the subject line. In the body of your e-mail message, include your name; full address; URL of website containing images of work, if applicable; and description of your submission. Attach no more than 10 images in 72 dpi, JPG format.

See www.imaginationandplace.org for information.

The Write Stuff

The Committee on Imagination & Place at the Lawrence Arts Center and The Raven Bookstore presented the 13th annual Langston Hughes Creative Writing Awards for Douglas County, Kansas, writers. The 2009 awards were presented to Nancy Pistorius, left, and Judy Bauer on February 2, during a celebration of the birthday of Langston Hughes, at the Lawrence Arts Center. The award, which comes with $500 for each winner, is given to encourage writers who have not had a poetry volume or fiction book published to finish their first work.

Performances And Updates

Drama

Ric’s “Eyeballs” everywhere!

Friday, May 8—7pm
Saturday, May 9—7pm
Sunday, May 10 (Hot Dog Theatre!)—12:30pm picnic, 2pm performance

There’s an Eyeball in My Soup

Sure, we’re doing Ric’s new play, There’s an Eyeball in My Soup, written with help from his niece, Sierra Cydrus, who loves gross foods, but we’re not the only ones interested in the piece. Through the American Alliance for Theatre in Education’s Playwrights in our Schools program, Ric will do a one-week residency in Park City, Utah, working with Nicole Madison’s drama classes to put together a staged reading of the play on March 20. The play will also be showcased at a New Play Festival through the Purple Crayon Players, affiliated with Chicago’s Northwestern University, in mid-April. Both opportunities will give the playwright a chance to continue developing the play prior to its world premiere at the Arts Center on Friday, May 8, with a talk back after. The show will play again at on Saturday evening, May 9, and then again on Sunday afternoon, May 10. Hot Dog Theatre: The Sunday show follows a picnic on the Arts Center’s north lawn with all the fixin’s — hot dogs, chips, dessert, punch and maybe even a few gross foods in honor of the play. Come join us! Meet the cast, enjoy a little banjo music from the playwright and, of course, catch the 2pm show for no extra charge! Sponsors include Local Burger, Michael Treanor Architects and Sarah’s Fabrics. Food donors/sponsors include Hy-Vee, McDonald’s of Lawrence, Checkers, Community Mercantile and maybe even you!

Tickets: $8.50 adults | $6.50 children, students, seniors

Educational Auditions For Eyeball

Tuesday and Wednesday, March 24-25, 7-9:30pm
Actors ages 9 and up should plan to attend both evenings. Ric will work closely with the actors, working on audition techniques and opening up the audition process. This is a small-cast show — three girls, one boy, a dog (well, a comedian playing a dog, either an adult or child actor) and two men — so the process will be in many ways as important as the result. Auditioning actors will read the entire script, get tips, have several chances to read and get positive feedback. They will also receive a discount coupon for attendance to the production. In addition to casting the four children/one dog roles, Ric will cast five understudies who will learn the show and have an opportunity to perform at 4:30pm on May 9, prior to the Saturday evening show, for parents and friends.

New for all audiences

• Friday, August 21—8pm
• Saturday, August 22—8pm
• Friday, August 28—8pm
• Saturday, August 29—8pm

Boston’s Final Borning

This one-man play by Ron Willis tells the story of Boston Corbett, the man who shot and killed Lincoln’s assassin, John Wilkes Booth. Corbett was an eccentric, deeply religious (and slightly mad) man, who became a doorkeeper for the Kansas House of Representatives. The original work is co-produced by EMU Theatre and Ron Willis’s production company and will run for two weekends during “Bleeding Kansas” Days in Downtown Lawrence. The premier performance will be on August 21, the 146th anniversary of Quantrill’s raid.

Tickets: $10 adults | $7 students, seniors

Thursday Night Film Series

Thursday, April 2—7pm | Kansas-Missouri Short Film Festival Winners

Celebrate the winners of our first annual film festival. Two hours’ worth of great new material will be shared with the audience. In addition to the judges award in categories of best comedy, drama, documentary, musical, screenplay, acting and best of show, a people’s choice award will be given by audience applause. Refreshments will be available. Sponsored by David and Anne Hollond, and Paul Van Vleck. $5 general admission

Thursday, June 9—7pm | Shakespeare on Film Excerpts from several great works of Shakespeare will be shown and briefly discussed. Summer Youth Theatre students may attend for free. $5 general admission

Thursday, August 6—7pm | “Bleeding Kansas” Excerpts from several great films depicting the days of “Bleeding Kansas” will be shown, including several interpretations of Quantrill’s raid. Watch for more information this summer. $5 general admission

Music at the Center (a little new night music)
Saturday, April 11—7:30pm | Singer/Songwriter Night We’ve invited Joe Comparato, Deborah Pine, Janette Michels, Daniel Shay Quinn and others. Singers sit in inner circle with audience all around! $5 general admission with cash bar

Thursday, April 16—7:30pm | Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Reeds! New compositions for oboe, bassoon and English horn commissioned by the Midwest Double Reed Society. $5 general admission

Friday, May 22—7:30pm | New Works/Lawrence Composers Works by Joseph Post, Steve Dahlberg, Ric Averill and other local classical composers. $5 general admission and coffee bar

First Saturday Players

Saturday, May 2—2pm
Pirates: A Brief History
Jennifer Glenn’s delightful original script will wrap up this year’s season of plays for the very, very young — performed by our 6th grade+ students. Everybody loves pirates! Sponsors for this production are Ron and Colette Gaches and family.
Tickets: $4 at the door

Spring ... forward!

Downtown Theatre Jam | Hey, actors, writers, dancers, film buffs, musicians and artsy teens! On Friday-Saturday, April 24-25, come join Lawrence Youth Ensemble and Arts Center theatre directors and staff to play improv games and get going on a theme. Then, writers will go home and write — and everyone will come back on Saturday to read, perform and workshop what’s been written. No drama experience necessary. Call the Arts Center at 785-843-2787 or check www.lawrenceartscenter.org for more.

Spring Break Film And Busker Camps | It’s not too late to enroll (but act now!). We offer three Spring Break camps this year, something for all ages — a Circus and Busker Camp for 3rd-8th graders, a Film Camp for 7th-12th graders, and a Circus Camp for K-3rd graders. Each provides the opportunity to see the others at work, and possibly even be involved. Come join us over Spring Break! Check page 7 for the basics and find more info at www.lawrenceartscenter.org.

Summer is big!

Summer Youth Theatre | We’re having a grand time preparing for our 35th season — a summer of “Rebels with a Cause”! We have an amazing, challenging and innovative season of shows: Julius Caesar and Rent (school edition — yes, we got it, and it will be complete with an SYT alumni live band!) for 8th-12th graders ... Annie and Robin Hood for 4th-7th graders ... and four really fun tales for K-3rd graders. Auditions will be held Sunday through Tuesday, April 26-28. Current/graduating 8th-12th graders should prepare a short monologue (and, if enrolling in Rent, 16 bars of a Broadway song). Current/graduating 4th-7th graders will audition with cold readings and singing. Sign up now — everyone who enrolls will be cast. (Please note that we can cast only 70 students for Annie, so sign up early.) See page 7 for the complete line-up and more!

Film Classes | We’re offering “independent studies” for youth and adult film students. Work with Christie and Jeff Dobson to create your documentary or short feature, and learn more about camera work. See page 7 for details.

Late Summer Camp | Just when you think summer is coming to a close ... join us in August for our Awesome August Character Camp. It takes a history turn this year, celebrating the lives of Kansans and those who impacted them, including Abraham Lincoln, our 200-year-old president. Other characters to be explored include Carry Nation, John Brown and William Quantrill. See class listings for information.

We Say Thank You

Many thanks to the following for their support of Theatre at the Center and the Drama program at the Lawrence Arts Center during our 2008-09 fiscal year. We appreciate you immensely! American Century Companies | Beverly Smith Billings | Margaret & Jeff Carlin | Terri & Keith Chauvin | Hilda Enoch | Colette & Ron Gaches | Gaches, Braden, Barbee & Associates | Sharon & James Hammond | Suzan Hill | Barbara & Steve Hillmer | Thomas & Barbara Hollister | Anne & David Hollond | Lawrence Family Vision Clinic (Dr. Dennis Hoss) | Tamara & Derek Ishmael | Kelly Jones | McDonald’s of Lawrence | Stephanie Murrell | Anne & Craig Patterson | Bill & Marlene Penny | Paula Shaver | Jan Sheldon & Jim Sherman | Susan & Brad Tate | Treanor Architects | US Bank (Program Sponsor) | Paul Van Vleck | Vinland Valley Nursery (Amy Albright & Doug Davison) | Lori Walton | Agnes Walsh & Craig West | Jordan Yochim

DANCE

For Your Calendar: Spring and Summer Performances

Saturday, April 4—7pm
Sunday, April 5—2pm
The Wizard of Oz
Join the Lawrence Youth Ballet in their production of this classic tale. Directed by Deborah Bettinger, these dancers, aged 8-17, will present the fantasy “over the rainbow.” This year’s production will include spoken word as well as dance. Don’t miss this delightful adventure of Dorothy and Toto as they travel from Kansas to meet the Scarecrow, the Lion and the Tin Man.

April 12–17
Performatica
940 is going international! 940 Dance Company, the resident, professional modern dance company of the Lawrence Arts Center, has been invited to participate and perform at the Performatica Festival in Puebla, Mexico. Performatica is an international forum of contemporary dance and movement arts. The company will perform Susan Rieger’s new work, “Elusive Memory,” created in collaboration with the Lawrence Arts Center’s 2007-08 ceramic artist in residence, Jennifer Holt.

Friday, April 24—7:30pm
Saturday, April 25—7:30pm
New Works Concert
Under the artistic direction of Susan Rieger, the exciting 940 Dance Company brings you another year of new works. The evening concert will include works by Rieger as well as company members Non Edwards, Bobbi Foudree and Vance Baldwin. Don’t miss the opportunity to see this year’s exciting company, just returning from Mexico.

Friday, May 15—7pm
Saturday, May 16—10:30am, 1pm, 3pm
Dance Gala 2009
Four different showcases will be presented to celebrate the achievements of the students of the Lawrence Arts Center's dance program. The Gala performances will include ballet, tap, jazz, modern and more! This year’s graduating seniors performing solos are Ruth Byers, Julia Davidson, Juliet Remmers and Lucy Shopen.

Friday, July 10—7pm
Pippi Longstocking
The Summer Performance Dance Camp will be performing Pippi Longstocking this year. She is unconventional, assertive and extraordinarily strong — a perfect match for the kids of Lawrence. Follow Pippi in her striped stockings as she and her horse, named Horse, take part in many zany adventures. For more information, see www.lawrenceartscenter.org. Use the class registration form on page 14 to sign up.

940 Dance Company Auditions
Sunday, April 26—2-4pm
Open audition to advanced modern dancers who are interested in being a part of the 940 Dance Company, the resident, professional dance company of the Lawrence Arts Center for the 2009-2010 season, starting next September. For information, or an audition slot, please call the Arts Center at 785-843-2787.

Annual Summer Intensive Dance Workshop
Tuesday–Saturday, May 26-30
Don’t miss the excellent opportunity to study different areas of dance in a focused atmosphere with guest artists and high-quality, experienced instructors, including Sean Duus of the Kansas City Ballet. Watch for more information, available mid-March, at the Lawrence Arts Center.

Carmine Ballere Dance Scholarship Auditions
Monday, May 18—4:30-5:30pm
Designed to recognize excellence and commitment and to encourage the serious study of ballet, this scholarship covers full tuition for four ballet classes per week and additional pointe classes, the Annual Holiday Show, and the Lawrence Youth Ballet Company. Those auditioning should be entering Ballet IV or higher level classes. Additional classes are encouraged but not covered by the scholarship. Scholarship is for Fall 2009 through Spring 2010.

Spring Into Summer

For a Marvelous Mother’s Day Weekend
A treat that will go down in history: May 9

The Marvelous Mother’s Day History Tour
For Marvelous Mothers and their children and friends
Saturday, May 9, 2009
10am to 2 pm
Starting location: Lawrence Arts Center, 940 New Hampshire
Tickets: $20 per person (includes a splendid brunch)
Call 785-843-2787 or stop in for tickets
All proceeds will benefit the Lawrence Arts Center Dance Program

Treat your marvelous mother to a special day on Saturday, May 9 — join us for a talk and tour of two historic Lawrence homes. Your morning will start out at the beautiful Lawrence Arts Center where you will enjoy a delicious brunch followed by a brief talk by KU Architecture Professor Dennis Domer. Then you will have the opportunity to tour two historic houses, both having a connection to the infamous Quantrill and his raiders. Tickets are $20 per person. For tickets, please stop by the Arts Center or call 785-843-2787.

The Bell House

One of the oldest surviving residential buildings in Lawrence is The Bell House, located at 1008 Ohio Street. George Bell bought the lot for $60 in late October 1862. George, his wife Annie and six children were living in the house when Quantrill’s raiders attacked the city of Lawrence on August 21, 1863. George Bell was killed and the house was set on fire, but the family saved it. The Lawrence Arts Center 940 Dancers will meet you at the Bell House and tell you the rest of the story.

The Bishop Vail House

Lawrence began to reconstruct the town after Quantrill’s raid. The Thomas Vail House was built in 1866 during that reconstruction. The house, a two-story brick Italianate dwelling located at 505 Ohio Street, was occupied by Bishop Thomas Vail, the diocese’s first bishop. Bishop Vail also established a hospital in Topeka, Christ Hospital (now known as Stormont-Vail Regional Medical Center). Noted historian and owner of the Vail House, Katie Armitage, will greet you for a tour of her home.

Art Tougeau
Classic art car parade gets ready to roll: May 16

It’s time to get your car ready for the annual Art Tougeau Parade. The ever-popular pre-parade painting party is scheduled for Friday, May 15, 6:30-9pm on the top level of the New Hampshire Street parking garage. On Saturday, May 16, parade line-up and check-in begins at 10:30am in front of the Lawrence Arts Center, and the parade starts at noon. Everyone is invited to attend the post-parade block party at 2pm on the East 100 block of 10th Street, featuring live music at the Replay at 3pm. That’s right — music, cars, bikes, UFOs, food, beverages and people of all ages. For more information and schedule updates, check out the Art Tougeau website at www.arttougeau.org.

Ball d’artes 2009
Divas and Gents

Save the date! Saturday, June 13
A red carpet and the flashing cameras of the paparazzi await you

Soup Line

You bowled us over! More than 650 bowls were sold at the annual Souper Bowl Saturday event, held the morning of January 31. This favorite among local gatherings generated over $11,000 in funding for the LAC Ceramics program in just under three hours. The Lawrence Arts Center wants to thank Hy-Vee, Great Harvest Bread, the dozens of volunteers, and the hundreds of artists and shoppers who helped to make Souper Bowl 2009 such a successful event. Eat soup!