Featured faculty: Hollie Rice, Ceramics
Hollie Rice earned a BFA in ceramics and art history from The University of Kansas, and is currently completing her master's in visual arts education. Her work can be seen at the Olive Gallery in Lawrence, and in numerous other exhibitions in and around Lawrence and Kansas City.
Hollie employs a variety of materials in her work; she often uses clay alone, but is not afraid to use metal, wood, glass or anything else that can help to communicate a particular idea successfully. She prefers to work in clay because of its flexible nature and endless array of possibilities. Her current body of work is a collection of low- and high-fired ceramic birthday cakes. Her cakes reflect her playful sense of humor, as does most of her sculptural work.
Hollie teaches a variety of classes at the Arts Center including Family Pottery on the Wheel, Introduction to Ceramics, Pottery, Metalsmithing and Intermediate Ceramics, as well as several children's classes (see pages 5-7 and page 15 for course registration information).
JTPS update
The holidays are in the air. Duck! Come hide and take classes down in the John Talleur Print Studio. We'll keep you safe from any dangerous overdoses of celebratory spirit(s).
If you were one of the marvelous and generous supporters who attended the first annual Roll Your Own fundraiser, then we love you very much. (Now please go sign up for the Valentine Cards workshop. Spaces are limited, so move fast.) Proceeds from RYO will go toward expanding the print studio curriculum. Many of our students have asked for additional classes in areas where we do not have the necessary supplies - solarplate, photo emulsion silkscreen, etc. - so the plan is to put these funds back to work for you, our dear and loving supporters. Thanks.
If you are one of the people who couldn't resist the posters for RYO and appropriated one for your own enjoyment and/or nefarious purposes, well, that's okay, we're glad you thought they were cool. We made plenty. (Now go sign up for Letterpress I and make your own cool posters. Yes, you have this power!).
Scheduling note: The Introduction to Printmaking course has moved to Monday nights. Saturday workshops still include Silkscreen and Pronto Prints. We are delighted to report that our classes now fill very quickly, so sign up as soon as possible. A monstrous donation of silkscreen ink just arrived in the studio as well, which should entertain Nick's classes for a long time to come.
The next few months will be very exciting for the print studio - we hope to soon be able to announce a major new donation of letterpress type, one that will almost double our current collection. Friends of the Font, rejoice. Happy holidays!
Saving history
Historical conservation... the phrase makes most people think of historical districts or antique furniture, perhaps even historic landscapes such as the Black Jack Battlefield.
JTPS wants to raise awareness about another critical form of historic conservation - saving printing presses and letterpress type. Too often, these exquisite old machines and type collections find themselves melted down or dumped into the trash.
That's the history of literacy and free speech you're throwing away, folks. Please don't let this happen. Contact a JTPS member for help in preserving this important part of the Free State legacy. We are fast running out of space, but we will do our absolute best to find someone to give your type and presses a good home.
Questions? Email mhazlett@direcway.com.
Gallery Exhibitions and Events
Holiday Art Fair
- Dec. 3, 10am-6pm
- Lawrence Art Guild
- Reception: Saturday, Dec. 3, 6-8pm
The Lawrence Art Guild's Holiday Art Fair is held annually on the first Saturday in December. This fine arts fair provides a great opportunity to find unique holiday gifts for family and friends. Strolling musicians add to the ambiance of this lively event! Free. For information, please call 785-979-7039.
Late Fall Exhibitions
Dec. 7-22, Lawrence Photo-Alliance Members Show
- Reception: Friday, Dec. 9, 7-9pm
- Gallery Talk: Wednesday, Dec. 14, 7pm
Dec. 10-22, Beyond Origami: Floating Objects by Nancy Bjorge
- Reception: Saturday, Dec. 10, 7-9pm
- Gallery Talk with the artist: Tuesday, Dec. 13, 7pm
Lawrence artist, Nancy Loo Bjorge, was born in Shanghai, China, and raised in Hong Kong. While growing up she lived in a household that included her grandmother who observed old Chinese and family traditions. One activity was to perform the ceremony of paying respect to family ancestors. She asked the grandchildren to fold paper into a special shape for use in this ceremony. Nancy folded hundreds of pieces. Paper folding made such an impression upon her that whenever her hands were free she would pick up a piece of paper and start folding. Nancy did not receive any classroom instruction in paper folding, but she learned how to fold paper into the shapes of animals and other objects from adults and other children. After high school, Nancy came to the U.S. for college and earned a degree in mathematics. She later obtained a master of fine arts degree with an emphasis in jewelry design and metal-working.
Winter Exhibitions
Jan. 13-Feb. 28, Lawrence Art Guild All Members Show
- Reception: Saturday, Jan. 13, 7-9pm
The Lawrence Art Guild will return to the Arts Center to present works of art by many of its 260 members. Art Guild president Linda Barnski says, "This show should not be missed. One of the most popular Art Guild shows because of its artistic diversity, this is a long-time favorite in Lawrence."
Jan. 13-Feb. 28, Paintings and Drawings by Ivan Fortushniak
- Reception: Saturday, Jan. 14, 7-9pm
Ivan Fortushniak received his B.F.A. in painting in 1998 from the Kendall College of Art and Design, Grand Rapids, Mich., and his M.F.A. in painting in 2000 from the University of Cincinnati, Ohio. For three years, until spring 2005, he taught in the art department at The University of Kansas. He is currently assistant professor of art at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.In recent years, Fortushniak has investigated the psychological roles that pop and historical icons have played in his understanding of life. His striking and distinctive work examines the effects of modern industrial progress on the natural environment. Images of airplanes, expressways, industrial sites, water towers, and commercial icons are juxtaposed with beautiful Midwest landscapes.
By looking at such phenomena as global warming and trends including increasing rates of industrial consumption of land, colonization, and the debate between proponents of evolution and creationism - in relation to pastoral landscapes - he brings to a head many critical issues of the day. "As a painter, my process involves a combination of traditional and unconventional methods, including direct opaque painting and glazing, and burning and scratching," Ivan says. "The bulk of my work juxtaposes water towers, smokestacks and Boeing aircraft, with landscapes inspired by George Inness, Winslow Homer and Albert P. Ryder."
Upcoming Imagination & Place events
NEW PUBLICATION
The Wakarusa Wetlands in Word & Image
A Publication of the Committee on Imagination & Place (available in December at the Arts Center)
In the spring of 2003, naturalist, environmental activist, and acclaimed author Terry Tempest Williams took part in a five-day residency at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, sponsored by the National Book Foundation. Williams's visit was part of American Voices, a community outreach project designed to promote reading and writing as means of preserving American Indian culture.While in Lawrence, Williams gave two public talks: the first sponsored by the Committee on Imagination & Place at Prairie Park Nature Center, a city nature park (March 31, 2003), and the second on the Haskell campus (April 2, 2003). The talks centered on other subjects, but in both instances, Williams spoke directly to the importance of the Wakarusa Wetlands.Williams also met with Imagination & Place co-founders Laurie Ward, Paul Hotvedt and Rick Mitchell. She later joined I&P members Kelly Barth, Lisa Grossman, Denise Low, Beth Schultz and Ward on a trip to the Konza Prairie.
During her stay in Lawrence, Williams suggested to Denise Low that a book might be created that would illuminate the Wetlands. The idea took hold and the book will be available this December through the Committee on Imagination & Place at the Lawrence Arts Center. The Wakarusa Wetlands in Word & Image includes works by writers Kelly Barth, Wendell Berry, Kirsten Bosnak, George W. Brown, Michael Caron, Brian Daldorph, Jimm GoodTracks, Sue Halpern, Suzan Shown Harjo, Nancy Hubble, Becky Lyn Kasenberg, W. P. Kincaid, Patrice Regier Krause, Kenneth Lassman, Denise Low, Jim McCrary, Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, Michael Poage, Judith Roitman, Richard Schoeck, Elizabeth Schultz, Steve Semken, Robert Stewart, Amber Tucker, Laurie Turrell Ward, T.F. Pecore Weso and Terry Tempest Williams; interviews with N. Scott Momaday and Luci Tapahonso; and images from artists Jon Blumb, Wally Emerson, D.W. Gates, Kyle Gerstner, Lisa Grossman, Maril Hazlett, Kathleen J. Hird, Paul Hotvedt, Tom Mersmann, Rick Mitchell, Jerry Sipe, Thomas Soetaert and Mary Tuven. This work is published as a community project of the Committee on Imagination & Place. Further information is available online at www.imaginationandplace.org
BOOK RELEASE AND SIGNING
Words of a Prairie Alchemist:
The Art of Prairie Language by Denise Low (Introduction by Thomas Fox Averill)
- Wednesday, Feb. 15, 7:30pm
The Committee on Imagination & Place of the Lawrence Arts Center presents an evening of readings and conversation with Denise Low, as she celebrates the publication of her new book, Words of a Prairie Alchemist: The Art of Prairie Language. A small exhibition of works by the book cover artist, Jack Ozegovic, will be part of the event. The event is free and open to the public.
Words of a Prairie Alchemist, like William Stafford's Writing the Australian Crawl, provides insight into the working life of a writer through essays, poems, commentary and interview excerpts. This book offers an insider's view of writing as an art and as a way of life.
Low has emerged as one of the most trusted writers of the central prairielands region. With a balance of drama and finesse, she describes the juncture between the natural world and the human realm of literature. She draws upon the American Indian view that emphasizes the responsibility of writers to community and to the land. Of European heritage, she references alchemy as a metaphor for the transformational possibilities of language and deftly presents historic background for context in the practice of poetry, including the resurgence of the sonnet form, the varieties of the contemporary lyric, and the dialectic between text and performance.
The Lawrence Arts Commission awarded this publication a grant in 2005. Copies of the book will be available for purchase in the Arts Center gift shop following the event.
Jack Ozegovic: Midwest Alchemy:
An Exhibit of Lithographs, Pencil and Pastel Drawings, and Watercolors
Artist's statement: "The work used on the cover of Denise Low's Words of a Prairie Alchemist is a color lithograph which was inspired while driving through a Flint Hills thunderstorm in 1985. As the sun emerged in the west, the storm clouds in the east turned into an ominous blue-black. This image, with the sun on the yellow ocher grasses, the rolling contours of the hills, and trees crouching in the gully, was very dramatic and remained vivid in my memory. This print is part of a long involvement with landscape space, color and shapes which I have explored in a variety of media." -Jack Ozegovic
Performances and updates
DRAMA
Swifter, Higher, Stronger: A Kansas Nutcracker
In what has fast become the Lawrence area's newest holiday tradition, A Kansas Nutcracker magically transforms the stage into an 1850s Kansas prairie fantasyland. Dozens of actors, dancers and singers - many of them your friends and neighbors - combine a wealth of talent to bring a barn raising/holiday party/dreamscape to life. If you're new to the tradition, you won't want to miss this local take on the old holiday classic. If you've joined us in years past, come on back. The 2005 production will be bigger and better than ever:
- Sgt. Dupres is promoted to Major Dupres (still played by Alain Deroulette).
- Major Dupres gets an Irish Lieutenant, Darby (played by Kansas City actor and new touring Seem-To-Be Player, Joseph Serrano!).
- Meet Gertrude, the Stahlbaum's German Cousin - sort of like a foreign exchange Christmas guest (played by Anna Springe).
- Welcome, Mary Devlin (former Prairie Wind Dancer) as Mrs. Stahlbaum.
- Ric Averill returns to portraying the Mouse King (he promises to win the fight and give all the little mice Cheeseballs!).
- Welcome back, Sarah Bezek, who will play not only the young heroine, Clara, but will also dance the part of Older Clara, partnering with Joseph Serrano.
- Welcome, 940 dance company, woven through the entire production texture.
- Sincere thanks to our sponsor, Capital City Bank!
Get your tickets soon. This year's production of A Kansas Nutcracker promises to be the most fun of all - if such a thing is possible. See you there!
-by Ric Averill, Deb Bettinger and Candi Baker
A Kansas Nutcracker shows at 7:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays, December 9, 10, 16 and 17; and at 2pm on Sundays, December 11 and 18 in the Arts Center's theatre. $16 adults/$11 for children/students/seniors. Second annual "Clara's Tea for Two" pre-party, Sunday, December 11, 12:30pm; "Mouse King Munchies," pre-party, Sunday, December 18, 12:30pm. For info, or to purchase tickets, call 785-843-ARTS (2787).
Women Who Made History: Courage in the Air, Courage in Confinement
Amelia Earhart. The Seem-To-Be Players professional touring company will present their “live radio show”-style production sharing the life story of America's First Lady of Flight.
Amelia broke more records than any other Aviatrix of her time until she was lost on a flight around the world. Welcome to Jane Elliott, former student, Summer Youth Theatre performer and graduate of Emerson College in Boston, in the title role! Come see Jon Cupit's “onstage” airplane! Live music, Jennifer Glenn's costumes, and professional sets will round out this lively historical play that will be seen in 13 states by more than 120,000 students and their families. Kansas tours to Hays, Kansas City, Tonganoxie, Dodge City, Arkansas City, Basehor, Topeka, Russell, Iola and Liberal are sponsored in part by ONEOK, the foundation of Kansas Gas Service.
Amelia Earhart: First Lady of Flight shows at 2pm on Saturday and Sunday, February 18 and 19, in the Arts Center's theatre. $8.50 adults/$6.50 cchildren/students/seniors
Anne Frank. The Seem-To-Be Players will also have a 10-person truck and van tour on the road this year, performing the classic Diary of Anne Frank. Look for our home productions on Thursday and Friday, March 2 and 3. The Eldridge Hotel, our show sponsor, will offer a special menu for both show nights. Our own student actress, Clara Kundin, will play the role of Anne. Clara will be doing virtual school for a semester so that she can go on this 11-state tour and perform for more than 100,000 middle school and high school students and their families.
Colton Rice, another SYT student, will also tour, as Anne's love interest, Peter. Other Seem-To-Be Players who will make the trek from California to Maine include Chris Waugh, Chris Johnson, Kitty Steffens and Andy Stowers. Our guest director, Moses Goldberg, just received a Medallion lifetime achievement award from the Children's Theatre Foundation of America. Moses will offer workshops at The University of Kansas and in the public schools during his three-week residency in Lawrence, during which time he'll stay at the beautiful, historic Eldridge Hotel.
The Diary of Anne Frank shows at 7:30pm on Thursday and Friday, March 2 and 3, in the Arts Center's theatre. $8.50 adults/$6.50 children/students/seniors
First Saturday Players to Present No T.V.
Ric Averill's play, No T.V., follows a girl who is sent to clean her room only to discover that the Deluxe Filter Vacuum Cleaner fills her mind with imagination. She discovers Prince Charmin, the Dust Bee and even the dreaded Underbedergator. The First Saturday Players will perform this great show for the very young in March.
No T.V. shows at 2pm on Saturday, March 4, in the Arts Center's theatre.
Performance Opportunities
Drama Education in the spring is all about performance! The 3rd-4th graders and 5th-6th graders studying with Jennifer Glenn put on fully staged plays at the Drama Education Showcase on May 11. The 9th-12th graders can do the City Youth Theatre Cabaret Showcase, and 7th-12th graders can participate in First Saturday Players. Lots of opportunities! See page 11 for info.
We Say Thanks!
Our most sincere thanks to the individuals and businesses who have chosen to sponsor shows in the Family Theatre Series. These community-minded souls include: Gould-Evans Architects, CEK Insurance, Ron and Collette Gaches and family, Stephens Real Estate, Michael Treanor Architechts, Fun & Games, Warren McElwain Funeral Services, Bill and Marlene Penny and family, Brad and Susan Tate and family, Martin Moore and Durand Reiber and family, Beverly Billings in honor of Bob Billings, McDonald's of Lawrence, Mass St. Music, Weaver's Department Store, the Eldridge Hotel, and the Dillon's stores of Lawrence. THANK YOU!
DANCE
Modern Night at the Folly
940 dance company will join other dance companies for a night of modern dance. With wit and style, Susan Warden's newest work, Coffee Clutch, looks at the desperate need for coffee to get through the work day.
Modern Night at the Folly shows at 8pm on Saturday, January 14, at the Folly Theatre in Kansas City, Mo.
First Step House Concert
This informal annual concert is presented to celebrate the residents, staff, family and friends of First Step House, a halfway home for women recovering from chemical addiction. It is free and open to the public.
First Step House Concert shows at 7pm on Tuesday, January 31, in the Arts Center's theatre.
Youth Concert: First Day/New School and More
On the artists' roster for Kansas City Young Audiences, Inc., the 940 dance company will tour to schools throughout the metro area, including every KCK elementary school this year. As the dancers bring their expertise home in performing for youth, this delightful performance will include excerpts from First Day/New School, a fast-paced comedic look at a young girl's dramatic first day at a new school. Sarah Grunwaldt's What's in a Word? will again bring out the speller in all of us. Don't miss this fun concert for youth and adults!
First Day/New School and More shows at 2pm on Friday and Saturday, February 10 and 11, in the Arts Center's theatre.
Other Company News
940 dance company is pleased to welcome two new male dancers, Michael Ingle and Josh Gregory. Michael grew up in Topeka and graduated from KU in 2004. He is well-known to Lawrence dance audiences as he danced and choreographed with the Bowery Dancers and the Prairie Wind Dancers, as well as the University Dance Company.
Josh (pronounced "Yosh") comes from Colorado State University where he performed in numerous dance and theater productions. He is also a dancer with Kansas City contemporary company Kacico Dance. Both men add an exciting dimension to the company. 940 dance company will be seen again this December in new roles in A Kansas Nutcracker (see article on page 20). Artistic Director Susan Warden is already looking ahead and planning this year's New Works Concert scheduled for May 5 and 6. The dancers are also teaching bi-monthly workshops and will perform twice this year at Wonderscope in Shawnee Mission, Kan.
Healing through the Arts II: Surviving and Thriving
940 dance company performed alongside singer-songwriter Kelley Hunt, poet Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg and others at Dangerous Curves II in October. The performance was an integral part of Healing through the Arts II: Surviving and Thriving, a project designed to raise awareness about breast cancer.
The month-long project also included an exhibit of artworks by cancer patients and others interested in healing issues, a celebration and remembrance collage wall, and a workshop series for survivors, their family members and friends.
"The potential for healing through the arts is powerful," says Candi Baker, Healing through the Arts project director and Dangerous Curves choreographer. "Of course, as artists we know when we work on art that is meaningful to us, that we can find healing; but we don't always know how we touch others who view our work."
Many thanks are due to the talented performers, committee members, volunteers, workshop leaders, businesses and organizations, and funders who made the event possible (see list and more information on page 28). Special thanks go to AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, the project's major sponsor, and to Lawrence Memorial Hospital.
A portion of the proceeds from the performances, workshops and art sales was given to Lawrence Breast Cancer Action, Inc., which sponsors breast cancer support groups, offers education about early detection, and provides information about free mammograms offered by Lawrence Memorial Hospital to women without insurance. For more information call 785-766-8887.
Join us at the Children's Holiday Shop
Now in its 12th year, the Children's Holiday Shop is a Lawrence holiday tradition unique to the Arts Center. The Shop is for children ages 3-12. Each year more than 700 children have the special experience of selecting their own gifts for their families and friends (even pets!) at the Holiday Shop. These quality gifts range in price from $1 to $5.
This year's event takes place on Friday evening, December 9, 4:30-7pm, for members of the Arts Center and preschool families, and on Saturday, December 10, 9:30am-2pm for the general public. Festivities include face painting, a visit from Baby Jay, local choirs singing holiday songs, and an opportunity to sit on Santa's lap. Parents, bring your cameras for special photo opportunities!
The Holiday Shop provides a safe and fun atmosphere for the children to shop. They are escorted by volunteer "elves" who ensure they have a unique and special experience selecting presents for the loved ones on their list. Parents wait for their children outside the Shop during shopping and wrapping so that the gifts can be kept secret. Last year we welcomed more than 700 children, who purchased 4,000 gifts! We hope your family will experience the fun of the Children's Holiday Shop this year.
Alongside the Holiday Shop will be the annual Preschool Cookie Sale where you can purchase all of your treats for the holidays. The cookies are sold by the pound and will be available both days.
Members of Hearts for the Arts, the volunteer auxiliary for the Lawrence Arts Center spend many hours volunteering their time to make the Holiday Shop a success. They organize more than 100 volunteers to help with the shop, are responsible for collecting the over 4,000 gifts needed, and organize the gift wrapping. And our Preschool families organize the Cookie Sale, baking and donating all of the cookies that are sold.
Our program sponsor, Capital Federal Savings, is also critical to the success of the Holiday Shop. Their financial support of the program is what makes the experience even more special for the children. With their support, the Arts Center can carry on this vital and special holiday tradition in Lawrence.
SWEET DEAL! COOKIE SALE AT THE CHILDREN'S HOLIDAY SHOP - $6 A POUND
PROCEEDS HELP BUY SUPPLIES FOR THE ARTS-BASED PRESCHOOL
Need a bowl?
Souper Bowl Saturday... Grab a spoon: It's time once again to bowl for dollars! The Lawrence Arts Center will host the 7th Annual Souper Bowl Saturday on February 4, beginning at 11 am. Word to the wise: In the past, this event has had people lining up and down the block to purchase handmade ceramic bowls and a hearty lunch of soup from HyVee and Great Harvest Bread, all for a $10 donation.
This event benefits the ceramics program each year, and it's always a lot of fun besides. Last year we used the proceeds to repair our ceramic kilns, give scholarships for ceramics classes, and purchase studio materials. We say thank you to all those artists who were generous enough to donate bowls, time and energy last year.
All bowls sold are handcrafted by area artists, community members and students. During this event anyone in the community can purchase a bowl of soup with bread for a minimum donation of $10 - and keep the bowl!
You can help us achieve our goal by donating handcrafted stoneware, greenware, bisqueware or completed bowls. All artists will be credited as contributors and are invited to come have a bowl of soup on us! Bowls can be donated at any time, or you may bring them the week before the sale: January 19-25. If you donate bowls, please remember to give us your name, so that we can give you credit and thank you later!
The Arts Center is always striving for new ways to bring art to our community. Please help us to improve our studios by supporting Souper Bowl Saturday in any way you can. We greatly appreciate your support! If you have any questions, please call Margaret Morris or Ben Ahlvers at the Arts Center, 785-843-2787.
Growing up with the Arts Center
One fine day back in May 1973, Rose Marino happened to see an advertisement for a children's play. At the time she had two small daughters in tow - 3-year-old Sarah and 3-week-old Rachel - and the performance simply seemed like a nice way to spend an afternoon.
Little did Rose know that she and her daughters were about to make local history.
Turns out, the play was the first ever performed by the beloved children's theatre company based at the Arts Center, now known as the Seem-To-Be Players. And now, more than 30 years later, just about everyone in the family has become involved in one way or another.
"Did we attend Seem-To-Be performances over the years? We sure did! We didn't miss a performance for years and years," Rose says. "We were hooked after the very first one. I took the girls every month until they were in junior high. Then I started taking other people's kids."
Rose says that the Seem-To-Bes are "very fresh and kid-oriented, never pedantic." Their work introduces children - and adults - to a living kind of storytelling, and it means different things to people at different ages.
"Having this wonderful resource here in our town provides a real sense of continuity and a way to instill ‘community' in kids in a way that they love."
Sarah and Rachel both took acting classes at the Arts Center. Sarah enrolled in art classes and was in some Seem-To-Be plays over the years, and Rachel was in lots of Summer Youth Theatre productions.Rose served on the first Seem-To-Be Players advisory board. Her husband, David Hann, worked as the company's dramaturg and booking agent in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Rose's sister Lucille got in on the act, too, performing in a play.
More recently, Rose introduced the Seem-To-Be Players to her granddaughters, Olivia and Julia. And Sarah and Olivia will appear in the 2005 production of A Kansas Nutcracker.
Full circle.
"The Arts Center is like an anchor for the community," Rose says, "not only because of its central location, but because of the many ways it reaches out to people."
Rose is associate general counsel at The University of Kansas. David serves as human subjects committee coordinator, also at KU. Sarah and her husband, Mike Randolph, live in Lawrence, and Sarah has joined the Seem-To-Be advisory board. Rachel and her husband, Steve Church, live in Providence, R.I., with their son, Malcom. Steve's book, The Guinness Book of Me, is an imaginative memoir of growing up in Lawrence (April 2005, Simon and Schuster).
Red Grammer in Concert
Saturday, February 26 - 9:30am
Sit back and let Red Grammer rock, bop and swing you and your kids at a special family concert in celebration of the Lawrence Arts Center Preschool's 20th anniversary. Proceeds will help support the Preschool's scholarship fund. Tickets will be available at the Arts Center starting February 1 for $5.50 apiece (what a steal!).
Red Grammer is one of the premier entertainers of children and families in America.
Described by Parents magazine as "the best voice in children's music," Red has set the gold standard for writing and performing music that playfully reconnects each one of us with our best and truest selves. Red has appeared on The Today Show, CBS This Morning, Nickelodeon, Showtime, PBS and The Disney Channel. He began his performing career by replacing Glenn Yarborough as the lead tenor in the renowned folk trio, The Limeliters. At the same time Red and his wife, Kathy, began writing songs for their young sons, David and Andy, resulting in Red's first children's recording.
Red's children's recordings are a treasured resource for teachers who use them to communicate the themes of caring, excellence, oneness, and diversity in a language kids instantly understand and eagerly embrace. His new DVD, "Hooray for the World," is already winning awards. -Red Note Records
Picking the best of Red Grammer is like picking the best chocolate from a box of Godiva... there's no way you can lose. -parents choice awards
Superstar to the young and a hit with parents too! -CBS news this morning
Healing through the Arts II: Surviving and Thriving
I'd like to share a personal story with you.
At least 25 years ago I was living in the San Francisco area, and I gave a talk about women in dance history to a University Women's group. I had slides and spoke about the possibilities of _expression in modern dance. Several slides were of the great American modern dance pioneer Martha Graham in a 1930 work called "Lamentations" that she choreographed and performed. Martha Graham sat upon a stool with a stretch bag-like costume draped over her head, showing only her face, hands and feet, and through a series of beautiful sculpture-like movements, expressed deep and poignant grief.
After my talk, a woman in her late-70s came up to tell me she had seen that dance in 1930 and had cried for the first time since her son had died in an auto accident many years prior. She told me that seeing "Lamentations" allowed her to grieve for her son, to let go of the pain and to begin rebuilding her life.
I don't think Martha Graham ever knew this, but I was privileged to hear this woman's story and have remembered it all these years.
The potential for healing through the arts is powerful. Of course, as artists we know when we work on art that is meaningful to us, that we can find healing; but we don't always know how we touch others who view our work.
This project, Healing through the Arts, has revived this memory for me. It reminds me of the potential to move someone's spirit, to heal, to bring peace, to startle, to awaken, to provoke new thoughts, or bring a smile of understanding when we share our work with others.
On behalf of the Lawrence Arts Center and breast cancer survivors everywhere, I would like to extend a special thank you to all the artists, performers, volunteers, advisors and sponsors for contributing their time, talents and support to the success of Healing through the Arts II: Surviving and Thriving.
- Candi Baker, project director
Visual Artists
Linda Baranski, Carolyn Berry, Grace Carmody, Laura Dalrymple, Cindy Daniels, Ann Dean, Joelle Ford, Linda Frost, Jerry Godbey, Johanna Hanks, James Harris, Kathleen J. Hird, Shakura Jackson, Laura Jost, Bob Keith, Nancy Keith, Jamie Oller, George Paley, Shelli Partridge, Angelia Perkins, Suzanne Perry, Dorothy Raynes, Gladys N. Sanders, Heather Williamson, Michael Wolfe, Carolyn Young
Performing Artists
Kelley Hunt; Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg; Candi Baker; Deborah Bettinger; Mary Devlin; 940 dance company (Bridget Bartholome, Whitney Boomer, Tuesday Faust, Michael Ingle, Kathleen O'Connor and Artistic Director Susan Warden); Singers: Catherine Bolton, Cathy Moreland, Kim Murphree, Michael Murphree, Marty Olson, Kirsten Paludan, Laura Ramberg, Diane Silver, Bettie Wilson
Workshop Leaders
Candi Baker, Jaye Cole, Cindy Daniels, Stefanie Hinman, Kim Murphree, Liz Paugoulatos, Cathy Pendleton
Volunteers, Staff and Advisors
Meghan Bahn, Deborah Bettinger, Martha Coffman, Mary Devlin, Sara Crosby Hartman, Kathleen J. Hird, Betsy McCafferty, Donna Neuner, Cathy Pendleton, Lee Saylor (Special thanks to Kathy Tate and Barbara Van Hoesen)
Businesses and Organizations
Lawrence Memorial Hospital (especially Sheryl D'Amico, Jodi Carlson, Cathy Classen and Dona Snead); Turning Point: The Center for Hope and Healing; Great Harvest Bakery; Round Corner Cheese Shoppe; Wheatfields; Starbucks
Funding
Sabatini Architects, Inc. (Dance Program Sponsor); Jan Gaumitz
And Special Thanks to our Major Corporate Sponsor: AstraZeneca...
As one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies, AstraZeneca is focused on turning good ideas into innovative, effective medicines that make a real difference in important areas of healthcare. Thank you for supporting this project and for your work in the fight against cancer. AstraZeneca has contributed seven major drugs to the fight against cancer: Arimidex (anastrozole), Casodex (bicalutamide), Faslodex, IRESSA (gefitinib, ZD1839) Nolvadex (tamoxifen citrate), Tomudex (raltitrexed), and Zoladex (goserelin acetate)
Spencer Museum of Art exhibition explores physical, cultural identity
"Embodiment" expresses the idea that the body and mind form a unity, in contrast to the notion that has prevailed in Europe and America ever since the writings of the seventeenth-century philosopher, René Descartes, that the body and mind form a duality. Works of art from different cultures that concern the body and its adornment offer valuable opportunities for discussing the evolving ideas of embodiment. The wide-ranging selection of objects in Embodiment, on view in the North Balcony Gallery through February 19, was specifically chosen to provoke reflection about these ideas without necessarily suggesting conclusions.
The works are presented in conjunction with a History of Art seminar, "Body Art and Embodiment," offered by Gitti Salami, assistant professor of art history. The students in this class are studying body arts of different cultures, paying special attention to the concept of embodiment as a tool for interrogating culture. The exhibition draws from the Spencer's holdings of photographs, prints and Asian art; the Wilcox Classical Collection; and the KU Anthropological Research and Cultural Collection's holdings of Native American, Mesoamerican, African and New Guinean works.
Steve Goddard, Spencer's curator of prints and drawings, says Embodiment offers a small laboratory for thinking about the concept, much as Professor Salami's goal for the seminar is to "wrap itself around the idea that attitudes towards the body and beingness are culturally determined, and that people's sense of who they are in a body is vastly different from one culture to another."
March 4 and 12, 2006, 19th Annual Honor Recital
The Lawrence Arts Center proudly presents the 19th annual Honor Recital Musical Competition for junior and senior high school students. Applicants must be residents of the Lawrence area and/or study with a Lawrence-area teacher. The mission of the Honor Recital is to encourage excellence in performance and to provide special recognition for outstanding young musicians in our area.
Auditions are on Saturday, March 4, 9am-5pm. Judged auditions will take place at the Arts Center, 940 New Hampshire Street. Check-in will be in the downstairs lobby. Auditions will take place in the theater and are be closed to the public. Judges for this year's competition will be announced in January.
Performance Concert is on Sunday, March 12, 7pm. The winners will be presented in concert in the Arts Center theater. The performance will be free to the public with a reception following the concert.
Applications will be mailed in January to Lawrence area music teachers. Please call the Arts Center at 785-843-2787 with address changes, to add someone to our mailing list, or if you have any questions. Applications will also be available beginning January 3, 2006 at the front desk of the Arts Center, 940 New Hampshire Street. A teacher's signature is required for all applications.
Due date for applications and application fee is Friday, February 10, 5pm.
Thank you to the Douglas County Community Foundation
The Douglas County Community Foundation generously awarded the Lawrence Arts Center a $5,000 gift this year to support our Summer Youth Arts Camps program.
"We cannot thank the Community Foundation enough for supporting such an important summer youth program at the Arts Center," says Ann Evans, executive director. "These camps are critical for families who want to offer their children arts experiences, and summer is the perfect time to enroll kids in camps at the Arts Center."
With the help of DCCF, the Summer Youth Arts Camps Program 2005 was a great success. Camps included Drawing and Painting Camp, Imagination Station: The Wild, Wild West, CRAFTS-travaganza!, HogwARtS Academy Camp, Mudpie Madness, Junkyard Art, Jewelry Camp, Pottery Camp, Puppet-mania!, Willy Wonka and Oompa Loompaland. These camps were offered for preschoolers, K-2nd graders, 3rd-5th graders, and 6th-9th graders during June, July and August. More than 1,675 children participated in 220 camps, representing a 9 percent increase in enrollment over 2004.
The Douglas County Community Foundation was started in 2000 with the vision and investment of community philanthropist Tensie Oldfather. Additional generous support of other community donors has built the Foundation's assets to over $9 million. The Foundation supports a wide variety of activities in the areas of arts and culture, community development, education, the environment, health and human services, and children and youth, and is committed to improving the quality of life in the community.
The Lawrence Arts Center and the children of Lawrence are grateful for the support of The Douglas County Community Foundation!
Want to see a show for free?
Volunteer to usher for one of the many performances at the Lawrence Arts Center and stay to see the show for free! Email lacinfo@sunflower.com if interested! Opportunities are limited.
World premiere of Statuesque highlights KU voice professor's winter recital
Ku's department of music and dance in the School of Fine Arts presents professor of voice Joyce Castle in the world premiere of Statuesque. The recital will take place on Monday, December 5, at 7:30pm in Swarthout Recital Hall.
San Francisco composer Jake Heggie created the chamber work Statuesque for Castle as the focal point of her recital, and this piece was commissioned by KU's General Research Fund, the School of Fine Arts and the Department of Music and Dance. Statuesque features a song cycle of five pieces about sculptures of women. Renowned poet, Gene Scheer, will contribute text from his original works of Henry Moore: Reclining Figure in Elmwood, Pablo Picasso: Head of a Woman, Hatschepsut: The Divine Potter, Alberto Giacometti: Standing Figure and Winged Victory, and visual projections will also accompany the music. Joining Castle is a chamber ensemble comprised of KU Music and Dance professors David Fedele on flute, Larry Maxey on clarinet, Vince Gnojek on alto saxophone, Edward Laut on cello, and Larry Rice on bass. Noemi Miloradovic will perform violin and Heggie will accompany on piano. The evening's program will also include a performance of Poulenc's
"Le Travail du Peintre" and songs from Kurt Weill's One Touch of Venus. Castle will be accompanied on these pieces by KU associate professor of accompanying/voice Mark Ferrell.
Composer Jake Heggie, the recipient of the 2005 Guggenheim Fellowship, has created nearly 200 songs as well as concerti, orchestral works and chamber music, and he is the composer of two highly successful operas, Dead Man Walking and The End of the Affair. His operas have been performed by the San Francisco Opera, the New York City Opera, the Houston Grand Opera and the Seattle Opera, to name a few. While at KU, Heggie will also rehearse and work with student vocalists, accompanists and composition majors. He will give a master class on Tuesday, December 6, from 1:30 to 3:30pm in the Baustian Theatre in Murphy Hall.
Scheer, a renowned songwriter/lyricist and poet, is well known as the composer of the song "American Anthem," performed at various nationally televised events. Scheer is the librettist for the opera An American Tragedy, which debuts at the Metropolitan Opera on Friday, December 2.
"To have a song cycle written expressly for me by the composer Jake Heggie and the poet Gene Scheer is such a gift," Castle says. "I am most grateful to The University of Kansas for commissioning these wonderful songs."
Castle's recital and Heggie's master class are free and open to the public. For more information, please contact the Department of Music and Dance at 785-864-3436.
Beauty and the Beast enchants Lawrence Community Theatre
A spell has been cast over Lawrence Community Theatre - one that transforms otherwise normal people into teapots, candelabra, clocks, and even a hideous but redeemable monster. Disney's Beauty and the Beast, the Tony® Award-winning musical based on the Oscar®-winning animated film, has arrived in Lawrence to enchant audiences.
But recreating the magic of the beloved movie wasn't easy. The play is meant to be performed on a massive proscenium stage, which LCT doesn't have.
"It's meant to flow from location to location within a given scene," director Mary Doveton says. "That's easy to do if you have a big stage, but we don't."
Creative blocking, using all of the theater's entrances, beats the problem. It also solves the issue of getting certain characters on- and offstage. Turning people into giant clocks, teapots and wardrobes isn't easy, and the resulting costumes are huge. That places restrictions on how and where they can get onstage.
"It really forces you to re-evaluate your sense of space," says Charles Whitman, who plays the curmudgeonly Cogsworth. "We're taking up more space than we're used to, and you have to take that into account."
The costumes themselves contribute to the magic. Mrs. Potts has steam coming out of her spout, the Wardrobe has doors and drawers that open, and Lumiere's candle hands actually light up.
"They're pretty cool," says John Phythyon, the actor who plays the charismatic candlestick. "They flicker and gutter just like a real candle flame."
Beauty and the Beast is a visual feast, and that's just way LCT wants it.
"It's every little girl's fantasy to be in that castle with Belle," says costumer Annette Cook. "Hopefully, we're making that possible."
Beauty and the Beast runs November 18, 19, 20, 25, 26 and 27, and December1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10 and 11. For tickets or more information call 785-843-7469.
Lawrence Art Guild Update
The Lawrence Art Guild is an independent, non-profit organization created to promote art awareness in Lawrence and the surrounding areas. This guild supports the creative growth of our members and area artists. Meetings are held on the third Monday of each month, 6:30 to 9pm, in the Lawrence Public Library auditorium at 707 Vermont Street. The public is invited to attend and to become members. Artist Forums on various topics begin at 7pm, following the 6:30pm business meeting.
The Lawrence Art Guild's Holiday Art Fair is held the first Saturday in December every year. Join us this year on Saturday, December 3, at the Lawrence Arts Center, 940 New Hampshire, from 10am to 6pm, with a reception from 6 to 8pm. This fine art fair is a great opportunity to find special holiday gifts for family and friends. Strolling musicians add to the ambiance of this wonderful event!
Also, don't miss the Lawrence Art Guild's All Members Show, January 7-February 28 at the Arts Center. This annual event features work by many of the Guild's 260 members.
For more information about the Guild and its upcoming events, or for a membership form, visit www.lawrenceartguild.org or call 785-887-6010.
The Lawrence Chamber Orchestra
A Jewel in Area Fine Music
The Lawrence Chamber Orchestra is alive, sounding better than ever, and seeking lovers of fine chamber music! LCO will perform this season with a select ensemble of 15 string players supplemented in some performances by additional area musicians, soloists and guest performers.
The smaller and more intimate performances will remind many area patrons of the "Lawrence Chamber Players," the organization's original community ensemble founded in 1972. The ensemble reorganized as a chamber orchestra in 1998 and uses professional level musicians from Lawrence, Topeka and Kansas City.
LCO features chamber music from over 400 years of composing - Baroque to Contemporary - and often priemeres new works by area composers or composers with Kanas connections in its Kansas Composers Series. LCO's modest season opened in October at the Lawrence Arts Center's theatre with a concert featuring dance-inspired music from great composers and the premiere of an intriguing modern work by Lawrence-area composer William Funk.
For the Holidays LCO will present 'Twas the Night Before the Night Before, a December 23 concert-recital for the orchestra's benefit, performed by John Boulton and Friends at the Arts Center. John is a Topeka Symphony flautist and KU professor emeritus of flute, as well as a member of the LCO Board. Performing with Boulton wiill be LCO artistic director Steven Elisha, and KU music faculty members Jack Winerock, Alice Downs, Kevin Bobo and Kip Haaheim.
The season will also include Baroque by Candlelight, LCO's annual signature concert at Trinity Episcopal Church on February 11 with its infamous dessert and wine extravaganza during intermission. A Spring Celebration concert at the Arts Center on April 9 offers an exuberant program celebrating the births of Mozart and Shostakovich. The April 9 concert will include performances by this season's orchestral finalists from LCO's Young Musician Competition for 9-12th grade student musicians in Douglas County sponsored by the Stephen Paul Wunsch Foundation for Young Musicians.
Steven Elisha conducts the orchestra in his second season as LCO artistic director. Elisha is also director of strings at Washburn University, principal cellist and a soloist for the Topeka Symphony, director of the Topeka Youth Symphony, and an active touring cellist. In addition to being a noted concert soloist and orchestra cellist, he has toured and taught nationally and internationally, and has also performed in the area with the Kansas City Symphony, the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra, The Kansas City Lyric Opera, the Kansas City Camerata and the State Ballet of Missouri. Elisha also served on the faculty of Pittsburg State University in Kansas, and conducts master classes, workshops and residencies throughout the United States. He has recorded for Delos and Musical Heritage Society, including his performance on a Grammy-nominated MHS recording of New England piano trios. He performed twice for LCO last season and may surprise us again this season. Steven also performs in the region with his wife, noted violinist Larisa Elisha, as the Elaris Duo.
The orchestra is facing a challenge to survive in Lawrence in the face of growing competition for area audiences and contributors. A recent patron's gift of $100,000 to start building an LCO endowment has reaffirmed the commitment to chamber orchestra performance and renewed efforts for boosting the orchestra's place among Lawrence's premiere cultural assets. LCO is the only independent, professional-level orchestra based in Lawrence, as well as one of the best area values in fine music!
The Lawrence Arts Center provides a base for much of the orchestra's operation. For ticket information, call 785-843-ARTS (2787). Concert tickets are extremely affordable, reduced this season to appeal to students and older adults. Tickets may be picked up in advance at the Arts Center or held for you at the concert door. For more information, call orchestra manager Mick Braa at 785-542-3829, email LCO at lawrencechamberorchestra@earthlink.net., or visit www.lawrencechamberorchestra.org.
LCO is funded in part by the Kansas Arts Commission, a state agency; and by the National Endowment for the Arts, a Federal agency; as well as by individual and business contributions, public and private grants, ticket sales and projects.