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Current Newsletter
Some news and upcoming events
for the week of
May 12, 2008
PRINT VERSION
In Missoula
Elsewhere in Montana and the Region
Nationally
Internationally
Finally
31st International Wildlife Film Festival - The Changing Planet: A Global Evolution in Media & Conservation runs all this week at the Wilma and Roxy Theaters. There are special events all week related to the festival, such as the Wildwalk and Wildfest on May 10, a Special Presentation on may 15 by Alastair Fothergill, Executive Producer of the BBC's Planet Earth Series, and several workshops and screenings. For all information, visit www.wildlifefilms.org or call 728-9380.
The Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre travels to Beijing on May 14. For the full story, visit Link
The Missoula City Council will conduct a public hearing on the Rezoning Request for Lincoln School Cultural Center on Monday, May 19, 2008, at 7:00 p.m., in the Missoula City Council Chambers located at 140 West Pine Street. The attendance and comments of the arts community are welcomed and encouraged. For more information call City Hall at 258-4657 or the MCC office at 532-3241.
The Monte Dolack Gallery announces the release of two new limited edition prints: Taurus and Equis. Inspired by Monte Dolack's trip to the Lascaux Caves in France, these limited edition prints visually explore the connection and content of the Bull and Horse in cultural mythology, history and modern life. To learn more or order a print, please visit www.dolack.com.
The Western Montana-Missoula Friendship Force Club is recruiting people for a one week cultural exchange visit with the Friendship Force Club in Gifu, Japan. There will also be an optional 1 week tour. Please call Kris or Mary Kelly at 542-6634.
Zootown Arts announces a Call For Artists for its Summer Guest Artist Series. We are looking for professional and working artists to be part of community summer art classes. Artists will be paid. Contact Hanna Hannan at 549-7555 or visit www.zootownarts.com
Doubt, the Pulitzer Prize winning & Tony Award winning play at the Crystal Theater, continues through May 24, produced by the Pilmico Group. Visit www.doubtmt.com for online tickets & information.
For the past 10 years, a group of local Vietnam veterans have visited with Frenchtown High School students to share their experiences from that war. Now those veterans have collected their stories into My Vietnam: Montana Veterans Tell Their Stories Straight from the Heart. On Monday, May 12, at 7:30 p.m., residents can hear the stories read by the authors at a book reading, signing and reception at the Frenchtown School & Community Library. Included in the book, which is scheduled for release in May, are examples of poetry and comments by present and former students. If anyone attending the program needs special assistance, please provide advance notice by calling 626-2683. The Frenchtown School & Community Library is Missoula Public Library's newest branch. It is open Tuesday 3:30-7:00 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday 5:00-9:00 p.m., and Saturday 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., offering children's programs, a rotating collection of materials, Internet access, and special events.
The consultants for the Missoula Downtown Master Plan will be back in town May 13-15 for the second of four public workshops and more than 20 stakeholder meetings. In March over 150 people gathered to identify Downtown's strengths and weaknesses and share their vision for a better Downtown. Crandall Arambula, the contracted consultants from Portland, Ore., will present a summary of Workshop #1 and a set of draft goals identified by the community. These goals are the driving force for the development of land use and circulation alternatives to be presented. Public input is critical in shaping these alternatives into a locally-driven vision, and the community's preferences will guide and direct these alternatives toward a greater Missoula. Information on the Greater Downtown Master Plan can be found on the BID website: www.missouladowntownbid.org. Additional questions can be directed to the Downtown BID via phone (728-1140) or email info@missouladowntownbid.org .
Shakespeare and Co. presents Margot Kahn on Wednesday, May 14, reading from Horses That Buck: The Story of Champion Bronc Rider Bill Smith at 7:00 p.m. Visit www.shakespeareandco.com
Fact and & Fiction presents Deborah Oberbillig, signing Bird Feats of Montana on May 15 from 4:00-6:00 p.m. Visit www.factandfictionbooks.com or call 721-2881.
City Club Missoula will hold its next forum on Monday, May 19 at 11:30 a.m. at the Doubletree Edgewater. This month's topic is Urban Fringe Development Area Project: How Will Missoula Grow? with Roger Millar, director of the Missoula city-county Office of Planning and Grants, who will discuss the Urban Fringe Development Area Project. The next 20 years in Missoula will see the need to create places to live for 15,000 new households. The market is changing, and people are interested in smaller-scale neighborhoods with schools, shopping and restaurants nearby. Missoula can make room for these new places within the present-day urban area. The UFDA looks at where growth has been going and where it might go: continue as the current trends show, focus growth into town centers or focus growth in the urban core. City Club Missoula forums are open to everyone. You do not need to be a member to attend; however, reservations are required. Reservations can be made by email to ccm@cityclubmissoula.org or by calling 546-6643 before noon Thursday, May 15. Please indicate if you want lunch ($11 for members, $16 for nonmembers) or the no-lunch option of forum only for $5. Please cancel if necessary by the reservation deadline. Payment is required for late cancellations and unclaimed reservations. We encourage you to find a substitute to claim your reservation. For more information about City Club Missoula, visit www.cityclubmissoula.org or call 546-6643.
On Friday, May 16, at 7:30 p.m., pianist Margery McDuffie Whatley will perform in concert at the University of Montana Music Recital Hall. A native of Macon, Georgia, Margery Whatley performs from coast to coast as piano soloist and as chamber musician. She has performed at the United States Supreme Court at the request of former Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun; at the World Congress Center in Atlanta for the Georgia Music Hall of Fame Awards Ceremony; and at the Georgia Governor's Mansion with her brother, Robert McDuffie, an internationally acclaimed violinist with whom she frequently collaborates. With a strong interest in making classical music accessible to people of all ages and listening experiences, she has presented a series of outreach programs throughout cities in Georgia, California, Iowa, and Illinois. She and her family have recently relocated to Missoula, Montana from Huntsville, Alabama where she was an Associate Professor of Music at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. She will be performing solo piano works by Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy, Griffes, and Saint-Saëns, as well as the Two Piano Version of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue with pianist Steven Hesla. General admission is $6; students are free. For more information, call 243-6880.
Classes begin at the newly opened Downtown Dance Collective on May 19, and the Grand Opening celebration is scheduled for June 6. For More information visit www.ddcmontana.com or contact Heather at heather@ddcmontana.com
Would you like to give your staff the opportunity to win two round-trip Allegiant Air tickets to Las Vegas or Phoenix? The Missoula Convention and Visitors Bureau kicks off a Scavenger Hunt in conjunction with Promoting Missoula and You, a workshop on May 21 from 8:00-11:00 a.m. and 4:00-7:00 p.m. One person who has attended Promoting Missoula and You or submitted a complete and correct Scavenger Hunt questionnaire will win two round-trip tickets on Allegiant Air to Las Vegas or Phoenix. For more information contact Sylvia Love at 532-3250 or Sylvia@missoulacvb.org to register your staff.
Living Art's 4th Annual The Light Show is scheduled Saturday, May 31, at the Hilton Garden Inn, with a Silent Auction & Reception at 6:00 p.m., Dinner and entertainment at 7:00 p.m., and the Live Auction at 8:00 p.m.. Tickets are available at Rockin Rudy's or Worden's or by calling 549-5329. Visit www.livingartofmontana.org for more information.
For more information about arts events in the Missoula area, visit www.missoulacultural.org
ELSEWHERE IN MONTANA AND THE REGION...
On Thursday, May 15, at 6:30 p.m., the Montana Historical Society will present First People's Buffalo Jump in a free public program in Montana's Museum just across the street from the Capitol. Klane King, a member of the Blood Nation and interpreter at the state park formerly known as Ulm Pishkun, will discuss the historical and social importance of the site to Native Americans.
West Yellowstone's The Painted Buffalo Project announces a Call to Artists for the annual Northwest Regional Art Show June 13-15. 10' x 10' booths are available for $100. For more information contact Louise Graham at 646-9761 or louise@yellowstone-travel.com
Humanities Montana has a new website - www.humanitiesmontana.org. The new website address will incorporate our former Montana Center for the Book and Montana Festival of the Book websites as well. Please change your bookmarks and address books accordingly. And please let us know of any difficulties you encounter.
The City of Helena Public Art Committee invites artists and non-artists to participate in the Chalk Up Helena! sidewalk painting festival on the south end of the Downtown Helena Walking Mall. This family event will be held July 18-19 with the Downtown Sidewalk Summerfest. Set up times: 9:00 a.m. until dusk, Friday, July 18 and 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m., Saturday, July 19. Artist awards will be presented at 3:00 p.m., July 19. An application is required from every person who participates, including helpers. Application forms are available at www.ci.helena.mt.us/links , or contact City of Helena Public Art Committee, 316 N. Park Avenue, Helena MT 59623, or call 447-8491.
The Montana Outdoor Science School of Bozeman seeks a forward-thinking, dynamic leader capable of building on MOSS' growth as the leading source of environmental education in Southwest Montana. This Executive Director position requires vision, creativity, strong ability to work well with people, business management skills, and a commitment to the natural world. Working in collaboration with a skilled staff, committed board and community partners, the Executive Director will lead the organization in implementing our new five-year strategic plan. For more information, contact ED Search, Montana Outdoor Science School, P.O. Box 502, Bozeman, MT 59771, or email AllainJM@hotmail.com
Celebrate the arrival of summer in Seeley Lake. Join in the 16th annual Loon and Fish Festival at the Community Hall on May 24 and 25. On Saturday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., choose from a variety of activities - an arts and crafts sale, demonstrations by artists, participate in children's art activities, a chance to win a raffle, a guided trip to view loons nesting on nearby lakes, nature talks and walks. Bob Korn's hand-thrown bowls will be filled with delicious soups, donated by area restaurants - makes a great combination for lunch; proceeds support the Seeley Lake Food Bank and the bowl goes home with buyer. Saturday evening and Sunday are devoted to nature walks and talks.
The Loon and Fish Festival is sponsored by Alpine Artisans, a group of artists and arts supporters committed to promoting the arts within the context of the natural splendor of the Seeley-Swan valleys. For further information, call Martha at 793-5706 or Merrily at 754-3376 or visit www.alpineartisans.org.
The Carbon County Arts Guild presents Gary Larson Gallery Talk on May 17 from 1:00-3:00 p.m. Gary will talk about artist Jan van Eyck and the Old Master technique of painting. The gallery talk is free and open to everyone. Refreshments will be served. Call the Arts Guild at 446-1370 for more details.
For more information about arts events throughout the region, visit www.livelytimes.com
From the Montana Associated Technology Roundtable:
Maine's Technology Sectors and Clusters: Status and Strategy
Maine's technology clusters have grown and evolved significantly since 2002, when Maine's first analysis of its technology sectors was published. Link
Missoula's Historic Trolleys and Streetlights
Only if we had the foresight to keep that infrastructure in place today! Link
For more about the Montana Associated Technology Roundtable, visit www.matr.net
NATIONALLY...
From Americans for the Arts Cultural Policy Listserve:
Arts help culture, economy flourish
Poughkeepsie Journal (NY), 5/1/2008
According to a recent economic impact study by the Center for Creative Community Development in North Adams, Mass., Dia:Beacon, the contemporary art museum housed in a former Nabisco factory in upstate New York, "contributes more than $10 million a year to the economic development of the region."
Link
Detroit group to woo workers in creative jobs
Detroit Free-Press, 5/4/2008
"In their efforts to attract more workers to the so-called creative economy, metro Detroit's business leaders are getting, well, creative. The corporate leadership group Detroit Renaissance expects to launch a Web site in early June devoted to the region's creative economy. A marketing campaign to highlight the region's creative assets should go public at the same time. And, looking ahead, Detroit Renaissance hopes to open a creative incubator in a downtown building on Woodward Avenue in a year to nurture small but promising creative businesses."
Link
Downtown Orlando developers looks to huge artworks to convey an aura of cool
Orlando Sentinel, 5/3/2008
"[A]s local governments have scaled back funds for public art, downtown businesses have taken up the cause -- and in a big way." The reason: art makes a city look hip.
Link
Bill to require P.E. eliminates arts electives
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer (GA), 5/6/2008
"[A] bill before the Alabama Legislature could limit or eliminate choir and other electives from the curriculum in favor of more physical education time. The bill, sponsored by House Majority Leader Ken Guin, D-Carbon Hill, seeks . . . to set minimums for the amount of daily exercise students will be required to have in school, with at least 200 minutes a week for elementary school students and 225 minutes for middle and high school students."
Link
Hempfield eyes cuts in languages, music, art
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 5/2/2008
In Pennsylvania, "Hempfield Area school administrators confronted by a budget crisis are proposing to reduce 14 1/2 staff positions through a restructuring of the district's K-12 curriculum that they say will focus on struggling students while developing well-rounded kids and maintaining quality programs. But two school board members said they have concerns about a proposal that would eliminate world language at the elementary level, limit middle school art and music to one nine-week instructional block per school year, and cut the daily activity period high school students use for club participation."
Link
To learn more about the Americans for the Arts, visit www.AmericansForTheArts.org
Creative economies have long-term development potential
MediaGlobal, 5/3/2008
"From Bollywood in India to Nollywood in Nigeria, Brazilian soap operas to Ghanaian talismanic jewelry, creative industries are creating jobs and generating income in developing countries. With the potential to strengthen cultural identities and promote innovation, the creative economy is increasingly recognized as one of the world's most dynamic emerging economic forces-and as a development imperative."
Link
Interview: UN official says China leads in creative economy
Trading Markets.com - Xinhua, 4/27/2008
"China has become world's top exporter of creative goods thanks to a policy to encourage creative industries, said Edna dos Santos-Duisenberg, chief of creative economy and industries program of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Friday."
Link
Iraqi expert accuses West over antiquities trade
The Independent (UK), 5/1/2008
"A senior Iraqi official has accused the West of not doing enough to stop the thriving trade in antiquities smuggled out of the country's depleted archeological sites and sold in auction houses across Britain, America and Europe. Dr Bahaa Mayah, a special adviser to Iraq's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, called for an immediate global ban on the sale of at least 100,000 artefacts that have been stolen since the invasion. Speaking at the British Museum, he said it was the responsibility of the occupying forces to retrieve the valuable artefacts that had been plundered from southern Iraq's archaeologically rich sites since 2003."
Link
FIRST NIGHT CALL TO ARTISTS
The 15th Anniversary of First Night Missoula will be celebrated on December 31st, 2008.
First Night is a spirited New Year's cultural celebration open to the entire community. We encourage applications from musicians, artists, performers, craftspeople, cooks, storytellers and others to demonstrate the skills, knowledge and aesthetics that embody the creative vitality of our local traditions.
View our Call to Artists brochure or pick one up today at the Missoula Art Museum. Download an application today! Application deadline for First Night performers is June 30, 2008.
CALL FOR ARTWORK
MCC invites Missoula's community of visual artists and designers to submit proposals for the 15th Anniversary First Night Missoula button, poster and program cover artwork.
Designs should include the words First Night® Missoula 2009 and 15th Anniversary.
The deadline for ARTWORK proposals is August 31st, 2008.
For examples of previous designs, please visit www.firstnightmissoula.org. For more information, contact Sara at 532-3240 or sara@missoulacultural.org.
All selected First Night artists will be compensated.
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