A CLOSER LOOK

Announcing the new art passages exhibit, sponsored by the San Pablo Art Gallery.  This is the first time San Pablo artists have been represented in this exhibit space.

The exhibit runs from: September 8 – November 20, 2009, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. -  5 p.m., in the County Administration Building 651 Pine Street, Martinez, CA. Art in Public Places; Foyer, Board of Supervisors Chambers, and the first floor room 107 hallway.  

This exhibit addresses the idea of taking a closer look on more than one level.  The digital photographs by John Wehrle bring us very close to objects in an intimate magnified way and, with expanded vistas, allow us to experience a whole other dimension.  His photos make us rethink the everyday and commonplace and give them another chance, a closer look. John is famous for his work in Public Art as a muralist, this is some of his lastest work and a different medium.  The photographs by Liena Vayzman chronicle her artist's view of the City of San Pablo, a city that can often be over looked as people rush through it on Interstate 80.  She was commissioned by the city (with a grant from the Rotary), to go out, meet the people of San Pablo, see the sights and photograph the community.  Her photographs give the viewers an opportunity to get a closer look of this small town and appreciate its flavor.  In addition, the lovely and extraordinary artwork of Anne Austin, San Pablo painter whose work draws you into a world of color, texture and mystery.

 

The Honorable Supervisor JohnGioia will dedicate “A Closer Look”,   art passages series for District 1, during the Board of Supervisors’ meeting on Tuesday, September 22, 2009 9:30 a.m., in the County Administration Building at 651 Pine Street, Board Chambers, Martinez, CA. 

 

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POETRY OUT LOUD CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS 

AC5 in collaboration with the National Endowment for the Arts and the California Arts Council is again presenting Poetry Out Loud for Contra Costa County.  Poetry Out Loud is a national competition open to all high school students.  High schools in Contra Costa County that are interested in participating should contact Scott Belding, managing director, at ac5@ac5.org.   The finals for Poetry Out Loud 2010 will take place between January 15 and February 8, 2010.
  
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Poetry Foundation have joined together to create Poetry Out Loud, a program that encourages the nation's youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation.  The NEA and the Poetry Foundation have partnered with the State Arts Agencies of the United States to support an expansion of Poetry Out Loud.  Since it was piloted in 2005, Poetry Out Loud has grown to include hundreds of thousands of students across the country.  Champions from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico compete at the National Finals. 

Though it is designed to be part of the English Curriculum, Poetry Out Loud can be implemented in any class or club, by a librarian, or as an after school activity.  In selecting your school’s representative, it is not necessary to hold a competition by the rules described in the Poetry Out Loud materials, however, the county, state and national competitions do follow these rules, and the more closely your school follows them the better your representative will be prepared for larger competitions.  School-wide competitions need not be organized by teachers. PTAs, volunteers, or students could do this.  Extensive instructions and guidelines are among the Poetry Out Loud materials, and AC5 can offer advice and resources.  To minimize the effort of organizing a competition, several schools could share a single competition, and the highest scoring student from each school would represent that school at the county level. For more information on the Poetry Out Loud program for 2010 please visit www.poetryoutloud.org/.

 

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AC5 ANNOUNCES NEW MANAGING DIRECTOR SCOTT BELDING

The AC5 Commission announced that Scott Belding, a veteran Contra Costa County non-profit arts executive, has joined AC5 as the Managing Director.  For the past seven years Belding has been the Executive Director for Moving Arts Dance and Moving Arts Dance Center.  He is also an internationally recognized dance photographer and the resident photographer for Moving Arts.  He will maintain these positions while serving as the Managing Director for AC5. "We are thrilled to have Scott join AC5 as the Managing Director," said AC5 Commission Chair P.J. Shelton.  "We feel that his experience in the non-profit arts world will greatly benefit AC5. These are difficult economic times and someone with Scott's knowledge of the landscape is invaluable". 

Belding said it is his good fortune to be able to serve both organizations:  "I am very excited to have the opportunity to work with the arts community on a county wide basis. With Moving Arts Dance I have had the opportunity to tour nationally and internationally. I feel that these experiences will help me to understand the diverse needs of the artists in Contra Costa County.  As a working artist, I feel I have a good understanding of the challenges that artists face in these difficult economic times." 

He replaces Robin Moore, who was the Executive Director for four years.

 

 

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CREATIVE WORK FUND:  CALL FOR PROPOSALS

The Creative Work fund is a program of the Walter and Elise Haas Fund that is supported by generous grants from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and The James Irvine Foundation. The Fund awards grants for artists and nonprofit organizations to create art works through collaborations.  It celebrates the role of artists as problem-solvers and the making of art as a profound contribution to intellectual inquiry and to the strengthening of communities.  Artists are encouraged to collaborate with nonprofit organizations of all kinds.  In July 2010, the Fund will award approximately $600,000 in grants to nonprofit organizations and collaborating performing or visual artists.  Grants will range from $10,000 to $40,000.  Four principles guide the Fund:  1) Artists’ creativity merits philanthropic support, 2) Individual creativity is the source of cultural richness and diversity, 3) The arts can be a powerful vehicle for problem-solving and community renewal, and 4) Collaborative efforts among artists, organizations, and their constituents can generate a productive exchange of ideas and bring the arts to new audiences. 

On September 6^th, The Creative Work Fund Program Director, Frances Phillips, gave an Application Seminar on the 2010 fund program and the proposal process.  The seminar was hosted by Moving Arts Dance Center and Theater, 1281-C Franquette Avenue, Concord, CA 94520.  Deadline for Letters of Inquiry is November 6, 2009.  For more information visit www.creativeworkfund.org.

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 OPINION EDITORIAL:  ARTS AND CULSTURE IN THE STIMULUS PACKAGE

When FDR created his Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression, he had the vision to allocate fully 7 percent of the WPA budget to a federal arts project.  Of the eight million Americans who were put to work by the WPA, thousands were unemployed artists who created over 225,000 works of art, some of which are the most iconic and enduring symbols of American culture throughout the Country.

Thomas Hart Benton, Grant Wood and Jackson Pollock were WPA artists, and so were many virtually unknown, talented men and women who produced artworks for little money, but great pride.  Typically, the artists received a modest weekly stipend and assignments as to what public pieces to produce and where.   Just like the dams, bridges and roads that the WPA built, long after the Depression ended, the Country was left with tangible objects of art, some of great value, that continue to enrich the lives of Americans to this day.   The stimulus package that is under consideration by Congress has nearly neglected the arts, with only a paltry .009% of the entire package going to the National Endowment for the Arts.   It has long been established that arts provide an economic stimulus of their own.  A substantial portion of tourism revenue can be linked to a city’s art and culture community.  Public art also plays a part in lifting the spirits and boosting the morale of country worn down by economic hard times.  Most public art is very egalitarian and can be accessed at no or nominal cost to the citizenry.  The sculpture in the park, the mural at the post office and the free concert in the plaza benefit, equally, all the eyes and ears set upon them.   Private and public funding for arts organizations has been shrinking for years.  Many organizations have been put out of business for lack of funds.   Our own organization, the Arts and Culture Commission of Contra Costa County, faces an uncertain future as the county continues to make cuts to offset declining revenues.  The need for economic support in the arts sector is as great as it has been in years.   Thus, we encourage President Obama and members of Congress to show a commitment for our art and culture infrastructure by including a meaningful contribution to the arts in their plans for reshaping our economy.   Christine Callahan
Contra Costa County Arts and Culture Commissioner,
District 4

AC5 is partially funded by: