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The Arts and Culture Commission of Contra Costa County |
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AC5 Commissioners
Twelve students from throughout Contra Costa County will be honored on May 31 as gifted and talented artists who have been selected to participate in an intensive pre-professional training program at the California State Summer School for the Arts in Valencia.
Honors will be bestowed upon the students during a
public ceremony, arranged by the Arts and Culture
Commission of Contra Costa County, at 4 p.m. in the
chambers of the Board of Supervisors, 651 Pine
Street, Martinez. The event will be followed by a
reception.
Each of the students will receive citations from the
Board of Supervisors and legislators.
Works by 14 faculty members from four Contra Costa
County colleges will be on exhibit in Martinez from
May 16 through September 6.
Art displayed by the faculty members “can be
challenging, provocative, perplexing, and
mysterious, but always engaging and rewarding,” said
Darwin Marable, a member of the commission who
coordinated the exhibit.
It was standing room only when an estimated 300
individuals assembled in Concord on May 6 to present
and hear ideas on future use of the Concord Naval
Weapons Station.
JP McDermott, speaking in behalf of Arts First!,
told the assemblage that
“Concord has a-once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to
create a regional amenity and a positive identity
for Concord unparalleled in our history. Arts
First! believes that a world-class arts campus as
part of the Concord Community Reuse Project will be
the capstone of a successful reuse plan."
“That which will make this planning and implementation plan a success involves people finding a wide range of amenities available. The commercial aspects of the plan alone should not drive this process. If properly planned, the magic of a first class urban space can be created that respects housing, commercial, retail, cultural, and open space/parks. Housing will be the easiest part of this plan. But housing for housing sake will do nothing to benefit either those new residents or the current residents of Concord and of our surrounding neighbors. It’s time to raise the bar for Concord and for the East Bay. A major commitment to an arts campus/complex can successfully anchor an integrated livable plan. Retail and people oriented activities, seven days a week, sun up and past sun down, will create a base line of activity needed to draw the attention of people looking for a vibrant and stimulating area where they can live, work, visit and excel. An arts campus, with many disciplines included (visual, performing, and all of the ancillary activities associated with developing, practicing, and performing (displaying) our creative products) can and will make for a dynamic space, utilized for more than just a performance window of a stand alone theatre or for a 8 –to-5 business district.”
“Arts First! invites all interested people to join us in working with the City of Concord to create an arts campus setting unlike anything in the Bay Area.” Members of Arts First! were on hand for the hearing. Additional sessions are scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on June 10; from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on June 20 and July 11 at the Concord Senior Center, 2727 Parkside Circle, Concord. As of May 6, members of Arts First! include the organizing team (JP McDermott, chair of the Diablo Light Opera Company, and Keith Barlow, the company’s executive director; Bob Rezak, member of the Arts and Culture Commission of Contra Costa County; Bill Rowland, retired AT&T attorney active in the arts in the Danville area, and Steve Weir, county clerk and arts advocate) and the following:
Max Horn, folk dance authority
AC5 is calling for nominations for awards to individuals and organizations who have made a significant contribution to the arts, over a period of time, in Contra Costa County. The deadline is June 30. A panel of judges will select five individuals or organizations for honors. Ceremonies will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, October 22 at the El Campanil Theatre in Antioch. The 77-year-old theater reopened in the fall of 2004 and is undergoing remodeling to its former grandeur. The awards event was started 11 years ago. More than 55 individuals and organizations have been honored for achievement in the arts. An application and details are available on our web site: www.ac5.org.
What’s Happening on the Arts Scene Danville: The Eugene O'Neill Foundation is celebrating the 30th anniversary this year of management of Tao House, the famed playwright’s estate, as a National Historic Site by the National Park Service. The foundation has scheduled its annual Eugene O’Neill Festival on October 6, 7, and 8 in Danville. Guests will include leaders of the Eugene O’Neill Society, members of which live throughout the world. Walnut Creek: The Dean Lesher Regional Center for The Arts is replacing its 16-year-old ticketing system with new technology that will allow patrons to purchase tickets online and print them out at home. Tickets will have bar codes that will be scanned by ushers instead of torn in half. The El Campanil Theatre in Antioch has a similar system in operation. The exterior of the 77-year-old theater is undergoing an extensive face-lift, including a re-do of the marquee. Concord/Martinez: The Concord-based Willows Theatre celebrates its 30th anniversary with a gala dinner, auction, and dance in the company’s new Kenney Family/Conco Production Center in Waterfront Park in Martinez. The gala includes a show featuring the Diablo Symphony and performers from past Willows’ productions in the nearby John Muir Amphitheater. It all takes place July 3. In late 2006, the Willows plans to open a Cabaret theater in downtown Martinez. Martinez: : The Arts and Culture Commission of Contra Costa County is welcoming two new commissioners. Sarah Michael, a resident of Lafayette, holds an at-large position on the commission. She is an accomplished musician and composer. Fred Hoskins, an artist who was a founding member of the Delta Art Association, joined the commission as its representative for District 5. A resident of Antioch, he is a retiree of AT&T. Brentwood: The Brentwood Arts Commission is asking residents to complete a survey designed to guide the commission in planning arts events and opportunities for the community. Residents are asked to specify the types of arts events they have attended and how often and whether Brentwood needs an art center. Richmond: The Richmond Friends of the Arts has a new initiative designed to provide funding support for arts groups: A series of quarterly events that will bring together celebrities, residents and business sponsors for what the organization describes as “an intimate evening of dining, wine tasting and conversation at a local restaurant or private home.” Tickets for each event ate $200 per person for up to 20 people. Sacramento: Two new members were appointed to the California Arts Council. They are Chong-Moon Lee, 77, of Portola Valley, the founder and chairman of the AmBex Venture Group and the Silicon Valley Venture Fund and a commissioner and trustee for the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco; and Fred Sands, 68, of Bell Air, chairman of Vintage Capital Fund and a founder of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. Sands is also an appointee to the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts and a trustee of the Los Angeles Opera. The appointments are subject to confirmation by the California Senate. |
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