ACK Winter Newsletter

12
arts connection YOUR LINK TO THE ARTS IN KERN COUNTY Laura Lollar Wolfe A rts for Learning! Anti-Graffiti Programs! After School Programs! ArtCare in Hospitals! Artini! Couples of Accomplishment! Creating Community! Walk for the Arts! Younger Gallery! Members and Donors make these programs happen. These programs make Kern County a better place to live and visit. To show our appreciation and encourage participation, member discounts are given for all events—many with free admission. The Arts Council of Kern leverages small and large gifts to be even bigger by focusing on collaboration and synergy. The whole is always greater than the sum of the parts. This summer’s program at the Martin Luther King Center was an excellent example. Using funds granted by the California Table Grape Commission, a team was formed to put on an after school program that allowed students to express their feelings, fears, and dreams by writing, speaking, and painting. Under the tutelage of ACK board member, Mary Amelia Reyna, a diverse group of students were taught to find their best selves and express it in a play format. In addition, they all worked together with teaching artist, Sebastian Muralles, to come up with a concept for a mural that involves reaching for the future... reaching for their best selves and realizing their dreams. Another shining example is the ArtCare program. Through funding from San Joaquin Community Hospital, the Arts Council sends musicians and visual artists bedside to engage their patients. Children in lots of pain brighten and have that pain eased when Linda Osburn comes to their room and gets them painting. Patients and family alike have their stress relieved at least a little bit by listening to Brenda Hunter play her hammered dulcimer in the hospital lobby. And finally, what better example of collaboration and synergy than the first annual Walk for the Arts! Walk for the Arts gave arts organizations and school arts programs the opportunity to raise funds for their own programs. Walkers paid a small entry fee and then all the sponsorship funds they solicited for their walk went directly to their organization. The event was made possible by our main sponsor Rabobank, with other corporate sponsors combining to match their gift. These sponsors, combined with in-kind support for venues and sound systems, allowed musicians to perform and be paid, plus allowed participants to visit locations in the downtown arts district in the early hours of a Saturday. One participant shared that she had not been downtown in a long time, but since the walk, she visits weekly and has even chosen a doctor and dentist in the area. The 2011 Walk for the Arts is set for May 14--mark your calendar! Members and donors provide not only monetary and in-kind support, but that support provides encouragement for staff and artists to do their best to make life better in Kern County. Thanks to all who became members in October—please encourage others to join you. For those wanting to join or give a membership as a gift this holiday season, an envelope is included in the center of this newsletter. You may also make your gift online at kernarts.org. We wish you Happy Holidays and an Artful New Year! Members Matter October Membership Drive A Success—Member and Donor Recruitment Continues WINTER 2010/2011 Message From The Director...... 2 Gallery of Donors/Members ...... 3 Arts In Education .................... 4-5 Tech Arts Academy Young Audiences House Concerts CAC Grant Year End Summary................. 6-7 Arts Enterprises ...................... 8-9 Community Grants Two Unique Programs Unite Behind the Scenes Film Workshop Outside In BARC Exhibitions................................. 10 Getting Inspired ........................ 10 Farmer’s Market Arts & Culture .10 Valley PBS ................................ 11 Irvine Grant Recap.................... 11 ACK Calendar ........................... 12 Artist Jamie Johnson shows off the costume concept she came up with for the protagonist in this cycle’s movie. Page 8 Arts Council of Kern 2000 K Street, Suite 110 Bakersfield, CA 93301 ph: 661.324.9000 fax: 661 324.1136 e-mail: [email protected] Younger Gallery 1430 Truxtun Avenue Suite 105 Bakersfield, CA 93301 www.kernarts.org

description

Arts Council of Kern - Winter Newsletter

Transcript of ACK Winter Newsletter

Page 1: ACK Winter Newsletter

artsconnectionY O U R L I N K T O T H E A R T S I N K E R N C O U N T Y

Laura Lollar Wolfe

A rts for Learning! Anti-Graffiti Programs! After School Programs! ArtCare in Hospitals! Artini! Couples of Accomplishment! Creating Community!

Walk for the Arts! Younger Gallery! Members and Donors make these programs happen. These programs make Kern County a better place to live and visit. To show our appreciation and encourage participation, member discounts are given for all events—many with free admission. The Arts Council of Kern leverages small and large gifts to be even bigger by focusing on collaboration and synergy. The whole is always greater than the sum of the parts. This summer’s program at the Martin Luther King Center was an excellent example. Using funds granted by the California Table Grape Commission, a team was formed to put on an after school program that allowed students to express their feelings, fears, and dreams by writing, speaking, and painting. Under the tutelage of ACK board member, Mary Amelia Reyna, a diverse group of students were taught to find their best selves and express it in a play format. In addition, they all worked together with teaching artist, Sebastian Muralles, to come up with a concept for a mural that involves reaching for the future... reaching for their best selves and realizing their dreams. Another shining example is the ArtCare program. Through funding from San Joaquin Community Hospital, the Arts Council sends musicians and visual artists bedside to engage their patients. Children in lots of pain brighten and have that pain eased when Linda Osburn comes to their room and gets them painting. Patients and family alike have their stress relieved at least a little bit by listening to Brenda Hunter play her hammered dulcimer in the hospital lobby. And finally, what better example of collaboration and synergy than the first annual Walk for the Arts! Walk for the Arts gave arts organizations and school arts programs the opportunity to raise funds for their own programs. Walkers paid a small entry fee and then all the sponsorship funds they solicited for their walk went directly to their organization. The event was made possible by our main sponsor Rabobank, with other corporate sponsors combining to match their gift. These sponsors, combined with in-kind support for venues and sound systems, allowed musicians to perform and be paid, plus allowed participants to visit locations in the downtown arts district in the early hours of a Saturday. One participant shared that she had not been downtown in a long time, but since the walk, she visits weekly and has even chosen a doctor and dentist in the area. The 2011 Walk for the Arts is set for May 14--mark your calendar! Members and donors provide not only monetary and in-kind support, but that support provides encouragement for staff and artists to do their best to make life better in Kern County. Thanks to all who became members in October—please encourage others to join you. For those wanting to join or give a membership as a gift this holiday season, an envelope is included in the center of this newsletter. You may also make your gift online at kernarts.org. We wish you Happy Holidays and an Artful New Year!

Members Matter October Membership Drive A Success—Member and Donor Recruitment Continues

W I N T E R 2 0 1 0 / 2 0 1 1

Message From The Director ......2

Gallery of Donors/Members ......3

Arts In Education .................... 4-5 Tech Arts Academy Young Audiences House Concerts CAC Grant

Year End Summary ................. 6-7

Arts Enterprises ...................... 8-9 Community Grants Two Unique Programs Unite Behind the Scenes Film Workshop Outside In BARCExhibitions .................................10Getting Inspired ........................10Farmer’s Market Arts & Culture .10

Valley PBS ................................11

Irvine Grant Recap....................11

ACK Calendar ...........................12

Artist Jamie Johnson shows off the costume concept she came up with for the protagonist in this cycle’s movie. Page 8

Arts Council of Kern2000 K Street, Suite 110Bakersfield, CA 93301ph: 661.324.9000fax: 661 324.1136e-mail: [email protected]

Younger Gallery1430 Truxtun AvenueSuite 105Bakersfield, CA 93301

www.kernarts.org

Page 2: ACK Winter Newsletter

NICOLE’S NOTES: Director’s ReportOur Board Members Matter!

2

ARTS COUNCIL OF

KERN STAFF

Jeanette Richardson ParksExecutive Director

Holly BikakisGraphic Design Consultant

Sue DeiningerPublic Relations Consultant

Jill EglandDirector of Special Projects

Kari HunterProgram Coordinator / Assistant to the ED

Carlin A. JonesSocial Media Manager

Nicole McKenzieReceptionist

Barbara MinorFinance Manager / Grants Administrator

Nicole Saint-JohnDirector of Visual Arts Programs

Laura Lollar WolfeDevelopment Officer

Cathy ButlerPresident, Board of Directors

MISSION STATEMENT

The Arts Council of Kern—in partnership with the California Arts Council, the County of Kern, and local agencies—provides, supports, and promotes arts access, advocacy, and education for all residents and visitors to Kern County.

All photos are by ACK staff, unless otherwise noted.

Jeanette Richardson Parks

I want to thank returning ACK Board Members for their dedication to the arts—they are critical to all of the work being done in Kern County. Thank you to our Executive Committee: President,

Cathy Butler, for her amazing energy and support for the arts in our community. Thanks to the talented Mary Reyna as our VP for undertaking not only her duties as an officer, but also for sharing her outstanding gift as a writer and theater teaching artist. A big thank you to Treasurer, Jan Fulton, retired from the Spotlight Café, for taking on the larger task of assisting Barbara Minor and me in creating the most comprehensive budget reform in the history of the ACK. I think we now finish each other’s sentences—we have been

working that closely together. Thanks to Margaret Lemucchi and her husband, Tim, for spearheading and offering their home and time for the theater fundraiser; what a breathtaking event it was at their home on the river. We had a splendid turn out for the Board Orientation and everyone there welcomed our two newest members: John Tait, VP of Citizens Bank; and John Pelitier, newly arrived managing partner at Borton Petrini. Both of these men have a deep love and concern for the quality of life in Kern County. We are happy to announce that Lynn Hall, Christine Goedhart-Humphrey, and Denise Amigh have returned this year, all bringing back their expertise from the education field to work with Professor Anthony Nuño, and newer member, Attorney, Andrew Fishkin, to help us reach our goals for more arts education in our schools. Thank you all! Each of our Board Members made great contributions to the arts in this last year. From Betty Younger’s continued donation of our gallery space and David Coffey’s generosity in hosting the Korean film delegation. We also appreciate Carole Cohen for her fundraising and work with Walk for the Arts, Lili Marsh for helping with Artini, artists Eileen Ettinger and Jim Davis who add the artist’s touch to our plans, and to all of our members for supporting the many concerts, events and shows. A special shout out to Gallery Committee chair, Nancy Clark, who has added her grace and talent to our yearly gallery schedule; to Jorge Guillen for working with the signal boxes and at risk youth; and to Chela Brehmer for her beautifully teaching art for children! Past President, Anthony Goss, continues to come up with great fundraising ideas, and he and his wife, Carrie, warmly welcome us into their home for our staff and board holiday party with their special holiday martinis and entertainment! We can’t fulfill our mission without our Board’s contributions! Thanks to the Board in advance of this arts-packed year—for all they are yet to do.

Page 3: ACK Winter Newsletter

Pete & Cecelia AlgraJacqueline AppelBakersfield Art AssociationBakersfield Christian High SchoolBakersfield KeynotesBakersfield Symphony OrchestraLouis & Sheryl BarbichMary BarnardDonald BarnesBetty BartelAlice R. BeardCatherine Bennett—Picasso MemberPatti BonasLinda and Pat BrownAl CaetanoHeather & Jere Calef BenesCenter for the Blind & Visually ImpairedSheryl ChalupaMichael & Donna ChertokEleanor ClarkBetty Weitze CookPeggy DarlingDesert Community OrchestraKaren DewaltRay & Daffo Dooley

3

Gallery of DonorsJuly 1, 2009 to November 11, 2010

AGENCY SUPPORTCalifornia Arts CouncilCity of BakersfieldCounty of KernDepartment of JusticeKern County Superintendent of SchoolsKern Regional CenterState of California

LEADERSHIP DONORS ($5,000 or more)Aera Energy LLCCalifornia Table Grape CommissionChevronThe James Irvine FoundationDiane S. Lake FamilyGeorge F. MartinPrice DisposalRabobank San Joaquin Community HospitalWestern States Petroleum Association

HEROES FOR THE ARTS ($250 to $4,999)AMREPBakersfield Breakfast LionsBakersfield East Rotary FoundationThe Bakersfield Sports FoundationBARCBen and Gayle BateyCatherine BennettBill Wright ToyotaCathy Butler

Castle & CookeIra and Carole CohenComprehensive Blood and Cancer CenterComprehensive Pulmonary and Critical Care AssociatesWayne and Lynne DeatsSue and Don DeiningerRay and Joan DezemberVictor and Eileen EttingerMelissa Fortune CPAFoundation for SuccessCharles and Judy FritchDarcy and Barbara Grimm MarshallGrimmway FarmsMayor Harvey HallHighland PTAJunior League of BakersfieldKaiser PermanenteTwilla Klassen Kohl’sLaw Office of Timothy LemucchiDaniel LipcoRobert & Judith McCarthySamuel and Linda MonroeJohn & Virginia MoorhouseNorth Bakersfield ToyotaOne of Us, InternationalWM OrenPacific Gas & Electric Company

Woody and Jeanette Richardson ParksHarley and Cynthia PinsonScott RosenliebDiane SandidgeSouthern California Gas CompanyJohn TaitJoseph TravoltaWal Mart FoundationWells FargoWestamerica BankMilton & Betty Younger Robert & Patricia Young

ANNUAL FUND AND SPECIAL EVENT DONORS ($100 to $299)Mark AbernathyAdam AlvidrezRichard and Denise AmighKatherine Bann & Richard AlenbaughBernard and Beatrice BarmannNancy ClarkNorma EatonThomas and Lisa EdickAnthony and Carrie GossJanice GravesEd HoppleRichard JarrettKern Schools Federal Credit UnionDr. Robert C. and Shirley MarshallAnne OprandyLora Owen

New Members: August 16 to November 11, 2010

Fred & Marilyn DorerNorma EatonTom & Irene EdmondsCarola EnriquezKathy Pope and Juan EscalanteJim & Kathleen FaulknerIva FendrickDr. Kurt and Tina FinbergBetty FinchDonald & Bonnie FitzgeraldDavid & Catherine GayJohn & Susan GeigerEmily GellmanGary & E.O. GibsonDaniel & Patricia GiordanoMartha GoldsteinAngelo an Nancy HaddadDr. Brandon J. HawkinsDr. John HeidrickCarol HeltCydney HendersonRoger & Helen HessMadelyn & Mark HoltzclawAndrea and Sasha HonigBrenda Hunter

Nancy JacksonEvelyn JacobiDr. Claudia JonahLois KeelingJoseph KennedyKern River Paiute CouncilDr. Gary KnerrMelody LindleyMs. Jerry LudekeAllen Belloumnini & David LymanSteve & Gail MagnusTerry A. McCormickCheryl McFarlandChris McKeeRon MeadChuck MichelDennis MullinsDon & Lois MurfinDeanna NelsonMichael and Karen NoriegaJayne Pape—Business MembershipKim PeralesMark PestanaHarley & Cynthia Pinson —Picasso Membership

Marie PoliteKay PittsSunny ScofieldSecoKathleen SmithShana StarrhBruce TislerMary TrichellMerry Winter

IN KIND3MB LLCBakersfield MagazineBakersfield Recreation and ParksKelly BlantonBrighthouseCastle & CookeDavid CoffeyLinda FiddlerJan FultonAnthony and Carrie GossHansen’s Moving Justin Jennings & John SaradKERO TV-23Terry McCormickPetroleum Club of BakersfieldMary Amelia-ReynaStinson’sValley PBSMilton & Betty Younger

Marie PoliteGeorge Hoge & Lillian ReaDr. & Mrs. Larry ReiderTom McCarthy and Debbi RitchieRichland School DistrictChalita Brossett RobinsonJulia RobinsonFrances & John RojasRoscoe RolnickShirley SadocchiChristine SaldivarCarol SansoneMs. Sunny ScofieldArt SherwynMary Lou SlinkardPat & Tom SmithJaneen Carter SmithMargaret StephensShelley and Fleur StoneSherrie SwaffordSonia SwensonJane ThorntonCharles C. Topping, MFACharlotte WhiteRobert and Veronica White

THAN

K YO

U MEMBERS FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF THE ARTS

Members Matter!

Page 4: ACK Winter Newsletter

4

Any YA program or service, including but not limited to the YA Arts4Learning curriculums, workshops, residencies or performance demonstrations, incorporates four essential elements. These elements are Experiencing, Understanding, Creating, and Connecting,

which means that students can experience and understand the art form, create the art form, and connect the learning to other areas of study and to their life and world. To learn all about the YA core services, musician Jay Smith and I attended the YA training for Professional Development for Program staff and artists in Atlanta this summer. We both came back very motivated to share our knowledge with artists in our community and to help them to achieve the standards of excellence for which YA is known.

Arts In Education

Nicole Saint-John

M ost of you probably already know that the Arts Council is one of 30 affiliates of Young Audiences (YA), a national organization which fosters creative development in children and enhances education through the arts. In 2009, in the first phase of our affiliation with

YA, staff members Jeanette Richardson, Jill Egland, and I completed the YA Arts4Learning (A4L) training program for teacher facilitation and evaluation on A4L curricula. The A4L project is designed to significantly increase student literacy by developing arts-based instructional strategies for use by elementary school teachers. In Spring of 2010, the ACK successfully developed and taught an A4L story-based graphical-arts curriculum, an adaptation for teenagers with Asperger’s Syndrome and/or high-functioning autism, and we are planning to expand this curriculum to other age groups countywide. We are training mentors and teaching artists in a three-phase program, which includes a professional development day, a supervised teaching session, and assessment training. At the end of the training programs, the mentor/teaching artists will return to their communities and teach the curriculum. And other ACK programs benefit as well: This story-based graphical curriculum is also a perfect match for our Kern Film Workshop, helping our film workshop participants learn how to develop a film storyboard.

Young AudiencesEverything Comes Together

Carlin Jones

As the Arts Council of Kern jumped off the social media diving board, we found ourselves treading water and learning to swim in the sea of social media. The first step was to build up e-mail marketing and a presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other social media applications. Local community members noticed the quickly growing online presence of the ACK and began pursuing us for training and assistance in social media marketing. I enlisted the help of online journalist and marketing professional Jennifer Baldwin. Together, we founded Tech Arts Academy to meet the online training needs of the local arts community, nonprofits, and businesses in Kern County. In February 2010, we held the first workshops – Introduction to Social Media and Harnessing the Power of Facebook. Since then, we have taught dozens of people with all levels of Web experience how to maximize their online marketing efforts. All classes are taught in computer labs so students get hands-on experience building their social media repertoire. This fall, Tech Arts Academy offered a full Professional Series in partnership with Mission Community Services Corporation and the University of La Verne. Ten workshops were scheduled with topics such as Do-It-Yourself Web Sites, E-marketing 101, Media Relations 101, Business Net-working Online, Digital Photography, and Blogging. We have also added a new instructor, Jose Sanchez Jr., of Socialmarketingfactory.com. Tech Arts Academy will offer even more workshops this winter and spring. To learn more and to register for classes, visit us online at techartsacademy.org.

High Standards for YA Artists in Kern County

TECH ARTS ACADEMY

TEACHES DIGITAL ARTS

AND SOCIAL MEDIA

ACADEMY

Page 5: ACK Winter Newsletter

5

Jill Egland

A grant from the California Arts Council is making it possible for a team of Kern High School District students to learn about filmmaking from the pros. Structured as an artist residency and

led by veteran director, Joey Travolta, the project is covering all aspects of the process, from idea inception, to the final edit. Participating students are all enrolled at the AIM (Alternative Instructional Method) Center, an innovative program for at-risk youth with special needs. Team leader, Jeannie Jorgensen, says the residency is a good fit for their campus. “It gives our students who have diverse needs and challenges an alternate way of expressing themselves,” she said. “And for some of them, I think [filmmaking] represents a real vocational option.” Travolta, who is the creative force behind the Kern Film

New Year—New Look2011 House Concert Series Gets A Strategy Make-over

Jill Egland

T he Arts Council’s House Concert Series will launch the new year with a new look. Now entering its third season, the popular program will slim down from nine to six shows spread through-

out the course of the year, and serve as anchor events of countywide mini-tours that directly integrate arts education, access, and advocacy. It’s the logical next step. Most touring musicians, such as House Concert series favorites Willson & McKee and Joe Craven, have built up a repertoire of programs that support K-12 curriculum, resulting in strong working relationships with schools across the country. A quick review of their Web sites shows the breadth and depth of offerings—from making your own instruments, to creating original composi-tions, or exploring the back-story of traditional tunes and songs. The ACK is pursuing corporate sponsorships to allow Kern schools to take advantage of this rich resource.

The 2011 Line-Up

January: Lisa Lynne In addition to her work in schools, this Windham Hill recording artist developed City of Hope’s Harps for Hearts program, now replicated in hospitals around the country.

March: Moira Smiley A popular teaching artist and choral composer, Moira possesses amazing range and vocal dexterity, with a repertoire that spans both geography and generations.

May: Joe Craven Put Joe in a roomful of kids who’ve not had the opportunity to make music, and he’ll hook them! Joe shifts seamlessly between musical styles, performing on anything you toss him, be it animal, vegetable, or mineral.

September: Anne Weiss Blues and folk singer Anne Weiss spends a good portion of her time on the road performing, conducting songwriting retreats, and leading her ever-so-popular workshop, “Singing for the Vocally Challenged.”

October: Willson & McKee For 20 years, the duo has crisscrossed this country and most of Europe taking audiences young and old on a Celtic musical journey that breathes new life into its ancient stories.

December: TBA

All Bakersfield house concerts are $22 (ACK members $20 | Students $10). ACK members can purchase season tickets for $100. Each concert is held in the home of a Bakersfield resident. Venue details are released once a ticket has been purchased. For more information, call the ACK, or visit our Web site. A special thanks to ACK member, Marc Sandall, for his sponsorship of this series.

Workshop, is making it possible for other members of the KFW team to plug into the residency, giving the students the chance for more one-on-one time with professionals who specialize in specific aspects of the industry. He is also challeng-ing the students to create a piece that deals with the subject of bullying. It’s a pragmatic choice—most of the students have arrived at AIM on the other side of some intensive bullying experiences themselves—as well as an aesthetic one: “Good stories comes out of the things we’ve actually experienced,” stated Travolta. The residency will last until winter break. We’ll keep you posted on the film’s premiere.

CAC Awards Funds To KernGrant Targets High School Film-Makers

Page 6: ACK Winter Newsletter

Laura Lollar Wolfe

P lease be sure to check out every page of this year-end newsletter to get a feel for how your Arts Council is meeting its mission to provide arts access, education, and

advocacy to Kern County, not just its county seat. As you read, you will see a recurrent theme—the importance of private support. We are so thankful to work with individual, corporate, and foundation donors who value the work of the ACK and share our core values. The list of donors on page 3 provides an Honor Roll of Donors who made a monetary or in-kind gift from July 1, 2009 to November 11, 2010. Our newest Leadership Donor is the California Table Grape Commission. It was a pleasure to work with Kathleen Nave, Jim Howard and Rachel Guy to develop a program that would allow the Commission to support Kern County at-risk youth. The program was multi-media including performing and visual

arts. The end result was a play and a permanent mural for the Stop the Violence building near the Martin Luther King Center. Reaching out to as much of the County as possible is important. With support from Chevron, Target, and Ben and Gayle Batey, 138 Shafter 4th graders learned to play harmonica and the history, theory, and mathematics behind jazz. They also learned a beautiful, uplifting song that touched all in the audience. Annette Blacklock, Vice Principal at Redwood Elementary was thrilled with this opportunity for these students. Several years of planning in Taft culminated with the unveiling of the Oilworker Monument on October 15 as part of Oildorado. Sculptor, Ben Victor, spent the next week visiting schools through-out the county to share his enthusiasm for the importance of arts in the school and his expertise with students. Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) provided funds to make a documentary of the monument creation process that will air on Valley PBS in the coming months. Aera Energy LLC provided funding support for the fine arts and music part of the Oildorado program. With first

2009-10… What A Year It Was For The Arts Council Around Kern County! TH

ANK

YOU MEMBERS FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF THE ARTS

Members Matter!

6

One of the film production teams take a moment away from script-writing to smile for the camera. (June)

Students work on a mural at the Martin Luther King Center titled, “Reach”.

Cynthia Hallstrom’s heart for the Grand Affair of the

Heart Gala in conjunction with SJCH.World-renowned musician, Nat Dove gives the kids at

Redwood Elementary a lesson with harmonicas.

Page 7: ACK Winter Newsletter

7

time support from The Gas Company, Tehachapi High School students will learn how to capture the best of energy conservation in photos that will then be used in a 2011 calendar. Collaboration is the key word in 2010-11. We were thrilled to have board member Margaret Lemucchi and her husband Timothy underwrite a wonderful fundrais-ing event at their home. The event involved all five non-profit theaters in Bakersfield working with us to present a program. Proceeds from the event are being used to promote audience building for the theaters through advertising—watch for That’s the Ticket ads in the movie section of The Bakersfield Californian each Friday through the end of 2010. It will continue beyond then with additional support from donors, as well as collaboration with The Californian. Collaboration continued: The first Creating Community exhibit funded by Chevron was a benefit for the Arts Council and the Kern River Parkway Foundation. For the first time ever,

there was an Arts Pavilion at the Bakersfield Business Confer-ence. Artist Monica Nelson volunteered countless hours to raise funds and mount the show. This was a great opportunity for local artists to share their work with people from around the

country. The Arts Council and the Bakersfield Museum of Art provided monetary and staffing support and in turn benefited from a portion of the sales. We are looking forward to a meaningful 2011 with Arts Education through the Young Audiences/Arts for Learning program as a major focus of programming and therefore private support. We will again be looking to serve many cities in our vast county. The 2nd

Annual Walk for the Arts will be our biggest outreach event. Look for updates on Facebook or our Web site. We look forward to sharing more great programs and the many ways that we are working to improve the quality of life in Kern County.

2009-10… What A Year It Was For The Arts Council Around Kern County!

THAN

K YO

U MEMBERS FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF THE ARTS kernarts.orgStudents in the Theatre 101 afterschool workshop rehearse their play. (March)

Storyboarding from the Performing Arts Project. (June)

One

of t

he s

culp

ture

s fro

m th

e Ta

ft O

il W

orke

rs M

onum

ent.

Adam Alvidrez, Creating Community artist, Barbara Reid

and Yvonne Cavanagh at the Ebb and Flow show.

Jeanette Richardson Parks, Julie Victor, Ben Victor,

Kevin McCarthy and Supervisor Ray Watson at the

Taft sculpture unveiling.

Page 8: ACK Winter Newsletter

8

Jeanette Richardson Parks

It’s time to submit your grant requests for arts audience building! One of the most rewarding projects of the ACK is the granting of real dollars and technical support for arts organizations. This granting program is made possible by our members, the California Arts Council, State and Local Partnership Program, and the County of Kern. The Community Grants are available on our Website at www.kernarts.org and at our office at 2000 K Street, Suite 110, in Bakersfield. Grants are due by December 20th and will be reviewed by our peer panel in January. Last year we funded: Old Time Radio Show in Frazier Park; Imagine Ballet Company, providing develop-ment and support to dancers ages 13 and up; Kern River Valley Art Association, for two festivals in the Kern River Valley region; Bakersfield Community Theater, established in 1927 to allow individuals and groups the ability to produce plays; Bakers-field College Foundation, on behalf of the Arts and Humanities; Desert Area Resources (DART), a non-profit corporation providing services for Regional Centers; Dept of Rehab; Sierra Sands Unified School District, for visual arts programs; and Kern Scottish Society, established in 1971 to promote Scottish heritage and traditions in Kern County such as genealogy, Gaelic and the Highlands Games. We also supported a Celtic Music Festival at CSUB and Maturan-go Museum, a cultural, natural history and geology museum of Northern Mojave Desert with emphasis on Indian Wells Valley. If you have a great arts organization that needs support to market your arts programming, submit now!

COMMUNITY GRANTS

FOR 2011 AVAILABLE

SOON

Two Unique Programs UniteVisual Arts Workshop Integrates with Kern Film Workshop Jill Egland

Cross-pollinating the Arts Council’s film program with its visual arts program: The idea came from DART, the Ridgecrest-based support service for

adults with special needs —but not intentionally. We were gearing up a couple years back for one of the cycles of the Kern Film Workshop when we got a call from Marcy Holbrook, director of Artists on the Edge, a sister program of Outside In. “We’ve got a couple of really strong visual artists out here who I know would do well at the film workshop,” she said. We contacted the Outside In mentoring teams in Kern River Valley and Bakersfield. “Any of your artists good filmmaking candidates?” we asked. Turned out there were several. And so it is that a pod of visual artists has formed within the Kern Film Workshop. The filmmaking is stretching them. “These artists are drawing upon different skill sets when they are making films. We discovered by tracking one of our Bakersfield participants that when she rejoined Outside In after hav-ing been in the KFW for a cycle, she had improved her powers of focus and concentration,” observed Nicole Saint-John. “Was it because she’d had to memorize lines? Or work with different kinds of equipment? Or create as part of a group effort? I don’t know. What I do know is that it takes a variety of skill sets to make the whole picture of who these individuals are as artists.” Jamie Johnson, a KRV painter and computer graphic artist, has seen a definite shift in her work. “In terms of drawing, I’m better—but I still need work,” she explained. “But in terms of ideas, I’m getting much better. I’m definitely using more detail.” Jo O’Meara, Outside In mentor artist and director of the KFW Art Department, supports self-identified visual artists in the development of their own work whenever possible, but priority has to go to the artistic demands of the film workshop’s productions. In response, she looks for ways to integrate their talent and strengthen their skill sets within the context of the production. For Johnson, this will mean having her design prowess take the lead in this cycle. “She’ll learn to use the sewing machine and other tools to transform her design ideas into tangible costumes and props for the film currently being written,” stated O’Meara. Although the KFW is based upon Inclusion Films’ Burbank site, the Art Department is unique to Bakersfield. O’Meara is clear that for participants who see themselves as visual artists, their ability provides them with a unique portal into the filmmaking process. “We incorporate costume design and story-boarding, which facilitates their learning the script and getting inside the char-acters. They visualize and record, as they see it, the sequencing of scenes that will be filmed,” she explained. “They are definitely better readied to participate when time comes to shoot the scene.” So as of January 3rd, when the next cycle starts up, Outside In, the mentoring program for visual artists with special needs, is joining forces with the KFW’s Art Department. The merging will allow the two ACK efforts to share resources and personnel, and allow participating artists to more easily explore entrepreneurial opportunities through their work. “At the same time as enriching our end product (the film we are making) we are exposing the participants to real world occupations in the field and giving them a taste of what that job might entail,” said O’Meara.

Arts Enterprises

Page 9: ACK Winter Newsletter

9

Jill Egland

F ilmmaker Paul Gomez is putting the finishing touches on “Bakersfield Visual Arts Workshop,” a 10-minute documentary

commissioned by the Arts Council of Kern. The final product can be seen on our Web site (www.kernarts.org). The 29-year-old has been making short films since he was 14 (you can find his work on YouTube: search PaulBGmz), and has participated in the Kern Film Workshop for the past four years. How did he prepare for this project? “I watched documentaries to see how to put one together,“ he said. The crew of the Kern Film Workshop helped him prepare, too, by helping him get the editing software he’d need. Working with it presented him with his biggest challenge: “I didn’t understand the software at first. I had to have fun with it in order to understand it.” Photographer Spark Boemi, who, along with cameraman Ray Pearsall, mentored Paul in the project, agreed. “Paul picks up technical information very quickly, so it was a matter of putting the information into perspective. It was fun.”

Jill Egland

I f it hadn’t been for the indoor/outdoor carpeting, you would have heard a pin drop. Resource Specialists, Holley Arbeit and Kellie Tyndall, had the group’s full-on attention as they shook hands. “Uh, hi—” Tyndall stopped. “Wait. That was

terrible. I need to try again.” It was Monday morning, and the participants of the Kern Film Workshop were experiencing their second vocational readiness session, this one on the proper greeting of a potential employer. It took Tyndall three tries before she was satisfied with the way she presented herself. The crowd loved it. “You know, it really is all about acting the part,” stressed Arbeit, this morning’s leader (she and Tyndall trade off). “You may be really nervous”—here, several heads nod—“but you keep that inside and let the person interviewing you see someone who’s confident.” The weekly sessions are geared toward the generalization of the skills being developed dur-ing the workshop. In other words, knowing how to act can help you be a better interviewee for any job. And if you struggle interpreting the typical social cues that let you know if you’re saying the right thing, preparing for that interview using filmmaking skills such as storyboarding can help you anticipate an interviewer’s response. The KFW currently operates two nine-week cycles in a program year. The fall cycle, which began on October 18 and will run through December 22, signaled the launch of the program’s third year. The winter/spring cycle will begin on January 3 and end on March 10. Developed in partnership with the Kern Regional Center and Joey Travolta’s Burbank-based Inclusion Films, the KFW seeks to identify and strengthen the skill sets of emerg-ing filmmakers, as well as use the art of filmmaking as a vocational transition tool for at-risk youth and adults with special needs.

Bakersfield Visual Arts WorkshopNew Documentary Puts the Spotlight on Outside In

Film Workshop Amps Up Its Vocational Dimension

Jill Egland

Starting the week of January 10,2011, visual artists with special needs will have a place to go. Bakersfield BARC will be hosting a visual arts workshop every Tuesday and Wednesday from 3:30-5:00pm, for four weeks. Any artist wishing to participate who is a Kern Regional Center client should contact Nicole Saint-John at the Arts Council office, 661-324-9000.

OUTSIDE IN BARC:

NEW VISUAL ARTS

WORKSHOP WILL

LAUNCH WITH THE

NEW YEAR

Chris Champion assists Holley in deconstructing the initial handshake.

Holley and Kellie Tyndall role demonstrate an opening

greeting while participants closely observe.

Page 10: ACK Winter Newsletter

10

Nicole Saint-John

Reflections – Image and Word is the title of the current exhibition at the Younger Gallery, and it presents poetry and photography by six Kern County writers and photographers: Nick Belardes, Jill Egland, LisaAnn LoBasso, Susan Reep, Kevin Roland, and Robert Watt. The Arts Council chose poetry and photography as the two interacting art forms for this exhibition. By using concise and elegant language, poetry is able to make leaps in describing another art form. On the other hand, photography has the ability to observe and portray a moment in time and at the same time, can illuminate the inner qualities of an object.

Our CreatingCommunity artists Stacy Holland, Christine McKee, Becky Osterdock, Claire Putney, and Barbara Reid are working diligently on their next projects, after a very successful start with the Ebb and Flow exhibition. They are planning at least two more community-oriented art exhibitions for 2011! Check our Web site for more details, www.kernarts.org.

EXHIBITIONS

REFLECTIONS image + word

Nicole Saint-John

I t never fails and it always happens: I hope to inspire others and it turns around and I get inspired myself! This happened to me at the Pathways Academy in Bakersfield,

an eight-month commitment program for female offenders. Recently, I was invited by Teryl Wakeman, Deputy Public Defender at the Law Office of the Public Defenders of Kern County, to be a guest speaker at the Pathways facility. I was asked to talk to a group of incarcerated young women about my artist profession, with the purpose of planting a seed of hope and direction and giving them a sense of caring and wellbeing. I was the third of eight female guest-speakers in this series who were given an hour to talk about our professions and life journeys. The young women already had met journalist Lois Henry and a medical doctor, and were looking forward to hearing from a pilot, a fire fighter, a judge, and an accountant. If the attractiveness of a job were placed on a scale, I would rank the occupation of an artist above a judge and accountant (no offence) and perhaps I could beat Louis Henry by the length of a smelt, but there is no way to reach the imaginative heights of a pilot or a fire fighter. But of course this wasn’t a competition. I decided to divide the time given to me between a Power Point presentation and an art project with the emphasis on the goals and dreams of my audience. I began by talking about my upbringing in Germany and added a few historical facts, in which to my positive surprise the young women were very interested and asked many questions. I continued to talk about my career in the United States and my personal and professional goals. When I asked questions about the goals of my audience, I was again very surprised by the strong visions of these young women. They were very excited to take their goals and use them as the inspiration to create a piece of art. I provided white flip-flops for each woman, which were used as canvases to describe their goals. At the end of the hour, we placed all the flip-flops in a pathway and took a photo. Every girl was allowed to keep her art work and one of the girls said, “I will keep my piece forever.” It was inspiring to see that this young generation has worthy goals, and it is now up to us, the society, to mentor them in reaching their goals.

Getting Inspired

Jill Egland

T hroughout the summer, farmers market-goers were treated to a weekly festival, thanks to a special Department of Agriculture grant awarded a

consortium of organizations dedicated to expanding the markets’ impact on the community. Although the grant ended on Labor Day, the arts and culture facelift is permanent! Visual and performing artists interested in getting involved should contact Mary Fondacaro, at 661-747-4959.

Play On!Bakersfield’s Farmers Market Keeps the Art and Music Coming

At Right: Colleen McGraw and Georgann Greene of the Dagny’s Session Players helped create a Celtic ambiance this summer at the F Street Farmers Market.

Page 11: ACK Winter Newsletter

Planning Survey Conducted For Valley PBS

Laura Lollar Wolfe

V alley PBS serves Kern County and has as a part of its mission to provide arts and culture programming to the Southern San Joaquin Valley. CEO Paula Castadio is interested in

providing more on-air and on-line content that is specifically for Kern County residents. To get a better idea of how to provide this content, Valley PBS hired the Arts Council to perform a planning survey of 50 corporate and business leaders, over a wide range of industries. Questions were designed to gauge current awareness and viewership of Valley PBS, and then survey what types of content would be relevant for Kern County. The overwhelming finding was that there is so much potential content, and our local leaders have wonderful ideas on content to create. The Arts Council and Valley PBS concept of Behind the Scenes with the arts was well received. Leaders shared many

Irvine Grant Recap Wrapping Up Music, Sweet Music!

Jeanette Richardson Parks

As an Arts Council, we have been providing arts access, advocacy, and education to Kern County residents and visitors for over 33 years. Our focus on supporting

visual, performing and literary artists has taken many forms. Yet, while we had sponsored many music performances and events, we had not done a major advocacy project just for the local musicians until the James Irvine Foundation and the California Arts Council Department of Justice music settlement grants became available. From this funding came one of our most entertaining and rewarding projects ever - the Best of Kern Concert Tour. Over a period of two years, the Arts Council of Kern staff and consultants spent countless hours to broaden, deepen, and diversify participation of the unique musical offerings that make up Kern’s music. We facilitated and produced a series of musical events/concerts presented primarily in many different areas and venues of Kern County. With the funding, we were able to pay the musicians and keep most of the events free of charge to the audience. The Best of Kern Concert Tour played for the Amgen race in Bakersfield, at Hart Park for the River Festival, in Tehachapi, in Taft for Oildorado, at the Majestic Fox Theater, Stars Dinner Theater, Walk for the Arts, at North of the River Norris Park, Bright House Ampi-theater, Brighton Village, and shared their music in Maricopa, Delano, and Shafter schools. They were also the subject of a local Bright House special. Best of Kern Concert Tour became the focus for a Web site and Facebook fan page growing a large following. You can catch a few performances this next month at the Marriott in downtown Bakersfield!

ideas on other Behind the Scenes themes that could be used—Behind the Scenes with ag or oil or modern architecture or leadership. The list was very long. Behind the Scenes with unique businesses like Insect Lore in Shafter and Dewar’s in Bakersfield were other ideas. The next step for Valley PBS is to establish an advisory group in Kern County and to hire a local representative to build relation-ships. In addition, the station will be working on gaining better awareness and viewership from Kern County residents. Readers are encouraged to check out Valley PBS on channel 18 on Bright House or to check their satellite listings. Valley PBS has been a good partner with the Arts Council, pro-viding sponsorship support for 2009 Artini and moving forward with the first episode of Behind the Scenes that will feature the Oilworker Monument in Taft. It was a pleasure to work with them again.

Continuetowatchfortheseamazinggroupsandmusicians:

1916: Celtic rockBanshee in the Kitchen: Acoustic Celtic

The Iron Outlaws: Country, ‘50s rock and roll, punkJoel Jacob: Solo singer, songwriterDavid Nigel Lloyd: Solo Celtic artist

Ron McOwen: Solo jazz, R&B vocalistSarah Rhodes: Solo pianist, vocalist

Soulajar: Funk-and-groove rockEzekiel Victor: Solo Jazz pianist

Jason Badgley / Larry Thomas: Acoustic duoThe Boasting Weak: Jazz, folk rock duet or band

Deep Treble: Four-man a cappella groupFoster Campbell and Friends: Rhythm and Blues

Valentina Katkov: Solo singer, songwriterThe Bird Channel: Indie pop

Jay Smith: Solo jazz, Latin rock, funkAllie Jo Thomas: Solo children’s music

Alibi: Classic and grung rockLanden Belardes: Solo acoustic indie rock

Hillary Bergen: Solo singer, songwriterEasy Tiger: Folk, rock, Brit pop, and alternative country duo

Ellie Enns: Solo pianistCandace Freeman: Jazz vocalist

T.J. Marion: Solo R&B and hip hopLawanda Smith: Solo jazz vocalist

The SuperSonic Band: Pop and country rockNat Dove: Solo blues artist

Mauro Vizcarra: Solo jazz and Latin guitarist, vocalist

Play On!Bakersfield’s Farmers Market Keeps the Art and Music Coming

11

Page 12: ACK Winter Newsletter

2000 K Street, Suite 110Bakersfield, CA 93301

Thursday, February 3, 2011 Couples of Accomplishment

Friday, February 4, 2011—Creating Community Exhibition: ConTEXTualArtists support Literacy in our Community at the Farmacy

Friday, April 8, 2011ARTini “The Big Easy”ACK & Kern County Museum Fundraiser

Saturday, May 14—Walk for the Arts

Concerts

Exhibits

artscalendar ACK EVENTS WINTER/SPRING 2010-2011Formoreinfo.,pleasecall661-324-9000orlogontowww.kernarts.org.

Sunday, December 12—House Concert: Peppino D’Agostino 4pm$22 | $20 ACK l $10 students

Sunday, January 16—House Concert: Lisa Lynne and Aryeh Frankfurt / 4pmBakersfield$22 | $20 ACK | $10 students

Save The Date

NON-PROFIT ORG.US POSTAGE

PAIDBAKERSFIELD CA

PERMIT #39

AddressServiceRequested

Reflections,Image+wordAn exhibition of photography and poetryThe Younger Gallery through December Behind The Scenes

AirsWednesday,December22“BenVictor,BehindtheScenes”onVPBSTake a look behind the scenes with the sculptor of the Taft Oilworkers Monument as he travels around Kern County teaching kids art.

A student learns how to mold clay in a class taught

by Ben Victor.