This Week's Arts & Cultural Events and Opportunities
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Threshold, artists Michele Simonsen and Tim Webb
January 30 – April 13, 2012    press release evite

Hidden Treasures of Santa Barbara
January 30, 2012 - January 25, 2013    press release evite

The Audacity of Process: An Exploration in Diverse Practices
November 21 – Feb. 10, 2012    press release evite

1st Thursday

Santa Barbara Bowl to give $.25 of every ticket sold to Bowl concerts to Santa Barbara County Arts Commission.
County Arts Commission to expand access to arts and cultural programs to underserved communities countywide through Cultural Enrichment Arts Grants.

The Board of Directors of the Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission. As part of an updated lease agreement with the County of Santa Barbara, the Bowl has created an arts subsidy fund with twenty-five cents per ticket sold to every Bowl concert contributing. The much-needed funds will be used by the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission to leverage additional funding sources and community resources, eliminate barriers like materials, artist fees and transportation costs to provide cultural activities,
music and art instruction to rural youth, and build beneficial partnerships and collaborations
throughout Santa Barbara County.

Ginny Brush, Executive Director of the Arts Commission states “This partnership with the
Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation will allow the Arts Commission to reach and serve small
rural communities and other areas of the County that currently have little or no access to art,
and cultural activities. We intend to maximize the impact of the funds generated from this
agreement by leveraging them to attract private funding support, volunteerism and increase
community engagement.”

The payment for the 2011 Concert Season is to be presented to the Santa Barbara County
Arts Commission by members of the Bowl Education Outreach Committee on January 11 at
the Arts Commission’s monthly meeting. The initial payment will be in the amount of
$30,033.75 and will be administered from the Bowl’s Education Outreach program. Brush
explained “These new Art Subsidy funds will be distributed by the Arts Commission in the
form of Cultural Enrichment Grants twice a year. Grant submittal forms and criteria for the
first round will be available online March 15th at www.sbartscommission.org. Enrichment
Grant requests can range from $500-5,000.”

This is not the first time The Santa Barbara Bowl Education Outreach and the Arts
Commission have worked together. Both organizations were involved in the very popular
Pianos on State Street project in November along with a number of other collaborators who
joined together to make music accessible to all while promoting the annual instrument drive
initiated by the Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation, Notes 4 Notes, Santa Barbara Education
Foundation and Granada Arts Outreach.

The Education Outreach Program, in keeping with the SB Bowl Foundation’s core mission
statement, provides much needed arts education outreach within the Santa Barbara
community. Education Outreach focuses on presenting music and performing arts programs
to local students either at the Bowl or at other local venues, schools, or after-school centers.
Reaching approximately 20,000 children each year, the program is led by Bowl Board
members and other dedicated volunteers working to foster partnerships, facilitate
communication and create effective collaborations to leverage opportunities for arts
education.

The Arts Commission, established in 1977 is a 15-member panel with three representatives
appointed by each of the five County District Supervisors. The Commission, a division of
the County’s Community Services Department, organizes public exhibitions in Santa Maria
at the Betteravia Gallery and the Channing Peake Gallery in Santa Barbara in addition to
administering the County’s Percent for Art public art program. For more information on the
work of the Arts Commission visit www.sbartscommission.org.

To hear the KCLU story on the collaboration between the Bowl and the Arts Commission by Lance Orozco http://www.kclu.org/2012/01/20/popular-santa-barbara-county-concert-venue-us.
 

Santa Barbara County Arts Commission joins Americans for the Arts’ latest nationwide economic impact study, Arts & Economic Prosperity IV.

Our participation in this important research project will allow us to quantify the economic impact of the arts and cultural industry in Santa Barbara County.

We all know that our industry supports jobs, fuels the economy and generates government revenue. In May 2012, we’ll receive a final report that will indicate just how many jobs and how much money the Arts and Cultural non-profits generate for the County. Please contact Lucy O'Brien for questions or comments at 568-3993 or email lobrien2@co.santa-barbara.ca.us.
Press Release. . . . . . . .Instructions for completing the survey forms.

Gotta Sing!Gotta Dance! - The Great American Musical on Film. Free Summer Cinema, beginning July 8th. Fabulous Fridays under the stars at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse Sunken Garden. Press Release ... Schedule

Symposium for the Arts
APRIL 15, 2011  Results of the Symposium

The California Arts Council Celebrates California Arts Day on the first Friday in October (and National Arts and Humanities Month throughout the month). October 1, 2010 www.cac.ca.gov

Paul Willis Installed as Santa Barbara's Poet Laureate at City Council Meeting on April 12, 2011

Press Release Selection
Press Release Installation

April Poetry Events

Local poet and Westmont professor Paul Willis was installed as Santa Barbara’s Poet Laureate at the April 12th City Council meeting. The occasion was celebrated with the reading of a Proclamation from the Mayor recognizing the contributions and accomplishments of Mr. Willis and April as National Poetry Month in Santa Barbara. 

Past Poet Laureates, Barry Spacks and Perie Longo made remarks praising Willis for his talent and contributions to the literary community. Ms. Longo read a poem by outgoing Poet Laureate David Starkey who is currently in Rome.

After being presented with a ceremonial crown of mock laurel leaves by Longo and Spacks, Professor Willis recited the following poem for the occasion.

The City of Santa Barbara established a position of Poet Laureate in 2005 in order to direct proper attention and honor to the spoken word by utilizing poetry to celebrate and elevate community events.  Since the establishment of the position the City has been remarkably fortunate of have three exceptional Emeritus Poet Laureates—Barry Spacks, Perie Longo and David Starkey.

The entire month of Apri was filled with a myriad of readings and events throughout the City celebrating all things poetic. A listing of events can be found at http://www.sbpoetry.net

Guadalupe Mural Installation

On November 16, Arts Commission staff and arts preparators re-installed the recently restored Guadalupe Murals back to City Hall and their original location. The murals were created by internationally recognized muralist Judy Baca and the community of Guadalupe  back in 1989.

The murals were removed in 2003 for restoration at the Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC) in Venice, California under the guidance of Ms. Baca. The Murals were ecently completed and returned to Santa Barbara County through funding support of the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission, the Mammel Foundation, the Santa Barbara Foundation and Guadalupe Cultural Arts and Education Center.

A rededication and community celebration of the Guadalupe Murals was held at 2 pm on December 11th at City Hall, 918 Obispo Street, Guadalupe.
http://sbcounty.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=11&clip_id=1247

Stochastic Probability
Installed on October 27, 2010    press release
http://www.santamariasun.com/art/5844/growing-art/
http://www.casasb.com/Profiles/2010%20Artist%20Profiles/12.17.10.Francis.Michael.Dawson.pdf

Francis Michael Dawson - Stochastic Probability
Jardin de las Granadas Exhibition

The Jardin de las Granadas exhibition space is a unique collaboration with the City and County of Santa Barbara, the City Redevelopment Agency and the Downtown Organization. It began when opportunities for the temporary display of sculpture were envisioned as part of this park and sculpture pads were included in the landscape design in front of the Las Granadas housing project in the heart of the Cultural Arts District. The Jardin is located at 21 East Anapamu Street, between State and Anacapa Streets. The Ribbon-Cutting ceremony with Mayor Helene Schneider, other City officials, Arts Commission staff and the general public will take place on 1st Thursday, November 4th at 5:00pm.

The current Jardin sculpture exhibition installed on October 26, 2010, features the plant-based sculpture installation, titled Stochastic Probability, of North County artist Francis Michael Dawson. Dawson is a visual artist, who for the last twelve years has pursued the propagation of a large variety of succulents and plant materials in his work. Stochastic Probability, refers to a sequence of random variables which make things happen, in this case, of how plants grow. Dawson has integrated over 2,000 hand-tended succulents, into four 10 foot pillars. These figurative sculptures will continue to grow throughout their six-month exhibition.  Dawson’s artwork explores ritual, time and space, and how the bodies we inhabit, alter and animate. He believes the dynamic process of changing negative space will challenge and positively engage the viewers at the Jardin.

Dawson is a 2001 honors graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from University of California at Santa Barbara.  His work has been featured in eighteen group exhibitions throughout California.  In addition, he has received awards from the James Irvine Foundation, the Santa Barbara Foundation, UCSB Art Affiliates Fellowships, and the William Dole Memorial Fund among others. Dawson has his own residential landscape design company and was most recently featured in the Wall Street Journal for his creative and sustainable landscape work.

Dawson commented, “This installation at the Jardin de las Granadas provides a unique opportunity in an active environment to share the conscious creation and growth of a sculpture that is alive and evolving. This dynamic quality expands the three dimensional restraints of a static sculpture.  Stochastic Probability refers to the process and effect that is determined by both predictable actions and by random events; we influence and cause vibrations with every movement and breath.  We alter everything with choice and actions, yet we can’t confidently predict every consequence.  I hope each person who visits will experience both the present and the possibility.”

The City’s Visual Art in Public Places Committee (VAPP) and the City Arts Advisory Committee review the recommended proposals of the Jardin Community Panel for the Jardin de las Granadas and give final approval.

This exhibition is the direct result of the Santa Barbara community’s vision and commitment to placing public art in the heart of the Cultural Arts District with cooperation of the Redevelopment Agency of the City of Santa Barbara, the County Arts Commission, and the Downtown Organization. The sculpture installation Stochastic Probability by Francis Michael Dawson, the brochure, and the on-site signage are funded by Santa Barbara Beautiful.

For more information contact Rita Ferri at 805.568.3994, ferri@co.santa-barbara.ca.us Visual Arts Coordinator, Santa Barbara County Arts Commission.

Plant List

2011 "Poetry Out Loud" Event
Press Release

Dos Pueblos High School Sophomore Named Winner in Santa Barbara County Arts Commission’s 5th Annual “Poetry Out Loud” Contest

http://sbcounty.granicus.com/ASX.php?publish_id=30&sn=sbcounty.granicus.com

Courtney Cambron wins local competition that emphasizes language skill and public speaking; advances to the state finals in Sacramento March 20-21st.

Courtney Cambron, a Sophomore at Dos Pueblos High School in Goleta took first place in the Santa Barbara County “Poetry Out Loud” competition on February 9.  Courtney was one of thousands of students across the state to participate in the national recitation contest, a program run by the California Arts Council in the state and started by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to engage high-school students in the presentation of poetry through memorization and performance. Courtney advances to the California state finals in Sacramento scheduled for March 20th and 21st, 2011. At stake are hundreds of dollars on the state competition level and thousands at the national finals of Poetry Out Loud.

Fourteen high school students competed in last night’s countywide competition held at the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room on the fourth floor of the County Administration Building in Santa Barbara. Barry Spacks, Santa Barbara Poet Laureate Emeritus served as emcee for the evening and a stellar panel of judges included Perie Longo, Santa Barbara Poet Laureate Emeritus, and published poets Chryss Yost, Carol DeCanio and Kathy Roxby. 

Dos Pueblos High School swept the evening’s honors. In addition to Courtney, the judges awarded Haley Peterson with the Runner-up Award and Rishika Singh placed third. Sojourner Kincaid-Rolle a respected local poet worked with students at El Puente Community School, and faculty members William Woodard from Dos Pueblos High School, Roberta Nye, from Santa Barbara High School and Dr. David Barndollar from Laguna Blanca School were responsible for engaging faculty and their students in the Poetry Out Loud program at their schools.

“In a world of emails, IMing, texting, sound bites and blips it was glorious fun to spend an evening reveling in the spoken word and the literary contributions of American poets,” said Ginny Brush, Executive Director of the County Arts Commission.

“Young people interested in rap and slam contests can be surprisingly interested in classical poetry when it’s presented through the Poetry Out Loud competition,” said Muriel Johnson, outgoing Director of the California Arts Council. “We’ve seen students from all backgrounds and academic levels embrace this program wholeheartedly. It can change their lives.”

Spencer Klavan, from Laguna Blanca the 2009 Santa Barbara County Poetry Out Loud winner went on to win at the State finals in Sacramento and represented California at the National Poetry Out Loud competition in Washington D.C. last April.

The Poetry Out Loud program seeks to foster the next generation of literary readers by capitalizing on the latest trends in poetry: recitation and performance. Poetry Out Loud competitions start in the classroom, then at the school, region, state, and national finals, similar to the structure of the spelling bee. The national initiative is part of an attempt to bring literary arts to students, a critical need in U.S. schools, according to a 2004 NEA report Reading at Risk that found a dramatic decline in literary reading, especially among younger readers.

For more information on other programs of the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission visit www.sbartscommission.org. General information on Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Competitions can be found at www.cac.ca.gov and www.poetryoutloud.org. Reporters interested in more information about the statewide program may contact California Arts Council communications director Mary Beth Barber at mbarber@caartscouncil.com or 916-322-6588.