ARTSpulse by Dayna DelVal

Published by

of the Red River Valley

A guide to the area’s arts and culture

march/april 2012

Unlike White noise: The quiet revolution of graphic design

Photo by Laura Caroon

Graphic design permeates many aspects of our daily lives, from stamps, to publications, to product packaging.

By Julie Walnum he next time you’re in the grocery store, take a moment to consider what the products on the shelves would look like if each, in plain text, simply stated what was in each can, bag or box, without fanfare or color. Imagine how differently that would feel. Jim Bolluyt, whose high school art teacher asked his class to think about how much design is incorporated into every product at the grocery store, has thought more than a little about the design detailing that goes into each product. That art assignment: to design a box of cereal from start to finish. Bolluyt, now Fargo freelance designer Jim B. Creative, said some of his ideas about design are influenced on the idea that, “design takes order and structure to be able to conceive it and understand it.”

In other words, design must have a frame to communicate something directly. “It needs to take you from point A to point B,” he said. Without even thinking about it, we glide through a world inundated with design that is communicating constantly. Raul Gomez, design editor for High Plains Reader, highlights our everyday dependence on computer-generated materials. “Every piece of paper that comes in the mail, every billboard, every sign, every magazine or newspaper utilizes design,” Gomez said. If you include such everyday items as stamps, postcards and coupons, that list goes on and on, but it is often unnoticed. And yet, some design definitely does catch our eyes. Part of the reason someone buys More white noise on page 5

Drawn together: Gaming creates lush environments packed with art and design

By Kris Kerzman ozens of young men and a few women stream into Paradox Comics on a cold Friday night. They stand in groups, laughing and talking, and sit at rows of white tables, chins resting on hands as they ponder their next move in a game of Magic: The Gathering. A large timer on the wall counts down the first round of action in the night’s tournament. A further look around the store reveals rows of board games and figurines, and shelves full of comic books and graphic novels. They come in all colors and styles, creating a setting as vibrant as the worlds the games and books create. The idea of captivating one’s imagination, along with the creation of

Magic: The Gathering, a cardbased fantasy/strategy game, uses the work of more than 400 artists to embellish gameplay with powerful design.

More drawn together on page 10

Photo by Britta Trygstad

Inside

Camria Ballet Academy - page 8

3 Viewpoint 3 Commentary: Eric Daeuber 4 News Briefs 5 Community Supported Arts Program 6 Celtic Festival 6 FM Opera 7 HCSCC

8 Camria Ballet Academy 10 TAP’s Logo 11 ArtsPulse Graphic Designer 11 Commentary: Susie Ekberg Risher 12 TAP Primary Partners 12 TAP Advocate Partners

13 Great Performances 14 Quilter’s Guild 15 Theatre B 15 Fargo Public Library 16 Misfit Cups 16 Thomas Huus 18 Arts on Ice 19 Art21

Quilter’s Guild - page 14

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march/april 2012 A guide to Fargo-Moorhead area arts and culture

Publisher The Arts Partnership Executive Director and Managing Editor Dayna Del Val Co-managing Editor Kris Kerzman Publications Committee Eric Daeuber Lisa Farnham Pam Gibb Kris Kerzman Erin Koffler Sue Spingler Julie Walnum Design and Layout Shawn Olson Co-Founders John Gould Steve Revland Contact us

1104 2nd Ave. S., Suite 315 Fargo, N.D. 58103 701-237-6133 artspulse@theartspartnership.net This publication was made possible by the cities of Fargo, Moorhead and West Fargo through their allocations for arts & culture and members of The Arts Partnership. ArtsPulse is published six times a year by The Arts Partnership. All rights reserved by ArtsPulse. Reproductions of any kind without written permission are prohibited. The publisher and editor assume no responsibility for unsolicited material, manuscripts or photographs. All materials are compiled from sources believed to be reliable, but published without responsibility for errors or omissions. ArtsPulse accepts advertisements from organizations believed to be of good reputation, but cannot guarantee the authenticity or quality of objects, events, or services advertised. Opinions and/or ideas expressed by authors are not necessarily those of the publisher. Letters to the editor should include the author’s name, address and phone number. All letters are subject to editing. Letters can be submitted to artspulse@theartspartnership.net

Foundation and Institutional Support • Cities of Fargo, Moorhead and West Fargo • North Dakota Council on the Arts • Carol L. Stoudt Donor Advised Fund (II) of the Fargo-Moorhead Area Foundation For calendar listings visit culturepulse.org and for The Arts Partnership information visit theartsparnership.net.

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VIEW point A season of new S

pring brings with it its own wonderful delights: the smell of fresh air and thawing ground, the sound of birds chirping and kids lingering as they walk home from school, the feel of morning sunshine on your face and so much more. No matter how pleasant the winter was, there’s something about the renewal of spring that makes everything seem a little easier, a little brighter and a whole lot more enjoyable. The arts are that way, too. They go through cycles, ebbing and flowing as the seasons do. Spring is a time of renewal. For many arts organizations, spring means finalizing budgets for the upcoming July 1 new fiscal year, planning for the next season, and taking stock of the current year. Artists are looking ahead to the work of summer shows, winding down their school year commitments, and envisioning where they might go to find artistic renewal and inspiration. This issue of ARTSpulse is full of all the

Dayna Del Val Executive Director, The Arts Partnership

many activities we have happening in windy March and balmy April. It is also full of articles about hobbies and professions that might not immediately fit your definition of visual art — graphic design, logo creating and gaming. Not words that necessarily bring to mind art when what we often think of is Van Gogh, Degas and Monet; sunflowers, ballerinas and water lilies. I recently heard an interview on MPR talking about the newest area of work for contemporary composers. Can you guess

what it is? Video games. The scores are complex, haunting, sophisticated and powerful. Imagine Mozart frantically writing music for a computer screen rather than an opera stage. He was a rebelling rock star in his own time, so I imagine he would have been attracted to this boundary-pushing genre. If spring is a time for new growth, then this issue is in perfect keeping with that. How you have seen art is not how the next generation sees art. The classics will always have value, but with each season comes something new and unexpected, so too with art. The old makes way for the new — not to be replaced but to be added to. Read on and enjoy — the weather, the season, the articles and the art! Then tell me what you think. I would love to hear from you. Write to me at dayna@theartspartnership.net, or find us on Facebook and share your ideas of art. I bet we’ll be surprised at what others think, and isn’t that just exactly how it should be?

{Commentary} Recognizing ourselves in movies By Eric Daeuber deas don’t matter as much as stories. Imagine asking a friend, “How was your day?” and your friend said, “I had an interesting idea.” The conversation would be over. But if your friend said, “Something interesting happened to me,” the conversation is only beginning. This is because the “interesting” part isn’t really the interesting part. The interesting part is the “happened to me” part. The Oscars are a time for trotting out our national stories — the interesting parts of what’s going on in the midst of all the ideas people want us to pay attention to, none of which seem particularly relevant. Movies do well at capturing our attention because what’s happening on the screen is happening to someone who is so much like me that I’ve got a personal stake in how it turns out. To make this happen, the movies don’t have to be good art in the sense we’ve come to understand art. For example, it’s no secret that the Academy Awards aren’t about great art anymore. Nobody really thought Titanic was a great movie. But it was a story about a really big ship that went under before its time, and who can’t say they’ve seen that coming from time to time. Lots of things that mattered to people went under in 1997, and that’s why it became the popular choice for best picture. Princess Di, John Denver and Chris Farley all went down in 1997, too, all before their time. Mother Teresa did as well, but, sadly, no one seemed to notice, and that tells you something about what stories matter to Americans. The Academy Awards do this every year. In 2000, Gladiator made it OK to hit one another on the head over and over again as did George W. Bush and Al Gore that same year. Last year, misfits like Mark Zuckerberg, Buzz Lightyear, and the King of England lit

up the silver screen begging the world to love them in spite of minor imperfections and a general lack of social graces, just like America. This year is no different. Hugo looks for a lost key to unravel the mysteries of a mechanical man. Oskar Schell has more keys than he can manage, none of which seem to do anything. Gil Pender gets drunk and wanders around Paris looking for the lost generation — irony, if that word means anything at all. Jack O’Brien wanders around the universe looking for who knows what. Been there, done that. This can be pointing to only one truth about our national landscape. Nobody has any clear idea what the hell is going on. Artists like to think they’re responsible for addressing these questions,

to be a good movie to do it. And this drives artists nuts. All a movie has to do, really, is tell our stories so that we recognize ourselves. And there are plenty of clueless but well meaning, mildly incapable but hopeful, darkly-secretiveparanoid-misfits-secretly-hoping-to-bediscovered who have been going to the movies this past year to make all those characters just like them worth taking seriously. Great movies don’t stand a chance with that kind of market out there. But that’s OK. Not everyone will accept that a universally understood story that appeals to the unwashed masses is art. Thankfully the Academy hasn’t forgotten those people, many of whom are English majors poking each other in the balcony during Midnight in Paris whispering, “That’s Alice B. Toklas!”

Movies do well at capturing our attention because what’s happening on the screen is happening to someone who is so much like me that I’ve got a personal stake in how it turns out. and a lot of them have very good ideas. But ideas don’t matter as much as stories and that’s why, as time settles the dust of every passing generation, the art that’s left behind is the art that has helped us make sense of the bit of the road we’ve just passed over. Most great art does this by doing little more than repeating the story it’s trying to make sense of. Movies do this too, but it doesn’t have

But even if a good story isn’t necessarily good art, it certainly speaks better to the heart than a great idea. They say Van Gogh only sold one painting in his life. It was the one with all the people milling about in the vineyards. There are about a dozen good stories in that landscape. It turned out to be great art, as did his 900 or so other paintings. But people who tell you they have a great idea are missing the point.

march/april 2012

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news briefs Music Theatre Fargo Moorhead presents Nunsense

takes section allows writers to submit anything from six-word short stories and poetry to 500-word flash fiction. Writers can submit up to four pieces of fiction, creative nonfiction or poetry, or up to Submitted by Music Theatre Fargo Moorhead hink you’ve seen Nunsense? Think again! From the company three pieces of artwork or photography. Whether accepted or rejected, submitters will be notified by mid-April. Regardless of the result, every submission will receive constructive that brought you Chicago, comes another hit that is sure to feedback. Only original work is accepted, and all rights will revert to the author upon have you singing its praises. publication. This allows submitters a chance to have their works published post-Northern Nunsense is a musical comedy that stars five nuns from Eclecta. Hoboken. Join Music Theatre Fargo Moorhead at The Stage at The deadline for submission is 11:59 p.m. Monday, March 26. Submissions should be sent Island Park, home of the Fargo Moorhead Community Theatre, for a “divine” evening of by email to WriteStuff@ndsu.edu. Students submitting are asked to type “Next Generation” laughs, good intentions, confusion, Hail Marys and a few surprises along the way. in the subject line, and include their name, preferred contact email address, phone number and Performances are March 22-25. Tickets range from $6-$15 and are on sale now at school name in the body of the email. All documents and/or image files should be attached to musictheatrefm.com or call 701-235-6778. the message. For complete guidelines, send email to Amber Fetch, editor-in-chief, at amber. fetch.2@ndsu.edu, or Linnea Nelson, next generation editor, at linnea.nelson@ndsu.edu.

“A Very Antoinette Tea Party”: Let them eat cake!

By Amber Parsons idwest Mud, a local art co-op focused on connecting local artists with the community, will host a unique fundraising event, “A Very Antoinette Tea Party.” Guests will indulge in a colorful menagerie of gourmet desserts and of course a cup or two of tea. The event is open to the public, and the first 10 guests to attend will go home with a handmade tea cup from Midwest Mud. The party will also exhibit and retail an array of local artists’ work, including work from Carrie Lee Went and Tanna Lee Hill, ceramics by Amber Parsons and Josh Zeis, and jewelry from Karman Rheault. “A Very Antoinette Tea Party” will be held at 6:30 p.m. March 22 at the studio of Carrie Lee Went, 5089 18th St. N., Moorhead. More information on all events is online at wix.com/artdetroisevent/main-event.

Moorhead High brings timeless classic To Kill a Mockingbird to the stage this spring

By Pam Gibb his spring, Moorhead High School theater brings the adaptation of Harper Lee’s 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird to the stage. More than 30 Moorhead High students are part of the cast and crew. Performances are 7:30 p.m. April 26, 27 and 28 and 2 p.m. April 29. Set in Alabama in 1935, To Kill a Mockingbird focuses on six-year-old Scout Finch, who lives with her older brother Jem and their widowed father Atticus, a lawyer. Atticus is appointed by the court to defend Tom Robinson, a black man who has been accused of raping a young white woman. Despite evidence of Tom’s innocence, the jury convicts him. According to director Dawn Gunderson, the timeless classic opens conversations of acceptance and understanding. “We need to be continually reminded about discrimination in all forms,” she said. “Not just race, but also age, religion, appearance.” In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus teaches his children the importance of accepting By Jacob Ritteman people from all walks of life. now any young writers eagerly wishing to be published? North Dakota State University’s Gunderson points to the famous dialogue when Atticus says: “There’s something I’d like Northern Eclecta is in the process of having its sixth volume crafted this spring 2012 to ask. If you’ll do it, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds. You see, you never really with a central theme of “Inspiration.” At the helm of the creative writing journal is instructor understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...until you climb into Eunice Johnston. Johnston leads three sections of the Literary Publications class, giving each his skin and walk around in it.” student a different task as the classes work toward the goal of summer publication. In 1962, Harper Lee’s book was adapted into a film starring Gregory Peck. Peck won an Northern Eclecta offers writers an easy, non-intimidating way to get published. In adOscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of Atticus Finch. This year marks the 50th anniverdition to all NDSU-enrolled students, the creative writing journal is also open for submissary of the film version. sions from grades 7-12 students from around the region. The journal features seven categoTickets for Moorhead High’s stage performances go on sale April 16. Purchase them through ries: fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, artwork, photography and quick takes. The quick the box office at 218-284-2345, in the Moorhead High activities office or at the door.

NDSU’s Northern Eclecta calls for submissions

march/april 2012

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white noise: Continued

from page 1

Levi’s over another brand of jeans is the emotional impact of the art incorporated into the marketing design. Consumers want to wear jeans that will make them feel like they’re sitting spider-legged with a lover on a giant metal sphere suspended above New York City. The ad design makes the possibility of transferring that emotion onto life possible. “It’s just as much psychology as it is artistic possibilities,” Bolluyt said. Everything about creating graphic design is a decision to be made, and each decision is important. What font will create excitement, but in a way that everybody will be able to read? What color will remind people of their childhood home? Will shadows behind this tree make it seem ominous instead of mythical? While the tools and technology are important, who’s using them is probably more important to a successful outcome. “We create art for a purpose, and that purpose is to sell things,” Bolluyt said. Muriel Cooper, founder and former co-director of MIT’s Visual Language Workshop, and considered one of the most influential presences on modern graphic design, crystallizes the importance of the designer as a filter for meaningful communication. “Designers know a lot about how to control perception, how to present information in some way that helps you find what you need, or what it is they think you need,” Cooper said. “Information is only useful when it can be understood.” The final way a design looks is paramount to the way it’s understood. “Most designers try to make things that don’t look like they’re made on a computer,”

Gomez said. Otherwise “everything starts to look like everything else. Clean Helvetica (a popular typeface) is like white noise.” Designers are also influenced by the communities where they live and what those communities support. Bolluyt brings up a surprising aspect of what shapes the final outcome of a design. “The culture of your community and how arts-focused it is determines how much clients want to spend on being creative,” he said. The funding for design matters because, as any graphic designer will tell you, the work takes time. “The level of work put into the design is completely noticeable,” Bolluyt said. The more time and money available, the more the work can, ostensibly, be transformed into a work that is more artful.

Everything about creating graphic design is a decision to be made, and each decision is important. Creative control of the design also determines the ultimate shape and message of the work. “A lot of communities that understand art just let the creatives have control,” Bolluyt said. “They allow them to push boundaries.” Where will those new boundaries take us? “Now we’ve stretched beyond the boundaries of what we knew,” Gomez said. “We’re in limbo, and that’s exciting because there’s a possibility that you can create something truly original.”

TAP launches a CSA this spring

Project will engage the community with area artists and art organizations By Erin Koffler n recent years, Community Supported Agriculture (or CSA) programs have begun to connect growers directly to the people buying and eating their food. Similarly, a Community Supported Art program can help artists sell their work to local patrons. Patrons buy a share for $300 and get three boxes of art. Each box contains three artworks. In Minneapolis, Springboard for the Arts and mnartists.org partnered to create an art CSA in summer 2010. This spring, The Arts Partnership will launch its Community Supported Art program in the Fargo-Moorhead area. Each share is will contain contain eight works of visual art and tickets to one performing arts event. Shareholders will be able to acquire artworks and experiences from both established and emerging local artists, expand or start their art collections, and engage with other arts patrons and artists at three separate pick-up parties.

Artists get the opportunity to expand their markets to people who might not otherwise purchase their art, improved visibility and publicity within the F-M area and beyond, and a stipend to pay for the cost of producing the art. The following artists and organizations are participating in the Summer 2012 CSA season: Brad Bachmeier, Emily Williams Wheeler, Ann Arbor Miller, Northern Plains Botanic Garden Society, Chelsea Thornton, Theatre B, Carmen Bruhn, Nordic Art Alliance, and Gallery 4. Shares go on sale April 10, 2012, and art will be delivered in May, July and September. Watch The Arts Partnership Facebook page for the most up-to-date information about the CSA program. This local project is modeled on the Community Supported Art program in Minnesota, created by mnartists.org and Springboard for the Arts.

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Celtic Festival

celebrates ancient traditions and folklore S

If you go... Date: Saturday, March 17 Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Info: 701-499-7788 fargoparks.com

By Tammy Fogle ynchronized stomping and tapping feet will create a hypnotic rhythm at the Ninth Annual Celtic Festival. The Celtic Festival celebrates the rich cultures of the seven Celtic Nations, featuring the history, arts, and traditions of Brittany (France), Cornwall (UK), Isle of Man, Galicia (Spain), Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales (all of the UK). New to the festival this year will be Guthrie School of Dance from Rochester, Minn. Their Highland dance performances and colorful tartans will light up the stage. Twin Cities native Danielle Enblom will perform as part of Northern Gael, with returning performers Laura MacKenzie and Ross Sutter. Some returning favorite performers scheduled for this year’s festival include Debi Rogers, Lunula, Heather and Thistle and Ogg Creek String Band. Clann Tartan, a living history reenactment group, will also return to the festival this year. Besides the performances there also will be heritage presenta-

tions throughout the day on each of the seven Celtic nations. Topics will include everything from genealogy to folklore. Children and adults alike can learn about traditions of the Celtic Nations through hands-on activities and table displays. Authentic Celtic foods and treats will be available at the Celtic Café and Tae House. “This year’s festival focuses heavily on dance with new dance groups joining the mix of entertainment,” said Sam LarsonFrobig, Fargo Park District program coordinator. The festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 17 at the Hjemkomst Center in Moorhead. For a schedule of performances and presentations go to fargoparks.com or call 701-499-7788. The Celtic Festival is hosted by the Fargo Park District and Moorhead Parks and Recreation. The event is sponsored in part by the State Historical Society of North Dakota. Support for this project is also provided by the cities of Fargo, Moorhead and West Fargo through The Arts Partnership.

Beethoven’s one and only

Popular opera explores personal sacrifice for sake of love By Bernie Erickson eethoven wrote a total of nine symphonies. Nine. Yet he only wrote one opera — Fidelio. Clearly, Beethoven felt he got it right the first time and wasn’t compelled to improve upon perfection by penning additional operas, a notion proven by the fact that Fidelio has remained popular all these years and by its timeless subject matter: personal sacrifice for the sake of love. How far would you go for the one you love? The ends of the earth? The moon and back? How about disguising yourself as someone of the opposite gender and working in a prison to save the one you love? These questions form the foundation for Fidelio, named for its titular character. In the opera, Fidelio makes the ultimate sacrifice — her freedom — to save Florestan. She realizes there’s only one way to help him, and

that’s to get into prison and then help him to break free. What she didn’t plan on is that while in prison, she would be so convincing in her role as a man that the jailer’s daughter would fall in love with her. Fidelio, being all too familiar with the pain of a broken heart, tries to discourage the girl all the while plotting her husband’s jailbreak. Fargo Moorhead Opera welcomes international star and diva Cynthia Lawrence as she sings the role of Fidelio for the first time. Lawrence has graced stages, palaces and arenas worldwide with her larger-than-life singing and personality. She had the honor of singing more roles and concerts with the late legendary Luciano Pavarotti than any soprano on earth, and the Fargo Moorhead Opera is excited to welcome her. Tickets are already selling fast in anticipation of Lawrence’s stage debut in Fidelio. Contact the FM Opera at 701-239-4558 or visit fmopera.org to reserve seats.

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Community input sought for new

Hjemkomst exhibit By Brianne Carlsrud he Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County (HCSCC) is gathering community input on an upcoming exhibition featuring artifacts from the voyage of the Hjemkomst. The exhibit, which is currently under development, opens during the Hjemkomst voyage 30th anniversary celebration on July 21, 2012, from 1-5 p.m. and will be on display through Dec. 31, 2012. The HCSCC hired Claudia Pratt for the research and design phase of the exhibit development. Pratt has designed more than 50 exhibits for the Heritage Hjemkomst Interpretative Center (HHIC) and Clay County Historical Society, and she also planned and designed the Hjemkomst voyage 10th anniversary exhibit in 1992. “This project came up at a time when I really wanted to get my creative juices flowing in designing exhibits, which I have done for more than 20 years,” Pratt said. “Having worked at the HHIC and running the first reunion, I am coming back to my roots with my career because I got my start here out of college.” The exhibit will bring a new perspective as well as new information about the Hjemkomst expedition. Pratt hopes the public can look at this exhibit with new eyes and be amazed again at what an accomplishment this expedition was — for the Asp family, voyage crew, and businesses and communities that supported it. “The goal of this exhibit is to uncover information that adds to the story we’ve enjoyed for 30 years. I think what fascinates me is that it really took an enormous amount of community support to make this happen — a lot of personal sacrifice and perseverance. It’s time to revisit that and get back to Bob Asp’s core ‘Dare to Dream’ message and what the expedition accomplished,” Pratt said. The HCSCC encourages the public to share their thoughts on what they would like to see in the new Hjemkomst exhibit by leaving their ideas in a comment book, which is located near the ship in the Hjemkomst Center, 202 First Ave. N., Moorhead. The HCSCC will also post stories, questions and information about the Hjemkomst ship and voyage on its blog at TheVikingShipHjemkomst.areavoices.com. You may also contact Pratt at CMPconsulting@mac.com or 701-371-7277 if you would like to share your story about the Hjemkomst and voyage or have recommendations for the new exhibit. The research and design phase of the exhibit development has been made possible in part by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Courtesy of the Clay County Archives Fund through the vote of the Minnesotans on Nov. 4, 2008 and is administered by the Minnesota Historical Society. For more information, call 218-299-5511 or visit hcscconline.org or facebook.com/hcscc.

Photo courtesy of Tyler Andrews Photography

Above: The Hjemkomst, a Viking ship replica, is on display at the Hjemkomst Center. Inset: The Hjemkomst in the New York harbor, 1982.

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Camria Ballet Academy offers dance scholarship

y Tolstedt

Photo by Marg

By Camria Balley Academy Staff he Maria Crist Founder’s Scholarship has developed over the past few seasons and stems from an anonymous donation to Camria Ballet Academy. The donor said Camria was chosen for this gift because of “their dedication to the tradition of classical ballet, their teaching style, and the family atmosphere.” The scholarship is given each season in Crist’s honor to a student or students wishing to further their dance education by attending summer dance programs all over the world. To receive the scholarship, a student needs only to apply. Recipients are chosen at the instructors’ discretion, and full or partial tuition and board to these programs is awarded. The scholarship has already been awarded twice. Hailey Gerlach of Moorhead received the first scholarship in 2010, and Keyna Hoselton of Fargo was the recipient in 2011. Both girls attended the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s summer Dance Intensive program. Held at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet studios in downtown Winnipeg, Dance Intensive is a two-and-a-half week, concenPhoto by Dance Snaps, Concord, Ontario Photos by Dave Arnston, Milestones Photography trated summer dance program led by teaching staff from the Royal Winnipeg 2011 Founder’s Scholarship recipient, Keyna Hoselton. 2010 Founder’s Scholarship recipient, Hailey Gerlach. Ballet School and guest teachers. Dance Intensive offers classes in the history of dance, ballet, pointe, conditioning, repertoire/variations, character/Spanish, jazz/lyrical jazz, modern/creative movement, improvisation, music and art. Both Gerlach and Hoselton are high school seniors with plans to continue their dance education after graduation. “Dance is my love, my passion. I Hoselton has been accepted to Oklahoma City University’s dance performance program. Gerlach is considering several options. dance because I cannot imagine Camria Ballet Academy, located upstairs in the Sunset Lanes building in Moorhead, has been in operation for 29 years, doing anything else.” but its founder, Maria Crist, has been dancing for most of her 83 years. Beginning her dance education in Germany at - Keyna Hoselton the age of 8, she performed professionally in a German ballet company before marrying and moving to the United States where she opened her own dance studio. After a 10-year recovery following a car accident which caused a serious back injury, Crist was fortunate to resume her “labor of love,” teaching ballet. “Dance is my passion and no Crist’s daughter, Bernadette Crist Pinotti, is now the owner, artistic director and instructor for Camria Ballet Academy. Pinotti’s love for the art of dance developed at a young age. Most of her inspiration has come from her mother. “My matter where life takes me that will mother has been my teacher, my friend and my biggest supporter,” she said. “I am so proud to be able to offer this scholnever change.” - Hailey Gerlach arship in her honor.”

fargo moorhead area

YO U T H SYMPHONIES 2011-12 concert season WINTER CONCERT - December 4 POPS CONCERT - February 12 SPRING CONCERT - April 1 conductors: Jane Linde Capistran & Brian Cole www.fmays.org

Estate Sale Of James O’Rourke At his residence 316 –5th Street S., Moorhead, MN 56560

Friday, April 13, 10 am to 6 pm Saturday, April 14, 10 am to 4 pm Preview: Thurs April 12, 4:30 –6:30 pm Entry Numbers distributed Friday, 9:30 to 10 am You are cordially invited to attend this sale presented by Marx Estate & Household Sales, LLC

218-236-1473 or 218-790-2166 All proceeds benefit the Rourke Art Gallery

march/april 2012

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march/april 2012

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A look inside TAP’s new logo By Dayna Del Val opefully by now, you’ve noticed that The Arts Partnership (TAP) has a new logo. It was launched at the Holiday Partner Party in December, and we are still delighted over it and the positive comments we keep receiving. We thought you might be curious to know how a graphic designer develops a new logo for an existing organization that has been through a few name and logo changes in the past three years. Graphic designer Jim Bolluyt worked with Ellen Shafer of Shafer PR to develop the concept and final design for TAP’s new logo.

TAP: How did you go about coming up with the new TAP logo? JB: My definition of a logo is: it’s a mark that represents the attitude of the organization. It’s a shortcut to the core of what they do, in a sense. Once people associate a logo with your company or organization, they will see it and have an immediate sense of association. So, I take designing a logo very seriously knowing it has to do much of the heavy lifting. It is NOT an organization’s brand, but it is a visual representation of the organization. When asked to create a new logo for The Arts Partnership, which is a high profile organization that represents many people, I knew whatever I did would be critiqued by a variety of very creative and talented people. That alone can rattle any designer. From the start, I decided to keep my mind open and not over-think anything, and that was key. The Arts Partnership team completed a creative brief so I could read what the team envisioned. We conducted face-to-face meetings that brought out emotion, animated body language and spotlighted key words. I learned the motivation for changing the logo, which boiled down to The Arts Partnership wanting a logo that could take the organization

drawn together: Continued

forward in an exciting way. TAP: How does the logo represent what TAP is? JB: We learned that The Arts Partnership is a great connector. It is at the center of the arts community in the region: artists to education and funding; community members to artists and events; city leaders to the cultural community that makes our area vibrant and alive. The logo’s concentric circles show movement — outward in thinking that showcases how TAP views the community and its role within that. TAP: What makes for a “good” logo? JB: A good logo should be memorable but not overshadow an organization. It should be appropriate for the organization, simple in form and convey the intended message. TAP: What did you enjoy about working on this project? JB: It’s always fun learning about and working with a new organization. But this meant more to me since the reach of what The Arts Partnership does is so great and its impact will be felt for years to come. It was an honor to provide a logo that’s more in line with the organization’s vision and goals. The fact that they loved it, well — that simply rocked. When this new logo design was first submitted to TAP, as the organization’s executive director I felt it captured the essence of our organization, but wondered if it would “read” to a larger audience than an arts administrator? I showed it to my 16-year-old son to get his perspective. His reaction was immediate and he articulated better than I ever could what I think this logo says about The Arts Partnership, “This logo is not so much of a banner for TAP as it is a symbol. I like the simple yet eye-catching design and the two circles on the side add a little bit of chaos to the order, and that is what a lot of art really is.”

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new realities, is appropriate only for the gamers here, though. It’s a fitting aesthetic notion as well, and gives us the window through which we can view the intertwined — though routinely unacknowledged — relationship between art and games. So, what is that relationship? For starters, art and design plays directly into actual gameplay. Gibb Sheets, a Magic player who is also pursuing a career as an artist, says the art on a Magic card adds to the intensity of a game. “When you lay down a strong card that has really good art, it maximizes the psychological effect of playing it,” he said. Brian Hellevang is a graphic design student who has been playing Magic for about eight years. Like Sheets, he lists a number of Magic artists as personal artistic influences. For him, the art on a card provides a tactical advantage in a game that moves quickly and changes often. “I can see a corner of an image of a card and know exactly what card it is,” he said. “They change the flavor of the game each year, so I can catch something like a character’s shirt and know which set it came from.” “There’s a base level of the game that’s just running probabilities,” said Daniel Green, a Paradox employee and the organizer of their weekly Magic tournaments. “But the art is what brings it from that experience of running statistics into a realm. It’s what adds so much appeal to the game. It’s a more appreciable experience that way.” Away from these white tables, the relationship between games and creative activity becomes further enmeshed. Green has a side gig as a “dealer” in original Magic art. A frequent convention-goer, he has forged relationships with a number of Magic artists and now obtains original works of art for collectors in town. “I don’t think of myself as an art dealer, per se. It’s just something I’ve done and I can do, so I do it,” Green said. He adds that an original work of Magic art is usually priced around $500-$1,000, although he has seen works priced as high as $10,000. Although the term “art dealer” carries a professional image that doesn’t quite fit into the world of gaming, there is no denying that gaming is enjoying a new cachet in the world of art. A recent exhibition at the Smithsonian is revisiting the history of video gaming as an

artistic medium. Nonchalance, an arts studio in San Francisco, scored a huge hit with Games of Nonchalance, an interactive, multi-layered public art project that bills itself as an “interactive narrative” and a piece of “situational design.” And, last summer, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art issued a call A shelf of games at Paradox Comics in downtown Fargo. Gaming and art share a for simple, invenclose relationship that is based around rich settings and immersive experiences. tive game designs for a project called ArtGameLab. The designs are now on display and being played. Add to all of this the flourishing concept of “gamification” (the use of game design and techniques as a method of engagement in business or recreational processes), and it’s evident that our fascination with games and their mechanics is unlikely to disappear soon, and that we are likely to continue to see more art in our gaming and more gaming in our art, a notion that Green admits would be a mixed blessing. “The more people who appreciate this kind of work, the better for the artists. But it would change things to see comic and game art become more mainstream. I think it might lose some of the love that gets put into it,” Green said. “I think it’s got a good niche right now to sit in.”

The Arts Partnership directly supports the organizations and programming that you have been reading about in this issue of ARTSpulse through re-granting. You can help support all the arts in the metro area by becoming an Arts Advocate Partner at any level. Join us today! Name_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Telephone_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Email_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 $10

 $25

 $50

 Other $______________

Please mail to: The Arts Partnership, 1104 2nd Ave. S., Suite 315, Fargo, ND 58103, 701.237.6133 TheArtsPartnership.net • CulturePulse.org • admin@theartspartnership.net cultivating the arts in our community

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Meet the graphic designer of ArtsPulse By Dayna Del Val s the editor for The Arts Partnership’s bi-monthly publication of news and all things arts-related, I know that the ARTSpulse requires many hands and minds to make it come together for every issue. The Arts Partnership has a volunteer committee that works to come up with the themes or direction we want each issue to convey. Committee members also help determine cover stories and do the bulk of the copyediting. TAP’s board chair Carol Schlossman has been instrumental in helping the publications committee strategically think about the direction ARTSpulse is moving. “ARTSpulse is innovating — with the full intention of distinguishing itself as a leader in creative, wellwritten and engaging arts-based stories focused on the richness of our region’s culture, arts and events,” she said. Besides the committee, we also have writers, photographers, a delivery person and an ad salesperson. And then there’s the design of the paper. We are fortunate to have Shawn Olson, a professional graphic designer, working with us. “Shawn’s design is fresh and clean,” Schlossman said. “It enhances and draws attention to the stories and the, now, professional and beautifully shot photography. The design makes reading ARTSpulse all the more enjoyable.” Each issue, I vow that I am going to be more organized and try to keep the last-minute changes from happening, but as with all publications, the best-laid plans usually go to the wayside as articles come in late or over/under length, ads arrive we weren’t anticipating, or I read something I have written and it needs a significant rewrite. Shawn’s patience is only superseded by her talent; read on to learn a bit more about her and the process of putting this newspaper together.

TAP: How long have you been designing ARTSpulse? SO: My first issue was Winter 2009-10. So I’ve been designing it for two years. TAP: What are the changes that have happened since you took over? SO: It’s always interesting to take over an existing project. The people you work with are accustomed to a certain style, and when a new person takes over they naturally add their own style to it. Fortunately, I’ve gotten good feedback since I took over! Everyone I’ve worked with has been very positive and encouraging. I came from a magazine publishing background, so I think some of that experience started coming through. We

eventually ended up simplifying the masthead, changing up some of the fonts and bringing in more color. TAP: What do you see as the strengths of good graphic design? SO: The definition of graphic design is to use visual communication to convey information to an audience to produce a specific effect. To me, that means the design has to be clear so I don’t make the reader work too hard. These days, with the ever-shrinking attention span of society, you only get a small opportunity to grab the attention of your audience, so you need to make sure that you’re not making them work too hard to get the information they are looking for. TAP: What do you think about when you begin laying out the paper? How do you strategize? What considerations do you make? In other words, how does it all come together? SO: I usually start by just placing the information (ads, photos, text) in the file. Initially, I don’t even think about design. I’m just figuring out how things are going to fit. After years of experience, I’ve found that if you just jump right into design, you end up doing a lot of re-design. Once I have everything I need and have found space where everything will fit nicely, then I concentrate on making each article look the way I want it to look. TAP: What are you most proud of in terms of how the paper looks? SO: I think I’m most proud that it’s an arts publication, and it looks like an arts publication. With the format/media that we print it on, it would be easy to make it strictly informational, but I feel like I’ve added a bit of an artistic element to it as well. TAP: Where else do you work? SO: Aside from other freelance projects, I work part-time in the marketing department at Western Products. TAP: Do you see yourself as an artist? SO: Not exactly, not a true artist. While there is definitely a trace of an artist in me, I see myself more as an organizer. I love to take chaos and make sense out of it while presenting the information in a way that is pleasing for the reader. TAP: Do you have other artistic interests, hobbies, activities? SO: I’m interested in photography, but nothing beyond amateur status. TAP: What would be your dream design job? SO: I’m a huge sports fan so I’d probably like to publish a sports magazine or work for the Twins, Wild or Vikings.

{Commentary}

Caution: By Susie Ekberg Risher f someone told you that you were about to see something graphic, how would you feel? Nervous, most likely. Before some news stories you read the warning: “The story you’re about to see contains disturbing graphic images and is not recommended to be viewed by small children.” Yikes. No thank you. We’re taught from a young age that if something is graphic it’s larger than life, scary, and most likely violent. But take a minute. Think about it. The word “graphic” DOES mean “giving a vivid picture with explicit detail” but it also means “visual art involving drawing, engraving or lettering.” Engraving and lettering isn’t scary; it’s just maybe more two-dimensional and minimalistic than other art forms. But is it really art? Having cleared up any misconceptions about what the word “graphic” means, then, if someone asked me to define what graphic art was, I would probably think of

Graphic images ahead

the design of a chart, or a book layout, and that’s not really art. Art moves us; art is thought-provoking; art comes from our soul. So is graphic art stretching the definition of what we think “real” art is? I was curious and wanted to find out more about this art form. I started looking around and was astonished to see the beauty of the posters hanging at Drunken Noodle and Atomic Coffee. They’re creative, they’re artistic… they’re cool. I think of Andy Warhol and his soup cans, I think of woodblock prints, French posters. Yes, it’s a definite art form, and emerging as viable in this world that moves so fast and IS so cool. I googled “graphic art” and was shocked to see not only beautiful computer art but even a website called youthedesigner.com where you can actually create your own graphic art and submit it for review. Talk about cool! I’m checking it out, broadening my artistic horizons, expanding my ideas about what is possible and embracing the graphic way. And I may go back on that website and give it a try. I may not be able to wield a paintbrush, but maybe I can work a mouse and create something beautiful. “Art is not a thing; it is a way.” – Elbert Hubbard

The company that brought you

proudly presents...

Nunsense A Musical Comedy by Dan Goggin March 22-24 @ 7:30 p.m. March 25 @ 2:00 p.m. Performances held at The Stage at Island Park Home of FMCT

For more information and tickets visit MusicTheatreFM.com

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TAP’s Advocate Partners 2012 Andrew & Miriam Mara Bernie’s Wines & Spirits Beth Fortier Bonnie Bowman Brian Slator Burton & Patricia Belknap Carol L. Stoudt Carol Zielinski

Caroll & Jo Engelhardt Catalyst Medical Center Charles and Helen Grommesh City of Fargo City of Moorhead City of West Fargo Davis Anthony Scott Dayna Del Val & Andrew Marry

Eric & Anna Runestad Erin Koffler FM Convention & Visitors Bureau Gene Okerlund Green Market Catering Helen & Charles Grommesh Insight to Action, LLC Dr. & Mrs. James McCulley

Kate Preisler Lisa Tate Mark and Betsy Vinz Martha Keeler-Olsen Microsoft NDSU Women’s Club Nem Schlecht Otter Tail Corporation

Randi Martin Roger Minch Sam & Coralie Wai Sanford Health Susan Spingler Virginia Dambach West Acres Development, LLP West Acres Merchant Association

TAP’s Primary Partners 2012 Acappella Xpress, Inc. Andrea Baumgardner Angels of the Muse Ann Arbor Miller Art Connection Bachmeier Pottery Bluestem Center for the Arts* Camria Ballet Academy* Carmen Bruhn* Carrie Lee Wendt* Chelsea Thorson* Concordia College Creative Arts Studio— Fargo Public Schools Density Over Duration Productions Downtown Community Partnership ecce art + yoga

Eric A. Johnson Fargo Park District Fargo Theatre Fine Arts Club F-M Area Music Club F-M Area Youth Symphonies F-M Ballet F-M Chamber Chorale F-M Drum & Bugle Corps. F-M Master Chorale, Inc. F-M Opera F-M Symphony Orchestra F-M Visual Artists FM Golden Notes New Horizons Band Friends of the Fargo Public Library Gallery 4, Ltd. Givinity Press

What are

Gooseberry Park Players Great Plains Harmony Green Purse Group Harwood Prairie Playhouse Historical & Cultural Society of Clay County Hotel Donaldson Inspire Dance & Wellness Jamie Parsley Kathryn Luther KCCM, Minnesota Public Radio Lake Agassiz Concert Band Lake Agassiz Girls Choir Learning Bank Lepire Academy of Theatre Exploration Michael J. Strand

Moorhead Area Public Schools Moorhead Parks & Recreation MSUM College of Arts & Humanities Music Theatre F-M New Rivers Press Nordic Arts Alliance Nordic Culture Clubs NDSU Northern Plains Botanic Garden Society Penny & Pals/Kid Core Plains Art Museum Prairie Public Broadcasting Quilters’ Guild of ND Red Raven Espresso Parlor* Red River Boy Choir Red River Dance & Performing Company

you

Red River Watercolor Society Rourke Art Gallery & Museum Shanley High School* Sherbanoo Aziz Spirit Room Studio e Susie Ekberg Risher Tangerine Life The Jass Festival The Listening Room The Stage at Island Park Theatre B Tin Roof Theatre Company Trollwood Performing Arts School West Fargo Public Schools Willi Nilli

*Denotes new Partner since January 1, 2012

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Great

Performances tells Jewish immigrant tale Submitted by Marie Offutt rairie Public will present The Thomashefskys, filmed for Great Performances at the New World Symphony’s spectacular new Frank Gehrydesigned home in Miami, on Thursday, March 29 at 8 p.m. The stage play brings to life the words and music of the American Yiddish theatre, with aspects of klezmer and cantorial sounds that eventually influenced composers like Irving Berlin and George Gershwin. The story’s lead characters — Bessie and Boris Thomashefky — are the grandparents of San Francisco Symphony music director Michael Tilson Thomas, and they played major roles in the development of New York City’s Yiddish theater. Tilson Thomas shares the stage with a 30-piece orchestra and ensemble cast to bring the repertoire and words of Bessie and Boris to life.

Photo by Joshua Robison

Photo by Dayna Del Val

Can you guess where this is? Answer on Facebook, and one lucky winner will receive a fun prize!

Broadway performer Judy Blazer stars as Bessie Thomashefsky in a celebration of Yiddish theater.

THE SEEDS OF VICTORY: Home Gardening Posters from the World Wars An exhibit about the World War I and World War II Victory Gardens just in time for spring! This exhibit, from the State Historical Society of North Dakota, shows us how gardening and canning your own food was a patriotic duty during the World Wars.

March 15

through June 18

Hjemkomst Center 202 1st Ave. N, Moorhead | 218.299.5511 | www.hcscconline.org

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Artist teaches altered fabric techniques Submitted by Quilters’ Guild of North Dakota elting, burning and painting are not your ordinary fabric processes. Neither are the use of flow pigment, transfer images and laminate cloth/ paper to alter their surfaces. But these are the types of techniques taught by Susan Stein, a St. Paul quilter who will lead two workshops and present a trunk show of her art quilts in conjunction with National Quilting Day in March. Her classes encourage play with new products using unconventional methods to fashion fabulous fabrics and exciting embellishments. “Teaching is my passion,” Stein said, “especially when it involves turning people on to new techniques and talents.” An established artist, Stein’s quilts burst with saturated color, texture and designs that transition from traditional into contemporary. Hand-dyed fabrics inspire her process and provide a surface for embellishment. Recently, surface design implemented with paint, discharge agents, photo transfer, layering and manipulation have been the main focus of her pieces. Stein also has written five books and numerous articles and publications. Stein seeks to empower students to express their own creative ideas through cloth, paint and fiber. She utilizes techniques such as paper/cloth lamination with an acrylic medium that makes a stiff collage for wall pieces, book covers or vessels. She also teaches combinations of techniques with contemporary materials like Misty Fuse collage and Dye-Na-Flow paints. Misty Fuse collage utilizes a thin adhesive web to hold sheer layers together for small art quilts. Dye-na-Flow is a thin paint which flows

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Clockwise from top: Sculptural creations by Susan Stein incorporate techniques presented during the Spring Fever Workshop. These are some of the tools used in Susan Stein’s workshop on making art fabric. Susan Stein shares her samples made in her workshop utilizing fusible web, pigments and lamination.

Photos by Susan Stein

over fabric in serendipitous ways and gives a dyed effect. Image transfer uses prepared fabric sheets, transfer paper and transparency to transfer images to fabric when applied with stencils, stamps, monoprinting and sponges. See Stein’s works of art at a trunk show and lecture with workshops for all levels on Friday and Saturday, March 16 and 17, at the Skills and Technology Training Center in Fargo. Sponsored by the Quilters’ Guild of North Dakota, Spring Fever Workshop is open to the public. For more information, visit ndquilts.com or call 701-205-4710 to register.

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Theatre B’s April show a quirky, relatable comedy By Emily Clemenson t’s said that when a woman says she needs new shoes, what she really wants is a new job. When she says she needs a new house, she wants a new husband. And when she says she wants a new car, she wants a new life. In Theatre B’s fourth show of the season, Becky wants a new “car.” There is nothing wrong with the “car” she currently has: a loving yet mundane marriage to Joe, a college-aged psychology student son named Chris, and a middle-of-theroad job at a car dealership. But when recently widowed Walter Flood happens into the dealership one night and takes Becky for a widower too, she is given an opportunity to build a parallel persona with a new job, a new love interest, and ultimately a new life. Director David Wintersteen describes the play as a life-affirming comedy where the audience will immediately identify the characters as real people. “Becky’s question is a universal question for men and women — particularly at middle age,” Wintersteen said. “One of the hallmarks of the middle-aged person is recognizing the choices you’ve made and thinking about those choices and questioning if they were the right choices and how your life might go.” Carrie Wintersteen is playing the role of Becky, and she said the part spoke to her from the opening monologue when Becky comes out and talks directly to the audience. “The manner in which she does that — I just identified with her,” Carrie Wintersteen said. “From the first page, it is apparent that she doesn’t have complete control over her life.” “Real people, indeed. Real, but quirky,” David Wintersteen said. Take the character of Walter Flood, for example. Recent widower, still in mourning: normal. Wealthy businessman: understandable. Wants to buy his employees a gift: reasonable. Decides to buy them all cars because, as he says, “People like cars, right?”: a little bit peculiar. But he is so honest, so genuine, and so senseless that the audience can’t help but enjoy his presence and understand why Becky enjoys him so much, too. Playwright Steven Dietz carefully treads the borderline between comedy and drama when addressing some of the more serious topics in the play, like extramarital affairs and mid-life crises. When is it OK for a man to leave his wife? Is that same circumstance OK for a woman to leave her husband? How long can you withhold the truth before it becomes impossible to conceal? “Dietz has captured a feeling that people of a certain age have in this country,” Carrie Wintersteen said. “And he convincingly tells that story through the lens of a woman.” Tickets for Becky’s New Car go on sale April 5. The play runs April 19-May 19 at Theatre B, 716 Main Ave., Fargo. Performances are 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with a Saturday matinee at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at theatreb.org.

Photos by Emily Clemenson

Director David Wintersteen works with the actors in Becky’s New Car at Theatre B.

Fargo Public Library: Reaching out to 20,000 people through art

Submitted by Fargo Public Library he Fargo Public Library welcomes local artists to display their work in the Main Library’s entrance gallery. More than 20,000 people come through the doors of the Main Library each month, and artists have the opportunity to display their art to those visitors without charge. Arranging an installation is fairly simple. The gallery is booked for each calendar month; art is installed on the first of the month (or shortly thereafter) and taken down by the end of each month. Since the library is a public facility and high numbers of children use the library, the library’s policy includes a few stipulations regarding artwork of an explicit, obscene or religious nature. Artists are encouraged to include contact information as part of the display, but pricing information attached to pieces is not permitted. Display periods are open throughout 2012. Contact Deputy Director Beth Postema at 701-241-8198 or bpostema@cityoffargo.com for more information.

Photo courtesy Fargo Public Library

The Arts Partnership’s Board of Directors Carol Schlossman, Chair Brad Bachmeier, Vice-Chair Beth Fortier, Treasurer Mark Weiler, Secretary

Representing local artists~ June Brantner WIlliam Damon Marcy Dronen Sandi Hanson Dennis Krull Kathy Luther Jon & Lucy Normann Amber Noel Parsons Jodi Peterson Karman Rheault Peggy Solberg Mel Stone Kyle Thomas Hilda Twitchell

Eric Runestad, Past-Chair Andrew Mara Ellen Shafer Erin Koffler

James Ferragut Michael J. Strand Nicole Crutchfield Shelly Hurt-Geist

Come check out our newly remodeled gallery

114 Broadway Downtown Fargo, ND 58102 701-237-6867 Our Hours Tuesday - Saturday: 11am - 5pm

Support your local artist cooperative!

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An Orphanage of

Misfit Cups

Photo courtesy Michael Strand

Michael Strand displays some of the hand-thrown cups that will be part of The Misfit Cup Liberation Project.

By Plains Art Museum Staff veryone has at least one, if not more, of those cups in their cupboard. You know. Those cups. They’re relics of a bygone era, an era that predates your wedding or your last visit to Ikea. Some are chipped, some are ugly, and some are downright embarrassing. But all of these cups have a story. A story of an old apartment. A story of an ex-boyfriend’s lame Christmas gift. A lumpy ceramics class project. A story about a dog that used to drink your coffee when your back was turned.

In an effort to tease out these stories and display the interconnected nature of our selves with our drink ware, artist and NDSU Fine Art Department Chair Michael J. Strand is displaying an interactive exhibition titled The Misfit Cup Liberation Project at Plains Art Museum through the month of March. The premise is simple. Participants can bring one of these cups in to the museum and leave it there. The cup will be housed in a special display box along with the cups of 99 other participants, all of whom will receive a hand-thrown ceramic cup, made by Strand, in return. But, here’s the key. The participants are also asked to leave a short story about their cup. Where did it come from? Who gave it to you? The results will tell the rich and colorful stories of our private lives and our households, the stories that surround these cups. The Misfit Cup Liberation Project is one of several projects Strand has in the works with an interdisciplinary group of students called Engage U. The group, whose members range from art students to theatre students to communication students, is a sort of brain collective, originating proposals for projects like this and seeing them through to completion.

Thomas Huus treats the body as a canvas By Jacob Ritteman hen one thinks of art, the mind conjures images of elaborate murals, portraits and other such beautiful projections. An appreciator of art may also consider film, music or even intoxicating displays of nature. One niche of art that is easily overlooked is face and body painting. However, painter Thomas Huus has made great strides in recent years in gaining appreciation and acknowledgement for the category. “My strength is painting,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what the surface is; I could paint the wall, I could paint an optical illusion on the sidewalk, or I could do a body painting or children’s face painting. It’s all painting to me.” In 2005, Huus made his street fair debut in downtown Fargo. Since then, he has been

laying groundwork for the concept of full face and body painting. He undertook the art form as a source of income, but it took off on its own. Besides street fair work, Huus has worked with some of Fargo-Moorhead’s seasonal traditions such as Extreme Scream! and Acres of Terror, and also schedules private painting sessions. One glance at his website, thomasfacepainting.com, conveys the idea that the artist can cater to virtually any requested concepts with bright color and vivid realism. Huus noted he has even taken on body painting work where women have donned painted-on sports jerseys to be featured in calendars for their boyfriends. More information is available online at thomasfacepainting.com.

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Photo by Lisa Gingerich

At the 2010 art event, the floor of the Scheels Center (then called the UP Center) was decorated with chalk art, which made for a colorful sight.

to be held at the Scheels Arena By Connie Nelson hey call it a “payback” to the community. The bi-annual art event is an opportunity to experience how the investment in art programs improves the community as a whole. “This is our big concert,” said Sharon Eide, Fargo Public Schools visual art specialist. “It’s also our thank you to the school board and the community for their support.” Arts on Ice will provide an opportunity to share art produced by Fargo Public Schools students to demonstrate the progression of visual art skills and knowledge during the elementary and secondary school years. The Scheels Arena, 5225 Ave. S., Fargo, donated the use of the hockey facility, thus the name. This year up to 7,500 samples of art created by Fargo students in kindergarten through grade 8 will be displayed. Each part of the arena will feature art, including everything from demonstrations to teachers’ art, and a special area where the public can participate in the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) “Our Town” project and learn more about the Fargo projects. Panels of local students’ art will be displayed throughout the entire facility in progression. These walls will display information in student-friendly language, by grade level (not school building) so visitors can see the growth from elementary to middle school to high school. Visitors will be able to see what children learn at different stages each year. The art show will also feature hands-on activities for children and adults, art demonstrations and music, too. The event is free and open to the public. The hours are 5-8 p.m. Friday, March 9, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, March 10, and 1-3 p.m. Sunday, March 11. Individuals interested in volunteering should contact Margaret Johnson at johnsom@fargo.k12.nd.us. More information is available at fargo.k12.nd.us/artsonice, in the school buildings and through the individual school newsletters.

Photo by Lisa Gingerich

Fargo Public Schools art teachers show their pride for the art show at the 2010 event.

march/april 2012

CulturePulse.org

Art in the Twenty-First Century is back with new season Submitted by Marie Offutt t the dawn of the 21st century, artists are taking self-expression and the artistic process into uncharted territory. They are engaging the world and their audiences in vital and surprising new ways, and they use an enormous variety of media and draw on sources ranging from pop culture and politics to ethnic heritage, classical models and deeply personal life experiences. Art21, a nonprofit contemporary art organization dedicated to introducing broad public audiences to today’s visual artists, is stimulating critical reflection as well as conversation about new art through the production of a series for public television, Art in the Twenty-First Century. Season six of Art in the Twenty-First Century begins April 13 on Prairie Public and follows 13 artists from five continents as they explore four thematic episodes: Change, Balance, History and Boundaries. Spanning the globe from Nigeria to New York City, from Beijing to Brazil, the programs reveal the artists at work and speaking in their own words as they demonstrate the power of art to alter perception, challenge convention and change how we see the world around us. Art21 has created a new paradigm for teaching and learning about the creative process by providing free materials and programs devoted to the exploration of contemporary art and artists. Short-format video series available at Art21.org highlight the artists featured in the television series; and New York Close Up, another Art21-produced short-format video series, chronicles

A Mirage (COSPlayers Series) 2004. Digital C-print, 29 1/4 x 39 1/4 inches.

artists in the first decade of their professional careers, living and working in New York City. Art21 maintains an extensive archive of all the films and educational materials it produces, and at the core of the archive is nearly 1,000 hours of original documentary footage amassed during production. The archive also includes film documentation of Art21’s education and public programs, supplemented with transcribed interviews, research materials, educational publications, Web pages, books, and digital and analog artwork reproductions. Art21 continues to film with artists, documenting art installations, exhibitions and performances at galleries and museums worldwide. A yearlong professional development initiative designed to cultivate and support K–12 educators who are interested in bringing contemporary art, artists and ideas into their classrooms is open-

CINEMA

POETRY CIRCLE

BOOKS ON SCREEN FILM SERIES

LECTURE SERIES

Y O G A & M E D I T AAT T I O THE N

FARGO PUBLIC LIBRARY

All Films at 2 p.m. • Free admission

SCHEDULE

CONCERTS

The Quiet American

April 1

The Magnificient Ambersons

April 15

The Hours

April 22

Of Mice and Men

April 29

A Streetcar Named Desire

May 6

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf?

May 13

FEATURE FILM THE QUIET AMERICAN

Michael Caine, Brendan Fraser, Do Thi Hai Yen, Rade Serbedzija (2002) Saigon in 1952 during the Vietnamese war of liberation provides the unlikely setting for an even more unlikely love triangle. Naïve American aid worker Alden Pyle comes to Vietnam and befriends London Times correspondent Thomas Fowler. Thomas introduces Alden to his beautiful mistress Phuong and he is caught in her spell. This dilemma leads to love, betrayal … and murder. SPIRIT ROOM 111 Broadway N • Fargo, ND 58102 (701) 237-0230 • www.spiritroom.net

ing a new session for the 2012-13 school year. “Art21 Educators” registration information is available at Art21.org. Art21 presents a wide range of writing about contemporary art as well. Drawing connections between Art21-featured artists and the larger context in which they thrive, the Art21 Blog chronicles this landscape post by post — from indexing daily events and activities to posing broader, meditative questions about the place of art in our world. “Ideas” on Art21.org features new writing about contemporary art as it intersects with today’s most relevant issues and concerns, and Art21’s companion books present the featured artists through excerpts of interviews juxtaposed with rich, fullcolor illustrations of their work. The books also include introductory essays by Art21 executive producer and curator Susan Sollins, as well as artist biographies and production stills from the series.

march/april 2012

CulturePulse.org

WILLI NILLI Susanne Williams

Winner of the 2010 and 2011 NICHE Awards for Fiber: Surface Design Juried into all 2012 American Craft Council Shows Available at Ecce Art Gallery, 216 Broadway, Fargo

Baltimore Atlanta

St. Paul San Francisco