November 2008
State of the Arts Vol. 8, Issue 11
P.O. Box 72786, Fairbanks, Alaska 99707
Published monthly by the fairbanks Arts Association
November 7, 8, and 9th, 2008
Free Admission 5th Annual
2008
Far North Conservation Film Festival
November 7: University of Alaska Fairbanks Schaible Auditorium 6-10pm November 7: University of Alaska Fairbanks Schaible Auditorium 6-10pm November 8: Pioneer Park Centennial Center for the Arts 6-10pm
November 8: Pioneer Park Centennial Center for the Arts 6-10pm
November 9: Family Day at the the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center November 9:Activities Family Day at the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center and Films 1-3pm
Activities and Films 1-3pm
Featuring a diverse group of films about the conservation of wildlife, cultures, and wild places around the worl
Featuring a diverse group of films about the conservation of wildlife, cultures, and wild places around the world.
Visit www.farnorthfilms.com for a schedule of events
Visit www.farnorthfilms.com for a schedule of events
October 23, 2008, 7pm
Orson Welles’ “F for Fake” (1975) Alaska Centennial Center for the arts theater in pioneer park
IN THIS ISSUE
p2 Far north Conservation Film festival p3 oldie but goldie film series p4 Reading series ‘08 p4 gift shop artist p5 arts down the road p5 gift shop author
gallery exhibit p6 & 7 community calendar p8 & 9 volunteer needs p10 volunteer thanks p10 committee meetings p10 watercolor society corner p11 volunteer spotlight p12
“Promoting contemporary and traditional arts in Alaska’s Interior.”
2008 Far North Conservation Film Festival The Far North Conservation Film Festival presents a diverse group of outstanding films about the conservation and sustainability of wildlife, wild places and cultures around the world. Fairbanks Arts Association is proud to be a partner is this event along with Alaska Public Lands Information Center, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The National Park Service, The Fairbanks North Star Borough Parks and Recreation Department and the UAF Wildlife Society. *Friday, November 7th
*Saturday, November 8th
For the Price of Coffee
6:00pm
Breathe
6:00pm
Oil and Water
6:20pm
Exporting Harm
6:10pm
Speaker
6:30pm
Break Living Dena’ina
7:30pm
Climate of Change
6:45pm
For the Next 7 Generations
7:45pm
Fridays at the Farm
7:00pm
Guardians of the Selva Maya
8:00pm
Break
5 Reasons Why
8:10pm
Algalita: Plastic Debris
7:30pm
Fisher Poets
7:40pm 8:20pm
Break Scholar
8:25pm
Against The Current
Moose on the Loose
8:30pm
Break
Speaker
9:15pm
Antartica: The End?
8:45pm
Ecoviews: Chesapeake Bay
9:00pm
Bering Sea Canyon's Expedition
9:30pm
Restoring Balance
9:40pm
1:45pm
2:15pm All times are subject to change.
November 7, 6-10pm: University of Alaska Fairbanks Schaible Auditorium
1:00pm
Activity Alaska's Coolest Birds Activity Ride of the Mergansers
located within the Bunnell Building on the east side of the UAF Campus
Activity
Fa i r b a n k s A r ts Ass o c i at i o n
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Fairbanks Arts Association was established in 1966 to promote and support the arts in the Fairbanks area. The Association is funded by private, corporate, and foundation memberships and donations, City of Fairbanks, Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska State Council on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. With assistance from professional staff and charitable volunteers, the Association provides services in five areas: Visual, Literary, Performing, Community Arts and Arts Education. FAA also helps to raise funds for other arts groups, provides technical assistance and support for arts programing, encourages and advises individual artists and beginning organizations, sponsors workshops and presents educational forums.
FAA Phone: (907) 456-6485
Admission is free! This year the film festival will present a variety of films and speakers each day. You can choose to attend all the films or just pick a few. The festival will be November 7, 8 and 9, 2008 at the following locations in Fairbanks, Alaska:
*Sunday, November 9th Not Just Mine: Kids and Plovers
Begun in 2003, the Far North Conservation Film Festival is scheduled each year to celebrate National Wildlife Refuge Week. After growing and developing, the festival is in its 6th year. The Far North Conservation Film Festival is a place for filmmakers, local people and local businesses to support media that matters in promoting global conservation.
Board of Directors Corlis Taylor, President Marcella Hill, Vice President Leafy McBride, Secretary Myrna Colp, Treasurer
Members: Bob Dempsey Jerrie Graham Joan Stack Shane Hurd Lorraine Peterson
Staff June Rogers, Executive Director , ex 225 june@fairbanksarts.org
Melissa Hougland, Associate Director, ex 226 melissa@fairbanksarts.org
Sherry Faught, Office Manager/Bookkeeper, ex 223 sherry@fairbanksarts.org
Seth Schwartz, Program Coordinator, ex 227 seth@fairbanksarts.org
November 8, 6-10pm: Pioneer Park Centennial Center for the Arts located at 2300 Airport Way
November 9, 1-3pm: Family Day at the New Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center with kids activities and films located at 101 Dunkel St. in downtown Fairbanks
Jessica Rehfield, Education Coordinator, ex 222 jessica@fairbanksarts.org
Meagan McMahon, Special Projects, ex 224 meagan@fairbanksarts.org
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November 2008
Closely Watched Trains
Our November “Oldie but Goldie” film will be “Closely Watched Trains” directed by Jiri Menzel. This 1966 Best Foreign Film Academy Award Winner is a must see. It will be featured November 13th at 7pm at the Alaska Centennial Center for the Arts in Pioneer Park.
“Closely Watched Trains” (1966)
Nov 13, 2008, 7pm in the Alaska Centennial Center for the Performing Arts Theater in Pioneer Park. Tickets are $5 “Closely Watched Trains” is the story of a young apprentice train conductor’s experiences during the German occupation of Czechoslovakia. While completely unaware of the war and its effects on the world around him, he becomes enthralled in his sexuality and self-discovery. Despite being preoccupied with a beautiful woman and the frustrations and embarrassments associated with new love, this unlikely hero takes a stand when the occupying German Army threatens his village. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door. This is a black and white foreign film with a runtime of one hour and 33 minutes.
NEW MEDIA: art via digital technology EXTENDED DEADLINE!
All entries must be: Postmarked by Oct 31st • Hand Delivered by Nov 7th. Open to any art created or manipulated via any form of digital technology: Digital Painting- Computer Based Illustration-Fractals & Algorithmic Imagery- CGI- Internet Based Art- Computer Manipulations of Traditionally Created Art- Digital Montages and Collages- Digital Video Art- Mixed Media with Digital Elements- Computer Animation This exhibit is juried in two stages. STAGE ONE consists of submitting digital files of your work only (CD or DVD). STAGE TWO requires pieces accepted into the show be mailed/brought in. All work accepted in STAGE ONE must be physically in the Bear Gallery by December 28th. Entry forms can be downloaded at http://fairbanksarts.org/downloads.html • Questions? Call Seth at 456-6485 ext. 227
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f a i r b a n k s
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.:: Reading Series ‘08 Ian Cameron Esslemont has worked and studied in archaeology, literature and teaching English as a Second Language. He has lived in Thailand and Japan and travelled extensively throughout Asia. He now lives in Fairbanks with his wife and three sons where he is finishing his studies for a PhD in English literature and pursuing writing and publishing in the fantasy and science fiction genres. His first fantasy novel, Night of Knives, came out in 2005, and his second, Return of the Crimson Guard, has just been released. Terry Boren is a writer who has spent many years wandering between estrangement and a sense of wonder. For the moment, she has settled on the borderlands of wonder. Her science fiction has appeared in magazines and anthologies in the United States, Britain and Germany. Terry lives outside of Fairbanks with her family.
Sci Fi Writers featuring Terry Boren and Ian Cameron Esslemont Reading will be November 22 at 7pm • Bear Gallery
Gift Shop Artist of the Month: Philip S. Marshall Marshall was born in 1951 in New York City and moved to Fairbanks in 1981. Prior to beginning woodcarving in 1989, he worked as a schoolteacher, a cold-regions geologist and sundry other endeavors. Marshall has studied woodcarving part-time under professional American and European woodcarvers here and abroad. Pieces he creates include: human portraiture and anatomy, decorative coats of arms, animal carvings in the round and traditional floral ornamentation in Norwegian acanthus style.
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Marshall also practices folkcrafts in woods: Swiss chip-carving, rustic furniture making, alpine flower whittling, Scandinavian-style fancarving and Finnish shaving-carving are some of these. Fairbanks Arts Association
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November 2008
His work won 1st Place ribbons in woodworking and Native Arts at the Tanana Valley Fair during 1997 and is currently on display at the Denali Center, Fairbanks Arts Association Bear Gallery Gift Shop and other commercial locations. Marshall works from a small studio, Polhavn Woodfabrik, adjacent to his home in the hills above Fairbanks. The shop contains reference books for client ideas, a portfolio of completed works and a display of selected past work. Visitors are encouraged. Please contact him to arrange an appointment (e-mail at <pmarshall@acetekk.com> or call (907) 457-3895). His wife, Jan, gave him his first woodcarving tools for which he is forever indebted!
DOWN
ART
ROAD
the
Art in Public Places
Approaching the new Terminal Building Plaza at the Fairbanks International Airport you’ll want to put down your bags, slow down and take a minute to enjoy the beauty of “Migration”. On September 25th five sculptural figures, created by Mark Fejes and Ron Senungetuk, were unveiled as the latest addition to the Art in Public Places program for the State of Alaska. “Migration”, located in the front of the main terminal, varies in size and shape but each of the five finished stainless steel figures reflects the image of migration. From afar the work is bright and bold. Looking closer, you see the detail design of Ron Senungetuk’s abstract chronicle of migration. Ron’s artist statement sums up the piece quite nicely. “My work as expressed by the etched imagery on the sculpture is to show a sense of the migration of animals and people in Alaska. My work focuses on images expressed by the Bering Strait peoples for at least 2000 years. Much of that imagery depicts life ways with close relationships to migratory animals, fish, birds and environmental conditions of the area. My imagery, like the 2000 and more years ago art style, is highly stylized, bordering on abstraction.” Mark Fejes describes the piece from a more poetic approach. “This family of unlikely creatures is lost, wary and ready to bolt. They are a vulnerable spectacle only hoping to survive this brief contact and find their way back to the wild.” These wonderful pieces are sturdy, robust and will surely stand the test of time as a great addition to public art in Alaska.
Gift Shop Author of the Month: Doreen Fitzgerald “Doreen Fitzgerald writes pleasant, tight little poems filled with a mix of homey and cosmopolitan imagery... The meter of her poems, even when formal, comes off effortlessly and lightly--a mark of skill, in my opinion. I’m glad I got to read this little book.”
is a satisfying morsel of a book... Fitzgerald reflects on life’s turning points, public and private, with a clear-eyed insight. She writes of sober passions, quiet joys and the nuances of everyday things. She wields her words with confidence and competence, understanding the power of understatement.” Heartland
LibraryThing reviewers, April 2008
“’Cake,’ the debut poetry collection from Ester writer Doreen Fitzgerald,
(Fairbanks Daily News-Miner), June 13, 2004, by Shana Loshbaugh.
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Fairbanks Arts Association
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NOVEMBER
Gallery Exhibit
Kathie Cook Kathie Cook is a full time principal at Ladd Elementary School in Fairbanks, but every spare moment is devoted to creating fiber art. Her maternal grandmother was a quilter and that is how the seed was planted.
University and the University of (“Form Not Function” 2007), Quilt Alaska Fairbanks. National 2007.
In 1995, Kathie made the decision to abandon traditional quilt patterns in favor of her own designs. Her award winning quilts have been exhibited in numerous invitational Kathie was born in 1951 in and juried exhibitions including Bloomfield, New Jersey. She Interior Artisans (Juror’s Choice completed her formal education at Award 2003), Georgeson Botanical Bedford Community College, the Garden Art Show (First Place 2005), University of New York, Boston Carnegie Center for Arts and History
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Kathie’s quilts are recognized by their strong colors, abstract designs and their expressionistic style. She hopes that her quilts communicate a feeling and a mood, and that the designs keep the viewer’s eye engaged and moving through the piece.
November 2008
Laura C. Hewitt
Laura C. Hewitt has lived in Interior Alaska since 1985. She earned an MFA in Interdisciplinary Studies from Vermont College of Norwich, Montpelier, VT and a BFA in Drawing from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She has taught at the University of Alaska Fairbanks since 1999 and is a Teaching Artist with Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation in New York City, NY. Hewitt’s work has shown in over 200 exhibitions including the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin, Ireland, the Edward Hopper House Museum, Nyack, New York and Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, Illinois. Her work has been influenced by the dichotomies and juxtapositions of rural Alaskan living and she is particularily interested in exploring the intersections between technology and nature, art and craft and destruction and creation. “As inspiration, I look for the magical within the mundane, provoke thoughtfulness with the practical and animate the pragmatic with mischeviousness. I work with any media that best suits my interests though I feel the strongest committment to ceramics and drawing, passions that have lasted over 25 years.”
Exhibit Dates: November 7-29 Opening Reception: Friday, November 7, 5-7pm
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Fairbanks SweetAdelines and the Barbershop Harmony Societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Great Land Sounds will
again present the joint Christmas show entitled Sounds of Christm as. The two shows will be on December 5th at 7:30pm and December 6th at 4:00pm. Both performances will be at the Alaska Centennial Center for the Arts Theater in Pioneer Park. For more info contact Patti Gallagh er musicmaker@acsalaska.net
The Fairbanks Concert Association announces
that tickets for the Capito l Steps, Cheris h the Ladies , Cuarte to Latinoamericano, Lazer Vaudeville, and the Yuval Ron Ensemble will go on sale December 1st. Tickets can be purchased by calling Alaska Tix at 490-2858, online at www.alaskatix.com or at Grassroots Guitar on College Road. Information and order forms are available at www.fairbanksconcert . org or 474-8081. FCA will also be offering workshops with Lazer Vaudev ille and the Yuval Ron Ensemble, call 474-8081 for more information.
The
Fairbanks Concert Association presents Baka Beyond in concert at Hering Auditorium Saturday, November 1st at 8 PM. Tickets can be purchased by calling Alaska Tix at 490-2858, or online at www.alaskatix.com or at Grassroots Guitar on College Road. Fair
ban ks Drama Asso ciati on presen ts the psychological thriller WAIT UNTIL DARK by Frederick Knott, directe d by Brandon Michael. Performances will be November 1, 7, & 8 at 8:15pm and November 2 & 9 at 2:00pm. All performances will be at the Riverfr ont Theatre, 1852 2nd Avenue.. For ticket reservations call 456-PLAY.
Save the Date!
FAA Annual Legislative Forum
Noon, December 10, 2008 Bear Gallery, Alaska Centennial Center for the Arts in Pioneer Park
Questions? Call 456-6485 ext. 226 8
State of the Arts Fairbanks Arts Association would like to invite you to advertise in our State of the Arts Newsletter! Rates as low as $25 Members and Affiliate organizations receive 5% off all prices!
Our first ad is below. Call if you would like to join McCaffertyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s! For more info call 456-6485 ext. 226
Fair bank s Drama Asso ciati on
presen ts ember 28-Dec ber Novem L, Charles Dickens’ A CHRISTMAS CARO and ays Saturd and s Friday 14 with curtain times of 7:30pm on ont Riverfr the at be will 2:00pm on Sundays. All performances AY. 456-PL call tions reserva Theatre, 1852 2nd Avenue. For ticket
VOLUNTEERS!
We need volunteers in the Bear Gallery & gift shop! This is a great opportunity to support the arts in Fairbanks while meeting visitors and sharing about life in the north. Our volunteer docents fill a threehour shift and are a vital part of our program.
Fairbanks Drama Association presents David
Find out more about how you can be part of the team at Fairbanks Arts Association by calling 456-6485 ext. 223 or 226.
a Symphony Ball on November 8th at 8pm. This elegant evening of music, dancing, hors d’oeuvres and a no-host bar will be held at the Princess Riverside Lodge. For more information or to purchase tickets, please call 474-5733 or go to www.FairbanksSymphony. org.
Sedaris’ THE SANTALAND DIARIES for two performances only on December 5 & 6 at 10:30pm at the Riverfront Theatre, 1852 2nd Avenue. The performance will feature guest actor Ben Brown from Juneau. For mature audiences only. All tickets are $18. For ticket reservations call 456-PLAY.
Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra presents
Fairbanks Light Opera TheatRE presents
The Most Happy Fellow November 14-16 and 21-23 at the West Valley Performing Arts Center. For more info or tickets please go to www.flot.org.
Associate with the Arts Become a member of FAA
Membership forms available online at Fairbanksarts. org
l be oidrariserwiland hkfaCh ut Yo d an hl rt No Fun re having a Barnes and Noble Boo
1, 2008. Please Performance on Saturday, November a percentage of mention Northland Youth Choir, and choir! the day’s sales will be donated to the Holiday Concert Northland Youth Choir presents their ay, December 12, at UAF Davis Concert Hall on Thursdcontact ncc2@gci. 2008, 7:30 PM. For more info please net or visit www.northlandchoir.org.
To submit calendar information please email melissa@ fairbanksarts.org or call 456-6485 ext.226
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And the Ship Sails On (1984) Directed by Federico Fellini December 7th, 7pm Tickets $5 For more info, call 456-6485 ext. 227
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u o y k n a Th
NOVEMBER
u nte e rs: l o V r u o to
Pat Mack een Deb McQu lein an F Margaret V orissen J Mary Lou ssen Karyn Jan s n Cheryl Joe bbs Kathy Du ry Jane Grego er sath Shirley Od s Lee Harri fer Ginny Sha
Committee Meetings:
n Vi Robinso d st an Lisa, Forre er Quinn Fre Sam Teresa and Gonzalez h Maria Mary and VerHoef Betsy Bear s edina Craig Chel a, Jr. ver Ramiro Ri ass Dawn Kr eth Olga Hesk
Th an k yo u fo r yo ur In-Ki nd Do natio ns !
Community Writers Group November 9, 1-4pm
Fairbanks Arts Association Annual Meeting November 11, 6pm
Long Prose Writers Group November 20 at 6:30pm Community Arts Meeting November 12 at Noon All meetings in the Bear Gallery, 3rd Floor of the Alaska Centennial Center for the Arts, Pioneer Park, 2300 Airport Way. All meetings are subject to change. For more information call 456-6485 ext. 227.
s on donation s each The Fair ban ks Arts Asso ciat ion relie like you. Our need s just bers year from commun ity mem now we need: t righ ever how , time to vary from time
Office Supplie s Des k Cha irs Step Ladder Ham mers 2 Dra wer File Cabinet
Ma rty Rus sell Hade- Micro wave Jodi Gou we ns- Office Cha ir
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FACE Meeting November 3 at 4:30pm
Hou se Paintbru she s Flat Screen Computer Mo nito r Fax Ma chin e
Th an k yo u for yo ur ge ne ros ity in co nti nu ing to supp or t FA A! Fairbanks Arts Association
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November 2008
Watercolor
Christine “Okiku” Thomas
I was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii and moved at the age of fourteen to Corpus Christi, Texas. I sign my paintings using my middle name “Okiku” which means chrysanthemum in Japanese. My husband’s career as an army pilot brought our family, 4 children, 1 dog, 2 cats, 2 fish and one miniature bonsai tree (all crammed into a minivan), to Alaska from Tennessee in 1999. I came kicking and screaming and didn’t know then that I would grow to love the Fairbanks community as much as I now do. I took an interest in art while taking a required art class my senior year in high school. My love and interest in art motivated me to take an Art 101 class in Jr. College which I quickly dropped because I felt intimidated by the other artists and the grouchy art instructor. Almost 30 years later I met Tom Nixon, a member of the Fairbanks Watercolor Society, who encouraged me to take a watercolor class with Gael Murakami. Her instruction propelled me to take other classes with local and visiting artists. I tend to paint intuitively and I love to experiment with different techniques, mediums and tools. For me creating a successful piece happens when the painting begins to speak and I follow. I try not to force the painting but rather allow it to create itself with my guidance. I was commissioned by the Farmer’s Market to paint the current Market print and have had my work shown at the Annex, the 64th Parallel juried show and the Patterns of Influence show at Fairbanks Arts Association’s Bear Gallery, New Horizons, Well Street and the Grange in North Pole. I’ve also been a featured artist at the Creamer’s farmhouse for the past two years.
Society Corner
New Face and a New Space at Dance Theatre Fairbanks’ Firehouse Studios Dance Theatre Fairbanks is thrilled to be a part of Fairbanks’ community of the arts and is proud to be doing its part to revitalize Historical Downtown Fairbanks – the Golden Heart City. The start of the Fall 2008 semester brought two exciting changes to Dance Theatre Fairbanks. First, the Board of Directors, staff and DTF families welcomed Ms. Dianne Christensen as DTF’s new executive director. Dianne has been a part of the DTF family for over 16 years as a dance parent, costume designer, receptionist, set builder, travel
chaperone and advisor to the charter board of DTF when we pursued our nonprofit status. DTF is thrilled to have a leader with Dianne’s experience and history with our organization. Second, construction has begun on the Edna Wise Firehouse Theatre, DTF’s latest renovation project in our home in the old Fairbanks Fire Station on 7th Avenue. The space which housed fire engines will soon be a 150 seat theater, able to accommodate a wide range of performances – dancing, plays, workshops and much more. Phase One
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of the construction project includes construction of a “Black Box Theatre.” A Theatre Development Committee composed of interested professionals from the arts community is at work planning the next steps. We are excited to be able to bring this kind of venue to the Golden Heart City. For more information about Dance Theatre Fairbanks and what we are up to, please visit our web site: www. dancetheatrefairbanks.com, call 4521113, or stop by 656 7th Avenue, Fairbanks.
Fairbanks Arts Association
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The
monthly newsletter of Fairbanks Arts Association
November 2008
State of the Arts
Thank you!
P.O. Box 72786 Fairbanks, Alaska 99707
Shirley was born and raised in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada. She attended UAF, majoring in Biology with minors in French, Art and Anthropology. Her husband Richard ‘OD’ Odsather says he stepped on her shoe strings while they were students. With the exception of a 10 year sojourn in Anchorage, Fairbanks has been their home ever since. They built a house on Gilmore Trail where they raised their sons Jon and Erik. Shirley’s grandmother learned to work with clay as a hobby in the 1930s and ‘40s in Victoria, B.C. Although not directly taught by her, the influence of her objects definitely sparked Shirley’s curiosity about pottery. It was Stan Zielinski’s ceramics classes that were held in the then brand new Fine Arts building at UAF that pulled her into the mud! She shared a studio with Ida Knaebel for a couple of years before building a new studio beside her house in the 1980s. It was in the 1980s when Shirley first became involved with Fairbanks Arts Association as a member of the Visual Arts Committee and as an occasional docent in the Bear Gallery. She began volunteering as a docent again this year.
Volunteer Spotlight -SHIRLEY ODSATHER