State of the Arts The
monthly newsletter of Fairbanks Arts Association
October 2007
Long-Prose Writers Group
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L o ng - p r o se w r ite r s g r o u p
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Re a d ing S e r ies
W ate r c o l o r s o c iet y
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G I F T S H OP A r tist
G o ve r n o r ’ s a w a r d s
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a nn o un c e m ents
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V o l untee r o f the m o nth
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AR T I S T DO W N T H E ROAD
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G I F T S H OP A U T H OR
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G a l l e r y e x hi b it
“Promoting contemporary and traditional arts in Alaska’s Interior.”
Long-Prose Writers Group Written by: Rachael Kvapil
The Hollywood image of a writer is pretty solitary; a man or woman tucked in some corner pounding away at a keyboard while squinting at a screen. Though every writer probably finds themselves in this situation, an equal amount of time is spent working with others on the rewriting process. These aren’t just coffee klatches that sit around dreaming about writing the Great American Novel, these are serious critique groups that are actively reviewing each others works. Fairbanks Arts Association has two writing groups, one of which specializes in helping writers complete their memoirs and novels. In May, the Fairbanks Long-Prose Writers Group (LPWG) held its inaugural meeting to evaluate the needs of its first members. All who attended were writers who had spent months if not years finishing drafts of their novels and needed to move to the revision stage. Group founder Lee Higbie lives by the motto: Good writers write. Great writers rewrite. “Critiquing the works of others helps the writer learn the details of their craft. Ninetynine percent of submitted manuscripts are rejected by publishers; many because of poor writing, most of the rest for poor story telling,” says Higbie. Though the LPWG has already started critiquing several novels, it is still inviting new members. Each monthly meeting starts
with a discussion of craft or of the business of writing followed by a critique session. Submissions are done by email or during the meeting. The guidelines for submissions are as follows: Submissions Submissions for critiquing will be done by email (fairbanks-lpwg@googlegroups. com) or passed out at one meeting for critiquing at the next. If handed out at the meeting, please bring enough copies for everyone. The LPWG limits submissions to 7500 words or about 30 manuscript (double spaced) pages. The author is encouraged to synopsize what has gone before and may ask the members of the group to focus on a particular concern (ex. Is my dialog stilted? Are the paragraphs too long? Is there too much narrative? First draft--ignore spelling errors.) It is suggested to submit mid-level drafts, as first-draft comments are likely to focus on issues the author would eventually fix, therefore increasing the chance for the critiquer to overlook important items. Everyone is encouraged to comment on manuscripts, even in months they have no contribution. Critiques Critiques may sound daunting; however there are a few key things to look for.
Typos and minor errors can be noted directly on the manuscript for the author to review later. In general they are not discussed during the verbal portion of the critique session. On a piece of paper, note substantive and subjective issues to discuss during the meeting. For example, if there is a section that seemed out of character to you, it probably indicates more work is needed. Discussing it with other reviewers at the meeting may point to a number of solutions for the author to try. For details on the actual critique session and what to expect during that session of the meeting visit the LPWG group site at: http://groups. google.com/group/fairbanks-lpwg and click the link titled Meetings. Those who are interested, but are not sure which documents to critique can either email fairbanks-lpwg@googlegroups.com or stop by the next meeting on Thursday, October 18th at 6:30 in FAA’s Bear Gallery on the third floor of the Alaska Centennial Center for the Arts in Pioneer Park. Monthly meetings are every third Thursday of the month in the Bear Gallery. COVER: Though writing seems like a solitary job, writers need outside advice from others. Members of Fairbanks Arts Association’s LongProse Writers Group assist each others by critiquing drafts of novels, memoirs and other large bodies of work. photo by Rachael Kvapil
October Committee Meetings: Community Writers Group October 14 at 1pm Literary Arts Committee October 15 at 5:30pm Cinema Arts Committee October 16 at 5:30pm Visual Arts Committee October 17 at 5:30pm Long Prose Writer’s Group October 18 at 6:30pm Community Arts Group October 24 at Noon
Even the most experienced writer can become overwhelmed by the writing process. Writing groups such as FAA’s Long-Prose Writers Group can help writers sort out the details of storytelling and craft. photo design by Rachael Kvapil
Fairbanks Arts Association
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October 2007
All meetings in the Bear Gallery, 3rd Floor of the Alaska Centennial Center for the Arts, Pioneer Park, 2300 Airport Way. For more information call 456-6485 ext. 227.
.:: Reading Series ‘07
The Writers' League
This local group of poets and prose writers took life in Spring 1994, when UAF visiting poet Naomi Shihab Nye held a series of community workshops at the public library. Several writers from the group didn't want to stop meeting and, choosing the name Writers' League, they began to meet monthly in one another's homes to exchange new work. Members have come and gone over the years, but stacks of new work that first appeared in manuscript at Writers' League workshops is now in print. Several writers won awards for work submitted to the group. Marjorie Kowalski Cole's Alaskan novel Correcting the Landscape, first appeared, chapter by chapter, at Writers' League before winning The 2005 Bellwether Award for Fiction. Other awards to members include first place in the 2007 UAA-Daily News Poetry Competition, two Rasmuson fellowships, an annual 8x10 one-act play competition sponsored by FDA, a one-month residency at the Island Institute in Sitka, plus other prizes to poems, essays, and short stories. Current members include Marjorie Cole, Susheila Khera, John Morgan, Linda Schandelmeier, Burns Cooper, John Kooistra, Shana Karella, Kim Cornwall, and Jean Anderson. Works to be read on October 6 will include poems, nonfiction, and fiction.
Fairbanks Arts Association October Reading • October 6 at 7pm
Gift Shop Artist for October: Mountain Madness Soap Co. Mountain Madness Soap Co. was officially formed in the spring of 2005 after several years of soapmaking for friends, family and personal use. Being avid hikers, the business name came naturally after viewing mountain peaks covered in ice and snow and always being in awe of their magnificence and beauty. Mountain Madness Soap Co. is a family owned and operated small business in the Golden Heart of Alaska’s vast Interior. We pride ourselves in making unique and useful soaps and keeping the tradition and art of soap making alive. Our soaps all start with the finest unrefined oils like olive, palm, coconut and soybean. We then add to them organic, locally grown ingredients like herbs and berries, micas, and oxides for coloring, and plant or flower essential oils and specially formulated soap fragrance oils for the most nose-pleasing scents.
October 2007
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Fairbanks Arts Association
Artists Down the Road: Miles Martin I once parked and lived each year at the dock at Alaskaland (now Pioneer Park) for a few weeks while I sold my wares and grubstaked myself for the upcoming winter of trapping. I was one of the colorful characters in a bear skin hat and leathers with the show name ‘Wild Miles’- signing autographs, telling wild, bush stories, and peddling my art out of my pocket. Were these the good old days? Oh I suppose. But I am a survivor, and part of survival is change, and figuring out how to find peace and happiness in the changes. There is much to be thankful for today in Alaska for the artist, and these are exciting times we live in with many challenges and opportunity never before seen. With my web site on the net the whole world is my market…this is what I mean by the brave new world we now live in filled with possibilities. Being in the village of Nenana is no longer ‘stuck’ in terms of a market, or getting materials. With my art I do lost wax casting, so I have more dimension with the metalwork scenes I create. I can spend a lot of time making a master, then a mold, and then from the mold make 100 copies. Now that I have electricity, I have grown in leaps and bounds. I have all the equipment for lapidary work, so I cut my own stones. The latest idea is working
with local rocks from our river system, since I spend time on and love the rivers. Some are just ‘pretty rocks’. I make cabs, polished free forms, and make earrings and necklaces from material like Nowitna
river agate, or Nenana Greenstone. It’s local, its unique to me, it is cost effective and it’s exciting. It turns my crank and keeps me young and eager to greet each day.
Gift Shop Author of the Month: Carolyn Kremers Long before her first visit to Alaska in 1973, Colorado native Carolyn Kremers had wanted to live in the Alaskan bush. In 1986 she accepted an invitation to teach music and English at a school in a remote Yup’ik Eskimo village on Nelson Island. Since then, she has considered Alaska her home. Kremers now lives outside of Fairbanks in a log cabin and teaches writing and multicultural literature part time at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She earned undergraduate degrees in English and honors humanities from Stanford University and in flute performance from Metropolitan State College in Denver. In 1984-85, she studied flute with Geoffrey Gilbert in DeLand, Florida. She holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Her nonfiction and poetry have appeared in numerous publications, and she has received a special citation from the PEN/Jerard Fund Award for emerging women writers of nonfiction.
Fairbanks Arts Association
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October 2007
October Gallery Artists: 22nd Annual 64th Parallel The 22nd Annual 64th Parallel entry deadline is scheduled for Sunday, September 30th at 5:00pm. The first day to bring in entries will be September 28th. Information for the 64th can be received from the Arts Association office or by calling Tatiana at 456-6485 ext. 227. Please remember that the winter Bear Gallery hours are 12 to 6pm, closed on Sundays except for the 64th Entry Deadline Day. Marjolaine Renfro will jury all received artwork on October 1st. Awards will be given for Juror’s Choice, Second Place, Third Place, the Jared Baker “Gutsy Art Award”, and Honorable Mentions. Artist Statement:
art overlaps e d d y i n g a ro u n d i n u s e d - u p m a t e r i a l s now and then an artist takes aim and stays distinctive. such aims distinguish the link to place poetry religion teaching and even accountability. sometimes art m i g h t l i n k e s p e c i a l l y t o s o m e o t h e r p e rs o n a p ro g r a m o f i m a g e s t o b r i n g s t r a n g e rs t o g e t h e r
Marjolaine’s Bio:
I like interactive art. I want things to happen when people walk past my work. I recognize the yin and yang of my life and incorporate both into my work. My art is neither totally whimsical nor completely solemn but always thought provoking. My intense drive to create leads me continually forward.
“Vessel” 13”x12”x6”
“Obsession Teapot” 9”x6”x3.5”
Exhibit Dates: October 5-27 •
“To Live in the Balance” 16”x9”x3.5”
Opening Reception: Friday, October 5, 5-8pm
October 2007
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Fairbanks Arts Association
To Our Wonderful Volunteers! Thank you Gallery Docents Willie Bliss Penny Wakefield Ginny Kawasaki Frances Schulz Rachael Kvapil Cheryl Joens Fawn Solomon-Wyatt Sue Malen Cora Cook Shirley Phelps Margret Van Flein Jerrie Graham
September Dinners in the Homes Volunteers
Lee Harris Laurel McLaughlin Helen Howard Krista Katalenich Meta Braves Robin Barker Carrie Loughry Edie Barbour Doreen Fish
First Friday Crew Cheryl Joens
Timeout at Noon
Karl Umsticker Rachel Oldfield Marjorie Cole Rachael Kvapil Jo and Dick Scott Peggy Birkenbuel Marcia Boyette Susan and Martin Miller Marilyn Russel Suzanne Summerville
Mike Stackhouse
BEeReded! OCtTeeO rs n
Volun
cents ) ery Do ry Attendants l l a G • e ll y a a G rd , s atu op Sale nday-S (Gift Sh or 3-6pm, Mo 12-3pm y Crew tion) Frida •First Food Prepara Bear Gallery rs and • FAA (Greete from 4-9 PM 5 r e Octob ew! Friday, ing Cr w) •Read akdown Cre M re B -9 and m4 P (Setup October 6 fro , ay ct: Saturd Conta
Fairbanks Arts Association 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. The Association also helps raise funds for other arts groups, provides technical assistance and support for arts programming, encourages and advises individual artists beginning organizations and sponsors workshops and educational meetings.
er lunte 226 To Vo -6485 ex: 6 5 4
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
Volunteers enjoy themselves at “Thank You! Dinner” for the Dinners in the Homes Volunteers. The event took place at the Bear Gallery on September 15th and was a way of saying “Thank you” to all who opened their homes to visiting tourists this summer as part of the “Dinners in the Homes” Program to raise money for Fairbanks Arts Association.
Fairbanks Arts Association
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October 2007
Staff June Rogers, Executive Director Melissa Hougland, Associate Director Sherry Faught, Office Manager/Bookkeeper Tatiana Piatanova, Program Director Rosalie Stockwell-White, Special Projects Gabriel Lopez-Shaw, Tech Assistant Jeremy Thompson, Education Coordinator
Watercolor Society He received training with several local drawing courses during his formative years. A self taught guitarist, he has played with several groups locally and continues to hone his craft. Beginning with simple pencil and chalk compositions, more depth was soon to follow. Watercolor has become the next phase. He currently enjoys portraying landscapes and looks forward to enhancing these works with more complex techniques. Jeffrey Rentzel (right) Matt Moberly (above) A 38-year resident of Fairbanks, Matt began his foray into the world of art with an interest in drawing and music.
A twenty-nine year Alaskan resident. Jeffrey Rentzel enjoys painting flowers, Alaska landscapes and wildlife. After teaching himself to paint fourteen years ago, he continues to express himself with his brushes and palate. He has had his art
work displayed at local art galleries and recently was judged Grand Champion in the Adult Fine Arts division at the Tanana Valley State Fair.
2007 Governor’s Awards for the Arts and Humanities It is once again time for the Governor’s Awards for the Arts and Humanities! The Governor’s Awards will be held on Friday, October 26, at 6 pm in the Princess Riverside Lodge. A dinner and reception will be followed by the awards ceremony. The event will honor Alaskans who have provided leadership and support in the Alaska arts and culture community. Tickets for the event are $75 for individuals and $1,000 for tables. Governor Palin will announce the recipients of the awards in early October. This year, for the second time, centerpieces will be available for sale at the event created by well-known Alaska artists. All proceeds from the centerpiece sales go directly to the artists. Alaskan artist Carla Potter has been asked to create the awards for the event. Carla was raised in Ketchikan. While pursuing an education in dance she discovered the odds of achieving grace were greatly increased if she only had to focus on the coordination of her eyes and hands and cut out the interaction of extraneous body parts. She achieved her BA in Studio Ceramics at Humboldt State University in Northern California as well as embarking on a career in motherhood. After finishing school she moved back to Ketchikan with her young family where she immediately began showing in group and invitational exhibitions as well as creating solo exhibits for statewide venues. A group of persistent teachers there coaxed her into the artist in schools program where she taught extensively for 10 years. Carla has also taught at University of Alaska, Southeast, in the Ketchikan summer ArtsCool program and conducted private classes for students of all ages. If you wish to purchase tickets or for more information, please contact the Fairbanks Arts Association at 456-6485, ext. 224. The event is co-sponsored by the Alaska State Council on the Arts, the Alaska Humanities Forum and the Fairbanks Arts Association. Generous support for the event has been provided by Conoco Phillips and the Office of the Governor.
October 2007
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Fairbanks Arts Association
GOLDIE OLDIE but
film series
sponsored by Fairbanks North Star Borough Parks and Recreation.
Film Showings take place at theater in Alaska Centenial Center for Arts at 7 pm Tickets available at the door for $5 For more information please call 456-6485 ext. 227 or go to
www.fairbanksarts.org
The Arts 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.
“What is saved in the cinema when it achieves art is a spontaneous continuity with all mankind. It is not an art of the princes or the bourgeoisie. It is popular and vagrant. In the sky of the cinema people learn what they might have been and discover what belongs to them apart from their single lives.” - John Berger Starting October 11, 2007, at 7 pm the Fairbanks Arts Association is reviving the “Oldies but Goldies” Film Series, a tribute to motion picture heritage. The series hopes to celebrate many once famous and innovative films that are now overshadowed by modern cinema. The program this year will be consisting of one movie screening per month on the second Thursday and highlighting greatly acclaimed filmmakers from around the world including such masters as Ingmar Bergman, Andrei Tarkovsky, Akira Kurosava, Fritz Lang, Wong Kar-Wai, Krzysztof Kieslowski and others. The series will kick off with the black and white masterpiece by Fritz Lang, “Metropolis.” It takes place in 2026, when the populace is divided between workers who must live in the dark underground and the rich who enjoy a futuristic city of splendor. The tense balance of these two societies is realized through images that are among the most famous of the 20th century, many of which presage such sci-fi landmarks as “2001: A Space Odyssey” and “Blade Runner.” Lavish and spectacular, with elaborate sets and modern science fiction style, Metropolis stands today as the crowning achievement of the German silent cinema.
Brigitte Helm as Maria in Fritz Lang’s Metropolis.
{PLEASE STAY TUNED FOR FUTURE FEATURES}
Fairbanks Arts Association
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October 2007
Announcements: The Fairba nks Symph ony will p Oct 6-7th resent: The 17th ann ual Concerto Oct 20 Competition in Barnes & Nob Davis Concert le Bookfair – Oct 28 Hall. fundraiser for Fairbanks Sym the Symphon phony Conce y A ssociation rt with piano so loist Jerome R For more info ose rmation, call 4 74-5733 or vi sit online at w ww.Fairbanks Symphony.org pleased to r Society is o l o c r e t a wn artist nks W nationally kno ith w The Fairba p o sh rk o strate tercolor w nk will demon ra F . v2 present a wa o N 9 wet se from Oct 2 ose on a very lo d n a e Frank France rg la g nd bring his yle of paintin to mix itself a r his unique st lo co re u p t ways to ing the sist of differen n co ill surface, allow w p o sh ture e. The work rank is a signa F . h is fin paintings to lif to rt S, inting from sta WFWS, SDW , S O n O ct ob er 17 th H W , approach a pa W W at 7: 00 pm th e WS, TWSA, Colorado. To , N n f io o ct r Fa n e irbanks Waterco b Ju m d e n m ra G / in m s lor Society e s.co S. He liv will have a general me inthemountain rt .a w w TSW and CW w t r a e mbership meeting d in the ord take a look at the Pioneer Park Ci ill be accepte see his work w ts n 0 a .0 ip vic Center, Blue 0 ic 0 rt 1 a $ f .htm P Room. A social hour A deposit o . d e frankfrancese iv ce e re wi th ll precede the r re 0 fo checks a meeting at 6:30pm. Ne e cost is $35 h T in which the . ce a 7 0 sp w members are ber 17, 20 hold your always welcome. For inf by Wed, Octo is required to e u d il t a n or e -m mation please e ym 4 a 11 al p call: 479-0804 or 389Berrong, 389-2 l 5 days with fin ry e h C e ll 21 r a 14 o C 6 : rmation ler 479-524 For more info , or Sherry Fis m co t. e n ito u araven@mosq m mosquitonet.co mail upkfsaf@ Turning the Tides (www.TurningTheTide s.org) Turning the Tides is a no n-profit grass-roots organ ization based in Juneau which works to combat pollu tion of the oceans, is conduc ting a logo contest. En tries are due on October 5.
For more information, please go to http://www.jahc.org/com art.php nds on ro will present a ha Marjolaine Renf ilding.” bu d th the focus on “han ceramics workshop wi Studio, ld in the UAF Ceramics The workshop will be he er 28thArts Complex Septemb Room 415, in the Fine o open als t 15 participants bu 30th. It is limited to calling erested may sign up by to observers. Those int 7-8345. Shirley Odsather at 45
October 2007
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Fairbanks Arts Association
The
monthly newsletter of Fairbanks Arts Association
State of the Arts
October 2007
Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Fairbanks, Alaska Permit No. 17
P.O. Box 72786 Fairbanks, Alaska 99707
Volunteer of the Month: Darleen Masiak Over the decades the Fairbanks Arts Association has given me so much, which is why I try to give back to the Association. I have been involved with the FAA in various capacities; as a participant and a viewer to the many events it sponsors, as a member of the visual arts committee, as an exhibitor, as a board member and as a host for Dinners in the Homes. It seems that in no matter what capacity I volunteer with the Association, I gain in so many ways. Also, as an artist the Association has helped me to mature and has connected me to many other artists in this community and beyond. I strongly recommend becoming involved with the Fairbanks Arts Association in whatever capacity you are able to, no matter how large or small. We in Fairbanks are truly fortunate to have such a supportive organization in our arts community.
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Fairbanks Arts Association
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October 2007