House of Representatives

State of Tennessee

 

Contact: Kara Watkins (615) 741-1975

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Dear Friends:

I thought the following might be of interest to you or someone you know.

Regards,

Representative Donna Rowland

34th Legislative District

 

TENNESSEE ARTS ONLINE January 7, 2008 STATE AND REGIONAL NEWS Commission Offers Online Survey NASHVILLE - - In an effort to better serve the citizens of Tennessee, The Tennessee Arts Commission has established an online survey to gain information and input, and to continue an ongoing dialog with constituents. The Commission welcomes your comments and suggestions. Share your thoughts, concerns, and ideas. It only takes a few minutes to complete the survey, and it will allow the Commission to better serve the people of Tennessee. more... Individual Artist Fellowships Deadline Approaching NASHVILLE - - The Tennessee Arts Commission has announced that applicants may apply for Fiscal Year 2009 (July 1, 2008 - June 30, 2009) Individual Artist Fellowships. The fellowships are available in: Visual Arts (three-dimensional), Craft, and Media (film and video); Music (instrumental performance and composition), Dance (performance and choreography), and Theater (acting); Literary Arts (fiction/creative nonfiction, and poetry).  The award provides fellowships to outstanding professional artists who live and work in Tennessee. The Commission anticipates that each fellowship in FY 2009 will be $5,000. In the coming year, the Commission may award up to two fellowships in each category.   Deadline for application is: Mon., Jan. 28.  more… "Talk To Me, Tennessee!" Provides Opportunity to Share Stories NASHVILLE - - The Tennessee Arts Commission is now providing an opportunity for citizens to tell their stories and offer input online. On the Commission’s Web site (www.arts.state.tn.us) an area has been established where Tennesseans can share their stories about how the arts add value to their lives and their communities.  Many of the stories are inspiring, while others offer ideas or suggestions. The Commission has made a commitment to continue the important dialog that became the foundation of the recently-completed Strategic Plan. Tennesseans are encouraged to share their dreams, concerns, and ideas about the role of the arts in their everyday lives.  more… Gallery Presents Artists-In-Residence KNOXVILLE - - The University of Tennessee Ewing Gallery will present the Artist-In-Residence Biennial from Jan. 13 - Feb.10.  On view will be current works Jessica Dickinson, Wallace Whitney, Jeff Gauntt, and Munro Galloway These New York City-based painters have each served as resident artists with the UT School of Art since Fall, 2006.  The Artist-in-Residence Program in the UT School of Art brings practicing artists from major cultural centers into daily contact with students who, early in their formal art studies, are developing their own perceptions, skills, and theories on art making. The exhibition reception will be held Sun., Jan. 13, 2-4 p.m. , and the four artists will be present.  The Ewing Gallery is located at 1715 Volunteer Boulevard on the UT campus and is open free to the public. more...  Red Haired Mary Coming To Laurel Theater KNOXVILLE - - Jubilee Community Arts presents Irish and Scottish music with Red Haired Mary on Fri., Jan. 25 at 8 p.m. at the Laurel Theater.Knoxville-based Red-Haired Mary is a different kind of Celtic band, performing spirited and raucous pub songs amid easy going instrumentals.  Margaret and Tom Scanlan did extensive research in Irish pubs and have developed a style based on pub-band and pub-singing traditions.  Joining Margaret on keyboards and Tom on bass and bodhran are Alison Garner on fiddle, Terry Schomer on bouzouki, Amy Porter on vocals and guitar and Jill Allard on vocals, flute and tin whistle.  Red-Haired Mary packed the house at previous concerts at the Laurel.  more...  Nashville Symphony Receives Grammy Nominations NASHVILLE - - The Recording Academy has announced that the Nashville Symphony, led by Music Advisor Leonard Slatkin, has been nominated for two Grammys® for their recording of works by American composer Joan Tower. The Naxos recording was nominated in the categories of Best Classical Album and Best Orchestral Performance. Joan Tower's piece Made in America also received a nomination for Best Classical Contemporary Composition.  "It was an honor for the Nashville Symphony to release a CD of works by Joan Tower, who is by far one of the most exciting composers of our time," said Alan D. Valentine, President and CEO of the Nashville Symphony. "We are thrilled to be in the company of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, among others, with these two important Grammy nominations." The 50th Annual GRAMMY awards will take place on Feb. 10 in Los Angeles and will air live on CBS. more... Dogwood Festival Seeks Artist Submissions KNOXVILLE - - Knoxville’s grand celebration of spring, the Dogwood Arts Festival, is just around the corner,and submissions for the annual Festival Limited Edition Print are being sought from area artists.  Works in four media categories of painting (oil, acrylic or watercolor), 2-D mixed media, graphics (mono-prints, lithography, drawing, pastels, etc) and photography including computer and/or digital imagery will be accepted. Submission deadline is Sunday, Jan. 27 and requires a $25 application fee for each piece submitted. The winning artist will receive a $2,000 purchase award and will be available at various Dogwood events to sign prints,  The 2008 Dogwood Arts Festival is April 4-23 at various downtown locations. Call 865-637-4561 for more information.   more… Playhouse Presents "Pirates of Penzance" MEMPHIS - - Playhouse on the Square will present The Pirates of Penzance, Jan. 25 – Feb. 24. Wacky, irreverent, and as entertaining today as it was when it first opened in 1879, Gilbert and Sullivan’s classic score is suffused with a modern sensibility and rollicking good fun. Perfect for the whole family, this fresh adaptation features sentimental pirates, bumbling policemen, dim-witted young lovers, dewy-eyed daughters, and an eccentric Major - General, all morally bound to the often-ridiculous dictates of honor and duty. The zany antics of these beloved characters guarantee a saucy, swashbuckling good time filled with rapier wit and lush, memorable music. Playhouse on the Square is located at 51 South Cooper Street in Memphis. Call 901-726-4656 for ticket information.  more… Ballet Memphis Brings "Wizard of Oz" To Dixie HUNTINGDON - - The Dixie Carter Performing Arts Center will welcome the Ballet Memphis production of “The Wizard of Oz” on Fri., Jan. 18, at 7:30 p.m.  The ballet is based on the movie version of the L. Frank Baum tale. Come join Dorothy and her friends as they dance along the yellow brick road and learn important lessons as they journey through Oz! Performing the role of “The Munchkins” with the Ballet Memphis dancers will be local dancers from The Martin Dance Studio! Tickets for “The Wizard of Oz” are $25/adult and $20/senior (65 and over) and child. For tickets, contact The Dixie box office at 731-986-2100.  more... Rory Block Concert Scheduled In Athens ATHENS - - Rory Block is the next presentation in The Black Box Concert Series at the Sue E. Trotter Theater in The Arts Center in Athens, Tennessee on Fri., Jan.11 at 7:30 p.m.   Tickets in advance and at the door are $15 for adults, $8 for students.  The Arts Center is located at 320 North White St. in downtown Athens.A blues legend in her own time, Rory Block is a multi-W.C. Handy award winner, most recently in 2007 for her release, “The Lady and Mr. Johnson”. She has earned the respect of the entire blues community by rendering soulful and intense performances of both traditional and original material. more... Register Now for Dixie Youth Theatre Spring 2008 Semester HUNTINGDON - - The Dixie Youth Theatre is designed to provide a distinctive theatre education program that will empower youth to embrace a life of excellence and creativity through their artistic abilities and open doors to imagination and self-confidence. Theatre skills are worthwhile, valuable life skills grounded in discipline and a work ethic that is crucial for any craft. The faculty includes theatre professionals who provide a quality educational and artistic experience for each participant. Experience is gained by weekly classes culminating in a performance on the stage of the Hal Holbrook Theatre. Classes for the Spring 2008 semester include: Acting I (for grades 3-5); Acting II (for grades 6-8); Acting III (for grades 9-12); Voice & Movement Beginnings (for grades 2-5); Musical Theatre (for grades 6-12); and Improvisation (for grades 7-12). All classes begin on Mon., Jan. 14, and a RECITAL will be held at the conclusion of the semester on Thurs., March 27 at 7 p.m.  Call 731-986-2100 for more information. more... Frist Center For Visual Arts Shares Prestigious Grant NASHVILLE - - Thanks to a $761,000 National Leadership Grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, in partnership with the High Museum of Art (Atlanta, Ga.) and the Speed Art Museum (Louisville, Ky.), will conduct a three-year study on how the museums’ interactive family galleries facilitate learning for visitors of all ages. The museums will work in collaboration with two research organizations: Audience Focus (Annapolis, Md.) and the Institute for Learning Innovation (Annapolis, Md.). The research will continue until September 2010. Interactive family galleries in art museums are heralded for the rich opportunities they offer multiple generations to explore art together.  more... NATIONAL NEWS Funding Increase Largest For NEA In 28 Years WASHINGTON, D.C. -- President George W. Bush has signed an omnibus appropriations bill for FY 2008 that includes $144.7 million for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). This represents an increase of $20.1 million over the 2007 funding level of $124.562 million. It is the largest dollar increase in the NEA appropriation since 1979 and will allow the agency to devote more funds to direct grants to arts organizations and to extend the reach of the agency's National Initiatives that support touring and arts education in theater, music, dance, literature, and the visual arts. The highest level of the NEA's appropriation was $175.9 million in FY 1992. The new appropriation raises the NEA to its highest level in 13 years. NEA Chairman Dana Gioia said, "The strong bipartisan support of Congress and the Administration for the NEA demonstrates the value of the agency's programs. This budget will afford us even greater opportunities to bring excellent art and arts education to all Americans through direct grants, which now extend to every community, and through our National Initiatives such as American Masterpieces, The Big Read, Poetry Out Loud, and Shakespeare in American Communities. The National Initiatives have reached more than 20 million students throughout the country. More theater, more music, more dance, more literature, more visual arts, and more arts education will now be available to more Americans." more... 25 Top Arts Journalists Awarded Fellowships WASHINGTON, DC - - Twenty-five arts journalists have been chosen from 28 states to participate as fellows in the fourth National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Arts Journalism Institute in Theater and Musical Theater at the USC Annenberg School for Communication. Through the generous support of the NEA, the Institute will be conducted by USC Annenberg's School of Journalism in Los Angeles from February 5-15, 2008. Participants in USC Annenberg's 2008 NEA Arts Journalism Institute in Theater and Musical Theater include theater critics and editors, features writers, and arts and entertainment editors from newspapers, radio and/or television stations. Amy Stumpfl, an affiliated freelancer for The City Paper in Nashville, Tennessee, is among the journalists selected.   more... 2008 Coming Up Taller Awards Seeks Nominations WASHINGTON, DC - - The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities is inviting nominations for the 2008 Coming Up Taller Awards.  In partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services, National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, the committee is embarking on the 11th year of the Coming Up Taller Awards, which recognizes the accomplishments of exceptional arts and humanities after-school and out-of-school programs.  Finalists receive $10,000, an individualized plaque, and an invitation to attend the Coming Up Taller Leadership Enhancement Conference.  Deadline for nominations is Thurs., Jan. 31, 2008.  For more information call (202) 682-5409.  more… TENNESSEE ARTS SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK: Association For Visual Arts (AVA) Chattanooga-based organization that promotes, supports, and advocates for original visual art and artists.  ARTISTS OF THE WEEK: (Tennessee Artists) The Time Jumpers Western Swing band comprised of Nashville's finest studio musicians and vocalists. TENNESSEE ARTS COMMISSION GALLERY: IDEAL: New Works by Jarrod Houghton Exhibit runs through Jan. 11, 2008 NATIONAL GRANTS: National Endowment for the Arts National Endowment for the Humanities Federal Grant Opportunities U.S. Department of Education ARTS OPPORTUNITIES: Southern Arts Federation Southern Visions Quarterly Newsletter Support the Arts . . . Bolt 'em to your car! Available at your local County Clerk's office. Information for Arts Online may be submitted to: lee.baird@state.tn.us Please Note:  Due to space limitations, not all information submitted will be used.   Tennessee Arts Commission 401 Charlotte Avenue Nashville, TN 37243-0780 (615) 741-1701 (Voice/TDD) (615) 741-8559 (Fax) Web site: http://www.arts.state.tn.us