Carolina Music Ways: Old Timey Radio Show

Before March is through, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention this March 17th Winston-Salem Journal article about Carolina Music Ways' elementary school program titled "The Carolina Music Ways Old Timey Radio Show."

Local musicians visited elementary schools to share with students their musical heritage. Musical selections ranged from traditional Moravian tunes to Doc Watson to John Coltrane. Visit the Winston-Salem journal for the in-depth article.

Wake Forest University Students Design Bottle Tower for Earth Day

Wake Forest University students are busy erecting a tower made of 2,000 plus bottles for Earth Day. This project, which reuses old plastic bottles, will serve as a "pledge collector" at the Annual Piedmont Earth Day Fair on Wake Forest's campus. Visitors to the fair will be invited to write down an environmental pledge and insert the piece of paper into the tower. To get an idea of what such a structure might look like, Wake Forest students have provided pictures from past examples of bottle towers, which you can check out on their facebook page for the project.

Esse Quam Videri

I have always thought that North Carolina's guiding slogan, "Esse Quam Videri (To be, rather than to seem)," is about the best state motto for which one could ask, one from which North Carolinians should draw pride. Now an enthralling photodocumentary project, Esse Quam Videri: Muslim Self Portraits has taken on the motto and its connotations to present the personal and varied stories of those who practice Islam in North Carolina.

The photographs are accompanied by a statement from the participants and sometimes an additional audio recording of why the participants posed as they did to present their "Muslimness" and how it has, in part, defined their identities. I've included a few of the photographs below.

Ansar, High Point, North Carolina, 2009

Tamir, Statesville, North Carolina, 2008

Cyclones, Charlotte, NC, 2008

All images are reproduced from the Esse Quam Videri: Muslim Self Portraits website.

Making Sense Out of Garbage: Artist Sayaka Ganz

Every so often, green design blog Inhabitat features incredible examples of environmental art that I immediately can't help but repost here on the Piedmont Triad Initiative for Community Art's own blog. Visit Inhabitat for a short profile of artist Sayaka Ganz, who travels the world, absorbing different cultures and making art out of trash.

From Ganz's website:

Stream

Sparkle

Flare

Convergence I

Greensboro's Interactive Resource Center a Model for Community Arts Programming

Even though the Interactive Resource Center is a new nonprofit in Greensboro, they seem to be old pros at utilizing local artists to contribute to its mission. Upon visiting the website for the IRC, one immediately realizes that two stories on its homepage involve artists.

To give some background, the IRC is a day center for the homeless population in Greensboro. The center runs a number of services from providing lunch to connecting the homeless to needed resources to giving access to shower and laundry facilities. Below are short summaries of the project, however anyone interested in the project should really visit the links below, which have great in-depth videos and summaries of the projects.

Community Arts Story Number One:

Artist John Martin will work with citizens who visit the IRC to create a piece of public art. Clients will carve designs out of foam, and Martin will cast the foam in aluminum. In this way, the users of the center will also be responsible for enhancements to the building grounds.

Community Arts Story Number Two:
In celebration of a global event titled Help-Portrait, local photographers set up a temporary studio at the IRC to supply clients at the center with professional photographs.

Greensboro photographers contribute to global event, Help Portrait.

Arts for Life Benefit via Life in Forsyth

Eat at selected restaurants next Thursday and benefit Arts for Life! Get more information at Life in Forsyth.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

Remember the ARRA and the promise of arts funding? A lot of funding from the ARRA has gone to sustaining existing arts education. However, there were also new opportunities in this act. Although this website from the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies is a bit wordy, it may be worth an artist or arts organization's time to scan through this stuff. The page outlines different areas of government funding and how some of that money could be used for the arts. Here are a couple blurbs from the page that seemed especially promising to me:

Transportation Enhancements: States have different emphases with these projects, but they can include "landscaping design, street furniture, lighting, public art, historic preservation, and gateways. State arts agencies have developed experience working in partnership with state departments of transportation on joint projects funded by the TE program."

Elementary and Secondary Education: "These funds can always be used to support arts education."

Artist Jefferson Pinder Addresses Race in Video, Installations, and Objects

Click image for link to Jefferson Pinder's video work titled "Juke."

Getting Neighborhoods Talking

Here is a wonderful example of involving a neighborhood in the process of activating the spaces where we interact through art.

Learn more about the installation by Mitch Cope and Gina Reichert at the Detroit Institute for the Arts.

Dance of Triumph

On March 11 at 7 PM, East Forsyth's dance group East Company Dance will perform a series of dances based on stories from people suffering with cancer. To prepare the pieces, dance teachers at East Forsyth invited staff members who had cancer to share their experience with students. The full story on the project collaboration between teachers, students, and survivors can be read in the Winston-Salem Journal.

Winston-Salem Journal Photo by Lauren Carroll.

Upcoming March Events

SECCA AND KRANKIES PRESENT
Thursday, March 4 - 7 PM - Krankie's Coffee - Winston-Salem
A documentary about unbridled creativity and accessibility, Christian faith in the context of popular culture and family relationships in the face of individuality. “Danielson, A Family Movie” is directed by JL Aronson; USA; 105 minutes; not rated.
397-2107

DANCE OF TRIUMPH
Thursday, March 11 - 7 PM - East Forsyth High School - Kernersville
East Company Dance will perform "Dance for Life" at 7 p.m. March 11 in the auditorium at East Forsyth High School. "Dance for Life" is a series of four pieces based on the experiences of those facing cancer. Also performing that night will be musical groups East Side Crew, East Forsyth Eaglettes, East Forsyth Madrigals and Caprice; singer Matthew Morris; and a dance group from St. Paul United Methodist Church. A Silver for Dollars jewelry sale will be held in the lobby. A reception will follow the 90-minute show. Proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society and its Relay for Life.
Advance tickets available for $5 from Katherine Foster at KTFoster@wsfcs.k12.nc.us.
Tickets at the door will be $7. Children 12 and younger will be admitted free.

REYNOLDA FILM FESTIVAL KEYNOTE SPEAKER: SPIKE LEE
Friday, March 26 - Wait Chapel, Wake Forest University - Winston-Salem
Award-winning filmmaker Spike Lee will be speaking at Wait Chapel at Wake Forest University. This event is open to the community. Mr. Lee will be giving a speech detailing how he used his troubles as the fuel for his dreams.
$5.00. Reserve tickets at www.reynoldafilmfestival.com/Spike

**We're a bit short on community events this month. If you know of any events that are not listed here, be sure to post them in the comments.**

NC Community Arts Internship

Graduates from a four-year college who have demonstrated a strong interest in community arts administration as a career are invited to apply for a three-month internship with the North Carolina Arts Council. A stipend of $5000 is provided for living expenses. Applications are due May 1, 2010. Visit the NC Arts Council website for more information.