The Winston-Salem Symphony Partners with African Library Project

As many symphony orchestras struggle to stay relevant in our constantly evolving society, the Winston-Salem Symphony has chosen to take the lead and institute an innovative educational program that will elicit social and cultural change on the local and global level. This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the Mary Starling In-School Education Program and will be centered around the theme of storytelling and music. In conjunction with this theme, the issue of literacy will be addressed through a book drive for the African Library Project at local schools; a short story competition with winners being awarded brand new violins, and lessons for an entire school year with WSS musicians; and a concert featuring the great stories in classical music.


The Mary Starling Program is the Winston-Salem Symphony’s single largest educational program in Forsyth County for students ages 9-12. Named in honor of a former Symphony Guild member with a passion for music education, the Mary Starling Program offers an introduction to orchestral music for the students of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools through a combination of intimate ensemble performances culminating with a full orchestra concert. Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the program will continue to reach all 4th and 5th students enrolled in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools free of charge.

Elsewhere's SEA program preserves and connects South Elm Street neighborhood

Over the course of this year, Elsewhere Artist Collaborative--a living museum set within a former thrift store in downtown Greensboro--has been creating connections within its growing downtown urban neighborhood. With the new Mellow Mushroom and advancing economic development in our downtown "arts and antiques" district, Elsewhere wanted to ensure that neighbors who live, work, and use the South Elm neighborhood had a forum for discussing the growth of their city and transformations of their urban surroundings. We have always been especially interested in our neighborhood's ability to link people across generations, ethnic backgrounds, race, and economic status--from the diverse businesses on our block, to its historic aesthetic character, to a playful culture of passer-bys and players. We set out to create a way to converse and explore these unique connections of the fabulous people who compose our city character.

This spring, with the help of the United Arts Council's PTICA initiative and The Building Stronger Neighborhoods of the Community Foundation of Greensboro, Elsewhere set out to strengthen our neighborhood community while preserving the unique diversity of our downtown district. We launched an ongoing project called SEA (the South Elm Alliance) which hosted and continues to host various events that provide create forums for community exchange (check out the blog here). We held two town hall meetings about the development of our neighborhood, investigated our neighborhood through a mapping photo project and posted on Googlemaps, joined Charlie and Ruth Jones of Greensboro Grub in producing a neighborhood dinner, enjoyed an evening of a free coffee cafe on our block for our neighbors and passerbys, and offered a street screen-printing event so that neighbors could wear the SEA logo around town. We have also held monthly episodes of our performance game CITY, which re-imagines our museum as a pretend city. Participants given visas and are invited to play a variety of characters, run CITY institutions like the library, bank, department store, skyscraper, motel, and more, and generally explore a collaborative game of pretend. We are interested in how this shared story, or fiction, can examine and expose real issues in our surrounding neighborhood. Anyone can play, even if you've never performed before. This year, we've been opening CITY up to many more participants, while continuing to film each event and transform them into movies on youtube.

We have two more events planned before Elsewhere goes on hiatus for the winter (we close the museum from november to march due to lack of heat in our very old building). The first is our living room lecture series on friday october 9th. Anyone is invited to give a 20 minute lecture on something they know anything about. Then the next friday, october 16th, we'll have the finale of our CITY games for the season. Come over and play. Be a farmer a baker a tourist, anyone really. Hope to see you here!

NC Museum of Art Responds to the Environment

The North Carolina Museum of Art Museum Park is a 164 acre stretch of woodlands, trails, creeks, and outdoor art pieces. At the park, visitors experience both art and the environment together and gain an understanding of how the two can respond to each other. Some of the pieces even seem to have a moral message about where items of everyday use, such as newspapers in the following piece, come from and how these relate directly to our environment. The piece, made of newspapers, will eventually decay, becoming a natural part of the cycles of the forest.

The park is also interwoven with information on the local ecology, and the museum works to preserve the natural environment.

"To see Jennie smile" by Steven Siegel. www.ncartmuseum.org

Below is an example of art that is inherently a part of the natural environment. "Pooktre art" by Peter Cook and Becky Northey benefits the environment by absorbing greenhouse gases and fostering other natural cycles of nature. It would be interesting to see what other artists have done that utilize growing, living things to create art.

Pooktre by Peter Cook and Becky Northey. www.pooktre.com

U.S. Artists' Response to Climate Change

Activity in community arts does not have to be introduced by artists.

Years ago, Bill McKibben, renown environmentalist and author, called for U.S. artists to focus on climate age and environmental issues in their work. Artists answered his call. Recently, McKibben discussed his favorite environmental artists in the U.S. in Grist, an online snarky-but-fun environmental newsletter.

A personal (nonlocal) favorite of mine is James Griffioen who documents nature's resilience in response to man-made structures. Check out his series titled "Be Patient."

Apartment Building, Detroit 2007 by James Griffioen
Jamesgriffioen.net

Global Examples of Environmental Art Can Create Local Change

As humans effect on the environment becomes more and more apparent, environmental art has moved from landscape painting to socially engaging art with vivid messages on climate change.

I've heard so much buzz about environmental art lately, I'd like to put forth a few things over the next couple days that I've come across, both near and far. We'll start with the farthest away and move closer. The following piece is located in Beijing, a place on the other side of the world. The piece is a tool of communication on the future of China's population. In my own discoveries, as I move closer to the Triad, the lessons to be learned from these artists and activists become more concrete. I've realized that environmental art can function as more than a tool of communication; it can also be an active method for improving our local ecology.

Beijing


I ran across this piece at one of my favorite blogs, Inhabitat. To prepare for this year's Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen, the TckTckTck campaign positioned 100 sculptures of children carved in ice to represent the 1 billion lives that will be lost in China due to water shortages. Ice sculptures sounding cheesy as well? Check out photos of this piece, and you will see it is anything but. It is actually very beautiful and direct.


Here is a video by The Guardian which features some nice shots of the piece.

Sheboygan Students Find Postive Outlet for Anxieties in Composing Raps

A summer school music class which 10 Sheboygan students signed up for is coming to a close. Read in the Sheboygan Press about the students process of learning to channel their frustration and personal experiences into the composition of raps. The songs were then produced by local music artist J Rilla.

If you know of any local programs that use an artistic medium, whether it be painting, acting, writing, etc., please send them along or add them in the comments.

Upcoming September Events

Dream Machines: The Impossible Happens Thursday
Open Dream Ensemble World Premiere
September 3 - 6:30 PM - Stevens Center - Winston-Salem
Comprised of professional dancers, actors, and musicians trained at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Open Dream Ensemble combines these artists talents, performing original, multidisciplinary works for youth with live music, dance, and drama that highlight the importance of learning, teamwork, determination, and the imagination. The Open Dream Ensemble is a project of the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Dream Machines: The Impossible Happens tells the amazing story of the advancements in travel at the turn of the 20th century through dance, music and drama. Told through the eyes of the Wright Brothers’ sister Katharine, Dream Machines follows Orville, Wilbur and Katharine as they pursue their dream of flying. The story connects their endeavors with Henry Ford’s dreams of automobiles and Octave Chanute’s fascination with trains. Geared to grades K-5.
Cost: free. 336.721-0712

Peril on the Red Planet
Open Dream Ensemble World Premiere
September 3 - 7:30 PM - Stevens Center - Winston-Salem
Comprised of professional dancers, actors, and musicians trained at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Open Dream Ensemble combines these artists talents, performing original, multidisciplinary works for youth with live music, dance, and drama that highlight the importance of learning, teamwork, determination, and the imagination. The Open Dream Ensemble is a project of the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Peril on the Red Planet, set in the future, tells the story of 13 year-old Diana as she works to end famine on Mars. She reconstructs the machine that made human habitation possible on Mars and unexpectedly unleashes more problems. Her efforts to save life on Mars lead her on an important quest, during which she learns life lessons about community, responsibility, teamwork and sacrifice. Geared to grades 3-8.
Cost: free. 336.721-0712

Co-Curators' Gallery Talk: Xandra Eden and Lee Walton
September 3 - 5:30 PM - Weatherspoon Art Museum - Greensboro
Xandra Eden, Curator of Exhibitions, and Lee Walton, Assistant Professor, UNCG Department of Art, talk about Our Subject is You and new trends in participatory art.
336.334.5770

BookWorks: Sculptures by Leo Morrissey
September 4 - 7 PM - Artists on Liberty Building - Winston-Salem
This solo exhibition is comprised of sculptural work that is created from actual books. An opening reception will be held during Gallery Hop on September 4th from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. with the show on view through September 29th. We will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday September 12th to coincide with BookMARKS Book Festival. For additional information about the artist or to schedule a gallery appointment
Cost: free. 503.888.5930

Culture of Color Saturdays
September 5 - 26 - Greensboro Children's Museum - Greensboro
Join the museum each Saturday to celebrate East Indian culture. Culture of Color is a new series by the museum. Activities may include learning new words, dressing in cultural costumes, sampling new foods, learning dance, and doing art.
336.574.2898

We Are One
September 10 - December 10 - 6:00 - 8:00 PM - Caldcleugh Multicultural Arts Center - Greensboro
We Are One, Caldcleugh Center's performing arts program extends its scope with its new visual arts program for youth ages 10 and older. Instructed by Floyd Newkirk, nationally known muralist and illustrator will guide young artists in an exploration of medium, technique, and forms. This semester young artist will create backdrops for We Are One's winter performance.
Cost: $20 per month
336.373.5881

Found Objects, Recycled Materials, and Pastels
September 13 - October 10 - 3 PM - Electric Moustache Gallery - Winston-Salem
Opening reception
336.413.3690

Sculpture Garden Unveiling
September 25 - 6 PM - Gateway Gallery - Winston-Salem
336.777.0076 x238

A Mixed Bag
September 26 - November 21 - 11 AM - Gateway Gallery - Winston-Salem
336.777.0076 x238

Write Place, Write Time: Workshop for Young Women
September 26 - 1 PM - Salem Fine Arts Center -Winston-Salem
Young women enrolled in grades 9-12 are invited for a writing experience in which the perils and pleasures of the short-short story will be explored.
Cost: free. 336.721.2739.

Community Creates!
September 26 - 7 PM - Arts Based Elementary School - Winston-Salem
Live auction of work by our local community. This event features a live auciton, raffle, original art, great good, danceing, etc. All proceeds benefit the Arts Based Elementary School's Artist-in-Residency program.
Cost: $30/person, $50/couple.
336.748.4116