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NATIONAL NEWS:

Musicians Drive Emmanuelle Haim From Paris Opera Podium

The harpsichordist-turned-conductor, who founded her own period-instrument band, Le Concert d'Astrée, had been scheduled to lead a revival of Idomeneo at the Opéra last month; about a week before opening, she withdrew. It turns out that the pit orchestra had mutinied against Haïm, finding her beat impossible to follow - and they've said so publicly. Le Monde via Ionarts 02/18/10

British Author's Estate Sues JK Rowling For Potter Plagiaism

“The estate of the late Adrian Jacobs on Wednesday added Rowling as a defendant in a lawsuit it filed in June against Bloomsbury Publishing PLC for alleged copyright infringement, according to a statement released by the estate's representatives, who are based in Australia." Chicago Tribune 02/19/10

Canadian Association Of Broadcasters To Shut Down

After reviewing its strategy, the organization concluded that local TV operators wouldn't be able to find a common ground with the cable companies. CBC 02/19/10

Study: CreativityAs A Humanitarian Act

"Newly published research suggests that, at least in the business world, the link between inspiration and ingenuity is strengthened by focusing on the needs of others." Miller-McCune 02/17/10

Does Explaining Contemporary Art Ruin It?

"In a finding sure to evoke concern and curiosity among curators, newly published research suggests presenting contextual information alongside a work of modern art may be counterproductive in terms of eliciting enjoyment or appreciation." Miller-McCune 02/17/10

We've Become Too Used To Henry Moore

"[It] can be difficult to judge the reputation of Henry Moore, in his own lifetime one of the most famous and wealthy artists in the world. It's not that Moore has vanished from the public stage in the years since his death in 1986 - far from it, in fact. Moore's problem is that he has become so ubiquitous as to become near-invisible." The Guardian (UK) 02/18/10

Kathryn Grayson, 88, Star Of MGM Musicals

Her "operatic voice and campus-sweetheart beauty embodied the glamour of Hollywood movie musicals in the 1940s and '50s" - films such as Anchors Aweigh, Show Boat and Kiss Me Kate. New York Times 02/19/10

Florida Dance Festival Quits Miami, Returns To Tampa

"In 1998, when the Florida Dance Festival moved from Tampa to Miami, some observers worried that dance students from around the state would not follow. Those worries proved to be correct, and the festival is returning to the University of South Florida in Tampa in June." St. Petersburg Times (Fla.) 02/19/10

Escondido, Cal. Arts Center Saved

"Escondido arts patrons were reassured yesterday that the California Center for the Arts will not be closed because of drastic budget cuts. The news from the City Council was prompted by a deluge of about 200 e-mails that arts supporters sent to council members, pleading with them to keep the center open.' San Diego Union Tribune 02/18/10

Insomnia May Shrink The Brain

"For the first time, brain imaging has linked chronic insomnia to lower gray matter density in areas that regulate the brain's ability to make decisions and to rest." Discovery News 02/16/10

Musicians Drive Emmanuelle Haim From Paris Opera Podium

The harpsichordist-turned-conductor, who founded her own period-instrument band, Le Concert d'Astrée, had been scheduled to lead a revival of Idomeneo at the Opéra last month; about a week before opening, she withdrew. It turns out that the pit orchestra had mutinied against Haïm, finding her beat impossible to follow - and they've said so publicly. Le Monde via Ionarts 02/18/10

The Archetypical Valery Gergiev Interview

"I have a concert in six minutes and should change my clothes," said the maestro over the phone from his dressing room at the Vienna Musikverein. (The interview had already been postponed several times that day.) Not for nothing is the new documentary about Gergiev titled You Cannot Start Without Me. Philadelphia Inquirer 02/18/10

Movie Stars Take Over Paris Stages (Just Like On Broadway)

Audrey Tautou, star of Amélie, is making her stage debut as Nora in Ibsen's A Doll's House; Isabelle Huppert is acting up a storm as Blanche in a controversial adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire; Leslie Caron is featured in a brief run of A Little Night Music; even soccer-star-turned-movie-actor Eric Cantona has turned up in a play. Agence France-Presse 02/18/10

Unnamed Angel Provides Hundreds Of Free Tickets To Colorado Ballet

"An anonymous donor has purchased $100,000 in tickets to Colorado Ballet's production of Beauty and the Beast for use by disadvantaged Denver families." Denver Post 02/19/10

Jonathan Miller Is Being (Relatively) Good-Natured

In a change from recent practice, the doctor-turned-opera director says nice things about both Covent Garden and ENO, talks clearly about how he works, and never once threatens to quit directing - he even says it's fun. (Don't worry, he still disses a few colleagues and whinges: e.g., "I find myself between two millstones of idiocy.") The Arts Desk (UK) 02/12/10

Women On The Verge Of A Lincoln Center Musical

A musical theater adaptation of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, the 1988 comedy that made filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar world-famous, will be a centerpiece of Lincoln Center Theater's 2010-11 season. Director Bartlett Sher and Almodóvar have been developing the piece in workshops for over a year. New York Times 02/19/10

Erotic Reverie Increases Brain Power, Creativity

"Fantasizing about sex gets more than just your juices flowing - it also boosts your analytical thinking skills. Daydreaming about love, on the other hand, makes you more creative, according to a study published in the November 2009 Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin." Scientific American Mind 03/10

'The Arts' Get The Davos Treatment

"The World Economic Forum convened a panel discussion at Carnegie Hall Thursday on arts leadership. The focus? 'The role and responsibilities of cultural leaders and institutions in the collaborative process of development solutions to a number of challenges affecting the world'. Hmmm." (Pithiest observation: "People pay for entertainment. Art is subsidized.") New York Times 02/18/10

Gordon Lightfoot Is Not Dead (Twitter Notwithstanding)

A hoax message saying that the Canadian folk-rock singer had died appeared on Twitter Thursday afternoon; the story spread fast and ran on several Canadian news services before it emerged that, in fact, Lightfoot had merely gone to the dentist's office. Vancouver Sun/Canwest 02/18/10


Provided by:

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TO ADVERTISE CALL 515.210.7066 OR EMAIL RODERICK @ ARTSCENEIOWA.COM

February 2010 online edition



STUDENT-CURATED EXHIBITION DISPLAYS TREASURES OF GRINNELL COLLEGE COLLECTION

Grinnell College’s Faulconer Gallery will present “Repeat, Reveal, React: Identities in Flux, Selections from the Grinnell College Art Collection,” a student-curated exhibition featuring 50 works from the college’s collection and running Jan. 29-March. 21.

“Repeat, Reveal, React” focuses on the theme of repetition in art and its relation to identity. The exhibition was developed by 11 students in a seminar course taught by Jenny Anger, associate professor of art. The seminar is offered every three years by the Grinnell art department. Anger’s students spent the semester learning about the various roles and functions of repetition in art throughout history, and selected pieces from the college’s art collection that relate to repetition and the formation of personal, national, and other identities.

“People often think of repetition as boring or monotonous,” said Nora Frazin, a Grinnell College senior and one of the student curators. “We hope to challenge this assumption by showing artworks that use repetition in different and exciting ways.”

The three “re”s of the title reflect how the images produce and reproduce identity. Many of the works are prints, which by nature are reproduced multiple times, and the many unique types of repetition in the show encourage viewers to interact with the works and reflect on their own identities.

 “Repeat, Reveal, React” will run concurrently with “Influence: Faculty Selections from Grinnell College Collections,” a show curated by Grinnell College faculty members from a variety of disciplines. Together the two shows are the largest exhibition of works from the collection yet shown in Faulconer Gallery, with over 100 works on display.  

Events related to “Repeat, Reveal, React” include:

  • Fri., Jan. 29, 4:15-6 p.m.: Opening reception with music by the G-Tones, Grinnell’s all-male a cappella group.

  • Wed., Feb. 10, 7 p.m.: A collection of international film shorts examine varying issues of identity from the early 1930s through today. Co-sponsored by Cultural Film Committee.

  • Thu., Feb. 11, 4:15 p.m.:  Gallery tour of “Repeat, Reveal, React” led by student  curators of the exhibition.

  • Sat., Feb. 13, 1-3 p.m.: Community Day in Faulconer Gallery will introduce people of all ages to the Faulconer’s exhibits “Repeat, Reveal, React: Identities in Flux” and “Influence: Faculty Selections from Grinnell College Collections” through hands-on activities, stories, and tours.

  • Fri., Feb. 19, 4:15 p.m.: Gallery talk by art historian Hal Wert discussing the impact of political posters in “Influence and Repetition: Totalitarian Posters and Democratic Society.” Co-sponsored by the Rosenfield Program in Public Affairs and Writers@Grinnell.

  • Fri., Feb. 26, 4:15 p.m.: Gallery talk by Luther Davis, a 1993 graduate who is master printer at Axelle Fine Arts in Brooklyn, N.Y., on the process of collaborative printmaking.

All events are in Faulconer Gallery unless otherwise noted. Gallery hours through March 21 are Tuesday-Wednesday, noon to 5 p.m.; Thursday-Friday, noon to 8 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.; closed Monday. For more information about the exhibition and related programs, call 641-269-4660 or visit www.grinnell.edu/faulconergallery.   




What's happening at the Putnam

U23D returns to the GIANT screen in February!

WHAT: U23D Encore IMAX Engagement
WHEN: February 1-28, 2010
WHERE: Putnam Museum and IMAX® Theatre in Davenport

COST: $10/adults; $8/seniors 60+; $7/youth ages 3-12. Putnam members receive discounted admission.


DAVENPORT – You decided which one of our BIGGEST blockbusters will return to the six-story screen as part of our BIG Movie Poll! The results are in and the winner is U23D: The IMAX Experience! With 39% of the votes, U23D beat out The Dark Knight; Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; Superman Returns; I Am Legend, and Night at the Museum. The 86-minute 3D concert film will be back for an encore the entire month of February!

What do you get when you combine the world's greatest band with the world's greatest movie experience? U23D: The IMAX Experience! Filmed in South America during U2's "Vertigo" tour, it's the first-ever live action movie to be shot, produced and exhibited in digital 3D! It’s the BIGGEST concert ever!

3ality Digital's Jon Shapiro, Peter Shapiro, John Modell and Steve Schklair, along with Catherine Owens, produced the 3ality Digital presentation. 3ality Digital's Sandy Climan, Michael Peyser and David Modell are executive producers. U23D is distributed by National Geographic. Run time: 86 minutes. Special encore engagement: February 1-28, 2010. Tickets: $10/adults; $8/seniors age 60+; and $7/youth ages 3-12. Putnam members receive discounted admission. Stay tuned for U23D showtimes and promotions on www.putnam.org




Quad City Arts’ mARTch madness –Mad Hatter’s Bash

WHERE: Modern Woodman Park, Davenport, IA
            
WHEN: March 26, 2010 6:30-10  pm

COST: $27 per person in advance; $200 for a table of 8 or $40 at the door

Hurry, hurry! Save the Date! mARTch madness ensues on Friday, March 26th at Modern Woodman  Park in Davenport, IA. The Queen of Hearts has left the Valentine Art Auction and will reappear at this crazy new fundraiser for Quad City Arts. The Mad Hatter rules the affair and will be checking to make sure guests arrive in hats-the crazier the better, but normal/boring will be better than none at all. Dress will be casual to costume-anything goes, although prizes will go to the creative and kooky. Tickets are $27 each, in advance, $40 at the door or $200 for a table of 8 (reservations required for tables). Guests will enjoy a tasty dinner buffet, cash bar and dessert. For additional fun, guests can make a hat and play croquet. The object of the madness will be to collect the most artwork for your personal collection and help Quad City Arts sustain the Visual Arts Program.

 Tickets may be purchased through our website: www.quadcityarts.com or call Jessi at 309-793-1213, X103.  

The Quad City Arts Center Gallery is located at 1715 Second Avenue in the Arts and Entertainment District of Rock Island.  Gallery hours are Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m.–5 p.m. All Quad City Arts programs are funded in part by Festival of Trees; Quad City Arts Partners; and operating grants from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; and the Iowa Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs. Quad City Arts is a nonprofit local arts agency dedicated to the growth and vitality of the Quad  City region through the presentation, development and celebration of the arts and humanities. For more information, contact Dawn Wohlford-Metallo at 309-793-1213, ext. 109 or visit www.quadcityarts.com.
 
Dawn Wohlford-Metallo
Quad City Arts Visual Arts Director
1715 Second Ave.
Rock Island, IL 61201
309-793-1213 X108

Let the arts refresh your perspective.
Check out our website to see how.
www.quadcityarts.com  





"Hollywood Comes to Iowa"

The 4th annual IOWA INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL is now open to receiving feature-length movies, short subjects, documentaries and student projects for consideration in its two-venue cinema event. Productions should have been completed within the past 24 months and can be submitted in competition status or out-of-competition.

   The public screenings, seminars, socials and awards ceremony will take place mainly at the Clear Lake Art Center on July 16-17-18th. Submissions cut-off is May 15th.

   Unlike various other film festivals in the Midwest, this event has numerous Hollywood connections and regularly attending guest directors from around the country. Similar to last year's fest the 2010 edition will also include the viewing of unique productions that will appear only at selected film festivals and art house venues. Some of the movies will be spring-boarded into national distribution after their Iowa premiere.

   "With increasing awareness of the artistic and social relevance of these productions, the local audience numbers have been steadily improving each year. We're also expecting the submission of more high profile features and documentaries," states committee member Gregory Schmidt.

   The Iowa Independent Film Festival is still open to partnerships with sponsors and other organizations.

   Submissions for the previewing committee can be sent on a DVD to: I.I.F.F., P.O. Box #6, Clear Lake, Iowa, 50428. The required application form is on www.iowaindie.org.

   For further details you can contact: info@iowaindie.org or tel. #641-583-0683.




Civic Music Association celebrates 85th Anniversary

Civic Music Association celebrates 85th Anniversary with Gala and Concert featuring the
Russell Malone Quartet

(Des Moines, IA) Civic Music Association will celebrate its 85th Anniversary on Saturday, January 23, 2010 with an Anniversary Gala and concert featuring the Russell Malone Quartet.  The Belin Quartet, managed by Civic Music Association, will be celebrating ten years of free community performances downtown in Nollen Plaza/downtown library lawn each summer. The Russell Malone Quartet is generously sponsored by Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino.

The celebration will begin at 5:30 pm with a cocktail hour and silent auction in the lobby of Drake University's Harmon Performing Arts Center with entertainment by Roxi Copland. Beginning at 6:30 pm, guests will dine on the stage of the Harmon Performing Arts Center. While dining, guests will enjoy a performance by the Belin Quartet along with a media presentation reflecting on the past 85 years of Civic Music Association.

The Russell Malone Quartet will take the stage in Sheslow Auditorium at 8 pm. Russell Malone is an essentially self-taught swing jazz guitarist. Malone also performs in the bebop and contemporary jazz genres of jazz and frequently tours with Harry Connick, Jr., Diana Krall and Dianne Reeves in addition to leading the Russell Malone Quartet.

Following the concert, Civic Music Association will host a "Meet the Artist" Reception in Levitt Hall with entertainment by the Andrew Kem Quartet. Dessert and coffee will be provided.  This reception will be open to anyone attending The Russell Malone Quartet concert or Anniversary Gala.

Gala tickets are $85. Tickets to the Russell Malone Quartet are $35 for adults and $15 for students and can be purchased at www.iowatix.com or by calling 515-280-4020.

Concert Information:

Russell Malone Quartet
January 23, 2010 8:00 pm
 
Sheslow Auditorium, Jordan Stage
Drake University
2507 University Ave
Des Moines IA 50311
            
Concert Ticket Prices:

Adults -  $35.00 + $2.15 (ticketing fee).
Students - $15.00 + $2.15 (ticketing fee).
Student rush tickets - $9.00 available one-hour prior to the concert with a valid student id (subject to availability).
Tickets can be purchased by calling 515-280-4020 or www.iowatix.com
 
For more information about Civic Music Association, call 515-280-4020 or visit us at
www.civicmusic.org.  




New Year, New Shows on the Performing Arts Series at Stephens Auditorium

AMES, IA -- 2010 Performing Arts Series at Stephens Auditorium Unveils Music, Dance and Engaging Arts for Everyone from January to April
 
In announcing the 2010 shows of the Performing Arts Series at Stephens Auditorium, Director of Marketing Angela Ossian noted, „Our theme really says it all: Engage your mind, excite your senses and come to Ames to enjoy the arts! The power of the performing arts can open our minds and allow us to transcend our daily lives.‰ She continued, „We are especially proud to offer very reasonable prices so that the arts are truly „for everyone.‰
                                   
All shows are at Stephens Auditorium and tickets are on sale now:
 
Sun., Jan 17 at 3 p.m.          Moscow Festival Ballet in Swan Lake
Fri., Jan. 29 at 7:30 p.m.              The Flying Karamazov Brothers
Fri., Feb 5 at 8 p.m.                   Jesus Christ Superstar  (Sponsored by Grandstay Residential Suites)     
Fri., Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m.              Boston Brass (Supported by the Iowa Arts Council)      
Thur., March 11 at 7:30 p.m.            Le Grand Cirque                                                      
Tues., March 23 at 7:30 p.m.            Avenue Q                                                        
Sun., April 18 at 3 p.m.                Luna Negra Dance Theater and Turtle Island Quartet (Supported by the Iowa Arts Council)        
Thur., April 22 at 7:30 p.m.            Cabaret (Sponsored by Greater Iowa Credit Union)                                                                  


Moscow Festival Ballet in Swan Lake       
Sunday, January 17  3 p.m.   


This spectacular company was founded in 1989 by legendary principal dancer of the Bolshoi Ballet Sergei Radchenko. Written by Russian composer Peter I. Tchaikovsky, Swan Lake tells the story of Prince Siegfried and his search for love. Critics consider it one of the three cornerstones of Russian classical ballet.


The Flying Karamazov Brothers
Friday, January 29  7:30 pm


Nothing is off-limits when the unique vaudevillian Karamazovs come to town! They create intricate rhythms with clubs on the heads of drums; play the keys of giant xylophones with juggled mallets; dance a hip-hop ballet, juggle items not meant for juggling, and make you laugh like you‚ve never laughed before!


Jesus Christ Superstar starring Ted Neeley
Friday, February 5  8 p.m.                            


The first collaboration between Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jesus Christ Superstar is one of the most popular and enduring works ever created for the musical theatre. Featuring such notable songs as „Superstar,‰ „Everything's Alright‰ and „I Don't Know How to Love Him,‰ Superstar earned five Tony Award nominations.


Boston Brass
Friday, February 26  7:30 p.m.


From exciting classical arrangements to breathtaking harmony and burning jazz standards, Boston Brass creates a unique musical experience to captivate all ages. Their lively and humorous repartee bridges the vast ocean of classical formality to delight audiences with an evening of boisterous fun.


Le Grand Cirque
Thursday, March 11  7:30 p.m.


Le Grand Cirque is a mesmerizing spectacle of artistry and imagination performed by some of the world's greatest acrobatic and theatrical performers. This thrilling cirque-style show boasts spectacular costumes and breathtaking jugglers, high-wire artists and top acrobats from around the world.


Avenue Q (for mature audiences)
Tuesday, March 23,  7:30 p.m.


Meet Princeton, a bright-eyed college grad in New York City with big dreams and a tiny bank account. The only affordable neighborhood is Avenue Q; still, the neighbors seem nice. There's Brian, the out-of-work comedian; Nicky, the good-hearted slacker and his roommate Rod, a Republican investment banker with a secret; an Internet addict called Trekkie Monster; and a cute teaching assistant named Kate. Together, they struggle to find jobs, dates, and their ever-elusive purpose in life.


Luna Negra Dance Theater with Turtle Island Quartet
Sunday, April 18  3 p.m.


Luna Negra Dance Theater collaborates with the bold Grammy Award-winning Turtle Island Quartet. Luna Negra takes a quintessentially Cuban dance form and reinvents and reinvigorates it. This show introduces American audiences to a thriving Latino tradition with the highest standards of artistic expression.


Cabaret
Thursday, April 22  7:30 p.m.


From the creators of the hit musical Chicago, Cabaret features show-stopping choreography, dazzling costumes and some of the most iconic songs in musical theatre including „Mein Herr,‰ „Maybe This Time‰ and of course „Cabaret.‰ This show won 12 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Revival.



For show website information, video and music samples:
Visit our web site: www.center.iastate.edu <http://www.center.iastate.edu/>

Tickets:
Iowa State Center Ticket Office - North entrance of Stephens Auditorium at the corner of Lincoln Way and Beach Ave., Monday - Friday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
All Ticketmaster Centers (convenience surcharges apply)
Charge by Phone: 1-800-982-2787
Online: www.ticketmaster.com

The Iowa State Center is a multi-building conference and performing arts complex.  The Center's Stephens Auditorium, a 2,729-seat hall, hosts a dazzling array of international performances of music, theater and dance, as well as world-class orchestras, popular Broadway musicals, and explosive country and rock concerts. Fisher Theater seats 450 in an intimate setting, perfect for drama, dance and ISU theater productions. The Scheman Building, with 21 meeting rooms, two large lobbies and the 456-seat Benton Auditorium is a great meeting space for conferences, seminars or social events.




MAQUOKETA ART EXPERIENCE ANNOUNCES NEW DATES FOR SECOND SEASONAL LANDSCAPE PAINTING WORKSHOP

Eastern Iowa Arts organization hosts weeklong workshop with renowned artist Fred Easker,

including a visit to Grant Wood’s Studio at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art.

 Maquoketa, Iowa, January, 2010: Maquoketa Art Experience hosts the second of four seasonal landscape workshops, each featuring a noted landscape artist as the instructor.

 Dates: April 5- 9, 2010

Location: Maquoketa Art Experience Studio and Gallery, 124 S. Main Street, Maquoketa, IA 52060

Cost: $395 - Space is limited, and a $200 deposit is required to reserve a space for the workshop. 

For more information or to register: Call 563-652-9925

Workshop deposits can be mailed to PO Box 993, Maquoketa, IA 52060

This spring workshop is the second of four seasonal workshops focusing on the natural resources and beauty of Eastern Iowa.  This five-day spring landscape workshop with painter Fred Easker is open to all skill levels. Using the rolling and beautiful landscapes around Maquoketa as inspiration, participants in the workshop will explore historical precedents in American landscape painting and composition with a focus on new strategies for using photography as a creative tool for the development of paintings.  The workshop will include a visit to Grant Wood’s studio in Cedar Rapids, the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art as well as interaction with other artists who use their local landscape as the foundation of their work.  Participants should bring a digital camera. 

 Biographic Information:
Fred Easker is a Cedar Rapids native who has been painting the Iowa landscape for more than fifteen years.  His work is included in museum, corporate and private collections throughout the Midwest and has appeared in a number of periodicals and books. Like most artists he had previously worked at other things including teacher, museum educator and director of an historic house museum which was completely renovated under his guidance. He actively participates in the life of his community working on boards and organizations involved in the arts and humanities and was awarded the Friend of the Arts Award from Marion Fine Arts Council in 1993. Easker resides in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He was an Arts Midwest/NEA Regional Visual Arts Fellowship recipient in 1997.The artist holds a BA and MA in Art Education from the University of Iowa. More information about Fred Easker can be found on his website: www.easkerart.com.

 Information about Maquoketa Art Experience:

Maquoketa Art Experience is dedicated to bringing accomplished artists to Maquoketa, Iowa for short- and long-term residencies, workshops, and exhibitions. Springing up in one of the Grant Wood Scenic Byway communities, Maquoketa Art Experience exists to nurture artists and provide opportunities for developing art-related businesses in the area. Recognizing what Grant Wood saw in Iowa, Iowans and the surrounding landscapes, the artists and board of Maquoketa Art Experience are dedicated to creating easily accessible resources for Midwest artists.  Similar to the Stone City Art Colony of the last century, Maquoketa Art Experience is committed to supporting arts and artists by creating local opportunities for artists to nurture and expand their talents and skills within the inspiring landscapes of Eastern Iowa. For more information: www.maquoketa-art.org    Phone: 563-652-9925




MIDCOAST FINE ARTS GALLERY PRESENTS

 The mixed media works of STEVEN CARLESON and the paintings by PETER XIAO, exhibit title of Batman Rules

 January 30th through April 3rd

 The Mississippi Valley Welcome Center is located in LeClaire, Iowa, where the Mississippi River meets

the I80 bridge.

 MidCoast Fine Arts Gallery is orchestrated by MidCoast Fine Arts and sponsored in part by Genesis Health Systems.

 

MIDCOAST AT THE i WIRELESS CENTER PRESENTS

 The mixed media works of TRICIA COULSON and the fiber works of ELLONYIA YENNEY

 February 1st through March 28th.

 MidCoast at the i Wireless Center is orchestrated by MidCoast Fine Arts in cooperation with the host facility, The i Wireless Center is located in John Deere Commons, Moline, Illinois. 

 The presentation is located near the glass rotunda entrance.

 MIDCOAST AT CENTRE STATION PRESENTS

 The acrylic paintings of KATHLEEN VAN HYFTE and the acrylic paintings of HEATHER MUELLER.

 February 1st through March 28th.

 MidCoast at Centre Station is orchestrated by MidCoast Fine Arts and sponsored in part by Deere & Company.

 The gallery presentation is located in MetroLink’s Centre Station under the clock tower in John Deere Commons.

 MidCoast Fine Arts stimulates our community’s cultural and economic vitality through the

support of regional visual arts and artists. MidCoast serves our community with quality programming and events year-round and NEWS RELEASE is just one of them. Visit us online at www.midcoast.org to find out more.





Poetry

More or Less

Two legs are fine,
But what if I had more or less?
With one leg,
Could I still dance the two-step?

With three legs,
Would I have two right feet and one left?
Or two lefts and a right?
Or a neutral middle foot?

With one arm,
I’d prefer a center mount.
So I could rest on either side
Without my arm falling asleep.

With three arms,
One in the back would be grand
To tend to other business
Unbeknownst to others.

With two tongues,
I’d have one silver and one forked
To vary my speech
Given my mood that day.

One chin is desired,
But most folks have two.
Three or four would preclude you
From the cover of GQ or Cosmopolitan.

And two heads?
Then people would think I’m crazy
For talking to myself.
But then again with one,
They may believe I already am.


By Mike Corum



FireFlies
Slowly Rising out of the Fields
Sparks  Scatter  across  the  Horizon
Frogs Sing Stars

By Kathy Kapitan



Nature of Death

Death looms in the shadows of the night.
Or does death glisten in the beams of the sun?
Restricted, death is not.
Indeed is its possession of a nature that seems vindictive
If one were to unlock the secrets of death, would its true nature be revealed?
Perhaps it is true that pain is death.
No, death can be painless.
Death does not attain its mystique from turmoil, but from life instead.
Death may be gleaming in the rays and lurking in the shadows.
Death then, is ever-present.
Rob life from the living death does not.
A ubiquitous force in life is death.
Hand and hand is the relationship of life and death.
For if not for death, life would not retain significance.
And be not the existence of death if not for life.

By CR. Meyer



The Hidden Truth

I thought I was free from the darkness that captured me,
But what I found was I held all the tears down.
I attempt to comprehend the motivation of my foolishness.
Why would I allow myself to endure torture,
And not attempt alleviation?

Stories roll from their tongues,
Words meant to cause pain.
I deliberate over the facts and artificial exploits of these senseless machines
And let none know the reality of the situation.
I keep the truth tucked within the corners of my mind
An experience played over and over that shames

But still, the rats nibble at my feet eagerly waiting for the word.
Choking on their anticipation
They crave to spread the poisonous tongue.
Truth has no relevance, even when the situation has gone so terribly wrong.

The puppet master hears my torment
And the gun is shot by him once more.
His round of bullets is not yet through.
By him the pain was first initiated and now continued.

I watch him.
He whispers in their ears and glares into my face
A searing pain that burns to my soul
They play a game of telephone, mocking the childhood memory of playground fancy
Irony laughing in the face of the grown.

By Ivory Becker



All a Matter of Perspective
(Or, Maybe the Hamster’s Just Right)

What is success?
What is failure?
It’s all a matter of perspective.

If you succeed as a hamster,
Perhaps that means
You’ve made a few more
Rounds on the wheel than the day before.

In you succeed as a human being,
Perhaps that meansYou’ve made a few less
Rounds on the wheel than the day before.

It’s all a matter of perspective.
Or, maybe the hamster’s just right.

By Mike Corum



Ledge State Park

A drive through the park
dipped through streamlets
in sight of cliff climbers,
roadside delights
when I took the time to stop.
Summer rested before college’s first year,
on my wide-eyed journey
to learn what the countryside offered.

By
Mike Bayles






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Make plans now to attend the 8th Annual Arts and Crafts Show
on February 26-28 at the Varied Industries Building on the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa. This is Iowa's largest show, with over 300 talented exhibitors from 8 states presenting and selling the Midwest's finest handcrafts.

The show is a production of Callahan Promotions, Inc. and offers patrons the chance to enjoy original, affordable arts and crafts.

There will be something for every style, taste, and budget with products such as leather goods, oak furniture, paintings, jewelry, candles, clothing, floral wreaths, yard art, and many more original products. All products sold are handmade by the actual exhibitor present at the show. Exhibitors will also be selling food items
such as homemade salsa, barbecue sauce, dips, jams, dried food and soup mixes, gourmet bread mixes, honey, and wine.

Admission to the show is only $6, and anyone 10 and under is free.

All patrons will receive a 3-day re-entry hand stamp good for the entire 3 days of the show. Show hours are Friday night from 5 PM
to 9 PM, Saturday from 9 AM to 5 PM, and Sunday from 10 AM to 4 PM. Parking for the show is free.

Also, as a public service, the Polk County Health Department will be offering free H1N1 vaccinations for anyone at the show with no
waiting and no appointments necessary.

For additional show information, call 563-652-4529.




NATIONAL NEWS:

Oxford Professor Of Poetry Race Begins Anew

After last year's ugly contest between Ruth Padel and Derek Walcott, Oxford University "opened nominations today to find a new candidate for the 300-year-old position, seen as the most prestigious in poetry behind that of the poet laureate." The Guardian (UK) 02/18/10

Fresno Museum's Property Auction Draws Hundreds

"More than 600 lots containing items such as office furniture, science exhibits and lighting fixtures" -- and some art, too -- "were sold in a sometimes dramatic auction held beneath a large tent on the former museum's grounds. The museum's art collection will be sold later." Unless, of course, a legal challenge to the sale prevails. Fresno Bee 02/17/10

10 Branches, 25% Of BPL Staff May Be On Chopping Block

"Amy E. Ryan, the [Boston Public Library's] president, said yesterday that because of steep budget cuts the only alternative to closings would be slashing hours at 18 library branches, with the smallest facilities open only one to three days a week." The BPL has 26 neighborhood branches. Boston Globe 02/18/10

The Curious Dullness Of Season Announcements

"[I]t's relatively rare that a[n] orchestra's season announcement generates genuine excitement. They're received, often, with the mien of a greedy child: what are you giving us, and how good is it, and are you playing my favorite piece?" Washington Post 02/18/10

Is Performance Capture Acting Or Animation?

"[U]nlike the great majority of best picture nominees, the 'Avatar' actors have not nabbed a single major critic's award, or guild prize. The snubs reflect the apparent ambivalence of the film community -- especially actors -- to 'Avatar' and its revolutionary use of 'performance capture'...." Los Angeles Times 02/18/10

Seattle's ACT Tries A New Model: 'Like A Gym Membership'

"In addition to its traditional season subscriptions and individual ticket sales, ACT launched a membership program. For $25 a month, members can see anything at ACT, as often as they like." KUOW (Seattle) 02/10/10

The Enduring Greatness Of Django Reinhardt

"The legacy of Django Reinhardt enjoys a currency that those of comparable jazz icons do not. In recent months, the centennials of both Lester Young and Art Tatum came and went almost unnoticed, but Reinhardt," whose centennial was last month, "is omnipresent--more so than during his lifetime." Wall Street Journal 02/18/10

Eight Years In The Making, A Wrinkle In Time For The Stage

South Coast Rep "associate artistic director John Glore became intrigued with the story of a pair of children who travel through time to save their father, after his then-9-year-old daughter made a shoe box diorama of a scene in which Meg finds her father imprisoned in a cell by the dreaded 'it.'" Los Angeles Times 02/18/10

Is Racial Diversity In Broadcast TV Having A Breakthrough?

"Halfway through the castings of broadcast drama pilots this season, the top-billed actors on four pilots are non-Caucasian. What's more, the four projects are among the highest-profile drama pilots this year." Hollywood Reporter 02/16/10

Appreciation: Poet Lucille Clifton

National Book Award-winning poet Lucille Clifton died Saturday at 73. "Clifton had six children and made poems not in 'a room of one's own' but, rather, at the proverbial kitchen table, with family life proceeding around her. 'Why do you think my poems are so short?' she would often say, with a laugh...." The New Yorker 02/17/10

Huck Finn, Victim Of His Own Sales Power?

Ever since he bought a trio of Huck Finn Cabbage Patch dolls in the 1980s, a UCLA English professor has been amassing a collection of "knickknacks, toys and Huck-themed gadgets" -- not because he likes them but in order "to show students how commercialism sold one of American literature's most enduring characters down the river." Los Angeles Times 02/18/10

MoMA's Exhibition Design Guy, Making Vision Reality

Jerome Neuner's "job -- one that often goes unsung in the museum world and ... unnoticed by the public -- is to serve as a kind of mediator between the visionary (the grand dreams of curators and artists about how a show could look) and the practical (how the show will fit within walls, some of them load bearing)." The New York Times 02/18/10

Apple E-Books Might Not Be So Costly

"[A]ccording to at least three people with knowledge of the discussions, ... Apple inserted provisions requiring publishers to discount e-book prices on best sellers -- so that $12.99-to-$14.99 range was merely a ceiling; prices for some titles could be lower, even as low as Amazon's $9.99." The New York Times 02/18/10

Look Left To Pause The Music, Roll Eyes To Up The Volume

New headphones that respond to eye movements "look much like regular earbuds, connected by a cable to a phone. They sense the movements of the eyeballs by measuring tiny changes in electric charge." Associated Press 02/17/10


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