New exhibition touts “hot” Arizona

Posted by Stephen G. Barr, Group Publisher on

For Immediate Release
Mary E. Fowler 

New exhibition touts “hot” Arizona

CONTACT: Michelle Dock
TELEPHONE: 480-350-2867
E-MAIL: michelle_dock@tempe.gov

TEMPE, Ariz. – “Some Like it Hot,” an exhibition exploring the desert lifestyle, paying special attention to a precious resource in the desert…water…will be on display from April 20-Aug. 15 in the Youth Library Gallery, 3500 S. Rural Road.

Phoenix artists John Armstrong, Wendy Willis and Kathryn Maxwell highlight the people who live, work and play in Arizona and address the questions: Where did they come from? Why do they live here?

About the Artists
Armstrong was born and raised in Laurel, Mont. He has been a museum director/curator, teacher and a collaborator with artists in his printmaking studio. He emulates the teaching ideals of Ben Steele while working independently in sculpture, painting, and printmaking. Armstrong is co-founder of Armstrong-Prior, Inc., a multi-faceted arts business encompassing fine arts printing, publishing and arts brokering. He also has worked placed in private, corporate and international collections. Armstrong now devotes his time to creating his own work in sculpture, painting and collaboration with artists in his printmaking studio.

Willis earned a Bachelor of Science degree in design from the University of Cincinnati and continued her artistic education through painting and printmaking workshops throughout the Southwest. Her art has been included in a wide selection of solo, group and juried exhibitions, art publications and public art commissions. Willis is also a participating member of the Arizona Print Group and the 515Arts Gallery in Phoenix.

Maxwell is originally a Midwesterner and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin. Maxwell’s prints and mixed media works have been exhibited in more than 20 solo exhibitions and more than 30 group exhibitions in places such as Scotland, India, Belgium and the United States. Since 1988, Maxwell has been a professor of printmaking at Arizona State University and, more recently, acquired the Associate Director for Academic Affairs position.

LIBRARY HOURS
10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday
10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday-Thursday
10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Saturday
Noon to 5 p.m., Sunday
(Closed on city-observed holidays)

INFORMATION
www.tempe.gov/arts/Exhibitions/library.htm
Telephone: 480-350-2867

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To find out more about the programs, services and amenities that makes our city great please visit:
http://www.tempe.gov/newsroom/. 

New exhibition touts “hot” Arizona

Posted by Stephen G. Barr, Group Publisher on

For Immediate Release
Mary E. Fowler 

New exhibition touts “hot” Arizona

CONTACT: Michelle Dock
TELEPHONE: 480-350-2867
E-MAIL: michelle_dock@tempe.gov

TEMPE, Ariz. – “Some Like it Hot,” an exhibition exploring the desert lifestyle, paying special attention to a precious resource in the desert…water…will be on display from April 20-Aug. 15 in the Youth Library Gallery, 3500 S. Rural Road.

Phoenix artists John Armstrong, Wendy Willis and Kathryn Maxwell highlight the people who live, work and play in Arizona and address the questions: Where did they come from? Why do they live here?

About the Artists
Armstrong was born and raised in Laurel, Mont. He has been a museum director/curator, teacher and a collaborator with artists in his printmaking studio. He emulates the teaching ideals of Ben Steele while working independently in sculpture, painting, and printmaking. Armstrong is co-founder of Armstrong-Prior, Inc., a multi-faceted arts business encompassing fine arts printing, publishing and arts brokering. He also has worked placed in private, corporate and international collections. Armstrong now devotes his time to creating his own work in sculpture, painting and collaboration with artists in his printmaking studio.

Willis earned a Bachelor of Science degree in design from the University of Cincinnati and continued her artistic education through painting and printmaking workshops throughout the Southwest. Her art has been included in a wide selection of solo, group and juried exhibitions, art publications and public art commissions. Willis is also a participating member of the Arizona Print Group and the 515Arts Gallery in Phoenix.

Maxwell is originally a Midwesterner and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin. Maxwell’s prints and mixed media works have been exhibited in more than 20 solo exhibitions and more than 30 group exhibitions in places such as Scotland, India, Belgium and the United States. Since 1988, Maxwell has been a professor of printmaking at Arizona State University and, more recently, acquired the Associate Director for Academic Affairs position.

LIBRARY HOURS
10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday
10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday-Thursday
10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Saturday
Noon to 5 p.m., Sunday
(Closed on city-observed holidays)

INFORMATION
www.tempe.gov/arts/Exhibitions/library.htm
Telephone: 480-350-2867

– 30 –
 

Image

To find out more about the programs, services and amenities that makes our city great please visit:
http://www.tempe.gov/newsroom/. 

Can the arts save struggling cities?

Posted by Stephen G. Barr, Group Publisher on

Something is stirring in Detroit. Here, in a city that in the past decade alone lost a quarter of its already dwindling population, plans are in the works to revive the manufacturing economy — at least on a small scale. The Detroit FAB Lab taps into the vibe of “maker” labs and hackerspaces around the globe. Its creators envision an incubator for artists, artisans, and entrepreneurs. Members will have access to equipment for woodworking, metalworking, digital fabrication, and media, as well as business coaching and networking.

“Detroit has always been a place where things have been made,” says Alex Feldman, one of the project’s creators, who works on economic development strategies with the company U3 Ventures. “That tradition is still alive here. But it’s starting to shift in a small way to a more [artistic] culture of manufacturing and creation.”

The FAB Lab, a part of Wayne State University’s TechTown initiative, recently won a planning grant from ArtPlace America, a collaboration of charitable foundations, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and federal agencies. The funding is designed not just to feed starving artists or prop up grand old arts institutions. Under the banner of “creative placemaking,” these grants aim to inject new life into local economies.
“Our idea is that we will invest in art and culture as part of a portfolio of strategies meant to transform communities,” says ArtPlace president Carol Coletta.

In September, ArtPlace announced $11.5 million in grants for the Detroit FAB Lab and 33 other projects designed to “integrate artists and arts organizations into key local efforts in transportation, housing, community development, job creation and more.” Two months prior, the NEA doled out $6.5 million in the first round of Our Town grants, funding 51 public-private partnerships that are also trying to both buoy up the arts and reshape communities.

But if the goal is to strengthen local economies, are these people wise to throw their money at artists? Wouldn’t foundations and government agencies be better off putting their money toward industries that create real jobs?

Luis Ubiñas, president of the Ford Foundation, which is a partner in ArtPlace, summed up the philosophy of creative placemaking on the NEA’s Art Works blog:

New Urban Artists

Posted by Stephen G. Barr, Group Publisher on

Our mission is to build a vital community that empowers young people to develop a creative practice they can sustain throughout their lives. We provide studio, exhibition space, and mentoring for young artists who explore the visual, performing, and literary arts through yearlong free out-of-school programs. Founded in 1997, New Urban Arts serves 150 high school students in the Providence Public High Schools and 20 artists each year. In 2009, First Lady Michelle Obama presented New Urban Arts with a Coming Up Taller award, the nation’s highest honor for the field of out-of-school time arts and humanities programs, particularly those that reach underserved children and youth.

STUDENTS

Meet new friends! Meet artist mentors! Participate in arts workshops afterschool for free! Learn ways of creating art that you will take with you for the rest of your life!

We also offer

Homework assistance and support through our Studio Study Buddy Program.
Leadership training through the Studio Team Advisory Board.
All seniors who have participated at New Urban Arts for at least one year are also eligible for free college preparatory support.
Providence public high school students are eligible to participate in New Urban Arts’ after-school arts programs. Registration is open year-round. To sign up, please download this form, print and fill it out and mail to:

New Urban Arts
705 Westminster Street
Providence, RI 02903

Visit New Urban Arts after-school to ask for help in filling out this registration form. In addition to turning in a completed enrollment packet to our studio, please also attend a mandatory orientation session to learn more about our youth-led community and sign up to work with the artist mentor of your choice! Check our online calendar, call our studio, or drop by to find out when the next orientation will be.

New Urban Arts’ studio will be open Monday through Friday from 3:00PM-7:00PM between November 7, 2011 to May 18, 2012.
Questions? call 751.4556, or email info@newurbanarts.org.

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