Deadline March 25 for Western Arts Alliance Juried Showcase Program at Seattle conference

Western Arts Alliance (WAA) is now accepting applications from performing artists, companies, or their agents for its 2011 Juried Showcase Program.  The showcase, part of the 2011 WAA Annual Conference in Seattle, will take place on August 31 at the Broadway Performance Hall.  The Juried Showcase gives presenters and delegates the opportunity to see a diverse range of performance of outstanding quality in a short program.  Juried Showcasing artists are selected in a competitive process by a committee of WAA members, and their performances take place as part of the core conference program.

The application fee is $65; you need not be a member of WAA at the time of application, but all showcasing artists must be members (or represented by a member) exhibiting at the conference.

All materials must be received in the WAA Office by Friday, March 25, 2011.

Western Arts Alliance is a membership association of touring and performing arts professionals engaged in promoting and presenting performing arts throughout the western states and provinces. The WAA Annual Conference will convene presenters, artists, and agents August 29-September 2, 2011, around the shared goal of programming live performances.  Opportunities for meetings, exhibits, performances, networking, speakers, classes and workshops will be featured throughout the conference week.  Artists, Managers and Agents will be able to share their or their artists' work with more than 200 presenting organizations based in the West, making the WAA Conference one of the best resources for connecting with presenters and colleagues.

Learn more at www.westarts.org

Contact: Chelsea Maricle, Membership Services & Communications Manager, 503-274-4729, cmaricle@westarts.org

Call for applications: WAA Juried Showcase Program

Western Arts Alliance (WAA) is now accepting applications from performing artists, companies, or their agents for its 2011 Juried Showcase Program. The showcase, part of 2011 WAA Annual Conference in Seattle, will take place on August 31 at the Broadway Performance Hall. The Juried Showcase gives presenters and delegates the opportunity to see a diverse range of performance of outstanding quality in a short program. Juried Showcasing artists are selected in a competitive process by a committee of WAA members, and their performances take place as part of the core conference program.

The application fee is $65; you need not be a member of WAA at the time of application, but all showcasing artists must be members (or represented by a member) exhibiting at the conference. The application form and full details may be found here. All materials must be received in the WAA Office by Friday, March 25, 2011.

Western Arts Alliance is a membership association of touring and performing arts professionals engaged in promoting and presenting performing arts throughout the western states and provinces. The WAA Annual Conference will convene presenters, artists, and agents August 29-September 2, 2011, around the shared goal of programming live performances. Opportunities for meetings, exhibits, performances, networking, speakers, classes and workshops will be featured throughout the conference week. Artists, Managers and Agents will be able to share their or their artists' work with more than 200 presenting organizations based in the West, making the WAA Conference one of the best resources for connecting with presenters and colleagues.

Learn more at www.westarts.org

Indian Country Today: Eyeglass frames feature Native art

Liz Bent of the Penticton Indian Band of British Columbia is seen recently at the Wellpinit powwow wearing the "Coyote Moon" eyeglass frame design by Smoker Marchand. Photo by Jackie McNeel. 

From a story in the Oct. 13 edition of Indian Country Today by Jack McNeel:

SPOKANE, Wash. – Wearable art is nothing new. We wear all forms of jewelry and clothing inspired by Native artists, but something new is available and designed particularly with Native Americans in mind. Eyeglass frames with designs created by Smoker Marchand, a member of the Colville Confederated Tribes, Arrow Lakes Band, are the latest in wearable art.

The company producing these frames is Encore Vision, Inc. located in Spokane, Wash. It’s not a Native-owned company but General Manager Teri Harris said their focus will be the Native American niche and she plans to expand their offerings to include designs from Indian artists throughout the country, thus providing a wide variety of styles and designs. Marchand is the first artist to be signed and was told at the time that others would follow.

"They told me from the get-go that they’re looking for different Indian artists from different areas. They’d like to incorporate that and I said that’s no problem.”

Read the rest of the story here.

Call for applications: 911 Media Arts Center

From the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) e-mail newsletter:

The 911 Media Arts Center in Seattle, Wash., hosts 12-week residencies for new media artists. Residents have access to the Center’s computing facilities and extensive audio/video production, editing, and presentation equipment, and receive the resources required to present their work to the public. Application deadline is Sept. 21. For more information, go to http://www.911media.org/

Discover "East of Yellowstone" with geologist and author Bob Carson

Geologist and professor Robert J. Carson has just written a new guidebook for northwest Wyoming titled East of Yellowstone. Recently published, the book covers geology of the Clarks Fork Valley, the nearby Beartooth Mountains and Absaroka Mountains, and the Bighorn Basin of Wyoming and Montana-all areas outside the eastern border of Yellowstone National Park.

On May 26, 11 a.m., Carson shares his work in a slide show and talk at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center's Coe Auditorium. The presentation is free to the public, and afterward, Carson autographs copies of his book at the Center's Museum Store where his book is for sale.

Covering some 166 miles in the region, Carson's book has five separate road logs to guide area visitors through the Beartooth Mountains and along the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway and adjoining roads to vistas of rugged mountains and scenic valleys. Of particular interest are the enigmatic Heart Mountain detachment, the Absaroka volcanic activity, and area Pleistocene glaciation. The book has seven geologic maps and ten topographic maps with trails outlined as well as an extraordinary collection of photographs.

Carson is the Grace Farnsworth Phillips Professor of Geology and Environmental Studies at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. He earned a BA in geology from Cornell University at Ithaca, New York; an MS from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, and a doctorate from the University of Washington.

His interests lie in the earth and environmental sciences, and he teaches courses that deal with resources and pollution, human interaction with the biosphere, glaciers, volcanoes, water, landforms, and natural hazards. A whitewater guide and a member of the American Alpine Club, he has led field trips in Africa, Eurasia, South America, and throughout North America. His other books include Where the Great River Bends and Hiking Guide to Washington Geology.

The Historical Center's Draper Museum of Natural History Curator Dr. Charles R. Preston calls the Carson book, "A robust and highly engaging portrait of the geological history and features of one of the most fascinating natural theaters in the world. This book will absolutely enhance your understanding and appreciation of the Greater Yellowstone region."

For additional information, contact Jennifer McDonald at jenniferm@bbhc.org or 307-578-4121

For general information, visit http://www.bbhc.org/ or call 307-587-4771.

Correction to application dates for Arts Northwest showcases

Correction on dates:

The deadline for applying for an Arts Northwest showcase this year is March 22, not the 8th as I originally posted. Please make a note of it!

The 2010 Northwest Booking Conference will be held Oct. 14--17 in Bellevue (Seattle), Washington. Visit the Arts Northwest website at http://www.artsnw.org or www.artsnw.org for more information and to apply. You (or your agent) must be a current member to apply for a showcase. To join, or to renew your membership, go to our web site.

The applications for the Northwest on Tour book will be posted online in mid-March. If you have any questions, please contact me.

Jean Gilliam, Arts Northwest, 360.457.9290, mailto:artsnwadmin@olympus.net>

Jenna Martinez performs at Wyoming Latina Youth Conference in Cheyenne

Jenna Martinez will perform during the Latin Jam at the Wyoming Latina Youth Conference Oct. 16-18 at Laramie County Community College. For registration forms and more info on the annual Cheyenne conference, go to http://www.lccc.wy.edu/Index.aspx?page=594