David Bowie’s Rebel Rebel
Rockin’1000 gathered 1,000 singers, guitarists, percussionists and even bagpipe players in Cesana, Italy to pay tribute to David Bowie by performing the late musician’s song simultaneously.
Archive for January, 2017
Sound of Silence
January 7, 2017Simon & Garfunkel
After all these years still an amazing sound. Simon & Garfunkel, live performing Sounds of Silence.
UMVA Journal
January 5, 2017Winter 2017 Journal of Union of Maine Visual Artists
This is an amazing publication that features the work and stories of many Maine visual artists. This is a great resource for you teachers as well as your students.
Lindsay Pinchbeck and I wrote a piece about our travels to Malawi in July that is included in the Winter 2017 issue, Lines of Thought. To access the free journal please CLICK HERE.
If you haven’t subscribed (it’s free), do it now. Please let them know what you think. They welcome feedback and suggestions of every stripe, including your ideas and submissions for future issues. If you know any artists who would be perfect for the upcoming theme, Light in the Dark: Art As a Sane Voice in an Insane World (description can be found in the Journal), please let them know. There is info on the last page about how to order hard copies.
And if you are not already a member of the Union of Maine Visual Artists, we would welcome you joining. http://umvaonline.org. Current and archived journals can be found here: http://umvaonline.org/index.php?page=journal
Become a Docent
January 4, 2017Colby College Museum of Art
- Do you enjoy talking and listening to children?
- Do you long to be part of a team of lifelong learners?
- Are you interested in becoming more knowledgeable about art as well as how people learn?
- Are you available to volunteer some time on weekdays between 10am and 1pm?
If you answered “yes,” to these questions, we want YOU to join the team of docents at the Colby College Museum of Art!
The Colby College Museum of Art welcomes thousands of visitors each year, including schoolchildren from all across Maine. Volunteer docents provide invaluable support in engaging these visitors and bringing the Museum’s significant collections of American art, folk art, and contemporary art to life for them.
No previous knowledge or experience is needed to become a docent, only a love of learning and sharing your time with children and adults. Docents enjoy benefits including access to Colby College classes and libraries, social gatherings and field trips with fellow docents and museum staff, and the opportunity to inspire a lifelong love of art in thousands of young students who visit the Museum each year. As a docent, you will be surrounded by art, improve your public speaking skills, and be an essential part of a team that is deeply committed to art and to the Central Maine community.
An intensive one-week training course with instruction in art history, teaching, and storytelling techniques is scheduled for Monday, January 16 through Friday, January 20, 2017, from 10am to 4pm each day. To sign up for training or for more information, please contact the Colby Museum’s Linde Family Foundation Coordinator of School and Teacher Programs Margaret Aiken, at 207.859.5623 or mmaiken@colby.edu.
Nestor Elected to Americans for the Arts’ Advisory Council
January 3, 2017Press release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 3, 2017
CONTACT: Linda Nelson, Assistant Director
207-287-7050
linda.l.nelson@maine.gov
Argy Nestor Elected to Americans for the Arts’ Advisory Council
Nestor additionally named the Maine Arts Commission’s Employee of the Year
AUGUSTA, ME, December 22, 2016—Members of Americans for the Arts, the leading organization for advancing the arts and arts education in America, have elected Argy Nestor, the Director of Arts Education for the Maine Arts Commission, as a member of their advisory council for Arts Education. In the Arts Education Council, Nestor will work with fellow arts leaders to advise Americans for the Arts’ staff on trends in the field to create programs and services that will build a deeper connection to the field and the Arts Education Network. Council members are involved in visibility campaigns like National Arts in Education Week, the development of tools and resources, and peer-to-peer learning.
“We are thrilled to have Argy elected to this council, to bring Maine’s voice to the national table,” said Julie Richard, Executive Director of the Maine Arts Commission. “Arts Education is a high priority for our Commission, and Argy brings great expertise to this post as she is tireless in her efforts to learn about, design, and advance these programs and services.”
Nestor was also named the Commission’s Employee of the Year during a state ceremony at the Blaine House December 7.
Prior to joining the Arts Commission, Argy Nestor worked for seven years at the Maine Department of Education as the visual and performing arts specialist, serving approximately 1,200 Maine dance, music, theatre, and visual arts teachers. Before moving to the state level, Argy taught middle school visual art education for 30 years. She has been recognized for her accomplishments as an educator multiple times, including being named the 1995 Maine Teacher of the Year. Argy believes her success has come through communication and has established a listserv of over 1,200 educators and an arts education blog at meartsed.wordpress.com.
“Americans for the Arts strives to cultivate the next generation of arts leaders in America, and I am pleased to welcome Argy Nestor to our advisory council,” said Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. “These leaders are willing to dedicate their time and expertise to work with peers across the country to shape national programs and messages and help craft services for states, communities, and local organizations. I applaud Ms. Nestor for her valued contribution and commitment that will undoubtedly improve the state of arts in America.”
Potential council members were nominated in mid-September and were voted on by members of Americans for the Arts through November 14, 2016. Nestor will serve a three-year term, from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2019.
The Maine Arts Commission is Maine’s state agency for the arts, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. The Commission supports artists, arts organizations, arts educators, policy makers and community developers in advancing Maine’s economic, educational, and cultural development in and through the arts. The Commission encourages and stimulates public interest and participation in the cultural heritage and programs of Maine; works to expand the state’s cultural resources; and encourages and assists freedom of artistic expression for the well-being of the arts, to meet the needs and aspirations of persons in all parts of the state. Additional information is available at mainearts.com.
Americans for the Arts is the leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education in America. With offices in Washington, D.C. and New York City, it has a record of more than 50 years of service. Americans for the Arts is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. Additional information is available at www.AmericansForTheArts.org.
Maine Writers
January 2, 2017Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award
Application Deadline is January 9, 2017
Prize Includes All-Expenses-Paid Trip to New York City, Meetings With Literary Professionals
New York, NY — Poets & Writers invites writers from the state of Maine to apply for the 2017 Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award.
Each year, Poets & Writers considers applications for the award from writers in a selected state. This year, that state is Maine. The judges are Tania James for fiction and Cynthia Cruz for poetry.
The prestigious award, which aims to provide promising writers a network for professional advancement, has helped to launch the careers of Sue Monk Kidd (The Secret Life of Bees), Elaine Beale (Another Life Altogether), Sandra Beasley (Don’t Kill the Birthday Girl), David Mura (Turning Japanese: Memoirs of a Sansei), Fae Myenne Ng (Bone), Mona Simpson (My Hollywood), and others.
One winner in each category will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City to meet with top literary professionals, including editors, agents, publishers, and prominent writers. While in New York, winners will also give a reading hosted by Poets & Writers. In addition, each winner is invited to spend a month at the Jentel Artist Residency Program in Banner, Wyoming. To be eligible, writers must be residents of Maine (currently and for at least the past two years), and must have published no more than one full-length book in the genre in which they are applying.
Download the guidelines and application form by CLICKING HERE. Postmark entries by January 9, 2017.
About the Judges
Tania James is the author of three works of fiction, most recently the novel The Tusk That Did the Damage (Knopf). It was named a New York Times Editor’s Choice, a Best Book of 2015 by the San Francisco Chronicle and NPR, and was a finalist for the International Dylan Thomas Prize. She is an associate professor at George Mason University’s Creative Writing Program, and lives in Washington DC.
Cynthia Cruz is the author of four collections of poetry, including three with Four Way Books: The Glimmering Room (2012), Wunderkammer (2014), and How the End Begins (2016). Cruz has received fellowships from Yaddo and the MacDowell Colony as well as a Hodder Fellowship from Princeton University. She has an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College in writing and an MFA in Art Criticism & Writing from the School of Visual Arts. Cruz is currently pursuing a PhD in German Studies at Rutgers University. She teaches at Sarah Lawrence College.
About Poets & Writers
Founded in 1970, Poets & Writers’ work is rooted in the belief that literature is vital to sustaining a vibrant culture. We focus on nurturing literature’s source: creative writers. Our mission is to foster the professional development of poets and writers, to promote communication throughout the literary community, and to help create an environment in which literature can be appreciated by the widest possible public. Learn more at pw.org.
In Today’s News
January 1, 2017MAC Teaching Artist roster, new additions
The Village Soup highlighted two of the Maine Arts Commission’s latest additions to the Teaching Artist roster, Bridget Matros and Jeffrey Weinberger. Read the article by CLICKING HERE.
The MAC Teaching Artist roster is provided at no cost for those seeking a teaching artist to provide learning opportunities for students across the state in schools and community settings. The roster is located at https://mainearts.maine.gov/Pages/Education/Teaching-Artist-Roster. Description of the Teaching Artist program is located at https://mainearts.maine.gov/Pages/Education/Teaching-Artists. The call for new artists to apply to be on the roster occurs twice a year. Please contact me if you have any questions at argy.nestor@maine.gov.
Have No Regrets
January 1, 2017Make and live your dreams
As another year comes to an end I am taking a moment to reflect on how wonderful life is – sometimes challenging but mostly each day is an opportunity to live each day to the fullest. A life of full living. This youtube video created by Prince EA reminds me of how precious each day is and that I hope to have no regrets!
Everybody Dies, But Not Everybody Lives – Prince EA
me arts ed 