News and Events
February 22, 2016
In This Issue
In Missoula...
Elsewhere in Montana and the Region...
Nationally...
Internationally...
SPARK!
Any Given Child Missoula
First Friday Gallery Walk
Missoula Events
Visit our New Website
MCC Arts & Cultural Directory
Art & Economy
Join Our List
MCC Members
MCC's
Facebook page
MCC 2016 Calendar
Missoula's Sister Cities
The Missoula
Cultural Council

 In Missoula...

        

The 13th annual Big Sky Documentary Film Festival continues this week, through February 28 at the Wilma, Top Hat, Roxy and Crystal Theaters. Visit here for more.





The Montana Book Festival is now receiving submissions for this year's festival in Missoula, September 21-25.  Visit here to apply. 








The Missoula Art Museum p resents Terrain: Plateau Native Art & Poetry through February 27, 2016;  John Buck: Free for All through  March 12;  Good Wood: Carved And Cut From MAM's Permanent Collection through March 12. Gennie DeWeese: The Process of Painting through May 21; Modernist Ceramics From MAM's Permanent Collection, featuring work of Frances Senksa, Val Knight, and Maxine Blackmer through May 21; Gesine Janzen: Floodplains through June 25 (pictured here).






The Montana Museum of Art & Culture presents George Gogas: Odyssey, March 3 - April 23 in the Meloy Gallery; and Presence: Rudy Autio and Henry Meloy, March 3 - April 23 in the Paxson Gallery. Pictured here is "Adrift" by Rudy Autio.




Living Art of Montana presents the "Cancer, Courage & Creativity" workshop, beginning Wednesday, February 24. The workshop is for anyone who has or has had cancer. It runs for 8 consecutive Wednesdays, through April 13 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Living Art studio. Call 549-5329.




The University of Montana President's Lecture Series
presents Vandana Shiva, Founder and Director, Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology and Founder and Managing Trustee, Navdanya Trust in New Delhi, India, with a Seminar - "Living Seed, Living Soil, and Earth Democracy", Wednesday, February 24 from 3:10-4:30 p.m. in the Gallagher Business Building, Room 123; and a Lecture -
"We Are All Seeds: Food Security and Environmental Sustainability", Wednesday, February 24 at 8:00 p.m. in the UM Dennison Theatre.  Both events are free.




It's Oscar Season at The Roxy!  There's a full lineup of Oscar® contenders, as well as special one-off screenings, festivals and events at the Roxy this month. Visit here for more.


 
The Gallery of Visual Arts at the University of Montana presents What Lay Before - What Lay After, sculpture and paintings of Francis Paul Pearson, now through March 3. 
 



The University Center Gallery presents "The Inevitable Comparison" now through February 25. Artist Alissa Wynne's work features stretched garments that comment on rebellion and upbringing. Call 243-5555.



The Mansfield Center at the University of Montana has announced its Spring 2016 Brown Bag Lecture Series for the community. The lectures reflect the center's mission to promote an understanding of Asia, public affairs and ethics. Topics of this semester's lectures include wildlife conservation in Southeast Asia, renewable energy and human health, and the connections between language and culture.  All sessions will be held from 12:10 to 1:00 p.m. The lectures are free and open to the public. On Wednesday, February 24, UC Room 330: "How Language and Culture Shape Each Other," Reza Samar, associate professor, UM Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center.

 


The Clay Studio of Missoula presents the International Cup 2016 through February.  Visit here for more information.



Shakespeare and Co. hosts several events this week with the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival.  Visit here for more.

 

Fact and Fiction presents A Night for Science Fiction with Sharman Apt Russell, February 23 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at F&F Downtown.




Climate Smart Missoula has put out a Call for Submissions:  'Adaptation and Resilience' Open Air Art Show.  Everyone can create art, especially when you get your friends and family together. Help spark a community conversation on climate resiliency.  Teams of 3 or more will work together to create art on 7' freestanding panels made out of repurposed, hollow-core doors donated by Home ReSource. The project and show are intended to inspire a community conversation on what climate resilience and adaptation means to Missoula.  This is a project of Climate Smart Missoula and is free and open to the public. Supplies are provided, and we encourage anyone to apply. Let us know if you are interested by February 29th. Visit the website for more information or to sign up.  All art pieces will be displayed outside the University Center at UM's Campus in late April as well as separate showings on campus and the community.




 
Registration now open for January-March 2016 Art Workshops with local artist Nancy Seiler. New this winter is Nature Journaling Series. Learn to draw and paint different natural history topics and be ready to go outside this spring with your nature journal to record what you see with more confidence.  All workshops are located at 330 Brooks St. in Missoula (one block east of Caffé Dolce).  Classes are limited to 10. To sign up, please email here or call 370-1254.
 


  

Zootown Arts Community Center will celebrate small things with its 4th Annual {mini} Show Benefit at Missoula's newly renovated historic Wilma Theater on March 26. This gala event will bring together Missoula's creative community to celebrate all things mini, from mini dessert auction, a mini silent and live art auction, and more! The Mini Show art opening will occur in the ZACC gallery on March 11. This is an annual fundraiser for the Zootown Arts Community Center. For more information, visit here





The Montana World Affairs Council's 12th Annual Statewide High School Academic WorldQuest Competition, with the Winning Team to Represent Montana in Washington, D.C., is February 23, in the UC Ballroom, 3rd Floor University Center.  Call  728-3328, or visit here




University of Montana School of Theatre & Dance presents Hot 'n' Throbbing by Paula Vogel, February 23-27 and March 1-4 at 7:30 p.m., and March 5 at 2:00 p.m. at the Masquer Theatre, PARTV Center, U of M Campus.  Visit here for more.




Poet Stefania Heim, the University of Montana Creative Writing Program's Visiting Hugo Writer, will read her poetry at 7:00 p.m. Friday, February 26, in the Turner Hall Dell Brown Room. The event, which is part of the Spring 2016 Reading Series, is free and open to the public.  For more information, call Karin at 243-5267.






The Missoula Symphony Orchestra and Chorale, featuring guest conductor Thomas Heuser and guest soloists Christina Pier and Charles Robert Stephens, present the German Requiem by Brahms, February 27 at 7:30 p.m. and February 28 at 3:00 p.m. at the UM Dennison Theatre.  Visit here or call 721-3194.





On Sunday, February 28, the Missoula Community Chorus is hosting their 11th Annual "Missoula Uncorked" fundraiser. This year's "Red Carpet Gala" will feature a live telecast of the 88th Annual Academy Awards at the Thomas Meagher Bar in downtown Missoula. This interactive awards experience includes an opportunity for guests to win prizes by correctly guessing the Oscar award-winners! Visit here or stop by the Thomas Meagher Bar to purchase tickets and learn more about the event.




The audition for Mary Poppins is this Sunday, February 28 at MCT (use the Main Street entrance).  This Missoula Community Theatre show is open to performers ages 10 and above. Children (ages 10-16) may audition 12:30-2:00 p.m., while those ages 17 and above will be auditioned from 2:00-4:00 p.m. No preparation is needed. The performance dates are April 28-May 1, 4-8, and 10-15, 2016, so note that it is a three-week run.  Visit here to learn more.



Tell Us Something presents Why Didn't Anyone Tell Me?, March 29 at 7:00 p.m. at the Wilma Theatre.  Call 546-3855 or email here for more.




First Lutheran Classical School, grades K-8, Child Care, and Pre-School is holding an Open House at First Lutheran Church, 2808 South Ave. West, Missoula.  March 3 from 5:30-7:30 p.m.  Call 273-2491 or email here.

 



The University of Montana College of Visual & Performing Arts presents the Odyssey of the Stars March 5 at the Dennison Theatre. This year's honoree is George Gogas. Visit here for more.




Early Spring Aikido Intro for Beginning Adults begins with an orientation on Saturday afternoon March 5 followed by four guided basics classes. For more information visit here, call 549-8387 or come by the dojo. Preregistration required by March 3.

 


The Missoula Historic Preservation Commission is seeking nominations for the 2016 Missoula Historic Preservation Awards. Nominations are due by March 4.  The 24th Annual Missoula Historic Preservation Awards will be judged by the Missoula Historic Preservation Commission, with the individuals and groups honored at a public, catered awards event during May, National Historic Preservation Month. Projects must have been completed in 2013, 2014 or 2015. Nomination Forms can be downloaded from the City's Historic Preservation webpage. Nomination forms can also be obtained by contacting the Historic Preservation Office, or e-mailing a
request here.



The Missoula Writing Collaborative announces The Writers' Room on March 5, 2016, a one-day writing workshop and fundraiser featuring classes on poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Geared to the general public, classes will be taught by twelve professional writers of the Missoula Writing Collaborative. The workshops are held 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Missoula Public Library, Shakespeare & Company, Fact & Fiction, and Boyle Deveny & Meyer.  The cost is $60 per class, $110 for 2 classes or $120 for three. A $12 luncheon at the Top Hat features the film, "Kicking the Loose Gravel Home," about Montana poet Richard Hugo and a cocktail hour at day's end is at Radius Gallery. Renewal credits for teachers are available. To sign up, contact, here.
 



Writing at Work, a conference hosted by the University of Montana Creative Writing Program, is slated for Friday, March 11. The conference, which connects UM students with successful, creative professionals who use their liberal arts education in their working lives, will be held from noon to 5 p.m., in the University Center Theater. It is free and open to the public.  For more information call 243-5267 or email here.




Dolce Canto presents A Taste of Korea, a multi-course journey featuring Korean cuisine, paired beverages, and live choral highlights by Dolce Canto, Saturday, March 12, beginning at 6:00 p.m. at St. Anthony Parish Hall, 217 Tremont Street. All proceeds from this fundraiser will benefit Dolce Canto's upcoming performance tour to South Korea in April. The choir will represent Missoula in a valuable city-to-city cultural exchange and perform alongside several Korean choirs in various parts of the country.  Visit here for more.





For more information about arts events in the Missoula area, visit our website  
 Elsewhere in Montana and the Region...



The Carbon County Arts Guild of Red Lodge presents the All Artist Exhibition, new work from some of its 200 member artists, in the Main and North Galleries, through February. This exhibit will feature artwork never seen before from many Guild artists.  Most mediums will be represented along with a variety of styles and subject matter.  The All Artist Exhibit is a great way to get to know a new artist or explore a different media and is also a wonderful way for everyone to see what is happening in the world of art.  The exhibit is free and open to everyone during normal Arts Guild hours. The March exhibit, running through the month, the Carbon County Student Exhibit in the Main Gallery. The Carbon County Arts Guild and Depot Gallery is located at 11 West 8th Street, Red Lodge, Montana.  Hours are Monday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. -5:00 p.m.  and  Sunday noon-5:00 p.m.  For more information, call the Guild in Red Lodge at 446-1370.

 
   

The Shane Lalani Center for the Arts in Livingston presents Jesus Christ Superstar, March 4-26 Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m.  Weekend matinees at 3:00 p.m.  Call 222-1420 or email here.





The Bitterroot Performing Arts Council, a premier Western Montana performing arts presenting organization, seeks qualified candidates for the leadership role of Executive Director. For more details, visit here.





The  Yellowstone Art Museum in Billings is pleased to announce the exclusive exhibition of loans by distinguished anonymous collectors: Untitled III, 1978, by Willem de Kooning; and Study for Indicating, Homage to the Square by Josef Alberspresents.  YAM also presents a Film Screening of Art and Craft, Friday, February 26, at 7:00 p.m. in the Babcock Theater.  $6 admission, free for members; attendees will also receive a free pass to visit the YAM with their paid ticket at the Babcock.  The Art Auction 48 event occurs on Saturday, March 5.  Visit here for more.
 



The Glacier Symphony and Chorale in Kalispell annually awards music scholarships to students in grades 9 to 12 including graduating seniors. The program encourages student participation in the Glacier Symphony and Chorale and assists those student musicians in pursuing a career or an avocation in music.  The award of scholarships is based on musical ability and potential as determined by the Scholarship Committee. Individual scholarships will be in the range of $250 to $1000.  Eligible students will have played with the Glacier Symphony for at least three concerts during a regular season or be on the permanent orchestra substitution list, or have sung in the Glacier Chorale.  In addition, when funds are available, "at-large" scholarships may be provided to outstanding music students who show exceptional ability but have not yet had the opportunity to perform with the GSC.  Scholarships must be used by students to further their musical career through camps, private lessons, or college tuition. Applications are available on the GSC website here by clicking the Education tab. They must be postmarked by April 8, 2016 to be considered and should be mailed to: GSC Scholarship Committee, P.O. Box 2491, Kalispell, MT 59903 or delivered to the GSC office at 69 N. Main Street in Kalispell.





The Emerson Center for the Arts & Culture in Bozeman presents Above the Fruited Plains by Dwayne Wilcox, in the Jessie Wilber Gallery; and New Works by Ben Pease in the Lobby Gallery.  Both exhibits run through April 29
 




The Bitterroot Performing Arts Center presents Solas on March 12 at 8:00 p.m. at the UM Dennison Theatre in Missoula. Visit here for more.









For complete information about arts and entertainment throughout the region, visit www.livelytimes.com 

Nationally...

Americans For The Arts' Bob Lynch On Macro-Trends In The Arts In 2016
Huffington Post, Feb 19, 2016  
2016 is off and running, and guaranteed to be a dynamic presidential election year. Along with a new administration in Washington, five broad cultural and economic trends are sure to impact sectors across America--affecting our work in the arts in the coming years. Candidates at all levels of government will need to evolve positions on each of these trends so we can work more strategically to ensure that the arts continue to thrive and enrich the lives of every American.  Click here




Some Forms Of Dementia Can Elicit - And Explain - A Creative Flowering
The Wall Street Journal, Feb 21, 2016

When Victor quit his job as a lawyer at the practice he founded and moved in with his mother, his family suspected that something was amiss. For a man in his early 50s with no other job prospects, the decision just didn't make sense.  Click here




The Art Of Genius - An Uneven, Messy Quality
Aeon, Feb 16, 2016
Before he died, Albert Einstein requested that his whole body be cremated as soon as possible after death, and his ashes scattered in an undisclosed location. He didn't want his mortal remains to be turned into a shrine, but his request was only partially heeded. Einstein's closest friend, the economist Otto Nathan, disposed of his ashes according to his wishes, but not before Thomas Harvey, the pathologist who performed the autopsy, removed his brain. Family and friends were aghast, but Harvey convinced Einstein's son Hans Albert to give his reluctant permission after the fact. The eccentric doctor kept the brain in a glass jar of formalin inside a cider box under a cooler, until 1998, when he returned it to Princeton Hospital, and from time to time, he would send little chunks of it to interested scientists.  Click here



An Arts Revolution Is Transforming Small Cities
The Atlantic, Feb 11, 2016
When news broke late last year of a mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, most people in the rest of the country, and even the state, probably had to search a map to figure out where the city was. I knew exactly, having grown up in the next-door town of Redlands (where the two killers lived) and having, by chance, spent a long period earlier in the year meeting and interviewing people in the unglamorous "Inland Empire" of Southern California as part of an ongoing project of reporting across America.  Click here




Is Diversity Really A Funding Issue?
Americans for the Arts, Feb 12, 2016
Oscar season is upon us and rather than debating who will win Best Picture or Best Actor/Actress, the debate has been how "white" the Oscars are.  #oscarssowhite went viral and African American actors began to boycott. As a result, the Academy (which is 94% white) responded by making the bold move to change their composition to reflect more diversity.  The Oscar issue is reflective of a much larger issue across all sectors of the arts; lack of diversity. I just returned from the annual meeting of American's for the Arts and all of their advisory councils. This issue of diversity and equity was front-and-center over the three-day meeting, as it has become a top priority for AFTA. On the Arts Education Advisory Council, on which I sit, we have worked to increase its diversity in a number of ways over the past years focusing on the gender balance, age and experience spread, and diversity of community with respect to urban and rural issues. However, as I looked around the room, the issue was apparent: race. And looking around the larger room with all the councils and the board gathered together, the issue was very similar. The first step is admitting you have a problem. The good news is that concrete steps are being taken by AFTA to begin reflecting the changing demographics of America and to help lead necessary change across the country.  Click here


Internationally...


Global Phenom: Festivals That Light Up Cities Are Magnets For Tourists
Yahoo! (AP), Feb 18, 2016
Move over, holiday lights. Large-scale light installations that blend contemporary art and technology are taking off as a trend, lighting up the night from New Orleans and Baltimore to Sydney and London. Many of these free light festivals include interactive displays that turn spectators into participants who can change colors or patterns by moving or playing a game. The events are also tourism magnets, attracting locals and out-of-towners alike to waterfronts, historic districts and other neighborhoods on dark winter nights and other periods when tourist activity may be low.  Click here



Michelangelo Had Terrible Arthritis In His Hands - And Kept On Painting
Hyperallergic, Feb 09, 2016
An article published this week by the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine suggests that Michelangelo Buonaroti suffered from osteoarthritis for the last 15 years of his life. Miraculously, though the researchers claim that this was why the Renaissance master could not write his own letters toward the end of his life, it did not affect his art practice, which remained prolific up to the week of his death. Click here



Why Should Canadians Care About Supporting Canadian Culture?
The Globe and Mail (Canada), Feb 12, 2016  
The professional life of a cultural policy nerd is a lonely thing. No conference calls with the Governor of the Bank of Canada; no annual convention in Banff, Alta. I've been excited just to be invited to publicly discuss issues in the field on no less than two occasions in the past nine months - a sure sign, I optimistically predicted, that Canada is finally awakening to a crisis.  Click here



Egyptian Police Arrest, Then Release, Country's Most Popular Young Cartoonist
BBC, Feb 05, 2016
An Egyptian cartoonist known for his satirical slant on political issues was briefly arrested accused of "running a website without a license". Islam Gawish was released on Monday reportedly without charge, a day after his arrest in Cairo. Opposition parties and activists had said his arrest targeted freedom of opinion and expression. There are growing concerns about human rights in Egypt as officials increasingly cut down on dissent. Gawish was arrested during a police raid on the headquarters of the Egypt News Network website, where he worked.  Click here





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Tom at MCC

MCC - Connecting Art, Culture and Community through Education, Advocacy and Celebration.  As the official cultural agency for Missoula, MCC provides the community with resources for the development and promotion of arts and culture, maintains Missoula's sister-city relationships with Neckargemund, Germany and Palmerston North, New Zealand and produces the annual First Night Missoula celebration on New Year's Eve. For more information, please visit our website www.missoulacultural.org. 

 

Contact Us:
Missoula Cultural Council
327 East Broadway
P.O. Box 7662
Missoula, MT 59807

406-541-0860
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