Tonight's The Night, or, Let's Honor the Arts

Tonight is the NoVAC (North Valley Arts Council) Annual Meeting, Winter Market and Annual Arts Awards.

The North Valley Arts Council (NoVAC) invites you to attend An Evening with the Arts, a celebration of the arts community, on Tuesday, January 30, 2007 from 4:30-7:00 pm at the Third Street Gallery, located at 28 South Third Street, in Grand Forks.

The evening will feature Winter Art Market – a silent auction fundraiser of “recycled” artwork that is ready for new life, to be shared with others. We have encouraged members of the Greater Grand Forks community to go through their homes and select quality items for the Market. Included in the auction are paintings, sculpture, and other unique objects d’art. Donated items are on view at www.culturepulse.org, click on special events.

Annual Arts Awards

NoVAC is pleased to announce recipients of the Annual Arts Awards:

• Job Christenson will receive the Artist of the Year award. This award recognizes extraordinary artistic achievement with gift of $1,000, underwritten by the Grand Forks Herald.

• Bruce Gjovig will receive an Individual Support of the Arts award in recognition of his extraordinary support of the arts through sponsorship, volunteerism, or other efforts.

• Sanders 1907 Restaurant will receive a Corporate Support of the Arts award in recognition of its extraordinary sponsorship of the arts.

• Lee Barnum will receive a Career Achievement Award for dedicating her career to the arts.

Admission is $10 at the door. All attendees will have the opportunity to win one of two door prizes: one two-night stay at CanadInns in Winnipeg, including a meal and a show; and one two-night stay at CanadInns in Winnipeg.

Also... coming up this week...

See you at these things, or else:

Peace::Ben::TeamCulturePulse

Victory is OURS, or, East Grand Forks Takes First

In my attempt to equate arrogance to fear, I forgot to boost my own self worth by mentioning the recent victory of the East Grand Forks High School Competitive Show, "Us and Them" by David Compton, and directed by yours truly.

Last Saturday was the first round of contest, and we took home first place honors, by unanimous decision of the judges, in fact.

The play is an absurdest-epic theatrical look at nationalism and the concept of "if you're not with us, you're against us." I swear I didn't chose the play based on my politics, and was very careful not to direct it with any bias one way or another. To be sure, I failed. :-).

The play begins with a narrator, who, on a bare stage, is expecting someone. Two groups of travelers both enter, and lay claim to the same land. Eventually, they chose to share the land, not by joining together, but by dividing the land with a line. After all, good lines make good neighbors, and good neighbors make good lines.

Eventually, they determine the line is not suitable, and begin to build a wall, which grows higher and higher. Especially since it has to be strong enough to keep livestock from breaking through, and high enough to keep chickens from flying over. This continues until each side is obstructed from the other. After all, good walls make good neighbors, and good neighbors make good walls.

Well, as it happens, thoughts run wilder than any livestock, and suspicions fly higher than any walls, and the two groups begin to display distrust for each other. Eventually, they both decide to climb the wall, and see what the other is up to. As this happens in sync, they both discover the other, spying, and after a rousing game of accusation, they rip down the wall, and war ensues. After the battle field is cleared, both abandon the land, blaming the problems on the wall.

The recorder lets us know that this is not new. It happens the same way every time - whether the wall is religion, politics, territory, history, et al. She wonders aloud, "will we ever learn?".

Ha.

The play is shocking not only in its content, but in the fact that it is staffed, quite successfully, with high school students, who get it. I couldn't be prouder of them. First place is an honor, and they are reveling in their arrogance this week.

In any case, a lesson worth learning, and the play is only 20 minutes long. We'll be performing publicly on the 6th of February at 7:00pm with a two other plays in an evening of one acts.

That's all. Horn tooted.

Peace::Ben::Team CulturePulse

David Hasslehoff, or Rid Yourself of Fear

Fear is an interesting thing. I don't pretend to understand it. I don't pretend to like it. I pretend it isn't there.

When I was growing up, I was the child who was always holding doors for people, fearless. I was the kid that wandered off in the mall, and eventually found my way to the office to alert them to my "lost parents." I wasn't ever lost. My family was. This caused problems growing up; i was the child on the leash.

At some point in growing up, I lost that "fearlessness" and became a smidge of a coward. I think we all go through this cycle, at at some point we try to come in to our own. This is a strange point in life - and it happens around high school. For some reason, I became self conscious about everything... the only place I felt safe was on stage, which is odd. I had great friends, but still felt uncomfortable in most situations. This continued on through college, oddly enough. It continues today.

People counter fear with a lot of things; I counter it with arrogance. It's easy to "put on the cocky" and cover you fear. However, as my friend Wade always said, "Arrogance perceived is confidence achieved."

There's some truth in that.

I think about fear in another way too. I think about the arts. We spend a lot of time talking about "art" vs "cinema," or "art" vs "sports," and we always seem to think about it in terms of finances. Of course, we are competing for discretionary income with these other groups, but we must look closer at the experience.

Cinema, it is you I shall discuss first. The cinema is safe. The cinema is easy. It doesn't take a lot of emotional investment to go see a movie. You can talk during it. You aren't part of anything "vast" and the audience is disjointed.

This is the difference between cinema and live art or sports. Sports and live art create experiences. You become part of something. You have a vested interest. This can be terrifying for some people - especially if they haven't experienced it before. Sports are much more open. You enjoy basketball? Go to a game. You enjoy baseball? Take in a game. You can watch this live, or you can see it on TV. The accessibility is vast, and the opportunity is everywhere.

Not the case with live art. You can only see it live. You can not reproduce a museum experience over television, and before the advent of YouTube, you couldn't readily access Broadway shows, absent of the trashy movie versions of Broadway hits. Live theatre, as well, is only powerful live. It can become a part of your experience.

That, coupled with the decorum of live theatre (what to wear, how early to arrive, when to clap, when to stand, when to sit), and you've got a stressful experience, especially for first timers.

This is especially true with what some consider the "high arts" which include straight plays, ballet, classical symphonic music, and opera (in that order). This includes visual art and museums as well.

Truth be told, there was a time where opera and classical music were for the elite. When art itself was a luxury few could afford. However, those times are past. In Grand Forks for instance, the Symphony is no more threatening than the community theatre, and the ballet has something for everyone. We don't have a lot of opera here, but it is the same. It is all about your personal experience, and I say, to hell with anyone who says differently.

In GF, though, we are fortunate to have some crossover experiences for our arts, and these serve as perfect opportunities to get your first take on various arts, without risk, without challenge, and without fear.

In terms of the visual arts - the Third Street Gallery is always an nonthreatening first stop, but if you want a peek at the North Dakota Museum of Art, please consider ArtSee. Sponsored by the Museum of Art, the North Valley Arts Council and the Grand Forks Young Professionals, ArtSee is an opportunity to mingle with the artists exhibiting at the North Dakota Museum of Art's Winter Art Auction. The artists will be present to discuss their work, and they will have additional examples of their work for sale.

If you are looking for art at a lower cost, consider a couple of alternatives. First, the Third Street has a ton of Bachmeier's on sale right now, very affordable.

Also, there is a new venue in town right now, You Are Here, located at 25 S. 4th St., in downtown Grand Forks. Under the sign "YOU ARE HERE", the show is an "art show-&-sell" group exhibit of works in all media by over 20 area artists.

The North Valley Arts Council, at their Annual Meeting on January 30, is holding a Winter Arts Market. The Market is a silent auction fundraiser of “recycled” artwork that is ready for new life, to be shared with others. NoVAC has encouraged members of the community to go through their homes and select quality items for the Market. Included in the auction are paintings, sculpture, and other unique objects d’art. It is the communities opportunity to purchase quality art at a lower cost.

Besides the Market, the Arts Council will also be presenting their Annual Arts Awards, specifically the Artist of the Year award to Job Christenson, as well as Corporate Supporter of the Arts Award to Sanders 1907, and the Individual Supporter of the Arts Award to Bruce Gjovig. Lee Barnum will receive a Career Achievement Award for dedicating her career to the arts.

There are three opportunities to immerse yourself in the world of visual art with very little risk, ergo, very little cause for fear.

On the performing arts side, there are a couple of events coming up that can serve as a great first glance.

For those that like symphonic music, the Symphony Orchestra has an event coming up that is tantalizing. If you like acrobatics, all the better. Cirque Symphonique is a musical tour de force, featuring the Symphony, the Youth Symphony, Special Guest Artist Renate Rossol (winner of the Young Artist Competition) and former Cirque de Soleil acrobats Ninon Parent and Peter Boulanger, performing astounding acrobatic feats to accompany music by Moussorgsky, Rossini, and Strauss.

The Fire Hall Theatre is also throwing together a great musical, I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change. Directed by Job Christenson, this show features some of Grand Forks most talented players. Returning to the stage are Fire Hall veterans and area residents Misti Koop, Katie Hill-Brandt, Jared Kinney, Darin Kerr and Daniel Dutot. Joining them, in her Fire Hall Community Theatre premiere is Debra Berger, a graduate student in Theatre Arts at the University of North Dakota.

In April, the UND Music Department will present an opera workshop, with performances open to the public. More information on this will be available as we grow closer. The Opera Workshop is directed by Dr. Anne Christopherson, who I've blogged about before.

All in all, Grand Forks is a great place to get over the initial fear of the live Arts.

For a complete list of these activities, of course, head over to CulturePulse. As for me, I'm going to work on honing my arrogance.

I, however, fear that I have no reason at all for putting David Hasslehoff in my title. Aw, well, I fail.

Peace::Ben::CulturePulse

It's a brand new year, or, fish out of water

I consider myself fairly cultured. In a weekend of games, I was voted the most likely to be invited along by friends considering an art purchase. At least I've got that going for me. Right now, I am on my last day of forced vacation, ridiculously procrastinating all the things I should be doing. Item number one: blocking for the EGF competitive one-act.

I sit here, avoiding the blocking and awaiting the arrival of my financial consultant/insurance/investment guy. His name is Michael W. Smith. I know, I know, it's all very "go west young man" but there is an aura of trust about him. Even though, it is because of him that I am painfully aware that I have no worth.

Disjointed as my thoughts are, the future looms. New Years, besides being a painfully ridiculous holiday, makes one ponder their place in this life, and what is next. This year, we celebrated with a few wonderful and bitter people (artists, you know) at a friends apartment. This apartment is a corner unit in St. John's Block, so it gave us a fabulous view of the fireworks all from the comfort of home. Because it was a lot of musicians and theatre folk, much of the night was spent mocking one another through games or around the piano belting out showtunes. Evenings like this, regardless of their placement in the calendar, give me pause; but when we are ushering in a new year, and I am placed one year closer to 30, thoughts of the future take hold.

Because I am a smidge OCD, I have been writing a five year strategic plan for me, and was shocked when all options took me abroad. I am not sure if this is just where my soul wants to be right now, or if I am harboring some jealousy towards my friend Melissa who is teaching in Ireland this semester.

I have spent much time abroad, having toured Eastern Europe while in college, and then spending time abroad in Oxford studying and doing an internship. This opportunity afforded me the ability to travel a lot. It's easy to go to Paris or Göteborg when it's only a 2 hour flight and $50. Same goes for anywhere - looking to blow a week holiday from class? Grab a Euro-pass and jump a train from Paris to Rome.

Living in England was a fantastic experience for me - it is truly a world center. This is not to say that I don't love America or North Dakota, quite the contrary. However, I felt very at home in England. Here, there are times I feel like a fish out of water.

The most obvious difference I note here is my aversion to all things "eco-tourism" or "nature." I don't snowmobile. I don't hunt. I don't ski. I don't boat. I don't hike. I don't bird. I don't fish. And, I most certainly do not walk on frozen bodies of water, drill holes in them, and fish.

That said, I am not obtuse enough to believe that those things aren't cultural. This concept of eco-tourism is a culture on to its own, and while the stuffies that spend all of their disposable income on opera and theatre can snoot about how much their cultural choices cost, eco-tourism, especially hunting and fishing are not cheap sports.

In my effort to extend my vast cultural knowledge (scoff) too those less fortunate (snort), I drag James to a lot of things. When he first told me he wasn't a fan of theatre or musicals, I asked him how he knew. He said he had seen "The Nutcracker" and hated it. Truth be told, I've never made it through "The Nutcracker" and I find the show almost offensive in how terrible it is. (I know, some people love it) I told him straight up that "The Nutcracker" is no representation of theatre, and forced him to go to Sweeney Todd. He loved it. He went twice. Two times to Cabaret. To a Ballet. To a Concert. To the Fall Art Auction.

So, when he proposed that I accompany him on his first ice fishing excursion, I begrudgingly agreed. Imagine the process. I have no jacket appropriate for this adventure. I had to borrow one of his. I don't own the correct gloves... or, more accurately, any gloves. My only stocking hat has a Human Rights Campaign logo on the front, and is a skull hat. I had no boots, or warm socks (bamboo black argyle don't count apparently). It was quite the process, but I managed to get to the ice none the less.

Apparently the large blue thing in the back of our under-stair storage is an ice house. Who knew. Apparently tackle boxes weigh 50lbs. Who knew. Apparently the ice house converts into a sled, so we can pull said 50lbs tackle box, the ice auger, coolers, chairs, underwater camera, last season's camo ski pants and other ethereal items whose purpose i couldn't ascertain. Apparently you must purchase a license for this activity.

The drive to Larimore Dam in James' 1982 Blue Chevy Celebrity, smoke billowing out the windows, was tenuous. A blizzard was moving in to the area, but we were fishing, hell be dam(n)ed... pun completely intended.

I must confess, it was an enjoyable experience. From the first fish I caught, through the 14th. Yes. I caught 14 fish. James caught 25. We released all of them (Fishing was a concession I was willing to make. Cleaning fish was not.) and had a great time. I baited the hook myself. I took the fish off myself.

It was a very manly day, so we countered with a good night of showtunes when we got back to Grand Forks.

At some point throughout this process, the "fish out of water" feeling, at least for me, ceased. It seemed more natural the 5th time your removed a fish from a hook. The meal-worms got a bit less gross each time I had to bait the hook. The 3x6 hut that sheltered the two of us from the storm a'brewin outside felt more like home. It made me wonder how easily we acclimate to our surroundings and how easily we settle into our lives. I suppose the cigarettes and Capt. Morgan helped. So did the company.

This is not to say I'm having a "grass is greener" moment, or anything like that. I adore Grand Forks.

Now, time to sit down and write this five year plan.

Peace::Ben::Team CulturePulse