Missoula Cultural Council – Some news and upcoming events for the week of August 19, 2005

In Missoula…

The Montana Museum of Art and Culture, located on the UM campus, is currently featured on the National Endowment for the Arts website. To view the listing visit http://www.arts.endow.gov/features/stories/8-05-mt-univ.html

Nearly 200 creative, talented and energetic middle and high school students from across America, Canada, and Japan converge on Missoula, Montana, for MCT’s Performing Arts Camp 2005. They are spending an intensive and fun-filled two weeks at Flathead Lake rehearsing and refining their performance skills. The camps will culminate in the production Broadway Rocks! with performances Friday, August 19, at 8:00 p.m., and Saturday, August 20, at 1:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m., and 8:00 p.m. in the Montana Theatre on the University of Montana campus. Broadway Rocks! is a high energy compilation of rock n’ roll musical theatre featuring some of your favorite tunes from “Bye, Bye, Birdie”, “Hair”, “Tommy”, “Rent” and more. Call 728-PLAY (7529).

The Children’s Museum presents Seuss Story Time Saturday, August 20 at 11:30 a.m. for ages 3-5 in the basement of the Florence, 111 North Higgins. For more information call 541-7529.

Many local musicians will perform at the Big Grin Memorial Concert for Michael Hendricks on Sunday, August 21 in Caras Park. Performers include Eden Atwood, the Drum Brothers, John Floridis, Patrick Montgomery, the Warren Worth Ensemble and others. Admission is free.

Liz Carlisle performs at Sean Kelly’s on Wednesday, August 24 at 8:30 p.m. Call 542-1471 for more information.

The Montana Natural History Center presents Kit Fox: An American Tale on August 24 at 7:00 pm, free to the public! Due to the overwhelming interest in this movie the Missoula Osprey will host the event at PlayBall Civic Stadium and show the movie on their beautiful videoboard. Please park at MNHC and walk over to Stadium. For more information call 327-0405 or visit http://www.montananaturalist.org/support/memberships.htm.

The Pattee Canyon Ladies’ Salon is having its seventh annual group art exhibition on August 25, 26, and 27, with an opening reception on Thursday, August 25 from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. The exhibition will take place at the Brunswick Building, 223 West Railroad Street, and will feature studies from the figure in various media including pencil, oil pastel, oil paint, gouache, fabric, plaster, and ceramics. The Pattee Canyon Ladies’ Salon is a group of women artists in Missoula who draw inspiration from the female nude as well as from each other’s work, ideas, and companionship. Now celebrating its 19th year in existence, the informal organization meets to draw twice a month For more information contact Nancy at [email protected].

The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula is proud to present a walking tour of Fort Missoula on Thursday, August 25 at 7:00 p.m., by the founder of the Fort, Major Charles Rawn (portrayed by Director of the Historical Museum Robert M. Brown). This free walking tour will begin outside the main Museum building. Learn more about the history of Fort Missoula and Missoula in this interactive walking tour. Learn more about the 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps, the Alien Detention Center and the famous “Olive Oil Incident,” the Grant Creek Schoolhouse, Locomotive #7’s starring role in a major Hollywood movie, St. Michael’s Church, and more. The “Major” may even talk about the founding of Fort Missoula, the odd affair at Fort Fizzle, and the nearly disastrous Battle of the Big Hole. Dr. Brown has been the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula’s Director for 14 years and has been impersonating Major Rawn for three years. This program is part of the “UNCOVER MONTANA” program series sponsored by the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula, Traveler’s Rest, and Lolo National Forest. For more information, call 728-3476.

Tony Furtado performs at the Other Side on August 25 at 10:00 p.m.

The Museum of Mountain Flying in Missoula is sponsoring a dance/celebration to honor the 60th anniversary of the end of WWII and its veterans, and including all veterans to date. The Ed Norton Big Band along with Eden Atwood will perform at Northstar Air Express hangar at the east end of the Missoula Airport on Friday, August 26. There will be dancing, food, beer/wine, door prizes and displays. Doors open at 6:30, ceremonies at 7:30 and dancing at 8 to midnight. Cost is $25 a person, $45 a couple or $250 a table of 10. This is also a fund raiser for the museum. Tickets available at Southgate Mall, Worden’s Market or Rockin Rudy’s. Or call 549-8488. Come join the fun but also to honor our veterans. For more info call number above.

Two big shows coming up to wrap up the summer: Pearl Jam at the Adams Center on August 29, and Crosby, Stills and Nash at the Big Sky Brewing Amphitheater on August 31. Fir tickets visit http://www.ticketswest.com

Shakespeare in the Parks returns to Missoula with The Taming of the Shrew on August 30 and Cymbeline on August 31. Both performances are free and begin at 6:00 p.m. on the UM Oval, with the University Theater as the in-case-of-rain site. Bring a lawn chair and dinner! Visit http://www2.montana.edu/shakespeare/ for more information.

The Missoula Folklore Society presents the Cantrells at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, September 9 at the Crystal Theater. Tickets are $12 for advance, $14 at the door, $2 discount for MFS Members and MRBA Members, available at Rockin Rudy’s. For more information contact Alicia Baylor, 544-8788 or [email protected] , or visit http://www.montanafolk.org

The International Wildlife Media Center & Film Festival is now accepting submissions for our 5th Annual International Wildlife Film Festival Poster Art Contest. Your artwork could become next year’s IWFF Poster and be on display throughout festival week at our headquarters in Missoula. A professional panel of judges will review the entries, and the winning artwork will be adopted as the face of the 29th Annual International Wildlife Film Festival in 2006. Judges will be looking for realistic impressions of the theme, "People & Nature – Living in Harmony," in which bears are not the major subject. The artwork will be used in IWFF promotions, up to and throughout the 29th festival. The entry deadline is November 1, 2005. The entry fee is $10. For more information and entry forms, please visit our web site at http://www.wildlifefilms.org/festival/postercontest.htm.

MOSAIC, the arts newsletter of Manawatu District and Missoula’s sister city of Palmerston North, is a one-stop arts information shop where you can find out all you need to know about local Manawatu artists, performers, events, and arts related activities. Visit MOSAIC

Elsewhere in Montana and the Region…

The Hamilton Players will be performing the adult comedy, Murder At The Howard Johnson’s August 18-21, and 25-28 at The Hamilton Playhouse, 100 Ricketts Road. Murder at The Howard Johnson’ is a light and funny suspense comedy about a love triangle in a Howard Johnson Motor Inn. Thursday through Saturday performances begin at 8pm and Sunday performances begin at 2pm. There will be an opening night reception on Friday, August 12th where the public is invited to stay and celebrate with the cast and crew. This show contains some adult language. Tickets are $10.00, reserved seating, and will be available at The Hamilton Playhouse Box Office. Box office hours are Monday through Friday 2pm-6pm, performance Saturdays 10am to Noon and one hour prior to show time. For more information or to purchase tickets over the phone with a credit card, call 375-9050 during box office hours.

Drum Brothers are offering a weekend drum making and rhythm retreat August 26-28 near Kila. For the fifth year in a row, Drum Brothers and a circle of rhythmists and drum-makers will gather outdoors in Montana forest lands for a weekend retreat celebrating world rhythm, community, and the beauty of Montana. Whether you’re just beginning to explore the drum, or you’re already a seasoned practitioner, join us as we camp together and celebrate through music this season of heat, light, and nature’s beauty. The weekend will be filled with West African hand-drumming classes, group discussion and sharing, evening celebration circles, and free time to hike or dip in a spring pool. Drum-makers will be building a 12"x 24" Ashiko drum. This dynamic and powerful hand-drum is ideal for playing a variety of West African and world rhythms. Extra drums will be available for new drummers. Call 726-4448 or visit http://www.drumbrothers.com. Registration deadline is August 15th. Register online at http://www.drumbrothers.com/catalog or contact Satsang Music at 406-726-4448 or [email protected]. Rhythm exploration $205; Drum Building 12"x24" cedar Ashiko Drum $360; Drum Building 12"x24" hardwood (walnut or cherry) Ashiko Drum $385. Note: drum building registrants will attend the regular class schedule when not assembling drums.

Travelers’ Rest in Lolo will be commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Lewis and Clark stop here from September 8-11. Over the course of those 4 days, there will be many activities, exhibits, ceremonies, demonstrations and re-enactments. Volunteer help is needed in order to accommodate the multitude of special events and the hundreds of visitors over these four days. Volunteers are needed to help with general information, parking, program distribution, demonstrations, interpretive programs, reenactments, music and more. Please contact Loren or Darby at 273-4253 or [email protected] or [email protected].

From the Montana Associated Technology Roundtable…

Ecotourism stresses responsible travel and its coming to Montana – Off the Beaten Path and Papoose Creek
Ecotourism can provide models for ways to preserve landscapes while letting local people make a living

Mexican community sets down roots in Big Sky
"I love Montana," Espinoza said, wearing a straw hat, jeans and boots. "It fascinates me," he said of the state, where he and several male relatives have lived and worked together for three years.

States invest in the future – pre-kindergarten education for all 3- and 4-year-olds makes children better learners
Research from as far back as the 1960s demonstrates that 3- and 4-year-olds who get high-quality education before entering kindergarten do better in higher grades and are more likely to finish school and stay out of prison, says Sherry Cleary of the University of Pittsburgh.

For more about the Montana Associated Technology Roundtable, visit http://www.matr.net

Nationally…

In partnership with the U.S. Department of State and Europalia International, the National Endowment for the Arts will present the culture of the United States of America at the Europalia Festival from October 2007 through January 2008. Centered in Belgium, europalia.usa 2007 will showcase the very best of American arts and culture for European audiences. The Arts Endowment will provide grants to organizations for performances, exhibitions, lectures, and symposia. For more information, go to http://www.arts.gov/grants/apply/index.html, click on the relevant discipline, then follow the link from the europalia.usa 2007 description.

From the Center for Arts and Culture….

Is the affinity for music innate?
CNet News, 8/17/2005
"Do we learn to love music, or is it innate? An Internet-based study being conducted by two MIT students may help answer that question. The Music Universals Study, created by doctoral students Mary Farbood and Josh McDermott, is an effort to determine to what degree musical appreciation is a factor of culture versus an innate part of human behavior." – contributed by ArtsJournal.com http://news.com.com/Is+the+affinity+for+music+innate/2100-1008_3-5836298.html

California Considers Tax Breaks for Filming
New York Times, 8/18/2005
"For the first time since a handful of immigrant New Yorkers moved west to Hollywood seeking cheap land for their movie studios, so many motion pictures are being made outside California that state leaders are poised to enact subsidies to keep productions from leaving. The state’s dominance in entertainment production has been eroding for years, as filmmakers and television producers gobbled up generous tax incentives in Louisiana, New Mexico, Illinois and other states, and pursued tax breaks, cheaper labor and favorable exchange rates as far away as Canada, Eastern Europe and Asia." http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/18/movies/18runa.html

DTI initiates study to develop RP’s "creative economy"
The Freeman (Cebu, Philippines), 8/18/2005
"Looking into maximizing the creative talents of Filipinos, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is now conducting an intensive study to fully develop the ‘creative economy’ in the Philippines." http://www.thefreeman.com/business/story-20050818-33487.html

Complaints to FCC down sharply in ’05
Los Angeles Times, 8/17/2005
"Complaints about indecent or obscene content on radio and television declined dramatically in the first quarter of 2005, compared with the last quarter of 2004, according to a report released this month by the Federal Communications Commission. But that doesn’t necessarily mean radio and TV stations have cleaned up their act."
– contributed by ArtsJournal.com http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-fcc17aug17,0,6346060.story

To learn more about the Center of Arts and Culture, visit http://www.culturalpolicy.org

From Wolf, Keens and Co…

Authors Auction Off Characters
Manchester Guardian

The First Amendment Project has come up with a "novel" way to raise money. (Oops, sorry, we couldn’t pen that one up…) A slew of bankable authors are auctioning off "naming rights" for characters in their next books. Steven King, Neil Gaiman, Michael Chabon, among others, are participating in this coordinated series of eBay auctions.

Laptops Replace Textbooks in this High School
Wired.com

Kids struggling to school under loads of books – a thing of the past? For one high school in Arizona, iBooks have been issued to students, who can also hand in homework online. No books to carry: this is a good thing, right? After all, the more time kids spend staring at screens the better…?

To learn more about Wolf, Keens and Co. visit http://www.wolfkeens.com.

Internationally…

West Midlands theatre creates ten times investment each year
Stage, The, 8/16/2005
"Theatre in the West Midlands creates £264 million for the local economy every year, more than a tenfold increase on its initial public investment, according to a survey by Arts Council England."- contributed by ArtsJournal.com http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/9162/west-midlands-theatre-creates-ten-times

Free of the tyranny of place
New Zealand Herald, 8/15/2005
"On one thing the whole world seems to agree: globalization is homogenizing cultures. But does the growing global trade in films, music, literature and other cultural products destroy cultural and artistic diversity or encourage it? . . . In reality, the global exchange of cultural products is increasing diversity in ways that are seldom appreciated," argues Tyler Cowen of George Mason University. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=3&ObjectID=10340730

Arts education taking off in Singapore
Radio Singapore International, 8/11/2005
"An Arts kindergarten will be set up in the East Coast of Singapore next year, as arts education takes off in Singapore in a big way. Set up by the commercial arm of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts or NAFA, the kindergarten will offer in-depth art and music lessons on top of English, Chinese and Math." http://www.rsi.sg/english/singaporescene/view/20050811150617/1/.html

Finally…

Legendary fiddler Vassar Clements, the Father of Hillbilly Jazz and a tireless traveling musician, died this week at 77. His work encompassed multiple genres, including country, bluegrass, western swing, jazz, rock and classical. Over the years he played many gigs at Missoula’s Top Hat. For more, visit http://www.worldmusiccentral.org/article.php/20050817130351719

Next newsletter will be the week of September 5.

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Thanks for your comments & corrections

Tom at MCC