Missoula Cultural Council – Some news and upcoming events for the week of September 12, 2005

In Missoula…

Anatol Lieven, Senior Research Fellow on U.S. Foreign Policy for New American Foundation, is the guest speaker for the University of Montana’s President’s Lecture Series tonight, September 12, at 8:00 p.m. in the University Theatre. He will present City on a Hill and Embattled Fortress: An Anatomy of American Nationalism. Admission is free.

The Missoula Art Museum will preview the third season of PBS’s four-part series Art in the Twenty-First Century (Art:21) on consecutive Tuesday evening – September 13, 20, 27 and October 4 – at 7:00 p.m. in MAM’s Temporary Contemporary, 111 North Higgins Avenue. Art:21 will air on Montana PBS on dates still to be determined. MAM’s screening will include discussion of the contemporary artists and art themes featured in the series. Each one-hour program has been loosely organized around a themem – Power, Memory, Play, and Structures – that can help audiences analyze, compare and contrast the artists profiled. The 16 contemporary artists featured in season three demonstrate the breadth of artistic practice across the country. Their art is a dynamic collection of materials, methods, and subject matters that provoke curiosity, dialogue, and debate. For more information, call 728-0447 or visit
http://www.missoulaartmuseum.org

Keith Urban performs at the Adams Center on September 14 at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $30.50 and $40.50. Tickets available at Adams Center Box Office, The Source at the University Center, Worden’s Market, Southgate Mall, and Aaron’s Sales & Leasing, or visit http://www.griztix.com .

The Missoula Folklore Society presents Kelly Joe Phelps with special guest Tom Catmull on Friday September 16, at 8:00 p.m. at Parkside at the Wilma (formerly Marianne’s). Tickets are available at Rockin Rudy’s. Tickets are available at Rockin Rudy’s. For more information contact [email protected] or visit http://www.montanafolk.org

The Grizzly Athletic Scholarship Association of the University of Montana presents The Night of the Prowl on September 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the University Center Ballroom. This dinner, dance and auction features Eden Atwood with Blue Talk & Love and the Ed Norton Big Band. All proceeds from this fundraiser go to scholarships for UM athletes. Call 243-6487 or visit http://www.grizzlyprowl.com

Fact and Fiction presents David Cates on Friday, September 16, reading and signing X Out of Wonderland at 7:00 p.m.

The University of Montana Department of Music presents Byron Wallis, violin, and Alfredo Oyaguez, piano on September 13 at the UM Recital Hall at 7:30 p.m.; and the Mountain Computer Music Festival on September 16 at the Phyllis Washington Amphitheater at 7:30 p.m. Call 243-6880 for more information.

The Montana Natural History Center presents Sky Viewing with Binocular on September 17, at 8:00 pm, $2 donation requested. Did you know that some celestial objects are better viewed with binoculars than a telescope? If you’ve got binoculars at home bring them along and learn how to use them at night! Presented by Bill Lawrenson and theWestern Montana Astronomical Association. Call 327-0405 or visit http://www.thenaturecenter.org

The Friends of the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula invite one and all to the third annual Salmon Bake on Sunday, September 18, featuring the freshest, wildest, and tastiest ocean salmon from the Pacific Northwest. Activities start on the grounds of the Museum at noon, with serving from 1:00 to 3:30. This celebration is a re-enactment of how the Pacific Northwest Native Americans prepared their salmon feast. Whole, fresh-caught, wild, ocean salmon are strung on sticks driven into the ground and broiled over hot alder wood coals just as they were cooked by the Indian tribes years ago. Besides the wild salmon, you can feast on Kintsa salmon relish, black walnut corn, potato salad, fresh-cut melon salad, Indian cornbread, mountain-style apple crisp, and iced lemonade. No-host beer and wine will be available. There will be live music and Native American entertainment throughout the afternoon. A table of 8 costs $180.00 ($250.00 for an Inner Circle table); single tickets are $25.00 for adults, $22.50 for seniors 65 and over, and $12.00 for children 12 and under. Proceeds from the Salmon Bake will go towards the construction of a transportation building that will house the Museum’s recently restored Streetcar #50, which will be returning to Missoula this fall. Call 549-6955 for information and reservations.

The String Orchestra of the Rockies presents Point Counter Point with Gonzalo Ruiz, guest artist, on Sunday, September 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the UM Recital Hall. Tickets are $15 and $12, and are available at Rockin Rudy’s, Fact & Fiction, Morgenroth Music Center, and at the door. For information call 728-8203 or visit http://www.sor-montana.org .

The sixth Montana Festival of the Book, from September 22-24 will feature more than 80 writers and panelists in a variety of panel discussions, readings, exhibits, workshops, receptions, demonstrations, signings, and entertainment. Award-winning authors appearing at the Festival include Montana Poet Laureate Sandra Alcosser, Rick Bass, James Crumley, William Kittredge, Mary Clearman Blew, Pete Fromm, Annick Smith, Russell Chatham, Gary Ferguson, Doug Peacock, Patricia Goedicke, Robert Wrigley, Jon Jackson, Diane Smith, C.J. Box, Neil McMahon, Kevin Canty, Kim Barnes, Stanley G. West, and many more. Special events include Saturday night’s gala reading, Friday evening’s author reception and silent auction, the premiere of a new documentary on Montana writer Dorothy Johnson, the Thursday evening Montana Book Awards banquet honoring Marcus Stevens and others, and the debut of Eat Our Words: Montana Writers’ Cookbook. Panel topics will include the 2005 One Book Montana selection, Letters From Yellowstone by Diane Smith, Fiction of the Urban West, Dances with Bears and Wolves, New Journalism in the New West, the Mysterious West, Montaniana, and more. Most events are free and open to the public. All will occur in downtown Missoula. A preliminary schedule of events is at the Festival website.

Shaun Gant and Gwen McKenna, producers of the Third Ear Reading Series, have booked the Crystal Theatre September 21, 22, 23 at 8:00 p.m. each night to host plays by emerging playwrights. Each playwright will be teamed up with a director and actors familiar to Missoula’s theater-goers to stage a reading of their work. Cost for the event is $6 at the door, or $5 in advance. All Montana Festival of the Book attendees get in free. A $5 ticket can be purchased separately at the event for coffee and dessert. The performances are scheduled as follows: September 21: Synesthesia by Craig Sweet, Directed by Paul Ronaldo; September 22: Dinosaur Hunt by Katherine Rezvani, Directed by Sarah DeGrandpre; September 23: Rush by Rob Cheney, Directed by Craig Menteer. For more information contact Shaun Gant at 728-9236 or [email protected] .

The 2nd Annual Montana CINE International Film Festival opens in Missoula on September 22 and runs through September 25. All films will be shown at the Roxy Theater. Award-winning films will be shown during morning, mid-day, afternoon and evening screenings throughout the four day film festival. Saturday night is the Awards Ceremony at the Roxy for award winning filmmakers and the public is invited. All information about this event, including a full schedule of films, is now available by contacting the International Media Center, Montana CINE at the Roxy, or by calling 728-9380 or by email, [email protected] . You can also visit http://www.wildlifefilms.org

City Club Missoula presents Access to Justice forum on Friday, September 23, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Governor’s Room, 2nd Floor, Florence Building, 111 N. Higgins Ave. City Club invites you to participate in a discussion of barriers to the use of our justice system and how these barriers may be overcome. Members of the legal community will join us to discuss how we can achieve the promise of "equal justice for all." We promise a lively, informative discussion. The panelists who will kick off our discussion are: Judge John Larson, Montana 4th Judicial District; Justice of the Peace Karen Orzech, Missoula Justice of the Peace Court II;. Ed Higgins, Missoula Director, Montana Legal Services Association; Carolyn Stevens, Chairperson, Pro Bono Committee, Western Montana Bar Association; Joy Earls, Community Dispute Resolution Center. City Club Missoula is a nonprofit organization that brings people together to inform and inspire them on vital issues. We welcome everyone who cares about the greater Missoula area. Our public forums encourage the discussion of new ideas and the free exchange of thought. For further information or to get on our email list, contact [email protected]. Please make reservations by Monday, September 19 to [email protected] or call 721-9620. Please indicate if you would like lunch ($13) or dessert and coffee or tea ($5).

In its season-opening concert, the Missoula Symphony Orchestra features flutist Carol Wincenc, proclaimed as “one of the top flutists in the world” (The Buffalo News). Wincenc joins the orchestra for a colorful performance as the Pied Piper of Hamlin, finishing her concerto by leading dozens of local flute students out of the theater. The concert will be held Saturday, September 24 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, September 25 at 3:00 p.m. at the University Theatre. Tickets are available at the Missoula Symphony office, located at 225 West Front Street, or by calling 721-3194. Prices range from $8 to $30.

The International Wildlife Media Center & Film Festival is now accepting submissions for the 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. The entry fee is $10. For more information and entry forms, please visit http://www.wildlifefilms.org/festival/postercontest.htm.

Elsewhere in Montana and the Region…

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Linda McCulloch announced this week that any new students enrolling in Montana public schools as a result of Hurricane Katrina are welcome and eligible for federal program benefits. “I know Montana schools will open their doors to welcome and help out these students,” said Superintendent McCulloch. Some will arrive without parents and be living with relatives or friends.

To help promote Library Card Sign-up Month, Governor Brian Schweitzer signed up for a library card at the Lewis & Clark Library in Helena. The Governor met the new Lewis & Clark Library director, Judy Hart, and signed up for his card at on Thursday, September 8.

Members of the Montana and Idaho National Guard will ceremonially exchange an espontoon on the heights of Lolo Pass near Missoula on Wednesday, September 14, marking the passage of the nationwide Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commemoration into Idaho. The exchange of the spear-like weapon carried by members of the Corps of Discovery signifies the conclusion of Montana’s 2005 bicentennial observance. The noon ceremony is the culmination of a two-day event at the Lolo Pass Visitor Center that begins on September 13 with a flag raising ceremony and includes an 1805 military encampment, living history interpretive programs and U.S. Postal Service pictorial cancellation with cacheted envelops. Lewis and Clark officials from both states, representatives of the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service will participate.

Helena celebrates Octoberfest September 16-17 at the Lewis and Clark Fairgrounds. Call 442-1098 for information and schedule of events.

The Billings Studio Theatre presents Beauty and the Beast for five successive weekends beginning September 16. Call 248-1141 for tickets and information.

The 4th Annual Open-Aire Music Festival, featuring the Washington bluegrass band Tangleheart, is September 17 at Swan Lake. For tickets and information call 886-2080

Comedian Bill Engvall is at the Mansfield Theatre in Great Falls on September 17 at 8:00 p.m. Call 455-8514 for more information.

The Belgrade Fall Festival is September 17, featuring a parade, arts and crafts booths, entertainment, games and displays. Call 388-1616 or visit http://www.belgradechamber.org

Performing at the Wild Plum in Dixon on September 17 is Chris Sullivan & Friends. The Wild Plum will soon be closing, so that may well be the last music night. For more information contact Crystal Kingston at [email protected]

The Fall 2005 issue of the quarterly Pleistocene Post is available for your reading pleasure. Please point your browser to the IAFI news page, http://www.iceagefloodsinstitute.org/news.html

From the Montana Associated Technology Roundtable…

The Growing Popularity Of ‘Farm Vacations’
Despite fears that agri-tourism might turn small farms into theme parks, it could be key to saving them. Says Liberty Hill co-owner Beth Kennett, "There’s no way we could have stayed and kept the farm going without the extra income."

Without Doubt, Rail Builds Better Economy
This weekend’s conference celebrates the remarkable boost modern public transit systems are giving to dozens of American cities. There is no longer any doubt that a powerful link exists between effective public transit and a region’s economy.

Montana Senator Burns Ties Trademark Office Purse Strings to Tie Up
The provision means, "the federal government cannot spend a nickel: no man hours on it, no staples, no ink, printer cartridges, filing fees, no postage … on trademarking the Last Best Place." In a statement, Burns said, "If anyone has ownership rights, it’s the citizens of Montana. This phrase so aptly describes our beautiful state, I can’t see it going into the hands of one operator. Now with this paragraph, the phrase will be protected from a trademark so we can all continue to call our State the ‘Last Best Place’ without concern for copyright violations. It’s nonsense to try to secure the rights to it in the first place."

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

Nationally…

The National Endowment for the Arts ( http://www.nea.gov ), in partnership with the U.S. Department of State ( http://www.state.gov/ ) and Europalia International, invites applicants to present the culture of the United States of America at one of Europe’s largest international arts festivals. Europalia.usa 2007 is designed to showcase the very best of American arts and culture for European audiences. Centered in Brussels and other Belgian cities, the Europalia festival showcases the art and culture of a single country through hundreds of events, exhibitions, performances, and colloquia. For the first time in 2007, the festival will highlight the arts and artistry of the United States. Europalia.usa 2007 will take place from October 2007 through January 2008. The Arts Endowment will provide grants to organizations to showcase the excellence, diversity, and vitality of the arts in the United States through a series of performances, exhibitions, lectures, and symposia. The Arts Endowment anticipates awarding up to ten grants for the music component. Grants generally will range from $10,000 to $200,000. Nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3), U.S. organizations; units of state or local government; or federally recognized tribal communities or tribes may apply. Projects may involve multiple organizations. Visit the Arts Endowment Web site for complete program information, eligibility restrictions, and application procedures. The RFP Link is http://fconline.fdncenter.org/pnd/3986/nea

From the Center for Arts and Culture….

Understandably, there are many articles related to the effects of Hurricane Katrina, with varying opinions. Here’s a sampling…

Toll Is Also Exacted on Gulf Region’s Historical and Cultural Treasures
New York Times, 9/4/2005
"The hurricane and the flood that followed took their toll on the cultural riches of New Orleans and the cities in its orbit. Museum directors were still struggling to gain a clear picture of the extent of losses, but some collections seem to have been spared, including the core holdings of the New Orleans Museum of Art, one of the most important in the Deep South." http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/04/national/nationalspecial/04culture.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1126195423-gLexLsOD/h+i2vCo2FX9uw

A NEW New Orleans
Los Angeles Times, 9/4/2005
Joel Kotkin opines that those who rebuild New Orleans should not strive "to preserve a chimera of the past, producing a touristic faux New Orleans, a Cajun Disneyland," because "tourism produces relatively few high-wage jobs" — and wasn’t previously successful in attracting the "creative class." Instead, he says, "New Orleans should craft a future for itself as a better, more progressive metropolis. Look a few hundred miles to the west, at Houston – a well-run city with a widely diversified economy. Without much in the way of old culture, charm or tradition, it has far outshone New Orleans as a beacon for enterprising migrants from other countries as well as other parts of the United States – including New Orleans." http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/sunday/commentary/la-op-flood4sep04,0,5992937.story?coll=la-sunday-commentary

Katrina stops the music in New Orleans
Washington Post – Reuters, 9/2/2005
"Katrina not only felled a city: it stopped the music. While the human toll of Hurricane Katrina defies imagination, New Orleans is also reeling from a cultural loss from which it might not recover." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/02/AR2005090201563.html

Music industry in disarray after the storm
Washington Post – Reuters, 9/3/2005
"The scope of the loss and tragedy Katrina caused is clear: It will be years before a locale renowned for its entertainment industry is back to business as usual — if it ever is again." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/03/AR2005090300604.html

Katrina Curbs Hollywood’s Love of La.
Washington Post – AP, 9/1/2005
"Hurricane Katrina already has forced some Hollywood productions to film elsewhere, and its devastation has decimated the progress Louisiana was making in luring filmmakers to the state with generous tax incentives." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/01/AR2005090101499.html

And other news…

Art as diplomacy
Boston Globe, 9/4/2005
Ellen McCulloch-Lovell, president of Marlboro College and board member of the Center for Arts and Culture, calls on Karen Hughes, undersecretary of state for public diplomacy, to redeploy "one of public diplomacy’s most valuable tools": cultural diplomacy. "Cultural diplomacy, the exchange of ideas, arts, and cultures, is a long-term strategy to increase understanding among peoples who are often divided by sharp policy differences. Portraying the United States through cultural expressions presents America’s greatest strengths: freedom of expression, democratic participation, tolerance and creativity. Politics polarizes; arts humanize." http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/09/04/art_as_diplomacy/

Challenges to Library Books on the Rise
Washington Post – AP, 9/1/2005
"Attempts to have library books removed from shelves increased by more than 20 percent in 2004 over the previous year, according to a new survey by the American Library Association. . . . The number of books challenged last year jumped to 547, compared to 458 in 2003, with the library association estimating four to five unreported cases for each one documented." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/01/AR2005090101224.html

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

From Wolf, Keens and Co…

The Greatest Painting in England
BBC.com

It must be true – they did a survey. It’s by Joseph Mallord William Turner and it’s called The Fighting Temeraire tugged to her last berth to be broken up 1838. It received almost 32,000 votes, which was 27% of the total cast on the BBC’s website. Constable’s Hay Wain was a distant second with 27,000 votes. We’re not sure what to make of this, but if we figure it out, we’ll let you know.

New Research Shows Human Brains Still Evolving
LiveScience.com

Evolution may be a dirty word in some quarters. Yet biologists note that evolution in the human brain hasn’t stopped. The process of "natural selection" is being studied specifically relating to two genes that are involved in brain development. So maybe our large brains are not the pinnacle of this process after all.

Colleges and Universities Reach Out to Student Victims of Katrina
Foundation Center

The need is huge – 13,000 students at Tulane University alone. And institutions of higher learning from England to California are lining up to help. Schools are providing free tuition, waiving room and board, and helping in other ways. Just part of the larger effort, but worthy of note.

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

Internationally…

Int’l efforts to protect grottoes on ‘Silk Road’
Xinhua – China, 9/5/2005
"Two sites of precious grottoes on the ancient ‘Silk Road,’ the Longmen Grottoes and Kumutura Thousand Buddha Caves, have been put under a joint protection project by Chinese and Japanese governments and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). . . . The project will not only offer funds for the protection of the two sites, but also help introduce advanced technologies and methods of cultural heritage protection in the world to China, and help train a batch of personnel of heritage protection. . . . [L]eaders of China and Japan signed an agreement in 1998 on the protection of the cultural heritage sites along the ‘Silk Road.’" http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-09/05/content_3446234.htm

Italian Ad Campaign Aims to Protect Art
Washington Post – AP, 9/5/2005
In Italy, images of damaged or missing cultural treasures are used in "a new fund-raising campaign designed to shock Italians into helping maintain treasured works of art and architecture. . . . Such fund-raising is a new phenomenon in Italy, where the responsibility of safeguarding the country’s vast cultural wealth has long fallen exclusively on the government. The campaign reflects growing concern that many of Italy’s lesser-known churches, museums and monuments are falling into ruin for lack of funds to repair them." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/05/AR2005090500191.html

Finally…

Ausgezeichnet! Missoula’s 11th annual Germanfest was easily the best attended event ever! MCC apologizes for the long lines and running out of food, but we estimate that the attendance was nearly twice as much as in previous years. A huge thanks to all the volunteers, musicians and vendors. All proceeds from this event will help fund Missoula’s Sister City program, allowing us to have more cultural events this year. Later this week photos will be posted on http://www.missoulacultural.org

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Thanks for your comments & corrections

Tom at MCC