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First Friday Art Walk, June 6, 6pm onwards This screening has been organised in conjunction with our friends in the Department of Media, Journalism and Film at Missouri State, and is the first in what we hope will be a series of collaborative work with the University. This is the first fund raising event for Ethiopian Child, a local charity that supports the education of deaf children in Ethopia. Fair Trade Recipe of the Month Organic Brazil Nut Oil A New Arrival!
Discovery Center of Springfield adds Parent's Night Out on Friday, June 6th from 5:00pm-10:00pm. This chaperoned event will offer exploration in the Center, games, crafts, and snacks to children ages 4 to 6th grade level, all with exploration of the Discovery Center throughout the night. This is a great opportunity for the kids to have some fun and parents to spend time downtown. Pre-registration and pre-payment are required by Wednesday, June 4th. The cost for members is $25 for the first child and $10 for each additional child. Registration cost for non-members is $30 for the first child and $10 for each additional child. Drop off starts at 5:00pm and the latest time for pick up is 10:00pm. All proceeds benefit the Discovery Center. For more information contact Charlotte at 862-9910 ext. 713 or check out the Discovery Center Website at www.discoverycenter.org. June 2008 Calendar of Events The week of June 10th - Discovery Center Summer Workshops begin - Kids ages 4 through middle school will learn that science is fun through hands-on activities, exploration of our exhibit halls, and field trips. We're especially excited about our new workshops for students entering grades 6-8. Classes are Tuesday - Thursday from 8:30 am - 12:00pm. Pre-registration and pre-payment required. For availability and information and to register, contact 417-862-9910 x 706.
“High School Musical: Get In The Picture” (Springfield, Mo…May 8, 2008)…At ArtsFest performances by Springfield Little Theatre’s Y.E.S. Troupe and cast of the upcoming production of Seussical, talents scouts from ABC’s “High School Musical: Get In The Picture” announced Nikki Calloway as a semi-finalist for final auditions. Nikki Calloway is a senior at Central High School and an active participant in Springfield Little Theatre’s Y.E.S. Troupe. Nikki got her start as Pepper in Annie, when she was in 6th grade. Other memorable roles include Joy, a step-sister in Cinderella, and Genie in Disney’s Aladdin Junior. Nikki will be leaving for Orlando on Saturday, May 10. Her friends at Springfield Little Theatre will be sending her off at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday morning from the Landers Theater, 311 East Walnut. Doors will open at 9:00a.m. The media is welcome to attend. Executive producers of "High School Musical: Get in the Picture" are Jay Blumenfeld and Tony Marsh (both of "Here Come the Newlyweds"). The production company is The Jay and Tony Show. Hosts and judges will be announced at a later date. For more information about the show:
The Springfield Regional Arts Council will offer two collage workshops featuring “Watercolor Collage” with published, nationally-known watercolor artist, Hiroko Shikashio and “Mixed-Media Collage” with local artist and educator, Carol Chappell both at The Creamery Arts Center across from Hammons Stadium, June 5 & 6, 12 and 13. Watercolor Collage Workshop: Thursday, June 5 and Friday, June 6 from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Taught by Watercolor USA National Honor Society recipient, Hiroko Shikashio, this workshop will help artists discover new and interesting ways to integrate watercolor and collage from everyday materials. Artists are invited to bring in an old painting or start anew! Shikashio is a resident of Rhode Island and her collage works are published in the book, “New Art International”. Cost is $50 per day or $80 for two-day workshop. For teen and adults, 15 and over. Registration deadline is Tuesday, May 20. Mixed Media Collage: Thursday, June 12 and Friday, June 13, from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Learn to create stunning collage paintings by studying several collage techniques, including different materials and surfaces on which to work. Students can choose their own style and theme and are invited to use their own paper and/or 3D objects. Other materials will also be provided by the instructor. Instructor, Carol Chappell is a local artist and educator having taught with Springfield Public Schools and at Missouri State University. She currently works with fellow artist Joan Gentry on art furniture and floor art. Cost is $50 for both days for adults, 18 and over. Registration deadline is Thursday, May 29. For more information or to register, please call the Arts Council at 417-862-ARTS (2787).
Monday, May 12, at 7 PM. Vandivort Center Theatre, 305 E Walnut St, 4th Floor.
Louis H. Schaeffer, Executive Producer TINTYPES tickets go on sale June 3, performances are July 3-5, 10-12, 17-19 at 7:30 PM, July 6 & 13 at 2 PM: $10-$20. All seats are $15 on July 3 & 4 for this red, white and blue American musical.
De Saint Phalle, the only female member of Europe's New Realist Art movement, a contemporary of American Pop Art, collaborated with Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns and first gained fame for her "shooting paintings" which she created by firing a 22-caliber rifle at cans of paint mounted onto canvases. Born in Paris, educated in New York, and a world traveler, she spent the last 20 years of her life creating a gigantic sculpture park in Tuscany called the Tarot Garden. On the trip up to St. Louis, the group will enjoy an en-route lecture by William Bowman, an associate of the Arts Council who is familiar with the history of the Gardens and its incredible variety of flora and fauna. A dutch-treat lunch will be taken by the group in the Gardens’ Sassafras Café. After strolling the lush Botanical Gardens, exploring Buckminster Fuller’s climatron filled with exotic tropicals and desert plants, and browsing the large collection of plant specimens in the gift shop, adventurers will enjoy Champagne and chocolates followed by a dutch-treat dinner stop at Sybill's Restaurant in St. James. Coffee and muffins will be served at the Arts Council offices in the Creamery Arts Center at 6:30AM and the group will depart in a 15-passenger van promptly at 7:00AM with a 9:30PM return to the Creamery. Cost is $80/person. Other Arts Adventures lined up and open for reservations are: June 21 – OKC Museum’s “Roman Art Of The Louvre”; July 19 – Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art (Kansas City) AND the Liberty Memorial (Overland Park); Aug. 16 – Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa; Sept. 27 – Sprint Center and Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City; Oct. 25 – Gilcrease Museum of Art, Tulsa. Call the Arts Council for reservations to the May 24 adventure or to any others, 417-862-ARTS(2787). For further details, go to www.SpringfieldArts.org
Bebout’s winning entry will hang in the U.S. Capitol complex starting in July, and remaining there for the entire year. The piece will take the place of the 2007 winner submitted by Derek Kelly of Springfield Central High School. "Without fail, the challenge of picking a winning painting from the many exceptional works of art submitted by students from Southwest Missouri gets more and more difficult,” said Congressman Blunt, who quickly added that he himself was not a judge. “These gifted students were guided by the skills and inspiration of Southwest Missouri’s best art instructors. I’m impressed by the level of artistic achievement our Southwest Missouri high school students produce,” Blunt said during award ceremonies. Blunt made special note of Monett art teacher John Bremer in his remarks, who is retiring after 41 years in the classroom--the last 27 years at Monett. His student, Amy Hall, won one of the two honorable mentions in the competition. Clever High School art teacher, Mark Schmidt, a mentor of Bebout, was a student under Bremer at Monett. Hall, who is also Monett High School’s valedictorian this year, submitted an untitled acrylic that will be on display in Congressman Blunt’s Constituent Services Office in Joplin’s NorthPark Mall for the next year. Judges awarded an honorable mention to Springfield Glendale High School senior Kyla Byers. Her collage will be displayed in Congressman Blunt’s Springfield Constituent Service Center on East Sunshine Street over the next 12 months, replacing the Glendale High School magazine collage that also won honors last year. It is the fourth year for Glendale High School to win one of the three prizes. It is the first top prize for Clever High School in the 7th Congressional District High School Art Show.
Tickets are going fast for the Springfield Symphony’s final concert for the year – “Route 66: A Trip Down Memory Road.” Join us as we take you on a rollicking musical journey through time and across this great land.
So don’t miss this opportunity to get your kicks with the Springfield Symphony as we take you on an unforgettable trip down memory road – it promises to be fun for the whole family!
Contact: Ron Spigelman, Music Director, Springfield Symphony (417) 299-4232 The Springfield Symphony Orchestra is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation and is an EOE. Additional funding for all Springfield Symphony Orchestra programs and projects is provided by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.
Artsfest 2008 sponsors include: CoxHealth, Hoover Music Company, Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, McDonald’s Restaurants, Ozarks Coca-Cola/ Dr Pepper Bottling Co., Brewer Science, Reliable Toyota, Historic Walnut Street Association, Walnut Capital Management, 95.5 Alice, 100.5 The Wolf, 105.9 KGBX, Springfield News-Leader, OzarksMoms.com, Ozarks Signature, John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts, The Coffee Ethic, American Family Insurance, Merrill Lynch, The Center for Plastic Surgery, Liberty Bank, Ebbet's Field, Lowther Johnson Attorneys at Law, LLC, Boyd Aluminum, Cliff Cottage Inn – Eureka Springs, Candy House Gourmet Chocolates, Wickman’s Garden Village, Vino 100, Springfield Cardinals, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, UniFirst, City of Springfield, Springfield Greene-County Parks & Recreation. In conjunction with Artsfest, the Springfield Sister Cities Association and American Family Insurance present ArtsFiesta!, a Cinco de Mayo celebration of Mexican art, culture and music with an authentic Mariachi band from Springfield’s sister city, Tlaquepaque, Mexico. ArtsFiesta! will be held Friday, May 2, 2008 from 6 to 10 p.m., in Founders Park in Downtown Springfield. Gate admission is $3; children 10 and under free. For complete Artsfest information, download the pdf at www.SpringfieldArts.org
Springfield Regional Arts Council will feature Marilyn Quigley as the presenter at its May 8 Creamery Writers’ Workshop, 7:00pm to 8:30pm in the Creamery Arts Center. For more than 20 years, Quigley has served as director of Freshman Composition at Evangel University where she teaches all levels of writing from basic grammar to advanced exposition including creative writing in which she emphasizes fiction, poetry and drama. Her topic will be “Sentence Style: Writing By Choice, Not Chance”. Quigley has published short stories, a children’s musical based on the Biblical story of Joseph, and poetry and has written two novels yet unpublished. She also published a book entitled, “Hell Frozen Over” detailing the experiences of 12 soldiers in the Battle of the Bulge. Her uncle, who spent time as a prisoner in Germany, is the focus of the book. The Creamery Writers’ Workshop is free and open to all writers regardless of age or level of expertise. For more information, call the Arts Council, 417-862-ARTS(2787).
Missouri Department of Transportation is seeking artists or artist teams to create murals for one of two Welcome Centers. Located in the lobby/entranceway, the artwork should inspire visitors to explore the local/regional cultural, historic, and/or scenic points of interests. Budget: The project budget is $30,000 per location and includes all costs associated with the project including, but not limited to: artist's design fee, travel, materials, fabrication costs, documentation, transportation, and installation. Eligibility: The project is open to all professional artists and artist teams residing in the U.S. and that have at least five years of public art experience or can demonstrate ability to successfully complete a project of this type and scale. Preference will be given to artists residing in Missouri. Applicants must be able to work effectively within the project timeline and budget and collaborate with the multiple government agencies. Deadline: Submissions must be received by 4 p.m. on May 15, 2008. For more information, review the Request for Qualifications.
Springfield, MO – The Springfield Sister Cities Association will present ArtsFiesta! Cinco de Mayo celebration from 6 – 10 p.m., Friday, May 2, in Springfield’s Founders Park, 330 E. Water Street, located one block north of Park Central Square. Public parking is available adjacent to the park, at the corners of Olive Street and Boonville Avenue.
This event includes music; art; children’s activities; a performance from an authentic mariachi band from Springfield’s sister city of Tlaquepaque, Mexico; traditional dancers from Grupo Latinoamericano; Central High School Azúcar Latin dance group; Mexican food from La Hacienda Restaurant; and a visit from a delegation of elected officials and business people of Tlaquepaque, including Mayor José Hernan Cortés Berumen. ArtsFiesta! admission is $3; children 10 and under are free. Sponsors include: presenting sponsor American Family Insurance as well as Kraft Foods, Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, Webster University, Murney Realtor Debbie Morrow, Alice @ 95.5, La M Grande 97.7, KSFX Ozarks Fox, KOLR 10, Springfield Regional Arts Council, Springfield-Greene County Park Board, City of Springfield, and the Urban Districts Alliance.
Downtown Springfield’s Christ Episcopal Church will host a Fair Trade Fayre Sunday, May 4, during Artsfest. Springfield merchants Anna Sophia's and Global Fayre will offer beautiful and affordable fair trade merchandise from economically disadvantaged producers in Asia, Africa and South America. Purchases help farmers and artisans maintain steady work and a sustainable income so they can provide for their families. A portion of proceeds from the Fair Trade Fayre will benefit Christ Episcopal Church’s Outreach Committee, which provides support to local and international projects and agencies. Anna Sophia’s and Global Fayre, along with volunteers from Drury University, will also coordinate a free children’s poster painting contest during the event. The Fair Trade Fayre is Sunday, May 4, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. inside Christ Episcopal Church, 601 E. Walnut St., Springfield, rain or shine. Parking for this event and Artsfest is available in the church parking lots.
Man has only a thin layer of soil between himself and starvation. C O N T E N T S 1) The Strange But True Tale of the Potato Leaf Vote 1. The Strange But True Tale of the Potato Leaf Vote On a whim, we pulled out last year's partially-used seed packets and realized we had a supermarket in a box. There was lettuce and cauliflower and broccoli and melons and cucumbers and tomatoes -- and basil, rosemary, corn, radicchio, radishes and on and on. There were even beets in there! You know, until a few years ago, I wouldn't give a beet the time of day. Beets reminded me of a pre-sliced, de-flavorized Thanksgiving side dish that is simply wrong, wrong, wrong. I'll I have to say now is that you might not want to insult a beet in my presence. Fresh beets, grated up with a few herbs and pan-fried are absolutely delightful. As a matter of fact, I remember feeling particularly depressed when our fresh beet supply ran out. Seriously. Ask Beth if you don't believe me. But back to the garden. So with rake, fork and shovel in hand, I went out to our small planting patch and was astounded to see a long row of volunteer potatoes growing quite nicely. Either we have a resident population of garden gnomes who decided to go ahead and get us started this year, or I missed more than a few last year when digging them up. We'll see how they do growing in the same spot two years in a row, but still, I find seeing potato leaves in the spring to be a special gardening moment. Please, don't walk away from this thinking that I'm going to start telling you about our root cellar or some such tale. First of all, I don't have a root cellar. And second, potatoes don't have leaves because they grow underground. Right? At least that's what a chef friend of Barbara Kingsolver said in the book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Living Locally. This book - just released in paperback - is one of our June Book club picks. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is a chronicle of one family's decision to, wherever possible, use produce and meats either grown by their own hands or purchased from farmers within their county. Kingsolver mentions her friend's comment about potato leaves to illustrate a point, namely, that many Americans have lost connection with where their food comes from (besides the grocery store), when it is truly in season and even what it looks like. Is that true? Well lets find out. I've decided that we are going to test Barbara Kingsolver's theory. I am asking you, dear Well Fed Head Newsletter reader, to place a vote on whether you can identify the potato leaf. This vote will involve you visiting a page on the Well Fed Head web site and then sending me an email with your selection of which leaf is a potato leaf. And there is one other piece of information I would like -- please tell me the decade you were born in. NOW DON'T GO AND GOOGLE POTATO LEAF FIRST. I'm working on the honor system, people. Here's what you should do right now: A - Visit http://wellfedhead.com/detail.php?id=173 We will let you know how it all shakes out. Now get over there and 2) Dallas Jones and Venus vs. Mars Poetry Slam, Friday, May 2nd From 7:00 to 9:00 PM on Friday you can catch some great music by Dallas Jones (http://dallasjones.mayapplerecords.com/ ). We love having Dallas (and Friends) at the Well Fed Head. I believe Ms. Molly Healey will be sitting in on this set so swing on by if you're in the neighborhood. This Friday in downtown should not be missed. And then after Dallas gets done we'll kick off our summer slam season at 9:00 PM with a Venus vs. Mars Poetry Slam. This slam will be a man vs. woman, poet-to-poet matchup with two names randomly drawn from a hat. The winning man or woman wins a trophy and bragging rights. May the best man win. 3) The Dagger Key Author Signing with Daniel Ferguson Michael Sowers & Beth Buczynski
The Symphony will perform popular Broadway selections from artists like Cole Porter and Rogers and Hammerstein in a production featuring singers from Springfield Little Theatre. This is the first Broadway-themed performance and the third year the Symphony has performed the free concert at Jordan Valley Park for "An Evening at Artsfest."
This event and the annual Firefall Concert in the Sky are the Symphony's largest free public performances for the Springfield community. Artsfest weekend has grown over the past several years from the activities on Walnut Street to a larger celebration of visual, performing, interactive and cultural arts in downtown Springfield. The weekend kicks off with ArtsFiesta! and the First Friday Artwalk from 6 to 10 p.m., Friday, May, 2. It continues with two days of the Artsfest on Walnut Street activities on May 3-4, including the free Symphony performance at Jordan Valley Park on Saturday evening. The rain date for the Symphony concert is 7:30 p.m., Sunday, May 4, at Jordan Valley Park. For more information on any Artsfest activities, call (417) 862-2787 or visit: www.springfieldarts.org. Discount Artsfest tickets are available through May 2 at area McDonald's.
Artists are required to pre-register with the Springfield Regional Arts Council, either by returning the registration form with check, to Council offices in the Creamery Arts Center, or they may register on May 3 at the Arts Council’s booth located at the northeast corner of Walnut Street and JQH Parkway by 10:30AM. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three places for artwork produced on site. Artists from all levels of experience are welcome to participate. All participants are required to check in Saturday at 10:30AM at the Arts Council booth. Once checked in, artists will be free to spread out throughout the festival grounds to complete a painting or drawing of Historic Walnut Street. At 3:00pm, all registered Artsfest Paint Out! Artists will gather on the back porch of the Artworx Studio for the judging portion of the event. Artists are required to provide all supplies needed to complete their painting or drawing, including easels, if needed. A boxed lunch will be served on the Artworks Studio back porch beginning at noon for all registered “Paint Out!” artists. The $15 registration fee is payable by check to Springfield Regional Arts Council or you can call the Council, 417-862-ARTS with your visa or mastercard – a $2 handling fee will be added for credit card registrations. Artsfest, a program of the Arts Council, is managed by the Urban Districts Alliance and anyone wishing to volunteer may contact UDA’s Sharyn Wagoner, 417-827-3657. A volunteer form (pdf) can be downloaded here which can then be faxed to Sharyn at 417-831-6217.
Go to www.ffaw.org and click on the link inside for May Newsletter and you’ll see all the neat things happening for May 2 Art Walk in downtown Springfield. The Creamery has a huge list of things for Friday May 2nd including U.S. Congressman Roy Blunt’s reception from 5 to 6pm for the U.S. Congressional Competition for High School Artists which will be held in the Creamery Arts Center Board Room. Come out and support these young artists! And don’t forget….April 27th is Arf-Fest on Commercial St. at Jefferson with dog parades and a guaranteed doggone good time! May 3 & 4 is Artsfest on Historic Walnut Street with more artists than we’ve ever had! GO, ARTS! We are truly turning Springfield into Art Town USA! For more information, call the Arts Council, 862-2787.
There is no charge for admission, and the public is invited to attend. The program will feature classical music by Bach, Praetorius and Maurer as well as modern classical compositions such as Animal Ditties by Anthony Plog. Classic Brass, founded in 1995, is a quintet comprised of these professional musicians: Tim Wootton, on trumpet, is an adjunct faculty member at Evangel University where he teaches beginning brass and directs the trumpet studio and brass ensemble. He is a prizewinner of regional and international solo competitions, having performed in the U.S. and Thailand. Jeff Nall, also on trumpet, is the founding member of Classic Brass and has performed in Branson with a number of shows including Mannheim Steamroller, Bobby Vinton and Shoji Tabuchi. He was also the national anthem soloist at the 2006 inaugural St. Louis Cardinals baseball game. Darrel Barnes, on horn, spent most of his musical career as a violinist and is a former member of the Lawrence Welk Orchestra in Branson. He has also performed around the globe and recorded two works on the Vox label. He is adjunct professor of violin and viola and instructor of horn at Drury University. Bob Swanson, on trombone, is a member of several local groups and is a published arranger. He has played for numerous musicals at Landers Theatre and performed at Disney World, on Alaskan and Caribbean cruise ships and as a member of the Bobby Vinton/Glenn Miller Orchestra in Branson. Kelly O’Bryant, on tuba, has held the position of principal tuba player for the U.S. Naval Academy Band and currently holds that position in the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. He has appeared at numerous music conferences as performer, adjudicator and clinician. In addition to appearing as guest artist at more than 30 universities, he has also performed in Europe and Russia. For additional information, visit www.SpringfieldClassicBrass.com.
Under the direction of Chuck Rogers, vocal direction of Leah Hamilton Jenkins and the musical direction of Aaron Smith, the cast is comprised of the dynamic triple combination of Ryan Thomas King, David DePriest and Ashley Rose Smith. Meet the cast
Tick, Tick…Boom! is Larson’s autobiographical tale of a young composer about to turn 30 and falling into oblivion. His girlfriend wants to get married, (TICK), his best friend is making big bucks (TICK) yet Jon is still waiting tables and trying to write the great American musical. The show takes you on the playwright/composer’s journey that led to the Broadway blockbuster, RENT. This youthful, endearing and thoughtful piece which embraces the universal ideal of holding onto your dreams through life’s most difficult challenges. Tick, Tick…Boom! is not appropriate for children under 13. Tick, Tick…Boom! is underwritten by Mercy Health Plans, 417 Magazine, Q102.1and the Missouri Arts Council. For tickets call 869-1334 x4 or online at www.springfieldlittltheatre.org Ticket prices are as follows: Individual tickets are: Adults Tickets: $25, Seniors and Students $22, Children 14 and under: $15. CONTACT: Rachel Peacock-Young, Director of Marketing
Try to solve the mystery in ART OF MURDER, by Joe DiPietro, directed by Shawn Teague, featuring Nicole Boldt, David Logan, Dawn McClain and Clancy Parks. Performances: May 1-3, 8-10 at 7:30 PM, May 4 & 11 at 2 PM Katie Schirmer, our theatre management intern last semester, is producing a play as part of her final degree requirements at Drury University. TINTYPES tickets go on sale June 3, performances are July 3-5, 10-12, 17-19 at 7:30 PM, July 6 & 13 at 2 PM: $10-$20. All seats are $15 on July 3 & 4 for this red, white and blue American musical.
Artists can enter artwork from five medium categories: painting (oils, acrylic), works on paper (pencil, ink, watercolor, marker, pastel, crayon, charcoal), photography (black-and-white, color), sculpture, and craft (pottery, jewelry, wood carving, mixed media, weaving, etc.). The exhibit will be juried and artists will be given a chance to win several awards. A Best of Show award will be given for the top piece overall and three cash awards will be given for each artistic level: amateur, intermediate, professional, youth (12 and under), and youth (12-18 years). For more information about this exhibit or to receive a registration brochure, call the Springfield Regional Arts Council at (417) 862-ARTS (2787). For more information about the National Arts Program visit www.nationalartsprogram.org
Plan to give blood that day from 12:00-6:00pm. Community Blood Center Blood Mobile will be parked in the Discovery Center parking lot. The new Cruse Charitable Trust ChromoZone Gallery includes the ChromoZone Lab where you can check out a microscopic view of you. Visitors can try their hand at real science while doing the first steps that any research lab in the world uses to study DNA. Learn how to use a microscope as you observe paramecia. Study your own cells at the cheek cell staining station. Check out the next station and look at some of your own DNA. Get a sneak peak of a new collection of 22 permanent exhibits developed by the Exploratorium and underwritten by an Anonymous donor. These exhibits will help visitors of all ages understand the characteristics of all living things; life needs energy, life uses common materials, life makes new life, and life changes over time. Visitors can explore these traits of life by watching glow-in-the dark worms, looking inside a termite's gut, watching the beating heart of a chicken embryo, and observing beetles completing the circle of life. General admission to the center applies. Admission hours are 9:00am-8:00pm. DNA hands-on activities available from 9:00 am - 4:00pm. For more information check the website at www.discoverycenter.org or call 862-9910 x 706.
Poetry in the Park, annual potluck picnic featuring live music by Terry Armes and poetry readings by local poets, will be Sun., April 27, 1-6 p.m., in the Northwoods Pavilion at Lake Springfield. The non-alcoholic family event celebrating National Poetry Month (April) is hosted by Poets & Friends chapter of co-sponsor Missouri State Poetry Society. The outdoor festival features an open mic. Poets of all ages and genres, ranging from student slammers performing poetry to veteran song writers singing their lyrics, are invited to participate, as are all ages and categories of poets in between. Presenting poetry is not necessary. Those who like to listen are welcome. The event is free. Bring your own lawn chair or blanket, beverages, and an entree, side dish or or dessert for eight people. Reservations are not required. Come for the afternoon or just for an hour. For details and directions, contact David Thomas, dthoma03@yahoo.com, 417-883-3884. For information about Poets & Friends membership and meetings, call Bob Franklin, president, at 417-725-5016.
The Springfield Regional Arts Council will offer its next Free Art Day, Saturday, April 26 from 10 a.m. - noon at The Creamery Arts Center. In celebration of the Arts Council's upcoming festival, Artsfest and its theme "Art Goes Green", all activities will be based around recycled materials. Bring your entire family to make puzzle-piece jewelry, Cinco De Mayo noisemakers, Origami Koi fish and bubble-wands. New this month is a storytelling station with story times every thirty minutes starting at 10 a.m. until noon.
“From my perspective, this initiative was also about providing an educational experience for the students involved,” pointed out Rep. Dixon. “Those who participated are living examples of the effect fine arts education has on their development. As we prepare legislation for next year, these students will be involved in the process, serving as their own best advocates.” HCR 26 received the support of numerous organizations: Missouri Citizens for the Arts; Missouri National Education Association; Gifted Association of Missouri; Missouri Music Educators Association; Missouri Fine Arts Academy; and Springfield Regional Arts Council. Before consideration by the full House, HCR 26 received the unanimous approval of the House Committee on Elementary and Secondary Education. Several of the Logan-Rogersville High School students who had helped drafted the resolution traveled to Jefferson City to testify about the project. The resolution now awaits final adoption by the Senate.
Jon Herbert Herbert, who most recently directed OTC’s first theater production, “Picasso At The Lapin Agile”, will discuss writing playwriting and share about the various challenges the writer may encounter writing for the stage versus writing for the reader. He will discuss writing techniques for dialogue, how to keep the play moving, and will touch on various other aspects of scriptwriting. The Creamery Writers’ Workshop, sponsored by the Springfield Regional Arts Council, is free and open to all writers, regardless of age or level of expertise. For more information, contact the Arts Council, 417-862-ARTS(2787).
Springfield, MO - May 2, 2008 – Cinco de Mayo is fast approaching and Springfield Sister Cities Association is finalizing plans for ArtsFiesta! The event runs from 6 – 10 p.m., Friday, May 2, in Springfield’s downtown Founders Park, 330 E. Water St. The evening includes music, art, children’s activities, a performance from an authentic mariachi band, and Mexican food from La Hacienda Restaurant. Presented by Springfield Sister Cities Association, ArtsFiesta! is a Cinco de Mayo celebration of Mexican art, culture and music. Mariachi group Sol De America will travel from Springfield’s sister city of Tlaquepaque, Mexico to perform at both at ArtsFiesta! and Artsfest on Historic Walnut Street. ArtsFiesta! admission is $3; children 10 and under are free. Advance “Artsfest Weekend Super Pass” tickets can be purchased at all area McDonald’s restaurants through Friday, May 2 for $10. The “Super Pass” includes one Springfield Cardinals general admission ticket for the weekend; two-day entry to Artsfest on Historic Walnut Street; one entry to ArtsFiesta!; and free entry to the Springfield Symphony concert in Jordan Valley Park. A visiting delegation of more than 20 members also will make the trip from Tlaquepaque. Members include civic, governmental, and organizations who will meet with their counterparts in Springfield. The newly-elected Mayor of Tlaquepaque, José Hernan Cortés Berumen also will travel with the delegation. The Mexican festival will include authentic music and dancing featuring performances by Grupo Latinoamericano and the Central High School Salsa/Merengue dancers. ArtsFiesta! also will feature children’s arts and crafts, a soccer shoot-out area and giveaways, and market area. Sponsors for this event include presenting sponsor American Family Insurance as well as Kraft Foods, Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, Webster University, Alice @ 95.5, La M Grande 97.7, KSFX Ozarks Fox, KOLR 10, Springfield Regional Arts Council, Springfield-Greene County Park Board, City of Springfield, and the Urban Districts Alliance. ArtsFiesta! celebrates not only the relationship with Tlaquepaque, but also is a way to recognize the Hispanic influences in the Springfield metropolitan area. Similarly, the Japanese Fallfest event held annually at the Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden in Nathanael Greene /Close Memorial Park celebrates the relationship with Springfield’s other sister city of Isesaki, Japan.
Celebrate Earth Day by enjoying educational displays and hands on activities and demonstrations from a variety of community organizations. Some vendors include Springfield Astronomical Society, National Weather Service, Ozarks Clean Air Alliance, Watershed Committee of the Ozarks, James River Basin Partnership. Plus enjoy the Discovery Center of Springfield's hands-on exhibits and walk through the 1st LEED Gold Certified building in SW Missouri. This public "green" building allows visitors to understand what it takes to be sustainable and how you can make a difference at home. Children 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult. For more information check the website at www.discoverycenter.org or call 862-9910. Discovery Center of Springfield is a hands-on interactive science center located at 438 E St. Louis in downtown Springfield, Missouri. Completing an expansion project in September, 2006 to be the 1st LEED Gold Certified building in southwest Missouri. Discovery Center is open Tuesday-Thursday 9am-5pm, Friday 9am-8pm, Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 1-5pm. Admission is free to members and children 2 & under. $7.00 adults, $6.00 seniors and $5.00 children (3-12).
To sign up for these workshops call 862-9910 Ext. 706.
Louis H. Schaeffer, Executive Producer
Don’t miss “Robert Bradley's elegant new staging of the ever-popular revue at the Vandivort...The show consists of 26 tunes, performed as solos and in various combinations by a talented cast of three men (Tim Caldwell, Jeff Carney, Sean Spyres) and three women (Liz Carney, Judy Luxton, Carol Reinert).”–Larry T. Collins, Springfield News-Leader With original production conception, English lyrics, additional material by Eric Blau and Mort Shuman, based on Jacques Brel's lyrics and commentary, music by Jacques Brel. Performances: May 1-3, 8-10 at 7:30 PM, May 4 & 11 at 2 PM
The Limeliters launched their career in 1959 at San Francisco's famous Hungry i and before long, founding members Alex Hassilev, Lou Gottlieb and Glenn Yarbrough emerged as one of the dominant voices of the early 1960's folk music scene. For three years they were the musical representatives for Coca-Cola, and their rendition of the jingle “Things Go Better with Coke” became a national hit. A string of best selling albums for RCA Records and frequent appearances on every major TV show quickly made them a household name. Time Magazine summed up their appeal with the following memorable quote: "If the button down scrubbed looking Kingston Trio are the undergraduates of big-time folk singing, The Limeliters are the faculty." The Gillioz Theatre was a grand movie palace built in 1926 to coincide with the opening of Route 66. This ornate theatre was home to a number of world premier movies including several films starring Ronald Reagan who attended the premier of “The Winning Team” in 1953 in Springfield. In 1956 Elvis Presley attended a movie in the Gillioz Theatre. Over the past 15 years the theatre has undergone meticulous restoration bringing this magnificent 1,130-seat theatre back to its opening-day glory. Andy Corwin, bass player and singer with The Limeliters, said, “It is a pleasure to perform in this wonderful place. We’re glad to be able to help the restoration fund, and to bring our music to our many fans in the Ozarks.”
Springfield Regional Opera's Operazzi will feature tenor, Jeff Carney Sunday, April 20 from 6-8 p.m. at Nonna's Italian American Cafe in downtown Springfield. Carney, a local favorite, has appeared in concerts, operas and musical theatre in Springfield as well as roles with the San Francisco and Connecticut Opera. He is currently featured in the Vandivort Center Theatre's production of "Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris". Operazzi is free and open to the public and is featured as part of Nonna's Cast Party the third Sunday of every month. Reservations are recommended by calling 417-831-1222.
On Sunday, April 27, from 1 to 6pm, the Jefferson Avenue Footbridge Plaza area on Historic C-Street (Commercial Street) will be teeming with dogs of all sizes, shapes and varieties as the Springfield Regional Arts Council presents its first annual Arf-Fest. Teaming up with the Arts Council will be the Springfield Animal Advocacy Foundation (SAAF), a new animal advocacy group formed recently with the goal of eliminating homeless pets in Springfield.
Arf-Fest begins at 1pm in the "Pet Pavilion" in the C-Street Market area which will be filled with booths of more than a dozen pet vendors representing pet products, services and care purveyors of the area. At 2pm, contestants in the ever-popular "Beauty Show & Parade" will compete for fabulous prizes in categories like largest/smallest, most like owner and other equally whimsical categories. The event will include "Pets of the Past," a competition for the most interesting historic pet/owner combination, potentially a lavish costumed extravaganza with participants parading across the historic Jefferson Avenue Footbridge to be judged by a panel of judges. Arf-Fest committee members say the costumes don’t have to be “historically correct” – anything fanciful or whimsical will qualify towards the cash prizes to be awarded. Also featured will be "Plein Aire Pets," where a variety of local painters, sketch artists and photographers will be set up doing canine creations and many of whom will be on site to do pooch portraits. Any artist wishing to participate is invited to call the Arts Council. Admission is $3, children 10 and under free. A $5 admission includes entry into either or both competitions as well. For more information, to serve as a volunteer or to book a vendor space, contact the Springfield Regional Arts Council, 862-ARTS (2787).
Springfield Regional Arts Council has two openings in its Storefront Studios program beginning May 1, just in time for your Springtime creative ideas. The studios are located in a large “warehouse” on N. Main Street which is divided into 12 separate work areas, ***“You can’t beat the price,” says Sandra CH Smith, director of the Arts Council. “Terms on these studios are very favorable: $50 monthly covers rent and utilities. The first and last month rent is due when the monthly lease is signed and an additional $50 security deposit is required as well – the security deposit is returned when you move out provided all terms of the lease have been met. All you need to pay upfront is $150 and you have your own studio en ville.”*** One of the terms of the lease is that participants must spend at least 10 hours a week working on their art in the studio space. “We usually have a waiting list for these spaces and so we’re not just offering storage space…it’s to help artists and writers create,” explains Smith. These prime spots will be available on a first-come, first- served basis. Interested artists or writers may contact the Springfield Regional Arts Council for an application, 417-862-ARTS(2787).
Springfield Regional Arts Council is seeking volunteers to help with the 28th annual Artsfest. a Fine Arts event on May 3rd and 4th. . The event, which features over 100 artists from around the country, will be held along historic Walnut Street, from National Avenue to John Q. Hammons Parkway. Besides visual artists, there will also be stages set up along Walnut Street featuring a wide variety of musical entertainment. Volunteers are needed to keep the event running smoothly and as festival manager Erin Lurvey says, “It will be a ton of fun!”. Everything from manning soda stands or running messages to artists, to manning the entrance gates…there’s something for everyone. Three-hour shifts are set up beginning at 9:30am and ending at 6pm each day. Artsfest, a program of the Arts Council, is managed by the Urban Districts Alliance and anyone wishing to volunteer may contact UDA’s Sharyn Wagoner, 417-827-3657. A volunteer form (pdf) can be downloaded here which can then be faxed to Sharyn at 417-831-6217. For further information about Artsfest, contact the Arts Council, 417-862-ARTS(2787).
The Springfield Regional Arts Council will feature artwork by Rolla artist Paula Turney Brewer and Anne Meese as well as eight elementary and middle school art teachers from the Southwest Missouri region. Paula Turney Brewer has been drawing since the age of 10. Most of her work is done in graphite on canvas and woodblock prints. Her work resides in private, corporate and university collections and is carried by the Orval Reeves Art Gallery in Rolla and Meramec Vineyards Bistro in St. James. Anne Meese, artist-in-residence for the Springfield Regional Arts Council, will feature her paintings created while visiting over 40 elementary and middle schools throughout Southwest Missouri. Anne spent a day at each of these schools demonstrating painting tools and developing a painting throughout the school day. Eight art teachers from the schools Anne visited will also include a piece of their work in the show.
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Springfield, Missouri – Jessica Bebout of Clever High School in Christian County took top honors in the 12th Annual Seventh Congressional District High School Art Competition held at the Springfield Arts Council Creamery Center tonight—a contest sponsored by Congressman Roy Blunt. Bebout’s self portrait in computer generated photos was judged the best of a dozen works submitted. Art faculty members from seven Southwest Missouri colleges and universities lent their expertise in scoring the paintings. 
The Springfield Symphony will give its regards to Broadway with a free public performance at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, May, 3, at Jordan Valley Park, 735 E. Trafficway, to celebrate the annual Artsfest weekend of activities. 
(Springfield, Missouri…April 22, 2008) Springfield Little Theatre is proud to present from the creator of RENT!, The Area Premier of Jonathan Larson’s Tick, Tick…Boom!, May 2-18,at the historic Landers Theater, 311 East Walnut, Springfield, Missouri. 
Jefferson City, MO — Yesterday, the Missouri House of Representatives adopted House Concurrent Resolution 26, sponsored by Rep. Bob Dixon (R-Springfield). The concurrent resolution outlines the importance and benefits of fine arts education in public schools, and urges action by the executive branch to seek additional funding. 
Discovery Center offers summer enrichment classes for age 4 through 8th grade. These unique, educational experiences will cover a wide variety of exciting science, health, environmental and engineering topics. 
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Limeliters, one of the true legendary American folk music groups, are performing a benefit concert at the Gillioz Theatre Thursday, May 1, at 7:30 p.m. Proceeds will aid the theatre in its restoration. Known for great harmony, humor and contemporary satire, The Limeliters present a very entertaining show that will showcase the wonderful acoustics of the Gillioz Theatre. Tickets are now available at the Gillioz Theatre box office 417-863-9491 ($25 general admission; $20 student/senior). 
