Winter Festival Youth Art Exhibit Reception and Awards Ceremony

A public reception and awards ceremony was held on Friday, December 4th for the 2009 Winter Festival Youth Art Exhibit. See the photographs taken during that event by clicking here.

The exhibit is now hanging in City Hall Gallery, on the second floor of City Hall. The show will remain there until January 7th, 2010. It is free to the public and open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Parking is available in Kleman Plaza.

Special thanks to Assistant Superintendent, Shannon Lynch for stepping in at the last minute to hand out awards. Thanks also to Jo Marie Olk, Leon County Schools' Curriculum Development Coordinator and Fine Arts Developer for being there in support of the students and teachers

We are so appreciative for The Raa Middle School Strings Ensemble who provided the music for the opening reception. The student performers were: Sharon Davis, Chase Grim, Alex Haywood, Samantha Humphrey, Shelby Mantay, Angelina Mitchell, Inteser Mousa, Austin Peppers and Anna Russian. Their Musical Director is Victor Fernandez.

Congratulations the 2009 Winter Festival Youth Art Exhibition awards winners and their teachers.

Middle School Winners

1st Place

Jamesse Williams, Nims Middle School

Walter Thorner, Art Teacher

2nd Place

Destiny Bartels, Raa Middle School

Teresa Coates, Art Teacher

3rd Place

Rhea Donna Reyes, Fairview Middle School

Jason Glisson, Art Teacher

Honorable Mentions

Yasemin Altun, Fairview Middle School

Jason Glisson, Art Teacher

Ryan Crawford, Raa Middle School

Teresa Coates, Art Teacher

Casey McKinless, Gretchen Everhart School

Judy Jecko, Art Teacher

High School Winners

1st Place

Tommy Cooper, SAIL High School

Sheri Nilles, Art Teacher

2nd Place

Karla Vincent, SAIL High School

Carucha Bowles, Art Teacher

3rd Place

Mahvish Nisa, Rickards High School

Jeff Distefano, Art Teacher

Honorable Mentions

Tifani James, Florida State University School

Debi Barrett-Hayes, Art Teacher

Catherine Keckler, Home School

Anne Keckler, Art Teacher

John Skinner, SAIL High School

Dominic Gheesling, Art Teacher

Mayor's Award

Best of Show

Todd Jones, Lincoln High School

Marilyn Proctor-Givens, Art Teacher

Winter Festival Youth Art Exhibition

The Winter Festival Youth Art Exhibit for 2009 showcases youthful talent and imagination through 82 pieces of student artwork. Forty-one elementary, middle and high school art teachers submitted work on behalf of their students for the show. And, the entries represent 30 different area public, private and home schools. The dedication and professionalism of our area art teachers is evident in the quality of the student artwork on display in the gallery.

A public reception for the exhibition begins at 6:00pm on Friday, Dec.4th in the City Hall Gallery. The awards ceremony will start at 6:30pm with Leon County Superintendent of Schools Jackie Pons acting as master of ceremonies. It promises to be an evening of great pride for the students and awe-inspired admiration for those who see the show.

The exhibit is now hanging in the City Hall Gallery, 300 S. Adams St., second floor. The show will remain there until January 7th, 2010. It is free to the public and open Monday-Friday, 8:00am-5:30pm. Parking is available in Kleman Plaza. For more information about this or any upcoming exhibitions, please contact Amanda Karioth Thompson (amanda@cocanet.org) or Clint Riley (clint@cocanet.org) at COCA, (850) 224-2500.

Meet Erica Thaler, the newest COCANut!

As Development Director, Erica is overseeing fundraising for COCA’s mixed-use project, The Arts Exchange (www.the-arts-exchange.com).

Erica worked in radio for more than 20 years in broadcast media sales, integrated marketing, and management. Most recently, Erica worked at WFSU-TV and radio (NPR and PBS affiliates) securing corporate underwriting, grants, and event sponsorships.

She also served as the General Manager of the Tallahassee Symphony Youth Orchestras (now known as the TYO) where she discovered her passion for non-profit work and a commitment to arts advocacy. She now serves as a volunteer for the Tallahassee Bach Parley and is an enthusiastic violin student.

A graduate of UCLA with a degree in Political Science, Erica is a San Diego native, but proudly calls Tallahassee her home, along with her husband, two kids, and four Hungarian Vizslas.

Please join us in welcoming Erica to the COCA team.

Link Round-Up from the Arts (Out of Town)

The Mystery of Music
What about it has such power over human beings?

"We know what a pop song or an opera aria means because the words tell us—but how do we know what a symphony means?"

The Wall Street Journal
October 17, 2009

---

Questions on Diversity
by Michael Kaiser, President of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

"The more I consider this thorny issue, the less I am convinced that the arts world has worked hard enough to dissect the true costs, benefits and implications of recent diversity efforts."

The Huffington Post
November 6, 2009

---

First and Last Competitors Have the Edge

"For actors at auditions, musicians at competitions or anyone else whose work is sequentially judged against that of others, a nagging question often arises: Would I rather be the first person to be evaluated, or the last?"

Miller-McCune
October 20, 2009


Seen an article that might be of interest to the local arts community? E-mail randi@cocanet.org.

Art: 21-season 5

I’ve been watching the PBS series with relish and, as is the goal of this brilliant program, the episodes have sparked a philosophical discussion in my household. One of the focuses this season is on artists who work collaboratively on large scale pieces. This is not a new method of working. Artists have been employing this system throughout history often times with an apprenticeship element. Many successful contemporary artists such as Dale Chihuly and Damien Hirst (among many others) are well known for conceiving an idea, then handing the reins over to a team of people to execute it. The final piece is invariably attributed to the artist who originated the concept and not to those who made it manifest. In situations such as these, the question becomes, where does/should the ownership of the artwork lie? What do you think? To see full episodes visit http://www.pbs.org/art21/ or check your local PBS listings.

Winter Festival Youth Art Exhibit Reminder

Hey Art Teachers-

The Winter Festival Youth Art Exhibit deadline is approaching fast. I would encourage all of you to participate in this exhibit. The more educators who join in, the better the message we send about the quality of arts instruction in our community. Submit your application by Oct. 23rd via email (amanda@cocanet.org) or fax (224-2515). Questions? You're always welcome to give me a holler!

Can't wait to see what your students have been up to.

The Non-Local Buzz

SAY WHAT?! MUSICIANS HEAR BETTER

"Musical training can improve your hearing, according to several studies presented in Chicago at Neuroscience 2009, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. The studies found that serious musicians are better than other people at perceiving and remembering sounds."

NPR
October 19, 2009

---

CHARITIES GET MORE DONORS, FEWER DOLLARS
A survey finds that 51% of nonprofits saw a drop in fundraising this year.

"More than half of charities are experiencing a downturn in contributions so far this year compared to the same time in 2008, according to the Association of Fundraising Professionals."

Crain's New York
October 16, 2009

---

MOVING CEILINGS FOR SCULPTURES
Artists place increasing demands on museums; New Museum flies in steel works for Urs Fischer

"The contractors who built the New Museum's two-year-old, $50 million facility on Manhattan's Lower East Side returned this week. Their task: lower the second floor gallery's ceiling by 2 feet. The change order came from artist Urs Fischer, whose upcoming exhibition requires the museum to upend everything from its lighting to its architectural plans."

The Wall Street Journal
October 16, 2009

October is National Arts and Humanities Month

Today the Mayor will present a proclamation celebrating October, along with the rest of the nation, as Arts and Humanities month.

Like other "special" months, it's a time to learn more. This time it's about the arts and humanities in our corner of the world.

Start with the website, morethanyouthought.com. It provides the answer to the question "What is there to do in Tallahassee?" and for the month of October, 2009 it lists more than 250 such "things"-- All kinds of things, not just arts related, but primarily fed by arts and cultural groups themselves. It's a great place to check out as you plan your time in and around Tallahassee.

While you're online, go to COCAnet.org. Here you can find listings of arts and cultural organizations with links to their websites as well as an Artist Directory of visual and performing artists, also with links to their individual websites. COCAnet.org also has many resources for those artists and arts and cultural groups themselves in addition to citizens and visitors and provides information on cultural initiatives in town.

Take the time this month to visit a place you've never visited before. Maybe you're a "gallery person" who never attended live theatre or vice-versa. This is your chance to discover how much more inspired you can become while living here in the Capital City.

Fill any of your extra free hours by volunteering at one of the many arts and cultural organizations. You'll be amazed how welcome you will be.

It may be a surprise to learn how very much arts and culture there is in Tallahassee. In fact it will be morethanyouthought.