Exhibit born in harsh Black Rock Desert
January 5, 2009
The annual artistic expression camp in the desert of Nevada (left), will be displayed beginning Jan. 9 with others at the UP Front gallery.
Exhibit born in harsh Black Rock Desert
Take hundreds of artists, put them in the middle of a Nevada desert in August and you have Burning Man.
The name has nothing to do with immolation or the sunburn some of the artisans experience from the 110-degree heat in the Black Rock Desert, 120 miles north of Reno.
Burning Man, an annual temporary community, is the world’s largest outdoor art gallery. For one week each year, participants gather to create a community based on self-expression, sharing, self-reliance, and the creation of art without judgment and competition, said Karen Abel, executive director of artEAST. Read more
Two local sopranos star in opera ‘Figaro’
December 29, 2008
Two local musicians play starring roles in Lyric Opera Northwest’s first production of the new year, one of the most beloved operas of all time — “Le nozze di Figaro, Ossia la Folle Giornata” (“The Marriage of Figaro,” or “The Day of Madness”). Read more
A reluctant artist in demand
December 22, 2008
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Gonzalo Marino, of Klahanie, describes how the water line is too low in one of his earliest paintings based on a famous painting. PHotos by David Hayes
Call him the reluctant artist. Unlike most painters, Gonzalo Marino finds it almost too painful to bear parting with his finished works.
“I put so many hours into making them, I grow attached to them and don’t want to let them go,” he said. “I put them on the Web, asking outrageous prices, like $50,000 for one, or 5 million Euros for another.”
So, for now, Marino’s hobby adorns only the walls of his Klahanie home. However, the 54-year-old son of a Columbian immigrant made the mistake of letting others see his work. Now, word has gotten out about his fairly unique style, creating a demand.
Through his research, Marino discovered only a handful of painters in the world who use clay as their medium, and he may be the only one using modeling clay strictly for abstracts, landscapes and city scenics. Read more
Art students go EAST
December 15, 2008
Ready for a new experience
December 8, 2008
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Skyline High School sophomore Brennan Bartel, one of 15 musicians chosen to participate in the Experience: The Band project, practices on his guitar . Contributed
Jimi Hendrix gave us one of rock’s most classic albums, “The Jimi Hendrix Experience.” Later, the city of Seattle built one of the most unique museums, The Experience Music Project, in tribute to its native son. Read more
Recipe for a homemade gift
December 8, 2008
Scour the Internet and you’ll find many Web sites that offer step-by-step instructions to make an inexpensive Christmas gift.
Here’s one from
www.flowerpossibilities.com: Read more
Author pens leadership guide for white menBy David Hayes
December 1, 2008
Corporate trainer, coach and consultant Chuck Shelton, of Sammamish, compiled the biggest obstacles white leaders have faced in his 20 years in his new book, ‘Leadership 101 for White Men.’ Photo by David Hayes.
Chuck Shelton knows he’s got a hard sell ahead of him with his new book. Just the title alone is enough to turn heads — “Leadership 101 for White Men: How to Work Successfully with Black Colleagues and Customers.”
“Most of the time, the first reaction in people is they’re intrigued,” said Shelton, a Sammamish Plateau resident since 1989. “Then, they look at me and ask, ‘What could you possibly know about the subject?’
“African-Americans see the title and generally laugh,” he added. “Then, they quiz me to check my credentials.”
It boils down to what Shelton has learned in the past 20 years as a corporate trainer, coach and consultant. Essentially, he’s a leadership developer who has helped executives from some of the region’s biggest corporations, from Microsoft and Key Bank to Safeco and Comcast.
In his research of the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, Shelton found that there are nearly six million white men in leadership jobs in the United States. White men used to be in charge in more than half the jobs. Now, that number is down to 38 percent. Shelton said he has seen estimates that by 2050, there will be no ethnic majority at all in the U.S. Read more
Cinderella’s slipper moved to Skyline
December 1, 2008
The Issaquah High School cast members of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s ‘Cinderella’ pose in all their finery. Photo by Chantelle Lusebrink.
Once upon a time there was a prince, a cinder girl and an evil stepmother — we all know how the story goes. But you won’t want to miss Issaquah High School’s presentation of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Cinderella” this season.
Featuring classic songs, like “The Prince Is Giving a Ball,” “Impossible” and “Stepsisters’ Lament,” the teen actors put on a fun and magical holiday show.
“We want people to walk out feeling happier and feeling like maybe life isn’t so hard,” said Jessica Smith, a junior who is one of two girls playing Cinderella. “We want them to feel that there is hope left, that something miraculous can still happen.”
They’ll help make those feelings come alive by staging their performance at Skyline High School, where they’ll Read more
First Stage to get ground-up reconstruction
November 24, 2008
Village Theatre is planning a $2.5 million replacement of its First Stage building at 120 Front St. N., originally built in 1913 By Jon Savelle.
To look at Village Theatre’s First Stage building, you wouldn’t immediately think it needs replacing. The facade at 120 Front St. N. is painted and in good shape, and the structure behind is hard to see.
When you do see the rest of the building, you understand why the arts institution plans to tear down everything but the facade and rebuild it from the ground up. Built in 1913 as a movie theater, the wood-frame structure is not supported by any kind of foundation, the siding and roof are shot, and the whole building sags.
A replacement will cost about $2.5 million, said Village Theatre Executive Producer Robb Hunt. Corporate and government fundraising is under way, with construction permits being the next objective. A public fundraising campaign has not begun.
Already, Pacific Rim Architecture has designed a new building, which will resemble the old one while incorporating modern systems, materials and flexible spaces. It will be environmentally ‘green’ enough for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.
Improvements like a larger lobby, new restrooms and new office space are also part of the plan, but the core element is the theater itself. Now one long, narrow room with a sloping floor, the theater is awkward and cramped. The stage is small and has no wings, so lighting, sets and other equipment share it with performers.
In the new theater, the floor will be flat. Movable seating will allow the whole room to be opened up for classes and rehearsals, while a new, larger stage finally will have wings. A “green room,” or gathering place for actors, will be provided, as will a new control room and a staff restroom.
“It’s going to make a big difference in the experience for pretty much everybody,” Hunt said.
First Stage has two primary functions. One is to provide space for the development of new musical productions, a specialty for which Village Theatre has won a national reputation. The other priority is KIDSTAGE, for youth theater production and drama training. Some 1,000 students are enrolled in such programs, split between Issaquah and Village Theatre’s Everett site, and now First Stage will have space for classes.
“This will be a much nicer facility for them, and a much nicer facility for audiences to go in,” Hunt said.
Once funding is lined up, permits are obtained and the First Stage building is built, Village Theatre will have the enviable distinction of owning three excellent buildings, Hunt said. The Mainstage theater, built in the style of older structures on Front Street, was built from scratch in 1994. Two blocks away, the theater’s scene shop is just a year old and is replete with carpentry, painting, design, finishing and assembly areas.
Village Theatre is, in fact, the second largest theater organization in the Northwest and by far the largest arts institution on the Eastside, Hunt said.
His next objective is not another building but an endowment that would allow the organization to maintain an investment while spending only the interest income from it. But establishing an endowment is a task that will require marketing and persuasion.
“One of the things that really helps is people remembering arts organizations in their wills,” Hunt said.
Reach Reporter Jon Savelle at 392-6434, ext. 234, or jsavelle@isspress.com.
Demonstrations showcase ‘artists in action’
November 18, 2008
More than a dozen artists will demonstrate their techniques and share their talent and enthusiasm for the arts during the downtown “Artists in Action” event from 5-8 p.m. Nov. 21.
