News and Events
December 14, 2015
In This Issue
In Missoula...
Elsewhere in Montana and the Region...
Nationally...
Internationally...
SPARK!
Any Given Child Missoula
First Friday Gallery Walk
Missoula Events
Visit our New Website
MCC Arts & Cultural Directory
Art & Economy
Join Our List
MCC Members
MCC's
Facebook page
MCC 2015 Calendar
Missoula's Sister Cities
The Missoula
Cultural Council

 In Missoula...


 
 First Night Missoula, the New Year's Eve community celebration of the arts, is three weeks away! 12 hours, 80 events,  25 venues.  Visit  here  or call 541-0860 for more information. 








First Night Spotlight, the annual High School singing competition, will be held at the Dennison Theatre on the UM campus this year during First Night Missoula on New Year's Eve.  Admission is a First Night Button plus a $2 ticket to assure your seat for the show. Visit here for tickets and information.  






The Missoula Art Museum p resents   Terrain: Plateau Native Art & Poetry through February 27, 2016; John Buck: Free for All through March 12; Good Wood: Carved And Cut From MAM's Permanent Collection through March 12; A Few of My Favorite Things, an exhibition selected by MAM's Senior Exhibition Curator Emeritus Stephen Glueckert, through December 23; MaryAnn Bonjorni: Legends Are History, through January 2 (pictured here).




The Montana World Affairs Council has an immediate opening and is accepting resumes for the position of Executive Director. This is a full-time, salaried position, reporting to the Board of Directors.  The Montana World Affairs Council, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization founded in 2000, enables Montanans to appreciate the relationship of foreign policy and international issues to their lives in the Rockies. The Council offers opportunities to better understand world events through people-to-people diplomacy, distinguished speakers, overseas visits, and educational outreach programs. As globalization reaches into all corners of the Big Sky, the Council seeks to help educate citizens about their increased political, economic, and cultural integration into the world community. Interested applicants should email resume, cover letter, and three professional references to snyberg@sglong.com.  Visit here for more.

     



Dolce Canto entertains the Monday Night Football crowd at halftime tonight, December 14, at the  Thomas Meagher Bar (130 W. Pine St.) for  Community Monday.  So come celebrate the season with dinner, beverages, Christmas carols, while supporting Dolce Canto. Visit   here for information.





Radius Gallery presents a reception and viewing of Ed Jenne's creative card designs at a special open house, Wednesday, December 16, from 3:00 to 6:30 pm. This one-night-only exhibit will feature over 25 unique holiday designs from past years and will present, for the very first time, three delightful new illustrations made especially for 2015. Light refreshments will be served.  Call 541-7070.
 
 
 
 
The Captain Wilson Conspiracy presents a CD release party for "Used Rocketship Salesman" on December 17 at 7:00 p.m. at the Missoula Winery and Events Center (5646 W. Harrier, 406.830.3296).  Tickets $10 at the door.  
 


The Garden City Duplicate Bridge Club is offering free bridge lessons from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 noon on December 19. This group of three lessons will introduce you to Play of the Hand. The lessons will be given at 2825 Stockyard Road Building I Unit 3 in Missoula. Call Beth Loehnen at 546-1512 to register for the class.


  
The Sound of Music is a Missoula Community Theatre production for the holiday season at the MCT Center for the Performing Arts, continuing December 16-20. For tickets, visit here or call the box office at 728-7529. 





Nancy Seiler presents Art Workshops throughout November and December at her studio at 330 Brooks Street. The next workshop is Thursday, December 17, from 9:00 a.m.- noon:  Monoprinting with GOLDEN OPEN Acrylics and GELLI Plate. We'll use stencils and other shapes to create one-of-a-kind works of art. Give a print as a holiday gift. Make cards. It's fun and cleans up with water. On Saturday, December 19, from 1:00-4:00 p..m.:  Markmaking with GOLDEN High Flow Acrylics. GOLDEN High Flow Acrylics can be used in dip pens, markers, daubers, and sprayers! Let's experiment and see what we create! Nancy is a certified GOLDEN Art Educator. Call 370-1254 to register.




This coming December 21, Michael Marsolek and Lawrence Duncan will be presenting a Musical Dreamtime Journey at St. Anthony parish at 7:00 p.m.  These annual concerts celebrating the season of lights and winter solstice have been presented around the region for nearly two decades. Each performance features a variety of world instruments and sounds, including: Didgeridoos, Ethnic Flutes, Bassoon, Saxophones, Drums and Percussion Instruments, Harp, Tibetan Bowls, Voices and other musical surprises. Unique to the world of performing arts, Dreamtime Journey concerts are held without applause, in the round, and by candlelight. And for contemplative comfort, participants are encouraged to bring pillows, pads and blankets etc. For many attendees, the Musical Dreamtime Journey has become an annual holiday tradition and a great way to de-stress during the sometimes frenetic season. Tickets: $15.00 at the door. For more information, please contact Michael at 370-3339



  

Zootown Arts Community Center has two Calls for Artists. Art Activism, co-sponsored with the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, has a deadline of January 10, 2016. All Works must depict a social, environmental, or political issue. This juried group show is kicking off 2016's Big Sky Film Festival in February. The 4th Annual Mini Benefit Show deadline is February 1, 2016. All Works must be 12"x12"x12". This art auction celebrating everything miniature will take place on March 26, 2016 at the Wilma.  Visit here for more. 





MCT is participating in Toys for Tots this holiday season.  Please drop off new, unwrapped toys for a deserving child at the MCT Center for the Performing Arts before December 23, between the hours of 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Monday-Friday.  You may also drop toys off one hour before each performance of The Sound of Music (Dec 3-6, 9-13 and 16-20).  For more information, call MCT at 728-1911.  





The Missoulian is accepting submissions for the 2016 MLK Youth Art & Essay Contest. Submit a piece of 2-D art work or an essay, poem or letter of no more than 250 words in response to the quote "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."  Handwritten or typed essays will be accepted. Artwork may be any medium but no larger than 8.5 X 11 inches.  On the back of each entry please include the student's full name, grade, school, home address and home telephone number. Entries will not be returned unless special arrangements are made.  To enter you must be a student in preschool-12th grade in Western Montana. Entries must be received at the Missoulian by December 18. Winners will receive a cash prize, be featured in the Missoulian, and recognized at the MLK Community Celebration on Monday, January 18, 2016.  For questions, contact Ben Mincks. here




The Missoula Children's Theatre celebrates 2016 with its original, world-premiere of The Snow Queen.  This winter performing arts class runs January 18-February 21 and is open to Grades K-12.  Give the gift of wonder this Holiday season with a registration to The Snow Queen!  Register here.



You can't buy love, you can purchase laughter for a holiday gift! The Missoula Community Theatre ushers in 2016 with The Drowsy Chaperone, a Tony Award-winning spoof of musical comedies! (January 21-31). But wait, there's more! The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) is a zany, non-musical production that will appeal to anyone who loves a good laugh. (March 10-20). Rounding out the season is Mary Poppins, the Broadway musical. (April 28-May 15).  Visit here for more.





For more information about arts events in the Missoula area, visit our website  
 Elsewhere in Montana and the Region...


Humanities Montana's next grant application deadline is December 20 for regular (over $1,000), fellowship, and three-year sustaining grants (must have received funding in a prior year to apply in this last grant category). Grant decisions will be made by February 9, 2016.






The Carbon County Arts Guild of Red Lodge presents The Art of Mike Kosorok, continuing through December.  Mike has been a professional artist for over 40 years and is well-known in the region for his broad, sweeping landscape paintings of the Beartooth Mountains and the area around Red Lodge and Bear Creek, Montana.  Mike works in oil, watercolor, pen and ink and mixed media.  He is recently retired from his teaching career in the Red Lodge schools.  Also through December,
the Rock Creek Miniature Exhibit.  See artwork in small size created by many of the Guild's artists.  A challenge for most artists, the miniature artwork will delight everyone.  All works of art in this show are 6"x8" or smaller.  Consider a gift of art for the holidays.  In the Guild's North Gallery for December and continuing through January 31, 2016.  The 6th Annual Holiday Bazaar continues through the end of December.  Browse the selection of scarves, socks, jewelry, pottery, notecards, small paintings, bags, and more as you consider everyone on your gift list.  For more information, call the Guild in Red Lodge at 446-1370.




 
Dolce Canto presents A Spotless Rose, Thursday, December 17, at 7:00 p.m. at the  Superior LDS Church (12 Moats Ln.). (Doors open at 6:45).  Presented by the Mineral County Performing Arts Council.  This holiday concert will feature music themed around the Virgin Mary as a universal symbol of perfect love and motherhood. This compelling program will feature music from a variety of traditions and ideologies. Visit here for more information.
 



The  Yellowstone Art Museum in Billings announces the opening of a thought-provoking exhibition, Persistent Memories: Narrative Sculptures by Willem Volkersz. The exhibition will remain on view through January 3.  "A Lonely Business": Isabelle Johnson's Montana opened on Tuesday, November 3 and remains on view through January 3, 2016. 


 


The Montana A Cappella Society presents Christmas - Savory and Sweet, on December 19, at the Hamilton Performing Arts Center. The group performs as both the Greenwich Village voices- a hip group from the early 1950's, and well as in full Victorian regalia.  Call 363-5778, or visit here




 
The Sanders County Arts Council announces the Fourth Quarter exhibit of Art on the Walls, at the Clark Fork Valley Hospital.  In addition to the artwork of Sanders County artists, John Meckler will demonstrate his techniques for chip carving; Kathy Logan and Jack Stamm will provide music on hammered dulcimers; and refreshments will be provided by the CFVH Hospital. The exhibit runs through December 20. Artists exhibiting work are: Katherine G. Cavill, Ellen Childress, Valerie Curtiss, Andrew Gonzalez, Rachel Gonzalez, Rick Harter, George Humeston, Cricket Johnston, Arlene Littlefield, Sue Honts Mann, Dane McNabb, John Meckler, Shirley Proctor, and Douglas Wilks.   For more information call 826-8585.





For complete information about arts and entertainment throughout the region, visit www.livelytimes.com 

Nationally...

Los Angeles' Hot New Arts District Creates Problems For Artists
Los Angeles Times, Dec 09, 2015  
Way back in July of last year, The Times ran a story about how development in the downtown Los Angeles Arts District - the old industrial zone between 1st and 7th Streets, east of Alameda - had long-time residents concerned about rising rents pushing out the very artists for whom the neighborhood is named. "Don't forget the art and the artist," said painter Jett Jackson at the time.What a difference 18 months make. If development in the Arts District was then at a steady simmer, it is now on super boil. Click here



Will The University Of Oklahoma Finally Return A Nazi-Looted Impressionist Painting?
The New York Times, Dec 07, 2015
After fighting for years, the University of Oklahoma is now negotiating the terms under which it will return a Pissarro painting to a Jewish family whose relatives had their artworks looted by the Nazis. The terms of any possible agreement are unclear, and the discussions may yet founder. But the negotiations are an abrupt turnaround in a case that drew wide attention. The university did not deny that the painting, "La Bergère," or "Shepherdess Bringing in Sheep," was part of a collection looted by the Nazis from a businessman, Raoul Meyer, but instead had raised objections to returning the work based on procedural rules and the statute of limitations. It had also produced evidence that the work had been bought by a subsequent owner in good faith. Raoul Meyer's daughter, Léone Meyer, sued the university to recover the painting. Click here



The Bronx, Where Art Is Saving The World
The New Yorker, Nov 30, 2015
Alizah Olivo is eight years old and lives in the South Bronx. Her father, Nelson, works as the maintenance supervisor at a homeless shelter, and her mother, Carmen, registers admittances in an emergency room. Alizah has three brothers and one sister; she is the second youngest. The family's apartment is on the fourth floor of a recently constructed apartment building on Washington Avenue, in the Morrisania section. On the building's first and basement levels is the DreamYard Project, the largest arts organization in the Bronx.  Click here



Google's New 360 Can Put You Inside An Arts Performance
Wired, Dec 03, 2015  
Google just made it possible for you to score a seat at The Metropolitan Opera without shelling out hundreds of dollars. You can even step on the stage. Oh, and you can do it from the comfort of your own living room. Today, the Google Cultural Institute announced a new partnership with 60 performing arts institutes around the world to bring 360-degree view, live performances to online audiences.  Click here


Internationally...

Tehran Symphony Cancels Concert When Authorities Object To Women Musicians
Iran Human Rights, Dec 09, 2015
The Tehran Symphony Orchestra cancelled a performance that had been planned for the closing ceremony of an international wrestling event on November 29, 2015, after the authorities objected to the presence of women musicians among the orchestra members. The Iranian Student News Agency's (ISNA) report of the incident suggested that the women musicians had not fully observed the hijab, or female head covering. "I said all of us will perform together or we will leave the hall," ISNA quoted Ali Rahbari, the orchestra's artistic director. "Some tried to resolve the problem but eventually they said the women cannot be allowed to perform, so I said we will not perform." Rahbari described the treatment of women musicians as "embarrassing" and added, "The women musicians were going to perform the country's national anthem. Why shouldn't they? I have said many times that I was born in this country and I know very well where the red lines are. As long as I'm the director of this orchestra, I will not allow this kind of treatment."  Click here



Banksy Has Had It With Anti-Immigration Rhetoric
The New York Times, Dec 13, 2015
The graffiti artist Banksy unveiled his latest artworks on Friday - immigration-themed murals that he painted onto public spaces in and around the "jungle," a refugee camp near Calais, France. The main image in the new series, posted on Banksy's home page, is a portrait of the Apple co-founder and former chief executive Steve Jobs, whose father immigrated to the United States from Syria. In a statement provided by a spokeswoman Banksy said: "We're often led to believe migration is a drain on the country's resources, but Steve Jobs was the son of a Syrian migrant. Apple is the world's most profitable company, it pays over $7 billion a year in taxes - and it only exists because they allowed in a young man from Homs.  Click here



Japan Is Covering Its Military With Cute Anime Characters
The New Yorker, Dec 03, 2015
Surrounded on all sides by ocean, postwar Japan has long been able to rely upon the United States military for strategic protection. But tense territorial disputes with neighboring countries, the capture and beheading of two Japanese journalists by ISIS in February, and the horror of the terror attacks in Paris have all served to remind the Japanese of the limits of physical isolation and dependence upon others. This, in turn, has fed an ongoing debate over the mission of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Is their role truly one of self-defense, pure and simple? Or does the Japanese constitution allow for preëmptive strikes outside of domestic borders, in the manner of a traditional military? The question won't be settled anytime soon. But it's fascinating to watch how Japan's armed forces have endeared themselves to the Japanese public.  Click here


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Tom at MCC

MCC - Connecting Art, Culture and Community through Education, Advocacy and Celebration.  As the official cultural agency for Missoula, MCC provides the community with resources for the development and promotion of arts and culture, maintains Missoula's sister-city relationships with Neckargemund, Germany and Palmerston North, New Zealand and produces the annual First Night Missoula celebration on New Year's Eve. For more information, please visit our website www.missoulacultural.org. 

 

Contact Us:
Missoula Cultural Council
327 East Broadway
P.O. Box 7662
Missoula, MT 59807

406-541-0860
406-541-0861 (fax)