January 2020
Artstra has been working for a decade and, looking back, we've managed to get a lot done with so many dedicated and passionate volunteers. Open Studios, Poetry Moves and two Arts and Culture Summits to just name a few. We want to thank everyone who helped by attending, volunteering and donating to the efforts to bring arts and culture to our community.  
ARTS brief is designed to intrigue you while sharing useful information, events, happenings, and current news related to arts growth in our region. If you love what you see here, please forward this to your friends and encourage them to join our email list and subscribe.
Season 9 poems selected for Poetry Moves

Ride the bus, read a poem
Beginning this month, 10 new poems will appear in C-Tran buses, including one poem from Washington State's Poet Laureate Claudia Castro Luna. 

From 84 submissions, the final selected poems are:  Ian Caton, Soft Serve;  Lisa Demoreno, Earthworm;  Leigh Hancock, Sudades;  Rainy Knight, Grasshopers;  Claudia Castro Luna, Recipe;  Toni Lumbrazo Luna, Write Yourself a Love Poem;  Robin O'Brien, At the Station;  Jennifer Pratt-Walter, Life Soup;  Stephanie Spencer, Stopping Time; and  Terry Vetter, Old Man.

Congratulations to these wonderful poets! And many thanks to our juror Auburn, Washington Poet Laureate Susan Landgraf and especially to all poets who submitted their work.

Watch for a special tribute to all Poetry Moves contributing poets on April 26, during National Poetry Month .

Of surveyed visitors, 62% took the Clark County Open Studios Tour more than once. 38% took the tour for the first time.
Clark County Open Studios Tour has loyal followers

Artstra surveyed people who attended the Open Studios tour in order to understand our audience. Among other things, we learned from surveying 72 attendees was that people like the tour, rating it an average of 4.7 out of 5 for the overall quality of the experience and 100% of those surveyed plan to attend again. 78% of visitors purchased art on their tour.
National Unpublished Writers' Day at the Clark County Historical Museum 

Clark County Historical Museum, with Artstra, Rose City Book Pub, and Washington State University Vancouver will celebrate writing and Richard Brautigan during the 2020 National Unpublished Writers' Day event at the Museum on Saturday, January 25, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will be free and open to the public. 

Planned activities include readings, workshops on writing and publishing, and information and activities for writers of all ages. "National Unpublished Writers Day will highlight a broad approach to writing for Museum visitors," said Bradley Richardson, museum executive director. 

"We are truly honored to be a part of this year's National Unpublished Writers' Day," said Artstra chair, Karen Madsen. "By bringing together emerging and established writers, this event aligns perfectly with our organization's goal of supporting local artists and encouraging arts accessibility. This is just one more way to help writers find their voice and gain confidence and to ensure the arts thrive in our community." 

"Internationally acclaimed writer Richard Brautigan was born here in Washington," said John Barber, faculty at Washington State University Vancouver, a Brautigan scholar, and curator of the Museum's Brautigan Library collection. "He suffered many rejections before achieving success as a writer. The Brautigan Library celebrates Brautigan's vision and perseverance by providing a place where interested writers can share their narratives, regardless of content or quality.  National Unpublished Writers Day celebrates this collection, its mission, and Brautigan's birthday, Jan. 30, 1935, in Tacoma," Barber said. 


Clark County Historical Society and Museum
1511 Main Street, Vancouver
Professional development
Artstra hosts art marketing workshop

Create a one-page artist's marketing plan
Artstra is excited to host "The Artist's 1-Page Marketing Plan" at the Columbia Bank Community Room Saturday, April 18, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Mark your calendar!

In this workshop, Alyson Stanfield helps artists make sense of all that is possible to promote their art so that each artist can select a strategy tailored for their needs. Participants leave with a single, easy-to-follow plan for marketing their art. Stanfield is the founder of Art Biz Success, host of the Art Biz Podcast, and author of I'd Rather Be in the Studio: The Artist's No-Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion.

$57 ($69 after March 1). Only 48 seats are available.
 Registration opens on January 6. Stay tuned for more information.

Columbia Bank Community Room
101 E. 6th St., Vancouver
First Friday picks
Megan Eckman, Flatteringly Flat 15 (left), Alder Suttles, Silent Departure (right)
Megan Eckman and Alder Suttles at Anstine Gallery 

"In Stillness and Motion: Containment of the Aesthetic," an exhibit featuring the work of Megan Eckman and Alder Suttles will be available for viewing at the Anstine Sixth Floor Gallery December 23 through March 23. 

The Anstine Gallery is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, except holidays. 

Opening reception: 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., First Friday, January 3

Anstine Sixth Floor Gallery
Public Service Center
1300 Franklin St., Vancouver
"Mass Residue" promotional postcard
"Mass Residue" experiential installation at the CAVE

Art At The Cave offers an immersive and experiential installation today through January 25. 

A collective of artists will convert the gallery into a malleable container for individual and collective acts of renewal. This exhibit blurs the lines between domestic and digital technology. Using microcontrollers, the artists have converted the gallery into an environment which changes sonically, visually and physically in response to its visitors.  Collaborators include: Calico Randall, Crystal Cortez, Hannah Piper Burns, Helen Spencer-Wallace, Loulou Fernandez, Fernanda D'Agostino, Sandy Sampson, Sarah Turner, Tara Murino Brault, and Vika Ayers.

Opening reception: 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., First Friday, January 3 

108 E. Evergreen Blvd., Vancouver
Jennifer Williams, Noble Ridge
"New Works" from gallery artists at Art on The Boulevard

Art on the Boulevard gallery continues to bring in new work from the excellent artists they represent. January is no exception with wonderful new pieces well worth viewing. 

A project of Friends of the Arts, Art on the Boulevard is a non-profit art gallery whose mission is to establish a community environment in which the arts flourish. The work of over 50 Northwest artists allows the gallery to display a wide variety of media and styles.

Reception: 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., First Friday, January 3 

210 W. Evergreen Blvd., Vancouver
For other Vancouver First Friday listings,  see VDA's Hot Sheet 
Music
Cellist David Machavariana with pianist  Ketevan Badridze
Musica Lanterna: Cellist David Machavariana and pianist  Ketevan Badridze

Musica Lanterna Concert Series Project is hosting their third concert of the season on January 18. Join Georgian-American guest artists from Indiana Ketevan Badridze (piano) and David Machavariana (cello) in a concert of solo piano and piano-cello chamber music performance in the intimate space of Tandem Hall at Boomerang Bistro.  The program will include works by Mozart, Rachmaninoff, Chopin, and Debussy. 
Doors open at 6:15 p.m. with an art exhibition and cafĂ©/bar. Concert begins at 7:00 p.m. 

Tandem Hall at Boomerang Bistro
808 Main St., Vancouver

5th  Annual Piano Extravaganza: The Return of the Duo Grand Pianos

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra continues its Chamber Music Series in the new year with "The Return of the Duo Grand Pianos" on January 19 at 3 p.m. The fifth annual Piano Extravaganza is hosted by the VSO and is one of biggest piano events in Vancouver. It will feature brilliant local pianists, including VSO pianists and board member, Dr. Michael Liu; Vancouver pianist, teacher, president CCMTA and VSO board member, Dimitri Zhgenti; Vancouver pianist and teacher, Dr. Kathy Edsill-Charles; and East Meets West Piano-Duo and Vancouver teachers, Dr. Elena Vozkeiko-Wheaton and Cinda Redman.


First Presbyterian Church
4300 Main St., Vancouver
Theater
Improv at Magenta Theater 

Magenta's Improv Team (MIT) will be performing January 25 at 7:30 p.m. MIT players promise audiences they are prepared to launch into 2020 with
a whole new barrel of laughs in downtown Vancouver. Don't miss this opportunity to attend a family friendly event where you can be assured it's safe to bring the kids and grandparents. Magenta has tasty concessions to
round out the evening, in addition to beer, wine and cocktails.

Performance: January 25, 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m.

More info and tickets

Magenta Theater
1108 Main St., Vancouver
Poetry Happenings
Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic with Luther Allen and J.I. (Judy) Kleinberg

This month's Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic is Thursday, January 9, at 7 p.m., featuring Luther Allen and J.I. (Judy) Kleinberg.

Luther Allen writes and designs buildings from Sumas Mountain, Washington. He facilitates SpeakEasy, a community poetry reading series in Bellingham and is co-editor of Noisy Water, an anthology of local poets. His collection of poems, The View from Lummi Island is published by Other Mind Press.

A Pushcart and Best of the Net nominee, J.I. (Judy) Kleinberg is co-editor of 56 Days of August (Five Oaks Press 2017) and Noisy Water: Poetry from Whatcom County, Washington (Other Mind Press 2015). Her poetry has appeared in One, Pontoon, Pedestal Magazine, Psaltery & Lyre, December, and elsewhere, and more than 300 of her found-word collage poems have been published in print and online.

Hosted by Christopher Luna and Toni Lumbrazo Luna of Printed Matter Vancouver. Open Mic sign up begins at 6:30 p.m. and closes at 7 p.m.


1015 Main St., Vancouver
Opportunities
Society of Washington Artists meetings

The Society of Washington Artists (SWA) begins the new year with two Saturday meetings so that artists who are unable to attend the regular SWA monthly meetings can participate. 

Saturday, January 18, 10 a.m. at the Frost Center, Clark College (main campus) room 103, will be the first meeting. The program, presented by Karen Madsen of Artstra, will include tips on preparing a canvas for your next masterpiece.  Information about registering for the SWA spring show in May will also be presented. Online registration for the show starts February 1. 

A Saturday meeting on March 21 at the Clark College location will feature Barbara DePirro, representative from Golden Paints. 

Any interested person is welcome to attend the meetings. There is no charge to attend. 

SWA is a 501(c)(3) non profit promoting arts and artists in Washington.


Our all-volunteer organization works toward building greater arts awareness, rewarding creative excellence, and expanding arts accessibility. We are working to facilitate long-term arts development for Southwest Washington. We envision a stronger arts infrastructure that includes an art center and a community-focused performing arts facility. 

Your support will help to make this vision a reality. Artstra's current programs include our annual Clark County Open Studios Tour and Poetry Moves, a collaborative effort that features the words of local poets on C-Tran buses. Both of these programs have already demonstrated the power of art in our lives to connect us, transform us, and fuel the economy.
5 ways to support the cause
If you love what Artstra is doing for our community, please consider the different ways that you can contribute.

  1. Donate
    Use PayPal to make a tax-deductible donation to Artstra. 
     
  2. Declutter
    Give useable items to Nifty and Thrifty at 6607 E. Mill Plain Blvd. And when those items sell, the money is split 50/50 with participating nonprofits. Just let them know your items are donated to benefit Artstra.
     
  3. Shop
    Link your Fred Meyer Rewards Card to Artstra using our code #84120. Just by using your rewards card number, and at no cost to you, every time you shop you'll help Artstra earn a quarterly donation from Fred Meyer.
     
  4. Shop online
    Use this link to login to Amazon, and they will donate a portion of the proceeds from your purchase back to Artstra.
     
  5. Volunteer
    Artstra is an all-volunteer organization. If you have specialized skills, especially in fundraising, outreach and marketing,
    we'd love to talk with you. 
ARTS brief team

Cam Suttles, editor,  designer 
Jackie Genis, contributing writer
Editorial Policy and submission guidelines
ARTS brief is intended to be useful to readers by offering a curated selection of stories and announcements related to the growth of arts in our region. Submitted items should be newsworthy. This means that arts-related items for content consideration must perform well in at least two of the following five areas: timing, significance, proximity, prominence, and human interest. Please submit materials to artsbrief@artstra.org, no later than the 25th of each month. Note that submission does not guarantee publication. We evaluate each submission to determine how it fits our goals for ARTS brief and whether the item under consideration aligns with the mission and vision of Artstra. We do not accept materials that primarily have a commercial objective.
About Artstra
Artstra, formerly "Arts of Clark County," is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization advocating for the arts in Clark County and southwest Washington. We envision a vibrant arts economy in our region, north of the Columbia River, with public/private investments and facilities that sustain artists and enrich community. Our mission is to elevate the arts, build greater arts awareness, reward creative excellence, and expand arts accessibility.