tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45158676385160764972024-03-13T21:13:04.129-07:00COPPeR: Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak RegionCOPPeR serves a two-county region in Southern Colorado, advocating and communicating about arts, culture and creativity.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4515867638516076497.post-54546791511540682272011-12-19T16:30:00.000-08:002011-12-19T23:35:15.895-08:00To be of useby Marge Piercy<br /> <br />The people I love the best<br />jump into work head first<br />without dallying the shallows<br />and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight.<br />They seem to become natives of that element,<br />the black sleek heads of seals<br />bouncing like half submerged balls.<br /> <br />I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,<br />who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience,<br />who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward,<br />who do what has to be done, again and again.<br /> <br />I want to be with people who submerge<br />in the task, who go into the fields to harvest<br />and work in a row and pass the bags along,<br />who stand in the line and haul in their places,<br />who are not parlor generals and field deserters<br />but move in a common rhythm<br />when the food must come or the fire to be put out.<br /> <br />The work of the world is common as mud.<br />Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.<br />But the thing worth doing well done<br />has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident.<br />Greek amphoras for wine or oil,<br />Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums <br />but you know they were made to be used.<br />The pitcher cries for water to carry<br />and a person for work that is real.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4515867638516076497.post-84517190360486128292011-12-02T10:20:00.000-08:002011-12-02T14:50:59.019-08:00Poetry While You Wait SubmissionsPoets and poetry lovers – now is the time to submit your original poems to the Pikes Peak Poet Laureate Project for the next Poetry While You Wait poetry booklet. Submission is free and open to all residents, adults and children, of El Paso and Teller counties. This year, poems will be considered in English and foreign languages. If you wish to submit your poems in a foreign language, include your original foreign language poem and its English translation. All forms (free verse, blank verse, etc.) will be considered for publication. You may submit up to five poems, 30 lines or shorter, and suitable for public consumption, in the body of one e-mail, not an attachment, to poet@pikespeakpoetlaureate.org. Or mail to: Jim Ciletti, Poet Laureate, 1215 N. Union, Colorado Springs, 80909. Deadline is December 7, 2011. Please include your postal and e-mail address and phone number and a one-line bio with your submission. Poetry While You Wait will be published in Spring and distributed to waiting rooms, like your doctor’s or dentist’s office, tire stores, auto repair shops, beauty salons, barber shops, etc. – wherever there is a waiting area. Contact: Jim Ciletti - 634-2367.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4515867638516076497.post-18191973390144432302011-09-07T16:19:00.000-07:002011-09-07T16:19:31.667-07:00Tree-Ring Circus<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAAAAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36139425" /></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;">__________<br />
<br />
The tree rings on the small tree on the sidewalk outside the COPPeR Office are part of the <a href="http://artonthestreets.com/">Art on the Streets</a> (AOTS) public sculpture program that exhibits artwork for one year in Colorado Springs' downtown corridor. Eleven sculptors from around the country were juried in and invited to place work around town. I think this work has some properties that are atypical of artwork one typically finds in the area or as part of this type of art program. And, it may be Colorado Springs' first multiple-sited, site-specific, community-specific artwork. It might also be the largest. <br />
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It's challenging to create a work like this, because it follows contemporary art sensibilities and practices that don't get talked about much here. Maybe this is because there hasn't been anything like this, although an even larger art installation is going to take place in Manitou this October with <a href="http://manitouchairproject.org/">The Chair Project</a>. This work seeks to expand ideas about art, art making and art's value in the region.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 16px;"><br />
After the work was installed, I emailed the organizers of the AOTS program to illuminate some of the reasons for my work. AOTS gave the installation a second place award, even though </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 16px;">they did not have an artist statement at the time of adjudication.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><br />
</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><br />
</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">As I explained in the email:</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><br />
</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">There is a gesture toward the businesses and activities in the vicinity of each sculpture siting--not in the rings themselves. The rings are purposely non-objective and use a black & white color scheme to differentiate them from any common associations with other things. I changed pattern recognition on a couple of the trees to deviate from conformity and habituation of the viewer. One tree has colored rings, but it proves to be the hardest to find. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></span></i><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><i>The sites I chose were based on several factors:<br />
<br />
-the physical characteristics of the tree (straight saplings when possible)<br />
-the visual aspects of the site (noisy to serene sites, the rings have a different effect in each)<br />
-frequency of occurrence and the use of both sides of the street (about 3 per block along 7 blocks)<br />
-the kind of businesses or social activities in the immediate area (the rings could bring visitors to each site, endorsing existing businesses and bring attention to vacancies or new businesses)<br />
-the likeliness or unlikeliness of vandalism </i></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';">Following are site selection photos taken in early April followed by completed installation photos taken the morning of June 24, along with my thoughts and reasons about siting. At the end of the email is an artist statement and something about how the rings were made and installed.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><br />
Thank you for reading. <br />
<br />
- Sean O'Meallie</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: small;">__________</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';"><br />
</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">Tree Ring Circus</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"> -<br />
</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">#1. SW corner of Boulder & Tejon<br />
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<img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAABAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36153093" /><br />
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This is the northernmost site. Driving south, this begins the highly active stretch of Tejon Street. There is usually a cluster of people in their teens and twenties and a few homeless folk hanging around the front door of the locally owned coffee shop located on this corner. Seeing the crowd clustered here as I drive into downtown signals to me the the start of the active street culture of our downtown community. <br />
</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAACAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36105676" /><br />
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</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">#2. 320 N Tejon</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><br />
</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAADAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36148092" /></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><br />
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In April, Richard Skorman, the owner of Poor Richard's restaurant, bistro and bookstore was a candidate for Colorado Spring's first "strong mayor." Richard is a recognized supporter of the creative class in the community, but not Republican in a largely Republican leaning county. I thought including this site would have meaning whether he won or lost the election. He lost. I want to honor Richard's commitment to the community and his aspiration to make Colorado Springs a more interesting place. This block has a huge amount of visitation due to Richard's businesses.</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br />
</span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAAEAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36134029" /><br />
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</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">#3. Tejon near Platte across from the El Paso Club</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><br />
<img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAAFAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36096359" /><br />
</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This area of Tejon St is the loneliest, grayest part of the entire street. A lively nightspot called Jinx's Place used to be on this corner. It could use a mural or a projected photo image of the former business.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><br />
<img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAAGAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36131259" /><br />
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</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">#4. SW corner of Platte & Tejon</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><br />
<img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAAHAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36139065" /><br />
</span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This is a lush raised garden area at one of the most used intersections downtown. Drivers wanting to bypass the shopping district or enter the shopping district, either cross or turn south onto Tejon St at this intersection. The neighborhood immediately turns more urban. Acacia Park is to the east. The El Paso Club, the oldest man's club west of the Mississippi, is to the north. </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br />
</span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAAIAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36137540" /><br />
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</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">#5. 226 N Tejon</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><br />
<img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAAJAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36126453" /><br />
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I love the urban clash of bikes with the tree here. I intentionally kept the rings high on this one so that the use of the tree for securing bikes could continue. I also wanted to honor Mountain Chalet, one of Colorado Spring's favorite downtown fixtures. The bikes belong to residents of The Albany, a low income apartment house. The residents were very accommodating during the installation, removing all their bikes for the two hours necessary to install the armature and rings. They look after the artwork and are careful not to lean their bikes on the rebar.<br />
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<img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAAKAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36113850" /><br />
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</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">#6. 214 1/2 N Tejon</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><br />
<img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAALAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36101881" /><br />
</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Here's an empty storefront. It's been empty a long time. There are a few of these as backdrops to the tree treatments. Not only does the place look vacant, but it looks disregarded. I wondered if calling attention to this area would help advertise the location for the owner and additionally, for a new tenant.</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><br />
<img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAAMAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36142104" /><br />
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#7. Acacia Park<br />
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<img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAANAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36089492" /><br />
</span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">What an important urban community space this park is. Here, I'd like to honor Kat and Bob Tudor for their gifts and investments in the community. Their wildly popular Uncle Wilbur Fountain plaza is in the background below.</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><br />
<img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAAOAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36125474" /><br />
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</span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">#8. 124 N Tejon</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><br />
<img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAAPAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36100070" /><br />
</span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I chose this tree because of the setting and rhythm of the placements along the street. Johannes Hunter is a long time downtown jeweler. I decided to incorporate a more intricate and lacy design motif on the rings. Michelle's candy store, once famous for its lace candies, chocolates and soda fountain, now defunct, slides into decrepitude next door.<br />
</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAAQAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36111862" /><br />
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</span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">#9. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';">115 N Tejon</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><br />
</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAARAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36109660" /></span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><br />
</span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Primarily chosen for physical and rhythmic reasons, I notice that the storefront advertises artmaking experiences available to anyone coming to their open classes. Right next door is Lasko Fine Art, a very small art gallery finding a way to survive.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br />
<img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAASAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36136179" /></span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><br />
</span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">#10. 112 N Tejon</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><br />
<img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAATAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36123801" /><br />
</span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Bryan & Scott Jewelers has been around for 70+ years. It's my local gallery. Owner Roberto Agnolini has been supporting artists and the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center for many years. The business and building are up for sale.</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><br />
<img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAAUAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36109601" /><br />
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</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">#11. 31 N Tejon - SE corner N of The Famous</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><br />
<img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAAVAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36122008" /><br />
</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This site offered a bit of a sidestep from the Tejon Street busyness, although a lot of vehicles and people go by. It seems a little off the path, but it's a nice little oasis. The spacing rhythm and backdrop led me to select this tree. The tree is full of 2" thorns. There's usually a homeless person sitting in the shade here. There's some office space available in the building behind.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><br />
<img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAAWAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36120121" /><br />
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</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">#12. 30 N Tejon</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><br />
<img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAAXAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36125490" /><br />
</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Another empty storefront. Shewmaker's Cameras was an important resource for many artists in the community for many years. I knew a few of the employees. Not sure where they are now.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><br />
<img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAAYAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36118553" /><br />
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</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">#13. 19 N Tejon</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><br />
<img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAAZAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36095077" /><br />
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I'm not sure what all goes on in this building, but I needed a tree in the area and I thought the rings would fit with the architectural design of the entrance. There's a bank in the lobby and the county Public Defender's office. Perhaps the building is owned by LandCo, a local real estate developer in bankruptcy and tied to political and financial shenanigans with the former mayor and the U.S. Olympic Committee. The site is near the rowdy Cowboys bar and required a sturdy ring and armature.<br />
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<img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAAaAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36130470" /><br />
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</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">#14. 3 N Tejon</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><br />
<img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAAbAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36097650" /><br />
</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Downtown's new 7 Eleven. This is on the corner of downtown's central intersection. Here the city is quadrisected into North, South, East and West. The building houses another bank, or used to. Now, a lot of youth and homeless hang out there and the downtown community makes good use of the convenience store's convenience. This tree required some of the largest rings in the installation, and sits kitty-corner from another large tree with rings. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><br />
<img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAAcAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36111189" /><br />
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</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">#15. 6 S Tejon:</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><br />
<img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAAdAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36126889" /><br />
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Here North Tejon becomes South Tejon. US Bank has been a corporate financial sponsor for AOTS since it began. I used to bank at this location when it was Colorado Bank Exchange and had built some of the cabinetry in the lobby years ago when I was in that trade. This tree also required large rings. It plays a little with the tree in front of 7 Eleven, located diagonally across the intersection from this tree. A statue of Spencer Penrose is located nearby. </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br />
</span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAAeAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36143813" /><br />
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#16. 15 S Tejon</span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><br />
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<img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAAfAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36089785" /><br />
</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Ritz restaurant has been a local fixture for many years. My daughter works there and I know some of the employees. Every once in awhile, there's a scuffle or a stabbing within arm's length of this tree. The tree also gets lots of water from leftover drinks and I suspect some mineral nutrients from an occasional puking. This probably goes for a number of the trees downtown. Here, the ring's black and white motif echos that of the Ritz. The bouncers and staff are helping to keep an eye on the sculpture. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br />
</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAAgAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36107491" /><br />
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</span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">#17. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';">22 S Tejon<br />
</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAAhAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36104488" /><br />
</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">To foster alertness, I decided to use color on these rings. The sapling is one of the skinniest in the array and it's also tall. I chose this location for rhythmic layout reasons.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br />
</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAAiAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36092302" /><br />
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</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">#18. </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;">111 S Tejon<br />
</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAAjAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36143707" /><br />
</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">David Jenkins and his son Chris are developers and philanthropists and major supporters of the AOTS program. They've invested heavily in the community. I know Chris somewhat and I've spoken with David on the phone a few times. I wanted to acknowledge their contribution to local cultural organizations. I think the sophistication of the rings contrasts the sophistication of their architecture here, but both are clean modern ideas. During the installation of these rings, we were accosted by building security and threatened with dynamic emergency art extraction (they own the sidewalk!) until they discovered a gap in their internal communications. Now, Michael The Security Guard, and I are cool.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><br />
<img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAAkAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36146537" /><br />
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</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">#19. </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">121 S Tejon<br />
</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAAlAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36130886" /><br />
</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;">T</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;">his tree, the smallest in the array, sits a few steps from the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region (COPPeR), a fledgling, community-supported organization that works to gather and disseminate information about cultural organizations and happenings to the community and tourism interests. It also works to educate and seek support for these same entities. This is a worthwhile effort by an earnest and dedicated group of civic-minded cultural activists. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><br />
<img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAAmAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36143308" /><br />
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</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">#20. The Pioneers Museum</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><br />
<img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAAnAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36127296" /><br />
</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This former courthouse and county seat houses one of the most important historical collection of art and artifacts in the region. Director Matt Mayberry is a dedicated historian, curator and cultural leader. The setting is quite nice. The rings, subtly present in the landscape. This is the last and southmost tree in the installation.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><br />
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</span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><img src="https://email.coloradocollege.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAABGyWrqBwDTQ4YyS6IsjgQtBwBM%2fogGulceRahGo7BtHhuzAAAABjnqAADTQ2ONzmW8RakQnEZc73cIAAAAAFy%2bAAAJ&attcnt=1&attid0=BAAoAAAA&attcid0=3398259338_36107998" /><br />
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</span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Statement:</span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Tree Ring Circus</span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> is a multiple-location, site-specific art installation that makes use of intimate knowledge for the activities and history of the Tejon Street corridor in which it is sited. The rings are specific to each tree and setting upon which they are situated. The rings were fabricated about one mile from the site using local labor.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br />
The artwork addresses the stated aims of the AOTS sculpture program. The artwork is intended to fulfill the year long duration of the program and no longer. The materials are impermanent and will not be re-sited or sold, but destroyed during their removal. The artwork concept was planned to precisely meet the parameters of the AOTS program and yet, by intention, expand the possibilities of the program, enrich opportunities for artists and those invested in the success of the program and of downtown Colorado Springs.<br />
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The rings are non-objective, non-representational sculptural forms intended to evoke curiosity about their unlikely occurence, placement and recurrence along the streetscape, or to just be enjoyed for their existence. The artwork</span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">is original and non-traditional. It establishes its own syntax from which any viewer can derive meaning, question or enjoyment. </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br />
All the rings are different across 20 different sitings. They can be viewed and considered while driving or while walking the street. The work is urban in conception, nature and setting and acknowledges the community and activities in which it exists and which support it.<br />
</span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Media / Fabrication / Installation:</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br />
</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Sans Serif', Arial; font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The sculptures are made of Styrofoam sheeting, readily available from building suppliers and sold as insulation. Foam circles were sawn to size, laminated to thickness, then hand shaped with rasps and sandpaper. The rings were painted with exterior grade wood glue before being covered with two layers of paper saturated with the same glue. The rings were then primed and painted white before masking for black paint. The paints are all exterior grade. Each ring was then sawn in half and labeled by site. The rings are supported by 3/8" rebar posts driven into the ground to a specific height. Usually the rebar needed to be driven into the ground 6-10 inches from the base of the tree to avoid roots, then bent to conform to the tree. Steel rings of varying diameters were hand-formed in the studio then bent around the tree and wired to the rebar. The foam rings were glued to the steel rings and rebar using silicone caulking. Soft urethane foam spacers attached to the inside of the rings prevent the sculptures and rebar from knocking into the tree. Nothing is attached to the tree.</span></span></span>Sarah Woolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16947023820387177136noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4515867638516076497.post-59674508223136868362011-08-17T10:53:00.000-07:002011-08-17T11:01:27.807-07:00Allow Me to Introduce MyselfHello! You may have noticed me walking around downtown Colorado Springs, fervently pushing a red dolly emblazoned with a shiny yellow COPPeR logo. Depending on the occasion, said dolly may have been weighted down with PeakRadar Pages (your official, comprehensive guide to arts and culture in the Pikes Peak Region), house paint, or a root beer keg. WELL. I’m not just a mule for the arts; I have a name, you know! (It’s Sarah Wool. Cozy, right?) And I am working with COPPeR for the summer with the awesomely fancy title of Community Arts Development Specialist.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fWbJLOn4cXU/TkwBrVCPTDI/AAAAAAAAAlc/FSyQn6pDjsE/s1600/IMG_6787.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fWbJLOn4cXU/TkwBrVCPTDI/AAAAAAAAAlc/FSyQn6pDjsE/s320/IMG_6787.JPG" width="234" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarah Wool, Summer Fellow. Here I am!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">COPPeR and I found each other through Colorado College’s Public Interest Fellowship Program, or PIFP. Jeff Livesay, one of my favorite Sociology professors, designed PIFP to give students an opportunity to work with nonprofits in Colorado in summer or yearlong fellowships. Because I will still be in school as a senior next year (Sociology major, Art History minor), I was interested in the summer fellowships. COPPeR immediately caught my eye. It seemed like the perfect place to combine my interest in social action and enrichment with my love of culture and art. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Whether I was coloring on the walls, giving myself a spontaneous haircut, writing a newspaper that only my parents would read, or coloring my dog’s fur with washable markers, I’ve had a passion for creative endeavors since I was very small. (And I guess I’m still pretty small, because Christina told me last week that I’m the shortest person COPPeR has ever hired.) </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It was in the second semester of my junior year, during a semester of studying art in Chicago, that I began to realize how vital the arts are to a city’s personality, energy, and sense of community. (Fun fact: I interviewed with COPPeR on Skype while I sat in the closet of my tiny Gold Coast apartment in a desperate attempt to get some privacy from my roommate.) As I made my way through Chicago’s famous art spaces—the Art Institute, Improv Olympic Theater, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and The Moth StorySLAM, among many others—I decided that I wanted to do all I could to make my own city of Colorado Springs a vibrant and attractive arts community. Lucky for me, COPPeR and PeakRadar are really into that goal too! Who would’ve thought?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I’ve been engaged in quite a few projects this summer, the most active of which was planning and executing a large mural on the wall of COPPeR’s office where people could paint messages or logos on an abstracted cityscape of the Springs. That should explain why I was wheeling paint along the sidewalk. When I’m not breaking a sweat to keep the arts community alive, I’m usually creating emails or surveys, planning events, and indexing local arts and cultural resources. I also organized and led a forum-type meeting called Coffee with COPPeR, where different cultural projects around the city presented their plans and progress to arts professionals and interested or curious community members. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">One of my favorite things about this job is that it’s given me the opportunity to talk to a lot of different people about a lot of different things that are going on in this area. CC students very often forget that they are merely a small part of a much larger community; they rarely acknowledge that there is anything to do outside of the comfortable bubble of campus. Working with COPPeR and PeakRadar has shown me that there’s always, ALWAYS something to do. In fact, COPPeR employs [the wonderful] Brett Garman with the specific task of fighting boredom! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So there you have it: the story of how COPPeR and I met and came to be great boredom-fighting, arts-building friends. </div>Sarah Woolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16947023820387177136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4515867638516076497.post-19200773091537234742011-01-06T18:10:00.000-08:002011-01-07T09:03:50.481-08:00On living in the Pikes Peak Region and loving the arts for more than a decadeA multitude of thanks to the many friends who attended my going away party at the Fine Arts Center on Wednesday, January 5. There were so many wonderful people in attendance and I didn't get a chance to talk to everyone. A few people have asked me to share my remarks from last night, so here they are. <br /><br />This place is inextricably linked to creative experiences for me. My first visit to Colorado Springs was on a field trip with my high school orchestra, where I played Copland's Rodeo Suite on the Pikes Peak Center stage as part of the Cavalcade of Music. Later, after I had been accepted to Colorado College, where I would ultimately earn my degree, I saw a production of My Fair Lady at the Fine Arts Center Theater. <br />Since I moved here, I've played in orchestras, string quartets, bands, and acted in amateur dinner theater. I even started an underground music venue in my venue while at college, the High Life House. I've amassed a respectable collection of work by local artists. And all of those experiences added up to what ended up to be an extremely satisfying career in the arts; and ultimately, a job at COPPeR, the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region. <br /><br />It has been my privilege and honor to serve as the first Executive Director for this organization. I have been so lucky to act as ambassador for the arts on behalf of all the amazing creative people who make this such a quality, vital place to live. To my friends and colleagues, the artists: You guys are AWESOME. The arts scene here is so rich, so vibrant and you all accomplish an astonishing volume of work with limited resources. My hat goes off to you.<br /><br />I've been thinking a lot about what to say tonight. Having spent the last 13, very formative, years here, I have a lot to reflect upon. The past three years at COPPeR have been a period of exceptional growth. But in the past few weeks, as I have been packing up my belongings in preparation for my big move to California, I came across the document that is responsible for me being here in the first place. <br /><br />The following is an excerpt from my college application essay that granted me entrance to Colorado College thirteen years ago. Keep in mind, if you will, that I was 17 years old when I wrote this. A little backstory - I was fortunate to have performed in the orchestra that inaugurated a brand-new Performing Arts Center with a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. This essay is about that experience.<br /><br />"After the standing ovations, I walked through the champagne reception and stood outside in the October air. I couldn't talk through my tears yet, and the conversations I'd overheard as I passed through the lobby contributed to my intense feeling of joy at having been able to contribute to something as so bold as fulfilling an artistic vision. This must have been what Beethoven felt as he was turned around on the conductor's podium to face the applause he could not hear: joy, triumph, pride, and above all a feeling of belonging to something with a greater power that that of beginnings or endings: a constancy of both the human spirit and the presence of beauty. <br /><br />I have had many profound musical experiences, but this story seems to be the best illustration of why I want to pursue an education and career in the arts. Art has the ability to convey the entire spectrum of human emotion, whether it takes form in a sculpture, a poem, or a symphony. It guides us through our lives; it helps us overcome pain, and it enhances the joy of living. Art is a dynamic constant, a true manifestation of the human spirit-- there is always more to learn about it, since just like us, it is always changing."<br /><br /><br />I'm excited about the new adventure that faces me in California, but I'm also excited about the future for COPPeR. Christina McGrath will do a wonderful job moving the vision forward, and we've got great staff in place, like Brett Garman. I will miss working with you. Judging by the turnout tonight, there are so many people invested in the future of the Pikes Peak region. Say it loud and say it proud: We love the arts in the Pikes Peak region!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4515867638516076497.post-52367741962837331602011-01-03T13:52:00.000-08:002011-01-03T14:03:24.767-08:00COPPeR Announces New Executive Director: Colorado Springs native Christina McGrath brings arts passion and organizational savvy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u8kbuz-s2Go/TSJF1RC1aNI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/tPysaG7O9Nk/s1600/Christinaheadshot2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u8kbuz-s2Go/TSJF1RC1aNI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/tPysaG7O9Nk/s320/Christinaheadshot2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558081671539288274" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u8kbuz-s2Go/TSJFimX23OI/AAAAAAAAAJw/Ms2yK-eG7WM/s1600/ChristinaHeadshot.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u8kbuz-s2Go/TSJFimX23OI/AAAAAAAAAJw/Ms2yK-eG7WM/s320/ChristinaHeadshot.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558081350847093986" /></a><br />The Board of Directors of COPPeR, the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region, is pleased to announce the appointment of Christina McGrath as Executive Director, starting January 18, 2011.<br /><br />Christina comes to COPPeR from El Pomar Foundation, where after completing the Fellowship program she was invited to stay on and manage several programs including: the Anna Keesling Ackerman and Freda Hambrick Funds, The Empty Stocking Fund, and the foundation's compliance program. McGrath will replace Executive Director Bettina Swigger, who will step down in January after having served in that position for three years.<br /> <br />"COPPeR is at such an exciting stage in terms of growth and development," said Amanda Mountain, board chair of COPPeR. "The board feels that Christina is the perfect fit to build on all of the tremendous work Bettina has done, and to further expand beyond what even we can see in terms of possibilities for the organization."<br /><br />Christina has lived in Colorado Springs for over 20 years and says that her passion for the arts started as a toddler when she was first sprinkled with "fairy dust" by Mary Mashburn, long beloved locally as the Fairy Godmother of the Arts. Christina grew up taking classes at the Bemis School of Art, and as a student at The Colorado Springs School, she was exposed to and participated in all aspects of fine arts thanks to their strong arts curriculum. Christina has a Bachelor's degree in Architecture and a Minor in Arts Management from Miami University. While at Miami, she played Baritone in the Marching and Athletic Bands and was a member of the Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity. An active community volunteer, she serves on the board of Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity.<br /><br />"At El Pomar I've had exposure to hundreds of outstanding nonprofits, I am excited to now be working for one," said McGrath. "The vitality of a city depends on its arts and cultural scene and having grown up in this community I know we have a lot to offer."<br /><br />"Christina's many experiences and leadership opportunities here at El Pomar certainly have prepared her for this new responsibility. We are pleased to see her take on this next challenge and believe that COPPeR and our entire Colorado Springs community will benefit from her skills, knowledge, and enthusiasm," said William J. Hybl, chairman and CEO of El Pomar Foundation.<br /><br /><br />"I am delighted to know Christina will be taking the reigns at COPPeR," said Swigger. "This vibrant organization has an active, committed board of directors, excellent staff, wonderful support in our community, and a solid plan for growth and development. I look forward to working with Christina in the next few weeks to ensure a seamless leadership transition."<br /><br />Members of the community are invited to meet Christina at an open house/art opening in the COPPeR creative space in the Plaza of the Rockies on Friday, February 4, 2011 from 6-9 p.m. This celebration will happen in tandem with the opening of the Breaking the Sound Barrier, Sonic Art 1860-2010 exhibition at the UCCS Gallery of Contemporary Art next door.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4515867638516076497.post-68666781146181163322010-11-22T11:33:00.001-08:002010-11-22T11:36:24.923-08:00Important News from COPPeR's Board ChairIt is with both sadness and a sense of excitement for her bright future ahead that I must share with you the news that COPPeR Executive Director Bettina Swigger has accepted a position as the executive director of Festival Mozaic, a music festival in San Luis Obispo on the California Central Coast. This is a tremendous opportunity for Bettina for which she was approached as a part of a competitive national search. This not only speaks highly of her personal and professional integrity and work ethic, but speaks to the culture of COPPeR where we strive to provide our staff the best opportunities possible to actualize their fullest potential.<br /> <br />COPPeR has grown leaps and bounds since its inception four years ago. We've established <a href="http://www.PeakRadar.com">PeakRadar.com as</a> THE go-to website for arts, culture and fun. We've worked together with artists and arts organizations, donors, businesspeople and local government and municipalities to leverage the role of arts and culture as a vital part of the fabric of community identity, and a significant economic driver. We've told the story of how arts and culture bring together people from various backgrounds and perspectives to celebrate what is truly important, our shared humanity.<br /> <br />All of this with Bettina Swigger as the leader of this vibrant, ever-evolving organization. She served first as a founding board member and then as the organization's first executive director for three years.<br /> <br />As Bettina transitions into the next phase of her career, COPPeR itself is poised to head into the future with many exciting things ahead. In 2011, COPPeR will be working with members of the community to implement parts of the Cultural Plan for the Pikes Peak Region; gather data for the next economic impact study on the arts and culture sector and its impact on the local economy; move forward with the board of directors on its new five-year strategic plan; publish the next edition of the COPPeR Pages; and more.<br /> <br />A party is planned to honor Bettina's legacy at COPPeR and to wish her bon voyage. Please save the date for January 5 and you can expect an invitation with all of the details shortly.<br /> <br />As we look to the future, the Board of Directors of COPPeR is seeking a new executive director who will help lead us into the next phase of our development. We are currently accepting applications and you will find the job posting on our website. Deadline for applications is December 3, 2010. <a href="http://www.coppercolo.org/board.htm">Click here to see a complete job description.</a><br /> <br />Look to hear more from us as we embark on this exciting search for the next leader of this tremendous organization.<br /> <br />Thank you for your support of COPPeR, and of the entire arts community.<br /> <br />Amanda Mountain<br />COPPeR Board ChairUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4515867638516076497.post-86614356636769786222010-11-19T09:37:00.000-08:002010-11-19T09:56:31.819-08:00Two new arts trainings - Audience Development and Impact Measurement and OutcomesCOPPeR is delighted to invite you to our final two arts training<br />"Boot Camp" sessions for 2010:<br /><br />Audience Development: Beyond Butts in Seats<br />Tuesday, December 7, 2010<br />4:30 - 6 p.m.<br />Jack Quinn's Pub<br />21 South Tejon Street<br /><br />In today's world, it takes enthusiasm, energy and innovation to grow audiences for the arts. This boot camp will explore new ways of opening up to new audiences. Hear from Ivette Gallegos and Karen Evers, the masterminds behind the Jack Quinn's Running Club, a phenomenon that has transformed Tuesday nights in downtown Colorado Springs by bringing thousands of runners together. Also hear from realtor Benjamin Day about his experience as an audience member and how the lessons he learned from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts' CEO Michael Kaiser inform his business planning and building his client base. Finally, hear about trends in audience development from across the country from Brett Garman, manager of PeakRadar.com, fresh from the 2010 National Arts Marketing Partnership Conference. This conversational session will allow time for questions, comments and dialogue about how to expand our reach as an arts sector. <a href="mailto:info@coppercolo.org">Click here to register by email.</a><br /><br />Impact Measurements and Outcomes<br />4:30 - 6 p.m.<br />Wednesday, December 8<br />East Library<br />5550 N Union Blvd<br /><br />Measuring the impact of the arts can be challenging. This session will provide insight in to how your organization can measure and track your impact in real ways. Debi Krause-Reinsch with the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony Association will share tools she has used to measure impact in the nonprofit and commercial sectors. Susan Edmondson, Executive Director of the Bee Vradenburg Foundation, will discuss the importance of accurate measurement from a funder's perspective. And Caitlin Green, Director at the UCCS Gallery of Contemporary Art will share research she has done across the sector in new techniques. Boot camp participants will be guided through exercises. Click here to register by email.<br /><br />All sessions include:<br />- Tools to help your arts organization survive and thrive in a challenging economy.<br />- Information geared specifically for the unique challenges of arts organizations.<br />- Time for Q&A and collective sharing of our individual organizations' successes and challenges.<br />- Networking with colleagues and new friends<br /><br /><br />Cost: $5 per session per organization (more than one member of an organization may attend).<br />$2 for COPPeR Arts Partners.<br />Pay at the door.<br /><br />RSVP: Space is limited!<br />RSVP to info@coppercolo.org.<br /><br />You may RSVP for all sessions at once, too.<br />Questions? Call Bettina at 634.2204.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4515867638516076497.post-57338451415909119402010-09-30T10:25:00.000-07:002010-09-30T11:42:25.796-07:00Cultural Plan for the Pikes Peak Region is finally here!I'm sitting in my office, finally sitting at my computer and reveling after having just formally announced the first-ever Cultural Plan for the Pikes Peak Region. It's been a whirlwind morning of press conferences and TV cameras. It's a big moment for our community.<br /><br />Two years ago we embarked on a journey with Arts for Colorado. In 2008, before the National Performing Arts Convention was coming to Denver and bringing with it 8,000 arts professionals from across the nation, I spearheaded an application for Colorado Springs to participate in a statewide collaborative community planning process. We were selected as one of eight communities around the state, which also included Aurora, Cortez, Steamboat Springs, Monte Vista, Glenwood Springs, Lakewood and Glenwood Springs. We put together a team, which included Thomas Wilson, associate conductor of the CS Philharmonic, Jan Martin, Colorado Springs City Council, Deborah Thornton, Imagination Celebration, and Dave Talbot, an entrepreneur. We headed to Denver for NPAC that summer and began to explore the possibilities of launching a cultural planning process for Colorado Springs and our region. A previous effort at creat<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u8kbuz-s2Go/TKTXn45JCuI/AAAAAAAAAJk/VWrs7vZCdKk/s1600/CulturalPlanTeam.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u8kbuz-s2Go/TKTXn45JCuI/AAAAAAAAAJk/VWrs7vZCdKk/s320/CulturalPlanTeam.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522776123349994210" border="0" /></a>ing a Cultural Plan for the region had led in part to the very formation of COPPeR, and cultural planning is a primary activity of cultural offices around the country, we figured there was no time like the present.<br /><br />Two years later, I'm delighted to say that we have a plan! <a href="http://www.coppercolo.org/culturalplan">Click here to download the plan</a> that will help guide arts providers to better serve the community for years to come. The Pikes Peak region (El Paso and Teller counties) is home to more than 200 nonprofit arts organizations that produce an annual economic impact of nearly $100 million. Thousands of individual artists also call this region home. Colorado Springs ranks in the top 15 percent of 276 metropolitan areas nationwide in the number of arts businesses per capita, proving that creative industries are a major force in the economy.<br /><br />It just makes sense -- a strong arts and cultural sector benefits everyone from visitors to residents, educators to businesspeople, schoolchildren and seniors alike.<br /><br />The<a href="http://www.coppercolo.org/CulturalPlan"> Cultural Plan </a>is a strategic plan which aims to develop, enliven, enhance and promote arts and culture to strengthen our community. Our arts scene already is vibrant - and we simply want to see even more of a good thing. This 10-year plan has identified the necessary goals, strategies and recommended action steps for supporting the growth, diversity and sustainability of cultural activities in the Pikes Peak region. The plan identifies methods in which the arts can strengthen all sectors of the community, with the understanding that the arts are an intricate ecosystem composed of individual artists, nonprofit organizations, and creative industries like film, design and architecture. In order for our region to be hip, exciting and attractive we all need to be on the same page, with a similar vision for the future built on shared values.<br /><br />Some major takeaways from <a href="http://www.coppercolo.org/culturalplan">the plan</a>:<br /><br />NEW VENUES<br />This plan identifies that one of the most critical issues holding back the artists and arts organizations from serving our community is the lack of a variety of affordable and accessible venues throughout the region. This plan calls for dedicated effort toward ensuring a variety of cultural spaces -- from an amphitheatre that takes advantage of our beautiful scenery and weather to more simple and small-scale spaces for performances and exhibit spaces -- spaces that are achievable in partnerships with developers, institutions, municipalities and others.<br /><br />NEW ARTS EDUCATION<br />Numerous studies have shown that in order to compete in an increasingly fast-paced employment market, arts education is essential for building 21st-century thinkers. This plan looks at ways to capitalize on successes in innovative arts training and connect more students to arts learning opportunities both in and outside of the classroom. The plan also calls for more interactive, instructive arts programming to build creative individuals of all ages.<br /><br />NEW RESOURCES<br />Philanthropic support will always play a part in the arts. This plan identifies new systems and structures for generating new, sector wide private support for the arts, in addition to ways the arts community can better demonstrate its impact and its high level of professional management standards to donors and partners.<br /><br />NEW NEIGHBORHOOD ART<br />Serving the community begins at the neighborhood level -- from block parties to coffeeshop poetry readings to concerts in neighborhood churches and YMCAs and community centers -- and especially integrating public art and murals throughout our two-county region. This plan calls for tools that will help artists and arts organizations work with our community at the neighborhood level to increase the quality of life for all of our residents -- in downtown Colorado Springs, in artistic hubs such as Manitou Springs and beyond to all of our neighborhoods.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.coppercolo.org/culturalplan">Download the complete Cultural Plan for the Pikes Peak Region here.</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4515867638516076497.post-78195342842241445992010-09-02T15:03:00.000-07:002010-09-20T16:17:29.960-07:00Congratulations to Kevin Johnson<span style="font-size:10;"><span style="font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hello to COPPeR friends, donors, supporters and volunteers:<br /><br />After two and a half years at COPPeR managing PeakRadar.com, Kevin Johnson will be leaving in mid-September for a brand-new position as<br />Information and Online Community Coordinator at Pikes Peak Community College. We are extremely excited for Kevin as he faces this bold new opportunity, and we are terrifically grateful for his work here at COPPeR. He will be missed.<br /><br />Kevin says: <span style="font-style: italic;">"I have had the good fortune to make lasting connections with many of the fabulous people from the diverse arts and cultural organizations we serve at COPPeR, and I will miss working closely with them to support their programming. I was proud to be a part of an organization that has brought attention to the outstanding events and programs that are produced here in the Pikes Peak region."</span><br /></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4515867638516076497.post-77250245763235058362010-08-19T12:52:00.000-07:002010-08-19T12:58:12.668-07:00With apologies to Battlestar GalacticaAs we approach the rollout of the first-ever Cultural Plan for the Pikes Peak region, I decided to combine my love of SciFi with my love of Cultural Planning in the video below...<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzT6DWcqV0lIJ5JwiK_rzmUwszMmnIYugwltS-uk6kGBD9ro6q99pE-ggqEoS2uea52nFDPL5Z60Aa0duvynQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />Stay tuned. 9.9.10. The Cultural Plan arrives.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4515867638516076497.post-30998264316457421182010-07-27T10:18:00.000-07:002010-07-27T12:00:12.029-07:00From Katie, the friendly FellowMy name is Katie Ferguson and I’m so excited to be working with COPPeR this summer as their cultural planning coordinator through Colorado College’s Public Interest Fellowship Program. I’m a Mathematical Economics major and dance minor at Colorado College, just down the road. I have grown up in the nonprofit world, training with a dance company and school near Denver and working with their administrative and development departments and teaching in past years.<br />I’ve not posted a blog on here before so I thought I’d fill everyone in on what I’ve been up to and let you all know that, at least for the summer, there are more people in the office! (I wouldn’t want any of you coming into our office and thinking there was some random girl hanging out at a desk). So here goes!<br />During my time here at COPPeR, (about 2 months now!) I’ve gotten the great opportunity to work very closely with Bettina compiling and creating the first ever <a href="http://www.coppercolo.org/CulturalPlanning.htm">Cultural Plan for the Pikes Peak region</a>. This project is what drew me to the job in the first place so I’m so happy to be getting to do so much work with it ☺ So far this process has been a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the area and discover just how important the arts and culture are to this region. It has been really great to be able to meet so many influential people in the community through the plan0-writing process.<br />I’ve also gotten to explore the Colorado Springs arts scene and learn more about what’s going on here. I was shocked in my first few weeks to learn how much was going on! I have always considered myself to be pretty aware, but there was so much I hadn’t heard about. As I explored and visited places like <a href="http://www.smokebrush.org/">Smokebrush Gallery</a>, the <a href="http://www.springsgov.com/sectionindex.aspx?sectionid=38">Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum</a> and <a href="http://www.cottonwoodcenterforthearts.com/">Cottonwood Center for the Arts</a>, I also learned just how very essential the arts, culture and heritage are to this community and to so many people who live in it and work for it.<br />I had no idea places like Cottonwood existed, let alone so close to where I live. I got a tour of Cottonwood from artist <a href="http://www.peakradar.com/profile/detail/53">Jennifer Hanson</a> and to get to meet so many of the artists. I was blown away by the level of local talent we have here. From sculptors to painters and even artists who work with pastels (I never could do anything with those except get them all over my hands and clothes) the work was just brilliant. There was one artist who paints landscapes from pictures so that they would look brilliant-- even clearer than the original picture! And the truth is that there are tons of venues for local artists to show their work- we have an amazing artistic base here in the Pikes Peak region. Unfortunate<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u8kbuz-s2Go/TE8ouXOeWNI/AAAAAAAAAJU/EFygaYC9SkA/s1600/P1020018.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u8kbuz-s2Go/TE8ouXOeWNI/AAAAAAAAAJU/EFygaYC9SkA/s320/P1020018.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498658447016483026" border="0" /></a>ly, not everyone knows about our rich arts scene and that's why COPPeR is so important for getting the word out.<br />I brought a couple friends with me to the Pioneer’s Museum and besides learning new things about Colorado’s history; we got a secret tour up to the top of the bell tower! Check out this picture - there's COPPeR wa-a-a-y down below. If any of you heard the bells ring a couple random times in mid June- that might have been me! It was great up there; you could see for miles.<br /><br />In addition to my work on the Cultural Plan and exploring the area, I have also gotten to work on the PeakRadar.com Arts/Culture/Fun(d) drive, in which we raised more than $8,000 to support PeakRadar.com! There have been lots of other activities, too - there's always something going on at COPPeR.<br />Last weekend I got to hang out at the COPPeR booth at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/PeakRadar?v=photos&ref=search#%21/album.php?id=29308753300&aid=184168&s=0&hash=2185493ced70157b329f04c8caf85dad">Pride Fest </a>which was so much fun <a href="http://www.facebook.com/PeakRadar?v=photos&ref=search#%21/album.php?id=29308753300&aid=184168&s=0&hash=2185493ced70157b329f04c8caf85dad">(Click here to see some great photos)</a>! It was great to see the diversity of our region so engaged in such a great festival. It has been a really truly great experience working with COPPeR and I’m excited to continue on through August!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4515867638516076497.post-81955002036994767802010-07-13T11:47:00.000-07:002010-07-13T11:52:07.408-07:00Nuggets from Michael Kaiser's Arts in Crisis Presentation<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u8kbuz-s2Go/TDy1yeA2sOI/AAAAAAAAAJM/07MJ3arMRVg/s1600/kaiser.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 130px; height: 98px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u8kbuz-s2Go/TDy1yeA2sOI/AAAAAAAAAJM/07MJ3arMRVg/s320/kaiser.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493465524139897058" border="0" /></a><br />We just returned from a fantastic morning at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center where we heard from Michael Kaiser, President and CEO of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on his only stop in Colorado on his 50-state Arts in Crisis tour. I served on the interviewing panel along with Maurice LaMee from Creede Repertory Theatre and Elaine Mariner from Colorado Creative Industries (formerly Colorado Council on the Arts). We had a lively crowd and Mr. Kaiser presented some great information about what he's learned during his tour and some of his advice for arts groups moving away from crisis and toward organizational health.<br /><br />COPPeR Board Member <a href="http://bennymoo.com/">Benjamin Day</a> live-blogged the whole thing on Facebook – so for those of you who couldn't be there - here are his posts for all to enjoy!<br /><br />Michael Kaiser's Fan Club @ FAC... Representing COPPeR at "The Kennedy Center Presents: Arts in Crisis". Parking lot was full more than a half hour before event was to begin.<br />“Yes, I'm blogging live... Yes, we have had a Coffee Crisis when we almost ran out of decaf; a Strawberry Squeeze when there was a fresh fruit deficit; but no CC Compromise with Bettina facilitating!”<br />“first instinct of arts organizations when faced with economic constraints is to start cutting." Equates programming to marketing: your programming is your message.<br />"There is no reason to give to an organization that is doing nothing". Huh. Does that extend to organizations / municipalities / communities / organizations outside of the arts?<br />70% of international tourists to the US identify themselves as cultural tourists. 17% of GDP is manufacturing. Smallest number of any developed nation.<br />A wish not a plan is to do more marketing and more fundraising. Hint: programming. You can't balance your budget on bequests. Talk about the present and the future, forget the past. Plan big transformative projects, meaning a five year calendar. Kaiser has five years of projects as a menu: donors will connect to one or two; if you have only one, ... See Morethey might get distant. The length of time actually helps tighten the bond with the audience. Five years gives him time to educate an audience. Take time to do the exciting work.<br />Institutional marketing connects people to "the family." marketing: you do it and you do it again and you do it again. Hint: arts organizations fear doing anything big. You don't need big donors: people want to be involved. Big is a pretty easy way to get people involved. Haley Dance Company facing bankruptcy in 1992 paid off their debt within 12 mos.<br />There is zero room for negativity in the arts, the spokesperson must be optimistic and communicate the positive attributes exclusively. Arts are notorious for whining about their financial problems, reducing programming, being entitled ("ask Bill Cosby for $1 million"... "why? We don't deserve it"), and living in the ruins of their past ("who was ... See Morethe fool who approved the $56K cannon for The Nutcracker? That was dumb. Let's marinade in dumb..."). That thinking organizes no one. Arts must be visionary and paint a picture/direction that is optimistic.<br />Arts ticket prices have created a large degree of exclusivity and thus irrelevance. The Met has decent tickets for standard opera next year are $750/piece. Arts orgs have to think inclusive and how to get everyone involved. Kennedy Center has a free performance daily at 6. Changes daily. Most popular are what likely would seem most irrelevant: symphonic music and ballet. These "free" events draw more than anyone.<br />We are channeling Seth Godin here: don't work on your donor base. Work on being exciting. Example Soweto Dance Company. If you can do it there (one of the poorest slums on the planet creates a top int'l dance troupe)... You can do it anywhere. Do exciting & important, focus on that. Biggest arts progam of 2010 was in Gand Rapids, MI, Visual Arts Festival. 1500 artists showed up: year one. Interesting and Important can happen anywhere.<br />Creede Rep. Theatre has a value of "we will fail." Kaiser: arts must lead. Probably will fail when you lead. Most "best" arts performances people experience are not ones they expected. Arts are risky: embrace that. People don't claim Phantom of the Opera as their lifetime best arts experience... It's good, maybe great, but the best lies in surprise... See More. For me, Arcade Fire and the Sam Lay Blues Band (at Shove Chapel, 1995) are the two best live music experiences I can think of, not the huge, high expectation events. Both surprised me and left me transformed. (Now we are channeling Aeschylus!)<br />Lots of grumbling before event on the title and use of "Crisis". We are clearly crisis'ed out. We are city 66 out of 69, maybe is resonated more six months ago. In any event, the theme is exceedingly positive and pokes at the crisis-to-crisis mentality, and that "from the 1890's there are accounts of the arts are doomed." Arts are not allowed to function from a crisis mode.<br />Totally agree..if you have a product, it needs to be exciting more than anything else. Organizations that cut back on programming also cut back on product...no product, no sales. Most marketers look for the "home run" donors, exclusively. But they don't understand that by tapping the base of the pyramid, you can get tons of singles....Singles win Ballgames!<br />Arts Crisis Alert! Educational problem and arts not considered part of the necessary curriculum. How to address? Proactive behavior of arts orgs should be to concentrate on inclusive events and actions. Again mentions ticket prices as a huge problem and a deficit of thinking about big programming that's exciting. Innovation also really brings people in.<br />Interesting spiritual nugget: arts leaders should be mentored and mentoring.<br />Oh dear... First person has left and I can't say I'm surprised who it was. Yes, an EDC member.<br />More spiritual... Know when to build a building. Debt kills. The line between sickness and health is very slim. What, is he addressing a bunch of 30 yr old men? :) awesome advice for life not expected at an arts event.<br />Singles win ballgames... I love it Mark. Thanks!<br />Send off: we sell more tickets for arts then sports in the US.<br />Imagination Celebration presents the Dragon Hat, as the Protector of the Jewels of the Kingdom.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4515867638516076497.post-8289709282560257222010-05-28T13:01:00.001-07:002010-05-28T14:12:40.475-07:00US Air Force Academy to Downgrade Band - consequences for our community<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u8kbuz-s2Go/TAAxnMtz29I/AAAAAAAAAJE/aZitxz_0Kzw/s1600/AFABand.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u8kbuz-s2Go/TAAxnMtz29I/AAAAAAAAAJE/aZitxz_0Kzw/s320/AFABand.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476431696380550098" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">From COPPeR Board member Mark Dempsey, Executive Director of the Colorado Springs Chorale:</span><br /><br />The Air Force has made the determination to downgrade the Air Force Academy Band designation from Premier to Regional while retaining the Band’s national touring mission. The downgrade is not just in title and stature but will have a very real impact.<br />The Band will lose 7-10 musicians and the members will have to rotate through other regional bands every three or four years. The ensemble's current strength is based on playing together as an ensemble over a long period of years. They will no longer have as much ability to audition musicians, but will have to consider candidates rotating through the re-assignment pool. In addition, this will leave the Air Force Academy as the only service academy whose band is not a premier band and eliminate the only premier band located outside of the East Coast/Washington, D. C. geographical area.<br /><br />I see this as a tremendous blow to the Academy, the region’s number one tourist attraction, an insult to Colorado Springs and to Colorado more generally, not to mention the hard to calculate impact on the region as a tourist draw. It certainly impacts our efforts to develop the cultural reputation of the area. The Philharmonic will lose the availability of some top musicians, and regional schools and other clinician, teaching and developmental efforts among kids and adults alike now provided by the bandsman will suffer as band members are regular clinicians with the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony Association, Peakharmonic and other youth organizations as well as providing off-duty free clinics in at least six area high schools.<br /><br />The downgrade will also impact recruiting for the Air Force Academy in competition with the other service academies for top quality cadets and in the long run, has the potential to degrade the quality of Air Force leadership. For comparison purposes, the U.S. Army has four Premier bands, the Navy, two, the Marine Corps one plus a Premier Drum and Bugle Corps, all located on the East Coast.<br /><br />Additionally, the Band uses the Pikes Peak Center 7-10 times a year, presenting at least five concerts to the community. Twenty-five members of the band or their spouses are private music teachers, reaching over 200 students per week. Two members of the band are contract members of the Philharmonic, three band spouses are contract members, while eight band members are regular performers with the Philharmonic.<br /><br />The only recourse now available to reverse this decision is for individual citizens to contact their political representatives asking them to intervene. I encourage you to contact your elected officials today! (But please keep in mind that cut and paste of my or others’ remarks suggests an organized mass mailing and has less impact than a simple, short call or letter in your own words as an individual concerned citizen.)<br /><br />El Paso County Treasurer Sandra Damron has made the following plea to her elected officials, as well: <br /><br />The community’s concern regarding the downgrading of this band from Premiere to Regional is based on several factors:<br /><br />The Air Force Academy would become the only service academy without a Premiere Band.<br />The Air Force Academy band is the only Premiere military band west of the Mississippi. This is a slap in the face not only to the Pikes Peak Region and Colorado, but to the entire Western half of the country.<br /><br />The reason given (career stagnation and lack of promotion opportunities) is simply not true. Musicians function much as a baseball or football team does: the longer they play together, the better they get. For example, the Stellar Brass, which has had the same personnel for 12 years, is possibly the best brass quintet in the country, military or civilian. As far as promotion opportunities, taking away one of the two Air Force Premiere bands effectively cuts promotion opportunities for all other Air Force musicians in half.<br /><br />There is no cost savings. In fact, the requirement of adding 45 more AF personnel to the list of those who are transferred regularly will actually increase costs by approximately $1 million annually.<br /><br />The members of the US Air Force Academy Band are permanent members of the community. Because they feel a connection with the community, during their off hours they teach in our colleges (state-wide), they play in our community orchestras (also state-wide), and they volunteer in our social organizations and churches. The loss of this connection would negatively impact all of these organizations.<br /><br />It is my hope, and the hope of many others, that you will be able to convince the AF Chief of Staff that downgrading the AFA Band is unnecessary, and that we will be able to proudly keep this band as “The Best of the Best” in representing the United States Air Force Academy.<br /><br />Elected Officials Contact Information:<br /><br />The Honorable Doug Lamborn<br />US House of Representatives<br />437 Cannon House Office Building<br />Washington DC 20515<br />Phone (202) 225-4422<br />District:<br />1271 Kelly Johnson Blvd. Suite 110<br />Colorado Springs, CO 80920<br />Phone: (719) 520-0055<br />Fax: (719) 520-0840<br />The Honorable Mike Coffman<br />US House of Representatives<br />1508 Longworth House Office Building<br />Washington DC 20515<br />Phone (202) 225-7882<br />District:<br />9220 Kimmer Drive; Suite 220<br />Lone Tree, CO 80124<br />Phone: (720) 283-9772<br />Fax: (720) 283-9776<br />The Honorable John Salazar<br />US House of Representatives<br />326 Cannon House Office Building<br />Washington DC 20515<br />Phone (202) 225-4761<br />District:<br />134 West B Street<br />Pueblo, CO 81003<br />719-543-8200<br />719-543-8204 (fax)<br />The Honorable Mark Udall<br />United States Senate<br />317 Hart Senate Office Building<br />Washington DC 20510<br />Phone (202) 224-5941<br />District:<br />2880 International Circle, Suite 107<br />Colorado Springs, CO 80910<br />P: 719-471-3993<br />The Honorable Michael Bennet<br />United States Senate<br />702 Hart Senate Office Building<br />Washington DC 20510<br />Phone (202) 224-5852<br />District:<br />409 North Tejon St., Suite 107<br />Colorado Springs, 80903<br />Phone: (719) 328-1100 Fax: (719) 328-1129Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4515867638516076497.post-48267139589589954102010-04-09T10:06:00.000-07:002010-04-09T10:13:32.590-07:00Flash Mob for Poetry<table id="Time and Place" class="profileTable info_table" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td class="data"><div class="datawrap"><br />Perhaps you've seen the Improv Everywhere "Food Court Musical" and thought to yourself, how cool is that? Can we do something like that here? Check out this video for how these spontaneous performances can surprise and delight.<br /><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/dkYZ6rbPU2M&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/dkYZ6rbPU2M&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="480"></embed></object><br /><br />Well, just in time for National Poetry Month (April), here's your chance to get involved in a poetry flash mob. Calling all with dramatic flair, a passion for poetry, and/or video skills [BYO camcorder], the mission is to make poetry happen, in sync, all over Colorado Springs.<br /><br />We'll gather to assign groups and tasks on Saturday, April 10 at high noon. Come to the offices of COPPeR, the Cultural Office of the Pike's Peak Region. Missions will include visual and spoken performances of predetermined poems at prearranged places throughout the city. The hope is that we take Colorado Springs by surprise with poetry.<br /><br />Examples of group missions include:<br />-holding posters along sidewalks and across parks, mapping out famous lines of poetry<br />-erupting in spontaneous choral recitations in grocery stores and shopping malls<br />-videotaping crowd responses and enjoyment of spontaneous poetry<br /><br />Deployment of the missions happens on Saturday, April 17th. We want lots of footage so we can gather later to celebrate our success!<br /><br />If you're interested, please come down to our office tomorrow and we'll be sure to post videos of the deployment after they happen.<br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4515867638516076497.post-35300557507645294772010-03-16T10:06:00.000-07:002010-03-16T10:10:36.429-07:00Art Creates Community Winner announcedYesterday, the winner of the new the 2010 ART CREATES COMMUNITY $10,000 Award sponsored by the Bee Vradenburg Foundation and the Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado was announced. Congratulations to <span style="font-style: italic;">Community in Unison</span>: Chamber Orchestra of the Springs and the Gospel Music Workshop of America!<br /><br />Community in Unison will combine chamber music virtuosity with the explosive energy of gospel choir in a concert of original arrangements of traditional spirituals and gospels. <a href="http://www.chamberorchestraofthesprings.org/">Chamber Orchestra of the Springs</a> and <a href="http://www.gmwanational.net/">Gospel Music Workshop of America</a> - Colorado Springs Chapter will present this inspiring concert at the downtown First United Methodist Church on September 10, 2010 in association with a Volunteer Fair. If you want to learn full details of the project and/or play a more active role in its realization please contact chamorch@gmail.com.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4515867638516076497.post-63764949451981756312010-03-10T09:31:00.000-08:002010-03-10T11:32:05.606-08:00Spotlight: Colorado Springs Youth Symphony AssociationThis is the second in our Spotlight series in which we have invited folks from some of the Pikes Peak region's diverse arts groups to tell us what they do, who they work with, and what they're all about. You may have seen the banners in downtown Colorado Springs advertising the 30th anniverary of the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony. Today we give you a behind-the-scenes snapshot of this venerable institution. This post was written by David Sckolnick, Marketing Consultant for the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony.<br /><br />---------------------------------------------------<br />At the age of 30, we reach a time in our lives when the previous three decade's trials and tumbles make way for genuinely powerful and consistent accomplishment. The Colorado Springs Youth Symphony Association is celebrating that birthday this year, but the experiences and accomplishments of many of the aspiring musicians who have been a part of our program go beyond what is considered normal in the classic model of the human growth curve.<br /><br /> "I love being able to play with people that share my passion for music."<br /><br />For three decades the CSYSA has been shaping young musicians. As part of this year's celebration we're reaching out to <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u8kbuz-s2Go/S5fy9AXAoiI/AAAAAAAAAIs/6VWB-uupYCQ/s1600-h/Mozart+string+cellos.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u8kbuz-s2Go/S5fy9AXAoiI/AAAAAAAAAIs/6VWB-uupYCQ/s320/Mozart+string+cellos.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447089404210356770" border="0" /></a>our musicians, folks in their 40s, 30s, 20s and teens to see what our program has meant to the lives of our musicians. The Colorado Springs Youth Symphony Association provides high quality, diverse instrumental music education to youth and is a resource to the community. CSYSA is comprised of 7 auditioned groups (2 full orchestras, 2 bands and 3 string orchestras), a Mozart String outreach program and a chamber ensemble program. CSYSA serves over 450 musicians a year in these programs (once a week rehearsals/classes minimum). Musicians come primarily from the Pikes Peak Region and musicians come from more than 60 di<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u8kbuz-s2Go/S5fzGa7LcMI/AAAAAAAAAI0/5_Cxw6zg2yM/s1600-h/gary+string+cheese.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u8kbuz-s2Go/S5fzGa7LcMI/AAAAAAAAAI0/5_Cxw6zg2yM/s320/gary+string+cheese.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447089565960204482" border="0" /></a>fferent schools and outlying communities.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u8kbuz-s2Go/S5fzedDtm9I/AAAAAAAAAI8/0Mgrsfo3Ps8/s1600-h/Tiananmen+Square.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u8kbuz-s2Go/S5fzedDtm9I/AAAAAAAAAI8/0Mgrsfo3Ps8/s320/Tiananmen+Square.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447089978849729490" border="0" /></a><br /><br />"What I like best about Youth Symphony are the friendships I've made. Through tours, rehearsals and concerts, the other musicians become your second family. I'm thankful to the organization for integrating wonderful musicians from many different schools--without Youth Symphony I never would have met these amazing people. The music is great, too!"<br /><br />The Colorado Springs Youth Symohony provides an experience outside the schools to offer outstanding musicians real-world orchestral experience. Unfortunately, in our society, money is more frequently alllocated for ahtletics programs than music programs in public schools. It's true that athetic team experiences inspire great camaraderie and growth for young people as they move through the ups and downs of a competitive season. Some of the athletes even spend hours practicing on their own in weight rooms and working on their sport. But the hours spent mastering a violin, trumpet or bassoon may match and in many cases exceed how a high school linebacker or a point guard in basketball gets his or her body and mind prepared for a challenging opponent. And alongside the discipline, devotion, camarederie and growth nurtured by the experience of playing in an orchestra, a crash course in Bach, Mozart and Beethoven expands the minds and spirits of young people.<br /><br />These young people also act as ambassadors for our community. The Youth Symphony tours internationally every other year as an ambassador of our city and country-they have performed in China, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Spain, Czech Republic, Carnegie Hall, and others!<br /><br />For some of the musicians, playing with the Youth Symphony is the only chance they have to play with other musicians. One young musician says, "The Colorado Springs Youth Symphony is the highlight of my week. It is well worth the 200-mile drive each week. I have really grown as a musician being able to play with such talented kids. Gary Nicholson is an outstanding conductor who challenges me to do my very best." This student drives TWO HUNDRED MILES every week! That's dedication.<br /><br />"I like losing myself in the music. When I play with all of the instruments, I feel like I am all of the instruments!"<br /><br />But the benefits of being part of our program extend beyond their time in the ensemble. Although some alums do choose to pursue professional careers, many continue playing their instruments in a part-time community setting. But more importantly, our musicians go on to become one of the most vital component of the arts - the audience! Our cellists and trombonists of today will go on to attend symphony and chamber music concerts and other arts events in the future. The love of music they learn while in CSYSA will make sure that classical music keep sounding off on their loudspeakers and earbuds. It's just a little truth we have learned at Youth Symphony - music is a lifelong "sport" in which its players just get better and better, regardless of how their bodies wear down over the decades.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4515867638516076497.post-84479368905077702782010-02-22T16:20:00.000-08:002010-02-23T08:47:47.079-08:00Spotlight: The Club of ArtsThis is the first in our new Spotlight series in which we have invited folks from some of the Pikes Peak region's diverse arts groups to tell us what they do, who they work with, and what they're all about. This post was written by Jessie Pocock, Development Director at the Club of Arts.<br />---------------------------------------------<br /><br />Facts:<br /><br />There are 54 million people with disabilities in the United States making it the largest minority group. -Colorado Springs<span style="font-style: italic;"> Independent</span><br /><br />The unemployment rate for those with disabilities in the United States is 63.1 percent. The El Paso County rate was close to 80 percent in 2008. -The Resource Exchange, Cornell University<br /><br />In 2009 alone 232 people with disabilities in El Paso County participated in art at TCOA in over 7,500 artistic interactions.<br /><br />From Jessie:<br />Before attending the grand opening of The Club of Arts in 2005, I rarely considered why I almost never encountered people with developmental disabilities in the community. As a sociology major at Colorado College, I didn’t notice that there were no class offerings in my department that focused on the social issues concerning disabled people. It wasn’t until I entered the community of people with disabilities that I learned how powerful their voices can be.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u8kbuz-s2Go/S4QGZFJGrHI/AAAAAAAAAIk/hV96gInibgQ/s1600-h/TrappedInABottle.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 251px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u8kbuz-s2Go/S4QGZFJGrHI/AAAAAAAAAIk/hV96gInibgQ/s320/TrappedInABottle.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441481277717261426" border="0" /></a><br />Since I have been associated with The Club of Arts, (a nonprofit art organization reaching people with disabilities through artistic education, expression, and performance) I have learned so much about the strength, endurance, and power of people with disAbilities. For example, there are students like Allicia, who was on the waiting list for services she had been deemed eligible to receive for fourteen years. Allicia came to The Club of Arts hungry for independence, in need of a safe place to express herself. She is an incredibly talented silk dye artist. Her parents believe that art and TCOA have saved her life.<br /><br />There are students who had never engaged in the arts previous to TCOA, like Marty, who is in his forties and started taking classes at TCOA a couple of years ago. Marty began experimenting with gluing wine corks to wooden boards and has now created intricate cork cities and has discovered a fine talent for diorama.<br /><br />And there is Joe, an incredible oil painter who cannot physically speak because of his disability, but has found that he can communicate powerfully through art. In his self-portrait series, “Beyond My Wheelchair,” Joe paints his body trapped inside of a bottle demonstrating how the world occurs for him as a young man with a disabled body inside a world that is uncomfortable with difference. For Joe, art has become a way for him to communicate and a way for people to listen. Here's Joe at <a href="http://www.peakradar.com/event/detail/36849/Exposion_Fashion_Art_Festival_and_Fundraising_Event">Exposion</a> in summer 2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u8kbuz-s2Go/S4QD5FnEUeI/AAAAAAAAAIc/VaQlQ2MRvOA/s1600-h/Joe.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 206px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u8kbuz-s2Go/S4QD5FnEUeI/AAAAAAAAAIc/VaQlQ2MRvOA/s320/Joe.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441478529063866850" border="0" /></a>009.<br />Joe wrote a poem about his experience of showing the world what he can do through his art.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Trapped in a Bottle</span><br />I am trapped in the bottle that is my life.<br />Always on the inside looking out<br />My bottle does protect me<br />All the while restricting me.<br /><br />My bottle doesn’t allow friends<br />Nor does it allow climbing mountains.<br />It keeps me from being a drummer<br />And it doesn’t permit surfing.<br />My bottle doesn’t like babies<br />Nor does it like motorcycles.<br /><br />But I have found a way around my bottle.<br />My bottle does allow art.<br />What my bottle doesn’t know<br />Is that by letting me paint,<br />It is losing control over me.<br /><br />Painting frees me from my bottle.<br />I can paint thoughts my bottle won’t permit.<br />I can paint peace and frustration<br />And I can paint love and hatred.<br />I can paint spirituality and freedom<br />And I can paint hope and majesty.<br />I can paint patriotism and pride<br />And I can paint security and stereotyping.<br />I can paint good and evil<br />And I can paint alienation and connections.<br /><br />Even though my bottle tries to protect me,<br />I still have all these thoughts.<br />And because my bottle allows art,<br />The world will know my thoughts.<br /><br /><br />Today, TCOA serves over 200 artists with disabilities, who through the artistic process are finding their own unique form of expression, a place to be heard, and a tangible artistic contribution to make that is appreciated and respected.<br /><br />For more information about The Club of Arts please<a href="http://www.cstcoa.org/"> visit us online</a> or stop in and visit. Our students love visitors! We are located at 505 E. Columbia St., 80907.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4515867638516076497.post-69844971714874179792010-02-11T10:22:00.000-08:002010-02-11T12:47:02.561-08:00Poetry Out Loud<span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:verdana;" >Last night I had the distinct privilege of serving as a judge for the Palmer High School </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://poetryoutloud.org/">Poetry Out Loud</a><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:verdana;" > competition. Poetry Out Loud, a national poetry recitation contest, was founded in 2006 by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. I've been aware of the program for several years, but I didn't get to actually experience it until last year at COPPeR and the Chamber's </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/COPPeR-Cultural-Office-of-the-Pikes-Peak-Region/24188376313?v=photos&ref=search#%21/album.php?aid=128879&id=24188376313">Business and Arts Luncheon</a><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:verdana;" >, where Colorado state champion (and Palmer High School student) Kaleena Kovach stole the show with her moving recitation of a Margaret Atwood poem. It's not easy to captivate a room full of 300+ business people, but this 17-year-old did just that, and left the room hungry for more. As one luncheon attendee put it, "I am still amazed that the highlights were local opera singers and teen aged poetry performers."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:verdana;" >Last night's competition was brief, with only three competitors, but there was a decent crowd of people to support the contestants, and the evening was carefully and lovingly executed, including incidental music. There were five judges: Aaron Anstett, the reigning Pikes Peak Poet Laureate, Jim Ciletti, poet extraordinaire and owner of Hooked on Books, Slam Poetry Mistess Karen Sucharski, Molly Gross, co-director of the Colorado College Writing Center and candidate for an MFA in poetry at Bennington, and yours truly. The reciters were of varying ability, but all were enthusiastic. The coach, Heather Brown, has done a phenomenal job of inspiring her students to appreciate poetry. But after my experience last night, I think she's gone beyond that; in fact, she has given each of her students a truly profound gift.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:verdana;" >My grandfather was born in 1903. One summer when he was well in his eighties, we went on afternoon walks almost daily. On these walks, he told me all about his education in the small town in Texas, where he grew up on a farm. He went to a one-room school and eventually worked his way up to earning a scholarship to Oberlin. One of his favorite memories, and thus one of the stories he liked to tell again and again, was how his teacher required him to memorize poems. Numerous poems. Later, as his health declined and he became more senile, he had trouble remembering how to complete simple tasks. But he </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: georgia;font-family:verdana;" >never</span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:verdana;" > forgot a poem. Those poems that he was forced to memorize in that little schoolhouse gave him a sense of peace that could never be taken away.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:verdana;" >I was reminded of my grandfather last night. Poems by Gerard Manley Hopkins and Carl Sandburg, which I'd read on the page many times years ago in class, came alive. It was as if by hearing them so lovingly recited, I was able to truly understand the poems, without having to parse or dissect them. It took the labor out of poetry appreciation and left all the joy.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:verdana;" >One of the goals of Poetry Out Loud is to help students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage. But they also gain fundamental understanding of individual poems and they will take those poems with them for the rest of their lives. For lack of a more poetic way to say it, that is just really, really cool.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:verdana;" >Want to learn more about Poetry Out Loud? </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://poetryoutloud.org/about/">Click here.</a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:verdana;" >For your enjoyment, one of the poems from last night's competition.</span><br /><br />The Cities Inside Us by Alberto Rios<br /><br />We live in secret cities<br />And we travel unmapped roads.<br /><br />We speak words between us that we recognize<br />But which cannot be looked up.<br /><br />They are our words.<br />They come from very far inside our mouths.<br /><br />You and I, we are the secret citizens of the city<br />Inside us, and inside us<br /><br />There go all the cars we have driven<br />And seen, there are all the people<br /><br />We know and have known, there<br />Are all the places that are<br /><br />But which used to be as well. This is where<br />They went. They did not disappear.<br /><br />We each take a piece<br />Through the eye and through the ear.<br /><br />It's loud inside us, in there, and when we speak<br />In the outside world<br /><br />We have to hope that some of that sound<br />Does not come out, that an arm<br /><br />Not reach out<br />In place of the tongue.<br /><br /> <br /><br /><table style="font-family: georgia;" face="verdana" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr> <td colspan="2" align="right" nowrap="nowrap" valign="top"> <br /></td> </tr> <tr><td colspan="2"><br /></td> </tr> <tr><td colspan="2"><br /></td> </tr> <tr><td colspan="1" valign="top"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4515867638516076497.post-76261884518603860642010-01-20T08:50:00.000-08:002010-01-20T08:52:31.852-08:00Bob Lillie, 1937-2010ROBERT CLAUDE LILLIE - Obituary<br />Robert Claude Lillie, "Bob" or "Bobby" as he was called by family and friends, was born on August 2, 1937, in Hammond, Indiana, and passed away peacefully on January 15, 2010, in Colorado Springs. Bob was an accomplished musician, especially on the pipe organ, and played for 15 years for the Sacklunch Serenade concerts at the City Auditorium, in downtown Colorado Springs. He was a founding member of the Colorado Springs Chorale, and was a participant in many local musical events. He also founded the Friends of the City Auditorium group, and served as its first President. Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Robert M. Lillie and Chlotielde G. Lillie, and his wife, Charlea. He is survived by his son, Robert Douglas (Gloria) Lillie, two daughters, Lisa Ann Fox, and Margaret (James) Hopkins, and a brother, David A. Lillie (Kate O'Boyle), a sister, Coral (Lonnie) Mings, six grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, two nephews, four nieces, and great-nephews and great-nieces. A memorial service will be held at the Colorado Springs City Auditorium, 221 E. Kiowa, on January 25 , at 1 p.m. Gifts of flowers will be gratefully accepted (please have them delivered to the Auditorium before 1 pm on the 25th), or, in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the<a href="http://http://www.theatreorgans.com/ppatos"> Pikes Peak Area Theatre Organ Society</a> (PPATOS http://www.theatreorgans.com/ppatos), or to <a href="http://www.cityauditorium.org">Friends of the City Auditorium</a> http://www.cityauditorium.org . Bob will be greatly missed.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4515867638516076497.post-25833898044910359332009-12-31T09:22:00.000-08:002009-12-31T11:19:30.047-08:00Top 11 of 2009Top ten lists are everywhere these days, so I figured I'd jump on the bandwagon. There is no way to list all the amazing creative events that took place in the past year. There were hundreds of concerts, plays, art openings, festivals and musical events that showcased the amazing talent in the Pikes Peak region. Here are the top eleven of oh-nine, that I believe had a strong impact on our community, in no particular order:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://stargazerstheater.com/">Stargazers Theater </a>opened as a much-needed music venue in the old Colorado Music Hall building. Owners Cindy and John Hooten host blues, Americana and lots of other music, as well as offering space for community events like the Pikes Peak Arts Council Awards and Developmental Disabilities Awareness Day.<br /></li></ul><ul><li><a href="http://www.pikespeakpoetlaureate.org/">Poetry While You Wait</a>, a project designed by first-ever Pikes Peak Poet Laureate Aaron Anstett, launched with books of poetry, table tents and posters with local poems in places you'd least expect it. More than 25 poems by local poets were on display, and an exhibit of poetry at the Fine Arts Center Modern also opened in April to celebrate National Poetry Month.<br /><br /></li><li><a href="http://www.dreamcity2020.com/">Dream City: Vision 2020</a> hosted visioning sessions across the community and had a specific focus on arts and culture as a means for envisioning a thriving community. The process engaged artists young and old in arts contests and made a special effort to educate people on our rich arts and cultural legacy. More than 300 people attended the Dream City summit in July, where an <a href="http://www.dreamcity2020.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpageplus&Itemid=12">arts and culture vision statement</a> was unveiled.<br /><br /></li><li>The <a href="http://pikespeakartsfest.com/">Pikes Peak Arts Fest</a> brought thousands of people to America the Beautiful park in downtown Colorado Springs to see art and performances. Despite taking place during a hundred-year flood, tourists and locals alike flocked to the park for the cultural experience, opening their pocketbooks to purchase art by the carloads.<br /><br /></li><li>The <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Colorado-Springs-CO/The-Modbo/63957652369">ModBo</a> opened its doors in summer. This funky gallery space (its name is a hybrid of the words "modern" and "bohemian," in case you were wondering), in concert with neighbor gallery Rubbish, has breathed new life into the dark alley we like to call the "Alley Arts District." Owners Lauren Ciborowski and Brett Andrus hold monthly art openings, open-mic poetry, live bands, and classical music salons.<br /><br /></li><li>The <a href="http://csysa.com/">Colorado Springs Youth Symphony Association</a> kicked off its 30th anniversary season in Fall 2009. Educating young musicians since 1979, the CSYSA continues its tradition of presenting excellent training and also acting as musical ambassadors for the Pikes Peak region. Conductor and co-founder Gary Nicholson will take the Youth Symphony to perform at the Sydney Opera House in Australia and the Wind Symphony will perform at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in 2010.<br /><br /></li><li>The <a href="http://www.meadowgrass.org/">Meadowgrass Music Festival</a> launched this summer with two days of music, food and brewskis at the beautiful La Foret grounds in Black Forest. Despite intense rain and cold temperatures, music lovers shivered under ponchos, enjoying the dulcet tones of local musicians like Edith Makes a Paperchain and John Alex Mason alongside national acts like Magnolia Electric Company and Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles. When the sun did come out, the crowd celebrated. We hope this becomes an annual tradition that requires sunscreen in the future.<br /><br /></li><li><span style="color: rgb(205, 205, 154);font-family:georgia,palatino;" > <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><a href="http://www.coloradocollege.edu/summerprograms/summerfestivalofthearts/musicfestival/">The Colorado College Summer Music Festival</a> celebrated its 25th anniversary. This festival has a devoted following and brings the finest in chamber music and orchestra to the Pikes Peak region. This year, the orchestra commissioned a piece by Patrick Zimmerli, which was inspired by the architecture of the Cornerstone Arts Center. The performance of that piece included video projection of the building and an exhibit at the I.D.E.A. Space, and the evening was an exemplary model of the interdisciniplanary programs the Cornerstone was designed to inspire.<br /><br /></span></span></li><li><span style="color: rgb(205, 205, 154);font-family:georgia,palatino;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The <a href="http://www.csphilharmonic.org/">Colorado Springs Philharmonic</a> launched their new Vanguard series, </span></span>a concert series featuring 20th century composers as well as past masters, in order to expose Pikes Peak region audiences to contemporary work. This series was a bold move for an orchestra in this economy, as was Executive Director Nathan Newbrough's decision to slash ticket prices for new subscribers. The risk paid off--audiences are responding to the new energy, and subscriptions are up for the orchestra: good news in this uncertain economy.<br /><br /></li><li>The Cottonwood Center for the Arts opened triumphantly in May, with thousands of visitors streaming through the doors during opening weekend. Cottonwood's new home features two huge galleries, teaching classrooms, a kiln yard and ceramic studio, and more than 65 individual artists' studios. It is a bustling hub of creativity in downtown Colorado Springs, and their last Friday openings are packed.<br /><span style="color: rgb(205, 205, 154);font-family:georgia,palatino;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span></span></li><li>And if I may say so, I do believe that <a href="http://www.coppercolo.org/">COPPeR</a> has made a real difference in 2009 through our work connecting people to fantastic opportunities like the ones above. Just a smattering of our accomplishments in 2009: we published the <a href="http://www.coppercolo.org/guidebook.htm">second edition of The COPPeR Pages</a>, our free guidebook to all the arts and cultural organizations in El Paso and Teller counties, the traffic at our calendar website <a href="http://www.peakradar.com/">PeakRadar.com</a> grew 50% from 2008, we collaborated with the Chamber to host a successful 2nd annual Business and Arts Luncheon, we hosted a number of bootcamps designed to help arts organizations survive the recession, we continued to support local music by co-sponsoring the lively <a href="http://www.pikespeakcenter.com/showcaseatstudiobee">Showcase at Studio Bee</a> concerts at the Pikes Peak Center, continuing our research to complete a <a href="http://www.coppercolo.org/CulturalPlanning.htm">cultural plan for the region</a>. And of course, there is the ongoing, essential work we do every day to advocate for the value of the arts as essential to our communities--from the economy to education, from helping seniors to youth education, from public policy to neighborhoods. If you feel the work we are doing is making a difference, please consider making<a href="http://www.coppercolo.org/support.htm"> a tax-deductible gift to COPPeR by clicking here.</a> Thank you!<br /></li></ul>What were some of the most meaningful arts experiences that really had an impact on the community in 2009? Please feel free to share in the comments below. As I said earlier, there is no way to list them all. I will lift a glass tonight to celebrate all the accomplishments of the past year and I eagerly look forward to seeing what 2010 will bring!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4515867638516076497.post-42426005573174391232009-12-16T15:47:00.000-08:002009-12-16T15:50:22.631-08:00How Art Saved My LifeThe following essay was read today at Tony Babin's memorial service. Please enjoy and share with others. If you'd prefer to download and print a PDF, <a href="http://www.coppercolo.org/Acrobatdocs/HowArtSavedMyLife.pdf">please click here</a>.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />How Art Saved My Life</span><br />By Tony Babin (1957-2009)<br /><br /> Adolescence is a hard time for all of us. I know I had it rough. At 16 I was a 350-pound fat kid with bad acne whose only friends were girls. I sucked at sports, but excelled in choir and the Forensics Team. I had won every tournament the Forensics Team went on in my category of “Dramatic Interpretation.” I was religious. I was a junior deacon, a member of the church choir, and often the featured soloist for Sunday sermons. My grandmother’s favorite was my rendition of “How Great Thou Art.”<br /> I also had a terrible secret. I was gay. Of course, at that age and in that time in a small farm town, I wasn’t sure of what that was. I just knew I was different and that all the jocks in school called me a fag.<br /> I remember our church hosting what was called “The Lay Witness Mission,” which was basically lay church members giving testimonials. It was a revival of sorts. On the last Sunday, we were told to write on a piece of paper something in your life you want to change. We were then to lay that piece of paper on the altar and then they led us in a group prayer that was supposed to address the piece of paper. I wrote “I am a queer” on my piece of paper and folded it about eight times to make sure no one else would see it, and I left it on the altar and prayed. I prayed hard. I asked God to show me a sign. I was only 16.<br /> I waited and waited for some kind of answer from God. After a few weeks, I decided that there was no answer. I became depressed and started thinking about suicide a lot.<br /> Then, one Monday in school, our choir teacher told us that we would be participating in the entertainment tent when the Art Train came to town. Yes! The Art Train was coming to our town!! For those of you who don’t know what that is, the Art Train was a project funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. A train was loaded up with masterpiece works of art and then it toured the country stopping in small towns across America for farm kids and migrant workers to experience and see. Our whole town was abuzz! My speech teacher convinced me to sign up to do stand-up comedy and dramatic monologues. I did.<br /> There I was, a 16-year-old fat gay kid with pimples standing up on a makeshift stage in a tent doing a monologue from “Death of a Salesman” and looking out into a crowd of strangers who were crying. Later, as I was telling jokes, those strangers were laughing.<br /> It is hard to describe the feeling I felt as I stood in that dark room sharing laughter and tears with a crowd of strangers.<br /> When it was my turn to board the train and see the artwork, I was filled with excitement and a sense of awe. As I walked down the corridors looking at the beautiful works, I was stopped by a reproduction of Michelangelo’s painting “Creation of Man.” I stood there for a long time with tears in my eyes until they eventually ran down my cheeks. It was one of the most emotion-stirring paintings I had ever seen. I am not sure why it touched me the way it did at that time. I was so afraid someone would see me crying in front of a painting and my big secret would be out. I looked to my right, and there was a little old lady with white hair and a lace collar. She was crying too. She looked over at me and said, “Isn’t it beautiful?” and handed me a tissue from her purse. She then took my hand and patted it and walked on down the corridor.<br /> At that moment I could see my destiny before me very clearly. I knew that I would move to a bigger town, become an actor, and all thoughts of suicide and being different and not fitting in seemed not to matter so much.<br /> It wasn’t until years later that I realized why that particular painting had touched me so deeply. And it wasn’t until years later that I realized that the Art Train was the sign from God I was waiting for.<br /> Now, whenever I see a news story about arts funding being cut from schools and art programs being dropped or dismissed as not being a necessary part of the curriculum, I can’t help but get sad. Somewhere, there is an overweight teenager who feels like a misfit, whose only hope of feeling a part of something is being taken away. Art has the power to heal, to change lives, to answer prayers, to make us all feel like we are part of the Cosmic Dance. Art is more important than any sporting event can ever hope to be.<br /> Art saved my life.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4515867638516076497.post-66076906003323889222009-12-10T16:05:00.000-08:002009-12-11T16:05:09.082-08:00Tony Babin,<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u8kbuz-s2Go/SyGNmSkXfwI/AAAAAAAAAIU/N-Izd35IHpM/s1600-h/TonyBabin.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 80px; height: 134px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u8kbuz-s2Go/SyGNmSkXfwI/AAAAAAAAAIU/N-Izd35IHpM/s320/TonyBabin.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413763916034965250" border="0" /></a><br />Beloved actor and director Tony Babin, founder of the Upstart Theatre Company and the Upstart Gay and Lesbian Theatre Festival, died of a heart attack Wednesday.<br /><br />Tony was a force of energy and a genuinely kind man. He will be dearly missed.<br /><br />The Gazette's Arts blog is collecting memories. <a href="http://csartsblog.freedomblogging.com/2009/12/09/tony-babin-died-today/4215/">Please click here to visit and post your own.</a><br /><br />UPDATE: Memorial Celebration will take place Wednesday, December 16, 2-4 p.m. at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center.<br /><table id="Time and Place" class="profileTable info_table" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td class="data"><br /></td></tr> <tr><td class="label"><br /></td> <td class="data"><br /></td></tr> <tr><td class="label">Location:</td> <td class="data"><div class="datawrap">Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center Theatre, 30 W. Dale St.</div></td></tr></tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4515867638516076497.post-4427669663073509162009-12-01T16:05:00.000-08:002009-12-01T16:10:36.539-08:00Welcome to the neighborhood, UCCS<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u8kbuz-s2Go/SxWwKp3QORI/AAAAAAAAAII/3WJrsmsPk2w/s1600/Picture+15.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 148px; height: 194px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u8kbuz-s2Go/SxWwKp3QORI/AAAAAAAAAII/3WJrsmsPk2w/s320/Picture+15.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410424224438302994" border="0" /></a><br />Our mini-cultural district in downtown Colorado Springs is getting a new member! UCCS, representatives of Nor’wood Development Group and the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center announced last week that the space which has been known as the FAC Modern will be reborn as the UCCS Gallery of Contemporary Art 121, or GOCA 121, and will continue to build on the long tradition of contemporary art exhibits at UCCS. Caitlin Green, interim director, Gallery of Contemporary Art, said the new venue provides an opportunity to reach new audiences and develop a forum for critical discourse on contemporary art. GOCA 121 will be situated between two other downtown creative centers, us at COPPeR and the fabulous foodies at Nosh. The FAC Modern’s final exhibition closed Nov. 13. UCCS will open its first exhibit Feb. 5, 2010. More when that comes around.<br /><br />We're sad to see the FAC move out, as they have been excellent neighbors, but we also understand. “The FAC MODERN served us well,” said FAC President and CEO Sam Gappmayer. “We will be forever grateful to the generosity of Chris Jenkins and Nor’wood Development for providing the Fine Arts Center and its patrons this amazing space. The MODERN allowed us to continue to present world-class exhibitions without interruption during our expansion. But the time has come for us to pay it forward. We couldn’t be more pleased to hand off the MODERN to UCCS and their talented gallery director Caitlin Green, who will bring exciting programming to the Plaza of the Rockies.”<br /><br />We're delighted to welcome GOCA 121 and UCCS to the neighborhood, and we look forward to co-hosting Friday art opening receptions with GOCA 121 in the new year.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4515867638516076497.post-68190031597018166462009-11-30T08:25:00.000-08:002009-11-30T09:13:03.016-08:00Cal Otto<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u8kbuz-s2Go/SxPyLpTe_uI/AAAAAAAAAIA/9EcpRr6Bp2k/s1600/CalOtto.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 219px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u8kbuz-s2Go/SxPyLpTe_uI/AAAAAAAAAIA/9EcpRr6Bp2k/s320/CalOtto.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409933859282157282" border="0" /></a>Sad news last week from the Pikes Peak Library District:<br /><br />"Calvin Otto, our Pikes Peak Library District Board of Trustees member and champion of literacy, historical preservation, and community engagement, died Monday, November 23. His death is a great loss to our library family and the community that we serve.<br /><br />For those of you who did not have an opportunity to know Cal personally, here, in brief, are some of the things he did on our behalf:<br /><br />Cal’s involvement with us spanned nine years, during which time he co-founded All Pikes Peak Reads and the Regional History Symposium, orchestrated the development of the PPLD Foundation, established an endowment to support Special Collections programming in perpetuity, fostered PPLD’s partnerships with UCCS THEATREWORKS and the World Affairs Council, and worked tirelessly on projects such as the 1905 Carnegie Garden, Fountain Branch Project, and others.<br /><br />Cal attended every Summer Reading Party during his tenure, never missed an opportunity to represent the Trustees to staff and the public, and treated everyone he encountered in a gracious and genuine way.<br /><br />Before coming to Colorado Springs, Cal founded the American Ephemera Society, The Virginia Festival of the Book, and served on the Vermont Council of the Humanities, The Virginia Humanities Council, and eventually Colorado Humanities.<br /><br />Cal is survived by his wife, Patricia Otto; his daughter Sharon Mertens, Gary H. Mertens, and grandson Christopher Mertens; his son James R. Otto, Laurel Otto, and grandson Nicholas Otto.<br /><br />A memorial service will be held Friday, December 4 at 2 p.m. at Broadmoor Community Church, 315 Lake Ave. All Pikes Peak Library District facilities will close at 1 p.m. on December 4 to allow staff to attend if they so choose.<br /><br />If you wish to make memorial dedication, donations to the PPLD Foundation have been requested by the family in lieu of flowers."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0