“PETS!” Ebay Auction Preview

Take a sneak peek at our Ebay Auction items going live at 11:45pm on June 3rd!

20% of the proceeds go to benefit the Cat House on the Kings!

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MCAC Readies New Exhibit “PETS” in Partnership with the Cat House on the Kings

The Madera County Arts Council has partnered with another valley non-profit of the, furry kind; Parlier’s Cat House on the Kings!  MCAC Executive Director Rochelle Noblett wanted to know how she could benefit the nonprofit she worked for and Cat House, the nonprofit her sister Lynea runs. She finally came up with a winning idea, a PETS inspired art exhibit!

 

The Cat House on the Kings has a Facebook fanbase of over 1 MILLION as well as an Instagram following of almost 100K.  Among these followers are thousands of art lovers, especially art featuring animals!

 

“PETS / Furry, Feathered or Finned” offers participating artists the opportunity to put their work up for an online auction, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Cat House on the Kings.  All items will be displayed and available for purchase at Circle Gallery, but not all items at the Gallery will be available through the auction. 

 

 

MCAC’s Bottles & Brushes Paint Nights are Building Momentum

In September of 2016, newly appointed Executive Director, business owner and Madera native Rochelle Noblett began the popular PAINT NIGHT events springing up all over the country.  

Relying on the talents and experience of teaching artist Elaine Blake, MCAC has now hosted upwards of 8 events since then; November and December saw two paint nights as did January. Rochelle’s vision, is to have one event a week, she is steadily building toward that goal. At each event Elaine provides step-by-step instruction that has helped even the most insecure amatuer artist recreate a piece they thought they never could.

While there are various other places to choose from to take one of these wine and painting parties, Rochelle feels that the Madera County Arts Council & Circle Gallery offer a little different experience. “Providing a place for the beginner or even the curious amateur painters to explore in, while surrounded by works of art from established artists, is what makes this a unique place to create,” says Noblett.   

She went on to reveal they have hosted private parties for Campfire Girls and have plans for parties with the AAUW, cancer survivors from the American Cancer Society as well as a special Veterans only night. Rochelle is optimistic about the future of the Arts Council. “Eventually, I want us to have various classes going on every day; whether it be guitar lessons, art workshops taught by professional artists, more paint nights and anything there is a demand for. One of the next items on my agenda is to establish art and painting classes for children.  We have had several requests that are tailored just for elementary age kids and we have the teaching artists to provide that.” 

Along with delicious wines from local vineyards, the Circle Gallery Paint Nights offer appetizers, beer, water and treats.  From the sound of it, this is only the beginning for this most ambitious business leader.

The next opportunity to attend the Bottles & Brushes Paint Night is Wednesday February 1st at 5:30 for “Beautiful Bayou,” details and tickets via PayPal below.

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MCAC is also working on a special “Valentine’s Day” Paint Night, details coming soon! Bottles and Brushes / Paint Night Dates: February 1st 5:30pm, March 2nd 5:30pm. Register soon!

Circle Gallery hours of operation are 10-6 Tuesday through Saturday. Call 559-661-7005 or mail your check to 1653 N. Schnoor Ave. Ste. 113 Madera, Ca 93637 with the date(s) you’d like to attend and the names of those in your party if applicable.

Coyote Drama Productions open with new fall show Nov. 10!

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The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a long one-act musical comedy conceived by Rebecca Feldman with music and lyrics by William Finn, a book by Rachel Sheinkin and additional material by Jay Reiss. The show centers on a fictional spelling bee set in a geographically ambiguous Putnam Valley Middle School. Six quirky adolescents compete in the Bee, run by three equally quirky grown-ups.

 

Coyote Drama Productions is the theatrical production company at Madera High School, and is dedicated to giving the students of Madera High real-world experience planning, rehearsing, and creating fully produced live theatre productions for the community of Madera. 


 

Regarding their last production:

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. The cast and crew of “Harvey” has been one of the most dedicated and professional group of young people it has been my pleasure to teach and work with in a long time. They pushed through difficulties in recasting, rehearsal schedule changes, and technical challenges to produce a fine example of our craft. It is impossible to state how proud I am of these talented students, some of whom I will lose next year, but the sophomores, juniors and seniors who remain will help nurture new freshmen, bring them into the fold, and lay the foundation for future success. Many thanks and kudos also to my costumers, who busted their tails making these characters come alive. Special thanks also to the dedicated parents who supported their children with consistency and application of their own considerable talents. The future is bright. Now, on to planning next year!”

J. Gunn, MHS Drama

Madera South High School Theatre opens “Book of Days” Oct. 27

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The MSTC players at Madera South High School are opening their fall show “Book of Days” by Lanford Wilson.

October 27-30 and Nov 2,3 & 5 @ Madera South High School Theatre 705 W. Pecan Ave. Madera, Ca 93637 559-675-4450 x1021

Book of Days, which has won the Best Play Award from the American Theater Critics Association. Book of Days is set in a small town dominated by a cheese plant, a fundamentalist church, and a community theater. When the owner of the cheese plant dies mysteriously in a hunting accident, Ruth, his bookkeeper, suspects murder. Cast as Joan of Arc in a local production of George Bernard Shaw’s St. Joan, Ruth takes on the attributes of her fictional character and launches into a one-woman campaign to see justice done. In Book of Days, Lanford Wilson uses note-perfect language to create characters who are remarkable both for their comic turns and for their enormous depth.

“Mr. Wilson’s cosmic consciousness, intense moral concern, sense of human redemption and romantic effusion have climbed to a new peak.” — Alvin Klein, The New York Times; “A significant addition to the Lanford Wilson canon . . . his best work since Fifth of July . . . Book of Days manages to combine Wilson’s signature character-based whimsy with an atypically strong narrative book and politically charged underpinnings.” — Chris Jones, Variety; “Book of Days is lively storytelling by one of our best playwrights.” — Lawrence DeVine, Detroit Free Press.

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Ginger Latimer, pictured above with drama student Tanner Smith, is the director/producer for MSTC Theatre, located at the Madera South High School.  Ginger began her long teaching career in 1992 when MSHS was still apart of Madera High and known as Madera High School South Campus.

 

Granddaughter to Hollywood actor’s Barton MacLane and Charlotte Wynters, Ginger herself had a budding Hollywood career before she went into teaching. She was Linda Evans stunt double in one of Kenny Roger’s Gambler movies as well one of the Mark Harmon Coors Beer commercials in the 80’s.

 

Barton, was in many movies working as a character actor along side such notable legends as Humphrey Bogart & Lucille Ball. His television credentials are lengthy; shows including The Munsters, The Monkees, Gunsmoke, Laramie, Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color and Westinghouse/Desilu Playhouse kept him busy. Barton is most known however, for playing General Peterson in the popular I Dream of Jeannie series alongside Larry Hagman and Barbara Eden.

 

Her grandmother, Charlotte Wynters broke into acting as an ingenue in the David Belasco play, “The Wanderer”, traveling from Columbus, Ohio on a train, with sheep and a boxcar full of dirt, into many cities on the east, finally on Broadway.  After retiring from acting, Charlotte Wynters MacLane, divided her time between her home in LA and her cattle ranch in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Madera County, which she continued to own until her death in 1991.

 

Madera musicians going to Taiwan including an MCAC Board Member

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(Courtesy of Allen Baraldi) A group of local music educators of Marcheta Williams and the Driven Operation from left, Marcheta Williams, Mike Yturralde, Savannah Thompson, Marco Paim, Diego Zarate, Matthew Mazzei and Nick Gilroy have been invited to perform in Taiwan and will be leaving Sunday.

Madera musicians going to Taiwan

 October 8, 2016

By Donald A. Promnitz (Madera Tribune/Used by Permission)

After a company of musicians and dignitaries visited Madera from its sister city of Yilan, Taiwan, in mid-August, a group of music teachers from Madera will be making a visit of their own to the island nation.

The group, comprised of six music teachers, and a district accompanist (who also holds a music degree), will leave for Taiwan on Sunday to represent the United States in the International Arts Festival in Yilan, where they will play jazz and perform with musicians from 11 other countries from around the world.

They’re being led by Marchieta Williams, director of visual and performing arts for Madera Unified School District; she will provide vocals for the act.

“It’s exciting to be in an environment with people from different countries, so they’re serious about music, and it really feels good to be able to represent a style of music that is America’s only original music,” said Williams. “So that’s pretty special.”

According to Williams, the group was invited in August, but it wasn’t until two weeks ago that they were confirmed to go, when their trip was okayed by the school board. Despite the short amount of time, however, Williams said that she, and her players, are prepared.

“We’re taking professional and high-quality musicians, so really, the hardest part, getting it together, was figuring out what we were going to do, and getting arrangements,” Williams said. “They’re very skilled musicians, which made that preparation super-efficient.”

Among those going with Williams is teacher and violinist Matthew Mazzei. Although this is his first year of teaching with Madera Unified, Mazzei has been playing his instrument for approximately 23 years, and has performed in Austria, where he took part in an opera festival, and played in the orchestra pit.

“At first I was a little intimidated, because it’s very short notice, obviously, but we have a great group of musicians, and they’re all very talented players, and Dr. Williams is a very talented musician in her own right,” said Mazzei. “Now it’s more just kind of anticipation and excitement, as we prepare. We have come up with our set list, we have to rehearse, and I’m still not entirely sure what to expect when we get there.”

This trip will be an educational experience for the teachers embarking, Williams explained.

“We are also going to the classrooms to learn strategies that they’re using to teach students there, because they have a really high caliber of student playing, in performance, and work  ethic,” Williams said. “So we’re hoping we’ll be able to learn some of those strategies, and bring them back, and implement them with our kids.”

This sentiment was reflected by teacher and clarinetist Diego Zarate, who, after seeing the performance of Yilan’s Formosa Melody musicians when they visited Madera in August, was impressed with both their ability to play, and their learning methods.

“What’s really exciting to me is when the (musicians) from Taiwan came here, they brought their instruments from their culture. And actually, I added them on Facebook, and I get to see what they’re doing,” Zarate said. “They’re performing with their kids, so I’m excited to see what their classroom music looks like, and what their instruments look like, and what their teaching methods are.”

According to Williams, her company will return on Oct. 17. Funding for the trip was paid for by donations from the Madera community.

2017 Calendar for Art Scholarships

Each year the Madera County Arts Council provides scholarships to graduating seniors who will pursue the arts in the college life.  Nancy Clute was the first executive director for MCAC, therefore, to honor her memory, there is a Nancy Clute Memorial Scholarship along with a general scholarship from the Madera County Arts Council.

 

Last year, MCAC granted 3 local students the Nancy Clute Memorial Scholarship. Breeann Angelina Mee of Liberty High School, Isabella Clark of Minarets High School and David Efrain Vargas of Madera South High School were very honored to receive this scholarship.  With the cost of tuition and books, these kids need all the help they can get…so do the parents!

 

This year, we have created a calendar featuring various winners and participants from the 2016 Celebrate Agriculture with the Arts exhibit, currently on display at Circle Gallery.  All proceeds go to the scholarship fund.