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September 11th Free Concert in the Park Free Summer Concerts in the Park will wrap up the season with Monte C. Gmur leading the AUSA 509 th Military Band in a rousing “Sounds of Freedom” concert at Lions Town and Country Park, Sunday, September 11th. Established in 1985, the forty-plus member band, all volunteers, was recently awarded a special Congressional Commendation for its pride, pageantry, musicianship and outstanding service to the community. This year they performed at many “Welcome Home from Iraq ” celebrations, including the 729 th Transportation Company, USAR; the 140 th AVIM “D” Company; and the 341 st MP Company in San Jose, which was attended by local, state and national dignitaries. The band also played at the Legion of Valor Museum, the National Veterans' Golden Age Games, and the Change of Command ceremonies for VFA-154 and VFA-41 at NAS, Lemoore. The “Sounds of Freedom” repertoire features orchestral transcriptions, traditional band literature, show tunes, movie soundtracks, marches and popular music. Concerts in the park is a joint-venture of the Arts Council and the Madera Parks and Recreation department. Bring lawn chairs and a picnic dinner or enjoy a tri-tip dinner ($7.50 per person) provided by the Parks and Recreation Department, beginning at 5:00 p.m. Music will be played from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Annual Celebrate Agriculture with the Arts Exhibition Everyone is invited to attend “Celebrate Agriculture with the Arts” awards reception on September 22 nd from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Delicious appetizers will be served. Judging the show is Jane Burhnam, an award winning artist and teacher, whose works have been displayed in Canada, Great Britain and all over the United States . Her paintings hang in prestigious collections too numerous to mention here. She is a signature member of the American Watercolor Society and the National Watercolor Society, but also paints in oils and acrylics. Throughout her twenty years as an accomplished artist, she has not lost “the thrill that fills me every time I splash a brush load of paint upon a white sheet of paper.” Jane is as passionate about teaching is she is about her own work, having given workshops in Japan, Hong Kong, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Canada, Arizona, Wyoming, Utah, Hawaii and many California locations. This was her 19 th year conducting a national workshop in Yosemite . We wish to thank the corporate partners who have allowed us to reward local artists' fine work. Alkali Hollow Farms, Inc. - Chester & Terry Andrew - George & Gladys Andrew Farms, L.P. - Steve & Pauline Emmert - Fresno Madera Farm Credit - Maria Giampaoli - Hilmar Cheese Co, Inc. - Annabel Pitman - Madera Irrigation District, SRF - Midland Tractor -Quadry Winery - S & J Ranch - Stellar Distributing, Inc. - Thurber Livestock - Niki Upton The “Ag Show” will be on display at the Circle Gallery until November 18th. A reminder to artists whose work has been accepted : your work must be delivered to the Circle Gallery September 12 & 13 ONLY. Judging takes place September 15th. Sherril was raised in the Central Valley, but completed her college degree, art with a minor in art history, in Walnut Creek, after she married. She moved to the Oakhurst area in the 1970's and pursued her art. One day, former MCAC director, Nancy Clute asked if she would like to teach art. “I don't know how to teach.” Sherril responded. “Don't worry, we'll teach you!” Nancy replied. That was nearly twenty years ago and since then Sherril has developed a real love of teaching children. Three years ago, she received a three-year grant through the Madera County Library, to teach forty hours a month (grades one through three), at Madison Elementary School in Madera. Two years ago, she received a CAC grant to teach mural painting at Wassuma School in Ahwahnee. This year the MCAC obtained a YES (Youth in Education) grant from CAC so that Sherril can continue to provide extra art instruction at Madison School Sherril has learned not only how to teach, but how to adopt State Standards to each grade level. Over the years, she has seen, more and more, the need for art in the schools. “There needs to be art in the schools, because children are losing their ability to be creative.” she laments. Besides her residency at Madison, Sherril participates in Club Yes (Youth Education and Enrichment at School) and PACES (Presenting the Arts to Children in Elementary School) programs at many valley schools. She has also served on the board of the Madera County Arts Council. New Arts in Education Coordinator Jennifer Ostwalt will be overseeing all of our Arts in Education Programs, including Club YES, PACES and special grants. A graduate of Indiana University, one of the top music schools in the nation, she received her B.S. in Clarinet and a minor in arts administration. “Appreciation of the arts begins at a young age,” she says, “Without arts education, children may miss the opportunity of knowing how music can inspire, how dancing can express emotion though motion, or how the visual arts can speak to an audience without words. This position will give me the opportunity to build on the work done in the past to help bring arts education to schools in Madera County . I am very excited to be joining the Madera County Arts Council and look forward to meeting the artists and community members involved.” Ms. Ostwalt's husband, Kenneth Froelich is joining the faculty of Fresno State as a teacher of Music Composition. The Fine Art Show at River Park will be held Saturday, October 22 from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. This is Fresno 's largest fine arts show. The event will be highly advertised through corporate sponsors and will benefit “Tree Fresno”. Applications can be obtained by contacting Karen Fries (449-9818, karenbluemoon@yahoo.com ) or Kathy Gillis (264-2022, kpg02@cvip.net ) Entry deadline is September 22 nd. Rent on the Circle Gallery/MCAC offices is paid by “Rent Club” members. We are grateful to those who have stepped up in the past but we now need to cover the upcoming months. So, this is our plea: become a Rent Club member to keep our gallery and offices open. The combination gallery/office enables us to show and sell fine art by local artists, have special events, and run Art Council programs that enrich our community and schools. Call 661-7005 or email nburckert@maderaarts.org Congratulations to the Wednesday Painters, who coordinated the successful ‘Art in the Garden” show June 12 th in North Fork . Almost two-thousand dollars was raised (double what was raised last year) to buy books for the North Fork Branch Library. More than three-hundred people attended the event held in some of North Fork 's most beautiful private gardens. Next year the event will be hosted by Friends of the Library. This is the third annual “Fiesta in the Park”, designed to celebrate Mexican Independence day, sponsored by Latinas Unitas. This year they asked the Madera County Arts Council to provide some funding to help pay for the wonderful Latino music that will go on throughout the day on Sunday, October 2 nd, at Courthouse Park, from 11:00 a.m. – 6 p.m. The Arts Council approved a re-grant for the event to help with the expense of the music, and we're also helping to find artists for the artist booths. It should be a wonderful day with Flamenco Guitar, Mariachis, Folklorico Dancing and a Marimba band. All proceeds from the Fiesta provide scholarships for graduating seniors at Madera High School . The Arts Council is pleased to participate in such a fabulous event! See you there. Artist applications are available at Madera County Arts Council, 511 West Yosemite Avenue, or by calling Nora & Associates Realty 673-6672. Deadline: September 20 th . Our annual gala was a great success. “A Long Way From Broadway”, held at the lovely home of Dr. and Mrs. Todd Spencer, really felt like New York, thanks to the decorations by Heather Lewis. The silent auction and Joan Brumley's hands-on painting brought us much needed revenue to help keep the Council going. The special treat of the evening was a dance revue by the Snow Mountain Dance Company, lead by Teena Hagerman, a past CAC award recipient. We are grateful to those who attended, the artists who donated their work, and to our hard-working board members who pulled off another fabulous event. Watercolor artist Monte Guynes passed away recently at the age of 56. “He was one of the finest teachers I ever took a workshop from,” says Joan Brumley. “If you go to any shows in Fresno or Madera, you'll see his influence in the winners. He taught us to paint wet and loose and use brilliant color and design.” Self-taught and well liked by everyone who knew him, he was a Vietnam Vet who had suffered a debilitating set-back that left him paralyzed. He will be missed by those who appreciated his work and learned from him. ‘I attribute a lot of my success to Monte,” says Joan. B.J. De Frank, who taught oil painting in Southern California, is now living in Madera . She is offering three-hour classes to adults and children over eleven years old. Each class will have only five participants. She is also available for private instruction in her Madera home/studio: call 661-9061, 474-7789 or email mbjdefrank@yahoo.com for more information. Now in its third year, Sierra Art Trails has become a much anticipated arts event in the Sierra Foothills. The show gives art enthusiasts a chance to see fine art and fine crafts in the making, and to talk with artists first-hand. It's an opportunity to purchase direct from the artist, or to find inspiration for your own work. Scenic mountain drives, delightful fall weather, good restaurants and beautiful art - a perfect activity to share with your out-of-town guests. This year the dates are Saturday, October 8 th and Sunday, October 9 th . from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Over one-hundred artists working in a wide-range of media, including painting, photography, jewelry, sculpture, fiber arts, wood carving and ceramics, welcome visitors to their studios. Art Trails takes place in over fifty locations in and around North Fork, Bass Lake, Oakhurst, Ahwahnee, Coarsegold, Yosemite Lakes Park, Boot Jack and Mariposa. A Preview Exhibit featuring select works by each artist will open at Williams Gallery West in Oakhurst on September 9 th, with a gala reception on Saturday, September 10th from 4 to 9 p.m. To attend the show visitors pay $12.00 for the tour catalog, which acts as a “ticket for two” to all event venues. The catalog includes a sample of each artist's work, artist contact information, and suggestions for enjoying the event. A map is also included that provides the locations of all the venues, making it easy to plan the day. Catalogs can be pre-ordered on the internet at www.sierraarttrails.org or purchased at one of many locations throughout the area: in Oakhurst at Adrianne's, Stavast Studio/Gallery, Stellar Gallery, and Williams Gallery West; in Coarsegold at Inanna's Gift; in Mariposa at The Mariposa Visitor's Bureau; in Madera at the Madera County Arts Council Circle Gallery; in Fresno at Chris Sorensen Studio Gallery; or by calling Williams Gallery West at 559-683-5551. Joan Brumley has sold her gallery in Bass Lake to Chuck Nugent who will continue to feature local artists. Joan will concentrate on painting and teaching workshops. She also volunteers once a week at the women's prison where she teaches a popular high-school art class. Thanks to Stavast Studio/Gallery On August 6th, Stavast Studio/Gallery hosted a poetry reading that featured Coarsegold poet Scott Struman sharing his quirky, moving poems. Gallery manager, Barbara Eicker, provided delicious treats in the beautiful quiet setting. Nine local poets participated in the “open reading” segment. The program was sponsored by Poets & Writers, Inc. from a grant it received from the James Irvine Foundation and David Mas Masamoto. In order not to compete with Fresno Art Hop, the first Thursdays of each month, Sierra ArtHop will be held the second Saturday of each month at participating galleries. Times are 5 - 8 p.m. and more galleries will be added to the list that includes Stavast Studio/Gallery, Timberline Gallery, Stellar Gallery, Grimmer Gallery in Oakhurst and Inanna's Gift in Coarsegold.
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