Prof. Cruse Reviewed in Today’s Transcript

Prof. Cruse’s project Felix and Friends got a lovely review in today’s Transcript, thanks to writer John Mitchell, who noted that:

Howard Cruse mixes children’s books with his comic strips sensibility for a parody of both in this tale of a horrid floating boy who does everything wrong and still must depend on the kindness of a circle of friends. Imagine every sitcom aimed at young urban people and then add some Dickensian nightmare personality to the center of the circle and there you have “Felix’s Friends.”

See the full article at the Transcript at this link, or alternatively, at Howard Cruse’s website.

The wickedly delightful  Felix and Friends is available at Lulu.com

Here’s a sample page courtesy of Prof. Cruse:

THIS WEEKEND arts events

The city’s expecting a few thousand visitors for this weekend’s art events…

From Prof. Mowinski:

THIS WEEKEND in North Adams

After months of installation, MASS MoCA will open the doors to the Sol LeWitt Retrospective, featuring 105 wall drawings by one of the most influential artists of the 20th century.

In celebration of this exciting opening, DownStreet Art will re-open our doors to extend the art festivities in North Adams.

The following galleries will be open on Friday, November 14 from 3 – 6 PM, on Saturday, November 15, from 10 AM – 6 PM, and on Sunday, November 16, from 10 AM – 4 PM.

MCLA Gallery 51 – Beyond the Curtain, the work of theatrical designers from the Berkshires to Broadway
Primary/Secondary Volume III – the work of Sol LeWitt apprentices and interns
Maya III – the work of Jarvis Rockwell including new wall drawings
MCLA Gallery 51 Annex – Lumens, an interactive light installation by Ven Voisey, Sean Riley and Matthew Bellanger in partnership with Greylock Arts and Turbulence.org
North Adams Artist Cooperative – featuring the work of 16 Berkshire County based artists
The Grandfather Paradox – a storefront installation by Mark Mulherrin
Baby 2.0 – mixed media installation by Erin Ko, Eclipse Mill

Special closing reception at the NORTH ADAMS ARTIST CO-OP on Sunday from 4 – 7 PM.

TRICKS OF THE TRADE

A monthly professional development series for artists, artisans and creatives held throughout Berkshire County.

DECEMBER: Technology Take-off

Part 1: Websites and Blogs
Wondering if your business needs a website and how to create one? Want to know what a blog can do for you? This course will answer those questions and much more.
Instructor: Bob O’Haver, Technology Consultant and Founder of Graymatterhost.com
Tuesday, December 10th 7-9pm @ MCLA Computer Lab, Room 118

The Clark Art Institute

“Anime for Grown-ups: The Art of Japanese Animation” Film Series:

Anime, as Japanese animation is usually called, is an immense presence in the culture of Japan, with global reach as well. During this series, the Clark will look at anime not from the perspective of genre expectations, but through the work of directors who speak in the international language of film.

Grave of the Fireflies

November 15, 2008

1:00 PM
(1988, 88 min., PG-13)

Tokyo Godfathers
November 22, 2008
1:00 PM

(2004, 92 min., PG-13)

Paprika
November 29, 2008
1:00 PM

(2006, 90 min. R)

Outdoor Artworks Needed

Interested in art, environment? Considering professional opportunities for making public projects?

RiverCulture in Turners Falls is issuing a request for proposals for a public art installation at the site of a public pathway in the town. All of the submission and background information is located in this pdf file: Final Pathways RFP

Fletcher to Exhibit in Boston

MCLA Art Major Merritt Kraft Fletcher’s painting, A Fly Buzzed When I Died Said Emily Dickinson, will be exhibited in Blue by the Cambridge Art Association in Boston, thanks to the fine jurying of Institute of Contemporary Art curator Jen Mergel. Blue runs from Nov 15 – January 13; if you’re heading to Boston stop in at the Kathryn Schulz Gallery to see the art. Get directions here.

Congratulate Merritt when you see her — good going! Another MCLA student and artist gets into a national exhibit!

You can see her artwork among the many other excellent works in the exhibit online.

The Park Project

The college has put theory into practice, by bringing students, curators, editors, and a professional artist together for the Park Project, Here’s some of the latest updates and a project description:

Book Signing: Dr. Gengarelly and the artist Jessica Park will be at Water Street Books in Williamstown to sign copies of the book Exploring Nirvana — 6 to 8 pm Thursday Nov 20th.

Sponsored by the Fine and Performing Arts Department at MCLA, The Park Project is a multiyear educational endeavor to study and promote the art of Jessica Park. Park is a nationally renowned artist with autism who lives with her family in Williamstown, Massachusetts. To date The Park Project has produced two exhibitions of Jessica’s art, one in 2004 and a traveling exhibition in 2007, The Art and Life of Jessica Park, which is scheduled, in the spring of 2009, to show at Endicott College’s new Fine Arts Center and at the Hands On Museum in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In May of 2008 MCLA published Exploring Nirvana: The Art of Jessica Park, a 96 page book with 86 full color illustrations of Jessica’s art. Along with 26 catalogue entries by MCLA students, the book also contains essays from experts in the fields of autism and Outsider Art. Dr. Oliver Sacks introduces Exploring Nirvana with a moving tribute to Jessica and her art. Through courses and independent studies, The Park Project is designed to introduce students to museum work and its related skills of promotion and publicity, fund raising, educational outreach and book production. For further information contact Professor Tony Gengarelly, Ph.D via email at a.gengarelly@mcla.edu, or go to the Park Project website (click here).

St. Paul and St. Andrew’s Methodist Church #2 with Migraine Lighting and the Elves, 1997

Mass MoCA fills a 3-story building with a tribute to Sol LeWitt – The Boston Globe

Here comes the next big thing: this weekend Oct 14-15, the opening for the Sol Lewitt Project. Sunday the galleries are free for preview. It is astonishing, huge, and an important dimension of contemporary art.

Read more:

Mass MoCA fills a 3-story building with a tribute to Sol LeWitt – The Boston Globe

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New Berkshire Cultural Resources BLOG

Now online at http://web2.mcla.edu/index.php/bcrc

Find announcements, information and links for the

Berkshire Cultural Resource Center

MCLA Presents!   performance and concert series

Gallery 51   exhibits and events of international, national and student art

B-HIP  Berkshire Hills Internship Program, getting jobs in the arts

Tricks of the Trade  arts economy, creativity, and management talks

and more!

Spring Internships at MASS MoCA

MASS MoCA (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art) is the largest center for contemporary visual and performing arts in the country.  Housed on a restored 19th-century factory campus, our spacious, light-filled galleries feature changing exhibitions of the best art of our time, including dozens of newly commissioned works.  Our year-round schedule of performing arts ranges from popular music to new theater, contemporary dance to rollicking dance parties, and from alternative cabaret to beautifully screened films.   Artists who have been exhibited at MASS MoCA include Robert Wilson, Ann Hamilton, Gregory Crewdson, Matthew Ritchie, Tim Hawkinson, Oyvind Fahlstrom.  Artists that have performed on our stages Bang on a Can All Stars, Laurie Anderson, Pam Tillis, Patti Smith, Philip Glass, Bill T. Jones, Joan Baez, Yo La Tengo and They Might Be Giants.

MASS MoCA seeks full-time interns for various departments.  Spend any season in the culturally rich, naturally beautiful Berkshires, while gaining invaluable professional experience in the arts. Paid interns are given $100/wk stipend and free housing with a block of the complex.

Production Interns (January 5th – May 27th):  Interns work with the Production Coordinator, House Carpenter, House Electrician, House Sound Engineer, and house crew on all aspects of technical theatre and film.  This includes hands-on in all of the following areas – carpentry, lighting, sound, audio/visual, and running crew.

Performing Arts Administration (January 5th – May 31st):  Interns work directly with the Managing Director of Performing Arts in coordination of current and future season planning, general office work, and maintaining/updating department archives.  Interns will rotate between assisting in both drafting the event programs and researching upcoming artists and working with artist services to arrange logistics of visiting artists, staff, and fellow interns.

Marketing/Public Relations (January 5th – May 31st):  Interns work on all aspects of publicizing the organization including writing press releases, giving tours of the galleries, preparing press packets, advertising for all upcoming performing arts events in surrounding areas, researching new forums for publicity, and assisting with public outreach and special events.

Graphic Design (ASAP – May 31st):  Interns work directly with the Director of Design, Curator, Production crew and visiting artists designing and producing a wide range of print, web pages, and signage for MASS MoCA. Intern should demonstrate a creative talent, enthusiasm, and a commitment to a career in graphic design, as well as a working knowledge of Quark X-Press, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and Golive, and Macintosh environment.  For this internship, a portfolio review and interview are required.

To apply to MASS MoCA Internship Program:  Send cover letter (specify which department to which you are applying) , resume, and two letters of references, via email, mail, or fax:

MASS MoCA
c/o Meghan Robertson, Company Manager
1040 MASS MoCA Way North Adams, MA 01247

internapp@massmoca.org
Phone: (413) 664-4481 ext 8132  Fax: (413) 664-4519

North Adams Open Studios 2008

A young Ms. Amsden was entranced by MCLA student Merritt Fletcher’s painting at this year’s North Adams Open Studios event. Congratulations to all the 100 or so artists who exhibited during the weekend. Participating MCLA student artists included Jordan Pagan, Natalie Tottenham, Jamal Ahamed, Andrew Klass, Merritt Fletcher and alumni Aaron Andrews and Jeffrey Reynolds!The entire set of snapshots that I took can be seen here at Flickr.

Piano Kids: Interns Apply Now

MCLA Internships with PianoKids
Piano Lessons for the Computer Age

Title of Internship: PianoKids – Teaching music literacy and piano with computers

Website: http://www.pianokids.com/

Name and address of organization:
PianoKids, LLC, PO Box 2394, Lenox, MA 01240
Main office: 32 Patterson Rd., Lenoxdale, MA 01242

PianoKids is a teaching organization dedicated to increasing music literacy among children through the use of technology. It operates four teaching centers in the central and southern Berkshires where 120 students ages 6-10 are taught to read music, play the piano, and compose their own songs, all with the help of computer technology. The method is based on the research of Peter Taussig, a concert pianist and Berkshire resident who developed the method in the 90s at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Canada, and at the Yamaha Corporation in New York. PianoKids is affiliated with the Music Literacy organization, which provides financial aid to its students.

The education and experiential objectives of the internship:The PianoKids internship is intended for Seniors interested in an educational career path. It’s objectives are to provide the intern with an alternative approach to the pedagogy of elementary music using technology and a multi-sensory approach, a hands-on teaching experience of elementary grade students, and arts management experience related to running an educational arts organization.

The required qualifications for the internship:
To be considered for this internship applicants should have had some experience working with groups of young children, as kindergarten teachers, camp councilors, etc., have rudimentary music skills, such as reading music, understanding some basic music theory, and having had a few years of formal piano lessons. Prior piano teaching experience is NOT a requirement. The successful intern will be a self-motivated individual with good organizational skills, highly reliable and responsible, and have good people skills (especially children). Administrative, business, and PR experience are NOT required but would be considered a plus.

The on-site work and responsibilities to be undertaken during the internship: PianoKids operates four teaching centers in central and southern Berkshires. Teaching occurs every weekday between 3 and 6:30 PM. Interns will first participate in the regular PianoKids teacher training, which includes learning the teaching manual, seminars in pedagogy, and supervised practice teaching. After completing their training trainees will start teaching classes under the supervision of an experienced and certified PianoKids teacher in several locations.

In addition to their teaching load, interns will also be exposed to the administrative and management aspect of the PianoKids operation. By working at the main office with the general manager they will gain hands-on experience in managing, promoting, recruiting students, customer support, and music technology, that will be invaluable for their future prospects as arts administrators.

At the completion of their internship, interns may be offered teaching or administrative positions with PianoKids, or become eligible to start their own affiliate PianoKids studio (a lucrative career path) outside the Berkshires.