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Cultural Art Happenings March 2012

Grammy nominated, Marcia Ball, singer/pianist/songwriter will be returning to Abilene for a special performance at the Paramount Theatre March 17th! She has her own unique blend of southern boogie and roadhouse blues and this is one concert you will not want to miss.  The major exhibits this month, the NCCIL with Dan Yaccarino, The Grace with Sedrick Huckaby, and the Center for Contemporary with Larry Millar and Tony Brown, could not be more different in style and content but all exhibits are exceptional and make for a wonderful art filled afternoon. We look forward to seeing you downtown this month in our beautiful cultural district.



Artfully Yours,

Lynn Barnett

Executive Director, 

Abilene Cultural Affairs Council

325.677.1161

 


Defiance

HSU Feast

CCA March 2012
Alamo


 

Tot Spot at The Grace

March 1 - 2

Thursday - 10:00 a.m. & Friday - 9:30 & 11:00 a.m.

This popular program, for ages 3 to 5 and parents, features hands-on activities & games. 

$5 Non-members, Free for Members

The Grace Museum

102 Cypress St.

325-673-4587 / www.thegracemuseum.org

  

  

Art Adventure

March 2 

10:30 a.m.

This mom and tot program for preschoolers combines different aspects of visual and verbal literacy by exposing the children to books and art based on the featured artist in the gallery. 

National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature

102 Cedar St. 

325-673-4586 / www.nccil.org

 

 

Puccini's Tosca

March 2, 4, 6

2nd: 8:00 p.m.

4th: 2:00 p.m.

6th: 8:00 p.m.

The Abilene Opera Association and guest artists present this opera set in 1800, around the time of the French revolutionary wars and Napoleon's invasion of Italy. Tosca plays out in miniature the overarching political drama of the time, which was turbulent and bloody.

Admission: Varies

Historic Paramount Theatre

352 Cypress St.

325-676-7372, Tickets

 

 

Family Fun Saturday's

March 3, 10, 17, 24, 31

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

NCCIL's art educators help you create a "work of art" using the style and medium of the featured artist in the gallery.  

Free

National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature

102 Cedar St.

325-673-4586 / www.nccil.com

 

  

Abilene Idol Competition 

March 3

10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Who will be the first Abilene Idol? Auditions limited to the first 100 contestants who register by emailing: info@chorusabilene.net.  Bring your backup CD and plan to sing 2 minutes of the song of your choice.  The top 10 finalists will move on to the next level of competition.

Registration Fee: $20

Spectators: Free

Mall of Abilene 

4310 Buffalo Gap Rd.

325-673-7464 / Gwen Haseltine


Creating a Website 

March 6

6:30 p.m. 

Learn, plan, design, code, launch, and maintain a website, using a familiar framework. Riley Wills from the Abilene Christian University Office of Online Marketing will walk through each step of creating a website. You'll leave this seminar equipped with a solid framework and quality resources to assist with developing a website of any type.
Main Library Auditorium
202 Cedar St. 
325-676-6017 for information, www.abilenetx.com/apl 


ArtWalk: Carwalk

March 8

Bring the entire family to historic downtown where restaurants, shops, museums, galleries and entertainment await you! This month features classic, hot rods, and automobiles as objects of art. 
5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Free

The Center for Contemporary Arts

220 Cypress Street

325-677-8389

www.center-arts.com / info@center-arts.com

Gallery Hours: 

11: 00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Tuesdays - Saturdays, Free

 

 

Texas Independent Film Work: "TEXAS BBQ & BEER"
ARTWALK-March 8
7:30 p.m. only
The Texas Independent Film Network at the Austin Film Society, the Paramount Theatre, and the 24fps International Short Film Festival present the short documentary double feature "Texas BBQ & Beer."  The program includes "BBQ: A Texas Love Story." (narrated by Governor Ann Richards) which takes a tour across the Lone Star State to meet some of Texas' most colorful citizens, as well as "Something's Brewing in Shiner," which takes a humorous look at Shiner, Texas in the summer of 2003 when the citizens were in an uproar over the premiere of a new beer at the town's famous brewery.  
Tickets: $6 for adults; $5 for students, seniors, military, and children.  
Historic Paramount Theatre
352 Cypress St.
325-676-9620 /  For Tickets

 

  

KACU'S 25th Anniversary Luncheon

March 8 

11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

KACU will celebrate 25 years of public radio. The luncheon will honor Dr. William Teague and the visionaries who brought Public Radio to Abilene and the Big Country. There will be an entertaining program in the form of an "old time radio show" written by Charles Hukill. 

$60 - person

Abilene Civic Center

1100 N. 6th St.

325-674-2441, Sandy Byers
  

 

Just One Of Those Things 

March 8 - 10, 15 - 17, 23 & 24

7:30 p.m.

Romantic comedy written by Wylie and McMurry graduate Brandon Ray.  Making her way by train to her country wedding, Carol loses her luggage and is forced to spend the night in an out-of-the-way train station. There she meets Richard, a janitor with a romantic soul and a penchant for classic movies. With her fiance making his way toward her, Carol finds herself in an evening of fantasy and questioning everything she thinks she wants.

Tickets: $10 - adults; $8 - students, seniors (60+), military, $5 - children 12 & younger.  

Abilene Community Theatre

809 Barrow St. 

325-673-6271, Box Office

  

 

Paramount Classic Film: "The Alamo"

March 9 -10

Friday: 7:30 p.m.; Saturday: 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. 

John Wayne directs and stars in this legendary classic film about Texas' battle for independence from Mexico. 1960 - Color - 162 minutes - NR

Tickets: $6 - Adults; $5 - Students, Senior, Military, Children

Historic Paramount Theatre

352 Cypress St.

325-676-9620 / To purchase tickets

 

 

Family Fun @ your Library: Royal Reading 
March 10
2:00 p.m.
Knights, Princesses, dragons and more during this family story event that gives your children the keys to the kingdom through books.  We'll have stories, songs and everyone can make their very own crown to take home. 
Free.
Main Library
202 Cedar 
325-676-6017 for information,  www.abilenetx.com/apl  
 
 
Chautauqua Learning Series
March 10
11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 
Speaker: Zoe Kirkpatrick
Topic: Indian Life on the Texas Plains
Free admission to the Learning Series 
Buffalo Gap Historical Village
133 N. William - Buffalo Gap, TX 

  

  

Mid-Month Movie: 21st Century Art "Identity"

March 14

Noon - 1p.m.

This PBS documentary is episode one of a four-part series which examines the visual arts in contemporary America by interviewing some of the country's foremost artists and showcasing their work. This volume asks the important question: who are we? Beyond the core of the unchangeable universal Self, the smaller self of the personality can define, limit, or expand our relationships with the world and others. The artists in this episode relate how they are continually searching for and expressing some of the many aspects of self through their art. The featured artists include Louise Bourgeois, Maya Lin, James Marshall, Bruce Nauman, William Wegman, and Steve Martin. 

Free

The Center for Contemporary Arts 

220 Cypress St

325-677-8389 / www.center-arts.com

  

 

Cover-to-Cover Book Club

March 15

7:00 p.m. 

Broaden your reading experience through our adult book club. This group reads fiction and non-fiction they choose themselves, with many diverse titles and authors to discuss. March's title is I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron. For women of a 'certain age,' this candid, hilarious look at getting older and dealing with the tribulations of maintenance, menopause, empty nests, and life itself should be enjoyable. Everyone is welcome to join this free group.
Free

Main Library Auditorium 

202 Cedar 
325-676-6017 for information,  www.abilenetx.com/apl

  

  

Live at the Paramount: Marcia Ball in Concert  

March 17

7:30 p.m. 

Presented by Abilene Public Radio and the Paramount Theatre.  The Grammy nominated singer/pianist/songwriter returns to the Paramount for a special concert event.  Ball knows how to raise roofs and tear down walls with her infectious, intelligent and deeply emotional brand of southern boogie, rollicking, roadhouse blues and heartfelt ballads. Over the course of her three-decade career, Ball has earned a huge and intensely loyal following all over the world. Her exquisite piano playing and passionate, playful vocals fuse New Orleans and Gulf Coast R&B with Austin's deep songwriting tradition.  

$15 - $30 per Person (reserved seating only)

Historic Paramount Theatre

352 Cypress St.

325-676-9620, Tickets, Information
 
 
Military Appreciation Day 
March 18
Noon - 5:00 p.m.
Free to active and retired military and their family 
Buffalo Gap Historic Village
133 N. Williams St
Buffalo Gap, TX
 
 
Best of Broadway: 100 Years of Broadway
March 20
7:30 p.m. 

About the Show: Five Broadway stars (Chuck Wagner from LES MISERABLES, JEKYLL AND HYDE, INTO THE WOODS, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, Sandra Joseph from THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, Carter Calvert from AIN'T NOTHIN' BUT THE BLUES, Ian Rutherford from TITANIC, LES MISERABLES, and Danny Zoli from JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR) make a rare appearance together to perform songs from the shows they starred in on Broadway and more. In the chance of a lifetime, two local Abilene singers, chosen from the Singing With The Broadway Stars auditions, will join the cast and perform a number together. A contest allowing the public to vote a song into the show will guarantee a different set list.

Prices Vary 
Abilene Civic Center
1100 N. 6th St. 
1-800-869-1451, Tickets

 

  

The Nocturne Project

March 24

7:30 p.m.

The Abilene Philharmonic will prepare a never before seen in this area project to showcase the tremendous talent found on our stage by initiating a new series of chamber concerts that will not have a conductor.  The Nocturne Project will force the musicians to work together, listen more intently all the while challenging them to work better as a group. Modeled after New York City's conductor-less series first seen at the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Abilene Philharmonic's Nocturne Project is a way to break down the "wall" between the symphony and the audience with the hopes of attracting a younger demographic.

Tickets: $15 
Williams Recital Hall, ACU

Call the Box Office for tickets or more information

 
 
Abilene Idol Final Competition
March 24
7:00 p.m.
Join the 10 finalists as they compete to be the Abilene Idol. A panel of guest judges will place their votes, the audience will cast their votes, and the winner will be announced! The winner receives a cash prize of $500. Guest celebrity performer Tim Halperin. Tim was a Top 24 performer Season Ten of American Idol and this will be his first Abilene appearance. Proceeds benefit Chorus Abilene.
Historic Paramount Theatre
352 Cypress St.
$10 - person
325-673-7464, Gwen Haseltine
 

 

Texas Author Series

March 26

Noon

The second in our Texas Author Series features historian T. Lindsay Baker, who will relate tales from his two new books - Texas Stories I Like to Tell My Friends and Gangster Tour of Texas. Baker is director of the W.K. Gordon Center for Industrial History of Texas in Thurber. Sandwich plates will be available for $5, or you can bring your own lunch. Drinks will be provided. Books by the featured authors will be available for purchase, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the library. Made possible by the Friends of the Abilene Public Library and the West Texas Book Festival. 

Free.

Main Library Auditorium 

202 Cedar

325-676-6017 for information, www.abilenetx.com/apl 

 

 

The Voice of the Prairie
March 29 - 31   
7:30 p.m.  

By John Olive, Directed by: Marcy Doty

McMurry University 
Box Office 325-793-3889 


Crystal Rae Productions Presents: A Raisin in the Sun
March 30 - 31
7:00 p.m.
Lorraine Hansberry's award winning play is a theatrical experience you won't want to miss.
Abilene Christian University
Cullen Auditorium
1600 Campus Ct
$7 - Adults, $5 - Students & Children 12 & Younger
708-508-2181, Tickets

  

 

 

 


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Tell Us What You Think 

We want to hear from you!  Please let us know what you would like to see included in this newsletter - as well as any other ideas you have to strengthen Abilene's cultural arts community.  Send your emails to Elizabeth McVey at elizabeth@abilene.com

Contact Info  
Executive Director
Lynn Barnett  - 325.677.1161