The summer of 2012 marked the exciting debut of "Sitka Fest," a summer-long arts and culture festival based on the historic Sheldon Jackson Campus in Sitka. Featuring over sixty public events, the festival offered a diverse range of offerings from chamber music, jazz, folk and rock concerts; dance and theater performances; Alaska Native Arts demonstrations; a TEDx conference; lectures by scientists, community organizers and writers; and a wealth of science and arts camps for kids and adults.

Sitka Fine Arts Campers Kaylin Saura and Aryeh Lax. All photographs courtesy Alaska Arts Southeast.

Spearheaded by the Sitka Fine Arts Camp, the Festival brought together partner organizations based around campus, including the Sitka Summer Music Festival, the Island Institute, the Sitka Fine Arts Camp, the Sitka Sound Science Center, the Native Jazz Workshop, the Sitka Seafood Festival, the Sitka Fellows Program, TEDx Sitka, and the Sheldon Jackson Museum. Each partner generated an amazing array of programs for the public. The goal of Sitka Fest was simple: to share the diversity of these programs taking place in Sitka during the summer months and to unveil the campus as a creative center of educational and economic activity.

For Roger Schmidt, Executive Director of Alaska Arts Southeast, these programs are part of the larger educational mission of the campus. "What I want the campus to be is a vibrant educational center," Schmidt said. "The success of Sitka Fest is an important benchmark in the revitalization of the Sheldon Jackson campus."

Roger Schmidt speaks to the Sitka TEDx event.

The Festival

included work by local, regional and international figures, and offered programs for all age groups. Highlights included the "Tlingit Spruce Basket Study," with Sitka artist Teri Rofkar leading an immersive research program for students and conservators from the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian; a new educational partnership between the Sitka Summer Music Festival (SSMF) and the Sitka Fine Arts Camp where young string players participated in master classes with SSMF artists and even played alongside artistic director Zuill Bailey in the SSMF's grand finale concert.

Ed Littlefield speaks to TEDx Sitka.

The Sitka Fine Arts Camp offered seven separate sessions this summer: Adult Fine Arts Camp, Elementary Strings Camp, Circus Camp, Elementary Fine Arts Camp, Middle School Camp, High School Camp, and a new Musical Theater Camp, which mounted a fully staged production of "Bye, Bye Birdie" in less than two weeks. Faculty artists from the visual art, music, dance, theater, and writing programs presented their work at evening "Art Shares" and dozens of student performances took place at the conclusion of each camp session. Rounding out the Festival's musical program, The Native Jazz Workshop introduced students of all ages to an evolving genre of music-the fusion of traditional Tlingit songs and jazz under the guidance of world-class artists Ed Littlefield, Christian Fabian, Jason Marsalis and Reuel Lubag.

Jack Turner with Sarah Melton working on "Bye Bye Birdie."

Sitka Fest humanities programming centered on TEDxSitka, Sitka's first TED conference, which brought together writers, entrepreneurs, community organizers and musicians for an afternoon of compelling talks aligned with TED's mission of "ideas worth sharing." Speakers included Daniel Coyle (Homer-based author of The Talent Code and Lance Armstrong's War); Aisha Fukushima (a "Rap Activist" from San Francisco); and Richard Nelson (Sitka-based author of The Island Within). TEDx also featured speakers already in-residence on the SJ campus as part of the Sitka Fellows Program and the Island Institute's "Resilient Communities Roundtable," a program that connected twelve creative thinkers for conversations around the theme of cultivating resilience within communities. The culinary arts were also part of Sitka Fest: The Sitka Seafood Festival presented an evening of tastings and entertainment centered on our most valuable resource--seafood.

Sitka Fest was made possible by the thousands of volunteer hours and donations that continue to support the rebuilding of the Sheldon Jackson campus. The festival was also funded in part by an "Our Town" grant from the National Endowment for the Arts with additional support from the Alaska State Council on the Arts. Plans are in the works for Sitka Fest 2013.

Recently, we spoke with Fairbanks Concert Association (FCA) Executive Director, Anne Biberman about an ongoing residency program with Parsons Dance out of New York City. Some of the hallmarks of this program include: the community collaboration, the interpretation of place through dance and the idea that outreach and promotion can be an art process in and of themselves."The performing arts are changing rapidly. More and more, we have the opportunity to engage our audiences and make the arts a participatory experience - and increasingly, this is becoming an important component of what we do. It is what makes us different from online experiences and that is a vital distinction, especially when reaching out to newer, younger audiences," Biberman responded to a question about the importance of this kind of project for FCA. "Those of us in the arts have the opportunity to impact our community as never before. We use our work to make where we live more fun, more animated and as a result, retain talent and spark economic development."

Steve Vaughn and Christina Ilisije of Parsons Dance perform with the Fairbanks Summer Festival Orchestra. Photo � Todd Paris, 2012.

"Partnerships are very important to us. We believe that by working with others we can do more for the community we serve." The way Biberman describes it, the process of bringing people, organizations and businesses together around this project avalanched-in the best possible way. "It started with the Alaska Presenters Consortium and our discussions of presenting dance there. We received a lot of encouragement from both ASCA (Alaska State Council on the Arts) and the Rasmuson Foundation, along with a host of friends from around the state all offering their enthusiastic support for the idea." Dance can be a challenging medium to tour, particularly in Alaska: the cost and logistics of touring a company which may include several dancers and production staff is daunting.

Biberman credits a strong, positive relationship with Parsons Dance agent Margaret Selby with the origination of a residency project that preceding the September presentation in FCA's regular season, and from there, the project began to build. Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival (FSAF), Terese Kaptur and Sherrie Merdes jumped on board to host the residency with Parsons Dance company members during festival in July. "Then there was FSAF conductor Robert Franz, who, along with Terese, invited Steve Vaughn and Christina Ilisije, the two Parsons Dance company members to perform with the Festival Orchestra. At that same concert was a performance of Steven Lias' Denali, which came from a program that sends composers into national parks to interpret their experience through music. So there were two interpretations of our state that day, one through dance, one through music."

While in residence, Vaughn and Ilisije set a work of choreography on Fairbanks dancers which will also be performed during the concert presented as part of FCA's season in Septmeber. Some well-known Fairbanks community members threw their support behind the project: Mayors Luke Hopkins and Dave Talerico, Fairbanks Daily News Minor columnist Dermot Cole and Design Alaska's Jack Wilbur, a prominent business leader and supporter of the arts. These community members worked with Vaughn and Ilisije to learn the choreography for the FSAF concert. One of Anne Biberman's revelations during the residency came in watching these community members attack the process of learning choreography. She said it was clear that their approach was a reflection of the way in which they have achieved success in their professional lives-with grace, commitment and enthusiasm.

The FCA presentation of Parsons Dance on Friday, September 21 at 8 pm represents a culmination of the residency. It also incorporates one more opportunity for community outreach and cross-discipline work through visual art. "We considered printing the images (of Parsons dancers in mid-air) on cocktail napkins or coasters and putting them out at all the venues in town, but it was when I had a conversation last December with Sue Sprinkle, our graphic designer when she said 'Why not mobiles?' It was perfect!" says Biberman.    

Rachelle Dowdy Mobile installed at Gambardella's Pasta Bella in Fairbanks. Photo courtesy Anne Biberman

"A conversation with friend David Mollett led to our contacting (artists) Rachelle(Dowdy) and Lacie (Stiewing), who loved the idea. Then Greg Probst volunteered to help us get the mobiles
distributed, and Bill Arnold offered to do a video project around it. This really just follows our desire to make a real contribution to the community. We can't wait to have them 'stumble upon the fun!'" The mobiles created by Dowdy and Stiewing are already up in businesses around Fairbanks.  

"Once we had the idea for the mobiles, to use

One of Rachelle Dowdy's mobiles in process. Photo courtesy Rachelle Dowdy.

art as a medium, we needed to make it work on the same level as any of our projects and that means working with professionals. Rachelle and Lacie added their vision to ours in ways we couldn't have even imagined."

Governor Parnell appoints Alaska State Council on the Arts Members 

Governor Parnell appointed Josie Stiles and reappointed Diane Borgman, Adelheid "Micky" Becker, and Robyn Holloway to the Alaska State Council on the Arts.  

Stiles, of Nome, is the human resources manager for the Nome Eskimo Community and the president of the Nome Arts Council. A current member of the Nome City Council, she has also worked as customer service manager with Bering Air Inc., as director of the Nome Convention and Visitors Bureau, and as director for the Kawerak Inc.'s Village Public Safety Officer Program. A former board president of the Bering Sea Women's Group, Stiles is appointed to a seat reserved for a member of the public.

Poetry Out Loud informational teleconferences September 17 and 18 at 3:30 p.m. 

The Juneau Arts and Humanities Council and the Alaska State Council on the Arts will host two informational teleconferences for teachers, administrators and parents who want to know more about the program. We will discuss the resources available, the process for schools, registration and any other questions about how to make this happen. Please RSVP at  http://bit.ly/AKPOLteleconferenceRSVP and we will send you a reminder! For more information about Alaska's Poetry Out Loud program, and to register your school, visit  http://jahc.org/arts-education/poetry-out-loud/ 

Alaska Poetry Out Loud Registration deadline - October 15, 2012

Governor's Awards for the Arts and Humanities  

October 18, 2012 Reception 6:00, Awards banquet 7:00, Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage

Council Meeting - October 18, 10a.m - 2 p.m., ASCA Offices in Anchorage

Artist in Schools Round II Deadline - November 1st  

Quarterly Grant 3rd Quarter Deadline - December 1st: Community Arts Development, Workshop, Master Artist and Apprentice, Walker Arts, Career Opportunity Grants

Cultural Collaborations Project Grant Round II Deadline - December 1st   

Have you liked us on Facebook yet?  If you haven't, go to facebook.com/ArtsAlaska to make  sure that you're up to date on ASCA opportunities, events and intriguing arts-related articles from across the web. Plus our office mascot, Boo, looking at art, in our weekly "Boo's Muse" album!

Right: "Conatus" by Craig Updegrove, located at 3105 Mountain View Drive in Anchorage   

USArtists International 2013 Guidelines and Application Now Available!

First Round Deadline: September 7, 2012

The guidelines and new online application are now available for the 2013 USArtists International (USAI) program. USAI provides support for American dance, music, and theater ensembles and solo artists invited to perform at significant international festivals or engagements that represent extraordinary career opportunities anywhere in the world outside the United States and its territories.

The application deadline for the first of three grant rounds of the 2013 program will be Friday,

September 7, 2012 for projects taking place between November 1, 2012 and October 31, 2013.

This is a receipt deadline.

For a copy of program guidelines, and to access the application, go to 

ArtPlace is a collaboration of 11 major national and regional foundations, six of the nation's largest banks, and eight federal agencies including the National Endowment for the Arts to accelerate creative placemaking across the U.S. To date, ArtPlace has awarded $26.9 million in grants - in amounts up to $1 million - to 76 organizations in 46 communities across the country.

Creative placemaking has been gaining traction as a locally-driven strategy for bringing new life to communities. ArtPlace defines creative placemaking as "a means of investing in art and culture at the heart of a portfolio of integrated strategies that can drive vibrancy and diversity so powerful that it transforms communities."

Grants will be awarded to projects that involve arts organizations, artists and designers working in partnership with local and national partners to produce transformative impacts on community vibrancy. Applications are encouraged from all 50 states and U.S. territories, and ArtPlace funds in communities across the country. Certain ArtPlace funders have a deep commitment to their local communities and have provided funding for specific states or communities. New foundation partners like the Rasmuson Foundation and the Magaret A. Cargill Foundation have helped extend ArtPlace's reach into new regions.

Letters of Inquiry will be accepted between September 17 and November 1, 2012 for ArtPlace's third round of funding. If you wish to apply for an ArtPlace grant or seek financing through the ArtPlace loan fund, please review the guidelines in full. To view projects from all 50 states visit  http://www.artplaceamerica.org/loi/ 

The Alaska State Museum in Juneau is seeking entries from photographers across the state for

the museum's biennial exhibition of Alaska photography. Now in its 40th year, Alaska Positive encourages photography as an art form in Alaska.

The deadline for receipt of entries is September 22. Information and the entry form for the exhibit is available online at:  http://www.museums.state.ak.us. The competition is open to any Alaska resident. Additional details are available in the prospectus online. All mailed and hand-delivered entries must be received by 4 p.m. September 22, at the Alaska State Museum in Juneau.

Sponsored by The Center for Latino Studies at Queens University of Charlotte in partnership with Gil Projects, Inc. and Queens' Departments of Art and Foreign Languages and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, seeks to highlight the exciting cultural and artistic contributions of Latinos in the United States.

Call for Artists at University of Alaska, Anchorage Student Union Gallery

The University of Alaska Anchorage is hosting the 27th Annual No Big Heads (NBH) exhibition in late October. NBH is a national juried self-portrait competition of limited size: works must be no larger than 12 inches by 12 inches in any direction. NBH welcomes all types of media and prints of all nature. This year's juror, David Kassan, is a prominent realist portrait artist from Brooklyn, New York.

This is a great opportunity for upcoming artists to have a chance to participate in a juried show. Prizes include a $1,000 cash prize along with a summer solo exhibition for the Best of Show.

A link to the NBH prospectus can be found at http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/sll/activities/nobigheads.cfm . All submissions must be in to the UAA Student Union Gallery by October 17, 2012.

Embracing Our Differences invites art submissions for its 10th annual outdoor art exhibit celebrating diversity. National and international submissions are encouraged. Thirty-nine artists will be selected for the exhibit. The exhibit will be displayed April and May 2013 at Island Park along Sarasota, Florida's beautiful bayfront. The exhibit will contain 38 billboard-sized (16 feet wide by 12 1/2 feet high) images of the selected artworks. 

Final selections will be chosen based on artistic excellence in reflection of the theme "embracing our differences." Submissions will also be evaluated on how effectively the proposal will read outdoors when enlarged to billboard size. Final selections will be made by a 3-judge panel of professional artists, curators and art professionals. A total of $3,000.00 in awards will be presented.

Submissions must be postmarked no later than January 7, 2013. There is no submission fee nor limit on the number of entries.

The mission of Embracing Our Differences is to use art as a catalyst for creating awareness and promoting the value of diversity, the benefits of inclusion and the significance of the active rejection of hatred and prejudice.

Submission forms and more information concerning past winning entries are available at www.EmbracingOurDifferences.org or by emailing Info@EmbracingOurDifferences.org.  

Percent for Art - UAA Natural Science Building

Request For Qualifications (RFQ) opens September 12, 2012. Deadline is October 23, 2012.

Art Budget: $80,000.

Applications accepted on  www.callforentry.org  

Does your school deserve a GRAMMY? And a little bit of cash for your music programs to go along with it?

If your school has a totally great music program with a fantastic music teacher or two thrown in -- it does. Or if you are keeping music classes in your school despite that fact that you barely have a budget for sheet music much less instruments - it does.

GRAMMY Signature School awards are given to high school music programs that are keeping music programs alive and well. Each school gets a GRAMMY Award and a cash prize of up to $10,000. Schools compete in different categories based on excellence or need.

We have GRAMMY Signature Schools from every size city and town across the country. Visit the Grammy in the Schools website at  http://www.grammyintheschools.com/   

To apply before October 22, click here  

Denali National Park 2013 Artist-in-Residence Program

Deadline: September 30, 2012

CALL FOR ARTISTS AND WRITERS: Denali National Park has called for applications from visual artists and writers for the 2013 Artist-in-Residence program. Established artists and writers use a historic roadside cabin as a base to explore the park and seek inspiration from it. Many works from previous artists-in-residence are displayed in the Denali and Eielson visitor centers. Artists reside in the East Fork cabin, Mile 43 on the park road, for a 10-day period between now and mid-September. In return, each artist donates a piece of artwork or written piece to the park's collection. They also offer a public presentation for visitors at the end of their residency. Applications are available online at http://www.nps.gov/dena/parknews/2013-artist-in-res-announcement.htm  

Arts and Social Change Symposium: An Open Dialogue" registration available 

October 12-13, 2012 - Seattle Center - Seattle, WA

You are invited to join the Washington State Arts Commission, 4Culture, Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, Seattle Center, Seattle Office for Civil Rights and The Association of American Cultures at Arts & Social Change, a regional symposium for arts administrators, artists, social service professionals, government representatives, and social justice leaders from around the Pacific Northwest. The symposium will address the role that diverse arts play in creating awareness, inspiring understanding and developing policies to address cultural equity and social change.  

Friday, October 12, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Evening Program 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. 

Museums Alaska/Alaska Historical Society Joint Annual Conference

Museums Alaska Theme: Museums Matter: Connecting with Our Communities

Sitka, AK, October 10-13

Alaska Historical Society Theme: Alaska on the World Stage.

Museum consultant and organizational coach Alice Parman, Ph.D., will be the Museums Alaska keynote speaker for Sitka 2012! The title of Alice's talk will be "Engaging Communities in Exhibit Development", and directly following her keynote address, she will be available for an "Up Close" Q&A session for direct conversations. She will also be leading a pre-conference workshop on Wednesday, October 10th, entitled "Exhibit Makeovers". Museums Alaska conference scholarships are available.

Registration information will be posted to the Alaska Historical Society's website. http://www.alaskahistoricalsociety.org/index.cfm/conferences/Conference-Information. For more

information, visit the Museums Alaska website at  http://museumsalaska.org/conferences/annual-conference-2012/ 

Fractured Atlas is offering a series of fiscal sponsorship and fundraising sessions by webinar in September, October and November [on Tuesdays from 7:30-8:30pm EST]: visit http://www.fracturedatlas.org/site/fiscal/ for a schedule of the webinars, and to attend the online presentations.

Western States & Territories Preservation Assistance Service (WESTPAS) presents a workshop with Gary Menges: Creating and Funding Preservation Projects To Enhance Collection Care at the Anchorage Museum, Reynolds Classroom, 625 C Street, Anchorage, AK 99501 on October 17, 2012, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Who should attend: Administrators and staff responsible for care of the collection in all types of libraries and archives, with an emphasis on small-to-medium sized institutions without preservation grant writing experience.

Cost: No charge to the institution. WESTPAS is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Registration:   Pre-registration required. Register online at: WESTPAS workshop  http://tiny.cc/ZePOLtakes you to the calendar, then go to October 17.For registration assistance contact:

Alexandra Gingerich . For general & content information contact Gary Menges.  

Join artist Ann-Margret Wimmerstedt in Homer for an Encaustic Work-Play Day

Held at Ann-Margaret's home, all supplies are included with a $75 fee to be donated to Bunnell Street Arts Center. Sundays Beginning in September: 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd & 30th, 12-4pm.

Space will be limited, Call to Register at 235-1575

The Early Bird Deadline for the National Arts Marketing Project 2012 Conference in Charlotte, NC is September 14. Visit the conference website  for information about the conference, pre-conference, scholarship support and registration.

Family, Tlingit culture inspire Da-ka-xeen Mehner's new solo art exhibition

"Finding My Song" on view Sept. 7 through Nov. 11 at the Anchorage Museum of History and Art at Rasmuson Center. Museum visitors can learn more about Mehner's exhibition at his free lecture 7 p.m. Sept. 6. Mehner will also answer visitors' questions in the gallery from 7 to 9 p.m. on Sept. 7.

Touch Me: A Tactile Ceramic Experience by Emily Longbrake closes September 13th. The exhibit is in UAA's Student Union gallery. For information, call 786-1219 or email  gallery@uaa.alaska.edu  

Process Alaska, a curated exhibit featuring 10 Alaskan artists, opens Friday, Sept. 7 with a reception from 6-9 pm at the Good Question Gallery at the DUMBO Spot, 160 Water Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201 http://www.goodquestiongallery.com and at the Peanut Underground Gallery, 215 East 5th Street, Manhattan, NY from September 14 - 21 http://peanutunderground.com.

The show then travels back to the Bunnell Street Gallery in Homer, AK from October 19 - 21 http://www.bunnellstreetgallery.org and the International Gallery of Contemporary Art in Anchorage, AK Dec. 7-31 http://www.igcaalaska.org.

Participating artists are Michael Walsh, Gretchen Sagan, Jimmy Riordan, Sonya Kelliher-Combs, Brian Adams, Michael Conti, Deborah Tharp, Garry Mealor, Nicolas Galanin, and Julie Decker. The exhibit was co-curated by Richard Cutrona of The Good Question Gallery and Michael Conti http://www.contiphotos.com  

Ties that Bind: from Marionettes to Toys

A unique installation by Alaska's world class puppeteer, Buzz Schwall at the Port View Banquet Room at Alaska Experience Theatre in Anchorage. Friday, September 7, 2012 6-10pm. At 7pm, Wild Sweet Orange Dance Theatre will give a performance of "The Funeral March for a Marionette." Visit Buzz on the web at BuzzoPlex.net.

Three of Us from Fairbanks opens Friday, September 7-30, 2012 at the Leah J. Peterson Gallery--APU Carr Gottstein. Three women--Jean Lester, Darleen Masiak, and Mary Lee Guthrie--present a show of their different perspectives of their environment using oils, acrylics, stone and metal.    

The NEA encourages applicants from diverse research fields (e.g., sociology, economics, anthropology) and diverse areas of expertise, including, but not limited to, health, education, and urban and regional planning. Although applicants must be non-profit organizations, they are encouraged to partner with for-profit entities, and/or use commercial and/or administrative datasets.

The NEA anticipates awarding up to 25 grants in the range of $10,000 to $30,000. The deadline for application submission is November 6, 2012 for projects that can begin as early as May 1, 2013.

The NEA will hold an informational webinar for potential applicants on September 12, 2012.  More information is forthcoming.

For grant application information and guidelines, please go to

http://arts.gov/grants/apply/Research/index.html.

To see the grants awarded in the first year of Research: ArtWorks, click here. 

For those interested in the Taking Note: Research series on the ArtWorks blog, please click here. and type 'Taking Note' in the search bar.  

Alaska Humanities Forum General Grants Program 2013

The Alaska Humanities Forum welcomes project proposals that meet our mission to "enrich the civic, intellectual and cultural life of all Alaskans." AHF funds media, oral history, public meetings/exhibits, research and planning projects with awards up to $10,000. Humanities disciplines include archaeology, ethics, folklore, geography, history, languages, literature and philosophy. General Grant Proposals Due October 1, 2012. For more information, contact Susy Buchanan, Regrant Program Directory, email grants@iakhf.org, or call 907-272-5373.

The National Endowment for the Arts is currently accepting nominations for both its 2013 NEA National Heritage Fellowships and 2014 NEA Jazz Masters Fellowships. Nominations must be submitted by October 1, 2012 at 5:30 p.m. We hope you will consider nominating an artist and forwarding this information to your contacts who may be interested. Information specific to the NEA Jazz Masters and NEA National Heritage Fellowships can be found at  http://www.nea.gov/honors/index.html 

Edutopia.org, a program of the George Lucas Educational Foundation, titled a recent newsletter "Making the Case for Arts Integration."  

Articles, videos, research and other resources can be found here  under Schools that Work, "School Transformation Through Arts Integration."

The Petersburg Public Library has partnered with KFSK public radio to run the Petersburg Listening Project. According to the project website at  http://www.psglib.org/listen.html, the interview is a 40-minute conversation between two people who know each other.

Interviews take place at the Petersburg Public Library. Participants conduct their own interview. A trained facilitator helps them throughout the interview process and to handle all technical aspects of the recording. Each conversation is recorded on a free CD to take home and which is archived at the library.

For more information or to schedule an appointment call the public library 772-3349 or email us at library@ci.petersburg.ak.us 

Alaska Summer Festivals

 Seward Music & Arts Festival-September 28-30 at the Alaska Railroad Cruise Ship Terminal in Seward

Geographical Bodies from Fairbanks Artist Mary Matthews     

6 days left at http://www.usaprojects.org/project/geographical_bodies  

Dresses and gowns made of maps installed on a contrived world surface featuring rocks, mud, sticks. natural materials.