The Alaska Contemporary Art Bank (ACAB) is a lending collection comprised of artwork by Alaskan artists. It was specifically created for the loan of artworks to various State of Alaska agencies and departments, legislative offices, and the University of Alaska system. In spring 2014, the Alaska State Council on the Arts opened a call for new work to be added to the ACAB collection through the online portal www.callforentry.org. As a result of that call, the Contemporary Art Bank purchased a total of $21,000 in work from Alaskan artists in a variety of media. We will share the new acquisitions on Facebook in the coming months, so stay tuned for images and details about each new purchase at www.facebook.com/ArtsAlaska.   

The work of the following artists was selected by in this round of acquisitions: 

• Deland Anderson (Homer), acrylic painting 
• Wayde Carroll (Anchorage), color photography          
• Julie Drake (Anchorage), textile                     
• Annie Duffy (Fairbanks), sculpture               
• Peter Lind (Homer), carving
• Gail Niebrugge (Palmer), acrylic painting
• David Rosenthal (Cordova), oil painting       
• Maria Shell (Anchorage), textile                     
• Mary Stroud (Barrow), color photography
• Mark Tetpon (Eagle River), carving
• Sheila Wyne (Anchorage), encaustic painting

Anchorage Museum becomes first Smithsonian Affiliate in Alaska

The Anchorage Museum has been named an official Smithsonian Affiliate. The designation formally acknowledges the museum's longtime partnership with the Smithsonian Institution and increases opportunities for collaboration. The Anchorage Museum is the first Smithsonian Affiliate in Alaska.

As an affiliate, the Anchorage Museum will have increased access to additional Smithsonian resources, including its 137 million-object collections, scholarships and traveling exhibitions.

"We look forward to new opportunities to work with the Smithsonian's unparalleled staff, collection and scholarship," said Julie Decker, Anchorage Museum director. "We are looking for additional ways to collaborate with the Smithsonian and its affiliates nationwide on education opportunities, shared exhibitions, artifact loans and more."

Harper Arts Presenting and Touring Fund Grants are available on a rolling deadline. Contact Laura Forbes for more information or click here for applications and guidelines.   

Go to www.facebook.com/ArtsAlaska to find out about ASCA opportunities, events and intriguing arts-related articles from across the web.

If you have an item you would like to include an item in our newletter, please send the information to keren.lowell@alaska.gov. Submission deadline: Wednesday, 12:00 noon before the first Friday of each month.    

Perseverance Theatre | Chicago Auditions
Perseverance Theatre invites actors, singers, and dancers to audition for Chicago. Auditions are  

12 - 6pm, Sunday, June 8. Bring 16 bars of a mid-to up-tempo song (no ballads). Be prepared to sing it, however, you may not be required to do so. At the audition, men and women will learn a song from the musical and a dance combination. Please arrive in snug fitting, danceable clothes. Bring a performance resume and a headshot or recent photo.
  
Perseverance Theatre | General Auditions
Perseverance Theatre invites actors to open auditions for the 2014/2015 season. Auditions are  

5 - 8pm, Monday, June 9. Bring a monologue, if you've prepared one. Otherwise, audition sides will be available. Please bring an acting resume and a headshot or recent photo.
 
To sign-up for a 15-minute audition slot, contact Shona Strauser: shona@perseverancetheatre.org or (907) 364-2421, ext. 232.

En Plein Air in Seldovia, Alaska

During the Seldovia Summer Solstice Music Festival, June 19-22, 2014 artists are invited to make the most of scenic vistas Seldovia has to offer, all within walking distance of Main Street. Artists are asked to bring their own supplies and easels. Welcome meeting 9:00-9:30 am Friday June 20th. Celebration and silent auction on Sunday, June 22, from 11:00 am - 12:45 pm at Central Park. For more information, call 907-399-7379 www.seldoviamusicfestival.info

Chugach Arts Council Call for Art

2nd Annual Art of Conservation Projects: National Pollinator Week, World Oceans Day and Public Lands.

Artists of all ages, abilities and mediums are invited to submit art to be included in beautiful books of art to be published this year. There is no fee for members and a small fee for non-members.  

See the Art of Pollination book published last year. Click here for a pdf version of the flyer. For more information, call Marie Wagner, Executive Director, at 623-703-8890.   

Register now for the 2014 Kachemak Bay Campus Writer's Conference

June 13-17, 2014

Land's End Resort, Homer AK

This year's keynote presenter will be internationally-recognized and award winning novelist Alice Sebold. The conference will feature 16 other award-winning, nationally-recognized authors, editors and agents who will conduct creative writing workshops, readings, craft talks and panel presentations in creative fiction, nonfiction, poetry and the business of writing. Evening readings will be held on June 15-17 by conference presenters and are open to the general public at no charge.  

Advanced registration is required. For program and registration information, go to

Books as Art: Structure, Image, Text Workshops available in Fairbanks

Northwoods Book Arts Guild in partnership with The Folk School

The Northwoods Book Arts Guild has opened registration for the following workshops:

• Traditional Bookbinding | June 7-8 with Linde Kienle
• Pop-ups | June 10 with Linde Kienle
• Spontaneous Mark Making | June 17 with Jacqueline Sullivan
• Mixed Media Techniques for Book Artists | June 18 with Jacqueline Sullivan
• Paste and Patina Papers | June 19 with Jacqueline Sullivan

Materials and Instructional fees vary by workshop. All workshops take place at The Folk School, 2365 Pruitt Lane in Fairbanks.  Register through The Folk School website.    

Plein Air Painting Workshop | Homer Council on the Arts

June 26-28, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Plein Air Painting Workshop

"Capturing Light and Color in the Landscape" will be led by North Carolina artist Diane Pike. The workshop will focus on how sunlight affects the perception of color and how the many keys of light and shadow can be translated to canvas. Instruction will include composition selection, sketching the scene, laying in big shapes, keeping clean color, and basic brushwork tips.

 Details/Registration $260 HCOA Members; $280 General

Artist Talk: June 20, 6 p.m., Bunnell Street Arts Center.   

The Wrangell Mountains Center provides residential and walk-in experiential education programs that foster discovery through direct contact with diverse environments. Summer courses include:

Permaculture | June 13-15, with Cindee Karns

Natural History Field Sketching | June 20-22, with Kristin Link 

Sew Fun | June 28-30, with Maria Shell 

Songwriting Workshop | July 11-13, with Michell McAffee and Robin Child,

Family Music Camp | July 17-20, with Mary Schallert and Brian DeMarcus 

Wrangell Mountains Writing Workshop | July 22-28, with Tom Kizzia, Frank Soos,  

   and Nancy Cook 

The Photographic Landscape of the Wrangells | September 3-8, with David Shaw

Go to www.wrangells.org for complete course descriptions and contact information.

2014 STEAM Institute Registration Open:

Boreal House Art and Science Center Fairbanks STEAM Institute

A Botanical Immersion Through Multiple Lenses

Join this two-week immersion for teachers, artists, scientists, University students, and community members!

July 6th Orientation 6-8pm

July 7-11 and 14-18, 8:30am to 4:15pm

Locations

Outdoors:University of Alaska Fairbanks North Campus trails

Indoors: West Valley High School Fine Arts classrooms

Tuition: $500 all inclusive (tuition, special events, materials, fabulous lunches!) $50 non-refundable deposit due at time of registration. $450 balance due on June 1, 2014

Optional: $100 extra for 4 UA credits (595 level) (payment for credit at first day of institute)

For Information please contact: Karen Stomberg borealhouse@gmail.com (907) 590-2605

Find us on the web: http://borealhouse.org/

Are you an Alaskan teacher, local author, or creative writing student?

Join us for one of our upcoming summer passage writing workshops June 23-27, 2014 and July 14-18, 2014. Learn from experienced writing instructors and gain valuable writing experience, while creating passages with authentic Alaskan voices and topics for the new assessments in grades 3-10, the Alaska Measures of Progress (AMP).

Workshops are free but limited to 20 participants each. For more information, click here.

Summer Art Events in Homer

Piano Clinics with Carol Comfort: July 14-18  All levels, including adults. $250 for a warm-up class, 5 sessions and one free follow-up class. 907.399.7001. 

Pier One Youth Theatre Workshops. Ages 5 and older. 907.235.7333, or pieronetheatre.org. 

Circus Arts Extravaganza with Roustabout Circus

Ages 8 and older, July 8 - 11, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., at the Grandest of All Yurts on Bear Creek Court. $200. Register by June 13. 907.399.4305 or roustaboutcircus.com.

Wild Shore Festival for New Music: July 5-9

Concerts and workshops in Homer and Seldovia with New York-based trio Concert Black and Los Angeles-based pianist Vicky Ray. More information: www.wildshore.org. 

Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies. Art and nature day programs at the Wynn Nature Center, S.P.I.T. kids on the Homer Spit and overnight camps for kids and teens. Information: 907.235.6667 or  www.akcoastalstudies.org.

Alaska Society for Technology in Education Call for Proposals

Deadline: September 10th, 2014

The ASTE 2015 Conference (Februrary 21-24, 2015) is going to explore gaming, including from the student perspective. As always, proposals of all kinds are welcome. But we are particularly enthusiastic about receiving proposals that: 

• feature some aspect of gaming
• feature students, working with teachers, to present at the conference 

Check out the Presenter Guidelines and the Call for Presenters online at the ASTE Website. For questions contact: director@aste.com.   

Arts Education Partnership National Forum Registration Open 

Preparing Students for the Next America in and through the Arts | Pittsburgh | September 11-12  

The National Forum, AEP's signature event coinciding with National Arts in Education Week, is the one place where the country's top thinkers and change-agents in arts and education come together to explore arts-centered solutions to improve student learning both in school and out of school.

Explore and share how the arts - unlike any time in recent history - can lead the way as states transition to higher learning expectations for all students.

Be empowered to take action around the role of the arts in responding to - and informing - three major issues driving Pre-K - grade 12 education priorities and decision-making:

• implementation of rigorous standards and assessments,
• preparation and support of the educator workforce, and
• innovations in the teaching and learning environment.

Registration Rates:

Now - Early-Bird Registration: $250
June 30 - General Registration: $275
August 25 - Late Registration: $300   

Click here for all registration policies.

HomerARTS Camp: Music, Theatre, Dance, Visual Art 

West Homer Elementary School

June 16-20, 2014

HomerARTS Camp is offered by Homer Council on the Arts in partnership with Bluegrass Camp for Kids and Andrew Vait. This summer's camp offers young people, ages 6-18, an opportunity to explore a diverse range of traditional and contemporary music styles, instruments, and fine arts in a supportive and encouraging environment. 

Classes include bluegrass, folk, old-time, rock, pop, jazz and blues as well as improvisational theatre, ceramics, visual art, and dance. This is a great opportunity for your child to foster new friendships and old, and experience the joy of music and other arts!

Registration: $275.

For information and registration, click here.

Digital Projects for the Public

National Endowment for the Humanities

Deadline: June 11, 2014 for projects beginning January 2015.

Grant Amount: up to $100,000 over three years  

NEH's Division of Public Programs supports activities that engage millions of Americans in understanding significant humanities works and ideas. At the center of every NEH-funded public humanities project is a core set of humanities ideas developed by scholars, matched to imaginative formats that bring humanities ideas alive for people of all ages and all walks of life. The Digital Projects for the Public program supports projects such as websites, mobile applications, games, and virtual environments that significantly contribute to the public's engagement with humanities ideas. Projects must be analytical and deeply grounded in humanities scholarship in a discipline such as history, religion, anthropology, jurisprudence, or art history.

Digital Projects for the Public grants support projects that are largely created for digital platforms. While these projects can take many forms, shapes, and sizes, you should apply to this program primarily to create digital projects or the digital components of a larger project. NEH is a national funding agency, so these projects should demonstrate the potential to attract a broad, general audience. Projects can have specific targeted audiences (including K-12 students), but they should also strive to cultivate a more inclusive audience.

2015 Cultural Capital Grant Call for Applications

Deadline: September 1, 2014

Grant amount: $5,000

The 2014 Cultural Capital Program provides tradition bearers of tribal communities the opportunity to further their important cultural work. The program is designed to support previous year Community Spirit Award recipients allowing them to commit more time in teaching and sharing their ancestral knowledge and practices with others who want to learn.

The grant program will aid artists in develop local networks for leveraging other resources and will provide technical assistance and capacity building support as needed by the master artist/teacher.

First Peoples Fund is interested in Cultural Capital projects that will Impact the next generation through reciprocity and community spirit. Examples of this are:

• Passing on knowledge - as mentors and leaders
• Documentation for the next seven generations to access this knowledge
• Artists as Cultural Resource 

Click here for the application