Former creative resident Dionne Bonner will open her exhibit entitled "Exposed: The Unique History of African American Pioneers" at the Evergreen College's Tacoma Campus on August 16. The exhibit features larger-than-life oil paintings of Pacific Northwest African American pioneers.
I came across a video today of Ira Glass, the host and creator of NPR's "This American Life" discussing the art of storytelling, and think it is an outstanding primer on the effort it takes to produce excellent art, regardless of genre.
His bottom line--you have to produce large volumes of work--much of it not up to your own 'taste' standards--before the good stuff starts to manifest.
[Ira Glass Speaking to Camera]
Artist Trust announced today the five recipients of artist residencies in Port Townsend. For the second year, Artist Trust is partnering with Centrum to provide a month-long residency for five artists from Washington State. Each artist will have private accommodations and access to studio resources plus a stipend for travel, living expenses and supplies.
Artist Trust is a not-for-profit organization whose sole mission is to support and encourage individual artists working in all disciplines in order to enrich community life throughout Washington State. Find out more at www.artisttrust.org.
CENTRUM RESIDENCY RECIPIENTS
This year’s residency recipients can be viewed at http://www.artisttrust.org/grants/residencies/centrum.
Whenever they are away from their New York City studios, painter Rebecca Allan and her partner, composer Laura Kaminsky, spend as much time as they can hiking. They work together in the same place, but take different things from it. Allan might set up to paint on a rock overlooking river rapids, and Kaminsky might put on headphones and compose. They experience a specific landscape more richly through the other’s creative endeavor.
Growing up, Allan lived near the Great Lakes. The seasonal cycles of Lake Erie and the gradual erosion of a familiar shoreline along that lake became visual touchstones of her early experience of the world. A position at the Seattle Art Museum led her to the Pacific Northwest, where, as a painter, she initially found the size and scale of the Northwest mountains and forests intimidating. “I was overwhelmed by the scale,” Allan says, “especially compared to the Northeastern woodlands. But I became close to two painters, who helped me come to terms with the scale of this place.”
Centrum creative resident Darsie Beck was in residence for a week this May. While here, he created this piece--both words and drawings.
I love this place, this old military outpost of yesteryear. I am grateful to be here, to call it home, and to be a resident, if only for a little while.
It’s not just Fort Worden and its environs that draw me here; my mother’s family lived on a farm near Chimacum in the 1920’s and my cousin was born in the Forts’ hospital in 1928. Family, friends and fellow artists have been coming here for years to relax, to re-create and create in this beautiful and inspiring environment.
And now from my cozy residency cabin I prepare for my morning tour, my run; standing, stretching to the ceiling, grateful to be alive and in the moment; running gear donned, stretch again, out the door, into the morning, the new day, smiling, running (really kind of a lope), overcast, beautiful light through the gray clouds. Fresh rain on the pavement, but not now, passing walkers, smiling, exchanging “good mornings” and in my head my running chant begins.
And now down the hill past the old command center, the barracks and the parade grounds, turn left around the corner, down the road that runs along the beach, the light house on point Wilson comes into view, the Cascade’s across the waters of Admiralty Inlet, Mount Baker and its rugged neighboring peaks glistening in the morning sun, glimmering reflections in the water, rounding the bend in the road, looking out across the Straights of Juan de Fuca towards Canada and Victoria.
My eye, like an old fashioned, slow moving hand-cranked movie camera, pans the horizon. Out past the kelp beds, a seals head breaks the surface, slowly turning then disappearing. The scents of scotch broom and seaweed fill the air. Waves gently lap the shore.
Now the path turns north by northwest and the massive concrete remnants of Battery Kenzie come into view. My pace slows as I approach this once formidable “Coastal” line of defense. Now standing here very still in the solitude of the moment, I listen while history rewinds to a moment long ago….in my mind’s eye I can see the lookouts scanning the peaceful morning horizon, ever searching for the unseen enemy. Listening carefully, imagine…the target is sighted, coordinates are plotted, orders called out, soldiers’ footfalls echo through the bunker as they hurry to their battle stations.
Ancient machinery, gears turning, screeching, hoisting powder and shells from the bowels of the bunker to
the gun deck above. Breech open, shell first, then the powder, wheel spins, breech closed, hands cover ears, orders called out, “fire!” Then a thundering explosion, the odor of cordite permeates the air as a 12 inch, 900 pound projectile hurls through the atmosphere, splashing into the water thousands of yards from its origin.
The big gun recoils, disappears back into its carriage, out of sight from the imaginary enemy. All’s quiet now, the soldiers’ voices, their footfalls, the machinery, the gun’s explosion all recede into the past. Seagulls soar, ravens call, the path turns south by southwest heading back along the road, parallel to the beach, back up the hill, round the bend to the right and another right, heading north, still jogging, climbing up again and now on the porch of my cabin, I turn and survey once more this sacred place I get to call home - if only for a little while.
"What makes this day different than any other day?" is the question that guides Llysa (pronounced Lisa) Holland and Andrew Litzky, the co-founders of Theater Simple, who recently completed a residency stay at Centrum.
Together with Monique Kleinhans and many others--including, most of the time, audience members themselves--Theater Simple strips the theatrical experience down to its elemental parts: the imagination of the actor and audience, the playwright's words, and the director's vision.
Theater Simple's site-specific plays change based on the location. The actors use what the landscape gives them so that the performance becomes a response to the site in which it is staged.
Since 1989, Theater Simple has "produced, performed, and wrangled" over 886 performances, mostly in the United States and Australia. In addition, they have built--with a little help from their friends--seven theater spaces in the U.S. and Australia.
Musician and Centrum Creative Resident Marc Fendel just completed a residency using the Dan Harpole Cistern here at Fort Worden (and its 44 second reverberation) as a recording and musical instrument.
Marc sent us a link to a brief video clip of Kevin Nortness playing banjo in the Cistern during the residency. Marc tells us that they also recorded in HD. We can't wait to see that.
[Video of Kevin Nortness playing banjo.]
