Artist Residencies at Centrum

2009 EDGE Artists in Residence this Summer

Congratulations to the thirty-three artists selected to participate in the 2009 EDGE Professional Development Program! This year's cycles will be July 5-12 and August 8-15. Both cycles are being held as week-long intensives at Centrum in order to attract more artists from around the state. See and hear presentations of their work in July and August following their EDGE-ucation.
 
The EDGE program at Artist Trust  is a comprehensive survey of professional practices offered through a hands-on, interactive curriculum that includes instruction by professionals in the field, specialized presentations, panel discussions and assignments. EDGE provides artists with the relevant and necessary entrepreneurial skills to achieve their personal career goals and the opportunity to build community through peer support and exchange.  

The East Pole, John Lucas - wood, paint, resin, basalt

Jaqua Fund Recipients at Centrum

By a happy coincidence we have three recipients of the Russell Jaqua Award for Artistic Excellence in Residence this month. These Residency Awards are provided by Centrum in collaboration with Artist Trust of Seattle as part of the GAP Program, providing support for artist-generated projects including the development, completion, or presentation of new works. Recipients are selected by a panel of artists and arts professionals from Washington State. The Russell Jaqua Fund was established in his memory through the generousity of Centrum Donors and  Russell's friends and family.

  Kevin Bernstein is inspired by the natural phenomena of the Pacific Northwest. He plans to produce a new body of paintings and drawings based upon the research of regional traveling in Washington State from Eastern to Western Washington. Kevin works primarily on six-by-four-feet pieces of birch plywood in his effort to understand nature as a primal source in a complex and ever-changing world in need of preservation and restraint. His new works will be on display at an exhibition in Olympia.

Robert Campbell has been primarily a video artist for the past 20 years and has recently expanded his materials to include glass. His most recent body of work, Yellow, combines sculpture, glasswork, photography, and multi-channel video in order to explore environmental degradation and its effects on  humans, specifically targeting estrogen mimickers and other hormone disruptors found in everyday products.

Miho Takekawa is a percussionist from Japan who wishes to revisit the traditional Japanese folk music of her childhood in a non-traditional way. Miho is scheduled to collaborate with three Seattle musicians, each with extensive experience with Japanese music: jazz drummer Greg Campbell, jazz vibraphonist Tom Collier, and South American Flutist Diego Coy. Her hope is to perpetuate Japanese folk music and inspire others to challenge their artistic identities. Miho will perform during her residency with Diego Coy at two Port Townsend Venues... scroll down for details.

Contributions to the Russell Jaqua Fund for Artistic Excellence may be made by contacting Mary Hilts, Development Associate at 360-385-3102 x116, or by email mary@centrum.org. Your support is deeply appreciated, and will help Centrum continue to bring talented artists and writers to this wonderful place.

Centrum Residents Playing Locally

Miho Takekawa is a recipient of the Russell Jaqua Award for Artistic Excellence. This award is funded through the generosity of Centrum Donors, and is awarded annually as part of the Artist Trust GAP program in Seattle.

 

Miho will be here in collaborative residency with Diego Coy from May 23rd through May 30th. While in Port Townsend they will perform with Matt Sicerly at The Upstage Restaurant on Thursday, May 28th at 7pm. On May 29th at 7pm they'll kick off the grand opening of Better Living Thru Coffee, a new coffeehouse overlooking Port Townsend Bay on Tyler Street.

For more about Miho and Diego's music and new CD release check out their website. And come join us if you're in the neighborhood... this is going to be a real treat!

May Residencies - Centrum Celebrates Diversity

May 2009 is a time to celebrate the multidisciplinary nature of Centrum's New Works Program with twenty Artists in Residence. The month begins with a workshop on illustration, journaling, and movement… then finishes with a presentation of traditional arts of India. Writers are well represented by David Haynes, author of six critically acclaimed novels and five children's books, and Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic who are widely considered leading commentators on race in the United States. Musician Stuart Dempster will be back with his entourage to record more work in the Fort Worden Cistern, and GAP Award recipient Miho Takekawa will continue work on her second CD celebrating Japanese female musicians. And we'll have several Washington State visual artists in residence, including Russel Jacqua Award recipients Kevin Bernstein and Robert Campbell, along with Jesse Watson.

Beck Brings "The Artist's Way" to Centrum

Darsie Beck is a bit of a Renaissance man... a professional artist, landscape designer, stone carver, journal keeper, and a teacher. He arrives for his annual Centrum Residency armed with computer and printer, sketch pad and yoga mat, running shoes and infectious smile. Before leaving he will have filled page after page with writings and illustrations of his time here. When he first shared his journal pages with me, I wished I had joined him on his early morning sojourns around the grounds and along the coastline of Fort Worden. In that moment I fully understood the power of these "retreat-like" residencies to breath life and vitality into the creative process.

Darsie is coming back to Centrum this spring. This time he will spend part of his residency presenting a workshop, Discovering Your Essential Nature. He will be joined by Port Townsend Visual Artist Gloria Lamson and by Aletia Alvarez, co-founder of Madrona MindBody here at Fort Worden. There is still time for you to register for the workshop, which will be held May 1st, 2nd, and 3rd 2009.

New Works Happenings at Centrum

Megan Hildebrandt
Historian/performance artist Megan Hildebrandt is currently in residence creating yet another of her entertaining and historically accurate Performance Art pieces. This performance will be an invigorated, interactive exploration via PowerPoint and performance of both the history and contemporary culture of Fort Worden. The “Alternative History Lesson” PPT will include projections of historically based drawings and photographs, with a healthy dose of humor and contemporary, everyday life references. 

Says Hildebrandt of the new work:
“It will be a remarkable opportunity to enjoy both some local history and contemporary art. The performance will explore Fort Worden’s multiple identities over the past hundred years as an active military base, a juvenile detention facility, and as a state park. How would John Lorimer Worden, the USS Monitor Commander for whom the Fort was named, relate to the park as a Juvenile Facility, or as a tourist attraction?  Who are the people Fort Worden’s batteries and buildings are named for? What was life like here at the Fort during the various periods in its history?

I will also include the past and present of the “City of Dreams”, Port Townsend. What was the role of the railroad in the destiny of the city, and what are the industries that have fed the citizens of Port Townsend, such as the imports of lumber from the port and the local paper mill?”

To get an idea of Megan’s unique style, take a look at this 3 part video recording of "The Rumors Are True!”… a performance/exhibit that just wrapped up in Baltimore, Maryland.

Part 1 "The Rumors are True"   Part 2   Part 3

The Port Townsend performance date and location are not yet confirmed. Please contact lisa@centrum.org for details.

Debbie Carlson, Artist Trust GAP award recipient
Debbie is back to continue her work on Sakuhachi, the story of an eight-year-old boy whose world is tossed upside down in 1940s Japan. The novel examines the courage and commitment required from individuals and nations to endure wartime horrors and to confront the ghosts that arise.

Ms. Carlson is one of eight artists and writers selected to receive a Centrum Residency through the Artist Trust GAP Awards. These awards are funded by the Russel Jaqua Fund for Artistic Excellence.

Lucie Duclos
Lucie is a graphic designer and illustrator whose residency will allow her time “to explore the intricate patterns, shades and textures inspired by nature… to create artwork with different mediums (pastels, oil, acrylic, collage or mixed-media) and experiment on a variety of surfaces (wood, textile, paper, etc.). "I believe that we have much to learn from nature. The possibilities for designs and color palettes are an endless source of inspiration.”

Jenn Dean
Jenn is returning to finish The House of My Sleepless Nights, about her mother’s hidden mental illness. A portion of the memoir has been published in the journal Salamander. “There are few literary memoirs about what it felt like to grow up with a parent with Borderline Personality Disorder, and how it shaped one’s views of the world. I want to get this work out there, as BPD is sort of the next “depression,”—meaning it’s becoming talked about in mainstream media culture the way depression was back in the 1990’s. Centrum has been a huge help—offering the quiet space and solitude where one can immerse oneself and forget about home, job, etc. Without Centrum I don’t know how I could finish the book.”

Also a passionate environmentalist, Jenn uses her writing skills to educate the public about the impacts humans have on the environment--in particular the survival issues that bird species face. She has traveled to Bermuda to conduct historical and biological research on one of the most endangered sea birds in the world; the resulting essay, The Keepers of the Ghost Bird, is pending publication. Jenn’s work as a naturalist/writer is widely published.

 

Performance Art by Megan Hildebrandt

Performance artist Megan Hildebrandt will present her "alternative history lesson" Port Townsend style while in residency at Centrum. Megan's work brings communities in touch with some aspect of their own history by reenacting a part of that community's forgotten life and times. While we don't know the subject of her Port Townsend piece, we can show you what she did in a Baltimore neighborhood by simply scrubbing marble steps. She was later interviewed about the experience on Baltimore Public Radio.  Megan will be in residence in March, and we'll keep you posted on the details of her Port Townsend performance.

Although Centrum Residents are not required to interact with the community while here, it's always great when one of our artists or writers finds a way to engage the public in their New Work. Readings, open studios, recitals, and performance pieces like Megan's add to the vibrancy and fun of the Residency Program here at Centrum.

Support Individual Artists

We are proud to be a partner of Artist Trust--one of the nation's finest organizations--whose sole purpose is the support of individual artists.

On Saturday, February 7, 2009, Artist Trust is hosting their annual Benefit Art Auction--called Art Carnaval.

Inspired by the pageantry of Brazil's Carnaval, the art-filled evening will also feature Samba music by Kiko Freitas Band, Tudo Beleza dance group, solo guitar by Andre Feriante, and a festive feast and luscious libations.

Please consider attending and supporting the work of Artist Trust. They are an important part of why artists are able to make New Work happen.

Dionne Bonner Exhibit

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.

EDGE Artist Presentations

 

Artist Trust cordially invites you to the final artist presentations for Cycle C of EDGE Professional Development Program for Visual Artists in Port Townsend. Please join other Artist Trust supporters in getting acquainted with the work of these 16 fascinating Washington State artists, and help us to celebrate their graduation from the EDGE Program.

Cycle C Artist Presentations
When: Saturday, September 22, 2007
Time: 7:00 – 9:30 p.m.
Location: Room 204 downstairs North, Fort Worden State Park, Port Townsend

2007 EDGE Cycle C Artists
Mark Abrahamson - Stanwood
James Brown - Seattle
Jenny Zoe Casey - Seattle
Deborah Francis - Oak Harbor
Karen Hackenberg - Port Townsend
Tracy Lang - Bainbridge Island
Andrea Lawson - Port Hadlock
Margie McDonald - Port Townsend
Pamela Mills - Waldron
Cheri O'Brien - Everett
Amy Reeves - Tacoma
Colleen Sargen - Walla Walla
Susan Sweetwater - Bremerton
Steve Veatch - Seattle
Charles Kent Wiggins - Port Townsend
Martha Worthley - Port Townsend

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Captions from left to right: Margie McDonald, Dragon's Back (Detail), Stainless steel from heat exchange units & copper wire, 24"x84"x11", 2005; Steve Veatch, Spectral Holiday, Movie Stills, water soluable oils, acrylic, glitter, 7"x9.25", 2006; Susan Sweetwater, Regions of Being, Encaustic, illustration board, ink, oils, gold leaf, graphite, 22"x17", 2006; Jenny Zoe Casey, Sitter, Oil, alkyd and wax on paper, 11"x11"x1", 2005.