Artist Residencies at Centrum

Centrum's 2009 Jaqua Award Recipients

Artist Trust  has chosen two musicians to receive the Russell Jaqua Award for Artistic Excellence! We'll let you know when they choose dates, and see if we can get them scheduled for performances while they are here...

Jherek Bischoff, Seattle, King County.  Jherek has a number of years of experience in musical performance, ranging from orchestral composition, to arrangement and performance. This local involvement got him linked to the Degenerate Arts Orchestra, which consisted of 48 of the city’s finest musicians. Jherek will be performing at Town Hall in Seattle, where he will assemble a 35-person orchestra to play 12 of his compositions on September 11.

Juliana Svetlitchnaia, Bothell, Snohomish County. Juliana is a singer and ethnomusicologist specializing in Russian folk music.  For the last 20 years she has been collecting and learning ancient Russian songs from expeditions to remote Russian Villages where these songs existed for centuries and were carried orally from generation to generation. Unique songs that are truly beautiful, this project is an effort to preserve and promote a genuine culture. For more information go to: www.ethnorussia.com

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

"The Borders Project" at Centrum

How do borders affect the spaces we encompass in our everyday lives? How can the technologies of dance, film, and multi-media performance translate and expand the conversations we have about our borders?  What are the repercussions on our bodies and communal health?

Adam McKinney of DNAWORKS in New York will bring 8 artists to Centrum's Artistic Residency Program, where they will begin work on a multi-media collaborative piece entitled “The Borders Project”. This collaborative residency will include both Daniel Banks and Adam, Co-Directors of DNAWORKS, along with Chris Crader, Trinity Hamilton,  Samar Haddad King, Diane Roberts, Ariel Vegosen, and Scott Macklin.

" DNAWORKS is dedicated to furthuring artistic expression and dialogue, focusing on issues of indentity, culture, class, and heritage. We catalyze performance and action through the arts in the intersecting communitites in which we live and work. In our work, art = ritual = healing = community. We look forward to taking advantage of Fort Worden’s natural elements, as well as the cistern, bunkers, and beach from June 14-20, 2009."

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.

April Residencies at Centrum

Got time for an April residency? One artist's cancellation is another artist's opportunity! Centrum has an unexpected opening from April 19th through the end of the month. You may send your application materials via email or hard copy... successful applicants will be notified within a few days. This is a great chance to schedule your New Works Residency before our busy summer season kicks in. Please take a look at the FAQ on the right side of this page, and email me  if you have questions. I'd love to welcome any new or returning residents here for the crisp, beautiful spring days at Fort Worden State Park on the Olympic Peninsula. 

If April doesn't work for you, get in touch about a May or June residency. There are a few openings available at this writing.

Karen Rudd Kudos

Congratulations to Centrum Resident and GAP Award Recipient  Karen Rudd . Her  3D Arts entry "Last Stand" placed first in its category at the Collective Visions Art Gallery's annual juried exhibit. If you made it to Karen's open studio here at Centrum in June of 2008, you got to see her work on this series. Here's what Marie Weichman of Olympic College had to say about Karen's work in the CVG Newsletter:

"On February 1st Collective Visions Art Gallery opens its annual juried art exhibit, THE CVG SHOW '09 to the public.  This year the show is stock full of a wide range of artworks representing everything from humor to the dark side of life.  Process dominates several pieces while content is the driving factor for other works.  It is easy to see the world through the artist's eye in this show and those views are vastly different from one another...   

there is one piece that makes getting out of the house worth every bit of effort.  "Last Stand," by Karen Rudd is not only the smartest piece of art in the show, but also, socio-politically speaking, one of the most  currently relevant works in the show.  At a distance this piece looks like nothing more than a tree trunk, but upon closer inspection it is made of, (I pause here to consider not telling you, thereby saving the surprise, but...), scrap pieces of recycled cardboard and glue.  Nothing more."

Chris Korrow - Naturalist/Filmmaker in Residence

Chris Korrow is an award-winning filmmaker, naturalist, master organic farmer, artist and educator who has been teaching about gardening/farming, the environment, nature, biodiversity and most importantly, the place of humanity within these subjects for the last 22 years. He has a vast knowledge of our environment, from wild edible/medicinal plants to soil chemistry.
Korrow's new film Dancing With Thoreau is a unique environmental film told from the perspective of a naturalist and organic farmer, focusing on our individual and societal connection/disconnection with nature; what that means to us physically, emotionally and spiritually; and how we as individuals can deepen that connection through inspiration and practice, and reap its many benefits. A primary goal of the film is to inspire people to become more personally engaged in the wonders of their local environments.

Chris is going to have a very busy two weeks, and is excited by not just the space and time to work, but by the Olympic Peninsula location. "Living in a small house with two home schooled daughters makes it difficult to work on recording the music and narration for the film, so part of my time at Centrum will be focused on this. I will also be filming in the area, will schedule interviews, write additional narration, and do some editing. I am particularly inspired by the Pacific Northwest, and I know that the time away from family would serve my creativity and allow me to completely immerse myself in this project". And if he can fit it into his April residency, he'll do some writing for a book about "greening the family economy" as a means of economic stability. To see more of Chris' work, check out his link Breathe Deep Productions.

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.