Young Artists at Centrum

Centrum needs your help

Dear Centrum supporter and arts education advocate:

We urgently need your help.

For 37 years, Centrum has provided tens of thousands of Washington students life changing experiences through arts programs at Fort Worden State Park.  During this time, Centrum has received partial state funding ($170,000 per year) for these programs through the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI).   Even with the need to reduce Washington's state budget, both Governor Gregoire and the Senate understand the value of Centrum youth programs and have kept Centrum in their respective 2010 and 2011 OSPI budgets.

Unfortunately, Washington's House of Representatives has removed Centrum funding from its version of the budget. The loss of this funding would result not only in the termination of these valuable education programs, but would also seriously threaten Centrum's future as one of Washington's leading cultural institutions.

As well, these programs provide substantial income for the State through additional park fees.  During the last biennium (two year) budget cycle, Centrum paid the State $1.2 million in park fees through its programs.

If you or your children, or someone you know have benefited from Centrum's programs, we ask that you take a couple of minutes to send an email or make a phone call (ideally both) to your Washington House representatives.  It's easy; just follow the links and the steps outlined below.

Thank you for your consideration and for your support.

Sincerely,

John A. MacElwee

Executive Director
Centrum

   1. Link on to  Find Your Legislator (link provided below)
   2. Enter your address or  zip code
   3. Select your representative
   4. Click on email  (you may also want to take down their phone number)
   5. You will need to reconfirm your address or zip code
   6. Enter your contact information
   7. Check if you would like a response (recommended)
   8. Check if you would like to cc other legislators in your district (recommended)
   9. In the subject line please write:
      Please Reinstate Centrum Funding in House Budgets for 2010 and 2011
  10. Type your note in the comment section (sample provided below)

    BIG BONUS: Follow up your email with a phone call

FIND YOUR LEGISLATOR

SUGGESTED NOTE:

Dear Representative (Last Name):

I am writing to ask you to reinstate funding for Centrum's youth programs at Fort Worden State Park in section 511 of the House budgets for 2010 and 2011 as its appears in both the Senate's and Governor's budgets.

For 37 years, Centrum has provided tens of thousands of Washington students "life changing" experiences through the arts during residencies at the Park.

(Personally, Centrum has offered (me, my child, our community) the chance....)

(I feel strongly about Centrum because....)

Thank you for your consideration.

(Your name)

Congratulations to Blue Heron Middle School

The final drumbeat, from the final presentation at the 2009 Blue Heron Middle School Explorations program.

The entire 7th grade of the Port Townsend public school district just spent a week working with an amazing group of artist faculty. The results were spectacular. Congratulations on a great week of art!

Let's Start Sharing

Hi everyone! We've just launched a new community site for young artists at Centrum.

Check out http://centrumyouth.ning.com.

If you've come to one of Centrum's Young Artist Project weeks at Fort Worden, please share your photos, videos, artwork, writing--you name it!

If you haven't been to Centrum yet, feel free to join in and ask questions!

2009 Explorations Schedule

We're a few days away from welcoming middle school students from throughout Washington to Centrum for Explorations, a week of total-immersion in art and community.

When you arrive on Sunday, March 8 (don't forget that Daylight Saving Time starts on that Sunday), we'll hand out comprehensive welcome packets. However, for those of you with boundless curiosity, we are posting links to the weekly schedule. There are two schedules - A and B - depending on which group you are in. You'll be given that information upon your arrival.

Travel safely (follow this link for directions), and we'll see you on Sunday!

• Download Explorations Schedule Group A (PDF)
  
• Download Explorations Schedule Group B (PDF)

UPDATE: We sent out a welcome and planning email to all parents and chaperones to read in advance of arrival. We've created a web-version of the letter for you as well. 

News Report on Orcas Passing by Fort Worden

Anchor Dennis Bounds of Seattle's KING 5 television said, "This most recent visit was first reported by a volunteer at the Port Townsend Marine [Science] Center who was letting a visiting class of third graders listen to some hydrophones when they suddenly heard dozens of approaching
orcas." Click image to go to KING 5 video.

Centrum and the Port Townsend Marine Science Center are presenting Water World  - a workshop in art and marine science for 5th and 6th graders from throughout Washington state in April.

...and if you are fascinated by orcas and are a student age 10-12, there is no better place to learn about them than here at Fort Worden. We'll be presenting WHALE CAMP in August, with special emphasis on orcas and gray whales.

Space is still available in both workshops. For more information, contact Martha Worthley at 360-385-3102 or email her at martha@centrum.org.

CHAPERONES!

Chaperones are a vital part of Centrum's middle school and elementary programs. We appreciate the effort and commitment it takes to come to Centrum with a group of kids. THANK YOU! We also want you to have a great time while you are here.

To help you understand your role, what is expected and how it all works, we have a chaperone packet that you can download and print at http://www.centrum.org/admin/files/ChaperonePacket.pdf

One of the things that we ask is that there be no more than 2 people who switch duties during the week for a group of students. We understand this is difficult to do, considering the time crunch working parents experience these days. We have learned that less switching of chaperones works best for the program.

Announcing Whale Camp at Fort Worden

This summer, spend an exciting week on Puget Sound with marine scientists and artists, who will take you into the world of these grand creatures. And not a moment too soon.

Located at Fort Worden State Park in Port Townsend, WA, Centrum and the Port Townsend Marine Science Center merge the worlds of art and science in the body of the whale.

WHALE CAMP will run August 16-21, 2009 and is for youth age 12-14.

With education and conservation as the guiding forces, at WHALE CAMP you will:

• Examine our new orca skeleton.
• Take to the water on an orca whale-watching cruise and research mission in the San Juan Islands.
• Conduct hydrophone research to learn about Orca communication in Puget Sound.
• Assemble a gray whale skeleton and compare its bones to your own bones.
• Create your own sounds and movement based on your observations.
• Compare the sounds of the sea: whales, dolphins, shrimp, grunt sculpins and creatures not yet identified.
• Visit The Whale Museum in Friday Harbor.
• Create enormous marine sculptures.

Visit our WHALE CAMP page for complete information, and to register. Space is limited!

This summer, spend an exciting week on Puget Sound with marine scientists and artists, who will take you into the world of these grand creatures. And not a moment too soon.

Located at Fort Worden State Park in Port Townsend, WA, Centrum and the Port Townsend Marine Science Center merge the worlds of art and science in the body of the whale.

WHALE CAMP will run August 16-21, 2009 and is for youth age 12-14.

With education and conservation as the guiding forces, at WHALE CAMP you will:

• Examine our new orca skeleton.
• Take to the water on an orca whale-watching cruise and research mission in the San Juan Islands.
• Conduct hydrophone research to learn about Orca communication in Puget Sound.
• Assemble a gray whale skeleton and compare its bones to your own bones.
• Create your own sounds and movement based on your observations.
• Compare the sounds of the sea: whales, dolphins, shrimp, grunt sculpins and creatures not yet identified.
• Visit The Whale Museum in Friday Harbor.
• Create enormous marine sculptures.

Visit our WHALE CAMP page for complete information, and to register. Space is limited!

This could be you, too

For the last six years Centrum and Port Townsend's Blue Heron Middle School have worked in partnership with PT Artscape and other community sponsors to bring the entire 7th grade to Centrum for a week of arts immersion. Here's what it looks like:

This program stands as a model for other districts interested in increasing arts and cultural opportunites for students and teachers. Contact program manager Martha Worthley to see how your district can come to Centrum. Call 360-385-3102 X 120, or email martha@centrum.org.

Mugshot

Painter Jesse Joshua Watson will be teaching at Centrum March 8-13 for Explorations, our residential program in the arts for middle school students.

Coming up Saturday, January 17, is "Mugshot" a new show of portraits by Jesse Joshua Watson & a book release party for Patrick Jennings. Jennings will be reading from and signing his newest book entitled "We Can't All Be Rattlesnakes." The opening and reception is at 2 p.m. at The Vault in Port Townsend, WA.
(Above Aldrich's, corner of Lawrence and Tyler Streets, in uptown PT.)

Here are Watson's thoughts on why he chose to make the work for this show:

I wanted to share a little bit about this show since it is a transposition away from the style I have worked very hard to establish over these last ten years or so. (Not that I am abandoning my current style. By no means. But this is a separate vein I intend to explore further.)

During the two months of painting for this specific show, with each piece I felt the control slip away from my fingers. (And I see that as a good thing.) With much of my illustration style, I am bound by the artistic techniques and "laws" of realistic painting. But by the end of this process I was seeing a completely new style emerge; one that did not require accurate depiction, lighting, perspective... Oddly, it is not truly new, as it reminds me very much of the kind of art I did in High School without giving it much thought at the time. (Who knows? the more things change the more they stay the same!)

The subject matter for this show came from a photo I saw online. There was some buzz about the Nassau County Sheriff releasing the mug shots of people who had been arrested onto the internet. After all, these photos are public record, but the ACLU and others felt that it was unfair since nobody who is arrested is guilty until proved so in a court of law. They were simply arrested. Anyway, I was looking at this site for some reason and I got stuck on an image of an older man. His eyes were so full of something. Not sadness. Not guilt. I don't know what it was. All I know is that it is was so similar to looks I see from people staring across the aisle in the grocery store or driving in traffic.  It made me realize how our society divides people into two general categories. Normal people and everyone else. (And there are endless ways to categorize people into the not normal box.) Obviously, the problem with this is that if you look deep enough, long enough, you will find that there are no normal people. We all have pain, sickness, guilt, regret, sadness, all this weight that brings us low, regardless of how well we disguise it.

My portraits have always been a glorification of the humanity in my subjects. I have painted hundreds of portraits, many never even making it to my website or archives. But they were always prominent or beloved figures for whatever reason. Musicians, historical icons, Obama! You know? People who "deserve" to be portrayed. In this show I wanted to give that attention to these people who were in the midst of some real bad days. The outcasts of our society. (Mind you, I did not paint serial killers or anything. These are all fairly mild offenses.) I did not set out to "make art" about convicts just to be artsy. I would have to kick myself if I tried to pull something like that. I just wanted to convey beauty and sadness and glory and life through paint.

To further complicate the issue in my mind, I kept thinking about people I know who are or were locked up. Some come out and try to feed their family. Some seem like they can't wait to get back in. Some are able to cast it off, though most of the time this requires that you are a celebrity or rich or win Nobel Peace Prizes. From prison to President for Nelson Mandela. From being arrested in cities all across the south to having days and streets named after him in Dr. King's case. Mug shot to big shot for Bill Gates. Back of the cop car to the top of the box office for Heath Ledger, Mel Gibson and all those other drunk driving, gun wielding  football players and movie stars.

Finally, before I hung the show, I painted in a few "normal" people. Folks who weren't arrested at all, just to make it more like real life.
Which ones?
Judge for yourself.
The way you do on the street.

However that may be.

Please check out the video if you have a few spare minutes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stgKhDWv8J8

Tapping in to theater

Samantha Rund, actress and theater faculty for Explorations, will be playing the role of Sadie in Taproot Theatre's regional premiere of "Gee's Bend."

 Gee's Bend is presented by Taproot Theatre from January 30-February 28, 2009, with previews on January 28 & 29.

   

"Them quilts could tell stories them people'll never know." - Sadie

This critically acclaimed play captures the rich story of the women of Gee’s Bend, Alabama, where discarded rags, scraps and bits of thread are pieced into works of beauty. Their compelling stories, like the spirituals they sing and the quilts they create, form a striking patchwork of the African-American journey of the past century.

 

Actress Samantha Rund is pictured during last year's Explorations program for middle school students. Middle school students will have the opportunity to work with Samantha at Centrum during the week of March 8-13, 2009.

Taproot Theatre Company was founded in 1976 by six college graduates from Seattle Pacific University.  From its humble beginnings as a touring group, the company has now become one of Seattle's largest mid-size theatre companies. Today, Taproot Theatre serves over 150,000 people annually throughout the Pacific Northwest with a full Mainstage season, touring programs and Acting Studio.

Attention Students!

Taproot theatre offers Teen Tix - $5 tickets for teenagers ages 13-18 who show their Teen Tix card day of show at the box office. Sign up is free on the Teen Tix website. Taproot Theatre's box office is at 204 N. 85th Street, Seattle. Contact the box office by phone at 206.781.9707 (Tues. - Sat., 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.). Patrons may e-mail the box office with ticket inquiries, but payment must take place over the phone or in person.