"I wish and hope for artists and the arts community and the world to weather these awful times with strength, grace, and eloquence. I wish for a shift in priorities, and a more central place for art and creativity in all our lives," writes Hope O'Keeffe, National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Office of General Counsel.

In this spirit, Arts Wire CURRENT offers holiday greetings from a diverse spectrum of artists and arts organizations -- from Brenda Jew Waters, Publicist for the Gold Country Chamber Orchestra in Sacramento, CA, (whose response included one from her daughter, Renee Waters, a dance performance student at Arizona State University) to Stuart Hodes, Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance in New York City; from artist/arts management student Kathleen Owczarski in New York City to the Executive Director of the Texas Commission on the Arts, John Paul Batiste. (whose response describes the Commission's work with young people)

"My hope is that the experience of dance in any of its myriad forms and all its life-affirming splendor will bring to more and more people the joyous realization that we all share our humanity, and share life itself with every living creature," says Stuart Hodes.

They - a few new voices to Arts Wire Current as well as a few old friends -- were asked not only to express their hopes and wishes but also to share their current work. Thus the responses also present a broad spectrum of art making and experience -- from web artist Tina LaPorta, who, as do so many of us, wishes for more time in the studio; to composer Herb Bielawa's plea to integrate more contemporary music into the Christmas season; to street artist/art activist Robert Lederman's hope that America's artists will value and protect freedom of expression.

In the tradition of online Forums, the shared art making and visions of those who responded -- holiday wishes from the arts community to the arts community -- are featured in their own words. (in alphabetical order, broken into segments by selected quotations) As is often the case in online forums, not all who were asked responded and thus these hopes and wishes may not reflect all elements of the arts community. Nevertheless, collectively they are an expression of our community's desire for the flowering of art in its myriad forms, for the welfare of artists, writers, dancers, musicians, arts organizations, of all who work in the arts, and of all who support and appreciate the arts.

"Let us all look forward to the New Year as we always have, with joy and hope in our hearts for new and wonderful 'beginnings'. We know that the arts bring inner enrichment to our lives, so we must continue to broaden access to all art forms within the community we serve," writes Kathleen Owczarski, artist and student, Management of the Arts certification program at the New York University.

From and for all of us in the arts community, happy holidays and a good new year! - Judy Malloy, Editor Arts Wire Current

• LINDA AUSTIN, Choreographer/Performer, Founder and Director of Performance Works NorthWest

  "My wishes spiral out from myself as creator/performer to Performance Works NorthWest, the tiny arts organization I direct; to the greater arts community here in Portland, Oregon; to the arts community in NYC that was my home for two decades; to the arts as a whole in the U.S.----that we all find ways not just to survive, but to thrive---artistically, financially, politically; that post 9/11, a heightened sense of our connections to the world at large engenders imaginative and generous action on the part of both artists and public.

  I personally need to ensure that visions for my work become fully realized. This requires a higher level of devotion and commitment not just to the creative process, but to the task of gathering the necessary time, cash and material resources

  Right now I'm working on two projects --a short solo focusing on "monstrousness" as an aspect of both beauty and ugliness --an evening length multi-disciplinary solo (dance/installation/theatre/film) that wrestles with the problem of the seeming gap between the freedom and flexibility of the imagination and the restrictions and intractability of material existence."

• JOHN PAUL BATISTE, Executive Director, Texas Commission on the Arts

  "For the coming years I wish a fitful richness for all of us, before the sun burns out. And as we seek each others reach and light, we must better honor their and our opportunity . All Seasons are precious. We should always cherish the astonishment of their, and our being alive.."

  Currently I am working on 2 empowering efforts and activities for the "NEXT" (special focus on 13-19 year olds) generation.

  The "ACTIVITY" is a series of statewide visits with young people who do not necessarily participate in traditional arts activities or institutions as we know them. Our purpose is to discover what these youth believe the arts are, determine what we can do to increase their participation and build a broader base for participation and engagement.

  The "PROJECT" is the annual, direct Funding for Young Master Artists to pursue further development with mentors of their choice and to spark a cultural revolution for arts makers that impact the ARTS and the state for generations to come.

• RICHARD BEAR, Editor of Culturework, University of Oregon

  "While decorating the family tree this weekend, I became aware of how much this family treasures handmade items duck eggs, painted with fingernail polish and strung together with beads, have been packed with the most care; and "Susie" -- a cardboard and aluminum angel, who always goes on the top -- is now fifty-one years old. I have heard that the sad events of this fall have pulled people in this country closer together, and renewed a sense of community. My hope is that this will be reflected in a grass-roots rediscovery of the art in local people -- from quilts to singalongs to fly-tying -- to balance the emphasis I sensed, prior to 9/11, within the Beltway -- on the 'fine' arts. Everything has its place, including the monumental and sophisticated; but to touch something which has been made with love is, I think, the straight road to blessings."

• HERB BIELAWA, Composer
  Director, SOUNDS NEW - New Music ensemble Lenora Warkentin, flute, Dick Mathias, clarinet, Brooke Aird, violin, Cathy Allen, cello, Herb Bielawa, piano and special guest, Allen Shearer, baritone.

  "If one lives long enough, one can't avoid becoming a bit jaded about the music we hear every Christmas. For instance it's hard for me to get excited any more about Handel's great Hallelujah Chorus and, for that matter, Silent Night. I remember when I was a boy these pieces were absolutely divine. Even when I was in my twenties they were still kind of divine. They gradually lost their magic, however. There are others of my generation and maybe younger wondering why they don't enjoy the holidays like they use to. Well, that's the reason, folks. These relics have worn us out.

  There are five ways to deal with this. First, compose and commission brand new Christmas music. Second, borrow from the ancient texts to compose new music. Third, perform other festive masterpieces that exist but are never given the light (sound) of day. Fourth, make new arrangements of the relics. Fifth, don't do anything differently. There is certainly room to do all of the above, not just the fifth. Obviously the first two are the preferred ways. Anything for a little freshness in the season.

  The San Francisco Choral Artists under Magen Solomon gave a stunningly beautiful concert on Sunday, December 9th in of mostly NEW Christmas music, some even commissioned for the affair. There was no Messiah or Silent Night except my own work Holy Night, which is a new musical setting of that dear old text.

  That's my humble advice to all. Enjoy the season's usual beautiful music as well as you can."

  Best wishes.
  http://www.soundsnewus.org

• LINDA FRYE BURNHAM, Art in the Public Interest, Publisher (with Virginia Tech) of the Community Arts Network, http://www.communityarts.net

  "I hope the U.S. returns to federal support for the arts -- a hundredfold -- while the pioneers of the '60s and '70s and generations are still alive and working."

• CORNELIA CAREY, Executive Director, Craft Emergency Relief Fund helping craftspeople sustain crafts making as a living

  "I can't help but be completely practical with my hopes and wishes for the holidays and the coming year. I wish two things for every artist in the coming year health and business insurance. You think you'll never need them but when you do, they are the key ingredients to sustaining your career as an artist. Yes, a boring wish but if you could see what we see on a daily basis, this would be your dream too!"

• CYNTHIA L. COOPER, Playwright, New York City

  "Dialogue. Of a non superfluous nature. Composed in our shared fragility, our aspirations and inspirations. That's what I want for the arts in 2002. As a playwright, dialogue is stock-in-trade. But I want de-burquasized conversations between the powers that be and the unrealized, between decision-makers and participants, between arts institutions and real-life artists (imagine if every theater in the country had a salon for artists?) I want our insights to connect in the space between our voices and to merge in a commitment to build a true arts community.

  I'm developing "Melting the Walls," a play about a woman prisoner and a gay man who help transform each other's lives, and "Wave, Circle, Star," about a man seemingly burdened with the ability to 'see' events in the past and future, and researching a French feminist from the early 1900s who changed the world of sports."

• Jordan Elgrably, Levantine Cultural Center http://www.levantinecenter.org

  "While the tragedy of 9/11 continues to preoccupy us with its terrible loss of life and extensive economic fallout, in every act of destruction comes an act of creation. This creation is the result of a shock to the system; we are forced by such events to re-examine our received ideas, and we are transformed.

  As a result of the terrorism which appears to be perpetrated by culprits of Middle Eastern/Muslim heritage, millions of Americans are now reaching out to the Arab/Muslim community. There is a new hunger to learn more about people and cultures who until now have largely been stigmatized by orientalism - viewed through a narrow prism that strips us of our universal qualities. Yet this region of the world, from the ancient treasures of Babylonia (Iraq) to the contemporary writers of Egypt, to the accomplished filmmakers of Iran and the gnawa musicians of Morocco, offers us all an incredible wealth of culture, and human stories.

  Because our attention is focused on the affairs of the Middle East, we may willy-nilly find ourselves entering into a new era of exploration, debate and friendship with our Arab American and other hyphenated Americans of Middle East descent. I hope this will be the beginning of a new era in which traditional borders and boundaries are challenged - by us, the artists and arts activists, first and foremost. While the nature of politics and constituencies forces people into divisive relationships, the arts by their very essence have a unifying and humanizing effect. We all embrace the stories of others when they are well-told. Personally, I look to the artists in our society to lead a new era of change, of community consciousness, of working together to improve our city life.

  I am pleased to be the founding director and a board member of Levantine Cultural Center. Opening in 2002, this new Center will be shared by a range of cultural and social organizations and artists with origins in the Middle East and Mediterranean. Stretching from the Andalusian cultures of Spain to the musical heritage of Afghanistan, from the traditional to the arts vanguard, programs at Levantine Cultural Center welcome you to a new, rich, complex realm of the arts. Marhaba!"

• KAREN FITZGERALD, Artist, Project Director, ArtistCares

  "My profound hope for the coming year through the door opened in September, may everyone walk forward, recognizing their powerful essence as creative beings. Through the creative process, may all find peace, joy and light. May everyone return to engaging with this process on a daily basis. Art is not just for specialists anymore.

  I create paintings. I'm working on a community-based collaborative project with composer Carl MaultsBy titled 'Eye on the Sparrow'. I also work in the education community. Since September 26th, I've been working as the Project Director for ArtistCares. We promote healing through creative expression."

• ADRIAN GOTTLIEB, Naturalist Painter & Portraitist

  "During this beginning of a new year in the infancy of a new millennium, I would like to extend an olive branch to all of us together, as artists. I ask that we all remember that art is ultimately an expression of the soul of its creator. There is room for everyone in this new time, and it is time to still the pendulum that ultimately must swing back yet again. Let's put the conflicts of the past to bed and in so doing, ensure the survival of our own forms of expression. During the last decade, many who wished to voice their expression by creating traditional imagery were silenced by an art establishment that excluded and debased their work. Now, when realism is regaining its rightful place among the many genres of the art-world, I hope that we can remember that no one genre need be sacrificed or driven out so that another can prosper. Let's stop the pendulum and celebrate the new year."

• STUART HODES, Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance

  "Atoms and galaxies dance and life itself is a dance. My hope is that the experience of dance in any of its myriad forms and all its life-affirming splendor will bring to more and more people the joyous realization that we all share our humanity, and share life itself with every living creature."

• JAMES (JIM) JANDT, Artist, Composer

  "I make Hand made art pieces in the Kansas City area (Overland Park, Kansas). I also compose music and sing as a Bass in two choruses. My fondest wish at this moment is a general one. I hope that the artists of the world regenerate their own creative spirit, juices; whatever we call the spark that keeps us pushing out into the unknown as well into the unknown. In the face of the wretched political events of the past year, the artists such as ourselves must push ahead. Not in ignorance of the exigencies of the daily life but in spite of them.

  Happy New Year to you. May this not be a hollow nicety."

• CHRISTINE Y. KIM, Assistant Curator, The Studio Museum in Harlem

  The longevity of art.

  "While I have been longing for a return to normalcy in our lives, I fear the translation of the return to normalcy as defined by our president, politics and the press is one of mid-twentieth century or older ideologies in art. Ideas of September 10 is what I strive to perpetuate in curating. While being sensitive to the ways in which our lives have changed, I urge artists, art professionals, museums, foundations, organizations, galleries and the like to consider continuing progressive perspectives and approaches to art making and exhibitions. For the future of the history of art, contemporary art need not fall into the abyss alongside our civil rights and/or be dictated by fear and anxiety however legitimate. There are many ways in which we can understand the severity of September 11 and to alter aspects of our lives accordingly while also keeping our minds moving and open. Viva contemporary art."

• TINA LAPORTA, Web Artist

  "my hopes for the coming year are that i will obtain more support from my community than i have in the past. i hope to have more time to spend in my studio and less obligations that drain me of my energy. and finally, i hope to gain access to more resources which will enable me to realize new work."

  Current works include TECHNO.FETISH.ISM -- http://users.rcn.com/laporta.interport/technofetish.html -- which utilizes pictures found on fetish and BDSM web sites to explore voyeurism, the gaze and power dynamics played out in pornographic image making and electronic distribution networks; and VOYEUR_WEB -- http://whitney.org/artport/artists/laporta/tina.html -- which explores 'liveness' through the medium of the internet "while the home represents a private space and the web a public site; webcams then become a window, or an invitation to look, to gaze upon the everydayness of the inhabitants of these sites. the distance between the watcher and the watched is quite clear, and those who are being watched set the stage for their own exhibitionism-- to be seen is to exist"

• ROBERT LEDERMAN, President of A.R.T.I.S.T. (Artists' Response To Illegal State Tactics) http://baltech.org/lederman/

  "My hope is that America's artists will learn to value the freedom of expression we still enjoy in this country and make a greater personal effort to defend it. The power of art to give pleasure as well as to inform and incite people is more dependant on this freedom than on color or form or materials. Freedom may be invisible and it may not pay our rent but without it we cannot be artists."

• HOPE O'KEEFFE, NEA Office of General Counsel http://www.arts.gov

  "I wish and hope for artists and the arts community and the world to weather these awful times with strength, grace, and eloquence. I wish for a shift in priorities, and a more central place for art and creativity in all our lives My holiday plans with my boys are for more singing, more piano playing, more cookie making, more fingerpainted masterpieces, less STUFF. This Christmas, my siblings and I have pledged to give each others' children the one-on-one time they need much more than another Barbie or GameBoy, so I'm guaranteed at least six marvelous matinee arts adventures this winter. Oh, and Grandma Sandy's getting a donation in her name to the NY Arts Recovery Fund, http://www.nyfa.org/9-11.htm

  Happy holidays!"

• KATHLEEN OWCZARSKI, Artist, Arts Management Student

  "Let us all look forward to the New Year as we always have, with joy and hope in our hearts for new and wonderful 'beginnings'. We know that the "arts" brings inner enrichment to our lives, so we must continue to broaden access to all art forms within the community we serve.

  Programming according to the audience needs is vital--the audience must feel welcomed, comfortable, and develop a desire to return. Undoubtedly great efforts were made in 2001 to reach into the community to build this association, so we have a tremendous launching point to enter 2002. The "Arts are you, and You are the Arts" might be a strategy to keep us focused on not only the community supporting the arts, but the arts supporting the community.

  Currently, I am the Marketing Communications Manager, Sealed Air Corporation, Packaging Products Division. And enrolled in the Management of the Arts certification program at the New York University (NYU) in the evening. I do pastel painting and have been in several art shows and take class with Christina Debarry, a master pastelists.

  Hope you have a very Happy Holiday."

• JOEL SNYDER, Art Specialist, National Endowment for the Arts President, Audio Description Associates

  "Audio Description--a narrative technique which helps people see the visual elements of the arts (the visual is made verbal)--goes a long way toward providing arts access for people who are blind or have low vision, and offers a new perspective on the arts for everyone. There's no reason why people who have physical challenges must also be culturally disadvantaged. In the new year, may we all see greater strides toward making our culture more fully accessible for all."

• RENEE WATERS, Dance Performance Major, Arizona State University Class of 2003

  "When will people understand that art is vital to our humanity? A society without art is not a society at all. Art gives us the opportunity to express our passions, beliefs, and customs. The very nature of art works as an archaeological awareness to other cultures. We can understand ancient cultures through their art, just as much as we can understand present cultures. Imagine a society without the beauty of art. How can we call ourselves human if we deprive our souls of the things that make us happy? Everything has art. Everything is art. It all falls under one big masterpiece that fulfills our society to be interesting and individual."

• BRENDA JEW WATERS, Promotions and Event Coordinator West Coast Connections, Sacramento, CA. Publicist for Gold Country Chamber Orchestra

  "The energy crisis and the failing dot.com industry seriously affected our economy in California. Budget cuts have exacerbated the problems. While we are waiting for a full economic recovery, why don't we cooperate and work together? How many more arts organizations and arts volunteers and workers will we lose before people wake up? Art is crucial to our existence. On September 15, our concert attendance doubled. We know we are serving a need for people to come together to enjoy live performances following the terrible 9-11 tragedy.

  My wish is for a consolidation of efforts, so that we can pool our resources to be even stronger. Get involved in the political process. WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

  Gold Country Chamber Orchestra, headquartered in Sacramento, California, was founded in late 1998 and offers unique classical music programming, diverse selections of familiar and little-known works, and performances with up to 38 dedicated, highly trained professional, local and guest musicians under the dynamic leadership of Henrik Jul Hansen."

Limited resources and staffs make it important that arts organizations employ participation-building strategies which will be effective, and yet they typically find inadequate guidance, the study observes, noting thatries of complex and differently factored decisions)

To compile the report, in-depth interviews were conducted with the directors of more than 100 institutions which received Wallace-Reader's Digest Funds and/or Knight Foundation grants which encourage greater involvement in the arts. Additionally, site visits were made to 13 arts institutions which have been particularly successful in attracting participants to their programs. Among the organizations which the researchers visited were Ballet, Arizona; California Institute of the Arts; Cleveland Museum of Art; Cornerstone Theater; (Los Angeles) Poet's House; (NY) The Loft; (Minneapolis) University Musical Society; (Ann Arbor, MC) and the Walker Arts Center. (Minneapolis)

Questions asked by the RAND researchers included:

• how the organization defined its participation goals
• how those goals related to its broader mission
• how it designed and implemented its participation strategies
• what tactics it used
• how it interacted with its broader communities, target populations, and artists
• how it defined and measured progress toward its goals;
• what it viewed as major challenges to its participation-building programs

Regrettably, despite talking with 102 organizations, the researchers included little concrete information about their successes and failures in attracting audiences in terms of specific challenging and innovative arts programming, nor does the report detail innovative approaches to community outreach encountered in the interviews and site visits. Moreover, reduced to statistics, the individual voices of these organizations are absent from the report. Indeed, if, as the study's authors suggest, the fact that arts managers generally do not have a research or marketing background, contributes to difficulties in building audience participation, the report itself with its sometimes chilly language and approach ("behavioral levers", for instance) clearly indicates that the active inclusion of art-centered voices in gathering information and in presenting the results of such research studies would enhance their usefulness to the arts community.

Nevertheless, A New Framework for Building Participation in the Arts sets forth a model and guidelines which could potentially help institutions devise participation-building approaches which fit with their overall purpose and mission, with their available resources, and with the community environment in which they operate.

For instance, in identifying strategies for Choosing Target Populations, guidelines include that arts organizations

• Determine what might motivate target groups to participate in their programs, what the sizeable barriers to their participation are, and what techniques are the best for addressing both these factors

• Understand how the target population impacts the decision making process since this is a key factor in developing effective strategies

• Take into account populations not inclined to participate which "may be harder to reach, but the reward for the effort could be significant."

Under Resources, guidelines include:

• "Recognize that the institution is part of a community. Get to know that community and its organizations, including their strengths and weaknesses and how they complement the institution's."

• "Pursue collaborative relationships with other organizations with a clear understanding of what each party can bring to the collaboration and with a shared commitment to the same goals."

Of additional interest is that in its survey, among other community outreach strategies, RAND asked specifically about the degree to which organizations sponsor artists in residence, include artists in outreach activities, work with artists in planning artistic programs, and employ artists to teach classes or hold workshops.

In response, about 75 percent of the surveyed organizations said they used artists "frequently" or "almost always" to teach classes and hold work-shops and to help the organization reach out to the community. In these organizations, artists were provided residencies about 60 percent of the time.

Artists were involved in program planning in less than 50 percent of the surveyed organizations.

The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decision making through research and analysis. RAND (a contraction of the term research and development) was created in 1946 by their original client, the U.S. Air Force. (then the Army Air Forces) RAND's early work involved aircraft, rockets, and satellites. Currently, in addition to assisting all branches of the U.S. military community, they also work on social and international issues.

Source:

Kevin F. McCarthy, Kimberly J. Jinnett
"A New Framework for Building Participation in the Arts"
RAND Corporation -- http://www.rand.org/publications/electronic/other.html
2001

"Mid-size Performing Arts Organizations Face Financial Stress; Most Performing Artists Earn Little, are Likely to Have to Take Jobs Outside Their Profession, Study Finds"
Arts Wire CURRENT -- http://www.artswire.org/current/2001/cur080701.html
August 7, 2001

The Dance Street Performers:
THE SNOW QUEEN

Directed and choreographed by Erin Holt
Story by Hans Christian Andersen adapted for ballet by Erin Holt Music - Randall Michael Tobin

"A long time ago, an evil magician created a magic mirror that reduced the goodness and magnified the bad of anyone who saw their reflection in it," the story begins. When this mirror shattered into millions of pieces, they were blown about by the wind -- "creating evil, chaos and havoc in the eyes and hearts of the unsuspecting townsfolk." Tiny silvers of the mirror lodged in the soul of The Snow Queen, creator of winter wind and snow, and dark times followed.

THE SNOW QUEEN evolves around Kai who gives his best friend Gerda, a rose and on Gerda's perilous and magical quest to find Kai after the Snow Queen abducts him to her frozen realm.

When Gerda finally finds Kai "Tears run down Gerda's face and onto Kai's chest, melting the lump of ice in his heart. Kai's own tears wash away the mirror fragment from his eye and he rejoices to see Gerda."

The spell is broken, and on the return of Kai and Gerda to the town, the townsfolk also begin to cry, their tears washing the mirror fragments from their eyes, freeing them of the terrible spell, and setting in motion a joyful dance.

Based in La Canada, California, the Dance Street Performers is a not-for-profit whose mission -- "to improve conditions in the local community and surrounding areas through innovative dance/music/voice productions" -- is accomplished by "creating and performing richly diverse and entertaining productions for audiences ranging from the general public and student bodies in theatre-size venues to scaled-down performances for hospital patients and rest home residents." This is their fourth annual production of the original ballet, The Snow Queen.

Erin Holt is the founder, choreographer and creative director of the Dance Street Performers.

The musical score for The Snow Queen was composed, performed, and recorded by Randall Michael Tobin.

"The Dance Street Performers, Inc. are professional-caliber dancers ranging in age from 12-25. We have a chorus of dancers ranging in age from 3-21. There are approximately 60 young people in this performance, all volunteer, all working to enhance the quality of life in our community and rehabilitate an interest in the Arts. This is a stunning performance, truly inspirational and heartwarming and is a wonderful family event for the Holiday Season. We hope you can make it," says Dance Street Performers Director Lisa Ben Jacob.

For more information, visit http://www.snowqueen.org

TREASURES: A CELEBRATION OF GIVING

The John Michael Kohler Arts Center invites the community to celebrate the holiday gift-giving season with artist-made gifts. Their thirteenth annual TREASURES exhibition features artist-made treasures from around the country, including:

jewelry by Philadelphia-based Steven Ford and David Forlano (City Zen Cane) whose work, often influenced by Asian textile design, uses an ancient glass technique called caning, whereby a cross-sectional image is built in three dimensions and stretched out to reduce the scale of the original image

a pottery vase, encircled (evoking ancient Greek vases) by black women, wearing flowered and striped dresses, linking arms with each other. By Melissa Green (Deer Isle, Maine)

and SKIPPY, a hanging sculpture (wood, rusted hardware, rope, electrical tape, whistle, lanyard, paint) by William Skrips. (Blairstown, NJ)

"In creating my sculpture, I try to forge a union between the humorous and the dark, which is wholly in line with my own outlook on life," Skrips states.

The other artists whose works of art are included in this year's TREASURES are: Jackie Abrams (VT), David Paul Bacharach, (MD) Talya Baharal, (NY) Chris Baker-Salmon, (NH) Barbara Bayne, (MA) Risa Benson, (PA) Louise Berg, (WI) Alex Brand, (NY) Karren Brito, (OH) Shellie Brooks, (MA) Ellie Burke (WI), Jan Eckardt Butler, (OK) Sandy Byers, (WI) Winthrop Byers, (WI) Barry Carlson, (WI) Jack Charney, (NM) Victoria Christen, (OR) Ann Marie Cianciolo, (WI) Sandra Clark, (IL) Deborah Cross, (CA) Sara Drower, (IL) James Engebretson, (WI) Renee Engebretson, (WI) Daniel Essig, (NC) Stephen Fabrico, (NY) Marsha Fleisher, (NY) Steve Frederick, (NY) Tina Fung Holder, (WI) Nancy Gardner, (IL) Susan Garson, (CO) Elizabeth Garver, (IN) Gene Gnida, (NY) Dari Gordon, (CA), Ann Hall Richards, (MN) Christopher Hentz, (LA) Patrick Horsley, (OR) Ann Irwin, (PA) Joel Jaecks, (WI) Ginger Kelly, (WA) William Lemke, (WI) Marc Levine, (MA) Sonya Mackintosh, (MA) Barbara Minor, (LA) Valerie Mitchell, (CA) Josie Osborne, (WI), Thomas Pakele, (CO) Bruce Pizzichillo, (CA) JoAnna Poehlmann, (WI) Tom Rauschke, (WI) Susan Richter-O'Connell, (WI) Gary Schlappal, (MD) Dee Ann Segula, (MI) Tom Stoenner, (NY) Emma Villedrouin, (DC), Graceann Warn, (MI) and Karren Wiken. (WI)

The John Michael Kohler Arts Center (JMKAC) is a not-for-profit organization established in 1967 for aesthetic and educational purposes. Its mission is "to encourage and support innovative explorations in the arts and to foster an exchange between a national community of artists and a broad public that will help realize the power of the arts to inspire and transform our world. " Artspace, JMKAC's small adjunct site, is located in The Shops at Woodlake in Kohler Village

For more information, visit: http://www.jmkac.org/

EARTH CELEBRATIONS' VISIONS FOR THE EARTH WINTER PAGEANT

"Theatrical pageants provide an innovative strategy that engage people to work together creatively to design and enact a ceremonial parade and performance to celebrate their local history and culture, address issues, and inspire positive change. Earth Celebrations' pageants highlight the importance of the gardens, parks, and nature in the city, as well as, celebrate community, creativity, and peace, among the diversity of people of New York City. Now, more than ever, the people of New York City are seeking such programs to connect with each other and work together for a hopeful and peaceful future" - Felicia Young, Director, Visions for the Earth Winter Pageant

Earth Celebrations' VISIONS FOR THE EARTH WINTER PAGEANT is a creative community action of hope and peace, celebrating the community spirit of New York City. Hundreds of city gardeners, artists, children, and residents dance through the cold winter streets in the luminous pageant. The parade wraps around Tompkins Square Park with a "galaxy of glowing lanterns, giant illuminated puppets, and spectacular glittering costumes".

Hungry March Band and a dancing bell chorus, lead the parade, into the La Plaza Cultural Garden 9th Street & Avenue C for a Winter Spectacle and Ceremony featuring Tonya Ridgely Butoh Dance performing among the frozen trees and bare bushes; a garden-scape of moving projections and light; original music performed by Kochek Swaminathan; and an aria of hope performed in 15-foot glittering white gown by opera singer Kamala Sankram.

An illuminated Winter Angel by artist Steve Jones will fly into the garden from a five story building. Hot cider and roasted apples will warm the celebration.

The Winter Pageant is a project of Earth Celebrations. Since 1991, Earth Celebrations has been working to preserve the community gardens through innovative educational environmental arts programs, theatrical pageants, performances, and workshops for youth and adults. For details, visit http://www.earthcelebrations.com Volunteers are needed. For more information call 212-777-7969

Launched in 1996, the National Dance Project, (NDP) supports the production and touring of contemporary dance works in the United States. The project is anchored by a group of performing arts presenter Hub Sites, advised by dance field leaders, and administered by the New England Foundation for the Arts.

NDP production grants provide funding for the creation of dance work. Funds are to support a project's development through the time of its premiere. Awarded to an average of 20 dance projects annually, production grants generally range from $15,000 to $35,000. To date, production and/or touring grants have supported 107 new works by 88 artists and dance companies.

2001-2002 Production Grants, awarded in July 2001 through the NDP's Doris Duke Fund for Dance, included, among many others:

• Ronald K Brown / Evidence for WALKING OUT THE DARK

• Wally Cordona Quartet for MORPHMANIAC: LIVE REMIX

• Martha Clarke for VIENNA: LUSTHAUS

• Dayton Contemporary Dance Co for FLIGHT PROJECT

• Ralph Lemon Company for HOUSE: Part 3 of GEOGRAPHY TRILOGY

• Jose Limon Dance Company for PSALM

• Souloworks / Andrea E Woods & Dancers for LOVE LETTERS

The National Foundation for Jewish Culture (NFJC) New Play Commissions in Jewish Theater, supported by the Nathan Cummings Foundation, awards grants of up to $5,000 to non-profit theater companies in North America for the commissioning of new full-length plays dealing substantively with issues of Jewish history, tradition, values or contemporary life.

In eight years of New Play Commissions in Jewish Theater, the NFJC has awarded 57 commissions to more than 35 theaters, and it is now seeking to establish a $2 million Fund for New Play Commissions in Jewish Theater as a component of its Jewish Endowment for the Arts and Humanities.

Recipients of 2001-2002 Season New Play Commissions in Jewish Theater included:

THE MASTER OF PRAYER: THE LIFE AND TALES OF RABBI NACHMAN OF BRATSLAV - The LITE Company
"This new play focuses on the life and work of Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav, the eighteenth century "tzadik" whose legacy of mystical tales expressed his profound theological struggle.This multi-media project will interweave the story of Nachman's life with dramatizations of his tales for a visually-compelling piece that will include music, imagery, and primary texts."

JERSEY NIGHTS - Medicine Show Theatre Ensemble, Inc.
"Based on a true story, Jersey Nights is a play about the struggle against the German occupation of the Isle of Jersey during World War II on the part of two Jewish stepsisters, Claude Cahun and Suzanne Malherve. These women, French surrealist artists and lesbian lovers, lived in a self-contained isolated existence. This play dramatizes the consequences of their resistance and their complex relationship to each other."

IN MEMORY'S KITCHEN - RPM Productions
"In Memory's Kitchen is based on a cookbook of recipes compiled by the women of Terezein (Theresienstadt). Published a few years ago, this cookbook is testimony to the determination of the women in Terezein to preserve their culture though recipes handed down for generations. The story of this cookbook and its odyssey is the inspiration for this play comprised of five women and two cooks who prepare food for the audience to smell and to ultimately partake."

Since 1960, the National Foundation for Jewish Culture (NFJC) has been a leading advocate for Jewish cultural preservation and renewal in America. Founded by the Council of Jewish Federations, the NFJC works with artists, scholars, cultural institutions and community agencies to enhance the quality of Jewish life in America through the arts and humanities.

Among other NFJC programs are the Artist Residencies in Jewish Communities, where local Jewish and cultural institutions work together with an array of artists to explore Jewish identity. Pilot programs in Tucson, St. Louis, Los Angeles, Minneapolis and Washington D.C. have drawn thousands of people into universities, day schools, synagogues, JCC's, Federations and other community institutions, where they explored how culture can transcend social, political and religious differences among Jews, as well as between the Jewish community and other ethnic and religious groups. The NFJC is consulting with Federations across the country to expand this innovative program of Jewish community-building and identity-building in the years ahead.

For more information, visit http://www.jewishculture.org

Opportunities for Artists

Artists are invited to submit proposals for site-specific visual, audio or mixed media installations at the historic Eldridge Street Synagogue on New York's Lower East Side. The next installation opportunity is scheduled for Spring-Summer 2002, with an opening date in April. Other compelling proposals may be assigned to subsequent presentation periods.

The Eldridge Street Synagogue, a National Historic Landmark, is the first great house of worship built by Eastern European Jews in America. The Eldridge Street Project, a non-sectarian cultural organization, was established in 1986 to restore the long-neglected house of worship, built one century earlier, to its original grandeur and to preserve the structure for future generations as a historic site and cultural center.

Site-specific art works will explore themes that pertain to and resonate within this unique space/memory -- generational continuity; immigrant Lower East Side or New York City history; historic preservation; Jewish customs, traditions or liturgy; sanctuary or refuge; sacredness or quiet -- and/or they will explore specific objects, texts or physical features of the building.

A strong proposal will take into consideration the significance of the building as a sacred site and an historic landmark. They ask that artists be sensitive to the Synagogue's long and continuing history of worship. Artists of all religious and ethnic backgrounds are encouraged to submit proposals.

Deadline: January 18, 2002

For details, visit Arts Wire current calls at http://www.artswire.org/current/calls.html ( Note that after a week "Calls are archived at http://www.artswire.org/current/morecall.html )

Details about these and other opportunities are available on Arts Wire's Web Site at http://www.artswire.org/current/calls.html To submit "calls" for either artists or organizations, send email to artswire@artswire.org

Deadline: January 15, 2002, Short Films and Videos, International Short Film Festival, Oberhausen May 2-7, 2002

Deadlines: February 1 and September 1 for artists and May 1 for photographers, Artists and photographers in the Philadelphia area, Creative Artists Network Affiliates

Deadline: February 15, 2002, Temporary work in a public space - New York Artists, IN THE PUBLIC REALM - Public Art Fund

Deadline: Ongoing, Women writers in all genres of writing, to help lead monthly workshops and mentor teenage girls who are interested in pursuing careers in writing, Girls Write Now, new Los Angeles branch

CRAFT, CRITIQUE, CULTURE: The University of Iowa's 2nd Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Writing in the Academy

CRAFT, CRITIQUE, CULTURE is an interdisciplinary conference focusing on the divisions between critical and creative approaches to writing both within and outside the academy. This year's conference will also have a special focus on technologies of writing and the impact of media on the creation and reception of texts. How have technological media historically influenced the divisions between academic, avant-garde, and popular writers and audiences? What is the future of the concept and practice of writing in our rapidly changing world? How do new technologies promise to transform works, authors, and readers?

CRAFT, CRITIQUE, CULTURE invites scholars and writers from a range of disciplines, such as literary studies, cultural studies, communication studies, creative writing, theater, film, music, and art history, to present either formal papers or creative work, including poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, and multimedia presentations. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

• Writers, critics, and audiences
• Historicizing the poet-critic divide
• Critics' representations of writers / writers' characterizations of critics
• Parallel discourses in English departments and creative writing workshops
• Creative and critical audiences in the academy
• The role of aesthetic evaluation in contemporary criticism and cultural studies
• Examining the craft, style, and performative aspects of critical theory
• Contemporary avant-gardes, experimental writing, and the academy
• Academic publishing: bridging academic and popular audiences
• The pleasure of reading in the academy and the wider culture
• Technologies of writing (typewriter, word processor, hypertext, etc.)
• Technologies of publishing (printing press, electronic publishing, etc.)
• The history and future of the book
• Media literacy
• Film and literature
• The graphic novel
• The photo-essay
• The concept of writing and the experience of sound
• Pedagogical issues: the use of media in the classroom

Selected papers will be published in the Iowa Journal of Cultural Studies.

Please submit papers, abstracts, or panel proposals by February 1, 2002 to: Anthony Enns, English Department, 308 English Philosophy Building, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242-1492 Email: anthony-enns@uiowa.edu

For more information, visit http://www.uiowa.edu/~c3conf

Details about these and other jobs are available on Arts Wire's Web Site at http://www.artswire.org/current/jobs.html

To submit jobs to Arts Wire, email them to joblist@artswire.org Please send a text file in the body of the message. (ie no attachments and no HTML) There is no fee for posting job listings. The deadline is Friday for the next week's listings. (which usually are posted on Monday) For the most part, job listings are not edited. The contents of the postings are the responsibility of the originating agency.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, Rockford Dance Company, (Rockford, IL)

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF GRAPHIC DESIGN, (tenure-track) Department of Fine Arts, University of Pennsylvania, (Philadelphia PA)

FACULTY POSITIONS: Graphic Design Department Chair - Tenured or Tenure Track; Assistant Professor Graphic Design - Tenure Track; Visiting Assistant Professor Graphic Design (digital media) - Possible Tenure Track, Herron School of Art, IUPUI, (Indianapolis, Indiana)

PROGRAM DIRECTOR, MA in Arts Administration, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, (Charlotte, NC)

MUSIC DIRECTOR, Powers Music School, (Belmont, MA)

PROGRAM OFFICER, VISUAL ARTIST INFORMATION HOTLINE, The New York Foundation for the Arts, (New York City, NY)

PROGRAM COORDINATOR, Arts Horizons, (Englewood, NJ)

PROGRAM DIRECTOR, Dutchess County Arts Council, (Poughkeepsie, NY)

MANAGING & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, The CSI Center for the Arts, College of Staten Island, (Staten Island, NY)

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, (search reopened)Associated Writing Programs, (Fairfax, VA)

GALLERY MANAGER/ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT, Snug Harbor Cultural Center, (Staten Island, NY)

SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATOR, Eyebeam, (New York City, NY)

TECHNICAL ASSOCIATE - PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, Georgia Southern University, (Statesboro, GA)

PUBLIC RELATIONS MANAGER, New World Symphony, (Miami Beach, FL)

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS, Real Art Ways, (Hartford, CN)

DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION & ARTISTIC OPERATIONS; DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS, Haddonfield Symphony, (Haddonfield, NJ)

ADMISSIONS COUNSELOR, Office of Admissions, Parsons School of Design, (New York City, NY)

DANCE INSTRUCTOR, LimeLight Productions, (Southern Arizona)

COMPUTER ART TEACHERS, Palo Alto Art Center's Children's Art Program, (Palo Alto, CA)

DEVELOPMENT OFFICER, Development Department, Parsons School of Design, (New York City, NY)

DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE, Whitney Museum of American Art, (New York City, NY)

BUSINESS MANAGER, Spiral Q Puppet Theater, (Philadelphia, PA)

MARKETING ASSISTANT, Second Stage Theatre, (New York City, NY)

CONSULTANTS SOUGHT, Dutchess County Arts Council, (Poughkeepsie, NY)

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, (Baltimore, MD)

ASSISTANT TO THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, Lincoln Center Constituent Development Project, (New York City, NY)

(ENTRY-LEVEL ARTS PROFESSIONAL) Pierre and Maria Gaetana Matisse Foundation, (New York City, NY)

ASSISTANT TO THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, Swiss Institute, (New York City, NY)

BOOKKEEPER, (Part Time) Brooklyn Arts Council
(Brooklyn, New York)

WINTER/SPRING COMMUNICATIONS INTERNSHIP, Massachusetts Cultural Council, (Boston, MA)

A growing list of links to job resources for artists and arts administrators is available on Arts Wire's Web Site at http://www.artswire.org/current/jobres.html

WASHINGTON, DC - On December 11, The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced the 2002 American Jazz Masters Fellowship recipients. They are:

FRANK FOSTER -- best known for his work in the Count Basie Orchestra (1953-64) and as the composer of the Count Basie hit, SHINY STOCKINGS. He created a large body of work for jazz, including works performed by singers Sarah Vaughan and Frank Sinatra, and a commissioned work for the 1980 Winter Olympics, Lake Placid Suite, written for jazz orchestra. He has served as a musical consultant in the New York City public schools and taught at Queens College and the State University of New York at Buffalo.

PERCY HEATH -- the backbone of the Modern Jazz Quartet, (MJQ) and a superb bassist so sought after that he has appeared on more than 200 jazz albums. Heath joined Dizzy Gillespie's sextet from 1950-52. He stayed with MJQ for more than 40 years, off and on from its beginning in 1952.

MCCOY TYNER -- whose "powerful, propulsive" style of piano playing was an integral part of the John Coltrane Quartet in the early 1960s and influenced countless musicians who followed him. After leaving the quartet, Tyner demonstrated his "tremendous melodic and rhythmic flair for composition" on such albums as The Real McCoy. Tyner has continued to experiment with his sound and to tour steadily with his longtime trio which includes Avery Sharpe on bass and Aaron Scott on drums.

Each artist receives a one-time fellowship of $20,000. The American Jazz Masters awards will be presented at an Arts Endowment-supported concert on January 11, 2002 in Long Beach, California during the 29th annual conference of the International Association of Jazz Educators.

As part of its efforts to honor, assist, encourage, and present artists and forms of artistic expression and practice that reflect the many cultural traditions that make up our nation, the Arts Endowment annually awards up to three one-time-only American Jazz Masters Fellowships. These fellowships are for distinguished jazz artists. The selection criteria are excellence, impact, and significance of the contribution to the jazz art form in the African-American tradition. 2002 marks the Program's 20th Anniversary.

American Jazz Masters Fellowships are awarded to living artists on the basis of nominations from the public, including the jazz community. The recipients must be living citizens or permanent residents of the United States. Nominations may be made by submitting a one-page letter that details the reasons why the nominated artist should receive an American Jazz Masters Fellowship. A resume or a short biography that outlines the career of the nominated artist should be included with the nomination letter. Nominations -- postmarked no later than January 25, 2002 -- should be sent to: American Jazz Masters Fellowships, National Endowment for the Arts, Nancy Hanks Center 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Room 703 Washington, DC 20506-0001

Complete details are available at http://www.arts.gov/guide/JazzMasters02.html