Arts & Humanities
Quilters ready for Autumn Comforts show, by Aubrey Alberti
Arts and culture center offers creative fun in November, Nikke Nason
Award-winner up next at FRT, by James A. Panowski
LCAP continues to provide art opportunities for local student, by Claudia Drosen

 

Quilters ready for Autumn Comforts show
Autumn is a season of colors melding and blending into a brilliant spectrum of shape and form. Autumn leaves and their fiery hues of gold, red and orange decorate the landscape boldly and the spacious blue blanket of the sky, sort of like a patterned quilt that captures the spirit of such a beautiful season.
Members of the Marquette County Quilters Association (MCQA) are preparing to display more than 300 quilts at their biannual 2006 Autumn Comforts Quilt Show in the Great Lakes Rooms of the University Center at Northern Michigan University.
Quilts have warmed, protected and clothed humans for thousands of years. The crafting of a quilt can be traced back to ancient Egypt. A carving of an ivory figure of an Egyptian pharaoh wearing a quilted mantle can be dated from the first Dynasty 3400 B.C.E.
From the ancient banks of the Nile to Medieval Europe, quilting became important attire for soldiers and knights who sometimes wore lighter, more pliable, less expensive quilted clothing in place of heavy and expensive armor. Weaving and quilting became an important art form that created the medieval tapestries of the time.
Up until the Middle Ages, quilted clothing was a luxury for the wealthy. But in time it would become a necessity for the common peasant. Bits of fabric and leftover scraps were used by common folk to make bedding and other practical commodities. By the American Colonial period, quilting was an expected skill that all women were capable of doing, so important a skill that their very lives depended on it for the survival of their settlements.
There are stories about family treasure maps, diaries, wills and testaments, currency and family secret recipes being passed down through the ages by being sewn into the fabric of a quilt. One such quilt came from an early American colonial woman named Mary Newbury, who kept a diary by writing on bits of parchment and sewing them into her patchwork quilt. She wanted her descendants to know her story and keep her lineage connected to the past through her quilted work.
Then came the Industrial Age, which changed the face of quilting forever. With the birth of the sewing machine, mass production of bolts of cloth from a variety of fabrics like silk or velvet was born. The beginning of modern quilting as an art form was fabricated.
The modern quilter has many choices and genre—from traditional patterns to abstract expression to pictorial style and watercolor quilts. With today’s technology, it is possible to capture a favorite photograph and have it photocopied to fabric.
The quilting art has come a long way from the ancient temples of Egypt and the majestic castles of Medieval Europe. It is a beloved homespun craft that gains loyal followers each year.
The Autumn Comforts Quilt Show will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on November 11 and from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on November 12. There is a $3 admissions fee for adults and children. Silent auctions, demos and venders will be featured, and a raffle quilt drawing will take place at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday.
The prize quilt is titled “It’s All About Color.” The raffle winner will take home this beautiful creation by Kathryn Norton and Jane Vandenberg and other guild member contributors of the MCQA.
The quilt will be displayed at Alley Kat’s in the Village Shopping Center on Third Street in Marquette until the show. Money raised from the raffle goes to support Bay Cliff, Harbor House, Pregnancy Services and the neonatal unit at Marquette General Hospital.
A quilting challenge will be held with the theme “Winter’s Holiday.” Twenty quilting participants will be judged by the public for best of show honors.
For those interested in quilting or joining a quilting circle, the Marquette County Quilting Association meets at 6:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month at Peter White Public Library at 6:30 p.m.
For details on the MCQA, visit www.marquettequilters.com
—Aubrey Alberti

Demonstration Schedule
Saturday, November 11
10:30 a.m.—Quick Watercolor Quilts
11:30 a.m.—Thangles
12:30 p.m.—Cut-A-Round Tool
1:30 p.m.—Fashion Show
2:30 p.m.—No Waste Flying Geese Ruler
3:30 p.m.—Marti’s Log Cabin Ruler
4:30 p.m.—Square in a Square Ruler

Sunday, November 12
1:00 p.m.—Quilt As You Go
2:00 p.m.—Foiling on Fabric
3:00 p.m.—Raffle Drawing
3:15 p.m.—Scrappy Triangle Blocks
4:00 p.m.—Silent Auction final bids

www.marquettequilters.com

 

 

Arts and culture center offers creative fun in November
For more information or to sign up for any of the following events, call 228-0472, e-mail nnason@mqtcty.org or visit www.mqtcty.org

Arts calendar deadline upcoming
Marquette arts organizations who want their winter arts events occurring between January and April 2007 published in the Marquette Winter Arts Calendar should submit the information by e-mail to nnason@mqtcty.org or mail it to Arts Calendar, 300 West Baraga Avenue, Marquette, MI 49855 by December 1.
There is no charge for arts organizations, businesses or individual artists. This service is sponsored by the City of Marquette Arts and Culture Committee and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Youth holiday choir starts rehearsals
The City of Marquette Arts and Culture Center (MACC) will begin rehearsals for a holiday youth choir and play in November to perform several times in December.
Youth do not have to perform at all the events. The main play and choral performance will take place at 7:00 p.m. on December 7 in the Community Room located in the lower level of Peter White Public Library.
Rehearsal begins at 5:00 p.m. on November 1 at the Marquette Arts and Culture Center. A schedule for future rehearsals will be handed out at this time. There is no registration fee, and the event is open to ages preschool through Grade 12. Preregistration is required.

MACC features work of Joellyn Loehr
Oregon painter Joellyn Loehr recently spent several weeks in a cabin in the U.P. where she produced eighteen twenty-four-inch square oil-on-panel paintings. These paintings will be shown during the month of November at the City of Marquette Arts and Culture Center Lower Level Gallery located in the lower level of Peter White Public Library.
Loehr received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland (Oregon) and a Master of Arts from Michigan State University, as well as a Bachelor of Science from MSU.
Her award-winning works have been included in juried exhibits throughout the Northwest and are included in private collections in the Western United States and Europe and on permanent collection at the Coos Art Museum in Coos Bay (Oregon). A public reception will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on November 2.

‘SKI performs in First Thursday series
’Ski is a new name for a group that’s been around in one form or another for years. The group consists of Kathryn Morski (lead writer, singer and fingerstyle guitarist), Kathryn’s daughter Caitlin (writer, lead singer and flautist), and her son, Brian (drummer and singer).
’Ski will perform at 7:00 p.m. on November 2 in the Community Room in the lower level of Peter White Public Library. Admission is $2 per person, with proceeds going directly to the artists.’Ski features distinctive finger-style guitar, expressive conga and warm vocal harmony for all ages.

Fall workshops available at MACC
Registration deadlines for the following workshops are approaching. To register with a credit card, call 228-0472 or stop in the MACC Gallery & Gifts Shop.
• Watercolor Batik with Bobbe Almer—At 5:00 p.m. on November 8, ages ten to adult can enjoy creating beautiful watercolor batik paintings with a holiday theme. They can be used as greeting cards or framed as gifts. Parents can take this class with their children. Registration is $10 for City residents and $15 for nonresidents. A $10 lab fee applies. Supplies will be provided by the instructor to create two watercolor batik paintings mounted to cards and envelopes.
• Painted Picture Maps with Bobbe Almer—At 4:00 p.m. on December 16, ages eight to adult can make a special gift for the holidays. With an off-the-shelf frame or a hand-painted mat board, choose from a number of design ideas to suit your photograph. It turns a great photograph into a memorable gift. This is a fun class for parents to take with their children to make special gifts for aunts or grandparents. The class is $5 for City residents or $10 for nonresidents. A $10 lab fee applies. All supplies will be provided by the instructor to create a painted mat to frame a four-by-six-inch picture. Students should bring the picture to class.
• Gingerbread House Workshop with Carol Phillips—At 1:00 p.m. on December 2, ages six and older can learn to make gingerbread houses. No experience necessary. The class is $15 for City residents or $25 for nonresidents.

Annual Holiday Art Sale date set
Work by more than twenty-four local artists will be on sale from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. on November 18 in the MACC. Works include ceramics, fibers, wearable art, glass, painting, jewelry, wood, mixed media and more.
A youth craft table will be available free of charge for all ages.

MACC seeks workshop instructors
The City of Marquette Arts and Culture Center is seeking instructors for their Winter 2007 session of Arts and Cultural workshops.
During the past six years, the MACC has offered several workshops, such as painting, hand-coloring photography, fused glass, acting, table-top fountain making, floral arrangement, tie-dye, mosaics, drawing, writing, Spanish, Tai Chi, dancing and more.
Winter Session 2007 workshops begin the week of January 22. We pay our instructors $15 an hour. You can supply any materials needed for your class through lab fees, or have a list for students to purchase the supplies themselves.
There are two rooms for art, one carpeted quiet room and a large community room with a stage. There is storage available if supplies need to be left over the course of your class. The application deadline is November 22.

Disney musical auditions planned
The MACC will be holding auditions for their winter production of Disney’s High School Musical from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. on December 1 and from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on December 2.
Callbacks are at 1:00 p.m. on December 3. Auditions will take place in the Community Room and Marquette Arts and Culture Center.
The musical is based on a Disney Channel Original Movie written by Peter Barsocchini. Performances will take place from March 16 through 18 at Kaufman Auditorium. Youth singers, dancers, actors, cheerleaders, basketball players and gymnasts are needed for a variety of parts. Rehearsals begin in mid-January. Tickets go on sale January 15.
Youth in Grades 6 through 12 are eligible to audition. There also are parts for one male adult basketball coach/father and one female adult drama teacher. Those auditioning will be asked to read from scenes, dance and sing a song or “Happy Birthday.” A pianist will be provided. Those who do not wish to sing a song at auditions may choose not to do so. If you are unable to make audition dates, you must call before auditions to set up a separate time.
There is no cost to audition, but there is a registration fee to participate in the production. There are special family rates and scholarships are available thanks to the Max and Phyllis Reynolds Foundation.
—Nikke Nason

 

 

Award-winner up next at FRT
Tickets are on sale for Tell-Tale, the 2006 playwriting award winner at Northern Michigan University. Playwright Rebecca Gorman’s script brilliantly captures the passion, madness and genius of Edgar Allan Poe.
Tell-Tale runs at 7:30 p.m. from November 15 through 18, with a special matinee at 1:00 p.m. on November 18 on the Forest Roberts Theatre stage.
According to Gorman, Tell-Tale is an original play based on the life and death of Poe. He was troubled, intelligent, paranoid and manipulative, and suffered from illnesses which were undiagnosable in his time.
“Tell-Tale is, in essence, Poe’s last confession,” she said. “It takes place in the Baltimore hospital where he lay in delirium for four days before his death. Poe is forced to look at his life, his mistakes, his outrageous behaviors, and in the end, he must try to find peace.”
Heading the thirteen-member ensemble as Poe is Adam Maslak, a senior from Detroit. Gwinn sophomore Emily Strazzinski is Poe’s child bride, Virginia. Elizabeth Bartlett, a sophomore from Kalkaska, plays the ghost of Poe’s mother, Eliza. 
Supporting players are Green Bay senior Brian Elliott as Robert Merril, Poe’s partner and magazine publisher; Grand Rapids senior Jessica Luiz as the sympathetic nurse; Fond du Lac (Wisconsin) senior Beth Nintzel as society matron Fanny Osgoode; and Michigamme junior Kelley Ross as Maria Clemm.
Tell-Tale is directed by Paul Truckey, with scenic design by Victor G. Holliday. Lighting design is by Kim Hegmegee and costume design by Sarah Long, graduate assistant from Bonham (Texas).
Tickets can be purchased at the FRT box office weekdays between noon and 5:00 p.m. Credit card reservations can be made by calling 227-1032.
For online reservations, visit www.nmu.edu/tickets
Beginning November 13, telephone reservations can be made by calling 227-2082 or 227-2083. Ticket prices are $10 for the general public and $7 for NMU students.
The First Nighters Club will hold its first Sneak Preview Luncheon of the 2006-07 Blockbuster season at noon on November 11 in the Charcoal Room of the Don H. Bottum University Center. This gala event is open to FNC members, guests and others who are interested in the theatre program.
The luncheon will highlight Tell-Tale. Special guests include Truckey and Gorman. A question-and-answer session will follow.
First Nighters and guests need to RSVP for the event by calling the Forest Roberts Theatre at 227-2082, weekdays between noon and 5:00 p.m., on or before November 9. The cost is $9 for First Nighters members and $10 for the general public. A vegetarian menu is available upon request.
Gorman’s play was selected from more than 300 entries from the United States and abroad.
She will receive a $2,000 stipend and see her play presented as the second production of the Blockbuster season. Last summer, Gorman participated in a week-long workshop in Marquette with Truckey, Spencer (New York) dramaturge George Sapio and a “town ‘n gown” cast.
Gorman will be flown into Marquette the week prior to production to serve as artist-in-residence. She will work with the director and cast, and meet with various theatre, English and communications classes.
Gorman is an assistant professor in the English department at Metropolitan State College of Denver, where she teaches playwriting, screenwriting and dramatic history. She graduated cum laude with a B.A. in drama from Dartmouth College, and went on to receive her M.F.A. in dramatic writing from Carnegie Mellon University.
She has worked at the Seattle Repertory Theatre, the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, the Denver Center Theatre Company and the Glimmerglass Opera Company. Gorman worked closely with Milan Stitt (The Runner Stumbles) on her master’s thesis, a full-length play entitled A Dagger Before Me.
Gorman has won several playwriting competitions including the Sunset Center Award, Carmel (California) for Feet of Clay. She won the Eleanor Frost One-Act Play Festival two years running with Well Wishing… (1995) and The Magician’s Girl (1996).
Other dramatic works produced include two scenes of an opera libretto (Tell-Tale), a television short (Timmy), and the one-act play The Magic Sand at Pittsburgh’s New Works Festival.
Gorman is a member of the Playwrights’ Unit, Denver Center Theatre Company and, in addition to several dramatic scripts, is working on a book about superheroes in various countries as cultural icons.
This upcoming academic year marks the thirtieth annual competition for the Mildred and Albert Panowski Playwriting Award. Beginning with the fourteenth annual competition, Dr. James A.
Panowski, director of the Forest Roberts Theatre, has provided financial assistance in memory of his parents.
—James A. Panowski

 

 

LCAP continues to provide art opportunities for local students
When children create art, they are engaging in both work and play. They work at an activity, focus on it and put effort into it. But they also play at it, not in the sense that is the opposite of work, but in the sense that play is their work.
Play allows children the chance to explore their environment, to learn how it works and how they relate to it. Children can express feelings and emotions through art, and usually are able to achieve this much earlier than they can with words. As they get older, the play involved in their art experiences may help them convey feelings that they otherwise would be unwilling to share with words.
So art is work, play and ultimately a path to discovery. Through play, children can be anyone, anywhere, at anytime. And it is not the finished piece of art, but this process of exploring and creating, that has the greatest impact on the young artist.
Fortunately, there are individuals in the U.P. who feel it is essential to provide these experiences for children. Marilyn Mutch is one of those people. Mutch has been a professional potter for more than thirty years, and her creativity has been matched only by her ability to dream. For many years, she wished for a place in the community where young people could observe professional artists at work.
“All children benefit from participating in the arts during their formative years,” she said.
So in 1995, Mutch started Liberty Children’s Art Project (LCAP, pronounced EL-Cap), and turned her vision into a reality. The idea was to reach young artists and dreamers right here in the U.P., and offer them a safe place to express themselves. In this apprenticeship-oriented setting, children feel free to have their questions answered while engaging in many different kinds of creative art. Ultimately, Mutch felt this was a great way for students to gain theoretical knowledge as well as hands-on experience in the fine arts.
Of course, it took more than dreams to make the project happen. It was Mutch’s devotion to the cause and willingness to work tirelessly that opened LCAP’s doors in the icy Negaunee winter of 1995. It was her beliefs that kept her striving to make it work.
“Team sports are wonderful and rewarding, but you don’t need the team to do art,” Mutch said. “You only need yourself. Kids find a peace within themselves when they engage in art. My goal is to have every child have an art experience if he or she chooses.”
More than a decade has passed, and Mutch is proud to report that although situations, personnel and venues have changed, LCAP still plays an integral part in maintaining her original dream. Things have not always been perfect for this nonprofit organization—along the way, LCAP has had successes, but their efforts have been also been fraught with setbacks at times.
Statistics show that students of the arts are more likely to have better communication skills and achieve higher test scores than their nonparticipating peers, and more importantly, kids who do artistic activities develop creative problem-solving abilities and gain self-confidence.
These things are like money in the bank for young people growing up in a complex world. However, the money in LCAP’s bank was decreasing as funding began to diminish in 2005.
LCAP’s mission was to provide “the opportunity for art enrichment through various programs benefiting children in the isolated areas of the Upper Peninsula.” In 2005, grants for organizations with such missions were getting harder to come by.
“It seems people love to give to world projects, but not local kids,” Mutch said.
However, as you might have guessed, she kept trying to preserve what she knew was a valuable asset to the area.
In the summer of 2005, Mutch enlisted the help of another dedicated individual who believes in the importance of providing art experiences to children. Carol Phillips, a painter for the last twenty years, with a BFA in art, was asked to join the LCAP family and teach a series of classes at the Negaunee location.
She and her husband, an English professor at NMU and a multimedia artist as well, had moved to Marquette from Seattle in 2002. In Seattle, Phillips had quite an interesting life. In addition to painting, she was a chef and a food stylist. As a food stylist, she used worked alongside commercial photographers.
Once in Marquette, Phillips decided to further her studies at Northern, completing the art education program there and becoming a certified art teacher at the K-12 level. She now teaches art at Powell Township School in Big Bay.
In the summer of ’05, Phillips taught a series of summer classes at LCAP, still in Negaunee. Then in October of that year, Mutch asked Phillips to become the acting director of the organization. It became important to lower overhead costs and so LCAP moved most of its supplies from the Negaunee location to its new home at the Powell Township School in Big Bay. In 2006, the Negaunee board of directors was dismantled and a newly elected board, with president Kay Harrington at its helm, was formed.
LCAP was in need of a pick-me-up, and Phillips proved to be just the panacea. Her enthusiasm was infectious. She was ready to work not only to maintain the mission of the project, but also to increase the amount of learning opportunities in the future. She continued to write grant requests and was able to obtain CUPPAD grants for a program at Gwinn, K.I. Sawyer and Big Bay. Mutch is proud of the way Phillips has been running things.
“She has really jumped in with both feet, understands the program, is an excellent teacher, and is hoping to expand the program,” Mutch said.
Phillips wants the community to know that since the move, LCAP has remained active. Currently, the programs offered are through schools of the area. Phillips said last spring they ran a program called “All Day Art Days” at Powell Township School, which consisted of artists teaching three sessions in various techniques for three days throughout the semester.
Thanks to a CUPPAD grant through the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, LCAP also was involved in an after-school art enrichment program at both Gilbert and K.I. Sawyer elementary schools in the Gwinn area.
In addition, LCAP was involved in the annual Girl Scout “March Madness” event, where classes in watercolor painting techniques were offered.
Currently, Phillips said LCAP is offering a photography class made possible by a grant from the Target Corporation called “Creating Community: A Portrait of the U.P.” This is presented as an after-school program at Powell Township School.
Kids in Grades 6 through 9 from all around the area can take part in this program, which meets Thursday afternoons from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m. until mid-December at Powell Township School. Call (906)345-9355 for details or to register.
The art enrichment classes at Gilbert and K.I. Sawyer schools are in place for this fall and winter, thanks to another CUPPAD grant. In addition, Phillips is excited about what the future holds for LCAP. Funding is being sought to teach Native American art methods with Native artists, and more after-school art enrichment programs are anticipated in the greater Marquette area.
Mutch will remain involved with LCAP; however, her role will be changing. Since Phillips is running the Project, Mutch will become a board member and serve as a valuable consultant who will offer creative ideas and lend her support to see LCAP through this time of change.
In addition to working at LCAP and teaching at Powell Township, Phillips has been the curator for the Oasis Gallery in Marquette for the last four years. In January of 2007, she will show some of her paintings in the Curator Show at Oasis. Also, next spring, Phillips and her husband will do a joint art show in Calumet.
There are new and exciting things ahead for the community and its children—not just school children, but home-schooled children as well. It is Phillips’ vision to perpetuate Mutch’s cause.
“All children should have the privilege of art enrichment in their lives,” Phillips said.
—Claudia Drosen