State of the Arts

gallery exhibit p6 & 7 community calendar p8 & 9

volunteer needs p10 volunteer thanks p10committee meetings p10

watercolor society corner p11volunteer spotlight p12

p2 Far north conservation Film Festivalp3 oldie but goldie Film seriesp4 reading series ‘08p4 giFt shop artistp5 arts down the roadp5 giFt shop author “Promoting contemPorary and traditional arts in alaska’s interior.”

Published monthly by the fairbanks arts association

i n t h i s i s s u e

november 2008

OctOber 23, 2008, 7pm Orson Welles’ “F for Fake” (1975) AlAskA centenniAl center fOr the Arts theAter in piOneer pArk

November 7: University of Alaska Fairbanks Schaible Auditorium 6-10pm

November 8: Pioneer Park Centennial Center for the Arts 6-10pm

November 9: Family Day at the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center

Activities and Films 1-3pm

Featuring a diverse group of films about the conservation of wildlife, cultures, and wild places around the world.

Visit www.farnorthfilms.com for a schedule of events

Featuring a diverse group of films about the conservation of wildlife, cultures, and wild places around the world.

Free Admission

5th Annual

November 7, 8, and 9th, 2008

November 7: University of Alaska Fairbanks Schaible Auditorium 6-10pmNovember 8: Pioneer Park Centennial Center for the Arts 6-10pmNovember 9: Family Day at the the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center Activities and Films 1-3pm

Visit www.farnorthfilms.com for a schedule of events

Far NorthConservationFilm Festival

2008

P.O. Box 72786, Fairbanks, Alaska 99707

Vol. 8, Issue 11

Fairbanks arts association • November 20082

Board of DirectorsCorlis Taylor, PresidentMarcella Hill, Vice PresidentLeafy McBride, SecretaryMyrna Colp, Treasurer

Members:Bob DempseyJerrie GrahamJoan StackShane HurdLorraine Peterson

F a i r B a n k S a r T S a S S o C i a T i o n

FAA Phone: (907) 456-6485

Fairbanks Arts Association was established in 1966 to promote and support the arts in the Fairbanks area. The Association is funded by private, corporate, and foundation memberships and donations, City of Fairbanks, Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska State Council on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. With assistance from professional staff and charitable volunteers, the Association provides services in five areas: Visual, Literary, Performing, Community Arts and Arts Education. FAA also helps to raise funds for other arts groups, provides technical assistance and support for arts programing, encourages and advises individual artists and beginning organizations, sponsors workshops and presents educational forums.

StaffJune Rogers, Executive Director , ex 225 june@fairbanksarts.orgMelissa Hougland, Associate Director, ex 226 melissa@fairbanksarts.orgSherry Faught, Office Manager/Bookkeeper, ex 223 sherry@fairbanksarts.orgSeth Schwartz, Program Coordinator, ex 227 seth@fairbanksarts.orgJessica Rehfield, Education Coordinator, ex 222 jessica@fairbanksarts.orgMeagan McMahon, Special Projects, ex 224 meagan@fairbanksarts.org

2008 Far North Conservation Film FestivalThe Far North Conservation Film Festival presents a diverse group of outstanding films about the conservation and sustainability of wildlife, wild places and cultures around the world. Fairbanks Arts Association is proud to be a partner is this event along with Alaska Public Lands Information Center, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The National Park Service, The Fairbanks North Star Borough Parks and Recreation Department and the UAF Wildlife Society.

Begun in 2003, the Far North Conservation Film Festival is scheduled each year to celebrate National Wildlife Refuge Week. After growing and developing, the festival is in its 6th year. The Far North Conservation Film Festival is a place for filmmakers, local people and local businesses to support media that matters in promoting global conservation.

This year the film festival will present a variety of films and speakers each day. You can choose to attend all the films or just pick a few. The festival will be November 7, 8 and 9, 2008 at the following locations in Fairbanks, Alaska:

November 7, 6-10pm: University of Alaska Fairbanks Schaible Auditorium located within the Bunnell Building on the east side of the UAF Campus November 8, 6-10pm: Pioneer Park Centennial Center for the Arts located at 2300 Airport Way November 9, 1-3pm: Family Day at the New Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center with kids activities and filmslocated at 101 Dunkel St. in downtown Fairbanks

*Friday, November 7th *Saturday, November 8th

For the Price of Coffee 6:00pm Breathe 6:00pm

Oil and Water 6:20pm Exporting Harm 6:10pm

Break Speaker 6:30pm

Living Dena’ina 7:30pm Climate of Change 6:45pm

For the Next 7 Generations 7:45pm Fridays at the Farm 7:00pm

Guardians of the Selva Maya 8:00pm Break

5 Reasons Why 8:10pm Algalita: Plastic Debris 7:30pm

Break Fisher Poets 7:40pm

Scholar 8:25pm Against The Current 8:20pm

Moose on the Loose 8:30pm Break

Speaker 9:15pm Antartica: The End? 8:45pm

*Sunday, November 9th Ecoviews: Chesapeake Bay 9:00pm

Not Just Mine: Kids and Plovers 1:00pm Bering Sea Canyon's Expedition 9:30pm

Activity Restoring Balance 9:40pm

Alaska's Coolest Birds 1:45pm

Activity

Ride of the Mergansers 2:15pm All times are subject to change.

Activity

Admission is free!

November 2008 • Fairbanks arts association 3

Our November “Oldie but Goldie” film will be “Closely Watched Trains” directed by Jiri Menzel. This 1966 Best Foreign Film Academy Award Winner is a must see. It will be featured November 13th at 7pm at the Alaska Centennial Center for the Arts in Pioneer Park.

“Closely Watched Trains” is the story of a young apprentice train conductor’s experiences during the German occupation of Czechoslovakia. While completely unaware of the war and its effects on the world around him, he becomes enthralled in his sexuality and self-discovery. Despite being pre-occupied with a beautiful woman and the frustrations and embarrassments associated with new love, this unlikely hero takes a stand when the occupying German Army threatens his village.

Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door. This is a black and white foreign film with a runtime of one hour and 33 minutes.

“Closely Watched Trains” (1966)Nov 13, 2008, 7pm in the Alaska Centennial Center for the

Performing Arts Theater in Pioneer Park. Tickets are $5

Closely Watched Trains

NEW MEDIA: art via digital technology EXTENDED DEADLINE!

All entries must be: Postmarked by Oct 31st • Hand Delivered by Nov 7th.

Open to any art created or manipulated via any form of digital technology: Digital Painting- Computer Based Illustration-Fractals & Algorithmic Imagery- CGI- Internet Based Art- Computer Manipulations of Traditionally Created Art- Digital Montages and Collages- Digital Video Art- Mixed Media with Digital Elements- Computer Animation

This exhibit is juried in two stages. STAGE ONE consists of submitting digital files of your work only (CD or DVD). STAGE TWO requires pieces accepted into the show be mailed/brought in. All work accepted in STAGE ONE must be physically in the Bear Gallery

by December 28th.

Entry forms can be downloaded at http://fairbanksarts.org/downloads.html • Questions? Call Seth at 456-6485 ext. 227

Fairbanks arts association • November 20084

Reading will be November 22 at 7pm • Bear Gallery

f a i r b a n k s a r t s a s s o c i a t i o n

.:: Reading Series ‘08

Gift Shop Artist of the Month: Philip S. MarshallMarshall was born in 1951

in New York City and moved to Fairbanks in 1981. Prior to beginning woodcarving in 1989, he worked as a schoolteacher, a cold-regions geologist and sundry other endeavors. Marshall has studied woodcarving part-time under professional American and European woodcarvers here and abroad. Pieces he creates include: human portraiture and anatomy, decorative coats of arms, animal carvings in the round and traditional floral ornamentation in Norwegian acanthus style.

Marshall also practices folkcrafts in woods: Swiss chip-carving, rustic furniture making, alpine flower whittling, Scandinavian-style fan-carving and Finnish shaving-carving are some of these.

His work won 1st Place ribbons in woodworking and Native Arts at the Tanana Valley Fair during 1997 and is currently on display at the Denali Center, Fairbanks Arts Association Bear Gallery Gift Shop and other commercial locations.

Marshall works from a small studio, Polhavn Woodfabrik, adjacent to his home in the hills above Fairbanks. The shop contains reference books for client ideas, a portfolio of completed works and a display of selected past work. Visitors are encouraged. Please contact him to arrange an appointment (e-mail at <pmarshall@acetekk.com> or call (907) 457-3895).

His wife, Jan, gave him his first woodcarving tools for which he is forever indebted!

Sci Fi Writers featuring Terry Boren and Ian Cameron Esslemont

Ian Cameron Esslemont has worked and studied in archaeology, literature and teaching English as a Second Language. He has lived in Thailand and Japan and travelled extensively throughout Asia. He now lives in Fairbanks with his wife and three sons where he is finishing his studies for a PhD in English literature and pursuing writing and publishing in the fantasy and science fiction genres. His first fantasy novel, Night of Knives, came out in 2005, and his second, Return of the Crimson Guard, has just been released.

Terry Boren is a writer who has spent many years wandering between estrangement and a sense of wonder. For the moment, she has settled on the borderlands of wonder.

Her science fiction has appeared in magazines and anthologies in the United States, Britain and Germany. Terry lives outside of Fairbanks with her family.

November 2008 • Fairbanks arts association 5

ART

DOWN

theROADArt in Public Places

Approaching the new Terminal Building Plaza at the Fair-banks International Airport you’ll want to put down your bags, slow down and take a minute to enjoy the beauty of “Migration”. On September 25th five sculptural figures, created by Mark Fejes and Ron Senungetuk, were unveiled as the latest addition to the Art in Public Places program for the State of Alaska. “Migration”, located in the front of the main terminal, varies in size and shape but each of the five finished stainless steel figures reflects the image of migration. From afar the work is bright and bold. Looking closer, you see the detail design of Ron Senungetuk’s abstract chronicle of migration. Ron’s artist statement sums up the piece quite nicely. “My work as expressed by the etched imagery on the sculpture is to show a sense of the migration of animals and people in Alaska. My work focuses on images expressed by the Bering Strait peoples for at least 2000 years. Much of that imagery depicts life ways with close relationships to migra-tory animals, fish, birds and environmental conditions of the area. My imagery, like the 2000 and more years ago art style, is highly stylized, bordering on abstraction.” Mark Fejes de-scribes the piece from a more poetic approach. “This family of unlikely creatures is lost, wary and ready to bolt. They are a vulnerable spectacle only hoping to survive this brief contact and find their way back to the wild.” These wonderful pieces are sturdy, robust and will surely stand the test of time as a great addition to public art in Alaska.

Gift Shop Author of the Month: Doreen Fitzgerald“Doreen Fitzgerald writes pleasant, tight little poems filled with a mix of homey and cosmopolitan imagery... The meter of her poems, even when formal, comes off effortlessly and lightly--a mark of skill, in my opinion. I’m glad I got to read this little book.” LibraryThing reviewers, April 2008

“’Cake,’ the debut poetry collection from Ester writer Doreen Fitzgerald,

is a satisfying morsel of a book...Fitzgerald reflects on life’s turning points, public and private, with a clear-eyed insight. She writes of sober passions, quiet joys and the nuances of everyday things. She wields her words with confidence and competence, understanding the power of understatement.” Heartland (Fairbanks Daily News-Miner), June 13, 2004, by Shana Loshbaugh.

Fairbanks arts association • November 20086

NOVEMBER G a l l e r y e x h i b i t kathie cook

Kathie Cook is a full time principal

at Ladd Elementary School in

Fairbanks, but every spare moment

is devoted to creating fiber art.

Her maternal grandmother was a

quilter and that is how the seed was

planted.

Kathie was born in 1951 in

Bloomfield, New Jersey. She

completed her formal education at

Bedford Community College, the

University of New York, Boston

University and the University of

Alaska Fairbanks.

In 1995, Kathie made the decision

to abandon traditional quilt patterns

in favor of her own designs. Her

award winning quilts have been

exhibited in numerous invitational

and juried exhibitions including

Interior Artisans (Juror’s Choice

Award 2003), Georgeson Botanical

Garden Art Show (First Place 2005),

Carnegie Center for Arts and History

(“Form Not Function” 2007), Quilt

National 2007.

Kathie’s quilts are recognized by

their strong colors, abstract designs

and their expressionistic style. She

hopes that her quilts communicate

a feeling and a mood, and that

the designs keep the viewer’s eye

engaged and moving through the

piece.

November 2008 • Fairbanks arts association 7

Laura C. Hewitt has lived

in Interior Alaska since

1985. She earned an MFA

in Interdisciplinary Studies

from Vermont College of

Norwich, Montpelier, VT

and a BFA in Drawing from

the University of Alaska

Fairbanks. She has taught

at the University of Alaska

Fairbanks since 1999 and

is a Teaching Artist with

Rush Philanthropic Arts

Foundation in New York

City, NY.

Hewitt’s work has shown

in over 200 exhibitions

including the Irish Museum

of Modern Art, Dublin, Ireland, the Edward Hopper House Museum, Nyack, New York and Woman Made Gallery,

Chicago, Illinois. Her work has been influenced by the dichotomies and juxtapositions of rural Alaskan living

and she is particularily interested in exploring the intersections between technology and nature, art and craft and

destruction and creation. “As inspiration, I look for the magical within the mundane, provoke thoughtfulness with

the practical and animate the pragmatic with mischeviousness. I work with any media that best suits my interests

though I feel the strongest committment to ceramics and drawing, passions that have lasted over 25 years.”

laura c. hewitt

exhibit Dates: november 7-29Opening reception: friday, november 7, 5-7pm

FAIrBANkS SwEET ADELINES and the BArBErShoP hArMoNy SoCIETy’S GrEAT LAND SoUNDS will again present the joint Christmas show entitled Sounds of Christmas. The two shows will be on December 5th at 7:30pm and December 6th at 4:00pm. Both performances will be at the Alaska Centennial Center for the Arts Theater in Pioneer Park. For more info contact Patti Gallagher musicmaker@acsalaska.net

ThE FAIrBANkS CoNCErT ASSoCIATIoN announces that tickets for the Capitol Steps, Cherish the Ladies, Cuarteto Latinoamericano, Lazer Vaudeville, and the yuval ron Ensemble will go on sale December 1st. Tickets can be purchased by calling Alaska Tix at 490-2858, online at www.alaskatix.com or at Grassroots Guitar on College road. Information and order forms are available at www.fairbanksconcert.org or 474-8081. FCA will also be offering workshops with Lazer Vaudeville and the yuval ron Ensemble, call 474-8081 for more information.

ThE FAIrBANkS CoNCErT ASSoCIATIoN presents Baka Beyond in concert at hering Auditorium Saturday, November 1st at 8 PM. Tickets can be purchased by calling Alaska Tix at 490-2858, or online at www.alaskatix.com or at Grassroots Guitar on College road.

FAIrBANkS DrAMA ASSoCIATIoN presents the psychological thriller wAIT UNTIL DArk by Frederick knott, directed by Brandon Michael. Performances will be November 1, 7, & 8 at 8:15pm and November 2 & 9 at 2:00pm. All performances will be at the riverfront Theatre, 1852 2nd Avenue.. For ticket reservations call 456-PLAy.

8

Save the Date!FAA Annual Legislative Forum

Noon, December 10, 2008

bear gallery,

alaska centennial center for the arts

in Pioneer Park

Questions? Call 456-6485 ext. 226

Fairbanks Arts Association would like to invite you to advertise in our State of the Arts Newsletter! Rates as low as $25Members and Affiliate organizations receive 5% off all prices!

Our first ad is below. Call if you would like to join McCafferty’s!

For more info call 456-6485 ext. 226

State of the Arts

November 2008 • Fairbanks arts association 9

VOLUNTEERS!We need volunteers in the Bear

Gallery & gift shop! This is a great opportunity to support the arts in Fairbanks while meeting visitors and sharing about life in the north. Our volunteer docents fill a three-hour shift and are a vital part of our program.

Find out more about how you can be part of the team at Fairbanks Arts Association by calling 456-6485 ext. 223 or 226.

To submit calendar information please

email melissa@fairbanksarts.org or call 456-6485

ext.226

FAIrBANkS DrAMA ASSoCIATIoN presents

Charles Dickens’ A ChrISTMAS CAroL, November 28-December

14 with curtain times of 7:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays and

2:00pm on Sundays. All performances will be at the riverfront

Theatre, 1852 2nd Avenue. For ticket reservations call 456-PLAy.

FAIrBANkS DrAMA ASSoCIATIoN presents David

Sedaris’ ThE SANTALAND DIArIES for two performances only

on December 5 & 6 at 10:30pm at the riverfront Theatre, 1852 2nd

Avenue. The performance will feature guest actor Ben Brown from

Juneau. For mature audiences only. All tickets are $18. For ticket

reservations call 456-PLAy.

FAIrBANkS SyMPhoNy orChESTrA presents

a Symphony Ball on November 8th at 8pm. This elegant evening

of music, dancing, hors d’oeuvres and a no-host bar will be held at

the Princess riverside Lodge. For more information or to purchase

tickets, please call 474-5733 or go to www.FairbanksSymphony.

org.

FAIrBANkS LIGhT oPErA ThEATrE presents

The Most happy Fellow November 14-16 and 21-23 at the west

Valley Performing Arts Center. For more info or tickets please go

to www.flot.org.

Northland Youth Choir will be

having a Barnes and Noble Bookfare Fundraiser and

Performance on Saturday, November 1, 2008. Please

mention Northland Youth Choir, and a percentage of

the day’s sales will be donated to the choir! Northland Youth Choir presents their Holiday Concert

at UAF Davis Concert Hall on Thursday, December 12,

2008, 7:30 PM. For more info please contact ncc2@gci.

net or visit www.northlandchoir.org.

Associate with the

ArtsBecome a

member of FAAMembership

forms available online at

Fairbanksarts.org

And the Ship Sails On (1984)Directed by Federico Fellini

December 7th, 7pm

Tickets $5

For more info, call 456-6485 ext. 227

Fairbanks arts association • November 200810

NOVEMBER Committee Meetings:

FACE MeetingNovember 3 at 4:30pm

Community Writers Group

November 9, 1-4pm

Fairbanks Arts Association Annual MeetingNovember 11, 6pm

Long Prose Writers GroupNovember 20 at 6:30pm

Community Arts MeetingNovember 12 at Noon

All meetings in the Bear Gallery, 3rd Floor of the Alaska Centennial Center

for the Arts, Pioneer Park, 2300 Airport Way.

All meetings are subject to change.For more information call 456-6485 ext. 227.

Pat Mack

Deb McQueen

Margaret Van Flein

Mary Lou Jorissen

Karyn Janssen

Cheryl Joens

Kathy Dubbs

Jane Gregory

Shirley Odsather

Lee Harris

Ginny Shafer

Vi Robinson

Lisa, Forrest and

Quinn Freer

Teresa and Sam

Gonzalez

Mary and Mariah

VerHoef

Betsy Bear

Craig Cheledinas

Ramiro Rivera, Jr.

Dawn Krass

Olga Hesketh

Thank you to our Volunteers:

The Fairbanks Arts Association relies on donations each

year from community members just like you. Our needs

vary from time to time, however right now we need:

Thank you for your generosity in continuing to support FAA!

Office SuppliesDesk ChairsStep Ladder

Hammers2 Drawer File Cabinet

House PaintbrushesFlat Screen Computer

MonitorFax Machine

Thank you for your In-Kind Donations!

Marty Russell Hade- MicrowaveJodi Gouwens- Office Chair

November 2008 • Fairbanks arts association 11

Society Corner

Wa

terco

lor

Christine “Okiku” Thomas

I was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii and moved at the age of fourteen to Corpus Christi, Texas. I sign my paintings using my middle name “Okiku” which means chrysanthemum in Japanese. My husband’s career as an army pilot brought our family, 4 children, 1 dog, 2 cats, 2 fish and one miniature bonsai tree (all crammed into a minivan), to Alaska from Tennessee in 1999. I came kick-ing and screaming and didn’t know then that I would grow to love the Fairbanks community as much as I now do. I took an interest in art while taking a required art class my senior year in high school. My love and interest in art motivated me to take an Art 101 class in Jr. College which I quickly dropped because I felt intimidated by the other artists and the grouchy art instructor. Almost 30 years later I met Tom Nixon, a member of the Fairbanks Watercolor Society, who encouraged me to take a watercolor class with Gael Murakami. Her instruction propelled me to take other classes with local and visiting artists. I tend to paint intuitively and I love to experiment with different techniques, mediums and tools. For me creating a successful piece happens when the painting begins to speak and I follow. I try not to force the painting but rather allow it to create itself with my guidance. I was commissioned by the Farmer’s Market to paint the current Market print and have had my work shown at the Annex, the 64th Parallel juried show and the Patterns of Influence show at Fairbanks Arts Associa-tion’s Bear Gallery, New Horizons, Well Street and the Grange in North Pole. I’ve also been a featured artist at the Creamer’s farmhouse for the past two years.

Dance Theatre Fairbanks is thrilled to be a part of Fairbanks’ community of the arts and is proud to be doing its part to revitalize Historical Downtown Fairbanks – the Golden Heart City.The start of the Fall 2008 semester brought two exciting changes to Dance Theatre Fairbanks. First, the Board of Directors, staff and DTF families welcomed Ms. Dianne Christensen as DTF’s new executive director. Dianne has been a part of the DTF family for over 16 years as a dance parent, costume designer, receptionist, set builder, travel

chaperone and advisor to the charter board of DTF when we pursued our nonprofit status. DTF is thrilled to have a leader with Dianne’s experience and history with our organization. Second, construction has begun on the Edna Wise Firehouse Theatre, DTF’s latest renovation project in our home in the old Fairbanks Fire Station on 7th Avenue. The space which housed fire engines will soon be a 150 seat theater, able to accommodate a wide range of performances – dancing, plays, workshops and much more. Phase One

of the construction project includes construction of a “Black Box Theatre.” A Theatre Development Committee composed of interested professionals from the arts community is at work planning the next steps. We are excited to be able to bring this kind of venue to the Golden Heart City. For more information about Dance Theatre Fairbanks and what we are up to, please visit our web site: www.dancetheatrefairbanks.com, call 452-1113, or stop by 656 7th Avenue, Fairbanks.

New Face and a New Space at Dance Theatre Fairbanks’ Firehouse Studios

P.O. Box 72786 Fairbanks, Alaska 99707

State of the Artsthe monthly newsletter of fairbanks arts association november 2008

Volunteer Spotlight -ShirleY oDSAther thA

nk

Yo

u! Shirley was born and raised in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory,

Canada. She attended UAF, majoring in Biology with minors in French, Art and Anthropology. Her husband Richard ‘OD’ Odsather says he stepped on her shoe strings while they were students. With the exception of a 10 year sojourn in Anchorage, Fairbanks has been their home ever since. They built a house on Gilmore Trail where they raised their sons Jon and Erik.

Shirley’s grandmother learned to work with clay as a hobby in the 1930s and ‘40s in Victoria, B.C. Although not directly taught by her, the influence of her objects definitely sparked Shirley’s curiosity about pottery. It was Stan Zielinski’s ce-ramics classes that were held in the then brand new Fine Arts building at UAF that pulled her into the mud! She shared a studio with Ida Knaebel for a couple of years before building a new studio beside her house in the 1980s.

It was in the 1980s when Shirley first became involved with Fairbanks Arts Association as a member of the Visual Arts Committee and as an occasional docent in the Bear Gallery. She began volunteering as a docent again this year.