VOL 03 ISSUE 03   February 12, 2004  

BACK ISSUES     |           |     CURRENT ISSUE

-OPPORTUNITIES- 

2/20/04 deadline DEC SEAFOOD & SAFETY LAB ANCHORAGE AK State % for Art seeks 11"x17" concept proposals for work suitable to exterior plaza, a waiting area & lobby divider. Budget $70,000 - $145,000 contact Sandie Gillespie (907) 269-6605 and download call here.

2/28/04 KIRKLAND ARTS CENTER GALLERY is currently accepting proposals from independant curators for its 2005 Gallery Schedule. info.

3/1/04 deadline ALASKA MARINE HIGHWAY M/V LITUYA seeks art for interior sites.$8000 budget. Slides to DOT Ginger Johnson, 6860 Glacier Highway, Juneau AK 99801

3/1/04 deadline UAA PRINT CLUB 1:1 JURIED PRINT EXCHANGE AND EXHIBITION (3/18/04-4/8/04) Theme 'Diversity' size limit 7-1/2"x11" all print styles.Do not mount or mat in any way.Each entry must also include: 9"x12" envelope with return postage for your exchange print; 3"x5" card with your name, title of work, printmaking process, mailing address. Mail entry to: University of Alaska Print Club, Art Department, 3211 Providence Drive, Anchorage, Alaska 99508-4614

3/12/04 deadline WILD SALMON ON PARADE seeks submissions to decorate molded salmon for the city tourists next summer. Stipend and materials included for selected artists. Contact Melinda Taylor 907-777-7248 for artist packet.

3/12/04 deadline OREGON SAC KELLEY ENGINEERING CENTER seeks qualification slides for $250,000 budget. Contact Morgan Atiyeh for prospectus 503-986-0084

3/15/04 deadline CREATIVE CAPITAL Inquiry forms solicited for grants to individual artists nationwide, an outgrowth of the Andy Warhol Foundation. Forms available here February 16.

3/19/04 deadline OSU DIXON RECREATION CENTER CORVALIS OREGON seeks qualifications. Budget $70,000. Visual artists and artist teams from Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, California, Hawaii, Alaska and British Columbia are eligible. RFQ from OAC.

4/12/04 deadline ALASKA RAILROAD poster competition and exploitation seeks sketch ideas for next two in their series. 'Winning' artists receive 10 proofs and 20 posters and $3000 for their painting and all reproductive rights and the ARR sells out reproductions for a several hundred thousand dollar profit. contact Scott Banks, 433 West 9th Avenue, Anchorage AK 99501 sbanks@gci.net

  EINSTEIN'S DREAMS by Alan Lightman Local savant Bruce Farnsworth writes: "What we do know is that time and light are woven together like a flowing, glimmering, braided Alaskan river.

If Our Dream comes true on the night of this coming Fall Equinox, at the hour of the turning back of the clocks, Anchorage's  Carey Building will host the premier performance of the production currently known as "Time Changes"  ArtSceneAK recommends this book to get in the groove.

NEXT:   INTIMATIONS

.OPT OUT:BOARD OF REGENTS AS35.27 According to the minutes of the January 29 hearing of the Senate Finance Committee on changes to the Art In Public Places statute, the Alaska Railroad and the University System have declared themselves outside the state law which provides for public art. Co-chair Wilken expressed surprise and disagreement and Senator Bunde asked "under what authority" the University could opt out of the program and 'circumvernt State Law'. Changes considered by the Finance committee would reduce the minimum 1% reservations for art for large scale projects, remove the language supporting Alaskan artists, and exclude prisons. Last year only correctional facilities placed calls for artists, under the slack guidance of current Alaska State Council of the Arts, which is meekly supporting these changes as though they would serve Alaskan artists well.  The logic for removing the Section 3 wording encouraging panels to utilize Alaskan resources and artists is a weak legal opinion that the language violates commerce provisions of the US Constitution. There has never been such a challenge, nor is one likely, and every other state art commission retains the right to open their requests for proposals to all artists or reserve them for their own residents. The language is there to benefit Alaskan citizens, which is also why legislators are elected.  Reducing the 1% reservations to 1/2% or nothing on project amounts over $10 million dollars takes hundreds of thousands of dollars off the table.The argument that the money should be better spent on playground equipment and computers is vacuous, since the 1% is a fraction of the whole amount spent on buildings, playground equipment and computers.  In fact, and MOA's Jocelyn Young commendably noted that these projects routinely allocate 15% of their budgets to 'contingencies'. Representative Stoltze, who disingenuously claims his initial effort to completely eliminate the statute was part of his involvement and support of the arts, still cannot do the math and thinks that imposing a cap will provide financial returns to the treasury, which is patently false. Certainly no provision is made to not spend the savings elsewhere. North Star Borough's Barbara Short told the committee members that 75% of a typical commission was spent on materials and services, making the case that artists were not overpaid and that there was an important secondary spending effect of the legislation with local suppliers and contractors. Improvements found in the new language include more specific instructions on the establishment and use of a Public Art Fund, but this is marred by the absence of provision for maintenance and cataloging the State collection.  Alaskan art enthusiasts are incited to write both to the Finance committee members considering this bill and to the ASCA Director for Visual and Literary Arts to convey their support or lack thereof for the changes under contemplation. 

LETTER LANDSCAPE: LAUGH BARREL  The subject of the All Alaska Exhibition marks the start of ArtSceneAK's third year of publication.  When Publisher and artist Donald R Ricker did his homework on this year's Jurist, it seemed likely that his characteristic narrative paintings would not interest Rush. "So I shot a photo of some vinyl I had overprinted with extras from the shop floor at Better Letters, and the slide was accepted in the first round. Of course I was tickled." Coincidentally, a reader responding to ArtYouLike had expressed an interest in "an abstract landscape consisting of nothing but typographic forms " and curators for the current Whitney Biennial included at least three artists whose material is self adhesive vinyl.  Yet the mounted panels were rejected in person by Rush. "I was sad,", said Ricker.  "However, I remembered that I can publish my own work beside his selections. So I am happy again." What a joke!  

Less funny was the fact that with all the talented people involved locally with Robert Curtis-Johnson  in Bob's Shorts making creative videos, they were not solicited nor did the prospectus include video art as a category, and Rush even suggested that such a group be 'started'.  This is pathos.

Jennifer Jolliff reports that  "3 artists (Sheila Wyne, K.N. Goodrich and Jen Jolliff) were accepted as artist liasons for the Joint Planning Committee. These 3 positions have a full, voting voice at the table as of today. We hope you will always feel free to provide us with your point of view and ask us for clarification on issues you need more information on." Congratulations on the success of your efforts. Sarah Barton remarks that "Thanks for detailing your own priorities. I will forward your comments to staff as they continue to develop their thinking on programming." ArtSceneAK gives them an earful, nearly for free! Mike Mense replied: "I do believe, though, that if one works at it, one can have both, great architecture and appropriate architecture.  I hope that is where we are headed."

A reader wrote recently that "I seem to be missing part 4, did you send it already?"  Artist Christopher Constant is keeping an eye on Juneau lawmakers: "I just hope that people pay attention to keep the program safe and healthy." ArtSceneAK hopes so, too. Anchorage artist Cindy Shake wondered aloud about a recent State Art Call:"This posting was sent to me from a national source, Guild Commission Opportunities. I was wondering how this notification opportunity was available through local channels of communication?" Subscribers to ArtSceneAK get the early words first, quien sabe.

Olga Vaz , Coordinadora Programa Cultural Fira del Vi sent this interesting invitation: Convocatoria  de MailArt Feria del vino Falset 2004  La Feria del vino os invita a participar en esta convocatoria de MailArt organizada entorno a la cultura del vino.  El vino como objeto artístico, la magia de su elaboración, la bebida de los dioses,sus orígenes mitológicos, su color, su olor, su sabor, ... cualquier elemento puede ser el inspirador de vuestra obra, plasmarlo y enviarlo por correo.  Podeis enviarnos trabajos hasta el 15 de abril y los expondremos todos en la feria.

Organizada por: Ajuntament de Falset con la colaboración de
XOU, Projectes i gestió. Tema: La cultura del vino. Plazo: 1 de abril de 2003. Técnica: libre.  Medida: máximo DINA-4.        Normas: no jurado/no selección/ no devolución de obras.       Documentación y catálogo para todos los participantes.   Con las obras recibidas se realizará una exposición.

Dirección: Ayuntamiento de Falset
           Programación cultural Fira del Vi
           Pl. de la Quartera, 41
           43730 Falset.
           España

Indicar en el envío claramente vuestra dirección postal para que una vez finalizada la FIRA DEL VI podamos remitiros un catálogo con todas las obras expuestas.