Arts Champ Joann Wheeler Interview

Blogger was being odd yesterday, so I didn't get to post which means there is so much to talk about today!

First and most importantly, I'll admit that I was skeptical when I heard that Oil City was hiring an "Arts Champion". Actually, I'll be honest, I considered applying for the position, until I saw that it was a full time job with a part time catagorization. It seemed like a typical half-assed Venango County attempt to talk a lot about the arts without really doing anything -- I felt like it who ever was being hired would be set up for failure.

Then, I talked to Joann Wheeler, the woman who was eventually hired to be the Arts Champion for Oil City. To recap. according to The Derrick, Joann "formerly served as executive director of the Clarion/Venango Educational Alliance, and will be responsible for recruiting artists and promoting the city's downtown as a live-and-work environment for artists.
The position is part time. Wheeler will work 15 hours each week - from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, plus five hours of "flex time." Her office will be located on the first floor of Oil City's National Transit Building.

A total of $19,000 in city funds has been set aside for the newly created position with $15,000 being paid to Wheeler and $4,000 allotted for supplies, travel and other needs.

Wheeler will also be responsible for securing funding for the program through grants and other sources and will work with city government, Take Pride in Oil City, banks, realtors, service clubs and civic groups. She will also be responsible for implementing a marketing plan and creating the theme of a "one-stop" contact for development of the program.

Wheeler is scheduled to begin her new job July 5. "

As I said before, piece of cake right? I still think Joann has a rough row to hoe ahead of her, but she does seem raring for the challange. She was kind enough to talk to me several weeks ago:

"I'm actually originally from Pittsburgh. I lived in Europe for eight years after college, then settled in Boston when I returned to this country. I worked in Chinatown and Central Square in Cambridge. I came here in 1996. I had been doing art seriously since 1990 and I was starting to show and sell my work, and my goal was to get my overhead down. I could buy a house here for less than a year's rent on an attic apartment in MA, so I did . . .Of course I am intimidated by [the new job] . . . I feel as if the city and the arts council are leaning heavily on me -- and you're right, with limited resources, I could fall right on my face and take everybody down with me. But I also sense a lot of support from Oil City Council, the Arts Revitalization volunteers, the Arts Council, and a current of enthusiasm that I think might carry us somewhere. Very different from the community-wide dysphoria I saw ten years ago. You have to catch the wave as it's building, and that is now.

I didn't initially plan to apply [for the position] . . .I'd been tracking the revitalization plans as they developed and had some ideas about what makes a good place for artists and why they might want to move here. And let's face it, there's a selfish reason: the more artists I can induce to move here, the more interesting this community will be!

[T]he City of Oil City . . . is providing the impetus and the funding for this initiative. I'll honor that in my planning and activities. But I don't think this can succeed as an isolationist project. Which communities have what strengths and how can we build on them to create synergy, rather than rivalry -- that's the question. This job requires an out-of-town focus, in that it is an artist relocation program. I hope I'll be working not only regionally, but nationally.

I want to get an e-vehicle (website? blog?) up and running as soon as possible, and get out there on message boards and e-zines. I want to have at my fingertips every amenity we have here, so that at a show of interest, I can send out real estate pages, culture blogs, birds of Venango county, whatever will entice. I want this to be a great place for an artist to live and work. And I want to let as many artists as possible know about it.I also need to put together a beautiful marketing package for the area.

There is a database of artists who originated here. I want to get in touch with all of them, invite them here, tell them to bring their friends -- maybe you go home again! And when any artist comes here, I want to make sure he/she gets a warm welcome, from a greeter at the airport to dinner at one of our best restaurants to guided tours of the area to an informal get-together with local artists after a local show or event.

I want to generate some excitement about arts revitalization in the business community-- if they keep a distance, the kinds of financial incentives I want to see will be more difficult, things like low-interest revolving loan funds, incubator-style studio/work space, advantageous financing packages for live-work space purchase, cooperative purchasing arrangements to keep materials costs down, cooperative marketing. For example, we have a world-class bronze casting facility here -- let's let sculptors know that and sponsor a world-class competition to create a piece of public art -- everybody wins. We have a printing company with cutting edge four-color process technology, foils, holograms, the ability to print on any surface -- artists need to partner with them and vice-versa!

I also want to partner with educational institutions to put on Business of Art and Electronic Arts Marketing courses; ultimately, I'd love to see a degree program here to create an endless supply of young artists and some gainful employment (read day jobs) for established artists. I want to see summer artist retreats marketed nationally to weary urban creative types who will fall in love with this area, just as I did. Open Studio events would be fun. Artist-in-residence arrangements with the schools are already happening.

[As far as favorite local artists] Thomas Shreve showed in the Summerhouse Coffee Shop .



I saw some very interesting sculpture last year at the Oil Heritage festival, including a tall negative space wire figure Lisa Lichtenfels, formerly of Erie, has (had?) a funny and moving life-size installation there of all the denizens of a coffee shop. She has moved on to some incredible and disturbing fabric sculpture:

I never miss Peter Greene. I like his style and what he has to say always gives me hope for Venango humankind! I found your blog through [former Venango County resident] Chris Griswold's Overheard in Pittsburgh, which is a gem! A friend of mine here writes terrific short stories which I prize and hope he'll publish one day. Marc dances with such passion and precision -- I've seen him at the Silver Cornet Band really is a perfect thing of its kind, and evokes bandstand, bunting, and nostalgia. I also have a soft spot for Phoenix -- they make it sound easy and they make it sound good and they add to every event they appear at. The area is lucky to have both.

I need to know from your point of view what makes this area good and what would make it better. This is not an easy community to move to, in my experience. How do we make it as open and welcoming and diverse as possible? How do we establish a community or network of artists? courses? coffee houses? events? competitons? community art projects? you tell me. One of the first things I'd like to do is have an idea exchange with local artists. "

So, let's not leave her hanging. Please chip in with what you see as vital for Joann to excel!

Otherwise:

A logo design contest has been announced for the first-ever First Night Clarion celebration to be held on New Year's Eve.


Pymatuning State Park officials announced Thursday that the spillway visitors' area will close July 10 for a $2.7 million renovation project. It is not expected to reopen to the public until 2007.

Erie area blog The Film Chair reviews the new Superman movie...

Does your Bundt have what it takes? ">Nordic Ware is celebrating its 60th anniversary by holding a "Bundts Across America" contest, asking people in all 50 states and Washington D.C. to enter their most creative regional cake -- could we make one dripping with oil?).

Sienna Miller is in final negotiations and Peter Sarsgaard is in talks to star in Mysteries of Pittsburgh , based on Michael Chabon's 1988 debut novel.

Gimme Your Stuff is a "cultural exchange blog" encouraging people to swap items of significance to your area with others around the world. So far, the site has members from over 15 countries. So, I want to get involved, but I need some help. Which items from our area are "signifigant"?

In Pennsylvania, where general traffic increased by 63 percent and truck traffic by 82 percent between 1984 and 2004, there are plans to make communities across the state more walkable, to build new highways at grade rather than elevate them, to build on Route 202 in the eastern part of the state what looks less like a freeway and more like an old parkway.

The Glass Blowing Center

Years of caffeine abuse and a propensity for using volatile compounds without a breather mask came back to haunt me in the form of shaky hands Tuesday as the family and I set off to Hilliards PA to take an art glass making course at The Glass Blowing Center as an anniversary present.

Hilliards is one of those places that, if you've spent a lot of time in the area, you hear people mention and you nod your head sagely without really knowing where the hell they're talking about. Mapquest put it at 30 miles from my door, but estimated the trip at an hour and fifteen minutes. That's right - dirt roads the whole way.
But that was a minor concern once we got there. Tom and his wife have a beautiful center with a store, workspace, a demo area with seating for over 100, nice restrooms (you get older, these things are important...), and overall just an incredibly positive, patient manner -- a good thing in a teacher.

My wife and daughter took to it right away -- I was all thumbs, but that was cool too -- I had purchased these lessons for them as a gift and I was just along for the ride. I was happy with the strange sensation of watching the tip of a glass rod heat slowly and the suddenly start to move and ooze. Elemental and hypnotic, I couldn't stop staring at it as the heat blasted my forearms and face and my triceps strained to keep my arm canted and the rod rotating.



Their isolation is telling though. Tom is a first rate artist and organizer. Each year they host the longest running glass convention in the United States, called the Art Glass Invitational where glass blowers come to share their knowledge with their peers. The 2003 event brought 50 flame workers together from across the United States and Canada who participated in classes, lectures, and demonstrations. But I wonder how many of those artists are local or regional -- I get the feeling he's having trouble meeting other local artists and networking connections. So am I. So are all the working artists I know in the area.

The center offers demos for groups of all sizes, as well as lessons like ours and they're looking to display any (local) glass artifacts that can be loaned for display by the public. The western Pennsylvania region has a rich history of glass blowing that we would like to highlight in a special "glass heritage" event.

I also got to make a trippy mushroom necklace for my next Widespread Panic concert.

Tom told us that he rents bench space for glass artists and those learning the craft as well as providing supplies, so Amy will be back -- I'll just sit in the car. Do they have wi-fi in Hiliards?

Pete Greene mentioned in his column in the News Herald this morning that he has a blog. So drop by. It's a great resource, because the News Herald doesn't put his columns online, but he publishes them here. And of course, there's the kind-hearted plug for this site (although, yes I missed it on the first read. I've got to sleep more. Sorry and thank you Pete!)
The Clarion County Free Library is looking for artists to paint children's chairs to be auctioned off to support the summer reading program:
I don't want $10 for a chair. I want $75 or $100 for a chair.

I'm not a hunter, but wow! Boar hunting in my backyard? Sign me up! mmmmmm boar prosciutto, roast boar loin, boar ham, boar souse, french fried boar... Thank you Double Boar Ranch!

Let me get this straight, the Erie Art Museum is undergoing a huge capital campaign to add floor space, but they pay their publicist less than $30,000 a year. Hmmmm....

The 18th annual Erie Panegyri Greek Festival (no website) will be held at the July 7-9 at the Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, 4376 West Lake Road. For any info call (814) 838-8808

Harper Lee has written an essay about her childhood for next month's O magazine.

The Erie Times News lists their July calendar.

The Boston Phoenix runs a piece about Johnny Cash's new album.

Preservation, Panic, and Polka (free music too!)

Congrats to the Crawford County Historical Society's 2006 Preservation Awardees

Suddenly, the Movies at Meadville seem a little more inviting....

Edward McKrisky, "Polka King" of Western Pennsylvania has died.
Download Flogging Molly's cover of In Heaven There Is No Beer

Back from Boston.

Wow - seems like I missed quite a bit whilst I was off pimping Small Brutal Incidents in Boston.
Lets recap, shall we?

Did anyone make it to Namoli Brennet's show? How was it?

I used to write a food column for a now defunct regional paper (Moveable Thanksgiving...what, you don't remember it?) so it was nice to see The Guardian (UK) profile one of the best food writers ever, MFK Fisher.

I swear to God, this is the last summer reading list I'll post. But it's a doozy!

Just in time for Christmas, freakish loner, er..., I mean respected author Thomas Pynchon has a new book out in December.

Paste magazine has listed the 100 best living songwriters.

I missed Franklin's Bloomsday this year. Sort of....Attendance had been dwindling, but I still thought it was a pretty cool project while it lasted.

Lots of poetry readings happening in Pittsburgh this summer.

Othello as noir? Why not.

via erieblogs.com:

During the 1920s and early 1930s, commercial fishermen along the Lake Erie shore unloaded thousands of pounds of a cargo they called "midnight herring." These "herring" weren't pickled, but the people who bought the precious cargo surely were. "Midnight herring" was alcohol smuggled across the lake from Canada during Prohibition. This colorful era is recalled at the Erie County History Center with an exhibit called Midnight Herring, a cooperative venture between the History Center and the Port Dover Harbour Museum. It opens today. Through photographs, objects and memorabilia, the exhibit brings the colorful characters of the era – the Semple family, the Sisters of St. Benedict and Westfield Jimmy – to life. The exhibit opens in conjunction with the publication of Dr David Frew's newest book about the cross-lake traffic in contraband, also titled "Midnight Herring" (the cover of which was designed by Eric Armbruster of Bensur Creative).

Beginning July 1 through October 1, 2006, the Erie Area Convention and Visitors Bureau and GoErie.com are holding the "2006 Amateur Photo Contest". They are currently seeking photos of people, people and more people enjoying area attractions and events. The photos help us promote Erie and surrounding Erie County. Cash prizes will be awarded to first, second and third place. Here's a sample what they are looking for this year:
Festivals, Fairs, or Concerts.
Performing Arts
Erie Places (Downtown nightlife, Bayfront Activities, Shopping, etc.)
Due to last year's tremendous response, their office is filled up with pictures of sunsets, the Brig Niagara, Erie Zoo and Presque Isle State Park. Please limit your submissions to the above mentioned categories. Only two photos per applicant. For contest guidelines and application form, please visit their website.

It was over in an instant, but seeing Conneaut Lake Park’s Blue Streak roller coaster hit by lightning is something three people say they won’t forget.

To the roster of musicians, comedians and magicians appearing at casinos these days, add your favorite author.

Underground Railroad Convention and Gov't Pork for us

A couple of days ago, as I walked past Franklin's Pioneer Cemetery, I cringed as I saw the workers using string trimmers around the crumbling headstones. For a region obsessed by history, we don't seem to spend a lot of time finding out how to do preservation correctly. Check the association for Gravestone Studies here and their A Graveyard Preservation Primer.

On that topic, a couple of years ago, The Derrick/News Herald ran an article about two older guys who were tracking down abandoned graveyards and using GPS technology to mark them. Anyone know these guys or have a copy of the article? Please and thank you!

And, speaking of history, the Sugar Grove Underground Railroad Convention starts tomorrow.

Republican Representative Peterson announced in this morning's Derrick, that he was able to secure $200,0000 for the Hunting and Fishing Museum of Pennsylvania in Tionesta

Remember kids, it's not wasteful government pork if it goes into your district's pocket...

The Mayville Bluegrass Festival is this weekend and thanks to this in the Erie-Times:

I try to show you can dress hip and cool and play bluegrass," she [Rhonda Vincent] continued. "The two can go together. A man came up to me before a concert and said, "I can't wait to see you play.' Then his granddaughter came up and said, 'I can't wait to see what you wear!' Our demographic is very wide because of that."

I'm no longer upset about missing it.

Queer Music Invades the Heartland

That popping noise you just heard? That was Diane Gramley's head exploding when she heard that transgendered singer/songwriter Namoli Brennet will be appearing Wedensday June 21 7:30 PM (Doors open at 7:00 PM) at Barrow-Civic Theatre’s Little Theatre 1223 Liberty St., Franklin, PA $8 at the door

I've always felt that the Little Theatre is an underused venue for smaller more experimental musical acts and I'm especially psyched that whoever booked her is going so far out on a limb - a biggish name, a controversial (for here) personal life, a great sounding space. It's going to be a great show. Namoli has independently produced and released 5 CDs since 2002 on her own label, Girl’s Gotta Eat records. Even cooler is the fact that some of her music will be featured in the local documentary about gay marriage.

Before heading to the show, why not put together a little Naomi EP by downloading her songs:
"Chrysanthemum"
"Turning Song"
"Modern Day Jesus"
"Home"
"Trying to Try"
and "Ithaca"
That way, you'll be able to sing along, you know, like the cool kids...
Check out video from her live show and then buy her albums here.



Charles E. Williams, a professor of ecology at Clarion University, recently published Along the Alleghenyby Arcadia Publishing. It's one of Arcadia's standard styles -- a collection of about 200 postcards of local scenes. I've worked a editorial consultant on some Arcadia projects -- they're a great choice for local publishers. The curious thing tis that the article says it'll be out in August while Amazon is selling it (new and used) even as I type.






The Meadville Tribune lists the schedule for the Thurston Classic.

Charles Bukowski's papers will be donated to the Huntington (CA) Library.


Although I know it's out of context, this photo in this morning's The Derrick really makes me giggle like a schoolgirl.

Juneteenth and Summer Reading programs

Celebrate Juneteenth with a 12-mile walk from Bethel AME Church, a former Underground Railroad depot in Meadville, to famous abolitionist John Brown’s home and tannery this Saturday.

The opening ceremony and registration for the event is at 8 a.m. The walk, from Bethel AME on the corner Arch and Liberty streets in Meadville to John Brown’s home and tannery in North Richmond Township, starts at 9.

Summer reading programs aren't just for kids anymore! Both the Meadville and the Franklin public libraries are offering adult programs featuring (insert game show announcer voice here, "fabulous prizes"! Speaking of the Franklin Public Library, their Scholastic sale is ongoing - I'll be volunteering there from 4-6 pm. Stop by and get your copy of Captain Underpants!

Local blogger The Film Chair reviews Wedensday.

The head of the Library of Congress is to name Donald Hall, a writer whose deceptively simple language builds on images of the New England landscape, as the nation's 14th poet laureate today. Might I suggest his Collected Poems

The Elk County Council on the Arts is inviting all artists, including non-members, those from outside the county and anyone in the public interested to participate in their first ever artist meet-up on Thursday, June 15 at 7 p.m. in the council gallery. Contact Distler at (814) 965-2873, or the gallery at (814) 772-7051 for more information.

I think I want to be a beekeeper when I grow up.

Matching wines with peanut butter hot dogs.

Blogger was being ...odd...this morning, so just a short post.

Sew Elegant is hosting its second annual Quilt Show from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 12-17 at the shop. Organizers expect as many as 25 quilts. The store is located at 11977 State Route 66. For more information about the show call 764-3422. (via Clarion News)

The Pittsburgh Post Gazette stakes an opinion on the continuing PA wine controversy. I just want to order wine through the mail without paying an 18% tax. I'm not sure why that's such a problem.

Speaking of wine, what goes best with peanut butter flavored hot dogs? You know, the ones made in DuBois? (I'm going with my default summer wine - a 2004 chateau st michelle riesling or possibly a Quinta da Aveleda Vinho Verde, but that's just me...)

Regional film blog The Film Chair has undergone a redesign.

Free Yankee Zydeco Company album download

Local band the Yankee Zydeco Company has updated their site and are providing a full live album download. You can catch them live Friday, June 16th at Otter's Pub in Meadville.

The Allegheny College Dance Studies’ Summer Celebration program will again feature Creating Landscapes, an interdisciplinary exploration of active learning through the arts and sciences offered to children and teens. The theme for this year’s program, which is scheduled for July 10-28, is “Energy.”

Pittsburgh native Kathleen Marshall took home a Tony award last night for choreography in The Pajama Game. The full list of Tony winners is here.

Conneaut Lake and free gospel

The Erie Times News has a long and well done piece on Conneaut Lake and its amusement park.

Outside the region:
The Philadelphia Inquirer talks about Rufus Wainwright's re-creation of Judy Garland's 1961 concert at Carnegie Hall.

Country music is turning to indie labels.

Finally, since it's Sunday (at least in the US), you might enjoy a free download of the self described State of the art Michigan Hillbilly Gospel from the Gardners.

New Arts Champion in OC - BJE record release party

Big Jack Earl is profiled in the Derrick this morning as tonght is their release party at the Barrow Civic Theatre. The opening act is Maine's Tree by Leaf (who played a show at the Summer House Coffee Roasters last night)Tickets are $5 and available at the door.



Joann Wheeler was named was named Oil City's "Arts Champion" "by the city's downtown arts revitalization committee to jumpstart a local arts and cultural district movement. The announcement was made at a Friday morning meeting of the Oil City Arts Council", according to this morning's Derrick.

Should be a cakewalk of a job, I mean, 19K per year for being responsible for securing funding for the program through grants and other sources and will work with city government, Take Pride in Oil City, banks, realtors, service clubs and civic groups. . .also responsible for implementing a marketing plan and creating the theme of a "one-stop" contact for development of the program.

I can't help but think the woman is set up for failure. This should have been a full time position with a national search.

Erie Art Museum drive and Chabon filming in Pittsburgh

Michael Chabon's Mysteries of Pittsburgh will indeed film in Pittsburgh As an interesting side note - Mysteries was Chabon's first novel to feature the theoretically straight guy saved from himself by having a gay experience (a la Wonder Boys)

The Erie Art Museum announced its $9 million "Picture a Place"capital campaign Thursday, the single largest funding drive in the organization's history. Erieblogs.com is pretty darn bullish on the idea, but the prettiest, biggest empty building is still an empty building and I've never been to the Museum on a day where there were more than three other people (excepting school groups).

Don't forget that world e-book fair is coming up!

Just get the name right. Weegee the Famous.

Ruining Venango one sidewalk at a time.

What's the key to bringing more people to Franklin? Tear up the slate sidewalks, replace them with concrete slabs and have everyone ride their bikes on the sidewalk! Welcome to pedestrian hell! Thanks Jim Holden! (not surprisingly, Jim doesn't actually live in the city). Did someone say this sounds like a job for Critical Mass?

What this Derrick article really does (and by extension the whole morning paper today) is point out one of the big problems of this area in terms of revitalization - everyone's got a pet project and no one ever says "no" to anything - as a result we have a schizo area - "We're the oil heritage, no wait, it's the Victorian, ooops, no it's an artist's colo...my mistake, we're bicycle town USA, but wait, what about the whitewater..." So, until everyone can get on the same page, we'll keep okaying and cock-eyed plan that comes down the pike (as long as there is still grant money to pay for it all), hiring consultants, and wondering why no one wants to come visit their crazy rural cousin who sits quietly in the woods gibbering about self-identity.

Sorry. I guess I just really like slate sidewalks.

Speaking of towns that scare the hell out of me, Sam Gordon gives some love to Grove City's upcoming Strawberry Days festival.

Huzzah and kudos for local meat at the Meadville Market House - now, any chance of it being organic?

The Erie Art Museum has a press conference scheduled for Thurday afternoon at 4:30 pm with a major announcement. (via Erieblogs.com)

USA Today takes a look at literary blogs.

Still searching for the perfect Flag Day present for me? Look no more!:

This is quite possibly the greatest thing you could ever have in your flower bed. These two helpful Gnome-Be-Gones ($125) rid your yard of any pesky garden gnome who happens to be wandering through. They're hand-made from spare metal parts, but they're sure to keep the shrubs, tulips and pets safe from those sinister European goblins. Trust us, you don't even want to know what the gnomes have recently been doing to your dog. Not pretty.

Need help with Franklin's wikipedia entry

Chris Griswold is editing Franklin's entry on Wikipedia and wants to know:
"Which TV dude incorrectly damned Franklin for the incident in which a man's body was mistaken for a deer along the side of the road, calling it the worst place (or city) in America?"
Post your answer as a comment. Please.

One of the oddest series the News Herald has done in a long time is the retrosepctive of area gas stations.

The Oil Region Alliance is trying to find someone who "knows the make and/or model of the equipment previously used. . . " to produce one-ounce miniature glass bottles shaped like oil derricks. While it may be an interesting project, I wonder if our Alliance has checked the popularity of Whale Oil museums recently.

Feeding America is an online collection of some of the most influential and important American cookbooks from the late 18th to early 20th century.

Erie Art Museum Spring Show and Cherryholmes

I have got to start reading my newspapers more on time - I just got to the Thursday Erie Times News; it took me until Wed of last week to finish the Sunday Times. . .

Tuesday is 6/6/6 and the Movies at Meadville is teaming up with the Eerie Horror Film Festival to do a big par-tay screening of the new Omen. If it's your thing there should be lots of schwag according to the Erie Times News.

Also in the Erie Times News is an article about the polka band Kielbasas (check out their myspace here and their purevolume page here)with a couple of odd quirks - first, the band is in the process of dis-banding, so why write about them now? Secondly, if you're going to write about bands that use the net to publicize (and who doesn't at this point?) why not include some links? Finally, the article uses the whole "it's polka, but they play with rockers!" angle, the same ska/klezmer article that's been written a gazillion times.



Speaking of grumpy, John Edwards' Erie Times review of the Erie Art Museum's 83rd Annual Spring Show is muddy at best. He seems to be mistaking art for craft. Lusting for some yardstick to measure artistic skill, he falls back on the "My third grader could make that argument". John, in a nutshell, art captures a human moment or illustrates a small part of the hum,an emotional range. Craft, like the fine joinery on a Shaker box, illustrates the skill of the creator, but is emotionally empty (by design and nature). There's nothing wrong with either of those catagories, but comparing the two of them leads us to looking at Joseph Cornell's work to see how the boxes were put together without looking at the items inside. I'm also not sure that your apostasy at the end, "Social approval is a wonderful thing, but as an artist or art lover, you know whether a work has value to you. Ultimately, you're the judge." is justified. These aren't diaries we're talking about, they are pieces of art designed to be seen and elicit reponse. As a writing workshop leader, you wouldn't accept that sort of response, ("well, I like it!") from a student writer, would you?
Anyhow, the 83rd Annual Spring Show is on view through June 11 at the Erie Art Museum, 411 State St. Gallery hours: Tue-Sat from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sun from 1 to 5 p.m.

A little further abroad (Chautauqua County to be precise) Cherryholmes will be headline the Mayville Bluegrass Festival. The June 17-18 festival also features guitar flatpicking and mandolin competitions. Entry forms are available here.

Speaking of bluegrass, the PA Council on the Arts is sponsoring a grant seminar for folk/traditional artists on the 10th from 9-11am at the Erie Art Museum. Contact Kelly Armor at (814) 459-5477 or folkart@erieartmuseum.org.

Titusville Historical Society's free One-Day Museum will be held June 10 at the Perry Street Station from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This year more than 10 area historical societies will be participating.

Erie Playhouse is calling for auditions:

Auditions for the final show of our 2005-06 season, West Side Story, will be held Saturday, June 17 at noon and Sunday, June 18 at 7:00pm at the Erie Playhouse, 13 West 10 St. All roles are open and available. Looking for actors/actresses who look at least 16 and older thru adult. Prepare a song to sing with the musical accompaniment and a short (no more than one-minute) monologue. Everyone will be required to do a movement audition; please dress appropriately.

The New York Times profiles the Latin Motown, Fania Records.

Aspiring sensitive singer songwriters can pick up Sufjan Stevens tabs here

Lisa Cummings in Inkburns and Oil City's sound garden.

I was giving into nostalgia last night, thinking about the sisters, Lisa and Lynn, who lived down the road from me and how I nursed unrequited crushes on both of them at one time or another. So, I did what anyone would do - I googled them, or at least Lisa, since I knew her married name, and lo and behold found Inkburns.
Inkburns is a Butler area lit zine with a large archive online, including an interview with Lisa here (I wasn't sure it was her at first, but the combination of crab processing, Paris, and grad school led me to believe it could only be her). Nostalgia satisfied, I clicked through the rest of the site and vowed to stop drinking mojitos on an empty stomach.

Oil City, although still one of the most depressing places to visit in our region, is really stepping up to the plate recently.
The Oil City area arts revitalization committee, the Samuel Justus Charitable Trust and the Oil City Garden Club are sponsoring a contest for people aged 13 to 21 to design the garden's first sound installation.

The first component is expected to be easily movable yet fit attractively into a natural garden setting. Check out the criteria at the link above. Design contest applications are available at the Venango Area Chamber of Commerce, at the Oil City Library, at the Transit Fine Arts Gallery, at town coffee shops and some South Side restaurants.

The NYTimes has introduced a horror book column.

Giant Rice Krispie sculptures

I spent the last two days doing research at various area university libraries. There is nothing so wonderful as a college campus in the summer. All the amenities, no students. Beautiful. In the bookstores you can see the college's students' lives reflected. Allegheny sells martini glasses and shakers while SRU sells branded hats that look exactly like a camo skoal gimmee hat.

Why do you continue to taunt me Matt Pond PA? I just found out about their Pittsburgh show last night, which means I'll miss them. Again.

Lauren Urbschat's opening for "Marshmallow Meditation: Take One," an installation for the Three Rivers Art Festival is tonight from 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. 937 Liberty Ave., Downtown Pittsburgh. Free. 412-281-8723. Yep. It's sculptures made of rice crispie treats.
Kellogg's donated 3,192 boxes of cereal for the project. That left for purchase more than 50 pounds of butter, 300 pounds of marshmallows and multiple cases of concentrated food gel. But the main shipment of marshmallows never showed up, and a new order had to be FedExed less than a week before the opening."

Ah Western PA. Where a man can wake up and find the headline,
"Students told not to drive tractors to school" in his paper.

I've never liked Sharon Olds' poetry, and now I know why:
"You can't find a first-grader who writes bad poetry" she says.
Spoken like a woman safely contained in academe who has never spent any time in an elementary school or listened to a child tell a story about, "ummmm...my uncle....he has like, 400 ferrets!"

Writers are still chewing over Poe's death. Hic Tandem Felicis Conduntur, indeed.

While a pissing contest amongst glass artists might seem tedious at best, what it reveals about the contemporary art world is fascinating:
The suit . . .offers a sometimes unflattering glimpse at how high-powered commercial artists like Mr. Chihuly work. The two glass blowers say that he has very little to do with much of the art, and that he sometimes buys objects and puts the Chihuly name on them, a contention that Mr. Chihuly strongly denies.

He acknowledges that he has not blown glass for 27 years . . . Still, Mr. Chihuly said, he works with sketches, faxes and through exhortation.

And he wears a bitchin' eye patch. Which makes him artist enough for me. Or pirate. I forget.


The NYTimes is asking you to nominate the best summer cocktail. Boilermaker did you say? hmmm.....

And yes, the concept of a beer sommelier makes me itchy.

I'm not sure how I missed the death of Peter Viereck, who was one the only American writers to win Pulitzer prizes for both history and poetry. It could be my polical bias showing through . . .