I watch the boy study immortal proportions:
Muscular thighs, puffed-peacock chest,
Scientology stare radiating through
A tight-fitted hood.
He brushes back the folds
Of his steel blue nylon cape.
He tells me that Batman fights evil.
He picks up a shading pencil,
Slants the lead, sketching the back
Of Batman’s calves bound in gossamer tights.
He fills the contours and shadows of Batman’s physique.
Then asks me if he should place Batman in swirling
Flames, next to a tall steel building, or down in
His bat cave, where Boy wonder tends the fire.
ARTS Space Obispo Seeks Proposals
Have a great idea for an exhibition? Or perhaps you are just ready
to get your work out of the studio and into the public eye!
ARTS Obispo invites you to submit a proposal for an exhibition in
ARTS Space Obispo. For more information on ARTS Space Obispo,
including guidelines, .
ARTS Obispo Programs
ARTS in EDUCATION
AO raises and distributes funds & promotes events that enrich arts education in SLO County. Programs include Poetry Out Loud, Arts Curriculum Assistance, and promotion of the InnerSpark program.
OPEN STUDIOS ART TOUR
AO organizes SLO County's largest visual arts event, now in it's 12th year. 200-300 local artists open their studios to the public for 3 weekends during this annual fall event.
ART in PUBLIC PLACES
AO helps implement countywide policies for public art and assists the City of San Luis Obispo is commissioning and erecting public art projects.
SLOCAATS (San Luis Obispo County Arts Administrators Talk Sessions)
Hosted at AO, this is a monthly gathering of SLO County arts administrators who share ideas and work together to strengthen the arts in SLO County.
ART AFTER DARK
Coordinated by AO, this monthly event where local galleries and businesses are open in downtown SLO the 1st Friday of each month from 6-9 pm.
RUTH FASH MEMORIAL
LECTURE SERIES
Inspired by former local resident Ruth Fash, AO sponsors a lecture by a guest artist or art critic from outside San Luis Obispo County.
INGRID RETI LITERARY GRANT
AO grants $1000 annually to a SLO County writer whose work addresses a sense of place.
ARTS SPACE OBISPO
This space in downtown SLO hosts poetry readings, intimate musical events, workshops, meetings, exhibits, and performances.
ARTS ADVOCACY
AO advocates for the arts in public forums and seeks grants to advance the arts in SLO County.
MINI GRANTS
AO awards small grants to local artists on a case by case basis.
ARTS OBISPO NEWS
A monthly online newsletter devoted to AO's & SLO County's current arts news and events.
ARTISTS' OPPORTUNITIES
Bimonthly email to Artist Directory and higher members highlighting calls for art, auditions, RFPs, and other arts opportunities.
ARTISTS' DIRECTORY
A benefit of membership, the Online Visual Artists' Directory features the work of local member artists, grouped by categories: artsobispo.org/ovad
President's Message by Steve Bland, AO Board President
Save the Date(s)!
ARTS Obispo has some exciting events coming up. Whether you are interested in an educational
workshop, having a portrait painted, touring artists’ studios, an evening of
memorable theatre, sampling fine wines or just having a great time, we have
something for you! Check out a sampling
of our upcoming events:
12x12(x12) Workshops: We will be offering 12 different workshops
before the end of 2010. Each
workshop is limited to 12 people and the cost for each is $75 per person
(additional materials fees may apply). Check or for a
listing of workshops. Call the AO office at 805-544-9251 to reserve your
place, see below for more information on the first three workshops.
Portrait Painting Marathon:
This popular
event will return for one-day only, Saturday, August 7. Reservations for a portrait sitting are
available by calling the AO office at 805-544-9251. The sitting fee is $25 and
if you choose to purchase the portrait the cost is $180 for AO members or $200
for non-members. The marathon will be
held in conjunction with:
Consomme’ on Court Street: An afternoon of wine, food and
art to benefit ARTS Obispo, also August 7th. The event
will run from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. and will feature wine tasting from area
wineries and food from some of our best restaurants. Tickets are just $10 per person.
A Night at the Brickyard Theatre: Friday, September 17. Join us at SLO County’s most charming
theatrical venue for a performance of Quilters a play with song and music. This critically acclaimed play was nominated
for 6 Tony Awards. Proceeds from ticket
sales at this performance will benefit ARTS Obispo. Call the AO office at 805-544-9251 to order
your tickets.
Open Studios Art Tour: SLO County’s largest visual arts
event is back for the 12th year and this year the catalogs are free! Maps and the catalog will be available
mid-September.
October 1st: Open Studios Preview Show Reception
October 9-10: Open Studios - North County
October 16-17: Open Studios - South County
October 23-24: Countywide Open Studios Encore Weekend
ARTI Gras 2011: Get
your costumes and dancing shoes ready, the most fun fundraiser will be held on
March 5, 2011 at the San Luis Officers’ Club.
Dinner, dancing, silent and live auctions, prizes and much more await
the lucky guests.
12x12(x12): Celebrating 12 Years of Open Studios with 12 Creative Workshops for 12 Participants
by Jenna Hartzell, Program Director
Have you
always wanted to learn how to mosaic an ordinary object, create a living
sculpture, or raku a ceramic vase? Now’s
your chance! Three workshops are scheduled to take place this summer as the
first part of a fabulous 12 workshop fundraiser for Open Studios Art Tour, the
largest visual arts event on the Central Coast.
12x12(x12) workshops have been
donated by local artists/instructors in support of making this year’s ticket to
the 2010 Open Studios Art Tour free to all visitors! There will be a limit of
12 people per workshop and the fee is $75 for each participant, per workshop.
The Open Studios Art Tour
catalogs may be free to the public, but they aren't free for the non-profit
arts council to produce. Sign up for a workshop now to explore your creativity
and help ARTS Obispo make this year’s Tour the most accessible in the event’s
12-year history!
July 31: 10am – 2pm
Mosaic Art, Naturally!
Learn to create a beautiful
organically-inspired wall hanging using a unique blend of rich materials.
Taught by Fred and Donnell Pasion of the popular . The project will be a
12"x12"x1/2" plywood indoor wall hanging, prepared and ready to
hang. All materials and use of tools are
included. Passiflora will have a variety of materials to choose from
including tile, ceramic, china, pebbles, shells, glass and more. However,
participants are also encouraged to bring their own interesting finds to
incorporate and/or share.
*materials fee of $15 payable to instructors
August 11: 5-7pm
Living Sculpture
Nick Wilkinson, owner of in Cambria, is teaching a workshop on Living
Sculpture where you will learn how to compose the perfect arrangement of low
maintenance plants for your home! Nick
will be teaching you which plants to select, and how to architecturally
highlight your favorite plants with different succulents and rocks. The end result will give you a striking
living sculpture to admire from any angle.
Attend this workshop and receive 15% off of GROW Nursery plants! For and , follow the links.
August 21 & 28: 10am-1pm
Throw! Build! Fire!
Two day workshop in ceramics,
focusing on hand-built, wheel-thrown, and slab work to fire in the ancient
Japanese technique of Raku rapid-fire pottery. Taught by John & Janice of
.
*materials fee of $15 payable to instructors
Sign up
today, as each class has room for only 12 participants! Contact Jenna at
805.544.9251 or programs@artsobispo.org for more information or to sign up.
Court Street Plaza Event Benefits ARTS Obispo
Come out to Court Street for a fun afternoon of wine, food
and art to benefit ARTS Obispo. The
event titled “consommé” will take place on Saturday, August 7th from 11 AM to 3
PM. A $10 ticket gives participants
access to tastings from seven local wineries and food from gourmet vendors
including , , , and . Proceeds from the day’s events will be donated to ARTS Obispo in
support of Arts in Education programs.
Live music will be performed starting at noon on the patios
both upstairs and downstairs at Court Street Plaza, located in downtown San
Luis Obispo. In addition to food, wine
and music, there will be live portrait painting by Saunders Shaw and Majida
Fazal.
Attendees will have an opportunity to have their portraits
painted from 10 AM to 3 PM by professional fine artists at an incredibly low
price. Saunders Shaw and Majida Fazal (formerly Majida van Lingen) will be
in-residence painting oil portraits at the Court Street Chicos and Talbot
stores. Visitors are invited to either
have their portrait painted or stop by and observe the fascinating process of
how a painting is created.
Saunders Shaw and Majida Fazal have extensive experience in
portrait painting and have participated in marathon events locally at ARTS Space
Obispo. Shaw has also done marathons in
New York City, northern California and elsewhere in San Luis Obispo County.
Cost to sit for a portrait during the August 7th Portrait
Painting Marathon is $25, with all proceeds benefiting ARTS Obispo. Those
interested are encouraged to contact ARTS Obispo to reserve a time to sit for a
portrait. Walk in appointments will be accepted on a first come, first serve
basis.
Sitters are not required to purchase their painted
portraits, but may do so for an additional fee of $200. ARTS Obispo existing
and new members receive a $20 discount on the purchase of paintings during the
Portrait Painting Marathon. For more info, please contact us at 805.544.9251.
Paradiso/Inferno: Drought and Fire in the Central Coast Landscapes of Nicole Strasburg
ARTS Obispo and the are pleased to present a solo exhibition of Santa Barbara painter and printmaker, .
Paradiso/Inferno expands Central California landscape painting by moving beyond idyllic depictions of nature to portray the environmental realities of drought and the wind-blown wildfires in Santa Barbara County. Avoiding temptations to sensationalize, Strasburg’s paintings are minimalist in their approach with a muted poetic color sensibility based upon abstracted forms drawn from the land, water and sky.
Santa Barbara and Montecito are among the most beautiful and affluent communities in the United States, situated against rugged coastal sagebrush mountains with dramatic views of the Pacific Ocean. For residents and tourists alike, the region is a paradise.
Strasburg has lived in Santa Barbara since she was a youth and knows the region well, understanding that the area is frighteningly vulnerable to periodic fires, fanned out of control by raging winds, jumping from dry canyon to dry canyon. Such conditions created incredible infernos like the Tea, Gap, and La Brea fires of 2008 and 2009.
According to Strasburg, “I strive to show an understanding of locale and environment from a number of standpoints. My process comes from internal promptings and emotional influences rather than intellectual ones. The paintings are records of personal connections and the allure of knowing a place intimately – in its beauty, fragility, danger and resilience . . . Color comes from the dialogue with the painting and a visceral reaction to the experience in the field.”
Curator Gordon Fuglie, a native Californian with a 30-year involvement with California art and culture, organized this exhibition for ARTS Obispo as part of a series of projects developed by the Central California Museum of Art and displayed in venues throughout the mid-state. He is a member of the Advisory Council of the museum and serves on the exhibition committee for ARTS Space Obispo.
THE PUBLIC EYE
by Ann Ream
The city of San Luis Obispo has two revenue sources for funding public art. The funding is generated by a percentage of the City's capital improvements (CIP) and an in-lieu fund from private development projects. The funds are placed into a Public Art Account and earmarked for public art only. The City is on a two year budget cycle and funds are placed in the account every two years.
When the public art program was established, the City showed great foresight in understanding the effect of healthy or lean budget years. The funds for the currently approved public art piece that will grace the entrance to San Luis Obispo from HWY 101 to Marsh Street come from the (CIP) and in-lieu contributions from the 2007-2009 budget cycle. The City Council's money management diligence made it possible for this phenomenal addition to be made during this lean year.
The Council is not spending any current funds on public art. It is a time of lay-offs, employee hour cuts, budget reductions and suspension of programs and projects. On the surface, the spending of funds for public art, at this time, might seem frivolous. However, the contrary is true. The Council has been a wise caretaker of public money by setting aside these funds for continuing projects. As the City grows and develops, the need for creative elements is more essential than ever. The Council's money management and wise decisions when the public art program was being developed have brought the present dividends to the community and to its citizenry.
Bravo!
BECOME AN ARTS OBISPO ANGEL
No, it’s not our new baseball team, although, what a concept?!
ARTS Obispo Angels is our Hospitality Committee. It’s an enjoyable way to be involved with art events and to assist AO occasionally with small tasks that help our non-profit organization in a big way.
The purpose of the ARTS Obispo Angels is to plan and implement social events. It is a service group that helps host public events such as Art After Dark receptions, poetry readings and fundraisers. AO Angels plan menus and provide light refreshments for the events. Join this group as an individual, or bring along family or friends and experience the joy and satisfaction of helping advance the arts in SLO County.
If you’re interested in being an ARTS Obispo Angel, email Marnie, AmeriCorps Volunteer Coordinator at ARTS Obispo at marnie@artsobispo.org or call 544-9251.
To new & renewing members in June, please accept our thanks.
Nancy Beighley, Rose Bedrosian, Susan Minker, Florence Jones, Sam Peck, Lena Rushing, Rich & Kersti Lasiewski, Vanessa Britton, Linda Brownson, Ellyn Winslow, Vicki Vontz, Cle Longden, Loretta Sonnabend, and Dawn Legg
A big thank you to the following donors:
Florence Jones, Jim & Ann Ream, Jan Simek, Mark Tomes, Sky Bergman, Crissa Hewitt, Linnaea Phillips, Rotary Club of SLO de Tolosa, Eddie DeLong, George Cotkin
Come out to Court Street for a fun afternoon of wine, food
and art to benefit ARTS Obispo. The
event titled “consommé” will take place on Saturday, August 7th from 11 AM to 3
PM. A $10 ticket gives participants
access to tastings from seven local wineries and food from gourmet vendors
including , , , and . Proceeds from the day’s events will be donated to ARTS Obispo in
support of Arts in Education programs.
Attendees will have an opportunity to have their portraits
painted from 10 AM to 3 PM by professional fine artists at an incredibly low
price. Saunders Shaw and Majida Fazal (formerly Majida van Lingen) will be
in-residence painting oil portraits at the Court Street Chicos and Talbot
stores. Visitors are invited to either
have their portrait painted or stop by and observe the fascinating process of
how a painting is created.
Cost to sit for a portrait during the August 7th Portrait
Painting Marathon is $25, with all proceeds benefiting ARTS Obispo. Those
interested are encouraged to contact ARTS Obispo to reserve a time to sit for a
portrait. Walk in appointments will be accepted on a first come, first serve
basis.
