I came back from vacation and found my desk covered in cellophane.

I will get my revenge…after I find out who did it. Maybe it was this guy.

Check out some of the films that will be shown on Saturday at the All City Youth Film Festival.  You may be able to see them on youtube, but come on, what’s better a crappy low-res youtube video or a full screen version in the Walker Cinema?

Karma by Hannah Bates

Writing Backwards by Jack Anderson

On Sunday August 24th at the 7th Street Entry artists from across Minnesota, the Midwest, and California will come together for performances, workshops, a B-Boy/Popping Exhibition, a Krump dance exhibition, Hip-Hop karaoke, and more. Support your scene and do your part to see the Twin Cities Celebration of Hip-Hop return in full capacity next year.

Workshop (FREE): 12-4PM – Deconstruct the Police: What real role of the police? Where do they fit in a society maintaining the marginalization of its citizens? Join Yo! The Movement in a workshop about our relationship with the police. Help in creating the youth agenda for how to safely and effectively interact with our law enforcers.

All Ages Showcase ($6): 4:30-8:30PM - Maria Isa, Mr. Wright (Toki Wright), Trama, St. Paul Slim, B-Boys exhibition, Asian Hip-Hop Summit (Los Angeles), Krumpers, Tou Saik Lee and Friends, Young Son, Chantz, Yakub, Fres (Milwaukee), Poetik Assasinz, Naadirah, Profit, Hip-Hop Karoke.

Spark24 is organizing a prank for this Friday at the IDS building. Check out the info below.

WE’RE REPLICATING A STUNT THAT TOOK PLACE IN GRAND CENTRAL STATION IN NYC, AS A PR STUNT FOR SPARK24.

WE NEED YOUR HELP, IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW WOULD BE INTERESTED SHOOT ME AN E-MAIL AT MITCHRKELLY@GMAIL.COM OR CALL 651.271.3333.

WE WILL MEET AT THE FORMER WILLIAM SONOMA SPACE ON THE 2ND LEVEL OF THE IDS CENTER’S CRYSTAL COURT AT NOON ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 15. WE WILL REHEARSE THE CUE AND THEN FREEZE FOR 3 MINUTES DOWN ON THE MAIN LEVEL.

YOU NEEDN’T WEAR ANYTHING SPECIAL, DRESS AS YOU NORMALLY WOULD. THIS WILL ONLY TAKE ABOUT 20 MINUTES OF YOUR LUNCH BREAK.

WILL BE LOTS OF FUN— THE STAR TRIBUNE AND KARE11 WILL BE COVERING THE STUNT. HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU! (thanks for the link Bri)

Round-a-bout Opening reception Saturday, August 9; 6-8pm

Join MCBA in celebrating the work of their teen artist co-op! Round-a-bout features the work of advanced By Design artists Angela Elizabeth Bandoli, Abby Kallas, Aubree Mease and Shannon Lee Turner, plus the recipient of the inaugural By Design Teen Fellowship Anna Renken. Each artist explores a circular pattern: some in format, like a scroll that reads in either direction; others in theme, like lessons learned in vicious cycles. Round-a-bout will be on display from August 9 through September 9, in Open Book’s Cowles Literary Commons.

There are a ton of art related projects/protests scheduled for the Republican National Convention in Saint Paul on September 1st through the 4th. A bunch of activities are being planned at theunconvention.com

One project is being organized by artist Sharon Hayes. Hayes is asking for 100 volunteer performers to recite (as a chorus) a 10–15 minute text about love, politics, gay power, and gay liberation (written by Hayes) over a period of approximately two hours. The performance will take place in a public space in proximity to the Convention.

If you are interested, submit the following information by email to rnc@creativetime.org:

1. Contact information: Phone (home/cell) & e-mail address

2. Do you have any additional resources that you would like to bring to the project?

3. Are you affiliated with any organizations that would be interested in spreading the

word?

4. Do you have any technical or stage management skills?

For more information about the project, click here.

…and the Top 3 20 Under 20 Artists are

1st Place: Jess Nelson

2nd Place: The Velveteens

3rd Place: Sarah Beth Ryther

Thanks to all of the 20 Under 20 Artists! Check out more photos at the Walker’s flickr site.

Thursday, November 20, 2008, 7 PM

Tom is an Animation Storyboard Artist working in Los Angeles. He was born and raised here in Saint Paul where he attended Highland Park Senior High School. Moving to the East Coast, he studied illustration and graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design.

In the early 90s, Tom was hired by Walt Disney Feature Animation and worked on a long list of films including “Pocahontas,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” “Mulan,” “Tarzan,” ‘Lilo and Stitch,” and the yet to be released “Rapunzel.”

In recent years, Tom has storyboarded for Marvel, Warner Brothers, and Universal on projects featuring popular characters such as the X-Men and produced by visionary filmmakers including Tim Burton, (Director of “Batman,” “Edward Scissorhands,” and “Sweeney Todd”) and Timor Bekmambetov, (Director of “Wanted”).

Presently, de Rosier is working on an animated film directed by Gore Verbinski and starring the talented Johnny Depp (”The Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy”). Mr. deRosier will be visiting the College of Visual Arts to discuss his career from growing up in Saint Paul to his life as a working artist in Hollywood.

Thursday, November 20
Presentation 173 Western Avenue (at Selby), Room 404, 7 p.m.
The presentation is free and open to the public.

Visit www.cva.edu for more information or call John DuFresne at 651-757-4028 with questions.

Tomorrow, director Lance Hammer will be screening his new film Ballast.  WACTAC and filmmakers that particpated in last weekend’s All City Youth Film Showcase will get the special opportunity of meeting and talking with him - we are totally excited! There will be a public screening on Wednesday at 7:30 PM at the Walker.

Another upcoming film event that we are looking forward to is a screening of I’m Not There. The film revolves around the life of Bob Dylan and consists of an all star line up - Cate Blanchett, in an Academy-Award nominated performance, and Christian Bale, Richard Gere, and the recently deceased Heath Ledger. If you needed more reason to go, the film will be accompanied by legendary rock critic Greil Marcus! Marcus is the author of Lipstick Traces (a book that traces the interesction of pop culture and high art through the lens of the Sex Pistols) and Mystery Train (brilliant study of rock’n'roll and American culture).

If you are a high school student and want to go email us at teenprograms@walkerart.org for special discounted tickets.

Dutch artist Theo Jansen demonstrates his amazingly lifelike kinetic sculptures, built from plastic tubes and lemonade bottles. His “Strandbeests” (Beach Creatures) are built to move and even survive on their own.

If you are interested in installation art projects, public protests, and environmental education, the National Park(ing) Day is a project that you should get involved in. National Park(ing) Day (September 29th) is an opportunity to celebrate parks in cities and to promote the need for more parks and green spaces by creating temporary public parks in public parking spaces.

Click here for more info or email Shanai Matteson at Miss.Matteson@gmail.com

Rudy Fig, a 20 Under 20 artist, asked me to pass along info about her opening on Friday night at the AZ Gallery. Check it out.

This is the time of the year when WACTAC sorts through the a huge number of applications. This year’s batch of apps was quite impressive…so impressive that it made me dig through the archives. Here are some of my all time favorites.

Eric Luken, WACTAC 1999-2000

Shannon Joyce, 2005-2006 WACTAC member.

Blue Delliquanti, WACTAC 2006-2007 (you can see Blue’s full application here)

Laura Gantebein, WACTAC 2005-2006

SOO VISUAL ARTS CENTER

CALL FOR TEEN ARTISTS

1ST DEADLINE: JULY 31st 2008

Guidelines can also be found here.

Soo Visual Arts Center is looking for committed and focused artists between the ages of 15-19 for a new exhibition program we will be starting in early 2009. This is an opportunity to exhibit your artwork in the Toomer Gallery at SooVAC. We are interested in artists working in all mediums: sculpture, painting, drawing, mixed media, photography, etc.

HOW TO APPLY:

Please email the following to info@soovac.org:

1. 5-10 JPEG images of your work, details can be included (NO larger than 500k per image). Please contact us if you are interested in sending video pieces.

2. Image list including title, medium, date and dimensions in .doc or .rtf format.

3. Contact information including your full name, age, address, phone and email.

If you have any questions please call 612.871.2263 or email info@soovac.org.

*If you do not have access to email we will accept all the above information on a CD by mail, please include a SASE (Self Addressed Stamped Envelope/make sure you have enough postage) if you want the CD returned:

Soo Visual Arts Center // 2640 Lyndale Ave. South

CALL FOR ENTRIES

Multiples Mall: A Bookish Fair

DEADLINE: MONDAY, DECEMBER 15

This winter the Walker Art Center turns bookish with a season of events surrounding Text/Messages: Books by Artists, an exhibition of works from the museum’s collection and library opening on December 18.

Minnesota artists are invited to submit an application for participation in the fair portion of Multiples Mall. Organizers are looking for work that exists within the elastic discipline of book arts, including artist-made books, chapbooks, fine press work, graphic design, artful zines, and multiples that claim a relationship to the form or concept of the “book.”

Each selected artist will have 4 feet of table space to display their wares and the opportunity to have work for sale by the Walker shop during the event.

SUBMISSIONS PROCESS

Participants will be chosen based on the appropriateness of their work for this event by a panel of

Read the rest »

INVITED AUDITION

David Gordon Pick Up Performance Company (NYC)
UNCIVIL WARS: MOVING W/BRECHT & EISLER

Audition: Thursday, November 6, 6 – 9pm
Walker Art Center’s McGuire Theater

David Gordon is looking for a cast of local community members that “look like the world that we live in.” All ages, sizes, shapes, ethnicities. These cast members will be part of the last scene of Uncivil Wars which takes place in a courtroom, and calls for a look of a general population. Stage experience is not necessary but you do need to have the ability to listen and respond to direction and information.

Read the rest »

I know that this should be on the “business side of things” but more people will look on this side. Anyway, we are looking for a Fellow (click here for the job posting) to work in Teen Programs. If you have any questions, please contact gary.white@walkerart.org

The Twin Cities Youth Media Network is looking for filmmakers under the age of 18 to submit their videos for the All City Youth Film Festival happening at the Walker on Thursday, October 25th. If you are interested click on the image below, fill out the application and send your video to: All City Youth Film Festival, Walker Teen Programs, 1750 Hennepin Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55403.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008 6-8 PM at Intermedia Arts 2822 Lyndale Ave. S, Minneapolis MN 55408 $2 suggested donation for pizza This monthly gathering is the spot for creative young voices! A place for young writers (ages 19 and under) to meet other youth writers, workshop their writing, work with local artists, participate in public literary readings and have fun! Grab your notebook and head over to Intermedia Arts to find out what Young Writers! is all about.

Super Person You : August 4th - 14th

Ages: 8 - 21

Have you ever imagined yourself at a superhero? Do you want to learn how to draw an anime or manga character? In this class you will learn how to develop the character of a superperson and express that character on paper using anime manga and comic techniques.

Free Wall Fundamental : August 4th - 15th

Ages: 13 - 21

Do you want to have the freedom to paint on outdoor wall? This will allow you to independently practice your craft of aerosol art.

All interested students must attend an entrance interview with the lead program instructor. Call 612-588-1148 to schedule your 1/2 hour appointment on one of the following days.

Registration Dates:

Tuesday, July 22nd(4:00 - 7 pm)

Wednesday, July 23rd (4:00 - 7 pm)

Thursday, July 24th (4:00 - 7 pm)

Check out http://www.juxtaposition.org for more info or call (612) 588-1148

Next week, we get the pleasure of meeting artist Tomas Saraceno. This will be the first of several visits to Minneapolis for Tomas. During his residency, he hopes to work on his ongoing Museo Aero Solar project, a solar-energy balloon made of reused plastic bags. Check out the video below and if you want to get more info click here.

Every Thursday, the Minnesota Museum of American Art is hosting a great series called “Patio Nights” that feature local bands on a beautiful terrace overlooking the mighty Mississippi. Check out the stellar line up. The best part: it’s all ages!

6/5 Awesome Snakes – The Talkers – The Vignettes (featuring WACTAC alumna Erica Qualy!)

6/12 Davina and the Vagabonds - Spaghetti Western String Co.

6/19 Best Friends Forever - Switzerlind

6/26 STNNNG - His Mischief

7/3 The Battle Royale - We All Have Hooks For Hands

7/10 Gospel Gossip - First Communion Afterparty

7/17 Mark Mallman - Down and Above

7/24 Kid Dakota - Story of The Sea

7/31 Off With Their Heads - The Deaf

8/7 Dance Band - Mel Gibson and the Pants

8/14 Vampire Hands - MC/VL

8/21 Storyhill - Mighty Fairly

8/28 One For The Team - Now, Now Every Children

Every Thursday June – August 2008

7pm - All Ages

$7 / $5 for MMAA Members

June and August Monthly Pass - $24

July Monthly Pass - $30