Although Mae Nunn has lived in Georgia for some time now, her heart is still in her native Texas. This is very clear from the series of Texas Romance novels she writes each year. Her latest, Lone Star Courtship, has just been published. (See her announcement below.)
Mae also loves to meet people and talk about her books and autograph them. And this also gives her a chance to dress up in her cowgirl outfit. It is not surprising that she was one of the participants in last year's Coweta Authors Book Signing Extravaganza or that she is wasting no time in signing her latest book: she will be doing so on Saturday May 17 from 4:30 through 6:00 PM at Omega Books in Peachtree City.
For a delightful experience of learning about Mae and her books see her at the signing or visit her gorgeous website www.MaeNunn.com.
Come Meet Mae Nunn!
Coweta resident and Texas native Mae Nunn announces the release of her fi fth novel, Lone Star Courtship. When a stuffy Englishman encounters a determined American business woman he fi nds Camelot in the last place he ever expected – Galveston, Texas! Lone Star Courtship is the latest installment in Mae Nunn’s popular series, Texas Treasures.
Christian Romance With A Kick!
Award Winning Author Mae Nunn's love inspired novels by Steeple Hill Publishing are found wherever great books are sold. Lone Star Courtship, as well as Mae’s entire backlist, can be purchased at Omega Books in Peachtree City. Watch Mae’s web site for upcoming signings.
Facing Life with Love, Laughter and a Whole Lotta Faith!
- courtesy Forrest Schultz, Coweta Arts Tidbits
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Georgia Boosts Incentives for Entertainment Industry
Governor Sonny Perdue today(May 12, 2008) signed into law the 2008 Entertainment Industry Investment Act (HB 1100), new legislation designed to encourage entertainment industry productions in Georgia. The signing ceremony took place at the studios of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.), where the Governor was joined by Phil Kent, chairman and CEO of TBS, Inc., and over 100 attendees including legislators, industry leaders and members of the entertainment industry.
“We know that our excellent talent base and outstanding locations make Georgia a very desirable place to film,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. “This legislation puts in place the economic cornerstone that will encourage producers to convert that desire into action.”
The 2008 Entertainment Industry Investment Act reinforces and strengthens Georgia’s position within the entertainment industry. The new, more competitive incentives replace those currently in use by offering a 20 percent tax credit for qualified productions, which are then eligible for an additional 10 percent tax credit if they include an animated Georgia promotional logo within the finished product.
The incentives apply not only to qualified films, TV series, commercials and music videos, but also to video game productions. The economic impact of all these entertainment segments in Georgia was $413 million in 2007.
“We’re proud of this legislation; alot of the credit goes to Governor Perdue for setting up the film commission,” said Rep. Butch Parrish, a sponsor of the legislation. “I think this bill will jump start the Georgia film industry.”
“This new incentive allows Georgia to once again compete for an industry we used to be famous for,” said Sen. Mitch Seabaugh. “It will be a catalyst that will spur immediate economic investment and create jobs. Georgia will once again be on center stage where it belongs.”
“The new incentives will put Georgia among the top five states in the U.S. in terms of financial competitiveness for entertainment projects,” said Ken Stewart, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD). “We expect to see an increase in the number of industry jobs and overall economic impact for the state in the coming years.”
The state has seen success in the past with competitive incentives. The 2005 Entertainment Industry Investment Act (HB 539), signed by Governor Perdue in 2005, led to a record-setting economic impact in 2006 when film, television and video game companies contributed $475 million to Georgia’s economy, up from $124 million in 2004. The total economic impact of entertainment productions from 2005 through 2007 has been over $1.17 billion, due in large part to Georgia’s entertainment incentives. Since then, however, film activity in the state has decreased as other states, regions and nations boosted their competitive packages.
“The 2008 Entertainment Industry Investment Act (HB 1100) will return Georgia to its rightful place of prominence in all major entertainment industry segments,” stated Bill Thompson, deputy commissioner of the Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Office, a division of GDEcD. “We expect a significant increase in film and television projects, and Georgia will be the most competitive state in the country for video game productions.
Georgia is one of the few states whose entertainment incentives support the video game industry.”
Governor Perdue was joined at the event by Sen.Greg Goggans, who carried the legislation in the Senate, Rep. Ron Stephens, and Rep. Rich Golick.
“House Bill 1100 is a key piece to the puzzle in sustaining Georgia's entertainment industry for the long haul,” said Ric Reitz, an actor and producer from Atlanta. “It will provide many new jobs for Georgians, improve the state's entertainment infrastructure, and grow Georgia's indigenous companies.”
The Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Office, formerly known as the Film, Video and Music Office, conducts extensive business development, sales, marketing and promotional activities in order to attract entertainment projects and businesses to the state. The office also assists the local, national and international entertainment industries with information, expertise and resources. The staff points movie production companies to Georgia’s highly-trained crews, state-of-the-art facilities, and diverse locations. Georgia’s temperate climate and easy access afforded by Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport are also factors that attract the industry’s interest.
Georgia has been investing in the entertainment industry for over 35 years. Since the inception of the Georgia Film Commission in 1973, more than 575 major motion pictures, independent films, television series and pilots, and TV movies have filmed on location in the state. As a result, over $5 billion has been generated for the state’s economy. Georgia’s music industry continues to thrive with an economic impact of $1.97 billion in 2007. Movies were first produced in Georgia as early as 1912, and have continued without interruption during every decade since then.
“We know that our excellent talent base and outstanding locations make Georgia a very desirable place to film,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. “This legislation puts in place the economic cornerstone that will encourage producers to convert that desire into action.”
The 2008 Entertainment Industry Investment Act reinforces and strengthens Georgia’s position within the entertainment industry. The new, more competitive incentives replace those currently in use by offering a 20 percent tax credit for qualified productions, which are then eligible for an additional 10 percent tax credit if they include an animated Georgia promotional logo within the finished product.
The incentives apply not only to qualified films, TV series, commercials and music videos, but also to video game productions. The economic impact of all these entertainment segments in Georgia was $413 million in 2007.
“We’re proud of this legislation; alot of the credit goes to Governor Perdue for setting up the film commission,” said Rep. Butch Parrish, a sponsor of the legislation. “I think this bill will jump start the Georgia film industry.”
“This new incentive allows Georgia to once again compete for an industry we used to be famous for,” said Sen. Mitch Seabaugh. “It will be a catalyst that will spur immediate economic investment and create jobs. Georgia will once again be on center stage where it belongs.”
“The new incentives will put Georgia among the top five states in the U.S. in terms of financial competitiveness for entertainment projects,” said Ken Stewart, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD). “We expect to see an increase in the number of industry jobs and overall economic impact for the state in the coming years.”
The state has seen success in the past with competitive incentives. The 2005 Entertainment Industry Investment Act (HB 539), signed by Governor Perdue in 2005, led to a record-setting economic impact in 2006 when film, television and video game companies contributed $475 million to Georgia’s economy, up from $124 million in 2004. The total economic impact of entertainment productions from 2005 through 2007 has been over $1.17 billion, due in large part to Georgia’s entertainment incentives. Since then, however, film activity in the state has decreased as other states, regions and nations boosted their competitive packages.
“The 2008 Entertainment Industry Investment Act (HB 1100) will return Georgia to its rightful place of prominence in all major entertainment industry segments,” stated Bill Thompson, deputy commissioner of the Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Office, a division of GDEcD. “We expect a significant increase in film and television projects, and Georgia will be the most competitive state in the country for video game productions.
Georgia is one of the few states whose entertainment incentives support the video game industry.”
Governor Perdue was joined at the event by Sen.Greg Goggans, who carried the legislation in the Senate, Rep. Ron Stephens, and Rep. Rich Golick.
“House Bill 1100 is a key piece to the puzzle in sustaining Georgia's entertainment industry for the long haul,” said Ric Reitz, an actor and producer from Atlanta. “It will provide many new jobs for Georgians, improve the state's entertainment infrastructure, and grow Georgia's indigenous companies.”
The Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Office, formerly known as the Film, Video and Music Office, conducts extensive business development, sales, marketing and promotional activities in order to attract entertainment projects and businesses to the state. The office also assists the local, national and international entertainment industries with information, expertise and resources. The staff points movie production companies to Georgia’s highly-trained crews, state-of-the-art facilities, and diverse locations. Georgia’s temperate climate and easy access afforded by Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport are also factors that attract the industry’s interest.
Georgia has been investing in the entertainment industry for over 35 years. Since the inception of the Georgia Film Commission in 1973, more than 575 major motion pictures, independent films, television series and pilots, and TV movies have filmed on location in the state. As a result, over $5 billion has been generated for the state’s economy. Georgia’s music industry continues to thrive with an economic impact of $1.97 billion in 2007. Movies were first produced in Georgia as early as 1912, and have continued without interruption during every decade since then.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Happenings at the Carrollton Cultural Arts Center
The Roush Family Gallery of the Carrollton Cultural Arts Center presents “A Comedy of Painting: Clowns and Infantas” by Stefani Joseph a professor of foundation studies at the Savannah Campus of the Savannah College of Art and Design. The exhibit will run May 2 – June 1, 2008 with an opening reception on Friday, May 2, from 5 until 7 p.m. Ms. Joseph will have an Artist Talk followed by a presentation on “Is Art and Design College Right For You?” on Saturday, May 3, 2008 at 2 p.m. in the Roush Family Gallery. Exhibiting in the Galleria of the Cultural Arts Center will be the Spring Show 2008 by LOFAS, League of Fine Artist South. The reception is open to the public who is invited to come meet the artists. These receptions are an opportunity to glean from the Artist themselves information on selected subject matter, methodology and materials used to create their works.
Stefani Joseph is originally from England, attending the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, Oxford University, England; Royal Academy Schools, London, England; and moving to the United States she attended and now teaches at the Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, Georgia. Her Gallery Affiliations are with the Gallery Gora in Montreal, Canada, and Off the Wall Gallery, The Marshall House in Savannah, Georgia. She has exhibited around the world including Oxford, England, Beijing, China, Canada, Seoul, Korea and Ibiza, Spain and throughout the United States; Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, Ohio, the Carolinas, Chicago, Miami, New Orleans, Santa Fe, New York, and Atlanta. Her collectors are equally varied, found in Los Angles, Hilton Head, the Isle of Wight, Oxford, and Savannah just to name a few.
Primarily concerned with people in all their different human situations, she also takes visual delight in the costumes dating from the European seventeenth century. She enjoys this exuberant flamboyance, and the self evident “joy of life” typically passed onto the wearer. The painters she responds to most in these contexts are Johannes Vermeer and Diego Velasquez. Her selection of color can be bold or diffused depending on the temperament of the theme depicted. Joyfully bold and bright colors mimicking harlequin costumes may be reflected in one painting, and in the next, the images may be subtle cool shades of water reflecting a totally different mood. Stefani states: “In addition to the visual references to human situations, my paintings are also part descriptive, and consideration is given to the balance between the two, which differs from work to work. While the joyful situations such as festivity and revelry prompt the descriptive element to the fore, there have been increasing instances of late where this has not been so pronounced. In these instances there have been visual references to less happy situations, specifically deceit and treachery. These paintings are arguably more complex, as subtler themes such as ambiguity, duplicity and intrigue are alluded to, either directly or by the inclusion of masked figures.”
LOFAS will return with their annual exhibit and Spring Show 2008 to the Galleria of the Cultural Arts Center. Featuring: Fused glass by Licha Ochoa Nicholson, Oils and acrylics by Donna Matthews, Mixed media of paper and paint by Georgia Rowswell, Sculpture of bamboo, glass and stone by Dave Rowswell and Oils and watercolors by Ann Fay Rushforth. The League of Fine Artists South or “LOFAS” is a small, diverse group of individual artists, living and working mostly in Georgia. Initially formed to promote and increase the representation of fine art on the south side of Atlanta, the membership has expanded beyond the southern counties to include members from all over the greater Atlanta area. Despite their variety of mediums and residences, they are a cohesive group that continues to support each other and the development of a strong arts presence in their communities.
The group’s 2007 exhibit welcomed guests with willowy swaths of sheer drapery outside and inside the Gallery proving their dynamic styles in a wide variety of mediums could be united into an exhibit drawing viewers into individual presentations yet never loosing the feeling there was something else to see. Their 2008 exhibit promises to be equally inviting.
The Galleries of the Carrollton Cultural Arts Center are open Monday – Friday 9am-5pm, Saturday 10am-3pm and Sunday 1-4 pm. For more information call the Carrollton Cultural Arts Center at 770-838-1083.
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Community News You Can Use
Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Tyrone
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Thursday, May 8, 2008
National Endowment for the Arts Announces More Than $77 Million in Grants for the Second Round of Fiscal Year 2008 Funding
In its second major grant announcement of fiscal year 2008, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced today that it will award $77.4 million to fund 1,014 grants. The Arts Endowment will distribute $77,452,700 in this round of FY 2008 funding to nonprofit national, regional, state, and local organizations across the country, funding grants in the categories of Access to Artistic Excellence, Arts on Radio and Television, Learning in the Arts for Children and Youth, Partnership Agreements (State and Regional), and American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius.
"NEA support enriches the civic life of the nation by making the best of the arts available throughout the United States," said NEA Chairman Dana Gioia. "From traditional arts apprenticeships for youth to online museum resources for the public, the range of support represents a valuable investment in American art that will serve the American people."
Access to Artistic Excellence grants support the creation and presentation of work in the disciplines of dance, design, folk and traditional arts, literature, media arts, museums, music, musical theater, opera, presenting, theater, and visual arts. Through this category, the NEA will fund 593 projects out of a total of 1,002 eligible applications for a federal investment of $14,029,500.
Examples of projects supported by Access to Artistic Excellence grants include:
Support for the Augusta Folklife Program, sponsored by Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, West Virginia. Activities will include the West Virginia Folk Arts Apprenticeship Program, a scholarship program, the Old-Time Fiddler's Reunion, and folklife documentation.
Support for the National Zarzuela Institute, sponsored by the National Hispanic Cultural Center Foundation in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The project will promote the development of musical theater artists in Spanish and Latin American concert repertoire and preserve the zarzuela, a style of light opera of Spanish origin.
Support to the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida for documentation of sustainable building practices and techniques examined at the symposium Under the Sun: Sustainable Innovations & Traditions.
Arts on Radio and Television grants support the development, production, and national distribution of radio and television arts programs. The NEA will fund 52 grants in this category for a total federal investment of $3,700,000.
Examples of projects supported by Arts on Radio and Television grants include:
To support the production and national broadcast of the radio series Fresh Air with Terry Gross. The award-winning daily journal of contemporary arts and culture is broadcast on 493 National Public Radio stations and is heard by more than 4.5 million people each week.
To support the development and production by Thirteen/WNET New York of performing arts specials for the television series Great Performances and Dance in America for broadcast on PBS.
Learning in the Arts for Children and Youth grants advance arts education for children and youth in school-based or community-based settings. Projects must provide participatory learning and engage students with skilled artists, teachers, and excellent art. Funded projects also must apply national or state arts education standards. The NEA will fund 216 projects in this category out of 500 eligible applications, for a federal investment of $6,790,000.
Examples of projects supported by Learning in the Arts for Children and Youth grants include:
Support for the Perlman Music Camp, led by Toby and Itzhak Perlman, an intensive six-week residency in eastern Long Island which provides instruction, coaching, and mentoring opportunities to exceptionally gifted young string players.
Support for the Young Filmmakers Program at the Northwest Film Center, Portland Museum of Art in Oregon. As many as 4,000 young people in Oregon and southwest Washington state will study media production, creative writing, camera work, and career training.
Partnership grants provide support to the 56 state, jurisdictional, and territorial arts agencies, the six regional arts organizations, and the National Association of State Arts Agencies. Also included in this round is a grant of $65,900 to Pacific Resources in Education and Learning to support the implementation of a two-year plan for services and assistance to art educators, schools, local artists, and community members. In total, 64 grants were awarded in this category for a federal investment of $50,173,200.
American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius is a major NEA initiative to acquaint Americans with the best of their cultural and artistic legacy. Through American Masterpieces, the National Endowment for the Arts sponsors performances, exhibitions, tours, and educational programs across different art forms that reach large and small communities in all 50 states. American Masterpieces grants in this round will support 89 projects in the categories of chamber music, presenting, and visual arts touring for a federal investment of $2,760,000.
Examples of projects supported by American Masterpieces include:
Support for the Elliott Carter Centenary. A season-long celebration of the composer's 100th birthday will include concerts, public interviews with the composer, and residency activities at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York.
Support for the remounting of John Cage and Merce Cunningham's Ocean (1994) within the Rainbow Quarry near St. Cloud, Minnesota. Inside a massive amphitheater cut into granite, the Merce Cunningham Dance Company will perform on a circular stage, surrounded by the audience and 150 classical musicians from the St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra and four state college orchestras.
Support to the Montclair Art Museum in New Jersey for the touring exhibition Cezanne and American Modernism, a comprehensive examination of Cezanne's influence on American modern art.
Grants listings noted in this announcement:
Access to Artistic Excellence
American Masterpieces: Chamber Music Presenting Visual Arts Touring
Arts on Radio and Television
Learning in the Arts for Children and Youth
Partnership Agreements (State and Regional)
Grant listings for these categories are also available by state.
Some details of the projects listed in this grant announcement are subject to change, contingent upon prior Endowment approval. For additional information, contact the National Endowment for the Arts' Office of Communications at 202-682-5570.
The National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Arts Endowment is the largest annual national funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases.
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Fayette Front Page
Community News You Can Use
Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Tyrone
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NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS ANNOUNCES NEW SERIES OF OPERATION HOMECOMING WRITING WORKSHOPS
U.S. Armed Forces active duty troops and veterans of both current and past conflicts will have an in-depth opportunity to reflect on their service through the National Endowment for the Arts’ groundbreaking initiative Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience. For the first time, Operation Homecoming will invite veterans as well as active duty troops to participate in progressive, four-to-six-week writing workshops at 25 sites around the country. The new phase of Operation Homecoming is the first instance in which the NEA will hold writing workshops at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers, military hospitals, and affiliated centers in communities around the country. St. Louis VA Medical Center in Missouri and Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC, served as pilot sites for the new phase of the program, and both facilities will host workshops this summer.
Nationally acclaimed writers, such as Andrew Carroll, Tobias Wolff, Jeff Shaara, and Marilyn Nelson, will lead sessions. In an extraordinary opportunity to build closer ties between local and military communities, local literary organizations and writers will partner with many of the workshop sites. The NEA collaborated with the Department of Veterans Affairs as well as the Department of Defense to develop current Operation Homecoming activities. Operation Homecoming is made possible with support from The Boeing Company.
“Operation Homecoming is an important program in both human and historical terms,” said NEA Chairman Dana Gioia. “In human terms, it brings the transformative power of writing to men and women who have undergone enormously challenging experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan. In historical terms, it gives voice to the troops who have served in this war.”
“I commend the NEA for providing a positive outlet for our service members to share their experiences,” said Dr. James Peake, Secretary of Veterans Affairs. “These workshops serve to highlight and improve veterans’ writing talents by putting on paper reminders to all of us of their heroism.”
As evidence of the literary achievement of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, the Arts Endowment has added three new faculty members who served in the conflicts: playwright Ryan Kelly, poet Brian Turner, and journalist Nathaniel Fick. Matthew Eck, author of the novel The Farther Shore and an Army veteran who served in Somalia and Bosnia; Vietnam War veteran Robert Timberg, editor of the U.S. Naval Institute’s Proceedings magazine and author of The Nightingale’s Song; and Kristin Henderson, a military spouse and author of While They’re at War, are other new faculty members.
To facilitate the multi-week workshops, the NEA has partnered with the Southern Arts Federation to offer each participant free materials to aid the writing process, including a guide for writers. The guide was edited by project consultant Andrew Carroll, a noted expert on wartime correspondence and editor of the Operation Homecoming anthology. The guide offers advice on writing and samples of notable wartime writing by veterans, civilians, and Operation Homecoming contributors. Participants also will receive a CD of audio recordings of war literature from the Civil War to the Vietnam War. Each participant also will receive a copy of the documentary film Muse of Fire, which chronicles the Operation Homecoming writing process with participants and their writing instructors. Workshop host sites will receive copies of the Operation Homecoming anthology for use as reference materials during the workshops.
Since 2004, the NEA Operation Homecoming writing program has preserved the stories of U.S. military personnel and their families. With support from The Boeing Company, Operation Homecoming has brought 59 writing workshops to troops at 27 domestic and overseas military installations from Camp Pendleton in California to USS Carl Vinson in the Persian Gulf and Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan. Among the original workshop teachers are distinguished writers Wolff, Shaara, Nelson, Richard Bausch, Bobbie Ann Mason, Joe Haldeman, and Mark Bowden. In tandem with the workshops, the Arts Endowment offered an open call for writing submissions to active military personnel and their families. This ongoing call has resulted in more than 1,200 submissions and 12,000 pages of writings. Almost 100 of the submissions to the NEA were featured in the anthology Operation Homecoming: Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Home Front in the Words of U.S. Troops and Their Families (Random House, 2006). Operation Homecoming was named one of the “Best of 2006” in nonfiction by The Washington Post Book World. The University of Chicago Press will release an expanded paperback version on Memorial Day 2008. The Operation Homecoming archives will be preserved in both the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration and the Library of Congress’s Veterans History Project.
Workshop sites and participation
The 2008 Operation Homecoming writing workshops are free and open to active duty troops and veterans, with a focus on those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Military families may participate as allowed by host facilities. The initial workshops will be held in the following cities, with more workshops to be announced:
VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA
Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC
Miami VA Healthcare System, Miami, FL
St. Louis VA Medical Center, St. Louis, MO
U.S. Marine Corps Command and Staff College, Marine Corps University, Quantico, VA
For more information on registration, dates and locations, visit www.operationhomecoming.org. The website contains other educational resources on writing, from essays on the craft of writing to sample audio clips from the Operation Homecoming CD.
NEA partnerships with military communities
Operation Homecoming is the largest of several landmark partnerships between the NEA and the Department of Defense. The projects include the NEA’s national reading program The Big Read in communities with military bases; the Great American Voices Military Base Tour, which brought professional performances of opera and musical theater to 39 military bases nationwide; and Shakespeare in American Communities Military Base Tour, professional theater performances at 18 military bases. The Boeing Company sponsored The Big Read and Great American Voices military community projects. For more information on these and other NEA programs, visit www.arts.gov.
Operation Homecoming is administered by the Southern Arts Federation and is made possible with support from The Boeing Company.
About the National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Arts Endowment is the largest annual national funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases.
About the Southern Arts Federation
The Southern Arts Federation (SAF) is a nonprofit regional arts organization that has been making a positive difference in the arts throughout the South since 1975. SAF creates partnerships and collaborations; assists in the professional development of artists, arts organizations and arts professionals; presents, promotes and produces Southern arts and cultural programming; and advocates for the arts and art education. The organization works in partnership with the nine state arts agencies of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
About The Boeing Company
Boeing is the world's leading aerospace company and the largest manufacturer of commercial jetliners and military aircraft combined. Additionally, Boeing designs and manufactures rotorcraft, electronic and defense systems, missiles, satellites, launch vehicles and advanced information and communication systems. The company also provides numerous military and commercial airline support services. Boeing has customers in more than 90 countries around the world and is one of the largest U.S. exporters in terms of sales. Headquartered in Chicago, it employs more than 160,000 people across the United States and in 70 countries.
Nationally acclaimed writers, such as Andrew Carroll, Tobias Wolff, Jeff Shaara, and Marilyn Nelson, will lead sessions. In an extraordinary opportunity to build closer ties between local and military communities, local literary organizations and writers will partner with many of the workshop sites. The NEA collaborated with the Department of Veterans Affairs as well as the Department of Defense to develop current Operation Homecoming activities. Operation Homecoming is made possible with support from The Boeing Company.
“Operation Homecoming is an important program in both human and historical terms,” said NEA Chairman Dana Gioia. “In human terms, it brings the transformative power of writing to men and women who have undergone enormously challenging experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan. In historical terms, it gives voice to the troops who have served in this war.”
“I commend the NEA for providing a positive outlet for our service members to share their experiences,” said Dr. James Peake, Secretary of Veterans Affairs. “These workshops serve to highlight and improve veterans’ writing talents by putting on paper reminders to all of us of their heroism.”
As evidence of the literary achievement of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, the Arts Endowment has added three new faculty members who served in the conflicts: playwright Ryan Kelly, poet Brian Turner, and journalist Nathaniel Fick. Matthew Eck, author of the novel The Farther Shore and an Army veteran who served in Somalia and Bosnia; Vietnam War veteran Robert Timberg, editor of the U.S. Naval Institute’s Proceedings magazine and author of The Nightingale’s Song; and Kristin Henderson, a military spouse and author of While They’re at War, are other new faculty members.
To facilitate the multi-week workshops, the NEA has partnered with the Southern Arts Federation to offer each participant free materials to aid the writing process, including a guide for writers. The guide was edited by project consultant Andrew Carroll, a noted expert on wartime correspondence and editor of the Operation Homecoming anthology. The guide offers advice on writing and samples of notable wartime writing by veterans, civilians, and Operation Homecoming contributors. Participants also will receive a CD of audio recordings of war literature from the Civil War to the Vietnam War. Each participant also will receive a copy of the documentary film Muse of Fire, which chronicles the Operation Homecoming writing process with participants and their writing instructors. Workshop host sites will receive copies of the Operation Homecoming anthology for use as reference materials during the workshops.
Since 2004, the NEA Operation Homecoming writing program has preserved the stories of U.S. military personnel and their families. With support from The Boeing Company, Operation Homecoming has brought 59 writing workshops to troops at 27 domestic and overseas military installations from Camp Pendleton in California to USS Carl Vinson in the Persian Gulf and Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan. Among the original workshop teachers are distinguished writers Wolff, Shaara, Nelson, Richard Bausch, Bobbie Ann Mason, Joe Haldeman, and Mark Bowden. In tandem with the workshops, the Arts Endowment offered an open call for writing submissions to active military personnel and their families. This ongoing call has resulted in more than 1,200 submissions and 12,000 pages of writings. Almost 100 of the submissions to the NEA were featured in the anthology Operation Homecoming: Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Home Front in the Words of U.S. Troops and Their Families (Random House, 2006). Operation Homecoming was named one of the “Best of 2006” in nonfiction by The Washington Post Book World. The University of Chicago Press will release an expanded paperback version on Memorial Day 2008. The Operation Homecoming archives will be preserved in both the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration and the Library of Congress’s Veterans History Project.
Workshop sites and participation
The 2008 Operation Homecoming writing workshops are free and open to active duty troops and veterans, with a focus on those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Military families may participate as allowed by host facilities. The initial workshops will be held in the following cities, with more workshops to be announced:
VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA
Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC
Miami VA Healthcare System, Miami, FL
St. Louis VA Medical Center, St. Louis, MO
U.S. Marine Corps Command and Staff College, Marine Corps University, Quantico, VA
For more information on registration, dates and locations, visit www.operationhomecoming.org. The website contains other educational resources on writing, from essays on the craft of writing to sample audio clips from the Operation Homecoming CD.
NEA partnerships with military communities
Operation Homecoming is the largest of several landmark partnerships between the NEA and the Department of Defense. The projects include the NEA’s national reading program The Big Read in communities with military bases; the Great American Voices Military Base Tour, which brought professional performances of opera and musical theater to 39 military bases nationwide; and Shakespeare in American Communities Military Base Tour, professional theater performances at 18 military bases. The Boeing Company sponsored The Big Read and Great American Voices military community projects. For more information on these and other NEA programs, visit www.arts.gov.
Operation Homecoming is administered by the Southern Arts Federation and is made possible with support from The Boeing Company.
About the National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Arts Endowment is the largest annual national funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases.
About the Southern Arts Federation
The Southern Arts Federation (SAF) is a nonprofit regional arts organization that has been making a positive difference in the arts throughout the South since 1975. SAF creates partnerships and collaborations; assists in the professional development of artists, arts organizations and arts professionals; presents, promotes and produces Southern arts and cultural programming; and advocates for the arts and art education. The organization works in partnership with the nine state arts agencies of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
About The Boeing Company
Boeing is the world's leading aerospace company and the largest manufacturer of commercial jetliners and military aircraft combined. Additionally, Boeing designs and manufactures rotorcraft, electronic and defense systems, missiles, satellites, launch vehicles and advanced information and communication systems. The company also provides numerous military and commercial airline support services. Boeing has customers in more than 90 countries around the world and is one of the largest U.S. exporters in terms of sales. Headquartered in Chicago, it employs more than 160,000 people across the United States and in 70 countries.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Susan V. Booth to Direct New Musical at the Alliance Theatre
Artistic Director Susan V. Booth of Atlanta’s nationally acclaimed Alliance Theatre has been selected to direct the revolutionary new musical Jesus Christ Superstar GOSPEL. The musical will run Jan. 14 – Feb. 22, 2009 on the Alliance Stage with rehearsals scheduled to begin in December 2008. Booth was selected to direct the show after meeting with senior producers of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group in London.
“It’s a terrific honor and a humbling challenge to take on a work so iconic and beloved as Superstar,” said Booth. “While my enthusiasm for the project was already high as a producer, the opportunity to wrap my directing arms around this utterly Atlanta-centric production in partnership with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group is just fantastic.”
Directing musicals is not new to Booth as she has recently directed two highly successful musicals since her arrival at the Alliance in 2001: My Fair Lady (January 2004) and Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (September 2007). As a stage director, her work has been seen at theatres including the Alliance, Chicago’s Goodman Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Cincinnati Playhouse, St. Louis Repertory, New York Stage and Film, and many others. During her tenure at the Alliance, she has produced numerous world premieres including The Color Purple, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, SISTER ACT the Musical and The Women of Brewster Place.
Reflecting on Booth’s selection, American songwriter Louis St. Louis (who conceived this new gospel version) said, “I feel blessed to have the incredible Susan Booth working on this project. I thought I'd hit the jackpot when she opted to include this in the 40th Anniversary season, but the icing on the cake is having her in the position of director. Wow!”
Booth was scheduled to direct Smart Cookie, the fifth winner of the nationally recognized Kendeda Graduate Playwriting Competition, which runs Jan. 30 – Feb. 22, 2009. A replacement director has not yet been identified.
As conceived by Louis St. Louis, Jesus Christ Superstar GOSPEL is a new version arranged from the Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber hit musical Jesus Christ Superstar. The production traces the last seven days of the life of Christ in a vividly contemporary gospel setting with an inspirational beat to classics like “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” and “Everything’s Alright.” This is a unique, innovative musical experience.
St. Louis said, “I must add I am also infinitely honored to have been granted this opportunity by Andrew Lloyd Webber. You must understand, for a [child] product of Detroit's Pentecostal Church, this is the greatest full-circle moment in my career, and I am thrilled to share this experience with Susan and the Alliance.”
Visit www.alliancetheatre.org for more information about the 2008-09 season.
“It’s a terrific honor and a humbling challenge to take on a work so iconic and beloved as Superstar,” said Booth. “While my enthusiasm for the project was already high as a producer, the opportunity to wrap my directing arms around this utterly Atlanta-centric production in partnership with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group is just fantastic.”
Directing musicals is not new to Booth as she has recently directed two highly successful musicals since her arrival at the Alliance in 2001: My Fair Lady (January 2004) and Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (September 2007). As a stage director, her work has been seen at theatres including the Alliance, Chicago’s Goodman Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Cincinnati Playhouse, St. Louis Repertory, New York Stage and Film, and many others. During her tenure at the Alliance, she has produced numerous world premieres including The Color Purple, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, SISTER ACT the Musical and The Women of Brewster Place.
Reflecting on Booth’s selection, American songwriter Louis St. Louis (who conceived this new gospel version) said, “I feel blessed to have the incredible Susan Booth working on this project. I thought I'd hit the jackpot when she opted to include this in the 40th Anniversary season, but the icing on the cake is having her in the position of director. Wow!”
Booth was scheduled to direct Smart Cookie, the fifth winner of the nationally recognized Kendeda Graduate Playwriting Competition, which runs Jan. 30 – Feb. 22, 2009. A replacement director has not yet been identified.
As conceived by Louis St. Louis, Jesus Christ Superstar GOSPEL is a new version arranged from the Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber hit musical Jesus Christ Superstar. The production traces the last seven days of the life of Christ in a vividly contemporary gospel setting with an inspirational beat to classics like “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” and “Everything’s Alright.” This is a unique, innovative musical experience.
St. Louis said, “I must add I am also infinitely honored to have been granted this opportunity by Andrew Lloyd Webber. You must understand, for a [child] product of Detroit's Pentecostal Church, this is the greatest full-circle moment in my career, and I am thrilled to share this experience with Susan and the Alliance.”
Visit www.alliancetheatre.org for more information about the 2008-09 season.
A Slice of Caribbean Art
May 29th-July 27th
In recognition of June as Caribbean American Heritage Month, this exhibition features a diverse blend of artwork in a variety of media from artists of Caribbean descent. Highlighted in this show will be Cleve Webber, Desmond McFarlane, Kai Watson, Jhosell Castro, Lillian Blades, Ivor Thom, Basil Watson, Curtis McHardy, Errol Tomlinson, and Raymond Watson. Reception and launch of the Georgia Caribbean American Heritage Coalition's Mentoring Program
Friday, June 13th, from 6-9 p.m.
Junor Gallery
114 E. Ponce De Leon Avenue
Decatur, GA 30030
404.377.2255 Tues, Wed, Fri 11-6 866.460.0886 Thurs 11-7
junorgallery@bellsouth.net Sun 12-5
*located on the old courthouse square between Church St. and Clairemont Ave.
In recognition of June as Caribbean American Heritage Month, this exhibition features a diverse blend of artwork in a variety of media from artists of Caribbean descent. Highlighted in this show will be Cleve Webber, Desmond McFarlane, Kai Watson, Jhosell Castro, Lillian Blades, Ivor Thom, Basil Watson, Curtis McHardy, Errol Tomlinson, and Raymond Watson. Reception and launch of the Georgia Caribbean American Heritage Coalition's Mentoring Program
Friday, June 13th, from 6-9 p.m.
Junor Gallery
114 E. Ponce De Leon Avenue
Decatur, GA 30030
404.377.2255 Tues, Wed, Fri 11-6 866.460.0886 Thurs 11-7
junorgallery@bellsouth.net Sun 12-5
*located on the old courthouse square between Church St. and Clairemont Ave.
Closing Reception: Basil Watson: A Conversation With The Figure
Closing Reception Saturday, May 17th 6-9 p.m
Due to the incredibly positive response we are pleased to host a closing reception on Saturday, May 17th from 6-9 p.m. We invite you to join us for the finale of Basil Watson: A Conversation With The Figure. Also view works by Henri Linton, Carly Clements, Li Hardison, Lynn Marshall-Linnemeier, Chery Baird, and FaZie As'Ad.
Junor Gallery 114 E. Ponce De Leon AvenueDecatur, GA 30030
404.377.2255 Tues, Wed, Fri 11-6 866.460.0886 Thurs 11-7 junorgallery@bellsouth.net Sun 12-5
*located on the old courthouse square between Church St. and Clairemont Ave.
Due to the incredibly positive response we are pleased to host a closing reception on Saturday, May 17th from 6-9 p.m. We invite you to join us for the finale of Basil Watson: A Conversation With The Figure. Also view works by Henri Linton, Carly Clements, Li Hardison, Lynn Marshall-Linnemeier, Chery Baird, and FaZie As'Ad.
Junor Gallery 114 E. Ponce De Leon AvenueDecatur, GA 30030
404.377.2255 Tues, Wed, Fri 11-6 866.460.0886 Thurs 11-7 junorgallery@bellsouth.net Sun 12-5
*located on the old courthouse square between Church St. and Clairemont Ave.
Monday, May 5, 2008
TWO Great Summer Art Camps for South Metro Kids!
Be creative with Summer Plans for your children! From June 9 through June 20, Arts Clayton presents two weeks of art packed fun at the 15th annual KALEIDOSCOPE Summer Art Camps and the Summer Art Camp for Young TEENS!
Through art related activities, instruction and special programs, elementary age children from all across the south metro area will enjoy hands-on instruction about art, photography, dance, drama, music and more. KALEIDOSCOPE Summer Art Camp is designed to be an overall Art Experience for children. EVERY child at EVERY experience level will participate in BOTH Visual and Performing Arts during their time at camp. It is Arts Clayton’s goal to encourage children to explore and develop an appreciation for ALL of the Arts and to learn that by working together THROUGH the arts, we bridge all gaps and come together as a community. At the conclusion of Art Camp an exciting Musical Performance AND a Gallery Style Art Exhibit will be presented by the campers for the enjoyment of family, friends, and community!
There will be special visits and exciting programs including a visit from renowned children’s literature illustrator Michael White; a theatrical performance of Tales from Near and Far by Offshoot Productions; the art of storytelling by KUUMBA Storytellers; and an amazing puppet and animation show by Al Waller and the Be A Know It All Varmints! The Clayton County Fire and Police Departments will pay a visit allowing campers an inside peek the extraordinary safety vehicles they drive and an opportunity to talk to real police and fire officers! Campers will also have an opportunity to participate in the Kaleidoscope Campers Talent Show!
The KALEIDOSCOPE Summer Arts Camp is designed for children entering first through sixth grades next fall, and will be held mornings 8:30 am to 12:15 pm at Lee Street Elementary located at 178 Lee Street in historic downtown Jonesboro ~ behind the Jonesboro Library. The all inclusive cost of the full two-week program is only $155. There are no additional registration or supply fees. Arts Clayton also provides mid-morning snacks for the children each day and a FREE T-shirt for campers.
AFTER CAMP art classes will also be available to registered KALEIDOSCOPE Campers. For an additional $95 (total for both weeks), kids enrolling in AFTER CAMP bring a bag lunch and remain each day until 2pm for additional art classes. Openings are VERY limited and available on a first come basis.
For Middle School students entering the 7th, 8th or 9th grades next fall, Arts Clayton offers the Summer Art Camp for Young TEENS. The program welcomes the return of the ever popular Cartooning and Animation classes and also offers instruction in Photography, Drawing, Painting, and Theatre Arts for the rising young stars!
The two-week Theatre Camp students will be exposed to elements of stage movement, acting, costuming, improvisation, and audition techniques. Actors will learn not only basic skills, but will tap into their own experiences and imagination to perform and communicate. The final production will receive a public performance!
Summer Art Camp for Young TEENS will be held at Lee Street Elementary located at 178 Lee Street in historic downtown Jonesboro ~ behind the Jonesboro Library, from June 9 through June 20. Class times, days and tuitions will vary based on each student’s selections.
More information and camp registration forms are available at the Arts Clayton Gallery, 136 South Main Street in historic downtown Jonesboro, open Monday through Saturday from 9am until 5 pm. You may also visit our website at www.artsclayton.org, email us at artline@artsclayton.org, or call 770-473-5775 or 5826 to request a registration form by mail. Class sizes are limited and registration is on a first come basis.
The Arts Clayton Summer Art Camps are a part of the Clayton County Commissioner’s “Safe Summer Initiative for Children”. Arts Clayton is also a Partner at Large in Education working with the Clayton County Public Schools to ensure the highest caliber of programs and activities are offered.
Through art related activities, instruction and special programs, elementary age children from all across the south metro area will enjoy hands-on instruction about art, photography, dance, drama, music and more. KALEIDOSCOPE Summer Art Camp is designed to be an overall Art Experience for children. EVERY child at EVERY experience level will participate in BOTH Visual and Performing Arts during their time at camp. It is Arts Clayton’s goal to encourage children to explore and develop an appreciation for ALL of the Arts and to learn that by working together THROUGH the arts, we bridge all gaps and come together as a community. At the conclusion of Art Camp an exciting Musical Performance AND a Gallery Style Art Exhibit will be presented by the campers for the enjoyment of family, friends, and community!
There will be special visits and exciting programs including a visit from renowned children’s literature illustrator Michael White; a theatrical performance of Tales from Near and Far by Offshoot Productions; the art of storytelling by KUUMBA Storytellers; and an amazing puppet and animation show by Al Waller and the Be A Know It All Varmints! The Clayton County Fire and Police Departments will pay a visit allowing campers an inside peek the extraordinary safety vehicles they drive and an opportunity to talk to real police and fire officers! Campers will also have an opportunity to participate in the Kaleidoscope Campers Talent Show!
The KALEIDOSCOPE Summer Arts Camp is designed for children entering first through sixth grades next fall, and will be held mornings 8:30 am to 12:15 pm at Lee Street Elementary located at 178 Lee Street in historic downtown Jonesboro ~ behind the Jonesboro Library. The all inclusive cost of the full two-week program is only $155. There are no additional registration or supply fees. Arts Clayton also provides mid-morning snacks for the children each day and a FREE T-shirt for campers.
AFTER CAMP art classes will also be available to registered KALEIDOSCOPE Campers. For an additional $95 (total for both weeks), kids enrolling in AFTER CAMP bring a bag lunch and remain each day until 2pm for additional art classes. Openings are VERY limited and available on a first come basis.
For Middle School students entering the 7th, 8th or 9th grades next fall, Arts Clayton offers the Summer Art Camp for Young TEENS. The program welcomes the return of the ever popular Cartooning and Animation classes and also offers instruction in Photography, Drawing, Painting, and Theatre Arts for the rising young stars!
The two-week Theatre Camp students will be exposed to elements of stage movement, acting, costuming, improvisation, and audition techniques. Actors will learn not only basic skills, but will tap into their own experiences and imagination to perform and communicate. The final production will receive a public performance!
Summer Art Camp for Young TEENS will be held at Lee Street Elementary located at 178 Lee Street in historic downtown Jonesboro ~ behind the Jonesboro Library, from June 9 through June 20. Class times, days and tuitions will vary based on each student’s selections.
More information and camp registration forms are available at the Arts Clayton Gallery, 136 South Main Street in historic downtown Jonesboro, open Monday through Saturday from 9am until 5 pm. You may also visit our website at www.artsclayton.org, email us at artline@artsclayton.org, or call 770-473-5775 or 5826 to request a registration form by mail. Class sizes are limited and registration is on a first come basis.
The Arts Clayton Summer Art Camps are a part of the Clayton County Commissioner’s “Safe Summer Initiative for Children”. Arts Clayton is also a Partner at Large in Education working with the Clayton County Public Schools to ensure the highest caliber of programs and activities are offered.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Hidden Treasures Arts Gala
The Carroll County Cultural Arts Alliance Board of Directors presents the twenty-seventh annual “Hidden Treasures” Arts Gala. The Carrollton Artist Guild is creating one-of-a-kind artistically decorated boxes for the Gala that will each contain hidden treasures. The patrons will be able to see the boxes, but not the treasures within. (A small amount of peeking will be allowed.)
This is a dressy casual event and includes heavy hors d’oeuvres by Susan Sapp and Nancy Dixon. Musical entertainment will be provided by Jerry Rogers on keyboard. Gala Co-chairs are Susan Fleck and Michelle Morgan.
The “hidden treasure” boxes all contain original works of art. There are original paintings by Tom Nielsen and Margaret Dyer, a sketch of the Carrollton Depot by Micki McDonald, a beautiful ceramic tea set by Melanie Drew, a hand made pen by Steve Pritchard, stain glass by Heidi Drew, and much, much more. One box even includes tickets to the Georgia Aquarium that comes with a behind-the-scenes tour! (Patrons will bid on the boxes at a Silent Auction, but will not know what is in each box!) But, regardless of what is in the box, the box itself is a unique work of art.
Admission is 2008-2009 membership in the Arts Alliance at the Sustaining Level or Higher for couples or the Supporting Level or higher for individual memberships. The Gala is Thursday, May 8, 2008, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. at the home of Claire and Jim Cooley, 114 Habersham Place, Carrollton (Sunset Hills). For more information call 770-838-1083.
The “hidden treasure” boxes all contain original works of art. There are original paintings by Tom Nielsen and Margaret Dyer, a sketch of the Carrollton Depot by Micki McDonald, a beautiful ceramic tea set by Melanie Drew, a hand made pen by Steve Pritchard, stain glass by Heidi Drew, and much, much more. One box even includes tickets to the Georgia Aquarium that comes with a behind-the-scenes tour! (Patrons will bid on the boxes at a Silent Auction, but will not know what is in each box!) But, regardless of what is in the box, the box itself is a unique work of art.
Admission is 2008-2009 membership in the Arts Alliance at the Sustaining Level or Higher for couples or the Supporting Level or higher for individual memberships. The Gala is Thursday, May 8, 2008, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. at the home of Claire and Jim Cooley, 114 Habersham Place, Carrollton (Sunset Hills). For more information call 770-838-1083.
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