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Arts News for the week of April 19, 2009
EVENTS ON THE CAMPUS of MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY:
The Missouri State University Music Department presents guest artist, pianist Enrico Elisi for the annual Patricia Pierce Keyboard Recital on Monday April 27 at 7:30pm in Ellis Recital Hall. For more information visit www.missouristate.edu/music.
Coming to the Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts: A national touring company of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's first masterpiece "Jesus Christ Superstar" comes to Hammons Hall April 24-26 starring Ted Neeley as Jesus. Performances are Friday 4/24 at 8pm; Saturday the 25th at 2:00 and 8:00pm; and Sunday April 26 at 2:00pm. The annual President's Concert at Missouri State University will feature Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Sea Symphony" performed by the MSU choral ensembles, MSU Symphony Orchestra, and soloists Carol Chapman and Jeff Carney, all directed by Dr. Robert Quebbeman, on Sunday May 3rd at 4:00pm at Hammons Hall. For ticket information call 836-7678 or 1(888)476-7849, or visit www.hammonshall.com.
Missouri State Jazz Studies presents "Jazz Appreciation Month" throughout April, with numerous performances and other events. Randy Hamm will present a Jazz Faculty Recital, joined by Kyle Aho, John Strickler and Karnell Robinson Wednesday April 22nd at 7:30pm in Ellis Recital Hall; it's free and open to the public. And the "Art Goes Live" concert series at the Springfield Art Museum will present MOJO, the Missouri Jazz Orchestra on Thursday April 30th at 7:30pm, as a benefit for the Missouri State University Jazz Studies Foundation. Tickets will be available at the door.
OTHER EVENTS AROUND THE AREA:
Springfield Regional Arts Council presented the 2008 Ozzie Awards Thursday April 16 at the grand opening of the Council's new collective art gallery, Fresh. 2008 Ozzie recipients were: William Brandon (Bucky) Bowman and Jeanie Morris who tied for the Individual Award; the Organization Award went to all four local Rotary Clubs; and the posthumous Legacy Award went to Studio 55 Fine Art Guild to honor the art group's late founders and artist members. Two new Ozzie Awards were introduced this year to honor an individual and a corporation or business known for collecting art by local artists: the Art Collector - Individual Award went to Debra Sutherland, and the Art Collector - Organization Award went to St. John's Hospital for its Healing Art Program.
To sustain the arts, the arts have to help sustain the community. With that thought in mind, the Arts Programming Sustainability Initiative (APSI), an effort led by the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, announces "Arts in Action: The 10 Weeks Festival", a collaborative event highlighting more than 100 arts events and performances throughout Springfield over a 10-week period, to raise money for arts in education and children in Springfield Public Schools. The Festival will run through May 31 and will highlight already-scheduled arts events, performances and concerts by Boys Choir of Springfield; Children's Choirs of Southwest Missouri; the MSU Theatre and Dance Department; the Juanita K. Hammons Hall; the Art, Music and Theatre Departments of Drury University; Springfield Regional Arts Council's "Artsfest;" the First Friday Art Walk; Poor Thespians Theatre at the Gillioz; the Springfield and the Ozarks 48-Hour Film Challenge; Springfield Ballet; Skinny Improv; Little Theatre; Springfield Playhouse; Swan Repertory; Springfield Symphony; Springfield Regional Opera; and the Self-Employment in the Arts "OzArts" Conference. Attendees at the various events produced by these organizations during the 10-week Festival will be asked to donate $1 or more per ticket, with a goal of raising at least $10,000 in ten weeks. Proceeds will be split evenly between a new Arts in Education Endowment at the Community Foundation of the Ozarks that will provide funding for arts organizations to take programs into area schools; and the Care to Learn Fund (with a fund match of 3 to 1), established to help meet the basic needs of Springfield Public School students, directly aiding in the mission of the Mayor’s Commission for Children. For more information, call the Arts Council at 862-ARTS. For more information visit the festival’s website, The10Weeks.com.
"Poet, Poetry, and the Entire Spectrum of Human Experience" will be the topic for the Creamery Writers Workshop Thursday April 23 at 7:00 pm in The Creamery Arts Center, 411 N.Sherman Parkway across from Hammons Field. Featured speaker will be Evangel Professor Eliezer Oyola, a native of Puerto Rico, Oyola. All writers interested in developing their craft are invited to attend this Creamery Writers Workshop which is open free to all writers regardless of age, expertise or genre. For information call the Springfield Regional Arts Council at 862-ARTS (2787) or visit www.springfieldarts.org.
Springfield Regional Arts Council's first "Arts Adventure" road trip of the season will be devoted to rediscovering the legacy of Harry S. Truman during a trip Saturday April 25 to Truman's birthplace in Lamar the farm in Grandview where he grew up, followed by a visit to Independence, Missouri for a tour of the church where two Truman weddings were held. The day starts at 6:30am with a coffee reception in the Arts Council offices at The Creamery Arts Center, followed by a departure at 7:00 am. The group will receive a guided tours of the Truman Home in Independence, and the greatly expanded Harry S. Truman Library and Museum. Rounding out the day will be a stop at the legendary Savoy Grill in downtown Kansas City which was a favorite haunt of Mr. Truman for an early dutch treat dinner. The group will return to Springfield by 9:30 p.m. Asti spumante, nuts and chocolates will be served on the return trip! Round trip transportation, all entrance fees and all docent led tours are included in the cost of $60.00 per person. To reserve a spot on this first Adventure, call the Arts Council, 417-862-ARTS(2787).
For all you dog lovers out there, the Springfield Regional Arts Council will host its second annual Arf-Fest on Sunday, April 26, 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., at the Jefferson Avenue Footbridge on Commercial Street. Here's your chance to dress your pup up in a costume and put on the ribbons and bows for the "Dog Parade and Beauty Show" which will take place at 3:00 p.m. Prizes will be awarded for Biggest and Littlest dogs in the parade, as well as a prize in the Owner-Dog Look-Alike Contest. Prizes will also be given for the "Best-dressed Beauty in the Ruff". Springfield's Plein Air (painting outdoors) artists will be on hand to do dog portraits and to exhibit works they have done in the past of our furry friends. Tickets are available at the gate with $5 per dog and handler and $3 for those people coming in without a dog. Children 10 and under are free. A portion of the proceeds of this event will go to the Springfield Animal Advocacy Foundation (SAAF). For more information, contact Springfield Regional Arts Council, 862-ARTS (2787).
"Poetry In The Park," an annual outdoor festival celebrating National Poetry Month with live music and poetry readings, will be held Sunday April 26th from 1 to 6 p.m. at Lake Springfield. The event is sponsored by the local Poets & Friends group. All poets, published or aspiring, along with family and friends, are invited to participate in the potluck picnic and other activities which will feature readings of poets' original works alternating with live music professionally performed by Terry Armes and guest(s). The event will be staged at Northwoods Pavilion, the fenced-in recreation area just up the hill from the new marina at Lake Springfield. Lawn chairs or blankets for seating are suggested. Maps and flyers are available upon request at www.poetsandfriends.com. This event is free of charge and open to the public.
The Traditional Dance & Music Society of the Ozarks presents the "Ugly Bug Ball"Contra Dance and Potluck Supper on Saturday, May 2 at Camp Shawio near Linden, MO. Potluck dinner starts at 6 pm (so bring a dish!); basic steps are taught at 7 pm, and the dance runs from 7:30 to 10:30pm. Live music will be provided by Chirps Smith, Jim Nelson, and Jim and Kim Lansford, with dance caller Dot Kent. Everyone is welcome, ages 10 and up. For information visit www.springfieldcontra.org or call 862-8681.
THEATRICAL PERFORMANCES:
The Ozark Arts Council presents a Broadway review featuring some of Northwest Arkansas's best talent on Saturday April 25 at 7pm in the Lyric Theater, 113 W. Rush in downtown Harrison. The show will feature solo and ensemble musical and dramatic performances from shows ranging from "Hamlet" to "Sweeney Todd." For tickets visit www.ozarkartscouncil.org or call (870) 391-3504.
The Parkview High School Performing Arts Department is preparing for their third show of the season: Irving Berlin's great American musical Annie Get Your Gun takes the stage April 23-25, at Parkview High School. The cast is full of dedicated Parkview seniors who have been involved in the theater department since they got to Parkview... and Taylor St. John, playing the title role, has been affiliated with Parkview theater since BEFORE she was in high school: she played the title role in another famous "Annie" musical at Parkview when she was still in 7th grade! Buffalo Bill Cody persuades sharpshooter Annie Oakley to join his wild west show, where she falls head over heels for the show's headliner Frank Butler--whose male ego gets bruised when Annie proves to be a better shot than he is. Performances of Annie Get Your Gun are April 23-25 at 7:00pm at Parkview High School. For ticket information call 523-9300, or visit www.phstheatre.org.
Robert Bradley directs the Springfield-area premiere of Donald Margulies' Pulitzer Prize-winning play "Dinner With Friends" at the Vandivort Center Theatre, 305 E. Walnut 4th floor April 24-May 9. It's a play about the fundamental notions that nlie at the center of a friendship--or a marriage--that traces four friends, two marriages... and one divorce. The play contains mature language and subjects. For tickets call 831-8001 or visit www.vctheatre.com. The production "My Name is Rachel Corrie," originally scheduled for the Vandivort Second Stage, will NOT be performed as originally scheduled.
A third session of Springfield Regional Arts Council's Creamery Readers Theater will meet April 29, May 6 and May 13 to study Shakespeare's “Much Ado About Nothing”. The play will be performed free in Jordan Valley Park by the Springfield Shakespeare Festival from May 27 to June 7 and Readers Theater will give you a chance to study the play before you attend a performance. Readers Theater will meet from 7:15 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Creamery Arts Library on April 29 and May 6. On May 13 the group will attend a stage rehearsal and participate in a discussion with the cast and director. Cost is $10 to cover the script. Call the Arts Council at 862-ARTS (2787) to register by Thursday, April 23rd in time for scripts to be ordered.
The Drury University Theatre Department presents the world premiere of a new play for children and adults alike. "Vegetables" by Drury Associate Professor of Theatre Mick Sokol and directed by Brian Knox will open at 7 p.m. on April 30 in the Wilhoit Theatre inside the Breech School of Business Administration Building at the corner of Central Street and Drury Lane. The one-act play chronicles the perils of not eating your vegetables. Performances are Thursday through Saturday April 30-May 2 at 7:00pm, with a 2:00pm matinee on Saturday May 2nd. Tickets will be $1.00 at the door, open seating, reservations not required. Call 873-7255 for more information.
Springfield Little Theatre's next production at the Landers Theatre, 311 E. Walnut, is "The Buddy Holly Story" May 1st through 17th. This dynamic and often moving show celebrating Buddy Holly's brief life and meteoric rise to rock'n'roll stardom with his greatest hits. Chuck Rogers directs this production, which features Clayton Avery as Buddy Holly. After the Friday May 1st opening night, performances will run Thursday through Saturday at 7:30pm and Sunday at 2:30 through May 17. Call 869-1334 or visit www.springfieldlittletheatre.org.
"Temperance Tantrums," a musical spoof of a Victorian temperance rally, makes its Arkansas premiere at the Grand Central Hotel in Eureka Springs on May 14. The features boisterous barroom comedy along with authentic period music as temperance supporters attempt to persuade bar patrons to forswear "Demon Rum" and vote for prohibition. However, the show's writer and producer Andrea Kehmeier says audience members will definitely be able to enjoy THEIR favorite beverage during the show! Based on actual accounts of 19th-century temperance rallies, "Temperance Tantrums" uses a quartet of professional singer-actors playing the founders of the "The Eternal Sword Temperance Union;" the show combines elements of musical theatre, melodrama, improv comedy and audience involvement. Performances at the Grand Central Hotel, 37 North Main in Eureka Springs, will be Tuesday through Thursday May 14-16 with dinner at 7:00pm and show starting at 8. Tickets are $50 per person. For more information call (479) 253-6756 or toll-free 1(800) 344-6050; or visit www.temperancetantrum.com.
MUSICAL PERFORMANCES:
Due to overwhelming public response, the Queen City Shout concert series at Borders Books and Music, 3300 S. Glenstone, will carry on weekly for the rest of the year as the Queen City Shout Spotlight, every Saturday evening at 8pm. For full listings visit www.myspace.com/queencityshout.
The Evangel University music department will present the 45th Annual Spring Lawn Concert Thursday, April 23, at 6 p.m. The Evangel Symphonic Band and Jazz Band will both perform, with senior band members taking turns on the conductor's stand. Admission is free and open to the public; bring chairs or blankets for seating on the lawn south of the Evangel Academic Buildings near the Glenstone Avenue entrance. For more information call 865-2815 ext.7212.
As part of their “Jackson Day” festivities, Greene County Democrats present “Happy Days are Here Again,” a musical cabaret featuring local musicians in traditional jazz and big-band music of the 1920s, ‘30s and ‘40s, Friday 4/24 at 7:00pm at the Clarion Hotel, 3333 S. Glenstone in Springfield. Veteran local music educator and trombonist Red Ormsbee comes out of retirement to perform, and Gail Lennon is coming up from Branson to act as vocalist. It’s free and open to the public.
The St. Louis Jazz Orchestra, directed by Kenton alum Jim Widner, performs at the West Plains Civic Center Theater Friday April 24 at 7:00pm, hosted by Missouri State University-West Plains. The group plays classic big-band arrangements as well as charts by contemporary arrangers like Bob Florence. For ticket information call (417) 255-7966. Also, band members will be offering jazz clinics in trumpet, trombone, sax and rhythm instruments from 1 to 3pm on April 24th. The clinics are free but reservations are required at 255-7966.
Local singer-songwriter Emily Higgins will provide live music at the Azalea Festival from 1 to 3pm Saturday April 25 at Garden Adventures Nursery, 1900 W. Mt.Vernon (Highway 14) in Nixa. It's free and open to the public. Call 725-3223.
Horseshoe Theatre in Monett presents another bluegrass show April 25th at 7pm by the Red Head Express, the Walker family from Alaska, in Monett City Hall Auditorium, 5th and Bond in Monett, MO. Admission is a $5 donation at the door. For more information visit www.mvmohorseshoe.com or call (417) 466-0343.
The Springfield Symphony presents "Brunch with Beethoven" Sunday April 26 from 11am to 2pm at the Ramada Oasis Inn and Conference Center, 2550 N. Glenstone. Sample fare from numerous area restaurants served buffet-style, prepared by members of the Springfield/Branson Chef's Association. There will be a silent auction, and chef Steve Oshita of Nakato will provide a 5-course meal. Advance tickets are $30 adults, $10 for kids. Call the Symphony office at 864-6683.
About 400 barbershop singers are expected to attend the annual spring competition and convention of the Central States District of Barbershop Harmony Society, April 24-25 at the Gillioz Theatre in Springfield. The Quartet Finals and Show of Champions at 6:30 p.m. Saturday April 25 is open to the public. Tickets will be $29 at the door. The box office opens at 6 p.m. The weekend is hosted by the local Sho-Me Statesmen chorus. For more information about the event, call Ron Morse at 894-7417.
With reports of physical, sexual and mental abuse against children on the rise, the local Child Advocacy Center is trying to expand to meet the growing need for a place where hurting children have a safe, easy place to talk about difficult, frightening experiences. Leadership Springfield Class XXIV will host a “Burgers and Beer” fundraiser to help fund a portion of the expansion pm Tuesday April 28 from 6 to 9pm at Galloway Station, 4211 S. Lone Pine. Local band The Guise will provide live music. TIckets are $35 per person at the door, or by calling 877-8277.
Big Smith performs at Branson Landing on Thursday May 7th starting at 8pm to help celebrate the Branson Airport grand opening and Air Show. It's free and open to the public. For information call (417) 239-3002 or visit www.bransonlanding.com.
The "Metropolitan Opera Live in HD" series is your ticket to the Met at your local movie theater. The Met’s award-winning series of live, high-definition performance transmissions to movie theaters around the world. Seen in almost 800 venues, several performances remain this season. The new Hollywood Theater-College Station at 415 West College St. in downtown Springfield has just become Springfield's venue for the Met Live in HD. There is one more Met telecast to be shown at Hollywood Theatre: Rossini's Cenerentola on Saturday May 9th at 11:30am with Elina Garanca, Lawrence Brownlee, Alessandro Corbelli and John Relyea, with a repeat broadcast on May 20. For information call Hollywood Theater at 799-3456; for more information on "The Met Live in HD" visit www.metoperafamily.org.
Tickets are now on sale for the 2009 Eureka Springs Blues Weekend at www.eurekaspringsblues.org. This year's Blues Weekend will be May 28-31 at the Basin Park Hotel in Eureka Springs, and features a "who's who of the blues" including Guitar Shorty, Hubert Sumlin, and Joe Louis Walker headlining evening shows at The Auditorium. Delta blues acoustic guitar legend David "Honeyboy" Edwards will headline a special "Acoustic Afternoon at The Auditorium" on Saturday May 30. Shows will also be held throughout the weekend in the 1905 Basin Park Hotel, Basin Spring Park, and at various venues around Eureka Springs. This year's Blues Weekend will be a fundraiser for The Blues Foundation's Handy Artist Relief Trust and Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge near Eureka Springs. Other scheduled performers include Moreland and Arbuckle, Candye Kane, Deanna Bogart, John Nemeth, and Springfield's own King Clarentz, Also, International Blues Challenge winner JP Soars & the Red Hots, and Ozarks Blues Society Blues Challenge winners Oreo Blue and the duo of Kory Montgomery & Isayah Warford will be opening acts. Acclaimed blues photographer David Horwitz will exhibit his photography throughout Blues Weekend and will conduct a performance photography workshop on Saturday morning May 30. On Sunday May 31st there will be a Blues Gospel Brunch in Basin Park featuring Korey Mattox and LZ Love & Lightning Red, and music will continue in area clubs. The Eureka Springs Blues Weekend sponsorships are available, and contributions are welcome! A limited number of VIP packages are available as well as tickes for individual shows, and in an effort to make this year's Blues Weekend even more affordable, ticket prices are down around 30% from last year! For tickets, a complete schedule, more information, or to volunteer, please visit www.eurekaspringsblues.com, or call toll-free 1(888) 855-7823. Lodging and ticket packages are available at many Eureka Springs area hotels. Tickets are also available at The Auditorium box office at 36 S. Main in Eureka Springs.
AREA VISUAL ARTS EXHIBITS:
The Bonniebrook Historical Society of Walnut Shade is holding a year-long celebration at the Rose O'Neill Museum to commemorate the 100th anniversary of O'Neill's beloved "Kewpie" cartoon characters. Rose O'Neill's original 1909 Kewpie illustrations are on display along with several new exhibits, and her art studio in the reconstructed O'Neill mansion has been reinstalled. A special 100th-anniversary exhibit shows how the Kewpies came to be. Saturday April 25, the public is invited to Bonniebrook for a free Open House and Tea with the Kewpies, including light refreshments and live entertainment including students from Hickman High School in Columbia, Missouri, whose school mascot has been the Kewpie since 1913. Rose O'Neill, the first woman cartoonist in the United States, made Bonniebrook her home for more than 50 years. Bonniebrook is located 8 miles north of Branson on Highway 65, at 485 Rose O'Neill Road in Walnut Shade. For more information call (417) 561-1509 or visit www.roseoneill.org.
The Springfield Regional Arts Council invites the community to its bi-monthly Free Art Day, Saturday April 25th from 10am to noon at The Creamery Arts Center across from Hammons Field. April's Free Art Day will feature five hands-on art activities, including making Koi Fish Windsocks, Mexican Bracelets, Hand coloring Art Unites People, Painting a 3-D Community Mural, and storytelling with the Springfield-Greene County Library. Allow 45 minutes to complete all the activities. For more information, call the Arts Council at 862-ARTS(2787) or visit www.springfieldarts.org.
The Josh Mitchell Fine Art Gallery at the Art Station, 1427 E. Cherry at Pickwick, encourages the community to "Get away from throw away!" as it debuts a new exhibit crafted from recycled photographic materials through May 1. "Hanging cartridges" and "Rhythm and Hues" will be on display. For information visit www.joshmitchell.com or call 860-2121.
Springfield Regional Arts Council's "Art In Public Places" program includes these exhibits: Maschino's, 1715 S. Campbell, hosts an exhibit featuring eight artists from Artworx Studio, plus local artist Peggy Wyman through the end of April, followed by work by local artists Carl James and Christina Schanda. The new exhibit will open on Wednesday, April 29 and a “Meet-the-Artist” reception will take place on Friday, May 8, from 4:30 p.m.-6 p.m. The exhibit will remain through June 16. Work by local porcelain artist Juliet Biggs will be shown at the Greene County Commissioner’s Office (933 N. Robberson), through May 8. Fulnecky Law LLC, 1530 E. Primrose Suite E, exhibits work by local fiber artists Evelyn Elliott and Carol Penprase through May 19. Swank Salon, 3657 E. Sunshine, hosts artwork by local artist Jan Bennicoff through Tuesday, May 19. The Westside Public Health Center at 660 S. Scenic is hosting an exhibit of original work by Rosalie Perryman of Marshfield through May 25. A “Meet-the-Artist” reception will be held on Monday, April 20, from 3 p.m.-6 p.m. This exhibit and reception are both free and open to the public. Exhibit hours are Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. The Center for Plastic Surgery offices of Dr. Carl Price and Dr. Arthur Hawes at Ferrell-Duncan Clinic (5th floor, 3555 S. National) will host work by local artists Steve McGuire and Alan O’Neal through May 29. It will be open to the public Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. All these exhibits are free and open to the public. For more information, or to get involved in the Art in Public Places program, contact the Springfield Regional Arts Council at 862-ARTS (2787) or email info [at] springfieldarts [dot] org.
The Springfield Conservation Nature Centger presents a new quilt exhibit from the Uncommon Threads art-quilt group through the end of April, titled "Celebrating Nature: Fiber Art Pieces." Conservationist Christine Marcum is part of that group, and several of her quilts are included in the exhibit. At least some of the quilts are available for purchase from Uncommon Threads. The Nature Center is located at 4600 S. Chrisman, near the Glenstone/Republic Road/James River Freeway exchange. Call 888-4237.
The Springfield Art Museum announces the April 25 opening of "Jon Schueler: Weathering," an exhibit of 18 paintings by Schueler, a 2nd-generation Abstract Expressionist painter whose work is fueled by a passion for nature and the landscape of the small Scottish fishing village where this New York-based artist spent 3 months of each year until his death in 1992. The exhibit will include a number of very large--and rarely seen--horizontal paintings; all the paintings are on loan from the artist's estate. The exhibit was organized and curated by Springfield Art Museum curator of exhibitions Sarah Buhr. The exhibit will run through May 31st. A preview reception will be held Friday April 24 from 5:30 to 7:00 pm, hosted by the Southwest Missouri Museum Associates. The public is invited. A 24-page exhibition catalog is available featuring color illustrations, an exhibition checklist and an essay by Sarah Buhr about Jon Schueler. The Springfield Art Museum is located at 1111 E. Brookside Drive next to Phelps Grove Park. Call 837-5700 or visit the museum website at www.springfieldmogov.org.
The Springfield Art Museum is recruiting volunteers age 18 or older for the Museum’s trained volunteer docent program. Docents lead guided tours of the Museum’s special exhibitions for groups of children and adults. Anyone accepted into the program must complete a 10-week training program dealing in art history, group tour techniques, and the Springfield Art Museum's collections. Docents must make a one-year commitment to the program and lead at least two guided tours a month. For more information call Museum Educator Dan Carver at 837-5700.
Waverly House Gifts and Gallery, 2031 S. Waverly, presents "Think Green," a juried show in a variety of media featuring 42 artists, opening Friday May 1st from 5 to 7:30pm with a reception for the artists. "Best of Show," three "Juror's Choice," and a "Theme" award will be presented at the reception. The exhibit will run through May 30. For more information call 882-3445 or visit www.waverlyhouse.com.
The Springfield Visual Arts Alliance will hold a reception for its Spring Juried Art Show from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 8, on the fifth floor of the Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts. Any artist 16 years or older is welcome to enter work to be juried for the Spring Art Show on May 2 from 9:00 to 11:00 am at Hammons Hall. There is an entry fee for nonmembers, but members may enter up to three works at no cost. Membership dues are $25 per year. The Art Show will continue through July 24. The show and reception are FREE and open to the public. The event is accessible to the disabled. For more information, leave a voicemail at the Springfield Regional Arts Council offices, 862-ARTS (2787).
The First Friday Art Walk adds more new galleries to the mix on Friday May 1st from 6 to 10 pm with the debut of ArtWhole Studios, 408 W. Walnut, and ROX Stoneworks, on the second floor of 220 N. Campbell at the corner of Campbell and McDaniel. There are 28 participating venues in May, with live art demonstrations, hands-on activities, music, food and fun. First Friday Art Walk patrons are invited to leave their cars behind and bike downtown for the May 1st Art Walk. Ozark Greenways will close off Park Central Square for bike parking, bike displays including art bikes and tall bikes, demonstrations of the city bus bike racks, registration for the "Bike, Bus, Walk Challenge" May 11-15, and more. May highlights include:
--ArtWhole Studios, 408 W. Walnut, debuts on the Art Walk with a display of Photography by Chet Burgtorf and Associates.
--ROX Stoneworks’ studio on the second floor at 220 S. Campbell (entrance on McDaniel). Meet sculptor Bruce Burnaugh and learn about the new stone sculpting classes he is offering on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays for all ability levels.
--Bodhi Salon & Spa, 431 S. Jefferson, Ste. 106, turns up the volume with preteen band SuperCharge at 7 p.m. during the May 1 Art Walk. Featured artist for May is Alishia Brundege of Rogersville.
--Falcons in Flight – Award-winning Glendale High School art students share their creative endeavors at Bellwether Gallery of the Arts, 600 W. College.
--Photographer Robert Weston Breshears shares images from his travels around the world, including 17 different countries, at Elite PhotoArt, 325 E. Walnut St. Elite also features Pottery by Bari Precious, who has been working in ceramics for 40 years.
--Fashioned By Jaye, 212 S. Campbell, presents Jackie Salchow in May.
--There Ain’t No Cure for Love, an exploration of mystics and saints by artist Ellen Baird, takes the spotlight at Good Girl Art, 325 E. Walnut, Ste. 101.
--Artist Gavyn Sky returns to the Art Walk scene at Hawthorn Galleries, 214 E. Walnut, with Beyond the Horizon, a show of his new works. Meet Gavyn and enjoy live music by Stringfield’s Victoria Johnson and Gail Morrisey.
--Obelisk Home at the Inspired Commerce Building, 214 W. Phelps, teams up with the Drury University Chapter of Habitat for Humanity for the Birdhouse Auction. Birdhouses designed by local artists will be auctioned during the May Art Walk to benefit Habitat for Humanity. Birdhouses go on display April 27.
--OTC Fine Art Gallery on the 3rd floor of the Gillioz Theatre building on Park Central East presents a Fine Arts student showcase, along with musical performances by OTC students groups, and original songs performed by Songwriting 101 students. The exhibit continues through May 16.
--College seniors step out in May with the Senior Capstone Exhibition at Drury University’s Pool Art Center Gallery. 940 N. Clay St., the Bachelor of Fine Arts Exhibition at MSU’s Art & Design Gallery, 333 E. Walnut, and the BFA in Design Professional Design Practicum Final Projects Exhibition at the MSU Student Exhibition Center, 838 E. Walnut.
--Randy Bacon Photography and Figment Art Gallery in the Monarch Art Factory, 600 W. College St., present J.O.C. – When Your Own Initials Are Enough, a unique fashion show featuring the one-of-a-kind fashion creations of MSU Designer Jose Orellana. The show starts at 8 p.m. and admission is free but seating is limited. Music will be provided by DJ Logic Control.
--Springfield Pottery continues its First Friday miniMake projects with Carved Tile in May.
And don’t forget, First Friday Art Walk is a proud partner of Arts in Action: The 10 Weeks Festival. By just dropping $1 (or more) in the Arts in Action donation boxes at Art Walk venues, you will help support the Arts in Education Fund and the Care to Learn Fund that provides for artistic and basic needs for area school children. For more info, visit www.the10weeks.com. For information on the Art Walk, call 849-8255 or visit www.ffaw.org.
Any artist 16 years or older is welcome to enter work to be juried for the Springfield Visual Arts Alliance Spring Art Show on May 2 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the Juanita K. Hammons Hall. There is an entry fee for nonmembers, but members may enter up to three works at no cost. Membership dues are $25 per year.
The Harlin Museum in West Plains will present a new juried art show called "Vanishing Ozarks-Old Schoolhouses and Country Stores" in June and July. A call for artists to send in digital entries for the show continues through May 17. Artists are encouraged to seek out examples of country stores and schoolhouses in their area of the Ozarks and give them artistic interpretation. The museum also encourages artists to collect any historical information about these buildings that can be included in the show and on the museum's website. A prospectus for the show can be downloaded at: http://www.harlinmuseum.org/programs/programs.html. In addition to the artwork, the opening reception for this year's show will have a storytelling re-enactment of an old schoolhouse, featuring original materials used by the teachers and students. For more information call (417) 256-7801 (Tues-Sat noon-4pm) or visit www.harlinmuseum.org.
