The Women’s and Gender Studies Program at the University of Oklahoma is so excited to be including a gallery space in their new location in Robertson Hall. They are looking for local art to be displayed March 9th to May 25th. This will be a great opportunity to display local creative talent.

The completed submission form should be emailed, with a photo of the artwork in electronic form, to wgs@ou.edu.

Please contact pr@normanarts.org or the gallery coordinator, Stephanie Heck, directly at wgs@ou.edu for additional information or any questions.

Norman’s premiere performing arts venue, The Sooner Theatre, 101 E. Main Street, is excited to welcome back Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Ruthie Foster for an evening of blues, gospel, country and folk music, Friday, March 12. The show begins at 8 pm. Tickets are $40, $35 & $30.

“Ruthie Foster was amazing when she played at the [Sooner] theatre in 2008,” said Sooner Theatre Executive Director Jennifer Baker. “It was such an extraordinary experience that as people were leaving the theatre after the concert they were already begging us to bring her back. So we did.”

Playing with Tanya Richardson on bass, Samantha Banks on drums and Scottie Miller on keyboard, Foster tackles life’s big issues through her sizzling blend of blues, gospel, country, and folk music. Her uplifting lyrics and electrifying vocals glide over the exquisite sounds of a world-class band.

An Evening with Ruthie Foster is the third of four concerts scheduled in The Sooner Theatre’s 2009-2010 Main Event Concert series. The final show of the season will feature New Orleans-based pianist Marcia Ball on April 9.

The Main Event Concert series is funded in part by the Oklahoma Arts Council, Norman Arts Council, National Endowment for the Arts and Republic Bank and Trust.

Tickets to all 2009-10 Main Event Concerts are currently available online at www.soonertheatre.org. Tickets are also available by phone or in person during regular box office hours: Tues-Fri, 10am-Noon & 2-5pm. For more information contact The Sooner Theatre at (405) 321-9600. A service charge of $2 per ticket applied to all phone & online orders.

The Sooner Theatre of Norman is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Sooner Theatre offers year-round events including in-house musical theatre productions, concerts by nationally touring groups, special events and dozens of performing arts classes at The Studio of The Sooner Theatre.

March 24th 1:30 p.m. Fred Jones Jr. Auditorium

Contemporary Artist Stephanie Liner explores the relationship between domestic space, furniture, and sexuality.  She uses specific types of fabric, sewing techniques, and upholstery to create vehicles for human interaction. Through these forms and modes of human interaction, Liner’s work addresses how women are situated in culture and how culture both impacts and is shaped by women and their various social histories and functions.

Her works are often performance-based, and the interactions are intensely personal; the physical interaction creates a power struggle between the viewer and the model wearing each piece of sculpture.  By interacting the viewer partakes in a whimsical but sexually charged experience that suggests paths for introspective inquiry into our society’s view of sexuality. The cultural meaning embedded in the resulting work creates a space where both men and women can learn, experience new things, and perhaps critically reevaluate both the norms of society and the roles they play in shaping culture.

Ms. Liner will give a lecture on her creative research March 24 at 1:30 pm in the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art Auditorium. Her lecture will have very broad interest as it crosses the boundaries of Sculpture, Architecture, Interior Design, Fashion, and Women & Gender Studies. Students will gain exposure and insight into real world contemporary artistic practices and to a young artist whose work is gaining critical recognition both domestically & abroad.

Medieval Fair Moved to Last Weekend in March

The Middle Ages will come to Norman March 26-28 during the 34th annual Medieval Fair at Reaves Park. The Fair is usually held the first weekend in April, but was moved up one week due to Easter falling at that time. This living history fair features art, craft, food, games, exhibits, demonstrations and ongoing entertainment.

Located on Jenkins Avenue, just north of state Highway 9 East, Reaves Park will be filled with brightly costumed performers entertaining in true Middle Ages style including minstrels, jugglers, dancers and armored knights jousting. Event hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day.

Entertainment includes Arabesque (middle eastern music duo), Tullamore (traditional music trio), Glasnots (glass harmonica), Brother Donald the Storyteller, Queen’s Gambit(traditional and Celtic music band), Emerald Flame(traditional music trio), Redland Rogues(combat drama), The Norman Singers(choral musci ), and The Bilge Pumps(sea shanty band).

Highlight of the Fair are jousting tournaments with knights on horseback presented by the Arthurian Order of Avalon. Tournaments are scheduled for 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. each day. Another anticipated Fair event is the human chess game, based on King Arthur and the Knights of Round Table, scheduled for 1 and 5 p.m. each day.

Performances are continuous throughout the three-day Fair on six stages scattered around the park.  New performers for this year’s fair are Wolgemut, an internationally known early music ensemble; Scottish Rogues, a high energy Scottish band; Owain Phyfe, an internationally known musician who plays and sings popular songs from the 16^th century; Daniel Duke of Danger, a comedic juggler and tight-rope walker; and Bob the Incredible Juggler.

On Saturday, an authentic medieval wedding filled with the pomp and ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. at Minstrel Circle. The public is invited.

More than 200 artists and crafters will be selling handcrafted items including pottery, candles, woven clothing, jewelry, medieval costumes, stained glass, leather goods, musical instruments and wooden crafts.

Games for all ages include camel rides, a hand-cranked medieval swing carousel, the king’s carousel driven by exotic animals, and crossbow. Other fun activities include wax hands, sand art and face-painting.

Craft demonstrations of brass rubbing, blacksmithing, chainmail making, glass work, pottery making, woodworking, and armor-making will be presented.

Educational exhibits, demonstrations and presentations about life in the Middle Ages will be presented by the Society for Creative Anachronism, University of Central Oklahoma Medieval Society, St. Gregory’s University and the Authurian Order of Avalon.

The Fair’s Royal Court will greet visitors along with other street characters such as Feather Man, King’s Toy, King Arthur, mermaids and strolling minstrels.

The public is invited to enter the costume contest scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday at the Camelot Stage.  Prizes will be awarded to the best costumes in men’s, women’s and children’s categories.

Food concessions offer homemade fruit and chicken salad crepes, Bodacious Burritos, Scottish baked goods, gyros, Indian tacos, funnel cakes, strudel, cinnamon roasted almonds, homemade tarts, roasted corn and smoked turkey legs. Handcrafted fudge, root beer, sarsaparilla and cream soda will also be available.

Parking for $10 per car is available at Lloyd Noble Center on Jenkins Avenue, located one block south of Reaves Park. Visitors coming from outside Norman are advised to take I-35 to Highway 9 East, then north on Jenkins Ave. Parking for vehicles with handicap permits will be available on the park grounds.

Visitors to the Fair should be aware of the City of Norman’s new ordinance that prohibits smoking in City parks except in parking lots.

The Medieval Fair is the third largest event in the state and the state’s largest weekend event.  It was selected by Events Media Network as one of the top one 100 events in the nation and is made possible, in part, by the Norman Arts Council Hotel Tax Grant Program and the City of Norman.

Admission is free.  For more information call the Norman Convention and Visitors Bureau at 366-8095 or 1-800-767-7260, or visit the Fair’s Web site: www.medievalfair.org.

Click here to buy tickets or for more information on the Jazz in June Fundraiser

The third time is clearly a charm for the Norman Music Festival with this year’s lineup featuring indie rock sensation Dirty Projectors.

The Brooklyn-based band will headline the festival’s main stage along with Detroit rockers Electric Six and Latin funk orchestra Grupo Fantasma from Texas.

The third annual Norman Music Festival is April 24–25 in downtown Norman, Okla. The festival is free and open to the public and will take place east of the railroad tracks on Main Street.  Saturday night entertainment will be predominantly at indoor locations, and Sunday will feature the full-blown festival atmosphere complete with street closures and large outdoor stages.

NMF3 Chair Quentin Bomgardner said more than 25,000 people attended last year’s one-day festival. With growing crowds and growing interest among musicians across the country, organizers added an extra day to this year’s event.

“By adding an extra day, more talent can be showcased,” Bomgardner said. “And with last year’s number of attendees, an extra day will help accommodate the festival’s ever-growing crowds.”

Organizers are completing the band lineup and will announce additional performers in the next few weeks. Previous headliners include Of Montreal, Polyphonic Spree and the Chainsaw Kittens, among others.

Dirty Projectors are the experimental rock project of Dave Longstreth, a former Yale student who left college to become one of the most intriguing indie singer/songwriters of the early 2000s. Named for a day job Dave once held cleaning projectors at a movie theater, Dirty Projectors began as a very simple LoFi solo project releasing home recorded projects to an audience of friends.  The band’s rise since that time has been steady and striking, and included such fascinating and captivating projects as the 2007 release Rise Above. In April 2008, Dirty Projectors signed with Domino Records and released critically acclaimed album Bitte Orca in June 2009. That year, the band also collaborated with David Byrne and Germaine Greer on the song “Knotty Pine” for the compilation album, Dark Was the Night.

Grupo Fantasma is an 11-piece Latin funk orchestra from Austin, Texas. Formed in 2000 from the merger of two Austin acts, The Blue Noise Band and The Blimp, the band emerged with a sold out show at the former Empanada Parlour in Austin. The band is best known for their exuberant live shows and their recent association with Prince and his 3121 Club in Las Vegas. The band has backed Prince on numerous occasions, including his performance on the ALMA Awards in 2007. The band often performs at his after party jam sessions. The ensemble has sold more than 20,000 albums independently.

Electric Six is a six-piece Detroit-based band that plays what has been described as a brand of rock music infused with elements of garage, disco, punk, new wave, and metal. The band met recognition in 2003 with the single “Danger! High Voltage“, and subsequently recorded six full-length albums: Fire, Señor Smoke, Switzerland, I Shall Exterminate Everything Around Me That Restricts Me from Being the Master, Flashy and KILL. They have also released a rarities album, Sexy Trash.

“When I found out we were looking at them for the main stage I was 100 percent on board, and stoked,” Bomgardner said. “They’re a nearly 15-year-old band that will make a lot of new fans on April 25th. At their core, they’re Detroit rockers with attitude. But they bend a ton of genres within it and create an eardrum party.”

For the latest information on headliners and a schedule of performances, visit Norman MusicFestival.com, Facebook.com/NormanMusicFestival, Twitter.com/NormanMusicFest or MySpace.com/NormanMusicFestival.

Wichita Falls Museum of Art

at Midwestern State University

Awards and Eligibility

$2000 non-purchase award for the winning Texas Oklahoma Art Prize selection by the juror.

$1000 non-purchase award each for one Texas and one Oklahoma representative selected by the juror.

All entries must be original works of art by artists 18 years or older residing in either Oklahoma or Texas and completed within the last two years.

Jurors

Janis Goodman, Professor of Fine Art, Corcoran College of Art + Design, Washington, DC

Arts Reviewer, PBS/WETA, Channel 26, Around Town, Washington, DC

Media

All media and sizes considered.

The museum reserves the right to exclude any entry considered too fragile or unmanageable to safely handle, or if the facility is not able to provide the technology or requirements to properly exhibit the work of art.

Exhibition and Reproduction Agreement

Permission to reproduce works of art for publicity is considered granted when entries are submitted to the museum.

Submission of entries constitutes agreement to these conditions as well as the following Shipment, Return and Liability and the Submission, Fee and Due Date requirements.

Final decision for inclusion in Texas Oklahoma Art Prize 2010 at Wichita Falls Museum of art will be made by the juror and museum director.

Calendar

Entry materials and fees due                              February 13, 2010

Notification of acceptance                                 February 26, 2010

Deliver work by                                                             March 20, 2010

Opening reception and award presentation         April 9, 2010

Exhibition closing                                              May 29, 2010

Pick up work by                                                 June 12, 2010

Shipment, Return and Liability

Ship accepted works art to Wichita Falls Museum of Art at Two Eureka Circle, Wichita Falls, TX 76308, 940-397-8900.

All works of art must be shipped in reusable containers and delivered by hand or commercial carrier to the museum during hours of operation, 9:30 – 5:00 Tues. – Fri., or 10:30 – 5:00 Sat.

Works of art can be picked up between June 1 through June 12, 2010 during normal hours of operation.

If a commercial carrier is being used to return works of art, please make shipping arrangements directly with the carrier, not through the museum.

The museum will insure works of art while in the facility only and will not be responsible for damage to, loss or deterioration of any work of art while in transit.

Submission, Fee and Due Date

All entries must be submitted in JPEG format, approximately1MB preferred.

Each artist is limited to 3 entries.

The jurors will make selections for the exhibition from JPEGs.

Winning selections will be made from the actual works before the exhibition opens.

A nonrefundable fee of $10 is due for each entry.

Make checks or money orders payable to Wichita Falls Museum of Art.

Include the following information with each entry submission:

• Artist name
• Title
• Medium
• Dimensions
• Date
• Insured value

Also provide artist address, phone and e-mail address with each entry.

E-mail submissions to: wfma@mwsu.edu

E-mailed submissions will not be processed until payment is received.

Mail payment to:

Wichita Falls Museum of Art, Two Eureka Circle, Wichita Falls, TX 76308.

Or mail CD with images and payment to same address.

Over 30 “Chocolatiers” are participating this year, and will be bringing with them over 25,000 samples of chocolate.  Many of these vendors and restaurants have participated for years. Legends will be bringing their Chocolate Amaretto Cream Cake, The Candy Basket will provide samples of Godiva chocolate and La Baguette will bring their famous chocolate mice. Kendall’s Restaurant will bring their chocolate cinnamon rolls, which are only available at the Chocolate Festival each year. For something a bit unusual, The Diner will provide chocolate chili.

There are several new restaurants in 2010. Carriage Hill Farms Wedding Event Center will bring a chocolate fountain, CG Chocolates will provide chocolate truffles and nut and fruit clusters, and Iron Starr Barbecue will bring their mouthwatering Double Chocolate Bread Pudding.  Other new vendors include The Melting Pot, Interurban, Michelangelo’s Coffee and Wine Bar, “O” Asian Fusion, Pink Elephant Café and more.

There are also several extra activities at the Chocolate Festival this year, including a children’s art area and art demonstrations by Firehouse Art Center faculty.

Tickets are available by calling the Firehouse Art Center at 329-4523 or online at www.normanfirehouse.com. Tickets can also be ordered in person at the Firehouse Art Center, 444 S. Flood in Norman, and will be mailed prior to the event.  Tickets will also be available at the door.

There will be chocolate tasting sessions at 11:30 a.m., noon, 12:30 p.m., 1 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.  Tickets are $18 for members of the Firehouse Art Center and $20 for non-members, and include 10 chocolate samples.  A premiere, one-hour tasting session will be from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and includes 15 chocolate samples, a container to take home leftovers and a complimentary drink.  Premiere tickets are $27 for members and $30 for non-members.

The Firehouse Art Center’s Chocolate Festival was ranked third among food festivals in the United States by the Food Network, has been featured in Southern Living Magazine, and won this year’s Frontier Country Grand Award for Outstanding Food Festival in Central Oklahoma.

All proceeds of the 28^th Annual Firehouse Art Center’s Chocolate Festival will help support visual arts education, exhibits and programs offered by the Firehouse Art Center.

For additional information on the Chocolate Festival, contact Carla Chew at the Firehouse Art Center at 329-4523 or visit www.normanfirehouse.com.

ABOUT THE NORMAN FIREHOUSE ART CENTER – The Norman Firehouse Art Center, Inc. is a non-profit organization that serves Norman and surrounding communities by offering visual art classes for students of all ages, as well as gallery exhibitions of the highest quality.

Embrace Norman arts at January’s Second Friday Circuit of Art. The Norman Arts Council’s art event is scheduled from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Jan. 8, at art galleries throughout Norman.

This month’s event features members of the Norman Studio Artists Association displaying artwork in studios along Main Street, live musicians and exhibit openings.

Several local galleries will be open throughout the evening, with most featuring free admission, live entertainment and other activities.

• The Prairie Folk Circus will be frolicking about the 2nd Friday Art Circuit as Winter Woodland Creatures.   Be sure to catch their juggling, skating, fiery fun at 7pm near the Moore-Lindsey Historical house at @ 508 N. Peters.  They will ride the cart and may pop up anywhere so watch out.

• Exclusively to 2^nd Friday, Sonder Music, Dance & Art, 225 E. Gray St., will be celebrating the exhibit openingtitled Progress/Experience: Sculptureby artist Mike Tresemer.  The artist describes his collection saying, “The abstract wood sculptures are inspired by the natural progression of time and communicate our physical experience in our everyday life. The repetitive quality of the work illustrates our movement through time and acts as a record of what has happened in a specific instance.”  This art opening is free and open to the public.

• The Performing Arts Studio will host Norman artist Nick Wu, who will demonstrate portrait drawing of live models from 7-9pm.  Wu received his art training in China, where he learned to produce strong likenesses of the human face and figure in a classical form. The PAS will also provide musical entertainment.
  

  Shane Harris

• As part of its monthly Art “à la CART” series, the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art on the University of Oklahoma Norm an campus will offer hands-on art activities, live music and a short film by the deadCENTER Film Festival from 6 to 9 p.m. SongWriter Association Norman members Tom Crider, Shane Harris and Ryan Welton will provide acoustic performances throughout the event. Visitors of all ages can create original mosaic collages. Admission is free all evening, and visitors can catch the final weekend of two exhibitions, Sooners in the Land of Enchantment: Oklahoma Artists and New Mexico and The Creative Eye: Selections from the Carol Beesley Collection of Photographs.

• Watch Norman Arts Council’s Director Rick Fry at work during January’s art walk.  Rick will be demonstrating landscape painting at Michelangelos coffee and wine bar from 6-9pm.

Of course, these are just a few of the events taking place during the Second Friday Circuit of Art.  Other free activities and openings are scheduled by members of the Norman Gallery Association and its supporting organizations throughout the night.

A complete list of each participating gallery and member of the Norman Gallery Association, as well as a CART map for the evening and instructions for riding, is available online at www.normangalleryassociation.com as well as http://2ndfridaynorman.com/ . ]]> http://www.normanarts.org/2010/01/januarys-2nd-friday-circuit-of-art/feed/ 1 http://www.normanarts.org/2009/12/2010-chocolate-festival/ http://www.normanarts.org/2009/12/2010-chocolate-festival/#comments Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:58:04 +0000 NAC http://www.normanarts.org/?p=522 Tickets are on sale now for the Firehouse Art Center’s 28th Annual Chocolate Festival. The event will take place on January 30, 2010 from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Forum Building at the University of Oklahoma, located at 1704 Asp Avenue (at Asp and Timberdell).

Tickets are available by calling the Firehouse Art Center at 329-4523 or online at www.normanfirehouse.com. Tickets can also be ordered in person at the Firehouse Art Center, 444 S. Flood in Norman, and will be mailed prior to the event, and also at the door.

“We want to make sure people get their tickets early this year. Since the event is moved up one week from last year, we don’t want anyone to forget to buy their tickets, thinking they have extra time,” said Carla Chew, Operations Coordinator.

There will be chocolate tasting sessions at 11:30 a.m., noon, 12:30 p.m., 1 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. Tickets are $18 for members of the Firehouse Art Center and $20 for non-members, and include 10 chocolate samples. A premiere, one-hour tasting session will be from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and includes 15 chocolate samples, a container to take home leftovers and a complimentary drink. Premiere tickets are $27 for members and $30 for non-members.

“If you want to get Premiere tickets, you need to hurry, because those always sell out fast,” said Chew.

This popular event features approximately 40 chocolate vendors each year, and is the primary fundraiser for the Firehouse Art Center. The Chocolate Festival typically draws a crowd of around 3,000 each year. The Firehouse Art Center’s Chocolate Festival was ranked third among food festivals in the United States by the Food Network, has been featured in Southern Living Magazine, and won this year’s Frontier Country Grand Award for Outstanding Food Festival in Central Oklahoma.

The Chocolate Festival will provide free child-friendly activities that promote art education. Firehouse instructors will be on-hand to give live demonstrations of the types of art education one could expect to receive at the Firehouse Art Center. For the third year, children will again be encouraged to create a Children’s Art Wall, which will be displayed in Lions Park, just north of the Firehouse Art Center. Children judged to have created the best painted panel on the art wall will receive scholarships to the Firehouse Art Center’s after school art program.

“The Firehouse Art Center is committed to making sure that children have access to classes in the visual arts,” said Douglas Shaw Elder, Executive Director.

Memberships to the Firehouse Art Center are available by calling 329-4523. The Firehouse Art Center is funded in part by select grants from the Oklahoma Art Council, Norman Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, and the City of Norman Parks and Recreation Department, as well as a corporate sponsorship from Republic Bank and Trust. However, a significant amount of the annual income comes from FAC memberships and revenue from the Chocolate Festival.

All proceeds of the 28th Annual Firehouse Art Center’s Chocolate Festival will help support visual arts education, exhibits and programs offered by the Firehouse Art Center. For additional information on the Chocolate Festival, contact Carla Chew at the Firehouse Art Center at 329-4523 or visit www.normanfirehouse.com.

ABOUT THE NORMAN FIREHOUSE ART CENTER – The Norman Firehouse Art Center, Inc. is a non-profit organization that serves Norman and surrounding communities by offering visual art classes for students of all ages, as well as gallery exhibitions of the highest quality.