Enjoy the classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas for your holiday party entertainment. How the Grinch Stole Christmas will be available to book for December 2012 and is recommended for all ages.

Young children delight in their first theatre experience by participating in the action in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Creative drama at its best: the audience becomes part of the play. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is recommended for Preschool through 2nd grade and is available to book January through June 2013.

For more information on Cinderhood, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs visit www.theillusionfactory.org or call The Illusion Factory at 330-836-1353.

Plein Air is a French term meaning “open air.”  Painting in plein air refers to painting out-of-doors, a practice of landscape painters for five hundred years. On July 27, 28 and 29, participants in the Streetscapes: Akron in Plein Air competition will set up their easels in designated sites downtown to produce paintings. The artworks will be turned in at Summit Artspace at the end of each day for consideration by specially selected judges for inclusion in a gallery show August 10-September 15.

Shellito, an illustrator for the Akron Beacon Journal newspaper, came up with the urban plein air idea.  An application form with more details will be available online at www.akronareaarts.org or by calling 330-376-8480.

“I have enjoyed viewing other plein air shows and competitions around Northeast Ohio that were focused on rural landscapes,” Shellito said.  “As an artist who likes to paint people and buildings, I felt it would be great fun to bring this approach to an urban setting in Akron.”

Summit Artspace, a growing downtown art center, is a project of the Akron Area Arts Alliance in cooperation with Summit County government.  It also houses a second gallery called The Box and several artist studios.  It is located at 140 E. Market Street, one block east of the Akron Art Museum.

Regular Summit Artspace Gallery hours are Thursday through Saturday noon to 5 pm.  Admission and parking are free.  It is currently showing Why Art’s Alive in Akron!, works by the eight Visual Arts Award Winners of Arts Alive! Awards from 2001 – 2011.

]]> http://www.akronareaarts.org/5474/summit-artspace-plans-plein-air-event-for-summer/feed/ 0 http://www.akronareaarts.org/5474/summit-artspace-plans-plein-air-event-for-summer/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AkronAreaArtsAlliance/~3/zXBKj40NJrE/ http://www.akronareaarts.org/5467/weathervane-playhouses-2nd-annual-8x10-theatre-fest/#comments Mon, 14 May 2012 16:12:44 +0000 Rachael http://www.akronareaarts.org/?p=5467 Weathervane Playhouse is accepting submissions for its 2nd Annual 8×10 Theatre Fest to be held July 13, 14 and 15, 2012. All 10-minute play submissions will be accepted until 5pm on May 16, 2012. There is a $10 administrative fee per playwright with a maximum of two entries per playwright and you must be 18 years or older to enter. For all guidelines visit www.weathervaneplayhouse.com or call Weathervane Playhouse at 330-836-2626.

Peninsula Art Academy is looking for artists to participate in its show and sale, “The River.” The exhibition runs May 19 through June 23 and coincides with Crooked River 22nd Annual River Day 2012. Artists interested should submit original work in all media, including 2-dimensional and 3-deimensional works highlighting the role of the Cuyahoga River plays in their everyday lives. For more information visit www.peninsulaartacademy.com or call Peninsula Art Academy at 330-657-2248.

4th Annual Plein Air Competition

Please join this artistic event and help celebrate the wonder and beauty of the Cuyahoga Valley. The competition begins on June 15 and ends on June 17. An exhibition of the works created will be on display and available for sale at Peninsula Art Academy June 30 through August 11. For more information visit www.peninsulaartacademy.com or call Peninsula Art Academy at 330-657-2248.

9th Annual Fiber Arts Show

Artists are invited to enter their work in the show, open to all area fiber artists. There will be categories for both functional and non-functional works and prizes will be awarded. The show will run July 28 through August 24. For more information or to enter the show visit www.peninsulaartacademy.com or call Peninsula Art Academy at 330-657-2248.

“We started the student exhibition because we really want to encourage this next generation of artists and the Akron Arts Expo was the perfect setting to do it. It is a great introduction to the professional art world for the students. They gain experience and exposure for their work,” stated Community Event Coordinator Brittany Schmoekel.

Students in grades 7-12 are eligible to enter their original artwork. There is no entrance fee, and any public, private or home-schooled students living with the Akron Public School district are eligible. The exhibit is for 2-dimentional or 3-dimentional works of art. Students may enter up to two pieces for judging. Gift cards from Pat Catan’s Craft Centers will be awarded to artwork receiving the Judges’ Recognition of Merit.

All students must present their work to a panel of judges on Saturday, June 9 between 9am-1pm at the Balch Street Community Center located at 220 S. Balch St., Akron, OH 44302. The judging process for Artside Out is designed to be an introductory experience into professional art shows, and will include a day of judging and written feedback for each student who enters a piece of work. Accepted art will be kept by the City of Akron Recreation Bureau through Sunday, July 29, when the students can then pick up their artwork. Visit www.akronartsexpo.org for an application and additional information.

The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) has nominated “Hammer on Steel,” a two-program documentary created by The University of Akron, for eight Emmy awards for the 2011 broadcast year.

Documenting the compelling and conflict-torn history of steel drum music in the Caribbean country of Trinidad and Tobago, “Hammer on Steel: Bad Boys and Genius” premiered in February 2011 on Western Reserve Public Media in Northeast Ohio.

The second program, “Hammer on Steel: The Concert,” documents the UA Steel Drum Band’s 30th anniversary concert in April 2010 at E.J. Thomas Hall on the UA campus. The concert program premiered on Western Reserve Public Media in Northeast Ohio, and has since aired on PBS stations in Hawaii, Florida, New Hampshire, Montana and others around the country.

“Hammer on Steel” earned the Emmy nominations in the Lower Great Lakes chapter of NATAS’ competition. The nominations are in categories ranging from Live Event Coverage to Best Original Score. The awards ceremony will be in Indianapolis, Indiana, on June 2.

Forged less than 100 years ago in the heated struggle for independence in colonial Trinidad and Tobago, steel drum music was often the source of tremendous conflict. As quickly as authorities seized and destroyed the handmade and hammered pans, Trinidadians would rebuild their instruments. Now the music has become a source of community pride, national identity, and economic development.

“We made ‘Hammer on Steel’ to tell the world about this wonderful music and the self-taught musicians who created it — many of whom are now elderly and won’t be with us much longer,” explained Larry Snider, The University of Akron music professor who founded the UA Steel Drum Band in 1980.

“We also wanted to tell the unlikely story of how the Caribbean sounds of the steel drums have found a home in less-than-tropical Northeast Ohio.”

“I am proud of the team that worked on ‘Hammer on Steel’,” said producer and director Phil Hoffman of the UA School of Communication. “From Trinidad to Akron, exceptional artists and educators came together to create the documentary. We hope this attention shines a light on the heritage, people and artistry of steel drum music.”

“Hammer on Steel” is available for purchase at www.uasteelband.com.

“There is great art going on in Stark and Summit counties and we need to work together in promoting it,” says Robb Hankins, President and CEO of ArtsinStark. “Art at the Airport” is a step in that direction. The Summit County artists featured in “Art at the Airport” are Katina Pastis Radwanski, Sharon Frank Mazgaj and David Bryan Lile. The Stark County artists are Russ Ensign, Liz DeBellis and Tim Carmany.

“I hope this Summit/Stark collaboration is the start of many more to come between our arts communities,” said Jessie Raynor, Director of the Akron Area Arts Alliance. The installations are in three different passenger areas and will be changed quarterly.

For more information about upcoming “Art in the Airport” installations, please contact Michelle Waalkes at mmwaalkes@hotmail.com.