Flint Hills International Children's Festival

$5 Tickets On Sale Now!

2012-01-13T08:48:00.000-08:00

Tickets for our 2012 Flint Hills International Children’s Festival are on sale now. Tickets are only $5. Performances include: World of Rhythm, Zorro, The Wolf and the Goat, and Bam. Shows regularly sell out, so don’t wait. Buy today!

World of Rhythm

World of Rhythm

Ordway Music Theater| Music
Explore the world of percussion with Drums United’s explosive performances of World of Rhythm. Drums United is made up of nine percussionists from seven different countries including Bangladesh, Senegal, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Surinam, and Venezuela. This exciting show mixes African, Latin, Spanish, and Indian drum traditions with Western drumming and uses contemporary electronic sounds that are sure to get you moving in your seat! The performance not only gives the audience an opportunity to listen and watch top players, but also imparts the underlying message that people from widely varying nationalities can work well together.

Zorro
Landmark Center - Weyerhaeuser Auditorium | Theater

Zorro

A mysterious figure has arrived in town. A flurry of a cape, the glint of a sword and a flash of a mask; who is this baffling character? Exciting friend or formidable foe? Watch as our masked champion ricochets from one sticky situation to another in a world where justice is the name and adventure is the game! Join Visible Fictions on the epic adventure of the classic swashbuckler in 17th century California.

The Wolf and Goat

The Wolf and the Goat

Lehr Theater | Theater
This magical story is about a wolf and a goat that meet on a dark night far away from home, but don’t recognize each other. Forgetting that they are usually enemies, they discover that they are closer than they imagined. Will the goat really be brave and the wolf frightened? Or maybe nothing changes and the wolf will eat the goat? Or maybe the frightened goat will escape? Like the wolf and the goat, we don’t know what is going to happen - do you?
Inspired by the Japanese novel One Stormy Night by Yuichi Kimura, this captivating tale will keep you spellbound.

BAM

Bam

Lowry Lab Theater | Puppetry

Join Théâtre des Petites Âmes on a great adventure in the land of Tran Tran Troo! Meet the most famous person in Tran Tran Troo, the Great Lady La, who can make the water sing. One hot summer night, the land of Tran Tran Troo dries up and the Great Lady La is left without a voice. Luckily for our story, the Great Lady La’s two children, Lilou and Lalou, set out to find a new source of water to hear their mother’s song again. And so begins a great adventure which takes place here, there and everywhere.

For more information on tickets, visit http://www.ordway.org/festival.

ARTwalk Installation....Round #1

2011-04-14T10:06:00.000-07:00

So it begins!

Mere hours ago, I completed my first ARTwalk installation at the Lehr Theater on West 5th Street between St. Peter & Wabasha.

The installation features work from Open World Learning Community in good old St. Paul

The installation was supervised by Ordway intern and Saint Paul Conservatory student Ashton. How did we do buddy?

Good.

Here's to the installations yet to come! Thank you to everyone who submitted work to the ARTwalk!

- Mike

Mike and Kirstin hit the road!

2011-03-28T19:06:00.000-07:00

Hallie Bowman at Armatage

Mike and I hit the road to visit some sites and check out the work that's being created for the ARTwalk. It was an awesome day and there is so much amazing work being created!

VOA SALT student created a giant star

VOA SALT creation for the mobile installation

Happy trails! ~Kirstin

International Academy LEAP Panel Presentation!

2011-03-18T08:36:00.000-07:00

International Academy LEAP in Saint Paul showed us their finished works today! A panel of 6 community members came to the classroom to get to know students and hear about their work. Each panelist shared a little bit about themselves and their career path and education before the students shared their work with us. The art was inspired by Pablo Picasso and students explored color, line, expression and form when developing the work. You might not believe it, but they only had 3 colors to work with Red, Yellow, and Blue (and Black and White to add value). Pretty impressive when you see all the colors they were able to create!

Their work will be on display in Travelers during the ARTwalk!
Enjoy!~Kirstin

The ARTwalk: Linking Literacy and the Arts

2011-03-16T11:04:00.000-07:00

A dedicated art teacher from Michelle and Barack Obama Service Learning Elementary has found a way to establish a connection between literacy and the arts by utilizing the Festival's annual ARTwalk.

Click here to read the entire article by Angie Miles at HappyReading.org

Saint Peter Claver is Back!

2011-03-16T08:49:00.000-07:00

Last year, Saint Peter Claver interacted with Shangilia Youth Choir of Kenya to make, send, share and explore one another's artwork and lifestyles. This year, many of the same students are working to create an installation for Alliance Bank Center's rotunda. Students came to visit the site and think about how their art could manifest in the space and to meet Shawn Wiski, the building manager! It's great to see so many of the same faces and think about how awesome their artworks might be!

Stay tuned for more~Kirstin

Armatage visits Macy's

2011-03-16T08:35:00.000-07:00

Armatage Elementary students visited Macy's in downtown Saint Paul to explore the site where their artwork will be displayed. Working with Hallie Bowman, a teaching artist, students envisioned their site specific installation which will go on display as part of the ARTwalk. After hearing a little bit from a Macy's visual designer, students got to go behind the scenes at Macy's and into the window display area itself! While they were there, students thought about how the giant mosaic heart they intend to make might look in the space and discussed the scale of the birds they would be creating to surround it. We are so excited to see what they come up with!
More soon,
Kirstin

Construction, one tree at a time...

2011-03-11T12:52:00.000-08:00

The student crew at Volunteers of America SALT school in Minneapolis were hard at work constructing their site specific installation for the Wells Fargo Building on 7th and Wabasha. The students were working on trees which will cover the shell of the turtle, mimicing the earth's surface.

The turtle is over 8 feet (at least that's how big it looked to me) and constructed from hollow tube PVC piping jointed together in a way that will bend itself into the rounded shape. Totally cool. It will be covered with a fabric which is made from chicken wire ironed between multiple layers of plastic bags. Almost all the elements are built from recyclable materials repurposed to become what is likely to be a super cool installation.

more to come next week, but that's all for now!
-kirstin

ARTwalk Process Revealed! ARTwalk Deadline Extended to March 13, 2011!

2011-03-03T08:27:00.001-08:00

Do you still have work that you would like to submit to the ARTwalk? We are extending our submission deadline to Sunday, March 13th!

To learn more about the ARTwalk download a submission form by clicking on here.

Artists and Sites Paired for 2011!

2011-02-21T08:23:00.000-08:00

Mark Safford, Teaching Artist, at Duluth and Case Rec. 2010

Finally, the sites and artists for the ARTmoves Parade have been selected! The Parade will make its way around the Festival on June 4 at 1pm!

Site/Artist Pairings:

Battle Creek Rec Center: Chris Lutter
CHAT: artist confirmation in process
Conway Rec Center: Mary Plaster
Duluth and Case Rec Center: Estela De Paola de Lerma
Hallie Q. Brown: Sarah Wolbert
Hancock Rec Center: Soozin Hirschmugl
Merrick Community Center: Gustavo Boada
Northdale Rec Center: Mark Safford
Rice Rec Center: Julian McFaul
Scheffer Rec Center: Gita Ghei
West 7th Community Center: Trevor Nicholas

Are you interested in becoming an ARTmoves Parade Teaching Artist in 2012? It can happen! Sign up for this blog's Feedburner and you will receive the most up to date information about Festival opportunities or check back to the website in the Fall of 2011 for the submission form.

Hope to see you at the Parade!

The Art is Flowing In...

2011-02-18T08:02:00.001-08:00

The deadline for submission to the ARTwalk is February 28th and the art is starting to roll in. Check out these fantastic pieces of art!

"Monster Trucks Rule" by Hayden E. Age 9

"Life is Amazing" by Macy E. Age 7

"Fairy on the River" by Katie A. Age 13

Send yours soon! Submission forms can be downloaded here. We are excited to see your art!

Paint Shirts.

2011-02-16T10:00:00.000-08:00

Last week I had the pleasure of sitting in on an art class at St. Peter Claver Elementary School. The class was comprised of 7th graders and was led by Amy Clark. This very class will be producing a Site Specific Installation at the Alliance Bank Center for the ARTwalk later this year. What are they doing to prepare themselves for the work ahead?

Putting on their paint shirts and going to town on a classroom sized sheet of paper.

The lesson was about Jean-Michel Basquiat, a Neo-expressionist painter active in the 1980's. Jean-Michel created vivid and emotional paintings with a loose and free-flowing style.

In order to make expressive art, one must truly allow their feelings to take the reigns and forget about doing things "correctly." At the beginning of the session, many of the students were timid about starting. Some of them went as far as to make outrageous claims like "I can't paint" or "I don't know what to do." Yet somehow, by the end of the activity everyone had made a significant contribution to the painting without any direction at all. This activity not only allowed the students to loosen up, but also yielded a large and beautiful piece of artwork that reflected the feelings and ideas of both the students as individuals as well as the group as a whole.

Sometimes people are afraid to make art. Have you ever thought that you don't know how to draw? I have. But the fact of the matter is, if you can make a mark on a piece of paper....you know how to draw. What are some of the things that keep you from making artwork? What are some of the things we tell ourselves to make art sound scary? Are they true?

Take a tip from Jean-Michel and the students of St. Peter Claver School. We all have what it takes to make artwork and we can all make art that's worth showing. If you or someone you know has some work that they'd like to show off, you should submit it to the ARTwalk without hesitation. What have you got to loose?

Don't have any artwork to submit? Make some! As curator of the ARTwalk, I do declare that I would love to include some of your work in this year's exhibition. Simply click on the ARTwalk tab at the top of the page and follow the links to the submission form. If you can't fill it out, find a parent, guardian or teacher who can.

I look forward to seeing your work.

- Mike

A World of Surprises!

2011-02-07T13:23:00.001-08:00

International Academy LEAP

2011-02-07T08:14:00.000-08:00

Site Specific Installations are taking off this year! International Academy LEAP, under the direction of educator and artist, Jill Michell, are ramping up to create an amazing installation in the front windows of Travelers. As you might know, this is a huge space to work with and the team has come up with a clever take on repetition to create continuity and fill the space using Picasso as inspiration. Here are some examples of the work they plan to do...there will be 2D and 3D creations.

Time to make art!

2011-02-04T08:38:00.000-08:00

Over the last month or so I have bared witness to a number of proposals, presentations, plans and previews regarding this year's Site Specific Installations. Why just yesterday my buddy Kirstin and I paid a visit to the talented students of Volunteers of America SALT High School to participate in a materials brainstorming session. I can't tell you everything they came up with because it would ruin the surprise. But I will say this much....turtle.

While I have greatly enjoyed hearing about all these wonderful ideas, there's something I enjoy even more than hearing about art and that's making art. It's my favorite part of the artistic process. I know that many of you out there simply CAN'T WAIT for the ARTwalk. Some days I feel like that too. But today I would encourage you to forget the exhibition, forget the end result and just enjoy the act of making art. Get your hands messy. Make mistakes. Be spontaneous. Have fun.

I myself am planning on saying goodbye to my computer for the rest of the day and start saying hello to a painting I've been working on.

Finding yourself stuck on a project? I recommend a little inspiration. As previously mentioned, The AZ Gallery is hosting a Elementary and Middle School Art Extravaganza! I went to the opening last weekend. In addition to seeing loads of great artwork, the reception itself was impressively complete with snacks, painting stations AND a DJ. I found it to be "a rockin' good time." Don't believe me? Just ask these fellas.

This is the last weekend that the show is up so be sure to go check it out. Happy art making!

- Mike

ARTwalk 2011 Team!

2011-01-31T08:15:00.000-08:00

You might remember Mike Mason from last year's ARTwalk team...that's right! He's back on board as the lead Curator for the 2011 ARTwalk. We recently invited Jessica Tweet to assist him and are sure that they are going to make a stellar installation team.

Don't forget, submissions are due: FEBRUARY 28th to the Ordway. Submission forms can be found here.

ARTgarden Artist Team

2011-01-28T08:23:00.000-08:00

Sculptor and Teaching Artist, Sara Hanson, met with Artists and Gardeners, Mark Granlund and Angie Koebler of Blooming Saint Paul to discuss ideas for the ARTgarden student residency.

The residency is taking place at ISD 287 South Education Center where participants will be challenged to create spherical treasure chest time capsules and explore texture and material through a process of casting metal. Sara has a portable foundry which allows participants to experience the transformation of the materials as it happens!

If you could fill a time capsule, what would go in it?

Stay tuned for more updates about this project!

The Festival is gearing up!

2011-01-26T11:35:00.000-08:00

Joan from the Children's Museum

Jenea from VSA leads activities

We are only months away from the Festival and partners are gearing up for the big event! Last week, Education Partners made their way to the Ordway for the annual brainstorming meeting. Partners, new and veteran, shared their ideas for the Festival, learned about this year's concept, and participated in an activity lead by VSA Minnesota and East Side Arts Council. We are excited to see what amazing activities they bring to the 2011 Festival!

Art Show!

2011-01-24T08:03:00.000-08:00

Friends of the ARTwalk show their work in Saint Paul. Don't miss it!

VOA Salt Shares their Vision

2011-01-18T12:01:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, January 12, students from Volunteers of America SALT High School traveled to Saint Paul for a second visit with Unilev Management Corp, building managers of Wells Fargo Place. Students have been commissioned by Unilev to create a Site Specific Installation of visual art work in the atrium of the building.

The class presenting the work is an EcoDesign class led by educator, Andrew Arlt. Students have slowly worked through a design process based on the parameters and ideas put forth by the site sponsor. The space looks like this:

outside

inside

Each student designed their own installation before working together...

and then the group came together to create one final proposal. Here it is:

Stay tuned for updates on this amazing design process as the students prepare for the installation of the actual art in April!

Site Specific Installations Selected!

2011-01-18T11:40:00.000-08:00

Obama School Mobile 2010

This year's ARTwalk and Festival are proud to announce the sponsorship of 4 site specific installations. Site Specific Installations are collaborative creations that are made specifically for a designated site along the ARTwalk path. Typically, the building owner or business management participate in the process by providing feedback to designs and hosting the students during site visits.

This year's installations are as follows:

Volunteers of America SALT High School, Minneapolis- Wells Fargo Place (Unilev Management)
Saint Peter Claver Elementary School, Saint Paul- Alliance Bank
Armitage Elementary, Minneapolis-Macy's
International Academy LEAP- Travelers

All of these sites receive funding from the Ordway and/or the site sponsor to support their works of art. If you had the opportunity to create a site specific installation, what would it be?

2010-12-25T12:12:00.000-08:00

Don't forget!

2010-12-17T12:55:00.000-08:00

ARTwalk submissions are due the end of February! Let us know if you have any questions...the submission form can be found here.

ARTgarden Residency - The Discovery Garden

2010-12-15T12:34:00.000-08:00

The 2011 ARTgarden Residency will be lead by teaching artist, Sara Hanson at District 287 South Education Center in Richfield. Students will work with Sara to create metal casting sculptures which will be integrated into the design of the Discovery Garden during the 2011 Festival! I am super excited for the students to see the transformation of clay to metal right in front of them when Sara uses her mobile foundry! Here's Sara's bio and a link to her blog!

Sara Hanson is a visual artist and metal sculptor. She is a happy homeowner in the Logan Park neighborhood after living in her northeast warehouse space for seven years. After Sara received her BFA in sculpture from the University of MN, she began her career as an arts instructor, mentor and advocate for people with disabilities at Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts. Sara received a Public Projects grant from FORECAST Public Artworks for the Interstellar Record Project. The project involved a workshop, community metal pour event and the creation of a public sculpture on exhibition at the Art Depot in Red Wing, MN. Recently, Sara founded BroadCasting Metal-W.O.W. (workshop on wheels), a traveling sculpture foundry providing a fun and educational community experience.

Here's another article about her in the Twin Cities Daily Planet!

Stay tuned for more...

ARTgarden Sneak Peak!

2010-12-13T12:34:00.000-08:00

This is an insider's peak into the planning process of the 2011 ARTgarden...The Ordway has officially added the ARTgarden as an annual, returning program! For a third year, the Ordway will partner with the city’s Blooming Saint Paul to create an urban garden space during the Festival. Last year, the garden will be designed in honor of the Festival’s 10th Anniversary and this year, the design will be inspired by this year's theme: A World of Surprise! With this design concept, Angela Koebler and Mark Granlund will transform a part of downtown Saint Paul for a third year!

The artists have titled this year's ARTgarden the Discovery Garden and have begun exploring ways to bring surprise and discovery to the horticultural landscape! Remember, the images you see below are part of the planning process and will likely adjust and change as they continue to work!

Slide 2

dis·cover
to obtain sight or knowledge of for the first time to be the first to find out, see, or know about

Stay tuned for more updates!