A Gourdgeous Spectacle

A seed has been planted at the north end of Mesa Contemporary Arts court yard: a pumpkin patch will soon take root. These are not ordinary pumpkins, putting our own MAC twist to work our pumpkin patch will be filled with pumpkins of various shapes, textures, colors and sizes and will be ready for the harvest September 14th.

There will be glass pumpkins created by local glass artisans and MAC students, as well as pumpkin inspired jewelry, pumpkin prints, and ceramic pumpkins created in our studios.

These gorgeous glass, paper, ceramic and jewelry pumpkins will be donated by the students and artist making them available for purchase with all of the proceeds benefiting Mesa Arts Center’s studio programs as well as Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum.  

There is the hope that this pumpkin patch will have the potential of turning into an annual event.

This year’s Season Kick-off will have the clashing of elements “Fire and Ice.” And whats more appropriate than glass work? Glass is conceived from fire, cooling to “ice.”

World renowned glass artists the de la Torre brothers, Elinar and Jamex, use humor to convey social and political commentaries based on their own Mexican-American experiences. They will be holding a 30 minute discussion at 6:30pm to speak about their newest body of work titled: El Melting Pot,  just one of 4 glass featured exhibitions at MCA opening that night.

The de la Torre brothers will be available the weekend of September 14^th.

I encourage you to join us in our Season Kick-off festivities. It’s going to be both the hottest and the coolest night of the summer. 

-Christine LeCorn

Outreach and Education: Reaching Out to Area Educators

Mesa Arts Center’s Education and Outreach Program has been growing and we are excited to make sure every educator knows about it.

Ruth Michalscheck, Principal of Knox Elementary, Chandler Unified School District, thinks the world about Mesa Arts Center Culture Connect Program, “It was FANTASTIC!!!  The students were enthralled, as were all the adults.  I went down to introduce the artist in residence for his performance for the 4-6^th grade classes and only intended to stay a few minutes.  I couldn’t tear myself away!  It was soooooo good.  The hoop dancing, the costumes, thank you again for bringing the Culture Connect Program to our students

How can teachers learn about all of the opportunities that are available to them and their students? We are inviting educators from all over the valley to a Mesa Arts Center inaugural event that will inspire their school year:

Educators Pre-View Night

This is a FREE event that will be held August 23^rd from 4:30-6:30pm here at Mesa Arts Center, One E. Main Street, Mesa AZ. Educators will learn about all of our Arts and Culture Offerings for Elementary, Junior High School and High School students.

The main part of the event will be held in the Nesbitt Elliot Playhouse but let me tell you there is a lot that will be going on throughout our campus.

From 4:30-5:00pm we will have an opening reception that includes drinks, food, campus tours, goodie bags, door prizes and MORE! Some of the bigger door prizes include a basket filled with National Geographic Books, 4 tickets to a showing of African Ceremonies, 4 tickets to Shaolin Warriors and SO much more!

From 5-6:00pm, educators will preview the Performing Live season offerings for students and see a surprise performance. There will be a sneak peak at MCA fall shows, and an opportunity to meet the MAC team, and to discover a range of arts and cultural experience for the classroom.

From 6-6:30pm, will offer a pre-registration to the educators before it’s open to the public for the National Geographic Live! and our Performing Live shows for students. There will also be desserts and wonderful entertainment for all who attend.

Just between you and me, I heard a very credible rumor that everyone will be getting a special edible from a certain arrangement that may or may not be plural… wink wink 

Space IS limited so make sure all of your educator friends know about this and RSVP ASAP!  At 480-644-6540 or outreach@mesaartscenter.com  

 -Christine LeCorn

Back to School Season! Fun Project to Organize the Family

Well, summer is over and school is in session! Unfortunately, summer is over for me too and my internship is winding down as I must head back up to the cold north in about a week. So for my farewell blog, I’ve decided to address the craze that is the scholastic season and provide a cute and fun way to help keep everyone on the same page.

With homework, chores, sports, and other activities and appointments, it can be tough to get everyone to where they need to be. Creating your own reminder/note chalkboard for your home is the perfect solution to this organizational chaos.

What you’ll need to start:

-          1 tablespoon of unsanded grout (can be purchased at most home improvement stores)

-          Mixing cup

-          ½ cup of acrylic paint (choose any color you’d like your paint to be!)

-          A surface you want to paint and make into a chalkboard (a plain, wood board is fine!)

-          Paint brush

-          Plastic spoons for mixing

 Be sure to do all of this work in a well-ventilated area or outdoors!

 Step 1)

Measure out your paint and grout and put into mixing cup.

 Step 2)

Stir the grout and paint together very well so that there are no lumps in the mix. The paint will begin to harden once it’s mixed, so be sure to only mix together what you need at the time.

Step 3)

Paint your surface with your new chalkboard paint and then let it dry!

Step 4)

Once your chalkboard surface is FULLY dried, you will need to slate the surface before you can use it. This means that you take a piece of chalk and lightly rub it on the entire surface. Then you lightly rub off the chalk (using a paper towel preferably).

Now you have a great new addition to your home that everyone will use (and love!)

If you become really ambitious, you can even paint other things, like kitchen cabinets, or an entire wall in your house!

 This is my last blog, and so I would just like to say what a wonderful experience it has been for me to be an intern here. Thank you for welcoming me into the Mesa Arts Center community and I’m sure my successor will be another awesome addition to the marketing family!

–Melissa Hultstrand

King Family Vacation

Renee and Daughter Arielle (foreground) in their Functional Pottery class

Summer vacation means time off from school creating a need to find something to do that’s productive, or better yet to find a new experience or opportunity and jump into it. When most people hear the word vacation they think about going somewhere to escape the heat. One local family found a way to beat the heat right here, in Mesa. The King Family decided to forgo Europe and have a stay-cation here at Mesa Arts Center.

With over 100 classes to choose from it was hard for them to narrow their choices down to two classes a piece, especially for Olivia who did get to take three, that lucky girl!

The King family is composed of mother, Renee, father, Gerald and their four daughters Arielle, Olivia, Felicia and Julia. Instead of going to Europe, the Kings decided to learn new skills and build on their natural creative talent. They felt it would work better for them this year, because classes would last all summer long as opposed to a week’s vacation overseas. Plus the King family felt that taking a vacation out of the country wouldn’t be the same unless the whole family could go. With husband Gerald working in New Mexico, and their daughter Julia in Africa, Renee said that this was an excellent alternative.

The Kings have taken classes here at the MAC before. Renee had previously received a holiday gift of taking a clay class, so she already had an idea of how much fun these classes could be. This summer, the family took a variety of classes; Renee and Arielle took Functional Pottery together; Olivia and Felicia took Pottery Wheel Basics for Teens together; Arielle and Olivia took I Can’t Believe Its Colored Pencils together; and daughters Olivia and Felicia took Glass Flameworking with their mother Renee.

Renee (right) and Arielle (left) showing their skills on the pottery wheel

They learned a lot, built skills, and Arielle, a special education teacher of 2^nd and 3^rd graders, added that she hopes the skills that she has learned over the summer will translate into her classroom. We are so pleased to have such dedicated participants of our arts family that they spent the whole summer with us! We hope they will inspire others to join in on the fun!

- Christine LeCorn

(photos by Melissa Hulstrand)

Eats + Arts: Re-Launched!

We have re-launched the Eats + Arts program; it’s now bigger and better than ever and includes the Arizona Natural History Museum and Arizona’s Museum for Youth. We have also updated our program by acquiring 5 additional restaurants as well as some of our resident restaurants and a total of 26 awesome offers could be yours just for having one amazing cultural experience.

What is Eats + Arts?

Eats + Arts was a discount program pilot launched by Mesa Arts Centernot to long ago. Patrons of the center presented their ticket/stub to partnering restaurants  and were given a specific discount. The ticket/stub was good for one week following the show so our patrons could enjoy a week of discounts at the participating establishments.

The program was so well received that we are now re-launching the program. The participating restaurants of Eats + Arts are generously offering the same discounts to the visitors of Arizona Natural History Museum and Arizona’s Museum for Youth as well.

How do you get your discount? 

When you attend a show at the Mesa Arts Center, all you do is present your ticket/stub or on-line ticket to the participating restaurants.

For those who attend the Arizona Museum of Natural History and/or the Arizona Museum for Youth, hang onto your admissions receipt and do the same.

Discounts are still available for one week following the date of your cultural visit.

For more information go to the Mesa Arts Center’s Eats + Arts web page for current offers and all of the participating restaurants and keep your eyes open for the new tri-fold brochure!

http://www.mesaartscenter.com/index.php/visitmac/eats-arts

 - Christine LeCorn

Jazz from A-Z

Hey all you cool cats; Jazz at Lincoln Center will be at Mesa Arts Center for the third straight year! It’s all for our Education and Outreach program Jazz from A-Z and people have taken notice. KAET Eight, Arizona PBS came in to document the process for the last school year. World renowned Jazz at Lincoln Center goes over and beyond the basic concert. Every year they have a year-round schedule of performances, as well as education and broadcast events for all ages including:  concerts, national and international tours residencies, publications, a band director academy, advanced training through the Juilliard Institute for Jazz Studies, children’s concerts, lectures, student & educator workshops and SO much more.

Jazz at Lincoln Center and Mesa Arts Center have partnered with Arizona State University Public History and Mesa Public Schools for Jazz from A-Z. The program teaches Arizona History and World History teachers how to connect Jazz with historic events in their curriculum.  Sponsored by Boeing Corporation and the Arizona Commission on the Arts, Jazz from A-Z creates a meaningful connection to one of America’s greatest cultural resources- jazz.

Taking note from the qualities of jazz, and using the National Endowment for the Arts – Jazz Curriculum as a guide, this program provides opportunities for students and educators to improvise, analyze, synthesize, engage in group collaboration, develop an ‘individual voice’, and broaden cultural perspectives all within their history class!

For a sneak peak at what Jazz from A-Z is all about; watch the mini documentary premiering on Thursday July 18, 2013 on KAET Eight, Arizona PBS.

The 2012-2013 school year will focus on Civil Rights and Jazz, as nonviolent resistance is explored through music, dance, and live theater.  The breadth and depth of experiences are custom made for History and World History Educators. 

This year the workshops are being offered for free to ALL Arizona History and World History teachers.  Workshops and classes are complemented by free tickets for students and educators to attend live performances by Jazz at Lincoln Center at the Mesa Arts Center.  

The Educator Arts Integration Workshop topic will be: “Civil Rights and Jazz”

The Young People Concerts (suggested for grades 4-12) will be:

•         Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra Supported by the Act One Foundation 
•         Side Street Strutters Supported by the National Endowment for the Arts

The Band Director Academy will again be offered. Whether you’re a music education student or a veteran teacher, this three-day academy offers tips and techniques for a deeper understanding of, and passion for, teaching jazz. 

For More Information and to learn how to register:

http://www.mesaartscenter.com/index.php/outreach/outreach-programs/jazz-a-z

http://www.mesaartscenter.com/index.php/outreach/outreach-programs/edpreviewnight

-Christine LeCorn

Homemade Iced Coffee in the Summer? Yesss!

It’s officially the middle of the summer season and the temperature is simply HOT. It has gotten to the point where the specific temperature doesn’t even matter anymore. Hot is just hot. So to help fellow Arizonans survive the rest of July without being too hard on their wallets, I’ve found this recipe for making your own Mocha Chip Frappe at home on www.abeautifulmess.com. This delicious treat is perfect for soothing your sweet tooth and cooling your system. It doesn’t get much better than that!

 

First step before you blend the rest of the ingredients:

1. Brew a really strong pot of coffee and let it cool.
2. Pour the cooled coffee into an ice cube tray and freeze it. 

To make a single serving, blend these together:

1. 4 coffee ice cubes
2. 2 scoops chocolate ice cream
3. 1/3 cup of milk
4. A handful of chocolate chips

 

Pour into a glass and sprinkle a few more chocolate chips on top for flair and flavor and you’ve got yourself a Mocha Chip Frappe. You can even add some whipped cream and a drizzle of Hershey’s chocolate syrup on top if you’re feeling the need for extra sweetness.

If chocolate is not your thing, substitute the chocolate ice cream for vanilla ice cream and the chocolate chips for caramel. It’s just as deliciously refreshing.

 – Melissa Hultstrand