The Back Track to Art

How do you pronounce “theater”? Do you stretch it out with Shakespearean aplomb? Thee-ay-taaaah. Or do you speak it from the diaphragm, revealing your inner motivations? Theuhtr. Whatever your preferred pronunciation, if you’ve given thought to this and similar questions, you may be exactly the type of person the Northfield Arts Guild is looking for to fill its open THEATER PROGRAM DIRECTOR position.

The Theater Program Director coordinates, oversees and promotes all aspects of six to eight season productions and non-season shows and events. He or she hires, guides, assists and evaluates directors and the technical director, works with theater committee members, and manages all aspects of the theater building and its schedule. The Program Director sets and oversees theater production and class budgets, creates contracts, and pays stipends, and encourages and finds teachers and classes for new and continuing theater-related course offerings and camps.

This position is part-time, about 20 hours per week. Candidates should have a bachelor’s degree or equivalent plus two to four years of related experience. Send letter of interest and resume by June 27 to Northfield Arts Guild, 304 Division Street, Northfield MN  55057.

… since I last posted on “Back Track to Art.” Why so long? Well, there are lots of reasons, but mostly it’s because things have been crazy-busy here. There’s simply lots going on in Northfield in the Arts–and in the dead of winter, too.

Just to list a few things upcoming:

The play “The Lady’s Not for Burning“  by Christopher Fry runs February 15, 16, 17, and 22, 23 and 24. To buy tix, you can go here.

The Northfield All Schools art exhibition has been launched, and it runs now through March 8, culminating in the raucous, daylong Imagination Celebration on February 23.

And the Guild’s Annual Auction for the Arts is looming, on March 14, with multiple new features, a new venue, and lots of prizes and surprizes. Stay tuned to learn more!

I read with interest the comments of Beth Benson regarding the upcoming production of “Sex with Seven Women” at the NAG theater. Allow me to respond wearing my NAG director’s hat:

The mission of the Northfield Arts Guild is to “stimulate artistic activity in the greater Northfield area.” The Northfield Arts Guild strives to “organize, support, and promote the efforts of the community in expressing, developing and appreciating art.”

Part of the reason we decided to produce “Sex with Seven Women” was because it fit in well with our mission. It was written by a talented local writer, whose growing skill has been increasingly lauded by the community (Brendon Etter is the writer, among other things, of the popular Jesse Jane Jamboree productions). It is also being acted by local actors, developed by local theater talent, performed in a local venue, and, above all else, its subject is relevant to a large portion of the community, many of whom are men and women who are familiar with sex and sexual issues.

That said, the Guild recognizes the right of adults to avoid attending productions that make them uncomfortable or that they find objectionable. That is why we included strong disclaimers–that this show was for mature audiences only–in all of our advertising for the show, a likely reason the newspaper was asking that question of Brendon in the first place. It’s a delicate line. There is so much in the play that isn’t objectionable, yet we still have to make the disclaimer for the small bits that might make small portions of the audience uncomfortable–and of course it all gets blown out of proportion.

The Guild recognizes the right of any individual to voice objections to material that may make them uncomfortable or that they may deem objectionable–even when they haven’t seen the materials. Still, owing to our mission, the Guild is of the opinion that all art–whether it be uplifting, depressing, shocking, soothing, challenging, enlivening, or objectionable–will always find the audience it was meant to find.

The Northfield Arts Guild hopes that while you may not want to attend, for your own personal reasons, a performance of “SWSW,” you may still consider attending future NAG productions that are geared toward other audiences. In coming months, we will be producing the musical “The Pajama Game,” the post-war comedy “The Lady’s Not for Burning,” the children’s tale “Holes,” and Shakespeare’s “Merry Wives of Windsor.” And I’m not even mentioning the 10 art exhibitions we put on every year, the wonderful art by local artists that we sell in our shop, the dance classes for kids and adults, the CVRO concerts, etc etc.

As per our mission, there’s truly something for everyone at the Northfield Arts Guild!

Now, if I may, for just a moment, remove my director’s hat and comment as a citizen commenter:

I read a chunk of “Sex with Seven Women” when it came through the office (though I was careful not to read all of it–because I didn’t want to spoil my seeing it), and I have to say, it’s funny. And really good. While the situations are mature, Brendon’s writing is, as always, spot on–clever, witty, and full of sharp, unexpected observations about a subject that we all (may think we) know something about.

In the end, “Sex with Seven Women” has something for every mature adult to think about, chuckle over, and ponder–even as they might be grasping their armchairs to keep from falling out of their seat from laughter!

The Guthrie theater is offering free tickets to actors for the December 19-20 performances of Sweet William.

A large-spirited salute to the Bard, Sweet William is part biography, part analysis and part performance. Reflecting on his long international experience as a director and leading actor, and having spend some 20,000+ hours onstage performing Shakespeare, Michael Pennington sets out to celebrate the life and work of the theater icon.

A seasoned actor/director, Pennington’s career has spanned more than 40 years, during which time he has played leading roles for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre and his own award-winning English Shakespeare Company, which he co-founded with Michael Bogdanov in 1986. Perhaps best known to younger audiences as Moff Jerjerrod, commander of the Death Star in Star Wars – Return of the Jedi, he has also published three “User’s Guides” to individual Shakespeare plays, and delivered the annual Shakespeare lecture at the prestigious British Academy.

If you are an actor, and you are interested in these tickets, please contact me at michael(at)northfieldartsguild(dot)org.

Thanks to all who helped with and participated in the Northfield Arts Guild’s ninth annual Festival of Trees. With your help we raised about $5000 at the event. This income will contribute to the quality artistic experiences we provide for the community of Northfield. Below are a handful of photos taken by “citizen journalist” extraordinaire Griff Wigley (you can see more here).

For those of you who missed this year’s event, you should be aware you missed out on a lot of great holiday cheer, food, wine, song, hand-crafted ornaments, and much more! You also missed out on some fantastic holiday steals. Just to name a few, two opera tickets (value $170) sold for just $50; a $100 gift certificate for dance classes sold for $25; two tickets to a Minnesota Orchestra concert (value $136) sold for just $30; and a three-month membership at the Olympus Health Club (value $300) sold for just $80.

If I were you, I’d mark my calendar now for next year’s event, lest you miss out on another chance to commit (legitimately, courtesy of your Northfield Arts Guild) grand holiday larceny!

In the meantime, if you’re still looking for a bargain, I have ONE free movie pass for a December 13 preview screening at the Landmark Lagoon Cinema in Minneapolis of the new movie by Guillermo Del Toro, The Orphanage. You can’t get much cheaper than free!

The first person to contact me at michael(at)northfieldartsguild(dot)org gets the tix.

The Landmark Cinemas in Edina have passed on to us a couple of free passes (each for two persons) for a movie screening next week.

Movie: Atonement starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy (and based on the book by Ian McEwan)

Time/Date: 7:30 pm, Wednesday, November 28

Place: Landmark Edina Cinema, 3911 W. 5oth St., Edina, MN

Please contact us if you can make use of these free passes:

Email: michael(at)northfieldartsguild(dot) org or call: 507-645-8877

The passes will be given out on a first-come-first-serve basis. You’ll be able to pick up the tickets here at the Guild next week (as the office will be closed for the holiday weekend).

Happy holidays!

I know, I know… terrible pun. And for it I apologize.

But as with Bravo’s popular Project Runway, the Northfield Arts Guild asks of local artists, “do you have what it takes to be ‘in’?”

And by “in” I mean, “in the 9th annual Northfield Arts Guild’s Festival of Trees (on December 6-8)”?

The Arts Guild is seeking top-notch local designers and artists willing to lend their skills, vision, talent, and time to Project Wreathway–aka the Festival of Trees.

As in other years, artists provide hand-crafted holiday ornaments and hand-decorated holiday trees that then are auctioned off to a hungry local audience. But this year there’s a twist–we’re offering smaller items, lots and lots of them (you guessed it: wreaths, and tabletop trees, and “kissing balls,” as well as all sorts of gift items, tickets to arts events, trinkets for aunt Ellen, gadgets for uncle Bob, and much more!)–all perfect for taking home straight from the event.

So, all you artists and artisans, crafters and craftspeople–join Project Wreathway! Let us know what you’re willing to donate, decorate, or provide. (michael(at)northfieldartsguild(dot)com; 507-645-8877).

Art Guild member and local visual artist Riki Kölbl Nelson would like to inform the NAG community of the current three-person show she is participating in at St. Olaf. (The following description was written by fellow exhibiting artist Doug Bratland):

As a Minnesotan of mostly Norwegian descent, I’m not
altogether comfortable with self-promotion. Which is
why it’s taken me until now to write a story about the
three-person art show that’s on exhibit at St. Olaf
until Saturday. [Note: We've just been informed this
show will be extended until Thanksgiving.]

My twin brother, Don, and I and our friend Riki Kölbl
Nelson all graduated as art majors from St. Olaf in
1987. Riki, the one actual “working artist” among us,
organized an exhibition to concur with the celebration
of our 20th reunion, which was last weekend.

Read on for an illustrated description of the show….

Riki Kölbl Nelson is a poet and painter who has
exhibited her work locally, nationally and
internationally during the decades she’s lived in
Northfield. Her works are the most diverse of the
three exhibitors, featuring pieces mainly inspired by
St. Olaf’s memorial chime tower and wind turbine. Riki
is an Austrian native who worked on her undergraduate
art degree while her son was in high school. She has
additional degrees in English literature and an MFA in
painting.

Don Bratland’s work is a series of 26 black & white
photographs—each representing one letter of the
alphabet—depicting scenes from the landscape of his
rural life. He lives on a hobby farm in Nerstrand with
his family, a bunch of horses, a few cats, a dog, and
lots of breathing space. Don is co-owner of Holmes
Design in downtown Northfield and the art director of
the St. Olaf Magazine, but this is the first exhibition
of his photography since 1987.

In my own works I utilized various materials to
explore a single theme: rocks. Varying from real to
realistic to surrealistic, my pieces mix photographs
with sculptures rendered in clay, papier mache, wool
and packing tape. This is also my first full art
exhibition since college, but I’ve been making visual
art off and on since moving to Northfield in 2002. My
normal gig is working on websites, both as a long-time
volunteer with Northfield.org and as a recent addition
to Carleton’s web services group.

If you decide to stop up on campus to check out the
show, don’t get discouraged when you have trouble
finding the exhibition space. It’s not in the art
building, but in the student center, Buntrock Commons.
Head for the back wall and look for a pair of closed
doors to the left, near the cash machines; the show
hangs in the hallway leading to the telecom office.
You can email me [Doug Bratland -- dbratland(at)gmail.(dot)com]
for more detailed directions or additional information.

A Northfield artist has alerted the Arts Guild of an important and useful upcoming workshop that is being organized by Springboard for the Arts.

If anyone is interested in attending a workshop introducing artists to NYFA Source–a database of helpful services to artists–on October 11, the artist is looking for someone to carpool with. To arrange this ride, please contact us at 507-645-8877 or email me at michael(at)northfieldartsguild(dot)org.

Springboard for the Arts has requested that we inform our artist membership of the upcoming Health Fair for Artists.

Please join us at Springboard for the Arts’ Health Fair for Artists, a day devoted to connecting all artists, arts administrators, and their families to healthcare resources.

The Health Fair is on Saturday, November 3rd from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at the Carleton Artist Lofts in St. Paul (2285 University Ave).

The event is FREE; pre-register online at www.springboardforthearts.org or by phone at 651-292-4381. Please see below for event features, including free screenings and a list of Table Sponsors.