May 2009 Archives

Call for Poetry Submissions

Published on May 29, 2009 by Christy Tennant

Comment magazine invites poets to submit contributions in the form of a rondeau suitable for publication in our September print issue.

This will be our fourth annual “Making the Most of College” issue, and the submitted poems should in some way be connected with that theme, or with the beginning of the school year.

Our poetry judges will select three of the submitted rondeaux for publication and offer pre-publication editorial advice to the poets. One of the selected rondeaux will be published on the first page of the September issue, and its poet awarded a prize of CDN $50. Two other winners will be published elsewhere in the magazine.

Email submissions or questions to dpostma (at) cardus.ca by June 15, 2009.

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Tibetan art museum receives state recognition

Published on May 27, 2009 by Christy Tennant

The following article appeared in the Staten Island Advance May 24, 2009

Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art named to the New York State Register of Historic Places

by Karen O'Shea

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A Tibetan art museum tucked away on Lighthouse Hill and built to resemble a Himalayan mountain monastery has been named to the New York State Register of Historic Places.

"The property is an extremely rare example of Tibetan-inspired architecture in the U.S.," Dan Keefe, a spokesman for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, said of the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art.

The museum joins other notable Island destinations like the Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden, Borough Hall and the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum on the state register, which recognizes important historical, architectural and cultural places.

The designation is largely honorific, but could help the museum apply for grants and funding for preservation.

And that's good news at a time when the Tibetan museum, like many other cultural organizations, is feeling the pinch of recession. The museum will find out in July how much city funding it can expect next year, and officials are pretty sure it will be less, not more.

Museum director Meg Ventrudo said a place on the state register is also a mark of distinction for the late museum founder, Jacques Marchais, an art collector and the patroness who built the museum in the 1940s with the help of master Italian stonemason Joseph Primiano.

"It really affirms Jacques Marchais' role as an important collector of Asian art and one of the first collectors of Tibetan art in the U.S.," Ms. Ventrudo said of the designation.

With its meditation garden, temple and main building, the museum was built to resemble a Himalayan monastery and is the oldest example of Tibetan-style architecture anywhere in the U.S.

Ms. Marchais ran a gallery in Manhattan but lived next door to the museum she built. While she never actually visited Tibet, her fascination with Eastern religion and art-collecting expertise prompted her to amass one of the finest collections of Tibetan and Himalayan art.

Listing on the state register makes the museum eligible to apply for state environmental protection fund grants.

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Compagnia de' Colombari

Published on May 26, 2009 by Alissa Wilkinson

Compagnia de' Colombari is an international collaborative of performing artists, born in Orvieto, Italy, and based in New York City, dedicated to new and old works from diverse traditions and cultures, creating spectacles for the public free of charge.

The company is named after the colombari-dovecotes-etched into the volcanic plateau on which Orvieto is poised. The dovecotes, networked one to another on the high cliff, demonstrate a synergy between the individual and the collective.

The Colombari play at the intersection and clash of cultures to celebrate what connects humankind at its core, in coincidence with extravagant distinction. Going to the root of the form, the Colombari generate theater for a new century and believe that every place is a space for the sacred architecture of theater between performer and audience.

Click here to learn more and join their mailing list.

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CALL FOR PARTICIPATION - Reflections of Generosity: Toward Restoration and Peace '09

Published on May 26, 2009 by Christy Tennant

Call for Participation:

Reflections of Generosity: Toward Restoration and Peace ‘09
August 19 – September 11
FMWR Arts Gallery
Fort Drum, New York

As soldiers and their families come to grips with ongoing deployments, the need for emotional and spiritual healing is greater than ever.

Reflections of Generosity: Toward Restoration and Peace ’09 is about the power of painting, sculpture, and even song to facilitate restoration through generosity, community, and beauty.

Artwork and performances will be shown that reflect the spirit of ongoing generosity demonstrated by the military. It will be dedicated to the memory of the heroes of 9-11 and the soldiers who have given their lives in recent conflicts.

In the spirit of the exhibit’s theme, there is no charge to participate. Submissions will be reviewed by a jury of artists.

For information about submitting your artwork, please contact:

Ron Kelsey
Nonprofit Artist
Military Liaison for the Arts
ron.v.kelsey (at) us.army.mil

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Makoto Fujimura Named a Senior Fellow

Published on May 24, 2009 by Christy Tennant

Congratulations to IAM Founder Makoto Fujimura for being named as a Senior Fellow of the Trinity Forum. From their web site:

The Trinity Forum Board of Trustees at its May 2009 meeting named Makoto Fujimura as a Senior Fellow of the Trinity Forum. Fujimura is an internationally renowned artist, an author, and the founder of the International Arts Movement. We are looking forward to increasing collaboration with him and in doing further work on the interaction of faith, art, and culture.

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Danai Gurira Shines on Stage and Screen

Published on May 22, 2009 by Christy Tennant

D anai Gurira, who performed at IAM's Encounter 08 and has been a friend of International Arts Movement for years, is celebrated in a recent New York Magazine interview. Danai is currently on Broadway in Joe Turner's Come and Gone, but she is perhaps best known for her breakthrough performance in the film The Visitor (2007), in which she co-stared with Richard Jenkins, nominated for an Oscar for his performance.

Congratulations, Danai!

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Joyce Robinson Receives Honorary PhD from MICA

Published on May 21, 2009 by Christy Tennant

International Arts Movement congratulates Joyce E. Robinson on being honored with an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the Maryland Institute College of Art. Other honorees at the May 18 Commencement included Mel Chin and Jeff Koonz. Read more...

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