2010 City of Spokane Arts Award

From the Spokane Arts Commission website:

Arts in Education – Spokane Community Building Children's Center - Blueprints for Learning Program

The Community Building Children's Center (CBCC) describes itself as one part school, one part home and one part museum. Its Blueprints for Learning Program for preschoolers actively incorporates the use of art to help children learn and grow.

Their approach is designed to focus on nurturing each child's intellectual growth and creativity through an emphasis on the local environment and the inclusion of arts (visual, performance, music, dance, song, etc.). The Museum of Arts and Culture trains their staff in the use of a technique called visual thinking strategies which encourages children to view art with a critical mind. Studies have shown that there is a strong relationship between visual thinking and positive growth in math and reading skills.

Blueprints for Learning also offers a Training Institute which teaches other local child care professionals how to incorporate art and exploration into their early childhood education programs.

The Blueprints for Learning approach has been shown to be especially effective when a child has a physical or mental challenge. The parent of one such child commented that her daughter has absolutely blossomed since attending the program primarily because she has been encouraged to dance, sing, play music and create art in whatever way she is able. Her daughter is starting to overcome some of her physical challenges through the use of art as she develops new ways of moving, learning and expressing herself.

The CBCC through its Blueprints for Learning Program has truly become a leader in arts in education in Spokane by offering both a local arts-based preschool program and a regional training program.

All About the 2011 Great Spokane Art Party

About	The Art Party is a benefit fundraiser for Blueprints for learning.

Overview	What is the Great Spokane Art Party? It is the antidote to the typical silent auctions, wine tastings and benefit dinners. It is an engaging evening of wine, hors d'oeuvres, camaraderie and hands-on art exploration for adults. The Art Party supports Blueprints for Learning, which tirelessly works to improve the quality of early childcare and education in Spokane. With guidance from some of Spokane’s most beloved artists, attendees try their hand at clay, glass, silk fabric painting, print-making, jewelry, paper collage, and more. Participating artists have included Harold Balazs, Ken Spiering, Kay O'Rourke, Mardis Nenno, Heidi Arbogast, Olivia Waterman, Scott Kolbo, Lance Sinnema, and many more. Tickets are $50 per person or $80 for a couple. They can be purchased at the Community Building Children’s Center, by calling Blueprints for Learning at 777-0822, or at the door.
Description	The Art Party is an unforgettable evening that leaves one feeling a little more inspired.
General Information	May 7, 2011 | 7-10 pm | at the Community Building Tickets are $50 per person or $80 for a couple. They can be purchased at the Community Building Children’s Center, by calling Blueprints for Learning at 777-0822, or at the door.
Mission	The Art Party is a benefit fundraiser for Blueprints for learning, a nonprofit organization working to increase the quality of early child care and learning in our community. Research shows that the foundation of a person's success in life is formed within the blueprint of the first five years. For this reason, we believe that investments in early childhood education, training, staff development and best practice should be a priority for our community. Blueprints for Learning offers two programs: the Child Care Training Institute and the Community Building Children's Center, a high quality child care program. Our programs address both the needs that child care professionals have for high-quality training and the needs that families have for high-quality child care.
Awards	2010 RECIPIENT OF THE SPOKANE ARTS IN EDUCATION AWARD The City of Spokane Arts in Education Award is given annually to a person, organization or school that demonstrates the successful use of arts in education and a high level of commitment to its students. On their website, SpokaneArts.org, it states that the Children's Center and Blueprints for Learning have "truly become a leader in arts in education in Spokane by offering both a local arts-based preschool program and a regional training program."

Email	artparty@blueprintsforlearning.org
Phone	509.777.0822

Bourbon Balls and Much Much More

I just whipped up a batch of bourbon balls for tonight's Great Spokane Art Party.  You grind up some pecans and Nilla Wafers, stir in some confectioner's sugar, corn syrup, and a healthy dose of Jim Beam, roll the mixture up into balls which you in turn roll in chopped pecans ... and then you pop one in your your mouth!  A grown-up delectable sweet-tooth satisfying, boozy morsel. 

And that's just what I'm bringing to the party (a batch of about 75, first come first served!).  But we have a whole army of folks bringing platter after platter of even more delectable goodies, both sweet and savory.  Not to mention wine pouring forth like the spring run-off. 

And then you have the artsy-fartsy activities: 16 different artists and artisans set up to guide you through a painting, collaging, sculpting, assembling, compiling, creating, and confabulational creative smorgy for the right side of your brain.  And let's be honest, that poor right side has been chained up like a long neglected dog that needs to go for a run. 

So come on down to the Community Building tonight at 7pm and have some fun while supporting Blueprints for Learning and early childhood education in Spokane.  $50 per ticket or $80 for a pair.  See you there!

Tired of Boring Parties?

Genevieve Morris posted the following blurb on Facebook recently, and I think it's worth reposting here:

Tired of boring parties?? Ready for something new? Grab your girlfriends, a date, or someone random off the street. Enjoy sipping wine and tasty food as you make a masterpiece at the Great Spokane Art Party. You can make homeade paper, jewelry, prints and much more with great artists in town. BUY A TICKET OR MAKE A DONATION. THIS FUNDS IMPROVING EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION IN SPOKANE. Come make a difference by supporting training for teachers and have fun doing it!

Slideshow from Last Year's Party

If you're hungry, the very first picture should be enough to convince you.

2010 Artist and Activity List

Olivia Waterman: Silk Fabric Art
Fabric ink applied directly on silk fabric using basic & simple techniques with beautiful results

Greg Pritchett: Water Color Painting
Free and loose impressionistic water color painting

Wendy Zupan-Bailey: Kinetic Paper Dolls
We’ll create a hanging puppet-like character with jointed arms and legs from decorative papers, found objects & ephemera.

Heidi Arbogast: Mono Printing
Get hooked on printmaking as you watch your print appear before your eyes – you’ll want to make more than one

Eva Silverstone: Collage Magnets
Collage is the combination of many materials to make something new. It is a unique medium because you can “borrow” others’ ideas and designs and with a little reworking make something unique & different from the materials you started with. Learn this technique & make a small collaged magnet.

Rolf Goetzinger: Community Mural Painting
Work in pairs or small groups painting a section of a larger mural depicting our surrounding neighborhood. The tiles will be puzzled together & hung in the schools entryway to celebrate community

Hamilton Studio: Facebook Photo Booth
A photo set, costume props, being creative with ourselves as the subject. Fun! Photo to keep by email

Mardis Nenno: Clay Masks
Give shape to your alter ego, your inner animal or your all-time super hero/deity! Terra cotta blank masks, waiting to be added on to, carved on, drawn and painted on

Sondra Barrington of Rings & Things: Beaded Earrings
Use a variety of beads and fittings to make a pair of earrings

Gloria Fox: Boxes, Bags, Containers – Oh My!
Using decorative paper, design a special container to house a special gift – maybe a home for a surprise present that you have made here tonight

Kelly Greenfield: Fused Glass Pendants
Cutting glass & designing your own pendant. Finished jewelry can be picked up at the Clay Connection 714 E. Sprague beginning May 1st

Inland Northwest Drawing School: Designer Gourds
Explore your creativity by transforming a common gourd into a work of art. Be inspired by a variety of designs and patterns from different cultures

Teya Kuhle: Mixed Media Papermaking
Make your own paper incorporating materials from nature

Bryan Burke: Floppy Disk Books
 Make a beautiful, simple journal out of a recycled floppy disk cover and paper. Use clip art stickers or free draw designs to personalize your book.

Lance Sinnema: Clay Cornucopia
Rendering vegetables, fruit & other natural materials from clay to be returned to the school’s children as a provocation for their on-going project on food & the main market food co-op

Joyce Thomas: Felting Hand-Made Soap
Wrap a piece of home-made soap with layers of wool, apply embellishments, rub with water and voila – you will have a colorful textured bar of soap

The 2010 Great Spokane Art Party: April 24, 7-10pm

Has battling the rat race got you tied up in knots? Have you exercised your creative muscles lately? Has the right side of your brain grown flabby from disuse? The Great Spokane Art Party is a great opportunity to reclaim your inner artist in a fun and friendly environment while supporting a great cause.

The Great Spokane Art Party is an annual fundraiser for the Community Building Children's Center and Blue Prints for Learning.

For more info, check out http://www.cbccspokane.org/.

Check here for updated artist and activity info for 2010. In the meantime, peruse the posts below for a glimpse of previous Art Parties.

Facebook Photo Booth Pictures!

Did you attend the 2009 Great Spokane Art Party? Did you drop by the Hamilton Studio Facebook Photo Booth and pose for a new Facebook profile pic?

Well, the fabulous folks at Hamilton Studio have posted the evening's run of pictures in an easy-to-navigate gallery, right here. Just locate your pictures, and use the right-click option to download and save them to your computer for use in your Facebook profile or wherever you like. At the bottom of each gallery page there is also an email link to contact Hamilton Studio in case you'd like to request a high-res, printable copy of any of your pictures--which they have generously offered to provide on request.

Before you click on over to the gallery, however, please click on the comments link below and let us know how you liked the Great Spokane Art Party.

The Great Spokane Art Party Artist and Activity List 2009 -- Update!

1. Olivia Waterman -- Silk Fabric Art -- Fabric ink applied directly on silk fabric using basic & simple techniques with beautiful results.

2. Amy Wharf -- Vessels & Vases -- Amy will show how to make a variety of functional and decorative pots starting with flat slabs of clay

3. Ken Spiering -- Dynamic, Lush, & Intense -- You thought this was about wine? Water Color painting - demonstration & participation

4. Clay Connection -- Fused Glass Pendants -- Cutting glass and designing your own pendant. Finished jewelry can be picked up at the Clay Connection 714 E Sprague beginning May 1st.

5. Eva Silverstone -- Collage Magnets -- Collage is the combination of many materials to make something new. It is a unique medium because you can “borrow” others’ ideas and designs and with a little reworking make something unique and different from the materials that you started with. Learn about this technique and make a small collaged magnet.

6. Inland Northwest Drawing School -- Designer Gourds -- Explore your creativity by transforming a common gourd into a work of art. Be inspired by a variety of designs & patterns derived from different cultures.

7. Lance Sinema --Clay Menagerie -- Making small animal forms out of clay, both in small scale relief & three-dimensional form to be returned to the school for inclusion in one of the projects with the children.

8. Sondra Barrington and Rings & Things -- “Found” Objects Jewelry -- Using a variety of found objects, fibers, polymer clay & beads; we will create unique wearable art. Metal disc-loop bracelets will be embellished with textures, baubles, charms and dangles. Collage-inspired ephemera is transformed into a visually stunning bracelet!

9. Scott Kolbo -- Polyester Plate Lithography -- Make printing plates by hand by drawing whatever you like and Scott will help you print it.

10. Conrad Bagley -- Recycled Stuff Loom Weaving -- Using a hand made and designed free standing loom, we will take strips of old clothes, ribbons, yarn, small stuffed animals anything weavable to create this collective piece of art.

11. Hamilton Studio -- Facebook Photo Booth -- A photo set, costume props, being creative with ourselves as the subject--fun! Photo to keep by email.

12. Gloria Fox -- Japanese bookbinding -- Japanese bookbinding is a creative, versatile process for personalizing anything you would like in book form. It's fun and easy, limited only by your imagination.

14. Heidi Arbogast -- Visual Thinking Strategies -- Join Heidi in the Saranac Art Project gallery for a tour & conversation about the art on display.

15. Teya Kuhle -- Mixed Media Papermaking -- Make your own paper incorporating materials from nature.

16. Peter & Kit Jagoda -- Milagros: a metal tooling relief activity -- The delicate craft of milargro (mee LAH gro) making is a folk art tradition that has played an important role in many cultures. A milagro is a little metal pendant that symbolizes a request , a prayer, or a wish.

The Great Spokane Art Party

Featured Art Party Artist: Ken Spiering

From the 2008 City of Spokane Arts Awards:

Specializing in artwork for public spaces, Ken Spiering's work can be seen from North Pole, Alaska to North Miami Beach, Florida. But he has made his most indelible mark on the Spokane region with a wealth of public art that demonstrates his extraordinary talent and versatility. Works as varied as the beloved larger-than-life red wagon, Childhood Express … Cataract, at the STA Plaza… and the exquisite wood carving entitled Passage: Immediate & Eternal in City Hall… all add immeasurably to our daily quality of life. And not all of his work is stationary – some of it can be seen running around town, as Ken has designed numerous Bloomsday T-shirts and posters.

Ken's latest and largest public work, commissioned by the Spokane Public Facilities District, is a 700-foot span of wall on the newly expanded Spokane Convention Center. Appropriately named "Current Event", the artwork is inspired by the boat-like shape of the building as well as the surrounding flow of traffic and the motion of the river, and features four giant fish that shimmer along the length of the wall. Located at a major intersection leading into Spokane's downtown, "Current Event" is one of our city's most visible and prominent pieces of art.

Mentorship is as important to Ken as is his art. By teaching at local colleges, Ken stays connected with young artists and continues to mentor and encourage many of his students long after graduation.

2007 Art Party Pictures

The Great Spokane Art Party 2009 Flyer

a bargain when you think about it

If you're balking at the price of admission ($50 or $80 per couple) to the Great Spokane Art Party, consider not only that you'll be supporting a great cause (childcare workers provide a critically important service and they are, typically, horribly underpaid); but also consider that for this small chunk of change you'll get an evening of hobnobbing with some of the great artists in the region, getting messy and having fun playing with all sorts of media, while fueling your creative fires with fine wine and an array of gourmet hors d'oeuvres.

Eating, Drinking & Getting Artsy-Fartsy for a Good Cause

I'm sending this message to a bunch of people I suspect might either (a) like to spend an evening drinking wine, eating hors d'oeuvres, and making art; or (b) be willing to support the work of a great childcare organization in Spokane; or (c) both. (check one)

The Great Spokane Art Party is a fundraiser that supports the childcare center where our two girls go -- as well as Blue Prints for Learning, the non-profit organization of which the center is a part. Blue Prints provides training to improve the quality of childcare throughout the Spokane area.

The Art Party is a fantastic event, aside from the great cause it supports, especially if you enjoy any of the three featured activities: eating, drinking, being artsy-fartsy. It's a lot of fun! Ashley and I are selling tickets ($50 apiece; $80 for couples) so let us know if you'd like to attend.

And, whether you'll be able to attend or not, please consider becoming a sponsor of the event and a supporter of excellent childcare in Spokane.

Thanks,
Jonathan Potter
509-413-7603

Become a Sponsor!

Blue Prints for Learning is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization working to build the quality of childcare in our community. We offer two programs: a superb childcare program -- the Community Building Children's Center -- and the Child Care Training Institute. The Training Institute's programs are focused on improving the quality of care provided throughout Spokane by increasing the skills and knowledge of providers. The Children’s Center serves as a lab school for the Training Institute.

Recent research shows that the blueprint for life-long success is drawn before a child even enters kindergarten.

It only makes sense that investments in early childhood education, should be a priority for our community.

Unfortunately, the financial reality is that quality childcare is not a viable business. The true cost of care is much higher than what parents can afford. The Community Building Children's Center reflects the economic reality of child care -- without additional funding beyond our core budget, we would not be able fulfill our mission in the community.

To continue our investment in the future of our children, we are hosting

The 3rd annual
GREAT SPOKANE ART PARTY
Saturday, April 25 from 7-10 pm at the Community Building.

We have teamed up with local artists to provide an evening of wine, hors d'oeuvres and hands-on art exploration.

We welcome your financial support. Listed below are the sponsorship levels for The Great Spokane Art Party. A member of our event committee will contact you in the next few days, but if you can’t wait to become a sponsor, please call our sponsorship chairperson Heather Beebe-Stevens at (509) 464-7602.

Patron - $2,000-Recognition as Patron Sponsor in event program and on agency website-Full page ad in event program-PA recognition at event-Banner display at event

Master Sponsor - $1,000-Recognition as Master Sponsor in event program and on agency website-Half page ad in event program-PA recognition at event-Banner display at event

Apprentice Sponsor - $500-Recognition as Apprentice Sponsor in event program and on agency website-1/4 page ad in event program-PA recognition at event

Small Business Sponsor - $250-Recognition as Small Business Sponsor in event program and on agency website-PA recognition at event

Starving Artist Sponsor - $100-Recognition as Starving Artist Sponsor in event program and on agency website