Arts Consortium of Carver County

ArtMatters Newsletter February

 

Mark Your Calendar
Feb. 1 Deadline for volunteers to complete the Volunteer Survey
Feb. 7 Annual Art Wander Planning Meeting, 2019. 7pm, Arts Center
Feb. 12 We Love Our Volunteers Recognition Reception, 6:30pm, Arts Center
Feb. 13 Deadline for submitting applications to become a Board of Directors member
Feb. 23 Deadline for the Flash Fiction Contest
Mar. 15 Deadline for the Poetry Contest
Mar. 15 Deadline to Contact Steve Kelzer about The Songwriters and Musicians of Carver County, Volume V CD production
Mar. 19 Annual Meeting, 6:30pm, Arts Center
Mar. 21 Youth Art Month Visual Arts Reception, 6:30pm, Arts Center

ACCC Arts Center

The Arts Center is a busy place.  In the first 6 months we have had over 1600 visits to our new home in Victoria.  Our Holiday Gift Show that closed in late December was a great success for local artists.  Many visitors found artwork, books, and CDs for special family and friends.  Our new show, Passage of Time, opened on January 11 with an Artists’ Reception on January 17th. This show features fifteen artists’ interpretations of the idea of passing time.  Our retail shop is open for business with new items by many of the artists, writers, and musicians whose work you discovered at the Holiday Gift Show.  Thank you for coming so often and showing your support of the local art community.

Classes have begun in the Arts Center with an eight-week class on Shakespeare entitled “William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet” taught by Barb Hone. They are a small group of enthusiastic, engaged and inspiring learners. As a wonderful bonus, at this week’s class they welcomed expert guest speakers. Dr. Walter Cannon, professor whose focus is Shakespeare, shared facts about that era’s stages, theaters, actors, playwrights and audiences. Dr. Joyce Sutphen, our Minnesota Poet Laureate, and professor with English Renaissance focus, explained & demonstrated Shakespeare’s poetry, his metrical art. Both are local residents. We express our gratitude to our special guests and our students.

The Youth Art Month Visual Art Show beginning on March 20 and open through April 5 will celebrate the creative visual art of K-12 students from District 112 Eastern Carver County Schools.  We invite you to come see how local students are embracing the Arts. All are welcome to attend the Student Artists’ Reception on March 21 at 6:30 pm in the Arts Center when you will be able to meet some of the students. For more information, please contact Jeff Lenzmeier.

ACCC Seeks New Board Members

The Arts Consortium of Carver County is seeking new board members at this exciting time in our history. The Board serves over 200 ACCC members, including visual artists, writers, musicians, performers, and community supporters of the arts.  We have sponsored events such as ArtStock, Victoria Fine Art Fair, community concerts, and readings since 2009. Our board members are actively involved in these events and in the Arts Center development. They serve on the board as well as working on projects or committees with other volunteers.  If you are interested, please visit our post about it.


Volunteers

We Love Our Volunteers Recognition Reception is scheduled for February 12 at 6:30pm in the Arts Center.  All volunteers and their families and friends are invited to celebrate what volunteers have contributed to helping make the Arts Center an early success.  Volunteers donated over 700 hours of time to working in the center during the first six months, so it is time to celebrate with Volunteer Coordinator Barb Kelzer and members of the Board of Directors of ACCC.  We look forward to seeing you on Feb. 12.
Thank you, Volunteers, for helping us improve our support of your fine work, by completing the online survey at the web address that Barb Kelzer, Volunteer Coordinator, recently sent to you.  The deadline is midnight today, if you still wish to contribute your views.  We will report on the results on Feb. 12.  Thank you.

Literary Arts

Eight writers participated in Writers Read the Holidays on December 13. It was a delightful evening, with about 25 people in attendance.  People enjoyed the variety of works read and several attendees purchased gifts of books and other items at the Holiday Gift Show.  Nine writers displayed books for sale at the Holiday Gift Show and many books sold.

Literary Contests

The 2019 ACCC Flash Fiction Contest officially began Jan. 1 and has a deadline of Feb. 23.   All submissions must be 600 words or less. The theme for this year is A Surprise Discovery. Those three words do not have to appear in the body of the story. PDF files only, please. Handwritten entries will not be considered. Writers must be at least 18 years old. Submitting a story constitutes “permission to publish” on the ACCC website. Authors retain all other rights.  For more information about the contest and how to apply, visit the website. You do not have to be a member of the ACCC to enter.

The 2019 ACCC Poetry Contest is open for submission through midnight March 15, 2019.  Please send us your best poem on the theme Minnesota: Our Home, which you can interpret broadly to include subject matter that reveals any aspect of life or landscape in Minnesota.  Your poem will be judged anonymously according to age and resident categories by a group of local poets.  Winners will be chosen by Joyce Sutphen, Poet Laureate, Minnesota, Honorary ACCC member, and Carver County resident.  Entries must be submitted via email.  For full submission details, consult our website. Winners, other poets, and judges will be invited to read their work on April 11 at the Arts Consortium Arts Center.  We hope that you and your students will submit their work!

Music Arts

Steve Kelzer and Carver County musicians have begun planning for the fifth Carver County Musicians’ CD. If you wish to participate, please contact Steve Kelzer by March 15. The Holiday CD, offered for a donation during the Holiday Gift Show, was snapped up by customers, so this one will be popular. Musicians will plan to release The Songwriters and Musicians of Carver County, Volume V CD on June 7 at a Release Concert in Chaska. For more information, contact Steve Kelzer.

Visual Arts

The Annual Art Wander Planning Meeting will be held on Feb. 7 at 7pm in the Arts Center in Victoria.  All artists who wish to be involved in Art Wander 2019 should plan to attend this important meeting to help create the 2019 Show Schedule.  For more information, contact Jeff Lenzmeier.

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN
Artists can now register for booth space for ArtStock Art, Wine & Music Festival held on July 13 & 14, 2019 at Parley Lake Winery and Victoria Fine Art Fair held on August 3, 2019 in downtown Victoria near the Charlson Thun Community Bandstand and Bayfront Park. Registration is open to ACCC Members and Members will receive a $25 Coupon prior to paying for the booth. Details are on each festival’s page on our website.

Art Tourism / Barn Quilts of Carver County, MN

2019 tours and speaking engagements are being booked as we speak!  Community Education Groups, Park & Recreations Groups, Senior Groups, Church Groups, Quilting Clubs, and History Clubs are just a few of the types of groups that want to explore Carver County each year. Do you? If you are interested in a tour, email Janet Fahey.

Join or Renew your ACCC Membership

We are thrilled to announce that the Arts Consortium of Carver County has implemented a new way to manage our ACCC Membership and Events. We wanted an integrated system that would allow us to be more efficient and cost effective as well as elevate our Member experience. Watch for an email about this with all the details.

Thank you to everyone who has joined or renewed your ACCC Membership. If you have questions about your ACCC Membership, please contact Admin.

Volunteers

Want to get involved in a wonderful organization? There are many ways to do so! Just fill out a Volunteer Sign-up Form.

Arts Center Volunteers: Would you like to become involved in ACCC by volunteering a few hours a month in the Arts Center? We will provide training and support for your time in the Arts Center.

Volunteer Finance Adviser: Do you have public finance experience, familiarity with federal and state non-profit regulations and a few hours to contribute every quarter? We are looking for someone to consult with us on a volunteer basis to help ensure that as we grow our financial practices continue to be aligned with nonprofit regulations and requirements.

Festivals Liaison Trainee: As trainee over the next year, you would, with the help of the current Festivals liaison, Barb Hone, learn to manage one or both of our festivals: ArtStock: Art, Wine, & Music Festival, July 13 -14, 2019 and Victoria Fine Art Fair, August 10, 2019. This position requires computer skills to interface with ZAPPlication, software that manages artist application process, jurying, and communication for 2 festivals. This is not time consuming but requires attention from November – August. The festivals will involve working with a committee of volunteers and overseeing successful activities of the special events. Position requires membership in the Arts Consortium.

Festival Committee Members: These volunteers report to the Festival Liaison and are responsible for the following tasks the week of the festivals: Distributing promotional materials (postcard & signs), placing signage along the roads, coordinating and assisting with artist setup, and manning the Arts Consortium booth. Time commitment required: Attending an orientation meeting in the spring, 2019, and active support the week of the festivals. Committee members must be members in the Arts Consortium.