Tall Ships Celebration and Art in the Park

It is that time of year again! The Tall Ships Celebration is docking in Bay City, Mi (July 11-14). If you have never heard of or attended a Tall Ships Celebration before, I highly recommend it.

From the Tall Ships website,

Founded in 1973, Tall Ships America is a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching youth education through character building and leadership programs aboard tall ships. It is the hub for tall ship activity, expertise, and information in North America, and is commended by Congress as the Sail Training organization representing the United States in the international forum...In 2001, Tall Ships America launched its most ambitious project to date creating the TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE®, an annual series of tall ship races and maritime port festivals. In 2013, TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® returns to the Great Lakes and commemorates the War of 1812 with namesake vessels and a re-enactment of the Battle of Lake Erie.

 I currently work part-time for an art organization located in Midland, MI: Creative 360. Creative 360 is hosting "Art in the Park" at the Tall Ships Celebration this weekend. The director, Carol Speltz, and I have been busy this week making all the final arrangements. We are honored to host and know it will be a fun and exciting weekend.

If you are considering attending the Tall Ships Celebration, I would encourage you to come! Check out the amazing ships and various activities, and while your at it, stop by the Art Tent - we would love to meet you! :)

Cool Lemon Jazz

I am representing this fun and fantastic Jazz trio, Cool Lemon Jazz, a band who have conquered their hometown of Midland, MI and are now looking to expand their horizons and perform at festivals, concert halls, and anywhere else they can bring a little pep to people’s lives.

Cool Lemon Jazz consists of vocalist Cynthia Joy Lemen, arranger and composer Val Lemen, and drummer Bryson Hotopp.

They are professional, polished, “spontaneous,” engaging, “high energy,” personal, and “so much fun!”

•  Cynthia’s voice is “rich and smooth as a well-aged brandy” and “full of breathtaking emotional honesty.”  She has sung backup for Sandi Patti, Larnelle Harris, and Dino (Christian Grammy award winning artists). She is a featured soloist for CMI (www.cmichoir.org) Michigan/Ohio annual Christmas concert tour, and performed at the Flint Whiting Auditorium, Midland Center for the Arts, E. Lansing Wharton Center, and the Temple Theater in Saginaw.
• Val Lemen, arranger and composer, has been playing keyboards for 50 years. As a professional musician, he has traveled the continental United States performing rock, pop, jazz, country, and inspirational music.
• Bryson Hotopp has been playing drums for 16 years.

They recently released a Christmas album, A Cool Lemon Jazz Christmas, this past December. The release party, held at Journey’s Coffee House in Midland, MI, exceeded its limit of 100 people!

They have presented well-received concerts at Michigan Jazz Trail (www.michiganjazztrail.org), and Wonderfest – Saginaw (www.saginawwonderfest.com), and won second place in 2011 at the Midland Antique Festival Talent Search (www.miantiquefestival.com) sponsored by WMRX/WMPX.

Cool Lemon Jazz is available as a piano/vocal duo, three piece, a four piece including a sax player, or they bring along their fabulous four-piece horn section for a rich Big Band sound.

They perform a wide variety of music styles including traditional and contemporary jazz, adult contemporary, oldies, smooth jazz, and big band swing.

You can come hear Cool Lemon Jazz perform live with their fantastic four-piece horn section at Tunes by the Tridge here in Midland, MI on Thursday, June 6 at 7 pm or they will also be performing for Jazz in the Garden in Saginaw, MI on Wednesday, July 24 at 7 pm. 

Please check them out at:

 www.coolemonjazz.com

http://www.youtube.com/user/CoolLemonJazz

https://www.facebook.com/coolemonjazz

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/coollemonjazz

Please contact me for questions and booking!

A History of Instrumental Rock

Back in 2011, I read an article about the Instrumental Rock band, Explosions in the Sky, in SPIN magazine (whose music, by the way,  is great). I was recently skimming through it again and enjoyed the second page that listed a history of Instrumental Rock. I love music and history and enjoyed discovering some new artists who were a part of the evolution of the instrumental rock genre. I thought it would be fun to re-produce the history on my tumblr – to see and hear the history evolve in sound.

I have done just that. The last 2 weeks on the Lodico Arte Taccuino tumblr, I have featured the history of Instrumental Rock. If you would like to check it out, you can find the beginning on the bottom of page 3 (http://lodicoartetaccuino.tumblr.com/page/3). Happy listening and exploring! 

The original online version of the history article by Jason Cohen is here.  http://www.spin.com/articles/playlist-30-greatest-instrumental-songs-ever

Visit to the Ringling Museum of Art

     A few weeks ago, I finally visited The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art located in Sarasota, Florida. I was able to make it through the exhibits and grounds (circus museum, gardens, Ca’d’Zan mansion, and museum of art) with an hour to spare (the museum is open from 10 to 5). Here are a few highlights:  

 I had no idea how grand the Circus was in those days thanks to the Howard Bros. Circus Model 

I couldn't resist; being a fan of Cirque Du Soleil and Dralion

Mable's Rose Garden

Ca' d'Zan (House of John) Mansion

      The Ringling's love of Mediterranean architecture emulated through their mansion inside and outside. The mansion was designed by Dwight James Baum and completed in 1926.

24-karat gold doors

Italianate Garden 

"The Mystery of Life" by Carl Marr

More pictures can be found on my facebook page, Lodico Arte Taccuino.

Paul Stankard Inspired Thoughts

Over Thanksgiving weekend, I visited the Akron Art Museum in Ohio with my mother. I enjoyed a few favorite art pieces, but the artwork that stood out the most was the glass sculpture of Paul Stankard (American. Attleboro, Massachusetts, 1943 - ). His work shows, what looks like real miniature flora and fauna, but is actually glass flora and fauna suspended in the center of glass sculpture (see picture below). I watched a video on Paul’s history and his struggle through school as an undiagnosed dyslexic. I thought what a powerful message and gift. Here is a man, who is not “perfect” in our cultures standards, but still, found his calling and purpose in life: transforming people’s lives through his glass art. What is considered a hindrance in our world was used to lead Paul to his purpose.  This made me think more about how each one of us has different strengths and weaknesses, quirks, insights, and struggles.

MORNING GLORY , 1984 Glass

When employers look for a new employee, there seems to be a cookie cutter list they are looking to find. What if, instead of trying to find someone “perfect,” that fits every single desire, employers broadened their horizons, looking for someone who can bring something unique unto themselves to the table but are capable of growing in their weakest areas. You will never find someone “perfect” who has, and does everything in a set standard. If you look at the whole person, the unique, creative side of someone, you may find the perfect, imperfect treasure. This is true to every area of our life in both professional and personal relationships.

Paul’s story and glass art is encouraging and inspirational to me, and I hope for you as well. Stankard currently lives and works in Mantua, New Jersey.

Where Are the Senior Arts Managers?

Bravo to Michael Kaiser, President of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, for his recent article titled, Where Are the Senior Arts Managers?

As a young art administrator and passionate for the arts, I appreciate his essay which addresses art organizations looking to hire, but not looking among the many of us in the younger, passionate, less "experienced" generation. 

Kaiser notes,

Hiring a younger manager is certainly risky. If one has never worked with donors of great wealth, managed a large staff, produced multiple events in a short period of time, worked with unions, etc., entering a major organization in the top position requires a quick trip down a steep learning curve. But hiring older managers with a string of failures on their resumes and lots of excuses about why each engagement didn't work out is also fraught with risk. Why will this engagement turn out any better?

You can read the rest of the article at the Huffington Post.

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