(Columbus Circle Statues)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Ready for another week?
JOE: I am.
CALLIOPE: What have you been up to over the weekend?
JOE: I started reading Oliver Sacks' book Musicolophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain.
CALLIOPE: What did you discover?
JOE: A provocative line toward the beginning raising a question about what use music is and why does it exist and enchant us. Then I spent Saturday evening enchanted by the Dady Brothers, Roxanne Ziegler and Irish Dancers.
CALLIOPE: To what end?
JOE: I reached the conclusion that sometimes words fail us and we must think and communicate in other ways.
CALLIOPE: As a champion of epic poetry, I must remind you that the arts were originally ways of relating our heritage, ideas and culture.
JOE: No doubt. But there is something else too. Even writing does not just convey information. It touches our souls and hearts and brings us together.
CALLIOPE: So you see the arts, including literature as a way for our minds and souls to communicate?
JOE: I do. I'm not sure I can explain it any further. Maybe it is something to contemplate without words.
CALLIOPE: Perhaps so. Let's both meditate on it.
JOE: Agreed. Talk with you tomorrow.

GO ART! will host the ninth annual Community Arts Awards at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3.

"Harvest Moon" will take place at the Batavia Party House, located at 5762 E. Main St. Road (Route 5) in Stafford.

This year’s honorees include Rick and Deb Porter, Gary Simboli and Bill Pitcher. 

GO ART! Board of Directors Awards will be presented to The Batavia Club, Roger Triftshauser, Lynn Browne, and Norris and Sarah (Sally) Webster, posthumously. Each year, GO ART! recognizes the extraordinary contributions in art and culture made by individuals and organizations in the Genesee-Orleans region at this unique event.
 
Tickets are $25, with tables of 10 available for $225. Enjoy fabulous foods of the harvest, while local band Buffalo Road Show with Bill McDonald provides musical entertainment and GO ART!’s Silent Auction and other drawings are available all evening. Reservations are required. For more information, call 585.343.9313 or email info@goart.org.

Genesee County Democratic Committee Chair Lorie Longhany had a chance this week to combine her love of art -- she's an art teacher and an artist -- with her commitment to politics when she attended an event in Rochester honoring Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, whom Longhany described as a long-time, steadfast supporter of the arts. Slaughter co-chairs the congressional arts caucus.

Caroline Kennedy was the keynote speaker and quoted her father, President John Kennedy, who said, "I look forward to an America which will not be afraid of grace and beauty, which commands respect, not only for its strength, but for its civilization, as well."

Attendees also enjoyed performances by the Tony Award winning the Garth Fagan dance troupe and jazz pianist Gap Mangione.

Pictured above, Teresa Martillotta, former Orleans County chair and 53-year state
committee member, current Orleans County chair Jeanne Crane, Slaughter and Longhany.

Letchworth State Park - Highbanks Recreation Area 

The Arts Council for Wyoming County presents the 34th Annual Letchworth Arts & Crafts Show and Sale on Columbus Day Weekend, featuring handcrafts of 350+ artisans from all over the US. Enjoy the peak fall foliage at Letchworth State Park along with the best in pottery, paintings, quilts and fiber arts, handcrafted jewelry, photography, furniture, decorative painting, dried floral pieces and more. Food vendors and live entertainment. Free with park admission. Handicap parking available. Curbside pickup of heavy purchases. Shuttle bus service available from American Outfitters, Rte. 39, Perry. 

http://www.artswyco.org

info@artswyco.org

(585) 237-3517 

Kelly Kiebala is the new executive director for Go Art!.

She replaces Linda Blanchet, who retires at the end of the month.

Most recently, Kiebala is executive director of the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce, and previously she spent nine years as program director for Go Art!

(Originally reported by WBTA.)

(Note: This almost seems like a trade -- We give Orleans County Pat Weissend (who is becoming branch manager for Bank of Castile in Medina), and Orleans gives back to Genesee County with Kiebala.)

From Genesee Community College:

Genesee Community College is proud to announce the addition of the Theatre Arts Academy beginning in the Fall 2009 semester. As the fifth Accelerated College Enrollment (ACE) Academy Program, the Theatre Arts Academy is a six-college credit program of study that gives high school students the opportunity to hone their theatre arts skills while earning transferrable college credit, and also help ease the transition into the college atmosphere.

With trained seasoned professionals, the Theatre Arts Academy combines classroom theory with extensive hands-on experiences to refine individual talents and develop creativity both on stage and behind stage. High school students will attend integrated classes with current Genesee students and earn high school elective credits, as well as college credits. Students in the ACE programs are offered a discount from the regular Genesee Community College tuition rate.

"We are very excited about giving high school students interested in Theatre Arts the opportunity to enrich their knowledge base of theater, as well as their comfort zone in acting or performing in front of others," said Maryanne Arena, director of Genesee's Fine and Performing Arts program. "Even someone who doesn't plan to make a lifetime career on stage will find this program valuable."

The ACE Program is a partnership between Genesee Community College and Western New York high schools to provide college courses to secondary students during the school day. These programs offer high school students the opportunity to enroll in college level courses and to earn college credits from Genesee Community College while still in high school. The goal is to enhance the high school learning experience and prepare students for the transition to college and career. ACE includes Advanced Studies, College Today, and the other Academy Programs including Health Careers Academy, Legal Careers Academy, Business Career Focus and Information Technology Career Focus.

Course work for the Theatre Arts Academy includes Fundamentals of Acting (THE103) and Stagecraft (THE106). Fundamentals of Acting will teach basic acting techniques and will help students become more comfortable with monologues and auditioning. Stagecraft will teach basic theories and techniques of design, construction and painting of theatre sets, as well as appreciation of the organization and operation of production crews.

Students will have the opportunity to learn and perform in the Genesee Center for the Arts, a state-of-the-art performing arts space located on Genesee's Batavia campus. At the culmination of the Academy program, students will produce a live performance in the spectacular Stuart Steiner Theatre, the heart of the Arts Center. The 328-seat facility is accessible for special needs audiences and hosts a wide array of performances throughout the year. Among the many amenities are contemporary lighting and sound systems, state-of-the-art acoustics, complete scene and costume shops and an art gallery in the lobby of the Stuart Steiner Theatre.

Acceptance into the Theatre Arts Academy is limited and requires a recommendation by the student's high school guidance counselor. Students must also possess a desire to explore career opportunities in the performing and theatre arts.

For more information on the ACE Theatre Arts Academy, visit www.genesee.edu/ace or call the ACE Programs department at 585-345-6801.

The Ramble Music and Arts Fest website has moved to a new location:

ramblemusic.com

The website has several purposes:

• To share photos, videos, and newspaper articles of the first three Ramble Music and Arts Fest events.
• To communicate details of the next Ramble Music and Arts Fest. 
• To provide a forum where people can communicate via a Message Board by leaving comments or questions. 
• To share original music by local bands and individuals. 
• To provide a repository for the musical and artistic heritage of Batavia and the surrounding areas.

With greatly increased storage space, the website now nearly 200 original and cover songs by dozens of past and present local bands and individuals on the Ramble Jukebox.

The website has been in existence since late 2006 and was originally created as a way to share photos of the first Ramble Music and Arts Fest with people who live away from the area and could not attend.  It has evolved over the years to include a Message Board where visitors can leave comments or ask questions, a Ramble Jukebox, links to Ramble-related videos, and links to the websites of local musicians and bands.

And to keep things homegrown and local, the new website is now hosted by Marchese Computer Products, Inc.

Please take a few minutes to visit   ramblemusic.com

The Arts Council for Wyoming County presents the 33rd Annual Letchworth Arts & Crafts Show and Sale on Columbus Day Weekend, featuring handcrafts of 300+ artisans from all over the US. Enjoy the peak fall foliage at Letchworth State Park along with the best in pottery, paintings, quilts and fiber arts, handcrafted jewelry, photography, furniture, decorative painting, dried floral pieces and more. Food vendors and live entertainment. Handicap parking available. Curbside pickup of heavy purchases. Free with park admission. Shuttle bus service is also available from American Outfitters, Rte. 39, Perry.

Oct. 11,12 &13 from 10 am to 5 pm at the Highbanks Recreation Area of Letchworth State Park.

Info: 
www.artswyco.org/letchworthcrafts.htm
info@artswyco.org or call (585) 237-3517