ART COMES TO THE COURTYARD by Joy Hamilton

It’s time for the fifth annual “Art in the Courtyard” show put on by the McCall Artist Connection (“MAC”), a group of local artists. Look for it on Saturday, August 28th from 10am to 6pm in the beautiful garden patio of Bistro 45 and the Hotel McCall, right in downtown McCall, Idaho. Twenty-four artists will share their creations in oil, acrylic, pastels, pen and ink, and watercolor; photographers; jewelry makers; creators of fabric art and more and live music will accompany this FREE event. The courtyard cafés and restaurants will offer food and beverages.

Each year this show and the Shore Lodge Holiday Art Show on Thanksgiving weekend have been busy, full of energy and a lot of fun for everyone, as well as being a great opportunity to purchase a special work of art created by a local artist.

In 2005, Patsy Kelley called the first meeting of MAC with five attendees. A photographer and watercolorist, Patsy had experience with starting an artists guild and gallery in another community. After the Visions in Art co-op gallery in McCall closed and the Women in Art shows (Caroline Valle and the AAUW) came to an end, Patsy took action.

The goals of the fledgling MAC organization were to provide local artists with networking opportunities, educational opportunities and the opportunity to show their work. The hope was that this strengthening of a community of artists would be a boon to the larger community of McCall and so it has.

Since 2005, other McCall artist groups have evolved, new galleries have opened, and MAC, now in its fifth year, has a membership of 54 artists representing a wide variety of talents!

The MAC artists welcome your interest in the arts and invite you to visit the Courtyard show. Member bios, work, contacts and more can be found on the MAC website: www.mccallartistconnection.org

Joy Hamilton is a photographer in McCall, Idaho and a member of the McCall Artist Connection (MAC), see her work on www.lickcreekphoto.com

THE GARDEN PARTY: WHAT’S NEW FOR 2010 by Tracey Kindall

Mountain Valley at Dusk by Jennifer Worsley (available at auction 2010)

The McCall Arts and Humanities Council will be presenting its annual Artists’ Celebration of Charlie’s Garden on Saturday, July 31, from 5:30pm to 8:00pm. The event features a large silent auction of juried art by regional artists, as well as tasty appetizers, wine, and music. Hosted by the Davidson and Shaver families, the “Garden Party” is the single most important fundraiser of the year for the nonprofit Arts and Humanities Council. “The support we receive through the Artists’ Celebration of Charlie’s Garden is really what makes it possible for us to offer all of our programs throughout the year,” notes MAHC director Tracey Kindall.

“Since the artists benefit as well, the event offers a double dose of support for the arts in McCall.”

This year, new elements have been incorporated into the event. For the first time, a “Jury’s Choice” area will feature select pieces chosen by the jury for particular display of skill, creative expression, masterful execution, and fresh vision. This summer the Jury’s Choice area will feature fifteen works by artists Deb Jones Yensen, Christine Raymond, Jesse DeMoss, Katherine Mahn, Howard Hamilton, Carl Rowe, Jennifer Worsley, Ken Newman, and Donna Bernstein. Tickets for the event are $60 per person and available locally at Mountain Monkey Business and McCall Drug. To inquire further, contact the MAHC at 634-7136 or mahc@ctcweb.net.

The "Garden Party" 2009 (photo courtesy of the McCall Arts and Humanities Council)

 Tracey Kindall is Executive Director of the McCall and Humanities Council.  Learn more about MAHC’s mission and programs on www.mahc.org .

LEARNING TO FLY by Sally DeMasi

I was a “dotcomer” who had made it– so I thought.

Divorced, I struggled to raise my daughter through all the challenges we single moms face.  I worked – I worked – I worked, and finally I hit the gold mine of stock option rewards pursued during this technical career- so far from the creative path desired.

Life, real life, was non-existent as I struggled with 14 hour work days. Traveling for work to places I once found exotic and exciting had become wearing on my body and soul, risking danger on journeys to third world countries in pursuit of success. All relations were put on hold.

An aching vacancy invaded my body. I woke one day to ask that timeless question “what is the meaning of life?” 

It certainly wasn’t the painfully earned material things I possessed. Spurred by resolve to find my answer I acquired the dog I longed for, eliminated possessions by giving to those most in need. I rejected assignments to free time to train my pup. I reconnected with friends, did the spiritual work.

One day I surprised myself buying a second car – a forest green Cherokee Jeep – quite a challenge to my beloved red baby Z3 now sitting adjacent to it as a new addition in my garage. A focus was shifting to the outdoors I once felt passionate about. 

Somehow the strange combination of Jeep and dog led me to reinvention and achieving my hidden desires.

Soon life altering decisions were made. I quit my job, packed belongings and with dog in tow, my happy jeep headed for the hills of Idaho to the small town of McCall embedded in the beautiful Payette Forest.

I purchased a home ringed with mountains and survived many hardships including bat invasions, snakes, bears, not to mention 8 feet of snow during bone-chilling minus degrees encountering power and heat outages. I set up a home office and am currently pursing my creative dream of photography in this small rural environment relying on my sole as support.

Contributing to this area whose primary focus is family, community and truly living life – I’ve found my reward for striving.

I look out from my loft this first spring, to enjoy Bluebirds, Swallows, Starlings, Sand Hill Geese, and Raptors, barely brushing my window, silhouetted against snow capped mountains. Joy, rejoicing and living life to its fullest – NOW is mine.

I’ve found paradise, wings and blessings.

It just took courage to turn my back on material things and discover the confidence to realize I could be anything I really wanted to be.

YOU, TOO, CAN REINVENT YOUR LIFE — maybe all that’s needed is a good car and a dog to fly.

Peru, 2008, on the way to Machu Picchu by Sally DeMasi

Sally DeMasi is a photographer, based in McCall, specializing in adventure world travel, and “capturing the moment” of people’s daily lives. You can enjoy her photographs and stories on: www.sallydemasi.com. Sally wrote the above article when she first moved to McCall in 2002 and received an Honorable Mention in the April Henry contest.  She adds the below message and update to the article:

During the last 8 years, I’ve grown – both as a person and a photographer doing what I love.

I’ve got to explore, solo backpacking all over the world taking photographs during my journeys documenting various cultures – realizing how similar we all are. I’ve risked on these adventures canoeing/camping in the Amazon, meeting shamans with miraculous herbal cures, gracefully (well, maybe not) dropping down a cliff on a rope to a beautiful secluded waterfall in Costa Rica, experiencing a very emotional Machu Picchu photo shoot at sunrise and embedded in a 30 foot wall of water in Hells Canyon’s “Green Room” while rafting, I survived, but most importantly, felt alive.

I now truly call myself a “Photographer”. Not someone who aims and clicks but someone who feels emotions, colors, the shapes of life.

“The future is not a result of choices among alternative paths, offered by the present, but a place that is created, first in the mind, next in will, then in activity. The future is not someplace we are going to, but a place we are creating.”

 

ARTISTS AT WORK: CREATIVITY IN PROCESS by Susan K. Waters and Sheree Sonfield

"Mother and Three Daughters" by Thea Belecz

An opportunity to see artists at work in a variety of mediums, this 2-day event on Friday evening, July 16 and Saturday, July 17 is free and open to the public. 

Friday will be an artists’ reception from 6 to 9 pm with a silent auction of the artists’ work, a no-host wine bar and  light refreshments by the Bistro 45 and live music.  Saturday the artists will be demonstrating their talents and displaying their work for sale from 11 to 5 pm. 

Over 20 professional artists will be featured at the show and sale.  Artists include jewelry designer Donna Armstrong, oil painter Susan Waters, fiber artist Thea Belecz, sculptor Ken Newman, watercolor artist Marge Layton, beaded fine art jeweler Jan Bittenbender, photographers Joy and Howard Hamilton, Richard Porter, Sally DeMasi, and artist Debra Facchin.

This is a chance to meet local artists, observe the creative process, and converse about the arts with talented professionals from our region.

The event will be held at the new McCall Art & Commerce Center, located at 115 Commerce St (at the corner of Deinhard Lane, across from the McCall Post Office).

Contact Susan Waters, 208-634-2371, or Donna Armstrong, 208-634-5556,  for details.

Susan K. Waters is an organizer of this event, she paints using oils and creates handcrafted colorful tableware (www.tableware-gifts.com).  Sheree Sonfield is a photographer in McCall, Idaho, see her work on www.shereesonfield.com

NOTHING IS COMMON ABOUT THE COMMON GROUND CAFÉ By Sheree Sonfield

If you haven’t been to an outdoor concert at the Common Ground Café, you haven’t experienced the soul and beginnings of McCall’s music scene. 

 The café is housed in a cozy older building with wood floors and sits in an unlikely location on Colorado Street behind a rental equipment business.  Owner Brian Thomas has a surprisingly large and eclectic selection of CDs for sale, something for many and varied tastes.

The Common Ground is the first place in McCall where I experienced the magic of great outdoor music.   I recall several warm summer evenings morphing into cool mountain temperatures as the summer sky faded and the stage lit up. 

I remember the beginning of the Common Ground’s popular outdoor music shows a few short years ago, which started inside.  We heard musicians who travel the coffee house circuit and, much to the delight of the audience, local musicians who showed up would often be welcomed to join in.

Many of those performers added new CDs to my private collection, which I still enjoy today.

Later, when the outdoor stage was built, bigger names were brought in to perform for us – and that’s ‘all good’, because it expands our horizons and music knowledge while providing a unique outdoor evening experience. 

The indoor space is a wonderful venue for art events and classes, and is still one of the best locals’ meet-for-coffee spots. The Thursday night “Alive at the Grind” performances are a comfortable place to greet friends or relax, while people of all ages gather in the family-friendly surroundings to enjoy dancing on the sand dance floor.

I look forward to this summer’s line-up on Thursday evenings.  During a recent visit, Thomas was so busy making the schedule that I didn’t get his typical response with a complete musician “bio” for each date, but we can check out the Thursday  “Alive at the Grind” details and café business hours on his website:   www.commongroundcafe.net

Music provides balance to our lives, and I thank you, Brian, for bringing us such good entertainment to our small mountain community.

Alive at the Grind at the Common Ground Café, McCall Idaho (Photo courtesy of the Common Ground Café)

Addendum/Update: August 4, 2010:  After many years of building the Common Ground Café music and café business  to the center of local music that it is now,  owner Brian Thomas is offering the business for sale or lease. Contact Brian at commongroundcafe@hotmail.com for further details.

Sheree Sonfield is a photographer and writer in McCall, Idaho, see her work on www.shereesonfield.com

AGING SOULS? By Gail L. Richards

Have you ever noticed how the soul refuses to age? 

Unless a person has always been a stuffy uptight codger, that is.

The first glance I had of this phenomenon was in 1971, when I worked as a nurse’s aide in a home for the elderly.

I discovered that as our body’s age, we lose the ability to control our public persona.  The person we’ve always been ‘inside’ emerges full force, and there’s not a darned thing that can be done to suppress it.  Which is a good reason to nurture our kinder selves early in life, right?

But the other reality that smacked me upside the head was that residents of the home – in spite of their varied levels of awareness – were still thrilled by the things that made them happy as children.  A dish of ice cream in the sunshine; music and dancing; and arts or crafts that provided a finished project they could be proud of.

At least for those who hadn’t always been stuffy uptight codgers, that is.

In the two years that I worked at that home in Placerville, California, I never once saw four folks at a card table trying to out-do one another’s Algebra skills.  Not once did I witness residents emerge from their rooms to attend a speech about chemistry.  And I would’ve given $10 to see a couple of 85-year-old retired elementary school teachers wrestling on the common room floor over sentence structure. 

What I did see was every resident able to walk or roll turn out for a live music performance – and all who could dance or roll to the beat, did.  I caught the laughter or good-natured cussing that accompanied games of Rummy or Yahtzee.  And what hung on the walls in the rooms of most folks?  Either photos of family and favorite artwork that had been in their homes, or crafts projects they’d made themselves.

So – what is all this blather really about?

Certainly we need Math, Science, and Language skills to perform jobs and live intelligent lives, but please – let’s keep Music, Art, and fun at the center of education.  These are the lasting joys and creative outlets that continue to bring us together throughout our lives.

That is, unless you’re simply a stuffy, uptight codger.

Gail L. Richards, a writer and artist living in McCall, Idaho, also owns House of Color Gallery in the historic N. 3^rd St. 1000 building of the downtown business district, where the work of mostly local artisans is represented.  www.houseofcolorgallery.com

ART & ATTITUDES by Debra Facchin

I wish our American life style would embrace the arts as an everyday part of living.

I should say when I wake up tomorrow morning, I wish I could see the sky green and the grass blue.

The other morning my son noticed how strange our cat looked with whiskers.  He said, “Have you ever thought about it, how weird it is that cats have whiskers.” We both stopped and stared at the cat. Her whiskers were as long as or longer than her head, spread out like a fan, these stiff strands stuck out from the area around her tiny triangular nose. How many times have I hugged my cat and thought she was the cutest thing I have ever seen and yet it never once crossed my mind how truly strange her whiskers looked. Luke responded, “What would that be like if we had those? Why do cats have whiskers anyway?” We stared at the cat again and thought for a moment. He continued, “Do you ever have those moments, those moments about ordinary things, when you have seen something a million times, something old or familiar for the first time in a new way?” I was a bit taken back by such an introspective comment from a 17 year old, but not really. I taught high school for 5 years and I love this age group. There were many times I was amazed at the depth of their ideas and the thoughtfulness in their planning.

Teaching art to young people is a double-edged sword. For every wondrous moment there are several monumental struggles to break through the stereotypical mainstream barriers of what constitutes art. Those ah-ha moments don’t come very often unless we cultivate them. Teaching how to think, how to see in a new way requires many deliberate and often outrageous steps, like letting go of old patterns of behavior and trusting your eyes, ears, and hands.

As adults, we need to focus on slowing down, to look and ponder over life’s simple wonders. It may sound corny, but as an artist, that is what it is all about. Finding inspiration in what is familiar and what we already know. To learn how to see something in a new way so it becomes fresh and intriguing.

Young people teach me that my day to day routine worries won’t ever go away but I can ignore them. At least long enough to find the time to get inspired and to produce some art. Right on!

If we had more opportunities to teach our young people more about appreciating and participating in the arts we could paint the sky any color we want and continually invent, create, and enjoy the diversity in art, people, and places as a daily part of our routine.

Debra Facchin, Whirling Circles Studio, McCall Idaho  www.whirlingcircles.com

THE DEVILS ARE COMING by Thea Belecz

The Seven Devils, that is!
This coming June will be the tenth anniversary of the id (not a typo) Theater Group (check it out at id theater group) coming to McCall from New York City and staging the Seven Devil’s Writer’s Conference.  That’s right.  Each year for an entire decade now, id Theater has been work shopping and presenting original plays from up and coming playwrights right here in our little town.  It is two weeks of remarkable and provocative plays at The Alpine Theater and is an absolute must for anyone with an appreciation for fine writing, insightful commentary, and good – often great – acting.  And all for FREE.  There is no admission charge and best of all, each play is followed by a “talk back” session where you get to participate in commentary and dialog with the director and dramaturg  regarding the play and any improvements you think could be made.  The playwright sits on stage during this session with dark glasses on and listens, but cannot participate in the discussion.  It’s great fun and always interesting to hear what others are thinking.  Don’t you always wonder what other folks are thinking about?  This is your chance to find out!

Jeni Mahoney and Sheila McDevitt are New Yorkers with ties to McCall, Idaho.  Sheila grew up in Boise and spent summers here at her parent’s cottage.  Jeni is married to a gentleman whose parents also own a place in McCall.  Somehow, Jeni and Sheila connected at a playwright’s conference and began talking about McCall and their love for this mountain town.  Their conversation turned into an idea, which became a dream, and ultimately a reality that we are all fortunate to reap the benefits of.

This year’s conference opens on June 4th – I hope to see you all there!

Seven Devils Conference Group

EDUCATION: IT’S ALL ABOUT CREATIVITY by Marie Furnary

“Lifelong learners” are students who are excited about, and invested in, their own learning — they explore the world and are encouraged to take their unique ideas as far as they can go. Sir Ken Robinson says it like it is: “If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.”

Including the arts and physical activity (like dance) in everyday curriculum opens the doors to new ways of seeing life: creativity depends on an interdisciplinary view.  Testing and “right” versus “wrong” answers only crush creativity, losing  kids in the process.

The current trend of cutting arts programs and offering interdisciplinary “supplemental” classes only to those who test into “gifted and talented” programs undermines education for all students. What we need now are new, dynamic, interdisciplinary, creative educational opportunities for all learners.

Allowing students to receive high school credit for taking ballet with Diane Jorgenson, or for attending art classes at Whirling Circles Studio, or for participating in the McCall Community Orchestra, or for daily training and competing in regional figure skating events through the McCall Figure Skating Club would energize students as well as the arts community in McCall.  Such partnerships are permitted — even encouraged –  in technical sciences, such as health — why not also permit students to explore careers for credit in the arts ?

McCall-Donnelly Superintendent Glen Syzymoniak holds regular “teas” to meet district patrons and to discuss new ideas for our schools. Everyone interested in the arts in Valley County should go to “Tea with the Superintendent” and request that such alternatives to traditional high school credits be seriously considered. In this way, the McCall-Donnelly School District could lead the way toward truly innovative education in Idaho!

Marie Furnary founded McCall’s North Fork School in 1996. She has written for National Geographic WORLD magazine, has presented to the Idaho Council of Teachers of English, and has graded SAT essays for the College Board. A member of The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and a certified teacher, Marie is committed to finding innovative educational solutions that expand academic opportunities for all types of learners.

WELCOME! by Sheree Sonfield

The purpose of this blog is to promote McCall, Idaho’s emerging visual and performing arts community to artists and those interested in the arts and artists in McCall.  It is a place that we artists, musicians and arts educators may share background and details about upcoming events, the visions of the individuals who are in the center of our emerging arts community, and share the perspective and approach of various organizations who are growing our arts community. It’s a chance to get to know the creative people in McCall and an opportunity to broaden our horizons. We welcome a variety of people to post short and informational articles of interest to this target audience.  There are talented writers in the community to share and communicate this, and guest writers from afar are of course welcome also.   This is a new idea, so your patience is appreciated as this is developed and improved. To contribute a few words to our audience, just email me, Sheree Sonfield, sonfield@telus.net to become a contributor. Welcome!