The Creative Spin: February 2007

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Workshop: Use Your Dream World to Enrich Your Writing!

FIRST FRIDAY AT THE JAVANET, March 2, 3436 W Broadway

7:30 Open Mic will be followed by a workshop by Ariadne Sawyer:

Use Your Dream World to Enrich Your Writing! (30 minutes). Learn how to: create a dream poetry/writing journal, remember your dreams, use daydreams as a bridge to the unconscious, do a day dreaming poetic/writing exercise. Free. (Donations accepted for World Poetry.) Ariadne Sawyer, MA, CP, has spent 12 years studying the brain and human behavior. She specializes in creativity and has worked as a consultant to musicians, writers, painters, poets, dancers and even photographers. She is the host and producer of the popular short radio program Creativity Rocks on the World Poetry Café, CFRO. 102.7 FM which is heard around the world by internet and satellite. Her new book is The Best Of Creativity Rocks! Answers to Your Creative Questions by World Poetry Publishing.

For more information: ariadnes@uniserve.com or www.ariadnescoaching.com.

GoodStorm Improves on Good, with Their T-Shirt Wizard’s New Features

Application enables sellers to set price, choose theme, upload designs, and brand checkout process. Wizard can be installed on any website and allows users to upload their own designs, create custom text, and add their uploaded images to a community gallery.

Hand in hand with GoodStorm, customized on-demand apparel takes a step in a good direction as GoodStorm adds new features to their popular T-Shirt Wizard. The “design and buy on the fly” custom T-shirt creator already boasts many features that makes creating your own apparel easier. The Flash-based application allows anyone with a blog or website to sell custom t-shirts on their site, set their prices, and keep 100% of the profit for every shirt sold. Though an early release of the T-shirt creator has proved popular among bloggers and t-shirt sellers, GoodStorm improves on good by adding more features in response to seller feedback.

The newest feature added is the community design opt-in, which allows visitors using the creator to share their uploaded designs with the seller. This new feature creates a unique, creative exchange between the seller and shopper. It also empowers both participants, as the visitor can share his or her unique t-shirt designs with the seller’s larger community, and the seller can earn more money by selling those new designs to his or her audience.

GoodStorm’s T-Shirt Wizard is perfect for bands and fundraisers. Bands and student organizations can customize and install the T-Shirt Wizard for free on blogs and websites. This new launch will revolutionize the way bands and organizations make money, as such features will throw a very creative spin on art class and band merchandise. Turn your class’s art project into a money-making fundraiser for your next trip to the art museum. Bands can use this feature to ask for design submissions and engage their fans while earning money needed for their next tour.

In keeping with GoodStorm’s slogan “Capitalism Done Right,” there is still no up-front cost for installing or selling with the T-shirt Wizard, and users keep 100% of the profit. Turning traditional commerce rules on their head, GoodStorm proves once again that you really don’t need to spend money to make money.

The same features that made GoodStorm’s original T-Shirt Wizard so revolutionary remain as before: T-shirt sellers still have the options of setting their prices, uploading their own designs, and installing their wizard anywhere on the web If the seller doesn’t have a blog or web page, GoodStorm will host the wizard on a GoodStorm.com URL for them. With this option, the user can create a custom URL within GoodStorm.com and upload a banner to be displayed. . T-shirt sellers also have the ability to choose from over a dozen themes and color styles to match the T-shirt Wizard to their brand or website.

About GoodStorm
At GoodStorm.com (http://goodstorm.com), individuals can launch online stores and sell custom t-shirts featuring their own designs. GoodStorm handles all inventory management, billing, shipping, and customer support, so sellers can focus on creating innovative designs, earning substantial profits, and building a community with people who share their values. GoodStorm offers the lowest based prices for custom, on-demand T-shirts on the web, while sellers keep 100% of the profit from each sale.
GoodStorm's services are free and apparel is printed and shipped on-demand. There are no upfront or maintenance costs for opening and running a store on GoodStorm.com.

Please contact Marco Ceglie for more information.
201.709.7550
Press@GoodStorm.com

www.goodstorm.com (http://goodstorm.com) | Sign up for the GoodStorm T-shirt Wizard Reseller at http://tshirts.goodstorm.com/

Monday, February 26, 2007

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra - Employment Opportunity

Artistic Operations Assistant position

We're especially interested in people who have a music background with stage managing experience. Please visit the website at www.vancouversymphony.ca, click on the "ABOUT US" menu and go to "Employment Opportunities."

http://www.vancouversymphony.ca/ab_employment_detail.cfm?&CFJOBNO=ad29

Thank you for your assistance.

Cheers,

Stephanie Wallin
Manager of Educational and Community Programs
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

T: 604.684.9100 ext. 245 F: 604.684.9264

Art and Aging

This great article is used with permission from Surrey, BC, painter Robert Genn. Check out his informative and inspiring website www.thepainterskeys.com and consider becoming a subscriber.

If your horizons are going coo-coo, if things don't form up as
well as they used to, or you're having trouble finding your
colours, it may mean the advance of painterly senility. Not
fully reserved for the elderly, this can also come about at any
age by doing too much, too little, not looking, not caring, or
not being in touch with your muse.

While beginning artists may do poor work because of undeveloped
skills, mature artists may do poor work because they are losing
facilities. Somewhere in between there's a period of
proficiency and relative fulfillment. Most artists agree that
this middle period should be dragged out as long as possible.
At the same time, most of us have observed aged artists who are
sharp and proficient right up to the last ambulance. Genes play
a part, but it's mostly about attitude and lifestyle.

Success in hanging onto your artistic chops may be hard to
measure, but a related faculty, the maintenance of memory, is
well-documented. Researchers at the Harvard Medical School have
some suggestions for you:

Keep learning. Keep challenging and exercising the brain in
order to stimulate communication between the brain cells. It's
important to keep learning new skills.

Don't smoke. Smoking harms the brain as well as the lungs and
heart. Smokers perform worse than non-smokers in studies of
memory and thinking skills.

Be social. Close ties with others can improve mental
performance. Social relationships provide support during
unpleasant times.

Exercise. What's good for the heart is good for the brain.
Getting your juices flowing gets your creative juices flowing
too.

Eat your vegetables. Even better than fruit, researchers find
that veggies are vital to brain function. It's the vitamin E in
the greens, and the oil in the dressing.

Manage stress. Stress distracts from learning, memory,
thinking, and creativity. With stress, brain chemistry changes
and your hippocampus can become damaged. There's nothing worse
than a damaged hippocampus, I always say.

Best regards,

Robert

PS: "I do not wish to become senile before I've finished what
I've undertaken." (Paul Gauguin)

Esoterica: Many creators have given thought to art and aging.
Some have concluded that art itself extends life. "With age,
art and life become one." (Georges Braque) "Great work can come
at any stage." (Will Barnet) "None are so old as those who have
outlived enthusiasm." (Henry David Thoreau) "I cannot die until
I have made the most of my talent." (Kathe Kollwitz) "With
creative work, you don't have age or time." (Louise Nevelson)
"How much music can I make with the time I have left?" (Itzhak
Perlman)
"For age is opportunity no less
Than youth itself, though in another dress,
And as the evening twilight fades away
The sky is filled with stars, invisible by day."
(Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)

Current clickback: If you would like to see selected,
illustrated responses to the last letter, "On climaxing," about
getting climaxes into works of art, please go to:
http://clicks.robertgenn.com/climax.php

If you would like to comment or add your own opinion,
information or observations to this or other letters, please do
so. Just click 'reply' on this letter or write
rgenn@saraphina.com

Give the gift of the twice-weekly letters. We are currently
snail-mailing a free copy of The Painter's Keys (the book) to
current subscribers who go to the URL below and send us the
names and email addresses of five or more of their
creatively-minded friends. No strings, just a thank-you. We
make it easy. We even send your friends a personal letter to
let them know the twice-weekly connection is from you.
http://www.painterskeys.com/clickbacks/giftscribe.php

It's never too late. A Premium Listing in the Painter's Keys
Directory is the most effective thing an artist can do to be
tastefully and respectably noticed. This listing--really a mini
web page--costs $100 per year--and we do all the set-up. You
can find out how well it might work for you at
http://www.painterskeys.com/art-directory.asp

Yes, please go ahead and forward this letter to a friend.

If you think a friend or fellow artist may find value in this
material, please feel free to forward it. This does not mean
that they will automatically be subscribed to the Twice-Weekly
Letter. They have to do it voluntarily and can find out about
it by going to http://www.painterskeys.com

In compliance with the welcome legislation on spamming, our
mailing address is: Painter's Keys, 12711 Beckett Rd., Surrey,
B.C., Canada, V4A 2W9.

- Subscribe free; http://painterskeys.com/subscribe/

(c) Copyright 2007 Robert Genn. If you wish to copy this
material to other publications or mail lists, please ask for
permission by writing rgenn@saraphina.com Thanks for your
friendship.

Vancouver Poetry House AGM

The Annual General Meeting of the Vancouver Poetry House Society will be held Monday, March 12, 6:30-7:30pm at Cafe Deux Soleils, 2096 Commercial Drive. All current and past Vancouver Poetry House members, and people interested in becoming members are welcome. Memberships are up for renewal at $2 for one year.

For more info contact Randy Jacobs at rjacobs@cknw.com

Arabesques "The War & Poetry" Issue is Online

*International Literary and Cultural Review*

Arabesques is proud of its tradition of featuring the work of many established and emerging international writers in its most current issue analysing the theme of "*The War & Poetry*". Writers such as:

Duane Locke, Kirby Wright, Susan Rich, Marjorie Maddox, Michael Rothenberg, J Glenn Evans, Ysabel de la Rosa, James R Whitley and many others have all make the pages of this new anthology.

To read our submissions guidelines for next issues or all contributors of the new issue, click here:

*http://www.arabesquespress.org/ <http://www.arabesquespress.org/journal/>
*

Music Professional Development

Here are some excerpts from the recent Music BC newsletter...

FREE MUSIC WORKSHOP SERIES
Stylus Music School is presenting a free workshop series March 7-8 demonstrating recording and production techniques, discussing features of newly released music software and hardware, and reflecting on changes in music career trends and opportunities. All music enthusiasts, producers, engineers, musicians and composers are welcomed. Register today by phoning 604-523-2969 or online at www.stylusmusicschool.com/workshop. Limited Seating.

WORLD VISION ARTIST ASSOCIATES PROGRAM
World Vision's Artist Associates program offers a unique alternative to traditional backing by providing financial tour support for performers who take the message of hope to the stage. At their concerts, performers invite their audiences to make a difference by sponsoring a child. World Vision provides display materials about child sponsorship at the performance venue so audience members can become a child sponsor. In addition to financial support, World Vision will provide artists with video presentations, brochures, picture folders, etc. For more information, visit www.worldvision.ca

JOB OPPORTUNITY AT SHAPE
SHAPE (Safety & Health in Arts Production & Entertainment) is seeking an outstanding Occupational Health and Safety professional who is passionate about the arts to join their team. The ideal candidate will take a leading role in working with arts organizations, artists and production workers to achieve change. If you are looking for the chance to build a successful career in a small but dynamic organization, please read the Job Description and forward your resume, cover letter and salary expectations by March 12 2007 to resume@shape.bc.ca

Songwriting Circle (full)
Feb 21st, 6-8PM, Music BC Office - #501-23 West Pender St, Vancouver
Email Nathan@musicbc.org to register

Stylus Music Workshop
March 7th-8th, 6:30-8PM , Stylus Music School - #60 8th St. New Westminster
Register at stylusmusicschool.com/workshop/

Music Across Borders
March 24th, 1-4PM , Tom Lee Music Hall - 3rd Floor, 929 Granville St, Vancouver
Email Nathan@musicbc.org to register

Music & The Law
March 21st, 6-8PM, Music BC Office - #501-23 West Pender St, Vancouver
Email Nathan@musicbc.org to register

Publishing 101
April 25th, 6-8PM, Music BC Office - #501-23 West Pender St, Vancouver
Email Nathan@musicbc.org to register

Touring The U.S.
May 16th, 6-8PM, Music BC Office - #501-23 West Pender St, Vancouver
Email Nathan@musicbc.org to register

Your Music in Film & TV - Part 2
May 19th, 1-4PM , Tom Lee Music Hall - 3rd Floor, 929 Granville St, Vancouver
Email Nathan@musicbc.org to register

Canadian Music Week
March 7-10, 2007 Toronto, ON
www.cmw.net

New Music West
May 2-7, 2007 Vancouver, BC
www.newmusicwest.com

Music & The Internet
June 2nd, 1-4PM , Tom Lee Music Hall - 3rd Floor, 929 Granville St, Vancouver
Email Nathan@musicbc.org to register
All Music BC Workshops are FREE for Paid Members, $15 for Basic(free) members and $25 for Non-Members

Vogue Theatre Makes Heritage Canada's Top 10 "Endangered Places" List

The Heritage Canada Foundation (HCF) has released its Canada's Endangered Places Report Card for 2006. The report card includes the top ten most endangered places and worst losses lists, and takes stock of the federal government's performance in 2006. "It's been a tumultuous year," said Natalie Bull, HCF's executive director. "With the loss of the federal Commercial Heritage Properties Incentive Fund and the Auditor General's second warning that heritage buildings are still at risk, the federal government once again gets a failing grade in its overall commitment to heritage conservation."

The "Top Ten" list of endangered places in Canada includes: British Columbia's Art Deco Vogue Theatre in Vancouver; the modernist Central Pentecostal Tabernacle in Edmonton; the Royal Canadian Legion building in Saskatoon; Winnipeg's King Building; the former lamp factory at 48 Abell Street in Toronto; the historic Sir Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine House in Montreal; Nova Scotia's Seal Island lighthouse; the town of Tilting - a national historic site - in Newfoundland; and the Yukon's Herschel Island, an important cultural heritage site threatened by conditions attributed to global climate change. To download the complete report card in PDF format, visit: www.heritagecanada.org.

The proliferation of nonprofits: Is competition an opportunity or a threat?

This is an excerpt from a recent article by Louise Chatterton Luchuk published on www.charityvillage.com which i thought might be of interest.

There are 161,000 nonprofit and voluntary sector organizations in Canada...and counting. To ask the question, “Is the proliferation of nonprofits an opportunity or a threat?” is a little like asking if the glass is half full or half empty. Depending on who you talk to, or what aspect of competition you are discussing, the answer will be different.

There’s no question that when it comes to funding the proliferation of nonprofits poses a real challenge because there are only so many grants to be disbursed or donors to be tapped. Huge amounts of time, energy and resources go into competing for funding. The Calgary Chamber of Voluntary Organizations has studied funding issues in some depth. President and CEO Katherine van Kooy sees a growing awareness among funders in Calgary that their contributions per funded project are not sufficient. That fact undermines the sustainability of funded organizations. “The big dilemma,” she points out, “is that there is a finite pool of money - that’s the issue.” In Calgary, some community-based funders are deliberately supporting organizations at a level that is sustainable but, in turn, they have to make decisions about the number of organizations that they can support.

Then there is the related challenge of competition for fundraisers. In Alberta, says van Kooy, the supply does not meet the demand. Smaller organizations don’t have the same dollars to pay for fundraising professionals and this causes imbalance among nonprofits.

Read the full article here...

Alt Tags

Ever wonder what an alt tag is and why you should use them on your website. Here is a nice little article on the subject by Kayleen West of Victoria, Austrailia.

Go here to read the article...

PARADE OF ANIMALS

A global collage

YOU are invited to pARTicipate in the Kootenay Region’s 2nd International Mail Art Exhibit: The Parade of Animals: a global collage. Gail D. Whitter, coordinator.

All visual/verbal forms of Correspondence Mail Art welcome, including letters; concrete/visual poetry; postcards; artist books; artworks; collage; photographs; newsletters; project invitations; rubberstamp art; artist stamps; and artist trading cards.

THEME: Animals – can be four-legged; two-legged; winged; finned or other. Can be extinct – near extinction; mythological; symbolic – take the theme in whichever direction you wish to go.

TECHNIQUE: Open.
SIZE: Maximum A4 (8.5 x 11 inches MAX)

No jury. No entry fee. No returns. No suggestive or pornographic works – children will be pARTicipating. Entries must be mailed in. Artists: Please ensure your name; email address & snail mail address are LEGIBLE. Works received will be posted at: http://paradeofanimals.blogspot.com/
Deadline: August 31st, 2007

ATC Artists: ORIGINAL CARDS ONLY. If you wish to have us trade for you at the close of the exhibit, you must send an SASE or IRC of sufficient return postage. Send entries in a plastic 9-up sheet with your name & contact information on the back of EACH card.

Send to:

The Parade of Animals
Gail D. Whitter, Coordinator
Unit 2 – 1735 Riverside Avenue
Trail, B.C. Canada V1R 3Z3

For more information: gahlil2006@hotmail.com

Check out some of the artworks received for our first exhibit: Shadow and Evil in Fairytales at http://shadowandevilinfairytales.blogspot.com/

PLEASE PASS THIS INVITATION ALONG.

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Job Posting

Job Description
Community Dance Project

Marketing Manager/Sales Angel
Description:
The Community Dance Project www.communitydance.ca is a small operation based in Vancouver. Services include folk dance instruction in schools, teacher workshops, and special events such as weddings and festivals. We have produced three books and are working on a fourth, which are marketed to schools across North America. There is great potential for expansion and development, but we need to get the books out the door. Reporting to the Artistic Director, the successful applicant will have excellent computer skills, people skills, marketing experience, and considerable knowledge of the Canadian education system. Experience/knowledge of publishing, writing, and distribution of educational resources would be a distinct asset.

Responsibilities:
Manage and implement marketing campaign for educational resources. Develop database that combines the archaic systems that we now use. Manage and update website (may include video/photo work). Research funding potential. Assist the AD in any other needed tasks (sometimes complex, sometimes menial).

Qualifications:
Excellent computer skills, including some or all of: internet, database, website design, graphic design, accounting. Marketing experience, including experience selling via internet. Knowledge of book publishing/marketing, especially educational resources. Knowledge of the Canadian education system. Great people skills, on telephone and in person. Excellent English, including writing, editing, and proof-reading. Detail and task oriented. Flexible, willing to travel occasionally. Must be able to tolerate occasional bouts of silliness.

Salary: $20/hour on a contract basis. Negotiable.
This will be a task-based, casual contract, and may be ongoing for the right person.

Contact:
Marian Rose, Artistic Director
(604) 254-5678 www.communitydance.ca
marian@communitydance.ca

Tasks for this impossibly skilled/connected person:

Send out broadcast fax to all schools in Canada.
Create flyer.
Research fax numbers for Canadian schools.
Get my computer ready to accept orders.
Send out the fax.
Design some way of keeping track of success.
Website:
Keep it up to date.
Add photos.
Add videos.
Make sure links are current, and add new ones.
Just generally increase its visibility and connectedness. Database Revamp database system, combining FileMaker, Outlook, and Simply Accounting. Assist with video project Research. Create database of educational organizations, with contact information, newsletter info, conference dates and application procedures. Develop priorities. Contact them. Find out who recommends resources to teachers in each province, and what is the procedure required to get on the recommended list. Find new distributors. Get people to write reviews of my books and get them published.

Job Posting

Greetings all,

We're looking to hire a solid business-minded individual to assist with day-to-day management of the artists we work with. Details about this opportunity can be found at: http://www.battleaxerecords.com/careers/

If you know anyone you think would be suitable for this position, please forward this to them.

Thank you

Kyle Kraft
Battle Axe Music
http://www.battleaxemusic.com/

Manager
Sweatshop Union
http://www.sweatshopunion.com/

Monday, February 12, 2007

Arts Marketing Ideas on the Net

Found this great tip for Non-profits on this great site:

http://arts-marketing.blogspot.com/

Quick Tip: You like filet, but you only need hamburger...

Remember that when you are looking to get a better return on investment (ROI) for your direct marketing campaigns, that you need to increase returns AND decrease your expenses for maximum impact. Seems simple enough, but most folks fixate on getting better returns without looking at the expenses.

Click here to read the whole story...

Some Great Teasers from Charity Villiage

Cover Story

The old adage, 'you have to spend money to make money' is just as true in the nonprofit sector as it is in the business world. But figuring out how much an organization should spend on fundraising is tricky, especially when there are so many hidden costs to factor in. Find out where those hidden costs lie and how to budget for them in this week's cover story. [Read more...]

Human Resources Q & A

Each month, veteran human resources consultant Tim Rutledge answers your questions about recruitment, employee retention, and all topics related to human resources management. This month, he offers advice on how to determine the appropriate salary for a newly created position. [Read more...]

Newsbytes

Arthur and Sonia Labatt make $30 million donation to SickKids
Study examines business contributions to communities
Federal government invests millions in spinal cord research
Nonprofit employees failing to save for retirement
Salvation Army raises $22 million through 2006 Christmas campaign
New process for registering charitable organizations in Alberta
Winnipeg businessman pledges $1 million to human rights museum
Canadians display more tolerance than other nations
Report helps nonprofits move people from knowledge to action
Scotiabank employees rally to support United Way of Greater Toronto
BC coalition seeks people with disabilities for research initiative
[Read more...]

CharityVillage Campus

Last week for Strategic Planning early-bird rate

You only have until February 15 to register for our new Strategic Planning course and receive the early-bird rate of $97.

Learn more about the course, or register now to save: learn.serebra.com/?s=678&i=CHV0110&p=c&t=o&m=Splan

Sponsor Message

Funding for leadership development programs at The Banff Centre

Funding to assist participants from registered Canadian charities to attend Leadership Development programs at The Banff Centre is available through the generous support of an anonymous donor. This funding does not apply to organizations with a focus on the arts. Programs must be taken by June 30, 2007.

Info at: www.banffcentre.ca/departments/leadership/charity_funding/default.asp

Research and How-to Library

We've added Endowment funds: An overview, in which Sherry Clodman reviews the different types of endowment funds and how they are established within charitable organizations. [Read more...]

We've added Silent, live or online: Which style of auction is best?, in which Judy Allen looks at some of the advantages and disadvantages of hosting an auction. [Read more...]

Canadian Online Resources

We've added PlanetFriendly.net, a site that focuses on bringing people together over ideas that matter. It includes articles, resources and event planning tools, including guides on how to organize and promote a successful event, and how to make the most of events and meetings. [Read more...]

Nonprofit Neighbourhood

Step It Up T.O. (Local: Toronto, ON)
Step It Up T.O. focuses on removing the barriers that have disadvantaged specific groups of youth from participating in physical activity by encouraging them to become proactive advocates of healthy living.

Caribbean Unity Foundation Inc. (International: Toronto, ON)
The foundation was founded in 1994 to help facilitate small scale businesses in the Caribbean community and train young people in the field of business to develop their entrepreneurial skills and supplement their income.

Healing Streams (Local: Kitchener, ON)
Healing Streams professionals and staff provide restoring, refreshing, and resourcing for Christian organizations, their leaders, and family members. This is achieved through conferences, seminars, consulting, professional counselling, and spiritual direction.

Saskatchewan Eco-Network (Regional: Saskatoon, SK)
The Saskatchewan Eco-Network (SEN) is the province's network of environmental NGOs. SEN serves its membership through communication, networking and capacity building opportunities.

CoRe Conflict Resolution Society (Local: Vancouver, BC)
The society directs the CoRe Clinic, a student-run mediation clinic housed at UBC Faculty of Law. The CoRe Clinic provides affordable and pro bono mediation and conflict resolution services. CoRe aims to make consensual conflict resolution accessible to all.

Useful Stuff

We've added LetterExpert. Whether you want to complain, send a thank-you, craft a fundraising letter, request a pay increase, or deliver some news, this site will help you. It includes advice, articles and all sorts of sample letters written by professional journalists and experts. [Read more...]

Book Review

We've added Raising More Money with Newsletters Than You Ever Thought Possible, by Tom Ahern, which focuses on the seven fatal flaws found in most donor newsletters and how you can correct them. [Read more...]

Professional Associations

We've added the Canadian Academic Accounting Association, an organization of accounting educators, professional accountants and others who are involved in, or concerned about, research and education in accounting and related areas. [Read more...]

SpeakOut!

Do you contribute to a retirement savings plan? Participate in our online poll. [Read more...]

The Career Centre

For new jobs, every single business day, visit the Career Centre at Charity Village. We've posted more than 60,000 positions in the sector and you can find all of the current ones here. [Read more...]

We've adjusted our Career Centre ad acceptance policy. [Read more...]

Marketplace at CharityVillage

Thanks to our ongoing advertisers:

ReStructure Non-Profit Consulting in:
HR Policy Development
Human Resources, Labour Relations, Pay Equity Consultants

Advanced Solutions International (iMIS Non-Profit Software) in:
Membership/Meeting Management Software
Donor Management Software
Association Management Software
Fundraising Software
Web Content Management Systems
E-commerce/Online Donations Enabling Services

Find all of your service and supplier needs in the Marketplace at CharityVillage. Browse or search by keyword through dozens of categories.

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Writing Dance with Kaija Pepper

Writing Dance

A Workshop with Kaija Pepper – March 2007

“An exhilarating environment…” Workshop participant

How can we capture a theatrical performance in words? Back by popular demand, this stimulating workshop explores the creative possibilities of writing about dance.

Participants will be inspired to deepen their understanding of dance through thoughtful written responses following selected performances of the Vancouver International Dance Festival March 6-April 1. This writing will be the basis for in-depth group discussions, which will include issues of objectivity and ethics, and will support the need to pay wide, reflective attention to performances. A selection of workshop writing will be published later in the spring in The Dance Centre’s publication, Dance Central.

The program is suitable for people from all backgrounds with a passion for writing, critical discussion, dance, performance and the arts.

Course fee: Dance Centre members $160 (including GST); non-members $215 (including GST). The fee includes tickets to three VIDF shows at the Roundhouse (evenings) and four workshops (totaling 11 hours) on Saturday afternoons at Scotiabank Dance Centre.

Performances: the Festival program includes 10 Gates Dancing (Canada), Deborah Hay Dance Company (USA), Kokoro Dance with the VSO (Canada), Ichigo-Ichie & Mari Osanai (Canada/Japan), Compagnie Danse Nyata Nyata (Canada) and AURA Dance Theatre (Lithuania). Schedule of performances to be reviewed TBA.

Workshops: Saturdays March 3 (2-4pm) and 10, 17, 24 (2-5pm).

To apply, please send a sample of writing on any topic and/or a letter outlining why you are interested in writing about dance, to Kaija Pepper at kaija@shaw.ca or c/o The Dance Centre, Level 6, 677 Davie Street, Vancouver V6B 2G6, tel 604 606 6400 fax 604 606 6401. Places are limited: early application is advised.

Kaija Pepper is a freelance writer, editor and lecturer, specializing in dance. She is a regular contributor to The Globe & Mail and The Dance Current magazine, and her quarterly View from Vancouver has run in Dance International for over a decade. She has written two books, The Dance Teacher: A Biography of Kay Armstrong and Theatrical Dance in Vancouver: 1880’s–1920’s (Dance Collection Danse Press/es). Her essay on the work of Paula Ross, Jay Hirabayashi and Judith Marcuse is published in Right to Dance/ Dancing for Rights (Banff Centre Press 2004) and an essay on Lola MacLaughlin is in The Responsive Body: A Language of Contemporary Dance (Banff Centre Press 2002). This is the third year Writing Dance has been part of the VIDF (the inaugural workshop was in 2002 during Dancing on the Edge). Kaija holds an MA in Liberal Studies from SFU.

Writing Dance is supported by The Dance Current and the Society for Canadian Dance Studies.

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Why did the Conservatives take the weed whacker to Canadian arts promotion abroad? asks MARGARET ATWOOD

This email is making the rounds in the arts community. It is one artist's response to the immense funding cuts in the arts across Canada and across ALL art forms.

If anyone would like to gather more information or create an action (a petition, a letter writing campaign, a media splash) - please do not hesitate to contact the CADA/BC office. We appear to have a government responding very aggressively to public apathy. It is time to speak. Arts organizations, lobby groups, and local politicians are searching for the articulation of all the reasons WHY art must be funded and supported by the nation. The invaluable second half of the issue is WHERE does that funding come from - ........ And no flowers bloomed

Why did the Conservatives take the weed whacker to Canadian arts promotion abroad? asks MARGARET ATWOOD

MARGARET ATWOOD

During the last days of September, I was at a trilingual literary festival in Vincennes, near Paris. It's called Festival America: Littératures et Cultures d'Amérique du Nord. It was Canada's year of honour, so there were 26 Canadian writers there, as opposed to two Cubans, four Mexicans, and 24 Americans. The festival was attended by 23,000 people over three days, and generated a million mentions of Canada in the French press.

The Canadian Embassy staff in Paris did a lot of work for the festival but the embassy didn't spend much money. It couldn't even afford to throw its own reception. Thus it was while attending the U.S. Embassy's reception for its own authors that I first heard an astonishing fact: The Canadian government had just cut every penny once budgeted for the promotion of Canadian artists abroad.

That's it -- every penny, for everything cultural and Canadian, around the world. Some of those pennies have now been "unfrozen" but they're not enough to save the programs and networks that have been built up over the past 40 years (in part by art-savvy Tory cabinet ministers such as Flora MacDonald, Marcel Masse and Barbara McDougall). Staff remain in place, but they can't do much. It's like a dance floor with no more dancers.

Not that there were that many pennies to begin with. The amounts of money removed were minute -- a fraction of a fraction of a per cent of Canada's federal budget. And the Harper government had just posted a $13-billion surplus. So why had they taken this bizarre step?

The axing of culture abroad is even stranger when you consider the following facts: The money generated by Canadian-based artists' works that sell abroad flows into the country and is taxed here, a net gain to the economy. The arts and creative industries in Europe now earn "more than double the cash produced by European car-makers and contribute more to the economy than the chemical industry, property or the food and drink business," according to The Independent of Dec. 26. There are comparable statistics for Canada -- some say $40-billion, but even if it were half that it wouldn't be a number to blow off easily. Or so you'd think.

So why had the Conservatives taken the weed whacker to Canadian arts promotion abroad? Was it just part of Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's shoot-first, ask-afterwards habit -- familiar now to anyone with money in an income trust -- of slicing the heads off anything in sight, leaving the mangled stems to be dealt with by later regimes?

Due to the impenetrability of Fortress Harper -- colder than the Kremlin, more secret than the Inquisition -- it was unlikely we'd get any answers. But we are still free to speculate, so here's what I came up with to explain why they did it:

1) Ignorance. The Harperites have no idea how much money the arts generate.

2) Willed ignorance. They've seen the figures, but have labelled them "junk economics" in the same way they once labelled global-warming statistics as "junk science."

3) Hatred. The Harper Conservatives think artists are a bunch of whiners who don't have real jobs, and that any money spent on the arts is a degenerate frill.

4) Frugality. There's lots of arts around. We can get them cheaper from across the border than it costs to make them here, and if you've seen one art, you've seen them all.

5) Stupidity. They thought they were gassing a hornet's nest, not poking it with a stick.

6) More hatred. They tried to slash local museums, until too many people screamed. They've cut the Canada Council top-up proposed by the Liberals down to a sixth of its size. They've stuck the knife into the National Literacy Program, perhaps on the theory that they won't be able to set up a working dictatorship if too many people can read. And that's just for starters. If these things can be done in a minority government, lo, I say unto you, what things shall be done in a majority?

The banner under which the Conservatives have been ditching stuff that displeases them has been "waste." They're trashing programs that "don't work." They want things that "get results." (That went for the environmental plans they once binned, and have now hastily revivified.) Arts promotion is like supporting entrepreneurs, or local hockey teams, or school systems. But how do we define "results" in relation to the arts? And what exactly does "work" mean? Does it mean that money must flow back in the same year it's invested? If so, the Conservatives should get rid of all primary education, since no 10-year-old marches right out of Grade Five and gets an executive job.

Typically, cultural money is arranged so that younger artists who need to build their audiences can piggyback on old poops like me who have already done that. That's how you support the next generation, and the one after that. Not to do so is truly wasteful. Yes, you might save a lot of money by killing all the children: You'd cancel those pesky education expenses. But you wouldn't survive long as a society.

But maybe the Harper Conservatives don't want a society in which the arts and the creative industries are important. Maybe they don't want the jobs in those fields to exist. Maybe, as in so many other areas of their thinking, they want to turn back the clock to the good old days
-- some time back in the golden fifties, when there wasn't all this bilingualism and multiculturalism, or indeed any lingualism or culturalism at all, and most Canadian artists left the country, and those who remained could be referred to jokingly in Parliament as a bunch of fruits jumping around in long underwear.

That's a lot of maybes. But maybes are all we have in the absence of any coherent cultural policy or even any explanation for the lack of one. Who was it said that there's more culture in a cup of yoghurt than in the Harper Conservatives? Let's hope that person was wrong.

Margaret Atwood is the author of more than 40 volumes of poetry, fiction and nonfiction. Her latest is a collection of short stories, Moral Disord?

info@cadadance.org

Red Sky seeks Tour Manager

TOUR MANAGER (Full-time 35 * 40 hrs/wk)

Red Sky has enjoyed a meteoric rise to international attention for its original creations. Founded in 2000 by Artistic Director Sandra Laronde, Red Sky is a dynamic company shaping contemporary Indigenous performance in theatre, dance and music.

Reporting to the General Manager, the Tour Manager’s responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

Tour Manager Responsibilities:
* acting as the primary point of contact for booking agents, or presenters with queries regarding the company’s touring activity;
* managing the relationship between the Company, booking agent and presenter * including providing technical, marketing and promotional materials;
* undertaking all aspects of tour co-ordination including budgeting, scheduling, logistics; and
* traveling with the performing ensemble to engagements as Tour Manager and acting as Stage Manager if required.

The successful candidate will have more than two years of experience working in the arts and cultural sectors. Knowledge of performing arts processes is desirable. Knowledge of the Canadian Actors’ Equity Association will be considered an asset. Interest and experience in the Aboriginal community will be considered an asset. Everyone is encouraged to apply. Red Sky is an equal opportunity employer. Salary commensurate with experience.

Starting date: February 19, 2007
Please send a cover letter and résumé to:
Sheena Lessard
General Manager
Red Sky Performance
401 Richmond Street West #420
Toronto, ON M5V 3A8
Canada

Or by email to: sheena@redskyperformance.com

Deadline: February 15, 2007

Only applicants selected for an interview will be contacted.

www.redskyperformance.com

Deadline For WMA Fast Approaching

Hello members of Western Canada's magazine publishing community:

The deadline to submit to the 25th Annual Western Magazine Awards is fast approaching and we know a gentle reminder is appreciated.

You can download the entry form via this link: www.westernmagazineawards.com/pdf/25th_Anniversary_WMA_Entry_Form.pdf

Make sure to read the guidelines carefully, as we now require all VISUAL entries be submitted on disc, in either JPG or PDF format. Please note: if obscuring the creator/publication details will affect the integrity of a visual entry, you do not need to cover that information. Call or email for clarification.

Written entries may be submitted in hard copy where necessary, however we prefer those to be in digital format as well. Don't forget to remove author/creator names, as well as that of the contributing publication, from all WRITTEN entries. We won't be able to remove that information in-house once the article has been digitally locked.

The deadline for entries is February 16th, 2007. Please visit our newly revamped website for full details: www.westernmagazineawards.com.

Call 604.669.3717 or email should you have any questions about the entry guidelines or process.

Our full mailing address is:

Western Magazine Awards Foundation

1506 East 11th Avenue, Garden Unit

Vancouver, BC V5N 1Y7

Friday, February 02, 2007

Events and Learning Experiences from Music BC

SCHMUSIC PARTY!
Don't Forget! Music BC Will be hosting a Networking Party for the BC Music Community on Thursday Feb 8th from 6-8PM at The Media Club! Come rub elbows with fellow members and industry players. Great connections are made at the Schmusic Party! FREE Cover! FREE drinks sponsored by Sleeman! Awesome Prizes Sponsored by AMP Merchandising, Long & McQuade, Digital Sound Magic, Spectrum Events, and Blacktop Geurillas/Universal!

MUSIC BC SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
A Special General Meeting will be held just prior to the Schmusic Party Feb 8th at the Media Club (6PM Sharp). The meeting will address changes to Music BC bylaws. Please come out and cast your vote. This is Your Organization! Click Here to Download Bylaws (PDF)

CMW SHOWCASE LINEUP
Music BC & The Georgia Straight Presents
Saturday March 10th at Healey's (56 Blue Jays Way, Toronto):
Elias
Shane Phillip
Yuca
Hayley Sales
Whitfield
Shaun Verrault
For more information on Showcases, Wristbands and other Canadian Music Week News, visit www.cmw.net

"STATE OF THE INDUSTRY" with Bob Lefsetz
Don't Miss This Workshop! Music BC presents the 1st installment of the Career Development Series on Saturday, Feb 17th from 1-3PM at Tom Lee Music (3rd FLoor, 929 Granville St, Vancouver). Music Industry pundit Bob Lefsetz addresses the issues that are at the core of the music business: downloading, copy protection, pricing and the music itself. Free Admission for Paid Members! $15 for Basic (Free Members) or $25 Non-members. Contact Nathan@musicbc.org to pre-register.

2007 DIY CONVENTION
The seventh annual DIY Convention: "Do It Yourself In Film, Music and Books" is taking place Feb 9-11 at the Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles. The 2007 DIY Convention features live music performances, special showcases, film screenings, parties and an extensive lineup of panels and keynote speakers focusing on creating, promoting, protecting and distributing independent film, music, books and other digital media. Tickets to the event are now available online at www.diyconvention.com. Entrants to the 2007 DIY Film Festival and 2007 DIY Music Festival receive free admission to the 2007 DIY Convention.

BLUEBIRD NORTH
Bluebird North returns to the The Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre in Vancouver on Feb 13th at 7:30 PM, featuring Barney Benthall, Ivan Boudreau, Melanie Dekker, Jeremy Fisher and Mark Perry. Bluebird North: Where Writers Sing and Tell! www.songwriters.ca

MAZDA SEEKS TOP STUDENT BANDS
Car manufacturer Mazda Canada is scouring universities and colleges across Canada to find the best student bands in the country to provide the soundtrack for a new online game! The contest, dubbed Mazda's Rockin' Roll Call, invites bands with at least one student member enrolled at a Canadian college or university to enter online at www.mazdarockinrollcall.ca.
The top 5 artists will have a song featured in the "Campus Joyride" game that premieres online in late February. The overall winner will recieve a demo recording package valued at $2,000 at the studio of your choice. Deadline is Feb 17th: www.mazdarockinrollcall.ca

GREAT DEALS ON ADVERTISING!
There are still some great deals available on advertising in the upcoming Music BC Directory. Check out the Rate Card and see for yourself! Contact Nathan@musicbc.org for more info. Deadline THIS FRIDAY for artwork.

SongTalk with Roy Forbes!
Feb 3rd, 10AM-4PM, John Brathwaite Community Centre, North Vancouver. 145 West 1st Street
Info/Registration at www.arts-alive.ca

Date With A Demo Songwriters' Workshop
Have your demo critiqued by pro songwriters like Shari Ulrich, John Mann and Roy Forbes
Feb 11th, 10AM, Kay Meek Studio - 1700 Mathers Ave, West Vancouver
Click Here for info

"The State of the Industry" w/ Bob Lefsetz
Feb 17th, 1PM, Tom Lee Music Hall - 3rd Floor, 929 Granville St, Vancouver
Email Nathan@musicbc.org to register