MACCO POPS

Many thanks go out to the talented McConnell Arts Center Chamber Orchestra directed by Antoine Smith.

Byron Rooker, alto sax

Stan Smith, guitar

Joey Skoch, keyboard

Roger Hines, bass

Patrick Overturf, drums

The event this past weekend brought in as many as 300 people!

Above is a video of the orchestra performing the music of Moacir Santos and Stan Smith arranged by Byron Rooker.

1-Day Animal Mask Making Workshop

Does your child like to show his or her inner wild side?  Then this is just the class for them!  The class is for those between the ages of 6 and 9 and it will take place on June 28 from 1-3 P.M.  The class costs $20 and if you are a MAC member then the fee is only $18.  You don’t need to bring any materials except for your creativity!  The mask will be 3-D made with many different materials such as fabric, beads, paint, foam, feathers, and glitter to add pizzazz to your masks.

This Weekend at the MAC

JUMP FOR JAZZ

Children love to dance and be active so why not register your child for the “Jump for Jazz” program on Saturday, June 21 at 10 AM or 11 AM.  The fee is $5 and is well worth it.  It’s a fun and educational program that is offered to children between the ages of Pre K to third grade. 

The live music will surely get your little one on their feet as well as the materials used as instruments that will adapt to the jazz genre.  Becky Ogden will be the instructor and she has experience as a early childhood music educator.  She has created activities and songs that will help educate your child on the movement, music and literacy of jazz.  This class will enhance your child’s vocabulary of jazz through listening, singing, jumping, and playing instruments. 

If you miss this class, you can always schedule your child for the August 16 class.  This is one class that you don't want to miss.

MAKE YOUR OWN DUCT TAPE PURSE

This class is for those with a creative and fashionable side.  You can never have too many purses so join us this Saturday, June 21 at 1 P.M. to create your very own purse made from duct tape.  The class lasts until 4 P.M. and is a fee of $35 and if you are a MAC member then your fee is $32.  This class is available to those between the ages of 10 and 18 and will be instructed by Marty Shuter. 

You will be making a smaller clutch purse and a larger bag using the duct tape of your choosing and you must bring at least 4 rolls.  You will also need a large T-shirt that you will use to line the inside of your bags and an envelope. 

Enroll today in this fun workshop and set trends with your new stylish bags!

Seven Dance Company - Alice in Wonderland

The Seven Dance Company will be at The McConnell Arts Center to perform a rendition of Alice in Wonderland on June 29 and will perform two shows.  The first show is at 2 P.M. and the second show is at 6 P.M.

When I heard about this show, I was instantly interested and intrigued to learn more about it.  I’m excited to see how the dance company will execute their show and how closely it will resemble the story line of Alice in Wonderland.

Seven Dance Company is located in Columbus and rehearses out of Seven Dance Academy in Lewis Center.  All of the dancers are professionals and have proven themselves through their accomplishments in dance.  The type of dancing that is performed is a contemporary dance that helps to create a new way of thinking through movement exploration.

Cassia Cramer founded The Seven Dance Company in 2010 and has been the director and principal dancer for many of the shows.  Some of the shows that the company has previously performed as “Lovely Diversions”, “Nutcracker Variation” and “The Hour of the Unseen.”

Tickets Prices

Adult $15

Student $12

One ticket for both shows $20.

Below is a link to a performance of “The Hour of the Unseen.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsBLkQNV7ic

Hear & Now with Gail Tsukiyama!

Come and enjoy our continued book reading series featuring Gail Tsukiyama on June 26.  There’s a reception before the reading at 6 P.M. and the reading will begin at 7 P.M. 

Gail Tskuiyama was born in San Francisco, California and was raised in a Chinese and Japanese heritage family.  She attended San Francisco State University where she studied English with an emphasis on Creative Writing.  Most of her work in college was focused on poetry and she even won the Academy of American Poets Award.  Today, she is a part-time lecturer at her alma mater and is also a freelance book reviewer for the San Francisco Chronicle.  She has been a guest speaker at writing and literary festivals as well.

Tsukiyama says that her writing has helped her to explore her heritage.  The themes of her books are courage, family and perseverance. 

Some of her book titles include:

A Hundred Flowers

The Street of a Thousand Blossoms

The Samurai’s Garden

Women of the Silk

Prices to attend:

Adults - $10

$5 Kids/MAC Members/Library Friends

The Salty Caramels

 The Salty Caramels is composed of Emily Ng, Sarah Overdier, Paige Strickling, and Molly Winters and together they make Columbus’s all female folk band.  They are the perfect combination of sassy and sweet.  Their music is unique and whimsical along with the instruments they use to create their melodies. 

The band formed in 2012 and got their name from the popular Jeni’s ice cream flavor which is also Columbus based.  They use a wide variety of not so traditional instruments such as a saw, kazoo, washboard, and glockenspiel to name a few. 

The Salty Caramels have played at many venues and events in and around the Columbus area including Park Street Festival and Comfest and they will now be at the MAC on June 19 from 8 to 10 P.M.

Ticket Costs

$10 online

$12 at the door

$5 students

Kids 12 & under are free

To purchase tickets visit our website at http://www.mcconnellarts.org/wp/archives/13806?utm_source=June+11+2014&utm_campaign=june11&utm_medium=email

Summer Concert at the MAC

Join us on June 21 on the front lawn of the MAC for a celebration of the arts.  The concert is open to the general public and is family friendly. The music will be under the direction of Dr. Antoine Clark and will be mainly classical with a short jazz performance by Stan Smith.  

The concert begins at 7 P.M. and will last until 9:30.

                                   Come enjoy the summer weather and listen to great music!

Filmmaking Class for Children

This filmmaking class is perfect for children ages 8 to 10 that went to test their creative side.  If your child is interested in becoming the next Steven Spielberg or just wants to have fun learning about filmmaking then this is the class for him or her. 

                

This course is designed to provide a basic understanding of filmmaking and will offer a step-by-step process on how to create a production of their own short film.  They will also be shown classic scenes from movies and discuss the importance of these scenes in the history of cinema.  The students will write, storyboard and cast their own film with the other students in the class.  They will also shoot and edit the film as a whole.  To edit the films, the students will use iPads, Adobe Premiere, and iMovie to edit their work.  An iPad2 or some form of tablet will be needed for the class.  This class is a fun way for children that are interested in filmmaking or just interested in having fun and learning something new.

The class begins June 9 and goes until June 13 from 9 A.M. until noon.

There is a fee of $262, but if you are a MAC member the fee is $236.

If you or your child is interested in this class, you can visit our website at http://www.mcconnellarts.org/wp/ to sign up.

Kate Kerr's Botanical Garden

When I walked into the McConnell Arts Center the other day, I couldn’t help but notice the beautiful paintings lining the Corridor Gallery on the second floor.  They were giant paintings of these amazingly bright flowers that reminded me of spring and summer.  After doing a little research, I found out that all of them were done by Kate Kerr.

           
Kate Kerr has over 25 years of experience in fine arts and has done everything from being a studio artist to an interior decorator.  She has traveled to Southeast Asia, West Africa and Europe to gain creativity for her pieces.  Through her work, you can sense Kerr’s deep respect for nature and natural elements.  She currently resides in rural Ohio where she has plenty of space to do her artwork. 

                

Her Botanical Gardens exhibit is inspired by the flowers planted in her yard and those that line the roadside near her.  The watercolor paintings of bulbs, tubers and wildflowers are exquisite.  My favorite painting is of a giant sunflower that is hung vertically on the wall.

Kerr’s exhibit will be available to the public June 6 to August 12 in the Corridor Gallery.

Andrew Tonn's Exhibit at the MAC

The Andrew Tonn and Robert Studzinski Exhibit will begin on June 5 and will go until August 17. The exhibit will show the daily life of Hispanics and their heritage.

Andrew Tonn is a photographer, filmmaker, and writer from Columbus, Ohio, but resides in Washington D.C. with his wife Kristina and son Henry. He earned his Masters in Writing from Miami of Ohio and pursued a career in writing for newspapers in Ohio and taking photos for newspapers as well. He is also passionate about being a leader for The Boy Scouts of America. He has visited Scandinavia, Europe, and South America while working as a freelance artist. Tonn spent most of his time in Latin America where he worked with many different humanitarian relief agencies and documented the lives of the people and the landscape through photographs and film. His work has been published in several places, such as National Geographic Press and National Public Radio. Tonn is currently working on multiple long-term documentaries in Honduras, Guatemala, and San Salvador. Tonn’s message is to show different cultures through his photographs and documentaries.

Robert Studzinski is an award-winning photographer that captures the human experience up close and personal.  American Photo magazine has chosen his photography twice as a winner in photojournalism. He has taken his displays to Europe, Japan, and Mexico.  His photo shoots took place in amazingly beautiful locations such as Trinidad and Tobago, Poland, and Brazil.  He is a war veteran of 30 years and has since been a parole officer on the streets of Columbus.  His current projects are documenting endangered people of the Himalayas, Amazon, Southeast Asia, and Mesoamerica.

 The exhibit is beautifully done with images of the Hispanic culture in both black and white and also in color. I highly recommend this exhibit as an insight to the Hispanic heritage. Below is a link to a video made by Tonn that will give you insight on his work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOM3Gftg7ZM