Jazz and Emilio Lobato: FAC Weekend Round-Up

With so much going on here at the FAC this weekend, we decided to break it all down. Hope you have a beautiful, satisfying, art-filled weekend!


Friday -------------------------
Jazz in Deco Lounge
April 29 | 8 p.m. - 11 p.m.
Hear "21/3" play Deco Lounge. No cover charge.

Saturday -----------------
Jazz'N the Movies
Sat. April 30 | 6 p.m.
Tickets are $20 and $30 and may be purchased by telephone and in person at Amuzé at the FAC 719.477.4377 and online at FluteDaddy.com/moviejazz. The FluteDaddy Jazz Quartet performs Jazz’n The Movies in a cabaret concert and wine tasting hosted by Amuzé at the FAC. The 90-minute concert program includes jazz renditions of songs from West Side Story, Porgy and Bess, Shrek, Sweeney Todd, The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music and other films.


Sunday----------------------
Emilio Lobato Lecture
"Mi Linda Soledad" (My Beautiful Solitude)
May 1, 2011 | 2:00 p.m.
Music Room
Admission is free with a paid gallery admission
Gallery admission is free for FAC members; $10 for non-members

Colorado artist Emilio Lobato will discuss the influences of his work, such as the landscape where he grew up (the San Luis Valley) of southern Colorado, his rural upbringing and subsequent development as an artist in an urban setting. Of particular interest is his study and appreciation of Asian aesthetics and its relationship to life in a desert environment.

Reviews have been glowing for the FAC's current exhibition, Emilio Lobato: Mi Linda Soledad (My Beautiful Solitude). Michael Paglia of Westword reviewed both the FAC's exhibition and the concurrent Emilio Lobato show, Casi, Casi/Bit by Bit, at the William Havu Gallery in Denver. He writes, "Do not miss this stunning double dose of significant works by a living master of Colorado abstraction.”
The FAC and Denver's Havu Gallery were jointly awarded a Denver Westword "Best Of" award for "Best Two-Part Solo Exhibition-2011."

Kyle MacMillan at the Denver Post entitled his review "Virtuosity permeates Denver artist Emilio Lobato's mid-career retrospective."

Emilio Lobato: Mi Linda Soledad (My Beautiful Solitude) was the sole recipient in Colorado of the prestigious Western States Art Federation (WESTAF) grant. The exhibition will travel to the Sedona Center for the Arts in Arizona, the Schneider Museum of Art in Ashland, Oregon, and the Montana Museum of Art and Culture in Missoula.

Amuzé at the FAC does Mother's Day brunch!

Amuzé at the FAC pairs culinary excellence with Art Deco ambiance

Mother's Day, Sun. May 8 | 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.

$24.99 per person

$8.99 Kids 12 and under

Kids 6 and under free

Celebrate Mom with Amuzé at the FAC as they elaborate upon their elegant Sunday brunch with an enhanced buffet, carving stations, chocolate fountain and live jazz. Enjoy brunch in the beautiful historic West End of the FAC. Amuzé at the FAC will serve up a delectable buffet in Art Deco style.   Reservations required. 719.477.4377.

April 27 ArtBite: Portrait of Elsie Palmer by John Singer Sargent

Jazz'n The Movies

Sat. April 30 | 6 p.m.
Tickets are $20 and $30 and may be purchased by telephone and in person at Amuzé at the FAC 719.477.4377 and online at FluteDaddy.com/moviejazz.

The FluteDaddy Jazz Quartet performs Jazz’n The Movies in a cabaret concert and wine tasting hosted by Amuzé at the FAC in the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center’s historic Music Room at 30 West Dale Street on Saturday, April 30.

The 90-minute concert program includes jazz renditions of songs from West Side Story, Porgy and Bess, Shrek, Sweeney Todd, The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music and other films.

“We’ll transform the Music Room into an intimate cabaret environment with bistro tables set with tablecloths and candles, and the room has a full stage for folks to enjoy FluteDaddy’s movie jazz show,” said William Sherman, executive chef and owner of Amuzé at the FAC.

Charcuterie plates of meats and cheeses will be served. In addition to the wine tasting, a selection of choice wines is available for purchase. Wine tasting begins at 6 p.m. and the concert starts at 7 p.m.

“Jazz’n The Movies was inspired by fans who encouraged me to play their beloved songs from movies, and the band was inspired by the great music of composers like Sondheim, Bernstein, Gershwin and others,” says Joseph Liberti, FluteDaddy’s jazz flutist.

The FluteDaddy jazz quartet features Liberti with a rhythm section of master jazz musicians, well known to jazz aficionados, with Bruce Pennington (piano), Marc Neihof (bass) and Dennis Bueno (percussion).

Liberti will play the larger and deeper-toned alto flute predominantly for this concert. He gives the flute a voice which can be sweet, soulful or sassy. “Each player in the quarter improvises solos artfully,” says Joseph, “and as an ensemble we create a tasty blend. People will also enjoy the conga, bongos and other percussion instruments that add an exciting Latin jazz kick to some of the tunes.”

Tickets are $20 and $30. More information, a seating chart and links to reservations are available at
http://flutedaddy.com/moviejazz/

Niccolò di Pietro Gerini “Madonna and Child”

31.25x18”

Oil on panel

c. 1380-90

Just in time for Mother’s Day, the Fine Arts Center is unveiling Niccolò di Pietro Gerini’s  “Madonna and Child,” a Renaissance painting on permanent loan from the Kress Collection, on Friday, May 6.

Gerini was a native of Florence and a fresco painter representing the Giottesque school. He often collaborated with fellow guild member Jacopo di Cione in projects including the largest altarpiece commissioned at the time—a  triptych of the “Coronation of the Virgin” for the Benedictine church of St. Pier Maggiore in 1370. Though active in Pisa, Rome, and other Italian cities, Gerini worked mostly in Florence. His Florentine frescoes included the façade of the Bigallo Museo in Florence, the Guild Hall of the Judges and Notaries, and Sant'Ambrogio church.

The FAC received Gerini’s painting through the Kress Collection, which donated to scores of regional and academic art museums throughout the United States between 1929 and 1961. The Kress Collection encompasses more than 3,000 works of European art, and is distinguished for its abundance of Italian Renaissance paintings.  Other repositories of the Collection include the Denver Art Museum, the National Gallery of Art in D.C., and the Seattle Art Museum.

Member Appreciation Day Door Prize Winners!

We are pleased to announce the winners of our Member Appreciation door prize drawing. If you've won, please stop by the FAC Box Office during open hours (Tues-Sun 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.) to claim your prize or call 719.634.5583.

Each winner also gets a 12 oz. bag of locally roasted BuyWell Fair Trade Organic Coffee!

• Signed Chihuly Lithograph: Tiffany Hauber 
• Broadmoor Stay: A. B. Church 
• 2 Tickets to Buckwheat Zydeco and Dirty Dozen Brass Band: Ken Hardison 
• 2 Tickets to 1776: Rebecca Neff 
• Collection of Historic Catalogues: Donald Brodie 
• A Tour of FAC Collection Storage: Terri Akse 
• Coffee Table Book - Grandeur Restored:  Edith Briggs  

Thank you, Colorado Springs! Gazette Best Of the Springs 2011 Awards

Expert Choice Quick Pick -- Restaurant Transplant

Amuzé at the FAC

The tiny bistro Amuzé moved from its small, creative, high-end menu last summer from Palmer Lake to the Fine Arts Center, where the expanded space and excellent patio are fitting galleries for dishes so delicious they are art.

Actress

Bronze: Eryn Carman (featured in the FAC’s An Ideal Husband and The Women)

Play

Silver: FAC Theatre Company, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Bronze: FAC Theatre Company, An Ideal Husband

Costumes

Nicole M. Harrison, FAC Theatre Company, The Producers

A man in drag wearing a gown that looks like the Chrysler Building. Women in Bavarian get-up with giant sausages on their heads. Nicole M. Harrison showed no restraint as she created outfits that were more over-the-top than the script.

Musical

Gold: FAC Theatre Company, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

This Christmas chestnut drew record crowds. Voters certainly raved. “The FAC really stepped up to the plate.” “Wonderful production. Cast and music was great.” “The performance of Ken Robinson as Pharaoh was worth the price of admission.”

Silver: FAC Theatre Company, The Producers

Set

Silver: Christopher L. Sheley, FAC Theatre Company, The Producers

Museum

Gold: Fine Arts Center

In the past year, the FAC’s Taylor Museum has featured some impressive shows, including Conflict | Resolution, a multimedia exhibition around that complex idea, and William Kentridge: The World is Process, a show of the A-List filmmaker-artist. “Nice, new exhibits, and not the typical,” said one voter. Another: “It has it all.”

Expert Choice Quick Pick – Local Exhibit

Fine Arts Center, Conflict | Resolution

Fine Arts Center curator Blake Milteer, who is also the museum director, conjured a sprawling, multilayered exhibition aiming to address the epic concepts of conflict and resolution. Conflict | Resolution wasn’t a complete success, but we greatly admire its attempt to engage the community in a new way.

Gallery

Bronze: Fine Arts Center

Theater Company

Bronze: Fine Arts Center

Expert Choice Quick Pick – Choreography

Mary Ripper Baker, FAC Theatre Company, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Everything Mary Ripper Baker touches seems to tap and twirl with seamless skill and fun. Her work was central to this production and remains some of the most joyous and wry choreography.

Choreography

Silver: Mary Ripper Baker, FAC Theatre Company, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Bronze: Mary Ripper Baker, FAC Theatre Company, The Producers

Concert

Silver: Arlo Guthrie: Labor Day on the Lawn

FAC Docent Krupinski Lecture May 8

Sun., May 8, 2011 | 2:00 p.m.
Music Room
Admission is free, but seating is limited.
Please call Sylvia Nolte 719.471.0172 to reserve a spot.


Don Davies will present annual Krupinski Lecture  in observance of the FAC 75th Anniversary. Davies is an expert on Indian lore, especially Kachinas and Navajo Rugs.  His grandparents and parents were Indian traders at Kearns Canyon in New Mexico, and Davies grew up working with these artifacts. His parents and grandparents were associated with the Two Grey Hills Trading Post between Gallup, New Mexico and Shiprock, Ariz., a trading post started in 1897 and still in operation.

The lecture is presented by the FAC Docents' Krupinski Fund, established for public education in memory of Florence Krupinski.

April 27 ArtBar

Wed. April 27 | 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. | In Deco Lounge

ADMISSION:
$5.00 for FAC members | $15.00 for non-members.
All admissions include one glass of wine or one mixed drink.

FEATURING: Me and Julio playing a blend of Cuban Son, Salsa and Trova with American Jazz, Rock and Spanish Flamenco mixed hard and served hot! 

• A free drink ticket with each admission
• A tasty 10-minute ArtBite by Museum Director Blake Milteer
• Tapas and appetizers available for purchase from Amuzé
• Nonprofit Spotlight on TESSA of Colorado Springs

2011 Arts Business Education Consortium Awards

ABE Distinguished Administrator Award-winner Tara Thomas

Yesterday's  32nd annual Arts Business Education Consortium awards luncheon took place at the Antlers Hotel downtown. We were honored to receive recognition for our diverse arts education efforts. For the entire list of award recipients, see the write-up in the Colorado Springs Business Journal.

• The Bemis School of Art received the arts opportunities award for providing exceptional opportunities for student and emerging artists.
• Tara Sevanne Thomas, director of education for the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, received the distinguished administrator award for creating programs that reach out to the broader community.
• FAC Board member Ron Brasch of First Business Brokers received the community support for arts education award, for providing expertise and financial support to arts organizations in the city.
• Blake Milteer and Kari Torgerson received the unique project award for staging the Conflict | Resolution exhibition at the Fine Arts Center.

[Updated with winners] Coffee for your thoughts:75th Anniversary!

There are loads of events brewing for the FAC's 75th Anniversary next week. We invite you to take a look at ALL the great things coming up--classes, lectures, celebrations, exhibitions, and performances, and more! Share your pick for the best upcoming 75th Anniversary event here on this blog post and we'll award prizes to entries number 7 and 5.

Two winners will be announced here on the blog. We'll publish all the entries in the order that they arrived by 2:00 p.m. Each winner gets a free bag of Screaming Monkey whole bean coffee from local roaster BuyWell Fair Trade Coffee.

And the contest begins ... now!

Our winners are
Bryce (#7)
and
Dalean (#5)

[Updated with Winners] Photo Hunt: Find these photos in our 75th Anniversary website and win

This month, we look back at the people who created the Fine Arts Center as a place for the arts to grow and flourish. In celebration of our 75th birthday on April 20, we've got lots planned. But that's a subject we'll explore in greater detail in the near future.


Today, we want to invite you to delve into our history in search of these three photos. Find them, tell us what they are and where in our 75th Anniversary site you located them, and you're entered to win!

 The first person to respond here on the blog wins tickets and drinks for two to The Women. We'll also choose two runners-up to win consolation prize memorabilia. 

Ready to embark on a photo hunt? Find these 3 photos!

*Rules: Must be 18 or older to win. Entrants should post their findings in the comments field of this blog post. Winners will be announced and awarded upon the first three entrants submitting their correct findings. We'll publish comments in order of their appearance after we've got our three winners! 


[Update: we got so many entries in the first hour that we kept the contest going a few more hours to allow more people to add their guesses. ]


And here are the winners!
Tickets & Drinks winner: jeremygrantcreative / Jeremy Grant
First runner-up: Kellina / Chana Kolman
Second runner-up:  jetetete / Tania Moore

Emilio Lobato Exhibitions Win a 2011 "Best Of Denver" Award

"Andaluz" 2007 Oil and collage on panel 66x66"
Courtesy of the artist and the William Havu Gallery

The FAC and Denver's Havu Gallery were jointly awarded a Denver Westword "Best Of" award for "Best Two-Part Solo Exhibition-2011."

The William Havu Gallery is currently showing Lobato's most recent work in a show entitled Casi, Casi. Concurrently, the FAC is showing a mid-career retrospective curated by Tariana Navas-Nieves, Emlio Lobato: Mi Linda Soledad (My Beautiful Solitude).

Together, the two shows earned this glowing write-up:

Lobato's pieces invariably refer to his roots in the San Luis Valley, typically through the use of Spanish titles and somber palettes — but the paintings themselves have an international flavor incorporating various abstract influences, notably minimalism and expressionism. And he resolves these opposites brilliantly.

Currently on display at the Havu Gallery:
"Casi, Casi (Bit by Bit" Oil and collage on panel 48x48"

Courtesy of the artist and the William Havu Gallery

The Music of Martha Graham with KCME's Michael Campion

Saturday, April 9, 2011 | 2 p.m.
FAC's Music Room.
Free for members; $10 for non-members

Michael Campion

KCME announcer Michael Campion will present a lecture about Martha Graham’s relationships with the composers who wrote the music for her ballets, including noted hungarian composer and musicologist Zoltán Kodály. Kodály himself accompanied Martha Graham's performances at the FAC in April 1936. Campion will discuss the composers she chose and the subject matter that made up the scenarios inspiring the music. The lecture will cover each composer’s unique style, how they brought the scenarios to life through music, and how Graham worked with both story and music to create each unique ballet.

Posy Knight by Alberto Leopizzi 

The lecture will include examples of Graham's radical approach to dance demonstrated live with dancer Posy Knight and on video of Graham herself.

Campion, host of KCME's Noises, Sounds, and Sweet Airs, is known for his expertise in 20th century classical music. This lecture is designed as a precursor to the return of the April 19 Martha Graham Dance Company's performance and will include information about the works being presented by the company.

Michael Campion has been a writer, reviewer and teacher in the Colorado Springs area for the past sixteen years and has worked as program annotator for Colorado Springs Philharmonic Orchestra under Maestro Lawrence Leighton Smith, the DaVinci Quartet, the Thursday Night Recital Series, the Opera Theater of the Rockies, and the Rocky Mountain Amateur Piano Competition

Michael is also the creator and host of two weekly radio broadcasts heard on KCME 88.7 FM. Noises, Sounds and Sweet Airs heard Sunday evenings, gently guides the wary listener through a most enjoyable selection of bold and beautiful classical music of the last hundred years. Classics for Kids, heard Sundays at 5:30, is dedicated to helping our children develop an appreciation for the arts that will instill a healthy imagination. He is also the voice of the Colorado Springs Philharmonic Orchestra radio broadcasts.

Herta Moselsio "Lamentation,"ca. summer 1937
Silver gelatin prints Library of Commerce Music Division
Purchase, 2001 (233.2)