South Pasadena Arts Council

Help Homeless Families in Need

2012-01-25T20:48:00.000-08:00

Dear SPARC Artists,
The Family Promise organization of San Gabriel Valley is holding a fundraiser to support homeless families in the the San Gabriel Valley. They are asking for donations of ceramic bowls that will be filled with donated soup to help these struggling families.

Please visit the link below for more information.
http://origin.library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1101304667313-187/Final-So+Pasadena+Arts+Council.pdf

Thank you for considering this request!

Howard

Howard Spector, Co-Director
South Pasadena Arts Council (SPARC)
howarddspector@gmail.com
310-741-7650

Get Involved in the Arts Crawl!

2012-01-16T19:31:00.002-08:00

SPArC Artists are encouraged to participate in the 2012 Arts Crawl on Feb. 11.
For more information and a message from Co-Director Howard Spector click below.
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Get-Involved-in-the-Arts-Crawl-.html?soid=1101304667313&aid=mRSi6pFr7dA">Get-Involved-in-the-Arts-Crawl

SPArC Member Events in January

2012-01-11T16:30:00.000-08:00

Click the link below for more information on member events in January, including theater, music and exhibits!

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/SPArC-Member-Events-in-January.html?soid=1101304667313&aid=gZ1q2OrAskE

SPArC Day at the Fremont Centre Theatre!

2012-01-06T17:01:00.000-08:00

The Fremont Centre Theatre will be holding a SPArC Day on the 22nd of January. See "The Telephone/The Human Voice" and enjoy a mixer afterword.
Visit the link below for more information.
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/SPArC-Day-at-The-Fremont-Theatre.html?soid=1101304667313&aid=yTMZSP5TFJ8

SPArC End of Year Update!

2011-12-16T18:16:00.000-08:00

Many exciting events have happened in 2011 with SPArC!
Please visit the link below for an end of the year update on our accomplishments in 2011.

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/End-of-Year-Update-.html?soid=1101304667313&aid=z4wUIfDB1EA

Sincerely,
Howard Spector, Co-Director, SPARC
howarddspector@gmail.com

Special Announcement
This year, The South Pasadena City Council made SPArC the Official Arts Council of South Pasadena!

2011 Arts Crawl!

2011-09-30T12:41:00.000-07:00

Dear SPARC Artists (Visual, Performing, Poets, Authors, Designers, etc...)

Here is another opportunity for you to showcase your talent in the community. I am organizing artists and merchants to collaborate on this event from 5-9 pm on Saturday October 22.

The idea is for merchants to host an artist in their store to do an activity, such as play music, do a reading, do an art demonstration, or small workshop or something else of your choosing. It is being marketed as a local event for So Pas residents and businesses to support the businesses and artists/arts organizations in the community.

It would be great if SPARC folks actively participated in the 2011 Arts Crawl.

If you are interested in being matched up with a local merchant in town, follow the link below to find the artist participation form. Fill out the participation form and email it back to me.

http://www.southpasadena.net/article.php?type=event&id=249

If you have any questions please contact me. - Howard

Howard Spector, Co-Director, SPARC
howarddspector@gmail.com

Opportunity for SPArC Artists

2011-08-31T16:20:00.000-07:00

Showcase and Share Your Art at the Monrovia Arts Festival! October 8 & 9th, 2011

An opportunity to share your work with new patrons and collectors. Located in the heart of historic Old Town Monrovia in Library Park.

For more information and application visit

http://www.monroviafinearts.org

Welcome letter from the Vice President of MFAA

"Totem" Sculptures at the Annual Eclectic Music Festival and Art Walk

2011-06-22T22:00:00.000-07:00

On May 7th, The South Pasadena Arts Council (SPArC) joined forces with the Chamber of Commerce to present the annual Eclectic Music Festival and Art Walk. During the festival, SPArC invited the public to put on their creative hats and help create a series of painted sculptures called "3-D Graffiti".

Designed by local conceptual artist Marie Miller, participants painted a variety of primed cardboard boxes then stacked them onto armatures made out of irrigation pipe, brackets and wood. No two sculptures turned out the same yet all reflect the range of creativity and imagination alive in our wonderful town .

Many students, parents and even teachers from the district turned out to volunteer and participate-making the event both fun and successful. These "totems" were exhibited around town before finding their temporary home here at the District Office. We are pleased to be able to share them with you and we encourage you to join us at future SPArC events.

Special Thanks to Dan Burr for his help and to Joel Shapiro for hosting the sculptures here. We are also grateful to Ted Shaw, Lissa Reynolds, David Margrave and to our mystery donor at the Farmer's Market for helping underwrite this event.

Margo Newman and Howard Spector

Co-Chairs, The South Pasadena Arts Council

http://sopasartscouncil.com

Photos by Michael Newman Photography

Pasadena Arts Council serves as the fiscal sponsor for the South Pasadena Arts Council.

Calling All Volunteers!

2011-04-27T18:08:00.001-07:00

IT’S ECLECTIC MUSIC FESTIVAL AND ART WALK TIME OF YEAR AGAIN AND WE'RE GEARING UP FOR THE BIG DAY

SPARC is once again partnering with the Chamber of Commerce on this year’s ECLECTIC MUSIC FESTIVAL AND ART WALK. We're expanding our participation to include both an interactive art experience and an art exhibition and auction. For this year's art experience, SPARC is staging an exciting project designed by local conceptual artist and SPARC genius Marie Miller. Festival goers will have the opportunity to paint and build unique box sculptures called "3-D Graffiti."

WE HAVE TWO OPPORTUNITIES TO PARTICIPATE:

Our last work day to prepare is this Sunday May 1st from 11am to 2pm at the SPARC storage space behind Carrows. (Enter off Hope Street). We'll be finishing up priming the boxes and preparing the armatures that we'll be using for the festival. Please come lend a hand. (Those of us who've been working on these have been having a lot of fun!)

WE'LL NEED EVEN MORE HANDS ON DECK FOR THE ACTUAL FESTIVAL

SATURDAY MAY 7^th

5-10 pm

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS TO HELP MAN THE ART ACTIVITIES DURING THE FESTIVAL.

Put on some old clothes and come help out! It's a fun creative opportunity to network, and meet your artist neighbors/fellow SPARC members. (High schoolers can earn community service hours, too.)

SHIFTS AVAILABLE THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. CONTACT margo.newman@socal.rr.com TO SIGN UP FOR EITHER THE WORK DAY OR THE FESTIVAL

THANKS!!

Work Day This Sunday, April 10

2011-04-09T11:35:00.000-07:00

Hi SPArC Enthusiasts,

Last Sunday we got a lot accomplished on our first 'Art In The Street; 3D Graffiti Sculptures' aka 'totem pole sculptures.' workday. Thank you for all your support and hard work. We are more than halfway done with painting and constructing the boxes.

The 2nd workday is this Sunday, April 10 from 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm. We are continuing our work on the construction of the sculptures, mainly putting together cardboard boxes & gessoing (white primmer).

Please bring water, sunscreen and ware comfortable working & appropriate painting clothes.

Location: a cross the street from 1128 Hope St. South Pasadena, (next to Carrows Restaurant back entry off of Hope St.) cross streets Hope & Fremont

Hope you can join us,

Marie Miller

SPARC EXHIBITION OPPORTUNITY

2011-03-13T22:59:00.000-07:00

The South Pasadena Arts Council (SPARC) is participating with the South Pasadena Chamber of Commerce in this year’s Eclectic Music Festival and Art Walk, scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 7, 2011. The Festival and Art Walk is a very well publicized event, historically attended by 5,000 people. This would be a great opportunity to showcase artwork and celebrate the arts in our community while supporting the South Pasadena Arts Council at the same time.

SPARC will be utilizing our Giant Easels, which will be set up at the Eclectic Music Stage on Mission Street in the parking lot at Citizens Bank. We will be looking for 6-10 artworks that can be displayed outdoors on the easels. Artists will be juried so as to provide the opportunity to all South Pas artists who are members of SPARC to be considered.

The jurors for this event will be: Katya Shaposhnik, Director of SPACE Gallery, Thomas Fields, Curator for the South Pas Gallery, and Carlos Chavez-Andonegui, Executive Director of the Fremont Gallery.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Any interested artist may submit three to five JPEG images (72 dpi resolution) of work completed in the last three years, which sufficiently represents your work. Please indicate the medium and the size of the work. If you are selected to participate, you may produce a new artwork or submit an existing artwork representative of the sample you sent in.

Also, in order to participate, artists must be current members of SPARC or they can apply for membership by writing a check for $30 and mailing it to: SPARC, P.O. Box 3272, South Pasadena California, 91301. The check should be made payable to the Pasadena Arts Council with a note in the memo line that reads SPARC. They are our fiscal receiver for all contributed monies.

JPEG images must be attached to an email and sent to Howard Spector, Co-Director of SPARC at howarddspector@gmail.com by 5:00 pm on Saturday, March 26^th. If you are chosen to participate, a SPARC representative will contact you to arrange to drop off your artwork. All selected artwork must arrive by Saturday April 23^rd.

In order for the work to fit on our Giant Easels, the “field” of the artwork must be at least 35” tall x 55” wide. On this field the actual artwork can be smaller (i.e. 20”x24”). Works can be paintings, prints, photographs, and drawings. No freestanding 3D work will be accepted.

SPARC is planning to hold a silent auction of the submitted artworks, so we would ask you to provide your retail sales price and a minimum that you would like the bidding to start. No sale will be below the minimum. You will also have the opportunity to have publicity and contact information with your artwork at the Festival. Artists will receive 40% of any sale of the artwork, unless you stipulate that the artwork is a donation to SPARC for fundraising purposes.

Please Note: SPARC will make every effort in good faith to protect artwork, however because it is an outdoor venue with many people SPARC will not be responsible for insuring the work, and thus will not be responsible for any loss or damage that might occur as a result of participating in this event.

New Sparc Meeting

2011-02-27T14:11:00.000-08:00

SPARC is calling for Artist/Painters/Sculptors/Art Lovers to come to our kick off meeting on March 5, 2011, 11am-1pm at 1011 Fair Oaks Ave for the upcoming Eclectic Music Festival & Art Walk event that we are participating in on May 7, 2011.

Big Easels
If you or someone you know is interested in providing a piece of artwork to be displayed on the Big Easels, (i.e.- we need artists to create a finished piece to display on the easels on the day of the event. The easels will be set up around the main stage area.) Please come to the 11:00 am kick off meeting on March 5, 2011 at our temporary home in the old paint store where the Calder Circus installation is 1011 Fair Oaks Ave. At the meeting we will be discussing and deciding over size, subject, guidelines and if you want your piece to be auctioned at the event.

Totem Pole Sculptures
If you, or someone you know who is interested in the Interactive Totem Pole Sculptures, we will be having a brain storming meeting about how people/event attendees will be creating the art with our interactive sculpture, painting cardboard boxes, stacking them to crate a 3D sculpture, adding texture, graffiti, etc. Please come to the 12:00 noon kick off meeting on March 5, 2011 at our temporary home in the old paint store where the Calder Circus installation is. We will go over the structural armature building, cardboard box construction & painting date(s), types of materials people can use and the logistics of how the day will run.

See you there,
Marie Switzer / SPARC Interactive Event Consultant

Next South Pasadena Arts Council Meeting!

2011-01-29T18:37:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year Everyone!!

This past organizing year has been a good one for our newly formed South Pasadena Arts Council (SPArC)! We are going to have a group meeting Saturday, February 5th at 2pm at our Art Attack Space at 1011 Fair Oaks Ave in South Pasadena.

We want to kick off this year by sharing creative ideas, signing up new members and bringing everyone up to speed on what we have accomplished together so far. Invite anyone you think would be interested in joining us - Actors - Directors - Artists - Writers - Musicians - Dancers etc etc etc. All ARE WELCOME!

Bloggers leave information under comments if you have an event we should know about so we can attend and support any artistic events in South Pasadena or nearby!!

See you soon!

Lissa Reynolds/ Founding Director of SPArC

Photo: SPArC Art Attack by Carla Larissa Fallberg

October Events

2010-10-11T22:07:00.000-07:00

SPARC Events for October

Important dates:

SPARC Workday

Saturday, Oct 16 10am-2pm

Art Walk

Saturday, Oct 23 5pm-9pm

We will be having a workday for the upcoming South Pasadena Art Walk on Oct 16th from 10am-2pm at the Fremont Centre Theatre, 1000 Fremont Ave, corner of Fremont & El Centro. Anyone is welcome to come. We will be building frames and attaching the canvas material to the frames to get ready for our interactive Giant easel event at the Art Walk on Oct 23.

For the Art Walk On the 23rd, we will need people for the following times:

Pick up Easels and materials: 2pm - 2:30pm

Set up at Meridian: 2:30pm - 3pm

First Event Shift: 3pm-5pm

Second Event Shift: 5pm-8pm

Breakdown: 8pm-9pm

*Event Shift people will be manning the easels and making sure the canvases don't get destroyed and paint doesn't end up anywhere but on the canvases. It also includes encouraging people to paint!

Thanks for spreading the word! If you are available to come to workday or help at the Art Walk contact Karen Sommers Cooper at

karencooper@me.com

Thanks for making this another great event!

If any SPARC members have any upcoming events in Oct please list the details here under blog comments- a great way to support each others performing or visual art events!

See you soon-

Lissa Reynolds SPARC Co-Director

Upcoming Meeting This Saturday

2010-09-08T23:48:00.000-07:00

Dear Sparc Community,

The next SPARC meeting will be:

Saturday, September 11th,
1-2:30 pm at

Fremont Centre Theatre

1000 Fremont Ave, South Pasadena

We look forward to seeing you there!

Lissa Reynolds

2010-08-16T19:14:00.000-07:00

SPARC community-

Don't miss this opportunity organized, by SPARC Literary Coordinator and South Pasadena Librarian Steve Fieldsted, to celebrate Ray Bradbury's 90th birthday in our own small town of South Pasadena. I will be there to introduce Ray and lead us in singing Happy Birthday. One of our SPARC Gallery artists, Leo LeGaspe, has been invited to have some of his fantasy drawings on display at the event and we will have a SPARC info booth at the Community Room before the event. So come by, say Hello and wish America's Storyteller a very happy birthday! Details are below.

Lissa Reynolds / SPARC Director

WISH RAY BRADBURY A HAPPY BIRTHDAY

AT THE SOUTH PASADENA LIBRARY ON AUGUST 19

Not very many people anywhere knew the exact temperature at which paper burns prior to 1953. Now, countless millions the world over have the specific thermometer reading burned into their memories, due to Ray Bradbury's now-classic FAHRENHEIT 451, published that year. Considered by many to be one of the most important and influential books of the latter half of the 20th Century, it's also one of the most acclaimed and bestselling science fiction books ever. FAHRENHEIT rose to the heights from a humble beginning. It was originally developed by the young author as a novella while he fed dimes into a coin-operated typewriter in the basement of the UCLA Library. Surrounding students and librarians had no way of knowing the literary magic being conjured up in their midst. Readers the world over can be thankful Ray Bradbury had a steady supply of the tiny silver coins as he ingeniously poured his inspiration into the manuscript. The rest is literary history.

Bradbury went on, of course, to a highly remarkable career and has written more than 600 published works including short stories, novels, plays, screenplays, television scripts, and verse. Among the best known are DANDELION WINE, THE ILLUSTRATED MAN, THE HALLOWEEN TREE, and SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES.

Ray Douglas Bradbury was born in Waukegan, Illinois, on August 22, 1920. Today, as an author, essayist, playwright, screenwriter, lecturer, poet and visionary, he is known as one of America's greatest creative geniuses. As an 11 year-old he started writing his stories on butcher paper and by 1934 the Bradbury family moved to Los Angeles where he’s resided ever since. He attended Los Angeles High School and planned to become an actor until teachers encouraged him to continue working as a writer. His formal education ended with his high school graduation in 1938, but he continued educating himself in the library while spending long hours at the typewriter honing his skills.

Bradbury's work has won innumerable honors and awards, including the World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Grand Master Award from the Science Fiction Writers of America and a special Lifetime Achievement Pulitzer Prize in 2007. At an age when most men are long retired Bradbury remains a dynamic storyteller and writer. His incredible body of work exemplifies one of the greatest contemporary imaginations.

The South Pasadena Public Library and the Friends of the South Pasadena Public Library, with funding support from the Helix Foundation, will honor Ray Bradbury with a 90^th Birthday Celebration on Thursday, August 19 at 8:00 p.m. in the Library Community Room. The free, not-to-be-missed event will feature a showing of Walt Disney Pictures’ adaptation of SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES, a PG-13-rated 1983 film starring Jason Robards and Diane Ladd. According to Mary Menzel, Director of the California Center for the Book notes SOMETHING WICKED is a wonderful film to show in honor of Ray Bradbury’s birthday, because it is one of the truest and most successful literary adaptations in movie history.” As Roger Ebert noted when the film came out, “it captures the novel’s mood, tone, and style in a really exceptional way.”

Mayor Richard D. Schneider will present a Proclamation to Ray declaring August 22 as “Ray Bradbury Day in South Pasadena.” Lissa Reynolds from the Fremont Centre Theatre and Director of the South Pasaadena Arts Council who has worked with Ray for years will be introducing him and leading the audience in sing you-know-what. A custom birthday cake designed by Fantasy Frostings of South Pasadena will also be presented. The Library Community Room is located at 1115 El Centro Street Fremont Avenue and free parking will be available across the street in the South Pasadena Unified School District parking lot. To augment the 150 seat capacity in the Community Room, a giant screen to show the proceedings and the film will also be set up in the Library Park. No tickets or reservations are necessary and doors will open at 7:30 p.m. Special thanks to Best Custom Frame, Daily Photo, Fantasy Frostings, Rotary Club of South Pasadena, SOSOUND Entertainment, The South Pasadena Review, South Pasadena Unified School District, and Thomas Lake Construction, Inc.

Let's Celebrate!

2010-06-03T17:22:00.000-07:00

Our first two SPARC events were wonderful so let's get together and celebrate!

Our Bright Star screening was a big success and raised the funds needed for our interactive arts experience at the Eclectic Music Fest and Art walk on May 1st.

The SPARC Giant easels were the talk of the town!
Go to our SPARC web site SoPasArtsCouncil.com and click on our photo gallery for pictures of both events (order your SPARC T-Shirts when you visit the site!)

SPARC Meeting /Mixer
Sat June 26 2-4pm
909 El Centro at SPARC Temporary/Contemporary Gallery

See you there!
Lissa Reynolds / SPARC Director

Artists On Display At SPARC Temporary Contemporary Gallery

2010-04-29T16:03:00.000-07:00

SPARC Temporary Contemporary Gallery, at 909 El Centro St., is a must see destination on Saturday. This newly built commercial space will debut as an art gallery featuring the works of local artists Liz Reday and Catherine Ellen Money, Kirk Miller, Nathan Rohlander, Amy Runyen, Alice Simpson, Marie Switzer, Susan Singer, Connie Rohman and many others . Most of the works will be available for acquisition.

And don't forget to check out the article on the event and artists at artsbeatla.com!

Here are just some of the artists on display! Make sure you stop by to see these and the many other amazing works of art.

LIZ REDAY:
A lifelong career artist, Liz Reday holds a Master's Degree from the Royal College of Art in London. Her work has been featured in numerous shows and collections in several countries, including Australia, Great Britain and Japan.

Liz Reday spent her childhood in rural Japan before moving to Southern California. She had a solo show at the Kerry Schuh Gallery, Newport Beach. David Hockney at UC Irvine, sent her to London. A recent trip to India & the L.A. River have been recent inspirations for her oils on canvas.

CATHERINE ELLEN MONEY:
Photographic artist and poet. Graduate of Brooks Institute of Photography, Santa Barbara, CA. Several images from THE PLANET PARADISE COLLECTION will be on exhibit.

Artist's Statement: PLANET PARADISE speaks to the intimate moments in my life. Vibrant and enigmatic, the imagery pokes at the subconscious, transporting the viewer into a world of energy, color and light. Expressed in mythical proportions, on a metallic substrate, the imagery invites the viewer to linger and consider our emotional response to our natural world.

ALICE SIMPSON:

With a background in fashion illustration, it is by instinct that I search for the line that graces form, hair and fabric; to capture the quality of watercolor washes; to reveal how light and shadows create drama. Coil built, pushed, pulled, carved, and hollowed to one quarter thickness, my works are detailed into expression and each contains a secret. The larger operatic works are inspired by suspended emotional moments of sound and expression.

Portrait of the Artist as Queen Elizabeth 1, with her sideways glance and ironic expression, and Portrait of the Artist As Sarah Palin, including her ubiquitous wink, are intended as satiric representations of their time and place in history.

BARRY WETMORE:

About the artist! 1 year, Carnegie Institute of Technology, Fine Arts Dept./ 4 years, Chouinard Art Institute, Los Angeles/ 24 years, TV and Print advertising Art Director / 23 years Freelance Illustrator, creating art for print ads, TV commercials and book publishers / 12 years fine art painting! My name is Barry Wetmore and I live in, of all places...South Pasadena, California! Tah Dah! wetart@socal.rr.com

CECILIA PAISLEY LEGASPE:

Started drawing since she was 2 years of age. Would make her own story books with folded sheets or paper stapled together like a book to read to her little brother Leo. At age 4-6 she would sketch and design fashion models. Then was fascinated with Japanese anime would make up her own characters using pen, pencil and ink. Cecilia now 18 years has displayed her art work at, The Pomona Arts Colony, exhibition at Bunny Gunner Gallery, SoHo Gallery, and 5ifty Bucks gallery in Pomona.

LEONARDO AMADEO LEGASPE:

Started drawing at the age of 2 immitating his older sister Ceci by watching her and amazingly had the same artistic talent. Since Kindergarten he was chosen to design the schools calendar for the year and every year after that. Leo's medium is also pen, pencil and ink. He is extremely fascinated in Robots and machinary. He draws every piece by thought and imagination. Leonardo now at age 13 has displayed his art work at, 5ifty Bucks Gallery with his sister.

HARRY LIEBERMAN:

Harry Lieberman, who paints representational landscapes, began his art career at High School of Music and Art in New York City and has taken workshops with M. Stephen Doherty, Ross Merrill and Scott Christensen. He has been most influenced by JMW Turner and the artists of the Hudson River School.

KIRK MILLER:

Kirk's education and experience cover a wide spectrum of art and art activity. He has a background in art history, several years experience as a Post-Conceptual artist, twenty three years full-time teaching experience at Cerritos College, and has instructed survey courses as well as courses specifically devoted to painting, electronic imaging, and installation or experimental art.

Kirk received an M.F.A. in painting from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena in 1987, a B.F.A. in illustration in 1979, and in 1973, and received a B.A. in art history from the University of California, Berkeley, CA. He has been a professor of art at Cerritos College since 1988 and has been an adjunct professor at CSU, Long Beach and CSU, Northridge as well.

Description of Artwork

Something About Nothing or No Thing

My works of art are “spacers.” They are the gaps between words, the interval between notes, the expanse between things, the thoughts between thoughts. Put simply, they represent the “space in between.” Some time ago, while pondering the notion of nothing I came upon this quote, which for me succinctly describes what I’m trying to do and say.

“We start, then, with nothing, pure zero. But this is not the nothing of negation. For not means other than, and other is merely a synonym of the ordinal numeral second. As such it implies a first; while the present pure zero is prior to every first. The nothing of negation is the nothing of death, which comes second to, or after, everything. But this pure zero is the nothing of not having been born. There is no individual thing, no compulsion, outward nor inward, no law. It is the germinal nothing, in which the whole universe is involved or foreshadowed. As such, it is absolutely undefined and unlimited possibility --boundless possibility. There is no compulsion and no law. It is boundless freedom.”

Charles S. Peirce, “Logic of Events” (1898)

MARIE SWITZER MILLER:

Marie Switzer-Miller is a local resident of South Pasadena and is currently moving in a new and exciting direction with her art. During the past twenty years Marie has worked as a concept designer and art director for the global leaders of themed entertainment, including BRC Imagination Arts and Walt Disney Imagineering. Marie’s new works of art, which were recently in South Pasadena at SPACE in a show titled “Textiles on the Edge,” offer a fresh and unconventional approach to the use of natural materials and techniques. Marie received a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial/Environmental Design, with honors, from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena in 1987. In 1995, she returned to Art Center as an instructor and taught “Environments for Entertainment,” and Woodbury University in Burbank. She has taught at SPEF and SPACE in South Pasadena as well.

Description of Artwork:
My current works of art deal with a variety of issues, ranging from those of personal sensory and memory to grief and release, and are made of a variety of natural materials, such as hemp, to fallen pods gathered from the base of wisteria vines. Evidence of my strong formal education in design is clearly present in my artwork. In the work titled “Disentanglement in Crossing the Red Sea,” the composition is reminiscent of an early Malevich, but that is where similarity ends. Process is also an important component to my artwork. Most of my art is very labor intensive. Meticulously tying hundreds of hemp threads can provide a space, a mental opening if you will, for me on the one hand, but can also serve to help facilitate memories on the other and aid in moving the artwork forward in an unanticipated direction helping to give it a life of its own. Some of these new works of art were recently exhibited.

Liz & Catherine, curators in front of SPARC gallery space.

South Pasadena Eclectic Music Festival & Art Walk

2010-04-29T15:46:00.000-07:00

Sparc is taking part in the South Pasadena Eclectic Music Festival & Art Walk This Saturday!

Saturday, May 1, 2010 from 2pm to 10pm
Fair Oaks to Grand Ave. on Mission Street

Join us for the second annual

eclectic music festival & art walk

in wonderful, walkable

South Pasadena!

Over two dozen musical groups at six venues. For details, see the entertainment lineup.

David Lindley, The Nervis Brothers, Double Naught Spy Car, Moira Smiley & VOCO and Wahid all for just $20, with live music at five other venues for FREE! Tickets at www.SouthPasadena.net

Purchase tickets online in advance.
Enter code: SPARC and10% of your ticket will go to the South Pasadena Arts Council!

Art Galleries & Open Studios:

The SPARC Interactive Arts Event with the Giant Easels on Meridian is FREE- come particiapate and paint with us! We will be painting from 5:30pm - 8pm.
SPARC Temporary Contemporary. (909 El Centro St.) This newly built commercial space will debut as an art gallery featuring the works of local artists Liz Reday and Catherine Ellen Money, Kirk Miller, Nathan Rohlander, Amy Runyen, Alice Simpson, Marie Switzer, Susan Singer, Connie Rohman and others. Most of the works will be available for acquisition.
Michael Hollis (238 Pasadena Avenue) will be having a group show with paintings of early California and contemporary American art
SoPas Gallery (1121 Mission Street) will be showing the recent paintings of South Pasadena artist Leslie Saeta.
SPACE Gallery (1506 Mission Street) presents "Our Shaky Civilization with Animals" featuring the artwork of Abira Ali and Gordon Henderson.
Fremont Gallery (812 Fremont Avenue) will present the works of Kikki Eder, "Real, Unreal, Surreal" oil paintings.
Burke Triolo (538 Mission Street) will host an open studio showing photographic works and montage by J.T. Burke and Loraine Angela Triolo.
SOPA Studios (1025 Hope Street) is an artists' collective and will host an open studio.
Upstairs Artists (1034 Mission Street) lofts above Mission Street will have an open studio.
www.sewjoe.com Catch the cutting edge in design at Sew Joe Stitch Lounge at 634 Mission.
Special Exhibitions will be presented by Zinnia, Kaldi Coffee & Tea, Reimagine Your Home, Mission Street Yoga, and more. Celebrate the grand opening of House of Honey. Get into it - literally - with The South Pasadena Arts Council (SPARC) "Art Experience," an interactive exhibition on Meridian.
Watch for the UpStage kids appearing on the community stage at Meridian during the afternoon! Upstage is a theatre school for kids 6yrs-16 yrs based out of So Pasadena for the last 10 yrs. They do an afterschool program and summer theatre camps. For more details go to upstageschools.com
Contact Tom Field of Thomas R. Field American Antiques with questions about the Art Walk or the Eclectic music festival. Call 626.799.8546

Read more about the event and the galleries here:

http://www.artsbeatla.com

Take the Metro Gold Line to Mission Station! www.metro.net. Or exit the Arroyo Seco Parkway (110) at Orange Grove Ave. or Fair Oaks Ave. in South Pasadena.

Artist rendering of SPARC easels by Marie Miller!

2010-04-23T16:44:00.001-07:00

Another Work Gathering For SPARC Interactive Arts Event!

Let us know if you can make it!

Date/Time: Saturday, April 24, 11 - 2 p.m.

Location: Susan Masterman's house

1233 Garfield Avenue

South Pasadena, CA 91030

T [626] 799. 2749

Third house south of intersection of Monterey Road and Garfield Ave., on the west side of the street.

Park on Garfield, use the side gate to the right & walk down the driveway to the garage. Or press the call box in the driveway and Susan can buzz you in to park in the gravel motor court.

Wear clothes that you can paint in, bring gloves to work with wood.

Our work party last week was great- (see photos below) we're in the home stretch if you can help out let us know if you will be there!

Dan Burr building Giant Easel.

Helpers paint parts of Giant Easels.

Mike Rouse put together more see through canvases!

The Perello family pitches in big time!

Decorating donation box!

*** We still need volunteers for our May 1^st Interactive Arts Event. Artists to paint and supervise, people to man info and donation booth, trucks to hep transport giant easels, and strong men to help set up and tear down- let us know ASAP if you can help on Sat May 1^st!

***And don't forget to attend the Eclectic Music Festival and Art Walk go to- SoPasArtsCouncil.com for event details, tickets and T-Shirt orders!

Lissa Reynolds

Exciting Announcement!

2010-04-08T21:36:00.000-07:00

Our South Pasadena Arts Council Web site is up and running!

Check it out at: www.SoPasArtsCouncil.com

WE NEED YOU!

Help needed to get ready for our Interactive Arts Event on May 1st

The Arts Council will be creating an "Arts Experience" for the May 1st South Pasadena Eclectic Music Festival and Art Walk. Please join us on April 17th and April 24th from 11-2pm at the Fremont Center Theatre to help build the frames needed for the project. We need your help!

Please email Hope Perello at hopeperello@sbcglobal.net if you can make either day.

The Eclectic Music Festival and Art Walk on May 1st is just around the corner! We need Arts Council members to help out with our Arts Experience event!

Volunteers are needed to:

Refill paint and water

Hand out and collect aprons given to participants

Talk up the Arts Council

Man the Information table

Help set up and breakdown

Here are the various shifts you can sign up for:

SATURDAY, MAY 1st

2:30-4:30pm

4:30-6:30pm

6:30-8:30pm

Contact Karen Sommers Cooper if you would like to sign up: karencooper@me.com. The more, the merrier!

ARTISTS WANTED!

2010-03-30T11:37:00.000-07:00

Indoor gallery space available for one day exhibition during SoPas Music & ArtWalk, right in the middle of the action. Artists WANTED to show new artwork to estimated 5,000 people walking through from 2PM - 10PM, May 1st. Painting, Sculpture, Mixed Media, Photography . Call Liz at 626-441-0323 or e-mail liz@lizreday.com.

Volunteers Needed For BRIGHT STAR screening.

2010-03-26T14:43:00.000-07:00

This is what we need from you for the Bright Star screening at the library on April 17th at 7:30 PM in the community room at the South Pas Library:

Volunteers to man the donation/information booth
Baked goods and donated soft drinks for the event
Help setting up chairs and table
Your attendance at the event (along with spreading the word of this event to your friends and neighbors!)

Margo Newman is the Chair of this SPARC event, so IF YOU CAN HELP email her at: margo.newman@roadrunner.com or respond on this blog and she will get the message!

FREE SCREENING OF JANE CAMPION’S “BRIGHT STAR”

2010-03-26T14:20:00.000-07:00

The newly formed South Pasadena Arts Council (SPARC), in partnership with the South Pasadena Library and the Friends of the South Pasadena Library, will present a free screening of the critically-acclaimed 2009 film, “Bright Star,” on April 17 at 7:30 p.m. in the Community Room of the South Pasadena Library.

Directed by Academy Award winning Jane Campion, “Bright Star” depicts the secret romance between 19^th century poet John Keats and the love of his short life, Fanny Brawne. With its stunning images and evocative score, critics have called this PG-rated film about poetry and love a visual poem in itself.

Following the screening, actor Paul Schneider (NBC’s “Parks and Recreation,” “Lars and the Real Girl”), who received the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in “Bright Star,” will give a behind-the-scenes talk about the making of the film and working with director Campion.

The Community Room of the South Pasadena Library is located at 1115 El Centro St. Admission is free, but donations to SPARC are encouraged to fund future events.

Doors open at 7 p.m. Refreshments will be available for purchase.

For more information, contact Margo Newman, South Pasadena Arts Council Co-chair of SPARC Media Events, at 2margo.newman@gmail.com or call the Fremont Centre Theatre at 626.441.5977

Next Meeting and First Event.

2010-03-03T16:51:00.000-08:00

Next Group South Pasadena Arts Council Meeting!

7pm Thursday, March 18

Fremont Centre Theatre

1000 Fremont Ave, South Pasadena

For our first event, we will be participating in the Eclectic Music Festival and Art Walk on Saturday, May 1st. The event will take place from 5pm-10pm. We hope to have as many of you participate as possible. Below is a brief description including ways you can be involved. Please come to our next meeting on March 18th to hear more and to sign up.

We also encourage email sign ups prior to the next meeting.

South Pasadena Arts Council's part in the event:

Our footprint will be Meridian street with our focus on the Meridian Iron Works Museum side of the street. Both sides of Meridian will be closed to traffic.
Unless we can get lighting, our interactive activity will most likely be from 5pm - 8pm.
Our event will be an interactive visual arts project which will either be painting the street or painting panels that line the street. (see Artist sketch below). Participants will be encouraged to paint the panels or street.

There will be a common theme and a color pallet chosen.
So Pasadena Arts Council Artists will have specific painting areas or panels to oversee and create.

Margo Newman and Kevin Foxe are spearheading an interactive Media/film project that will air on the screen on the side of the museum.

In addition, the Chamber is offering to So Pasadena Arts Council artists 2 options:

To buy into a gallery space for $100 to sell and display artwork (location is TBD). Artists would be responsible for hanging and framing expenses. One So Pasadena Arts Council volunteer would spearhead this gallery and liaison with the Chamber to help facilitate this space.
To showcase artwork in a space for free (location is TBD). So Pasadena Arts Council volunteers would be responsible for entire setup and breakdown.

May 1st is our preview to what we hope will be our big interactive arts event in the Fall.

Our next South Pasadena Arts Council large group meeting will be Thursday, March 18 at 7pm and we will let you know soon the date and details for our first fundraising event!

Please email karencooper@me.com to sign up or for more information.

Arts Are Alive in South Pasadena!

Be part of the South Pasadena “Creative Arts Experience”!

2009-11-23T16:12:00.000-08:00

The South Pasadena Arts Council will host its ﬁrst community arts event this spring 2010 tentatively titled, South Pasadena Creative Arts Experience.

At this event, the community will be invited into local visual and performing art venues to participate in demonstrations, performances and interactive activities conducted by South Pasadena visual and performing artists.

Possible dates for this event are April 25, May 1, 2.

The tentative hours of the event are 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

We would like to keep the event venues centrally located and within walking distance of each other.

We are inviting performing and visual artists to submit proposals to the South Pasadena Arts Council “Creative Arts Experience” Committee for consideration of participation in this event. The requirements are as follows:

Each artist must be a resident of South Pasadena, or work in South Pasadena or have an interest in working in South Pasadena.

Each artist must commit to a one-hour time slot on the day of the day of the event and the time necessary for preparation.

Each artist will be required to include within their allotted time: a demonstration of their talent, and interactive/audience participation portion, and a Q&A.

Each artist will be responsible for setting up and breaking down your materials, staging, etc.

In submitting a project for this event please describe how you will fill your spot:

DEMO: (or Exhibition) (15 min) to demonstrate your talent: ie- your artwork, performance, dance, music, etc.

INTERACTION: (15 min) Engage participants in the art form. Example: play a theatre game on stage, have the participants paint a watercolor or drawing, pass out instruments to play, etc.

Q&A: Answer questions

Regards,

Hope Perello, hopeperello@sbcglobal.net

Karen Cooper, karencooper@me.com

Co-Chairs, South Pasadena Arts Council “Creative Arts Experience” Committee

October 17 Arts Council Meeting

2009-11-04T13:16:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!

Our Oct 17 Arts Council Meeting was held once again at the BurkeTriolo studio and kicked off with a half hour drum circle group led by Munyungo Jackson! Lisa Watson, who moderated a Mission /Vision Statement Arts Council Focus Group, started off our meeting by talking about the process and how the Focus Group arrived at the statement below:

We the South Pasadena Arts Council believe that the Arts enrich and enliven our lives and are vital to the social, educational and economic well-being of South Pasadena.

The Council will advocate for and promote the Arts in order to recognize local artists as a rich resource within our city and build appreciation and understanding of the value of the Arts within the community.

Some comments were to shorten the Mission Statement and not limit recognition to “local artists” and list that as one of our goals instead. If you were not able to give input at the group meeting please do so here on the blog! We will do the final tweaking and list it here in its finished form.

Next, Victoria Arriola gave a short presentation about designing the Arts Council web site and asked the group for ideas. Some of the ideas shared:

Arts calendar of local performing and visual Arts events

Arts Resource guide

Arts links page

Arts advertising page

Arts map of arts organizations, galleries, theatres etc.

Arts networking system like “Social Sam”

Arts on-line way to collect donations or pay for future events

Arts Advocacy page

If you have other ideas please share here on the blog.

Victoria is going to put a plan together and start the process to develop the Arts Council Web site, and come up with a budget to help get it done!

Next, Hope Perillo spoke of organizing our first Arts event in the Spring of next year. It is based on an idea presented on the blog by Karen Cooper for an Interactive Arts Event for both kids and adults. It is conceived of as a way to have a fun, hands-on experience with both the visual and performing arts.

There was a lots of interest in this and people signed up to participate. So if any of you out there in blog land would like to be a part of this event, leave a message here for Hope or Karen, who will be co-chairing this event.

Thanks to Jeff and Lorraine Burke for hosting our end of year group meeting! Thanks once again to Munyngo for leading our Drum Circle group! Thanks to Lisa Watson, our volunteer focus group, Hope Perillo and Victoria Arriola. Thank you Desiree Paterson for the refreshments. And thanks to artist Liz Reday for drawing the sketch of some of us during our group meeting which we include on this blog. Very cool. And thanks to all of you for showing up. Let’s keep moving forward.

On another note, run don’t walk to see the documentary film of the rehearsal of Michael Jackson’s last concert – “This Is It!” It’s amazing to watch an exceptional artist in action behind the scenes.

My husband and I will be doing an Armed Forces Entertainment tour overseas in Dec & Jan visiting with soldiers and their families. We’ll meet as a large group again in Feb. I sign off with this thought:

“On a day no different than the one now dawning, Shakespeare sat down and started Hamlet, Leonardo stepped to an easel and made the first strokes of the Mona Lisa, and Beethoven took out a sketch book and began the Ninth Symphony.”

-adapted from Robert Richardson, Emerson: The Mind on Fire

Have a wonderful holiday- see you next year!

Lissa Reynolds / Fremont Centre Theatre

Change of Meeting Date!

2009-09-29T13:55:00.000-07:00

We are changing our group meeting date from October 3rd to Saturday, October 17th at the BurkeTriolo Studios at 538 Mission St. South Pasadena. Our Drum Circle will be led once again by Munyungo Jackson beginning at 10:30AM and the meeting will be from 11-1.

On Oct 3rd 5pm-10pm we encourage you to participate in ArtsFest in South Pasadena hosted by our incredible Chamber of Commerce! There will be Open Galleries and Studios, Live Music, Wine & Beer Gardens and Free Shuttles- so come with your family, invite your friends and have some fun!

Please consider being a volunteer for this event- it's a great opportunity to meet some people, introduce people to the thriving Arts Community in So Pas and help make this event successful!

The Chamber is looking for people to:

Distribute maps to merchants
Host at the Community Room of the Library for the exhibition "South Pasadena, City of Trees"
Stage Assistant helping the musicians
Work at the information desk at the Community Stage
Set-up
Clean-up
and more!

Please e-mail the Chamber if you can spare an hour or two!

info@southpaschamber.com

More at: SouthPasadena.net

See you at ArtsFest on Oct 3rd & at our Arts Council Meeting on Sat Oct 17th!

Lissa Reynolds / Fremont Centre Theatre

Focus Group

2009-08-31T16:49:00.000-07:00

At our Arts Council Meeting in June we formed a volunteer focus group to come up with a mission and vision statement. That meeting was held on Aug 1st, hosted by Walter Zooi at the South Pasadena Music Conservatory. The meeting was facilitated by Lisa Watson, who recently organized the Art Walk in South Pasadena which was a wonderful event. The focus group members who attended were:

Walter Zooi, Lisa Watson, Mike Wilson, Eric Jenson,

Hope Perello,Sharon Frayer, Howard Spector,

Amanda Ramirez, Lynne Heffley,Shelly Stephens,

Kathy Fuller, Lisa Marsh, (and myself, Lissa Reynolds)

It was a wonderful, energetic and creative meeting. Much thanks to Lisa Watson for guiding the group! We have a good starting point which we will share and discuss at our next meeting.

Victoria Arriola is going to head up our Web site development, and community leader Ted Shaw has pledged $1,000. to help us get that started. So the seeds are planted and we will start figuring out how we want this "garden to grow" at our next group meeting! Bring yourselves, your ideas about our Arts council web site and how we can start to realize our Mission Statement.

I am leaving for the Cape May Stage in New Jersey to perform my one person show "A Woman Of Independent Means" by Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey, and will return at the end of Sept. So our next group meeting will be on Oct 3 11am-1pm so save the date and time and we will let you know the location.

Thank you all for each step forward in helping to form this Arts Council!

Lissa Reynolds / Fremont Centre Theatre

Homework Assignment!

2009-06-23T18:10:00.000-07:00

At the second Arts Council meeting, Walter Zooi from South Pasadena Music Center and Conservatory collected names to form a focus group to develop a mission statement. As South Pasadena resident Ernest Dillihay, who works with the LA Dept. of Cultural Affairs, said at this meeting: “Until we know where we’re going, we don’t know what size bus we need to get there!” Lisa Watson, a South Pasadena resident, co-owner of SOPA Studios and Executive Director of the Downtown Women’s Center, volunteered to facilitate a meeting to develop this mission statement. Before the focus group meets we want to hear ALL VOICES- so please take the time to answer these questions and share your ideas.

Please post them before July 27.

The questions we need feedback on, are as follows:

1. What is the purpose of the council – what do you want the council to achieve?
(Please remember your answer should not detail specific strategies. Describe in broad strokes what you would wish the council to achieve.)

2. Why do you want the council to achieve this?
(For example your response might begin “in order to” or “we believe”)

A good mission statement should accurately explain why the South Pasadena Art Council exists and what it hopes to achieve in the future. It articulates the council’s essential nature, its value and its work. Your responses to the above questions will help the steering committee to identify an appropriate mission statement.

Thanks for taking the time!

Second Arts Council Meeting

2009-06-22T15:27:00.001-07:00

I can’t say thanks enough to Jeff and Lorraine Burke for hosting our second Arts Council meeting at their BurkeTriolo Studio here in South Pasadena. Their space cries “beauty” & “creativity” which was what the people attending this meeting were all about. Everyone who attended was connected to the arts; actors, dancers, artists, producers, directors, photographers, members of arts organizations, and art patrons- it felt like family! Many new faces. I had no idea there were so many creative souls in this town I have never met before. So great to be finally be meeting you all now, gathered around this collective purpose.

The first thing I noticed about this second meeting was how much larger our drum circle was! At the first meeting, I was encouraging people to participate in the drumming. At this meeting people arrived with drums and some brought extra drums to pass out to others. This time, people just naturally took a seat in the circle and starting drumming. Children joined us for the first time, which was so cool! With Munyungo guiding us, our drum circle is starting to take on a life of it’s own. It already feels like a stronger heartbeat.

The meeting that followed was great... different opinions, different point of views, all positive suggestions on how to move forward. Like the different tones and beats of our drum circle gradually coming together as one. I feel like something not only productive but exciting is going to happen... I have no idea what but I can’t wait to see! I know in our conversations we are often “preaching to the choir” but it’s so great to have the choir all in the same room! None of us with our passion for the Arts need to feel so alone- at least not in this town!

Keep blogging and sharing your ideas- large or small.

You will receive a “homework” assignment soon.

To be continued...

Lissa

* Photos by Carla Larissa Fallberg

Photos From Our First Meeting & Drum Circle!

2009-04-14T13:10:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from our first independent Arts Council meeting in March 2009!

The pre-meeting Drum Circle was lead by
Munyungo Jackson.

Terry LeMoncheck, Executive Director of the Pasadena Arts Council and Scott Feldman Executive Director of the South Pasadena Chamber of Commerce spoke to the group along with Lissa Reynolds, Artistic Director of South Pasadena's
Fremont Centre Theatre.

Lynne Heffley wrote a wonderful article about the meeting which appeared in the March 25th issue of the
South Pasadena Review.

There were over 70 people in attendance!

Welcome!

2009-04-07T17:45:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the informal South Pasadena Arts Council Blog!

This is our forum for each of us introduce ourselves to the rest of the Arts community in South Pasadena, and share ideas large or small about what we want our newly forming independent Arts Council to do!

Our second group meeting will be late May or early June, so get the ideas a'blogging so we can talk about them at our next gathering of creative minds!

On this blog leave comments and tell us about yourself, how you participate in the visual arts, performing arts, musical arts or supportive arts and what you think the most important thing an arts council can do to enrich the lives of the citizens of South Pasadena and help the arts in these hard economic times survive and thrive!

Lissa Reynolds / Artistic Director / Fremont Centre Theatre