National Symphony Orchestra Schedules 150+ Activities, Events for Kentucky Tour
Kentucky hosts the prestigious National Symphony Orchestra’s 2011 American Residencies tour Feb. 17-25. Florence, Lexington, Louisville, Owensboro, Paducah and Somerset all get major concerts. Orchestra members will also travel to 37 Kentucky communities for more than 150 education, outreach and performance activities in over 65 venues.
Proceeds from ticket sales for these events remain in Kentucky to support local arts organizations.
The activities include chamber music performances; pre-concert lectures; school assemblies; community performances in libraries, churches and nursing homes; “Teddy Bear” concerts for preschoolers and their parents; artistic exchanges with Kentucky musicians; “Connections” workshops in schools linking music to the science curriculum; workshops for teachers; arts education roundtable discussions; arts advocacy training sessions; sectionals coaching; clinics; and master classes.
For schedule details, go to artscouncil.ky.gov or bit.ly/NSOsched.
Kentucky Basket Maker Receives $50,000 Fellowship Award from United States Artists
Berea basket maker Jennifer Heller Zurick was awarded a $50,000 fellowship by United States Artists in the crafts and traditional arts category.
Zurick is a self-taught artist professionally engaged with basketry since 1980. She gathers and processes black willow bark from trees along the banks of the Kentucky River.
Her work has appeared in many regional and national exhibitions and publications. Zurick received Kentucky Arts Council Al Smith Artist Fellowships in 1998 and in 2009. She teaches basketry workshops and was chosen for the 1999 Kentucky Arts Council Cultural Exchange Residency in Ecuador. Her work has been recognized regionally for years and wins prizes and awards at national exhibitions and shows.
“I aspire to create simple, elegant woven vessels that possess a richness of spirit and a presence embodying the soul of the tree from which they came. My basketry is rooted in a resolve to keep life simple, joyful and directly connected to the earth,” Zurick said. “My creative energy flows from a fascination with old tribal textiles, finely woven functional containers and ancient processes.”
Expert panels in each discipline selected 52 artists of unique vision and contribution to their fields from 302 nominated applicants from 46 states.
United States Artists has awarded $12.5 million to more than 250 working artists in the past five years.
Arts Council Wants Your Nominations for 2011 Governor’s Awards by March 1
The Kentucky Governor’s Awards in the Arts recognizes significant contributions of artists, arts organizations, volunteers, schools, educators, local governments, legislators and corporate citizens to the arts in Kentucky or across the nation.
Among the nine award categories is the Business Award, recognizing outstanding interest in and support of the arts by a Kentucky business.
The 2011 awards will be presented by Gov. Steven Beshear at a celebration coordinated by the Kentucky Arts Council. To access the nomination form, go to bit.ly/KACgovawards. The nomination deadline is March 1.
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