Meet the Arts Tour Committee

Judy Reynolds is tour co-chair, gardener, and an avid reader, with plans to renew her long-time interest in drawing and painting. She lived in Kansas for over 30 years before moving to Montana and from there to New Mexico. Judy moved to Mountainair from Albuquerque in 1998 and has been a volunteer at the Mountainair Community Library across from Town Hall and also worked part time for the Forest Service. Her background includes extensive volunteer work in civic clubs and other organizations and having worked in radio, manufacturing, insurance, and marketing. Since she eschews having a web presence, we have no URL to post for her.

Celeste Simon is the other tour co-chair and also handing the posters and postcards for the tour. Celeste has years of art world experience with tours, art councils, galleries, juried competitions, and exhibitions. She describes herself as a “self-employed as a potter, paper-maker, painter, sculptor and mixed media artist for thirty years.” If you’ve noticed the changes in and straw bale wall building going on at the house next to the Bank of Belen – that’s Celeste’s place and will be a studio on the tour. Take a look at some of Celeste’s work – painting, mixed media, and sculpture – at http://celestesimon.com/. Read more about her background and past exhibitions at http://celestesimon.com/about.html

Celeste with mixed media wood sculpture

Michael Godey moved to the area from Gainesville, Florida, two years ago. A quirky Renaissance man, whose interests and inspirations include traditional Judaism, Kabbalah, and Native American spirituality, is artist (painting and mixed media, including digital), musician, theatrical performer, and teacher. He teaches in the A.S.P.I.R.E. after school program and was previously at the University of Florida, from which he holds an MFA in fine arts. Michael’s work is currently exhibited at Yessy (online), Indigo Gallery (Madrid), and Chumani Gallery (Madrid). Recently, he had a show of his work at Johnson Gallery in Madrid. Michael’s “Sounds to Images” was selected for this year’s tour poster and postcard. In addition to seeing Michael’s work at the 2006 Tour, you can also view his work online in the Art Center of Mountainair gallery at http://www.theartcenterofmountainair.com/on_line_gallery.htm and at http://www.yessy.com/lifetree/

Michael at work at the 2005 Studio & Gallery Tour

Linda Johnson moved to the area from Florida and now lives near Manzano. She has taught at UNM Valencia in Continuing Education program and has been teaching in the A.S.P.I.R.E. after school program. Her courses guide students through producing a local “newspaper.” Linda worked on last year’s tour - food and helping coordinate the “follow the dots” theme. This year she is food & beverage coordinator and has some exciting ideas. Although I am waiting for more information from her to make sure I get the details right, I do know Linda has worked as a safety inspector in the construction industry and was associated with hunter/jumpers while in Florida. I know there is a lot more. If she sends it, I will add it – or she can add it herself. Until then she will just have to be our Tour Committee “woman of mystery.” Every event needs one… Like Judy, Linda has no URL to add here (thereby increasing the mystery).

Next... more about coordinators and exhibit/event areas (+ links and images)

Mountainair Arts

Mountainair Arts

Share your arts and craft projects in the form of a zine or booklet at: http://craftentrepreneur.com/zines.html for free. All you need is to write it and post it and buyers will be directed to your site to order it. Its a great way to expand your market base.

The woman who owns it is very nice and eager to work with you. She posted my little booklet and it is the first and only one so far. Hope you'll take advantage of this cool site.

Geree

Questions

Questions:

What are the arts in Mountainair?

Who are the artists?

What do they want to do?

How can we support them?

An Impromptu Mountainair Music Happening

Did you know that Dennis Fulfer hosted Dennis Banks and his friends at his home Friday night? The AIM group was walking from Alcatraz to Washington DC. Robin DesJardins reported passing them, after spending the night in Abo, on her late to work ride down the hill. They had a conference and a jam session with Dennis' band and Mr. Bank's musicians, followed by a drum circle. All right there in Mountainair!

Dennis Banks, Native American leader, teacher, lecturer, activist, and author is co-founder and leader of the American Indian Movement (AIM).

The name of Jess Davidson's and Dennis Fulfer's Progressive Rock band is Cognitive Dissidents. The band played at last year's tour and will be playing again this year.

Jesse Davidson - Drums
Dennis Fulfer - Lead Guitar, Vocals
Pete Chavez - Lead Guitar
Jeff Stillion - Bass
Damien Peralta - Bass
Timothy Wyllie - Rhythm Guitar

Googling, I discovered that "Cognitive Dissidents" is also the name of a Seattle group and a Maryland duo.

"Mountainair Arts"

Hi Everyone!

Remember me? I was the coordinator of last year's studio and gallery tour and I declined to do it again so the next tour would be new and innovative when led by a different coordinator. This year the organizing group is using a new approach that should result in an completely original event! I have read the blogs and I am in touch with Vanessa so I am aware there is some concern about this year's event. Please be flexible and participate.

There are still many tasks that could use someone to handle them. If you are thinking about being a part of the event, please consider helping out in some way. Please don't sit back and let others do all the work. It takes the whole community to come together to make it a success.

Thanks,
Geree

Online Marketing for Self-Represented Artists

Hi Everyone!

I have been approached by a couple of members of the local art community to conduct a seminar/workshop in "Online Marketing for Self-Represented Artists" - possibly at the Arts event in May. I love the idea, but my house is up for sale and it is possible that I will be living in an exotic tropical place by May so I cannot commit to a presentation in May. But, I could write a booklet that would be available on my site for less than $5.

I am not an expert in site building and I am not an expert in marketing. But, I would be happy to share: how I built my own site, what I tried and what works for me, how to get a domain name for less than $9/year, how to track keywords, how to get stats on visitors to the site, the secrets of getting a reliable and affordable merchant credit card service, and how to get visitors to come to my site. In short, I can describe how I did it and you can use it as an example for doing it for yourself.

The reason I am blogging this is to ask you what you think. Would you be interested in such a booklet? Would you buy it? What would you like to see explained in it? Anything else you would like to add?
If you haven't seen my site yet, please visit it at: www.GereesStudio.com.


Thanks for reading this blog and commenting!!

Geree

Chair-mapping: An Unofficial Guide to Who & What

Judging from comments and private mail, there seems to be some confusion about organizational structure - even among committee members. So here's a quick guide to who is in charge of what. Since we already seem beset by a surfeit of chiefs and deficit of untitled rank & file do-ers, I am taking the liberty of referring to "sub-chairs" as "coordinators."

Here goes:

Tour Co-chairs (no billing implied by order of listing)
Judy Reynolds jrmtnair@aol.com
Celeste Simon mixedmediaart@msn.com

Coordinators
Advertising and publicity - Bert Herrman
Posters & Postcards - Celeste Simon
Community Liaison - Judy Reynolds
Venues - Mary Schultz
Music - Kathleen Clute
Spoken Word - Dale Harris
Communication (e-mail) Vanessa Vaile
Studios (including signage) - Kristine Lauritsen
Exhibits - open or unknown
Workshops/ demos / lectures - open or unknown
Signage - open or unknown
Food & Beverage - Linda Johnson
Vendors - Joan Page
Materials Manager - open or unknown
Set-up - open or unknown
Clean-up - open or unknown

I am not publishing e-mail addresses for coordinators since I don't have their permission to publish them on the net. The co-chairs are another matter - putting out their contact information goes with the territory - and their addresses have already been published in a number of online calendars.

Same accessibility rule goes for me as e-communications person. If you want to volunteer or have a question for any of the coordinators , e-mail me and I will forward to them.

Vanessa - vcrary@qwest.net

PS Please bear in mind that the Tour Committee - not the Manzano Mountain Art Council and not the MMAC Board - is producing the tour. Direct your questions to the Tour Co-Chairs or to the appropriate coordinator. If you cannot figure out where or to whom, send them to me and I will forward them, cc'ing chairs as necessary and appropriate. Do not direct Tour questions to either MMAC president or board.

Tour Update: Report on Feb 19 meeting

Feb 19 Meeting, 2 pm at Judy Reynold’s home, Mountainair

Present at meeting: Mary Schultz, Bert Herrman, Barbara Montgomery, Judy Reynolds, Michael Godey, and Vanessa Vaile.

Report on Advertising & Publicity, by chair Bert Herrman: Advertising well in hand with large ads to be run in Steppin' Out, Albuquerque Journal, The Independent, and Guest Life: New Mexico. The May issue of New Mexico Magazine features a story on the Shaffer, with Art Tour mentioned. Additionally, Guest Life will run an article by Bert Herrman about Mountainair, the Shaffer opening, and the Arts Tour. News releases will also be submitted to a list of about 20 NM publications, free advertising if published. All advertising is at non-profit rates, and costs are completely covered by Chamber grant for promoting the town and a Tourism reimbursable funds grant, detailed breakdown available from Bert Herrman.

Tour calls have gone out with all response replied to and sent registration and membership application forms.

Tour Registration deadline of April 21, 2006,was approved, forms updated (with changes recommended by tour chairs).

The Tour is now listed on the New Mexico CultureNet, New Mexico Tourism, and New Mexico Magazine online calendars, and submitted to other online calendars, including the Convention and Visitors Bureau Calendar. An updated announcement/report will be sent to the CultureNet Newsletter for the March Issue.

Moved and approved: April 21 deadline for registration, with $10 late fee for registering after the deadline and registration fee waiver for members applicable until deadline; Tour slogan - "Mountainair: Past to Present" (paralleling tour poster artwork "Sounds to Images");$150 for 1,000 postcards from postcard.com; $400 for posters, printer and number at discretion of designated poster person Celeste Simon; $600 for performance stipends, as determined by Kathleen Clute (music) and Dale Harris (spoken word).

Although not formally moved and approved, the board/tour committee agreed that the respective committees have autonomy in determining best distribution of allotted funds (aka mmac long leash law?).

Discussed/ Reported:

• Traditional Quilt Exhibit – under discussion with Senior Center
• Book Art Workshop on making a hand crafted book – curator of “Lasting Impressions” exhibit at the Museum of New Mexico – confirmed
• Proposed: exhibit of digital art on computers at UpHi (OK’d by UpHi since meeting)
• Studios and Exhibitors – although not yet formally registered, there is comfortable scratch list of exhibitors, not counting Cibola artists that may be exhibiting just in Cibola and not booking additional tour space.
  
• Dorothy Cole’s Mountainair Heritage Center will open in its new digs and, along with Rancho Bonito, a participating location.

Music Report sent by Kathleen Clute – forwarded to chair and president but not read before the meeting. Condensed overview – music is basically well in hand. Kathleen has gotten together with Jess Davidson. A number of area musicians have been tapped for the tour with more to be contacted. Jess is confident that music needs for multiple venue can be filled locally without having to import outside musicians or groups. Bert Herrman has been in correspondence with and recommended guitarist Michael Chapdelaine, who plays classical to modern and has a solid performance record.

Spoken word should fare better this year than last. Several outstanding (and well published) poetry performers with major creds, such as Art Goodtimes, Judyth Hill, and Gary Mex Glazner, have been in touch with Dale Harris about coming. This is also a line up that will attract both audience and a good line up of area poets.

Coming soon: more (including funky & fun links) about kinds of exhibit & workshops, about performers referred to above

Discussion of criteria for offering honoraria: recognized vs local. Basically, offering honoraria is courtesy to cover travel expenses for out of town invitees. The council has some but not unlimited grant funding available for honoraria and stipends.

Signage– poster, banners. Nothing much new discussed here other than confirming that we are on our for banners and still tracking AWOL banners from batch made by Judy Mowris last year. Judy Reynolds will look into pricing on generic art tour banners. No budget proposed or approved for signage.

Confirmed venues (yet another not really a surprise): Dr Saul Community Center, Stone Tree Gallery, and the Art Alley (the place really needs a new name – that or we just give in and agree to keep on calling it Art Alley). The Tour committee will apply to the Town Council to waive rental fee for Community Center. Art from ASPIRE After-school and Art in the Schools programs will be displayed at the Elementary School, which will also be available, pending official letter applying to the School Board, for Tour use if we need more exhibitor or workshop/lecture/demo space. Shaffer use is not yet confirmed despite hotel opening and Tour being touted in cooperative advertising.

Next Tour Committee meeting: March 12, 2006, 2 pm at Judy Reynold’s home, 204 Acoma, Mountainair.

Next General Meeting: March 19, 2006 at Kathleen Clute’s home. As previously noted, the agenda will include budget, report from the tour committee, summer performance series schedule, community project, Sunflower Festival (one certainly hopes).

February MMAC Board Meeting

The February MMAC Board Meeting is at Judy Reynold's house this Sunday, February 19, at 2:00 PM. Judy lives in Mountainair, 204 E Acoma Street, one block east of the fire station; light gray house with a terra cotta sunface beside the door. Phone 847-2518.

The meeting agenda is devoted to the May Arts Tour and reports from the assorted tour committees. As such the meeting does double duty as an Arts Tour Committee meeting, Judy Reynolds and Celeste Simon, co-chairs. The last tour committee meeting was at Celete Simon's, Saturday January 28, 2006. Report on that meeting is available on the Mountainair Arts Tour blog at http://mountainairarts.blogspot.com/

For all practical purposes, the agenda is limited to tour business. Committee chairs and co-chairs will report on their respective committees. Chairless committees are up for adoption.

As members, you are welcome to attend board meetings. If you are helping with the tour, you are more than welcome - we urge you to attend the meeting - membership not required to push the bus. If you know someone who would like to be involved and help with the tour, feel free to forward this message to them.

If you want to support the tour and have input, suggestions, concrete offers of assistance, etc. but loathe attending meetings (I really can identify with the sentiment as I will be there only because the office demands it), send me (vcrary@qwest.net) what you want said and on the record. I will do it. You can also contact a board member or the committee chairs to relay your statements. If you are unable to attend but are willing to step up to the plate for a specific tour related task - list available at http://mountainairartstour.blogspot.com/ - contact the tour committee chairs:

Judith Reynolds
Telephone #: 505-847-2518
e-mail: jrmtnair@aol.com

Celeste Simon (will be out of town in March)
Telephone #: 505-847-0105
e-mail: mixedmediaart@msn.com

Vanessa Vaile, Secretary