Wednesday, January 15, 2014

AROUND TOWN


By Elliot Anderson

Free tour and artist chat set

    The Sun Valley Center for the Arts has announced a free evening tour of its current exhibition, “Wish You Were Here,” including a lecture with featured artist Elliot Anderson. Enjoy a glass of wine and special insight into this exhibition on Thursday, Jan. 16, at 5:30 p.m.
    “Wish You Were Here” is a celebration of travel, tourism and the American road trip. The visual arts exhibition features travel-inspired work by contemporary artists, with such mediums as lightboxes, photographs, paintings and film. Courtney Gilbert, curator of visual arts, and Center docent Pamela DeTuncq will lead visitors through a tour of this adventurous exhibition.
    Anderson will lecture at 6 p.m. His “Average Landscapes” are part of the exhibition. He will address the link between American landscape painting and American tourism.
    For more information, visit www.sunvalleycenter.org.
Film documents Hailey
Climate Challenge
    The city of Hailey’s three year Hailey Community Climate Challenge is coming to a close with the showing of a film documenting the progress and results of the various projects that are a part of the challenge.
    Health activist Mariel Hemingway is the host of the film produced by Diamond Sun Productions.
     The film will be shown at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 16, at the Wood River High School Performing Arts Theater at the Community Campus in Hailey.
    The challenge includes projects such as 5B BikeShare, a construction recycling pilot program, Just Bag It!, Save-A-Watt, a renewable energy rebates, an LED streetlight retrofit along Main Street, LEED Silver Certification of Hailey’s Welcome Center, and building deconstruction and material salvage.  
    The challenge’s final results were presented to the Hailey City Council and mayor on Jan. 6. They showed that the project achieved more than twice its emission reduction goal. The amount equates to the annual carbon emissions of 59.2 passenger vehicles.
    The challenge was funded in part by the EPA’s Climate Showcase Communities program. It involved more than 20 local businesses, organizations and partners, the main contributors being: Mountain Rides, Building Material Thrift Store, Elizabeth Jeffrey, Environmental Resource Center and South Central Community Action Partnership.
    Other benefits to the community include 22 additional bikes added to expand 5B BikeShare to Ketchum and the work of 80 individuals who participated in the rebate programs for energy efficiency and solar energy systems. Each of the 11 contractors participating in construction waste recycling pilot saved $2,620 on average. Hailey will also benefit from an ongoing annual savings of $2,592 for the energy-efficient Welcome Center and an LED streetlight retrofit.
    More than 38 workshops have been conducted on various topics related to the challenge, with 512 attendees. Each project and program was carefully selected to help inform policy, encourage change, establish pilot programs of interest to the community, or provide funding for the continuation of existing programs at the city.  

Artists make plans for summer
    Artists are invited to apply for the 2014 Sun Valley Center Arts & Crafts Festival, to be held August 8-10 at Atkinson Park in Ketchum. Applications are now available online at www.zapplication.org and are due by midnight on Friday, Feb. 28.
    Through a competitive blind jury process, approximately 130 artists will be chosen to exhibit in this summer’s show. To encourage local participation, full-time Blaine County residents will be granted an extra point during the jurying process. Artists who apply before Feb. 1 will pay $30. After Feb. 1, the application fee is $35.
    Now entering its 46th year, the Arts & Crafts Festival is ranked among the top 100 best art and craft shows in the country. A full list of rules and descriptions of categories is available at www.sunvalleycenter.org.  Artists who need help with the application should contact festival@sunvalleycenter.org or 726-9491 for more information.

Arts and humanities scholarships ready for applicants
    The Sun Valley Center for the Arts is accepting scholarship applications from Blaine County students and teachers who wish to further their individual studies in the arts and humanities. The application deadline is Friday, Feb. 21, at 5 p.m.
    The three kinds of scholarships awarded to students are:
l Ezra Pound Award, for a high school junior pursuing visual art the summer prior to his or her senior year. The 2013 recipient used the award money to study in the pre-college program at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles.
l Gay V. Weake Award, which is for Blaine County high school students entering or currently enrolled in college. Preference will be given to those majoring in visual arts and/or performing arts; humanities studies will be taken into consideration (art history and creative writing). This award may be renewed annually as long as the student continues to attain a certain GPA. Multiple scholarships may be given.
l The High School Arts & Humanities Scholarships, a scholarship for Blaine County high school students currently enrolled in grades 9-12 who wish to further their artistic pursuits. Preference will be given to students in the visual arts (drawing, painting, graphic design, photography, film, architecture) and performing arts (music, dance, voice, theater). Humanities will also be taken into consideration (art history, creative writing, literature, language studies). Among other things, students have used their awards for the Wood River Jazz Camp, the Berklee College of Music summer program, Snow Farm Summer Art Program, music lessons with the Sun Valley Summer Symphony School of Music and private painting lessons. Multiple awards are given.
    In addition, Educator’s Awards are given to teachers who wish to pursue professional development opportunities in the arts and humanities. In the past, educators have used their awards to take a university-level course on printmaking, study poetry or attend a professional education conference. Multiple awards may be given.  
    To download a scholarship application and instructions, visit www.sunvalleycenter.org, click the “Education & Humanities” tab and then on the tab for “Scholarship Program.” For questions, call Sarah Kolash at (208) 726-9491, ext. 121. Winners will be notified in March.
    Scholarships are made possible by The Center’s annual Wine Auction and generous donors. In 2013, The Center awarded more than $63,000 in scholarships to 42 Blaine County residents.  

2014 is time for ‘Crazy Sexy Wellness’ at festival
    World record-breaking distance swimmer Diana Nyad and “Crazy Sexy Wellness” activist and New York Times best-selling author Kris Carr will give keynote speeches at the 17th annual Sun Valley Wellness Festival in May.
    The 17th annual Sun Valley Wellness Festival will be held Memorial Day weekend, May 22-26, at Sun Valley Resort. Nyad will speak on Friday evening, May 23, at 6 p.m. and Carr will speak on Sunday evening, May 25, at 6:30 p.m.
    “We are excited to present a truly amazing slate of wellness speakers for the 2014 Sun Valley Wellness Festival, who are sure to inspire us to find new ways of living healthier, happier lives,” said Elisabeth Grabher, president of the nonprofit Sun Valley Wellness Institute, producer of the annual festival.
    Nyad’s keynote presentation is titled “Find A Way.” At the age of 64, Nyad became the first person to swim 110 miles from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage. Upon completing her grueling 53-hour journey, a breathless Nyad told the world, “I have three messages. One is we should never ever give up. Two is you are never too old to chase your dreams. And three is it looks like a solitary sport but it takes a team.”
    Nyad has written three books and has earned a reputation as a uniquely passionate and entertaining public speaker, earning standing ovations with a broad spectrum of audiences.
    Carr is a popular motivational wellness activist and cancer survivor known for her “Crazy Sexy” approach to thriving in life.  Diagnosed in 2003 with a very rare and incurable but slow-growing stage 4 cancer, Carr will share her inspirational journey of living a full and healthy life, no matter what challenges may be presented.
    Other speakers include: visionary spiritual leader Panache Desai, relationship expert Arielle Ford, Heart Math founder Howard Martin, yoga teacher and addiction recovery expert Tommy Rosen, author and filmmaker Eric Saperston, wellness shift comedian Kyle Cease, Mindfulness Meditation expert Kate Janke,  “Simplicity Parenting” author and creator Kim John Payne, Kundalini yoga expert Kia Miller, author and co-creator of film “What the Bleep Do We Know?” Betsy Chasse, naturopath and triathlete Dr. James Rouse, astrologist David Pond, intuitive healer Peggy Rometo, intuitive expert Gary Quinn, Oneness leader and Interfaith minister Rev. Michael Milner, and many more.
     Speaker profiles, festival tickets and other information can be found online at www.sunvalleywellness.org.

Passes available for upcoming Sun Valley Film Festival
    Passes are now on sale online for the Sun Valley Film Festival, scheduled for March 13-16.
    A variety of festival passes are being offered: a VIP Pass, which includes priority seating at all film screenings, special VIP parties and admission to all events; a Festival Pass, which includes admission to all films and other select events; and a Film Pass, which offers admission to all films.  Individual film tickets will go on sale once the film slate has been announced in early February.
     For details or to purchase passes online, go to www.sunvalleyfilmfestival.org.
    For 2014, the Sun Valley Film Festival will screen more than 50 curated films followed by filmmaker Q&A sessions, and will also announce the winner of the yearlong outdoor film competition Wild To Inspire, in partnership with National Geographic and the African Wildlife Foundation. Other special programs on tap are the unique Screenwriters Lab, the standing-room-only Coffee Talks with top industry insiders, and several new additions, including the Works in Progress Workshop, Future Filmmakers Forum and the digital conTent track. 

Chef demonstrations and dinners at the Garden
    The Sawtooth Botanical Garden south of Ketchum is launching a series of chef dinners and demonstrations Thursdays into the spring.
    Dinners will be prepared and demonstrated by Wood River Valley chef Felix Gonzalez.  Locally, the name Felix is synonymous with wonderful food. For more than 50 years, he has cooked for many, including time in the kitchens of The Ram, 319, The Christiania, 111, Knob Hill Inn and his own Felix’s restaurant in Ketchum.
    Each dinner is themed— seafood tapas in January, beef in February, seafood in March and lamb in April— and includes a three-course meal plus wine. Space is very limited to keep the experience special and intimate so guests enjoy not only the meal itself, but the demonstration and preparation of the food.  
    Call the Garden at 726-9358 to make a reservation. Dinners are $75 per person. Contact Laura Drake, associate director, at 726-9358 or laura@sbgarden.org.

Bellevue carver subject of Twin Falls open house
    “Whimsical: An Exhibit of Epic Appeal,” with art by Bellevue carver Glenn Carter, will be on display from 7-9 pm on Friday, Jan. 17, at the Full Moon Gallery, located at the Twin Falls Center for the Arts, 195 River Vista Place in Twin Falls.
    The exhibit also features work of fused-glass art by Robin Dober. The open house is free and the public is encouraged to come enjoy conversation with the artists, music and refreshments.
    Carter, also known as the Zoo Man, is the creator of wood-carved carousel animals and more than 3,000 animal-inspired barstools featured in Rainforest Cafes around the world, including at Disneyland. A former art professor from Chabot College, he came to Idaho to visit friends and has been an Idaho resident since 1985.  His carousel animals have been featured in the Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog.
    On display at the Full Moon Gallery will be a life-sized carved horse and colt on the run, a rocking polar bear and cub, an elephant carousel, and several of his world-renowned barstools.
    For more information, call 734-ARTS or visit www.magicvalleyartscouncil.org.

New beginner t’ai chi evening class starting
    Longtime t’ai chi enthusiast and instructor Shellrae Garnes is starting an evening class geared toward beginners at BCRD’s FitWorks studio in Hailey. The class will be held on Thursday evenings from 6-7 p.m.
    T’ai chi is a form of movement and gentle exercise, an ancient Chinese martial art form that was developed to enhance both physical and emotional well-being. A person performs t’ai chi by practicing breathing exercises and a series of slow, graceful, flowing postures simultaneously. The postures consist of movements that are said to improve body awareness and enhance strength and coordination.
    Classes are $8 for drop-ins or are included in a FitWorks “Plus Membership.”
    For more information, contact FitWorks at 578-2273 or visit bcrd.org.





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