THE MOUNTAIN VALLEY ARTS COUNCIL'S

THE MUSE Newsletter, March 2007

A Message From The Director:

You'll notice a new format with this month's issue of our newsletter. This is to make it easier for everyone to access the newsletter on-line, both through our website and by email. The previous format requires software that not everyone has, so we've decided to use Microsoft Word in future. It may take some time to work out everything we want to include. Please bear with us as we work through the new application. Let us know if you're receiving it, how you like it, and any problems you may encounter. We believe this will solve some of the past problems encountered when we sent the MUSE out by email.

Thanks to everyone who has been so supportive of the Arts Council. We need your continued support and we need volunteers. We have a lot of projects in the pipeline and if there is anything you are willing to do to help out, please let us know who you are and what interests you. We'll try to find a task that fits your interest. Check out our website often for new information at www.mountainvalleyartscouncil.org.

Each year, we are going to present you with a Survey Questionnaire to get your feedback on the Council's activities and projects. Please take time to complete it and return it. Your participation is invaluable. Kim and I have been very busy, and there will be information about a lot of what we've been doing elsewhere in this newsletter. We hope you will take time to read all about the activities and that you will find a lot of things to do and lots of ways to be a part of the Arts Council. As always, please contact Kim or me, or any Board member, whenever you have any questions or comments.

ARTS COUNCIL ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS

ARTS CAMP: IMAGINATION STATION 2007

Kim Booth will be Arts Camp Director again this year and she has many exciting activities and special projects in store for the Arts Campers. She's putting together her teachers and assistants now, so if you are interested in being a part of Arts Camp but haven't talked with Kim, give her a call right away at 582.1454.

If you are willing to sponsor a child who otherwise cannot afford to attend, please get your checks in soon or call and let Kim know you will be donating to this very worthwhile effort. This is such an exciting project for children who have limited creative activities and insufficient resources. There are very few places you can put your charitable donations that will have such a profound impact of a child's life. It is a truly worthwhile thing to do.

KID'S MOVA 2007

Judy Chalmers continues her years of cultural outreach to the schools with this year's Kid's MOVA activities during MOVA-week. She is working out arrangements with the schools she's selected and is also putting together her group of demonstrations, artists, and volunteers. This is an event the schools look forward to each year. Teachers and students both enjoy the activities Judy puts together each year; this year will be no exception. If you would like to help out, please contact Judy at 582.1919.

MOVA

This year's MOVA Songwriter's Event is September 14-16, 2007 at Civitan Park. The entry form has been on the website for some weeks now and Chair Janice Slaughter is working hard on the songwriter's activities. She has several great judges lined up, including a Grammy winner, and we are looking forward to a fabulous field of entries. Cecelia Newsom is heading up the dinner project and she has some exciting things in the works. Stay tuned. Meantime, encourage any budding stars you know to enter. This is a terrific way for artists to network as well as a great competition event.

SUMMER CONCERT SERIES

As we told you earlier, we have received grants funds from the Alabama State Council on the Arts to expand the summer concerts to other cities in Marshall County. We are currently working out the schedule with Albertville, Arab and Boaz for their concerts. Grant's is already set up. The Guntersville lakeside concerts will start Tuesday June 5. The Civitan ladies will be offering refreshments again this summer; we're excited to have the back this year supporting us. Watch the papers for stories about each participating group. Come out on Tuesday evenings and join us for a fun family evening.

CHALLENGED KIDS: ART IS FOR EVERYBODY

This pilot project, art classes for kids with mental or physical challenges, has had one session to date and it was enthusiastically received. Jeff Davis, Boaz art teacher, came to the Arts Council with a concept. We wrote a grant application, and the Alabama State Council on the Arts agreed it was a very worthwhile activity and gave us funds to put it together. The class size is limited, there are teachers and assistants for each child, and they take art supplies home with them after their instruction class. Parents must attend with the child so they can continue to help the child at home. With one class of three behind us, it isn't too early to call this project a rousing success. The parents are so appreciative of this effort to bring some happiness to their children, and the teachers get such a blessing from these kids! We aren't doing a lot of publicity on this project, because we do not want to exploit these young ones or take advantage of their plights. If you're looking for something to support where you really make a difference, this is the project. Call us at 582.1454 for more information.

THE WILL ROGERS HERITAGE FESTIVAL

The biggest news all around Guntersville is this year's kickoff of the annual WILL ROGERS HERITAGE FESTIVAL. Back in May of 2006, Milla Sachs was brainstorming with Morri Yancy, and then with me, about what could be done to create excitement about our area. From those early conversations, the WILL ROGERS HERITAGE FESTIVAL was born. A Steering Committee was formed. Celebrating the fact that Rogers' great-grandparents, John Gunter and his Cherokee wife Ghegoheli, were Guntersville's founders, and playing off the international reputation Will Rogers had as a man of the people and a world-renowned entertainer, the Festival has the potential to be the biggest thing since the long-ago Boat Races. Groups from every organization and area of Guntersville's life are participating. You'll find more specifics in the article devoted to the Festival elsewhere in this newsletter. Don't miss out. Mark your calendars for June 14-17, 2007. Contact one of the Steering Committee members to volunteer. Set up an artistic booth. Get your club to participate as a food vendor. Come out and enjoy the events. Do as much or as little as you like…but don't miss it!

WINTERFEST AND WINTERFEST JUNIOR

The Winterfest exhibit, held at the Beville Center at Snead, was a great show! The show ended on March 9^th and we're already making plans for the 2008 show. Meanwhile, the Winterfest Junior show was held here at the office Gallery. With over 200 entries, we had to stagger the award reception times for the artists and their guests to accommodate everyone. From 10am till 4pm, we had a steady stream of visitors -- some coming to the office for the first time -- viewing the entries and enjoying the show. Judges for both the adult and children's competitions were professionals and all but 1 was from out of town. All entries were totally blind, so judges had only the work to influence them. All the judges were extremely complimentary on the quality and diversity of the talent in the shows. Our thanks to all who entered, our congratulations to every one of them, and our thanks to each of our judges.

MVAC GALLERY EXHIBITS

The gallery will host a diverse offering over the next several months. Val Jones will hang the Student Art Show on Monday April 2^nd. This is the show that is normally featured at the Guntersville Museum each year; we're helping out because of the move from the old Museum to the renovated Armory, and we are delighted to do so. Featuring works by Guntersville High and Guntersville Middle students, the show is sponsored annually by the Women's Guild of the Museum.

Then, in June and during the Will Rogers Heritage Festival, Charles Leverett will have his wood carvings on display. If you've never seen Charlie's work, you are in for a great treat. His wood figures have personalities that reach out to the viewer. The show is a treat for all. We have a couple of other surprises in the works as well; more information will be coming.

COMMUNITY & AREA EVENTS

ART ON THE LAKE -- presented by the 21^st Century Club, will be April 14 & 15, 10am-5pm

IF YOU WANT TO BE A PART OF THE MVAC BOOTH, PLEASE CALL THE OFFICE ASAP!!!!

We have a booth space the 21^st Century Club gives us at no charge and you can be part of it IF you let us know. The only commitment is if you exhibit, we ask that you man the booth for 2 hours. A schedule will be provided once those who want to participate are confirmed. Each artist can exhibit up to 10 pieces if space permits; if we're overwhelmed with entries and have to cut back to less than 5 each, everyone will get to exhibit the same number. Call 256.582.1454 and let us know you're interested. Don't get left out.

THE WHOLE BACKSTAGE

Don't miss "Noises Off" directed by Dot Moore. A comedy farce recounts the misadventures of a troupe of fifth-rate actors as they perform a play during a provincial tour. Noises Off shows commotion in the wings, the yelps and battle cries of the actors behind the set. A fun evening full of laughs for everyone, performances are May 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12& 13. Call 256.582.7469 to reserve tickets or for more information.

Coming up: "The Odd Couple", "The Will Rogers Follies", "A Man for All Seasons", & "Meet Me in St. Louis"

GUNTERSVILLE MUSEUM & CULTURAL CENTER

Welcome to new Director Valerie Pailloz and farewell to retiring Director Judy Manning. We wish both of them well in their new activities. The Museum will hold a fund-raising event at 6pm on June 2^nd in the Armory drill hall, titled "A Renaissance Evening 2007, Rebirth or the Armory: Past, Present and Future". Tickets are available, but they are going fast. Call Ann Davis, Chairman, at 256.572.0353 to reserve your space; then mark your calendars for a fun-filled evening.

Alabama Folk Art,

the largest exhibition of art by self-taught Alabama artists, will be open to the public 11am-5pm M-F, at the Young & Vann Building in downtown Birmingham now until Dec. 30^th. Alabama boasts more folk artists than any other state in the country.

Songwriters Open Mic at The Coffee Tree every Wednesday evening 7-9pm at 7900 Bailey Cove Road in Huntsville. This is a great fellowship of songwriters; everyone is welcome.

Gadsden's Hardin Center presents "An Evening with Brother Dave Gardner," performed by David Anthony

Wright, on April 12^th. Call 256.543.2787 for tickets or information.

Guntersville Library's Free Friday Foreign Films, each Friday at 7pm. Call 256.571.7595 for weekly titles.

There are entry forms in the MVAC office and on the website for the MOVA Songwriters Competition 2007

and for MVAC Arts Camp, Imagination Station 2007, as well as an application form for the Will Rogers Heritage Festival. If you are interested in any of these events and have any questions, call us at 582.1454.

ANNUAL QUESTIONAIRRE 2007

PART 1. Please CIRCLE a Yes or No answer

Are you a member of the Mountain Valley Arts Council? Yes No

A family can belong to MVAC for 97 cents a week & an individual for 58 cents a week;

would you consider joining if you could pay monthly or quarterly? Yes No

Are you an artist? Yes No

Have you ever made a donation to MVAC other than Membership Dues or Event Entry Fees? Yes No

Have you ever attended WINTERFEST? Yes No

Do you attend regularly? Yes No

Have you ever attended WINTERFEST JUNIOR? Yes No

Do you attend regularly? Yes No

Have you ever attended a SUMMER CONCERT? Yes No

Do you attend regularly? Yes No

Have you ever had a child enrolled in ARTS CAMP? Yes No

Do you plan to enroll a child during the summer of 2007? Yes No

Have you ever attended MOVA - Songwriters Competition? Yes No

Do you attend regularly? Yes No

Have you ever attended MOVA - Other Events? Yes No

Do you attend regularly? Yes No

Are you aware of the MOVA - Kids activities? Yes No

Have you ever had a child attend the MOVA - Kids? Yes No

Do you expect to have a child attend MOVA - Kids 2007? Yes No

Have you ever visited an exhibit at the Office Gallery? Yes No

Was the exhibit something other than Winterfest or Winterfest Junior? Yes No

Have you ever attended the Guitar Concert presented in cooperation with the Library? Yes No

Do you have a child who attended either of the 2006 or 2007 GHS plays sponsored by MVAC? Yes No

Have you ever attended any MVAC fund-raising event? Yes No

Have you ever volunteered your time to any MVAC activity? Yes No

Will you volunteer your time in the future? Yes No

Are there projects you think we should consider adding? Yes No

Are there Projects you think we should consider discontinuing? Yes No

Do you plan to attend the Will Rogers Heritage Festival? Yes No

Have you ever attended a theatre presentation at the Whole Backstage? Yes No

Have you ever visited the Guntersville Museum & Cultural Center? Yes No

PART 2. Please answer the following as fully as possible. If you need more space, please add a page.

What would motivate you to become an MVAC member?___________________________________________

What would motivate you to make a donation to MVAC?___________________________________________

What type of event(s) would you attend?_________________________________________________________

For what activity would you be willing to be a MVAC volunteer?_____________________________________

If you think we should add something, what do you think it should be?_________________________________

If you think we should discontinue something, what do you think it should be?___________________________

What do you like best about MVAC?____________________________________________________________

What do you like least about MVAC?___________________________________________________________

PRESENTING ORGANIZATIONS

The City of Guntersville, The Mountain Valley Arts Council,

The Whole Backstage Community Theatre,

The Guntersville Historical Society, The Friends of the Guntersville Library,

Lake Guntersville Chamber of Commerce, Marshall County Convention & Visitors Bureau,

Downtown H Heritage Merchants Council, City of Guntersville Park & Recreation Department,

United Cherokee Ani-Yun-Wiya Nation, Tennessee Valley Authority,

Rusty's Chuck Wagon Show, Cowboy Church Group,

Guntersville Museum & Cultural Center, Guntersville Antique Dealers,

Guntersville Airport Antique Plane Association,

& WAFF-TV

EVENTS LISTING

The Will Rogers Follies - A musical extravaganza at The Whole Backstage

The Witty World of Will Rogers - Gene McFall, renowned impersonator of Will Rogers

Mountain Valley Arts Council Exhibits - Charles Leverett's wood carvings

Chuck Wagons - authentic chuck wagons cooking up beans, bread & coffee the cowboy way

Singer/Storyteller - stories and music of the era

Guntersville Museum - Will Rogers’ memorabilia on loan from The Will Rogers Foundation in OK

Horse Whisperer - watch while he works with 3 wild horses

Will Rogers Heritage Festival Beauty Pageant

Old-Fashioned Parade - old-fashioned Western parade

TVA Barge Excursion Tours - step aboard a TVA barge for a free river tour

Food, Food and More Food - stop in at area restaurants or partake of the offerings of food vendors

Will Rogers Film Festival - 4 of Will’s classic films at the Library

Panning for Prizes - downtown merchants offer chances to “pan” for hidden treasure

Airport Fly-Inn and Antique Airplane/Auto Show

Antiques & Collectibles Exhibit

Alabama Quilts Exhibit

Pooch Parade and Dog Show

Pony rides

Historical Walking Tours

UCAN Cherokee Pow-Wow

Farmers Market

Demonstration Vendors

Musical Concerts - Evening performances for the entire family’s entertainment -

Friday, downtown; Jeff Whitlow and the Old Barn Band from Decatur, AL and

Saturday, lakeside, Jennifer Varnadoe, a fabulous Patsy Cline impersonator, and her band

ECHO, all from Albany GA, in "A Tribute to Patsy Cline"

Funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Alabama State Council on the Arts,

The City of Guntersville, the Mountain Valley Arts Council, the TVA, the Friends of the Library,

The Marshall County Gas District & Corporate Sponsors

If you, your church or civic group would like to be a participating vendor, please call Jonnie Taylor at 256.571.7564 for an application and return it immediately, as spaces are allocated

on a first come, first serve basis. Or pick up an entry form at the MVAC office.

Mountain Valley Arts Council

300 Gunter Avenue

Guntersville, AL 35976

www.MountainValleyArtsCouncil.org

email: artscouncil@mindspring.com

256-582-1454 Fax 256.582.1418

Hours :

Monday- Friday: 9 am. - 4 pm

Closed on major holidays

MVAC always needs volunteers,

please call 256-582-1454

Membership:

Student - $20 A $100 "Art Supporter" level annual family membership

Individual - $30 costs only $.274 per day. Don't you think that less than

Family - $50 3 cents a day is a small price to pay for an active arts

Art Supporter - $100 environment in Marshall County? The Mountain Valley

Patron - $250 Arts Council relies on membership fees to function.

Donor - $500

Sponsor - $1000 Please join us; this is YOUR Arts Council.

Benefactor - $2500