Hi All,

On Wednesday, June 8th, 2011 at 6:30 there will be an informal West End Arts meeting at the Fort Road Federation.

Check in, reconnect with other West End artists, share announcements and discuss what is ahead for WEA.

Hope to see you.

A piano recital in concert

Slavonic Selections

A piano recital in concert

A unique cultural offering at the CSPS Sokol Hall, oldest theater in the in the State of Minnesota.

Czech and Slovak Sokol Minnesota is proud to partner with Wells Pianos, 1330 Grand Avenue, in presenting this benefit concert for the hall.

Saturday, October 30 7:00 p.m. C.S.P.S. Sokol Hall, 383 Michigan at West 7th Streets

Suggested donation: $10 adult; $5 student

A concert grand piano will make its appearance in our theater, along with two stellar pianists:

William Yang, Eden Prairie, appears to be a slight, sheepish soft-spoken nine-year-old until he attacks a broad range of composers including Frédéric Chopin for us.

Anton Melnichenko, a graduate student at Hamline University, is studying under Alexander Braginsky. Anton will showcase Czech composers Antonín Dvořák and Bedřich Smetana, as well as Frédéric Chopin.

At the intermission, a selection of Slovak potica and Czech kolache will be available for purchase. The performances will be recorded through support by Hailun USA.

www.sokolmn.org | 651 297 9000

The Front/Victoria Public Art Project

District 6 Residents,

The Front/Victoria Public Art project is being redirected due to extended timelines and increased interest from the community. While planters were decided upon at the Land Use Task Force meeting in June, the community will now be able to view additional projects from artists in the area and will have more time to determine which areas will most benefit from public art.

District 6 Planning Council is sending out a Request for Proposals (RFP) to the District Councils, art organizations, and Public Art Saint Paul for distribution to their rosters,posting this information on our website and included a blurb in our newsletter. We feel this is an excellent way to ensure inclusiveness and make sure that our public processes are followed. We will have plenty of time to do the project and only the location needs to go to Public Works by November 1st!

A Steering Committee will be created with residents from the area. The committee will be charged with choosing the artist and design, assisting us with outreach and running the meetings. If you are interested in being on the Steering Committee please think about it and make sure you will have time to attend meetings, etc. The schedule is currently being set.

If you know of an Arts organization or an artiste who may be interested, please pass this along.

Kerry Antrim
Executive Director
213 Front Avenue
Saint Paul, MN 55117
651-488-4485 cell: 651-403-9338

August Special Session, Iron Pour

July 9, 2010

Dearest West End Artists

We understand summer is busy which might explain low attendance at our monthly meetings. Participation is needed to keep opportunities and enthusiasm alive.

At the May meeting at The Lifted Up art Show we voted to have meetings every other month.

Attendance was so low at our July 5th meeting that the Iron Pour is in peril; therefore we would like to schedule a meeting in August to make specific plans for Iron Pour involvement.

We need a point person to coordinate the Iron Pour event, which is scheduled for Sept. 10th and or 11th. The funds are available and we have a checklist of tasks.

We would love to continue this as a West End Arts event.

Lets not miss this opportunity.

We really need a point person. No experience or skill with Iron Pours is necessary to coordinate this event.

The August Special Session meeting will be Monday, 8/2/10 at 7 P.M. at Deb and Michael Padgetts’ Studio, 274 Goodrich Ave., Saint Paul, MN 55102.

This is a very important meeting so please RSVP to deborahpadgett@mac.com

Please contact Nance or Deb ASAP if you will be our Iron Pour point person. We don’t have to wait till the August meeting to get started.

The April West End Arts meeting will be held at Degidio's Restaurant, 425 West Seventh Street, Thursday April 15th.
Hope to see you all there. Call Nance if you have any items to get on the agenda. 612-709-2777.

December Meeting

The December meeting of West End Arts will be held at the Saint Paul Gallery, 943 West Seventh

Street, Saint Paul. The meeting will run from 7pm-9pm on Thursday December 10th. We will be planning the Iron Pour show among other things. Hope to see you all.

Monthly Meeting

West End Arts monthly meeting is tonight, November 7th at 7:00 p.m..

This will be an abbreviated meeting following the Artists' Reception for "Reflections on the West End" at Mississippi Market, 1500 West Seventh street. Hope to see you tonight.

Iron Pour Scratch Tile Reservations

As we prepare for the West End Arts Second Annual Iron Pour the public response has been a scorching success. We are happy to announce all scratch tiles have been reserved. We regret

we don't have an unlimited supply and hope you will all come out to see the event.

Next Meeting: October 5, 7 PM

Next gathering is scheduled for Monday, October 5, 7 PM at Acme Scenic Arts, 941 West 7 thSt. St. Paul, MN.

If you would like to add an item to the agenda, contact Nance at: westendarts@fortroadfederation.

See you there!

Iron Pour Workshop a Blast!

About 15 aspiring alchemists met at Marty's studio on September 17 to learn about creating molds for high-relief sculptures. Marty ably led the workshop. Many questions were answered, and now we know the parameters of what we can sculpt that will translate well to a mold at the Iron Pour the weekend of Friday, October 9 through Sunday, October 11.

Would you like to create art at the Iron Pour?! Yes You Can!

To reserve a scratch tile for the Iron Pour, contact the West End Arts Coordinator, Nance, at westendarts@fortroadfederation.org.

And remember, you can always CHECK OUT THE SCENE as long as you're here!

Next Meeting: August 6, 2009 at the Pilney

The West End Arts Scene-and-be-Seen show was a smashing success - and proved that we have a vital arts community in West 7th and the neighboring areas of Saint Paul!

Come to the next general meeting of WEA, Wednesday, August 6th, at 7pm. At the Pilney building, 1032 West Seventh near Randolph.

Give and share input, ideas, or insight and help make the "scene" bigger and better! Show the world that people appreciate art and artists in Saint Paul!!

Plans are underway for a performing arts showcase and an iron pour!

Wow!! Thank you everyone!! C U there!!

Next Meeting: March 2, 2009 at Day By Day

Our next monthly meeting will be held on Monday March 2, 7PM, at the Day By Day Cafe.
If we go over an hour we are invited to spill over to Michael and Deborah Pagett's lovely home.

Announcing New Web Content Manager

Mary Esch will step up as New Content Manager for the blog. Don't let her get sucked into the vacum-read and give feedback.

West End Arts Meeting Announcement - April 2, 2009

Coordinator, Mary Esch announces the
West End Arts Monthly Meeting....Soiree

Thursday, April 2
Time: 7:00pm
Location: Acme Scenic Arts, 941 West 7th Street, BYOB or snack
All Welcome.
Agenda: Less formal meeting/more soiree, small art share, casual discussion on the making of a review committee, website awareness, rally more plein air painters and troubadors for West End Garden Tour.

Hey you, get up to speed and read minutes from past meetings athttp://www.westendartsscene.blogspot.com/
For Further information please contact Mary at westendarts@fortroadfederation.org

June 6, 2009 West End Garden Tour

Some West End Artists and Musicians will be making there art and sound at the June 6, West End Gadren Tour. Guitar: Mike Orr; Plein Air Painters: Chris Weihe,Wendy McCarty, Kathryn Stemwedel, Rachael Johnson, and Mary Esch. Stop and say hello!

February Meeting Announcement & January Meeting Minutes

We will have our next WEA General Meeting Thursday, February 5th, 7PM at ???.
(Stay tuned for details.)

Be sure to check out the current scene at:
http://westendartsscene.blogspot.com/

I. SPNN Youth Video Project (Mary Humphrey)

Mary Pumphrey of SPNN spoke about a youth video project that will create "neighborhood video camps" in three St. Paul neighborhoods, including (potentially) the West End.

An artist mentor would be paid by SPNN to work with youth within the neighborhood to produce videos. Goal is to connect youth with community, artists, and history-present-and-future of the neighborhood.

They are currently applying for grants and looking for partner organizations within the neighborhood, who would write letters of interest and/or support for the project.

As partners, SPNN would look to us as a lead to a potential mentor, a resource to help screen videos within the neighborhood. Details of partnership to be hammered out once funding is secured sometime in the spring.

* Jason would like to see an excerpt of the grant proposal.

* Nance concerned that we'd be competing for grant money.

But ...
Those present voted in favor of signing a generic/conditional letter of support for the project.

II. New Art Coordinator Assistant (Mary Esch)

Rene can no longer fulfill this role.

Deborah Padgett has volunteered to be the new assistant. Happy anniversary, Deborah!

III. Scene, Be Seen, and Be Heard Showcase (Group)

Production crew volunteers:

• Director: Mary Esch
• Stage Management: Jason (Stage Mgr), Chloe (Emcee), Mike Orr, Joe (consulting on Hall setup)
• Cash for change (at show) & cash reimbursement (post-show): Jason, Betty, Nance
• Doors: John, Dan K, Mike Orr
• Bar: Paulette, Nance (and maybe Ed H.--Joe will ask him.)
• Kitchen: SOKOL volunteers being coordinated by Joe
• Setup/Decoration: Mary Ellen, Jason, Nance, Joe, Roxy, Krista Walsh
• Cleanup: Gayle, Roxy, Mary, Mike, David

Friday afternoon 1/16 schedule:
Mary and her new assistant Deborah will notify participants of schedule.

• 5pm: Volunteers show up at hall to help set up, go get stuff as needed, etc.
• 6:30pm: Performers show up for dress rehearsal

Posters were distributed and areas to poster were assigned.

Budget was sketched out with rough estimates of expenses and expected revenue at the door.

Reminder that the artists have been allotted a percentage of door proceeds.

Joe is flexible about the rental fee for CPSP Hall and we'll discuss it further after the event.

January Meeting Announcement & December Meeting Minutes

We will have our next WEA General Meeting Monday, January 5th, 7PM at Skinner's
(Stay tuned for details.)

Be sure to check out the current scene at:
http://westendartsscene.blogspot.com/

Minutes From our Last WEA General Meeting
Thursday, December 4th , 7PM at Glockenspiel

I. "Scene, Be Seen, and Be Heard" Live Performance Showcase Update (Jason)

Lineup:
Initial response to our flyers was weak but proactive efforts by Mary have generated 12 commitments and 9 maybes for our lineup, representing a mix of music, spoken word/performance, film, and poetry. Two hours of material easily.

Space:

• No screen to drop in front for films. That's an issue.
• There are restrictions on drilling holes in historic walls of historic theater, so some setup/decor issues will need to be figured out. Jason suggests using the hall as is. Nance has ideas. They'll talk.
• Discussion of sound and lighting equipment. Christy suggested we talk to Metropolitan Regional Arts Council (MRAC) (http://www.mrac.org/) regarding borrowing equipment or renting it at a discount for community event. Someone else suggested Midwest Sound and Lighting.
• Betty working on beer license. Nance fronted money for license and will get reimbursed with proceeds. Volunteer pourers listed below.
  

Promotion:

• Betty suggested a small mailing because she didn't think we could cover a larger mailing with our current account balance of $600. Jason disagrees, and thinks this amount could cover mailing, some posters, and even some beer and wine. Mary will follow-up on mailing plans.
• Paulette wants MN State Arts Board mailing list, and Christy says she can help with that, though she thinks there is a charge.
• Kent suggests an ad on SPNN and an insert in the Community Reporter. Nance will look into the charge for an insert. A couple of us know Mike from SPNN but not sure if anyone committed to asking him about this.

Calendar items:

• Joe and Jason plan to meet with Jack Rose, Lex-Ham Theatre contact, re: stage management.
• Rehearsal/run-through planned for Friday night before show.

Production crew volunteers:

• Jason
• Nance
• Joe
• Christy
• Mike
• Marty

Beer volunteers:

• Betty
• Nance
• Paulette

II. Other Discussions

• How much of our efforts are community-centric (a la Scene and Be Seen Visual Arts Show) vs. bringing in influences from outside West Seventh (a la Iron Pour)? What are our goals in this respect? What should our goals and responsibilities be in this light, given the grant money we receive? Opinions vary.
  
• Nance wants the Rules and Regulations Committee to meet again. She'll contact Paulette, Mary, and Jason (color commentator) to arrange a date and time. Rachel will pinch hit as reviewer as needed.

December Meeting Announcement & November Meeting Minutes

We will have our next WEA General Meeting
Thursday, December 4th, 7PM at ??? (Stay tuned for details.)

Agenda:
(Stay tuned for details.)

Future meetings:
Monday, January 5,2009

Be sure to check out the current scene at:
http://westendartsscene.blogspot.com/

Minutes From our Last WEA General Meeting
Monday, November 3rd , 7PM at Bennett's Chop & Railhouse

I. "Scene, Be Seen, and Be Heard" Live Performance Showcase Update (Jason)

• There hasn't been a good response to the flyers yet.
• We may extend deadline for entries past 11/22/2008.
• KFAI broadcast will not necessarily be simulcast, but will air post-performance date instead.
• Everyone should reach out to performer friends and encourage them to submit an entry!
• Those interested in hanging flyers along West 7th Street can pick up copies at Mad Hatter's or ask Jason.

II. Iron Pour Debriefing (Dave)

• Overall, a fantastic and spectacular event. Nice art and a nice number of spectators. Firemen loved it.
• Proceeds from scratch molds and some extra grant money can go into the WEA/Fort Road Federation account. Maybe as seed money for another iron pour next year.
• We did not end up selling beer, but the discussion surrounding this was idea was dispersed and confused. We should discuss this more carefully next time, and if we decide to sell beer, contain it within a beer garden.
• Staging could have been better, in terms of creating sight lines for spectators.
• Look into scheduling training or workshops in advance.
• Have people on-site clearly designated as explainers, so that people with questions would have someone to ask.
• A mailing would have been good, to help to increase attendance.
• More community outreach would have been good. Interacting with art classes at Monroe, interacting with businesses--suggesting they get their logo in a scratch tile. Now that we know the firemen love it, maybe make something for them specifically?
  
• Iron Pour people talked about building a furnace that would remain in West Seventh neighborhood.
• Consider other sites for the event. Roosters BBQ? Crosby Park? Wherever it is, we should publish/provide maps so people know exactly where to go.

III. Fort Road Federation Liaison (Mary)

• Mary currently attends Fort Road Federation board meetings as needed, but she would like to delegate this duty to Jason.
• Jason accepts and will plan on attending meetings for the duration of Mary's year-long term as Coordinator.
• Aside from attending meetings, Jason will be in charge of "keeping Betty happy." That means that anyone working on a project needs to stay in touch with Jason so that he can keep Betty and Ed in the loop in terms of what's going on, what will be coming across Betty's desk in terms of grant proposals/funds, what insurance questions may come up, etc.

IV. Pilney Update (Mary)

• Kim is no longer the point person for this project. Someone else will need to step up.
  
• To simplify things, Mary suggests we find a new locale for "small shows," preferably a business that has regular "open to the public" business hours (e.g., Mad Hatter/St. Paul Gallery, salons, dental offices, real estate offices). We should clarify insurance issues with Betty.
• Rachel suggests we maintain a positive relationship with the Boones at the Pilney, in hopes of having our annual visual arts show there. Jason points out that whoever works with the Boones needs Web/e-mail access, and the ability to reply quickly via e-mail.

V. Ideas for the Future (All)

• Show of iron pour art
• Wall of iron pour tiles

VI. Harvest Festival Nov. 15 at SOKOL (Joe)

• Decorating help needed Nov. 12, 13, 14: Jason and Mary will be pitching in. Note that a decent-size disco ball will be available. John has a compatible motor.
• Bartenders also needed. No license required, but must be 21 or older and have good judgement.

West End Arts Update! Live from Saint Paul, September 30, 2008

WEA General Meeting -- All Welcome
Date: Thursday Oct 2 @ 7:00PM
Location: 974 West 7th -- Fort Road Fedration Office
Agenda: Iron Pour update, small shows at the Pilney, winter performance showcase

Check out the new art scene brought to you by your friendly neighborhood West End Arts. It's an arts inferno that's truly on fire! Then cool down for our cool winter showcase for the performing arts!

CLICK HERE FOR GENERAL MEETING NEWS!

Click here to find out more about the Pour baby, pour ! and find out more about performing for our winter showcase!

West End Arts Update: August 2008

Are you looking for info about West End Arts events? Check out our West End Arts Scene site!

Do you want to be part of the scene? Read on!

...


Lots of fun being had by West End Arts! Our inaugural show was a spectacular success, we've celebrated our accomplishments, and we're busy planning future events!

If you missed our last general meeting, check out minutes below and contact us to get involved in workgroups: westendarts(at)fortroadfederation(dot)org. (That's a new e-mail address!)

NEXT MEETING:
Monday, September 8, 2008, 7pm
The Pilney Building, 1032 West Seventh Street at Randolph
(Note the date. We typically meet the first week of the month, but since Sept. 1 is Labor Day, we're meeting on Sept. 8 instead.)
Discussions: Updates from Iron Pour & Live Performance & Pilney Space workgroups; Update from the WEA Guidelines group; Formation of a Grantwriting group; and more. Got a discussion topic? Please e-mail us: westendarts (at) gmail (dot) com.

Note tentative dates for future meetings.
FUTURE MEETINGS:
October, 2008
November, 2008
December, 2008
January, 2008
February, 2008

West End Arts General Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, August 6

Important: If you're interested in joining any of the workgroups described below, please e-mail westendarts(at)fortroadfederation(dot)org!
* Iron Pour (Coordinator: Kle)
* Live Performance Showcase (Coordinator: Jason)
* Event Planning and Production Guide (Coordinator: Nance)
* Pilney Gallery Events (Coordinator: Nance)
* Grant-writing (Coordinator: TBD)

Art at the Pilney Space (Nance)
* The Boones (owners of the Pilney) loved having art in their ground floor space, and are interested displaying art long-term.
* They are open to groups of 2 or 3 artists at a time showcasing their work on a month-to-month basis.
* Space would be shared with tenants who meet in the space occasionally.
* There would be limited public viewing time with volunteer gallery sitters and by appointment with artists.
* Artists would be in charge of their own promotion and marketing.
* Afternoon tea-party style opening would be okay
* Installation should be spare and well-thought-out, to well-represent the West End Arts group.
* Chris open to using the space for acoustic music or spoken word but emphasis would be visual arts.
Workgroup Coordinator: TBD
Workgroup Members: Nance, Tom, Stuart, Roxi, David, Kim, Janine (cc: Chris Boone)
Next Meeting: TBD

Future Events
I. Iron pour (Kle Thune)
* What's an iron pour? Donated iron is melted down in furnaces, and poured into sand or tile molds that are brought by artists/community members who sign up in advance. Template molds and safety instructions are distributed in advance. About 20 molds could be cast. The event is open to the public and is quite a spectacle.
* Kle is collaborating with an established group that has run iron pours in community settings already. They have all they need in terms of putting on the event: equipment, insurance, etc. They just need a space and people to show up and participate.
* The owner of the Schmidt Brewery site has agreed to provide space for the event.
* Tentative date: Weekend of Oct. 10, Friday through Sunday
* Kle is interested in partnering with WEA for the event, and would like our help mostly with advertising and promotion. We would make this event an arty happening for the West End.
Workgroup Coordinator: Kle
Workgroup Members: Tom, Jason, Marty
Next Meeting: TBD

II. Live performance showcase (Jason)
* Tentative date: January, 1 to 3 nights
* KFAI simulcast a possibility
* Strong interest and support for holding the event at SOKOL Hall
Workgroup Coordinator: Jason
Workgroup Members: Larry, Roxi, Joe, Rachel
Next Meeting: TBD

III. Upcoming events at SOKOL Hall (Joe)
Joe distributed flyers with info about future events at SOKOL.
For details, see http://www.sokolmn.org/upcoming.shtml.
Also:
Nov. 1: Mystery Theatre Dinner
Nov. 15: West End Harvest Dance

Recommendations from Scene-and-be-Seen Debriefing (Nance)
After the raging success of the Scene-and-be-Seen show, some members of the group suggest we document some processes and procedures for planning events. Such as:
* How to do mass mailings
* How to handle donations
* How to create an event plan
* How to organize a production crew
* ... and more.
This would be an attempt to record the things we learned from producing the visual arts show, and provide future planning and production crews some guidelines to follow.
Ideally, anyone should be able to come to WEA with an idea, and we'd provide them processes and procedures to follow, so that they can run with it.
The workgroup will meet offline to hammer out a working document, and they'll bring it back to the group and it will evolve over time.
Workgroup Coordinator: Nance
Workgroup Members: Jason, Rachel, Joe, Mary, Roxi (as time permits), Stuart, Kle, Rene, Paulette
Tentative meeting: Aug. 18, Mad Hatter's, 7pm

Arts Coordinator Role (Nance)
* We talked about having an "Arts Coordinator" who will be a point person for the group.
* This person would set meeting times and places.
* This person would be the first point of contact for people interested in getting involved, and she or he would be able to point that person in the right direction.
* This person would need to be kept in the loop in terms of everything going on.
* This person would not be a decision-maker or referee or tie-breaker.
* Mary Esch agreed to try out the position. Hooray Mary!

Grant-Writing (Joe)
Joe knows his grants. (He gave a long list of grants he's written and received.)
Nance suggests we form a grant-writing group to seek out grant-makers and put together applications.
Workgroup Coordinator: TBD in September
Workgroup Members: Kle, Stuart, Nance, Kim
Tentative meeting date: TBD in September

Reminder: Potluck on Sunday!

THE FINAL WORD: General Meeting - Wed. 8/6; Artists' Reception Sun. 8/10

Please excuse confusion caused by previous blog posts. This is the final word on August events!

Wow! What a busy and successful month. The news is out! There is an arts scene in the West End of Saint Paul, USA! Come celebrate and help shape what comes next.

Here are some key dates for your calendar!
Thursday, July 31 - Saturday, August 2, 2008, 1-5pm
Final weekend of Scene-and-be-Seen 2008! The inaugural visual arts showcase presented by West End Arts.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008, 7pm
West End Arts General Meeting, The Pilney Building, 1032 West Seventh Street at Randolph
Hundreds of people came from far and wide to the opening reception of the West End Arts inaugural event. Are you thrilled? Do you want to help plan the next event? Come on down!
Discussions: Welcoming new members, electing an Arts Organizer, organizing next events, STAR grant application (Joe, Edie, Nance).

Sunday, August 10, 2008
Scene-and-be-Scene Artists' Reception
CSPS Hall, 383 Michigan St., 2nd floor theater


In keeping with our normal meeting schedule of either the first Monday or Wednesday of the month, please note dates for future meetings. Times and places to be announced.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Discussions: Live Performance Showcase planning! And making sure we're all surviving the invasion of the RNC.

Monday, October 6, 2008
Discussions: Live Performance Showcase planning!

Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Discussions: TBD

Monday, December 3, 2008
Discussions: TBD

Wednesday, January 7, 2008
Discussions: TBD

Monday, February 4, 2008
Discussions: TBD