The Feminist Art Project is an established group of local artists who share the common goal of highlighting the talent and significance of female artists. The collection of artists is a continuation of the group previously launched by Katherine Cox in 2008.

Featured artists in Mavens Nine include Earline Allen, Natalie Burdette, Katherine Cox, Mary Grassell, Linda Helgason, Natalie Larsen, Staci Leech, Carter Seaton and Kristen Zammiello, many of whom are part-time or full-time faculty at Marshall University’s College of Fine Arts. The work included in the exhibition is an eclectic collection, varying in both medium and subject matter. Media range from graphite drawings and oil paintings to pottery and other three-dimensional pieces.

“As a member of the local chapter of The Feminist Art Project, I’m excited to be participating in the upcoming exhibition, Mavens Nine, at Gallery 842,” said Natalie Larsen, assistant professor of art at Marshall. “I’m honored to be associated with a group of inspired women who are curious and capable artists engaged in bringing good art and challenging new ideas to the local community.”

Larsen said her work is inspired by many things: children’s books and illustrations, literature, American history, religious studies, genealogy and art history. “I strive to make art work that is accessible to a wide audience, but also challenges viewers to ask questions and move beyond what is comfortable,” she said.

Gallery 842 is both a community- and university-held space to promote local talent and initiative. The gallery is a free cultural experience for any artist or art enthusiast, located at 842 4^th Ave. in downtown Huntington. It is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m.

This is SB 324 also known as the Brains for Business Bill. This bill would exempt recent college graduates that reside in West Virginia from state taxes on their first $10,000 of income, for a period of two years. The bill passed the WV State Senate, but now needs to pass through the House of Delegates.

If it is not added to the agenda by tomorrow, it will die. For this to advance, we need young leaders to contact: House Finance Committee Chair Delegate Harry Keith White Capitol Phone: (304) 340-3230 E-mail: hkwhite@mail.wvnet.edu Delegate Tom Campbell, Vice Chair of the committee, Capitol Phone: (304) 340-3230 E-mail: tom.campbell@wvhouse.gov and Speaker of the House Richard Thompson Capitol Phone: (304) 340-3210 and E-mail: Speaker.Thompson@verizon.net

If they receive at least 15 to 20 calls on an issue, it will gain their attention to move things forward. Please give them a call and let them know how important it is to advance this legislation to keep and attract our greatest natural resource, young talent, that fuels our present and future economy.

Sincerely, Paul Daugherty Chairman Generation West Virginia

Bottoms is the author of seven collections of poems, including the Walt Whitman Award-winning Shooting Rats at the Bibb County Dump, praised by Robert Penn Warren as having “a vision [in which] the actual world is not transformed, but illuminated.” Recent books include his selected poems, Armored Hearts, and Waltzing Through the Endtime.

He has earned fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. Among his other awards are the Levinson and Frederick Bock Prizes of Poetry magazine, an Ingram Merrill Award, and an Award in Literature from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters.

As a Southern writer, Bottoms’ style is both narrative and contemplative, possessed of what James Dickey has called a “sardonic yet compassionate countryman’s voice.” His poems explore both our natural and human-created landscapes, uncovering the history of a place in the collective memory of its people. He holds the Amos Distinguished Chair in English Letters at Georgia State University.

Bottoms’ appearance is a featured presentation of the Visiting Writers Series, sponsored by the Marshall University English Department and the College of Liberal Arts. It is free and open to the public.

As I look back on these dinners now, I think I understand what made them special. They were opportunities for people to express their creativity or to show off a little, to be with friends, talk about problems and issues that were important to the church, and to give a little of themselves to others.

I understand now that when we created the Create Huntington Chat ‘n Chews over a year ago we were trying to recreate the community of these pot luck dinners.

We wanted to create a place where everyone could sit at the table: where anyone’s idea was valid, where people found support instead of negativism and everyone was given the opportunity to be part of the solution. We wanted to create a place that was friendly and filled with talk and laughter.

We hoped that by bringing people with different interests and from different backgrounds together, we could build a community of creative people who would affirm, support and help each other.

Our goal was to provide a way for people to transform their ideas, hopes and desires into action and reality. We wanted to create a way for regular people to be part of making Huntington a great place to live; where they could present an idea they thought would improve the community, recruit support and bring their initiative to life.

In many ways, we’ve accomplished these goals. We’d like for you to join us “at the table.”

Among the items on the buffet at the Chat ‘n Chew this week, we will have a group working on a project to establish a “culture center” where people from different backgrounds, nations and cultures have a space to celebrate their heritage and share it with others. Another group is creating a menu of training and other services for parents. Teams will also be there to recruit volunteers for beautification projects and learn how they can help stimulate downtown development. Importantly, we will have a few surprises: new people, bringing new ideas and energy that none of us had considered before.

You are invited to and add your ideas and energy to the smorgasbord. The Create Huntington Chat ‘n Chews meet every Thursday, 5:30 – 7:00 in the lobby of the Frederick Building, 940 Fourth Avenue. The forums are free and open to everyone. For more information, go to www.createhuntington.com.

NOTE: this doesn’t seem to work in IE so please use firefox, chrome, safari, or opera when going to the site.

Academy Award nominee Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country (Belgium) shows how Burma became headline news across the globe when peaceful Buddhist monks led a massive rebellion. More than 100,000 people took to the streets protesting a cruel dictatorship that has held the country hostage for more than 40 years. Foreign news crews were banned to enter and the Internet was shut down. The Democratic Voice of Burma, a collective of 30 anonymous and underground video journalists (VJs) recorded these historic and dramatic events on handycams and smuggled the footage out of the country, where it was broadcast worldwide via satellite. Risking torture and life imprisonment, the VJs vividly document the brutal clashes with the military and undercover police – even after they themselves become targets of the authorities. Burma VJ plays like a thriller, all the more scary because it is true. This film is presented in both English and Burmese with English subtitles. Catch it Friday, March 5 at 9:45 p.m., Saturday, March 6 at 2:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 7 at 5:30 p.m.

The Girl From Monaco (France) is a comic thriller about a brilliant and neurotic attorney who travels to Monaco to defend a famous criminal. But, instead of focusing on the case, he falls for Audrey, a beautiful she-devil, who turns him into a complete wreck. Audrey is an ambitious, sexy and ultimately deadly, weather girl on one of Monaco’s TV stations, who has no intention of reciting weather reports for much longer. Eventually the attorney turns to his zealous bodyguard to help get him out of the mess he’s created.  Presented in French with English subtitles, this film plays Friday, March 5 at 5:30 p.m. and Saturday, March 6 at 9:45 p.m.

Depatures (Japan) follows Daigo, a talented musician. When his orchestra is abruptly disbanded, he suddenly finds himself without a source of steady income. Making the decision to move back to his small hometown, he answers a classified ad for a company called “Departures,” mistakenly assuming that he will be working for a travel agency. Upon discovering that he will actually be preparing the bodies of the recently deceased for their trip to the afterlife, Daigo accepts the position as gatekeeper between life and death and gradually gains a greater appreciation for life. His wife and friends despise his new line of work, but he takes a great amount of pride in the fact that he is helping to ensure that the dead receive a proper send-off from this state of being.  This film is presented In Japanese with English subtitles and plays Saturday, March 6 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 7 at 2:30 p.m.

Lemon Tree (Israel) tells the story of a widow and empty nester Salma Zidane, who lives on the Palestinian West Bank in a house flanked by lemon trees planted by her great grandparents. Unfortunately, when the Israeli minister of defense builds a house adjacent to her own, her lemon trees are deemed a security risk. Salma hires a lawyer to prevent the powerful man from having her ancestral trees removed, but the odds are stacked against her, and to make matters worse, she begins to fall in love with her lawyer. Personal drama gives way to political controversies as Salma forms an unexpected bond with the minister’s lonely wife, and takes her protest – with the help of her young lawyer – all the way to the Israeli Supreme Court. Presented in Arabic with English subtitles, this film plays Friday, March 5 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 7 at 12:30 p.m.

Flow: For the Love of Water (U.S.A.) is the one American film being shown during the festival. This powerful documentary investigates one of the most important political and environmental issues of the 21st Century – The World Water Crisis – building a case against privatization of the world’s dwindling fresh water supply with an unflinching focus on politics, pollution, human rights, and the emergence of a domineering world water cartel. Interviews with scientists and activists intelligently reveal the rapidly building crisis, at both the global and human scale, and the film introduces many of the governmental and corporate culprits behind the water grab, while begging the question “CAN ANYONE REALLY OWN WATER?” Presented in English, this film plays Saturday, March 6 at 5:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 7 at 7:30 p.m.

Lake Tahoe (Mexico) closes out he festival. Teenage Juan crashes his family’s car into a telegraph pole on the outskirts of town, and then scours the streets searching for someone to help him fix it. His quest will bring him to Don Heber, an old paranoid mechanic whose only companion is Sica, his almost human boxer dog; to Lucía, a young mother who is convinced that her real place in life is as a lead singer in a punk band, and to “The One who Knows”, a teenage mechanic obsessed with martial arts and Kung Fu philosophy. The absurd and bewildering worlds of these characters drag Juan into a one day journey in which he will come to accept what he was escaping from in the first place–an event both as natural and inexplicable as a loved one’s death. Presented in Spanish with English subtitles, this film plays Saturday, March 6 at 12:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 7 at 9:45 p.m.

Tickets may be purchased at the door.  Full-time Marshall students may receive a ticket at no charge.  Marshall faculty and staff are $5.50 each. Marshall faculty, staff and students MUST present a valid MU ID prior to admission.  Individual tickets are $7 and may be purchased at the door 15 minutes prior to each film.  Advance tickets are not necessary. For more information, call (304) 696-6656. Visit our website to view film trailers or read reviews at http://www.marshall.edu/muartser/springfestival.asp.

The Spring International Film Festival is sponsored by BB & T, Hooters, Cabell Huntington Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. WKEE, WVHU, The Herald- Dispatch, Marshall University and the College of Fine Arts.

“We are honored that West Virginia was selected as the 20th state in the country to host our nation’s treasure,” said Penny Watkins, executive director of the Marshall Artists Series. “Also, we are excited that our Marshall University students and other area youth will have the opportunity to interact and learn from NSO members during special outreach events.”

This performance is part of the American Residency project. Beginning in 1992, the symphony accepts an invitation every year from one state or region to offer opportunities such as sharing elements of classical music, exploring diverse musical influences and giving the area a musical voice through training, career development and commissions.

Principal Conductor Iván Fischer and Music Director Designate Christoph Eschenbach lead this ensemble of talented musicians. The evening’s program will feature music from composers such as Antonín Dvořák, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Leonard Bernstein. Notable pieces include Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8, Mozart’s Symphony No. 38 (Prague) and Bernstein’s Three Dance Episodes from “On the Town.”

Single tickets go on sale to the general public Friday, Feb. 26th at noon in the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center box office and all Ticketmaster locations, online at ticketmaster.com or call 304-696-6656 for more details. Tickets are $35, $25 and $10.

The National Symphony Orchestra is sponsored by West Virginia Culture and History, the West Virginia Commission on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Marshall Artists Series.

Regarded as one of the outstanding Costa Rican guitarists of his generation, Saborío began to study guitar in 1996 and immediately decided to dedicate his studies and life’s work entirely to music. That decision took him to the University of Costa Rica and later to Indiana University, where he earned his master’s degree in 2005.

He has performed as a soloist as a member of the Orquesta de Guitarras de Costa Rica (Guitar Orchestra of Costa Rica) and as a chamber musician. He has performed in Costa Rica’s main theaters as well as in the United States, Mexico, Holland, Spain, Germany, Nicaragua, Panama, Bolivia and Cuba.

In 2009, Saborío formed the “Andrés Saborío Trio” with bassist Luis Alvaro Zamora and percussionist Ivan Barquero and produced their debut CD “LatinoAmerica.” The group’s repertoire includes standards from Latin American popular music, as well as classical compositions for guitar newly arranged for the trio.

Saborío’s awards as a classical guitarist include first place in the “V Festival y Concurso Internacional de Guitarra de Cochabamba, Bolivia (2008),” third place in the “I Concurso Internacional de Guitarra de Culiacan, Mexico (2008)” and second place in the 7th Annual Competition in the Performance of Music from Spain and Latin America, Indiana University (2004).

For further information, contact the Marshall Department of Music at 304-696-3117.

You can view the CraigsList listing to contact the coordinator if you are interested in volunteering.

Zombie Walk
Pullman Square
Mar 6, 2010 6pm-11pm

The Marshall Artists Series opera chat welcomes anyone interested in learning more about the art of Opera and the Artists Series production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni performing Monday March 15th at 8:00pm in The Keith Albee Performing Arts Center. The Opera Chat participants will gain insight into “What is Opera?”, “How do I listen to Opera?” along with a break-down of Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Refreshments will be served and this event is free and open to the public.

Dr. Larry Stickler is a Professor of Music at Marshall University where he teaches voice and is serving his second term as faculty senate chair. He has also served as the first assistant dean of the College of Fine Arts at Marshall. He earned his Doctor of Music degree in voice pedagogy, literature and performance; his Master of Music degree in voice and choral music; and his Bachelor of Music Education degree in voice and choral music from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.

Dr. Stickler served as the Dean for the West Virginia Governor’s School for the Arts in 1999, 2000, 2005, and 2006, and served on the faculty of the West Virginia Governor’s Honors Academy in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Dr. Stickler is active as a bass-baritone soloist, conductor, clinician, adjudicator and church musician. He is also President of the West Virginia Music Educators Association.

Tickets for Mozart’s Don Giovanni are on sale NOW, and may be purchased at The Marshall Artists Series Box Office, located in the Joan C. Edwards Playhouse, open Monday—Friday, noon—5 P.M. Or call the Box Office at (304)-696-6656. Adults tickets range from $45-$55 and Youth may receive a 20% discount. Tickets can be purchased on-line at www.marshallartistsseries.org, or www.ticketmaster.com.

Mozart’s Don Giovanni is sponsored by St. Mary’s Medical Center, HIMG, WKEE, WOWK, The Herald Dispatch, Marshall University, & The College of Fine Arts.