Students exhibit at Spartan Art Gallery
Artists of the Methow Valley Young Adult Art Intensive — a three-day art camp for teens happening this week in Twisp — invite the public to view their work at an exhibition on Friday (June 26) from 6-8 p.m. at the Spartan Art Gallery on the TwispWorks campus.
“This camp is about encouraging kids to think about art in new ways,” said Matt Armbrust, who is leading the Art Intensive along with fellow teaching artist Laura Gunnip. “Our goal is to push them in directions they haven’t tried before.”
Armbrust expects the 13 young artists to experiment in two-dimensional print art, as well as 3-D sculpture and assemblages, with an emphasis on planning and rendering the end product. “We want to get kids psyched about furthering their artistic skills,” Armbrust said.
Three juried prizes — the TwispWorks Juried Prize, the Blue Star Directors Choice Award, and the Rocking Horse Bakery Award — will be awarded for pieces showing great artistic merit at a ceremony at 6:30 p.m.
Student art will be available to purchase at the exhibition, as well as student-designed T-shirts. For more information call 997-1022.
Earnest beginnings
Rehearsals are underway for The Merc Playhouse production of Oscar Wilde’s classic comedy The Importance of Being Earnest, which opens July 24 and runs through Aug. 9.
The play is directed by Ki Gottberg, The Merc’s artistic director, who is also a professor of theater at Seattle University.
The cast includes local residents Jane Pappidas, Mandi Smith, Laurelle Walsh, Chris Behrens, Christine Kendall and Don Nelson, and Seattle U. students Gabrielle Sigrist and Lizzie Aguirre. Sigrist and Aguirre both appeared in the Seattle U. production of Picnic that was staged recently at The Merc.
The curtain goes up at 7:30 p.m. for Thursday, Friday and Saturday performances, and at 2 p.m. for Sunday matinees. Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for those 18 and younger. Pay-what-you-can night is July 30. Tickets can be purchased online at www.mercplayhouse.org. For more information, call 997-7529.
Art camp for kids
Confluence Gallery is offering weekly camps for kids beginning July 7 and continuing through Aug. 6 at TwispWorks. The camps will be on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of each week from 10 a.m. 2 p.m., and will be broken into two age groups: 7-11 and 12-15. There will be a different theme each week. Kids can enroll for one week or for all weeks in their age range. Cost is $150; some scholarships may be available. For more information, call 997- 2787. Class sizes are limited and early registration is recommended.
Run away with Danbert
Musician, author and all-around raconteur Danbert Nobacon is offering “The Carny Circus Cabaret” at TwispWorks from July 7-9, a chance for kids ages 12-15 to “run away and be a traveling player for a week right here at home.” The camp, scheduled from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. each day, will focus on creative storytelling, musical composition, costuming and performing as street theater, and about putting the elements together to create a show. Cost is $150. For more information, call 997-2787.
Merc seeks musicians, singers
The Merc Playhouse will hold auditions from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. on July 11 for a “showcase” production of the children’s book The Last Salmon, with original music featuring a combination of alternative rock and folk music with rhythm and blues overtones, according to a press release.
The Last Salmon production at The Merc is written and music-directed by Casey James, an award-winning composer and songwriter, and is based on the 2013 book by Phil Davis. The Merc is seeking singers and/or musicians who can play piano, guitar, drums, bass percussion, or other instruments. The production also requires a Native American storyteller and/or drummer.
Rehearsals will be the week of Sept. 30-Oct. 3. The showcase presentation will be on Oct. 4. For more information, call 997-7529.
