Looking North: Seek to be found: NCAN networking events at Museum of Making Music

by Patricia Frischer

North County Arts Network Networking Event Looking North: Seek to be Found at the Museum of Making Music  Monday, April 9, 2018

This was a chance to network with both performing and visual arts resources, get updates about NCAN activities and learn about how to spread the word about events and projects.

Brigid Parsons and Carolyn Grant

We, at North County Arts Network, are delighted to be able to bring together arts organizations, as well as artists and supporters of the arts. Many of the steering committee of NCAN was present including Carolyn Grant: Museum of Making Music, Alex Goodman:  New Village Arts, Naomi Nussbaum: Synergy Arts Foundation, Patricia Frischer: San Diego Visual Arts Network, John Campbell: Smorgborg, Drew Cady: Mainly Mozart, Sterling Anno: Film Festival Director of Outreach, Brigid Parsons: Local Art Walk

Bill Kilpatrick playing to please the crowd

Naomi  Nussbaum enjoying the terrific tidbits

Great thanks to Carolyn Grant and her team at the Museum of Making Music for this very special hosting with delicious food from Tip Top Meats, wine, water and delicious chocolate goodies.  Their staff was exceptional in every way as they supplied AV support from BJ Morgan, also marketing manager and a wonderful guitarist Bill Kilpatrick also the educational manager.

Patricia Frischer greeting Heidi Rufeh and her daughter Jiela both showing their encaustic paintings at the Front Porch Gallery in Carlsbad until May 12. 

Patricia Frischer gave updates on NCAN and encouraged everyone to check their directory listing and update if needed.  PLUS please list their events remembering to add images.  She announced that the next networking event would be in the summer and NCAN is looking for a volunteer organization to host. This is a great chance to get your facility noticed and appreciated.

NCAN is planning a large north county wide promotion for the month of October called Open Your Heart to North County Arts. So think about your October events now. We will launch at ArtWalk Carlsbad on Sept 23/24. The ArtWalk team are giving us room on their stage for snippets of performances. Contact us if you want to be involved. We are also happy to announce that The Forum Carlsbad is a sponsor for this promotion and will be doing a fundraiser for us during their Art, Rhythm and Wine event in mid-Oct. We want to thank both Art Walk and Forum Carlsbad as well as Studio Ace who is the fiscal agent for Open Your Heart to North County Arts and other donations and grant for the next 12 months.

Naomi Nussbaum introduced our presenters for the evening:

Robert Arends, Public Relations Manager and Jenn Davies Director of Cultural Tourism for the San Diego Tourism Authority

Rapt attention!

First to present from SDTA was Robert Arends, Public Relations Manager and Jenn Davies Director of Cultural Tourism for the San Diego Tourism Authority, They shared how to list your events for free on the www.sandiego.org website to increase audience. This is not obvious so follow these instructions carefully. Go to the very bottom of the home page and click on Contact SDTA, then scroll down on the next page to click SUBMIT AN EVENT to list your event. You can also note this direct link to the form page.  https://www.sandiego.org/about/event-submission-form.aspx. Any event submissions with images not properly cropped will result in immediate rejection. Submitting your event does not guarantee that it will be posted on SanDiego.org's Events Calendar. Becoming a member of the San Diego Tourism Authority does qualify your event to appear on the website. However, Mr. Arends says that not being a member does not disqualify you. BUT Event listings about conferences, business seminars and fundraisers (including galas and golf tournaments) are typically NOT PUBLISHED to the calendar.

You also need to send press releases to PR@sandiego.org. And these need to be geared to get their attention by mentioning little known gems, or major events.

They also explained the many ways they promote their members ($550 annual fee). On their site there are the top things to do for any one week, guides to the good stuff, a special report on arts districts in the North East. 

We could find nothing on the north coastal arts and culture although they list 9 other art districts in the city of San Diego including North East. .Almost all of their funding comes from the city of SD.. They have the usual social media sites including instagrams and blogs.There are sections with videos on  
North County Coastal 



and North County Inland

SDTA’s big annual meeting is on May 10 at SeaWorld (4-7 p.m.), if you would like to attend for free send us your email address and we will forward this so you get a formal invitation.

Unfortunately Ernest J. Dronenburg, Jr. the Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk was not able to attend but did send a printed handout about help on reporting tax benefits for arts organizations. His tips were 1. Call his office for help 619.531.5763 as every case is unique, 2. If you are an approved 501(c)3 you can receive welfare exemptions. 3. Get an organizational clearance certificate from the CA State Board of Equalization at http://www.boe.ca.gov/proptaxes/welfareclainforms.htm  4. Property owners and renters can receive property tax relief if those properties are used exclusively for non-profit activities. We have lots of questions about this so maybe Mr. Dronenburg will come to another meeting to clarify his tips.

Corky Lang, President of the San Diego Professional Tour Guide Association 

Last but certainly not least, Corky Lang, President of the San Diego Professional Tour Guide Association discussed tours that highlight cultural destinations. His organization tries to familiarize themselves with everything available that might be of interest to a tourist. A DMC or Destination Management Company is the facilitator for corporate clients that want to offer this service. It might be a tour for the non-participant of a convention.   DMCs are members of SDPTGA which offers certification for tour guide who are also members. They have about 100 members who pay from $50 to $100 a year. Mr. Lang’s recommendation were to concentrate on local hotel as his experiences tells him people do not want to go too far afield for their entertainment. .Check out their Facebook page for access to their newsletter. He owns his own tour and travel company and can be contacted at corky.lang@gmail.com 619.254.2188. He looks for organizations and talent that have ongoing activities that can be booked as a one hour part of a half day tour. Lang was very entertaining and we all appreciated his historical story from the 1930 about how you could get out of a traffic ticket by attending two cultural events…those were the days!

Everyone attending was put in a draw for a pair of free tickets to Encinitas’ SD Botanic Gardens and the sculpture installation which Naomi Nussbaum curates or two sets of free passes to Carlsbad’s New Village Arts for performances of Men on Boats on until April 22 or Avenue Q from May 18 to July 1.

Artist Eleanor Greer selected as 2018 Business of Art Scholar

By Patricia Frischer with an assist by Patric Stillman

Artist Eleanor Greer, a SDSU Student was selected as The Business of Art scholarship recipient by San Diego arts collaboration including Mission Federal ArtWalk, San Diego Visual Arts Network and The Studio Door for 2018. The ArtWalk in it's 34th the season this year is Sat/Sun April 28/29 in San Diego’s Little Italy. 

Patric Stillman of Studio Door, Eleanor Greer, artist, Sandi Cottrell of Mission Federal ArtWAlk, Patricia Frischer of San Diego Visual Arts Network

Eleanor Greer is a painter who notices how the landscape both man made and natural is always changing. In her own neighborhood, a home was demolished in one day. It was there and then almost in a blink of an eye, it was not. And construction is a constant all around as sites are refurbished, reinvented or created from empty lots. She notices how these man-made environment interacts with the natural world as well and there is a journey constantly unfolding as one wonders through central San Diego which is her beat. 

When you look at these works, you are not really looking at a real scene, but one that Greer carefully constructs to optimize the view. She used color and line quality in watercolor and oil paint on paper and canvas. The works, at this stage are not that much different than the studies from her studio as they are unframed. But unlike the studies they are resolved and make strong statement about her personal view of a world that is in constant flux. 

View this series and other series on her website [eleanorgreer.com].

The Business of Art Scholarship is awarded to one lucky art student or emerging artist who has a body of work to showcase and is interested in selling their artwork. The scholarship includes a booth at the prestigious art festival, professional development throughout 2018, and an impressive marketing package. Over 30 artists applied for this year’s opportunity.

Sandi Cottrell, ArtWalk director said, "Eleanor Greer embodies what the scholarship is about. She has a history of working in San Diego arts community, has dedicated her education to the arts, has a strong studio practice and is currently finishing up her MFA at San Diego State University.  The scholarship will provide her with an opportunity to expand her view of the arts community as she begins to develop her professional career.  We are excited for San Diego to take notice of her unique creative voice through this year's scholarship."

"To be selected as the 2018 Business of Art Scholar comes as a great honor, " said Eleanor. "I'm grateful to the staff of Mission Federal ArtWalk, San Diego Visual Arts Network and The Studio Door for all that they do in the San Diego arts community and for entrusting me with this opportunity." 

San Diego Visual Arts Network (SDVAN) will provide Eleanor with a large marketing package that includes a banner on their website homepage [sdvisualarts.net]. SDVAN provides a resource rich database of opportunities and events taking place in the region.  The site’s most popular features includes RAW, an arts gossip column, and Picked RAW Peeled, an in depth exploration of the latest exhibitions and events as well at the SD Art Prize.

“I’m looking forward to working with Eleanor,” said Patric Stillman, Director of The Studio Door. “Her work in both printmaking and painting is immediately engaging; calling for the viewer to slip into the works and explore the worlds that she creates.  It will be a pleasure to see what journey she takes us on.  I expect we will see and hear a lot more from her over the course of the year.”

For details on Mission Federal Artwalk, please visit artwalksandiego.org and save the dates of April 28 and 29, 2018 to explore the festival and meet The Business of Art Scholar and artist Eleanor Greer.

Sandi Cottrell, Eleanor Greer and Patric Stillman in the SDSU Studio

Studio View above and below

Anne Mudge at Quint Projects

By Patricia Frischer

Anne Mudge: Matterings at Quint Projects (5171 Santa Fe Street, Suites H, B and A, SD, 92109) from Feb 10 to March 31. " In Matterings, Mudge slightly altered the title of Diane Gage’s poem because it speaks to the actions that knit skin to bone or dust mite to cosmos. Come see sculptures and documentation of Mudge’s process and view a satellite studio where she will work on a new piece during the course of the exhibition."

I walked into an ethereal environment of complicated wire works that looked amazingly  fragile but turned out to be as resilient as its creator. Anne Mudge does many public commissions, but this show with the majority of the sculptures made in the last 15 months, was made just for this exhibition and with none of the restrictions associated with commissioned work. .

Although the artworks appear very organic and biologically influenced, they rely on physics to keep them afloat. The triangular structure combined with tension wire demand great attention to keep them in balance. During the process of construction, Mudge says there are, "...magic moments of discovery." A work might need to change radically midway through the creation as problems occur and need to be resolved. But that is the basis of the joy one gets from rising to a challenge.

The lighting of this show was brilliant but hard to photograph. I have included some details of the work to give a better idea, but with just a week left, I suggest running to the this show before it closes. 

MythBusters! at Fleet Science Museum

by Patricia Frischer

MythBusters: The Explosive Exhibition

Does toast always land butter-side down?  In this amazing hands-on exhibition, you can put myths like this to the test—just as the team from the popular MythBusters TV show has done for years!

When we visited this exhibition of hands on demonstrations and artifacts from the TV show, everyone was so excited and laughing and sharing experiences. This is a great show for kids and adults alike and really brought the community together whether it was sharing results, helping each to understand, or getting help to participate.  

• Use scientific observations and your own curiosity to search for the truth behind some commonly held beliefs.
• Explore the Blueprint Room and relive some of the show’s most exciting moments.
• Test your hypothesis in The Workshop and decide whether the myth is plausible, busted or confirmed.
• Catch a live demonstration on the Demo Stage. There are multiple shows throughout the day, and the variables (people) are always changing, so results can change hour to hour!
• Submit your own myths, and you could see them being tested on future episodes of MythBusters!

On display in the expanded upstairs galleries, the exhibition overflows with hands-on props and gadgets from the show. The Fleet invites you to try your hand at busting some new myths, as well as some old favorites.

MythBusters: The Explosive Exhibition is now open daily (including holidays!) through Monday, September 3, 2018.  (open daily at 10 a.m.) Add MythBusters: The Explosive Exhibition to your Fleet visit: $5 Members pay just $2.95.

No, you can not stay alive in a closed coffin for long underground.

No, you can not yes catch a bullet in your teeth. 

Yes, you could possibly distract a shark by poking it in its eye. 

We had great fun watching for the flash and being timed for our reaction. Turns out you would have to do it in less than 1/10 of a second and no one can manage that. You could dodge a bullet if it was shot 500 yards away, but then you would not see the flash. 

 Can you really pull a tablecloth off of a fully set table without disturbing a dish? Yes, if the cloth is slippery and you pull fast and with a downward motion. Darwin and I were both able to complete this fun trick.  

What keeps you drier: running in the rain or walking through it? It depends on the length of space you are trying to cover. You get wetter in long distances, walking and wetter in short distances running. 

Loved watching this young lady trying to decide if she should done the superman outfit inside of the phone booth and test here speed. Even with the extra large clothes so you don't have to undress the best time is about 1/2 minute, not enough time to catch a thief....myth busted!

This lady is sitting on a swing held up by phone books! And I encouraged her companion to stand up on the swing and it was rock solid. 

This was more a fun exercise than a mythbuster. You  had to instruct the drive who could not see how to drive to stay on the road and not crash into anything. It was very, very hard to do but with some practice you could instruct a blind person how to drive.  I am sure in the future it will be technology that performs this task and not another human being.