Blog Surfing in the Afternoon

2amtheatre
Blogger David J. Loehr discusses Washington Post writer Peter Marks article on theatre in the White House. Loehr discusses various points that Marks states and then offers solutions and suggestions that widen the spectrum of encouraging the arts across the nation.

TheatreForte Video of a women who waited in line 1:00 a.m. for an audition for Hair. She was the first in line though at 8:30 a.m. Show business?


GuardianTheatreblog
The blogger Chris Wilkinson found the video from the blog above and discusses the reality of the "starving artist" in today's society. Ultimately the blogger points out that enough is enough for actors "if artists want to flourish both creatively and economically, they need to take absolute responsibility for their own work. Instead of waiting in line for the chance to land a small part in a big musical, they should be creating and producing their own theatre pieces." Check out link and tell me what you think.

ARTSBlog: In this post, the Emerging Leader Survey Results are revealed and the blog discusses what the results mean for those in the arts industry and offers a summary of solutions for the future.

The Joy of Arts in Ronnie Campbell

On April 19th hundreds of men, women, and children marched the streets of downtown Atlanta advocating for one cause: saving the arts. A wide spectrum of colors flooded through streets through signs and costumes. Protestors carried the signs “You can’t spell smart without art” and “Have a heart, save the arts”. Shouts could be heard loud and clear at the Atlanta Capitol where dance, music, speech and art came together. Among this crowd of people full of passion for this cause was Mr. Ronnie “RL” Campbell, Entertainment Manager and CEO of The Campbell Entertainment Organization.

It was at this place that Campbell became a part of the restoration of funding for the Georgia Council for the Arts. “It’s very bittersweet. I helped to rally artists for the march on the capitol and was out there right alongside with them,” said Campbell reflecting on the rally. “It felt good to know that our government officials actually listened and turned around their decision to cut GCA funding completely, but I’ll always feel like it’s never enough.” Campbell’s life shows a glimpse of the determination, love, and drive he and many others present at the rally have for the arts.

Originally from East Orange, NJ, Campbell settled in the South where he attended Georgia State University for his undergraduate studies. Campbell graduated in 2003 with a concentration in Theatre. Campbell then went on to American Intercontinental University for Business Administration. For over ten years, Campbell has been involved professionally with the arts industry through various mediums. Specifically in the Atlanta area, he has worked with the Alliance Theatre and Horizon Theatre Company, just to name a few. He was Co-Founder and Production Manager of Act-N- Up Youth Theatre in Lithonia, GA.

Primarily, Campbell handles live events for theatre, dance, film and the music industry where the motto “Don’t Sweat the Small Things, that’s what we’re here For” drives his organization to produce shows of the highest standards. As leader of his company he takes those words to heart and tries to look to others as an influence. “I admire people who fight for what they believe in. This doesn’t just stop and start with Artists, but I constantly learn from people who feel strongly about an issue.” Campbell is a proud member of the Actors’ Equity Association (AEA), the performing arts labor union that represents actors and stage managers in the United States.

Although it has been ten years that he has been working professionally in the industry, Campbell’s love for the arts began as a toddler. “I remember growing up as a child, going to the circus and wanting to know ‘how’d they do that?’“ The motivation to that question has led Campbell to a life of spontaneity and satisfaction. “I wanted a career where I didn’t have to do the same thing day after day.” For Campbell, this desire has come true. Campbell feels as though the best part of what he does for a living is that no day is the same as the previous day. “It changes so frequently. I go over the day’s to-do list for my various clients while having my morning coffee. Then I see where the day takes me. My workdays can get to be 16-20 hour days depending on what client I’m working on with at the time.”

“Assertive, optimistic, and spiritual” are words chosen by Campbell to describe himself. Throughout his daily interactions he exhibits these traits in numerous ways. Under Campbell’s Facebook page are over 30 albums of pictures from shows, award ceremonies, and travels across the nation. The experience of working with so many different clients, especially within the arts has given Campbell a new perspective. “I have a better appreciation for how to work well with any and everybody because of my involvement with the arts. I can understand the world around me, because I look at it through a different set of eyes everyday and can appreciate the beauty of things that others take for granted all the time.”

In a society where it seems as though being successful in the arts is not possible, Campbell has found a balance of what he loves, being successful, and most importantly experiencing pure joy. “I feel that the place for art in society today is what it was even during Shakespeare’s time, a tool for one to express her/ himself creatively and emotionally in order to being about a social change,” says Campbell. “So many people look at all of the different mediums of art and see them purely as entertainment, but art to me is nourishment for the soul.”

DENZEL WASHINGTON, VIOLA DAVIS AND FENCES

Sooo I really wish I can be in New York right now to see the Broadway show of Fences starring Viola Davis and Denzel Washington. Maybe they will make a film version!! Check out the links I got pictures from the YBF of those who came to see the premiere and a little bit about the show.

The Blogging World is Intense

I decided to move away from Atlanta Arts Blogs for a minute so here are some really great stories.

City Room
Donations save the day for the Harlem School of the Arts. It was closed down because of a $500,000 deficit and private donors, arts education advocates, and more stepped in to help out.

Perez Hilton
So Madonna's eldest daughter Lourdes may be enrolling in LaGuardia Performing Arts School. Supposedly from this post she got a special audition for herself to be shielded from the pressure. Money has privileges I guess.

Denver Westword
A big corporation Qwest goes into merger by Century Tel and this has some worried about the Denver arts organizations. I never thought about how mergers could affect the funding for certain arts organizations. Check out the link and tell me what you think.

The Moderate Voice:
From death comes birth, from destruction comes resurrection. This post is a response to the Political loss in Poland the writer forms a analogy of how a loss can turn into a possibility. The analogy comes from how the Atlanta Arts Alliance began.

Backstage
And we thought that cosmetic surgery was the hottest thing around. Welllll maybe not so much. The blogger from this site shares with us an article from the NY Times about how Hollywood is reconsidered selecting those who go through cosmetic surgeries.

The Mission Paradox
The theatre world is real serious about its marketing techniques these days. This post talks about the benefit of arts organizations to do advance sales for shows.

GrantmakersintheArts
National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Rocco Landesman announces the latest round for the fiscal year 2010. he Arts Endowment will distribute $97,632,100 through 1,323 grants to nonprofit national, regional, state, and local organizations nationwide.

CommunityArtsNetwork
Sooo deep down I am a poet..lol. But seriously I write a little poetry here and there and I found this post about poems being posted all around the UK. The collection is called "Poemsfor...". They were collected by a UK charity called Hyphen-21. The poems are in different languages ranging from Albenian to Vietnamese.

ArtsAdmin:
CEOs of arts organization and their salaries. In times of economic turmoil, the blogger discusses those in chief officer positions who have takeno pay cuts. Is this right? What makes non profits different?

Arlene Goldbard:
Blogger Arlene Goldbard discusses the Local Jobs for America Act and how the mention of arts in the community is not mentioned. Goldbard feels as though the spirit of the Works Progress Administration is no longer here in America.

Offstageright:
It is often said how much of a burden it is to carry around emotional baggage throughout your life. how does that affect your experiences when going out? Especially when it comes to cultural events, does emotional baggage carry with it a cloud over your outing. In this blog post, the author explores the baggage the audience carries with them and what organizations can do to help lessen that baggage.

Looking Through Some Blogs and What do I find?

Thought Maker http://thoughtmarker.blogspot.com/
So in an effort to do more than just theatre, I found a blog that explores underground creativity in Atlanta. This post particular showcases a local artist Totem who has painted a mural on the side of local printers Fallen Arrows building on Dekalb Avenue

Three Cities Group
Social media on to a new level for the arts. In this blog post you will learn about a social-based artist network that has been created for artists to come together and use one another as a resource. To all my followers check it out and see what you think.

Hope.culture.love
This blog I think will become a favorite on my list. The two individuals who run the blog say that “We are artists. We express ourselves through photography, philm, and music. And I must say that the photography is a plus for me. Check it out.

Arts Relish On April 16th, 2010. The Archetype Gallery opened The New Pan-African Ideal featuring various works from a nationally selected group of artists. Curator Christopher Hutchinson chose a variety of works from photography to multimedia installation pieces that he said displayed the shared experience of colonialism. Through the work, Hutchinson hoped to encourage a dialogue that would broaden the definition of Pan-Africanism to account for a multitude of narratives.

CultureSurfing Upcoming artists and the comic book scene. How does this relate to the arts? How not? Spiderman and Batman are not the only ways artists are using to express themselves and especially within the Atlanta area, the comic book scene is looking pretty hot. Check out the link.

Gothamist Even landmarked theatres aren’t safe when it comes to money. In this post, the blogger discusses how a theatre built in 1916 and is the “longest-running movie house in the nation” may not have the funds to be renovated and operational. Times are hard.

Laist.com
Maybe there is hope for venues somewhere in this nation. The iconic Westlake Theatre, a part of the MacArthur Park community since 1926, has been awarded a spot on the National Register of Historic Places, according to the April e-newsletter of the Office of Historic Resources.

Al.com
The South Baldwin Community Theatre in Gulf Shores, Alabama was given a stipend of $6,000 from its City Council. This stipend will go towards their increased participation in the community and after school programs.

Culture monster Arts budget proposals in Los Angeles. Blogger Mike Boehm talks about how the proposals don’t look too bad for L.A. County but the city of Los Angeles has a different story.

Huffington Post
Glee can save the day. In this post James Sims talks about the effect the popular Fox show Glee has on the arts education budgets across the nation. Glee is advocating for change in America. (side note: I need to get on the Glee bandwagon, I am slackin’)

A Beautiful Moment

So yesterday the Department of Theatre and Film Studies at the University of Georgia unveiled its Fine Arts Theatre after a two year renovation. I was there in attendance of course and it was so breathtaking to see the theatre. Along with this post are some pictures from the theatre that I took. I mean it was so bright in there and the design was beautiful. I was glad to see people from all across campus come and support our department and I hope that this is a sign of more to come with the department.It was especially good to see the University President Dr. Adams. For the past three years I have been here, I always felt that he thought of our department as the foster child of the university. But we are talented individuals who have a lot to offer to the university and I just hope that his speech yesterday was more than just a front to show good face but a sincere gesture at wanting to support our department.

Theatre in Politics in 2010

The Guardian Theatre Blog: General elections are going on in the UK and of course there is buzz all around. But how does theatre relate to it and can it have an affect? In this post, the writer talks about a couple of plays and how politics plays within it.