HomeMy WebLinkAbout10 - 2004-2005 Cultural Arts GrantsCITY OF NEWPORT BEACH
CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
Agenda Item No. 10
July 27, 2004
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: LIBRARY SERVICES
Arts and Cultural Services Division; Jana Barbier, Cultural Arts
Coordinator (717- 3870) jbarbier @city.newport- beach.ca.us
SUBJECT: 2004/2005 Cultural Arts Grants
RECOMMENDATION:
Approve recommended recipients for FY 2004/05 Cultural Arts Grants as selected
by the City Arts Commission in accordance with City Policy 1 -12 - Reserve Fund
for Culture and Arts.
DISCUSSION:
BACKGROUND: The City Arts Commission has recommended awarding grants totaling
$40,000.
The Commission received written grant proposals from fifteen organizations for funding of
approximately $79,418. After careful deliberation the following recommendations were approved
at the June 10, 2004 meeting:
Ballet Montmartre $1,500
Ballet Montmartre presents two lecture /performance demonstrations to Newport Beach, and other Orange
County elementary and secondary students. Their objective is to generate an interest in and an
understanding and appreciation of the ballet art form. Ballet Montmartre's tailors each performance for
specific grade levels. The program Includes pre - performance materials for teachers; a glossary of terms
and history of ballet to encourage the teachers to prepare students for a full and rewarding experience.
The performance is fully - costumed, with a brief history of ballet; questions and answers between students
and dancers is planned.
Ballet Pacifica $3 300
The project provides a unique opportunity for Newport Beach elementary school students to watch the
fabled story of The Nutcracker unfold through live dance, historical lecture, and behind - the - scenes stage
management. The project will take place on December 17, 2004. Objectives are to (1) Provide students
with a rare opportunity to watch a live, abridged, and professional production of The Nutcracker (2)
Increase the students' understanding and knowledge of the history and stage production of ballet and (3)
increase the students' interest in art, specifically ballet.
Baroque Music Festival $1 450
Celebrating their 25 season in Corona del Mar, the Baroque Music Festival is planning special
performances of celebratory music that will include some favorite pieces from previous years. With this
celebration, the festival has asked past performers to return to Corona del Mar to perform. Performers
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July 27, 2004
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include soprano, Jennifer Smith Foster; Boroque trumpeter, John Thiessen; baritone, Christopher
Lindbloom; violinist Clayton Haslop; and concertmaster and violinist, Elizabeth Blumenstock.
City Arts Commission $5,500
The City Arts Commission is dedicated to providing a range of cultural programming that enriches the
entire community, especially children and families. The Arts Commission sponsors multidisciplinary arts
programs funded by the Cultural Grant Program, the Concerts in the Parks Series, arts lectures and
visual art exhibitions mounted in Central Library and at City Hall. The Arts Commission intends to extend
the range of arts programming by funding the Arts, Lectures and Workshops Series at Central Library this
spring. Also funded will be a performance by Shakespeare by the Sea in the summer of 2005.
Director Donna Inglima and Youth Director Joe Lauderdale have collaborated in adapting 5 plays for
THEATEREACH. New for 2004 -2005 are productions of Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt, and Stuart
Little by E.B. White. Continuing productions are By The Great Horn Spoon! by Sid Fleischman, Island of
the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell and Charlotte's Web by E.B White. Island of the Blue Dolphins and By
The Great Horn Spoon! relate to 4'" and 5'" grade history and language arts units, exploring California's
Native Americans, and the gold rush of 1649. Tuck Everlasting explores the importance of the life -cycle
and that it has a natural beauty and balance. These live theatrical productions include live music, a cast
of professional actors and interactive activities and questions /answers for the entire audience. Each
audience averages 170 students.
The Music Rainbow workshop experience for the 2004 -2005 year is based on the book A House for
Hermit Crab, which is age- appropriate for 15' and 2nd graders. To prepare for the workshop, teachers are
told the book title and where possible, given a copy of the book to read and study with their students.
Working in tandem with classroom teachers, performer Debbie Williams and composer, Molly Minor lead
the children through the rehearsal process during 5 school days for one hour each day. Workshops focus
on preparing a musical presentation of the chosen book for an audience of parents and friends. Eastbluff,
Mariners, Andersen, Newport Coast, Newport Elementary and Newport Heights Elementary Schools will
be participating.
Newport Beach Film Festival $4,500
The NB Film Festival plans to repeat a two -day educational industry seminar program, to be held on
Saturday and Sunday during the Festival, tentatively scheduled for April 23rd through April 24'", 2005 at a
location in Newport Beach. Past seminar topics have included directing, screenwriting, production
design, cinematography, film music composition, animation and special effects. Artists of past seminars
include Elmer Bernstien (To Kill a Mockingbird,) John Waters (Polyester,) Don Burgess (Castaway,) John
Landis (Twilight Zone,) and Judiann Makovsky (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone). There will be a
possible addition of symposium hours and also this year, the Festival will film the program and produce a
ninety- minute DVD, featuring highlights from the seminar. They plan to make the DVD available at
libraries in Newport Beach and on their website.
Orange County Museum of Art $6,000
The Cultural Art Grant will support the Art in the Museum and Adult Community Program. These
outreach programs complement and expand upon arts experiences available to Newport Beach students,
teachers, families and adults, as part of the museum's efforts to make the visual arts more accessible and
meaningful for people of all ages in the community. The Art in the Museum program supports art
education in Newport Beach schools and is offered year -round to grades 2 -12; and consists of teacher
packets, docent visits, museum tours, family passes, transportation costs, and hands -on art projects. The
Adult Community Program offers a wide variety of adult public programs promoting art education that aim
to provide context for the work on view. Adult Community Programs include tours, talks, and films.
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July 27, 2004
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Orange County's Pacific Symphony $3,000
The Symphony has provided chamber concerts or "informances" at the Central Library and at OASIS
Senior Center. Library performances provide Newport Beach residents of all ages the opportunity to
meet the musicians personally, learn about the music being performed, how to listen to the music through
a discussion on guided listenin, and to gain information and insight about the composers. Pacific
Symphony would like to present two live "informances" of chamber music during 2004(2005; first, a
"Sunday Musicale" at Central library and; second, a concert at a publicly accessible venue, collaborated
upon with the Newport Beach Arts Commission, perhaps as part of the Concerts in the Parks Series,
2005.
Philharmonic Society of Orange Countv $2,000
Meet the Musicians is a program designed for 4" —6 graders. In Meet the Musicians, professional
brass, woodwind, string and percussion groups visit elementary schools to perform for the students, and
also to give demonstrations on their instruments and close with a question and answer session. The
duration of each program is 45 minutes. Ensembles on Tour is a similar program, but it is designed to
appeal to middle school students. This program features professional groups performing for the whole
student body a variety of music styles and instrumentations. The Meet the Musicians and Ensembles on
Tour programs are brought to the children of the Newport-Mesa Unified School District. Each school is on
a rotating groups schedule so that each year the students will have the opportunity for a new experience.
South Coast Repertory Theatre will provide one Educational Touring Performance free of charge to each
of the eight elementary schools within the city limits of Newport Beach, exposing an estimated 2,500
students to a professional educational theatre experience. South Coast Repertory's 2005 Educational
Touring Production will recount the history of the earliest beginnings of aviation in southern California.
The play traces the inspirational story of the designer, engineer, pilot and movie star Glenn L. Martin, the
first person to make an airplane flight in California. Titled "Birdman," this will be the third of a three -part
series of plays exploring California history.
Southland Opera $1,550
Southland Opera proposes to perform one performance of "Stories Come Alive" in each of the six
elementary schools in the City of Newport Beach, along with one performance at another Newport Beach
public venue. Fairy tales and stories, which are highlighted, are Cinderella, Romeo and Juliet, Littfe Red
Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast and the new addition of Hansel and Gretel. The programs encourage
reading and introduce young people to opera and musical theater and also demonstrate how composers
often used children's fairy tales as the story line for their opera or musical.
STOP -GAP $3,500
STOP -GAP is seeking funds to support the tour of three of their most requested plays to schools in
Newport Beach. The plays are: "BOOMERANG," which deals with the problems of bullying in schools;
"NO IFS NO BUTTS," which deals with avoiding the danger of tobacco use; and "LIFELINE," which deals
with violence in dating relationships. These plays have been constantly requested by the schools in
Orange County, who indicate that the subjects are of particular challenge to their youth. Funding from the
City of Newport Beach will allow them to perform 10 plays reaching at least 500 students.
Prepared by:
Ja arbier
Cultural Arts Coordinator
Submitted by:
Linda Katsouleas
Library Services Director