News from the Director

The Fine Arts Center’s 30th Anniversary celebration gave us opportunity to reflect on our many accomplishments, honor our Friends, and present an outstanding season of performing and visual arts programs. We also reached out into both the campus and regional communities with extensive educational activities, bringing artists and arts educators to area schools and welcoming area students to our campus for daytime performances.

If you are already a donor to the Fine Arts Center, thank you! I encourage you to keep reading and learn more about all the important work your gift helps to support. If you are not yet a donor, I hope you will be inspired to make a gift, either unrestricted or to the program of your choice. Every gift counts and helps us to touch thousands of lives each year.

Access Arts

The two-year Access Arts initiative, partially funded by MassMutual Financial Group, increased youth arts participa-tion by exposing students to artistic and cultural programs from the Fine Arts Center’s Performances Plus!, Asian Arts & Culture, and New WORLD Theater programs.

This year, Access Arts served 16,500 youth in 24 differ-ent audiences in home communities, public schools, and the UMass Amherst campus. In the Springfield Public Schools, where residency activities were focused, the first year of the program reached seven elementary and middle schools and three high schools; the second year served 7,500 Springfield students in four high schools and five elementary schools. The total for the two years was 16 dif-ferent public schools.

iN the schools, iN the commuNity, iN the coNcert hAll

Pianist Jason Moran, this year’s Billy Taylor Jazz Residency artist, worked with aspiring jazz musicians at Amherst Regional Middle School and the Community Music School of Springfield.

Hip Hop artists from BREAK! The Urban Funk Spectacu-lar had students and faculty at Northampton High School dancing on the stage. More than 300 youth attended a break dance contest that earned the winner an appearance on stage with the company.

The Children of Uganda and Artistic Director Peter Kasule conducted a professional development workshop for teach-ers attending the daytime school performance by the troupe.

Pianist Jonathan Biss and Pulitzer Prize winning composer Lewis Spratlan led a performer/composer dialogue for students at Amherst College.

The University Club was transformed into Alice’s Restaurant for a dinner preceding Arlo Guthrie’s 40th Anniversary Alice’s Restaurant Tour. Guests were treated to a dessert reception with Mr. Guthrie in the University Gallery follow-ing the reception.

Talk-backs with the artists followed several performances. Participating artists included Bill T. Jones and five dancers

from the Martha Graham Dance Company. Maria Sch-neider greeted guests at the 30th anniversary reception for Friends of the Fine Arts Center. Guitarist Sharon Isbin signed CDs. Zurich Chamber Orchestra conductor Howard Griffiths discussed the evening’s program with guests of concert sponsor TIAA-CREF. The Executive Director of the Uganda Children’s Charity Foundation joined Fine Arts Center patrons at the Director’s Circle event hosted by Chancellor and Mrs. Lombardi prior to the Children of Uganda performance.

high school JAzz festivAl

Musicians from high school jazz ensembles across Massa-chusetts and Connecticut gathered at the Fine Arts Center to participate in a day-long festival sponsored by the Fine Arts Center and the Department of Music and Dance. Students were coached and adjudicated by members of the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra. Adjudicators awarded five full scholarships and eight half scholarships to the 2006 Jazz in July program, and the top ensemble opened for Ms. Schneider at the evening performance.

JAzz iN July

Twenty jazz students from Amherst, Belchertown, Easthampton, Hampden, Northampton, Shutesbury, and Westfield attended the 2005 Jazz in July program. Local students were given at least 50 percent scholarship assistance (and more, if needed) to help defray program tuition expenses. This year, the 1794 Meetinghouse will sponsor a scholarship for a jazz student from the North Quabbin region.

E=FAC2: A relAtively simple solutioN

The E=FAC2 Arts and Science Initiative got off to a fabulous start with the five-day residency of the Mass Ensemble in Critical Mass in collaboration with the Department of Physics. Community Day attracted hundreds to campus to play the giant earth harp, sample physics demonstrations, art exhibits, food. and fun, all based on Einstein’s theories. Workshops continued throughout the week and culminated with two performances in the Concert Hall.

the BusiNess of the Arts

At its annual dinner, the Amherst Chamber of Commerce presented The Fine Arts Center with the Millicent H. Kauffman Distinguished Service Award in recognition of our 30th Anniver-sary. The dinner was held at the Center. The Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce saluted the Fine Arts Center in recognition of the 30th Anniversary then brought its Chamber Partners to the FAC for the Mass Ensemble in Critical Mass performance. United Way of Hampshire County thanked its top donors with a reception and special appearance of the Children of Uganda.

frieNDs BoArD of Directors

The Friends Board, a community advisory board led by Chair Betsy Loughran and Vice Chair JoAnne Finck, boasted 100-per-cent giving participation. Committees include Membership, Development, Visual Arts, Public Relations, Executive, Special Events, and Gala. Thank you to our dedicated board members, especially those rotating off after serving nine years: Honoré David, John Ebbets, Don Gasiorowski, Merilee Hill, and Zina Tillona.

A pArty to rememBer

The 17th Annual Friends of the Fine Arts Center Gala and Auction raised funds for the restoration of the Isle of View, a seminal work of land art by artist and sculptor George Trakas, who was hon-ored as the Artist of the Year. Taking the restoration efforts to heart, he will complete

much of the work himself, and he has created original works of art whose sale will raise additional funds. Kudos to Gala Chair JoAnne Finck, Honorary Chair Michael Haley, and the Gala Committee for creating a fabulous evening of Hollywood glitz and glamour. A special thanks to Lead Spon-sor Northampton Cooperative Bank, the Theater Department for providing Hollywood stars, agents, and interviewers, and the Hallmark Institute of Photography for the paparazzi.

ANgel tickets

The Angel Ticket program awarded more than 1,300 complimen-tary tickets to clients from 75 human service agencies in Hamp-shire, Hampden, and Franklin counties. These tickets made it possible for children and families to anonymously attend performances with the help and consideration of the agencies entrusted with their care. The Angel Ticket program is funded on an annual basis through grants and donations.

New eNDowmeNt fuNDs

Gifts and pledges have been made to help establish two new endowment funds at the University. Both are well on their way to the minimum $25,000 required. Joyce E. and Benedict J. Smar Endowment for Angel Tickets: Created by Joyce Smar, Director of Programming for Center Series for 10 years, the Angel Ticket program became a national model. As her legacy, Joyce wished to make this fund permanent and established the framework for donations in her memory. More than $15,000 has been donated to date.

Asian Arts & Culture: Two generous gifts have helped to establish this fund to help ensure the continuation of program-ming from Asia and the Middle East. Pledges and gifts com-bined total $10,000.

Other endowment funds include the Frederick C. Tillis Endowment for the Arts, providing program support for all Fine Arts Center programs; the Billy Taylor Endowment for Jazz Residencies; the Fletcher Henderson Memorial/Max Roach Fund for Scholarships; and the Paul G. and Elaine S. Marks Art Acquisition Fund.

thANkiNg our most geNerous DoNors

Recently revised to better integrate with the university, Friends giving $1,000 or more annually will appear on a new plaque to be placed in the Concert Hall lobby. Those giving $5,000 or more will have their names added to this plaque permanently.

coNtemporAry Art circle

Donors who designate at least $100 to University Gallery are being treated to a host of exclusive events. In addition to open-ings and artist talks that are free to the public, Contemporary Art Circle donors got a private studio tour, talk, and reception at the Amherst studio of George Trakas. They also traveled to New York for a behind the scenes tour of Sotheby’s and Chris-tie’s auction houses where they were guided by UMass alumna Wendy Evans. Fall activities are in the works and include help-ing to select art to add to the permanent collection.

uNiversity gAllery

University Gallery has a fresh, public face and is broadcasting its mission as a teaching museum. The 30th anniversary was celebrated with the “Looking Forward/Looking Back” retrospec-tive series. Former directors Helaine Posner, Hugh Davies, and Betsy Siersma were on hand as artists Judy Pfaff, Robert Irwin, and Allan Wexler discussed their illustrious careers and the pivotal times at which they exhibited at UMass Amherst. University Gallery was the site of the first American exhibition of work by acclaimed Dutch painter Avery Preesman in col-laboration with the Museums10 “Go Dutch!” festival. Univer-sity Gallery is part of the Amherst Art Walk, a monthly event connecting the Gallery to downtown Amherst. Other initiatives included special artists’ talks (Tom Friedman’s was made to a standing-room-only crowd); poetry readings (Pulitzer Prize poet Galway Kinnell); film screenings (the U.S. premiere of the late Theo Van Gogh’s final film); and musical events (the new “Music @ Noon” monthly event).

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Fine Art Center Newsletter Spring 2006

Elizabeth Lee LoughranChair

JoAnne J. FinckVice Chair

Mark R. BermanCarol Moore CuttingWilliam A. DarityHonoré DavidJohn EbbetsIan H. FraserLori J. FriedmanDeborah L. GarlickDonald GasiorowskiLucille D. GibbsMilton GoodkowskyJ. Lynn GriesemerJoan HaleyNancy J. HamelMerilee HillJustine G. HoldsworthMotoko InoueCathryn L. LombardiJames F. MalletGregory A. MalynoskiLorna M. PetersonPat RomneyStephen W. SchupackZina TillonaWilliam V. Zaleski

HONORARY

Marge ChampionJimmy HeathAwadagin PrattStan RosenbergBilly TaylorPeter TolanLois Torf

EMERITUS

Frederick C. TillisDirector Emeritus

Frank AndersonEileen BaggBarbara C. BernardRichard CovellBetsy EganCarl EgerSeymour FrankelArnold FriedmannGwendolyn GlassAlfred L. GriggsDolly JollyDave MartulaKathy MullinSandra ParentRob Yacubian

AugustA sAvAge gAllery

Continuing her international work, Director Terry Jenoure brought an exhibition of paintings from Cameroon, West Af-rica, titled AFRICAURA. This series of twenty paintings is part of a larger adventurous arts exchange. The exhibit, initiated by Cameroonian filmmaker Joseph Danjie, is aimed at examining and defining possibilities for Africa’s role in an increasingly complex world through visual art.

hAmpDeN AND ceNtrAl gAlleries

Hampden opened its season with some of the best up and coming young artists with its third biannual NEWENGLAND/NEWYORK/ NEWTALENT juried exhibition. An active roster of artists talks and panel discussions kept things lively: 200 at-tended painter Budge Hyde’s “Film Strip” lecture, and “Marked For Life” brought young women from Holyoke and Springfield to campus for a panel discussion moderated by Amherst artists Dr. Shirley Jackson Whitaker and Eileen Claveloux. Award-winning German video artist Ingrid Mwangi and painter Daniel Kojo Schrade made their U.S. debuts as part of the Remapping Black Germany Conference sponsored by the Goethe Institu-tion and the Max Kade Foundation.

New worlD theAter

The year got off to a strong start with a grant from Ford Foun-dation for $200,000 to advance the work of artists of color and to engage, through art and dialogue, the issues affecting their communities. Junebug Jabbo Jones spun tales and delighted sold-out crowds at Northampton Center for the Arts.

The Massachusetts Cultural Council awarded New WORLD $40,000 to support its work with the immigrant Somali women’s community in Springfield. The three-day “Intersection IV: Re/Generations” conference brought together artists and educators in this biennial conference, attracting artists from as far away as Canada and Mexico. The conference showcased multidisciplinary theater and new work practices by artists of color. The Project 2050 youth were a highlight with their sold-out performance of their latest piece, On the Frontlines: Sex, War, and Lies.

AsiAN Arts & culture

A four-day residency by Tibetan monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery attracted more than 2,700 to the Uni-versity Gallery to view the creation of a painted sand mandala. School tours brought hundreds of children to view the process and meet with the monks. The opening and closing ceremonies were conducted by the monks in full regalia with traditional horns, cymbals, and drums along with multiphonic prayers chanted to invoke a spirit of peace and healing. The New Shanghai Circus drew an audience of 5,000 in three performances including teachers and students from schools across the State. Six hundred students studying Chinese in the Springfield Public Schools were able to attend daytime performances with partial support from the Massa-chusetts Foreign Language Association. Completing educational activities with the Springfield Public Schools’ Chinese language students, Images of China: Chinese Rod Puppets artists presented a two-day residency with activities in Springfield classrooms and performances on campus; audiences for the latter included Amherst public school students learning Chinese. Teacher Mei-Ju Hwang was honored with the UMass Amherst 2006 Distinguished Aca-demic Outreach Community Partner Award.

mAgic triANgle JAzz/solos & Duos series

These six concerts brought world-renowned improvisers to campus and beyond. In collaboration with Joyce Vincent and the Josephine White Eagle Cultural Center, saxophonist Oliver Lake and vocalist Mary Redhouse interacted with members the native community before their duo concert. Through a grant from the Northampton Arts Council, they also shared their techniques and philosophy with 25 enthusiastic Northampton High School choir members.

The Instant Composers Pool (ICP) Orchestra, a 10-piece ensemble from Amsterdam, joined the Museums 10 Go Dutch! Festival, including a workshop with student musicians at Hampshire College.

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