The Arts & Science Council (ASC) has launched the ASC Education Network (ASCeducation.org) – a resource for teachers, students and families concerning all things cultural education in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.  The ASC Education Network is a one-stop destination to find important news, relevant topics, cultural activities, as well as professional development and grant opportunities.

To make navigation within the site intuitive and easy, it is divided into four focus areas: Educators, Students and Families, Teaching Artists and Cultural Partners.  Each area allows visitors to quickly find the information that directly pertains to them.

The site is managed by highly-qualified educators, and it gives visitors access to the latest culturally-related information from Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District (CMS).  Events posted on Charlotte Culture Guide, a directory of teaching artists and information about out-of-school youth development programs can also be found on the site.

As an added bonus for teachers, the website also features an educators-only section in which they can upload cultural education lesson plans and discuss relevant education topics in a forum.

“The ASC Education Network is a go to source for information on cultural education in our community,” said ASC Vice President of Education, Barbara Ann Temple, Ph.D. “We look forward in the coming weeks and months to the collaboration and idea generation we expect from the network.”

ASC is proud that its partnership with CMS is strengthening our community’s educational system, and the ASC Education Network is one of many projects that will continue to solidify this great partnership.

In a one-block radius of Uptown Charlotte, you can be immersed in modern art, feel the passion of inspiring global artwork, and explore the many facets of the African-American experience.  That one-block destination is the Levine Center for the Arts (LCA), and thanks to the new Levine Center for the Arts Access Ticket, visiting the amazing museums within the center has never been easier or more economical.

The LCA Access Ticket gives residents and visitors the opportunity to experience the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture and Mint Museum Uptown for only $20.  Even better, the ticket allows accessto these great institutions for up to 48 hours of the initial entry time.  Plainly, that means residents and visitors not only get into all three museums at a discounted daily rate, but they also get an extra day completely free.  It is most likely the biggest cultural/entertainment bargain in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.

Currently, the three museums contain not only their private collections, but are hosts to a wide array of exhibits.  For instance, Mint Museum Uptown is displaying a fascinating exhibit that explores the use of
salt-inspired/themed/constructed artwork called Return to the Sea: Saltworks by Motoi Yamamoto.  Equally impressive, the Harrvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Art + Culture is displaying a generational exploration of the Gullah/Geechee culture of the eastern shorelines of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida with David Herman, Jr.’s Etched in the Eyes exhibit.  Not to be overlooked, the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art has the works of Emilio Stanzani that highlight the era in which he transitioned from representation art to abstract art.

Though all of the aforementioned exhibits may sound like a lot, they only represent a small portion of the permanent and visiting collections at each museum in LCA, and to truly experience them in their entirety, a minimal visit of two days is definitely required.  Hmmm, sounds like a good reason to take advantage of the LCA Access Ticket’s perks, doesn’t it?

Click here to learn more and get your ticket.

By David Currence, Marketing Manager

Mary McLeod Bethune, a revered educator, once said, “We have a powerful potential in our youth, and we must have the courage to change old ideas and practices so that we may direct their power toward good ends.”  A collaborative effort between the Arts & Science Council (ASC), North Carolina District Courts, Juvenile Courts and the Arts Empowerment Project brought Bethune’s words to life on April 19, as they unveiled student artwork that is permanently displayed on levels three and eight of the Mecklenburg County Courthouse.

The artwork was created by students participating in Studio 345 – ASC’s free, afterschool, youth development program for students in grades 9-12, which partners with the Juvenile Courts.  Students in Studio 345 use digital photography and digital multimedia arts to grow intellectually and socially, while gaining inspiration to stay in school, graduate and pursue goals beyond high school.

The highlight of the display is a mural that replicates Studio 345 students’ artwork found in the NODA area.  It was a collaborative effort from the students in the Say What You Mean to Say class of Studio 345, and it was led by their instructor, Kristin St. Martin – a CMS educator and professional working artist.  The public can see the mural by visiting the eighth level of the courthouse.  The individual artwork can be seen by visiting the third level.

“The Juvenile Justice System is proud of the partnership it has with Studio 345 and ASC,” said Judge Louis A. Trosch, Jr.  “The positive results of our partnership can be seen in the lives of students the court sends to the program, and that speaks volumes.”

While some students in the program are from the Juvenile Justice System, the majority voluntarily participate in the program.  One of the voluntary participants is Trosch’s daughter, Pressley, who also participated in the unveiling ceremony and said her experience in Studio 345 has allowed her to pursue her passion in digital multimedia arts and gain meaningful relationships with her peers.

ASC’s partnership with the Juvenile Justice System is part of a larger initiative to connect court-involved youth with pro-social extracurricular activities based in arts and culture to help them build self-discipline, communication and job skills, and ultimately, to divert them away from the Juvenile Justice System.

To say John W. Love, Jr. is a “renaissance man” would be a gross understatement.  To say FECUND, his multidisciplinary performance and installation event (funded by ASC’s $25,000 2011 McColl Award), is all-encompassing would also be a definite understatement.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg will experience the initial aspect of FECUND on May 12 when Love continues his residency at the Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts. Using an experiential approach, his installation will invite visitors to contemplate notions of “yes” during their time in the Robert Haywood Morrison Atrium and after their departure.

Love’s residency and interactive components of the installation are just the beginning.  The FECUND experience contains two components:  (1) The sculptural, installation and workshop series, (2) The performance work, The Diaries of Neequa or She Who Would Be King, (3) The web-based and social media initiative – fecund.0, and (4) The gallery exhibition, Path of Yes.

The May 12 installation will act as a precursor to Love’s one-man performance at First Look Friday on May 17.  In Love’s words, this performance will introduce us to “…the Perpetually Pregnant Man telling the story of a reluctant, juicy-faced, 14-year-old priestess’ path to becoming king, when all she thought she was doing was searching for her twin brother, Black Lily Billy ~ The Visceral.”

Intrigued?  You should be.  Love describes FECUND as “…the culmination and natural progression of my work as an interdisciplinary literary and performing artist, facilitator of art and healing initiatives for challenged and unchallenged populations, and lifetime student of holistic health modalities.”  He went on to further say “FECUND’s manifestation now will facilitate a cataclysmic shift in the scope, scale and richness I’m able to share, as well as encourage an even more progressive conversation around the power of artistry.”

To understand the complete FECUND concept and learn more about the extraordinary life and mind of John W. Love, Jr., begin the experiential journey with him on May 12 at the Mint Museum.  It is sure to be a one-of-a-kind, never-before-seen experience.

Take a sneak peak below.

The quarterly event for Vanguard members featured a special performance from dance group Caroline Calouche & Co. Calouche and her dancers, in their first year as an in-house company at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, perform aerial dance using fabric and harnesses.

Vanguard members enjoyed networking and a cocktail hour prior to the performance.

Yearly, 1,400 Vanguard Society members collectively give more than $2.3 million to support ASC.

Beyond the intangible benefits of helping our arts and cultural community and enhancing the quality of life for this generation and the next, members of ASC’s Vanguard Society also receive special recognition in the Blumenthal Performing Arts’ playbill as well as special ticket offers, invitations to behind the scenes cultural events, and access to lectures covering hot topics in arts, science & history.

The Vanguard Society is open to donors who contribute $1,000 or more per year to the Arts & Science Council. To learn more, click here.

Collaborating on the experience that sought to open the eyes of the CMS students were the Charlotte Symphony, North Carolina Dance Theatre and Opera Carolina. The tailored performance featured the art form of each organization woven together with videos from students at Mint Hill Middle School, exploring the arts activities available in CMS middle schools.

Symphony Guest Conductor Jacomo Rafael Bairos led the performance. From Johan Sebastian Bach to hip-hop and Latin music, Bairos showed students the adaptability of different genres. The performance from the Symphony musicians had students dancing in their seats.

Singers from Opera Carolina performed various songs from the organization’s winter production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute. This included the powerful ‘Queen of the Night’ aria and the joyful ‘Papagena/Papageno’ duet.

Incorporated into all of it was the dance of North Carolina Dance Theatre’s DT2 group. Eight dancers showcased varying styles to the music throughout.

The performance won plaudits from students, teachers and administrators alike.

Teacher Kristen Johnson told the Charlotte Observer:

“In class, I used a lot of video clips so that kids could actually hear and see ‘The Magic Flute’ and orchestral pieces,” said Kristen Johnson, a music teacher at Irwin Academic Center. “I could see the kids during the performance saying, ‘Wait! We’ve heard that!’ This reinforces what we’ve been learning for years and pulls it all together.”

This year, ASC is supporting arts, science and history related field trip experiences for more than 120,000 students in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. In addition to the 5th grade field trip, the experiences, which align with grade level curriculum, have brought the Taraddidle Players out to area elementary schools, taken 3rd graders to historic sites throughout the county, allowed 6th graders to get hands on with science at Discovery Place, and shown 7th graders all the the Levine Center for the Arts has to offer.

ASC’s commitment to restoring cultural field trips was born out of the Cultural Education Blueprint. The Blueprint is a strategic guide for ASC and CMS to better serve students, parents and teachers with quality education resources of the cultural community that align with the Common Core State Standards and the N.C. Essential Standards.

To learn more about ASC’s efforts in education, click here.

Here is a look at a few of the upcoming festivals supported by your investment in ASC:

Ulysses Festival
April 4-May 19
The 2013 Festival Theme is Brave New Worlds: Technology & Art, and brings the theme to life with interesting lectures, exhibits and performances that use the latest in modern technology to merge the visual power of art with the beauty of music and dance.
Click here to learn more.

Kings Drive Art Walk
April 27 – 28
Festival in the Park presents the Kings Drive Art Walk, the annual spring event held along the Little Sugar Creek Greenway focusing on fine and emerging artists.
Click here to learn more.

Charlotte Asian Festival and Dragon Boat Festival
May 4
The 13th Annual Charlotte Asian Festival is an annual family-oriented event for the Asian and non-Asian community in and around Mecklenburg County and throughout the Carolinas. The festival celebrates Asian cultures, diversity, ethnicity, roots and history. The 7th Annual Charlotte Dragon Boat Festival Race is an exciting team competition. An important part of the Chinese traditional calendar, dragon boat racing originated over 2,300 years ago on the life-sustaining rivers of southern China. The Charlotte race is an open competition to anyone 15 years of age or older.
Click here to learn more.

For more festival and event information, visit CharlotteCultureGuide.com.

From (L-R): Wells Fargo’s Jay Everette, a North Dance Theatre dancer and NCDT’s Doug Singleton.

The $200,000 grant will match donations dollar-for-dollar made to projects on power2give from the organizations that receive unrestricted operating support from the Arts & Science Council (ASC).  The organizations range from large institutions like the Mint Museum, Children’s Theatre of Charlotte and Discovery Place to small groups like Theatre Charlotte, Clayworks and Wing Haven.

Projects in need of funding and eligible for the match include:

• Carolina Actors Studio Theatre – SKYLAB Bits and a Chicken Suit – $1,100 – Supports hiring a designer and paying for props and supplies for the upcoming show “Miss Witherspoon.”
• Opera Carolina – OPERAtion Academy: Scholarships for Summer Students – $1,705 – Supports scholarships to Opera Carolina’s 4^th annual summer music-drama workshop for middle and high school students from around the region.
• Bechtler Museum of Modern Art – Refeather the Firebird – $8,000 – Supports the conservation and repair of the museum’s iconic Firebird sculpture.

This is the largest matching grant ASC has received for power2give and the second from Wells Fargo.  In fiscal year 2012, Wells Fargo provided a $100,000 matching grant specifically to support Charlotte Symphony projects.

“This community funding opportunity is a strategic investment that allows these organizations to connect with new donors and earn the funding they need to deliver on the important work they do for our community,” said Wells Fargo’s Jay Everette.

Launched in August 2011, power2give.org is a result of ASC’s focus to address the future of funding the cultural sector through innovative means. power2give is now in 14 cities across the U.S. and has generated more than $2.1 million.  In Charlotte, more than 2,300 donors have helped fund 274 projects and contributed $650,705.

To see the projects, click here.

Strickland, who was recognized by U.S. Sen. Robert Casey, Jr. (D-Penn.), is the visionary founder of the non-profit Manchester Bidwell Corporation (MBC) and National Center for Arts and Technology (NCAT) in Pittsburgh, Penn. Since 1972, Strickland has used the arts, education and community to empower and transform the lives of students.

Strickland (Center) with Studio 345 teaching artists.

His organizations’ youth development programs are based on the belief that environment shapes behavior. An average of 96% of students enrolled in MBC programs graduate from high school and 89% of those enrolled moved on to higher education.

“Over 300 people from around the country came to honor Bill and the extraordinary work he is doing,” said Temple, vice president, education. “It was exciting to see government recognizing social entrepreneurship and urban education.”

The day included a speech on the floor of the Senate from Casey acknowledging Strickland’s accomplishments in Pennsylvania and beyond. It also featured a panel discussion with non-profit and education leaders on the topic “Social Entrepreneurship.”

“To be in such a historic setting yesterday with people celebrating a man who really gets it was amazing,” Temple said.

Locally, Studio 345, supported by ASC and Mecklenburg County, is a replication site for Strickland’s NCAT. Open since October, Studio 345 has already enriched the lives of more than 100 students through the use of digital technology and multimedia.

Below is Casey’s Strickland floor speech.