Promotional Program for the Truckee Cultural District
All summer long we will be seeking to support and promote our local artists, makers, performers, writers, organizations and other "cultural assets" as we spread the word about Truckee's designation as a California Cultural District. Each week at Truckee Thursdays, we will showcase our district through "featured artist" appearances, using Truckee's Base Camp for a Big Life 10 X 10 booth. If interested read the call to artists below. In addition to a beautiful space for you to engage with people in the Truckee Cultural District booth provided by TTBID (Truckee Tourism Business Improvement District), each artist or organization featured will be further promoted through Visit Truckee's multiple media channels and TAA's social media and newsletters.
Calling All Artists - this is an invitation to participate! Are YOU a cultural asset? Would you like to learn more, or apply to be one of our featured creatives at Truckee Thursdays? Contact the Truckee Arts Alliance at
info@truckeeartsalliance.com or call or text the program coordinator, Sara Smith at 530-412-0292 to find out about our next TAA meetup, or to apply to be a featured artist. Learn about the new District at
http://www.TruckeeCulturalDistrict.com.
Big Life Artist of the Week, June 14, 2018: Sara L. Smith
Local artist
Sara Smith's work is influenced by science, by nature, by the study of both human and animal social systems, by individual and collective behavior, and by meditation. Smith's "Wilding" series connects two worlds, juxtaposing an urban rawness with the natural world. Using street-art techniques and mixing traditional and nontraditional materials, she creates modern images of wilderness that are simultaneously complex and grounded. Sara is a full time, lifelong artist, gratefully living and working in Truckee-Tahoe, California. Her art is inspired by playful appreciation for both the simplicity and complexity of life, of the world within and the world without, driven by a constant curiosity and fascination with the uniquely individual experiences of the lives we live. She strives to give form to ethereal moments in time and a voice to the magic interwoven throughout the natural world… to bring an experience to the viewer that connects them to something inside themselves, and to the threads that connect us all. See her work at
http://saralsmith.com/
Big Life Artists of the Week, June 21, 2018: Eva S. Nichols and Karen A. Terrey
Eva S. Nichols is an award-winning watercolorist & mixed-media artist best described as an "impressionist colorist" inspired by nature. She strives to convey a mood and a feeling with her color choices, not necessarily to match exactly what she sees, but colored by what she feels. You can always recognize her use of bold colors and unique compositions.
In 2009 Danish born Nichols was an artist in residence at Mendocino Art Center, which started her career as an art instructor. She has a unique ability to inspire students to explore their creativity and grow artistically. Eva has won numerous awards, and Truckee Meadows Community College, Reno, NV recently awarded her Community Education Instructor of the Year. She spent the Spring of 2015 as Artist In Residence at St. Mary’s Art Center in Virginia City, NV.
Eva resides in Truckee, CA where she is an active member of Truckee Arts Alliance as well as North Tahoe Arts Artisan Shop in Tahoe City, CA. She is represented by galleries in California and Nevada, as well as in China. Please check her current workshop and show schedule at
www.beautyonlocation.com or contact her at
evanichols@icloud.com or phone 530-414-1289.
Karen A. Terrey earned her MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College in 2007. She loves to collaborate with other artists and is currently working on projects with Sierra Poetry Festival, Surprise Valley Writers' Conference, and Truckee Community Theater's Ten Minute Play Festival. Her poems have appeared in Rhino, Edge, West Trestle Review, Sierra Nevada Review, The Meadow, Squaw Valley Review and Puerto Del Sol, among others. Bite and Blood, a book of poetry published by Finishing Line Press, is available in local bookstores. As a builder of literary community, she is a writing coach and editor, offering workshops, manuscript review and coaching through her business Tangled Roots Writing. She’s taught writing at Sierra Nevada College, Lake Tahoe Community College, and Sierra College. To see her poems and info on other events and workshops check out her website at
www.karenaterrey.blogspot.com.
Big Life Artist of the Week, June 28, 2018: Ben Martin and Tahoe Truckee School of Music
Ben "Jammin" Martin loves teaching people who think they have no musical talent. The Founder and Director of
Tahoe Truckee School of Music, Ben has performed with legends Kenny Loggins and Mike Love of the Beach Boys. He currently plays acoustic guitar in the After Eights, bass guitar with the Emily Tessmer Band and acoustic guitar with Angele and the Wildwood Band.
The
Tahoe Truckee School of Music is a 501(3)c non-profit community music school in Truckee that offers music lessons, group classes, and performance experiences to students of all ages. One of their featured ensembles is the kids rock band, Kai and the Monsters. The school has something for everyone - they provide groups and programs for beginners as well as experienced musicians to participate in. Ben and TTSM instructors also provide professional live entertainment for weddings, ceremonies, and other events through the Tahoe Music Professionals. Ben also runs the music program at the Sierra Expeditionary Learning School in Truckee.
Big Life Artists of the Week, July 5, 2018: Greg Zirbel and Marie Strassberger
“Reflections of Nature” Custom Landscape quilting. Local quilter,
Marie Strassburger, brings her lifelong love of nature to her art in creating one-of-a-kind landscape quilts. Recently retired from a 30-year career as a professional wildlife biologist, she is thrilled to call Truckee home and is delighted to utilize her quilt artistry to reflect the wonders of our natural world.
Marie has been recreating in the Tahoe Basin since a very young age. Her year round exposure to the beauty of the Sierra Mountains and other wilderness areas throughout the west, instilled in her a life-long desire to study wildlife biology. She earned a Bachelor’s degree from UC Davis and a Masters in Natural Science from Arizona State University. This academic foundation led to a career working on a diversity of conversation issues in both the western U.S. and Washington D.C. She is now combining her conservation expertise, with her fondness for creatively working with colors, and strong affinity for detail into the quilting world.
Available in a full range of formats from placemats, pillow cases, bedspreads, to wall hangings in a wide range of sizes and shapes, each product is inspired by nature but specifically designed to meet the customer’s aspirations. Working with a wide variety of colors and cloth mediums, her goal is to provide a true eye catching piece of art. Whether looking for the unique wedding gift, a memory quilt, or an eye catching wall hanging, she will create a unique piece of artwork that truly represents “Reflections of Nature.” Feel free to contact her at
strasmarie@aol.com or phone 530-536-8619.
Take an artist with creative juices coming out his ears, mix in some Truckee history, some birds and salvaged historical lumber and you come out with unique American folk art. Artist Greg Zirbel creates fully functional birdhouses which are replicas of our historical landmarks.
Greg grew up in Truckee and graduated from Truckee High. He started crafting birdhouses after he injured his back in college and decided to design and build birdhouses using reclaimed lumber resembling historical landmarks. His design vision resembled an old west whimsical Bodie look, a ghost town of his own. After 18 years as a senior support technical specialist, Greg returned to Truckee and decided to follow his passions as an artist and nature photographer. Greg loves that he is able to save a little bit of Truckee’s rich history by creating whimsical birdhouses replicas. Greg completed projects with detailed documentation and photos to learn where each piece of wood came from. If he can use pieces of the house that he is replicating, all the better. For a detailed look at his collection while in Truckee please visit NeatTweets Workshop.
Find Greg hanging out with the Truckee Donner Historical Society’s “601”Railroad Regulators as an old miner from 1880. Follow NeatTweets Workshop on Facebook where historical tidbits abound.
Big Life Artist of the Week, July 12, 2018: Elizabeth Archer and InnerRhythms Dance Theatre
Elizabeth Archer began her adventure with dance at the age of twelve under the Artistic Direction of Dorothy Percival, Founder/Director, of Ballet San Joaquin, in Stockton, CA. She received excellent technical training from Dorothy in Classical Ballet and Jazz. This training afforded her opportunities to study under masters including Robert Joffrey, David Howard, and Maria Tallchief. Elizabeth has also been fortunate to study with Jillana, former principal with New York City Ballet and Finis Jung in New York. Elizabeth’s direct involvement with Artown for over ten years inspired her to seek out other artists who yearn for a vibrant arts community in the Truckee/North Lake Tahoe area. Through Elizabeth’s community relationships,
InnerRhythms has been instrumental in setting the foundation for implementing policy with strategic partners and stakeholders as we work together in promoting the Performing Arts in our region and one day building a critically needed Performing Arts Facility for our community.
Big Life Artist of the Week, July 19, 2018: Truckee Community Theater
Truckee Community Theater, founded by
Courtney Simson, is proud to be the only community theater in Truckee and North Tahoe that presents high quality plays and musicals starring local actors from young children to senior citizens! We also boast an adult Improv Troupe, a senior actors readers theater group, camps and classes for kids, and a 10 Minute Play Festival in which we present the work of local playwrights. We are performing at a higher level! Learn more at our website,
www.truckeecommunity theater.com
Big Life Artist of the Week, July 24, 2018: Nancy Tieken Lopez and
Trails & Vistas
Integrating Arts of Performance, Music, Poetry, Dance in Natural Environments: Collaborative strategies are integral to the work of Truckee artist Nancy Tieken Lopez, and are essential to her large-scale Art Hikes in the Sierra Nevada. Her site-specific Art Hikes are a unique experience in natural environments integrating the arts and incorporating performance, music, poetry, dance and earthworks.
Nancy received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Southwest Texas State University and Masters of Fine Arts from San Jose State University. Her graduate studies included an emphasis in bronze sculpture and installation art that lead her to using more ephemeral materials in her earth installations. She began creating art hikes in nature while completing her Master of Fine Arts over twenty years ago, and founded the non-profit organization Trails and Vistas in 2004.
In addition to being an installation artist, Nancy taught art to elementary school children for fifteen years for the California Arts Council and created community art projects that toured from California to Washington DC. Collaborative strategies continue to play an essential role in her work as a professional artist and art educator with her unique art hikes, earth paintings, and one of a kind art experiences like the Taste & Listen Pop Up Dinners at Stella. For more information visit www.TrailsAndVistas.org
Big Life Artist of the Week, August 2, 2018: Arts for the Schools
Arts For The Schools is a bi-state 501 (c)3 non-profit that fundamentally believes that access and exposure to the arts is essential for all. Arts For The Schools fills the gaps in visual and performing arts education for more than 10,000 children at K-12 schools AND provides access to artistic excellence for the public. For 34 years Arts For The Schools has encouraged children and adults to create, perform, learn, lead, understand and discover. Please visit our site for more information: https://www.artsfortheschools.org/
Big Life Artist of the Week, August 9, 2018: Truckee Roundhouse
Truckee Roundhouse is Truckee-North Tahoe's makerspace. The Roundhouse is a non-profit makerspace that supports the teaching, learning, and practicing of a wide variety of crafts, skills, technologies, and arts in the Truckee-Tahoe community. They have five shops: Wood, Metal, Ceramics, Technology, and Textiles, with many state-of-the-art tools to help you take your projects to the next level. Come learn at the Roundhouse! Their list of classes keeps growing. Memberships are available - Join the Roundhouse and be able to use our tools and shops and work on your own projects. It's a fun space to build art and community. Come by for a tour! http:www.truckeeroundhouse.org
Big Life Artist of the Week, August 16, 2018: Susie Alexander - Arts In Wellness
As Director of Arts In Wellness, Susie Alexander is on a mission to connect individuals to their creative spirit by developing Creative groups. Susie has also been a professional artist for thirty years and practices permacultural principles in her lifestyle. hese principles have greatly influenced her recent work by offering a visual dimension to environmental ecology.
Susie was born and raised in Europe and moved to the US when she was 16. She has always had a passion for art and pursued her creative studies at University of Oregon and Otis Art Institute. Beginning in her twenties she started selling her art professionally. Her career took her all over the world, and through her connection with various clients she increasingly recognized for all individuals, regardless of cultural or financial background, the importance of belonging to a community and feeling comfortable expressing as an individual within that community.
Susie’s hopes are that the basic format of the Arts In Wellness ongoing Creative groups will flourish and encourage all communities to discover sustained healthy lifestyles through connection and creative expression.
Big Life Artist of the Week, August 23, 2018: Matthew Osgood
Matthew Osgood’s art reflects the beauty and richness of the world around him from which he draws his inspiration. Matthew seeks to draw out this beauty and evoke feelings. The creative process for him is as much about seeing complexities of color, variations in texture, and depth of field, as it is about experiencing the joy, contentment, reflection, and possibilities.
He set out to learn skills of metal, wood fabrication, painting, and drawing to express these experiences and his ideas in the best possible medium. Matthew believes that fine craftsmanship is important. So, too, is retaining the quality of handmade art created through deliberate and carefully conceived actions.
Each piece Matthew creates takes him on a personal journey of learning and discovery. When Matthew works with clients on commissioned works, he invites them to share in the passion of the artist journey of creating the piece. He draws his inspiration from their inspiration. From the feelings, colors, images, ideas, and emotions that they want to emerge from the art, Matthew creates.
Learn more about Matthew Osgood’s art and purchase his work at www.matthewosgoodart.com. Follow Matthew on facebook.com/MatthewOsgoodArt or on Instagram @Mposgood2.
