This is where we'll
announce the most recent additions to our web site. If you've visited us before
and want to know what's changed, take a look here first.
The Charbonneau Arts Festival is a wonderful annual event showcasing the
marvelous artists in our community. Food, wine tasting, art demonstrations,
entertainment, a raffle event...
It should be on everyone's fall calendar. Additionally, each year there is a
high school art exhibit at the festival, alternating year by year between
Wilsonville High School and Canby High School.
It is an opportunity for high school students to get public response for their
work, and for the public to see the quality and value of the artwork being
produced in our local public schools.
Over the past two years, the festival planning committee has encouraged the high
school students to conduct demonstrations at the event, showcasing their working
processes and answering questions from
festival goers. This new feature has been widely popular and will surely be a
mainstay of future festivals. Wilsonville High School students who demonstrated
include Corinne Luper, Elise Wagner, Hannah
Sedlak, Chris Lundrigan, and Adele Myers.
Here's what you may not know: both Wilsonville High School and Canby High
School each received $500 this year from the money raised through the festival
vendor fees. Also, whichever school whose turn it is to exhibit
receives proceeds from the Saturday night ticketed event. This year,
Wilsonville High School got to exhibit and offer student art demonstrations, so
our program received an additional $403! We will use our total
of $903 to purchase some much-needed frames for our many art shows. We heartily
and gratefully wish to thank the Charbonneau art group for their generosity in
this amazing monetary gift and for the
opportunity to exhibit our student work! To organize an annual community event
that honors art education in the public schools, and also raises additional
money for the Boys' and Girls' Aid Society, is truly honorable
and commendable. Thank you so much!!!
-- Submitted by Christopher Shotola-Hardt
Wilsonville to hold 11th
annual Festival of the Arts
Saturday
Published: Thursday,
June 03, 2010, 5:24 PM
Updated: Thursday, June 03,
2010, 5:37 PM
Natalie Flynn, The Oregonian Artwork
by Rose Kern will be featured in this year's
Festival of the Arts in Wilsonville. The
WilsonvilleArts
and Culture Council will hold its 11th
annual Festival of the Arts from 10 a.m. to 6
p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday
at the Wilsonville Town Center Park.
This year's theme is "Recycled and Upcycled" and
the two-day free celebration of art starts with
a junk parade through town that ends at the
park. The festival continues with live music,
dancing and storytelling at the park on the main
stage.
The parade scheduled from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on
Saturday will feature floats that demonstrate
recycling and creativity. Theonie Gilmore, a
festival organizer, said this year's theme also
includes a "trashion" show of outfits made from
garbage by Wilsonville high school students. View
full sizeNicole MorganMorgan
Pina wears her dress made out of copies of The
Oregonian. "They are so
cute," Gilmore said of the clothing. "They've
really done some good jobs."
An art show and sale will feature work by nearly
80 local professional artists.
Gilmore said she feels the artwork presented
each year continues to help form the community
of Wilsonville, and she knows this year's
festival will do the same.
Children ages 3 to 12 can create their own art
pieces during the festival and work from
students at the
West-Linn Wilsonville School District will
be displayed both days.
"It's really important that people have a sense
of community, and the arts are a perfect way to
help do this," Gilmore said.
The
Wilsonville Festival
of Arts on June 5
and 6, 2010 is a
celebration of the
creative spirit
featuring more than
100 visual,
literary, and
performing artists.
The
weekend kicks off
with a ‘Junk to
Funk’ parade which
ends up at the
festival grounds in
Town Center Park
(29600 SW Park
Place,
Wilsonville).The
Festival includes
live music,
storytelling, dance,
poetry and a juried
visual arts show and
sale. 2010 theme is
‘Recycled &
Upcycled' with
creative ‘has beens’
of all varieties,
from sculpture to a
fashion show ...
make that a
'Trashion' Show.
The festival is free and has
something for the whole family.
For more information visit
www.WilsonvilleArts.org or phone 503.682.1446.
WILSONVILLE FESTIVAL OF ARTS
June 5 – 6
. Kick-off PARADE Saturday morning
. Juried visual art show & sale
. Live music and dance on stage
. Student Art Pavilion & Art Activities for Kids
. SILENT ART AUCTION
FREE for the whole family !
Opens 10:00 AM daily in
Town Center Park, Exit #283 off I-5
www.WilsonvilleArts.org
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE Contact: Sue Reynolds
February 19, 2010
(971) 645-1094
Rites of Spring
“Elysium Welcomes
PAN”
Leslie Cheney-Parr -
PAN
Natalya Balnova - PAN
Mary Farrel- PAN
Gordan Sherman- PAN
Palmarin Merges - Elysium
Joan Carlson - Elysium
Katy McFadden - Elysium
WILSONVILLE, OR – - Elysium
Artists and Portland Millwork will hosting Print Arts Northwest|PAN at a
show opening March 11, 2010, hanging until May 2nd. A wide range
of printmaking media, collographs and etchings will be on view. The opening
reception will be held from 5 to 8 pm on March 11th, 2010.
Portland Millwork located at 29600 SW Seely Ave, is open to all visitors
from 7-5 weekdays and 9-12 on Saturday.
Curators:
Lora R. Fisher, Exhibitions Coordinator, Print Arts Northwest | PAN
Sue Reynolds, Arts Advocate, Elysium Artists
Who says galleries can’t work
together? Elysium Artists has invited Print Arts Northwest |
PAN, one of the longest running arts organizations in the region, to exhibit
work with the Elysium Artist printmakers, Palmarin Merges, Joan Carlson and
Katy McFadden. Elysium Artists, a relatively new addition to the Portland
Art scene, advocates for Artists and Arts Organizations nationwide. This
will be the first in a series
of events where Elysium
Artists invites Portland galleries to show work at the Elysium Artist
Showroom in Clackamas County.
A printmaking demonstration
by Barbara Mason, Director of Print Arts Northwest, will be presented during
the opening reception.
The public is invited and the
event is free. Wine and refreshments will be served. All ages welcome.
For additional
information about this show please contact Sue Reynolds at 971-645-1094 or
visit www.elysiumartists.com
Plans for the 2010 Festival of Arts 'Art on the Town' are in progress.
This years theme is "Recycled & Upcycled".
This year’s
"Art on the Town" event is going to be bigger and better than ever. To
start things off with a bang, there will be the second annual Wilsonville
Parade on Saturday morning, with the theme "Junk to Funk". The parade will
wind through town and end at Town Center Park and our annual Festival of
Arts. We know you’ll want to be there too!
The Festival Committee is in need of new
Committee Chair People. Visit our
2010 Volunteer page to
get more information.
Elysium Artists FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE January 19, 2010
Contact: Sue Reynolds (971)
645-1094
Wilsonville High School Student Art Show opening at Portland
Millwork Showroom
WILSONVILLE, OR – - Elysium Artists and Portland Millwork host
Wilsonville High School art students in a show opening February 11,
2010, hanging until March 5th. The opening reception
will be held from 5 to 8 pm on Thursday, February 11th.
Portland Millwork, located at 29600 SW Seely Ave., is open to all
visitors from 7 - 5 weekdays and 9-12 on Saturdays.
This group exhibition
will feature work from the award-winning Wilsonville High School art
program: paintings, drawings, mixed-media works, and photography.
Selected pieces were recently recognized by the judges in the
Portland Metro Area Scholastic Art Awards (the regional judging that
precedes the national competition this spring). Others have
appeared in the best of Oregon biennial high school art show hosted by Oregon College of Art
& Craft, and at last year’s regional High School Art Northwest at
George Fox University. WilsonvilleHigh School
art students have gone on to attend many of the nation’s top art
colleges and universities.
Detail from Pizza by Katie Gorman
Wilsonville High School art faculty:
Christopher Shotola-Hardt,
M.F.A., was named the 2009 Oregon
Art Educator of the Year and teaches all of the fine art courses in
drawing and painting at Wilsonville High School. A professional
painter himself, Shotola-Hardt is one of the artists-owners of
Blackfish Gallery in Portland's Pearl District. He serves on the
boards of the Wilsonville Arts & Culture Council and the Oregon Art
Education Association. He founded the Wilsonville Festival of Arts
and served as its Artistic Director for the first three years. In
2005, he was the Oregon Secondary Art Educator of the Year.
Judy Morris-Green
teaches the upper division photography classes in addition to A.P.
Two-Dimensional Design, Interior Design, Graphic Design, Computer
Animation, Architecture, and Engineering.
Aaron Sturtz
has rejoined the art faculty at Wilsonville High School after
teaching in Chicago for four years. He is teaching Photo I and is
looking to build the school’s 3-D art program.
Also hanging work at this show will be photography students from De
La Salle North Catholic High School. De La Salle North Catholic High
School, in
North Portland, provides a rigorous, faith-based high
school-education and a professional internship program for all
students. The Corporate Internship Program promotes self-sufficiency
by providing career & life-skills training, personal mentoring and
paid employment. The majority of students are non-Catholic,
non-white, and from economically challenged families. For
additional information about this show please contact Sue Reynolds
at 971-645-1094 or visit
www.elysiumartists.com
Richard White, a long-time supporter of the arts in
Wilsonville, died Sept. 29, 2009, at Hopewell Hospice Center, of cancer.
He was 73 years old.
A celebration of life will take place at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, at
Meridian United Church of Christ. Officiant will be Janet Matthews.
White was born on July 28, 1936, in Hood River, as one of four children
of Louis and Hazel White, a kindergarten teacher and an army chaplain.
He graduated from Salem High School in 1954, later earning bachelor’s
and master’s degrees in education at Willamette University. He also
earned a master of counseling degree at Oregon State University, and a
doctorate from the University of Wyoming.
He spent almost 50 years as an educator and counselor in both high
school and college capacities, working in Hawaii and Oregon. He chaired
and presided over many state educational organizations, including the
Oregon Association of Counselors.
He married Charla Penners in The Dalles in 1962. They later divorced.
He spent countless hours doing volunteer work in the area, particularly
with the local food bank, Portland Art Walk, Wilsonville library, the
Wilsonville High School choir and fund-raising events for United Church
of Christ. He also was a founding member of the Wilsonville Arts and
Culture Council, president of the Wilsonville Theatre Company, interim
president of the Wilsonville/Boones Ferry Historical Society, OSSAC, and
active member of the Meridian church.
He is survived by brothers, Jim and Don; daughter, Gina; four children
of guardianship, Mia Rabaud, Marisol Crumpacker, Kali Hiatt, Leslie
Montgomery; six grandchildren.
Memorial contributions can be made to Wilsonville Theater Company or the
program fund of Meridian United Church of Christ.
A weekly offering of events and activities in the
Wilsonville area
Published: 10/6/2009 11:35:43 AM
Photo
By: Josh KullaA FERRY TALE Wilsonville's production of "A Ferry
Tale" begins Oct. 2, and continues Oct. 9-10.
“A Ferry Tale: Wilsonville, Oregon’s Transportation
Town,” a play written by June Reynolds, will
debut at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2, at the Frog Pond
Grange, 27350 S.W. Stafford Road. Tickets $10 adults, $7
children, seniors. Tickets may be purchased at the door
or in advance at Lamb’s Wilsonville Thriftway. There
will be performances on Oct. 2, 3, 9 and 10. All shows
start at 7 p.m. except for the Oct. 3 matinee, which
starts at 2 p.m. Details / Reservations: 503-682-2367,
or browse www.wilsonvilletheatercompany.org.
The
Wilsonville Arts and Culture Council decided to celebrate Oregon's 150th
birthday by commissioning the writing of a play about Wilsonville's history.
The Wilsonville Theater Company will present "A Ferry Tale: Wilsonville,
Oregon's Transportation Town" at 7 p.m. Friday and 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday at the
Frogpond Grange, 27350 S.W. Stafford Road.
Performances will continue at 7 p.m. Oct. 9 and 10. A historic-activities
afternoon for families -- featuring costumed special guests from historic
Champoeg State Park -- will run from 2 to 4 p.m. Oct. 10.
The playwright is June Reynolds, a former drama teacher who now is a librarian
at Sherwood High School and education director for the Sherwood Historical
Society. The director is Jean Tsokos, a retired theater professional, drama
teacher and recent director of an adult summer theater camp at Wilsonville
Community Center. Producer is Theonie Gilmore, chief executive officer of the
Wilsonville Arts & Culture Council.
The nine-scene play begins with three people in a 21st-century walking tour
group who go through a time change at the Willamette River and meet Daniel
Boone's great-grandson Jesse Boone; Charles Wilson (Wilsonville); and George Law
Curry, the first provincial governor of Oregon, who lived in historic
Wilsonville.
Tickets are $10 general admission, $7 for students and senior citizens. For
reservations and other information visit
www.wilsonvilletheatercompany.org.
Wilsonville’s
Northwest Author Series began its educational third season. Sunday, Sept. 27, at
the Wilsonville Public Library.
There, award-winning young adult fiction author Laura Whitcomb presented “Novel
Shortcuts,” a talk on how she was able to become a published author.
The talk kicked off the series’ third year, and it will a different creature
than in the past, according to creator and host Christina Katz, a Wilsonville
author.
“The emphasis this year is on education,” said Katz. “Our audience has grown
over the past two years to 30-50 aspiring authors eager to learn how-to tips
from published authors. While creating the lineup for this year, I especially
kept an eye out for authors who teach regularly, like memoirist Melissa Hart and
children’s author David Michael Slater.”
The presentations take place in the Library’s Oak Room from 3:30 – 5:30
p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are available at the door for $5, $3 for seniors and
students. No advance registration is required.
“We’re in our third year,” Katz said, “and we seem to have hit our stride as a
community-building event for local writers. People regularly travel from
Washington, Salem, and McMinnville for our presentations.”
Books will be available for purchase and signing by the authors. The series is
sponsored by The Wilsonville Public Library, the Wilsonville Arts and Culture
Council, and the Friends of the Wilsonville Library.
It will continue through May each month during the school year except December.
Katz, whose books, “Get Known Before the Book Deal” and “Writer Mama” were
published by Writer’s Digest Books, created and hosts the series. She has
selected Wilsonville High School senior Marina Cameron as a student intern this
season.
2009-10 Northwest Author Series Dates / Authors Sept. 27: Young adult fiction author, Laura Whitcomb –
“Novel Shortcuts” Oct. 18: Cookbook author, Kati Neville – “Test
Market with Self-publishing” Nov. 15: Memoirist, Melissa Hart – “Memoir that
Sells” Jan. 24: Children’s author, Amber J. Keyser – “How to
Use a Critique Group” Feb. 21: Nonfiction author, Cindy Hudson – “The
Nonfiction Book” March 14: Fiction author, Naseem Rakha – “Write What
People Remember” April 18: Romance author, Deborah Schneider – “Romance
101” May 16: Children’s author, David Michael Slater –
“Plotting Your Success”
A Taste of History
'Ferry Tale' tells the story of Wilsonville in nine acts
Photo By: Michelle TeA Ferry Tale The cast of 'A Ferry Tale' (L to R):
Dan Sherman, Brenda Walter, Everette O'Riley, Kirk
Shultz, Makayla Van Wechel, Madison Paul, Carolyn
Boone-Grenfell and Clyde List.
No matter what, the show must go on.
That’s show business, and for the cast and crew of “A
Ferry Tale of Wilsonville, Oregon’s Transportation
Town,” the Wilsonville Theater Company’s latest
production, it is especially apt this time out.
When Dick White, president of the theater company and
one of the play’s leading men, suddenly fell ill several
weeks ago, a replacement had to be found in a hurry.
Other changes along the way threw further confusion on
the production and left director Jean Tsokos feeling
somewhat embattled as the Oct. 2 opening date loomed.
Fortunately, everything has fallen into place in the
past week or so, including Wilsonville resident Dan
Sherman stepping in to replace the popular White in the
role of “Bob.”
“We scrambled around, and now have all the cast parts
filled – two weeks before performance,” organizer
Theonie Gilmore said.
The play is presented in nine different scenes,
representing different periods in Wilsonville’s history.
Starting in the 1850s, when people encounter the pioneer
Jesse Boone, descendent of the famed Daniel Boone, and
his ferry, the play moves on through the next century
through the 1950s and the arrival of Interstate 5 and
the Boone Bridge.
By necessity, Tsokos said, this has required a large
cast and a variety of sets.
“For a variety of reasons it’s a huge cast,” she said
last Friday before a rehearsal. “Which is why we’re not
performing it on the stage. A couple of parts I had to
re-write to make a man’s part a woman’s. At one point we
didn’t’ have enough men.”
All of that is now in the past, she added, and the
entire crew now is looking forward to actually
performing in front of a live audience.
“It’s been a unique experience,” Tsokos said.
“A Ferry Tale” will be performed at 7 p.m. Friday and
Saturday, Oct. 2-3, 9-10. A matinee will be held at 2
p.m. Sunday, Oct. 3. All performances will be at the
Frogpond Grange Hall, 27350 S.W. Stafford Road.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $7 for seniors and students,
and can be purchased online at
www.wilsonvilletheatercompany.org, at Lamb’s Wilsonville
Thriftway and the Wilsonville Chamber of Commerce.
Gilmore said she is eager for the public to come out and
see a play the entire theater company feels is one of
their most important ever.
Among the unique features of the production will be an
original musical score written and performed by
Wilsonville actor Clyde List, who also plays several
roles in the play.
Further, the Boone family that played a prominent role
in settling the area now known as Wilsonville will have
three modern-day descendents in the cast, linking past
and present.
“'A Ferry Tale' is a great event about Wilsonville’s
History,” Gilmore said. “It will be archived in the
State of Oregon records as an Oregon 150 project. Please
tell your friends and plan to attend the play. It will
be a very special and memorable experience of this
sesquicentennial year of 2009. If you really want to be
an angel, invest in this project by donating money.”
For details, contact Gilmore at 503-638-6933 or
theonie_gilmore@verizon.net. “A Ferry Tale” Cast List Narrator – Trudy Castle
Bob – Dan Sherman
Polly – Brenda Walter
Boy in coonskin cap – Andrew Hough
George Curry – Clyde List
Chloe Curry – Carolyn Boone-Grenfell
Charles Wilson – Kendall Auel
Inza Wood – Peggy Mott
Schoolchildren – Madison Paul, Mary Jane Fitzgerald,
Katie Walter, Andrew Hough
Frederika Wilson – Pamela Hough
Amelia Peters – Lori Wolfrom
Henry Aden’s messenger – Makayla Van Wechel
Fred Prahl – Kendall Auel
Margaret – Madison Paul
German man – Clyde List
German woman – Patti Palumbo
Young German woman – Makayla Van Wechel
Young German man – Nate Zilk
Captain Emil Tauchman – Clyde List
Donald Boone – Kirk Shultz
Mary Jane Boone – Ricelle Fitzgerald
Carolyn Boone – Mary Jane Fitzgerald
At A Glance “A Ferry Tale” will be performed at 7 p.m.
Friday and Saturday, Oct. 2-3, 9-10. A matinee will be
held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 3. All performances will be
at the Frogpond Grange Hall, 27350 S.W. Stafford Road.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $7 for seniors and students,
and can be purchased online at
www.wilsonvilletheatercompany.org, at Lamb’s
Wilsonville Thriftway and the Wilsonville Chamber of
Commerce.
Wilsonville play will highlight city’s history
'A Ferry Tale' is finale in sesquicentennial effort
Oregon
150 — The Wilsonville Way has produced several events and activities this past
year.
From a parade to T-shirts to an enjoyable “beards and bonnets” contest, the
celebration in connection with Oregon 150 has brought Wilsonville history to
life.
Now, the Wilsonville Arts and Culture Council will produce the final piece of
its yearlong effort.
“A Ferry Tale of Wilsonville, Oregon’s Transportation Town,” is a
locally-written play that will have several showings in October.
The play is presented in nine scenes, representing different periods of
Wilsonville’s history, from the 1850s, when people encounter Jesse Boone and his
ferry, through the 1950s, when the interstate highway, (including Boone Bridge)
is opened to the public. “The playwright
has used the dramatic use of time travel and the audience meets three people
from the 21st century who find themselves back in the 19th century,” said
Theonie Gilmore, president of the Wilsonville Arts and Culture Council.
It is written by June Reynolds, a former drama teacher and current librarian at
Sherwood High School. She is active in the
Sherwood Historical Association.
The play is directed by Jean Tsokos, a retired theater professional who recently
facilitated a “theater camp” at the Wilsonville Community Center.
The play will be performed by the Wilsonville Theater Company.
AT A GLANCE
7 p.m. Oct. 2-3, 9-10, and 2 p.m. Oct. 3, Frogpond Grange, 27350 Stafford Road,
Wilsonville.
Performances for school students on Oct. 9.
Tickets: $10 for adults, $7 for seniors and students. Can be purchased online at
www.wilsonvilletheatercompany.org or at Lamb’s Thriftway.
Details: WA&CC, P.O. Box 861, Wilsonville, OR 97070; Theonie Gilmore,
503-638-6933, theonie_gilmore@verizon.net, or Dick White, 503-682-2367,
richard.a.white@netzero.net.
Would you like to
make history?
You
can ---if you associate with an upcoming historical play---. Please join
us and get involved with an original play about Boones Ferry. The
Wilsonville Arts & Culture Council commissioned a play about
Wilsonville’s history for performance by the Wilsonville Theater Company
at the second oldest grange in Oregon, The Frogpond Grange, 27350
Stafford Road, Wilsonville, 97070.
The
playwright, June Reynolds, is a former drama teacher; current librarian
at Sherwood High School and an active historian with the Sherwood
Historical Society.
The
play will be presented several times under the theme ”Oregon 150…the
Wilsonville Way,
starting October 2, 3, 9, 10. A 2:00 p.m. matinee will be held Oct.
3. Evening performances
are
7:00 p.m. Tickets are available at the website
WilsonvilleTheaterCompany.org. and at Wilsonville Lamb’s Thriftway.
Adults - $10; Seniors and Students - $7.
Presentation of parts of the play after the public performances will be
possible with local schools. Contact 503-638-6933 to make arrangements.
The
play is entitled: “A Ferry Tale of Wilsonville; Oregon’s
Transportation Town.”
In
nine scenes the play represents different periods of Wilsonville’s
history, from the 1850’s,
when
people encounter Jesse Boone and his ferry, through the 1950’s, when the
Interstate
highway (including Boone Bridge) is opened to the public.
The
playwright has used the dramatic device of time travel, and the audience
meets three people from the 21st century who find themselves
back in the 19th century.
Inquiries may be sent to WA&CC, P.O. Box 861, Wilsonville, Oregon 97070
or by phone or
·
Distribute and post the flyers that accompany this letter
·
Insert a notice in your school email and other newsletters to parents
·Buy
tickets and attend the play
·Call
503-638-6933 to discuss possible lesson plans for students
Sincerely,
Theonie Gilmore, Executive Director, Wilsonville Arts & Culture Council
Dick White, President, Wilsonville Theater Company
In the Local news Publications
Recent Media Coverage of
Wilsonville Arts & Culture Council
Parade will kick off annual art festival CLACKAMAS COUNTY Neighborhood roundup - Thursday May
28, 2009, 6:10 AM
The popular Wilsonville
Festival of Arts -- celebrating its 10th anniversary this weekend -- will be
bigger and better than ever with activities themed to Oregon's 150th birthday.
The free event will run
from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at Town Center
Park, 29600 S. W. Park Place.
In addition to 80 visual
artists -- the cornerstone of the event -- the festival will feature the
culmination of the 150-day bearded man contest, a bonnet contest, onstage
entertainment, and a parade with horses, clowns, old cars, costumes and bands. A
community mural, the third in a series, will be hung in the Wilsonville Visitor
Center.
Kit Whittaker, publicity
coordinator, said he expects record attendance.
"The biggest draw is
always the incredible range of art -- innovative handmade and home-made items,"
he said. "This year the city of Wilsonville has gotten more involved, and the
birthday events will provide even more excitement."
The Wilsonville Way Parade
will kick off the festival at 10 a.m. Saturday. The 30 parade entries will
represent the decades since Oregon's birth. Participants include SMART Transit,
the Wilsonville High School art department, the Wilsonville Robotics group, and
the Get a Life Marching Band (which played at the presidential inauguration).
Posted by Kimberly Nelson, community blogger,
OregonLive.com February 13, 2009 15:36PM
Column: Woman's passion for art propels her work to build a center
By Heidi Williams, The Oregonian
October 30, 2008, 6:30AM
In February, Wilsonville resident Theonie
Gilmore was surprised and honored to receive the Rotarian's Citizen of the Year
award for her contribution in bringing art awareness to the community.
Gilmore's life is a story rich with inspiration
fueled by transition. After years as a music educator in the public school
system, a car accident created short-term memory loss, temporarily derailing her
teaching career.
To challenge herself and to "see if my brain
would work," she enrolled in classes and received a certificate in arts
administration where her interest in the arts took on a broader worldview.
Gilmore then attended a lecture by a Pakistan
official that inspired her to research that region of the world. She found
herself traveling to Afghanistan to study how art affects different cultures.
After observing rituals and tribal rites and
watching Afghans paint and decorate their tents and cars, she was inspired to
show the differences in attitudes toward art between tribal and civilized
cultures. She saw the Afghan people expressing art throughout daily life and the
ensuing joy it created. In comparison, America's role with art was more as an
observer than participant, and she vowed to change that.
Out of Gilmore's observations of unrest in the
Afghan region she created a documentary, "A Nation Uprooted: Afghans Refugees in
Pakistan," which aired on PBS. And that was just the beginning of her legacy.
Most recently, she co-founded the Wilsonville
Arts and Culture Council. This organization bears her personal mission to help
the public participate in art and change attitudes.
"Instead of people saying they aren't good
enough, I want people to feel comfortable about expressing themselves through
art and stop comparing themselves to the great artists. Pick up a paintbrush, or
quilting needle," 71-year-old Gilmore says.
While she has accomplished much with her passion
for art, there is another dream Gilmore won't give up. She wants the Wilsonville
Arts and Culture Council to become the Wilsonville Arts and Culture Center,
which requires planning, funding and a building.
Two years ago, the long-range planning committee
for the city of Wilsonville included a performing arts facility. To bring this
plan to fruition will require a private/public partnership and a fundraising
campaign, which to most sounds daunting. But with Gilmore's tenacity and
enthusiasm, the project seems tangible.
In the meantime, Gilmore is focused on immediate
plans to involve her community in a collective art project. An upcoming event
featuring the history of quilt making, co-sponsored by the Wilsonville Arts and
Culture Council, is an effort to create awareness about Oregon's 2009
sesquicentennial.
"I hope the presentation inspires locals to make
a quilt of celebration for Wilsonville's participation. Our region has a rich
history of quilting, and I'd like to resurrect the craft in our community,"
Gilmore says.
The event, Nov. 15 at the Wilsonville Library,
will feature a lecture by Mary Bywater Cross, a quilt historian and artist.
Cross will trace the transformations within the quilt-making genre as she
interprets locally made quilts stitched for Oregon's 1959 centennial.
For more information on this event contact
Gilmore at 503-638-6933.
Exhibitions and Articles
Exhibitions
2008. Wisonville's 9th Annual Festival
of the Arts.
The Art of Story Telling.
The second phase of a Wilsonville History Mural project finds its home this
week. Wilsonville Spokesman.
2007. Wisonville's 8th Annual Festival
of the Arts.
Art on the town. June 2nd & 3rd, 2007
Help Hector create a Public Mural
Wilsonville Spokesman.
Wilsonville's Busy Summer Events Schedule Needs You
By Kimberly Nelson
April 28, 2008, 8:48AM
Wilsonville Festival of Arts,
Saturday-Sunday, May 31 & June 1: Produced by the nonprofit Wilsonville
Arts & Culture Council and hosted by the Wilsonville Chamber at the Visitor
Center and Town Center Park. This is an experience for all ages! The arts
festival features nearly 200 visual, literary and performing artists. In
addition to a juried visual-arts exhibition and sales, educational
demonstrations, and online gallery, there is music, storytelling, dance and
sidewalk chalk art! A student gallery features over 100 exhibits from the West
Linn-Wilsonville Schools, and food vendors and community organization booths are
also on hand. For details: Theonie Gilmore at 503-638-6933 or
www.WilsonvilleArts.org.
Wilsonville Arts Selected for the 2009 Sesquicentennial Celebration
By Kimberly Nelson
April 03, 2008, 9:31AM
Oregon 150 Project -
The Wilsonville Arts & Culture Council has been accepted by the State of Oregon
Sesquicentennial committee as a partner for the 2009 Sesquicentennial year long
celebration. Project Title: Wilsonville Passages Through Time
As Oregon grew, so did Wilsonville -- embracing our past, celebrating the
present and envisioning our future (1) The host organization's mission - The Wilsonville Arts & Culture
Council
To promote and support arts and culture in Wilsonville
To provide access to arts and culture to all the people in Wilsonville
To provide a structure where Wilsonville area arts and culture organizations
can work together
(2) Overview of the projectTelling the Story of Wilsonville is a 1 & 1/2
year long project which encompasses educating and increasing public awareness of
our past with lectures such as the "Wilsonville Before Wilsonville" series
recently presented in the Wilsonville library,
and a special documentary on Willamette River Steamboats. Heritage trees will be
commemorated; pioneer cemeteries will be attended to; a creative core of
arts & culture volunteers will manifest the production and implementation of
historical elements in the 2008 Wilsonville Festival of Arts, May 31/June 1.
This will include Living History presentations by Champoeg Park educators;
Historical costumed portraits, and performing artists sesquicentennial previews. (3) How the project addresses Oregon 150's mission and values
Oregon 150's Vision, Mission and Values : Vision: Appreciate the past, celebrate the present, imagine the
future. Mission: Oregon's sesquicentennial will inspire people across
the state to remember, experience, and celebrate Oregon and, together, create a
sustainable future Values: The sesquicentennial will involve Oregonians from all
walks of life
All ages, income levels, and ethnic backgrounds; New and longtime Oregonians;
Rural and urban
Wilsonville's history is as a rural, farming community, which over 150 years has
grown
into an ex-urban distribution and technology center. Local stories will develop
into a play.
(4) Where and when the project will take place
There will be two different public presentations of Wilsonville Passages Through
Time
The first presentation will be a parade that will take place on Saturday morning
June 6, 2009. It will begin the 2 day weekend 10th annual Wilsonville Festival
of Arts
The
project title, Wilsonville Passages Through Time, will be the theme for a large
community parade on June 6, 2009.
The second presentation will take place in the Fall of 2009.The play's content
will be
developed through collaborations between children, elders, diverse community
groups, and the artists who will shape gathered stories into a finished play.
(5) How many people do you expect to participate in the project?250
project participants and 5,000 + event attendees.
For more information contact: Theonie Gilmore,
Executive Director, Wilsonville Arts & Culture Council -
theonie_gilmore@verizon.net
Wilsonville Arts & Culture Council Schedue of Events
Upcoming 2007 Events - Co -Sponsored by Wilsonville Arts & Culture Council* Public Art --July 9 - Installation of New Sculptures by Wilsonville
Citizens for Public Art
-- August 18 - Public Reception to Meet New Artists Theater Arts--The Compleat Shakespeare" will be performed at the Frog
Pond Grange
by Wilsonville Theater Company
August 10-11-12 and 17-18-19. Contact us for more information.
--"Barefoot in the Park" will be performed at the Frog Pong Grange
on weekends of October19-21, 26-28, and November 2-4.
Watch for more information, including audition dates. Music
-- "Booknotes" - a concert in the Wilsonville Library on one Monday
evening a month , starting in September and going through May.
Admission will be free; you will be encouraged to make a donation
to the music fund, and /or bring books to give to "Twice Sold Tales",
the library's bookstore. Literary Arts
---- Wilsonville Author Invitational: Oregon Writers Discuss
Writing and Publishing Across the Genres
Third Sunday of every month (except December)
September 2007- June 2008
September 16th - How I Paid for College, a novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship
and Musical Theater, by Marc Acito.
October 21st - Writer Mama, How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside
Your Kids, by Christina Katz
November 18th - Elizabeth Rusch - author of four children's books including
Will it Blow: Become a Volcano Detective at Mt. Hood
For more information contact:Theonie@WilsonvilleArts.org,
503-638-6933
or
richard.a.white@netzero.com, 503-682-2367,www.WilsonvilleArts.org
