It’s Time to Start Planning Your Summer Art Activities!

This summer music season kicks off Sunday, June 10 with a mix of country, bluegrass & gospel music.  Art Camps for Kids include Monster Camp, Mystery Art Studio and much more for ages preschool – teens. Metal Fest returns Saturday, July 21st.  For the complete listing of events for all ages click on Classes and Workshops.

Party for the Arts: Cinco de Mayo

Great River Arts Association invites you to our annual Party for the Arts!

Saturday, May 5th, 7-11pm

This year’s party has a Cinco de Mayo, Mexican theme and will include tasty cuisine from Little Fiesta, The Black & White, The Waller House Inn, Pete & Joy’s Bakery and The Old Creamery Restaurant.

Coborn’s Liquor will be providing wine in the spirit of the fiesta, and D&D Beer Company has donated beer from one of our regional breweries.  Each ticket to the event includes 2 drink tickets.

When you enter the Great River Arts Center on the night of the party, you will be taken to a Mexican courtyard where you can visit the Rio Grande Restaurante, Rosa’s Cantina, a photo booth (where you can dress up in sombreros and mustaches and take pictures to commemorate the event – bring your cameras or smart phones!), live dancers and more.

For this year’s art auction, we have given an assignment to 15 local artists.  We gave them a vintage wood and metal folding chair, and have asked them to turn the chairs into works of art.  Artists include Len Sharon, Earl Pilloud, Denny Myers, Angela Beaumont and more!  There are painters, wood turners, metal sculptors and multi-media artists.  We have no idea what the artists will do with the assignment, but as they return, we will have them on display in the front window gallery at the Great River Arts Center for you to see.

Mary McKiernan with her chili pepper and octopus pinatas at the Great River Arts Center. The Turtle was made by Adam during Family Art Day. Stop by and see all 17 pintats!

If you’ve been by the art center lately, you’ve seen the window filled with pinatas.  These were created during our March Family Art Day event by staff, volunteers and members of the community ranging in age from 2 years old to retired.  During the party, you will have the opportunity to smash some of the pintats for the chance to win special prizes such as tickets to theater and sports events.

There will also be a silent auction and we’ve brought back our popular cash raffle!  A $10 ticket gives you the chance to win $1450 in cash prizes (first place is $700, 2nd is $500 and 3rd is $250).  You don’t have to be present to win, so if you can’t make it to the party, but want to support the arts, stop by the art center and pick up a raffle ticket or two before May 5th.

NEW THIS YEAR – we heard from our guests last year that they’d like more party, so we’ve added live music this year with local classic rock band, Brother’s Tone.  If you’ve stopped by Reality Roasters Coffee lately, you’ve probably heard them practice, or if you were at last summer’s Rock the Park, you caught members of the band performing as the Fender Benders.  So after you’ve eaten and won your art piece in the auction, grab another drink and stay for the music!

TICKETS

Tickets are $25 in advance (includes 2 drink tickets) or $30 at the door.  If you can’t make it until 9pm, you can come and hear the band for $10.

Tickets to the party (and raffle tickets) are available at the Great River Arts Center, Reality Roasters Coffee or from any of our Board of Directors (Shawn Flavin, Chris Kruschek, Shelene Norwood, Mary McKiernan, Carmen Meyer, Mark Norgren, Charles Pautler, Paula Piotrowski, Scott Wonderlich and Stacy Zeigler).

We look forward to seeing you there!

Position Announcement: Executive Director

The Board of Directors at the Great River Arts Association is accepting applications for the position of Executive Director.  See the job description and application instructions here.

Cynthia French, the current Executive Director, is returning to the Twin Cities to pursue artistic opportunities.  She will be leaving the organization at the end of June, with plans to stay involved as a member and volunteer.  “I’m looking forward to coming back for Rock the Park in August,” French said.  “We had our first planning meeting this week, and I’m really excited – the music committee is planning a MoTown, Memphis inspired performance.”

French stated that it has been a positive learning experience working with the Great River Arts Association, and being a part of the community in Little Falls.  “I came in with the mission of increasing the organization’s community partnerships and involvement, and it has been wonderful to build relationships with the Boys & Girls Club, St. Francis, Oasis, the schools, library and Pine Country Zoo.  We’ll be at HCC’s Rock and Run event on May 18.”

“The organization is in a very good place.  We have more active volunteers.  We have had an increase in participation of youth and families at our events.  We are excited for the visual arts exhibition that opens this week, and those on the calendar.  We’re not slowing down during this transition.  It’s a great time to support the arts,” said French.

The Board of Directors is accepting resumes through April 21. See the full description here.

Monroe Crossing Returns to Little Falls

Monroe Crossing Concert
Friday, April 13, 7:30pm
Little Falls VFW Post 1112

The Great River Arts Association welcomes back Monroe Crossing for a concert on Friday, April 13th at 7:30pm, at the VFW Post 1112.

Tickets are on sale at the Great River Arts Association, Reality Roasters, the VFW Post 1112 and The Good Book Store.

Tickets are $16 in advance or $20 at the door. Great River Arts Association members receive $2 off per ticket when purchased at the Arts Center (or call us for the online password for your discount).

About the Band:

Named in honor of Bill Monroe, “The Father of Bluegrass Music,” Monroe Crossing dazzles audiences with an electrifying blend of classic bluegrass, bluegrass gospel, and heartfelt originals. Their airtight harmonies, razor sharp arrangements, and on-stage rapport make them audience favorites across the United States and Canada.

Based in Minnesota, the group plays an average of 125 shows a year at major venues and festivals, frequently for non-bluegrass audiences and people often comment that they’d never really liked bluegrass music until they attended a Monroe Crossing concert!

Monroe Crossing is made up of five very distinct personalities with differing musical backgrounds and tastes, combining for a very unique ensemble sound. They are Derek Johnson: guitar, lead & harmony vocals; Lisa Fuglie: fiddle, mandolin, lead & harmony vocals; Matt Thompson: mandolin, fiddle, baritone vocals; Mark Anderson: bass & bass vocals; and David Robinson: banjo. Their paths crossed through the music of Bill Monroe so they like to say they had a “Monroe Crossing.”

Among their many honors, Monroe Crossing was selected to showcase at the 2007 International Bluegrass Music Association Convention and they were inducted into the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame in 2007. The only bluegrass band ever nominated as “Artist of the Year” by the Minnesota Music Academy (MMA), Monroe Crossing won the 2003 MMA “Bluegrass Album of the Year” award. The group also took home four awards for Female Vocalist, Guitar, Mandolin and Banjo at the Minnesota Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Association’s 25th Anniversary Awards Banquet.

Monroe Crossing has recorded 12 CDs and one DVD to date, their latest being the well-reviewed album “Joy Joy Joy,” showcasing the band’s originality and reverence for the bluegrass tradition.

Free Performance Workshop at Great River Arts

 The Cherry Orchard Project is offering a free voice and performance workshop with an opportunity to perform with six professional actors in your community May 6 from 2:00-3:30 at the Great River Arts Center in downtown Little Falls .

Get on your feet and play! Is a free voice and physical comedy workshop lead by Luverne Seifert (professional actor and trainer) and Darcey Engen (professional actor trainer and Chair of Theatre Arts at Augsburg College). The workshop will explore creating comedic characters through games, clowning techniques and improvisation. All ability levels are welcome and encouraged! This workshop is non-stressful and heavy on fun!

Immediately following the workshop, anyone interested will have the opportunity to audition for roles in a professional production happening in your community. The Cherry Orchard Project will be casting 2-4 actors to play speaking roles alongside professional actors who have performed on stages at the Guthrie, Children’s Theatre, The Jungle Theater and others. It’s an incredible opportunity to perform with an amazing group of professional actors. The production will run from July 18-22 and take place at the Historic Musser Mansion at Linden Hills. The Minnesota State Arts Board sponsors the workshop and the summer performance.

AGES:  16+

To register for the workshop and set an audition: Email Darcy Engen

Jazz Combo Performing at Art Center – March 17

Support National Youth Art Month – come and experience the amazing talent of the Little Falls Community High School Jazz Band.

The combo is student-directed and all proceeds help send the group to contests and performances around the region.

When: Saturday, March 17  - 7:00pm

Where: Great River Arts Center, downtown Little Falls

Tickets: Available at Reality Roaster’s, The Good Book, Great River Arts, online at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/230104

Adults $7 Students $3 Under 5 FREE

Meet Harper’s Chord

Meet Harper’s Chord

Jill, Paul and Roger – the talented trio that forms Harper’s Chord, a new local country music group – are releasing their first full-length CD on Saturday, February 25^th at the Great River Arts Association.

Jill Moore began her relationship with Great River Arts Association last spring, when she performed in the musical, Seasons of Love.  Although a Minnesota native, Jill is still new to Little Falls, having settled here with her husband George, who grew up in the area.  They have three children (George III, Henry and Harper), and the band is named for Jill’s daughter.  Before returning to Minnesota, Jill worked as a traveling dancer and singer for various production companies.  She said that while on tour, alone in a hotel room on New Year’s Eve, after 10 years of working as a touring artist, that she knew she was ready to come home.  She now works as a part-time dance and movement instructor for St. Francis, and dreams of a studio space in Little Falls where she can teach fitness and dance classes full time.

Jill has known Roger and Paul for over 7 years, meeting them both through musical connections.  Jill met Paul first, and the two of them have collaborated together on other projects, playing background for friends’ CDs and performing live.  Paul grew up in a musical family – all three of his siblings play various instruments and Paul plays the mandolin, cello and guitar.  Jill describes Paul’s musical style as a “picker,” saying that he is able to make his guitar sound like a number of different instruments, and is able to create amazing runs that create a unique story through sound.   Roger, in comparison, plays in more of a rhythmic guitar style, giving their songs a bluesy feel to them at times.  Roger also grew up in a musical family and plays the drums, bango and guitar on the CD.  Both will be playing the guitar during the live concert, and will be accompanied by a percussionist.

For the CD, Harper’s Chord included guest musicians, Little Falls native Jeff Engholm and pianist Atsuko Scholough.  Jeff has performed with his band Collective Unconscious for concerts at Maple Island Park as well as the Charles D. Martin Auditorium in the past.  The CD was recorded at his studio.  You can hear him playing  base and stand-up base on the CD.

Jill said that it took her a while to have confidence as a lead singer.  As part of her training as an instructor for the SEND program, a teacher said to her, “Jill, you need to stop singing back up for everyone else.”  She hadn’t thought about her singing career in that way before, this made simple sense to her, and gave her the confidence to tackle a project in which she was the lead voice.

Once she found a genre that fit, she gained even more confidence.  Jill says that she “found home in country and folk music.”  She enjoys the grass roots, back porch, organic elements of the music, how the songs seem to be stories of journey that are easily relatable.  She connected to the emotion, and feels that it allows her to connect to the audience with really simple, sweet songs while giving the musicians the opportunity to showcase their impressive talents.

When I asked Jill how difficult it was to choose which songs the group would play on the CD, she described the process as “painstaking.”  Initially, she would choose songs that she loved, and bring them to Roger and Paul.  They would try them out, and make decisions to keep working on them or to let them go depending on how good they felt.  She said at first, the process was difficult, because the three of them were a bit timid to turn down a song, but after they’d chosen a few songs, it became easier for each of them to realize what worked and what didn’t.

The group has performed together before at weddings and birthdays, at Jeff’s coffeehouse, The Local Blend in St. Joseph, and at some outdoor festivals including the Angelfire Ranch in Avon.  This will be their first full concert after finishing the CD, and they are excited to return to the stage at Great River Arts.

Tickets are on sale now at Great River Arts, Reality Roasters and The Good Book Store.  You can also find the tickets online at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/226932.  Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door for adults, $5 for students and free for kids 5 and under.

Following the concert, join the band and Great River Arts staff at the Red Bull Bar (upstairs) for the after party.  The band will do some encore performances and with your ticket stub, you will receive a 2 for 1 drink special.   The after party is a 21+ event.

Harper’s Chord in Concert

Harper’s Chord
Saturday, February 25, 7pm

Harper's Chord in concert at the Great River Arts Center, Saturday, February 25th at 7pm. Tickets $8 in advance, $10 at the door. On sale now.

Harper’s Chord, a local Country and folk inspired musical trio will be performing at the Great River Arts Center.  Little Falls resident, Jill Moore joins talents with talented musicians, Paul Drinkwine and Roger Fink to form Harper’s Chord, a new country and folk music trio. Join Harper’s Chord at Great River Arts for the release party and concert for their first CD, Natural Bridge.

This event is family friendly and open to all ages.

TICKET INFORMATION

Adults – $8 in advance/$10 at the door
Students (K-12) – $5
Kids 5 and under – FREE

Members receive $2/ticket off when purchasing tickets at Great River Arts, or by using the members code online. (Call Great River Arts at 320 632 0960 for members code).

TICKETS AVAILABLE:

Great River Arts Association
Reality Roasters
Good Book Store

ONLINE TICKETS: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/226932

AFTER PARTY

Join us at the Red Bull Bar for an after party with members of the band. Upstairs at the Red Bull, the band will be bringing their music next door to keep the party going. Bring your ticket stub and get a 2 for 1 drink.

www.greatart.org

Music, Snacks and Amazing Art

Join artists Kathleen Richert and Stuart Klipper this Saturday, January 28th for their opening reception of View Finder: Stops Along the Way in the Main Gallery of the Art Center.

Kathleen & Stuart have been travel companions for many years, venturing to “off the beat’n path” locations.  She captures the moment with her watercolor and he, through his camera lens.  Event is free and runs from 11:00-1:00pm.

Enjoy music from brother/sister duo, Katie & Mitch Johnson, performing a variety of blues, jazz, and contemporary works throughout the reception.

Easy as 1,2,3

Open Mic Night  January 3 from 6 – 9pm

1. Visit the current Art Center Gallery Exhibit for inspiration.

2.  Write a short story or poem about the art you saw.

3.  Come and perform your creation at open mic night!

Free and open to everyone.  Maximum time: 7 minutes and be sure to be family friendly in content.