BROWNSVILLE LATIN JAZZ FESTIVAL SCHEDULE & BROWNSVILLE LIVING ART EXHIBIT

THE 14TH ANNUAL BROWNSVILLE LATIN JAZZ FESTIVAL

WHO: The Brownsville Society for the Performing Arts (BSPA)

WHEN: Thursday October 7 through Sunday October 10, 2010

WHERE: Various Locations in Brownsville, Texas



The Brownsville Society for the Performing Arts (BSPA) invites you to its Annual Brownsville Latin Jazz Festival, to take place this coming October 7, 8, 9 and 10. Inaugurated by the late great Tito Puente in 1997, it's become the pride of Brownsville and one of the most anticipated events in the Rio Grande Valley’s cultural calendar. The Brownsville Latin Jazz Festival has hosted countless Latin Jazz artists of the highest caliber, advanced multi-cultural diversity, generated tourism, improved our quality of life and entertained thousands for fourteen years! It is widely recog­nized as the premier Latin Jazz Festival in all South Texas and one of the best in the USA! Recognizing this achievement, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has awarded the Festival a generous grant for the third year in a row and the Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) has likewise awarded BSPA with a prestigious organizational grant, citing the Festival as “an admirable event”. Both are the largest grants ever awarded by NEA and TCA to any performing arts presenter in the RGV!



The four-day weekend will feature top of the line artists, not only performing but also sharing their talent and experience with us locals, courtesy of the Festival! FREE AMATEUR SALSA CLASSES by Sabor Vallero are taking place NOW in selected clubs throughout the RGV; some of the top dancers in the world will give FREE MASTER SALSA CLASSES to a limited amount of dancers during Festival weekend; a FREE IMPROVISATION CLINIC by visiting flute and sax master Pete Whitman, pianist Laura Caviani, drummer Wayne Salzmann, and local bassist Matt Johnson will take place on Friday, October 8; and visiting pro vocalist Lucia Newell will also offer a FREE BRAZILIAN VOCALS CLINIC. Please contact Rosie Coronado at 956-831-9590 for times and locations. The Festival program is as follows:



THURSDAY OCTOBER 7 / KICK-OFF JAZZ JAM AT BARCELONA NIGHTS!

The Festival’s opening night will kick-off Brownsville’s newly created Historic Downtown Entertainment District on Adams Street between 12th and 13th Streets with a FREE STREET PARTY & CONCERT featuring the award-winning UTB/TSC One O’clock Jazz Band and the veteran all-star lineup of the Charles Hearn Sextet. Between sets, BSPA will inaugurate its brand-new 16’x9’ giant outdoor movie screen with HBO’s El Espiritu de la Salsa courtesy of CineSol Film Festival. Enjoy great pizza and wings by Barcelona Nights and cool drinks by Joe Kenney’s Cobblehead’s Bar & Grill. Be there by 7:30 PM and stay ‘til after midnight. Help us launch the hottest entertainment district in South Texas!



FRIDAY OCTOBER 8 / BRAZILIAN JAZZ JAM AT SHENANIGANS!

It’s another FREE OUTDOOR CONCERT featuring a Musical Tribute to Brazilian Music with Twin-Cities based pro vocalist Lucia Newell, pianist Laura Caviani and flute and sax master Pete Whitman, Austin celebrities Liz Morphis on vocals and Wayne Salzmann on drums, all hosted by BSPA producer and jazz guitar virtuoso Clay Moore & His Frontera Jazz Quartet. The audience will be treated to an amazing guitar-flute session by Dr. Michael Quantz, BSPA’s Vice-President martial-arts sensei and classical guitar guru, accompanied by flute professor Dr. Cristina Balliatori. Music outdoors starts at 7:30 PM and ends midnight… but stay for the indoor jam session until 2:00 am! Festival partner Shenanigans Irish Pub & Grill is located at 2451 Pablo Kisel Blvd. in north Brownsville, right in front of Best Buy.



SATURDAY OCTOBER 9 / NIGHT AT THE COPA WITH PONCHO SANCHEZ!

It’s the Festival’s headline event in an ambiance reminiscent of a classic Latin dance club with legendary congüero and Grammy Award Winner PONCHO SANCHEZ from Los Angeles and an opening set by the RGV’s top Salsa band Grupo Aché. Come dance and enjoy a spectacular Salsa show by the world’s top dancers: Ritmo y Sabor from Oaxaca… current ESPN Salsa Team World Champions! Delicious festival food and drinks by Joe Kenney’s Cobblehead’s Bar & Grill. Doors will open at 7:00pm at the Jacob Brown Auditorium, 600 International Blvd.. General admission is $30 per person and Reserved VIP Tables for six are only $300.



SUNDAY OCTOBER 10 / DEL CASTILLO AT THE CAPITOL THEATRE!

It’s everyone’s favorite FREE OUTDOOR CONCERT! Excellent music, dance, art, food and wholesome family entertainment from 2:00 to 10:00 pm in front of the Capitol Theatre on the corner of 11th and E. Levee Streets in Historic Downtown Brownsville, featuring the Charles Hearn Sextet, Guajiro 14, the Austin Samba School (Acadêmicos da Ópera) and none other than DEL CASTILLO… the world-touring, award-winning Brownsville super band! Hard-core Cowboys football fans can keep an eye on the game inside the Capitol Theatre in our giant 16’x9’ screen. Wrapping up will be Grupo Aché so dance the night away! Bring grandma, grandpa & the kids for quality entertainment they won’t forget!



Beautiful tropical art from Imágenes Studio and Friends will be on display at every event and available for purchase! ARTWORK BY: TONI HUDSON, ANTONIO ANTINORI, GABRIEL TREVINO



Buy tickets for Saturday’s Poncho Sanchez Concert at the door or, better yet, buy them online with PayPal or your credit card at www.brolatinjazz.org. Call BSPA at 956-831-9590 directly, or email us at info@brosociety.org to buy or reserve VIP tables for six.



Printer friendly attachments are included, please print and distribute. SEE YOU AT THE FESTIVAL!


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Brownsville Living - Art Celebration: Art Exhibit

VIP RECEPTION: OCTOBER 7th - (5pm to 7pm)

Art by : Jennifer Rose Seagrest, Gabriel Trevino, Marilyn Brown , Carole Spencer and
Oscar Alvarez


If you have any other questions I can be reached at (956) 545-9856 or via email at brownsville.living@gmail.com Thanks!

Sincerely,

Salinas, Claudia
Director of Publicity & Events
Browsville Living. Be part of it.
(956) 545-9856 Cell


BrownsvilleLiving.org
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Brownsville Museum of Fine Arts - Call for Artists

CALLING ARTS, CRAFTS & ARTISAN VENDORS

The Brownsville Museum of Fine Art is partnering with the Brownsville Farmer's Market to combine our community efforts to support local artisan crafts and farmer's produce.

Painters, artisans, jewelry-makers, craftsman & more, let us know if you'd like to show and sell your work on the Brownsville Museum of Fine Art grounds.


Kicks off SATURDAY OCTOBER 2
9am - Noon
660 E. Ringold St. (Next-door to the Gladys Porter Zoo)
Set up time is 8 am


You can set-up your area for free at the BMFA grounds or you can rent tables from us at $10 per table.

We are welcoming all artisans, but we especially want to feature artisans selling items that incorporate recycled materials or crafts made by hand.

Please call the BMFA to reserve your space 542-0941.



Laura Ochoa

Curatorial Assistant
Brownsville Museum of Fine Art
660 E. Ringgold St.
Brownsville , TX 78520
Phone: (956) 542-0941
Fax: (956) 542-6931

PORT ISABEL CALL FOR ARTISTS

IMMEDIATE RELEASE


CALL TO ARTISTS
PORT ISABEL ART WALK

The Merchant’s Committee of Port Isabel is pleased to announce the 6th annual “Port Isabel Art Walk” to be held on Saturday, November 6th, 2010 at the historic Lighthouse Square. We are now accepting reservations from artists wishing to participate. The Art Walk will feature many artists working in oil, watercolor, mixed media, photography, glass sculpting, jewelry design, pottery and more.

All works exhibited must be the work of the participating artist. No rent or commission will be charged, however, each artist must supply their own table, chairs, tent and umbrellas for shade (if desired) and lighting. Exhibitors must be set up by 2:45 pm and stay until at least 7:00pm. Please register early. For more information or to register please contact Kitty Ayers at the Purple Parrot Art Gallery (956) 943-2004, or by e-mail: drawon@sbcglobal.net . Location assignments will be made when registrations have been completed, however we will try to accommodate artists requesting particular spaces (first come, first served). Please register by October 25th.

You don’t want to miss this year’s event. Music and refreshment will be provided at various locations.

ART CLASSES BY JOSE MANUEL SALAS

ART CLASSES

JOSE MANUEL SALAS
ACADEMIA DE SAN CARLOS/ UNAM

DRAWING
WATERCOLOR
ACRYLIC
PASTEL
OIL

ART CLASSES - BY JOSE MANUEL SALAS
FRIDAY - 5:30PM TO8:00PM
SATURDAY - 10:30AM TO 1PM

SALON DE CONSEJERIA
4150 COFFEE PORT
BROWNSVILLE, 78521
CONTACT:956-372 -4589 / 956 -08-8770

http://www.jsalasart.com/

Rigoberto Gonzalez - TAOB Artist Interview

The Art of Brownsville Interview with local artist Rigoberto Gonzalez
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TAOB: First of all many thanks for taking time to do this interview, tell us a little about your childhood, where were you born and what do you most remember about being a kid ?
RIGOBERTO: Thanks for the kind words and for allowing me to share my work through your blog. I was born in Reynosa Tamaulipas . What I most remember from my childhood would be my family life with my four older sisters and brother. One of my fondest memories would be of watching my mother draw to keep me entertained as a child and also seeing my older brother draw and been very impressed by him. I would say that is what initially motivated me to be an artist.


TAOB: When did you first get interested in art, painting, who , where did your first inspirations come from ?
RIGOBERTO: first inspiration, that takes me back. Seeing something so beautiful that motivated me to try and replicate its beauty. I have to say that the first fresh green sprouts of either sorgum orsorghumthat my father used to grow in his ranch/ farm. I remember as a five year old picking up colored pencils and making a drawing of the field with green leafs sprouting from the dark brown dirt. Natures first green is gold, so writes Robert Frost.
Later on in life what motivated to start painting was a book titled Living with Art by Rita Glibert which my brother was using when he was taking Art Appreciation at UTPA. It is a great book contained a lot of great information regarding artist biographies, art materials, and art theories.


TAOB: Tell us about your education back ground, where did you go to school and were there any strugles to achive your goals and perhaps what helped you over come them ?
RIGOBERTO: I have a Bachelors in Art from UTPA in Edinburgh and a Masters in Painting From the New York Academy of Art. But looking back at my educational career I feel I am largely self taught. Making art is always a struggle, from money, discrimination, jealousy from peers, narrow minded professors but you have to be self motivated and have firm goals and you can't let anything stand in your way.


TAOB: What local shows have you done in the valley, and what future plans do you have to exhibit locally ?
RIGOBERTO: The most notable shows I have had in the valley would be solo shows in 2005 at University of Texas at Brownsville, and La Casa de La Cultura in Reynosa, 2006 At The Art House in Mcallen, and 2007 At the Harlingen Heritage Museum. Currently I am in the process of negotiating an exhibit in a local museum in Brownsville for 2011-12. I am also have a show for 2011 at the Rubin center at UTEP in El Paso and another show in San Francisco at a non for profit art space.


TAOB: As an artist -painter what do you hope to achieve, what importance do you hope people walk away with , when they see your work?
RIGOBERTO: I hope to be able to create profound images. Images that moves the viewer intellectually, emotionally and makes them more aware of the world around them.


TAOB: Besides producing art, what else is important in your life ?
RIGOBERTO: Right now the big project between my wife and I is taking care of our two week old baby.


TAOB: What is a process that you have when producing art, any rituals, methods that you may have to get things done as an advise to other artist who are just starting out ?
RIGOBERTO: I do a lot of preparation work, before I start a painting. Numerous sketches, perspective drawings of the setting for a scene, before I settle on a composition. Although I prefer to work from life this is not always possible. For many of the images in my work I work with groups of models that act out the scenes I want to depict. Once I decided on a composition I transfer the drawing to my canvas using a grid method and paint the entire scene in monochrome and add color at the final stage. I also work with a palette of carefully gradated colors that I premix before I start painting. So my advice to young artist is don't listen to people who emphasise spontaneity, freedom and expressiveness when painting. That type of advice is nothing but worthless out dated modernist, post modernist, - post deconstructivist art school instruction cliche.

TAOB: Is there any local artist here in the valley whose work you follow, any local inspiration or perhaps tell us what artist work inspires you ?

RIGOBERTO: There are several artist who I wish I could have kept in touch with one of them is Noel Palmenez we were both students at UTPA I always thought his work was ambitious but I have not seen his work in years. I would imagine his work has improved. One artist whose advice I occasionally seek out is Phillip Field who was my main instructor at UTPA. Another interesting artist and personality I respect is Carlos Gomez. Vincent Desiderio is an artist who I studied under in New York and I find his work very intriguing. I think his work is incredibly ambitious. But my true inspiration is Caravaggio, Jose de Ribera, Velasquez and Peter Paul Rubens. Another source of inspiration is the Mexican magazine Alarma, and the conversations I have had with Mexican Bartenders, waiters and cabdrivers from Matamoros up to Ciudad Juarez.


TAOB: Rigoberto Gonzalez , many thanks for your time and response to this interview, we hope to hear more from you soon., tell us last, how did you here about this blog, The Art of Brownsville ?
RIGOBERTO: Google told me all about you. Many thanks to you too.
Here are some links to some news coverage I have been getting for my artwork. I just spent two years in an artist residency in New Mexico and currently living in Harlingen. I believe they are interesting and worth your time.


http://www.khou.com/community/blogs/angela-kocherga/Border-violence-inspires-artist-to-chronicle-the-impact-on-canvas-100939109.html

below is a news report from an El Paso newsprogram they did a story on my exhibit in Las Cruces. forward the video to minute 8:10. that is when my story starts.

http://www.kvia.com/video/24460825/index.html

Rigoberto Gonzalez Alonso
email: ribera73@yahoo.com

GRACE BARRAZA-VEGA at GALLERY 218 - HARLINGEN, TEXAS

Gallery 218
218 W. Jackson Street
Harlingen, Texas 78550
Contact:
Anna Marie Varela
(956)262-1762




Press Release

Sangre y Herencia

Grace Barraza-Vega has been known for organizing art related events in Corpus Christi and in the Valley. Her most recent exhibitions were at the TMC and De la Paloma gallery in Corpus Christi and Chimaya gallery in California. She also exhibited in Saudi Arabia and England. Thematically her works have direction. It is important for her ideas to sprout relevance in her life. Her works carry a notion of who she is as an artist. Ever since her days in Junior High, her interest has grown towards the arts. Where it all began was when she was involved with the higher education program called the Mother and Daughter Program that was sponsored by NASA at the University of Brownville that set an action towards this goal. Her imageries are filled with indigenous genre of people of everyday life. She said that “I am a product of Mestizo Culture.” Not just culture in its influences but other artist has left a mark in Grace’s works as well. Vincent Van Gogh’s expressive color power and Henri Matisse abstracting the form with color both have inspired many artists and Grace is no exception. She said “I look at various masters that I feel had similar emotions and dreams.” Perhaps Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and David Siqueiros had inspired thematically Grace’s works because she is compelled to demonstrate her idea about life through painting. She has exhibited in numerous places such as California, Texas, and New Mexico. Graces Barraza-Vega’s works will be displayed at Gallery 218, “Going Beyond the Visual Spectrum on Saturday, September 18, 2010 from 7:00 PM until 11:00PM. Alan Duval’s band from Brownsville will be playing his classic rock. For more Information, contact Anna Marie Varela at (956) 457-9401 or Benjamin Varela (956) 457-4093. Our home phone number is (956) 262-1762. You can also look us up on Facebook under Anna Varela beyondgallery218 or email us at beyondgallery218@yahoo.com Gallery hours are Saturdays from 1:00PM to 5:00 PM.

With warm regards

Anna Marie & Benjamin Varela

Email us, if you are attending

CALL FOR ARTISTS - CONTACT: BROWNSVILLE LIVING

Brownsville Living

CALL FOR ARTISTS

OCTOBER 7, 2010-THURSDAY

We need to get artists and possibly some local acoustic musicians for the BL VIP event in the Sweney building Thursday, October 7. We are looking to showcase local artists in a great gallery type environment above E Adams the night of the opening for the 14th Annual Latin Jazz Festival.

Please call me as soon as you can so we can discuss. It will not cost the artists anything but time and they will get some great exposure and they can sell their work if they want.

Craig 832-4458

"AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY"-HISTORIC BROWNSVILLE MUSEUM ASSOCIATION

The Art of Brownsville - Questions Chicano Art and Immortality

"Here we are - ese" -the borderland, the land of as they say "diverse culture"- dos culturas, "que se siguen desaparesiendo dentre una alotra", the land of the New Chicanismo pride - baught my tacos at the Stripes, the land of "quien trabaja como guey to barely pay the rent- y esos que viven chupando el sistema con las estampillas", the land of making money , dollares, y credit cards -forgot to go to church on Sunday", the land of compadrismo and dirty politics mordidas for those que alcancen, the land where we grew up is the land who made me who I am.

The idea was irritating, like a bad hangover. I sat at the end of my bed wondering about my youth. The picture faded into a nude expression in the haunting eyes of the young and innocent. As kids we played in the flooded streets after days of rain, without fear of drowning in the opened drains the neighborhood watchers kept so that the waters receipted. I had always wondered what if I had drowned in one of those opened drains and my life existed only as a memory some how gliding in the whistling wind, perhaps so careless of time.