FROM ALL DIRECTIONS
INDIGENOUS AND REGIONAL CULTURES
AND WORLD MARKETS
News from Bronitsky and Associates
Bringing Together Indigenous Peoples and the World Since 1992
Dr Gordon Bronitsky, President, Bronitsky and Associates, 216 Edith SE, Albuquerque, NM 87102, cell 505-238-3739; e-mail
European Office:
Dirk Steitz, Hofackerring 11, 79206 Breisach 3, Germany; Tel: +49
7664-408 972; e-mail
a bi-monthly newsletter from Bronitsky and Associates about events and people from indigenous and regional cultures in the international scene - festivals, funding, conferences, publications and current issues.
Correspondence, subscription/unsubscription, opportunities, talent news, etc. should be directed to the United States office
Circulation: 5276
Our News - what's keeping us busy!
Sami playwright/actor/director Harriet Nordlund (Sweden)to tour US in October
¡IndigenAHORA/IndigeNOW! A Festival of Indigenous Theater and Performing Arts in Latin America
Dinétahdéé' Iiná Baahané--Stories of Life from Navajoland - A Navajo Performing Arts Festival
Transcending World Cultures With Mariachi Music
For Your Diary
Events
Festivals
Conferences
Publications
Call for Submissions and Papers
News
Sites of Interest
Our News - what's keeping us busy!
Sami playwright/actor/director Harriet Nordlund (Sweden)to tour US in October
Harriet Nordlund is an actress, play-writer and director, currently working as the head of the Cultural Department within the council in Jokkmokk, Sweden, the center for the native Sámi people of Lule valley. She studied at the Theatre Academy of Acting in Stockholm, with focuses in art, painting and drawing, Sami language, and Jacque Le Coq’s summer clown-school in Paris. After her studies, Harriet returned to the north of Sweden and started the first Sámi Theatre, called ”Dálvadis,” in Jokkmokk together with the Sami artist Maj–Doris Rimpi. She has worked with many established Swedish theatres, as well as in small groups and production companies.
Bronitsky and Associates is proud to announce her tour of the United States as part of ORIGINS™ On the Road, which is mandated to bring international Indigenous theater and performing artists to Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities and theaters around the world. Previous ORIGINS™ on the Road tours included
- David Milroy, Aboriginal Australian playwright, to the US 2008
- Jicarilla Apache playwright David Velarde to Sweden 2009
You can click here to see Ms. Nordlund’s tour schedule.
If you would like to attend Ms. Nordlund’s talks and workshops or if you would like to schedule additional activities for her, please contact Gordon Bronitsky at . She is especially interested in meeting with tribal colleges and Native American theater and performing artists.
¡IndigenAHORA/IndigeNOW! A Festival of Indigenous Theater and Performing Arts in Latin America
Bronitsky and Associates is laying the groundwork to create ¡IndigenAHORA/IndigeNOW! A Festival of Indigenous Theater and Performing Arts in Latin America, an annual Latin American Indigenous theatre and performing arts festival that will showcase the best Indigenous talent from throughout Latin America.
Dinétahdéé' Iiná Baahané--Stories of Life from Navajoland - A Navajo Performing Arts Festival
The Navajo Nation has a wealth of performing arts talent. Right now, there are almost no opportunities for the non-Navajo public, venues or booking agents to experience this talent.
Diné College (www.dinecollege.edu) hosted the first meeting to begin planning Dinétahdéé' Iiná Baahané--Stories of Life from Navajoland - A Navajo Performing Arts Festival. Participants included Curtis Ray Benally, the Vice President of Institutional Advancement at Diné College, musicians Chucki Begay and Richi Anderson of the Mother Earth Blues Band, Pauline Begay, the Superintendent of the Apache County Schools, designer Dwayne Clauschee, designer Tionne Linder and her husband Ray Linder, as well as Gordon Bronitsky (President, Bronitsky and Associates) and Suzy J. Baldwin. Bronitsky and Baldwin are partnering to coproduce the festival. Diné College President Dr. Ferlin Clark participated by teleconference call.
It was an exciting meeting as participants knew they were present at the creation of a unique event, a Navajo performing arts festival that will
- Take place annually on the Navajo Reservation
- Be partnered from the beginning with Diné College
- Showcase the diversity of Navajo performing arts and artists, focusing on theater and spoken word, film, music (traditional and contemporary), and fashion
- Train Navajo young people how to run the festival and, eventually, take it over completely
- Introduces Navajo performers to the business of the industry - what is an agent? What is a contract? Etc, and
- Serve as a performing arts marketplace for the best Navajo performing artists to regional, national and international booking agents and venues, and
- Feature an honored international Indigenous artist every year to perform and to meet with Navajo performers and students, conduct workshops, etc.
The next meeting will take place September 2 at 9 am at Diné College. For more information, please contact Gordon Bronitsky at .
Transcending World Cultures With Mariachi Music
The blog Mariachi Notes just conducted a very interesting interview with Jose Longoria, the leader of Mariachi Imperial de America , June 25. Jose speaks about their appearance on Taiwanese TV, the tour to Armenia and their interest in performing internationally, playing local music mariachi-style. Check out mariachinotes.blogspot.com/.
For Your Diary
If you would like to list an event, activity or publication with us, please forward details to before the 28th of each month to ensure its inclusion in the next FROM ALL DIRECTIONS newsletter.
Events
Cultural Workshop in Sydney, Australia
October 27, 2009
Are you working on an Indigenous arts or cultural project? Then you’ll need to know about ICIP principles, copyright, licensing contracts, trademarks and protocols.
Come to our Looking out for Culture Workshop in Sydney and find out more about these topics. Terri Janke and Company Pty Ltd is conducting an informative workshop on Tuesday, 27 October 2009 in Sydney.
Terri Janke is a successful Indigenous solicitor, published author, popular public speaker and businesswoman. Her firm Terri Janke and Company Pty Ltd specialises in Indigenous Intellectual and Cultural Property and she is considered a leader in her field.
Our Looking out for Culture workshop covers Indigenous arts, copyright, contracts, trademarks and protocols. The small group discussion based sessions are a great way to learn about Indigenous cultural and intellectual property principles and to consider how IP tools, and addition measures might enhance your Indigenous cultural project.
We have had success in running this workshop over the past 6 years and our participants have included artists, lawyers, government officers, curators and business operators.
For more details, a brochure or bookings please contact Lan Pham at .
Festivals
Arts Alive
Johannesburg, South Africa
September 3-27, 2009
Joburg Arts Alive festival, a month-long happening covering a
diverse and eclectic range of events from music and theatre to dance
and comedy, from visual arts and the spoken word to visual arts and
craft. The Joburg Arts Alive festival is the premier cultural event
nationally and continentally, opening the doorways to South Africa
as a cultural destination.
www.artsalive.co.za/
Morobe Show
Lae, Papua New Guinea
October 31-November 1, 2009
The Morobe Provincial Agricultural Society conducts the annual
Morobe show, held in Lae, Papua New Guinea. The show is a major
tourist attraction and showcases the agricultural, industrial,
commercial and cultural aspects of the Morobe Province of Papua New
Guinea. It is the largest entertainment event in the province.
www.morobeshow.org.pg
Conferences
3rd IMC World Forum on Music
International Music Council
October 17-22, 2009
Tunisia 17
The International Music Council (IMC) announces the 3rd IMC World Forum on Music, to take place in Tunis, on 17-22 October 2009, under the title Access to Musical Diversity. The Forum is organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Heritage Preservation of the Tunisian Republic. IMC presents its World Forum on Music (WFM) as a global knowledge-building platform on music and society in the 21st century, which explores a variety of topics from diverse perspectives: cultural, political and economical. The 2009 World Forum on Music will focus on five areas which IMC considers being of crucial importance to the world of music:
- Cultural diversity: where do we stand?
- Music as a vector for dialogue
- Creativity and innovation in music distribution
- New approaches to music education
- Changing audiences: challenges for art music around the world
10th International Joint World Cultural
Tourism Conference
World Cultural Tourism Association
Bangkok, Thailand
13 November 2009 to 15 November 2009
The aim of this conference is to provide a forum for
international educators, scholars, researchers, industry
professionals, policy-makers and graduate students with opportunity
to explore and discuss issues in the topics on cultural tourism.
www.kasct.co.kr/eng/index.htm
Publications
Beyond Guarding Ground - the Case for a
National Indigenous Cultural Authority
Australia Council for the Arts, June 2009, Australia
In the past 20 years Indigenous Australians have called for greater
recognition of Indigenous cultural and intellectual property rights.
Terri Janke’s Beyond Guarding Ground is an important voice in the
national debate. In this new paper Terri Janke makes the case for
creating a National Indigenous Cultural Authority which would
facilitate consent and payment of royalties to Indigenous artists
and communities; develop standards for appropriate of cultural
materials, and protect the rights of Indigenous communities.
www.australiacouncil.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/55611/Beyond_guarding_ground.pdf
The Independence of Government Arts Funding
by Christopher Madden
The report presents a global perspective on
independence in government arts support, exploring issues such as
the ‘arm’s length principle’ and the ‘arts council versus ministry’
debate. The report does not promote any model, nor argue for any
particular degree of independence. It explores arts policy models
and frameworks through a neutral lens, surveying the incidence of
different approaches around the world and summarising expert opinion
on the strengths and weaknesses of the main approaches.
The report presents previously unpublished arts council data on a
range of factors – such as decision making rules and appointments
processes – that impact on the independence of arts agencies from
government. These data, along with a review of the key literature,
are used to probe two fundamental questions: how much influence do
governments have over arts funding, and how much influence should
they have? This report is the result of work going back to the birth
of IFACCA at the first World Summit on the Arts and Culture in
Canada in 2000 – and has been released in preparation for the 4th
World Summit in Joburg.
media.ifacca.org/files/Dart9independencereport(1).pdf
Theatre Needs Cultural Entrepreneurs as well as Artists
The British Council's award for enterprising spirit in the
performing arts is a reminder that business sense is more important
than ever
www.guardian.co.uk/stage/theatreblog/2009/jul/26/theatre-cultural-entrepreneurs-artists
Why The Arts Don’t Pay For Themselves
Michael Kaiser
President of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
July 20, 2009
"Why can't the arts pay for themselves? Why are public or private
contributions required?" The answer is rooted in two economic
problems that affect all arts organizations. The first is that arts
organizations have a very difficult time achieving productivity
improvements. Arts organizations have a difficult time improving the
productivity of their performers, typically the largest expense item
for an arts organization. Orchestras do not play Beethoven's Ninth
Symphony faster every year. We do not have fewer performers in
Hamlet than when it was written hundreds of years ago. The second
economic problem faced by arts groups: once a theater or gallery is
selected, one has literally set in concrete the real earned income
potential for the organization; one simply cannot sell more tickets
than one has seats.
www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-kaiser/why-the-arts-dont-pay-for_b_240827.html
Call for Submissions and Papers
UNESCO Observatory E-journal of
Multidisciplinary Research in the Arts (Vol. 1, no. 5)
Making the Case for the Arts
In recent years it has become increasingly evident that those who
wish to advance the cause of the arts, culture and creativity as a
recognized element of social policy and as a significant contributor
to the new imagination economy have to find new arguments and
evidentiary materials in their support, and new ways to present
them.
The importance of advocacy of this kind (also referred to as public awareness or consciousness-raising) was emphasized in the Road Map that emerged from the UNESCO World Conference on Arts and Learning in Lisbon in 2005, and has been adopted as one of the three principal areas of interest and action by the World Alliance for Arts and Education at the World Creativity Summits of 2007 and 2008.
Scholars and researchers are invited to contribute articles that address this issue from a broad variety of perspectives, for the December, 2009 edition of the UNESCO Observatory E-journal of Multidisciplinary Research in the Arts (Vol. 1, no. 5).
Topics could include but are not limited to:
- Case studies of examples of the economic, social and/or educational benefits of exposure to and engagement with the arts and creative expression in all disciplines and at all levels (professional, recreational, educational);
- Examinations of the role and use of the Internet and social networking as a means to build understanding and support;
- Analyses of other messaging formats, messaging media and message-making campaigns that could elevate public and political awareness and discourse across a broad social audience;
- Discussions of the relationship of cultural advocacy to national and international approaches to multiculturalism, globalization and the protection of cultural goods and services.
www.abp.unimelb.edu.au/unesco/ejournal/vol-one-issue-five.html
Native Voices at the Autry 2010
Playwrights Retreat and Festival of New Plays
Native Voices at the Autry is devoted to the development and
production of new works for the stage by Native American writers.
DEADLINE 9/15/09
Based on all work received by this deadline, up to ten playwrights
will be invited to submit Formal Proposals in order to apply to the
Playwrights Retreat and Festival of New Plays. Application to this
event is by invitation only; invitations will be sent mid-October.
Scripts will then be sent to a committee of nationally recognized
theatre artists for further evaluation. With their help, we will
select the three-four playwrights who will be invited to attend a
weeklong retreat in June 2010 at San Diego State University, the La
Jolla Playhouse, and the Autry National Center where they will work
with professional directors, dramaturgs, actors, and designers.
Selected playwrights will receive an honorarium, round trip airfare
to San Diego, plus lodging in San Diego. Selected playwrights will
be notified by December 11, 2009.
Who should submit: All emerging or experienced playwrights writing from the indigenous experience in North America are encouraged to submit their work for consideration.
What to send: Native Voices at the Autry will only consider completed full-length plays, plays for young audiences or one-person shows that are text based. Solo performance artists whose work is text based should send full text in manuscript form. Please use a standard play-script format, number all pages and include a cast breakdown. Scripts will not be returned.
Please do not send: one acts, ten minute plays or outlines. Also, previously submitted plays should only be submitted if the play has undergone significant dramatic changes. Plays that have not been selected are kept on file for consideration for future development opportunities. To inquire about the status of a previously submitted play, please contact Carlenne Lacosta, Native Voices Literary Manager, at .
All submissions must include:
Tribal affiliation
Full contact information
75-100 word biography
C.V. or resume
Workshop and Production History
Where to send your submission:
Randy Reinholz
Artistic Director
Native Voices at the Autry
4700 Western Heritage Way
Los Angeles, CA 90027-1462
Electronic submissions: will be accepted in Word or PDF format. Type SUBMISSION in the subject line and send email to or .
For more information:
Email - Carlenne Lacosta at
or
Phone – Rich Deely at 323.667.2000, ext. 299
Online -
www.nativevoicesattheautry.org or
www.nativevoices.blogspot.com
News
New CEO for National Arts Council of Singapore
Friday, July 24, 2009
The Straits Times
Mr. Benson Puah has been appointed Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Arts Council (NAC), taking
over from Mr. Lee Suan Hiang from August 1. He will continue to be
the CEO of The Esplanade Co Ltd, said the Ministry of Information,
Communications and the Arts (MICA) in a statement on Friday. Mr.
Lee, who has been NAC CEO from October 2003, will become Executive
Director of the Arts and Culture Development Office, a newly created
office in MICA
news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20090724-156861.html
Cultural Development in Togo
Togo intends to develop a national cultural promotion strategy, designed to upgrade and enrich national heritage.
"The Togolese government is fighting
to ensure that culture becomes a key enabler for sustainable human
development," assured one official quarter. Since Monday, cultural
players met in Togo Lome in a seminar sponsored by UNESCO. The goal
of the meeting was to, first, adopt the national level and,
secondly, to provide an update on the various initiatives already
implemented by the authorities. These include, the restoration of
traditional festivals in all prefectures of the country, the
ratification of the Universal copyright, conventions in Rome and
Geneva, the Convention on Cultural Heritage Intangible opens the
voice to a large inventory of this heritage from 2010.
www.republicoftogo.com/central.php?o=5&s=49&d=3&i=4179 (in
French)
"'Hooded men' kill 12 indigenous
Colombians”
AFP. August 28, 2009.
© Copyright 2009 AFP. All rights reserved.
“Bogota - Gunmen have
shot and killed at least 12 Awa indigenous natives, four of them
children, in an attack in a southern coastal region of Colombia that
is a springboard for cocaine shipments. Wednesday's attack near the
Ecuador border was carried out by "hooded men wearing military
uniforms" at the Gran Rosario reserve, 80 kilometers (50 miles) from
the Pacific port of Tumaco, said National Indigenous Organization of
Colombia (ONIC) president Luis Evelio Andrade. Some 11,000 members
of the Awa indigenous group occupy a strip of land along the border
region that is also used by drug traffickers to facilitate cocaine
shipments across the Pacific... "
news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Crime/Story/A1Story20090827-163849.html
Cherokee Theatre Company Bringing Beloved Woman to the Stage
The Cherokee National Theatre Company, a division of the Cherokee Arts & Humanities Society, is in the pre-production phase of bringing the story of War Woman, and later to be elevated to status of Beloved Woman, Nancy Ward to the stage as a major theatrical production.
The public is invited to a preview of the play, Nanyehi – Beloved Woman of the Cherokee, at a selected reading and musical score presentation during the Cherokee National Holiday, Saturday, September 5, at 2:00 p.m. in the Cherokee Nation Council Chambers, Cherokee Complex, Tahlequah, OK. The presentation will be concurrent with the annual meeting of the Association of Descendants of Nancy Ward.
Nanyehi is the story of Cherokee Beloved Woman, Nancy Ward. After her husband, Kingfisher, was mortally wounded in battle with the Creek, she took up his fight and led the Cherokee to victory. She became a Warrior Woman, a Beloved Woman and a leader of her people setting in Grand Council. She advocated for peace during the Revolutionary War era, and because of her decisions would forever become a prominent figure in Cherokee history. She always pleaded “Let there be Peace.” She would marry Bryant Ward and become Nancy Ward.
Contact: Roy Hamilton
(918) 696-8334
Sites of Interest
For more information please contact: .
Baker Lake Arts website, Nunavut, Canada
A newly developed web site has recently been launched:
www.bakerlakearts.com. Baker Lake Arts is a web site created for
those seeking information on the community and arts production in
this small, Canadian, Arctic town. Baker Lake is famous for its fine
arts and crafts. Prints, drawings, soapstone carvings, and wall
hangings made by local artists are internationally renowned and
collected. Although most artwork is developed in or outside, near
the residential home, some work is also produced in community
studios and shops, and sold locally and internationally. Learn about
the history and contemporary life in the community, as well as the
arts production and artists.
Visit
www.bakerlakearts.com!
Indigenous Peoples Literature
www.indigenouspeople.net/ipl_final.html
American Indian artist DeHaven Solimon
website
DeHaven Solimon is an outstanding contemporary American
Indian artists from Laguna Pueblo, New Mexico. Chaffin’s work can be
found in numerous collections, most notably The National Collection
of Contemporary Indian Art in the Museum of Contemporary Native
Arts, in Santa Fe. Her work has appeared in various solo and group
exhibitions since 1995 in New Mexico, California, Illinois, Arizona,
Washington, South Dakota and is the recipient of many awards and
honors. In 2009, Chaffins made her debut at the 51st Annual Heard
Museum Indian Market, in Phoenix AZ. Currently, she is the signature
artist for the New Mexico Nursing Excellence Awards and is
represented by the Lloyd Kiva New Gallery in the Museum of
Contemporary Native Arts , Santa Fe NM.
www.radondaughterimagery.com/
If you would like to contribute an item to FROM ALL DIRECTIONS, the monthly e-newsletter of Bronitsky and Associates, please forward your listing before the 28th of each month to .