#MacDowellMonth Sisterhood Spotlight

Thank you for this borrowed profile from Stubbs Music Center to highlight this  #MacDowellMonthMonday:

Barbara Willis: Piano Department

Since 1989 Barbara Willis has been teaching piano at Stubbs' Music Center.  Mrs. Willis received her Piano Performance degree from Florida State University.  Mrs. Willis has memberships in Alpha Chi Omega, Sigma Alpha Iota, Music Teachers National Association, Florida Music Teachers Association, Tallahassee Music Teachers Association, National Federation of Music Clubs, and National Guild of Piano Teachers.  She has served as pianist and organist at several local churches.  Mrs. Willis has been very active in having her students participate within recitals, student competitions and evaluations.  She has served as president of the Tallahassee Music Teachers Association.  

Tallahassee More Beautiful - #tbt

Follow up on  our previous post for our sister

Erin (Iota Psi, Elon)

Erin Boomgarden (Iota Psi, Elon)'s collborative work from graduate school in the FSU Department of Art Education and Art Therapy Association on the corner of Gaines and Railroad Square. 

Thank you sister Amanda (Alpha Upsilon, Alabama) and the Council on Culture & Arts (@COCABuzz) for noting this art on their website as "Outdoor Public Art"

You can celebrate MacDowell Month (when Alpha Chi Omegas everywhere take part in and support the fine arts) anytime you want thanks to Erin!

and enjoy her Etsy shop:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/SaturatedWhimsee

Photos courtesy of Utrecht Tallahassee

MacDowell Month w/ @AXO_FSU's Painted Wall

We appreciated Tallahassee's Council on Culture and Arts Highlighting the FSU Painted Walls as part of their "Outdoor Public Art" webpage.

Our sister Amanda works hard for @COCABuzz and we love the folks there!

See past posts about Amanda:

http://axoete.blogspot.com/2012/07/coca-for-kids-sharing-love-of-fine-arts.html

http://axoete.blogspot.com/2012/07/coca-art-in-airport-with-axo.html

http://axoete.blogspot.com/2012/04/another-sister-featured-for-art-and.html

http://axoete.blogspot.com/2011/03/i-spy-sisters-in-community_31.html

Another sighting of #FSU Nancy Smith Fichter for #MacDowellMonth & #WhyAlphaChiWednesday

Loved this photo of Nancy Smith Fichter (Beta Eta, 1949) from the Tallahassee Democrat and the Florida State University Archives.

We found this great article about Nancy too in the Tallahasse Magazine! We are lucky to highlight our own "fine arts super star sisters" during MacDowell Month.

#Stubbs Music Center and Stubbs Educational Foundation - #MacDowellMonth

Kicking off #MacDowell Month with an article about Stubbs (daughter-in-law is Joy, Gamma Iota) Music Center and Stubbs Educational Foundation from the Tallahassee Magazine.

Engaging in Cultural Arts Helps YOU

 

How are you celebrating Alpha Chi Omega's heritage this month?

 

Stubbs Education Foundation for Music Scholarships

It's time for another "Party with a Purpose!"

What better to celebrate Fine Arts then with sisters as we support other sisters and musical talent?!

Stubbs' Educational Foundation, Inc. provides Music and Academic Scholarships
to students in the Tallahassee area.

Buy your ticket now and enjoy all the fun:

here we are last year - YES, we did have that much fun! Back Row (all Brother of Hermes members):  Marc, Chris, Chris Front Row:  Jenn (Theta Lambda), Britain (Beta Eta), Joy (Gamma Iota), Amy (Zeta Upsilon), Magie (Pi) and Tara (Beta Eta)

And here were are from year's past:
http://axoete.blogspot.com/2012/04/stubbs-educational-foundation-ss.html

http://axofloridastate.blogspot.com/2012/02/stubbs-educational-foundation-mardi.html

2nd Saturday Outing to Celebrate MacDowell Month

What better way to celebrate MacDowell Month than by enjoying local art and sharing with your family? Teach your children early about Fine Arts and the importance of supporting and loving art!


Second Saturdays at MFH both delight and educate
12:30 AM, Jan 13, 2013

Getting their fingers dirty with pastel crayons and creating art together on a Saturday afternoon will always be a fond memory for local mom Jennifer Humayun and her 10-year-old daughter, Ursula.

Humayun said they were just looking to spend a day at the Museum of Florida History when they stumbled into the Second Saturday activities. The group of about 20 parents and children took a tour of the museum’s temporary exhibit, Reflections: Paintings of Florida, 1865-1965. After the tour they recreated one of the works in the exhibit.

“It’s enriching because the kids don’t realize that they are learning about the history of Florida and then art,” Humayun said. “All these different aspects that are woven together — art, history and spending time with family — people should be out here. This will be a memory I never forget.”

Second Saturdays at MFH have been going on for years, said Bonnie McCluskey, museum program supervisor.

The program is always focused on an exhibit at the museum and is family oriented, added Jennie Brock, museum educator. In the coming months, activities on Second Saturdays will include story time about Florida wildlife and a recycled art project.

“It teaches the kids a sense of their history — what their environment was, where they come from — and I love that they are doing it through art,” said Antje Meissner, who brought her children to the museum for the activities.

“It’s difficult to get kids interested in art exhibits and I think they are doing a great job with that here,”she added.

Special guestPerdita Ross came for this month’s program and led the hands-on art project.

“I hope they took away that art is always about something,” Ross said, local artists and art educator.

“It has significance to where you live, what you see and history.”

“The kids were a lot of fun,” she added.

Ursula had a good time, plus she got to learn about sable palms being the state tree and about whooping cranes.

“I like drawing and being able to be creative,” she said. “And it’s really fun that kids get to learn about plants and Florida history — but in a fun way.”

MacDowell Month Ideas

From Daily Good, a list to grow your creativity that is perfect for MacDowell Month!

Art Every Day Tasks

Visit a museum or galleryTake a street art walking tourTake a photoResearch an artistCreate something handmade and give it to someoneSign up for an art classCreate a floral or stone arrangementMake a self-portraitDoodle for 10 minutes straightFrame something you have been meaning to frameSketch somebody and give them the pictureCreate a font type for your nameCreate a business cardCheck out an art book at the libraryBreak something. (You have to destroy in order to create!)Make a collageSupport the local arts scene by going to a local festival, music event, art show, play, museum exhibit, etc.Make a card for someone you loveMake an inspiration board (moodboard) for a future projectDraw some chalk art on the sidewalkMake origamiFinger paintIllustrate a song that inspires youAdd an art blog's RSS feed to your readerDraw the best part of todaySend a friend a link to your favorite artist's workCreate a place in your home to store your creative suppliesClose your eyes and draw for five minutesDraw yourself as a cartoonTake your camera with you on a walk and document the experienceCreate an artist’s workspace in your home

Stubbs' Educational Foundation - SS

A bunch of us enjoyed another fun time at the Stubb's Educational Foundation event to benefit music students and Stubb's Music Center in Tallahassee.

Joy's (UF, Gamma Iota) husband's BBQ company Bluewater Cooking catered:

GOOD EATS Y'ALL!

The evening's events:

Barbara (Beta Eta, FSU) is an accomplished piano teacher:

Some of the delights we purchased in the Silent Auction:




















Amy our president and her hubby cutting the rug!:

See a recap of last year's event attended by our sisters Amy, Britain, Joy and Martha.

and our Alpha Chi sisters supported with their businesses - a Gamma Iota, UF sisters owns:

Please visit the Foundation on Facebook and give them a "like"

Bluewater Cooking is on Facebook too!

Stubbs Educational Foundation Mardi Gras Gala

Last year members of ETE, the Tallahassee Alumnae chapter, attended the Stubbs Educational Foundation Mardi Gras Ball, supporting a local alumna, and celebrating the arts (yay for MacDowell Month). It is that time of year again... if you are interested in attending let us know.. so far Amy Z, her hubs, Chris, Jenny Sue, her hubs, Marc, Britain and her fiance, Chris, are all planning on attending... we'd love to have you join us.


The Stubbs' Educational Foundation's is a non-profit created by Martha and Ron Stubbs to provide music scholarships for K-12th grade students in North Florida and South Georgia. To date, the foundation has awarded approximately 555 scholarships valued at $441,027.58 and has established 26 endowments. At least 70% of the scholarships go to financially need-based students and the remaining to merit recipients. The Mardi Gras Ball is just one way the Foundation raises money to fund music scholarships. The evening features dinner, live music, dancing, and live and silent auctions. This year’s Mardi Gras Ball is on February 18 from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m at the Tallahassee Antique Car Museum. Current Foundation President Chuck Stubbs welcomes all interested in the Mardi Gras Ball or the Foundation to contact (850) 893-8782.

MacDowell Month Highlight: Star Studio

From MacDowell, Vol. 39, No.1 Summer 2010

When I first entered Star Studio, I noted immediately — and with relief — how pared down its contents were. Two desks were just the number I needed. A dictionary was the only book I wanted, and there it was.

The studio was gloriously devoid of Internet access yet within walking distance of a wireless network. This arrangement meant I was not so cut off that my agent panicked, but neither was I at the mercy of her always plugged-in work habits. Building a fire provided just the meditative activity that I, on occasion, needed. The simplicity of the studio was like a whetstone that honed my attention to a razor-sharp edge.

The cumulative result was the ability to squeeze three days of work out of every 24-hour period. The world that “is too much with us” fell away. In New York, I write before noon but by lunch I feel like I have to plug my phone back in and start returning calls. MacDowell has a different pace, and noon simply became the time when I could retrieve my lunch basket. My only company when I ate was four walls, two large windows, and those uncluttered desks. As I began my afternoon shift, my writing became focused — more alert to itself. Dinnertime arrived just when it needed to and then later, buoyed by the company of powerful artists at the communal meal, I returned to my cabin and worked yet again before retiring. I slept blissfully, in sight of my notebooks, knowing I could resume work when my eyelids opened and the day announced itself.

Jorge Ignacio Cortiñas’s awards include fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York Foundation for the Arts. His plays include Maleta Mulata, Sleepwalkers, and Blind Mouth Singing, which was praised as having “visionary wit” by the Chicago Tribune and called “beautiful and strange” by The New York Times. Cortiñas is on the faculty at Lehigh University and belongs to the New York Theatre Workshop and New Dramatists.

---------------------

Star Studio was the first studio donated by an outside organization:
the music sorority Alpha Chi Omega.

MacDowell Month - Alpha Chis Celebrating The Arts

Our sister Cindy supports the Arts all year round. We found her in the Gainesville Magazine enjoying Noche de Gala benefiting the Sebastian Ferrero Foundation.

We are also pleased to share an updated picture from Erin (Iota Psi, Elon)'s Celebrating the Arts mural. Today Mayor Marks cuts the ribbon, and welcomes the mural to Railroad Avenue and Gaines Street community. Thank you Erin, your colleagues and Tallahassee citizens for helping beautifying the city!

Help Make Tallahassee More Beautiful!

Alpha Chi Omega alumna Erin (Iota Psi, Elon)'s department (Department of Art Education) and student association (Art Therapy Association) are collaborating with Seven Days of Opening Nights Arts Fest and the City of Tallahassee to paint a mural on the corner of Gaines and Railroad Square from Feb. 10-22.  "We're there this week 9am-7pm and this weekend 12-5pm. We'll be there 9am-9pm beginning Feb 14. Any and all are welcome- we'd especially love for people to bring their classes (if they teach) or any volunteer organizations; it's pretty much paint by numbers; artistic or technical skill is not a requirement. 

"Students of any paintbrush-wielding age are welcome, provided they have proper supervision of course. We are also working with local programs such as Pyramid Studios, SAIL, and FDOA/Sports Ability. The theme of the mural is the arts-visual, and performing, so there are dancers and musicians and such throughout the mural design. It should be awesome!"

What a great way to celebrate MacDowell Month (when Alpha Chi Omegas everywhere take part in and support the fine arts)!

one section of the mural, just beginning to take shape on Friday!

Supporting Local MacDowell Fellows

As many of you know, MacDowell Colony was Alpha Chi Omega's first philanthropy and one that we continue to support nationally and locally.

Events featuring two Tallahassee area MacDowell Colony Fellows take place this month. Friday evening, FSU celebrates the Ruby Diamond Grand Reopening, the College of Music's 100th anniversary, and the start of the 2010-2011 concert series with four commissioned works performed by the FSU University Symphony Orchestra, Wind Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble and Combined Choirs (over 600 voices!).

One of the 4 commissioned works that will be performed was composed by MacDowell Fellow Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. She is both an FSU faculty member (the Francis Eppes Professor of Music) and an FSU alumna (and fellow Panhellenic sister, a member of Zeta Tau Alpha). Zwilich is also the first woman composer to receive a Pulitzer Prize for composing.

From FSU News:

Zwilich has a special, longstanding connection to Ruby Diamond.

"I first entered Ruby Diamond Auditorium as an FSU freshman, playing violin in the orchestra and trumpet in the band," Zwilich said. "During my years at FSU, this was the place where I encountered so much of the repertoire, playing under Ernst von Dohnányi and Pablo Casals to name two of the most memorable conductors, and playing in everything from the Opera to the unofficial Lab Band, since at that time jazz was not yet a part of the curriculum. This was a place that profoundly affected my life, and I was deeply honored to receive this commission."

In keeping with the momentous nature of the celebration, the Oct. 8 concert at Ruby Diamond is black tie optional.

Tickets for the event are $25 general admission ($15 for FSU students with ID) and may be purchased through the FSU College of Music Box Office, located in the lobby of Ruby Diamond. For ticket information and box office hours, please call the College of Music Box Office at (850) 645-7949 or visit the website at www.music.fsu.edu/boxoffice.

Our second featured Tallahassee area MacDowell Fellow is acclaimed wood sculptor Mark Lindquist. A 40-year retrospective of his work is on display at the Gadsden Arts Center in Quincy through October 23rd. To give you an idea how impressive he is, his 25-year career retrospective was hosted by the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.!

You might also be interested in other MacDowell related posts
MacDowell Month: AXOs Appreciating the Arts
MacDowell Month: It's Almost Here
Supporting Sisters in February

MacDowell Month: AXOs Appreciating the Arts

Tallahasseans are lucky to enjoy "Seven Days of Opening Nights" each February. The event brings artists of all sorts (musical, spoken word, written word and dance) to Tallahassee; they perform and teach a few classes for some lucky FSU students.

Karen (Beta Eta - FSU), Tara (Beta Eta), Jenn (Theta Lambda - Clemson) and Laura (Beta Eta) listened with pleasure to the Vienna Boy's Choir on Monday night the 15th.

Tuesday the 16th found Karen, Tara, Jenn and Britain (Beta Eta) beatboxing and breakdancing to Rennie Harris Puremovement performers at the Nancy Smith Fichter Dance Theatre (she's a Beta Eta!) (Read more about Nancy's accomplishments.)

What did you do to celebrate MacDowell Month and Alpha Chi's fine arts heritage?

MacDowell Month - It's almost here!

A reblog reminder about appreciating the fine arts from Mu Tau Mu (virtual alumnae chapter connected to Zeta Upsilon chapter at Case Western Reserve University):

Support Alpha Chi Omega sisters involved in the arts
http://axomtm.squarespace.com/journal/2010/1/25/prepping-for-macdowell-month-part-iv.html

This is one of our absolute favorites at MTM because it's as easy to do long-distance as it is locally. Since all collegiate chapters and most alumnae chapters are local, we'll talk about that first. Here are some ideas:
1. Make a list of all chapter members who are artists - those in the theater, orchestra, choir, as well as the poets, writers and architecture students - and share it with the chapter and local alumnae.
2. Make a calendar of all the fine arts events the sisters in Item 1 are participating in during February and the rest of the month to share.
3. Attend the events in Item 2 as a group and support fine arts and Alpha Chi sisters at the same time!

Long-distance
1. Find video and audio files of sisters' performances and share them. See some samples that MTM has shared at the bottom of our Alpha Chi Omega songs page. Each week in February we send out a link that everyone can enjoy at their leisure... some are from alumnae and others from campus events that collegiate members participate in (like the orchestra and chorale).
2. Find ways to support fine arts on campus. Last year, MTM was a top-level sponsor for the 10th Anniversary show of a student-run theater group, the FootLighters, at CWRU. Sisters had been involved all through the years in productions, both on stage and behind the scenes, so we wanted to help the organization celebrate. It was good PR and inexpensive!
3. Highlight Alpha Chi Omega alumnae artists. For example, read a book by an Alpha Chi Omega author (see a slideshow with some options here) or learn more about a sister who is an artist or composer or architect.
Whatever you decide to do, we hope you enjoy it! We also hope you'll share your thoughts and plans with us by commenting below. Thanks and Happy MacDowell Month!