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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 12, 2003
Contact: Jonathan Zarov, Arts Task force Chair, 280-8673 or Progressive Dane office, 257-4985
Progressive Dane Arts Task Force Kickoff: The Politics of Art, the Art of Politics
MADISON - The Arts Task Force of Progressive Dane invites the public to its kickoff event, "The Politics of Art, the Art of Politics," Saturday, September 13, 3 to 9 p.m., at the Library Mall and Humanities Building of the UW-Madison campus. The event showcases a rich diversity of oft-overlooked, local art--poetry, visual art, a graffiti wall (including a live graffiti exhibit), children's art projects, videos, fanciful acrobats, dancing, and more. The event will bring attention to the intersection of art and politics.
"There are so many creative people in Madison. And a few of them even make a living, benefiting from public art spaces such as the Civic Center and, soon, the Overture Center," says Stephanie Rearick, Progressive Dane co-chair and a member of the task force. "But too often artists--especially those who don't appeal to a wide audience--have to jump hurdles just to create." Rearick sites the city's cabaret license as a case in point. A cabaret license is required for a venue to allow dancing, effectively outlawing dancing in many clubs and coffee shops. Accordingly, the event will end with DJs spinning to "Dance Away the Cabaret," beginning at 8 p.m. on the Library Mall.
The task force aims to change policy in ways that will promote and expand arts and culture in Dane County. Goals include increasing arts programs in schools; developing arts programs outside of schools; advocating for drug, alcohol, and zoning policies that foster the arts; encouraging decentralization of arts funding; removing or decreasing the city application fee for permission walls for public art (currently $500); and exploring organizing artist labor to increase artists' revenue. The task force will also explore ways that current, major arts organizations, such as the Overture Center, can benefit the local arts community.
The schedule is listed below. Please see the Progressive Dane web site www.prodane.org/update/ for the most up-to-date listings. Or call the Progressive Dane office at 257-4985.
Art, Library Mall and Humanities Courtyard Area, 3 to 9 p.m.
--Graffiti wall installation and live graffiti demonstration
--Paintings, drawings, photos, and anything else that can be squeezed into two dimensions
Art for kids, Library Mall, 3 to 7 p.m.
Music Performance, Library Mall, 3 to 8 p.m.
3:00-3:45 pm Sunspot (rock)
4:00-4:45 pm Groovulous Glove (acid funk/jam band)
5:00-5:45 pm Black Acoustic Soul Tribe (aka B.A.S.T -- funk/soul)
6:00-6:45 pm Subvocal (rock)
7:00-8:00 pm Hanah Jon Taylor's Saxaphone Liberation Chorus (jazz)
Giant Wheel Riding, Library Mall and All About..., 3 to 6 p.m. Rob Summerbell
Poetry, Comedy, Theater, Experimental and Acoustic Music Performances, Acrobats, Humanities Courtyard Area, 3 to 8 p.m.
3:00-5:00 pm Stephanie Rearick, Jonathan Zarov, Lyx Ish, Jenifer Pendur, and Joanne Powers, and free form performance
4:15-4:30 pm Spinflight, a troop of aerial acrobats, will perform a vertical dance piece in the midst of the other music performances
5:00-5:30 pm Visual art open critique
5:30-5:45 pm "That's Militainment" by "We Don't Have a Name Yet" Group
5:45-6:00 pm Donald Swadley
6:00-8:00 pm Open Mike Spoken word performance, hosted by Kealynn Kees
Videos, Humanities Lecture Hall, Rm. 3650, 3 to 9 pm
3:00pm Gretta Wing Miller
“The Sid Boyum Sculpture Project,” 30 min
“What is Normal?” Phil Porter excerpts, 15 min
3:50pm David Shanklin/Swamp Thing
“NEA Song (Song with One Chord),” 4 min
4:00pm Luciano
“River of No Return,” 34 min-Premier showing!
4:45pm Brian Standing
“Scoop Perlman’s Guide to the Arts,” 20 min
“Counter-Revolution,” 10 min
“2 PSA’s,” 1 min
“Discrider,” 3 min
5:30pm Todd Allan Price
“No Child Left Behind,” 30 min
6:00pm Wis-kino (a local filmmakers collective)
30 min
6:30pm Kai Mepaiyeda
“Carifete,” 30 min
7:00pm Jon May, Eric Allin
John, “Drive On,” 5 min
Erik , 10 min
7:30pm Daniel Cashin
“A Dance Overdue,” 90 min
Dance Away the Cabaret! public dancing to DJ, with semi-ambient video projections, Library Mall, 8 to 10 p.m., video works by:
--Luciano, Todd Price, Kai Mepaiyeda, documentation of Progressive Dane Arts Task Force kickoff from earlier in day
--John May, "Isolation " and "Castle Asshole"
--Gretta Wing Miller, animation
--Guy Swansbro, animation
--Luciano, "Mud People" & various other works
--Eric Allin, Videorodeoreo!
--Todd Price
--Wis-kino
People interested in getting involved with the Progressive Dane Arts Task Force should call the PD office at 257-4985.
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Progressive Dane is a progressive political party in Dane County, Wisconsin. Progressive Dane believes that ordinary citizens should control public policies at the community and national levels. Progressive Dane supports tax justice, better social services, equality in public education, affordable housing, and public transportation. Progressive Dane helps community members organize around issues that are important to them and also works on the grassroots level to elect progressive political candidates.