Toledo Catholic Diocese: Call For Artists

CALL FOR ARTISTS: TOLEDO CATHOLIC DIOCESE CELEBRATES THE YEAR FOR PRIESTS WITH TRAVELING ART SHOW

September 10, 2009—TOLEDO—The Toledo Catholic Diocese is looking for artists of all ages and mediums to submit Catholic themed artwork celebrating the Year for Priests as declared by Pope Benedict XVI. Art will be entered into a traveling art show that will tour the dioceses’ 19 county area. The show begins in late March during Holy Week and will conclude during the diocesan Priest Convocation in late June.

Pope Benedict XVI has declared the Year for Priests from June 19, 2009 to June 19, 2010. The Holy Father has asked that this year be a time for recognizing the priest’s commitments to the church though prayer and acts of acknowledgment of their loyalty to God. The Toledo Catholic Diocese is asking the community to join in the celebration by calling on all area artists to share their talents to help honor priests.

All submissions will be reviewed by the diocesan Year for Priests art committee for acceptance into the show. Entries are limited to three per artist, and must first be submitted through digital photo on a CD-ROM disk or photograph to the diocesan office of communications or by E-mail to communications@toledodiocese.org no later than

January 15, 2010 at 5 p.m. Each piece of artwork must be original and professionally finished. Multi-media and performance art is not eligible. Art submissions will be divided into two categories, K-12 and Adult.

For more information please contact Sara Newell at 419-244-6711 x149 or Sally Oberski at 419-244-6711 x148.

The Diocese of Toledo, established April 15, 1910 encompasses 8222 square miles in a mixture of urban and rural areas that spans 19 counties across Northwest Ohio, serving 301,134 Catholics. The diocese includes Allen, Crawford, Defiance, Erie, Fulton, Hancock, Henry, Huron, Lucas, Ottawa, Paulding, Putnam, Richland, Sandusky, Seneca, Van Wert, Williams, Wood and Wyandot counties.

Toledo Symphony September Events

The Toledo Symphony concert season beings this weekend. The season starts with the annual concert at Put-in-Bay on Saturday, and the first Chamber Series concert on Sunday at the Toledo Club followed by the Classics opener at the end of the month.

This free concert at Put-in-Bay is an annual favorite. Chelsea Tipton II conducts well known pieces concert under the Perry Monument. Favorites to look forward to are Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, and Mendelssohn’s Nocturne from Midsummer Night’s Dream. The concert is this Saturday, September 12th at 6:30pm.

The Toledo Blade Chamber Series begins on Sunday, September 13th at 7pm with music from Mozart, Wilder, and Beethoven. The Centennial Room at the Toledo Club is an intimate atmosphere, putting you just feet away from the musicians.

The Classic Series opens up on Friday and Saturday, September 25th and 26th with Mahler’s Third Symphony. Principal conductor Stefan Sanderling leads the Symphony along with the Bowling Green State University Women’s Chorus, the Junior Choral Society of Northwest Ohio, and mezzo-soprano Suzanna Guzman. Both nights are performed at the Toledo Museum of Art Peristyle at 8pm.

Tickets for any Toledo Symphony concert can be purchased by calling the box office at 419-246-8000, or by ordering on line at www.toledosymphony.com. Subscriptions and single tickets are on sale now. Don’t miss out on the sure-to-sell out performances of Handel’s Messiah, Jamie Farr narrates the Planets, and Rhapsody in Blue featuring Kirill Gerstein.

Art of the Graphic Novel in LitGraphic

A new wave of critically acclaimed long form comic books, called graphic novels (a mostly grown-up version of the comic book), is the subject of a exhibition opening Oct. 2 at the Toledo Museum of Art.

Organized by the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Mass., LitGraphic: The World of the Graphic Novel examines the history, diversity and tremendous popularity of what is considered by many to be a comics renaissance.

The traveling exhibition features more than 146 artworks by 24 contemporary graphic novelists and historic artists in this ever-evolving art form.

LitGraphic looks at the development of sequential art through its practitioners. Their work continues to suggest new ways of seeing: wordless narratives by 1920s woodcut artist Lynd Ward and modern-day commentator Peter Kuper; revolutionary underground comix by R. Crumb and humorous, personal Girl Stories’ by Lauren Weinstein; works by Mad Magazine co-creator Harvey Kurtzman and Breathtaker co-creator Marc Hempel, and the pioneering art of Will Eisner (Contract with God), Dave Sim (Cerebus) and Terry Moore (Strangers in Paradise).

Original book pages and studies, sketchbooks and videotaped interviews with graphic novelists are featured.

“Art and literature have a certain symbiosis that is epitomized in an art form like the graphic novel, which combines a strong narrative with arresting visual images,” said Don Bacigalupi, director of the Toledo Museum of Art. “This exhibition explores the art and history of the graphic novel through the work of a talented new generation of visual storytellers.”

For centuries, sequential imagery has been a direct, efficient means of communicating ideas and information. From the cave paintings of early man to the hieroglyphics of ancient Egypt and the ceiling of Rome’s Sistine Chapel, pictures, when linked to convey an overarching narrative, have a unique ability to teach and inspire.

During the 19th century, Swiss artist Rodolphe Töpffer theorized about the creation of sequential picture stories and advised artists to “invent some kind of play, where the parts are arranged by plan and form a satisfactory whole.” His experiments with strip-like works employing character action and the passage of time were revolutionary in his day and set the stage for the development of the modern-day comic strips and books.

The 20th century saw the rise of comics as a popular art form through the graphic albums of Europe, Japanese manga and the adventures of cultural icons such as Superman and Donald Duck.

Although beloved by millions of readers, comics were not without their detractors who regarded the medium as a juvenile form of literature. Underground comix, which originated during the counterculture of the 1960s, and the development of independent comic book publishers in the 1970s and 1980s, challenged this notion. These publications gave voice and depth to a full spectrum of characters, emotions and stories, opening up a new world of possibilities for this visual literary art form.

Some observers believe contemporary graphic novels, with their anti-heroes, visual appeal and edgy story lines are positioned to usurp the role that the novel once played.

Artists in the LitGraphic exhibition include Jessica Abel, Sue Coe, R. Crumb, Howard Cruse, Steve Ditko, Will Eisner, Brian Fies, Gerhard, Milt Gross, Marc Hempel, Niko Henrichon, Mark Kalesniko, Peter Kuper, Harvey Kurtzman, Matt Madden, Frans Masereel, Frank Miller, Terry Moore, Dave Sim, Art Spiegelman, Barron Storey, Lynd Ward, Lauren Weinstein, and Mark Wheatley.

Two related exhibitions, Storybook Stars: Award Winning Illustrations From the Mazza Collection and Word Play, open later in October at the Toledo Museum of Art.

Storybook Stars, Oct. 9, 2009 – Jan. 31, 2010 in the Works on Paper Galleries, will offer 120 enchanting illustrations from artists who have won major awards for their work in children’s books. Word Play, Oct. 16, 2009 – Feb. 7, 2010 in Gallery 18, will examine contemporary artists’ use of both text and graphics as a means of artistic expression.

UT Film Series Addresses Issues of Power & Authority

The University of Toledo Department of Theatre and Film will present a documentary film series this fall, which focuses on abuses of authority and power in our society. Each of the films will be held in the UT Center for Performing Arts Lab Theatre (PA1039). Some nights include two films. They are free to attend, however a $3 donation per person is requested to defray costs and help support future film screenings.

Filmmaker Kyle Henry, who produced University, Inc., the film which concludes the series, will be a guest filmmaker in residence at the University this semester.

September 11, 7:30 p.m.
Why We Fight
Filmmaker Jarecki explores Eisenhower’s warning about the rise of the military industrial complex, and finds that the answer to the film’s title is not as clear to Americans as it used to be. http://www.sonyclassics.com/whywefight

September 25, 7:30 p.m.
Sicko
(Shown with Glass Jaw)
Michael Moore’s scathing examination of the US health care system and how it compares to other countries’ systems. Shown with Glass Jaw, a short piece documenting a filmmaker’s struggle with the health care system after he is assaulted.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/index.html

October 23, 7:30 p.m.
The Yes Men Fix the World
(Shown with Freedom of Expression: Resistance and Repression in the Age of Intellectual Property)
Changing the world one prank at a time, anti-corporate activists travel from conference to conference, impersonating member of the World Trade Organization.
http://www.theyesmen.org/movies/theyesmenfixtheworld
Freedom of Expression film web site

November 6, 7:30 p.m.
University, Inc.
(Shown with Laura Dunn’s short piece, The Subtext of a Yale Education.)
Filmmaker Kyle Henry will be in residence for a screening of his newly re-released documentary on the corporatization of the academy.

About University, Inc.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0217123/

About The Subtext of a Yale Education
Background info about the film, press reviews, trailers & more.
http://www.twobirdsfilm.com/subtext.htm

For more information, visit The University of Toledo Department of Theatre & Film online at www.utoledo.edu/as/TheatreFilm

77th Reunion to Celebrate Lebanese Traditions, Appreciation for American Dream

TOLEDO, OH–At the turn of the twentieth century, a group of courageous sons and daughters from Kfeir, a small village in Lebanon, left their homeland in pursuit of a new life in the United States.

In 1932, the group gathered to reminisce about their culture and celebrate their newly-found opportunities in America. At that time, they established the Kfeirian Reunion Foundation and pledged to meet each year with their families, ensuring that their descendants would carry on the tradition.

That spirit will carry forth in Toledo, Ohio from September 5-7, 2009 as the Kfeirian Reunion Foundation comes together for its 77th Anniversary Celebration. The Hilton Toledo on Glendale Avenue will be the home base for the three-day event, expected to draw two hundred attendees from the United States, Canada and around the world, including Lebanon.

Sherry Parrish, a resident of Ellicott City, Maryland, serves on the Board of Trustees for the Kfeirian Reunion Foundation. “On behalf of the Kfeirian Reunion Foundation, we are eagerly anticipating our gathering in the City of Toledo, renown for its embrace and support of the Lebanese culture,” stated Parrish.

“The Kfeirian Cultural Reunion is a celebration of diversity and the American dream,” continued Parrish. “Our ancestors took the brave step of pursuing new opportunities half way around the world, and they’ve made the most of them. This will be a special weekend, however, because we continue to embrace the cultural roots that serve as a foundation for our families. We’ve lived up to the promise of our original settlers, and there’s no end in sight!”

Although the descendants of the Kfeirians have spread far and wide, the annual reunion has been held in various cities, from the Ohio/ West Virginia area, where our early immigrants originally settled, to new locations such as Orlando, Las Vegas, Miami and Los Angeles.

The Kfeirian Reunion Foundation also established a scholarship fund for its descendants. The awards are granted based on the scholastic achievement, financial need and leadership of applicants.

For more information on the 77th Kfeirian Cultural Reunion and its programs, please visit Kfeir.com or contact Michael Abraham, KRF President at # 904-476-8368.