OpenLens Festival At DIVA. The sixth annual OpenLens Festival will be hosted at DIVA January 29, 30, and 31. The festival celebrates the work of regional independent filmmakers. Film screenings will feature short films by individuals from throughout southwest Oregon.
   The festival also features DIVA's Youth Visions Teen Video Challenge showcasing the video efforts by Lane County teenagers. Financial awards and certificates are given for various prizes for both OpenLens Festival and Teen Video Challenge entrants.
   This year's festival host is internationally recognized Portland documentary filmmaker Beth Harrington. Harrington will screen her celebrated feature length film, "Welcome to the Club: The Women of Rockabilly" on Friday, January 29th. She will also teach two seminars including: "Making Music Documentaries - The Sound and the Fury" on January 30 and "Anatomy of a Personal Documentary" on January 31st. Full festival details are available online.

Downtown Revitalization Open House in January. The City of Eugene will hold two open house events in the first week of January to share information on eight potential downtown projects that aim to boost the local economy and foster a vibrant downtown The events will be held:

• Wednesday, January 6th - Noon to 2:00 pm at the 5th Street Market
• Thursday, January 7th- 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the Downtown Initiative for the Visual Arts (DIVA), 110 West Broadway

The open house will include a "virtual" walking tour of potential project sites and information stations where participants can learn more about the project details, job creation, costs, and timing.  The eight projects include:

• Lane Community Colleges Downtown Center
• Veterans Affairs Clinic
• Downtown Safety Improvements
• Business Assistance and Housing
• Arts & Entertainment District
• Beam Development
• Green Infrastructure
• Downtown Parking Improvements

In addition to the open houses, our website has project descriptions and opportunities to provide feedback through online surveys and an online community discussion board.    The City Council will discuss the downtown revitalization projects on January 13 at noon. For more information contact Laura Hammond Laura.A.Hammond@ci.eugene.or

A Special Call to Artists: 100 For 100. On Thursday, February 11th, we DIVA be hosting its first 100 for 100 event - a special fundraising event for DIVA.  We are asking you to help us.
   Here is how it works: We are asking 100 artists to donate a piece of original artwork worth at least $100.  We will put together a program and web page that lists all the artists participating.  We will sell 100 tickets for the event for $100 each. 
   February 11 is Party Time! All participating artists and ticket holders are invited to the party.  Ticket holders will be able to select a piece of art in the order of their ticket number, which will be assigned on a random basis.  Every ticket holder goes home with an original artwork.  We’ll have music, food and fun!  Your donation is tax deductible for $100, which is the ticket price. 
   This is a terrific opportunity for you to help DIVA and get a chance to mingle with art buyers in a very fun event!
   To participate, email mary@divacenter.org (just respond to this email).  We will have times available for you to deliver your donation.  Invite your friends to participate by donating art or purchasing a ticket!  Tickets will go on sale in January. 
   We will start cataloguing donations immediately, so feel free to deliver before the end of this year if you want the tax deduction to apply for this year.

Young Visionaries To Open In February. On Friday February 5th, 2010, DIVA will unveil a new curated show Young Visionaries, an exhibition that will introduce Eugene to the work of some of the most promising emerging artists from across the country.  This interdisciplinary group show will present approximately 15 artists with a total of approximately 35 works throughout all three of our major exhibition spaces. 
    DIVA is extremely excited about the opportunity that this show will provide for art lovers who want to experience some of the most cutting-edge contemporary art being produced today by the art stars of the future. 
   The majority of exhibiting artists will be making their Eugene debut from the East Coast, Midwest, Portland, San Francisco, and Canada.  Artists already confirmed include Kristin Beaver from Detroit, and Joshua Newth from Toronto/Detroit. Image: Painting by Kristin Beaver.

Nick Chase Partici- pates In Internet Concert. Former DIVA Exhibits Director Nick Chase participated in an online broadcast on December 10th from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he is pursuing his PhD.
    The Multimedia improvising ensemble Tintinnabulate broadcast a live performance on UStream.tv that featured new work by the Tintinnabulate collective. The concert performance was viewable simultaneously world-round on the Internet
     Tintinnabulate is a multimedia ensemble of improvising artist and musician graduate students and faculty of RPI, created and currently directed by Pauline Oliveros. Tintinnabulate performs in interesting acoustic spaces as well as virtual spaces with acoustic and electronic instruments, and has participated in many co-located telepresence performances via the INTERNET.

DIVA's Volunteer Coordinator. Shannon Hardin, a long time member of the DIVa Community, has graciously volunteered her time to coordinate the Center's volunteer program.
    A new database of volunteers has been created and files updated so that DIVA now has a excellent cadre list of volunteers available to assist the Center with its many programs and activities.
    We are always in need of individuals who may have only a few hours a week, or many, to offer as a volunteer. The Center is looking for individuals interested in serving as gallery hosts, event and exhibit assistants, or those who have specialized skills including administrative assistance, graphic design, carpentering, and painting. Interested? Contact Shannon at diva.volunteerlist@gmail.com. You can also download and either e-mail or surface mail a volunteer application form.

A Word of Thanks to DIVA Volunteers from Sara. "Thank you to all the wonderful volunteers and Committee members I had the pleasure to work with. Your time and dedication is a true asset in helping patrons to enjoy and participate in the Arts.
    I sincerely hope that our paths will cross again. It has been a joy to get to know each of you. Wishing you a prosperous New Year." Sara Smith Spahn.

Call For Member Directory Internet Sites. With so many now having their own web and Internet sites we'd like to know if you have one that we can add to the DIVA Members' Internet Page Directory. If you have a web or Internet site showcasing your work please write us at diva.newsletter@gmail.com and let us know about it. Include: (a) URL, (b) A 90 word or LESS artist statement about your work, and (c) a digital image 200 pixels wide with a 72dpi resolution. Or, send a horizontal (landscape) image of your work and we will resize it.

Avery Clayton Passes. DIVA has learned that Avery Clayton, who hosted the Center's African American Film Festival in October, 2008, died on Thanksgiving Day. He was 62.
    Clayton, President and Chief Executive Officer, of the Mayme A. Clayton Library and Museum (MCLM) in Culver City, California spoke at a DIVA Gallery Talk about "The Evolution of the Mayme A. Clayton Library and Museum (MCLM): From a Backyard Collection to a Major American Cultural Institution".
   Clayton, while in Eugene, was the guest of DIVA Member and long-time Avery friend, Thomas Blank. While at DIVA, Mr. Clayton hosted a three night festival of Early African American Films that he selected from the Clayton Museum collection.

South African Sculptor At DIVA. Willamette University art instructor, Andries Fourie, discussed his current sculpture exhibit, "From the Heart of Darkness to the Rainbow Nation: South Africa Reinvents Itself" on December 12th. His presentation provided a cultural and historical context to the works on view and the stories behind them.
    Andries Fourie’s work explores memory, culture, and identity in a specifically South African context. He is interested in the dynamic cultural blending that results from the contact between traditional, predominantly rural, African cultures and the Westernized modernity of the city. He is also interested in how history and the past shape the way South Africans define and identify themselves today.

Holiday Annex Fundraising Project Success. The Holiday Annex Gallery has been a successful fundraising experimental for DIVA. Located in the wonderful gallery space at 80 East Broadway, the exhibit has drawn interest from local and visiting art aficionados.
    Our thanks to Summit Bank for giving us access to the space for a special holiday show that features the work of many fine Eugene artists: Ellen Tykeson, Ryan Beard, Jerry Ross, Barry Geller, Stephen White, Ruth Von Buren, Renee Manford, Lin Cook, Steve Reinmuth, Geoff McCormack, Terry McIlrath, Dan Chen, Adrienne Adam, Gladys Bacon-Rust, and Kate Bollons.
    Special thanks are due to Carolyn Kranzler and Lynn McDonald who donated art from their private collection with all proceeds from sales to DIVA, including very fine work from Brian Lanker, Mary Dole, Tom Browning and many others. Thanks also to Karen Alvarado whose practiced gallery eye created an outstanding exhibit and to Terry Way who helped curate the show.

DIVA Galleries Closed in January. The Center's galleries will be closed in January in preparation for the Young Visionaries exhibit.
   Meanwhile, all event programming will continue at DIVA throughout the month with film screenings, workshops, and other activities. The sixth annual OpenLens Festival (January 29, 30, and 31) will bring a large crowd downtown to celebrate the work and spirit of the Independent filmmaker/artist.

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
From All At DIVA Center