Highline Community Symphonic Band’s BAND FEST is coming to the Highline Performing Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 27.

BAND FEST will include performances by the Mt. Rainier High School Wind Ensemble, Kennedy High School Band, and Highline Community Symphonic Band.

The Mt. Rainier High School Wind Ensemble is their top performing ensemble. It is an audition group and plays challenging music for high school. Kennedy High School Band has won numerous accolades for their marching, jazz, and concert bands.

Highline Community Symphonic Band (HCSB), celebrating its 40th concert season, is dedicated to providing classical band music for the enjoyment and cultural enrichment of communities in and around the Highline area of South King County. HCSB performs quality concerts in a traditional venue without cost to the general public, while nurturing individual talents and continuously improving the skills of all HCSB members.

Established in 1971, HCSB provides a venue for local amateur musicians, post high school to senior citizens, to continue or return to the enjoyment and challenge of playing a wide range of concert band music. The band also provides an opportunity for selected high school instrumental students to expand their musical education by participating in a quality community symphonic band.

Highline Community Symphonic Band is supported, in part, by donations from the City of Burien Arts Commission, 4Culture, and Tukwila Parks Commission. More info at www.highlineband.org.

The Highline Performing Arts Center is located at 401 S. 152nd Street, next to Highline High School.

Here’s a video of the HCSB performing “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” in 2011 :

Click here to view the embedded video.

ESC Kids' Art Contest winner Anne Wilhite with Burien City Councilmember Joan McGilton.

The Environmental Science Center (ESC) on Thursday (Feb. 9) announced the winners of the Earth Day Kids’ Art Contest:

Congratulations go out to Anne Wilhite of Mr. Matthews’ 4th grade class at Marvista Elementary for winning the Grand Prize:

Ngan Nguyen of Ms. Miller’s 6th grade class at Cedarhurst Elementary also won as a Finalist:

Payton May of Mrs. Barker’s class, also Marvista Elementary, was selected as a Finalist:

A total of 103 pieces of artwork were submitted from eight schools and programs in the areas served by ESC. Students were asked to submit work that inspired others to take care of the earth. The work was judged by three jury members, two from the Burien Arts Commission. Judging criteria included artistic merit, creativity, and originality. Ms. Wilhite’s art expressed what the world could look like if we all do our part to protect the environment. Ms. May’s more literal artwork reminds the viewers to THINK of important actions, such as commuting and composting, that will provide a greener place for us all. Ms. Nguyen’s art inspires people of all backgrounds and ethnicities to take part in protecting the world.

To give special recognition to the Grand Prize winner, the former Mayor of Burien, Joan McGilton presented the award to Anne in front of her class. After the ceremony, students eagerly waited to have a chance to talk with the former Mayor and to shake her hand. ESC sincerely thanks McGilton for her continued support of ESC and our local schools. ESC along with its supporters is proud to continue inspiring each of these three young artists with an artist’s tote containing:

• Artist & Craftsman Donation- heart-shaped craft box, craft tissue paper, craft glue, and set of paintbrushes
• Utrecht Art Supplies Donation- artist’s sketchbook, set of pencils, and eraser
• Beading kit
• Sculpting sticks

Anne Wilhite’s will be featured on the invitations to ESC’s Annual Earth Day Dinner & Auction as well as on ESC’s website. Additionally, the Grand Prize included a one-year membership for a family of five to the Seattle Aquarium. One Finalist received a Family Fun Pack to the Woodland Park Zoo and the other received admission for four to the Seattle Bug Safari and admission for two to the Pacific Science Center and IMAX theater. All participants were recognized for their submissions with a certificate of participation. Thank you to all the students and teachers who submitted these wonderful works of art. We look forward to seeing more next year!

For more information about the Environmental Science Center visit www.envsciencecenter.org.

“Let your imagination ROLL WILD!” reads an email. “Our first round this past summer was very successful, and there is some amazing art hung up at the rink. There’s plenty of room on the walls, and hundreds of skates just waiting for you and your ideas to be a permanent part of the Southgate Roller Rink in White Center.”

Sculpture Criteria and Instructions:

• Max out your design at 4′ wide x 2′ tall
• Utilize up to (5) pairs or (10) skates
• Make it wall mountable

Like the Native Americans with the Buffalo hunt, include as much of the roller skate as possible (ie; the boot, truck and wheels). A surplus of clay wheels are also available for use.

• Sculptures must be completed by May 9th
• Participation fee is $20 which covers skates, hanging and promotion of the May 3rd Saturday Art Walk.

The roller rink will play host to a fundraiser benefiting WCA on May 16th which will serve as an early unveiling of the art work before the Art Walk on May 19th.

Please email whitecenterartwalk@gmail.com by March 1st if you would like to participate and details about skate pick up.

Click image to see larger version.

Our friends at Cove to Clover (we’re a Sponsor) would like our Readers to know about the first-ever Cove to Clover Art Contest, open to students from elementary through high school.

The winning design will be used in creating the 2013 logo, and the winner will be announced on race day at 3 p.m. (Sunday, March 11th).

The deadline to enter is March 3rd.

Here are the guidelines:

• 11×17 format
• Must use the title “Cove to Clover 2013″ and an image of snake
• Please include name, age, school, phone and email

For all you Photoshop whizes out there, digital submissions can be sent to artcontest@covetoclover.com (send .jpg file, min. resolution of 3300×5100). To send via snailmail,, submit your entries to:

Cove to Clover
Attn: Art Contest
17837 1st Ave South, #568
Normandy Park, WA 98148

For more information about the art contest, email artcontest@covetoclover.com.

For more info on Cove to Clover, or to register for the run, click here.

UPDATE 1/31/12: The good folks at Burien Little Theatre report to us that have successfully obtained the use of an 88-key electric piano thanks to YOU, our faithful and generous B-Town Blog Readers!

Here’s a note from Artistic Director Eric Dickman:

Scott,

I don’t know if you have room for this, but I would be nice to thank Diana Holman in public.

Thanks for 88 keys!  Once again the readers of the B-Town Blog came through for Burien Little Theatre.  As you may have read BLT needed an 88 key electric piano for its upcoming production the “The Who’s Tommy,” that runs February 17 though March 25.

We borrowed an electric piano from Diana Holman, a fine B-Town Blog reader and supporter of the arts.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

- Eric Dickman

PREVIOUSLY:

Our friends at Burien Little Theatre are “in a jam” of a different musical variety – they need an 88-key electric piano to use from Feb. 12 – March 25 in their upcoming production of “The Who’s Tommy.”

Our generous Readers have come through before, when BLT needed to borrow a baby grand for “Christmas with the Crawfords” (read about that here) and we know someone out there can help, so if you’ve got one just sitting around and collecting dust, or know of one, please contact them ASAP: info@burienlittletheatre.org.

Also, please spread the word by sharing this post on your Facebook Page or Twitter feed!

“The Who’s Tommy” will begin Friday, Feb. 18 and will run through March 25 at BLT, located at 14501 4th Ave SW – buy tickets online here.

Here’s more from an email we received from BLT Artistic Director Eric Dickman:

BLT is in a jam.  We need an 88 weighted key electric piano with a moderate effects library for “The Who’s Tommy.”  We need it from February 12 through March 25, 2012.  See http://burienlittletheatre.org/blog/2012/01/88-keys-please/.

Or if anyone could donate enough to buy one we would be forever in their debt.

We usually borrow an 88 key electric piano from another theater, but they have a show up during our production of “Tommy” that needs their piano. We have been asking around to no avail.

Your readers have come through so many times for so many, including BLT when one of your readers let borrow a baby grand for “Christmas with the Crawfords.”  Hopefully they will come through for us again.

Eric Dickman
Artistic Director
Burien Little Theatre

The City of Burien and Burien Arts Commission want someone to paint the side of the Dollar Tree Store on 4th Ave SW – and they’re willing to pay $12,000 bucks for it.

But put that extra thick Sharpie away Mr. Tagger – this is not an open call for random graffiti – this is a legitimate call for an Artist(s) to paint a real mural.

The Dollar Tree is officially located at 250 SW 152nd Street, but the mural is on 4th Ave SW, just across from the city hall garage.

The deadline to apply is Friday, Feb. 24th.

Here’s more from a press release:

CALL TO ARTISTS City of Burien Arts Commission Mural Project

Eligibility: This project is open to all Northwest artists.

Deadline: Friday, February 24th. This is not a postmark deadline.

Project Budget: $12,000, to be inclusive of materials

The City of Burien and the Burien Arts Commission is seeking an artist or artist team to create a dynamic, innovative mural on the exterior surface on the side of a downtown Burien building. The building is on 4th SW between 150th and 152nd Street and is currently leased by The Dollar Store. The building wall is on a busy pedestrian friendly arterial and is across the street from the new Burien Town Square, which is the community’s central gathering point. The new Burien Library and City Hall are also located in this area.

The wall is painted concrete and is 18 feet high by 160 feet wide. It is required that the artist cover at least 50% of the wall with the mural. The artist will be required to include some type of community aspect in the design and/or creation process. This opportunity is intended as a community-building opportunity that can also create a sense of wonder and pride in the Burien downtown. The artwork will transform this large white wall into an interesting and exciting focal point and graffiti deterrent.

Artwork Opportunity:
The City of Burien is seeking an artist or artist team to develop, design and create a mural project that involves the Burien community in some way, to be determined by the artist. The project should reflect a thematic aspect of the community, such as growth, change, history, diversity, etc. The commissioned artwork should be created in media that is suitable for an exterior application directly on the concrete wall. The design will be presented to the Burien Arts Commission, Burien City Council and Dollar Store stakeholders prior to the final approval.

The $12,000 project budget includes the artist’s design fees, compensation and travel expenses, all materials and fabrication costs, shipping and transportation of materials to the site, preparation of mural site, installation of the artwork, application of protective coating if needed, and any applicable taxes and/or insurance.

About Burien:
Burien is a 100-year-old waterfront community with six miles of Puget Sound shoreline and mountain views. Burien is 16 miles south of Downtown Seattle. Burien is a diverse community with over 50 languages spoken in the homes of Burien area students. Over the last several years Burien has been busy rebuilding and reinventing itself. The downtown’s major arterial received a makeover and the new Burien Town Square opened its first buildings and park in 2009. Town Square has reshaped the downtown area into a central gathering point for the community. The city is also proud to be the home for many not-for profit arts organizations including an orchestra, live theatre, and choral and dance groups. The city has become an art pocket of the Northwest with unique arts projects such as B/ IAS (Burien Interim Art Space) and the yearly lantern festival “Arts A Glow”.

Application Materials:
Written application materials will be photocopied for the panelists. Please do not staple or bind application materials. Please submit written materials on plain white 8 1?2 x 11 paper.

• A letter of interest and broad project description which should explain how the artists work is appropriate for this particular place and project, what interests the artist about working on this project, past experience relevant to the project, experience working with community in some capacity, and a short description of the type of project you would like to create in the space.
• 10 digital images maximum submitted on a CD (jpg or tiff files). No bulky materials or original works of art should be submitted.
• Annotated image list. A printed sheet of information with artist’s name, contact information, artwork titles, mediums, date of artworks, sizes and the corresponding image numbers. Artists are encouraged to include a brief description (2-3 sentences) of each image, design team collaborative work or installations.
• A current professional resume (2 pages maximum). For artist team applications please include resumes for all team members.

Timeline:

• February 24, 2012: Application deadline
• March 2012: Interviews and Artist selection by late March
• April 2012: Planning meeting with Arts Commission and staff
• April-May 2012: Design and development of project
• Late May 2012: Presentation of design to stakeholders
• June-Sept 2012: Creation and completion of mural

Selection criteria:
Application Deadline Interviews and Artist selection by late March Planning meeting with Arts Commission and staff Design and development of project Presentation of design to stakeholders Creation and completion of mural.

The artists will be selected using the following criteria:

• Quality and strength of past work as demonstrated in the submitted materials
• Experience working with community in some capacity
• Adaptability to the collaborative process of design
• Demonstrated knowledge of the unique consideration of exterior murals
• Ability to work at elevated heights on ladders or scaffolding as needed
• Ability to create a unique and engaging artwork appropriate in concept, materials and scale for this project
• Availability to work April-September 2012 in Burien, Washington
• Availability to complete work by September 2012

Selection Process:

• A selection panel comprised of members of the City of Burien Arts Commission, City of Burien staff, building stakeholders, and community stakeholders will review all application materials received by the deadline. Interviews with top candidates will occur following the selection panel and final selection will be made by the end of March 2012.

Application Deadline
All application materials must be received no later than 4:30 PM on Friday, February 24th, 2012. This is not a postmark deadline. Incomplete or late applications will not be reviewed.

Submit complete applications to:

Gina Kallman
Cultural Arts Supervisor Re: Mural Project
Burien Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services
14700 6th Ave SW
Burien, WA 98166

For more information please contact Gina Kallman at 206-391-6605, ginak@burienwa.gov.

Gold Medalists, local high-school instrumentalists who have achieved outstanding levels of proficiency (including several from the Burien area), will perform with the Orchestra; these include:

• Martin Obrero, clarinet, Global Connections High School
• Eden Ghirmai, flute, Mt. Rainier High School
• Stephanie Anderson, trumpet, Highline High School
• Kirk Cieszkiewicz, French Horn, Highline High School.

These four students will play with the Orchestra on the first piece of the program, Weber’s Overture to Der Freischütz.

Here’s some more info:

• Eric Garcia, conductor Seattle Symphony
• Weber: Overture to Der Freischütz
• Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92

Free Community Concerts are supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. This support allows the Seattle Symphony to collaborate with the City of Seattle and  local schools to provide cultural and educational opportunities for the entire community.

The Highline Performing Arts Center is located at 401 South 152nd Street, next to Highline High School.

For the past six years, Artist Beverly Cameron has been a student in the art program (Art Escape) for artists with disabilities at the Moshier Community Art Center in Burien. She will be missed by all who knew her, and her artwork will be treasured.

Instructor Shariana Mundi wrote:

Beverly Cameron, our dear friend and art cohort, left this world on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011. She lived in the South Seattle area all of her life with an incredibly loving and supportive family. Her developmental disabilities seemed just a silent aspect of her generous and gentle personality. She flourished most happily in her quiet world of giant flowers, colors and family. Beverly worked with textile paints for years painting dishtowels for friends and family and in the past few years discovered many more media possibilities to explore and dabble in. She excelled at collage and bright florals, adding texture and pattern to her bold, simple designs. Through art, Beverly added friendships and artist celebrations to her life.

From her ever generous nature, Beverly’s most common statement about her art was:“I made it for you!”

Beverly’s work will be on display at the Burien Community Center until January 30th, 2012. The City of Burien Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services department would also like to thank Beverly’s family for its very generous donation to help develop and implement more art programs for adults with disabilities.

Burien’s annual ‘Empty Bowls’ fundraiser event for local food banks will be held on Friday, Jan. 27th at the Community Center, and volunteers are needed to help out.

Volunteers are needed to help wash bowls beforehand, as well as set up and serve at the event itself.

Here are the details courtesy Gina Kallman, Cultural Arts Supervisor for the City of Burien:

Hello!

I am starting to fill slots for volunteers for Empty Bowls 2012! The event will be Friday, January 27th, 11-2 and 4-8pm. Please let me know if you can help!

I am looking for people to fill these slots:

Bowl washing at Moshier Art Center:

• Monday, January 16, 10-noon
• Wednesday, January 25, 6-8pm

Set up at Burien Community Center:

• Thursday, Jan 26, 3-6pm

Friday, Jan 27—Main Event! Please let me know if you would like to help for lunch or dinner…we have the following shifts:

• 10:30-12:30
• 12:30-2:30
• 3:30-6:00
• 6:00-8:30pm

Thank you and Happy New Year!!

Gina Kallman
Cultural Arts Supervisor
City of Burien
Tel: (206) 391-6605
ginak@burienwa.gov
www.BurienParks.net

To volunteer, email Gina at ginak@burienwa.gov or call (206) 391-6605.

To see our previous coverage of past Empty Bowls, including great photos, click here.

Highline Public Schools Superintendent John Welch shows off his mad air guitar skillz during filming of "The Day My Parents Became Cool" in 2009.

Local filmmaker Steve Edmiston’s short film “The Day My Parents Became Cool,” which was shot in the Burien/Normandy Park area in 2009 (see our previous coverage here), will receive its broadcast world premiere on KCTS-9 at 10 p.m. this coming Monday, Jan. 2.

The film has a unique local pedigree – not only does it feature some 150 public high school students (both in front of and behind the camera) from seven high schools in the Highline and Federal Way school districts, it also showcased former Highline Schools Superintendent John Welch in the role he was meant to play: a rebellious punk rocker with spiked hair and a leather “Anarchy” jacket (see animated gif photo, right).

Edmiston, a local screenwriter, producer, entertainment attorney and now director, developed “The Day My Parents Became Cool” to provide professional arts experience to public high school students. Edmiston served as writer, producer, and director.

The film premiered at the Sedona International Film Festival and was an official selection of the 2009 Seattle International Film Festival. It also won Best Short Comedy at the International Family Film Festival that year.

Edmiston’s other projects include “Farewell to Harry” (2002, writer), “A Relative Thing” (2005, writer and producer), and “Crimes of the Past” (2009, writer and producer). He has two features currently in post-production, scheduled for release in 2012.

Here’s a synopsis of the film from the KCTS website:

“The Day My Parents Became Cool” is a modern costume-comedy – and every teenager’s worst nightmare. When the 1,000-year comet crosses the night sky, a brave new world is created where adults instantly adopt every teen trend in attire and body image. Emo, Goth, Skater, Jock, Metal — tattoos, piercings, thongs, and sagging jeans. On every adult, everywhere, planet-wide. “The Day My Parents Became Cool” tells the comic story of how one small group of teenagers fight back when every outward manifestation of their individuality is co-opted by the enemy.

Here’s Edmiston’s Filmmaker’s Statement:

“The Day My Parents Became Cool” has been an astonishing project for me for many reasons. Perhaps the first is that I’m just happy to have had the opportunity – in a very, very personal sense – to make this film. I was just in remission from Hodgkin’s lymphoma and had yet to be rediagnosed with a recurrence of the same cancer. With a sincerity that literally goes to my “marrow,” I can tell you that showing up on that film set, with over a 100 high school kids and a phenomenal crew, was truly special. (I am pleased to share that after a stem-cell transplant, I am currently cancer-free!)

I also was amazed at the community support that enveloped the making of this film. We had two Washington State school districts, five schools, two cities, one county, a Rotary Club, dozens of small businesses, local politicians, our beloved “become cool” campaign private donors, hundreds of “sweat-equity” supporters, and, of course, all those kids, literally enveloping our project in a “can do” and “can’t fail” environment.

Finally, we somehow discovered a group of special actors led by Megan Joy, who managed, in a very short format, to take characters through a comic fantasy and somehow bring a poignancy to the journey. As you will imagine, after seeing the film, they were truly funny, fun to work with, and of course, amazingly “cool.”

Here’s a trailer of the film:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here’s our video story about the premiere screening:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Viewers can watch the film in its entirety for free by tuning into KCTS Channel 9 at 10 p.m. Monday night.