Arts Milton

Arts Milton is excited to announce Summer Days/Summer Nights, a free entertainment series happening on Wednesdays in July and August.  Performances will take place on the stage on Mary Street, in front of Town Hall. The series, presented in partnership with the Town of Milton: Milton Centre for the Arts, opens on July 3 at 12pm with a performance by a Milton-favourite, singer-songwriter, Kevin Morse.   Click here for the full schedule, or check out the link for Summer Days Summer Nights on our navbar.

The series will take place on Wednesday afternoons from 12-1pm in July, and Wednesday evenings from 7-8pm in August.  Additionally, The Retrievers, an up-and-coming Canadian folk/rock band featuring Milton District High School graduates, will play a special performance on July 10 from 7-8pm as part of the celebrations commemorating the two-year countdown to the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games. This special performance will take place in Victoria Park.  

 “The programming will reflect local talent found right here in Milton.  It will showcase a variety of artistic disciplines, including amateur and professional artists as well as inter-generational performances,” says Carly Anderson, Coordinator, Arts Milton.

The series will feature ten performances in total, spanning music, theatre, storytelling, and dance. In addition to Kevin Morse and The Retrievers, confirmed acts include: The Make-Believers, an interactive music and theatre performance for children and families, produced by celebrated local writer and director Tom Carson (July 24), a performance of the Bolling Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano by the Campbellville Chamber Concerts (August 14), and a site-specific dance piece choreographed and performed by Milton-born-turned-professional-dancer Georgia Simms of IMAGEO art works with a special guest performance by Arts Milton president, dancer Elizabeth Kmiec and students (August 21). 

Georgia Simms

Elizabeth Kmiec

Did you have a chance to make it to the June 7 Culture Days 2013 info session at the MCA?  Thanks to everyone who attended.  If you missed it, have no fear…we’ve got the details here for you!

Arts Milton & Culture Days

Culture Days is a national event, hosted at the local community level.  Last year, Arts Milton helped coordinate over 30 activities spanning a broad spectrum of media and cultures.  As a result, Milton was ranked in the top 10 presenters of regional and belt cities…pretty amazing considering we were right up there with bigger cities, like Mississauga, North Vancouver, and cultural mecca Stratford, ON.

Visit our Facebook Album for photos from Culture Days 2012.

The crowd went wild while dancing Bollywood style.

Expression of Interest

If you’re interested in presenting an activity at the Milton Centre for the Arts, please complete an

Expression of Interest form form and return to admin@artsmilton.com no later than June 30, 2013.  Please

refer to the “How to become involved in Culture Days with Arts Milton” PDF for additional details.

Culture Days Resources

If you’re looking for official Culture Days 2013 resources, check their website.

There you’ll find all sorts of tips and tools for getting your act ready for the big event.  You’ll even find logos, and a place to highlight what you’re doing, and how people can find you.

This downloadable Participation Guide should help answer a lot of your questions about Culture Days 2013, too.

As always, we welcome your comments and feedback.  We are REALLY thrilled to be working on this major event to support arts and culture in Milton!

When: June 5th, 7pm at the Robert Bateman Studio
Where: Milton Centre for the Arts (1010 Main Street East)

The Arts Milton Annual General Meeting will include the election of the new Board of Directors for 2013-2014, details about upcoming Arts Milton sponsored events (including Culture Days), and an opportunity for members to ask questions and provide ideas & feedback.  Everyone is welcome to attend the meeting, both members and non members.  If you would like to become a member of Arts Milton, annual memberships can be purchased at the meeting for $25.

Arts Milton is lead by a vivacious president who lives and breathes the arts.  And now all of Milton can share her sparkle with her own theatrical production, Nutcase.

Nutcase

Where:  

Milton Centre for the Arts

When:

Saturday, April 20, 2013, 2:00 and 8:00 pm – Matinee performance added!
Adult: $25 Child/Student/Senior: $23

Synopsis:

In a place where the future has already been chosen, one woman searches for meaning as she explores each day hoping to find her unique match.  Experience this exciting journey through film and live elements including dance, music, and theatre. This is a mixed media performance you won’t want to miss!

Not only did Elizabeth create this story, but she’s the lead dancer.  She’s supported by other equally amazing Milton artists in their own right, including local singer-songwriter Kev Morse!  I hope to see you there!

Download the poster: Poster_Marketing_Seminar_apr-13

Part Time Coordinator- Arts Milton

Contract Position

Location: Milton, Ontario

Contract Dates: May 1-October 11^th, 2013

Application Deadline: April 19th

Arts Milton “creates community with the arts” by encouraging and promoting visual, literary and performance artists, as well as supporting heritage groups in Milton, Ontario, and the surrounding area.   Arts Milton is currently seeking a part time Coordinator (contract position) to assist with the organization of some cultural events in Milton, and with the development of an inventory of Arts and Culture activities in Milton.

The Job:

The Coordinator will be responsible for working under the supervision of the Arts Milton Board of Directors, and in conjunction with the staff at the Milton Centre for the Arts, to plan, promote and execute arts and culture events, including the following:

1. Culture Days activities in Milton during National Culture Days (end of September)
2. Summer entertainment at the Town Hall in Milton (Fridays at noon)
3. A Pan Am Games mural painting by artist David Arrigo on June 1^st at the Milton Street Festival

The Coordinator will also organize the development of an online inventory of Arts and Culture activities in Milton. This will involve communicating with various community stakeholders (arts groups, individual artists, Chamber of Commerce, businesses, etc.), evaluating possible formats for such an inventory, and putting in place the process for the development of the inventory.

The Coordinator will be required to do some work during evenings, and on weekends.

Skills required:

The Coordinator should have an undergraduate degree, or equivalent experience. The Coordinator will require excellent interpersonal and communications skills (both verbal and written), since they will communicate on a regular basis with artists, Board members, Town of Milton cultural staff and community groups.

Exceptional organizational skills are also a requirement for this position. Ideally the successful applicant will have knowledge of the arts and culture sector, knowledge of Milton, experience developing marketing communications (especially social media), and superior computer skills. The Coordinator will be working primarily from home, and will require access to a computer.

Apply!

To apply for this position, please send (by April 19^th) a resume, and the names of two references to:

Auleen Carson, Secretary, Arts Milton

auleencarson@msn.com

Fine Arts Society of Milton

Good news from the Fine Arts Society of Milton!  The Town of Milton has agreed to continue the Artist Drop-in Program at the Milton Centre for the Arts until May 22, 2013.

Local painters looking for a place to create and connect with other artists are welcome in the Robert Bateman Gallery on Wednesdays from 10:30-4 pm.  Drop in fee is $10.50 per visit, and there is some storage space available if you wish to leave your materials there between sessions.

As a bonus, coffee, tea, and WiFi is available on site!

Be original. Be creative. Be part of the new 2013 Canada Day Challenge!
The Department of Canadian Heritage invites youth between 8 and 18 years old to enter the new 2013 Canada Day Challenge (formerly the Canada Day Poster Challenge).

It is an opportunity for young people to express what Canada means to them by submitting a piece of creative work inspired by this year’s theme…

Canada: Strong and Free

They can enter in one, two or all three of the following categories:

• Draw it! (original poster design)
• Snap it! (digital photography)
• Write it! (creative writing)

Plus, they can win great prizes, including a trip to Ottawa, Ontario to take part in the 2013 Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill, an iPad mini and much more!

For more information on the Canada Day Challenge, including complete contest rules and regulations, entry forms and printer-friendly learning resources, please visit www.challenge.pch.gc.ca.

The submission deadline is March 22, 2013.  Best of luck to all those who participate!

Your business may have nothing to do with painting, music, drama or literature, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for the arts in your office.  Whether you work a little into everyday routines, or you decide to share in an experience after hours, encouraging your employees and fellow workers to engage with the arts can help with team-building, stress management, and most importantly, creativity and innovation.

Five Easy Ways to Promote Art in the Office:

1. Allow local artists to display their work on your walls.  Choose pieces that are soothing, thought-provoking, or inspiring, and allow your team to help select them.  With the wide variety of art being produced in your community, it’s possible you’ll even find something related to your industry.
2. Create a mini-lending library in your lunch room.  Ask co-workers to donate books that they’ve enjoyed, and explain that for every book they drop off, they can take another home to enjoy.  Chances are, your team will start discussing what they’ve read over coffee.
3.  Organize a group outing to a concert or theatre event.  Take advantage of group rates on tickets, and give your team the opportunity to get to know one another outside of work.
4. Hold “movie lunches.”  Choose something new and interesting that people might not have seen, like a great independent film, and watch it together over two or three days.
5. Sponsor a high school arts program, or contribute to a local arts group.  Budding artists are always in need of funding to run classes, events, and extracurricular activities.  Your donation may even get you ad space in a program.

Engaging with the arts is a great way to bring your business and your team members closer to your community!  See how many of these five ways to promote arts at the office YOU can implement!

Do you have additional ideas?  Let’s hear them!  Share YOUR techniques for promoting the arts at your workplace in the comments.