Weber State University students who enjoy the arts and free activities might be interested in the all-age entertainment events that are hosted by the Browning Center and Kimball Arts Center, which they have access to in the community and on campus.

Jazz at the Station is an example of such a program that is an all-age, free jazz concert open to the community, with a donated venue located at the Union Station, as well as donated time and talents from local jazz artists. The program runs on the calendar for 12 performances a year every second Wednesday of the month, and sometimes showcases students from the WSU Jazz Ensemble.

“It tends to not only be a program for our students, but it attracts a lot of people from the community as well,” said Caril Jennings, marketing director for the WSU Visual and Performing Arts Department.

Jennings said that the crowd can reach up to 200 people because of Jazz at the Station’s reputation, and that she sees the program as a way to reach out to the community, to attract them to other events open to the public that are held on campus.

The band Shaky Trade was the featured act of the night earlier this month for Jazz at the Station, and some of the band members hold their roots as WSU alumni.

“Ogden is such a weird place, because it has a really vibrant art community, and it’s cool to have the support of Weber State as a big part of that,” said Christopher Clemons, trumpet player for Shaky Trade and graduate of WSU with a music performance degree.

With a calendar loaded with constant events, the Performing Arts Department’s featured event would most likely be their theater season. The fall season starts with the Shakespearean classic Romeo and Juliet, premiering on Oct. 7 and running through Oct. 15. Then follows the musical Xanadu, opening on Nov. 4. There will also be a production of the Euripides traditional Greek play Iphigenia and Tauris, which will be shown on Aug. 28 during WSU’s annual Greek festival.

The Tuesday performances of Romeo and Juliet and Xanadu are free to any WSU student with a current Wildcard. The tickets are only available an hour before the performance, so people are encouraged to arrive early because of the first-come-first-serve policy.

The Kimball Arts Center has their own outreach for art enthusiasts in the community with seasonal free outreach programs and their series of artist lectures and exhibitions.

The Arts in the Parks program, directed by WSU history professor Kathryn Mackay and Kimball Arts Center Outreach coordinator Linda Gravis, has just finished its second season and was a program modeled after the five-year-running Science in the Parks programs.

“Universities can tend to be sort of an academic bubble within a community,” Gravis said. “I’m interested in advancing efforts on behalf of Weber State to integrate more with the general community as far as outreach opportunities and activities go.”

Arts in the Parks is a summer opportunity where children and their families can participate in free arts activities for an entire week, with different themes each week, such as music, dance, visual arts, theater, and performing and literary arts, which was a partnered effort of the Weber County Library.

Snow Days at the Shaw Gallery is their winter community activity that was started in 2009 and is a bilingual arts program held the first Saturday of each winter month. The program is free, with the gallery remaining open and activities being held by art students in the lobby, with at least one instructor fluent in Spanish and English.

“When you take something to a certain demographic in the community, it’s more effective than when you’re expecting that population to come to something you’re putting on in a different location,” Gravis said.

The artist lectures and exhibitions are free to students as well. The first exhibition, featuring fine arts photographer Edward Burtynsky, begins Aug. 15 and runs through Nov. 22, with a public lecture by the artist on Sept. 16.

Other events can be found by checking the performing and visual arts calendars on the school’s website, or by contacting the WSU Performing Arts Department by calling 801- 626-6800 and the Kimball Visual Arts Center at 801-626-6455.

“In some college towns, everything goes on campus; in others, everything goes on downtown,” Jennings said. “I don’t believe Ogden is like that.”

 

The SignPost

Art and Death in Ogden
By: Michael Vaughan
Standard Examiner, March 14, 2011

Last month, the web site Livability.com ranked Ogden as one of the top 10 "Death Defying Cities." According to the web site, the cities that made the list are the best adventure cities for things like skiing, rock climbing, and other adventure sports.

Although I wouldn't necessarily use the phrase "death defying" to describe Ogden, there is no doubt that Ogden offers a myriad of opportunities for outdoor recreation. Ogden has promoted itself as a destination for outdoor enthusiasts and received recognition in the national publications Runners World, Ski Magazine, and Forbes.

In recent years, the quantity and variety of cultural experiences available in Ogden have also expanded. Consider the numerous activities that took place on the first weekend in March. Under the direction of Tracy Callahan, Weber State University's Department of Performing Arts presented the play "Lion in Winter." Victor Uzer's Bonneville Chamber Music Festival brought artists from Brazil, Russia, Montenegro, and Italy to Ogden to perform with a talented group of local musicians. Diane Stern and the WSU Office of Cultural Affairs brought the Punch Brothers band to perform at the Perry Egyptian Theater where they played traditional bluegrass as well as music spanning from the Beatles to Bach.

In smaller venues, the guitarist Carlos Emjay performed at the Borrowed Earth Emporium. The singer and guitarist Amy Lamarr performed at Rovali's Ristorante Italiano. Other live entertainment options could be found at many eating and drinking establishments on 25th Street and beyond.

The first weekend in March wasn't atypical. You can find similar events on most weekends. Later this month, the National Undergraduate Literature Conference will bring the nationally renowned authors Russell Banks, Sharon Olds and Terry Gifford to Ogden for public readings.

Several interesting factors contribute to the cultural and artistic scene found in Ogden. The Brownings, the Dees, the Eccles, the Goddards, the Lindquists, the Stewarts and other prominent Ogden families have long recognized the importance of the arts and shown their support by building state of the art venues and providing permanent endowments to support the arts. The gifts of these large donors are supplemented by the generosity of hundreds of other donors and the work of countless volunteers who serve on boards and committees. The community members who give their time and money to the arts are key to bringing the Utah Symphony and Ballet West to Ogden.

In recent years, the RAMP funds have provided funding to support arts and culture. RAMP funds provide a critical subsidy to the arts which makes world-class performances available to the Ogden community at astonishingly affordable prices.

Undisputably, Weber State University is a linchpin for both the visual, performing, and literary arts. WSU sponsors many cultural events, and WSU faculty and students provide an appreciative audience for arts events sponsored by others in the area.

Finally, dozens of entrepreneurs have enlivened the arts scene in Ogden. This is evident from the numerous independently-owned galleries and the small music venues in downtown Ogden.

Across the country, communities are competing to attract creative and talented people because doing so is important to economic development. The communities that are attracting creative people are culturally rich, offering an eclectic menu of contemporary music, theater, symphony, galleries, and museums.

Ogden is deservedly proud of the reputation it has earned for outdoor sports. The city would be well served to also promote itself as a regional center for arts and culture. Doing so would foster both the arts and economic development.

http://www.standard.net/topics/top-utah-voices/2011/03/14/art-and-death-ogden

OGDEN -- Farm-fresh produce, baked goods and locally made arts and crafts are not the only thing available at the Historic 25th Street Farmers and Art Market this week.

A new community-based orchestra will debut at 11 a.m. Saturday in Municipal Gardens, at 25th Street and Grant Avenue. The new group is called Chamber Orchestra Ogden.

Michael Palumbo, director of orchestral studies at Weber State University, began the group after requests from many of his former students as well as other community musicians.

This is the first of three concerts planned for the debut season, with the balance of dates to be announced soon. This first performance features guitarist/WSU faculty member Mark Maxson, as well as a number of string players.

Admittance to the market, as well as the performance, is free.

For more details on the market, go to www.ocae.org. For information on auditions for the orchestra, call 801-626-6991.

 

http://www.standard.net/topics/features/2010/09/09/local-concerts

America's Most Livable Cities 2010
Francesca Levy, Forbes.com
Apr 30th, 2010


In these affordable metros, jobs are plentiful, crime is low and there are myriad entertainment options.

Each year Carnegie Mellon's Tepper School of Business attracts some of the brightest master's degree candidates in the country. But the admissions staff occasionally has to sway prospective students with their choice of top schools who wonder why they should relocate to Pittsburgh, Pa.

"Pittsburgh has a really great cultural scene. We have a great ballet and a great symphony that travels the world and performs to packed houses, and there's a restaurant scene that's much more diverse than it ever was when I was growing up," says Wendy Hermann, director of student services for master's programs and a Pittsburgh native. "And it's an easier sell, now that the Steelers and Penguins won their respective titles."

Rachel Griffith, a graphic design student at Weber State University, has designed the logo for Ogden's first Winterfest which takes place on February 12 & 13th, 2010. Winterfest will host a multitude of snow related activities, events, and races. There will be snowmobile drag racing, skijoring (being towed on skis by a horse at high speeds), snowshoeing, demos, dog sled races, more!

Check out the Standard-Examiner's article about her experience! You can see her winning design in downtown Ogden or by going to Ogden's Winterfest Website!

The UTA Ed pass will give you free transportation on all UTA buses, Frontrunner and TRAX. Ride to school, work, the mall or even Salt Lake or Provo. You won't have to worry about traffic or gas prices. You'll be contributing to a healthier environment and you'll get stuff done that you couldn't driving a car -- like studying, working on your lap top or taking a nap.

To participate in the Weber State UTA ED Pass program:

1. Take your Wildcat ID to the Shepherd Union Building Information Center, Dee Events Center Ticket Office or Davis Campus Information Center. They will issue you a UTA ED Pass free of charge. (There's a $50 charge to replace a lost or stolen pass.)

2. Ride! You will be required to show your Wildcat ID with the UTA ED Pass when you ride the UTA system, which includes UTA buses, Frontrunner and TRAX.

Restrictions Apply: Passes are only for full-time students, full-time faculty and full-time staff. The pass is non-transferable and spouses and dependents are not eligible. The availabilty of the pass may change; please check with the Shepherd Union Building Information Center, Dee Events Center Ticket Office or Davis Campus Information Center for the most up to date information.

Take a stroll down 25th Street on the First Friday of every month and you'll experience art, culture, music and our colorful local community.