The GoPro Mountain Games’ tagline celebrates athletes, art, mountains and music, and this year the event’s organizing committee capitalized on the art aspect with a permanent mural in Vail Village that reflects the spirit of the Mountain Games.

Local artist Amy Dose was selected to create the work and was thrilled to do so because the GoPro Mountain Games has had a longstanding hold on her heart for her and her family.

“I was so excited when I got asked to do this because this has really been a dream of mine to be able to do an art project for the GoPro Mountain Games ever since I moved here,” Dose said.

Dose and her husband, Olli, moved to Vail in May of 1998. Olli was a world class whitewater kayaker and a recent hire at Timberline Tours and competed in the Jeep Whitewater Festival, the predecessor of the GoPro Mountain Games. When that event transitioned to the Teva Mountain Games, Olli Dose continued to compete as one of the U.S. Men’s Rafting Team members.

“At the time, we only spent the summers here and the Teva Mountain Games was always our welcome back to the valley. As time passed, the games transitioned into the GoPro Mountain Games where Olli was often one of the ‘8 balls’ in the 8 Ball Kayak Sprint and helped with safety for the kayak challenge. Before you know it, our daughter is in high school, on her high school kayaking team, and my husband and daughter compete together in the kayak sprint. The GoPro Mountain Games have always been an important part of our family’s story,” Dose said.

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The Vail Valley Foundation, organizers of the GoPro Mountain Games, worked with the town of Vail’s Art in Public Places program to bring the mural to life.

“In this community that celebrates and embraces the outdoors all year-round, we are excited to have a lasting piece of GoPro Mountain Games art that showcases Vail during the summer months,” said Ross Leonhart, marketing and multi-media manager for the Vail Valley Foundation.

In the past several years, the town of Vail has had several murals created by Colorado artists within the parking structures to enhance these highly visible public spaces.

“We are excited to continue this effort in collaboration with the Vail Valley Foundation at this year’s GoPro Mountain Games. Amy Dose is a perfect fit to continue this tradition, and we are excited to see her final work completed,” said Molly Eppard of the town of Vail Art in Public Places.

Dose has been working hard to fulfill all of the expectations of the Vail Valley Foundation and town of Vail’s Art in Public Places while staying true to her original vision.

“Although my artwork may be bright and full of life, I am driven to create pieces that invoke a sense of calm and connection to place. In the original piece that I created for the GoPro Mountain Games, I’m telling a story,” Dose said.

The size and dimension of the space dictated some of the flow of the piece. The wall is triangular in shape and Dose has taken that into account for her design. The mural is located on the bottom level of the Vail Village Parking structure on the east side. Helping Dose is artist Michelle Miller.

“Michelle Miller has been working with me for about five years, and she is an amazing artist in her own right and I couldn’t do what I do without her,” Dose said. The pair started putting primer on the wall and plan to have to mural completed by Sunday.

In the mural, Dose uses her husband and daughter as muses for her designs. The kayaker in the mural is her husband and the girl running is her daughter.

“From a purely design standpoint, I believe that less is more. My mural style includes a lot of color transitions and shading which bring interest and life to the piece,” Dose said.

“Both locals and visitors to Vail can enjoy the beautiful mural created by local artists Amy Dose and Michelle Miller all summer long, and during the ski and snowboard season, we can all get a friendly reminder that Vail is more than a winter destination,” Leonhart said.  

On Wednesday, Alan Ziter will retire after spending 37 years as one of San Diego’s leading arts champions.

For the past 20 years he has run the NTC Foundation, which transformed the shuttered Naval Training Center in Point Loma into the thriving arts and commercial district known as Arts District Liberty Station. And for 17 years before that, he ran the San Diego Performing Arts League and built its popular Arts Tix half-price ticket booth. Along the way, Ziter has also volunteered many thousands of hours at the regional and state level as an advocate, promoter and fundraiser for San Diego County’s arts institutions.

Alan Ziter speaking to reporters in front of the San Diego Performing Arts League’s Arts Tix booth at Horton Plaza in 2003.

(Courtesy of Toni Robin)

Ziter turns 65 on June 18 and said he feels the time is right for him to step away from NTC, with most of the work he set out to do in 2004 either complete or in the final planning stages. He’s looking forward to having more free time to enjoy San Diego’s arts and cultural offerings as a private citizen, and he’s planning to travel more with friends and visit family on the East Coast.

But Ziter said he’s also retiring now because he feels a responsibility to make room for the next generation of arts leaders.

“There are so many young people who are up and coming in the arts administration sector. I think it’s important that there are good future job opportunities for them. I want them to stay in the arts and not have to leave because the leadership is stagnant,” Ziter said.

A crowd watches an outdoor performance at La Jolla Playhouse’s 2019 Without Walls Festival in the Arts District at Liberty Station.

(La Jolla Playhouse)

Toni Robin, a longtime public relations and branding expert for San Diego nonprofits and arts organizations, was hired by Ziter in 1996 to work at the San Diego Performing Arts League. They have been best friends ever since. She said no one has done more for San Diego’s arts over the past four decades than Ziter.

“Through all the years of working together on arts events, fund-raising, marketing, promotion, cultural tourism, advocacy and historic redevelopment, I have never met anyone that runs a better meeting, is more creative or more enthusiastically committed to San Diego’s arts and culture community,” Robin said. “His legacy of accomplishments working tirelessly to transform the former Naval Training Center into Arts District Liberty Station are matched only by the lifelong friends and colleagues he has developed along the way. It’s been an honor and a wild and fun ride.”

San Diego Performing Arts League Executive Director Alan Ziter, center, with employees Rick Prickett, left, and Toni Robin, right, at the League’s Arts Tix booth in 2002.

(Courtesy of Toni Robin)

Lisa Johnson, president and CEO of NTC Foundation, said she’s sorry to see Ziter go.

“It has been a great pleasure working with Alan through the years and I am so grateful for everything Alan has done to advance the arts at Liberty Station and in the greater San Diego community,” Johnson said. “I am confident he will continue to impact our community in positive ways, and I hope he enjoys his well-earned retirement.”

Bill Purves, who hired Ziter in 1986 to run the organization now known as the San Diego Performing Arts League, said the fact the League and Arts Tix are still going strong today “is a tribute to many people, but it’s in no small measure due to the foundation laid and fostered for almost 20 years by Alan.

“Alan believes strongly in community,” Purves said. “He believes strongly that we can accomplish far more by working together than by working alone, that success by one can foster the success of all, and I have watched this selfless ethos underpin all his efforts.”

And playwright Dea Hurston, who has worked in San Diego’s theater community for 32 years as an underwriter, arts commissioner, community engagement leader, gala planner and diversity advocate, credits Ziter with fueling her interest as an arts advocate.

“Alan Ziter is among a handful of administrative arts leaders who, during the’ 90s, began to elevate the trajectory of the San Diego arts community. My husband, Osborn, and I give Alan much credit for engaging us during that period,” Hurston said. “I feel fortunate to have graduated from the unofficial Alan Ziter School of Arts Leadership. He’s the most quietly persuasive person I’ve ever met and he has taught me so much about how to operate in the arts community. I consider him to be a friend and mentor. That’s the thing about Alan, he has not only he been a great leader, he’s always been that leader who mentors other leaders. We are so fortunate he chose San Diego to build his legacy.”

Behind the curtain

As a teenager, Ziter sang in school choirs, performed in school plays and dreamed of a career onstage. But when he enrolled at Northwestern University near Chicago to study theater and journalism, he realized he couldn’t compete with the talents of his fellow theater students. Instead, he started producing shows on campus and landed a marketing internship with the Shubert, a commercial theater in downtown Chicago.

When Ziter graduated from Northwestern, the Shubert hired him as the theater’s house manager, overseeing productions of “The Last Whorehouse in Texas” and “Evita.” From there, he was hired to manage the League of Chicago Theatres’ discount ticket booth, Hot Tix. In January 1986, Ziter and Purves met at a North American arts league convention and Purves asked Ziter to consider moving to San Diego to build and run a similar discount ticket booth.

“Bill brought me out in January from Chicago where it was 5 degrees, and it was a Santa Ana weekend here,” Ziter recalled of the offer he couldn’t refuse.

On March 31, 1986, Ziter started his new job as the first paid employee of the San Diego Theater League (later renamed the San Diego Performing Arts League). His responsibilities involved filling empty seats, increasing community visibility and media coverage and boosting state and regional funding for the league’s initial 35 member institutions. After a three-year effort to secure funding and a location, Ziter opened the Arts Tix booth at Horton Plaza shopping center in 1989, offering member organizations’ unsold tickets for half price. The booth was a smash hit from the start.

“But the success of Arts Tix wasn’t just about selling tickets,” Ziter said. “It helped demystify the theater-going experience. People have questions on how to get there, where to park, what to wear. Nobody wants to feel out of place when they go. It was as much an information booth as it was about selling tickets.”

The ArtsTix booth at San Diego’s Horton Plaza.

(Eder Escamilla)

Arts advocacy

The same year the Arts Tix booth opened, the city of San Diego floated a proposal to eliminate arts funding from its general budget. All of the city’s arts organizations spoke out against the plan and the arts funding was restored. From that success came the San Diego Regional Arts & Culture Coalition, which Ziter co-founded with the goal of raising money for the city’s arts commission. Ziter also served for seven years on the board of the San Diego Tourism Authority and three years on the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce board, where he chaired the Arts & Business Committee.

In the late 1980s, the AIDS epidemic was devastating the San Diego theater and dance communities. In response, Ziter launched Creative Response for the Arts, a nonprofit that hosted fund-raising theater and concert performances for people battling AIDS. In 1998, the Performing Arts League launched Bravo San Diego, an annual fund-raising gala at the Westgate Hotel that featured 60 performing arts organizations in 30 spaces throughout the hotel. The Bravo San Diego galas continued annually through 2002.

Victoria Hamilton spent more than 35 years in leadership roles with state and national arts organizations, including 24 years as the founding executive director of the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture. She has high praise for Ziter.

“For over 30 years, Alan has been a dedicated and tireless advocate for increased funding and support of San Diego’s arts and culture community,” Hamilton said. “Through his political acumen and ability to rally arts organizations, artists and funders, he helped secure unanimous San Diego Mayor and City Council support for the Commission for Arts and Culture’s Penny for the Arts initiative. His long-term leadership and collaborative spirit will continue to be appreciated.”

Alan Ziter at the Naval Training Center’s command center, now in the heart of the Arts District at Liberty Station.

(NTC Foundation)

Liberty Station reborn

In 1997, the U.S. Navy closed the Naval Training Center base and offered to set aside 26 vacant barracks and other buildings for future use as an arts and culture district. To raise the estimated $26 million needed to renovate the buildings for Arts District Liberty Station, the NTC Foundation was formed and Ziter was recruited in January 2004 to run the organization.

Ziter said the former Navy buildings were in a surprising state of disrepair when he arrived, and he quickly realized the estimated renovation costs were nowhere close to what would be needed for the job. Raising money also proved difficult because most San Diego philanthropists had never stepped foot on the fenced NTC base. To get the ball rolling, he organized donor bus tours of the property. Gradually Ziter and his foundation colleagues raised the initial money needed through public donations, city redevelopment funds, market tax and historic tax credits and work began.

Malashock dancers Natalia Hill, Justin Viernes, Caroline Dahm and Tristian Griffin perform at Liberty Station in 2021.

(Courtesy photo by Jim Carmody / Malashock Dance)

In 2006, the first six buildings in Arts District Liberty Station opened, providing permanent homes to Malashock Dance, San Diego Ballet, San Diego Dance Theater and several visual art galleries and museums.

Over the years, more than 100 tenants have moved into Arts District Liberty Station and the overall cost of renovating the buildings has grown to $135 million.

The last major arts district project will break ground later this year. The $39 million Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center will open in 2025 and will be the future home of San Diego’s third-largest theater company, Cygnet Theatre. It will also provide year-round performance spaces for Liberty Station’s dance companies.

Just eight of the original 26 Navy buildings remain to be renovated, including two barracks buildings, five officer homes and a gate house. Ziter estimates those will all be completed and occupied in five years.

A rendering shows the main 289-seat theater for Cygnet Theatre’s planned new home at the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center at Liberty Station.

(Meri + Gold)

Judy Nora, NTC Foundation’s board chair, said Arts District Liberty Station could not have happened without Ziter’s hard work.

“We have been so fortunate to have such a passionate arts leader like Alan on our team for more than 20 years,” Nora said. “During Alan’s tenure, the NTC Foundation has evolved tremendously, and his legacy will remain through many of the programs he helped to develop. I hope that in the coming years Alan continues to visit Arts District Liberty Station to see firsthand how far his contributions have gone.”

Today, Liberty Station has become widely recognized of one of San Diego’s most beloved cultural jewels. It has also been nationally recognized as a model for how to redevelop surplus government properties into much-needed space for financially strapped arts and cultural organizations.

Ziter said he’s proud of how Arts District Liberty Station has come together.

“Every time I go over there I enjoy seeing how the public embraces the destination,” Ziter said. “They love wandering through the historic buildings. During the pandemic it was the community’s backyard. It really is authentic to San Diego, just like Universal City CityWalk is to Los Angeles.”

pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com

Liberty Public Market at Liberty Station in Point Loma is expanding by 6,000 square feet in multiple phases.

(Zack Benson)

Submitted photo From left are Kristin Mangham, Garvan Woodland Gardens marketing director, Master Gardener Karen Hill, homeowners Denise and David Arbuckle, and Master Gardeners Mary Tom Taylor and Lin Johnson.

The Garland County Master Gardeners have selected the home of David and Denise Arbuckle on Gold Nugget Loop as the June Residential Yard of the Month.

“As you turn into their driveway, you see multiple flower beds that surround the home as well as seating areas and yard art,” a news release said.

The flower beds “are filled with clematis, banana plant, canna, drift roses, weigela, oxalis, mandevilla, creeping jenny, native fern and pampas grass. Beautiful trees provide shade and interest, including a weeping Japanese maple, weeping willow, holly and a number of large oaks. The stairway and front porch of the home are decorated with hibiscus, columbine, daisies, coreopsis, geraniums, and elephant ear. There are also a number of whimsical decorations including benches and bird baths,” it said.

“Congratulations to David and Denise for being our June Residential Yard of the Month winner,” the release said.

By Janelle Fisher

City Pages Editor

Nearly a year ago, the third cohort of artists began their journey through the NWTC Artisan and Business Center’s Artisan Residency Program. Now, they’re completing the final piece of the program — an exhibition of their work at The Art Garage.

This year’s cohort of artists began their journeys in the Artisan Residency Program at the end of last summer, and over the past year have gotten a crash course in what it takes to run an art-based business.

“We start with them at the end of the summer and we bring in a bunch of different mentors,” Carrie Dorski, Artisan Center operations coordinator, said. “They cover everything from goal setting, setting up your studio, marketing, branding, websites, actually starting your business, paying taxes, all of that stuff. They spend the whole year doing that while they’re also making art and figuring out what their business looks like.”

The culminating experience for artists in the Artisan Residency Program before they venture out into the world as art entrepreneurs is a showcase exhibit at The Art Garage.

“As we move through the year, we tackle all of those topics, and then it culminates in this exhibit here,” Dorski said.

See the captions below to learn more about each artist from this year’s cohort and what they’ve been working on during their year in the Artisan Residency Program.

Applications to be a part of the Artisan Residency Program’s next cohort are still open, but only through this Sunday, June 11. To learn more about the program and to apply to be a part of it, visit nwtc.edu/about-nwtc/nwtc-locations/artisan-and-business-center/artisan-residency-program.

When the Russian Invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, Marco Gruelle immediately wanted to help the people of Ukraine.

Beyond the help of sending in relief supplies, Gruelle has been using his 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, DTCare, to provide mental health services to the Ukrainian people.

“Basically, the entire country has (post-traumatic stress disorder) in one way or another,” Gruelle said.

Gruelle, the founder and president of the board of DTCare, recently spent time in Ukraine with program manager Courtney Robson in April to help the people in the war-torn country.

The nonprofit does charitable work and missions on four continents with offices in Lebanon, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Panama and Ukraine. Its corporate office is in Moon Township, Allegheny County.

DTCare has helped since the beginning of the armed conflict, sending cargo and shipments of emergency relief supplies, building distribution networks and providing psychological support for Ukrainian veterans, their families and civilians.

The agency teamed up with the ZHP (Polish Scouting and Building Association) to distribute supplies to refugees in Poland, and continue to send shipments in Ukraine. To date, DTCare has sent 23 aid shipments worth over $440,000.

Gruelle, who has been volunteering around the world for over 20 years, started DTCare in 2019 as a offshoot of his logistics company DTGruelle.

He said the nonprofit, whose funding comes from donations and grants from all over the world, helps with his vision of wanting to give back to those in need, especially to those who he feels can get overlooked by larger nonprofit organizations.

“Smaller actions combined are often more effective than a solo large effort,” Gruelle said.

In addition to now helping with the rebuilding process, Gruelle said it is vital to help the people of Ukraine deal with the trauma caused by the war.

According to the World Health Organization, 9.6 million people, a quarter of the country’s total population, are likely to develop a mental health condition as a result of the conflict.

DTCare uses art therapy for everyone from children to armed soldiers and their families.

He said each program is tailored differently depending on the group. In general, art therapy allows residents to express anger, sorrow or fear in a healthy way.

“It’s art in a structured environment,” Gruelle said. “It seems to be working on all demographics.”

For example, in one of the sessions for children, they were asked to draw an umbrella and then were asked to draw what they would like to protect under that umbrella. Gruelle said all of the kids drew their family members and their pets, and even used pieces of clay or silly putty to “reinforce” the umbrella to better protect their loved ones.

He said DTCare worked with mental health professionals from New York University, Florida State University and Seton Hill University to develop the program.

Gruelle said while the overall mood of the country is a quiet resolve to win the war, he feels, in speaking with the licensed professionals who works with him, this conflict is set to bring long-term trauma for those involved, especially the soldiers.

That is why he wants to help them as quickly as possible, rather than wait for their trauma to fester for years on end.

“It needs to be solved as quick as possible,” Gruelle said. “After the war, a lot will jump into a bottle of vodka and waste away.”

Gruelle has been to Ukraine four times since the conflict started, and is planning a fifth trip.

For more information, including ways to donate to DTCare, visit DTCare.org.

Both Gruelle and Robson were recently interviewed by Mary Ann Shaner, director of marketing for WXED FM radio in Ellwood City, who hosts her own radio show. The show is archived on the WXED website.

“It was very enlightening,” Shaner said. “They were very grateful to have promotion on the air.”

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – A treasured tradition in Omaha is back. The Omaha Summer Arts Festival kicked off at Aksarben Village Friday.

Tiffany Pearson of Omaha is no newcomer.

“I just always loved coming out and seeing all the wonderful art. I just always had a dream of being able to be a part of it,” she said.

That dream never changed, not even after Pearson suffered a spinal cord injury in a crash six years ago, which left her with limited mobility.

“I’ve definitely had to learn how to adapt,” she said.

Now she has her own booth at the festival.

“Like a dream come true,” she said.

Pearson is with Art-Able, a showcase for work by artists who are physically and/or intellectually challenged. Art-Able is one of many new partners with the Omaha Summer Arts Festival this year aimed at promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.

“This is definitely something that a lot of organizations have been looking at the past couple of years and we’re no different,” said Maggie Wilson, the festival’s marketing coordinator. “We want to make sure that we’re including all artists in Omaha of all abilities, races, all talents.”

Artist Sedra D. with D’Colores combines workshops, performances, and a mobile art gallery all inside an old school bus.

“I feel honored because I feel I can bring different people to check out this,” he said.

The Omaha Summer Arts Festival runs through Sunday, June 11th.

Copyright 2023 WOWT. All rights reserved.

Shoppers at the Philadelphia Premium Outlets can take a break from shopping to enjoy two murals painted by a Pottstown artist — focusing on family fun and iconic landmarks in Montgomery County.

The murals are part of the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board’s ongoing ArtsMontco initiative, which highlights the county’s more than 200 arts and entertainment venues, attractions, and galleries.

The installations feature the work of artist Carrie Kingsbury, owner of Promiseland Murals and Pottstown resident, who completed the projects in May.

“It’s been a great honor and privilege to work to create murals that celebrate all that the Montco area has to offer, and I hope to work for these organizations in the future,” Kingsbury said in a statement.

The first mural, located by the Brooks Brothers entrance, focuses on Montgomery County’s most iconic landmarks, including Valley Forge National Historical Park, Bryn Athyn Cathedral, and the nearby Philadelphia skyline. The second mural, located at the Michael Kors entrance, focuses on the county’s family-friendly attractions, including Elmwood Park Zoo, Arts Montco, youth sports, and more.

“Both murals are absolutely amazing, stunning and vibrant.  Shoppers are having fun taking selfies at the murals and have expressed pride in seeing all of the featured iconic local landmarks,” Gerilyn Davis, Philadelphia Premium Outlets director of marketing & business development, said in a statement.

Kingsbury began painting commissioned work in high school, and went on to attend Bismark State College in Bismarck, N.D. and Kutztown  University, earning degrees in graphic design and fine arts. She dedicated her career to mural painting in 1999, when she started Promiseland Murals LLC. Among her mural projects are: St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, CHOP at King of Prussia, and the Malvern train bridge. Her work was also featured on the television show Extreme Home Makeover (Berks edition).

Kingsbury’s studio is located in West Pottsgrove, Montgomery County. She has expanded her business to include portrait commissions, teaching workshops, children’s book illustrations, book cover art, and designing up-cycled jewelry. To view her mural projects at www.promiselandart.com.

According to a press release, Kingsbury approached the creation of each mural for the Philadelphia Premium Outlets project differently. During planning, she presented a digital mockup of the landmark design, and a watercolor rendering of the family design. Once the final details were decided she got to work creating both pieces.

A two-part anti-graffiti UV protectant clearcoat was applied once both murals were finished.

“This installation is a celebration of our county-wide Arts Montco brand, and a wonderful way to provide exposure for this incredible artist with the outlet center’s high foot traffic,” Rachel Riley, Valley Forge Tourism’s associate vice president of communications, said in a statement.

The arts and culture sector represents $100 million in positive economic impact for Montgomery County, according to the tourism agency.

The new mural installation is one of four art walls located in Montgomery County, and the second located at the Philadelphia Premium Outlets. The King of Prussia Mall currently features artist Jeantrix on Level 1 of The Court, and the Centre Theater in Norristown features multiple Black artists as part of the Charles Blockson Exhibition currently on display.

For Owen Gent, texture and shadow are essential narrative tools. The Bristol-based artist fosters a robust personal practice and works with commercial clients, authors, and various publications to create moody illustrations rich with metaphor. In one work evoking the emotional toll of cancer, trauma, and depression, a figurative silhouette draws back a woman’s hair to survey the surroundings while still protected by the strands. An unsettling piece takes a similarly introspective and psychological approach as black crows circle a subject, one on fire and another grasping at the person’s eye.

Gent tells Colossal that his works begin with analog techniques like painting, and digital manipulation comes later. “It’s a constant push and pull between the two, and I try and be conscious of not losing too much of the original piece when editing,” he says.

Prints are available in Gent’s shop, and his illustrated children’s book That’s Nice, Love is out now. Find more of his work on Behance and Instagram.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Through Metaphorical Illustrations, Owen Gent Unveils Difficult Psychological Experiences appeared first on Colossal.