By TOM BENSEN
First Night Missoula, the New Year’s Eve community celebration of the arts, is three weeks away! 12 hours, 80 events, 25 venues. Visit here or call 541-0860 for more information.
First Night Spotlight, the annual High School singing competition, will be held at the Dennison Theatre on the UM campus this year during First Night Missoula on New Year’s Eve. Admission is a First Night Button plus a $2 ticket to assure your seat for the show. Visit here for tickets and information.
The Montana World Affairs Council has an immediate opening and is accepting resumes for the position of Executive Director. This is a full-time, salaried position, reporting to the Board of Directors. The Montana World Affairs Council, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization founded in 2000, enables Montanans to appreciate the relationship of foreign policy and international issues to their lives in the Rockies. The Council offers opportunities to better understand world events through people-to-people diplomacy, distinguished speakers, overseas visits, and educational outreach programs. As globalization reaches into all corners of the Big Sky, the Council seeks to help educate citizens about their increased political, economic, and cultural integration into the world community. Interested applicants should email resume, cover letter, and three professional references to snyberg@sglong.com. Visit here for more.
Dolce Canto entertains the Monday Night Football crowd at halftime tonight, December 14, at the Thomas Meagher Bar (130 W. Pine St.) for Community Monday. So come celebrate the season with dinner, beverages, Christmas carols, while supporting Dolce Canto. Visit here for information.
Radius Gallery presents a reception and viewing of Ed Jenne’s creative card designs at a special open house, Wednesday, December 16, from 3:00 to 6:30 pm. This one-night-only exhibit will feature over 25 unique holiday designs from past years and will present, for the very first time, three delightful new illustrations made especially for 2015. Light refreshments will be served. Call 541-7070.
The Captain Wilson Conspiracy presents a CD release party for “Used Rocketship Salesman” on December 17 at 7:00 p.m. at the Missoula Winery and Events Center (5646 W. Harrier, 406.830.3296). Tickets $10 at the door.
The Garden City Duplicate Bridge Club is offering free bridge lessons from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 noon on December 19. This group of three lessons will introduce you to Play of the Hand. The lessons will be given at 2825 Stockyard Road Building I Unit 3 in Missoula. Call Beth Loehnen at 546-1512 to register for the class.
The Sound of Music is a Missoula Community Theatre production for the holiday season at the MCT Center for the Performing Arts, continuing December 16-20. For tickets, visit here or call the box office at 728-7529.
The Missoula Art Museum presents Terrain: Plateau Native Art & Poetry through February 27, 2016; John Buck: Free for All through March 12; Good Wood: Carved And Cut From MAM’s Permanent Collection through March 12; A Few of My Favorite Things, an exhibition selected by MAM’s Senior Exhibition Curator Emeritus Stephen Glueckert, through December 23; MaryAnn Bonjorni: Legends Are History, through January 2 (pictured here).
Nancy Seiler presents Art Workshops throughout November and December at her studio at 330 Brooks Street. The next workshop is Thursday, December 17, from 9:00 a.m.- noon: Monoprinting with GOLDEN OPEN Acrylics and GELLI Plate. We’ll use stencils and other shapes to create one-of-a-kind works of art. Give a print as a holiday gift. Make cards. It’s fun and cleans up with water. On Saturday, December 19, from 1:00-4:00 p..m.: Markmaking with GOLDEN High Flow Acrylics. GOLDEN High Flow Acrylics can be used in dip pens, markers, daubers, and sprayers! Let’s experiment and see what we create! Nancy is a certified GOLDEN Art Educator. Call 370-1254 to register.
This coming December 21, Michael Marsolek and Lawrence Duncan will be presenting a Musical Dreamtime Journey at St. Anthony parish at 7:00 p.m. These annual concerts celebrating the season of lights and winter solstice have been presented around the region for nearly two decades. Each performance features a variety of world instruments and sounds, including: Didgeridoos, Ethnic Flutes, Bassoon, Saxophones, Drums and Percussion Instruments, Harp, Tibetan Bowls, Voices and other musical surprises. Unique to the world of performing arts, Dreamtime Journey concerts are held without applause, in the round, and by candlelight. And for contemplative comfort, participants are encouraged to bring pillows, pads and blankets etc. For many attendees, the Musical Dreamtime Journey has become an annual holiday tradition and a great way to de-stress during the sometimes frenetic season. Tickets: $15.00 at the door. For more information, please contact Michael at 370-3339
Zootown Arts Community Center has two Calls for Artists. Art Activism, co-sponsored with the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, has a deadline of January 10, 2016. All Works must depict a social, environmental, or political issue. This juried group show is kicking off 2016’s Big Sky Film Festival in February. The 4th Annual Mini Benefit Show deadline is February 1, 2016. All Works must be 12″x12″x12″. This art auction celebrating everything miniature will take place on March 26, 2016 at the Wilma. Visit here for more.
MCT is participating in Toys for Tots this holiday season. Please drop off new, unwrapped toys for a deserving child at the MCT Center for the Performing Arts before December 23, between the hours of 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Monday-Friday. You may also drop toys off one hour before each performance of The Sound of Music (Dec 3-6, 9-13 and 16-20). For more information, call MCT at 728-1911.
The Missoulian is accepting submissions for the 2016 MLK Youth Art & Essay Contest. Submit a piece of 2-D art work or an essay, poem or letter of no more than 250 words in response to the quote “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Handwritten or typed essays will be accepted. Artwork may be any medium but no larger than 8.5 X 11 inches. On the back of each entry please include the student’s full name, grade, school, home address and home telephone number. Entries will not be returned unless special arrangements are made. To enter you must be a student in preschool-12th grade in Western Montana. Entries must be received at the Missoulian by December 18. Winners will receive a cash prize, be featured in the Missoulian, and recognized at the MLK Community Celebration on Monday, January 18, 2016. For questions, contact Ben Mincks. here
The Missoula Children’s Theatre celebrates 2016 with its original, world-premiere of The Snow Queen. This winter performing arts class runs January 18-February 21 and is open to Grades K-12. Give the gift of wonder this Holiday season with a registration to The Snow Queen! Register here.
You can’t buy love, you can purchase laughter for a holiday gift! The Missoula Community Theatre ushers in 2016 with The Drowsy Chaperone, a Tony Award-winning spoof of musical comedies! (January 21-31). But wait, there’s more! The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) is a zany, non-musical production that will appeal to anyone who loves a good laugh. (March 10-20). Rounding out the season is Mary Poppins, the Broadway musical. (April 28-May 15). Visit here for more.
For more information about arts events in the Missoula area, visit our website.
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Tom Bensen has lived in Missoula since 1986, and has been the executive director of the Missoula Cultural Council since June 2004. He has directed First Night Missoula each New Year’s Eve since 1997. He is a member of Missoula’s choral ensemble Dolce Canto, and enjoys being outdoors, whether it is hiking, biking, skiing, walking the dogs, or mowing the lawn. His wife Susan works for Montana Public Radio, and their son Peter attends Hellgate High School.