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The Arts Link Newsletter

Published by the Anoka County Arts Alliance Linking Arts and Community** Volume I; No. 1 March/April, 2008

ACAA Lauches Website

The Anoka County Arts Alliance has met the 21st Century head-on. The next Anoka County Arts Resource Guide and Directory is an online version to supplement and update the 2004 print version. New and improved is our ability to update member entries as their information changes, add new members as they join, and to provide a calendar of coming events and classes. We invite you to visit us at www.anokacounty­artsalliance.org and to join us on-line by becoming a member of the Anoka County Arts Alliance. Information on membership is available by phoning June Anderson at 763–434–3132 or by e-mail jranderson_73@msn­.com

The Passing of Doris Pease

The arts community of Anoka County lost a dear friend, and the Anoka County Arts Alliance lost its founder with the passing of Doris Pease on February 8, 2008. A champion of the arts, Doris inspired much of the arts activity that has enhanced the quality of life in Anoka County over the past few decades. True to form, her last hurrah was to launch arts classes for the residents of the Farmstead where she moved after the death of her husband, Leon in 2006. Doris’s tra­demark red hat and lively personage will be missed at the meetings and events she so passionately promoted up until the very end, but we’re sure she’s keeping busy organizing even better arts activities in heaven

Over the years Doris has been my friend, inspiration, and mentor. As arts organizer and advocate, she was truly a great role model for us all. She is my hero. In my eyes she is Superwoman….. June Anderson, Anoka County Arts Alliance*

Memorials to Doris Pease Welcomed by Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts

In honor of Doris Pease, our dear friend, artist, dancer, supermom, board member and instigator of so many of the wonderful arts organizations in Anoka County, Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts will commission a bench to be placed in the main gallery. It will be a very special handcrafted bench with a plaque and possibly poetry or a carved emblem by a local artist. We have seen some beautiful designs, as soon as we settled on one we feel is most appropriate we will post it on the Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts website: www.banfill-locke.org. The designs we have been looking at will require fundraising and we welcome contributions from all those who knew and loved Doris.

Reorganization of ACAA

The Anoka County Arts Alliance has undergone an organizational restructuring. A small staff, under the direction of the executive director, has been hired to assume the responsibilities and work load of the organization that were formerly borne by the working board members.

As part of its restructuring, the Anoka County Arts Alliance has built an organizational board that cuts across the range of arts organizations in Anoka County. This is purely an advisory board, not a working board. Since all non-profit 501©3 organizations are required by state law to meet once a year, ACAA will hold a yearly general membership dinner meeting, complete with entertainment, to make this event as enjoyable as possible.

With the death of Doris Pease in February, June Anderson agreed to serve as ACAA’s executive director with Cherene Bebeau as administrative assistant and Linda Lawrence as volunteer/event coordinator. Now that a professional staff is in place, we feel we can not only maintain our current services in a more efficient manner, but take the whole organization to a higher level to better serve our membership.

Meet the Board of Directors

We were overwhelmed with the response we got when we asked members from many of the major arts organizations in our membership to serve on the ACAA Advisory Board. As advisory board members their responsibilities include overseeing and approving the ACAA budget. It is also our hope that these board members will serve as a liaison between ACAA and their respective groups/organi­zations for the mutual benefit of all. We are proud to welcome aboard the following members of the ACAA Board of Directors:

- Paul Pierce III – Anoka County Historical Society
- Mark Lambert – Anoka Ramsey Community College
- Beth Rasmussen – Artists del Norte’
- Catherine Vesley – Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts
- Mary Jo Truchon – Blaine Arts Council
- Joyce VanderWyst – Coon Rapids Arts Commission
- John Fitzgerald – Land of Lakes Choirboys
- Todd Anderson – Momentum Productions
- Ginny Jacobson – Musikgarten
- Paul Tidemann – Northeast Orchestra
- Pat Undis – North Artists’ Studio Crawl
- Scott McCullough – North Suburban Concert Band
- Theresa Antinozzi – Sandhill Center for the Arts
- Erik Skogquist – Windego Society
- Bjorn Skogquist – Mayor of Anoka
- David Thelen – Business Owner/Thespian

Contest of Kings, Mall Of America April 18, 19

This is the fifth year for this Elvis spectacular. With the Anoka County Arts Alliance as its beneficiary, the Contest of Kings is a great opportunity for you to promote you, your organization, and your art, to the thousands who come to see and hear Elvis tribute artists from all over the country perform in the Rotunda at the Mall of America. Although you can’t sell, you can promote at this event. Table space will be provided along with free admission. For more information about the Contest of Kings, view its website, www.contestof­kings.com. For information on how to participate, contact Linda Lawrence, ACAA event coordinator, by phone 763–421–2096, or e-mail her at lawrencelh@com­cast.net.

Also keep in mind the Anoka County Fair is coming up in July and with it a great opportunity for you to “get the word out” about yourself or your organization to the thousands of fairgoers who amble through the Arts Resource Center in the old church on the Old Farm Place. More about this, later in the June/July newsletter.

Fund Raiser at Barnes and Noble, MOA

In conjunction with the Contest of Kings, Barnes and Noble will hold a book fair in their store at the Mall of American during the Contest of Kings, April 18, 19, to benefit the Anoka County Arts Alliance. ACAA will receive a percentage of the sale of books and beverages from people presenting a coupon from the Arts Alliance or verbally telling the clerk to credit it to the Arts Alliance.

Coon Rapids Rotary Club Donates to ACAA

June Anderson, Executive Director of ACAA is shown accepting a $200.00 donation from Ryan Brandt, President of the Coon Rapids Rotary Club, at their annual awards luncheon, February 25th. CR Rotary has been a much appreciated supporter of the Arts Alliance for many years.

ACAA receives $20.00 for first quarter of giving from Soderquist Market

Those of you living in the northern reaches of Anoka County can help boost the bottom line by signing up for the Community Dollars program at Soderquist’s Market in Ham Lake. They will track your spending and send a gift certificate to be redeemed for cash payable to Anoka County Arts Alliance. Be sure to specify who it is for. We even have a number. It’s 1031.

A big thank you to Coon Rapids Seniors for collating and stuffing the envelopes for the ACAA membership mailing.

The Arts Link Letter is published both online and in print format four times yearly; Dec/Jan., March/April, June/July, Sept./Oct. Contributions are welcome. Please e-mail them to: June Anderson, editor, at: jranderson_73@msn­.com.