Denali Arts Council ‘takes back the town’ with community events

TALKEETNA — With fall falling and winter on its way, Talkeetna is stirring with activity. The Denali Arts Council is planning a string of festive events for the council and the community. On Oct. 21, from 6 to 7 p.m., the DAC is having its annual membership meeting, dubbed the “Take Back the Town Party,” with a wine and cheese reception. During that time, members will reflect on their accomplishments for the year and vote for new board members. After that, DAC will open the doors for the public to join the party.

The DAC will also be celebrating the Resiliency Through Art Symposium, a gathering and exhibition from the local program that fosters creativity through art therapy, projects, and other activities in the community. The symposium will premier Salila Kubitza's handmade puppets at 7:30 p.m. Live, local music will follow. Sunshine Community Health Center will be sponsoring the symposium.

Those events will be at the Sheldon Community Arts Hangar.

Su Valley Jr/Sr High School will host events from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 21 and Northern Susitna Institute will host a puppet-making workshop Oct. 22 with Kubitza in correlation with the Resiliency Through Art Symposium.

Lindsay Horning is the Operations Director for the Denali Arts Council. Horning encourages the public and all DAC members to attend the event. She welcomes anyone interested in renewing an old or acquiring a new membership to sign up at their office from 11-2 p.m., Monday through Friday; or on the DAC website at www.denaliartscouncil.org.

“It is a fun organization to be involved with; people are happy to be a part of the magic,” Horning said.

At the membership meeting, the DAC executive director Colleen Love will discuss past events and highlights from the year. This will include films, plays, workshops, art shows, and performances like aerialist Ariana Airfairy, the Super Saturated Sugar Strings with Dango Rose, The Back Country Film Festival, Vagina Monologues, Cellist Quill Bailey and pianist Susan Reed’s performance, Gypsy Jazz Rhythm Future Quartet, Hope Social Club album release, a free showing of the Documentary “An American Ascent,” Green Light Circus, Beth Wishes Concert, Comedy Camp, the Teeny Tiny Comedy Festival, a community film series, the Fred Eaglesmith Concert and the “Live at Five” outdoor summer concert series.

“Colleen also gives an appreciation speech thanking the community, DAC members, and board members for their volunteer time and many other contributions to art and public events in our community,” Horning said.

According to Horning, the Take Back the Town Party is essentially a celebration and appreciation for DAC and the surrounding community, a passing of the busy tourist season and transition toward the more calm, quiet fall and winter months. Less occupied by their obligations to the summer boom, DAC members are freed up to participate more in the Sheldon Arts Hanger.

"I think the title ‘Take Back the Town’ can be misconstrued" by seasonal workers and tourists as though we are taking our town back from visitors. It is actually intended to be a welcome back to the comfortable excitement of the theater after the summer season, when a lot of us are too busy working to engage at the Sheldon Arts Hanger as much as we’d like to,” Horning said. “Which is why I jokingly referred to it as “the Take Back the Theater Party.”

Horning said that the Resiliency Through Art program is an outlet for people to talk about the correlation of art and mental health. Tamara Rothman started the program and has since rallied a number of people in the group to work with locals on art projects for individuals and even with groups of students at the Su Valley High School. Shelis Jorgensen, Frances Wise, Susan Browne, Betsy Smith and Colleen Love have all contributed their time to the program. Their Symposium event will serve as panel discussion to discuss the “grassroots,” nonprofit organization that is free and open to anyone. Following the discussion will be a handmade puppet show by the featured guest artist, Kubitza.

“She is planning on doing her adult Zen wisdom story at the Hangar. For this, she uses a small puppet stage that can fit on a table or chair. The story is seven minutes long and then she goes straight into stories about her travels around the world sharing her puppets with different communities,” Rothman said.

The show should be about 25-30 minutes long. In her description, Kubitza outlines the benefits of puppetry, “Puppetry is a very valuable tool in education. It's powers to express, to heal and to connect are boundless. Therefore I would like to encourage and spark ideas in educators to incorporate the art of puppetry into the curriculum as a tool for enlivening art and non art related topics. I have travelled with my puppetry, taking it to different cultures across the globe. Including very isolated populations. In working with these groups I have come to recognize puppetry as an art form that speaks to all cultures and ages. It is my passion to share the stories I have collected and in turn to inspire the audience to tell their stories through the medium of puppetry.”

Saturday’s events with Take Back the Town, and the Resiliency Through Arts Symposium are just the start for another cold season warmed up by the collaboration of the Denali Arts Council, related groups and the surrounding community. According to Horning, this sort of synergy of expression and partnership is the core mission for the DAC.

“Our focus is on arts opportunities by and for the community. We strive to have individuals involved on all levels: participating in the arts, behind the scenes, volunteering, supporting and attending events,” Horning said.