Submit art work before deadline to compete in competition

STUDENTS INVITED TO ENTER ART, POETRY AND CRAFTS IN SPRING ARTS FESTIVAL

Students from Webster Parish are invited to enter the annual Children’s Art, Poetry and Craft Contest, which will involve a month long exhibition at City Art Works.

“Showing kids what art is all about and giving them an opportunity to be involved in the arts, is really the heart beat of Cultural Crossroads and our annual Spring Art Festival,” said Leslie Coyle, art contest chairman. “Kids as little as pre-schoolers and as mature as near-graduates have a moment every year where a whole festival is dedicated to their art work- and I think that is awesome.”

Click here for the entry form!

There is no entry fee and each student is allowed to enter up to three pieces in each of the three areas of original art, poetry or craft item. The entered pieces must have been completed in the last year, from May 2011 to the present.

In the student art contest, students in public, private or homeschools in grades K-12 can enter in their division (grouped by grade levels) and among more than seven categories. Categories include pencil and/or crayon, watercolors, paintings (oils, acrylics, or pastels), mixed medium, collages, 3D (sculptures) and photography. All entries must be matted. NO FRAMES. An index card with the following information must accompany all entries: student’s name, grade, school, title and a contact phone number.

In the student poetry contest, students in kindergarten through twelfth grade can enter up to three entries in their division and in one category. All poems must be typed and presented on a matted sheet. Construction paper of any color is allowed. An index card with the following information must accompany all entries: student’s name, grade, school, title and a contact phone number.

In the student craft contest, students first through twelfth can enter in their grade division and in more than four categories. Categories include crochet, knitting, looming and macramé, needlepoint, cross stitch and tatting, embroidery and corking and hand quilting. An index card with the following information must accompany all entries: student’s name, grade, school, title and a contact phone number.

All entries will be exhibited at City Art Works in downtown Minden during the month of April leading up the Spring Arts Festival to be held at the Farm on Saturday, April 28.

Once mounted, the exhibit will be open to the public beginning Tuesday, April 10 and run until the end of the month. Outside professional judges will judge the entire collection with only the winning pieces to be exhibited at the Spring Arts Festival on Saturday, April 28. Ribbons for each category and division will be awarded to first, second, third and fourth place winners. Best of Show and first Place winners will receive ribbons and medals. An awards ceremony will be scheduled during the Saturday festivities.

Scores from all the winners in each of the contests, including the Great Talent Search and art compitions, will be used to determine the “Most Talented Student in Webster Parish” and the “Most Talented School in Webster Parish.” Last year’s recipient of the “Most Talented School” went to Glenbrook School.

Entries must be hand delivered to City ArtWorks on Main Street in downtown Minden between 3 p.m. and 6p.m. on Friday, April 6 or between 9 a.m. and noon on Saturday, April 7. Special arrangements to enter can also be made by calling the chairman, Leslie Coyle at 318 422-9660 or emailing Mrs. Coyle at solphoto.76@hotmail.com.

For more information about Cultural Crossroads’ ChickenStock, visit their website atwww.artsinminden.com. You can also check us out on Facebook.

The Great Talent Search is on!

TALENT SEARCH OPEN AUDITIONS ANNOUNCED

Webster Parish students with unique abilities are invited to audition for the Spring Arts Festival’s Great Talent search. Students from across the parish can sign up in the hopes of being one of the three acts to represent their respective schools.

“We look forward to having students from each school in Webster Parish take part in the Great Talent Search,” said Julie Vogel, talent search chairman. “It’s wonderful to see students participate. Along with the student’s family and friends, the volunteers of Spring Arts Festival are avid supporters of seeing the kids feel confident and good about them selves while showcasing their talents.”

CLICK HERE FOR ENTRY FORM

Auditions are open to any student attending private or public schools in Webster Parish including students who are being homeschooled.

Three contestants from each of the twenty plus schools will be selected to represent their school. These top three students from each school will advance to the finals, held Saturday, April 28 during ChickenStock at the Farm in Minden. Finalist from each school will compete for the titles of “Most Talented School”, and student finalist will individually compete for “Most Talented Student.”

Auditions, held at the Children’s Center located at 806 Broadway, will be held on Saturday, March 24 from nine a.m. until noon and again on Saturday, March 31 from nine a.m. until noon.

A CD player will be provided but each student will be responsible for bringing their own music, instrument, or props. Performances cannot exceed four minutes. There is no entry fee and first, second and third place finalist will receive an etched signature trophy.

Schools considering in-school talent shows are asked to contact Vogel in an effort to eliminate duplication.

Walks in are welcomed, however students are encouraged to register in advance by completing a registration form (avialable online at ww.artsinminden.com) and contacting Ms. Vogel at jvougel99@yahoo.com or by calling 318-286-9472.

You can also interact with us on Facebook. A link to our page is here.

Join us at the Farm this Saturday for our big Community Service Day

Join us from 9am-1pm. Bring a picnic lunch and your work clothes. We'll plant trees and flowers, paint some funky chickens and get the Farm ready for our Spring Arts Festival.

We're looking to paint our props and spruce the place up for the many community events to be held this spring ...from the YWSC Community Wide Easter Egg Hunt to the Piney Hills Master Gardeners Trails to Trellis event.

Come join us!

2,000 King Alfred Bulbs Planted at Farm!

Volunteers planted 2,000 King Alfred bulbs at the Farm in honor of Martin Luther King. Pictured LtoR Destiny Austin, Marjorie Bailey, Molly Bailey, Henry Culpepper, Jedidiah Walker and Logan Bailey. Not pictured Chris Broussard.

R.I.P. Moon Over Minden 2011

No Moon Over Minden at The Farm

The ghost of Sallie Baker will be taking a break this year while Moon Over Minden at the Farm has been cancelled. According to the board of directors of Cultural Crossroads the sponsoring organization does not have the funds to produce it. The ghost of Sallie Baker and her ghouls will sit this one out and hope for a better year in 2012. State budget cuts to the arts coupled with the slow economy led the board of Cultural Crossroads to have to cut some of their programming.

“This was one of my favorite events,” states Chris Broussard, Chairman of the Board. “It’s been a really scary year and not in a fun Halloween kind of way.” Broussard continues. “We’ve had to tighten our belt and make some tough decisions about what areas to cut. We’re hopeful that 2012 will be a better year and we can bring ole Sallie back.”

Cultural Crossroads is one of many arts organizations across the state that has had to adjust their budgets and programs due to deep cuts in State funding to the arts. “We’re a little concerned about our annual Spring Arts Festival, too,” adds Broussard. Cultural Crossroads was recently awarded a $4,000 grant from the State Decentralized Grants Fund which was approximately half of what the organization has received in previous years. A $7,500 grant from the Webster Parish Tourism office helped to offset this year’s festival. “We will be sponsoring a fundraiser early next year in hopes of raising the additional funds so that we can continue our three day arts festival,” Broussard continues. “Right now, we can only afford one day of the three day festival. “ The Spring Arts Festival now in its 18th year has been known for bringing the arts to area school children. “With no arts curriculum in the public schools aside from the Gifted and Talented program, the Spring Arts Festival has been filling that void and bringing to many of our children their first real art experience,” Mrs. Broussard explains.

Cultural Crossroads annual budget of nearly $100,000 doesn’t include any paid staff. The nineteen year old organization has operated without an executive director so that 100% of their contributions could go towards programming. A quarter of their annual budget comes from support from the Webster Parish Police Jury while another quarter of their support comes from local corporations and businesses and the Webster Parish Convention and Visitors Bureau. Earned income generated from admission fees to their events and grants make up the other half of their annual budget. Cultural Crossroads has been successful in bringing to the parish more than a million dollars in state and federal grant dollars over their nearly twenty year existence.

The organization is writing more grants than ever this year and their future plans for the Farm will include some future projects that will offer more earned income opportunities to insure the Farm’s future sustainability. “Our four acre Farm has so many rich resources and we’re hoping to tap into those resources in the future so that our community’s children can enjoy the benefits of creative expression and intellectual refinement for years to come,” Broussard adds.

To learn more about Cultural Crossroads of the Farm or make a donation visit their website at

www.artsinminden.com.

Pearl Fest 2011 Attended by Many Out of Towners Along With Mindenites

Pearl Fest Was a Real Jewel!

MINDEN, LA-- Pearl Fest lived up to its tag line “All music. All People.” Hundreds showed up in Minden this past weekend for Cultural Crossroads’ second annual music festival raising hundreds of dollars. The local arts organization that owns and manages the four acre festival sight known as ‘the Farm’ delivered on its promise. The range of musicians was as diverse as the crowds. Young and old and everything in between were out of their seats and dancing to songs they knew and songs they had heard for the first time.

More than fifty musicians donated their time this past weekend while showcasing their music and the reason they were there…. to raise funds for the “Cultured Pearl” scholarships.” Young musicians from area schools and seasoned musicians from area cities brought their talent to the back porch of the Farm and the main stage of the pavilion. “The caliber of music provided here this weekend was incredible,” states Randal Wilson of Baton Rouge. “It’s hard to imagine it any better. The atmosphere at the Farm was equally incredible. We had a wonderful time.”

Remembering the late Percy Mayfield and his music was highlighted Saturday evening with a video of one of Percy’s last interviews. The crowd cheered the Minden native who penned lyrics for Ray Charles and BB King. “They clapped and reacted to the film as though Percy were here in person, “states Julie Vogel, co-chair for the event.

Other highlights of the evening included the explosive performances of Angela Wills, Clinton Keener and Dorothy Prime, Louisiana’s Queen of Soul. Dat Band from Shreveport brought the evening to a close but not before coaxing singers from the crowd to chime in including local school board member Johnnye Kennon.

Surveys conducted at the gate revealed a significant increase in the number of out- of- towners to visit the Farm. “Folks came from Breaux Bridge, Baton Rouge, Monroe, Shreveport, Bossier, Houston, Dallas, Magnolia, Arkansas and all areas in between,” boasts Chris Broussard, Chairman of the Board. “Our attendance was definitely larger than last year, thanks to the incredible weather and an impressive lineup of talent,” adds Mrs. Broussard. “We heard over and over again from not only the people in attendance but the musicians as well that the Farm was the perfect outdoor venue for music. “

Pearl Fest was sponsored by Blazer Construction of Sibley and funded in part by an advertising grant from the Webster Parish Convention and Visitors Bureau.