DIVA NEWSLETTER: Up Front

IN THIS ISSUE: This abbreviated edition of the newsletter includes recent Center news; an introduction to new September-October gallery exhibits; and the September calendar of DIVA events and screenings. This will be the last online DIVA Newsletter until later this year as our editor takes a medical leave from volunteer work. You can always keep up-to-date on DIVA events by visiting the DIVA's web site online.

Summer gARTen Party Success. Even though an unusual summer drizzle occasionally dampened DIVA's sold out gARTen party the fund raising event was enjoyed by all. Thanks to Tenold and Karen Peterson for hosting the party on their beautiful country farm and to all those who volunteered to make this first annual event a success. A special thanks to all our guests who joined DIVA in celebrating the visual arts. Your support of the Center is most appreciated. Fall Preview at DIVA. The DIVA Media Arts Committee will host a special preview of its' Fall programming on Friday, September 14th at 7:00 PM. Learn what's new this year and why you should be involved with the media arts at DIVA. This is a great opportunity to network, meet old friends, and make new ones. Join the areas film and video community as they come together to celebrate the cinematic arts. The evening is free and refreshments will be served. New DIVA Volunteer Training Meeting. Are you interested in volunteering at DIVA - gallery hosting, helping with exhibits, manning events, assisting with administrative duties and other projects? Come to September's volunteer meeting to learn about DIVA and find out about volunteer opportunities. Meeting: September 13th 5:30pm at DIVA. Fall Educational Program To Be Announced. Workshops and classes for fall are now being finalized and will be announced soon. Individuals should access the DIVA Workshop and Class web site for specific information. Volunteer of the Month - September, 2007. Judy Alison has been volunteering at DIVA for almost two years, which means she has done a little bit of everything. Her lovely handwriting has graced DIVA invitations, she was a founder of the Artist Services Committee, and she can do it all on a First Friday - even coordinate other volunteers if needed. We are truly grateful for all the time Judy donates to DIVA!     Judy says, "I volunteer at DIVA because.. there's an energy here that I really enjoy. I meet good art and artists, and I get to show my own work as well. I really appreciate the mission of DIVA and like being part of bringing it to life." OpenLens Festival Receives Community Arts Grant. The Lane Arts Council has awarded the Fourth Annual OpenLens Short Film and Video festival at DIVA a Community Arts Grant to support a visiting filmmaker/host for January 2008 festival event. The yet to be announced festival will offer workshops and community outreach opportunities as part of the three-day 11-13th event.     The Lane Arts Council also awarded YouthVision a $300 Community Arts Grant to promote its participation in the OpenLens festival this coming year. The popular high school filmmaking program will feature a special awards ceremony for youth media during the OpenLens festival weekend. OpenLens Festival Call for Entries. DIVA is calling for submission by artists for its fourth annual mid-Oregon video and film festival. This festival provides an opportunity for local film makers to showcase their work in a competitive event. Prizes include Best Juried Award and Audience Choice Award. The festival will be held January 11-12-13, 2008. The Center is now accepting submissions of short film/video works of 10 minutes or less by media artists in SW Oregon counties of Benton, Coos, Curry, Deschutes, Douglas, Lane, Linn, Jackson, Josephine, and Klamath. Visit the OpenLens web site for more information. Call for 2008 Exhibit Proposals. DIVA invites artists, curators, groups, and organizations to submit exhibit proposals for our six-gallery facility July through December 2008. We welcome a wide variety of proposals including installation, multi-media, time-based, performance, or other creative uses of our gallery spaces. Individuals and groups living in Oregon or proposals that are significant to Oregon are eligible to apply. If you submit samples of the work, they must be in digital format. Images are not required, but are helpful if you have some visual representation of your concept. Applications will be received at DIVA through 6:00pm on November 16, 2007. Notification letters will be mailed by January 8, 2008. Download the Exhibit Proposal Guidelines 2008. New September-October Exhibits at DIVA Center. The Downtown Initiative for the Visual Arts (DIVA) presents five new exhibits in our six-gallery facility: "Pastels" by Tenold Peterson; "Ancestral Voices/Inherited Visions" by Analee Fuentes and Lillian Pitt; "The Elder Series" by Kathy Tiger; Maude Kerns Downtown Gallery: "Figuratively Speaking"; Members' Gallery: "Prism Breaks" by Hans d'Hollosy.     An opening reception is Friday, September 7th during the Eugene Celebration from 5:30-8:30pm.     The Members' Gallery exhibit will show through September 29th; all other exhibits run through October 27th, 2007. DIVA Center - 110 W. Broadway, Eugene, Oregon.

September 7 - First Friday Art Walk - Eugene Celebration
Time: 5:30 - 8:30PM
Cost: Free
Stop by DIVA to experience the latest in gallery shows and the cinematic arts. Meet old friends and make new ones in our community room.

September 8-9: The Eugene Celebration at DIVA
Sponsor: The Eugene Celebration
Admission: Free with Celebration bracelet
DIVA teams up with the Eugene Celebration to present "The Future is Now," an eclectic mix of independent films, exhibits, special speakers and workshops. Audience members are invited to think differently, open their minds and release their inner geek as they experience artistically adventurous films, tour engaging, interactive high-tech exhibits and meet some of the most innovative minds Oregon has to offer. A full schedule of DIVA Events during the festival is available online.

September 14 - Fall Preview
Time: 7:00 PM
Admission: Free
Join the DIVA Media Arts group in celebrating the beginning of our fall season. Learn what's new this year and why you should be involved with the media arts at DIVA. This is a great opportunity to network, meet old friends, and make new ones. Join the areas film and video community as they come together to celebrate the cinematic arts. Refreshments will be served.

September 16 - Developing a fine art presentation package - Part III
Time: 4:00 PM
Cost: Free
Becky Guy, DIVA Exhibits Coordinator and Scott Huette, Arts and Administration Instructor at the UO. Part 3 of this 3-part series on artist presentation portfolios culminates in final portfolio critiques with local gallery owners and exhibit coordinators. Bring your final portfolio ready to present and something tasty to share. Also, we will select the Members' Gallery exhibit for February.

September 16 - Jesus Camp (2006) by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady
Time: 7:00 PM
Admission: Free
Sponsor: Art House Films and Conversation Series
This riveting Oscar-nominated documentary by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady offers an unfiltered look at a revivalist subculture where devout Christian youngsters are being primed to deliver the fundamentalist community's religious and political messages. Building an evangelical army of tomorrow, the Kids on Fire summer camp in Devil's Lake, N.D., is dedicated to deepening the preteens' spirituality and sowing the seeds of political activism as they're exhorted to "take back America for Christ". This screening is followed by a thought-provoking audience discussion lead by program host, Steve Poizat-Newcom.

September 23 - Video Slam
Time: 4:00 PM
Admission: Free
Arrive by 3:30 to enter your video in the competition
Held in the tradition of the poetry slam this event showcases the work of local film and video artists. The audience selects the evening's best with that winner going on to the December Video Slam Festival.

September 24 - Wizard Prison
Time: 9:00 PM
Admission: General $5.00
Sponsor: Haugen Presents
Seattle's Wizard Prison. Not noise per se, but very weird with an 80's experimental vibe. This is a self-proclaimed "multimedia project complete with [a] prison, projected abstract films of their own making, esoteric software synths of their own modification, and heavy guitars and drums designed to (magically) lure you into allowing their escape from the prison.