Welcome to the
Community Arts & Funk Festival
Join us on August 27th, 2011 at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. Located in the heart of downtown Milwaukee on the Milwaukee River, adjacent to a mature grove of chestnut trees, the Community Arts & Funk Festival is a lively end of summer festival showcasing Milwaukee’s local and regional contemporary funk and alternative soul bands along with an exhibition of professional, visual fine artists.
Brad Anthony Bernard promo – IN THE NEWS
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"The Marcus Center is delighted to welcome back the Community Arts & Funk Festival for a second year. This festival, held on the grounds of the Marcus Center, is a terrific showcase for both visual and performing artists from our area. We are always seeking ways to bring new and diverse audiences to our facility in the heart of downtown Milwaukee and the Community Arts & Funk Festival is one of several events that help us to accomplish this goal."
Paul Mathews-President & CEO Marcus Center for the Performing Arts
Copyright (c) 2011-2012 All Rights Reserved Design By J. Dallas
The 2011 Community Arts & Funk Festival taking place August 27th at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts Peck Pavilion, proudly welcomes world renowned artist/sculptor Richard Hunt as the ‘Judge of Distinction’ for this year’s Community Arts Exhibition Competition. Richard Hunt is a preeminent American sculptor at the apex of a prolific and successful career. His work includes gallery-scale sculptures displayed and collected by major museums.
Hunt has created Over 100 large-scale public art commissions created for American cities, campuses, and corporations, including the sculpture titled ‘Celestial Conversation’ which proudly graces the courtyard of Milwaukee’s Mount Mary College. Hunt’s body of work is immediately recognizable by his evocative forms which fuse the man-made with the natural, melding the gritty muscularity of American industrial-urban environments with a passion for natural and biomorphic forms and biology. Hunt’s work bridges European Modernism with the art of African blacksmiths and integrates ancient mythology with African-American literary and musical traditions. Joining Mr. Hunt on the judging panel are associate curator Annemarie Sawkins and artist, writer Nicolas Frank
The Community Arts & Funk Festival also welcomes Grammy Award Winning Harvey Scales as the ‘Special Guest Host’ for the festivals’ funk y live music. As a singer, songwriter, and producer, Scales has been a prominent figure in the music industry since the 1960’s. Scales began his career here in Milwaukee when he and long time friend Al Vance formed the local and regional hit group Harvey Scales and the Seven Sounds which dazzled audiences throughout the 70’s and 80’s. In 1976 Scales became the first African American songwriter to have a platinum hit. He received national attention as a song writer co-writing the hit song ‘Disco Lady’ for soul singer Johnnie Taylor.
‘Disco Lady’ was the first platinum single in the history of the Recording Industry of America. He has also written songs for well known R&B groups like the Dells and the O’Jays, and performers, MC Hammer, Pete Rock, C.L. Smooth and most recently penning the hit song ‘Mama’s Prayin’ by Jay Z protégé Beanie Sigel. In 2009 he received the Wisconsin Area Music Industry “WAMI”, Lifetime Achievement Award.
Della Wells/Best of Show |
Mike Nolte/1st Place |
Erica Meier/2nd Place |
Michael Held/3rd Place |
Frederick Owens |
Arts & Funk Festival
2010
Festival Schedule
6:45 am- Vendor coordinator(s) with booth assignments and information folders.
7:00 am- Vendors will begin to load in and start set up of booth spaces.
(Volunteers can be available to assist the vendor’s request)
10:00 am- Beginning of Community Arts Exhibition/Community Youth Arts Competition/Marketplace and art workshops.
Art workshop Session 1:
10am - 12pm
Milwaukee Public Theatre
Puppett making workshop
Arts@Large
Mural painting workshop
Mount Mary College
Art.Ed. Dept. "Creative Connections" workshop
Our Next Generation
Mixed media workshop
Children and Youth Theater/Peck Pavilion Schedule:
10:00 am- Children oriented and Youth Theater performances as well as the judging of all
exhibiting and open studio artists will begin.
10am - 10:10am
Character Builders Camp will be performing youth acting, improvisation, & singing
10:15am-10:45am Eddie Rutledge and the Amani’s World Band
Musician and Children’s Book writer Eddie Rutledge and the Amani’s World band will be
performing jazz, funk, and R&B educational songs along with music skits which will feature live
interactive performances with children.
11:00am-11:30am
Tessa’s Black entertainment Youth will give an eclectic dance performance influenced by the
dance styles of jazz, ballet, and hip hop.
11:45am-12:45pm Still Waters Collective
Renowned poetess Dasha Kelley will coordinate teen spoken word /open mic performances.
Teen participants will be judged by viewing audience for prizes.
DJ will play funk music selections between stage performances
Art workshops Session 2:
1pm – 3:00pm
Milwaukee Artist Resource Network
Urban Landscape painting on Peck Pavilion Riverwalk
2:15pm- Announcement of exhibition winners in pavilion area
3:00 pm- Beginning of Funk Festivalperformances
Live Music/Peck Pavilion Schedule:
3-3:45pm The Mustache
4:05-4:50pm ROOM11
5:15-6:45pm Evan Christian
7:00 pm-. Funk Festival ends
Admission is FREE and open to the public.