The Art Educator Update Workshop has been approved and is now posted on the AEA267 professional development sign-up as workshop #5306. The workshop will be held at the Waterloo Center for the Arts from 9 am to 3 pm on March 10, 2010.

From Donna Davilla: "I will be offering several art related courses this year.  Two are being held on Saturdays in February and three are being held on Thursdays and Fridays in June.  Since I have offered several of them before, it is likely that this may be the last time that I offer these classes.  If you have been sitting on the fence, forget about cleaning out that closet and come join the group.  It will be worth your time, plus it is fun!"

Here are some of the features:

Using Art to Strengthen Language Arts:  Feb. 20 & 27 at AEA 11.  Key features: Bookmaking, Altered books, Multiculturalism.
Still room in this workshop!

Art and Science: Making Connections:  June 24 & 25 at the Botanical Center.  Key features: Magnification, Brain research, Art in the Garden.

Art and Poetry:  June 10 & 11 at the Des Moines Art Center.  Key features: Responding to the collection, Poetry structures, Generating ideas.

Sculptural Bookmaking: June 17 & 18 at AEA 11.  Key features: Pop-up books, Tunnel books, Spirit books.

Please sign up through the AEA website:  www.aea11.k12.ia.us

Should you have additional questions, you can reach me at the contact numbers & address below.  Hope to see you there!

Donna Davilla
Fine Arts Consultant

arteducator@mchsi.com
1441 Beaver Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50311
515-255-5715

“A Return to the Origins”  February 5, 6 and 7, 2010

A Calligraphy Seminar on the campus of Saint Ambrose University, Davenport, is sponsored by the Art Legacy League in conjunction with the SAU Alumni Office and in association with the Catich Gallery. The instructors are Paul Herrera and Amy Nielsen, former students of Father E. M. Catich.

LOCATION: New Hall building at 2127 Gaines Street.

The workshop is open to everyone and all levels of calligraphic skill but enrollment is limited.  Participants must register no later than Friday, January 22. Contact the Alumni Office at 563-333-6293 or 800-SAU.ALUM

The cost is $100.00 for the two-day seminar. The Friday night lecture is free and open to the public. No credit for recertification is available.
 

The schedule is as follows:
Feb. 5 (Friday) -  Doors open at 6:00 p.m. for cash bar and refreshments.
7:00 p.m. - Paul Herrera will lecture on “The Life and Times of Father E. M. Catich” in the New Hall Auditorium
 Feb. 6  (Saturday) - Registration begins at 7:30 a.m.
Imperial Roman letterforms from the inside out
 8:00 to 12:00
12:00 to 12:30 Lunch
12:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Feb. 7 (Sunday)
A Handwriting called Petrarch & Illumination
8:00 to 12:00
12:00 to 12:30 Lunch
12:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Calligraphy is the art of beautiful writing and has long been a fundamental element of art instruction at St. Ambrose through the work of Reverend Edward M. Catich. He is the world-renowned artist and premier calligrapher who established the Art Department at Saint Ambrose and taught there from 1938 until his death in 1979. The Catich Gallery will exhibit his work in New Hall during the hours of the seminar. Father Catich left a legacy of fine artists to carry his work forward and maintain the foundations and traditions of his teaching. A group of alumni have formed ALL, the Art Legacy League.

The Mission of the Art Legacy League is to continue the tradition of art education based on critical thinking skills and right reason as developed by the Reverend Edward M. Catich. He established the original Art Department at Saint Ambrose University and held the method of art instruction there to the highest standard for four decades. He taught neither fine art nor commercial art, but rather the basic skills of various art media through hands-on instruction and in-class demonstration. It is our intent to keep that tradition alive and to provide future generations of artists with the same high quality instruction that lead so many of his students to a wide range of successful artistic careers.

The Catich Gallery in the Galvin Fine Arts Center is dedicated to his artistic and educational endeavors and the furtherance of aesthetic appreciation. It is open Tuesday–Friday Noon – 5 p.m.
563/333-6444, Gallery and is free to the public. The exhibit schedule can be viewed on line at http://web.sau.edu/Catich/. The database containing a multitude of images of his work can be accessed at http://catich.sau.edu/.

Seminar Instructor  Biographies
Paul Herrera’s calligraphy and lettering training was done exclusively with Reverend E. M. Catich. Beginning as an undergraduate in 1967 and after a short interruption of military service, Paul worked as inscription cutter and calligraphy seminar assistant with Father Catich until the time of his death in 1979. At that point Paul was invited to teach Father Catich’s classes at St. Ambrose and would continue to do so until 1989. During that time Paul also served as a faculty member of five international calligraphy conventions. They include; “The Calligraphy Connection” held at St. John’s University in Minnesota 1981 and 1984, “The California Experience” held at Scripps College in Claremont, California 1985, “Innovations” held at Stevens Institute in Hoboken, New Jersey 1986, and “Calligraphy Northwest” held at the University of Portland, Oregon in 1987.

During his forty year career Paul has conducted numerous lettering seminars for calligraphy organizations throughout the Midwest and Canada. He continued inscription work for Wichita State University and an architectural firm in Chicago as well as individual clients. Additionally, he was watercolor and calligraphy instructor at the former Davenport Municipal Art Gallery from 1973 – 1984. He retired from all commercial work in January of 2009 but will temporarily come out of retirement for this one last seminar.

Amy Nielsen's calligraphy and lettering training began with classes at the
University of Iowa. After two and a half years, she transferred to St.
Ambrose to study with Reverend E. M. Catich and studied with him until his
death in 1979. Upon graduating from SAU, she worked in the lettering
department for Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, MO.
 
Current artistic interests include: Artist and interior decorator for
Johnson & Koenig, Calligraphy Adjunct at St. Ambrose University, and the SAU
ACCEL program, invited instructor at the Davenport Museum of Art and at the
FIGGE Art Museum, as well as visiting artist at Cordova Library and several
other community continuing education venues.
 
During her thirty year career, Amy has taught numerous calligraphy,
watercolor, drawing and sketchbook classes. She has been a featured artist
at Scottsbluff, NE Community College, Scottsbluff  Art Center, Scotts Bluff
Country Club, Cordova Library, Catich Gallery, Morrissey Gallery, Galvin
Fine Arts, SAU, Eldridge Library, FIGGE Art Salon, Left Bank Art League and
The Davenport Outing Club. She is an active member of Artists Advisory
Council (Figge), Left Bank Art League and contributor to Quad City Arts,
Festival of Trees.