Read the article and view video photo slideshow here: http://thescenecolorado.blogspot.com/2012/03/band-of-heathens-stargazers-38.html.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYNWxigV7Vc&feature=youtu.be

Have you read this week’s Colorado Springs Independent?

There is a fascinating article by Edie Adelstein titled “The Rhode To Renaissance”, detailing how a thriving arts and culture community was created from a rundown warehouse district in Providence, Rhode Island as a result of collaboration between artists and entrepreneurs. This is a very well written article that details quite the success story; a success story that could be tailored to our unique community and emulated in Colorado Springs.

The most exciting part?

Want to learn more about this?

Want to attend?

Want to make a difference in our communities’ focus on art and culture and create an impact?

Chicken Teriyaki Bowl with Rice   $6.50

Pulled Pork Sandwich with coleslaw   $7.50

Cheesy Nachos  with Jalepenos   $4.00

Snacks

Chips   $1.50

Pub Snacks   $2.00

Pretzels   $2.00

Candy   $1.50

Desserts

Yummy Brownie   $3.00

Cheesecake   $3.00

We also have a FULL bar serving beer, wine and mixed drinks!

*Stargazers Menu changes seasonally. The menu may also differ according to attendance and availability of certain foods and beverages.

** Stargazers may change, update, add or take away menu items for particular events.

Colorado Springs Sister Cities International and Stargazers Theatre and Event Center present 22 talented performers from Nuevo Casa Grande, Mexico on May 5th for a special two-hour special featuring authentic Mexican music, dancing and food in honor of Cinco De Mayo.

The talented teens from Mexico are all students at the Polytechnic School in NCG, Mexico.

Nuevo Casa Grande is one of Colorado Springs’ Six Sister Cities which also includes Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Smolensk, Russia; Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan; Bankstown, Australia; and Fujiyoshida, Japan.

Sister Cities International is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and encourages partnerships between cities, counties and states in the United States and similar jurisdictions aboard. The program began shortly after World War II following a White House summit on citizen diplomacy whereby President Dwight D. Eisenhower initiated people-to-people programs in 1956. The sister cities movement was originally part of the National League of Cities, but due to the explosive growth and popularity of the program it became an independent national organization in 1967 known as the Town Affiliation Association. Since 1974, it has been officially known as Sister Cities International, which, by 1976 had 600 US Cities with relationships with 800 cities in 75 different countries abroad.

For more information about Sister Cities, contact David Jenkins, Sister City president at 719-533-1213 or e-mail at davidpjenk@hotmail.com. Date of Show is Saturday May 5, 2012. Doors open at 1:00 PM and the show is @2:00 PM. Tickets are $7.00. Food and Beverage Specials honoring the holiday will be available for purchase.

To Find out more information and to purchase tickets: See the event on our website.

For more information on the Art Show please view the page for this event on Stargazers web site.

Once upon a time three young women each began writing the story of their lives. The first one began hers from the golden sunshine and tropical shores of California and Hawaii. The second girl’s story began in the gracious and dignified warmth of the bayous of New Orleans. The third woman’s tale came from the fire and ice of Wisconsin and Arizona. Through time, these three young women’s stories wound around the world and back again, coming to rest in the shadows of the Rocky Mountains.  The sun and sky and mountains filled each of their hearts. In this place, they continued to write their stories in paint, and pencil, wax, and oil, each in her own way. Their paths crossed again and again, until their stories each became infused with the others’. Their stories have become entwined.

Jan now lives life in the idyllic hills of Perry Park. Gayle chose the mountain beauty of Colorado Springs to raise their family. Carol landed in the panoramic foothills south of Colorado Springs. Their artwork is as varied as each of their stories. Each woman brings her unique skills and outlook to her craft.  Their combined art merges in a joyful and glorious celebration of color and movement that is the next chapter in this story. We invite you to fall “Under the Influence”.

CAROL LOSINSKI NAYLOR

CAROL LOSINSKI NAYLOR: I believe I was born to be an artist.

I have been painting professionally for 4 years and I constantly hone my skills through workshops and classes with local and internationally known artists.

In 1989 I started a company called the Carefree Cathouse Corporation and for the next decade ran a manufacturing facility which made birdhouses from all types of recycled materials. With six employees I was able to produce designs that sold in such popular catalogs as Potpourri and even appearing on the cover of the Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog. Representatives in Seattle, Denver, Dallas, New York and Phoenix marketed to gift stores across the United States and Europe. Clients included Disneyland, Wild Birds Unlimited and Neiman Marcus. In 1999 a move to Colorado from Arizona allowed me to make a long wished for change.

Currently my focus has been on watercolor but I have also worked in acrylic, oil, wood and metal. I am fortunate to live in Colorado and find a great source of inspiration in my surroundings and throughout the west.

AWARDS

Tri-Lakes Member Show 2009 1st Place

Colorado Springs Art Guild 2009 2nd Place

Sunny Vista Art Show 2010 Corporate Award and Honorable Mention

Voice, Verse and Vision  2010 Honorable Mentions

Wheelin’ 2009 Honorable Mention

Tri-Lakes 2010 Two Best of Show Awards

Colorado Springs Art Guild 2010 Honorable Mention

Aquarius National Show 2010 Third Place

Palmer Lake Art Group Exhibit Sponsor Award and 2nd Place

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL JURIED SHOWS

International Watermedia 2011

Kansas Watercolor Society Exhibit 2011

COLORADO WATERCOLOR STATE SHOW

GAYLE HIGGINS

GAYLE HIGGINS: As far back as I can remember I have had a deep interest in color and drawing. During my childhood, I favored blank paper over coloring books, and always preferred mixing my own unique colors with my box of 64 crayons. I found drawing so fulfilling that I can’t remember a time I wasn’t thinking about my next project.

My subject matter usually originates with observation and imagination. Usually a simple scene or object captivates me. I put a lot of thought into what I am trying to capture long before I start to draw. Quite often, I work from photos to capture the changing light important to my work. The original drawing has to be accurate for me to be satisfied with the finished piece, so all of my preparation sets me on the right path. With sketches in pencil and in color, I work towards a finished idea to put on paper.

I received my BFA in Art with a concentration in Graphic Design from Colorado State University. After graduation, I worked as a graphic artist for several years. A workshop in colored pencil with Bet Borgeson was such a strong influence on me that I worked in colored pencil exclusively for many years.

I originally took a watercolor class to enhance my work in colored pencil. My first class was at Bemis School of Art in Colorado Springs with Karen Simkiss. I immediately loved the fluidity and transparency of watercolor.  Everyone and every painting teach me something new. I have continued to study on my own and with outstanding instructors such as Tom Owen and John Salminen. I currently teach watercolor, colored pencil and silk painting at Bemis School of Art at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center.  My work is also featured in Boulder Street Gallery in Colorado Springs.

                                         JAN HUNT DAWSON

JAN HUNT DAWSON:  began her career in art with a scholarship to Art Center, College of Design in Los Angeles during her high school weekends.  Continuing education included workshops from world renown teachers including Thomas J. Owen, Rex Brandt, Doug Dawson, Robert Wood, Skip Lawrence, Rosemary Mac Bird, Ken Hosmer, Ken Elliott, Joan Fullerton, Robert Gray, John Solminen and many more.

Her awards and shows began nationally and internationally with the National Hallmark Gold Key Award and continued throughout the next 40 years.  She has paintings hanging in galleries in California, Colorado, England, and Germany.

As a retired Educational Psychologist and Educational Kinesiologist/Brain GymÒ Instructor for thirty years, Jan still loves to teach Brain GymÒ for Artists.  Brain GymÒ can switch on parts of a person’s brain, opening doors to an artist’s dreams.  Check out her kinesiology website:  www.brainshaping.com to learn more about Brain GymÒ for Artists.

Our box office will be open on the following dates and times, otherwise please leave a message at 1-719-426-2200. Tickets are also available online.

Tuesday, May 15 at 3:00 PM

Thursday, May 17 at 3:00 PM

Friday, May 18 at 3:00 PM

Saturday, May 19 at 3:00 PM

Sunday, May 20 at 3:00 PM

Tuesday, May 22 at 3:00 PM

Thursday, May 24 at 3:00 PM

Friday, May 25 at 3:00 PM

Saturday, May 26 at 3:00 PM

Sunday, May 27 at 3:00 PM

Thursday, May 31 at 3:00 PM

Stargazers Theatre Box Office is usually open on days when we have an event taking place at the theatre.

We are  closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Notice, we will be closed on Mothers Day! Sunday, May 13!

It’s rare for a young musician to earn comparisons to the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Miles Davis. It’s even harder to find an artist who has entirely redefined an instrument by his early thirties. But Jake Shimabukuro (she-ma-boo-koo-row) has already accomplished these feats, and more, in a little over a decade of playing and recording music…on the ukulele.

Yes, the ukulele. In the hands of Shimabukuro, the traditional Hawaiian instrument of four strings and two octaves is stretched and molded into a complex and bold new musical force. On his most recent album ‘Peace Love Ukulele’ (which debuted at #1 on the Billboard World Album Chart), Jake and his “uke” effortlessly (it seems) mix jazz, rock, classical, traditional Hawaiian music, and folk, creating a sound that’s both technically masterful and emotionally powerful…and utterly unique in the music world. No less than the New York Times recently noted his “buoyant musicianship” and “brisk proficiency,” adding, “the innovation in his style stems from an embrace of restrictions: the ukulele has only four strings and a limited range. He compensates with an adaptable combination of rhythmic strumming, classical-style finger-picking and fretboard tapping.” Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam who recently released his own album of ukulele songs had this to say about Jake: “Jake is taking the instrument to a place that I can’t see anybody else catching up with him.”

For Shimabukuro, his life has always centered on the ukulele. He started playing the instrument at the age of 4, at the urging of his mother (who also played). “Everyone plays in Hawaii,” he says. “But I became obsessed with it.”

Shimabukuro began his music career in earnest performing at local Honolulu venues and coffee shops. “I loved playing in those intimate coffee shops, and was very happy,” he remembers. “But when Sony Music Japan showed interest in signing me, I realized that maybe I had a chance to take it a bit furher.” His career really skyrocketed when a YouTube clip of him performing “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” in Central Park went viral – over eight-million views and counting.

The clip certainly broadened Shimabukuro’s audience. In the years since that clip aired, Shimabukuro has performed with Bela Fleck and Flecktones, Bette Midler, Yo-Yo Ma, Cyndi Lauper, Ziggy Marley, Levon Helm, Marcus Miller, Stanley Clarke, Les Paul, Dave Koz, Chris Botti, and Jimmy Buffett. He’s played on shows like “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” “The Late Show with Conan O’Brien,” “The Today Show” and “Last Call with Carson Daly,” was a featured artist on NPR’s “Weekend Edition,” and more recently was a featured artist on Rolling Stone Live. He’s landed slots on the Monterrey and Playboy Jazz Festivals, performed at Google and the influential TED conference, and performed in front of the Queen of England in Blackpool (alongside Bette Midler). Shimabukuro also received a cameo in the Adam Sandler movie “Just Go with It,” where he also recorded a few songs for the soundtrack.

Despite the success, Jake remains humble and admittedly “awestruck” by how his love of the ukulele has propelled him to such great heights. For that, he gives full credit to the instrument he’s played with a passion since he was four years old. “If everyone played the ukulele, the world would be a better place,” says Shimabukuro.

See Jake Shimabukuro’s documentary on YouTube

See Jake Shimabukuro play live in concert

See Jake Shimabukuro play live at the Birchmere

“Forget everything you know about the ukulele…and go do a Google search. The first video that pops up won’t be some grainy clip of Tiny Tim or George Formby but a performance by a hair-gelled 34-year old Hawaiian named Jake Shimabukuro.” – Time magazine feature

With Special Guest Opener: Kailin Yong Peace Project Trio

The Boulder, Colorado based Kailin Yong Peace Project Trio, led by Singaporean violin virtuoso Kailin Yong, brings you its signature blend of world music in a continuing effort to promote peace, friendship, and cross-cultural understanding using the power of music to bridge boundaries and bring people together.

Kailin Yong, fiddler for peace is  a violinist, teacher and composer who believes in the power of music to bring about positive changes in our world, which is why he has dedicated his life to making music with the intention of building cultural bridges and promoting peace.

He does so through his constant and tireless exploration and study of music and instruments from around the world, playing and writing music that not only celebrates the diversity of the human race but also illuminates our commonalities. View Kailin Yong’s web site.

“Through music, we discover that there is no ‘them and us,’ and the reality of our all being connected as one becomes clear. This is the vision put forth in Kailin Yong’s music. We hear the musical styles of the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and the Americas … Everyone finds a welcome.”

— Cameron Powers, Musical Missions of Peace

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