PVCC Study Abroad: A Teacher's Reflections on Havana, Cuba

Day 1: HELLO MIAMI

We arrived in Miami after a 5 hour overnight flight from Phoenix and, after breakfast, toured the sights of Little Havana. We visited a public art garden, Wynwood Walls, which featured painted murals by famous artists such as Shepard Fairey.

We had a traditional Cuban-style lunch of rice and black beans with pork and chicken, and visited a library/bar which featured a live Cuban band. We went on a tour of Little Havana with director-led sightseeing.

Day 2 : HAVANA

The next day we flew from Miami to Havana and were greeted by Jorge and Geldrys, our two tour guides who stayed with us the entire week. We checked into the Panorama Hotel, which is very modern, and located on the west side of Havana, on the waterfront.


We visited the home and studio of two local Cuban artists, Yamilla and Jaqueline Bristos, then lunch at El Aljibe restaurant. After lunch we toured an artists collective, called Muraleanda, barrio majico, that is a space for artists to work, teach skills to local residents, and host workshops by internationally known artists.
 

In the evening some of our group took a taxi to see a performance of the Buena Vista Social Club.

Day 3 : OLD HAVANA

Compas Dance and Music Company visit

Paladar dinner

Day 4 : VINALES VALLEY

Viñales Valley excursion

Finca Agro-Ecologica agricultural cooperative visit, hike in Viñales with local farmers and visit farmers' homes

Day 5 : CIENFUEGOS

Travel to Cienfuegos via Matanzas

Hector Crespo Farm visit

Cienfuegos city walk

Day 6 : CIENFUEGOS - TRINIDAD

Local art school visit

Travel to Trinidad

Trinidad city walk

Day 7 : TRINIDAD - SANTA CLARA

Travel to Santa Clara

Valley of the Sugar Mills cultural exchange

Santa Clara city walk

Day 8 : SANATA CLARA - HAVANA

Met with local private hostel owners

Fiesta de los Abuelos educational Exchange

Travel to Havana

Farewell Paladar dinner

 

Day 9 : END TOUR

Overall, we had a tremendously satisfying experience. Our trip introduced us to the complexity that is Cuba. In spite of government restrictions, the people we met were friendly, industrious and creative. The 8 days in Cuba flew by, and I am looking forward to going there again, and spending time getting to know the artists we met on this trip. 

- Professor David Bradley

All photographs courtesy of David Bradley. 

PVCC Study Abroad: the student experience in Havana, Cuba

This June, Professor of Art David L. Bradley, along with Professor of Art History, Tomi Johnston led a group of students on a fantastic experience to Havana, Cuba to study art history. Ready on to explore their experience in their own words and images:

The trip to Cuba reinforced my belief that people are the same around the world despite the differences in their governments. I was extremely impressed with the Cuban people's ability to improvise around their lack of resources and money. An example was the Cuban dancers who turned sticks and chairs into musical instruments and how they carved their own drums. -John Storslee

The creative repurposing of space. Houses were turned into restaurants and their walls turned into memorabilia. PC: John Storslee. 

Building walls, streets and power posts turned into pieces of art. PC: John Storslee.

From atop the stock exchange building in old Havana over the port. PC: Kimberly Harris

The architecture and color combinations in Havana. PC: Kimberly Harris

Using color to define individual space. PC: Kimberly Harris

Artwork of Havana, Cuba by PVCC Study Abroad Student Kimberly Harris. 

Tradition, innovation, amazing food, laughter, dancing, lovely people and cobblestones. CUBA, mi enamored! -Wendy Raisanen

Arriving In Style - Photo Series by Michelle Marion

This Summer at PVCC: Summer Musical, Free Concerts & Music Workshops

Join us this summer for free concerts, music workshops & our summer musical!

 

MEMORIAL DAY CELEBRATION CONCERT

Thursday, May 26th at 7:00pm, Free Admission
Center for the Performing Arts, Mainstage Theater

Featuring a presentation by PVCC graduate Jonathan Lucas (US Army 2004-2012), and musical performances by the Salt River Brass Quintet, PVCC music student Rachel Brown, and vocal soloists.
 
Donations will be accepted for the PVCC Veteran's Student Scholarship Fund.

LIVE AT BLACK MOUNTAIN: THE PVCC FACULTY JAZZ ENSEMBLE

hursday, June 2nd at 7:00pm, Free Admission
Aquila Hall Outdoor Stage, Black Mountain Campus
34250 N. 60th Street, Scottsdale, AZ 85266

Featuring performances of small jazz ensemble music ranging from classic jazz standards to modern jazz.
Audience members are invited to bring a folding chair or blanket for seating.

NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY: FREE MUSIC WORKSHOP

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday Evenings, 6:30pm-8:30pm
June 7th - 30th, Free Admission, Family Friendly

Tuesday Nights

Drum and Dance Workshops featuring Brazilian Music
KSC 1000A (located in the center of campus)

Wednesday Nights

Music Technology Workshops focusing on techniques in Studio Recording, Audio Mixing, Electronic Music and more!
Center for the Performing Arts Computer Lab (CPA 120)

Thursday Nights

Singer/Songwriter Open Mic
Center for the Performing Arts Lobby/Art Gallery
All styles of music, spoken word and poetry are encouraged.
Performers will need to sign up at 6:00pm to perform.

SUMMER MUSICAL: DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS

irty Rotten Scoundrels by Jeffery Lane and David Yazbek directed by Andrea Robertson. Based on the popular 1988 MGM film, our summer musical takes us to the French Riviera for high jinx and hilarity. Lawrence Jameson makes his lavish living by talking rich ladies out of their money. Freddy Benson swindles women by waking their compassion about his grandmother's failing health. After meeting on a train, they attempt to work together only to find that this small French town isn't big enough for the two of them! Show Dates: June 17, 18, 24, 25 at 7:30pm and 19, 26 at 2:00pm.
$15 adults; $12 seniors/staff; $10 students/military; $8 children
*4 additional ticket fee at the door 1hour prior to performance.
 
Click HERE to purchase tickets online

Center for the Performing Arts
Paradise Valley Community College

18401 N. 32nd Street • Phoenix, AZ 85032 Phone: (602) 787‐7738
www.paradisevalley.edu/cpa

Artist Talk + Reception: Wednesday May 11th, 2016

CONTEMPORARY FORUM LECTURE SERIES

SPONSORED BY FENNEMORE CRAIG, P.C.

PRESENTS
 
PVCC art faculty Saskia Jordá
A presentation from the 2015 Arlene and Morton Scult
Contemporary Forum Artist Award Recipient
 
& Contemporary Forum
Awards Presentation & Art Exhibition
 
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
6:30pm
 
Phoenix Art Museum, Whiteman Hall
Open to the Public, Admission is Free
A Private Reception for CF Members and Award Recipients
to follow in the Great Hall
 
Saskia Jordá is an interdisciplinary artist whose work encompasses site-specific installation, soft sculpture, and drawing. Using iconic images that repeat as multiples, Saskia explores the idea of skin as a multi-layered artifact. Saskia Jordá: A Geography of Line uses the vocabulary of mapping and geography to further explore themes of mobility, home, and connection to place, often reflected through fictional landscapes and alternate terrains.
 
Saskia’s presentation will be followed with the announcements of the 2016 Contemporary Forum Artists Grants Recipients and the Arlene and Morton Scult Contemporary Forum Artist Award Recipient. Afterwards, walk through the Harnett Gallery and view the remarkable contemporary works created by the 2015 award recipients.
2015 Artist Award Recipient
Saskia Jordá
 
2015 Artists Grants Recipients
Anna Garner, Nathaniel Lewis, Abbey Messmer, Rembrandt Quiballo,
Kazuma Sambe, Rossitza Todorova, Claire A. Warden
 
Phoenix Art Museum is now accepting online reservations for lectures in Whiteman Hall.
To make your online reservation, visit https://tickets.phxart.org/public/show.asp and scroll down to the event (all events are listed by date).  Your reservation secures a general seat in Whiteman Hall.  (It does not secure an assigned seat.)  Early arrival recommended for best seating selections.  Walk-ins will be accepted the night of the lecture if seats are still available.  
 
EVENT SPONSORED BY CONTEMPORARY FORUM at PHOENIX ART MUSEUM

Phoenix Experimental Arts Festival - February 20th, 2016

Phoenix Experimental Arts Festival

Saturday, February 20, 2016

Paradise Valley Community College

Center for the Performing Arts (CPA)

 

#puttingtheAinsteam

 

Events/Activities:

 

12:00pm-4:00pm: OPEN HOUSE

Center for the Performing Arts Lobby/Gallery:

• PLAY, located in the SE corner of the gallery, is an interactive sound installation featuring a Theremin (electronic musical instrument) and several audio filters to alter the sound (via guitar effects pedals). Visitors are invited to PLAY the theremin and engage the guitar effects pedals to create unique tambres. In addition, schematic diagrams of the theremin and filters will be displayed for those interested in electronics and engineering.

• D!G, located in the West corner of the gallery. Designed as a dance/installation piece, D!G comprises 22 self-contained microprocessor/sensor/speaker assemblies. Each assembly utilizes a micro SD card to store and playback sensor data and a LiPo battery for power. Sensor/speaker assemblies are covered by hand-made crocheted pieces to give them a more appealing aesthetic. In playback mode in installation, sensors are distributed on string tapestries throughout the gallery. The intention is to allow audiences a more exploratory approach to the sound. Other features of the installation include a subsonic vibrating bench and tablets preloaded with an Android app. All elements work with the concept of the measurement/capture/representation of movement.

 

Center for the Performing Arts Music Room (CPA 115):

• A live electro-acoustic music performance featuring acoustic musical instruments (piano, percussion, strings, etc.) and electronic components, filters, compressors, effects units and computer software. PVCC commercial music faculty members Jacob Adler (instruments) and Tony Obr (technology) will lead the performance and hold a series of Q & A’s with audience members.

 

6:00pm-7:00pm: PRE-PERFORMANCE EXHIBITS

Center for the Performing Arts Lobby/Gallery:

• PLAY, located in the SE corner of the gallery, is an interactive sound installation featuring a Theremin (electronic musical instrument) and several audio filters to alter the sound (via guitar effects pedals). Visitors are invited to PLAY the theremin and engage the guitar effects pedals to create unique tambres. In addition, schematic diagrams of the theremin and filters will be displayed for those interested in electronics and engineering.

• D!G, located in the West corner of the gallery. Designed as a dance/installation piece, D!G comprises 22 self-contained microprocessor/sensor/speaker assemblies. Each assembly utilizes a micro SD card to store and playback sensor data and a LiPo battery for power. Sensor/speaker assemblies are covered by hand-made crocheted pieces to give them a more appealing aesthetic. In playback mode in installation, sensors are distributed on string tapestries throughout the gallery. The intention is to allow audiences a more exploratory approach to the sound. Other features of the installation include a subsonic vibrating bench and tablets preloaded with an Android app. All elements work with the concept of the measurement/capture/representation of movement.

 

7:00-10:00pm: SIGNATURE PERFORMANCES

Center for the Performing Arts Mainstage:

• An electro-acoustic musical performance featuring 3 miniature toy pianos and specially constructed speaker cones to playback 3 channels of 1-bit electronics.

• A new electro-acoustic performance and a multimedia embodiment (visual/audio) of real-time Twitter data. The Twitter data creates a generative graphic score that is interpreted by the performer on percussion instruments. Audience members are encouraged to participate by including the hashtag #SIFTT in their reaction tweets during the performance. Tweets that include the #SIFTT influence the algorithms that generate the audio and visual components of the work. 

• A live, improvised, multi-media work that blends digital and analog instruments and processes during a live performance

• A new percussion composition, Omónoia combines specific constellations (listed by Ptolemy) mapped as musical material and visual stimuli. The purpose is to create a graphic score that can be read in any direction. Additionally, the performers participate in creating the score by matching up portions of the score to make a map for performance. Performers use a wide range of implements to create various timbres while occasionally returning to the conventional method of playing the instrument. This piece demonstrates the importance of perspective and how vastly different interpretations can arise from the same material. 

• A real-time collaborative performance between two dancers, two musicians and a lighting designer. These five artists come together to compose a piece with light, music and dance in real-time. Each performance offers unique perspectives to the audience as it unfolds. Inspired by the passage of time, this collaboration revels in a temporal ebb and flow via the body, sound and shifting light.


The Ensemble Experience at PVCC

The Music Department at Paradise Valley Community College is pleased to offer a wide variety of music performance ensembles for the Spring 2016 semester. The music ensembles are open to music students and community members of all ages and abilities. The spring offerings include Concert Band, Jazz Big Band, Latin Jazz Band, Jazz Combo, Vocal Ensemble, String Ensemble, Cello Ensemble, Piano Ensemble, Contemporary Music Ensemble, Clarinet Ensemble, Multimedia Ensemble, Brazilian Percussion Ensemble, Student Rock Band and much more!

Music Ensembles are listed in the course catalog under the prefix MUP and course number 160, 185, 181, 190.

Music Ensembles meet once per week in the late afternoon and evenings in the Center for the Performing Arts.

The ensemble experience at PVCC provides students with community: our ensembles are a mix of high school students, college-age students, community members and retired professionals. Students and instructors collaborate to select repertoire for public performances held in the Center for Performing Arts. Students gain practical and performance experience in instrumental, vocal, and mixed ensembles.


Spring 2016 Ensembles at PVCC:
MUP 163 Jazz Ensemble: Jazz Big Band
MUP 181 Chamber Music Ensemble: Union Jazz Institute
MUP 181 Chamber Music Ensemble: Jazz Combo
MUP 181 Chamber Music Ensemble: Latin Jazz
MUP 190 Percussion Ensemble: World Music
MUP 181 Chamber Music Ensemble: Multimedia
MUP 181 Chamber Music Ensemble: Openscore
MUP 181 Chamber Music Ensemble: Flute
MUP 181 Chamber Music Ensemble: Cello/String
MUP 181 Chamber Music Ensemble: Brass
MUP 181 Chamber Music Ensemble: Band
MUP 181 Chamber Music Ensemble: Recording
MUP 181 Chamber Music Ensemble: Classic Piano

Register for Spring 2016 at classes.sis.maricopa.edu

Mata Ortiz Ceramic Artists Coming to PVCC

Master ceramic artists, Lucy Sandoval Mora and Lorenzo Bugarini will demonstrate their mastery of clay and paint on Tuesday, January 26, 9am-4:30pm in the D building Ceramic studio. The public is welcome to attend.

Lucy began making pottery as a teenager growing up in a village of potters. Her mother taught her the skill of making pots out of locally gathered clay. Lorenzo learned how to sand and polish the pots Lucy makes and fires them in a primitive kiln built on the dirt. Together they create fantastic pots decorated with sylized birds and animals inspired by Native American motifs. They will have many pieces for sale.

PVCC Festival of Tales - Saturday, December 5th, 2015

On Saturday, December 5th, PVCC’s Education Department and the Division of Fine & Performing Arts proudly present the Festival of Tales; a free, literacy-focused celebration offered to the greater community.

Held from 9am to 2pm, the festival is a day of reading, literacy and cultural activities for children and families that includes storytelling, arts and crafts, games, face painting, live music, food trucks and much more!

Now celebrating its eighth year, FESTIVAL OF TALES brings books to life through the art of storytelling and provides FREE books to children who participate in the activities.

The festival also features live musical performances by Heidi Swedberg and the SukeyJump Band, PVCC faculty and student music ensembles, local elementary schools and community groups. 

For more information, visit festivaloftales.com or on Facebook at PVCC Festival of Tales.