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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (March 21, 2018)
4 Wednesday, March 21, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Sisters salutes… Artists prepare for open studio event By George Myers Correspondent PHOTO PROVIDED The Sisters High School Choir turned in a stunning performance at the Central Oregon District Choir Festival. The Sisters High School Concert Choir exceeded all expectations at the Central Oregon District Choir Festival last Tuesday. “The choir started the school year with the success- ful musical ʻCinderella’,” said Choir Director Rick Johnson. “We then focused our energy on our Holiday Showcase performance. In January, we realized that we were behind in start- ing our festival music due to the time we spent on the musical. However, we were prepared to dig in and do our best. Due to many cir- cumstances, there is not a state qualifying Sky Em League Choir Festival. After discussing several festival possibilities with the students, we decided to attend the Central Oregon Choir Festival — which is a festival for another OSAA league. Our goal was to per- form our best at the festival, work with the festival col- lege adjudicators, and share our love of music with the other Central Oregon high school choir programs.” The students worked incredibly hard and put on the performance of their life- times last Tuesday. The adju- dicators, festival audience members, and high school choir students from all over Central Oregon flooded the Sisters choir students with compliments. “Leaving the festi- val, the kids were incred- ibly enthused,” Johnson said. “Our goals were met. Wednesday morning, I received the overall festival scores and my jaw dropped. The first through third place winners of the Central Oregon Festival were listed — all 5A schools. I’m so proud to announce that our 4A Sisters High School Concert Choir achieved a higher overall score (by 5 points) than the first-place (5A) choir at the festival!” Johnson said, “Thank you for all of your support of the choir kids throughout the year. Please congratulate the awesome students in the Sisters Concert Choir when you see them. They are truly spectacular performers.” The Sisters choirs look forward to performing again for the May 23 Choir Pop Show at Sisters High School. Old-World Smoked Easter Ham It may be the best Easter ham you’ve ever had! Quantities are limited. Excellent meat case! Beer & wine, too! 541-719-1186 110 S. Spruce St. Open 9 AM -7 PM Every Day MEATS • CHEESES • EATERY • DRINKERY The third and final group of artists and writers are working on a variety of cre- ative projects at Caldera Arts Center, and starting to think about what they will be shar- ing with the public during the last open studios event this Saturday. Maesie Speer, Arts Center programs manager, talked about how each group of art- ists is unique and different. Caldera hopes these three- and-a-half-week residencies “make it possible for people to explore parts for their iden- tities as artists, teachers and parents.” This cohort of seven includes four parent artists who have their children with them for part or all of their stay. Maesie commented that it has been interesting to watch the parents and kids self-organize to work and play together. Nika Blasser, who does marketing at the Crow’s Shadow Institute of Art in Pendleton, has enjoyed her chance to be at Caldera. She is struck by the differences in this residency from the first one of her career last fall in urban Denmark. She describes her artistic process as being responsive to her environment and generally highly connected to nature. The work she is creating feeds from the land, light, lake, cal- dera and even the snow cov- ering the ground. She is busy creating and working in sev- eral media. “I’m going to make a lot of things” and experiment in order to pick what she is pleased and happy with, she reported. “I tend to prioritize everything else above my art practice … this makes me recognizes how much value I have in my own work. I owe myself this time.” The residency helps her feel that her work is worthy and valuable. Coming from Brooklyn, Amna Ahmad is here with her active 3-year-old daugh- ter, Lila. This is her first resi- dency and it is an important part of her shift from a full- time corporate job to being an author. She is valuing the opportunity to learn from the other artists here about the business side of making a living in the creative arts. Although she started her first novel several years ago, the residency is her opportunity See CALDERA on page 11 ONTHY CORNYROF SPINYST& WHOOD AVY YXPRYSSIONISTICLANDSCAPYPAINTINGSBYSARAHANSYN UNIQUYBYADYDJYWYLRYBYKARYNYVANS Rare Opening in Sisters H’ H 115 NW Greenwood, Redmond | 541-588-6119 A’ H 192 E. Tall Fir Ct., Sisters | 541-549-1726 P’ P 182 E. Tall Fir Ct., Sisters | 541-549-1336 D L T | O/O Business Cell (541) 848-3194 “Enriching the lives of those we serve, one day at time”
