Sego is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit. As you may know we are constantly fundraising. I’m writing this to ask you to donate just 10 dollars to the Sego Art Center. In this economic time everyone is hurting. I wouldn’t be asking for this donation if I didn’t believe that Sego is a key element in Provo, not only now, but in the revitalization process that the city truly is going through. Recently Sego presented to the city council. We were warmly received, below is a few of the hard numbers and facts that we presented to them:

The Annual Sego Music Festival- 2009 will be Sego’s fourth Music Festival, 2008 had about 8K attendees- there were no police reports within the two festival days for the previous three years.

Sego Art Center- Opened in May 2008, exhibiting and educating the Provo Community about contemporary art. Quickly Sego became one of the most respected Visual Art Institutions in the State (City Weekly’s award for best new gallery).

Monthly attendance ranges between 600-1400, we are looking to have 10,000 visitors in our first year

In the past few months opening night attendance is between 380 and 940. This is compared to the Salt Lake City Art Center, with attendance recently struggling between 100-150 -on their opening receptions/Salt Lake City gallery stroll. (The Salt Lake City Art Center has a budget around 2 million dollars.)

Sego is run on 100% volunteer hours in the past 9 months we have amassed 11,000 total hours. Our operating Expenses for 2008 are less then $15,000 (funded by Grassroots Funding, Studio Space Rental, and Personnel out-of-pocket cash). We have a $0 marketing budget- all marketing is viral.

Our 5 year goal is to have: a paid, full-time Art Center staff, full community education programming, and finally -transition into a new facility- Possibly the Historic Carnegie Library, or similar building (within Downtown Provo).

As you can readily see, Sego is aggressively and very effectively promoting the arts on a barebones budget, through generous donations from people like you. Every dollar helps.

Please donate by following the links below.
Facebook
Or if you would rather donate anonymously please visit our website

Thanks again for all that you do! We Hope to see you at Sego, either at gallery stroll, one of our artist lectures, one of our many other activities, or even as a volunteer or member.

Cheers -Conrad

Shady Chapel, Matt Weidauer, Drew Capener, Michael Bradford at VELOUR

Wednesday, February 18, 2009
8:00pm - 11:00pm
Velour, Provo

Shady Chapel, Matt Weidauer, Drew Capener, Michael Bradford VELOUR
5$
visit the links below:

drewcapener.com
myspace.com/thecolorgypsy
myspace.com/shadychapel
myspace.com/mattweidauer

2 LIFE DRAWING SESSIONS:

Provo life drawers- we will probably have 2 drawing sessions this week. As of right now, we are looking at Thursday (Feb. 19th) from 7pm-10pm, and Saturday (Feb. 21st) from 8am-11am. PLEASE let me know ASAP if you are interested in attending. If we don't get enough responses, the sessions will have to be rescheduled.

Thursday 19 FEB 2009
7:00pm-10:00pm
A560 HFAC, BYU
$5 per person

AND

Saturday 21 FEB 2009
8:00am-11:00am
A560 HFAC, BYU
$5 per person


CONFIRMED

Life Drawing Session
Thursday 19 FEB 2009
7:00pm-10:00pm
A560 HFAC, BYU
$5 per person

Gregory Stocks visits the Bridge

Friday, February 27, 2009
6:30am - 9:30am
The Bridge Academy Building
148 W. 600 S. Provo

Greg Stocks will be a guest speaker at The Bridge Academy of Art on February 27. All are welcome.

"There is in this world a very real shortage of peace, of places where a person can be alone with their thoughts in a meditative yet engaging environment. My work is an effort to create such places, to build images that serve as emotional detours from the confusion and chaos of the surrounding world, if only for a moment." -Greg Stocks

"Walter Wick: Games, Gizmos and Toys in the Attic" Opening Day Activities

Thursday, February 26, 2009
3:30pm - 5:30pm
BYU Museum of Art, Provo

"Walter Wick: Games, Gizmos and Toys in the Attic"(February 26, 2009 – August 1, 2009): The playful, inventive and interactive world of Walter Wick will be the subject of Games, Gizmos and Toys in the Attic. Represented in the exhibition are large-scale works by the Hartford-based photographer whose "I SPY" and "Can You See What I See?" books for children are long-time best-sellers, as well as examples of his sets, set-ups and props. more: http://moa.byu.edu/fileadmin/moa/wick/walterwick3.html

FAMILY EVENT: Walter Wick will join in the fun at the opening of this exhibition at the BYU Museum of Art on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009. At a special event for families from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.:
Wick will talk about his photographs in the MOA Auditorium at 4:15 p.m. and the rest of the times will be available to talk to museum visitors
Museum docents will give free tours of the exhibition
There will be games and activities for children
There will be a reading table with Walter Wick books
BYU’s Kinnect dance group will perform

ARTIST LECTURE: Walter Wick will present a lecture about his work on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009, at 7:00 p.m. in the Museum of Art Auditorium. Admission is free and open to the public. Link to Lecture invitation: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Provo-UT/Brigham-Young-University-Museum-of-Art/53484520169#/event.php?eid=107343915062

Don't forget to become a fan of the MOA: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=39563466663#/pages/Provo-UT/Brigham-Young-University-Museum-of-Art/53484520169?ref=ts

LIFE DRAWING/PAINTING SESSION

OPEN LIFE DRAWING/PAINTING SESSION

Saturday 14 FEB 2009
9:00am-12:00pm
A560 HFAC, BYU
$4 per person

Gestures and sustained pose (1 model).

John-Ross Boyce & his Troubles go all Lovey Dovey

Saturday, February 14,
8:00pm - 11:00pm
Muse Music
151 N University Ave. Provo


Bring your schnooky poo, your cupcake, your little darling, your lovey dove, your roommate or just your plain old friend to see John-Ross Boyce & his Troubles, The Devil's Country, Du Bruit and Olivia Maude Lee on Valentine's Day!

Cost is $5

Cheesy Crush Party -An Affair to Remember

Saturday, February 14, 2009 at 8:00pm to 2:00am
The Pennyroyal Cafe
155 N University Ave. Provo

info@pennyroyalcafe.com

Single? Married? Dating? Swearing off the stuff? You'll do. Come to the Pennyroyal for whatever ails you.

A Cheesy Crush party goes like this:

Pay a $3 cover and get:
-Your choice of a bottle of grape or orange crush.
-A fabulously staged photo, with or without the crush.
-Performance of cheesy love poems and songs about love. Think 80's and Teenie Bopper Pop.
-For those who want to stay late (and who doesn't?!) a free screening of the ultimate classic cheesy love film: An Affair to Remember. Movie starts at Midnight.
-Specials on food and drinks.

Come alone. Come attached. Come single. Come in groups. Come with your he-man-woman-haters club or she-woman-man-haters club. Whatever suits you.

Sego Arts Foundation -Promote and develop contemporary arts in Utah Valley through the annual Sego Music Festival, The Sego Art Center... etc

The Sego Art Center now has a Facebook Cause page, as well as their website as ways to donate (on the Sego web page the "donate" button is on the bottom left hand of the page). If you appreciate the services that Sego brings to Provo; such as gallery stroll/world class contemporary art, 3 years of the Sego Music Festival (free of charge), and film festavals/screenings etc. then please consider donating to the Sego cause at either of the aforementioned locations, or come into the center to donate. The center is open(2-8pm Tues-Sat), and we'd be glad to accept a donation in person. Call 801.599.0680 if you have any questions. Thanks!

A Pleasant Evening with Drew Danburry & Katie Brandeburg

Footloose House
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
8:30pm - 11:30pm
139 North 500 East Provo
Drew is back in town and wants to see YOU! Better yet, Drew is back in town and playing a FREE house show with me for YOU!! trust me on this one, you will not want to miss a fantastic night of kickass kindergarten folk pop!

COME!!!

It's Free!

I am Chris Purdie -- March 6 2009 6-9 pm

Reminder: One time performance of I am Chris Purdie is coming up March 6 2009 6-9PM at the Sego Art Center (169 N Univ Ave Provo).
For more information go to Facebook group Chris Purdie's Portrait Project. You may also visit segoarts.org/blog, chrispurdie.com, or chrispurdieperformances.blogspot.com

Look forward to seeing you there.
Chris Purdie

WRITE YOUR SENATORS AND CONGRESSMEN -I DID!

to write your own letter go to http://www.congressweb.com/cweb4/index.cfm?orgcode=aam&entry=search

here is a copy of my personalized letter:

The Honorable Jason Chaffetz
U.S. House of Representatives
1032 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-4403


Dear Congressman Chaffetz:

I am writing to express my disappointment about a recent amendment (S. Amendment. No. 309, offered by Sen. Tom Coburn) barring any museums, zoos, and aquariums from receiving any funds through the economic stimulus bill.

Museums employ more than a half-million Americans, spend an estimated $14.5 billion annually, and rank among the top three family vacation destinations. In fact, visitors to cultural and heritage destinations stay 53% longer and spend 36% more money than other kinds of tourists. Unfortunately, the economic downturn has forced museums to struggle just to maintain essential services.

I would like to provide for you a Community and Economic Impact Statement for my institution, the Sego Art Center:

- Sego Art Center employs 25 people in our community;
- Each year, Sego Art Center spends $15,000 on goods and services in our community. As a fledgling 501 (c) (3) all of this funding is garnered through grassroots fundraising, at least 90% of which comes from college age/recent college graduates. We Just recently received non profit status and will rely heavily on grants to survive;
- Sego Art Center serves 10,000-12,000 visitors each year, including 20% from out of town, this includes our promotion of Provo gallery stroll. This last December opening there were 940 attendees, this is up from LESS then 50 the year before, Sego is truly changing and revitalizing downtown Provo;
- Sego Art Center serves 2,000 schoolchildren each year through school visits to museums. We are also working closely with local schools to provide exhibit space for kids and reintroduce the arts into educational programing, where it has been cut;
- Admission fee: 0.

Museums are also critical partners to school districts. We work with school districts to both train educators and help teach the curriculum. We offer after-school programs for at-risk youth. Zoos and aquariums have tremendous public benefit for environmental education and wildlife conservation.

Please consider the economic impact that museums, zoos, and aquariums have on our community. They are in fact economic engines and a vital part of our nation's educational infrastructure, and will be critical in the economic recovery and revitalization of cities and localities.

I look forward to hearing your views on this issue.

Sincerely,




Conrad Nebeker

Gallery Stroll Video by Travis Pitcher

Up and Out the Chimney - A Collaborative Project from Five Artists

COAL UMBRELLA
157 N. University Ave. Provo UT
coalumbrella.com
801.374.7446

On Friday February 6th, 2009, COAL UMBRELLA will open Up and Out the Chimney, a collaborative exhibit of new work by five artists: Joscef Castor, Ryan Neely, Gian Pierotti, Chris Purdie, Jason Metcalf. An opening reception will be held for the artists from 6 – 9pm that evening in association with the monthly Provo Gallery Stroll.

The shows will remain open to the public through March 4th and will be viewable 12 - 9pm Tuesday through Thursday, 12-10 Friday and Saturday.

Like so many collaborative artistic groups who have gone before, this one seeks to unravel the construct of individual genius, find symphonic affinities through combination of forms not meant to be combined, and to investigate and question the structure of artistic hierarchies. The group is comprised of musical and visual artistic talent: Boots to the Moon (Joscef Castor), Gian Pierotti, Ryan Neely, Chris Purdie, and Jason Metcalf (all but Metcalf and Neely have played in numerous bands- all except Castor are currently visual artists). The group takes as its inspiration Boots' musical creations, confronting them with visual and conceptual responses. The result is not separate and distinct parts, but rather music and art creating a unique holistic entity.


Boots to the Moon's songs within this project offer lyrical fragments in a Joycean fashion, and thus give not an inherent structure or narrative- but a stream of thoughts and feelings. These spurts of meaning collectively evoke a sadness such as felt from seasonal affective disorder. The works then become increasingly relevant as our society realizes its state of winter- politically, socially, economically- and looks forward to a new state of being. Lyrics such as Up and out the Chimney reflect upon past times of winter, while likening them to our contemporary moment, whereas There is no such thing as Forever deconstructs the illusionary but hopeful gazes of seemingly fractal and infinite dreams.

A significant feature of this project lies in the marriage of art and music. The works are not just linked through simple affinities- but through actual process become cohesive and consistent. The songs are printed onto individual vinyl discs, with no other copy existing now or in the future- digital or analog- a fact that is normally reserved for original art. And, as the vinyl is worn down by the needle that extracts sound, so the artwork deteriorates with the elements- reminding yet again that there is no such thing as forever.