May 31
Voice Explorations Offered by Clif Ware
Saturday, May 31 from 10am – 12pm
This event will involve exploring and possibly discovering participants’ “authentic” (rather than “acquired”) voices, in both speech and singing. Six (minimum) to ten (maximum) participants will experiment in using physical-vocal exercises that help efficiently coordinate the principal voice-producing systems of cognition, respiration, phonation, resonation, registration, articulation, and expression. A couple of simple upbeat songs will be used for group singing, and it should be a positive learning experience for all participants – at least for the instructor!
Available for 6-10 participants. Email Leo to register (the.leo.fortune@gmail.com).
Clif has always been artistically inclined. As a 5-year old, he eagerly drew WWII battle scenes. A few years later he took a year of private lessons in watercolor, followed by an art class in 9th grade. But, when reaching the 10th grade, his choral director-mentor discovered his tenor voice, and that was the beginning of his vocal-music career. Drawing and painting reappeared at times in temporary stints, including his taking art and pottery classes as a college student, and more recently, an acrylics painting class in 2012. Earlier, in 1985, he designed a new family home, with landscaping, that was built in New Brighton, MN.
Clif’s vocal music career spanned 47 years, including 2 years as music-and-youth director in a Methodist Church, 1 year as choral music director, and 43 years of university teaching, the final 37 at the U of MN-TC School of Music. During the early years he also earned graduate degrees, including a D.M. degree in voice performance from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL.
Throughout his career he performed extensively as tenor soloist, in recital, opera (55 roles), and oratorio. After retirement, he and his wife, Bettye, a professional pianist, formed a 50s band named The Silvertones, and performed several summer concerts in Salo Park.
As a writer, he’s authored four books—Adventures in Singing (4/e 2008), Basics of Vocal Pedagogy (1998), The Singer’s Life: Goals and Roles (2005), The Aging Challenge: Making the Most of Life After 50 (2009). He has also given numerous professional presentations nationally and internationally at professional meetings and educational institutions.
During early retirement, Clif and Bettye, also composed 36 songs, including Eco Songs, with 13 songs on various aspects of environmental sustainability. Their music collaboration—Bettye as pianist, Clif as instructor—continues with teaching quarterly 5-week Voice Exploration classes at the St. Anthony Village, MN Community Center.
In 2013 Clif and Bettye co-founded Citizens for Sustainability in St. Anthony Village, where they reside. Since 2013, Clif has published a sustainability e-newsletter, currently on hiatus while he focuses on other writing projects related to sustainability.
He and Bettye are interested in promoting the role of arts as a force for moving society toward a more sustainable future, by emphasizing the systemic role of humans as an integral part of Nature, from which all sustenance flows and upon which all life depends.
Dr. Ware’s website (https://clifware.wixsite.com/clifware) is devoted to singing and teaching, integral thought and mind-body connections, and sustainability concerns.
Activist Minneapolis, Minnesota
July 12
Salvaged Sentiments
A class offered by ACW Director, Barbara Bridges*
Class is at 699 Lowry Ave NE from 9:00-12:00 AM.
Recycle, Repurpose and Re-Create. Gift cards become wall sculptures: Have you every received a card which is too beautiful to throw away but then what do you do with it? Do you collect pretty papers, beads or other objects but then what do you do with them? This class is your answer!
Materials: Teacher provides objects, papers etc for students to work with and encourages them to bring their own objects. Scissors, papers, glues, epoxy, tooth pics, sinew and beads etc provided.
Activity: Teacher shows at least 6 examples and kicks off with a short elements and principles lesson and then guides students through the construction of their mini wall sculpture. Maximum 6 students…ages 8-92
- Bridges Bio:
Barbara Rogers Bridges has been an artist and a teacher/college professor for over 40 years. Her social practice sculptures have been exhibited in Maine, Miami, the Virgin Islands, Maryland, Chicago, Mexico, Spain, Canada, and throughout Minnesota. Bridges taught K-12 art in Minnesota, Maine and the Virgin Islands and trained teachers in higher education at the University of Minnesota and Bemidji State University.
Barbara creates social practice art from fabricated components in a variety of media and rescued “power objects.” She manipulates the objects to create meaning and provoke discussions and reflection on a wide variety of social topics.
She is an intervenor. Cambridge educated philosopher, Tim Ingold, holds a unique theory on art making. Dr. Ingold suggests that artists are simply interveners on any particular materials and/or objects the artist manipulates. Any object already has a story, the artist simply recombines these objects to create a new narrative.
Barbara received the Vision Award from the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District in 2023.
Barbara is founder and director of Art to Change the World. Read More Please contact Barbara if you would like to buy any of her art drb@bridgescreate.com