EUGENE, Ore. -- (Dec. 11, 2012) – A $5,000 donation from Wells Fargo to the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art (JSMA) on the University of Oregon campus in Eugene will help fund a unique training program for up to thirty K-Grade 12 teachers from Lane, Linn and Benton Counties.

This winter, teachers will attend two professional development workshops at the JSMA focusing on the museum’s new Thinking Through Art program. The program incorporates an internationally recognized approach called Visual Thinking Strategies that uses art to teach critical thinking, communication skills and visual literacy.

The workshop participants will learn how to use this method of teaching with students in their classrooms. The funds will also provide follow-up coaching for the teachers.

The program supports the Oregon Department of Education’s curriculum standards for art, as well as for English, social studies, math and writing.

“We believe this could serve as a model for schools and museums across the nation that want to strengthen teacher resources and improve access to arts education,” said Jill Hartz, the museum’s executive director. “State funding for arts education in the region has virtually vanished and the need for supporting arts programs in our schools is widely recognized.”

“Wells Fargo believes in partnering with nonprofit agencies such as the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art that share our goal of improving our communities,” said Mike McEntee, manager of Wells Fargo’s Regional Commercial Banking Office in Eugene. “Pre-K through 12 education and the arts are two of the focus areas of our corporate giving in Oregon, so this grant aligns perfectly with our efforts.”

Serving Oregonians since 1852, Wells Fargo was named the most generous bank in Oregon and America this year. More information about Wells Fargo’s community support is posted at wellsfargo.com.

About the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art

The University of Oregon's Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art is a premier Pacific Northwest museum for exhibitions and collections of historic and contemporary art based in a major university setting. The mission of the museum is to enhance the University of Oregon’s academic mission and to further the appreciation and enjoyment of the visual arts for the general public.  The JSMA features significant collections galleries devoted to art from China, Japan, Korea, America and elsewhere as well as changing special exhibition galleries.  The JSMA is one of six museums in Oregon accredited by the American Association of Museums.

The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art is located on the University of Oregon campus at 1430 Johnson Lane. Museum hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays through Sundays. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for senior citizens. Free admission is given to ages 18 and under, JSMA members, college students with ID, and University of Oregon faculty, staff and students. For information, contact the JSMA, 541-346-3027.

About the University of Oregon

The University of Oregon is among the 108 institutions chosen from 4,633 U.S. universities for top-tier designation of "Very High Research Activity" in the 2010 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The UO also is one of two Pacific Northwest members of the Association of American Universities.

Contact: Debbie Williamson Smith, 541-346-0942, debbiews@uoregon.edu

Link: Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, http://jsma.uoregon.edu

Image Caption: At the JSMA’s holiday family day, Mike McEntee, manager of Wells Fargo’s Regional Commercial Banking Office in Eugene (posing with art students Lydia Ponso, John Rustik, Isaac Zachem) presents Jill Hartz, executive director of the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art with a $5000 contribution.

The film screening features a Skype interview with Women Make Movies executive director Debra Zimmerman

EUGENE, Ore. -- (November 29, 2012) – In honor of the 40^th anniversary of film distributor Women Make Films, Schnitzer Cinema features two of their latest releases, both addressing the work of courageous poets. On Wednesday, December 12, at 7 p.m., Schnitzer Cinema will screen “Poetry of Resilience “ and “The Poetry Deal: A Film with Diane di Prima,”as well as feature a Skype dialogue with Women Make Movies executive director Debra Zimmerman. Admission is free and includes free popcorn and soda.

Released in 2011, “Poetry of Resilience” is a 40 minute documentary by Academy Award-nominated director Katja Esson about six international poets who individually survived Hiroshima, the Holocaust, China’s Cultural Revolution, the Kurdish Genocide in Iraq, the Rwandan Genocide, and the Iranian Revolution. The six poets present a close-up perspective on political violence, and although each story is powerful, the film’s strength comes from its collective voice: the different political conflicts, cultures, genders, ages, races become one shared human narrative.

“The Poetry Deal: A Film with Diane di Prima,” also released in 2011, is an impressionistic documentary about the life of this renowned poet, prose writer, playwright, teacher, and revolutionary activist.. Di Prima started writing at the age of seven and committed herself to a life of poetry at age fourteen. She ultimately became known as an important writer of the Beat movement and has continued writing, publishing and teaching. She was made Poet Laureate of San Francisco in 2009. Now in her 70s, in rare intimate interviews, she talks about her life and work, looking back through more than 50 years of literary and cultural change. Much of the story is told through recorded readings of di Prima’s poetry, including a deeply moving version of “The Poetry Deal,” a reflection on her relationship with her art. Other poems featured in the film are “Rant;” “Song for Baby-O,” ”Unborn,” and “April Fool Birthday Poem for Grandpa.”

A Skype interview with Women Make Movies (WMM) executive director Debra Zimmerman completes the evening. Zimmerman has been the Executive Director of Women Make Movies since 1983. During her tenure it has grown into the largest distributor of films by and about women in the world, and its internationally recognized Production Assistance Program has helped hundreds of women get their films made. Films from WMM programs have won prizes at the last five Sundance Film Festivals and been nominated or won Academy Awards in five of the last six years.

Established in 1972 to address the under representation and misrepresentation of women in the media industry, Women Make Movies is a multicultural, multiracial, non-profit media arts organization that facilitates the production, promotion, distribution, and exhibition of independent films and videotapes by and about women. The organization provides services to both users and makers of film and video programs, with a special emphasis on supporting work by women of color.

 “Art and Language” is the theme of the Fall 2012 Schnitzer Cinema series, complementing current exhibitions Lesley Dill’s “Poetic Visions: From Shimmer to Sister Gertrude Morgan” and “Good Grief! A Selection of Original Art from 50 Years of Charles M Schulz’s PEANUTS.”

Schnitzer Cinema is brought to you in partnership with Cinema Pacific and the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art and curated by Richard Herskowitz, director of Cinema Pacific.

About the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art

The University of Oregon's Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art is a premier Pacific Northwest museum for exhibitions and collections of historic and contemporary art based in a major university setting. The mission of the museum is to enhance the University of Oregon’s academic mission and to further the appreciation and enjoyment of the visual arts for the general public.  The JSMA features significant collections galleries devoted to art from China, Japan, Korea, the Americas, Europe, and elsewhere as well as changing special exhibition galleries.  The JSMA is the only academic museum in Oregon accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.

The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art is located on the University of Oregon campus at 1430 Johnson Lane. Museum hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays through Sundays. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for senior citizens. Free admission is given to ages 18 and under, JSMA members, college students with ID, and University of Oregon faculty, staff and students. For information, contact the JSMA, 541-346-3027.

About the University of Oregon

The University of Oregon is among the 108 institutions chosen from 4,633 U.S. universities for top-tier designation of "Very High Research Activity" in the 2010 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The UO also is one of two Pacific Northwest members of the Association of American Universities.

Contact: Debbie Williamson Smith, 541-346-0942, debbiews@uoregon.edu

Link: Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, http://jsma.uoregon.edu

            Cinema Pacific, http://cinemapacific.uoregon.edu/

Eugene, Ore.—(November 20, 2012)—Celebrate the holiday season at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art with an annual holiday family day. With the theme of Wondrous Words, the event is Saturday, December 1, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and offers free admission, entertainment and art activities for the entire family.

"The JSMA's annual Holiday Family day is always a wonderful opportunity for visitors of all ages to engage in activities inspired by the season and art on display,” says Lisa Abia-Smith, JSMA Director of Education. “We are particularly looking forward to this year's “Wondrous Words” Family Day because of the array of hands-on art activities designed for families to explore comics, calligraphy, and characters." 

Word inspired art activities influenced by the exhibitions Lesley Dill’s “Poetic Visions: From Shimmer to Sister Gertrude Morgan and “Good Grief! A Selection of Original Art from 50 Years of Charles M. Schulz’s PEANUTS, as well as the museum’s collections, are available for all ages. Make your own shadow puppet and learn Chinese calligraphy techniques with the University of Oregon Confucius Institute.

The JMSA’s Dragon Puppet Theatre performs “Raven and Petrel,” at noon. “Raven and Petrel” is one of the many stories the Northwest Native Americans have that features Raven, a character who can be either benevolent or tricky, or both. In our story Petrel is greedily hoarding all earth’s fresh water.  Raven steals it from Petrel and in the process changes from white to black.

Family-friendly guided tours of the museum take place at 1 p.m. And families can explore the galleries on their own with the JSMA’s new ArtPacks. Sponsored by Bank of America, ArtPacks offer families an interactive way to take self-guided tours of the museum complete with guided questions, sensory experiences, and audio tours.

About the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art

The University of Oregon's Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art is a premier Pacific Northwest visual arts center for exhibitions and collections of historic and contemporary art based in a major university setting. The mission of the museum is to enhance the University of Oregon’s academic mission and to further the appreciation and enjoyment of the visual arts for the general public.  The JSMA features significant collections galleries devoted to art from China, Japan, Korea, America and elsewhere as well as changing special exhibition galleries.  The JSMA is one of six museums in Oregon accredited by the American Association of Museums.

The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art is located on the University of Oregon campus at 1430 Johnson Lane. Museum hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays through Sundays. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for senior citizens. Free admission is given to ages 18 and under, JSMA members, college students with ID, and University of Oregon faculty, staff and students. For information, contact the JSMA, 541-346-3027.

About the University of Oregon

The University of Oregon is among the 108 institutions chosen from 4,633 U.S. universities for top-tier designation of "Very High Research Activity" in the 2010 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The UO also is one of two Pacific Northwest members of the Association of American Universities.

Contact: Debbie Williamson Smith, 541-346-0942, debbiews@uoregon.edu

Link: Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, http://jsma.uoregon.edu