Anchorage Daily News

The renascent Anchorage Cultural Council hosted a "rally" on Wednesday at the Wild Berry Theater. Emcee Torrie Allen of Anchorage Opera explained the goal of the group thus: To increase public investment in arts and culture.

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How to do that was the theme of guest speaker Sonia Tower, a cultural organizer with 20 years' experience helping develop arts agencies around the country. She gave examples of success stories in which she had some involvement, including the revitalization of downtown Ventura, Calif., via "ArtWalks" (its version of Anchorage's "First Fridays") and live public performances. She presented economic data to show that the city's investment in promoting arts and culture had paid for itself and returned a profit.

The trick to getting politicians to ante up for the arts, she said, was to be able to prove with hard numbers how such funding is in the public interest.

Much of the discussion reflected comments previously made in this column and elsewhere, such as:

• Alaska's unique setting and active indigenous culture give us an edge in marketing our visual art and performances to the rest of the world.

• Consumers of one kind of art -- say, Navajo rugs or wildlife prints -- are often inclined to consider collecting other kinds of art -- say, contemporary sculpture or Tlinget jewelry.

• An active cultural life has "a catalytic effect" on the rest of the community.

Left unaddressed were perennial question marks:

• The distance between Alaska and major population centers remains an obstacle; Ventura, after all, has a million people within a 50-mile radius of City Hall.

• Without a sales tax, how do you get a hard-number value to put on cultural tourism in Anchorage? There are estimates, but they are necessarily "soft."

• What about cities like Detroit, which has spent millions in an attempt to use arts to revitalize its downtown, only to see the blight continue unabated? And who says Anchorage's downtown needs revitalization?

Some ideas seemed odd but worth considering. Yngvil Vatn Guttu reported on a concert and fireworks show in Edinburgh, Scotland, funded by parking fines collected in December. The arrangement brought out volunteers -- mostly fireworks fans, she said -- to patrol the meters.

And the fact that the council is actively working with the Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau, which stands to benefit if the city can offer an additional draw to tourists willing to travel here for some remarkable creative experience, "Something they can't experience anywhere else," Tower said. A big juried Native art show on the lines of the Santa Fe and San Antonio markets, perhaps in the shoulder season, might be such a draw.

Council president Bob Curtis-Johnson noted that most of the scores in attendance were already active arts advocates, that the rally was sort of like preaching chastity to monks -- my simile, not his -- and encouraged them to work to spread the word.

A final note: Allen announced the opening night of "Carmen," Nov. 8, is sold out. Tickets remain available for shows on Nov. 12, 14 and 16.

LIVELY TIME ON DEAD DAY

It's All Souls' Day and, assuming you don't have your own plans, Out North at 3800 DeBarr Road is inviting everyone to its Mexican Day of the Dead Party. Billed as a "celebration and exhibit of traditional and contemporary altares (altars)," the event includes performances, dance, live music and food. Area artists creating altares this year include Indra Arriaga, Mariano Gonzales, Angela Ramirez, Oscar Avellaneda, Claudia Rodriguez-Zinn and Eva Rodriguez. The doors open at 2 p.m. today with performances starting at 4 p.m.

PEARY'S GREAT-GRANDSON TO INTRODUCE FILM

A Danish documentary, "The Prize of the Pole," will be presented as part of Alaska Native Heritage Month with two showings at 5:30 and 8 p.m. Monday at the Bear Tooth Theatrepub. The film involves Inuit hunter Hivhsu, aka Robert Peary, the great-grandson of the purported "discoverer" of the North Pole, and his quest to discover the fate of Greenlanders the elder Peary brought to New York for display purposes.

Hivhsu, who lives in Sweden, says he will attend the screenings to introduce the film and take questions following the showings.

Admission is $3.

WANNA DANCE?

Dance Spectrum Alaska will hold auditions at 2 p.m. next Sunday at the Dance Spectrum School of Dance, 1300 East 68th Ave.

The March concerts will celebrate the company's 20th anniversary. Over the years, DSA members have gone on to perform with gigs as diverse as Tina Turner's troupe and the Joffrey Ballet. They strive "to provide dancers with the tools to perform any type of dance that professional choreographers may throw at them."

Dancers should come prepared to audition in ballet, jazz, modern and/or tap. For information, call 344-9545.

SELL YOUR WORK

Visual artists who want to stay up to speed can learn about selling work Outside seeking venues beyond the gallery, creating digital portfolios and collaborating with others in a series of career development workshops from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the BP Energy Center on 900 W. Benson Blvd.

The schedule will run as follows:

• 9:30 A.M. -- "How the Heck to Sell Work Outside"

• 11 A.M. -- "Career Alternatives: Beyond the Gallery"

• 1 P.M. -- "Beyond Slides: Technology for Artists"

• 2:15 P.M. -- "Collaboration as an Artistic Practice"

The College Art Association (www.collegeart.org) and the Alaska State Council (www.eed.state.ak.us/ aksca) on the Arts are sponsoring the event and funding comes from the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation. Participation is free, but you should secure a spot by preregistering with the Alaska State Council on the Arts at 269-6610 or toll-free at 1-888-278-7424.

-- Dawnell Smith

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