Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts registration open house is Thursday

WINONA, Minn. — The Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts semester II registration open house will be held 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 8, at the Valéncia Arts Center, 1164 West 10th St.

Registration for Winona Area Youth Singers (WAYS) choir and semester II dance classes, beginning Jan. 12, will be accepted at the open house. Students will have the opportunity to tour of the facility, enjoy refreshments, and meet new and returning faculty and staff. Students can be also be fitted for all their dance attire needs at the open house. MCA’s dance attire boutique offers quality basics including leotards, tights, ballet slippers, jazz shoes and tap shoes.

Dance class offerings are available for adults and children older than 3; they include beginning through advanced levels in classical ballet, tap, jazz, creative movement and modern, and hip hop. The Dance Technique for Boys and Men’s Class is a special tuition-free boys program.

Semester II also provides programming specifically for beginning teens and adults by offering classes in partnership with Winona County Community Education including: Clogging I, Clogging II, Dance Fitness, Power Piyo, and Teen and Adult Ballet. Academic credit is available through Cotter High School and Saint Mary’s University for a variety of MCA dance classes.

The official youth choir of the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts, WAYS offers students in grades 3 through 6 additional educational and choral performance opportunities. Semester II WAYS members will participate in a spring concert, a special mentorship program with Saint Mary's University choirs, and in community outreach by performing at nursing homes and for other charitable events. Placement for new members will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. Jan. 9 at Valéncia Arts Center. WAYS is dedicated to providing quality, artistic, and educational programs for all young people, regardless of their financial circumstances.

WAYS and semester II dance classes provide 10 to 14 weeks of instruction, depending on the specific course/activity registered for. Dance classes conclude with a demonstration week, April 13-18. WAYS will conclude the semester with the presentation of a spring concert, May 3. Tuition for MCA classes varies depending on course length and level. Discounts and scholarships are available.

In addition to participation in classes, dance students ages 13 to 25 are invited to audition for MCA’s performing troupe, The Dance Repertory Company. Auditions will be held in late January (specific audition date to be announced). The DRC will present an annual spring concert, May 14-16 at Saint Mary’s University Page Theatre.

For more information about MCA’s open house, dance classes, WAYS, or future performances, visit www.smumn.edu/mca, e-mail dance@smumn.edu or call (507) 453-5500.

The Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts is an affiliate program of Saint Mary’s University.

‘SMU 10K’ citizens classic ski is Jan. 25 at Saint Mary's University

WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University is inviting the public to the annual "SMU 10K" classic ski event on Sunday, Jan. 25.

“We’re very fortunate to have an excellent trail system here that is both scenic, as well as challenging," said Chris Kendall, vice president for student development. “And this year we actually have snow, thanks to our new snow-making capabilities as a result of a partnership with the Winona Ski Club.”

The classic-style citizens ski event will be held at Saint Mary's University, home to one of the region's finest cross country trail systems. The trails wind through the bluffs and valleys above the Mississippi River. New trails along Gilmore Creek have been added this year.

The event is open to all individuals, with a mass start slated for 1 p.m. On-site registration will begin at 11 a.m. at the SMU Toner Student Center. The cost is $10, which includes a souvenir race bib and a completion medal. Medals will be awarded for men and women in open and recreational classes.

For more information or to receive a registration form, call Davey Warner at (507) 457-8740. Check out more information online at www.saintmaryssports.com.

Saint Mary's University is located on Hwy. 14, one mile west of Hwy. 61 in Winona.

NCAA honors SMU athletes for volunteer flood work

WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University is one of three schools to receive this year’s National Association of Division III Athletics Administrators awards honoring community-service projects and activities.

Saint Mary’s athletes were recognized for their efforts to aid flood victims in Minnesota.

SMU, along with York College of Pennsylvania and Stevens Institute of Technology each will receive $1,000 contributions to their general scholarship funds as recipients of NADIIIAA/Jostens Community Service Awards for projects during the 2007-08 academic year.

Ten other institutions also earned recognition in the program, which has honored Division III athletics programs’ community-service efforts annually since 2002. All of the institutions will be recognized during January by NADIIIAA at the NCAA Convention in Washington, D.C.

Saint Mary’s is a category winner for the first time as this year’s honoree for a one-time project or activity. SMU student-athletes returned to campus from summer vacation in August 2007 to find that the university’s field house was serving as an emergency shelter for victims of flooding in southeastern Minnesota. The Saint Mary’s student-athlete advisory committee, which already had begun planning an event designed to increase camaraderie among the school’s athletics teams, shifted efforts to aiding the flood victims.

In collaboration with Volunteer Services, nearly 200 student-athletes and their coaches collected food and water for flood-relief volunteers, and many of those student-athletes fanned out to nearby communities to clean up and repair homes and to help restore a state park. The student-athletes were credited by a relief worker with saving homeowners weeks of clean-up work while demonstrating compassion for flood victims.

To read more about SMU athletes’ flood-relief efforts, go to www.smumn.edu/floodcleanup.

The awards are presented in cooperation with the program’s exclusive sponsor, Jostens Inc. of Minneapolis, whose products include yearbooks, class rings, graduation products, school photography, and employee and achievement awards.

Winona Cross Country Ski Day planned for Jan. 3 at SMU

WINONA, Minn. — The Environmental Awareness Center at Saint Mary’s University is hosting a Winona Cross Country Ski Day Saturday, Jan. 3, 2009 from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Individuals and families are encouraged to come out to participate in this fun winter sport and to experience miles and miles of the most pristine and finest groomed ski trails in southern Minnesota.

Experience is not necessary; beginners and experts alike are welcome!

There is no cost for this event. Skis, boots and poles will be provided and members of the Winona High School Cross Country Ski Team will be on hand to instruct skiers on the basics of classical cross-country skiing.

The Environmental Awareness center is located next to the clock tower on the SMU campus. Turn left at the first stop sign as you enter the campus.

Contact Brother John Grover at (507) 457-1404 for more information.

15 honored through Saint Mary’s Employee Recognition Program

WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University employees Suzanne Deranek, Sally Dotterwick, JoAnn Frahm, Nicole Gerdes, Aubrey Hollnagel, Sarah Kay, Mary Kosel, Dr. Jeanne Minnerath, Katherine Pederson, Kenneth Pellegrini, Megan Radke, Joy Rockwell, Adam Stasica, Carol Tarras and Ronald Weimer were recognized during the university’s annual Christmas dinner Dec. 16.

The Saint Mary’s University Employee Recognition Program honors employees whose superior job performance has contributed to the university’s overall growth. Through these annual awards, Saint Mary’s acknowledges the key role these individuals have in the successful operation of the university.

Saint Mary’s to feature two unique realist artists

"Dogs of the Empire" by artist Jason Bronner

"A Brief History," featuring artist Larry Holmes

WINONA, Minn. — The unique work of two vastly different artists — Larry Holmes and Jason Bronner — will be displayed inside the Saint Mary’s University Lillian Davis Hogan Galleries Jan. 6 through Feb. 6.

Holmes, a realist painter, uses an overhead perspective when creating his pieces, which highlight textural beauty by positioning inanimate objects like shells or statues beside flowers or animals. Holmes’ exhibit, “A Brief History,” features a number of oil paintings depicting mosaics. “The concerns that I have in my work range from the formal to the fanciful with several issues between the two extremes,” he said, adding that his work “has come to be largely about the psychology of what is depicted and the gaps that this subsequently leaves for the viewer to fill. Ultimately, I am creating pictorial situations that are intended to leave the audience amused or bemused (sometimes both) and to provide such experiences through what seem to be familiar genres, but are actually less so than what initial impressions might indicate.” Holmes is professor emeritus at the University of Delaware, Newark.

Through his exhibit, “Dogs of the Empire,” Bronner depicts scenes of dogs through charcoal drawings on paper, oil paintings on canvas, as well as digitally. In examining the dog’s competing roles as hunter, guardian and companion, Bronner’s work makes a political statement. “The title of this exhibition references two empires. One being that of the Roman Empire and the other being that of what has been called by many as the new Rome, the United States,” he said. “The dog can be a metaphor for the protective element of the government as well as the oppression of the state. The ancient Roman sculptures of dogs that are found in the Vatican … represent for me a romanticized idea of guardians and the positive protective power. If I apply this same concept to the U.S., the new Rome, I wonder if this canine in the 21st century has become feral and may not be a watchdog.” Bronner is associate professor of painting and drawing at Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania.

The galleries are located in the Toner Student Center. Admission is free and open to the public, and gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. For more information, call (507) 457-1652.

Family entertainer Red Grammer will perform at Saint Mary’s Jan. 13

WINONA, Minn. — Grammy-nominated family entertainer Red Grammer will bebop his way onto the Saint Mary’s University Page Theatre Stage at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 13.

Compelling audiences to share his totally infectious enthusiasm for music, Grammer will draw listeners (of all ages) into a world where children are intelligent, capable young adults, ready to “bebop their best.” Grammer playfully engages children in self-exploration, where honesty, responsibility, integrity, and being kind and fair are the central messages in a rocking, bopping, swinging series of songs.

With a playful, good-natured character, Grammer is a young-at-heart, premier entertainer of children and families. Parents Magazine has described Red as “the best voice in children's music.” Having been featured on “The Today Show,” “CBS This Morning,” Nickelodeon, Showtime, PBS, and his own Disney Channel concert special, Grammer is practiced in lifting the spirits of families across the United States. He has set the gold standard for writing and performing music that playfully reconnects each one of us with the best in ourselves.

Tickets for the Page Series performance are $10 for adults, $5 for seniors and students, and are available by calling the SMU Box Office, (507) 457-1715, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, or online at www.pagetheatre.org.

This presentation is supported by the Performing Arts Fund, a program of Arts Midwest funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art, with additional contributions from the Minnesota Arts Board, General Mills Foundation, and Land O’Lakes Foundation.

Saint Mary’s biology students awarded research scholarships

Saint Mary’s University biology students, from left, Maria Borgerson, Nicole Haese, Ben Linder, Melanie Tyler and Lori Brunner, received Beta Beta Beta research scholarships.

WINONA, Minn. — Six Saint Mary’s University biology students were recently awarded the National Biology Honor society Beta Beta Beta Research Foundation research scholarships. To receive consideration for the scholarships, the students submitted a proposal for their senior research project outlining the objectives of the research and a budget. The students and their research advisors are Maria Borgerson (Dr. Debra Martin); Nicole Haese (Dr. Jeanne Minnerath); Ben Linder (Dr. Martin); Melanie Tyler (Dr. Martin); and Lori Brunner (Dr. Richard Kowles). Dr. Martin is the Beta Beta Beta faculty advisor.

Saint Mary’s Gifts for Winona hits record high; gifts due Dec. 12

WINONA, Minn. — The deadline is fast approaching to return gifts to the Saint Mary’s University Gifts for Winona giving trees. Because the community distribution is early, gifts MUST be returned to giving trees by Dec. 12!

As a record number of individuals — more than 1,800 — have asked for help through this program this year, the deadline is even more of a priority, so that this large number of gifts may be properly sorted and recorded.

There’s still time to help! While you’re doing your holiday shopping, think about those less fortunate in our community who may not be able to afford presents.

In this spirit of giving, take time to purchase a gift for one (or more) of these 1,800 individuals (children to seniors) who have asked for our help this year. Trees are located at the Winona Public Library, Scrapper’s Haven, the three Wells Fargo Bank locations, the three Sinclair stations, the Winona Post, Affinity Plus, and Security State Bank in Lewiston.

You can make someone’s season merrier by taking a tag from one of the trees, shopping for the gift or gifts the person has listed on the tag, wrapping the gifts and returning the them to the tree where you got your tag. Donors are asked to spend about $30 per person.

Tax-deductible contributions can be made out to Saint Mary’s University Gifts for Winona and sent to 700 Terrace Heights #8, Winona, Minn., 55987.

Saint Mary’s University Gifts for Winona depends upon the generosity of our community, which has been very gracious in years past. The program’s other community sponsors — Wells Fargo Bank, Winona Post, Winona Radio and Winona Volunteer Services, — want to make sure no one goes home empty handed.

Saint Mary’s hosts pianist George Winston Dec. 19

WINONA, Minn. — Solo pianist George Winston will fill Saint Mary’s University’s Page Theatre with the sounds of the transcendent beauty of nature and the changing seasons, as well as a tribute to New Orleans musicians on Friday, Dec. 19.

His 7:30 p.m. performance, part of the Page Series, will also draw attention to the Winona Volunteer Services Food Shelf. A food drive is held at all of Winston’s concerts. Attendees are asked to bring canned goods and nonperishable food to the show; drop-off areas will be set up in the lobby.

Winston, best known for his melodic rural folk piano style, will play selections from his latest CD, “Gulf Coast Blues and Impressions-A Hurricane Relief Benefit,” as well as from his melodic seasonal recordings including “December” and “Winter Into Spring.”

In 1972, Winston released his first solo album, “Ballads and Blues;” he currently has 11 solo albums. His musical genre ranges from New Orleans R&B piano to stride piano and folk piano. George has performed more than 2,500 concert dates, with more than 3 million tickets sold.

Tickets for the Page Theatre performance are $25, $20 for seniors and students, and are available by calling the SMU Box Office, (507) 457-1715, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Enjoy dinner and a show. Chartwells Catering will provide a pre-show dinner in the Toner Student Center. Seating begins at 6:30 p.m. Regular dinners cost $20 and include chicken, beef and vegetarian options, water, milk, coffee, tea, vegetable, and dessert. Children's dinners cost $12 and include mac-n-cheese or chicken fingers with French fries, water, milk, vegetable, gelatin cup, and two cookies. Dinner tickets are also available at www.pagetheatre.org.