An event not to be missed

BYU Museum of Art has had some amazing art exhibits over the years, but this one might be one of the best ever. Rick, Andy and I ate lunch last week in the MOA cafe and saw all the preparations and renovations they are making for this exhibition. See this article to read more. It will be an event not to be missed to see original quality religious art work. I can't wait!

What: Carl Bloch: The Master's Hand

Where: BYU Museum of Art

When: Nov. 12-Mar 7, 2011; extended hours are Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.

Admission: Free, however visitors must register for tickets online before their visit atCarlBloch.byu.edu.

Halloween spooks

Guests at our table

I guess it's not exactly a news flash that I like to entertain. I like to invite people over to enjoy a meal, some laughs and good conversation. I like to cook and to set a table. Any time you're in our area, let me know and I'll cook up a meal for you!
Since we finished the remodel, we've had a bunch of family and friends come through for a visit. We've also had some lovely Sunday dinners with Andy's friends and we have a dinner coming up with Rick's family and later with some of our friends. It's so nice to have the extra space, extra seating capacity and to have the room looking lovely. I'm really happy with the ability the remodel gives us to entertain larger groups of people. I might need some more dishes though...
We enjoyed a lovely fall day with my two sisters Lee and Carol and my niece Jamie and their families last month. We enjoyed a hike to Stewart falls, some outside games, pumpkin carving and good food and fun. We loved having them come and hope they'll come again soon!

2 to 5

Well, they passed it with a vote of 5 "for" and 2 "against." Orem is going to get a Center for Story and Arts at the Orem City Library, 8 blocks away from the SCERA Center for the Arts. Go figure. I don't get it, really I don't. Since I wrote this letter, I've been attending many meetings and talking with city council members who were open to discussion, trying to understand their perspective. It seems ill advised to me. These are the burning questions I have:

~Why build what amounts to a city auditorium with CARE tax dollars which were designated for the arts, parks and recreation? It will be used for some arts purposes, but will be used for many community meetings and events as well. Why not get other tax dollars to build this auditorium and leave the CARE funding (approximately $2,000,000) for the purpose for which it was designed?
~Why build a brick and mortar building to benefit what has become a non-profit organization (the Storytelling festival) when the city leaders can't authorize any buildings for other non-profits? This seems extremely unfair and self serving. It appears that the city council is approving of and giving themselves a building. If the new building isn't primarily for the "Center for Story," then don't call it by that name. The relationship between the library and the Storytelling festival has become so entwined that it is hard to keep track of who does what and who is driving this operation. Money talks and that is evident by the treatment that Karen Ashton receives. The rich get what they want if they push hard enough, long enough.
~How will they control content (in a very conservative community) in a government building?
~Even if there is room to build this structure next to the Orem City Library (in the front along State Street), there is absolutely no parking available. There isn't enough parking as it is for library patrons. They claim that they won't have to remove little league ball fields to accommodate parking. We'll see about that.
~The auditorium will have approximately 380 fixed seats, with a balcony of 100 seats and an area to set up more folding chairs to reach about 500 seats on the main level. That's a large auditorium. When built, the library staff and city leaders will feel a pressing need to use it. As more and more free events are offered at the library, there is the very real outcome that people will get their arts "fix" at the library for free and not want to pay for more arts entertainment down the street. Mayor Washburn doesn't see this as a problem. I totally disagree. Since no impact study was done, they're just building buildings on assumptions and guesses, assuming that is won't harm existing organizations. They're taking a big gamble on that belief. I believe it really could put SCERA out of business over time.
~Why not better utilize what we have and cooperate more with the existing arts organizations to maximize what is going on in our community? Librarian Louise Wallace stated that they will cooperate with existing organizations to support one another. Really? Based on what history? The Orem library staff has an abysmal record of cooperating and coordinating with existing arts organizations (with the exception of the Storytelling Festival.) They're in it for themselves.
~They intend to staff this new center with librarians and volunteers. They intent to clean it with volunteers and some staff support. They are claiming that general fund dollars will be kept to a minimum and that CARE dollars will be used to support the center in the future. An important part of this puzzle is that CARE dollars were approved by the tax paying community for 8 years. Four years have gone by. In four more years, the CARE tax will go back to the taxpayers for approval. They may or may not pass the CARE tax again. Given our current economic climate, I have my doubts that it will pass (unless the economy improves drastically.) They're banking on supporting a center in the future when that future funding is not a certainty. To me, that isn't a wise move.

I'm not against the Storytelling organization. I am against them getting preferential treatment. I'm not against the Orem City Library. I am against them seizing control of the arts in our city when that is not their main purpose. I'm not personally against the four council members and the Mayor who voted for this center, but I'm not going to vote for them again. I am highly in favor of Council members Mary Street and Brent Sumner. They asked some hard questions (which were never fully answered) and they stood their ground. I just don't think the City of Orem should have commited hundreds of thousands of dollars now (with millions of dollars at stake down the road) to a project when there are many pressing questions that are still on the table.

V IV

We got to spend the WHOLE day with Dave as he celebrated his 26th birthday last Friday! He had just taken his last test of the trimester and he was free the whole day. It was wonderful to be with him and Courtney and just hang out and visit. We had a sleepover at their apartment, toured ASU (wow, what a huge and beautiful campus) and saw where he does what he does, hung out with Jordan and the girls and went to dinner at a wonderful Mexican restaurant. Happy Birthday dear Dave. Here's some of the things I love about YOU:
1. You're so even tempered.
2. You're so kind and easy to be around.
3. You remind me of my brother Paul in so many ways.
4. You're a great husband, son, brother-in-law, brother and uncle. Everyone loves you.
5. You're helpful and fun to be around.
6. You're a great conversationalist. You know a lot about a lot of things.
7. You're very smart as everyone knows. You set the standard and you work hard to maintain it.
8. You have a great sense of humor.
9. You have great curly hair and you will NEVER go bald (not that that's bad...)
10. You're dependable and serve well in the church.
11. You're a true BYU Cougar fan and can transform and show your aggressive side when needed.
12. You're a carbon copy of V III in so many ways.
13. You're a good friend. I've always loved your friends - in grade school, high school and college.
14. Your nieces and nephews adore you. That says a lot about a man.
15. You get math, boy to you get math.
16. You served a mission in Portugal honorably. It wasn't an easy mission, but you served with distinction and you were a great leader and example to others.
17. You can do hard things. You may not like to do hard things, but you've proven that you can.
18. You chose a wonderful woman to marry. We're so happy for you and Courtney to be a team.
19. You're self confident and believe in yourself.
20. You're very handsome with a great smile.
21. You're working hard to be prepared to provide for your family by getting your MBA.
22. You're have proven yourself on the job. Your employers can count on you.
23. You have a strong testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and you live your life according to your beliefs.
24. You're a dear son and we love to spend time with you. You're so fun and easy to be around.
25. You're a strong link in the chain. V, V II, V III are all proud of you and the way you live your life and carry their name.
26. Your mom loves you a lot and misses you living near us, and hopes that you'll return some day!

To see more pictures of Dave, look here.