Full Circle Arts Co-op

The Full Circle board of directors is celebrating the signing of the lease for the second floor of 215 S. Walnut St., above Doc's Music Hall in downtown Muncie, IN. Plans for this space include a gallery of local art, class and workshop space, an all-ages music and theater venue, art studio space, a recording studio, and a rooftop vegetable garden.

Grantwriters and volunteers are desperately needed for this huge project, which hopes to finally bring to fruition plans dating back to the early-90s founding of Full Circle and the Creative Opportunity Center. If you would like to get involved, attend one of our board meetings or contact us.

Music instructors are currently being sought by the Full Circle Arts Co-op to teach private lessons to small groups of students. The classes will take place at the Full Circle office building at 2423 W. Jackson St., across from St. Mary's. A portion of the proceeds from these classes will go to support the organization and upcoming community events.

People interested in becoming instructors or students should email Executive Director Matt Parkison.

Full Circle is throwing a Summer Jam on Saturday, July 18th in order to help raise funds and supplies to implement future art classes. In addition to live music provided by six local bands, Full Circle will also host Yart, a yard-sale-styled art show open to any artists looking to sell their work at reasonable prices. The event will take place from 2pm to 11pm with music starting at 4pm. Cost of admission is $5 or a donation of art supplies. Come show your support for local artists on Saturday, July 18th at 2423 W. Jackson (corner of Jackson & Celia) in Muncie. If you are interested in volunteering or being a part of Yart, please contact Kim Gillenwater (765-760-1119).

Starting in February of 2009, the Full Circle board of directors will hold its public meetings on only the first and third Wednesdays of the month, at 8pm. Note that the location of these meetings has changed to the former medical practice of Dr. John Peterson, at 2423 W. Jackson.

That building, incidentally, has several office spaces available for lease to community businesses and organizations. Interested parties should email secretary@fullcircleartscoop.org or call Dr. Peterson's relocated office at (765) 282-7475 for more information. We are reaching out to likeminded organizations with the intention of creating a cooperative office complex united under the common goal of supporting and leading community development.

• Convenient location
• High-speed internet
• Kitchenette
• Only $300 + electric per month

If you would like to see this building for yourself, just attend one of our board meetings. Our next meetings will be on January 28th and February 4th, both at 8pm.

From an article by GOOD's Zach Frechette:

Quincy Jones thinks we do. In an interview on WNYC radio in November, the legendary producer said he would beg President Obama for a cabinet level position devoted to the arts. Fans of the cause have since started a petition to bring America up to speed with a tradition that many countries have had for centuries: some sort of minister of culture, or the arts.

Weekly meetings are canceled for the remainder of the year. Meetings will resume on Wednesday, January 7th, at 8:00pm. Note that 2008's 7pm to 8pm discussion groups are called off until further notice.

The weekly discussion meetings and board meetings will be taking place until further notice at Dr. John Peterson's former medical practice office, located at 2423 W. Jackson St. (corner of Jackson and Celia; Google Maps)

As usual, discussion will take place from 7pm to 8pm, and the board meeting will follow immediately afterward.

Our community discussion and board of directors meeting this week will take place in the Whitinger Business Building, room 174. We thank the Center for Business and Economic Research, for hosting.

This location will continue to be used for our weekly meetings until further notice.

Visit MuncieMusicFest.com for the complete lineup of the 37 bands scheduled to play on 12 indoor and outdoor stages. More bands are being confirmed every day, so keep your eyes on the festival's website for the latest news about Muncie MusicFest '08.

Did you know that the first 1,000 people to receive tickets to this year's festival receive a free MMF '08 Sampler CD with 19 tracks and over an hour of music from this year's bands? Hot damn! Get tickets at any of our ticket locations next week, or buy them online now.

If you don't want to wait until you get your CD, you can listen to music samples of the bands on the schedule page right now.

Click for full-size flyer

One week left until this year's grassroots art sale extravaganza! Muncie’s annual yard-sale styled art-sale is happening this year on September 19th. Yart 2008 will be an all-day event at University Green (adjacent to Shafer Tower), starting at 8:00am and ending at nightfall. Artists are encouraged to sign up early for tables, set up whenever they’d like, and stay for as long as they wish. Bring any type of art for either display or sale: paintings, sculptures, sketches, CDs, large pieces, napkin doodles, amateur work, masterpieces, and everything in between. But remember that the price of anything sold is capped at $40 to keep the event accessible to all of us non-rich folks. Email me to reserve a table, or if you have any questions about the event.

If you're a local artist or a supporter of our art community, help promote this event! Let's try to beat the turnout from the last Yart!