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Fresno State lands CSU system's Summer Arts Program

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by Tom Uribes

Fresno State will host "the largest and most dynamic multidisciplinary arts program in the Western United States" next summer when the month-long 14th Annual California State University Summer Arts Program comes to town, providing area residents with a feast of cultural events and boosting the local economy.

Dr. Luis Costa, dean of the School of Arts and Humanities, formally announced Aug. 27 that the CSU has awarded the prestigious, world-renowned Summer Arts festival to the campus for the next three years with an option for two additional years.

"The local community will benefit not only artistically and culturally, but also economically, from the influx of nearly 500 teachers and students who attend the program every summer," said Costa. "World class artists and performers will be in town to share their talents on campus stages and in campus exhibition halls and possibly at venues around town."

The 1999 festival is set for June 27 to July 24 and will include participation of several community organizations. The CSU funds the $1.5 million project, which was founded 13 years ago to enrich the CSU arts programs and to give students the opportunity to work with industry professionals.

Jim Spalding, executive director of the program based in the Chancellor's Office in Long Beach, said the program's goal is to create a center for learning where students, faculty, professionals and audiences from all over the world come together to explore connections, experiment with new modes of communications, and engage in the process of making art.

"Public performances and exhibitions by teachers, artists, and students are offered con-currently with classes," Spalding said. "A student can attend a master class with an artist or composer in the morning, work on his or her own artistic project in the afternoon and attend an event by a noted performer in the evening."

Summer Arts was held the past three years at CSU Long Beach and, prior to that, at Humboldt State and Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. The festival of performing, literary, and visual arts features leading figures in each discipline.

Several Fresno State faculty and staff participated this year at Long Beach: Don Priest, mass communications/journalism professor; Candace Egan, videographer for Academic Innovation Center; Juan Felipe Herrera, Chicano/Latino studies professor; and Ruth Griffin, dance professor.

While the festival is generally attended by students from CSUs throughout the state, enrollment is also open to the public. Applications, a fee schedule and list of courses for the 1999 sessions will be available in late January at CSU campuses.

Spalding said about 350 to 400 students have attended past festivals, and, along with the 50-plus faculty and artists-in-residence who participate, will provide a major boost to the local economy.

"The economic impact of the festival will bring millions of dollars to the Fresno community with students, artists and audiences spending money on such essentials as food and lodging," Spalding said.

Fresno was chosen over other CSUs coveting the festival because its facilities are good, plentiful and in proximity to each other, he said.

"The Fresno campus will create a very strong sense of Summer Arts community with the workshops near each other," he said. "At previous festivals, we were very scattered. Also, the facilities in Fresno are very good."

He said the site-selection committee was equally impressed with the strong interest demonstrated by Fresno community supporters in a May meeting when it visited the campus.

Local organizations who expressed support include the Fresno Arts Council, the Fresno Art Museum, the Fresno African-American Museum, KVPR Radio, KFSN-TV, KJEO-TV, Fresno City College, Opera of the San Joaquin, Fresno County Schools and Good Company Players.

Dr. Luis Costa, dean of Fresno State's School of Arts and Humanities, played a key role in bringing the program to the campus and will continue to work with Spalding in its development here.

"The community supporters all offered their services and explained to the Summer Arts people how they could participate," Costa said.

For more information, contact Costa at Ext. 8-3056.