January 9, 2020
 
Quincy Ill., [1/9/20] – Arts Quincy (The Quincy Society of Fine Arts) is proud to announce that it has earned the status as a Better Business Bureau (BBB) Accredited Charity Seal Holder for a third straight year.  After completing a thorough review process, Arts Quincy has met BBB’s Standards for Charity Accountability. 
 
Arts Quincy was only the second BBB Accredited charity in Adams County to earn the distinction and was also the 2017 Torch Award winner through the organization.
 
The BBB seal signals that an organization has met 20 standards for accountability including:
 
Proper governance and oversight
A method to measure organizational performance & effectiveness
Sound financial stewardship and practices, and,
Complete and accurate fundraising and informational materials.
 
Michelle Corey, BBB president & CEO said, “By meeting BBB Standards for Charity Accountability and displaying BBB’s seal, it gives donors the confidence needed to support Arts Quincy’s mission. Charities that meet these best practices go above and beyond legal requirements, putting them in an elite group.”
 
“It’s very important to Arts Quincy that our donors see that we value transparency and  want them to know that the dollars they entrust to us are being used to increase access to the arts for all area residents. The BBB Seal is just one more way donors can be sure that the organization is committed to being a great steward of their funds.” explains Executive Director Laura Sievert.
To review Arts Quincy’s BBB Charity Profile, please visit www.bbb.org

Quincy University’s Pursuit of Learning in Society (POLIS) spring semester class schedule is now released. POLIS is an opportunity for lifelong learning for seniors. The atmosphere is casual and welcoming with no tests, plus cookies and coffee at break.
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Spring Class Schedule:

• January 29 – “The Presidential Difference: Leadership Style from FDR to Barack Obama” –John C. Schafer, Ph.D.
• January 31 – “Polygamy in America” –  Judith Abbot, J.D.
• February 5 – “A SPECStacular way for PUPILS to REAL EYES” –  Dr. Dinita Cooley, O.D.
• February 12– “Andrew Wyeth and Family: A Proud Family Tradition of American Art” – Carol Nichols
• February 18 – “Adventures of a Citizen-Scientist with Earthwatch Institute” – Susan Asher
• February 21 – “Elvis Presley: The Making of a Music Icon” – Christine Damm D.M.A.
• February 27 – “1960: A Retrospective” – Dr. Justin P. Coffey, Ph.D.
• March 3 – “21st Century Genetics” – Lee Enger, Ph.D.
• March 19 and 26 – “The Peculiar Institution Part II: The Fall of American Slavery” – Scott E. Giltner, Ph.D.
• March 20 – “Constitutionalization of Criminal Procedure/ Incorporation Doctrine” –Jim Palmer, J.D.
• March 25 – “Roles of WomenDuring the American Civil War” – Beth Young
• March 27 and April 3– “Murder or Suicide? The Collapse of Democracy in the German Weimar Republic and the Rise of Adolf Hitler” – Wendell Mauter, Ph.D.
• March 31 – “Conversations Regarding Advanced Directives in the Elderly” – Dr. David Lockhart, M.D.
• April 1 and 8 – “Life on the Mississippi — and a Few Others” – Mike Flanagan
• April 7 and 14 – “Caste in India: From Origins to the Present” –Dr. Meenal Mamdani, M.D.
• April 15 – POLIS Bus Tour to Missouri History Museum and Favazza’a Restaurant “On the Hill” in St. Louis
• April 21 and 28 – “Ukraine and the Struggle for Freedom” – Siobhan Doucette, Ph.D.
• April 23 – “a Few Good Women 9but first, a few bad ones)” – Vicky Eidson, CPA
• May 1 – Annual Meeting and Party

 
The cost of a POLIS membership is $15 per semester, and each two-hour class is $4 to attend. Anyone is welcome to bring friends and attend one class free of charge. Registration is Wednesday, January 15, 2020 from 2:00-4:00 p.m. in the conference room off the lobby of the main entrance at Quincy University’s North Campus (18th and Seminary Road), or forms can be submitted by mail. Classes will be held at North Campus, with signs to indicate directions to the individual classes.

The POLIS Bus Tour on April 15, 2020, will depart from the north parking lot of QU’s North Campus at 9 am and return at 6:30 pm. After dining on some of St. Louis’s finest Italian food at Favazza’s, enjoy a spring adventure via a guided tour of the “Mighty Mississippi,” a new exhibit at the Missouri History Museum. There will be time to visit the permanent exhibits and gift shop. The cost of attendance to the Missouri History Museum Tour is $60 for members and $75 for non-members. Please register for the tour on January 15 at registration.
 
To be added to the POLIS mailing list and receive a brochure describing all fall classes plus a registration form, please email polis@quincy.edu with a name and address, call 217-228-5594, or visit the POLIS webpage at www.quincy.edu/polis.
 
Founded in 1860 by Franciscan friars, Quincy University (www.quincy.edu) is a Catholic, co-educational, residential university offering undergraduate, graduate, and adult education programs that integrate liberal arts, active learning, practical experience, and Franciscan values. Quincy University’s intercollegiate sports are members of the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Valley Conference for men and women. For more information, please contact the Quincy University Office of Community Relations by calling (217) 228-5275.

Written by Taylor Tweedell
The music of Tchaikovsky and visions of sugar plums are swirling in our heads, and you know what that means! The holiday tradition of The Nutcracker Ballet is almost here! Every two years, Quincy Community Theatre collaborates with the magical dancers of Kaiser Dance Theatre to present Clara’s journey through the land of sweets. Let’s get to know some of the graceful dancers who will be appearing in this year’s special holiday production.

Ally Hayden
Junior at Quincy Senior High School

Role: Sugar Plum Fairy
What is your favorite thing about your role? 
I’ve always admired the young women who have performed this role in the past, so it’s an amazing that I get to experience it myself.
Why do you love ballet?  I love how precise and powerful ballet is while still appearing graceful and effortless.
What is your pre-show tradition? Before a show I like to take my time getting ready and stretching. Right before I go on stage, I try to not think about anything else and just live in the moment.
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Sophie Jones
Senior at Quincy Notre Dame High School 

Role: The Mouse Queen is my main role, but I appear in several other parts as well.
What is your favorite thing about your role? I love the acting and how I can be sassy with it. The lifts are also really fun. The Mouse Queen choreography is jazzier than any other dances in the show and I really enjoy jazz work.
Why do you love ballet? It's rewarding when I nail a step. You have to work very hard to be able to get pointe work down, and that hard work really does pay off!
What is your pre-show tradition? I usually eat Fazolis with my friends before the shows. The pasta gives me energy and it’s a fun tradition. Our whole studio also goes on the stage before the show and does a big stretching exercise together. 

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​Abilities come in many variations and each person responds to challenges in his or her own way. Calvin Pope of Palmyra, Missouri is a person who continuously overcomes challenges of his disability to do what he loves.  

Pope was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident nearly 30 years ago and now uses a wheelchair. His injury did not affect the use of his upper extremities, so he is able to continue working in his wood shop. He has adapted to focus on small projects that are attractive and functional like Shaker boxes and turkey calls. This allows him to sit and still enjoy his hobby.

Pope trusts his experience will help others who may feel challenged by their own disability. He is able to channel his creative energy, enjoy his craft and reap immeasurable satisfaction.

At a recent gathering of the Quincy Woodworkers Guild, Pope demonstrated how to make Shaker boxes. The process involves cutting wood into very thin pieces on a bandsaw, then sanding them to specific thicknesses using a disc sander. The wood pieces are then placed into hot water for a period of time to make them flexible. Pope then bends the wood strips into oval boxes using base plates. He then repeats this process to make lids. 

"This kind of project requires very little space and very few tools. For someone who is new to woodworking, it is an easy project for them to start with," says Pope. 

The Quincy Woodworking Guild is a group of men and women who share their talents and interest in woodworking. Member's projects include a wide-range such as crafts, carving, cabinet making, scroll-sawing, bowl turning, building and restoring furniture and more. The group is designed to help members develop their skills, share projects, ideas, processes and techniques. 

Meetings take place the first Monday of each month and are usually held at a member's workshop and the group will take field trips to special locations. Guests and new members are welcome. 

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For more information, email quincywoodworkersguild@gmail.com.

Submitted by Matt Hopf
Fifty years have passed since Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins made history with the first lunar landing, and though man hasn’t walked on the moon since 1972, space travel continues to captivate the minds of young and old alike, whether watching the Space Shuttle Discovery liftoff or hearing Capt. James T. Kirk order warp speed!

One of the premier community bands in the country will honor the journey from the Wright Brothers' 12-second flight along a North Carolina beach to man walking on the moon in less than 66 years.
The Quincy Concert Band will present “One Giant Leap” at 2:30 pm, Sunday, Oct. 27, in Quincy Junior High’s Morrison Auditorium. Conducted by Dr. Trent Hollinger, the QCB will present pieces that are inspired by manned space flight and the continued desire to explore the far reaches of space.

"Composers have been inspired by the sky, constellations, planets, and the moon for centuries” Dr. Hollinger said. “The music in this concert captures everything from the power and excitement of man's technological breakthroughs in space to the beauty and tranquillity we experience on a moonlight night."

A highlight of the performance will be Robert W. Smith’s “Twelve Seconds to the Moon,” which will explore the journey of mankind from the Wright brothers first flight to man’s first steps on the moon.

The QCB will open with James Stephenson’s “To the Sky,” a fanfare that highlights that accomplishments of civilization.

Robert Buckley’s “Sea of Tranquility” provides a glimpse of the landscape Armstrong and Aldrin saw when they climbed down the lunar module’s ladder and took the first steps on the moon.

The QCB will close with “Symphonic Suite from ‘Star Trek,'” celebrating the continued desire of man going boldly where we have not gone before.

There is no charge for admission, however, donations are accepted to help the band cover expenses.
The all-volunteer QCB features musicians come from all walks of life — educators, engineers, journalists, plumbers and blacksmiths.

This summer, the QCB received second place in the Community Band Division for the America Prize — the second time in four years. It also is a semi-finalist in the Community Ensemble division of the American Prize’s Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for Performance of American Music.
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For more information on the band, visit quincyconcertband.org. It can also be found on Facebook by searching for Quincy Concert Band.

Arts Quincy would love to have your nominations for students to feature in this new column, Student Spotlight, sponsored by WGEM. Email a photo and information to office@artsquincy.org or call 217-222-3432 for details. We look forward to featuring student artists in all disciplines from Adams County.

The word audition is enough to strike fear and trembling in many musicians, singers, dancers and actors. Like any job interview, there are things you can do to help you deal with this process. While, of course, it's important to perform well, there are other things that can help your audition be successful.

Quincy University and the Great River Watercolor Society (GRWS) will host the 2nd annual Shade Tree Mid-Summer Paint-Out on Saturday, July 27 starting at QU’s campus.