01/05/09 Lift-off for a Creative Wisconsin
1/9/2009
Monday, January 5, 2009
Art in the Office Exhibit Opening: Janis Nussbaum Senungetuk
Lt. Governor Lawton hosted a reception to honor Janis Nussbaum Senungetuk whose artwork is now on exhibit in the Office of the Lt. Governor. Janis is an honors graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting) and received her Master of Arts and Master of Fine Arts degrees from Northern Illinois University – DeKalb in Printmaking and Drawing.
This show of extraordinary digital photography, “Garden of Light”, gives us uncommon ways of seeing common flowers. The work is an explosion of color and contours rediscovered when Janis recovered her vision after a period of loss. Visit Janis on the web at the following link: www.nussbaumsenungetukstudio.blogspot.com
Above) Lt. Governor Lawton introduces artist Janis Nussbaum Senungetuk.
Beginning on the day of her inauguration, Lt. Governor Lawton transformed the wall space of the beautifully renovated Office of the Lieutenant Governor into an exhibition space for Wisconsin artists. She welcomes all capitol visitors to stop by and get a sense of the world-class artwork being produced by talented artists in every part of our state.
Lt. Governor Lawton opens each new show with a public reception for the artist(s). Exhibits may showcase the work of an individual artist or gather works from multiple artists, organized around a single theme or idea or particular region of the state. Click here for more information about Lt. Governor Lawton’s Art in the Office.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009 – A Visit to Madison East High School
At the invitation of Madison East High School senior Max Strommen, Lt. Governor Lawton spoke to teacher Brian Borowski’s Government and Politics class at Madison East High on Wednesday afternoon. Lawton spoke to the class about her experiences in politics, important issues of the day and the recent elections.
Left) American Politics and Government teacher Brian Borowski with Lt. Governor Lawton and senior Max Strommen.
Thursday, January 8, 2008 - Building the Creative Economy
Enactment of legislation providing tax incentives for the film, television ad and video game production industry gave Wisconsin its biggest year ever in 2008: 9 feature films, 16 television shows, a doubling of television ad production and impressive growth in video game production.
The opening of RDI Stages, a $6 million studio in St. Francis, provides infrastructure that will allow the industry to grow even faster now, with the option of indoor sets and state-of-the-art recording facilities. RDI owners Janine Rozine, Tom Davenport and Derrick Dysland made their investment as a direct result of the film tax incentives led by Lt. Governor Lawton.
Lt. Governor Lawton was in Milwaukee with many hundreds of other celebrants from every sector Thursday for the gala grand opening of R.D.I Stages. This high-tech, multi-stage film production studio is a former World War II era lighting manufacturing facility warehouse.
“These film incentives have performed well for us in the first year, bringing new jobs and new revenue to Wisconsin’s economy,” said Lt. Governor Lawton. “Public Enemies with Johnny Depp launched the year with an infusion of an estimated $7.5 million in expenditures according to Universal Studios actuals report. An additional $8 million in revenues is estimated from smaller independent film and television projects, as well as from two Wisconsin-produced video game titles. Now, we welcome RDI studios as a permanent investment to Wisconsin’s creative economy infrastructure.”
Above) Emmy award winning actor and Green Bay native Tony Shaloub and Lt. Governor Lawton cut the ribbon at R.D.I Stages
The Incentives Catch Another Movie for Wisconin: Feed the Fish
Green Bay native and actor Tony Shaloub was in town to celebrate the opening of the studios and announce his new movie Feed the Fish, to be shot in Door County. Shaloub credits Wisconsin’s film incentives for making it possible for him to do his film in his home state.
This film will provide a major economic boost to the local economy of Door County in their slow season - winter.
According to Film Wisconsin, 759 jobs were created in 2008 as a direct result of the film incentives in at least 14 communities, from Milwaukee to Wisconsin Rapids to La Crosse to Green Bay and Manitowish Waters. Wisconsin had its biggest year ever in television ad production because, with the incentives, we are seen as “film friendly.” And millions of dollars have been invested in infrastructure from Middleton to West Bend, Green Bay to Lake Geneva and Milwaukee.
Friday, January 9, 2009 - Lift-off for a Creative Wisconsin
Lt. Governor Lawton and State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster welcomed internationally renowned expert Sir Ken Robinson to Monona Terrace in Madison on Friday for the first-ever Creative Wisconsin Summit. The event brought together hundreds of committed citizens from every corner of the state to hear Sir Ken and celebrate the release of the Wisconsin Task Force on Arts and Creativity in Education final report.
Sir Ken’s speech held the crowd rapt as he established the essential value of highly-developed creative facilities for all of us today, and then led us through the process by which our current system of education dismantles that capacity for so many children. Click this link to watch some of the video throughout the day courtesy of Wisconsin Eye
“We are determined that Wisconsin’s schools breed the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs, our competitive edge in a global economy,” said Task Force co-chair Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton. “In the end, we work toward transforming Wisconsin’s public schools to better serve students’ needs in a 21st century global economy. We envision the integration of knowledge across disciplines, development of intellectual agility that is the hallmark of creativity and more important than any technical training: imagination-cum-innovation-cum-entrepreneurial confidence as the outcome of a Wisconsin education.”
Visit the Task Force website to learn more at: http://creative.wisconsin.gov
Click here to download a full copy of the Task Force on Arts and Creativity in Education final report.
Teams from Sheboygan, Spring Green, Madison, Milwaukee, Green Bay, Solon Springs, and Amery started their “action research” right at the summit. They will each design a plan to strengthen arts and creativity education in their community and document its implementation to share with others across the state.
These teams were sponsored by a $50,000 grant from the Dana Foundation’s arts education program. Read more about this grant by clicking this link.
“Today the Task Force report becomes a launch pad for action research to be conducted in communities in every corner of the state. Creative Wisconsin signals unprecedented collaborations that practice what they preach – that work creatively to drive a sustainable, growing economy fueled by generous Wisconsin residents sharing models for success.”
Left) State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster, Susan MacCalmont of the OK Kirkpatrick Foundation , Sarah Cunningham of National Endowment of the Arts, Professional musician Ben Sidran, Sir Ken Robinson, Lt. Governor Lawton, and Bob Morrison of Music for All.
Left) The world-renowned expert on creativity, Sir Ken Robinson, speaks to the Creative Wisconsin Summit.
