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Ainsworth to Host SWC Fine Arts Festival

    Ainsworth will host the annual Conference Fine Arts Festival on March 19th and 20th.  Students from Minden, Cozad, Ogallala, Broken Bow, Gothenburg, Valentine, and Ainsworth will be participating in Art, Choir, and Band.  Students will work with their clinicians beginning Friday at 1:00. They will spend approximately nine hours with their respective clinicians and will present a concert and art show on Saturday, March 20th, beginning at 4:00 p.m. at the McAndrew Gym.  All are welcome to attend.

 Art

   The clinicians for the SWC Fine Arts Festival will be Pat Schemmer, Joan Swim, Laura Bentz, and the Cow Country Carvers.  Pat earned her BFA in California.  She has resided in Valentine for a number of years, has her studio there, and has been teaching art in the rural Cherry County Schools for the past few years.  Her primary focus is in clay, but she also dabbles in painting and printmaking.  The students in Pat's workshop will be working on a clay tile, using a glazing technique and then firing them in the Raku kiln that Pat will bring.  Joan Swim is the art teacher in Springview, Nebraska.   She will present a workshop on Caricature Drawing.  Laura Bentz is from Chadron, Nebraska,  where she is the Printmaking Instructor at Chadron State College.  Laura and her assistant will conduct a workshop on block-printing.  The last clinicians are all members of the Cow Country Carvers Club, who will present a workshop on chip carving.   

    There will be 84 art students from the 7 schools of the Southwest Conference attending the SWC Art Festival and participating in the workshops.  In addition, there will be an Honors Art Show, in which 15 students from each school will have the opportunity to display their artwork.  This show will be set up early Friday afternoon through Saturday afternoon in the west elementary hallway, and visitors are welcome to come through any time to view the art work.

Band

    Ron Rickert, Band Director from York, Nebraska,  will be the guest conductor for Conference Band, which will number approximately 100 students. Ron grew up on a farm by Columbus and enjoys traveling to the Sandhills and working with hardworking rural students.  He currently resides in Geneva with his wife, Sue, a fifth grade teacher, and their youngest son, Sam.  They have two other sons, both teachers.  

    Ron graduated from Doane College, Crete, in 1978.  He is a member of Nebraska Music Educators, Music Educators National Conference, Nebraska Bandmasters Association, Nebraska Educator’s Association, and is on staff with the Nebraska Ambassadors of Music.

Choir

    Clay Blackman, a 1977 alumnus from Ainsworth High School, is the 2010 SWC Choral Director.  The Southwest Conference Choir will number approximately 170.  Mr. Blackman currently teaches at Omaha South High School and is in his 28th year of teaching.  Clay Blackman is a sought-after clinician and has already directed the 2010 Show Choir Festival in Esterville, Iowa, this year.  He is also very active with his own chorus and show choir.  

    Clay is a member of Nebraska Music Educators Association, Music Educator’s National Conference, Nebraska Choral Director’s Association, and Nebraska Educator’s Association.