Botanical Art & Illustration Class

At Quinta Mazatlan Nature Center

Botanical illustration is at the root of both art and the science of botany, and remains as vital and important today as it ever has been.  Botanical art still serves science, despite advances in photography, and is also a popular theme for decorative art.  Bring a friend and have fun with artist Sue Sill at Quinta Mazatlan, Saturday, May 26th, 10 am to 4 pm for a hands-on class.  Remember to register in advance for a reserved spot!

The instructor, Sue Sill, was a painter when she started working toward a PhD in Systematic Botany at Texas A&M, College Station.  She taught herself botanical illustration so she could illustrate her dissertation and scientific publications.  She later illustrated the work of other botanists in the US and Mexico.  She moved to the McAllen area in 2003 to become the first Executive Director of the North American Butterfly Association’s Butterfly Park in Mission.

In this workshop, students will learn to sketch from living plants and finish the drawings with ink and watercolor.  Students will spend the morning exploring the trails at Quinta Mazatlan, sketching leaves, twigs and other plant parts.  Around noon, the class will move into the classroom to enjoy their sack lunch, and spend the afternoon transferring their sketches to watercolor paper then finishing them with ink and watercolor.  Additional plant materials will be provided for the afternoon’s work. 

Cost of the workshop on Saturday, May 26^th, 10 am to 4 pm,  is $55 per person, which includes all materials needed to produce 2 to 4 small, frame-able works of botanical art.  Call Quinta Mazatlan at 956-681-3370 to reserve your spot for the May workshop.  For more information visit www.quintamazatlan.com.

PHOTO CAPTION:  Artist Sue Sill with student Karen illustrating plants outdoors at Quinta Mazatlan.  Karen states “I learned so much and felt so safe in asking questions.  It was a wonderful experience”.

City of McAllen, Quinta Mazatlan

Contact:  Colleen Hook

chook@mcallen.net

956-681-3370

Welcome

Thank you for your interest in the McAllen Arts Council’s Grants Program. The program is designed to benefit people in McAllen, or to help artists and arts organizations from McAllen carry out their work. Grants are given annually.

Our goal is to achieve the following goals for the arts:
Supporting artists
Enabling organizations to thrive, not just survive
Championing cultural diversity
Offering opportunities for young people
Encouraging growth
Welcome to McAllen Arts Council’s Grants Program for individuals and organizations. These guidelines provide instructions and information about applying for the grant, including writing your proposal, preparing a budget and filling out the McAllen Arts Council Grant Application.

Before you begin – helpful tips that may save you time and effort

Please read the guidelines carefully before you write your proposal or fill in the form. They will tell you who can apply, what you can apply for, and how to make your application eligible.

If you have questions that the application materials do not answer, or if you need advice about your application or the activity you are applying for, we strongly advise you to speak to us before you apply. Be ready to describe your activity clearly to us. This will help us give you good advice and will save time.

We want to make our funding go further and you should make the most of other sources of funding if they are available to you. We expect you to find at least 10% of the total cost of your activity from other income sources.

Grant Application Guidelines

Making your application eligible to be assessed.
We cannot assess applications that are not eligible. You can help avoid this by doing the following:

Fill in all relevant parts of the application form.
Fill in the budget section of the form, giving as much information as possible so we can see how you have reached your subtotals and totals.
Make sure your budget balances. In section E of the application form, the total income should be the same as the total expenditure.
Send us a resume if you are applying as an individual.
Enclose everything we ask for. (See the checklist in section G of the application form)
There is a high demand for our grants and we cannot fund all the eligible applications we receive. Think about what you would do if we cannot fund your activity.
We wish you success with your application.

Grants for individuals
Grants for individuals are available to:

Artists
Performers
Writers
Promoters
Presenters
Curators
Producers
Groups of individuals (one of the individuals involved will need to take the lead and have the main responsibility for managing the application and any grants),
Other individuals working in the arts.
Grants to individuals normally range from $200 up to $1,000

Grants for Organizations
Grants for organizations are available to:

Arts organizations
Public organizations
By organization we mean a single group of people working towards a shared or common goal. This can take many forms, for example, a limited company, a charity or an unincorporated group. If you are applying for a grant as an organization, you should have a bank account with two people who can sign in the organization’s name.

Grants to organizations normally range from $200 up to $1,000.

The types of activity we fund:

We have designed McAllen Arts Council Grants Program to encourage you to develop your ideas related to your artistic needs and future plans. It aims to be flexible and to encourage new ideas. We support activities that benefit people in McAllen or that help artists and arts organizations in McAllen to carry out their work.

You can apply for grants for time-limited arts-related activities, such as the following:
Projects and events
Commissions and productions
Research and development
Activities for people to take part in
Education activities
Buying assets such as equipment, and instruments
Public art
Marketing activities
Audience development (activity carried out specifically to meet the needs of audiences and to help arts organizations develop ongoing relationships with audiences)
Organizational development to improve the long-term stability of arts organizations
Residencies
Activities we do not fund:

Activities that are not arts-related
Activities that provide no potential benefits to the public, either in the short or long term
Activities, including buying goods or services, which take place or start before we made a decision on your application
Costs that are already covered by other funding
General running costs and overheads that are paid for by other income, including your own funds
Ongoing overheads related to equipment or buildings, such as insurance and maintenance costs
Fundraising events, such as charity galas, that do not benefit the arts
Second-hand equipment (apart from certain musical instruments and specialist equipment)
Activities or events taking place outside McAllen
Activities that do not benefit people in McAllen or that do not help artists and arts organizations in McAllen to carry out their work
Buying equipment and instruments which do not provide public benefit, either immediately or in the longer term, or where the person applying does not have an artistic track record
Self-promotional activities which do not provide public benefit, either immediately or in the longer term, or where the person applying does
have an artistic track record
Deadline for application
The deadline for the application is May 30, 2012.

Remember that we do not fund goods or services that you have already bought or ordered, or activities that have already taken place. We may not be able to assess your application if we do not have enough time to make a decision before your activity starts. Also, there is a high demand for our grants and we cannot fund all the eligible applications we receive. As a result, we advise you to think about what you would do if we cannot fund your activity.

To make your application eligible
You must use the application form we provide in this packet.

Your application must include:
A signed and dated application form with all the questions answered.
A filled-in summary budget in section F of the application form (you may also include a more detailed budget on a separate sheet if necessary)
A balanced budget (that is, your income and expenditure must be the same, including how much you are asking for from us)
A written description of the specific activity (see #11 of the grant application.)
A resume (if you are applying as an individual)
If your application does not contain the necessary information in the format we ask for, it will not be eligible to be assessed. Also, we will not be able to process your application if it does not contain enough information to assess it.

Sending us your application
These guidelines should help you provide all the information we need to assess your application (see the ‘Eligibility’ section for details of what your application must include). We want to assess your application knowing about your work and recognizing your future potential.

There are a number of ways we can do this, including:
Assess the information you give us in your application
See or experience your work at the time it is produced
See evidence of your work if we were asked for advice before applying.
We hope you understand that it is not always possible to see or experience your work first-hand. As a result you may want to include some supporting evidence with your application. Please do not send originals, as we will not return them to you. Your supporting evidence should fit into a standard sized envelope. Some examples include:

An evaluation of your work
Views on the quality of your work by other people, such as audiences, people taking part, readers, critics or other artists
Links to other sources of information about your work, such as a website
A small sample of your images of your previous work or work in progress, and
Other evidence of your past work
Please send your application to:

Grants Management Unit at the McAllen Chamber of Commerce

PO Box 790 McAllen, TX 78505 or 1200 Ash Ave McAllen, TX 78505

Make sure you have signed the declaration at the end of the application form, and check that you have sent everything we ask for. If we need more information, we will contact you and ask for it. We cannot accept faxed or emailed application forms, or applications on a disc or USB drive. Keep a copy of this application for your own records.

Please tell us immediately if anything changes while we are assessing your application.

When we will reach a decision?
If you provide all the information we have asked for, we will reach a decision by the end of May of the year you apply. We will let you know as soon as possible if your application is not eligible to be assessed.

What happens if you are offered a grant?
You will receive a letter explaining any special conditions and how we will pay the grant. We will normally invite you to attend a small photo shoot where you will be issued a check. We will also explain how you should acknowledge funding from us and from the Texas Commission on the Arts. We will also at times request a progress report in person or via letter.

If you receive a grant offer but no longer want to accept it, please let us know in writing.

What happens if your application is unsuccessful?
We will write to you explaining the main reason why your application was unsuccessful and tell you whom to contact if you would like more detailed feedback. We encourage you to reapply for the next round of grants. Before you do so, we strongly recommend that you get advice and more detailed feedback on why your application was unsuccessful.

Writing a project description
Experience has shown that people who apply for a grant prefer to write a project description rather than answer a lot of detailed questions. So, write a description of the activity you want us to support. This is a very important part of the application. Explain briefly and specifically the purpose, scope and expected outcome(s) of the project. We will use the project description when we assess your application.

Evaluation
If we give you a grant, we will ask you to evaluate your work.

2012 McAllen Arts Council Grants Program and 2012 McAllen Arts Council Grant Application

McHi graduate Catherine Hardwicke is working to bring Plush to the big screen.

The script, co-written by Hardwicke and Artie Nelson, is an erotic thriller, much like a modern-day Fatal Attraction, and will star Evan Rachel Wood.

Wood and Hardwicke last worked together on Thirteen, a 2003 film which earned Hardwicke several film festival nominations and awards for her direction and writing.

The former Valleyite also directed the first Twilight film and Red Riding Hood.

May 30, 2011 9:10 PM

Seby Joseph may have just graduated high school, but he also may be the next “MasterChef.”

The McAllen resident auditioned last year for the Fox hit series MasterChef, starring Chefs Gordon Ramsay and Graham Elliot and restaurateur Joe Bastianich.

Joseph, 18, recently received his diploma from Lamar Academy and has his sight set on attending the Art Institute of Boston or the renowned Le Cordon Bleu culinary institute in Paris.

First, though, he took a shot in the dark and signed up for the second season of the cooking competition, which features amateur home cooks. He is one of 100 hopefuls selected for the show.

“I’ve (had) a passion for cooking since I was young, about 12 years old,” Joseph says. “I just really wanted to show off my skills to the whole world.”

He also wants to help others reach their goals. He said he has seen and heard of other teens who want to become chefs but run into opposition from their parents. He empathizes with them.

“I know exactly what they’re going through,” he says. “I just want to teach them that it’s a really good profession.”

The teen began cooking as a hobby because he didn’t really have anything to do, he says. Slowly, cooking developed into a passion and Joseph realized he could turn his love of food and cooking into a career.

“My ultimate goal is to personally have my own restaurant maybe sometime in the future, and hopefully, I just want to go around the world, really,” he says.

Coincidentally, Joseph’s biggest inspiration is the man hosting MasterChef.

“The person who really inspired me was a chef. His name was Gordon Ramsay. I’d just see this person on TV all the time and I just thought, ‘Hey, he’s a really amazing person. I really want to be like him one day.’”

When Joseph had the opportunity to meet Ramsay, the teen was impressed.

“He’s a really good guy,” he says. “One of the best people I’ve met, actually.”

Ramsay may be best known as the host of the U.S. version of the television series Hell’s Kitchen, but the chef and restaurateur also owns several restaurants, hosts other TV shows and has written many cookbooks and an autobiography.

Elliot owns a restaurant in Chicago and in 2004 was named “Best New Chef” by Food and Wine magazine. He also appeared on two seasons of cable channel Bravo’s cooking competition series Top Chef Masters.

Bastianich is a well-known restaurateur with establishments in New York and Las Vegas. He also owns wineries in Italy and Argentina.

The three judges help guide the inexperienced chefs through tough challenges throughout the competition.

 “Personally, I thought these guys are the biggest icons in the culinary world and they’re right at you, judging every single move that you make,” Joseph says. “And I think that’s more of a harder part than actually cooking.”

Joseph, who is originally from India, auditioned for the show with an Indian-inspired dish that he gave a slight twist.

“It’s called chicken biryani,” he says.

Traditionally, the dish is steamed and includes layers of chicken and rice seasoned with a homemade curry.

Joseph marinated his chicken in various spices and yogurt and then seared the meat.

“(Searing) makes it more tender and juicier in the later process,” he says.

He combined other ingredients in an oven-safe dish and baked it in an oven at a very low heat.

Joseph plans to focus on Indian cuisine, but since he has been cooking more Mexican dishes, he says he notices a parallel of spices and flavor profiles between the two cuisines.

“I try to use a whole bunch of cilantro, cumin … and it works almost every single time — better results than I imagined,” he says.

Joseph says his biggest challenge is his lack of experience compared with older home chefs.

“I was only 18 years old at the time, and there were people there who were twice my age,” he says.

The competition promises to be tough, but Joseph remains confident.

“They’re amazing,” he says of the judges. “Gordon Ramsay himself owns over 29 restaurants worldwide. Like, he’s the real deal. If you can get through him, you can get through anything else.”

____

 Amy Nichol Smith covers features and entertainment for The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4420.

Located on Austin and 17^th Streets right in the heart of downtown McAllen, The Entertainment District, begun just three years ago, now has almost fifty venues featuring live and recorded music, incredible atmosphere, great food ranging from hamburgers, Mexican, Southwest, traditional American all the way to Middle Eastern.  For large budgets or small, there is something for you.  The District is constantly growing and changing, so if “what’s new” is important, McAllen’s Entertainment District is the place to go.

    Whether you are a couple or five dozen, you will find “your spot”  for relaxation, stimulation, entertainment, or just enjoying yourself. 

For more information about the various venues, visit the following websites.  www.exploreMcAllen.com; www.Mcallendowntown.com;

It’s almost the end of January, but if you’re one of the people that started this new year trying to lose weight in order to look good, feel better, and improve your health like me, you’re probably still trying to lose those extra 10 pounds you gained over the holidays or simply continuing your journey to accomplish any weight loss goal you set for yourself.

Whatever the case may be, we’ve all heard that in order to lose weight one has to burn more calories than what one eats. Furthermore, doing this in conjunction with exercise, one can achieve greater results. While this is true in all aspects, losing weight can be a challenge. After all, keeping it off might be the problem.

How can one prevent the yo-yo dieting and lose the weight for good in order to look and feel great while still trying to stay healthy?

This can be done by choosing to eat the RIGHT FOODS! These include: healthy meats, fruits and vegetables. Luckily, the McAllen Farmers Market can help everyone out there who is trying to lose weight as well as I obtain nourishing fruits and vegetables to contribute to a complete, well balanced diet for the rest of your life!

The McAllen Farmers Market takes place on every second and fourth Saturday from 9 am to 12 pm and are scheduled to run through June 2011.

So, to continue your efforts of weigh loss take advantage of the green plants that grow in McAllen and of the fruits in season.  It will be held under the basketball pavilion of the old Sam Houston Elementary School on the corner of Main and Jackson in the south east parking lot of the McAllen Creative Incubator. The actual entrance to the area is located on the corner of Main and Lindberg, across from Roselawn Cemetary. Barbara Storz with Grow’n Growers will be the sponsor and facilitator of the events. This Farmer’s Market will be FREE and open to the public and everybody is encouraged to attend. See you there!

McAllen Chamber President Steve Ahlenius says McAllen continues to be one of the safest cities in Texas. “FBI statistics show McAllen is a great place to live and have events” Ahlenius said.

For the seventh year in a row, Farmers Insurance Group, has ranked U.S. metropolitan areas for safety and security. Cities were ranked in terms of data collected by Sperling’s BestPlaces for air quality, crime statistics, environmental hazards, extreme weather, home foreclosures, housing depreciations, job loss statistics, life expectancies, natural disaster risks, terrorist threats and other security concerns.

Nancy Millar, Director of the McAllen Convention and Visitors Bureau, says the results of this survey show what they have felt all along, and that is, that McAllen is a safe place to live and visit. “If you like the outdoors, this is the perfect place” Millar said as she described that McAllen ranks number one in the entire United States for Birding and Butterflying. “We are a fantastic destination during the winter because you can get out of the cold and enjoy plenty of arts and entertainment at a very low cost of living.”

But for Victor Castillo, Convention Sales Director at the McAllen Convention and Visitors Bureau, this survey confirms why more state associations and national groups are looking at McAllen as a meeting destination. “We not only have a safe city, we have the nicest hotels and a magnificent convention center” Castillo said as he mentioned the American Planning Association, the Texas Transit Association, the Combined Law Enforcement Association of Texas and the P.E.O. Sisterhood among several groups committed to holding their annual conventions and conferences in McAllen.

Robert Woudstra, chairman of Farmers Insurance Group, commented on the recent ranking of the most secure U.S. places to live. “Farmers [Insurance Group] congratulates all of the communities recognized in the 2010 annual Farmers Most Secure Places to Live survey. In today’s challenging economy, citizens look to their local governments to keep their communities secure and economically strong,” he said.

Pictured above are left to right Gloria Doyle, Sales Manager, McAllen Chamber of Commerce’s  Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, Michael A. Cole, Director of Sales and Marketing, Renaissance Casa de Palmas 

Hotel occupancy is down in McAllen, but just a little, the McAllen Chamber of Commerce reported recently.

Revenue dropped by 3.7% from the second quarter last year, while occupancy only dropped by 1.7% over the same time period.

McAllen fared much better statistically than Texas hotels as a whole, however, compared to the same quarter last year.

Texas Room Revenue                               -16.3 % change                              

McAllen Chamber of Commerce         -  3.7 % change

Texas Room Occupancy                         -13.5% change

McAllen Chamber of Commerce         -  1.7% change       

The McAllen hotel which had the greatest increase in revenue and occupancy during the second quarter of 2010 was the Renaissance Casa de Palmas. It showed an 11.1% increase in revenue and a 5.5% increase in occupancy compared to the second quarter of last year.

 “We have worked very hard to position the hotel with travelers,” said Renaissance Casa de Palmas Director of Sales and Marketing Michael Cole. “With recent violence in Mexico and the general economic slump, we anticipated the downturn. So we have concentrated very heavily on group sales. And with the forty years of sales experience we have in our sales office and our partnership with the McAllen Chamber of Commerce’s Convention and Visitors’ Bureau, we’ve been successful.

“Fortunately, the Casa de Palmas has had an excellent reputation for a long time. We do all we can to maintain the hotel’s good name,” he added.

“McAllen’s overall hotel revenue and occupancy numbers are better than most cities,” said Gloria Doyle , McAllen Chamber of Commerce’s  Sales manager for the Convention and Visitors’ Bureau. “It appears that we may be close to bottoming out. We are cautiously optimistic about the future.”

She added that the influx of Mexican Nationals fleeing the violence in their own country may also have an effect on hotel occupancy. “We are following the numbers carefully,” she said.