The winners of the Santa Maria Arts Council Grants in the Arts have been selected; they’ll perform at the Grants Showcase on May 16 at 5:30 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Center.
The $1,500 first-place award winners are Christopher Cortez of Guadalupe (dance), Sean Peters of San Luis Obispo (drama), Thomas Li of Lompoc (music), and Ian MacDonald Hassett of Santa Maria (visual arts). The $1,000 second-place prize winners are Ivana Valenzuela of Nipomo (dance), Gwyneth Manley of Santa Maria, (drama), and Christa Weston of Santa Maria (visual arts). The Los Padres Artist Guild Scholarship winner ($250) is Mari Kagawa of Santa Maria.
Each year, the grants are presented in honor of an individual or individuals who’ve made significant contributions to the development and enrichment of the arts in the community. The Santa Maria Arts Council Honoree for 2011 is John R. Schlenker, an actor, director, educator, mentor, and co-founder of the Great American Melodrama in Oceano.
The council reports that Schlenker has positively influenced the lives of thousands of students and actors over his career, as well as provided family entertainment for 35 years to the melodrama’s audiences. A former drama teacher at Righetti High School, he instituted “School Within a School” to reach out to “lost” students. The program used drama techniques while teaching carpentry, painting, lighting, mechanical skills, and math. It aimed to build self-confidence and encourage cooperation among students who otherwise were likely to drop out.
The showcase is open to the public at 313 W. Tunnell St., Santa Maria. Cost is $25 for adults, $15 for students. RSVP to Ann Byrne at 934-0492, mailbox 1, by May 10.
This article appears in May 5-12, 2011.
