Caponi Art Park eNewsletter

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May 2010 // Vol. 4 Issue 4

A Poetic May
If you don't normally connect with poetry-- try one of these entertaining and engaging suggestions:

Experience an urban art form in an unconventional venue
Read a piece history that flows like a beautiful concerto

Poets in the Park teen poetry slam May 8
An event that is more than words, the 7th annual Poets in the Park brings a growing urban art form—spoken word—to a unique space—the Theater in the Woods. Poets features a teen spoken word competition and special performances by the New Heist breakdance crew, and spoken word artists Cynthia French (National Slam Champion) and Rob Martin. The event takes place on Saturday, May 8 at 2:00pm and is free and open to all ages. Teens ages 13-19 are invited to perform and compete for $150 in cash prizes sponsored by PCU and can register to compete from 1:30-2pm at the event. In the event of rain, Poets will be held at the Eagan Community Center. Visit the Poets in the Park for details.

Poets in the Park was borne out of the need for an expressive literary opportunity for teens which formed a collaboration between Caponi Art Park and the School of Environmental Studies. For their senior project, high school students Chella Jagaraj and Matt Potter are learning firsthand how to promote and run a community event for their peers. The Art Park facilitates the students through the marketing process and provides a venue for the program.

Voice from the Mountains

I owe less to words than to the flavor of their voice.
I owe to the songs I heard from the cradle.
I owe to the mountains the enclosed the narrow valley
where peasants worked the fields and sheep kept the lawns,
where children played and picked mushrooms.
I owe to the unspoken philosophy
that connects mind to the working hands
and regards the sweat of labor as the seasoning of the soul.
"The steeper the slope the less I need to stoop,"
said grandfather, as he planted potatoes one at a time
on the lower slopes of a mountain.
Pride and self-respect
showed in the manner he flung his sweat
from his brow to the ground with a sideswiping of his hand.
excerpt from Voice from the Mountains by Anthony Caponi

Newly released in paperback, Voice from the Mountains transports readers back 90 years to a boyhood in Pretare, Italy, a small, remote village in the Apennine Mountains. “A place lost in time,” life in Pretare was bound by medieval traditions, the power of religion and Mussolini’s emerging fascist ideals. Caponi recounts how, at the age of 15, he emigrated to the United States and began a new life in the vastly different world of Akron, Ohio. With the outbreak of World War II, he found his new American identity at odds with his devotion to his homeland—a condition that intensified when he returned to Italy as an American soldier and an enemy of relatives and friends. Voice from the Mountains combines history, family values and philosophy into a message important for our time.

Voice from the Mountains is published locally by Nodin Press www.nodinpress.com and is available for purchase at www.voicefromthemountains.com, Caponi Art Park and local book stores.

Upcoming Events:

Poets in the Park:
Teen Poetry Slam
Saturday, May 8 // 2:00pm
in the Theater in the Woods
Free and open to all ages
Features a teen spoken word competition with $150 in cash prizes and special performances by the New Heist breakdance crew, and spoken word artists Cynthia French and Rob Martin.
Sponsored by PCU

2010 Online Photo Contest
May 1 - October 10, 2010
$250 in cash prizes will be awarded to adult and youth categories.
Sponsored by:
Legacy Creative Images

Volunteer Orientation:
Sunday, May 16 // 1:00pm
in the Sculpture Garden
Learn about the Art Park and volunteer opportunities this season.
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Bring a food donation for Eagan’s 150th Anniversary Food Drive to any of Caponi Art Park’s 2010 season events. Food collected will be donated to the Eagan Resource Center to serve those in need.

For a complete list of events and program details, visit our website.
Subscribe to our google events calendar.

Thank You 2010
Season Sponsors!

Businesses interested in sponsoring Caponi Art Park's 2010 season should contact Heather Westerlund at 651.454.9412.

WCCO's "Finding Minnesota"
If you missed this TV segment that aired in April featuring the Art Park with anchor Angela Davis and Tony Caponi, you can view it at Finding Minnesota.

Volunteer Opportunities

2010 Volunteer Orientation // May 16 @ 1:00pm
Interested in volunteering this season? Please come to this informal volunteer event to learn about Caponi Art Park and volunteer opportunities, meet other volunteers and take a short guided tour of the grounds. Please RSVP at volunteer (at) caponiartpark.org
To submit interest in a volunteer opportunity visit our Volunteer page.

Park Hours:
We'll reopen May 1st
9:00am - 7:00pm (seasonal close time)
Tuesday - Sunday (closed Monday)
May - October

Open to the public free of charge. Donations are appreciated to help maintain the park & provide programs.

1220 Diffley Road
Eagan, MN 55123

Tel 651.454.9412
info@caponiartpark.org
www.caponiartpark.org

Newsletters are sent out 1-2 times a month. An email notification will be sent in the event of last-minute program changes and cancellations due to weather or unforeseen circumstance.