With multi-platinum  selling bands such as Silverchair and The Screaming Jets born and bred in the city it makes sense that that an organisation that prides itself on “giving back to the community that supports it” does so in the most appropriate manner.

Check 1 2 3 4  and enter stage left former Screaming Jets Drummer and local music identity Craig “Rosie” Rosevear  (and bonafide member of the Twitterati: @schoolofrock) with his performance based music school Rosie’s School of Rock. “We were pretty curious when we saw the School of Rock sign go up just across the road” says  King St.

McDonald’s restaurant manager Luke Dippel “so we invited the kids from the school to perform for McHappy Day and it was fantastic !!  We could see the potential in the School and what it could do for the kids of the region and we wanted to be part of something that was so positive and uplifting in their lives, it was like Food for the Soul !!”

So come Monday 23^rd March one lucky student from Rosie’s School of Rock will be awarded the “King St. McDonalds Rock On Scholarship” and will receive a full years tuition paid for by McDonalds. “The relationship we have with King St McDonalds is  a cool thing for both parties” says School of Rock Principal Craig “Rosie” Rosevear. The King St Restaurant provides a great venue for the kids of the School to perform at throughout the year and the kids get a great feeling when they not only get to Rock Out onstage but they know that other kids will benefit when proceeds from these events go to Ronald McDonald House. I think the kids helping kids thing is way cool !!”

The kid’s of Rosie’s School of Rock will team up with the staff of King St McDonalds and provide  “more food for the soul” when they  go to Ronald McDonald House Hunter Region on Tuesday 14^th April 6.30pm.

The kids from the School of Rock will perform for the young patients and their families who live at the house and the staff of the King St store will cook dinner for all. Rosevear, an avid twitter user (@schoolofrock) will give regular Twitter and Twitpic updates from the event as well as post Twiddeo: hashtag from this event will be *food for the soul*. “I think it’s such a great opportunity for the kids from Rosie’s School of Rock to connect personally with the kid’s living at Ronald McDonald house and maybe take their minds off things with a dose of Rock and Roll we can take this connection even further by using the social networking power of Twitter, Twitpic and Twiddeo. We’re going to use the positive vibes of the twitterati and broadcast this event from Newcastle to the World”

So don’t be surprised when one day you’ order your   McDonalds and you’re asked “Would you like a Tweet with that ? “

Q. What do a Neo Fauvist artist and a Rockstar have in common ?

A. The Archibald Prize

No, this is not some attempt at highbrow humour but the latest project for Hunter Valley based artist Peter Sesselmann. The Archibald Prize is regarded as the most important portraiture prize and is  the most prominent of all arts prizes in Australia. The Archibald is unique in that the subject should be considered to be someone “distinguished in art, science or politics”. So what subject would be best to compliment an artist such as Peter who is known for his loud vivid  colourful  style ?

Well someone with a loud, vivid style of their own; enter local music identity Craig “Rosie” Rosevear. Best known as the driving beat behind the legendary Screaming Jets and now the Principal of the successful Rosie’s School of Rock the pair met when Peter and his wife Anita (talented musicians of their own right) enrolled his children Brie and Miles into Rosie’s music school. “I wanted to create a painting with volume and energy” says Peter, anyone who has met  Rosie knows that he is volume and energy on two legs”.

The painting process ,which took place in Sesselmann’s impressive Sawyers Gully studio / gallery (located in the Hunter Valley Vineyards) was also characterized by an appropriate soundtrack to such a loud and energetic painting. “Rosie brought in a CD of AC/DC Live in Paris to play while he sat and I painted, when we got through with that I put on one of my favourites “Santana” says Sesselmann.

“You can hear the “Rock” in the painting “says Rosevear. Besides capturing Rosevear’s energy on canvas, Sesselmann, who has previously placed in the prestigious Amnesty International “Freedom” Art Awards, cleverly combined Rosie’s past and present callings by combining his Rock and Roll  pastime with his passion for mentoring the next generation of Rock Musicians via Rosie’s School of Rock, in fact Peter claims that Rosie is the ultimate  “Rock and Role Model”.

Artist Margaret Olley has announced she will purchase three paintings by artist Robert Barnes for the Newcastle Region Art Gallery collection.

On Wednesday night Robert Barnes along with Margaret Olley and Barry Pierce, Head Curator of Australian Art at the Art Gallery of NSW, spoke to a crowded gallery of art enthusiasts.

Art Gallery Director RON RAMSEY says the evening was a great success and the paintings chosen by Margaret Olley for the gallery are a well suited as they provide a wonderful parallel to Newcastle’s industrial history.

"Robert Barnes’ industrial interiors, produced using luscious, thickly applied oil paint, resonate with Newcastle’s past. In 2006 he created this suite of paintings depicting the Inveresk Blacksmith’s Shop at Launceston in Tasmania. The former railway Blacksmith workshops are no longer used, the building today forms part of the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery."

"Barnes prefers to paint directly from life, his densely textured surfaces trapping the energy of the subject or site in question. In this body of work he has reanimated the site with the addition of workers and the sensory evocation of industry in action. His prose exhibited with each painting continues his quest to link the past through to the present."

Margaret Olley, a former resident of Newcastle and a generous benefactor to the Gallery over many years was keen to know about the Gallery’s redevelopment program. She said the paintings, valued around $50,000 “are an early birthday present to the gallery”. She also added that she liked to give back to Newcastle because the city had been very good to her and that is what you do to show your appreciation.

The exhibition of Barnes’ work opened in late February and closes on 27 April. When the exhibition finishes in Newcastle and it will travel to Wollongong where it will be on display at the Wollongong City Art Gallery from early June to mid July 2008.

Dust off your tap shoes, top hat and tuxedo… unpack your sequin gown and get ready to tread the boards again!

25 lucky vaudevillians will have the opportunity to work with Ross Brown and Dave Baker to develop two performances as part of the Newcastle Live Sites Street Performers’ Festival!

Ross trained in the US in the Le Coq tradition encompassing commedia dell’arte, mask and circus. Director of Haunted House, Steel City Circus and countless community arts projects, Ross has also taught Drama for the University of Newcastle.

David is a well-known and respected musician who has performed with countless ensembles over the years. A singer, guitarist and banjo virtuoso, David also wrote and directed The Speakeasy and Funny Valentine cabaret shows.

All workshops are FREE!

Development workshops: April 7, 8, and 9 – 9:00am to 5:00pm
Location: New Erecting Shop, Honeysuckle Workshops, Merewether St, Honeysuckle

Performances: April 10 and 11- bumpin 11:30am – bumpout 2:00pm
Location: The Mall, Footbridge, King St, Newcastle

See our website for more details www.livesites.org.au

For a booking form please contact:
Phone: 4929 4000 or E-mail: daniel@livesites.org.au

An exhibition featuring works bestowed by one of the Newcastle Region Art Gallery’s most generous benefactors, William Bowmore AO, OBE, will be on display at the Gallery from today. The exhibition will culminate in a tribute to Dr Bowmore on Monday 7 April at 11.30am.

Gallery Director RON RAMSEY says Dr Bowmore’s contribution to the arts in Newcastle has been significant, with more than $7million of paintings, sculptures and drawings added to the gallery’s collection over several years.

"A number of key works of art were generously donated by the late William Bowmore including the Gallery’s major icon Summer at Carcoar by Brett Whiteley. These works together form an eclectic but dynamic exhibition."

Dr Bowmore was a supporter of all the arts and his generosity extended beyond the Art Gallery.

“As part of the tribute a cello ensemble from the Conservatorium will perform. One of the cellists in the ensemble is a recipient of a scholarship made possible by a generous donation from Dr Bowmore.”

Some of gifts to the Newcastle Region Art Gallery include works by Australian artists Sidney Nolan, William Dobell, Conrad Martens, international artists Auguste Rodin, Max Ernst and Jacob Epstein as well as ceramics by Japan’s major artists including Shoji Hamada. These and others will be featured in the exhibition.

William Bowmore: A Tribute

On exhibition from today.

Memorial event: 11.30am, Monday 7 April 2008

Newcastle Region Art Gallery

An original double bill titled ‘Rural Reflections’ will premier at the Civic Playhouse from Wednesday 29 August. Produced by local resident Anne Frost’s award winning theatre company Shakespeare et al, these plays reflect the influence, good and bad, past and present of growing up in the country and should appeal to many people.

The double bill features two one act plays, ‘Grace’ and ‘Lost Property’, both set in Stroud, the picturesque small country town north of Newcastle which was once a thriving milk producing area. The production has been written, directed, and produced by the Stroud born and bred resident Anne Frost.

Civic Precinct Manager DANIEL BALLANTYNE says Rural Reflections is an important expression of the Hunter’s history, exploring themes of rural existence, charity, gratitude and inheritance.

"I think strong local content rightly deserves a place in our annual subscription season Inspirations 2007 and I hope local audiences make a point to come along and see it.”

‘Grace’ is based on Anne’s mother, a long-standing Stroud resident who reminisces about her life. The play shows this gentle character creating rugs from second hand material. Then we watch the varied and fascinating stories of the recipients of these rugs, distributed around the world. As we are able to see the links between so many different characters, the play demonstrates the interconnectedness of human life through the act of charity. ‘Lost Property’ is a drama about the division of a family farm. There is humour, warmth and sadness in this rural story which deals with the notion of material and emotional inheritance.

This is an opportunity to experience uplifting, original professional theatre proudly produced by local practitioners. Rural Reflections is to be performed at the Newcastle Civic Playhouse from 29 August.

The Sunday 2 September matinee is a fundraiser for the charity ‘Wrapped With Love’. This charity makes blankets which are distributed around the world to wrap around anyone who is cold. Audience members are encouraged to bring blankets – old and new – to any performances for donation to the charity.

Developed by local business women, Jaime Turney and Michelle Williams, The Jaffa Group has introduced a new and innovative way for women to be entertained.

The decision to create Raw Jaffa came from their own experiences in trying to find a place that offered a fun yet sophisticated alternative. The Raw Jaffa concept, although not new to many parts of the world and now in Sydney and Melbourne, is the first of its type in the region.

Raw Jaffa is a place for a group of women to work with resident artists to learn the finer points of sketching ‘in live’. The group is then taught in a two and a half hour session to sketch a naked male through a series of poses.

Raw Jaffa will be a new offering for the pre-bridal celebration market, birthday parties and social gatherings. Raw Jaffa will be available to the public from Friday evenings through to Sunday evenings each week.

During the week the space will provide on-demand meeting spaces, office and boardroom facilities. Jaffa Space provides flexible and cost effective office space that is supported by 24 hours a day, 7 days a week technical support. The Space is available for long, short term and one-off hire and use.

At the launch which attracted some 50 local business people Michelle Williams said that the duo wanted to create a space that was different but still in a place that was well supported by other essential businesses.

‘We were keen to work closely with other quality businesses in the catering and hospitality industry so that we could provide our clients with a complete, yet memorable experience not only during, but before or after their Raw Jaffa experience. The Newcastle CBD offered plenty – as well as a myriad of specialist business support organisations for the Space tenants,’ she said.

Jaime Turney said that the decision to create Jaffa Space was two-fold.

‘We needed a way of using the space during the week but our research also told us that providing a flexible office and meeting venue for local and travelling business people was a viable option for the CBD,’ she said.

The Jaffa Group has employed seven part-time staff – three artist and four models.

For information: Michelle Williams 0412 695 526

The Newcastle Regional Art Gallery in New South Wales’ Hunter region has had its operating budget reinstated, but the city council may have to tighten its purse strings to meet the cost.

Residents packed the council chambers last night concerned about a recent decision to cut $200,000 from the gallery’s annual budget.

But councillors last night agreed to reinstate the funding.

Newcastle Lord Mayor John Tate says council now has to work out how to find the extra money.

"We’ll find it through efficiency gains. In the budget management plan for the coming financial year we gave a clear indication that we would be striving for improved efficiency gains, that’s an ongoing program and out of that I expect we can fund it," he said.