Wayne-O-Rama
is open through Sept. 30, 2017! Designed by
Emmy-winning artist Wayne White, it's a funhouse of Chattanooga history
for all ages. Wayne-O-Rama is sponsored by See Rock City, Inc. and
presented by The Shaking Ray Levi Society at the Tenn Arts space, with
generous support from the Benwood Foundation, the Footprint Foundation,
the Lyndhurst Foundation and the McKenzie Foundation.
Founded in 1986, the
Shaking Ray Levi Society is a volunteer-run, 501(c)(3) non-profit arts
education organization.
Make a
tax-deductible donation to the SRLS using PayPal:
100%
of your donation goes directly toward our outreach and
project work.
The mission of the Shaking Ray Levi Society is to nurture and support
music, film, and performance art that is challenging, non-traditional,
and falls outside the mainstream, in order to help nourish the cultural
growth of Chattanooga.
This is done by sponsoring shows by artists recognized on a national and
international level, supporting original work by area musicians and
filmmakers, and engaging the community through workshops and educational
outreach programs.
"Only in our country are our children not receiving the benefits of the
dynamic energies taking place in our culture and in the heritage of our
culture and so, the work of the Shaking Ray Levi Society in my
opinion is very important because they are seeking to provide
an alternative to the marketplace dynamics." - composer, saxophonist and
MacArthur fellowship recipient Anthony Braxton (video)
"SRLS is a very sound organization that has made a strong contribution
to Chattanooga over the years" - Dr.
Thomas Wolf, WolfBrown
Wayne-O-Rama
is closing on September
30, 2017!
Chattanooga's history funhouse,
designed by Emmy-winning artist
and Chattanooga native Wayne
White and presented
by the Shaking Ray Levi Society,
is located at 1800
Rossville Ave, #108 and is
open Wed through Sun, 11 am to 6
pm.
"Billy
Goats Gruff & Other Stuff" Puppet Show
Sunday,
September 17, 2017, 6:30 pm (doors 6:00 pm) Wayne-O-Rama 1800
Rossville Ave., #108
Chattanooga, TN 37408
Free admission, limited seating (kids are
welcome to bring a floor mat)
In
this one-man performance utilizing
hand, rod, and glove puppets,
David Stephens (All
Hands Productions) retells
classic fairy tales as well as
telling a few of his own original
tales. You'll see what happens
when three billy goats try to
cross over a bridge belonging to a
greedy troll in "The Three Billy
Goats Gruff." Parker Pig
encounters some good luck when he
stumbles over a watering can in a
retelling of "The Three Little
Pigs." One of Stephens' original
stories, "The Two Farmers,"
involves Farmer Frick and Farmer
Frack and how they learn to work
together to make a pot of stew.
All this, plus the antics of some
silly chickens, in "Billy Goats
Gruff and Other Stuff."
Originally developed in 2001, this
show has entertained both children
and their parents since that time.
The Center for Puppetry Arts
hosted an 8-week run of over 100
virtually sold-out performances of
this production in 2002. Since
then, the Center has hosted two
equally successful revivals in
2004 and 2007. In 2005, this show
was honored by receiving a
Citation of Excellence from
UNIMA-USA (Union Internationale de
la Marionette): the equivalent of
an Academy Award in the puppetry
world.
The Shaking Ray Levi Society celebrates thirty
years of extraordinary and
challenging music and art in Chattanooga and
beyond.
It is with our deepest sorrow at the Shaking Ray
Levi Society that we have learned of the passing
of Rev. Terry Fugate on February 13, 2015, who was
the first treasurer of the Shaking Ray Levi
Society and a co-founder.
We will have strong memories of Terry's infinite
kindness, great musical talents, intelligence and
rare insight. Terry is a former pastor of St.
James Lutheran Church in Brunswick, Georgia and an
early member of the Shaking Ray Levis performing
group.
The
Shaking Ray Levi Society is greatly saddened by
the loss of Julian Ray Norwood on February 16,
2014, who was a co-founder and the first
president of The Shaking Ray Levi Society.
Julian will be remembered for his remarkable
energy and passion for the arts, generosity, and
persistence to challenge the SRLS and others in
meaningful, illuminating ways.
Funeral
Service for Julian Norwood
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Visitation: 12 PM
Service: 1 PM Shawn
Chapman Funeral Home
2362 Highway 76
Chatsworth, GA 30705
The work of the
Shaking Ray Levi Society was praised in the latest VSA TN (Very Special
Arts) newsletter:
"VSA Tennessee teaching artist, Bob
Stagner, recently completed an artist
residency at the Dawn School in Chattanooga
involving studying the relationship between music
and architecture. In this residency, the students
first had to comprehend two art forms, then begin to
understand advanced concepts for sound formation and
structures, and build a vocabulary with a variety of
percussion instruments. The students worked in
groups with electronic devises and building models
as well as with a variety of percussion instruments.
The stories below are shared by the teaching artist
with the permission of the students and their
families:
Adeline is a 6th grader at Dawn School with severe
depression and learning disabilities. She’s a
delicate, soft spoken young lady who rarely talks
above a whisper and remains part of the woodwork in
most classes. Our workshop included architectural
city shapes and their sound wave counterparts.
Adeline created wave forms using two Moog
devices, one for constant sound, the other for tone
manipulation: vibrato, tempo, rate, pitch, and
frequency. The result was a dynamic shift in
her mood as she turned each dial to a new setting to
match our cityscape of over 15 models. Her smile
showed pure joy as she retained the concept and
gained control of understanding wave/sound shape and
an architectural shape.
Victor is 6th grader at Dawn School with Autism. His
speech therapist felt our project would be ideal to
encourage speech. After our 1st week, it was clear
he would retain the exercises and gain confidence.
Victor’s mother has remarked how excited her son was
to be a valued group member. He has also shown more
focus with tasks/lessons at home. Victor seemed very
proud of new skills and has proved to be a strong
class leader.
Funding provided by a grant through the VSA offices
of the John F Kennedy Center for the Arts and the
Tennessee Department of Education."
We at
the Shaking Ray Levi Society are deeply saddened
by the passing of Dennis Palmer, SRLS co-founder
and artistic director for over 26 years, on
February 15, 2013.
Chattanooga native Dennis Palmer, 55, was a
beloved musician, visual artist, storyteller,
educator, mentor, and devoted friend of many.
A singular vocalist and nontraditional musician,
called "the world's most colorfully inventive
synthesizer player" by Creative Loafing, he
co-founded the acclaimed free improvisation group
The Shaking Ray Levis with drummer Bob Stagner in
1986, which was the first American band to record
an album for the legendary British label Incus
Records. Palmer has performed internationally with
collaborators including Derek Bailey, Steve
Beresford, Reverend Howard Finster, David
Greenberger, Col. Bruce Hampton, Shelley Hirsch,
Frank Pahl, Roger Turner, and Davey Williams.
As a visual artist, Palmer has exhibited his
paintings, silk-screened prints, and other
unconventional artwork both locally and
internationally in cities including London and Los
Angeles, and he has designed many CD and record
covers.
A leader in the arts community, Palmer promoted
the ideas of improvisation and creativity in
thought, performance, and visual art to students
of all ages through his work with the Shaking Ray
Levi Society and developed outreach programs for
under-served populations including students with
developmental, emotional, or physical
disabilities. Palmer served as President of The
Association for Visual Arts (AVA) and on the board
of directors for Mark Making, and he taught art in
Hamilton County schools.
When teaching children, Dennis would ask them
about the last time they had a good feeling.
In his own words: "Clap your hands once and put
your hands over your heart and give that good
feeling to yourself. Next is to clap your hands
again and sound off and give that feeling to
everybody within the room. The third thing is to
clap your hands, sound off and give that feeling
out off to the whole universe."
Dennis was an inspiration for many and a strong
advocate of "living in the moment" and "doing the
highest good for all" in the community and beyond.
The
Shaking Ray Levis are featured in the latest
issue of Signal
to Noise magazine (issue #64, Fall
2012), gracing the cover
(photography by Bob Wright) and interviewed by
Chad Radford in a fascinating and provocative
article.
