Arts

The Chelsea International Fine Art Competition

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The Chelsea International Fine Art Competition has been supporting and benefiting the works of talented artists from around the world for 29 years. The prizes awarded to selected artists are designed to help these artists gain valuable exposure and advance their careers in the art world.

“Winning the competition allowed me to feel more confident in my work, and increased my exposure in the art world. I have nothing but praise for the competition staff and the staff at Agora Gallery. It was the best experience I’ve ever had in any gallery. I would love to enter again and have recommended the competition to many artists.” – Ed Moret – selected artist, 2013.

The competition awards include:

– Participation in an exhibition at Agora Gallery, located in New York’s famous art district, Chelsea.
– Cash Prizes
– Internet Promotion on ARTmine.com
– Valuable promotional packages by Everything for Artists (E4A.com)
– Art critic review to be published in contemporary art magazine, ARTisSpectrum

The competition juror this year is Mr. Carlo McCormick, one of New York’s noted culture critics and curators. He has written many books and catalogs on the subject of contemporary art and artists, and he lectures and teaches extensively at universities and colleges across the country.

The Chelsea International Fine Art Competition is sponsored by Agora Gallery and Everything for Artists, and partnered with The Children’s Heart Foundation, funding research and support for victims of Congenital Heart Defects.

Important dates for the 29th Chelsea International Fine Arts Competition:

– February 11 2014 – Competition opens
– March 18, 2014 – Entry deadline
– April 9, 2014 – Results announced
– August 22nd through September 11th, 2014 – Exhibition for selected artists

“I have very good memories of New York, Agora Gallery, and the whole team. It was an unforgettable moment! Thank you again for everything you have given me, not only on a personal level but also benefiting my artistic career.” – Brigitte Garcia – selected artist, 2013

The competition is open to all artists over the age of 18 from all around the world. All media are accepted with the exception of video art, film, performance art, jewelry, and crafts. In past years, selected entries have been diverse in media, including photography, painting, sculpture, and digital work.

Entries can be completed entirely online. Please read the rules and regulations before submitting.

To find out more, please visit the competition website: http://www.agora-gallery.com/competition/

To make sure that you don’t miss out on this wonderful opportunity, sign up to the competition’s mailing list to receive reminders and notifications: http://www.agora-gallery.com/mailinglist/main.aspx

Buffets, Infusions Restaurant and The Okanagan College Culinary Arts Buffet, A Gourmet Dining Exper

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In eighteenth century France the modern day buffet was developed which soon spread across Europe. Serving a meal to oneself has a long and interesting history, and eventually this style of eating was converted to modern day buffets.

The second half of the nineteenth century, especially in the English speaking world, buffets became extremely popular for meals. Buffets are very popular with people today, because, it offers plenty of food variety at a reasonable price. People can create their own dishes with more meat, less vegetables and fewer side dishes, plus creating salads with appealing ingredients that they enjoy. Buffets offer people the opportunity to try new types of food that they would not order off a menu in a restaurant. Infusions Restaurant at the Okanagan College hosts many buffets every year, and the last “buffet” was held a week after their Okanagan Wine Festival Gourmet Dinner which attracted a sellout crowd of over 80 dining guests. Guests were treated to a “Five Course” gourmet dinner with special Okanagan Valley wines to accompany each course.

The Okanagan College Culinary Arts Buffet will be prepared with the special talents of the new, up and coming future chefs of your favorite restaurants, cruise ships, hotels, ski and golf resorts, all directed and instructed by World Class Chefs. The buffet will include fresh meats, poultry, seafood of all types, and of course Okanagan Valley fresh vegetables and fruits.

Infusions Restaurant and the Okanagan College Culinary Arts Bakery will have a spectacular dessert buffet for this special night with freshly made gourmet desserts, and with a delicious assortment of as many freshly made Pastries, Tortes, Cakes and Chocolate Confections as a person could possibly eat after the meal.

The Culinary Arts buffet will offer a HUGH selection of seafood and seafood platters, from Sushi Rolls, Dim Sum, Salmon, Halibut to Shark and Lobster. Dishes containing Gratin of Potatoes & Yams, many types of Pasta with Grilled and Glazed Vegetables, and of course the Roast Beef and Beef Tenderloin, and ALL for $15.95!

For people in Kelowna and the Okanagan Valley who want a “Spectacular Feast”, this buffet will take place on December 12, 2008 at Okanagan College’s Infusions Restaurant. Infusions Restaurant at the Okanagan College and the Okanagan College Culinary Arts program hosts many private gourmet dinners, private functions and private buffets every year for people, companies and organizations in all parts of the Okanagan Valley and beyond.

Join them on Friday at Okanagan College’s Infusions Restaurant for their Spectacular Friday Night Seafood & Prime Rib Buffet! The Chefs and Culinary Arts Student chefs will create special tantalizing items for this special December Buffet Extravaganza! Come in on Friday, December 12, 2008 from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm and enjoy a fine gourmet meal of your choice. Infusions Restaurant is located at 1000 KLO Road, in Kelowna. Fine Dining At Kelowna’s Best Kept Secret!

A very reasonable price for this gourmet buffet at $15.95. Call for reservations at Infusions Restaurant: 250-762-5445 ext. 4426. James Murray is a successful writer and online Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) expert providing valuable tips and advice for those interested in seo and sem strategies. His numerous articles found on the Internet, provide useful and factual seo and sem information and insight. Some of his websites are : http://www.seo-worldwide.net , http://www.atclickbank.com , http://www.website-submissions-worldwide.com

Things You Must Do For A Successful Martial Arts School

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There are three key actions you must take to achieve a successful martial arts business. Being a master of the arts is an enormous and impressive accomplishment, but to run a thriving dojo you must also be a master of the business of running a dojo.

This doesn’t mean you have to get your MBA, but it does mean that you must focus the business details along with the details of your art. The keys to having a successful martial arts business can be summarized with three main points:

* Getting new students

* Retaining your existing students

* Selling new products or services to your students (often referred to as “up selling”)

Getting New Students in the Door

Attracting new students to your dojo is all about marketing. This is how any business attracts new customers and that is what your students are – customers. Your dojo may showcase your martial arts skills, but your business office better be figuring out where and how to most efficiently spend those scarce marketing dollars.

Your target customers, meaning students, may be children or adults or both. Focus in on where your potential customers receive their information on recreational or educational activities. Possibilities could include schools, libraries, and community centers.

Once you know “where” your potential customers are, you can then decide on the “how”. Mailers, print advertising, posted flyers, free demonstrations – these can all be effective ways to get the word out about your school.

Retaining Existing Students Month After Month

That first month of martial arts is exciting for a new student. But once that student gets over the initial rush of a new activity, the student may become distracted, bored, or overwhelmed by the immensity of what they want to accomplish in the martial arts.

A successful martial arts teacher will pay attention to how to keep the students inspired and engaged. This can involve both the personal touch of one-on-one attention and encouragement along with varying drills and activities specifically designed for new students.

Structuring attainable goals and making sure your new students not only reach them but are recognized for reaching them is another important component of a student retention plan.

Selling New Products or Services to Your Students

Developing new products and services does not mean just thinking up ways to make more money for your martial arts business. The creative dojo master will regularly review his products and services to determine if there is a need that is not being met.

Do some students need private lessons for a more personalized learning experience or to prepare for advancement? Would printed learning material assist some students? Would T-shirts, sweatshirts, and equipment bags printed with the name and logo of your school inspire your students and market your business?

Will students benefit from a more advanced program? Which students show signs of becoming leaders in the school and thus be good candidates for your leadership programs?

A Business Master

Someone who has mastered the martial arts already has proven their commitment and passion to their art. The master of successful dojo is proof of their commitment and passion to their school and their students.

This master will always pay attention to the business aspects of his or her martial arts business as well as the art, both for their own financial benefit and also for the sake of their students. You must successfully recruit, retain, and meet the needs of your students if you are to achieve a successful martial arts business.

How To Put Out A Candle Using The Martial Arts!

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I can put out a candle with a martial arts power at about two feet now. This article is about the techniques I have been working with. I’m hoping other people out there will want to share their methods, and we can all start putting out candles from across the room.

Now, just to be clear, it is a trick, but there are benefits behind the trick. Mental concentration skyrockets, and you learn different things about how to use the body. The body and the mind are things that we have barely begun to understand.

First things first, there is a very cheap shot way of putting out a candle. If you flick the finger in front of the flame, the flick is enough to disrupt the oxygen and make the flame die. Try it, just hold the hand a few inches back of the candle, then flick the finger as if you are merely snapping the fingers, as if you are flicking off water, and do it on the flame.

Next, I worked on the fist stopping in front of the candle. While there is mental focus involved, this is still a simple rob the flame of oxygen trick. You are robbing oxygen, but it takes mental control of the body to make it work just right.

You have to stop the body precisely, exactly, and with no shake or shiver. This leads one to the conclusion that it is not muscle, but control of muscle, that is important. All those hours of standing in a horse stance in front of a candle do have their physical benefit, but it is the mental benefit that is most real.

When I put out a candle at two feet I use a tai chi stance called Brush Knee, and I work on shifting weight, turning hips, and using all parts of the body as one unit. The most important thing, the thing that showed me gradual and increasing success, was to take all the energy out of my strike. I do it karate style, and I used less force and more mental focus, I do it tai chi style, and my success comes when I can take almost all energy out of the body and move the body from outside.

Yeah, it takes me a while, but as I remove energy from my body, concentrate on not snapping muscle, but emptying frame, I tend to get a little back of my body. I’m not out, a floating, disembodied intelligence wafting through the universe, just a little removed, comfortably removed, seeing my body from a viewpoint a little behind my eyes. The patience and mental resources are quite pitched at this point, because I am trying to move a body without using muscle, except at the lightest points.

Now, there are still problems with what I am doing. In spite of the mental acuity involved, it doesn’t feel efficient. Also, there seems to be a limit, and I can’t get beyond about three feet. But at least there is some success, and time and patience and dedication will give me more.

Do Martial Arts Academies Need Sparring

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Sparring is something that all martial arts classes utilize. There are various combat sports, such as boxing and wrestling that use sparring as well. It is a very useful tool, aiding students become better by having their combatting techniques as well as additional skills they have studied. By practicing against other individuals, students learn the system quicker and become more accomplished at performing the methods rapidly as well as effectively.

If you are studying martial arts in a dojo, you ‘ll discover sparring to be extremely fantastic as well as useful to your instruction. The instructors are going to be overlooking proceedings as well as guiding students, making sure that no one becomes hurt. Students generally apply safety equipment, including headgear, to make certain the sparring session is safe throughout practice.

Depending on the talent level and the particular martial art class you are attending, you might end up sparring without protective gear. When students get to a sophisticated stage and are extremely skilled they will not normally want protective equipment. At this phase, their sparring abilities as well as approaches are such that they can easily go a few rounds by having more skilled students as well as not make any detrimental contact at all.

Martial arts such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, that focus on grappling, make substantial usage of sparring, as it is needed to correctly execute the procedures against a resisting opponent. Martial arts that focus mainly on grappling use joint locks as well as submission methods, which will certainly desire to be extensively practiced before they can be utilized effectively during a rivalry or in a self defense situation.

Throughout sparring, students go back as well as forth, remaining competitive with each additional and testing talents. Timing of the rounds will differ, although most last several minutes. Students will even obtain guidance as well as insight from their instructors to allow them recognize how they are doing and if they need to alter just about anything. This also provides instructors a prospect to see simply exactly how well you are progressing in instruction as well as what areas you want to function on.

In some cases, sparring can easily be done by yourself, without anybody else working by having you; shadow boxing! If you are sparring by yourself, you might utilize equipment such as punching bags, tackling dummies, or other forms of hardware that will certainly help you by having the martial art. The foam or rubber dummies are most frequently utilized by having grappling approaches or for ground as well as pound drilling, as they render the opponent that you are attempting to pummel into entry.

Sparring is an impressive much to practice the skills you have learned against hardware or other students. Students are fun to spar against, specifically if they are at a greater level of skill than you. You can easily use sparring to your benefit, studying what others do as well as how they react to the movements and approaches. The longer you spar as well as practice your moves – the better you will certainly get in the instruction, speed as well as the execution of the skills. Martial Arts classes are unfinished without this excellent instruction device.