Jack Straw award

Jack Straw Foundation

Jack Straw Productions is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization in Seattle, Washington devoted to audio arts. The organization sponsors annual Artist Residency Programs that are committed to helping Northwest artists gain studio time, gallery space, and exposure. Its full service recording studio and audio production facility support weekly radio shows along with workshops and educational programs.

Mission

The mission of Jack Straw Productions explains that “Jack Straw Productions exists to foster the communication of arts, ideas, and information to diverse audiences through audio media. We provide creation and production opportunities in audio media, including radio, theater, film, video, music, and literature. Dedicated to the production and presentation of all forms of audio art, Jack Straw Productions 1) produces high quality innovative audio presentations; 2) commissions independent artists of all disciplines to create sound and audio productions; 3) provides arts and technology education programs for youth and adults; 4) collaborates with arts and heritage organizations to integrate sound and music into their programs; and 5) presents audio productions through events, exhibits, radio, film and the internet.”

History

Community initiative started this organization in 1962 as the Jack Straw Foundation. Several educators, artists, and journalists wanted to develop one of the nation’s first non-commercial radio stations. They felt a radio station was an ideal setting for presenting to the public a broad range of information related to the sciences, arts, and public affairs.

The name of the foundation was chosen to reflect its interest in stories. Jack Straw (rebel leader) was a leader of the English Peasants' Revolt of 1381. As Straw moved through the countryside along with other peasants, he not only spent time “gathering followers [and] opening prisons… [but] telling stories.” The reference to Jack Straw’s character in Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales is also an intriguing connection.

From its earliest days the Jack Straw Foundation produced high-quality programs on its radio station KRAB. The success of the Jack Straw Foundation encouraged and aided the development of KBOO in Portland, Oregon, KSER-FM in Lynnwood, Washington, and KDNA in Granger, Washington. When the Seattle radio frequency KRAB was sold in 1984, the Foundation continued to be active with sound media. It moved into its current location on Roosevelt Way in Seattle in 1989 and has since developed its respected Artist Residency Programs.

Artist Programs

The Artist Support Program began in 1994 to assist artists of every genre working with the medium of sound. Through a competitive application process, up to eight artists are annually awarded 20 hours of studio recording and production time with a Jack Straw staff member. Matching awards are available for another eight to ten artists. Past artists have included musicians, composers, theatre sound designers, and film makers.

Jack Straw New Media Gallery is another resource that Jack Straw Productions provides to artists of various disciplines interested in working with audio art. Up to 3 artists are commissioned to produce works that incorporate sound and often digital technology. These creative efforts are exhibited for three months in a gallery space and are supplemented by a reception and events.

The Jack Straw Writers Program aids writers as they develop new strengths and artistic works. Every year a guest curator selects 12 recipients to learn about vocal recording techniques. A studio recording session along with live public readings are scheduled for each winner. Jack Straw Productions uses these recordings online, in a published anthology, and on radio shows. This program began in 1997 and has given more than 150 diverse Pacific Northwest writers an introduction to the recorded medium.

Education and Radio Outreach

A weekly radio show and educational programs allow Jack Straw Productions to reach out and introduce the general public to new perspectives towards sound. 2009 marks the 12th year of the hour-long radio show highlighting music and other audio arts. The show is broadcast every Saturday from midnight to 1 am (Western Time) on KEXP 90.30 FM and on the web.

Jack Straw Productions is committed to presenting kids with radio, music, and audio possibilities. Classroom presentations and in-studio programs encourage kids to convey their emotions as well as learn about technology. The educational programs culminate in final projects during which students create their own audio recordings and also meet Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements.

Recording Projects and Services

Along with these artist and educational outreach programs, Jack Straw Productions is dedicated to helping local arts and heritage organizations use recording technology to document their own stories and resources. Specific examples have included helping with the Lake Union and Portage Bay Oral History Project, Native American Stories of Washington, Korean Music Concert Series, and Beacon Library Neighborhood Writers efforts.

Recordings of several of their partnerships and copies of their Writers Anthologies are available for sale through the Jack Straw Productions store. Workshops provided by Jack Straw Productions familiarize the public with digital editing skills and the latest technology related to radio and TV productions. Registration is necessary. Jack Straw Productions has a recording studio and audio production facility that is available to rent by the hour. Equipment and recording services are available for pre-scheduled sessions.

Structure and Membership

An eight-member board of directors oversees Jack Straw Productions. Yearly membership dues for individuals are $35. Membership benefits included discounted rates on workshops and time in the studios. Jack Straw Productions is a unique resource for people interested in expanding their knowledge of audio arts or creating their own studio recordings.

Footnotes

References

1. ^ “About Jack Straw Productions,” Jack Straw Productions, http://www.jackstraw.org/main/about/index.shtml (accessed May 5, 2009).
2. “Who is Jack Straw?,” Jack Straw Productions, http://www.jackstraw.org/main/about/jack.shtml (accessed May 5, 2009).
3. “Sonarchy Radio,” Jack Straw Productions, http://www.jackstraw.org/studio/sonarchy/ (accessed on May 5, 2009).
4. “Education Programs,” Jack Straw Productions, http://www.jackstraw.org/programs/ed/index.shtml (accessed on April 27, 2009).
5. “Jack Straw Productions Special Projects,” Jack Straw Productions, http://www.jackstraw.org/programs/special/index.shtml (accessed on April 27, 2009).
6. “Jack Straw Productions Store,” Jack Straw Productions, http://www.jackstraw.org/main/store.shtml (accessed on May 5, 2009)..
7. “2009 Spring Audio Workshop Series,” Jack Straw Productions, http://www.jackstraw.org/programs/ed/adult/workshops_current.html (accessed on May 5, 2009).
8. “Studio Recording and Audio Production Services,” Jack Straw Productions, http://www.jackstraw.org/main/services.shtml (accessed on May 5, 2009).
9. “Support,” Jack Straw Productions, http://www.jackstraw.org/main/support.shtml (accessed May 5, 2009).

External links

Jack Straw Productions http://www.jackstraw.org/index.html

Retrieved from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Straw_Foundation