Adams State College Community Partnerships and students are bringing back the popular Recycle Fashion Show for the second year. Join us at 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, for the Fashion Show at the ASC Community Partnerships Building, located on the corner of Main St. and Edgemont Blvd, in Alamosa, Colo. The Fashion Show features Adams State students modeling outfits and accessories made of recycled or commonly discarded materials. Come enjoy the fun, creative fashion show.

The Recycle Fashion Show is a part of the Recycle Art Exhibit currently on exhibit in the ASC Community Partnership's gallery for the month of November, America Recycles Month. The gallery is open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Fashion Show will be paired with the exhibit's reception, from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13. The events are free and open to the public. For more information call 719.587.8227.

Back by popular demand, the Adams State College Community Partnerships Second Annual Recycle Art Exhibit and Fashion Show opens November 2, with a reception from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. and a Recycle Fashion Show at 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, in the ASC Community Partnerships Building, located on the corner of Main St. and Edgemont Blvd in Alamosa, Colo.

In conjunction with America Recycles Day, the Recycle Art Exhibit will feature work by artists and crafts people from around the San Luis Valley. The exhibit highlights the use of recycled, re-used, or re-purposed materials.

Adams State students will model outfits and accessories they, and community volunteers, made from recycled material, in the fashion show. The exhibit, reception, and fashion show are free and open to the public. The events are an opportunity to see how others have creatively made wearable or useful objects from recycled and discarded materials and, in the process, have reduced waste.

The exhibit continues through November 25. For more information, call Community Partnerships at 719.587.8227.

The Adams State College Community Partnerships workshop Art Biz: Your Art, your Business, your Future!, will be held from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec, 6 or Monday, Dec, 7 in the Adams State College Community Partnerships Building, located on the corner of Main and Edgemont Blvd in Alamosa, Colo.

The workshop is for artists and creative people who want to learn and explore a wide variety of business aspects related to art. Topics include pricing, realistic marketing strategies, sales, communication, business plans, and art-oriented cash flows.

Over 200 artists have taken ArtBiz workshops; attendees have said they found the workshop practical and inspiring. The workshop is an opportunity to share artwork with other artists while acquiring the skills needed to be successful in the art market. The instructor, Lee Nelson, has over 20 years of banking, finance, and marketing experience across the globe. He uses all those experiences to create an art-focused, interactive workshop for artists.

Participants can choose one of the two session times offered. The cost of the workshop is $90, including materials needed for the workshop. A fifty percent deposit, due by November 1, is required to reserve a space in the workshop. Email Dr. James Owens, at j.m.owens@hotmail.com, to register. For more information regarding the workshop, visit the website artbiz.biz.

The public is invited to learn more and discuss the situation with representatives from local government, public and higher education, and health care. The event is free and open to the public; refreshments will be served. Details are available by calling 587-7341.

Adams State President David Svaldi said, "It's likely Colorado will suffer even further drastic cuts to many services, not the least of which are education and health care. We want to help our community understand the impacts of these cuts."

Panelists for the forum will include Alamosa County Administrator Barry Shioshita, Alamosa City Manager Nathan Cherpeski, Alamosa School District Superintendent Robert Alejo, Trinidad State Junior College Interim President Felix Lopez, Adams State President David Svaldi, Adams State Vice President for Finance and Administration Bill Mansheim, Valleywide Health Systems CEO Marguerite Salazar, and San Luis Valley Regional Medical Center Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Henry Garvin.

Recently revised projections of state revenue indicate Colorado is short another $240 million in this year's budget, in addition to spending cuts Gov. Bill Ritter made in August, according to the "Denver Post" What's more, legislative economists predict a shortfall of $189 million in the 2010-11 budget year. The "Post" reported Colorado has lost 110,700 jobs since May 2008, a 4.7 percent loss. Also contributing to state revenue reductions is a drop in sales tax revenues by 8.2 percent from fiscal year ending June 2008 to June 2009.

This year's exhibit is scheduled for the month of November, opening November 2, in conjunction with America Recycles Month.

Artists may enter their work online at http://www.adams.edu/community/partnerships/artsculture/artsculture.php; or email asc_bsc@adams.edu, or call Mary Jo Martin at 719-587-8227. At least 90 percent of the artwork materials should consist of discarded, non-organic material. A digital photo, along with the entry form, should be submitted. If submitting a digital photo or a form is an issue, contact Mary Jo at 719-587-8227 to arrange an alternative plan. All work should be registered and dropped off at Community Partnerships by October 26.

Celebrating the Day of the Dead, the Adams State College Community Partnerships Gallery exhibit "Remembrance: Dia de los Muertos" opens October 1. The exhibit will feature memorials to lost loved ones of San Luis Valley families.

The Day of the Dead tradition, with roots in Mexico and Latin America, honors and celebrates deceased loved ones and is celebrated throughout the world. Along with the exhibit's reception a book signing for Grave Images of the San Luis Valley, by Kathy T. Hettinga, is from 4 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, in the ASC Community Partnerships Gallery, located on the corner of Main St. and Edgemont Blvd.

Gallery hours are 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information call 719-587-7230.

Adams State College Community Partnerships once again reaches out to current and potential solar installers, by hosting Sustainable Solutions, Inc., a workshop detailing the advanced mechanics of solar energy. Larry LeDue, Sustainable Solutions, Inc., will provide instruction on many facets of on- and off-grid photovoltaic systems, enlightening attendees on photovoltaic equipment, design, codes and regulations, and many other topics.

This workshop is a perfect fit for existing or future solar professionals and anyone seeking a greater understanding of solar energy. The workshop is from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, in the Adams State School of Business Building room 142, with a break for lunch. The cost of the workshop is $135 and carries 8 credit hours with the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NACEP), and 7.5 credit hours with the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association (CoSEIA), for those certified with either organization.

Sustainable Solutions, Inc. (www.ssiSolarEnergy.com) is a Parker and Como, Colorado-based provider and installer of renewable energy systems, equipment, and knowledge. LeDue, the workshop's instructor, has over three decades of experience in the energy industry, and lives in an off-grid home himself. He is currently an instructor and consultant at Arapahoe and Red Rocks Community Colleges, in addition to instructing at homeowners associations, schools and colleges, trade groups, and communities.

To register for this workshop, please call 719-836-4804, email doris@ssiSolarEnergy.com, or mail payment to Doris LeDue, PO Box 77, Como, CO 80432.

Adam State is one of only ten Hispanic-serving colleges and universities across the country sharing in nearly $6 million offered through HUD's Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities (HSIAC) Program. This is the fourth grant Adams State Community Partnerships has been awarded by HUD's Office of University Grants over the past decade, for a total of about $4 million, including leveraged and matching funds, Hoffman said.

Announcing the grant award, U.S. Congressman John Salazar said, "I am proud to have helped bring this funding to Adams State College. The HOPE program will be an innovative three dimensional program that will help our young people and the disabled community reach the American dream."

Mary Hoffman, executive director of ASC Community Partnerships, explained, "We'll be partnering with a variety of organizations to fulfill the goals of this program, including Vocational Rehabilitation, the EPA Regional Office, and community financial professionals." Community Partnerships works to connect college and grant resources with the community in order to increase the quality of life for all residents of the San Luis Valley.

"The HSIAC HUD Grant is indicative of the hard and real work Mary Hoffman has done both for ASC and the local community over the last few years," said Adams State President David Svaldi. "I am very pleased that current activities will continue in these hard budget times. Kudos to Mary and her staff!"

HOPE entails three separate, but related programs:

The Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities Program is one of several initiatives administered by HUD's Office of University Partnerships (OUP). Eligible colleges and universities must have a student enrollment that is at least 25 percent Hispanic. Adams State's student body is more than 29 percent Hispanic, with a total of 38 percent from diverse backgrounds.

Community Partnerships

Mi Tierra Natal (My Homeland) is the result of extensive academic investigation coupled with creative writing. Founder and director, Sandra Santa Cruz, introduced the Novela Project concept at Adams State College in August 2006. Santa Cruz led her students in research methods to understand the history at-large of the San Luis Valley, and the history in particular of the community of San Luis.

Students learned how to conduct interviews in preparation for engaging community residents in recorded interviews. As the course progressed, students were engaged in creative writing exercises and which were developed into a play script. Ultimately, this endeavor finds full expression on stage as an original, full-length theatre production. Mi Tierra Natal is the story of a fiercely proud and independent people who find their way of life constantly threatened by powerful outside interests.

The Novela Project strives to be an authentic cultural representation of the people of southern Colorado and northern New Mexico and does so by incorporating stories, language, folklore, customs, traditions, proverbs, music and dance. "The Novela Project brings the best of what is known as community theatre to the forefront by providing training in all aspects of theatre production, both on and off stage," Santa Cruz said.

Community members have the opportunity to participate in all aspects of the production as actors, set builders, stage crew, light and sound operators, designers and box office. While community members are not professional actors, they naturally embody the integrity of native language, speech patterns, gesture, movement and appearance, "qualities that are central to the performance," said Santa Cruz.

The performance will incorporate both Spanish and English languages so audience members are able to enjoy and understand the play via either or both languages. The goal of the Novela Project is to foster a greater sense of pride through increased understanding and appreciation of the community's history and cultural heritage,

Funding for this project comes from the Colorado Council on the Arts. The panel of reviewers raved about the merits of the Novela Project during the 2008-2009 grant competition and again, the Novela Project was given high marks and awarded a grant for its 2009-2010 project. Other support comes from ASC Community Partnerships, the San Luis Economic Development Council, the town of San Luis and the San Luis Museum and Cultural Center.

The Novela Project has already begun some preliminary research with members of the Del Norte community through the support of La Vereda Foundation and looks forward to a third project with an SLV community yet to be chosen.

Tickets are general admission and range from $5-$15. Seating is on a first-come, first serve basis. To purchase tickets, please call 719-587-8210 or purchase at the door one hour before curtain.

The Adams State College Novella Project art show, "Herencia", curated by Dana Maestas, is currently on exhibit in the ASC Community Partnerships, located on the Adams State campus, corner of Main St. and Edgemont Blvd., the show continues until July 17. The opening reception is from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. Friday, July 10. The reception is free and open to the public.

Maestas and her husband, artist Huberto Maestas, owners of Jacales Gallery, live in San Luis. Sandra Santa Cruz, Novella Project director, and her students have conducted research in San Luis and its surrounding villages over the past three years to learn first-hand about the community's "living history." Mary Hoffman, executive director of Community Partnerships, offered the newly remodeled gallery space as a way of highlighting the research.

"Herencia " is a mixed media, group show and artists include Carl Jaquez, Annie Troncoso, Huberto Maestas, Charles Ewing, Randy Pijoan, Bianca Maestas, Carlos Sandoval, Victor Vigil, Kent Anderson and Lynn Kircher.

Santa Cruz said "Herencia " is the Spanish word for heritage. "It is a fitting title for a beautiful show that represents the way the people of southern Costilla County view their homeland."

Gallery hours are 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Come enjoy refreshments, view the exhibit, and meet the artists. Also featured at the reception will be speaker Melissa Larson, long time recycling advocate from Taos, N.M. Larson will work with Community Partnerships and community members to create a "Waste Quilt," using cast off materials, which will be used for education throughout the San Luis Valley. Bring your friends and family and join us in adding your own creations to the quilt.

The art exhibit and opening reception will be located at the ASC Community Partnerships Building, located on the corner of Main and Edgemont Streets in Alamosa. The Climate Change Challenge Show continues through April 30, and coincides with Earth Day, on April 22. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information call 719-587-7230.

Learn more about energy efficiency for your home at these free workshops. It is an opportunity to be proactive about your home energy use and cost. Topics will include appliances, insulation, heating, water heaters, windows and lighting. Chris Dierker, Xcel Energy Market Manager and certified energy efficiency expert, will lead the presentations.

Topics covered in this course include passive and active solar, wind power, straw bale housing, energy and water conservation, adobe houses, and more. The class is open to both current Adams State students and community members. Adams State students may take the class for credit by registering through the college (CRN 10849). Community members may register for the class, non-credit, by contacting Karl Jolliff at 719-587-8209, or Karl Jolliff. Community members can either take the 8-class course as a whole for $275.00, or may take the classes individually. Individual courses will cost $35.00 for the lectures, or $60.00 for the hands-on lessons and home tours. Classes will be held every other Saturday, starting January 24, with the schedule as follows.

Sat, Jan 24-Green Homes & Passive Solar Design (Lecture)

Sat, Feb 7-Straw Bale & Energy Conservation (Hands-on)

Sat, Feb 21-Crestone Home Tour (Home Tour)

Sat, Mar 7-Solar Electricity & Water Heating, Wind Power (Lecture)

Sat, Mar 21-Healthy Building & Feng Shui (Lecture)

Sat, Apr 4-Adobe & Water Conservation (Hands-on)

Sat, Apr 18-Valley & Forbes Park Tour (Home Tour)

Sat, May 2-Back-up Heating, Passive Cooling, Retrofits (Lecture)

The course will be taught by Chuck Reel, owner of Natural Power, with Dr. Marty Jones, professor of chemistry, as faculty advisor and support. For more information or to register for the course contact Karl Jolliff, ASC Community Partnerships business support director, at 719-587-8209 or Karl Jolliff.

Are business concepts required to sell your art at odds with your creative nature? Do topics such as marketing, contracts, and legal matters overwhelm you? The "No More Starving Artists" workshop is geared towards assisting artists and helping them understand how to be successful. McConnell will cover topics such as developing a plan for success, copyrights and contracts, record keeping and taxes, and marketing in the touch economy. This intensive 16-hour course consists of two 8-hour sessions, giving participants a chance to reflect overnight and bring in specific questions during the second session, further enhancing the capacity for individual guidance. ASC Community Partnerships will invite all workshop students to exhibit their work at the first "No More Starving Artists" art show, to be held shortly after the workshop.

McConnell, a business consultant from Pueblo, has given art-oriented business workshops in the San Luis Valley since 1990. He has twenty-five years experience as a consultant and corporate trainer and has a successful photography career. His artistic work is currently represented by six galleries. In addition to his own work, he manages his wife's artistic career, which has been exhibited all over the world. He presents the "No More Starving Artists" workshop throughout Colorado.

The cost is $125 per participant and includes all program materials. The workshop will provide the framework for artists to become known locally, regionally, nationally and even internationally. Contact Mary Jo Martin, at 719-587-8227 to reserve a seat at this valuable workshop.

Throughout the first week of December, Karl Jolliff of Adams State College Community Partnerships, and John and Dorothy Brandt of the San Luis Valley Museum participated in the Association for Enterprise Opportunity's Regional Flavor gathering, held in Charleston, South Carolina.

Regional Flavor is a project dedicated to bringing the distinctive traits of small, rural regions to light, typically with a small business focus. Gatherings are held several times a year with representatives from selected regions, who then discuss matters related to the local economic climate and the unique traits of their region. The San Luis Valley is one of only six regions selected to take part in that project, and is represented by ASC Community Partnerships, as well as a number of community partners, organizations around the San Luis Valley that have interest in enhancing and supporting the distinct culture of the SLV.

At this event, which brought together business support professionals from various places around the country, best practices were shared. Attendees were then educated on the advantages of growing local small businesses, using social networking tools to get one's message out, and what types of programs see success in other small areas. The group discussed matters relating to rural policy and operating small, rural organizations, and was shown around the local businesses of Charleston.

ASC Community Partnerships and the SLV Museum promoted the San Luis Valley to this national audience during the event, while taking away best practices from similar organizations.

Eighteen contributors entered over two dozen items; all made from recycled or repurposed materials, for Adams State College's first annual Recycle Product Expo. The goal was to promote the creative and functional use of recycled and repurposed products within the San Luis Valley, and to inspire business ideas for products using materials typically discarded. Among the entries was a solar water heater made from plastic bottles and aluminum cans, decorative Christmas lights made from airplane plastic liquor bottles, beach bag crocheted from plastic grocery bags and candle stick holders assembled from various metal found objects.

In order to recognize the creative use of recycled material, Community Partnerships held two types of judging. Five community members, that included teachers, an economic developer, recycle professional and business owner, were invited to review the expo entries and choose their favorites based on use of material not easily recycled, aesthetic value and ease of replication for product development. In addition, visitors to the Expo were encouraged to cast their vote for "Viewer's Choice." Because of the high quality of submissions, judging was difficult.

The winners were Teresa Granada, who had made wreaths from wine corks and plastic caps, and a basket from bottlecaps; John Patterson, who had displayed various sculptures made from used farm materials; and Roger Schlagbaum, who created a jewelry box out of disassembled barn wood and construction leftovers. ASC Community Partnerships would like to congratulate all participants in the event for their creativity in developing potential products made from discarded material. For more information regarding next year's Recycle Product Expo, please call ASC Community Partnerships at 719-587-8227.

Six Adams State College students strutted their stuff in a recycled fashion show during ASC Community Partnerships' Recycle Product Expo. Inspired by Nancy Judd's Recycle Runway of Santa Fe, students from all majors designed dresses using old newspaper, bottle caps, magazines, unusable CDs, shredded paper and discarded plastic hay twine. The models included Adams State students, Georgia Anderson, Andrea Livingston, Dora Vigil, Cristine Preiss, Bethany Smith and Rachel Raguindin, who all say they have an interest in the environment and many of them are members of the EARTH campus group. EARTH's mission is to lower Adams State College's carbon footprint. St. Vincent de Paul, a second-hand store in Alamosa, donated used dresses that served as a foundation for their outfits. Sandy Ortega, A&J Solar and Mary Hoffman, ASC Community Partnerships assisted the students during multiple evening work sessions leading up to the event. Uriah Valdez, an ASC honors student, was the master of ceremony during this well attended event on America Recycle's Day on November 15.

In order to promote the practical and artistic use of recycled materials and to celebrate America Recycles Day, November 15, Adams State College Community Partnerships is hosting a Recycled Products Expo. The event will be open to the public from November 10 through 20, at the Community Outreach Center, the corner of Main Street and Edgemont Blvd., on the Adams State College Campus. Products made by creative people around the San Luis Valley and Taos Communities will be shown at the event, with some available for purchase. A very wide variety of products will be shown, but all will be composed of recycled material.

The expo will be open to the public during normal business hours, and all community members are invited to come and view such products as handbags made crocheted from plastic grocery bags, Retablos crafted from old classroom chairs, and wreaths made from repurposed cowboy boots. A reception for the Expo will be held from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, coinciding with America Recycles Day. A recycled materials fashion show will be held during the November 15 reception.

During the week leading up to National Recycle Day, ASC EARTH group will collect cans and bottles from trash receptacles around campus that could have been placed in recycle bins. EARTH will display those bottles and cans at the Student Union Building, First Street and Stadium Drive, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14, to demonstrate what material could have been easily recycled.

Come to Adams State campus to see recycled products available and to learn about the campus recycle collection program between November 10 and November 20. Call ASC Community Partnerships at 719-587-7372 for more information.

In order to promote the practical and creative use of recycled and repurposed materials and to celebrate America Recycles Day, Adams State College Community Partnerships is holding a Recycled Products Expo. The event will be free and open to the public during normal business hours from November 10 through November 20, and will be held at the Community Outreach Center (the corner of Main Street and Edgemont) on Adams State College Campus.

One of the contributors with the Recycled Products Expo is John Patterson of Farm Art. John is a fourth generation San Luis Valley resident and farmer who fulfills his creative side by crafting unique sculptures out of old, used tools and other components commonly used on his farm. Creating his art through a process he calls "playing Tinkertoys with a welder," John fully fits, welds, and paints each sculpture, forming a very creative sculpture. His art is very popular with children as well as adults, as it can safely be held and toyed with, facing little chance of damage. His sculptures encompass a variety of subjects, from down-to-earth tractors and golf-courses, to fantastic birds and dragons.

Come to the Recycle Product Expo reception, from noon until 2 p.m. Saturday, November 15, at ASC Community Partnerships (corner of Main & Edgemont Streets) to view a wide variety of products made from recycled material. Refreshments will be provided. For more information please call 719-587-8227.

Adams State College Community Partnerships staff and work study compiled and manned a booth at the first Colorado Entrepreneurship Marketplace, held at Otero Jr. College in La Junta, Colo., Friday, Oct. 10. This marketplace had two purposes, one to educate attendees on various subjects relating to operating their business, and the other to provide organizations with the opportunity to exhibit promotional material. ASC Community Partnerships had an exhibitor’s booth showcasing distinctive products and traits of the San Luis Valley. Products and material from Bristle Cone Pine Company, Intentional Beauty-EC Hanson, Farm Art by John Patterson, Shady Corner Delight, Colorado Gator Farm, Gaia Petals- Fused Glass Jewelry of Crestone, E.A.R.T.H. and White Mountain Farm were featured. The event was well attended by people from across the State of Colorado. For more information regarding ASC Community Partnerships events, please call 719-587-7372.