Spokane Art School changes its colors

Here’s an update on the status of the Spokane Art School:

A buyer has offered the asking price (apparently in the vicinity of $1.1 million) for the building. If all goes according to plan, the deal will close around the end of April.

This will provide the organization with a enough equity to continue indefinitely – at least as a funding entity.

“In 100 years, someone in a room will be teaching art to a student because of this funding,” said Ann Glynn, the head of the school.

The Spokane Art School, although no longer a physical presence, will still be credited as the funding source.

That’s because one of the ideas for the future is this: The organization might partner with a regional nonprofit foundation which will manage and distribute Art School funds.

In other words, if you want to offer a class in glass-blowing, you would apply to the foundation, and receive the funds under the name of the Spokane Art School.

The advantage of this idea: It would give the organization the most flexibility to spread its funding out over the entire regional arts community.

Meanwhile, the school is selling off its fixtures and art supplies. A shell staff is still in the building and may remain there for up to seven months, on a month-by-month basis.

Glynn said the building’s sale has been “emotionally draining” for everyone.

A new art school?

Meanwhile, well-known local artist Kathleen Cavender has plans afoot to start up a new art school called the Cavender Academy of Visual Art.

Cavender said this is not a reaction to the Spokane Art School’s closure; she had the idea long before that announcement. In any case, CAVA would be an “alternative, not a replacement” for the Art School.

CAVA, if it becomes a reality, would have several major differences. It would be for students 16 and older only; it would have an emphasis on three- to four-day workshops, instead of classes spread out over months; and it would be a for-profit entity instead of a nonprofit. It also would include an art supply store.

The proposed location would be at 1016 W. Railroad Ave., No. 301, in the alleyway behind the Montvale Hotel.

A lead investor is already in place and Cavender is actively seeking other investors. Anyone interested in this idea can contact her at (509) 456-8250 or go to the informational meeting at the above address on April 16 at 7:30 p.m.

‘Gypsy Caravan’

The documentary “Gypsy Caravan” will air on KSPS-7 tonight at 10.

This film comes from Jasmine Dellal, who made the movie “American Gypsy: A Stranger in Everybody’s Land,” which featured Spokane’s Jimmy Marks.

This new film isn’t about the Marks family – it’s about five international Gypsy music groups, on a concert tour through the United States. Dellal compared it to a Roma version of “The Buena Vista Social Club.”

It has already won a number of film festival awards, including an Audience Award runner-up at the Spokane International Film Festival.

Hightower live

Jim Hightower, the highly entertaining political columnist and former Texas agricultural commissioner, will speak on April 28, 7 p.m., at the Lewis and Clark High School Auditorium, 521 W. Fourth Ave.

Hightower has been called “America’s funniest activist.” His latest book is “Swim Against the Current: Even a Dead Fish Can Go With the Flow.”

Tickets are $12 in advance through TicketsWest outlets (509-325-SEAT, 800-325-SEAT, www.ticketswest.com), or $15 at the door.

All proceeds benefit KYRS-FM (Thin Air Community Radio, 92.3 and 89.9).

‘The Syringa Tree’

A significant theatrical event will arrive at Whitworth University’s Cowles Auditorium on April 15 at 7 p.m.

Actress Gin Hammond will perform all 24 characters in “The Syringa Tree,” a play by Pamela Gien about growing up in South Africa in the 1960s.

Why significant? The play won the 2001 Obie Award for the Best Off-Broadway Play, and Hammond won the Helen Hayes Award for Best Actress for her performance in this show in Washington, D.C.

And, believe it or not, admission is free.

The ‘Deal’ deal

Here’s a reminder about that open casting call for NBC’s “Deal or No Deal,” on Tuesday from noon to 4 p.m. at the Northern Quest Casino in Airway Heights:

All you have to do is be in line before 4 p.m. and you are guaranteed an audition. You’ll need to fill out an application, which you can do in advance by downloading the form at www.KHQ.com. Or you can get one when you arrive.

Keep in mind that you will have plenty of company. As of Thursday, about 2,000 applications had already been downloaded.