Resolana Music Festival: rave reviews

The Westside Music Festival sponsored by Resolana has become a community factor growing in significance in its second year. It got some rave reviews coming from a variety of sources, ranging from the Dallas sheriff’s newsletter to DFW art media.

Sheriff Lupe Valdez, a strong supporter of the program, was honorary chair of the festival and she delivered some inspiring remarks about the collaboration with Resolana. The good girl/bad girl dolls she made were displayed at the festival along those made by inmate programs director Yolanda Lara and Dallas County Commissioner Elba Garcia. Read the DCJ Sheriff’s newsletter for some insights on the event (page 5).

Art + Seek, a powerhouse among the online art media in the DFW, published an enthusiastic article about Resolana and the festival titled The Jailhouse Rocks with Art. Westside is now an art tradition to take into account that also does good!

 

Westside Music Festival, 2011, in images

Did you miss the second edition of the Westside Music Festival, organized by Resolana? Here are some images of the extravaganza.

The theme of the festival was Community. But the visual implied theme was Colors. Which is what is  absent in the lives of women in jail. And colors have such a powerful symbolism for many other things that they’ve been missing.

Even though deprived of colors, women in jail create them in the Resolana art classes – just like they create the pathways to their future lives in the rest of the program.

Some colorful good girl-bad girl dolls created by many members of the Resolana community and friends were offered at the silent auction.

Besides wonderful art, crafts and gift certificates by local businesses.

Artist Ivonne Acero live-painted during the festival a new piece dedicated to women in jail, to be auctioned off at the end of the festival.

Women in jail couldn’t attend, but they got messages written by festival guests especially for them.

Kids had fun! They had their faces painted, then painted adults’ faces, too, enjoyed hoops, a bounce house, storytelling and dance.

Adutls had fun, too!

They enjoyed some of the same activities designed for the women in jail, like yoga.

 

Soulful music and performances were the highlight of the afternoon.

Sheriff Valdez got an oversized thank-you card.

Executive director of Resolana Bette Buschow (wo)manned the information table.

Board President, Fran Tynan, and festival chair, Suzanne Enck-Wanzer, wrapped-up an inspiring event.

The festival’s net revenue to Resolana’s fundraising effort was more than $26,000, thanks to all who contributed through sponsorship, volunteering, silent auction and so many other ways. Thank you!

Westside Music Festival is this weekend!

Resolana‘s now annual Westside Music Festival is coming this weekend!

On Saturday, September 24, from noon to 6 pm, come and enjoy an exciting lineup of performers in genres ranging from smooth jazz to Latin and lounge.

Peruse the silent auction items, which, from dance classes to art, keepsake dolls and jewelry, offer something valuable to everyone – but most importantly, to the women in jail who will benefit from the proceeds.

The festival offers a wide array of activities for the whole family: professional storytellers, a bounce house, hoops and dollmaking.

It promises to be an exciting afternoon of fun and celebration. It brings us together for a great occasion to build a better community and break the cycle of women’s incarceration.

The address is 511 W. Commerce St, Dallas, 75208.  For tickets ($10 if purchased in advance, or $25 for a family pass), call: 214-233-6558 or email:  resolanamusic@gmail.com.

Westside Music Festival coming this fall

Did you miss Resolana’s first Westside Music Festival  last year? Fret not, but mark your calendars for September 24, 2011, noon to 6pm. Themed as a “Celebration of Community,” this year’s festival celebrates Resolana’s efforts to enable women to share most fully and productively with our greater community.

This family-friendly event will include a variety of musical talents, a silent auction featuring goods and services for all tastes and budgets, games and activities for kids of all ages, food and drink to sustain your dancing shoes, and fun, educational opportunities that mirror the classes Resolana hosts in the jail (yoga, rhythms, art projects). Full details will be coming to the Westside Festival website.

Here is a sneak peek of the upcoming festival.

Expect some great music! The confirmed participating artists are the amazing Mark McKenzie Quartet, a Dallas-based jazz group, and the Booker T. Washington Choir.

The auction items confirmed so far include a gift certificate for a portrait session with Parasol Photography, including a CD with images, as well as 2 Math tutoring sessions- from a local math tutor with 20+ years experience.

The address is 511 W. Commerce St, Dallas, 75208.  For tickets ($10 if purchased in advance), call: 214-233-6558 or email:  resolanamusic@gmail.com.

Suzanne Enck-Wanzer is serving as this year’s event chair and is looking for assistance in all areas of the festival (volunteers, sponsors, auction contributions, musical talent, promotions, etc.). Please contact Suzanne at resolanamusic@gmail.com to see how you can get involved with this year’s Westside Music Festival – A Celebration of Community!

Westside Music Festival in images

If you missed the Westside Music Festival, sponsored by Resolana, here it is in images.

Oh, the preparation! Cleaning the Lime Green Warehouse to welcome guests, Resolana volunteers and the community

But it's worth remembering why we did it - to get the word out on Resolana's work with women in jail, share our experiences and have fun.

Victoria Hicks, Resolana President, speaking at the opening of the Festival.

Dr. Elba Garcia, candidate for Dallas County Commissioner and honorary chair of the Festival, Fran Tynan, outgoing Resolana President and Bette Buschow, founder and executive director of Resolana, share a story.

Guests had the chance to experience some of the same activities that Resolana does with women in jail...

...for example. yoga...

...drums...

...doll making...

Artist Ivonne Acero, in collaboration with her sister, painted a Resolana-themed painting to be auctioned at the end of the festival.

... and guests had the chance to see how their painting was born from start to finish.

We enjoyed some great music...

...listened to Melinda Wood Allen's amazing performance...

...shared in the spirit of friendship...

... check out the items offered for the silent auction - proceeds to benefit the Resolana programming for women in jail...

...got some facepainting...

... and admired the finished painting...

... until it was time for the live auction.

What a great day for Resolana spirit!

Westside Music Festival: a thank you to all who contributed

To all of you who contributed to our first annual Westside Music Festival: THANK YOU!!!  THANK YOU!!!  THANK YOU!!!

What an absolutely FABULOUS event our Westside Music Festival turned out to be!!! The sun came out just in time to smile on our first set of music and everyone who showed up seemed to have a wonderful time. It was truly a memorable day.

And the Festival was more successful than our highest expectations! According to the preliminary tally, we should gross over $11,000!! That will certainly help Resolana make a difference in the lives of women at Dallas County Jail.

My deepest personal thanks to each of you who worked SO hard make this event happen!!  It was incredible to see everyone pooling together their time, talent, resources and dedication — power-washing the site, donating auction items, (wo)maning a booth, performing beautiful music, painting and taking pictures, finding sponsors, making signs, sending out press releases, selling tickets. There are far too many contributions and contributors to name. Even the women at the Jail made posters and said prayers that the event would be a success.  Special thanks to Fran Tynan, Erin Fincher, Suzanne Enck-Wanzer and the amazing Festival steering committee. You rock!

In case you missed it, the Oak Cliff People visited the jail a week before the festival and mentioned Resolana on their blog and did a wonderful story about Resolana that came out the day before the Festival.  Here is a scan of the article –photos are at http://www.oakcliffpeople.com/photo-gallery/ but there doesn’t seem to be a way to access the article itself online.   There is also a short video segment that features our amazing Resolana dance team:

Bette Buschow
Founder/Director
Resolana

Resolana’s Westside Music Festival Celebrates Community Based Support!

Westside Music Festival
September 25, 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm

PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Danna Pyke
Tel.: 214-357-9131 For Immediate Release
Cell Phone: 214-542-2137
Email: dannapyke@sbcglobal.net

Resolana’s Westside Music Festival Celebrates Community Based Support!

Local businesses and the Eugene McDermott Foundation are among the sponsors of a Westside event that promises to appeal to music lovers and families.

The Westside Music Festival will be held on Saturday, September 25 from 2pm to 6pm in a limegreen open-air warehouse at 300 Singleton Avenue on the west side of the Trinity River.

Included in the Festival performance lineup are Melinda Wood Allen, the Mark McKenzie Quartet and Castiel. A wide variety of activities that the entire family can enjoy are also planned for the event, which will benefit Resolana, a nonprofit that works with women who are incarcerated at Dallas County Jail.

Sponsors for the Westside Music Festival include the Eugene McDermott Foundation, Eletorre, Texas Capital CDC, a subsidiary of Texas Capital Bank, West Dallas Investments and Garcia Ibancovichi Dental.

“The McDermott Foundation has long supported the arts and educational programs in the Dallas area and we are proud to have the Foundation as a major sponsor,” said Fran Tynan, a Resolana
board member and chair of the event. “We are grateful to all organizations that support Resolana’s efforts to provide programming that will help incarcerated women turn their lives around.”

Randall White, President of Eletorre, a corporation which provides web-based public relations, says he envisions the Westside Music Festival becoming an exciting mainstay of the Dallas community’s
future. “The Trinity River Project has begun transforming West Dallas. Similarly, Resolana invites incarcerated women to transformation though arts and education. At Eletorre,” says Mr. White,” we
enjoy making and supporting these types of connections.”

Other area businesses have also made contributions to the event, including the Belmont Hotel, Smoke, Dallas Stage Right, JSS Jackpot, Emergency Ice, Titan Comics and Salon 2122.

Tickets for the Westside Music Festival can be purchased in advance for $10 per individual or $25 per family online at www.resolana.info or by calling 214-233-6558 or emailing Resolanamusic@gmail.com. At the door, tickets will be $15 per individual and $30 per family.

Press Release: Dr. Elba Garcia To Serve as Honorary Chair for Westside Festival

Contact: Danna Pyke
Tel.: 214-357-9131
Cell Phone: 214-542-2137
Email: dannapyke@sbcglobal.net

Dr. Elba Garcia To Serve as Honorary Chair for Westside Festival

Dr. Elba Garcia will serve as Honorary Chair for an exciting new event in Dallas’ Westside community.

Resolana, a local nonprofit, is celebrating the end of summer with its first annual Westside Music Festival.

Dr. Garcia’s involvement with the Festival reflects her commitment to reducing recidivism among incarcerated women. She is an enthusiastic advocate of programs, like Resolana’s program at Dallas County Jail, that work to help women break the cycle of incarceration.

Resolana builds a safe and challenging learning community behind the walls of the criminal justice system where women can use their time in custody to acquire skills and resources that will help them turn their lives around. Over 20 hours of programming are offered each week.

The Westside Music Festival will be held on Saturday, September 25 from 2pm to 6pm in a lime green warehouse at 300 Singleton Avenue on the west side of the Trinity River.

Fran Tynan, chair of the event, suggests that the setting for the festival is especially appropriate for an event benefiting an organization that helps women make a fresh start in life.

“It is located next to Dallas’s newest landmark, the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge,” says Tynan. “Scheduled to open in 2011, the bridge designed by Santiago Calatrava represents a crossing into a fresh new future.”

Included in the Festival performance lineup are Melinda Wood Allen, the Mark McKenzie Quartet, and more. Attendees can browse through a silent auction and participate in variety of activities that the entire family can enjoy.

Tickets can be purchased in advance for $10 per individual or $25 per family online at Resolana’s official website or by calling 214-233-6558 or emailing Resolanamusic@gmail.com. At the door, tickets will be $15 per individual and $30 per family.t door: $15 for individuals ~ $30 for the entire family

Westside Music Festival

WHAT: The Westside Music Festival benefiting Resolana. Enjoy an afternoon of live music, food and interactive activities for the entire family. Browse through a silent auction and participate in activities that replicate those done with inmates including Yoga, dance and doll making.

WHEN: Saturday, September 25 from 2pm to 6pm

WHERE: 300 Singleton Avenue in West Dallas
Just minutes from downtown, the First Annual Westside Music Festival will take place in this 40,000 square foot lime green warehouse overlooking the Trinity River on Singleton Avenue. Join us in Dallas’ Westside, this newly renovated area of Dallas which is located next to Dallas’ newest landmark, the Calatrava Bridge, scheduled to open in mid-2011. Be sure to look for Santiago Peña’s sculpture, Children under the Umbrella. We are located directly across the street.

WHO: Resolana is a non-profit agency dedicated to improving the lives of incarcerated women. Our mission is simple: to educate and empower incarcerated women.

Resolana builds a safe and challenging learning community behind the walls of the criminal justice system, where women can use their time in custody to acquire the skills, tools and resources for a positive reintegration into the lives of their families and communities.

BANDS: Melinda Wood Allen is a local recording artist. Other bands include the Mark McKenzie Quartet and more.

COMMITTEE: Chaired by Fran Tynan, this year’s event would not be possible without the hard work and dedication of many volunteers.

TICKETS: Call 214.233.6558, e-mail resolanamusic@gmail.com. Purchase your tickets in advance and save: $10 for individuals ~ $25 for the entire family. At the door: $15 for individuals ~ $30 for the entire family. Or mail checks to PO BOX 225175, DALLAS, TX 75222.