Austin Robbins, owner of Ceylon Studios, photo courtesy of Kristey Mascaro.

Austin Robbins, a 23-year-old photography business owner (Ceylon Studios) who grew up in Bloomsburg wasn’t convinced the location of a small town would produce enough profit to sustain his new business. “Main Street feels like it’s been dying off and I wanted to bring something back to the downtown area where people could just hang out and watch the interaction,” Robbins says.

His new location, Elizabethtown, Pa, is a college town similar to Bloomsburg. Although it doesn’t have as much foot traffic, the downtown shop owners hold monthly meetings with the agenda of improving the downtown area in hopes of trying to get people to interact more with their town and notice the local businesses. The primary goal of these meetings is to consider options to make positive influences and have a positive impact on the student life.

Though the effects of the recession have been particularly hard on artists, gallery owners and hopeful entrepreneurs, Robbins was determined to prevail in a time of economic dismay. Although his business seemed to pick up quickly, Robbins has recently discovered that many people would rather have a friend take their pictures, rather than spending the extra cost in a professional studio. The price of a SLR (single lens reflex) cameras has been dropping at an increasingly high rate, making it possible for most anyone to own one. “It’s risky in my opinion. Wedding pictures, senior pictures, they are things that only happen once in your life, and its an experience everyone should have. Pictures last forever. Memories are something you should always invest more in,” Robbins concluded.

The New York Foundation of the Arts recently conducted a statewide survey on how the recession is affecting artists and found that many have lost their jobs and are struggling to afford studio space and materials as well as covering their daily living expenses. To make matters worse, many artists have lost representation, as more galleries have tightened their belts or shut down altogether.

As galleries close and art nonprofits suffer from cutbacks in funding and the loss of support from private institutions, artists must look for new outlets and resources in order to sustain themselves. Many have discovered alternative options for showcasing their work and staying afloat financially.

While it is easy to focus on the negative, many artists are transforming their struggle into opportunity, proving tough times can also be a period of remarkable ingenuity. Funding Emerging Art with Sustainable Tactics (FEAST ), a reoccurring communal dinner in a church basement, is a means of democratically supporting emerging local artists. Open to the public, diners pay for their meal on a sliding scale and vote for one of the proposed artists projects, which is then funded by the proceeds from the dinner and presented at the next FEAST.

The economic downturn might not make profits any easier or sustainable for artists, but they continue to look ahead.

The Ten Tenors has grown into one of Australia’s best-known musical exports. Their live performances and recordings have earned praise from critics, and their 2006 album, “Here’s to the Heroes,” reached platinum status. The group’s most recent album, “Nostalgica,” was released in August 2008 and features well-known standards including “Mona Lisa,” “Moon River,” “Over the Rainbow” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” The Ten Tenors have performed for more than 77 million people and sold out shows in venues such as London’s Royal Albert Hall, the Sydney (Australia) Opera House and Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium.

Formed by a group of college friends constrained by the seriousness of their music school training, The Ten Tenors found greater pleasure in the art of entertainment than the art of opera. They honed their craft touring the vast Australian outback. Their “big break” came in 2002 when they were invited to perform at the German television event, connected to the Eurovision Song Contest; within hours, their German tour was sold out. European and Asian tours followed and in 2003 they made their U.S. debut. The Ten Tenors now perform about 250 shows on five continents each year.

General admission for the BU show is $29, and tickets can be purchased at the Haas Center box office Monday through Friday from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday’s box office hours are extended to 7 p.m. when school is in session; on performance days, box office hours are noon to 8 p.m.

For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the Haas box office at (570) 389-4409 or atwww.bloomu.edu/CAS.

According to Christine Sperling, chair of art and art history, NASAD accreditation “shows that the department meets certain standards in the programs we offer, with regard to the content of the programs, the experience of the faculty and safety in the art studio classrooms.”

The accreditation process began four years ago and included a self-study and an evaluation by NASAD representatives. Two of BU’s 11 art and art history faculty members, assistant professors Jason Godeke and Sue O’Donnell, learned of the accreditation firsthand while attending NASAD’s 65th annual meeting earlier this month in Pittsburgh.

Approximately 290 art and art design programs, ranging from liberal arts programs like BU’s to large, career-focused institutions, are accredited by NASAD through a peer review process.

“We are pleased to have the quality of our program recognized,” Sperling said. “This accreditation demonstrates to students and their families that we’ve been compared with other programs on a national level and have measured up quite nicely.”

Yamato combines theater and musical arts into a performance of tightly synchronized percussion and expressive solos. Members of Yamato view their performance, based on “wadaiko” or traditional-style Japanese drumming, as a celebration of life. Believing that the drumbeat is the pulse of life and the sound of the drums is the heartbeat of the performance, Yamato creates the energy of life which reaches out to encircle the audience.

Yamato, the Drummers of Japan, began with participation in a festival at Nara, known for many ancient monuments and considered to be the birthplace of Japanese culture. Since its formation in 1993, Yamato has grown from four to 17 members and performed for a million people in shows worldwide. This fall, Yamato set off on its fifth tour of the United States.

General admission is $29, and tickets can be purchased at the Haas Center box office Monday through Friday from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday’s box office hours are extended to 7 p.m. when school is in session; on performance days, box office hours are noon to 8 p.m.

A pre-curtain speech on performance highlights will be offered in Haas Gallery at 7:30 p.m. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the box office at (570) 389-4409 or the web site www.bloomu.edu/cas. For more information on Yamato, visit www.yamato.jp

Established in memory of Collins, a theatre arts professor who died last July, the scholarship will be awarded to students who are committed to theatre as a multi-disciplinary pursuit, possess a collaborative spirit and leadership qualities and demonstrate a positive, willing attitude and work ethic. To be eligible, a student should have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 overall and 3.5 in theatre courses. The application process will include an essay, audition or portfolio review, interview and resume outlining theatrical experience.

“Professor Collins was an inspiration to everyone who worked with him, on stage and in the classroom,” said his colleague Bruce Candlish, associate professor and director of theatre. “We can see that legacy in the number of alumni continuing to maintain contact with each other and with the university – alumni who now work as actors, directors and designers, as well as those who also work in other fields but have found it important to maintain the connection. This scholarship will help us to continue the work Michael was so passionate about – helping young dedicated artists to grow and express their passion.”

Collins, who came to BU in 1989, taught performance, directing and script writing. He directed and performed in more than 50 plays, both at BU and the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble. Beyond the Susquehanna Valley, he worked with the Electric Theatre Company in Scranton and the Queens Theatre in the Park in New York.

A portrait of a young woman, thought to be from the 19th century and by a German artist, is now being confirmed by art experts as a true Leonardo da Vinci. Two years ago, this painting sold for a mere $19,000 to a Swiss collector from the Ganz Gallery in New York. Today, it is valued at more than $150 million.

The 13-by-9-inch painting is now being dubbed La Bella Principessa or The Beautiful Princess. It portrays a profile of a young aristocratic Milanese woman, drawn with pen, chalk and ink on an animal skin known as vellum. The portrait is unsigned and based on its style, it has been dated to 1485-1490, placing it at a time when Leonardo (1452-1519) was living in Milan.

So how do art experts know this was painted by the Italian master of art, Leonardo da Vinci?

A 500-year-old fingerprint and palm print were discovered on the portrait that matches a fingerprint found on Leonardo’s “St. Jerome” in the Vatican. The print on “St. Jerome” has to be from da Vinci because this painting was done before he had any outside help in his studio. Technical, stylistic and material composition evidence, including carbon dating, had art experts believing as early as last year that they had found another work by the creator of the “Mona Lisa.” It was not uncommon for da Vinci to use his hands when painting and many of his fingerprints have been found on his artwork.

Kate Ganz, the original owner of the portrait who sold it for $19,000, still doesn’t believe that it is a genuine da Vinci. “Nothing that I have seen or read in the past two years has changed my mind. I do not believe that this drawing is by Leonardo da Vinci,” Ganz stated on Wednesday.

If experts are correct, La Bella Principessa will be the first major work by Leonardo to be identified in 100 years.

Cirque Le Masque features a combination of sight, sound, imagination and beauty in the style of Cirque Du Soleil. The 90-minute animal-free circus focuses on acts of strength performed without a safety net.

The show “Carnivale,” which will be presented at BU, is about a young tourist, Moira, who wanders through Rio de Janeiro annoyed by the sounds of the big city. She packs a suitcase as the sounds of a jet liner sweep her to a dream fantasy in Rio. Through the magical character performers, Moira sheds the weight of the world layer by layer.

Dennis and Bernie Schussel, the creative minds behind Cirque Le Masque, have been in the entertainment business since 1980.  Their blend of theater technology and creative entertainment is suitable for audiences of all ages.

General admission is $34, and tickets can be purchased at the Haas box office Monday through Friday from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday’s box office hours are extended to 7 p.m. when school is in session; on performance days, box office hours are noon to 8 p.m.

For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the box office at (570) 389-4409 or visit http://organizations.bloomu.edu/arts/box_office.htm. For more information on Cirque Le Masque, see www.cirquelemasque.com.