Posts Tagged ‘music’
Sunday, February 21st, 2010
Arts on the Mountain at Trinity Episcopal Church in Mount Pocono will present a music and art event beginning at 2:30 p.m. Artworks by Susan Lange are on exhibit in the Fellowship Hall, and The Company Libbanbluot will conduct a dance performance.
Libbanbluot is a unique dance company that is entirely self-contained, with members designing and building their own costumes and props, creating their own choreography, and utilizing every style and tradition of dance, from ballet to modern, to jazz and hip-hop.
Rachel Salmon, co-founder, also arranges and records musical selections, and choreography incorporates original free-form poetry written by the dancers. The dancers have more than 40 years combined experience; the oldest member is just 17. They have performed at schools and community arts festival events.
Lange is well known in the Poconos for her multimedia artworks, which have been in many shows and are in private collections. Lange uses carefully placed pieces of objects, photos, papers made from plants, and symbols to create dialogue.
A requested donation of $10 supports the arts program, but any amount is gratefully accepted. Arts on the Mountain has been presenting visual and performing arts events at Trinity Episcopal Church since 1988.
The church is on Trinity Hill Road, one mile south of Mount Pocono. For information, call (570) 839-9376.
Tags: arT event, arThou, dancing, music, Pennsylvania arT, Pocono arT, poetry
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Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
Whether it is an illusionist or sideshow freak, a rock band in an art gallery or a matinee performance of folk music at one of the cafes along the street, the Parkdale Village Business Improvement Area (PVBIA) has amassed quite a schedule of funky and fun west-end talent to draw you out to Fireside Culture Week.
The second annual Fireside Culture Week starts Feb. 22. It’s a weeklong celebration of art, fashion, food, music and theatre that features the best of best of this artistic nook of Toronto.
 Artists bring their unique styles to Fireside Culture Week. This series of live performance will take place at a number of venues along Queen Street West between Dufferin Street and Roncesvalles Avenue.
The BIA has partnered with Heart and Stroke Foundation as part of their Heart Month events. During Fireside 2010, the PVBIA will be fundraising for Heart and Stroke Foundation by asking attendees at the shows to make a donation as they enter.
There are any number of events planned for each day and evening of Fireside culture week. Visit www.firesidecultureweek.com for an updated schedule.
Here are some highlights:
Nymphetamine – The Sideshow Performer
A falling ovation, as it is called when someone passes out during a performance, is the highest form of praise for a sideshow performer, according to Jennifer Booth.
Booth, who goes by the stage name Nymphetamine, is a circus sideshow performer, a dominatrix by day and self-described freak.
“I always joke that I was always called a freak in high school and now I get paid for it,” said the 31-year-old performer.
A sideshow performer for six years, Nymphetamine performs an intense combination of classic stunts such as cinder block breaks, laying on a bed of nails and walking on broken glass as well as modern stunts such as flesh-hook suspensions and lifting objects with her piercing.
Nymphetamine, who also has a degree in philosophy and training as a paramedic, said she has always had some unusual tastes.
Born and raised in Toronto, Nymphetamine was introduced to the art of sideshow performing by a friend from New York City.
“When I saw him do it I immediately went from ‘You’re absolutely crazy,’ to ‘Hey, that looks like a lot of fun’,” she said.
So she started to explore the art form, which she said was relatively easy to learn.
Now a resident of the Dundas Street and Dufferin Street area, Nymphetamine performs all over the city, usually at night clubs.
“You always get the young guys right up at the front of the stage screaming and wanting to see blood and wanting to see something go wrong,” she said. “And then there are the people who are absolutely fascinated, but happy to stand a ways back from the stage.”
The details around Nymphetamine’s Fireside Culture week performance are yet to be announced.
Visit www.myspace.com/nymphetaminesideshow for more on Nymphetamine.
Jef Kearn – The Urban Flautist
Jef Kearn, 33, takes band geek and turns it urban chic with the soulful sounds of his solo flute songs.
“I started playing about 20 years ago,” he said. “I started taking lessons and I just stuck with it. I kind of felt drawn to it.”
He went to school at Humber College and then York University to study music, but his brand of music isn’t what one would traditionally expect from the flute.
Kearns, who now lives in Mimico, grew up in Chatham listening to broadcasts of urban music radio stations out of Detroit. Before he was a teenager, he was transposing hip-hop lines and verse into the rhythms of his flute.
Now he has crafted a unique style of flute-focused R’n'B that cross genres from modern soul to hip-hop to classic Motown.
His CD of original tracks, On The Level, features nine tracks including I Wanna Be the One (Savage Groove Mix), which spent five weeks in the Top 10 of the Canada National House Music Charts.
Kearns is slated to perform on Friday, Feb. 25 at the Local Kitchen from 8 to 9 p.m.
Visit www.myspace.com/jefkearns for more on Kearns.
Brian Byrne and The Flamming Hoops
You may recognize Brian Byrne’s name as the lead singer of I Mother Earth, but since the band took a hiatus, Byrne has released two solo albums, opened a tattoo shop in Parkdale and performs regularly with his hobby band, The Flaming Hoops.
“The thing we do with the Flaming Hoops is just totally silly fun,” he said. “It is all covers and we cover a bunch of old country classics and on the flip side we cover classic rock, but done country.”
“I just wanted to be part of it,” he said of the Fireside Culture Week. “Anything that is going to help bring people around, because I do love this area… it is so eclectic and crazy.”
Byrne, 35, was chosen as the new lead singer of the Canadian alternative rock band I Mother Earth after singer Edwin left the band in 1997.
The Flaming Hoops is comprised Christian Tanna from I Mother Earth, Gerry Finn from David Usher and Chuck Dailey from The Salads.
“I have always been a massive country fan because that is kind of what I grew up on,” said the Newfoundland native. “All the people in the band have been road dogs forever so this was an opportunity to go play for the weekend without any pressure and not be out on the road promoting your next great project that ultimately leaves you broke and wondering why you do it anyway.”
The shows, he said, are simply fun. The Flamming Hoops cover songs like The Trouper by Iron Maiden, Crazy Train by Ozzy Osborne in a country fashion. They also cover songs by the usual country suspects like Hank Williams, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson.
“We even do Footloose by Kenny Loggins,” he said with a laugh.
Byrne, who lives in Kingsway Village in the city’s west end, is scheduled to perform on Saturday, Feb. 26. The location is yet to be announced.
Visit www.myspace.com/brianbyrne for more on Byrne.
Winston Spear – The Funny Man
Winston Spear loves to dance and apparently people love to watch him do it. The comedian has a video of a Bollywood-inspired dance, which has gotten more than a million hits.
He’ll be bringing his trademark dance moves as well as a few jokes to Parkdale for the Fireside Culture Week.
Spear, 45, is a Canadian standup comedian and actor from the Bloor West and Dundas area.
A working comedian for more than 20 years, Spear was a member of the cast of the popular CTV sketch comedy show Comedy Inc.
“I’m a pretty clean act,” Spear said. “I only have a few dirty jokes.”
Spear is scheduled to perform on Thursday, Feb. 24 during a comedy night, also featuring Jamie Rallison and Parker Seville, at the Snowball Gallery, 1690 Queen St. W., from 7 to 11 p.m.
You can view videos of Spear’s comedy at www.youtube.com.
ByErin Hatfield
Source: InsideToronto.com
Tags: alternative rock, arT, arT event, arT festival, arT form, arT gallery, arThou, Brian Byrne, Canada arT, fire arT, Fireside, Fireside Culture Week, flautist, flute music, I Mother Earth, Jef Kearn, Jennifer Booth, music, Nymphetamine, performance, sideshow performance, standup comedy, The Flamming Hoops, The Funny Man, Toronto arT, Winston Spear
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Tuesday, October 27th, 2009
Drink Up Buttercup was barely three songs into its set at Cake Shop early Wednesday evening when Inevitable Bummer No. 45 happened: broken guitar string.
At this point, many bands would keep playing, out of tune. The musically considerate would pause and restring. Drink Up Buttercup, a quartet from Philadelphia that lunges joyously into every jangly chord and full-throated chorus, took the opportunity to go unplugged. Its members grabbed plastic maracas and a garbage can lid, headed into the crowd and proceeded to stomp, clap and vocalize.
A gimmick, yeah. But it brought a smile to every face I could see, and the bashing on that garbage can lid couldn’t obscure some genuinely pretty and expressive harmonies on “Lovers Play Dead,” which in a less spilled-beer-and-cellphones context could have passed as a folk song.
They made a real attempt to get the crowd to stomp and clap along, but most hands in their immediate vicinity were too busy texting and snapping photos.
Source: artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com
Tags: arThou, arTist, Cake Shop, Drink Up Buttercup, guitar arT, music, PA arTists, Philadephia arT, unusual arT
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Friday, August 21st, 2009
Outdoors: Over the falls
It’s time to go over the falls again.
The Ohiopyle Over the Falls Festival, the one time in the year it is legal for kayakers to go over the 18-foot-high falls in that Fayette County town, will be on Saturday, from 9 a.m. through a town party that begins at 7:30 p.m.
Whitewater paddlers will be able to race over the falls, and compete in a river slalom course upstream and a surfing and acrobatics event.
The town party in the evening will feature live music, vendors and pictures from the event. The falls will be illuminated after dark.
The event is sponsored by American Whitewaters, the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds & Rivers and the state Department of Conservation & Natural Resources.
Fees to participate in events range from $20 to $30. Observation is free.
Details: FallsRace.com.
— Bob Karlovits
Theater: One-acts take the spotlight
The Pittsburgh New Works Festival kicks off its 19th season Sunday with the first of two evenings of staged readings.
The annual festival is dedicated to fostering the development of original one-act plays. Each year, it debuts 18 original one-acts, each produced by a different theater company. Six receive staged readings during the first two weekends in groups of three. Over each of the remaining four weekends, a different trio of plays receive fully staged performances.
The free staged readings begin at 7 p.m. Sunday for:
• “No Flash Bright Enough” by James Sievert of Switzerland, produced by Actors Civic Theatre.
• “The Desperate Man” by Michele Scaramucci of Belle Vernon, produced by Veronica’s Veil Players.
• “The Mantua-Maker” by Elizabeth Orndorff of Danville, Ky., produced by Comtra Theater.
This year, the Pittsburgh New Works Festival has moved to the Father Ryan Arts Center, 420 Chartiers Ave., McKees Rocks.
Details: 412-394-3353 or www.pittsburghnewworks.org.
— Alice T. Carter
Music: Growing in importance
When the local band Meeting of Important People released its self-titled album in March, expectations were low, especially given the ongoing plight of the record industry. Then things started happening: airplay on WYEP-FM, some good reviews and, just recently, a deal with Authentik, a label based in Los Angeles that’s run by Scott Austin, formerly a creative executive with Maverick/Warner Bros. and Capitol Records.
Authentik repackaged the album as a digital release. Recently, “Meeting of Important People” reached No. 11 on iTunes’ independent album charts; the group also was listed as a featured band on the iTunes site. A video of the song “Brittney Lane Don’t Care,” directed by Thom Glunt (Anti-Flag, Iggy Pop) and shot at a Bloomfield warehouse featuring the group towering over a city constructed from cardboard, will be released soon.
Josh Verbanets (guitar, vocals), Aaron Bubenheim (bass) and Matt Miller (drums, vocals) will perform at 9:30 p.m. Friday at Thunderbird Cafe in Lawrenceville. Ben Hardt and His Symphony and Jupiter One also are on the bill.
Admission: $5.
Details: 412-682-0177 or www.thunderbirdcafe.net.
— Rege Behe
Dance: ‘Step Touch’ under the stars
They’ll be dancing only the hits tonight when Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre presents its annual outdoor performance at Hartwood Acres, part of the Allegheny County Summer Concert Series.
Given the success of choreographer Dwight Rhoden’s “Step Touch” at its premiere performances in March, it’s not surprising the ballet is presenting it again today. Performed to music by Charlie Thomas’ Drifters and Pure Gold, Rhoden’s ballet employs nine couples in an intricate sequence of contemporary dance styles that is breathtaking.
The concert will be completed by George Balanchine’s exquisitely conceived “Theme and Variations” to music by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
The performance starts at 7:30 p.m. at Hartwood Acres, Hampton. Admission is free.
Details: 412-281-0360.
— Mark Kanny
Jazz: From Rio with love
Versatile song stylist Kenia returns to the Cultural District on Tuesday, bringing her distinctive mix of jazz, pop and Brazilian accents.
A native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Kenia has “a wonderfully expressive vocal instrument that throbs with sultry intensity. It’s low key, yet ultra bright,” JazzTimes magazine says. Her repertoire ranges from Antonio Carlos Jobim and Gilberto Gil to Stevie Wonder and Harold Arlen.
The free performance starts at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Katz Plaza, Cultural District, Downtown.
Details: 412-456-6666.
— Mark Kanny
Art: Working together
This Saturday, art and fashion collide in “Synergy,” a fashion show and multimedia art event that will focus on the creative aspects of fashion design, melding them with other art forms to create an evening of “synergy” and collaboration.
The evening will showcase work from several talented Pittsburgh artists, taking the form of music, dance, fashion and sculpture. The work of eight fashion designers will be trotted out among works by a half-dozen local artists to the music of Ishtar, Nadina and Kellee Maize, and dance performances by The Pillow Project and Sadiqa Bellydance.
Event organizer Jesse Riesmeyer says the inspiration came from the drive and desire to bridge the gap between fashion and art.
Admission is $12. Synergy runs from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Meter Room, 2637 Chartiers Ave, West End.
Details: 412-728-0724.
— Kurt Shaw
Special events: Pittsburgh landmarks tour
Get a fresh, in-depth look at a neighborhood you thought you knew.
From noon to 1 p.m. Friday and Aug. 28, Pittsburgh History & Landmarks is offering a free tour of the area around Fourth Avenue and PPG Place, Downtown.
The neighborhood, one of 18 National Register Districts in the city, contains buildings constructed between 1836 and 1984 from designs by more than a dozen distinguished architects.
Styles range from Greek revival to post modern and include buildings tall and small. Some have been repurposed from their original intention, and others serve multiple new uses or are awaiting renovation.
The tour begins from the parklet at Fourth Avenue and Smithfield Street and lasts one hour.
The tour is free, but Pittsburgh History & Landmarks asks that those who plan to attend let organizers know at least one day before the event.
To RSVP or for details, contact Mary Lu Denny at 412-471-5808, ext. 527, or marylu@phlf.org.
— Alice T. Carter
Jazz: Sharing the stage
Bassist Jeff Grubbs sometimes is known as Jeffrey, but he is not playing jazz on those occasions.
Grubbs is a member of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and bears the full name in the more formal settings. But he loves playing jazz as well as the classics and will show off his skills in that direction at the “Reservoir of Jazz” concert Sunday in Highland Park.
Grubbs and his wife, Tania, a singer, will offer a set of standards, which Grubbs hopes to give something of a twist, and some post-bop material.
Tania, who does some music teaching, is not a performance professional but enjoys being on the stage. Jeff says they have had enough musical spots in the past year or so that “her confidence is really getting up there.”
Music begins at 5 p.m. at the concert site near the end of Highland Avenue. It is free.
Details: 412-255-8975.
Outdoors: Pittsburgh by bike
Moving into the final two days of BikeFest, the Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area and BikePGH will co-sponsor a historic bike tour of industrial Pittsburgh on Saturday.
The casual, 6-mile ride will tour and discuss remnants of the steel industry still visible in the South Side and along the Eliza Furnace Trail on the other side the Monongahela River.
It is part BikeFest, the 10-day celebration of bicycling put together by BikePGH, the bicycle-pedestrian advocacy group.
The 90-minute ride will begin at 9 a.m. at Bessemer Court in Station Square. Reservations are required, and participation is $20; $10 for members.
Details: 412-464-4020.
— Bob Karlovits
Books: The write stuff
There are gaggles of geese, prides of lions, congregations of alligators and coalitions of cheetahs. There’s no term for a group of writers — swarm or colony might fit — perhaps because they so rarely congregate in numbers.
That will happen Friday when Penguin Bookshop in Sewickley will present “Jazzed About Local Authors,” an opportunity to meet some of the many writers who live in Western Pennsylvania.
Writers scheduled to appear include Rebecca Drake, Anne Faigen, Kathleen George, Laurie Graham, Kathryn Miller Haines, Carrie Kennedy, Many Ly, Debbie Mancini-Wilson, Shanthee Manjoo, Nancy Martin, Lewis “Buddy” Nordan, Leanne Paranik, Lila Shaara and Heather Terrell.
The event, which starts at 4 p.m., is free.
Details: 412-741-3838 or www.penguinbookshop.com.
— Rege Behe
Music: Masked musicians
Like KISS, Los Straitjackets have a gimmick.
Unlike KISS, which shed its makeup for a while, Los Straitjackets never have stopped wearing their signature Mexican wrestling masks that make them look like, well, oversized Mexican wrestlers onstage.
Don’t let that fool you; Los Straitjackets are in no way a novelty band, but one of the more energetic, instrumental groups currently performing. A new album, “The Further Adventures of Los Straightjackets,” features the band’s stratospheric garage rock that recalls the Ventures by way of the Ramones.
Los Straitjackets perform Friday at the Rex Theatre, South Side. Admission for the 8:30 p.m. show is $17.50.
Details: 412-381-6811 or www.rextheatre.com.
— Rege Behe
Funny business
Appearing tonight at the Pittsburgh Improv — Gov. Ed Rendell (via video) and various judicial and mayoral candidates.
They’ll tell jokes. We’re not joking when we tell you this.
The second annual Candidates Comedy Night is a fundraiser organized by the Allegheny County Department of Human Services. With Sen. Arlen Specter on the bill, it promises to be funnier than a town hall meeting on health care reform. And please, when you pay for your two-drink minimum, don’t heckle Dan Onorato by yelling “Hey, thanks for the drink tax!”
The candidates and elected officials are joking for a good cause. Proceeds will benefit children and youth served by the Allegheny County Department of Human Services and the Juvenile Section of the Family Division of the Court of Common Pleas.
Doors will open at 5 p.m., and at that time, a full menu and drinks will be available for purchase. The comedy show will begin promptly at 7:30 p.m. Sections of eight seats are available now at the following levels: Platinum section, $1,000 donation; Gold section, $750 donation; Silver section, $500 donation. A limited number of individual seats will be available for a $50 donation.
Details: 412-350-3428.
— William Loeffler
Special events: Need a lift?
The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum is offering the Park ‘N’ Ride trolley service to the Washington County Fair, through Saturday. The trolley service is available from 5 p.m. to midnight daily, and roundtrip tickets cost $2.
Riders will board the trolley at the Cooper House-Hinds Parking Lot and will be dropped off at the fair’s main gate. Tours of the Chartiers, Washington County museum are available for $9; $8 for senior citizens; $5 for ages 3-15; and free for those younger than 3.
Details: 724-228-9256 or www.pa-trolley.org.
— Kellie B. Gormly
Source: pittsburghlive.com
Tags: arT Events, arT fair, arT festival, arThou, bike tours, BikeFest, books, dance, Father Ryan arTs Center, Ishtar, jazz, Jupiter One, Los Straitjackets, Meeting of Important People, music, Nadina, NKellee Maize, OH festival, Ohio arT, Ohio landmarks, Ohiopyle, Outdoors arT, Over The Falls, Pittsburgh Ballet, Rex Theatre, Sadiqa Bellydance, step touch, symphony, The Pillow Project, theater, Washington County
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Saturday, July 18th, 2009
 Participants interact with a display at the Crucible Fire Arts Festival in Oakland. What looks like a practice ground for Burning Man is really a fundraiser for artists fueled by fire. The annual Crucible’s Fire Arts Festival lit up the Oakland sky with the biggest open-air exhibition of fire art in its 10-year history.
In one corner a fiery tornado jumps two stories to the cheers of hundreds of onlookers. Across the plaza built under an Oakland Freeway overpass, Matthew Andreoli with the artist group “Department of Spontaneous Combustion” tells the crowd to focus on three tanks positioned to a point.
There is a rumble and explosion of blue, orange, and white flames choreographed to techno music.
Andreoli believes fire is misunderstood, and that the event is quite safe. “Nothing burns unless we say it burns,” said Andreoli. “We like to play up the danger of it because it’s fire. But we have our thumb on it. We know what it is going to do.
“We know what we can make it do and what we can’t. You get the littlest flame and it brings you into it. You make it bigger and bigger. Every time we launch the fire cannon, there’s the sound of it and there is the feel of the displacement of air. Incredible,” said Andreoli.
The interactive exhibits challenge participants to see the beauty in fire as well as the way flames bring stagnant materials like stone and metal to life.
The Fire Arts Festival engages people to respect as well as experiment with fire in a safe setting. At the Flamethrower Shooting Gallery festivalgoers go through a safety lesson, gear up with goggles, and fire a flame at statues positioned 20-feet away. “Fire is a living entity,” said Andreoli. “It eats and it breathes and it moves. When you look at the fire tornado you see a beautiful column of fire that spins and little tiny ones that spin off it.
“I can sit and watch that all day.” said Andreoli.
Away from the heat of the flames, there’s a tent that holds delicate pottery, statues, glasswork, and other fire art created by The Crucible artists.
The Fire Arts Festival is a fundraiser for the non-profit organization that teaches blacksmithing, ceramics, modelmaking, and other artforms manifested by fire. While there are some who believe the flames lure the focus away from the art, most would agree the fire is mesmerizing, offering a constantly changing show.
Source: cbs5.com
Tags: arT, arThou, arTist, Burning Man, fire arTs festival, fire-spinning, music
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Friday, July 17th, 2009
From hands-on group painting and live music at ArtWhole Studios, to original works, performance art and live ballet at The Creamery Arts Center, First Friday Art Walk is packed with summer fun in August. Join us 6-10 p.m. Aug. 7 in 22 participating galleries. Among the highlights:
• ArtWhole Studios offers studio owner Chet Burgtorf’s new photography series Colors of the Caribbean, plus new works by artists Scott Green, Sarah E. Splitter and Allen J. Miller. Participate in a group painting, and enjoy music by Moonhoney and appetizers by Twilight Grille.
• Bodhi Salon & Spa welcomes photographer Carmelita “Carmi” DeLeon, who got her start shooting collegiate sports and now does everything from portraiture to commercial work.
• The Creamery Arts Center presents Opening an Art Gallery – Arts in the Park Exhibition, featuring the work of young artists from the Springfield Community Center with a special guest appearance by the Springfield Ballet.
• Elite PhotoArt features Artist Gary Adamson, a painter and caricaturist, and Photography by Edward Biamonte, best known as head photographer and photo editor for 417 Magazine.
• Fresh Gallery presents Painter Ann Meese and Jewelry Artist Elaine Willig.
• Global Fayre presents Baskets of Botswana, featuring museum-quality baskets hand-woven by the women of the Beyei and Hambukushu tribes in northern Botswana, plus a Kiva Awareness Evening on the Kiva micro lending program that aids entrepreneurs and alleviates poverty worldwide.
• Obelisk Home at the Inspired Commerce Building features Artist David Cogorno, a sculptor whose work “is a study of our interactions with spaces (and within them).”
• Randy Bacon Gallery shares the deeply moving experiences of grieving families in the Lost & Found Photo Exhibit.
For parents who want to attend Art Walk but think they can’t afford child care, think again! Family Art Night at the Downtown Y offers child care for ages 3 months to 12 years, 6:30-9 p.m. every First Friday for only $10 per child. Kids enjoy healthy activities and snacks, story time and a hands-on art project to take home. The Aug. 7 arts activity is Rainbow Fish. Call (417) 862-8962, ext. 149 for information or to preregister. Full details of the Aug. 7 Art Walk appear in the August Gallery Guide below.
August Gallery Guide
ArtWhole Studios, 408 W. Walnut, features studio owner Chet Burgtorf’s new photography series Colors of the Caribbean, plus new works by artists Scott Green, Sarah E. Splitter and Allen J. Miller. Guests will once again have a chance to take part in our monthly group painting, because at the ArtWhole, “group stuff is great.” Enjoy the gypsy tango stylings of Moonhoney and appetizers from Twilight Grille. For more information or to make an appointment call (417) 866-7929 or email us at artw...@att.net. www.artwholestudios.com
Big Smile Photography, 207 Park Central East, features international award-winning wedding and portrait photographer Jeremy Lawson’s creative lifestyle wedding and portraiture work. Big Smile displays Jeremy’s one-of-a-kind portrait and wedding images from local events, as well as events from around the world. (417) 527-2885 www.bigsmilestudios.com Open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. M-F and by appointment
Bodhi Salon and Spa, 431 S. Jefferson, Ste. 106, presents cross-genre photographer Carmelita “Carmi” DeLeon. Carmi began her career as a collegiate sports photographer in the early 1990s when she fell in love with the camera and its ability to capture the beauty of the human spirit. Over the years Carmi has expanded her focus to include family and animal portraits, nature, engagements, reunions and commercial photography, including work on a historical shoot of power equipment for Cadet Connection Magazine. Her philanthropic endeavors include serving as an official photographer for the MS150 Bike Tour. (417) 864-4399 www.bodhisalonandspa.com Open 9 a.m.-9 p.m. M-F; 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat
The Creamery Arts Center, 411 N. Sherman Parkway, presents Opening an Art Gallery – Arts in the Park Exhibition 6-9 p.m. during Art Walk, with a special guest appearance by the Springfield Ballet. Arts in the Park, now in its eighth year, is a summer arts education program for 86 students from the Springfield Community Center. Come see their creations in pottery, painting, costume design, film, photography, puppetry and performance art. Springfield Ballet performs at 7 and 8 p.m., offering a mixed bill of classical ballet excerpts, as well as original contemporary ballets staged and choreographed by Springfield Ballet faculty and guest faculty Charlotte Hart. (417) 862-ARTS (2787) www.SpringfieldArts.org Open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. M-F; closed major holidays
DB Design Salon & Art Gallery, 326 S. Campbell, presents Featured Artist Cyndilee in August. In addition to Cyndilee’s acrylics, DB Design also features works by painters Debbie Sutherland and Jerry Ellis, potters John Ehlers, Duane Bone, Cheryl Matlock, Julia Schaefer and Katrina Stevens, jewelry artists Jill LeGrand and Tammy Kirks, and stained-glass artist Nathan Smith. (417) 864-4343
Elite PhotoArt Fine Art Gallery, 325 E. Walnut St., features Artist Gary Adamson. Gary is a painter and caricaturist and is based in Springfield. He majored in art at Drury University and holds an MFA from Fontbonne University, St. Louis. (www.garyadamson.com) Also featured is Photography by Edward Biamonte. Edward will display some of his landscapes and fine art. Edward also serves as head photographer and photo editor for 417 Magazine. (www.edwardbiamonte.com) Elite PhotoArt will also feature hand-crafted jewelry by Big Nose Creations, pottery by Bari Precious, artwork by Ammie Cyr, Nancy Rose and Jay; and photography by Larry Daniel, Katia Lee, Dwayne Hillme and Gallery owners Will and Lisa Roberts. (417) 569-3322 or (417) 234-7761 www.elitephotoart.com Open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. T-F; 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat or by appointment.
Fashioned By Jaye, 212 S. Campbell, features a joint show of Digital Artwork by Kourtnie Putnam and Jaye Coltharp. (417) 862-4100 www.fashionedbyjaye.com Open Noon-7 p.m. M-F; 2-7 p.m. Sat
Fitzwilly’s Gifts & Antiques, 308 South Ave., is a longtime downtown retailer featuring antiques, gift items and collectibles. Its monthly art exhibits emphasize unique sketches and paintings by talented local artists. (417) 866-3696 Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. M-F, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat; First Friday hours 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Fresh, located at the southwest corner of Campbell and Walnut, presents Featured Artists Ann Meese and Elaine Willig in August. Ann, a painter, fell in love with art early, majoring in art at MSU in the ‘60s. After a 35-year career as an educator and administrator – and raising four children – Ann has returned to her passion. “Creating a painting is a small journey,” she says. “At the end of that journey, what remains on the canvas is an impression that evokes a variety of feelings for me. I hope you enjoy the images that I share.” A jewelry artist, Elaine says color is paramount in her work, which incorporates a wide range of materials. “Working silver and shaping unique gemstones, and using the most flexible beading materials, my designs come from precious metals, vintage glass, crystals, handmade beads, gemstones, silver, gold, copper and brass.” (417) 862-9300 Open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. T-Th; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. F-Sat
Gillioz Theatre, 325 Park Central East, presents Artist Rosalie Perryman. Rosalie’s intent is to capture the beauty and details of nature by painting from her photographs, creating intense and vibrant watercolors. Photography is a passion, and the love of nature and the ability to see and to capture nature in art is her inspiration and joy. Besides her visual art pursuits in photography, watercolor, oil, acrylic and digital mediums, Rosalie is also a performing artist as a marionette cabaret-style puppeteer. Rosalie has owned and operated RLP Puppet Company for 30 years and the Jubilee Theater Center in Marshfield for 12 years. (417) 863-7843 www.gillioz.org
Global Fayre, 324 S Campbell, presents Baskets of Botswana, featuring museum-quality baskets hand woven by the women of the Beyei and Hambukushu tribes in northern Botswana. These baskets are created by 24 women that form the Etsha Weavers Group. They have many years of weaving experience, a skill that has been passed down for generations. Global Fayre also presents a Kiva Awareness Evening during the August Art Walk. Kiva connects people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty. Kiva is the world’s first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend directly to unique entrepreneurs around the globe. (417) 873-9792 www.globalfayre.com Open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. M-W, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Th-Sat, 1-5 p.m. Sun or by appointment
Good Girl Art Gallery, 325 E. Walnut St., Ste. 101, presents local artist Chad Woody for the month of August. Chad’s show, Dolls for Devils consists of highly imaginative prints, drawings and sculptures reflecting Chad’s exploration into the sometimes dark and humorous caverns of the human mind. Also showing will be paintings by fellow Springfield artist Misty Ware. (417) 865-7055 www.goodgirlartgallery.com Open 10 a.m.-8 p.m. T-F; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sat
Hawthorn Galleries Inc., 214 E. Walnut St., presents Painter Dan McWilliams. With his unique blend of impressionistic realism, McWilliams “extracts the spirit of his subjects while illuminating the transient nature of light and color. Evoking nostalgia, his paintings stir emotions and memories for the viewer.” Meet the artist and enjoy live music by Ron Preston at the opening reception during Art Walk. (417) 866-6688 www.myspace.com/hawthorngallery Open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. T-F; 1-5 p.m. Sat
Inveno Health, 429 N. Boonville Ave., displays new and vibrant work by local Painter/Printmaker Stephanie Cramer, whose colorful work pairs perfectly with the amazing facility architecture and design by Obelisk Home. Venture north of the square in August to the galleries at Inveno Health and Obelisk Home. We might be off the path, but it’s worth the walk! (417) 831-1270 Open 6-10 Art Walk evening or contact us for a tour at info@invenohealth.com.
Nonna’s Italian Café, 306 South Ave., presents A Retrospective of Works by Pokey Alrutz, including acrylic abstracts, watercolor paintings, collages, cajas de milagros, coloring books, and tapestries. Pokey has shown in many places in the Springfield area over the years, including her first show at Nonna’s in 1993. The highlight of Pokey’s career is when Salvador Dali invited her to dinner in Figueras to discuss abstraction shortly before he passed away. She dedicates this show to the memory of querido Salvador. (417) 831-1222 www.nonnascafe.com
Obelisk Home at the Inspired Commerce Building, 214 W. Phelps, presents Featured Artist David Cogorno. David, who holds a BA from Drury University, is working toward his MFA in sculpture at the University of Kansas. David grew up in St. Louis and has studied and worked in Italy and Peru. “Nature is my escape from the chaos of the world and my greatest source of inspiration. I enjoy venturing out and finding my way through obstacles that confront me; rock formations, dense foliage, bodies of water, etc.,” David says. “My current work is a study of our interactions with spaces (and within them) revealing patterns, inter-relationships, and common themes that attempt to create a unique visual experience.” (417) 616-6488 www.obeliskhome.com
Park Central Branch Library, 128 Park Central Square, features the post-modern art of Jim Delgadillo and folk singer J.R. Top. (417) 831-1342 http://parkcentrallibrary.blogspot.com Open 7 a.m.-8 p.m. M-Th; 7 a.m.-10 p.m. F-Sat
Randy Bacon Photography and Figment Art Gallery in the Monarch Art Factory, 600 W. College St., unveils Randy’s Lost & Found Photo Exhibit during the Aug. 7 Art Walk. More than 40 families receiving grief support services from Lost & Found participated in a photo exhibit to share their stories on the journey of grief. Experience their personal stories and photos that reflect their emotional struggles, steps towards healing, and their embracing of a new life that is forever changed. Visit the adjacent Figment Art Gallery & Culture House to view the latest work by house artists Kelly Kennedy, Kat Allie and Abby Waters. For more information, call (417) 868-8179. www.randybacon.com www.gallerysounds.net Open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. T-F; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat
Rox Stoneworks, 220 S. Campbell, Second Floor, (entrance on McDaniel), the studio of Sculptor Bruce Burnaugh, presents Works in Progress by Rox Studio students, Paintings by James Crafford and Francois LaRiviere and Paintings and Mixed Media by Charity Blansit. ROX Stoneworks is a working studio teaching stone sculpture Sat, Sun and Mon, 9:30-3:30. www.springfieldarts.org/ROXstoneworks
Springfield Hot Glass Studio, 314 S. Campbell Ave., is a working hot glass studio/gallery with facilities for furnace, torch and kiln work. Springfield Hot Glass Studio continually displays its current blown glass, beads and fused work, offering live demonstrations on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and First Fridays. Classes are available; please visit our Web site. (417) 868-8181 www.springfieldhotglass.com Open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. M-Th; 10 a.m.-10 p.m. F-Sat
Springfield Pottery, 416 S. Campbell Ave., a fine craft gallery and community clay center, features some of the best examples of fine craft in clay, wood, metal, glass, fibers, photography, printmaking, and jewelry by over 45 local, regional and national artists. (417) 864-4677 www.springfieldpottery.com Open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. T-Sat
Susan Sommer-Luarca Fine Art Gallery and Frame Shoppe, 221 Park Central South, exhibits a large body of Susan’s work in originals and fine giclee, museum prints. Susan is an internationally known and widely acclaimed artist with the honor of being Official Artist for the U.S. Olympic Team, Beijing. Official Triple Crown Horse Racing Artist and Artist for the 2008 Super Bowl, Susan also paints LIVE at many nationally televised events. (417) 866-4ART (4278) www.sslworldwide.com
Tags: arT event, arT gallery, arThou, ballet, Missouri arT, music, paintings, sculptors, Springfield MO arT event
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Thursday, July 16th, 2009
On Saturday, July 25th, there’ll be a 12-hour benefit at Death By Audio for You Are Here: A Maze, a “performance festival in a sculptural maze” to happen at the venue from September 10th – October 2nd. Both the event and the art project are being put on by Trouble (Zs‘ Sam Hillmer and artist Laura Paris).
The lineup includes performances by Ninjasonik, Aa, Dead Science’s Sam Mickens, Charlie Looker of Extra Life, and Hillmer himself (with Regattas). A DJ set by Dirty Projector Dave Longstreth is also on the schedule (for some actual singing by Longstreth, that takes place at the Williamsburg Waterfront this Sunday).
A full schedule of performers, with some info on the You Are Here project, is below…
You Are Here: A Maze info
Emphasizing the sprawling and interconnected nature of New York’s underground, a trip through the maze offers a peak inside NYC’s diy art/music scene. A meditation on passage and desire, You Are Here engulfs the space and presents beckoning inhabitants, dead ends, and uplifting epitaphs. Medium and genre vary and overlapping and simultaneous performances are frequent, each performer establishing a different corner or dead end as his or hers. You Are Here was first presented in 2007 by Trouble (Sam Hillmer and Laura Paris) at Chashama’s Visual Arts Space.
Trouble is devoted to creating extreme environments that have no exterior, public art both condoned and illegal, and other kinds of visual/sound art intended to be used for some purpose. Their work is about community, spirituality, politics, craft, and beauty. Outreach is a part of all of Trouble’s projects, as is what they call “in-reach”: designing events that strengthen the ties within the DIY art community and the art world as a whole.
 You Are Here benefit schedule:
4:00pm – doors/delicous beverages/dj lord easy
4:30pm – DJ set by dave longstreth – back
5:15pm – charlie looker – front
6:00pm – natalie unicornicopia – back
6:45pm – chuck bettis – front
7:15pm – mega calderos – back
8:00pm – john fell ryan – front (switch to dj marty mcsorely)
8:45pm – dometheater – btwn
9:30pm – north highlands – back
10:15pm – mystery of two – front
11:00pm – vaz – back
11:45pm – knife hyts II – front (switch to dj rich zerbo/social registry)
12:45am – worldancearound – ninjasonik – btwn/front
1:45am – nine 11 thesaurus – back
2:15am – sam mickens – front
2:45am – Aa – back
3:30am – regattas – front
Tags: Aa, arT benefit, arT Events, arThou, Chalie Looker, Dave Longstreth, Death by Audio, festival, Knyfe Hyts, Laura Paris, music, new york arT, Ninjasonik, Regattas, Sam Hillmer, Sam Mickens, Vaz, Williamsburg NY
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Thursday, July 16th, 2009
Pittsfield Art Show, fifth annual juried art show, featuring arts and crafts by 85 artists and craftsmen from nine different states displaying paintings in all mediums, pottery, jewelry, sculpture, photography, collage, fabric art and more, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, Renne Avenue, Pittsfield. pittsfieldartshow.org or 413-499-9348.
Chesterwood, Sunday Workshops and Demonstrations, presented by participating artists in the CSC exhibition, will feature Gene Montez Flores demonstrating metal-cutting techniques, 1-4 p.m. Free with admission. Route 183, Stockbridge. chesterwood.org.
The Wit Gallery, “Concepts of Art/Lenox Judaica,” art reception for gallery’s Judaica artists and a book signing by photographer Jean Germain of her book “Jazz From Row Six” with live music, 5-7 p.m. 27 Church St., 413-637-8808 or thewitgallery.com.
Dance
Frog Lotus Yoga, community West African dance class for all levels with Marafanyi, featuring Lara Gonzalez and Yael Shacham, 1:30-2:45 p.m. Beaver Mill, North Adams. 877-904-2362 or rootsheartpulse@ureach.com.
Film
Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, fifth anniversary of Mahaiwe Movies of the Month features screening of Mario Puzo’s “The Godfather” (1972, restored new 35 mm print), the Oscar-winning epic in which director Francis Ford Coppola brings Puzo’s multigenerational crime saga to life, 7 p.m. $6. Castle Street, Great Barrington. mahaiwe.org or 413-528-0100.
Topia Arts Center, Made in The Berkshires Film Series features screening of “Miracle Worker” on 32-foot screen, 2 p.m. Also, screening of “Alice’s Restaurant,” 5 p.m. Free. Park Street, Adams. topiaarts.org or 413-743-9600.
Music
Tanglewood, conductor James Levine presents an all-Mozart program, 2:30 p.m. West Street, Lenox. 617-266-1492 or tanglewood.org.
Clark Art Institute, Aston Magna Festival presents Spanish and Italian music in the late Baroque, Classical and early Romantic periods under the direction of guitarist Richard Savino, 3 p.m. $35. Pre-concert lecture, 2 p.m. Daniel Arts Center, Alford Road, Great Barrington. astonmagna.org or 413-528-3595.
Natural Bridge State Park, community West African drum class for all levels with Marafanyi, featuring Lara Gonzalez and Yael Shacham, 3:15-4:30 p.m. Route 8, North Adams. 877-904-2362 or rootsheartpulse@ureach.com.
Summer in the Park, outdoor concert series features Hometown Sundays, 1-3 p.m. Harte Lot, Main Street, Bennington, Vt. betterbennington.com.
Theater
Williams College, Summer Theatre Lab presents “Project One,” a series of one-act plays written, produced and performed by company members as well as a staged reading of Act 1 of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” directed by Williams College professor Jean-Bernard Bucky, 7 p.m. Free. ‘62 Center, Williamstown. 413-597-4839 or 62center. williams.edu/summerlab.
The Triplex, acclaimed one-man production “Eddie,” written by Marvin Starkman and Bob Feinberg, about the relationship between President Harry S. Truman and Eddie Jacobson – Army buddy, business partner and lifelong friend – and the events that thrust Jacobson squarely into the middle of a bitter State Department debate over whether to support a Jewish homeland in Palestine, 4 p.m. $20. 70 Railroad St., Great Barrington. 413-528-8885 or thetriplex.com.
Mill City Productions, “Zombie Prom” by Dana P. Rowe and John Dempsey, directed by Mike Grogan, with musical direction by Marissa Carlson and choreography by Liz Urban, featuring 15 Berkshire County actors and musicians, 2 p.m. $9/adults, $7/students and seniors. Heritage State Park, Route 8, North Adams. millcityproductions.org or 413-664-0161.
Miscellaneous
Berkshire Soul and Spirit Center, Mary McManus, author and recovered post-polio syndrome victim who never realized she could heal herself enough to run in the 2009 Boston Marathon, will give a talk about her amazing journey from wheelchair to marathon, 2-4 p.m. $10; registration requested. 69 Main St., Lee. 413-243-2834 or soulandspiritcenter.com.
Main Street Walk, North Adams historian Paul Marino will lead a tour of Main Street, which lays on the track of the original Mohawk/Mahican Trail, predates North Adams by many, many years, and has been walked by soldiers of the third and fourth French and Indian Wars, the American Revolution, the Civil War and both World Wars, as well as by 95 of the most unusual strike breakers North Adams ever saw, 2:30 p.m. West end of Main Street, North Adams. 413-207-1344 or historyman@copper.net.
New Lebanon Book Group, “free for all” discussion in which participants share titles of interesting books they have read and recommend to others, request new book titles and engage in a relaxed and free-wheeling talk about books in general, facilitated by librarian Mary Trev Thomas, 11 a.m. Triple Nickel Cafe, Route 20, New Lebanon, N.Y. 518-794-7005 or 518-733-0196.
Sundays@Six, street fair designed to showcase local talent and build community, featuring live local music (including The Buck Hill Ramblers), food, artisan vendors, children’s activities like face painting and 3-D sidewalk chalk drawing, an art walk, vintage vehicles and an outdoor classic movie (”The Princess Bride”), 5 p.m. Free. Spring Street, Williamstown. sundaysat6.com or 413-458-9077.
Second Chance Animal Center, fifth annual Tour de Paws fundraiser, featuring 4-mile walk (9:30 a.m. registration, $25/single, $40/family) and three bicycle tours, including Metric Century Ride of 63 miles (7 a.m. registration, $40), an In Between Ride of 30 miles to 35 miles (8:30 a.m. registration, $40), and a 15-mile loop Single and Families Ride (8:30 a.m. registration, $50/family, $25/single). Manchester Recreation Park, Route 30 in Manchester, Vt. 2ndchanceanimalcenter.org/tourdepaws or 802-375-2898.
Pittsfield Garden Tour, 13th annual self-guided event features seven private gardens and the AIDS garden at the American Red Cross, as well as “Rocktacular,” where special rocks with hand-painted nature images on them are hidden, inviting guests to find them and submit an entry form for a prize, noon-4 p.m. $12/before July 11, $15/after July 11. 413-443-1832 or awpasko@verizon.net.
St. Joseph Church, Polish Picnic, featuring Polish and American food for sale, raffles, a lottery ticket tree, games for all ages including Mr. Bouncy Bounce in Kiddieland, live music by The Rymanowski Brothers Orchestra from Albany, N.Y., and more, noon-7 p.m. Free. North Street, Pittsfield. 413-442-5157.
North Adams Public Library, longtime North Adams resident Gail Cote will read from her new mystery book, “Welcome to My World,” about Midgie Small and her friends unraveling secrets that threaten to change their world forever, 2 p.m. Church Street, North Adams. 413-662-3133 or naplibrary.com.
Bennington Museum, second annual Wiffle Ball Round Robin Tournament, where spectators are welcome, 9 a.m. Route 9, Bennington, Vt. benningtonmuseum.org or 802-447-1571.
Tags: arT, arT gallery, arT show, arThou, arTist, dance, music, Pittsfield arT, theater, theatre
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