I have been in San Francisco for 2 weeks now (which explains all the inserted pics from walking around the city), visiting a dear friend who is undergoing aggressive chemotherapy and radiation treatment and so I catch myself pondering life and the future and all that, "Why am I here"? (both literally and philosphically), kind of stuff.

<--So I put 50 cents in this Wizard's coffer at The MUSÉE MÉCANIQUE last week hoping for some insight into life or the universe or the coming new year, but I suspect the slip of paper that dropped out of the machine was pre-printed and I felt it unreliable.

I then decided to google "Predictions for 2007" today and, of the non-doomsday musings, I found a few snippets interesting:

From OMNI Opinion Poll Results: PREDICTIONS FOR 2007 (From 1987)

"The results of the second OMNI Opinion Poll, concerning predictions for the year 2007, turned up some interesting ideas. The least change is envisioned in terms of religion and the arts, while progress is seen for the medical and educational arenas."

Straightforward enough. And yet then there was this, "Richard Selzer of Yale Medical School believes boredom will be the major medical problem of the future." It will be interesting to see what the medical community prescribes as the antidote to ennui. In California medicinal herbs are a commonly prescribed antidote for the nausea that follows chemotherapy and I accidentally discovered that a lot of the cookies in this house are "medicinal". Just tonight I accidentally found out that even the rice crispie snacks on the counter are "medicinal" (is nothing sacred?) and so perhaps that explains the haircut I gave myself and this random train of thought.

Still unclear, in a rice crispie kind of way, about 2007 and LIFE, I turned to my favorite nonagenarian blogger, Don to Earth, who starts the new blogging year with a bit about gravity (excerpted):, "There is a limited number of ideas that hold up under examination, however insistent, repeated, or challenging. One of these, so far, is "Everything in the universe attracts everything else with a constant and unfailing force". We know it here as gravity. In our solar system, the planets zoom about in elliptical orbits that slowly decay over time. Eventually, the sun will win and swallow the planets. Further out, all the stars attract all the others, affecting the motions of stars within groups of stars (galaxies), within groups of groups of stars (galaxy clusters). The attractive nature of stuff, or matter, cannot be denied."

So gravity is like a totally infallible flirt and the universe falls for it every time, sometimes to its detriment, and the medical field will make so much progress that our biggest malady will be ennui. I guess I never thought of it in that way and so I found these posts both comforting and disconcerting. Not comforting was that bit about the sun swallowing up all the planets. But since the arts is one area the Omni Poll sees the least change in, I guess that means that they won't be swallowed up by the Sun or fall prey to boredom soon. And so I have decided that part of why I am here is to miss being there, which is my usual here. I am feeling the horizontal, gravitational attraction to going home.

Saturday, January 13th from 5-8 Art Walk Easthampton Rocks On

This month's Art Walk Easthampton has rock and roll, folk music and belly dancing performances as well as spectacular paintings, photographs and illustrations. Come enjoy the creativity on Saturday, January 13th from 5-8 PM. All events are free and there's plenty of parking along the route. Many locations also host a light reception. Get your printable, 1-page map to this month's event at www.ArtWalkEasthampton.org

Some of January's highlights include:
-- Troupe Sahibat performs Middle Eastern dance on stage at Pioneer Arts Center of Easthampton, 41 Union Street. This popular belly dancing troupe performs from 5-6 PM only. Arrive early to get a seat.

-- Illustrator Wayne A. Gagnon exhibits "Pen (revisited)", a collection of works created from ideas he jotted down while in various coffee shops in the Pioneer Valley. Come see what was on his mind and meet the artist at Manhan Cafe, 72 Union Street.

-- An artist group show at Easthampton Municipal Building, 50 Payson Avenue. Come explore the city hall as a gallery space!

-- Want a little bit of everything? Photography, oil, acrylic, pastel and watercolor are all on display in a group show at Goodlander Gallery, 64 Cottage Street.

-- Artist Julie Thomas presents a collection of mixed media paintings and ceramics at the new Pick Your Flick Video store, 74 Cottage Street.

-- Meet artist Joe Costin and explore his dynamic, bold mixed media works at Valley Art Supplies, 76 Cottage Street.

-- Artist Twyla Reardon Arthen shows her assemblage works at Brass Cat, 65 Cottage Street.

-- Vibrant colors and intricate details come from Shawn Ryder's close-up photographs of dead and live flora. View the striking collection of backlit images and meet the artist at the ReMax office, 78 Cottage Street.

-- Come meet jewelry artist Shauna Gilardi and enjoy her fluid, contemporary designs in silver at the Awen Tree, 102 Cottage St.

-- Flywheel Arts Collective rolls out three, live acts for Art Walk guests! From 5-6 PM it's "Under The Radar", an acoustic band with a folk rock and reggae blend. From 6-7 PM it's the rock and roll of "Loudmouth" (aka Jonathan Byerly) playing sax, singing and looping mouth percussion/bass. And from 7-8 PM it's "Jenursa", with her original songwriting played to acoustic guitar. Flywheel is in the curved, gray building at 2 Holyoke Street.

Each month's participating venues display a large, yellow Art Walk Easthampton banner outside. Look for the banners or print out your own event guide at www.ArtWalkEasthampton.org

Ben Jenkins, Photographs, Kate Jenkins, Monoprints and Paintings NATURE AND ABSTRACTION
Ben Jenkins, Photographs
Kate Jenkins, Monoprints and Paintings
Cooley Dickinson Hospital, Ground Floor Gallery
(come in the new Main Entrance and proceed to the hallway leading to radiology)

January 1 - February 28, 2006 Opening Event Thursday, January 4, from 4:30 - 6:30 PM

Is a perfect landscape or natural object beautiful in itself, or is the beauty in its abstract forms, textures, and colors?. The images in this exhibit blur the line between representation and abstraction, moving back and forth between broad landscapes and close-ups of details in nature.

THIS IMAGE IS NOT PART OF THE EXHIBIT. I just thought this event needed an image and since I don't have one for it, I am adding one I took at Sutro baths yesterday. Then I walked the 65 blocks home, because the weather is so nice here, it's almost as warm as it is there.

Thursday, January 11
Voice & Piano Concert

On Thursday, January 11, the Northampton Community Music Center will continue its Faculty Duo Noontime Concert Series with a concert by faculty members Cathy Kay, soprano, and Ed Rosser, piano.

The concert will be held at 12:30 pm in NCMC's Recital Hall. Suggested donation is $5 per person. Call 585-0001 for questions or more details.

THIS IS NOT THE NCMC. Just dressing up another post with a random image from my camera.

Opening Reception Friday, January 12, 5-8 The Artisan Gallery at 162 Main Street, Northampton (413-586-1942), is pleased to announce the opening of an exhibit of the award-winning, hand built ceramics of Hayne Bayless.

As a full time potter for the past 15 years, Hayne has an envious list of awards including: the Grand Prize, Worcester Center for Crafts, Award of Excellence, Smithsonian Craft Show, and Philadelphia Museum Craft Show, Best Ceramics in Show.

Another indication of the esteem in which his work is held is the long list of books and publications that reference his work. Books include: Design Language, Interpretive Edition, Tim McCreight, 2006; Objects for Use, Paul J. Smith, 2001; and the Art of Contemporary Pottery, Kevin Hluch, 2001. The periodical list includes: Studio Potter, American Craft, Ceramics Monthly (10 times), Clay Times and many others.

He has also garnered a reputation among his peers and the craft knowledgeable public as one of the most accomplished ceramic artists working today.

This is a wonderful opportunity to see the work of a contemporary ceramics master.

His work will be on exhibit Friday, January 12 through Sunday, February 25

Opening Reception with the artist during Artwalk: Friday, January 12, 5-8

ARTIST’S STATEMENT
My work in clay draws on my desire to make everyday objects that go beyond everyday use. Function is as much a part of their value to me as any aesthetic concerns. How my pots work is at least as important to me as how they look or how they feel.

The pots are not so much about balance and harmony, although that does happen, but more about tension. I love what spawns in the friction between what I want the material to do and what it would rather do. The unintended result, often misread as a mistake and so dismissed, is one of the most fertile sources of new ideas. The trick is not to fool with clay’s inherent desire to be expressive. Pay attention to the clay, not only for the sake of each piece, but because the clay will “offer” or “impose” its own suggestions of new forms and ways to work.

I like what Constantin Brancusi wrote in 1927: “Each material has its own life ... we must not try to make materials speak our language, we must go with them to the point where others will understand their language.” The techniques of hand-building let me take advantage of clay’s ability to capture gesture and movement, its power to record processes. I’m intrigued by what happens when clay is rolled, stretched, pressed, incised, inlayed, extruded, bent, cut and put back together.

I get lots of inspiration from Shang and Zhou Dynasty ritual bronzes, Jomon-period pots, English and Colonial silver, pewter and tinware, contemporary architecture and sculpture, Andean folk music and 1960s rhythm & blues. The common thread running through these disparate sources is a love of form, rhythm and a delight in disregarding limits. --Hayne Bayless

The Artisan Gallery is located at 162 Main Street, Northampton. 413-586-1942

Reception and Amherst Art Walk: Thursday, January 4, 5-8 pm Bruce Fowler and Jozan Treston at Gallery A3

Bruce Fowler collects and combines objects for his assembled works that express personal vision or social irony. He often mixes children’s toys and adult inventions, creating a satirical relationship between objects. So a little red wagon, outfitted with a trigger that ignites a smoking engine, becomes the artist’s objection to the attitudes and behaviors that threaten and soil our environment.

Jozan Treston’s current work is a personal exploration of the human form and the experience of healing from physical illness. This series evolved from drawings Treston made while recovering from heart surgery. Abstracted images of the body were a visual part of his healing meditations that he has continued to explore in graphite and paint.

Exhibition dates: January 4 through January 27
Reception and Amherst Art Walk: Thursday, January 4, 5-8 pm

" Conversations with Artists”, Thursday, January 25 from 7-9 pm

Gallery A3, 28 Amity Street, Amherst
Phone: 413-256-4250
Hours: Wednesday – Sunday, 12-6 pm

A.P.E. Performance Space A.P.E. Performance Space
Third Floor/ Thornes Marketplace
150 Main St., Northampton
Information: 413.586.5553

What’s Left: Working Sessions and Collaborations With David Hurwith, Jamm Leary, Gordon Thorne, Michael Tillyer

PUBLIC is INVITED at 5 pm: January 19, January 26, February 2
FREE

I was inspired to initiate and organize this event, Working Sessions and Collaborations, by the transition in the relationship between Thornes Marketplace and the APE Gallery and Performing Space. It is important and special that there is a place for artists to work not in isolation, but in the center of the commercial and social life of a city. This adds to the vitality and uniqueness of Northampton. Also, I heard of the time when people worked on the Third Floor without so many walls and the collaborations that evolved from the collegial happenstance of seeing each other while working. Instead of lamenting or pining away I thought let’s offer the public the opportunity to see artists working and here we are . . David Hurwith

Friday, January 12th, 7:30 pm "READING MOVEMENT" - a benefit dance performance for Contact Quarterly magazine is happening at A.P.E. in Thornes' Marketplace, 150 Main St. Northampton, on Friday evening, January 12th, at 7:30 pm.

Come support a great local journal while being turned on to the work of a dozen seasoned dperformers who have each contributed innovations in the moving arts for many years.

The spectrum of performers includes both artists from the Western Massachusetts as well as from New York and Vermont: Susan Sgorbati and Dana Reitz (from the Bennington College Dance Faculty), Paul Langland (NYC - long standing member of Meredith Monk's Company), Daniel Lepkoff (NYC - one of a few developers of Contact Improvisation since 1972), members of Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company performing an excerpt of an early duet, David Hurwith - independent choreographer and improviser, Christina Svane and others.

The evening will end in a reception with wine and snacks so performers and audience can relax and enjoy good company in the aftermath of what promises to be an inspiring event.

Seating is limited so reservations are advised: (413) 586-5553. Tickets are $15 for seniors/students, and $20 general price, (though extra donations are welcome!). All the performers are donating their work, and all profit goes to support the magazine, a performing arts journal that has been based in Northampton since 1978, and provides both a forum for new ideas in movement arts and a global moving arts community meeting ground.

For further information please contact: Christina Svane, 413-247-9454, csvane@comcast.net.

January 11th to the 28th Red Horse Press At the Oxbow Gallery

A printmaking exhibition from the members of Red Horse Press Etching studio in Eashampton's Eastworks building at Northampton's OXBOW GALLERY located at 275 pleasant st.

Opening Fri, January 12, 5-8 PM
Come on Down!!!!

The show runs from January 11th to the 28th
Hrs:th-sun 12-5 fr 12-8
For more info: www.redhorsepress.org

Pictured: Pitts (l) and Patterson star in play

~~Sunday and Monday, January 14-15: The play, "Paul Robeson," in honor of Martin Luther King Day, tells of the achievements and legacy of Paul Robeson, a life-long activist who spoke out forcefully for equality for all. Robeson, who is played by well-known local musician, Floyd Patterson, Jr., was legendary as a scholar, athlete, actor, singer and humanist who fought for human rights for all people. Performances of the play, which was written by Phillip Hayes Dean, will be January 14 at 7:30 p.m. and January 15 at 2 p.m. It is being produced by the Center in association with Irene Thornton. Tickets ($10 for students; $12 for seniors; $15 for the general public) may be reserved by calling the Center (413) 584-7327.

~~Monday, January 15, 6 to 9 p.m.: Youth Leadership in the Arts will host its fourth Youth of Color and Allies networking event as part of Northampton’s celebration of Martin Luther King Day. The event is open free to the public and includes group-building activities, food, a talent showcase and a dance party DJ’d by YLA alumnus Raul Matta. Folks will be invited to make a donation to assist with costs.

~~Tuesday, January 16, 10:30 a.m.: The Lisa Leizman Dance Company will answer the question "What is Dance?" in January's installment of the Young Peoples' Performing Arts Series. The group will offer a variety of short pieces, including selections from "Sleeping Beauty" and more whimsical favorites, to children from 2 to 6 years old.The dances will suggest, says Leizman, that “dance is kicking up your heels in your sparkly shoes, turning yourself into amazing shapes, clapping your hands in rhythm or pretending you’re a bird, a lemur or a starfish.” Children get in free to these 45-minute shows. They're on the third Tuesday of each month. A $5 donation from accompanying adult is gratefully received.

~~Monday, January 22, at 6:30 p.m. Anastasia Christie starts a new series of ballroom and Latin dance classes that will run on Mondays through February 26. A choreographer as well as a teacher, Christie has 17 years of dance experience and has been a prizewinner in many ballroom competitions in Russia and Europe. Ballroom dance classes are from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.; Latin from 7:30 to 8:30; and Latin, level 2, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. For further information and fees, go to her Web site www.socialdanceschool.com/

~~Friday, January 26, 7 to 10:30 p.m., the Northampton Youth Commission will sponsor the Main Event Benefit Concert to raise money for the creation of a youth center serving middle school students in Northampton. “Bullseye,” “NorWhale” and “Stand Up Get Down,” three student bands, chosen by members of the Youth Commission from a pool of applicants, will play. Admission is $5 The Northampton Youth Commission is a group of young people between the ages of 13 and 18 whose goal is to explore issues of concern to their peers and work toward solutions for those issues. The concert has been planned by, staffed by and created by young people interested in this project.

The Northampton Center for the Arts is on the third floor at 17 New South Street in the Sullivan Building of the Old School Commons. Its office and galleries are open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For lots more about ongoing programs, renting the space, etc., visit our Web site, www.nohoarts.org

Paintings of the Belle Skinner Collection By David Barclay Wistariahurst Museum Presents
Fine Art and Instruments: Paintings of the Belle Skinner Collection By David Barclay

January 6 to February 26, 2007

Opening Reception Sunday, January 7 from 2 - 4 p.m.

This is an exhibit of David Barclay’s paintings inspired by an exceptional collection of antique musical instruments belonging to Wistariahurst owner Belle Skinner. While the instruments themselves are now in the collection of Yale University, this exhibit brings striking images of them to their former home at the Wistariahurst Museum in Holyoke.

Also on display will be photographs of other instruments in the Skinner Collection, taken by Claire Barclay (David Barclay's daughter, who is currently a student at the SPEOS Institute of Photography in Paris, France).

The Wistariahurst Museum is located at 238 Cabot Street in Holyoke MA.

SuperFriends of Jamoka and this newsletter. Special thanks to the following for donations to this newsletter and to help defray the costs of Jamoka's hospitalization and treatment.

People just blow me away sometimes.

Pics from the Jamoka memorial Bonfire thing, by Jon Whitney.

If I somehow missed anyone please let me know. I get scatterbrained lately.

<--Image courtesy of Anna Slezak.

DEBIN BRUCE
I somehow forgot to list Debin's extremely generous contribution till now.
SUSAN BERGERON-WEST
CHARLES STERN
JANET FRAIDSTERN
MAUREEN DENNING AND CHARLES ENOS
LARRY SLEZAK
TERRY ROONEY
ANNE BURTON
DEAN NIMMER
BILL MYERS
KATHLEEN TRESTKA
ANITA HUNT
KATHY SERVICE & TIM DECHRISTOPHER
DAVID SMITH
JEFF MACK
LYNN PETERFREUND
BRADLEY FOX
KAREN AXELROD
AACO (AMERICAN ARTS COLLECTIVE ORGANIZATION), In memory of our artists friends who were victims of AIDS and in honor of Aids Awareness Day, December 1st
KELSEY FLYNN
LYN HORAN
HILARY PRICE & KERRY LABOUNTY
BRONWEN HODGKINSON
BRIANA TAYLOR
DORIS MADSEN
BETSY DAWN WILLIAMS
MARY WITT
JOAN AXELROD-CONTRADA
MAUREEN DENNING AND CHARLES (Donation made to Humane Society in Jamoka's name)
DARYL LAFLEUR

Die Große Stille (Into Great Silence) (2005) Die Große Stille (Into Great Silence) (2005)
Directed & written by Philip Gröning
In Latin & French with English subtitles

If there is any doubt as to the great spiritual thirst that prevails in the West, "Into Great Silence" should dispel them. For 162 minutes there is no sound other than ambience, no narration, a few minutes of dialogue, nothing more than the daily round of Carthusian monks inside the Grande Chartreuse which amounts to a deafening silence and people everywhere are lining up for hours to see it. Here in Montreal, the ex-Catholic capital of the world, they¹ve had to add extra screenings and still one must purchase their ticket hours ahead of time. In Germany, according to the director Philip Gröning, it has become a cult film with film goers returning up to seven times and where it topped the charts as the highest grossing film for weeks on end.

So what is it that has made this film so compelling?

Over the past few years, films with a spiritual message have created their own niche. "What the Bleep?²", "The Da Vinci Code.", "The Celestine Prophecy", "Conversations with God.", "The Secret.", Most of them failing abysmally to satiate the mounting thirst for something vital and meaningful. But something about this desire to sit in a movie theatre in near absolute silence watching something as thrilling as paint drying twigged my curiosity. While I felt that it could have been about half an hour shorter, I felt of all the 'spiritual' films I've seen, this one stands apart. It isn't a film that is trying to explain anything. No experts. No pontificating. No thrilling spiritual mysteries. On the contrary, it is a film that allows the viewer to become immersed and live the film as a personal experience. In an interview with Gröning that he gave at Sundance in 2004, he said that he sought to make "a film like a cloud . . . a film that, more than depicting a monastery becomes a monastery itself." Between the stunning visuals and the contemplative rhythm of the editing, I feel that he managed to pull it off.

I think what gives this film its strength and force is that it was made by an artist who was willing to give himself fully to the creative process. Gröning had planned this film since 1984 and seventeen years later he got permission from the monks to go ahead. It meant living himself in the monastery for six months making the film without a crew, without a sound system or artificial lights. Again, in the words of the artist, doing this film coincided with his belief that art is a transformational process. It¹s like the black spaces between the frames that we know are there but we don't see, this certain element in a piece of art which I like to call the soul of the piece that makes it what it is, something extraordinary and deeply moving.

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Deadline February 1, 2007 The *Artist in Research* program seeks to support artists involved in the early stages of projects that require investigation, dialogue, and support from an artistic community. The AIR Program is particularly interested in working with artists whose work explores contemporary and experimental genres such as electronics, sound, installation, performance, film, video, and other time-based media. The AIR Program supports projects that have already been conceptualized, but need time, money and critical feedback to complete. This residency is most appropriate for individuals or groups who wish to explore the potential for collaboration and creative exchange with peers working in a wide range of media. Regularly scheduled critiques, open studios, closing events and our web forum provide residents with opportunities for critical feedback from curators, artists, scholars and members of the public. Artists in Research are encouraged to focus their efforts on exploration and the processes of innovative art-making rather than the completion of a finished product. Please visit the "AIR" section of www.berwickinstitute.org to learn more about past AIR artists and the types of projects we are interested in and are able to support. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Deadline February 5, 2007 SEEKING ARTIST'S PROPOSALS FOR SUMMER RESIDENCY As a Blue Sky Project Artist-In-Residence, you will cross-pollinate with other practicing artists, collaborate with teens, expand your ideas and add artistic breadth and depth to the McHenry County community. Artists gather for eight weeks from mid-June to mid August in McHenry County, located 60 miles from downtown Chicago. Your recent studio practice and new ideas should provide the foundation for your activities. Stipend: $6000 Additional $1000 working budget per project, that does not go to the artist, for supplies, materials to implement project, etc.. Does not include costs associated with preparing project for exhibition, which are covered by the project. Deadline for application is February 5, 2007. Contact: Blue Sky Project OR http://www.blueskyart.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Deadline September 1, 2007 INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS RESIDENCY PROGRAM Seeking visual artists, writers, and composers for 2-, 4-, 6-, and 8-wk-long residencies, Jan 1 - Jun 15, 2008. Free housing and studio space and a $100/wk stipend. For application and complete guidelines please contact: Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts, 801 3rd Corso, Nebraska City NE 68410 OR 402-874-9600 OR http://www.KHNCenterfortheArts.org OR info@KHNCenterfortheArts.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ MARK YOUR CALENDARS: JOIN TRANSCULTURAL EXCHANGE IN BOSTON FROM APRIL 27 TO APRIL 29, 2007 FOR THE CONFERENCE ON INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES IN THE ARTS http://transculturalexchange.org/conference_2007.htm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Deadline Februray 15, 2007. Bazaar Productions/The Berkshire Fringe is now accepting submissions of dynamic works of theater, dance and mutli-media performance for its 2007 season. The third annual festival held in Great Barrington, MA will present 21 days of original performances, free workshops, and artist discussions by and with emerging artists from across the United States. The Berkshire Fringe provides a unique opportunity for emerging and early-career artists from around the country to present work in a fresh and exciting atmosphere. Founded in 2003 by a cohort of Berkshire natives and graduates of Simon's Rock College, Bazaar Productions, Inc (Sara Kathryn Katzoff, Timothy Ryan Olson and Peter Wise) aims to fill a growing need in the community for exciting new work at affordable ticket prices. The Berkshire Fringe continues to grow into a bustling community and has featured more than two dozen new works and events that have blended genres, represented new styles, and delved into traditions underrepresented in the mainstream. In 2007 the festival will take place during July and August and will invite six companies or individuals to participate. Performers from all backgrounds and disciplines are strongly encouraged to apply. Bazaar Productions is also dedicated to focusing funds and resources to create an exemplary experience for all participating artists. The festival is scheduled so that performers can see each other's work, can participate in each other's workshops and can share ideas and experiences. These initiatives establish a center for artistic exchange while providing accessible, affordable and unparalleled cultural enrichment to the community. Perspective or interested applicants may visit www.berkshirefringe.org for more information and to obtain an application. Inquiries can be answered by e-mailing co-artistic director Sara Katzoff at sara(at)berkshirefringe.org or calling the offices of Bazaar Productions at (413) 320-4175. The deadline for applications is Februray 15, 2007. All applications must be received by February 15, 2007. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Deadline - Ongoing *Three Rivers Community College Reviewing Work for Exhibitions, CT Three Rivers Community College in Norwich Connecticut is accepting portfolios to review for 1-to-2 month exhibitions. No fee. For consideration, sent 10-20 slides, resume, statement, and return postage to: Sandra Jeknavorian, Instructor of Art, Three Rivers Community College, Thames Valley Campus, 574 New London Turnpike, Norwich CT, 06360 / SJeknavorian@trcc.commnet.edu ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ongoing GALLERY A3 SEEKING NEW MEMBERS- SUBMIT ONLINE FOR ART WALK EASTHAMPTON Art Walk Easthampton, a monthly, self-guided walking tour of arts and culture, has added a proposal page to its website where visual, music and performance artists can outline what they would like to show or perform if given the opportunity. All the locations that participate in Art Walk Easthampton can view the submissions for possible inclusion in an upcoming event. The talent describes the work, provides images, identifies the types of venues they would like to be in, the dates they are available and provides contact information. If there's a match between the submission and the venue's interest, the venue contacts the talent directly to handle booking arrangements. The proposal form is available at www.ArtWalkEasthampton.org and is open to all local and regional artists. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ONGOING An offer from Joe Blumenthal of Downtown Sounds who generously would like to have artists display their work there. (Downtown Sounds, 21 Pleasant St., Northampton, next to the Pleasant St. Theater) The window is quite large, and has three panels, each one about 6' X 6', and is about 24" deep. It is exposed to intense sunlight in the morning; the heat of the sun plus the narrowness of the window make it inappropriate to display most musical instruments. However, the sunlight doesn't hurt most artwork since it's only exposed for a month to six weeks. I normally pay $150 to the artist who installs the window, and work out a consignment agreement for the store to take a percentage of the price if the art is for sale and we manage to sell some of it. The artwork can be freestanding, lean against a wall at the back of the window that's about three feet high, or (if it's not heavy) be hung from the ceiling. It's great when the art can have a musical theme, but it's not necessary. Because of its highly visible commercial location, the work should have a mainstream appeal and not have themes which could be offensive. Small pieces don't work well since the window is so large. If one of your readers is interested in displaying in this context, please have them contact me via email: musician@downtownsounds.com, or via phone at 413- 586-0998. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ONGOING. New York City Department of Cultural Affairs + Image Registry The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) is the largest public funder of arts and culture in the country. The Percent for Art artist slide registry is an up-to-date and important component of the Program. The registry is consulted by the architects, panelists, and City agencies for each project. The Percent for Art staff prepares a slide presentation from the registry for each panel meeting. The registry is open to any professional visual artist residing in the United States. Deadline: On-going Information: www.nyc.gov/html/dcla/html/panyc/ slide_reg.shtml

Terry Rooney Bruce Barone Ben Caras Ben Banville Rhoda Juels Gineen Lee Cooper Robert Aller Gary Jacobs Maggie Nowinski Artists @ Open Square Pol Turgeon www.apearts.org Frank Ward Frank Ward again! The Painted Caravan Derek Goodwin Northampton Arts Council Lisa Leary LISTEN TO GIRL HOWDY LIVE Beth Fischer Studio Red Horse Press www.vernjones.com www.darylglafleur.com/ www.westfieldonweekends.org www.cynthiaconsentino.com www.masonscreations.com www.ruthwest.com Jeff Mack Jill Turner Video Amy "Bannerqueen" Johnquest Dianna Stallone Designs Lynn Peterfreund cdeVision Cynthia Guild Maureen Scanlon's Peace Ribbon Project Photography by Jon Whitney Fine woodworking art by Peter Dellert Sculpture by Jim Doubleday The Canal Gallery Building Stone Soup Concrete The Northampton center for the Arts The Art of Dean Nimmer The Watkins Gallery Kathleen Trestka Zea Mays Printmaking Studio Lisa Scollan Deborah Kruger Sally Curcio Tom Morton Jeff DeRose Claudia Sperry Michael Martindell Michael Richardson Smart Moves Pilates Singer/Songwriter Diane Falcone Rhymes With Orange The Massachusetts Review EJ Barnes- Cartoons, mandalas, and animation Local.Masslive! The O-Tones Holly Murray The Invisible Fountain.com Jan O'Highway The Art Farm Project UK Bob Markey Briana Taylor Rebecca Graves Tony Kord Save Darfur www.florencepoetssociety.org Michael Kuch Anila's college ruled art Lillianna Pereira Linda Batchelor Stephanie Cramer The Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts Cottage Street Studios Lynn Latimer Glass Easthampton City Arts Julian Halpern/Steelhead Studios Elizabeth Solomon Fine Art Betsy Dawn Williams

Unfortunately due to stuff I can't comprehend, the PayPal button has to say, "Buy Now", rather than "donate". I want it to say "Hello Sweetheart!" Anyway--thanks for your support! If this button does not work you may have to try another browser. sigh. You don't really get Tammy Faye's album. I just liked her picture.   Show Postcards and the like can be mailed to: Mo Ringey PO Box 6109 Holyoke, MA 01041-6109 I think a lot of people still have my old arts & industry address as postcards get forwarded to me but I think that may expire soon.   THIS NEWSLETTER IS BROUGHT TO YOU IN PART BY THE NORTHAMPTON ARTS COUNCIL USD

PATRICK DONNELLY POETRY WORKSHOPS TWO WORKSHOPS, SPRING 2007 WORKSHOP #1: POETRY PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP 10 meetings: 2/17 - 4/21 SATURDAY AFTERNOONS, 2 - 4 PM A.P.E., Third Floor/Thornes Market 150 Main Street Northampton, MA This workshop will focus particularly on building the oral skills to read poetry aloud in public, BUT will include activities and exercises designed to foster both the writing and reading of poetry. This workshop will conclude with a reading by participants on April 21st, to which the public will be invited. WORKSHOP #2: POETRY WRITING WORKSHOP 10 meetings: 2/22, 3/1, 8, 22, 29, 4/5, 12, 19 THURSDAY NIGHTS, 7 - 9 PM SOUTH DEERFIELD, MA plus: 2 SATURDAY AFTERNOONS, Generative Writing Session, 3/17 @ A.P.E in Northampton, 1 - 4 PM Special Extended Session, 4/28 in South Deerfield 2 - 5: 30 Each week, the format of the workshop will include: --a short discussion on a topic of poetic craft; --discussion of members' own poems; --some outside reading. Cost of each workshop: $300 ($30 per session) INSTRUCTOR: PATRICK DONNELLY, an Associate Editor at Four Way Books, has taught writing at Smith College, New School University, Clark University, and the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference. His collection of poems is The Charge (Ausable Press, 2003). To register, contact: PatrickSDonnelly@aol.com 56 Hillside Road, South Deerfield, MA 01373-9770 413-665-3325