Years and months and weeks and days (and wrinkles) ago, I lived on a little island south of Boston called Squantum. It was named after the indian Squanto of pilgrim lore. I am not sure if he even existed because our revisionist history is so revisioned but at any rate it was a nice little island with a population of 3000 and a monument to said indian. It was connected to Quincy, a city south of Boston, by a little causeway. It was a blue collar community and every other person had a dog. Me too. It had a beach and a view across the water of the Boston skyline, high rocky cliffs, and woods. I could have paddled to my job in downtown Boston and saved hours of bitchy traffic had I a little boat. It also had a gate and a guard because it connected to another island that was a maximum security detox center so walking the dogs meant we could only go so far as the guard house because guard house dude had a gun.

We watched the tide schedules daily because at low tide the channel drained out and we could walk across the sand bar to a whole other island called Thompson Island and when we reached the other side, we'd be turned back by other guards because we were trespassing on outward bound land. We liked trespassing. We didn't like guns though. No.

When I first moved to Squantum I met a guy named Hans while walking the beach with my dog one day. He was fabulosity and joy personified. He would change my life forever. Hans taught me, by example, what it was to receive the world and every bit of it, with unconditional love.

Then he met Bob. Bob was just as fabulous and full of love for the world and I learned even more about the important things in life. Fate gave me special lessons. When Massachusetts legalized same-sex marriage, I married them. We had a ceremony on a beach in Carver, MA, in which I united them in matrimony. It made me proud of our state and I felt honored to officiate their ceremony by the power invested in me by the Secretary of the Commonwealth. En route to the ceremony I was tasked with picking up balloons at a party supply store nearby. Hans wanted to surprise Bob with these balloons. There was a mix-up though as the balloons waiting for us said, "You're a bride!", and such other girlie-bride things, so I edited them and chose other balloons. At the counter, paying, I noticed a stack of purple silly string and, being mischievous, I bought cans for me and the other witness, Hans' brother Stephen. We hid them under our sweatshirts and when I pronounced them married people, we stringed them good.

Years later when they moved to San Francisco I visited them and they threw a cocktail party for me. At some point Hans, out-mischieving me, handed me a framed picture of the silly silly string incident and asked me to recount the story for the guests. I did so willingly, enthusiastically even; gloating perhaps about my surprise attack, and when I got to the part about the silly-stringing all the guests pelted me with said mischief-matter. Hans had been covertly handing out silly-weaponry and instructing everyone as to the moment of payback and I got payback, but good.

After a long battle with cancer Hans left us Friday night and now I suspect he is silly-stringing God, or whoever is in charge of this life, and I bet they are slapping each other on the back and plotting further mischief and I say bring it on; I welcome the mayhem. And so, after my show opens July 3, I am on a plane to go and do what I do best and that is to be where I am needed and right now I am needed in San Francisco. I'll still put out the newsletter of course, but I will be doing it from the place where I left my heart; for my heart has always belonged to the silliest, stringiest, and most mischief-making of simple, kind souls. Hans lives on in me as he is my best qualities. Hans is the part of me that brings you this newsletter each week. Hans is the part of me that cheers you on and wishes you the best. We are all amalgams of the best of everyone we meet. We are all stone soup. This newsletter and every newsletter is, in part, brought to you by Hans Barton, my mentor and God's new partner in silly, silly things. And now everytime I hear Sister Sledge sing, "We are family", I cry selfishly for my loss but I see Hans leading everyone we have ever lost in a silly conga line of joy and shenanigans and if there is a heaven, it is now a sillier and more joyful place.

Celebrate 5 Years of Poetry and Art at The Care Center
June 28, 10:30 AM at the Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley 

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Celebrate 5 Years of Poetry and Art at The Care Center

06/28/07

Time: 10:30 a.m.

Please Join the Poets of The Care Center for Our Annual Reading, Thursday June 26, 10:30 a.m. at The Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley

 

Nautilus II vol. 5 is a collection of poetry and art from students at The Care Center in Holyoke, an inspiring non-profit educational center where young women study academic subjects for their GEDs, along with poetry, art, computers, parenting, nutrition, athletics and more.

 

Copies of Nautilus II will be available for sale, $10.

 

The Care Center is a place of hope, courage, redemption, energy and hard work. You can see it, hear it, and feel it in these poems.  

- Martín Espada, poet and essayist

 

For information about Nautilus II and to order copies contact:

Anne Teschner, Executive Director or Tzivia Gover, Nautilus II Staff Editor: 

 (413) 532-2900, tgover@carecenterholyoke.org, www.carecenterholyoke.org

THIS WEEK ON ON VFR: 103.3 FM
WEBSITE

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MO RADIO---> This Wednesday, June 25, 8-9 AM,
06/28/07
______________________________

The Elusie Gallery, Old Town Hall, Easthampton, MA

JOY IN ART

06/09/07 - 07/07/07 (oh my! is this bad luck?)

Artists reception June 14, 5-8pm

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up (Pablo Picasso): Could it be that individuals with mental or intellectual challenges are actually able to do so? The question, and potential controversy, is out. And some possible answers may be attempted while visiting the Elusie Gallery's latest exhibit: JOY IN ART, featuring original and limited edition work by Joy Gosselin; and original art by Steven Kennedy, Tony Sadlowski, Dee Dee Sagan and Deyce Ferrer from the Riverside Arts Workshop.

Joy Gosselin, a resident of Chicopee, MA and 2005 graduate of Chicopee High School is known for her use of vibrant colors and familiar objects in her art. In order to bring her love of art to a broader spectrum, she started her own fine arts business aptly named  Joy to the World,  in 2005, offering limited edition prints and art cards reproduced from her original work.

Her work has been displayed at several venues including the Chicopee Public Library and The Elms College. Last year Joy showed some of her work at the A.P.E. Gallery in Northampton as part of "The Artistic Abilities Exhibition of Visual Art" sponsered by Best Buddies Massachusetts.

 

The Riverside Art Workshop is a program run at Riverside Industries by local artists Cailin Gibbons, Denise Herzog, Justin Kim and Cyndy Sperry and funded by the State Departement of Mental Retardation. The work on display at the Elusie Gallery is the result of a nine month pilot workshop. 

CORE SAMPLES

PAINTINGS BY BENJAMIN SEARS

JULY 11- JULY 31, 2007

Start Date: 07/11/07

End Date: 07/31/07

Time: Opening: July 13, 5-7 pm

Core Samples  is an exhibition of oil paintings dealing with the growth and decay that exist in both physical and psychological environments. The imagery is informed by everyday observations of minute architectural details and memories of ancient Roman ruins, reflecting spaces and forms that are both monumental and microscopic. 

 

Ben Sears explores his interest in the relationship between the interior and exterior through shapes that suggest city structures, the human body and complex machines. The protective skin of these forms is peeled away, exposing vulnerable subterranean structures, like veins just beneath skin. These structures are often hybrids of the organic and the mechanical. Rendering the convoluted shapes in this world with both illusionistic and suggestive marks, the viewer is invited to associate line, curve, lightness and darkness with his or her own inner landscape, revealing the secrets beneath the surface of things.  

 

I enjoy focusing on the inner realm and the creation and destruction that are possible. Developing the fruits of imagination is like developing a photographic negative; the process is just as relevant as the reality from which it is drawn.

 

Benjamin Sears lives in Granby, MA and is head of the Art Department at Amherst Regional High School. He received his BFA in Illustration from RISD and his MFA in painting from Cranbrook Academy of Art.  Originally from Boston, he relocated to the Pioneer Valley from Poughkeepsie, NY in 2005.   

ART + FOOD + GOSSIP

Cultural Collaborations & Conversations

A PRESENTATION  OF  PAINTING,  PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO, WITH TALK AND DISCUSSION

GALLERY A3 ARTISTS CELEBRATE 

NEW ORLEANS WITH A PRESENTATION  OF

PAINTING,  PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO, 

WITH TALK AND DISCUSSION

Celebrating  New Orleans: katrina and after

Wed, 6/27/07

Time: 7:30

Annie Zirin-Paintings  about the tragedies surrounding Hurricane Katrina, now on display at Gallery A3; Jitnapa  Suthikant- Photographic images of Mardi Gras Indians and Jazz Fest 2007, taken for he New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation; Tom Morton-Video report of Mardi Gras 2007.

Northampton Center for the Arts

AMHERST TOWN HALL HOSTS AN ART RECEPTION FOR "THE MOTHER AND THE MONK" 

Thursday June 7th 2007. INTAGLIO PRINTS ON FABRIC BY GINEEN COOPER

Thursday June 7th 2007

Show is up until August

Time: 5:00 p.m.- 7:00 p.m.

"The Mother and the Monk",a new show opening at the Amherst Town Hall this Thursday,features work by local artist Gineen Cooper. The opening is from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and takes place during Amherst's Arts Night Out Walk.

Meditations on the themes of spiritual practice,innocence and compassion are at the center of these of intaglio prints. The artist experiments with colored inks, fabric, antique wallpaper,handpainting, tinfoil and pvc vinyl as well as traditional paper. Selections from five different series will be on display until August.  Stay tuned for an artist talk and upcoming art workshops in the artists studio in Holyoke, Ma. www.gineen.com

Many blessings to all who helped make this possible!

A portion of the proceeds of sales will be given to Zen on Main, a space for contemplative meditation practice and once-a-month all-day retreats in the heart of Northampton.All are welcome. Zen on Main, 178 Main St, Noho,MA  www.zenonmain.org

Note: thank god i took my own advice! and the form is like a smooth steamship now....!

thanks MO you are suprimo, supremo

Blessings, Gineen

PAINTINGS BY LARRY SMITH AND ANNIE ZIRIN

June at Gallery A3

6/7/07 - 6/30/07

Time: 1:00 - 7:00 pm

Larry Smith and Annie Zirin are exhibiting at Gallery A3 throughout June.

Larry Smith's work offers a fresh approach to still-life painting and the common objects of our everyday lives. He's interested in chance juxtapositions like the toothbrush left on the TV set or the car keys next to the bananas. Rather than fitting his works into categories like breakfast piece or workshop tools, he prefers the ambiguity of objects removed from their typical context. Ambiguity is also part of his formal painting style, favoring the use of intuition over any particular method or theory.

Annie Zirin's new paintings are based on images from New Orleans in the days after Hurricane Katrina. Zirin s work is lush, colorful and sometimes playful. It s also a clear expression her questioning and criticism of the government's actions in New Orleans. She wrote in a recent statement, To me they speak painfully to the empty promises and disastrous rebuilding efforts that have unfolded over the last two years policies that have ensured that the culturally vibrant, largely African-American city we knew before the storm, is now just a memory.

Opening reception and Amherst Art Walk: June 7, 5-8 pm. Gallery A3, 28 Amity Street, Amherst. Hours: Wed-Sun, 1-7:00. Phone: 413/256-4250 www.gallerya3.com.

Image: Here Comes the Flood, acrylic on board, Annie Zirin

INNOVATIVE PROCESSES: PRINTS BY ABBIE HENDRICKSON, CONSTANCE JACOBSON AND JOYCE SILVERSTONE EXHIBITION AND DEMONSTRATION AT ZEA MAYS PRINTMAKING

05/25/07 - 06/29/07

Reception: June 8th, 5:30-7:30 PM

All three artists included in this exhibition take a very non-traditional approach to printmaking.  Jacobson prints with powdered graphite suspended in oil, Silverstone on clayboard with alternative plates, inks and paints, and Hendrickson is highly mix-media, printing on dried tea bags, including stiching, gesso and more. 

The artists will be demonstrating their unique approaches to printmaking during the reception, FRIDAY JUNE 8TH - 5:30-7:30 PM.  Come join us for this opportunity to see the magic!

 

 The exhibition is open Tuesday - Friday, 12-5 and the first and third weekend of June, 12-5.  Zea Mays Printmaking is located at the Arts and Industry Building, 221 Pine St. #320, Florence, MA.  413.584.1783.

 www.zeamaysprintmaking.com

AFTER-HOURS AT CUP AND TOP CAFE!

Title: THE ART SALON

Start Date: Ongoing

End Date: Summer schedule TBA

Time: Sundays 5:30pm & Tuesdays 7:00pm

Description: For Beginners, Non-Artists, and Pros alike!

 

 Hosted and Facilitated by Northampton artist Dana Wilde.

 

 Creative drawing and writing exercises help you access your creativity, express yourself, and generate some ART in a fun, exploratory environment. Great for folks who feel creatively-challenged, and for artists who want to get unstuck, come out of isolation, or try on a whole new art-form!

 

 90 minutes. $12. Materials provided.  WWW.DANAWILDEART.COM

 

 Please arrive 10-15 minutes early to sign-in, get refreshments, and settle in. We start on time.

 

 

06/09/07 - 07/08/07

Opening Reception 06/09/07 5-9pm

The fine art gallery space at Off The Map Tattoo Studio in Easthampton, Massachusetts, will present an exhibition of paintings and photographs by Nick Baxter entitled  Surfacing.  The exhibition, which is Nick s first ever solo showing, opens June 9 and continues through July 8, 2007. It will feature 20 all new, thematically interwoven works. The opening reception is from 5 9 pm on June 9, coinciding with the ongoing Art Walk Easthampton event (www.ArtWalkEasthampton.org)

 

Baxter, born in 1981 in New Haven Connecticut, has followed a lifelong passion for creative self-expression. He attended many prestigious art schools before pursuing a career in tattooing. He continues to develop and pursue his interest in other fine art mediums such as painting, mixed media collage, and photography. Tattooing six full years, Baxter has gained international acclaim in the body art community for his thought-provoking, innovative motifs and has become widely recognized by others in the tattoo industry for his combination of fine art and technical tattooing skills. He has shown fine art works in numerous group exhibitions since 2003, and has been featured in every major tattoo art magazine. 

 

 For more info. and directions to the tattoo studio and its fine art gallery space, call 413-527-6574, email them through (frontdesk@offthemaptattoo.com), or view the website at (www.offthemaptattoo.com).
For a comprehensive collection of Nick s artwork, visit his website at (www.nickbaxter.com)

 

Katie Koti presents two photographic suites, In the Light of Day and What was Lost Along the Way  that are  visual  extractions she has explored from the common world.  Koti s use of an abstract approach in the way the camera is placed and the distance from which the subject is examined, allows her to transform the simple into the profound and the mundane into beautiful.  Her use of extreme textural details exposes  beauty in struggle and  light in sadness. 

THE ARTISAN GALLERY IS PROUD TO PRESENT THE NEW CERAMIC WORK OF STEPHANIE CRAIG AND TODD LEECH.

May 28-July 8, 2007

 

TRANSFORMATIONS: The Compelling Ceramic Art of Stephanie Craig and Todd Leech

05/28/07 - 07/08/07

Time: Mon-Wed 10-6

Stephanie and Todd bring everything to their work.

They explore, and probe, and sift through the mountain of evidence that we are but a small part of the natural world. They acknowledge we are only here for a limited duration. They encounter and respond to the natural world on a very personal level. Memories, growth, and disintegration are transformed by the alchemy of intellect, emotion and technical virtuosity into works of compelling beauty. If the success of a work of art can lie in its ability to arrest the internal chatter of the viewer then this work succeeds. If great art achieves a beautiful complexity and allows for a peaceful contemplation of the larger world - then this group of works is a success on every level.

 

For more information contact:

Chuck Stern, Curator

413.586.1942

The Artisan Gallery

162 Main Street

Northampton, MA  01060

www.theartisangallery.com

 

 Hours: 

 Mon-Wed 10-6

 Thur-Sat 10-9

 Sun 12-5

Gallery 137

FIRST FRIDAYS - FEATURING JAZZ GUITARIST, DAVID ROSENTHAL

First Fridays monthly series

Start Date: 6/1/2007

Time: 7 - 9 p.m.

An Award-winning guitarist, Longmeadow native David Rosenthal has had the opportunity to perform with some of the biggest names in jazz, including Hank Jones, Barry Harris, Jon Hendricks, Oscar Peterson, and more.

At just 18, he has also sold out shows at The Iron Horse in Northampton and played extensively around the country, including his performances at the 2005 and 2006 Grammy Awards.

Call (413) 543-6994 or visit www.Gallery137.org for more information and upcoming event schedules.



Also visit www.davidrosenthal.com for more information on this amazing performer. Open to the public, suggested donation of $5.

8TH ANNUAL RESIDENT ART SHOW

Title: Residents Gallery Art Show

6/03/2007 - 6/28/2007

Time: On Going

Come meet the eleven artists at opening reception 4-5 pm on June 3.  Paintings in variety of mediums by Tiyo Asai, Ed Chandless, Annabelle Coelen, Lisa Colt, Margery Cornwall, Gerry LoGalbo, Jody Mills, Barbara Snoek, Diedrick Snoek, Marjorie Tauer, and Howard Sacks.

Note: This jpeg is a water color entitled "Monhegan Row Boats" by Ed Chandless.

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To Submit Listings

Include a brief description of the event or artist, date, price, time, venue address and phone number, preferably in the format of our listings. Incomplete submissions will not be listed; due to space constraints, inclusion in the calendar is not guaranteed. Deadline is Thursday, 5:00 p.m. two weeks prior to the issue date in which the listing would appear. Space does not permit listing advance notices. To be considered for more extensive write-up, please include artwork (300 dpi high quality digital images, photos or slides). We prefer e-mail and fax submissions. We do not accept text attachments. The address for regular mail is: Listings Editor, Valley Advocate, 116 Pleasant St. Suite 335, Easthampton, MA 01027.

E-mail:

listings@valleyadvocate.com ˆ Fax: 413-529-2844

Also remember the following:

- if your listing misses the deadline, it will be deleted.

- if your listing is only presented as some .pdf, word file or other form of text attachment, it will be deleted.

- if your event is outside our area of coverage (generally the 413 area code, with some few exceptions in Hartford and Brattleboro), it will be deleted.

- if your event is any sort of ongoing 'class,' yoga, writing workshop, yard sale or church supper, they will most likely be deleted (there are just far too many of these coming in).

- if your event is being held at a private residence, it will be deleted.

- if your event costs more than $40, it will be deleted.

Finally, on Mondays, as often as not, the editor-in-chief will come by and tell me to hack three columns out of the listings, arbitrarily, because of space limitations. Since Art show listings tend to go on the longest and hence have more of a chance to make it into the next week's issue as opposed to one-time events, these are typically the first to be hacked.

Hope this has enlightened all...

DANDIE IN THE UNDERWORLD IS IN SEARCH OF LOCAL INDIE/DIY CRAFTERS AND ARTISTS
call for indie crafters

DANDIE IN THE UNDERWORLD IS IN SEARCH OF LOCAL INDIE/DIY CRAFTERS AND ARTISTS

call for indie crafters

Start Date: now

End Date: ongoing

Time: 24/7

Dandie in the Underworld is opening very soon and we need you.

 

We're a small boutique and art space hidden in an alley of downtown Northampton, MA selling crafty- type goods from local artists (western mass peeps). The boutique is entirely decorated with recycled goods, things we found and have given new life. We're giving back to the community by providing an outlet for all of the local underground crafters and we hope you want to be a part of it.

 

Art meets function here. Everything is unique, no two pieces are the same. But we re not a gallery. We're not looking for fine-art, it s all about those funky/cutesy things you make. Anything from hand-knit scarves, bags, wallets, jewelry, cards, clothes, pins....whatever you do, we want. It doesn't have to be traditional, and the less traditional the better. Nothing is too out there for us. This is the opportunity for all of you with that knack for creating stuff to have it showcased in our boutique.

 

If you're as excited as we are and want some more info or have stuff you want to sell please email marisa at marisa@marisafilippone.com or give a call (ask for rosa) at 413.387.6778.

 

We need your goods soon so hurry!

  NCFA OFFERS BRAND NEW, INNOVATIVE AND VARIED SUMMER ART STUDIO

Title: Summer Art Studio

07/16/07 - 09/09/07

Time: Varied

The Northampton Center for the Arts is launching a summer-long educational fine arts program featuring a series of classes and workshops taught by some of Northampton's most prominent visual artists. The series is a response to frequent requests for community arts instruction, and the offerings have been chosen to be of interest to a wide range of students.

 

Called  The Summer Art Studio,  classes will be held in the Center's new community arts classroom, a versatile, air-conditioned space filled with natural light. The series offers an unusual opportunity for the community to interact with artists in engaging events and imaginative learning experiences.

 

 Artists are: Nava Grunfeld, watercolor; Robert Markey, fundamentals of oil painting; Karen Dolmanisth, two workshops:  Meditation, Drawing and Aqua Medium" and Basic Drawing; Lea Donnan, T-shirt art (collage, simple printmaking and textile application); Robert Masla, drawing fundamentals; Madison Cripps, bookbinding; Jane Lund, pastel still-life. 

 

 Those registering for Nava Grunfeld's session should do so at http://www.navagrunfeld.com/

 For full information about all sessions and to download the registration form (for all except Grunfeld's), visit www.nohoarts.org  or call the Center (413) 584-7327 to obtain a flyer.

 

stephanie.gibbs@gmail.com

Stephanie Gibbs

Easthampton Cultural Council

YOU, TOO, CAN GIVE AWAY OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY TO ARTISTS!

ECC seeks new members

The Easthampton Cultural Council needs you!

 

If you either live or work in Easthampton, and would be interested in supporting the arts and culture of the town by giving away grant money, please join us!

Meetings are on the third Wednesday of every month at 50 Payson Ave (City Offices), 7 pm.  For more information, email eculturalcouncil@aol.com, or visit http://www.massculturalcouncil.org/

 

We distribute state money to local artists in the visual and performing arts. The ECC also participates in Arts Walk and other community arts activities.  Individual members are active in many other community groups.

The Massachusetts Cultural Council promotes excellence, access, education and diversity in the arts, humanities, and interpretive sciences to improve the quality of life for all Massachusetts residents and contribute to the economic vitality of our communities.

We fund:  individual artists   both visual and performing;  and organizations including: Art Walk Easthampton; Asparagus Valley Pottery Trail; Easthampton Arts Appreciation Museum Trips; Easthampton Family Center; Easthampton Historical Society; Easthampton Parks: Arts in the Park; Easthampton Schools; Emily Williston Memorial Library; Easthampton Windows Project; Flywheel; Late Bloomers Art Adventures; Pumpkins in the Park; Riverside Industries; Tri-County Schools