| SPRING RITUALS,
MERCURY TURNS NORMOGRADE & ART OPENS, CLOSES & CALLS
Today is Happy Birthday to Benito Juarez ("Among
individuals, as among nations, respect for the rights of others
is peace")
And then there
is the Indian Ritual to celebrate Spring, The Holi Festival
Rituals & celebration of Holi Festival is an aspect
of Hindu dharma. Rituals & celebrations are an important
and human component of our participation in the social and
cosmic order, of our dharma. Holi Festival is a spring celebration,
the exuberant ritual of throwing paint at each other
and not sparing each other at all, is a variation of the
common theme of spring rituals the world over. The logic
is that on the first day of spring, people need to wake
up from their winter slumber.
Essentially, Holi means the triumph of good over evil
and conquest of sensual values by spiritual values.
The tender green leaves on the trees, the blossomed flowers
in the gardens and the sweet calls of the Cuckoo mark the
advent of a new season that is Spring (vasant). Enriching
the freshness is the festival of Holi with a splurge of
colours and an aura of romance all around.
On Holi Festival, people are suddenly caught unawares with
colours being poured from on top of the houses, bursting
balloons or long pistons squirting coloured water. People
in small groups are seen singing, dancing and throwing colours
on each other.
I just sniped my dog Jamoka with a paint gun and he walked
out.
But, Mercury Retrograde ends Saturday so soon it will be
all be better, like when you put a sushi bandaid on your
woes.
DEA BUSTS
*POT TART* CREATORS
DEA arrests
12, seizes marijuana-laced candy and soft drinks in San Francisco
Bay Area
How is
this relevant to this newsletter?
I use Photoshop too. |
MAR 16--OAKLAND,
CA – Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) Special
Agent in Charge (“SAC”) Javier F. Peña announced today
the arrest of Kenneth AFFOLTER, 39, of Lafayette, CA,
and eleven other individuals on charges of distribution
of marijuana.
As a result of the searches law enforcement seized four
sophisticated indoor marijuana growers, thousands of
marijuana plants, a large amount of U.S. Currency, two
semi-automatic weapons, one revolver, and hundreds of
pot laced candy and soft drinks.
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The creative
candy included turns on many classics such as 3 Rastateers,
Rasta Reese's, Double Puff Oreo, Twixt, Keef Kat, Munchy Way,
Buddafinger, Puff a Mint Pattie, and Tri Chrome Crunch,
according to an article at www.dea.gov.
http://www.dea.gov/pubs/states/newsrel/sanfra n031606.html
I.D.E.A. (International
Dance Exchange Alliance)
invites you
to the "Spring Equinox IDEA Exchange" Thursday, March 23 @
7:30 PM
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another
accicoincidental segue from the previous article.
I.D.E.A. (International Dance Exchange Alliance)
invites you to the
"Spring Equinox IDEA Exchange" at A.P.E. Performance
Space, 3rd Floor above THORNE'S MARKET, 150 MAIN ST.,
NORTHAMPTON, MASS, on THURS. MARCH 23, 7:30 PM., donation
$5
Christina Svane and Mary Ramsay host these evenings
around the Solstices and Equinoxes, as an opportunity
to perform something that you're working on in
any performable medium for an audience of witnesses.
We are interested in creating a supportive context for
showing work that is coming into form and to which both
performer and audience bring their imaginations.
We ask that you attend an I.D.E.A. as audience member
before signing up to show a piece.
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Each piece
should be no longer than 10 minutes and an evening will consist
of a maximum of 5 pieces. To sign up to show your work,
please email Mary at maryjramsay@comcast.net or Christie at
csvane@comcast.net.
Each performance
is followed by 3 - 5 minutes of writing time by the audience.
After all pieces have been shown, we gather in a circle to
share our writings, piece by piece. In this way, we weave
together our collective experience and complete the exchange
between performer and audience. When we have time, we print
these writings as the booklet, IDEALog, available at
Broadside Books.
MICROLOCAL
NEWS
New Art Studios
at ProCorp in Florence?
NOTE-The following is excerpted from an email to me:
The Pro Corp. (the big brick building across the street from
Arts & Industry) intends to create artist studios in their
building. In order to do so, the zoning needs to be changed
from industrial to special industrial. If the zoning change
gets approved, they could be up and running by June with new
studios.
The merchants downtown (and possibly other building owners)
might oppose the zoning change because they are worried about
competition. The zoning change is very much subject to political
persuasion though and the planning board is profoundly influenced
by public commentary. Therefore, the zoning change could easily
fail if the only thing the planning board hears is business
owners from Florence saying how bad the change will be for
their businesses. Therefore, it is crucial that other members
of the public (that means us) show up to support the change.
The public hearing is this coming Thursday night, March
23, at 7:15 at the planning board, which is located in the
city offices behind City Hall on Main Street. Please try
to attend and support the zoning change.
VIDEO COCKTAIL-CALL
FOR ENTRIES
Deadline (postmarked)
March 30
 |
Video Cocktail,
Contemporary Artists Center, North Adams, MA
Deadline (postmarked) March 30:
Call for Entries: Contemporary Artists Center,
North Adams, MA Video Cocktail is a survey of contemporary
single channel video art. Thematic programs will be
created from submitted work and shown over the course
of the summer in the CAC gallery (www.thecac.org).
Any mode of single channel video making that reflects
current video art practice is encouraged. Curator: David
Lachman, Video programs will be shown June through October.
Submission Guidelines:
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Send:
1. Recent, completed after 1999, single channel video art
(i.e. any art you show on a single video monitor). 2. DVD-R,
VHS, S-VHS or MiniDV of work, labeled with Artist Name, email
address, and phone number (NTSC format only). 3. A list of
work submitted that includes a short description of each piece,
the completion date, the length (note if it is a single play,
loop, or either), whether it is silent, mono, or stereo sound,
and 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio. 4. Artist Statement, CV, and
Short Bio, if available. 5. No Fee, but include a SASE if
you want your media returned.
For full consideration, post material by March 30, 2006. Late
submissions will be given some consideration if received by
June 15.
Send submissions to:
The Contemporary Artists Center, Video Cocktail Show,
Attn: David Lachman,
189 Beaver Street, North Adams, MA 01247. USA.
For more information, sontact the CAC at 413.663.9555 or hezzie@thecac.org
or see: www.thecac.org.
CLOSING PARTY
FOR BURN UNIT @ TABER ART GALLERY, HCC
March 30,
5:30 to 7:30
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The exhibition
"Burn Unit" in the Taber Art Gallery at Holyoke Community
College will be having a closing party hosted by the
artists Mike Martendell & Jeff Derose on Thursday
March 30th from 5:30 - 7:30 pm.
Friend's of the Taber Gallery, Mike, Jeff, and those
on Mo's arts newsletter list are invited. (See!? membership...)
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The Taber
gallery hours are Mon - Thurs 8:30am - 6:00pm. For more
information call: (413)552-2614
MAKING ART * MAKING A LIVING
Thursdays
March -April, 2006 at UMASS
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Making Art Making a Living
Thursdays March -April, 2006 4:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Free for UMASS students thanks to sponsorship from the
UMASS Arts Council
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PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED! Call 545-3653 with your student I.D. #
March 30th: Getting Your Work Exhibited– Art 45 Felice Caivano,
Trinity College Art Gallery & Professor of Art at Holyoke
Community College and Heather Haskell, Director of Springfield
Museums: From the perspective of an artist, gallery director
and museum curator, you will learn how you can best present
your work to these venues to get your work exhibited!
April 13th: Marketing for Visual Artists–ART 42 Professional
artist Louise Minks draws upon decades of experience marketing
her work and offers several tools for developing a practical
approach to marketing your work.
April 27th Legal Stuff for Artists –ART 40 Attorney
Joshua Grey from Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts addresses
legal matters such as contracts, copyright, government regulations
and other issues for artists.
PAINTING SALE
- OVER 100 PAINTINGS, UNDER $100
Saturday &
Sunday, April 1st & 2nd
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1 pm to 5 pm at the blue house off Roaring Brook Road, Conway.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL:
DOROTHY OSTERMAN
413.369.4402
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NUDES AND
STILL LIFE AT THE OXBOW GALLERY
STILL LIFE PHOTOGRAPHS by Robert Aller
NUDE DRAWINGS by Arnold Skolnick
ARNOLD SKOLNICK, creator and designer of the original 1969
Woodstock Festival poster (bird, hand, guitar) and art
director for the Woodstock Festival advertising campaign,
is president and creative director of Chameleon Books. He
has received numerous awards for his work as a designer of
books, advertising, exhibitions, film and television movies
He is a four-time recipient of the award given by the American
Institute of Graphic Arts to designers for the “50 Best Books
of the Year.”
ROBERT ALLER, photographer and professor of photography
at Holyoke Community College will also exhibit black and
white still life photographs. His work is in the collections
of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, The Danforth Museum,
The William Benton Museum of Art, UCONN-Storrs, Mount Holyoke
College Museum of Art, the Smith College Museum of Art and
others. He has had numerous exhibitions locally and nationally.
He received his MFA from The Milton Avery Graduate School
of the Arts at Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.
He lives in Chesterfield, Massachusetts.
The Oxbow Gallery is located at 275 Pleasant Street, Northampton,
MA.
The exhibit is in the gallery from April 6–30, 2006 with
an opening reception Friday, April 7, 6–8pm. The public
is invited.
The gallery hours are Thursday–Sunday, 12pm to 5pm.
For additional information please contact the gallery at 413-586-6300.
CALL FOR ARTISTS
- FIRST NIGHT BOSTON
Proposal Deadline
is April 21
First Night
Boston is now accepting applications for First Night 2007,
which takes place on December 31, 2006. The proposal deadline
is April 21, 2006. The notification date is July 31, 2006.
First Night is recruiting artists in all genres for the Family
Festival, the Grand Procession, indoor evening performances,
outdoor performances, visual art installations, and First
Night's Neighborhood Network community projects.
The guidelines and form can be downloaded
as a PDF here:
Contact: Carrie Gesteland, Production Manager, Phone: 617-542-1399
x19
First Night, Inc. 31 St. James Ave., Suite 949 Boston MA 02116
Guests wanted
for IT'S ALL ABOUT ARTS cable television program.
Open deadline,
Boston.
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Guests wanted for It's All About Arts cable television program.
Promote your art. Anyone involved in the arts is welcome
to come on our TV show with host Glenn Williams. Great
promotional venue to showcase art, classes, exhibits,
performances and events.
We do the show live each Monday evening from 6-7 p.m.
at the BNN studios, 10 Park Plaza, Transportation Building.
Call Executive Producer Janice Williams at 617-710-3811
or visit Web Site http://www.itsallaboutarts.com/ for
detail info and open dates. |
IAN WATSON ORGAN CONCERT IN DEERFIELD
Sunday evening,
May 14 at 7:30 pm
IAN WATSON
ORGAN CONCERT RESCHEDULED
Arcadia Players announces that Ian Watson’s organ concert
in Deerfield, has been rescheduled to take place on Sunday
evening, May 14 at 7:30 pm, at the First Church of Deerfield.
Tickets for the original March 4 date will be honored.
Contact Arcadia Players, (413) 256-4888 or www.arcadiaplayers.org
to purchase additional individual tickets.
Advance ticket prices are $22 general admission, $40 reserved
seating, and $10 for students. Tickets purchased at the door
are $25 general, $45 reserved.
The program will include three of the composer’s works for
organ as well as music by the early Baroque composer Jan Pieterszoon
Sweelinck and two monumental works of Bach, including the
thrilling Fantasia and Fugue in G minor.
Watson will give an informative pre concert talk at 6:40 p.m.,
and a reception to meet the artists will follow the concert.
The concert is sponsored by Deerfield Academy and is partially
funded by the MCC’s Local Cultural Councils throughout the
Pioneer Valley including Greenfield, Hadley, Longmeadow, Pelham,
Whately, and Williamsburg.
Arcadia Players will end its 17th season and preview the next
at a “ New Season Celebration” which will follow the Annual
Meeting on Sunday, June 25 at 5:30 pm. This festive midsummer
event features a potluck supper, a concert of Dutch Baroque
music, and a fundraising auction at the Renaissance Center
in Amherst. All are welcome to take part.
Arcadia Players may be reached at (413) 256-4888 or info@arcadiaplayers.org
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SUSTAINABLE
NORTHAMPTON MEETING
It is important
for the voice of the arts community to be included.
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March 9, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NCFA HOSTS ART-THEMED SUSTAINABILITY SESSION
On Sunday, March 26, there will be an opportunity
for Northampton-based artists, cultural organizations
and arts businesses that value Northampton¹s cultural
landscape and worry about its future to weigh in on
a variety of issues that are important to the city.
The session (one of eight associated with the city¹s
current sustainability project that are being held during
March and early April) will be held from 2 to 4 p.m.
at the Northampton Center for the Arts.
Although all sessions will have a similar format, it
is hoped that the March 26 discussion will focus on
the revitalization of the city¹s arts scene, which has
been eroded in recent years, in part, by gentrification,
lack of affordable business and living space and changing
consumer and real estate market conditions.
In advance, you might think about this: ³Assuming that
change is a constant aspect of a vibrant community,
what characteristics or community values should guide
Northampton as it plans for the future? |
While the
meeting is open to everyone, those who are participants or
particularly interested in the future of the arts in Northampton
are strongly encouraged to attend this meeting. Ideas and
opinions expressed at the meeting will contribute to the formulation
of a new city master plan. It is important for the voice of
the arts community to be included.
The meeting will be preceded from 1:30 to 2 p.m. by an (artful)
interlude: the Northampton Community Music School jazz ensemble
will play, and a short spoken word piece will be offered by
Northampton High School and Columbia University alumnus Edward
Rueda. Rueda was the winner of the first annual NHS poetry
slam and says that his piece, "Dispose- Ability," at the March
26 event will be "a clarion call to the meeting's participants
to preserve the elements in Northampton that foster creativity."
OPEN CALL
FOR NEW COMMISSIONS
Art in General,
NYC Deadline: Friday, March 31, 2006
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Open Call
for New Commissions
Art in General
(New York NY)
Art in General commissions challenging new work to visual
artists. With a yearly open call and a simple online
application process launched this year, Art in General
invites artists to propose projects in any medium or
format–from painting to sculpture to performance to
video to other, perhaps undefined, type of art or interdisciplinary
work.
This open call is for artists with studio or post-studio
practice. It has no thematic or spatial parameters.
Artists can choose to present a project proposal based
on long-standing or emerging interests. |
Only complete
online applications will be reviewed, replacing all application
forms used previously. Information on Art in General’s commissions
program, as well as the guidelines and online application
is available at:
Go to: http://commissions.artingeneral.org
Deadline: Friday, March 31, 2006 at 11:59 p.m. ET
Prior to this deadline, Art in General will host a series
of public programs to answer questions about the online application
and to provide technical support to applicants.
Please check the calendar at www.artingeneral.org for details.
ALL-MEDIA
NATIONAL JURIED EXHIBITION
Deadline:
April 1, 2006
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All-Media
National Juried Exhibition
621 Gallery
(Tallahassee FL)
621 Gallery seeks entries in an All-media National Juried
Exhibition to run June 1-30, 2006. Opening reception:
June 2. Open to all U.S. residents. No size or media
restricrions. Jurors: Dr. Roald Nasgaard, Chair, Department
of Art, Florida State University, and Prof. Omar Thompson,
Florida A&M University.
$1000 in Awards and a slot in the 2007- 2008 exhibition
season. $30 entry fee for 3 entries, additional entries
$10 each. |
Postmark
Deadline for slide, cd, or photo entries: April 1, 2006. For
complete prospectus and entry form:
(850) 224-6163 www.621gallery.com/anje
TRACY KIDDER
READING, OIL PAINTINGS OF WAR-EXPERIENCED AMERICANS EXHIBIT
Wed., Mar
29, at 7 PM at Franklin Paterson hall
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Following up on Mark Nickerson's powerful, poignant email about the NECN
showings of their film about traumatized veterans from
the Iraqi conflict, and in recognition of the 3rd anniversary
of the invasion of Iraq yesterday, there are a dozen
films and two art exhibits being shown. Throughout late
March and April, at a wide range of venues across the
Pioneer Valley, a rich and thoughtprovoking selection
of documentary films focused on the realities of combat,
combat trauma and homecoming will be screened.
Many of these screenings will be introduced by the filmmakers
and/or followed by commentary and discussion from local
veterans and their families."
You can access Dates, times and locations at http://nostoi.hampshire.edu
On Wed., Mar 29, at 7 at Franklin Paterson hall, Hampshire
College, Route 116 in Amherst, MY WAR, MY STORY, MY
DETACHMENT features Tracy Kidder reading from his
memoir of the Vietnam War, "My Detachment"; |
Vietnam veteral Al Miller, active with Veterans Education
Project, shares first person war stories; and the first local
showing of "100 Faces of War Experience" -- oil painted
portraits of Americans who have been in the theater of war
for Iraq or Afghanistan. Next to each portrait hangs a plaque
with a descrption of the person was involved in the war, and
some personal writings written by them. The evening is sponsored
by the Veterans Education Project which participated in our
all day training on working with veterans in April 2005.
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