Posts filed under 'Art'
Nantucket Arts & Festival News
Pirate Radio, a new rock and roll comedy film, will be shown in a special advance screening on Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 at the Tribeca Grand Screening Room (2 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY). The screening will be followed by a conversation with the movie’s writer/director Richard Curtis, moderated by Vanity Fair Special Correspondent Maureen Orth and a cocktail reception to benefit the Nantucket Film Festival. Tickets are $150 and can be purchased via email at pirateradio@nantucketfilmfestival.org or by calling 212.708.1278.
Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans, Nick Frost, and Kenneth Branagh, Pirate Radio is the newest ensemble comedy from filmmaker Richard Curtis (screenwriter of Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill, and writer/director of Love Actually), spinning the irreverent yet fact-based tale of a seafaring band of rogue rock and roll deejays whose “pirate radio” captivated and inspired 1960s Britain. The film will be released nationwide on Friday, November 13th.
The fifteenth annual Nantucket Film Festival (NFF) takes place June 17th-20th, 2010. They are currently accepting submissions for next year’s lineup and for Showtime’s Tony Cox Award for Screenwriting. Submissions will be accepted through the official festival website (www.nantucketfilmfestival.org) and at withoutabox.com beginning in January. The deadline for submissions is March 12th.
The new album from Jake Vohs is available at CD Baby.
The Artists Association of Nantucket’s Fall Classes & Workshops is registering for fall classes.
Children’s classes begin on Oct. 31, and include Exploring Autumn, Sculpture, Arts & Crafts, Comic Book Creations, Draw, and Print & Paint.
For adults and teens over 15, classes begin October 27 and include Beginner/Intermediate Wheelthrowing, Clay Holiday Votives, Figure Drawing, Drawing, Charcoal Drawing, Figure Drawing Open Studio, Watercolor Painting, Multi-Level Oil Painting, Oil Painting, Beginning Painting Critique, Digital Photography Workshop, Intro to Mac, Intro to Photoshop, Intermediate Photoshop, and Graphic Design Principles for Web Design.
Click www.nantucketarts.org, or stop by One Gardner Perry Lane for details.
The Nantucket Dreamland Foundation “ENCORE!” arts education program is in full swing. Some of the classes that have not yet begun are: Acting the Ingenue…:(The Villian, and the Comedic Character), Acting for the Little Ones: Story Telling With Many Hats, Tiny Stars: Dress-Up Workshop, Hip Hop/Jazz Dance Classes, Blast from the Past Dance Class, New Stars Hit Broadway, Beginner Tap Class, Make Your Own Fall Centerpiece, Make Your Own Winter Centerpiece, A Holiday Gift Giving Idea for Little Ones, A Holiday Gift Giving Idea for Teens, and Gingerbread House Making.
The “ENCORE!” programs will be held in Saint Paul’s Church and The Nantucket Yacht Club. The Programming guide is online at www.nantucketdreamland.org.
Add comment November 2, 2009
Nantucket Wet Paint Auction
The annual Artists Association of Nantucket Wet Paint Auction took place on Sunday, October 11, 2009 at Legion Hall. Here is a preview of the photos, with more photos next week.
Add comment October 17, 2009
Nantucket Farm & Field
The Bartlett’s 3rd Annual Farm & Field Exhibition opened on Friday, September 4, 2009, put together by Jill Sandole as part of the Nantucket Arts Festival, featuring local artists’ interpretations of the farm through paintings and photography. The Hayloft was transformed into a gallery with fresh-cut field flowers, potted plants and vegetables designed to complement the artwork. Photos by Gene Mahon, assisted by Amanda Morgan. More photographs of this event on the Photo Archive.
Add comment September 11, 2009
Nantucket Arts News
The 2010 Nantucket Comedy Festival will run from July 27th to the 31st.
Former island resident artist Hannah Stone is having an online art sale with much of her work heavily discounted to make room for new ideas. Hannah’s paintings adorn the walls of Cambridge Street if you want an idea of her work. Click here to see what you can buy.
The Nantucket Oral History Project was launched by John Stanton this past spring. “We are facing the possibility of change and it is important to remember our recent past as we make decisions on our future”, John wrote me. The central idea is to produce and show a series of mini-documentaries to be followed by a discussion. Visit the website where you can watch the first two mini-docs and leave comments on where the discussion should go next.
On Sept. 30, 7pm, John will screen the next two mini-docs at the Great Hall of the Atheneum. The evening leads off with “Personal History: Louise McGarvey”, memories of the early days of island aviation. The second film is “Beyond Quixote”, a short history and look at the possibilities of wind power from the failed attempts at backyard windmills in the early 1980s to projects now underway or on the drawing board. Both films are about 10 minutes long and will be followed by a discussion.
I reported last December that production on a two part miniseries adopted from Herman Melville’s novel “Moby Dick” by Germany’s Tele Muenchen Group was scheduled to start this year, with much of the filming to take place on Nantucket. Their last mini-series was an adaptation of Jack London’s ‘The Sea Wolf,’ with Tim Roth, Sebastian Koch and Neve Campbell. The budget is expected to be about $16 million. Now it turns out that “Moby Dick” will be mostly filmed in Malta, with Canadian South Shore towns of Lunenburg and Shelburne standing in for Nantucket exteriors. The tall ship playing the whaleship Pequod is European, and didn’t want to cross the Atlantic for the ocean sequences.
Former island resident and photographer David Halliday now has a show of his work on New Orleans food and its artistic versatility at the San Antonio Museum of Art, running through February 21, 2010. David is now living in New Orleans, and his photographs are in the collection of the New Orleans Museum of Art and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.
Add comment September 11, 2009
InsomniACK
Weekend Warrior: InsomniACK
Alison Shriberg
It would seem reasonable to assume that someone who calls herself a “Weekend Warrior” comes to the island relentlessly, regardless of work obligations, weather, or traffic. She makes it her business to be where the action is. She analyzes the relationships between tourists, summer residents, and locals; and strives to make sense of the nuances, oddities, and magic that make up a Nantucket summer.
Last year that role came as naturally to me as fog to Nantucket. Every week I counted the minutes to get to the island and immerse myself in local events. I felt part of the community. Still, I understood I was in no way a local. I enjoyed my unique status.
This summer I have been, at best, a Wimpy Weekend Warrior. In June and July, rain dampened my drive to leave the house. A heat wave in August pushed me north to Canada for two weeks. It’s no wonder that when I came to the island the last weekend in August, I felt like an outsider and a bit of a traitor.
My shame hit hard when I bumped into Gene, that Mahon about Town, at the InsomniACK event on Friday, August 28th. As I watched him snap pictures of local artists showing their work, children making pipe-cleaner art, and revelers enjoy the free wine, I realized that InsomniACK was the ideal event for a weekend warrior to cover.
I was bACK.
InsomniACK was the brainchild of Elisabeth Hazell, a dear friend and half-Canadian. Every February since its inception in 2003, Elisabeth has attended Montreal’s Nuit Blanche (French for White Night or All-Nighter), an arts festival in which museums, galleries, and other cultural institutions stay open all night. Elisabeth even brings those Nantucket friends along who appreciate art enough to brave negative 40 degree weather.
Elisabeth dubbed Nantucket’s Nuit Blanche “InsomniACK”. It was not an “all-nighter” or, thankfully, negative 40, but it was an event that kept people out and about until midnight celebrating the beginning of the 17th Annual Nantucket Arts Festival.
InsomniACK was designed to get people to engage with the arts. Galleries stayed open after hours, luring newcomers with wine and cheese. Local artists displayed their work at the Preservation Institute: Nantucket (P.I.N.). The pieces ranged from watercolors of Nantucket landscapes to abstract contemporary art.
The back room of P.I.N. was where visitors became contributors. Children – and adults – transformed colorful pipe cleaners into art in a collaborative installation strung from the ceiling. The blackboard on the wall was covered with paper on which people could mark their territory. Kids drew stick figures and signed them. Even artist George Davis got in on the action by drawing one of his signature seagulls.
The highlight of the back room was the button making station, where people hovered over a heavy-duty button-making machine, waiting to transform magazine clippings into wearable art. These quarter-sized pins were way cooler than anything from Newbury Comics and each one was as unique as the person who made it.
The evening officially ended at midnight with a raffle for $1000. Raffle tickets were designed as “passports” that had to be stamped by four galleries. That was the easy part. Harder was that in order to win the loot, you had to show up for the midnight drawing. The incentive plan separated the fair-weather friends (yes, it did start raining at 11) from the true insomniACKs.
InsomniACK exemplified the limitless talent and determination of the Nantucket community. For event Chair Elisabeth Hazell, it was an ambitious labor of love. She spent hundreds of hours planning and executing the details. Sometimes she wondered if she could pull it off. Fortunately for us, she more than made it happen. She planted the seeds for an annual event that has the potential to grow like Rosa Rugosa and keep the whole island up all night.
Ali Shriberg resides in Boston and comes to Nantucket whenever she can, which, during the summer, is every weekend. A true ‘Weekend Warrior,’ she brings to the newsletter the perspective of an off-islander, yet is familiar with the local scene, as many of her friends are year-round residents. Ali is a corporate trainer specializing in public speaking and presentation skills, and tutors students of all ages and abilities in writing.
Earlier columns by Ali:
A Reason to Rock off the Rock
A Little Night Music on Nantucket
Grace Potter on Nantucket
Inspiration in a Greenhouse
Add comment September 11, 2009
Nantucket Arts News
As part of their 175th Anniversary celebration, The Nantucket Atheneum will place 100 cylindrical 17″x 6″ metal Anniversary Time Capsules into a large vault that will then be buried in the Atheneum garden on October 10th, to be opened on the Atheneum’s 200th anniversary in 2034. The capsules are available for purchase by families, businesses and organizations for $200 each.
We missed this when it first reached us, but thought it worth passing along. The 2009 People’s Choice Awards earlier this month at the Artists Association of Nantucket Joyce & Seward Johnson Gallery went to:
Overall Winner:”Light Nap”, Edwin Rudd
Winners:
“Good Morning Sunshine”, Chris Bourbeau
“Summer Vacation”, Elle Foley
“Resting Up”, Margaret Fox
“Port Tack”, Garth Grimmer
“End of Summer”, Holly Harty
“Three Plums”, Katie Trinkle Legge
Kevin Flynn, Comedian and Co-Founder of the Nantucket Comedy Festival discusses the importance of humor in this July 23 episode of The Point with Minday Todd from WCAI.
Emmy Award winning actor and director John Shea, who is also the Artistic Director for the Theatre Workshop of Nantucket, talked with Mindy on July 29. Here it is.
Add comment September 2, 2009
Nantucket Arts Festival
The 2009 Nantucket Arts Festival runs from Friday, August 28, through Monday, September 7. The Nantucket Arts Council annual Festival showcases the creative talents of numerous local photographers, painters, weavers, and musicians – a true celebration of the diversity and extraordinary talent found on the island today.
This year a new event–”InsomniACK: Art After Dark”–will kick off the Festival. On Friday, August 28, businesses, galleries, and non-profits downtown and on the wharves will keep their doors open late with special events – many until midnight – when the evening will culminate in a $1000 prize drawing at the Methodist Church. More than 100 businesses, cultural institutions, artists, and galleries have come together to present this year’s Festival.
InsomniACK is based on the tradition of Nuit Blanche (literally, White Night or All-Nighter in French) and is an annual all-night arts festival. The exact site of its beginning is disputed – Paris, St. Petersburg, Berlin – but taking elements from all of these, the idea of a night – time festival of the arts has spread throughout the world since 1997.
For “InsomniACK: Art After Dark” night, The Nantucket Historical Association will present “Look, Listen, and Do” on Friday, August 28, 7:00 – 10:00 P.M.
In the Discovery Room, you can create a sailors valentine and watch video segments produced by Plum TV, showcasing Nantucket art, history, and culture.
The Old Gaol at 15R Vestal Street will be open for visitors to meet the jailer and hear tales of prison life and escape stories.
The Whaling Museum will close at 5:00 and the Discovery Room will reopen at 7:00; enter to the right of the main Museum entrance. The August 28th evening is free – call 508-228-1894, ext. 0 for additional information.
Also on Friday night, support the Arts Council by attending the “Art After Dark” party at the Cavalier Galleries on Main Street beginning at 10 pm, running until the cash prize drawing at midnight. Tickets are $25, available at the door only, and all proceeds will be going directly towards the Arts Council and the production of the Nantucket Arts Festival.
Many volunteers are still needed to sit at the information table, deliver supplies, put up signs, collect cash prize tickets, assist with the cash prize drawing, clean up. Also needed are hospitality coordinators for the opening reception, bartenders, coordinators for the family scavenger hunt and the no-sew fashion contest, greeters, and more. Call 508-325-8588 to volunteer.
Nantucket Arts Festival programs will be available at the normal distribution points. Dowload the schedule, become a member of the Arts Council, or send a donation to support the Festival week by calling 508-325-8588 or go to NantucketArtsCouncil.org.
Add comment August 26, 2009
Nantucket Arts News
Dave Provost has won the New England Songwriting contest last weekend at the Ossipee Valley Bluegrass Festival. Congrats Dave.
The deadline to register your business for the Nantucket Arts Festival InsomniACK night (many downtown businesses will stay open until midnight) and to get an advertisement into the Arts Festival (Friday August 28 through Sunday, September 6) program is Friday, July 31st. The program will list all arts, cultural, historical, and special events for free. Trunk shows, open houses, salon concerts, wine tastings, demonstrations, lectures, are all welcome. Advertising is accepted in the program – printed ads begin at $100 for full-color. and 10,000 copies will be printed. Go to the Nantucket Arts Council website.
The Artists Association of Nantucket has many workshops and summer classes throughout the summer. Registration is online at www.nantucketarts.org. where you can browse all the offerings. Questions, call 508-228-0722. Some sample course for children: Comic Book Creations on the Computer, Beaded Jewelry, Adventures in Art History, Art & Storytelling, Parent & Child Painting at the Beach, Wheelthrowing. For adults: Morning Light Landscape Painting, Oil Painting Workshop, Watercolor Workshop, and Paint, Paper, Paste.
The Brotherhood now has live jazz on Friday nights from 10 to midnight. I popped in for a few minutes last weekend, and liked what I heard. The band has no name, but it’s comprised of Jon Brickley on bass, Jake Wardwell on drums, Aiden Sherry and Jason Sullivan on guitars, and Howard Bloom on tenor sax. Check them out here on YouTube, and support local jazz.
Add comment July 30, 2009
Nantucket Arts Festival
The Nantucket Arts Council’s 17th Annual Arts Festival will take place from Friday, August 28 through September 7 (Labor Day). Heading the committee responsible for organizing the Festival is Nantucket Arts Council board member Elisabeth Hazell.
This year a new event–”InsomniACK: Art After Dark” – will kick off the Festival. On Friday, August 28 during “InsomniACK,” downtown businesses, galleries, and nonprofits will keep their doors open until midnight, when the evening will conclude with a cash prize drawing. Special events being organized by participating businesses and organizations downtown and on the wharves will take place throughout the night, leading up to the midnight cash drawing.
The Festival will showcase the creative talents of many talented Nantucketers -from talented local photographers, painters, weavers and musicians to Nantucket High School students, who will be staging a premiere of a creative video project they have been working on for the past year.
The Arts Council expects to attract over 4,000 participants throughout the Festival, concluding with the busy Labor Day weekend. A printed map and program will be distributed free all over the island. The deadline is August 1 to submit listings for the printed program. All listings must be submitted online. To list your organization or business and events, go to www.nantucketartscouncil.org
Add comment July 28, 2009
