DANCE - FINE ARTS - MUSIC - THEATER - WRITING

ARTBITS by Richard B. Harper


VOLUME 10 * * All Arts News On the Web * * November 16, 2006

STUFF YOU SHOULDN'T MISS

      ArtBits always features a calendar of the goings on of Franklin County artists. Check out these events around Franklin County. Each issue includes the entire text of our weekly newspaper column.


      Stop in for live music and more at the Fairfax Music Sessions at the Foothills Bakery in Fairfax most Saturday afternoons at 1 p.m., at ChowBella or at the Overtime Saloon in St Albans 8-10 p.m. most Wednesday evenings, at the Bayside in St Albans Town most Sunday afternoons, and the Cambridge CoffeeHouses at 7 p.m. on the first and third Wednesday of every month.
     These gatherings bring new opportunities, gossip, "show-and-tell" and occasional workshops. The booked performances and acoustic Open Mike Nights feature music, readings, and more from the best new artists in Vermont.


FILM

      It is film week in Franklin County with a festival of movies to watch on Saturday and a Film Collaborative call for movies to make.


FILM PRODUCTION

      "Surely there must be a few people in Franklin County who would like to make a little movie," Steve Jackson of Bakersfield said. Mr. Jackson has organized the Franklin County Film Collaborative to produce a short film locally.
      "We're negotiating for a short story to adapt to a screenplay," Mr. Jackson said. "This is more of a dramatic presentation than a documentary"
      The Film Collaborative is an effort to organize a group of local Franklin County residents to create a 30 minute film. This is a non-commercial project intended to serve as a learning experience for people interested in creating independently produced video and film presentations.
      "Of course, there is absolutely no funding for this project," he said, "and all positions are non-paid."
      Adelphia Channel 15/16 will offer equipment and facilities at the station and will broadcast the result. The Vermont Film Commission sponsors an annual international film festival in Burlington "that usually has local submissions." This film will be submitted there as well.
      The project needs a screenplay writer, camera people, sound and lighting techs, actors, directors, clerical help and much more. A list of positions and meeting information is online here. "The experience level isn't important," he said. "We're looking for some people who want to learn about film making and maybe teach me some things, too." The group is open to anyone who is interested and there is no cost or obligation. Mr. Jackson hopes people with a variety of interests and skills will become involved.
      The group will meet informally in St. Albans on Tuesday, November 28. Call Steve Jackson (802.827.4429) or email for more info. The project blog chronicles the development of this project here.


FILM FESTIVAL

     November is Restorative Justice Awareness Month.
      The Community Justice Center and Franklin County Court Diversion presents a film festival on Saturday from 12-4 p.m. at St. Albans City School. The films include Beyond Zero Tolerance: Restorative Practices in Schools;" "Bullying, Fear and Depression: Breaking the Cycle of Violence;" "Burning Bridges;" "Dead Wrong: The John Evans Story; and This Place. There will be free refreshments and door prizes.
      Admission is free. The free event is co-sponsored by the St. Albans Community Justice Center and Franklin County Court Diversion. Call 802.524.1520 or 802.527.5560 for more info.


ART ON THE WALLS

      Chow Bella presents Corliss Blakely in a Holiday Art Show on Saturday. There will be wine and cheese tasting, mingling with the artist, and more. Purchase an original painting and receive four limited edition prints.
      Call 802.524.1405 or click here for more info.


ON STAGE LIVE

ESSEX JUNCTION----The Lincoln Inn presents the Jim Branca Band rippin' it up at blues night tonight at 7 p.m. The singer-songwriter-guitarist creates music that wraps the blues with classic soul, jazz, gospel, funk, folk and rock.
      Click here or email for more info


SOUTH BURLINGTON--Higher Ground presents 8084 in the 2nd annual Pre-Turkey Rock reunion on Saturday night at 8 p.m. Andre, Roy, Gary, and Randy make the band's first live appearance in since July 15. The energetic, charismatic and dedicated band with strong Franklin County roots has wowed the crowd from intimate clubs in Columbus, Georgia to open air concerts in St Albans, to an audience of thousands at Olympic Stadium in Montreal.
      Special guests include Quadra and Mr. French.
      Admission is $12 in advance or $15 on Saturday. Click here for tickets or click here for more info.


MESSIAH RETURNS

      Bellows Free Academy and the All Arts Council of Franklin County will present Handel’s Messiah for the holiday season on On Sunday, December 10. The concert will feature 130 members of BFA’s chorus, BFA faculty members, plus the St. Albans Area Community Chorus. A professional orchestra of twenty-three, and four vocal soloists will compliment the combined choruses, all under the direction of Armand Messier.
      Performances at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. have been scheduled in response to the standing-room-only crowd in attendance at the 2002 concert. Both performances will be held at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in St. Albans.
      Admission for advance purchase gets a to dollar discount with tickets at $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, and $4 for students. Tickets at the door will cost $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, and $6 for students. Tickets are available at the All Arts ticket centers: Enosburg Pharmacy, Swanton Rexall, and Better Planet in St. Albans. Call 802.527.6538 or click here for more info.


NOVEMBER-DECEMBER ART DEADLINES

2007 RESIDENCY (November 20)--The Artists' Enclave at I-Park, a 450-acre woodland retreat in rural East Haddam, Connecticut, offers self-directed/project oriented artists' residencies to visual (including digital) artists, music composers, environmental artists, landscape and garden designers and architects. Work samples will be evaluated through a competitive, juried process. Application fee. Click here or email for more info.


WORKS ON PAPER (November 30)--The National Juried Exhibition at South Shore Art Center offers $1,200 cash awards. It is open to all original 2D or 3D works created on or with paper. Photography in mixed media only. Entry fee. Click here or email for more info.


MUSIC VIDEO FESTIVAL (December 1)--Optronica Festival seeks visual music animations, music videos, and video installations. Open to all styles of music and visuals, they prefer "innovative and unconventional music videos, ambient and experimental work, animations, audio/video remixes and video cut-ups [and video installations] that express or explore the close relation of music and image." Click here or email for more info.


21ST INTERNATIONAL JURIED SHOW (December 2)--The Visual Arts Center of New Jersey (Bringing art and people together) exhibit is open to all artists in all media. Entry fee. Click here or email to download a prospectus.


WIND FARM PUBLIC ART PROJECT (December 12)--This Windscape Competition needs designers to help create the Cape Wind Associates offshore wind farm in Nantucket Sound. Designers will propose ways to help this wind farm be a place to educate the public about the impacts of renewable wind energy on the environment. Click here or email for more info.


CLICK HERE: ART SITE OF THE WEEK

     The mission of the Vermont Film Commission is to promote the State of Vermont as a location for film and television production; to facilitate the participation of local individuals and companies in such production; and to encourage the development of the Vermont film and television industry. The site includes filming locations, production guides, resources, and news.


FRANKLIN COUNTY BOOKSHELF

      ArtBits features a quick weekly peek at the bookshelf or night stand of the folks you know in and around Franklin County. That popular feature has a page of its own at the Franklin County Bookshelf here on the AAC site.


SUPPORT LIVE ARTS IN YOUR TOWN!


AAC dancing logo

All Arts Council of Franklin County

Support Free Speech on the Internet
Dick Harper, Chair
P.O. Box 1
Highgate Springs, VT 05460
email us

Go to [ Dick Harper | All Arts Index | ArtBits Archive ]

      This article was originally published in the St Albans Messenger and other traditional print media. It is Copyright © 2006 by Richard B. Harper. All rights reserved. Archival material is provided as-is. Links are not necessarily maintained (if a link in this article fails, try Google.com or your favorite search engine).
      Thanks to recent misuse of copyright material on the Internet by individuals and archival firms alike, we emphasize that your rights to this article are limited to viewing it and printing it for personal use only. You must receive explicit permission from the All Arts Council and the author before reprinting or redistributing this article in any medium.