DANCE - FINE ARTS - MUSIC - THEATER - WRITING

ARTBITS by Richard B. Harper


VOLUME 22 * * All Arts News On the Web * * February 17, 2018

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.


     Franklin County's arts and music gatherings bring new opportunities, gossip, "show-and-tell" and occasional workshops. There are also booked and acoustic Open Mic Nights that feature music, readings, and more from the best new artists in Vermont.

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MO POETRY, MO JAZZ

      Chow!Bella brings back PoJazz, Vermont's premiere poetry/jazz group, tonight at 7:30 p.m.
      PoJazz is an eclectic mix of poetry and jazz by Johnson State College students, faculty and friends. The performers tonight include jazz musicians Dono Schabner, guitar, Will Patton, bass, Barry Ries, drums and trumpet, plus Tony Whedon, trombone and poems, and Geof Hewitt, poems, as well as welcomed invited and uninvited guests. Mr. Whedon calls the show "fluid jazz theater." It changes constantly as new poets and musicians join to create new shows.
      "Our ensemble showcases the best of Northern New England's jazz musicians and poets in a cabaret format," he said. "PoJazzers believe that jazz, especially 'the blues,' tells stories and that poetry, at its lyrical best, is never far from music and dance." Poets read from their own written work while musicians interweave riffs in each PoJazz performance.
      PoJazz has made many appearances in the North Country including performances at Johnson State College, Champlain College, Castleton State College, SUNY-Plattsburg, Vermont College, Tosca's in Montgomery, Nectar's, The Island Arts Festival, First Night-Montpelier, The Black Door, Halvorson's, VPR and, of course, Chow!Bella.
      The group will hold a workshop with BFA-St. Albans students this morning at 10 a.m. "That will be very cool," BFA's Eric Bushey said.


VERMONT READS

      The Vermont Humanities Council program, Vermont Reads, presents Vermont History through Song in the St. Albans Historical Museum on Wednesday at 11 a.m. Dressed in period costume, Middlesex mezzo-soprano and researcher Linda Radtke with pianist Arthur Zorn will bring Vermont history to life with commentary about songs found in the Vermont Historical Society's collection of sheet music. Ms. Radtke takes listeners through state history, using the songs Vermonters published in local communities.
      Vermont Reads has events around the state.
      The program is open to the public and admission is free! Call John Newton (802.524.3447) for more info.


      The current Book Discussion Series is Farms and Gardens because Vermonters know the rich metaphors of farming and gardening. Linda Bland leads a discussion of Sue Hubbell's A Country Year at the Montgomery Town Library on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
      The series authors dig deep to explore the philosophical roots, family dynamics, and personal enrichment associated with tending and growing. Wednesdays at 6 p.m. around the county. Call Susan Smolinsky (802.848.3313) for more info.


APRIL COMES EARLY

SOUTH BURLINGTON--Higher Ground presents the Nobby Reed Project plus April Wine tomorrow evening at 7 p.m.
      The Nobby Reed Project, Vermont's premiere blues trio, plays the best original music in the soul-shakin'-electric Texas and Chicago blues styles with a Vermont touch. The band includes Eric Belrose, percussion, Ray Bushey, bass, and Mr. Reed on lead guitar and vocals.
      Mr. Reed released his first solo CD to critical acclaim 14 years ago. Blues Revue Magazine called Guitar On My Back one of the top ten CDs listened to in the office. His music has become stronger and more interesting since. His lyrics are introspective and his vocals and guitar work shake the world. With Mr. Belrose and Mr. Bushey, this is a genuine headline band.
      April Wine cut the first Canadian album to go platinum and has since released more than twenty albums since. They have played the hard rock spotlight for more than forty years. The band headlined the AAC's Floodstock benefit concert and were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame last February. The band maintains a hectic pace touring the United States and Canada with a live mix of straight ahead rock n' roll and power ballads, an April Wine mainstay. Myles Goodwin, born in Woodstock (New Brunswick), is singer, guitarist, writer, producer and bandleader. Brian Greenway who lived in Montgomery for a while plays guitar, sings harmony and backup vocals, and writes some of the music. Newcomer drummer Blair Mackay is also Artistic Director of the Evergreen Club Gamelan Ensemble and a co-composer for Mosaic. Breen Leboeuf did a two-year stint as bassist/back vocalist with Celine Dion.
      Admission is $16 advance or $18 day of show. Click here for tickets and more info.


FEBRUARY-MARCH ART DEADLINES

VERMONT ARTIST RESIDENCIES (February 15)--Vermont Studio Center in Johnson awards a number of fellowships for 4-week residencies throughout the year. Special fellowships are also available for full or partial funding as well as specific international fellowships. Entry fee. Click here for more info.


NATIONAL JURIED ART EXHIBITION (February 26)--Visual Arts Alliance in (almost) snow-free Houston calls for 2D or 3D works in any media, except video, performance, or audio. Submit work only on CD. Subject matter such as erotica, violence and religious reference cannot be accepted. Cash awards plus merchandise prizes. No commission collected on sales. Entry fee. Email or click here for a prospectus or more info.


ENVIRONMENTAL ART PROPOSALS and INTER-DISCIPLINARY/COLLABORATION RESIDENCY PROJECT (February 28)--The I-Park Foundation in East Haddam, CT, is seeking original projects that are responsive to the site for the third international, multi-disciplinary Environmental Art Biennale. $2,000 per participant to cover artist's fee and materials. Click here for more info.
      I-Park will also hold its first 3-week artists-in-residence session devoted exclusively to inter-disciplinary and collaboration projects. Artists/practitioners working in the following fields are encouraged to apply: visual arts, music composition/sound sculpture/design, landscape/garden design, language arts, moving image, performance art and photography.
      Click here for program and application materials and more info.


SOURCES/ORIGINS (March 7)--What makes your art unique to you? What do you look back upon for inspiration? This national South Shore Art Center show is open to all artists in all media. Sources/Origins asks artists to look back into their past life experiences to find "roots of inspiration" that manifest themselves in current artworks. Entry fee.
      Click here for the prospectus and more info.


EXPOSED! (March 21)--Helen Day Art Center is accepting submissions for the 20th annual outdoor sculpture exhibition in Stowe. This call is open for artists in the field of sculpture, public art, participatory or social practice, and performance. It includes opportunities for collaborations with local businesses and for single-night event-based work, such as video screenings, performance, lectures and readings. The exhibition will run from July - October.
      Click here for the complete description and application form.


CLICK HERE: ART SITE OF THE WEEK

      Dancer and choreographer Alia Thabit of West Burke uses traditional and contemporary styles, colorful costumes, and dynamic music as she presents Middle Eastern dance styles. Her site includes classes, workshops, event schedule, biographical info, a gallery, and more.


ON THE BOOKSHELF

      ArtBits features a quick weekly peek at library events in and around Franklin County. That popular feature has a page of its own at the Franklin County Bookshelf here on the AAC site at AllArtsCouncil.org/books. We also take an occasional peek at the bookshelf or night stand of the folks you know in and around Franklin County. Those reviews can be found on the ArtBits Bookshelf.


Good News!

There are so many events around the region that we miss some of them.
Be sure to check these calendars for what's happening near you ...
All Arts Council of Franklin County
Cambridge Arts Council
Franklin County Regional
Chamber of Commerce
Island Arts
St Albans Community Arts
Swanton Arts Council
Young Tradition Vermont


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