DANCE - FINE ARTS - MUSIC - THEATER - WRITING

ARTBITS by Richard B. Harper


VOLUME 26 * * All Arts News On the Web * * January 20, 2022

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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CALL FOR ART

WINTER VIRTUAL SHOW (January 31)--Northern Vermont Artists Association will post all works on the NVAA website. Submissions must include name, title, medium, price, and contact info. All sales will be handled directly between the artists and the customer. Email entries to the NVAA.


PANDEMIC NEWS

     A number of events around the state have cancelled or are being postponed.
      Vermont will begin relying heavily on self reporting as the rapid antigen tests become more available but the first 350,000 tests have been distributed in the program that began last week. has already "had an overwhelming response to the initiative and [has] exhausted the initial home delivery supply. We will have additional kits available in the coming days. Please check back later to place an order."
      The "omicron surge" has broken the daily case record seven times in the two weeks. Vermont reported 9,339 new COVID-19 cases last week. Franklin County reported 1,196 cases in the 14 days ending Friday. Hospitalizations set a new record for the second straight day with 115 (up 13); 26 are in ICU. The UVM Medical Center went into emergency staffing mode.
      Here's my own advice for dealing with COVID-19. Whether you have contracted and recovered from this coronavirus or haven't yet received a booster or both, immunity has waned for many of us. That lowered resistance leads to infections and increased transmission of the virus. Get the COVID and Flu shot(s), get the booster, and take precautions. Statewide, about 271,800 Vermonters or 60% of the eligible population has completed vaccination and gotten a booster. In Franklin County, about 55% of the people have the complete vaccine and the additional dose, tying us with Orleans and Windsor Counties. Only Essex County has a lower completion rate, Essex with about 48% vaccinated and boosted.
      No vaccine is 100% foolproof. Wash your hands. Wear a mask where you can't control the airflow around you until we reach the same herd immunity we have for smallpox and once had but lost for measles. Bonus: it will also help protect you from pollen, summer colds, and the winter flu.
      Vaccination clinics for booster shots and for the first or second dose of vaccine are open across Vermont for anyone age 12 or older. Call 855.722.7878 or Click here to make an appointment or for more info. You can also walk-in at Costco, CVS, Hannaford, Price Chopper/Market 32, Rite Aid, Shaw's, Walgreens, or Walmart, or get an appointment with CVS, Kinney Drugs, Walgreens, or UVMMC Outpatient Pharmacies.


ART ON THE WALLS

JEFFERSONVILLE--Bryan Memorial Gallery is hiring. They need a Gallery Manager to optimize existing operations, develop new revenue streams, and expand the gallery's presence in the market. The role is both strategic, and operational. Click here for the full job description and application.
      The gallery is closed for winter break but appointments are available. Call ahead (802.644.5100) to schedule or click here for more info.


ART FOR SALE

ONLINE--The Hidden Side of the Art Market is a three-part podcast series from Freakonomics Radio.
      The art market is so opaque and illiquid that it barely functions like a market at all. A handful of big names get all the headlines (and most of the dollars). Beneath the surface is a tangled web of dealers, curators, auction houses, speculators--and, of course, artists. The more successful an artist is, the more likely their work will later be resold at auction for a huge markup for which they receive nothing. Should that change? Also: why doesn’t contemporary art impact society the way music and film do? Click here for Part 2 of the podcast.
      [The first episode introduced the key players and showed how an obscure, long-dead American painter suddenly became a superstar. Click here for our look at Part 1 of the podcast.]


WORKSHOPS & CLASSES

MORRISVILLE--River Arts instructor Peggy Smith hosts the in-person Intro to Mono-Printing, Cards or Calendars for the New Year Paint n' Sip on Friday at 6 p.m. Create a series of 12 prints to make into a calendar for 2022.
      The cost is $40. Click here to enroll and for more info. Email to book a table.


MILTON--The Milton Artists' Guild will host Social Media Marketing for Artists with instructor Corinna Thurston is part of their ongoing series of online seminars on Zoom this evening 6 - 7:30 p.m. Art is a business. This online workshop for beginners will cover the marketing essentials for Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest with segments on how to make engaging posts, build an audience, and market creative work through social media channels.
      The cost is $30 for members and $35 for non-members. Click here to reserve a space.


IN THE SAC

SWANTON--The Swanton Arts Council Writers' Group at the Swanton Free Public Library this evening at 6 p.m. They meet the third Thursday of each month to share progress and join in the discussion about longer projects and anything else about writing, reading, publishing, and more. Email Becky Rupp for more info.


SWANTON--The Swanton Arts Council Annual Meeting from December 6, 2021, at the Swanton Free Public Library is on YouTube.


ON STAGE LIVE

     Here's my own advice for dealing with COVID-19. Whether you have contracted and recovered from this coronavirus or haven't yet received a booster or both, immunity has waned for many of us. That lowered resistance leads to infections and increased transmission of the virus. Get the COVID and Flu shot(s), get the booster, and take precautions. No vaccine is 100% foolproof. Wash your hands. Wear a mask where you can't control the airflow around you until we reach the same herd immunity we have for smallpox and once had but lost for measles. Bonus: it will also help protect you from pollen, summer colds, and the winter flu.


Thursday, January 20, 2022
SOUTH HERO--The Carol Ann Jones evening at the Blue Paddle has been cancelled. She hopes be back on stage there on the third Thursday in February.


Friday, January 21
SHELDON--The Abbey Live Music Series continues the Winter Season with John Gratton in the Pub on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Find them on Facebook for more info.


Friday-Saturday, January 21-22
ESSEX JUNCTION--On Tap has two shows Friday night, King Me at 5 p.m., and then Nighthawk for late night music starting at 9 p.m., plus two more shows live on Saturday night with Peter Wayne Burton at 5 p.m., and the Rough Suspects starting at 9 p.m. Call 802.878.3309 or email for more info. And to confirm. Click here to reserve a table.


Saturday, January 22
ST. ALBANS--14th Star presents Blue Heron for a night of live music in The Room on Saturday at 6 p.m. Martin Fredrick and Ethan Sawyer bring the music from blues and rock n roll to pop.
      Find them on Facebook for more info.


BARRE--The We Banjo 3 concert at the Barre Opera House has been postponed. Click here for more info.


ST. ALBANS--Bronson's Landing presents Eleven on Saturday at 8 p.m. Scott Guptill, guitar and vocals; Taylor Arsenault, vocals; and Scott Belisle, bass and vocals, will fire off a musical barrage of hits from the 70s to the 90s.


ALMOST LIVE ON STAGE

     Virtual music and events continue this week.


      Summer Sounds favorite John Bartus' Perpetual Island Tour played Boondocks twice, the Key Colony Inn twice, and Social Distancing Concert #83 from Boondocks on Facebook on Friday evening. Find him on Facebook for the next watch party.


      Curt Lippe, steel-string guitar, plays Sleepers Awake by JS Bach and arranged by Per-Olov Kindgren, on YouTube.


      Big Heavy World presents Rocket Shop, the original local music radio hour hosted by Tom Proctor, every Wednesday night from 8 - 9 p.m. The show features Vermont musicians from across the state, performing live in every genre and sharing their unique personalities and inspirations with listeners of 105.9FM The Radiator in Burlington. Listen on the radio, stream it live or subscribe to the podcast.


      Summer Sounds favorite Mark Shelton sang Gospel in the Storm on Facebook on Sunday. Follow him on Facebook for a link to this week's offerings.


      The (Old) Seven Mile Bridge is part of the Overseas Highway in the Keys. It was one of the longest bridges in the world when it was built from 1909 to 1912 by Henry Flagler as part of the Florida East Coast Railway's Key West Extension, also known as the Overseas Railroad. After the railroad was damaged by the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane, they sold Overseas Railroad to the U.S. government which rebuilt the Seven Mile Bridge for automobile traffic. The current road bridge was constructed from 1978 to 1982 and the 2.2-mile section of "Old Seven" from Marathon became a fishing pier and an access to Pigeon Key.
      It deteriorated with use and age. James Slater wrote and performed We are Friends of Old Seven which he presented to The Friends of Old Seven committee during the 2014 Gala that kicked off the restoration effort. In 2017, Florida DoT began a $77 million restoration of the old bridge. It reopened this week. We are Friends of Old Seven is on YouTube.


FRANKLIN COUNTY BOOKSHELF

ST. ALBANS--The Eloquent Page presents a Snowy Story Time with Ernie Hemingway, the Traveling Story Teller and some of her favorite snow and winter stories on Saturday at 10 a.m.


      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

Music!

Links to the Summer Music series in Franklin County
Summer Sounds
Summer Music at Grace
Downtown Summer Concert Series
Music at the Meeting House
Citizens Concert Band
 
Enosburg Town Band


SUPPORT LIVE ARTS IN YOUR TOWN!


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All Arts Council of Franklin County

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Dick Harper, Chair
P.O. Box 1
Highgate Springs, VT 05460
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