| EVERY DAY IS
VALENTINE'S DAY
and you too can
make Bananas Foster
NOTE--To forward this newsletter intact, you must scroll all
the way down to the bottom and use the blue, "forward newsletter" link on the
left provided by constant contact.
People
complain loudly every year about the commercialization of Christmas, but I never
hear people complain about the "Spirit of Valentine's Day" being lost in the
advertising, and compliance, of what one ought to do and buy to show their love
for their loved ones on February 14. But think about it, you can't get a
prescription filled or buy groceries in late January or early February without
navigating your way past aisles of heart-shaped boxes, (priced accordingly to
allow for the fancy, expensive manufacturing and packaging of the same old
candies replete with High Fructose Corn Syrup, which, incidentally, renders lab
rats infertile <--irony) and sugary-sweet cards with sentiments written by a
complete stranger. Is Valentine's Day not just as commercialized?
Just a
thought. Just maybe be nice every day. And remember that everyone you know and
meet is just as human as you are, and maybe just as insecure, and maybe just as
deserving.
The notion that we need to spend money on things to show our
love for our loved ones on this one day is not so uncommercialized. The De Beers
Diamond Company started an advertising campaign in 1947 with the tagline, “A
Diamond is Forever”. They sought to start a trend, to boost diamond sales, by
suggesting that couples without a deal-sealing diamond ring were not *really*
engaged after all. It became the most successful ad campaign in history. And the
diamond wars are an extremely bloody chapter in history and are actually ongoing
and still bloody. The De Beers Company made gazillions. At one point or another
we have all heard, "Well, we aren't REALLY engaged because I haven't gotten the
ring yet." Why do we buy into this? Is engagement not simply a promise to love
forever? Why does a purchase make it *valid*? Do you get a lifetime honeymooon
on a De Beers yacht with each purchase?
I recently spent 3 weeks in
California with a friend battling cancer. I learned: love everyone you know
every day, as much as you can, no matter how human, and even if they don't seem
to love you back. All we have is the present.
On another
note, today's excellent newsletter co-host is Sarah Pebworth. Sarah showed up at
10 AM with a big bag of fortune cookies. We worked non-stop till 4 PM (we did
eat snacks while working and once in a while used the facilities but otherwise
worked non-stop, as she can tell you) and then we encountered a significant
(impossible) internet slowdown and had to quit. I picked the newsletter back up
at 8:30 PM after a dinner meeting and am finishing it now. Sarah and I decided
we should all just make Bananas Foster for Valentine's Day and so we include
this recipe, along with our favorite fortune:
Courtesy
Costs Nothing.
Bananas Foster: (as fun to make as it is to drink)
* 4 firm ripe
bananas, sliced in half lengthwise
* 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 1/2
cup dark brown sugar
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground
nutmeg
* 3 tablespoons lemon juice, about 1 lemon
* 1/2 cup banana
liqueur
* 1/2 cup dark rum or good quality
brandy
PREPARATION:
Melt butter in a heavy skillet; add the
brown sugar and spices, stirring until the sugar is completely melted. Add the
ripe bananas and cook until they are hot and well coated with syrup, but not
mushy.
Carefully pour in the banana liqueur and rum.
If the butter is
very hot, the bananas will flame on their own. Or, you can cook over medium
heat, stirring, until the alcohol cooks out. Or, with a long match, carefully
flame the liqueur and brandy in the pan and cook until the flame dies out and
the alcohol is cooked out.
Add the juice from the lemon and stir to
blend.
Serve the bananas and sauce warm over vanilla ice cream. Serves 4.
P.S. This week's newsletter is in memory of Bailey, A.K.A., "The Philosopher"
who left us this week to join Jamoka, Sienna, Ian, Giles, Seneca, Maddie, Bear,
Doxie, Orange Kitty, Penny and all the other pets we lost this year.
Oh,
and post post script, Kelsey
posted a great
item about when she cohosted the other day. You too can use local.masslive.com
to post your events. (hint)
A Honkytonk
Hullabaloo Sunday, Feb.
18 at the Iron Horse
 A
Honkytonk Hullabaloo
Girl Howdy and The Spurs - Together
Again
Starting in the spring of 2005, Girl Howdy and The Spurs have
been ricocheting between Boston and Northampton, playing shows together to share
their passion for the roots of American country music and old-school twang. On
Sunday, Feb. 18, they swing west again with a double-bill at the Iron Horse.
Two-steppers and jitterbug afficionados take heed, as this show promises
an open dance floor. Showtime is 7pm, Sunday, Feb. 18, at the Iron Horse, 20
Center Street, Northampton, MA.
Admission $10.adv/$13.door
For more
information: www.members.aol.com/spursmail/
http://www.myspace.com/spursofboston
www.girlhowdyband.com
Four Sundays
in February 2007 Series Concluding
with The Really Big Show which is actually a Really Great Show--read on for more
details
 Four
Sundays in February 2007 Series
Don't miss The Really Big Show! This year
Ed Sullivan will be played by a mysterious
mystery local artist!
Week 3: On Sunday, February 18th we will
present RaÔ– Algerian Music of the Street On Screen: “Khaled”, American
premier of the film featuring the two leading exponents of RaÔ music, Khaled and
Rachid Taha who have given voice to the Algerian youth rebellion
On
Stage: Syncop, North America’s top RaÔ Musicians from MontrÈal, featuring
Algerian born Karim BenzaÔd.
Sunday, February 18th, 2:00 p.m. at the
Academy of Music Theatre
FREE EVENT/General Admission (first-come,
first-serve seating)
Made possible by the generous support of the Betty
Hamady Sams '57 and James F. Sams Fund of Smith College and in collaboration
with the Kahn Liberal Arts Institute of Smith College.
Week 4: The
series concludes on Sunday, February 25th with our ever-popular The Really
Big Show. The Valley’s AMAZING BannerQueen, Amy Johnquest, becomes the Ed
Man, “goo goo g’joob.”
Sunday, February 25th, 2:00 p.m. at the Academy of
Music Theatre
All seats $6 in advance; $8 at the door
Sponsored by
Coldwell Banker Upton Massamont Realtors
For more information visit www.northamptonartscouncil.org
Series
Sponsors—Northampton Arts Council and the City of Northampton, Daily Hampshire
Gazette, Cooley Dickinson Hospital, Lathrop Communities, Smith College,Hampshire
Hospitality Group, WFCR 88.5
Additional support provided by Florence
Savings Bank, National Endowment for the Arts, Bank of America, Community
Foundation of Western Massachusetts, TD BankNorth, Massachusetts Cultural
Council
***************************************************************
KIDSBESTFEST2007
The ninth annual KidsBestFest: The Best of the
International Children's Film Festivals, opens on Monday February 19th and runs
through Saturday, February 24th at the Academy of Music Theatre in Northampton.
All weekday shows are at 2PM (doors open at 1:30) and all seats are $3
On Saturday February 24, 2007 we will screen Brave Cat and Other Stories,
a collection of short films for young people at 10AM (doors open at 9:30) and
all seats are $3.
For something new this year we have YouthFilm, a
festival of films made by local people 18 and under. The doors open at 12PM
and films run all afternoon with commentary from the filmmakers and actors. All
seats are $3 for 18 and over, but free for people18 and under.
The
Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art will kick off KidsBestFest2007 on Saturday
February 17, 2007 with a 1PM screening of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate
Factory. Admission to the Museum will get you into films as well as into the
galleries: for more information take a look at www.picturebookart.org.
As
in the past, Cate Damon of New Century Theatre will read the subtitles. It is
something for the entire family: the films are funny, smart and sweet. See
northamptonartscouncil.org for a complete listing. The Valley Advocate is the
media sponsor. KidsBestFest2007 is sponsored by Florence Savings Bank. Gravity
Switch and Faces support YouthFilm.
Thursday,
February 15, 7pm, at the Berkshire Athenaeum Thursday
evening, Baseball historian Jim Overmyer will be talking about Berkshire
County's Baseball Hall of Famers
 Thursday,
Feb 15: Berkshire County’s Hall of Famers
Next Thursday evening,
Baseball historian and author Jim Overmyer will be talking about Berkshire
County's Baseball Hall of Famers Jack Chesbro, a turn of the century (not this
one, the last one) major league pitcher, born in North Adams, and Pittsfield
native Ulysses "Frank" Grant (pictured), considered the best African-American
baseball player of the 19th century.
Thursday, February 15 | 7pm |
Berkshire Athenaeum | One Wendell Avenue| 413-499-9480 | FREE
Click
here for more about Pittsfield native Frank Grant.
Psychedelic
Children's Folk-Pop Concert with Steve Lee Sunday,
February 18, at 3 pm, at the Northampton Community Music Center
 Children's Folk-Pop Singer STEVE LEE
To Benefit Northampton
Community Music Center's
Music for the Young Child
Program
Northampton, MA ~ On Sunday, February 18, at 3 pm, Nashville
singer/songwriter Steve Lee will perform live at the Northampton Community Music
Center with special guest Aric Bieganek. Fifty percent of the proceeds will
benefit the Music Center's Music for the Young Child Program.
Steve Lee
recently recorded a Psychedelic Children's Folk-Pop Concept record with help of
Ian Fitchuk and Justin Loucks (Griffin House, Trent Dabbs, De Novo Dahl). The
record "What Did You Did You Today, Stephen Scott Lee" is a 60-minute adventure
through the mind of Steve and how he remembers his childhood. It deals with such
topics as bullies, counting when you get angry and, of course, the fantasy of
flying around the world with balloons. "It is genius," raved The Nashville Rage:
"Kids music that adults can enjoy."
The concert will be held on Sunday,
February 18, 2007 at 3 pm in the Recital Hall at the Northampton Community Music
Center. NCMC is located at 139 South Street, Northampton, Massachusetts.
Admission is $5 for adults, $2 for kids under 13. For more information, contact
the Music Center at (413) 585-0001.
Chronicling
Our Culture through Cinema Film Festival Sun., Feb.
18, to Wed., Feb. 21 Revered Documentary Filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker
 Revered
Documentary Filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker to Introduce Film at Trinity College Film
Festival Four-day Pennebaker Film Festival features special screenings and an
appearance by the filmmaker on February 21
What: Trinity
College’s Cinestudio will host the groundbreaking work of D.A. Pennebaker, one
of the pioneers of cinéma vérite, at a film festival entitled “Chronicling Our
Culture through Cinema.” On the final night of the wholly student-run festival,
Wednesday, February 21, the director will present one of his earliest and rarely
seen short films and surprise the audience with the screening of a film of his
choosing. Following the screening, he will engage the audience in a
question-answer session.
When: Sunday, February 18, to Wednesday,
February 21, 2007
SCHEDULE OF SHOWS:
Sunday, February
18, 2:30 p.m. Daybreak Express (Short) Monterey Pop (Feature)
7:30 p.m.
You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You (Short) Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders
From Mars (Feature)
Monday, February 19, 7:30 p.m. The War Room
Tuesday, February 20, 7:30 p.m. Breaking It Up at the Museum (Short)
Don’t Look Back ( Feature)
Wednesday, February 21, 7:30 p.m. D.A.
Pennebaker to introduce final films Baby (Short), Pennebaker’s Pic
(Feature)
Where: Cinestudio on the Trinity College campus
Admission for
all students with a valid I.D. is FREE!
General admission,
$8.
Background: D.A. Pennebaker is one of the most significant
documentary filmmakers in the world. His groundbreaking work spans over half a
century, and covers many of the major events of our times. As one of the key
creators of cinéma vérité, his fly-on-the-wall style has become the most copied
and utilized form of documentary filmmaking.
For more information see the cinestudio.org
site
Transit Arts
Showcase Two shows:
February 17th and February 18th
 Transit
Arts Showcase Performing at A.P.E Third Floor, Thornes Marketplace 150 Main
Street Northampton, MA 01060 www.apearts.org
February 17th, 2007 @
7:30 & 18th @ 2:00
Transit Arts Showcase is thrilled to be performing
at A.P.E at Thornes Marketplace. The show is February 17th at 7:30 and February
18th at 2:00. Tickets are $12 general, $8 for students and seniors. Tickets may
be reserved at A.P.E. at phone number (413) 586-5553.
Transit Arts
Showcase is an exciting evening of collaborations among dancers, musicians, and
visual artists and includes New York choreographers Marisa Arriaga, Sheri Raye
Wells and Stephanie Beauchamp. These artists’ aggressive, detailed movements,
with almost deadpan expressions give the audience a definite feeling that these
women “aren’t from around here.”
Four original sound scores are
specifically created for Transit Arts Showcase. The Dormice’s avant garde,
experimental keyboards solidify the hipster outlook in “Three Days We.” Inspired
by trains and elevators and performing live, cellist Kristen D’Amato fills the
airwaves with a soundscape of circles in “Transit.” She will also be adding bow
and strings to a new group piece that is half created by audience members at a
January 27 benefit for the Showcase. This work focuses more intently on the
correlation between composer and choreographer, while including the audience as
an active member of the artistic process.
This program is supported in
part by a grant from the Northampton Arts Council, a local agency which is
supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
Transit
Arts Showcase has been made possible by a space grant from The 92nd St. Y
Harkness Dance Center in New York, NY.
The launch of Transit Arts
Showcase is made possible by Paper Mills Studio in Holyoke, MA.
Special
thanks to Sarah Eley and Katie Koti for grant writing and creative
support.
Bus Trip to
Great Barrington’s Mahaiwe Theater for Lully’s Opera Psyché
Deadline for
reservations is February 15
 Bus Trip
to Great Barrington’s Mahaiwe Theater
Lully’s Psyché
Saturday,
June 23, 2007
$100
Opera Seating and
Transportation
The centerpiece of this year’s Boston Early Music Festival
is Lully’s opera Psyché, a work filled with vocal and instrumental beauties,
augmented by dance, pageantry and spectacular Baroque stage machinery! This
magnificent opera from the court of Louis XIV dramatizes the rivalry between
Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, and her mortal rival Psyché. Singing
those roles will two renowned sopranos, the radiant Carolyn Sampson as Psyché
and the sumptuous-voiced Karina Gauvin as Venus. On the weekend of June 22-24,
after the 2007 Festival in Boston, the production comes to the newly restored
Mahaiwe Theater in Great Barrington.
If at least 36 people would like to
travel to Great Barrington together for the evening performance on Saturday,
June 23, Arcadia Players will arrange transportation from a location in
Northampton where parking is available. Making a stop near Ingleside Mall,
Holyoke, we will arrive in Great Barrington in time for participants to walk a
bit, and to have a light supper before the opera. After the performance the bus
will return via Holyoke to Northampton. The $100 fee covers the opera ticket
(“B” seating), transportation and driver gratuity; “A” seating is available for
an additional $30.
If you would like to join us, please let us know by
February 15 at 413-256-4888 or info@arcadiaplayers.org, so we may send you a
registration form. We hope you will take this opportunity to experience the
splendor of Baroque opera in the Boston Early Music Festival’s
productions.
"Of All the
People In All the World" at MASS MoCA Feb 10-25 only You can't
see this--875,000,000 grains of rice--anywhere else!
 MASS MoCA
is the only East Coast venue for a project called Of All the People In All the
World coming to North Adams Feb 10-25.
We’ll have 16 tons of
rice--875,000,000 grains, one grain for each person in the Americas--installed
in our 10,000 square foot theater space all sorted into piles representing a
range of human statistics. You’ll find for instance a pile representing the
number of people living in gated communities side by side with a pile
representing all the people in prison–-they’re almost the same size.
A
team of performers from the UK artists’ collective Stan’s Cafe will sort and
re-sort the rice into different piles to represent different statistics during
the installation. They’ll be talking to visitors as they come through the
installation.
MASS MoCA is the ONLY venue to use this much rice and the
only place to see this installation east of the Rockies. It is really a once in
a lifetime opportunity. We're open 11 to 5 everyday plus 7 to 10 PM on weekends
(2/16-17 and 2/23-24) Don't miss it!
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation,
the British Council, the Appelbaum-Kahn Foundation, the National Endowment for
the Arts, and the Cultural Council of Northern Berkshire.
Tickets are
just $5 for this special exhibition. SAVE! Gallery admission + OATP $12.50 Visit
again and again with a multi-day pass $20
Learn more about Of
All the People in All the World
FOUR GRAND
LADIES BY DAVID BOWERMAN @ STCC
 Four grand
ladies of Springfield will be honored in a multi-ethnic art exhibit at
Springfield Technical Community College during Black History Month. “They have
all arrived at who they are with a tremendous amount of dignity,” says artist
David Bowerman, who created the portraits. He noted that all four ladies, who
have been important to the life of Springfield and its children, have had some
relation to both teaching and to music.
The ladies have been interviewed
by students from Diane Mackie’s creative writing class at Springfield Central
High School, to create the identifications that will go with each portrait. The
students are Melissa Bryll, a senior, who interviewed Dorothy Pryor; Alicia
Hinton, a senior who talked with Jo Woolridge; Alexa Wilson, a senior who met
with Georgia Sawyier; and junior George Bowerman, who interviewed Teddy
Bernstein.
The exhibit is in the Amy H. Carberry Fine Arts Gallery in
building 28, lower level, on the campus of STCC. The public is invited to enjoy
the exhibit from January 30 through March 3. Gallery hours are Tuesday through
Friday, 12:30 to 4:30, and Saturdays 10:00 to
2:00.
FEBRUARY
EVENTS AT THE NCA NEW! -->
Painting workshops with Bob Markey in February
 ~~Friday,
February 16: Ran Blake, who was born in nearby Springfield, has created a unique
niche in music as an artist and educator. His improvisations are not only
informed by his vast knowledge of jazz, but also by Greek folk songs, movie
soundtracks, American pop music and gospel. His dual musical legacy includes
more than 35 albums on some of the world’s finest jazz labels, as well as over
30 years as a groundbreaking educator at Boston’s New England Conservatory. In
Jazz Review, Brian Morton called Blake’s new record, “All That is Tied,” the
“most beautiful and challenging piano record of the last 25 years.”
“A
World of Piano” is funded in part by a grant from the New England Foundation for
Arts and the Creative Connections program of Meet the Composer, Inc., and with
additional support from the Argosy Foundation, the six New England state arts
agencies, the National Endowment for the Art and the Northampton Arts Council.
The musicians will make school visits during their visits to
Northampton.
The Northampton Center for the Arts is on the third floor at
17 New South Street in the Sullivan Building of the Old School Commons. Its
office and galleries are open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4
p.m.
For lots more about ongoing programs, renting the space, etc., visit
our Web site or call (413)-584-7327.
FEBRUARY
ARTS
Paintings by Robert Markey, which combine the visual and the
conceptual, will be showing in the Northampton Center for the Arts gallery from
February 1-28.
Markey says his work “often speaks about hope, about
humor and about the human condition: what it is and what it could be. Much of my
earlier work was visually brutal, showing the suffering that one group of people
cause to another. My later work pushes this brutality beneath the surface,
showing more the beauty and hope that is possible.”
Markey, who lives in
Ashfield, was born in New York in 1947. He earned his B.S. in physics from M.I.T
in 1969 and his M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Massachusetts in
1982. Until 1980, his main focus was music, including performances on classical
guitar and sitar. In 1981, he began to work in the visual arts and also to study
Tae Kwon Do. For the past 25 years, those two disciplines have been at the
center of his life.
On February 18 and 25, Markey will offer
workshops from 2 to 5 p.m., "Abstract Painting: A Deeper Understanding of the
Painting Process." The workshops will be inaugural events in the Center’s newly
renovated arts space.
The cost is $80 per session with 30% to benefit
the Center. Participants may sign up for one or both sessions. Says Markey, "the
workshop is about understanding and seeing what makes a painting work...We will
look at the process of creating a painting and what pushes a painting to be more
interesting and how to know when a painting is finished."
This is a hands-on
class. Participants will be working in acrylic on medium- to large-sized panels
or canvases and will find the workshop relevant, whether their work is abstract
or representational.
ThriLLpiLLow
this Sunday, Feb 18 at Smith College, Campus Center with The
Novels and AKG, at 8 PM
ThriLLpiLLow playes this Sunday, Feb 18 at
Smith College, Campus Center, with The Novels and AKG Show starts at 8pm,
sponsored by WOZQ
www.pillthrillow.com
I love Thrillpillow ~ Mo
A LOT OF
LOVE TO THE FOLLOWING FOR MAKING THIS NEWSLETTER POSSIBLE:
The
following people have made generous donations toward the costs of this
newsletter
 Special thanks
to the following for donations to this newsletter and in the
name of my late co-host, Jamoka (1998-2006). He loves us now
from another place.
Pics
from the Jamoka memorial Bonfire thing, by Jon
Whitney.
If I somehow missed anyone please let me know. I get
scatterbrained lately.
SARAH
PEBWORTH
DEBIN BRUCE
SUSAN BERGERON-WEST
CHARLES STERN
JANET
FRAIDSTERN
MAUREEN DENNING AND CHARLES ENOS
LARRY SLEZAK
TERRY ROONEY
ANNE BURTON
DEAN NIMMER
BILL MYERS
KATHLEEN TRESTKA
ANITA
HUNT
KATHY SERVICE & TIM DECHRISTOPHER
DAVID SMITH
JEFF
MACK
LYNN PETERFREUND
BRADLEY FOX
KAREN AXELROD
AACO (AMERICAN ARTS
COLLECTIVE ORGANIZATION), In memory of our artists friends who were victims of
AIDS and in honor of Aids Awareness Day, December 1st
KELSEY FLYNN
LYN
HORAN
HILARY PRICE & KERRY LABOUNTY
BRONWEN HODGKINSON
BRIANA
TAYLOR
DORIS MADSEN
BETSY DAWN WILLIAMS
MARY WITT
JOAN
AXELROD-CONTRADA
MAUREEN DENNING AND CHARLES (Donation made to Humane Society
in Jamoka's name)
DARYL LAFLEUR
WEDNESDAY NELENA SOROKIN
LINDA
BATCHELOR
FREE, FREE!
TICKETS FOR ARTEXPO 2007 IN NYC
March 1 -
March 5, 2007
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
655 W. 34th Street
New
York City, New York 10001
Click here for a free
ticket.
Click here
for more details.
Art
Competition for The Artist's Magazine May 1
Deadline
24th
Annual Art Competition The 2007 art competition is now open! Enter to win in
five categories: still life, landscape, portrait and figure, animal art or
experimental. Check out 24th
Annual Art Competition for details.
DWIGHT
SMITH'S MOVIE PICKS Mozart &
The Whale (2005)
 Mozart
& The Whale (2005)
Directed by Petter Næss Written by Ronald
Bass Starring Josh Hartnett as Donald Morton, Radha Mitchell as Isabelle
Sorenson
This is a film about two people with Asperger's Syndrome, a
form of autism, whose mutual attraction is threatened by their emotional
dysfunctions. The thing about Asperger Syndrome is that many people with it
don’t know they have it and only when they’re diagnosed do they begin to
comprehend what has been for them, as with most cases of AS, a marginal
existence. In the film Isabelle is one such person and the man upon whose life
the character Donald Morton takes its inspiration didn’t know he had it until he
saw the film Rain Man, written by the same author as this film, Ronald Bass. And
what touched me about the fact that those with Asperger Syndrome are otherwise
and for the most part “normal” is that even though I don’t have AS, though how
do I know for sure right?, I identified with so much of what they were feeling.
How many of us know what it means to navigate emotional encounters with two left
feet and confront social situations with a brain and tongue who have suddenly
and distressingly become absolute strangers.
I thought Josh Hartnett
showed how capable he is of being an inspired actor and Radha Mitchell was a
perfect balance. It’s not a great film, more a good film with a few flaws, but
it’s one of those films where one feels a little more human after watching
it.
A VALENTINE
BONUS PICK FROM DWIGHT TO US This Film is
Not Rated Yet (200?)
 This Film
is Not Rated Yet (200?0 Directed by Kirby Dick Written by Kirby Dick & Eddie
Schmidt
Some of those who appear as themselves: Darren Aronofsky,
Maria Bello, Atom Egoyam, Kimberley Price and Matt Stone.
As a
documentary this film has weaknesses such as the whole bit with detectives that
tends to soften into entertainment what is really a serious issue of censorship.
That is why I agreed very much with what by Jim Emerson, Editor, at
RogerEbert.com wrote on September 15, 2006 so since he says it as well if not
better than I can, I will borrow from him.
You can read his entire review
here.
"This Film Is Not Yet Rated" is a catalog of grievances against the
MPAA: The membership of the ratings board is anonymous, so the filmmakers have
no right to appeal directly to the people who are judging their work. Although
the MPAA ratings were allegedly created as a way of heading off government
censorship, some say that has always been a ruse -- and, besides, a government
system would actually require rules, documentation, transparency, accountability
and due process. These are not things the secretive MPAA is fond of.
And
although the MPAA ratings are supposedly "voluntary" agreements between the
studios that fund the organization, the exhibitors who show their films, and the
media in which those films are advertised, make it something less than optional
for most films. Check your newspaper to see if "This Film Is Not Yet Rated" is
playing in your town. If that newspaper accepts advertising for unrated films
("This Film" was originally awarded an NC-17 for "graphic sexual content," but
the rating was "surrendered"), you'll see that "This Film" is not playing at one
of the studio-owned theater chains.
So, how do you make sense out of the
MPAA's decisions? As "This Film" demonstrates, you don't. The Kafkaesque
absurdity behind the movie ratings is beyond belief. Matt Stone ("South Park:
Bigger, Longer and Uncut," "Team America: World Police") testifies from
experience that studio pictures are treated a lot more kindly than independently
financed and distributed ones. Kimberly Peirce ("Boys Don't Cry") and Wayne
Kramer and Maria Bello ("The Cooler"), intuit that the raters are uncomfortable
with depictions of female sexual pleasure, while Allison Anders ("Grace of My
Heart") suggests that orgasms of any kind are frowned upon (although women's do
tend to last longer, and may therefore make the raters more uncomfortable), and
that the male body is even more verboten that the female body. And everybody
agrees that the MPAA is very liberal when it comes to violence, and conservative
when it comes to sex.
Arts &
Health Care Workshop Wednesday,
February 28, 3:30 pm—5:30 pm
Next Arts
& Health Care Workshop Scheduled for Lowell
Mark Your Calendars:
Statewide Schedule of Workshops
State Senator Brian Joyce (D-Milton)
and State Representative Eric Turkington (D-Falmouth), Co-Chairs of the Joint
Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development, announced today the
schedule for informational workshops on the new Health Care Law and its affect
on artists and non-profit cultural organizations.
In partnership with
the Joint Committee, the new Arts Health Care Coalition will present information
and answer questions about the new law from health care experts with
representatives of the state. The workshop is tailored to answer the questions
and specific needs of artists, self-employed people and non-profit cultural
organizations and their employees.
You can also visit the new Arts
& Health Care Web Site for easy, user-friendly information:
www.artshealthcarecoalition.org
Worcester—Feb. 28, Wednesday, 3:30—5:30 pm, employers and human
resource managers
6:30—8:30 pm, general audience
Mass College of
Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Auditorium 1
19 Foster Street Worcester, MA
01608-1715
Berkshires—March 3, Saturday 10:30 am—12:30 pm,
employers and human resource managers
1:30—3:30 pm, general audience
Unicorn Theatre
Berkshire Theatre Festival
Rt. 7 & Rt. 102
Stockbridge, MA
Lynn/North Shore—March 7, Wednesday 6:30
pm—8:30 pm Lynn Arts
25 Exchange Street Lynn, MA 01901
Boston—March 14, Wednesday
3:00—5:00 pm, employers and human
resource managers
6:30—8:30 pm, general audience
Calderwood Pavilion
Boston Center for the Arts
527 Tremont Street Boston, MA
New Bedford—March 28, Wednesday
6:30 pm—8:30 pm
New
Bedford Whaling Museum
18 Johnny Cake Hill New Bedford, MA 02740-6398
All workshops are free and open to the public.
The Arts
Health Care Coalition was formed by the Massachusetts Cultural Council;
Massachusetts Advocates for the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities (MAASH); the
Artists Foundation and ArtistLink to address health care issues in the cultural
community.
RESOURCES
FOR ARTISTS
STUDIO SPACE AVAILABLE NOW IN EASTHAMPTON - The Blue Guitar Gallery
in Easthampton is a shared workspace and gallery. It is 410 sq. ft. on the
inside, and there's also a small space 120 sq. ft., carpeted available. $200
month includes utilities and the right to a private or shared show twice a year.
There's also a nice hall and reception area for hanging work. Since I need to
keep the walls clean for showing, I'm looking for artists who work on easels or
tables, not too messy. It's on the ground floor, at 186 D Northampton Street
(Rte. 10), just over the line from Northampton. It's opposite the post office.
The grand opening will be March 10, during Art Walk Easthampton! Contact
Christie Svane at csvane@comcast.net, 413-247-9454, www.theblueguitar.org" A.R.T.S.
Anonymous is a 12 step recovery group for artists of all kinds and at all
levels. We meet every Monday from 6:30 to 8pm in Room 230 at Wright Hall on the
Smith College campus. No dues or fees. For more information call 413.527.5215 or
visit their website, http://artsanonymous.org/."
Northampton Playwright's Lab at Forbes Library
Northampton
Playwrights' Lab is a group for playwrights of all levels of experience and
everyone is welcome. Participants can sign up to bring their work-in progress
(short plays, one-acts, and full-length) to be read aloud by other lab members
or actors. Members will offer one another constructive feedback, support, and
criticism in the development of new plays. The group does occasional public
performances.
The NPL meets regularly on the second and fourth Wednesday
of the month. The next meeting will take place on Wednesday, February 14th at
6:30 in the Watson Room. For further information, please contact Meryl Cohn:
msbehavior@aol.com
Valley Entrepreneurs! Our service area just expanded! Valley CDC can help
you:
Explore your business ideas, Market your art, products &
services, Identify new markets, Get more customers, Write your business plan,
Explore financial viability, Improve business operations, Seek financing, and
more.
Free Business Counseling ?! Starting a business? Need more business?
Let us help! It's what we do.
Now serving ALL Amherst, Hadley, Northampton
& Easthampton businesses with 20 employees or less. No income restrictions.
We deliver more. Call for a confidential appointment today! 413 529-0420,
ValleyCDC.com
Funded by MA Commonwealth's Dept. of Business and
Technology-SBTA Grant, the City of Easthampton through the MA Community
Development Block Grant -Ready Resource, the City of Northampton-CDBG Program,
and Florence Savings Bank.
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CALLS FOR
ARTISTS AND OPPORTUNITIES
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NOTE: I cull this information from many sources and it is really time
consuming to add it and format each line of text. So I apologize if at times
there is expired information here. Some weeks I don't have time to get to this
section. I feel like it's more important to use the time I have to post your
event. Thanks for your understanding.~Mo
Sublime Climate: a call for
artists and scientists
As this call for submissions goes to press, the
National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. (NOAA) announced 2006 was the
warmest year on record for the U.S. The Cambridge School of Weston will open its
doors to The Garthwaite Center for Science and Art, a sustainable science
building and art gallery, in the fall of 2007.
For the building's first
exhibition season, we are reaching out to artists and scientists alike who
explore issues and themes related to global warming. The exhibition will run
from November 2007 through the first week of February 2008. Further details will
be announced.
All media will be considered; however, large work may not
be able to be accommodated. In addition to exhibiting works of contemporary art
and science, we also invite proposals from individuals who would be willing to
partake in a symposium on global warming, or otherwise are willing to work with
our students in some capacity.
Submissions should include examples of
work via slides or digital media, a resume, along with any appropriate written
proposal or documentation. Please include a S.A.S.E., for the eventual return of
materials, and contact information. Send all materials to Todd Bartel, The
Cambridge School of Weston, 45 Georgian Road, Weston, MA, 02493. The deadline
for submissions is April 30, 2007. For questions please contact tbartel@csw.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Call for Entries - Juried Monotype Exhibition
The Gallery at
Zea Mays Printmaking, Florence, MA is very excited to host our first Juried
Monotype Exhibition, April 6-May 18. The exhibition will include monotype prints
produced without the use of solvents in any aspect of the process. We invite you
to submit your best recent work for this show (up to 10 prints), which will be
juried by Curator, Nicholas J. Capasso from the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture
Park. Entry deadline: February 14th.
For a prospectus go to: http://www.zeamaysprintmaking.com/juried
monotype prospectus.htm
questions? email
liz@zeamaysprintmaking.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Deadline September 1, 2007 INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS RESIDENCY
PROGRAM
Seeking visual artists, writers, and composers for 2-, 4-, 6-, and
8-wk-long residencies, Jan 1 - Jun 15, 2008. Free housing and studio space and a
$100/wk stipend. For application and complete guidelines please contact: Kimmel
Harding Nelson Center for the Arts, 801 3rd Corso, Nebraska City NE 68410 OR
402-874-9600 OR http://www.KHNCenterfortheArts.org OR
info@KHNCenterfortheArts.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Deadline Februray 15, 2007. Bazaar Productions/The Berkshire
Fringe is now accepting submissions of dynamic works of theater, dance and
mutli-media performance for its 2007 season. The third annual festival held in
Great Barrington, MA will present 21 days of original performances, free
workshops, and artist discussions by and with emerging artists from across the
United States. The Berkshire Fringe provides a unique opportunity for emerging
and early-career artists from around the country to present work in a fresh and
exciting atmosphere.
Founded in 2003 by a cohort of Berkshire natives and
graduates of Simon's Rock College, Bazaar Productions, Inc (Sara Kathryn
Katzoff, Timothy Ryan Olson and Peter Wise) aims to fill a growing need in the
community for exciting new work at affordable ticket prices. The Berkshire
Fringe continues to grow into a bustling community and has featured more than
two dozen new works and events that have blended genres, represented new styles,
and delved into traditions underrepresented in the mainstream.
In 2007 the
festival will take place during July and August and will invite six companies or
individuals to participate. Performers from all backgrounds and disciplines are
strongly encouraged to apply. Bazaar Productions is also dedicated to focusing
funds and resources to create an exemplary experience for all participating
artists. The festival is scheduled so that performers can see each other's work,
can participate in each other's workshops and can share ideas and experiences.
These initiatives establish a center for artistic exchange while providing
accessible, affordable and unparalleled cultural enrichment to the community.
Perspective or interested applicants may visit www.berkshirefringe.org
for more information and to obtain an application. Inquiries can be answered
by e-mailing co-artistic director Sara Katzoff at sara(at)berkshirefringe.org or
calling the offices of Bazaar Productions at (413) 320-4175. The deadline for
applications is Februray 15, 2007. All applications must be received by February
15, 2007.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DEADLINE FEBRUARY 24, 2007
“Sixth Annual Women in History
Month Juried Photo Exhibit” March 1 – March 30
WHO: All Pioneer
Valley Women (all ages) residents eligible.
WHAT: Juried Photo
Contest
THEME: Environmental Portraiture. “An environmental portrait supplies
enough details with props and choice of background to share with and present to
the viewer something about the lifestyle of the person. In an environmental
portrait, the subject is photographed at home, at the office, or on location,
whichever best portrays the person's story. Far from the posed safe studio
portrait with a seamless background, an environmental portrait positions the
subject amid everyday objects of her life. Tell her story! She can live
anywhere!
WHERE: Robert Floyd Photo Gallery, Southampton, MA (Rt. 10)
WHEN: Submission deadline Saturday, FEB 24, 5:00 pm
WHY: $350 cash prize
for first place. Cash and merchant awards for 2nd and 3rd place.
24
images selected for exhibit. Also, the 3 winning entries will remain on exhibit,
another month, through April 29. Exhibit heavily publicized with name of
exhibitors to all media outlets.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sep 01, 2007 INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS RESIDENCY PROGRAM
Seeking
visual artists, writers, and composers for 2-, 4-, 6-, and 8-wk-long
residencies, Jan 1 - Jun 15, 2008. Free housing and studio space and a $100/wk
stipend. For application and complete guidelines please contact: Kimmel Harding
Nelson Center for the Arts, 801 3rd Corso, Nebraska City NE 68410 OR
402-874-9600 OR http://www.KHNCenterfortheArts.org
OR info@KHNCenterfortheArts.org
Deadline - Ongoing *Three Rivers Community College Reviewing Work for
Exhibitions, CT Three Rivers Community College in Norwich Connecticut is
accepting portfolios to review for 1-to-2 month exhibitions. No fee. For
consideration, sent 10-20 slides, resume, statement, and return postage to:
Sandra Jeknavorian, Instructor of Art, Three Rivers Community College, Thames
Valley Campus, 574 New London Turnpike, Norwich CT, 06360 /
SJeknavorian@trcc.commnet.edu
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ongoing GALLERY A3 SEEKING NEW MEMBERS- SUBMIT ONLINE FOR ART
WALK EASTHAMPTON
Art Walk Easthampton, a monthly, self-guided walking
tour of arts and culture, has added a proposal page to its website where visual,
music and performance artists can outline what they would like to show or
perform if given the opportunity.
All the locations that participate in
Art Walk Easthampton can view the submissions for possible inclusion in an
upcoming event. The talent describes the work, provides images, identifies the
types of venues they would like to be in, the dates they are available and
provides contact information. If there's a match between the submission and the
venue's interest, the venue contacts the talent directly to handle booking
arrangements.
The proposal form is available at www.ArtWalkEasthampton.org
and is open to all local and regional artists.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ONGOING
An offer from Joe
Blumenthal of Downtown Sounds who generously would like to have artists display
their work there. (Downtown Sounds, 21 Pleasant St., Northampton, next to the
Pleasant St. Theater)
The window is quite large, and has three panels,
each one about 6' X 6', and is about 24" deep. It is exposed to intense sunlight
in the morning; the heat of the sun plus the narrowness of the window make it
inappropriate to display most musical instruments.
However, the sunlight
doesn't hurt most artwork since it's only exposed for a month to six weeks. I
normally pay $150 to the artist who installs the window, and work out a
consignment agreement for the store to take a percentage of the price if the art
is for sale and we manage to sell some of it.
The artwork can be
freestanding, lean against a wall at the back of the window that's about three
feet high, or (if it's not heavy) be hung from the ceiling.
It's great when
the art can have a musical theme, but it's not necessary. Because of its highly
visible commercial location, the work should have a mainstream appeal and not
have themes which could be offensive. Small pieces don't work well since the
window is so large.
If one of your readers is interested in displaying
in this context, please have them contact me via email:
musician@downtownsounds.com, or via phone at 413-
586-0998.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ONGOING.
New
York City Department of Cultural Affairs + Image Registry The New York City
Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) is the largest public funder of arts and
culture in the country. The Percent for Art artist slide registry is an
up-to-date and important component of the Program. The registry is consulted by
the architects, panelists, and City agencies for each project. The Percent for
Art staff prepares a slide presentation from the registry for each panel
meeting. The registry is open to any professional visual artist residing in the
United States. Deadline: On-going Information: www.nyc.gov/html/dcla/html/panyc/
slide_reg.shtml
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LINKS TO
PEOPLE AND STUFF
TO MAKE A
DONATION OR SPONSOR THE NEWSLETTER
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Unfortunately due to stuff I can't comprehend, the PayPal button has to
say, "Buy Now", rather than "donate". I want it to say "Hello
Sweetheart!"
Anyway--thanks for your support!
If this button does not
work you may have to try another browser. sigh. You don't really get Tammy
Faye's album. I just liked her picture.
Show Postcards and the like can be mailed to:
I think a lot of people still have my old
arts & industry address as postcards get forwarded to me but I think that
may expire soon.
THIS NEWSLETTER IS BROUGHT TO YOU IN PART BY THE NORTHAMPTON ARTS
COUNCIL 
USD
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CLASSES
& RETREATS
Senior SymposiaBob Barba, Associate Dean for Community
Education announces the Senior Symposia at GCC Spring 2007 program which
includes an exceptional program of art historical and environmental topics.
These popular and professional courses are traditionally open to those age 50
and older, however space permitting, all are welcome. Check out the listings
at: http://www.gcc.mass.edu/community_education/senior_symposia.html
PATRICK
DONNELLY POETRY WORKSHOPS
TWO WORKSHOPS, SPRING 2007
WORKSHOP
#1:
POETRY PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP
10 meetings: 2/17 - 4/21
SATURDAY
AFTERNOONS, 2 - 4 PM
A.P.E., Third Floor/Thornes Market
150 Main
Street
Northampton, MA
This workshop will focus particularly on
building the oral skills to read poetry aloud in public, BUT will include
activities and exercises designed to foster both the writing and reading of
poetry. This workshop will conclude with a reading by participants on April
21st, to which the public will be invited.
WORKSHOP #2:
POETRY
WRITING WORKSHOP
10 meetings: 2/22, 3/1, 8, 22, 29, 4/5, 12,
19
THURSDAY NIGHTS, 7 - 9 PM
SOUTH DEERFIELD, MA
plus: 2 SATURDAY
AFTERNOONS, Generative Writing Session, 3/17 @ A.P.E in Northampton, 1 - 4
PM
Special Extended Session, 4/28 in South Deerfield 2 - 5: 30
Each
week, the format of the workshop will include:
--a short discussion on a
topic of poetic craft;
--discussion of members' own poems;
--some outside
reading.
Cost of each workshop: $300 ($30 per session)
INSTRUCTOR:
PATRICK DONNELLY, an Associate Editor at Four Way Books, has taught writing at
Smith College, New School University, Clark University, and the Bread Loaf
Writers' Conference. His collection of poems is The Charge (Ausable Press,
2003).
To register, contact: PatrickSDonnelly@aol.com
56 Hillside
Road, South Deerfield, MA 01373-9770
413-665-3325
Zany
Performance Art Weekend at Earthdance Retreat Center in Plainfield,
MA
March 2-4, 2007
Learning to master multi-disciplinary performance
through movement, singing, sounding, and the spoken word.
Facilitated by
Rythea Lee and Rose Oceania
A great gift to give yourself if you've been
wanting to dive into the creative process and get to know other adventurous
people.
We will lead participants through a supportive journey of
autobiographical storytelling, clowning and character development, state
changing, and sourcing spontaneous creations. We offer theatrical and movement
based structures that bust through logical thinking into the realm of weird,
absurd, expansive, beautiful art making.
As a dance theatre company, we
have developed an in-depth approach into heart based, embodied performance. Fun
homework and assignments are an important part of this series.
Go to
www.earthdance.net to register (don't delay)
Call 413-586-7390 ext.1 for
info about any of the above programs.
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