Northampton Public Arts Festival Call to Artists

The Northampton Arts Council is seeking applications from artists and muralists for the first annual Northampton Public Arts Festival, which will be held on the weekend of May 10th-12th, 2019.

The festival will be held on Saturday May 11th-Sunday May 12th, with artists painting the mural cubes all day during the weekend. Additionally, the festival will host a variety of local artist tables, local vinyl djays, and a mural painting workshop on a separate mural cube.

Deadline for Applications is April 17th, 2019 by 11:59PM

You may send any questions or inquiries to arts@northamptonma.gov

SPECS:

• The NOHO Arts Council will build mural cubes for the artists to paint on.
• The mural cube will be made of plywood, and each side of the cube will be 6 ft x 8 ft.
• Each artist will have access to two sides.
• There will be spots for a total of 8 artists to participate.
• The artists will be asked to paint 2 of the panels on the cube during the weekend.
• Each artist will receive a $200 stipend. 

MATERIALS:

The Council will have direct contact with each artist to make sure that any necessary material can be supplied to the artist. The council will be partnering with local arts supply organizations, so they will have exterior acrylic paints, brushes/rollers and possible spray paint.

ART:

• The Northampton Arts Council is asking interested artists to submit the following materials:
• website or online portfolio with images previous public work
• 3-5 images of the proposed mural idea
• a short paragraph describing the image
• List of materials the artist may need

Please send the requested materials to arts@northamptonma.gov

Concerts with Jonny Rodgers / CINDERTALK

WHAT: Concerts with Jonny Rodgers / CINDERTALK
WHEN: April 26 & 27 at 8pm
WHERE: Flex Space APE@Hawley / Northamtpon Community Arts Trust, 33 Hawley St, Northampton MA

CONVERSATIONS FOR OUR TIMES: GLASS MUSIC
SERIOUS PLAY THEATRE ENSEMBLE presents
Musician Jonny Rodgers / CINDERTALK

Cindertalk is the musical work of Jonny Rodgers, a renowned glass musician, composer, singer and performer. The term "cindertalk" refers to the sound of live coals hidden in the ashes of the early morning fires he lights each day to warm his Oregon cottage. Jonny delivers concerts that are anything but predictable. Armed with an array of 19 tuned wine glasses, guitars, and sophisticated electronics, his performances can range between bare-bones intimate folk songs performed on glass, to lush theatre filling compositions layered in real-time, and can turn from one extreme to the other on a dime. Bringing a classical music sensibility to bear on the world of folk and post-rock, Rodgers’ unique voice and songs feel both familiar and exploratory. He is known for breaking the fourth wall in performances, weaving audiences into his compositions in unusual ways, not folk-singalongs, but minimalist classical compositions that invite the audience to co-create as an integral element. Rodgers’ virtuosic musicianship on glass, in service to songs that dig into the emotional core of life, makes for an unforgettable experience. 

— A stunning demonstration of what can be done with Tuned Wine Glasses —
(New York Times)

Serious Play first discovered Jonny last September at a CINDERTALK concert at Antenna
Cloud Farm, Gill. Jonny Rodgers is one of several artists collaborating with Serious Play on their new devised presently in development ensemble theatre work, MOVING WATER.
Rodgers composes for film, television, theatre, dance and concert. Recent films he has
performed in or composed for include: My Brother Jack, Don Jon, The Brothers Bloom, The Funeral Home, and The Psalms - Bono and Eugene Peterson. He has collaborated with Son Lux, My Brightest Diamond, Angelica Negron, Sxip Shirey, and many other artists. He has composed for multiple dance companies including Gallim Dance and Dance Waterloo, and has written music for countless company brands, most notably Google, Toyota and New York Life.

Reservations: brownpapertickets.com
Ticket Prices: $20 general, $18 students & seniors, $24 at the door
Additional information: seriousplaytheatre@gmail.com

In the back gallery at the Oxbow

WHAT: Frances Kidder : Making a Mural in Burundi
WHEN: On View: March 7-31, 2019
Reception: Friday, March 8, 5-8 pm
Artist talk: Thursday, March 14, 7 pm
WHERE: Back Gallery at Oxbow Gallery, 273 Pleasant Street, Northampton MA 01060

In May 2018 I painted a mural for a health care center in Kigutu, Burundi. Village Health Works was founded in 2006 by a Burundian man who had escaped ethnic civil war, lived as a refugee in NYC, and eventually returned to create this miraculous center of healing in the very place where ethnic violence had prevailed 12 years before. The show will focus on the process of making the mural, and will include information relating to the people and culture of Burundi.

Contact info: 413-537-5574
franceskidder.com


Front Gallery: Diane Harr

Gallery hours: Thursday - Sunday 12-5 pm

Northampton Jazz Workshop Featuring NYC saxophonist Tim Armacost

WHAT: Northampton Jazz Workshop Featuring NYC saxophonist Tim Armacost 
WHEN: Tuesday, March 12th from 7:30 to 8:30
WHERE: City Sports Grille at Spare Time Northampton, 525 Pleasant St., Northampton, MA

This week we are pleased to welcome back saxophonist Tim Armacost.
Here's an excerpt from his bio:
After a life of travel and discovery on three continents, Grammy nominated saxophonist Tim Armacost has established himself as one of the most important improvisers on the New York scene today. Armacost was born in Los Angeles, but came of age as a musician in Tokyo, New Delhi and Amsterdam, where he burnished his reputation as an upcoming talent, with a big tenor sound and an impeccable rhythmic sense. He tours regularly around the world both as a sideman and a leader. Armacost has worked with a phenomenal number of jazz greats, including Al Foster, Jimmy Cobb, Kenny Barron, Tom Harrell, Billy Hart, Victor Lewis, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Peter Erskine, Ray Drummond, Roy Hargrove, Don Friedman and Randy Brecker.
https://www.smallslive.com/artists/107-tim-armacost/

The concert set starts at 7:30, followed immediately by the jam session until 10:30. $5 per person room charge for the concert set. City Sports Grille at Spare Time Northampton, 525 Pleasant St., Northampton, MA. 413-584-4830
Also of Interest:

Upcoming Guest Artists: 
3/19 - Jay Hoggard on vibes with Claire Arenius on drums.
          Two shows -7:30 and 9pm. with no jam session
           no jam session.
3/26 - Roseanna Vitro on vocals with George Schuller on drums

4/2 - Erik Lawrence on sax and flute with Bob Weiner on drums
4/9 - Benny Wallace on tenor with Bill Goodwin on drums

K and E Theater Group Presents SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD

WHAT: K and E Theater Group Presents SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD
WHEN: March 7-10, 2019 // 7:30pm (Thursday, Friday & Saturday), 2pm (Sunday)
WHERE: Northampton Center for the Arts, 33 Hawley St, Northampton, MA

Tony Award-winner Jason Robert Brown explores life’s emotions through music in Songs for a New World presented by the K and E Theater Group, March 7 – 10, 2019, at Northampton Center for the Arts in Northampton, Massachusetts.

NORTHAMPTON, MA – Western Massachusetts’ bold, new theater company, K and E Theater Group (KETG) presents Tony Award Winner Jason Robert Brown’s first musical, Songs for a New World, at Northampton Center for the Arts. The musical is presented as a collection of songs, artfully blending pop, jazz and gospel in powerful solo and ensemble numbers sweeping us into the multiple journeys that result in that “one moment” where we decide to stand our ground, take one step, and eventually find our way home.

The K and E Theater Group production of Songs for a New World is directed by K and E Theater Group President and Artistic Director Eddie Zitka, who has also directed and staged various musical revues in the area, most recently KETG’s production of Sweeney Todd at Gateway City Arts last October. His performance credits include the first national tour of The Wedding Singer, Ogunquit Playhouse’s Cinderella and All Shook Up, Johnny Ringo in the Hoop Dee Doo Revue at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Bill Martin returns to KETG as the production’s music director. Ken Comia serves as producer. KETG’s season supporting sponsor is INSIGHT Structures, Inc., based in Houston, Texas. This production is supported in part by a grant from the Northampton Arts Council and the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Songs for a New World features local talents Ben Ashley, Paula Cortis, Melissa Dupont, and David Webber.

All performances are at Northampton Center for the Arts, located at 33 Hawley Street in Northampton, Massachusetts. Tickets are general admission for $25.00. There is no reserved seating. Performances run from Thursday, March 7, 2019, through Sunday, March 10, 2019. Show times for Songs for a New World are 7:30 PM on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. The closing performance is presented at a matinee on Sunday, March 10, 2019, beginning at 2:00 PM.

Tickets and performance information for Songs for a New World are available at www.KETG.org.

####

K and E Theater Group is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization formed in 2017 to promote performance arts, encourage growth of the arts and our local artists, and to entertain our local community, producing thought-provoking theater. Under the direction of Co-Founder, President and Artistic Director Eddie Zitka and Co-Founder and Vice President Ken Comia, the company aspires to further the education of and provide dramatic art entertainment to the surrounding Western Massachusetts communities, actively recruiting new performers, and enriching the performers’ experiences as they interact with theatrical arts. KETG organizational support is currently provided by generous individual contributions, and supported by Board Members Paula Cortis, Paul DiProto, Melissa Dupont, Terri Gidius, and Jess Miller.

Save the Date: Community Sync-Up

WHAT: Community Sync-Up
WHEN: Tuesday, March, 19, 8:45-10:00am
WHERE: Northampton Center for the Arts, 33 Hawley St, Northampton, MA

The work of our organization grows from a focus on community prosperity – an overarching scope that includes marketing the region to visitors, collaborating with city and local officials to support plans for growth, and providing resources to small businesses.

This meeting will feature leaders from the Hampshire County Regional Tourism Council, the Downtown Northampton Association and The Chamber. We'd like to answer your questions about our work to support the vitality of downtown and the regional hospitality industry – and most importantly, to hear about your priorities. We promise no PowerPoint presentations. Instead, join us for a lively conversation with other business people from the Downtown and Hospitality community.

Fantasy Spaces in the 21st Century: Anya Klepacki

WHAT: Fantasy Spaces in the 21st Century: Anya Klepacki
WHEN: Opening Reception: Thursday, March 7, 5-7pm
Gallery Talk: March 21, 5-6pm
On View: March 4-March 21, 10am to 5pm
WHERE: Taber Art Gallery at Holyoke Community College, 303 Homestead Ave, Holyoke, MA

 The show is jam-packed and on display when the gallery is open this week (March 4th -- March 7th, 10am-5pm) and the week of the 18th (March 18th -- March 21st, 10am-5pm). The Opening Reception is this Thursday, March 7th 5-7pm (with an after party at Rust Temple, DJ'd by the one and only Meatcomputer), and there'll be a fun gallery talk held on the closing night, inside the tent, March 21st 5-6pm.

The show presented me with an opportunity to reflect on the work I've made and dreamt of over the last 6 or so years, and though a pop-up, developed into a sort of thesis in itself. It investigates the roles fantasy and escapism play in our lives and in our concepts of a future -- especially for those born with the bulk of their lives to look forward to in the context of the 21st century, with climate change, resource depletion, overpopulation and widening political gulfs on the horizon and a reality now. How do we engage in escapism? When is it helpful, when is it a distraction? Who gets to engage in escapism? How does it factor into the building of our futures, into more desirable futures than our current realities would dictate?

Come check it out, take a load off and relax a while in the tent, peruse the Research Companion (available online as well at http://fantasy-spaces.info ) and let your mind drift!