DANCE - FINE ARTS - MUSIC - THEATER - WRITING

ARTBITS by Richard B. Harper


VOLUME 17 * * All Arts News On the Web * * January 17, 2013

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 various restaurants around Franklin County throughout the week, 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.

      Find links to these events and more in our Spotlight!

... FROM THE ARTBITS DESK ...
E-Mail Delivery
Sign up to receive the free weekly ArtBits
newsletter by e-mail
or by RSS feed.


ART ON THE WALLS

      Plein air artist Janet Bonneau of Fairfax is taking action. The Vermont native's German shepherd, Ruger, was shot in the chest by a deer hunter over the Thanksgiving holiday. She now paints to raise awareness (as well as to raise funds for the vet bills).
      "Thankfully, he survived but we are devastated someone would do this to a family pet," she told the Empty Easel. Her vet said Ruger has "a personality like a Golden Retriever."
      The state police told her it was not an accidental shooting. They have conducted interviews but do not have a suspect. Leon Thompson will write more about Ruger and Ms. Bonneau in an upcoming Messenger.
      The ongoing benefit art sale will donate a portion of proceeds to the Stray Animal Fund at Burlington Emergency Veterinary services, the animal hospital which saved Ruger's life. The remaining funds raised go toward Ruger's medical expenses.
      Ruger is recovering (he "woofed" to me a couple of times while we were talking about him) and Ms. Bonneau has found that the tragedy drove her to learn more about selling her art.
      "My art career is ramping up through a better use of social networking," she said. While we talked, she was packaging two small oils to ship to a North Carolina woman who discovered her work through a Facebook friend. She also has a blog on her own site which feeds her newsletter and in turn gives her "grist" for other media.
      She is now planning to run a Facebook contest to rename her gallery of small paintings and now schedules time to do the business and marketing end of the arts.
      Long an exhibiting member of the AAC, Ms. Bonneau became president of the Northern Vermont Artists Association last year. She is also the featured artist of the week at the Empty Easel.
      The NVAA is also expanding their offerings to members with regular workshops at the monthly meetings. Upcoming will be Robert Brunelle discussing self-publishing.
      Click here to see all the works available in the sale and here for the Empty Easel's feature spotlight.


ON STAGE LIVE

SOUTH HERO--The Blue Paddle Bistro presents Carol Ann Jones in a solo show tonight at 6:30 p.m. The Bistro's Thursday Night Music series spotlights a line-up of Vermont musicians. Reservations are encouraged.
      Call 802.372.4814 for reservations or click here for more info.


ST. ALBANS--Chow Bella presents Melinda Lussier playing piano in a Music to Dine By tomorrow evening.
      Call 802.524.1405 or click here for more info.


MORRISVILLE--The Bees Knees presents Vermont singer/songwriter Patrick Fitzsimmons in the round Saturday evening at 8 p.m.
      Admission is by $5-10 suggested donation.


SHELBURNE--Young Tradition Vermont is a presenting partner for the Celtic Winter Gathering tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday.
      The Gathering will start with an evening concert by Mance Grady, Tony DeMarco, Siobhan Butler, and guests at All Souls Interfaith Gathering in Shelburne on Friday at 7 p.m. The weekend includes a Scottish Highland dance competition on Saturday at 10 a.m. Weekend workshops will include bodhran with Mance Grady, fiddle with Tony DeMarco, and dance with Siobhan Butler.
      Homemade scones, soup, and sandwiches and music will be available throughout the day on Saturday.
      Admission for the Friday evening concert is $12 for adults or $6 for children. The Saturday and Sunday events are free to observe. Tickets are available from FlynnTix (802.86.FLYNN) or FlynnTIX.org .


FRANKLIN COUNTY BOOKSHELF

READING NOW--"I just finished 'Art & Fear' which every artist should have on their bookshelf," artist Janet Bonneau said. Co-authors David Bayles and Ted Orland explore the way art gets made, the reasons it doesn't get made, and the reasons so many artists to give up along the way.


ST. ALBANS--The St. Albans Free Library was closed on Monday to bring their new automation system called "Koha" online. The library is now part of a consortium of Vermont Libraries that includes A. A. Brown Library, Enosburgh Public Library, Bent Northrop Memorial Library, Haston Library, and Highgate Public Library, as well as thousands of libraries world wide. This Green Mountain Library project is dedicated to creating a shared catalog and Integrated Library System.
      Current and new cardholders will need an updated library card, available only at the circulation desk. This new, 14-digit number allows patrons to access the new online account as well as use the online databases. The circulation desk also has a (printed) handout with tips that show how to access these accounts to view checkouts, renew items, place holds, submit requests, get email notifications, use the collections of other libraries in the consortium, download e-books and audio books, and more.
      Click here for a link to VOCAL and more info.
      It is also Classic Movie Night as the library presents 1973's Paper Moon this evening at 6 p.m. Filmed in black and white by director Peter Bogdanovich, the depression-era Kansas film stars Ryan O'Neal as a bible-selling con man and his real life daughter Tatum who won an Academy Award for her first film appearance.
      The library shows a newsreel, cartoon, and trailer of coming attractions before each weekly movie. All films are shown on the 4' by 6' screen in the upstairs conference room "cinema." Admission is free, along with popcorn and a beverage.
      On Classic Readers Tuesday, the Book Group meets in the library at 6:30 p.m. to take over Mr. Jones' Manor Farm in Animal Farm, George Orwell's allegorical criticism of the communist revolution and its leadership. Some animals of the Manor become more equal than others.


CLICK HERE: ART SITE OF THE WEEK

     To celebrate this year of poetry, the Vermont Humanities Council will offer a poem each week throughout 2013. Look for the poems in e-newsletters, on Facebook and Twitter, and on the web. Click here to see the latest.


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 © 2012 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.