DANCE - FINE ARTS - MUSIC - THEATER - WRITING

ARTBITS by Richard B. Harper


VOLUME 19 * * All Arts News On the Web * * November 5, 2015

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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ART ON THE WALLS

MORRISVILLE--River Arts hosts a Figure Drawing Marathon in the Common Space Gallery on Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Bring your own charcoal, graphite, conte crayons, paints and/or clay.
      The fee is $40 for one day or both for $65. Click here to register and for more info.


ST ALBANS--The Northwestern Medical Center Gallery hosts Tim Wimble in a solo show this month. Mr. Wimble is a Pen and Ink artist.
      The scenes are the sugar houses, mountain landscapes, canoes, barns, and trees of Vermont. "His work is good and fun and different," NMC Volunteer Director Katherine Winchester said. He is self-taught.
      The show continues through the end of November.


ON STAGE LIVE

Thursday
ESSEX JUNCTION--On Tap offers Blues Night with the Nobby Reed Project tonight at 7 p.m. Vermont's own blues trio includes Eric Belrose, percussion, Ray Bushey, bass, and Mr. Reed on lead guitar and vocals.
      Call 802.878.3309 or email for more info.


Friday
SOUTH HERO--Snow Farm Vineyard features singer/songwriter Carol Ann Jones for Wine Down Friday on Friday, of course, at 6:30 p.m.
      Call 802.372.9463 for info or reservations.


Saturday
SOUTH BURLINGTON--The South Burlington Library presents Franklin County's own physician-author Stephen Russell Payne and singer-songwriter-impresario Rick Norcross in a program of Stories & Songs on Saturday at 2 p.m.
      Dr. Payne wrote Riding My Guitar -- The Rick Norcross Story. The book was released in conjunction with Mr. Norcross' 50th anniversary tour. Dr. Payne will share some of his stories about the experience and Mr. Norcross will sing a number of new songs that the Ramblers will record this Winter.


Sunday
MONTGOMERY CENTER--The final Celebration of Expressive Arts of 2015 will be held as The Hummingbird lands at The INN on Sunday at 7 p.m. The featured musician is Katie Trautz, the featured writer is Stephen Kiernan, and the featured artist is cartoonist Rachel Lindsay.
      This will be the 60th Montgomery area CEA and the 29th at The INN.
      Mr. Kiernan's new novel, The Hummingbird, is the story of a seasoned hospice nurse whose life requires courage and compassion and a husband filled with nightmares, anxiety, and rage. While a journalist for the Boston Globe and Burlington Free Press, he won more than forty awards. He has taught at Middlebury College and the New England Young Writers Conference. Mr. Kiernan has also written two non-fiction books, Last Rights and Authentic Patriotism, and the acclaimed novel, The Curiosity.
      Singer/songwriter/musician Katie Trautz brings the roots tradition of Appalachia, Cajun and Scandinavian music to her songs. Two of her albums have won Vermont’s Best Traditional Album of the Year awards. She is co-founder and program director for the Summit School of Traditional Music and Culture and Executive Director of the Chandler Center for the Arts.
      Cartoonist and illustrator Rachel Lindsay's weekly comics blog, Rachel Lives Here Now, has gained wide acclaim for its take on Vermont-centric themes and has been featured in Seven Days’ web video series Stuck in Vermont. Her work also was selected for the 2014 and 2015 Seven Days Cartoon Issue, for the Maple Key Comics anthology, and in the inaugural issue of Evening Paper, a journal from the Center for Narrative Practice.
      Come early for dinner. The INN opens at 5 p.m.
      Click here for more info.


FRANKLIN COUNTY BOOKSHELF

ST. ALBANS--The Eloquent Page Book Store will host a reading and book signing for writer DonnaRae Menard's new mystery, Patterns, on Saturday from 1-3 p.m.
      "I remember writing when I was in seventh grade history," she said. "I got caught and had to read to the class." That embarrassed her but now, as a writer, it comes with the territory.
      Her other books include Strength of the Mayan Leopard," "In the Shadow of Pharaoh (the first books of the Woman Warrior trilogy), Patterns (the first of the Carmie Mansuer, Detective, series), Dreams of a Mad Woman, a book of shorts, and Willa the Wisp, a children's book.
      Called Nana by many, Ms. Menard is also known to local little girls as the Doll Lady. She stitches a variety of items for 18" dolls and sells at craft fairs and farmers' markets in Waterbury, Essex, and St. Albans. The Winooski native now lives in Franklin County.
      Find DonnaRae Menard on Facebook or email for more info. Call 802.527.7243 for info about the Eloquent Page.


AROUND THE COUNTY--Many libraries will be closed on Wednesday for Veterans Day.


FAIRFAX--The Fairfax Community Library hosts an Historical Lecture, The Devil’s Cabinet, The Eddy Family of Spirit Mediums, this evening at 6:30 p.m. During the mid- to late-1800s, the Eddy family of Chittenden, Vermont, down in Rutland County, became world-renowned as powerful spirit mediums.
      No registration required.


GEORGIA--Saturday is Game Day at Georgia Public Library from 10 a.m-3 p.m.
      It's a day of board games. The library has plenty of games on hand or invites patrons to bring their own favorite to play with others.


HIGHGATE--The Highgate Public Library kicks off its High 5 Campaign this week. For five weeks, November 1-December 5, one can invest in Highgate's future by investing in the little library with a big presence.
      Become a Friend of the Library by contributing five dollars or more. Every High Five makes a difference.
      Library circulation and program attendance is down statewide but up in Highgate. Call Ms. Liza (802.868.3970) or email for more info.


ST. ALBANS--The St. Albans Public Library has new Non-Traditional items for lending in the Adult section. There will be a special, all-day event on Saturday on Saturday and check them out!
      The unique collection includes a telescope, microscope, binoculars, blood pressure monitor, home energy kit and a special reading device for the partially sighted. There may be a full moon inside the Library to examine with the new telescope
      In the Tuesday Night Book Club, library patrons will gather for 12 Years a Slave by Solomon Northrup on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The book tells the true story of Solomon Northrup who was born and raised as a freeman in New York, drugged, kidnapped, and sold into slavery in the deep south. Books are available at the Circulation Desk. The book group reads a wide range of genres.


AROUND THE COUNTRY--National Young Readers Week begins Sunday. The annual event was co-founded in 1989 by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress.
      Many schools recruit local "celebrities" to read aloud a favorite children's book to classrooms.


TWO ART EVENTS?

ST. ALBANS--The Small Business Administration Veteran Business Summit takes place at the 14th Star Brewery on Friday at 8:30 a.m.
      What, you might wonder, does an SBA workshop have to do with the Arts?
      Arts are a business. Sooner or later, an artist wants to sell something. In this case, the federal and state governments are not only a patron of the Arts but are required by law to include art in all building projects.
      Are you an artist and a veteran? This veteran-focused event has with workshops on financing a business and on government contracting to sell your works to the State of the Vermont, Federal Government, or to municipalities.
      SBA advisor Steve Densham will also take referrals for business advising.
      Light refreshments and coffee will be served. Email Darcy Carter or click here for more info.


ST. ALBANS--The Vermont Community Foundation will host an Estate and Planned Giving Seminar in the Green Mountain Room of Northwestern Medical Center on Monday at 6 p.m.
      Estate planning is an excellent way for arts organizations to build capital reserves and it's always worthwhile to get to know private estate planning consultants.
      Consultant Tom Smith will focus on planning tools for your family's future and ways avoid common real estate and tax mistakes. From an Arts perspective, it's a chance to examine estate planning to help arts organizations and other local charities.
      The event is free and open to the public. RSVP to Jeff Moreau (802.524.8467) or email.


CREATIVE SUMMIT

MONTPELIER--The inaugural Vermont Creative Network Creative Summit concludes today at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. The VCN is exploring "creativity at play" in Vermont through discussions of helping creatives and their economies thrive now and into the future. Sessions include Advancing Vermont’s Creative Sector, Building Creative Independence in Vermont, Data + Stories = Impact, Social Media Myth Busters, and much more.
      The Swanton Arts Council is telling its story at the summit.
      Pre-registration is required. Click here for more info.


ON THE 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.


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      This article was originally published in the St Albans Messenger and other traditional print media. It is Copyright © 2015 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).
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