Year: 2011

The Official Downtown Gloucester Block Party Press Release

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

THE DOWNTOWN GLOUCESTER BLOCK PARTY – JULY 16 –FREE!

Block Party Organizer Valerie Marcley writes-

Come downtown for the summer’s best party! Main Street will be closed for entertainment, al fresco dining, art, dancing, vendors and a childrens’ game area. THIS IS YOUR PARTY! It starts at 6 pm and it’s FREE!

Dance to Livin’ on Luck, Willie Alexander, Honky Tonk Women of Gloucester, Alek Razden and the Polygroove Orchestra and be dazzled by the Bones and Roses Circus Sideshow, the Cape Ann Center for Dance. Street performers will stroll Main and entertain: Go Jay Go, Yo Joe Magic Show, Roger Hussey, Giant Puppets interactive for the kids and 50/50 raffle! Shows start at 6 pm.

The series celebrates Gloucester the third Saturday of each month, July through September.

http://downtowngloucester.com/

Here are some video clips of the performers-

Polygroove Orchestra

Here’s a link with Willie Alexander playing with Alek Razden’s other band

Video The Burnham’s Field Gardener Series Girl Scout Troop 523 From John McElhenny

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Burnham’s Field is the largest green space in central Gloucester. Recently there’s been a resurgence of pride in Burnham’s Field, including a new 20-plot garden. GoodMorningGloucester is now running a series of video profiles of the Burnham’s Field Community Gardeners. Here are their stories.

 By John McElhenny

Burnham’s Field Gardeners – Girl Scout Troop 523 in Gloucester

Members of Girl Scout Troop 523 in Gloucester (left to right) Courtney Ashwell (16), Kelly Biondo (14), Emma Thomas (15) and Sage Frankenstein (15) show how to add personality to a garden plot. (Hint: it involves several cans of brightly colored paint.) The girls, along with Troop Leader Diane Wolff-Thomas and fellow Scouts Emily Moore and Jessi Silva, are learning about gardening firsthand with their own garden plot.

 

The News From Rocky Neck Courtesy Judy Robinson Cox

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Kathy Soles
photo by Tom Robinson-Cox

Rocky Neck members recently enjoyed Artist in Residence, Kathy Soles’ closing presentation at the Residency Studio.

July 6 – August 6 : Kathy Minhsin Liao

Open Studio Hours this week
Friday 7/15, 4-8pm and Sunday 7/17, 4-8pm

Kathy Minhsin Liao
Concentric, 60"x71", oil on canvas, 2010

Duality is a theme that repeatedly makes its way into my work. Having spent my childhood in Taiwan, I am strongly influenced by my dual Chinese and Japanese heritage. Coming to America, I found my deeply held beliefs being constantly re-evaluated, challenged, and sometimes compromised. My work is a medium for me to revisit and gain new understanding from my immigration experience. My creativity is fueled by direct observation. My work is driven by the fascination with perceptual and visual experience of light and space. I am constantly seeking new ways to create an illusionistic space through an exploration of of lines, shapes, color and through the visceral act of painting, scraping and collaging materials. I draw upon images of the people, objects, and places that I observe and identify with on a personal level. These images and ideas are given substance and transformed through my painting and printmaking practices. I’ve received a BFA in Painting from University of Washington and MFA Painting degree from Boston University.

Simply Looking, Looking Simple: oil paintings
by Claudia Kaufman

Last Day, Tuesday, July 19

Pears
Claudia Kaufman

Contemporary realist painter Claudia Kaufman’s "Simply Looking: Looking Simple," the third in the Rocky Neck Gallery Summer Artist Series, opens Wednesday, July 6 and runs until Tuesday, July 19. A reception for the artist will be held Saturday, July 9, from 5-8 p.m. Kaufman will give a talk at about 7pm where she will show slides that show the steps involved in creating an acurately realistic painting. The public is invited.

Kaufman lives in Marblehead and is a member of the North Shore, Rockport, and Marblehead Art Associations and the Copley Society of Art. Her work has been shown in many Boston area exhibitions. She worked as a commercial artist in New York City followed by a career as marketing executive/creative director of a national healthcare technology company.

She studied painting at the School of the Museum of Fine arts in Boston, Mass College of Art and most recently completed a post baccalaureate residency program in painting at Brandeis University.

As a contemporary realist painter, my works are studies in observation — still lifes of familiar objects that are deceptively simple, yet complex. In the studio setting, I challenge myself to translate the perceived three-dimensional world to a 2D field by observing and capturing the conditions of light, form, color and space through the painterly properties of oil paint. Stopping short of photo-realism, I work to keep the signs of my hand and brushstroke in my work and am particularly intrigued by the drama of light, transparency, reflection and shadows.

—Claudia Kaufman

Through July 22 : Laureen Maher at Khan Studio/Good Morning Gloucester Gallery

See photos of opening reception on Good Morning Gloucester

Out of Snacks
Out of Snacks, oil painting by Laureen Mahler

The next guest artist at Khan Studio and the Good Morning Gloucester Gallery will be painter and stylist, Laureen Maher. Laureen, who lives in East Gloucester and owns and operates the Beauty Bar at 12 Parker Street in Gloucester, will be exhibiting her landscapes, florals and portraits of local rock stars series of oil paintings in a show entitled "Brushworks". Her exhibit runs from July 8-22nd with an Opening Reception on Sunday, July 10th from 6:00 to 9:00pm. Laureen was first inspired to paint 9 years ago after she moved to East Gloucester from Melrose and saw the collection of paintings by Robert Gruppe’ at The Studio. She is working on an ongoing series of paintings of the local rock stars of Cape Ann. Laureen is very excited to be exhibiting on Rocky Neck, as this is where she was first inspired to paint. Come by and welcome Laureen to Rocky Neck and the Good Morning Gloucester Gallery.

Ellen Lefavour Khan Studio
www.khanstudiointernational.com
857-891-9054 khanstudio@comcast.net

Zyg Jankowski

Madfish Gallery

For Sean’s Legion Of Gay Fans- Yet Another Give Back

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

No one could ever accuse Sean of not being a giver.

Always looking out for his adoring fans, he has something special planned for an upcoming exclusive GMG video.

We aim to please here at GMG, so here you go.

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Auction for 2 Tickets to Thursday’s Sail on Thomas Lannon to Benefit Cape Ann Animal Aid is over

Posted on by paultmorrison

A $130 bid early on sealed the deal. That is a lot of puppy food for the likes of pet of the week Kindle.

Kindle hopes everyone has a lovely sail tomorrow. Looks like the weather will be sunny with not a cloud in the sky. Bring your cameras and snap that sunset. (8.19PM)

The sail is from 7-9PM. Checkin starts at 6:30PM and boarding is at 6:50PM.

World Blind Sailing Medalist – Mark Bos

Posted on by Manuel F. Simoes

Mark is also an avid follower of GMG with the help from his girlfriend Linda.

YouTube Interview at Ft Myers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hhx_44GUgBI

Link to Mark’s achievement.

PLACID

Posted on by Marty Luster
The HARVEY GAMAGE

1. (adj) placid, quiet, still, tranquil, smooth, unruffled
(of a body of water) free from disturbance by heavy waves
“a ribbon of sand between the angry sea and the placid bay”; “the quiet waters of a lagoon”; “a lake of tranquil blue water reflecting a tranquil blue sky”; “a smooth channel crossing”; “scarcely a ripple on the still water”; “unruffled water”

 


New Shops Part 2: Wulla & Jemil Beauchamp in Lanesville

Posted on by S.D. Kelly

Lanesville, the historic home to quarry workers and lots of Finns, is seeing an echo of its past in two new shops that opened up just last weekend. Both shops have a Scandinavian feel, in the sense of a minimal aesthetic with an emphasis on texture — and both take their inspiration from the natural world. And both shops are as far as it is possible to be from the world of the mall with its chain stores. Handmade, individually chosen pieces are the rule here. Which sounds just about right for Lanesville.

Wulla is located just a few doors up from the Plum Cove Grind and the Post Office, right in the heart of Lanesville. It was opened by two designers, friends who met through their love of textiles. They make all the pieces you see in the shop, including the clothes, with the exception of a few felt pieces (like the boots), with a sophistication that undermines any ideas you might have about what a homemade knitted shawl looks like. The whole place has such a soothing aesthetic that I didn’t know whether to buy a handmade felt bag or lay down and take a nap in the dressing room, and I mean that as a compliment. I hope my husband reads this post, as I did see one thing in particular that I covet, among many covetable items: a cable knit cowl, designed to be buttoned around the neck for a upscale, yet earthy departure from the scarf. The best part about this piece is that the buttons were crafted from a tree in one of the owner’s backyards. Lean in close to smell the button (yes, I asked for permission) and the faint scent of cedar remains. You have to experience the beauty and serenity for yourself: stop by Wulla, open Wednesday through Sunday, and meet the women behind these beautiful items.

Then hop across the street (look both ways before you leap of course, and maybe you want to take a coffee break at the Grind between stops) to check out Jemil Beauchamp. Be sure to ask Jenny, the owner and store’s namesake, to point out her handiwork: handmade leather bags and beautifully dyed textiles using the Japanese shibori technique. Jenny’s husband is the artist Kurt Ankeny (whose incredible new work is at Alchemy through August 5th) so you have the added pleasure of seeing his landscapes on the walls of the shop. Besides the beautiful textiles, Jemil Beauchamp carries a carefully edited selection of vintage pieces, and while everything is available for purchase, it is all displayed in such a lovely, austere manner that each piece becomes a sort of visual tribute to a time gone by. Which is kind of how Lanesville itself feels, a tiny piece of the past, whose time has come to be revitalized in a way that best suits the neighborhood, by creative people who live and work there, members of the community if every sense. For hours and more information, visit www.jemilbeauchamp.com.

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Kindle–Cape Ann Animal Aid Pet of the Week

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Kindle – Pet of the Week

Kindle

Hello, my name is Kindle, I am a two-month-old girl pup who is Lab/Retriever mix.   I am sweet, curious, affectionate, outgoing and smart.  I am at the Cape Ann Animal Aid, a non-profit shelter located at 260 Main Street in Gloucester.  I have siblings here too!  We are all excited about being adopted.

If you don’t know what adoption means – it means that you take someone into your home and heart forever to love.  We don’t have to be blood relatives to be a family, what makes you family is the love.

Dawn and Chloe Represent

Posted on by God's Morning

Dawn and Chloe Baker represent at Khan Studio and the Good Morning Gloucester Gallery.  Dawn is the longstanding significant other of my youngest brother, Blake, and a devoted reader of the blog.  She, Blake and Chloe live in West Gloucester and she is the function manager at Ipswich Country Club.  In addition to Chloe, she also has a beautiful retired racehorse named Fleet, who resides at a stable in Rockport and loves to swim in a nearby pond with my brother, Blake.  Because my little brother spends all his time commuting and working in Amesbury, and swimming with Fleet, he has not yet made the long journey from West to East Gloucester to visit his big sister at Rocky Neck.  What’s up little bro?  Niki and Cameron would love to see you, as would I.

E.J. Lefavour

www.khanstudiointernational.com

Did You Know? (CATA, Dog Grooming and Water Shuttle)

Posted on by God's Morning

Julie & Scott Pantages are brand new subscribers to the blog who live in Magnolia.  Scott drives for CATA and Julie has a dog grooming shop in Magnolia called Best in Show.  A fun-loving couple, as you can see, who stopped into Khan Studio and the Good Morning Gloucester Gallery at 77 Rocky Neck to get a coveted GMG Version 5.0 sticker.

Captain Steve Douglass is bringing all those great people over to us here on Rocky Neck on the water shuttle.  Saturday he had a boat full of bachelorettes he was shuttling around (poor guy – see how frazzled he looks).  That afternoon he came across some poor man that had drowned and was floating near the Maritime Heritage Center.  

Capt. Steve, remember that you said you would drop by some water shuttle schedules, and promised me a free ride, which I’ll take you up on so I can grab some photos and do a firsthand experience post on GMG about it.

E.J. Lefavour

www.khanstudiointernational.com

Annisquam Village Players hosts the The Porches of Annsiquam 2011

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

image

What : The Annisquam Village Players hosts the The Porches of Annsiquam 2011, a walking tour of 8 private porches including several historic homes with views of Lobster Cove, Annisquam River, Annisquam Lighthouse and Ipswich Bay. The Event will conclude with a sunset serenade at 30 Norwood Heights by the cast of Annisquam Village Players.

When : Friday evening, August 5, 2011 from 5-8pm

Where : the village of Annisquam MA 01930

off of Route 127 North

Ticket price : $25 and can be purchased at :

Annisquam Exchange, 38 Leonard Street, Annisquam MA 978-281-0358

Annisquam Village Hall, Leonard Street, Annisquam MA on the day of the event

Order online at : http://www.annisquamvillageplayers.org/production/fundraiser.php

Green Golly and the Treasure of Light At The Sawyer Free Library Tomorrow

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Barbara Siesel and Keith Torgan are in town to do a free children’s concert at the Sawyer Free Library tomorrow at 11am!  He is a children’s singer songwriter who plays guitar and she is a world-class flautist.  Their program has won The Parents’ Choice Award and they have found a way to introduce kids (ages 4-8 or so) to classical music and make them fall in love with it.  The link to this event is here with the details:  http://www.sawyerfreelibrary.org/whatsnew.html

Celebrated Saxophonist Mike Tucker heads to Rocky Neck for Soul & Funk Night at The Studio Restaurant on Rocky Neck.

Posted on by Joanne

Gloucester, MA: Every Thursday this summer! Celebrated Saxophonist Mike Tucker heads to Rocky Neck for Soul & Funk Night at The Studio Restaurant on Rocky Neck. The Mike Tucker Organ Trio’s first show is this Thursday, July 14 at 8pm (free).


“Mike Tucker is a great young saxophonist with a mature approach, warm sound, and a stunning technique.” -Michael Brecker

Tucker has performed with Grammy winners Esperanza Spaulding (2011 Best New Artist), Tiger Okoshi, George Garzone, Joe Lavono, Melvin Sparks, George Duke, Christian Scott, Fred Wesley among many others.
Tucker attended Berklee College of Music on a full scholarship and has been invited to play all around the world, including the Phoenix Jazz Festival in Japan and the Kennedy Jazz Festival in Washington D.C. Tucker has appeared on NPR Toast of the Nation, XM Satellite Radio Jazz, Voice of America, and more. Tucker recently returned from touring Europe and has a new recording on Sony Records with Robin McKelle. He has also been asked to be the Art Director for the North Shore Jazz Project,  a big band comprised of exceptionally talented North Shore area high school students.
According to the Boston Herald, “Mike Tucker has quickly established himself as one of the most promising young tenor saxophonists in jazz.”
www.tuckerjazz.com  • Thursday Nights Summer 2011 (first show 7/14) • The Studio • 50 Rocky Neck Ave • Gloucester, MA • 8pm • free

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victoryagents@gmail.com
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Current Bands
www.banditkings.com
www.safety80s.com
www.danielscottking.com
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Currently Booking
Madfish Grille
The Studio
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play music.

Kids needed to create art for Burnham’s Field garden

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Kids needed to create art for Burnham’s Field garden

This Friday, Art Haven and the new Burnham’s Field Community Garden are teaming up to invite kids to paint a beautiful mural and vegetable “sculptures” to decorate the garden. The art workshop is free and open to children of all ages.

Burnham’s Field is the largest green space in central Gloucester. Many, many people will be able to enjoy the public art being created by these Gloucester kids.

The workshop will take place this Friday, July 15, from 4 to 5:30 at Art Haven, 180B Main Street in Gloucester. Kids must be accompanied by a parent.

Questions? Call Dawn at Art Haven.

180B Main Street
Gloucester MA
978-283-3888