Day: April 22, 2024

I asked if they ever did one and they told me they would as a special! This is the week it will be a reality and I’ll be there to capture the magic!

Showstopper…

Manship Artists Residency is pleased to announce THE NET WORKS: a multi-sensory installation built upon the narrative of Gloucester’s fishing community, opening May 10^th and running through May 27th. The exhibition was envisioned by artist Erika Senft Miller during the pandemic and her consequent virtual residency with the Manship Artists Residency in 2020. The installation at 52 Commercial Street, is located in the heart of Gloucester’s working waterfront in a building that was a former seafood processing plant. The fishing net serves as a literal and metaphorical symbol in an immersive exhibit that includes scents, sounds, and tactile experiences, where visitors, like fish, move through a passage of netting. The Net Works honors Gloucester’s iconic working waterfront and its generations of fisherman with the net symbolizing the interconnectedness of man and sea and the community itself.

Multi-sensory artist Erika Senft Miller, who has coordinated other community-based, site-specific productions explains, “No matter where we are, we’re all connected. Whatever happens in the fishing community in Gloucester affects us all. The Net Works plunges us into this experience at a crucial moment in the life of America’s oldest fishing port.”

Senft Miller describes her vision for the exhibition as: “My team and I wanted to make something that you can touch, smell, hear, move through, and contemplate. We imagined an experience that entails walking through a full-scale fishing net and engaging with a mixed-media composition that incorporates the creaking of a boat, the voices of the fishermen, the sounds of blocks, lines and the sea, and scents of fishing life that have lingered for so many generations.”

Senft Miller’s team consists of the founder of Alice & the Magician Sensory Design, Aaron Wisniewski, to incorporate scent; media technologist and composer Miles Dean Ewell for sound as well as musician Neha Ewell; video by Menghan Wang; photographer Paul Cary Goldberg; glass blower Rich Arentzen; and Peter Waxdal of SenovvA, Inc., a designer and installer of interactive generative experiential features. Many members of the local fishing community contributed to this project, especially Gloucester native and former fisherman James Tarrantino, and commercial fisherman Captain Joseph Sanfilippo.

Research for the project was supported by Prometheus Circle of the Manship Artists Residency, and a learning grant from the New England Foundation for the Arts. The project has also received grants from The Vermont Arts Council, The Bruce J. Anderson Foundation, and Awesome Gloucester. Support and contributions were also provided by Burlington City Arts, The Cape Ann Museum, and Maritime Gloucester. Owner of Intershell, Monte Rome, also donated the exhibition space.

The exhibition will run from May 10th through Memorial Day, opening Friday, May 10 at 5:30 pm. The exhibit will be open to the public Thursday through Sunday, 4:30 – 7:30 pm and by appointment. Register for your ticketed-entry time at  tinyurl/TheNetWorks24.

ABOUT the MANSHIP ARTISTS RESIDENCY

The site of the Manship Artists Residency was once the summer retreat of Paul Manship, the sculptor of the Prometheus Fountain at Rockefeller Center. Many of the same opportunities and qualities that attracted Manship to Cape Ann are available to those who come here seeking solitude or community in this restorative landscape. Manship Artists Residency gives artists and the creative spirit time and space to flourish for the benefit of our community by welcoming artists and thought leaders from around the world to work in these serene surroundings steps away from the scenic northeast coast of New England. Our residents magnify the social capital and the cultural value of Cape Ann, and our innovative programming contributes to the health and vitality of our community and beyond. ManshipArtists.org

Half price one topping & cheese 16″ pizzas

$13.99 + tax Lobster Roll

We visited Pauline to get a little preview of the upcoming season after improvements with the building and new stock added! It’s time to celebrate when Pauline’s reopens! Link to Pauline’s Gifts for additional info here.

ABOUT THIS SHOW

Car enthusiasts! Come bring your car or come and see cars from all over the region from exotics, collector, vintage, special, muscle….we are gathering at the Cruiseport Gloucester on April 28, 2024 from 9am – 12pm to enjoy sharing our autos but most important to donate to several local charities.

We will be raising money for Lifebridge, Amirah, Beverly Bootstraps, The Pelican Fund – all great causes to help others in less fortunate situations.

There is no cost to attend for your car or as a spectator but we are asking for everyone to make a donation to the Solomon Fund that will pay all net proceeds to these charities. We will also have a raffle.

Contact Brad Small at bradsmall@solomonprivatewealth.comfor more information

Three-day event brings together art, activism, and community engagement to inspire climate action

GLOUCESTER STAGE COMPANY,a vital presence in the thriving arts scene north of Boston, will Water’s Rising: Festival of New Climate Action Plays. Timed to coincide with Earth Day, this inaugural festival will showcase staged readings of three new plays that delve into the multifaceted themes of climate change.

Starting this Friday, April 26 to Sunday, April 28, 2024, Gloucester Stage will present at 7:00 p.m. each evening staged readings of the festival’s three winning plays: A Few Fun Facts About Greenland by Maximilian Gill, Cincinnatiby the Sea by Hannah Vaughn, and If nobody does remarkable things by Emma Gibson. Each selected play illuminates the climate crisis from a vastly different perspective and unique viewpoints, transporting us from Greenland to post-flood Cincinnati to the International Space Station

“After a summer in Gloucester, it became obvious how critical and ephemeral the waters are to this community. When I lived in Ithaca, NY I passed a piece of graffiti on my daily commute saying “THE WATER IS RISING”. That forewarning prodded me to do something more than talk to folks within my bubble or donate to my local climate activist, said the theater’sArtistic Director Rebecca Bradshaw.  “The goal of this festival is to marry poignant storytelling of live theatre with this urgent message. Each reading will be paired with a local conservationist, researcher, and/or climate activist that can speak to the themes of the piece and help to answer the age-old question, “but what can I do?”. I hope the festival will leave audiences moved by the performances and create impactful conversations to take with them.”

Located in Gloucester, a coastal town with more than 62 miles of shoreline, facing the realities of rising sea levels, the theater recognizes the urgency of addressing climate change with the building itself located in FEMA’s high-risk flood zone. Christopher Griffith, Managing Director, acknowledges this, saying, “With our stage door of our iconic waterfront theater overlooking Smith’s Cove along Rocky Neck, we want to celebrate our surroundings while creating avenues for awareness and continued conversation about our collective future. In the face of one of the most significant and immediate global challenges, Gloucester Stage is proud to present these impactful plays that remind us of our shared responsibility toward the planet and underscore the imperative for climate action.”

For this festival, submissions were invited for full-length plays tackling climate action, with a specific emphasis on coastal climate change. However, all environmental advocacy themes were considered. The Theater’s Literary Team carefully selected three plays from over 240 submissions for the performance weekend, each matched with a local director who resonated deeply with the work.

Celebrating its 45th season, Gloucester Stage believes in the power of art to inspire action. “By pairing art with advocacy, we can deepen our connection to our earth’s future,” remarks Griffith.PLAY SCHEDULE: 

Friday, April 26, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. | A FEW FUN FACTS ABOUT GREENLAND by Maximillian Gill unfolds amidst the vast expanse of the Greenland ice cap. Here, an astrophysicist leads a team searching for evidence of an extraterrestrial object. However, the arrival of a glaciologist researching glacier melt and a tech entrepreneur financing the endeavor throws her project into disarray. As scientific inquiry clashes with the human need to believe in something greater, everyone has strong opinions on how to save the planet.

Saturday, April 27, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. | CINCINNATI BY THE SEA by Hannah Vaughn unveils a post-deluge world where a year and a half has passed since the Great Flood. While grappling with the fact that her wife Cleo has abandoned the family, Freddie finds her life unraveling at the seams. Amidst the tumultuous aftermath, she struggles to keep her family together as they face life’s daily challenges. Her relationship with her son, Noah, reaches a breaking point, and he runs away, leaving her one last chance to find him and save her fractured family.

Sunday, April 28, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. | IF NOBODY DOES REMARKABLE THINGS by Emma Gibson, delves into themes of climate change and forgiveness, probing the consequences of irreparable actions and the boundaries of redemption. Amidst the tumult of a category 6 dust storm, a cargo ship took shelter in the nearby harbor. Onboard is Joel, who needs somewhere to stay. While Paul advocates for his rescue, Anna hesitates, haunted by what Joel did 14 years ago.  

In addition to the staged readings, each play will be followed by a talkback session featuring climate experts. These experts will address the themes of the theatrical piece, highlight organizations taking action, and discuss the impact of climate change on Gloucester and the global landscape.

Water’s Rising: Festival of New Climate Action Plays promises to be an enlightening and thought-provoking event, bringing together art, activism, and community engagement. This festival has been made possible in part by presenting sponsor New England Biolabs and a donation from Peter Van Demark in honor of Dr. Kathleen Van Demark, who passionately cared for both performing arts and natural resources like the Great Marsh.  

PERFORMANCE TIMES AND LOCATIONS:  

All performances for Water’s Rising: Festival of New Climate Action Plays, are Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 7:00 pm at Gloucester Stage Company located at 267 East Main Street, Gloucester.

Tickets are now available for sale for the Water’s Rising Festival. Single ticket prices are $20 or a Festival Pass to each of the three plays is available for $50. For detailed ticket information, visit www.gloucesterstage.com. 

For additional ticket information, contact the Box Office at978.281.4433 or boxoffice@gloucesterstage.com. Located at 267 East Main Street, Gloucester, the Box Office is open Tuesdays thru Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Mayor Greg Verga, with partners Action Inc. and UpNext will host a

ribbon cutting for the latest season of Project: Pop-Up Gloucester at 206 Main St. in Gloucester

on Thursday, April 25th at 1 p.m.

The renewed program highlights the success of the concept for the City’s downtown. It began

as a creative solution to bring retailers back into physical store space and continues to offer

opportunities for small businesses. The pop-up model run by UpNext gives business owners the

chance to operate at the prime downtown spot for several weeks at subsidized rates. After the

set time, another “season” of business owners move in.

This season welcomes three unique businesses: The Willow Witch, Masshole Biscuit Co. and

That’s the Tea Boutique.

The Willow Witch’s owner Kat Coomer said, “I am to not only expand my reach but also to

solidify my brand’s presence within the local community. By establishing roots in a physical

location, I envision forging meaningful relationships with neighboring businesses and becoming

an integral part of the community fabric.”

This grant-funded initiative allows time to test their business models in the city without the

commitment of signing a lease or buying a property. The entrepreneurs are also given

resources to help seed their success through funding in part from Gloucester’s Community

Development Block Grant.

The owners of Masshole Biscuit Co. said, “Through Project Pop-Up, we hope to gain a broader

audience base and a better understanding of what is needed to open a permanent brick &

mortar location.”

MEDIA ADVISORY

WHO: Mayor Greg Verga, UpNext, Action Inc. and business owners

WHAT: Ribbon cutting ceremony for Project: Pop-Up Gloucester Grant Program

WHEN: Thursday, April 25th at 1 p.m.

WHERE: 206 Main Street, Gloucester, MA