A GMG reader shared a snapshot asking to know more about the specific work in the photograph by artist Armand Sindoni. It’s hard to make out from this photo.
courtesy snapshots sent to GMG – titled Gloucester Fishing Schooner “Elsie”1910
Armand Sindoni (1929-2002) was a Massachusetts native. He resided and worked on Rocky Neck. For many years he was the artist in residence for the Gloucester Schooner Festival. I don’t know what happened to his art or estate. Along with research, one might glean more information about Sindoni by reaching out to: the Rocky Neck Art Association; leaders involved with Maritime Gloucester, the Adventure and the Chamber due to the artist’s involvement with past schooner festivals; and local artist friends, perhaps L.A. Dahlmer.
Sindoni was commissioned to paint a portrait of William “Bill” Squillace, Gloucester’s 54th Mayor (1988-1991), who resigned to serve as Assistant State Treasurer.
Maybe another GMG reader can steer the question to Sindoni family, friends, or fans who might leave comments about Sindoni, the man and the artist, and more examples of his art.
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Flip has earned the respect of high school athletes — teenagers — for many, many years. His demeanor and steady presence are a fixture. Some of his work behind the scenes helps operations like managing the equipment, uniforms and attendance. He knows all the players. If they are late and checking in, passing in the halls, or heading to the gym; — any greeting exchanged with Flip enriches the students’ days immeasurably. I’ve seen a GHS alum in his late twenties– I’m not all together sure he played a sport- cross a room to say, “Hi! Remember me?”, and brighten with Flip’s affirmation and brief encounter. It’s a sure and easy bet that on countless days when things were not going well, Flip has made a student’s day brighter.
The kindest gatekeeper ever, Flip is taking taking and recording temperatures, one of the new Covid-19 safety protocols. GHS Boys Varsity Soccer (a win vs. Swampscott) New Balance Newell Stadium Gloucester, Mass 11/18/2020
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Shout out and thanks to Danny Williamson who is such a positive boost for the sports teams whether on the New Balance Field at Newell Stadium or inside the GHS fieldhouse!
He’s always hustling. One of the new protocol tasks for the 2020 Covid-19 season is sanitizing the soccer balls.
Players mention how the New Balance Newell Stadium is the best field in the league.
The next game is today, Wednesday November 18, 2020: Boys varsity soccer 4PM vs Swampscott ⚽ and JV 6pm. The final game for boys soccer 2020 is on Friday.
“‘Absolute Secret 2020’ @ JDG ended November 3rd, 2020. The show was a wonderful success for the gallery’s mission of providing exhibition space for area artists and great fun for all art lovers who found very special art works for $20. The credit for this event goes to the many many artists who so generously donated work to the gallery’s cause. My warmest thanks to the artists listed below (PDF here).”
Jane Deering, Jane Deering Gallery, Gloucester, Mass.
Absolute Secret 2020 Jane Deering Gallery is very grateful for the generosity of these participating artists who made Absolute Secret 2020 a success:
(unless otherwise noted, the artist maintains a studio in Massachusetts)
Aaron Fink Adin Murray Amy Robson (UK) Ann Conneman Ann Marie Crotty Arturo Di Stefano (UK) Birgit Faustmann (Barcelona) Bobbi Kovner Chris Baker (California and Maine) Christopher Pullman Coco Berkman Connie Connally (California) Dane Goodman (California) Debra Weisberg Deborah Brown Donna Caselden Eliza Proctor (NY) Erin Luman Esther Pullman Gabrielle Barzaghi Gail Barker (UK) Gail Pine (California) Geoffrey Bayliss George Wingate Gina Werfel (California) Harry Reese (California) Hazel Walker (Ireland) Heidi L. Johnson (New York) Helen Burgess Hugh Margerum (California) Isabelle Greene (California) Jack Evans James Paradis Jan Weinshanker Jeffrey Marshall Jenchi Wu (California) Jennifer Fels (Vermont) Joan Tanner (California) Joy Halsted Judith Wright Juni Van Dyke Katherine Richmond Ken Riaf Kevin Lucey (California) Kristine Fisher Leslie Lewis Sigler (California) Lillian Hsu Linda Ekstrom (California) Linda Sodja Lynne Sausele Marie Schoeff (California) Mary Bucci McCoy Mary Rhinelander McCarl Michael McKeen Michael Porter (UK) Neeta Madahar (UK) Nell Campbell (California) Paige Farrell Paul Cary Goldberg Paul Neily Penelope Gottlieb (California) Pia Juhl Patty Rosenblatt Ro Snell (California) Robin Paine (UK) Ruth Daniels Sally Gregg Shaun McNiff Shelley Reed Steve Rosenthal Susan Harrigan Susan Willis Terry Delpercio Piemonte Tom Fels (Vermont) Vanessa Michalak Wayne McCall (California) Youngsuk Suh (California)
Today I have been thinking about family and friends who served or are active, and took a drive by Cape Ann Veterans Services. The staff and volunteers for the center upgrade the facility and grounds with a light touch and public art. Raymond Fisher fabricated the large silhouettes adorning the exterior.
On this Veterans Day 2020 I thought I’d ask Raymond Fisher some questions about his service with the military: When did he serve? Where was he stationed? What were his jobs and some of his duties? I’ll ask carving questions later :).
photos – January 2020 (snow) and Veterans Day 2020
Gold Star families space
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On the cover of A Primitive Place Christmas Issue 2020 magazine to be released November 15th is the historic home of Johanne Cassia and Frank Wiedenmann, Ipswich, Massachusetts, the Rogers and Brown (Nathaniel Rust) House (1665-1723). To preorder this magazine or any of the back issues, please visit their website at www.aprimitiveplace.org.
American folk artist and proprietor, Johanne Cassia runs her teaching studio, shop, and gallery, Olde Ipswich Shop & Gallery: Gifts and American Folk Art, from the barn, 83 County Road (Routes 1A and 133), Ipswich, Massachusetts. Cassia’s fine art, home, and painting classes have been featured on WCVB-TV and in publications such as Country Sampler Magazine; North Shore Life; and North Shore Living and Folk Magazine. She garnered recognition from Essex National Heritage for her participation in Women Owned Businesses on the Essex Coastal Scenic Byway.
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Mark your calendars, news from the soccer boosters:
GHS Boys Soccer and GHS Girls Soccer SENIOR NIGHT will take place on Friday, November 13 at the 4:00pm Varsity Game. A food drive for The Open Door has been scheduled for this date.
Jane Deering Gallery shares a few images and news about the next show:
Joy! Joy Halsted | what I’ve been doing in the time of …. (covid) opening November 13th Jane Deering Gallery . 19 Pleasant Street . Gloucester, MA.
‘There is no artist on earth like Joy Halsted,’ wrote Pat Lowery Collins in her 2015 interview with the artist. The multi-faceted Halsted is an inventive, provocative, irreverent, playful, politically-aware, and process-oriented artist. And what has Joy Halsted been doing these many months since life and Covid-19 locked her and all of us indoors? Using process once again to compulsively knit. To knit hats with corona pompoms attached at the top. Anti-corona hats, as Joy nicknames them.
‘Humor is our saving grace,’ she writes. ‘The atmosphere is serious; we’re all feeling a bit lost. As an artist, I felt the need to raise spirits; to offer a new perspective.’
Joy Halsted
Anti-corona hats @ $35 . The gallery will donate to The Open Door. Gallery hours: Friday, Saturday & Sunday 1:00-3:00pm and always by appointment @ 917-902-4359.
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Also, a classic Winslow Homer painting, Weatherbeaten, 1894, from the Portland Museum of Art, Maine, is featured on the cover of the Arts section as part of this review by Murray Whyte. “Mythmakers: The Art of Winslow Homer and Frederick Remington” is up through the end of November.
Just in time for some Halloween eve spirit, curl up with a selection of Boston Globe news columns featuring 19th and 20th century Gloucester ghost reports.
First up a 19th century Gloucester ghost story from 1884 with a title as long as the day, “GHOSTS IN GLOUCESTER: The Mysterious noises in Gould’s Court. An Acadian French Theory of Their Cause–Men Less Brave Than Women. Frequent Gratuitous Rappings Unexplained.”
1884
“I hope we shall not hear that noise tonight,” said the wife of Stephen McKinney as she sat in an upper room of 12 Gould court a week ago. A female companion expressed the same hope, and Mrs. McKlancy continued: “We may not hear it for a fortnight; we have not heard it for the last three weeks, and–”
She did not finish the sentence. At that moment, in the hall below, was heard a rap! rap! rap! as knuckles at the door.
(The writer adds flourish to the dialogue as if the resident was a native French speaker. Decades later Cher Ami was around the corner. Was this area a French quarter?)
1903 Sanborn map detail from plate 17 with Gould Court Gloucester, Massachusetts
Part Two was published the following day: “THE GLOUCESTER GHOSTS. Is Mr. Henry Hatch’s House Really Haunted? A Diagram Illustrating the Scene of the Strange Manifestations. Similar Stories of ‘Old Jeffrey’ and Esther Cox*.”
“Another remarkable case was that of Esther Cox, at Amherst, N.S., a few years ago…”
With a diagram. Not much of a story but it made the front page. Could have titled this tall tale Ghosts of Ghoul court.
In 1896 ghosts were reported at Stage Fort Park: “Gloucester’s Fortress is Alive With Ghosts. Warriors Tremble at Sight of Gliding Specters. Hundreds Turned Out Last Night to See “It.” And “It” Appeared at the Armory Window.”
Writer Henry W. Harris, Jr. quick piece and good read from 1921 considers Rev. Cotton Mather’s account of the Gloucester Ghost Battles of 1692 when the militia was called out to defend Gloucester from ghosts, “war and witch fever”.
“The latter soon located three alleged spirits and fired at them, whereupon they lay down. “I’ve killed three! he shouted to the oncoming soldiery. At this the spirits rose from the place where they had laid down and fired back–under the circumstances there was nothing else for a self respecting spook to do.”
from 1921 Boston Globe article by Henry Harris considers Cotton Mather’s account of Gloucester Ghost Battles of 1692 “war and witch fever”
For more about witches in Gloucester see my 2018 post
1960
Every decade or so there’s a piece about that ghostly place, Dogtown. This one from 1960 describes preservation efforts at the time: “Paradise for Naturalists and Bird Watchers: Cape Ann Moves to Save Romantic Ghost Town”.
“Leading the drive to save the area from dumping and real estate development are several naturalists, including John Kiernan…President of Dogtown Foundation, Inc., is Dr. Melvin T. Copeland, former professor at the Harvard School of Business Administration and author of a history of the school. Working closely with him is another of the trustees, Elliott C. Rogers. A book by the last two men “The Saga of Cape Ann” has just been published…the handiest compendium on the history and byways of Cape Ann…”
Herbert A. Kenny, Boston Globe, March 20, 1960
And from October that same year, “Want Ghost Town Dead”
Good Morning Gloucester 