Early voting at Kyrouz Auditorium, City Hall, Gloucester, MA, today to 7:00 PM and Friday, November 2, 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM.
Ballot questions Pro/Con one sheets WGBH
Early voting and voter ballot questions
Author: Catherine
posted content / cell phone photos mine, unless otherwise credited
(thumbnail portrait of Catherine at MFA, Boston © David Cox photo)
https://www.cryanaid.com/
Salem witch trials end with Esther Elwell, from Gloucester, Sarah Jessica Parker’s ancestor
In the tv show, Who Do You Think You Are? (March 5 2010), produced by Lisa Kudrow, season 1, episode 1, Sarah Jessica Parker learns that her tenth great grandmother, Esther (Dutch) Elwell, was found guilty of witchcraft in 1692. Her arrest was the last formal accusation recorded during the Salem witch trials. The grisly court was dissolved days prior to her sentencing because spectral evidence was banned. Esther lived to be 82 years old. Parker visited Danvers to meet with historians and inspect the original records, and then on to Salem to pay respects.
Did Sarah Jessica Parker come to Gloucester?
Well, not according to the final edit. The show could have filmed here.
Witches of Gloucester
Beckoned to Gloucester, Salem teenager and accuser, Betty Hubbard, officially confirmed the false suspicions in 1692. And just like that three women from Gloucester– Esther Elwell, Abigail Rowe and Rebecca Dike– were arrested for killing Gloucester resident, Mary Fitch, by witchcraft. Historians determined that nine women from Gloucester were caught up in the witchhunts, jailed, and released (by the spring of 1693). Accused were more often than not related and at odds with accusers, well off, and/or “trouble”. Collaborating institutions and collections have gathered and digitized 17th century documents. You can peruse them here: http://salem.lib.virginia.edu/17docs.html
Later history of witches in Gloucester revolve around Dogtown. In the 1896 book, In the Heart of Cape Ann, Charles Mann described Gloucester’s Dogtown as “practically the only ruined city in America.” By then Dogtown legends persisted about “witches” like Tammy Younger (died 1829), her aunt Luce George, Peg Wesson, and Judy Rhines. Percy Mackaye’s 1921 poem Dogtown Common acknowledged Mann’s book, “curious reader may learn many strange, half fogotten facts concerning the old Puritan life of that region…” Here’s the eerie opener setting a fitting scene for Halloween.
Inland among the lonely cedar dells
of old Cape Ann, near Gloucester by the sea,
Still live the dead–in homes that used to be.
All day in dreamy spells
They tattle low with toungues of tinkling cattle
bells,
Or spirit tappings of some hollow tree,
And there, all night–all night, out of the
dark–
They bark–and bark.
Apparently, when Sarah Jessica Parker starred in Hocus Pocus (1993), she did not know this family history. Some of the movie was filmed on location in Salem and Marblehead.
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Happy Halloween
Shopping at Nichols candies, Gloucester, Ma. They’re open till 8pm!
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cultural districts across the state convened at Natick Center for the Arts MCC #powerofculture
Cape Ann participated in the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) statewide cultural district convening which was hosted by the Natick Center for the Arts. Statewide district gatherings occur once or twice a year: the last two were held in Cambridge, and Beverly. Representatives from Gloucester, Rockport and Essex cultural districts were in attendance. (Manchester and Ipswich do not not have a designation at this time. Gloucester could have seven.)
Massachusetts Cultural Council Director, Anita Walker, welcomed the crowd, and introduced officials from Natick and new additions to the MCC staff. Jill Cahill, Gloucester’s Director of Community Development, brought a gift from the Mayor and the City to add to a send-off of thanks and well wishes for Meri Jenkins, longtime MCC leader who managed cities and towns through cultural facilities funding and district designations. Luis Edgardo Cotto and Justina Crawford will be taking over the MCC Community Initiative programs managed by Meri.
The MCC approved five year district renewals for both Rocky Neck and Rockport last year. District renewal for Gloucester’s downtown is underway. Essex received official citations for their renewal at this convening. Here’s a photo of Christopher Stepler, artist and Manager of Essex Shipbuilding Museum, and Lee Spence, former Director. One update they shared was that the successful historic exhibition The Women of Essex – Stories to Share displayed at Essex Town Hall in a renovated bright space on the top floor above the TOHP Burnham Public Library (thanks in part to Cultural Facilities funding) was selected to travel to the NPS regional Visitor Center in Salem.
prior GMG post with MCC October news
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Sunday holy rollers
Long Beach – big waves even at low tide after Saturday’s October 27, 2018 storm.
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Colors of the season- fall charm on Cape Ann
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Colors of the season- fall charm on Cape Ann
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ALL DAY celebration for momentous Virginia Lee Burton exhibition at Cape Ann Museum! November 3, 2018
press release from Cape Ann Museum:
“The Little House: Her Story
Exhibition Opening & All Day Celebration
GLOUCESTER, Mass. (October 25, 2018) – The Cape Ann Museum is pleased to present a day-long celebration to mark the opening of the special exhibition, The Little House: Her Story, on Saturday, November 3, 2018 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Throughout the day, watercolor painting in the CAM Activity Center and origami daisy making in the gallery will be available for all ages. The Little House will be read by Museum staff at 10:30 a.m., 12:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. At 1:00 p.m. there will be a film-screening of Virginia Lee Burton: A Sense of Place with film producer Christine Lundberg. Light refreshments will be served in the gallery from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. This program is free for Museum members or with Museum admission.
The Little House: Her Story is a special exhibition featuring the work of beloved children’s book author & illustrator and founder of the Folly Cove Designers Virginia Lee Burton (1909–1968). In addition to Burton’s drawings, book illustrations and prints, an artfully-created scale model of her “Little House” will be on display in the gallery. The exhibition will remain on view through March 31, 2019.
The “Little House” model was fabricated in Japan for a highly-anticipated exhibition held at the Takenaka Corporation Gallery A4 in Tokyo last summer in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the publication of Burton’s famous tale, The Little House. The exhibition paid tribute to Burton’s books and her work as the founder of the Folly Cove Designers, which have garnered widespread acclaim in Japan. The Tokyo exhibit was organized by Gallery A4 curator Michiyo Okabe, using original artwork and archival materials lent by the Cape Ann Museum, the Sawyer Free Library, the University of Minnesota, and the Burton-Demetrios Family.
The exhibition celebrates the life, art, and work of Virginia Lee Burton, one of Cape Ann’s most important artists whose legacy lives on today through her books and in the lifelong memories created for so many children. Burton, who lived and worked in the Folly Cove area of Gloucester for most of her adult life, was one of the 20th century’s most admired children’s book authors; a versatile and uniquely talented artist who enjoyed dance, design, writing, illustration and teaching. Through her children’s books – Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel, Katy and the Big Snow, The Little House, and Maybelle the Cable Car among many others – she achieved her widest acclaim and was awarded the coveted Caldecott Medal in 1943 for The Little House. It was her fourth book, published by Houghton Mifflin Company, and was translated into Japanese in 1954 by Momoko Ishii, later becoming an international success. In 1964, Burton traveled to Japan for two weeks, invited by the American Cultural Center in Tokyo and was hosted by Ishii.
The Little House is a timeless story of a small, simple house in the country that gradually changes as urban expansion threatens its quiet, pastoral existence. Larger buildings, traffic, and development encroach on the house as it endures unwelcome change through the seasons and neglect once its owners move out. But, the family’s descendants realize its value, load it onto a trailer, and relocate it into the country once again. The Little House is a story about honoring beauty, the past, the natural world and all of its peacefulness. It has captivated readers from all cultural backgrounds for decades.
This exhibition and related programming was made possible through the support of the Takenaka Scholarship Foundation; the Cape Ann Savings Bank; Nancy LeGendre & Walter Herlihy; Mary Craven; Margaret Pearson; Christine & Stephen Kahane; Arthur Ryan; J.J. & Jackie Bell; Gib & Sarah Carey; Paul & Christine Lundberg; and Andrew Spindler. For more information about the exhibition and related programming, please visit the Museum’s website www.capeannmuseum.org.
Image credits: Courtesy of the Cape Ann Museum.
About the Cape Ann Museum Continue reading “ALL DAY celebration for momentous Virginia Lee Burton exhibition at Cape Ann Museum! November 3, 2018”
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TONIGHT: Lyme Disease Recipes for healing at TOHP Burnham Public Library Essex
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Celebrating the Virginia Lee Burton Writing Cottage restoration and resiting at the Lanesville Community Center, #GloucesterMa
Come on inside the Virginia Lee Burton Writing Cottage which was once the acclaimed artist’s former studio of her own. Virginia Lee Burton’s personal studio was rescued and nestled into the Lanesville Community Center property. The center’s clubhouse and grounds, established in 1954, seem to be the ideal spot for a summer rec program, even more so now. As one enters the cottage through the custom built door, there’s a brand new window straight ahead where the stove and chimney – and asbestos– had been. Virginia Lee Burton needed a wood stove. Today’s visitors won’t. New materials and insulation make the cottage cozy and warm.
At the celebration presentation on October 21, 2018, Chris Wagner, President of the Lanesville Community Center and project manager, recounted some history. Virginia Lee Burton purchased her studio from the Building Center in 1963. It was a pre fab home that she repurposed for her needs. He explained that the volunteers leveraged outreach. The Building Center responded with “anything you need,” and was so supportive of the cottage regeneration that they offered the volunteers a $5000 credit towards building materials. It takes an inspiring and talented village. Other area businesses stepped up: Timberline donated shingles; Argentino handled plastering; Closed Cell Structures out of Reading handled the spray foam so the cottage was winterized; Carpenter & MacNeille designed and commissioned door and windows custom built by Chris Roe from Bayview; architectural drawings from Dore and Whittier; KML Electric; plants and flowers from Generous Gardeners; and cut sunflowers for the reception from Shaws. How inspiring to learn that Camilla MacFadyen, artist and textile extraordinaire, had a hand in this studio-raising. Character, warmth, and charm were added to the new exterior wood work. Volunteers salvaged what they could of the studio and rebuilt a gem. Work is still underway. When Burton exited her sanctuary studio, she faced the ocean. Now it’s an ocean of love. Plans for future community programs and events (see below) are underway and volunteers welcome.
Support for the cottage renewal came from residents of Gloucester via CPA funding and donations, various city staff departments (e.g. conservation and community development), and a slew of committed volunteers. Like Russell Hobbs! Here’s the modest presentation listing some key volunteers:
The poignant celebration was held inside the Lanesville Community Center and concluded with an apt recitation from a Little House passage read by Christine Drohan.
Judith Oleson (L) Cheryl Mazer (R)
Cheryl Mazer
Christine Drohan
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Flatrocks Gallery celebrates ten years and local artists – closing with back to back group shows
flatrocks gallery WRAP IT UP! 1 & 2
“Come celebrate the artists who have shown with us over the last 10 years (2008-2018) in our final two shows: #1 thru November 4 and #2 Nov 10 – December 16. SUPPORT LOCAL ART!”
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Whoops! another beached car another Tally’s sunset tow
The pull of the ocean 🙂
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Movie magic in Gloucester- temporary pizza joint facade at Pleasant Street Tea
when productions prompt a double take- film & television magic!
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Nepal’s first elephant refuge is Gloucester based- Direct Aid Nepal
“Donna Marshall Founder of Direct Aid Nepal has just finished building corrals for the elephants of Sapana which will serve as the first refuge site for the elephants who reside here. We have built toys in the corrals, created a watering system for the elephants, new showers for the caretakers of the elephants, painted rooms, the buildings and a general clean up of the property that the elephants will call home until we finish the new refuge. Ms. Marshall has been an advocate of elephants in the United States and in Nepal. This year Direct Aid Nepal provided the support to retire the first residents of the refuge, the foundation also sponsored the first foot care program at Sapana by Carol Buckley. Direct Aid Nepal will be the umbrella organization for this initial startup. Located in the United States it is fully registered Non-Profit 501 3 c.”
For more information:
Phone: 1-978 290 4343
One Blackburn Center
Gloucester, MA 01930
https://www.directaidnepal.com
https://www.facebook.com/nepaldirectaid/
https://www.instagram.com/directaidnepal/
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City Hall gleaming floors | DPW steadfast support for Gloucester’s culture
Spectacular City Hall, Gloucester’s cultural landmark and active municipal building, has nearly reached its 150th milestone at 9 Dale Avenue. Rising from the ashes, construction began in 1870 after the Gloucester fire of 1869 consumed its short-lived precursor. Gridley J.F. Bryant & Louis P. Rogers, leading architects at this time, were awarded the commission. Massive disaster response came two years later: the Great Boston Fire wiped out scores of Bryant designed buildings and the firm was awarded a significant percentage of its own rebuilds.
City Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973… which means the research and preparations leading up to that designation timed with its centennial birthday.Recently the expansive floors in Kyrouz Auditorium were buffed and polished and not for the first time. 150 years! Imagine all the footsteps and the generations of staff and volunteers that have cared for this building and community.
Credit DPW for their professionalism and kindness, and steadfast support for the city’s culture. Note their extra caution for protecting heritage from airborne material: mural and portraits were covered.
Before / After
City Hall looks stunning always- BEFORE shots
during (these two photos shared with me)
after
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Willow Rest – fall flair and fare
Fall daisies and fresh daily “meals made with love” Willow Rest , Gloucester, MA
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Gloucester High School theater presents “Mmm..beth” and “Hamlette” by Allison Williams Oct 25,26,27
Just two months into a new year and the GHS theater program is ready for an audience! Two acts each performance: student actors were cast for one show or the other, and switch to crew when they’re off.
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Big news for little house: Celebrate and tour Virginia Lee Burton Writing Cottage at Lanesville Community Center #GloucesterMA
Don’t you love happy news! Virginia Lee Burton’s actual studio was saved and painstakingly and faithfully rebuilt and relocated to its new permanent home at Lanesville Community Center, Gloucester, Ma, with the help of many. “The rebuilding process of the Virginia Lee Burton (VLB) writing cottage has started with the much-needed help of volunteers, a Community Preservation Act (CPA) grant from the City of Gloucester, private donations and corporate donations from Dore and Whittier of Newburyport, MA, DMS Machine and Fabrication of Barre, VT and the Gloucester Building Center.”
Mark your calendars for upcoming events beginning this weekend!
The Lanesville Community Center Board of Directors invites you to
“A Celebration and Preview of the Restoration of the Virginia Lee Burton Writing Cottage: An opportunity to thank funders, donors and many community volunteers, Sunday, October 21, 1pm
Family Event: “First Reading” of Virginia Lee Burton’s books with Avis Burton Demetrios and Eleanor Demetrios, Saturday, October 27, 1pm
Children’s Drawing on October 27, 1-3pm to be displayed at the Cape Ann Museum children’s room
The Virginia Lee Burton Cottage was designated a historic building by the Gloucester Historical Society. Reconstruction was funded by a grant from the Gloucester Community Preservation Act.”
Learn more and enjoy before and after photographs by visiting the VLB writing cottage website. Don’t miss the 2018 interview with Lee Natti
https://vlbwritingcottage.com/
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Massachusetts Cultural Council grants and news
October round up from Massachusetts Cultural Council
Shelburne Falls and Lowell Named “Great Places in America”
The American Planning Association selected Lowell and Shelburne Falls as two of their 15 “2018 Great Places in America.” This honor distinguishes the neighborhoods, streets, and public spaces that make communities stronger and bring people together through good planning. The APA says that the awardees “illustrate how a community coming together creates lasting value.”
Congratulations to the two Mass Cultural Council-designated cultural districts – Lowell’s Canalway Cultural District and Shelburne Falls Cultural District – and their cultural communities!
Free Webinar Series
Each session consists of a 30-minute presentation followed by an open conversation among participants.
- By Artists, For Artists Report – October 17, 11am
Kathy Bitteti, artist, co-founder of Massachusetts Artists Leaders Coalition, and Lead Author of the By Artists, For Artists report, shares the outcome of their survey and next steps. The By Artists, For Artists project was designed to highlight the contributions and needs of those who make the Commonwealth a creative and dynamic place to live and to work.
Register
- Raising Visibility through Festivals – November 21, 11am
Considering organizing a festival in your community? Hear how the Northborough and Belchertown Cultural Councils engaged their community and municipality on the planning of their festivals.
Register
A Sense of Place
Culture elevates the quality of life and well-being in our communities. It is also vital to a “Sense of Place,” our deepest connections to the places where we live, work, and visit. Watch Giles Li, Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center Executive Director, discuss “A Sense of Place” at the Mass Cultural Council Institute earlier this year. (Video of the entire session is also online.)
OPPORTUNITIES
Online applications for Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund grants open on October 12, 2018.
MassInc hosted its Sixth Annual Gateway Cities Innovation Institute Summit & Awards Luncheon in New Bedford on October 17, 2018. This year’s theme was Pioneering Strategies for 21st Century Growth. Learn more.
ArtWeek exploded statewide last spring with over 525 creative experiences in 130 towns and neighborhoods, working with cultural districts and local cultural councils to celebrate the our creative Commonwealth. The next ArtWeek is April 25 – May 6, 2019, and every community is invited to get involved. Want to explore the possibilities? Go to artweekma.org or contact artweek@bochcenter.org to learn more.
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Casting for casting: Do you dream of fishing? On a TV show? brand new TV show needs you
Film Cape Ann shares call for Gloucester area residents who want to fish with a commercial crew for a new tv show email fishing@raw.co.uk
Good Morning Gloucester 