Author: God's Morning

It was such a great Mug Up this morning at Kim Smith’s.  Thanks so much.  It was really nice to have a break from hosting Mug Up at the gallery and to just be able to visit and enjoy.  There was a lovely spread of food, as usual, including Kim’s deviled eggs (as well as mine which I brought), two beautiful salads, blueberry bread, cheese and crackers, iced coffee, tea and lemonade, and MONKEY BREAD! that Paul Morrison brought.  Diet went straight out the window! and Rosie never got a crumb.

E.J. Lefavour

The Owl and The Pussycat were groundbreakers – now it is up to us to ensure that freedom from interspecies relationship discrimination is guaranteed for all.  Think how sad it would if the world didn’t have hummingbunnybirds.

My Kickstarter book project “Tales of Bong Tree Island” is moving forward, but can use your help.  I hope you will help back this fun, informative and socially relevant project at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1997277714/martines-owlpuss-interviews-and-tales-of-bong-tree, at whatever level you can.  Rewards are available for pledges starting at $7.  You can see a preview of the book now on Blurb at http://www.blurb.com/books/3341413 

Those of you who have already pledged, thank you so much.  Those who have pledged $50 or more have already been added to the Acknowledgements page! 

Please pass on to friends you think might like and back the project.   I, Martine Bates and all the inhabitants of Bong Tree Island thank you. 

E.J. Lefavour

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1997277714/martines-owlpuss-interviews-and-tales-of-bong-tree

www.khanstudiointernational.com

Doria and John Heath of Eliot, Maine represent curbside at Bodin Historic Photo on Main Street. John grew up in Manchester, where his family operated the Kettle Cove Fish Market, about which I posted on GMG this past Wednesday. John’s brother, Doug, still lobsters out of Manchester Harbor.

That Kickstarter is the world’s largest funding platform for creative projects that needs people like you for projects like ours to succeed? 

Kickstarter was founded in 2008 by Perry Chen, Yancey Strickler, and Charles Adler and  is based in Manhattan’s Lower East Side.  As of May 2012, Kickstarter had more than $230 million dollars pledged and more than 23,000 successfully funded projects.  On May 18, 2012, The Pebble: E-Paper Watch for iPhone and Android raised $10,266,845 to become the most funded project in Kickstarter history.

Kickstarter is a crowd funding website that has funded a diverse array of endeavors, ranging from indie films, music and comics to journalism, video games, and food-related projects.  One of a new set of fundraising platforms dubbed “crowd funding,” Kickstarter facilitates gathering monetary resources from the general public, a model which circumvents many traditional avenues of investment. People must apply to Kickstarter in order to have a project posted on the site, and Kickstarter provides guidelines on what types of projects will be accepted. Project owners choose a deadline and a target minimum of funds to raise. If the chosen target amount is not pledged by the deadline, no funds are collected (this is known as a provision point mechanism). 

Money pledged by donors on successful projects is collected using Amazon Payments.  Kickstarter takes 5% of the funds raised as their fee; Amazon charges an additional 3–5% for processing of pledge payments.  These amounts are built into the project goal amount, as are costs of completing the project and fulfilling backer rewards.  Kickstarter claims no ownership over the projects and the work they produce; however, projects launched on the site are permanently archived and accessible to the public.  After funding is completed, projects and uploaded media cannot be edited or removed from the site.

There are presently two active projects on Kickstarter based in Gloucester: 

My Tales of Bong Tree Island book project

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1997277714/martines-owlpuss-interviews-and-tales-of-bong-tree

and Alison Woitunski’s Feel Good Food and Yoga project

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/feelgoodfoodandyoga/feel-good-food-and-yoga?ref=home_location

Two prior Gloucester based Kickstarter projects included Karen Ristuben’s Plastics in Our Ocean to raise awareness of global ocean pollution and Dennis Lanson’s Opus 139 Project  film about the C.B. Fisk Pipe Organ Company and its collaboration with Harvard University.

Please back and be a part of this awesome Tales of Bong Tree Island project, destined to go down in history, and receive a great reward (for a $25 pledge you will receive a signed copy of this 128 page full color illustrated historical fantasy based on Edward Lear’s poem The Owl and the Pussycat and the eternal gratitude of the owlpusses of Bong Tree Island and explorer Martine Bates of Gloucester).  You can pledge as much as you like, or as little as $1.   348 people pledging $25 will fully back the balance of this project goal. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1997277714/martines-owlpuss-interviews-and-tales-of-bong-tree

As a comparison, this is White Flour Book, a children’s book project in Chapel Hill, NC by David LaMotte that successfully funded a couple of months ago with 592 backers pleding a total of $37,805 http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/davidlamotte/white-flour-book?ref=category.

Seems to me there should be at least 348 Good Morning Gloucester FOB’s willing to pledge $25 to help Tales of Bong Tree Island project succeed, as well as a group who would like to help Alison succeed with her project, Feel Good Food and Yoga.   I have backed two Kickstarter projects myself, and it is very rewarding and fun to be a part of the success of someone’s creative endeavor.

Many together can accomplish what one alone cannot do.  Because it requires the collaboration and support of many people, I find the Kickstarter model to be a very exciting way to accomplish a project.  Now that you know about it, I hope other creative people with projects on Cape Ann will look into launching Kickstarter projects as well. 

Thanks!  The deadlines for both these projects is July 11.

E.J. Lefavour

www.khanstudiointernational.com

http://whereisbongtreeisland.wordpress.com/

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1997277714/martines-owlpuss-interviews-and-tales-of-bong-tree

There is a vicious rumor going around saying that Joey C. is a slavedriver that locks his contributors in a cell below the dock and makes us write posts all day with no food or water.  These photos will put that rumor to rest once and for all.   He actually is the nicest, most generous and thoughtful man.  Here are many of the contributors being treated to a lobster feast on Madfish Wharf outside the gallery, which also included corn on the cob, salad, fruit salad, carrot cake, smoke bluefish, chicken liver pate, cheese and crackers, as well as Folly Cove Rum and an awesome punch, and Alecia’s famous jello shots (which you can see us doing in the first photo) provided by contributors, as well as some incredible (I ate 5 – diet be damned!) pastries courtesy of Alecia Cox of Maime’s Kitchen.  Photos by Wendie Demuth.

E.J. Lefavour

www.khanstudiointernational.com

There are two side by side artist openings at 77 Rocky Neck Ave on Madfish Wharf.   At Khan Studio and the Good Morning Gloucester Gallery #3, Carol McKenna will be having an opening from 7:00-9:00 pm for her exhibit of photography, paintings and haiku.

Last Chance Trophy Gallery #2 next door features the collection of a lifetime of work by citizen of the world, Mary Mccarthy, including one of a kind tapestries and wall hangings, quilts, hats and more.  The Grand Opening celebration for her gallery will be from 6:00-8:00 pm. 

The awesome video above entitled Mary McCarthy: Journey of Gloucester was created by Lily Gray, Mary’s 14 year old granddaughter.  Check it out, it really is excellent.

Come by Madfish Wharf Saturday night to meet Carol and Mary, have some refreshments and enjoy their unique and beautiful work.

Then stop by Madfish Grille at 9:00 for a little rock n roll with THE JACKLEG PREACHERS, with Dave Balin and The Bailouts.

E.J. Lefavour

www.khanstudiointernational.com

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1997277714/martines-owlpuss-interviews-and-tales-of-bong-tree

E.J. Lefavour

http://whereisbongtreeisland.wordpress.com/

www.khanstudiointernational.com

Learn Card Weaving and Felting at the Cultural Center at Rocky Neck

 

On Saturday, June 16, from 10 to noon there will be a Beginner Cardweaving class for everyone ages 9 and older.  You will learn a simple, ancient weaving form and create a keychain, bookmark, belt or shoelaces to take home.  The cost will be $50 for the class and $5 for materials.  The class will be taught by Susan Loring-Wells, weaver, educator, and former Director of the Fiber Arts Center in Amherst, MA. For more information or to register, contact Susan at susweave@gmail.com and “send checks to Rocky Neck Art Colony, PO Box 60, Gloucester, MA 01931. ATTN Center Management TEAM. For information about other events at The Cultural Center, please consult Rockyneckartcolony.org and click on CALENDAR.

 

On Saturday, June 16 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm, there will be a Beginner Family Felting Fun class for anyone ages 9 and older.  You will create colorful felt snakes and/or beads to get a feel for felting and make either a colorful paperweight or belted bar of soap to use as a scrubbie in the bath or shower! The class will be taught by Susan Loring-Wells, weaver, educator, and former Director of the Fiber Arts Center in Amherst, MA. For more information or to register, contact Susan at susweave@gmail.com and “send checks to Rocky Neck Art Colony, PO Box 60, Gloucester, MA 0193, ATTN. Center Management Team. For information about other events at The Cultural Center, please consult Rockyneckartcolony.org and click on CALENDAR.

Hello Everyone,

The Cape Ann Painter and Photography Group will meet at 9AM at “The Annie” (thank you Henry!)  on Monday June 11 at 9 AM.  We will have a social/coffee 1/2 hour from 9 – 9:30 and then the meeting will begin at 9:30 and end at 11.  We will continue our custom of having a “check in” so everyone can have a chance to  speak and share what they are working on.

Hope to see you there.

Alice Gardner

They do an awesome job – go there right now.  It ends at 12:00 noon.  East Main Street, behind Smokin’s Jim’s BBQ – you can’t miss it.

I caught this couple dancing to the Squeezebox Stompers on Madfish Wharf during Nights on the Neck last night.  They were out on Rocky Neck celebrating their 43rd wedding anniversary.  Happy Anniversary Tom and Becky Bernie.  The happy couple has lived in Gloucester since 1972, and love Good Morning Gloucester.

E.J. Lefavour

www.khanstudiointernational.com

Rain or Shine, Nights on the Neck will go on.  If it is raining, performers will be moved to The Center at 6 Wonson Street, so performers and audience can stay nice and dry.  Even if it is not raining, plan to stop by the Center when you arrive at Rocky Neck to pick up your Season’s Night on the Neck Schedule and Scavenger Hunt form.  A great grand prize will be awarded to a lucky winner at the end of the season, and you can’t win if you don’t play.

The Rocky Neck Gallery opens for the season on Thursday, June 7.

The public is invited to an Opening Reception on Saturday, June 16 from 6-8 p.m. to meet new and returning artists. Working in both traditional and contemporary genres, North Shore painters, photographers, sculptors, potters, jewelers, cabinet makers, multi media artists and print makers show their work at the cooperative gallery located on charming Smith Cove in the very heart of Gloucester’s newly designated Rocky Neck Cultural District.  This year the gallery welcomes seven new members: jewelers Katherine Bagley and Deborah Way, and painters Debbie Schraedieck, Phyllis Feld, Elizabeth Gauthier, Dina Gomery, and Kathleen Staab.

 A special feature of the gallery is the very successful Summer Artist Series that exhibits a solo artist or a group show for three weeks throughout the summer. Painter Elizabeth Gauthier’s show “Simplicity through Form and Color” is the first in the series this season.

Gauthier is an artist and teacher from Manchester-by-the-Sea.  Elizabeth earned her BFA with a dual degree in Fine Art and Art Education at Mass College of Art and her MFA from Boston University. She has taught various art disciplines at the high school level and in different arenas for many years on Cape Ann and in Boston. She continues to paint and exhibit in the Greater Boston area.

The public is cordially invited to attend the opening reception for both the regular gallery artists and for Elizabeth Gauthier’s Summer Artists Series show on Saturday, June 16 from 6 – 8 p.m.

Rocky Neck Gallery, 153 Rocky Neck Avenue, Gloucester MA 01930, 978-282-0917, www.rockyneckgallery.com Hours: Sun.-Wed. 11 am – 6 pm; Thu. – Sat. 11 am – 8 pm.