Join us Monday November 2nd 6pm-9pm at Passports for a viewing of some of these special works.

Small bites will be available on us as well as a cash bar.

Sarah Wonson was born and raised in Gloucester, Massachusetts.  She graduated in 2007 from Massachusetts College of Art and Design with a BFA in Printmaking. Her main forms of expression are drawing and printmaking with a focus on landscape, still life, and repetitious patterns.  She has a love of nature and the world around her.  Trees, ocean, rocks, dirt, birds, animals in motion, plants, growth, driftwood, leaves, season transitions, repetition, craft, fabric design, woodgrain, New England architecture, windows, found objects, masonry, granite, shadows, night walks, graveyards, and maps drive her artistic practice.

Her art focuses on the act of observation, the importance of noticing and contemplating even the smallest moments in life.  “Observation is different from looking, to observe is to digest not just gaze.  Connection is lost when we do not observe, and when we lose connection we become detached from the world around us.”  Her most recent project, “Life Observed”, an installation that took place at the White-Ellery House, a historic home located at Grant Circle in Gloucester, presented a view of the human presence felt in the places we live and the objects we make.

View more at Sarahwonson.com

Friday October 30, 2015 Half Moon Harry Studios at 5 Main Street Rockport Ma. 978-335-2593  is having another “Meet the Artist” Event. World traveling photographer Joseph Sheedy will be on hand to sign and discuss his work from 5-7 PM. This is the last big weekend as Half Moon Harry Studios will be closing from this location with their Half Moon / Half Off Sale on most of our items. Thank You Cape Ann for a great season.

Thursday, October 29th at 7 – 8pm

The Relaxed Awareness Program with Mari Minkel. This a free mindfulness and stress management class. Free Gift from Floating Lotus Gloucester, 169 Main St. Get your free tickets to register for this event online http://www.floatinglotus.net or at Floating Lotus locations.

Halloween Dance Party
Saturday, October 31 at 8:00pm

Come celebrate Haloween here at the Floating Lotus Gloucester! Put on your costume and your dancing shoes to groove to the sounds of Funk Du Jour. The festivities commence at 8:00 p.m. $10 tickets at the door which will be raffled for a chance to win a $50 Floating Lotus gift certificate. There will also be a $50 gift certificate for best costume! Can’t wait to see you all there!

Call of the Ancestors:
Jan McKeachie Johnston, Irina Okula, Jill Solomon, Heather McGrath

Show Dates: October 23-November 29, 2015
Lexicon Gallery, 15 Lexington Ave.#1, Magnolia, MA
http://www.lexicongallery.com/?page_id=26

Japanese Anagama Wood Fired Sculpture of Jan McKeachie Johnston, Saggar Fired Bowls and Shard Pots of Irina Okula, and Saggar Fired Iconic Forms, Platters and Wall Pieces of Jill Solomon call to mind geologic formations and traces of civilizations gone by. Complemented by Heather McGrath’s photographic organic sets of human in relationship to the natural world. Lexicon Gallery hours are fri-sun 12-5pm or for appt email SeyrelWilliams@gmail.com

Jan McKeachie Johnston, Irina Okula and Jill Solomon use organic processes to create a form that is imbued with a sense of the history of humans in relationship to the natural world. Jan’s textured and curvacious sculptural pieces are wood-fired in a Japanese Style Anagama Kiln with multiple chambers over a period of many days. The results are gorgeous red and orange tones flecked with ash deposits in golden hues calling to mind ancient fires of cultures and civilizations gone by. Irina and Jill fire in saggars, (clay containers), surrounding their pieces with straw, sawdust and other organic materials that have been soaked in oxides. During the firing these materials combust and dance upon the clay, leaving random marks and patterns evocative of geologic formations and the fiery chaos of nature. Irina throws large open bowls and uses them as a canvas. She also makes shard pots, broken and re-formed to create an integrated elegant and beautiful whole. Jill’s Iconic Forms, platters and wall pieces are a tribute to the strong women who raised her as a child in South Africa and reflect the colors and lines of these early roots. Photographer Heather McGrath’s raw organic sets of human in landscape are the perfect complement.

ROCKY NECK ART COLONY WELCOMES ENDICOTT COLLEGE

Synthesis III: Endicott Faculty and Student Art Exhibit

October 22 – November 15, 2015
Artist Reception: Sunday, October 25, 2:00-4:00 pm

The Cultural Center Gallery, 6 Wonson Street, Gloucester, MA 01930
Gallery hours, Thurs-Sun, 12:00-4:00 pm

Rocky Neck Art Colony and Endicott College are pleased to present the Student and Faculty art exhibition Synthesis III at the Cultural Center at Rocky Neck on Wonson Street in Gloucester from Thursday, October 22 – Sunday, November 15, 2015.  The gallery is open to the public on Thursday through Sunday at noon to 4:00 pm.

Synthesis III includes works by 9 faculty and 9 students from Endicott College’s School of Visual and Performing Arts.  Each of the nine faculty members was asked to invite a student from their major to participate in this exhibition. Faculty exhibiting are:  Kathy Desmond, Sandy Farrier, Steven Liss, Barbara Burgess Maier, Michael Miller, Carol Pelletier, Cynthia Roberts, Mark Towner, and Larry Volk.  Students exhibiting are: Lauren Gallagher, Jessica Gray, Emily Leis, Angelina Lupini, Emily Mulvey, Stephanie Alvarado Ross, Andrew Schwartz, and Kaitlin Smith.  The many media included will be drawings, paintings, photography and installation.  According to Dean Mark Towner: “There is a long history of exhibiting art by students alongside their professors’ art. The process reveals interesting patterns of media, style, and subject, and the end result provides multiple actions and dynamic reactions, to form a more complex picture: A synthesis most worthy of examination and the titling of this exhibit.”

Suzanne Gilbert Lee, Director at the Rocky Neck Art Colony states, “The art colony has enjoyed the benefit of working with student interns from Endicott who devote a semester to gain “real world” experience by working with arts organizations and various art related businesses. This is an opportunity for them to experience the process of mounting exhibitions—from planning to execution. The recent summer intern, Angelina Lupini, joins with other faculty and student artists to showcase the work produced at the School of Visual and Performing Arts at Endicott College, and bring her recent experience at Rocky Neck full circle.”

Please join us on Sunday, October 25 from 2:00–4:00 pm as we celebrate with a gallery reception.  Many of the students and faculty in the exhibition will be in attendance and light refreshment will be served. If you have any questions regarding the exhibition and Endicott College, please contact Kathleen Moore at 978-232-2655, or kmoore@endicott.edu. For information on the Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, please contact Suzanne Gilbert Lee, director@rockyneckartcolony.org.

James and Anna Eves plan to attend two openings this Saturday featuring prints done for artists who work with Cape Ann Giclée. Please join us in celebrating these fine local artists!

Leslie Bartlett: Ekklesia

October 24–December 9, 2015
Opening Saturday October 24th 4pm – 6pm

The Gallery at Barrington Center for the Arts | Gordon College
255 Grapevine Road | Wenham, MA 01984

Cape Ann Giclee worked with esteemed photographer Les Bartlett on printing his featured piece “Ekklesia” for his new show, it is a 9 ft by 30 ft piece made up of 12 panels. Les combines his technical skill with artistic spiritually so seamlessly it draws the viewer into the piece in a way that lets us experience the beauty of the granite that surrounds us thru his reverent eyes. You will never look at a quarry wall the same way again.

Thom Falzarano, a Featured Photographer at

Gallery Grand Opening and Art Show

Opening Saturday October 24th ~ 6pm – 10pm

Creative Framing Solutions
83 Hanover Street (rear – Londonderry Lane) | Manchester, NH 03103

Thom Falzarano’s work is always a hit, we always like to work with Thom on his printing to see his new work and the new prints in this show are worth the trip up to Manchester – we’ll be there!

Featured Artists:
Grace Burr – Painting, watercolor and acrylic
Thom Falzarano – Photographer
Steve Webb – Painting, abstract
Verne Orlosk – Fine Art Fused Glass

James Eves, owner of Cape Ann Giclée, Fine Art Printing and Gallery, is GMG’s Arts Enthusiast and the Calendar Guy. To submit arts related press releases, photos of arts events or any arts related posts email: james@capeanngiclee.com.
To add an event to the GMG Cape Ann Calendar go here to see how to submit events.

Three Visions of Gloucester

Peter Vincent, Jeff Weaver and Don Gorvett
in a new show at the Cape Ann Museum

The Cape Ann Museum is pleased to announce the opening of their latest exhibition, Vincent, Weaver, Gorvett: Gloucester, Three Visions on Saturday, October 24 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. The opening reception is free and open to the public. The exhibition will remain on view through February 28, 2016.

Gloucester, Three Visions explores the work of three unique artists – Jeff Weaver, Don Gorvett and the late Peter Vincent – each of whom has lived in and been inspired by Gloucester’s working harbor for over 40 years.

During the early 1970s, the lives of Weaver, Gorvett and Vincent converged in Gloucester. They had each studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and for a time, Don Gorvett and Jeff Weaver shared studio space in an apartment building on the Fort; Peter, who lived in Rockport, was a frequent visitor. For each artist, Gloucester’s hardscrabble working waterfront was the attraction. Struggling to recover from the ravages of urban renewal, while at the same time weathering the slow steady demise of the city’s fishing industry, Gloucester Harbor in the early 1970s was a gold mine for the three artists.

Today, Jeff Weaver maintains a studio in Gloucester. After painting signs and murals in the 1990s, he turned his focus to watercolor and oil. Jeff can frequently be seen around town, brush and palette in hand, looking to capture the particular flavor of the city he calls home. Weaver has received numerous awards, including Marine Gallery at Mystic Seaport “Best in Show,” and Guild of Boston Artists “Silver Medal.” Don Gorvett currently lives and works in Portsmouth, NH, having maintained a studio in Gloucester for many years. He excels at the exacting art of reduction wood block printing and is a dedicated teacher. In 2013, Mr. Gorvett was awarded a medal for his lifetime achievements in the arts by Salem State University. Peter Vincent, who passed away in 2012, secured a solid reputation as one of New England’s most well regarded marine artists. In 1986 he was honored with the coveted Mystic Invitational Award for excellence in painting.

Related Programs

Saturday, November 7 at 9:30 a.m. ~ The Art & Life of Peter Vincent: A Gallery Talk with Eoin Vincent

Saturday, November 14 at 9:30 a.m. ~ Jeff Weaver Gallery Talk

Saturday, December 19 at 10:00 a.m. ~ Don Gorvett Gallery Talk

Saturday, January 23 at 2:00 p.m. ~ A Conversation with Eoin Vincent, Jeff Weaver and Don Gorvett

These programs are free for Museum members / $10 nonmembers (includes admission). Space is limited, reservations required: (978) 283-0455 x10 or info@capeannmuseum.org. Updates and details at capeannmuseum.org.

Please invite friends to join us for this event!

THE SARGENT MURRAY GILMAN HOUGH HOUSE ASSOCIATION PROGRAM AND ANNUAL MEETING

OCTOBER 24, 2015, 3–3:15 PM:  Annual meeting of members,

Falcon’s Nest at The Hive, 11 Pleasant Street, Gloucester:  

• President Amanda Hurd will give a brief report to the members on the Association’s activities since its last annual meeting.

    Members who are unable to attend the meeting may give their proxies in writing to any other Member of the Association or by email to the Clerk (joannmichalak@me.com).

• Images from the Costume and Textile Collection will continually be displayed.

3:15–4 PM: “Layers of Women’s Clothing,” An Illustrated Talk from Our Costume and Textile Collection, also Falcon’s Nest at The Hive

Mary Hurd, Costume Director, Brandeis University Department of Theater Arts, Anita Canzian, Head Draper, Huntington Theatre Company and Jennifer Nieling, Curatorial Intern, Nantucket Historical Association will give an illustrated talk on the Museum’s Costume and Textile Collection which they recently completed inventorying and digitizing. Free to the public.   

4:15–4:45 PM: The program will continue at the Sargent House Museum, 49 Middle Street, with viewing and refreshments: 

• A few costumes may be viewed in small groups in the meeting room with brief comments by the speakers.   No touching of the costumes or bringing refreshments into the room will be allowed.

• Socializing with light refreshments in the Gift Shop.

Trident Gallery is pleased to present a series of new paintings by Patti Sullivan, one of Gloucester’s great expressionist and colorist landscape artists.

Sullivan’s series of paintings of cormorants along Gloucester’s Back Shore in 2013 represented a significant development in her work. Influenced by recent travel in Alaska, she endowed the familiar scene with a haunting remoteness. The paintings show a rugged, elemental landscape at the boundary of our world, where land meets sea and humans meet animals as foreigners.

During the past year, Sullivan has continued her exploration of this coastline with a series of paintings of a particular large rock not far offshore. Though continuity with the earlier series is evident, especially in the large painting Solstice (2013), and in the enchantment of Sullivan’s rich colors and varied surface textures, the differences are striking.

The powerful, eclipsed, and angular compositions of 2013 have given way to symmetries. Ruggedness has softened into simpler, more abstract forms. The cormorants have receded, and with them the sense of an alien world. Bold gestures in the paint which belonged to the rocks, sea, and sky in 2013 now seem to belong to the artist. Earth tones have become shining bright colors which recall Sullivan’s paintings of Cuba and the Dominican Republic, showing a human and social world of city architecture and people. The new series celebrates personal encounters with landscape and joy in nature’s many-splendored variation.

This exhibition will show the 2013 series together with the 2015 series, each vitalizing and contextualizing the other and suggesting new directions of visual discovery to the imaginative viewer.

Trident Gallery

189 Main Street, Gloucester Massachusetts
978-491-7785 | TridentGallery.com

HOURS (During Patti Sullivan exhibition, October 24 – November 29)
Sat 10-7 • Fri Sun Mon 10-5 • Tue Wed Thu 12-5

DAY OF THE DEAD

DIA DE LOS MUERTOS FIESTAAT LOCAL COLORS ARTISTS’ COOPERATIVE

Saturday October 24th, 6-8:30

The members of Local Colors Artists’ Cooperative in Gloucester are featuring a unique Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead art exhibit at 121 Main Street from October 17th through November 6th with a fiesta reception including refreshments and lively music on October 24th from 6 to 8:30 PM. At the reception, Christine Garrigan, former member, will be offering skeleton face-painting for the event.

The exhibit will highlight Day of the Dead art as well as a festive ofrenda or altar where the public can leave a note of remembrance. “I love celebrating this event as it offers a different perspective to the Halloween season, ” says Kathy Bucholska, a member for 26 years. “We celebrate the return of departed loved ones during this time of year with art, food, photographs, flowers and drink.” Kathy submitted mixed media pieces made from dominoes and colorful skeleton images in addition to skeleton jewelry.

Celebrated originally in Mexico, this holiday welcomes back departed family members on the1st and 2nd of November with music, brightly decorated sugar skulls and orange marigolds. It’s not a sad occasion but a happy one. Death is viewed as the continuation of life where the culture depicts a vibrant afterlife. Day of the Dead art often depicts brightly festooned skeletons doing everyday activities as imagined in the afterlife.

“For me, the Día de Muertos Celebration is a way to creatively integrate my own Caribbean cultural heritage and connections with family and friends who have died,” offers Ian Commissiong, a fiber artist who submitted a festive Day of the Dead themed apron and pillow.  “I love the bright colors typical of the celebration juxtaposed with the starkness of black and white”

“I think it is a great holiday focused on the good times we had with loved ones and not on holiday sale-a-thons,” notes Jim Sousa, photographer who offered brightly colored “skull art” photographs.

Since Day of the Dead art often involves satire and humor about the human condition, the window display has a satiric theme.  Local Colors’ resident skeleton, Miranda, is featured in the front window doing what she does best: eating, drinking and having fun along with members’ original work in the alcove window and featured wall.

Bonnie Gray submitted a colorful skull painting, adding “Once I understood that the Day of the Dead is actually a joyous time to celebrate the lives of our ancestors, I began to envision this painting.  I hope it conveys that feeling of joy to the viewer.” Pat Doherty painted a poignant portrait of a small boy being watched over by his mother in spirit. “Just as Dia de Los Muertos is a time to remember family and friends who have passed, I tried to have my oil painting show how a mother’s love is always with you, forever guiding you,” says Pat.

Dave Katz, a photographer, took a humorous approach with a photograph depicting a “die-hard” Red Sox fan (skeleton with Red Sox paraphernalia). Dave says, “I look forward to the traditional gallery event, as it allows us to channel our creativity in unexpected and interesting ways. I’m always inspired by the Day of the Dead artwork created by the other members.”

Sally Seamans, aka Tin Can Sally, went outside  her usual tin medium and created many colorful skeletons with flowered adornments that she calls ‘Sugar Girls’ in honor of the Day of the Dead skulls made from sugar. Ann Schlecht designed a pair of creative skeleton earrings made from tiny beads as well as a skull and cross bone silver charm noting that in ancient times “It was not a symbol of death but of life, reminding us that human life is temporary and that by contemplating our death we find the hidden treasure within each of us, eternal life.”

Donna Amero, a founding member, and Virginia Townsend are displaying their own version of skeleton fish: Donna created whimsical skeleton fish from stained glass while Virginia painted a fun fish skeleton image on her pottery.

More Day of the Dead art will be on display by other members as well as former member, Lois Hertzler, who will be showing her well-known photographs of various skeleton characters just enjoying life after life.

The artists invite the public to enjoy the display, write a remembrance for the altar and celebrate the free event on October 24 from 6 to 8:30 pm with light refreshments, face-painting and festive music at 121 Main Street, Gloucester, MA, 978-283-3996.

Rick Gadbois just put this site up (www.capeannwalk.com) and thought it would be great to tell people about it via good morning gloucester.

Receiving help from Montserrat College Of Art, Jeff Weaver, and Susan Albiero, we have kicked off this Cape Ann fine arts listing site, the initial project features four artists and 75 or so pieces of artwork.  It  a mobile friendly web site that serves as a self guided tour, bringing you to the location of each piece of art or historic artifact. The focus is not so much the site, but getting people out and about to explore the area via art & history.   I am intending to grow the site over time with help from Montserrat college, and any others that would like to be involved.

Dogtown Days

Join the Friends of Dogtown to kick off a weekend celebrating Dogtown!

The Cape Ann Museum is pleased to present, in collaboration with the Gloucester Lyceum and Sawyer Free Library, a day dedicated to all things Dogtown on Saturday, October 17 from 1:00p.m. to 3:00p.m. Hear from expert panelists on topics ranging from artists inspired by Dogtown to the geology of Dogtown and everything in between. This program is free and open to the public. For more information, please email info@capeannmuseum.org or call (978) 283-0455 x10.

Dogtown Days is a celebration of the art, history, archaeology, geology, ecology and mystery of Dogtown, from the remains of its colonial settlement to its treasures along the trails through the watershed land and glacial heaths that lie at the heart of Cape Ann. Its 3,000 acres serve as the inspiration for Saturday’s panelists: Mark Carlotto, Mary Ellen Lepionka, Ed Becker, Chris Leahy, Ted Tarr, Noel Mann, Shep Abbott and Tom Halsted. Join these Friends of Dogtown as they explore the cellars of Dogtown, the Native Americans who lived there and the many insects and birds that call the habitats of Dogtown their home.

Following the Dogtown expert panel discussion, the Friends of Dogtown invite all audience members to join them for a reception with cake and ale in the Friend Room at the Sawyer Free Library nearby.

Flatrocks Gallery presents:
‘Neigborhood’ featuring artists Erin Luman, Debbie Clark, Ed Herman, Jr., Stacey Durand, Jill Demeri and Paul Cary Golderg.

The show opens October 15th and runs through November 15th.
A reception for the artists will be held on October 17th from 6-8pm.

77 Langsford St. Gloucester.
Open Thursday- Sunday 12-5pm or by appointment 978-879-4683
http://www.flatrocksgallery.com

The Rockport Art Association
is proud to announce the:
Solo Show of Gloucester Artist,
Paul Ciaramitaro

with the opening of his exhibition titled “Gulls” on Sunday, October 18^th at 2pm.

Inspired by a book passage describing a seagull as a bird with long slender wings that feeds on fish, shell fish, crustaceans and garbage, Paul has observed the birds in flight and dining in parking lots on trash making note of their splendor and their ability to scavenge. Paul was inspired by these birds of character and their abundance and permanence in Cape Ann. Works on view will cover a variety of mediums where you can enjoy these magnificent creatures in action and at rest.

To see these works and the exhibition in its entirety, please visit the RAA at its 12 Main Street campus. As always, the Association for this show is open and free to the public.

Mark your calendar and please tell your friends. This is an important yearly fundraiser for the Essex Shipbuilding Museum so come join us Friday, Oct. 16th and have a great time. For reservations / info: essexshipbuildingmuseum.org or 978-768-7541. See auction items on our facebook page as they arrive!

Aeolus String Quartet Family Concert

The Cape Ann Museum is pleased to present, in collaboration with Rockport Music, the Aeolus String Quartet. Enjoy a morning filled with music on Saturday, October 10 at 10:30 a.m. This program is free and open to the public. It is presented as part of a residency through Rockport Music’s Education and Outreach program with programs in both Rockport and Gloucester Public Schools. For more information please email info@capeannmuseum.org or call (978) 283-0455 x10.

Winners of multiple awards and the Graduate Resident String Quartet at the Juilliard School, the Aeolus String Quartet promises an engaging one-hour program with excerpts of Haydn, Dvorák, and Ervin Schulhoff appropriate for all ages. The Quartet will introduce their instruments, the different roles they play and the different tools used by composers to make their quartet repertoire distinctive—all presented in a program that will cultivate a greater love for music and a deeper understanding of how a team can become greater than the sum of its parts.

The recently renovated Cape Ann Museum celebrates the art, history and culture of Cape Ann – a region with a rich and varied culture of nationally significant historical, industrial and artistic achievement. The Museum’s collections include fine art from the 19th century to the present, artifacts from the fishing and maritime and granite quarrying industries, textiles, furniture, a library/archives, and two historic houses. For a detailed media fact sheet please visit www.capeannmuseum.org/press.

The Museum is located at 27 Pleasant Street in Gloucester. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is $10.00 adults, $8.00 Cape Ann residents, seniors and students. Youth (under 18) and Museum members are free. For more information please call: (978)283-0455 x10. Additional information can be found online at www.capeannmuseum.org.

“Resident Spirits – The Masculine
and Feminine Soul as Found in
Cape Ann Quarry Paintings”

Lecture by Les Bartlett – Saturday, October 10th, 3pm

“I will be recounting my visual journey through the works of men and women who have painted Cape Ann Quarries. This will include selections from the works of Childe Hassam, Leon Kroll, Lester Stevens, Gabrielle Dev Clements and Erma Wheeler. The history of Cape Ann Quarry Painters will be looked at in the light of the Hudson River School Painters who had an early interest in what Cape Ann had to offer as a source of artistic inspiration. I will include several of my own works to illustrate the artistic resiliency offered by our Cape Ann Quarries.” – Les Bartlett

$10 Suggested Donation to Benefit the NSAA Building Restoration Fund

The North Shore Arts Association’s galleries are open, free to the public, Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Noon to 5 p.m. More information on all North Shore Arts Association events is available by visiting  their website at www.nsarts.org, and by email at arts@nsarts.org, or by telephone 978 283-1857.

Michael Manring: Bass Workshop

Working Toward a Deeper Connection with the Bass 
(all levels, bring an instrument) 

Thursday, October 8, 2015 7:30pm – Bass Workshop, $30
Diamond Cove Music, 57 Washington St., Gloucester, MA 01930
For reservations contact Tom – (978) 283-9877

Presented by Michael Manring http://manthing.com

Michael will work with students on exercises designed to increase their facility on and knowledge of the instrument. Topics include: muscle group isolation, permutation and combination studies for right and left hands, intervallic dexterity, and ear training, as well as introducing bassists to Solkattu, an ancient South Indian system used to study rhythm that offers great benefits for all musicians.

Michael Manring solo concert
with special guest Ken Bonfield

Friday, October 9, 2015 7:30pm, $15
Diamond Cove Music, 57 Washington St., Gloucester, MA 01930
For reservations contact Tom – (978) 283-9877

Solo bass concert?  Are you kidding me? It’s hard enough to sit through a bass solo, you want me to go to a solo bass guitar concert? Are you nuts?

Well, not in this case. Michael Manring, who first became known as the Windham Hill house bassist in the 80’s for his work with seminal artists Michael Hedges, Alex DeGrassi, and Windham Hill founder, Will Ackerman, has expanded his range tremendously over the past three decades.  Michael is musically conversant in every conceivable genre and has appeared on hundreds, if not thousands of albums ranging from jazz to folk, rock and roll, new age, classical, and full on heavy metal.

But Michael’s passion is, and always has been, about showing off the versatility of the four string bass whether it’s his custom Zon Michael Manring Hyper Bass that’s tuned much higher than a standard bass and is capable of over 1000 different tunings all while he plays, or his fretted Zon bass Vinnie, or what he’s best known for; his 4-string fretless bass playing that he learned at the feet of the bass-master himself, Jaco Pastorius.  He can make the bass sound as if you’re hearing a shaman raise his voice in prayer in an ambient piece of music, or raise the hair on the back of your neck as he takes you on a death spiral of 64th notes played at breakneck speed. And he can play all three basses at once as evidenced by his song “Three Moons” which has been viewed well over a million times on YouTube through various videos of the song.

Gloucester resident, Ken Bonfield, who toured with Michael heavily in the late 90’s and early 2000’s will open the concert and join Michael for a duo or two. Here’s what Bonfield has to say about him. “Michael Manring may not be the best bass player in the world, but there’s no one better.  And the bonus is, he’s an even better person than he is musician.  You just really need to see and hear Michael to understand what this man is capable of playing on just 4 strings. Seeing is believing!”

I’d like to thank Michelle Budrow,  Marketing & Communications Manager at the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce, for taking the time to set up a google calendar on her gmail account and sharing it with my gmail account: jameseves3@gmail.com

This is the most efficient way for organizations that host many events to list their events on the Cape Ann Calendar on GMG. By creating their own calendar, they have direct access to add and/or edit events and then they appear immediately on the Cape Ann Calendar on GMG.

“The Yard” Solo Show by Gloucester’s Dale Blank

Opening Reception – Sunday, October 4th, 2:00-4:00 PM
Rockport Art Association, 12 Main Street, Rockport MA 01966

“The Yard” is an homage to an old-time family business at a time of accelerating change. In a departure from the landscapes for which she is known through her Cape Ann Calendar, Ms. Blank turns her attention to the shapes, colors, textures and people of Central Auto Parts of Natick, popularly known as “The Yard.”

The show, which runs from Sunday, October 4 through Thursday, October 15, 2015 at the Rockport Art Association, contains some pieces printed on metal, a medium well-suited to the subject. Several of the works have been accepted into prestigious juried shows earlier this year, including “Central,” a portrait of Mark and Clare, which debuted in the National Prize Show at Cambridge Art Association. However, the exhibit, with an opening reception on October 4 from 2-4 pm, is the unveiling of the full collection, shot over the past four seasons and incorporating Yard life over the past year. It is also a tribute to the photographer’s father, a co-founder of The Yard, who passed away this Spring.

Dale Blank earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brandeis University. Classes and course work at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Nikon School and elsewhere inform her work. For the past decade Dale has employed a Nikon DSLR camera, currently printing on Epson fine art papers.

Ms. Blank is a member of the Rockport and Cambridge Art Associations (juried admission), the Rocky Neck Art Colony and the Newburyport Art Association, where she has won numerous awards for her works. She has also shown at many other venues and has participated in many juried and invitational exhibitions. Her work is held in private collections from coast to coast.

Dale is the owner of Photography by Dale Blank in Gloucester. Her photographs have appeared in the Cape Ann Map & Visitors Guide and the North of Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau calendar and guide. Her limited edition prints, cards and calendars are sold at numerous venues on the North Shore. For complete information, please visit DaleBlank.com.

This solo show will be on view through October 18^th. The RAA is open Monday – Sunday and is free to the public.

The Rockport Art Association (RAA) is one of the oldest and most active art organizations in the country. The Association has a long and distinguished history that has spanned 94 years. Each year the RAA welcomes thousands of visitors from all over the world. The RAA continues to be one of Cape Ann’s most prominent cultural beacons. Since its founding, the Association has steadily increased in size and currently includes approximately 250 artist & photography members, and hundreds of contributing members. By promoting year-round programs of classes, lectures, demonstrations, exhibitions and community outreach, as well as an impressive museum collection, the RAA remains dedicated to its mission of making fine art appreciation accessible to all. rockportartassn.org/

Natura Naturans Meets Natura Digitalis
(Photography Exhibition)

Opening Reception – Sunday, October 4th, 2:00-4:00 PM
Rockport Art Association, 12 Main Street, Rockport MA 01966

This exhibition is a 2-person show of works by photographers Joe Reardon and digital artist Otto Laske which presents two different, but complementary, interpretations of Nature: what our eye sees more or less directly and what the mind imagines. These two interpretations are inter-related since the eye also imagines just as the mind sees.

In both artists’ work, the photographic or algorithmic capturing of nature produces endless varieties of fauna that turn into imaginary ones, and appear simultaneously as real and allegorical. While Reardon’s shapes represent real objects, their exquisite precision instantly turns them into allegories. While Laske’s shapes often have the energy of drawings, they are close enough to natural phenomena to evoke energies we sense in observing natural growth.

The show uses digital technology in the broadest sense in a way adapted to each artist’s predilections. It expands the notion of Nature beyond what can be seen, close by or at a distance, into what can be viscerally felt and experienced even with eyes closed.

This small group show will be on view through October 18^th. The RAA is open Monday – Sunday and is free to the public.

The Rockport Art Association (RAA) is one of the oldest and most active art organizations in the country. The Association has a long and distinguished history that has spanned 94 years. Each year the RAA welcomes thousands of visitors from all over the world. The RAA continues to be one of Cape Ann’s most prominent cultural beacons. Since its founding, the Association has steadily increased in size and currently includes approximately 250 artist & photography members, and hundreds of contributing members. By promoting year-round programs of classes, lectures, demonstrations, exhibitions and community outreach, as well as an impressive museum collection, the RAA remains dedicated to its mission of making fine art appreciation accessible to all. rockportartassn.org/

Insights On Site at the White-Ellery House

Life Observed – A one-day installation by Sarah Wonson

The Cape Ann Museum is pleased to present Life Observed, an installation by Sarah Wonson on Saturday, October 3 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. This program will take place at the Cape Ann Museum’s historic White-Ellery House (1710) and is free and open to the public as part of Escapes North 17th Century Saturdays. The House is located at 245 Washington Street in Gloucester at the Route 128 Grant Circle Rotary; parking is available off Poplar Street in the field behind the house.

In Life Observed, Wonson’s interests in making art converge with her reverence for Colonial-period architecture. Returning home to Gloucester in 2011 after living away for eight years, Wonson began to take notice of the wealth of beautiful colonial-era homes around Cape Ann; each one with its own character, friendly, foreboding, comical, etc. “I wanted to learn more about Colonial period buildings,” states Wonson, “so I began visual research in The White Pine Series of Architectural Monographs.” These pamphlets, filled with atmospheric, shadowy black and white photographs of historic houses, captivated Wonson, and she has been drawing and contemplating them since. “[While] the formal aspects of the structures interested me initially, over time my focus has shifted towards the relationship between where we dwell and the human imprint we leave behind. The home is not just a building, it is a place where we store our experience.”

6^th Annual Charles Olson Lecture: Michael McClure

Lecture and Readings by Michael McClure

The Cape Ann Museum is pleased to present, in collaboration with the Gloucester Writers Center and Charles Olson Society, author Michael McClure as this year’s Charles Olson Annual lecturer. The 6^th annual lecture will be held Saturday, October 3 at 1:00p.m. This program is free and open to the public. A book singing will follow. McClure’s book can be purchased at The Bookstore of Gloucester. For more information please email info@capeannmuseum.org or call (978) 283-0455 x10.

In 1954, poet Robert Duncan introduced Michael McClure to poet Charles Olson’s influential manifesto, Projective Verse. McClure’s lecture, entitled The Greatness of Olson will include a discussion about his relationship to Olson, as well as readings from McClure’s most recent work.

The recently renovated Cape Ann Museum celebrates the art, history and culture of Cape Ann – a region with a rich and varied culture of nationally significant historical, industrial and artistic achievement. The Museum’s collections include fine art from the 19th century to the present, artifacts from the fishing and maritime and granite quarrying industries, textiles, furniture, a library/archives, and two historic houses. For a detailed media fact sheet please visit www.capeannmuseum.org/press.

The Museum is located at 27 Pleasant Street in Gloucester. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is $10.00 adults, $8.00 Cape Ann residents, seniors and students. Youth (under 18) and Museum members are free. For more information please call: (978)283-0455 x10. Additional information can be found online at www.capeannmuseum.org.

Autumn in Art @ Central Street Gallery

Meet our award winning artists
Autumn in art – Opening reception: Saturday, October 3, 5 – 8pm
Open Friday and Saturday evenings

We are happy to present a great selection of recent works inspired by the fall season. Our Gallery director and associates are available and ready to assist you with your selections. Start your collection with us.
Refreshments will be served so please join us, and bring some friends!
Show runs through Sept28, 2015

Member News

We are very proud to announce recent accomplishments by several members.

Richard Giedd: Painting Essex Winter was juried into The Guild of Boston Artists 2015 Regional Exhibition. Show runs Oct 3-27.

William Fusco: Juried into North Shore Art Assoc. as an artist member

Barbara Levine: Juried into the Concord Art Assoc. 16th Roddy exhibition for her painting Spring

Grace Vasta-Carr: Awarded the Chipp Davis Wells and Amee B Davis Memorial Award for excellence in painting at the Rockport Art Assoc. for her painting Hollyhocks

Phyllis Feld The Way of Space In The Landscape solo show at the Northshore Art Association Sept 3 thru 26

Enhance your life with art…