Many thanks to Darren Mason of Merge3 Creative for the very cool poster he created for this year’s Rockport HarvestFest. It sums up the fun: local food, local beer, local color. HarvestFest features the best of New England food producers, a very cool Scarecrow display throughout town, hayrides, a screening of the movie The Vanishing of the Bees, fantastic live music and more! Check it the Schedule of Events through this link: www.rockportartfestivals.com
Author: S.D. Kelly
Art Now Rockport is Tomorrow!
Yes! Contemporary art is alive and well in Rockport. On Saturday, September 17th from 7 to 9 pm, meet five artists along with Lydia Barry Kutko, a New York-based art advisor who will give her take on the local contemporary art scene (check out her GMG interview here). Art, food and conversation all in the setting of the historic former Rockport Lodge.
Tickets to Art Now Rockport are $28 with a percentage of the proceeds supporting the community programming of Rockport Festivals. To reserve your spot, order online at artnowrockport.com. Tickets are limited and sold at the door on a first come, first-served basis. Art Now Rockport would like to thank Joey of Good Morning Gloucester for making his interviews with several of the participating artists available, Lula’s Pantry in Rockport for providing the food, Abigail Cahill O’Brien of 5th Joy for the venue, and Wernau Asset Management, Inc. for their generous support.
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
Five Islands by John Caggiano – an Art Exhibit & Reception
For a great kickoff to your weekend, join Corina Belle-Isle & John Caggiano for a wine & cheese reception at the Caggiano seaside gallery on Friday, August 26 from 4 to 9 pm.
John has traveled and painted in some of the most breathtaking places in the country. The Five Islands Exhibit is a collection of plein air works from Nantucket, Cape Ann, Monhegan Island in Maine, Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands and the beautiful seaside villages of Niantic and Mystic.
John Caggiano Studio Gallery
66 Bearskin Neck Road
Rockport, MA
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
Jewels of July TONIGHT!
Friday July 29
6 to 8 pm
28 + 30 Main Street in Rockport
www.galleryrenatafryshara.com
Stop by on a beautiful July evening and preview the summer collection of artist Renata Fryshara’s necklaces and paintings. You can sip sangria and visit with friends on the patio between the Renata’s two galleries: one featuring her jewelry and the other featuring her paintings & drawings.
Renata Fryshara is an international artist whose work has been featured in shows around the world and whose necklaces have been sold at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and in various galleries.
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
Each Photograph Tells a Story at the RAA
The Photography contingent of the Rockport art Association is having its 3rd Summer Show beginning with an opening reception on Sunday, July 24th from 2:00 to 4:00. The show runs through August 23rd.
This particular show has a theme called “STORIES”. Each contributing artist has provided a story associated with their photo submission. The story will be posted on the wall next to its photo. The viewer can learn something about what the artist was hoping to capture in the image and/or what the artist was experiencing at the time the image was created.
Stop by the Art Association during one of these sultry summer days and see some cool art. The R.A.A. is open Monday thru Saturday 10:00 ~ 5:00, and Sunday Noon ~ 5:00
This photo is called “View From The Old Sloop” by Tom Philbrook. The “story” for it goes like this:
“I’m afraid of heights, so I was quaking in my boots on that early July morning as I stood on the scaffolding in front of the Congo Church in the center of our village. The front of the church was getting a facelift at the time. This shot was (mostly) taken while standing directly in front of the clock of the Old Sloop.” — Tom Philbrook
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
Watch as Fashion & Art Come Together
Corina Belle-Isle, the creative force behind Rockport’s July 28th event Barefoot at Rockport: A day long celebration of fashion as art, has put together a whole roster of terrific events: pop-up shops featuring the work of different designers, a fashion show, an art exhibit and arguably best of all: a party to close the day that highlights summer fun in Rockport, with great food from Alchemy Bistro and cocktails created by Matt Rose.
And if having a great time wasn’t motivation enough to buy tickets, know that your purchase helps support Rockport’s two foundational arts institutions, Rockport Art Association and Rockport Music.
There is an aspect of Barefoot at Rockport that is really the symbol of the entire event, bringing art and fashion together in one unique installation. It’s called The Dress Project and is a collaborative work by artists Eugene Quinn and Virginia Fitzgerald, The Dress Project features a dress sculpted by Virginia using some of Eugene’s older canvases as a sort of fabric on the skirt. Eugene will then create a new painting on the bodice of the dress, creating — as described by Virginia — a sort of Phoenix effect: a new painting emerging from his older work. One exciting and interactive aspect of this project is that you can actually watch the dress (or “Claire” as the sculpture has come to be called…) take shape, so to speak, under Eugene’s brush and Virginia’s hands. Stop by Eugene’s gallery at 54 Bearskin Neck to see it in progress and then mark your calendar to see the final work revealed on July 28th itself. It will be shown at the Rockport Art Association from 2 to 4 pm before being auctioned off, with proceeds to benefit the RAA.
Look for more details about Barefoot at Rockport in the days leading up to July 28th. For tickets and more information call the Shalin Liu Box Office at 978-546-7391 or click on this link to go to Rockport Music’s website.
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
New Pizza Place in Rockport Takes it To Another Level
Rockport is blessed with so much: several beautiful beaches, a vibrant arts community, historic wharves & buildings, lobstering industry…you could go on and on. And now, you can add the Atlantic Pizza Company to our list of blessings. Housed in the architecturally compelling former Al Ruben Gallery, the Atlantic Pizza Company was created, like its pizza, from scratch. Audra Dainora, the owner of the business, bought the building in April 2010. She proceeded to spend the summer season watching traffic patterns and chatting with visitors to Rockport when she noticed that so many questions from tourists had to do with finding somewhere to eat, especially somewhere casual. Audra saw the opportunity to fill a niche in the community, offering fresh pizza with the best ingredients: organic tomatoes and toppings that are sourced from local farms whenever possible. Together with Dan Cromidas, who helped with the conception and development of the pizza and can now be found working his magic in the kitchen, Audra brought the Atlantic Pizza Company to Rockport. Reading through the menu is a mouth-watering proposition, and I can attest to the fact that the Margherita Pizza was delicious, the thin crust crisp on the outside, perfectly chewy on the inside, while the basil and mozzarella and tomato competing for freshness. (Full disclosure: I also tasted the cheese pizza, which features an amazing mozzarella, unlike any I’ve ever tasted.) But it should be said: it’s not all about the pizza at this restaurant. The building itself lives up to the food. Audra hired the design firm Siemasko & Verbridge, based in Beverly with John Harden as the project’s architect, to take advantage of the building’s pitched roof and, as it was built in 1961, take it back to its mid-century glory: a combination of minimalism and New England rusticity. Which is like the best of Rockport itself: quintessential New England with a dose of high design.
So make your way down to Bearskin Neck and stop by Atlantic Pizza just as soon as you can. You can work your way down the menu with a few breaks in between for a swim at Front Beach and a stroll through the shops and galleries of downtown Rockport. Summer perfection.
- Atlantic Pizza Company
- 4 Old Harbor Road
- Rockport, MA 02140
- (978) 546-2420
Check out the entire menu at www.atlanticpizzacompany.com
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
Todd Farm Time Tomorrow!
Todd Farm Flea Market in Rowley is always a lot of fun. Many Cape Ann citizens (and even a few GMG contributors, like Alicia) are regulars at the Flea Market. We know a good thing when we see it. If you happen to be over there tomorrow morning, stop in and say hi. There might even be a free cup of coffee in it for you! I’m on twitter @therovinghome if you want to have a flea market tweet-off tomorrow or need to track me down…
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
New Shops Part 2: Wulla & Jemil Beauchamp in Lanesville
Lanesville, the historic home to quarry workers and lots of Finns, is seeing an echo of its past in two new shops that opened up just last weekend. Both shops have a Scandinavian feel, in the sense of a minimal aesthetic with an emphasis on texture — and both take their inspiration from the natural world. And both shops are as far as it is possible to be from the world of the mall with its chain stores. Handmade, individually chosen pieces are the rule here. Which sounds just about right for Lanesville.
Wulla is located just a few doors up from the Plum Cove Grind and the Post Office, right in the heart of Lanesville. It was opened by two designers, friends who met through their love of textiles. They make all the pieces you see in the shop, including the clothes, with the exception of a few felt pieces (like the boots), with a sophistication that undermines any ideas you might have about what a homemade knitted shawl looks like. The whole place has such a soothing aesthetic that I didn’t know whether to buy a handmade felt bag or lay down and take a nap in the dressing room, and I mean that as a compliment. I hope my husband reads this post, as I did see one thing in particular that I covet, among many covetable items: a cable knit cowl, designed to be buttoned around the neck for a upscale, yet earthy departure from the scarf. The best part about this piece is that the buttons were crafted from a tree in one of the owner’s backyards. Lean in close to smell the button (yes, I asked for permission) and the faint scent of cedar remains. You have to experience the beauty and serenity for yourself: stop by Wulla, open Wednesday through Sunday, and meet the women behind these beautiful items.
Then hop across the street (look both ways before you leap of course, and maybe you want to take a coffee break at the Grind between stops) to check out Jemil Beauchamp. Be sure to ask Jenny, the owner and store’s namesake, to point out her handiwork: handmade leather bags and beautifully dyed textiles using the Japanese shibori technique. Jenny’s husband is the artist Kurt Ankeny (whose incredible new work is at Alchemy through August 5th) so you have the added pleasure of seeing his landscapes on the walls of the shop. Besides the beautiful textiles, Jemil Beauchamp carries a carefully edited selection of vintage pieces, and while everything is available for purchase, it is all displayed in such a lovely, austere manner that each piece becomes a sort of visual tribute to a time gone by. Which is kind of how Lanesville itself feels, a tiny piece of the past, whose time has come to be revitalized in a way that best suits the neighborhood, by creative people who live and work there, members of the community if every sense. For hours and more information, visit www.jemilbeauchamp.com.
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
New Shops Part 1: Scout Vintage Finds in East Gloucester
Discovered on one of my recent scouting trips around Cape Ann: a new shop, appropriately named Scout Vintage Finds. The shop is small in size but generous in spirit, with enough interesting vintage pottery, sewing notions, small furniture, lighting and more to make you wreck your car as you drive past, craning your neck trying to see all the stuff inside before you find a parking space. The shop is located at 186 East Gloucester, just across and up the street from the North Shore Arts Association as you head toward the turn to Rocky Neck. The owner of this new venture is Karen King, seamstress, milliner and expert in all things vintage. She sews beautiful lavender sachets out of vintage linens for the shop, and when you stop by the shop to see the goods she has in stock, be sure to ask about her collection of hats — no, not hats she finds at estate sales — these are hats she makes. Scout Vintage Finds is an unusual and unusually perfect addition to East Gloucester.
Stay in touch with Scout Vintage Finds through the store’s facebook page and on twitter (@scoutfinds).
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
Rockport’s 4th of July: Sun, Rain & Fire
Rockport’s awesome tradition of the 4th of July Bonfire as seen through a camera phone…
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
Warning: Deep Thoughts Ahead (Paul Kelly Talks About Summertime Philosophy)
In this short video, Paul Kelly — a teacher, worker at Apple Street Farm in Essex, writer, and all-around great guy — talks up the Philosophy & Writing Camps he offers to high school students in the summertime. He meets with small groups of students at the Peabody-Essex Museum in Salem a few hours a day to use the collections there as inspiration for developing skills in writing and discussing Plato, Aristotle and all the rest of those famous guys. Paul says high school students eat this stuff up; they love discussing the big ideas, according to him. The first camp start next week, from Tuesday July 5th – Friday July 8th. For more information, go to Paul’s website: www.philosophy4.com
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
Friday Night’s Bash at the RAA
The Rockport Art Association continued the celebration of its 90th year with the opening of the show “Outside In”, featuring the work of contemporary Cape Ann artists Gordon Goetemann, Ruth Mordecai and Jon Sarkin. An exhibit of exclusively contemporary works is unusual for the RAA, and the place was buzzing at Friday night’s opening. Here are just a few shots of a great night: (For more info on the show, click here.)
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
And the Grand Prize Goes to…Our Gloucester Girl Courtney!
THIS JUST IN: Courtney Reid of Gloucester won the Grand Prize in the Folger’s Jingle Contest in NYC this week! Click here for the scoop! A big thank you if you voted for Courtney in the preliminary rounds — and congratulations to Courtney, as this high-pressure final round was all on her. The winner was chosen by music industry insider and well-known personality Kara DioGuardi, who clearly knows her stuff, as she judged Courtney to be the winner (from over 3,000 entries).
For the story of Courtney’s journey to the Grand Prize Audition in Times Square, check out these previous Good Morning Gloucester posts on what it took for her to accomplish this!
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
Are You an American Suffering from Dishabille?
dis·ha·bille/ˌdisəˈbēl/ Noun: The state of being only partly or scantily clothed
I was lying in bed, half asleep, when a word entered my mind. Dishabille. I could spell it, I could pronounce it, but I had no idea what it meant. Dishabille, dishabille, dishabille, I repeated over and over again. A nice departure from counting sheep and just as effective.
When I woke up the next morning I looked up the meaning of dishabille. And damned if it didn’t mean exactly what I’ve been thinking about lately. Maybe the word entered my brain, subconsciously, as I made my way in various public spheres, witnessing the annual Shedding of the Clothes that arrives with warmer weather. Seeing the abrupt nakedness of people who should never be publicly unclothed — which is nearly all of us, frankly — is a bit of a shock. It’s almost enough to make one hate summer. Now I’m not talking about the beach. Unfortunately swimming, or potential swimming, hovers over any beach trip no matter how unrelated it actually is to what you are doing at the beach, and gives near-nakedness a sort of legitimacy. I’m talking about everything else. Up to and including: trips to the hardware store, the grocery store, the post office, Wal-mart, and the mailbox. Another category that might seem to warrant or justify near-nakedness: recreational activities (no, not that kind of recreation). As in, an afternoon at a park or a zoo. Think lying on the grass means you can wear those shorts and that tank top? Then you’re wrong. It does not. Unless you can actually fit in those shorts and that tank top without spilling over the sides, through the arm holes and over the top. If you need to call in reinforcements to stay in your clothes, then don’t wear those clothes.
Why am I saying this? ( 1) Because somebody needs to. (2) For my own sake. I’m one of the approximately 95% of Americans who should not be wearing shorts. (3) For your sake. I’m one of the approximately 95% of Americans who should not be wearing shorts. (4) Because I love America. And we are embarrassing ourselves here.
Just in time for the 4th of July holiday, I think we need to re-think what it means to be truly patriotic. If you love your Country, cover yourself up. The rest of the world is laughing at us (not that we care). Maybe Toby Keith should write one of his grammy-winning songs about it, something like “God Bless the Land of the Free-of-Shorts”. Maybe then America would listen. I’m not asking us to do anything really hard, like lose weight. I’m a big believer in the Freedom Fries and the gymless existence, if that’s your thing. I’m just asking red-blooded Americans to avoid living in a state of dishabille. If it sounds like a disease, it’s for good reason, because no one wants to be the victim of dishabille, especially not the people who have to look at you for the three long months of summer.
P.S. And please don’t use the excuse that you’re “too hot”. This is New England. Our ancestors cooked over wood fires in layers of clothes. All you have to do is get fast food for your meals — the least you can do is put on a pair of linen pants to do so. Do right by your Yankee roots.
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
Happy Birthday Rockport Music!
The students at Rockport Elementary express their best wishes to Rockport Music, the organization that marks a big milestone this year in celebrating 30 years of existence! In the past decade, especially, Rockport Music has made an enormous difference in the lives of hundreds of students on the North Shore by providing music education and enrichment through countless programs and initiatives. Check out the creative way the students wish Rockport Music a happy birthday! You can spot this cake and card in person in the window of Rockport Music’s downtown box office.
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
Short Film and Twin Lights soda TONIGHT in Rockport!
A free event to kick off the Motif No. 1 Day festival!
7 o’clock tonight at the Old Firehouse in Dock Square, downtown Rockport. A short film, Twin Lights soda…a great way to start the celebration of the arts in Rockport!
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
Motif No. 1 Day Schedule: Whew!
It’s almost here, and it’s happening, whether it’s sunny, rainy, sleeting or even snowing, Motif No. 1 Day in downtown Rockport kicks off Friday night with a free film by Les Bartlett and ends the next evening, May 21st at 6:00 with Vintage Rockport on Film: the 1950s. Both the kickoff and the finale will include Twin Lights soda (or tonic…) and the newest Twin Lights t-shirts will even be on hand for purchase. Below is the Schedule of Events. Go to our festival website for more details!
All Day Events
- Motif No. 1 Art Exhibit in the Old Firehouse Trust
- Dock Square Chowder Stand with chowder from Nate’s at Front Beach! (percentage of proceeds to support Rockport Festivals)
- Kids’ Art Zone in Harvey Park
- Sidewalk Chalk Art Contest
- NYRE Food Booth in Harvey Park (proceeds to support Rockport’s New Year’s Eve)
- Try Your Hand Interactive Art Event throughout downtown
- The Spirit of the Motif throughout downtown
- Find the Motif Scavenger Hunt throughout downtown
- Music throughout downtown
Scheduled Events
10 am
The Way We Were a multi-media presentation by the Rockport High School Band in Harvey Park
10:30 am
Rockport Dance Academy in Dock Square. Click HERE for information on the Rockport Dance Academy.
10:30 am – 12 noon
Instrument Petting Zoo at the Shalin Liu Performance Center, 3rd Floor. Sponsored by Rockport Music.
11 am – 3 pm
Sidewalk Chalk Art Contest throughout downtown. Registration located at the corner of School & Main Streets.
Spirit of the Motif: a wandering dramatic presentation throughout downtown.
11 am & 11:30 am
Puppet Show by Adventures with Amy at The Paper Mermaid on Main Street.
12 noon – 1 pm
Back Bay Brass Quintet at the Shalin Liu Performance Center. Sponsored by Rockport Music. Concert is free, tickets on a first-come, first-served basis.
12 noon – 2 pm
Photography Reception at the Rockport Art Association. Enjoy this opportunity to the photographers behind the juried work of the RAA at this free reception.
1 pm – 3 pm
Nat Simpkins Band New Orleans Jazz & Blues with Henri Smith.
1 pm – 4 pm
Face-painting with artist Kristine Karvelas in Harvey Park
12 noon
Merrimac Valley Rounders in Dock Square. A lively mix of bluegrass standards & originals.
2 pm
Film: The Fish Shack Float That Charmed Chicago at The Old Firehouse Trust. Click HERE for movie trailer.
The Rockport Legion Band in Harvey Park. Click HERE for Band information.
2pm & 2:30 pm
Puppet Show by Adventures with Amy at The Paper Mermaid on Main Street
4 pm
Sidewalk Chalk Contest Winners announced in Dock Square
3 pm – 5 pm
Soul Force V in Dock Square. A fantastic blend of funk, soul & jazz.
4 pm – 4:45 pm
Words Before Dinner Poetry Event at the Old Firehouse Trust. Original poems inspired by life on Cape Ann.
6:30 pm
Festival Finale: Vintage Rockport on Film with Twin Lights tonic at the Old Firehouse Trust (provided courtesy of the Twin Lights Beverage Co.). Twin Lights t-shirts will be available as well!
The first person who goes to the information booth at Motif #1 Day and mentions the free poster as part of Good Morning Gloucester will be able to take home this Folly Cove Designers Print!
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
Eat for a good Cause!
We all need to eat, so why not eat for a good cause? Come to Ellen’s Harborside Restaurant on historic T-Wharf this Thursday, May 19th for a DineAround fundraiser and 20% of the proceeds from your meal will go to support the programming for Motif No. 1 Day & HarvestFest. This is a great way to begin the Motif No. 1 Day festival weekend which kicks off the next night in downtown Rockport. Rockport Festivals (in charge of Motif No. 1 Day & HarvestFest) is run by community volunteers and funded entirely through community sponsorship, so this event will go a long way toward making the festivals happen. Many thanks to the Inns of Rockport & the Rockport Chamber of Commerce for sponsoring the DineAround and to Ellen’s for hosting it.
Spread The GMG Love By Sharing With These Buttons:
Motif No. 1 Movie PREMIER!
Good Morning Gloucester 