My View of Life on the Dock
Some photos from the show Writing Mothers Workshop hosted at the Lanesville Community Center this past Saturday.
Maternal Garments: What Mothers Wear was a mixed media exhibition that addressed the many layers of “clothing” mothers wear and the meaning and cultural context entwined within those garments. This exhibition was a collaboration between words and fabric.
Dear Friends,
What an adventure the Blue Plant Live shoot has been – it’s been an absolutely amazing experience for the SnotBot team and it’s Snot over yet (😉)! EarBot is live this Sunday (show #4) at 20:00 GMT on BBC 1 BBC Blue Planet Live. If you missed the SnotBot show (# 2) I will let you know how and when you can see a non-live version, it is coming to BBC America and other media outlets.
BBC did have some transmission issues during our live shoot, but I take my hat off to the whole team. I have been told that this was the biggest live production that the BBC have ever done. To give you an on location perspective of this undertaking, there are 33 people in the BBC Baja team, 3 people in the helicopter team, 3 local small boats and drivers and of course the 3 person SnotBot team (missing Miller). Grand total 42 people!!! Clearly shooting a live show is far more complicated than a regular documentary. I think that the BBC “The Equator from the Air” (still to be released) production team who joined us in Gabon West Africa had a total of 6 people.
The 42 people were broken down into 7 different crews;
Typically I lead with expedition logistics, so it is hard for me to express how much of a pleasure it was to watch others doing this job and doing it so well. However you cut it, managing 42 people in the field is a logistical nightmare and the fact that they kept pulling off the impossible was amazing.
My wife can tell you I am not a morning person, well I guess my future is not in live TV. For two days in a row we had to be at breakfast at 5:00 am and on the live day 4:30 am. We did get to see some more spectacular sunrises at sea though and the shore scenery was always spectacular.
There was rehearsal day before the live segment, not just for our location but for all of the different connections between the two other live teams and the studio in London. I take my hat off to Chris Packham, his ability to remember boat loads of facts and then eloquently reiterate them on demand-live was quite phenomenal. For those of you who missed the live SnotBot show, the satellite uplinks were not kind to me. Chris Packham introduced me as one of his favorite scientist’s and then we lost the uplink. Andy had a great segment on the science and data later in the show so we are all good. If you get a chance please watch the show, in the meantime, (spoiler alert) we did find a couple of blue whales on the live day but they were out of the satellite uplink range so no Snot collection live, but they ended the show with a cut to a Snot collection we made during the live rehearsal. I like to think that we did collect blue whale Snot live but it was only watched by the producers in London & the Baja team. In one of those bizarre situations it turns out that the sample we collected during the live rehearsal is the most productive blue whale snot sample we have collected to date. Andy said that the liquid was so gummy that he had a hard time sucking it up with the micro pipette. I have attached the actual snot collection video short that appeared during the show to this e mail.
The Sea of Cortez is one of my favorite places to work, every day on the water held new and different wildlife encounters. Chris Packham quoted Jacques Cousteau who called the Sea of Cortez “The Aquarium of the Pacific.” I have run sperm, humpback, blue and grey whale expeditions here. When you are out on the water there is always enormous biodiversity, from concentrated bait balls of fish that attracts all sorts of wildlife including diving birds, to Mantas, turtles, dolphins, whales and whale sharks and so on.
I have attached a few photos of the team working and some amazing Sea of Cortez wildlife, apologies that I don’t have the capacity at this time to label them all. Of course we missed our good friend Christian Miller, but Andy and the rest of the team stepped up to the plate with the attached photos. I have included a couple of lunch break photos that I thought were fun.
I am still staggering a bit from a lack of sleep so I hope that you will bear with my usual erroneous writing and grammar. We have just flown south to our next location and we will be out on the water tomorrow and Sunday following and listening to Humpback whales and flying EarBot (LIVE).
I want to end by applauding the BBC Blue Planet Live team again, what an incredible effort. At dinner one night the director said that the goal of this show was to be ambitious and push boundaries, they did than and the some!
The Ocean Alliance Drones for Whale Research Program continues….. One more show to go but well done team Blue Planet live!!
Best Fishes
Iain
Iain Kerr
Published reports broaching the merger surfaced in September 2018. Now it’s an official merger under the Trustees.
BREAKING NEWS: The residents of Lincoln have voted to approve The Trustees integration with the deCordova Sculpture Park & Museum, adding another special place to our properties!
The deCordova–along with its nearly 30 acres of beautiful landscapes and internationally acclaimed collection of more than 3,400 objects–will be a unique cultural site for The Trustees, and furthers our mission to connect people to inspiring places.
The town of Lincoln continues to retain ownership of its lands (most of the property) after this integration.
Continue reading “museum news: Trustees adds deCordova Sculpture Park & Museum to its properties”
The application process for the 2019 Grants is currently under way, with applications due May 1st. All made possible by the proceeds from the Cape Ann License Plate. This year we will award $15,000
In the last two years we have awarded $24,000 to local nonprofits and education initiatives. Action, Inc was delighted to receive one of the first in 2017 to support their Healthcare Career Pathways Program. The grant was uses to cover the cost of supplies for students to complete training. Materials required included things like scrubs, text books, medical supplies all used for training. As a results three unemployed individuals obtained employment. Twelve others increased their income as a result of the training.
All of this was made possible because you take the time to order a Cape Ann License Plate at Lovecapeann.com So take the time today and show your love and pride in our Cape Ann Community.
OPERATION: SAFE + BOAT
USCG STATION GLOUCESTER
When: 18 May 2019 Time: 10:00am to 2:00pm
Where: 7 Harbor Loop Gloucester
Come experience and explore the Mission of Station Gloucester’s
First Responders
• Live Helicopter Search & Rescue Demonstration
• A Free Lunch provided by the Station
• K-9 Teams and Demo
• Signal Flare Demos (Drop off your expired flares)
• Boating Classes and Vessel Safety Check information
• Try on Safety Gear
• Search and Rescue Boat Tours
• Live Band
• Health and Well Being Booths
• Beverly Dive Team
• NOAA
• Special Appearance by “Coastie”
Rain Date May 25th
Jason Burroughs Goetemann Artist Residency 2019 – Gloucester Invitational Artist month of May opening talk May 6th
Whether as sculptor, painter, muralist, mixed media or assemblage fine artist, Gloucester-born Jason Burroughs works across media with a signature touch. Can’t wait to see what happens from this residency. Follow him on Instagram- he’s been doing a weekly sketch on his instagram page @jazzyjburroughs
Ever since I saw his inventive stepped paintings pre 2017, I wonder what would Jason do here-
2017 – inventive sculpture paintings stepped away from flat and vertical surfaces
or just about anywhere! I’ve written about the monumental walls at O’Maley ideal for professionally trained artists that are former Gloucester O’Maley grads–like Jason– at the start of their careers. Murals are common public art attractions. To date I have not seen one mural initiative with that focus. Clandenstine street art and graffiti art can break through. (Some practitioners are diametrically opposed to that commercial conceit.) Elite global street artists and muralists command hundreds of thousands of dollars through private and corporate sponsorships. Commissions this scale for young artists with degrees begin at $16,000. That’s a great our town endeavor/grant investment.
Read about the Parsons Street murals (wall) here.
Established in 2015, this one month residency is offered by committee invitation to an inspiring and highly deserving Gloucester artist. It is understood that artistic inspiration can be difficult to attain when work and family take precedence. The artist is provided with a live-work studio for one month. Read more here about Goetemann juried and invitational artist residencies
The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck is open Thursday-Sunday. Seasonal Hours are: June through August 12-6pm, September through May 12-4pm.
Gallery 53 at Rocky Neck, 53 Rocky Neck Avenue is open seasonally May – October, seven days a week, 11am-6pm, Thurs-Sat until 8pm.
Visit www.rockyneckartcolony.org for more information.
I took a ride toward Wingaersheek Beach and spotted two egrets dining in the marsh. I was so happy to see them again, I had to pull over and take these pictures. I noticed the prominent green coloring near the eyes and found out later that this is a sign of their breeding season. If I had known that sooner, I would have put the camera away for their privacy!
Join Feather & Wedge for brunch and enjoy acoustic duo Chris + Joe (Chris Langathianos and Joe Wilkins), a Cape Ann-based duo with deep roots in the Greater Boston music scene! These two are known for their tight harmonies, thoughtful songs, and engaging banter. Joe, a multi-instrumentalist, expert songwriter, and producer, teamed up with vocalist and producer, Langathianos, 7 years ago, and have continued to capture audiences with their easy and melodic, yet diverse, style and approachable sets.
Reservations suggested! 978.999.5917
Sunday, March 31
10:30 – 2:30 PM
The East Gloucester 5th Grade performance of Alice in Wonderland is this weekend!
Three shows to choose from: 6 pm Friday, 2pm Saturday and 6pm Monday.
Tickets $7 each. Buy in advance (reserved seating) or at the door
Don’t be late for this very important date!
Following the exhibit Cape Ann Through Artists’ Eyes-
Once Upon a Contest: Selections from Cape Ann Reads is coming to Manchester!
PDF here: Once upon a Contest – Manchester postcard
Printable flyers from the Manchester Historical Museum
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Press release specific to Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass. (March 2019) –
About the Once Upon a Contest 2019 travel show
Once Upon a Contest showcases award-winning children’s books by Cape Ann artists & writers. This group show based on the Cape Ann Reads 2017 Gulliver, Honor and Medal Books was made possible with support from the Bruce J Anderson Foundation | The Boston Fund and organzied and circulated by curator, Catherine Ryan. Acclaimed children’s book author-illustrators Pat Lowery Collins, Giles Laroche and Anna Vojtech joined librarians and Bob Ritchie, Dogtown Books proprietor, on the 9 member jury panel. The Tree in Dock Square by Jean Woodbury and illustrated by Bonnie L. Sylvester is the first Cape Ann Reads Medal book. The show opened on December 18, 2018. Following its launch at the Cape Ann Museum in Gloucester, Massachusetts, the exhibition will tour the four communities of Cape Ann throughout 2019.
Visitors will find picture books created by traditional author-illustrators (individuals who create both text and illustrations), friends and family pairings, repeat partnerships, volunteer matches, self-taught and master artists, storytellers, published authors, and educators. For a few, inclusion in this show will mark their debut display at a museum. The works on view range from preliminary mock ups and unfinished pages to final published illustrations for original books. They cover diverse themes and points of view and provide glimpses into stories and methodologies. The exhibition will include a reading nook for visitors of all ages. Each venue for Once Upon a Contest: Selections from Cape Ann Reads will feature new site-specific, temporary public art. Bonnie L. Sylvester created the first work for the debut at Cape Ann Museum, an immersive wrap around mural.
In Manchester the show will feature new work by Leslie Galacar. Galacar’s installation will offer an experience based on discovery of a series of separate elements, reinforcing a larger theme of the show in that it’s best experienced by returning many times. There’s so much to take in! Leslie Galacar illustrated “Where in the World is Catherine Abigail,” a whimsical and humorous verse narrative about the dreamy world traveling adventures of a young girl written by Michael LaPenna. Galacar moved to Manchester after years of residing, working and raising her family in Gloucester and Ipswich. She paints and illustrates every day and sells her own line of cards and wares.
A special family program has been planned for April 13. “Seaside Saturdays” is a monthly collaboration between the Manchester Historical Museum, the Library and Early Childhood Partners serving area families with craft activities and story time built around a theme. April will be all about Cape Ann Reads. “We are planning to do a book-making activity, of course” explains Carol Bender, Head of Youth Services for Manchester-by-the-Sea Public Library, and Cape Ann Reads juror. “We are delighted to use this special Once Upon a Contest exhibit and share the show with families! Our guest-reader for the story portion of the program is Juni VanDyke who illustrated the If I were series written by James McKenna.” The two books included in the exhibit introduce young children to many North American and African safari animals. VanDyke is a Manchester resident, fine artist and Director of the Arts program at Rose Baker Senior Center in Gloucester. Continue reading “From Manchester Historical Museum | Once Upon a Contest Cape Ann reads opens April 6th!”
Manchester Historical Museum Cape Ann Through Artists’ Eyes show closes tomorrow
Closing reception – Saturday March 30 from 10AM-1PM
We have a definite female joining our male! On Monday when I first spotted a pair of PiPls on the beach, I think I mistook them for a male and female because one was doing a kind of torpedo-like run, and the other was following behind. This behavior is often followed by nest scraping. I think what we actually saw was one male establishing his territory over the other male. Since Monday (Tuesday through Thursday), only one singular male has been seen foraging at Good Harbor Beach.
This morning my daughter Liv and I went to check on the little male and a beach goer gave us a heads up that she had seen two. Liv spotted the pair in the tide flats and they were most clearly a male and a female. The two were at any one time only several feet apart, foraging in the tidal zone and preening on the shore, primarily in front of the nesting No. 3 area. There were a bunch of dogs off leash, despite it being an on leash day, and there were several dogs on leash, too.
Will these two that are currently at Good Harbor Beach stay and mate and nest? Will we have more Piping Plover pairs join the scene (as did last year)? Will we have troubles with a “Bachleor” again? It’s still so early in the season and I sure am excited to see what lies ahead!
The following photos, of the pair currently at Good Harbor, were taken this morning in the rain, and despite the dreary light, clearly show the difference between male and female Piping Plovers. I am eventually going to redo this post with photos from a sunny day because it will be even easier to tell the difference.
Click the images to view larger and more easily see the difference.
Female Piping Plover, left, male Piping Plover, right
During the courting and nesting season, the female’s crescent-shaped head band is paler in color than the male’s jet black head band. The male’s collar band is usually darker and larger, too, often completely circling the neck. Typically, the male’s bill is a brighter, deeper color orange at the base than the female’s.
Female Piping PLover, left, male Piping Plover, right.
It’s very easy to tell the difference during courtship and mating because of behaviors exhibited and I’ll post more about that in the coming months.
There are exceptions to this general rule of thumb–sometimes a female will have darker shading and sometimes the male will be paler.
By the end of the summer, the coloring of both male and female becomes paler and it is much more challenging to see the difference between males and females.
Good Harbor Beach on a sunny day earlier this week.
March 29, 2019
An explosive invasion of green crabs is an ecological catastrophe in the making in four neighboring towns on the Massachusetts coast in RECIPE FOR DISASTER directed by Nubar Alexanian. SFF program director Jeff Schmidt caught up with Alexanian ahead of the short film’s World Premiere as part of Shorts Block D at the National Park Service’s Salem Visitor Center on Sunday, March 31 at 10am.
Jeff Schmidt: You have been working as a documentary filmmaker for over 40 years, what are some of the past films you have worked on that have inspired you to carry on all of these years?
Nubar Alexanian: I’m very fond of the expression: “It’s not what calls you. It’s what keeps you.” There is no shortage of compelling stories out there waiting & wanting to be told and some of them just grab hold of you and won’t let go. This is what happened with RECIPE FOR DISASTER. It quickly became a film I had to make because it’s about a catastrophe in the making that is happening in my neighborhood. Also, my daughter and I have been working on a feature length documentary film since 2011 currently called SCARS OF SILENCE: Three Generations From Genocide, about the affects of the Armenian Genocide on our family. This certainly keeps me going…and often keeps me awake at night.
CALLING ALL CHEFS is one of my favorite short docs because it’s about the importance of the food we eat and the main character, chef Paolo Laboa, was a spectacular subject. So, for me, inspiration has always come from connection to the subject.
JS: How did you come to learn of the Green Crab?
NA: I’ve lived in the marshes of Cape Ann for a long time as a photographer and avid striped bass fisherman. So I know these marshes very well. However, in June of 2017 I heard about the explosion of the green crab population and was stunned that I had not heard about it before. How could this be? How bad was it? Like many documentary filmmakers, producing a film is a way of educating myself about a subject and finishing the film is a way of sharing what I’ve learned.
RECIPE FOR DISASTER screens as part of Shorts Block D at the National Park Service’s Salem Visitor Center on Sunday, March 31 at 10am – FREE ADMISSION:https://salemfilmfest.com/2019/programs/shorts-block-d/
This weekend! Saturday, March 30th, from 4-8pm and Sunday, March 31st, from 1-4pm, the Artist Studios at 196 Main Street are hosting a Pop-Up Show, showcasing handcrafted fine jewelry, photography and paintings. Artists Chloe Leigh Designs, Vanessa Michalak, & Katherine Richmond
Please join them on their opening night, Saturday March 30th,for light refreshments.
Ever wonder what happens to all of the cigarettes our Sidewalk Buttlers collect? TerraCycle composts the paper and cotton, and the plastics are melted down and repurposed into new items like park benches! Read more about how it works here:
Volunteers empty approximately 4,000 butts per month from these receptacles. Combined with the butts they collect from beach cleanup events, they have collected more than 270,000 butts in a little over two years, according to Juli Marciel, Surfrider’s coordinator for the program.
Volunteers put these collected butts into boxes with postage-paid labels supplied by Terracycle, a company recycling a wide variety of products.
This bench in Ventura is made from recycled cigarette butts and has a memorial plaque for Paul Herzog, Surfrider’s Ocean Friendly Gardens coordinator. (Photo: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/LARS DAVENPORT)
Good Morning Gloucester 