Gloucester Education Foundation’s Annual Arts Festival on display at Sawyer Free Library – come see the community’s young artists’ talent and creativity!

The Sawyer Free Library has partnered with the Gloucester Education Foundation for the Gloucester Public School Arts Festival 2021 which showcases the artwork of local students from kindergarten through high school.

The community’s young artists’ talent and creativity is front and center for all to enjoy at the Library located at 2 Dale Avenue in Gloucester now through June 5, 2021.

Gloucester Education Foundation’s Annual Arts Festival has kicked off in the Library’s Matz Gallery with a display of works by Gloucester High School seniors and Honors Art students, Advanced classes in Sculpture and Clay Work, and Advanced Photography.

Photo by Kyle Clifford, GHS Senior on display in Matz Gallery at Sawyer Free Library

Then, Wednesday, June 2 – Saturday, June 5, 2021, the community is invited to enjoy a special video compilation produced by the Gloucester Education featuring artwork by students of all ages, kindergarten through high school.

The video, which local filmmaker Stephen Brock generously produced, will be shown Library’s big screen on the first floor as well as in the Children’s room through the day during regular Library hours. The video will also be available to view on GEF’s website, thinkthebest.org beginning on June 6th.

Hearts created by students at Beeman Elementary School

For more information about the Gloucester Education Foundation Art’s Festival, visit thinkthebest.org and for information on the Library, go to sawyerfreelibrary.org.

Slice of Cake by GHS Senior, Aryana Moreno on display at Matz Gallery at Sawyer Free Library

Gloucester Literary and Art Trivia Night hosted by the Sawyer Free Library

How much do you know about the of Gloucester? The Sawyer Free Library wants to know! Join the Local History Librarian, Jacklyn Linsky, for a night of Gloucester Trivia focused on the community’s rich literary and art history.

Register here as a team or by yourself, all are welcomed. Community teams are encouraged!

If you have any questions please feel free to email Jacklyn at jlinsky@sawyerfreelibrary.org.  Zoom link will be provided.

For more information about this and other great community programs offered by the Sawyer Free Library visit, sawyerfreelibrary.org.

Gloucester Lyceum kicks off a new monthly series: Exercises for the Quiet Eye with Annie Storr this Saturday, Jan 23

This Saturday, January 23 the Sawyer Free Library’s GLOUCESTER LYCEUM will kick off a new monthly virtual series “Exercises for the Quiet Eye” presented by art historian and museum educator, Annie Storr. This interactive, creative program is designed to open the moment when someone can fully see the art in front of them. It aims to suspend attention, to quiet the drive to “figure out” and “move on.”

Storr developed “Exercises for the Quiet Eye” to encourage patient reflection, appreciation, and an attempt to avoid the rush to understand, or determine a set interpretation for what we see. It guides participants to use art to embrace ambiguity, intellectual exploration, and personal reflection.

This special virtual program will take place from 2-4pm on Saturdays: January 23, February 27, March 27, April 24 and May 22

Please be sure to register to join and receive the Zoom link.

Cape Ann Museum launches “Virtual Vault” lecture series and more stay-at-home activities during temporary closure

Cape Ann Museum Logo

Virtual programming from the Museum’s exhibition lectures, educational programs, and archives offers at-home opportunities during closing for COVID-19

Cape Ann Museum Video Vault

GLOUCESTER, MASS. (May 20, 2020)Although the Cape Ann Museum is closed temporarily during the pandemic to protect staff and visitors, there are many rich opportunities to experience the Museum virtually with a new initiative called CAM Video Vault, which features 60 lectures, programs, and archival material dating back to 1992.

The wide range of offerings include exhibition and program lectures by curators, artists, community leaders, educators, and others. Featuring discussions about past museum exhibitions, well-known artists with Cape Ann roots, natural environments and habitats around Cape Ann, as well as the region’s maritime history all 60 programs are accessible via the Museum’s website.

To help at-home educators and parents looking for a variety of online resources for their children, the Museum is also adding educational content from its robust programs, using art and the region’s history as the basis for art-making activities, reading adventures, and virtual tours and experiences. From the Museum archives and library, there is also now online content called “Stories from the Stacks.”

For more information about the exhibition and related programming, please visit the Museum’s website www.capeannmuseum.org.

The Cape Ann Museum has been in existence since the 1870s, working to preserve and celebrate the history and culture of the area and to keep it relevant to today’s audiences. Spanning 44,000 square feet, the Museum is one of the major cultural institutions on Boston’s North Shore welcoming more than 25,000 local, national and international visitors each year to its exhibitions and programs. In addition to fine art, the Museum’s collections include decorative art, textiles, artifacts from the maritime and granite industries, three historic homes, a Library & Archives and a sculpture park in the heart of downtown Gloucester. In June 2021, the Museum will open a new 12,000-square-foot collection storage and public exhibition space in Gloucester as part of its Cape Ann Museum Green campus. The campus includes three historic buildings – the White Ellery House (1710), an adjacent Barn (c. 1740), and the recently acquired Babson-Alling House (c.1740) which are located on the site at the intersection of Washington and Poplar Streets in Gloucester.  Visit capeannmuseum.org for details.

The Cape Ann Museum is located at 27 Pleasant Street in Gloucester. While temporarily closed due the COVID-19 pandemic, regular 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 $12.00 adults, $10.00 Cape Ann residents, seniors and students. Youth (under 18) and Museum members are free. Cape Ann residents can visit for free on the second Saturday of each month.  For more information please call: (978)283-0455 x10. Additional information can be found online at www.capeannmuseum.org.

For a detailed media fact sheet please visit www.capeannmuseum.org/press.

 

 

Cape Ann Museum plans illuminated message on new campus to pay tribute to city, front line workers during pandemic

IMG950196

Rendering Courtesy of Harbor Voices Public Art

GLOUCESTER, MASS. (May 7, 2020) – In an effort to boost the city’s spirits during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cape Ann Museum is presenting a CAM Contemporary exhibition involving the projection of an illuminated multilingual message on the nights of May 6 to 8, 2020, saying “Thank You Frontline Heroes.” The installation is called “In Gratitude.”

“We know many of our neighbors, friends, and families are struggling at this time of social distancing, isolation, and anxiety around health and financial concerns from the coronavirus,” said Museum Director Oliver Barker. “We want to send a message of solidarity, gratitude and hope to our community.”

This “Thank You Frontline Heroes” illumination planned for the side of the White-Ellery Barn at the Cape Ann Museum Green, 245 Washington Street in Gloucester, was created by Stephanie Terelak Benenson, a North Shore artist and founder of the nonprofit, Harbor Voices Public Art. The projection will take place from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. on Wed. May 6 to Friday, May 8. The message itself will be in several languages – Portugese, Spanish, Italian, and English – and is dedicated to the COVID-19 crisis’s frontline responders such as nurses, doctors, hospital staff and administrators, delivery, teachers, grocery personnel, and the many non-profits supporting our community at this time.

This projection is sponsored by LuminArtz Communications Ink., as part of the “Light Up the Night” series that is bringing rays of light into the community during the pandemic. The group will preview the installation on Luminartz’s Facebook Live event on Wed. May 6 at 9 p.m. Visit harborvoices.com or action@harborvoices.com for more details.

Unlike the Museum’s other events and with a view to current social distancing requirements at present this pop-up projection of thanks is not meant to be attended in person. It is strategically placed and timed for workers to notice when driving home.

Visit capeannmuseum.org for more details.

————————————————————————————————————————

The Cape Ann Museum has been in existence since the 1870s, working to preserve and celebrate the history and culture of the area and to keep it relevant to today’s audiences. Spanning 44,000 square feet, the Museum is one of the major cultural institutions on Boston’s North Shore welcoming more than 25,000 local, national and international visitors each year to its exhibitions and programs. In addition to fine art, the Museum’s collections include decorative art, textiles, artifacts from the maritime and granite industries, three historic homes, a Library & Archives and a sculpture park in the heart of downtown GloucesterIn June 2021, the Museum will open a new 12,000-square-foot collection storage and public exhibition space in Gloucester as part of its Cape Ann Museum Green campus. The campus will also include three historic buildings – the White Ellery House (1710), an adjacent Barn (c. 1740), and the recently acquired Babson-Alling House (c.1740) which are located on the site at the intersection of Washington and Poplar Streets in Gloucester.  Visit capeannmuseum.org for details.

The Cape Ann Museum is located at 27 Pleasant Street in Gloucester. While temporarily closed due the COVID-19 pandemic, Regular 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 $12.00 adults, $10.00 Cape Ann residents, seniors and students. Youth (under 18) and Museum members are free. Cape Ann residents can visit for free on the second Saturday of each month.  For more information please call: (978)283-0455 x10. Additional information can be found online at www.capeannmuseum.org.

For a detailed media fact sheet please visit www.capeannmuseum.org/press.

MEDIA CONTACTS:          

Diana Brown McCloy
Teak Media

(978) 978-697-9414
Diana@teakmedia.com

Meredith Anderson
meredithanderson@capeannmuseum.org
(978) 283-0455 x15

Happy 269th birthday, Judith Sargent!

🎂 Happy Birthday, Judith! John Singleton Copley’s oil portrait of early American women’s rights advocate and Gloucester native, Judith Sargent Murray, circa 1770-72, captures the 18 year old Judith in an alluring Turquerie costume, which is believed to belong to the artist. In spite of the sensuous, fluid garments, there is no mistaking Judith’s steely and determined gaze. This is a woman of power!

To celebrate Judith’s birthday, another young Gloucester woman recreates Copley’s original portrait, capturing both the sensual and determined spirit of the original subject. Please celebrate with us by sharing your own interpretation of this stunning portrait on social media and using #JudithSargentOnCanvas!

Learn more about Judith and her life in Gloucester at www.sargenthouse.org.

Thanks to model Natalie Zaffiro and photographer Nick Zaffiro!

Friday, April 5th: the GLOUCESTER MEETINGHOUSE FOUNDATION presents ‘MASTERPIECE,’ an a cappella concert by the SKYLARK VOCAL ENSEMBLE

The internationally acclaimed a cappella choir Skylark will perform a program called ‘Masterpiece’ at 7:00pm with a 6:00pm pre-concert talk on Friday, April 5th in the historic (1806) Gloucester Meetinghouse at the corner of Middle and Church Streets.  A reception to celebrate the performers follows the concert.

Over the centuries, art has inspired music, and music has inspired art. In this innovative multi-faceted program, Skylark will offer musical reflections and reactions to the visual arts from the ancient to the modern.

Skylark’s program will pair a specific piece of art with a particular musical composition from the same time period. Beginning with watercolors and music by Felix Mendelssohn and Hugo Alfvén, the program will progress through the impressionists Renoir and Monet – paired with music by Ravel and Debussy – to art and music of good friends Pablo Picasso and Francis Poulenc.

From Picasso, Skylark will introduce audiences to the work of Adolf Wölfli, from the Art Brut style. Wölfli was a prolific artist during his long residence in the Waldau Clinic, a psychiatric hospital in Bern – Skylark will pair his art with Wiegen-Lied, music by Per Nørgård, and lyrics by Adolf Wölfli.

Contemporary composer James MacMillan’s beautiful The Gallant Weaver recalls elegant Celtic knot work designs found in the Book of Kells.

Skylark was nominated this year for 2 Grammy Awards and is known for a sublime blend of classically trained voices with perfect pitch, exquisite dynamics and a broad range of repertoire.

This is Skylark’s debut performance in the Gloucester Meetinghouse, offering North Shore music lover’s a top-tier concert choir experience close to home.  Comprised of some of the most distinguished classical vocal soloists from around the country, Skylark’s singers have joined together to create a tour de force a cappella ensemble that thrills audiences with their dynamic range, rhythmic prowess, and sheer beauty of sound.

Tickets available at the door and online at

http://www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org

Preferred                  $45

General                     $30

Students                   $10 with ID

12 & Under              Free

No one turned away for lack of funds; just ask at the entrance desk.  Note: side entrance with elevator available at 10 Church Street.

Skylark Photo_1

Skylark has quickly become one of the premier recording choirs in the United States, earning accolades from critics at home and abroad, including Gramophone, Classics Today, the BBC, and Limelight Magazine (Australia).  Skylark’s most recent three recordings have all placed in the top 10 of the Billboard Traditional Classical Chart.  Award-winning CDs include ‘Forgotten Dreams’ (2014), ‘Crossing Over’ (2016), ‘Winter’s Night’ (2017), and ‘Seven Words from the Cross (2018).

Please join us for this rare musical feast!

 

The Orchestra on the Hill Chamber Ensemble performs ‘Bach and Beyond’ in the historic Gloucester Meetinghouse

‘Bach and Beyond’ will take you on a musical journey around and through the genius of Johann Sebastian Bach.

In the first half, soak in the serene exultation of Trumpet Concerto No. 2 by Tomaso Giovani Albinoni to gain an understanding of why this popular composer was so intriguing to Bach.  Next, venture onward to Bach’s vibrantly fast-paced Orchestral Suite No. 2 with haunting melodies for the flute.  Then hold on your seat for Bach’s powerful Prelude and Fugue (“the Wedge”) in E minor for organ solo played by Jeffrey Mead on the mighty 1893 Hutchings-Fisk pipe organ.

In the second half you will meander forward in time to Mozart’s exquisite Clarinet and String Quintet, in which Bach’s influence runs through like a golden thread. And finally we return to Bach for his glorious and brilliant Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, a musical challenge for the whole ensemble including harpsichord and famous for it’s trumpet fanfare, to complete the journey.

TICKETS ONLINE OR AT THE DOOR – cash, check or credit card

Preferred                  $45 (front center 3 rows & rear gallery front row)

General                     $30

Students                   $10 with ID

12 & Under              Free

LOCATION AND MORE INFORMATION

The Gloucester Meetinghouse (home of the Unitarian Universalist Church) is located on the green at the corner of Church and Middle Streets.  Event parking is allowed on the green and is available at other parking lots nearby and on the street in the Historic District.  An elevator up to the Sanctuary level is available from the side entrance at 10 Church Street.

For advance ticket purchases and more information please visit www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org

March 16, 2019 Bach and Beyond Concert, Poster, Final Version

‘The Americas, Land of Many Cultures,’ a choral concert by Albany Pro Musica and Camerata Coral from Puerto Rico

Saturday March 2nd 2019 at 3:30pm in the Gloucester Meetinghouse, corner of Church and Middle Streets

March 2, 2019 THE AMERICAS, LAND OF MANY CULTURES Concert PosterA festive choral concert in English and Spanish celebrating the diversity of the Americas presented by the Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation

The Americas, Land of Many Cultures. Distinctive harmonies and thrilling rhythms sung by two great choral ensembles will transport you in a journey celebrating diversity, multiculturalism, inclusiveness, and acceptance; the values that hold the Americas strong.

Puerto Rican chorus Camerata Coral join’s Albany Pro Musica Concert Chorus in homage to the musical heritage of the New World, featuring evocative music from North and South America and the Caribbean.

$45 Preferred, $30 General, $10 Students with ID, Under 12 free – Note: no one turned away due to lack of funds.  Tickets at the door or in advance with more information at http://www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org

PROGRAM

Albany Pro Musica: CANADA
Ambe by Andrew Balfour (b.1967)
I Lost my Talk by Jeff Enns (b.1972)
Come Home
by Donna Rhodenizer (b.1961)
Snow Song
by Trent Worthington (b.1963)

Camerata Coral: LATIN AMERICA 
La flor de la canela, Chabuca Granda (1920-1983), arr. Luis Craff (Perú)
Soy pan, soy paz, soy más, letra: Luis Ramón Igarzábal música:Piero, arr. Julio Barragán Saucedo (Argentina) 
Bésame mucho
, Consuelo Velázquez (1916-2005), arr. Julio Morales (México)
Hoy mi Habana, José Antonio Quesada (b. 1960), arr. Ernesto Herrera (Cuba) 
Cantos de Quisqueya
, arr. Juan Tony Guzmán (Dominican Republic)

Intermission

Albany Pro Musica: USA
By and By by Carol Barnett (b.1949)
Sure on this Shinning Night by Morten Lauridsen (b.1943)
From a Railway Carriage
by Steve Murray (b.1939)
A Jubilant Song
by Norman Dello Joio (1913-2008)

Camerata Coral: PUERTO RICO
Piel canela, Bobby Capó (1922-1989), arr. Rubén Colón-Tarrats
Nave sin rumbo, Syvia Rexach (1022-1961), arr. Javier Asencio
Cedro abajo, Modesto Nieves (b.1951), arr. Jesús Ernesto Ochoa
Creo en Dios, Tony Croatto (1940-2005), arr. Eduardo Sarmiento Toledo
Homenaje a Maelo
, Bobby Capó y Tite Curet Alonso (1926-2003), arr. Jesós Ernesto Ochoa

FINALE Choirs combined
Borinquen, Edmundo Disdier (1927-2016), arr. Rubén Colón-Tarrats 
We Can Mend the Sky
by Jake Runestad

The concert concludes with both choirs combined in the poignant call to love by celebrated American composer Jake Runestad. We Can Mend the Sky’s lyrics are based on a poem by an immigrant from Somalia and two Somali proverbs:

In my dream I saw
A world free of violence, hunger, suffering
A World filled with love
Now awake in this world
I beg, let my dream come true
If we come together, we can mend the sky.

The Musicians of the Old Post Road ‘Christmas with the Bach Family’

The Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation presents The Musicians of the Old Post Road concert ‘Christmas with the Bach Family’ on Friday, December 14, 7:30pm

The Musicians of the Old Post Road, a renowned New England chamber music ensemble consisting of violin, viola, cello, flute and harpsichord, will perform seasonal works of Johann Sebastian Bach and other composers of the Bach family with distinguished vocal soloists in the historic (1806) Gloucester Meetinghouse at the corner of Middle and Church Street.  The ensemble is joined in this concert by soprano Jessica Petrus, mezzo-soprano Catherine Hedberg, tenor Jonas Budris, and baritone Bradford Gleim.

For their 3rd season in the Meetinghouse they will present a banquet of Bach works for the holidays including Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach’s rarely-performed and delightful oratorio Die Kindheit Jesu, along with a sumptuous sampling of arias from Christmas cantatas by Bach brothers Carl Philipp Emanuel and Wilhelm Friedemann, cousin Johann Ludwig, and of course, Johann Sebastian Bach.

Founded by Artistic Directors Suzanne Stumpf and Daniel Ryan, the ensemble takes its name from its acclaimed concert series, originally entitled Old Post Road Historic Concerts, begun in 1989. The concert series brings period instrument performances to historical buildings like the Gloucester Meetinghouse.

oldpost1                                                                                 photo: Cynthia Smith

TICKETS AVAILABLE ONLINE OR AT THE DOOR – cash, check or credit card

Preferred                  $45 (orchestra first 3 rows & gallery first 2 rows)

General                     $30 (open seating, come early for best locations)

Students                   $10 with ID

12 & Under              Free

LOCATION AND MORE INFORMATION

The Gloucester Meetinghouse (home of the Unitarian Universalist Church) is located on the green at the corner of Church and Middle Street.  Event parking is allowed on the green, entered between the stone pillars on Middle Street, and is available on-street and at other parking lots nearby in the Historic District.

For persons who are mobility impaired an elevator up to the Sanctuary level is available from the side entrance at 10 Church Street.  If unable to pay, limited free tickets are available; email requests to info@gloucestermeetinghouse.org

Read the feature article about this concert by Gail McCarthy in the Gloucester Daily Times:

https://www.gloucestertimes.com/news/local_news/special-bach-concert-benefits-meetinghouse/article_c9ed790f-66ba-59d5-be73-a5dcd7a7578f.html

For advance ticket purchases and more information please visit www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org

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