Poetry In Music
A Group Exhibit of Vermont Artists in Support of the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival
Frog Hollow Craft Gallery August, 2014
Poetry in Music
A Group Exhibit of Vermont Artists in Support of the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival August 2014 Frog Hollow Gallery Burlington, VT
Curated by Frederick Noonan
Frog Hollow Craft Association Inc FROG HOLLOW IS DEDICATED TO THE EXPOSURE AND APPRECIATION OF VERMONT FINE ART AND CRAFT. THROUGH SALES, EXHIBITIONS, AND EDUCATION, IT EXISTS TO SUPPORT THE LOCAL COMMUNITY, AND TO PROMOTE THE AWARENESS OF THE ESSENTIAL IMPORTANCE OF THE HANDCRAFTED.
Staff Rob Hunter Executive Director
Founder Allen Johnson
Frog Hollow Craft Association Board of Directors Brad Rabinowitz – President Carol MacDonald- Vice President Lynne Bond Rachel Morton - Secretary Roy Feldman - Treasurer Susan Raber Bray
Frog Hollow Gallery Board of Directors Liz Lawrence - President Brad Rabinowitz – Vice President Cody McKibben Kevin Ruelle - Secretary
***Availability and prices listed in this catalogue apply to the listed works only during the duration of the exhibit and are subject to change.
Cover image by Carol MacDonald
Poetry in Music Curator’s Statement
From Sculptors to Printmakers to Painters and Jewelers, Vermont artists were asked to respond to this years Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival theme Poetry In Music. The result is a variety of unique responses. The festival itself is a nine-day event running August 23-31 this year and will be exploring poetic music, both instrumental and vocal. The Festival will include four major concerts, two noon vocal recitals, two free solo Bach recitals, instrumental and chamber master classes, premieres of works by its Young Composer Seminar participants, three seminars on music, and a concert by the Festival Young Quartet-in-Resdience. The Festival has many opportunities to meet the artists, including pre-concert talks, post-concert Meet the Musicians discussions, and post-concert receptions. All Festival events take place at the Elley-Long Music Center at St. Michael’s College in Colchester, VT, unless otherwise noted. The Frog Hollow exhibit is run in support of the festival. Created with the aide of the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival the exhibit runs the month of August in our Church Street
Gallery. Throughout the month there will be opportunities to purchase tickets to the festival. Frog Hollow will be hosting an informational tent on Church Street August 2nd and 16th with festival representatives on hand to answer questions as well as mini concerts at 1pm, 3pm and 5pm each day. The opening takes place on Thursday, July 31st from 6-8PM and is free and open to the public. Participating Vermont Artisans: Group Exhibit featuring the work of both Frog Hollow and nonFrog Hollow artisans including Carol MacDonald, Suzanne LeGault, Judith Rey, Barbara Hoke, Denis Versweyveld, Irene Lederer LaCroix and Lynn Rupe The Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival is founded on the idea that bringing musicians, audiences, and students together makes not only for great music, but also for a rich and rewarding dialog for all. It is the Festival’s aim to inspire and nurture a lifelong appreciation for classical music throughout the community. We may have world-class musicians and incredible music, but what surrounds the music and the artists is community. We continue to be astounded by the enthusiasm and deep engagement of our audiences. In addition to a main summer concert series, the Festival presents Bach on Church Street recitals, master classes for aspiring young musicians, Festival seminars and meet-the-artist discussions, and other events. Two concerts are presented during the academic year at the FlynnSpace in collaboration with the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts. We also collaborate in the winter with the Burlington Chamber Orchestra.
- Frederick Noonan
Barbara Hoke
Violin Wood, Silverware, Cigar Boxes 23 ¼” x 10 ½"
“Der Hirt auf dem Felsen,” D. 965 (“The Shepherd on the Rock”) Music by Franz Schubert Text by Wilhelm Müller When on the highest rock I stand, Gaze down into the deep valley, And sing: From afar in the deep dark valley Floats up the echo Of the ravines. The further my voice reaches, The clearer its echo From below. So far away my loved one lives, Wherefore I yearn so ardently to be Where she is. With deep grief I am consumed, My joy has gone, Abandoned am I by earthly hope, And so lonely here. So longingly sounded my song in the wood, So longingly through the night, Drawing hearts to heaven With wondrous power. Spring is coming, Spring, who is my friend, And now I make ready, Make ready to journey. The further my voice reaches, The clearer its echo From below. (Translation by EMI Classics)
Text by Wilhelm Müller Wenn auf dem höchsten Fels ich steh’, In’s tiefe Tal herniederseh’, Und singe: Fern aus dem tiefen dunklen Tal Schwingt sich empor der Widerhall Der Klüfte. Je weiter meine Stimme dringt, Je heller sie mir widerklingt Von unten. Mein Liebchen wohnt so weit von mir, Drum sehn ich mich so heiß nach ihr Hinüber. In tiefem Gram verzehr ich mich, Mir ist die Freude hin, Auf Erden mir die Hoffnung wich, Ich hier so einsam bin. So sehnend klang im Wald das Lied, So sehnend klang es durch die Nacht, Die Herzen es zum Himmel zieht Mit wunderbarer Macht. Der Frühling will kommen, Der Frühling, mein Freund, Nun mach ich mich fertig Zum Wandern bereit. Je weiter meine Stimme dringt, Je heller sie mir widerklingt Von unten.
Bound The meaning of “Bound” is not defined in a simplistic manner. Bound can be confined and constrained looking inward immobile to change, a closed form. Bound also looks outward and ahead; onward in one’s journey. Bound also means to be tied or committed to someone or something. Bound moves forward in leaping strides. Bound is contemplative and introspective. This form evokes motion and lyricism and is enhanced by the undulating folds and soft subdued color. Twists, turns and deep shadows are reflective of an unfamiliar melody that transports us to another place and time. While this form is “Bound” it transcends definition. It is as free and open to interpretation as any poetry or musical composition.
-Irene Lederer LaCroix
Irene Lederer LaCroix
Bound, 2014 Saggar Fired Ceramic Sculpture 24” x 9”
Shostakovich, Dmitri: Seven Romances on Poems of Alexander Blok op. 127 (1967) 25' Vocal-instrumental suite for soprano, violin, cello, and piano Text for "Seven Romances" No. 1 Song of Ophelia When you said good-bye to your lovely maid, Friend, you gave the oath to love me And to keep your promise when going to the unpleasant country. There, behind the happy Denmark, its shores are dim in the fog... And a chatty angry wave is washing the tears off the cliff. The dear warrior will not return, all dressed in silver, Only his ribbon and black feather will make a sad move in the grave. No. 2 The Prophetic Bird (Inspired by a painting of Vasnefaov) Over the peaceful endless waters made purple by the sunset, The bird is preaching and singing, not able to lift its agitated wings. It forecasts the yoke of the Tartars, bloody executions, earthquakes, Hunger and conflagration, the power of the wicked and Destruction of the Righteous. Embraced by premonition of horror, the beautiful face is glorified by love. But the lips congealed with blood are predicting the truth. graves the foamy goblet of the last passion from your unworthy slave.
No. 3 We Were Together We were together, I remember, exciting was the night and the violin sang. In those days you were mine and you became more beautiful by the hour Through murmuring streams through the secret of a woman's smile, A kiss was aiming to the lips and the sounds of a violin were aiming at the heart. No. 4 The City Sleeps The city sleeps, wrapped in darkness, the street lights hardly glint... There, far away behind the Nova I see the reflecting splendor of the dawn. In this far mirroring of light is hidden the awakening of sad days. No. 5 The Storm Oh, what a madness behind the windows, a cruel storm is howling and whirling. Clouds sweep; a rain pours and a wind mournfully cries. A terrible night! On such a night I pity the homeless and my compassion drives me out into The cold dampness to fight the darkness and the rain, to share the fate Of those who suffer... Oh, the mad storm behind the window withering away.
No. 6 Secret Signs Secret signs light up on a dull and sleepy wall. Red and golden poppies weigh On me in my dream. I take refuge in depth of the night and don't want to Remember the hard miracles. At the dawn I see pleasant visions in the Reflection of the glaring skies, I escape into the moments of the past, Closing with fear my eyes over the pages of an old book on which I see Golden braid of a maiden. Over me the sky is already low, a heavy dream weighs on my chest My end is near, and war and conflagration are ahead of me. No. 7 The Music At night when all the worries sleep and the city disappears in darkness, Oh, how much music is with God and what sounds are on earth. What does storm mean in life when your roses bloom and gleam for me. What are human tears when there is the beauty of a sunset. Accept, oh Sovereign (Holy Mother) of the universe, through blood and suffering, graves the foamy goblet of the last passion from your unworthy slave.
Denis Versweyveld Black Graphite on Paper 23 ¼” x 22 ½"
Denis Versweyveld Bowl Graphite on Paper 29� x 22"
William Bolcom, Let Evening Come (1994) 14' For Soprano, Viola and Piano Poems by Maya Angelou, Emily Dickinson, Jane Kenyon Premiere: Benita Valente, soprano, Michael Tree, viola, Cynthia Raim, piano, Tuscaloosa, AL, March 24, 1994; NY premiere: Alice Tully Hall, New York, NY, April 19, 1994
Aile y, Bald w in, Flo y d , Kille ns , and May fie ld Great souls die and By Maya Angelou our reality, bound to them, takes leave of us. When great trees fall, Our souls, rocks on distant hills shudder, dependent upon their lions hunker down nurture, in tall grasses, now shrink, wizened. and even elephants Our minds, formed lumber after safety. and informed by their radiance, When great trees fall fall away. in forests, We are not so much maddened small things recoil into silence, as reduced to the unutterable ignorance their senses of dark, cold eroded beyond fear. caves. When great souls die, And when great souls die, the air around us becomes after a period peace blooms, light, rare, sterile. slowly and always We breathe, briefly. irregularly. Spaces fill Our eyes, briefly, with a kind of see with soothing electric vibration. a hurtful clarity. Our senses, restored, never Our memory, suddenly sharpened, to be the same, whisper to us. examines, They existed. They existed. gnaws on kind words We can be. Be and be unsaid, better. For they existed. promised walks never taken.
In the way that music and poetry are often about our lived experiences, these visual images evoke the patterns and textures of music woven into our daily lives.
- Carol MacDonald
Carol MacDonald Cello I, 2014 Monoprint 23 ¼” x 22 ½”
‘Tis Not That Dying Hurts Us So by Emily Dickinson 'Tis not that Dying hurts us so — 'Tis Living — hurts us more — But Dying — is a different way — A Kind behind the Door — The Southern Custom — of the Bird — That ere the Frosts are due — Accepts a better Latitude — We — are the Birds — that stay. The Shrivers round Farmers' doors — For whose reluctant Crumb — We stipulate — till pitying Snows Persuade our Feathers Home.
Judith Rey
Echo Acrylic on Paper 20” x 16”
Let Evening Come By Jane Kenyon Let the light of late afternoon shine through chinks in the barn, moving up the bales as the sun moves down. Let the cricket take up chafing as a woman takes up her needles and her yarn. Let evening come. Let dew collect on the hoe abandoned in long grass. Let the stars appear and the moon disclose her silver horn. Let the fox go back to its sandy den. Let the wind die down. Let the shed go black inside. Let evening come. To the bottle in the ditch, to the scoop in the oats, to air in the lung let evening come. Let it come, as it will, and don’t be afraid. God does not leave us comfortless, so let evening come.
Suzanne LeGault Fox Silkscreen 8" x 6"
Suzanne LeGault Three Birds Silkscreen 10" x 14"
Suzanne LeGault Cliffside Silkscreen 14" x 10"
Artist Bios
Suzanne LeGault Burlington, VT Suzanne received her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She has been illustrating and making screen prints since moving to Vermont in 1980. Suzanne maintains a studio at her home in Burlington where she lives with her husband and two daughters.
Judith Rey Vergennes, VT Judith has lived and worked in Vermont for thirty years and is an avid gardener. She has taught art in public schools, served as an arts administrator and also the CEO of an art-based manufacturing company. The artist began painting at the kitchen table with her mother around the age of 3, and she has loved it ever since.
Denis Versweyveld Vergennes, VT I have been intrigued with connecting common still life objects to columns, tables, posts, etc, to present these items as both sculpture and monument. The old cemetery that abuts my property has head stones and obelisks that are simple and direct. These monuments, and the architectural forms, details and materials used in our early 19th century home and studio have influenced and inspired my work. The timbers used in the building, the joinery, the textural quality of plaster and lath and the way these materials receive light are all part of what I respond to.
Carol MacDonald Colchester, VT Carol E.S. MacDonald is an artist, and master printmaker living and working in Vermont. She attended the Maryland Institute College of Art and the Lake Placid School of Art. Recent exhibitions include: Etui Fiber Arts, Larchmont, NY; Madelyn Jordon Fine Arts, New Rochelle, NY; The Drawing Room, Cos Cob, CT; Washington Printmakers Gallery, Silver Springs, MD; Galerie Maison Kasini, Montreal, Quebec; Firehouse Gallery, Burlington, VT. She has been a featured artist at Vogue Knitting: LIVE in New York City, Chicago and Seattle. Her work was shown in Foot Print International at the Center for Contemporary Printmaking in Norwalk, CT, Papier 12 Contemporary Art Fair in Montreal, Quebec and Parallax Art Fair in New York City and Miami. MacDonald has been an artist fellow at the Virginia Center for Creative Arts, and the Vermont Studio Center. She received the 2008 Barbara Smail Award from Burlington City Arts, an Artist Opportunity Grant from the Vermont Arts Council in 2007 and the Susan B. Anthony Award in 1999 from the YWCA for Leadership in the Arts. Her work is in many private and corporate collections. Including: Robert Hull Fleming Museum, Burlington, VT; Johnson & Johnson Corp, NJ; Champion Paper International, Stamford, CT; San Francisco Public Library, San Francisco, CA; Gelman Library, George Washington University, Washington DC; Shearson Lehman, American Express, NY, NY.
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