Tam sept issuu com 2013 by harryet candee

THE ARTFUL MIND September 2013

POOJA RU PREMA Actor and Director

Photography by Sabine Vollmer von Falken

Monthly Berkshire Artzine

Since 1994

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THE ARTFUL MIND

artzine

September 2013

Time is what keeps everything from happening at once.

THE MUSIC STORE

Pooja Ru Prema, Actor and Director Cover photo by Sabine Vollmer von Falken Page 10 Planet Waves SEPTEMBER Eric Francis.....14 Simply Sasha Sasha Seymour...... 15

The Dennis Bezanowitz Coffee House Commission Richard Britell ....18 Architecture & Arcadia Stephen Dietemann..... 19

Contributing Writers and Monthly Columnists Eunice Agar, Richard Britell Stephen Gerard Dietemann Eric Francis, Sasha Seymour Photographers Lee Everett, Jane Feldman, Sabine Vollmer von Falken, Cassandra Sohn Publisher Harryet Candee

Copy Editor

Marguerite Bride

As the Berkshires anticipates its Autumn Symphony, we at The Music Store again prepare to celebrate the summer season’s coda at the end of the Railroad Street extension in Great Barrington. We continue to offer some extraordinary instruments this year: For travelers, the incomparable Composite Acoustic Cargo guitar: made of 100% carbon graphite, in one piece, this pint sized guitar offers full-sized acoustic sound and professional grade electronics for the perfect gigging and traveling instrument in an almost indestructible body - aptly called the Forever Guitar! And for the performer, try some of its bigger cousins. Excited by the UKULELE CRAZE? We offer one of the largest selections in the Northeast, with many tonewoods, shapes and sizes of acoustic as well as acoustic-electric instruments.For Guitarists seeking unique handmade premium instruments, The Music Store offers guitars by American Luthier Dana Bourgeois as well as Steel and classical guitars by Irish Luthier John Beckett. Instrumentalists in search of the unusual will find the unique Dr. Easy’s Sonic Boxes - cigar box guitars made from recycled ingredients and vintage cigar boxes, the Serenity Bamboo Flutes - cane and walking stick flutes which are handmade in Stockbridge, Fluke and Flea Ukuleles - handmade in Sheffield, Catania Thumb Pianos, Gourd Pianos, Fishtix and Catspaws - handmade in Pennsylvania, and a host of other varied and exciting instruments for musicians of all ages and abilities. Acclaimed as one of the area’s best music stores, The Music Store specializes in fine, folk and unusual musical instruments, accessories, supplies and music motif gifts. Music lovers and professional and amateur musicians alike will find an exciting array of both new and used name-brand and handmade instruments, extraordinary folk instruments and one of the Northeast’s finest selections of strings and reeds. Professional musicians seeking the finest or unusual strings or accessories are welcome to call in advance. We will make every effort to satisfy the need!

Music Store customers enjoy fine luthier handmade classical and steel string guitars as well as new and used guitars from other fine lines including Alvarez, Avalon, Breedlove, Composite Acoustic, Fender, Loar, Luna, Recording King and Takamine. Acoustic and electric guitars from entry to professional level instruments are available. Famous named guitars and basses join less-well-known brands which appeal to those seeking high quality but are on tight budgets, providing any guitarist a tempting cornucopia of playing possibilities. New and used student orchestral and band instruments are available, including violins from $159 to $3000. An extensive array of international strings and reeds provides choices for the newest student to the symphonic performer. Children’s instruments, as well as a fine line of international percussion including Middle Eastern and handmade African instruments along with many choices of industry standard drum heads, stands, and sticks, as well as tuners, forks and metronomes can be found as well. All new instruments are backed by The Music Store’s lifetime warranty which provides free set-up and adjustments on any new instrument sold. For repair and restoration and maintenance of fine stringed instruments - guitars, banjos, mandolins and the like - The Music Store’s repair shop offers expert luthiery at reasonable prices on instruments of all levels, as well as authorized repairs on Lowden and Takamine guitars. Those in search of the perfect present for music lovers will find a treasure trove of gift favorites such as bumper stickers (“Caution: Driver Singing,” “Go Home and Practice,” Tune it or Die” and more), tee shirts, caps, scarves, miniature musical instruments and instrument magnets, music motif mugs, socks, totes and ties. Small bronze and metal musician statues and cuddly ‘Music Lover’ stuffed animals, lapel pins and earrings add additional possibilities to gift giving customers. A proud server of the community for over thirteen years, The Music Store’s warm and friendly staff are available for help in tuning, stringing or instrument repair. Help in choosing tuners, capos, mutes shoulder rests and strings is as happily given as help in selecting instruments themselves. Our mission is to support and encourage our musical community, so consultation and advice are always free. For capos to kazoos, guiros to congas, rainsticks to rosin, bows to bodhrans, mandolins to microphones, reeds to rods, Strats to stands, local artist’s CDs and harmonicas to picture frames and music motif ornaments, instruments and more, The Music Store is the place to be. We at The Music Store wish you peace and harmony throughout the autumn and beyond. The Music Store, 87 Railroad Street, Great Barrington, Massachusetts; open Tuesdays through Thursdays from 10 to 5, Fridays from 10-6, Saturdays 10-5 and on Sundays from 12 to 5. Call 413-528-2460 or visit us on line at themusicstoreplus.com

Proofreader Amy Tanner

Advertising and Graphic Design Harryet Candee

Box 985, Great Barrington, MA 01230 artfulmind@yahoo.com issuu.com/theartfulmindartzine 413-528-5628 All submissions for October due :: September 17, 2013 (email or call)

FYI: ©Copyright laws in effect throughout The Artful Mind for logo & all graphics including text material. Copyright laws for photographers and writers throughout The Artful Mind. Permission to reprint is required in all instances. In any case the issue does not appear on the stands as planned due to unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, advertisers will be compensated on a one to one basis. Disclaimer rights available upon request. Serving the Art community with the intention of enhancing communication and sharing positive creativity in all aspects of our lives.

2 • September 2013

THE ARTFUL MIND

Rte 20, New Lebanon, New York

A most wonderful place to meet, eat and drink!

CALENDAR OF ARTFUL EVENTS

museums & galleries

510 WARREN STREET GALLERY Hudson, NY • 518-822-0510 Joan Giummo & Hanna Mandel: New Paintings, til Sept 29

A.P.E GALLERY Northampton, MA • 413-529-1895 A PRIZE EVERY TIME!Sally Curcio, Amy Johnquest, Anne LaPrade Seuthe. September 6th thru 29th, 2013 BERKSHIRE ART GALLERY 80 Railroad St, Gt Barrington, MA • 528-2690 www.berkshireartgallery.com 19th and early 20th Century American & European art and sculpture, contemporary artists

FRONT STREET GALLERY Front St., Housatonic, MA • 413-274-6607 / 413-528-9546, or cell at 413-429-7141 Housatonic Gallery for students and artists. Featuring watercolors by Kate Knapp (Saturday and Sunday 12-5pm or by appointment) GOOD PURPOSE GALLERY 40 Main Street, Lee, MA / www.goodpurpose.org the work of Ilene Spiewak, an artist and teacher at CIP, along with the work of her students at in the Berkshire Performing and Visual Arts program; through October 20 LYDIA JOHNSTON NAACO Gallery, North Adams, MA • 413-664-4003 “Scratching the Surface” features oil paintings by Lydia Johnston and ceramics by Lori St. Pierre at NAACO Gallery, North Adams, Massachusetts, September 26 to November 25. An opening reception will be held September 26th from 6-9 pm.

JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER OF AMHERST 742 Main St., Amherst, MA • 413-549-5115 Gallery: No One is Home: Barcodes, Suburbia and the Holocaust. Simone Alter Muri and Harriet Graicerstein. Mother - daughter collaboration. Aug - Oct 25 MARGUERITE BRIDE NUarts Studios, Studio #9, 311 North Street, Pittsfield, MA • 413-841-1659 / margebride-paintings.com Original Watercolors, House Portraits, Commissions, Lessons.

MASS MoCA MASSACHUSETTS MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, MA /www.massmoca.org info@massmoca.org September, opening a new 10,000 square-foot building devoted to the sculpture and paintings of Anselm Kiefer. Friday, September 27; New York-based artist Izhar Patkin brings a labyrinthine survey of works, including mural-sized paintings on tulle fabric installation opening December 7. Exhibiting artist Jason Middlebrook, whose 29 foot indoor waterfall is on display in our galleries, will give an artist talk on Saturday October 19 at 2pm.

NEUMANN FINE ART 65 Cold Water St., Hillsdale, NY • www.neumannfineart.com Vanishing America: The Disappearing Commercial Landscape of the 20th Century, paintings by Jeffrey L. Neumann, September 7 - October 25

NORMAN ROCKWELL MUSEUM Rte 183, Stockbridge, MA .8 413-298-4100 Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs: The Creation of a Classic. Thru Oct 27. Enjoy this mischievous and unique retelling of the classic Snow White tale by Adam Gidwitz, bestselling author of In a Glass Grimly and A Tale of Dark and Grimm.

OXBOW GALLERY 275 Pleasant Street, Northampton, MA • 413-586-6300 www.oxbowgallery.org Nancy Howard: Landscapes and flower oil paintings. Joyce Conlon: Hide and Seek, new paintings, thru Sept 29

R&F ENCAUSTICS 845 Ten Broeck Avenue, Kingston, NY a solo exhibition of paintings by Visiting Artist, Gregory Wright entitled, Forces. This exhibition will be on view from August 3rd through September 21st, SCHANTZ GALLERIES 3 Elm St, Stockbridge, MA • 413-298-3044 www.schantzgalleries.com. A destination for those seeking premier artists working in glass. (11 - 5 daily)

SOHN FINE ART GALLERY 6 Elm Street, Stockbridge, MA Exhibition: A Distinct Vision: Greg Gorman, July 5th, 2013 - September 30th, 2013. Free. Exhibition: Nude: John Atchley, Peggy Braun, John Clarke, Greg Gorman, Eric Korenman, Hildy Kronen, Jack Krove, Mona Mark, Matuschka, Irmari Nacht, Lincoln Russell, Cassandra Sohn, Savannah Spirit. October 4th, 2013 February 2014. Reception: Nude, Saturday, October 5th, 4:00 7:00. Free SPRINGFIELD MUSEUM 21 Edwards Street, Springfield, MA •413-263-6800 Evocative watercolors by artist Josie Vargas. The exhibit, titled Fiesta: Flora and Fauna from Puerto Rico, will be on display at the Michele and Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts from September 10 through May 11, 2014 ST. FRANCIS GALLERY 1370 Pleasant St, rte 102, Lee, MA • 413-717-5199 PRINT and PASTE: Aug 23-Sept 30, Reception: Aug 31, 3-6pm; COLOR and LINE, Oct 4 - Nov 18, Reception: Oct 12, 3-6pm. INSPIRATION of the SPIRIT, Nov 22 - Jan 6, Reception Dec 7, 3-6pm THE STERLING AND FRANCINE CLARK INSTITUTE 255 South St. Williamstown, MA 150th anniversary of Edvard Munch's birth with a screening of "Munch 150," part of the "Exhibition: Great Art on Screen" series.

UNIVERSITY ART MUSEUM Albany, NY / www.albany.edu/museum Summer Exhibitions at the University Art Museum feature Sculpture, Drawing, and Video.William Lamson: A Certain Slant of Light / Michelle Segre: Antecedents of the Astra Hamster, June 27 through September 14 WILLIAM BASZEK FINE ARTS 36 Main st, Northampton, MA • 413-587-9880 Susan Mikula, works from An Everywhere of Silver, til Oct 5.

music/theatre

BARD COLLEGE AT SIMON’S ROCK Gt. Barrington, MA / www.simons-rock.edu/events South Berkshire Concert: The Simon's Rock Piano Quartet with Guest Violinist, Sunday, September 22, 3:00 p.m. McConnell Theater, Daniel Arts Center; Panel Discussion: “Woman, Nation, Colony”, Monday, September 23, 3:30 p.m. McConnell Theater, Daniel Arts Center; Poetry & Fiction Reading Series: Dinaw Mengestu, Thursday, September 26, 7:30 p.m. Blodgett House SAMUEL DORSKY MUSEUM OF ART State University of New York, New Paltz • 845-257-3844 Studley Theater, Old Main Building - SUNY New Paltz Saturday, September 14, 7 pm: "Sacred Music Sacred Dance" performance by the Tibetan monks of Drepung Loseling Monastery

PALACE THEATRE Box Office, 19 Clinton Avenue, Albany, NY Ticketmaster : Charge-By-Phone • 800-745-3000 Midtown Men: This sensational production reunites four stars from the original cast of Broadway's Jersey Boys. Tony Award winners Christian Hoff, Michael Longoria, Daniel Reichard & Tony Award nominee J. Robert Spencer, star in this one-of-a-kind concert experience celebrating the music that defined the 60s.

TANNERY POND CONCERTS New Lebanon, NY • 888-820-1696 www.tannerypondconcerts.org / info@tannerypondconcerts.org Sept 21: Brentano String Quartet

THE FOUR NATIONS ENSEMBLE BEFORE THE DELUGE: THREE CONCERTS CELEBRATING RAMEAU AND LECLAIR. Three Concerts at 8 PM—Preconcert discussions at 7 PM, Maison Française-Buell Hall, Columbia University Campus. Concert 1: Monday February 17. Roots of Rameau or Leaving Versailles. Concert 2: Monday March 31. A Weekend in the Country: Evocations & Escapes. Concert 3: Monday April 21. Reclaiming the Past-Debussy, Les Goncourts & the French Classical Tradition. Admission: $100 subscriptions $45 Regular $25 Students. (212) 925-5708. online: www.fournations.org. email: fournationsinc@aol.com

events

3RD.THURSDAYS Thursdays dates and themes are September 19th: Festa Italiano, sponsored by Berkshire Gas; and October 17: Monster Mash visit discoverpittsfield.com/3rdthursdays, email thirdthursdayspittsfield@gmail.com or call 413-499-9348 HILLSDALE ARTS FESTIVAL Saturday, September 21, 2013, 10am - 4 pm and Sunday, September 22, 11 am - 4 pm. This year’s ArtsWalk kicks off on September 21st – 22nd with the Hillsdale Arts Festival! Hillsdale, NY

SECOND ANNUAL EN PLEIN AIR PAINT-OUT ART SHOW & AUCTION Hosted by CCCA and The Olana Partnership, October 3 – 5, 2013. Art Show and Auction: Sat., October 5th, 5 – 7 PM. All to take place at the Olana State Historic Site

PARADISE CITY ARTS FESTIVAL October 12, 13 & 14 at the Three County Fairgrounds in Northampton, MA. One of America’s top-ranked shows of fine crafts, paintings and sculpture, Paradise City features 275 outstanding artists in four buildings, sensational cuisine, live music, creative activities, demonstrations and an outdoor sculpture garden. www.paradisecityarts.com or 800-511-9725.

workshops

SABINE VOLLMER VON FALKEN PHOTOGRAPHIC WORKSHOP • 413-298-4933 www.sabinephotoart.com, info@sabinephotoart.com VIEW LIGHT WITH A CRITICAL EYE Dates: September 21 and 22, 2013.

SOHN FINE ART GALLERY 6 Elm Street, Stockbridge, MA Workshop: You Took That With Your IPhone?!!!..., Sunday October 6th, 2013, 10:00 - 5:00: $95

film

PALACE THEATRE Box Office, 19 Clinton Avenue, Albany, NY Ticketmaster : Charge-By-Phone • 800-745-3000 MOVIES: The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Monday, October 21st, The Birds, Monday, October 28th, An American in Paris, Monday, November 11th, The Three Stooges Film Fest, Monday, November 18th. National Lampoon's Christmas, Saturday, October 5-8:00pm

Send in your calendar submissions by Sept 15 for the October issue of The Artful Mind artzine! H THE ARTFUL MIND SEPTEMBER 2013 •3

FRONT STREET GALLERY

Kate Knapp Red Bowl with Eggplants Fresh From Farm to Gallery, Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, Pittsfield MA.

Painting Classes on Monday and Wednesday mornings 10 - 1pm at the Studio and Thursday mornings 10am - 1pm out in the field. Open to all. 413-274-6607 413-429-7141 (cell) 413-528-9546 Gallery Hours: Saturday and Sunday 12-5 or by appointment FRONT STREET, downtown HOUSATONIC, MA

4 • September 2013

THE ARTFUL MIND

THE ARTFUL MIND SEPTEMBER 2013 •5

STEVEN MAY

ST. FRANCIS GALLERY THE ART OF COLLAGE

The art of collage has a strong presence in the current show at Saint Francis Gallery in South Lee. This show will continue throughout the month of September and includes artists Mark Olshansky, Anne Pasko, Dorothy Napp Schindel, Lorraine Klagsburn, Betsy Dovydenas, Philip Pryjma, Roselle Chartok, Diane Firtell, Dennis Wheeler, Valerie Fanarjian, Abby Dubow, Jennifer Archer, Carole Ayatt and Bassouri Wane. Visitors to the gallery describe the work as playful, inventive, powerful, moving and elegant. The fascinating use of many materials, found, torn, assembled, painted, re-arranged and repurposed makes this medium appealing to so many. The interest and intrigue makes viewers pause to uncover the previous “lives” at these materials and how creatively they have been used to convey a depth and beauty that was both felt and seen by artist. The gallery continues to invest in local artists from the area. They continue to surface with exciting and refreshing contribution. The gallery itself is a wonderful setting to enjoy these creative works adding to the inspiration of the works themselves. Art will always be an important part of all our lives reflecting the passion to see beyond the ordinary and to stimulate our own creative visions and ideas. St. Francis Gallery, 1370 Pleasant St., Rt. 102, South Lee, next to the Post Office and Fire Dept. Gallery hours are Friday through Monday 11 am to 5 pm. Call or email for appointments at other times. 413-717-5199. St.francisgallery102@gmail.com

SABINE PHOTO ART

The Artful Mind showcases sabine’s work since 1994, the very beginning of the monthly Berkshire Artzine. Still young at 20 something, sabine’s studio has become a brand for contemporary, unobtrusive, relaxed photography in the European style. Did you have a “sabine” experience? It might be just the time for you to book your first sitting. Every master of photography has a gift for seeing the world in a particular way. Hers are picking the subject matters, the subtleties of lighting and the nuance of background, also her eye for detail which concludes to the result of timeless imagery. Assignments are tailored to meet her client’s needs- a remembrance for a special event of a life time or a logo image to create an authentic professional online presence. It is to no surprise that she is a sought-after documentary and editorial photographer with the talent of bringing introspective to the art of people photography. She is the interviewer, provoker and image-maker. Photographic workshops are scheduled for this late summer: VIEW LIGHT WITH A CRITICAL EYE Explore the beautiful light of the Berkshires by taking a weekend photography workshop. In this workshop participants learn how natural light can create drama. Designed for serious learners who are interested in improving their artistic eye. All participants are asked to bring a digital SLR camera. Event dates: September 21 and 22, 2013. Photo Art and Book Signing by appointment “WOODLAND STYLE” and “SHELL CHIC”, published by Storey Publishing, author Marlene H. Marshall, all photography by sabine can be purchased from your nearby book stores. Signed fine art prints are directly available through sabine’s studio. Sabine is a member of The American Society of Media Photographers asmp. The International Center of Photography ICP and the Wedding Photojournalist Association, WPJA. For more info please contact Sabine Vollmer von Falken Photography Studio www.sabinephotoart.com / info@sabinephotoart.com tel. 413-298-4933.

68 Main St., Lee, MA. 413-243-0242 6 • September 2013 THE ARTFUL MIND

SOHN FINE ART

GREG GORMAN AND A GROUP SHOW OF NUDES

Sohn Fine Art Gallery enters autumn with two innovative exhibitions: A Distinct Vision, a 40 year retrospective of works by award winning photographer Greg Gorman, as part of the Master Artist Series (through September 30th). Nude, a group show of mixed media and photography (October 4 - February 2014 A Distinct Vision comes to Sohn Fine Art and the Berkshires after touring museums and galleries throughout Europe and features a curated selection of Gorman’s nudes and celebrity portraits highlighting his impressive 40 year career. In the course of his career, Gorman has photographed some of the leading creative personalities of our time, including Andy Warhol, Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jeff Koons, Helen Mirin, Al Pacino, and Meryl Streep. “For me a photograph is most successful when it doesn’t answer all the questions, and it leaves something to the imagination.” says Gorman. Each of Gorman’s photographs portray a picture of human nature in its infinite range. A true master with lighting and composition, Gorman’s strength also lies in his charismatic ability to get his subjects to open up to him, thereby creating a rare opportunity for the viewer to see the unique qualities of that person, as well as share a special, and often private, moment that Gorman has captured. In addition to Gorman’s many accolades, he was just the recipient of the 2013 Professional Photographers of America (PPA) Lifetime Achievement Award. Nude ranges from Gustav Klimt-like monoprint photographs by Peggy Braun, and Hitchcock era hand toned silver gelatin prints by Hildy Kronen to Kamasutra book sculptures by Irmari Nacht and paranormal panoramic scenes by Lincoln Russell. Included in the exhibition are prints from Sohn Fine Art’s 2013 Master Artist Series program, Matuschka and Greg Gorman, as well as work by the Gallery owner, Cassandra Sohn. An opening reception for Nude will take place on October 5, 4:00 - 7:00. Savannah Spirit, featured artist in the exhibition, will be teaching a workshop, “You Took That with Your IPhone?!!...” on October 6th. 2013 MASTER ARTIST SERIES is made possible by its generous partners: Cranwell Resort, Spa & Golf Club, Berkshire international Film festival (BIFF), Berkshire Museum, The Darrow School and Naumkeag. Sohn Fine Art Gallery & Giclee Printing, 6 Elm Street, Stockbridge, MA; 413-298-1025, info@sohnfineart.com, www.sohnfineart.com

“The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place, from the sky, from the earth, from a passing shape, from a spider’s web.” -PABLO PICASSO

GOOD PURPOSE GALLERY ILENE SPIEWAK, STILL LIFE

CIP SHOWCASE

The Good Purpose Gallery in Lee is currently showcasing a unique exhibit that brings educational aspects of art into view. The exhibit features the work of Ilene Spiewak, an artist and teacher at CIP, along with the work of her students at in the Berkshire Performing and Visual Arts program. Ilene Spiewak is an expressionist painter, known for her colorful still life and semi-abstract oil and acrylic paintings. She breaks the boundaries of traditionalism with her bold and expansive artwork. Her unique style is based on building layers of strong, vibrant colors to create her paintings. Ilene’s compositions are slightly off center, bring shape and color combinations to the viewer’s attention, creating the right mix of tension and energy. “I am inspired by the very essence of nature, by the beautiful layers of sky and water and everything in between,” commented Spiewak about her creative process. “The quest for dripping, layering, and peeling away unnecessary elements and forms in order to create a sense of balance and unity, motivates and excites me. My work has always been about washes of intense colors coupled with an unconventional use of composition and space,” she explained. Ilene Spiewak has been teaching students for over 25 years and has brought an amazing amount of talent to the Berkshire Visual and Performing Arts Program. While at CIP, she has worked with a wide range of students on the Autism spectrum and with learning differences to help them discover their creative talents. Her classes have included Studio Arts Techniques, Printmaking and Art On-the-Go. In addition to her classroom contributions, Ilene works one-on-one with students in a clinical environment where she uses therapeutic creation as a method of expression and personal growth. Her work in the art setting provides students with emotional release and relaxation, increased self-esteem and sense of personal worth. “My goal in teaching young adults includes providing ways to nurture individual creativity and experimentation with various art mediums, which can offer a sense of accomplishment and improve one’s psychological health”, Ilene added. The primary mission of The Good Purpose Gallery is to help integrate young adults on Autism Spectrum and with other Learning Differences into the community by enriching their lives through art and creativity. The Gallery also provides the opportunity for professional artists to share their skills and passion with exhibits, workshops and lectures. Ilene Spiewak’s exhibit serves as a good example of that blend. Please visit and enjoy the “CIP Showcase” exhibiting at The Good Purpose Gallery through October 20. Proceeds from sales will benefit CIP Performing and Visual Arts development efforts. The Good Purpose Gallery, 40 Main St. in Lee, Massachusetts For more information visit www.goodpurpose.org, gallery@cipberkshire.org

JEFFREY L. NEUMANN SHARON HISTORICAL SOCIETY

JEFFREY L. NEUMANN, HOT DIGGITY DOGS W/C, 26 x 40”, 2013

The Gallery at the SHS presents Vanishing America: The Disappearing Commercial Landscape of the 20th Century, paintings by Jeffrey L. Neumann, September 7 - October 25. Opening with an artist’s reception on Saturday September 7 from 5 to 7 PM, and featuring an artist’s Walk and Talk on Sunday October 13 at 3:00 PM, this exhibit is a celebration of the exuberance and independent spirit of life in post WWII America tempered by the inexorable march of time. With a focus on the mom and pop eating establishments, motels and movie theatres of roadside America, Neumann’s paintings take the viewer on journey down the two-lane highways of the twentieth century. They allow us to experience a part of our past that is being rapidly replaced by the widespread influence of corporate conformity. The cultural and anthropological aspect of Neumann’s work is balanced by his uniquely personal vision. The artist, born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 1953 and currently residing in Copake, NY, cannot be considered a regional painter. The subjects of his oil and watercolor paintings come from all across the nation. They are influenced by Neumann’s childhood years living in New Mexico and California and his numerous trips on Route 66 in the back of the family station wagon. Running concurrently with Neumann’s Vanishing America exhibit in The Gallery @the SHS, the Sharon Historical Society & Museum will present Now you see it… in the exhibit galleries. This exhibit will take its audience backwards in time, challenging the viewer to use objects and images that are familiar today as a roadmap to the past. Focusing primarily on the changes that have occurred in town from 1850 to the present day, visitors will be confronted with familiar scenes, such as the Sharon War Memorial, the Sharon Fire Department, Mudge Pond Beach, the Sharon Valley Tavern, Sharon Hospital and the Sharon Center School, and with the help of objects from the museum collection, will be transported back in time to pivotal junctures in the town’s development. The Sharon Historical Society and Museum is located at 18 Main Street, Sharon, Connecticut 06069. For more information, call 860364-5688 or visit www.sharonhist.org. Museum Hours are Wednesday & Saturday from 10AM - 2PM, Thursday & Friday from 10AM - 4PM and by appointment.

FRONT STREET GALLERY KATE KNAPP, BRIDGE SHADOWS, HOUSATONIC, 30” x 30”

KATE KNAPP

Pastels, oils, acrylics and watercolors…..abstract and representational…..landscapes, still lifes and portraits….a unique variety of painting technique and styles….you will be transported to another world and see things in a way you never have before…. join us and experience something different. Painting classes continue on Monday and Wednesday mornings 10-1:30pm at the studio and Thursday mornings out in the field. These classes are open to all...come to one or come again if it works for you. All levels and materials welcome. Classes at Front Street are for those wishing to learn, those who just want to be involved in the pure enjoyment of art, and/or those who have some experience under their belt. A teacher for many years, Kate Knapp has a keen sense of each student’s artistic needs to take a step beyond. Perfect setting for setting up still lifes; lighting and space are excellent. Kate Knapp’s paintings are also on display at 510 Warren St. Gallery in Hudson, NY. Please stop by to see all the many works of art by exceptional artists. Coming soon to Front Street Gallery – Front Street Gallery – Front Street, Housatonic, MA. Gallery open by appointment or chance. 413-528-9546 or 413-429-7141 (cell).

THE ARTFUL MIND SEPTEMBER 2013 • 7

ARTS ET INDUSTRIE BIRDS, BUGS & BOTANYâ&#x201E;˘

SCRATCHING THE SURFACE LYDIA JOHNSTON LYDIA JOHNSTON, WAKE INTO A DREAM

It was the Age of Discovery & the Era of Enlightenment. Exploration around the world in the 17th, 18th & 19th centuries fueled a fascination with Botany, Natural History & Flora. Emissaries fanned out across the globe gathering specimens of exotic flowers & fauna to be catalogued by preeminent naturalists & bound into grand volumes. For these great books brilliant illustrations were drawn & carved into copper plates, hand-printed & individually colored by some of the most excellent artists of all time. These magnificent original prints will be the focus of Art et Industrieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spring exhibition at the Great Barrington Train Station, entitled BIRDS, BUGS & BOTANYâ&#x201E;˘. Featured will be selected works from some of the greatest Botanical Illustrators of the Golden Age of Botany, including early hand-colored flower engravings by Sydenham Edwards for Curtisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Botanical Magazine from the 1780â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s forward, Stipple-Engravings By Pierre J.F. Turpin for Chaumetonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1815 Flore Medicale, rare contemporaneous examples by â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Raphael of Flowersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Pierre-Joseph RedoutĂŠ, spectacular hand-colored orchids by John Nugent Fitch for Robert Warnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1882 The Orchid Album, Lavish lithographs from van Houtteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mid-19th c. Flore Des Serres and others. Also featured will be select original J.J. Audubon handcolored bird-prints from his 1840 Octavo Edition of The Birds of America together with full-size re-creations of the original Havell engravings from the rare Amsterdam Edition, as well as wonderful works from Shaw & Nodderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1790-1814 Naturalistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Miscellany, stunning engravings of shells, incredible early renderings of butterflies, moths, bees & spiders. All these & many more will be presented together with a selection of fine reproductions on Greeting Cards, Giclees & scarves at our newest location next to the Farmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Market at the Old Great Barrington Train Station.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Scratching the Surfaceâ&#x20AC;? features oil paintings by Lydia Johnston and ceramics by Lori St. Pierre at NAACO Gallery, North Adams, Massachusetts, September 26 to November 25. An opening reception will be held September 26th from 6-9 pm. Vermont artist Lydia Johnstonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new landscapes are complex and full of vitality. Johnston, best known for her vibrant use of color, has been incorporating carved lines and printed patterns in her new body of work. Johnston applies multiple layers of oil paint, using both transparent and opaque colors, to achieve a richness and depth. Some of the paintings in this show have an arched wall or trellis with flowers, from which you look out across an intriguing landscape. A number of smaller pieces have an urban sensibility created by overlaying printed patterns. Johnston is continually experimenting and exploring new ideas. Her landscapes are looser now, moving towards abstraction while retaining a sense of place. You see land, water, sky, yet none of it is spelled out. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I want my paintings to have mystery, to allude to the familiar while remaining ambiguous. By hinting at things, I hope to trigger your imagination. I want you to sink into the scene and be transported.â&#x20AC;? Johnston works with wide color shapers, instead of brushes, that give her work its distinctive look. In addition, she carves marks into the wet paint with the edge of these tools, as well as printing patterns on the surface. All of these markings bring alive the skies and grounds of her landscapes. NAACO Gallery, 33 Main Street, North Adams, MA (diagonally across from MASS MoCA) 413-664-4003. Hours: Monday, Wednesday thru Saturday 11-6 pm, Sunday 12-4 pm, closed Tuesday. www.naacogallery.org or www.lydiajohnston.com

CONSCIOUS EXERCISE FOR ARTISTS SHARON TRUE ON PILATES APPARATUS

SHARON TRUE

Regular exercise is an essential component of optimal health and functioning. Conscious Exercise with Sharon True, owner of WholePerson Movement, takes exercise to a whole new level. In the personalized one-on-one workouts she creates in her Pilates studio she guides her clients to become masters of their own body movement. They learn to become conscious of the inner experience and process of doing an exercise, as well as of its precise outer form. Conscious Exercise workouts stretch and strengthen muscles, promote concentration, reduce stress, and deepen understanding of the body. Who needs Conscious Exercise? Artists whose art-making process involves doing painful repetitive movements are one group of people who can benefit from Trueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Conscious Exercise approach to Pilates workouts. For them, True teaches specific therapeutic exercises that promote comfort and healing, and coaches them in finding internal support and other strategies for reducing pain when creating in their art form. More broadly, Conscious Exercise empowers people to make the most of the body they have. This includes individuals who currently enjoy active lifestyles, such as performers, athletes, gardeners, and those who love all the outdoor activities that the Berkshires has to offer, as well as those who want to maintain or improve their physical fitness through a challenging Pilates workout. It also includes individuals who are confronted with impediments to their enjoyment of movement, such as injury or chronic pain, stiffness, difficulties with balance and coordination, or lack of body confidence. True welcomes the opportunity to find a way to help your body function at its best, no matter what age or condition it is in now. True is a registered somatic movement therapist, certified Laban movement analyst, and a certified Pilates instructor. Most recently she has completed training as a Pfilatesâ&#x201E;˘ (Pelvic Floor Pilates) instructor to enable her to assist her clients to improve and potentially cure pelvic floor disorders such as incontinence. She has been teaching Pilates-based workouts for over 15 years, first at Canyon Ranch in the Berkshires and then in her own fully-equipped Pilates studio in Great Barrington. These years of teaching, together with her commitment to continuing her own education, give clients the benefit of a vast array of experience to effectively address their goals and concerns. She is an expert partner and guide in the discovery of an exercise program that works and is a pleasure to do. Act now to start making the most of the body you have with a Conscious Exercise workout. Contact Sharon True at sharontrue@roadrunner.com or phone 413-528-2465, 9am-9pm.

We all want to know what youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re up to! Advertise in THE ARTFUL MIND ARTZINE.

8â&#x20AC;˘ September 2013 THE ARTFUL MIND

artfulmind@yahoo.com FB issuu.com 413. 528. 5628 / 413. 854. 4400

MARGUERITE BRIDE THE SEA MARGUERITE BRIDE, THE SEA

BUNNELL, COMPARTMENTS

PARADISE CITY ARTS FESTIVAL COLUMBUS DAY WEEKEND

The Boston Globe declared it “Wild and Wonderful”, the Hartford Courant called it “a Mecca for Art Lovers” and AmericanStyle named it the #1 Art and Craft Show in America. The Paradise City Arts Festival in Northampton marks its 19th year as New England’s premier showcase for fine and functional art, with a breadth of exhibitors and activities that will keep you enthralled and entertained all weekend long! It’s also American Craft Week, which brings together organizations from all fifty states in recognition of the countless ways handmade objects enrich our daily lives and contribute to our national aesthetic and economy. Paradise City is proud to be a Celebration Sponsor of American Craft Week. Meet 275 outstanding painters, sculptors and master craft designers from nearly 30 states. Take in Philip Jacobs’ spectacular glassblowing demonstrations, check out the enchanting special exhibit of magical, mysterious and make-believe art in “Hocus-Pocus!”, and create a fantasy creature of your own with ceramic sculptor Alan Bennett. Dine on sensational cuisine by Northampton’s best chefs under the Festival Dining Tent. Catch the excitement of live performances by nationally and regionally acclaimed musicians like Roger Salloom, the New England Swing and Soul Orchestra and the Valley Jazz Divas. Bid on hundreds of beautiful items donated by Paradise City artists in the Silent Art Auction to benefit WGBY, Public Television for Western New England. No wonder Boston Magazine declares, “The Paradise City Arts Festival has a vibrant soul that many similar exhibitions reach for but never attain... a unique visual arts institution!” Paradise City Arts Festival, October 12, 13 & 14, at Northampton’s 3 County Fairgrounds, 54 Old Ferry Road off Rt. 9. From the Mass Pike, take exit 4 to I-91 North to Exit 19. For complete show and travel information, and discount admission coupons, visit www.paradisecityarts.com or call 800-511-9725.

COLLINS/EDITIONS formerly BERKSHIRE DIGITAL

After seven years of working for artists and photographers as Berkshire Digital, we have changed our name to collins|editions. We are a fine art reproduction service that offers the highest quality digital photography & reproduction of paintings as well as Giclée printing on archival papers and canvas with sizes up to 42” x 90”. Artists & photographers use us to create limited editions of their images. Private collectors and galleries use us to document their collections. Whether the reproduction needs are for archiving, printing, books, magazines, postcards or internet use, BD adheres to very strict color controls along with delivering stunning detail by using either a large format camera with a Better Light™ digital scanning back for making giclee prints as well as the best DSLR cameras for publication & internet uses. In addition to the photography and printing services, collins|editions also offers graphic design, enabling clients to create show announcements, post cards and brochures. The website, www.CollinsEditions.com has a complete overview, lots of information and pricing. The owner, Fred Collins, has been a commercial photographer for over 30 years having had studios in Boston and Stamford. He offers 20 years of experience with Photoshop™ enabling retouching, restoration and enhancement. The studio is located in Mt Washington but dropoff and PU can be arranged at other locations. Collins|editions studio, 220 East St, Mt Washington, Massachusetts; 413-644-9663, www.CollinsEditions.com

During October a new solo exhibit of Marguerite Bride’s watercolors will be on display at NUarts Gallery, 311 North Street, Pittsfield. Entitled THE SEA, it will feature new paintings of seascapes, lighthouses, beach scenes…anything to do with the sea. An artist reception will be held on Friday, October 4, from 5 – 8 pm, in conjunction with Pittsfield’s First Fridays Artswalk. Maps are available at all participating venues (look for the Artswalk flag). The exhibit will run through October 24. The NUarts Gallery is open to the public during the First Friday’s Artswalk; at other times the art may be viewed by appointment with the artist. The NUarts Gallery is on the second floor of the pink brick building at the corner of North and Union Streets in Pittsfield. It is best to enter on Union Street next to Gallery 25. Be sure to visit the other artists while you are there. NUarts houses 19 artists working in a variety of mediums; most host open studios during FFAWs. HOUSE PORTRAITS, an exhibit featuring Marguerite Bride’s custom house portraits and other buildings will run through September 30 at The Kinderhook Group Realty office at 137 North Street in Pittsfield. There is still time to commission your painting for the holiday gift giving season. Visit the artist’s website for more details on house portraits and other commissioned works. The gift of art is always fun and personal. Avoid the price increase if you commit by September 30. Marguerite Bride, NUarts Studios, 311 North Street, Pittsfield, Studio #9, by appointment. Call 413-442-7718, or 413841-1659 (cell); website: margebride-paintings.com email: margebride@aol.com

“Dance is of all things the most concentrated expression of happiness and everyone needs to find happiness, to search for an ideal escape.” -VIOLETTE VERDY THE ARTFUL MIND SEPTEMBER 2013 • 9

of the story of Isis and her search for the dismembered body of her beloved Osiris. The work was so rich partly because of the age range of the actors (the youngest was 19, the oldest was 60). I finally compiled a script using writings from the cast and found text. I asked local cellists Gabrielle Senza & Francis Morris to compose a score for the performance, and Joe Wheaton to create a video montage around the themes of death and renewal. It all came together in a wild flight, and through the process we each were changed, joined in community, and found some new part of ourselves. In the end we weren’t able to stage it in the location that originally inspired the piece, but a fortunate turn of events landed us betwixt a tunnel and under the railroad line in Housatonic. This is the way Rogue Angel productions have tended to go: miraculously and without any logical certainty that we could pull it off! It was a huge learning step. What I gained was valuing my particular creative process and way of working. There was proof that the world wanted this kind of theatre, and that my actors did as well. Doing it again would be tricky as it was created by the 7 actors, only 2 of whom still live locally.

You like to use unconventional settings to stage your work. Can you share more about that? Pooja: Yes, place inspires me to create. I want to take people out of their familiar context, so that, hopefully, they can open up more to the experience. I also want them to feel safe and cared for. For Isis-Chernobyl, the audience was led from the parking lot at the old school to an unknown destination. This creates an air of mystery and adventure. It makes you feel like, “well I’m not in Kansas anymore,” or in the Berkshires, as the case may be. Rites of Passage took place in a large old house because I wanted to use multiple rooms. My upcoming offering Dances in a Field will take place, not surprisingly, in a field. When I was at Simon’s Rock I used to go into a field there and dance by myself to the cricket and peeper sounds. I love playing in nature, and in and around the relics of civilization; giving old places a new twist. In India many performances happen off-stage. The most memorable ritual performance I saw was by a huge old banyan tree in the middle of a rice paddy field. In the future I’d love to use a railroad track somewhere and also venture into the woods, as well as near water.

POOJA RU PREMA Actor and Director Interview by Harryet Candee Photography by Sabine Vollmer von Falken

Harryet Candee: When I first heard about Isis-Chernobyl: A Tale of Uncertain Fruit, a piece directed and produced by you, my reaction was, “This sounds very different!” and indeed, the performance was! Can you please tell us about it?

Pooja Ru Prema: Isis-Chernobyl was actually inspired by a gorgeous old building which has been taken over by trees and moss. The place epitomized how life always re-emerges after death, how nature eventually conquers our attempts to tame it. Growing up on Long Island, I relished small (often no bigger than 2’x3’) patches of “wildness” that I could find. I’ve appreciated that in all the places I’ve lived in. So this place spoke to me again of the essential wildness, and the beautifully stubborn desire of life itself to continue despite all odds. Around this time, I learned that Chernobyl (site of the nuclear explosion) has become a Yosemite Park–sized area, re-colonized by wildlife and primeval forest, al-

10 • September 2013

THE ARTFUL MIND

beit still radioactive. Even a few Russian families moved back and homestead there now, harvesting “uncertain fruit.” We want to live just as nature wants to procreate itself, and know itself. Meanwhile, that winter I traveled to Egypt, and, without ever intending it to, the story of Isis & Osiris—which I saw and heard re-told along the walls of an ancient temple—resurfaced right before the ensemble and I were about to begin work on the project. It was 2012, so apocalypse was in the collective unconscious, and I wanted to dream into what kind of world could emerge after the end of things as we’ve known them to be. What would our deeper desires allow us to finally have? By that point I knew we had these themes, and that somehow a play would be created from them. The ensemble of 7 actors and I worked over a period of months, devising through movement and words, finding the worlds in the play and the text. Isis-Chernobyl was also a fusion of the losses of our personal lives interwoven within our telling

You have created several pieces of theatre, including onewoman performances and pieces involving other creative and talented individuals from in and around the Berkshires. What gives you such a passion for theatre and story-telling? Pooja: I think I have a passion for adventure, and for vision questing. A passion to know myself more integrally, to know why I am here on this planet, and, in this quest, to have deeper communion with others. Although I was a dancer and visual artist, I entered the world of theatre when I was at Simon’s Rock College, unwittingly and through a back door; not as a means to perform on the stage, but rather to discover myself. I was very shy! I still am when I’m not on stage. It was all the work we did behind the stage that I loved most, although the magic of the performance exchange definitely holds its own gifts, especially in the world of the clown. Those of us in theatre want to expose our joy and grief in order to give of ourselves and to be seen. Theatre is literally “the seeing place.” At SRC, I saw my first clown performance and immediately became obsessed with one day becoming a theatre clown, who was complete raw, vulnerable, alive, like a child. I thought this was the greatest thing I could aspire to in life. Also, as a teenager I was in love with the Beats, Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, and the idea of “happenings.” Well, I wanted to be part of and create happenings and installations and far-out scenes. I wanted all of that. My passion for storytelling emerged from my first solo rite of passage. When I was 17, after my first year at SRC, I hitchhiked alone around the USA for one month. This trip changed my life in the best of ways. Since then, theatre has come back again and again as a spiritual practice, as a means to self discovery, healing and forming community. Ritual as well has been part of this from the time I went back to Kerala. Why did you choose to go back to India? Can you describe what going back was like? Pooja: Well, hitchhiking through the US brought one inescapable fact to the fore: that I “look so Indian,” as people would say (who had seldom if ever even seen an Indian woman in real life). But I had no answers to their stereotypical questions, since I was brought to the US at the age of 4, such as: “What does that red dot on your head mean?” “Do you speak Hindu?” and, “What is

Laura Geilen & Laura Lin. Painting by Kiki Dufault in the background

Photo: Sabine Vollmer von Falken

tantra?” Funny in retrospect, but not so when you are a 17-yearold girl! When I returned to SRC, I had many, many stories, which I realized I didn’t feel fit to tell. So, my quest then became “how do I tell these stories?” Along with this, I became hungry to know about my estranged homeland Kerala, and how people told stories there. When I came to the US, I didn’t speak English, and knew little about America, other than knowing that Disneyland existed. I learned English largely by watching television, and forgot my native language of Malayalam. So, when I went back to Kerala in my junior year at SRC to re-learn my language and study folklore, the culture shock and grief was immense. What I found was that the modern comforts I had grown up with in the US and then had rejected as capitalist consumer culture, were rapidly consuming my native land. I also eventually saw that despite the overwhelming colonization of the television into domestic life, the desire to hear and tell stories still persisted. Much like nature breaking through concrete, live storytelling found its way to the surface where it could. I lived with many families who performed various traditional ritual dramatic art forms in many different villages all through the state. I came back with all sorts of excitement, critique, and wariness about modernization and the decline of authentic (face-to-face, real-time) community. My thesis at SRC was about how storytelling allows us to make meaning of our lives and to form community. Narratives literally create our lives, and our individual and larger identities. If we can manage to retell those stories in new liberating ways, we change the very reality we live in. I am still only beginning to integrate the full breadth of what that means… It takes a lifetime to authentically retell the story of who we are.

What do the words Ritual and Transformation mean to you, and how do you express them in your performances? Pooja: Ritual is not just a set of repetitive actions or chants, or a preconceived dogma. Ritual is an offering of self to the larger self (community or universe). It’s the means by which an individual or a group comes to know, heal, renew and celebrate themselves, and it has an intention. If I go dance in a field by myself, it can be a prayer for something, an expression of gratitude. When we come together to dance, make a play, sing a song, sit by the fire, or share our stories, we are engaging in ritual if it is with intention. Ritual enables conscious transformation. When I speak of transformation, it’s about becoming more integrated in oneself, for the benefit of all. It is the release of the heaviness and isolation that

we bear as modern people, and the taste or glimpse of what we more deeply desire. And it is a way of saying thank you for all that has been, and is, and will be, and a way to re-tell our stories. Ritual theatre presents a context where transformation is invited to happen. At one of my events, you are welcomed into a place to begin a journey; you are asked to enter other worlds, foreign or familiar or both; you are served tea or whispers or questions, and ultimately you are asked to engage in this ritual with an open heart as far as you are able. You are asked in some way to add your own heartbreak and desire to the mix, even the unseen and unspoken, and to leave with a gift or medicine if you so choose– –of your own making. In India, a family or a whole village will gather for an entire night to watch a performance which tells of the defeat of the ego by love, of impermanence, and why we are here. In olden days, there was no television and these stories and characters offered people wisdom for their lives. It also gave them an effective means to heal an episode of shock and/or an event of loss, and to move on, and forth into life. I don’t believe we were ever meant to live without ritual, in as much as we are not meant to live without story, pleasure, and joy. I feel it is part of my inheritance to offer ritual to community. The very meaning of my given name Pooja is “ritual” or “offering”.

Can you please describe your recent project “Rites of Passage”: Rooms of Our Own from Girlhood Through Elderhood?” How did it come about? Pooja: In the USA, and most of the modernized, mechanized world, there are rituals around birthdays, marriage, and death. And for the majority of us, that’s all we get. There’s no true acknowledgement for a birth or an abortion or miscarriage, for the growth into adulthood, for heartbreak or divorce, for any losses or personal breakthroughs, the passage of menopause (or its equivalent for men), nor the entry into elderhood; the countless silent rites of passages we go through as human beings. As a woman, I have always been passionate about the affairs and progress of the female half of the world. Rites of Passage was intended to be a collective ritual,offering acknowledgment and celebration of the passages in women’s lives from birth to death. We used twenty-one rooms on two stories of an historic house (The Whitney Center for the Arts) in Pittsfield––formerly home to the Women’s Club of the Berkshires. The rooms were curated by twelve different local women artists and myself, and each represented a stage or theme in women’s lives starting from girlhood

and progressing through elderhood and death. The audience traveled through the rooms, which were a living visceral collage of these rites of passages. The finale was a 30-minute dance performance created by myself with five women and three men that the whole audience watched together. The entire production involved fifty women and a few men (mostly local), all aged three to eighty-nine, and a five-piece all-woman brass Balkan marching band that provided the score to the entire happening. Rites of Passage totally surpassed any expectation or dream I had with the magnitude of creative energy, brilliance and power that these women put into their rooms and the house, the magic of how it all flowed together and became a phenomenon much greater than any of us. I had the honor of working with some of the most amazing, rock-star women I know, many of them my elders. It was a true rite of passage for me as a director, producer, and woman.

Will Rites of Passage happen again? Where do you see it going? Pooja: I am open to Rites of Passage happening again elsewhere in the US or internationally. But it is a project of a grand scope and scale and therefore requires significant logistical and financial support. I definitely want more people to have the opportunity to experience the project. Filmmaker Cindy Parrish and I are in the process of creating a documentary film of Rites of Passage to be shown the spring of 2014. I would like the film to travel widely and be used as a catalyst for community conversations around the theme of rites of passages for women and for men. There is also the possibility of creating a book using photographs from the show. The work of creating rites of passages is a life long one for me that can take many forms.

How would you describe your theatre pieces? What makes them stand out from other styles? Pooja: I would describe them as curvy, non-linear happenings with a twist of the absurd and the sacred, and with a uniquely feminine perspective. They are certainly performance art pieces, usually involving several media including movement, dance, spoken text, film and music. They are ritual offerings that always come from a deeply personal place. In all pieces I like to “tempt” the magical to happen. I love utilizing the local community, and

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THE ARTFUL MIND SEPTEMBER 2013 • 11

POOJA RU PREMA

Nancy Rothman & Samantha Elliot in the Sisterhood Room. Art work along right wall by Cynthia Atwood seek out the brilliance and talent of those who are not exclusively “actors,” but those with a desire to perform and are in other professions such as mother, father, carpenter, farmer. I believe in using the resources and creative capital of a community and in so doing, serving that local community. While I adore theatre craft, my work tends to highlight the improvisational and raw aspect of performance; the lines are rough, untidy, unconventional, and open to interpretation. I attempt to make theatre that speaks to the need and issues of a diverse age range of people: 17-100. I think my most of my audiences love the opportunity for intimacy, selfreflection and vulnerability, but some might feel uncomfortable.

Can you describe the various kinds of theatre you have created, such as the Topple & Bottom Carnival, to us? Pooja: Yes, all the “theatre” work I’ve done, as varied as its been has involved these aspects: ritual, storytelling, happening, humor, loss, revelation, community, and rites of passage. The Topple & Bottom Carnival came about because some friends of mine invited my partner Adam and I to do “something” in the backyard of their home in Alford. I said yes and knew that it had to be epic, because the site was epic. Around this time I was also reading the book A Pattern Language. In the chapter on “Carnival” it talks about how humans need the “social outward equivalent of dreaming.” I wanted to create this kind of living lucid dream world. I have been inspired by vaudeville and the old time circus, and the hacked-together, otherworldly magic of it. So we put it out to people we knew to create a character or a booth, and to come make this together. At different times we’ve had our own versions of the Bearded Lady, the Siamese Twins, The Strongman, the Fortune Teller, The Harem Queen, the Tattooed Man, and so on, with an Elixir booth, a photo booth, local beer and food, and a Pie-pot luck. Both times I’ve also created a very simple script for a live moving theatre performance based around the characters at the carnival and a shadow puppet play. They inevitably chronicle the rite of passage of some created character. Last year the play was also based on the Tarot. The Carnival has been one of the most magical things I’ve partook in, however in years past weather has proved a formidable challenge. For me, it’s been the mini Berkshire version of the Oregon Country Fair, at night. Both years I have played a sort of witch in the old stone silo on the property serving a cider “potion” and incantations. At one point we also hosted a happening/celebration that was called the Caravan where we converted a barn into a Moroccan themed caravan, and the Spring Flings featuring Heather Fisch as one of my favorite all12 • September 2013 THE ARTFUL MIND

time heroes, Pan, in a mock-play with his nymphs. These sort of initial events eventually gave way to full productions like IsisChernobyl and more recently Rites of Passage, which has also been described as a “Female Funhouse”. Your work has been described as “Courageous.” How does this word fits you? Pooja: I tend to consistently put myself up to things I am not completely ready for. Foolhardy or courageous, I dunno. Both! “Cour” means “heart.” Courage literally means “take heart.” Beginning with my first solo travel, and then clown, my life mission has been to open up my heart and be brave and vulnerable. Quite daunting at times, but that’s ultimately what we are all here for.

Can you tell us about your work with masks and your solo show Solidao? Pooja: I had a desire to work with the Neutral Mask, originating from Italy, and then the Lecoq school in Paris, which prepares actors for work with mine, character masks, the Commedia dell’Arte and clown. It is the “essential human being” stripped of personality or character, and basically makes the whole human body a very alive puppet. I finally got that chance 2 years ago with my old professor from SRC, Karen Beaumont, when I got to join her mask class. Slipping into the world of neutral mask was like coming home. I wanted to create a solo performance based on this work, and so used some of the basic training exercises to develop a story. In Solidao I use neutral mask, original character masks, some clown, and butoh-inspired dance to Portuguese Fado music. “Solidao” means solitude in Portuguese, and is the story of one woman’s life on an isolated island during a very long war, and her journey to freedom. It is a healing work and is very, very slow moving and meditative, in comparison to most western theatre. I would like to do this piece again at some point.

Tell us what it was like being a solo clown on a bicycle through Kerala, India? Pooja: Oh my! Well that’s a big story! I was living in Kerala on my second visit there, studying Mohinyattam dance and women’s ritual circle dances. I became obsessed with a vision I had of me in my traditional dance sari, on a bicycle. It was originally imagined as a kind of circus/caravan tour on bicycles with many others through villages in Kerala. Its goal was to connect with people and to celebrate the dying vestiges of village culture, storytelling, and people’s connection to the land and each other. It transformed

Photo: Sabine Vollmer von Falken

unintentionally into a solo tour when no one else could sign to go with me full-time for 1-2 months without pay. Many people were very excited about the project. Furthermore, no woman had ever traveled alone in any kind of performance tour on her own in Kerala, let alone on a bicycle! Mentors of mine, along with people I barely knew, and people I’d never met before opened up their homes to me as I traveled from village to village, town to town (occasionally joined by a friend or two) and performed for surprisingly packed audiences (100-300) of all ages––entire families and villages in someone’s backyard, a common field, public square, or school ground. My performance was an absurdist ritual, a blend of western buffon clown, the vernacular clown traditions I had seen in Kerala, and the ancient tradition of Abhinaya (telling stories using only facial expressions). Women did not perform this kind of grotesque physical clown in India; it is the sole province of men. Since my clown was an old woman, I was able to do things that only men were ever able to do––I would sometimes chase down young grown men and have them sit on my lap and pretend to be my children. I also fire-danced. At the best of times, people loved the performance and sometimes actively took part in it providing music, and I played with hundreds of children. At worst, it didn’t strike a chord, and traveling as a young woman alone and unprepared for such a feat proved frustrating and exhausting. I encountered love and connection and sincerity, and I also met fear, harassment, and judgment. All of these experiences were mirrors of my internal process. I can only hope that it somehow encouraged a lot of young girls to pursue their dreams. I grew very close to my homeland, with its endless rice paddies and its dusty exhaust-filled streets. I looked quite a site on my colorful eccentric bicycle with bangles up to my elbows. I remember one day when I was in a shop, a whole crowd of men had gathered around my bike outside (as often happened). To my surprise and delight they offered me plastic flowers for my bicycle! One of the greatest memories of that trip was the honor of offering my little clown performance in the ancient goddess temple of the shadow puppet performers (whom I had met when I was 18) whose family had performed there for thousands of years! There is film footage of that trip that I one day hope to use as part of a larger documentary about the changing gender landscape of Kerala.

Could you tell us how your spirituality links with your work? Pooja: Yes of course! I believe that we are all enlightened spiritual beings dreaming wild dreams together. And that the work we

Pooja with the Rites of Passage ensemble before the show: (from left around) Hartmuth Sommer, Laura Geilen, Justin Green, Burr Milliken, Meg Agnew, Nancy Rothman & Laura Lin

Photo: Sabine Vollmer von Falken

are doing on planet earth as the “human project” is very important to the cycle of our collective dreaming and waking. I am working to remember who I am and what we’re doing here, and in the process to hopefully help others remember. What better way to do this than creating “outward equivalents of dreaming”?

Have you returned to India recently? Are there other highlights you could describe? Have you traveled elsewhere? Pooja: Since I moved back to the Berkshires, its been about 6 years since I last lived in India. I had many lives during that 2 ½ years in India on that last visit including living on a homestead and carrying water on my head up a hill every day, to running a performance and art gallery/store/café, to traveling as a barefoot wanderer with a spiritual renunciate. I have lived briefly in Mexico and have had the pleasure to travel to Paris and to the exquisite coast of France near Italy. My friend Heather Fisch and I shared a very memorable hitchhiking journey together for 3 months across Canada to the isles of British Columbia, and down in to California. Who are your mentors in life, and in the theatre? Pooja: My mentors in life and theatre are, in a distant way, the performers I have met in India. They also include a few dynamic women elders, including my fiend Laurie Glenn, the first female clown/ritual theatre performer I met; large-scale dance installation artist Marilyn Wood; and Diego Pinon creator of “Butoh Ritual Mexicano.” I am deeply inspired by the work of Pina Bausch, Anne Bogart, Marina Abramovic, and Anna Halprin. I am also blessed to have women in our local community who are elder/mentors to me in life.

“The risky and the playful – the Rogue” in you, Pooja. Explain. Pooja: It’s the clown and the Beatnik deviant in me. I do not believe in private property or institutionalized ignorance and am fundamentally opposed to the directive that we in the US are not allowed to gather as we see fit, where and when we see fit. All good theatre is political, because it is about real relationship. I like keeping people on the edge of what is comfortable, as I am forced to this point so often my self.

What would you like to see happen in terms of theatre in the Berkshires? Pooja: I’d like for Berkshire-ites to broaden their definition of theatre. There are signs that this is underway. Certainly the Fringe

has been working in this direction in South County, and we have Mass Live Arts as well. I would like to see more fresh local theatre for local people. I have always been one to network as much as possible in community for the benefit of all, and I’d like to see more and more of that! I’d love to see more theatre by people of color. I would also like to see how the different theatres can support each other more. I believe in keeping theatre affordable, meaning $25 and under, or sliding scale or having a quota of cheaper tickets available at every show. Thus far theatre in the Berkshires has mainly been the province of the upper middle class, and those over 65 who grew up appreciating theatre over film and television. I really value having more opportunities for engagement with a broad spectrum of culture, art, and theatre for all types of people. What are your dreams for the future? Pooja: If I had my way my company would have a physical home, and would work together on a weekly basis, producing new larger-scale works over long periods of time, say 1x a year. I would like theatre to support me financially, and yet not be tied down by the weight of spending more time on the computer than on the work I love. I would like to pay company ensemble members a living wage. I would be commissioned to create work elsewhere and abroad, particularly site-specific work, and I would travel and work more internationally. I’d like to give more workshops to actors and non-actors both, and evolve my own way of working. I would love to grow old making theatre that is more and more surprising to myself, and inspiring, with less and less input from my intellectual mind. I’d love to be a part of a wide community net of inspired creatives, builders, farmers, entrepreneurs, and philanthropists that offers more eclectic spaces for ritual, celebration, and creativity, and that nurtures and brings forth my desire to create and serve. I’d also like to perform more on my own and rediscover my clown self, as well as sing and play music again.

What are your plans for the next year? Pooja: Well, this should be a very exciting year in my life. I will be 31 this month! I’d like to travel again, and come back with new treasures. I want to create a structure for the company to stand on its own legs financially. I am also interested in evolving ritual theatre that can be more inclusive so that the line between audience and actors is blurred. My next larger site-specific work, The Theatre of Freedom is an experiment in this direction.

What do you see as the biggest challenges to the kind of theatre you want to make? Pooja: I see the ability to make a living creating theatre in a new economic model to be the greatest challenge. Another challenge is that society as a whole does not fully understand or honor the role of art in evolving the human potential, community, society, or nation. Furthermore, the modern world is obsessed with codifying everything so that most of site specific work is considered a liability! These are political problems. But they are not problems that can or should be addressed by officials alone. We are each responsible and able to create a vibrant human-friendly world.

Expected in September of 2013 are The Living Room Theatre and Dances in a Field. Tell us about these two exciting works you are premiering. Pooja: The Living Room Theatre is slated for early September. It is a community theatre space. The idea came a few years ago in collaboration with other friends as a monthly community cabaret. The first two times it happened were in an actual living room. Last year I got inspired to create a “living room” outdoors by moving couches, a rug etc. onto the alleyway by Rubiner’s in Great Barrington. It was a sort of open-mike style event. I was amazed at how many people showed up, how electric the whole place became, and how devoutly everyone paid attention. This year the focus is on storytelling (which can be telling written story, or a short dramatic scene). The theme is “real life miracles.” It has to be true and from your life. We tend to live alongside each other but know so little of what others have experienced in their lives, so this is a chance to get to know familiar and new faces more intimately. Dances in a Field is a dream I’ve had for over a year now. It is an offering of various movement experiments by members of the company and myself. It’s sure to be magic since we will start right around sunset at 6:30 pm, on Sunday the 22nd of September (Equinox), or rain date Monday the 23rd . It is also the full moon, and the event will end with everyone dancing. The site is a field to the left at the crest of Haley Road in Great Barrington. One of the offerings that night will be from a day-and-ahalf long workshop that I’ll be teaching here that weekend from the 21st -22nd. This workshop is for people who love to move and who would like to explore ritual through movement and improvisational play. It’s open to people with or without theatre experience. Thank you, Pooja! RogueAngelTheatre.com THE ARTFUL MIND SEPTEMBER 2013 • 13

Planet Waves

The Virgo New Moon is Sept. 5. It makes aspects to many influential and even powerful minor planets -- among them Chiron, Pholus, Ixion, Borasisi and Chaos. These are not asteroids; they are centaurs and points in or near the region of Pluto. The New Moon chart is about maintaining enough intellectual objectivity so as not to be afraid to ask deep questions, and size up the answers honestly. Next up is the Pisces Full Moon, which takes place Sept. 19. If the New Moon is about going deep, the Full Moon is about going wide -- maintaining a global perspective, seeing the impacts of your decisions, and noticing the way that events ripple out into your world, and the world. Finally this month we have the Libra equinox. The Sun changes signs and the Northern Hemisphere summer ends. The three months encompassing Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius can be the most hectic of the year, as the days grow shorter and the holidays approach. Pace yourself -- make a plan now.

Aries (March 20-April 19)

Calculate your risks. Do not take them frivolously. I know this is not a popular activity but for you it's a necessary one. You are more inclined to go out on a limb right now, at the same time there are factors in the equation that you may not be aware of. Therefore I suggest you consider worst-case scenarios before you do something that is potentially dangerous. At the same time, some of those scenarios have ways of expressing themselves that come up in your favor. For example, a phase of adversity in a relationship can work out in your favor, by taking you deeper with someone, and helping you build trust with them. Yet it's essential that you be conscious as you do this. I am not suggesting that you stoke your insecurity -- only that you look before you take a soulful, bounding leap.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) A relationship seems to go through a series of tests, and many of them may be centered on what a close partner or someone who's an erotic interest is going through. Yet these are not tests -- they are the experiences of life that are normal for the territory that we're in. One of the central questions for you is how you handle your own insecurities. There may be a seeming conflict between your boldness and another person's hesitancy, or between your desire to be spontaneous and your need for stability in the relationship. I think that the key to your situation is recognizing the impact that your feelings have on others, even when you don't say anything. Your emotions move you and the world around you. They are especially likely to have that influence now. So pay attention and participate consciously. Gemini (May 20-June 21)

Keeping things in balance is one thing. Knowing how to respond when situations go out of balance is another. First, be aware that there are some conflicts that will seem dramatic and significant but which do not directly influence your life, except on the intellectual level. Assess each of them on two levels -- how does this affect you, and how does it affect your community? That question will provide significant useful information. You are involved in some truly significant assessments of your security base, home and family matters, and you must sort out information that is useful from that which is merely controversial. Pay particular attention to health-related topics, get to the truth and more than anything, notice the role that stress plays in the equation. Carefully consider adjusting environmental factors first before you seek any form of outside intervention that you don't need.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Your ideas have both influence and impact, though it will help considerably if you keep your flexibility. You seem to be bumping up against a fear -- it could be the fear of going deeper, or of losing control, or of the unforeseen consequences of acting on your desire. If you run into a situation wherein you feel fully committed but still cannot get your situation to budge, take a

14 â&#x20AC;˘ September 2013 THE ARTFUL MIND

September 2013

gentler approach. Consider the ways in which you can flow around something rather than push it or force some kind of movement. You need to be the flexible one in the equation, and you can count on that talent being available if you remember to call on it. A little confidence will go a long way -- that will build as the month progresses, as you learn more and act on what you know.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) In any relationship situation it's necessary to maintain awareness of your own identity, desires and needs, and those you share with other people around you. Usually we take for granted having to sacrifice one or the other. That is an idea from the distant past, usually advocated by our parents and grandparents, but which is no longer true for you. It's not a question of 'all you' versus 'all about the other person'. And it's not a matter of alternating between the two. At this point in human history we face the authentic challenge of being wholly self-present and wholly present for others in your context as a relationship or business partner. Is this more than prior generations can handle, or were they merely lacking that concept? You can handle the stretch, and you have the concept available. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) If a situation seems to be running out of control, I suggest you adjust your perspective till you see it in such a way that it's workable. You'll be surprised by how much changes with your point of view. It is therefore essential that you keep your point of view portable, and that you not be driven by fear. If you get stuck, ask yourself what you're concerned might happen. One thing to be mindful of is discerning fear from intuition. Fear usually describes an outcome you don't want. Intuition usually describes how to create an outcome that you do want, or at least provides some useful information on how to prevent a negative outcome. Therefore, it's essential that you recognize that worry is not a form of intuition, no matter how vivid it may seem. Keep a wide perspective -- especially about yourself. Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23)

You will need to talk about what you're feeling and what you've been through recently -- if you want any sense of contact with the people around you. The past matters, especially the past four weeks, and what you experienced will have an influence on your current choices. You've just been through another spell of "I can barely believe I'm going through this," though at least this time around you had the presence of others to verify your experience. Remember how good that felt: you don't need to go it alone, and the one sure way not to do that is to maintain open communication with people you care about, and those with whom you share common interests. Be real with people and you will have real friends. Stealth and secrecy are not all they're cracked up to be.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) Build up your momentum working on a long-term goal -- which implies knowing what it is, beginning the process and focusing your energy. Get accustomed to working through the inner resistance that gets in the way of your most cherished desires for achievement. Recognize the degree to which any worldly goal involves overcoming some inner obstacle or remnant of history. If you encounter a personality trait that consistently holds you back, now is the time to deal with it so that you can move onto truly greater things. If you put your mind to that project, there is little that will be able to stop you. And you will need them when, later in the year, the astrology brings nearly total focus on your sign and you're in the spotlight in a much bigger way. That's the future; this is the point of origin. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) You're in a situation where you must be both the micromanager and the visionary. This isn't easy. All the details in the world don't add up to the larger scenario, no matter how well attended.

by Eric Francis

But they do need to be attended. You also know that you're one of the few who cannot only understand the grand scheme -you're one of its most influential authors. Therefore, make sure that the details get taken care of, but don't let them bog you down. One way to do that is to take care of them well in advance. You know what they are; you know who is dependable and who is not; you have a sense of the timing involved. Keep a grip on this layer of things and you will soon emerge as a leader of the people and the author of a genuine idea or concept.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) You might question whether what you perceive in others is your own shadow projected onto them, or whether it's really some issue they have. It could be a little of both, though in any event there is significant benefit that can come from asking the questions that help you verify your perceptions. Relationships often get tangled in a hall of mirrors, and this is the stuff of which those mirrors are made. If you determine that something belongs to you, it's that much easier to address. If you determine that something is the property of another person, that at least helps you understand where the lines of responsibility really are. All of us who live on our particular planet have work to do. It helps considerably if we do our own work and allow others to do theirs. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19)

Others may challenge your authority over the next few weeks. It could be some professional situation, or a household-related theme, or your moral authority -- and you will need to figure out a way to handle it that works for everyone, or for as many people as possible. Remember that often, when someone is trying to razz you, they're doing it for its own sake. It may be a form of amusement or a not-so-dangerous way to take a little risk. That said, take a real look at any beef someone has with you and offer them some kind of compromise. Leave yourself room to negotiate; don't give it all away at first -- just enough to send the signal that you're open to a discussion and that you have a fair mind. This will work anywhere along the spectrum from personal to political.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) All the facts in the word don't add up to the truth. So where you're inundated with data, make sure you look at it in a way that tells you something. Now, that something may well be subjective. You may get an opinion confirmed; you may see a pattern and come up with a new theory. Here is a clue: To do this well, you need to have faith in yourself and in your intelligence. Pisces is good at being circumspect, which is a way of saying taking in a diversity of viewpoints -- though you have to trust your own, and give the opinions of others weight only to the extent that they're presenting something compelling. Just keep that theory in mind -- that a lot of information is not necessarily what you need. It's a coherent point of view and a flexible plan of at least three steps toward the goal. ~ Read Eric Francis daily at PlanetWaves.net

Simply Sasha

by Sasha Seymour

The Glorious Goat!

I am a huge fan of goat cheese and when I was researching new recipes to try, this one got my attention. Why? First because it had goat cheese in the title (I did mention that I am a fan, right?) and second because above the ingredient list was the word “Easy”. It takes only 15 minutes to prepare! This recipe is for four servings, but you can adjust the amounts to serve more. Bring it to a party! You will be a hit! Peace and Joy to you! ~ 3 cloves of garlic ~ fresh rosemary sprigs (2) ~ 14 oz log of unflavored goat cheese ~ juice of 1/2 lemon ~ olive oil ~ black pepper to taste

1. In a food processor chop garlic and Rosemary 2. Add goat cheese in big crumbles with lemon juice and pepper 3. Then add olive oil and process, adding more oil as needed until creamy but not runny 4. Add more pepper to taste, and put it in a container with a cover 5. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes then serve with crackers!

Enjoy!

THE ARTFUL MIND SEPTEMBER 2013 • 15

St. Francis_postcard_front 7/23/13 12:26 PM Page 1

1370 Pleasant St, Rte. 102, Lee, MA

1370 Pleasent St. Rt. 102, Lee, MA (413) 717-5199 Next to the Fire Station

Open Friday-Monday 11 am-5:30pm (or by appointment)

www.saintfrancisgallery.com

16 â&#x20AC;˘ September 2013 THE ARTFUL MIND

THE ARTFUL MIND SEPTEMBER 2013 • 17

The Dennis Bezanowitz Coffee House Commission An excerpt from the blog, â&#x20AC;&#x153;No Cure for the Medieval Mindâ&#x20AC;? by Richard Britell

Continued from August 2013 Artful Mind issue The boy who could draw Donald Duck was still living with his parents that winter of 1962, and his room had been made into a small studio. He had a hand made easel next to a table covered with paints and brushes, and on a canvas was a halffinished painting of a mallard duck. I had never seen a work in progress before, and was struck by its odd appearance. The top of the picture was complete down to the very finest detail, and the bottom of the canvas was blank except for a few indistinct pencil lines. The brown tones of the feathers looked perfect but the green band on the neck was the wrong green, and had been scrubbed out and was being repainted. In front of the painting was a gigantic magnifying glass on a pivot, through which the details were magnified and distorted. Dennis immediately started to apologize for the green on the mallardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s neck saying, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get the green right, I have rubbed it out over and over again, I am going to try sap green next, the thalo is too acid.â&#x20AC;? On the walls of his studio room were numerous posters all of the work of Andrew Wyeth; I

18 â&#x20AC;˘ September 2013 THE ARTFUL MIND

began to have an uneasy feeling about the commission. I showed Dennis the pictures of the work of Franz Kline in my book and I asked him if he would be interested in doing five paintings for thirty-five dollars each, to look something like it. I told him the coffee shop owner would supply the paint and masonite panels. I will never forget the look of incomprehension on Dennis Bezanowitzâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s face as he tried to take in what he had been asked to do. He seemed to think I was making fun of him, or trying to ridicule him. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But these pictures are just big doodles that anyone could do, why donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t you do it yourself, any moron could do it. Not that I think you are a moron, but do you know how many hours I have been working on this duck, here look at this log book, I have already put in 50 hours. This is a real painting, done with oils on canvas like the old masters. Why would I want to paint big doodles, when I can do this?â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;For the hundred and seventy five dollars, I replied.â&#x20AC;? Dennis agreed to do the fake Franz Kline paintings for the coffee shop, but I had misgivings. I was worried that his perception of the work as large doodles would mean that he would create huge stupid diagram paintings for the place, and not the â&#x20AC;&#x153;abstract expressionismâ&#x20AC;? people were talking about. Although back then I did not like abstract painting, and even now I think of it as self-indulgent childishness, still it seemed to be something more than just large doodles; to me it seemed that those paintings of Kline were more like large scribbles, rather than doodles. And what is the difference between a doodle, and a scribble you ask? A scribble can have emotion; a scribble can have energy, passion and unpredictability. But a doodle is just killing time with boring repetitive shapes. A doodle never has passion and commitment, but a scribble can rise to the heights of emotional intensity. But then, on the other hand, something must be said in defense of the doodle. The doodle is a long series of simple shapes repeated over and over again with only slight variation, a variation that arises from the passage of time, and imperfections of the materials and the execution. And isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t that an accurate description of the cell structure of living things, plants and animals. If you look at cells under a microscope, arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t we looking at tiny doodles, the doodles of nature killing time, as nature waits for all eternity for someone to answer the phone. And if you say that doodles have no purpose, no destination, canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t you say the same of life itself? Isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t life one long endless doodle, with an occasional scribble of passion that promises meaning, but disappoints you in the end? Nevertheless, I side with the scribble over the doodle every time. Better the false hope of the scribble, especially the scribble that rips through the restraints of the paper, better that than monotonous doodles of time-killing boredom. Two weeks later the fake Kline abstractions Dennis painted showed up, nailed to the wall of the Coffee Shop. Actually they were not nailed to the wall, but screwed to the wall with black Philips screws. I was ashamed and embarrassed by the paintings. If Dennis had set out to make fun of the coffee shop owner he succeeded. But the coffee shop owner loved the paintings and commissioned Dennis to do a series of paintings for his home. He wanted three cubist Picassos, one more Kline, and two Jackson Pollocks, one for over the couch, and another for the den in the basement. But it didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t matter anyway because a few months later our coffee shop closed its doors, the owner saying, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everyone came once, drank an espresso, and never came back again, it just didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t catch on.â&#x20AC;? Dennis went back to painting birds and wildlife, and his sojourn into abstract expressionism had no effect on him. I presumed Aunt Jemima, the cleaning lady, would not know what Dr. Buboni was talking about with all his hyperbole comparing abstract painting to scribbling, and his dissertation on the relationship between doodling and cell structures, but I was shocked to realize she understood completely, and even added to his lecture. Jemima said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I know just what you mean Arnold, take for example when I wax the hospital floors with the big waxing

machine, the process is just like a big doodle. The machine goes left and right in big circles and the shapes on the floor are a repeat pattern over and over again. But with the mop and the bucket it is a different matter. The use of the mop is just like scribbling, as Dr. Buboni was saying; when you are pushing the mop back and forth anything can happen, you might suddenly veer off to the upper right in a big arc, or suddenly do a few short strokes in the lower left hand corner. Mopping the floor can be passionate and invigorating, but waxing with the machine is deadly monotonous.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;How often I have thought to myself,â&#x20AC;? Jemima continued, â&#x20AC;&#x153;as I mopped the floors of this big hospital late at night. What masterpieces I could be creating if the floor was not a floor but a huge canvas rolled out from wall to wall, and instead of a bucket of soap and water, I had buckets of paint of all different colors. First I would stick that mop into the red, and throw a huge path of red from the left, all the way to the far wall in a big slash. Then, with the mop still full of red, I would plunge it directly into green, and do a number of rapid staccato splashes in parts of the red stroke, as the red and green are mixing and turning to brown. Then I would put the red mop aside and go directly to the black, and mop up a number of dark ominous strokes in the corner, approaching my red section, but not touching it, leaving slivers of the white canvas floor separating the black from the red. When I was done I would give it a title, the title would be, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Hospital at 4 AM.â&#x20AC;? But I would give credit for the title to Giacometti, who did that wonderful piece â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Palace at 4 AM,â&#x20AC;? do you know it? â&#x20AC;&#x153;And why,â&#x20AC;? she said, raising her voice and becoming excited, her brown face flushing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Because If I could paint big pictures with a mop and bucket, I could live in a palace but instead I have to mop hallways, and empty bed pans. But it is all relative and God who looks down on us all knows that my clean floors are masterpieces. I wish you could have seen the look on old Buboniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s face as Aunt Jemima finished talking about her floor mopping in terms of modern art. The professor had been accustomed for so many years to discussing art at gallery openings and in academic circles, and in all the years of his career had never heard anyone outside of the upper classes say anything intelligent or perceptive about modern art. Now this poor cleaning lady was not only talking about his favorite subject, but also putting it in a way that would have never crossed his mind. And all of us realized that thinking of cleaning floors as expressionistic painting was a perfect example of Buboniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Theory of Destructivism. I posted a picture of Aunt Jemima on my blog. It is not a current picture but one taken some years ago. In it you can see the animation that was in her face as she talked about cleaning the floors of the hospital. But how was it possible for this cleaning lady on the night staff of the hospital, and a poor immigrant, to have such insight into Buboniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ideas, and art in general? We all turned toward her, and in our faces she could see that she owed us some explanation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was born in a small village on the coast of Africa,â&#x20AC;? she said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;and in my childhood, except for some wood carvings, there were no paintings around or any interest in art at all. But today if you were to visit my village you would find everyone is an artist, and the selling of paintings is the principal occupation of my people back home. This is how it came about, and why, by accident, I got involved in looking at and even collecting paintings.â&#x20AC;? G

The Architecture of Secrets AMENDMENT IV Search and Arrest Warrants

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by an Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. From the beginning, our country has seen the home as a special place. Given the colonialist’s experience with an occupying British army and the unchecked ability of the occupiers to take over any home they wanted, whenever they wanted, our forefather’s created ‘Amendment III’, Housing of Soldiers, as the third amendment to our Constitution: No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to b prescribed by law. But the founding father’s believed that this third amendment only addressed part of the problem, the most egregious violation of people’s homes and privacy. They recognized that another, more comprehensive amendment was needed and it is noted in full at the top of this column. These two Amendments are the only ones that deal directly with the home, but their placement within the ‘Amendments to the Constitution’ show how seriously they were considered; only the right to free speech, a free press, freedom from a state sponsored religion and the right of a well regulated Militia to bear arms precede these two Amendments. The founders clearly understood that the ability of government to violate the privacy and sanctity of the people’s homes with impunity was the hallmark of dictatorship. They also understood that a true democracy needed to extend such sanctity under law to each of our, “persons… papers and effects.” In short,

Architecture & Arcadia Stephen Gerard Dietemann

each of us, like our homes, was also protected by law. Today we are again reminded of Thomas Jefferson’s prescient warning: “The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.” Again, and this time under the aegis of a president I supported eagerly, we see that the fourth Amendment is under dire assault. The article in the Sunday, August 18th New York Times magazine entitled, ‘The Secret Breakers’ by Peter Maass should terrify everyone in this country. The article describes the ordeal of a journalist, Laura Poitras, in her effort to reveal the secrets – and outright lies — of the NSA and other branches of the government, released by Edward Snowden. As always, fear is the rationale and ‘trust us’ the prompt to ignore what is becoming more and more obvious: we are all becoming less ‘secure within our persons, houses, papers and effects’. The next day, the partner of Glen Greenwald — another of the journalist working with Edward Snowden — was detained by British authorities for nine hours and his effects were confiscated. Aside form the irony of the British doing our dirty work, this is also deeply concerning. Who knows: perhaps Greenwald’s mother or neighbor is next, for the crime of being related to or friendly with a journalist doing what he or she is supposed to do (see Amendment 1)? Where, one wonders, does it stop? As a progressive, it is a rare moment indeed when Rand Paul and I agree on anything, but this is one of those moments. President Obama was recently ‘obliged’ by Snowden (primarily) to suggest the citizens of this country engage in a dialogue about the balance between liberty and security. It should not have needed a release of secret information to prompt this debate in the first place. No matter what you think of Snowden,

Laura Poitras or Glenn Greenwald, you should applaud such a debate. If we are to remain a democracy we must heed Jefferson’s admonition, ‘a well informed electorate is prerequisite to democracy.’ Ask your self this: how can an electorate be ‘well informed’ without true information? G

“The universe is real but you can’t see it. You have to imagine it. Once you imagine it you can be realistic about reproducing it.” -Alexander Calder

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Pilates Mat Class Beg/Int. Tuesdays 5-6:00 PM Pelvic Floor Fitness Class Beg/Int. Wednesdays 6-7:00 PM

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THE ARTFUL MIND SEPTEMBER 2013 •19

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3(#4=8(!8;B:DDB;>8(KB;>8(N94<9BCD(78B=F98(B;(B9=(>4CN4;8;=( 01#+&,.$2-#"('N&N(9O*&C8//&DAY OF THE DEAD/DIA DE LOS MUERTOS fiesta and costume party! P(Q&29=&& Pre-registration required! Creative Writing, Theater and Visual Arts: 9/9/13-10/31/13 / Dance Courses: Semester 9/9/13-12/21( & &

Coming soon: The ART STORE !!

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