‘Art of Storytelling’ with Theater in the Open
Theater in the Open is hosting a socially distant fundraiser on Sunday, Sept. 27, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Adelynrood Retreat and Conference Center in Byfield.
“The Art of Storytelling” will feature an outdoor museum of sorts, displaying a collection of works donated by friends of the theater group.
Live entertainment will be centered around the themes and stories of the art.
Only 20 attendees at a time will be permitted on the property, located at 46 Elm St., in one-hour blocks. Facial coverings must be worn.
Tickets are $10 and can be reserved online at theaterintheopen.org.
In addition to the art, there will also be mystery boxes available to purchase. Each box contains a gift card valued from $25 to $125.
“We’re hoping people can enjoy a stroll through the grounds at the Adelynrood Center, support TITO, and go home with some really fantastic art or an exciting gift certificate,” said Hailey Klein, a member of the Theater in the Open board and co-chair of the event. “This is a great opportunity to enjoy this peaceful retreat center, while also enjoying art in the open. We very much appreciate Adelynrood’s partnership and generosity in hosting this fundraiser.”
For those who can’t make it, an online auction will go live just as the in-person event closes for the evening.
For more information, call 978-465-2572 or email info@theaterintheopen.org.
Auction to benefit Newburyport Art Association
The Newburyport Art Association’s 19th annual Art Auction & Exhibition has been reimagined in light of current times. Titled “September by the Sea,” the fundraiser will feature both online and in-person components.
The in-gallery auction show will start on Friday, Sept. 18, with a VIP Preview Reception in the Range Light Sculpture Garden, where guests will enjoy cocktails and appetizers while taking in the new sculptures in the garden. Guided tours of the exhibit will be held, with the opportunity to purchase art before the auction opens to the public. Tickets are $75 and are available for either 5 p.m. or 7:30 p.m.; make reservations at newburyportart.ejoinme.org/NAAVIPReception.
The galleries at 65 Water St. will then be open for free viewing from Sept. 19 through Oct. 3, with active bidding starting on Sept. 26. Hours are noon to 5 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and noon to 6 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
The more than 100 artworks, created by more than 90 members of the art association, can also be previewed online at newburyportart.org.
Creativity takes over Maudslay
“Outdoor Sculpture at Maudslay” is returning this year with new social distancing guidelines.
Running from Sept. 20 through Oct. 11 at Maudslay State Park in Newburyport, the exhibit features sculptures placed throughout the park. This year’s theme is “Passage.”
The show is open to all artists with connections to the North Shore and Merrimack Valley regions and is organized by the participants themselves, who volunteer their time and materials. It is not juried.
Guests are asked to wear masks, to visit on weekdays if possible, to stay at least 6 feet apart from other visitors and to not come in groups larger than six. Guides will be available via a new smartphone app, and maps will be displayed.
Maudslay State Park is located on Curzon Mill Road in Newburyport. The exhibit can be viewed for free, but there are parking fees.
The show is supported in part by grants from the Amesbury, Georgetown, Merrimac, Newbury, Newburyport and West Newbury cultural councils.
Film festival to be presented online
The Newburyport Documentary Film Festival is offering 16 new films this year for its first online festival, running from Sept. 18-24.
The 16th annual event includes six feature-length films along with three blocks of shorts, which viewers will be able to watch at any time throughout the week from their computer, tablet, phone or by broadcasting to their television. Each film and short film block also has a live question-and-answer session with the filmmakers scheduled during the week.
A wide array of topics will be highlighted, from various forms of protest and the power of music and art to animal rights, the history of Black Lives Matter, and the plight of immigrants and refugees.
The feature films are “The Art of Dissent,” “Can Art Stop a Bullet: Kelly’s Big Picture,” “Dope is Death,” “Opeka,” “The Walrus and the Whistleblower,” and “Can You Hear Us Now?” There will also be three shorts block categories: “Adventure,” “Immigrants and ‘Outsiders,'” and Nostalgia.
Single film tickets are available for $8 each, and all-access passes are available for $45.
For more information and to buy tickets, visit nbptdocufest.org, email info@nbptdocufest.org or call 978-572-0993.
Live music on tap at Salisbury restaurant
Livin’ On Luck will play acoustic classic rock on Saturday, Sept. 19, from 6 to 9 p.m. on the patio at Portside Waterfront Kitchen and Bar, 175 Bridge Road, Salisbury.
The band includes Tom and Ann O’Donnell of Rockport, Josh Bevins of Danvers, and Robert Cedrone of Lexington. It covers rock from the 1970s and contemporary tunes for listening and dancing, including the music of Fleetwood Mac, Pretenders, Bob Seger, Adelle, Tom Petty and more.
There is no cover charge.
Rockport gallery brings Paris home
“Paris Redeemed,” a virtual art exhibit presented by Decouvert Fine Art in Rockport, is available to view through the end of the year.
Gallery owners Steven Law and Donald Stroud had planned to bring their exhibit “Grace in Nature and Faith” to Paris after its successful showing at Master Drawings New York. But when they began to pack in the spring for the exhibition at Marty de Cambiaire Fine Art on Place Vendome, the pandemic hit and began closing down events.
“It was an opportunity of a lifetime,” Law said. “Then the world came to a standstill as the pandemic intensified, and we made a decision not to go and temporarily closed our gallery until a vaccine is available. We do not have the square footage to allow for social distancing.
“There has been so much loss and suffering around the world,” he said. “Like so many in businesses, we are between what has been and what will be. But an idea occurred to us that if beauty and art have a capacity to help those that are suffering, we have an obligation to make our exhibition available virtually, as a meditation of sorts.”
Hence, the title of the virtual exhibit is “Paris Redeemed.” The exhibit is set to Handel’s “Dixit Dominus,” which was composed in Italy, a source of inspiration for artists throughout the centuries.
“We wish healing, hope, inspiration, and solace for all,” Law said. “If folks wish to learn a bit about the history of the art, they can scroll down the page after the slideshow is finished. Curiosity will lead them where it will.”
To view the exhibit, visit the “Paris Redeemed” page at decouvertfineart.com.
Flying Horse exhibit open with precautions
The 11th annual Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit is still taking flight this year.
With a theme of “Art at a (Social) Distance,” the show features 50 pieces of art set amid the 100-acre campus of Pingree School in Hamilton.
The exhibit runs through Nov. 30 and is available to view during daylight hours on weekends and during holidays when school is not in session.
All visitors must wear masks, remain 6 feet apart from others, and refrain from touching sculptures or signs.
Many of the sculptures, created by a variety of artists who mostly reside in New England, are for sale.
For more information, visit pingree.org/news-events/flying-horse-outdoor-sculpture-exhibit.
New Paint event moves online
The Essex Art Center in Lawrence is planning a virtual edition of its annual New Paint fundraiser.
From Sept. 14-23, artists who work locally and regionally will be highlighted, all in support of the center’s programs that bring the community together around art.
Money raised from sales will help ensure that every child who wants an art class will have one, that everyone who wants to engage with professional artists will have the opportunity to do so, and that everyone who wants to explore their creativity will have a space and a community in which to take risks and grow.
For more information, call 978-685-2343 or visit essexartcenter.org.
Annual art exhibit takes to the web
The Band of Brushes has turned its annual show and sale into an “online experience.”
“Creative Persistence” will run through Oct. 24 at bandofbrushes.com. Eleven artists from the Newburyport Art Association featured interest group are showing their works: Dorothy Aham, Shelly Champion, Grace Daly, Karen Fitzgerald, Mary Francis, Christine Molitor Johnson, Fran Kaplan, Susan Cole Kelly, Janice Reynolds, Maryann Varoski and Mary Webber.
The artists who paint plein air together — at a social distance now — employ several different mediums, including oil, acrylic, pastel and watercolor. They will show both plein air and studio pieces, and there will be a virtual gallery for each individual artist.
Newburyport artist shows work at Wenham Museum
A Newburyport artist is currently displaying her new exhibit, “My Essentials,” at Wenham Museum.
Tina Rawson paints dynamic acrylic, oil and watercolor pieces inspired by colorful flowers, beaches, travel, nature, horses and even coffee. She said that the show is a product of a surge of creativity that many are experiencing during the coronavirus pandemic.
Moved by the beauty of local forests, Rawson found great solace in painting regional trees and flowers. She also dove into her “bucket list” of places to go once the pandemic is over, while other pieces are inspired by her homesickness for Sweden and her contemplation of how the virus is being handled there.
The museum is located at 132 Main St., Wenham, and is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. Tickets to the galleries must be purchased in advance and cost $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and children ages 1-16. There is also currently a COVID-19 fee of $5 per group.
For reservations or more information, visit wenhammuseum.org.
Choral society to hold ‘virtual semester’
Online singer registration is open now for the Newburyport Choral Society, which is planning its first “virtual semester.”
The fall session’s theme is “Cultivating Choral Foundations” and is open to singers of all experience levels. There is no audition required.
All rehearsals will be conducted by new music director Ryan Turner via Zoom, so that all members can sing from the privacy and safety of their homes.
Each Tuesday evening, Turner will teach and demonstrate different aspects of musicianship and vocal preparation. Participants will learn in depth about singing techniques, vocal health and music theory.
The group also hopes to hold its spring concert in May 2021 and will be preparing for that, as well as exploring music that could be performed in smaller groups in the community.
Rehearsals will also include lectures and discussions with guest composers and artists.
Online registration is open through Sept. 15. To sign up, visit newburyportchoralsociety.org.
For more information, email info@newburyportchoralsociety.org or call 978-462-0650.
Guests welcome again at Newburyport gallery
Newburyport’s Sweethaven Gallery has reopened its doors for the first time since March 15.
The 25L Inn St. space is open Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. However, only three people will be allowed in at a time, and masks and temperature checks are required.
The featured exhibit is “Presence: Witnessing the Voice of Nature” by Lisa Hoag. The award-winning artist, photographer and designer lives in western Massachusetts and studied fine art at Parsons School of Design in New York and art and design in an arts residency in Paris for two years.
Also on display and for sale are works by Ezra Sesto, Vincent Lemonnier Ferro, Don Williams, gallery owner Greg Nikas, C. Max Schenk, Paul Neverette, Sandra Swan, Chris Sava and Jacques Hnizdovsky.
The gallery also now offers an online shopping cart, available to browse at sweethavengallerystore.com.
Cultural Center presents new virtual show
Although the Cultural Center on Rocky Neck remains closed due to the pandemic, the creativity continues with a new virtual exhibition titled “In the Moment — five artists capture and create,” which runs through Oct. 15.
The online gallery can be viewed at rnacexhibitions.com.
Curator Cynthia Roth, former co-owner of Gloucester’s Flatrocks Gallery, said that she had been thinking a lot about the elusive nature of time and how a moment is defined. She selected five artists whose work she sought to bring together to help define “the part we play in our own chosen moments and those all around us.”
“Each of these photographers ask the observer to look closely at just how long a moment can last. It might be a mother and child sharing a conversation in the street or a rock that teeters forever on the beach. Small wonders are revealed in buttons, the bright blue geometry of an industrial wall, and in paint holding the past in its peels — before it flakes away forever,” according to an exhibition statement.
The featured artists are Tsar Fedorsky, Paul Cary Goldberg, Olivia Parker, Dana Salvo and Rebecca Skinner.
Stage 284 launches Virtual Cabaret Series
Stage 284, the theater program at The Community House in Hamilton, has launched a new Virtual Cabaret Series with two upcoming online shows.
“Once Upon a Time … Later” will be presented Thursdays, Sept. 17 and 24, at 7 p.m. and features performers of all ages and stages.
Hosted by artistic director Katie Clarke and Stage 284 performers Cai Radleigh and James Thomas Turner III, the virtual trip down memory lane celebrates a decade-plus of local musical theater.
Registration or tickets are not required, but there is a suggested donation of $10 per person or $20 per household. All proceeds benefit Stage 284’s Scholarship Fund.
For more information, visit stage284.com or email katie@communityhouse.org. To check out the previous shows, visit facebook.com/Stage284/videos.
Game show fun at ‘Balderdash Academy’
Newburyport High School’s facade serves as the inspiration for Balderdash Academy, a fictional private boarding school that is the setting for a new online comedy panel game show.
Originally conceived by co-founders Bob LeBlanc of Newburyport and Steve Corning of Maine as a live variety show, “Balderdash Academy” was adapted to an online format in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
New episodes are posted regularly on YouTube and feature a mix of interview, chat, improv and game show with an emphasis on lighthearted comedy. The storyline follows faculty members as they talk to guests and compete for the coveted Balderdash Academy Reigning Champion banner.
To check out the show and for more information, visit balderdashacademy.com.
Rockport Art Association opens its doors
The Rockport Art Association & Museum, at 12 Main St. in downtown Rockport, has reopened and is featuring a number of new exhibits.
On display now is a solo exhibit of landscapes and florals by Jennifer McCalmont, running through Oct. 1.
The museum’s current hours are Thursdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Visitors need to wear masks, and there is a rigorous schedule for daily cleaning. For those not comfortable attending shows in person, all major exhibits will also be available for online viewing and sales through the website at rockportartassn.org.
41st annual Garden Tour blooms online
In lieu of its traditional garden tour held each summer, the Museum of Old Newbury is putting together virtual tours featuring four local gardens.
Each segment features a combination of video and photographs of the gardens in peak bloom, with narration by Bill Hallett and images by Bob Watts and Dan Fionte.
The first installment, available now, spotlights a lush garden in Rowley with a particular appreciation for composting. Two segments highlight backyard retreats and are also now available. A final installment on Sept. 15 will take the viewer from garden to table.
The free presentations will be available through newburyhistory.org, as well as on its Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.
Popular car show motors on in a new format
The Misselwood Concours d’Elegance is back this year with a new look — or several new looks.
While the main event, typically presented each July on the grounds of Endicott College in Beverly, was canceled due to COVID-19 public health concerns, alternative live and virtual events were planned instead.
The Misselwood Concours Virtual Show, judging cars in 12 classes, wrapped up Sunday, July 26; check it out at facebook.com/MisselwoodConcours.
For those wanting to see the cars in person, the new Misselwood Rally Series will continue on Saturday, Sept. 19. It is open to any pre-1990 classic car or motorcycle, with registration required and space limited to 60 vehicles.
“This is something we’ll plan on doing each summer from now on,” said Darren Stewart, chairman of the Misselwood Concours d’Elegance. “Not only are we able to involve more car owners, but the Endicott students will be on campus for the final tour in the series as we finish by driving through main campus.”
All money raised from events will support the Endicott College Concours Scholarship, which assists current students and has raised close to $200,000 in the last 10 years.
The familiar in-person gathering will return next summer, scheduled for July 16-18, 2021.
For more information, visit misselwoodconcours.com.
Explore the Peabody Essex Museum
The Peabody Essex Museum in Salem now features a range of digital content at its website that allows visitors to explore its collection remotely.
Podcasts discuss recent exhibits and museum history, while stories reflect on the value and impact of art. There are also suggestions for crafts and activities for the whole family.
Clicking on the “Explore Art” button at pem.org allows viewers to examine highlights from several periods and categories in the museum’s international collection, while postings of art and objects at facebook.com/peabodyessexmuseum respond to each day at hand.
The museum has reopened to the public and is open Thursdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at pem.org or 978-542-1511.
Music Man keeps entertaining children
Wenham musician Brian Doser performs children’s music live on Facebook every weekday at 10 a.m.
Doser, better known as The Music Man, normally performs a drop-in music program for children three days a week at The Community House in Hamilton.
He is joined by his daughter Hannah, who sings and plays various instruments, for the 45-minute segments.
Doser has also been offering shows geared toward adults on weekends, featuring popular cover songs and some original tunes.
To check out his shows, visit facebook.com/briandosermusic.
Keep up with Maritime Gloucester
Maritime Gloucester is now offering weekly virtual features, including Maritime Mondays, Throwback Thursdays and Front Line Fridays.
Mondays will feature a look at the collections and what’s happening on the waterfront and harbor. Thursdays will celebrate the organization’s 20th anniversary with memories from the past two decades. And Fridays will honor Maritime Gloucester members who are working on the front lines during the pandemic, from nurses and doctors to police and firefighters to teachers and delivery people.
To view the features and for more information, visit maritimegloucester.org, where you can also check out live webcam views of the railway and harbor.
A wealth of American art to discover at the Addison
The Addison Gallery of American Art on the campus of Phillips Academy in Andover is said to have one of the most comprehensive collections of American art in the world, including more than 23,000 objects spanning the 18th century to the present.
All of those items can now be viewed at the museum’s website by searching for particular works, artists, themes or periods. There are suggestions at the website for art-related projects and activities that families can do together and a link to virtual tours of 10 great museums around the world.
In addition, the exhibits currently on display at the Addison can be viewed in a virtual tour on the website, where visitors can also watch interviews with museum staff.
Check it out at addison.andover.edu.
Bringing the Beverly library home
Beverly Public Library is continuing to connect with the community through social media.
Offerings include Facebook Live sessions of “Tea Time Children’s Classics,” featuring readings of chapters from classic children’s literature, on Tuesdays at 4 p.m. and “Musical Mondays,” with rhymes, songs and special guests, on Mondays at 10 a.m.
The library has also been using Zoom to host various book and film discussion groups. To check out the events, visit facebook.com/beverlypubliclibrary or beverlypubliclibrary.org.
If you have an event to add to this roundup, please email the details to Ann Reily, assistant managing editor of features, at areily@northofboston.com.
