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Arts & Life
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – This Sunday, April 14, from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Middletown Art Center, Restore project participants will be working on “Vertical Pathways,” a collaborative art piece for Rabbit Hill.
Led by sculptor Emily Sheibal, the class involves woodworking and additive sculpting in concrete.
Adults of all ages and children age 11 up are encouraged to join in this unique opportunity to collaboratively create and engage with the natural environment.
It is not necessary to attend every session or have previous art making experience. The cost is $5 per session. Sign up at www.middletownartcenter.org/restore. Pre-registration is required as space is limited.
“Vertical Pathways has been an amazing opportunity for an amateur artist like me to work alongside and learn from professional artists,” said Restore participant Jakki Macfadyen. “Working on this project has helped me to find my own voice while working alongside others, towards the goal of restoring Rabbit Hill, a community treasure.”
“I have been able to return to my creative artistic self through this project,” said Mary Daly. “The instructors and other participants have been really supportive!”
Vertical Pathways is comprised of "totem pole" like sculptures. Participants are invited to select a fallen tree to carve and add form and shape to.
The “poles” will be installed in an undulating serpentine fashion to create a rhythmic visual pathway on the hillside.
The “pathway” will provide a sense of protection and visual contrast and harmony, while honoring remaining trees and offering additional habitat for birds and pollinators.
Visit www.middletownartcenter.org/restore to learn more about the project and see the kind of sculptural works we have been inspired by.
The MAC is working with the Lake County Land Trust to help revitalize public interest and appreciation of Rabbit Hill with this new art trail.
The collaborative vision for the piece was inspired by both the totem like quality of remaining burned trees on the hillside and by stories told about the flutes that the former Rabbit Hill owners, “Huck” and “Skee” Hamann taught neighborhood children to make and play.
Community members interested in joining the project by helping with landscaping or installation can email
Restore classes in sculpture, mixed media, printmaking, or creative writing will be offered most weekends through May 2019 from 1 to 5 p.m.
Upcoming classes include writers’ workshop with Clive Matson on April 21, another Vertical Pathways session on April 28 and a printmaking class in early May. For more information and additional scheduling visit www.middletownartcenter.org/restore.
The Restore project was made possible with support from the California Arts Council, a state agency, with additional support from the Lake County Land Trust and other local organizations, businesses, and individuals. Visit www.ca.arts.gov to learn more about the California Arts Council’s work in communities and schools throughout California. Learn more about the Lake County Land Trust at www.lakecountylandtrust.org.
Be a part of the growing arts and cultural scene in South Lake County by becoming a MAC member, by participating in Restore classes, or by attending one of the many events or classes at MAC.
The MAC Gallery currently features “Living Color” a vibrant exhibit open to the public Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fridays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Visit www.middletownartcenter.org or “Like” Middletown Art Center on Facebook to stay up-to-date.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The next performance in the monthly Coffee House Concert Series will feature a Bay Area folk star with a unique and exciting style of singing and playing.
Elaine Ryan will perform on Saturday, April 13, at 7 p.m. at the Fore Family Winery tasting room in downtown Kelseyville.
Ryan, who is referred to as a “nomadic troubadour,” has played in many locales, including Vancouver, Montreal, Maui and San Francisco.
She has won several awards for her original music. In addition to her own music, Ryan performs cover songs from musicians such as Norah Jones, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Adele and others.
Also performing will be Lake County's favorite troubadour, Jim Williams, and his partner, Mississippi Stephen Holland.
Admission is $15. Wine and refreshments will be available. Tickets can be purchased online at www.uuclc.org, at Watershed Books in Lakeport, at the Fore Family Tasting Room and at the door if not sold out.
Seating is limited and guests are advised to buy tickets in advance and arrive early.
The concert is sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Community of Lake County.
For more information, call 707-812-2788.
Elaine Ryan will perform on Saturday, April 13, at 7 p.m. at the Fore Family Winery tasting room in downtown Kelseyville.
Ryan, who is referred to as a “nomadic troubadour,” has played in many locales, including Vancouver, Montreal, Maui and San Francisco.
She has won several awards for her original music. In addition to her own music, Ryan performs cover songs from musicians such as Norah Jones, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Adele and others.
Also performing will be Lake County's favorite troubadour, Jim Williams, and his partner, Mississippi Stephen Holland.
Admission is $15. Wine and refreshments will be available. Tickets can be purchased online at www.uuclc.org, at Watershed Books in Lakeport, at the Fore Family Tasting Room and at the door if not sold out.
Seating is limited and guests are advised to buy tickets in advance and arrive early.
The concert is sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Community of Lake County.
For more information, call 707-812-2788.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Congressman John Garamendi (D-Davis, Fairfield, Yuba City) is inviting local high school students to participate in his annual Congressional High School Art Competition.
Every participant will have their work honored at a ceremony in Davis on May 7, and the winning pieces will be displayed at the U.S. Capitol for one year.
The winning artists can also attend a ceremony recognizing their work in Washington, DC.
“I’m excited to host this wonderful event again in our district. The quality of the submissions we receive never ceases to amaze me. I’m always incredibly proud of the amazing talent that high school students throughout my district put on display,” Garamendi said.
Students have until April 26 at 5 p.m. PDT to submit their artwork.
The guidelines and submission process can be viewed at https://garamendi.house.gov/services/art-competition.
Every participant will have their work honored at a ceremony in Davis on May 7, and the winning pieces will be displayed at the U.S. Capitol for one year.
The winning artists can also attend a ceremony recognizing their work in Washington, DC.
“I’m excited to host this wonderful event again in our district. The quality of the submissions we receive never ceases to amaze me. I’m always incredibly proud of the amazing talent that high school students throughout my district put on display,” Garamendi said.
Students have until April 26 at 5 p.m. PDT to submit their artwork.
The guidelines and submission process can be viewed at https://garamendi.house.gov/services/art-competition.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Perhaps you've seen miniature portraits enclosed in lockets.
Well, here's a little portrait enclosed in the pages of a chapbook by Pennsylvania poet Paul Martin called “Mourning Dove,” from The Comstock Review Press.
Here, the subject is not frozen in its pose, but alive, up in the morning, coughing, beginning to move around.
Turning Over
In zero cold the engine's slow
to turn over, coughing
awake like my father sitting on the edge
of the bed staring at the blue linoleum floor,
coughing again, lifting his heavy body
into another day on the railroad section gang,
the icy wind through Lehigh Gap blasting
down on him as he raises the sledge hammer
and strains against the crowbar.
But now he's drinking coffee,
looking toward the dark window,
thinking of what?
Maybe watching Friday Night Fights
or ordering tomato seeds,
maybe the ghostly face in the window
staring back at him.
American Life in Poetry does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. It is made possible by The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Poem copyright ©2018 by Paul Martin, "Turning Over," from Mourning Dove, (The Comstock Review, 2018). Poem reprinted by permission of Paul Martin and the publisher. Introduction copyright ©2019 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction’s author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006.
- Details
- Written by: Ted Kooser