Arts & Culture

South Coast Artists, a non-profit organization serving the coastal communities of Dartmouth and Westport, MA and Little Compton and Tiverton, RI, is offering two Spring Workshops to educate local artists about good, solid business practices.

New Bedford, MA, February 24, 2010—Baker Books, an independent bookstore, will host an illustrated talk and book signing with the authors of Voices from the Waterfront: Portrait of the New Bedford Fishing Industry on Thursday, March 4th at 7:00 PM. Photographer Mark Starr and Co-editors Kirsten Bendiksen and Laura Orleans will talk about the process of creating the book. In addition, some of the individuals profiled in the book will be on hand to answer questions about New Bedford’s fishing industry.

Join us on the March 11 All Sewn Up AHA! Night as we celebrate New Bedford's rich textile history. Downtown New Bedford will come alive in celebration of our textile artists, both past and present. We will also salute St. Patrick’s Day, and the fact that March is Women's History Month.

April 24 and April 25, 2010, 10am–5pm - Paintings or drawings of anything with fur or feathers is eligible. Please join us for the reception and awards ceremony on Sunday, April 25, 3–5pm.

Taught by Meredith Wildes Cornell - Join Meredith Cornell for three Tusedays in April to study the figure through gesture drawing and more developed painting, working from a live model. Some emphasis on the portrait will be included.

Classes will be held on Tuesday mornings April 13, 20, & 27 from 9:30 am–12:30 pm at the WAG building, 1740 Main Road in Westport. Gesture materials will be provided. Bring your own painting materials.

The fee is $75.00 for members of WAG and SAN, and $90 for non-members. It includes the model fee. Please register by April 2 to ensure a space.

Local artist and beloved teacher, Meredith Cornell, will provide instruction in working from the figure. She still lives in Little Compton RI, and is a graduate of the Swain School of Design in New Bedford, MA, and a student then and since of several masters from Sigmund Abeles and Reopel and later to Norma Anderson and Thomas Sgouros. Ms. Cornell taught for many years at the Westport Art Group in Westport MA.

To register, visit www.westportartgroup.com/classes.html , download the pdf of the registration form and mail it to WAG, PO Box 157, Westport Point, MA 02791 with a check. You can also email info@westportartgroup.com for more information.

The Westport Art Group is conducting a feasibility study to determine whether the public would support and make use of a separate art studio for children. An anonymous WAG member has made a donation in gratitude to the WAG board and membership for its renewed emphasis in support of children and the arts. This donation could be used as seed money to build a separate studio dedicated to children’s work. The Westport Art Group’s one studio space has become very busy with many new programs in the last five years, such as, adult art classes, craft classes, exhibits by local artists, open studio weekend, demonstrations by well know artists, young artists summer camp and the annual holiday fair.

The Westport Art Group is proud to present a watercolor “wet into wet” painting demonstration featuring the figure by David Barnes, a well-known artist and teacher who has exhibited his award-winning paintings nationally.

South Coast Artists announces an open call for MEMBERSHIP and SOUTH COAST OPEN STUDIO TOUR participation. Membership is available to any visual artist or art gallery in the South Coast communities of Dartmouth and Westport, MA and Little Compton and Tiverton, RI. This is a great opportunity for artists and galleries to promote themselves, engage with interested art patrons, and fuel the local art economy!

The 7th Annual South Coast Open Studio Tour is July 17th and 18th, 2010 and August 21st and 22nd, 2010. The event attracts thousands of visitors.

Win a FREE Open Studio Tour registration. Enter the Juried competition for this year’s theme “Start Your Art Engines”! See the website for details.

Visit www.SouthCoastArtists.org for more information.

Grab your friends & family & head to Downtown New Bedford for the AHA! Night Carnevale Celebration! AHA! is pulling out all the stops & this evening has something for everyone.

Looking for a fun and creative outlet during the cold winter month of March for your young artists? Sign them up for an opportunity to draw, paint, collage and exercise those creative minds and hands!

Classes will be held on Saturday mornings March 6, 13, 20 & 27 from 9:00am–12:00pm at the WAG building, 1740 Main Road in Westport.

The cost is $80.00 per child and all materials for the workshop will be provided. The workshop is open to children ages 10–13, with space available for 10 students. Please register by February 15 to ensure a space.

The second in the series of Irish-themed lectures at the Whaling Museum is scheduled for February 11 at 8 p.m. as part of AHA night.

Don Cuddy, a native of Dublin and a staff writer at the Standard-Times in New Bedford will be this month’s guest speaker. Combining a love of the sea with a strong interest in history, particularly Irish history, Don joined the crew of the Irish Tall Ship ‘Jeanie Johnston’ in October 2003 for its return voyage to Ireland, departing from St. John’s, Newfoundland. The trip across the stormy North Atlantic took two weeks.

# Dance to the Latin Roots Rock of Santa Mamba @ the Ginger Grill
# Carnevale Celebration with the Cummings Building Artists: mask making, steel drums & Carnival paintings by Alison Wells
# Toe Jam Puppet Band @ the NB Whaling Museum
# Paint Along with Roger Kizik @ NBAM
# The Olympic Challenge in Wings Court--stay tuned for exciting info!
# Carnevale music & cake tasting @ Sound Xplosion
# Poetry readings & musical interludes to celebrate National Poetry Month @ Pilgrum UCC
# Pre-Valentine’s trunk show with stationary designer Heather Toupin @ Calico
# Textile Talk by AHA! Artist of the Month Elin Noble @ CVPA
# NB Whaling National Historical Park 19th century interpreters, Abby and Ruth, discuss slavery and abolitionism in honor of Black History Month
# "Two if by Sea" pre-Valentine's dinner @ the Waterfront Grille
# 6 NEW exhibits @ Crowell's Fine Art, Gallery X, Colo Colo Gallery, CVPA @ the Star Store, Second Story Studio and Gallery & Artworks!

New Bedford, Massachusetts – Members of New Bedford’s Homeless Service Provider’s Network are hosting Hope for the Homeless, a free community dinner and resource fair, Wednesday, January 27th from 4:30pm to 6:30pm at the Braz/Bean Center on 360 Coggeshall Street. The public is welcome to attend this free event. The purpose of the event is to provide information to people in need of services and mobilize the community to eradicate homelessness. Area agencies and organizations will be on site to answer questions, provide support, accept donations and recruit volunteers.

New Bedford, MA – Venture out with Jamie Bogart, Lloyd Center Research Associate, on Sunday, February 7, to the Elizabethan chain to view over-wintering seals 'hauled out' at low tide. Seals migrate from colder northerly waters in search of warmer, shallow embayments for wintering habitat - these secluded islands being a perfect top-over.

New Bedford, MA-The Working Waterfront Festival is pleased to announce the publication of Voices from the Waterfront: Portrait of the New Bedford Fishing Industry. The 80-page book is based on interviews conducted over a five year period with 43 individuals from the New Bedford/Fairhaven fishing community. Their voices provide a rare first hand accounting of life and work in the port. Those interviewed include retired and active fishermen, lumpers, auctioneers, shoreside business owners, fisheries scientists, a tug boat captain, fishing family members and others. Oral history excerpts are accompanied by black and white portraits taken by photographer Markham Starr.

New Bedford, Massachusetts – The Moby-Dick Marathon kicks off at noon on Saturday, January 9, 2010 and concludes around 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 10, 2010. The event will take place in the Jacob’s Gallery at the New Bedford Whaling Museum located at 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, with the exception of the chapter nine sermon scene which will be read in the Seamen’s Bethel, the actual setting of the scene in the novel. The reading of this chapter is estimated to take place at 1:30pm on Saturday. The Seamen’s Bethel is located across the street from the Whaling Museum at 15 Johnny Cake Hill.

Join us for the January AHA! Night (Jan. 14) as we begin the New Year by experiencing some of the great stories of our community. A collective memory may be defined as a shared remembrance that develops throughout time and is held by a group of people passed on from generation to generation. As we step into a new decade this evening offers a chance to celebrate our past through art, history & architecture as well as embracing the future & the continued renaissance of Downtown New Bedford.

New Bedford, Massachusetts- Ring in 2010 with fireworks in Custom House Square—and be home in time to watch the ball drop in NYC Times Square.

AHA! and the City of New Bedford present City Celebrates! New Year's Eve 2010 in the heart of the downtown historic district.

Ornament, Southern New England’s Premier Rock Orchestra, will present a concert entitled “A Tribute to the Trans Siberian Orchestra” in the main auditorium of New Bedford High School on Saturday, January 9, 2010 at 7:00 pm. The concert is sponsored by the New Bedford Veterans Transition House.

Ring in 2010 with fireworks in Custom House Square—and be home in time to watch the ball drop in NYC Times Square. AHA! and the City of New Bedford present City Celebrates! New Year's Eve 2009 in the heart of the downtown historic district.

Season Greetings from your friends at AHA! Only two more days until the December AHA! Night when we spotlight all things holiday. On this evening we will be celebrating the arrival of the both the winter & holiday seasons and all the spectacles that come with them. Downtown New Bedford will be all decked out with holiday lights to brighten the night, creative window displays, & holiday décor. Stroll the streets & enjoy the sounds of carolers & school choruses or join in a sing-a-long. The shops & galleries will be bursting with holiday sales of locally created goods & other unique gifts perfect for everyone on your list. See you soon!

CALL TO ARTISTS:

From the Inside Art – Tapping Into the Creative Spirit
Exhibition Dates: February 6th – April 17th


ArtWorks! Partners for the Arts and Community, Inc. seeks symbolic works that express thoughts, feelings and ideas that are a visual manifestation of the creative spirit. All submissions should express the central idea of the “creative spirit within” and be accompanied by an artist’s statement that articulates the relationship of the artwork to this concept. This short statement may be displayed adjacent to and in support of the artwork chosen for inclusion in the exhibition.

Find an application and more information at www.artworksforyou.org
The application deadline is Monday, December 21, 2009 at 5pm.

# Orchestral Petting Zoo & Gallery Xmas Show @ Gallery X
# Holiday music w/UMass Dartmouth Chorus @ the First Unitarian Church
# Homecoming: Swain School of Design Alumni Exhibit @
# Crowell’s Fine Art & Fine Framing
# A Cup of Cheer: holiday cocktail mixology @ Cork wine & tapas
# Holiday Collections & holiday music @ the RJD
# Holiday crafts & Holiday-Sing-Along @ the Pilgrim UCC
# Opening exhibition of Mike Mazur @ the NB Whaling Museum
# First Anniversary Exhibition @ the Judith Klein Art Gallery
# Your Theatre presents a reading of THE GIFT OF THE MAGI @ the Celtic Coffee House
# New AHA! partners the Celtic Coffee House & Sound Xplosion
# Plus strolling carolers, holiday window displays & plenty of good cheer!

2nd Thursdays are happening in downtown New Bedford.
Help spread the word! Click here for more listings!

www.ahanewbedford.org | 508-996-8253 x205
AHA! is a monthly FREE celebration of arts & culture in Downtown New Bedford.

What: Presentation of $1.5 million in federal funding to restore the historic Bourne Building at the New Bedford Whaling Museum.

When: Monday, November 30, 2009 at 10:00am

Where: The Bourne Building
New Bedford Whaling Museum
18 Johnny Cake Hill
New Bedford, Massachusetts

Who: Senator Paul G. Kirk, Congressman Barney Frank, Mayor Scott W. Lang, New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park Superintendent, Jennifer T. Nersesian and the Trustees of the New Bedford Whaling Museum

Just off her appearance on Oprah, Wynonna Judd is taking her critically acclaimed holiday album, A Classic Christmas, to the Z next Tuesday, December 1st.

Spreading festive cheer across the country, Wynonna will combine her smooth vocals and tremendous live presence in an unforgettable performance at the Z that will warm the heart and inspire the spirit.

Coupled with some of her biggest hits, Wynonna will also deliver soulful renditions of such traditional holiday classics like “White Christmas” and “Winter Wonderland” and her awe-inspiring version of “Ave Maria,” making this a special performance for the entire family.

Join us for the December AHA! Night (dec. 10) as we spotlight all things holiday! On this evening we will be celebrating the arrival of the both the winter & holiday seasons and all the spectacle that comes with it. Downtown New Bedford will be all decked out with holiday lights to brighten the night, creative window displays, & holiday décor. Stroll the streets & enjoy the sounds of carolers & school choruses or join in a sing-a-long. The shops & galleries will be bursting with holiday sales of locally created goods & other unique gifts perfect for everyone on your list. Tonight we also welcome new AHA! partners the Celtic Coffee House & Sound Xplosion!

New Bedford, Massachusetts- The City of New Bedford is pleased to announce its second annual partnership with AHA! to present a youth and family-based New Year’s Eve celebration, City Celebrates! New Year’s Eve. This event will be held from 4-9 p.m. on New Year’s Eve in downtown New Bedford to encourage family-centered activities and participation. After 9pm, restaurants and bars throughout the city will offer live entertainment and great food to welcome in 2010.

NEW BEDFORD— The wreaths are hung on the lamp posts, window displays decorate every shop, lights are twinkling and the cobblestone streets are aglow with the magic of the holidays. It’s time to make historic downtown New Bedford your home for the holidays.

New Bedford, MA – ArtWorks! proudly presents, the 7th annual Holiday Exhibition & Sale, on display from November 10th until January 3rd, 2010. This holiday exhibition will feature over 30 artists working in Boston, Providence, Cape Cod and Southeastern Massachusetts. Scheduled during the exhibit will be artist demonstrations and on December 5th and 6th, from 11am-4pm, ArtWorks! will hold free children’s gift making work shops for the community.