JCC hosting Muslim Journeys program this week

November 11, 2013 By Leave a Comment
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Courtesy www.bridgingcultures.neh.gov

Jefferson Community College is hosting a four-day program exploring Islam and its culture this week, starting Tuesday, Nov. 12 and running through Friday, Nov. 15. The event, which is supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities Bridging Cultures Bookshelf initiative, aims to “familiarize audiences with the people, places, history, faith and culture of Muslims,” according to the college. All events are free and open to the public.

The week kicks off with a Connected Histories forum on Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 12:30 p.m. in Room 6-002, Jules Center. The discussion will center on how the West and near East have shaped each other’s histories and cultures and will be moderated by Ronald Palmer, a history professor at the college.

On Wednesday, Nov. 13 the film “Islamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World” will be shown at 12:25 p.m. in the Jules Center, followed by a post-film discussion moderated by Lucinda D. Barbour, an art professor at JCC. A second film, “Prince Among Slaves,” will be screened at 6 p.m. at the Robert C. McEwan Library on Fort Drum, followed by a discussion moderated by Timothy LaGoy, associate professor of history at JCC.

A panel discussion called Pathways of Faith on the roots of Islam will take place on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 12:30 p.m. also in the Jules Center and again at 7 p.m. in Sturtz Theater, McVean Center. Panelists include a JCC student, members of the local clergy and representatives from the Islamic Society of Central New York.

The week will conclude with a panel entitled “Myth Understandings-Muslim Identity and American Culture” at 12:25 p.m. in the JCC Student Lounge in the McVean Center. Panelists include a member of JCC’s faculty who serves in the Army reserves, a JCC student and international exchange students living in the north country.

Various educational materials on Islamic history, literature and culture, including 25 books and several DVDs, are available to the public at the JCC Melvil Dewey Library on campus. Visit www.sunyjefferson.edu for more information.

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NNY crafters see opportunity in Etsy’s new definition of ‘handmade’

November 10, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Thelma L. Hamilton of Watertown is a maker of painted ornaments who does about 20 percent of her business on Etsy, the online craft sales site. Justin Sorensen / Watertown Daily Times

Thelma L. Hamilton of Watertown is a maker of painted ornaments who does about 20 percent of her business on Etsy, the online craft sales site. Justin Sorensen / Watertown Daily Times

Etsy, the handmade and vintage e-commerce site that has nearly a million sellers of everything from wool scarves to soap, has struggled with its identity as a mecca for small-scale artisans for its nearly decade-long existence. The struggle was captured in a terms of a service policy that grew to 14,000 words in an attempt to enumerate all of the gray areas in what qualified as “handmade.” Then, in September, Etsy changed its guidelines, allowing sellers to hire help for production or shipping, and even to forge partnerships with manufacturers.

The change has generated some anxiety among artisans who want to preserve the site’s small-scale, human-driven provenance and raised fears that larger sellers would infiltrate, taking a cut of these crafters’ livelihood.

But many sellers, including a number of north country merchants, believe the changes will help creative businesses grow and will perhaps change little about the site, which is expected to exceed $1 billion in total annual transactions this year.

“I think if it’s handmade it’s not going to be an issue,” said Thelma L. Hamilton, who has been hand-crafting holiday ornaments from her Watertown home for more than 20 years. “We’re already competing with worldwide merchants.” [Read more...]

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NCAC Fall Art Show results

November 3, 2013 By Leave a Comment

The winners of the North Country Arts Council’s 65th annual Fall Art Show are as follows:

Painting

1) Catherine LaPointe, “Prayer,” oil painting

2) Sharon Christman, “Waiting for a Wave,” oil painting

3) Kat Mereand, “Starlings in Sugar Show,” acrylic painting

Photography

1) Thomas Murray, “Cahersiveen Ireland”

2) Sondra Goodwind, “Pacific North West”

3) Stephanie Arney, “Sunset Shower”

Drawing

1) Ginny Hovendon, “Zakin”

2) Claire Ellsworth Ames, “Majestic”

3) Martha Aschmann, “Mary E”

Sculpture

1) Kari Robertson, “Design on Machine,” clay

2) Cathie Ellsworth, “Stamped and Wrapped,” ceramic

3) Henley, “Basket wearer,” wood sculpture

Mixed media

1) Christa Harris, “The Wild One,” acrylic painting on silk

2) Kimberly Kohner Eiss, “Industrial Color,” collage

3) Suzan McDermott, “Stairway to Imagination,” digital art/photography

Jewelry

1) Lisa Nortz, “Egyptian Queen Bracelet,” sterling silver

2) Tubulog Chase, “Center of the Universe Bracelet,” copper and sterling silver

3) Lisa Nortz, “Three Feather Cuff Bracelet,” fine and sterling silver

Emerging artist

Stephanie Arney, “Speak,” Mixed media (tempera pastel, colored pencil). Ms. Arney attends Oswego Community College and is a Watertown native. She is hearing impaired and incorporates sign language in many of her pieces. The judges described her work as a powerfully evocative image.

Catherine Common Johnson Award for Best of Show

Lynette Bucci, “Last Light on Whiskey Island,” oil and silver leaf painting. Ms. Bucci is a retired Watertown High School art teacher and creates from her studio in Dexter. The judges described her work as follows: The use of color is subtle and luscious simultaneously, drawing the eye back and around. The technique of flat palette knife is reminiscent of old Dutch or English landscapes.

***

The show can be viewed free of charge through Saturday, Nov. 16 at the Dulles State Office Building from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visit www.nnyart.org for more information.

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NCAC 65th annual Fall Art Show kicks off Friday (VIDEO)

October 28, 2013 By Leave a Comment

IMG_20131028_114841The 65th annual North Country Arts Council Fall Art Show kicks off with an opening reception, Arts. Beats. Eats., on Friday, Nov. 1 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Dulles State Office Building, 317 Washington St., Watertown.

The show includes 212 pieces of art from 67 artists and will be on display through Saturday, Nov. 16, during which time the public can view the show free of charge from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“I’m excited about the diversity of the artwork,” said Hope A. Marshall, co-coordinator of the show and Arts Council member. “There are some really standout, interesting pieces.”

She also said that artists are finding out about the show from a broader area—Central New York, Canton and Potsdam—as a result of recruitment and promotion; 15 artists this year are non-members. The Arts Council also refused more pieces this year than ever before, she said.

This is the second year the NCAC has made the opening reception a “destination event” with food and music, which Ms. Marshall said was a huge success last year, drawing nearly 500 people.

“We saw an opportunity to make this welcoming to the artists and to the public, and to connect the artists with the public,” Ms. Marshall said.

The reception will include live music by local band Beautiful Wreck, a performance by Fire Magick, a cash bar and appetizers by Samaritan Catering. A bundled package to the reception and Watertown Lyric Theater’s production of Oliver! the musical will be available for $2 off each event. The musical runs Friday and Saturday nights at 7 p.m. as well as Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. at the State Office Building. Tickets to that event are $15 for general admission, $12 for students, seniors and military, and $10 for children ages nine and younger.

The NCAC will award first, second and third prizes in all six categories: painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, mixed media and jewelry, as well as the Catherine Common Johnson Award for “Best of Show” and an emerging artist award for artists who haven’t exhibited publicly before. The three judges area are all from outside the area—one from Canada, one from Ithaca and another from Syracuse.

The show also has three invitational artists: John Elwood Cook, Candace Rhea and Robert Paul Saphier, as well as a memorium to artist Jim Burns.

The winners’ work will be on display at the NCAC from Nov. 20 through Jan. 11, 2014.

For tickets to the reception, which are $12, call 661-6361 or visit www.nnyart.org. Tickets can also be purchased at Sherwood Florist, 1314 Washington St.

To watch a video of the artists setting up, visit http://youtu.be/UZAe3lSx_dc.

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My NNY: ‘Moving target’

October 20, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Tom Bruyere/ Ogdensburg

By Tom Bruyere/ Ogdensburg

Medium: Digital photograph

Camera: Nikon D7000, ISO 200, f/8, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250, 18-55mm lens

Date: May 2013

Photographer’s notes: “I used HDR to capture both the sky and the foreground with exposures of 1/60, 1/125, 1/250 sec at f8. The photo was done in late May from a moving boat while trolling for walleye near Crossover Island on the St. Lawrence River.”

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Music is their ‘agenda’: Inspired by loss of friend, musicians come together

October 20, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Wagner’s Agenda performs during the 2013 KeithFest at Coyote Moon Vineyards, Clayton. The music festival is a benefit concert for Keith E. Brabant, a Clayton resident and lifelong musician who died at the age of 33 in April 2010 and a friend of the members of Wagner’s Agenda. Now in its fourth year, KeithFest raises money for the Keith Brabant Music Scholarship for students who live in Jefferson County. Courtesy Melody Brabant

Wagner’s Agenda performs during the 2013 KeithFest at Coyote Moon Vineyards, Clayton. The music festival is a benefit concert for Keith E. Brabant, a Clayton resident and lifelong musician who died at the age of 33 in April 2010 and a friend of the members of Wagner’s Agenda. Now in its fourth year, KeithFest raises money for the Keith Brabant Music Scholarship for students who live in Jefferson County. Courtesy Melody Brabant

In the past three years, rock band Wagner’s Agenda has made a rapid rise to fame in the north country, now a mainstay at such popular venues as O’Brien’s Restaurant, the John Hoover Inn and Time Warp, and a frequent face at benefit concerts, known for their energetic and lively performances.

The band formed after a benefit concert for friend Keith E. Brabant, a Clayton resident and lifelong musician, shortly after his death at the age of 33 in April 2010. Wagner’s Agenda still performs at the summer benefit, now called KeithFest and in its fourth year, which raises money for the Keith Brabant Music Scholarship for students who live in Jefferson County.

Wagner’s Agenda was originally composed of Ian Wagner, who left shortly after its inception and now plays acoustic guitar locally under the name Ian Wagner Unplugged, Robert Perkins, still the band’s guitar player and violinist, Tom Contino, Justin Reynolds and Gino Cappuccetti—all members of the jazz fusion band Queen August, through which Mr. Cappuccetti and Mr. Perkins have been playing together for about six years. [Read more...]

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A sound all their own

October 20, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Fred & the Eds perform at the Paddock Club, Watertown, while the crowd dances on a recent Friday night. The band has been playing for nearly 20 years. Amanda Morrison/ NNY Living

Fred & the Eds perform at the Paddock Club, Watertown, while the crowd dances on a recent Friday night. The band has been playing for nearly 20 years. Amanda Morrison/ NNY Living

North country favorite Fred & the Eds stands test of time [Read more...]

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Crane front and center on music education stage

October 20, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Dean of the Crane School of Music Michael Sitton

Dean of the Crane School of Music Michael Sitton

Dean Michael Sitton on the school’s unique learning approach

Julia Crane founded SUNY Potsdam’s renowned Crane School of Music in 1886 as one of the first national institutions dedicated to preparing students to teach music in public schools. Crane continues that mission of superb music instruction today, with 590 undergraduate and 30 graduate students and a faculty of 70 teachers and professional staff. The campus hosts more than 300 vibrant recitals, lectures and concerts by faculty, students and guest artists each year at three prestigious concert venues.

We sat down with Crane’s Dean, Michael R. Sitton, who was appointed to the position in 2009, to find out how the school continues to attract high-caliber students and performers and position students to be at the forefront of the music world as educators and performers. Mr. Sitton previously served as dean of fine arts at Eastern New Mexico University and as a faculty member and administrator at Hollins University in Virginia.

He is also an accomplished pianist and composer who holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano performance and literature from the University of Illinois, a master’s degree from the University of Kentucky and a bachelor’s degree from Mars Hill College, in his home state of North Carolina.

NNYL: What percentage of Crane students are studying to be music educators versus performers? How much do those curriculums align? What about music business?

SITTON: Crane began as “the birthplace of music education in America,” and continues to hold the preparation of music teachers as critical to its mission, while it has added other programs over the years. Roughly 60 to 70 percent of our students are pursuing degrees in music education, with the next highest percentage, in the 20 to 30 percent range, in performance. Music business is next, a growing program now that well over 10 percent of our students are pursuing. Those numbers may not seem to quite add up correctly; that’s because a significant number of our students choose to double major, for example in music education and performance or in performance and music business. Music business has been at Crane for almost 15 years and it is enrolling, through different major and minor options, an annually increasing number of students. Many students in the music education or performance majors are recognizing that business skills are to their advantage in the competitive marketplace, so are adding music business as a double major or as a minor. [Read more...]

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The music man: WHS music director Russell Faunce leads dynamic, successful program

October 20, 2013 By 1 Comment
Members of Watertown High School’s Select Choir rehearse their production of “Forbidden Broadway” under the direction of Russell J. Faunce, who has been a powerful force in students’ success for more than 30 years. Amanda Morrison/ NNY Living

Members of Watertown High School’s Select Choir rehearse their production of “Forbidden Broadway” under the direction of Russell J. Faunce, who has been a powerful force in students’ success for more than 30 years. Amanda Morrison/ NNY Living

It’s almost impossible not to smile in the presence of Russell J. “Russ” Faunce, director of music at Watertown High School and a stalwart of musical and theatrical productions both in the district and in the community for the past three decades. Maybe it’s because he himself seems to be perpetually smiling. Or that, even carrying a stack of Scantrons and a red pen through the music department on a recent Friday afternoon, he seems easy going and exudes his philosophy, with an encouraging yet serious demeanor: that, simply, with hard work and dedication, success will come.

And come it has to the students in his choirs, though Mr. Faunce himself is quick to self-deprecating laugh off almost every mention of his role in it. In his 32 years of teaching at the high school, he’s never not had a student make it to the New York State School Music Association All-State Conference for choir, the most prestigious and competitive competition for a high school band, chorus or orchestra student. Selection requires a near perfect score on the highest, most grueling level of NYSSMA solo — even three points below 100 usually doesn’t make the cut.

And it’s not just one student. In 2003, he sent a record eight. Last year, he sent four. [Read more...]

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A quarter century of classical brilliance

October 20, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Crane School of Music professor Kenneth B. Andrews has conducted the Orchestra of Northern New York for all of its 25 year history. Courtesy ONNY

Crane School
of Music professor Kenneth B. Andrews has conducted the Orchestra of Northern New York for all of its 25 year history. Courtesy ONNY

ONNY maintains vibrancy after 25 years of performances [Read more...]

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