September 2009 - Sault Area Arts Council

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Volume
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Volume 2009
2009 Issue
Issue 9
ALBERTA HOUSE ARTS CENTER
Website: http://www.saultarts.org
September 2009
e-mail: saac@saultarts.org
217 FERRIS STREET
SAULT STE. MARIE, MI 49783
906-635-1312
SEPTEMBER EVENTS
Inside this issue:
EVENTS
1 to 3
EXHIBITS
3 to 6
HONORS & ACCOLADES
6
WORKSHOPS &
CLASSES
6&7
ARTISTIC OPPORTUNITIES
7
2009 SAULT SUM- 7 to
MER ARTS FESTI- 11
VAL
FEATURED ARTIST
11 &
12
NEWS & NOTES
13 &
14
SUBSCRIPTION
Back
cover
Wednesday 2 — LE SAULT ARTISTS GUILD MEETS at noon for a potluck at the home of Mary Jane Bernier, 6101 W. Six Mile Road in Brimley
(Minnow Lake Campground on the south side of the road). Call Mary
Jane at 906-632-6980 for more information,
Thursday 3—EVENING OF GERSHWIN with Mike Dempsey, pianist;
Karen Hughes Beacom, soprano; Trish Well, mezzo-soprano; Eric Shaw,
tenor; and John Young, baritone. Soo Theatre. 7:30 p.m. Adults $15,
seniors and students $12 and children five and under, $5. See page 14
for more information. www.sootheatre.org.
Friday 4 — MEET-THE-ARTIST RECEPTION for Ingrid Blixt. Alberta
House, 7 to 9 p.m. Everybody welcome. See p. 3.
Saturday 5 — ART ON THE LAKE FESTIVAL. Curtis. 10 to 6. Lions’
breakfast, 7 to 11. Live entertainment 11 to 6. See “CURTIS”, p. 5, for
details.
Tuesday 8 —MARK TWAIN PRESENTATION. Free half hour program
by downstate actor Clifton Helms, who is recreating Mark Twain’s 1895
speaking tour in northern Michigan. 7 p.m. in the Bayliss Library.
Thursday 10—BEATLEMANIA. The cast features former members who
starred in the Broadway production and have performed in all fifty states
and over twenty foreign countries. They faithfully re-create a live stage
show that reproduces the sights and sounds of the original Beatles. Soo
Theatre. 7:30 p.m. $20.
FILM@Bayliss—Somers Town (comedy/United Kingdom). Free to
adult audiences. 6:30 p.m. Two teenagers, a runaway from Nottingham
and a Polish immigrant, newcomers to London, form an unlikely friendship during a hot summer.
Saturday 12—KLASSIC COMEDY MOVIE SERIES: 1 p.m. at the Bayliss. Call for title (632-9331).
Crow—ink drawing on barn wood
by Ingrid Blixt. See p. 3.
SYLVAN CIRCLE TOUR, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Self-guided artisan
tour beginning in Echo Bay. See p. 5 for details.
(Continued on page 2)
Page 2
Alberta House News
EVENTS—CONTINUED
(Continued from page 1)
Thursday 17—TORONTO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, with Peter Oundjian, conductor
and James Gardiner, trumpet soloist. Kiwanis Community Theater Center in Sault,
Ont., 7:30 p.m. A joint presentation of the
Sault Symphony, Algoma Conservatory Concerts and the Algoma Fall Festival. $30/12.
Saturday 19—Keeping the Piece FLYING
GEESE QUILT SHOW. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
in the Sault Middle School. $5 at the door.
See p. 14 for details on workshop, tea room,
quilt raffle etc.
FAMILY MOVIES@Bayliss.
(632-9331).
Call for title
6th ANNUAL HAPPY APPLE DAY FESTIVAL in DeTour. See p. 5 for details.
LINNEA GOOD IN CONCERT. 8 p.m.,
Willow Grove Church, 55 Tilly in Sault, Ont.
$12 at the door.
JEN PORTER, LIVE, at the Water Tower
Inn Pub. 9 p.m. No cover charge.
GROUP OF SEVEN TRAIN EVENT. See
“NEWS & NOTES”, p. 14.
Sunday 20—FLYING GEESE QUILT SHOW,
11 a.m. to 4 p.m. See Sept. 19.
Saturday 26—SAULT SYMPHONY: Baroque
BAYLISS LIBRARY — 541 Library
Drive (906) 632-9331.
www.baylisslibrary.org.
Open Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m.
to 9 p.m.; Wednesday and Friday from 9
Favorites. St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral, 8 p.m.
OKTOBERFEST.
Marie.
DowntownSault
Ste.
Sunday 27—SOO THEATRE BENEFIT REVUE—Rotary Show of Shows. The very
best performers from Sault Ste. Marie and the
surrounding area will join forces onstage for a
benefit variety show at the Soo Theatre in
downtown Sault Ste. Marie. 2 p.m. $10/5.
ALGOMA FALL CRAFT SHOW. Waterfront Inn (former Holiday Inn) Ballroom.
Noon to 5 p.m.
Tuesday 29—MUSTARD’S RETREAT in concert at the Bayliss. “Mustard's Retreat represents everything that is best about folk music.
Their music is community music.” 7 p.m.
WORDS FROM SAAC
1. Mark you calendar. The Annual
Arts Auction is Saturday, November 7, at the Cisler Center.
2. You can advertise in Alberta House News by
calling
437-5463
or
e-mailing
saac@saultarts.org.
3. The Alberta House Shop is bursting with
beautiful, original work by area artists.
to 5:30 p.m., and Saturday
from 9 to 4. The Visually Impaired Support Group will
hold its first public meeting on
Thursday, Sept. 3, from 6 to 8
p.m. The Chippewa County
Genealogical Society holds its
annual meeting on Tuesday,
Sept. 15, at 7 p.m. Arts events
are scheduled for Sept. 8, 10,
12, 15, 19, 22 and 29. See
Date listings for details.
Old Barn Lockhart Road
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Page 3
Alberta House News
SAULT, MICHIGAN EXHIBITS
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217 Ferris Street, Sault Ste.
Marie, MI 49783—906/635E - m a i l :
T 1 3 1 2 .
saac@saultarts.org.
Website:
E www.saultarts.org. Open TuesR day through Saturday from 11
a.m. to 4 p.m.
N
September 1 to 28
OLIVE CRAIG GALLERY:
Ingrid Blixt, Invitational,
Multi-Media Exhibition
MINI GALLERY: Work from
the O.C. Gallery’s Permanent Collection
INGRID BLIXT, INVITATIONAL
EXHIBITION
The best way to get a feel for the work
of Ingrid Blixt is to visit her web site:
www.ingridartstudio.com. Blixt is a
multi-media artist in the fullest sense
of the term, exhibiting paintings,
prints, drawings, jewelry, installations, mixed media, tiles, clay, posters
and photography. If there is a recurring theme, it is crows. If there is a
recurring color pattern, it is black and
white. The body of her work is both
starkly modern—surrealistic even—
and medieval, with a hint of Breugel.
The drawings seem to be the key, underlying all her work and giving it a
distinctive framework and definition.
Blixt has exhibited widely, most recently at the Waterfront Art Festival,
and in a solo exhibition at the Bonifas
Fine Arts Center in Escanaba.
Originally from Romania, she holds
a Bachelors Degree in Fine and
Graphic Arts from the University of
Art and Design in Cluj Napoca, Romania.
Now living in Escanaba,
her work first appeared in the U. S.
in the 2001 Northern Exposure VIII
at the Bonifas Arts Center.
She
has been in every Northern Exposure Show since, earning a First
Place Award in 2001, a Third Place
and a Purchase Award in 2004, a
Second Place and Purchase Award
in 2005, an Honorable Mention in
2006 and a Fourth Place and Purchase Award in 2007. She took
the Best of Show in the Artists of
the U. P. exhibit in the DeVos
Museum at Northern in 2007.
Meet Ingrid Blixt at her reception in Alberta House on
Friday, September 4, from 7
to 9 p.m.
Left from top: Photo composite
of crows. “New Orleans Angel”—photograph. “Angel”—
charcoal with gold leaf, available as note card and print.
Below: “Crucifixion”—graphite
drawing.
Page
4 2009 Issue 9
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Alberta HousePage
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SAULT, MICHIGAN EXHIBITS
This is the “Katmai Bay”, by Mary Demroske, the Gallery’s latest acquisition for the Permanent Collection
MINI GALLERY
Work from the Olive Craig Gallery Gallery’s Permanent Collection fills the Mini Gallery during September, from Mary Demroske’s “Katmai Bay” (left), the gallery’s newest acquisition, to
work of artists no longer with us, but fondly remembered—
Olive Craig, Elvira Shouldice, Marion Burnett and Mary
Wright, to name a few—this multi-media exhibit represents the
best of this area. The collection is wide-ranging, containing
both two and three dimensional work.
Next Month in Alberta House, October 1 to 30
Olive Craig Gallery: EUP Craftsmen and the Le Sault
Artists Guild Annual Joint Exhibition
Mini Gallery: Auction Preview Exhibition
LSSU LIBRARY
GALLERY
THROUGH SEPTEMBER:
c{ÉàÉ}ÉâÜÇtÄ|áÅ VÄtáá
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CLASS TAUGHT BY JOHN SHIBLEY AND
MIKE LUSSIER.
Kyung Hatfield—from her “Sky Series”
EUP
BRIMLEY
The Wheels
of
History Train
Museum on M-
221 in downtown
Brimley.
Open
Wed. through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4
p.m. until Labor Day (Sept. 7); then
Sat. & Sun. only, until Oct. 15.
IROQUOIS POINTLIGHTHOUSE
Located 7 miles west of Brimley on
Lakeshore Drive, the museum and gift
shop are open from May 15th through
October 15. Usual hours are 9 a.m. to 5
p.m., daily, but may vary, so call (906)
437-5272 for a current schedule. The 65-foot tower is also open to the public during those times.
Page 5 2009 Issue 9
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Alberta HousePage
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5
EUP
CURTIS
DETOUR VILLAGE
Erickson
Center
for
the
Arts.
Saturday, Sept. 19: Happy Apple Day Scarecrow
www.ericksoncenter.org.
info@ericksoncenter.org
and Antique Festival
P.O. Box 255 N9246 Saw-Wa-Quato Street
The 6th Annual DeTour Village Happy Apple Day
C u r t i s ,
M I
4 9 8 2 0
Scarecrow Festival and 2nd annual Antique Fair sponsored by the
Phone: 1 906-586-9974 .
DeTour Museum and DeTour Botanical Garden is scheduled for
Sat., Sept. 5, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Art on the Lake Saturday, September 19. Events include:
Festival. Erickson Center Park. Food, music,
“Antique Road Show” type an- Horseshow tournament
art vendors, silent auction, children’s art proEntertainment
tique appraisal
ject and children’s parade. Lions pancake
Food
Apple
dessert
contest
and
lunchbreakfast in the Community building from 7 to
Kids Scarecrow contest buildeon
11. 9 Mile Smile Performing from 11 to 2.
ing
Antiques
and
collectibles
show
Copper Box from 2:20 to 6 p.m. First Annual
Games
and contests—all at
and
sale
Photo Contest.
Ewe-per Spinners and &
the
Chamber of ComHeritage
craft
demonstrations
Weavers drawing for a shawl. Free admission.
merce
pavilion and VilApple
Art
displays
by
area
stuCollectible “Art on the Lake” buttons available
lage
court.
Except for the
dents
(DeTour
School)
for $3.
farmer’s market the
Farmers market (9 a.m. to 1
Sat., Sept. 19, 7 p.m.: An Evening of Musical
above events are from 10
p.m.)
Reminisence”. Erickson Center for the Arts.
to 4.
Artists, crafters and vendors
Vocal, piano and keyboard selections by Ruth
Hill and Hunter Buckingham. $10 adults/$5
Community auction of new and gently used items and gift certifistudents.
cates, raffle drawings, announcement of contest winners and a
Fri., Sept. 25, 6 to 8 p.m.: Sled dog Symposium
sloppy joe dinner follow at the Cultural Center. Proceeds go to
with Ed and Tash Stielstra—Pulling Tohelp support the DeTour museum Fresnel Lens repair project
gether—Lessons from Sled Dogs and Advenand artifact maintenance.
tures along the Iditarod Trail. Slide presentation, sled dogs and question and answer session.
ONTARIO EXHIBITS
SAULT
ART GALLERY OF ALGOMA, 10
East Street, 705/949-9067. Hours:
Wed. thru Sun. 11 to 6. Admission
$3. Children under 12, free. e-mail:
aga@shaw.ca. website:
www.artgalleryofalgoma.on.ca
SAULT STE. MARIE MUSEUM, corner of Queen and
East Streets. 705/759-7278.
Mon. thru Sat. from 10 a.m.
to 5 p.m. Sun. from 1 to 5.
www,saultmuseum.com.
heritage@saultmuseum.com.
to Sept. 12: Raven—Carl Beam.
One of Canada’s leading pioneers t o
in multi-media printmaking and
painting, merging the language
of contemporary art with Native
cultural traditions.
From the
gallery’s Permanent Collection.
Northern Ontario Art Association 52nd Annual Juried
Exhibition.
in
the Station
Mall
ARTSPACE
October
17th:
“Ornamenting the Ordinary – Crafts of
South Asia” – An exhibit from the Royal Ontario Museum featuring
the artistic styles, craftsmanship and traditions
of South Asia’s many culturally diverse regions.
to Sept. 13: Sharron Rogers
ECHO BAY AREA
WATERFRONT INN
BALLROOM (former
Holiday Inn)
Sun., Sept. 27, noon to 5
p.m.:
ALGOMA
FALL
CRAFT
SHOW
Sylvan Circle Art and Artisan Tour - Sept
12, 2009, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Self guided gorgeous
country tour. Starting in Echo Bay, the tour
extends around Highway 638, through Leeburn
and Rydal Bank to Bruce Mines and back along
Highway 17, approximately 100 kilometres. Over 40 artists at country halls and studios. Lunch and refreshments can be purchased
at various locations along the route. For information
contact
705-785-3868
or
www.sylvancircle.ca.
Page 6 2009 Issue 9
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Alberta HousePage
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OUTSTATE EXHIBITS
CHEBOYGAN OPERA HOUSE,
231/627-5841 & 1-800/357-9408.
www.theoperahouse.org/
Saturday, Sept. 26, 8 p.m.: Hot Club
of Cowtown.
Western Swing
Trio, sponsored by WCMU Public
Radio. $20/5.
MARQUETTE /NMU ART MUSEUM. Hours: Mon. thru Fri.
between 10 & 5 (Thurs. to 8 p.m.).
Sat. and Sun. between 1 & 4.
906/227-1481.
to Sept. 26: Margot Berman—
Dancing with an Unknown
Partner
ESCANABA: Wm. Bonifas Fine
Arts Center. 700 1st Avenue South.
786/3833. www.bonifasarts.org.
to Sept. 10: Secret World: Art &
Adventure on America’s
Inland Seas. Photography and
Paintings by Christopher winters.
Philip Hanson—The Operatic Canvas
Two Chicago based artists in
separate solo exhibits
Looking In, Looking Out—
Works from the Gallery’s Permanent Collection
Sept. 17 to Oct. 29: Distant Thunder.
Contemporary Native
American Artwork
HONORS & ACCOLADES
MARY FIRACK WINS HAPPY
APPLE DAY LOGO CONTEST
Mary Firack, a ninth grade student, won the
Happy Apple Day logo contest, sponsored by the
EUP Fine Arts Council, for art students in
grades 4 through 12. Her winning design is on
the buttons promoting the events, now being sold
at events and businesses throughout DeTour
Village. Buttons are $2 each and half the proceeds from the sale will go to the Art Department
at the DeTour School. The rest of the proceeds
will be used to defray event advertising and
startup costs. See p. 5, for details of Happy Apple Day events.
LSSU STUDENT PUBLISHES
CHILDREN’S BOOK
“The Horrible Huckleberry”, a book by LSSU
Communications major Alani Michel Weathers,
will be published by Ingram Books. Weathers, a
senior, is a public relations intern under Dr. Gary
Balfanz, Dean of Arts, Letters and Social Science.
PETOSKEY: CROOKED TREE
ARTS CENTER. 231/347-4337.
Open Mon. thru Sat., 10 to 5.
www.crookedtree.org .
to Nov. 11: Juried Fine Art Exhibition 2009
Chip Duncan Photography
Exhibition
TRAVERSE CITY: A R T CENTER, 720 Elmwood, 49684.
www.artcentertraversecity.com.
231-941-9488. Gallery Hours, Mon.
thru. Fri., 9 to 5, & Sat. noon to 6.
September: Michigan Watercolor
Society Show continues
WORKSHOPS & CLASSES
STARS
Soo Theatre/STARS is pleased to announce the
expansion of its dance program with a new studio
across the street for STARS. The north side of Austin’s Oak at 539 Ashmun has been transformed into
a large, modern dance space know as STARS Studio E. This additional instruction space allows STARS to increase its offerings to
45 dance classes. In addition to a full program of movement, preballet and ballet classes, STARS will be offering tap, lyrical, jazz,
modern, hip hop, acrobatics, ballroom and Scottish Country
Dance. Joining Dianna George, Director of Dance, will be instructors Courtney Bailey, Caroline Behling, Lea Cilluffo and Martina
Vollman.
Fall classes in music include Tunes for Toddlers, Elementary Musical Theater, Voice Performance Class and Beginning Piano
Classes. Performing groups are Youth Chorus for middle and high
school students, Intermediate and Senior Youth Orchestra, Flute
Choir, “Nor Quite Ready for Prime Time” string ensemble and Recorder Consort.
Acting, Handmade Book Workshops and Creative Writing offer
opportunities for young people to explore their creative side. Yoga
classes for teens and adults will meet at morning, lunch and evening times. A new class, Chair Yoga, is designed for seniors and
other adults with limited mobility.
Registration is open now for the 14 week fall term which
begins September 14—in person from 10 to 6 weekdays at the
Page 7 2009 Issue 9
Volume
Soo Theatre office, 534 Ashmun. Brochures listing class times and tuition fees
are available on the web (www. ootheatre.org). For more information call 906632-1930.
Alberta HousePage
News
7
ARTISTIC OPPORTUNITIES
DE TOUR
HAPPY APPLE
DAYS
HEALTHY BODY IMAGE
DOLL WORKSHOP
Join Anny Hubbard, Charla Gordon and
Betty Noland in making your own little
leather doll and discussing body image,
healthy eating and traditional foods. The
leather dolls are made in the traditional
Ojibwa-style, such as children played
with long ago.
Four 2-hour sessions: Wednesdays, 10:00
to noon, September 9, 16, 23, 30, 2009.
Site to be announced. Class size limited
to 10.
Pre-registration is required.
Please register by calling Charla Gordon
at
906-630-0792
or
email
charla.rd2008@yahoo.com. Cost: $75 –
basic materials included. Access to Recovery Tier 2 Providers – Access to Recovery Eligible.
DAVID BIGELOW WATERCOLOR
JOURNALING WORKSHOP AT THE
PERSONAL TOUCH
David Bigelow will conduct a watercolor
journaling workshop at the Personal
Touch, 414 Ashmun, September 12, 19
and 26, from 10:30 a.m. to noon. The
class is open to all levels of experience.
Class fee is $50. $20 deposit required.
Call the Personal Touch at 906-632-7435
for more information.
37th ANNUAL SAULT
SUMMER ARTS
FESTIVAL
Artists
and
craftsmen interested in vendor
table space at
DeTour’s Happy
Apple Day September
19,
should call 906297-3231 or 2978051.
Happy
Apple Day details are on page
.
ADRIAN
GLASSBLOWER
CRAIG
WEATHERBY
TAKES BEST
OF SHOW IN
THE 2009
SAULT SUMMER ARTS
FESTIVAL
The 2009 Sault Summer Arts Festival took
place Tuesday, August 4, on the spacious
lawns of the soon-to-be Sault City Hall on
East Portage, in a strong wind under mostly
black skies, but Sault people turned out anyway, and it never
did actually rain. The winner of the three hundred dollar Olive
Craig Best of Show Award, given by the Olive Craig Gallery,
was Adrian glass blower Craig Weatherby. Judge William
Morrison was especially impressed with Craig’s mastery of innovative and difficult techniques. This was Weatherby’s third
year in the festival. He took the Glass Award last year. His
booth was located on the curb side of Bingham Street, toward
the middle of the row.
Winner of the one hundred fifty dollar Best of Crafts Award was Ron Paquin. Among his many local
(Continued on page 8)
Page 8
Alberta House News
(Continued from page 7)
and national awards are the SSAF Best of Crafts
Award in 2007 and the award for Best Display in
2006. The Best of Crafts Award is given by the
Eastern Upper Peninsula Craftsmen and National
Office Products.
Ron Paquin accepting award from Jim Halvorsen
In the top photo, David Bigelow accepts the Painting
Award. Below that, Tom Marshall accepts the Judge’s
Choice Award—both from Jim
Halvorsen, SAAC Treasurer.
David Bigelow, took the
one hundred fifty dollar
Painting award, given by
the Le Sault Artists Guild
and the Personal Touch.
This is Bigelow’s sixth year
in the festival. He won the
Painting Award in 2004, the
Aarre Lahti Design Award
in 2005, the Graphics
Award in 2006 and the
Judge’s Choice Award in
both 2007 and 2008. Dave
works in watercolor, pen
and ink and pastels and had
work in last month’s exhibit
of pastel artists in Alberta
House.
He is our
“FEATURED ARTIST’ this
(Continued on page 9)
Volume 2009 Issue 9
(Continued from page 8)
month (see pages 11 and 12, and back
cover.)
The seventy-five dollar Judge’s
Choice Award was won by Tom Marshall in his second Sault Summer
Arts Festival appearance. He and his
wife Kathy Marshall took the Best of
Show Award in their first appearance
in 2006. Tom is a Sault artist and
retired art teacher and has also been
winning awards right and left.
Page 9
crafts a menagerie of moose and
bears as well as coiled fabric baskets,
totes and wearing apparel. Sporck,
from Suttons Bay, won the Pottery
Award for his distinctive nature tiles.
This is his second year in the festival.
His tiles took last year’s Design
Award. The Jewelry Award is given
by Ryan’s Jewelry; the Fiber Award
The following awards, with the exception of the twenty-five dollar award
for rug hooking, are fifty dollar
awards.
The Aarre Lahti Design
Award, given by the Sault Area Arts
Council, was won by Janet Bonnell
(below) for her exquisite pine needle
baskets, each one unique. This is
Janet’s fourth festival appearance.
She took Best of Crafts in both 2006
by Leanne and Gary Deuman and the
Pottery Award by Soo Co-op Credit
Union.
The Graphics Award, given by Kevin
Cooper, D.D.S., was won by Zoey
Wood-Salomon (above). Zoey, who
paints in the Native style, took the
Graphics Award last year as well.
She has been in the festival since
2006, when she won the Best of Show
Award. Her display of paintings and
distinctive note cards was located on
the curb side of Bingham (and can be
found in the Alberta House Shop.) In
the same row was jude McConkey
(p. 10) who won the Photography
Award, given by Thomas J. Veum,
Leanne Barnes Deuman and
Michael T. Veum, Attorneys.
jude took the Graphics Award
in 2007.
An impressive display of
turned wood won the Wood
Award for festival newcomer
Charles Jackson, (p. 10) of
Swartz Creek, Michigan. The
Wood Award is given by J.A.S.
Veneer and Lumber. Jackson’s
booth was on Water Street. He
left a beautiful bowl for our art
auction November 7th.
Drummond Island summer resident
Wendy Hunt (p. 10) was in the festival for the first time last year, when
she took the Jewelry Award. This
year she won both the Glass Award
and the Award for Best Display.
Wendy makes unusual blown glass
jewelry, wrapped with sterling
silver, and displayed mosaics as
well. She was located on the
curb side of Bingham, which
proved to be a hotbed of winners. Al Dicken, (p. 10) a fes(Continued on page 10)
and 2008. More of her work can be
seen
on
her
web
site:
www.pineywoodbasketart.com.
Sergio Barcena won the jewelry
award.
A festival veteran from
Grosse Pointe Farms, he is a twotime Sault Summer Arts Festival
Best of Show Winner, having won top
prize last year and in 2005. Both he
and Bonnell were on Portage Street,
on the east end of the site, as were
Shirley Harrer and Leif Sporck.
Shirley won the Fiber Award for the
third time in three festival appearances. Using recycled materials she
Left—Sergio Barcena. Below
left—Shirley Harrer—both with
Jim Halvorsen. Below—Lief
Sporck with his display of tiles.
Page 10
Alberta House News
ALL FESTIVAL PHOTOS BY ERIC DEMARAY
Above—jude McConkey, Photography Award winner. Top right, Charles
Jackson, Wood Award winner.
Above, Wendy Hunt, winner of Glass Award and Award for Best Display.
Below, Al Dicken, winner of an Honorable Mention Award for his stone top
tables.
(Continued from page 9)
tival newcomer from Cross Village who displayed stone top tables, was on that side as
well, as was blacksmith Otto Bacon, both of
whom received Honorable Mention awards.
Bacon (opposite page), who operates Whiskey
River Forge and Fiber in Brimley won the Design Award in 2007.
A new twenty-five dollar award, for Primitive
and Traditional Rug Hooking, has been established by Rita Dale and was won by Sugar Island resident Judy Colein. Judy had work in
several different areas, displaying a large variety of soaps and body products, along with
some paintings and the rug hooking. The 2009
Sault Summer Arts Festival judge was William
Morrison, owner and operator of Spruce Forge
on Five and a Quarter Mile Road, who was the
Featured Artist in the August newsletter. He
put in a long day. Judging is hard work!
THANK YOU!
A fact that is especially hard to convey to people not intimately involved with the festival is
the extent to which the community is involved
in this all-volunteer event. It exists year after
year, basically, because people want it and are
willing to work for it, because very little money
changes hands. All the entertainers and workers are donating their time and their considerable expertise and equipment. The City of
Sault Ste. Marie furnishes the site, tables,
chairs and trash cans and transports them to
and from the site. The stage is owned by the
city and furnished to us by the Downtown Development Association, which uses the stage
during the summer for concerts in the park.
Volume
PRESENTING THE AWARDS WAS SAAC TREASURER, JIM HALVORSEN
Page 11
the parking lot for the entertainment support. Men
from the New Hope House unloaded, set up, took down
and reloaded the tables, chairs and trash cans. The
entertainers were Annis George, the one-man band,
who also helped run the P.A. system and emceed; Sault
singer and song writer Archie Reno; Susan Askwith
and Dave Stanaway; poets Frank Blissett, Anny Hubbard and others; the Tai Chi organization; Joe Menard;
Jack Curry; Richard Frank; Lorne Hartwick; Jim Lockhart; Roland Mayer; Shirley Patrick; John Price and
Carl Turnage.
Above— Otto Bacon, winner of an Honorable Mention
Festival veteran Gary Deuman was in charge of assigning the exhibitor sites. He was there at 5:30 the night
before the festival and at 6:30 a.m. the day of, assisted
by Chuck Jones (who put out all the signs and delivered
posters and flyers all over the place) and Jeanne
Conlin. Jim Halvorsen fetched and set up our display,
helped man it, delivered all the prizes to the winners
and took down and returned all our paraphernalia. Pat
Claxton organized our booth equipment and helped
staff it. Mary Barry, Joan Gerrie and Janet Smith also
staffed. And with all the names we’ve still probably left
some out—there are so many who work together to
make the festival happen and allow us to furnish it,
free, to the public. We can’t, possibly, thank them
enough.
FEATURED ARTIST—
DAVID BIGELOW
DAVID BIGELOW
Above—Judy Colein, winner of the Award for Rug Hooking
The generator that runs the P.A. system is borrowed from
Parker Hardware. The P.A. system is owned by Grooves Music. Gary Hatch, owner of Grooves Music, brings it to the
site, sets it up, helps run it, plays music in the final set and
then takes it down.
Food for the entertainers, all of whom volunteer their time
and furnish their own transportation, was donated by Harmony Health Foods, the Pizza Hut, Zorba’s Restaurant and
the Soo Co-op Grocery. The Soo Corner Store furnished ice—
all day. The awning under which the performers played was
lent us by the Sault Chamber of Commerce. And all the
entertainment, logistical support and expertise was
procured and organized, as it has been for many years
now, by Simon Couvier.
Edison Sault furnished the power for the food booths. Northwoods Land Surveying furnished survey ribbon to mark off
David Bigelow is a Sault High graduate who went on
to study art at Flint Community College, DeWaters
Art Institute for two years, before switching to law
enforcement. He worked in the Sault Ste. Marie Police
Department from 1965 to 1973, with the U.S. Border
Patrol and the U.S. Immigration Service from 1973 to
1979 and the U.S. Custom Service from 1979 until he
retired in 2001. Immediately after retirement he began blazing a trail through the art world. We first
became conscious of his work when his pen and ink
drawings appeared in the Evening News about eight
years ago (before retirement), depicting the houses on
Annual House Tour of the Red Cross. He entered the
Sault Summer Arts Festival for the first time in 2004,
and won the Painting Award. The next year he won
the Aarre Lahti Design Award, in 2006 he won the
Graphics Award, in both 2007 and 2008 he won the
Judge’s Choice Award and this year he, once again,
took the painting award. He took Best of Show in De(Continued on page 12)
Page 12
Alberta House News
Clockwise from top left: Dave, painting. Old
Sault High (pen & ink), barn (pastel) and Restaurant in Sarlat, France (watercolor).
(Continued from page 11)
tour’s first Fine Arts Festival and a Purchase Award in the
2008 Northern Exposure show in Escanaba.
You’ve seen Dave’s work in juried shows in Alberta House
and in other exhibits as well. He works in pen and ink,
watercolor and pastels, and has many prints available.
Among the pen and ink prints, many in the form of note
cards, are drawings of the old Loretto School, St. Mary’s
Pro-Cathedral, the old Sault High, St. James Church and a
number of lighthouses. His drawing of the Bayliss Library
heads up the library listings on page 3. His watercolor
and pastel paintings reflect his travels—landscapes of the
Great Lakes Area, rivers and waterfalls, barns and other
buildings, Colorado and Arizona, France, England and Italy. His favorite saying is “The more I paint, the luckier I
become.”
In October of 2005, Dave’s work was
in an exhibit in the Olive Craig Gallery titled “People, Places and
Things” with the work of Sue Johnson and Jeremy Ripley. In May of
2008, he was one of four artists in
the G.A.S.S. exhibit in the Olive
Craig Gallery—and that opens up a
whole other story. G.A.S.S. is an
acronym for “Gentlemen Artists
Sketching Society”, consisting of a
motley crew—Dave, Tom Marshall,
Ken Hatfield, Joel Lake and Carl
Forslund, who have been meeting
for plein air painting since about
2005. All are enthusiastic pursuers
of the pastel medium and members
of the Great Lakes Pastel Society,
the Upper Peninsula Branch of
which exhibited last month in the Olive
Craig Gallery. Both Dave and Tom are
on the Great Lakes Pastel Society’s
Board of Directors. Last month the
society held its annual weekend paintout in the Sault area—for the first time,
ever, in the U.P.
Dave has enjoyed a very busy and prolific retirement. In addition to his
painting, he has been teaching—
drawing for beginners in May and watercolor journaling this month (both at
the Personal Touch). He enjoys camping, golfing and participating in art festivals. He says a personal highlight
was in September of last year when he
and Tom Marshall participated in a Bill
Hosner pastel painting landscape workshop in Suttons Bay. Dave is a member
of both the Olive Craig Gallery Board
Page 13
and the SAAC Board, is a former
SAAC Chairman, and a volunteer in
Alberta House. He also volunteers
every Thursday afternoon at the
Best of Friends Animal Shelter on
Killacky Road.
AN AMERICAN CAFÉ: REFLECTIONS FROM THE GRILL
Peter and Georgia Gianakura were
invitational exhibitors in the August
Sault Summer Arts Festival, selling,
signing and talking about Peter’s
book, An American Café. In between
our vain attempts to try to hold
things down, we enjoyed watching
them both. They were kept busy—
greeting a steady stream of visitors,
gracious and welcoming, seemingly
ignoring the cold wind, and there all
day into the evening. An American
Café is part Sault history and part a
series of vignettes with universal
appeal. Patrons of the café will find
the appeal overwhelming, but even
those who have never even walked
by, will find the book both interesting
and informative. It’s the story of
Greek immigrants who came to a
small town in the United States in
1900 and became an integral part of
Alberta House News
NEWS & NOTES
it. It could have been anywhere, but
it was in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.
The book contains priceless photographs and insights into Sault history. There are stories of Sault personalities, many of whom you’ll recognize, whether they are named or
not. And there is, running through
the book, a subtheme: what it’s like
to be raised in the United States with
modern expectations, but bound to
the culture of a previous generation
on another continent.
It is obvious, both from the book and
from the response to it, that the
American Café was more than a
place to eat. It was a hangout, in the
sense that it was a place where people could go to meet their friends or
to be alone; where they would find
warmth and familiarity, food and
welcome, a home away from home.
And Peter Gianakura is an observer
who did more than act as host, take
orders and cook. The “reflections
from the grill” not only mirror what
Peter saw every day—they are images that have been distilled. Peter’s
“reflections” are filled with the insight of a thoughtful and experienced
observer.
And here I have to add a personal
note. I read the book less than a
month ago. Before beginning this
review, I picked up the book again—
and immediately became hung up,
re-reading passages I’d read less
than a month before. The book is
like that. It is available at Alberta
House, at the Chippewa County
Historical Society, at Parker’s Ace
Hardware, at the Soo Theatre, at
local bookstores and from Peter Gianakura, 906-635-5133, for $15, plus
90 cents tax. And be selfish with it—
don’t give it away when you’re
through with it because you’ll because you’ll want to read it again.
Look for Peter at a Chippewa County
Historical Society book signing in the
near future. Call the office at 6357082 for up to date information.
J.J.
SHOW TICKET BONANZA
The Arts Council of Sault and District
in Sault, Ontario has a raffle going.
The first place winner receives two
tickets to the following Sault, Ontario
arts events:
Main stage Algoma Conservatory Concerts
The Algoma Fall Festival
Algoma International film series
the Chamber Singers of Algoma
Family Life Theater (2 dinner and
show tickets)
Musical Comedy Guild
Northland Barbershop Spring Show
Sault Theatre Workshop (2 season tickets)
Soothfest 2009 (4 tickets)
Sault Symphony (2 season passes)
Theatre SMC (4 tickets)
White Pines On Stage: Alice in Wonderland (4 tickets)
Tickets are $3 each or two for $5 from
the Arts Council (705-945-9756). Draw
date is September 14.
STAR SPANGLED GIRL
The Chippewa Theater Guild production of Neil Simon’s Star Spangled
Girl, directed by Peter DeCourcy, plays
the Guild Theater, 700 Eureka, October 1 to 4. and 9 to
11.
Tickets are
available at the
theater.
Call
Colleen Lavey at
632-7090 for more
information.
CURTIS
The Erickson Center for the Arts in
Curtis has a new web site and e-mail
address:
www.ericksoncenter.org.
info@ericksoncenter.org P.O. Box 255
N9246 Saw-Wa-Quato Street
(Continued on page 14)
Volume 2009 Issue 9
Page 14
(Continued from page 13)
C u r t i s ,
M I
4 9 8 2 0
Phone: 1 906-586-9974. There’s a
lot going on in Curtis in September,
beginning with their Art on the
Lake Festival September 5. Check
it out on page 5.
SAULT THEATRE WORKSHOP
Sault Theatre Workshop’s 20092010 Season opens October 14, with
David Craig’s Having Hope at
Home, directed by George Houston.
Cinderella, a “madcap English pantomime”, opens December 2, for
nine performances. String of Pearls,
“a blend of sex, satire, poignancy
and absurdism” opens February 17.
The last two productions of the season are Norm Foster comedies, both
westerns— Outlaw, April 14 to 18,
and Jenny’s House of Joy, June 9 to
13.
Season tickets are available from
the Sault Theatre Workshop, P.O.
Box 94, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario,
Canada P6A 5L2. Several packages
are available. Package #3 offers all
five shows (reserved seating) for
$75. Package #4 offers three shows
of your choice for $48. Per show
prices are $18 for adults, $16 for
seniors and $5 for students.
Call Sandra at 705-946-4081 or Gail
at 705-946-5413 to order by phone,
using MasterCard or Visa. Tickets
may also be ordered online at
www.saulttheatre.com, where you’ll
find a more complete description of
the upcoming productions.
AN EVENING WITH
GROUP OF SEVEN TRAIN EVNT
GERSHWIN
The Group of Seven Train Event begins with a trip to Searchmont Resort
via the Algoma Central Railway. The
day’s activities at the resort include
guided nature walks; reproductions of
the Group o Seven’s work, narrated
by Michael Burtch; live musical entertainments; presentations of Franklin Carmichael’s work; a photography
workshop (Tim Harris); a watercolor
workshop (Sheila Currie); an oil
painting workshop (Tami Poldmaa)
and a gourmet lunch. There are
three ticket options: $55 includes
everything, plus a bus ride back to
the Sault. $45 includes a bus ride to
and from Searchmont, all activities
and lunch. $35 includes all activities
and lunch, but you provide your own
transportation.
On Thursday, September 3,
the Soo Theatre will host a
bonanza fundraiser when Sault native Mike Dempsey returns to direct
an extravagant production bursting
with both local and imported talent.
“An Evening with Gershwin” features
Karen Hughes Beacom, soprano;
Trish Well, mezzo-soprano; Eric
Shaw, tenor; and John Young, baritone.
Dempsey, born and raised in the
Sault, went on to earn his bachelor’s
and master’s degrees from MSU. He
has been choral director at various
downstate high schools and churches
and music director for a number of
large scale musicals. He is also a
composer and leader of “Mike
Dempsey & Friends”, a group of singers for whom he is pianist, script
writer and arranger.
Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for
seniors and students and $5 for 12
and under, at the Soo Theatre box
office (906-632-1932).
Also coming up:
Beatlemania on
Thursday, September 10, and Rotary
Show of Shows, a benefit revue, on
Sunday, September 27. See
date listings for more information. Take in Soo Theatre
events while you can, before
the heating season starts.
(And the more events you
attend, the sooner they’ll be
able to install heat.)
ALGOMA FALL FESTIVAL
Algoma
Fall
Festival
Events begin
October 2,
with guitar virtuoso Pavlo
($30/29).
Singer/songwriter
Sarah Slean is scheduled for October
9 ($30); singer/songwriter Dawn Tyler Watson for October 12 ($30);
“You Dance”, with the National Ballet of Canada for October 15
($30/20); jazz singer Nikki Yanofsky
for October 16 ($35/20); “Women
Fully Clothed for October 24 ($39);
the Canadian Guitar Quartet
($30/20) for October 28; Leahy—
eight musical brothers and sisters—
for October 29 ($39/25); and
Terrance Simien (Zydeco) October 30
($35). Tickets are available at the
Station Mall Box Office (705-9457299). More information is available
on the Algoma Fall Festival web site
(www.algomafallfestival.com).
Tickets may be purchased at Berkana
Art Studio on Queen, at the Station
Mall box office, or by calling Lori at
705-949-2310, ext. 4356.
Checks
should be made out to “Coalition for
Algoma Passenger Trains”.
FLYING GEESE QUILT SHOW
The Flying Geese Quilt Show, a biannual exhibition of the Keeping the
Piece Quilt Guild, will be held Saturday and Sunday, September 19 and 20, in the
Sault Middle School.
Show hours are from 9
to 5, on Saturday and
from 11 to 4, on Sunday.
Attractions include vendors, a boutique, a tea room, a quilt
appraiser, demonstrations, door
prizes and a quilt raffle.
The raffle quilt was made by Roni
Israel Weaver and Mary McCready,
and the raffle money is used to make
quilts for charitable causes and for
quilting workshops. Raffle tickets are
$1 each, or 6 for $5, and are available
at several locations in the Sault area.
Quilt appraisals are available for $35
each. Those interested in an appraisal are asked to contact June
Davis, 906-484-2103.
COUNCIL
SAULT AREA ARTS
TS CENTER
ALBERTA HOUSE AR
T
217 FERRIS STREE
SAULT STE. MARIE
MI 49783
Home of the Sault Summer Arts Festival
INFORMATION
Alberta House News
is published monthly
as a public service by the Sault Area Arts Council and
may be picked up free of charge at Alberta House Arts
Center. Items or ads for Alberta House News are best
transferred in written form, either dropped off at Alberta
House or mailed there c/o Jean Jones. You may also call
906/437-5463 afternoons or evenings or e-mail
saac@saultarts.org. Alberta House News publishes art
news of general interest to its readers. There is no charge
for inclusion of news. Please include the sponsor of an
event with the information.
If you would like to become a member of SAAC and
help support arts council services, fill in the form
alongside and mail with your check for $25.00 in U.S.
funds to the Sault Area Arts Council, Alberta House Arts
Center, 217 Ferris Street, Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783.
Members receive a monthly copy of “Alberta House
News” as a benefit of membership, on line or by mail.
“Crystal Falls” by this month’s Featured Artist, David
Bigelow. See pages 11 and 12.