Celebrations

It seems that there is  not one day that goes by without some kind of tragic or  catastrophic news hitting the news or Facebook pages. Is it really more frequent or are we more lokely to hear about it because of our constant connections to the channels of information?  And how are we to react to all these news? Take them all in, along side a bottle of gin or a few anti anxiety pills? Shut down and ignore it all? Apply some sensory filters and feel only for the events that are close to home or one's heart? 

During last week's tornadoes that destroyed so much so close, my thoughts kept shifting from  the unfortunate people caught in their devastating paths to my daughters' Prom at the Log Cabin. Glittering evening dresses and tuxedoes on one side, destroyed homes and suffering on the other. Perfect for a Gemini.

I kept praying the walls of the Log Cabin would be thick enough to shield them. Not so much from the devastating storms as from the news of these devastating st0rms, so they could keep on enjoying this once in a lifetime event. The storms didn't get to them but the news did: the Holyoke Fire Department declared the place unsafe and ordered its evacuation.  All the students took it very well and calmly hopped back into cars, limos and coaches. All except one: Lucie wanted to keep on dancing and refused to leave the building...It was a celebration, she wanted to celebrate, period.

But just as there many reasons to feel sad or hopeless, there are many reasons to celebrate. No  Yang without Yin. And while one cannot, should not, ignore the the tragedies affecting our neighbors  in Springfield, Monson or Fukushima, we also need to hear about events that deserve to be celebrated (a Thank You to "Good News Easthampton" on Facebook for doing just that).

This newsletter is all about celebrations!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hope you won't mind if I start very selfishly but proudly with celebrating my daughters Elisa and Lucie's High School Graduation.

You did great, you are great and beautiful, and you will continue to do great and beautiful things.
Bonne Chance!

~~~~~~~~ 

 Vital Connections

The Eastmont Art Fund's Call to Artist was well heard. 30 artists from all over the Pioneer Valley responded and submitted artwork for Vital Connections, the EAF's 4th fundraising exhibit that will benefit Cancer Connection in Florence, MA.

The participating Artists

This event is also a celebration. A celebration of life and survival, a celebration for the invaluable services Cancer Connection is providing to individuals and families affected by cancer.  

 
The exhibition will take place as usual in the Elusie Gallery in Easthampton's Old Town Hall, between June 11 and July 6th. The reception and jury results will be on Friday June 17 between 6 and 8 pm.

Contributors will have 2 ways of supporting Cancer Connection: the silent auction of all the original artwork exhibited, lasting the entire duration of the exhibit; and the sale of a limited edition archival print, reproduction of one of the submitted entries that will have been selected by the jury.  This unique concept allows contributors to support this vital organization even if they have been outbid in the silent auction.

Another special aspect of Eastmont Art Fund's events: Part of the proceeds go back to the artists. An opportunity for you to support both a very worthy local cause AND the local arts community.

So come and support Vital Connections at the Elusie Gallery come this Saturday during the monthly ArtWalk Easthampton, and join us for the

Official Reception

Friday June 17 from 6 to 8pm.

The event is catered and open to all.

 ~~~~~~~~

 A celebration of Art and Nature, Art in Nature

When I heard last year that the theme for the 2011 grants from the Easthampton Cultural Council was "Art in Unusual Places",  two thoughts came to mind:  The first was that the place I lived in before moving to the USA, a town called Bex about the size of Easthampton, hosted a biennial sculpture exhibition set on hills and meadows on the outskirts of town.  Bex & Art is now in it's 11th edition and attracts sculptors and visitors from all over Europe.

Bex & Arts 2008 ~ Der Feuerreiter

And I also remembered the new owners of Park Hill Orchard, Alane Hartley and Russell Braen and their interest in bringing art onto their farm.  The following comes from their farm's "Principles of Operations": We will lead, host, participate or lend our weight to many community endeavors. They certainly proved that last fall when ArtWalk Easthampton invited them to be part of the October Artwalk that featured a scarecrow making competition.  

These two thoughts merged and the idea of "Art in the Orchard" emerged. And thanks to the enthusiasm of the hosts Alane and Russell, the expert help of local sculptor Matt Johnson and the grant awarded by the ECC, this idea will become reality starting August 13th until the end of October.

The sculptures will be installed along a footpath meandering through this working Orchard, with spectacular views of the Mt Tom range as backdrop to the east and Mount Pomeroy to the west. A special destination for visitors to enjoy the beauty of both Art and Nature.

So, whether you like luscious apples or twisted metal, this event is for you.  See you soon at Park Hill Orchard! 

Note to sculptors/sculptresses:

The Call to Artists is out: visit Park Hill Orchard's website for more details and to download the application documents. 

~~~~~~~~

Last but certainly not least reason to celebrate:

Eastmont Custom Framing
is 10 years old!

I want to take this opportunity to sincerely thank all Eastmont's customers for having used our services and help us grow since the Spring of 2001. I also want to express my gratitude to all who have helped me and Easmont one way or another during the last 10 years, especially Cindy Bow who has been an important part of Eastmont Custom Framing for most of these 10 years.

To thank you for being part of Eastmont's growth, we are letting our prices roll back to their 2001 value.

Based on similar orders placed in 2001 and this year, the price increase has been about 25%, which is actually very close to the increase in the CPI over the same period.

Therefore, we are offering a

25% discount

 to all our existing customers to thank them for their patronage over the last 10 years.

This offer is valid now and until July 31st, and cannot be combined with any other offers or gift certificates.

To be fair we will give
25% discount
to all new customers as well...

because you should really try us!

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Another way that we will celebrate our 10th anniversary is by hosting a group show with artists who have had a solo exhibit in the Elusie Gallery since its opening.

More details soon.