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Greetings!
Welcome to SOTAC Interactive's E-updates, where we highlight the arts and culture happenings in Charlotte and beyond. Visit www.sotacmag.com for more information or email us at info@sotacmag.com.
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Where To Find Us
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Inside Scoop!
Greetings SOTAC i Community!
Here we are twenty one days into twenty ten and the arts & culture scene is thriving in Charlotte and beyond. A BIG thank you to Erin Dunn, Managing Editor (and social networking guru), and all of our new friends who have contributed to our growth on our social networks! Thanks for spreading the word and the links to SOTAC and for your continued support of the arts movement. This edition of your e-updates is full of the latest happenings about Grey Gardens, Edgar Allen Poe, IFNY, The Movement and so much more! But don't stop here, scroll below and see more of the very best in art, style & culture.
We previously announced that as a result of new opportunities presented to SOTAC's Leadership Team, we decided to discontinue one arm of DSB Publishing LLC., SOTAC Magazine, effective December 31, 2009. We will maintain readership via SOTAC Interactive (SOTAC i) as our main venue for presenting information from diverse indie art, style and cultural sources, social networks and our bi-weekly newsletter (E-Updates). SOTAC i continues to offer advertising opportunities. Stay connected for further updates in 2010.
Facebook and twitter.com/sotacmagazine for the latest in the interactive evolution. Log on today!
Debony S. Burrowes
Publisher/Editorial Director |
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Cut!
Local
Religion Week @ Johnson C. Smith University
The week's title and theme--Roots: A Love Ethic--come from Cornel West's premise that "any disease of the soul must be conquered by a turning of one's soul," that "this turning is done through one's own affirmation of one's worth-an affirmation fueled by the concern of others," that "a love ethic must be at the center of a politics of conversion" (from "Nihilism in Black America," relevant whether we agree that nihilism remains or not, and relevant also toward a larger sense of humanity and the acknowledgement of every individual's humanity). It's a week-long celebration. There will be lectures, discussions, roundtables, yoga practice, a drum circle, a film, art, a poetry performance, and more. Food will be provided at many events. Scholars, religious experts, religious leaders, artists, and members of the community will participate in each event. All events are free and open to the public. When: Now - January 22, 2010 Where: Johnson C. Smith University More Info: www.jcsu.edu
 Diversity Den Cafe - Valencia Robinson
"Powerful. Dynamic. Soulful." These are a few of the adjectives used to describe the incredible voice of Valencia Robinson. The richness and purity of Valencia's vocals are evident after she sings just one note. Her voice has a way of warming the very souls of all listeners. Combining a soulful spirit with poignant lyrics, Valencia disarms audiences and opens their minds to the possibilities of love and life in a style described by many as "Raw Soul." When: Friday, January 22, 2010 @ 10:00 p.m. Where: The Diversity Den Cafe More Info: www.diversityden.com
"Grey Gardens" - The Musical
Queen City Theatre Company is proud and honored to bring to Charlotte the regional premiere of the Tony Award winning musical "Grey Gardens" with book by Pulitzer Prize winner, Doug Wright (I Am My Own Wife), music by Scott Frankel, and lyrics by Michael Korie. Based on the 1975 groundbreaking and cult classic documentary by Albert and David Maysles, "Grey Gardens - The Musical" takes us on a touching, hilarious, and often heart breaking journey into the lives of "Big Edie" Beale and her daughter, "Little Edie" Bouvier Beale. The Musical, brings to life the eccentric aunt and cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. At one time the two women, Edith ("Big Edie") Bouvier Beale and her daughter Edith ("Little Edie") were among the brightest names on the East Hampton social register. In 1973, they were discovered to be living in the 28 room mansion with no running water, 52 cats, fleas, and raccoons. The musical is set in two eras: 1941 when the women were living lives of full grandeur, and in 1973 when their lives had been reduced to near squalor. Discounted tickets ONLY available at www.queencitytheatre.com
 North Carolina Dance Festival
The NC Dance Festival is an annual showcase of North Carolina dance artists that travels statewide. Unique in the country and now a North Carolina institution, the event began in 1991 as a weekend of concerts in the UNC Greensboro Dance Theater showcasing dance artists from across the state. The tour features several independent companies, performing alongside artists local to the host communities, making each concert a unique mix of local and statewide artists.
When: Friday, January 29 at 8:00 p.m. and Saturday, January 30 at 8:00 p.m.
Where: Anne R. Belk Theater at UNCC
More Info: performances.uncc.edu
Jon Lindsay, The Houstons, The Old Ceremony
Show starts early with the amazing Old Ceremony hitting the stage at 9 p.m. sharp, the Houstons on next dropping their dope new EP "The Archer", and JL closing it out, playing new jams off the new album, "Escape From Plaza-Midwood"! $8 in advance and $10 the day of show. Peter Gray on guitar, David Kim on Drums, Kyle Dussault on keys and Stacey the kid Leazer on bass. Jon Linsday, North Carolina bred (also member of Benji Hughes' band and front man of the band The Catch Fire) singer-songwriter has recently teamed up with MoRisen Records, who will soon release his debut EP "Magic Winter & the Dirty South", as well as the full-length 18+track Opus "Escape From Plaza Midwood". Bringing a vocal style that's unforgettable, at times sweet as it gets straight from Big Star Country, to the wry and cracked delivery of the likes of Warren Zevon, his tunes are always smart, super emotive and laced with hooks. He currently tours with his full backing band, comprised of members of Benji Hughes, The Houstons.
When: Friday, February 5, 2010 @ 8:00pmWhere: The Visulite TheatreMore Info: www.visulite.com
National
IFNY Premiere Screening Series
IFNY launches its new screening venue for 2010 with their Premiere Screening Series, as they celebrate the best of 2009. Friday, January 29th, 2010, IFNY will screen 6 of the best short films of the year and since this is an audience choice award, they need all of you to attend so you can vote and decide who will be the winner of the 2009 IFNY Premiere Screening Series Best Short of The Year Award. The winner will be announced at the IFNY Monologue Slam on Friday March 12th at the Kumble Theater of the Performing Arts at LIU - Brooklyn Campus. The films are as follows: Sealed - Mo Brown, The Minds of Men - Samad Davis, Barack & Curtis - Byron Hurt, Shades of Brooklyn - Daoud Abeid & Dahkil Hausif, Beautiful Jones - John Lord and Glimpse - Qasim Basir. Admission: $10 with complimentary admission to the WRAP PARTY. When: Friday, January 29, 2010, 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Where: Spike Lee Screening Room at Long Island University - Brooklyn Campus, Brooklyn, NY More Info: www.facebook.com/group
Maureen Angot au Théâtre Traversière
A great actress, a pretty doll face, a voice of velvet, put it in a pot of jazz and you get Maureen Angot. Hooked on urban music and improvisation, it was in Paris that Maureen Angot (e.g. "Star Academy" in 2008) prepared her first opus of songs colored generous Soul, Jazz, Hip Hop & Electro. She has a taste for live performances!
When: Friday, January 29, 2010
Where: Théâtre Traversière, Paris, France
More Info: www.parisjazzclub.net |
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Did You Know?
Nevermore? Mystery Visitor Misses Poe's Birthday
By Joseph White, Associated Press Writer
BALTIMORE - Is this tradition "nevermore"?
A mysterious visitor who left roses and cognac at the grave of Edgar Allan Poe each year on the writer's birthday failed to show early Tuesday, breaking with a ritual that began more than 60 years ago.
"I'm confused, befuddled," said Jeff Jerome, curator of the Poe House and Museum. "I don't know what's going on."
The tradition dates back to at least 1949, according to newspaper accounts from the era, Jerome said. Since then, an unidentified person has come every Jan. 19 to leave three roses and a half-bottle of cognac at Poe's grave in a church cemetery in downtown Baltimore.
The event has become a pilgrimage for die-hard Poe fans, some of whom travel hundreds of miles. About three dozen stood huddled in blankets during the overnight cold Tuesday, peering through the churchyard's iron gates hoping to catch a glimpse of the figure known only as the "Poe toaster."
At 5:30 a.m., Jerome emerged from inside the church, where he and a select group of Poe enthusiasts keep watch over the graveyard, and announced to the crowd that the visitor never arrived. He allowed an Associated Press reporter inside the gates to view both of Poe's grave sites, the original one and a newer site where the body was moved in 1875. There was no sign of roses or cognac at either tombstone.
Jerome said the Poe toaster has always arrived before 5:30 a.m. There was still a chance the visit could occur later in the day, but Jerome said he doubted the person would risk a public unveiling by performing the task in daylight, when other visitors could be there.
"I'm very disappointed, to the point where I want to cry," said Cynthia Pelayo, 29, who had stood riveted to her prime viewing spot at the gate for about six hours. "I flew in from Chicago to see him. I'm just really sad. I hope that he's OK."
Pelayo and Poe fans from as far as Texas and Massachusetts had passed the overnight hours reading aloud from Poe's works, including the poem "The Raven," with its haunting repetition of the word "nevermore." Soon they were speculating, along with Jerome, about what might have caused the visitor not to appear.
"You've got so many possibilities," said Jerome, who has attended the ritual every year since 1977. "The guy had the flu, accident, too many people.
"
Tuesday marked the 201st anniversary of Poe's birth, and Jerome speculated that perhaps the visitor considered last year's bicentennial an appropriate stopping point.
"People will be asking me, 'Why do you think he stopped?'" Jerome said. "Or did he stop? We don't know if he stopped. He just didn't come this year.
" There have also been recent controversies over which city should be regarded as Poe's rightful home, with some making the case that the remains perhaps should be moved to Richmond, Va., Philadelphia or Boston, cities with their own Poe legacies.
Jerome said he thinks it's unlikely the dispute is connected to the Poe toaster's no-show. If anything, Jerome felt the visitor might have weighed in on the controversy by leaving a note with the roses and cognac, as has been done in some previous years.
One such note was left in 1993, when the visitor wrote: "The torch will be passed." Years later, another note indicated the man had died in 1998 and had handed the tradition to his two sons.
Sam Porpora, a former historian at Westminster Presbyterian Church, where Poe is buried, claimed in 2007 that he was the original Poe toaster and that he had came up with the idea in the 1970s as a publicity stunt. Jerome disputed Porpora's claims by citing a 1950 article in The (Baltimore) Evening Sun that referred to the annual tribute.
Poe was the American literary master of the macabre, noted for poems and short stories including "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Fall of the House of Usher" and "The Pit and the Pendulum."
He is also credited with writing the first modern detective story, "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," which appeared in 1841.
He died Oct. 7, 1849, in Baltimore at the age of 40 after collapsing in a tavern.
As for the fate of his annual visitor? That's a new mystery.
Jerome said he will continue the vigil for at least the next two or three years, in case the visits resume.
"So, for me," he said, "it's not over with."
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ArtZ
Local
The Romance of the Road: Photographs in Search of the Promised Land
The Romance of the Road takes a close look at the continued fascination America has for getting in a car and driving across the country. Photographers Maureen France, Richard Gilles, Bryce Lankard, Amy Stein, Pamela Springsteen, and video artist Charles Woodman have created images that document personal experiences, relationships, and discoveries-both good and bad-that have unfolded on the open road. When: Opening Reception: Thursday, January 21, 2010 @ 6:00 p.m. Where: Knight Gallery More Info: www.lightfactory.org
 Photography Of Joann Sieburg-Baker
The Friends of Art at Queens presents North Carolina native JoAnn Sieburg-Baker, a freelance photographer in Charlotte since 1980, specializing in photography of art and architecture. Of her work she states, "I have a great respect for nature. I am inspired by the majesty and peace of landscapes and portray these qualities in my photographs. I love classical and formal compositions." For a preview of her images, visit www.js-b.com. When: Opening Reception: Thursday, January 21, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Gallery Hours: Weekdays 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., weekends 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Max L. Jackson Gallery, Watkins Building Where: Queens University of Charlotte More Info: www.queens.edu
Colonial Craft Workshop: Paper Marbling
Paper Marbling is a method of placing paint on top of water on which to lay sheets of paper, producing patterns similar to marble. This decorative material was used in the 18th century as a cover for items such as books, chests, and drawer liners. In this class you will make several marbled sheets of your own. Admission: $15 for museum members; $20 for non-members. Recommended for adults, ages 18 and up. Space is limited and is availability on a first come, first serve basis. When: Monday, January 25, 2010 @ 7:00 p.m. Where: Charlotte Museum of History & Hezekiah Alexander Homesite More Info: www.charlottemuseum.org
 Photographic Retrospective, Byron Baldwin
Byron Baldwin will present a retrospective of his photographic work. "My photographs deal with a sense of place and a time of day that feels familiar and comfortable. A time and place that connects us with events and people." He was a founding member of The Light Factory in 1973 and has taught photography at Myers Park High School in Charlotte, N.C. and at area colleges and universities for thirty years. He retired in 2003. His work has been exhibited widely and is included in the collections of the High Museum in Atlanta, Bank of America, the Library of Congress, R.J. Reynolds Corporation, the State Museum of South Carolina, the National Baseball Hall of Fame, The Mint Museum, The Levine Museum of the New South, and numerous private collections. His book "The 521 All-Stars, A Championship Story of Baseball and Community" was published in 1999. He has been the recipient of numerous awards and grants, and is represented by The Hodges Taylor Gallery. The Guild of Charlotte Artists offers this event. The Guild is comprised of artists and membership offers the opportunity to share experiences and learning of other artists in the Charlotte area. To see more, look at the Guild website at www.guildofcharlotteartists.com When: Wednesday, January 27, 2010 @ 7:00 pm Where: Mint Museum of Art More Info: www.guildofcharlotteartists.com
Joyce Scott: Recall
 Scott's work challenges boundaries by dealing with difficult social subjects and the artist's role in contemporary society. Merging social commentary with divisive social issues, Scott creates exquisitely crafted works of art that prompt viewers to do more than just observe. Her work is grounded in beadwork, weaving, quilting and glass, and draws on influences as wide-ranging as her media. Embracing versatility as an artist, Scott explores themes of social injustice or gender and class often in a straight forward manner or with an ironic sense of humor while embracing her heritage and history. When: Friday, January 29 - Saturday, March 20, 2010 Where: McColl Center for Visual Art More Info: www.mccollcenter.org
 Gallery Crawls
NoDa - Every first and third Friday of the month
Southend - Every first Friday of the month
National
U-Ram Choe: New Urban Species
Korean artist U-Ram Choe's kinetic sculptures are made of delicately curved sections of wrought metal, joined together in movable parts that are driven by motors to expand, contract, or otherwise suggest the autonomic motions of such primitive life forms as plants and single-celled aquatic creatures. The intricate workmanship and graceful movements of these mechanical sculptures offer viewers an unparalleled visual delight. At the same time, they have profound philosophical implications, inviting consideration of the subject of life's origins, evolution, and future. Evoking new developments in genetic engineering, prosthetic technologies, and robotics, these graceful and disturbing works propose the existence of species that, while constructed of inorganic materials and powered by light and electricity, mimic the behavior and appetites of living beings.
When: February 19-May 16, 2010
Where: The Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville, TN
More Info: www.fristcenter.org
International
Alexander Eizenstat. Spectrum of Life.
Alexander Eisenstadt belongs to the rare "intuitive" type of artists who are its main impetus for creativity are inside. The complex geography of life - Jerusalem, Tzfat, Paris, Rome, Moscow - imposes a specific imprint on his art, which is difficult to associate with a particular cultural environment. Alexander Eizenstat was born and raised in Moscow. Here in the late 60's he studied painting in the artist's SP Skulsky. He left the USSR in 1974. Eizenstat - a French citizen, currently living in Israel, but prefers to write in Jerusalem and Moscow. Exhibition "Spectrum of Life" brings together about 70 works in recent years, divided into series: "Spectrum of Life", "City", "Toys", "Still Life", "Silhouettes," "Kafka".
When: Now - February 7, 2010
Where: The Moscow Museum of Modern Art, Moscow, Russia
More Info: www.mmoma.ru |
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Soirees
Local
The Evening Muse
 The Evening Muse is a listening room, art gallery and café featuring live music 5+ nights each week. The Muse features original artists in a wide variety of genres touring at the national, regional and local level and has earned a reputation for award-winning sound and a great casual atmosphere.
When: Thursday, January 21, 2010 @ 6:00 p.m.
Where: The Evening Muse
More Info: www.theeveningmuse.com
 "Good Eats" Gives Back-Humane Society Happy Hour/Fundraiser
When: Thursday, January 21, 2010, 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Where: Tutto Mundo-Pewter Rose
More Info: www.humanesociety.org
THE MOVEMENT RETURNS!
Yes! A place where the true SOULFUL HOUSE ENTHUSIASTS can come and party! "THE MOVEMENT" returns where it all began. The event is going down at the newly renovated KASHMIR (Formerly known as HOM). Music provides by "THE MUSIC PROGRAMMER" JOHNNIE DAVIS and a special guest DJ. We will be bringing you the very best in Global Soul Dance Music. This event will also take place EVERY 3RD FRIDAY OF EACH MONTH! $5 cover charge! Great drink specials! Awesome food upstairs! BRING YOUR DANCING SHOES!
When: Friday, January 22, 2010 @ 9:00 p.m.
Where: KASHMIR
More Info: www.kashmirnightclubs.com
 Drum for Community
Each Saturday, 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., come learn West African djembe drumming with master percussionist, Allen Boyd. Bring the whole family for Alo Pama - a time of storytelling, drumming and dancing with Obakunle Akinlana.
When: Saturday, January 23, 2010 - Saturday, February 27, 2010 @ 11:00 a.m.
Where: Hampton Park Community Center
More Info: 980-254-3573
National
Boston Wine Expo
No other event in New England, or the whole country for that matter, offers as wide a variety of wines to tantalize your palette. Over 450 wineries from around the globe pour over 1,800 wines for you to sample. It's simply the biggest and the best! Sample wines from over 450 international wineries in one location. Some 1,800 wines in all! Watch over 15 celebrity chefs in action on two stages, taste samples, and bring their recipes home with you. Learn something new at 26 continuous seminars with topics for both the novice and the connoisseur. Pamper yourself by visiting the ultra-special Grand Cru Wine Lounge. The Lounge is located in a private setting away from the show floor for your enjoyment. Sample the best of the best and relax in this intimate area. Featuring an al-new lineup of vintages! Meet your favorite winemakers in this special feature area returning in 2010 and learn the secrets of their wines. When: January 23-24, 2010 Where: Seaport World Trade Center, Boston, MA More Info: www.wine-expos.com
International
WinterCity Every February for the past 29 years, Torontonians have come together to celebrate winter in the city. What began as the North York Winter Carnival in 1980 has grown in leaps and bounds expanding in 1999 to become Winterfest, a Toronto-wide winter celebration. Toronto's award-winning WinterCity Festival returns for its seventh year, offering a city-wide celebration of culture, creativity and cuisine. Ignore the cold and snow and get out and celebrate all that Toronto has to offer in the winter. The city will be bursting with culinary experiences, fantastic free entertainment at Nathan Phillips Square and a showcase of Toronto's vibrant arts scene. When: Friday, January 29th - Thursday, February 11th, 2010 Where: Nathan Phillips Square, Vancouver, Canada More Info: www.toronto.ca | |
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