Jackie Highway "Here I Am" Music Video Features YazBerry Cuff

My friend and talented composer/violinist/singer/dancer/creative wonder woman Jackie Highway just released this amazing music video. It's a lot of fun and fresh sounding, perfect to add to your summer playlist. Best of all, she is wearing a custom YazBerry Fashion hand cut leather lace cuff I made her in some of the scenes. Watch for a shiny, silver leather cuff on her left wrist while you enjoy the tunes and colorful video. Keep an eye out for her new album dropping soon; it's awesome!

"The Art of a Summer Saturday"

This past Saturday, July 4th weekend, I finally got a chance to stroll through the Riverwalk Market Fair and enjoy the work of the other artists and farmers involved. Armed with a camera, some comfy sandals and the sun on my face, I took a walk.

Right foot, then left foot, I departed my booth and left my mom standing gaurd.

From up on the pedestrian bridge, a view of the artists tents along the river. (This pic was from a couple weeks before but gives you a good idea of the area).

July is "The Art of Music" month at the market and there was live music all over! Here is the Americana duo, the Rockitrangers, at the start of the artists area.

I stopped by each artist's booth to see what people are making. Lots of great artists out there. Here's a view from the 6th St. bridge. It was a busy day!

So many people were out and about shopping for fresh, locally grown produce and homemade gourmet goodies in the farmer's section along bridge square.

A view of the farmer's tents.

Bonnie & the Clydes sang classic folk & rock tunes in a lovely shady spot near the dam.

To hear a taste of the musicians that played July 2nd, watch Amy Acheson's video montage on the Riverwalk Blog.

To view all of my pictures of The Riverwalk Market Fair, check out my album on my Facebook Fan Page, updated weekly.

Cello & Wooden Flute Jam at GAS Works!

In a rare moment of bravery and inspiration, I brought the cello & banjo to the store and played Bach Unaccompanied Suites on both the cello & banjo! Stared in a few tourist's photos and later in the day was joined by my Artist/Author/Musician friend Chris Dowgin on a collection of wooden flutes from around the world.

Chris is the author and artist behind the great book, "A Walk Through Salem" which depicts stories about some of the characters and places one can find on an pleasant walk through Salem, MA. Characters include our neighbor and musician friend Mamadou Diop, world renowned African drummer, who is known to invite you to take tea with him, and a strong sweet brew it is!

I wish we had made a least one video clip of our improvisational jam as it sounded pretty awesome if I do say so myself. We will have to do this again before the season is out and record a bit of it! Here are some pictures of our lovely faces!

GAS Works is Home to Musicians too!

Pam our resident autoharpist can be found singing and strumming traditional American folk and roots music at least once a week in front of our store. Not only is she a performer but she also is a patient teacher and was found giving my fiance Steve his first music lesson on autoharp. She had another advanced beginner join them later on! Here are some photos and a sound bite of the musical activities!

City announces this year's picks for Artists Row - Beverly, MA - Salem Gazette

City announces this year's picks for Artists Row - Beverly, MA - Salem Gazette To view pictures visit this link.

By Lisa Guerriero/ salem@cnc.com
Salem Gazette
Posted May 27, 2010 @ 06:03 PM
Salem —

There will be some new faces as well as familiar ones when Artists Row reopens this weekend.

Competition was fiercer than ever this year to occupy one of the four small buildings at 24 Derby St., nestled between Front and Lafayette streets. The city typically gets five to seven applications each year for the seasonal artists’ enclave, but this year it received about 15.

“We had more applicants this year than in the past two years put together. The word is getting out and there’s a lot of interest,” said Frank Taormina, of the Planning Department. “We tried to accommodate as many as artists as possible.”

A collection of galleries and studios, Artists Row is sponsored by the city of Salem as a way of encouraging the arts community and also fostering retail growth in the downtown. Officials from the Planning Department and the Mayor’s Office make the choice each year as to who will occupy the spots.

The Salem Arts Association (SAA) will return to its 900-square-foot space, and Mamadou Diop’s Baobab Space again will house one of the stalls with Debra Crosby’s A Quest Actors Studio.

New this year is A Guild of Artistic Sorts — GASworks, a collaboration of about 10 local artists from varying disciplines. Also new, in the fourth stall, is potter Bradley Backer’s Impart Art, sharing space with textile artist Virginia Berry’s YazBerry Fashion.

With so many artists and groups vying this time around for just a few spots, city officials had a tough time deciding who would make the cut.

“This year, unfortunately, there had to be some clear winners and losers. This year there was so much interest. It’s a great thing, but at the same time it made it harder,” Taormina said. “Making the final decision… was quite a process.”

The organizers of Experimental Art Gallery & Studio, which occupied a stall for the last few years, did not apply this year, said Taormina, while the city did not chose to return the Theory studio, which was joined Artists Row in 2009 but won’t be back this year.

Much of the hard choices were based on the city’s desire to pack in as many artists as possible. Shared spaces and collaborative galleries won out, Taormina explained.

Artists get to use the space rent free, but throughout the season they have to maintain the stall, stay open during designated hours every week and offer special programs and performances — so the manpower offered by collaborations makes a difference when officials makes their selections.

The influx of applications is also why the choices weren’t made public until this week, shortly before Artists Row’s soft opening this weekend. The artists’ stalls were set to open Thursday, but there will be an official grand opening next weekend, which will coincide with the citywide Salem Arts Festival. (See below for details on the festival.)

The schedule for the season is the same as last year, which includes an extension of the hours on Thursdays so that Artists Row shares traffic with the Salem Farmers Market, which runs until 7 p.m. The artists and the city also work with the Lobster Shanty restaurant, next to Artists Row.

Newcomers on the Row

About 10 North Shore artists comprise A Guild of Artistic Sorts — GASworks, which formed specifically to find a home on Artists Row.

Like the SAA, GASworks’ artists represent a variety of disciplines. Salem resident Dann Maurno, who’s leading the group, said the members would display and give workshops on talents ranging from fine art and photography to leather craft and theater.

They’ll also be working with the local band Merj, which Maurno described as “violin power rock,” to teach an open-mike preparation workshop. And his wife, Sarah Maurno, an acting professor, will give a few workshops there on her own craft.

“[The city] only required we deliver 12 workshops or performances during the time, but we’re asking, can we do 20, 25?” Maurno said,

The group is excited about being chosen for the season — “It’s a gas,” Maurno quipped — although they’ve been busy getting ready to open for the first time.

“Everyday we’re down there thinking something new to do,” he said. “For us, every brick has to be painted, every display has to be put up.”

In the fourth and smallest stall will be the shared studios of Backer and Berry. A recent transplant to Salem, Backer previously owned a paint-your-own pottery studio in Quincy for seven years. Visitors will be able to watch him work with his kiln, check out the pottery he creates and try their hand at the craft during workshops.

With her YazBerry Fashion, Berry creates one-of-a-kind purses, jewelry and clothing. She uses bold colors and intricate details to create pieces with a vintage flair, inspired in part by her travels around the world. She’ll offer classes on fashion design, basic sewing and costuming — plus some musical activities, as she’s also a musician.

Artists come home again

The SAA is returning for its third season at Artists Row. With dozens of members who work in a range of media, they host rotating monthly exhibits as well as retail and gallery offerings. The group’s first show of the season, opening this weekend, is “Fresh and Fruity,” which ties into the Salem Farmers Market, which will reopen in June. A reception for the show will be held Saturday, June 12, 4-7 p.m.

In addition to the monthly, themed exhibitions, the SAA will spotlight one member artist every few weeks. The first person featured will be glassworker Gary LaParl. (Learn more about the SAA and its activities, within and outside the Row, at salemartsassociation.org.)

Diop and Crosby have also shared their space on Artists Row for several years. Their stall again will feature Diop’s African art and crafts and Crosby’s acting classes and performances.

The pair also works together on the nonprofit A3D (African Development through Drum and Dance), which hosts CultureFest in Salem every summer.

FYI:

Artists Row stalls are open Thursday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 6 p.m. Some stalls may be open additional days or hours. Performances, exhibits, workshops and other events are held throughout the season, May 27 through Nov. 1. For details on programming, visit salem.com/pages/artistrow.

Many of the artists involved in the Row are participating in the Salem Arts Festival and Salem Arts Walk, June 4-6. Learn more in the Gazette’s Art News section this week, and find further details at salemartsfestival.com.

For more about the Salem Farmers’ Market, visit salemfarmersmarket.org.
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