Wonderful exibits of K-12 school art

This month the CMU Art Gallery and Art Reach are exhibiting the works of K - 12 students in the Mt. Pleasant school system and Sacred Heart Academy.  The Art Reach exhibition continues through May 31. It is a celebration of the creativity of our children and the Art Educators who work with them. Each one is a great work of art showing the thought and effort that went into it. In younger children's work there is spontaneity and freedom (they don't worry about "what people might think"), while with older students, the quality is more advanced because of training and experience.  Be sure to visit both venues, as the talent of these young students will delight you.   (Click images to enlarge.)

 
 

Pat Knapp Art Reach Volunteer of the Year

 

 

On May 1, Pat Knapp was named Art Reach Volunteer of the Year Award. The Art Reach staff picks the winner from among the many who donate their time, talent, and energy to various Art Reach programs. Pat has earned this honor for the years she has been involved, and the many programs she has helped succeed. She is the coordinator for the Art Reach Picture Program in Gratiot County, participated in the Day with the Artist, and organized "Days" for St. Louis schools, helped in the Healing Arts project, and  other ways.

The event occurred at the Let's Do Lunch program featuring a presentation of Suzuki Violin by students age 4 - 14 under the direction of Nancy Powers. This program was free and open to the public.

Click the image to enlarge...

 

 

Two blue jays

Click on image to enlarge.

Last opera of the season at Celebration Cinema

From Gisela Moffit: Hi, the last opera of the season Live in HD will be telecast on Saturday, April 27 at 12:00 at Celebration Cinema. David McVicar's new production of Handel's "Giulio Cesare" has received enthusiastic reviews. David Daniels, the world's leading countertenor (and trained in Ann Arbor!) sings the title role opposite the seductive Cleopatra sung by Natalie Dessay. Harry Bicket, an expert in Baroque operas, is conducting the orchestra. According to the MET's program guide, the new production incorporates elements of Baroque theater, flapper style and even Bollywood-inspired dance routines. Let's see if the updates work. Looking forward to seeing you on Saturday. Gisela=

Chair in sunlight

Click image to enlarge.

Tourangeau art at Art Reach Gallery

From now through April 30 the Art Reach Gallery will feature the photography of Shepherd artist,  Ingrid Tourangeau. Her work attempts to elicit a sense of daydream and reverie from the viewer. By photographing her hand-built cardboard miniature buildings and presenting them in a large format she tricks the viewer into thinking they are viewing a real place that can be entered through the imagination. Together, her works represent a dichotomy of living: the busyness of the city and the economy of space required to live there compared to the quiet and wide open spaces of the country.

Two operas this weekend!

From Gisela Moffit:

 

Hi, this weekend we will experience comedy and/or tragedy.  So plan ahead so that you can see both. 

CMU's Opera Theatre will present Gilbert and Sullivan's "Pirates of Penzance" on Friday and Saturday (March 15/16) at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Staples Family Concert Hall in the Music Building.  There is a double cast and you may want to go twice because each one has wonderful singers.  Cost is $ 7.00 for students and seniors and $ 10 for all others.  They are available at the Central Box Office, CMU Event Center at 989-774-3045, at the door or online at www.cmich.edu/ticketcentral.

As to the tragedy, the MET Live in HD will present Riccardo Zandonai's opera "Francesca da Rimini" on Saturday, March 16 at 12 (noon) at Celebration Theatre. This is a brand new production, the first in 27 years at the MET.  It is based on an episode in Dante's "Inferno" and stars the Dutch Soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek in the title role who falls in love with Paolo sung by Marcello Giordani, but their love is doomed.  Running time is 240 minutes with 3 intermissions. 

New York Times music critic Steve Smith wrote, "From the moment the curtain rises you are awed by Ezio Frigerio's towering, grandly detailed sets, designed for a 1984 resurrection of a work neglected since 1918.  Franca Squarciapino's costumes delight your eyes.  Zandanai's luxuriously orchestrated music caresses your ears".  Looking forward to seeing you soon.  Gisela=