Martha’s Vineyard Festival of Arts & Ideas

Martha’s Vineyard

With autumn’s changing leaves comes an opportunity to “Fall for the Arts” on Martha’s Vineyard this month and we’re all about East Coast Artsy Fartsy Fun. We also hear the historic Harbor View Hotel will be the setting of an inspirational and entertaining Art*Island Festival of Arts & Ideas from October 24-28, in collaboration with the island’s own Arts & Ideas magazine. A fixture on the Vineyard since 1891, the Harbor View Hotel offers luxury rooms and suites in the heart of historic Edgartown.  From its broad veranda, the hotel’s spectacular views of Edgartown Harbor and sailing and yachting where travelers can set sail on a variety of boating adventures arranged through Harbor View Hotel’s waterfront concierge, make the hotel one of the “Top 50 U.S. Resorts” in Travel + Leisure’s “World’s Best Awards” issue. It’s also a member of Historic Hotels of America®.

Harbor View Hotel

The event puts the spotlight on the Vineyard’s creative community, as more than 20 participating arts organizations and businesses converge on Edgartown Harbor for five days of art displays, performances and thought-provoking presentations. Festival proceeds will benefit Arts Martha’s Vineyard and Arts & Ideas magazine. Hallways will be transformed into galleries throughout Harbor View Hotel, while the Main Dining Room will host painting, parties and performances. Films and stories will be presented in the art lounge/theater, and youngsters will enjoy their own space for an arts adventure-filled Children’s Carnivale. A limited number of guest rooms will also be available at a special rate starting at $129 per night. Art*Island event highlights include the following:

·         Pecha Kucha Night: Sponsored by Martha’s Vineyard Museum, this 20×20 slide show (20 slides at 20 seconds each) explores the process, thinking and creativity behind some of the island’s finest design and art. Wednesday, October 24, 7:30 p.m. Free.

·         Paint & Champagne: Renowned Vineyard painter Traeger DiPietro will lead a step-by-step painting workshop in the Harbor View “art studio” (main dining room), complete with music, wine and champagne. The evening will culminate in a group “show.” Thursday, October 25, 7 p.m. $25 per person atwww.ticketsmv.com.

·         Island Art Show: Harbor View Hotel’s lobby, dining rooms and function rooms will serves as galleries showcasing two-dimensional art by the Vineyard’s top galleries and artists. Saturday afternoon will bring an opportunity to review and purchase art from the participating gallerists. Friday through Sunday, October 26-28. Free.

·         A Vineyard Picture Book: Photographer Alison Shaw and writer and island historian Tom Dunlop will present their latest picture book collaboration, “To the Harbor Light.” Sponsored by Vineyard Stories (publisher of Shaw and Dunlop’s four-book series) and Bunch of Grapes bookstore. Friday, October 26, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Free.

·         Open House Party: Open to the public, the festival’s “kick-off” party will showcase music, art and fashion in the Harbor View Ballroom, with local radio station WVVY streaming the festivities to the island and beyond. Friday, October 26, 6 p.m. Free.

·         YardWorks: An interactive arts collaborative, the YardWorks dancers will present an hour of short original dance pieces by local and visiting performers in the Harbor View Ballroom. Saturday, October 27, 1:30 p.m. Free.

·         Vineyard Shorts: The Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival will hold two screenings of short films by local filmmakers in the Harbor View Art Lounge/Theater. Saturday, October 27, 3 p.m. Free.

·         Masquerade Ball: Come dressed as a famous artist or a living work of art – the Island*Art masquerade ball will benefit the Vineyard arts community and is being billed as the party of 2012. Musical entertainment provided by the Sultans of Swing. Saturday, October 27, 9 p.m. $25 per person at www.ticketsmv.com.

·         Children’s Carnivale: Sunday will be devoted to fostering the creative spirit in youngsters with collaborative arts activities curated by Featherstone, The Yard, Island Theater Workshop, the YMCA and Arts Martha’s Vineyard. Sunday, October 28, 1-4 p.m. Free.

In addition to Art*Island events, Harbor View Hotel is also hosting a Creative Economy Brown Bag Lunch Speaker Series.  Held on Tuesdays leading up to the festival, this series is an opportunity for artists, artisans, and representatives from galleries, art centers and museums to participate in panel discussions on issues affecting the island’s tourism, cultural and arts economy. The luncheons take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on October 9, 16 and 23.

So get your art on… East Coast rustic sailing style.

http://www.artislandmv.org

www.harbor-view.com

Art in LA: The Annenberg Foundation ‘Water: Our Thirsty World’

This beautiful shot right here is Frans Lanting’s image of  The Iguazu Falls. Legend has it that a god planned to marry a beautiful aborigine named Naipí, who fled with her mortal lover Tarobá in a canoe. In rage, the god sliced the river creating the waterfalls, condemning the lovers to an eternal fall.

Oh, we love that story (vengeful god be damned!), but there’s another story we must also share. The Iguazu River is located on the border of the Brazilian state of Paraná and the Argentine province of Misiones. The falls divide the river into the upper and lower Iguazu and the waterfall system consists of 275 falls along 1.67 miles of the Iguazu River. The falls, in case you’ve never witnessed their breathtaking majesty, are shared by the Iguazú National Park (Argentina) and Iguaçu National Park (Brasil) and were designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1984 and 1987, but, in 2009, an acute drought in southern Brazil cut the water flow in the falls by two thirds. Yes, water… it’s a basic human right and one that is too quickly drying up.

So, as a tribute to our beloved Argentina y Brasil and the Iguazu Falls, we had to share this event because, though it may not be in Argentina, it might take you there. Plus, we think The Annenberg Foundation is one of the best Foundations around. Incorporating art, human rights, environmentalism, and education all in one nice little bundle of activism and creativity, we wanted to share a great event going on in LA at the Annenberg Space for Photography, entitled “WATER: OUR THIRSTY WORLD” in partnership with National Geographic Magazine.

The exhibit, opening to the public on Saturday, March 27, 2010, will coincide with the release of National Geographic’s April 2010 issue on the precarious state of the world’s fresh water.

“WATER: OUR THIRSTY WORLD” examines the local and global challenges of our planet’s fresh water resources captured by a selection of National Geographic’s finest, award-winning photographers. Good stuff! The digital and print images will highlight the significance of fresh water in our lives and how the diminishment of is impacting local and worldwide communities. And, if I see you buying a plastic bottle of water as you stroll around… ya fired! Another great perk: a digital film presentation offers hundreds of other National Geographic images and shared insights from photographers.

During the three-month exhibit, the free IRIS Nights lecture series will also continue inside the Photography Space on Thursday evenings, and programs related to the exhibit will include a themed group slideshow evening and photography workshops. How exciting, eh?!

“WATER: OUR THIRSTY WORLD” will be open to the public March 27, 2010, and will run through June 13, 2010.

So check it out, buy a reusable water bottle, and turn off that tap when you’re brushing your teeth already! Geez. Mama wants to show those falls to her future children, okay?

The Annenberg Space for Photography
2000 Avenue of the Stars, Century City, CA. 90067
http://www.annenbergspaceforphotography.org

The Annenberg Space for Photography is a cultural destination dedicated to exhibiting both digital and print photography in an intimate environment. The space features state-of-the-art, high-definition digital technology as well as traditional prints by some of the world’s most renowned photographers and a selection of emerging photographic talents as well. The venue, an initiative of the Annenberg Foundation and its trustees, is the first solely photographic cultural destination in the Los Angeles area, and it creates a new paradigm in the world of photography.

Abu Dhabi and The Islands

Picture this: you’re kneeling in the fading twilight with camera in hand, eye-to-eye with an African ostrich.

Sound wild?

Well, you can make it your reality with Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara’s exclusive Stay and Click photography course,March 18 - 21. Set amid the rugged beauty of the Royal Nature Reserve on Sir Bani Yas Island off the coast of Abu Dhabi, this three-night, two-day landscape and wildlife photography class brings both novice and experienced photographers close to nature with cameras and critiques.  Students have a chance to photograph the more than 20 different free-roaming species that grace Sir Bani Yas’ shores, including Arabian oryx, antelope, and gazelle.

With 30 years of experience as a contract photographer, Ira Block will lead the course. His photo library includes rare archaeological relics from ancient sites in Eastern Europe, Peru and the Middle East. It’s the perfect trip to hone your skills and explore the rich wildlife and landscape with your lens. What’s more, in celebration of the hotel’s one-year anniversary, Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara is giving away one free spot in this exclusive course!

Simply submit your favorite desert or wildlife image by uploading it here by Sunday, February 28.  Ira and Anantara will announce the winning picture on the website on Sunday, March 7.

Not the winner? Not to worry, you can still reserve a space in the class. Individual rates start from AED 6,550+ ($2,052 inclusive of tax and tourism charge), double rates from AED 8,600+ ($2,716 inclusive of tax and tourism charge).  Package includes the two-day photography course, three nights of accommodation, breakfast, lunch, and dinner in The Palm restaurant.

*Photographers participating in the two-day course must have a digital SLR camera, lenses, and all necessary cables along with a laptop computer and editing software.

Botanical Flower Painting Classes

For all of you established and aspiring artistes… this just in!

Orient-Express Hotels has announced two new 2010 programs for its popular Botanical and Flower Painting Classes at Reid’s Palace, on the island of Madeira, Portugal, and The Inn at Perry Cabin on Maryland’s eastern shore, both well-known for their lush gardens and beautiful surrounding scenery.

The Botanical and Flower Painting Class at Reid’s Palace (April 27 – May 1, 2010), will be taught by Siriol Sherlock, who has mastered the skill of watercolor to perfection, creating superb plant portraits that are both fluid and accurate.

Reid’s Palace has also launched a Designing with Plants Master Class (April 21-24, 2010) where guests can learn how to create imaginative garden borders by combining plants for structure, form and color.  The aim of the four-day master class is to help participants create and draw an individual planting plan with memorable, lasting groupings suited to personal preferences and location.

Epitomizing the spirit of travel, from the heyday of luxury, style and adventure, Reid’s Palace first opened in 1891 by William and Alfred Reid to accommodate passengers of the great ocean liners. Now, it stands for contemporary luxury and elegance perched on a cliff-top amid 10 acres of semi-tropical gardens on the exotic, temperate island of Madeira.

The price is €560 (approx. USD$843.00*) per person (excluding accommodations), and includes painting classes for five days, airport transfers, breakfast and lunch daily, a farewell dinner, a visit to the Arcos St. Jorge Rose Garden, a levada walk and a morning tour to Monte Gardens with cable car ride.

Accommodations start from €240 (approx. USD$361.00*)/per room per night.

www.reidspalace.com

The Inn at Perry Cabin in St. Michaels, Maryland, will also be hosting a Botanical & Flower Painting Class (May 9-15, 2010), which will be led by Carol Woodin, one of the most renowned botanical artists working in the United States. Carol specializes in painting orchids and has won major awards both in the U.S. and the UK.

The Inn at Perry Cabin is an elegant circa 1816 waterfront property located on 25 acres overlooking the Miles River, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay.  The hotel is a short stroll from the history-steeped town of St. Michaels, Maryland and an easy one hour drive from either Baltimore or Washington, DC.  It has 80 guest rooms, each individually decorated in either a traditional style indicative of the historic section of the Inn, or in a style that evokes the contemporary Maryland seaside with a mixture of modern and period furniture and a palate of taupes, soft blues and ivories.

The price of the Inn’s Botanical & Flower Painting Class starts from USD$3,622.00, which includes six night’s accommodation, painting classes, a welcome cocktail and dinner with Carol Woodin, breakfast and lunch daily, one Botanical Complex Facial in the Linden Spa, afternoon tea, a ticket to Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, an evening sunset cruise and a farewell dinner.

www.perrycabin.com