The art and sport of ice carving
Ice Palace from Quebec Winter Carnival 2009. Source: Shapiros10, Wikipedia Commons Ice carving is practiced all around the world (think hotels, restaurants and weddings). But it comes into full glory...
View ArticlePainting the Adirondacks in words
This week, I’ve come across a couple of beautiful word portraits of the Adirondacks, both capturing the transport and exhilaration that these mountains inspire. The first, by painter Sandy Hildreth,...
View ArticleA twist of colored glass, a North Country river, a hard, fascinating life
It’s strange where life takes you. Matt Foley, who I profiled today, runs a couple of hydro-power dams in the Adirondacks, in Wadhams in Essex County and St. Regis Falls in Franklin County. He got his...
View ArticleObituary: Helmut Kallmann, preeminent Canadian music historian
“Big news” stories out of Canada can be gleaned from headlines. A great many small stories, on topics beyond the mainstream, deserve notice too. In that spirit, here’s a nice obituary by Shelley Page...
View ArticleTrudeau’s Doonesbury tackles abortion law, goes viral
North Country native Garry Trudeau’s Doonesbury comic strip went viral this week. The provocative cartoon about Texas’ new law mandating that abortion seekers receive a transvaginal ultrasound has been...
View ArticlePort Henry’s Star Trek crew embarks on another voyage
The original “five year voyage” of the starship Enterprise was rudely canceled by network executives at NBC in 1969. In the decades since, no revival of that imaginary universe has been more true to...
View ArticleIn defense of the Three A’s
Have your kids been introduced to this man? Two events this past week got me thinking about North Country schools, and particularly a cluster of subjects — the visual arts, music, and foreign languages...
View ArticleBig changes in Adirondack theater community
Leadership changes on stages in Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Westport Arts organizations are often churny, chaotic, muddled institutions. Especially during economic downturns, like the one we’ve just...
View ArticleMajor Van Gogh exhibition opens in Ottawa
Here’s a heads up for art lovers. Beginning Friday, May 25th the National Gallery Of Canada is presenting “Van Gogh: Up Close”, described as the first major showing of the famed Dutch artist in this...
View ArticleOttawa’s first “Nuit Blanche” happening this Saturday
The theme of Ottawa’s first Nuit Blanche is “Life is Beautiful.” What’s Nuit Blanche? A night-time festival of the arts. Just for one night, but happening all night. Ottawa will try that out this...
View ArticleCan Americans handle conservative (and even ultra conservative) art?
The History Channel says there was no intention of connecting “Satan” to President Barack Obama, calling the idea “utterly ridiculous.” (Photo: History Channel) So let me say right at the start that...
View ArticleFri news roundup: border fee, WIC, heroic dogs
Photo: Ivan Walsh, Creative Commons, some rights reserved Good Friday to you! (It’s not actually Good Friday, but I hope you’re having a good one.) Today in the news, North Country Congressman Bill...
View ArticleREDC: Let’s go out to the movies, North Country!
The Palace Theater in Lake Placid. Photo: Natasha Haverty I have to say it’s been a while since I’ve been to the movies. But in spite of this terrible lapse, I do love movies and I do love the fact...
View ArticleFarewell to Canadian artist Alex Colville (1920-2013)
“To Prince Edward Island” by Alex Colville featured his wife, Rhonda, behind the binoculars. (1965, acrylic emulsion on masonite, 61.9 x 92.5 cm, National Gallery of Canada, © A.C.Fine Art Inc. Photo ©...
View ArticleAlexander Shelley to lead the National Arts Centre Orchestra
Alexander Shelley, incoming conductor for the National Arts Centre Orchestra. Photo provided courtesy NAC Orchestra What are the prospects for live orchestras? You know, a full stage of...
View ArticleNorth Country movie theaters get $235k for digital upgrades
The 56 Auto Drive-In in Massena, which won’t be receiving funding from this grant. Photo: Nora Flaherty As you may know, the movies are going digital, by which I mean that very soon film studios won’t...
View ArticleMassena drive-in theatre goes digital!
Between features, the 56 Auto Drive-In plays vintage drive-in advertisements. Photo: Nora Flaherty We’ve reported a lot in the last couple years about the threat that the coming digital conversion of...
View ArticleInternational musicians rejoice: Canada drops “tour tax”
Mariachi band at Rideau Hall’s 2011 summer concert series. Photo: Lucy Martin Here’s a heads up for musicians impacted by a hefty fees imposed on small gigs in Canada. An unpopular requirement, dubbed...
View ArticleSUNY Potsdam to receive $3 million for new Crane School rehearsal rooms
The Crane Latin Ensemble in a smaller rehearsal room at SUNY Potsdam. Photo: Todd Moe SUNY Potsdam is slated to receive $3 million in capital funding to improve and expand rehearsal spaces in its...
View ArticleMemo to Disney and George Lucas: Kill Jar-Jar (and the Midi-Chlorians)
Unless you live under a space rock, you’ve probably heard that next year, Disney and director JJ Abrams will re-boot the Star Wars saga, first unleashed upon the real world back in the 1970s by George...
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