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Pride Parade- – – Creating Unity in Salem & Along the North Shore

Salem Event, Salem Festivals, SMS News, Workshops No Responses »

Jun 192015

This is what Salem aspires to be all about. Diversity & inclusion. The town that discriminated against witches is now the place where the LGBT community will hold its annual expression of solidarity (and fun) – – – the 4th Annual North Shore Pride Parade and Festival, June 20 starting at noon.

If you’re looking for a historical perspective on the Pride Parade, Wikipedia provides one.

Essentially the Pride Parade endeavors to broadcast to the world, or for the Salem march at least to the North Shore, that LGBT people are composed from a variety of social, economic and ethnic backgrounds. They are real people. And although communities strive to foster diversity and inclusion, the parade is also a platform to say there are still issues to be resolved.

That said, the 4th Annual North Shore Pride Parade and Festival has been designed to be a colorful, lively, loud expression of personal choice. This year’s theme is Standing Proud Together.

The parade kicks off from the Post Office at noon (see parade route) and makes its way to Salem Common, where festival activities (including food, arts, crafts, live music, plus local nonprofit and business vendors) will take place from 1-4:30pm.

This year’s entertainment lineup at the festival showcases the talents of headliners XELLE. Also in the lineup: Adrienne Mack Davis as part of her world tour; local favorites, The DeJas, Big Ol’ Dirty Bucket, Sarah & The Wild Versatile, Pocket Tanya, Siren of the Circle, Jenn Lombari and Lucky United.

Retailers and local artists have also been getting involved and showing their support. A wide variety of rainbow flags can be seen everywhere. For example, Diane Hoffman on Artists’ Row (of DINO Diane Hoffman Textiles) has been gleefully cranking out rainbow prints in preparation for the day’s events.

There will also be a special 5 pm performance of “The Normal Heart” at Salem Theatre.

And rounding out the day will be an official After Party outside at Murphy’s Pub starting at 5 pm ($5 suggested donation at the door).

North Shore Pride is a 100% volunteer run non-profit organization. The annual North Shore Pride Parade, Festival and year-round community events are made possible by the work of countless volunteers, individual donations and the support of community sponsors.

Expansive Murals and Intimate Portraits – Thomas Hart Benton at PEM

History, Salem Event, Salem Festivals, Workshops No Responses »

Jun 142015

Expansive murals, vertical spirals, size changes that make you feel like you are looking up & down into a scene, these are the calling cards of a man once called America’s best-known contemporary painter, Thomas Hart Benton— and the subject of a special Peabody Essex Museum exhibit.

In fact, this is the first major exhibition on Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975) in more than 25 years and the first ever to explore important connections between Benton’s art and the movies. American Epics: Thomas Hart Benton and Hollywood was organized by the PEM in collaboration with the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (Kansas City, Missouri) and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art (Fort Worth). It will be at PEM through September 7th in the Special Exhibition Galleries.

Benton’s art & style will also be the theme for “Epic Adventures,” this month’s PEM/PM late night evening party.

But first some background on Mr. Benton. According to PEM, Benton became acutely aware of storytelling’s shift toward motion pictures after working briefly in the silent film industry, and “developed a cinematic style of painting that melded European art historical traditions and modern movie production techniques.”

In paintings, murals, drawings, prints and illustrated books, Benton reinvented national narratives for 20th-century America and captivated the public with his visual storytelling.

Benton’s story is fascinating, the ups / the downs (an informal survey of museum-goers at all the participating institutions revealed that only 25% had even heard of Benton), how he perfected his technique and how he was received are all part of this PEM podcast.

And, if you have the time, this WBUR (90.9 FM, Boston’s National Public radio news station) feature story provides extra insights.

For example, besides the paintings to see in this exhibit, there is something you can actually touch. In the WBUR report, it is mentioned that “the artist fashioned clay models of characters and scenery that he would light up like tiny Hollywood film sets, then painting them. There’s a replica of a surviving Benton clay model (or maquettes) in the PEM show. The original was too delicate and valuable to ship, so in a first for the museum, curators actually created a 3-D print.”

This is interesting in itself as Benton once said, ‘I feel my paintings in my hands.”

The WBUR story also mentioned that Benton constantly traveled; his road trips sought out authentic stories, scenes and characters to populate his works.

As the great American road trip, from Easy Rider to National Lampoon’s Vacation, still inspires a sense of freedom and exploration, PEM/PM for June 18 from 6-9 pm invites you to follow artist Benton’s travels across America with map and postcard art, real-life road stories, a travel-themed beer tasting and gallery talks.

Also featured at this month’s PEM/PM evening are folk music sessions by Dan Blakeslee and Jennifer Evans, a visit from the Mobile Museum of American Artifacts and an author talk / signing with Andre Dubus III.

As always, a cash bar and refreshments available; members and Salem residents (with ID) free, nonmembers $10 at the door for PEM/PM.

The American Epics: Thomas Hart Benton and Hollywood exhibition was made possible in part by Bank of America and a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Celebrating 50 Years of Excellence. The National Endowment for the Arts and Carolyn and Peter S. Lynch and The Lynch Foundation provided generous support. Christie’s provided in-kind support. The East India Marine Associates of the Peabody Essex Museum also provided support.

For more info, go to PEM website or call 978-745-9500. The Peabody Essex Museum is located at East India Square (161 Essex St) Salem, Massachusetts.

(Cover photo “Bootleggers” Art © T.H. Benton and R.P. Benton Testamentary Trusts/UMB Bank Trustee/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY)

Pub Crawl Takes on Roadside Rubbish to #CleanSalem

Salem Event, Volunteer Opportunities No Responses »

May 272015

What makes Salem Ma so interesting is the diversity of people and ideas and how they can twist “that’s been done before” into something new here. In keeping with what we said in a recent blog about Salem Main Streets re-branding to being “more people-focused than building-focused” the Wicked Pickah pub crawl fits that bill.

Simply put, it is a pub crawl fundraiser event on May 31st to wipe the streets clean of our roadside rubbish! Alex Lacy, who grew up in Salem (and has a B.S. in Environmental Science) and Garrett Gilbert have merged the sometimes self-indulgent pub crawl with a community waste clean up day to create what sounds like a lively undertaking.

“I’ve had this trash pick-up pub crawl in my head for a long time,” explains Lacy. “Downtown Salem is a great layout for a restaurant-restaurant hop. It could also use a clean sweep. After voicing the idea to close friends who still live in Salem, they helped me plan and organize the Wicked Pickah.”

She points out that “This #cleansalem event is a way for friends to gather and work (but it really feels like play) together to rid our downtown streets of their built up rubbish. We had a rough winter and now that the snow has melted, the evidence of our strife is tangible.”

She continues, “Everyone involved in the planning has been great: creating T-shirt designs, posting videos, helping to pick routes, distributing flyers, and just by being positive about the event and its outcome (please no rain!).”

(Full disclosure: if there are enough participants, Lacy & Gilbert have offered to donate proceeds to support the projects of Salem Main Streets, but it is such an interesting concept that we would be blogging about it anyway.)

Lacy says “Upon arrival at Artists’ Row at 11am, participants will receive sturdy trash bags, fool hardy gloves, and surefire hand sanitizer. Throughout the crawl, bagged dreck will be hauled to the final location of our crawl so that we may marvel at our streets’ new found purity and bask in our new- (and old)- found sense of community.”

The entry cost for the #cleansalem Wicked Pickah is $15 and can be purchased at www.gofundme.com/cleansalem. Those signing up early will receive a finely woven and originally designed T shirt as well as a few drink specials at the bars they will visit along the way.

For updated info on Wicked Pickah go to the Facebook event page or send questions to cleansalem@gmail.com .

Every city & town has roadside rubbish. How you deal with it sets you apart. Wicked Pickah sounds like our style. Let’s #cleansalem together.

A New Look for Salem Main Streets!

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May 202015

Salem Main Streets is pleased to announce a new brand and look! The local nonprofit, focused on the continued revitalization of downtown Salem, is updating its previous black and white logo of a building for a more modern, bold, and colorful vibrant look.

“When Salem Main Streets was first established in 2001, it was based on a traditional Main Streets model of historic preservation, so the building in our old logo made good sense,” says Kylie Sullivan, Executive Director of Salem Main Streets. “Salem Main Streets has evolved significantly since then. The current model is more dynamic, is more people-focused than building-focused, and, most importantly, is about creating a sense of place and identity. We needed a flexible new look to reflect that change.”

The logo and brand extension was created by local designer Elissa Von Letkemann. “Working with the Salem Main Streets staff and committee members on this was a fun challenge. The experience of being in downtown Salem is different for everyone, so the new logo had to communicate and support a sense of place while not focusing too heavily on any one aspect such as landmarks, restaurants, or otherwise.” Von Letkemann explains that the friendly, positive colors are meant as a nod to the culinary, historical, arts, and commercial destinations in town, while the map locator icon works double-duty as an exclamation point. Salem Main Streets’ materials and websites will be transitioning to the new brand over the next few days.

Salem Main Streets’ mission is the revitalization of downtown Salem as a vibrant, year-round, retail, dining, and cultural destination through business retention, recruitment, and the promotion of the downtown district. SMS produces and supports multiple community events and initiatives throughout the year, including the Salem Farmers’ Market, Salem Arts Festival, Salem’s So Sweet, and the October Information Booth. SMS operates thanks to the generosity and partnership of the City of Salem, the Salem Chamber of Commerce, Destination Salem, and many other local business sponsors and community volunteers.

The Salem Main Street Initiative is a preservation-based, volunteer driven strategy for commercial district revitalization. The Initiative is modeled on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s National Main Street Program. Main Streets works because it involves all interested stakeholders in the downtown and provides a comprehensive strategy of work, tailored to local needs and opportunities of the community.

Wars Through Letters and Words

History, Salem Event, Workshops No Responses »

May 102015

While “war” is far from the light and entertaining topics/events we deal with in this blog, it is the common backdrop in two upcoming presentations in Salem, each using the written word as the form of expression.

As a play—

War and the written word are intertwined to create a musical tale of love, loss and the strength of family. Letters from War, written, directed and designed by Salem native Nate Bertone will be staged at Salem Theatre’s black box theatre, May 14-23.

Letters from War tells the story of Mae, a Mississippian grandmother in advanced stages of Alzheimer’s, who must move into a nursing home when her adult daughter, Lily, can no longer care for her. Mae’s granddaughter, Madison, uncovers a mysterious box of letters while cleaning out the home. As Mae reads these letters, she recalls her lost love in fragmented, clouded memories. With the help of Lily, Madison, and a young stranger, Mae must fight the effects of age and Alzheimer’s to uncover the truth of her past before time runs out.

Bertone, a storyteller by nature, works as a professional Scenic Designer in the industry, and writes beginning in a visually oriented nature. Letters from War was written in response to the affects of Alzheimer’s Disease on his grandmother and his family, utilizing images, memories, and stories from the past and present.

For more info, including which performances will include a talkback with the playwright and actors, write to info@salemtheatre.com or call 978-790-8546. The black box theatre is located at 90 Lafayette Street, Salem.

As a book––

War and the written word are used to highlight America’s earliest war correspondents. Historian and author Robert Patton (grandson of the legendary World War II General, George S. Patton) visits The House of the Seven Gables on May 20th to give a lecture on his new book, Hell Before Breakfast.

According to a profile by the New York State Writers Institute (State University of New York), Hell Before Breakfast: America’s First War Correspondents Making History and Headlines, from the Battlefields of the Civil War to the Far Reaches of the Ottoman Empire (the full title), is “an in-depth history of American war journalism between 1860 and 1910. Taking its title from a quote about reporters by General William Tecumseh Sherman, Hell Before Breakfast spans the globe, from the American Civil War and the Spanish-American War to conflicts in Europe and Asia, to celebrate America’s forgotten war correspondents and highlight the impact of their reportage on contemporary journalism and global politics as well as on literature and the arts.”

This is a part of the 7 Lectures at the 7 Gables series.

It begins at 6 pm. Admission is free of charge to Gables members and $15 for non-members.

To reserve seating, send an email to groups@7gables.org, or call 978-744-0991 ext. 104. The House of Seven Gables is located at 115 Derby Street, Salem.

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