Workshops – Page 4 – Salem Main Streets

Paranormal Convention to Manifest Itself at Hawthorne Hotel

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

Apr 082015

Do you sense something in the air? Some level of seismic activity of a paranormal nature? You would be tuning in to Salem Con, the first ever celebrity-filled paranormal convention, to be held in Salem Ma, April 10-12 at the Hawthorne Hotel.

Mass Ghost Hunters Paranormal Society, a Gloucester-based historical preservation and paranormal event group has established the weekend. Salem Con will be filled with celebrities, lectures and vendors. Paranormal and historical enthusiasts are welcomed.

Marc Arvilla, Founder/Lead Investigator explains “We decided to call it Salem Con because that’s exactly what it is. Yes it’s a paranormal conference, yes most folks involved are in the paranormal field, but this is also about Salem’s history, culture, and the true stories of the people that shaped this area.”

For example, among the speakers, Jeff Belanger hosts the New England Legends series on PBS and John Zaffis is the director of the Paranormal Research Society of New England.

Arvilla continues “Our goal for this conference is to teach people about the history of Salem, the history of paranormal investigating, and that they can have fun while doing it. If someone can walk away from this event learning something new it will be a success.”

The weekend begins with a “Celebrity VIP Party” on Friday April 10th from 8 pm to midnight at Nathaniel’s in the Hawthorne. Guests will mingle with their favorite celebrities and hear some of their “behind the scenes” stories.

And, who will be there on April 11th?

9 am JOHN TOBIN -“Exploring the Psychology of the Paranormal” with Chris DiCesare & Joe Chin
10 am JEFF BELANGER– “The Witches Warty Nose”
11 am BRIAN CANO – “‪#‎Paralosophy‬”
12 pm DUSTIN PARI – “The Bigger Questions”
1 pm JOHN ZAFFIS – “Q & A with John Zaffis”
2 pm TIM WEISBERG – “Maybe Ghosts WEREN’T People Too…Alternate Theories of the Paranormal”
3 pm SCOTT GRUENWALD – “God Ate My Lunch”
3:45pm MICHAEL DIAMOND – “Moving Forward

All lectures will take place in the Hawthorne’s Library Room.

“The Hawthorne Hotel seemed like the best choice for this event,” reveals Avilla. “The hotel has such a rich history and is central to everything there is to explore in Salem. When we approached Thomas MacDonald, the sales director at the Hawthorne, with the idea of a paranormal conference he offered his full support. Plus there is that ‘rumor’ that the hotel is haunted…”

Speaking of haunted, Gone Haunting will sponsor a “Celebrity Ghost Hunt” Saturday at 8pm. Location not yet revealed.

And what is a convention without vendors? The Hawthorne Ballroom will house the vendor area:

Deadly Grounds Coffee
Gone Haunting Apparel
The Generic Black Shirt Paranormal Group
Parahunter
Paranormal Warehouse
Brian J. Cano
John Zaffis
Dustin Pari
Jeff Belanger
Tim Weisberg
Scott Gruenwald
Christopher DiCesare
DTM Wicked Radio
Frank Cinelli
Paranormal For Paws
Gettysburg Ghost Gals
MGHPS
Rosalyn Bown
Salt City Paranormal
East Ghost Paranormal
S.T.U.R.S/Rise Up New Hampshire
Spirits of New England
White Light Research
Rome Investigators of the Paranormal
The Mechanical Meow
Paranormal Reactions
Author Joni Mayhan & Paranormal Xpeditions
The Mountain Gypsies
Rise Up Paranormal
Mirror Magazine
Dark Side Ink
Psychic Medium Coryelle Kramer
Raven Shoppe/Gotham Paranormal
Brooke’s Nook
Dawn Slocum
Black Cat Tours
Witch Tees

The weekend concludes with a Sunday morning breakfast at the Hawthorne where Mass Ghost Hunters Paranormal Society invites people to share some stories, revelations, even a “sighting” or two if anything happened from the previous night.

Sounds like an interesting effort to connect the dots between the paranormal and the history of Salem, while at the same time giving you the opportunity to have an entertaining & educational experience. For ticket and other information, go to http://www.mghparanormal.com/ or write to mghparanormal@gmail.com.

Slow Art Day— Time Well Spent at Salem’s PEM

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Apr 062015

Explore the Peabody Essex Museum as you possibly never have before— and be part of a global experience as PEM joins other museums & organizations world-wide in celebration of Slow Art Day, Saturday, April 11th.

Slow Art Day ? Yes, you are invited to “take your time” for a closer look at art. Too often “appreciation” of art is measured more by the moving strokes of your watch than the brush strokes of the artist. In other words, for this one day, the world is being asked to stop and smell the roses of fine art.

Championed by The New York Times’ art critic, Michael Kimmelman, Slow Art Day is part of a global, grassroots movement with a simple mission: help more people discover the joy of looking at and loving art.

PEM welcomes you to explore from 10 am -2 pm suggested works in the galleries at your own pace. It’s ok; spend as many minutes as you need. Choose your own favorite works, or join PEM for discussions in the galleries of three selected objects to explore, at 10:30 am, 11 am, and 11:30 am. Then, join fellow visitors for lunch in the Atrium at 1 pm to discuss what you saw and felt.

Yes, share your perceptions. Absorb what others saw from their points of view. An inanimate painting or sculpture will create some animated discussions.

This year’s program will be led by Rebecca Rohloff from the Art & Design Department at Salem State University.

Registration is required for this free event. The Peabody Essex Museum is located at East India Square (161 Essex St) Salem. For additional details, call 978-745-9500.

(Photo by Robyn Gesek/PEM)

Night at the Museum— For Real at Salem’s PEM

Salem Event, Salem Festivals, Workshops No Responses »

Mar 222015

Over 600 people decided that what Artopia had to offer was something they wanted to experience. Thursday’s PEM/PM monthly late night party at the Peabody Essex Museum was a grand old time and if we may say, an artistic success for all the community groups that came together to create the schedule of events.

Attendees were invited to…

… contribute to a fiber arts project by knitting spring flowers with the folks from the Salem Arts Festival (a Salem Main Streets project)… sit and sketch with local group Sketch Collective… drum along with Express Yourself… catch Salem Sketches — short films created right here in Salem — which screened at recent Salem Film Fest… create your own instrument with Salem Jazz & Soul… and enjoy a 15-minute gallery experience highlighting some “ordinary” gems in the museum’s Japanese art collection.

And there was much more. Music that excited and moved the crowd from Ross Livermore Band. Front Yard Street Art, a collaborative fiber arts project open to community members and groups of all ages and abilities certainly attracted a lot of attention.

Hats off to Creative Salem, the Salem Arts Festival and, of course, the Peabody Essex Museum. Producing an event to attract over 600 people on a weeknight certainly indicates that art is not only alive & well in Salem— it also delivers an exciting environment.

(Video produced by JoeyPhoenixPhotography.com by way of CreativeSalem.com)

The Arts Are Alive, Well & Thriving in Salem – at Artopia

Salem Event, Salem Festivals, Workshops 1 Response »

Mar 182015

Vibrant and creative are words to define the arts & culture scene of Salem — and those words will take physical shape this Thursday from 6-9 pm as Artopia takes over the monthly PEM/PM event, hosted by the Peabody Essex Museum.

Now, this blog may shake a little as you read it because we at Salem Main Streets are very excited about Artopia as so many local groups and festivals are involved! It is a real coming together of the community.

“The theme of this event is ‘Art in the Everyday,’ which is part of why we’re playing a lot with the creation of art and elevating ‘ordinary’ objects or activities,” reveals Kylie Sullivan, Main Streets Manager.

For example… contribute to a fiber arts project by knitting spring flowers with the folks from the Salem Arts Festival… sit and sketch with local group Sketch Collective… drum along with Express Yourself… catch Salem Sketches — short films created right here in Salem — which screened at recent Salem Film Fest… create your own instrument with Salem Jazz & Soul… and enjoy a 15-minute gallery experience highlighting some “ordinary” gems in the museum’s Japanese art collection.

For Artopia, PEM is partnering with the Salem Arts Festival and Creative Salem to super-charge this celebration. PEM/PMs are held on the 3rd Thursday of every month as a way to introduce and invite the community to utilize the resource that PEM is to the community.

Adds John Andrews of Creative Salem, “There will be roaming performance artists including members of ARTiculate this. Featured live artists will be Denny Tentindo, Ben Stebbings and Jamie O’Neil. Also at our Creative Salem table, we’ll have Allison White doing a needlepoint demo.”

The evening, as with all PEM/PM events, includes music, cocktails and conversation with separate stations for creativity. But Artopia doesn’t stop there.

Local author and meatball aficionado Adeline Myers, will discuss her recently published cookbook Global Meatballs and even prepare a couple of her favorite recipes. A well-crafted meatball can be a work of art!

Beer lovers can glean creative brewing insights from Newburyport Brewing Company and sample its locally brewed and appropriately named beers: Newburyport Pale Ale, Plum Island Belgian White and Green Head IPA.

And as they say, “that’s not all folks” as the evening will also feature North Shore-based Ross Livermore Band. A local favorite, the band has toured throughout New England and beyond and was recently nominated for Best in State in the New England Music Awards.

One other item to note, and of personal interest to those of us at Salem Main Streets and the Salem Arts Festival, is the Front Yard Street Art project.

Front Yard Street Art is a collaborative fiber arts project open to community members and groups of all ages and abilities. Create your own “green space” (field, garden plot, jungle, etc.) made of yarn, felt, fabric, and whatever else inspires you! Each piece will become part of a large-scale temporary art installation transforming Front Street during the Salem Arts Festival weekend.

Examples created by the students at the Phoenix School in Salem, will be on display Thursday evening as well.

And what is the cost of admission for this extravaganza? For PEM members and Salem residents (with ID) it is free of charge. For nonmembers, it is only $10 at the door. PEM is located at 161 Essex St., Salem Ma. For more info go to www.pem.org or call 978-745-9500.

Artopia is a most creative reason to venture out into the evening.

(Phoenix School photo courtesy Joey Phoenix)

Behind the Scenes: Nathaniel and Sophia Hawthorne

History, Salem Event, Workshops No Responses »

Mar 092015

Local historian and lecturer Jim McAllister (who recently was designated as the “Official Historian of the City of Salem Ma”) will present the latest installment of his “52 Lectures, 52 Weeks” series Tuesday, March 10 at the Salem Witch Museum. The subject is Nathaniel Hawthorne, Salem native and well known author of The House of Seven Gables and The Scarlet Letter. But, McAllister has a twist on the normal Hawthorne/book discussion. He will focus on Hawthorne as a partner in one 19th century America’s greatest romances as it unfolded in the shadow of Washington Square. (The Salem Witch Museum is coincidentally at 19½ Washington Square North.)

Apparently it was “bizarre” and involved compacted romantic entanglements with Mary Silsbee and Elizabeth Peabody in the year that preceded his involvement with his future wife, Sophia Peabody, sister of Elizabeth.

Sophia, also born in Salem Ma, was an accomplished painter, illustrator, and an author of articles.

McAllister’s talk will chronicle important moments in Nathaniel and Sophia’s courtship. He will escort you on a journey through the couple’s good days and bad ones over the course of their two-decade long marriage.

With the weather showing no snow in the forecast, if you’re looking to venture out of your “cabins,” this discussion offers a warm invitation. It will run from 7:30 – 9 pm. But, due to space limitations, most of McAllister’s lectures require reservations. For more information please write to culturecorner@gmail.com or call 978-979-5907.

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