Tuesday, September 26, 2017
I returned on September 24 for one of three Sunday poetry readings in the related series “Words Out Loud.” These occur down the road from the Kent, at the Old West Church, and finish with wine-and-cheese receptions amid the art. Again, cars lined the road in both directions.
Tags: Kent Museum , Old West Church , poetry , Alison Prine , James Crews , Image , Web Only
Monday, September 25, 2017
Next in that lineup is 36-year-old Amelia Marzec, an artist, inventor and MFA graduate of Parsons School of Design who lives and works in Brooklyn. Marzec's focus is on communications, the environment and "enabling activist communities through innovative uses of technology," according to the maker space publicity.
Tags: Big Maker , Generator , Burlington , Amelia Marzec , communications , Image , Web Only
Tags: Eric Dreiblatt , humor , standup , Vermont comedy , Image , Web Only
Sunday, September 24, 2017
Jimenez, 30, says that she's "ready and eager" to move on to a new chapter. "I will always value the relationships that I’ve made with the artists that I’ve had the pleasure of working with over the past four years," she tells Seven Days. "I’ve made some good friends through BCA, put together some great exhibitions and have been a part of an organization that makes a profound impact on its community."
Tags: Ashley Jimenez , assistant curator , Burlington City Arts , Image , Web Only
Saturday, September 23, 2017
Poet Major Jackson, who received the honor last year, made the announcement. In addition, VCFA founding president Thomas Christopher Greene used his time on the stage to unveil a new scholarship sponsored by Phoenix Books in late Vermont author Howard Frank Mosher's name for students in VCFA's writing and publishing program.
Selected by the judging panel from eight finalists for the award, Beach teaches in the undergraduate program at Johnson State College and is a faculty member in the graduate writing and publishing program at VCFA. When he took the stage, he said, "I've never won anything in my life — not even a fucking lottery ticket." He tacked on praise for the college and Vermont itself, saying, "this place means a lot to me."
Tags: Jensen Beach , Vermont Book Award , Vermont College of Fine Arts , Image , Web Only
Friday, September 22, 2017
On its website, Freakshow states, "We believe that people who would buy software will buy software and we would rather give you our effects directly and unencumbered by archaic DRM." The company, which has a Burlington tie, adds that prefers not to send users "into the dark corners of the internet to grab questionable or altered versions of our work." The theory is that offering freebies will encourage satisfied users to support the company by buying merch or other programs. The statement concludes: "We believe that trust, generosity and goodwill are principles worth taking a chance on and so we put our continued existence into your very scary hands."
Freakshow's motto is "Audio Effects For The End Times," and they certainly dance on the grave of numerous conventions. The company's founders are audio industry veterans who formed Freakshow to "lovingly and repeatedly combat creative stagnation in the face, opening portals to new and unique sounds with exceedingly affordable audio product."
One of the founders, former Soundtoys employee Jasper Duba, is based in Burlington. Duba is the kind of modern renaissance man you'd expect to hide out in Vermont — he hunts mushrooms and throws pottery in his spare time.
Freakshow's first release, Backmask, is a chaotic reverse effect that appears to have been made by Rick Sanchez, the alcoholic scientist from the Adult Swim animated series "Rick and Morty." The interface is intuitive, with the emphasis on experimentation; basically half the fun is figuring what the controls actually do.
Backmask functions as a sample reverse with multiple effects options. But beyond that, Audiopluginguy.com describes it as "the most conceptual plug-in we've seen."
Don't let its eccentric design deter you from trying it: Backmask is actually super fun and fairly easy to create useable sounds with. The overall aesthetic is damn refreshing in an industry dominated by sterile design. Instead of technical explanations or comparisons to classic equipment, Freakshow's website offers mostly warped demo videos with a nihilistic sense of humor.
Check out Freakshow Industries haunted virtual laboratory at freakshowindustries.com.
Tags: Burlington , Freakshow Industries , Soundtoys , Tech Start-up , Electronic , Audio Engineering , Image , Web Only , Video
Instead of the young girl clutching a lettuce leaf full of berries, the pastoral landscape now feature the figure of 91-year-old library docent Alice Burnham.
Tags: St. Johnsbury Athenaeum , Albert Bierstadt , Scott Davis , Raspberry Girl , Alice Burnham , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
During his tenure, the release says, the Flynn flourished, "growing to a $7.7 million operating budget while maintaining the organization's commitment to presenting exceptional artistic, educational and community engagement programs."
In addition to securing significant grants for the performing arts facility, Killacky is perhaps proudest of the nonprofit's commitment to access and inclusiveness. The Flynn works with 75 human and social service agencies to provide discounted tickets for their clients; of the 38,000 students who annually attend shows, 7,300 attend for free; and the organization provides $30,000 in scholarships yearly for kids to participate in camps and classes.
Reached by phone for comment, Killacky said, first of all, that "all things are good" and he's "not going anywhere." While he wouldn't call this transition a retirement, Killacky noted that when he was interviewed for the ED position in 2010, he told the board that, if hired, he would stay "for five to seven years, and then my service would be done."
Tags: Flynn Center for the Performing Arts , John Killacky , arts administration , Burlington , Image , Web Only
Monday, September 18, 2017
Tags: Lindsey Haddad , humor , standup , Vermont comedy , Image , Web Only
The event, held each year during the third week of September, lays claim to being the first-ever glassblowing competition to celebrate the art of glass pipes, bongs and bubblers. This year, 12 elite glassblowers — 11 men and one woman — chosen from around the United States by a committee of 11 industry professionals, will go head to head as they try to push the envelope on what's possible with glassware. No Vermonters are competing in this year's event.