Arts Archives - The Adirondack Almanack Archive

Virtual series to feature winners of 2020 short film competition

Following the successful launch of its first-ever virtual film festival this fall, the Lake Placid Film Festival announced it will host a second online short-film series starting in February 2021.

“We know how hungry audiences are to see movies and gather with fellow film-lovers, and the response to our first-ever virtual film festival proved it,” said Gary Smith, chair of the Adirondack Film Society, the festival’s parent organization. “It was such a thrill to reach so many people from around the world. And instead of waiting until next fall, we’ve decided to do it again this winter.”

Saturday, November 21, 2020

Poem: Sun Will Rise

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Sun Will Rise

Beware blind rage that

Panders to fear and leads us all

To murder the light.

Know that when temperate minds prevail…

Sun will rise and babes

Will be born, and what is meant

To be, will still be.

Sunday, November 15, 2020

Poetry: Leaf Pile

by George Cassidy Payne

Leaf Pile

Oh, how good it is to play.

Dumping the bones on a gentle slope
planted in tinted violet, pale pink to rose,
candy corn yellow leaves, as parents stand
by armed with rakes and shovels, observing
with their crotchety independence how good
it must be to be a child again. To be free again,
to see a December sunset cast its ochre-brown,
saddle-shaped, conspicuously veined light,
eyelash like thin, over the gelatinous flesh of a
family’s front yard. Siblings sunken in soil, that
rich manured soil, soon to become melting snow
banks, scattered on rich, brain-shaped humus.

Sunday, November 8, 2020

Poetry: We Dare

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We Dare

Dare we feel?

This is the time.

Dare we think?

This is the time.

Dare we speak?

This is the time.

Saturday, November 7, 2020

When Lightning Strikes: Evening of performances by world-renowned poets

Rural meets urban, when the Adirondack Center for Writing and Bowery Poetry Club collaborate for a brand new event. When Lightning Strikes has been designed to introduce new poets to Adirondack audiences, and new audiences to Bowery Poetry Club poets.

When Lightning Strikes is taking place at 7 p.m. November 9, and hosted by Jive Poetic, featuring Mahogany L. Browne, Adam Falkner, Carlos Andrés Gómez, Omar Holmon, Cynthia Dewi Oka, and Ramya Ramana. The event is live online at the Bowery Poetry Club’s website and live on Facebook. All are invited to tune in for a sliding scale donation of $5-15 payable at paypal.me/adkctr4writing to be split between the two organizations.

Friday, November 6, 2020

Search Saratoga PLAN Trails for Painted Rocks

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Starting today (November 6), hikers are invited to join the Saratoga PLAN trails scavenger hunt, on select trails. Search for palm-sized rocks painted with inspirational messages that will be hidden along stretches of the Henning Preserve in the Town of Wilton, Orra Phelps Preserve in the Town of Wilton, and Bog Meadow Brook Preserve in Saratoga Springs. Collect meaningful rocks for you or a gift to others.

The project is intended to be more then just a fun way to visit the trails, Alex Fylypovych PLAN’s community engagement manager explains: “People find inspiration in so many ways. Some people find inspiration from walking in the woods or sitting by a stream. Others find it through art. With this project, we’re sort of combining the two… Sharing the message from your rock may reach someone else who could benefit from the uplifting note,” she says. Saratoga PLAN asks that any rocks collected be shared on social media using the hashtag #SaratogaPLANrocks and tagging @SaratogaPLAN. “Spread the inspiration and the joy,” says Fylypovych. “We can all use some more positivity this year.”

The #SaratogaPLANrocks project was made possible through a collaborative effort between Saratoga PLAN (Preserving Land and Nature) and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. Regeneron’s annual Day for Doing Good pairs its employees with various Capital Region nonprofits in order to service their community. Over 50 Regeneron employees painted and hid more than 100 rocks. The project takes inspiration from the nationwide Kindness Rock Project and the Block Island Glass Float Project.

Rocks will not be hidden more then one foot from the trail in order to protect delicate vegetation.

Thursday, November 5, 2020

Results are in from Halloween Scarecrow Contest

The winners for Raquette Lake’s Annual Halloween Scarecrow Contest are:

Scariest by Beeba Norris

Halloween Sprit by Autumn Miller

Most Creative by Bayli Bird

Prizes were sponsored by the Long Lake / Raquette Lake Parks and Recreation Department

Photos courtesy of Kat Forsell/Town of Long Lake

Tuesday, November 3, 2020

Poetry: Death of a Dragonfly

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Death of a Dragonfly

(All lives matter…)

See season changes so temperate,

That one must still their breath, softly,

Even to notice.

Parading a lushness of bloom,

Riotous tendrils burst and grow anew,

In sparkling diamonds of morning dew,

Reveling in summer’s persistent,

And benevolent façade.

Monday, November 2, 2020

AARCH provides resources for educators

The Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH) provides resources to teachers and educators all over Northern New York.

Their work in regional education, advocacy, and technical assistance expands K-12 Art, Science, Technology, Math, English, and Social Studies curriculums all over the region.

A resources page on their website, available at this link, showcases what AARCH offers in helping students and teachers delve into a new learning environment, allowing them to build an understanding around historical preservation in their respective communities.

Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Essex County Arts Council seeks part time administrator

The Essex County Arts Council is looking to hire a part-time arts administrator. The position is an average of 30 hours a month, with more/less hours depending on the time of year. Duties include grant administration, marketing and communications support, and event support.

Application receipt deadline is Monday, November 16, 2020. Application should be made to Essex County Arts Council, c/o Tony Kostecki, President and may be emailed to [email protected] or mailed to Essex County Arts Council, PO Box 187, Westport, NY 12993. Include a cover letter, brief resume, and three references with contact information.

More about the position and about the Arts Council can be found online: http://essexcountyarts.org.

Tuesday, October 27, 2020

Poetry: Rainbows

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Rainbows

Each morning when I wake,

Errant sunrays pierce crystal orbs

Dripping from east-facing window frames,

And explode into rainbows of light,

On floor and walls.

Cool white tiles come to life,

In prismatic hues,

And help me face the day.

Monday, October 26, 2020

Spooky Native storytelling night, and Abenaki language classes

by Eric Jenks

On a dark and scary Friday night this coming Oct. 30, the Ndakinna Education Center is proud to present the Twenty-Second Annual SCARY STORY NIGHT. This evening of spooky Native tales will be hosted by the well-known storytelling trio of Joseph, James, and Jesse Bruchac. Due to Covid-19, this year we will be broadcasting the performance via Zoom.

Monday, October 19, 2020

TAUNY Dairy Farm Workers project featured on Library of Congress website

TAUNY Dairy Farm Workers Project Now Online at Library of Congress

In 2012, TAUNY folklorist Hannah Harvester received an Archie Green Fellowship from the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress to document the occupational folklife of dairy farmers and farm workers in the North Country. We’re thrilled to announce that TAUNY’s “Dairy Farm Workers in New York’s North Country” Occupational Folklife Project is now online! Click here to learn more about this project, listen to the interviews with North Country dairy farm workers, and see photos of life and work on local dairy farms.

Also, be sure to check out the other Occupational Folklife Project interviews that recently went online here.

Pictured here: Peter and Blake Gendebien in just-planted cornfield. From “Dairy Farm Workers in New York’s North Country.”

Saturday, October 17, 2020

Poetry: Hoarfrost

by Phil Fitzpatrick

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Hoarfrost

I knelt to praise the day
And opened my heart
To an open empty milkweed pod
Glowing ambergold inside its hollow husk
It reflected the rising sun from the east
While moonlight dazzled its icy other side
Capturing sun and moon that precious moment
Not unlike those of us
Who are not rooted in the wild field
And on rare occasions both
Glow with our heart’s love
And reflect a lover’s rapture.

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Poetry: Friends

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Friends

If you have to cry- just cry,

Don’t hold it back, don’t be ashamed,

I’m crying too. Tears can’t be tamed.

All different now, life rips and tears,

We are connected, and I still care.