Gail Erickson’s sculptures will be featured at Clay Glass Metal Stone Gallery’s Open House this Friday.  She has been working her kiln over time to bring new pieces to this exhibit, so we can’t wait to see them!  CGMS Gallery Director, Joyce Brown has been a long time advocate and supporter of Pete Seeger.  This year’s annual concert has turned from celebration to tribute and will be held on Saturday.  The Rickie Report knows it will stir memories and hopes to see you there!  More details are in this article.

 

 

 

 

Clay Glass Metal Stone Cooperative

Gallery

Presents

The Works of Gail Erickson

Friday, February 7

6-9 PM

 

 

 

 

Gail Erickson starts the Gallery’s February contribution to Evening on the Avenue on  Friday, February 7^th, 6-9 PM with an exhibition of exquisitely crafted sculptures, both functional and decorative. Gail’s works are inspired by nature and the human form, infused with emotion and passion. Though widely varied in theme, Gail’s distinctive touch transcends all of her pieces.

 

 

Gail’s works are seen in many galleries throughout Palm Beach County, but not with the intensity of quantity Clay Glass Metal Stone Gallery is fortunate enough to be able to display.  The drama of her large pieces will be staged throughout the front of the gallery.  These are emotional, figurative statements from which the art lover can educe a variety of impacts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Throughout the gallery will be scattered works of art that are comical, utilitarian or folk-artish.  Gail provides the gardener with bird feeders, orchid tree displays and ceramic ice cream cones.  Make sure to find the Condo Bandito, a persona and work of art some will unfortunately recognize from their own communities.

 

 

Clay Glass Metal Stone Cooperative Gallery 

Presents

A Tribute to Pete Seeger

Saturday, February 8, 2014

2:00 PM Matinee         7:00 PM Evening Concert

 Tickets available at the Lake Worth Playhouse

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pete Seeger, the iconic singer, songwriter, and tireless worker for the environment, peace, civil liberties, and civil rights, passed away this last week.  From a Tribute to Pete, our concert now becomes a memorial.  Pete’s friends and admirers take this special occasion to honor him with a concert of songs based upon Carry It On, the annotated book of labor history through music he co-authored with Bob Reiser.  The concert will take place on Saturday, February 8, at the Lake Worth Playhouse.  Tickets are available on line (LakeWorthPlayhouse.org) and at the Playhouse box office, for the 2PM matinee and the 7PM evening concert.  Ticket prices are $20/$25 in advance and $26/$30 at the door.  The concert benefits three Lake Worth non-profit organizations.

 

Pete Seeger is a person who has worked and struggled all his life for peace and social justice.  He is an elder of the movement. Those who know him well, and there are many in the South Florida corridor who claim that honor, know that Pete would be the first to reject any suggestion that he is other than just one of us. He never faltered in fighting for the rights of working  women, working men, children, the environment, peace, civil liberties, and civil rights.  

 

Last July Pete lost his wife and life partner, Toshi Aline Ohta Seeger.  Toshi’s role, though offstage, was equally significant in the tireless, unending work they did in the world. Living in a log cabin on a hill overlooking New York’s Hudson River, Pete still chopped wood for warmth and cleared his dirt road of the stones the frosty winters heave from the ground.  

 

 

 

This concert is based upon the book Carry It On, co-authored by Bob Reiser and Pete . It is the history of the labor movement through song.  Throughout the concert you will see the words to the songs projected on the screen behind the performers. From time to time throughout the concert, you will hear Pete’s voice introducing some of the songs. To truly honor Pete, sing along with the performers at the top of your lungs.

 

 

 

Pete wrote and sang union songs with Woody Guthrie, the Almanac Singers, the Weavers, and tens of thousands of other musicians.  Union songs have helped shape history.  When people come together and raise their voices in solidarity, extraordinary things can and do happen.  Many of the songs  in this concert gave courage to picketers and strikers who risked their lives and died to bring us the economic benefits we now enjoy. 

 

 

 

We know Pete would much prefer to have tributes paid to the many causes he championed rather than to himself. But after so many decades doing for others, surely he deserves this modest honor.    

 

Mel and Vinnie, performing on stage during the concert, have worked for decades at the Clearwater festival founded by Toshi and Pete.  Mel coordinated the completion of the Sojourner Truth, captained the Woody Guthrie, and crewed on the Clearwater, the three sloops envisioned by Pete to help clean up the Hudson River.  Both Mel and Vinnie have been fully involved in all aspects of Clearwater’s environmental education and action work. Their friend and local performer Allan Aunapu was the first captain of the sloop Clearwater.

 

 

For many years Joyce Brown welcomed Toshi and Pete Seeger to her home whenever they were in Philadelphia. Director of Swords Into Plowshares, a folk music production company and part of the Peoples Music Network, Joyce has watched as Pete took the stage to introduce dozens of lesser-known performers to audiences who had come to see him.  She watched as Pete gave up his place on stage to others he felt needed to be heard.  Maggie Kuhn, founder of the Gray Panthers, dropped by one day to present Pete with the Giraffe Award:  He was always sticking his neck out.

 

During the McCarthy era Pete Seeger, along with many other activists and performers, was blacklisted.  Their soaring careers were halted, some permanently.  Pete never gave in or gave up.  He sang in schools and at rallies.  He marched and marched and marched. He was with Paul Robeson at Peekskill.  He was with Abbie Hoffman at nuclear power plants.  He was with Peter Yarrow and Carl Sagan at the 1986 Great Peace March for Gobal Nuclear Disarmament.  He played a significant role in the Civil Rights movement, marching with Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King.  “We Shall Overcome,”  anthem of the civil rights movement, was copyrighted by Guy Carawan and Pete so that no one would ever have to pay royalties to sing the song.

 

Whatever the movement — for labor, peace, justice, anti-nuclear, clean water, gay rights, human rights, one could give Pete a call and he would be there.

 

 

 

 

 

Anne Feeney, nationally recognized labor performer joins a cast of local musicians, all recognized for their musical talent and ability to engage audiences.  The concert will be narrated by Charlie Birnbaum, deep-voiced manager of the Stonzek Movie Theater.  Sharing part of the narration will be the voice of Pete Seeger.  On the screen behind the performers will be photographs of Pete’s life and the words to all the songs, so that the audience can sing along.  Anne Feeney is best known for her performance of songs such as “Have You Been to Jail for Justice?” and “Dump the Bosses off Your Back.”  Utah Phillips called her “The best labor singer in North America,” and Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul and Mary) has called Anne “a role model for us. She has lived her songs.”   

 

Grant Livingston was named one of the all-time top ten folksingers in Florida. From the shanties of early fisherman to the early rap song “Talkin’ Union,” Grant’s performance skills are engaging and dramatic.

 

Cerina Anderson, a dramatic actress with a beautiful acapella voice, will carry the civil rights connections of this concert and its links to the labor movement.  From her powerful rendition of “Harriet Tubman” to her moving interpretation of “Hold the Line,” Cerina exudes a mesmerizing storytelling power.

 

 

Kat Mahoney, with deep and lyrical voice, belts out anthems and ballads with skill and charisma.  A favorite on local stages and clubs, Kat brings drama and power to this concert.  Her unique vocal renditions of the songs are stirring and powerful.

 

Marie Nofsinger, a South Florida legend, has graced stages and the region’s top folk festivals, where she is always a favorite.  Expect quick wit and quips on stage as she has the audience engaging with songs and choruses. She can belt out a hard-hitting song then easily transition to a gentle song with quiet harmonies.

 

Mel and Vinnie, Lake Worth’s resident troubadours, have worked with Pete Seeger for decades.  They are sailors, organizers, and artists helping to clean up the Hudson River.  Mel and Vinnie regularly appear at Clearwater’s Great Hudson River Revival.  Their performance tonight is a work of love created to honor the history of the labor movement and their time with Pete.

 

Who better than Tracy Sands to sing about the plight of Irish immigrants in the early part of the last century.  Tracy, a member of the famous Irish singing Sands clan, charms audiences with her melodic lilting voice and her pan pipe accompaniment.  Her full range of talents and language skills are successfully tested during the course of this concert.

 

A wine and cheese reception with the performers for both afternoon and evening concerts will be held for the audiences between concerts at the Clay Glass Metal Stone Gallery at 15 South J Street in downtown Lake Worth.  Those holding tickets are welcome to attend.

 

 

 

ClayGlassMetalStone Cooperative Gallery is sponsored by the Flamingo Clay Studio, a non-profit arts organization whose mission is to provide affordable studio and gallery space for three-dimensional artists.  The gallery is located at 15 South J Street in downtown Lake Worth. Hours are Sunday thru Tuesday, 10AM-5PM. Wednesday thru Saturday, 10AM-10PM.   Gallery openings are the first and third Friday of each month from 6-9 PM with many special events in-between.  For information call Joyce Brown-215-205-9441 or JCLay6@aol.com.  Gallery phone: 561-588-8344.

 

 

 

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