Wakefest’s visual-arts component will be a completely new experience in 2010.  A contemporary-art treatment of trees will turn the whole village into an open air exhibition, and we’re not talk’n about stringing up your Christmas ornaments!  The old “gallery idea” will be different too, as we celebrate creative steps, turn the focus to working drawings and expose all creators’ process and intent.  Don’t know how to make a working drawing? Don’t worry. Think you are too young, too old, too shy. We’re hosting an optional June workshop, in the village.

We’ll introduce you to the whole kit-n-kaboodle through examples of other contemporary artists working this way all around the world. Bring your basic ideas and we’ll show you how to develop them for public presentation through working drawings etc etc.  Wakefest has a miniscule budget for out-of-town professional artists already working in this vein and envisions an equally tiny publication.

To participate: Send us a brief letter stating your idea for tree dressing  and why you would want to be part of this group exhibition.  We’ll send you a more detailed letter and so….the process begins.

Your friendly local curators: cj fleury and Johanna Nousiainen

wakefest.treedressing@gmail.com

Wakefield’s Arts Festival is an annual event. Come and experience dance, music, film, theatre, literature and visual art. Workshops, performances from here and away. We will be giving people a taste of what is to come this Saturday, April 17th at the Blacksheep Inn. See the poster below for details.

The Wakefield Ball was a bust due to rain. Peter Ryan will be back later in the season to lead this workshop for WF.

Chaises Musicales also got washed out. You can still buy veggies and support farmers at the Wakefield Farmer’s Market.

Silkscreening Workshop at 2pm has moved to Earle’s Hall, just above Kaffe 1870. Entrance is on right of Kaffe patio.

There are still spaces for Nick DiGaetano’s Clown Workshop 1pm-2:30pm at Molo’s. Please arrive 15mins. early.

Due to both rain and logistics, the 11pm Festival Bar with open screen/open mic will relocate from Molo’s to the Black Sheep Inn. We’ll keep the party going at the Sheep after the scheduled line-up until they kick us out.

HERE ARE A FEW PICS FROM FRANZISKA HEINZE!

With just four albums over thirteen years, it may seem premature to call her a musical icon. Yet Gillian Welch has cut wide and deep into the fabric of contemporary American music with melodies and lyrics that are both original and hauntingly familiar. Welch somehow seems to be at once forward moving and backward gazing. John Henry and Janis Joplin dancing on the Titanic while Norman Blake gives them the full Taro-patch treatment. Anything seems possible in these songs. So on Sunday at Wakefest, step into the chapel of this year’s musical muse as local musicians and guests from away rip pages from the Welch hymn book and pass ‘em around. Of course, any hommage to Gillian necessarily implies a massive tip of the hat to her lyrical partner and string bender, Mr. David Rawlings.

August 30th 5pm at Kaffe 1870. Check out the schedule.