august first – on october first

at mad river glen

It’s been one crazy month, for sure. I left my job of seven years as the classical Director of Programming at Vermont Public Radio on September 9th. It was hard to do. There were so many things left to be done, and goodbyes to say to too many great friends to count.

You’d better believe every one of those special friendships is coming with me.

For the new chapter I’ve accepted a position in Boston, working as the Music Director of WGBH-Classical New England. So, since the 9th, my days have been consumed with packing, cleaning, organizing, and using every means possible to come up with a place to live in the city. No luck yet on that but I think I’m finally getting close – you can imagine it’s not easy with cats.

My writing here has necessarily slowed down too for now, but that won’t last – just wait ’til I get to Boston!

Along with all the moving stuff, another thing I’ve been working on recently is getting everything together for my upcoming show at August First bakery in downtown Burlington. I committed to doing it last June, and decided to follow through with it even after the Boston opportunity came up and my whole world began to change quite suddenly. This will be my first solo show(!) and I’ve picked out a wide selection of fall-inspired images for it: leaves, cows, horses, …Vermont at its beautiful best.

I hope you’ll be able to stop by sometime during October. You might want to make it a Friday night – that’s flatbread night at the bakery with a flat price for all you can eat of their eclectic, fresh, interesting offerings. A coffee date would be nice too, maybe in the mid-afternoon when the golden light is just right and the bakery’s own signature blend can take the edge off the new autumn chill.

Oh yeah, and – you didn’t really think I’d pass up a prime chance to make a poetry connection here, did you? You know me better than that. If you wonder where the name of the bakery comes from, it’s inspired by the typically touching Hayden Carruth poem of the same name. Which also explains the ubiquitous geraniums on the bakery’s windowsill…all the more reason to love August First and support its vision.

Here’s a preview of some of the pictures in the show, you’ll have to see the others in person. Come on by!

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september

ok, now what?

sculptor David Lang

Life is changing once again and a move to Boston is in the near future.

I’m still getting used to the thought of living in a city where the population count is just about equal to that of the entire STATE population (Vermont) where I live now.

So…I spent the last several days in Boston looking for housing. While I came home empty-handed on that count, I did return with an imagination fired up by images of flying clams, seahorses, pigs and old-fashioned bicycle constructions of all kinds…I’m blaming sculptor David Lang for that whimsical detour.

Last Friday afternoon, following up on an intriguing tip in the Boston Globe, it was time for a visit to the Sculptors Gallery on the South End. Even if you’ve never been there, the scene will be familiar: brick warehouses in a funky neighborhood, claimed by artists as an all-in-one space to live, create, and (they hope!) sell their works. New York, Denver, and LA all have similar areas. Many towns do. Boston’s warehouse/artist  district is in the South End. That’s where the Sculptors Gallery is found, and right now it’s the home of David Lang’s fanciful show “OK, Now What?”

Lang’s creations are about (often improbable) kinetics, but they’re also about balance in an aesthetic reminiscent of Alexander Calder’s many wondrous mobiles. Check out my series of short videos below to see how they work.

And by all means – see the show in person, if you can. No photos or videos can really capture the effect of Lang’s vision or artistry.

David Lang talking about his work, “Play by Play”

Here’s a good article with details about Lang’s process and materials