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Art is like beginning a sentence before you know its ending.
~ David Bayles & Ted Orland, from Art & Fear: Observations on The Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking
Wrightwood’s Got Talent
by Terri McCawley Hill, originally published in the Mountaineer Progress
With all the excitement and fanfare of its nationally televised forerunner, America’s Got Talent, Wrightwood’s Got Talent held its first round of auditions Sunday, April 14. Held at the Wrightwood Community Building, the auditions played to a standing-room-only crowd.
The contest was promoted and sponsored by Wrightwood Arts Center and Wrightwood Blues Society. The winner will be awarded a $1,000 scholarship, be a featured performer at Music in the Pines in 2020, and a chance to record in a sound studio. A second-place winner will receive a prize, yet to be determined.
Judges watched each performance, giving helpful critiques on strengths and weaknesses and marking a “yes” or “no” vote as to whether that contestant would move to the final round in September. A “yes” vote from any two judges advanced the act. They had their work cut out for them, as all of the acts were well-rehearsed and performed. As a matter of fact, all 11 contestants received the at least the minimum votes to advance to the finals.
From Broadway songs to ballads, Korean Pop dance routines to comedy, and violinists to an all-bass band, the competition and talent were endless. Performers who auditioned were: violinist Greta Geriguis, singer Jakob Salvati, singer Abigail Bodell, singer/guitarist Davey Schneider, comedy team Solomon & Donato, the Carlos Rivera band, dance team BTG (K-Pop), singer/guitarist Kaedon Budd, band Bass-Sic, singer Josephina Green, and singer/guitarist Jayde Burgen.
Five judges used their particular areas of expertise to view, critique, and judge each act. Nancy Kupka used her dance and choreography experience to guide her suggestions about dance and stage presence. Claudia Campbell offered coaching in breathing techniques for the singers. David Leicht is an experienced guitarist, who offered advice and kudos to soloists and bands. Shane Gray brought production expertise to the competition. He manages a music foundation that he created in Kenya. Lora Steinmann has worked with some of the young contestants in Snowline Players Children’s Theatre over the years. Her work in the production of annual plays and musicals in the Tri-Community makes her uniquely qualified to judge the competition.
Proceeds from the ticket sales for the event will help fund the scholarship prizes.
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This Month’s Events
Snowline Player’s Children’s Theater Presents: Annie, Jr.
7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
(WW Community Center, 1275 Highway 2)
The musical Annie Jr. continues with its second week of performances by local children at the Wrightwood Community Center. The final public show will follow on Sunday, May 5th, at 4:30 p.m. The first two performances sold-out and left everyone smiling. Don’t miss your last chance to catch it. For more information, visit snowlineplayers.org.
Wine & Watercolors with Gayle Dowling
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
(WW Arts Center, 6020 Park Drive #5)
Every 1st Saturday, Gayle Dowling hosts a Wine and Watercolors class at the Wrightwood Arts Center. The $35 fee at the door includes all materials, wine, and fun!
Art Opening: “Children in Need of Hope” by Rick Albertson
2:00 p.m. (start)
(5482 Easter Drive, Wrightwood) UPDATED!
NOTE: This event has been moved to Rick Albertson’s home at 5483 Easter Drive as a one day gallery exhibition, so don’t miss it! This will be an opening reception and book signing by Rick Albertson for his show, “Children in Need of Hope.” The “Children in Need of Hope” exhibition includes 20 black & white environmental portraits of children facing great challenges in Asia, Africa, Central and North America, taken while on assignments for religious and humanitarian non-profit organizations. Viewers will come to appreciate the hardships that so many children face the world over.
Featured photographs range in size from 11”x14” through 40”x60”. An accompanying exhibit catalog reproduces the images and includes brief descriptions of the often heart-rending stories of the children’s lives. Photographic prints will be available for purchase, as well as Mr. Albertson’s recently published coffee table book, Documentary Portraits: Retrospective, which expands upon the show with 50+ images and more detailed stories.
Rick Albertson is a retired freelance documentary photographer and video producer. During the latter half of his career he photographed assignments for major non-profit organizations. Rick earned a BS in Radio and Television Production and a MS in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University. Prior to working as a photographer, Rick was a small business owner and communications consultant, and served as an adjunct professor in the Design Art and Architecture Program at the University of Cincinnati. While traveling regularly overseas Rick served as a board member of Child Hope International, a small organization serving abandoned children in Nepal, and as a member of the management team of the Southern Africa HIV/AIDS Collaboration working with high school students in Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa. For more information, visit his website.
Looking Ahead
A Taste of Wrightwood
11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
(Wrightwood Village, Park Drive)
Updated with more details: The Wrightwood Chamber of Commerce will host it’s annual “Taste of the Village” Event. The map-guided tour gives attendees a taste of the hidden treasures our Village merchants offer. They include clothing, jewelry, flowers, antiques, gift boutiques, realty opportunities, library book sales & give-away memberships, Wrightwood Museum lecture, bicycle rentals, exercise/yoga classes, ziplining Canopy Tours, and our exceptional wine boutique and excellent restaurants. New this year will be an infusion of the arts of Wrightwood. Guests will be treated to professional musical groups of all genres; a “wine and watercolor” class along with an artist showcase; theatre artists “The Story Chicks”; Rattle poetry editor Tim Green who will conduct a fun haiku workshop. Last, but not least, come see a “taste” of the artistry of our renowned Pine Needle Quilt Guild. The self-guiding map will list times, events and venues for all performances as well as a detailed guide to the merchants and their offerings.
Adventure to the Maloof House
10:00 a.m. (start)
(5131 Carnelian St, Alta Loma, CA)
NOTE: The registration deadline for this event is May 25th! Join WAC for another adventure tour to the Maloof House in Alta Loma, CA. Sam Maloof is acknowledged as one of the finest woodworkers of our time. As a leader of the California modern arts movement, he designed and produced furniture infused with profound artistic vision for more than half a century until his death in 2009. The WAC has arranged for a private Legacy Tour at 10:00 am on June 8 that includes the house tour, a step inside the woodworking shop, and visits to the woodworkers’ finish showroom and the wood storage (1-1/2 hours). We have also allowed time to visit the gardens and the Jacobs Education Center. For more information and to register, visit our adventures page.
Sandy Jones Fashion Show Centerstage: High Desert Keepers Benefit
2:00 p.m. (start)
(WW Community Center, 1275 Highway 2)
NOTE: The originally scheduled fashion show has been cancelled. Instead, the Wrightwood Arts Center will present a short opening and reception for the summer Artist Spotlight feature at the Community Center. Artwork by WAC teachers and students will be on display at the Community Center throughout the summer.
Immediately following the reception, Centerstage will present a fundraiser for the High Desert Keepers, with live music by the Greg Jones Trio and Gayle & Company, plus a special presentation by the High Desert Keepers on the challenges they face keeping the desert free of illegal dumping. Tickets: $20 at the door or $15 with advanced purchase online. Ages 16 & under: $8. Purchase tickets online at wrightwoodblues.ticketleap.com.
Poem of the Month
NOTRE DAME DE PARIS CATCHES FIRE
by Rachel Custer
And everybody becomes a poet, seeing
meaning where there is no meaning,
seeing metaphor in the destruction
of metaphor. A house of God on fire
is a poem. Listen: it is saying nothing
stands forever, nothing you love will
not be burned away. Good Friday
has come again, and somewhere men
nail themselves to wood to feel like God.
Somewhere a man sets fire to a girl.
A crucifixion is a poem, saying nothing
dies forever. Even a woman who burns
will rise again. Notre Dame will rise again,
says a man on a Paris street, and he
is crying. Paris is not the same without
her. A man crying on the street is a poem
saying nothing feels like holiness, the fire
that burns away everything but what is
good. What is good? This day, a man
coming down from his cross, a girl
walking forth from a fire, raising again
her voice to sing the good news.
—from Rattle.com
Great job, Tim. Love the quote too.