Regional Art Groups Inspire and Share
Challenging Times Call for Creative Solutions
Art is such an integral part of our lives. Even people who do not envision themselves as art critics or connoisseurs owe so much to the creative pulses that design our world and entertain us. Art also offers avenues for challenging the status quo, for challenging and changing the world by showing us a different view. Thank fully, area arts groups are rising to the challenge, giving us all the chance to creatively explore and grow.
Shake Off Coronavirus Blues with Creative Activity at the Center of Yates County
In anticipation of Yates County’s transition into the fourth stage of reopening, the Arts Center of Yates County has scheduled an exciting line-up of creative workshops for all interests and ages. Beginning in July, the Arts Center will once again offer classes at both the Arts Center in Penn Yan and the organization’s seasonal lakeside facility, Sunny Point.
“We know that actively participating in art has positive mental and physical health benefits,” says Arts Center Executive Director Kris Pearson. “After the winter and spring we’ve just experienced, we’re offering opportunities to get out and have some safe, productive, creative fun.”
Workshops include pottery classes at Sunny Point’s Boathouse Pottery under the direction of studio supervisor Rachel Gu, a talented ceramic artist finishing her Master’s program at RIT; painting classes in a variety of mediums taught by Kevin Feary, Sylvia Apple and Karen Rosasco; glass collage, “soul collage” and solar printmaking. Children’s classes include several pottery classes and a six week comprehensive puppet workshop, which includes not only creating puppets but crafting an original show in which the puppets will perform. The Boathouse Pottery will also offer open studio hours on a first come first serve pre-registration basis in July and August.
Thanks to a generous grant from the Yates Endowment, prices for most of the workshops offered by the Arts Center through the remainder of the year are greatly discounted. At the same time, Pearson emphasizes that workshop participation will be limited to help ensure that current best practices for social distancing and interaction can be maintained.
Celebrate summer with a fresh perspective and develop or hone your creative muscles by signing up for one of these exciting workshops today. For a complete listing of workshops, see the Arts Center’s website at www.artscenteryatescounty.org or swing by the Arts Center at 127 Main Street in Penn Yan and pick up a workshop brochure.
Penn Yan Theatre Co. Offers Chicken Barbecue AND Back -To-Basics Summer Theatre Workshop and Virtual Show
Chicken Barbecue:
Sunday, June 28, 2020 at 11 AM – 2 PM
145 RT 54 East Lake Rd, Penn Yan, New York 14527
Tickets and more information at: www.pytco.org
Back-to-Basics Summer Theatre Workshop and Virtual Show Offers Youth a Chance to Learn and Perform
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve come up with an alternate version of our summer drama camp. We’ll be hosting what we have dubbed a “hybrid” camp/workshop. Students will spend time in small groups working on learning different components of theatre as well as work on producing a virtual production. Depending on enrollment, students will attend the workshop for 2 hours each day for three weeks. They’ll develop acting, singing, dance, technical skills and more.
The “camp” will run Mon – Thurs beginning July 6 through July 30.
Learn more and register.
Bristol Valley Theatre Opens BVT at Home beginning June 27, 2020.
For Live theatre, the times require a change in venue from live to virtual. On June 27th, Bristol Valley Theatre–a Finger Lakes award-winning live professional theatre–will launch its summer season. They will be presenting six exciting summer performances, available for enjoyment in the comfort of your home.
The Virtual Cabaret, that kicks off the season on the 27th, continues the yearly tradition of Bristol Valley Theater cast, crew, staff and supporters performing songs or scenes of their choosing. Per Bristol Valley Theater Executive Artistic Director Karin Bowersock, “We are excited to bring the Cabaret into your homes this June, and to reconnect with our audience and with BVT performers past and present!”
More than twenty Bristol Valley Theater performers and alumni are set to
perform, including Chris J. Handley, Tommy Labanaris, and former BVT Artistic Director Michael Perreca. The performers will rehearse and record their segments from their homes. “It’s a challenge, but an exciting one, to be producing the Cabaret online,” says Michael Radi, BVT actor, composer, and music director. “We all look forward to the Cabaret every year as a bit of an opportunity to show off for our audience and for each other. But now in this time of uncertainty and distancing it feels more important than ever to come together and support each other, our audience, and BVT.”
The Virtual Cabaret will premiere at 7:00pm on Saturday, June 27th, and
the Vimeo link will be available for one month. Anyone who had already purchased a subscription or single ticket has the option to convert their purchase to the entire BVT at Home Series at
no additional charge. For new buyers, the charge for the Vimeo link is
$15. The link will be sent to all new and previous ticket holders on Friday, June 26th. In addition, a full BVT at Home Series Subscription can be purchased with a donation to Bristol Valley Theater in the amount of $100 or more. The BVT at Home series continues in July with four new play readings and a to-be-announced comedy event in August.
For more information, visit bvtnaples.org.
The BVT at Home Series is sponsored by Canandaigua National Bank. The
2020 Season Sponsor is Constellation Brands with additional support from the FARASH Foundation, The Sands Family Foundation, and the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.
It is exciting to see how many area art groups are adapting to Covid-19 and to, more recently, the unprecedented–and…well…about damn time–increase in actions around equality and human rights, most recently the Black Live Matter attention following the death of George Floyd. More importantly, it is just exciting to see the way that arts are seeking and finding ways to stay center stage, offering us new views of the world that take us new places.
These are just a few of the exciting arts-related activities. We will update you on other events as they come to us. If you are an arts organization, send along your information and add your same-day events to our calendar at: https://www.owllightnews.com/events/community/add.