Lifestyle

From Basques country to South Africa

By Gail McCarthy
Staff writer
Published: May 29, 2008

Gloucester photographer Anne Rearick, an award-winning documentary photographer, travels the globe capturing stunning images on film from Basque country to South African townships.

Now, she will be the first presentor in her hometown in a new series sponsored by the Cape Ann Museum, starting this Saturday at 3 p.m. when she will give an artist's talk and slide presentation.

The program launches the museum's series titled "Conversations with Contemporary Artists," which was designed to highlight the current work of Cape Ann artists within a variety of media. This program is free and open to the public.

Rearick, a Gloucester resident, was born in Idaho in 1960. She received a master's degree in fine arts from the Massachusetts College of Art in 1990. She has worked as a photographer and teacher for the past 15 years. Since 1992, she has been a member of Agence Vu based in Paris.

Rearick has been the recipient of several awards and grants, most notably a Fulbright/Annette Kade fellowship to photograph Basque life and culture in France in 1990, a New England Foundation for the Arts/Mass Cultural Council grant in 1995, the European Mosaique prize in 1998 to explore rural communities in Italy and Scotland, and a Guggenheim fellowship for 2003-2004 to photograph the culture of amateur boxing in the U.S.

Public collections include the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, the Centre Nationale de L'Audiovisuel in Luxembourg, and the Southwest Museum of Photography, Boise Art Museum, and Rose Art Museum in the United States. Currently Rearick is working on a long-term project photographing daily life in townships of South Africa, a decade after the end of apartheid.

The Cape Ann Museum is located at 27 Pleasant Street in Gloucester. The Museum is wheelchair accessible. For information call 978-283-0455 or visit www.capeannmuseum.org.

Arts and the media in the Internet age

Four Boston area writers will debate the impact of reviews on the arts during a discussion Wednesday, June 4, at 7:30 p.m. in the Rockport Public Library. Boston Globe arts writers Geoff Edgers and Wesley Morris, Greg Liakos from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and freelance arts writer Keith Powers will discuss the status of arts reporting, examine the role of the Internet, and speculate about the future.

Former arts magazine editor Rae Francoeur will moderate as the panel debates such questions as: Is an Internet blog about a recent movie of less value than a review by an experienced movie critic who answers to a supervisor and a paying readership? How is accountability defined by people who rely primarily on the Internet for information? Do the arts suffer when newspapers, radio, and television reduce their coverage of new books, exhibits, and musical performances?

The catalyst for this event was the eve of the coming season of the Rockport Chamber Music Festival, which starts June 5.

"I thought it would be interesting and fun to do something to think about the arts for a while," said Francoeur.

This program is the first in a series of summer literary events sponsored by the library and Toad Hall Bookstore. The next event will launch an adult Beach Reading program on Tuesday, June 10, at 7:30 p.m.

Shakespeare's Ghost

The English bard will come to life in two shows titled "Shakespeare's Ghost," presented by The Actors Company. Show times are at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday at Gloucester's West End Theater.

Actor J.T. Turner brings Shakespeare to life as he walks on a journey with the audience talking about his life, his work, the stories he has collected through the ages, and sharing his words. The work includes selections from Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, Richard the Third, Midsummer Night's Dream, Henry V, As You Like It, King Lear and more. The concept of Shakespeare's Ghost is simple, according to Turner: "What if the Bard of Avon still attends his works? What if Shakespeare's ghost has haunted theaters for 444 years, watching thousands of productions, what might he have to say about his work?"

The West End Theater is located at One Washington St. in Gloucester. For tickets and information, call Amy Sheridan at 508-942-9938. A portion of the proceeds will go to Partners in Development, which provides services in Guatemala. For more information about the show and other events, go to www.theactorscompany.org, or email the director at theactorscompany@aol.com.

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Loren Doucette show

Gloucester artist and resident Loren Doucette is holding a solo summer exhibition titled "Painting Explorations," which is on display at The Pleasant Street Tea Company from June 3 to June 30. The public is welcome to join the artist for an opening reception, with musical guest Gary Backstrom playing his own acoustic music, on June 8 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Doucette, a member of seARTS and the Rocky Neck Art Colony, will showcase representational landscapes of Cape Ann and non-representational paintings based on her own emotional exploration. For more information, Doucette can be reached at 978-283-2085.

Wine Tasting Benefit

The Rotary Club of Rockport will hold its annual Wine Tasting Benefit tomorrow from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Rockport Country Club on Country Club Road, just off South Street in Rockport. This benefit will support the Rotary's scholarship fund and other charitable projects. The cost is $30, which includes wine tasting with more than 40 different selections, hors d'oeuvres, live jazz music by Alex Razdan and A-Train, and a silent auction. Wines have been provided by Seabreeze Liquors of Gloucester. There will be non-alcoholic beverages too. Tickets are available at the door, from any Rockport Rotarian, or on line by logging on to www.rockportrotary.org and clicking on "Upcoming Events." For more information, call 978-546-6018.

Plant and Garden Shed Sale

The Rockport Garden Club will host its "Plant and Garden Shed Sale" on Saturday (May 31) at the Rockport Community House at 35 Broadway in Rockport from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be a selection of perennials, annuals, herbs, shrubs, grasses, bulbs, veggies, indoor plants, hanging baskets and small trees. The garden shed has tools, garden decorations and sundry gardening materials. Swap gardening tips and ideas with Garden Club members and other shoppers. The event is a fundraiser for Rockport's public gardens and other civic projects supported by the club. Visit www.rockportgardenclub.org.

Walking tour of Middle Street

Cape Ann Museum curator Martha Oaks will give a one-hour tour of the historic district in Gloucester. The narrated walking tour will leave from the museum Saturday at 11 a.m. The program is free with the price of admission to the museum. Participants will stroll leisurely along Middle Street, passing places such as the birth site of artist Fitz Henry Lane, the corner on which Gloucester's colonial whipping post stood, the home of renowned feminist writer Judith Sargent Murray, and the community's first town hall built in the early 1840s. Curator's Choice Tours are scheduled for the last Saturday of each month at 11 a.m. No reservations are necessary.

The Cape Ann Museum is located at 27 Pleasant Street in Gloucester. Admission is $8 adults, $6 Cape Ann residents, students and seniors. Children under 12 and Museum members are free. The Museum is wheelchair accessible. For information, call 978-283-0455 or visit at www.capeannmuseum.org.

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Symphony auction

Cape Ann Symphony will hold a spring celebration & auction on Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Gloucester House Restaurant to benefit the non-profit symphony. State Sen. Bruce Tarr will serve as auctioneer. There will be food and music to enjoy while bidding on an array of goods and services, which include a hot air balloon trip or trips to luxury resorts in Cancun, Mexico and the Mendocino Coast of California, Patriots tickets, hand-woven, hand-dyed Nepalese rugs, fine art, jewelry, special botanical reeds that diffuse perfume about the room, romantic getaways, golf and gourmet dining. Tickets for the Auction are $50 person and are available by calling 978-281-0543 or visiting www.capeannsymphony.org. For further information or questions, email CAScelebrations@yahoo.com.

Dharma Day

The next monthly ACI-Cape Ann Dharma Day takes place Sunday from noon to 8 p.m. at the Rockport Community House at 58 Broadway in Rockport.

The day begins with a discussion at noon on the topic "The Book & Vows," followed by Vinyasa Yoga with Jessica Eddy at 1:30 p.m. The hour-long audio teaching by Lama Marut starts at 3 p.m., while guided meditation starts at 4:15 p.m.

A special one-hour slide presentation by Paul McPherson will take place at 5:30 p.m. This talk will focus on his trip to India, including time spent in both Upper Dharamsala, His Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama's home in exile and Bodhgaya, where Shakyamuni Buddha attained Enlightenment approximately 2,500 years ago. The pot-luck dinner is at 7 p.m.

Anyone is welcome to attend any session of interest throughout the day and/or the pot luck dinner in the evening. The suggested donation is $10.. All proceeds go to ACI-Cape Ann to help provide opportunities for teachings and practice in the Cape Ann community throughout the year. Bring a cushion for meditation, and a dish for the pot luck dinner. Tea will be provided.

Works by Joseph Solman

Mercury Gallery in Rockport is exhibiting monotypes by the late artist Joseph Solman, a leading figure in the 1930s modernist art movement in New York.

The artist, who died in April at the age of 99, summered with his family on Cape Ann for decades. He drew inspiration for many of his monotypes from the area's shoreline vistas, its quiet lanes and village streetscapes.

Mercury Gallery is located at 20 Main St. and is open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For information call 978-546-7620 or 617-859-0054, or visit www.mercurygallery.com.

Inge Berge at free show

Inge Berge will appear at the new Thursday night songwriter and music evening in Ipswich on Thursday, June 5, at 8 p.m. Berge, a writer and acoustic rocker, will perform at the recently renovated Ipswich Bay Sports Bar and Grill in downtown Ipswich. His recently released CD is titled "The Zerosum."

A native of Norway, he moved to the Cape Ann area when he earned a degree in film scoring from Berklee College of Music. His gigs have included touring with the rock opera "Tommy" in Japan. For information, visit www.ingebergeworld.com.

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Around Cape Ann is a column devoted to events happening on Cape Ann and artists from Cape Ann performing elsewhere. If you would like to submit an item, contact reporter Gail McCarthy at 978-283-7000, ext. 3445 or gmccarthy@ecnnews.com, or fax to 978-281-5748.