President Joan C. Lester’s January 2014 letter to the Membership

Happy New Year everyone! May 2014 be a good year for you and your loved ones. Each year at
this time I’m reminded of our first years in Rome, Italy when it was customary to greet the Anno
Nuovo by throwing out the old so as to start the year afresh. That meant more than reflecting
on the past year and letting go of things in a psychological sense. It meant literally throwing
things you no longer wanted out the windows of your apartment to the streets below every
New Year’s Eve! That could be a danger if you were celebrating out on the streets, or coming
home after a party, but the following day you would never know because the street cleaners
were out early to clear the way for all as a symbol of a new start.

We at MAC are Americanizing this tradition by starting our New Year with a Tag Sale on
Saturday, February 8 and are asking for you to think of us as you get rid of the old. We are
certainly not suggesting that you throw anything out of your windows or onto the street. But
we are suggesting that you do bring us those “things” you no longer want and that someone
else could use. This tag sale is a first for us, although tag sales are not a new idea. It is also a
fund-raiser and we are hoping for a great turn out. We seek household items and lightly used
clothing for children up to 10 years of age only. So please be generous with your offerings and
then return to pick up some bargains for yourselves! Drop off dates are on (Tuesdays) January
14, 21, and 28 from 6:00 – 7:30 PM, and on (Saturdays) January 18, 25, & February 1 from 10:00
AM -12 noon

Another thing I am asking is for each of you to renew your membership for 2014 this month if
you haven’t already. Thank you very much if you have. You know that it is your – our – dues that
sustain the Arts Center and all our activities. Without this financial support we would not exist
as a regional center for the arts. You will find the membership form on our website
www.marlborougharts.org under the membership link. Print it out, add a check for your dues,
and mail it in to us at 231 North Main Street.

The new year means that our 4th Friday @ the Arts Cafe will be back, this month on Friday,
January 24 from 7:30 – 9:00 p.m. starring Larry Gareau, the well-known trumpeter and vocalist
who is on the Faculty at both the Hartt School, from which he is a graduate, and Central
Connecticut State University. Larry and his pianist present an easy listening Jazz program,
interspersed with wonderful stories of the musicians whose tunes they play, many of whom
Larry has worked with professionally from Tony Bennett to The Irish Tenors, to Lynyrd Skynyrd .
Doors open at 7:00 p.m., so come early to browse the wonderful art show in the Art Gallery and
the unique creations in the newly renovated Gift Shop, all available for sale by cash or check.
As in the past, admission at the door is $8/individual and $15 for two, BYOWine with other
refreshments available. These musical evenings are always warm and inviting, with close
interaction between the musicians and the audience. Great fun!

I hope to see many of you throughout the year, and for good weather as we begin 2014. But
this is New England; we know how to cope with the vagaries of weather. Be safe & warm. Joan Lester lee.lester@att.net

January 4th Friday @ the Arts Café

The Marlborough Arts Center starts 2014’s “4th Friday @ the Arts Cafe” monthly musical evenings on Friday, January 24 at 7:30 p.m. with Larry Gareau, a graduate of the Hartt School and a faculty member in their Hartt School Community Division since 1995. He is also on the faculty at Central Connecticut State University and is well known as a solo trumpeter and vocalist, and as the leader of both the Larry Gareau Jazz Duo and the Larry Gareau Trio. This evening he will be accompanied by Donn Trenner on piano.

Larry’s performances are laced with intriguing background stories of the artists and their music, thus
making even old favorites come alive. His stories are part of his personal and professional life in that he
has played supporting performances with Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Jr., Aretha Franklin, Bernadette
Peters, Johnny Mathis, Franki Valli, The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Ojays, Mannheim Steamroller,
The Irish Tenors, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Don Rickles, and Regis Philbin. He has performed with the Hartford
and New Haven Symphonies, and played Broadway shows at the Bushnell, Shubert and Oakdale
Theaters, and the Goodspeed Opera House. Recent solo appearances include Central Connecticut State
University Jazz Ensemble, Southern Connecticut State University Wind Ensemble, Bristol High School
Wind Ensemble, Hartford Pops Band, Farmington Valley Symphony, Colchester Civic Orchestra, Nutmeg
Symphony, Goff House Gazebo Series, New Britain Museum of Modern Art, and the Baby Grand Jazz
Series in Hartford.
This promises to be a most interesting and interactive evening for music lovers at the Marlborough Arts
Center, 231 North Main Street, Marlborough, CT. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. with the concert from 7:30-
9:00 p.m. Admission at the door is $8 per individual and $15 for two. BYOWine with other refreshments
available. You are invited to come early and browse the fine art exhibited in the Charles W. Hall Art
Gallery and shop in the newly renovated Gift Shop containing unique artistic creations from jewelry to
ceramics, to hand-carved wooden bowls, and even to beeswax candles made by the beekeeper.
Everything has been created by member artists and all art is available for sale by cash or check.
The Marlborough Arts Center is a non-profit regional center for the fine arts, performing arts, and fine
crafts. Visit their website at www.marlbrougharts.org for more information on artistic events, classes,
and activities, check Facebook: Marlborough Arts Center, or telephone (860) 295-9389.

Town Hall Gallery Open

As part of their community outreach, the Marlborough Arts Center sponsors art shows at Marlborough’s Town Hall, 26 North Main Street. To begin 2014, the show will feature art by students in the Elmer Thienes-Mary Hall Elementary School, under the direction of their art teacher, Denise Ketterer. This show will be up in the Town Hall Gallery for all of January and February during usual opening hours which are Monday – Thursday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and Friday from 8:00 a.m. – noon.

Stegasaurus Naming Awards

 

The Marlborough Arts Center (MAC) has a new sculpture on its grounds: a minimalist Stegosaurus sculpted by artist member Neal Alderman. A contest was held at the Elmer Thienes Mary Hall Elementary School in collaboration with their art teacher, Denise Kellerer, to name the sculpture. The winner of the contest was Elizabeth Peters, grade 5, who named it “MACxine”. Neal Alderman said that he had not thought of the sculpture as having a female gender, but when he and the Board of Directors heard the name it just seemed right.

Elizabeth was honored at the school’s Pride Assembly on October 23, 2013 with a certificate written in
calligraphy by Laurie Alt, a Marlborough Arts Center artist and Board Member. The top three winners:
Elizabeth, along with the first runner up Emma Kindle (3rd grade) and Isabella Ramirez (grade 5) the
second runner up, were brought up before the assembly and each awarded with books of passes for the
Colchester Cinema presented personally by the sculptor, Neal Alderman. The three winners were very
creative with their naming: beyond “MACxine”, the 1st runner up was “MACarthur” and 2nd runner up
was “Art”.
Thanks are in order also to NESCI of East Hampton and Chris Falkowski of Marlborough, two of Neal
Alderman’s associates, who helped him in the permanent placing of “MACxine” in its new home in the
front garden of the Marlborough Arts Center at 231 North Main Street where everyone is welcome to
come see it.
The Marlborough Arts Center is a non-profit regional center for the fine arts, performing arts, and fine
crafts. Visit their website www.marlborougharts.org for information on the latest artistic activities and
membership, check in on Facebook, or phone (860) 295-9389.

Painting with Oils and Acrylics: DEAN WAITE, INSTRUCTOR

Tuition: $30 ($25 for members) for each 2-hour session. Each class is payable a month in advance. This workshop meets every Thursday from 1:00- 3:00pm. Participants of this class can come in at different levels and join the group for instruction and critique. Dean started out as an illustrator. For many years, his paintings have been shown throughout the United States, and he is most recognized for his maritime subjects. He also created the well known “Mini-Vues” and these are available in the Arts Center Gift shop as greeting cards, suitable for framing, and also on coffee mugs. He has instructed ongoing weekly workshops at the Arts Center for many years, where his students acknowledge him for greatly improving their painting technique.