MAC Memo September 2015 to the Membership

Great news! As of August 20, MAC officially bought and owns the adjoining land we’ve been talking about to preserve as an ART PARK. You will notice the For Sale sign is down and now Phase 2 of the Project has begun: the planning for the future. Thanks and appreciation to the Hartford Foundation For Public Giving for awarding us a $40,000 Grant and to everyone who donated to match those funds, thus making possible our Vision of saving the land as an ART PARK. Now when you drive/walk past the Arts Center at 231 North Main Street, look also at the woods right next door at 225 North Main Street; that’s our land and what will be the ART PARK.

Our Annual Artist Member Show is open now, every Saturday and Sunday, 1-4 p.m., through September 27, with the exception of Labor Day weekend when MAC will be closed for the holiday. Do come and enjoy the great creativity of our artist members. Winners this year are:

1st place: Jim Grabowski (“Time Sequence Study”); 2nd place: Marthan Lauranitis (“Pineapple”); 3rd place: James Wagner (“Charter Oak Bridge”). Honorable Mentions were awarded to Albert D”Antonio, Bob Desaulnier, & Pattie Bullock.

This month’s 4th Friday @ the Arts Cafe spotlight “Plug Nickle” on Friday, September 25, with music just as interesting as their name.

Heads up that in October we will be celebrating a full month of cultural shows and classes around the Mexican “dia de los muertos”, or day of the dead in honor of loved ones who have died. This is a very interactive and fun month organized by Marilyn Ulion. You will find full details on our website wwww.marlborougharts.org

MAC MEMO TO MEMBERS, AUGUST 2015

We are in the closing stages for the ART PARK, with donations still open and coming in thanks to all.

In fact, so many thanks are in order that we are asking all who donated to come to the Open Reception of the Member Artist Show on Sunday, August 30 from 1-3 in the Art Gallery where we would like to publicly recognize you! There will be a very special recognition for our major donors, who gave $1,000 or more at 2:00 p.m.

What a reception: enjoy the art show; meet and greet the artists; meet the donors for the ART PARK; special honors for major donors at 2:00; art prizes awarded at 3:00; and all this with the hospitality MAC is known for, along with a buffet of treats and drinks. The Member Artist Show will also open weekends 1-4 through September 27, excluding Labor Day weekend.

New this year is that we are offering the possibility to give one of the 4 art prizes in memory of someone who loved the arts. Something we hope will become an annual event. If you would like to give a memorial prize, contact Fran Terase, President, directly at (860) 295-9619.

The 4th Friday @ the Arts Cafe is on Friday, August 28, with the “Sweettarts“, female vocalists Wendi Richardson and Lynn Aguero, who have been singing in bands for over 20 years and now are a great duo with sweet guitar and beautifully blended voices singing favorites from Elvis, the Everly Brothers, and many more whose lyrics you’ll remember and make you want to sing along. SO, come on in and do just that.

All 4th Friday concerts begin at 7;30 but doors open at 7:00, come early, pick your place, peruse the Gift Shop and paintings, and settle down for a great evening.

It is not too soon to buy gifts and artworks as presents for yourself and others, so always check out the unique works we have displayed.

Stay tuned for next month’s MAC MEMO !

MAC Memo to the Membership

Hello All. We are changing slightly the monthly contact with our members. Instead of a President’s Letter, you will be receiving “MAC MEMOS” on activities and news items.

So, MAC MEMO #1 is for July 2015 and begins with the great news that we have been awarded a $40,000 grant to help with the purchase of the land at 225 North Main Street (next door), its preservation and the development of a reflective ART PARK within its natural setting. Each one of you who donated funds to help with this project is making this future extension of the Arts Center possible and the Board thanks you sincerely. If you haven’t yet donated and would like to, please feel free to do so by mailing a check payable to Marlborough Arts Center to us at:  231 North Main Street, Marlborough, CT 06447.

Obviously, that is also the address for our next 4th Friday @ the Arts Cafe on Friday, July 24, starring the return of DEEP ELLUM. Concerts begin at 7:30, but doors open at 7:00 with admission being only $10/person at the door. BYOWine. Other refreshments are available. Come early, shop in the Gift Shop, settle in, and get ready for a wonderful musical experience. DEEP ELLUM is really Rich Johnson and Jon Swift, an acoustic duo who play what they term “Americana” and what their audiences term a mix of favorites to relax with and enjoy. Then there is the dobro, a sound you must hear!

And, this is also where you member artists will drop off works you’d like to enter into our Artist Member Show, with cash prizes for winners, scheduled for August-September. Please see our website for details. Diane Sandler is coordinating this event; you may call her at (860) 295-8242.

There are no classes planned for the summer because vacations make it difficult to plan consistent classes, but always check our website for the latest news and changes. Let us know (leave message at 860-295-9389) if there is a class you would like to take; we will make it happen!

“Enjoy” is the operative term for the summer and we hope you enjoy some of this time with the Arts Center.