Art & Community at the April Loop

I always find adventure on the Art Loop, not only in art, but also in community---this one was no different. To start the night, hubby and I enjoyed drinks at the newest Market Street hotspot, Chelsea Tavern. Both bar and tables were filled, a festive atmosphere echoing the space. We ran into Gary Cardi, Partner at Public House, enjoying mussels with friends at the bar and DSO Directory of Community Engagement, Mark Mobley who chatted about the DSO’s new CD (#14 on the classical charts) and the upcoming “Life, Death & Mack the Knife” performance on April 16 & 17.

Post drinks, we headed to Red Mohawk Gallery, where it seemed the entire Art Loop had congregated. Twenty-somethings alongside retirees, veteran artists and students enlivened the room, fueled by the mixed-media pop art works of Brad Turner (and perhaps red wine and Pabst Blue Ribbon). His three-eyed “Casper” and “Dutch Boy” pieces are jocular and graffiti-like. I admired a rustic-looking acrylic on board that advised you to “Question Everything”. People sightings: Delaware Art Museum Development Director Susan Zellner and a pal, and newlyweds artist Nicole Royer and photographer/musician Christian Kaye. Before we left, we said hello to Red Mohawk himself, Geoff Blake, who is looking forward to participating in the Fringe Wilmington Festival this fall.

Just around the corner, Poppycock Tattoo was buzzing---literally. As we walked in, a young guy relaxed in the chair, getting “inked” with an audience watching. The artwork---contorted, mask-like acrylics of Jeff Madonna and quirky, folk art-inspired pen and inks of Joe Breitenbach---jumped from the walls like giant tattoo samples. My hubby particularly liked Maddona’s piece “Gold Mask”; I enjoyed Breitenbach’s PA-Dutch-meets-New-Age-mystic, color-packed work.

Throughout the night, Loopers were treated to members of Delaware Valley Chorale, adorned in apple wreath headdresses and witty signs, roaming in and out of galleries promoting their upcoming concert, Haydn’s The Creation, on May 16. As we walked back to our car, I was thrilled to see the streets still alive with people, most I am sure headed to the re:FRESH afterparty at the DCCA. Hooray for spring activity in downtown Wilmo!

See http://www.redmohawk.com/.
See http://www.poppycocktattoo.com/.
See http://www.delawarevalleychorale.org/.

“Treasures of World Song” for a Treasure of an Organ

On Saturday, April 17, at 7:30 pm singer, composer, guitarist and saz player Gerard Edery brings his ensemble to Congregation Beth Emeth in Wilmington for an evening of Sephardic Music. Originally from Casablanca, Morocco, the New York-based musician is a master and scholar of Judeo-Spanish songs. Rich in musical influence, the songs are born of an oral tradition from the Balkans, North Africa and Greece.

A trained operatic bass baritone, Edery sings with a rich, warm tone. He accompanies himself with the guitar and the saz---a wonderful lute-like Turkish instrument. Edery’s band also includes Meg Okura on violin and erhu and Sean Kupisz on bass. In addition to Judeo-Spanish music, the trio will perform folk and popular songs from France, Ireland and South America. The concert is a benefit for Beth Emeth’s new organ.

For tickets and information: 302-764-2393 or www.bethemethde.org.

To hear Edery’s music: http://www.sefaradrecords.com/.

Two Cultures: Many Perspectives

Always during the Wilmington Art Loop something really catches my eye. This time it was Tanya Murphy Dodd’s mixed media artwork entitled Shadows of a Journey and a presentation of photography Socialism of the 21^st Century by Gabriel Pilonieta and his son Esteban Martin Pilonieta Vera. Both exhibits used photography to tell the story of a people.

The muted tones of Tanya Murphy Dodd’s scenes added to their warmth and historical flavor. The artist told us she used family photographs, antique photographs as well as her own. The photographs of soldiers, farm sites, churches and other powerful icons in African-American life are worked into her art and help create images that are rich in story. Dodd often paints into, around and over the photographs, which she uses as a starting point. Be sure to visit the Christina Cultural Arts Center to see this fabulous, unique work. (See image, top.)

See http://tanyamurphydodd.blogspot.com/.

The Market Street Brew Ha Ha seemed the perfect location for the photography of the father and son team, Gabriel Pilonieta, editor of El Tiempo Hispano, and Esteban Martin Pilonieta Vera (EMPV) senior in the BFA program at the University of Delaware. Though I found myself wishing these photographs had been mounted or framed, the tacks holding them in place on the cramped wall seemed apropos. Immigrants from Venezuela, the men, now both living in Delaware, returned to their homeland and took bold, sorrowful pictures of the people and streets of the villages. Often, the photos included images or posters of socialist propaganda juxtaposed with blatant visions of extreme poverty. The wonderful detail of humanity and the vibrant countryside tell the story of a tough struggling people. (See image.)

See http://sefuepalnorte.blogspot.com/.