Pay what you want preview- March 14 6-10pm
Double Edge Theatre’s

Garden of Intimacy and Desire Cycle

conceived and directed by Stacy Klein

created with the double edge ensemble

Double Edge Theatre, Ashfield, MA

March 21 – May 3

The entire Cycle, including the UnPOSSESSED, Republic of Dreams, and the Disappearance, will be performed on Saturdays, March 21, 28, April 4, 18, 25, and May 2. Preview performance March 14. This program is one-time only and seating is very limited. Accompanying symposia includes “Writing about Laboratory Theatre: a conversation with journalists” on March 22, “Emerging Innovators” on April 19, and “Bold Women of Theatre” on April 26.

http://www.doubleedgetheatre.org/calendar.php

Akus Gallery features artist Kelly Bigelow Becerra

Willimantic, Conn. –The Julian Akus Gallery at Eastern Connecticut State University presents the exhibition, “Kelly Bigelow Becerra:  Bittersweet” a solo show.  There will be a gallery talk with the artist on February 19 at 3:00 followed by a reception from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. with a special performance by the Quiet Corner Fiddlers.  The exhibition runs from January 29 through March 12.

Kelly Bigelow Becerra is a contemporary artist who uses the labor-intensive process of direct, flatbed scanning of objects and people to create a digital vocabulary.  Images are created by literally placing objects in direct contact with the glass of the scanner which creates shadowy, softly modeled shapes that are oddly foreshortened. The resulting archive of imagery is used to piece together scenes from her sometimes idyllic/sometimes abusive childhood in the rural Midwest.  Both the heavily patterned images and the process itself of piecing the digital works together are inspired from traditional American sampler patterns.  The viewer is drawn in by the unassuming, familiar, and homey patterns and taken aback by the deeper message of a family in disarray.

Bigelow Becerra was recently awarded an Artist Fellowship Grant via the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism.  She has exhibited with the Rodger Lapelle Gallery, Philadelphia, PA and the Aldrich Contemporary Museum of Art, Ridgefield, CT, among other venues in the northeast.  She is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

In addition to being an exhibiting fine artist, Kelly Bigelow Becerra is also a filmmaker. She is the co-writer and co-producer of the short film “Dear Beautiful” which was chosen as an official selection of The Sundance Film Festival 2009. Collaborating with her partner and husband Roland Becerra (director and animator of the film) Bigelow Becerra worked as assistant director, designed the distinctive “look” of the monsters seen in the film, and co-wrote the screenplay for the animated feature length version of “Dear Beautiful”, which is in production. “Dear Beautiful” was winner of the Moving Pictures Magazine Animated Short Film competition and screened during The Cannes Film Festival 2007.

New York Times review 1/2/09 of the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art exhibition Full Circle: 10 Years of Radius which features Becerra’s archival digital work http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/04/nyregion/connecticut/04reviewct.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Connecticut Post review 1/9/09 of Becerra’s film “Dear Beautiful” http://www.connpost.com/ci_11416874

Kelly Bigelow Becerra’s blog http://artstarkelly.blogspot.com/

Becerra’s film “Dear Beautiful” is one of 96 short films selected to screen at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival http://festival.sundance.org/2009/film_events/films/dear_beautiful
Akus Gallery
Eastern Connecticut State University

83 Windham Street
Willimantic, CT 06226

Gallery: 860-465-4659
Office: 860-465-4647

Hours:

Tuesday-Wednesday 11am – 5pm

Thursday 1pm – 7pm

Saturday-Sunday 2pm – 5pm

We bring you coverage from the January 13 rally at Union Station in Hartford where the Universal Health Care Foundation of CT unveiled its new plan for universal coverage called SustiNet.

Click here to download the MP3

On Saturday, March 7th at 8pm at The Annex, located in the WindhamArts Center in Willimantic, Rock yer Socks will celebrate its 3 year anniversary. That’s 3 years of promoting independent musicians (local, national, and international), 3 years of all-ages rock shows, 3 years of quirky raffles, the occasional independent film, and spontaneous dance parties. Oh yes, we could tell you some stories- things a three-year-old shouldn’t know. But one thing 3-year-olds do know is what makes for a great birthday party: cupcakes, magicians, roller skates, and balloon animals, and we’ve got a little of each.

This year’s lineup includes four CT bands (Florida=Death, Mutiny Amongst Friends, Night of the Rabbit, and Post-Modern Sounds) and Serious Heart Attack from Brooklyn, NY. Each of these bands has a unique sound and each is heavily influenced by post-punk, a far reaching genre encompassing such diverse bands as Sonic Youth, Mission of Burma, and Echo & the Bunnymen.

The evening’s entertainment will take place from 8-11pm. Between bands concert goers shall be treated to live performances by the Odd Children Uprising Circus Sideshow and others yet to be announced. There will also be the usual assortment of cupcakes (traditional and vegan) that have become a staple of RYS birthday shows. Cupcakes are kindly donated each year by a regular crew of RYS supporters.

Rock yer Socks is an independent collective of musicians, activists, and artists intent on bringing quality, independent music to central CT. We strive to provide a positive atmosphere for the exchange of thoughts, art, and music. The 3rd Anniversary Birthday Bash Show will take place at The Annex, 866 Main Street, Willimantic, CT 06226. Cost for the event is $8, or $6 w/ a canned good donation. For more information, to listen to these and other local bands, or to contact RYS please visit www.myspace.com/rockyersocksbooking or write rockyersocks@gmail.com.

An electronic-improv trio of Lief Ellis (laptop), Bill Solomon (percussion), and Matt Sargent (laptop) performs an innovative multimedia concert at Creative Cocktail Hour.  We’ll be performing soundtracks to films by our friends Liz Stephens and Devan Mulvaney. 6-10 pm — we’ll be performing three sets during the evening (starting at 7, 8, and 9 pm). See www.realartways.org and www.hartfordsoundalliance.com for more information.