Plein Air Painting, Dancing, and Music Expand Sidewalks’ Creative Boundaries
WISCASSET, MAINE – Renowned jazz clarinetist Brad Terry is making a special guest appearance during the Wiscasset Art Walk on August 25, 5-8pm. He’s invited 14-year old jazz guitarist Asa Waldo to join him along with long-time friend and musical colleague Vaughn DeForest on acoustic base. The trio will be playing to visitors in Wiscasset Bay Gallery, 67 Main St., throughout the evening.
According to Terry, he and DeForest are mentoring the considerably younger Waldo. “At 14,” says Terry, “Asa is an amazingly extraordinary talent.” And if Asa misses a note, continues Terry, he and DeForest are right there to lift him up. Terry also has high praise for DeForest, a retired doctor. He’s another “extraordinary musician.” Thanks to serendipity, the Wiscasset Art Walk is lucky to have them. Asa’s father, Jonathan Waldo, is an accomplished classical guitarist and instrument maker. He’s also been a regular gallery musician for the WAW since the event’s inception in 2013. In conversation, the elder Waldo mentioned the Wiscasset Art Walk to Terry, now mostly retired and living in Bath, whose love of music, performance, and sharing his passion with the community, resulted in this gig. Terry, who’s played with Dizzy Gillespie and other jazz giants, occasionally changes instruments and uses whistling instead of clarinet. Will he whistle his jazz during the WAW? Come hear for yourself!
Strolling the Wiscasset Village sidewalks during the August 25 Art Walk will put visitors in the midst of a creative explosion. A group of plein air artists, organized by Wiscasset artist Jorge Pena, will be painting during the evening. Pena and colleagues Stephan Giannini, Roberta Goschke, Ellen Pelletier, and Tony Van Hasselt will set up easels, talk with visitors, and create unique views of Wiscasset Village. These and other paintings will be on display and for sale at the Maine Art Gallery, 15 Warren St., on Saturday, August 27, 4 to 9:30pm, and Sunday, August 28, 10am to 4pm. Public invited!
Luminarium Dance Co., a contemporary dance group from Boston, will be dancing throughout the Village while Married with Chitlins plays their unique country sound. Local artist Val Lovelace will display her work on the Village sidewalks, and the Garden Club of Wiscasset will sell fresh-from-the-garden bouquets near Treats, which hosts an acclaimed wine tasting from 4 to 7pm.
Indoors, artists George Mason and Leonard Meiselman talk with visitors (6pm and 7pm) about their exhibit, Unspoken, featured at Midcoast Conservancy, while Jonathan Waldo’s classical guitar adds a soundtrack to their art.
Damariscotta Mills printmaker Nancy Coleman will be at BIRCH signing her art and talking with visitors. Guest artist Pamela Morra is featured at Ingram Art & Antiques. And Wiscasset Bay Gallery exhibits Maine and America in the Twentieth Century while the Terry trio plays for guests. WBG Modern and Contemporary, a very unique gallery-in-a-barn, hosts jazz guitarist Will Bann.
Park your car once and enjoy a stimulating evening at the Wiscasset Art Walk on Thursday, August 25, 5-8pm. Ramble the sidewalks and drop in to the many OPEN DOORS where artists, musicians, and merchants will greet you like anticipated friends.
Wiscasset Art Walk is held on the last Thursday of the summer months with August 25 and September 29 remaining this season, from 5-8pm. Participant sites are marked with colorful streamers; touring maps, listing the locations for all guest artists and musicians, are available from participants throughout the Village. Major Sponsors for Wiscasset Art Walk 2016 are Ames True Value, Big Barn Coffee, Carleton Real Estate, Carriage House Gardens, First National Bank, and Fogg Art Restoration. Additional sponsors are the Carl M.P. Larrabee Agency, Cod Cove Inn, French & Co. Antiques, and Red's Eats.
