News

An Inspiring Evening of Jazz and Poetry

Aarhus Gallery is pleased to present an inspiring evening of Jazz and Poetry on Friday July 30, 2010 at 7:00pm

Tom Luther

‘Words and Music’, a music and poetry event featuring The Crucible Ensemble, made up of poets Joel Lipman, Lauren Murray, Ellen Sander, and pianist Tom Luther. The Crucible Ensemble is an indeterminate and mixed media ensemble whose guiding principle is improvisation. The Crucible Ensemble brings together ideas and sounds from many different disciplines and burns away predisposition and forethought to exist purely in the moment.

The three poets will be reading their work in collaboration with solo piano improvisations. Joel Lipman is a professor of English and Art at University of Toledo, Ellen Sander is a poet, author, sixties rock chronicler, screenwriter, techie, mime, mom, and wisecrack artist. Lauren Murray is a Belfast area poet originally from Boston. At a tender age she attended Naropa Institute and the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics. She is a founding member of the local Poets’ Table, and was a featured poet in the 2009 Belfast Poetry Festival. For money, she works as an occupational therapist, for love she writes and performs poetry. Tom Luther is a pianist and composer who performs regularly with MOJO, and Luna Madidus.

There is a $7 suggested donation and light refreshments will be served.

Aarhus Gallery is located at 50 Main St. Belfast, and open daily 10am-6pm, and Fridays in July and August until 8pm as part of Belfast’s Friday Night Art Walk. For more information visit www.aarhusgallery.com or call 338-0001.

Join baker Spiros Polemis

Join baker Spiros Polemis at The Goodtable and make your own batch of Spiros' favorite bread at the good table (call 207-338-4880 to reserve a spot) on Sat. August 7th from 2-4 PM.

This is a "hands on" learning experience making a simple, delicious bread that will start you on your own bread making journey.

You’ll need to bring:

1. a six-cup (or slightly larger) mixing bowl -- ceramic, glass, or steel -- if you want to take home your dough
2. a tea towel or two
3. an apron (or wear old clothes)

Spiros Polemis’ introduction:

Raised in New York, I moved to Maine with my wife, Buffy Parker in 1996. I was a printer, Buffy a graphic designer. We now live in Stockton Springs where Buffy's fine cooking with local fresh ingredients is a regular culinary delight. However, for a long time we lacked a good bread course for her wonderful meals.

I always wanted to learn to bake good bread, but was intimidated by what I thought was a difficult craft. I decided the first step was to choose which bread would be my ideal – French or Italian. At a restaurant in Montreal, the warm delicious French bread served made my decision for me.

I purchased a classic French bread book, watched Julia Child, and made my first loaf: a baguette. Although it was not the bread I was looking for, it was a start. On a visit to the good table, Vicki showed me a copy of Peter Reinhart's "The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread" which I bought. Among others, he described a very special bread, le pain à l'ancienne, developed by Parisian baker Philippe Gosselin. I made the bread and it turned out perfect the first time and every time I’ve made it. The book and recipe changed my life.

Pain à l'ancienne requires overnight fermentation in the refrigerator. Each of you will have the opportunity to prepare a fresh batch of dough from scratch, and then, from dough previously prepared, shape and bake your own loaf.

This is a craft, but not a difficult one to aquire. Learning how to make this bread will encourage you to branch out and try other bread projects.

I look forward to seeing you August 7.

Spiros Polemis

Cost is $30.00.

George Pearlman at Åarhus Gallery

Pearlman, Storage Jars. Stoneware, 23”x 9”x 9” each

Åarhus is pleased to exhibit the exceptional Maine potter George Pearlman as their guest artist for the month of July. The show runs from June 29th to August 1st, 2010. Please join us for an opening Reception Friday July 2, 5-8pm

George started potting in 1980, received his BS from Syracuse University in 1983, his MFA in ceramics from Pennsylvania State University in 1994 and in 1999 established the St. George Pottery in St. George Maine. He has shown his work internationally and has been the recipient of numerous grants, residencies, and teaching positions throughout the U.S.A. and abroad. George Pearlman describes his ceramic work as a constant and daring exploration of his own preconceptions of beauty and functionality.

We could say that George is a talented and indeed gifted artist, but Henri Matisse warns us that: “It would be a mistake to ascribe this creative power to an inborn talent. In art, the genius creator is not just a gifted being, but a person who has succeeded in arranging for their appointed end, a complex of activities, of which the work is the outcome. The artist begins with a vision -- a creative operation requiring an effort. Creativity takes courage. ”

We could say that the philosophy behind the fine design of Art Nouveau, the gilded mystical imagery of Gustav Klimt, the technical mastery and organic nature of Japanese woodcuts by Hokusai, and glorious Maxfield Parrish colors are reproduced in George Pearlman’s exquisite work. But the artist Paul Klee reminds us that: ”Art does not reproduce the visible, rather, it makes visible.”

We could further try to define what it is that George Pearlman does, but Ani Difranco may have said it best: “Art is why I get up in the morning but my definition ends there. You know, I don’t think it’s fair that I’m living for something I can’t even define.”

It may be best to go to Åarhus Gallery to see George Pearlman’s work for yourself. And while you’re there, try your hand at defining the visible work of Aarhusians; Ingrid Ellison, Annadeene Fowler, Kevin Johnson, Mark Kelly, Richard Mann, Abbie Read, Wesley Reddick and Willy Reddick.

Website

Our Town Belfast

Visit Our Town Belfast on Facebook.

Meetup

As Our Town Belfast gets underway we recognized that we business people still need to have our own space and way to hang out and communicate with each other unencumbered by well meaning neighbors who don’t walk in our shoes. The normal monthly meetings will become the Our Town Belfast meetings with lots of other stuff going on at the meetings. So: we will continue to have a separate monthly meeting just for downtown business people (note the small case). It will be a round table casual meeting without an agenda but open to any and all concerns that we have.

Belfast Co-op Community Announcements

Alec Hartman

FEATURED ARTIST
The Artist’s Eye, nature photographs by Alec Hartman from Vasselboro, Maine, will be on display August 2nd-30th. The Opening will take place along with the Belfast Gallery Art Walks and the Co-op's monthly wine tasting on Friday, August 6th, 7-9 pm. For more information on the artist, visit: www.alecphoto.com.

WINE TASTING & ART OPENING
Friday August 6th, 7-9 pm, Co-op Cafe
The Belfast Co-op free monthly Wine Tastings consist of a sampling of highlighted wines for the season along with gourmet cheeses and crackers. A local wine distributor and the Co-op's wine manager, Ron Poirier, will be available to answer your questions.

EARLY CLOSING
2 PM, August 8th, summer staff party
The Deli will close at 1 pm.

3rd THURSDAY DONATION DAY
Avian Haven Avian Haven, a wild bird rehabilitation center located in Freedom, Maine, will receive 1% of the Belfast Co-op's sales for August 19th.

Customer Appreciation Day

Our 7th Annual Customer Appreciation Day will take place on Saturday August 21st from 10-6. Enjoy great local music, cook-out, book sale, mini health fair, product samples, prizes and more.
Music Schedule & Details (attached pdf schedule)

BELFAST CO-OP
MEMBER SUPER SALE DAY
10% off store-wide
Wednesday, September 1st!

For information regarding Co-op announcements please contact Fran Clemetson; education@belfastcoop.com; 338-2532.

Comments can also be posted at www.belfast.coop/blog. For community resources on local food and cooperative living visit our website at www.belfast.coop.