The Haines Arts Council will host two concerts this month at the Chilkat Center.
On Sunday, Feb. 23, soloist Gideon Freudmann will perform “CelloBop,” a unique musical genre featuring electric cello. Freudmann has been improvising and riffing on traditional music styles with the instrument for more than 30 years. He loops and layers sounds to create orchestral pieces.
“There is sense of humor, a spirit of eclectic adventure, and a mastery of classic and jazz forms in these pieces. This fusion of talent and experiment makes for a peerless and unforgettable collection of gems,” online music magazine Perfect Sound Forever said.
Freudmann began playing cello at age 8. He first gained a following as part of a two-man folk group in his home state, Connecticut. Throughout the 80s and 90s, he continued to expand his sound repertoire, working as both a solo artist and as part of collaborations. In the early 2000s, he moved to Portland, Oregon where he got involved in scoring silent films.
On Friday, Feb. 28, singer-songwriter Darrell Scott will perform original pieces for guitar. The Nashville native grew up in a musical family. By the age of 4, he was hooked on guitar. He continued to play throughout his time at Tufts University, where he studied poetry and literature.
Scott’s music is characterized by his gift for wordsmithing. He turns everyday occurrences into poignant lyrics. Scott has performed with big-name artists including Willie Nelson and the Zac Brown Band and has written songs for the Dixie Chicks and numerous other country singers.
These days, Scott spends his time crafting new pieces and teaching singer-songwriter workshops. His newest album is scheduled for release this year. His performance in Haines is part of a week-long tour of the Pacific Northwest.
Museum aims to curb cabin fever with wellness exhibit
The Haines Sheldon Museum is opening an exhibit on First Friday, Feb. 7, that focuses on health and wellness titled “Hale & HeARTy” through the perspective of the arts.
While many health and wellness programs focus on the physical, the museum’s exhibit will focus on creativity and self-expression as additional means to wellness.
“Art nurtures the soul, fosters creative growth, stimulates self-expression, and provides a way to communicate and make meaningful connections with others,” the exhibit statement says. “Expressing yourself through the arts can be one of the more enjoyable components of an overall wellness plan.”
The exhibit includes archived artworks by past and present creators Nathan Jackson, Alexandra Feit, Merrick Bochart, Heidi Robichaud, Tia Heywood, Wayne Price, Diana Kelm and Gil Smith, among others.
Fiber arts, handicrafts, writing and journaling, music and performing arts encompass the displays.
Robichaud, an artist and clinical social worker, said she often uses art therapy with children. “It allows them to express themselves in ways that are more nonverbal,” Robichaud said. “A lot comes out in art.
Interpretive panels will explain the psychology behind art programs in health clinics and hospitals and art therapy, museum community coordinator Regi Johanos said.
“Art therapy is an established clinical therapy where there’s a focus on creating rather than the end product, and using creative expression as an alternative to dialogue,” Johanos said of the exhibits “Art Heals” theme and interpretive panel.
She said it’s no coincidence the exhibit will open in the dead of winter. “That was the plan,” Johanos said. “This is a time we all need to have a little more art and increased sense of wellbeing.”
Hagen to display Ugashik landscape photography
John Hagen will feature about a dozen black-and-white landscape photographs from his time in Ugashik last summer during First Friday at the Arts Confluence on Main Street.
Hagen was awarded a Rasmuson Individual Artist Award last June which helped fund his trip to Bristol Bay where he photographed the land around his family’s home and setnet site. His aunt and uncle fish the site every summer that his grandfather originally owned.
One of the photos Hagen selected for display is also touring the state as a part of Alaska State Museum’s Alaska Positive, a biennial exhibition of “Alaska photography.” It’s titled “The Sound of Wind and Grass.”
“It’s a very quiet spot,” Hagen said of Ugashik. “Hanging around Haines you get the sense that there’s a lot of machinery moving around. There’s a lot of activity. There’s not much out there to make noise. What would overwhelm my senses when I was out there was the sound of the grass, being able to hear the sound of the grass.”
Hagen produced a total of 20 photographs from his time in Bristol Bay, and about 12 will be on display. His trip was cut short after he broke his wrist. He plans to return to complete more portraiture work.