Nippertown!

Posts Tagged ‘Arts Center of the Capital Regon’

Let Your Voice Be Heard on Arts Day

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

Last month, Governor Paterson stood onstage at The Egg and proposed at all state funding to The Egg be cut off. All of it.

Read The Egg’s response here.

And, of course, The Egg isn’t the only Nippertown arts organization to get hammered in Paterson’s proposed NYS budget for 2010-2011. Every arts and cultural organization will be hit hard. The Governor’s proposal includes a staggering $9 million cut to the budget of the New York State Council on the Arts.

Wednesday is Arts Day 2010, and if you think that the arts play a crucial role in the quality of life and economic growth, it’s an opportunity to have your voice heard.

At 5:30pm tonight, the Arts Center of the Capital Region in Troy is hosting “Arts Advocacy Primer: A How-To Workshop for Advocates.” Brush up on the issues, get the talking points, and learn how easy it can be to advocate directly to your legislators on Arts Day. At this workshop, you’ll learn where the money comes from and how to ensure that the funding continues. The workshop is free.

Make your voice heard!

Tags: Albany, Arts Center of the Capital Regon, The Egg, Troy
Posted in Be Here Now | Comments Off

Real Good for Free: Carnatic Music Ensemble @ ACCR, 1/17/10

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

Internationally acclaimed Indian vocalist and teacher Vidya Subramanian will lead the Carnatic Music Ensemble in concert at the Arts Center of the Capital Region in Troy at 1:30pm Sunday (January 17). The performance will be preceded by a pre-concert talk at 1pm.

Carnatic music is a style of classical music from South India. It is a 3,000-year-old musical tradition that balances a lively mix of compositions and exciting improvisation.

The ensemble also features Ravi Srinivasan on violin and Ganesh Sankaranarayanan on mridangam, a traditional Indian drum.

Subramanian was recently awarded a $2,500 grant from the New York State Council on the Arts distributed by Saratoga Arts, and she will be offering a series of six free Indian music training sessions at the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public Library:

Session 1: Saturday, January 16, 2pm. Raga (melody) and Tala (rhythm)
Session 2: Saturday, January 23, 2pm. Compositions and Great Composers
Session 3: Saturday, January 30, 2pm. Carnatic music and Spiritualism
Session 4: Saturday, February 13, 2pm. Improvisation in Carnatic Music
Session 5: Saturday, February 20, 2pm. How to Appreciate a Carnatic Music Concert
Session 6: Saturday, February 27, 2pm, More on Carnatic Concert Appreciation

Tags: Arts Center of the Capital Regon, classes, Clifton Park, Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public Library, free, Troy, Vidya Subramanian
Posted in Real Good For Free | Comments Off

Gift Guide: The Gift of Making Art

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

Shop local, we say. And support local artists.

You can do both at The Shop at The Arts Center, which always has high-quality, one-of-a-kind gifts made by local artists, all at a great price. They’re open through December 24th.

Or, more in the line of metaphorically teaching someone to fish, you can buy gift certificates for classes at the Arts Center. They’ve got a slew of them, from from the more typical drawing, painting and pottery courses to classes in video, yoga and exotic cupcake making. There are also classes specifically aimed at children and teens.

Over the years I’ve taken several classes here, and I’ve always enjoyed them, met interesting people and learned a lot. You (or the lucky recipient of your gift certificate) will too.

ACCR, 265 River Street in Downtown Troy.

Tags: Arts Center of the Capital Regon, classes, Gift Guide, Troy
Posted in Art | Comments Off

Bleep-bleep, Buzzzzz, Blipp…

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

Peter Edwards and Kate Swester at Casperland

Musician-inventor and co-mayor of Casper Land in Troy, Peter Edwards is spreading the word on circuit bending by teaching a two-day class at the Arts Center of the Capital Region on Saturday and Sunday, December 5-6.

“Making Music through Electronics Hacking and Circuit Bending” will teach you the experimental process of short-circuiting and re-wiring audio electronics for the purpose of discovering unintended, often bizarre functionalities. The process is fun and inventive, often leading to new forms of musical expression and interaction.

Each student will received a soldering iron and a set of basic circuit bending tools to keep, and during the class they will transform one item they bring with them into a unique musical instrument.

The class will take place over the course of a single weekend – 11am-5pm on Saturday, December 5 and 12noon-4pm on Sunday, December 6 – at the Arts Center of the Capital Region in Troy. Registration is $100 for non-ACCR members plus a $30 studio fee. Deadline for registration is Sunday, November 29. Call the Arts Center at 518.273.0552 for registration and additional information.

Tags: Arts Center of the Capital Regon, Casperland, Troy
Posted in Music | Comments Off

FIVE FIRSTS: Tom Occhiogrosso of Fear of Flying

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

fof NAME: Tom Occhiogrosso
BAND AFFILIATION: Fear Of Flying
INSTRUMENT: Drums

1. THE FIRST ALBUM I EVER BOUGHT WAS … Jimi Hendrix’s “Are You Experienced”

2. THE FIRST CONCERT THAT I EVER SAW WAS … Rare Earth at SPAC

3. THE FIRST MUSICAL INSTRUMENT I EVER OWNED OR PLAYED WAS … Snare Drum

4. THE FIRST SONG THAT I EVER PERFORMED IN PUBLIC WAS … “Wooly Bully”

5. THE FIRST BAND I WAS EVER IN WAS … Chrisalis

Tom Occhiogrosso and his Fear of Flying bandmates serve up a powerhouse progressive rock concert at the Arts Center of the Capital Region in Troy on Friday, October 16.

Tags: Arts Center, Arts Center of the Capital Regon, Fear of Flying, Tom Occhiogrosso, Troy
Posted in Be Here Now, Five Firsts, Music | Comments Off

Weekday Happenings

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

Rejoice, boys & girls, moms & dads! You live in Nippertown, where you don’t have to wait for the weekend for good things to happen.

Here are a few suggestions of things to do during the next couple of days:

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13
Social Distortion with the Strangers, Middle Class Rut @ Northern Lights, Clifton Park
Communal Drone Night @ the Arts Center of the Capital Region, Troy (FREE)
Renaissance with Jann Klose @ The Egg, Albany
Kate Voegele with Green River Ordinance @ Revolution Hall, Troy
Opening night of “The Color Purple” @ Proctors, Schenectady

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14
The Dave Brubeck Quartet @ St. Rose’s Massry Center for the Arts, Albany
“Dancing on the Air” with Jay Ungar & Molly Mason @ The Linda, Albany
Opening night of “The Seafarer” @ Capital Repertory Theatre, Albany
“Silent Film Spectacular!”: “The Lost World” with music by Beware! The Other Head of Science @ Albany Public Library, Albany (FREE)
“Live from the Living Room” poetry reading with Jason Crane @ the Capital District Gay and Lesbian Community Center, Albany

Tags: Albany, Arts Center, Arts Center of the Capital Regon, Capital, Center, Clifton Park, Community, District, Gay, Lesbian, Linda, Massry, Northern Lights, Proctors, Public Library, Repertory, Revolution Hall, Schenectady, St. Rose, The Egg, Theatre, Troy
Posted in Be Here Now | 1 Comment »

Video, Light, Sound & Art @ ACCR, Make Your Own!!

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

Aaaaand, speaking of video, light, sound and art at ACCR, they’ve just published their fall-winter class catalog and it’s a doozy. Drawing, dance, cooking, pottery, woodworking, yoga, stained glass, Jewelry-making, writing… you name it, it’s probably there. There are classes for children and teens, beginners and advanced.

Here are three classes that caught our eye:

Making Music through Electronics Hacking and Circuit Bending
Saturday and Sunday, 11/21/2009 – 11/22/2009, 12:30 – 4:00 p.m. (2 classes)
Members: $90 | Non-Members: $100 | Studio Fee: $30

Saturday and Sunday, 1/16/2009 – 1/17/2009, 12:30 – 4:00 p.m. (2 classes)
Members: $90 | Non-Members: $100 | Studio Fee: $30
Instructor: Peter Edwards

Circuit bending is the experimental process of short-circuiting and re-wiring audio
electronics for the purpose of discovering unintended, often bizarre functionalities.
The process is fun and inventive and often leads to new forms of musical expression
and interaction. Instructor Peter Edwards will cover the basics of bending and
help participants through the design and modii cation process. Each student will
received a soldering iron and a set of basic circuit bending tools to keep, and will
transform one item they bring with them into a unique musical instruments. This
class is beginner friendly but previous experience with electronics and simple hand
tool use is helpful.

(more…)

Tags: Arts Center, Arts Center of the Capital Regon, catalog, class, course, Jule Caspar Roth, Peter Edwards, schedule, Troy, Vidya Subramanian
Posted in Art, Film/TV/DVD, Music | Comments Off

Be Here Now: Video, Light, Sound & Art @ ACCR, 9/25/09

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

The Arts Center of the Capital Region in Troy gets its video on with a special week-long showcase of the work of Nippertown video artists. It all gets underway with “A 21st Century Celebration of Light & Art,” a free opening reception and performance from 5-9pm on Friday, September 25, in conjunction with the monthly Troy Night Out arts walk.

Curated by Goodship, the exhibit spotlights a wide variety video art work, including documentaries, student and community work, computer animation and live performance video art. And you can delve into the more scientific side of light and color in the “Coloring Room.” Artists whose works are included in the exhibition are Penny Lane, Annmarie Lanesey, Chris Harvey, Jesse Stiles, lmnopf, skfl, fi$h2000, Vodstrup, Kyra Garrigue, Carrie Dashow, Jesse Pearlman, Karlsberg, Gabriel Diaz, Mike Feurstein, Román Jaquez, Ray Cutler, Captain Entropy and many others.

In addition, artists affiliated with the Albany Sonic Arts Collective and Casper Land will present a future-oriented and compelling collection of short improvisatory sonic explorations with video projections by Jason Cosco, including: tape manipulation and electronics from G. Lucas Crane and Eric Hardiman; guitar improv, vocals and feedback loops from Ray Hare; circuit bent and homemade electronic wizardy from Pete Edwards; modified electric banjo and electronics from Holland Hopson; and improvised percussion and electronics from Matt Weston.

Also in the Arts Center galleries, you’ll find a live video remix of local illustrators by lmnopf, live DJs, circuit-bending demos by Casper Land and a video game showcase from 1st Playable in the Digital Artist Space.

Step outside the Arts Center doors and experience a colossal light and sound installation in Monument Square.

Finally, why not stay late and dance the night away? The Official Unofficial Troy Night Out Afterparty begins at 9pm and goes late into the night, as the edges of multimedia art are pushed even further. See the artists in action with live music and video collaborations featuring thejessestiles3000, We are Architects, back from japan, jenkins and more.

Admission is free from 5-9pm; $2 after 9pm. Beer, wine and light fare by Brown’s Brewing Company available all night.

Tags: Albany, Arts Center, Arts Center of the Capital Regon, Casper Land, celebration, Collective, Goodship, Light & Art, Sonic Arts, Troy, Troy Night Out
Posted in Art, Be Here Now, Film/TV/DVD | Comments Off

Be Here Now: The Shakin’ Bakers @ ACCR, 9/18/09

Thursday, September 17th, 2009

Shakin_Bakers “Shake me…
Bake me…
Don’t let me sleep too long”

Yes, there’s yet another new band of old faces on the Nippertown scene.

Jump blues band the Shakin’ Bakers make their official debut on Friday, September 18 in concert at the intimate theater at the Arts Center of the Capital Region.

Leading the charge are master guitarslinger Graham Tichy (Rocky Velvet) and blues harp howler Ted Hennessy (the Doornails, Rockin’ Bonnevilles) with bassman John Ellis and drummer Pete Tumbaco holding down the rhythm end of things. Now that’s a mighty combo…

The band will be stepping into the spotlight at 8pm Friday, but if you can get there early, instructor Jason Fenton is offering free swing dance lessons beginning at 7pm.

Tags: Arts Center, Arts Center of the Capital Regon, Capital Region, Shakin' Bakers, Troy
Posted in Be Here Now, Music | Comments Off

Weekend Roundup

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

This just might be the single busiest weekend of the year, so we really don’t want to hear a single peep out of anyone complaining that there’s nothing to do in Nippertown. Seriously.

Here are just a few suggestions:

Los Lobos

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
Lecture and opening reception for Jennifer Dalton’s “Is It Just Me?” @ the Teaching Gallery @ Hudson Valley Community College, Troy (FREE)
“Capital Region’s Got Talent” @ Revolution Hall, Troy (FREE)
Colleen Pratt & Friends @ the Van Dyck, Schenectady (FREE)
3rd Thursday arts walk @ various locations in Pittsfield, Mass. (FREE)
Los Lobos with Jonah Smith @ the Calvin Theater, Northampton, Mass.
Discussion with Annea Lockwood, Margaret Cogswell and Ian Berry @ the Tang Museum, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs (FREE)

(more…)

Tags: Albany, Arts Center, Arts Center of the Capital Regon, Ballston Spa, Bearsville, Caffe Lena, Calvin Theater, Capital Region, Chatham, Church of St. James, Clifton Park, Cornell Park, County, Empire State Plaza, Fairgrounds, GE Theatre, Ghent, Hudson, HVCC, Jason's, Kingston, Lake George, MCLA, Monument Square, museum, Northern Lights, Northhampton, Pearl Street, Pittsfield, Proctors, Public Library, Revolution Hall, River Street, Saratoga Springs, Schenectady, Shepard Park, Sunnyview Farm, Tang, The Egg, Troy, Van Dyke, Woodstock
Posted in Be Here Now | Comments Off

Odds & Ends @ the End of the Week

Friday, August 28th, 2009

If you’re hooked on any of those dance competition TV shows like “Dancing with the Stars” or “So You Think You Can Dance” or “Stop the Dancefloor, I Wanna Get Off,” you might want to drop by the Arts Center of the Capital Region tonight to see what some serious ballroom dancing looks like in person.

In conjunction with the monthly Troy Night Out arts walk, the ACCR is hosting members of the Capital Region chapter of USA Dance as they demonstrate the rumba, cha-cha, waltz, foxtrot and more at 7pm tonight. Or join in on the dance floor yourself from 6:30-10pm. It’s all free.

The world’s largest Pez dispenser

Spyrestudios: 50 Stunning & Inspirational Stop Motion Videos

Handy information: for a small fee, atheists Eternal Earth-Bound Pets will take care of the pets you leave behind after the Rapture.

Cigar Box Nation: How To Play Cigar Box Guitar

Oh man. This is so wrong but car-crash-fascinating: Poodle doodles: Dogs are transformed into pandas, horses and even snails in a barking mad grooming craze

Well-known Battenville painter Robert Nunnelly has a one week exhibition at Gallery 668, Robert Nunnelly: A selection of Paintings and Drawings 1953-2009. The show runs from 8/29 – 9/6 with an artist reception on Saturday, 8/29 from 4-6pm.

Sunday is your last chance to catch the current exhibition, “Afterglow: Four Photographers and the Hand-Held Light,” at Carrie Haddad Photographs in Hudson.

If you drop by at 5pm Saturday, you can catch three of the exhibit’s photographers – Robert Flynt, David Lebe and Gary Schneider – discussing their work and process in the latest installment of the gallery’s ongoing series of Artist Talks.

Can’t make it on Saturday? The Artist Talk will also be streamed online and available as a podcast through WGXC-FM.

Tags: Arts Center of the Capital Regon, atheists, ballroom dancing, Battenville, Carrie Haddad, cigar box, David Lebe, dispenser, Gary Schneider, guitar, Hudson, largest, pets, pez, poodle, rapture, Robert Flynt, Robert Nunnelly, Troy
Posted in Art, Offbeat | Comments Off

Fall events @ ACCR in Troy

Friday, August 28th, 2009

The Arts Center of Capital Region has announced its fall season of concerts, performances and other events.

Here’s how it shapes up:

Wednesday, September 16, 7pm
“Beloved on the Earth: 150 Poems of Grief + Gratitude”
Area writers included in this best-selling poetry anthology will read from the collection and related work on the subject of death, mourning and gratitude for lost loved ones.
Free

Friday, September 18, 8pm
The Shakin’ Bakers
Formed from the ashes of Rocky Velvet, the Rockin’ Bonnevilles and other area roots-rock staples, this jump blues supergroup features guitar hero Graham Tichy, blues harpiest Ted Hennessey, bassist John Ellis and drummer Pete Tumbaco. This show marks their very first public appearance! Free swing dance lesson at 7pm with instructor Jason Fenton.
$12; members $10

(more…)

Tags: Arts Center, Arts Center of the Capital Regon, Capital Region, events, Fall, schedule, Troy
Posted in Be Here Now | Comments Off