PathwaysARTS kicks off their 10th anniversary of off-season programming with a November lineup featuring past recipients of M.V. Cultural Council grants. The Pathways Gathering Space (at the Chilmark Tavern) will host seven events that will include performances or readings from 20-plus individuals or groups, while the space will be embellished with art by grant recipients. The presentations will encompass music, writing and poetry, visual arts, film, dance, and more.
“We’re pleased to be presenting such a wide range of work for our opening series,” says Tanya Augostinos. “This type of diverse programming is in keeping with the spirit of the Pathways founder Marianne Goldberg’s vision of collaborations and multi-forms.”
Artists whose work will be on display include Julia Mitchell (tapestry), Kate Feiffer (drawings and doodles), Dan Waters (photography), Richard Limber (ink on paper), Bill O’Callahan (ceramics), and Cheyenne Vandall, Susan Johnson, and Bella (paintings). This mix of media exemplifies the all-encompassing aspect of the Pathways initiative. A reception for the artists will take place on Saturday, Nov. 9, from 4:30 to 6:30 pm. The work will hang throughout the month of November.
Two of these visual artists will be part of a multi-arts presentation on that same Saturday. Kate Feiffer and Bill O’Callahan will talk about their work and processes. Also on the bill will be Molly Conole performing an excerpt from her solo show “Seaglass, Quilt and Song: Life in Pieces,” and Daykah, (Dean and Karin Rosenthal) who will perform experimental classical music by Dutch composer Dante Boon on piano and glockenspiel. The program will conclude with Martha Abbot leading a healing ceremony, called an Ayni Despacho, to bring harmony and wellbeing to the community, with the audience invited to participate.
The Tuesday, Nov. 12 event will be dedicated to new writing. Holly Nadler will read from her novel “Emily in the Here and Now.” Paul Levine will present the introduction to his essay “Dreams of Occitania: The Neglected History of a Medieval Corner of Europe.” Elaine Weintraub will read from “Lighting the Trail: the African American Heritage of Martha’s Vineyard,” third edition, focusing on excerpts from the chapters relating to events that occurred in 2017, when the murals painted by students at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School were erased overnight. Bob Dutton will present his essay, “The Value of an Art Education,” and Jill Jupen and Martha Hudson will do a reading of Jupen’s short play, “The Fifty Minute Hour.”
On Friday, Nov. 15 Pathways will present an eclectic evening of storytelling, music, filmmaking, art, and talks. Ann Bassett will talk about and screen excerpts from her ongoing videography project, ”Vineyard Shorts.” Nationally known raconteur Susan Klein will entertain the audience with a few stories. Niki Patton will present two multi-media short stories. Artist Richard Limber will talk about his inspirations and influences,and Len Morris of Galen Films and Media Voices for Children will present a talk on the realities of child labor and his organization’s Beneath the Barcode documentary exhibit. Mark Allen Lovewell will perform selections from his compilation CD of seafaring songs and stories.
Three well known Island poets will take the microphone at Pathways on Tuesday, Nov. 19. Justen Ahren will read his poetry and writing, Fan Ogilivie will read from “Sappho and Fanny: Embracing the Moon,” a work she did based on a dialogue between Sappho and Fanny, and Donald Nitchie will discuss the importance of imitation and read some of his own poems created during his Poetry Drop-In classes. Also on the bill will be Lynn Ditchfield performing short excerpts from her multifaceted project, “Nightmares and Dreams: Immigrant Voices From Inside Detention,” and a talk and screening of the short farcical film “Force of Nature” by Nora Laudani.
There will be a multicultural theme to the program on Friday, Nov. 22. Dancer Christina Montoya will discuss her thoughts and reflections on the subject of “cultural appropriation” in the context of her personal experiences with studying and teaching dance forms originating from cultures other than her own; members of the Black Brook Singers will perform traditional eastern American Indian-style singing, along with a flute song by Carole Vandal; and Roberta Kirn of BeWellSing will teach and lead a song or two from a distant culture. The evening will also feature original folk songs by Dan Waters and talks on two different established Vineyard events — Holly Alaimo on the M.V. Wind Festival and Abby Bender on Built on Stilts.
The MVCC programming will conclude on Friday, Nov. 29, with a program of dance. WE DANCE will include performances by Danielle Doell and Leah Crosby, in collaboration with mask and filmmaker Danielle Mulcahy. They loosely refer to the collaboration as “performance for humans” — a show that “respects that children, adults, and the elderly all deserve high-quality art that is accessible to all.” The evening will wind up with a community dance party with DJ DC Rose.
Pathways programming will continue throughout the winter and spring, with, among other things, the return of the weekly Tuesday Writing and Poetry series, monthly Oceans Films nights, a new collage workshop, and a CinemaDance FilmFest in December. Many events are already scheduled. Visit pathwaysmv.org to learn more.
