Art Shows

Every January, the local community art league embarks into the new calendar year with its annual Food Show. The theme of the 2023 juried exhibit is  “Nibble.” This yearly contest is highlighted by an evening fund raiser each February entitled “Let Them Eat Art” where local restauranteurs and brewpub owners compete for awards by concocting tasty treats and beverages based on the themes of the artworks on display in the gallery. For this culinary art show, the BRC craftsman designed the Gone Fishin` banjo. The peg head boldly displays a leaping “lunker” ready to battle any sporting angler. Meanwhile, a peaceful fisherman carefully reels in a fish that nibbled at some bait and fell prey to the hook within it.

The lower fretboard illustrates hungry fish in various stages of eagerly breaching the water`s surface in search of a snack while swimming among hidden barbed hooks clothed in bait. At the fifth fret space, an angler contentedly lands a catch.

In the upper neck, busy fish glide to and fro looking for a meal in waters coursed by attractive lures and thinly disguised hooks.

At the gala January opening reception, exhibit hall guests closely study the features of the Gone Fishin` banjo.

Next month at the Let Them Eat Art fund raiser, gallery visitors will vote on the best food and beverage offerings, and the winners will be ceremoniously announced at the end of the evening.

From the BRC: Have a Happy Groundhog Day.

The  “Gift of Art” winter show at the community gallery is a members-only mid November tradition that opens annually at the beginning of the Holiday season. The BRC craftsman submitted a “Snowy Owl”  themed banjo to the exhibit. This large and solitary bird lives in the high Arctic tundra. A thick layer of feathers insulate the avian, including its feet, from the bitter North Pole temperatures. The Snowy Owl hunts both day and night and lives on a diet of mostly lemmings eaten whole. The young owlets are darker, and males get slowly whiter with age- sometimes almost pure white. The females, however, are festooned with rows of dark feathers giving them an almost checkered coat. Snowy Owls nest on the ground and sleep with one eye open. They can fly at speeds approaching 50 mph. The scientific name for this arctic avian is Bubo scandiaca. A plurality of owls is called a parliament.

On the peg head beneath the North Star, a Snowy Owl perches above the truss rod cover which bears a snowflake and crystal of ice. Dark juvenile owlets are seen on the fretboard beneath northern stars, and more snowflakes and ice appear at the 5th fret space. On the evening before the exhibit was hung, a caller phoned the gallery and inquired if a BRC banjo was submitted to the show. She was advised- yes;  and so she requested and was sent the entry form photo of the banjo. The caller then promptly purchased the Snowy Owl without having seen it in-person, and she agreed to retrieve it after the gala opening reception. It was destined to be a holiday gift for her husband.

On the eve of the Winter Show opening, the BRC craftsman and Bluegrass pals (below) entertained a Senior Center throng with a seasonal pre-Thanksgiving performance.

On the following evening at the gala art league reception, members and guests (below) examine the already sold wintry owl themed BRC 5-stringer.

From the BRC: Have a restful Thanksgiving holiday.

Once a year, the local  community art league conducts a fund raising event to which its members donate original works that are showcased at a gala evening reception and can be purchased at markedly discounted prices. This autumn, the BRC craftsman donated a “Bobcat” themed banjo to the annual “Patron`s Party” benefit.

All the donated art works are hung beforehand in the exhibit hall for ten days, so patrons have an opportunity to browse through the collection and prioritizing a purchasing agenda. Tickets are then bought by customers to attend the festive evening reception where they are scheduled into in a randomly generated round-robin time table to buy items via a Zoom format a few days later. All proceeds go to the art league.

During the gala Patrons` Party, members and guests closely study the “Bobcat” banjo while awaiting their placement in the round-robin buyers` schedule.

From the BRC: With the Holidays just around the corner,  it’s a good occasion for bargain-hunting.