The AC Story

16 people from the Adirondacks

Go to Montreal for the Day

Driving in a Paddywagon and 2 SUV’s

3 Hours Away

Waiting in line for

Schwartz’s wonderful smoked meat

Worth every bite

Contemporary Art Museum

Video looking at itself

East and West

Whirling Dervish curtains

Some stood in

Piano room

Plays with your movement

Beethoven heads lined up on the floor

Paper Piano

Something new

Streets with colorful characters

Amazing “Old Town” 

Canada is another country

Ending up by the Gate in China Town

On Clark Street

Finding our way 

Authentic Chinese Cuisine

Dragon beard candy

Bubble tea

And no wok

Back to the Mountains

Memories of Montreal

3 Hours Away

by Cornelia Tobey
 

AC Gallery Director

Inspired by the AC’s first Arts Excursion!

As the AC gears up for another summer filled with exhibits, workshops, music and theatre, we are also busy planning benefit events to help us continue to bring you all this great art!  Preparations for our two big summer fundraisers, the Annual Auction on July 2, and the Great Arts Benefit on August 13, are in full swing.  All this event-planning energy in the office has made me reflect on how I got started on the party planning path.

I can’t actually remember the first time I threw a party that wasn’t impromptu, or the first fundraising event I ever became involved with.  But over the years, I’ve managed to organize a few nonprofit benefits and community events.

I suppose I’ve become a reasonably good, albeit reluctant, event planner.  I imagine this has something to do with lists.  I love lists.  I make lists on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis.  I have different lined pads of paper for different kinds of lists.  A Magic Rub eraser and a Paper Mate Sharp Writer mechanical pencil are my trusty tools of the trade.  Ordering list items chronologically is my specialty.  I aspire to one day have a master list of all my lists.  I keep paper and pencil by my bed, so handy for those 3 a.m. episodes (you know, eyes-wide-open, bolt-upright, must-not-forget-this-very-important-thing).

The goal of event planning is to throw a bash for (hopefully) a large number of people, and have it all seem effortless and seamless. No one (besides the other planners) should see any hint of the months of preparation, hashing, rehashing, phone calls, errand running, snafus, wailing and gnashing of teeth.  Hopefully all those lists predict, or at least in the end, document, steps in the whole process.

I have learned this:  lists do not a party make.  Certainly, for an event to be successful, it is necessary to know what you want to achieve and how you plan to get there.  But it’s people, lots and lots of people, who really help to shape and move and contribute and support and cheerlead and jump in and bail out and clean up and…you get the idea.  Without scores of dedicated people, you just can’t pull off an awesome event.  Lists can be a road map, but you don’t get there travelling alone.

Which brings me to my favorite list:  the long, lovely volunteer thank-you list that warms my heart and humbles me.  Event planning is not easy, but it’s also never lonely.  And as Martha, the patron saint of party planning says, that’s a good thing.

~ Camille Costa Nerney is the AC’s Executive Assistant, and hopes to add you to her thank-you list.

Had you told me a month and a half ago that I would be working at the Arts Center, I would have thought you were crazy.  In the recent years, I have admired the programming and events that the Arts Center has brought to surrounding communities, subconsciously thinking they were the cool kids of the Adirondacks.  However, I was a history major with limited theater or art experience and thought my involvement with the Arts Center would never extend beyond supporter and admirer.

 However, last month that all changed.  I joined the Arts Center as the Interim Managing Director and have loved every second of this whirlwind process.  I remember thinking, “How do they possibly achieve all of this?” and have found out that the excitement conveyed at shows and events extends into every aspect of the work done here.   Most of all I love the feeling of community that this place both exudes and embraces.

 Today, I am taking a break between two rain-stick making workshops one with our Arts from the Start Early Learning program and the other with consumers at Sunmount in Tupper Lake, NY to write this blog. There is no such thing as a desk job here.  I have the opportunity to work within all the communities I love, and there is nothing better than that! 

I have had the good fortune of growing up in the Adirondacks, in Long Lake, and even attended preschool here at the Arts Center.  I am amazed by the changes that have taken place here at the AC, and am excited to be a part of this organization that I see as invigorating the region I grew up in.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be able to live and work in the Adirondacks, and feel challenged and inspired to boot!

I also would never have guessed that one of my all time favorite singers would be performing locally, but on August 12th we will welcome Dar Williams to the Indian Lake Theater.  I guess predicting the future is not a strong point, and for that I am very happy!

When I spoke to Stephen Svoboda back in 2009 about the Arts Center he was starting to work for, I had no idea that a mere phone conversation was going to translate into the adventure I was about to embark on; First I was a designer, creating the new logo and the 2009 summer brochure. Then actor, as I joined the cast in the first Shakespeare in the Adirondack Park: A Midsummer Nights’ Dream.  As teacher, from teaching South African folk songs on the first day of school at Indian Lake C.S. to leading Arts from the Start Workshops. And then Marketing Director, where I continue designing for and developing all of the AC fantastic programs.  The journey has been exciting, challenging and rewarding and now as we are at the start of a new adventure, (the AC’s new partnership with the Redhouse in Syracuse) I am glad to be combining many of the skills I’ve built along the way as I make my debut as Director.

Directing [sic], a fragmented comedy now playing it’s final weekend this Thursday - Saturday at the Redhouse in Syracuse has truly been a labor of love. From dissecting a challenging script, to working with actors that I admire and respect, to having my vision realized on stage, I am truly honored to be working on such a production. Once again, the journey has been exciting, challenging and rewarding, but at least while wearing this hat,  after all the hard work and effort is done, I get to sit back, relax and literally enjoy the show. 

If you get a chance to make a trip of it, I would recommend driving down and seeing this magical production. The stunning set, magical use of video and projections, a laugh-out-loud script and stunning performances from all of the actors, (Especially the Adirondack’s own Mary Ellen Dowling!) makes [sic] is worth the trip!

Hope to see you there! (And thanks to the folks who have already made it down!)

-Anton Briones

Marketing Director 

For tickets and more info CLICK HERE

I recall the David Bowie song as early spring is sending us small signs during the transition from winter to spring. We still have three + feet of snow on the ground, although there are subtle hints of change everywhere; two days ago a flock of red winged black birds came to our bird feeder, time changed to daylight savings, the hollows around the trees are getting a little wider, the water under the bridges are starting to thaw, and the sap is running.

At this time of year, there will be something new to see everyday. Just as nature changes, so does the world around us. Crazy weather and difficulties in Japan, and many people with personal changes prompted me to look online at what is going on! I discovered that two weeks ago, we began the last cycle of the Mayan calendar.

Now, I don’t think it’s the beginning of the end, however I do think it’s about change, and perhaps the beginning of something new. When I moved to the Adirondacks, a friend said, “change is good”. And, I agree. Therefore, I very much hope some good can come of all the changes, and that humanity can learn to work together.

My Dad always told me that we need to be open to change, just as nature is always in flux, so are we as humans.

My husband and I have just begun walking around the forest collecting sap to make maple sugar. It’s exhilarating to see the changes that the tree goes through. I feel very lucky right now to be able to have this life and to enjoy everyday living in the woods. Soon we will see wonderful things, the first moth in the sap bucket and the first flowers will grow right through the snow. This morning, we heard the first geese flying north, they went right overhead, led by a white goose that shimmered in the rising sun.

Just as I see the changes in the woods, my work at the AC is always changing with the seasons; we had two art shows up for nearly two months, with work by Joann Quinlivan and Kristine Tolmie while we worked on our entire gallery schedule for 2011-2012.

There will be a gallery reception this weekend, and then the student show goes up, thereafter, we will have shows every month until December. I’ll be busy changing shows and hosting receptions, and gathering new work for our wonderful gallery store.

I invite you to stop by and see the changes at the AC, and take a moment to look around and see the changes all around.

By Cornelia Tobey Gallery Director