Who brings the art to Millbrook?

Who brings the art to Millbrook?

Janice Pendarvis and group performed last summer at the Millbrook Library.

Judith O'Hara Balfe

Known to many as horse country, the Village of Millbrook is also home to dairy and other farms, beagles and fox hunting, bucolic scenery and vineyards, as well as a sense of community and a love of arts both audio and visual, the latter two of which the Millbrook Arts Group (MAG) can proudly take a well deserved bow on.

Ann Gifford, MAG’s president, spoke recently about the nonprofit group in which she has long been involved. In fact, Gifford was the attorney that Robert Krall and Stan Morse went to when the idea of needing a group that would seek out entertainment first came up as a result of the Millbrook Band Shell having been built.

Krall was a member of the Lion’s Club, and having traveled extensively to other communities, he noted that many had band shells and provided entertainment to the community. With the help of the local Lion’s Club, the band shell got built, and the need to fill it with music meant that groups had to be found and contracted. Thus, in 1988, MAG was founded and incorporated as a nonprofit.

Over the years since its inception, MAG has brought music to Millbrook’s many venues, including children’s programs, poetry workshops and exhibitions, and has been involved in many art exhibits throughout the years.

One thing Gifford is especially proud of is that MAG collaborates with many other groups, including the Millbrook Library, the Millbrook Central School District, the Millbrook Farmers and Makers Market, and the Millbrook Rotary Club, among others. In 2023 alone, MAG helped with the UpState Art Open Studio Art Festival, the Hudson Valley Flamenco Festival and New Years Eve Millbrook, hiring and paying for the two music groups that entertained; and at least two children’s programs at the Millbrook Library. It sponsored the summer concerts at the band shell, the winter concerts at the library, several groups that performed at the Millbrook Farmers and Makers Market, and Music in the Streets.

All of this costs a lot of money. Gifford said MAG is doing well and is grateful for donations from the Tribute Garden, which has always given generously; a grant from the H.W. Wilson Foundation, most of which supports the library venues and the children’s events; and the estate of Nancy F. Perkins made a noteworthy donation. All other funding comes from local sources. Each May, a letter goes out to residents asking for support. Other means of fundraising include selling 50/50 raffle tickets at the concerts, along with hats and T-shirts.

“My thanks to the community who respond to our [annual fundraising] letter, we have been given so much support with gifts both big and small,” said Gifford. “You know that others appreciate your work, so they want to help. We believe every donation shows an interest in what we do.”

All of the work is done by the 16 members of the MAG board of directors via committees, and they meet in person about eight times per year. The board is composed of people from all walks of life, including businesspeople, educators and artists, although Gifford said that there is currently a large portion of artist volunteers, testimony to the fact that many artists are discovering the Millbrook community and its reverence toward the arts in all forms.

The next offering from MAG will be on Saturday, Feb 24, with the Taghanik String Quartet performing at the Millbrook Library. A reception will take place at 4:30 p.m., with the performance begins at 5 p.m.

From the 2023 Hudson Valley Flamenco Festival, August, at Millbrook Band Shell. Judith O'Hara Balfe

Latest News

Club baseball at Fuessenich Park

Travel league baseball came to Torrington Thursday, June 26, when the Berkshire Bears Select Team played the Connecticut Moose 18U squad. The Moose won 6-4 in a back-and-forth game. Two players on the Bears play varsity ball at Housatonic Valley Regional High School: shortstop Anthony Foley and first baseman Wes Allyn. Foley went 1-for-3 at bat with an RBI in the game at Fuessenich Park.

 

  Anthony Foley, rising senior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, went 1-for-3 at bat for the Bears June 26.Photo by Riley Klein 

 
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

Richard Kraft

Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

Keep ReadingShow less
Cycling season: A roundup of our region’s rentals and where to ride them

Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

Alec Linden

After a shaky start, summer has well and truly descended upon the Litchfield, Berkshire and Taconic hills, and there is no better way to get out and enjoy long-awaited good weather than on two wheels. Below, find a brief guide for those who feel the pull of the rail trail, but have yet to purchase their own ten-speed. Temporary rides are available in the tri-corner region, and their purveyors are eager to get residents of all ages, abilities and inclinations out into the open road (or bike path).

For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit lakevillejournal.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

Keep ReadingShow less