Artists Reflect on Their Happy Places
A new exhibition at the Cape Cod Museum of Art (60 Hope Lane, Dennis) features the work of 66 artists who responded to a call for submissions that asked for work reflecting one’s happy place: a “place where you go, in your mind or in person, to lift your spirits,” according to the museum’s website. The show was juried by Peter Kalill, an artist and owner of Orleans Modern Art, who selected works that show a wide range of interpretations of the theme.
There are plenty of idyllic landscapes in the mix. But happiness here is also found in objects, other people, abstraction — and most notably, lots of color.
Jeff Drake’s painting of a house on Ocean View Drive in Wellfleet is executed with geometric clarity in a style that echoes the sense of peace in the landscape. Along with paintings by William Evaul and Milton Teichman, Drake’s piece received a Juror’s Choice Award. Both Evaul and Teichman find their happy places on tabletops: Teichman paints a plate of pastries in flat shapes, while Evaul brings a playful, cubist approach to his painting of a wine tableau.
The exhibition is on view until April 2. See ccmoa.org for more information.
Music in the Air
The Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra continues its Sandbar Chamber Series with a performance of music for winds on Sunday, Jan. 29, at 3 p.m. in Yarmouth New Church’s Thacher Hall (266 Main St., Yarmouth Port.)
The Sandbar Chamber Series is part of CCCO’s fifth season, which has featured new soloists, new music, and new venues across the Cape. “This program for winds and strings was curated to showcase music new and old for various types of ensembles,” says music director Matthew Scinto. Sunday’s program, which will be performed by musicians on oboe, clarinet, bassoon, violin, viola, and cello, consists of pieces by both contemporary and classical composers including Jacques Ibert, Mozart, Beethoven, Dohnanyi, and José Elizondo.
Tickets are $35, with free admission for students and children. See capecodchamberorchestra.org or call 508-432-1668 for more information. —Eve Samaha
Calling All Wellfleet Artists
Eight years ago, artist Robert Shreefter and Wellfleet Public Library Assistant Director Naomi Robbins started thinking about how to adorn the walls of the library during the long winter months. “Tourist season is over, and Wellfleet is down to its 3,000 or so year-long residents,” says Shreefter, who is also a member of the library’s art committee and a former library trustee. “So, we wanted to celebrate local artists and local residents.”
The result is the now-annual Wellfleet Artists Exhibit, which Shreefter says is intended to include as broad a representation of the Wellfleet creative community as possible.
“Anyone who lives in Wellfleet or has an art studio here can enter one piece of art for the exhibition,” says Shreefter. “Since there is no stipulation that work has to be new, anyone who makes or has made art can participate.”
Accordingly, past editions of the show have included work by as many as 80 artists — from teenagers to artists in their 90s.
“We have also started to show work by artists who are no longer alive — like Selina Trieff, Charles Burdick, Gloria Nardin, and Peter Watts — to honor their work and the history of Wellfleet,” says Shreefter, who adds that a variety of media, from paintings and drawings to photographs and fiber art, have been included in shows over the years.
After three years of online versions due to the pandemic, this year’s show will return to its original “live” format with an opening on Friday, Jan 30. There will be a reception for the artists on Friday, Feb. 10 at 5 p.m.
Artists are instructed to drop off their ready-to-hang work at the library between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Sunday, Jan 29. Works must not be larger than 3 by 4 feet.
The exhibition will be on display until March 3. See wellfleetlibrary.org for more information. — John D’Addario
