Past Exhibitions and Events | 2024

Drum Clinic with Terry Difazio

From the Newport Daily Express:

Difazio Hosts Drum Clinic at NEK-TV
MIKE OLMSTEAD, Sports Editor Sep 17, 2024

Terry Difazio poses for a photo with the attendees of his drum clinic prior to the event taking place. (Photo By Mike Olmstead)

NEWPORT–On Saturday morning, a handful of drumming enthusiasts gathered at NEK-TV for a drum clinic hosted by Terry Difazio.

Difazio, a longtime local drummer, had been looking to put on a drum clinic for quite some time, and was in talks to do so in conjunction with MAC prior to the pandemic.

Now, four years later, the clinic was able to take place.

“Prior to Covid there was a whole series of workshops planned, and one was to be a workshop with Terry,” explained MAC artist/member Iso Marks.

She went on to explain that the series got revived recently, and Marks was on hand to take in Saturday’s event.

“I thought it was wonderful. I don’t know much about drums, but I learned a lot,” she said.

Difazio gave his thoughts on his clinic, saying, “I thought it went pretty well.The crowd was engaged, they asked good questions, and they seemed to enjoy it. That is the whole idea, to make it fun and enjoyable for everyone.”

The event got underway with Difazio speaking about the various types of sticks that drummers use, then segued into talk about the different drums and manufacturers of said drums, playing a couple of different snare drums to accentuate his discussion.

Terry went through a variety of topics next, taking a deeper dive into the world of cymbals, and the history of a few of the more well known brands in today’s market.

Next came some actual drumming, as Terry got behind his drum kit and played a variety of beats for the crowd.

After the demos, Terry played along with “China Grove” by the Doobie Brothers, allowing the students to see and hear what a full kit sounds like when accompanying music.

A brief Q & A session followed song number one, then back on the headphones went, as Terry performed another Doobie Brothers song, “Long Train Running”.

Then it was time for the students to take their turn behind the drums, and a few of them jumped at the chance to play.

Terry would play one more song, “Have a Good Time”, then came the closing remarks from both the instructor and the students.

Paisley, one of the younger attendees, said her favorite part was seeing Terry play all of the songs.

Elliot Carr, who attends the junior high, said he enjoyed learning about all of the different sounds that can be made with all of the drums and cymbals.

Carr’s father is a musician, and the two of them have been playing together, so this was a good chance for Elliot to learn some new tricks to bring to the table.

As for Difazio, he says he really enjoyed the whole thing, especially the people responding when he played and the questions they asked.

“I totally enjoyed it,”Difazio said.

Looking ahead, when asked if he plans on holding another clinic in the future, he said, “Maybe in a year, maybe in the spring, it depends.”

“Art in Bloom” 2024

Art in Bloom, an annual fundraiser for both the Four Seasons Garden Club and the Memphremagog Arts Center, will take place on July 26 – 27. This special event kicks off on Friday, July 26 from 5-7 pm with a reception, including wine, appetizers and musical entertainment by guitarist extraordinaire Ben Kinsley, at the gallery for a cost of $10. The public is invited to visit the event on Saturday, July 27, 10 am to 5 pm at no charge and guests can visit the ongoing Inspiration of Trees” exhibit, too. The gallery is located at 158 Main Street in Newport, VT.

“As a summertime favorite, Art in Bloom boasts a beautiful selection of floral arrangements that glean their inspiration from the extraordinary artwork currently on display in the MAC Gallery, said Jennifer Hopkins, MAC Arts board member.

MAC summer gallery hours: Mon-Sat 10-5. Both Memphremagog Arts Collaborative and the Four Seasons Garden Club are non-profit 501(c)3 organizations. For more information, please call 802.334.1966, or visit the web at www.maccenterforthearts.com and www.fourseasonsgardenclub.org.​

Art in Bloom 2024 Slideshow:

Click on first image to enlarge, then navigate using arrows along the sides.

Photos courtesy of Janice Luce and Iso Marks.

“The Inspiration of Trees”

The “Inspiration of Trees” exhibit opens July 5th with an opening from 5-7pm at the Memphremagog Arts Collaborative in Newport. The event, in collaboration with the Northwoods Stewardship Center, will include all mediums that use wood or are inspired by trees. The exhibit will remain open throughout the summer. Both the exhibit and event opening on July 5th are free and open to the public.

“There will be an independent art activity that visitors can do on their own and then take home,” said Victoria Mathieson, one of the member organizers.

The MAC Center For the Arts, a 501C-3 non-profit organization, is located at 158 Main Street in Newport. For more information, please call 802.334.1966, or visit the web at http://www.maccenterforthearts.com.

2024 Jim McKimm Scholarship Recipients

The MAC Center for the Arts is happy to announce our two Jim McKimm Scholarship winners for 2024. Each scholarship winner has received a check for $500 to go towards their tuition at the college of their choice.

Morgan Dunn has chosen Champlain College in Burlington to pursue a degree in creating video games. They have always been a huge part of her life, and she has known for a long time that she wanted to create the same experience for others that she had when she was younger. She will be majoring in game art, helping to create all of the artistic aspects of video games like captivating environments and lovable characters. Champlain College is known for establishing internships and preparing students for their careers in game making. She will be using relevant programs for 3-D modeling and animation and hopes to establish a place for herself in the game creation industry even before she graduates. After graduation, she hopes to become a game artist and wants to specialize in environment-making or animation. She even said that in 10 years, she wants to run her own game company. We chose Morgan because of her extra-curricular activities at North Country and her love and passion for learning. She was part of both the dance and drama companies for all four years, contributing to choreography and taking a leadership role within both of these groups. Outside of school, she has been working at the North Country School of Dance as a receptionist and assistant manager. In addition to that, she also was a student of that dance studio for the last 14 years and competed on their competition team since 2015. In her letter of recommendation, Morgan’s dance and drama teacher said that she has an incredible sense of self and a driven attitude that has always made her stand out. “Morgan showcases her love and passion for learning by getting involved with everything the school has to offer.” We at the MAC think that Morgan is looking forward to an outstanding future, and we are delighted to give her the Jim McKimm scholarship.

Our other scholarship winner is Kaeleb Berthiaume. Kaeleb blew us away with his incredible academic record, his extracurricular activities, and his awards. He has been dancing since he was six years old. Since eighth grade, he has assisted and taught at the North Country School of Dance. Not only that, but he has choreographed dance pieces for the high school dance company, including two of the school musicals, “Greece” and “Matilda”. Kaeleb’s résumé of community service is amazing. He has been involved with Rotary Interact Club for all four years and the last three years he was the president. That club is all about “service above self”, and he has helped initiate many projects and donated money and time towards local nursing homes, animal shelters, soldiers overseas, and buying books for children who are unable to purchase them on their own. He has been very involved with the National Honor Society, and was the senior class vice president. We were very impressed with his work with kids ages 2 through 18, as well as the opportunity to work with a class of dancers with a disability, “the Dynamic Dancers”, and also a beginner teen dance class. Kaeleb has decided to go to college in Montclair, New Jersey to get a bachelor’s degree in fine arts and dance with the hopes of dancing in a touring company. New Jersey is pretty close to New York City, affording opportunities to become involved in interesting performing arts there. According to Kaeleb’s drama and dance teacher, ”When Kaeleb walks into a room, he brings a sense of lightness and positive energy that radiates from his presence. He advocates for himself and his peers, and strives to make sure that all the voices in the room are heard. Kaeleb‘s extraordinary sense of self and power to lead by example always made him a stand out student.” We at the MAC are certain that this young man will accomplish everything he sets out to do in his life. We are so proud of both winners.

from Betsy Day, on behalf of the Scholarship Committee

Paper Bead Making Workshop with Deb Zuk

Paper bead-making workshop starts June 15.

A two-session paper bead making workshop with Deb Zuk will take place on June 15 and June 22 from 1pm to 3pm at the Memphremagog Arts Collaborative gallery at 158 Main Street in Newport. Ages: 10 and up and the fee is $5 and includes all materials. Please pre-register at macartsevents@gmail.com or in person at the gallery.

“At the workshop you will learn to make your own paper beads for jewelry, window pendants and any other creative ideas that you have,” said Zuk.

The MAC Center For the Arts, a 501C-3 nonprofit organization, is located at 158 Main Street in Newport. For more information, please call 802.334.1966, or visit http://www.maccenterforthearts.com.

“Rescued!” 

New book release and Reading by Tanya Sousa

June 8, 2024

Author Tanya Sousa, of North Troy, will read her new children’s picture book, Rescued, illustrated by Marcia Blanco of Burlington, at the Memphremagog Arts Collaborative in Newport on Saturday June 8 at 3:00 p.m. Tanya will answer questions and share information about being an author, as well as sharing the true story that inspired her new book. The presentation has elements for children and adults alike. Signed copies will be for sale with one dollar from every book sold going to benefit the Pope Memorial Frontier Animal Society Shelter in Orleans. The event is free and open to the general public. 

“The book is based on the true story of how our rescued/adopted family dog, Simba, saved my sister and I from something that could have very well killed us – the rescued became the rescuer,” said Sousa. “My mother taught me to pay attention to what animals say with their sounds, body language, and facial expressions, if that applied, and I always have. It’s important to me to teach children that non-human animals have their own ways to communicate, and for safety and harmony, we should make an effort to listen to them.”

Sousa is the author of several children’s books including Fairy Feast, Silver Moonbeam Award-Winner Life is a Bowl of Cherry Pits, Ninny Nu’s Organic Farm, and most recently, Tossing Stars. 

Please consider coming with an important child in your life, and pass the word onto your family, neighbors and friends who might be interested in this special event!

“Off the Wall”

May 11 – June 23, 2024

Art afficionados are invited to the Memphremagog Arts Collaborative’s six-week “Off the Wall” art show and sale. Opening reception is May 10, from 5 – 7pm, and continues through Sunday, June 23. The lightly-juried event promises an interesting array of unique and multi-dimensional art and craft as well as craft supplies. A portion of the proceeds goes to the MAC Scholarship Fund. 

“It’s our first gallery show of 2024,” said Victoria Mathiesen, Special Exhibits director. “Many of us have collected original artwork over the years which we find that we no longer want, so “Off the Wall” hopes to help us downsize our collections.”

Spring Block Printing Workshop

April 20 & 27, and May 4, 2024

Due to the success of the winter block printing workshop, the Memphremagog Arts Collaborative in Newport is scheduling an exciting spring workshop for persons ages 12 and up. The workshops will be held on three Saturdays: April 20, 27 & May 4th from 1-4. The cost, including materials, is $60 and advanced registration with the gallery is required. You can also email macartsevents@gmail.com. 

“The winter workshop was a raving success with eight people participating and creating a variety of wonderful works of art.” said Lynn Rublee, instructor. “Everyone had a great time.” 

The Memphremagog Arts Collaborative is a non-profit 501 C-3 organization. The Gallery is located at 158 Main Street gallery in Newport VT and open Tuesday-Saturday 10-5. For more information, please call 802.334.1966, macartsevents@gmail.com, or visit the web – www.maccenterforthearts.com.