The Arts – April 2018
The Arts — APRIL
Remember riding in the backseat of some huge 70’s car with the windows down in the summertime with your mama and her country boyfriend in the front listening to George Jones tell some story of a disastrous love affair over the radio?
Well this is your chance to relive those memories! Katie Deal is back for the Classic Nashville Roadshow, which brings you some of the most unforgettable songs in country history just as they ought to be, just as you remember them from the radio! The spark of June and Johnny, the homespun gold of Loretta Lynn. Let Classic Nashville Roadshow take you on a journey down memory lane with your favorite classic hits honoring the world’s most beloved country greats! Starring Jason Petty and Katie Deal, Classic Nashville Roadshow features renowned duets, such as “Golden Ring;” “Louisiana Woman,” “Mississippi Man” and “Jackson”; poignant tunes like “Crazy” and “He Stopped Loving Her Today”; and gospel traditions such as “Will The Circle Be Unbroken”. Get swept back in time with songs made famous by Dolly, Hank, Patsy, Tammy, George, Merle and all the greats! The Nixon Center for Performing Arts, Saturday, April, 21 at 7 p.m.
On a different, perhaps more sophisticated trip down memory lane, get ready to sway to melodies of the the Great American Songbook. Jaimee Paul, along with bandleader and husband, Leif Shires, believes in the strength and beauty of these songs by creating a fresh take on them and making them their own. Ranging from jazz standards of the 30’s, stretching to pop standards of the 70’s, Jaimee and Leif believe that a show shouldn’t be just another concert, but an evening of fun, love, and happiness that should be experienced and remembered,“Always And Forever.” The Nixon Center for Performing Arts, Sunday, May 6, 3 p.m. thenixoncentre.net
Catch the Friends of Wadsworth concert April 14, the annual spring event hosted by Newnan Cultural Arts Commission held at the Wadsworth Auditorium. Newnan’s amazing soprano Courtenay Budd has a lineup of internationally-known artists who will perform. Performing with Budd at the 2018 edition are returning musicians violinist Chee-Yun, flutist Angela Jones-Reus and pianist Andrew Armstrong. They will be joined by two new faces to Newnan audiences: cellist Sophie Shao and guitarist Robert Belinic.
The concert will be a “mix of beautiful, rousing and heart-stirring music,” Budd said, “with a tribute to Leonard Bernstein on his 100th birthday, as well as a number of pieces with a Latin flavor.” The 2018 Friends of Wadsworth Concert – The Legacy Continues is Sat, April 14, 7:30 p.m. (doors open 6:30 p.m.) at the Charles Wadsworth Auditorium, 25 Jefferson St., Newnan. brownpapertickets.com
Newnan-Coweta Historical Society’s McRitchie-Hollis Museum is proud to host its 4th Annual Simple Pleasures: The Nature Show Photography Competition for Spring 2018. The juried competition is comprised of dramatic images of nature featuring landscapes, wildlife, water, flowers and trees. simplepleasuresfoto.com The show goes up in April and will be on display through the end of May. Awards ceremony is May 12.
Also, to celebrate May as Historic Preservation Month, the historical society is partnering again with Newnan-Coweta Art Association to host Art & Architecture on the Court Square Saturday, May 5. The event coincides with Main Street’s May Market Day. Several members of the Art Association will be set up around the Court Square painting scenes of some of Newnan’s iconic downtown buildings. Representatives of the historical society will be on hand to share some history of the downtown buildings. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. newnancowetahistoricalsociety.com.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said “Every artist was first an amatuer.” There is a haven for amatuer artists and those who seek to support them at Corner Arts, Gallery & Studio on the square in downtown Newnan. They are hosting “Taste of Newnan Night” on Thursday, April 12 with guest T.M. Brown, author of two Christian mysteries, “Sanctuary” and “Testament” which he will be signing. He is shown in the photograph with art contest winner, Peggy Aldridge. Her work will be featured in his next book. CAGS offers a variety of classes for ages three to adult. Visit cornerartsgallery.net to learn more. Stop in and shop to support local artists or to take a class.
In the little “Gray Cottage” on Clark St., Newnan’s ArtRez is hosting Meg Kaizu in April. Kaizu is a writer and painter based in Brooklyn. Her poetry, fiction, essays and artwork have appeared in anthologies and journals, including “The Brooklyn Rail” and “Words Without Borders.” She studied painting at the University of Oregon and the Art Students League of New York. Check the Carnegie Library and ArtRez websites for more information on lectures and appearances. newnanartist.org, newnancarnegie.com.
An excerpt from a Kaizu poem —
Countercurrent
I ride the subway,
Navigate through the maze
With my eyes closed.
Countercurrent in ancient canal.
I recall your smile,
The tone of your voice
Over and over again.
Your words spin in my head, swirl
Like leaves in the wind.
Light your painted on my canvas
Illuminates the way.
Checkmate! For five millennia Harry Blackpool has been the agent for all Evil on Earth, while Rachel Parrish has represented Good. These implacable foes meet in a private club every twenty five years. With the end of the world scheduled for tomorrow at teatime, they must pass their duties to their oblivious heirs: a mild mannered physical education teacher and an aggressively Bohemian artist. Caught in the middle of their cosmic gamesmanship is an anxious club manager. As the sole representative of humanity, he may be the key to Armageddon’s outcome in this fast paced comedy of apocalyptic proportions. Blackpool and Parrish, Newnan Theatre Company, April 12 – 15, 19 – 22. 8:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. matinee on select dates.
(After several years in advertising and working as a librarian, Larisa now lives AND works in Newnan. She handles marketing, promoting and organizing arts-related events, writing and other creative and business endeavors. A lover of rock music, folk art and reading, she’s always on the lookout for what’s next in the arts. She’s an empty nester who loves downtown Newnan and is in awe of the unique and talented people who make up our community.)
