Two-Part Nature Photography Workshop with Field Trip, The Institute

Two-Part Nature Photography Workshop with Field Trip, The Institute

Thursday June 1st, 2023 * 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM & Saturday June 3rd, 2023 * 7:00 AM – 11:00 AM
The Institute presents a 2-part Nature Photography Workshop that includes a classroom session on Thursday June 1 from 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM at Church of the Apostles in Waynesboro, and an outdoor field trip to an area park on Saturday, June 3 from 7:00 AM to 10:30 AM or 11:00 AM, weather permitting.
Attendance at both sessions is required. Field trip location is to be announced.
Open to those age 15 and up.
Geared toward beginner to intermediate photographers, the workshop is led by Institute faculty member and accomplished nature photographer, Dave Graff.
The focus is on nature photography, concentrating on scenic, macro-photography (close-ups of plants, insects, etc.), and telephoto photography of birds.
During the classroom session on Thursday evening, Graff will introduce techniques and concepts that can aid in capturing nature’s most magical moments.
“Cameras aren’t required for the classroom session, but attendees are welcome to bring them if they have specific technical questions that need to be addressed before the outdoor session,” Graff said.
In both the indoor and outdoor programs, Graff will highlight how becoming a better naturalist will greatly aid nature photography skills.
Saturday’s field trip to a local park allows students to practice what they’ve learned, with guidance and support from Graff.
In addition to technical skills, Graff will demonstrate how naturalist skills allow you to see things that most people miss. 
“Great nature photography isn’t about having the newest and most expensive gear.
It is about pairing observational skills with photographic ones,” according to Graff.
He will demonstrate this ‘paired proficiencies’ concept with several examples, and students will practice both naturalist skills and photography skills in the field.
SLR or mirrorless cameras with interchangeable lenses are recommended.
Some ‘phone-based’ photography can be practiced.
Graff will have a couple of cameras and multiple lenses that participants can use and compare to their own equipment if they are considering purchasing new gear.
The workshop is limited to 10 participants and advance registration is required. Workshop fee: $25 for Institute member; $30 general public.
For more information, call 717.762.0373 or email to info@natureandcultureinstitute.org.
Register here 
11/30 Visitors Center Hosts Beauty of Diversity Exhibit

11/30 Visitors Center Hosts Beauty of Diversity Exhibit

Recognizing African American and Women’s History Month in February and March, the Franklin County Visitors Bureau is hosting the Beauty of Diversity Exhibit in the Franklin County 11/30 Visitors Center, located on the southwest quadrant of Memorial Square. As America moves to fulfilling its description of a melting pot of people, FCVB is showcasing the faces of residents that make up the community of Franklin County. Fueled by regional artist-photographer Phillip Michael Whitley, the exhibit offers nearly three dozen faces that highlight the evolving culture of Franklin County PA. The words of Mahatma Gandhi bring together the spirit of the exhibit: “Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test of our civilization.”

Whitely is an apt partner for the “Beauty of Diversity” exhibit, using his camera to make the world a more beautiful place one camera snap at a time. Whitely is also fueling a local exhibit at the Coyle Free Library, entitled “Franklin County’s Female Firsts” to celebrate Women’s History Month 2020. Partnering with local genealogist Pam Anderson, the exhibit offers a sampling of “first females” in Franklin County. It is a fundraiser for the Franklin County Library System and Go Girls Go—an initiative of Healthy Community Partnership. Whitley’s additional community exhibits include “Black Girl Magic” and a celebration of individual’s with Down’s Syndrome.

The Beauty of Diversity is free and open to the public, Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4:30 PM, and will be highlighted at the Franklin County Visitors Bureau’s 2020 Women’s History event, “Women’s Voices: “I Am…We Are” on Saturday, March 21, at 1 PM.

Waynesboro’s Destination Arts is a great opportunity for fall fun this October

Waynesboro’s Destination Arts is a great opportunity for fall fun this October

Make a trip to Destination Arts in Waynesboro this October, featuring art exhibits, pottery making, photography displays, and thunder gourd making. The Arts Alliance of Greater Waynesboro is the innovator of Destination Arts, an effort launched in July 2013 to support downtown revitalization by filling empty storefronts with art galleries. Five years later, the project is part of Waynesboro’s identity and offers five gallery locations—42 West Gallery, Ceramics Art Studio, Gallery 35 East, Gallery 50, and Walnut Street Studios.

As leaves begin to turn the second week of October and peak at the end of the month, it is an excellent time to enjoy the art destinations, cafes, and restaurants of downtown Waynesboro. Waynesboro, also an Appalachian Trail Community, is part of the South Mountain, which is the eastern terminus of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The beauty is a source of inspiration to artists near and far.

For a “hands on” art experience, consider a class from the Ceramic Arts Studio. October 21 is a chance to make a pinch pot, monster candy dish, using a combination of slab and sculpture in a two-hour class from 2 PM to 4 PM at the 13 South Church Street studio. October 26 offers more fun at Corks & Clay, 7 PM to 9 PM, with a chance to make a Thanksgiving pumpkin platter.

For a more visual experience, enjoy the Fall Art Show at Gallery 50 on West Main Street, featuring regional and local artists Vicki Favilla, Sarah Higgins, Rebecca Grace Jones, Michelle Briddle, and Jan Heath. A Civil War photography exhibit is on display at Gallery 35, on East Main Street. Works exhibited are by Rodney Clark, Noel Kline, and Andy Smetzer and showcase Civil War re-enactments at Gettysburg and Waynesboro.

Music lovers will enjoy the October 17 open mic night at 46 West Main Street from 7 PM to 9 PM at Music Makers. Open mic nights, held alternate Wednesdays, embrace all musical styles.

Other Destination Arts highlights of October include a thunder gourd making demonstration on October 10, 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM. A thunder gourd, as the name implies, makes a sound like thunder when shaken. Artist Denny Bingaman will show how it is made. Another demonstration by Bingaman, set for October 24, 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM, shows dyeing and patina-coloring of metal jewelry. Both demonstrations are at 42 West Arts on West Main Street in Waynesboro.

 

Destination ARTS! Activities Continue in Waynesboro – February 3-7

Destination ARTS! activities continue in Waynesboro, PA with art exhibits, special events scheduled at Gallery 50,  42 West ARTS Co-Op, Through the Lens & Beyond, and the Ceramic Arts Center of Waynesboro.  All events are free unless otherwise indicated.

Wednesday, February 3

The Destination ARTS! Writers Forum, sponsored by the Arts Alliance of Greater Waynesboro, will hold its monthly meeting at a new location: 32 E Main Street, Waynesboro, PA, on from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm.  The theme for the February meeting will be “Resolutions and New Beginnings”. After the initial ‘round and round’ as members read their contributions, they will then read any subject they’re currently working on – be it prose, poetry, memoirs or story-telling.  At the January meeting, Henry L. Mencken (Baltimore’s “Bad Boy”) was quoted saying, “Writers, as one were to discover from long experience with them – a large part of it of the hard, home-made variety – are born with some strange, built in compulsion that makes them write for the same reason that roosters crow and hens lay eggs.”  Interested writers are invited to join the group. Inquiries may be addressed to Jerry Kowallis at 717-352-8059 or email: netscape.net.

Thursday, February 4

Gallery 50’s Curator/Director Marjorie Tressler will be back again presenting her weekly oil painting demonstrations from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm featuring a large landscape. Tressler teaches art locally and has conducted classes at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, where her portraits were featured  in a solo show in 1993. She is a former student of the Schuler School of Fine arts and has studied with several nationally known and prominent local artists over the last 35 years.

Friday, February 5

Wine Down Friday activities and receptions are planned at Gallery 50 (50 W. Main St.), 42 West ARTS Co-Op (42 W. Main St.),Through the Lens & Beyond (38 W. Main St.), and the Ceramic Arts Center of Waynesboro (13 S. Church St.) between 5:00 and 8:00 pm.

Jazz singer Kerensa Gray will be performing at Gallery 50 from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm.  Winner of the 20th Annual Billie Holiday Vocal Competition and of the area’s most popular performers, Gray is often compared to jazz icons such as Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald, and Diana Krall.

Patric Schlee will be creating original improvisational music on flute and drums at 42 West ARTS Co-Op.  The public is invited to join in.

Saturday, February 6

Art Demonstration Saturday!

Galleries open 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm.

Denny Bingaman will be demonstrating the technique of carving, burning and dyeing on a gourd at 42 West ARTS Co-op from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm.

Donna Bingaman will be teaching an oil painting class 42 West ARTS from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.  A native of Waynesboro, PA, she is an impressionist, realist, and a blender of originality and tradition, winning many best of shows and numerous other awards for her portraits and other subjects from flowers to genre, including sculptures in bronze.  Donna is a graduate of the Washington School of Art and has studied with several regionally and nationally artists.  To register for the class, call 717-762-8394

Sunday, February 7

Galleries open 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm

Ongoing Shows
Gallery 50 is presenting three new shows celebrating  the Winter season. The west window gallery theme is “Winter White” featuring Gallery 50’s “Muse”  “Samantha the Snow Princess”, and beautiful winter scenes created by Virginia Hair , Liz Hurley and Donna Mitchell.. The east window gallery is presenting “It’s a Wonderful Still Life” with art by Brad Clever, Marjorie Tressler, and David Buckley Good. The main gallery is showcasing “Fin, Feathers and Fur”, featuring artist Carol Wilks and Beth De’ Louiselle.

42 West ARTS Co-op is presenting a winter show called “Let it Snow”.  Featured artists are  Andy Smetzer (photographer),  Donna Bingaman (oil painting),  Lorie Linthicum (creative pottery),  Tom McFarland (painting),  Denny Bingaman (photography),  Rod and Karri Benedict (pottery),  Ed Beard (wood burning),  Hollis Mentzer (nature printing),  Laura Shindle (painting),  Bob North (tinsmithing),  Jennifer Caldwell (silver jewelry), and Debra Woods (dolls and folk art).

Through the Lens & Beyond features fine art photography, illustrations, oil and watercolor paintings, and 2-dimensional art.  Custom framing, classes, and seminars plus a “Day Rental” photography studio will also be offered.

The Ceramic Arts Center of Waynesboro brings together area potters of all skill levels and ages offering classes, workshops, and pottery sales. Guild members have 24/7 access to the wheels and kiln. For information about classes and special programs visit their website at www.ceramics-nccs.org

Musical performances at Destination ARTS! are supported in part by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

Destination ARTS! currently includes Gallery 50 (50 West Main Street), 42 West ARTS (42 West Main Street), Through the Lens & Beyond (38 West Main Street)and the Ceramic Arts Center of Waynesboro (13 South Church Street).

The galleries feature oil paintings, watercolors, pottery, sculptures, jewelry, photographs, furniture, and more. Most art is available for sale and there is no charge for admission to the galleries.  This weekend, they will be open on Thursday from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m (Gallery 50 and 42 West ARTS Co-op only), Friday from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., Saturday from 12:00 to 6:00 p.m. and Sunday from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. 

For more information visit www.artsalliancegw.org  or email artsalliancegw@gmail.com