World traveler Robert Dubiel comes to Door County

Since 1985 Robert Dubiel has dedicated himself to traveling around the world in search of places that have special spiritual significance. He has visited and lived in Hawaii, France, Nepal, India, Thailand , Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos

“I consider my life a pilgrimage, in that I visit sacred sites wherever I am and work with them,  whether they are ‘official’ sites or not, whether they are abandoned or currently maintained by loving humans and nature spirits,” Robert explains. “I feel it is part of our dharma (purpose) as humans at this time, to re-energize sacred places that have fallen into disuse through neglect or ignorance.”

Dubiel sees these powerful spots as parts of a worldwide grid that he seeks to encounter. Once there, he follows his intuition, making up rituals spontaneously, instead of relying exclusively on traditional protocols. He defines this practice as a part of his own creative process. This summer he is focusing on sacred places in the Midwest, especially Indian Mounds.

Robert Dubiel is also a teacher. On Monday, August 9 from 7 – 9 pm the Nelson Healing Center is providing an opportunity to spend a few hours learning skills that may be beneficial throughout the rest of your life. As an ordained minister, a Reiki practitioner and an intuitive coach, Dubiel has developed a system of teaching students to become aware of the active channels that link breath with the electrical energy field of the human body, radiating through the meridians and chakras. He uses techniques of visualization and meditation to help students create a guide within themselves that they may call upon as needed to relieve stress and improve health and well being. The fee is $30 and you may reserve a spot by calling 920.818.0045.

In 2006 he produced an online radio show on The Art of Pilgrimage, which provides listeners with many perspectives on conscious cooperation with the Earth. He provides tips on how to work with the energy of your local environment for planetary healing. You can also get many pointers from his book, The Practical Shaman, available through Robert’s Website: www.zarobert.com. Currently he is at work on his next book, The Spiritual Pilgrim; Working with Our Light Body and the Earth.

The Nelson Healing Center is located at 44 S. 2nd Avenue in Sturgeon Bay. You can find out about other services, classes and learning opportunities online at www.NelsonHealingCenter.com.

Dr. Scott Craven

Dr. Scott Craven will be the featured speaker in the Augurt 5th chapter of “Lake Lessons,” a lecture series sponsored by the Ridges, which continues through mid-August. Craven is a wildlife ecologist, serving on the faculty at UW-Madison for 32 years. He is a regular guest on Wisconsin Public Radio, and has done presentations for the Ridges Sanctuary for over 20 years.

In recent years, sightings of large wildlife like cougars, wolves and bears have captured our attention. Craven will discuss the populations and distribution of these “charismatic” species, but will also talk about a variety of other wildlife, including cormorants, bald eagles, loons, grouse, and wild turkeys. He will also look at what the future might hold for many of these species.

“Lake Lessons” sponsored by The Ridges Sanctuary are held each Thursday through the summer. The final program for this year is August 12, “Mosquitoes: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.” All programs are free and open to the public (although donations are accepted) and begin at 7 pm at the Baileys Harbor Town Hall.

The Ridges Sanctuary, Wisconsin’s oldest non-profit nature preserve, is located just north of Baileys Harbor on County Highway Q. Hiking trails are open to the public year round for a small fee (members may hike at no charge). The Nature Store features a variety of nature-related books, puppets, T-shirts and gift items. Naturalist-led hikes, family programs and children’s nature camps are scheduled throughout the summer. For further information on any Ridges Sanctuary programs, call (920)839-2802, or visit the Ridges’ website, www.RidgesSanctuary.org.

Juan Francisco Guzmán

In the Sololá region of Guatemala, Juan Francisco Guzmán is known as an inspiring, demanding, life-changing high school teacher and the director of the school’s Spanish language arts curriculum. His writing won the national prize for literature. But, Guzmán is also famous worldwide as a highly-acclaimed artist who is one of Guatemala’s most celebrated painters.

On Saturday, July 31 from 11 am to 3 pm Charlene’s Gallery Ten in Gills Rock will host a very special one-day Trunk Show of his paintings. Lea B. Pellett, an emeritus professor of anthropology at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia is responsible for bringing his work from Guatemala to the USA, literally carrying this collection of rolled paintings here by hand. Some will be exhibited on stretchers and some remain as un-mounted works.

Reality and fantasy are the intersecting qualities of Guzmán’s work. He explains that his art is an evolutionary consequence of his personal search for meaning by inspecting man’s nature since pre-Columbian times until today. At 1 pm on Saturday, Jodi Kacer will present a talk on the artist and his Mayan heritage.

“I resonate to the message that he sends with his art,” Kacer explains. “And I am passionate about it. His art is a fusion of modern plastic and primitive indigenous arte-naif, rich in symbolism. Splashes of surrealism spring forth uncontrollably in a mysterious blend of the real and fantasy.”

Born in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala, Guzmán has been painting for more than 25 years. His cultural immersion there permits him to create his own original techniques and schemes resulting in a synthesis of Guatemala’s metabolic, undulating magic and reality. The thrilling colors, the symbolism and the backgrounds all harmonize into a unified real and magical form.

“Guzman has a deep appreciation of the Mayan culture and his artwork captures that essence magnificently,” says Richard Morgan, Director of the Cultural Center Los Encuentros.

Juan Francisco Guzmán is “the magic expressionist of religious celebration and the piercing scream of the pueblo,” says Maria Jose Torres, Nicte-Arte, Spain. “Poet, philosopher, educator; Guzman travels with his work through space reflecting on the nature of the spirit, while charged with a limitless emotion. Guzman has exhibited in North America, Guatemala and Spain. In Spain he is known for his ability at composition and in particular control of backgrounds, a stylistic characteristic symbol.”

Learn more about the merging of ancient and pre-Columbian beginnings with modern art trends and the social and cultural life of Guatemala in this one-day exhibition of paintings by Juan Francisco Guzmán.

Charlene’s Gallery Ten represents over 100 artists in a gallery collection that is contemporary, original and eclectic. GT Coffee, complements the gallery, serving espresso drinks and Door County cherry pie by-the-slice open daily from 8 AM to 5 PM with free Wi-FI. The gallery is open daily from 10 AM to 5 PM (closed Tuesdays) at 12625 Hwy. 42 in Gills Rock, Wisconsin. Telephone 920.854.9907 for further information of visit on-line at www.GalleryTen.com.

Rye Creek includes Ron Trellue, Terry Axline, Bob Axline and Mike Murphy. They combine fiddle, guitar, mandolin, drum and vocals for a lively and uplifting performance.

Sweetie Pies of Fish Creek will be on site with delectable goodies, coffee, beer and soft drinks for sale. You may also feel free to bring your own bottle of wine.

Woodwalk Gallery and Events Barn is located south of Egg Harbor, one mile west of Hwy 42 at 6746 Hwy G. Tickets are $15 at the door. No reservations. Call 920.868.2912 or 920.495.2928.

Turning east on Cty EE off Highway 42, just north of Egg Harbor, I had to stop, turn around and take a closer look at “something old, something new” – an addition to the rural landscape. The Robertoy’s have rescued a classic old cherry stand from the Kita farm, painted and polished it up a bit and opened the doors for business. Hyline Orchards now has three different types of cherries ready for hand-picking by-the-bucket.

Paul Robertoy Jr. gets the doors open...

According to Terry Sorenson, President of the Wisconsin Cherry Growers, mechanical tart cherry harvest has just started with sweet cherries 10 days or so into their harvest.

“The mild spring has everything bumped up a bit,” says Sorenson. “And although we’ve had some loss because of a couple of cold snaps, there will still be plenty of fresh cherries available through the end of the month.”

Paul Robertoy Sr.

Three generations of Robertoys are hard at work in Egg Harbor at Hyline Orchards. When you go cherry-picking, keep your eyes peeled for their yellow cherries, an unusual and tasty variety.

For more information on where to pick or purchase delicious Door County cherries visit www.wisconsincherries.org.

Krishna and Arjuna by Ram Rojas

Muralist and painter Ram Rojas will exhibit a retrospective collection of his paintings at Harmony Café Fox Valley in Appleton, opening with an artist’s reception on Friday, July 16 from 5:30 pm ‘til closing (10 pm). Rojas is known and respected for his works in several genres that include on-site murals, studio portraits, landscapes and spiritual art derived from his love of eastern religions. He calls this show an “autobiographical display of my interests and passions.”

Ram (pronounced rah-m) was born in Caracas, Venezuela. At 14 years of age, he was selected from among students at Venezuela’s National Art Academy to travel to the United States along with other young artists from Europe, China and Australia to study at the Academy of Vedic Art in Los Angeles, CA. While he was there, an international publishing company took note of this very-disciplined young artist. His masterful pieces became a regular addition to their books and magazines covering a wide variety of interests. He sought further classical training in Europe where he studied Old Master’s works, living and painting mostly in Florence, Italy.

His work continued to appear in multi-language publications around the world; illustrating history, religion, art, mythology, philosophy and science books. Ram’s publishers sent him on an educational tour of India where he studied ancient cultures, techniques and theory of Asian art. Rojas eventually returned to the USA to continue his studies at Barnstone Studios in Philadelphia, where he consolidated his diverse, worldwide experiences with the universal principles of design, anatomy, composition and color theory. Following the completion of his studies, he moved to California where he focused on classic representational art and portraiture.

Gotrock Farms by Ram Rojas

“Over the years my art has undergone an evolution derived from the places I have lived and studied in and the surrounding historic and philosophical influences that those different cultures have brought into my focus,” says Rojas. ”This show will provide an opportunity for my fans and friends to see glimpses of the path I have travelled and how it has affected my work.”

More than a decade ago Ram Rojas discovered Door County, bought and restored a classic home in Sturgeon Bay and established his studio there. He has been painting on canvas and walls ever since, including a mural in the Walls of Wittenberg project and a current work underway at The Clearing in Ellison Bay. Rojas will present an artist’s talk followed by a Q&A at 7 pm on the evening of the Harmony Café opening.

Rojas will present a talk followed by a Q&A at 7 pm on the evening of the opening.

Debra Hadraba

At 8 pm he has arranged for St. Paul singer/songwriter Debra Hadraba to perform some of her latest songs on stage. Known for her work as a founding member of Braveheart Women Global Community, she has just released her first experimental multi-media CD, which consists of 7 original songs, 3 e-books and more than 20 of her zany video performance pieces and animations. The Harmony Café will provide drinks and snacks at the opening and there is no change to attend. Ram Rojas’ paintings will be on exhibit throughout July and August.

“I welcome the opportunity to show my work at this ideal spot,” says Ram Rojas. “Much more than just a café, Harmony invites the entire community to gather in friendship with great food and entertainment.”

Harmony Café Fox Valley is located at 233 E. College Avenue in Appleton, Wisconsin. They are open Monday through Wednesday from 7 am – 9 pm; Thursday through Saturday from 7 am – 10 pm and Sunday from 9 am – 8 pm. For more information please call 920.734.2233 or e-mail: harmonycafe@gwicc.org.

The school will be located in a new facility in the Lake Michigan shoreline town of Algoma, 12 miles north of Kewaunee. The move will be completed just in time for the commencement of the 2010-2011 school year which begins August 31.

Previous to the move, the Academy was located in a grand old refurbished dairy barn in Kewaunee.

“We have all cherished and enjoyed our residence at the ‘Big Barn’. However, it is time to open the second chapter of the Kewaunee Academy of Fine Art and this move will facilitate a new era.” says Norma Bell, Owner, Manager, and Executive Director.

The new Algoma location at 316-318 Steele Street, is a vintage 1905 brick building. The space will provide 3,000 square feet of open floor plan, 13 foot tall ceilings that have decorative tin tiles and cornices, hardwood floors and many other vintage appointments.

Craig Blietz, Artistic Director of the Academy, says “Each day we strive to improve upon what we provide to our students and this new facility presents us with another opportunity to do so. The authentic early 20th Century character inherent in the architecture of this building will infuse our curriculum and the educational experience, bringing forth the atmosphere and quality of 19th century art schools in Paris and Munich.”

With Dick Bell’s departure Norma Bell becomes the sole proprietor and administrator of the Academy. Craig Blietz remains the Artistic Director. The school will also retain the name “Kewaunee Academy of Fine Art.” The Academy will host a Grand Opening Celebration with details available soon.

Before the Grand Opening Party there will be a Moving Sale…

The Barnsite Gallery and the Kewaunee Academy of Fine Art will host a moving sale on Saturday, July 17 from 9 am to 4 pm at the current location: 109 Duvall St. in Kewaunee.

Art and Craft Supplies Including:

Stretch Canvas
Hard Board Panels
Tracing Paper
Paper Pallets
Frames
Maimeri Watercolors
Water Based Oils
Colored Pencils
Self Healing Mats
Art Spectrum Sanded Pastel Paper
Canson Paper
Fabriano Paper
T-Squares
Canvas Panels
Plus More

Furniture Including:

3 Beds (1800s)
Assortment of Chairs
Trunks/Wooden Boxes
Hutch
Plus More

Woodworking Equipment

Too many things to list
Everything is Priced to sell

More information on the Kewaunee Academy of Fine Art can be found online at www.kewauneeacademy.com or by calling 920.388.4391 or 925.963.7023.

Al Rose

Al Rose finds poetry in everything and expertly puts it into music. Studying flute from 4th grade until he eventually lost interest in high school, Al picked up an old guitar collecting dust in the basement and became obsessed – not as a guitarist, but as a songwriter and singer. And the songs started to bloom along with coffeehouse gigs and a band stint as co-leader of the  Chicago-based Buffalo Trout.

His 5th and latest CD release, “My First Posthumous Release” was noted by Tribune music critics as one of The Best Chicago Indie Releases of 2008.

“With a mixture of irreverence and soul, this veteran singer-songwriter just gets better, funnier and more plaintively incisive with each release. His latest, “My First Posthumous Release”, mixes blues, country and rock influences with off-hand ease, while crafting indelible imagery. How, after all, can anyone resist a song that begins, ‘The X-rays were embarrassing’?” – Greg Kot, Chicago Tribune

This year at Woodwalk, Al Rose will be accompanied by two of his band members in The Transcendos,  Steve Hashimoto on bass and Steve Doyle on guitar.

Door County favorite, Jeanne Kuhns is Woodwalk’s concert series host and will open the show, most likely joining Al for a few numbers. Culinary treats are provided by Sweetie Pies of Fish Creek, on site with delectable goodies alongside the coffee, beer and soft drinks for sale as well.

Woodwalk Gallery and Events Barn is located south of Egg Harbor, one mile west of Hwy 42 at 6746 Hwy G. Tickets are $15 at the door. No reserved seating, unless you are a season pass holder. Call 920.868.2912 or 920.495.2928.

Klara Fenyo

Conductor and teacher,  Klara Fenyo Bahcall leads The Clearing’s Chamber Music Workshops. A Professor of Music for Violin and Viola at University of WI Oshkosh, she graduated from the Budapest Bela Bartok Conservatory of Music with a degree in Violin Performance and received her Performance Artist and Pedagogy Degree from the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest, Hungary.

She won first place at the Hungarian National Violin Competition and was also the winner of the Budapest Chamber Music Competition. Until coming to the United States, she was the Concertmaster of the Hungarian National Opera and was soloist of the Hungarian Philharmonia Artist Management, as well as the soloist of the Hungarian Radio.

This year The Clearing celebrates it 75th year as a folk school. Here’s another great string concert, performed by students of all ages, from 19 – 78.  They will; play movements from a Mozart String Quartet, Shostakovitz Quartet #4, Music for String Orchestra will include: Serenade in E Major by Anton Dvorak for String Orchestra, Andantino from the String Quartet Op. 10, by Claude Debussy for String Orchestra and “Choreography” by Norman Dello Joio.

Woodwalk Gallery

Opening with Jean Sibelius’ En Saga (1892) for flute, clarinet, horn, two violins, viola, cello and bass followed by two Octets, one by Thieriot and the other by Mendelssohn that both feature four violins, two violas and two cellos… the hall will resonate in harmony with the brilliant performers at work. Back from a sold out performance in the majestic stone Viking Hall on Rock Island Thursday evening, the Midsummer’s Music ensemble is indeed ready to rock you.

It is hard to describe the opportunity at hand when speaking about chamber music. It is an experience that is both intimate and powerful to sit within a few feet of a gathering of brilliant performing artists who have dedicated their entire lives to the mastery of an instrument. Unlike the symphony, this is music delivered up close and very personal. The audience can see the interchange that takes place between musicians, the intensity of the moment, their dedication to a performing art like none other.

Somehow, over its 20-year life span, Midsummer’s Music Festival founders Jim and Jean Berkenstock have successfully managed to attract a cadre of world-class musicians to spend time performing in Door County each summer. This year they celebrate that 20th Anniversary by revisiting a collection drawn from the finest works performed over that time span.

This chapter in the Midsummer’s Music Festival is performed by the following musicians:

FLUTE
Jean Berkenstock is principle flutist for the Lyric Opera of Chicago and a former member of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. She has performed extensively as a soloist with orchestras and in chamber music performances throughout the Chicago area.

CLARINET
Todd Cope, clarinetist with the New World Symphony since 2007, graduated from the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati where he studied with Richie Hawley.

HORN
John Fairfield, a professor of horn and chamber music at Northern Illinois University since 1985.

VIOLIN
David Perry enjoys an international career as chamber musician, soloist, concertmaster and teacher. As first violinist of the Pro Arte Quartet, he performs live broadcasts on Wisconsin Public Radio. He tours extensively throughout the U.S. and Japan and is on the faculty of the Aspen Music Festival.

Isabella Lippi won the St. Louis Symphony Young Artist Competition in 1989, so impressing Maestro Leonard Slatkin, that she became the first winner in 55 years invited to perform with the symphony in subscription concerts.

Stephanie Preucil has been teaching violin privately for thirty years and currently has a studio of forty students. She is a member of the Classic Arts Trio and was principal second violin of the New American Chamber Orchestra in Detroit, traveling throughout Europe, Scandinavia, and the Middle East.

Gene Purdue is a founding member of the Thouvenel String Quartet, performing throughout Europe, twice touring China and featured on NBC’s Today show. He is the Artistic Director of the Buddy Conservatory of Music in Madison and of the Midwest Young Artist’s Chamber Music Camp in Lake Forest Academy

VIOLA
Sally Chisholm, violist of the Pro Arte Quartet and Professor of Viola at UW-Madison, is a founding member of the Chamber Music Society of Minnesota and a permanent violist of the Festival Der Zukunft in Ernen, Switzerland.

Allyson Fleck is on the faculty at Kennesaw State University and performs with the Lyra String Quartet. Allyson performs with the Cobb Symphony Orchestra and subs for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Atlanta Opera.

CELLO
Walter Preucil is a member of the Lyric Opera of Chicago orchestra since 1988, he also enjoys a career as a chamber musician, having performed in every Midsummer’s Music concert since its opening week in 1991. Walter teaches at the Interlochen Arts Camp and has formerly served on the faculty of Lawrence University’s community music department as well as the Preucil School of Music in Iowa City.

Paula Kosower is an active performer and teacher currently residing in Chicago. Performances include concerts with the Chicago Chamber Musicians, with the Fulcrum Point New Music Project, for the contemporary music series at the Music Institute of Chicago, and for the Bach Festival week in Evanston.

BASS
Jason Heath began playing with the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra and Sioux City Symphony Orchestra at the age of fifteen. A member of the Elgin Symphony, he served for eight years as co-principal bass of the IRIS Chamber Orchestra and assistant principal bass of the Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra.

Tickets for either performance are $25, available by calling 920.854.7088 or at the door. Performances start at 7:30 pm. on Thursday, July 8 at Woodwalk Gallery in Egg Harbor and on Friday, July 9 at the Francis Hardy Center for the Arts in Ephraim. Midsummer’s Music Festival’s encore ticket policy entitles you to attend repeat performances of the same concert at different locations at no additional charge.