FREE www.nsartthrob.com
FROM THE GROUND UP Locals Making a Difference
Loud & ProuD Civil Rights for a New Millennia
Damien Echols The Politics of Intolerance
NOVEMBER 2012 Volume 2, Issue 7
THE POLITICAL ISSUE
Join us for an inspired and fanciful night at PEM!
millineRY
Fashion CONTEMPORARY COCKTAIL With Martha Buskirk + Jason Hoelscher
With Stephen JoneS
ThURsDaY, noV. 15
Friday, November 30 7 - 9pm / FREE
eat / drink / discuss
6:30–9:30 pm RESERvaTIonS By novEMBER 8 members $45, nonmembers $55
Renowned milliner Stephen Jones discusses his design inspirations, creating the Hats exhibition, choosing the perfect hat for any occasion, hat styling and more. Jones will be joined in conversation by Lynda Hartigan, The James B. and Mary Lou Hawkes Chief Curator, and Juliette Fritsch, Chief of Education and Interpretation (and a trained milliner). Then, enjoy a live fashion show featuring spectacular Stephen Jones hats.
Holiday Party! Host your holiday party at Colonial Hall at Rockafellas, the exciting new function venue in the heart of historic Salem. This ballroom with vaulted ceilings, gleaming hardwood floors and spacious balcony are the perfect setting for a corporate or family gathering.
Complimentary hors d’oeuvres. Cash bar. Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones and the Museum Shop will be open all evening. Milliner and designer Dinah Makowsky offers a Trunk Show in the Museum Shop from 1 to 4 pm. Media SponSor north Shore art throb
161 Essex Street | Salem, MA 01970 | 978-745-9500 | pem.org
Colonial Hall a t RO CK AF EL LAS
231 Essex Street, Salem 978-745-5415 colonialhallatrockafellas.com
The Political Issue November 2012, Volume 2, Issue 76 6 7
local
november calender
beverly art walk
Map to individual galleries and artful institutions
8
12
25
28 14
8
8
14
political drama
19
derby street denizens
10 19 Top Left: Campaign manager Darek Barcikowski, courtesy image Middle Left: Michelle Faria of Salem State University's production of Cabaret, photo by Lilly McCrea Top Right: New Salem resident Damien Echols, photo by Mary Shea Bottom: Stanley Zielinkski of the old Gables Drug Store in Salem, photo by Jim McAllister
about the cover: We happened upon Sarah Smith at her recent show at Endicott College and found this cover image to be the way we feel at this point in an election season. In addition to creating and showcasing her works at Olfactory Press, Sarah Smith teaches at Montserrat College of Art, where she helped create a letterpress studio called Imposition Press and a BFA concentration in Book Arts. She also teaches printmaking at Endicott College. In her artist statement she says, "The humor in my work revolves around human behavior and interactions in social situations, academia, the workplace and in history. Authority and authorship is brought into question as text and form turn out to be other than expected. Ideas and images are often put into a different context to better point out the absurdity in life."
23
by jim mcallister When salty characters took local action
the loud & proud crowd
by yule heibel Sustainable communities celebrate diversity
life
dishing up history
by robbin lynn crandall f through the new Salem Food Tour Eating our way
damien in the city
by dinah cardin From death row to safe harbor
12
16
by peter sampieri To sing or face the Nazis?
from the ground up
by alex miller Volunteers put aside cynicism for change
art
art essay: sarah smith Body politic
dancing at the y
by judith black Stepping into political correctness
30
politics of there & here
by peter anastas Gloucester's George Rosen takes us to East Africa and back
north shore art*throb ∙3
from the editor It’s November in an election year...and we’re done with messaging, persuasive speeches, handlers and headlines. Our featured artist, Sarah Smith, says it best with our cover image — called Conversation. In her artist statement, she explains: “I like to express visually and verbally the state of mind we are in when we are doubting and wavering, just before reconvincing ourselves of our ‘truths.’” Th is issue looks not so much at the partisan politics we are so sick of hearing by now, but at the difference that can be made when people act on their truths. We were fortunate to spend a bit of time with Damien Echols, a new Salem resident who could still be on death row in Arkansas if several famous and not-so-famous people had not stepped up, made a stink, and kept telling his story. Th is month, the man who spent half his life in prison will speak at Harvard Book Store. Look for his new documentary about the West Memphis Three at Christmas and expect to see more of him around Salem. Meanwhile, Alex Miller talks to three people who have given their time to the local political process, despite the cynical bent our world has taken. The idea of resilient communities is explored by Yule Heibel and how embracing tolerance and diversity can bring us to a point of great strength. She speaks with those involved in LGBT groups across the North Shore and discovers community-building opportunities for people of all ages.
4 ∙ nsartthrob.com
A commitment to local action has always been found in Salem’s Derby Street neighborhood. Salem’s great storyteller and beloved historian Jim McAllister shares his first memories of living in our fair city in the 1970s — in the tight harborside streets then thick with bars, salty characters and the city’s Polish population. McAllister became so inspired when asked to write his story and share his historic photos with us that he's now considering a book on the subject! Be sure to join internationally-acclaimed storyteller Judith Black on page 23 for a dance class at the Marblehead Y, where a lesson is taught in political correctness and humanity. Meanwhile, Gloucester writer Peter Anastas reviews a short story collection that examines the internal politics of other nations and their global effect. Finally, we're lucky to have a professor who's directing Salem State University's new production of Cabaret share with us why the story of sassy Sally Bowles is a cautionary tale against apathy — showing us just how indulgence, distraction and entertainment can blind us from the dangers that lurk in corruption and power. Art is always political and publishing an issue that celebrates electing to live by our convictions is what the political process is all about... —Dinah Cardin Editor-in-Chief
our staff CREATIVE DIRECTOR << LILLY MCCREA A wild multi-tasker, at any moment Lilly can be found overseeing a photo shoot, behind the camera, writing an article or laying out Art*Throb’s print publication. She also freelance designs. Find her online at lillymccreadesign.com.
WRITER << ALEX MILLER has a masters degree in Literature and Modernity from the University of Edinburgh. He and his wife returned to the US in 2010. They now live in Beverly. Also a writer of poetry, fiction and criticism, Alex teaches writing and literature at the high school and college level.
North Shore Art*Throb is a free publication that incubates a regional movement of sustainable communities invested in the arts, a local economy and cultural engagement. We cover Boston’s North Shore, including the communities of Salem, Beverly, Marblehead, Lynn and Gloucester. To learn more or for exclusive web content, visit us at www.nsartthrob.com
BUSINESS/EDITORIAL MANAGER >> JONATHAN SIMCOSKY is a native of Kansas City, MO, who came to Salem via Brooklyn. When he’s not gallivanting about the globe, he can be found cooking, eating, and talking about how much he loves to do both. He’s blogging his most recent adventure at www.jonathansimcosky.com
WRITER >>LOU MANDARINI is an attorney who lives in Beverly Cove and enjoys cooking, gardening, reading, politics, traveling for both work and play, and writing something other than legal briefs.
Art*Throb is published by Fireheart Communications LLC. Our authors and advertisers speak for themselves. Their ideas and messaging are their own, and can not necessarily be attributed to Art*Throb. Copyright © 2012 Special thanks to: Kylie Alexander, graphic design intern
COPYEDITOR/WRITER << SARAH WOLFE has contributed to a number of publications, including Boston Magazine. A self-confessed linguiphile, she began writing stories at a young age, inventing an imaginary world that she still visits from time to time. Sarah enjoys singing old jazz songs and, to stay centered, doing mountain poses on yoga mats across the North Shore.
Kathleen Anne Casey, web managing editor PHOTOGRAPHER << MARY SHEA got her start taking pictures of people and landscapes in her childhood home of Martha’s Vineyard. She is drawn to the North Shore for its oceanside communal feel. She holds a fine arts degree in photography from Mass Art, and a Masters of Social Work degree from Salem State College.
Want to advertise online or in the magazine? advertising@nsartthrob.com Want to subscribe? The cost is $35 for 10 issues or $20 for 10 digital issues. Make checks payable to North Shore Art*Throb. Our address? 8 Front St., Suite 215 Salem, MA 01970 Questions? info@nsartthrob.com
north shore art*throb ∙5
november calendar Thursday, 11/15
11/1- 11/4 Michael Nye: 'About Hunger and Resilience' Photographer Michael Nye has captured the face of hunger and the spirit of resilience in a powerful exhibit at the Endicott College Center for the Arts in Beverly. Nye’s photographs are the result of his travels around the country, listening to people struggling with hunger. The 45 portraits and audio stories reveal the courage and fragility of those individuals who have experienced hunger. In simple yet eloquent detail, the voices and images draw the viewer into Nye’s portraits. The exhibit is free and open to the public. endicott.edu
Elizabeth’s relationship with her sister Sophia, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s wife. This lecture is part of a series on how women from the 17th to the late 19th century established themselves in positions of power in a male dominated world. The lecture takes place from 7 to 9 pm at the House of Seven Gables, 115 Derby Street, Salem. Admission is $10.00 for members and $15.00 for non-members. 7Gables.org
Law and Water Gallery
The Pastrana Tapestries at PEM
Wednesday, 11/7 Elizabeth Palmer Peabody: Strong Women Lecture Louise B. Swiniarski, professor of education at Salem State University will focus on Elizabeth Peabody: her work, friends and the literary salon she hosted on West Street in Boston. She will also discuss Elizabeth’s relationship with her sister Sophia, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s wife. This lecture is part of a series on how women from the 17th to the late 19th century established themselves Louise B. Swiniarski, professor of education at Salem State University will focus on Elizabeth Peabody: her work, friends, and the literary salon she hosted on West Street in Boston. She will also discuss 6 ∙ nsartthrob.com
Co-authors Kevin Weeks, former mobster and confidant to Whitey Bulger, and acclaimed author Phyllis Karas will discuss the intriguing details of their book, The Life of a Gangster: Whitey Bulger’s Right-Hand Man. Karas will dialogue with Weeks, focusing on his life of crime, prison and his present role in the Bulger prosecution. The event, which is free and open to the public, begins at 7 pm in the Wax Academic Center Auditorium at Endicott College in Beverly. endicott.edu
Saturday, 11/17
11/1-12/31 Monumental in scale and meticulous in construction, the Pastrana Tapestries are one of the finest examples of Gothic tapestry in existence. The tapestries are on view together for the first time as part of a rare US tour that follows an extensive restoration project. Commissioned by Portugal's King Afonso V (1432-1481) and expertly woven in Belgium's Tournai workshops in the late 1400s, the Pastrana Tapestries are singular for their depiction of a contemporary subject: Afonso's military campaigns in North Africa. Through vibrantly-colored wool and silk threads, a vivid scene of military pomp and conquest emerges. pem.org
'The Life of a Gangster: Whitey Bulger’s Right-Hand Man'
Exposed Vessel, photo by Paul Goldberg
Friday, 11/9 Arlo Guthrie in Rockport Arlo Guthrie, the son of legendary singer and songwriter Woody Guthrie, is known for music that focuses on themes of civil justice and activism. He will perform at the Shalin Liu Performance Center, 37 Main Street, Rockport beginning at 8 pm. Tickets are $80, $70, and $50. Call 978.546.7391
Monday, 11/12 Celebrity Book Reading Character actor extraordinaire Stephen Tobolowsky has appeared in hundreds of movies and TV series over the last 25 years – movies like Groundhog Day and Memento and shows like Glee and Californication, but despite a lifetime devotion to the craft of acting that also includes a classical theater training and a Tony Award nomination, you probably wouldn't recognize him if you saw him on the street. He reads from his new book The Dangerous Animals Club at Cape Ann Community Cinema for an exclusive evening during the 5th Annual Cape Ann Film Festival. The book focuses on stories from his Jewish upbringing. capeanncinema.com
It's a Gloucester law office turned gallery. If you find the law’s traditional icons and symbols of gavels, scales and courthouse squares tired and uninspiring, the Law & Water Gallery will remind you why you care about the law. Whether you work from inside or outside the legal system fighting for individual rights, the common good or both, you’ll find art that strikes a responsive cord. The artwork also captures the intensity, energy and persistence of Gloucester's working waterfront. Opening 11/17, 12 to 7pm, 18A Pleasant St., Gloucester. LawAndWaterGallery.com
Wednesday, 11/28 Gloucester author event New York Times contributor and NPR commentator George Rosen will be reading from and discussing his latest work, The Immanence of God in the Tropics, at the Gloucester Writers Center (Harbor Room, 8 Norwood Court, off East Main Street) at 7:30 pm. The book is a collection of seven stories taking place in locations as varied and intriguing as East Africa, Mexico and New England. See page 30 for a book review.
nline
Find us online at nsartthrob.com and sign up for our newsletter to get weekly listings.
A number of artistic and cultural assets call downtown Beverly home: Montserrat College of Art, Porter Mill, Wallpusher Guitars and 17 Cox are a handful, not to mention the hundreds of artists working in the city, maintaining both public and private studios. On Thursday, November 1st, the first of what will be a monthly occurrence will take place. The walk will guide participants from Montserrat College of Art down to 17 Cox with more than 10 stops in between at galleries and other artistic locations, including public works of art. Each location is offering extended hours, refreshments, special exhibitions or other incentives. Look for the First Thursday sticker in the windows of local businesses that denote their participation. Contact Bea Modisett at gallery.portermill@ gmail.com for more information. Artwork excerpted from original.
Oils derived from hand-picked olives Specialty Olive Oils & Vinegars Traditional and Infused 57 Main St. Gloucester, MA (978) 281-1061
Cape Ann Olive Oil
8 â&#x2C6;&#x2122; nsartthrob.com
damien
in the city by Dinah Cardin photos by Mary Shea
Standing in a light rain among fall blooms,
Damien Echols is placing his Ray-Ban® blue blockers over my eyes. He wants me to view the world how he sees it these days from the black framed glasses he has been photographed in countless times over the last few weeks by national magazines and newspapers. The glasses are a necessity since he went a decade without daylight, says Echols, who spent half his life in an Arkansas State Prison on Death Row. Echols and I were both born in 1974 about four hours apart on opposite sides of the Missouri and Arkansas line. Today, we live on opposite sides of Salem Common. It’s early October, the day before the city-wide parade. Tourists queue at the Witch Museum and most Salem residents share dreams of weekends in Maine. But Echols is in heaven. He moved here only weeks before, loves Halloween and hasn’t gotten to spend much time settling in, what with the national book tour for his bestselling memoir Life After Death. During our hour with Damien, sandwiched between his interviews, we take the pale-skinned man and his now-famous tattooed arms to the Ropes Mansion for his first visit. He excitedly looks around in childlike wonder and says he wants to bring his wife, a landscape architect by trade, back here to explore the beautiful garden. We pass the First Church and mention that they fly the LGBT flag. He doesn’t know what LGBT is. “Sounds like a sandwich, doesn’t it?” laughs our photographer, trying to make him feel better. “If it was the Confederate flag, I’d know what that is,” Echols says begrudgingly. We explain the acronym with a “Welcome to Massachusetts!” Like so many things in Salem, this feels foreign to someone who went to prison in Arkansas as a teenager and came out an adult in their late 30s.
This is an easy media day for the man who has become the central figure of the West Memphis Three. He only has four interviews. In recent days, he has spent hours on the phone with reporters and on flights around the country on tour, following the September release of his memoir. The reason he continuously tells his gruesome personal story of torture in prison on places such as The Moth — the hugely popular public radio show and podcast, Echols says, is to let people know of the injustice that took place. “It’s like a wound that can’t heal,” he says, “because you’re constantly ripping the scabs off.” Still, he feels he must find who is responsible for the murders he was accused of. Reward money has been offered. “The state of Arkansas is not going to lift a hand,” he says. “It’s up to us now.”
It’s almost unnerving to hear this incredibly charismatic man in black, whose story has been dominating the media, list off his favorite Salem restaurants and what he orders there. While moving boxes into their new home and answering calls from reporters, Echols and his wife, Lorri Davis, are planning another trip to tell his story and promote the book. He is nervous about visiting the South, but looks forward to some November engagements closer to their new home, which include an Amnesty International-sponsored talk at Harvard Book Store on Nov. 9 and a talk on Nov. 7 at the New York Public Library with Henry Rollins. As we chat, Echols brings up the famous Barnes and Noble book signing, the one chronicled in September in The New York Times where Johnny Depp appeared with him in Union Square. His publicist, says Echols, called to say that his book is now wedged there between Joel Olstein and Fifty Shades of Gray, the perfect irony not lost on a Southern boy. It’s strange to look over at Gulu-Gulu Cafe and see Echols chatting with the staff like he’s been in town for years. It’s almost unnerving to hear this incredibly charismatic man in black, whose story has been dominating the media, list off his favorite Salem restaurants and what he orders there. He loves the cappuccinos at Gulu, the burritos at Howling Wolf and takes shots of green goodness at Life Alive after being deprived of fruits and vegetables for so long. north shore art*throb ∙ 9 north shore art*throb ∙9
Damien Echols at Gulu-Gulu Cafe, photo by Mary Shea.
“Once we get settled, Johnny (Depp) says he can’t wait to visit.”
10 ∙ nsartthrob.com
More of Echols' thoughts on Salem: * Sometimes the beauty he finds is “too big." “I can’t take it in," he says. "My heart’s going to explode.” * “Once we get settled, Johnny (Depp) says he can’t wait to visit.” * He can’t get over how bustling the restaurants are at night, how much seems to be happening here at all times. “It’s like there’s something in the air...people are excited.” And excited is the way Echols likes it. He goes on a tirade about bored people and how he has “no tolerance for the mundane.” In prison he painted and made collages, but says now he realizes that people shouldn’t just make art, but rather “we should be art and help to make the world a little more magical.” The magic Echols would like to create in Salem, he of all people can probably pull off with the help of his supporters, Johnny Depp and Peter Jackson. He calls this attraction “performance art” — the concept of an underworld experience that could remind people of their mortality. There, they could leave behind the things they no longer need in life, like feelings of anger or resentment. At the suggestion that this is sort of like what he went through, Echols exclaims, “Exactly!” The book gives a glimpse at how rural Arkansas can border on third world poverty and how something akin to a witch hunt and a subsequent mishandling of justice can land three teenagers in prison and keep them there for nearly 20 years. How they can be bound together as the West Memphis Three, only to be released one day by pleading guilty and agreeing not to sue the state of Arkansas. In August of 2011, the West Memphis Three were let out on a plea that set them free, but does not acknowledge their innocence in the murder of three young boys in the mid 90s. They can thank an odd pairing of the extremely rich and famous — Johnny Depp, musician Eddie Vedder and filmmaker Sir
Peter Jackson of The Lord of the Rings movies, who relentlessly kept their story alive. Three documentaries have been made. A feature film, The Devil’s Knot, starring Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth, is in production. This Christmas is the release of West of Memphis, produced by Jackson, Echols and Davis. Davis married Echols in 1999 while he was in prison after the two exchanged thousands of gut-wrenching and beautiful letters, shared in a New York Times Magazine story in 2011. She even moved from New York City to Little Rock, AK, to be near him. In addition to writing letters and the extensive journal that became his book, Echols found Salem while in prison, through a list he made of things to do if he ever got out. Visiting the Witch City was at the top. Since his 2011 release from prison, the couple had been living in Peter Jackson’s apartment in Manhattan. Echols loved New York when he got out, and says after years of enforced isolation in prison the city “fed him.” “New York is the center of the universe,” Echols says. “It’s modern day Egypt or Rome. Everyone should be able to live there at some point and just feel the energy. You don’t get that on Tee-vee,” he twangs in his Memphis drawal. When he finally made it here to Salem and found friendly people everywhere who recognized his name and knew his story, he and Davis were determined to stay in the Witch City. In addition to reading countless books and writing in his journal, it was meditation and a commitment to Buddhism that got him through physical pain and torment in prison, says Echols. It has been written that Echols and Davis meditated at the same time each day. A meditation center is another thing he would like to open in Salem, to join all the other alternative spiritual things he loves here, including the fact that he can get acupuncture across the street from his new house, he says. Salem’s dark past, the 1692 killings of innocent people accused of witchcraft, is not lost on someone who went through what Echols has. With his black hair and dark clothes, Echols may not get a second glance in Salem, but as a teenager in the South things were different. Walking back toward downtown on Essex Street, we inform him that not only is this known as the Witch City, but also as the City of Peace. Fitting for someone searching for just that. “I can’t wait to settle down,” says Echols. “I want to spend the rest of my life here.”
CENTER FOR CREATIVE AND PERFORMING ARTS November 29 – December 9 Thursday – Saturday at 7:30 pm Sunday at 2 pm Mainstage Theatre 352 Lafayette Street salemstatetickets.com 978.542.7890
b a c
t e ar
By John Kander and Fred Ebb Directed by Peter Sampieri
ENDICOTT COLLEGE
Walter J. Manninen Center for the Arts
School of Visual + Performing Arts 376 Hale Street, Beverly, MA 01915 I 978.232.2250 I www.endicott.edu/centerforthearts
NOVEMBER EVENTS
ENDICOTT COLLEGE PRESENTS: ENDICOTT COLLEGE MBP (MODERN BAND PROJECT) AND GUESTS:
Thursday, November 15, 2012 7:30 P.M. Rose Performance Hall General Admission $5 FREE to EC ID Holders STUDENT AND ALUMNI CHOREOGRAPHY SHOWCASE
Thursday, November 29, 2012 Friday, November 30, 2012 7:30 P.M. Tia’s Theater FREE Admission
throb.com
from the ground up by alex miller
A recent rally for Elizabeth Warren for Senate at the First Baptist Church on Cabot Street in Beverly. Photo by Lilly McCrea.
D
arek Barcikowski walks through the door of Salem’s Cafe Polonia with a cell phone still to his ear. He is wearing a loosely-tailored button down shirt of plain baby blue tucked cleanly into slacks. Getting off the phone, he apologizes and asks the waiter for a bowl of beet soup, which he eats hungrily but carefully. “I figure I should kill two birds with one stone,” he says, “I haven’t had a chance for lunch.” It is 4pm.
Barcikowski is adamant that American political power lies entirely in grassroots groups and interested people, young and old. Darek Barcikowski, courtesy image
“Many of us on the North Shore are now living in a village atmosphere, but we need to learn to appreciate the enormity of the American nation, and to be content with starting at the roots.” — Bea Modisett Barcikowski has taken time out from a frantic schedule to discuss his involvement in local politics. A Salem restaurant owner, former candidate for city council, and current coordinator of Joan Lovely’s campaign for the state senate seat, his chiseled face has appeared frequently in the news over the past two years. Even before he moved to Salem two years ago, he was involved in national politics and many issues involving the Polish immigrant community. Slowly but surely, his interest in these issues has turned Barcikowski into a dynamo. Habitually serious, he lights up when I question him about the effectiveness of grassroots politics. “In the short time I have been in Salem, I’ve seen enormous political capital. It is young professionals who are running the city council now. Both the Republican and Democratic committees here are reviving at their hands as well.” Barcikowski is adamant that American political power lies entirely in grassroots groups and interested people, young and old. No matter what your
profession or background, he says, “you can have an impact. I am a walking example of that.” Across the bridge at Atomic Cafe in Beverly, Bea Modisett agrees. A Monsterrat graduate and painter, Modisett moonlights as an advocate for political awareness. She currently sits on the Beverly Cultural Council, but turns fiery at the suggestion that her level of involvement isn’t for everyone. “If someone is uninformed and distant about politics,” she says, squeezing her paper cup of tea so that it nearly overflows into her lap, “that’s their right. But by taking that stance, they also lose their right to complain about political outcomes.” As a generation, says Modisett, we have grown so accustomed to the value of immediate satisfaction that we habitually bail out on politics with immature impatience; a tendency that denies us the satisfaction of involvement in the workings of our community. “Many of us on the North Shore are now living in a village atmosphere, but we need to learn to appreciate the enormity of the American nation, and to be content with starting at the roots.” By Modisett’s reckoning, the best way to be satisfied with, say, the results of a national election, is to be committed to influencing in much smaller settings. She might as well be quoting Julie Curtis, professor at Salem State University, long-time Danvers Public Library Trustee and member of the university’s branch of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, in whose small office she speaks to me, hammering the same point. She smiles persistently, crinkling a kind, broad face: “All politics are important, but local politics most of all.” Curtis’s view is that those with an eye to local issues will vote best, and that no matter their level of commitment, those who love their community should vote in early races, or — best of all — help to run them. “My opinion has always been, you’ve got to give back to your community. A lifetime of involvement began for me when I simply wanted to return the favor to my public library. It’s the next generation we’re relying on now to adopt this approach. Without them, we will literally run out of people to run the country. ” The White House, she reminds me, can’t do a thing at the top if there is no one at the bottom. That, in a nutshell, is the beauty of American Politics; a beauty Barcikowski, Modisett and Curtis saw most clearly after, not before, they put their hands to the wheel and started to drive our local political machine forward. Photos by Mary Shea
political drama by peter sampieri
Liza Minnelli as Sally Bowles in the 1972 film version, courtesy image.
Michelle Faria is Sally Bowles in the 2012 production at Salem State University, courtesy image.
A
Peter Sampieri is Assistant Professor of Theatre and Speech at the Department of Theatre and Speech Communication at Salem State University.
14 ∙ nsartthrob.com
t a recent theatre orientation meeting at Salem State University, I took a little poll of my own. “By a show of hands, how many of you are registered to vote on Nov. 6th?” I asked. Though many students were ready to go, I was more interested in hearing from those whose hands did not go up, and so I asked them: “What’s getting in your way?” After a few brief jokes from the those who cannot vote — the under-18 crowd and international students — a young woman gave an honest response. “I’m not voting because it doesn’t matter who I vote for; everything will stay exactly the same whether I vote or not.” I replied, “That’s exactly how the characters in Cabaret feel.” My student’s feelings of apathy and disenfranchisement with our political system so closely echoed those of characters at the center of Kander and Ebb’s musical, I began to think more and more about the connections between the world of the play and our own. As a professional theatre director and university professor I try to train my students to see that at the center of every play lies a question, and “What is the cost of political apathy?” is most certainly at the center of Cabaret. This sentiment is best expressed with lines like, “You mean — politics? But what has that to do with us?” (Sally Bowles in Act 2, Scene 4.) They give the play its power and its contemporary relevance. That leads me to the other essential questions: “Why this play? Why now?” My stage manager, senior Alex Williams, sees Cabaret as a parable about “the danger and consequences of burying your head in the sand.” The play tells the story of “a seedy night club in Berlin” at the
dawn of the 1930s, where a Master of Ceremonies promises us a powerful distraction from the outside world, where shadows of a powerful new Nazi party begin to loom. Williams sees parallels to our own culture: “Our world as it stands is on the ragged edge of spinning into religious, economic, social and political chaos. And yet many of us live in a bubble; we watch our morning shows, update our Facebook and play a round of golf in the afternoon, perfectly willing to subscribe to the ‘Ignorance is Bliss’ lifestyle.” At a time when our country feels deeply divided — where economic strife is bringing out the ugliest in our pundits and our politicians, and where hatred, never far away, is rearing its head — Cabaret feels more relevant than ever. As a director, I always endeavor to create theatre “from the ground up,” eschewing handed-down interpretations that have leaked into our collective consciousness. In that vein, my cast and design team are leaving the well-loved film behind and finding inspiration from the musical’s original source material — Christopher Isherwood’s 1935 novel Goodbye to Berlin from The Berlin Stories; John Van Druten‘s subsequent 1951 stage adaptation I Am A Camera, and the tradition of German cabaret itself. Despite the play’s well-known production history, the world of Germany’s cabaret culture couldn’t be further from the glitz and glam of American Broadway musicals, sharing far more with vaudeville, circus and burlesque than Bob Fosse, All That Jazz and sequins. Our production will feature costumes inspired by August Sander’s documentary photos of German circus performers and Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld’s Institut für Sexualwissenschaft (Institute for Sexual Research) in Berlin, and use exclusive audience seating in cabaret tables and chairs. Reinventing the show’s iconic characters is a challenge as well. Junior Michelle Faria says, “The most challenging aspect of playing Sally Bowles is that I have a lot to live up to. Finding the vulnerability in Sally is going to be a challenge, and I think that this experience will help me grow as an actor.” Like Faria, all of us working on Cabaret have to find a way into the musical that feels personal and original. For me as the director, my “way in” is the political satire inherent in the play. There is a long tradition of artists lampooning Nazis, from Charlie Chaplin’s The Great Dictator to Mel Brooks’ The Producers, and this play is no exception. We do not wish to in any way make light of the events of the Holocaust, but rather to highlight the fact that cabaret artists — social critics who satirized hate — were also ground up in the machine of the Third Reich. George Grosz was a notorious Communist cartoonist and one of the first to openly
humiliate Hitler by depicting him as a caveman in a German newspaper. Max Ehrlich was an openly gay Jewish cabaret MC who hosted performances that were outright satirical attacks on Nazism, and was summarily arrested and executed in Auschwitz in 1944. One of Cabaret’s most memorable characters is its own MC (perhaps inspired by Ehrlich?), originally portrayed on Broadway by Joel Grey (in 1966) and later by Alan Cumming (in 1998). In our production, he is played by Senior Zach McGrath, who says he has “loved Cabaret since I was 16 years old,” and who was “drawn particularly to the MC because he was such an enigma.” The ‘enigma’ Zach sees is, to me, the dramatic collision of the artists of social satire (best represented by the MC) and the inflexible menace of Nazism. The relevance of satire — of any piece of art — changes depending on context. When Cabaret was last directed at Salem State 20 years ago in 1992 by my colleague David Allen George, we were living in a very different America. Bill Clinton had just been elected president and we were on the cusp of an economic boom. I’d imagine that, at that time, Cabaret felt more like a cautionary tale for the future than an allegory for the present. Professor George, however, still made a connection. “This work hits a chord because we are connected to each other. Hiding away in the cabaret like it was a bunker won’t stop any problem. But most rats run there when there is trouble, don’t they?” Social satire plays an essential role in any society, but works best when it depends on democracy and free speech. In order for satire to work, the basic rule that “everyone is welcome but no one is safe” needs protection. Fascism by nature depends on the tyranny of a monologue — one voice, one story, one point of view. That is the opposite of modern theatre, where a multiplicity of perspectives is crucial to create a dialogue. The story of modern history has proven that there is a clear relationship between economic despair and political extremism. Poverty motivated masses of people in Italy and Germany to Mussolini and Hitler in the 1930s to adopt hate. Why some artists and citizens chose not to see the writing on the wall still remains a mystery and a potent allegory for today. Whatever it is that causes political apathy, the effect of that apathy can be profound. Here’s hoping that my student comes around. ______________________________________ Cabaret opens on Nov. 29 and runs through Dec. 9 with all evening performances at 7:30pm. Sunday matinee on Dec. 9 at 2pm. For tickets and information, call 978.542.6999 or go to salemstatetickets.com.
Costume Corner
When a society faces uncertainty, whether it is political or monetary, the disparity seems to feed the extremes of sociallyacceptable behavior. The costumes for the performers were inspired by the research I did about Berlin Kabaret Klubs in the 1930s. Each costume the performers wear reflects fetishes that were prevalent during that time. During the late 20s and early 30s, these Klubs saw a great increase in popularity. Often they were centers of iniquity and sometimes outright debauchery. The director and I decided that the performers' outfits would cater to certain tastes that might frequent such an establishment. Some of the costumes are inspired by early Brownshirt uniforms the Nazi Party wore from as early as the 1920s. —Jane Hillier-Walkowiak, Costume Designer north shore art*throb ∙ 15
BODY POLITIC ILLUSTRATIONS & PRINTS BY SARAH SMITH
St
16 ∙ nsartthrob.com
teven NegrĂłn
north shore art*throb â&#x2C6;&#x2122; 17
ARTIST STATEMENT I am interested in how and why, and by what means we believe, trust or have faith. How is it that no matter how often we’re shown we’re wrong, we keep coming back to lean on our imaginary pillars? I want to express, visually and verbally, the state of mind we are in when we are doubting and wavering, just before re-convincing ourselves of our “truths.” It seems like it’s possible for a person to go either way, stampeding toward whatever conviction they’ve decided on or sliding into despair. In such indecision and turmoil, absurdity and incongruity thrives. This incongruity and absurdity naturally generates humor. The humor in my work revolves around human behavior and interactions in social situations, academia, the workplace and in history. Authority and authorship is brought into question as text and form turn out to be other than expected. Ideas and images are often put into a different context to better point out the absurdity in life. Fire Extinguishers' family politics, an Anvil and a Toad battling over ancestral lands or men posing with trophies for posing, break from the expected and put our behavior (and expectations) in a new light. Hopefully, this makes the viewer/reader laugh and see the foolishness in our behavior. — Sarah Smith
Full Spread (Previous Page): Excerpt from Dance Steps for the Beleaguered: Being an Enquiry into the Nature, Order and Methodology of the Professional Aggregation, an accordion, letterpress printed book that unfolds to 7.5 feet. Top: "Do You Have a Minute?" is a letterpress printed image using mostly wood type and was inspired by many conversations. Left: "The Committee Meeting" contains a quote from an exchange in a meeting. Letterpress printed broadside using wood type, silver ink, chipboard and polymer plate. Right" "Eat the Meat the Meat Eats" was something my husband used to say as he prepared one of his many fabulous meat-centric dinners. I was never sure what exactly he meant. www.olfactorypress.com
Derby Street Denizens by Jim McAllister
Bruce Freeman flying a kite at Derby Wharf, photo by Jim McAllister.
I
n December 1973, my friend Bruce Freeman and I and a third roommate moved from South Salem to a second floor apartment at 127 Derby Street. We had chosen the neighborhood only because it was convenient to the House of Seven Gables Settlement where Bruce and I both worked. At the time, I had no inkling of the extraordinary social and culture experiences it would provide me over the next decade. Our new neighborhood, while “in transition,” still had a distinctly Eastern European flavor. Within a few blocks of our apartment were the Russian Aid Society, the Lithuanian Club and three Polish clubs. On Saturday mornings, one could hear the WESX Litwin’s Polka Hour broadcast throughout the neighborhood. Our landlady was Polish. Frances (Hawryluk) Bona was a gruff, 60-something widow who chainsmoked and used words like “frig” and “pisscutter” — and possessed a heart of gold. She eventually decided we were all right, despite our long hair, and her “seal of approval” seemed to be good enough for our Polish neighbors. Frances had a soft spot for dogs (she dispensed biscuits out her kitchen window), and for “the little
people.” In the mid-1970s, she co-founded the Ward One Senior Citizens club, an organization she would run like a benevolent dictator for years to come. Frances and her chosen “lieutenants” identified lonely shut-ins and assigned other seniors to transport them to the Monday Beano games at the settlement house’s Emmerton Hall. Fran also organized bus trips and annual summer picnics and holiday luncheons. The club was so successful it had a waiting list to join. Watching Frances and the Ward One Senior Citizens, I became aware of the tightly-knit, caring character of the community. Further evidence was provided by the “Derby Street Reunions” held in the 1970s. Many former residents traveled great distances for these annual opportunities to reconnect with old friends and neighbors. I attended one of the reunion banquets at the Polish Falcons Hall on Cousins Street. Honored that night as the neighborhood’s “Man of the Year” was Stanley Zielinski, the long-time proprietor of Gables Drugs. Located on the corner of Derby and Turner streets, “Stanley’s” was a popular destination for neighborhood kids who had money for candy, soda or even cigarettes. Stanley was a character. Once,
Jim McAllister is a Salem historian, photographer, author, teacher and tour guide. Since founding Derby Square Tours in 1983, Jim has conducted countless tours of his adopted Salem. He has lectured extensively about the history of Salem and Boston's North Shore and has served as an historic consultant to the City of Salem, the Hawthorne Hotel, the Peabody Essex Museum and a host of other local organizations and institutions. Courtesy image.
north shore art*throb ∙ 19
during an armed robbery, he pulled out a toy gun and pointed it at the intruder, who then fired a shot into the woodwork and ran. While Stanley loved to point out the bullet hole, he decided to get out of the prescription business and operate as a variety store. When we moved into the neighborhood, it was still dotted with small businesses. We shopped daily at Mike Witcov’s tiny, half-empty grocerette, and I can still picture Mike grinding meat and wrapping it in white butcher’s paper. Over the years I would also patronize Milly Bik’s on Derby Street and Armand’s and Walyo’s on Essex Street. I “dined” frequently at Lydia’s Sub Shop on lower Essex, and occasionally at Soby’s Lunch on upper Derby. The Bunghole Package store and the Union Street Garage were conveniently located just a few blocks from my residence. Other neighborhood businesses I remember were Anderson and Vining Sailmakers, Ralph Rossetti’s barber shop and sauna, and Phyllis’s Place — a tea room on Turner Street (later the 1776 House antique shop). Two establishments from that era, Ye Old Pepper Candy Co. and Dave Eng’s flower shop, are still in operation. Henry and Sophie (Buczko) Theriault’s Sea Witch Gift Shop on Derby Street was a neighborhood institution. The shop was crammed with kitschy tourist items and Salem treasures Henry had found at flea markets and yard sales. Henry would greet customers with a hearty “Where are you from?” and then start talking. Visitors who took the time to listen got a crash course in Salem history and historic sites.
Television personality Ted Knight (nee Tadeusz Konopka) stopped in at the Sea Witch one day, hoping to make contact with the local Polish community. As Henry told it, Knight came in with outstretched arms and a big grin and began talking in rapid–fire Polish. When he was done, the proprietor told his famous visitor, “You want my wife, she’s the one who’s Polish.” Henry would occasionally stop by Swiniuch Park at the corner of Bentley Street after work. This tiny hot-topped park was a memorial to the late Louis Swiniuch, a long-time neighborhood resident and Salem’s first Polish city councilor. The city had installed benches, concrete picnic tables, a water bubbler and two young trees. Flowers were provided by a municipal employee who had access to the city greenhouses. Teddy Kohn, who lived nearby, took the lead in keeping the park clean. Every day, weather permitting, neighborhood men would gather in Swiniuch Park to play cards, read the paper, or listen to the Red Sox on the radio. There were occasional arguments, but nobody ever held a grudge. Ted Kohn and his tenant, Ziggy, were among the park’s” regulars,” as were Benny Swiniarski, Dicky Makowiecki and many others. State Auditor Ted Buczko and Louis Swiniuch’s sons, “Babe”, Louie and Richie, dropped by occasionally, as did architect Jim Ballou, whose office was across the street. Few women bothered to join the men, although they were certainly welcome.
Left: Paul Mullen and Bob Leonard transport a friend’s boat from Hardy Street to Derby Wharf. Right: Making a call from 102 Derby Street. Photos by Jim McAllister.
20 ∙ nsartthrob.com
Many neighborhood men were bachelors and many had nicknames. There were two brothers known as “Carrots” and “Rabbits.” “Batman” was said to be pretty much blind and deaf except when playing cards or looking to borrow a cigarette and “Weasel” aka John Bachta, lived in a tiny cottage on Hardy Street. With his long, straggly gray hair, shabby baseball hat and hooked nose, Weasel was a photographer’s dream. Weasel spent countless daytime hours at In a Pig’s Eye, popularly known as “The Pig,” drinking coffee and doing light custodial work. One night, on the eve of his release from the hospital after a lengthy stay, a gang from The Pig raided the nearby power plant to collect fuel for the Weaz’s primitive coal stove. The Weaz also ran errands for Stanley Zielinski, and probably “ran the numbers too.” Book ies were not hard to find if you knew the neighborhood. One made his rounds with the help of a walker. Drinking was also part of the neighborhood culture. I seldom went to No-Name Pub or the Derby Café, choosing instead to do my socializing at The Pig, which attracted a younger crowd that was more hippy than hip, except on weekend nights when the upscale dinner crowd took over. It was a great place to find partners, jobs, apartments and roommates, and occasionally offered live entertainment. I remember seeing Bobby Hebb, who wrote and recorded the hit song Sunny, and his then-wife Gypsy perform dressed in Superman costumes. On Sunday nights, when the bars in Salem were closed, St. Joseph’s Polish Club was mobbed. One of the attractions there was an Elvis look-alike named Buddy who dressed in black and drank alone at the end of the bar. I went to the nearby PLAV (Polish Legion of American Veterans) a few times, as a guest of Buddy Wodarski or Richie Swiniuch. On one those visits, an intoxicated patron forced me to taste his wife’s high-octane horseradish. Some of The Pig regulars and other
local characters lived in the large brick building at 33 Carlton Street when they were younger. Off the top of my head I can name Michael Szczuka — now owner of Essex Cleaners, Salem architect Richard Griffin, realtor David Martin and future Saltonstall School principal Kevin Fahey. Another resident, Paul Cultrera, had a typewriter set up in his bathroom and wrote some of his soon-to-be-published poems there. “For some reason,” Cultrera recalled, “some other tenants in the building had to use my bathroom. They often left behind typewritten criticisms or poems of their own.” A number of musicians lived at 33 Carlton, as did my old roomie, Bruce Freeman. On any given weekend, Bruce might be seen selling pet supplies or shoes salvaged from defunct businesses on the sidewalk out front. Today, he works as a licensed social worker. Bruce later moved with his then-girlfriend and her infamous dog, Demitri, to another popular building at 81 Essex Street. After the move, the ill-behaved hound graduated from chasing cars down Derby Street to repeatedly attacking John Nesta, a local artist and frequent visitor to 81 Essex. Demitri was finally shipped off to a farm in New Hampshire, and the neighborhood breathed a collective sigh of relief. Other long-time residents of 81 Essex were Bob and Patti Leonard, Jody and Martha Viani (now Martha Shreve), Billy McDonald and Gail McNeil and Nancy St. Lawrence. Nancy, an artist, once had an antique shop next to The Pig. On nice days I often sat out front on a wicker wheelchair and watched the world go by. Like most other buildings in this part of the neighborhood, 81 Essex was owned by the likable Jim Bailey. Bob Leonard was always telling his daughter Courtney and her friend, Gabe Viani, that if they ate vegetables they would “grow up to be big and strong like Mr. Bailey.” Many of us who lived at one time or another in or near 81 Essex — including Bruce Freeman, Bob Leonard, Barbara
Berkan, Buddy Cushman and myself — worked at the settlement house. In the mid-seventies, under the direction of Alan Doksansky, the settlement expanded and professionalized its core youth programs and worked with neighbors to found the Derby Street Concerned Citizens (DSCC). The membership of the new group was a mix of long-time residents, like the Jordans, Coughlins, Morins, Luzinskis and young couples who were restoring old houses. Surprisingly, very few of the newcomers stayed for more than a few years, but the Whittiers, Northrups, Carltons and many others were very active when living in the neighborhood. The group met at Emmerton Hall, and kept abreast of local developments through the monthly Gables Gabbler newsletter. The DSCC attacked neighborhood problems — unruly late night bar patrons, pollution from the nearby power plant, abusive truck traffic — with great enthusiasm. Occasionally, things got dicey. Bob Leonard, who ran the settlement house teen programs, was once following and photographing a truck carrying uncovered fly ash from the power plant. At a stop light, the driver of the truck got out and threatened him with bodily harm. The DSCC monitored new neighborhood developments, including the White Street Marina, Pickering Wharf, and a proposal to create a Derby Street Historic District. The group also ran beautification workshops and sold “Derby Street: Up and Coming” T-shirts. The energy was infectious. Some young adult residents from the neighborhood organized a series of coffee houses at Emmerton Hall. A group of teens from the settlement house — a colorful, diverse, and utterly unpredictable lot — voluntarily spent days cleaning up the beach at Derby Wharf. Grateful residents and businesses threw them a “thank you” cook out. I was in the middle of many of these doings because of my position at the settlement house. But I left the settlement in 1978, and the neighborhood five years later. I had just moved back
21 ∙ nsartthrob.com
Stanley Zielinkski, proprietor of the Gables Drug Store, photo by Jim McAllister.
from a year in California, and was living temporarily at 127 Derby for the third time, when Frances sold her home and moved into senior housing. Ironically, Bruce Freeman was then back living on Frances’s third floor, and so we left the neighborhood as we came into it — together. We rented an apartment for a time on the other side of town before going our separate ways. I can count on two hands the number of times I’ve returned to my old stomping grounds since 1983. For a while it was too painful, because so many of the people I cared about had moved on in one way or another. Gradually, I fell into the habit of not going back and today, three decades later, I satisfy my longings for that wonderful place and time with my memories and photographs.
Frances Bona feeding Tish and Scrubbie at Pickering Wharf, photo by Jim McAllister.
22 ∙ nsartthrob.com
dancing at the y by judith black illustration by michael lowe
When my husband moved into my home in Marblehead, I offered two pieces of advice about small town living: “You want to know what’s important here, read the letters to the editor in the local paper, and don’t ever honk angrily, swear at, or give another driver the finger. You’re not in New York anymore, and in two minutes you’ll find yourself in line right behind them at Crosby’s. Small town living is about civility.” A decade later on the phone with a local friend: “You signed up at Fred Astaire Studios!? ...No, it’s just that I can’t believe we’ve all decided to take ballroom dance classes at the same time! It took me 10 years, six months, and four days to break Mike down and get him to agree...Yours wanted to do it! What a gift. Listen, where is the Fred Astaire Studio...? You don’t have to drive all the way to Danvers, our class is beginner ballroom, and it’s down the block at the YMCA! Why don’t you cancel with old Fred and take it with us?.... Tuesday nights and it’s cheap, cheap, cheap compared to a professional dance studio. Please! Please!? Please!?! My husband thinks that he’ll end up like a frog downstream of an industrial chicken farm... because the estrogen leaves them without, uh, male characteristics... Oh, you will? Great! Thanks so much, it’ll be great fun.” On the first night of class the parking lot is filled with excited wives and their husbands, imitating dogs on their way to the vet to be neutered. This is the old YMCA, where the hardworking, self sufficient, old-school denizens of Marblehead swam and played racquetball and brought their children for nursery school and camp. The plumbers, fisher folk, carpenters, electricians, shop own-
ers — this was their place. The wealthy folk learned ballroom dancing at their yacht clubs, not the YMCA. As we enter the ancient building, the effluvia of two centuries’ worth of mixed sweat and chlorine meets our noses. We are directed to the basement gym, down dark, dank hallways towards a hole that has been lined with concrete, basketball court lines dulled by thousands of played games. We go down to the small foyer, the gym door still locked, couples lingering in a crowded area. Then my eyes fall upon my friends, a palpable swath of charged air separating them from the other couples, their eyes resembling nothing more than those of two deer caught in the headlights. A sudden wave of guilt rolls over me: ‘What an absolute idiot I am! Of course, Fred Astaire studios would have been a better choice for a male couple.’ I call out, much too merrily: “Hans, Peter, so glad you could do this.” Running over, I hug them both. “Mike, see, they made it!” I call over to someone else I know, “Hey, Joanie! Come over and meet my friends, Peter and Hans.” The female dance teacher sashays through our crowd. Unlocking the door, she peppily sings out, “OK everyone, let’s STEP in!” In heels with a sharp slit in her skirt, her hair piled high atop her head, this pro looks every bit the dancer. She has a Chatty Cathy style. Do you remember those dolls? One pull on the string at the neck and they chirp a single cheery line. She gestures to the man standing next to her: “This is Mac, your guy teacher.” Standing at almost six feet, Mac is lean and mean, with an anchor tattoo on one prominent bicep and a pack of filterless Pall Malls tucked in the T-shirt cuff on the other. He wears jeans and boots.
north shore art*throb ∙23
Good Things Are Happening
Every husband exhales, lifts his chest and saunters proudly into the gym. As we take our places around the room, we stand to the left of Hans and Peter, but no one is to their right. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I am such an idiot! Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sorry I did this to them!' I think, wondering if a paid vacation to Provincetown can possibly compensate. The first 60 minutes of class consist of explanations and basics. The female instructor issues her first command: â&#x20AC;&#x153;OK, girls cross, then boys.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Hello, we have a boy and boy!â&#x20AC;&#x2122; The couple quickly decides that Peter, the slighter of the two, will play the female role. I am sure this would not have happened at Fred Astaireâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I am such an idiot!â&#x20AC;&#x2122; We learn terminology: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The moving foot will be the boyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s left, girlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s right.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Hello, we have a boy and boy!â&#x20AC;&#x2122; We move in partners across the floor and then around it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;OK, boys to the right, girls to the left, and letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s begin.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Hello, we have a boy and boy!â&#x20AC;&#x2122; And then: â&#x20AC;&#x153;OK, now weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to switch partners. Boys, stay where you
are. Every two minutes, the girls will shift one partner to their right.â&#x20AC;? The tension in the air is immediate and palpable. No one looks at him directly, but everyone in the room watches as Peter rotates. His first new partner is my husband, and except that theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re both execrable dancers, there is no problem. The next rotation right leaves Peter standing in front of a big, burly electrician. Over six feet tall, his five oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;clock shadow comes in at one oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;clock, and his cleaned and pressed shirt is neatly tucked into his belt, slightly below his belly. The moment is frozen in time. Peter stands before him, unable to meet this manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eyes, trembling. So many stories pass in this silence, including mine: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Judith, you are such a bloody idiot! An idiot!â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Then, the 16 bars of music that preceded the dance begins. Each â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;girlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; steps into her partnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s embrace. In that vacuum of breath everyone half watches and waits. Mister big and burly takes in a deep
breath, gives a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;what the hellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; laugh, and opens his arms, inviting Peter to dance. And they do. And with that simple example so does every husband or boyfriend after him. As we walk from the classroom, I call out to the guys: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be back next week?â&#x20AC;? Hans looks with loving concern towards Peter, and Peter calls out, â&#x20AC;&#x153;You bet!â&#x20AC;? As we head home, I say to my husband: â&#x20AC;&#x153;What a complete idiot I can be, that I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have more faith in humankind.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;My dear,â&#x20AC;? he replies, â&#x20AC;&#x153;these people understand civility.â&#x20AC;? By the next week the dance instructor is using the terms partner 1 and 2. All things are possible. Judith Black retells the stories of our national heritage, tickles familial dysfunction and explores the ironies of aging. Featured on world stages, she has received storytellingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most coveted laurel, the Oracle Award. She teaches this ancient art in her home in Marblehead. Find her at storiesalive.com and tellingstoriestochildren.com.
Retail and Office Spaces
# & ! $ " ' $ % !( ' $! & &$ & ) ! $ "$!" $& % ! ) north shore art*throb â&#x2C6;&#x2122;24
the loud & proud crowd by yule heibel
Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll marches in the North Shore Pride Parade in June, courtesy of Salem Out Loud.
Y
ou know how they say it takes a village to raise a child? The same can be said about raising resilient communities. When it comes to bolstering the North Shore’s LGBT (Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgendered) community, enough people have stepped up to populate a village and they are from all walks of life. We’ve learned about the need to build sustainable communities to protect our planet. We’ve felt the one-punch-two-punch effect of the recession. We’re buffeted by crises, and instinctively know that we need to survive together. Resilience is the not-sosecret ingredient in the toolbox of any community that strives to survive. The hub of the activity is in Salem, where years of community activism, together with a historicallystrong LGBT presence, have meshed with enlightened business and political leadership. That Salem has exploded as an arts community also makes diverse groups more visible, as the creative economy infuses the city with energy, youth and sheer numbers. Creative cities, according to urbanism guru Richard Florida, have three Ts: talent, technology and tolerance. Baking tolerance into Salem’s DNA makes everyone more resilient. On the morning of Salem’s annual Halloween Parade, I chat by phone with Gary “Gigi” Gill about his involvement with the North Shore’s LGBT community. He suggests we meet that evening at Shetland
Park, where parade marchers are gathering. Having checked his Facebook page, I know what he looks like as Gigi, but I’m quite staggered by the fabulous person I see. Tall, dark and beautiful, Gigi literally towers over me in heels that add another six inches to his 6'3 stature. A gold-sequinned dress sparkles on Gigi’s svelte figure, while tiara and teased black hair add yet more luminous height. I feel like I’m meeting the giantess in Harry Potter, a feeling that’s enhanced by the HP characters starting to populate the parade. But Gigi isn’t peddling fiction: he’s a galvanizing force in Salem’s LGBT community. As we wait for Mayor Kim Driscoll to arrive, Gigi aka Gill points to the Chamber of Commerce’s Rinus Oosthoek, busily directing arriving traffic. Both the Mayor and the Chamber have helped bring Salem’s LGBT community together (and out). Two years ago at a picnic at The Willows with Mayor Driscoll, Gill realized that working with seniors would be his “new key” to doing good for the community, and he started Over the Rainbow, a group for LGBTers over 50. In partnership with North Shore Elder Services, he organizes a monthly Over The Rainbow Supper Club at the House of Seven Gables, which has enthusiastically embraced the new social influx. Seniors, says Gill, are at high risk for HIV/AIDS infection: they may have lost long-term partners, have started dating again, but don’t always practice safe sex. When Salem held its first World AIDS Day last
The hub of the activity is in Salem, where years of community activism, together with a historically-strong LGBT presence, have meshed with enlightened business and political leadership.
north shore art*throb ∙ 25
December, Gill felt the time was right to push public awareness even further. Together with another decades-long promoter of a North Shore Pride Parade, Dr. Hope Watt-Bucci, Gill approached Mayor Driscoll with a plan to hold the North Shore’s first-ever Pride Parade, a proposal the Mayor found easy to endorse. The June 2012 event was hugely successful, drawing participants and politicians from all over. It was a first for the city and the region and it held a mirror to the LGBT community, letting it see its own strength. Gay, lesbian and straight people could look around and say, “Oh, you live here, too?” For the entire month of June, Salem flew six rainbow flags (emblematic of gay pride) at Riley Plaza, which traditionally flies thirteen American flags symbolizing our founding colonies. A seventh flag was hoisted at City Hall, and an eighth topped the First Church in Salem’s steeple. That flag still flies: last September the church became a Unitarian Universalist Association Welcoming Congregation, meaning it “take[s] intentional steps to become more welcoming and inclusive of people with marginalized sexual orientations and gender identities.” Unsurprisingly, the church’s minister, Jeff Barz-Snell, is lauded by many as a caring advocate for Salem’s LGBT community — one whose advocacy of tolerance is consistent and clearly articulated, in a non-confrontational, gentle way. Bridging the generation between the over-50s and teenagers who are just coming out are people like Salem native Caroline Watson-Felt, who started “Proud Parents of the North Shore.” She tells me that Salem’s LGBT community isn’t “new,” but has always been robust. Watson-Felt and her partner are parents of a one-year-old, and she welcomes recent developments that have enabled them to meet other gay parents. She wants her son to see that “here’s a group of kids who are just like you (with same-sex parents)." Being a new parent can be nerve-wracking enough without the added stress of intolerance. Watson-Felt’s recent experiences — whether a visit with the baby to the emergency room or having to call the police over a neighborhood incident — show that she and her partner are being accepted as “normal” parents, a positive change that’s been happening over years. As she puts it, “If not for this constant change over time, both statewide and local, our experiences as first-time parents would be different, not as good. …The assumption that we’re normal takes so much stress out of high-stress situations.” What inspired Watson-Felt to reach out to other new parents was Salem Out Loud, an organization helmed by Kevin Letourneau, a young entrepreneur with world-class marketing chops. 26 ∙ nsartthrob.com
Letourneau says that until recently, the North Shore’s LGBT community had to travel to Boston to mingle with their own, but since last year things have really come together at the local level. In the summer of 2011, when Darek Barcikowski was running for Salem City Council, local businesswoman Kim Tenenbaum hosted a well-attended party at her downtown Salem store, Urban Elements. From that evening, Letourneau saw that a regular series of meet-ups could both help the LGBT community and the local economy. In December 2011, Letourneau and friends organized the first event at Red Lulu on Lafayette Street. About 35 people showed up. A month later, at the second event at Green Land Cafe, 65 people
It was a first for the city and the region and it held a mirror to the LGBT community, letting it see its own strength. Gay, lesbian and straight people could look around and say, "Oh, you live here, too?" came. The third event at Victoria Station drew 150 people. Since December 2011 till the June 2012 Pride Parade, there were about 15 events with an average attendance of 135 people. It was the Salem Out Loud events that let Watson-Felt and her partner see that meeting others like them could be local, supportive and fun. When asked why Salem has become such a hub, Letourneau notes that historically the city has seen the danger of intolerance and xenophobia, but that on the North Shore, the historic port city of Salem has also been open to outsiders. Local businesses love the economic benefits of having a Salem Out Loud event at their venue. As Letourneau notes, “They always ask, ‘When’s the next one?’” The events attract the LGBT community, but they’re fairly orientation-agnostic: Letourneau estimates that 30 percent of attendees are heterosexual: “Our whole mission is to say, ‘Reclaim your own backyard.’ You don’t need to spend your money outside of your own neighborhood.” Salem Out Loud has so successfully energized the LGBT community here that Letourneau has been approached about extending the concept to other cities and towns. The result is Go Out Loud, which will have its official launch at the Hawthorne Hotel on November 29. At that time, Letourneau will unveil a brand new LGBT community web portal. Taking a philosophical turn, I ask Letourneau why
it seems that trust between the community and politicians is at such an all-time high, given how easy it is to be cynical in today’s economy. “Trust comes after track record,” he responds. It’s show, not tell. “The way you get past the cynicism is to get through it.” Develop a track record, and trust will follow. As if to illustrate diversity within the community, Letourneau says he was always confused about “gay pride”: why be proud of something you’re born as? Be proud of what you’ve accomplished instead. “Rather than being proud of the things you have no control over, be proud of what you do.” At the other end of Over The Rainbow’s 50-plus spectrum is 20-year-old NAGLY, the North Shore Alliance of Gay and Lesbian Youth. Here, young people can find unconditional love and acceptance, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation.
Every Tuesday evening, at least 35 young people congregate in this “safe space.” Since 2007, it has also been a space in which to be “out.” NAGLY’s adult advisors, together with its sometimes heartbreakingly articulate youth advisors, foster a climate of openness and community engagement. By learning that they indeed have promise and value (sometimes against what their own families tell them), these youth learn to give back, often by becoming leaders themselves. NAGLY is run by Kirsten Freni, who also works at PRISM LGBT Health, part of Northeast Behavioral Health, on Rantoul Street in Beverly, and Coco Alinsug of Boston’s Fenway Health — the world’s largest LGBT health organization. They tell me that presently their biggest need is a space of their own. NAGLY can meet for just a few hours each week at Salem’s
First Universalist Church, which clearly isn’t enough. In 2008, on the one-year anniversary of Massachusetts marriage equality, NAGLY held its first fundraiser. This year, they celebrated their 20th anniversary with a gala at the Hawthorne Hotel, using the occasion to honor Bishop Gene Robinson, an advocate for LGBT acceptance. With the increased acceptance of the LGBT community, NAGLY hopes to ramp up its fundraising so it can continue to help young people. As Alinsug and Freni put it, there’s a huge need, with more kids coming all the time, traveling from all over the North Shore to be in this safe space. What Pride Parades and an attitude of celebrating tolerant communities can do — as so many groups and individuals here attest — is make it possible for people to act from a position of strength. Whether you’re an entrepreneur or activist, a climate of safety versus debilitating danger is essential to moving forward, fostering resilience and contributing to the whole community. Resilience is buoyancy: without it, we can’t bounce back from adversity. And like love, it’s what the world needs now. Yule Heibel lived in Beverly during the 1990s while teaching art history in Cambridge. In 2002, she moved to Victoria, BC, home-schooled her kids, and read Jane Jacobs. Now back on the North Shore, Yule is passionate about fostering vibrant urban development that gets people out of their cars.
Congressman John Tierney, Salem resident Kevin Letourneau, Congressman Barney Frank and Salem resident Thomas McDonald at a Pickering Wharf Salem Out Loud event in June . Photo courtesy Salem Out Loud.
A Salem Out Loud dance party at Victoria Station in Pickering Wharf drew about 150 people. Photo courtesy Salem Out Loud.
north shore art*throb ∙27
dishing up history by robbin lynn crandall photos by mary shea
Karen Scalia, local actress and voice coach, started Salem Food Tours this fall. Photo by Mary Shea.
To say that Karen Scalia, owner of the fledgling
Robbin Lynn Crandall is a self-employed food and travel writer, editor and self-proclaimed foodie. She specializes in working with restaurant and travel business owners to improve their marketing strategy and social media presence. She can also be seen roving the North Shore, reviewing local restaurants as the North Shore Food Examiner for Examiner. com. Contact her at robbin.lynn.crandall@ gmail.com. 28 ∙ nsartthrob.com
Salem Food Tours, is a bundle of energy would be an understatement. Scalia offers intimate and upscale historical walking food tours that are quickly gaining popularity among locals and tourists alike. She leads her guests through the narrow cobblestone streets of downtown Salem with great enthusiasm and a deep knowledge of the history of local food, as well as the flavor of maritime history — creating a tour of pure delight. Scalia has a deep respect for local food sourcing, preparation and artful presentation. A foodie at heart, she has a background in tourism, performance and marketing, so the idea for this business — a unique blend of history and food — came naturally. “Walking and talking” and meeting new people is her passion, but Scalia is only the “side story” of her innovative business. Her real desire is to give an accurate depiction of Salem’s history, and to allow local shops, restaurants and chefs on her tour to shine. As a result, each of the stops along the way are not only visual, they also engage each of the five senses. It’s Saturday afternoon and my fellow tour members and I are deeply ensconced in the hubbub that is The Witch City in mid-October. Although crowded, it is a beautiful fall day, sunny and unseasonably warm. As we gather near the Friendship at Derby Wharf, Scalia greets each of us with a huge smile and a bottle of water while we get to know the other members of our group. She begins with what is probably a little-known fact: renowned chef Scott Conant of Food Net-
work’s Chopped is actually a distant relative of Salem founder Roger Conant, whose statute can be found near Salem Common. After sharing these tidbits of information and undaunted by the crowds, Scalia sets off with us in tow with her Salem Food Tours’ clipboard, sporting her knife and fork logo, held high. Our first stop is The Picklepot on Pickering Wharf where we meet with proprietor David Bowie, who gives a most delightful lecture on salt and pepper. This man knows his world spice trade history, which took place from wharves right outside his door! Bowie cuts wedges of apple for us, which enhances the flavor of the salts and tones down the bite of the pepper, and we agree that the flavors are surprising and delightful. I walk away with another fact I hadn’t known before: apparently all the “really interesting” spices are grown within 15 degrees of the equator.
Chef William Fogarty provides samples of New England Clam Chowder prepared from an original 1880s recipe, along with tart homemade pickles, hand-cut, bacon-dusted French fries...and house-made ketchup. At our next stop, Scratch Kitchen, Chef/Owner William Fogarty provides samples of New England Clam Chowder prepared from an original 1880s recipe, along with tart homemade pickles, handcut, bacon-dusted French fries (you must taste to believe!) and one of his specialties — house-made ketchup. Chef Bill sources his ingredients locally, and one has only to read the chalkboard conveniently hanging above the counter to see where the week’s produce and meat comes from. A delicious stop! Next, the owner of Comida Mexican Taqueria delights our taste buds on our third stop with a justthe-right-amount-of-heat sampling of rice, black beans, homemade pickled onion, homemade salsa and jack cheese, topped by choice of meat. I choose the pulled pork, which spent 13 hours stewing in a crock pot with various spices. It melts in my mouth. Our next two stops are visual only, since the shops are bustling with other activities: Pamplemousse, a purveyor of fine wines, craft beer, spe-
cialty gourmet foods and oodles of kitchen gadgets is having a mead wine tasting, appropriate to the season. Aroma Sanctum Perfumes offers house blend and custom-blended fragrances, bath and body products, gift sets and essential oils, along with beautiful, hand-blown perfume bottles. Both worth a visit! Next up is Milk & Honey Green Grocer where owners Bill and Sharon Driscoll explain their philosophy of thoughtful ingredient sourcing from small, local family farms. We dive into the beautifully-prepared platter of treats which includes sliced organic apples, Hannahbell cheese from Shy Brothers Farm (which actually did look little bells and were delicious and creamy), and crunchy Putney Pumpkin Crackers with dried cranberries and thyme, which makes a perfect backdrop for thick tart slices of Great Hill Blue Cheese. Taza Chocolate from Somerville provides a surprising twist of flavors that is out of this world. An added bonus: after your Salem Food Tour, mention the tour and receive 10 percent off your purchase. Next door is Salem Wine Imports. Stepping over the threshold is like entering a small intimate Tuscan wine cellar. We try samples of several fine Italian wines, carefully selected by owner Eric Olson, and sold at all price points. Be sure not to miss their wine tastings on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Next up is Life Alive, an innovative organic cafe that combines healthful ingredients in surprising and delicious ways. Life Alive’s manager, Christina, offers samples of The Swami: a warm, unprocessed whole meal of delicious ingredients in a bowl (think broccoli, greens, brown rice, carrots, tamari almonds and raisins), topped with a tangy curry sauce that also helps aid digestion. Followed by a decadent sampling of local vegan organic chocolates from a new Salem startup — The Brindled Hound — this stop is also a winner. And finally, Executive Chef Doug Papows and his amazing staff spoil us with a multi-course finale at the amazing 43 Church. While every tour shares a last-stop finale, the special arrangements for our tour include an elegant and sumptuously-prepared Fall feast of baked Wellfleet Oysters with pumpkin seed jalapeno pesto; confit heirloom lamb abbey apple with duck confit and parsnip crisp; phyllowrapped “purple haze” (aged goat cheese with hints of fennel pollen and lavender) paired with orange whiskey marmalade; Classic Carbonara with housemade linguini and house-cured pancetta with Grana Padano shavings; Lamb Osso Bucco with housemade handkerchief pasta (made by Sous Chef Kirk
Vanacore), roasted grape tomatoes, spinach and feta; and a cassoulet consisting of braised pork, lamb, veal, boar cranberry sausage, pheasant cognac sausage, and fried duck tenderloin. The succulence of these dishes is unbelievable. Just when we think we can’t eat one more thing, out comes feather-light chocolate cake (made by Pastry Chef Saskia Nugent), layered with rich raspberry chocolate ganache. Near the end of this incredible tour the sky clouds over and rain begins to fall, but our spirits are not dampened one bit after a fantastic afternoon of interesting history, good food and new friends. Schedule tours at salemfoodtours.com or at 978.594.8811. Tours are offered year round, and each one is uniquely designed to stop at a variety of restaurants and businesses.
north shore art*throb ∙ 29
politics of there & here by peter anastas
I
n an age of multiple distractions, short stories continue to remain an enduring literary experience. There’s nothing quite as satisfying as a wellwrought tale that rivets our attention, while taking us to places we’ve never been before, or introducing us to characters we have not previously met. Such a book is Gloucester writer George Rosen’s The Immanence of God in the Tropics, a collection of seven stories of flawless craftsmanship with settings as intriguingly diverse as East Africa, Mexico and New England. Rosen, a Harvard graduate and former Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya, has traveled extensively in Africa, India, Central Asia and Mexico. These stories reflect not only his actual immersion in the places he writes about, but his understanding of their internal politics and the ways those politics reflect international events. Rosen has worked equally as a journalist, reporting on East Africa for The Atlantic and publishing in the New York Times. In addition, he’s been a Boston Globe columnist and NPR commentator, experiences which deepen and inform his fiction. Rosen is also the author of Black Money (1990), a beautifully written and highly original novel involving two Americans — one a teacher, the other a former Peace Corps volunteer — who find themselves drawn into a murderous plot involving smuggling, big game poaching, political corruption, and Eastern and Western cultures in conflict. Like several of these new stories, Black Money has an East African setting. Of the seven stories in this collection, recently chosen as “Pick of the Week” by Publisher’s Weekly, four are set in Africa, two in New England, and one in Mexico. The first, Our Big Game, involves two Kenyan schools, which are rivals not only in soccer but in terms of the relationship between headmasters. One of the masters, Gichuru, “an intelligent man with a dark, handsome African face that belongs on a coin,” had been a student of the other, the 30 ∙ nsartthrob.com
imperious MacIntyre, who, according to the American teacher who recounts the story of MacIntyre’s defeat, both on the playing field and as a result of his personal avidity, “places on Gichuru’s shoulders the blame for all that has gone awry in East Africa for the past forty years.” One of the two New England stories, The Sauna After Ted’s Funeral, involves four men — Alden, Squillace, Willi
Book cover for Rosen's latest work, courtesy image
and Nutbrown. The first three appear to be middle-aged; Nutbrown is older, “an aged angel consumed in God’s moist fire.” They are taking a steam bath together in what could well be one of the traditional Finnish saunas of Lanesville or Rockport, MA, after burying their friend Ted. Naked in the steam-filled space, their desultory talk circles around the task they have just completed: “They observed the flaccid muscles of their calves, their piebald reddening skin. The men on top stared at the skulls of the two on the bench below. The tips of their ears burned…” Suddenly, one of the men, Alden, stirred into remembrance by the alternating heat and cold of the sauna, begins to tell a story about an experience he had years before while working as an engineer in Mexico. It is a story about a picnic in the country that turned into a disaster, during which Alden successfully rescued a young child from drowning. His story over,
the four men leave the warmth of the bath, venturing out into a gathering snow storm. Their sauna complete, there is no mention of their dead friend, only a lingering sense that in coming together in a ritual all five men must have shared for years, they have honored Ted’s memory. Set in Mexico, A Second Language is about Benson, a lonely American who goes to Oaxaca presumably to re-learn Spanish. Published first in the Harvard Review, this powerful s tory combines a scintillating concretion of places, objects, characters and atmosphere, along with the subtle unfolding of a narrative with profound implications about how we go about trying to recover what we aren’t often completely aware of having lost, or exactly how we’ve lost it. Benson’s effort to reconnect with the “unaccountable sense of beginning” he had experienced in Mexico 20 years before with “his first, his only” wife, through an attempted recovery of a once-studied language and, equally, of a place, time and lost or squandered love, is incredibly moving. As the story ends, we leave Benson, if not less lonely, at least in possession of what brought him back to Mexico: “Now he remembered it all; the wind, warm and powerful, scouring the marketplace; its touch on his skin, dry and restoring; the vision of hills beyond.” This story is the crowning narrative in a collection of stories that may appear on their surface to be traditional in terms of theme, content or structure, but are in reality extremely modern in their approach, language and point of view. Rosen is a brilliant practitioner of the form, a writer whose technique and inspiration are never on show, though powerfully implicit in every crackling sentence he writes, every nuance of character and shade of meaning. This is a collection that demands to be read and re-read. Gloucester's Peter Anastas is author of a memoir, At the Cut, and novels No Fortunes, Broken Trip and Decline of Fishes.
&-"$$ '(+" $ Ă&#x2019; where quality is visibleĂ&#x201C;
Finz is a great place to relax and enjoy outstanding food. WIth indoor and outdoor dining, we offer chef-inspired, innovative seafood & grill fare featuring locallysourced and in-season fish and produce. Our outdoor patio dining along the water, with spots in the shade and sun, is superb. With events centered around local arts, Finz is the place to experience Salem. Finz also boats an award-winning Raw Bar!
(978) 744-0000
76 Wharf Street, Salem, MA 01970
www.hipfinz.com
2 $" - +! + !" ! *!"'& ) % * & *" & ) *,& $ ** * & & *!',$ ') $ 3 0 / %* ) - "$ $ & . . $ '% %'*+ % #') -"*"'& ($ &* & "&*,) &
CONTACT LENSES
."+! (,) ! * ' '%($ + ( ") ' $ ** * *+') ') + "$*
0 ++ + $ % 1 ... &-"$$ '(+" $ '% 4 ',)* , * 0 1 & * 0 1 !,)* 0 1 )" 0 1 +,) 0
Jazz Sessions at the Chianti Jazz Lounge www.livejazzsessions.org
FINE WINE â&#x20AC;˘ KITCHEN â&#x20AC;˘ GOURMET 185 Essex St Salem, MA (978) 745-2900
1
Wine Tastings Saturdays 2 - 4 PM open 7 days a week