Archive for September, 2009
First Friday Homage to the Classics
On October 2nd take part in Progressive Galleries’ ‘First Friday Homage to the Classics.’ Opening-night of Eric Armusik’s month-long exhibition My Place in History will begin by asking you to decide if a contemporary realist painter achieves the apogee of the Old Masters. After an evening of contemplating the artist’s ego, the night will culminate with a newer sort of mastery in a mellifluous jazz journey performed by saxophonist Jonathon Ragonese and pianist Steve Rudolph.
Armusik employs oil-on-panel figurative art and the techniques of Caravaggio to chronicle the timeless narrative of a life’s journey and to question the mode of Modern & Contemporary Art. Creating an experience that is both deeply visceral and electrifyingly intellectual, Armusik contends that through a quality of craft unfamiliar in the 20th & 21st century he has maintained an honesty and vulnerability that is profound to contemporary viewers, and in doing so, that he has achieved an artistry on par with Europe’s great masterpieces. Confrontational in rhetoric and form it is evident that Armusik demands our attention; the question is, however, does he demand a respect equal to the icons of Gombrich’s History? After careful and enthralled consumption, I have weighed his claims and have come to my own conclusion. Now, it’s your turn.
Beginning at 7 p.m., a dynamic jazz duo will provide a nimble backdrop for the digestion of Armusik’s weighty questions. Soprano & tenor saxophonist Jonathan Ragonese will be down from New York where he currently studies at the Manhattan School of Music with composer Bob Minzer. Accompanying Ragonese will be Steve Rudolph on piano. A fixture in the Central Pennsylvanian jazz scene and founder of Central PA Friends of Jazz, Rudolph currently lives in Harrisburg where he has spent the last 30 years being an advocate for the jazz genre. Reflecting the sage sounds of the veteran performer and the fresh refrain of the nascent musician, Rudolph and Ragonese are sure to close the night with a performance that should not be missed.
It all starts at 5 p.m. on the 300 Block of Queen Street in the Old Candyfactory that is home to Lancaster’s favorite burgeoning ‘Progressive’ Gallery. So come out on Friday October 2nd: enjoy a narrative, consider a craft, throw in a verdict, tap your foot, partake anyway you see fit, but don’t miss the First Friday kick off of My Place in History.
Hank and Cupcakes to tour midstate
Whether you’re staying close to home for the last official weekend of summer or taking one last road trip, Progressive Galleries has a show for you. Brooklyn-based duo Hank and Cupcakes’ mini-tour celebrating their latest CD release will make a stop at Progressive Galleries’ Lancaster location on Sept. 18 and the Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center’s Stage on Herr on Sept. 19.
“During the Millennium Music Conference we were able to work with Hank and Cupcakes, and since then they’ve been in the Harrisburg and Lancaster areas a handful of times,” says Jonas Hair, Progressive Gallery co-owner. “In the few times they’ve played down here they have already generated a following, and they are very good.”
The pair of regional performances marks a recent addition to the showcases Progressive Galleries has been running for several years at Der Harrisburg Maennerchor’s Cathedral Room, and since February at the Lancaster space, located at 323 N. Queen St.
Regional show
“We were excited about this and we wanted to make it regional, and since Progressive Galleries opened up a Lancaster location we are able to cover both regions. So what we are doing is bringing Hank and Cupcakes in on Sept. 18 during Music Friday, which is big in Lancaster, and they are going to rock it out and have their CD for sale here,” says Hair.
“And then the following night we are going to do the show at HMAC Stage on Herr. This will actually be the first Progressive Galleries show at the space so we are excited to work with them.”
The band hails from Brooklyn and consists of two members. Their music has been described as Electro-Pop, but according to Hair, their energetic performance style is what sets them apart.
“Every time they’ve played everyone in the room is either dancing or staring in amazement at what’s going on,” says Hair. “So it’s a band that you really need to see live to get the full grasp of them. One drummer, one bass player, that’s it — that’s the band. But yet they pack more power than a lot of bands with four or five pieces.”
At the Lancaster show, the 3100-square-foot gallery space will still be featuring the display from the September First Friday event.
“We have many different types of art up. It’s a much larger display space so we have much more artwork down here,” says Hair. “It’s interesting because its the premise of the events that we held in Harrisburg, and with the success with them we took that and created a five-day a week out of it down here in Lancaster.”
Progressive Galleries also hosts regularly scheduled showcase events at its Lancaster location, as well as in Harrisburg.
“The showcases themselves artistically remain as action packed. We still showcase projection and live painting, says Hair. “As far as turnout and interest it’s still there, people are really supporting us. We got to a point that we were able to expand to cover two areas of Central Pennsylvania. Now we can actually bring entertainment in from out of town and showcase it over multiple night mini-tours, and we are really excited about that.”
Hank and Cupcakes will perform in Lancaster starting at 9 p.m. at Progressive Galleries, 323 N. Queen Street.
The show is BYOB. The Harrisburg show will take place at HMAC Stage on Herr, 1110 N. Third St. in Harrisburg. The show begins at 8 p.m. with Max Jones and the Joyriders opening. Admission is $5.
Article courtesy of The Sentinel Online
