The Arts

Installation Work by Contemporary Artists Andrew Cooper and Kim Fielding Open at the Donskoj & Company Gallery in Kingsto

At the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts

June 12-September 7
Give Peace A Chance: John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Bed-In For Peace
A 40-Year Retrospective Featuring Photographs by Gerry Deiter
The Museum at Bethel Woods is pleased to announce that it will be the premier United States venue for Give Peace A Chance: John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Bed-in For Peace, an exhibition commemorating the 40th anniversary of the famous couple’s poignant call for world peace. Through stories and unique photographs—many never seen before—Give Peace a Chance will offer visitors a seat on the edge of John and Yoko’s bed at Montreal’s Queen Elizabeth Hotel in 1969.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono used their bed as a way to put themselves and their message of peace into a searing spotlight. The second of the newlyweds’ famous bed-ins, their Montreal media event brought the world press and a steady stream of celebrities to their hotel room to witness and participate in a protest for peace. From their bed, on June 1, 1969, they recorded “Give Peace a Chance,” a song that still resonates with meaning. Through their vulnerability and openness, they demonstrated their unwavering belief in the goodness of people to make peace, not war, in a time when others who made similar statements often paid for their beliefs with their lives.

Photojournalist Gerry Deiter became the eyes and ears in that hotel room—the only journalist to document the entire eight days. He was determined to capture the essence of the happening. He also candidly caught famous people who dropped in—Timothy Leary, Tommy Smothers, Dick Gregory and Al Capp, among others. Deiter’s artistry shows in what are widely acknowledged as the best shots of the recording of the anthemic “Give Peace a Chance,” and viewers will be riveted by the joyous images.

June 14, 2009
Earth, Wind & Fire and Chicago
The Earth, Wind & Fire 11-piece band is among the most influential, commercially successful and critically acclaimed bands of the last three decades. Formed in 1969 in Chicago, Earth, Wind & Fire’s 39-year history resulted in millions of albums sold worldwide and distinguished awards and accolades. Its founding members have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and are credited with eight Grammy Awards, 20 Grammy nominations, Four American Music Awards, honors from the NAACP, the BET Awards and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Earth, Wind & Fire’s signature sound and distinctive musical styles fuse pop, soul, jazz, rock n’ roll, psychedelic, African roots music and disco with a base in funk.

In 42 years, Chicago has written, recorded and performed some of the most popular and musically innovative songs in rock history. Billboard magazine positioned the band at #13 on their Hot 100 chart’s All-Time Top 100—a byproduct of having sold more than 100,000,000 records and having earned 20 Top hits, 5 Number One albums, an incredible 25 certified platinum albums, a Grammy Award, American Music Awards and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Formed in their namesake city in 1967, the band has mixed rock, pop, and jazz in a completely new way.

June 27, 2009
Bad Company & The Doobie Brothers
The original members of Bad Company have announced they will reunite for a series of 10 exclusive concerts in the U.S. this summer. The opening show will take place at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, FL on June 17 with select dates on the tour featuring The Doobie Brothers.

Bad Company’s multi-platinum hits such as “Can’t Get Enough,” “Feel Like Makin Love,” “Rock Steady,” “Movin’ On,” “Shooting Star,” “Rock & Roll Fantasy” and “Bad Company” helped propel them to the forefront of the ‘70s arena rock movement. Rodgers’ concept to write a song titled the same as the bands’ name and album was a first. To this day, the multi-platinum Bad Co. album arguably remains one of the most accomplished debuts in rock history. Throughout the 70s Rodgers’ and Ralphs’ songwriting continued to yield hit after hit including “Seagull,” “Run with the Pack,” and “Burnin’ Sky,” making Bad Company one of the biggest concert attractions of the decade. The group’s multi-platinum award-winning greatest hits set 10 from 6 has become a record collection staple.

The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts is located in Bethel, NY. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.bethelwoodscenter.org.

Perspectives, new paintings by Christie Scheele, opens at Chace-Randall Gallery

Chace-Randall Gallery presents Perspectives, new paintings by Christie Scheele, from June 12 through July 12. A reception for the artist will be held on Saturday, June 20, from 5 to 7 pm.

A landscape painter whose primary influences are Mark Rothko and Louise Nevelson, Christie Scheele is best known for her minimalist compositions of strong interlocking shapes and the silky surfaces she achieves by layering delicate coats of oil paint on linen. In this exhibition she explores different perspectives on what defines beauty and power in the landscape, as well as alternative viewpoints on presentation and process.

Pieces from her “Affinity” series, for example, with their frayed edges of linen and graphite gridding, take the viewer further away from the natural world and deeper into the inventions of art making. “These pieces also impart a visual discussion about focal points that goes against the traditional notions of atmospheric perspective in landscape painting,” says Scheele, speaking of her signature sharp foreground moving back to more hazy horizons. “Elements chosen by an inner logic intrinsic to the piece as it progresses are emphasized by greater or lesser blurring, heightened contrast, and selective replacement of the gridding that I began with and painted over,” adds the artist.

More precise pieces, such as “Brilliant Sky from Palmer Hill,” provide a different perspective. These pieces are more about capturing a sense of place, season and weather. “Romance of the Road,” for example, with its sunset light and abstract shapes of approaching headlights, is a mood piece that also captures an experience common to all of us in the Catskill Region. The impact on such works is highly visual.

What is undeniable within all perspectives is the sheer beauty of the work.

Chace-Randall Gallery is located at 49 Main Street in Andes. Summer gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday and Holiday Mondays from 11 am to 5 pm and by appointment. For more information, please visit www.chacerandallgallery.com or call 845 676 4901.

At the Center for Performing Arts in Rhinebeck

June presents a full schedule of theater, music and family performances to the Center. From June 5 through June 14, it’s The Fantasticks, the the longest-running musical in the world. It tells the moving story of two young people who fall in love, though their parents build a wall to keep them apart.

On June 17, composer David Temple will present “Summer Serenade,” a classical guitar concert full of color and variety. He “weaves a complex web of sound that deepens upon each subsequent listen.”

An Evening of Magic, Mystery and Mayhem with John Shaw will be presented on June 19 and June 20. Shaw will be featuring all-new, never-seen-before illusions.

Angus Martin will perform in concert on June 21. Angus presents danceable music from around the world in French, Spanish and Haitian Creole.

And finally from June 26 through July 12, the Center will present The Who’s Tommy. The classic 1960s rock opera by The Who, is a high-energy, one-of-a-kind theatrical event.

The Center for Performing Arts is located at 661 Route 308 in Rhinebeck. For more information, call 845 876 3080 or visit www.centerforperformingarts.org.