This blog post was written by Director of Gell Operations, Kathy Pottetti.
“April hath put a spirit of youth in everything. (Sonnet XCVIII)”
― William Shakespeare, Shakespeare’s Sonnets
April showers bring May flowers, or so it is said… this season we’re not so sure just yet, but one thing we are sure of is that April is National Poetry Month! Come celebrate with us at the Gell Center by reading at one of our Open Mics, or by simply taking a stroll and letting the beautiful Finger Lakes region inspire you. But that’s not all we have in store for April–William Shakespeare’s birthday is the 23rd, and the Gell Center is re-opening for the 2016 season this week!
Wow! What a way to kick off the spring season. Take a look at some of our scheduled events below:
Open Mic at the Gell Center /2nd Thursdays/ 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Free and Open to the public – donations welcome!
In recognition of Poetry month, the first event of the season is a Wide Open Mic on
Thursday, April 14th from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. at the Gleason Lodge, with one of our
Instructors, Angie Cannon-Crothers. Theme: Poetry Month.
May 12th: Spring is in the air, new beginnings. Facilitator: Edgar Brown.
June 9th: 35th Anniversary Celebration of Writers & Books, sharing memories of W&B and the Gell Center. Faciliator: D.J. Kitzel.
We have a new and interesting selection of classes this spring and summer, one in June,
July and August. Visit wab.org for further information.
Creative Thinking and Casting Workshop/ Saturday, June 4th from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Instructor: Scott Grove.
This unique one-day workshop will focus on using personal inspiration to stimulate
creative thinking; to approach an idea from a different perspective, which can reveal a
new vision. Based on your personal interests, we’ll use a variety of short written and
visual exercises to stimulate and explore variations on a theme. The morning session
includes idea development, expansion, variations, refinement, distillation, and
capturing the essence of a concept. Afternoon session we will turn your idea into a
three-dimensional miniature sculpture out of clay, and further develop and explore new
ways to look at an idea. Then, we’ll make silicone molds and create a cold metal bronze
casting! Each student will walk away with a cast talisman which will represent a
transformation of personal inspiration and a new way of idea creation. No writing or art
skills necessary. Instructor Scott Grove is a high energy, inspirational, and very creative
professional artist and author who maintains a fulltime studio in the Finger Lakes. Cost:
$150.00 W&B members//$165.00 General Public. For more info on Scott Grove, please
visit: www.scottgrove.com
Interested in being a writer-in-residence at Gell, or considering a unique venue for your
upcoming Board retreat or training session? Consider the Gell Center, and contact Kathy
Pottetti at kathyp@wab.org or visit wab.org/gell for more information about the
Gell Center.