Seven CreativeGround Profiles We're Falling For: November 2018

Woman outside smiles in front of autumnal trees

The tapestry of New England’s creative economy is as beautifully varied as our region’s famed autumnal foliage. Warm up your creative inspiration by browsing the robust profiles on CreativeGround for New England artists, creative businesses, and cultural nonprofits. This fall, we’re excited to feature new profiles on our Home and About pages! Read some profile highlights to pique your curiousity, then click on the name or image to view their full CreativeGround profile to learn more.

Perhaps you’ll be even be inspired to build your own robust, feature-worthy profile…

Dancer in a dress holds up one side of a sideways box containing a crouching dancer in pants. — C. Robin Marcotte's recent work, "Shadows"; Photo courtesy of the artist

C. Robin Marcotte (New Hampshire)

C. Robin Marcotte is an actor, director, choreographer, devisor and educator. Community and communication are central to his art – in particular, embodied non-verbal types-using the body and mind as the instruments to craft characters and productions with an emphasis on physicality and images that will inspire the audience. As a teacher, he strives to create safe environments for creative exploration and collaboration without inhibition. Read Robin's artist statement on his profile and find out more about his recent work that ranges from Broadway musicals to classic adaptations to complete originals.

Sketch of a brick building in black and white — Candace Breakell sketch of the Goshen Public Library

Goshen Public Library (Connecticut)

Goshen Public Library has been serving the community since 1902 in three different locations. Their mission: to educate, inform and entertain patrons. Goshen Public Library’s most popular and successful programs includes speakers and performers on topics of history(they have a repeat military historian), animals, and Irish music performance. Throughout the school year, Goshen Public Library offers after-school programming for youth on a variety of topics. Dewey (decimal) check out the CreativeGround profile for this member of the Connecticut Library Consortium.

Large group of musicians in tuxedos pose — Group photo of the Passamaquoddy Bay Symphony Orchestra; Photo courtesy of PBSO

Passamaquoddy Bay Symphony Orchestra (Maine)

The Passamaquoddy Bay Symphony Orchestra (PBSO) was founded in 2007 as a constituent member of the Eastport Arts Center and is now a multi-age, independent, registered non-profit, symphony orchestra comprised primarily of dedicated, volunteer musicians. The mission of PBSO has four important elements: to bring classical symphonic music to communities in Washington County, Maine and Charlotte County, New Brunswick, CAN; to provide an arena in which musicians may meet, practice, and perform together; to provide a serious hardworking orchestra in which growing musicians can deepen their skills; and to provide an opportunity to premiere new works by Maine composers. Sound exciting to you? All area musicians are welcome to attend and join this enthusiastic ensemble.

Sculptor demonstrates how to use a pottery wheel to six students — Ahmad Q. Gazal demonstrates wheelthrowing for excited students; Photo courtesy of Rainmaker Pottery

Rainmaker Pottery / Ahmad Q. Gazal (New Hampshire)

Ahmad Q. Gazal has been making and teaching pottery and ceramic arts, for over 25 years. A member of NHSCA’s Education Roster, he has taught wheel throwing, and hand building in his studio, schools, youth centers, at Windsor Mountain International Camp, as well as around the world in Mali, Senegal, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, The Gambia, Turkey, Morocco, and New Hampshire.

Ahmad studied coiling and traditional pit firing techniques with master women potters in West Africa, where he also facilitated the building of a small school. Ahmad’s current projects includes developing formalized ceramics/sculpting program for Low Vision/No Vision students and writing a screenplay about the intersection of mindfulness and clay.

People-Gathering by a Tape Art mural; Photo courtesy of Tape Art

Tape Art (Rhode Island)

A crew of public artists, Tape Art has been operating since 1989 and is on the RISCA Education Roster. Working in the medium of low-adhesive tape, they have created over 500 large-scale temporary public art installations across the U.S. and around the world. No matter how big the installation, every Tape Art mural is removed within 24 hours of completing it. Tape Art teaches interactive and collaborative art making classes from K-12 workshops to corporate leadership training. In healing venues, Tape Art gives an opportunity for communities to create art together and have a public voice; Tape Art has played a potent role for individuals and communities in the aftermath of loss: on the walls of hospitals and psych wards, or in the wake of tragedy. Check out some of their sticky murals in Tape Art's Image and Video Gallery.

Classical concert inside the Hawthorne Barn at Twenty Summers; Photo courtesy of Eileen Counihan

Twenty Summers (Massachusetts)

Twenty Summers is a nonprofit arts organization presenting exceptional programming on Cape Cod. Located in the country’s oldest continuous artists’ colony, Twenty Summers hosts a month-long festival of concerts, conversations, special events, and artist residencies that take place in the historic Hawthorne Barn in May and June each year. It was founded with the dual aim of preserving the Hawthorne Barn and maintaining the Barn’s legacy as a place promoting the private creation of, and public engagement with, art.

A woman reads next to a short waterfall — Verandah Porche writing poetry next to a small waterfall; Photo courtesy of Richard Coutant

Verandah Porche (Vermont)

Verandah Porche, a poet, performer, mentor, and writing partner, believes in the eloquence of unheard voices and in the universal right to play. Verandah offers interactive readings and original songs; poetry commissions; innovative poetry residencies, from pre-K to Elderhostel; and collaborative residencies to create a community self-portrait through individual voices.

Verandah developed "told poetry" to create personal literature through conversation and often hosts "told poetry" residencies in hospitals and nursing homes, as well as scribe training for those interested in creating "told poetry”. Be told more about Verandah’s work on her CreativeGround profile.