The Artistic Director’s Diary

The Artistic Director’s Diary

- Sean Timmons

Friday, February 5, 2010

Okay winter, we get it.   You’re not done with us yet!

Last Saturday, our Chris Smither show was postponed due to the snowstorm.  The white stuff has pushed our First Fridays @The Gallery show with RUNA over to February 12^th.  Can we still call it First Friday?  Maybe the First Friday of February without a weather event!

The many fans of Chris Smither will be delighted to know that we can catch him on the next go round for a rescheduled show on Saturday, June 12^th.

In the meantime, did anyone catch Patty Larkin on the Morning Show on XPN today?  She’s celebrating 25 years of her recording career with an exciting new release on Signature Sounds Records in March (http://www.pattylarkin.com).  She’ll be joining David Wilcox for a special show at Appel Farm on March 20^th (http://www.appelfarm.org/concerts/index.html).

We are delighted to send all our best wishes to a good friend of Appel Farm as she marks a milestone.  Michaela Majoun celebrates 20 years as host of the Morning Show on XPN (http://www.xpn.org/inside-xpn/michaela-turns-20).  Happy Anniversary, Michaela!

You Gotta Have HeART!

As the holidays arrive and the calendar year begins to wind down, the HeART and Health Program at the Mater Dei Nursing Home found its residents gearing up for a performance day with friends and family.  One of Appel Farm’s artists, Pauline Houston-McCall, has been conducting a music and songwriting program for a number of weeks now with the residents at Mater Dei.  Pauline incorporates music, singing, songwriting, and yes – even dancing – into her program.  What started out slowly and uncertainly, has blossomed into a weekly event that the residents really look forward to and are actively engaged in.  The staff also takes the time to stop by what is now called the “Hootenanny Cafe” which is less of a “place” and more of a “feeling” amongst those that participate.  There are no boundaries here – anything goes as long as people are having fun, singing along and doing what makes them feel good.  Under Pauline’s direction, the residents have been preparing for weeks to sing as a group, use movement to express themselves and feature solos and songwriters within Mater Dei.  For those who are unable to attend the group session, Pauline makes a special visit to share music with them at the bedside.

On Saturday, November 21st, the residents of Mater Dei commenced for a performance with friends and family highlighting the work they have accomplished over the last few months.  The event was kicked off by a DJ while the residents visited with their friends and family.  Pauline brought her husband to accompany her in showcasing the work of the residents.  All the participants were given shakers and tambourines to play along with the music as they sang and danced.  The Hootenanny Cafe was alive and kickin’ with group singing of a wide variety of songs, some of which were written as a group and some by individual residents of Mater Dei.  Dottie displayed her usual enthusiasm for getting out of her wheelchair and dancing as well as singing a duet with Paul.  Paul then entertained us with one of the songs that he wrote.  Family members also joined in.  For example, when handing out the shakers and tambourines, one family member went to his car to get his own tambourine and delighted everyone by having an impromptu jam session with the guitarists.  A great grandson also dazzled us with his dancing ability.  Finally, one of the residents, Mary, graced us with a song on her harmonica.

A staff member of Mater Dei told us, “I have observed this program on several occasions.  Pauline is amazing!  She addresses each of the residents by name and knows exactly what portion of her program appeals to individual residents.  I have seen the quietest resident respond to Pauline.  There is a great deal of singing, dancing, clapping and participation.  Most importantly, all the residents smile!  This program is a God-send and Pauline is an angel!”

By Ann Mokris, HeART and Health Coordinator

Solar, baby, solar!

Solar, baby, Solar!!!

Kermit the frog not-with-standing, it IS easy being Green!!!  We are thrilled that in a matter of a few months, Appel Farm will have its very own solar array that will reduce it’s energy emissions by over 50%!!

This is so exciting for all of us at Appel Farm because incorporating solar energy at our facility is a responsible and important step in our commitment to environmental stewardship and preservation.

Having a solar array will be a wonderful opportunity for our GREEN Corps (Get Ready for Environmental Education Now) campers to learn about photovoltaic systems and how easy it is to incorporate solar power wherever electric energy is being used.

Our new solar array will be a ground-mounted system occupying about 2 acres of land, east of our main facility, and donated to us by Albert and Pei Min Appel. It’s a long story, but without the Appel’s generosity, we would be unable to achieve this milestone in our conservation efforts.

The array will be installed by Eastern Energy Services, a regional leader in solar power equipment, through a “power purchase agreement.”  Appel Farm will have no upfront costs for the photovoltaic panels, nor will it be responsible for its maintenance and upkeep.  Eastern Energy will sell us our electric energy at roughly 50% of what we currently pay to our utility company – saving Appel Farm over $36,000 in the first year, and over $1,000,000 over the term of our contract with them!

Appel Farm is also very grateful to Upper Pittsgrove Township Mayor, Jack Cimprich, and past board president, Ronnie Cimprich, for their assistance and financial support in the planning and application portion of this effort.

Let the sun shine!!!

Good day, sunshine!

Mark Packer, Executive Director

Is it nature or is it art?

If you really pay attention, you can find wonder in things that are often overlooked.  These mushrooms sprouted by the dance studio last week.  We are in awe of nature’s exquisite design.  Thanks to our multi-talented financial wizard, Sally McRae, for capturing these beauties with her camera.

Great family experience at Appel Farm

I have lived in the South Jersey area for over 8 years and while I had heard of Appel Farm Arts and Music Center, I had never taken the opportunity to attend an event there.  My first experience was Saturday, October 3rd for the Blues and BBQ Picnic event.  My husband and I decided that we would take our 3 children, ages 7 – 14, and my Mom, and make an evening out of it while getting some very precious time to spend together as a family.  We arrived around 6:00pm and were treated to a large spread of delicious barbecue pork, ribs, coleslaw, potato salad, beans and dessert.  There were picnic tables set up, but people also brought their own blankets and chairs to enjoy the food in a relaxed atmosphere.  While eating, we also had the pleasure of listening to the Capitol Pride Symphonic Band, a 65-piece band from Washington,DC.  The food and entertainment were a great way to kick off the evening.

Once stuffed with food and satisfied with the wonderful music, we then moved to another area set up for folks to gather around a campfire while waiting for the next concert to begin.  The moon was shining bright that night and we all set up our chairs near the campfire, sat back and enjoyed the comfort of the fire and the sounds of the night.  It was peaceful – a far cry from the very busy lives we lead with work and running to the different activities and events for the kids and ourselves that take up most of our time both during the week and on weekends.  Sitting and chatting together with nowhere to run off to was an experience in and of itself.

Finally, we topped the night off with the main concert event given by John Hammond in the theater.  It was a cozy, indoor venue that allowed everyone to feel a close connection with John as a performer.  He enthusiastically played guitar, harmonica and sang the blues.  While the kids had never heard his music, they were all impressed with his talent and ability to entertain.  My 11 year old son who plays guitar was fascinated watching him and immediately wanted to get one of his CDs and his autograph after the show.  John graciously accommodated everyone at the event and my son was thrilled!

When we decided to go to the Blues and BBQ Picnic, I honestly wasn’t sure how it would all turn out.  Questions ran through my mind  like, “Would our kids enjoy it?”, “Is it too long?”, “Would they be bored?”, “Would they not appreciate music they are not used to hearing?”  That being said, I am very happy that we did not let these questions prevent us from taking this time out for ourselves.  Appel Farm provided an experience in an environment that really allowed us to enjoy something new together as a family.  Thanks to Appel Farm for a great evening!

Ann Mokris, Mullica Hill

A Journey From London to Appel Farm

I live in London, and I’m struggling to explain to friends why I’m going back to a summer camp in New Jersey where I only spent one full summer – way back in 1990. I’ve not visited the place since 1994, so why go now? I am fortunate to have an understanding wife, Leah, and she’s coming along to the Reunion too, if only to try to understand a little of the magic and magnetism of Appel Farm. (She’s been hearing about it for years of course!). When I first heard there would be a reunion, something gnawed away at me until I picked up the phone to book a spot. It soon dawned on me that getting to camp for September 4th would not be easy. I am a freelance TV director and work has been tough to find this year; I have a new job, and the production company was trying to extend my contract past the date of the reunion. I felt so torn, but ultimately decided that the opportunity of seeing Appel Farm again – and its people – would not come along often, and I bought a plane ticket. So here’s what I’m doing. I have to direct a TV show until about 2.00 am on the morning of Friday September 4th in Yorkshire, the far north end of England. Britain is 5 hours ahead of East Coast USA, so that buys me a little time. I’ll drive through the night, meet up with my wife at London Heathrow and jump on a plane to New York, before driving down to Elmer. If you see us on camp, we might be a little tired and spacey, but at least we’ll be there. I have little idea of who will be going to the Reunion. It’s likely that I won’t know many people, but what I do know is that everybody there will understand why we all had to go back.

Malcolm Donkin

Comcast New Social Media Seminar

 We are all wrestling with the explosion of social media. Do we twitter, facebook, Digg, RSS, ning, bling, WHATEVER?  What does it all mean? Is it just information overload for people with attention spans the size of a gnat?

 Media giant Comcast had a group of us over to their spiffy, and LEED certified (!), new digs in Philly on August 4-5 to talk about all of this media noise, and what it means to non-profits, and communication strategy in general.  Boy, did we get an earful from some major leaders in the field, like Andrew Bleecker, who ran the sensational social media campaign for President Obama, and Tom Mattzie, founder of MoveOn.org, one of the early leaders in online fundraising tied to political causes, and Julia Angwin, tech writer for the Wall Street Journal- not to mention that she’s a Pulitzer Prize-winner. 

 We also heard from Frank Eliason, or “Famous Frank” as his colleagues call him. “Famous Frank” is the guy who ventured into Twitter-land a couple of years ago to deal with some negative stuff flying around cyberspace about Comcast. With single-minded purpose, his “How can I help” message is helping Comcast turn its “big bad boy” image around and “Famous Frank” now has upwards of 27,000 followers and 10 people in his department who twitter constantly.  Comcast also has Scott McNulty, chief blogger, and some visionary leadership that sees the future shaping up in the media world.  

 Sit down, kids, cause this stuff is here to stay. 

What we non-profit execs learned was a whole new way to look at the world and to reach the people who care about what we do. No, it really isn’t just a lot of noise, it’s about what we should be doing anyway. Building relationships, and treating our customers with respect and honesty.  The social media phenom is brilliant because it truly allows people, including us, to have a voice and to connect with others who care about what we care about.  Going viral can sometimes be dangerous, as we learned. Do we let our followers in to our websites and start creating their own content and messages? What happens if we lose control? Big questions that must be answered.  But the message from our speakers was clear. The rewards far outweigh the risks.  Be who and what you are, and always remember Frank’s mantra. “How can I help?” seems like just the right thing to say at any time.

 Thanks, Comcast. I’m following you now! 

Dee Billia, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
Appel Farm Arts and Music Center

Anticipating the Reunion

I came to Appel Farm as a counsellor in 2001 and 2002, whilst finishing off my degree in Design. I still look back on those summers as happy times full of cherished memories. The biggest thing that I took away from the Farm was meeting so many professional artists and musicians, and realising that all the enjoyment of the creative arts that I had experienced as a young person could become a lifetime career and passion. 

 After 2002 I desperately wanted to return to work at camp but a family tragedy kept me in the UK for a while, and after that life moved on and I was unable to take time off for the whole summer.

 So, the opportunity to come back to camp for Labor Day weekend in 2009 is a welcome one. It seems like a long way to travel for a weekend, but I am sure it will be worth it. I first heard about the reunion last year in September when I visited Jennie Q at the farm, and booked my flight as soon as I got home (so it’s been booked nearly a year in advance, that’s how keen I am to be there!!). Appel Farm is a very special place, and I am very much looking forward to being there again with farming friends, old and new!

 

Katie Jane Hill

Chickens Cross Road at Appel Farm

The big guy and the girls

At the Farm we have plenty of wildlife that is part of the landscape. Snapping turtles sunning themselves on the logs at Lake Inferior, mice that occasionally drop in (and I do mean drop) at the office for a quick “Hi! What’s that food in your file drawer?”, and snakes that live around the perimeter of the grounds. This week we have been treated to some special visitors. Yes, Albert Appel’s chickens have come across the road to check out the second session campers!

They can be seen pecking around cabins, studios, the parking lot. Just about any place where there might be a tasty morsel or two. Yep, the big guy and his two “lady-friends” travel as a team. And Mr. Rooster is likely to crow about anything during the day. Who says that roosters only crow at dawn? This guy needs to get in touch with daylight savings.

They look like they might head right back over the road to quieter territory at Albert’s house, but for now we are enjoying our visitors. It’s just more welcome guests to our great big Appel Farm family.

President Speaks to ArtPride

Good morning ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests. 

Thank you very much for joining us today for the annual meeting of ArtPride New Jersey, which includes two sessions this morning –

We are honored to have with us today our extraordinary Chair of the Arts Council, Carol Herbert, and Arts Council members Arthur Factor and Judy Leone.  We’re also very pleased to have with us the Executive Director of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Steve Runk.

 Ladies and Gentlemen, not since 2003 has the nonprofit arts community stood so perilously, so precariously, on the edge of a precipice that could lead to the eventual elimination of funding to the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

 The Governor’s proposed budget reduces the Council’s budget by 25% from the current year’s allocation of $19.25 million to $14.44 million in 2010, and most disturbingly, below the $16 million poison pill provision of the 2003 legislation that created the hotel/motel occupancy fee – the vehicle by which the legislature intended to protect the arts, history and tourism, from the vagaries of economic decline. 

 Make no mistake about it, by reducing the Arts Council budget below $16 million, the gauntlet has been thrown down and the legislature must either restore funding to this threshold, or allow the occupancy fee to be rescinded following the signing of the new budget.

Clearly, only the first option is an acceptable one for us.  If the legislature takes no action, there will de facto be no money allocated to the Council in 2010 because there will be no fee collected to fund the council, the historical commission or tourism.

 Our efforts in the short term must be focused on the legislature, with a single message that every assemblyman and senator must hear:  “The arts, history and tourism are part of the economic solution.  We are our own economic stimulus package for the State of New Jersey!”

Many of you are battle tested and perhaps, battle weary, but we must harness all our strength and resources to make our collective voice heard.  This has always been our strength and our salvation in these times of doom and gloom.  It is our optimism, our passion, our sense of imagination and creativity that has made our grass root efforts successful each time we have been tested.

And so I ask you today to carry the message back to your boards, your staff, your volunteers, your patrons, your vendors, your unions, and all who benefit from the economic impact of your organization’s work, and urge them to use the ArtPride website to write to their legislators, and if they have a personal connection with a legislator, to personally ask for their support of restoration.

 We know that the leadership of the legislature asks each lawmaker to provide them with a list of their top 2 or 3 funding priorities.  In order for us to prevail, a preponderance of legislators must indicate that we are one of their priorities. 

 Each of you here today, and those who are not, bear the burden and the responsibility to ensure that our message is heard.  Whether you represent an organization with a budget of $10,000 or $10 million dollars, it will be the cumulative effect of many voices -  from all corners of our State  – that will carry the day. 

 John Adams remarked that “People and nations are forged in adversity.”  After 20 years of adversity, we are forged like steel.

 Thank you for your commitment, dedication and passion.  We will prevail.