The Artists' Reception! August 13, 2011

"Joyous!"

"The best ABAD ever!"
"The ABADest!"

"What a great show–and the music was the icing on the cake!"

ABAD: The Ties That Bind Artists' Reception was a fantastic evening. With performances from the Joe Saylor Brass Band, AnnMarie Tornabene, Antonia Palazzo, Meera Thomas and Steve Dalachinsky, it was a truly unforgettable night!

We began with a short Second Line Parade from the Pentaquit Post Office (get it? mail art?) led by the incredibly talented brass band. We danced through the streets to authentic New Orleans Funeral Jazz music, arrived at the gallery and installed the hand bound books on their respective podiums.

Throughout our perfectly beautiful summer evening, there was more fabulous music from the band, visits from Life and Death, a Live Portrait performance and an impromptu poetry reading. All the festivities highlighted beautiful work from 173 worldwide artists and new work from Ray Johnson himself. Art under the stars...

The Joe Saylor Brass Band is: 

Joe Saylor - Snare Drum and Tambourine

Ryland Kelly - Bass Drum

Eric Miller - Trombone

Joe Boga - Trumpet

Pete Reardon-Anderson - Clarinet 

Ibanda Ruhumbika - Tuba

[Photos by Shirley Hathaway, Steve Ceraso, Joan Harrison, Lynn Sedler, AnnMarie Torabene, Greg Commodore and Yelena Romanoff.]

The Joe Saylor Brass Band performs a traditional funeral dirge while we gather.

The Second Line Parade

That's the Bound Books wrapped in black lace and red roses.

We conclude the parade and open the reception.

Steve Ceraso and Barry Rivadue in the Gallery

Deb Kasimakis and Joan Harrison, bound by ties!

AnnMarie Tornabene's Live Portrait performance

Meera Thomas performing as Life tied to a favorite piece

James Hathaway in the crowd

AnnMarie with Life (Meera Thomas) and Death (Antonia Palazzo).

It was a perfect summer's night

The wonderful Susan Barbash

Steve Dalachinsky reads his Jazz Poem with some improv thrown in