Arts and Culture

“My Refugee Journey” – Free Zoom presentation Bopha Malone

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Bedford Select Board Member and Community Activist Bopha Malone will share her experience as a refugee to the U.S. from escaping war-torn, landmine-infested Cambodia by foot with her mother, to reuniting with her father and brother in a Thailand refugee camp, to arriving in the United States with nothing but the clothes on her back to achieve her family’s American Dream. Bopha Malone is a VP and Regional Business Advisor at Enterprise Bank. She and her husband Tom and their two children, Taevy and Caelan, moved to Bedford in 2016.  In 2020 she became the first Cambodian-American woman elected to public office in Massachusetts as a member of the Bedford’s Select Board.  She is also the first person of color to serve on Bedford’s Select Board.  Bopha immigrated to the U.S. at the age of nine and credits caring mentors for helping her get to where she is today. 

As a first-generation Cambodian-American who benefited from the support of others, her passion is to seek help others as she was helped.   Ms. Malone is a trustee of Middlesex Community College, Lowell General Hospital (Circle Health), International Institute of New England, Communities for Restorative Justice (C4RJ) and is a member of the Bedford Rotary Club.   She has also been active with the Women Working Wonders Fund and the Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association, and in 2018 was a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Massachusetts’ 3rd district. Come and enjoy this fascinating presentation! For the Zoom link, please contact Ellen at  mountainbreeze52@gmail.com

First Parish in Bedford is proud to present this talk as part of its free, monthly forums (lyceums) on a wide range of topics.   All talks are free and open to the public.   Registration is NOT required.

Arts and Culture

BCA Photo: Kathy Tarantola on “Best Lightroom Features to Boost Your Workflow”

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The BCA Photo Group welcomes back Kathy Tarantola as she continues a 3-part series on the photography software tool, Adobe Lightroom. In this second session she will discuss “The Best Lightroom Features to Boost Your Workflow.”

Kathy Tarantola (ktphoto.com) is an experienced Adobe Certified Expert, Lightroom instructor and professional photographer. In this session, Tarantola will focus on workflow features in the Lightroom Library and Develop modules. In-person meetings of the BCA Photo Group are suspended until further notice. We’ve been holding meetings online with great success.

Arts and Culture

“Cyber Security in 2021: What to look out for and how to protect yourself” by Daniel Hastings

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Scams, data breaches, and hacks. All words that may sound scary especially when reading in the news that your personal data may have been compromised. This talk will cover the types of actors involved in some of the most recent data breaches, the impact of these hacks and how to take action if you have been impacted. Most importantly, this talk will cover important tools and rules to follow to help prevent yourself from being scammed or vulnerable to further scams if your data has been compromised in a data breach. Daniel Hastings has been a senior security consultant at the security firm NCC Group for the past five years.

BHS Musical Fundraiser to support Les Mis, Students, POMS, and Action Against Hunger

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Bedford Patrons for Music Students (POMS), the music booster for the Bedford public schools, is delighted to introduce a fundraising opportunity for this year’s BHS musical, Les Misérables, to support the students, POMS, and Action Against Hunger.

Tickets for the streaming performances of Les Mis will be available soon. The filmed production will be shown Friday, May 21, and Saturday, May 22, on a screen near you!

In normal years, POMS sells well wishes in the lobby during the musical, so audience members can give a small token of appreciation to their favorite cast, crew, or pit member. This year, POMS is coordinating gift bag deliveries for each of the 71 student participants — and your donation makes it possible!

Arts and Culture

BCA Photo: Member Image Sharing with Emily Belz

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The BCA Photo Group will share member images on the theme, “It’s All About the Light,” with critique by photographer and educator, Emily Belz. As a photographer, Belz focuses on domestic still lifes, with a strong affinity for light, space and color. She has exhibited both regionally and nationally and is represented by Gallery Kayafas in Boston. Belz also teaches at the Griffin and the DeCordova Museums, and is on the faculty at Lasell University. She holds a BA in Photography and Art History from Hampshire College, an MA in Art and Design Education from the RISD and an MFA from the New Hampshire Institute of Art (http://emilybelzphotography.com).

Extra, Extra!

Bedford Arts and Crafts Society ~ Reaching out to the Bedford Community

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For years now, Bedford Arts and Crafts Society (BACS) crafters have gathered weekly to try their hand at a wide variety of projects and activities. During the pandemic, their sessions have increasingly focused on community-helping-community objectives. These include providing knitted goods through the Bedford Food Bank and handcrafted greeting cards for many town individuals and groups.

Art Department Bedford Schools

Visual Arts Flourish in Bedford Schools Despite Pandemic

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The Covid-19 pandemic has curtailed and compromised public education for more than 13 months.

But Sean Hagan, visual arts program director for the Bedford schools, won’t allow the virus to curtail or compromise his enthusiasm.

“There are fantastic things happening at each school, and our teachers are moving mountains finding ways to build community and keep students engaged through art during this difficult time,” he declared.

“The kids are really creating some wonderful work this year,” Hagan asserted. “When everything else in the world is terrible and you are just looking for something that’s good, students consistently surprise us with the quality and the value of the work they are doing.”

Teachers and students are planning the annual end-of-the-year K-12 art show during the first week in June. For the second year in a row, the exhibition will be online.

“Day-to-day is really the mantra,” Hagan said. “We are trying to keep kids engaged. That’s what all teachers are doing everywhere in the world. It’s incredibly hard to do, especially when they’re at home. It’s a Sisyphean task. You feel like you’re making some progress, and then…”

Arts and Culture

Dash: A Mindful Painting Pattern Workshop

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Explore with Amy Maricle of the Mindful Art Studio what happens when you make a simple dash mark with your brush in colors you love. Let’s explore what happens when you layer that with simple dash marks in drawing pen. We will breathe, and nurture ourselves, with simple, mindful art movements. It’s my pleasure to teach you this pattern and watch you learn and innovate with it. Materials you will need:
Drawing pen that won’t bleed with water
10–20 pieces of watercolor paper about 3 x 4 in.

Les Miz Meets the 21st Century; BHS Musical Streaming in May

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Jean Valjean, with all due respect, had some bad days. But he never knew what it’s like to have to abandon a high school musical performance on the threshold of opening night because of a sudden global pandemic.

Valjean and the other characters from Les Misérables are a big part of the response to last spring’s colossal disappointment at Bedford High School.

Preparations are in high gear at the high school for a filmed version of the sung-through musical Les Misérables (school edition), by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, based on the 1862 novel by Victor Hugo. The decision was made early to bypass live performances, and that turned out to be the right call, as Covid-19 protocols are still in place.

Arts and Culture

BCA Photo: Kathy Tarantola on “The Most Common Mistakes in Lightroom”

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The BCA Photo Group welcomes Kathy Tarantola as she begins a 3-part series on the photography software tool, Adobe Lightroom. In this first session she will address “The Most Common Mistakes in Lightroom – Yeah, Don’t Do That.”

Kathy Tarantola (ktphoto.com) is an experienced Adobe Certified Expert, Lightroom instructor and professional photographer. In this session, Tarantola will show you the most common mistakes using Lightroom. Over the years she has seen a lot of messy catalogs, and can tell you how to avoid these situations and practice good Lightroom habits. In-person meetings of the BCA Photo Group are suspended until further notice.

Features

No Pandemic Slow-down for Playwright Melinda Lopez

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If the performing arts reflect society’s mood and outlook, Melinda Lopez’s optimism and workload are signs that good times are on the horizon.

Bedford’s nationally-known playwright said Monday, “I see lots of signs of hope. Of course, it all depends on the vaccination rates, and public safety. But I am feeling optimistic!”

Arts and Culture

Storywalk® Behind Davis School Sheds its Snow

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There is a great Storywalk® behind the playground at Davis School.   It’s actually been there for a while.   But just before we were going to run this story, the big February snowstorm came along. Rachel Marcus, the brainchild behind the Bedford Storywalk® explains the idea:

Arts and Culture

BCA Photo Group: Rob Sylvan on “What’s new in Lightroom and Photoshop”

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The BCA Photo Group presents Rob Sylvan speaking on “What’s New in Lightroom and Photoshop.”

Sylvan (robsylvan.com) is a photographer, educator, and aspiring beekeeper. He is the author of many Lightroom- and photography-related books, eBooks, and videos. His latest book is Lightroom Classic for Dummies. Rob blogs weekly at LightroomKillerTips.com, and can be found answering Photoshop and Lightroom questions at various virtual industry trade show events throughout the year (and can’t wait to return to in-person events). In-person meetings of the BCA Photo Group are suspended until further notice.

Arts and Culture

BCA Photo: Martha Wakefield on “Illuminating Color Principles as a Dynamic Tool for Photographers”

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Are you interested in using color more effectively in your photography? The BCA Photo Group welcomes award-winning painter and photographer Martha Wakefield to talk on “Illuminating Color Principles as a Dynamic Tool for Photographers.”

BCA Photo member Martha Wakefield is an award-winning painter and photographer. Her work has been shown in over 75 exhibits across the country and is held in corporate and private collections internationally. Wakefield has been awarded numerous residencies and has been featured in and contributed articles to many art publications. Since 2012 she has been teaching art classes and intensive workshops on painting, color and creativity.

Arts and Culture

“Poetry and Process”- Free Zoom presentation by Bedford poet Joyce Peseroff

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Local poet, Joyce Peseroff, will read from her sixth book of poems, Petition, published in November by Carnegie Mellon University Press.  She will also discuss her writing process in general, the specific ways in which certain poems were written, and the vital support a decades-long writing group has offered her. Ms. Peseroff founded and directed the Creative Writing MFA Program at UMass Boston, where she taught for 17 years.  Her honors include grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Massachusetts Artists Foundation as well as a Pushcart Prize.  Ms. Peseroff’s fifth book of poems, Know Thyself, was named a “must-read” by the 2016 Massachusetts Book Award. Come join us for this engaging session!   All are welcome! For the Zoom link, please contact Ellen at  mountainbreeze52@gmail.com

First Parish in Bedford is proud to present this talk as part of its free, monthly forums (lyceums) on a wide range of topics.   All talks are free and open to the public.

Extra, Extra!

World of Music Concert to Honor Black History Month

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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the impossibility of presenting live concerts for an audience, MCC’s A World of Music Spring 2021 Concert Series will present a series of live recordings of performances from venues in Bedford and Lowell. These concerts will be released on specific dates, and links will be provided on https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/worldofmusic/

February 26 at 7:30 pm: In honor of Black History Month the series will open with a Celebration of Black Composers from Europe, Africa, the United States and South America.

Arts and Culture

Town Historian Sharon McDonald brings Four Colonial Characters to Life for the Bedford Historical Society’s Feb. 28 Program

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Bedford Town Historian Sharon McDonald will share tales about four 18th Century characters during the Bedford Historical Society’s next program, presented via Zoom at 2 pm on Sunday, February 28.

McDonald, the beloved former Bedford Free Public Library children’s librarian, has a well-developed knack for telling stories. Her unquenchable thirst for historic tidbits and talent for discerning fact from fiction gives her programs a special sparkle.

Arts and Culture

Li Liu, Acrobatic Show!

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Celebrate Lunar New Year with the Bedford Free Public Library, virtually! Acrobat Li Liu shares a one-woman show celebrating the history of acrobatics in China.  Along with amazing feats, Li Liu also talks about Chinese culture–especially rituals around Chinese New Year. The BFPL has a long tradition of celebrating the Lunar New Year with an event at the library.  We hope that this fantastic virtual show brings some of the excitement into your home this year. Register here: https://www.bedfordlibrary.net/events/event/li-liu-acrobat/

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Bedford Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

Arts and Culture

BCA Photo: Member Image Sharing with Paul Nguyen

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The BCA Photo Group welcomes back photographer Paul Nguyen (paulnguyenphoto.com) to critique member images. The theme is “The Face Says It All.”

Nguyen served as a National Parks Artist in Residence at Petrified Forest, AZ, and has worked for the Museum of Science, Boston. His images have been licensed by the Nature Conservancy, Tamron USA, Amazing New England Artworks and local and international publications. His presentation on drone photography last season was very well received. In-person meetings of the BCA Photo Group are suspended until further notice.

Extra, Extra!

Snow + Sculpture = Winter Fun in 2021

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Fresh snow fell yesterday, with flurries today, and a possible 8 to 10 inches predicted for next week, the first week of February.  It’s a perfect time to build snow creatures, sculptures, or forts, and the Bedford Recreation Department is holding a Snow Sculpture Contest to celebrate 2021 and honor your efforts.

Arts and Culture

BCA Photo: Photo Restoration with Sue Anne Hodges

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The BCA Photo Group invites you to learn about Photo Restoration with professional photographer and educator, Sue Anne Hodges. In addition to her commercial and fine art photography, Hodges (sueannehodges.com) has made a career teaching printing, Lightroom, and Photoshop at the New England School of Photography and more recently, the Griffin Museum of Photography. Her clients and publications include the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce, Down East Magazine, Maine Bureau of Tourism, National Parks Magazine, Outside Magazine, Audubon, Country Inns. She has also provided the photography for a number of books, including “A Pocket Guide to Carriage Roads of Acadia National Park.”

In-person meetings of the BCA Photo Group are suspended until further notice. We’ve been holding meetings online with great success.

Arts and Culture

BCA Photo: Stephen Tourlentes on “The American Landscape in the Age of Mass Incarceration”

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The BCA Photo Group welcomes photographer and educator Stephen Tourlentes to discuss his work, “The American Landscape in the Age of Mass Incarceration.”

Tourlentes is a Visiting Professor in Photography and Studio Manager at the Massachusetts College of Art & Design. His images have been exhibited nationally and internationally, including shows at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Chicago Art Institute and the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. He’s received many prestigious fellowships and prizes, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, and his images are collected by major art institutions (http://www.tourlentes.com/). In-person meetings of the BCA Photo Group are suspended until further notice. We’ve been holding meetings online with great success.

Arts and Culture

Free January Presentation on Forgery via Zoom

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Please join us on Sunday, January 10, 2021 from 4:00pm – 5:00 pm for a free, Zoom presentation on (yes!) forgery. Scandal!  Notorious Deeds!  First Parish’s Bob Doud will speak on the forensic science of handwriting and forgery investigation.  Bob worked with his father – a noted Forensic Document Examiner, Donald Doud – for a number of years. Bob will relate some of the high-profile investigations that he was involved in, including King Henry VIII’s will and the Howard Hughes cases. Bob Doud is a Technical Marketing Director in the cloud security field and worked as an assistant to his father during high school and college. He and his wife have been First Parish members for 25 years and active on numerous church committees, including the Building Committee where he coordinated the 1999-2000 addition project.  In his spare time, Bob enjoys working with and mentoring middle and high-school youth through various church programs and the Rotary RYLA program.  Come and enjoy this engaging presentation!