Scene & Heard: Making up with Mother Nature

By Lee B. Roberts
Journal Times

Thursday, September 18, 2008 10:33 AM CDT

If last weekend’s rain thwarted your efforts to enjoy live music in the great outdoors, take comfort in this sunny news of how you can recoup some of your entertainment losses.

First, the Heartsfield concert that was to take place on Monument Square last Saturday night has been rescheduled for Sept. 27. Concert time is 6 p.m. and the show is free.

Keep your fingers crossed that Mother Nature smiles on this Summer Nights at the Square event the second time around and go to http://www.heartsfield.com for more about this rockin’ country band.

Second, while Milwaukee’s Global Union world music festival carried on in between the rain drops Sept. 13 and 14, those who missed it will have another opportunity to experience global music at World Music Festival: Chicago 2008, which starts Friday and continues through Sept. 25. Chicago’s festival is somewhat different than Global Union in that instead of a two-day free event on the rolling hills of Humboldt Park, it is a series of 70 events that take place in 21 venues throughout the city over a week’s time. And, while many of the performances are free, some are ticketed concerts. In its 10th year, this festival showcases both traditional and contemporary music from many diverse cultures, some of which are the same groups featured at Global Union. For a complete schedule and listening opportunities, go to http://www.worldmusicfestivalchicago.org/preview

Oh, and while making your way around Chicago you just might run into Racine native Brian Keigher who, as program coordinator for the Department of Cultural Affairs at the Chicago Cultural Center, is one of the festival’s organizers.

Movin’ along

Music and art are on the move with Downtown’s 716: Fine Art Gallery. The gallery, which was located at 401 Main St., is in the process of moving into a new home just a half-block away at 321 Main. It was about a year ago this week that owner David Geisler moved the 716 gallery to Racine from its previous home at 716 58th St. in Kenosha.

Since then he has featured a number of artists’ shows, as well as an intimate concert series called Inside the Music at his Racine location. The latest move, Geisler says, is an effort to create the gallery in a space that is more suitable to his business’ needs. While the new location offers less space (it is about two-thirds the size of the previous location), it has other advantages including a back loading dock and a parking area. After a year of getting to know Racine’s artists and clientele, Geisler said he will be focusing more on solo exhibits, giving each featured artist two months to show their work at 716. He also said he wants to continue hosting events at his gallery, from artists’ opening receptions to open mic nights and acoustic concerts. Geisler’s background in theater also has him thinking about new performance possibilities such as four-person micro-theater shows, he said.

“It is important that the gallery is a space where art can be presented in all of its forms,” he said.

But first, renovations of 716’s new space — which have included exposing brick walls and removal of a drop ceiling — must be completed. Geisler said he is hoping to open the new gallery in time for Party on the Pavement on Oct. 4, and if that isn’t possible, he will open with an artist show in November.

Meanwhile, Inside the Music will continue this month at the JavaVino cafe, 424 Main St., with a concert by Brent Mitchell at 8 p.m. Saturday (see the Center Stage feature on Page 1B for details). Matt Specht, one of the series’ organizers, said he appreciates JavaVino hosting this event while the 716 Gallery is in transition. Specht says he hopes to be able to offer future Inside the Music shows as well and is in the process of exploring such opportunities. Stay tuned for updates.

Lee Roberts is the arts and entertainment reporter for The Journal Times. Scene & Heard appears every other Thursday. Lee can be reached by phone at (262) 631-1755, by e-mail at at lee.roberts@lee.net and by mail at 212 4th St., Racine WI 53403.

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