Dahlonega Art and Wine Festival

In northern Georgia, one hour from Atlanta, is a beautiful small town named Dahlonega. The town has many wineries, talented people, beautiful scenery and many festivals.  

Next weekend, May 21 and 22nd, the Chestatee Artists will be having the Dahlonega Arts and Wine Festival (formerly known as the Mountain Flower Art Festival). This group of artists have potters, chainsaw artists, works in all medium, jewelry and more. The group does not lack in talent or creativity. 

I have had the pleasure of meeting some of these artists , like Oscar Rayneri, Ann McCormack,Letty Rayneri,  Carl Pirone  and Patti Pirone.There will be fifty arts and crafts booths at the Historic Dahlonega Square. A block away at Hancock Park they will have live jazz performances. The wine garden will include wines from Montaluce  Winery, Habersham Winery, Crane Creek Vineyards, Tiger Mountain Vineyards, and Hightower Creek Vineyards.

Some of these artists exhibit year round at the Hall House Fine Art Gallery at the square and at Canvas and Cork  by Hancock Park. 

Come enjoy a weekend of arts, crafts, wine and the historic beauty of Dahlonega.

Bear Heading to the Square

You probably already know that painting people and animals are not my thing. However, I can make an exception when it comes to the Bear on the Square Festival in Dahlonega, Georgia. The town has many festivals yearly, but this one has become my favorite. The people took the story of a bear appearing on the square years ago and have now turned it into the most fun-filled music festival. Blue grass, food, art and friendly people are the ingredients to a fun weekend. One of the fun activities used to raise funds are the live and silent auction. Each year,  I say that I will paint a bear and donate it to the auction, but time gets away from me.

This year I planned early and painted a sweet bear heading to the square. This bear plans to take part in the festivities and play some music. This is the least I can do to support this festival and the town I have grown to love.

"Bear Heading to the Square" - acrylic on canvas

Isabel's Fine Home Accessories with Rosie Brown

A fun time at the opening reception at Isabel's. Art, wine, music, friends and family; what can be better? Thank you Isabel for the opportunity to exhibit,  Luis Gustavo Rojas for the live music and the love and support of family and friends. If you missed it, the art will be there until the end of January and you can always find one of Isabel's treasures for your home.. Come and visit!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84QkN1hdYzs

FEC - Federacion de Estudiantes Cubanos

The FEC is an organization, founded in 1967,  at the University of Miami dedicated to keeping the Cuban culture alive in the UM community. My fellow Cuban artist, and MWS member, Marilyn Valiente, asked me to join their yearly event  "A Week of Cuban Culture". During the week from February 27th to March 5th,  the FEC invites the student body to enjoy Cuban food, music, and art. 

I am happy to represent my culture and speak to students that may want to find out more about my people, and more specifically my art.

Marilyn Valiente, Elizabet Chacon and I will be exhibiting on March 5th from 12 -3 pm. Join us at Carnaval Cubano, an explosion of Cuban flavor, with traditional food and Cuban art.

http://www.rosiebrowncreations.com/.

Dance Therapy

One of the benefits of being a volunteer at the Lowe Art Museum is enjoying the lectures by artists and professors on a weekly basis. Our last lecture was a little different, not exactly a lecture. The University of Miami Dance Therapy Class came to perform for us. The interesting part is that they came to do their interpretation of two art pieces that we share with our visitors on a regular basis, "Shattered Illusions" by Jeffrey Spencer  and  "Fox Games"  by   Sandy Skoglund.

What exactly is dance therapy and how was this presented to us? "Dance therapy involves using movement to help people deal with physical, emotional, social problems, illness and other challenges. Therapists help people integrate their emotional and physical needs to relieve stress, build confidence, and overcome emotional problems." According to Wikepedia, Dance-movement therapy, ('DMT) or dance therapy is the psychotherapeutic use of movement and dance to support intellectual, emotional, and motor functions of the body. As a form of expressive therapy, DMT looks at the correlation between movement and emotion. Although dance has been a method of expression for centuries, it  wasn’t until the past half century that it was characterized as a form of therapy. 

"Fox Games" by Sandy Skoglund

Through dance therapy,  the body was being used to share what they saw in the art pieces and how it made them feel.  They looked at each piece and let the images speak to them on a personal level.  Below are photos and videos of their interpretation.

Dance Movement Therapy can be used to heal serious disorders and diseases. It is also said that this therapy is very effective in helping to heal other disabilities and diseases. Examples of these include:

• Autism

• Learning Disabilities

• Intellectual disability

• Deaf and Hearing Impaired

• Blind and Visually Impaired

• Physically Handicapped

• Elderly

• Eating Disorders

• PTSD

• Parkinson's Disease

• Dementia

• Depression

Use this link ADTA to find out about becoming a therapist or finding one in your area. 

She Can Still Sing!

I have been debating about whether I would share this or not. Being that this blog is about being creative and enjoying the arts. I thought it would be appropriate to highlight my Mom this week. 

Although my Mom currently has many disabilities, including dementia, she is still able to remember the words to many songs that she sang her entire life. One of the things she always enjoyed was music and singing so we play music for her and are surprised when she can still sing along. Amazing how the brain works! 

Last Sunday, September 8th, Cubans all over the world praised Our Lady of Charity, also known as Our Lady of El Cobre, patroness of Cuba,  As my Mom was about to receive communion from her dear friends, Hortensia and Angie, we asked her if she remembered what she used to sing on that particular day years ago. She broke into song and I recorded to share with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

As the great-grandchildren would say, "Good job, Pua!"
(Video below. Must have Flash to view it)

http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/09/04/3605819/our-lady-of-charity-mass-to-be.html

Arts in Medicine – For the Health of it!

“If we can demonstrate that emotion affects outcomes and art affects emotion, then a logical path to better outcomes would involve more attention to engaging people in artistic pursuits.”  Harlan Krumholz MD, SM

This past week I saw a video of an amazing program taking place at Shands Hospital in Gainesville. What began as a program to reduce the stress in hospitalization is now a philosophy of care for the institution. The hospital is using dance, music, drama, creative writing and the visual arts to enhance the patient experience and healing. 

It is very difficult to get into the head of a suffering patient, but the arts serve as a vehicle to get there. It has been shown that just as words can hurt so can they heal. There is actual chemical/biological effect in the brain that comes from the written word. Music and dance therapy can change moods and change motion. When a patient hears the music and moves with it, the body and mind are moved, the pain is relieved and healing can even take place. “A 2006 study tested the saliva of college-aged singers before and after rehearsals. Singing appeared to raise their levels of salivary immunoglobulin, a substance that defends the respiratory tract against pathogens. And singers who were pleased with their performances had lower levels of cortisol, a hormone that is a marker for stress, in their saliva. In other words, artistic engagement doesn’t just make people feel better in the moment—it may protect their future health by boosting their immune systems.”

To read more about it, click on the links below:

http://www.shands.org/aim/about.html

http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/does_art_heal/

 Find a way to express yourself………….for the health of it!