In their twentieth season, Fiddler’s Congress continues their tradition of learning and teaching, performing and sharing. They meet weekly and perform traditional, popular and original music at any opportunity.

Fiddler’s Congress is currently made up of:
Tim Andrews [flute and accordion]
Margie Mangan [piano and violin]
Brigitte Sawyer [recorder and pennywhistle]
Marnie Heyn [violin and folk instruments]

The Fiddler’s Congress is unusual as membership is self-selected. In their history, many young students join the band once they can play three songs from the group’s song lists; often, they continue until they graduate and leave for college.

Fiddler’s Congress will bring song books to the Box Factory for singing along, some new Irish ensemble tunes from Aislinn Lyons, newly reconstituted Robert Burns with great current importance, as well as original songs. Please come join us for this concert, and consider joining to play every week.

Members $60 // Non-members $70
To register, call or stop by the Box Factory (Monday through Saturday 10-4)
269.983.3688
1101 Broad Street, St. Joseph

Information and Materials can be picked up at the Box Factory front desk when you sign up. Robin can mail you the materials if you prefer. Please make payment to the Box Factory.

Workshop Format: Robin will demonstrate a variety of techniques for applying watercolor in a step-by-step process. You will begin by transferring the drawing to watercolor paper, applying masking fluid and creating initial washes, gradually working from general shapes to the more specific, detailed elements of the subject.

Student Level: beginner to experienced.

Class Supplies: Robin will provide everyone with a photo of the image we will be painting, the tracing image (to fit a 16 x 20 watercolor sheet), masking fluid and old brushes, carbon paper and pens, paper towels and two hair dryers. Other materials needed are listed below:

-Watercolor block or loose sheets of watercolor paper. Loose sheets come in 22” x 30” size and can be cut in half for class. Robin likes to use the cold pressed kind (140# Arches is preferred.) Her paper will measure approximately 16 x 20.
-A board for taping your watercolor sheet to (masonite, or even foamcore board will work)
-Assortment of watercolor paints – please bring high-quality tube watercolor paints (Robin uses Winsor-Newton, Daniel Smith and Holbein) (we can mix all we need from this assortment):
Quinocradone Gold
Yellow Ochre
Burnt Sienna
Ultra Marine Blue
Black OR Neutral Tint OR Paynes Gray
Sap Green
Masking Fluid (drawing gum)
-Small water container. Spray bottle of water is optional.
-Plastic paint pallet. A glass plate can work too.
-Watercolor brushes: large flat brush, medium round brush and smaller brushes
-Old paint brush for applying masking fluid

Lunch: We will break for lunch around noon. There are restaurants close by but feel free to bring your lunch (fridge and microwave available). Coffee, tea and bottled water will be available along with light refreshments in the morning.

Questions: Feel free to contact Robin with any questions about the workshop. She can be reached at 269.982.4050 or robin@maxongraphix.com. For questions about registration, please call Nikki at the Box Factory at 269.983.3688 or email nikki@boxfactoryforthearts.org.

Find Robin’s artwork page at Robin Maxon Watercolors.

SAVE THE DATE

Saturday, April 20
7:00 pm
General Admission $10

Aiden and Bill Schnell in concert with special guest Cabin 52 to open the show!

Stay tuned for all the event details still to come!

Featuring:
Exquisite handmade artisan items
Many Box Factory Artists will have their studios open
Food and drink offerings including a full bar
Live music

Admission to Spring Makers Market at the Box is just $5.

INTERESTED VENDORS – please note that applications are no longer being accepted for this event. Look for information in early fall regarding our Holiday Makers Market.

Our Series 3 Art Exhibition will open on May 3rd and run through June 1.

Opening reception Friday, May 3
5:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Free and open to the public

Featuring the artwork of:

Kathleen Newman
Kristin Hosbein
Carol Myers
Fine Arts Students of Indiana University South Bend

Kathleen Newman and Kristin Hosbein have paired up to bring you a series of paintings featuring water scenes and landscapes, including images from the Michigan shoreline. Newman and Hosbein both express a desire for their artwork to call the viewer to pause and reflect on the beauty of the world around us.

Carol Myers uses drawing, encaustic monotype, printmaking and large fiber pieces to explore the idea of embodiment: creating in concert with mind, body and spirit. Myers also uses full figure outlines and asemic writing to explore the way ‘society has written on us.’

The talented Fine Arts students of Indiana University South Bend bring you a group exhibition showcasing artwork in the areas of painting, drawing, printmaking, photography and sculpture. The exhibit is curated by Dora Natella and Ron Monsma.

Image credit Kathleen Newman

We are so excited to welcome The Dacia Bridges Project to the Box Factory stage for the first time in what promises to be an unforgettable evening!

Friday, May 17
7:00 pm
$10 in advance // $12 at the door

((**Look for information coming soon about a special pop up artisan market that will be happening before the show!))

The Dacia Bridges Project is described as one of “Kalamazoo’s Finest Female Musicians” and includes:

Dacia Bridges – lead vocal, guitar, songwriter
Cori Beth Somers – violin
Carolyn Koebel – drums & percussion
Sarah Halsey Fuerst – bass

Dacia Bridges is a powerhouse vocalist cited by some as reminiscent of Tina Turner, as well as an accomplished songwriter and performer. From the age of five on she has been gracing the stage not only as a singer, but also as a professional dancer, choreographer and model. She recently relocated to the United States after spending decades performing to great acclaim in Germany and throughout Europe.

Dacia has teamed up with musicians Sarah Fuerst, Cori Somers and Carolyn Koebel to form The Dacia Bridges Project, an all-female quartet like no other!

Saturday, June 8
7:00 pm // $10

Genna & Jesse are duo alchemy at its finest. Sweet and savory, raspy and smooth, together they create heartfelt, unique acoustic-soul music, featuring tight and soaring harmonies and energetic guitar and piano accompaniment. Whether they sing their own songs, or the well-chosen songs of their peers, audiences are along for the ride in an intimate, witty and inclusive show. Drawing inspiration from their romantic nomadic lifestyle, Genna & Jesse might best be described as modern troubadours, generously offering listeners glimpses of their always-moving world with something fresh, true and genuinely independent.

Their live performances are gentle and inviting – yet powerful – due in part to solid stagecraft and a comfort level with their music and with each other. Another big factor in their shows is Genna’s subtle phrasing and exceptional interpretation. She delivers songs as gifts to an audience. The stunning harmonies that Genna and Jesse weave are the final secret ingredient in their performance magic.

They are not content to perform only their own songs, however. With so much talent flying under the commercial radar, Genna and Jesse actively seek out and perform songs by lesser-known artists who they meet in their travels and collaborations. Their evocative performances of these tunes provide a springboard for connecting community – artists and audiences. Every show is different because they are not content to sit in their comfort zone. They stretch their creative boundaries, finding new music and playing with it – truly playing WITH it, having fun.

Genna and Jesse began performing together in 2009 when Genna hired Jesse to play piano in her band. While working together, a romantic union blossomed and the two decided to write and perform as a duo.

Genna Giacobassi is originally from Lansing, MI. Her parents are both musicians and she grew up surrounded by, and immersed in, music. She attended Interlochen Arts Academy High School, where she studied voice. A rebellious spirit, she put aside a future in performing the works of others in order to obey her internal muse. In 1995, still a teenager, she dropped out of school and moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to hone her performance and songwriting skills. Her soulful voice is at once easygoing and acrobatic, with hints of Billie Holiday, Ricky Lee Jones, Lucinda Williams and Joni Mitchell.

Jesse Dyen has a colorful musical history — he has drawn praise for his anti-war anthem “Sons and Daughters,” from Willie Nelson, bought beer for Joe Strummer, broken Joan Baez’s guitar string, and been to jail with Daniel Ellsberg. Jesse has self-produced hundreds of tracks and has appeared in projects as nearby as Oakland and as far away as Cape Town, South Africa. His album “Contents Under Pressure,” recorded in his hometown Philadelphia and featuring some of Philly’s finest musicians, has received radio airplay both domestically and internationally, and was recorded by producer/drummer Andy Kravitz, who also engineered and produced a number of the duo’s recent singles including “Tumbleweed and Tonic” and “I Won’t Do it Again.”