Latest Events in Salem County(July Updated)

Join the Contemporary Elders Christmas Social, a festive workshop and feedback session held on Saturday 16th December from 10.30am to 12.30pm at the Focal Point Gallery in Southend-on-Sea. This event marks the end of the year for the Contemporary Elders community. Let's gather together to reflect on our achievements and discuss ideas for the upcoming 2024 programme. Delicious festive food will be provided for everyone to enjoy during this special occasion. The Contemporary Elders community is open to all, whether you're new to contemporary art or a regular gallery attendee. You can participate individually or come along with a partner or friends. Our workshops focus on the social aspect, requiring no prior art experience or understanding. We simply ask for a willingness to get involved. This inclusive group is specifically designed for individuals aged over 60. Focal Point Gallery ensures accessibility, with wheelchair access and additional materials available to enhance your visit. Large print information sheets, family activity sheets, and dedicated quiet times are provided. Our team is dedicated to supporting your needs. The Contemporary Elders program was established before the Covid pandemic with the aim to challenge and redefine the term "elder" from the confines of "elderly." We believe in embracing wisdom as a path to personal growth, rather than simply growing old. This low-cost program offers a variety of workshops, guided tours, walks, and social meetups. Its purpose is to bring like-minded elders together, breaking down barriers and promoting lifelong learning and enjoyment of the arts in all its forms. As one Contemporary Elder participant eloquently expressed, "I have learnt new things and gained completely new perspectives. I go home with new ideas and thoughts. I've been woken up out of my static state, and I like it." For more information about the Contemporary Elders Christmas Social and to access additional information, please visit the Focal Point Gallery website at www.fpg.org.uk. Alternatively, you can contact the gallery by phone at 01702 534108 or via email at focalpointgallery@southend.gov.uk. Don't miss this opportunity to celebrate the holiday season with the Contemporary Elders community and experience the joy of art together.

Join us for our first ever Blank Slate workshop! Join us with artist, Iris Dina Gunnarsdottir and dive into the world of natural tie-dye as we explore plant-based dyes. Craft unique patterns with colours derived from nature itself—each creation is a one-of-a-kind masterpiece thanks to the unpredictability of plant dyes. We'll supply everything you need, from ethically sourced tote bags to vibrant dyes, so all you need to bring is your enthusiasm. Don't miss this chance for a fun, eco-friendly adventure in art—join us and let your creativity run wild! About the Artist Iris is a professional artist based in East Anglia, specialising primarily in clay. In addition to her artistic practice, she facilitates workshops at various art institutions, focusing on diverse art forms, including drawing, collage, and dyeing. Iris holds a studio at Cuckoo Farm Studios, serves as an associate artist at Colchester Makerspace, and is a lecturer in ceramics at Colchester School of Art. About Blank Slate Focal Point Gallery is delighted to announce the launch of ‘Blank Slate’, our new monthly group for ages 13 to 18 starting this September and running through to July. We’re bringing you something fresh, fun, and inspiring on the last Friday of every month4.30pm to 6.30pm. Our mission is to create a space where you can unleash your creativity through workshops, talks, tours, and outings to other art spaces and galleries. You’ll get to meet and hang out with professional artists and creatives, gaining inspiration and insight into the art world. Information Source: Focal Point Gallery | eventbrite

Join Focal Point Gallery for the next block of Children’s Art Club with local artist, Hayley Summers where we will be exploring clay! For ages 7 to 12 years and all equipment provided. Drawing inspiration from Adham Faramawy's work, you will craft your own interpretation of an afternoon tea experience. Delve into the art of tea and its ability to foster connections, encourage communication, and provide moments for reflection. Through the use of various hand-building techniques in clay and intricate decorations using stamps, embellishments, and underglaze colours, you will bring your vision to life. Your pieces will undergo firing and glazing, adding a touch of magic to your creations. Information Source: Focal Point Gallery | eventbrite

Join Focal Point Gallery for an exciting evening of film and performance by Adam Moore and Leila Gamaz taking place on Saturday, 7 December, from 5pm to 7pm, in the context of Adham Faramawy’s solo exhibition ‘And these deceitful waters’. Doors open at 5pm, with screenings beginning at 5:30pm. The evening will start with Leila Gamaz’s film Marwan and Khalil (2022) followed by a screening and performance of Farther, Like a dream unfinished into ever (2023) by Adam Moore. The event will end with a Q&A session moderated by Adham Faramawy, exploring themes present in the exhibition such as familial ties, migration, ecology, and storytelling. Tickets are £3.30 with concessions available. Event times: 5pm doors open 5:30pm start Leila Gamaz - film: 10:22 mins 5:45pm start Adam Moore - film & performance: 19:09 mins 6:10pm Q&A - moderated by Adham Faramawy 30 mins & questions 6:45pm Q&A finish Work in order of appearance: Leila Gamaz, Marwan and Khalil (2022), 10:22 mins Using VHS footage shot by her father and Uncle on their land in the Sahara Desert and their home village, Gamaz weaves a semi-autobiographical story around the images. Centring the voice, the artist honours the rich tradition of North African oral storytelling kept alive by her great-grandmother and so many others. The desert has always held a mythical place in Gamaz’s family’s consciousness - despite owning land there, there have been many periods in their lives when it’s been inaccessible due to colonial occupation and war. It became something the family could dream about as a means of transcending their circumstances. Inspired by facts, fictions, myths, mysticism, and the elusiveness of memory, Gamaz used the power of dreams to conjure this film in the same way that her family did to manifest apples in the desert. Adam Moore, Farther, Like a dream unfinished into ever (2023), 19:09 mins Moore’s work explores death, loss, grief, rebirth, transformation, migration, and ecological and elemental allies of rain forests, wind, and water bodies in the Caribbean. The performance uses choreography, projected photographs and video, the architecture of the space where the screening takes place, and music to explore memory, home, lineage, place, and the body as a container and conduit, migrating between and communing with these. About the artists: Leila Gamaz is an Algerian-British artist who uses writing, film and archival research to share untold stories that create waymarkers for the diasporic journey of homecoming. This encompasses both the tangible and intangible memories held in species, landscapes and people. She ritualises and remembers our collective past, building upon it to imagine alternative futures. www.leilagamaz.com Adam Moore is a transdisciplinary artist, dancer, and writer of Caribbean and European heritage. He creates performance, installation, design, public art, and site-related interventions with collaborative socially engaged forms. His studio practice expands and includes working with archives and collections; photography and print; sound and moving image; sculpture; drawing and painting; writing and self-publishing. adammoorecreate.com Information Source: Focal Point Gallery | eventbrite

To welcome in the new year, our first block of 2025’s Children’s Art Club, runs Wednesday 15 January to Wednesday 5 February 4:30pm to 6pm. We will be taking a deep dive into the world of illustration with local artist Ashleigh Cripps (aka AshleighIllustrates) to create our own story zine! Ashleigh will help us develop our illustration style through drawing exercises and image-making, open for those that are lovers of drawing, and those that aren’t. Once we’re confident with our illustration style we will explore character design and storytelling. All these workshops will come together at the end to create our very own collective story zine – where everyone can contribute as a pair, a group or individually. Information Source: Focal Point Gallery | eventbrite

Get hands on with Frazer Merrick's Photon Smasher microphone and turn bike lights into thumping drum beats or light up toys into futuristic synthesisers. Using an array of lights, you’ll create illuminating light sculptures complete with their own experimental soundtracks. No equipment or experience required, all materials provided. About Blank Slate Blank Slate is Focal Point Gallery's monthly group for ages 13 to 18. We’re bringing you something fresh, fun, and inspiring on the last Friday of every month, 4.30pm to 6.30pm. Our mission is to create a space where you can unleash your creativity through workshops, talks, tours, and outings to other art spaces and galleries. You’ll get to meet and hang out with professional artists and creatives, gaining inspiration and insight into the art world. Information Source: Focal Point Gallery | eventbrite

Join eco artist and ink maker Sylak Ravenspine for an immersive workshop exploring the connection between the geology of Essex and ink making at Blank Slate, Friday 28 March 4:30pm to 6:30pm. Learn how complex animal and plant relationships play a vital role in the process. Craft rudimentary drawing materials from found objects and recycled waste, and practice drawing with the materials you have created. Sylak will guide you through the fascinating process of transforming locally found materials into high-quality iron gall ink. This includes techniques such as crushing, grinding, making infusions, filtering, and promoting chemical synthesis reactions that will produce a stable pigment matrix. In this session, you'll gain hands-on experience in creating mark making fluids and leave with your very own bottle of ink. About Sylak Ravenspine Sylak Ravenspine (b. 1969) is an eco-artist based at theblokhouse studios in Southend-on-Sea. His work under ‘Inks of Essex’ brings together historic artifacts with locally sourced materials to create evocatively charged mark making fluids enthused with the physical properties of time and space. His wider art practice explores our relationship to the land and to the various soil types found beneath our feet. He has been selected to take part in this year’s Creative Estuary programme, and his work with mud spheres is currently on display during ‘Into The Zone’ at the Beecroft Art Gallery. Information Source: Focal Point Gallery | eventbrite

Paint and Sip (Canvas) Come join us for a fun night of painting and sipping at Woodstown Pub Off Main ! Let your creativity flow as you create your masterpiece on canvas. No experience needed - our instructor will guide you through step by step. Grab your friends and make it a memorable night out. Don't miss out on this chance to relax, unwind, and unleash your inner artist. Complimentary Glass of Wine. See you there! Information Source: Woodstown Pub | eventbrite

Welcome to Naughty Bingo at Woodstown Pub Off Main ! With Host Thomas Drayton (Good Day Philadelphia) and Comedian Matt Bridgestone. Get ready for a night of risqué fun and excitement. Join us for a unique twist on the classic game of bingo. This isn't your grandma's bingo - expect cheeky calls and naughty prizes! Grab your friends and head over for a night of laughter and surprises. Don't miss out on this adults-only event where the stakes are high and the laughs are guaranteed. See you there! Information Source: Woodstown Pub | eventbrite

Information Source: Dr. Karen E. Johnson-Williams | eventbrite