An Open House for Vineyard Arts and Culture

The newly created Martha's Vineyard Arts and Culture Collaborative has put together a great event focused on letting the Island know about what the arts and cultural community has planned for the season.

The Summer Preview of Vineyard Arts and Culture will take place at the Grange Hall in West Tisbury on Tuesday, June 7 from 2 to 6 p.m. This open house will feature members of the Island’s creative community sharing their work, ideas and unique offerings in a fun, friendly environment. Local artists and cultural organizations will provide displays, demonstrations, information and takeaway materials. Attendees will include the general public and people who are in direct contact with summer visitors: concierges, hotel and restaurant staff, vacation rental agents and the like.

"This is how you promote cultural tourism," says Ann Smith, executive director of Featherstone Center for the Arts and committee chair of the Collaborative. "We want to educate the seasonal work force about what is going on here, so that they can offer information to their clients."

The hope is that members of the service and hospitality industry will see the benefit to their own services in having an arts-and-culture-educated work force.

This event is the first of many this season sponsored by the Collaborative where the focus will be on connecting the arts and cultural community with seasonal visitors. The mission of the Collaborative is to support and promote arts and culture on Martha's Vineyard through increasing awareness, stimulating cultural economy, nurturing resources and supporting arts education in schools and in the community at large. 

So far, this list of participating groups includes: ACE MV, the Angola Center for Capoeira, African Artists Community Development Project, the Aquinnah Cultural Center, ArtFarm, Avalon, Barney Zeitz, Belles (a handbell performing group), Featherstone Center for the Arts, IMP for Kids, Island Community Chorus, the local libraries, Martha's Vineyard Now & Zen, Martha’s Vineyard Arts District, Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Society, Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival, Martha’s Vineyard Film Society, Martha’s Vineyard Museum, Martha’s Vineyard Preservation Trust, MVTV, Salsa/Latin dancing & Sassafras Nature Program, Seastone Papers, Sense of Wonder, Tuck and Holand, Vineyard Arts Project, Vineyard Fine Art Directory, Wind Festival and The Yard.

"One of the great parts of this event will be the fun and impromptu flash perfomances that will take place throughout the day," said Smith. "We think this is a good initiative that we hope to grow in the future."

Culinary artisans will be on hand including Marvin Jones of the Tisbury Farm Market, the “Salsa Fairy” Leslie Floyd, “Weekends Only” caterer Laura Rose and Jan Buhrman of Kitchen Porch Catering. According to Smith, "You can drop in, grab a few flyers and enjoy some light refreshments provided by some local caterers. It is set up to work for everyone."