A weekend of art in Healdsburg and Geyserville begins tonight (Thursday) at the Paul Mahder Gallery, 222 Healdsburg Avenue. Originally planned as a harpsichord concert, after the harpsichord player had an illness in her family, local Celtic harpist Brendan Swift stepped in.
Swift has a large repertoire of styles and plays Celtic, Nordic and old time American music on multiple instruments. His harp playing incorporates jigs, reels, strathspeys and other toe-tapping dance tunes, more typical of the fiddlers’ world. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. and tickets are $35.
The next day, May 18, a series of art installations and happenings begin. Healdsburg High School students will be installing a temporary art project in the West Plaza (near Bear Republic). Across town, the Voigt Family Sculpture Foundation will install another temporary art piece at the Healdsburg Community Center, 1557 Healdsburg Avenue.
That evening, the city and the Voigt Family Sculpture Foundation will host the first night of: “The Grind: Skating, Chalk, and Vibes.”
The second annual “Grind” event features two days of activities at the Carson Warner Memorial Skate Park on Grove Street. On Friday, chalk artists will create art at the skate park, which will be part of a teen open mic event from 6 to 8 p.m.
Saturday’s main event, which includes more music and art, runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and includes chalk art and sculpture displays, skating and scooter competitions, a design-a-deck contest and live music provided by the Speed of Sound Music.
On Sunday, a massive sculpture of a rearing horse will be unveiled in Geyserville, in the sculpture field at the south end of the community. A commissioned work, the horse is a creation by sculptor Bryan Tedrick, known for his monumental animal assemblage works, made from scrap metal and redwood.
Tedrick was building the horse at his Glen Ellen studio when the fire storms broke out in October. While his shop burned, the horse was barely singed and he was able to complete it.
Tedrick and the Geyserville Community Foundation, which commissioned the piece, will celebrate the new work on Sunday, May 20, from 2 to 5 p.m.
