Tuesday, May 19, 2015

May 2015 SACC Monthly Planning Committee Meeting Notes Published

The May Planning Committee Meeting Notes are now available online.  You can view them by clicking on the link below.

Read Meeting Notes (opens file from Google Drive)

Thursday, May 14, 2015

Third Monthly Smyrna Arts & Cultural Council Planning Committee Meeting Held


The Smyrna Arts & Cultural Council planning committee met tonight at Brawner Hall from 7 pm until 9:15 pm.  This was the third monthly meeting since we were established. 25 attendees were present. The agenda follows. We meet monthly and the meeting times are being posted to our Facebook calendar. The public is welcome to attend and encouraged to participate.

Agenda

1.   Introductions

2.   Updates:

Mission Statement

     Governance, incorporation, and 501c3

     Inventorying of cultural resources

     Social Media

     Concert series proposal

3.   Facilitated group discussions and agreement:

Committees/ appointments to establish operational procedures

4.   Next steps

5.   Final comments and announcements

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

April 2015 SACC Monthly Planning Committee Meeting Notes Published

The April Planning Committee Meeting Notes are now available online.  You can view them by clicking on the link below.

Read Meeting Notes (opens file from Google Drive)

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Historian Narayan Sengupta Presents “World War II's Women Warriors”

As part of the Smyrna Public Library’s observation of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and its aftermath, the library is featuring a series of World War II-related programs in 2015.  Historian and author Narayan Sengupta presented “World War II's Women Warriors” at the Smyrna Public Library today. 

Presentation Overview: 

More women participated in World War II than any other war. Whether Allied or Axis, they contributed in droves. They were factory workers, pilots, nurses, scientists, Resistance, snipers, spies, etc. Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosie the Riveter, Anne Frank, WACS and WAVES are household names. Learn about them and others such as Russia’s Lydia Litviak (a triple ace fighter pilot) and Lyudmila Pavlichenko, a sniper with 309 kills, Indo-American spy Noor Inayat Khan, the Manhattan project’s Chinese-born Dr. Chien-Shiung Wu and the scientific exploits of Hollywood bombshell Hedy Lamarr. They and hundreds of thousands of others changed global society and paved the way for Angela Merkel, Golda Meir, Valentina Tereshkova, Mary Barra and countless others since WWII including today's mothers, wives, sisters and daughters.

The "First Sunday" lecture series is held in the Smyrna Public Library Meeting Room and is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library.

Speaker Bio: Narayan Sengupta 

Narayan has had ten veterans on the French side of his family, seven of whom were in combat. One died in action, one was wounded, one was captured, one was an occupier and one was in the Resistance. Two received the Croix de Guerre. On August 27, 1944, his mother’s family was liberated by brave Americans of the US 3rd Armored Division. On the Indian side of his family, both great uncles were noted historians, and one was head of the All India Historical Society. Consequently, he is very passionate about America’s military accomplishments and its veterans.

Narayan speaks several languages, loves to travel and has visited about 20 countries. He was Star Student at North Fulton High School (which was America’s first International Baccalaureate School), majored in History at Emory and earned an MBA from Georgia State. He worked at places like IBM, Coca-Cola, Hewlett Packard, MCI and Alltel before starting NFI (www.nfiweb.com), a website, search engine optimization and database development firm in Atlanta, Georgia.

He is in the Smyrna Rotary Club and served as President in 2008-2009. He started Smyrna’s annual Veterans Day event in 2008. He is on the Smyrna Veterans Committee and in SuperSmyrna. In 2010, the Smyrna Rotary Club named him “Smyrna Citizen of the Year.” He is the very proud father of two young daughters. 

Friday, May 1, 2015

Oils & Acrylics by Joe Loehr Opens in Smyrna Library Art Gallery

The May and June art gallery exhibit at the Smyrna Public Library opened today - Oils & Acrylics by Joe Loehr. Mr. Loehr's work is on display until June 30. The display gallery is located on the 2nd floor of the Smyrna Library. 

The art gallery exhibits are sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library. 

Artist Statement:

Joe is an emerging artist currently residing in the town of Woodstock in Northwest Georgia. His early education included the study of pencil and charcoal drawing, as well as architectural drafting. 

In recent years, after pursuing a career in computer science, he has refocused his creative efforts on the study of oil painting and the creation of art works in a style that can best be classified as impressionistic realism. Although he has produced some earlier work using acrylics, his most recent works have focused on the use of oils on both canvas and panels supports. In addition, he creates numerous studies of portraits and figures using graphite pencil on paper. He has studied with Atlanta artists Kathy Rennell Forbes and Ernest Varner.

His recent works have been primarily portraits and the depiction of figures in a variety of places and events. However, he occasionally will create seascapes and landscapes, mostly depicting city streets and architectural structures.

Pottery by Pat Gresham Opens in Smyrna Library Display Gallery

The May and June display gallery exhibit at the Smyrna Public Library opened today - Pottery by Pat Gresham. Ms. Gresham's work is on display until June 30. The display gallery is located on the 2nd floor of the Smyrna Library. 

The display gallery exhibits are sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library.  

Artist Statement:

My name is Pat Gresham and I have been married to my high school sweetheart, Scott, for 40 years. I have a great family, Zachary and his wife, Caroline, who are the parents of my adorable grandchildren, Henry and Hazel, and my son, Taylor, who lives in NC. Most of my life has been spent taking care of my family and later, my parents as they were aging. I found myself struggling in my mid-life after both of my parents had passed away and my children were grown and out of the house. My husband traveled with his job and I spent a lot of time alone, not sure what to do with myself. I was in my early 50s and in a pretty deep depression. My doctor encouraged me to find something to do with my hands; painting, pottery, etc. I had taken some painting classes earlier in life and thought I would try my hand at pottery. I loved my class and my teacher and it became very therapeutic for me as I was dealing with so many life changes.

There’s something very spiritual about taking a piece of clay and making it into something beautiful and useful. The clay has to be soft and workable and the potter knows how much pressure to put on the clay to get it centered on the wheel before the process begins. If the clay isn’t soft and workable and the potter isn’t patient in centering the clay the whole process is a frustrating struggle (very similar to life!) The creation is useless and fragile until it goes through the first fire which removes the impurities from the clay and gives it strength. There’s glazing to add beauty and strength, re-firing, and the result is a beautiful vessel. Each piece is unique and impossible to duplicate and is a prize creation of the potter.

Getting involved with pottery and adding a little studio in my home has been so rewarding and life affirming and keeps me centered in my own life. It has taught me many lessons and opened doors for me to share my pottery with others. I am thankful that I listened and found something creative to do with my time. When I’m not playing in my studio, I love spending time with my family, especially my adorable Henry and Hazel. My husband and I love to travel and we both enjoy photography. We love visiting the National and State Parks and plan to see as many as we can before we get too old to travel. If I had my way, we would be seeing the country in a little Airstream camper but for right now, I’m enjoying every aspect of my life and appreciate every day to the fullest!