Join us every Wednesday night at 7:30pm and Saturday morning at 9:30am! As always, we appreciate your feedback and suggestions. Please email us with your comments. Co-host Nate Howard and host Rhea Feikin Also featured on this episode of ArtWorks This Week: On ArtChat This Week, Rhea and Nate discuss next month's grand opening of the Fells Point Maritime Museum. Plus we'll talk about the temporary closing of the Maryland Historical Society's West Monument Street location. We'll also pay tribute to one of the most creative people in Maryland's theater community, the late John Lehmeyer. Annapolis Watercolor Open Juried Show Through June 16 600 Quiet Waters Park Annapolis, MD 21403 Enjoy the collective works of the Annapolis Watercolor Club in their annual show at the Galleries at Quiet Waters Park. For more information, call 410-222-1777. IONA, Album Release Concert May 30, 8pm The Cellar Stage St. John's of Hamilton UMC Basement 5315 Harford Rd. Baltimore The unique music of IONA weaves the traditional music of Scotland, Ireland, and more, into a rich and stunning tapestry of accoustic songs, dance tunes, and aires. Since beginning in 1986, IONA has evolved into one of the top rated pan-Celtic groups in the world. For more information, call 410-521-9099. Jack and the Beanstalk Through July 13 Glen Echo Park Glen Echo Recommended for PreK - Grade 4 and runs 40 minutes. A timely version of the classic children's tale about a young lad that doesn't know beans about trading, but makes it to the top anyway is the latest in a series of favorite children's productions presented by the Puppet Co. Playhouse. For information and reservations, call 301-320-6668. Sale of "Legacy House" BSO's 2003 Decorators Show House June 1 - 29 The Orchards Baltimore More than 20 decorators will transform over 8000 square feet of the home of Richard Hartt and Eugene Scheffres, founding members of the BSO, bequeathed their home to the Symphony. Proceeds benefit the BSO's educational and community outreach programs. For more information or for tickets, call 410-783-8000. And find more great events on the MPT ArtWorks Calendar! Previous Episodes: 2003 May 21st episode May 14th episode May 7th episode April 30th episode April 23rd episode April 16th episode April 9th episode April 2nd episode March 29th episode March 19th episode March 12th episode March 5th episode February 26th episode February 19th episode February 12th episode February 5th episode January 30th episode January 16th episode January 9th episode 2002 December 19th episode December 12th episode December 5th episode November 21st episode November 14th episode November 7th episode October 31st episode October 24th episode October 17th episode October 10th episode October 3rd episode September 19th episode September 12th episode September 5th episode August 29th episode August 22nd episode August 8th episode August 1st episode July 25th episode July 11th episode June 27th episode June 20th episode June 13th episode June 6th episode (note: this episode was pre-empted) May 28th episode May 16th episode May 9th episode May 2nd episode April 25th episode April 18th episode April 11th episode April 4th episode March 28th episode

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Featured on May 28th, 2003

The ArtWorks This Week Book Club

How many a man has dated a new era in his life from the reading of a book.
-- Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

Explore the World of Fiction with Maryland Public Television
Welcome to ArtWorks This Week Book Club, where we will read and discuss one selected book each month. With this discussion group we hope to enhance our own understanding of books as well as become a vehicle of expression for an open exchange of opinions.

Kicking off the premiere of the ArtWorks This Week Book Club is a novel by Pulitzer Prize winning author and Baltimorean Anne Tyler, Ladder of Years. Noted for her insightful, often comic depictions of family relationships and ordinary life, Tyler has published fifteen novels, one of which, The Accidental Tourist, was adapted into a successful film. Tyler is viewed by many as a Southern novelist, largely because of her concern with family, home, and place.

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Joe Wall, spokesperson for the enigmatic and reclusive artist Mars Tokyo, presents her delightful, whimsical, and eerie miniature toy theaters. Ms. Tokyo, daughter of a Japanese mother and African-American Jewish father (who regrettably both perished the day the US bombed Hiroshima), is a reclusive 8-1/2 foot tall giantess, who, when not creating art, was rumored to have traveled with a circus in the late 1950s and currently resides in rural North Dakota. She creates her art in solitude and then mails them to her closest friend, Sally Mericle.

Inspired by Ms. Tokyo's years in the sideshow, Ms. Mericle has created a unique installation for her very intimate and surreal work, reminiscent of a penny arcade or vintage theater. For our viewing pleasure, Ms. Mericle has photographed some of the miniscule tableaus and brings some of Ms. Tokyo's constructions to the set of Artworks This Week. Mars Tokyo's work is on display through June 13th at the Maryland Hall for the Arts in Annapolis.

Jan Heath's printmaking techniques have evolved over the years by a constant curiosity and attitude of experimentation and innovation. All of the prints are printed by the artist and signed and numbered. Jan's prints have received recognition in many regional, national, and international exhibitions.

Jan grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland and studied art at Montgomery College, Takoma Park, Maryland and the University of Maryland. Drawn by the natural beauty and friendly quality of the Berkeley Springs area, in 1979, She left the Washington, DC area with her husband, painter Jonathan Heath, and their son, Damian, to build their home and studios.
Jan Heath was chosen as this year's artist for the Western Maryland Blues Festival. In conjunction with the Festival, an exhibition of her work is on view at the Washington County Arts Council in Hagerstown starting May 30. She will be available to sign posters on May 31. The Western Maryland Blues Festival runs May 30-June 1.

16th Annual McHenry Highland Festival
Hearing the call of the pipes echoing through the green mountains is an experience not to be missed. Make June 7th a day of Celtic celebration for the entire family with pipe and drum competitions, bagpipe and harp workshops, a British car show, and exciting Highland games. Get a head start on the events with a concert by Scottish Fiddler, Bonnie Rideout, June 6 at 7:30pm at the Lodge at Wisp. For more information, call 301-387-3093.

There are not many theatres like Totem Pole Playhouse -- and it's in our own backyard.
For nearly 52 years totem Pole Playhouse has provided quality summer theatre to residents and visitors of the Cumberland Valley of Pennsylvania.

Located just 15 miles west of Gettysburg and only two hours from Washington, D.C. The theatre is known nationally for attracting high quality professional artists, and for its wide variety of theatrical programming. Now in its third location in beautiful Caledonia State Park, Artistic Director Karl Genus first led the theatre from 1951 to 1953. For the next 30 years the late William H. Putch guided the Playhouse into national prominence. Working closely with his wife, actress Jean Stapleton. He was responsible for 270 productions at Totem Pole, in addition to directing several national tours. From 1984 to the present Carl Schurr has been Artistic Director. In 1994 Schurr reached out to loyal theatergoers in the surrounding communities to help him establish Caledonia Theatre Company, a not-for-profit umbrella that would not only protect decades of quality productions but enable the theatre to grow.

Totem Playhouse is one of the few remaining summer theatres that maintain a resident company of actors. Interspersed with the regular faces have been a series of well-known artists, including Keir Dullea, Sada Thompson, John Ritter, Sandy Dennis, Harry Groener, Curtis Armstrong, and of course, Jean Stapleton. Revered by members of the theatrical profession and theatre lovers alike, Totem Pole Playhouse celebrated its 50th anniversary in the year 2000.

Totem Pole Playhouse is located in Caledonia State Park, one of Pennsylvania's pristine state parks. Located just 15 miles west of Gettysburg, Pa and 10 miles east of Chambersburg, PA at the junction of PA Rte 233 South and US Rte 30. Approximately an hour and three quarters from Baltimore, Md. or Washington D.C., Totem Pole Playhouse plays to a crowd of over 20,000 during the months of June, July and August. For tickets or more information call toll free 1-888-805-7056.

Native American flutist and songwriter Jeff Ball found the American Indian flute so mesmerizing at a Powwow in Baltimore in 1993, that he made it his life's passion. Though he was given some basic instruction by a Choctaw named Windtamer, he is largely self-taught. Since then Jeff has been honored with a NAMMY (the Native Music Award) nomination for best flutist of 1998; and his fifth album Cedar Moon won the NAMMY in its category in 2001; and Prairie Runner has been nominated for a NAMMY in 2003.

His latest album Cedar Moon has been described as "natural and moving," capturing the sacred essence of the Native American flute. Complemented by piano, guitar, keyboards, and vocals, Ball's flute mixes with contemporary sounds creating a unique landscape of smooth, jazzy music. Jeff's musical influences include Tsaine Doise, John Ranier Jr., R. Carlos Nakai, and Douglas Spotted Eagle, yet he has created his own original sound. He is often asked what kind of music he plays, to which he replies, "I don't know. It's music that I like. I've been told there are two kinds of music, good and bad. I try to make the former." His fluid flute melodies are nothing short of haunting. Some of his other album titles are Prairie Runner, Reverence, and Windtamer, and he plans on beginning another album this autumn.

Jeff Ball and his band perform mostly in Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia. He says, "For us it's the love of the music that drives the writing and the performing. What we do has been accepted and I feel if you follow the right path, doors will open." Their next performances are at a Sunday afternoon concert at the Glenview Mansion in Rockville Maryland on June 1; at a pavilion concert at the City Hall Concert Pavilion in Gaithersburg Maryland on July 26; and there will also be a Saturday evening concert on August 23 at Strathmore Hall in Rockville Maryland.