Heritage Center Hosts SEASCAPE
Two day festival features music, storytelling, dance and art
SEASCAPE. The Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center is proud to present SEASCAPE on July 24th and 25th. This 2-day festival celebrates Gloucester’s relationship with the sea through music, dance, storytelling and the visual arts. SEASCAPE is produced with grant funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Massachusetts Cultural Commission.
A lively schedule of workshops and concerts will explore the cultural impact of Gloucester’s distinction as the oldest seaport in America. Featured performers include David Coffin, story teller Jay O’Callahan, chanty and gospel singers The Johnson Girls, percussionist Ken Sweeney, and native American musician Strong Eagle Daily. The performers will conduct a series of 50-minute long workshops on both Saturday and Sunday, providing the public with opportunities to learn from experienced performers. The workshops will be interspersed with short concerts throughout the day.
On Saturday morning batik artist Mary Edna Fraser will encourage visitors to experiment with batik techniques as they create their own seascapes to take home. In the afternoon Fraser will oversee the creation of a community crafted 3′ x 10′ banner that will serve as the backdrop for the Saturday evening concert.
On Saturday evening, all performers will gather for a three hour long concert under the Heritage Center’s tent overlooking Gloucester Harbor. They will perform both individually and together, creating a lively night filled with music and stories. Students from the Cape Ann Center for Dance will perform a piece of choreography commissioned specifically for SEASCAPE, set to a fishing song.
The festival continues on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a second series of workshop. There will also be a 3 p.m. concert bringing together all participating musicians in one long collaborative set. There will be children’s activities and refreshments available throughout both days of the festival.
All of the workshops are free of charge, The same goes for the Sunday concert. Tickets to the Saturday night concert are $15 ($7 for kids 14 and under) and are available at the Heritage Center (advance purchase is recommended).