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Local Color
Copyright blues
By Heidi Masek hmasek@hippopress.com
• Whose work? While toiling over a bailout, the U.S. Senate also passed the Shawn Bentley Orphan Works Act of 2008 (S 2913) Sept. 27. The House of Representatives had not passed a version Oct. 6. Michael Lynch of Milton, N.H., is the national representative for the National Cartoonists Society. He explained that the first few paragraphs of the legislation “sound friendly” but actually the bill makes it easier for corporations to use images as theirs if they can’t find the owners. Present copyright law is “basically fine,” but Orphan Works would set up a registry for artwork in addition, which is one of the most controversial aspects, Lynch said. It would require anyone from a painter to a graphic novel creator to most likely pay per image they register or risk work being classified as “orphaned.” “Instead of me producing cartoons, I would probably have to go into the drywall business, which is the standard joke around cartoonists,” Lynch said. Lynch’s illustrations have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s and Playboy, among other publications (www.heykidscomics.com). The Illustrators Partnership of America (www.illustratorspartnership.org) is organizing a fight against the legislation and lists more than 75 creators’ groups that oppose the bill.
• Arena art: The Verizon Wireless Arena’s grounds on Elm Street in Manchester might be sporting a new outdoor sculpture by mid-November. Walpole artists and husband and wife Jonathan and Evelyn Clowes were chosen by a committee of four from the Manchester Art Commission and arena representatives to create the piece after a request for proposals was sent out in 2006. Originally $10,000 from the city commission plus $40,000 from Verizon’s percent-for-art program was offered as a budget, according to Meena Gywali, an urban planner for the city.
• Rocky idea: John Bennard’s pottery draws from rock formations along Prince Edward Island’s coast. See it in “Impressions of Rock” at the League of NH Craftsmen Gallery in Meredith in October. Raised in Webster, Mass., Bennard says his memory of tea with his grandparents stuck with him. “These memories, held with great fondness, serve to drive an interest in tea, the social interaction, and pots and cups with which it is enjoyed,” Bennard said in a release. Watch him demonstrate his pottery techniques Saturday, Oct. 11, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the gallery next to the Inn at Church Landing, 279 DW Highway in Meredith (www.nhcraft.org/meredith.htm, 279-7920).
• In other news: New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association had to cut down a maple in 2007 that is thought to have inspired Robert Frost’s poem “Tree at my Window” when it became a potential hazard at the Derry farmhouse on 122 Rockingham Road. Woodcrafters contacted Frost Farm, asking for a part of the tree. Finished pieces made from the famed maple will be displayed and sold Saturday, Oct. 11, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Frost Farm Woodcrafters Fair. Third Sunday Fiddlers perform and visitors can tour the farmhouse, fields or woodland. A live auction is at noon. Visit www.NHTOA.org or www.robertfrostfarm.org or call 224-9699.
Rumney Village Artisans members hold their first Open Studio Tour Saturday, Oct. 11, and Sunday, Oct. 12, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Art Barn, Shanware Pottery, Polly Bartlett, Sarah Mazur and Mindy Beach are some of the participants. Find maps at local shops including The Rumney Village Store at 453 Main St. Call 786-9835 or e-mail veggieartgirl@yahoo.com for more information.
Retired photography professor David MacEachran is hosting a digital camera workshop in Goffstown, Saturday, Oct. 11, from 8 a.m. to noon. Contact him at 848-6901 or DavidMacEachran@aol.com or visit web.mac.com/silverhills to sign up.
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