Author Archives: Claire Lambe

Bard’s SummerScape is the caviar in the smorgasbord of Upstate New York’s summer events. Now in its 13th season, SummerScape presents eight weeks of stellar events in music, theater, dance, film, cabaret, and opera, the latter a particular summer benchmark for … Continue reading →

We humans are the only creatures who employ symbols to communicate. Beginning with our ancestors in caves, we made drawings and marks on walls that sent messages into the future – messages that took many forms and whose meaning we are still … Continue reading →

For most of us, the era of Prohibition (1919 – 1933) in the United States will conjure up a “noir” world of tough-​​​​talking hoodlums and wise-​​​​cracking blonds. Names like Al Capone, Baby-​​​​face Nelson, Legs Diamond, and Lucy Luciano with the Hollywood faces … Continue reading →

The world is full of small towns, rural hamlets and villages; blink-and-you’ll-miss-’em waystations that barely qualify for a name. The powers-​​​​that-​​​​be, Government entities: military, air force etc., actually had a name for these places – they were called “Elsewhere.” Back when oversight was lax … Continue reading →

Prima Materia or Primal Matter is a term for the starting material for all things – matter that is fundamental and profound — which alchemists seek in order to actuate their alchemical transformations. The prima materia – sometimes referred to as the “Philosopher’s Stone”- is so valued … Continue reading →

Many of the most iconic photographs of the second half of the 20th century were taken by Barry Feinstein. As someone who did the cover photography for over 500 music albums including the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton and Frank Zappa, … Continue reading →

You may be thinking that I am a month out with my reference to Samhain, but October 31st is, in addition to All Hallows, the eve of the month of Samhain– the Gaelic word for November. Samhain (Sow-​​​​en) literally means summer’s end. … Continue reading →

Flying mermaids, white horses, stars, stripes and swimming pools – these are some of the motifs you can expect to see in an artwork by Leslie Bender who has a solo show at WAAM (the Woodstock Artists Association Museum) through January 4, 2015. … Continue reading →