August 9, 2000
Festival combines music and art
'Music is Art is Music' debuts this week at the Grand Traverse Mall
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
The first annual "Music is Art is Music" festival debuts at the Grand Traverse Mall tomorrow afternoon with a showing of more than 40 musically-inspired works by a variety of area artists. The four-day show will also feature eight local bands, a lip synch contest and a country music talent search.
Merging art and music for the festival was an easy blend, said Shelby Martin, marketing director for the Grand Traverse Mall, who conceived of the festival with two of her colleagues. The festival coincides with the recent opening of the Disc Jockey Superstore, which will host the art exhibits in the front window of their store and the bands at their DJ Caf‚ entrance.
Music genres will range from swing and rock to acoustic blues and folk, with country taking the lead on Sunday at the 1st Annual Bee Local Talent Search. The art show will feature a wide variety of media, including acrylics, photography, pen and ink, sculpture, oil and mixed media.
"This venue is nice for the artists," Martin said. "I've never seen such enthusiasm and they are so happy to be in this show."
David Fox, a photographer from Lake Ann, took fourth place for his entry to the art show. A musician, journalist and photographer, he noted that there are not many places where artists can combine both art and music.
"With this music angle, there are not many exhibits specifically for music-related art," Fox said. "There are not that many shows where I really feel comfortable to put in my music-based work, especially those pieces that I like the best."
The natural affinity between art and music drew Bill Wilson to submit a piece to the festival. His decided his image of a piano he saw in a junkyard flea market in California would fit perfectly with the combined themes.
"I loved the contrast of the old wood and the black and white keys and I wondered what kind of stories this old instrument could tell if it could talk," Wilson said. "With my photos, I like to stir some kind of emotion when I take them and I feel that is what music does; art, music and dance all communicate emotion."
Oddly enough, combining art and music into a show is a rare event, said Matt Marsh of Williamsburg, a bass player and vocalist with the band Blue Soul. He and fellow bandmate Ray Smith will be performing acoustic blues and he is pleased at the chance to return to his musical roots.
"I am excited with this because I get to go back and play acoustic music again after playing electric music in rock bands for 16-17 years," Marsh said. "We have chosen to perform in live venues like taverns and bars just because I find the clientele of those places is there to listen to music - that's why they come to those places, but this is a unique event."
"Music is Art is Music" runs from August 10-13 at the Disc Jockey Superstore at the Grand Traverse Mall, with the art showcased in the store's front windows. The music performances kick off on Thursday, August 10, at 4 p.m. with the music of the Zoot Boogie Band. All performances are held at the DJ Café and are free.