While I spend much of my time observing others create art, I have rarely claimed to know what I’m talking about when expressing my ever-so-humble opinion on the subject. Art in its many forms has fascinated, attracted and influenced me throughout a lifetime. How fortunate then, are we, to live in the Upper Delaware River region alongside gifted musicians, painters, sculptors, actors, singers and poets—to name just a few of the artistic endeavors that abound. 
Novelist Jerzy Kosinski once said, “The principle of true art is not to portray, but to evoke,” and MB Adaptors Company artistic director Kari Margolis clearly agrees. Although the company tours internationally, the Margolis Method Center is located in Highland Lake, NY, where comprehensive theatre-training workshops, residencies and programs take place. “The Conservatory Performance Event is a special opportunity to open our doors and share the work that takes place in our studio,” Margolis said when I called to make a reservation. “It is meaningful to be able to bring an international group of artists to our beloved Highland Lake to create in our local beauty and culture,” she added, directing me to www.MargolisMethod.org for more info. 
Under the guidance of Margolis and co-founder Tony Brown, the company creates “spectacular ensemble imagery, with a muscular and emotionally rich acting style,” and Alan M. Kriegsman of The Washington Post hailed their work as “so exciting, so original and so unexpected [that] it renews your faith in the artistic future.” Wow, man. Couldn’t have said it better. 
“Every child is an artist,” Pablo Picasso once wrote. “The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” There were plenty of budding artists dressed in holiday style at last Saturday’s Pumpkin Fest in Barryville, NY, where the annual costume contest for kids, adults and pets is always a highlight. With pie-eating, scarecrow-decorating and a special category for ‘Pre-decorated and Carved’ you-know-whats serving as a backdrop, festival-goers were treated to a “Live World Premiere”: three original songs written and performed by BAAAM recording artists Marc Satz, [The River Reporter’s] Laurie Stuart and Brad Georgi of Spunday Mourning.” They were all part of the “Sullivan Sings!” project, sponsored by the Barryville Area Arts Association. 
“You don’t take a photograph, you make it,” American photographer and environmentalist Ansel Adams famously declared, and he would have felt right at home during last weekend’s Callicoon Art Walk. With a variety of live music all day at the depot, Raphaelle Shirley’s “Pink Fire Installation,” performances by the LAVA and Catskill Dance companies and Raina Bowers adding fire to the mix, the event was a perfect example (IMHO) of what makes where we live so special. Take my word for it, the pictures won’t do it justice, but to see more photos of Art Walk, Pumpkin Fest and the MB Adaptors events, visit www.riverreporter.com and like us on Facebook to tag you family and friends