The weather at the Sleeping Bear Dunegrass and Blues Festival was superb. The clouds broke once and sent rain for no more than ten minutes. We huddled under a neighbor’s umbrella and chatted until the sun returned and revealed a full double rainbow. It was appropriate that the emcee attributed the natural wonder to the festival’s late founder, Mike Vanderberg, who suddenly passed away at the site just days after the conclusion of last summer’s event. It is touching to consider the possibility that his death did not keep him from overseeing this summer’s festivities.

In 1992, Vanderberg founded Dunegrass in order to showcase local bands. In 2004, he enlisted Grassroots Productions to run and grow the festival. Since then, it has grown into a national event, which showcases bands from all over the United States and draws thousands of music fans to the small northern Michigan town of Empire. Aside from founding Dunegrass, Vanderberg planned several local cultural events including the annual Winterfest, the Polar Dip in South Bar Lake, and Anchor Day. He also founded the Village Planning Commission and helped found the alternative Blue Heron School(1).

Journalist F. Josephine Arrowood reported to local free paper The Glen Arbor Sun that he was a “generous, eccentric spirit,” who “created and presided over village politics, institutions, events and even controversies for nearly three decades, leaving his mark on virtually every aspect of life in the picturesque coastal community,” before his passing on August 11, 2007(1).

Despite the festival’s growing popularity, it remains an affordable alternative to expensive music festivals, by featuring over 50 acts in four days for a minimal charge of $135. Visitors may camp onsite for an additional charge. The full Dunegrass experience includes tasty food provided by area vendors, unique shopping opportunities at a variety of booths, and a regular shuttle service to nearby Lake Michigan. The people, happenings, and positive vibe are worth every cent, let alone the incredible line-up of bands.

This summer’s line-up covered a wide range of musical genres. According to the Grassroots Productions’ website, director Stephen Volas “fully understood his role as a promoter,” when he took on the project, by recognizing that “despite the ‘Blues’ in the name, Dunegrass didn’t fall into categories typically assigned to festivals like ‘Blues’ or ‘Bluegrass’ or ‘Folk.’ Nowadays, you’ll hear Stephen talking about Dunegrass as a ‘celebration of ALL organic music(2).’”

It was impossible to see everything, due to the fact that Dunegrass had multiple stages that featured simultaneous performances. Sometimes we planted ourselves in one spot. We soaked up the sun from our lawn chairs and listened to whatever band hit a particular stage. Other times, we moved back and forth catching bits of different acts. I don’t want this blog to be a music review, so I encourage you to find out more about the line-up at the festival’s website, www.dunegrassfestival.com, and myspace page,www.myspace.com/dunegrassfestival. The myspace page provides a selection of participants’ on its music player. That being said, I will mention that I am a brand new Moe fan - dancing hard to both of their sets. It was a unique honor to witness legend Arlo Guthrie’s (pictured) engaging storytelling, which he occasionally paused to play a song or two including his father Woody’s classic, “This Land is Our Land.” I was pleased to see Todd Snider and Metro Detroit’s Bump (each for the second time), as well as the Del McCoury Band and Leftover Salmon (each for the first time). My Dear Disco and the Macpodz were there representing Ann Arbor. The Bluegrass All Star Jam was lead by Chris Thile, Peter Rowan, and Vince Herman and featured Leftover Salmons’ Drew Emmitt, and Noam Pikelny, among others. The All Stars wrapped things up on Sunday night, during which we sat back and relaxed after a high energy weekend of rocking out.

Many attendees respected the local Empire community, by remaining aware that the festival occurs near local residences and businesses. However, controversy boiled in the small village this year, when a couple of locals attempted to thwart it with a lawsuit “claiming zoning violations and nuisance(3).” According to the report; “Lawyers for Dunegrass and the Village of Empire successfully contended that the festival is a boon to the local economy and that the public interest will be protected by conditions imposed in the Village’s temporary outdoor land use permit(3).” And the beat went on. The word on the street was, although some locals disapprove of the festival, many enjoy the revenue and entertainment it brings into the village. In my opinion, this brings up the importance of recognizing that out-of-towners are guests in the local community and that you should always pay respect to your host – its just good karma. You can view a brief WPBN-WTOM TV 7 & 4 news report, by following this link.

My visit to Empire gave me a new found respect for northern Michigan’s natural beauty. I have never seen as many stars as I did after the sun went down. Two shooting stars on the same night and a perfectly clear view of the Milky Way reminded this urban dweller just how good northern folk have it. For the most part, visitors paid Mother Nature her due respect, by cleaning up after themselves. Dunegrass organizers made an effort to keep it Green and encourage attendees to minimize their footprint on the environment.

Dunegrass is about the music, but it’s also about creating community – a community of young and old, locals and out-of-towners, hippies, rockers, and anyone who enjoys live music no matter their everyday persona. 99% of the time, people got along with each other really well, which caused me to temporarily forget the meaning of the word “stranger.” I’ve decided that the best way to describe my experience of the festival is to say that I had to keep reminding myself that I wasn’t at a backyard BBQ with thousands of close friends. Experiences like Dunegrass are hard to come by and I wish it continued success.

The Michigan Theater previewed the film Son of Rambow, an Official Selection at Sundance Film Festival and the Toronto Film Festival, at a special screening last Thursday. I had the pleasure of attending the theater’s premier. I give Son of Rambow four and a half stars for its candid humor and general appeal without forgoing originality.

The Michigan Theater is screening the film, through Thursday, June 5. It’s a great place to see the film. Most of us can't catch big festivals like Sundance but the Michigan Theater provides a fancy place to see this sincere and entertaining flick. View the Michigan Theater’s full schedule athttp://michtheater.org/schedule.php 

The film follows two young boys in 1980’s England as their friendship develops around making a film. An unlikely pairing between slight, pious Will Proudfoot, played by Bill Milner, and rough and tumble delinquent Lee Carter, played by Will Poulter, grows into a dedicated brotherhood between the boys. Young Will is forbidden to watch television or movies because of his strict Plymouth Brethren upbringing but once he catches a glimpse of Sylvester Stallone in the film Rambo his imagination starts to run wild. The boys decide to turn Will’s fantasies into their film, the naïvely titled Son of Rambow. Through the course of their filmmaking, the boys’ small project transforms into a full-scale production of crude special effects, hilarious homemade props, and plenty of comic relief.

The film has an underlying theme of the desire we all have to belong. Much of the film plays around with this theme in a light way including a comical sub-plot about a flamboyant French exchange student who finds fame and coolness in America for his bold fashion and eccentric behavior. However, the film also takes a much more serious look at what it means to matter to other people. In between laughs, the film tackles issues of acceptance and rejection; sadness and joy; religion and secularism; life and death. In the end, the relationships between the characters have real consequences, making Son of Rambow as heavy-hearted as it is light-hearted.

You might never guess that this film was created and directed by Garth Jennings, of Shawn of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, andHitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy fame. Although all of these films contain snappy humor, physical comedy, and moments of suspense, Son of Rambow is a real departure from Jennings’ previous oeuvre. This film’s plot and characters are much more down to earth – loosely based on his experiences making films as a youth (1).

Son of Rambow is sweet without being overly sentimental. I recommend planning a trip to see it at the Michigan Theater this week– quickly, before it closes! 

Ann Arbor’s Barclay Gallery is under new ownership. After more than 20 years, previous owners Carol and William Fagan decided to sell the business. The Fagans announced the sale of the gallery this February, with the hope that they would find an interested buyer to pick up where they left off.

The Barclay Gallery is well-known for its collection of Japanese woodblock prints, European botanicals, antique magazine covers, and museum quality framing services. When the previous owners decided to put the gallery up for sale, its future became uncertain.

Carol Fagan spoke with the Ann Arbor News about her decision to sell the gallery in February. “We were just thinking about changing our lifestyle,” she said. “It’s just time for someone else to put their own spin on Barclay Gallery,” Fagan concluded (1).

I had an opportunity to speak with new Barclay Gallery owner, artist and businessman Daniel Heikkinen, about his experience taking over the gallery. Heikkinen claimed that he was attracted to the business venture because of the gallery’s history of “profitability” and its “strong clientele base,” he said. "I saw it as an opportunity to show my own artworks and artworks that I like,” Heikkinen added.

Art patrons will find change and consistency at the new Barclay Gallery. A vast majority of the Barclay’s previous inventory of artworks was sold at the gallery’s recent 50% off sale, although a small number of the old artworks are still available for purchase. For the most part, Heikkinen has replenished the gallery’s collection with new artworks. Since taking control of the gallery, he has acquired around 75 new artworks. 

Although the gallery’s inventory has changed, the Fagans put Heikkinen in contact with their collectors and dealers. Many of the current works come from the same sources that the Fagans utilized. Japanese woodblock prints and botanicals are the gallery’s “bread and butter,” Heikkinen said. He hopes to maintain the gallery’s previous clientele base by continuing to provide Barclay regulars with artworks in these genres.

Aficionados of Asian art will be pleased by new woodblock prints, which include landscapes by Japanese artist Hatsui, as well as portraits that depict Geishas, which were created by Japanese artists Kiyoshi, Goyo, and Kotondo (pictured above).

Among the Barclay’s new acquisitions, visitors will find lithographs, created by Charles Dana Gibson. A number of artworks by pin-up artist Alberto Vargas will be available for purchase at the gallery including an example of his mythological nudes. Heikkinen has an impressive selection of pin-up art in his personal collection, which includes a piece by Alberto Vargas that was utilized by early 20^th-century censorship advocates as an example of lascivious art.

Heikkinen’s own artworks are available for purchase at the gallery. His works consist of collages and paintings mounted to Plexiglas. They depict a range of subject matter including recreations of postage stamps, as well as images of superheroes, which Heikkinen hopes will be popular with younger people.

”Buying the gallery has been, in many ways, like having a start-up business,” Heikkinen said. He is concerned with increasing visibility and reminding people that the gallery is still open for business. “A lot of the clientele thought the gallery was closing for good,” when it was put up for sale, Heikkinen said.

Michigan’s economy is another challenge that the new owner is facing. Despite the gallery’s history of profitability, art collecting, in general, usually requires the buyer to have a significant amount of disposable income. I asked Mr. Heikkinen if he viewed art as a luxury item. He responded, “it’s not that it’s a luxury item. People buy art because they want to look at it every day and have it in their homes, regardless of the cost,” Heikkinen hypothesized.

Heikkinen is currently developing a new artist exhibition program. He plans to host an ever-changing schedule of special exhibitions, which will represent artists working in a wide array of artistic media and styles. The program will feature artists in the front of the gallery space, for about a week at a time. Heikkinen is also considering holding receptions for exhibiting artists on First Fridays.

Visit the Barclay Gallery at 218 South Main Street, Ann Arbor, MI. The gallery is open Mon – Thurs, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m, Friday & Saturday, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m., and Sunday, noon – 5 p.m. Visit the Barclay Gallery’s website atwww.barclaygallery.com