Arts & Entertainment
DOG GONE IT. By Spencer Quinn. Atria, February 2009. 305 pages. $25.
If dogs could translate their thoughts into English, they would undoubtedly sound pretty much like Chet, canine co-owner (or so he fancies himself) of the Little Detective Agency in some unspecified western state: “Bernie rose. Me too. Enough of this chit chat. It was time to crack this case the way we usually do, with me sniffing out the perp.”
Believe me, being a college president is dauntingly difficult. Better yet, read Steve Trachtenberg’s perceptive and stimulating discussion of his 30 years on the hot seat. Eleven of those years were at the University of Hartford and nineteen at George Washington University. He was a great success at both institutions, which may account for his conclusion that, despite the frustrations, his career was rewarding. The reader of Big Man on Campus will come away not only with a more subtle understanding of the complexities of university leadership, but also with a sense of why Trachtenberg was good at it.
Poetry Painted is the theme of a new art exhibition opening Sunday, August 2, with a public reception from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Treehouse Gallery in North Tisbury.
Featured is Paul Murray, who has embedded lines of poetry within his colorful acrylic paintings. Poets quoted include Rumi, William Carlos Williams, Pablo Neruda, Walt Whitman, Gerard Manly Hopkins and Emily Dickinson.
Shaw Cramer Gallery presents the spotlight show Color + Whimsy from July 31 through August 13. Island artists Karen DiMaura and Adele Schonbrun join seven national artists in a show filled with playful and colorful artwork. Handmade baskets, vintage bead jewelry, paintings and photography combine with painted wood and handbuilt clay sculptures to create this collection.
The show is in the upper gallery. Leslie Baker’s Landscape Paintings + Studies continues in the main gallery through August 6.
Drawing on a lifetime of family home movies and 12 years’ worth of interviews, filmmaker Cindy Kleine uncovers her parents’ secrets and tells a story that could not be shown publicly when her father was still alive — but now her film, Phyllis and Harold, is showing Sunday, August 2, at 7:30 p.m. at the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center in Vineyard Haven. Ms. Kleine will attend and discuss her documentary at the screening.
John Powell Exhibition
The Christina Gallery, located on the corner of North Water and Winter streets in Edgartown, has announced an exhibition of work by John Powell. Running August 6 to 20, the exhibition will feature original oil paintings by the artist. Additionally, there will be an artist’s reception in the gallery on Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m.
