Saturday, January 31, 2009

"SOME CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL" COMING TO DOVER LIBRARY




Needham's Anne Nydam Will Showcase Her Carved Wood and Rubber Block Prints in February 

The Friends is please to announce that Anne Nydam of Needham is the February  Artist of the Month. The exhibit, titled "Some Creatures Great and Small", will feature block prints, which are made from wood blocks and rubber blocks carved by Nydam. Nydam's works will be in display at the library throughout the month. 

"Animals are one of my favorite subjects because of the wonderful variety of form and pattern they display," said Nydam. "Making these images helps me not to take the amazing creatures of the world for granted, and I hope it will do the same for everyone who views my work."

Nydam sketches a design on paper if using rubber, or if using wood, directly on the block, and then carves out the parts that are to remain white. She then rolls ink on the block and presses the paper on top. Each print is then signed and numbered and the edition labeled. Most of her prints are made using water-based ink on plain white acid-free paper. 

For more information on Nydam and her work, please visit www.nydamprints.com.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Spelling Bee Fee

Please note that the entry fee for the Bee is $300 per team - or $100 per person. Due to my incorrect earlier blog entry, it ran in the Globe today with the wrong amount. Sorry for the confusion. 

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

A Champagne, Wine and Chocolate Affair - Feb 12

Need some tips on how to make Valentine's Day special or looking for that perfect pre-Valentine's Day date? Look no further than the Dover Library. The Friends of the Dover library is sponsoring "A Champagne, Wine and Chocolate Affair", a wine and chocolate tasting, on Thursday, February 12, from 7 to 9 p.m. 

The chocolates will be from Nirvana Chocolates, Belgium's Best Chocolates, Inc. of Wellesley, courtesy of Christophe Van Riet. Bob Harkey, of Harkey's Wine and Spirits in Millis, will speak on wines and champagne that go well with chocolate. Harkey led the Friends' successful wine tasting this past fall.

The event is open to all members of the community of legal drinking age. Tickets are $25 per person and are on sale at the library. 

To purchase tickets by mail, please send a check to the library. The check should be made to "Friends of the Dover Library" and note "A Champagne, Wine and Chocolate Affair" on the memo line. Tickets ordered by mail will be available at the door the night of the event.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Spelling Bee Set for March 26

Save the date! The Friends of the Dover Library is pleased to announce that the Dover Library's 4th Annual Spelling Bee will be held on Thursday, March 26, at 7 p.m. at the Dover Town House. As in years past, the Bee will be broadcast live on Dover Cable.

Dover's finest spellers are invited to join the gentle competition for the title and grand prize of Enormous Bragging Rights (there is also a plaque in the library). Participants compete in teams of three. The entry fee is still only $300 per team and each team may also purchase a $100 Mulligan. Entry forms are available at the library and the words will be available to paid teams by Feb. 12.

In addition to the Bee itself, the Friends will also be putting on the popular "Bee Tree", where anyone can purchase a mystery item (goods and gift cards) based on the word clue written on a bee, and the "Bee Cafe" will be serving snacks.

For more information, log onto the Bee Blog at http://spellboundindover.blogspot.com.

Valentine's Day Gift Baskets - Part 2


Party Heart-y (top left)
Heart cocktail ice cube trays; heart serving dishes; heart placemats (set of 4); heart oven mitt; heart magnetic list pad. (Est. value $25)

Put a Tiger in Your Tank
(top right)
Scrub-A-Dub 5-pack of "The Works"; Eddie Bauer travel survival kit; fog shield mitt; portable massage pillow; "Faster!" DVD; "Step Into Liquid" DVD; MadagasCAR zipper pull lip balm; tiger Webkinz. (Est. value $120)



Red-y to Celebrate (bottom left)
Pair of red wine goblets; red tea light holder and tea light; champagne fridge magnet; Robert Parker: The Emperor of Wine; Clos de los Siete, Mendoza (Argentina) 2004; wine presentation box. (Est. value $50)

The Dark Side (bottom right)
Brampton Shiraz, 2005 South Africa (featured at the library's fall wine tasting); dark chocolate cocoa mix; Strange Fits of Passion by Anita Shreve; "I used to care" mug; Coffin in Fashion by Gwendoline Butler; Quinettos con Guitarra CD; Fish! Catch the Energy and Release the Potential (in case you change you mind!). (Est. value $25)

Valentine's Day Gift Baskets -Part 1


Words of Love (top left)
Trio of bud vases; rose-scented Yankee candle; stationery desk set; shell photo frame; 2 chocolate scented pens; note pads; Love From Your Friend Hanna; Loving Each Other; friendship fridge magnet. (Est. value $50)

Winter Weekend (top right)
Chevalier Monopole Champagne, blanc de blancs; wine passport books (Italy, France, California); pair of red wine goblets; starfish wine stopper; vanilla tangerine candle; vanilla hot chocolate; "A Good Year" DVD; giant Toblerone (Est. value $85)


Surrender the Pink (bottom left)
The Pause That Refreshes (bottom right)
Pair of heart-studded mugs; Bentley's Green tea; cranberry-apple tea; caramel hot cocoa; Lindor truffles; semi-dark hot cocoa mix. (Est. value $25)

Friday, January 16, 2009

February Meeting

The Friends will hold its next meeting on Monday, February 2, at 9 a.m. in the library's Community Room. All are welcome to attend. Topics to discuss include planning for the Feb. 12 wine and chocolate tasting (tickets on sale for $25 per person at the library) and the March 26 Spelling Bee (register your team now at the library). The Friends of the Library is still looking for volunteers to assist with children's programs and the upcoming Spelling Bee.

Library Auction Baskets

Looking for that perfect something for your Valentine? Tired of the dreary winter and ready to spoil yourself a bit? The Friends of the Library have just what you need!

Come place a bid on one or more of our new auction baskets: win a fabulous themed gift package and support the Library.

The baskets are on the main floor of the Library. Each basket has a bid sheet--just fill out the card and we will do the rest! You can even bid "anonymously" using your Library Card number. Bids will be closed and baskets awarded after our Wine & Chocolate event on the evening of Thursday, February 12th.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Cheryl Clinton is January Artist of the Month

Capturing the moods, colors and patterns of the landscape, Cheryl Clinton's paintings reflect her passion for art and nature. The Friends of the Dover Library is pleased to announce her works of these images will be on display at the Dover Library in January, where Clinton is Artist of the Month. Her exhibit, titled, "Blooming - Thoughts of Spring in Winter" will feature acrylic paint and acrylic based mixed media pieces.

"My work has always been inspired by nature and my place in it," said Clinton. "As my situation changed - from student to teacher, single to married, child to parent - so has my view of the landscape. As the landscape of my life changed, so did the nature of my artwork. Always grounded in observations of the natural world - sky, water and earth, this new series is also inspired by the sadness of loss as well as the joy of birth."

Clinton continued: "While initially many of my paintings take their cues from the natural world, all of the paintings are created in the studio, as are much about the nature of paint and painting as they are reflections of nature. My goal was to create a contemplative visual space - a space that embodies a spirit, a space that acts as a passage between our world and one that may exist beyond ours."

Assessing one of Clinton's exhibits, the Boston Globe's Cate McQuaid noted that, "Any one of her works is a wonder to look at: Its sleek surface, built up with many layers of glaze, recalls beautifully veined and faceted marble."

Clinton has had solo exhibits at the Danforth Museum of Art in Framingham and the Tower Hill Botanical Garden in Boylston. Recent exhibits also include a three-person show entitled "Natural Forces: Three Artists Exhibit the Landscape," as well as annual participation in the Massachusetts College of Art's Benefit Auction. Her paintings are included in the corporate collection of Meditech and in numerous private collections throughout the United States and abroad. 

The artist has also been active as a promoter of the arts in the Metrowest Boston area, in particular as the creator of the successful Fountain Street Open Studios in Framingham, now in its eleventh year.

Clinton first became passionate about art growing up in Framingham. After earning a bechelor's degree from the Massachusetts College of Art, she traveled to Europe, where her sense of the natural world was inspired by the waterways of Venice and the surf of Skopelos Island. She then went on to complete her master's degree from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Moveing to Boylston with her husband, Frederick A. Randell, renewed her childhood memories of the unspoiled beauty of rural New England. 

For more information, please visit her web site at www.cclinton.com.
 

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Library as Recession Sanctuary: check out today's Globe editorial:

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/01/03/the_library___a_recession_sanctuary/

Here is Derrick Z. Jackson's discussion of the importance of libraries in our economic state. Interesting and timely quotes by Amy Ryan, Director of the BPL, on the the essential role libraries play in our lives and in our communities. Pass it on!