The last Downtown@Dusk of the season will take place this Thursday from 6:30-8:30 pm featuring Americana, Pop and Country singer Anne E. Dechant. Attendees can also enjoy a gallery talk from Associate Educator Gina Thomas McGee and food from Urban Eats while kids enjoy art-making activities in the museum’s classroom.
Anne E. DeChant, based out of Cleveland, first appeared in the music scene in the band Odd Girl Out, showcasing her socially-aware music. After the band dissolved, she began a successful solo career, producing six albums. A five-time winner of Cleveland Scene Magazine’s Best Singer Songwriter award, DeChant delights audiences across America with her original, poignant music. Her song “Girls and Airplanes” was recently featured in the major motion picture “Hot Flashes.”
This Thursday’s ArtTalks@Dusk will feature a gallery talk from Associate Educator Gina Thomas McGee titled “New+Improved” from 7:30-8 pm while DeChant takes a break from performing.
The class for the week’s ArtCamp@Dusk is “Atmospheric Landscapes,” where kids 6-12 will use oil pastels and torn paper to create a one-of-a-kind landscape. Free for members, $5 for nonmembers. Registration is required for this event. Sign up here.
The Museum Store and galleries are open during Downtown@Dusk until 9 pm. Admission to the galleries is FREE on August 15 for Third Thursday.
Exhibitions currently on view in the museum galleries include Line Color Illusion: 40 Years of Julian Stanczak, With a Trace: Photographs of Absence, Real/Surreal and Envisioning an Outdoor Sculpture Space: A Project with Kent State University. For information about these exhibitions and other events, please visit the museum’s exhibitions page and calendar.
Anne E. DeChant took time out of her busy schedule to answer a few questions about herself and Downtown@Dusk.
You tailor your performances depending on the venue. What and where was your favorite performance and why?
That’s a really tough question. More than an entire performance, I would say there are thousands of moments inside performing that I can recall being really special. I think some of my best moments have been at The Barking Spider. The crowd there is musically focused. When people are listening it makes it possible for a vocalist/songwriter, to be really dynamic vocally. Dynamics are what help to express a wide range of emotion and that’s what music is all about to me. So it is those moments when I’m emoting all that I want to and the crowd is taking it all in that are most special. It’s a symbiotic thing.
What is the inspiration for your songs and lyrics?
Life. My life. Other people’s lives. My goal is to tell ordinary stories about every day people, in an extraordinary way.
After performing at venues such as the White House and Lilith Fair, what keeps you coming back to Akron to perform at Downtown@Dusk?
I love my audience. They are the ones that have made it possible for me to lead a life I love. They are a part of my life. I want to see them, share some old favorites as well as my new music with them. It’s like going to see your family over and over. If there’s a wedding reception or a 4th of July party, you’re there!
What is your favorite memory of performing at Downtown@Dusk?
Not melting!
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Downtown@Dusk 2013 is made possible by The City of Akron. It is presented in cooperation with 89.7 WKSU.
ArtCamp@Dusk 2013 is made possible by a gift from The Howland Memorial Fun and the House of LaRose.
ArtTalks@Dusk 2013 is made possible by a gift from the Sam & Kathy Salem Philanthropic Fund of the Jewish Community Board of Akron.
Third Thursdays are made possible by a generous gift from The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company.