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July 19, 2005 From the Director Mariposa Museum of World Cultures Celebrates Third Anniversary and Plans for Its Fourth Year. "Mariposa at the CrossRoads" The third anniversary of Mariposa Museum and World Culture Center was celebrated on July 1 with a full day of international free events and delicious Butterfly and Danube birthday cakes embellished by Courtney Cox and Neely Cohen. Since Mariposa means "butterfly" in Spanish, Ava Marie's Handmade Chocolates generously donated chocolate butterfly pops for volunteers. Segun Olorunfemi, Nigerian artist prominently represented in the museum's permanent collection, opened the day at noon with sandpainting. Jo Putnam of Peterborough emceed the open mike storytelling, which included tales by Rainbow Storyteller Gerry Hallgrimson, master bard Sebastian Lockwood of "Odyssey Live!" and Ms. Putnam herself. Thanks to sponsorship by Bill Pierce of Monadnock Community Bank, Ines Arrubla of Amerst MA presented a fiery introduction to flamenco dance with four of her students. Ms. Arrubla will be teaching a regular Saturday morning flamenco class for mixed ages at Mariposa beginning the Saturday after Labor Day. Eastview Artisan Jane Kronheim and photographer John Friede were on hand for the opening of their exhibits: Kronheim's folkart in the Window Gallery and Friede's photos of the Amazon Rainforest in the Balcony Gallery and artifacts in the Marie Théresè Lamarre Community Showcase, available to the community for sharing personal collections thanks to board member Françoise Bourdon and husband Clyde Kessel of Carlisle, MA. The evening's First Friday musical program was a popular jazz repertoire by chanteuse Nanette Perotte. With so many museum regulars presenting entertainment, and attending the event alongside board, staff, and members, the occasion felt like old home day. Mariposa's mission of creating a community through sharing each other's cultures and talents in an atmosphere of respect and curiosity sits on a firm foundation in only three years. Its place as a performance venue and as an education center for school classes from preschool through master's programs is also solidly established. Hema Pant and Segun Olorunfemi are thanked for their insights and contributions as school program partners. On this anniversary, the museum board, including chairman Bill Perry, Jr. and consultant Jane LaPointe,thanked various supporters and named two Volunteers of the Year for 2004-5, textile curator Marge Hobbs of Peterborough and Community Sunday host Susan Kranz of Hillsborough. "They are our two secret treasures, whose hours of service cannot be counted," commented Director Linda Marsella. "We consider them valued staff who have been with us from the start." Special thanks was given to Annie Luebke for volunteering to sort out the museum's computer files and streamlining its communications, to Marge Toth for working on Mariposa mailings from her home and to Barbara Steelman for invisible repairs to the collection and detangling of distressed marionettes. Webmaster Max Sewell of Tall Pine Design, Graphics Artist Jess Sewell, and designer Bill Perry of Perry Promotions in Peterborough were also were commended by the board. Publicist and Events Coordinator Anne Thomas of Rindge was commended for exceptional success in providing a variety of international talent and informing the public of museum programs through various media.The Board thanked outgoing member Sandra Pickering of Hancock for her service and welcomed Felice Fullam, new associate director, and incoming board member Joan O'Donnell, retired ConVal world geography teacher and mentor of Students for a Free Tibet. The Artist Volunteer Award was made to Linda Wyman Derman of Rindge, who presented her inspiring flower mandala exhibit "Flowers are the Prayer of Nature" in May and June. She is honored for contributing all proceeds from sales of her work, which are available in the gift shop, for elementary art scholarships for talented students in the local elementary schools. Wyman Derman was New Hampshire Art Educator of the Year in 1997 while teaching in Winchester. "She stepped in and helped us professionalize the arts component of our school field trips," said Marsella. She helped develop the Patterns and Flower Symmetry Tours in cooperation with Peterborough Elementary teachers for first and second grade math requirements and funded by the Goyette Family Foundation as protoypes for programs aimed at specific grades. Mariposa also honored Tom Westheimer of Compucare, Judy and Dave DeWitt of Time Frame, Sim's Press, Belletete's, Bill and Liz Littles of Steele's Stationers, and Deirdre of Copies & More for substantial in-kind donations of services. Shelley Osborne, known for the delightful flower garden at Joseph's Coat PeaceCrafts, keeps our flower boxes abloom. Isis and Jason Latham of Abracadabra Toy & Clothing Store provided new costumes for the dress-up area and whirligigs to advertise the permanent saltwater aquarium maintained by Paul's Pets of Keene. Lost Treasures, formerly of Grove Village Shops and now in Marlborough, donated folkart reproductions and replica shelving for displaying the collection. A special precolumbian era statue was given by his wife in memoriam to Professor Stuart Kranz of Peterborough. Marcie Schepker of Harrisville was thanked for her textile contributions and geographical artist Hans Schepker for making it possible for the museum to install his magnificent Matisse-like stained glass lamp, which elicits a gasp of awe each time the switch is flicked and rainbow colors project a wonderland in the entry foyer. Mariposa extended special thanks to Peterborough librarian Linda Kepner, Museum Coordinator Mary Blake of SMS, volunteers Stephanie Minteer and Alison Scott, staff Emily Murphy and Kaitlyn Carter,board member Laura Woerner, the Hollis Library and most especially The MITRE Corporation of Bedford for making possible the careful display for Children and the Arts Weekend of the world's largest book, 5' 7" full color BHUTAN, one of the highlights of the Mariposa year. A coffee table color version of the World's Biggest Big Book will be in the museum library shortly, thanks to generosity of The Toadstool Bookshop to Mariposa hroughout the year. Sincere appreciation goes to Eve Kodiak, educational kinesiologist of Temple, for her gift to the public of balances for solstice, equinox, and New Year, and to co-directors Eve and husband music professor Gene Faxon,plus cast, child chorus,musicians and Peterborough Players costume department for the magnificent WASSAIL! program and mummer's play celebrating the season of lights in many cultures. Without Kristin Frykman singing in Swedish in her candlelit wreath of greenery, (thanks also to Anna Petrova for her authentic saffron buns) how could we celebrate St. Lucia Day? International Duo LiveOak, soprano Nancy Knowles and lute\guitarist Frank Wallace have sweetened many an evening at Mariposa with lovely music showing off the gallery's fine acoustics. Knowles and Wallace have brought their students to perform as well and are the musical essence of Mariposa. Bhaskar and Hema Pant of Keene are thanked for introducing us to India's holidays, D'wali and Holi, through wonderful tastes, customs and colorful, musical powerpoint. Jasmin Shah's young dance troupe brought dances from South India to life for us. We enjoyed French-Canadian music and spirited clogging (thanks to Architect Tom Weller of Keene, Carlisle Restoration Lumber, and American Construction of Marlborough for building us a fabulous and resilient dance floor). That octagonal floor also withstood salsa lessons with Rich Clough of The Moving Company in Keene and the lightning quick tango embellishments of guest instructors from Buenos Aires brought to us by Judith Schwartz of the Brattleboro Area Tango Society, which will offer classes by Peterborough's own Adora LaRoche shortly at Peterborough Performing Arts Academy, where one can also study capoeira, the Brazilian martial art introduced to Peterborough at the museum by the Brattleboro Capoeira Society. Wilmott's Martial Arts of Keene twice demonstrated advanced Japanese aikido and traditional swordwork exercises during celebrations of Japanese holidays, Girl's Day, March 3 and Boy's Day, May 5. International music came to us in this third year with sound healer and shaman Oscar Santillan presenting a variety of wind and percussion instruments used medicinally in his practice in Ecuador. Dr. Gerardo Perez, himself a physician, introduced us to the small German accordeon known as bandoneon, which accompanies the tango in Argentina and liturgical music in churches worldwide which cannot afford the upkeep on their reed organs. The bandoneon extends the full length of the player's arms and can handle lengthy phrases from Bach or Pachelbel written for organ. Slide programs by Heifer International, Jack Armer of Dublin on tsunami relief in Thailand, and John Friede of Peterborough on rainforest preservation provide the bridge between the Monadnock Region and the world and will be continued in the fourth year. The board thanked Linda Lindgren, fantasy decorator extraordinaire, and her eccentric crew for transforming the townhouse for the annual March Mardi Gras fundraiser and Anything Goes Service Auction, underwritten by Ocean National Bank, the Keene Sentinel, and Steele's Stationers. Thanks also to Fiddleheads for lending tables, the many volunteer cooks and our high ladder captains, Phil Petrov and David Blair, as well as the intrepid cleanup crew. Barbara Busenbark is thanked for her graphic contributions to last year's Art in August silent art auction, scheduled for this August 5-12 with help from Cherie Morris, Jan Murphy, Numael and Shirley Pulido, John Sirois, Laura Woerner among many others and sponsors Bellows-Nichols, Keene Sentinel, Time Frame and RBC Dain Raucher. Projects for the fourth year include more internships and collaboration with service learning for high schoolers; regular courses in languages, dance and arts for all ages; a quarterly newsletter, Mariposa Art-i-facts already designed by Andy Bills' graphics students at the Applied Technology Center at ConVal; weekly craft activities for all ages included in admission; a major membership drive; preparation by Chamber of Commerce Director Ted Leach of a video illustrating the workings of the New England Marionette Opera Theatre, two of whose puppets donated by Leach are on permanent display at the museum; a much-awaited return visit during their Sacred Crafts Tour by Tibetan monks from Drepung Gomang monastery; and development of a six-year graded curriculum to harmonize with the museum's planned involvement and fundraising for the BAKA project for livestock and beekeeping in the Ashante Area of Ghana, coordinated by Heifer International. In the past six months, Mariposa cooperated with Heifer and with some eight area schools and churches in raising a $5,000 arkload of farm animals for tsunami stricken areas after the Dec. 26 tidal wave. The museum seeks to integrate its educational and relief initiatives to teach about the developing world. Marsella named her personal highlights of the third year of performances, world slide shows and lectures at the museum: a tie between Sebastian Lockwood's tour-de-force one man romp through Latin history (from Cato to Cicero to Caesar) called "The Man from Venus;" and soprano Stephanie Hurley's moving "Songs of the Ghetto and Work Camps," in honor of Yom Hashoah, international day of Holocaust remembrance. Both programs are suitable for bookings by colleges and cultural centers. Marsella hopes Hurley's program, the lightness of the music derived from Yiddish cabaret and East European folksongs belying the tragedy of the text, can be recorded this year by the Cohen Center for Holocaust Studies at Keene State College, where the extensive research was done. She says, "Making Yom Hoshoah part of our annual calendar, along with our permanent exhibits "Charlotte's Aquarium" and "Who is Charlotte?" (Charlotte Elmowitz, a friend of the museum and "hidden" child in Poland during the war years whose story in FACES magazine can introduce the Holocaust to children as young as first grade) - and all the magnificent friends we have made - are the accomplishments that give me the most pride in Mariposa's first three years." Having Hannah Smalltree, her daughter's childhood best friend, write a terrific article with color pictures about Mariposa in her professional career as a freelance journalist was another personal highlight, Marsella admitted. The Museum thanked Daron Libby, editor of New Hampshire To Do Magazine, for this exposure. Marsella commented on watching the generations roll by as children of friends return as artists, musicians, teachers, researchers and give programs themselves at the museum. "My grandson, Tor Petrov, is already in training as the future DirecTor of the Museum. I think he was born for it, though he is planning a career in a related nonprofit at present, zookeeping." Mariposa invites the public to enjoy the many additions to its hands-on collection by visiting any day this summer, 12-5 weekdays, 10-4 Saturday, 12-4 with 2pm performance Sunday, free evening First Friday with Art Auction Reception from 5-9pm and Logan Gabriel on classical guitar at 7:30 August 5. Bring a camera to photograph your family in world costumes for all ages or a tape recorder to record your own symphony on the extensive collection of touchable world instruments. The director herself will be off expanding horizons at the National Museum of Hungary in Budapest. For three years, gallery coordinator Nadiya Weidman has brought her friend, Viktor Lois, composer on his own recycled electrified sculptures, to Mariposa. He performs regularly in Prague, Paris - and Peterborough! Marsella wants to see his chef d'ouevre, the six man recycled organ, which he hasn't been able to fit into a suitcase - yet! A whole building at the museum is devoted to Lois' original work. Attention Editors: feel free to download photos from our website to accompany this article about accomplishments in our third year and plans underway for our fourth. Specific photos of our anniversary are available from annethomas@monad.net or admin@mariposamuseum.org Sincerely,  Linda Marsella, Director Mariposa Museum & World Culture Center 26 Main Street Peterborough, NH 03458 "From the Director" Archive New Year Celebrations Around The World - December, 2005 Holiday Message - December, 2005 Miscellaneous - October, 2005 Miscellaneous - September, 2005 Letter of Thanks - August, 2005 Mariposa at the Crossroads - July, 2005 Call for Entries - July 2005 Ark Sets Sail in spring floods! - April 2005 New Year Around the Globe - February 2005 Mariposa Turns Two! - July 2004 other cultures, the world will know more peace and less war. 
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