RUSSELL — The Deines Cultural Center is celebrating it’s 27th year with a live concert performance by Celtic guitarist Jerry Barlow, followed by the opening of two new exhibitions, Selected Works by Birger Sandzén from the Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery, and An Homage to the Landscape: Paintings by Elizabeth Rowley.
The Center once again welcomes Celtic fingerstyle guitarist and storyteller Jerry Barlow. The concert is entitled “Voyage of Hope” and will be presented at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 19, at the Center, 820 N. Main St. in Russell. “I have always been intrigued by the Irish immigration,” said Barlow. “One million strong, leaving their beloved homeland to escape English oppression and the Potato Famine. Risking the perilous three month voyage on ships that were barely seaworthy. In search of freedom and a better life.” Barlow is a warm, accessible performer and storyteller. His expressive arrangements of lively jigs, spirited reels and haunting airs are described as music to soothe the soul, warm the heart and lift the spirit.
Birger Sandzén was a prolific American painter internationally recognized for his landscapes. Most of his work was produced while teaching art at Bethany College.
Elizabeth Rowley’s work has a common thread, which is texture. She loves to build texture in both her landscapes and mixed media work. The idea of the textural element and what lies underneath, what she wants to reveal and what she wants to bury can be best described as poetic impulses generated from shards of reality; somehow rearranged into a special kind of truth.
This event is free and open to the public. The center encourages patrons to sign-up or renew membership to the Friends of the Deines Cultural Center. Call 785-483-3742 for information.