Ramshackle Cabaret
Dear Editor: The Ramshackle Cabaret would like to send its sincere appreciation for the love and support you demonstrated for this year’s production. Our mission every year is to create space for boundary-pushing art and to raise money to support reproductive health by donating all of our proceeds to Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and the Hawaiian Islands.
This year, while attending A Tournament of Kinks, you helped us raise $14,000 for PPGNHI. This is the most money we have ever raised over a weekend!
A Tournament of Kinks was a rousing success and we owe it all to amazing volunteers and local businesses. The Cabaret would like to extend special thank yous to the following: Mean Queen for providing us with space, food, drink and moral support; Harrigan Centennial Hall for having tremendous patience with all our feathers, glitter and curious props; John Herchenrider, John Ferrick, Zeke Blackwell and Jeanne Stolberg for providing sound and lighting to transport us to merry England (or wherever); Old Harbor Books for acting as our ticket distribution center; Ellen Frankenstein and Artchange Inc. for adopting us and documenting the passion behind the scenes; John and Sharon Ferrick for the use of wall and table coverings; Pat Marschie for building our set and for last minute wheel repairs; Michael Standridge for keeping our performers and audience safe and secure in the realm; Savannah Rose for envisioning Their Majesties onto our posters; Casey Orona, Jessica Scouller and Carla Whiteside for gilding and feathering us; Nicola Trainor and the fabulous art team for creating forests, castles, dungeons and towers; Judson Rusk for capturing our absurdity on film; Sitka Cirque for twisting, turning, bending and mesmerizing our minds; Kristen Kupperman from Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and Hawaiian Islands; all of our Medieval Marketplace vendors; the Unitarian Universalist Church for providing us with time and space full of love and laughter; Danielle Cassedy for taking on all tavern duties; and Edith Johnson of Our Town Catering.
And to our prolific volunteers who wielded paint, laughter, cameras, brute strength, wine, whimsy, sewing needles, wiring and love – we thank you from the bottoms of our hearts.
We sent off our $14,000 donation to Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and the Hawaiian Islands with the blood, sweat, and tears of so many folks. Our mission is to continue to create provocative art that showcases the amazing and diverse people of our community. We wholeheartedly support the education of and access to sexual and reproductive health for a healthy and thriving Sitka.
Please join us, in whatever capacity you are able, for the 2019 Ramshackle Cabaret. Planning will begin in October of 2018. Look for us around town or on social media.
The Ramshackle Cabaret
Leadership Team,
Hillary Seeland, Christian Litten,
Serena Wild, Chris Turner,
Teal Gordon, Nicola Trainor
and Emily Reilly
City Hall Art
Dear Editor: I wish to comment on the article “Art in Beholders Eyes? Not at City Hall” by Abigail Bliss, in the Friday, April 6, edition.
Mr. Bennion’s paintings were removed from the public gallery at City Hall under the direction of City Administrator Keith Brady. He took this action after what he described as a “public outcry.” Apparently some media postings on Facebook and Sitka Chatters, and comments from an un-specified number of staff members, caused Mr. Brady to decide to spare the greater community the hardship of viewing Mr. Bennion’s work and deciding for themselves the quality and pertinence of his “Editorial Illustrations.”
The city gallery is curated by Mr. Norman Campbell, a well-known and very-well-respected member of the arts community, and our town in general. He was not informed of any problems with Mr. Bennion’s exhibition, nor called to be told of its removal.
The Sentinel article states that Mr. Brady and Mr. Campbell “were to have worked collaboratively to showcase art at City Hall.”
Is Mr. Brady now our new censor for any work to be displayed? Is that a part of his job description that I missed?
Mr. Campbell is a lifelong artist, a moderate and contemplative man, and I believe can be trusted to shield us from any horrors of the art world without violating any First Amendment rights of any participating artists.
I have not seen any of Mr. Bennion’s work for this show, only a photo of one piece. It is an illustration, beautifully and skillfully executed, of what I interpret to be a political opinion. It is not obscene and certainly no more controversial than many illustrations in any number of national magazines.
Whether I like, or agree, with Mr. Bennion’s opinion, illustrated in this painting, is irrelevant. What absolutely matters here is his right to express that opinion.
Mr. Brady has essentially said, “not in my City Hall.”
This is a public gallery, in a public building, curated by a highly trusted member of our community. Mr. Brady’s audacity, his utter rudeness in stuffing the artwork into a broom closet (from the article) shows a complete disregard for Mr. Bennion and his work.
I am not a vet. But I believe any vet reading this should be appalled by the administrator’s actions. Mr. Bennion’s First Amendments rights were not given a second thought. Any person who has served our country, did so to help protect these very rights.
We don’t have to like others opinions, we may be offended, but by God I want to live in a country where diverse opinions are free to be heard.
Stephen Lawrie, Sitka
