Comment section below.
General Thoughts
SHCA
SHCA (South Haven Center for the Arts) is located in the beautiful Carnegie building at 600 Phoenix St. Foundry Hall collaborates with SHCA to present concerts and events and the spring 2019 Performing Arts Workshop (click here for more info!)
Middle School Guitar Club
Guitar Club is an opportunity for middle school kids playing or wanting to get started playing to learn from each other offered at Baseline Middle School on Tuesdays from 2:35-3:30. Continue reading “Middle School Guitar Club”
Lotte Resek
Hi! In addition to being Foundry Hall’s board president, booking contact, grant writer, Tunebugs, Guitar Club and Teen Open Mic volunteer, school project coordinator and Riverfront Concert Series project manager, I am also the website manager, which is why I’m writing in the first person.
I got involved at Foundry Hall shortly after my family moved to the area for my husband’s job. It was a magical place with fantastic, small concert opportunities, community services and a great bunch of people holding it all together. I started a preschool music program in the old building from scratch because my son was 4 at the time and I was getting more and more into playing music. Shortly after that started I was asked to join the board and that began my now 6 year journey of learning what I need to learn to keep this boat afloat through the financial accounting, reporting and legal aspects of being a 501(c)3 non-profit, losing our home of 7 years, renting space and giving up on that space, writing grants, working through fundraising strategies, contract writing, developing numerous relationships through collaborations, website design, marketing and developing strong arm and back muscles for lugging sound equipment everywhere.
As a volunteer doing all of this I often have to reset my priorities and weigh the amount of work versus my own commitment. I could not do all that I do without the support of the other FH board members and volunteers. I am so grateful and inspired to see other people taking on tasks, creating new opportunities and doing such great work within the organization. I really believe there is tremendous potential in this community and invite everyone to join us to grow, learn, add to the community building that we are doing through art and music.
Erica Huizenga
Erica Huizenga has been part of Foundry Hall as a participant and volunteer since 2014. She closed out the last Open Mic in the Red Room (2014) and attended the first Open Mic at the BRT (downstairs). After becoming friends with FH director Lotte Resek, and FH founder, Andru Bemis, she was inspired to learn the ukulele and grow as a musician and performer. Erica continues to write and perform original music with her husband, Doug at Foundry Hall’s Open Mic.
Three years ago, Erica became more involved in volunteering for Foundry Hall through Rhythm on the River, a FREE, outdoor, music festival for the South Haven community. She now sits on the ROTR committee and coordinates this event. Erica is currently on on the Foundry Hall board and supports this non-profit in its efforts to “Pursue Happiness through music and art!”
Erica states “I am grateful for the relationships my family and I have formed with a generous and supportive community of people thanks to Foundry Hall”. When Erica isn’t planning Rhythm on the River or rehearsing an original on the uke, she is an Emergency Room Registered Nurse of almost 20 years, a wife and mother of two talented kids. She is also a hobby farmer and loves to hike with her dog, Alice. Contact Erica if you are interested in learning more about Foundry Hall’s open mic or if you want to volunteer for Rhythm on the River!
ROTR 2019 poster contest
We bet you can make a pretty awesome festival poster!
Rhythm on the River is all about celebrating Michigan musicians creating their own original stuff and sharing it live. We work really hard to make it a fun, family-friendly event with local food, local beer and music loving folks.
Send your best design in and if we choose yours you win: $50, a t-shirt, recognition for the poster at the event and on social media!
We are looking for a water themed poster with an emphasis on the color blue in portrait orientation.
Ideally includes (we will accept just art work and add for you if needed):
- ROTR logo (see above)
- “The 4th annual”
- “presented by Foundry Hall”
- “July 19 and 20, 2019 5pm-10pm”
- “Located Under the Pavilion at Dyckman Park, South Haven, MI”
- 1/4 of page will be used for 6 band names and multiple sponsors
- Family friendly
- FREE event
- Michigan music
- Beer Garden
- Food and craft vendors
Can be hand drawn, digital design or other art media so long as final draft is in digital pdf form.
Due date April 30th!
Questions? Send us an email at foundryhall@gmail.com.
Artist in Residence
Foundry Hall is hosting Ugandan musician and dance instructor Samuel Nalangira as he shares his talents with our community and surrounding area. His residency goals are to share his music, dance and culture through workshops and performances in the area and to work with local musicians and dancers to develop new cross-cultural work. Foundry Hall sees this residency as an amazing opportunity to have Samuel teach and create while connecting our community with a culture on the other side of the world.
“It was such an amazing experience for the students to learn how to play Samuel’s handmade instruments and participate in traditional tribal dances.”
-YDC/PAL mentorship leader KariAnn Johnson.
Samuel is an inspired, hard working musician, supportive and friendly teacher and available for opportunities in schools, after-school programs, youth groups, events and parties. In performance, Samuel uses a looper that allows him to layer multiple instruments and harmonize his voice to create rich, original songs based in the folk traditions of African music.
Check out the album that he recorded while in South Haven! Available now on itunes, Spotify and youtube
Upcoming performance/workshops:
SAT 5/25 “In Harmony for Uganda” St. Matthews Luther Church, Kitchener, ON
SAT 6/1 Earthworks Skill Share
FRI & SAT 6/7-6/8 Nor-East’r Fest, Mio, MI
Past Performances:
SUN 2/3 2pm Community Collage First Baptist Church (315 W. Michigan, Kalamazoo)
MON 2/4 Covert Public Schools dance/music workshops
SAT 2/9 Kalamazoo Family Dance and Drum Workshop @ First Baptist Church (315 W. Michigan, Kalamazoo)
SUN 2/10 Library performance at Parchment Public Library
SUN 2/10 private performance for Colleagues International
FRI 3/1 Community Concert at Epiphany Church in South Haven
TUE 3/5 National Day of Racial Healing – Kalamazoo
TUE 3/5 International Percussion performance – Kalamazoo College
FRI 3/22 Lake Michigan College Masterclass
FRI 4/25 Kalamazoo Public Library
SAT & SUN 4/26 & 4/27 Dance Workshops at Herrick District Library (Holland)
To schedule a class, workshop, performance in your space, school or to meet with Samuel, email samuel@foundryhall.org or foundryhall@gmail.com. Click here for a one sheet about workshops and performances. Feel free to contact us with questions!
South Haven Cultural Calendar
Foundry Hall secured grant funding from the South Haven Community Foundation in 2015 to create an shared event calendar website for the local cultural non-profit organizations. In our small town it is a challenge to publicize and engage the community about upcoming events. We came up with this shared platform with a calendar format would be a valuable asset to all of these organizations. The website design includes easy to find information, links to organizations websites and is free of advertising and distractions.
About Sh-amp
South Haven Area Mural Project
South Haven Area Mural Project (Sh-amp) is an artist collective creating large scale art inspiring and beautifying our community. As a subsidiary of Foundry Hall, we are working to build community through the presentation of public art as well as creating opportunities to participate in the creation of art.
Working with local businesses, residents and the city, Sh-amp is creating large scale murals in the often overlooked areas – parking lots and side streets. The murals catch the eye of visitors, offer locals a more pleasing environment, and encourage public interaction with art.
Freely accessible public art expresses the uniqueness of our town and celebrates the local art community. Inspiring our school age children with art is beneficial in cognitive, social and emotional development. Public art ensures that everyone has access, everyone has a chance to benefit.
This project will promote South Haven and the surrounding area as being at the heart of Michigan’s “art coast” and generate more interest in visiting our
community while supporting the local art community. Please support this on-going program by making a tax deductible contribution today.
Thank you Lake Shore Paint for your ongoing support of these projects!
Thank you to the Albermarle Foundation for sponsorship of the Broadway Street murals!
Thank you to Gino’s East for the opportunity to create murals inside your restaurant!
Thank you to Beyer Construction for an early donation that helped jump start the whole project!
And thank you to all of the donations from our supportive community members! We love being artists in South Haven!
Sh-amp projects
Archives
This is an informal and incomplete archive of Foundry Hall. It’s really just a running log of the stuff that happens and anyone is welcome to contribute. (Email photos and comments, reviews, etc, to foundryhall@gmail.com with archive in the subject). Artists’ websites are linked so you can find out more!
12/21/17 open mic @ the River Bottom
Christmas themed Open Mic!
12/16/17 Foundry Hall Christmas concert (and benefit for WeCaRE) (United Methodist Church)
Musicians Ron Van Lente, Al Cole, Senior Center Chimes, Shyreece Pompey, Dan Pierce, South Haven Men’s Chorus. Joe Foster, Brianna Rigozzi, Modre Sonnette Bells, Tom Rasely and Katie Hillyard performed a variety of Christmas themed music from classics to originals, instrumentals to a capella voices. It was a wonderful evening of music and the generous audience donated more than $900 to the WECARE non-profit organization that helps out so many of our local residents with basic needs and resources. Thank you to these musicians for helping make it a special night for so many.
12/14/17 A Songwriter’s Trio featuring Allison Downey, Ed Dupas and Andy Baker (BRT)
Three MI songwriters took turns playing their original songs and telling us how they write them, their inspirations and back stories.
12/2/17 Steve Barber Family Concert plus petting zoo @ the South Haven Memorial Library
There wasn’t a huge crowd for this afternoon family concert, but the people who did come had a fun time singing along with Steve and then checking out percussion instruments with Foundry volunteers Dan Pierce and Lotte Resek as well as guitars, ukuleles, banjo and violin. Music for all ages, music can be fun and accessible for everyone!
Anna P.S. 11/18/17 House Concert @ Casa Roja Grande in Bangor
Anna P.S. performed her original music using acoustic guitar, foot percussion and the flute for a group of about 22 friends and family in a comfortable living room in Bangor. For more information on Anna and her heartfelt music check out her website!
House concerts are wonderful things. We’d love to create more opportunities for musicians to share their original music and for music appreciating folks to experience it and meet others! Let us know if you’d like to get in on this as a host, audience member or artist!
OPEN MIC 11/16 @ The River Bottom
Working on the summary video upload!
ADRIAN LEGG 11/12/17 @ The River Bottom
This was a fun Sunday evening concert with this British custom acoustic-electric, fingerstyle guitar player with over 40 years under his belt. He brought with him an eclectic set of effect pedals and we set up a separate speaker so we could create a stereo sound for the “sloshing” of his reverb. It was a memorable concert with beautiful, inventive songs and hilarious stories.
“Adrian Legg is a guitariist’s guitarist; a true musician and master of his instrument. I’ve known of Adrian for decades but this is the first chance I’ve had to see him play live. I’m glad I went.” Tom Rasely, local musician
Danny Schmidt 10/30/17 @ Epiphany Church, small chapel
The sound is really nice in the small chapel. This was a really nice show with sweet songs, wonderful finger picking. Thank you Linda Baker and Sheral Bradley for helping bring Danny Schmidt back to South Haven!
Danny Schmidt
Open Mic 10/19/17
Tidbits from Foundry Hall’s 79th consecutive monthly Open Mic hosted by Paul Hogan at The Black River Tavern “River Bottom”. Kicked off at 7pm by Steve Barber and closed a little after 10pm by Andy Baker with several really well written and performed original songs with this month’s song prompt “fall to pieces”. Seven dozen homemade chocolate chip cookies were consumed. Performances also by Dan Smith, Bryan Klnesteker, Guy and Karen Stinson, Tom Meldrim, Ron Van Lente with Jill Priebe and David Veenstra, Erica Huizenga, Doug Huizenga, Chuck Rysenga and William Nelson.
Those in attendance donated $110 to Foundry Hall’s mission of building community through music. It was a great night of music, networking and supporting Foundry Hall.
November’s Song Challenge prompt words are “be well” and “too bad you’re so …”. Performers using either prompt in an original song receive one free drink. Foundry Hall’s Open Mic takes place from 7-10pm on the third Thursday of every month at the River Bottom (downstairs at the Black River Tavern – 403 Phoenix Street).
November’s Song Challenge prompt words are “be well” and “too bad you’re so …”. Performers using either prompt in an original song receive one free drink. Foundry Hall’s Open Mic takes place from 7-10pm on the third Thursday of every month at the River Bottom (downstairs at the Black River Tavern – 403 Phoenix Street).
before this there was a lot…we’re working on the archive backwards and slowly!
