George M. Church, PhD: Recent Revolutions in Biotechnology and Medicine, A Personal View

Special Event!
Wednesday June 10, 2015, 7pm
At the Katharine Cornell Theater, 54 Spring Street, Vineyard Haven.

George M. Church, Ph.D., is the Robert Winthrop Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at Harvard and MIT, and has been a founding member of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard.

Dr. Church will speak about the revolutionary implications of synthetic biology for human and planetary well-being. He will comment on a combination of breakthroughs that might soon affect the average person such as diseases like Lyme and Malaria, gene therapies, precision medicine, synthetic brains and age reversal.

Learn About the Mass. Memories Road Show, Monday June 16th 6pm

On Monday June 15th at 6pm, members of the public are invited to attend an outreach and planning session at Vineyard Haven Library to learn how they can participate in the "Mass. Memories Road Show", that will be coming to Martha's Vineyard for a one-time event in October. The planning meeting is open to all and refreshments will be served.

The Mass. Memories Road Show is a statewide digital history project that documents people, places, and events in Massachusetts history through family photographs and stories. It is an initiative of University Archives and Special Collections in UMass Boston's Joseph P. Healey Library and co-sponsored by the Patricia C. Flaherty '81 Endowment Fund at UMass Boston. Since its launch, the project has gathered more than 6,000 photographs and stories from across the state, creating an educational resource of primary sources for future generations.

University Archives staff work with local planning teams to organize free public events where residents are invited to bring family photos to be scanned and included in this digital archive. Contributors are invited to share “the story behind the photos” on video, have their own “keepsake photo” taken, and receive advice from professional archivists and historians on dating and caring for their family photos.

The Martha's Vineyard Road Show event has been scheduled for October 25th, 2015, and is being planned and sponsored by the Martha's Vineyard Library Association (MVLA) with funding from local libraries, Friends of Libraries, and a grant from the Martha's Vineyard Cultural Council.

Art in the Stacks: Seaweed Collages by Kathleen Poehler

The Friends of the Vineyard Haven Public Library are pleased to present an exhibit of seaweed collages by artist Kathleen Poehler. The exhibit will be on display during regular library hours throughout the month of June.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Kathy Poehler learned about seaweed walking the island beaches with her father as he collected and classified Algae for teaching purposes. She acquired an understanding of individual seaweeds and their properties, and continued to pursue these interests in aquatic environments at Allegheny College in Meadville Pennsylvania. Later, while teaching at Harvard University, she developed curriculum bridging ocean science and art for young children, and began showing her work to the public. Since returning to the Vineyard, Kathy has received awards for her collage work, and currently shows her work at Featherstone, the Old Sculpin Gallery, and the Vineyard Artisans Festivals.

ARTIST'S STATEMENT

In my collages, I’ve merged an understanding of the limitations of my medium with the possibilities for self-expression. Creating images of nature from natural materials. The process of creating these images is as important to me as the finished work. Observing the seaweeds movement in it’s natural state, and trying to stay true to that feeling as I work with it on paper, is an important part of what I hope to reflect. I may have a vision for a given piece, but ultimately I listen to the seaweed, and the finished pieces reflect that balance. They range from abstract to more pictorial depending on the specifics of the seaweed I am working with at any given time. Each of these works is a treasure from nature.

ART IN THE STACKS

The Vineyard Haven Public Library's "Art in the Stacks" space features rotating monthly exhibits managed by the Friends of the Library. The library also has a collection of artworks that are displayed throughout the year, including 12 paintings by Vineyard artist Captain John Ivory. Artists interested in showing their work may contact the library at (508) 696-4210.

Martha's Vineyard Photography Club Group Show

Photograph by Suzanne Boyer

This June, members of the Martha's Vineyard Photography Club will showcase their work in the 5th annual group art show at the Vineyard Haven Public Library. The show is sponsored by the Friends of the Library, who will host an opening reception on Tuesday, June 2nd from 6 - 7:30 pm. This event is free and open to the public, and refreshments will be served.

The show will be open during regular library hours, June 1st -June 13th. Featured photographers include Harvey Beth, Suzanne Boyer, Peter Dreyer, Phyllis Dunn, Kay Leaird, Michelle Manfredi, Sara Piazza, Sharon Simonin, Norm Stickney, Maria Thibodeau, Scott Tuttle, and Nathalie Woodruff.

The Martha's Vineyard Photo Club meets monthly at the Vineyard Haven Public Library on the first Thursday of each month at 6pm. The club is open and welcoming to photographers of all kinds and all levels. Club activities include photo sharing, presentations on various aspects of photography (drawing on the expertise of club members and outside sources), and field trips, as well as other areas of group interest.

In addition to the annual group show in June, Vineyard Haven Public Library's "Art in the Stacks" space features rotating monthly exhibits managed by the Friends of the Library. The library also has a collection of artworks that are displayed throughout the year, including 12 paintings by Vineyard artist Captain John Ivory.

Artists interested in showing their work may contact the library at (508) 696-4210. For more information about the Martha's Vineyard Photo Club, visit the club's Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/mvphotoclub.

Memorial Day Week: Schedule and Special Events

The Vineyard Haven Public Library will be closed for Memorial Day on Monday, May 25th.

On Monday, the town of Tisbury hosts a Memorial Day Picnic from noon to 4 pm on the grounds of the restored Tashmoo Spring Building on West Spring Street off State Road. Entertainment will include live music by the Flying Elbows, supported by the MV Cultural Council, as well as outdoor games, pony rides, chalk art, rowboat rides, and tours of the Spring Building.

On Tuesday, May 26th, at 11am, the Library will have a special guest performance for children. Kids of all ages are welcome to sing-a-long with Nappy’s Puppets. Jim Napolitano is a shadow puppeteer who integrates story telling with singing to keep his young audience engaged. This event is free to the public through the generous sponsorship of the Anderson Foundation and the Friends of the Vineyard Haven Public Library.

New: Access to 68 Language Courses Online!

The Vineyard Haven Public Library now provides a new way to learn a language! Mango Languages is an online language-learning system teaching actual conversation skills. You can access Mango from your home computer or mobile device, and login using your library card. Library patrons now have access to 68 languages and 17 ESL courses. To get started, visit the library homepage and click on the Mango icon to begin!