Latest news with #artgalleries
Yahoo
11-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New tensions trouble small town America in Trump's second term
Visitors are still flocking to the quaint mountain town of Berkeley Springs in West Virginia to savor its hot springs, art galleries and gift stores. Residents, however, say they are navigating new tensions. They still smile and shake hands with neighbors at the bakery while getting their morning coffee, as long as they don't mention two words: Donald Trump. The 850 residents of Berkeley Springs are a mix of rural conservatives who have lived here for generations and people who arrived more recently to the town, which is nestled in the Appalachian Mountains. The differences have existed for decades, but things are now growing tense. "A lot of people who quietly stand up for goodness are getting louder, and then that's making the people who are upset by that also become louder," says Kate Colby, 44, owner of Mineral Springs Trading Company. A large rainbow flag hangs on one wall of her gift store. Some locals told her to take it down, saying it made them feel unwelcome, she says. "They feel like they've got to be louder, and they're aggressive... It just sort of builds, until it combusts," she said with a bitter laugh. The small town dynamics are a portrait in miniature of what is happening across the country: liberal Americans hear the president's frequent diatribes as attacks, while conservatives feel legitimized by his rhetoric. - Keeping quiet - Society in general has grown less civil in the United States in Trump's second term, as he attacks the balance of powers and his political adversaries. "Trump does a really good job polarizing everything. He is like, you're on my side, or you can get out," says Nicole Harris, 47. Born in Oregon, Harris recently moved east to landlocked West Virginia, a rural and industrial state where almost 90 percent of the population voted for Donald Trump in the 2024 election. To avoid problems, she keeps quiet: no political discussions with neighbors or with guests at her bed and breakfast, the Grand Castalian Inn. "We're a business, so we accept everyone, and we accept everyone's opinions. I keep my own opinions for myself," she says. Beth Curtin has owned an antiques store in one of the beautiful brick homes in the center of town for 36 years. Many of her friends are Trump supporters. She is not. "It is a small community, and so we bump into one another. It's not like, you know, a bigger metropolitan area where you can just hang with people who share your same views.... it's more important that we try to get along and, you know, sometimes you have to bite your tongue," she says. Curtin says she avoids some stores in town because she does not want her money going "towards people who have those views." - 'Communists' - In the air-conditioned chill of the Lighthouse Latte cafe, Scott Wetzel, a wiry, bright-eyed 62-year-old, recalls his farm-based childhood and adult life in landscaping and construction. He views Democrats as "communists" who threaten his way of living. "If I speak of freedom, their idea of freedom is telling me how I could live. That's not freedom. They just don't get it so, but you can't fix that. That's something that's twisted up in their heads," the retiree says. He says people are still welcome to "spew that garbage" but "I'm just not gonna listen to it." In early July, some town residents held a march in Berkeley Springs against Trump's "big, beautiful bill." A truck nearby sold caps with his face on them. "There's gonna have to be some shift. We can't keep escalating like this," says Colby, the gift store owner. "We need to get back to a point where everybody can just sort of like, calmly live their own lives side by side, which I think was happening a lot more before Trump's first term," she says. Standing on the balcony of his elegant bed-and-breakfast, Mayor Greg Schene offers a more conciliatory view on town life. "This is certainly more of a melting pot," says the Baltimore native, adding that having a spectrum of political beliefs "makes us better." "Finding, you know, some solutions and coming to a middle ground is always better than having one dominant party," Schene said, smiling as he greeted people passing by. pno/cyb/ksb/aha
Japan Times
09-08-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
In a coffee-mad neighborhood, a gin distillery is a clear alternative
The sliding glass doors of the Fukagawa Distillery open onto a shoebox-size tasting room with immaculate white walls anchored by a curved white counter. Test tubes, beakers and bottles of Fukagawa Distillery's seasonal gins, each bearing a vividly colored label, line the shelves. Through a window behind the eight-seater bar, a gleaming copper-and-glass still takes pride of place in a room of steel tanks. The space feels both futuristic and nostalgic — part steampunk-spaceship, part alchemist's laboratory. Tucked in a residential corner of Koto Ward's Kiyosumi-Shirakawa, a Tokyo neighborhood better known for art galleries and coffee shops than spirits, Fukagawa Distillery represents a creative, entrepreneurial spirit in Tokyo's drink scene. The distillery was established by glassmaker Kouki Sekiya and bartender Kouta Kobayashi in 2023. Sekiya, the third-generation owner of Sekiya Rika, a scientific glassware company established in 1933, grew up surrounded by beakers, burners and borosilicate tubing. Concerned about the dwindling number of skilled glass artisans in Tokyo, he sought new ways to sustain the craft. In 2015, he opened Rikashitsu ('Science Lab' in Japanese), an experimental retail shop where he began producing compact, home-use distillation units. To his surprise, bartenders and spirit makers flocked to his workshops. Kobayashi runs Bar Nico in Kiyosumi-Shirakawa, which he opened in 2013 after returning from a sabbatical in Brighton, England. In 2016, he began specializing in gin and expanded his bar to include a gin shop and a restaurant serving curry with the spirit. In 2018, Sekiya discovered craft gin at the annual Gin Festival Tokyo — an event that showcased more than 100 brands of gin — and was instantly hooked. Later, the momentum of the global gin boom sparked a larger idea. 'We always made equipment for research,' he says, 'but I started to wonder: What if we used glass to create something for people to enjoy, not just study?' The distillery's glass and copper still was custom-designed by co-founders Kouki Sekiya and Kouta Kobayashi. | FUKAGAWA DISTILLERY His vision took shape after meeting Kobayashi at an event intended to connect like-minded entrepreneurs in Kiyosumi-Shirakawa. With Sekiya developing the equipment and Kobayashi overseeing product and flavor development, the pair decided to try making hyper-local gin — starting with a custom still made of glass and copper that allows distillation to be viewed in real time. The signature model is based on a historical design once used in southwestern Japan's Satsuma domain, reengineered with modern materials. Sekiya brings an engineer's precision to the project, while Kobayashi offers a bartender's palate. Their collaboration centers on locality and seasonality. The distillery's flagship gin, Fueki, features Aomori hiba (a kind of cypress) — a nod to the fragrant wood historically associated with bygone lumberyards in Kiyosumi-Shirakawa. Seasonal releases incorporate botanicals like strawberries and roses. Each batch is made by hand, yielding just 200 bottles at a time. Although local bars are key channels, the team is pushing to position gin as a mealtime tipple. That approach is reflected in a food and drink pairing event held in June, a collaboration with Tokyo's Sushi M that showcased how botanicals can harmonize with Japanese cuisine. Known for his counterintuitive pairings, Sushi M's owner-sommelier Yoshinobu Kimura created cocktails using Fukagawa's gins as the base, blending them with sake and other spirits, as well as homemade syrups and infusions. The signature Fueki, mixed with gooseberry juice and Awaibuki sparkling sake, accompanied an amuse-bouche of seared horse mackerel, eggplant and caviar sandwiched between crisp monaka rice wafers. At a recent food and gin pairing event organized by Fukagawa Distillery and Sushi M, the distillery's Fueki gin was turned into a cocktail by mixing it with sparkling sake. | SUSHI M Some cocktails tread into strange territory, such as a charcoal-grilled mudskipper fish steeped in a blend of the distillery's seasonal magnolia leaf gin and Flor de Cana rum. The blackened fish lent a subtle smokiness and earthy undertone to the concoction, which complemented the umami richness in two kinds of raw tuna. Gin also found its way into the dishes themselves: A drop of lemon-scented gin provided the finishing touch to a puree of rice with clam broth, topped with clams, vegetables and clam-stock foam — a contemporary riff on the local specialty, Fukagawa-meshi (clam soup poured over cooked rice). A subtle cocktail of oolong tea, elderflower liqueur and the distillery's osmanthus gin complemented the creation. The distillery hopes to collaborate with more restaurants while maintaining its hyper-local focus. For now, Sekiya and Kobayashi are only selling their gin at their distillery and restaurants and bars in the neighborhood, viewing their spirit not just as a product but as a draw that brings visitors to explore the area's unique character. Kobayashi says, "We want neighborhood folks to think of it as their local drink."
ABC News
04-07-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Outback artists slam NSW government's changes to regional art gallery funding
Eighteen regional art galleries in New South Wales are facing an uncertain future after missing out on four years' worth of government funding. Broken Hill City Art Gallery, the oldest regional gallery in the state, is among those that have been overlooked. The gallery is run and supported by the Broken Hill City Council, but it also relies on annual funding from Create NSW's Arts and Cultural Funding Program (ACFP). Council general manager Jay Nankivell said the gallery had received $100,000 per year in the past through the program and that it was concerning to miss out on the latest round. Gallery advisory committee member and artist Kelly Leonard moved to Broken Hill four years ago to be a part of the Far West's rich art scene. "The art gallery really is a centrepiece, a location where we can connect, develop opportunities for each other," she said. Ms Leonard said she would need to travel interstate or to Sydney for workshops and professional development if it were not for the gallery. "We're only just recovering from the COVID years out here, and to go through something like this, it's extremely frustrating," she said. Artist Wendy Martin said any funding cut would be a major setback. "Art plays a major part in the tourism industry and attracts a huge amount of people to our city," she said. "Lots of artists have been given a career start by having their work displayed in the gallery, including myself, and I have been painting and exhibiting in Broken Hill now for the last 50 years." Wagga Wagga, Orange and Armidale were among the other regional centres to miss out on the four-year funding, which Regional Arts NSW chief executive Tracey Callinan said was received by only three galleries. "We're now really concerned that those regional galleries across the state are going to struggle to produce good work," she said. The funding is offered in two, four and eight-year cycles and Broken Hill council hopes to be named as a recipient of two years' worth of funding in September. "The gallery works at least two years ahead on planning for exhibitions, so it really needs that long-term funding support," Ms Leonard said. The ABC contacted NSW Arts Minister John Graham for comment and received a statement from a Create NSW spokesperson who said the ACFP was highly competitive. "The NSW government recognises the significant contributions made by regional art galleries to the arts and culture ecology across regional NSW," they said. "The full funding profile of support for regional galleries will be available following the assessment of the two-year funding program."
Telegraph
01-07-2025
- Telegraph
Head off the beaten track to London's lesser-known cultural hotspots
If you've frequented London before, perhaps you've ticked off the big hitters such as the National Gallery, the Tate Modern and the British Museum? It's time, then, to dig a little deeper, and to explore some of the capital's lesser-known museums and independent art galleries. What's more, travelling into London with South Western Railway makes a spontaneous or perfectly planned trip to the city both affordable and easy. Trains will take you into London Waterloo, and SWR offers a host of cheaper tickets on evenings and Sundays or when you purchase in advance. Railcards, for which all adults are eligible, can save you more on your journey – bag one online for just £35 a year and you'll save a third on off-peak rail tickets when you travel. You'll also be able to enjoy a selection of discounts with SWR Rewards, including some great dining options within close distance of these hidden-gem cultural spots. Sir John Soane's Museum Nearest SWR station: Waterloo It's free to enter this incredible house, once owned by the eponymous English architect and today still set up as it was when he died in 1837. View paintings by Hogarth, Turner and Canaletto as well as treasures including the sarcophagus of Egyptian pharaoh Seti I or join a tour to have a nose around the private apartments upstairs. After a visit to the museum, walk over to Covent Garden for lunch at Lima Cantina, where you'll get 20 per cent off your food bill with SWR Rewards. Florence Nightingale Museum Nearest SWR station: Waterloo This small museum celebrates the life and work of the founder of modern nursing, through objects that tell the story of her life including books she wrote, jewellery she wore and even her beloved pet owl, Athena. Learn her story, from her Victorian childhood through to her work in the Crimean War and how she campaigned for better healthcare for everyone. It's also not too far from Italian restaurant Azzurro in Waterloo, where you can enjoy two for one pizzas and pasta dishes with SWR Rewards. Cinema Museum Nearest SWR station: Waterloo Love film? So do the volunteers at this quirky museum that's devoted to keeping the spirit of cinema alive. Book onto one of the regular two-hour tours to visit and you'll be guided around the incredible collection of memorabilia and equipment dating back to the 1890s – look out for the surprisingly chic ushers' uniforms and a series of impressive illuminated signs. The museum also hosts screenings of forgotten classics and talks with movie makers. Afterwards, head to French-style brasserie Auberge in Waterloo and use your rewards to get two main meals for the price of one. Skylark Galleries Nearest SWR station: Waterloo Tucked away in riverside Gabriel's Wharf, this contemporary art gallery is a great place to shop for affordable London art. The collection changes regularly and artists are often on-hand to discuss their work; everything you see is for sale, and usually includes paintings, photography and sculpture. If you head in after 2pm, and head back out after 7pm, you can make the most of SWR's Evening Out ticket offers, visit the gallery before it closes at 6pm, then enjoy a 15-minute stroll to Bala Baya, where you can enjoy an Eastern Mediterranean meal and get 20 per cent off your food plus a glass of complimentary bubbly when you present your SWR train ticket. Oxo Gallery Nearest SWR station: Waterloo Located on the ground floor of the Oxo Tower, this riverside exhibition space hosts a varied programme of pop-up exhibitions covering everything from printmaking and textiles to sculpture and wearable art. Also here at Oxo Tower Wharf, you'll find the shops of independent fashion, homeware and jewellery designers. Afterwards, stroll along to Bread Street Kitchen in Southwark for seasonal dishes by chef Gordon Ramsay and enjoy 20 per cent off your main courses with SWR Rewards. World of Rugby Museum Nearest SWR station: Twickenham Located in the south stand of Twickenham Stadium, and conveniently located on the SWR network, this is a must for rugby fans. Here you can view the world's most extensive collection of rugby memorabilia, including more than 40,000 objects, and have a go on high-tech simulators to test your power, strength and kicking skills. There's also a 'have a go' commentary booth and how-to guides for becoming a referee, coach or physio and you get 2-for-1 tickets with SWR Rewards.
CNA
22-06-2025
- Business
- CNA
Local art galleries see up to three times growth in sales compared with last year
Art galleries are seeing growth in sales by as much as three times compared with last year, despite higher costs of living brought on by US tariffs. Some have credited the boom to younger corporate buyers and national efforts in strengthening the landscape such as art fairs and public education on art and culture. Muhammad Bahajjaj with more.
