Unlike Tom Hanno, Simon Cowell doesn’t think the North Country’s got talent. When Tom first conceived of a talent showcase, he named the event and the associated webpage North Country’s got Talent, thinking it timely and relevant! However, he was soon sent a cease-and-desist letter from America’s got Talent. Despite this naming issue, Tom persisted. For now, he is simply calling it the North Country Talent Show. To create a more characteristic name for the show, Tom has started a contest to rename the event in a way that represents the North Country. An announcement will be made later in this regard.
Tom’s idea began long ago to showcase talent, but then a serious life event delayed his vision. This life-changing event, in Tom’s view, was a blessing in disguise because it forced him to reflect on many aspects of his life. What he realized was that he was isolating himself and that he was not a happy person. So, he set about changing things. He realized he needed to improve the way he felt and to put his energy into something creative. As a musician, poet, and writer himself, he focused on creative aspects: He joined a band and resurrected his plan for the North Country Talent Show.
When Lowville Town Hall Theatre offered to sponsor the show, Tom could not resist the start of something he felt could be a traditional event for Lowville. Hoping to bring out creative people who otherwise would not have a way to showcase their talents, Tom’s additional hope is to provide a sense of community that most people have lacked since COVID.
Tom considers the talent show as the start of his legacy, so to speak, to start something that can exist in the future with a positive effect on the community and its people. “Art without division is needed,” he said, to combat the politics of today that bleed into our daily lives. Art, he says, “speaks it own language.” Not to mention that consuming art and music as a group affirms our sense of community, which is a proven scientific fact! Tom elaborates, “There is no division because we are united by expression” when we are part of a creative act—either as performer or audience member!
While the slate for this year’s show is filled, Tom is seeking acts such as comedians, vocalists, mimes, one man bands, magicians, puppets, dramatic monologues, tattoo artists, music, poetry, ventrilaquists, dance, demonstrations, or any family friendly act for next year! Judges so far are Tanya Roy with The Butler Did It Players, Frank Hirschey, and Mike Avery. Performers will be judged on professionalism, ability, creativity, material, among other criteria. Prizes for first and second place are a mixture of cash and merchandise like tickets to the Lewis County Renaissance Fair August 30-31 at Lowville Fair Grounds.
Jess Boliver is also helping Tom with the show. Lined up so far are Sean Corbitt music, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, a dancer, a musical duo, Allison Fleming and Jason Griffin, and more with a closing performance by rock band sensation, Undefeated. Aside from performers, vendors Jody Baughman from KneatlyKnotted and Kayla Noftsier will be selling their jewelry.
To find out more about sponsoring the event, contact Tom.
Poet Alesa Bernat, (Lowville, NY) is getting noticed—one could say she is on fire. Her recent activities include being part of the 2024 cohort of the Artist as Entrepreneur Program made possible by the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), St. Lawrence County Arts Council (SLC Arts) and held at St. Lawrence University this past fall.
Alesa is also riding the wave of her debut poetry collection published last year, which takes the reader on her journey through the diagnosis, treatment, and adjustment of living with bipolar depression. Navigating bipolar depression and motherhood culminated in her first book of poems but it was not until she attended a lyrical poetry class at the Adirondack Center for Writing that her passion for writing and her work was renewed. Since then, she has been working on new material and is ready to share her work in public.
Her resurgence occurred, like the cicada of which she writes in “Elegy for Heartache Resurrected,” with her book of poetry, Everything is Fine. The title itself is telling for those who use the phrase when they are indeed not okay. Alesa’s book reveals the trials and tribulations of motherhood and mental health– an intersection where women are often not fine. It is an intersection most mothers have visited at one point in their lives. In addition to becoming a mother, Alesa was going through medicine changes, which can be debilitating in and of itself. Authoring her book helped her to work through some issues and now she feels ready to embrace her art by participating in competitions, submitting work, and scheduling readings.
In the last few months, Alesa’s creative life has grown with several other publications and events. Her poem, “Unsuitable Elements” was published in Boreal Zine, an ADK based online publication. Her poems , “When the Midsummer Comes, I Live as a Neuroptera,” was published in True North: Words and Images from New York’s North Country while “Elegy for Heartache Resurrected,” (see below) received an honorable mention in Seneca Park Zoo’s Water into Words Poetry Contest, an event co-sponsored by Writers and Books. Additionally, she was interviewed for Arts and Culture at Cardinal Points, SUNY Plattsburgh’s independent student newspaper and participated in the Adirondack Center for Writing’s 2024 Poem Village. She also participated in “Exploring Fall Island,” ecological history of Fall Island sponsored by NYSCA, where she read alongside other poets in the full exhibit.
Everything is Fine Summary/Review
Alesa’s approach is unique, being open about her struggles with bipolar depression. In fact, her poems are filled with duality – in that they are told honestly and with the perspective of both a much younger self and the nurturing mother she has become. Upon reading her book of poetry, the reader has the luxury of knowing that Alesa has come through her ordeal and is now successful: a mother of three young boys, a fulltime speech-language pathologist, and an owner of a small press. She lives with her husband on their family farm, participates in the community, and has a loving church community.
Sectionally, the book is broken into two: “Everything” is defined by 42 poems and “After Everything” has 38 poems. “Everything” examines the highs and lows of bipolar disorder with keen accuracy, while “After Everything” gives us a glimpse into the process of healing and unification—with herself, her depression, and her doubts.
In “Stay,” the reader learns her glittering world/dissipates in a minute” (line 22-23) and in “Haunted,” the ghost is her own reflection: “there is a mirror in my eyes/shattered glass and gold edging” (lines 1-2). Her mirror image becomes her other self, the one she distrusts. As anyone who struggles with bipolar knows, the mind questions everything, including one’s own worth as a person. She sees both the fractured self and the self that she wants to be – the one in gold. She explores this idea further in “Mirror, Mirror” a sustaining metaphor. This other self is the image she must integrate with to be whole. Yet,” her “soul has gloriously “Fallen Apart” (lines 6-7), which challenges her perceptions. Her “other” continues to sabotage her efforts by telling lies, and she is not able to decipher reality from illusion. Discriminating between truth and lies is an art itself when confronted with bipolar depression. In fact, this duality culminates in “Sandcastles where “not a single truth is in the grains” of sand (line 8) and with a lie that becomes personified in “Boast,” – which then grows a backbone and runs away . . .
In parallel imagery, the reader learns Alesa’s mother is “fire,” “burning boundaries to the ground/leaving bare mountains at her feet” (“Dance Moves,” lines 25-26), rising like a phoenix, whereas, her father is “ice,” “taking up more space than water” (“Dance Moves” 27-8). They are polar opposites. Later, Alesa also likens herself to a phoenix–burned and renewed–as “a sacred sign” and a “harbinger of catastrophe” (“Phoenix Rise,” lines 3-4). This duality itself is an example of bipolarity. She struggles with opposites on all ends and is seeking to find the path in the middle. The reader learns “There was not room for both of [them] in “Eden,” (line 10).
And in her “Sunshine Fading” Alesa manages to confront the lies perpetuated by her other, where “between us,” she says, “we built entire spheres. Planets devised from [our] deceptions” (Line 10). Here, she relegates her other self to the “Dark Matter” of space. She leaves the reader at the mirror image once again in her “Precipice” where she is attempting to gain balance. At that point, “Crashing” indicates the cyclic pattern she has become used to – where Alesa is forced to battle the monsters of her emotional roller coaster (“Songbird of jealousy”). She then names yet another obstacle to her wellness – mania. And in the delicate art of balancing motherhood, marriage, and her image of herself, she must learn to balance her highs and lows (“Mania, My Mistress”).
Through losing a child, a suicide attempt, and a stay in a mental facility, Alesa plunges the depths of darkness — where all are equal (“A Window by the Sea”). In fact, her full realization comes when she understands that she is not alone and that she is in the “The Most Spiritual Place” (the mental facility), where everyone is “stripped of everything worldly” and “at the bottom with [her]” (line 13).
This is where we leave her at the end of “Everything.”
In “After Everything,” Alesa is renewed, having grown both spiritually and emotionally. She has found “A Promise of Hope” that has “transcended [her] darkened line” (line 5). She finds solace in nature and in ‘Healing,“ learns “survival in salvation/redemption in harmony” (lines6-7). Through her journey of love, marriage, motherhood, and mental health, she has embraced herself with all her beauty and flaws (Masterpiece).
Learning to love herself proves to be one of the hardest tasks she is confronted with. In “Agape”” weighed down in flight/the bird persists toward its perch” (1-2) imbued with faith, its “Wings Touching [the] Sky” like an eagle cries “I am here” (6-7). At this point, she can speak with honesty and is deemed worthy over and over (lines 13). The self finds beauty in truth (“Healing”), which leads to courage that takes the form of a sailboat, so she must learn to sail.
Alesa is, in effect, learning to fly, referring to the bird imagery throughout—but sailing works well since we know the sea is not always calm. Like her mother, Alesa has learned to build herself up from the ashes of her past to create something beautiful, like the phoenix. From here, her journey is a spiritual one. She learns to “Lead Her Depression on a Leash” because it is a mean dog she has had to train. She leads her mean dog on a path “Out of Darkness” where it creeps away to the shadows (line 14). And she can honestly say that everything is fine.
The last healing poem encapsulates the cover art of derived from a photo she took of her son, “Doors in the Earth.” The art depicts her son looking into a glass door framed with eight windows that all reflect the sky. Alesa is freed by the mirror image of her reflected in her son – and he is the one who opens the door for her.
With the attention Alesa is receiving, it is safe to say that everything is fine.
Connie Stahl Noftsier is a visual artist based in the charming town of Croghan. She was one of 18 artists in the North Country chosen to attend the Artist as Entrepreneur (2024) program at St. Lawrence University. This program was presented by the St. Lawrence Arts Council and NYSCA.
Connie’s studio is on George Street behind Monnat’s IGA. It is housed in a gorgeous Victorian Bed and Breakfast. The place lives up to its name: All Things Beautiful. Connie and her husband, Randy, have meticulously cared for it for the last 15 years. The restoration work is obvious, from gleaming hardwood floors, doors, and cabinets to a chef’s kitchen. Connie designed the kitchen and had it made by a local craftsman. Her attention to detail is clear.
Connie Stahl Noftsier
Connie runs the five-bedroom B&B and creates art from her home studio. Her designs are unique and whimsical works in needlepoint, embroidery, photographs, and watercolors. She spent years as a photographer and still has equipment for taking photos of her art. She loves photographing the natural world and uses her photos in her designs. Also having been a landscape designer, Connie brings her love of the natural world into her artwork. Randy is a certified mushroom forager and Connie gathers much of her inspiration from the various mushrooms he collects.
All things beautiful fill the entryway. Fiber sculptures of native flowers, Monarch butterflies, lunar moths, and mushrooms line the wall in three-dimensional forms. The first thing anyone wants to do is touch the ornate and detailed creatures. Nevertheless, signs encourage guests not to do so! Moving into the shop, many items line the walls and shelves, waiting for visitors.
Connie begins her day with all the administrative chores of artistry. She manages her Facebook and Instagram pages. Connie also updates her website and mailing lists. She then tends to the B&B, which is yet another work of art. Connie keeps the house filled with guests during the summer months. In the off months, she still has plenty of room for guests and family. Each room is decorated with the art Connie has made herself or acquired from other artists. Even her family contributes. Their paintings adorn the walls. Their pottery decorates the shelves. Their musical instruments are placed on the floor in cases. Visible are a bluegrass banjo, a mandolin, and a guitar. Connie also mentions a newly acquired upright bass.
Lactarius Indigo frontLactarius Indigo back closeLactarius Indigo back
The artistry in every room is joined by plants. Some are draped over furniture, sitting in corners, or hung from the ceiling. One Burro’s tail is nearly nine feet long. Connie creates her patterns and chooses project colors during the day when the light is good. She can sit in one of her oversized chairs near several windows. Each window offers a stunning visual view of something she has painted or planted in the garden. There are also many fruit trees, berry bushes, and a variety of vegetables and flowers.
Connie listens to audiobooks as she works her needle, She says. “It takes many hours to create one mushroom or flower. Then it takes many more hours to stitch the supporting pieces. The backgrounds or bases are then made to compliment and show each piece in a unique, one-of-a-kind way.” And they are unique. She uses a dimensional embroidery technique called “stumpwork,” which originated in the 17th century. She uses a floor stand to hold her embroidery hoop or frame. This helps her create the tiny details that make it so realistic. This often involves using various stitches and materials to add depth and texture. Besides the 3D creations of moths, butterflies, and flowers, some of her 3D mushroom creations appear both forward and backward-facing. This orientation allows an internal view of the mushroom. They should line the walls of botanical classrooms.
Connie uses her photographs as backgrounds for her needlework. She embellishes the photo with cotton, silk, or wool threads. She enhances the photo by layering, and strategically choosing points within her photographs that allow for dimension and depth. One that is loved by all is the 3D landscape “Daisies on Blue Mountain Lake.” (pic). The foreground daisies have a texture that draws the eye and are balanced against the mountains in the background. The boldness of the dark mountains plays off the lively daisies. She plays with color and depth in these textured landscapes. Her “Sheep Herd” piece is another example that plays with texture while being playful. It reveals two chubby and fluffy sheep. They stand in the foreground while several sheep are intimated as tufts of white in the background. Viewing these works of art in person is preferable, given the minute details.
Daisies on Blue Mountain LakeSheep HerdSheep HerdBolette side viewBolette Side viewSummer Fly Agaric
Most of her base layers consist of linen, wool, silk, cotton, and felt, upon which she builds her surface embroidery. Some of the designs look like aerial maps of Adirondack bodies of water. She works her stitches into water flowing or swirling, creating waves or rapids. Not only does she subtly blend the threads to suggest movement, but she also creates height and depth. Trees are tufts of greens, yellows, and browns. Some are captured in the fall and capture the vivid Adirondack oranges and reds. Some of her maps are so precise they look like a Google Earth satellite image!
Connie has also been experimenting with abstract art and cell life. On a chosen background, often wool, she stitches shapes and patterns, using various techniques to create organic designs. They lend themselves well to being customized. Then there are sonograms done in embroidery. These are, of course, customized. They are the perfect gift for an expectant mother.
Cell Life
Connie spent the summer traveling all over New York State, attending fairs and festivals. Still, she is seeking the ideal venue for her signature art pieces. They are truly unique and can’t be found elsewhere. Her skills are truly distinctive. She creates items that do not exist on shelves in most places. Additionally, the possibility of customization lends itself to gifting for the holidays.
Connie participates in two Shop Hops. One is on Mother’s Day weekend. Another is in early December. During these events, you should visit her shop in Croghan. You can also meet other well-known and talented artists in Lewis County. In the meantime, her work appears at Tupper Lake Art Center. You can visit her shop by appointment. Just call ahead to arrange a time here. Her website is here.
This is the first informational email for Tug Hill Artist Network, a newly formed, informal organization, comprised of artists, who want to share their art with each other and their communities. Many writers, musicians, visual artists, potters, quilters, and luthiers (to name a few) exist within the towns and villages that line the Tug Hill and the foothills of the Adirondacks. You are not alone in your artistic endeavors. Let’s collaborate with like-minded folks to bring the arts to the area. Whether you are an artist yourself who is just starting your artistic journey or if you are a professional in need of an audience or just seeking to be involved in the arts, please join us! As a collective, we can create change because we are better together THAN alone.
To this end, please feel free to share news, events, and information by email so I can post it on our Facebook page or write about what you are doing! What develops from this depends upon what artists want and need. Let’s find out!
Tug Hill Artist Network 