Author: Lauren Gill

Our New Executive Director

This month, O+ co-founder Joe Concra, who has been serving as Executive Director since 2014, will shift his focus to forging new partnerships, liaising with alumni, and becoming the primary fundraiser for the organization. Concra will serve on the committee that envisions what O+ will look like in 2020 and beyond.

Part of that visioning will be welcoming new voices to the organization. And that starts with the appointment of a new Executive Director, O+ music alumna Holly Kelly. Kelly’s focus will be on day-to-day operations, overseeing departments and festivals, communicating with the board of directors, and envisioning the future of O+ with Concra and the team.

Kelly joined O+ in 2019 as the Alumni Engagement Director after working at other local nonprofits The Olana Partnership and In Flight, Inc.

Trained in the art medium of couture millinery, Kelly had her first solo gallery opening in the Netherlands in 2011. She had millinery studios in London and San Francisco before moving to the Hudson Valley in 2015. Kelly has masters degrees in Media, Culture and Communications from the University of London and Nonprofit Management and Philanthropy from Bay Path University.

In her free time she is on the board and sings with Key of Q, the Hudson Valley’s LGBTQ A Capella Chorus, who performed at O+ in 2018. She also runs the LGBTQ Baby and Toddler Group at the Hudson Valley LGBTQ Center.

Motivated by art, music, and healthy communities, Kelly is thrilled to combine her passions through her role at O+. She looks forward to working with Joe Concra and the rest of the dedicated team at O+ to determine how we will deliver more care and amplify our mission in the coming years.

To reach Holly Kelly, email holly@opositivefestival.org
To reach Joe Concra, email joe@opositivefestival.org

Photo Credit: Kristopher Johnson

Inspiring Wellness Gifts for Yourself, Your Neighbor

Do you hope to manage stress and be more present during the winter holidays? Want to help someone you love welcome a new decade with an integrative approach to health and wellness? A number of O+ festival teachers and providers are offering end-of-year specials on yoga, meditation and sound healing classes/workshops and healing modalities like massage, acupuncture and Reiki.

Support the wellbeing of a neighbor, family member or yourself with a loving gift while supporting the small businesses of these community-minded practitioners:

Amber Milanovich, MS, L.Ac. is offering the Amber Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture and Gua Sha with Custom Essential Oil Blend for $135 (regularly $200). She has also reduced the price of a Rest & Reset Series (three acupuncture treatments) to $290 (regularly $375). Her acupuncture and Chinese medicine practice is based in Marbletown.

Massage therapist Jesse Scherer of Catskill Mountain Massage in uptown Kingston is offering the O+ community a 15 percent discount on gift cards. Enter code: GENERATEWELLNESS

Kingston Reiki, which is based out of New Leaf Holistic Health in Kingston’s Rondout neighborhood, is offering 20 percent off one Reiki session for yourself and 50 percent off a session for you to give to a friend or loved one. You can also choose to pay it forward to a community member in need. Email: ksholisticarts@gmail.com to schedule.

Teresa Mary Boyle of Trinity Care Sanctuary is on a mission to help you become true to yourself and live your intended purpose on this planet. She is offering a one-hour soul healing and alignment session for $75 (regularly $100) or a 2-hour session for $100 (regularly $200) now through Jan. 11. Boyle travels to your home or outside in nature or in her space in Highland. Email: trinitycaresanctuary@aol.com to schedule.

Support the good health of a loved one with a gift card to Kingston Yoga Lab. Certificates can be redeemed for all ongoing group classes — gentle yoga, pilates, Kundalini yoga, meditation, open yoga, Qigong, restorative yoga and core yoga.

End of decade special! HariPrakaash has discounted by 25 percent a 60-minute private session of Kundalini yoga, meditation and gong relaxation or transformational counseling that can be customized to your needs. The session must be completed by Jan. 31. To book, email: satnam@hariprakaash.com

Jesse Ohliger’s NIRVANA Jeet Kune Do Society offers group, small group, semi-private and private self defense/martial arts classes with the aim of conditioning students’ bodies and minds to adapt to all self-defense situations. NIRVANA JKD Society is located in the Upstairs at BSP studio in Kingston. For more information, email: NirvanaJKD@gmail.com

A “new student” special for all! If you’ve never had the opportunity to take a class at Anahata Love & Healing the studio is offering a very affordable incentive. Three-class cards are only $20 (must be purchased by Jan. 5). Current/returning students can get a deal as well — a 3-class card for $27.

And learn the basics of hypnosis and 5 hypnosis inductions at a 2-day workshop (Jan. 18-19) with George Guarino in Albany.

Some O+ music alumni are also practitioners of the healing arts:

Jazz vocalist/holistic voice coach Maiko Hata is accepting new students for her “voice training for transformation.” For a free consultation, email: maikoconnectwithmusic@gmail.com
Musician Madeleine Grace is offering 20 percent off 5 or 10 sessions of Sound Healing/Thai Yoga bodywork. For more information, email: madeleinegracemusic@gmail.com

Free Poughkeepsie Block Party Aug. 3

O + Poughkeepsie is throwing a free block party for the community Saturday, Aug. 3 from 4-8 p.m. in the Crannell Street passage at the intersection of Main Street. The highlight of the celebration will be a collaborative mural painted by O+ Poughkeepsie alumni boogieREZ, John Breiner, Joe Pimentel and Stetz.

The Dutchess County Department of Behavioral & Community Health will provide training in Narcan, a nasal spray that can help reverse an opioid overdose. Jade Palace Guard will supply the beats and food trucks will be parked to feed party-goers. Don’t miss the airbrushing demonstration at 330 Gallery. And join the young leaders from VOTE (Voices of Tomorrow Empowered) in creating vibrant picnic tables for public spaces. Special thanks to The Great Studio, who will provide free haircuts.

Community partners for the Poughkeepsie BLO+CK Party include Cryptic Gallery and Oakwood Friends School.

Thanks to sponsors Hudson Valley Office Furniture and Golden Artist Colors.

O, The Oprah Magazine Highlights O+ Health Heroes

O, The Oprah Magazine is shining a light on O+ “Health Heroes” in the August 2019 issue.

The story, titled “Shows of Compassion” (page 64), features interviews with O+ Executive Director Joe Concra, Dr. Thomas Cingel and O+ Clinic Director/Nursing Specialist Shannon Donnell.

“The roughly 300 participants aren’t paid in cash, but they do get something just as valuable: access to the artists’ clinic inside a hall of the historic Old Dutch Church,” writes Mary Pauline Lowry. “In private spaces divided by red drapes and PVC pipes, every artist is invited to meet with a doctor and a nurse to discuss their healthcare needs and then determine what other free services they’ll receive that weekend — a therapy session, a chiropractic adjustment, maybe a massage. Meanwhile, in the church kitchen, chefs serve organic meals to artists and practitioners alike.”

Lowry also interviewed O+ Kingston alumna Laura Hajek of the band A Place Both Wonderful and Strange. She writes that “for a year, two of her (Hajek’s) wisdom teeth had been painfully pressing on a nerve, but she couldn’t cover the cost of extraction.” Hajek’s participation in the O+ exchange of “the art of medicine for the medicine of art” connected her with Cingel and the much-needed extractions.

The O story also includes photos of Concra and Cingel in front of Kimberly Kae‘s “Bilancia” mural, Dr. Christa Whiteman providing chiropractic care to Kae in the Artists’ Clinic, and The Big Takeover performing at BSP Kingston during the 2017 festival.

10th Annual O+ Kingston

Dance-punk band !!! (Chk Chk Chk) will play the 10th annual O+ Kingston festival of art, music and wellness (Oct. 11-13) along with folk-rocker Elvis Perkins, cabaret-punk band The World/Inferno Friendship Society, cumbia-meets-garage rocker Tall Juan, neo-soul band Lady Moon & The Eclipse and 40 more solo artists, bands and ensembles representing a wide cross-section of musical genres and styles.

Three-day festival wristbands are on sale now for the early bird price of $40 until September 1 or sold out ($50 after). Festival volunteers and children under 18 with student ID are free.

The wristband includes entry to all concerts as well as film and video screenings, participatory art workshops, cycling events, Literary SALO+N, classes in yoga, dance, meditation, sound healing, and more.

Kingston community members who would like to attend, but are deterred by financial resources will be able to pick up free 3-day wristbands from the following O+ Festival partners: Center for Creative Education, Harambee, Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center, My Kingston Kids, Radio Kingston, Rise Up Kingston and YMCA. Free wristbands are made possible thanks to the generosity of O+ supporters.

Other O+ Kingston music highlights include BODEGA (post-punk indie), The Giraffes (heavy rock), Carrie Nation & The Speakeasy (folk rockabilly), Sound of Ceres (electro dream pop) and Chris Wells and The Silver Spaceship (epic party band from the superfreak behind The Secret City).

In addition, O+ partner Bardavon Presents welcomes “The Mystical Arts Of Tibet” on Sunday, Oct. 13 at UPAC. Tickets for that performance are available exclusively through the UPAC box office.

The initial music lineup (of which 60 percent is from the mid-Hudson Valley) also includes: Ami Madeleine, Chris Andersen, The Arkhams, Sandy Bell, Brandy, Camp Saint Helene, Carrtoons, Datura Road, Dronechoir, Eat The Cake Band, Elías Elena, Greg Farley, The Four Fives, Foster Care, Glockabelle, Grover, Jalani Lion, JB!! aka Dirty Moses w/DJ Nate da Great, Julia Kent, DJ Ali’s KinderDisco, Zamy Maa, Maiko Hata Trio, Olivier Manchon’s Orchestre de Chambre Miniature, The Meditation Tapes, Mooskii G. Myyers, Peter Naddeo, The Nightblinders, NOVA ONE, Ramona Lane, The Restless Age, Sledge Wolf, Cheval Sombre, 86 Supreme, Tiny Blue Ghost, TONUS MAXIMUS, The Wilful Boys and Tyler G. Wood.

Artists Respond to X

This year’s O+ Kingston artists have responded to the theme of “X” with cross-disciplinary projects, collaborations and interventions at the intersection of art and life. Films, installations, murals, performances, multi-site experiential projects and workshops invite the viewer to activate artwork with participation:

artXmedicine Erika deVries and Matt Dilling, Aki Goto, Daniel Totten, Meg Bashwiner

visual artXmusic Eva Marie Magill-Oliver, Matt Pond and Chris Hansen, B.A. Miale

artXsocial engagement/activism Hyuro, Callie Jayne/Rise Up Kingston and Shadia Fayne-Wood/Survival Media Agency, Carolita Johnson, Stefan Saffer, The Matter Digest (Havarah Zawoluk and Ernest Goodmaw), Sophi Kravitz, Lynn Herring, Robert Markey

artXenvironmental activism Maxine Leu, Sebastian Pillitteri, Riverkeeper, Art Department of SUNY New Paltz, Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency and Hudson River Watershed Alliance, Woodstock School of Art, Michael Fusco, Jana Liptak, Annabelle Popa

X organizing principle/pattern Roy Verspoor, Kerry Pharmer, Jicky Schnee, Alexandra Dewez, Joe Mangrum, Scott Chasse and Kenley Darling, Tronvs, Hudson Valley Movement Collective c/o Charlotte Gibbons, Chewy Altamirano, Stetz/Kingston Pop Museum

Additional bands and artists will be announced as confirmed.

Participating artists and musicians receive complimentary health and wellness care in the Artists’ Clinic and in local dentists’ offices during the festival weekend. O+ calls this exchange: “the art of medicine for the medicine of art.”

O+ Kingston is currently seeking general festival volunteers and volunteer health and wellness providers in the Artists’ Clinic.

First O+ Festival Empowers North Adams With Culture, Care

More than 800 people experienced the inaugural O+ North Adams festival of art, music and wellness during the May 10th weekend. Highlights included two new murals, more than 20 concerts, visual art workshops and installations, 20 wellness classes and self-testing for HPV with Go Doc Go’s The Box.

O+ North Adams Reveals Secret Show Bands

Three Massachusetts-based bands — Humble Digs (Northampton), Aubrey Haddard (Boston) and And The Kids (Northampton) — will kick off the first O+ Festival in North Adams on May 10 at Elks Lodge.

Humble Digs is a four-piece band with several EPs, compilations and a full-length album comprised of a mixture of psychedelic folk, rock, jazz, and funk. Aubrey Haddard steals the hearts of music lovers with her indie-soul vibe. She will be joined by Charley Ruddell on bass and Joshua Strmic on drums.

And The Kids returns to North Adams after opening for Blondie last summer at MASS MoCA. They’re made up of guitarist/vocalist Hannah Mohan, drummer Rebecca Lasaponaro and Megan Miller on synthesizers and percussion. The trio’s latest and third full-length album embraces their untamable spirit more fully than ever before, dreaming up their most sublimely defiant album yet.

May 10 Kick-off show

HUMBLE DIGS 8-8:30 p.m.
LISTEN: https://humbledigs.bandcamp.com/

AUBREY HADDARD 9-9:30 p.m.
LISTEN: https://aubreyhaddard.bandcamp.com/

AND THE KIDS 10-11 p.m.
LISTEN: https://andthekidsmusic.bandcamp.com/

Advance ticket buyers get access to the kick-off show – space is limited. If you’d like a discount please email festival director Jessica Sweeney at sweens@opositivefestival.org. Or, make a donation for a wristband in person at Common Folk, 73 Main Street, North Adams, MA 01247.

Additional art, music and wellness events will ensue on May 11 throughout downtown North Adams including the wellness exposition and farmers market at the Green from 9-1. View the full digital schedule.

O+ Kingston Seeks Box Office-Tech Manager

O+ Kingston is recruiting for a Box Office + Tech Manager to systemize and manage our visitor experience and box office processes, train our fleet of volunteers and work closely with our core staff to implement the 10th festival of art, music and wellness, which takes place Oct. 11-13, 2019. O+ draws nearly 5,000 people during festival weekend, most of whom make a donation for a weekend wristband on site at O+ Home Base or at one of our many venues around the city.

Reporting to the Festival Producer, the Box Office + Tech Manager oversees all aspects box office management, and will work closely with our ticketing platform, the Festival Producer, the Volunteer Manager, the Director of Communications and the Sponsorship Coordinator in the lead up and execution of the festival.

This is a seasonal part-time position, estimated at approximately 280 hours from March – October 2019:

March – April: Approximately 5 hours per week
May – July: Approximately 10 hours per week
August – September: Approximately 10-15 hours per week
October: Approximately 40 hours or less

Primary Responsibilities:

Work with ticketing platform on advance ticket sales + protocols
Work with the Festival Producer to create a timeline and budget
Work with Festival Producer and Volunteer Manager to create best practices regarding user experience and Home Base / ticketing protocols
Streamline merchandise sale systems, including advance and in-store sales
Work with Volunteer Manager to facilitate volunteer trainings
Other related duties as assigned

Qualifications:

Must be available full time the first two weeks of October, 2019
Must be able to attend monthly planning meetings from March – October
Must be tech-savvy and able to troubleshoot technical problems on the fly
Experience with ticketing platforms and event planning; retail experience a plus
Experience working with and communicating with a team
Ability to prioritize and delegate in stressful situations
Commitment to mission and vision of O+

This is independent contractor role is compensated at $3,000.

Please send a resume and cover letter to svanburen@opositivefestival.org by Tuesday, March 26, to be considered for this position.

Photo by Emily Roberts-Negron

O+ Kingston Recruits Volunteer Manager

O+ Kingston seeks a Volunteer Manager to recruit, schedule, train and manage our fleet of volunteers, as well as working with core staff to implement the 10th festival of art, music and wellness Oct. 11-13, 2019. O+ is a community-driven event and runs on volunteer power; in 2018 we had 100+ volunteers working over the weekend to help facilitate all facets of the festival, from health + wellness offerings to musical performances to visitor services.

Reporting to the Festival Producer, the Volunteer Manager oversees all aspects of the volunteer management, and will work closely with the Festival Producer, the Box Office + Tech Manager, the Director of Communications and the Sponsorship Coordinator in the lead up and execution of the festival. Additionally, the Volunteer Manager is responsible for working with the Art, Music, Wellness, Explore, Parade, Expo, Cycling, Conference and Green Room committees to understand their needs and assist them in planning the festival schedule.

This is a seasonal part-time position, estimated at approximately 375 hours from March – October 2019:

March – April: Approximately 5 hours per week
May – June: Approximately 10 hours per week
July – August: Approximately 12 hours per week
September: Approximately 20 hours per week
October: Approximately 80 hours or less

Primary Responsibilities:

Recruit volunteers using online tools, as well outreach via tabling opportunities

Work with aforementioned various departments to assess volunteer needs based on specific department needs as they evolve
Work with the Festival Producer to create a timeline and budget
Work with Festival Producer and Box Office + Tech Manager to create best practices regarding user experience and Home Base / wristband sale protocols
Work with Festival Producer to develop volunteer training protocol
Work with Box Office + Tech Manager to facilitate volunteer trainings
Schedule and oversee all volunteers during festival weekend
Other related duties as assigned

Qualifications:

Must be available full time the first two weeks of October, 2019
Must be able to attend monthly planning meetings from March – October
Must be available to table at nearby events to recruit new volunteers
Experience with staff management, scheduling and event planning
Experience working with and communicating with a team
Ability to prioritize and delegate in stressful situations
Commitment to mission and vision of O+

This independent contractor role is compensated at $4,500.

Please send a resume and cover letter to svanburen@opositivefestival.org by Tuesday, March 26, to be considered for this position.

O+ North Adams Announces Art, Music Lineup for May 10-11 Festival

Les Nubians photo by Mikeal Beland — Les Nubians (photo by Mikeal Beland)

French-Cameroonian duo Les Nubians, known for a singular blend of warm R&B and francophone hip hop, will headline the inaugural O+ North Adams festival of art, music and wellness (May 10-11). MASS MoCA and O+ (pronounced O Positive) co-present Les Nubians’ performance at the museum’s Hunter Center on Saturday, May 11. The musician Spero (Burlington, Vt.), whose music is a blend of jazz, folk and world rhythms, will open for Les Nubians.

Spero is among nearly 20 musical acts and nine visual artists (mural, installation and performance) confirmed to participate in the festival’s unique exchange of the “art of medicine for the medicine of art” at a variety of North Adams venues. Creatives and festival volunteers who donate their time and talent to the weekend receive free health and wellness care in an Artists’ Clinic staffed by local providers across disciplines.

The public can order all-access festival wristbands and merchandise online or make a donation for a wristband in person at Common Folk, 73 Main St., North Adams.

The initial music lineup includes Brooklyn-based Blood Blush (post-punk/dream-goth), who will kick off the festival Friday, May 10, as well as beloved North Adams band Quincy, who will treat festival audiences to their genre-blending mix of country, folk, bluegrass and indie rock on May 11.

North Adams-based painter Danielle Klebes will create a mural that focuses on the history of the mill town, its proximity to the Berkshires and its reputation as a burgeoning arts mecca. Other local artists participating in O+ North Adams include: Montague, Mass.-based B Kline (“Rage Drumming” participatory performance); and North Adams artists Daniel O’Connor (“Homies” paintings and hometown postcards); Erica Barreto (“Creativity Capsule” participatory arts event); John Ryan (“Baggage” cabaret style puppet performance); Petros Chrisostomou (“Still Here/Still Alive” exhibition of large-scale photographic works); and Dalton James (“Objects of Significance” installation). Zoe Villane will design a commemorative T-shirt for the inaugural festival.

Alumni of other O+ festival cities are among the participating artists: Vince Ballentine of Brooklyn, N.Y. will paint a mural inspired by the Hoosac Tunnel and Jessica Poser of South Hadley, Mass. will present “Rupture and Repair,” a participatory installation exploring some of the psychological aspects of creativity.

A number of music alumni from other O+ festivals will play the first O+ North Adams, including Frenchy and the Punk (cabaret/folk rock, New Paltz, N.Y. — pictured at top); Home Body (electronic/experimental pop, Greenfield, Mass.); JB!! aka Dirty Moses (hip hop/rap, Albany, N.Y.); Kortnee Simmons (R&B, Kingston, N.Y.); and MSL (dream pop, Beacon, N.Y.).

O+ alumna MSL will play the first O+ North Adams festival of art, music and wellness.

O+ North Adams’ initial music lineup spans genres and geography: Belle-Skinner (rock/indie, Delmar, N.Y.); Matthew Fowler (singer-songwriter, Gainesville, Fla.); Erica Eso (synth pop, Brooklyn, N.Y.); Hill Haints (post-punk/no wave, Berkshire County); Jagweed (banjo punk, Ludlow, Vt.); Julia Caesar (indie femme rock, Burlington, Vt.); Mamma’s Marmalade (newgrass, Northampton, Mass.); Mutant Forest (immersive electronic, Brooklyn, N.Y.); Nick Stanley (singer-songwriter, North Adams); and Weege and The Wondertwins (hot jazz circus rock, Westfield, Mass.)

Venues include Common Folk, The Green, Elks Lodge and Hunter Center.

An all-access festival wristband includes admission to all the concerts (including Les Nubians) and art happenings as well as an EXPLO+RE series of classes that include meditation, stress management, Tai chi, Pilates and more.

Wristbands and merchandise are available for order online or at Common Folk, 73 Main St. The first 250 people to order a wristband will have access to a secret show on May 10.

MASS MoCA is opening up its doors to volunteer providers, who will build and staff the Artists’ Clinic on May 11 of the festival weekend.

Berkshire Health Systems is the lead sponsor of O+ North Adams. The growing list of partners include the City of North Adams, Common Folk, Golden Paintworks, The Green, Mass Cultural Council, MASS MoCA, MCLA Design Lab and Northern Berkshire Community Coalition.

To stay up-to-date be sure to follow O+ North Adams on Facebook and Instagram.

For general festival information or to discuss sponsorship opportunities email: northadams@opositivefestival.org

For press inquiries, email Makayla McGeeney: mmcgeeney@opositivefestival.org