GoggleWorks Iron Pour fest returns April 29; 8 concerts set for Jazz Appreciation Month [Spotlight]

Apr. 16—GoggleWorks Center for the Arts will hold its fifth annual Iron Pour and Forge Fest at its downtown Reading campus on April 29 from noon to 9 p.m. The art center will again partner with Albright College to welcome residents, students and visitors to the day-long, admission-free, family-friendly event celebrating artists who work with heavy metals.

The signature event takes place at sunset, when Albright professor Brian Glaze leads a pour team of students and artists from Albright and GoggleWorks to shape and transform superheated, molten iron for an expected audience of 1,000 visitors.

Attendees witness the age-old spectacle of casting and forging, which features intense heat from the furnace, the bright glow of 3,000 degree molten metal, and the shooting sparks of the crucible when it is tapped. The first 50 visitors of all ages can create their own sand molds, producing small casted iron artworks to take home.

"I'll never forget my first pour; friends and family gathering in awe watching molten iron transform and glow against an urban night background," said Maggie Gallen, director of programs at GoggleWorks. "This event is a fun and unique once in a lifetime experience."

Other highlights of the day include demonstrations by artists from the Pennsylvania Artists Blacksmith Association, hands-on activities for kids and families, live music by performers from Albright's Center for Fine Arts, food truck fare from Carbon y Lena Latin Kitchen, craft beers from Oakbrook Brewing Co. and artisanal ice cream from Great American Creamery.

Visitors can also explore GoggleWorks' on-site studio artists, shop local art at The New Store, and see the special one-day-only screening of the highly anticipated documentary film "A Long Way From Nowhere" at noon, followed by a Q&A with the featured runner, storyteller and Exeter High School alumnus, Phil Pinti, and mental health practitioner Connor Moriarty.

For more information, see goggleworks.org.

----April is Jazz Appreciation Month, a celebration started in 2001 by the National Museum of American History to recognize the extraordinary heritage and history of jazz. JAM is intended to stimulate and encourage people of all ages to participate in jazz — to study the music, attend concerts, listen to jazz on radio and recordings, read books about jazz and more.

The following local concerts are scheduled, with support from Berks Jazz Fest and funding provided by Music Performance Trust Fund and AFM Local 135-211:

—Today at 11 a.m., Jazz Brunch with the Josh Taylor Duo at Saucony Creek Franklin Station Brewpub, Reading. For reservations, call 484-755-5680. Free.

—Wednesday at 6 p.m., Jazz on the Mountain, Reading AFM Jazz Jam hosted by Christ Heslop at Reading Liederkranz. For reservations, call 610-373-3982. Free.

—Saturday at 7 p.m., An Evening of Swinging Jazz with the Reading Pops Orchestra Big Band at Reformation Lutheran Church, Exeter Township. Free.

—Sunday, April 23, at 11 a.m., Jazz Brunch with the Snack Club featuring Mike Eben, Ken Kemmerer and Carl Zeplin at Saucony Creek Franklin Station Brewpub. For reservations, call 484-755-5680. Free.

—Sunday, April 23, at 3 p.m., Jazz on the Avenue presents Lebanon Valley College's Premiere Jazz Ensemble at Yocum Institute for Art Education, West Lawn. Donation at the door.

—Wednesday, April 26, at 6 p.m., Jazz Dinner with Hesse's Hot Jazz featuring Bob Kreitz, piano; Ben Mauger, trumpet; Bob Peruzzi, trombone; Doug Kulp, drums; Bruce Campbell, bass; Chris Heslop, reeds, washboard, The Peanut Bar Restaurant, Reading. For reservations, call 610-376-8500. Free.

—Thursday, April 27, at 6 p.m., SoulJoel's at Sunnybrook in Pottstown presents the World Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra with special guest Owen J. Roberts High School Jazz Ensemble. For reservations, call 484-300-3681. Order tickets online at www.souljoels.com/shop/tickets/ojrhsjazzensamble.

—Sunday, April 30, at 11 a.m., International Jazz Day Brunch with Maria Damore at Saucony Creek Franklin Station Brewpub. For reservations, call 484-755-5680.

----Four new concerts have been added to the schedules at Santander Arena and Santander Performing Arts Center in downtown Reading.

Multi-platinum recording artist and Latin trap pioneer Arcángel will bring his "Just in Time" U.S. tour to the arena on Sept. 17. Tickets are on sale at livenation.com.

Also announced were concerts by the Fleetwood Mac tribute band Fleetwood Mask on July 8 at SPAC; the Legacy Reunion of Earth, Wind & Fire Alumni, a show that reunites former members who have been a part of the group's legacy through the decades, on Sept. 29 at the arena; and Grammy-winning country artist Travis Tritt on Oct. 5 at SPAC. Tickets for these three shows are on sale at ticketmaster.com.

----Judy's on Cherry, Reading, will host its Spring Opera Night on April 27, with the Berks Opera Singers featuring soprano Tammy Black, tenor Lyle Ingram, and baritone CJ Hartung performing opera classics.

Call 610-374-8511 to reserve your spot. Recommended seatings are at 5:30 and 7 p.m. The entertainment is from 5:45 to 8:30. Visit BerksOpera.org for more information.

Dance

The Yocum Institute for Arts Education will hold its annual fundraising event, Dancing with the Reading Stars, on Friday at 5:30 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel, Reading. Inspired by the hit television show, this annual event showcases "stars" representing Berks County's diverse community. The pairs dance and raise money to further Yocum's mission to provide arts education throughout the county and beyond.

This year's star couples are Johan Cruz and Jamie Lambert, Scott Davidson and Dr. Glynis Fitzgerald, Jadelyn De Asis and Alexis Frutos, Alaina Hanzl and Dawn Dietrich, Don Maher and Natan Pulido Perez, Ebony and Kelly McNeil, Maille and Ryan McNicholas, Steve and Christina Ohnsman, and Ashley and Andres Ortiz.

Funding is raised through sponsorships, donations and votes for the dance pairs. Votes are cast in $10 increments and can be made online at YocumInstitute.org, by mail and over the phone at 610-376-1576.

Tickets cost $85 and can be purchased by calling Yocum Institute or visiting its website. Tables are available for up to 10 attendees. Tickets include a sit-down dinner with cash bar and the show.

Art

The Penn State Berks Freyberger Gallery will present a multimedia art installation titled "When it starts, we will let the host know you are waiting" by Philadelphia-based artist Alicia Link from Wednesday through May 13, with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. April 27. The event is free and open to the public and light refreshments will be served.

The installation addresses inequity through the visual language of the gynecologist's office and waiting room. According to the artist, "This 'everyday' space illustrates the often subtle violence of inequity enacted upon certain bodies."

In summer 2022, Link was experiencing a medical issue which resulted in her going to three different medical institutions, all of which she felt were impersonal and highlighted subtle hostility and inequity toward femme, gender nonconforming and transgender bodies in the U.S. through the guise of providing protection and care. Since then, the artist has been ruminating on the true vulnerability of a body processed by a profession wherein care and comfort are necessary but housed in a space absent of those qualities.

In the gallery, attendees will view tactile sculptures, ink drawings and media work related to estranged anatomies of the waiting room of gynecologists' offices. Daily objects, including hysteroscopy curtains quilted with hermetically sealed artifacts, a line of anthropomorphic chairs enveloping the remnants of patients past, a watch, an insurance card and worn magazines are reinvented to fit the theme of the exhibit. Additionally, an isolated billing department, represented by a phone permanently off its hook, will stand alone in the gallery.

The exhibition will be open from noon to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and Saturdays. Visitors attending the gallery from May 6-13 will need to schedule an appointment. For more information, contact Kevin Brophy, gallery coordinator, at 610-396-6024 or kbb5676@psu@edu.