A Nantucket businesswoman pioneer, a colorful phoenix, a film debut & more arts news
Nantucketer Margaret Getchell LaForge, a mastermind behind Macy's stores, is the first of three businesswomen of history due to be featured in a planned “Hidden Gems” series of books for children.
The chapter-book series aimed at ages 7-12, by author Sapphire Christine, is described as a “playful historical series (that) will transport readers back to the Gilded Age when some of the most important firsts for women in business history occurred.”
Getchell (who later took the married name LaForge) was America’s first female executive in retail, and on a Kickstarter campaign — aiming to raise $12,000 by May 31 — Christine notes: “These women’s accomplishments in the business world deserve to be remembered. Kids need to see more female role models leading businesses.”
Getchell was born on the island in 1841. As Macy's superintendent, Getchell is described by the Nantucket Historical Association as transforming Macy’s into the first modern department store.
What at one point was also the world's largest department store was founded by Nantucket native Rowland Hussey Macy, later discovered to be a distant cousin of Getchell, the association says.
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Getchell rose to superintendent from first being hired as an entry-level clerk, and regularly presented Macy with new ideas, including the store’s trademark five-pointed red star; adding departments like jewelry, home furnishings and gifts; developing window displays; and adding a soda fountain at the center of the store, according to the NHA.
Its historical account notes that despite her contributions to the store’s success, Getchell was asked to give up her salary in 1871 when her husband was promoted to partner.
Information on the Kickstarter campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hiddengemsforkids/hidden-gems-for-kids?ref=project_link.
'Phoenix' lands outside Cahoon Museum
The Cahoon Museum of American Art is featuring a brightly colored “Phoenix,” created in "quilted metal" by artist Robin Tost, as part of its Streetside Series of outdoor sculptures along Route 28 in Cotuit.
“The Phoenix” was the third in a series of quilted metal birds created for The Mount, writer Edith Wharton’s home in Lenox that has a sculpture walk each season curated by an organization called SculptureNOW.
“The Phoenix” stands 10 feet tall and is made from metals found in dumps and automotive junkyards, with wings made from leftover commercial signage.
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The inspiration for Tost’s piece, according to the museum, was mythology, the palette of colors that could be used and the idea of “rising from one's destruction.” Tost got the idea for her metalwork, with pieces "sewn together" by wire connections, during a Vermont biking trip through a region devastated by factory closings where she saw women selling quilts to supplement their family income.
A full show of Tost’s work is scheduled to open Oct. 5 at the museum. Information: www.cahoonmuseum.org.
Japanese film to debut in Hyannis
The Hyannis Film Festival will in July host the world premiere of “Unplayed Lullaby,” an independent Japanese film created by writer-director Steve J. Martin, a former Cape Cod teacher. He and costars Kozue Ito and Nana Akuzawa are expected to attend the July 28 screening in downtown Hyannis.
Martin was born in the United States and formerly taught at Riverview School in Sandwich, Cape Cod Academy in Osterville, and Sturgis Charter Public School in Hyannis. He co-produced “Unplayed Lullaby” with the two co-stars with their company Must See Pictures. Cinematographer Taiki Magyar and photographer/film colorist Geoffrey Bassett, both from the Cape, are among the production crew, according to festival information.
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The movie is due to be shown next fall in Tokyo and has already won praise from judges who chose the film, the announcement says. “Unplayed Lullaby” tells the story of a mysterious friendship that takes place over the course of five days between two women, the guarded Sae and the uninhibited Sara. The two women, according to information on the film, “discover revelations about trauma, family, growing up, and what it means to be a mother, wife, friend, and daughter in a society of increasingly aloof individuals.”
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In early 2021, Martin’s first film, “Once Upon a Time in Tokyo,” premiered on Vimeo after finding some success at international film festivals during the pandemic. Martin told the Times last year that he went back and forth living between the United States and Japan for more than two decades before settling in Tokyo in 2016.
Information on the local screening: https://www.hyannisfilmfestival.com/.
Beach Road Weekend adds partnership for 2023 festival
With this year’s big Beach Road Weekend concerts still a few months away, Innovation Arts and Entertainment has partnered with Madison House Presents and Anschutz Entertainment Group to book the headliners for the 2023 version of the late-August music festival.
The cooperative booking agreement, according to an announcement, will provide opportunities for festival headliners to play two venues on the same weekend – at Veterans Memorial Park in Vineyard Haven and at the Forest Hills Stadium, a 13,000-seat stadium in New York City celebrating its centennial next year.
Beach Road Weekend 2022 will feature performances by Beck, Wilco, The Avett Brothers, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Billy Strings, Dawes, Guster, Khruangbin, Mt Joy, Emmylous Harris, Lucinda Williams and more Aug. 26-28. Three-day passes have sold out.
More information on the festival: https://www.beachroadweekend.com/.
Contact Kathi Scrizzi Driscoll at kdriscoll@capecodonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @KathiSDCCT.
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Arts news: pioneering Nantucket businesswoman book, phoenix, music
