Things to do: Garbage collected from ponds turned into art, Celtic winter concert, more

The Cape Cod group that calls themselves Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage (OLAUG) is turning the trash they collect into art ― or at least into conversation pieces.

The group will have an exhibit at Falmouth Art Center through Feb. 27. The opening reception for the show, as well as two other exhibits, is Friday, Feb. 3, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage was established in 2018 by Susan Baur of North Falmouth to remove underwater trash from ponds across Cape Cod for the benefit of the plants and animals who live in the ponds. The group is comprised of strong women swimmers from ages 64 to 83. In addition to Baur, participants include Julia Benz, coach; Diane Hammer, chief garbage collector and kayaker; Robin Melavalin, underwater photographer; Mary Grauerholz, Ann Donohue, Jane Driscoll and Paula Wiseman.

The group began cleaning ponds across Cape Cod five years ago. While they were not thinking about art at the time, it became immediately apparent that the objects they retrieved had unique appeal. The exhibit at Falmouth Art Center will feature photographs taken by Hammer, who photographs trash from the ponds which is spread out on the beach to be documented.

Baur said the objects tell stories: Why is it there? How did it get there? How has the water changed it? And how is it changing the pond? Those are questions, she said, for the viewers of the exhibit too.

The Falmouth Art Center is free and open to the public daily, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays to Fridays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays. For more information, go to FalmouthArt.org or call 508-540-3304.

Afro-Pop and Moz-Jazz Artist Albino Mbie

Presented by the Cultural Center of Cape Cod at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3, Albino Mbie is an award-winning guitarist, singer, composer and sound and mixing engineer born in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. The country in southern Africa is known for its rich musical and cultural heritage. Mbie released his first album, “Mozambican Dance,” in July 2013 with 12 original compositions with musicians from 16 countries. Tickets are $25 and are available at www.cultural-center.org or by calling 508-394-7100. The Cultural Center of Cape Cod is at 307 Old Main St., South Yarmouth.

Rose Clancy and Max Cohen, A Celtic winter concert

In a concert from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Feb. 5, Clancy and Cohen present a concert of traditional and contemporary Celtic music featuring Clancy's driving fiddle style and Cohen’s innovative guitar and vocals. Enjoy an hour of uplifting fiddle tunes and beautiful songs from Ireland, Cape Breton and Scotland. Tickets are $24 ($18 for members) and are available at www.CCMoA.org/music.

Looking at gender with the Cape Cod Museum of Art

"Looking Deeply: Richard Perry’s Exploration of Gender in Relief" is artwork that examines where gender roles are fluid and evolving, said officials at the Cape Cod Museum of Art in Dennis where Perry's work is being exhibited.

Perry will give a gallery talk from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 10, followed by a reception from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

"Experiencing one of Perry’s relief sculptures is moving in every way," said an excerpt from the show. "The reliefs in this show, his second at the Cape Cod Museum of Art, are mostly figurative and play with the viewers’ preconceptions, appearing to pop out of their frame, while in fact they are just the opposite, concave."

To get the most from the images, museum officials suggest, "the viewer should first observe each relief from a distance and then move sideways while looking at the artwork. In this way the figure appears to likewise move, following the viewer across the room. Finally, if the viewer approaches closer, the illusion will suddenly dissolve to reveal the actual surface of the relief."

Perry, a retired lawyer who moved to Brewster in 1978, was always fascinated with how the human eye saw things and the brain perceived them. He studied the subject while practicing law and continues to do so with each new piece of photographic art.

Vocal ensemble Culomba brings worldly sound

Presented by the Cultural Center of Cape Cod at 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 5, Culomba is a Boston-based vocal ensemble specializing in close harmony singing from around the world. Culomba (“dove” in Corsican) draws from a deep well of repertoire, including American folk traditions, music of Georgia, Corsica, the Balkans, Ukraine, early European polyphony and original compositions. Culomba's singers have toured internationally and studied with masters of these traditions. This performance features Sophie Michaux (mezzo-soprano), Adam Simon (baritone, plucked strings), Lysander Jaffe (tenor, violin), Lexi Ugelow (alto, percussion) and Daniel Fridley (bass, wind instruments). Visit the Cultural Center’s website for information on their COVID-19 policy. Tickets are $25 and are available at www.cultural-center.org or by calling 508-394-7100.

Coming Valentine’s Day weekend in Provincetown

The Crown & Anchor in Provincetown is promising a slate of fun on Feb. 10-11 “whether you have a Valentine or are looking for one…” Local Provincetown performers shine at these events:

Provincetown Follies: Saint Valentine’s Edition variety show at 8 p.m. Friday at The Paramount Club, will ignite all your senses with singing, dancing, drag, burlesque, comedy, and more. Tickets are $25 general admission and $35 for VIP seating. Proceeds from the show’s ticket sales benefit the Provincetown Performing Arts Fund.

Dall’Italia Con Amore (From Italy with Love), 7 p.m. Saturday at the Crown & Anchor restaurant, will be a 5-course $150 prix fixe Italian dinner with wine pairings and entertainment.

My _______ Valentine, Comedy at the Crown show featuring Kristen Becker, Austin Tyler, and Anne Hutchinson is at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, February 11, at The Wave Bar. Tickets are $25.

A Valentine’s Day Queer Formal will be held at 9 p.m. Saturday at The Paramount Club, with tickets $5 in advance or $10 at the door.

For more information, visit the Crown & Anchor website.

Provincetown Film Society auction

The Provincetown Film Society is holding its third annual winter auction online Feb. 4-12. Featured items include a private dinner for two with Provincetown International Film Festival’s 2019 “Filmmaker on the Edge” honoree, John Cameron Mitchell. The auction winner and a guest will be invited to join Mitchell for dinner in either Provincetown or New York City.

Other items include a personal recorded voicemail greeting from Kathleen Turner; a Zoom meeting with actor/producer Cory Michael Smith; a private dune tour or a week's stay in a dune shack, trips, dinners with celebrity chefs and more. View auction items and bid here: www.biddingforgood.com/ptownfilm

All proceeds will benefit the mission of Provincetown Film Society to present and advocate for gender, racial, and LGBTQ+ representation on screen by providing year-round programming and platforms that allow voices of all kinds to be heard, as well as the upcoming 25th anniversary of the Provincetown International Film Festival, which runs June 14-19, 2023.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Things to do: Provincetown Valentine's Day, Cape Cod Museum of Art