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Wednesday, August 22, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Sculptor
Amy Helm to shine her light on folk festival stage
featured at
Hood Ave. Art
By Ceili Cornelius
Correspondent
Sculptor Mark Andrew
of Eugene will be setting up
on the lawn at Hood Avenue
Art August 25 and 26 from
11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Working in wood, stone
and bronze, Andrews creates
pieces that feature in homes
and gardens.
“For me, sculpting takes
intense concentration, physi-
cal energy and vision,” the
artist says. “It also takes time.
For more than thirty years,
I’ve been mastering tech-
niques, learning from mis-
takes and sculpting people’s
dreams into reality. The most
important thing I’ve learned?
There are no shortcuts to
experience.”
Andrews has been fasci-
nated by sculpture since he
was a teenager.
“My family moved to
Switzerland, and I was for-
ever changed by the relief
sculpture I saw in buildings,
public spaces, even homes.
The craft was passed from
generation to generation, and
centuries of handwork was
on display wherever I went. I
decided to start sculpting, and
I haven’t stopped since.”
Andrews is particularly
enamored of outdoor displays
such as what he will offer on
Saturday and Sunday.
“Outdoor exhibitions are
the most accessible ‘art gal-
leries,’ melding form with
function,” he says. “And
bringing beauty to everyday
life. Bringing aesthetic quali-
ties to everyday life. This is
what I want for my clients.
And for my community.”
Sisters
Farmers
Market
Fridays
2:00-5:30 p.m.
June-September
Fir Street Park
sistersfarmersmarket.com
Amy Helm, a singer-
songwriter with influences
of Americana, country, blues
and gospel will be returning
to Sisters as a performer at the
Sisters Folk Festival.
Helm comes from rock-
and-roll royalty, being the
daughter of The Band’s drum-
mer and singer, Levon Helm.
But she has made a name for
herself playing in a number
of bands over the years, since
she was 14 years old.
“From the time I was
young I knew I wanted to be
in the music industry. I con-
tinued to play in bands and
was able to grow as a musi-
cian having the opportunity to
play with a variety of musi-
cians,” said Helm.
Helm started as a found-
ing member of the alt-country
band Ollabelle and served
as a backing musician in her
father’s band, The Midnight
Rambler Band. She now
plays alongside a variety of
musicians as a duo and part of
bands. She is currently tour-
ing as a solo artist with a band
behind her.
Helm was scheduled to
perform at last year’s festival
before it was cancelled due to
the smoke impact of the Milli
Fire and other fires across the
region. However, Amy stuck
around for an inspirational
performance at a community
gathering held at The Belfry
the weekend of the festival
— in the spirit of keeping the
music going.
“I come from a small,
music-oriented community,
so I was really feeling for
Sisters at the time and thought
it was beautiful how the com-
munity came together,” said
Helm.
Helm and a number
of other musicians pulled
together a show.
“Everybody wanted to
make something happen, and
the sense of unity is infectious
there. Everyone involved with
the festival was so kind and
were giving the best experi-
ence they could have given
the circumstances,” she said.
Helm and her good friend
Martha Scanlan gave a pow-
erful performance together
during the weekend.
Helm often plays with
bands and with other musi-
cians, and is often featured
on other musician’s albums.
However, she is coming out
with her second solo record in
the upcoming months. “This
Too Shall Light” is an inter-
pretive album including a col-
lection of covers by singer-
songwriters including Rod
Stewart, Milk Carton Kids,
and Allen Toussaint. The title
is off one of the songs on the
record written by Mike Taylor
and Joe Coffman.
“They were friends of
mine and wrote this song for
me to sing, and with their per-
mission I asked for the title
track of the record to be their
song. I thought it felt like
a good fit for the rest of the
album,” she said.
Helm worked under
Grammy-winning producer
Joe Henry on the record
alongside a band.
“Joe Henry was very calm
and confident and took charge
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Amy Helm lent heart and talent to a community show after Sisters Folk
Festival was cancelled last year. She’s coming back to Sisters this year.
in a quiet way, and we did all
the recording in a four-day
period,” she said. “I had the
opportunity to work with a
hugely talented band that I
will be bringing with me to
the festival. When we play we
try to create a set list of music
that really highlights the band
because they deserve to be
heard, especially in a live
setting.”
Helm loves learning from
her fellow musician friends, a
number of them she looks for-
ward to seeing at the festival.
“I so look forward to
coming back to Sisters for
the festival. I can’t wait to
see the immediate beauty
of that place with music in
that setting. I am excited to
see and hear my musician
friends,” she said.
“I think this year’s festival
is going to be very special.
Last year was something that
music makers and music lov-
ers triumphed and overcame
and I think that will create a
special vibe this year.”
Helm will be playing a
number of sets on the Sisters
Folk Festival stages through-
out town.
The Sisters Folk Festival
is set for September 7-9.
Day passes are still avail-
able and can be purchased at
www.sistersfolkfestival.org.
Call 541-549-4979 for more
information.
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