April 23rd thru the 26th is Central Sands Community High School’s 2nd annual service learning week! Students from Central Sands Community High School will be volunteering at The Amherst Opera House on Tuesday, April 23, 2024 starting at 9:00AM. Tasks will be moving furniture, removing trash, general cleaning, and window washing. Come and join us anytime throughout the day. Most activity will be from 9:00AM until 12Noon but we will be there all day. Come for an hour or all day. It is great to see area youth involved in service work and volunteering. Here is your chance to set an example.
Eric Nelson is one of the photographers who will be at the Amherst Opera House Photography Show/Sale on Saturday, September 9th during Celebrate Amherst. Eric creates unique inages using photographic processes dating to before the Civil War. Bring your family and have a truly unique portrait “struck” by Eric on the north lawn of the Amherst Opera House.
Eric Nelson
Eric Nelson’s interest in handmade historic photography began when he was a boy growing up in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Nelson remembers how he and his father, a high-school shop teacher, would prepare and ‘rock’ trays of chemistry in the school’s photo lab. Later, while attending UW-Madison, Nelson discovered resources on early photographic processes in the stacks of the technical library, which inspired him to begin experimenting on his own. This led to a life-long exploration of photographic processes including pin-hole photography, Ambrotypes, cyanotypes, Van-Dyke brown prints, and wet-plate collodion. Nelson collects antique cameras and lenses, and he has built a darkroom nearly everywhere he has lived. When not using a “dark tent” on the road, he works at his home studio, in a forested area near Marshfield, Wisconsin.
Eric Nelson received his MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and he has shown his work locally and nationally. His photographs have been exhibited at Williamsburg Art and Historical Center, Brooklyn, NY; Charles Allis Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI; Mills Pond House Gallery, St. James, NY; Gallery 101 University of Wisconsin-River Falls, River Falls, WI; The Alexander House, Wisconsin Rapids, WI; Joy Wai Gallery, New York, NY; and others.
Nelson has had solo exhibitions at New Visions Gallery, Marshfield, WI; Lucille Tack Center of the Arts, Spencer, WI; and Gallery 450, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point at Marshfield, Marshfield, WI. He has worked as a lecturer at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point at Marshfield, WI, and taught photography at every level from Kindergarten to College.
Sold Out Performance – Christmas in the Village 2022
Mark your calendars! Coming this December! If you want to join the community choir, please email varietyproductionsJG@gmail.com to sign up! Or text Janet Glodowski: 715-347-5847
Trey Foerster is one of the photographers who will be at the Amherst Opera House Photography Show/Sale on Saturday, September 9th during Celebrate Amherst. Plan to stop in to see and enjoy the images he creates.
A December setting sun illuminates the Trout Creek Road Schoolhouse in Portage County, Wisconsin. The heavy snowfalls still carried on tree linbs and braches offers a beautiful contrast to the red building. The red brick chimney is a wonderful touch on the schoolhouse.This woodland White Oyster fungi is common in Wisconsin and grows on decaying trees. This particular cluster was found about five feet up a tree trunk in the Skunk-Foster State Natural Area in Scandinavia, Wisconsin. The light flowing from the top backlights the gills and creates contrast with the bark’s texture and dark color. Fungi (mushrooms) are one story of decay and the environmental balance at play in wodlands.The Purple Coneflower is termed a “tall showy flower of the prairies” and is popular for herbal remedies. Butterflies and the Goldfinch are attracted to it. These specimens were blooming in late July at Jorgens Park Preserve’s prairie in Scandinavia, Wisconsin.The colors of Bud Break in Spring are second to fall’s foliage change in Central Wisconsin. Add in some fog in the hills for a background and a red barn, then you’ve got an epic Wisconsin May photograph. The brick silo is an added spice that fits in with the cornfield stubble in the foreground. This is why people fall in love with the rural backroads of the state and the many gems in holds no matter the season.
After spending 50 years in print publishing and photojournalism, mostly newspapers, Trey Foerster has embarked on a journey to bring out the vibrancy of Wisconsin’s nature, the wonderment of woodlands and prairies through fine art photography and painted photography or “paintography”. He’s attempted to bring out the story of what he sees and has experienced while shooting it. He is a member of the Photographic Society of America, the Wisconsin Professional Photographers Association, and the Focal Point Camera Club. His work – mostly centering on Central Wisconsin – has won numerous art show ribbons and placed in the Top 3 places in camera club competitions. Environment conservation has been a concern of his and works for environmental conservation through Rotary, by co-chairing the Rotary Club of Waupaca’s Environment Committee and Rotary District 6220’s Environmental Sustainability Task Force. His prairie flower photography will be used on educational signage being designed for Jorgens Park Preserve in Scandinavia, Wisconsin.
I will be selling images of various sizes and finishes from cards to frame prints.
The mission of the Amherst Opera House Co. Guild is to be a venue for local theater, visual arts, community gatherings, and music. To that end we are making plans for the 1st Annual Photography Show and Sale. This event will offer local photographers the opportunity to show and possibly sell the art they have created. This event will occur during Celebrate Amherst on Saturday, September 9th, 2023. While this is not a juried show, it is open to all who apply and are invited to participate. There is no cost to participate and any sales are 100% given to the photographer who created the image. If you are interested in participating please email info@amherstoperahouse.com for an application form.
There has been quite a lot of activity at the Amherst Opera House lately. Check out our events calendar at https://www.amherstoperahouse.com/events/ for all the details.
In recent weeks we have completed repair of our front entrance steps, added new landscaping on our north lawn, completed scheduling of three musical performances, and had the front of the building freshly painted. Stop by to see the progress we have made in person.
New concrete repairNew landscaping thanks to the Trudeau family.Fresh facelift August 2022
Join us on the north lawn for a picnic, pie auction, & a return performance by Bruce & Julie of Patchouli as we celebrate the 119th Anniversary of the formation of The Amherst Opera House Company. AOH Co was formed on June 10, 1902.
Picnic starts at 1:00 PM. Bring enough to feed your group and if you are so inclined, bring something to share. Water, Beer, & Wine will be available to purchase.
Pie and Ice Cream Social starts at 2:00 PM when homemade pie, KIng Cone Ice Cream will be available for sale. Be sure to be there on time to get your chance at home made pies as well as pies.
Patchouli performs at 2:30 PM. Bruce & Julie have performed at the Amherst Opera House since it was once again opened to the public in 2018. No need to purchase tickets. The performance is provided FREE by the Amherst Opera House Co. Guild and other local sponsors. Donations are appreciated.
