NCPR News Staff: Todd Moe, Morning Host and Producer

(02/03/12) Artists Matt Burnett and Scott Fuller are known for creating several large scale outdoor art installations from Long Lake to Canton in recent years. They're back again this winter, and despite a lack of deep snow, they've put together an outdoor show at SUNY-Potsdam that combines elements of winter, nature and projected images.

Matt Burnett, who lives in the Adirondacks, and his collaborator Scott Fuller, from Maine, used large snow sculptures as a canvas for video images in a large scale outdoor exhibit at St. Lawrence University last year. They worked on similar outdoor art projects in Saranac Lake and Long Lake.

They launched their outdoor "E-Fraction" show last night on the SUNY Potsdam campus. It will be illuminated nightly on campus through the middle of next week. Todd Moe has a preview. more

(02/02/12) SUNY Potsdam is hosting an indoor/outdoor art exhibit this month that combines elements of winter, nature and video projections. Matt Burnett, who lives in the Adirondacks, and his collaborator Scott Fuller, from Maine, used large snow sculptures as a canvas for video images in a large scale outdoor exhibit at St. Lawrence University last year. They've worked on similar outdoor art projects in Saranac Lake and Long Lake.

The duo is back again this winter and despite a lack of deep snow, are working this week on another outdoor show at SUNY-Potsdam. We'll have more about their "E-Fraction" outdoor illuminated exhibit tomorrow morning during The Eight O'clock Hour.

The two artists are known for creating several large scale outdoor installations in recent years. Todd Moe stopped by campus earlier this week as they unveiled a massive indoor piece of art that dominates a two-story wall in the Gibson gallery. It's so large that they had to create it on Pendragon Theater's stage. Fuller and Burnett used paint, recycled wall paper and wooden panels to create what they call, The Last Painting.

(02/01/12) A new photo exhibit in Potsdam connects art, music, gardens and friendship. Photographer Jane Lammers spent time last spring, summer and early fall in the perennial gardens of three North Country friends.

She also assembled a playlist of music to accompany her exhibit, Perennial Bliss. It includes music by Jean-Pierre Rampal, Yo-Yo Ma and James Galway. The eight photos in the exhibit follow the seasonal flow in flower gardens.

Todd Moe spoke with Jane Lammers about gardens, photography and music. Her show is up through the end of the month at First Crush Bistro in Potsdam.

(02/01/12) The Northern Symphonic Winds winter concert is this Saturday night (7:30) in the Massena High School Auditorium. "Altered States" is the theme of the concert that will also include select Massena student musicians. The concert is a benefit for the school's music program. Todd Moe talks with conductor Brian Doyle about choosing a theme and music for the concert.

(02/01/12) Root cellars were an essential part of nearly every home a hundred years ago. And along with an increase in the number of people growing their own food is the return to the root cellar. More than a basement, it's the cousin to canning and freezing and another way of preserving the harvest into the winter months. A couple of winters ago, Todd Moe visited Winnie and Rob Sachno's root cellar on their St. Lawrence County farm for a closer look at a simpler way of storing food.

(01/31/12) Todd Moe talks with Jennifer Choi, the violinist from the eclectic string quartet, Ethel. They're artists-in-residence at the Crane School of Music this week and will present a concert in Potsdam at Hosmer Hall Thursday night (7:30). They have a cool name and the young musicians like to play music influenced by pop and jazz. Ethel will perform its "Present Beauty" program featuring music by Philip Glass from the movie, The Hours. Choi says the four musicians have backgrounds in the classical genre, but the group prefers adventurous music.

(01/30/12) The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released the new version of its Plant Hardiness Zone Map. It's an update of a useful tool for gardeners. Clinton and Essex County Cornell Cooperative Extension Service Horticulturist Amy Ivy says it's a "great piece of the gardening puzzle" in the North Country, but not the whole story. She spoke with Todd Moe.

(01/27/12) An Adirondack community welcomes the return of its library this weekend, after months of repair work. The doors of the Wells Memorial Library in Upper Jay will reopen on Saturday as part of a day-long celebration. Five months ago, heavy flooding damaged the library after Hurricane Irene.

The library's board president, Marie-Anne Azar Ward, says flood waters ruined a majority of the library's books, and nearly all the children's collection was destroyed.

Azar Ward says the community rolled-up its collective sleeves and went to work repairing the 106-year old building. The re-opening celebration, with music and food, starts at 1 o'clock Saturday afternoon.

(01/27/12) More than 30 free events are part of the 3rd annual celebration of ArtIgnite celebration in Kingston, Ontario. It starts today and continues through February 12th. Brian McCurdy, Cultural Director for the City of Kingston, says ArtIgnite is a winter showcase of arts and cultural events events, an eclectic mix of shows, exhibitions, concerts and art activities on the Queen's University campus and in downtown Kingston.

(01/25/12) Did you make a New Year's resolution to lose weight or get more exercise? Some local small businesses are doing their part to help their employees stay healthy at the workplace. Wellness programs are not new. They've been staples at large companies for years, but are less likely to be used at small businesses. That's changing.

Amid soaring health spending, there is growing interest in workplace disease prevention and wellness programs to improve health and lower costs. Eager to control rising health care costs, small firms in St. Lawrence County are turning to a health experts for help. Todd Moe has more.