Tuesday, June 28, 2016 at 8:00 p.m. - short showcase performance (5-10 minutes) at "Common Ground on the Hill" in Alumni Hall, located on the campus of McDaniel College, 2 College Hill, Westminster, Maryland 21157.

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Published: June 26 2016

The Estonian Cultural Garden Federation is proud to announce the 50th anniversary of this garden, dedicated to the culture of Estonia.

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Published: June 26 2016

The final triumphant scene of the theatrical play: Are the leaders preparing to address a theater audience or a political party assembly? Internet photo

From Estonia comes again a film that is getting international attention. Called ‘Ash and Money’, it was produced by ‘Theater NO99’, based in Tallinn. The film documents shenanigans conducted in the city to give the impression to the public that a new political movement is being formed. It then shows a theatrical event performed for an audience of 7200 people, staged as an assembly for a new poitical party. At the climax of the show many people seem to have been drawn emotionally into the fake movement. The point of the movie was to illustrate how people can be manipulated. While it should have been just entertainment, for some in the audience it was more than that.

The theatrical event occurred in May of 2010, a year before Estonia’s parliamentary elections.  There may be something to be learned by all of us in the present-day US election season, perhaps as a warning. Some parallels of how the audience was manipulated may be found in the present day election campaigns. Let us examine both, starting with the current US presidential election campaign and then the movie.

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Published: June 26 2016

EANC representatives Marju Rink-Abel and Karin Shuey present the EANC wreath at the Victims of Communism memorial.   Photo by Ausma Tomsevics

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Published: June 19 2016

On this cold grey November day we decided to take a trek to Pisarate Park (Park of Tears) in Tartu. I had never heard of this place, nor knew that this Park even existed. My husband had gone there earlier in the week. There is a paved path along Emajõgi in Tartu that one can walk or jog.  If standing at the City Hall Plaza and facing the river, one begins walking toward Dorpat Hotel and the small Harbor Theater (Sadama Teater). Walking toward the theater out of town, the path takes you under several bridges.

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Published: June 19 2016

Nearly 50,000 Citizens Of The Baltic Countries Were Sent To The Gulag In June 1941.  Photo: Wikimedia

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Published: June 13 2016

Installation view of the Baltic Pavilion at the 15th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia 2016.   Photo courtesy of the Baltic Pavilion

The Palasport, a rectilinear concrete sports hall tucked away on a small alley between the Arsenale and the Giardini, is a fitting and evocative location for the first Biennale display that represents a collaborative effort by all three Baltic nations: Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.

Inside, tables display photographs of mostly concrete architecture and infrastructure from all three nations, highlighting their shared modernist patrimony and methods for reviving or redefining Soviet-era Brutalist buildings.   Review by artsy.net

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Published: June 13 2016

Vineland High School. From left: N’Talia Wilson, dance students and pianist Patricia Cummins

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Published: June 13 2016