CAMP Rehoboth Puts Art at the Heart of the Community
In the CAMP Rehoboth Gallery
30 Years in 30 Photos
Is it possible to capture 30+ years of CAMP Rehoboth history in 30 photographs? From May 4-31, you can judge for yourself through CAMP’s newest exhibition. Visitors can reflect on CAMP’s story as well as acquire a one-of-a-kind piece of its history. Framed photos will be available for bidding in an online auction beginning May 5.
CAMP Rehoboth co-founder Murray Archibald curated over 300 photographs from CAMP’s extensive archives, and the team of Joyce Felton, Steve Hoult, and Carolyn Watson had the challenge of selecting the 30 photographs for the exhibition. Murray stated, “It is less a history than it is a stone skipping across the surface of a pond and touching down here and there to reveal a particular moment.”
“We are honored to host this retrospective,” says CAMP Rehoboth Board President Wes Combs. “When I first started coming to Rehoboth in 1987, it was a refuge for LGBTQ people where we could escape discrimination and rejection to find serenity alongside others going through the same thing.” The photos in this exhibit “harken back to the reason CAMP Rehoboth was founded: Creating A More Positive Rehoboth.”
Join us for an exhibit reception on Saturday, May 21 (4:00-6:00 p.m.) to socialize, view the photos, and continue bidding. Proceeds will support CAMP Rehoboth’s vital programs. Visit camprehoboth.com for more information.
As I See It…from Kodachrome to iPhone
Local favorite Geri Dibiase brings a one-woman show of her fabulous photography to the CAMP Rehoboth Gallery—June 4 to July 2—with an Artist’s Reception Sunday, June 5 (2:00-4:00 p.m.). ▼
CAMP Rehoboth highlights our community’s unique history and culture, and serves to further diversity, equity, and inclusion, by building unity and understanding. Exhibits may be viewed Monday-Friday (10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.) and Saturday (10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.). View and purchase art on the CAMP Rehoboth website under “SHOP.”
artist SPOTLIGHT
David Zipse
With the long-awaited CAMP Rehoboth Chorus concert just around the corner (May 13-15), I decided to introduce you to the chorus’s accompanist—David Zipse.
Did you come from a musical family?
When Mom played the piano I’d always ask, “How do you do that?” So, she taught me for a while, then I studied piano, clarinet, and sax. I started playing jazz in junior high, classical music in high school, and have a degree in composition from Shenandoah College & Conservatory of Music. My teachers there were of the philosophy that composers need to create something new and different. Why write like Bach or Beethoven? I wrote a lot of serious contemporary music, but my heart was into pop, rock, and jazz.
After college I only composed occasionally. The pandemic changed that, and I have written over 100 songs in the past year and signed many over to publishers.
Who are your biggest musical influences?
Oscar Peterson, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, and the rock keyboard players who used to be surrounded by keyboards—Keith Emerson, Rick Wakeman, and of course, George Gershwin.
You’re not just a brilliant accompanist, you also arrange the band charts. Where did you learn to do that?
I started to learn in jazz workshops in Wilmington, briefly studied with Don Sebesky and others, and had courses in jazz arranging at the conservatory.
How does music influence your life?
I don’t listen to music for enjoyment—I listen to learn. I study what is current, and what makes it sound current.
How does your life influence your music?
I get inspired to write through life experiences and playing a lot—and I mean A LOT.
It has made me a better musician, better performer, and better able to express myself through my music.
What’s your favorite part of being a musician? Least favorite? Favorite?
Bringing joy to people. Talent is a gift, and what you do with it is your gift back. Least favorite? People asking, “What’s your day job?” This is my job!
You said your work has been positively affected by the pandemic?
When my performing gigs dried up, I found other ways to make money making music. I learned to stream for a friend’s virtual CD release party and began streaming our church services; and it got me back into composing. I released a jazz CD in 2020, and I’ve written hundreds of songs and collaborated with artists across the world. This is what I’ve always wanted to do—a dream I set aside for too many years.
Finally, how do you define success as an artist?
Success is being able to make a living doing what you love: your art. ▼
Doug is the Artistic Director of CAMP Rehoboth Chorus and Minister of Music at Epworth UMC. You can contact him at dougyetter@gmail.com.