Art Auction Hosted by Farmers' Market to Feature MaGiK Studios

The Easton Farmers’ Market will host an art auction for Emmy award-winning animator and artist, Maciek Albrecht this coming Saturday, November 16 at 325 Northampton St., soon to be the home of the EFM's indoor market space.

Maciek Albrecht, in MaGiK Studios gallery, located at 34
Sebring St.

Albrecht, owner of MaGiK Studios just off South Fifth Street, will auction original pieces of art including sculptures, paintings and props from his animated films, many of which depict local scenes and concepts from recent film shorts featuring Easton. Works that were seen in "Easton Musician's Town", "Karl", "E Stone", and  "To The Market", all featured at the Movies at the Mill film festival, will be up for bid at the auction.

Also available will be a number of Elli Albrecht's abstract paintings.

Fifty original works in total will be auctioned, with a preview beginning at 9 a.m. Dotta Auctions will begin the bidding at noon.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit Easton Farmers’ Market.

"The Easton Farmer's Market's has an extraordinary energy. (We) hope this auction will allow them to grow in their new location on Northampton Street," the Albrechts said via email.

MaGiK Studio is located at 34 Sebring St. in Easton, behind The Nurture Nature Foundation. The artists' gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and by appointment. Visit www.magikdesigngallery.com for more information about Maciek and Elli Albrecht.

For more information about the upcoming auction, visit www.EastonFarmersMarket.com or call 610-330-9942.

Retrospective Screening to Kick Off Indiegogo Film Fundraising Campaign

By Christina Georgiou

MaGiK Studio, 34 Sebring St. in Downtown Easton, will hold a retrospective film screening of "Close to You" this Saturday evening, June 22, beginning at 7 p.m., which will also introduce attendees to the animator Maciek Albrecht's latest project, a three-minute animated video for Allentown beatbox jazz performer Yancarlos Sanchez's tune, "Ma Pacu Meaw".

The pair, who recently met at one of Sanchez's shows, hopes to raise $5,999 on Indiegogo to support the project. While at first the amount may sound steep, the budget includes set building, animation, and pretty much the entire production, Albrecht said, noting that even a short stop-motion animation clip takes weeks to produce and edit.



A test shot of the animated short shows Yancarlos Sanchez
exploring the depths of an ancient forest.
Photo contributed by MaGiK Studio.

 The short film, when successfully funded, will chronicle an ornithologist/explorer, played by  Sanchez, venturing into the depths of an ancient forest in search of the legendary bird Ma Pacu Meaw. Using his bird calling skills, he stumbles upon the "Temple of Lost Species" and encounters many magnificent and forgotten birds concealed from known civilization. He then  undergoes an initiation ritual and decides to live among them, Albrecht said.

The subject not only will highlight Sanchez's unique beatbox style, but also hopefully raise awareness of the danger many tropical birds face due to global warming and other manmade environemental hazards, Albrecht added.

Sanchez originally hails from the Dominican Republic.

The event at MaGiK's Easton studio will feature a 40-minute film from the studio's past works, a love story about two people in 1990s New York City destined for each other, but who are unable to meet.


Maciek Albrecht talks about the upcoming retrospective film
screening and his new project collaboration with beatbox
artist Yancarlos Sanchez at his studio in Downtown Easton.

 While the main characters may have difficulties, the award-winning film's production is where Albrecht and his wife Elli got to know each other and fall in love, eventually marrying and moving to Downtown Easton.

In addition to the screening and a personal explanation of the new project, there will be an art sale, and Yancarlos Sanchez will perform beginning around 9:30 p.m. Refreshments will be on hand as well.

Fundraising on Indiegogo will continue through Saturday, July 20, and, like many crowdfunding efforts, Albrecht and Sanchez are offering a variety of incentives to backers, depending on the level of support, including free signed CDs, beatbox lessons and how-to animation workshops.

For more information about MaGiK Studio, including short clips, click here.

For more about the showing of "Close to You", visit the event's Facebook page. RSVPs, either via Facebook or by phone at 610-983-8125, are appreciated.

For more about the new collaborative short film project or to donate, click here.

For more about Yancarlos Sanchez, click here.

Yancarlos Sanchez will also be performing at Porters' Pub this week, where he is a familiar face in Easton on many Thursday nights. For more information, click here.

Animated Short Film Screening Set For Friday

MaGiK Studio will hold a screening of short animated films on Friday, December 7 from 6 to 10 p.m.

Included are the special "Twas the Night" and films from their "Easton Shorts" series.

Children are welcome at the event, and the showings begin at 7 p.m. Admission is free.

MaGik Studio is located at 34 Sebring St., just off Pine Street between South Fifth and Sixth streets in Downtown Easton.

For more information, call 610-983-8125.

MaGiK Show Says "Goodbye 80-ties" This Weekend

Before setting his sights on the award-winning animation shorts the world knows him best for, Easton's Maciek Albrecht was already an established cartoonist, with works created for the pages of such print luminaries such as  The New York Times Book Review,  Condé Nast Traveler, Rolling Stone, Business Week, Atlantic Monthly, PC Magazine, and many other well-known publications.

All that work still exists in his archives, and now Albrecht feels it's time to release it back into the world.

Much of his current animation work is done on computers, but Albrecht's involvement with technology dates back to the 1980s and '90s, and that's reflected in his work of the time, done by hand.

"Do you remember small black diskettes? I draw many of them," he said recently from his studio. "Now they feel nostalgic."

The studio where "MaGiK" happens, located on the little travelled back alley of Sebring Street in the city's Downtown district. It's usually a by-appointment-only sort of place and isn't open to the public very often.

But that won't be the case this weekend, as the attached gallery will be holding a reception to highlight--and sell--those vintage works, many of which feature themes of the Cold War and the beginnings of personal computing.

Open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday, the public is invited to drop in to check out  Maciek's past works at the "Goodbye 80-ties" show and sale. It's also a rare opportunity mingle with Albrecht and see where MaGiK happens.

The gallery entrance is at 34 Sebring St., the alley just off Pine Street between South Fifth and Sixth streets. Parking is on the street, but is usually readily available.

For more information about the show, call 610-990-6999.

For more information about the current work of Maciek Albrecht, most recently featured at last weekend's Movies at the Mill, visit www.magikworld.com



This is just a small portion of the vintage works of Maciek Albrecht that will be on display and for sale this coming weekend.


Update, Tuesday, October 2, 5:15 a.m.: The show was such a success this past weekend that Maciek Albrecht has decided it will continue through October. MaGiK Studios gallery will be open for public viewing of the remaining works, as well as sales, on Saturdays through the end of the month, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.