Hello Sourcers! You have almost made it through February. Look there, upon the horizon! It’s March, glimmering with the promise of…well, probably more snow. 

Let’s see what’s up this week!

🎉 Fire and Ice and Opera

📸 Photography

♟️ Games

First up is an event that got delayed from earlier this month due to cold. Which is ironic because it is the Festival of Fire and Ice at the Ithaca Children’s Garden, this Saturday from 3 to 6pm! The event includes fire dancers, a cauldron full of hot chocolate, Haudenosaunee storytelling, and a puppet parade, along with family activities throughout the day.

Next up is something I’ve been looking forward to since over a year ago, when Tri Cities Opera’s executive director John Rozzoni first told me about the project. This weekend is the Binghamton debut of Lucidity, a new opera by composer Laura Kaminsky and librettist David Cote commissioned by TCO as part of their 75th anniversary celebrations. The opera deals with issues of memory, caregiving, and the power of music, and stars renown artist Judy Berry. Performances will be held Friday evening and Sunday afternoon.

Last but not least, right here in the WSKG Studios building, the Lyceum course series is launching their spring course calendar. Lyceum is a program affiliated with Binghamton University that offers classes in a variety of subjects for lifelong learners. I might sneak over for the History of Comic Books class.

I almost forgot, there’s one more thing! On Saturday, there’s gonna be a meat raffle in Horseheads to benefit Habitat for Humanity! This is, to the best of my knowledge, the furthest eastward push of the meat raffle phenomenon, which is a pretty regular thing in Buffalo, apparently. Am I telling you about this because it is fun to say “meat raffle?” Yes. Can you sing “There’s gonna be a meat raffle” to the tune of “Gonna Be a Showdown” by Archie Bell & the Drells? Yes, Sourcers, yes you can.

Til next time.

Yours,

Bob Proehl

Locally Sourced editor

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Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of visiting the Roberson Museum for the opening of Unexpected Passion, featuring photographic work by Joshua Lasky. I’ve admired Lasky’s work online for years, often struck by the way he manipulates light to create portraits that feel lifted from the Renaissance. But seeing these images printed large and hung in a gallery is something else entirely. Every hair, every freckle, every shadow is rendered in exquisite detail. The result is not just technical mastery, but an almost startling intimacy and a deeply human connection between subject, photographer, and viewer.

The exhibition unfolds in thoughtfully curated sections: luminous still lifes, arresting black-and-white portraits, and a deeply personal grouping devoted to Lasky’s family (his self-described muses). Another series draws direct inspiration from art history, reimagining works like Saint Jerome Writing and Girl with a Pearl Earring through Lasky’s contemporary lens. Throughout the gallery, excerpts from the artist trace his creative journey, including the moments he nearly gave it up, and the perseverance that brought him back to the work. These reflections beautifully underscore the exhibition’s central themes: light, devotion, and the enduring pull of the human condition.

“The faces you see on those pieces of paper belong to the people who have helped lay the path that guides me as I continue discovering who I am as an artist. Without them, I’d be lost. Each photograph is unique to me and, I hope, just as unique to the viewer,” Lasky writes.

Moving through the exhibition feels like walking alongside the artist himself and witnessing the evolution of both his craft and confidence. Unexpected Passion is on view through March 18, and it is more than worth a visit. While you’re there, don’t miss the adjoining gallery featuring a retrospective spanning more than fifty years of work by artist Orazio Salati, a powerful pairing that bridges generations of creative dedication.



Let me know about art events happening in your town! amicha@wskg.org

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Hello, travelers! We once again meet at the next Waypoint, hopefully unscathed and without too much trouble. Normally, I come to you with tidings of local tabletop gaming spots, but this issue is a special one, not to mention the first of its kind! At this Waypoint, I bring you a community spotlight. That’s right; someone from one of our communities has been struck by inspiration and taken the initiative to design and create their very own contribution to tabletop gaming.

Created by Sam Reis of Endicott, Phase is a lunar-based board game that draws inspiration from the night sky and the celestial bodies found within it, where matching and sequences are the keys to success. Supporting up to four players (but with an expansion that allows up to six), your goal is to collect star tokens in a race against your opponents as you play tiles representing the different phases of the moon. Make a pair with either the same phase or two phases that combine to equal a full moon, and you claim those tiles with star tokens, which you’ll collect and bank once the board is full and the stage is complete. Similarly, make a sequence by stringing together phases in the proper order, and you’ll claim even more!

But it’s not all just peaceful stargazing; you have to be careful and strategic. In a similar vein to Othello, if someone is able to make a pair or sequence using cards you've played, then they’ll steal your tokens and bank them as their own. It’s a small element, but it adds a whole new layer of complexity, serving as a source for both potential setbacks and advantages.

But even if you aren’t super into strategy and tactics, Phase is a great game for anyone, with rules that one can learn in as little as two minutes and gorgeous art on the board, the phases, and the wildcards. (Oh, and did I mention there’s a zodiac expansion pack?)

Whether you’re a casual enjoyer of board games or a pro looking for something with a simple ruleset but hidden complexity, then Phase would be a perfect match for you. It’s currently looking for support on Kickstarter, so I’ll go ahead and set a quest marker over there for you to check out. Not to mention, you’ll be supporting a local creative with a love and passion they want to share with others.

That’s all for this issue. A huge thank you to Sam for reaching out to me and our Locally Sourced team with this idea. And if you are a local gamecrafter, send us a scroll with what you’re working on so we can let others know! In the meantime, let the stars guide you, and maybe carry some silver during full moons. Safe travels, and I’ll see you at the next Waypoint.