Yonkers Arts And Culture Blog

Biagio Civale donates works to fight Cystic Fibrosis

2012-01-24T18:43:00.000-05:00

(posted as received)
Internationally Renowned Artist Believes He Can Make A Difference In The Fight Against Cystic Fibrosis

NEW YORK, New York, Jan. 23, 2012 - Artist Biagio Civale generously donates 5 of his works of art for auction at the 7th Annual Christopher Ricardo Cystic Fibrosis Foundation benefit dinner to be held on Monday, March 5th in New York City. All proceeds raised from this auction of Mr. Civale's artwork will go directly to research to find a cure for cystic fibrosis.

Abracadabra
30x22, tempera, photos
copyright 2010, Biagio Civale

"The Christopher Ricardo Cystic Fibrosis Foundation continues its commitment to incorporating artists and their artwork into its fundraising efforts," said the foundation's Art Program Director, Frank Dituri. "Biagio did not hesitate to join our program 'Art For A Cure' when I asked him," continued Mr. Dituri.

The benefit dinner, hosted by foundation board member Nicola Mossa, will be held at Il Barolo Ristorante on March 5th at 7 PM and will offer guests a festive and philanthropic evening, with a chance to bid on Mr. Civale's artwork and in addition win a bevy of prizes including a 7-day cruise getaway, Apple iPad 2, and much more. "Mr. Civale is clearly a talented artist, but more importantly is an incredible individual by making his generous gift to help those with CF," said Nicola Mossa.

About The Christopher Ricardo Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
The Christopher Ricardo Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is a nonprofit 501 (c) (3) organization comprised of family, friends and business leaders dedicated to raising financial support for research aimed at finding a cure for cystic fibrosis (CF). CF is a genetic and fatal disease that primarily affects the respiratory and digestive system of 30,000 Americans.

Organized in late 2004, the Christopher Ricardo Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has raised nearly 1 million dollars which in turn has been donated both to the National Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the "Fondazione per la ricerca sulla fibrosi cistica-onlus" (the CF research foundation in Italy). These two foundations are committed to developing the latest research by raising the median age of people with CF and improving their quality of life. For more information visit www.breatheandbelieve.org

About Biagio Civale
Born in Rome, Italy in 1935. Studied in Italy, France and USA. Trained in a myriad of techniques and
experimented in multiple media. Produced artworks in a number of styles. Constantly searching the form that coincides with the content. Regularly excited by the expressivity and profundity of the black and white images. Considers himself a modern artist that works and expresses his inner world, an artist that expresses energy, motion and other inner forces. The resulting kind of personal expressionism is like an alternate view versus the mechanical means of representing objects via cameras and photos and realism in general. Has produced woodcuts, drawings, serigraphs, etchings, intaglios, collagraphs, posters, oils, temperas, watercolors, mixed media and bronze sculpture.
For more information visit www.civale.org.

If you'd like more information about the artist, or to schedule an interview with Biagio Civale, please call 914-965- 5703 or e-mail gcivale@datastoragecorp.com

If you would like more information about the Christopher Ricardo Cystic Fibrosis Foundation or the benefit dinner, please call Nicola Mossa, 917-325-4819 or email nicolamossa@aol.com

Help Save The Arts in Westchester!

2011-11-17T18:40:00.000-05:00

Once again, budgetary woes rear their ugly heads, and the Westchester Arts Organizations that receive money from the county itself are in danger of losing their funding, and probably going out of business.

If you are reading this, you probably are a fan of the arts in Westchester, and you probably should write a letter to your county executives. But inertia is difficult to overcome...

Arts Westchester makes it easy to do so.

Go here https://www.artswestchester.org/get-involved/save-the-arts/county-legislature/ and write a letter to your county executives. They even suggest something to say!

Three For The Show

2011-10-24T12:27:00.000-04:00

Lu Gmoser has been putting on Musical shows in the area for longer than I know. She is a font of knowledge about all things show tunes and older songs. If this is your cup of tea and you've never been, you'll be in for a treat. The audiences for these things are on the older side, so if you are younger than 60, check it out.

Ziegfeld tribute was today, but you've got Rodgers, Hammerstein, & Hart, Patriotic songs, and Love songs to choose from.

Elli Fordyce Quartet at the Garage Restaurant Nov 12 (No Cover!

2011-10-23T19:04:00.000-04:00

The Elli Fordyce Quartet, (who I have profiled earlier on this blog) is returning to the Garage Restaurant (see below for details) for a series of no cover/no minimum Jazz Performances. Their next date is a brunch on Saturday, November 12th from 12 to 4pm (followed by, at 6-10pm, Thursday, December 1st).

The band features some very accomplished area musicians, including Ray Gallon on piano, Ratzo Harris on bass , Phil Stewart on drums , and Yonkers based Elli Fordyce as the vocalist

Reservations are highly recommended.

You can follow Elli online at http://twitter.com/ellifordyce2 for updates and additional information. She's a very active tweeter!

The Elli Fordyce Quartet

When:Saturday, Nov. 12th, 12-4pm
Where:Garage Restaurant & Cafe

99 7th Ave. South, New York, NY,

(http://www.garagerest.com, 212- 645-0600)

Riverdale Arts Festival October 23 (256th & Mosholu, Riverdale)

2011-10-07T11:00:00.002-04:00

I'll be performing artistic antics on the street at a new arts festival in Riverdale
(just over the Yonkers border) on Sunday October 23.

It promises to be a lot of fun. Check it out if you can.

Riverdale Festival of the Arts
Sunday October 23, 2011 from 11 am-4 pm

West 256th Street (between Delafield and Mosholu) and
on the grounds of Riverdale Neighborhood House

Live music performances - all day - from Jazz to Rock to Classical.

Internationally-acclaimed Tenor Saxophonist, Eric Alexander

Jazz performers Alma and Rale Micic

NYC Rock band, Sweet Fix

Classical Wind Ensemble from the Bronx Arts Ensemble

Entertainment by local theatre groups and street performers:

Riverdale Repertory Company
Riverdale Children’s Theatre
The Acme Clown Company

Original artwork from artists around the world from Elisa Contemporary Art and the Derfner Judaica Museum + Art Collection.

Local artists including:

Barbara Laube
Anna Purves
Adam Shultz
Ginny Howsam Friedman
Isabelle Eng
Arnie Adler
Matthew Turov
Nu Ryu
Joanne Cooper
Riverdale Art Association
and more

Children’s activities, art projects led by the Riverdale Y and Scribble Art Workshops. We'll have facepainters & more!

Exhibits from local merchants

Food provided by Sqweez Catering

It promises to be an exciting event
for our community with
something for everyone and for every age

PS 81’s Fall Funday with plenty of great children’s activities will be held at the same time for a whole block of fun!

For further information and the schedule of events, visit:
www.RiverdaleFestivaloftheArts.com

Recent Works by Luis Perelman at the Upstream Oct 13-Nov 6

2011-09-22T08:35:00.000-04:00

Luis Perelman, who is one of the main movers and shakers behind the Blue Door Art Gallery, is having an exhibition of recent work at the Upstream Gallery in Dobbs Ferry.

Metal Weaves

Thursday, Oct 13 to Sunday, Nov 6.
Opening reception – Sunday, October 16, from 2 to 5pm.

at the Upstream Gallery
26B Main Street, Dobbs Ferry, NY
914 674 8548
www.upstreamgallery.com

More information about Luis at http://www.luisperelman.com

Connecticut Ballet tonight at Saunders High School (moved from Untermeyer)

2011-08-06T14:31:00.000-04:00

The Untermyer Performing Arts Council's "WorldFest"

concert for tonight, the Connecticut Ballet - has been moved to Saunders High School, located at 183 Palmer Road. The performance will begin at 7:30 PM.

This event is made possible with funding from Empire City at Yonkers Raceway,

Arts Westchester with funds from Westchester County Government and private donors.

The event is done in cooperation with the Yonkers Dept. of Parks, Recreation & Conservation.

Westchester/Fairfield Museum Alliance

2011-07-20T07:50:00.000-04:00

Eight museums in Westchester and Fairfield counties have formed an alliance which will benefit arts enthusiasts throughout the region. The Fairfield/Westchester Museum Alliance offers free admission and a 10% gift shop discount to members of all participating museums – and for non-member visitors, a same-day free pass to all museums, when paying admission at any one of the eight museums.

Participating organizations include:

The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum (Ridgefield, CT)
The Barnum Museum (Bridgeport, CT)
Bruce Museum (Greenwich, CT)
Hudson River Museum (Yonkers, NY)
Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art (Peekskill, NY)
Katonah Museum of Art (Katohah, NY)
Neuberger Museum of Art (Purchase, NY)
Wave Hill

FOR MEMBERS
This program comes at no additional cost to members, simply present your membership card from one of the above museums to receive free admission.

This enthusiastic partnership is pleased to provide value added to your existing memberships offering convenience and expanded opportunity for arts enjoyment.

FOR ALL VISITORS
For those without a membership at one of the above museums, simply print a copy of the same-day pass which will be validated when you present it and pay for admission at the admissions desk at any one of the participating museums. The pass will entitle you to free admission at any one of the eight museums for the entire day. Simply present the validated pass to receive free admission.

To find out more about exhibitions and programs at participating locations, please visit each organization’s website by clicking on the links.

In terms of membership, all of the museums listed have a family membership that costs between $60-$125. They offer different levels and perks for members, so look over their membership offerings before deciding. To gain admission alone, you only need to be a member of one museum. But if you like, you can join all 8, or donate to to them separately!

The Hudson River Museum also offers reciprocal privileges with museums around the nation (and I'm sure some of the other museums do too!)

The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
258 Main Street, Ridgefield, CT, 203-438-4519, www.aldrichart.org

The Barnum Museum
820 Main Street Bridgeport, CT 06604, 203.331.1104, www.barnum-museum.org

Bruce Museum
1 Museum Drive, Greenwich, CT, 203.869.6786, www.brucemuseum.org

Hudson River Museum
511 Warburton Avenue, Yonkers, NY, 914.963.4550 www.hrm.org

Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art
1701 Main Street, Peekskill, NY, 914.788.0100 www.hvcca.org

Katonah Museum of Art
134 Jay Street - Route 22, Katonah, NY, 914.232.9555, www.katonahmuseum.org

Neuberger Museum of Art
Purchase College, SUNY, 735 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase, NY 914.251.6100, www.neuberger.org

Wave Hill
West 249th St. and Independence Avenue, Bronx NY 10471, 718.549.3200, www.wavehill.org

Flea Circus Today! Hudson River Museum 3pm

2011-07-17T08:51:00.001-04:00

Featured on cover of July 15 weekend section.

I've been neglectful of promoting myself here (so unlike me, I know!)

My show, The Acme Miniature Flea Circus, which features Midge and Madge, trained fleas, performing "spectacular circus stunts as seen before (and on top of) The Crowned Heads of Europe" will perform one show only at the Hudson River Museum TODAY AT 3 PM.

The show is part of an afternoon of Victorian games and pastimes, and is suitable for all ages.

This is one of the only public shows this year, so if you haven't seen the show, drop whatever you are doing and come on out!

And in case you missed it, we were the cover story of the weekend section of the Journal News! (I've attached a photo of that cover to the left)

Here's a link to the article (may expire after a week or so)

WEAR YOUR GLASSES TO THIS CIRCUS

When:July 17, 3pm
Where:Hudson River Museum
511 Warburton Ave
Yonkers, NY

The museum is easily accessible by car and train (Metro North to Glenwood Station on the Hudson River Line)

How Much: $5 for adults, $3 for children (Museum members are free!)

Tickets available at the door

More Information: About the museum: hrm.org
About the flea circus: trainedfleas.com

Groundbreaking for HRM Amphitheatre

2011-07-14T12:33:00.000-04:00

I attended the groundbreaking today for a new 450 seat amphi-theatre that is being built right behind the Hudson River Museum

It's called a groundbreaking, but actually work is already progressing (which is apparently a rarity in these types of things) This project is not going to happen-- it is HAPPENING!

The amphitheater is expected to open spring 2012, and they are looking to program it with music, theatre, school graduations, and all kinds of great events. I spoke to a Hudson River Museum staff member, who said that they expect that the museum will have a strong hand in programming the venue. In addition to the theatre, there will also be a parking garage next door, and work done to connect the dots of the River esplanade, so that one would be able to start at the Bronx/Westchester Border in Yonkers and walk/run the 51 miles to the Westchester/Putnam border.

It sounds like an exciting place. On hand were county executive Rob Astorino, Yonkers mayor Phil Amicone, County and City Legislators, and lots of museum staff and board members.

Can't wait to see what happens (which sounds like it will be a lot more than politicians throwing dirt on a pile!)

Yonkers and Westchester officials (and HRM people) shovel some ceremonial dirt.

Riverdale Israeli Independence Festival TODAY! 4-8 pm

2011-05-10T09:41:00.000-04:00

https://www.shirfun.com/Israeli Independence Day Festival

On Tuesday afternoon, May 10, join hundreds of Riverdalians for a massive festival for children and families, celebrating: Israel: Gifts of the Land. Sponsored by the HIR and the Bronx Borough Presidents office, the festival will take place next to Seton Park, on Independence Ave (between 232nd and 235th Streets) from 4:00pm-8:00pm.

Featuring entertainment by Dafna and the Shir Fun All-Stars!
Rain Location: PS 24 on 234th St and Independence Ave.

RiverArts 2011 Studio Tour this weekend!

2011-04-27T20:43:00.000-04:00

RiverArts 2011 Studio Tour

Sat, April 30, 11-6pm & Sun, May 1, Noon-5pm

Celebrating its 18th year, this map-guided tour offers the public an opportunity to visit Rivertowns artists in the studios where they work. The artists will be on hand where work is shown to answer questions about the process of making art; and art will be available for purchase. There will also be temporary “pop-up” shows and exhibitions in storefront galleries. Altogether over 70 artists, representing diverse styles and a wide range of media will participate.

To navigate the Tour, a comprehensive map can be downloaded here. Maps will also be included in the brochure available at the Preview Exhibitions and sponsoring businesses throughout the Rivertowns.

The brochure features thumbnail images of artwork along with artists’ names, locations and contact information to help you plan your visits.

For more information, please email info@riverarts.org 914.412.5120 or visit their website at http://www.riverarts.org

You can also see some samples of the artists being presented at this year's studio tour.

Admission to the Tour is free and open to the public

A video link for news coverage.

Chuck Lesnick announces candidacy for Mayor of Yonkers

2011-04-27T11:34:00.000-04:00

Chuck Lesnick, has been a Democratic leader on City Council during at least the last two terms of Republican Phil Amicone‘s mayorships.

Today he has announced that he will be running for Mayor. This doesn’t come as a surprise to nearly anyone.

Chuck is a good guy (I’ve met him a couple of times and am friends with him on facebook) I think he’d make a good mayor, although I admittedly don’t know anything about his opponents as of yet.

I only met Amicone once, and on the subject of the arts as an economic tool he is/was dead wrong. (I asked a question at a "meet the mayor" meeting, and he said that he felt that if the economics came back, then the arts would prosper. The studies and the literature show the opposite. If the arts prospers, the economics come back. I haven't queried Chuck directly on this issue, but I’m sure Chuck will do better than Amicone. I know that Chuck is an arts supporter in general.

Unfortunately, like my former city Providence RI, there’s a fair amount of corruption and expectation of doing things the “old way” in Yonkers — ie, by knowing somebody who knows how it all works and getting them to exert their knowledge of the system on your behalf. Reform is not easy under these conditions, but its also necessary if Yonkers is going to prosper.

Hopefully Chuck will make it happen.

Find out more about his candidacy at http://www.chuck-lesnick.com/

See a video of his announcement:

TODAY: GROUPON FOR HUDSON RIVER MUSEUM MEMBERSHIP!

2011-04-19T08:37:00.000-04:00

Special deal for the Hudson River Museum on Groupon today: Join using Groupon and you can save 50% on membership! This is only valid for new members, but if you aren't one, now is your opportunity. $20 for an individual membership, $30 for a Family membership.

And if you join using this link: http://www.groupon.com/r/uu201175

The Yonkers Arts Blog will get a small stipend! Win/Win for everybody!

This deal expires tonight, so if you want to become a member, hop on it!

The HRM is a combination arts museum, historic house, science museum, and planetarium.

And I'll be performing my flea circus there in July, so you'll get the added bonus of seeing my show for free!

For more info about the Hudson River Museum, visit http://www.hrm.org

See Stars during the School Vacation

2011-04-15T11:35:00.000-04:00

At the Hudson River Museum , they'll be running a number of creative activities and shows during the Yonkers school break. April 18-22. If you are looking for arts/science stuff to do with your kids, this would be a great start!

SCHOOL'S OUT, STARS ARE IN
Creative activities and planetarium shows for students on school break.

FREE with Museum admission. Students must be accompanied by a caregiver.

Museum Hours: 12-5pm
Activities: 1-4:30pm

Activities:
From Peekskill to New York Harbor
Image via WikipediaLearn about the Lower Hudson's densely populated and industrially developed world and the dangers they pose to the river's southernmost banks. Encounter the eagles, sea horses, and falcons that live here.

Dirty Water Lab Cart
Do water testing with the Museum's own Junior Docents in Hudson Riverama.

Art Workshop
Sea-horse inspired art making projects.

Star Shows
River Through Time, 2 pm
Ocean of Air, Ocean of Space, 3:30 pm

Blue Door Gallery Publication Opportunities

2011-04-10T14:39:00.001-04:00

Blue Door Gallery Publications

Poets And Writers' Opportunities

For more info about these opportunities, visit http://www.bluedoorart.org or email info@bluedoorart.org

Blue Door Gallery is preparing it's next publication about the current FIBER PLUS exhibition which will include writings and ekphrastic poetry inspired by the adventurous mixed media artworks on the walls.

Open Mic poets, Artspeak Workshop participants, and other interested poets and writers are invited to visit the gallery this weekend to begin to form their poetic ideas, and/ or join BDG's Poet-in-Residence Golda Soloman on

SATURDAY, APRIL 16th FROM 1 TO 3 PM for an Ekphrastic poetry walk- about and writing session. Golda will be available for guidance and editing to prepare submissions for our publication.

Deadline for written submissions is April 30th.

Suggested donation: $5-$10.

As with Blue Door Gallery's earlier book, OUT OF AFRICA, the included Artists and Poets are entitled to purchase their own copy at cost (TBD) and extra copies for an additional $5 each.

Generations: A Call For Artists

July 9 through August 28, 2011

Artists working in all media are invited to submit work influenced by the theme of "generations". Artwork should illustrate an expression of cultural, historical, social, or geographical characteristics connecting young and old such as: ancestry, heritage, family or community bonds, social dynamics, collaboration, guidance and growth. Please share with us your own interpretations of "generations".

This eight-week exhibition will be held in conjunction with free community programming dedicated to fostering the bonds and creativity of young people and their significant adults.

The workshop expressions will be in the forms of performance art and poetry, dance, puppetry, drawing, painting, clay and fabric crafts, podcasting, and more TBA. To honor all generations

we will exhibit artwork created by the youth of Yonkers in conjuction with the works of professional artists whose art addresses the exhibition theme.

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT ONLINE

Out of Africa Books Now Available at Blue Door Gallery

Your ordered or reserved copies have arrived and will be available during gallery hours starting April 8th.

To make payment or place a new order, you may respond to this email with your address and either pay online:

CLICK HERE TO PAY SECURELY ONLINE

or mail a check or money order to:

Blue Door Gallery

5 Hudson Street

Yonkers NY 10701

Pricing:

1st copy purchased by a featured artist or poet is $38.06 after tax. Additional copies are $43.35. Available to the public. To have your book shipped, please add $5.

BEST IDEA:

Plan to pick up your book on Tuesday, April 12th at the next BLUE DOOR OPEN MEETING at 6:30 PM at Blue Door Gallery (13 Riverdale Avenue, between Main Street and Hudson Street)

For more info about these opportunities, visit http://www.bluedoorart.org or email info@bluedoorart.org

YoHo Expands

2011-04-04T08:43:00.000-04:00

An article in the Westchester Business Journal talks about YoHo and the expanding community of artists in the former mill building. Quite informative, and worth reading. And if you are looking for a studio in Yonkers, they have some great space available. Article also available below:

http://westfaironline.com/2011/12101-artists'-space-grows-in-yonkers/

ARTISTS' SPACE GROWS IN YONKERS

George Huang, property manager at YoHo Artist Studios.

“We found a gem in the rough when we took over this space five years ago,” said George Huang, co-owner and property manager of The Heights Real Estate Co. in Manhattan. He stood against a backdrop of sculptures, paintings and mixed-media art displayed along a long white-walled, pine-columned corridor illumined by track lights in Yonkers.
Working artists have replaced the factory workers that occupied that space a century ago on gritty Nepperhan Avenue. Huang and his brother and investment partner, Tony Huang, paid $12 million in 2005 for 540 and 578 Nepperhan Ave., connected five-story brick buildings that total 150,000 square feet of warehouse and distribution, light manufacturing and studio space.
Today that space, excluding a recently built-out area, is about 90 percent occupied, Huang said. It includes nearly 60 working artists among its tenants.
The Huang brothers took over a piece of the city’s proud and vital industrial past in the 40-building sprawl that is the former Alexander Smith Carpet Mills beside the Saw Mill River in Yonkers. The two buildings, which Huang said were built in 1900 and 1901, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. They also took over and have expanded an adaptive reuse of factory floors started by former owner Allen Eisenkraft, who about 20 years ago welcomed the first artists to the well-preserved industrial relic.
Eisenkraft branded it YoHo, an affordable alternative in artist lofts to the likes of Manhattan’s high-rent SoHo. The new owners have continued the phased conversion to studio space with 16-foot-high ceilings and tall factory windows that yield abundant natural light.
Huang said his company is about to begin marketing and securing preleases for the latest addition to YoHo, 25 white-walled artist studios in about 10,000 square feet of fourth-floor space at 578 Nepperhan Ave. He expects to receive a certificate of occupancy in about one month.
Rents range from $300 for entry-level space to $600 and up at the high end, said Huang.
Most artists who rent at the YoHo show up in evening hours, said Huang. Outside their studios, they share what Huang called “user-friendly” communal spaces in which they mingle and freely display their works.
“When we first came here, these were more artist-tenants,” he said. “Now these are more members of an arts community. It’s a very tightly woven arts community that we have here.
“Before these were just artists’ studios. They have now taken on the ambiance of a gallery. Art, like a community, needs to be shared. And it needs a proper home to be displayed.”
Huang noted the new addition will increase the number of studios and potential tenants by nearly 50 percent. “That’s when a community with a small ‘c’ becomes a community with a capital ‘C’ – critical mass,” he said.

Yoho Artists Studios is planning to hold its annual open studio weekend on May 14-15.
As part of a grand-opening promotion of the newly converted fourth floor, the property manager, George Huang, said artists who sign leases in May will receive 25 percent off their rent for the first three months.
The Yonkers center’s website is www.yohoartists.com

Yonkers Philharmonic March 27th at 3 pm (FREE!)

2011-03-26T00:17:00.002-04:00

The Yonkers Philharmonic, and Conductor James Sadewhite
Presents Free Concerts at Saunders Trade and Technical High School
183 Palmer Road Yonkers, N.Y.

FREE Concert
Sunday, March 27, 2011
3:00PM

Midsummer night’s Dream Overture
Felix Mendelssohn – Bartholdy

Concerto for Clarinet, K.622 in A Maj.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
James Sadewhite – Soloist
Symphony #8, Opus 93, in F
Ludwig van Beethoven

Find out more about the Yonkers Phiharmonic on their website http://www.yonkersphilharmonic.org

Really Terrible Orchestra- April 3 in White Plains

2011-03-19T07:43:00.000-04:00

The Really Terrible Orchestra of Westchester is holding its “Spring Tune-Up” concert from 3 to 5:30 p.m. April 3 at Grace Church of White Plains, 33 Church St.

There is a suggested $7 donation that includes refreshments.
Under the direction of conductor Benjamin Niemczyk, the amateur orchestra will, in the words of its musical director, Barbara Rosenthal, “attack works by Bach, Brahms, Bizet, Mussorgsky and other composers unable to respond with legal action.”

The orchestra’s “Really Terrible Dixieland Jazz Band” also will play a medley of popular standards.

The RTO was created in 2009 modeled on the Really Terrible Orchestra founded in Edinburgh, Scotland, by author Alexander McCall Smith. It is an ensemble of amateur musicians “who do not let rusty skills or fear of success get in the way of philharmonic fun,” Rosenthal stated.

Find out more at http://www.rtowestchester.org/

Hudson River Museum: Seniors Cultural Events (open to everybody)

2011-03-15T16:56:00.000-04:00

The Hudson River Museum has been doing once a month cultural events for seniors. Although designed and marketed for seniors, they are open to all ages, so if you are un-employed, under-employed, or want to take a day off to play hooky, you are invited too. More info at http://www.hrm.org


			Wednesday, March 16 Sweet Plantain 1:30 – 3 pm Nobody bridges the gap between generations or musical genres like Sweet Plantain, a refreshingly new string quartet. Artfully fusing the western classical traditions in which they were trained with the hip-hop, jazz improv, and Latin rhythms on which they were raised, their original writing and live shows educate and entertain. Separately hailing from the South Bronx, New Jersey and Venezuela, together these musicians give voice to a sound that is contemporary, multicultural and very New York.
			Wednesday, April 13 Bartholomew Bland on Chemistry of Color 1:30 – 3 pm Hudson River Museum Curator of Exhibitions, Bartholomew Bland, gives an illustrated lecture on Chemistry of Color: The Sorgenti Collection of Contemporary African–American Art. On loan from the Philadelphia Academy of the Fine Arts, Chemistry of Colortraces developments in African American art throughout the 20th century, beginning with masterworks by Romare Bearden and Jacob Lawrence, including paintings, sculptures, works on paper and mixed-media objects that are vibrant, bold, optimistic and spectacularly colorful.
			Wednesday, May 4 Dr. Jo-Ann Graham: Abstract Expressionism and the African American Artist 1:30 – 3 pm This program, which is free and open to the public, is made possible through the support of the New York Council for the Humanities’ Speakers in the Humanities program. In this illustrated talk Dr. Graham explores the role of the African American artist in the historic and contemporary world of abstract painting. The program will impart a greater awareness of the breadth of paintings that have been created by African American artists. Too often, the common expectation is that Black artists' paintings are limited to representational works. This perception is often void of an informed awareness of the powerful and critically acclaimed work of Black artists who are abstractionists. Jo-Ann Graham earned a Ph.D. from New York University. She was a professor at The City University of New York, where she was a department chairperson and head of humanities. Dr. Graham has been on The Board of The Hammond Museum. She has also been with the Cinque Art Gallery, founded by Romare Bearden, Ernest Crichlow and Norman Lewis. The founding mission of the Cinque Gallery was to establish a not-for-profit institution that would be dedicated to enhancing growth opportunities for Black artists, to provide an exhibition space for the fine arts created by African American artists, and to establish an educational venue for the public. Dr. Graham extends that mission to providing educational presentations on aspects of the fine visual arts that are created by Black artists.

Pey Dalid at the Riverdale Y.

2011-03-04T07:51:00.000-05:00

It's not quite in Yonkers, but it's close, and it's my synagogue, so Hey!
This is a 10th anniversary party and fundraiser for Congregation Tehillah.
If you can't see the images below, please visit http://www.congregationtehillah.org/

Come celebrate

Congregation Tehillah's

10th ANNIVERSARY

with

PEY DALID

the roots, rock, reggae band

PEY DALID is a tiger of a band. Take Matisyahu, add a reggae-rock edge with a dash of salsa, and multiply by 4. Check them out: www.peydalid.com. This is their last NY engagement before going on tour!

SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 2011@ 8:00pm

Bring your dancing shoes! Invite your friends to join us at this fun music-filled event!

at the RIVERDALE Y, 5625 Arlington Ave (near 256th street),

Adults: $25

Under 18: $15

Family of 4: $70

To purchase tickets online, read below:

Make sure that your browser accepts cookies.
Goto Tehillah website www.congregationtehillah.org,
Click on the "Donate" button towards the bottom of the page.
Input the total cost of the tickets (Adults = $25; Under 18 = $15; Family of four = $70)
Follow the prompts through to the confirmation page.
At the confirmation page, look for the drop-down menu "Special instructions" and click.
A box should appear.
Click in the box and input the type of tickets purchased, whether adult / Under 18 / Family of 4 tickets, and the quantity.
Then click to confirm your purchase.

You can also call the Tehillah office, at 718-884-4839, and purchase tickets at the door!

Congregation Tehillah
http://www.congregationtehillah.org

PO Box 109
Bronx, New York 10463
Congregation Tehillah
718-884-4839

Mikata at Hudson River Museum March 13

2011-02-19T17:42:00.000-05:00

Sunday, March 13
Mikata!
2 – 3 pm
Mikata means all of us in the Ewe language of Ghana. And Mikata invites all of you on a musical journey from West Africa to the Caribbean and Brazil. Winners of two state-wide awards for their contribution to the arts, Mikata has performed at over 500 public schools, festivals, colleges and universities around the country.

Mikata will make your pulse quicken as you chant, clap, and dance to powerful rhythms from Ghana, Nigeria, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Haiti, and Brazil. Garbed in colorful costumes, Mikata performs on an array of authentic drums, bells, rattles, flutes and xylophones.
All of Mikata's performances include loads of audience participation and cultural explanation. Learn about these wonderful cultures while you dance, sing and clap to the rhythms of Mikata!

More information about Mikata: http://www.mikatabeat.com
More information about Hudson River Museum: http://www.hrm.org

Rose Classic Family Series at the Riverdale Y

2011-02-11T13:24:00.000-05:00

Classic Film Series

Rose Family Classic Film Series

New York City ... in Film

Explore the evolution of NYC's portrayal from silent film to the 21st Century with Professor Jason Lucero,

a writer and professor of filmmaking at New York University.

Dinner included every night!

(includes pre-film dinner, discussion, wine, and dessert)

42nd Street (1933)Wednesday, February 23, 6:30 pm (dinner); 7:15 pm (film)A quintessential Busby Berkley extravaganza! Julian Marsh, an sucessful Broadway director, produces a new show, inspite of his poor health. The money comes from a rich old man, who is in love with the star of the show, Dorothy Brock. But she doesn’t reply his love, because she is still in love with her old partner. At the night before the prmiere, Dorothy Brock breaks her ankle, and one of the chorus girls, Peggey Sawyer tries to take over her part. 89 minutes

On the Town (1949)Saturday, February 12, 7:00 pm (dinner); 7:45 pm (film)Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra star. Three sailors - Gabey, Chip and Ozzie - let loose on a 24-hour pass in New York and the Big Apple will never be the same! Gabey falls head over heels for “Miss Turnstiles of the Month” (he thinks she’s a high society deb when she’s really a ‘cooch dancer at Coney Island); innocent Chip gets highjacked (literally) by a lady cab driver; and Ozzie becomes the object of interest of a gorgeous anthropologist who thinks he’s the perfect example of a “prehistoric man”. Wonderful music and terrific shots of New York at its best. 98 minutes

Sweet Smell of Success
Wednesday, March 2, 6:30 pm (dinner); 7:15 pm (film)J.J. Hunsecker, the most powerful newspaper columnist in New York, is determined to prevent his sister from marrying Steve Dallas, a jazz musician. He therefore covertly employs Sidney Falco, a sleazy and unscrupulous press agent, to break up the affair by any means possible. 96 minutes

A Thousand Clowns (1965) Wednesday, March 9, 6:30 pm (dinner); 7:15 pm (film)Twelve-year-old Nick lives in NYC with his Uncle Murray, a Mr.Micawber-like Dickensian character who keeps hoping something won’t turn up. What turns up is a social worker, who falls in love with Murray and a bit in love with Nick. As the child welfare people try to force Murray to become a conventional man (as the price they demand for allowing him to keep Nick), the nephew, who until now has gloried in his Uncle’s iconoclastic approach to life, tries to play mediator. But when he succeeds, he is alarmed by the uncle’s willingness to cave in to society in order to save the relationship. 118 minutes

The Out of Towners (1970)Wednesday, March 30, 6:30 pm (dinner); 7:15 pm (film)George and Gwen Kellerman live in the small, quiet town of Twin Oaks, Ohio with their two young children and pet dog. George has a strong sense of what is right and wrong, especially as it applies to himself and Gwen, but he still looks to her for validation. Working for a plastics company, George believes he is a shoo-in for the company’s Vice-President of Sales, New York Division job, a position located in New York City. George is looking forward to their future life in NYC, with all the amenities and benefits living in the big city has to offer. For George’s 9 am interview, George and Gwen plan on taking a flight that lands in New York at 8 pm the evening before, which gives them time for dinner at New York’s finest restaurant, The Four Seasons, and a comfortable night’s stay at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel before the interview. But nothing on this trip goes according to plan. 98 minutes

Sex and the City (2008)Wednesday, April 6, 6:30 pm (dinner); 7:15 pm (film)After moving in together in an impossibly beautiful New York apartment, Carrie Bradshaw and Mr. Big make a rather arbitrary decision to get married. The wedding itself proves to be anything but a hasty affair—the guest list quickly blooms from 75 to 200 guests, and Carrie’s simple, label-less wedding gown gives way to an enormous creation that makes her look like a gigantic cream puff. An upcoming photo spread in Vogue puts the event—which will take place at the New York Public Library—squarely in the public eye. 145 minutes.
NOTE: this film is rated “R” and is not suitable for children.

Art Talks at Hudson River Museum

2011-02-09T11:25:00.000-05:00

In connection with their exhibit The Chemistry of Color (February 5 – May 8, 2011), the Hudson River Museum is organizing 3 art talks to discuss the work and the social implications of the exhibit.

The Chemistry of Color is organized by PAFA, and is based on the Sorgenti Collection of Contemporary African-American Art. A very good online introduction to the collection is available on the Hudson River Museum website. You can find it by clicking on the left hand graphic, or visiting the following URL:

http://www.hrm.org/exhibits/Chemistry/chemistry.html

Benny Andrews Oasis, 1989

Wednesday, February 16 6:30 pm
Art Talks: Julien Robson on the Sorgenti Collection of Contemporary African–American Art

As the oldest museum and school of the Fine Arts in the United States, PAFA (the Pennsyvlania Academy of Fine Arts has a long history of supporting African American Artists. One of the first institutions to train African Americans in the fine arts, and counting important artists from Henry O. Tanner to Barkley L. Hendricks amongst its alumni, PAFA is also the first museum in the US to have exhibited African American artists.

While it augments this history, the Sorgenti Collection forms a significant gift to PAFA in that it gives depth to the museum’s holdings of works by modern and contemporary African American artists.

Julien Robson, Curator of Contemporary Art at PAFA, will discuss the nature of the Sorgenti Collection and how it supports and engages the growth and direction of the museum’s collection, including recent acquisitions of a number of works by significant young African American artists. He will also discuss how private collectors with focused interests, like the Sorgentis, can help museums address issues of underrepresentation and assist the fulfillment of their mission

Curator of Contemporary Art at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), Julien Robson relocated to Philadelphia in 2008 after eight years in Louisville, Kentucky where he was Curator of Contemporary Art at the Speed Art Museum and Adjunct Professor at the University of Louisville. A native of Scotland, Robson initially trained as an artist at Bath Academy of Art, and the Slade School of Fine Art in London before taking up curatorial positions at the University of Sussex and, subsequently, the University of Southampton, England. During the 1990s Robson lived in Austria, working in the commercial gallery sector in Vienna, and in 1998 he spent six months as Guest
Professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Howardena Pindell Art/East, 1986–89

Thursday, March 24 6:30 pm
Art Talks:Howardena Pindell, An African-American Artist and Her Creative Process

Howardena Pindell, artist, curator and professor, discusses her creative process and work. Pindell’s work, which is deeply personal, reflects the struggles she experienced as an African American woman artist searching for her place in a highly discriminatory and divided society. Originally a figurative painter, Pindell moved towards abstraction in the late 1960’s. She began embracing autobiographical themes following a 1979 car accident in which she suffered a concussion and memory loss. Some of Pindell’s work is highly political and addresses issues of racism, feminism, violence, slavery and exploitation.

Wednesday, April 27 6:30 pm
Art Talks: Alona Wilson: Interpreting and Preserving African-American Arts

Lynn Marshall-Linnemeier The Milestone Dance, 2003

The Amistad Center for Art & Culture owns a vital collection of 7,000 items including art, artifacts and popular culture objects that document the experience, expressions and history of people of African American heritage. Curator and Assistant Director Alona Wilson discusses the importance and challenges of collecting and preserving from these objects many of which, like newspapers, postcards and broadsides, were not meant to last.

Clifton Anderson Quartet at the Hudson River Museum (2/13)

2011-02-06T17:34:00.001-05:00

Sunday, February 13
Clifton Anderson Quartet at the Hudson River Museum
2 – 3 pm
The Clifton Anderson Quartet: Clifton Anderson on trombone; Benito Gonzalez on piano; Essiet Essiet on bass; Steve Williams on drums.

Clifton Anderson is considered one of the top trombonists working in Jazz music today. He is well known for his contributions to Sonny Rollins performances and recordings spanning a 27 year relationship. In addition Clifton has collaborated with a "who's who" of diverse musical artists from Stevie Wonder to The Mighty Sparrow. At the end of 2009 Clifton left the Rollins band to showcase his talent leading his own world class group. Original compositions ranging from straight-ahead head boppers to foot tapping calypso and inventive takes on standards are all part of the line-up.
More info about Clifton Anderson: http://www.cliftonanderson.net
More info about Hudson River Museum: http://www.hrm.org
Listen to some of Clifton Anderson's music:

Jazz at the Downtown Library for FREE: 2/11/11 7:30-10pm

2011-02-02T12:37:00.000-05:00

Funkasaurus Rex, led by Joey Berkley (center)

The Yonkers Downtown Waterfront Business Improvement District will team up with the Yonkers Public Library to present “Heart, Funk And Soul,” a free Valentine’s Day concert. Two top NY metro area bands—Funkasaurus Rex, a jazz-funk band and Garry Sieger & Friends, a classic R & B and soul group—will perform from 7:30 to 10:00 PM, Friday, February 11, at the Yonkers Riverfront Library, 1 Larkin Center, Yonkers.

Created in 2005 by tenor saxophonist Joey Berkley, Funkasaurus Rex features a dynamic, five-piece horn section with a versatile rhythm section. The veteran New York musicians (a virtual ‘who’s who’ of the music industry) include Bill Harris, alto sax; Brian Pareschi, trumpet; Seneca Black, trumpet; Matt McDonald, trombone; John Tropea, guitar; Sarah Cion, keyboards; Seth Glassman, bass and Chris Parker, drums. More info about Funkasaurus Rex on their Facebook Page.

Gary Sieger & Friends

Guitarist Gary Sieger and his seasoned professionals have performed with many well-known artists and, for the past year, have been playing regularly at Creole Restaurant and Jazz Club in Manhattan. The group includes two soulful vocalists, Maxine Brown and Beverly Crosby, and Lincoln Schleifer, bass; Chris Parker, drums; Andy Burton, piano/keyboard; Clint de Ganon, drums and Steve Greenfield, sax. More info about Gary Sieger & Friends on their Facebook Page

Steve Sansone, Yonkers Downtown BID Executive Director, said; “We are very excited to join the Yonkers Public Library in presenting an evening of superb jazz and blues performances to kick off this year’s Valentine’s celebration.” He added: “As in the past, the Yonkers Downtown will again be a great destination to celebrate the most romantic day of the year, offering terrific gift ideas and a wide range of dining options at attractive prices to make Valentine’s Day very special.”

For more information about dining and shopping in the Yonkers Downtown, visit www.yonkersdowntown.com.

Gaida Hinnawi at the X in Westchester tonight.

2010-12-11T08:34:00.001-05:00

Yonkers-based vocalist Gaida Hinnawi is known for her original and highly personal style marked by great emotional intensity.

Gaida is a vocalist and composer working at the intersection of the New York Arab and improvised music scenes. Her compositions draw on classical Arabic song, Syrian folk traditions, and improvisations that expand on traditional Arabic maqams (modes) to produce an original and highly personal style marked by great emotional intensity. An acclaimed singer from an early age, Gaida was raised in Damascus and later lived in Kuwait, Paris, and Detroit, where she received classical voice training at Wayne State University. Now settled in New York, Gaida works with leading Arab and creative-music artists such as Amir ElSaffar, Brahim Fribgane, Tareq Abboushi, Omer Avital, and Rufus Cappadocia. She also is a member of other New York-based groups including Ayyoub, Zikrayat, and Tarab Ensemble. Gaida has composed and recorded for major motion pictures, including Jonathan Demme's Jimmy Carter: Man from Plains, in which she recorded with Gillian Welsh and Alejandro Escovedo. Gaida also maintains a parallel career as a speech pathologist.

Gaida, also known as "the Syrian Nightingale” evokes the emotional storminess of legendary singers like Warda and Om Kalthoum, but her remarkable abilities to improvise and expand on traditional Arabic maqams suggest all new exotic possibilities. Performing with Gaida: Amir Elsaffar, trumpet and santoor; Zafer Tawil, oud; Tony de Vivo, congas and bongos; George Dulin, piano; Jennifer Vincent, bass; Arturo Martinez, guitar.

Saturday, December 11 at 8 pm. Tickets are $20/ $15 for students, seniors. and Arts Westchester members.

MORE INFO ABOUT THE SHOW TONIGHT

GAIDA'S WEBSITE

Call for Female Jewish OR Muslim Artists

2010-11-13T10:48:00.000-05:00

Distant Cousins: Jewish and Muslim Women Speak Art Exhibit

Sponsor: Clemente Soto Velez Cultural & Educational Center Inc.
Jan Hanvik, Executive Director107 Suffolk Street Room 312
New York NY 10002New York State Department of Cultural Affairs

Description: Distant Cousins: Jewish and Muslim Women Speak is an art exhibition. The curator is Yonkers artist Haifa Bint-Kadi, Palestinian-American and a New York public art artist, mosaicist, teaching artist, lecturer and participant of The Dialogue Project.

Distant Cousins: Jewish and Muslim Women Speak was conceived to recognize and make public and explicit the intimate unearthed, unspoken conversations between Muslim and Jewish women. Expressed through art, these are conversations that may have remained in the subconscious, conversations that may inform the artist's work or conversations that may have needed a unique forum to be heard.

Palestine is often at the center of Jewish and Muslim dialogue and many Palestinian and Jewish artists use their work to respond to the current situation, but the artist should not limit themselves to that conflict. Gender issues, patriarchal structures, motherhood, challenging traditional or cultural roles, faith traditions, integrating feminism within faith practice, tradition or art and many other issues may be deeply embedded in an artist's work.

Much of the dialogue that exists in the political realm is driven by male politicians and pundits. The personal is political, but the curator seeks to provide a venue without male constructs and one that is partly described and constructed and de-constructed by female voices.

Artworks selected by the curator will have the opportunity to be showcased in an exhibition at the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural and Center Gallery on April 18, 2011 to May 13, 2011. The exhibition will include artist talks, performances and short film screenings. The exhibition will also be traveling to other venues at the Philipse Manor Hall, Manhattanville College and others.

ELIGIBILITY: The competition is open to any living female artist who identifies as Jewish or Muslim. Works must be original, completed after September 1, 2009
Entries must be postmarked by December 31, 2010
Artist Notification January 15, 2011
Reception Friday, April 22, 2011 7:00 pm

ENTRY FEES: None
LIMIT: There is no limit to number of entries by an individual artist.

FOR A COMPLETE PROSPECTUS CONTACT:
Haifa Bint-Kadi Email: bintkadih@mville.edu

Riverdale Rep's The Drowsy Chaperone (November 13-21)

2010-11-05T11:04:00.000-04:00

On the heels of their wildly successful production of THE MUSIC MAN last spring, the Riverdale Repertory Company at the Riverdale Y is one of the first amateur theatres in our area to present

THE DROWSY CHAPERONE!

This Tony Award winning musical is a throw back to a time of the old fashioned musical, but with a twist; the charming show is told through the imagination of a New Yorker. While sitting in the comfort of his apartment, he plays the record for the audience as we "literally" watch the musical come to life. With a jazzy score and a cast of zany characters that include Star-Crossed Lovers, a couple of Gangsters (disguised as Pastry Chefs), the "Drowsy" chaperone, a tap-dancing Best Man, Aldolpho (the King of Romance!), the cigar-smoking Producer and his Chorine, a Ditsy Socialite and her Butler, an Aviatrix that shows up in time for the happy ending and so much more.

Come and escape to the 1920's!

TIMES AND DATES
Saturdays, November 13 & 20 at 8 pm
Wednesday, November 17 at 7:30 pm
Thursday, November 18 at 7:30 pm
Sundays, November 14 & 21 at 2:00 and 5:00 pm

Tickets can be purchased online at the Riverdale Y's website:
http://riverdaley.tix.com/Schedule.asp?OrganizationNumber=1681

Tickets are $10 (students), $15 (seniors) $18 everyone else.

Email your Westchester Legislator: The Arts Touches Everyone.

2010-10-29T13:02:00.000-04:00

Even as you read this today, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino is developing the proposed county budget for FY 2011. Please let the County Executive and the Board of Legislators know you want them to continue to support arts and culture in Westchester.

ArtsWestchester, our county's leading arts advocacy organization, has made it easy for you to contact your legislator-- just click on the link below, enter your zip code and the email address of the County Executive and of your Representative will automatically populate, along with an appropriate message.

Feel free to change the message to have it say what YOU want it to say.

http://www.artswestchester.org/get-involved/save-the-arts/act-now/

Yonkers Science Barge Appreciation Party October 10

2010-09-22T07:36:00.000-04:00

The Yonkers Science Barge is throwing a party in honor of their volunteers, and true to form, they are inviting everybody who wants to come!

Check out the new gizmos on the barge, see what it's all about, attend the awards ceremony, and who knows, you might even get to sign up to volunteer for next year!
October 10 from 2-6 pm.

It's a potluck, so bring something to share.

August 14: Untermeyer Park: Barynya: Russian Music & Dance

2010-08-09T11:55:00.000-04:00

The Untermyer

Performing Arts Council

presents

BARYNYA

Russian Music, Dance & Song Ensemble

The Russian music, dance and song ensemble Barynya, established in the year 1991 in New York City, is a world renowned group that enjoys exalting stature as the premier Russian folk ensemble outside of Russia. Barynya presents Russian, Cossack, Ukrainian, Jewish and Russian Gypsy traditional dancing, music, songs, and virtuoso performances on instruments including the balalaika, garmoshka (Russian folk button accordion), balalaika contrabass, bayan accordion, Gypsy guitar, violin, and the domra. Barynya has been invited to perform at some of the most prestigious cultural venues in the United States, including Carnegie Hall in New York, the Smithsonian Institute of America in Washington D.C., the United Nations in New York, and the Russian Embassy in Washington D.C.

Most recently, Mikhail Smirnov, the founder and Artistic Director of Barynya, was invited as one of the eight judges on NBC’s hit dance show, "Superstars of Dance". Each judge is an expert in a different nation’s traditional style of dance and the NBC producers decided that Mr. Smirnov, as founder of the premier Russian folk ensemble outside of Russia, is the authority on traditional Russian dance.

Saturday, August 14th at 7:30 PM

at Untermyer Park, 945 N. Broadway, Yonkers

Admission Free - Bring Your Own Seating

This event made possible by

Empire City at Yonkers Raceway

Arts Westchester with funding from Westchester County Government, and our loyal patrons.

Looks like rain - call 914.375.3435 after 2 PM Saturday for rain site information and directions.

The Untermyer Performing Arts Council -

34 Years of Tradition, Experience & Excellence in the Arts

www.untermyer.com

The American Belles at Untermeyer Park July 3rd. 7:30 pm FREE!

2010-06-29T22:48:00.000-04:00

The Untermyer Performing Arts Council
presents
The American Belles

this Saturday, July 3rd at 7:30 PM
at Untermyer Park, 945 N. Broadway, Yonkers

Admission Free - Bring Your Own Seating

The American Belles served as the USO Liberty Belles for USO World Headquarters from 2003 through 2006, the only USO troupe ever associated with USO World Headquarters in the 68 year history of the USO! They have performed at hundreds of military, veteran and civilian events. There will also be a special opening act TBA.

Looks like rain - call back after 2 PM Saturday for rain site information and directions.
(914) 375-3435

More information about Untermyer Park, visit www.untermyer.com
For more information about the American Belles, visit http://www.redwhiteandbluemusic.org/

Aardvark Improv Tomorrow at the Yonkers Riverfront Library

2010-06-25T21:52:00.000-04:00

For some reason, Aardvark doesn't seem to have a website-- if anyone knows their website, let me know, please, I'd like to list them better!

Event Type: Performance
Date: 6/27/2010
Where: Yonkers Riverfront Library Auditorium
Start Time: 2:00 PM
End Time: 3:15 PM

Description:

Aardvark Improv features several talented actor/writers who create hilarious original scenes on the spot. They use audience suggestions in the style of the TV show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” There’s no script, there’s no outline…the only preparation they have is their wits and adrenaline. You toss out the suggestions and Aardvark Improv runs away with them - as they have for several years in the Westchester area. It’s always original, it’s always funny. It’s Aardvark Improv. And you can be a part of it.

Galvanic Folklore: Dance & Music inspired by Science June 23 and 25

2010-06-12T13:14:00.001-04:00

Galvanic Folklore
-From the Accelerating Universe-
by Cori Kresge and Jeremy Tressler
AN EVENING OF DANCE AND MUSIC
INSPIRED BY SCIENTIFIC THEORIES AND EVOLUTIONARY FANTASIES

Wednesday and Friday, June 23 and 25 at 8pm

Galvanic Folklore
Working with the transfer of physical and phantom energy from body to body, we effect, refresh, exhaust and actualise each other and our environment. Tressler’s musical composition is a study in REM (sleep) Therapy techniques, alternating sounds from left to right and right to left as a way to stimulate and integrate the unconscious mind.
..
Primitive Feedback Loop
Through a creative process that fuses sound and movement by finding the resonance of breath, sound and tone within the body, two dancers discover how sound can be shaped by muscle, held in a joint, and thrown out into space or into each other.
.
Sapience I
Sapience is inspired by a theory on the fringe of evolutionary science that mankind evolved from Aquatic Apes! Five dancers search for some cellular memory of this evolutionary process in their own bodies. Sapience premiered in Bronxville, NY in November, 2009.
.
Sapience II
A solo of movement and amplified voice, Sapience II projects the “story” of Sapience into the future with another evolutionary fantasy. The dancer wears a military gas mask that has been transformed into an exotic bird or beast-like creature, turning a practical survival tool into a luxurious expression of our animal nature and possibly an integral part of our future selves
.
SPECIAL GUEST
Korhan Basaran & dancers will join the evening with two duets from his new production, K’s search for L, an evening-length dance theater work that uses movement, poetry, storytelling, and baroque music to explore the numerous pathways that lead to L. This newest work from Turkish choreographer Korhan Basaran is a fairytale of longing and hope that stirs our belief in honest human connection.

LOCATION Leath Hall -West Center Church 101 Pondfield Rd West Bronxville, NY 10708 Ample street parking within one block	ADMISSION Wed. & Friday, June 23 & 25, 8pm Advance Tickets- www.corkkresge.org General Admission -$15 Seniors/Students -$10
View Leath Hall -West Center Church in a larger map
Info, Advance Tickets, Directions, Previews: www.corikresge.org

Jeff Newell's New-Trad Octet at the Hudson River Museum, 6/13 @2pm

2010-06-11T13:13:00.002-04:00

Jeff Newell's

New-Trad Octet

Sunday, June 13

2:00 to 3:45 P.M.

Hudson River Museum

511 Warburton Avenue, Yonkers, New York, 10701

FREE with museum admission, $5 adults, $3 children and seniors

more information: http://www.new-trad.com

about the museum: http://hrm.org/

Jeff Newell’s New-Trad projects are modern musical vehicles for the roots of American music. Combining instruments and elements of a traditional New Orleans brass band with those of a modern jazz group, this ensemble explores the early sources of our nation’s musical heritage (church music, band music, blues, etc.) and combines these influences in ways that speak to and excite modern audiences. Formed in 1994, the New-Trad sound has been brought to clubs, theaters, schools, festivals, and churches, thrilling audiences from the Atlantic to the Rockies. “Brownstone,” the New-Trad Octet CD released in April of 2007, met with overwhelming response from the press and jazz radio community, starting as the #1 add and staying on the charts for over six weeks.

CIT-ID- design a logo for your city.

2010-06-06T16:51:00.000-04:00

There's an exciting new international project called CITID going on linking typography and cities.

The idea is to get a designer to create a logo for their city using typefaces, and with the idea that the logo will also catch the vibe of the city itself. There's a numerous amount of cities already represented.

But where's Yonkers?

I've attached the submission guidelines below--

Come on, Yonkers Graphic Designers! Represent!

Info at: http://www.citid.net/

Philipse Manor House stays open!

2010-06-03T15:44:00.000-04:00

Well, they couldn't keep it closed for long!

I'm glad to report that, at least for the summer, Philipse Manor House is back open for business.

Here's the press release:

Philipse Manor Hall Open for Business!

from Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site by Frederick Philipse

We are pleased to announce that beginning Saturday, May 29, 2010, Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site is once again open to the public. (see press release below for details)

Our regular tour times apply: Tuesday - Sunday at 12PM, 2PM, and 3PM The museum is available by guided tour only.

Admission fees: $5 for Adults, $3 for Seniors/Students, FREE for children 12 years old and under

State Parks Welcome Visitors for Memorial Day Weekend

Commissioner directs staff to open the gates to all facilities immediately

Urges New Yorkers to take full advantage of wonderful system of parks and historic sites

State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commissioner Carol Ash today directed agency staff to open the gates at all state parks for the Memorial Day weekend and expeditiously get campgrounds, golf courses and historic sites into full operating status.

“The agency staff is thrilled to get back to doing what they do best – which is running the finest state park system in the nation. I know that New Yorkers across the state worked very hard to support their public parks over the last few months. Now I hope they will get out and enjoy these beautiful places this Memorial Day weekend and throughout the upcoming season,” Ash said. “I am grateful to Governor Paterson and the Legislature for finding a way to fully open our great park system this summer, which was an extremely difficult challenge in this struggling economy.”

Ash said staff will immediately reopen gates to parking lots and unlock the facilities to make them available for normal day-use activities, including picnicking, hiking, cycling and fishing. Other amenities will become available over the next few days as workers who have been reassigned return to their regular work sites and normal levels of seasonal park workers and lifeguards are hired.

To coincide with the full opening of the state park system, the holiday weekend also marks the beginning of a new summer campaign to encourage New Yorkers to visit their state parks and historic sites and take full advantage of the more than 213 properties across the state. The initiative will utilize the agency website, http://www.nysparks.com/, as well as Facebook and Twitter.
Beaches and pools: Park beaches and pools are expected to open on-schedule. Beaches and pools open between Memorial Day weekend and late June. Efforts are being made to open all facilities on schedule.

Campgrounds: Fifty-five campgrounds encompassing 9,400 campsites, cabins and cottages are open for the season. Ash noted that those campgrounds are 85 percent booked for the Memorial Day weekend. At 11 other campgrounds, with about 285 sites, park managers will take immediate steps to comply with health and safety regulations to allow the campgrounds to open for visitors. Reservations at Canoe Point, Cedar Island, Eel Weir, Hunt’s Pond, Keewaydin, Macomb Reservation, Mary Island, Max V. Shaul, Newtown Battlefield, Oquaga Creek and Rudd Pond will be accepted beginning Friday, May 28. Check the agency website for campground availability. Reservations are accepted for campsites and cabins from one day to nine months in advance of the planned arrival date by calling toll free 1-800-456-CAMP or online, http://www.nysparks.com/.

Ash noted that there are over 74,000 campsites, cabins and cottages reserved for nearly 313,000 nights so far for the 2010 season, a level that is slightly ahead of last year’s record pace. Advance reservations at state parks campgrounds have been steadily increasing in recent years.

Historic sites: Tours at historic sites shut by the fiscal crisis will resume the week of June 6, but the grounds will be open for Memorial Day weekend.

Golf: Bonavista and Springbrook Greens golf courses will open on or about June 7.

Riverbank State Park: The park will return to normal operating hours of 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. beginning this weekend. The outdoor pool will open on schedule on June 28. Senior classes will resume at a date to be determined.

Park visitors are advised to call the parks directly for information on the availability of specific services. Information on each of the 178 state parks and 35 historic sites operated by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation is available at http://www.nysparks.com/.

Haifa Bint Kadi to create Symbol of Diversity for Suny Oneonta

2010-05-03T08:53:00.003-04:00

Press Release: SUNY ONEONTA SELECTS ARTIST TO CREATE SYMBOL OF DIVERSITY

Contact: Glenn Mayer
Assistant to the President
SUNY College at Oneonta
Oneonta, N.Y. 13820
mayerga@oneonta.edu or (607) 436-2748

NEWS RELEASE

April 23, 2010

SUNY ONEONTA SELECTS ARTIST TO CREATE SYMBOL OF DIVERSITY

ONEONTA, N.Y. -- The SUNY College at Oneonta has selected artist Haifa Bint-Kadi to create an outdoor piece of public art that symbolizes the College's commitment to diversity and inclusion. After an open competition, the SUNY Oneonta President's Council on Diversity chose Ms. Bint-Kadi to construct a large mosaic pole sculpture as the focal point for the College's annual Tapestry of Diversity Award.

The sculpture, which will be located in the main campus quad between the Netzer Administration Building and Schumacher Hall, will be installed in August. Beginning in the fall of 2010, one individual or group will be honored with the Tapestry of Diversity Award, based on nominations from the campus community, to recognize their exceptional contributions to fostering diversity and inclusion at SUNY Oneonta. The award recipient will add his or her own mosaic design to the sculpture.

The sculpture will be composed of seven separate poles that represent the unique cultures and races of the seven continents. They will be united by a larger mosaic pole sculpture that is banded with tapestry and weaving patterns from around the world. A model of the sculpture is to the right.

According to Ms. Bint-Kadi, "Pole sculptures are designed to represent a community committed to the diversity of the world outside and one that promotes intellectual inquiry, dialogue, reflection and activities pivotal to sustaining multiple cultures, encouraging scholarship and knowledge in an environment that facilitates exchange among different perspectives and ways of being. Diversity at its core includes recognizing and embracing the value of 'difference' and that a multiplicity of ideas, voices and perspectives only enriches our social, cultural and intellectual world."

Haifa Bint Kadi has been creating public art mosaics since 1993. As a teaching artist, she has worked with students through the Westchester Arts Council, Hudson River Museum, Beczak Environmental Education Center, Citylore, Groundwork Yonkers, and Manhattanville College. She holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Instituto d'Arte per il mosaico di Ravenna in Italy and a bachelor's degree from Willamette University in Oregon.

Noel Fine Art moving to Tuckahoe

2010-05-01T07:15:00.000-04:00

I got this email today- and I immediately thought the worst. But fortunately, they are actually moving to a bigger space. Not sure why the press release is so negative.

For Immediate Release:
05/01/2010
CLOSING SALE
It is with no small amount of sadness that after 11 years, Noel Fine Art announces the closing of its gallery at 80 Kraft Avenue in Bronxville, May 31st, 2010.

Beginning on May 1st, 2010, we will be having a “moving sale” comprised of the merchandise in the gallery – many at 30 to 40% off retail prices -- including vintage watches, clocks, oriental rugs, Chinese art, wooden boxes, jade jewelry and many, many other items. The sale will end May 31st.
Having served the community since 1999, Noel Fine Art is moving to a larger studio space at 33 Terrace Place in Tuckahoe, NY, just a short walk up from the train station. The new gallery space will continue to exhibit some of finest artists in Westchester, as well as continue to provide a range of services, including art, antiques, rugs and watch appraisals; art restoration; fine art framing; and watch / clock repairs.
As an exciting new addition, the new gallery will also offer art classes, including instruction in painting, drawing and watercolor – both with and without a model – as well as demonstrations in making sculpture with different materials. (A schedule of classes will be posted on our website – www.noelfineart.com -- mid August.) Finally, in a salute to the artistic and literary “salons” of another era, we will also be scheduling poetry and book readings by local writers, and we will offering the gallery as a place to meet.
I look forward to serving current and new customers at my new space in Tuckahoe.
Warm regards,
Noel DeGaetano

A Tour of St. John’s, Getty Square: May 1

2010-04-15T06:00:00.002-04:00

A Tour of St. John’s, Getty Square:
The Most Interesting 19th Century Church in America

Noted architect Stephen F. Byrns maintains that St. John’s Church, Getty Square, is the most
interesting 19th century church in America, and he will make his case at a tour and lecture on
Saturday, May 1 at 4:30 PM. A wine reception follows the tour.

St. John’s was founded as a parish of the Church of England in 1693 and predates every other institution in Yonkers with the exception of Philipse Manor Hall. The American architect Edward Tuckerman Potter, hired because he submitted the only plan preserving a large part of the original 1752 church, is responsible for the striking edifice you see today. Situated in the heart of historic Yonkers, it is widely understood that the church presents opportunities for an appealing revitalized downtown.

Mr. Byrns, one time resident of Yonkers and partner at BSKS Architects in New York, currently
serves as a Landmarks Preservation Commissioner in New York, appointed by Mayor
Bloomberg. A graduate of Princeton University, where he majored in history, he played
leadership roles in Yonkers at the Park Hill Residents’ Association, Yonkers Landmarks Board,
Yonkers Planning Board, Yonkers Historical Society, Philipse Manor Hall Coalition and the
Racquet Club on Park Hill. He is also a graduate of Columbia University.

For further information or to purchase tickets, contact the church office at 914-963-3033, email
parish@stjohnsgs.org or visit www.stjohnsgs.org and click on the “Reservations for Spring
Tour” link. Advance tickets at a discounted price are available until Thursday, April 29th. Space
is limited.

All proceeds go to the continued maintenance and restoration of the church.

St. John’s Church is at One Hudson Street, between Riverdale Avenue and South Broadway in downtown Yonkers.

Blue Door Gallery Events

2010-04-14T14:22:00.000-04:00

Saturday, April 17, 2pm
WOMAN SPEAKING THROUGH US: Performing Women's Writings

Professors Kathleen Fowler and Ellen Dolgin will be presenting dramatic readings followed by a discussion of letters, diaries, poems, speeches by a variety of women writers and activists, primarily from the 19th century and maybe some earlier voices as well. The idea will be to trace patterns of women's inspiration and achievement as well as frustration and longing for freedom.
Free admission, donations welcome
at Blue Door Gallery (see address below)

---------------------and----------------------
Saturday, April 21
POETRY OPEN MIC

6:30-8:30PM

RSVP 914-375-5100 OR
poetry@bluedoorgallery.org

Feel free to visit their website at bluedoorgallery.org
or call them at the Gallery at 914.375.5100.

Yoho Open Studios- April 17 & 18

2010-03-25T22:27:00.000-04:00

OPEN STUDIOS

Saturday, April 17, 2010 12 pm -5pm
Sunday, April 18, 2010 12pm - 5pm

YOHO Artists' 7^th Annual Open Studios, This Year Featuring the Earth Day Exhibit "One Man's Trash Is Another Man's Treasure”

Location: YOHO CENTER FOR THE ARTS
540/578 Nepperhan Avenue
Yonkers, NY 10701
Contact: Barbara King - bergerkent@optonline.net for individual statements from artists and visual material, or to set up interviews
For renting artists loft space, call George Huang at (212) 317-1423 ext 601 or Zuki Pjetrovic (917) 682 - 5172
_______________________________________________________________________
Yonkers, NY – For the past seven years, Artists, Gallery Owners, Art Collectors, Critics, Curators and Art lovers from all over Southern Westchester and the Bronx have made YOHO Center for the Arts their destination during our annual Open Studios weekend. At this year's Open Studios on Saturday April 17th and Sunday April 18th we're also featuring a 3,000 square foot Gallery space exhibiting the works of many of the talented local artists.
Our Open Studio event gives the public an opportunity to see where the art is made and to meet the artists in a one-on-one atmosphere. In our studios’ relaxed atmosphere, the art loving public will discover how accessible art really is. They can meet with the artists and familiarize themselves with their creative processes, materials and range of works. Visitors may purchase artwork directly from the artists. Many of our artists are gallery-affiliated and have exhibited internationally. Many of their works are part of numerous collections in the United States and abroad.

In keeping with the spirit of Earth Day on April 22nd, YOHO is proud to feature this year its Green-themed exhibit "One Man's Trash Is Another Man's Treasure." The exhibit promotes the importance of alternative and creative ways to "Go Green" by recycling, reusing, and transforming things we would normally throw away into works of art. Participating Artists in this year's Exhibit include: RJ DiBenedetto, Kevin Gordon, Adam Shultz, Dakota Christianson, Catherine Latson, Dean Tomasula, Laurie Vigoda, and George Gutierrez.

The YOHO Artists are a collective of 55 artists and craftsmen, including painters, sculptors, etchers, jewelers, photographers, illustrators, assemblage artists, musicians and more. Since it’s redesignation as the YOHO Center of the Arts in 2009, YOHO has hosted several Gallery Nite arts receptions. Patterned after popular gallery receptions in Chelsea, the Gallery Nite events focus on arts-related networking within an art-filled open studio-like environment. The next Gallery Nite event is scheduled for Friday June 4, 2010 from 6 PM to 8 PM. Nearly 100 art lovers attended our last Gallery Nite Event.

ARTISTS PARTICIPATING IN THIS YEAR'S OPEN STUDIOS INCLUDE:
Adam Shultz, Amy Pasco, Barbara King, Catherine Latson, Dakota Christianson, Daniel Ortiz, David Fischweicher, Dean Tomasula, Deborah Yasinsky, Diane Mitchell, Eli Benjamin Yamin, Elizabeth Debethune, Ervin Vincent T. Chandler, George Gutierrez, Ginny Fox, Joe Hanerfeld, Joel Neff, Kevin Gordon, Laurie Vigoda, Marko Gosar, Michelle Frick, Noelle Knight, Paulo Suzuki, RJ DiBenedetto, Ruth M Gilbert, Steve A. Nunez, Tom Blake and Victor Rothman.

RFQ: City of Peekskill Public Artwork

2010-03-06T06:38:00.000-05:00

Request for Qualifications: Public Art Design and Installation
Deadline: March 26, 2010
The City of Peekskill is soliciting qualifications from experienced artists to design and install original public artwork on the exterior and interior of the James Street Parking Garage, located at the corner of James Street and Park Street in downtown Peekskill.
This competition will be conducted in two stages. Stage One requires the submittal of a letter of interest, professional qualifications, letters of reference, relevant samples of work, and a possible interview. Artists’ questions will be answered during a project walk-through, scheduled for March 10^th. Stage Two will ask the finalists to prepare and present concept drawings with a proposed fee for the design and installation of public art on the parking garage.
It is anticipated that the selected artist will begin work this summer, subject to the availability of funds.
Please refer to the City’s website www.cityofpeekskill.com under “RFPs/Bids” for a full copy of this RFQ.

Philipse Manor House in Danger of Closing

2010-02-23T08:50:00.001-05:00

According to this article in Lohud:

http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20102200328

the historic Philipse Manor House is in danger of closing.

While I understand the state is in a deficit and that cuts need to be made, this seems VERY shortsighted.

They produce tons of events in their historic house, and do a lot with very little. To cut them down to nothing is to diminish the history of this area, and quite frankly, it leaves another black hole in the middle of downtown Yonkers.

I don't know how much it costs to maintain two staff members, but it's got to be a drop in the bucket of 8 billion dollars (or even 6 million dollars, which is the parks department's proposed cutting) but there's got to be something else that could be cut.

If you'd like to do something about it, the best thing to do is write your State Representatives.
Tell them how much Philipse Manor Hall means to you, and why you think it would be a shame to close such a historic building that adds so much to our community.

Find your state representatives here:
http://nymap.elections.state.ny.us/nysboe/

You can also let the Yonkers City Council and the Mayor's Office know how much it means to you too.

Find your Yonkers City Council Representative here:
http://www.cityofyonkers.com/Index.aspx?page=1162

Mayor's Office
Mayor Philip A. Amicone
City Hall 40 South Broadway Yonkers, New York 10701
(914) 377-6300

Yoho Artists Gallery Night 2/5/10

2010-01-30T22:50:00.000-05:00

YoHo Gallery Nite ~ a sublime networking event for arts enthusiast
WHERE: 540 Nepperhan Avenue, Yonkers, NY 10701
WHEN: Fri 02/05/2010
Time: 06:00 PM - 08:00 PM
Fee: No Fee
Event Attachment(s): YOHOgallerynitepostcard020510.pdf
Event Description:
definition: gallery nite
i) a networking event series devoted to art and their enthusiasts on a 1st fri
ii) a virtual gallery at YoHo, ever moving,.. always evolving

feel the ArT

discover the ExperiencE

see YoHo 3 (in the 540 bldg) unveiled and artistically illuminated

see the works, meet the artists, & mingle with the arts community

showcased artists:
dakota christianson
rj dibenedetto
kevin gordon
noelle knight
catherine latson
joel neff
melanie rorher
adam shultz
laurie vigoda
plus various works from the other YOHO artists

YoHo welcomes gallery owners

guest artists: Local artists of Westchester welcome! - sign up at YOHOartists.com for your free account today

YoHo ~ Yonker's SOHO: Supporting and growing the arts of Southern Westchester

Location: 540 Nepperhan, 5th Floor
Take the elevator up to the 5th floor
(Follow signage to the left side of the rear parking lot)
Admission: Free

Directions: The entrance to the rear parking lot is located on the south side of Lake Avenue btwn Nepperhan Ave and Saw Mill River Road. Once you enter and make a right over the one lane bridge, 540 Entrance is straight ahead and to your left.

** MUSIC ** WINE ** ENJOY**
(feel free to bring your own choice of beverage)

RSVP

Teaching Artists- Free Webinar on dealing with students with disabilities.

2010-01-21T09:41:00.000-05:00

What do teaching artists need to know
to be successful when working with
students with disabilities?

A free Webposium for Teaching Artists

Friday, January 29, 2010
11–12 a.m. (CST) 12—1 p.m. (EST)

Join us online for a discussion about the challenges and successes of working with students with disabilities. The event will be streamed live and viewers will be able to join in the Q and A at the end of the session.
What do teaching artists need to know, understand, and be able to do to achieve success in a self-contained or inclusion classroom? The panel consists of artists and educators dedicated to making the arts accessible to all students. The panelists will discuss practical classroom strategies, lesson plan modifications, as well as the necessary questions to ask in order for everyone (artists, students, teachers, para-professionals, and administrators) to be successful. Register now! Registration ends Jan. 28 at 5 p.m. Sponsored by the Dana Foundation.

Panel Discussion on Video and Contemporary Art, Jan 24 at 3 pm

2010-01-13T17:01:00.000-05:00

What: A Public Discussion: Selected Topics in Video and Contemporary Art

When: Sunday, January 24^th at 3 pm

Where: The Grand Banking Room of ArtsWestchester’s Arts Exchange, 31 Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains

A multi-media exhibition at The Arts Exchange entitled, Morgana Plains, from silver to gold, features five separate multimedia installations by Amsterdam-based artist Wineke Gartz. Please join us for a panel discussion with Wineke Gartz (an Amsterdam-based multimedia artist), Paul Clay (video artist and original set designer of the musical Rent), and Anna Gritz (Program Director of Apex Art and writer for the widely respected art magazine frieze). The panel will be moderated by Dr. Livia Straus, President, of the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art.

This event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited, those wishing to attend are encouraged to rsvp at jormond@artswestchester.org

About the Panelists:

The panel will be moderated by Dr. Livia Straus, the Director of the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art.

Panelists Include:

Anna Gritz: is a New York based curator, researcher and art critic who serves as the Programs Director at apexart. She holds an MA in History of Art from the University of Cologne, Germany, and a MA in Curatorial Practice from the California College of the Arts in San Francisco. Her recent curatorial projects include Self-Storage (Curatorial Industries, San Francisco), Alaska: The White Alice Communication System (Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts, San Francisco), Learning to Love You More (MU, Eindhoven), and un-familiar spaces (Playspace Gallery, San Francisco). She is a contributor to various publications and exhibition catalogues, including frieze, Monopol, and Golden Guns Publications.

Wineke Gartz: An Amsterdam-based multi-media artist, whose exhibition Morgana, Plains, from silver to gold is presently on view at The Arts Exchange. Ms. Gartz has exhibited her work at venues throughout the world including France, Korea, Japan, the Netherlands, Mexico and the United States. Among her credits, she was part of a year-long residency at the prestigious Rijksacademy in the Netherlands. Her recent installations have emphasized the use of video, slides, drawings and glass to achieve the effect of multiple layers of meaning.

Paul Clay: Paul Clay is a visual artist and curator who works in a wide variety of media. He designed the set for the Pulitzer prize winning Broadway Musical Rent, 1997. His honors include a "Municipal Arts Society Times Square Spectacular" Award from Tibor Kalman for his redesign of the marquee and exterior of the Nederlander theater He is the founder of Fictive (www.fictive.net), and is chair of the Artists Alliance Inc. - a collective of 65 artists based in New York's Lower East Side. He is also Gallery Director for CUCHIFRITOS - AAI's not for profit art gallery/project space - located inside New York City's Essex Street Food Market.

Dr. Livia Straus: Dr. Livia Straus, along with her husband Dr. Marc Straus, are the founders of the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art (HVCCA) in Peekskill, New York. Writer Ben Gennochio of The New York Times has described the HVCCA as “the most dynamic contemporary art site in Westchester County.” The HVCCA’s current exhibition entitled Double Dutch is on view through July 26^th, 2010 and features contemporary Dutch installation art by sixteen artists.

Chip Taylor- Songwriter from Yonkers

2009-12-21T11:23:00.000-05:00

Recent NY Times article about Chip Taylor, younger brother of Jon Voight, and author of the song "Wild Thing" among others. He's from Yonkers, and his latest album is called (surprise surprise, Yonkers NY) You can buy the album by clicking the Amazon link on the left.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/21/nyregion/21towns.html

Our Towns

From Writing ‘Wild Thing’ to Nostalgia for Yonkers

By PETER APPLEBOME

Published: December 20, 2009

YONKERS

Robert Stolarik for The New York Times

Chip Taylor, who wrote the lyrics for “Wild Thing,” in his hometown of Yonkers, N.Y. .

- Linkedin
- Digg

Steve from New Rochelle, sitting in the corner booth at the Raceway Diner across the street from Yonkers Raceway, overheard some of the conversation at the next table, did quick research on his BlackBerry and then waited for the man with the longish white hair to get up before introducing himself.
“Ever hear the song ‘Wild Thing’?” he said to his daughter Isadora, an aspiring teacher. “This is the guy who wrote it.”
You win a permanent seat in the pop culture hall of fame for writing the words and music to one of the primal radio odes to youthful lust, made famous by the Troggs in 1966. So it was appropriate that Chip Taylor’s biggest claim to immortality was properly recognized before he popped into the kitchen to thank Noreen the waitress and headed back outside.
Still, plenty of musicians have done their best to capture the essence of raging hormones. Not many have felt the urge to create a country-ish homage to Yonkers, New York State’s fourth-largest city, but one of those unloved places, better known for what it is not than for what it is.
Which is why Mr. Taylor, the season of homecomings and long memories upon us, was tooling around his hometown and its environs on Thursday in search of the old Nepperhan train station (gone), the old Chat ’n’ Chew in Ardsley (gone), the memorial plaque to his dad, Elmer Voight, a former golf pro, on the 16th fairway at the Sunningdale Country Club in Scarsdale (still there), and his old house at 60 Ball Avenue overlooking the Saw Mill River Parkway (ditto, though barely recognizable).
Mr. Taylor, who these days lives in Manhattan, probably won’t achieve immortality for his new CD, “Yonkers NY,” though it’s been a surprising success now at No. 6 on the Americana record chart (“The List,” by Rosanne Cash, the daughter of his old friend and hero Johnny Cash, is No. 1). Still, as we all inch closer to that great Chat ’n’ Chew in the sky, Mr. Taylor gets his chance to remember things past — most quite personal, some kind of universal.
“The thing I really loved about Yonkers was this energy, this sense of a place where there was all this energy about to burst forth,” he said, as we drove through town. “I don’t know how to explain it, but it was a gritty place, full of people who worked hard and had all the character in the world. You might coast in Scarsdale. You didn’t coast in Yonkers.”
Mr. Taylor, 69, born James Wesley Voight, is the younger brother of the actor Jon Voight and Barry Voight, a geologist and volcano expert, and an uncle of Angelina Jolie. “Wild Thing” aside, he’s led a more interesting life than most of us, writing other hits like “Angel of the Morning,” making a living for years as a successful horse bettor, and then returning to music in the mid-1990s.
YONKERS has been around the block, too, once a bustling, unpretentious town full of factories and laborers, now trying to reinvent itself with fancy lofts and restaurants on the Hudson at one extreme and an increasingly poor and diverse population on the other. Mr. Taylor’s old working-class middle of Czechs, Italians, Poles and Irish is harder to find.
Mr. Taylor’s record, with threads of country and rockabilly, mandolin, fiddle and steel guitar, is an evocation of his family and Yonkers in the ’50s — the Mafiosi who showed up and sang opera at his parties, his basketball heroes at Roosevelt High who later got in trouble for shaving points in college games, the charcoal sky left behind by the Putnam Division trains that flattened the nickels his dad had left on the tracks.
The CD captures both an older, working man’s Westchester without the moneyed gloss and the eternal tug of the past — those places from everyone’s youth that invariably look smaller in real life than they seemed in memory.
The cityscape and hilly topography are pretty much the same, but most of that world is long gone, like the Otis Elevator factory, the Alexander Smith Carpet mill, the Anaconda Wire plant in Hastings where his aunt worked. People may work as hard now as they did then; it’s just harder to find places to work hard. It’s harder to burst through.
He won’t sell as many copies of “Yonkers NY” as the Troggs did of “Wild Thing,” but it’s one case for today’s splintered music business, where you can be as hyperlocal as the spirit moves you, like Tris McCall of Jersey City, who specializes in synth-rock visions of the culture and politicians of Hudson County.
Mr. Taylor figures there’s something universal in his tales of Yonkers. His fans in Sweden love the songs, he said. And if they didn’t?
“You’re from Yonkers, you have a certain pride in Yonkers,” he said. “And you don’t care if anybody gets it or not.”

Banish Modern Slavery- Exhibit Starting January 9

2009-12-17T14:52:00.000-05:00

BANISH MODERN SLAVERY!
YONKERS, N.Y. (December 1, 2009) – Between September and December 2009, four children have been producing an unusual product as the result of their studies: a museum exhibit entitled Banish Modern Slavery!
We invite you to attend the free opening of Banish Modern Slavery! on Saturday, January 9^th from 12-4 p.m. The exhibit features the interpretations of these four children, who participated in a ten-week class covering exhibition design and the study of both modern and historical slavery. From an installation referencing the Department of Labor’s recent release of a list of goods potentially tainted by slave labor to original artwork, the exhibit speaks to the unfortunate continuum of international slavery.
During the opening reception, visitors will have an opportunity to meet and speak with the child curators, experience the exhibit, stroll through the larger museum (which features the exhibit Slavery: The Great and Foul Stain) and participate in activities centering on raising awareness about modern slavery (films, handicrafts, a lecture and more).
For further information, please call 914-965-4027 or visit our event information website, philipsemanorhall.blogspot.com. You may also visit the blog the students have created to describe a portion of the work process: www.slaveryiscruel.blogspot.com.

This exhibit was made possible by a partnership between Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site, a museum and historic house in downtown Yonkers, and the Adventure Center: Journeys of Wonder, Inc., an educational enrichment program. Philipse Manor Hall, the setting for the exhibit, was once owned by the Philipse Family, who were slave owners and slave traders in the 17^th and 18^th centuries.

Philipse Manor Hall, a high-style Georgian manor house, was the seat of a 52,000-acre estate and home to three generations of the Lords of Philipsburg Manor. Built between c. 1680 and 1755, it is the site around which the City of Yonkers grew and developed. Philipse Manor Hall is located at 29 Warburton Avenue, at Dock Street, in Yonkers, and parking is available on site. The historic site is one of six state historic sites and 13 parks administered by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation – Taconic Region: www.nysparks.com.

Hudson River Mythbusters In Yonkers 12/19

2009-12-12T11:43:00.000-05:00

Yonkers, NY - A panel of experts tackles observations about the Hudson River and shows what's real and what's fiction at Hudson River Mythbusters on Saturday, December 19 at 7:00 PM at Beczak Environmental Education Center, 35 Alexander Street, Yonkers, NY.

Hudson River Mythbusters is FREE and includes holiday refreshments. For more information, call (914) 377-1900 x 13. This event is funded by the New York Council for the Humanities.

The Half Moon was the first European boat to sail up the Hudson.
The Palisades cliffs were formed by dynamite.

Truth isn’t as simple as it seems—that’s where the Hudson River Mythbusters come in. On the expert panel: Dr. Roger Panetta, Professor of History at Fordham University and author of many Hudson River books, most recently, Dutch New York: The Roots of Hudson Valley Culture; Kimberly Flook, Historic Site Manager of Philipse Manor Hall known for her presentation of Pirates of the Hudson; Margie Turrin, Science Educator with Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and coordinator of the annual Hudson River sampling and education event, “A Day in the Life of the Hudson River.” The Mythbusters Moderator is Daniel Wolff, author of How Lincoln Learned to Read and A Glimpse of the Lenape.

This light-hearted and entertaining event requires audience participation. People are invited to come with questions and encouraged to cast their vote for “Truth” or “Urban Legend” to statements like these:

- The dredging of upstate PCBs will solve that pollution problem.
- The Hudson River doesn't freeze very often because of global warming.
- The Hudson is once again clean enough to swim in.
- Slavery was a minor institution in the Hudson Valley and ended early.
- The Hudson River is a freshwater river.

Teachers have also been invited to submit favorite things students say about the Hudson—both ones that make them laugh as well as those that pose serious, complex questions that need an expert answer.

Hudson River MYTHBUSTERS is an end-of-year event that wraps up Beczak’s popular 2009 Hudson Quadricentennial Lectures, a series of ten presentations that ranged from The Palisades Revealed with Eric Nelsen, Historic Interpreter of the Palisades Interstate Park to Secrets of the Deep with Dr. Frank Nitsche of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

ABOUT BECZAK ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER
Beczak Environmental Education Center is a non-profit organization that presents exhibits and programs for all ages to raise environmental awareness and to encourage informed stewardship of rivers.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation calls Beczak’s rehabilitated property an “environmental recovery success story.” Located on the banks of the Hudson in the City of Yonkers, at River Mile 18, this spacious interpretive center is an adaptive reuse of the former social club for Habirshaw Cable & Wire Co. It’s two-acre park features a welcoming riverfront lawn, an easily accessible tidal marsh and a beach used for river exploration and seining.

Beczak educators work with approximately 20,000 children and families each year through in-school river education programs, field trips at its riverfront center and after school environmental clubs. Public programs include River Explorers and Fish Tales for children, Saturdays by the Fire lectures and Urban H2O concerts, Lunchtime Learning for seniors, Summer Adventures camp, and professional development for educators.

"The Art of Cardboard" Performance Sat. Nov 14, 2 pm

2009-11-11T14:16:00.000-05:00

DON'T MISS ACCLAIMED PERFORMANCE ARTIST
MARCY B. FREEDMAN
FOR A ONE-TIME SOLO PERFORMANCE AT 2:00 PM
Blue Door Art Gallery
13 Riverdale Ave, Yonkers NY

FREE ADMISSION

for more info, visit

http://www.bluedoorgallery.org

or call 914.375.5100

After Marcy Freedman's performance, you are invited to attend the opening reception of the Blue Door Art AssociationOpen Members Exhibit 2009
Yonkers Riverfront Library
3:00 to 5:00pm.
The library is located at 1 Larkin Center in Downtown Yonkers.

Actor's Conservatory Theatre

2009-11-01T07:41:00.000-05:00

The Actors Conservatory Theatre is a non-profit company located at 20 Buckingham Road in Yonkers (just off Lockwood Avenue). Founded in 1975, ACT stages comedies, musicals and dramas each season. Professional directors, choreographers, musical directors, lighting, sound and scenic designers and stage managers create the critically acclaimed productions each season.

Founded in 1975 by Arlene Wendt, ACT awards college scholarships, trains young apprentices, provides resume assistance and offers special ticket discounts to seniors, children, school groups, non-profits, and affiliate members of the Westchester Arts Council.

In addition, ACT produces Murder Mysteries for corporate and dinner events.

ACT's primary goal is to provide quality theatre to Westchester audiences at a reasonable cost, to assist young actors and technicians in the art of theatre, and to encourage volunteerism within the community.

To find out more about ACT, visit their website listed below.

http://www.actshows.org

The Big Read: The Things They Carried.

2009-10-22T13:18:00.002-04:00

Once again, Arts Westchester is participating in The Big Read! The mission is to get every adult in an area, from high school to senior citizens, to read the same book during a designated period of time

The Big Read provides an opportunity to celebrate literary arts and to use the arts as a jumping off point for civic dialogue.

The Big Read Westchester takes place from February through March 2010, and the book we will focus on is The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien. It’s a powerful, fictionalized account of one soldier’s experience in Vietnam. You can purchase the book from Amazon.com by clicking on the left, and you'll be helping keep the Yonkers Arts and Culture Blog going. If you can't see the picture on the left, CLICK HERE

If you are a member of a reading group, why not recommend The Things They Carried for your February or March discussion? If you would like to convene a discussion group, Arts Westchester can provide a discussion facilitator at no charge.

There will be lots of programs designed to enhance the reading experience and the Arts Westchester team will be creating a brochure designed to feature them.

In the meantime, please let them know if you or your reading group plan to read “The Things They Carried” (they are tracking numbers for their grant)

Respond to Lauren Milo at 914 428.4220 ext 235 or lmilo@artswestchester.org.

Lauren can also arrange the book discussion facilitator.

To find out more about Arts Westchester, visit http://www.artswestchester.org

Urban H20 presents River Songs, 10/25/09

2009-10-17T18:00:00.003-04:00

River Songs is a local music festival celebrating the Hudson River. It features collaborative performances by Tribes Hill singer/songwriters Rick Nestler, Marc Black, Madhumita Chakrabartti, Iris Cohen, Andrew V. Craig, Eddie Denise, Phil Dollard, Joe Duraes, James Durst, Fred Gillen Jr., Great Blue, Joe Iadanza, Susan Kane, Judy Kass, Steve Kirkman, Eric Puente, Spuyten Duyvil, Pete Tamburrini, Matt Turk, Mel and Vinny, and The YaYas. They will be joined on stage by noted Hudson Valley storyteller Jonathan Kruk and Victorio Roland Mousaa.

Tickets for the concert, priced at $20 for adults and $14 for seniors and children up to age 16 can be purchased online at http://www.tribeshill.com.

After the event, ticket holders are invited to attend a complimentary artist's reception featuring delicious food from Kingsbridge's Garden Gourmet, draft beer from the award winning Captain Lawrence Brewery, and wines from Artisan Wines.

Beczak is located steps from the Yonkers Metro North Station and features ample free parking.

This event is the first step in a move towards a monthly local music series, so please attend if you can.

It is made possible, in part, by the Arts Alive program of the Westchester Arts Council, with funding from the decentralization grants program of the New York State Council on the Arts.

Sponsors include local businesses Jacari Supply Co., Inc. in Yonkers; David Allen Bath Shop & M. Fraitag Plumbing in Yonkers; Tamerlaine Realty Corp. in Yonkers, Robert Whitney Lone Pine Tree Service in Yonkers, NY, Michael Meyer Fine Art., Yonkers, NY and David Associates Real Estate Management in Briarwood, NY.

Tribes Hill and Beczak are not-for-profit organizations supporting local artists and environmental education respectively.

For more information about this event, please visit http://www.tribeshill.com

The Labyrinth at Blue Door: This Saturday.

2009-09-25T17:48:00.001-04:00

A Blue Door Gallery Solo Exhibition

A ROMP THROUGH GREEK MYTHOLOGY:
THE MINOTAUR AND OTHER MYTHOLOGICAL BEASTS

ARTIST: DON AXLEROAD

Woodcuts, Paintings and Labyrinth

September 19 - October 24

	Deceit, brutality jealousy and revenge are all part of the Minotaur Story, brought to life in a new exhibition of prints and paintings by award winning artist Donald Axleroad at Blue Door Gallery, 13 Riverdale Avenue in Yonkers from September 19 through October 24. Families and children are especially welcome at the public reception on Saturday, September 26 from 2 to 5 p.m. Included in the exhibition, a labyrinth inspired by the mythological tale of the Minotaur and the Labyrinth will be featured in the gallery to engage young explorers. The artist’s reception will include a carnival performance by the “Minotaur” who tries desperately to escape the labyrinth. The cast of characters in the story of the Minotaur includes Deceitful King Minos, Beautiful Ariadne, Brave Theseus, Inventive Deadalus, Foolhardy Icarus, the Great White Bull, the Mighty Minotaur and Cerberus, the Gatekeeper from Hell. The Minotaur Story is just one of many examples of ancient Greek mythology which have long fascinated award winning artist Donald Axleroad. He believes that the epic figures of mythology, remind us of the capriciousness of man and nature as they relate to the challenges we face today, ranging from war and vengeance to the diseases of the aging such as Alzheimer’s. He draws the parallel that today, as in ancient mythology, bad things happen to good people – events over which they have no control. Also on display at the Blue Door Gallery will be several of Axleroad’s most recent works which focus on the artist’s portfolio of “The Human Condition: Identity Theft, Role Reversal and Fear of Fate. He currently teaches art to disabled adults with positive results through ARI of Stamford, which he founded. Donald Axleroad has won numerous awards from prestigious organizations including the Salmagundi Club, the National Arts Club of NY and The Allied Artists of America, as well as top prizes in many Fairfield County art associations, most recently Best in Show at the Flinn Gallery in Greenwich Library. His work has been shown in museums on the East coast and in a UN sponsored traveling exhibit of 100 American printmakers. A graduate of Pratt Institute, he has studied with Philip Guston, Richard Linder and Antonio Frasconi.

Deceit, brutality jealousy and revenge are all part of the Minotaur Story, brought to life in a new exhibition of prints and paintings by award winning artist Donald Axleroad at Blue Door Gallery, 13 Riverdale Avenue in Yonkers from September 19 through October 24.

Families and children are especially welcome at the public reception on Saturday, September 26 from 2 to 5 p.m.

Included in the exhibition, a labyrinth inspired by the mythological tale of the Minotaur and the Labyrinth will be featured in the gallery to engage young explorers. The artist’s reception will include a carnival performance by the “Minotaur” who tries desperately to escape the labyrinth.

The cast of characters in the story of the Minotaur includes Deceitful King Minos, Beautiful Ariadne, Brave Theseus, Inventive Deadalus, Foolhardy Icarus, the Great White Bull, the Mighty Minotaur and Cerberus, the Gatekeeper from Hell. The Minotaur Story is just one of many examples of ancient Greek mythology which have long fascinated award winning artist Donald Axleroad. He believes that the epic figures of mythology, remind us of the capriciousness of man and nature as they relate to the challenges we face today, ranging from war and vengeance to the diseases of the aging such as Alzheimer’s. He draws the parallel that today, as in ancient mythology, bad things happen to good people – events over which they have no control. Also on display at the Blue Door Gallery will be several of Axleroad’s most recent works which focus on the artist’s portfolio of “The Human Condition: Identity Theft, Role Reversal and Fear of Fate. He currently teaches art to disabled adults with positive results through ARI of Stamford, which he founded.

Donald Axleroad has won numerous awards from prestigious organizations including the Salmagundi Club, the National Arts Club of NY and The Allied Artists of America, as well as top prizes in many Fairfield County art associations, most recently Best in Show at the Flinn Gallery in Greenwich Library. His work has been shown in museums on the East coast and in a UN sponsored traveling exhibit of 100 American printmakers. A graduate of Pratt Institute, he has studied with Philip Guston, Richard Linder and Antonio Frasconi.

Events:

Saturday, September 26 - Artist's Reception - 2:00 - 5:00 pm - LIVE MUSIC AND REFRESHMENTS!
Special Invitation to children to explore the labyrinth!
Saturday, October 1 - Second Teen Poetry Slam - 6:00 - 8:00pm
Saturday, October 14 - Closing Reception Featuring Katherine Adamenko & Company - 2:00 - 5:00pm

Schoolhouse Theatre- Gino Civale Exhibition

2009-09-24T11:04:00.005-04:00

The Schoolhouse Theater (3 Owens Road, Croton Falls, New York 10519) is pleased to announce a fine art event, to coincide with the opening of the first play of the 2009/2010 Season, “ROSE” by Martin Sherman on October 15, 2009.

The art works of Yonkers resident, Biagio (Gino) Civale will adorn the galleries and corridors of the Schoolhouse Theater from October 15^th thru November 30^th, 2009. Oil paintings, Mixed Media, Etchings, Woodcuts and Serigraphs,will be on display.

Biagio (Gino) Civale has participated in over two hundred shows globally, of which 65 have been solo exhibitions. This selection, which has a true international flavor, will reflect his interest in the energy of nature, the feeling and flowing of waters and rivers and the interconnectedness of all humanity. The works comprise a retrospective exhibition representing sixty years of the artist’s vision and work.

A celebratory reception, (a vernissage), attended by the artist, will take place on Sunday October 25 from 1 to 3PM. The exhibit will remain open thru November 30 from 10AM to 2.30PM on Mondays and Fridays; from 10AM to 4PM on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays; during performances and by appointment with the galleries (914 277 8477) or the artist. (914 965 5703). Website Images, photographs and resume details can be obtained directly from the artist’s website, at www.Civale.org or writing to StudioCivale@msn.com .

For a map and directions www.schoolhousetheater.org

The (Forgotten) Melting Pot- Quadricentennial Expert Panel

2009-09-24T06:00:00.000-04:00

FORGOTTEN MELTING POT
On October 8, Philipse Manor Hall will be sponsoring a Quadricentennial Expert Panel, which will feature a number of expert panelists discussing New York's cultural landscape and the contributions of under-represented people. The panel will focus on the transitional 17nth century, but will look to various moments in history and the present day, elucidating African American, Native American, Dutch, and women's roles.

Panelists include Sherrill Wilson, Tom Lake, David Ocstreicher, Martha Shattuck, and Louise Devenish. See the image for more details about each panelist.

The schedule is listed below:

6 pm: Object Analysis: Guests are invited to bring in their American "Found Objects" (arrowheads, African textiles, etc.) for analysis by the experts. Please note this is not an appraisal, but rather a placing of cultural and social significance of the object.

7 pm: Panel Discussion: followed by an open Q and A from the audience.

8:30: Reception and booksigning.

For more information, visit http://www.philipsemanorhall.blogspot.com

Children's Book Day- Sleepy Hollow

2009-09-23T06:00:00.000-04:00

This isn't in Yonkers, but it sounds like a great event, so I thought it was important to get the word out. (courtesy of Hudsonvalley.org)

Children's Book Day

Washington Irving's Sunnyside

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Washington Irving's Sunnyside is the storybook setting for one of HHV's most popular events, a day-long festival for young readers, families, and friends, who can meet more than sixty of their favorite authors and illustrators. Not all authors appear at the same time.

11am to 6pm

Regular Admission | Free for Members

GROUP 1 11:00-12:30
Tony Abbott Pam Allyn Nora Raleigh Baskin Judy Blundell Richard Brenner Elise Broach Nick Bruel Alyssa Satin Capucilli Jerry Craft Katie Davis Barbara Dee Bruce Degen David Johnson Alan Katz	Leslie Kimmelman Peter Lerangis Gail Carson Levine Barbara McClintock Lloyd Moss Marc Tyler Nobleman James Preller Susanna Reich Pat Schories Todd Strasser Eric Velasquez Monica Wellington Howard Whitehouse Ed Young
GROUP 2 12:30-2:00
Jules Feiffer Kate Feiffer David Gavril Jean Craighead George Dan Greenburg J.C. Greenburg Arthur Howard James Howe Susan Jeffers Chris Kubie Rafe Martin Jean Marzollo	Wendy Mass Florence Minor Wendell Minor Gloria Pinkney Jerry Pinkney Roni Schotter Peter Sis Rebecca Stead Hudson Talbott Mark Teague Mara Van Fleet Matt Van Fleet
GROUP 3 2:00-3:30
Howard Fine Charise Mericle Harper Chris Hart Colleen MacCullough	Bernard Most Michael Rex Marisabina Russo

Yonkers Knitting Group

2009-09-22T06:00:00.001-04:00

The Yonkers Riverfront Library Knitting Workshop meets on Tuesday mornings, from 10:00 am to 11:30 am in the Arts & Crafts room at the Yonkers Riverfront Library, One Larkin Center, Yonkers, NY.

Learn how to knit or learn how to crochet.
Just bring your own knitting materials and the lovely ladies in the workshop will show you how to get started or help you complete a project you are already working on.
The crocheting group will be working on a simple project. They'll supply the materials for this first project in the new workshop. Of course, you can bring your own materials if you have them.
That's Tuesday mornings, from 10:00 am - 11:30 am.
Please call 914-375-7966 with any further questions.

They also have a blog to read about their latest news and additions.
http://yonkersriverfrontlibraryknitting.blogspot.com/

Open Mic at Jewels by Elan, Friday, Sept. 25

2009-09-21T10:46:00.003-04:00

Open mic nights are the breeding ground of the entertainment field.

They are a great place for a beginner to cut their teeth, and for a veteran to work out new things. Come witness groundbreaking works of literature, poetry slam and visual art. Old hands and newbies alike gather in a great atmosphere of support and non-competitiveness.

If you'd like to participate, call (914) 375-7400 or email ellen@jewelsbyelan.com to secure your slot.

Jewels By Elan is located at 25 Warburton Ave almost at the corner at Main Street in beautiful downtown Yonkers.

Friday, September 25, 2009
Time: 6:30pm – 9:00pm
Location: Jewels By Elan
Street: 25 Warburton Ave, Yonkers
Cost: FREE
More info: http://www.jewelsbyelan.com

Columbus Day Concert October 18

2009-09-20T09:43:00.004-04:00

Treat yourself to an afternoon of great Italian music!

Sunday, October 18, 2009 at 2:45 P.M.
Saunders High School, 183 Palmer Road, Yonkers, NY.

The Columbus Day Celebration Concert features the 30 piece
Yonkers Concert Band, conducted by Joseph Stamboni,
with soprano Jennifer S. Greene and tenor Dale Smith.

Italian marches, operatic selections, sing-along of Neapolitan
songs with words provided to the audience. Free admission.

Appearance by Miss Columbus 2009.

Performance sponsored by the Yonkers Columbus Day Celebration Committee 2009 in cooperation with the City of Yonkers, Philip A. Amicone, Mayor, and the Yonkers Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation.

Contact Lucille Sciacca at Yocolumbuscncrt@aol.com
or call 914 423 3592 for more information.

Elli Fordyce- Jazz Vocalist

2009-08-18T20:33:00.004-04:00

Elli Fordyce is a 72 year old highly accomplished vocalist and actor. She has performed all over the New York Metro area and other U.S. and North American cities, including an appearance in the New York Cabaret Convention and in various festivals. Elli also has a number of acting credits, including, film, television, and stage.

Prior to returning to New York 30 years ago, Elli took time away from her musical journey. The first was to devote herself to family, and unexpectedly, the next after a devastating accident on a snowy highway en route to a gig when the car carrying her quartet and equipment crashed into a disabled truck. A successful year-long "Elli Fordyce And Her Favorite Things" tour ended abruptly, leaving scars of several kinds. Soon after, Elli stopped singing for 15 years ("Not even to sing Happy Birthday, not even in the shower") and focused firmly on much needed physical and spiritual healing.

A few years ago, she decided to start singing again, and she's been going strong. Her first CD Something STILL Cool, was nominated for a number of awards in 2008, including Top Ten Vocal Albums of 2008 by TalkinBroadway.com . Elli's latest CD is Songs Spun of Gold.

To find out more about her work, and to listen, download, or buy albums, visit her website listed below:
http://www.ellifordyce.com

You can also follow Elli on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ElliFordyce

Mexico Lindo this Saturday at Untermyer Park

2009-08-17T16:09:00.007-04:00

THE UNTERMYER PERFORMING ARTS COUNCIL's

Hudson Overlook Melodies continues this

Saturday, August 22nd at 7:30 PM

with Thalia Spanish Theatre's

presentation of Mexico Lindo

Travel on a musical journey through Mexico’s many beautiful traditions and influences, with live music and gorgeous costumes.

The mission of Thalia Spanish Theatre is to celebrate the vibrancy and diversity of Spanish and Latin American culture with unique productions of plays, musicals and dance.

http://www.thaliatheatre.org/

Admission Free

at Untermyer Park, 945 N. Broadway, Yonkers.

If it looks like rain, call 914.375.3435 after 2 PM Saturday for rain site information.

Bring Your Own Seating!

More information at www.untermyer.com

Fwd: African Dance at Untermeyer (Saturday July 25)

2009-07-21T09:13:00.001-04:00

THE UNTERMYER

PERFORMING ARTS COUNCIL's

Hudson Overlook Melodies

continues this

Saturday, July 25th with

The Kotchegna Dance Company
of the Ivory Coast

Kotchegna, meaning "messenger" in the Ivorian language of Mahou, is a seasoned dance
company founded in the Western African nation of the Ivory Coast by master dancer and
choreographer Vado Diomande. Kotchegna has traveled across the United States and around the
world promoting Ivorian culture through chant, mime, dance, and music.
Audiences of all ages are captivated by Kotchegna's innovative choreography, spectacular stilt
dancing and pageantry, and pulsating rhythms. The New York Times raved about Kotchegna after
watching the company perform at Lincoln Center's annual Folk Parks

program, stating that "the bestaspect was the drumming: nonstop, high-speed,

feverishly intricate rhythms and cross-rhythms from
a team of drummers who knew countless ways to subdivide a beat and make it jump."

Admission Free

at Untermyer Park, 945 N. Broadway, Yonkers.

Looks like rain, call 914.375.3435 after 2 PM Saturday for rain site information.

www.untermyer.com

THE COMMUNITY NEEDS FREE ARTS NOW MORE THAN EVER!

Mobile Tech and Arts Organizations- Meetup in NYC

2009-07-10T09:56:00.002-04:00

As of today there are about 50 spots left if you want to attend.

Sounds like it might be really interesting!

Mobile Tech for Arts Orgs

Jul 23 Thu 7:00 PM

Location: Roger Smith Hotel 501 Lexington Ave New York, NY 10017
212.755.1400

Price

$5.00 per person
refund policy

This month we'll be hearing from some people doing amazing things at the intersection of arts and mobile. We'll cover the spectrum of everything from interactive mobile design theory, to iPhone apps, to Twitter/SMS interactive initiatives, and more.

The list of presenters is as follows:

1. Koven Smith - Senior Analyst for Enterprise Content Management for the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Koven will be giving a brief talk based on his recent paper, "The Future of Mobile Interpretation."

2. Jeffrey Inscho - Media and Public Relations Coordinator at the Mattress Factory Art Museum
Jeffrey will be talking about the museum's MFSCREENtxt project and how they are using insight from this initiative in designing an iPhone app.

3. Untravel Media - Michael Epstein, founder and creative director of Untravel Media will be talking about documentary storytelling on mobile devices. Some of the concepts can be found in his recent paper “Moving Story.”

4. Adam Shackelford - Co-founder and lead developer at Iconoclash Media. Adam will be talking about developing an iPhone app off the Brooklyn Museum's collections data API (for fun).

...and potential one or two more TBD

Additional details:
- Doors open at 7pm, presentations will begin promptly at 7:30pm
- Each speaker will give an 8 minute presentation followed by 2 minutes for Q&A
- There will be a networking session after the presentations
- There will be a CASH bar. Bring cash.

To RSVP visit http://www.meetup.com/Arts-Culture-and-Technology/calendar/10775307/

Application for Quartets who want to travel abroad.

2009-07-09T12:10:00.001-04:00

Deadline: August 10, 2009

Application Information Available for Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad Touring Program

The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad is a partnership between Jazz at Lincoln Center and the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The program is designed to foster cultural exchange with audiences worldwide through performance and educational outreach.

Applying ensembles must be comprised of four musicians and must perform in one of the following American musical styles: jazz, urban/hip hop, or American roots music (including blues, bluegrass, Cajun, gospel, zydeco, and country). Each applicant musician must be at least 21 years of age, a U.S. citizen, and hold a valid U.S. passport.

Selected ensembles tour to such regions as Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East for approximately one month. International activities include public concerts, master classes, lectures, demonstrations, workshops, jam sessions, media outreach, and collaborations with local musicians.

The U.S. Department of State funds international travel, hotels, and meals, and awards a modest tour honorarium to each musician.

Complete program information is available at the JALC Web site.

Contact:
Link to Complete RFP

Primary Subject: Arts and Culture
Geographic Funding Area: National

Call for Artists- Blue Door Art Gallery

2009-06-24T19:28:00.001-04:00

CALL FOR ENTRIES FROM ALL TYPES OF ARTISTS:

From the Community Galley at Blue Door Gallery, (a summer time community effort of the Blue Door Gallery in Yonkers NEW YORK). For the show, Inspired by Heritage, August 15th - September 12th, 2009.

We invite artists of all ages to provide generational viewpoints of the cultures that surround us. We also invite artists to submit proposals to share aspects of their culture through talks, demonstrations, storytelling and performance art that provide educational and awareness opportunities to the community as part of our outreach efforts.

Please send images of your work (CD or Photographs) and/or your one page proposal of your performance to yonkersbluedoor@gmail.com or mail to:
Blue Door Gallery,
Inspired by Heritage,
5 Hudson Street,
Yonkers, NY 10701.
A SASE may be included if you wish return of materials.
If sending via e-mail please place title of the show in the subject line.
The Blue Door Exhibition Committee will be the curator for the "Inspired by Heritage" Exhibition.
• Artists may submit up to three (3) images.
• Maximum artwork size: 36" x 60" framed.
• Three-dimensional no heavier than 100lbs
DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES: July 3rd, 2009

Blue Door Gallery, 13 Riverdale Avenue (south of Main St), Yonkers, NY 10701, (914) 375-5100, yonkersbluedoor@gmail.com, and www.bluedoorgallery.org

Yonkers Reads!

2009-06-17T19:00:00.003-04:00

Yonkers Partners in Education, a non-profit based in Yonkers strives to ensure that all children who attend the Yonkers Public Schools have access to a quality education that prepares them for high school graduation, college, work, and success in life.

One of their programs is Yonkers Reads, in which 8500 K-3rd grade students—in all Yonkers elementary schools—receive a bag with books to read at home each week, accompanied by bi-lingual instructional materials for parents and caregivers. Upon returning the bag, each child will receive different titles for the following week.

As you can imagine, times are tough for programs like these-- budget cuts and what not.

You can support the YonkersReads program by shopping for books at the Barnes & Nobles in Yonkers this weekend. Read the flyer below (click for a larger version) for the complete details, or if you can't see it for some reason, visit http://www.ypie.org

"Music For Feet" Wednesdays in July

2009-06-15T11:09:00.000-04:00

Lu Gmoser will be presiding over a five part series called "Music For Feet" focusing on music written specifically for dance.

It will cover Tchaikovsky's classic ballets, such as Swan Lake, Richard Rodger's Broadway ballets including "Slaughter On Tenth Avenue" from On Your Toes, and Berlin, Gershwin, and Kern music written for the films of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

Wednesdays, July 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29
1-3 pm

Westchester Community College, Valhalla (75 Grassslands Rd)

$70 for the series of five sessions (must be paid in full)
Advance registration requested
Information: 914-606-6793

Lu Gmoser is a musical theatre scholar and producer. She is the recipient of the 2004 Untermyer Performing Arts Council Award for her efforts in promoting the performing arts in Westchester, as well as the 2001 recipient of the Cab Calloway Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. Ms. Gmoser was the producer of the Asbury Summer Theatre in Yonkers from 1979 to 2007 and is the author of Great Composers.

Volunteer Expo June 19

2009-06-11T04:03:00.001-04:00

Volunteer Expo

Help transform your community, June 19

On June 19 there will be a Westchester Serves Expo at the Westchester County Center. Learn how you can transform your communities – and yourself – through service. Workshops on career transitioning, networking and using your skills in technology to help nonprofits. No pay, but volunteering can take you places.

“President Obama has called upon Americans to rededicate themselves to bettering their communities through volunteerism, and Westchester County government is responding,” said County Executive Andy Spano. “I encourage students, retirees, the underemployed or unemployed – anyone looking to make a difference – to drop by.”

The Westchester Serves Expo is on June 19 from 2 - 6 p.m. at the Westchester County Center, White Plains. The event is free and open to the public. Registration is encouraged by e-mailing EventsRSVP@westchestergov.com or calling (914) 995-2913.

The expo kicks off at 2 p.m. with welcome remarks by County Executive Spano and Emilia Nuccio, a successful businesswoman, philanthropist and volunteer in Westchester, who will talk about how you can make an impact on a community through volunteerism and the benefits of community service. You will then meet and have the opportunity to talk one-on-one with non-profit organizations looking for volunteers.

Perhaps you are unemployed or under-employed and looking for something worthwhile to do. Perhaps you are retired and want to find an outlet to share what you know. If you've never considered volunteerism before, now might be the right time. Not only can you make a difference in your community, but you can sharpen your skills.

The expo will also feature four workshops including:

Blogging for a non-profit... the right way (2:45 - 3:15 p.m.)

Do you blog? Nonprofits need to get the word out about their agencies to help raise money, but they often don't have the resources to do it online. Help promote them and their mission by blogging the right way.

Why volunteer when you're looking for work? (3:30 - 4:30 p.m.)

Build your network, skills and your confidence while helping your community. You will learn how volunteering can help lead you to a job or even a career change.

How youth can help change the world for the better (4:30 - 5 p.m.)

Have you ever wondered what you can do to help change the world for the better? Across the nation, youth are helping feed the poor, tutoring young children, visiting an isolated senior, cleaning up parks, or hundreds of other volunteer projects.

Most people, young and old, do not know just how important their skills are. What are you good at? Sports? Computers? Listening? In this session we will explore your hidden talents and which non-profits are in need of people just like you.

Using social media to help non-profits (5 - 6 p.m.)

Are you on Facebook or Twitter? You will learn how Facebook, Flickr, and other social media technologies you use can help advance non-profit organizations.

The event is co-sponsored by the Volunteer Center of United Way and the Westchester Community Foundation.

Three for the Show, June 20, 2 pm

2009-06-09T10:48:00.005-04:00

Three for the Show celebrates the 150th birthday of the Dean of American operetta composers Victor Herbert, who wrote more than 40 musical shows including Naughty Marietta, The Red Mill, Babes in Toyland, and Mlle Modiste.

Among Victor Herbert's many melodious songs are "I'm Falling In Love With Someone." "The Italian Street Song," "Every Day Is Ladies Day With Me," "Toyland," and "A Kiss in the Dark"

Performers include
Alayne Faraone, soprano,
Mark Cummings, baritone
Kurt Kelley, pianist
Lu Gmoser, commentator

Lu Gmoser is a musical theatre scholar and producer. She is the recipient of the 2004 Untermyer Performing Arts Council Award for her efforts in promoting the performing arts in Westchester, as well as the 2001 recipient of the Cab Calloway Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. Ms. Gmoser was the producer of the Asbury Summer Theatre in Yonkers from 1979 to 2007 and is the author of Great Composers.

Saturday, June 20, 2pm
Grinton Will Public Library
1500 Central Park Ave, Yonkers
FREE

Info: 914-476-3399

Yonkers IDA Incentives For Broadway Production Company

2009-06-08T09:03:00.000-04:00

Yonkers IDA Incentives For Broadway Production Company

Courtesy of Westchester.com

Saturday, 06 June 2009

Yonkers, NY - The Board of Yonkers Industrial Development Agency (IDA) unanimously passed a resolution to move forward with a public hearing and to negotiate an economic development package for Hudson Scenic Studio, an award-winning national production and scenic fabrication firm that has served Broadway and the professional entertainment industry for nearly three decades.

Currently located at 130 Fernbrook Street in Yonkers, Scenic Hudson has proposed a major renovation of 78 Fernbrook to accommodate a new manufacturing and warehouse facility.

“No sector of our economy is immune to the current recession, so it is imperative that Yonkers and the IDA use every resource available not only to bring new businesses to the City, but to make sure we maintain and grow the ones we have” said Mayor Philip Amicone, chairman of the Yonkers IDA. “Hudson Scenic Studio’s presence in our City demonstrates our strength and stability, as well as our appeal to a broad range of industries. We look forward to working with them as they bring more jobs and tax revenue to our City.”

The $2,660,000 project will entail the renovation of an existing 50,000-square-foot structure commonly known as the former Tyco Building. The Hudson Scenic Studio project will create 25 new construction jobs and 15 new permanent positions while retaining 135 full time jobs. Inducements from the IDA for the project could include a bond issuance, a sales and use tax exemption for materials and equipment used in construction as well as a structured property tax agreement. After a public hearing, the IDA will vote on a final development agreement.

Ellen Lynch, president and CEO of the Yonkers IDA, added, “Proximity and accessibility to New York City gives the City of Yonkers the ability to attract a business like Hudson Scenic Studio. Passing this resolution is a critically important step in moving this project forward.”

Among the services offered by Hudson Scenic are carpentry and stagecraft; scenic and backdrop painting; custom lighting services; production design, planning and budgeting; set electronics; rigging system design and installation; automation and mechanization; among dozens of other expert services.

The public hearing will be held on June 11 at 5:30 p.m. in the Mayor’s Reception Room at Yonkers City Hall, 40 South Broadway.

Yonkers River Day is tomorrow!

2009-06-05T16:24:00.001-04:00

YONKERS RIVER DAY 2009

SATURDAY, JUNE 6

HUDSON RIVER CELEBRATES ITS FLAGSHIPS
City of Yonkers to Greet Multi-Ship Flotilla

As part of the ongoing Quad Celebration (400th anniversary of the discovery of the Hudson River, www.exploreny400.com) Yonkers, Westchester’s largest city, with 4.5 miles of riverfront, will debut River Day, Saturday June 6 from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm, a celebration welcoming replicas of the original seven Hudson River flagships – the Half Moon, Cleveland, Harvey, Clearwater, Mystic, Woody and Onrust, which will travel, together with hundreds of other watercraft, from lower Manhattan the entire length of the Hudson River with a viewing in Yonkers at approximately 12:00 noon.

This will be the premier event in the Hudson Valley to commemorate 400 years of history of the river, and its boats and ships. A celebration featuring the best of the Yonkers Waterfront will take place at the John F. Kennedy Marina including:

A cannon salute
Artwork on display along the Esplanade
Family-friendly refreshments and entertainment
The Yonkers Science Barge on-board demonstrations
Beczak Environmental Education Center children’s flag making
Philipse Manor Hall National Trails Day walk

“River Day is a glorious way to show off Yonkers’ heritage and ties to the Hudson,” says Jim Pinto, the head of Yonkers Waterfront Development, ”And it’s a great kick-off to a full slate of River-themed activity in conjunction with the Quad Celebration that Yonkers will feature throughout the year.”

It is also important to note that Metro-North offers reduced fare packages via its “A Day on the Hudson” offer. More information can be found at www.mta.info/mnr.

Yonkers: The Lost City of Hip Hop

2009-06-05T05:07:00.003-04:00

Jerome Enders, who grew up in Yonkers, has recently written a book that argues that Yonkers was a significant contributor to the birth of hip-hop.

Enders, who was known as Raw Rome back in the day, has put together his and others recollections of the early rap scene in Yonkers. He interviews characters such as Slimy Slim, Easy-E, and Kato to get a good sense of the 1970's and the birth of HipHop.

Enders whose break-dancing cousin introduced him to the scene and later became a dj at parties, has written an account of the era that tells the untold story of Yonkers and the birth of hip hop.

The book is available at Amazon.com

Noel Fine Art Announces the Summer Show

2009-06-03T16:35:00.000-04:00

Noel Fine Art has announced their Summer Show for 2009, an annual event featuring the gallery artists:

(Click on artist's name to view images)

The exhibit will open on June 12th and will stay until the end of August. Check out this exhibit that has so many diverse techniques, mediums and styles.

For more information, visit their website at www.noelfineart.com , or contact Noel Fine Art at 914.337.4050.

Acme Flea Circus This Weekend- Hastings on Hudson

2009-05-29T16:45:00.004-04:00

Pardon the shameless commercial interruption, but my show, the Acme Miniature Flea Circus will be performing at the Hastings-on-Hudson Popcorn and Puppet Festival on Sunday May 31. Showtime is 3:20 pm

The Festival runs 3-5 pm at the MacEachron Waterfront Park, 1 River Street, Hastings-on-Hudson. The park is right next to the Hastings-on-Hudson Metro North Station., about 30 minutes from Grand Central, and about 3 stops from the downtown Yonkers line.

other performers include
The Sourdough Philosophy Circus ( Bread and Puppet Theater)
Soup
Puppet Junction
Cosmic Bicycle Theatre
The Himilayas Band

Tickets: $8 for adults, $5 kids, $30 for families of 5 or more.
(rain location: Hastings High School Gym)

For more info, including directions, visit: http://www.rivertownsguide.com/puppet.php or http://www.trainedfleas.com

Yonkers Arts Fest 2009 at Lohud.com

2009-05-29T03:59:00.004-04:00

Yonkers Arts Fest 2009 has made the front cover of the LOHUD Weekend section in yesterday's Journal News

Photos of the Yonkers Philharmonic grace the cover of the magazine insert and there is an almost 2-page article on the Fest.

http://www.lohud.com/article/20090528/ENTERTAINMENT/905280308/

A mobile version of the article is available here.

http://bit.ly/yartfest

And just in case, a copy of the article is below.

The Journal News

Festival finale in Yonkers

Mary Shustack
mshustac@lohud.com
May 27, 2009 03:56 AM
img

It might be a student playing the piano, a sculptor demonstrating her technique or a dancer swirling around a stage.

No matter the medium, the arts scene seems to be thriving in Yonkers.

This weekend, the last official one of Yonkers ArtsFest 2009, will include a philharmonic performance, arts demonstrations and a lecture on painting, among other planned events.

"Yonkers ArtsFest is the first major undertaking for this new organization, Yonkers Arts," says Judith Schwartzstein, president of the nonprofit group. "Our mission is to supports art and arts organizations in the city of Yonkers."

Yonkers Arts, which Schwartzstein likens in ways to an arts council, decided it was time to spread the word about the city.

Since it's not a presenting organization, Schwartzstein adds, the group simply looked at all that was on offer - from cultural celebrations to dance performances, theater works to art exhibitions - and pulled them under an umbrella "so that we could help boost audience attendance and really promote all the wonderful arts organizations in the city."

So far, it's been a success. "It seems that everything has gone really well," Schwartzstein says.

That most every single event - except for a jazz performance held as a fundraiser for the arts academy at Lincoln High School - has been free has only added to the attraction.

"We really feel that our mission in supporting arts and arts organizations is to make the arts more accessible to more people," Schwartzstein says.

She points to the May 9 performance showcase, held at the Riverfront Library, where students and professionals offered everything from classical music, jazz and hip-hop to poetry and theatrical pieces.

It was designed, Schwartzstein says, to give the audience a glimpse into the city's offerings.

"People might say 'Wow. This is something I didn't know before,'" she says. "What we're trying to do is bring it together."

Organizations having their events highlighted through the festival are expecting a boost, too.

Those who attend Sunday afternoon's "Concerto Time at the Philharmonic" will indeed be sparked to explore the Yonkers Philharmonic. The 47-year-old orchestra, conducted by James Sadewhite, features both professional and avocational musicians, making it a true community group.

"I hope that it will attract even more people now," says Rosemarie Doerr, who (along with Marcia Klein) serves as president of the Fine Arts Orchestral Society of Yonkers, the group that sponsors the Yonkers Philharmonic. "They're trying to promote all the arts and of course, we are one of them."

Sunday's performance will feature the winners of the 31st annual Concerto Competition for high school students, a scholarship program in which the winners are awarded cash and the opportunity to perform with the orchestra.

"They're able now to play with the orchestra, which is a unique situation because there's not many orchestras around," Doerr says.

The afternoon will feature first-place winner Benjamin Boventer, a 17-year-old pianist from New Rochelle and student at The German School New York in White Plains, who will play the Grieg "Concerto in A minor."

The second-place winner is Matthew Crozier, 17-year-old trombonist from Harrison and student at Harrison High School. He will play "Concertino" by Ferdinand David.

Third-place winner Claire Allen-Solomon, a 16-year-old cellist from Pelham Manor and student at the Loyola School in New York, will perform the Haydn "Concerto in C Major."

Fourth-place winner Moriah Feiner Trenk, a 15-year-old pianist from Scarsdale and student at Scarsdale High School, will perform the Mendelssohn "Concerto in G minor."

Jenna Margiasso, a 17-year-old soprano from Pleasantville and student at Pleasantville High School, is the fifth-place winner. The soloist will sing three arias by Puccini, Copland and Handel.

Doerr says the scholarship-winner performances help the orchestra reach a wider audience. That's also the idea behind the group's summertime concerts, in local parks or other outdoor venues.

And falling under the ArtsFest umbrella, she adds, can only help visibility.

"Somebody might not be interested in sculpture or painting but is interested in live music - or vice versa," she says.

After all, helping develop an appreciation for the arts is at the core of the festival.

Stephen E. Force, the director of the Yonkers Public Library, says the exhibition at the Riverfront Library this month - a showcase of more than 30 Yonkers artists - has really drawn people in.

"It was such a nice exhibit and very well-received," Force says.

Instead of closing the exhibit today, as originally scheduled, Force says, it will now be moved to the library's fourth floor where it will continue through July.

And, he adds, the atrium space will be taken over by a new community art display - "Passport to Yonkers: Intergenerational Visual Arts Exhibit," which shows the work of Yonkers public-school students and senior citizens. It will open Wednesday and continue through June.

So while the ArtsFest may formally end, this exhibit is just one example of just how important the arts are becoming to Yonkers.

As Force says, "I think the calendar developed for the arts fest made people aware of just how much is going on in Yonkers."

Rod McDonald- Uptown Coffee House -June 7

2009-05-27T19:57:00.000-04:00

Rod MacDonald, a well-known folk musician, will be playing at the Uptown Coffee House. on Sunday June 7 at 5 pm.

The Uptown Coffeehouse is an organization run entirely by volunteers dedicated to bringing live, traditional & contemporary folk music to the Bronx, New York., They have been in existence since 1987.

Throughout a 35-year performing career, Rod MacDonald has been entertaining audiences worldwide with his timeless ballads, modern folk songs, and his musical versatility. Possessing the heart of a troubadour, the soul of a poet and the voice of a virtuoso, he is as distinctive an entertainer as he is a songwriter. Known for his passionate interest in the events that shape our world's societies, Rod is a prolific and poignant communicator who is regarded as "one of the most politically and socially aware lyricists of our time." (All Music Guide).

Rod has released 9 solo albums, and has performed at many of the world's finest clubs and major international festivals in the U.S., Europe and Canada. The first American folksinger to tour the liberated Czech Republic, Rod performed frequently at the 3-4 day Straznice Festival for audiences of 10,000, where he debuted his passionate anthem "For The People", a tribute to the newly freed Czechs. He summered with the Oglala Sioux Indians on their South Dakota reservation where he met Frank Fool's Crow, ceremonial chief and medicine healer and to whom he dedicated his 2nd album, "White Buffalo" featuring the song of the same name. Said Rod, "he is a great inspiration to me, and to everyone who knows him."

Find out more about Rod's work at his website, listed below
www.rodmacdonald.net

Rod will be playing the Uptown Coffee House on Sunday June 7, 2009 at 5 pm Tickets are $15.
Read more about the Uptown Coffee House at http://www.uptowncoffeehouse.org/

Two local gigs for Spuyten Duyvil

2009-05-26T13:42:00.002-04:00

Spuyten Duyvil
Spuyten Duyvil wanders the last 100 years of American music conjuring embittered civil war veterans, recalcitrant small town bawds, suicidal bureaucrats, star crossed lovers and brave hearted fools navigating the mysteries of daily life, more at: www.spuytenduyvilmusic.com

Saturday, May 30th at 7PM, at the Beczak Environmental Education Center's 'Saturday's By The Fire.' lecture series. Celebrating the quadricentennial of the European discovery of the Hudson River, food historian Peter G. Rose will present a luscious slide-talk exploring the foodways brought to America by the Dutch more than three centuries ago. Spuyten Duvyil will play a 45 minute set riverside by a roaring fire. Beczak is located at 35 Alexander Street, Yonkers NY 10701 and is easily accessible from the Yonkers Metro North station.

Friday, June 5th at 8PM at An Beal Bocht 445 W238th St. Riverdale, The Bronx, NY 10436. An Beal Bocht is an amazing, comfortable, LOCAL place to see great music, drink a pint and have some great pub food. (Kids are OK but don’t tell anyone I told you that...). Two sets.

Suburbia Roller Derby May 30

2009-05-24T17:54:00.002-04:00

It's not quite art, but it kind of is, existing in a weird theatrical sports place somewhere near pro wrestling and so I thought I'd include it.

Suburbia Roller Derby May 30: Suburban Brawl vs. Jersey Shore Roller Girls
at E.J. Murray Memorial Skating Rink in Yonkers

from Found in Yonkers by Jennifer Walford

SOURCE: Suburbia Roller Derby on MySpace

Suburbia Roller Derby returns to the E.J. Murray Memorial Skating Center at 348 Tuckahoe Road in Yonkers on Saturday, May 30th.

The Suburban Brawl, Suburbia’s travel team of all-stars, kicks off the summer season with a bout against the Jersey Shore Roller Girls.

Doors open at 6 PM and the bout starts at 7 PM.

Tickets are available in three classes:

General Admission – bleacher, floor or bring your own chair. $12 pre-sale / $15 at the door
VIP Silver – includes chair rental. $15 pre-sale / $18 at the door
VIP Gold – track-side chair, goodie bag and priority entrance. $25

Kids under 8 are free in General Admission with paying adult.

For ticket information visit SuburbiaRollerDerby.com.

Summer Programming at Philipse Manor Hall

2009-05-24T09:35:00.006-04:00

Philipse Manor Hall, the county's oldest house/museum/park in the heart of downtown Yonkers, is having a number of really great learning events this summer.

To find out more about any of these programs, contact Museum Programs Coordinator Brittany Wheeler at (914) 965-4027 or Brittany.Wheeler@oprhp.state.ny.us
You can also find out more at their blog : www.philipsemanorhall.blogspot.com

The Cochran Portrait Collection: The Finds, The Fakes, & The Forgeries

Saturday, May 30^th, 3 p.m. at Philipse Manor Hall

Philipse Manor Hall Site Manager Kimberly Flook lectures on the nature and history of the Manor’s portrait collection, which includes presidents, statesmen, artists and more. How did they end up here? Who is responsible for the 'best' and the 'worst' of them? Enjoy the stories you'd never quite guess at by just observing the artwork. This event is free.

National trails day: Walk the Waterfront

Saturday, June 6^th, 10-12 (Registration 9:45 a.m.)

Lace up and learn with a walk along the Hudson River in downtown Yonkers. Visit a sculpture garden, downtown murals and get your dose of history in the waterfront district! Meet at Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site to begin the walking tour. Don’t forget your camera, sunscreen, and good walking shoes!

This event is free. For more information call (914) 965-4027 or email Education Coordinator Lucille Sciacca at Lucille.Sciacca@oprhp.state.ny.us.

Lecture: Pirates, Smugglers and Explorers

Thursday, June 11^th at 7 p.m.

A lecture on the sea and the occupations it inspired! They'll lead you through stories of mariners, smugglers and inventors, all with a link to our local waterways.

This event is free. For more information call (914) 965-4027 or email Site Manager Kimberly Flook at Kimberly.Flook@oprhp.state.ny.us.

Create Your Own Exhibit: Pirates and Explorers

Sunday, June 28^th, 12-3 p.m.

Learn how to create an exhibit...by participating in the creation of one! Learn about how to build an exhibit with Philipse Manor Hall as your canvas! You'll learn about exhibits, create your own art, and then hang it yourself in the Community Gallery. The theme for this exhibit is "Pirates and Explorers" and is open to all ages. Your work will be hung in the gallery for two weeks.

This event is free with a suggested donation of $3/person. For more information, call (914) 965-4027 or email Museum Programs Coordinator Brittany Wheeler at Brittany.Wheeler@oprhp.state.ny.us.

Archaeology Days

Friday, July 10^th-Sunday, July 12^th

A three-day exploration of archaeological topics at Philipse Manor! Courses, workshops and lectures for adults and children will be offered during Archaeology Days; whether you're 5 or 95, a novice or a natural-born explorer! Visit www.philipsemanorhall.blogspot.com for a schedule as it becomes available.

Please contact Museum Programs Coordinator Brittany Wheeler for more information about the forthcoming Archaeology Days at (914) 965-4027 or Brittany.Wheeler@oprhp.state.ny.us.

Bronx Art Ensemble- Free Concert on Memorial Day

2009-05-21T09:15:00.002-04:00

FREE MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT

Sunday, May 24 • 2 pm
Van Cortlandt Park near the Ecology Center
enter park at Broadway and 246th Street

Bronx Arts Ensemble Orchestra featuring
David Gilbert, Conductor
Halley Gilbert, Soprano
Papo Vázquez, Trombone
Hermán Olivera, Vocalist

Program
Music will include Selections from South Pacific, Guys and Dolls, West Side Story and Gypsy; Morton Gould - American Salute
Samuel Barber - Knoxville, Summer of 1915
Oliver Caplan* - For Pondering
Special arrangements by Papo Vázquez
Favorite marches by John Philip Sousa

Presented with the support of Bronx Arts Ensemble, William Scribner, Executive/Artistic Director, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, New York City Dept of Parks & Recreation and Music Performance Funds, Local 802

DAVID GILBERT is acclaimed for his dynamic performances with orchestras throughout the United States, the Far East and Europe. He was the first American to serve as principal guest conductor of the Beijing Central Philharmonic. Mr. Gilbert is a faculty member of the Manhattan School of Music where he has conducted both symphony and opera. His compositions for chamber ensemble, orchestra, and opera include his ''Concerto for Trombone, Brass and Orchestra,'' ''Ballade Concertante for Tuba and Orchestra,'' and ''Phoenix Madrigal'' for flute and strings. Mr. Gilbert is Music Director and Conductor of the Greenwich Symphony and music director of the Bergen (NJ) Philharmonic and the Senior Concert Orchestra of New York.

Soprano HALLEY GILBERT graduated from Eastman School of Music last year and has already distinguished herself in many operatic roles with Opera for Humanity, Harrisburg Opera, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Greenwich CT Symphony Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic, and the Genessee Chamber Orchestra. She has performed as featured soloist with the Lake Placid Sinfonietta, Bronx Arts Ensemble, North Jersey Philharmonic, Oswego Opera Theatre's recital series, and Gateway Classical Music Society. She is the winner of many awards including Syracuse Opera Club, and first prize in the Steinway Hall Vocal Competition. The Greenwich Times noted her "clear, velvety sound" while The San Francisco Chronicle praised her "big, beautiful voice."

Acclaimed trombonist, composer and arranger PAPO VÁZQUEZ is the leader of Pirates Troubadours, specializing in Yuba' Jazz, Holande Pirate, Jibaro Waltz, Plena Funk and Mapeye Jazz. He has been commissioned to compose for the 19-piece Afro-Puerto Rican Jazz Orchestra, and was the first artist to receive a commission to compose for the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, resident band of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Papo's first classical composition was premiered in 2004 with the Bronx Arts Ensemble at Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture. A native of Philadelphia, Papo began performing at 15 with such bands as those of Willie Colon and Eddie Palmieri. In New York he began recording and performing with top names in salsa - The Fania All-Stars, Ray Barretto and Chico O'Farrill. He has toured with the Ray Charles Orchestra and performed also with Dizzy Gillespie, Mel Lewis, Hilton Ruiz and Milton Cardona, touring as a member of Tito Puente's Latin Jazz Ensemble and Dizzy Gillespie's United Nations Orchestra. He has performed on film soundtracks for "Mo' Better Blues" and "The Mambo Kings". His latest CD is Papo Vazquez Mighty Pirate Orchestra "Marooned/Aislado" on his own independent label, Picaro Records.

HERMÁN OLIVERA became the main vocalist with Manny Oquendo’s group, Libre, in 1979 at the age of 20. He has toured the world, performed in numerous music festivals and worked with Johnny Pacheco, Ray Barretto, Eddie Palmieri, Machito Orchestra as well as The Carnegie Hall Jazz Band and The Lincoln Center Afro-Latin Jazz Band.

*OLIVER CAPLAN, whose piece For Pondering will be performed at the Memorial Day Holiday Concert, was raised in the Bronx. He graduated from Dartmouth College with honors in 2004 and received his Masters of Music from Boston University’s composition program in 2006. Compositional interests encompass both concert music and collaboration with artists in other media. His piece for concert band Reason for Hope in a Complex World was premiered by the Columbia University Wind Ensemble in February 2008. His works have also been presented by the Bronx Arts Ensemble, 11:11 Theatre Company, dance choreographers Mary Chris DeBelina and Susan Graham, members of the Boston Conservatory Orchestra, and the Dartmouth Chamber Orchestra. An avid hiker, he finds inspiration through his time outdoors.

2nd Annual Rivertown Jazz & Blues Festival

2009-05-20T08:35:00.000-04:00

Common Ground Coffee House and 12 Miles North, a Hastings arts organization, are producing the 2nd Annual Rivertown's Jazz and Blues Festival. This festival has expanded dramatically from 2 to 10 days over last year, and includes events from Yonkers to Tarrytown.

Highlights include a multimedia art and music installation to be held as an opening reception in Yonkers, New York on June 5th; a special concert on the waterfront on June 6 in Hastings, featuring the reknowned Holmes Brothers and others; a Friday, June 12th double bill concert at Common Ground with Pete Kennedy and the Matt Munisteri Trio, a Saturday, June 13th concert with Bethany Yarrow and Rufus Cappadoccia, Hazmat Modine and The Mandingo Ambassadors in a sunset concert, also on the banks of the Hudson, and a a performance by jazz pianist David Janeway on Sunday June 14th.

Ticket prices range between Free (always acceptable) and $20. There are discounts for students and seniors.

Full details about the events and artists are available on the Common Ground Coffee House website, listed below.

You can also purchase your tickets online there.

http://commongroundfusw.com/news/rivertownsjazzandblues/

Blue Door Show and Tell: Artist Demonstrations.

2009-05-14T07:15:00.007-04:00

WHAT: Blue Door Gallery, a project of the Blue Door Artists Association celebrates its second show "Show and Tell". This wonderful exhibition showcases exquisite pieces of art ranging from porcelain sculptures to woodcut prints. Each Saturday during this exhibition there will be special events such as poetry readings, jazz performances, and artist's demonstrations on techniques and inspirations.

WHERE: The Blue Door Gallery - 13 Riverdale Avenue, (South of Main
Street) in the downtown business district of Yonkers, NY.

WHEN: Opening Reception May 16th, 2009 from 2-5pm.

Schedule of Artists Demonstrations:

May 23

12 - 2:30 Don Axleroad woodcut prints
2:30 - 5:00 Leslie Miller digital portrait collage

May 30

12 - 2:30 Gino Civale dripping paint
2:30 - 5:00 Kaya Deckelbaum wire Mesh

June 6

12 - 2:30 Terry Brandon photography to painting
2:30 - 5:00 Jeff Campion mosaics

June 13

12 -2:30 Florence Suerig collaboration
2:30 - 5:00 Amy Bilden collaboration

June 20

12 - 2:30 Sally Aldrich clay wheel throwing, coils
2:30 - 5:00 Belle Manes painting & drawing

June 27

12 - 2:30 Suzanne Ashley salted watercolor print
2:30 - 5:00 Lily Schor clay slab faces

More info: http://www.bluedoorgallery.org/
http://www.bluedoorart.org