The Arts Muse

Bound for glory

2012-01-17T11:30:00.001-05:00

The Native Americans called him “Son of the Morning Star,” because he liked to attack at dawn. Tonight at 8 on Thirteen/WNET, PBS’ “American Experience” explores the life and legacy of George Armstrong Custer – the Civil War hero who in June of 1876 was overmatched, defeated and killed by native forces in a battle near the Little Bighorn River in what is now Montana. Andrew Young, a Croton-on-Hudson filmmaker who was featured in the November WAG, served as director of photography on “Custer’s Last Stand,” which ultimately plumbs the fateful character of a man bound for glory in the worst possible way.

Custer’s courageous but reckless and arrogant nature has long been the subject of film treatment. (Errol Flynn, anyone?) But those wishing to follow up on tonight’s work should begin with Evan S. Connell’s “Son of the Morning Star: Custer and The Little Bighorn.” It is biography as superb literature and quite frankly, one of the best books you’ll ever read.

Gridiron Galahad

2012-01-12T15:12:00.002-05:00

With everyone talking about Tim Tebow, I wanted to weigh in – not because I know anything about football but because I can’t stand being left out of a conversation.

Although football and religion are beyond the purview of this blog, culture certainly isn’t, and so I’d like to talk about Tebow as a cultural phenomenon, which is what he is at the moment.

On one plane, he fulfills the classic American sports narrative – the at -once accessible and transcendent individual who while containing some seeming handicap (here a reportedly less than stellar throwing motion) nonetheless triumphs. I offer two examples from nonfiction and fiction. In “Seabiscuit,” the little horse that could overcomes even lofty War Admiral and galvanizes a nation in some of its darkest days. In the film “The Natural” – far different from Bernard Malamud’s dark novel on which it was based – the presumably over-the-hill Roy Hobbs jump-starts the hapless New York Knights and has fans once again believing in the importance of honor.

It’s interesting that the team is named the Knights. The medieval knight, the mythic Knights of the Round Table: These remain touchstones in our culture. The greatest of the Knights of the Round Table isn’t Arthur or Lancelot or Gawaine or Perceval but Galahad, because he remains pure of heart, one in himself, a person of integrity. And so he alone attains the Holy Grail and a vision of heaven so ecstatic that he is swept from this earth.

There’s a lot of Galahad in Tebow, a person of faith who seems to heed only the divine music within. We have unfortunately, however, been here before with our cultural heroes, been here and been crushed.

But wouldn’t it be something if in the end he turned out to be the one true knight?

The Don lives

2011-12-07T10:00:00.000-05:00

Polish baritone Mariusz Kwiecień returned to the title role in Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” a mere two weeks after having surgery on a herniated disc, aggravated during a rehearsal for The Metropolitan Opera’s new production. In an interview during a rebroadcast of “The Met: Live in HD” transmission, seen recently at City Center 15: Cinema de Lux in White Plains and venues worldwide, Kwiecień (KVEE tchen) told host Renée Fleming that he’s been singing the Don – who spends a lot of time exerting himself with the ladies – for nine years.

“Gee,” one City Center attendee whispered to her friend, “no wonder he hurt his back.”

Yes, that’s one of the many treats of experiencing the “Live in HD” simulcasts: The (mostly senior) audience is almost as delicious as the operas.

For the uninitiated, The Met began simulcasting select productions into venues likes City Center, Regal New Roc Stadium 18 & IMAX in New Rochelle, Fairfield University’s Regina A. Quick Center and The Ridgefield Playhouse in 2006, adding locations worldwide and increasing the number of offerings each year. What might’ve appeared to be counterintuitive – taking audiences away from the opera house itself – turned out to be a stroke of genius on the part of Met General Manager Peter Gelb, the former SONY Classical president (and son of onetime New York Times’ managing editor Arthur Gelb) who started out at The Met as a teen usher and took over the top job four months before launching “Live in HD.” Since then, the series has sold nearly eight million tickets, while the 2011–12 season is being seen on more than 1,500 screens in more than 50 countries across six continents. Not only has “Live in HD” not detracted from The Met audience, it has helped the opera house to thrive at a time when other big cultural institutions are struggling.

It’s not surprising: The Nov. 16 rebroadcast of “Don Giovanni” at City Center alone filled two sold-out theaters, which is typical of the simulcasts. At roughly $20 a ticket, “Live in HD” is infinitely cheaper and more convenient than attending performances at The Met. Although nothing can replace the experience of being there, “Live in HD” has its own pleasures – the visceral thrill of the big screen, intermission interviews with the production principals that take viewers behind the scenes and ushers who hand out program material and cater to the audience’s every whim.

That audience is, again not surprisingly, overwhelming post-AARP, which is both a challenge and a delight. Get there early. This is a tough crowd that likes to stake out the best perches and looks askance at saving seats for latecomers. On the other hand, senior opera-goers – Sadly, is there any other kind these days? – bring sophisticated tastes to viewership. You didn’t have to explain to this group that “Non più andrai” from Wolfgang’s “The Marriage of Figaro” makes a guest appearance in “Don G’s” chilling climactic party scene. The seniors were laughing in recognition before Leporello, the Don’s cowering servant, sang: “I know this tune.”

Best of all, none of the musical and sexual complexity of “Don G” was lost either on the City Center throng or on The Met production, which has been given a Spanish Old Masters look by director Michael Grandage (who did the Broadway “Hamlet” with Jude Law). The opera was beautifully sung by an A-list cast featuring Marina Rebeka, Barbara Frittoli, Luca Pisarino and Ramón Vargas, with Fabio Luisi, The Met’s new principal conductor, at the podium.

As for the Don himself, Kwiecień brought his impeccable baritone and an Errol Flynn swagger to the part.

Apparently, his back is all better.

Performances of “Don Giovanni” continue in February and March at The Metropolitan Opera with Gerald Finley, so compelling as J. Robert Oppenheimer in John Adams’ “Doctor Atomic,” as the rakish Don. For ticket information, click on to http://www.metoperafamily.org/opera/don-giovanni-mozart-tickets.aspx.

“The Met: Live in HD” continues with these works:

2011-12-06T11:00:00.000-05:00

Dec. 10 – “Faust” – Hunky tenor Jonas Kaufman is the titular antihero with the devil of a problem, bass René Pape is You-Know-Who and soprano Marina Poplavskaya is Marguerite, Faust’s pure love, in this Des McAnuff update. Rebroadcast Jan. 11.

Jan. 4 (rebroadcast) – “Rodelinda” – Soprano Renée Fleming and mezzo Stephanie Blythe have all the Baroque they can Handel in this reprise of the acclaimed Stephen Wadsworth production.

Jan. 21 – “The Enchanted Island” – The Met goes for Baroque in this pastiche that blends Handel’s, Rameau’s and Vivaldi’s music with the Bard’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “The Tempest.” Rebroadcast Feb. 8

Feb. 11 – “Götterdämmerung” – It’s “Twilight of the Gods” time as The Met concludes its new “Ring” with soprano Deborah Voigt and tenor Jay Hunter Morris as Brünnhilde and Siegfried, Wagner’s ill-fated lovers. Rebroadcast TBA

Feb. 25 – “Ernani” – Soprano Angela Meade, who caused a sensation in Caramoor’s production of Rossini’s “Semiramide,” heads the cast of this early Verdi work, which co-stars Marcello Giordano as her ill-suited lover. Rebroadcast March 14

April 7 – “Manon” – Soprano Anna Netrebko suffers exquisitely (and gets to look fab in a fuchsia gown with jeweled halter straps) as Massenet’s heroine, who loves much but not wisely. Rebroadcast April 25

April 14 – “La Traviata” – Coloratura soprano Natalie Dessay offers her first Met Violetta, perhaps opera’s ultimate consumptive heroine, in this Willy Decker production that owes as much to Hitchcock and Salvador Dalí as it does to Verdi. Rebroadcast May 2

For times and venues, click on to http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/liveinhd/LiveinHD.aspx

Holiday Movies

2011-12-05T11:48:00.000-05:00

One of the great family traditions around holiday time – right up there with politely avoiding the fruitcake, unraveling the Gordion’s knot of Christmas tree lights and warming yourself by “The Yule Log” on the CW 11 – is popping in a Christmas movie or two. Everyone has his or her favorite. Some of them may even be on this list. But it is our hope here that you might find a new fave to tickle the funny bone, bring a tear to the eye, inspire the mind or warm the heart:

• “Always Remember I Love You” (1990) – This made-for-TV movie is the Holy Grail of holiday films as it is not available either on DVD or Amazon. But if you happen to see it listed on the tube, do not miss it. Stephen Dorff – who recently won acclaim as the disaffected movie star in Sofia Coppola’s “Somewhere” and should’ve had a big career – is extraordinary as a teen who spends one Christmas with the birth parents he was taken from as a baby, without initially revealing to them who he really is. The final revelatory moment is one of the most heartbreaking we’ve ever seen on film. Patty Duke matches Dorff note for emotional note as the birth mother who has never gotten over her loss.

• “The Gathering” (1977) – Another high-quality telefilm, this time about a gruff, self-centered businessman (a superb Ed Asner), with only a few months to live, who enlists his estranged wife (an equally marvelous Maureen Stapleton) in bringing their scattered family together for one last holiday. Like “A Christmas Carol,” it’s a sentimental but timely reminder that it’s never too late for forgiveness and redemption.

• “The Holiday” (2006) – Forget life: “The Holiday” is like a box of chocolates – high in calories, relatively low in nutritional value but oh-so-irresistible. You know a movie is a complete fantasy when the heroines (Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet) have glamorous jobs that make no real demands on them, live in homes right out of Architectural Digest and Cottage Living and have two near-perfect beaus (Jude Law, Jack Black) who are only concerned with their girlfriends’ feelings, plus a twinkly, elderly neighbor who dispenses sage advice (a charming Eli Wallach). Yet what can we say? This picture had us at “Hello.” (Oh, that’s another movie.)

• “Home Alone” (1990) and “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” (1992) – This is a case of an instant classic and a not-bad sequel. The original – about an incorrigible youngster (Where have you gone, Macaulay Culkin?) who discovers his true mettle when he’s left to defend the family home single-handedly against bumbling burglars (a change-of-pace Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern) – is just priceless. But it’s hard to beat the opening of “Home Alone,” part deux, in which our hero’s temper gets the better of him during the school’s Christmas concert.

• “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946) – Remember the year Thirteen/WNET decided to cut the film to fit into its pledge drive and got so many angry letters the station had to apologize and show it uncut and uninterrupted? Thirteen won’t make that mistake again. Quite possibly the most popular holiday movie ever made, with James Stewart heading a first-rate cast in a poignant reminder that no life is insignificant.

• “Miracle on 34th Street” (1947 and 1994) – Another take-your-pick moment. The original, about a department-store Santa (Edmund Gwenn) who just may be the real St. Nick, is a well-loved classic. But the remake, with Richard Attenborough doing the red-suit honors, is a nice contemporary update that nonetheless honors the original.

• “Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol” (1962) – We know what you’re thinking: This is one of the greatest versions of the Dickens’ classic? Really? Really. First and foremost, it contains an absolutely top-notch score by Jule Styne, who wrote the music for “Gypsy” and “Funny Girl,” among other memorable musicals. Indeed, it’s worth the price of the DVD just to hear Belle, young Ebeneezer’s spurned fiancée, sing the poignant “Winter Was Warm.’ (She’s voiced by Connecticut’s own Jane Kean, Trixie on the later “Honeymooners.”) Jack Cassidy is another standout as Bob Cratchit, as is Jim Backus’ irrepressibly myopic Magoo. As he would say, “Magoo, you’ve done it again.”

• “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” (1989) – For anyone who’s ever hated the holidays – the cooking and decorating disasters, the disappointing gifts, the dreaded shopping, the disgruntled relatives – this is a movie for you. The chuckles build to a crescendo as the hapless Griswold household, headed by Westchester’s Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo, confront an errant squirrel, an AWOL cat, a randy dog, a conflagration and a S.W.A.T. team. As Aunt Bethany exclaims, “Play Ball!”

• “The Nutcracker” – Another twofer: “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker” (1993) is a film record of the grandfather of all “Nuts,” with Macaulay Culkin (again) as the little Nutcracker Prince transformed by the power of love. This New York City Ballet production is good for kids, though it has many of the challenges you’ll find with dance on film. A better film of “The Nutcracker” is the 1977 version starring Rockland’s Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gelsey Kirkland in a decidedly Freudian interpretation. Save this one for when the kiddies go to bed.

• “White Christmas” (1954) – This Irving Berlin pastiche remains another beloved holiday tradition, and it’s easy to see why. With Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney crooning, Vera-Ellen supplying the toe-tapping and Danny Kaye the yucks, it’s a can’t-miss. Some of the best numbers are set in the pre-Christmas Florida opening. It’s hard not to like “Sisters,” with Crosby and Kaye making like Clooney and Vera-Ellen, and the fabulous sequence to “The Best Things Happen While You’re Dancing,” which displays just how talented Kaye and Vera-Ellen were.

The ultimate reality show

2011-10-24T17:03:00.003-04:00

An authentic experience.

That is what ArtsWestchester’s CEO Janet T. Langsam told me the arts lover is looking for today, perhaps favoring grassroots workshops over performances at big cultural institutions.

Recently, I had the pleasure – and I might add, the privilege – of such an experience when I attended an ekphrastic poetry workshop orchestrated by Poets and Writers Inc. as well as the Greenburgh’s Arts and Culture Committee in the person of its executive director, writer Sarah Bracey White. For the uninitiated, ekphrastic poetry is poetry based on artwork. (It comes from the Greek words meaning “out” and “speak.”) Among the earliest examples is the description of the shield of Achilles in Homer’s “The Iliad.” But my personal favorite is W.H. Auden’s “Musée des Beaux Arts,” in which Pieter Bruegel’s “Landscape With the Fall of Icarus” (circa 1558) becomes a metaphor for the peculiar nature of suffering that renders many of us oblivious to it.

Karen Rippstein conducted the workshop, striking just the right balance between gentleness and constructive criticism, which is so important for us writers, a fragile bunch if there ever was one. (Forget life. I think writers are like a box of chocolates, seemingly hard on the outside with that melting, gooey center whenever we have to put our work on the line.)

So it was with some trepidation that I read my poem, inspired by one of the works in Sam Taylor-Wood’s “Crying Men” photographic series. If you’ve been a reader of this blog in the past, you know that I have been obsessed with these photographs, for which Wood, having been diagnosed with cancer, asked male movie stars ranging from Hayden Christensen to Paul Newman to cry on camera. What began as an exercise in how women see men and the relationship between real emotion and artifice deepened – for Wood and the viewer, too – into a meditation on loss and grief, two subjects that have been my companions of late.

Since attending that workshop, I’ve written another poem and a short story. It was as if a creative dam burst.

But then, that’s what an authentic experience can do.

Attached is a link to the “Crying Men” series -- http://toomuchsexy.org/index/weblog/comments/crying_men/ as well as my poem. I hope you enjoy both:

“Thoughts on Sam-Taylor Wood’s ‘Robert Downey Jr.’”

In the photograph, he lies on a bed,

Offered like an odalisque,

An arm tenting his face.

His is a sparse room,

Adorned only by a diffuse light

That betrays nothing.

Is it the dread dawn, the twilight terror –

Those netherworlds of half-remembered anguish?

Or is it just another moment in an ordinary day?

He will not say.

Nor can we read his face,

Though we know it is painted in tears.

Does he weep for himself,

Or for the camera’s eye, the moon to his Endymion?

Does it matter when the tears still flow from the wellspring of the soul?

We marry this scene,

Locate his pain in our own

And marveling, think,

This, then, is grief:

To be framed and naked in our fragility,

To recognize the dawn of despair,

To lie awake, uttering after Hamlet,

“Oh, God. God.”

Visit the Arts and Culture website, www.greenburghartsandculture.org, to find out about the rest of the workshops in the year-long series. And enjoy WAG at www.thewagonline.com.

A fine bromance

2011-08-29T13:57:00.000-04:00

Very often one good story begets another. In "Bodywork," an essay I wrote for the September arts issue of WAGmagazine, I charted the history of the body in art, wondering whether or not the male was truly the primary sex symbol through most of art history and whether women artists view men and women the way male artists do.

Is the history of art the story of the heroic male body
or the objectified female one? In the ripped and rippling
oil painting “Venus and Adonis,” Baroque master
Peter Paul Rubens shows himself to be an
equal opportunity employer.
Copyright The Metropolitan Museum of Art

In the course of my interviews with Bartholomew F. Bland, director of curatorial affairs at the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, and Helaine Posner, chief curator at Purchase College's Neuberger Museum of Art, other conversational avenues opened up, some of which I'd like to stroll down now. Bart noted that the cultural critic Camille Paglia has said women are less visual than men, which is how she answered art historian Linda Nochlin's famous question "Why are there no great women artists?" (Nochlin said it was because women lacked opportunity and discovery.) But in a sense, both women have a point. Women, neurologically speaking, have greater verbal aptitude than men but less visual-spatial ability. However, there's also no question that women lacked opportunity in the field of art, which has always relied on (male) patronage.

Writing, on the other hand, doesn't. One can always write, under a pseudonym, if you will, and submit work to a publisher who is none the wiser as to the identity of the author. (It's what the Brontës did.) So given women's innate verbal skills and the gender neutrality of publishing, it's not a surprise that women should excel in the literary tradition. And it's in that tradition that they have discovered the equivalent of visual pornography for men. I'm talking about slash, slash fic, slash fiction, fanfiction – call it what you will, but it is fiction about famous men in homoerotic situations written generally by women for women. Just Google any great bromance --Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson – or their current incarnation, Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, or figure-skating frenemies Evan Lysacek and Johnny Weir, or Olympic-swimming BFFs Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte, and you will be introduced to a parallel universe in which these characters/individuals fall in love and have intense sexual relationships.

What's surprising to me as a writer and editor is not the specificity of the erotica -- after 30 years as an arts critic, there's very little that would surprise me sexually – but how well-written it is, at least from the standpoint of character, voicing, tone and dialogue. (The authors' sense of place could use some work, however.) How do we know these pieces are written by women instead of men? Well, we don't, even when the author identifies herself as female. It could be a ruse. But what suggests to me that much of this stuff is written by women – or at least has a feminine energy – is the emphasis on relationships. We meet not only the fictional Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps, for example -- who, by the way, end up married, just like the characters at the end of a Jane Austen novel -- but their parents, siblings, coaches and teammates.

Why would women want to imagine men they don't know in these situations? There has long been a tradition of historical fiction, of which slash is a subgenre, plus the Internet offers an intimacy, immediacy and anonymity that foster the artistic freedom, or license, for this kind of writing.

But perhaps it is also a way for women to get in touch with their masculine energy and erotic impulses, just as Paglia said that Emily Brontë did when she channeled Byron to create Heathcliff in "Wuthering Heights."

In any event, there is definitely a female ownership of homoeroticism, be it in Anne Rice's vampire novels or Annie Proulx's short story "Brokeback Mountain," which was made into a movie seen by an audience that was 80-percent female.

And unlike the male authors and audience, female writers and readers of homoerotica do not divorce their subjects from their humanity.

Which goes back to a question I asked in "Bodywork": Do women artists see men and women the way men artists do?

Ah, no.

Sam, I am

2011-06-26T12:15:00.000-04:00

Westchester Broadway Theatre presents “Seussical, the Musical” through July 31, based on the stories of Dr. Seuss. With music by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, direction by John Fanelli, musical direction by Michele DeAngelis and choreography by Lexie Frare, “Seussical” stars Augie Abatecola of Mount Kisco, as The Cat in the Hat; Christine Gavin of Ossining as Mayzie LaBird; Brian Krinsky of East Stroudsburg, Pa. as Horton the Elephant; Fatye Francis of White Plains as Wickersham; Mackenzie Larrabee of Ridgefield and Sofia Singer of North Salem alternating as Cindy Lou Who; Lauren Lucksavage of North Massapequa as Gertrude McFuzz; and Matt Stout of Dobbs Ferry as Yertle the Turtle/ General Ghengis Khan Schmidtz.

Performances are Thursdays (matinee and evening), Saturdays (matinees) and Sundays (matinees and evenings). Tickets, which include a meal, are $75; $67 for senior citizens; $52 for children ages 16 and under and $45 for Friday evenings, which are show only.

Reservations: (914)-592-2222, BroadwayTheatre.com

Butterflies are free

2011-06-24T18:01:00.000-04:00

The Greenburgh Nature Center presents its second annual butterfly exhibit June 18 through September 30. Located in the center’s walk-through greenhouse, the exhibit showcases numerous varieties of native butterflies, such as Monarchs, Painted Ladies and Swallowtails, and their importance in nature.

Visitors will also see their life cycle first-hand, from egg and caterpillar stages to chrysalis and butterfly, and learn how diverse adult butterflies are in shape, size and color. They’re also active, whether flying freely amid the greenery, fluttering from blossom to blossom in search of nourishing nectar, sipping water from a puddle or resting in a shady spot to cool off.

The center strives to increase public consciousness about nature: Part of the exhibit teaches viewers how they can help conserve or restore butterfly habitats. The show is free with museum admission: $7; $6 for senior citizens and students; $5 for children ages 2-12; free for children under age 2. 723-3470, greenburghnaturecenter.org

Savage Beauty

2011-06-23T22:07:00.000-04:00

When I was a student at Sarah Lawrence College in Yonkers, I took an art history course with Philip Gould, a disciple of the great Asian-art expert Sherman Lee. Gould liked to open a semester with a question that has always stymied museum-goers: What exactly is art?

Ultimately, Gould told us, art is whatever the artist says it is, which is both a fitting answer and a copout. But it has led me to think from time to time about what art includes. One thing art definitely does is to create its own world, its own integrity. The characters in Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights,” for instance, aren’t like most people, at least not like anyone I know. But they sustain a certain logic within their own environment. They are true to themselves, and they say something true about human nature.

I was reminded of this as I drank in “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty,” the knockout tribute to the late fashion designer that creates and sustains a world of macabre theatricality that has been attracting 200,000 visitors a day since it opened at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan May 4. So popular is the show – the lines stretch from the entrance of the exhibit down the promenade of the 19th Century European paintings and sculpture galleries all the way to the Islamic wing – that The Met has extended its run through Aug. 7 and has established “Met Mondays With McQueen,” in which eager patrons can purchase timed tickets ($50) to see the exhibit between 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on the day that The Met is generally closed. The last time I remember such a phenonmenon was when The Met did its Jackie exhibit in 2001.

“Savage Beauty” is really two shows. One is the exhibit on McQueen’s creations, which meld pleasure and pain, East and West, the theatrical and the everyday, strict construction and the softest, most diaphanous of fabrics. (A Savile Row tailor, McQueen said he learned about softness from Givenchy, where he was once head designer.) The overwhelming impression of ghoulish splendor is supported by the exhibit’s look – smoky, mirrored galleries, dark walls made of textured wood, soft lighting, dolorous baroque music. It’s “Phantom of the Opera”-tic outrageous, creepy and marvelous. (Most of the time. The video with the Kate Moss hologram, set to the score of “Schindler’s List,” sent my mind reeling back to The Jewish Museum’s idiotic “Mirroring Evil” show, with its Prada death camps and pretend-you-are-Eva Braun installations. Fashion and the Holocaust simply do not mix.)

But that is really the only false note. The Empire inspirations from McQueen’s “Girl Who Lived In A Tree Collection” (2008-09) -- with their swaths of fluted white and draped red and gold brocade fabric --are not only stunning, they look wearable. The gold duck-feather coat with its long, cream-colored fluted skirt, part of the “Angels and Demons Collection” he was working on when he died in 2010, is one of several ensembles that evoke Matthew Bourne’s all-male “Swan Lake.” (It also evokes Björk, but then, sometimes the mind does ping like a pinball machine.) And though the tough jacket with the hunky Renaissance St. Sebastian gives off an appropriate homoerotic vibe, the hourglass suits, Lady Gaga jellyfish boots, geisha straitjacket coat, ’60s-style floral-print hot pants and lavender thigh-high boots celebrate woman as muse.

Clearly, lots of people in the packed galleries were there for the fashion. But some were there for the headline value. McQueen committed suicide in Feb. 10, 2011 in his London apartment at age 40. He was succeeded by Sarah Burton, who designed Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge’s triumphant wedding gown. Burton herself was the living star of The Met’s recent Costume Institute gala.

So, then, among the art lovers and fashionistas were the curiosity-seekers, who had to be wondering, Why?
That is the question in this our summer of discontent. Why do brilliantly successful people – all right, we’re talking about men here – self-destruct? McQueen was really coming into his own. The fact that the spot-on Duchess of Cambridge chose the House of McQueen for her wedding dress proves he was the designer of the moment.

So what went wrong? There was talk of drugs, depression and his mother’s death, which seems to have been a catalyst. He was said to be painfully shy. Over lunch at the museum, my friends and I considered a report that he once rode 75 blocks with the engaging actress/fashionista Sarah Jessica Parker – without exchanging a word.

Of course, this leads to explorations of the relationship between madness and creativity, success and unhappiness. In the end, though, what it really comes down to is the individual’s makeup.
You have to wonder if McQueen had a premonition of what was to come. The last collection he actually presented, “Plato’s Atlantis” (spring 2010), was all about the decomposition of nature. As he observed:
[This collection predicted a future in which] the ice cap would melt . . . the waters would rise and . . . life on earth would have to evolve in order to live beneath the sea once more or perish. Humanity [would] go back to the place from whence it came.”

“Savage Beauty” brings McQueen and us full circle.

Met hours are 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tues-Thurs. and holiday Mon., including July 4; 9:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Fri. and Sat. While visiting, I recommend the quiet, contemplative pleasures of “Rooms With a View: The Open Window in the 19th Century” (through July 4) and the monochromatic minimalism of “Richard Serra Drawing: A Retrospective” (through Aug. 28), each in its own way a palate-cleansing antidote to the baroque riches of “Savage Beauty.”

Admission is $20; $15.00 for senior citizens age 65 and over, $10 for students. Children under age 12 accompanied by an adult are admitted free. Express admission may be purchased in advance at metmuseum.org/visit. For more information, call (212) 535-7710.

Ahoy, matey!

2011-06-23T15:09:00.000-04:00

The Caramoor International Music Festival sets sail on its 66^th annual summer season with Gilbert and Sullivan’s “H.M.S. Pinafore” and a nautically themed gala evening.

The festivities begin at 6 p.m. with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, followed by a 7 p.m. seated dinner provided by Great Performances. At 8:30 p.m., it’s down to the sea – or in this case, the Venetian Theater – for “Pinafore,” with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s under the baton of Caramoor’s Director of Opera Will Crutchfield, and soprano Georgia Jarman, tenor Robert McPherson, baritone Jorell Williams, mezzo-soprano Vanessa Cariddi, and baritones Scott Bearden and Jason Plourde on deck. “As a piece of theater, ‘Pinafore’ is a cheerful satire on the arrival of modernity, bureaucracy and democratic ideals to the Royal Navy of Queen Victoria's era,” Crutchfield said. “As a piece of music, it is England's version of "bel canto" comic opera, plain and simple. That fact has been obscured by the long history of specialized Gilbert and Sullivan troupes, outside the operatic mainstream. With this production, I have the opportunity to realize my long-standing desire to present a version that does full justice to the brilliant music and the operatic vocal writing.”

After the performance, gala attendees are invited to the After Dark party, where they can join the “Pinafore” cast for dessert and dancing with Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks.

Tickets to the gala are $2,500, $1,250, and $600 and include pre-concert cocktails, dinner and priority seating at the concert and an invitation to the After Dark party. After Dark-only tickets, which also include the concert, are $250. Suggested attire for the event is “nautical chic”. For gala information and reservations, please contact events@caramoor.org, or call the Special Events office at (914) 232-1492.

Tickets for the concert only and for the entire season, which runs through Aug. 10, are available through Caramoor’s Box Office at (914) 232-1252 or at caramoor.org.

Hello, Dali!

2011-06-22T20:37:00.001-04:00

There are more movies to savor with “Surrealist Outdoor Cinema,” which the Katonah Museum of Art is presenting in conjunction with its current “Double Solitaire” show.

On July 14, it’s Terry Gilliam’s “Brazil,” about a government clerk who ends up in Kafkaesque bureaucratic hell after trying to correct a clerical error. Hailed as both brilliant and wildly uneven, the film does eerily presage the current absurd American work environment.

July 21 finds museum viewers “Spellbound” as psychiatrist Ingrid Bergman tries to figure out whether an amnesiac Gregory Peck is really a murderer. The film, one of Alfred Hitchcock’s most stylish works of the 1940s, has a key dream sequence that was designed by Salvador Dali after Giorgio de Chirico reportedly turned down the master of suspense. Also, note the haunting score by Miklos Rózsa, who in the 1950s would score such biblical epics as “Ben-Hur” and “King of Kings.”

Finally, it’s Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” (July 28), with Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter’s Queen of Hearts and Mia Wasikowska – so terrific with Michael Fassbender in the recent, deeply felt “Jane Eyre” – as the titular heroine.

The movies have been chosen by film editor Andy Keir (“True Blood,” “Beloved”).

The museum’s Sculpture Garden will open at 8:30pm for picnicking, with all films beginning at 9pm. Each screening is $12 for members and $15 for non-members, and includes complimentary gourmet popcorn.. In the event of rain, movies will be shown the following evening.

The films complement “Double Solitaire: The Surreal Worlds of Kay Sage and Yves Tanguy” (through Sept. 18), for which the museum received an $80,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Sage and Tanguy were married for 15 years until his death in 1955, sharing a studio at their home in Woodbury, Conn., where they spoke only French. She was younger and he more established. But they both knew how to serve and volley artistically, and the exhibit considers the extent to which they influenced each other and went their separate artistic ways. Surely, his “The Hunted Sky” (1951) and her “Tomorrow Is Never” (1955) both chart the quintessentially bleak terrain of Surrealism. But Tanguy’s bulbous mutant figures seem to have more in common with Dali’s while Sage’s blank canvases and empty easels – she brought a lot of geometric shapes to her work – form a city of window-less, people-less skyscrapers.

The Katonah Museum of Art is at 134 Jay Street/Route 22 in Katonah. For more information, please call (914) 232-9555, ext. 0 or visit katonahmuseum.org

Their way

2011-06-22T18:45:00.000-04:00

This month, the Westchester Broadway Theatre salutes a variety of Jersey boys. On June 18, it’s “Simply Sinatra,” starring Steve Lippia. Backed by a band, Lippia recreates Sinatra’s impeccable ease with melody and lyrics alike. Standards include "My Funny Valentine," "Summer Wind," "The Lady Is A Tramp,""That's Life," "Mack The Knife," "I've Got You Under My Skin" and more.

Then on June 25, “Let’s Hang On!” offers a tribute to Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, who inspired Broadway’s “Jersey Boys.” “Let’s Hang On!” features four guys and two gals, backed by a four to seven piece band, performing "Big Girls Don't Cry," “Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You," “Walk Like A Man," "Sherry," "Who Loves You," "Rag Doll" and other favorites.

In each case, dinner is at 6:30 p.m., with the show at 8:30. Tickets are $75, plus tax. Westchester Broadway Theatre is at 1 Broadway Plaza in Elmsford. For reservations, call 592-2222 or visit BroadwayTheatre.com

Bein’ green

2011-06-22T18:06:00.000-04:00

Nature lovers might also want to take in ArtsWestchester’s “A Spin on GREEN” (June 17-July 30), which addresses the ever-changing, ever-challenging relationship between man and nature while considering the role art plays in the "Going Green" movement. Showcasing the talent and diversity of the Katonah Museum Artist's Association membership, the exhibit consists of work by 27 artists, who interpret the theme through a variety of media. Pieces of assemblage, photography, sculpture, painting and collage unite in the Arts Exchange Gallery to explore the many shades of green.

ArtsWestchester is at 31 Mamaroneck Ave. 428-4220, www.artswestchester.org

Jacob Burns Film Center celebrates 10th Anniversary

2011-06-22T17:36:00.000-04:00

The Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville turns 10 this year. But unlike other 10-year-olds, it’s giving presents rather than worrying about getting them.

The Burns already got the festivities rolling in May with “JBFC at Ten,” featuring films from its recurring series of the past decade. June sees the “24 Hour Movie Marathon” (11 p.m. June 18 to 11 p.m. June 19), with a surprise banquet of new films, foreign cinema classics, screwball comedies, music videos, documentaries, animated subjects and works unavailable on DVD or VHS. There’s a prize for everyone who stays for all 24 hours and, not surprisingly, free coffee throughout the night.

July and August offer an array of goodies. The “Sounds of Summer: New Music Documentaries” series opens July 5 with “Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune,” which includes a Q&A with director Kenneth Bowser and The New York Times critic Janet Maslin. This series runs through Aug. 10.

The “Party Movies” series (Aug. 12-Sept. 1) includes “The Lady Eve” (Aug. 13 and 15), a screwball comedy with Barbara Stanwyck as a shipboard con artist and Henry Fonda as her romantic mark. “Movies For Kids (and Their Families)” (July 1-Aug. 28) features films like “Against All Flags,” with Errol Flynn buckling all swashes.

Don’t forget that the center is offering all children’s tickets to films in this series, which are screened at noon, for $1 all year long, thanks to series sponsor Club Fit in Briarcliff Manor and Jefferson Valley. In addition, all JBFC members who purchase a ticket for a screening on the first Wednesday of every month in 2011 will receive one free small popcorn at the concession stand.

The center is a nonprofit cultural arts organization dedicated to presenting the best of independent, documentary, and world cinema, promoting 21st-century literacy and making film a vibrant part of the community. Located on a 47,500-square-foot, three-building campus, the JBFC is just 30 miles outside of New York City. Since its opening in 2001, more than one million people have seen 4,500-plus films from some 40 countries. The campus includes the 27,000 square-foot Media Arts Lab – the JBFC’s state-of-the-art education center, a creative and educational community for storytellers in the digital age, offering one-time workshops, intensive courses and weekend programs for children and adults of all ages. 747-5555, burnsfilmcenter.org

An unmarried woman

2011-06-07T12:21:00.000-04:00

On June 11 and 12, The Harvey School Black Box Theatre in Katonah will present “Girl in Blue Armchair,” Susan Courtney’s study of Mary Cassatt, the only American painter invited to exhibit with the French Impressionists.

Cassatt was both part of and apart from her time. Determined to carve a career for herself as an artist and a single woman in an age when upper-class women were wives and mothers, Cassatt was also a dutiful daughter who ran the family home in Paris after her beloved older sister, Lydia, died. (The family moved there from Pennsylvania after Mary decided to make her art in the City of Light.)

She was a fairly conventional painter until 1877 when the painter Edgar Degas invited her to join a new group that called itself Les Independents, the “Impressionists” being a sobriquet that stuck from a critical journalist. With that invitation, her life and her art changed forever.

Cassatt and Degas’ relationship remains the subject of fascinated speculation. Whatever did or did not pass between them – there is no historical evidence that they ever had an affair – they shared a deep bond borne of their total, uncompromising commitment to their art; their proud, stubborn, hypercritical natures; and their Franco-American heritage. (She was an American of French-Huguenot descent; he, the French child of an American mother who had spent some time with her relations in New Orleans.)

Small wonder, then, that Cassatt continues to intrigue writers (including yours truly, the author of “The Essential Mary Cassatt,” published in 1999 by Wonderland Press and distributed by Harry N. Abrams Inc.)

Now we have a play by Susan Courtney, an adjunct professor of theater at Westchester Community College and a Valhalla resident. The title, “Girl in Blue Armchair” is taken from one of those works in which Cassatt, never a mother herself, captures children unsentimentally, in all their sweet, sulky, riveting self-possession. Our own Martha Handler – who writes the “Sass & Class” column for our WAG magazine – caught up with Courtney recently. Here is her interview:

What was it about the painting that inspired the play? Or, was it the
the painter herself?

“For two years, I taught art at Adam Clayton Powell Junior High School in Harlem. One day while I was looking through a large art book there, I came across a painting of a woman bent over a wash basin where the outline of her back was so beautifully done. It captured an intimate moment in the life of this woman. It was called "La Toilette". I was curious as to who painted this, because for some reason I felt it was painted by a woman. And it was. It was the first painting of Mary Cassatt's that I ever saw (or perhaps I saw her work before but didn't know it was hers). At this point, I decided to look into the life of this woman. I was in awe of that fact that here was this woman from Pennsylvania living in repressive Victorian times, who managed to create a successful career for herself as an artist. In looking at her other work, I found "Little Girl in a Blue Armchair". This painting seemed so liberated to me. The little girl is not in a conventional pose, and it reflects Mary's unconventional side. I found it interesting that Edgar Degas helped her with it and advised her to paint the furniture up on an angle. The blue color in the painting is so striking, and it captures a moment in the life of this little girl.”

What if anything does the play reflect about you?

“I feel that women have a struggle to be artists in our society, and the struggle still exists, many years after Mary Cassatt. But it is easier now. Women have to make choices and the biggest one, of course, is motherhood. We want it both ways: We want to be successful in our careers, and we want to have children and devote time to them. Mary chose not to have children. She said, ‘To be an artist, one must make primary sacrifices.’ I felt this was sad, but it was what she felt she had to do and she accomplished her goal to be a famous painter. I feel my struggle to be an actress while working as a teacher and mother is difficult. But I would never want to have to give up being a mother. Maybe each woman has to find her own time. Now things are easier as my daughter is older (16), and I have more freedom.

How would describe the kind of drama this is?

“This is a two-act play – an historical fiction – that is biographical in nature. It is based on research I have done on Mary Cassatt's life as well as personal interviews I have done with the Cassatt family. One of the current members of the Cassatt family said to me, ‘People still ask me today: Did Mary Cassatt and Edgar Degas have an affair? I say, I don't know!’ Mary Cassatt and Edgar Degas burned their letters of correspondence which leads us to ask, ‘Why?’"

What do you hope the audience will get from seeing the play?

“I have always loved the art work of the Impressionists. Today, if there is an exhibition of work by Monet, Renoir, Degas, Pissaro, Morisot, or Cassatt, people flock to it and sometimes wait in line to see it. It is said to be one of the most beloved periods in art. I would like people to come away with an experience of what it was like to be an artist at that time and to maybe identify with their struggles. The Impressionists were rebels of their time – kind of like Andy Warhol for our time or the hippies in the ’60s. I would like people to get to know the struggle and the people involved and feel a connection.”

Performances are at 7 p.m. June 11 and 3 p.m. June 12. Tickets are $12; $10 for senior citizens. The Harvey School Black Box Theatre is at 260 Jay St. (off Route 22). harveyschool.org

Hudson Valley Shakespeare is ready for “Hamlet”

2011-06-06T17:00:00.001-04:00

The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival kicks off its new season with a preview fundraiser at 4:30 p.m. June 11 at Boscobel House and Gardens in Garrison. In this, its silver anniversary year, the troupe is taking on “The Comedy of Errors,” the Bard’s ode to that staple of Hollywood comedies and melodramas alike – twins – and the decidedly un-Shakespearean “Around the World in Eighty Days.”

The infinite variety of
the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival
– a très modern “The Taming of the Shrew”

But no doubt, the news that will be on everybody’s lips at the benefit is that the company will for the first time be presenting the work that defines every Shakespeare troupe – indeed every theater company and every actor – “Hamlet.”

“A few years ago I might have said we were not ready for ‘Hamlet,’” founding artistic director Terrence O’Brien acknowledges in an interview in the company’s Spring Folio (hvshakespeare.org). “But now I think we really are.”

His cautious nurturing of the troupe and the play speaks to its profound place in the Shakespeare canon. And that in turn speaks to the profundity of Hamlet himself. Literary lion Harold Bloom has called Shakespeare in general and Hamlet – the play and the character in particular – the beginnings of modern consciousness. It’s a theme on which he plays provocative variations in his new “The Anatomy of Influence: Literature as a Way of Life” (Yale University Press), suggesting, for example, that the soliloquizing Hamlet is the forerunner of Milton’s diabolically self-possessed Satan in “Paradise Lost.”

Yet as Bloom has also pointed out in previous works, Hamlet – a man who cannot help but pluck at the heart of his own mystery – is ultimately unknowable, even to himself. In this, he is like the nihilistic Iago in “Othello” and, to a lesser extent, the rakish, Machiavellian Edmund in “King Lear,” Bloom writes. And he shares a bond with the disaffected Brick, hubby to that most desperate of housewives, Maggie, in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” Charles E. May posits in “Tennessee Williams: 13 Essays” (University Press of Mississippi ). Just as Brick’s detachment from his wife and the world can’t be put down entirely to his betrayal of buddy Skipper and a perhaps suppressed homosexuality, Hamlet’s weltschmerz can’t be contained in his grief over his kingly father’s murder at the hands of his usurping uncle, Claudius and his mother’s o’er-hasty remarriage to the assassin. Rather, May suggests, Brick’s self-disgust and Hamlet’s melancholy are part of a greater realization that there is something fundamentally damaged about humanity. They’ve peered into the abyss, and though they are still in this human world, they are not likely to embrace its concerns again.

“Hamlet,” then, is what we might call an existential drama, and given that, it’s no surprise that even the most experienced of scholars and actors would be bewitched, bothered and bewildered by it.
“The longer I read, teach, and meditate upon ‘Hamlet,’ the stranger the play becomes to me,” Bloom, the Sterling professor of the humanities at Yale, writes in “Anatomy.”

Such strangeness can be oddly liberating. The Spring Folio quotes Derek Jacobi – as close to a definitive Hamlet as I ever saw -- as saying: “The play and the part are capable of endless reinvestigation, and that is what makes it so absorbing and so rewarding to perform."

Indeed, there are as many Hamlets as there are actors – and readers.

In a web post (http://www.slate.com/id/2211257/entry/2213533) and her new book “The Long Goodbye: A Memoir” (Riverhead Books), Slate cultural critic Meghan O’Rourke explores how “Hamlet” has enabled her to grieve for the loss of mother to colon cancer at age 55, in part by demonstrating the chasm between the bereaved, who are bound in a bell jar of sorrow, and a world, that however sympathetic, sails blithely on.
“Hamlet” is very much about grief and death. But it is also about dying, which is altogether different. For much of the play, death is an abstraction for Hamlet -- a disapproving ghost, a philosophical problem he can’t quite solve (“To be or not to be”), a mystery that sets him a challenge to which he feels inadequate. It’s only when he encounters the concrete possibility of his own demise at the hands of Claudius during his aborted exile to England that he begins to understand that life and death are two halves of an unanswerable riddle. What matters is how we face them. (“The readiness is all.”)

For all its preoccupation with death, the demanding “Hamlet,” Terry O’Brien says, “should make us all very happy we’re alive.”

The season runs June 14-Sept. 4. hvshakespeare.org.

Art op

2011-06-03T14:00:00.001-04:00

To celebrate its 15^th anniversary, Inkwell, Manhattanville College’s literary journal, is launching its first Inkwell Journal High School Poetry Scholarship, open to high school seniors throughout the tri-state area. Award categories include a first prize of $1,000, a second of $500 and a third of $350, along with publication in the journal. Inkwell’s editors will be entertaining original poems, one per submitting student, through June 30. For more information, call 323-7239 or visit inkwelljournal.org.

Nature op

2011-06-02T16:00:00.002-04:00

The Greenburgh Nature Center is seeking your help in a bid to get a new orchard.

The nature center is a finalist in the Communities Take Root competition, created by Edy’s Fruit Bars and the nonprofit Fruit Tree Planting Foundation to provide fruit orchards to organizations across the United States to encourage healthy eating and build strong community relationships.

You can make the orchard a reality for the nature center by going to

CommunitiesTakeRoot.com and casting one vote every day until Aug. 31.

Here’s a case where you really can vote early and often.

Kudos…

2011-05-31T12:00:00.002-04:00

To the new trustees of the The Music Conservatory of Westchester, a nonprofit community school in White Plains that offers music and theater instruction and education, as well as music therapy. They are Jon Pundyk, Gary E. Bashian, and Mayo Bartlett. The appointments were announced by board president Siew Leng Chuah.

Gary E. Bashian, a Greenwich resident, is a principal at Bashian and Farber LLP, practicing in estates and trusts, estate litigation, guardianship litigation, business planning, corporate and commercial litigation, and nonprofit corporation law. Bashian currently serves as vice-chair of the estate litigation committee of the New York State Bar Association’s trust and estates law section, and has previously served on the executive committee of the New York State Bar Associate’s elder law section. He is a former chair of the trusts and estates section, has served as the chair of the tax section of the Westchester County Bar Association, and was a director of the Estate Planning Council of Westchester. Bashian is a past president of the Westchester County Bar Association, serving from 1995 to 1997. Bashian formerly served as a director of the YMCA of Central and Northern Westchester and is the former general counsel for the United States Tennis Association/eastern section.

Mayo Bartlett, a White Plains resident, is a partner at Young & Bartlett, LLP, a law firm focusing on plaintiff’s personal injury, criminal defense, and civil rights matters. He previously worked in the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office and served as a litigator in the Superior Court Trial Division prior to his appointment as the chief of the Bias Crimes Unit. Bartlett is currently a vice president of the Westchester County Bar Association, where he is also a member of the judiciary committee, and is a former director of the Westchester County Black Bar Association and the former chair of the Westchester County Human Rights Commission. Bartlett was an active member of the New York State Hate Crimes Coalition, an organization that played a pivotal role in the passage of the Hate Crime Act of 2000. Bartlett currently serves on the advisory board of the Westchester Holocaust Education Center, is a director of CLUSTER (Congregations Linked in Urban Strategy to Effect Renewal), the New York Civil Liberties Union, and the Legal Aid Society of Westchester County, and is a member of the African American Men of Westchester. He has also served as an adjunct professor of law at Pace Law School.

Pundyk, a Rye resident, is the CEO of Glamorise Foundations, Inc. Prior to joining Glamorise, Pundyk was a consultant with Booz-Allen & Hamilton (now Booz & Co.,) where he worked with the strategy practice group and specialized in growth strategies for consumer product companies. Additionally, Pundyk held a variety of brand marketing positions at Proctor & Gamble. Pundyk earned an MBA from the Tuck School at Dartmouth College and a bachelor’s of science degree from Cornell University.

“Mr. Pundyk, Mr. Bashian, and Mr. Bartlett’s impressive backgrounds will bring new and great perspectives to the Music Conservatory of Westchester,” said Carol Shiffman, executive director. “All are longtime advocates of the musical arts, having given their time and talents for decades. We are pleased and privileged to welcome them to our board.”

The conservatory is located at 216 Central Ave. For information about classes, call 761-3900 or visit the new Website at musicconservatory.org.

A river runs through him

2011-05-29T16:00:00.004-04:00

By Victoria Hochman

Images capturing the beauty of the Hudson River are on display at Hudson Valley Hospital Center in Cortlandt Manor as the hospital presents “Hudson River Suites: Photographs by Joseph Squillante” through Sept. 5.

From sailing ships to shorelines, mountains to marshes, lighthouses to bridges, and beyond, “Hudson River Suites” includes more than 30 images of life along the Hudson River, including its landscapes, architecture and people. Among the images is “View From the World Trade Center,” a large night scene of Manhattan and the Hudson taken in 1985, showing a world that is now lost forever.

Squillante is known for his classic black-and-white photographs that distill the timeless essence of the Hudson River, which has been his central subject for more than 35 years. His romantic, quiet imagery depicts calm landscapes, intriguing elements of nature, striking architecture, and powerful portraits. In “Hudson River Suites”, Squillante expands his traditional black-and-white repertoire to include a series of color photographs that possess a painterly quality.

“Hudson River Suites” takes advantage of the free-standing partitions of the hospital’s gallery space with each wall showcasing different aspects of the river through sets or “suites” of images. For example, one suite focuses on the Highlands and features a magnificent panorama of Peekskill Bay. The Adirondacks series shows the source of the Hudson at Lake Tear of the Clouds as well as a view over the Adirondack range from Mount Marcy, the highest point in New York. A powerful night shot of the illuminated George Washington Bridge and one of the Old Saugerties Lighthouse before its renovation are included in a segment on architecture. Squillante’s iconic “Boy Fishing,” as well as a portrait of a wildlife biologist cradling a bald eagle, are also part of a suite representing people of the river.

Squillante’s color images make up a group of their own, among which is a panoramic southward view from Verplanck, brilliant autumn foliage over the cliffs of the Palisades, a 100-year-old ice boat plying the ice on Tivoli South Bay and a representation of Frank Gehry’s striking Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson.

The photographer – whose work is in the permanent collections of the New-York Historical Society, the Museum of the City of New York, the Albany Institute of History and Art, as well as Hudson Valley Hospital Center, among others – has spent the past three decades traveling the length of the Hudson capturing the beauty and romance of the river and surrounding landscapes as well as the people who live and work along its shores. A New York Times’ reviewer noted the “zest and sincerity” of the work. Indeed, the photographs inspire viewers of all ages.

“I reach out and share my work, I meet many people who also love the river,” Squillante says. “My aim is to nurture and expand this community. I believe that a greater appreciation of this natural resource will lead to a better understanding of its importance. The Hudson is a universal subject and a continual source of inspiration.”

Suzanne Ashley, curator of Hudson Valley Hospital Center’s 12 galleries of fine art work, says the hospital hopes the community will take advantage of this inspiring display and visit the gallery:

“The Art for Health program not only subscribes to the belief that art can help in the healing process, but that in the true tradition of a community hospital, Hudson Valley Hospital Center is a place whose doors are always open to the community. We invite the public to view Squillante’s works as well as all of the inspiring artwork in our 12 galleries throughout the hospital.”

Squillante’s love of the river began in 1975, when his boyhood friend Tom moved from the Bronx to paradise—otherwise known as Tivoli, a village 100 miles north of Manhattan, population 362. Tom’s backyard was the Hudson River, flowing just beyond the railroad tracks with views of the Catskill Mountains. In 2009, during the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s voyage up the river, Squillante mounted several exhibitions from Manhattan to Albany, most noteworthy a solo show, “Life Along the Hudson,” at the Albany Institute of History and Art. In 2004, his solo exhibit, “The Hudson River: A Visual Voyage,” opened the Beacon Institute, a research center spearheaded by former New York state governor George Pataki.

Squillante and his wife, Carol Capobianco, founded the Hudson River School of Photography to cultivate an appreciation for the Hudson through workshops, presentations, in-classroom talks, lessons, exhibits, and notecards and prints.

To view some of Squillante’s images, visit hudsonriverphotography.com or go to youtube.com/watch?v=nnNfT5LBXJg.l 737-2314,l HudsonR@bestweb.net.

The hospital is located on Route 202 (1980 Crompond Road) in Cortlandt Manor. 737-9000, hvhc.org

Birds, bees and beyond

2011-05-28T15:00:00.001-04:00

The Lazarus Gallery of United Hebrew of New Rochelle, a campus of residences and services for older adults, is presenting a new juried exhibit, “Birds, Bees and Butterflies,” through Sept. 9. The exhibit features artwork reflecting these winged creatures that conjure visions of springtime and pollination, with a wealth of vibrant colors. The show represents more than 40 artists in such media as photography, sculpture, ceramics, jewelry, fiber art and encaustic painting, which uses colored pigments mixed with heated beeswax.

“We are so pleased to be presenting such a beautiful exhibit for our nursing home and rehabilitation residents, family members, and visitors," said Linda Forman, vice president of community relations. "The Lazarus Gallery is a wonderful space for inspiration and lifelong learning."

The exhibit was judged by Susan Hoeltzel, director of the Lehman Collage Art Gallery; Emily Mello, curator of the adult and academic programs at Purchase College’s Neuberger Museum of Art; and Stomu Miyazak,i an architect and chairman of the board of trustees of The Hammond Museum & Japanese Stroll Garden in North Salem. The curator for the exhibition is Jodi Moise of New Rochelle.

The United Hebrew Lazarus Gallery is at 391 Pelham Road. 632-1224, uhgc.org.

Tour Kykuit

2011-05-27T13:15:00.002-04:00

May has arrived, and with it tours of Kykuit, the historic Rockefeller family estate in Pocantico Hills.
For the uninitiated, Kykuit is not your typical rich person’s house. The stone-encrusted mansion is both rustic and modest by turn-of-the-20th-century, tycoon standards. The Breakers it isn’t.

And that reflects the Baptist philosophy of John D. Rockefeller Sr. and his wife, the former Laura Spelman, who were not interested in the conspicuous consumption of the Vanderbilts.

But Kykuit (KY-cut) – from the Dutch for “lookout” – does boast some of the most spectacular sculpture gardens anywhere. And that reflects the influence of succeeding generations, specifically that of John D. Jr., who brought a classically flavored Beaux Arts touch to the estate, and his second son, Nelson, the onetime vice president and New York governor, who served as Kykuit’s last master. (It was he who bequeathed it to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, to be operated and maintained by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and administered by Historic Hudson Valley in Tarrytown.)

Say what you want about Nelson as a pol – and there are experts who have plenty to say – but from an aesthetic point of view, no one can deny that he had a superb curatorial eye. As you wander the Inner Garden, with its bronze nymphs by Maillol, Nadelman and Lachaise, surely one of the most romantic spots in Westchester, or take in the abstractions by Calder and Moore that ring the property, keep in mind that every work was situated by Nelson himself. The sight lines are superb: He placed each object so that it is linked with other related works that can be easily seen from any of their vantage points. So you can spy the modern nymphs of the Inner Garden from the Temple of Venus, which harks back to John Jr.’s time, and vice versa.
But like any good curator, Nelson also makes intuitive connections that transcend the purely visual.

Just below the swimming pool terrace, he nestled two horizontal works – Jean Ipousteguy’s “Alexander Before Ecbatane,” a 1965 bronze made of moving parts in which the Macedonian conqueror seems to become war itself, and Gaston Lachaise’s “Dans la Nuit,” a 1935 bronze of a entwined nude couple. Love and war are inextricably linked.

When he received an Arts Award from what is now ArtsWestchester in 1977, Rockefeller remarked on the further juxtaposition of these two works with a pair of beefy 18th-century Italian garden sculptures depicting one of Alexander’s ancestors, Hercules.

“The thing to me is this shows the combination of old and new,” he said. “And as long as you don’t approach these pieces with some intellectual concern for logic, you are going to enjoy them. Or maybe you won’t enjoy them, but anyhow, just expose yourself to them and see if you don’t. But don’t make a decision too soon.”
It’s this kind of adventurous thinking, more than the commanding view or the expensive cars,make Kykuit a Westchester treasure.

Kykuit is open through Nov. 6, and tours are offered daily except Tuesdays.
Visitors can choose from four tours – Classic, Grand, Timesaver, and Selected Highlights.
The Classic, ideal for first-time visitors, is a shorter experience than the comprehensive three-hour Grand. Besides the mansion, both of these tours include time in Kykuit’s art galleries, terraced gardens, and Coach Barn, with its collection of horse-drawn carriages, vintage automobiles, and equestrian equipment. The 90-minute Timesaver is ideal for those on tighter schedules, while Selected Highlights maximizes time in the estate’s gardens. (For me, the gardens are the real selling point here.)

Visitors can buy tickets online in advance, choosing the exact tour, time, and date they want to visit. Tickets are on sale now at www.hudsonvalley.org. Ticket prices range from $21-$40; $13-$30 for Historic Hudson Valley or National Trust members. Advanced ticket buying is strongly recommended, particularly for weekend tours, which fill up quickly. Besides online at hudsonvalley.org, tickets may be purchased by calling 631-8200 (service charge additional) or stopping by the Kykuit Visitor Center at Philipsburg Manor, 381 North Broadway (Route 9) in Sleepy Hollow. All tours start at the Kykuit Visitor Center. The doors open at 9 a.m.
Visitors can also reach Kykuit via a special Metro-North Railroad package that includes discounted admission to both Kykuit and nearby Philipsburg Manor, plus rail fare.

For those interested in making a full weekend out of a visit, Tarrytown House Estate offers a special package that includes overnight accommodations and tickets to Kykuit, plus three Historic Hudson Valley properties – Philipsburg Manor, the Union Church of Pocantico Hills, and Washington Irving’s Sunnyside. Information: tarrytownhouse.com

Brushing up on art

2011-05-26T15:00:00.003-04:00

The College of New Rochelle presents “With a Myriad of Brushstrokes” by artist and CNR graduate Valerie Moreno in the Mooney Center Gallery on the main campus from May 21 to June 14, 2011.

As a fine arts graduate of The College of New Rochelle with graduate work in fine arts at Brooklyn College, Montclair State University and the Arts Students League, Moreno uses brushstrokes to create variations of light and shadow, with washes of color defining texture and form. Her artistic interests include archaeological treasures, historical cities and nature. Moreno attributes her aesthetic development to the exceptional classical foundation in fine arts that she received at The College of New Rochelle and encouragement from her father, who was an architect, and her family. Her love of travel, both nationally and internationally, weave the canvas for her work.

Her accomplishments are included in a file established in the Archives on Women Artists, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C. She has also developed a series of art/travel-related programs that she presents to various organizations.

There’s an opening reception on June 11, from 3 to 5 p.m in the Mooney Center Lounge.

Hours are 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon.-Thurs. and 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Fri.-Sun. cnr.edu

The circus comes to Van Cortlandt Manor

2011-05-25T12:20:00.001-04:00

Edited by Georgette Gouveia

By Rob Schweitzer

A baby bear, stilt-dancers, gargantuan puppets and the chance to become a circus star are just some of the new highlights for this year’s Memorial Day weekend classic, Animals & Acrobats at Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson.

The new acts join returning favorites that include Atka, the ambassador wolf from the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, and A Different Spin, a group that juggles objects and comedy.

In America’s early days, fire jugglers, tumbling acrobats, rope walkers, magicians — indeed, clever characters of all sorts — used to travel the countryside as a ragged band of entertainers, setting up shop at various locations. This is how the traditional American circus began, and it’s the inspiration for Animals & Acrobats, which takes place May 28 through 30, 10 a.m. to 5p.m. at Van Cortlandt Manor, a Post-Revolutionary site administered by Historic Hudson Valley in Tarrytown.

“We put so much into this weekend that I’m sure we rival the best traveling circuses from years gone by,” said Althea Corey, site director of Van Cortlandt Manor.

Among the new acts are:

* Boston Circus Guild — This professional troupe offers a wide-range of circus magic including high-flying acrobatics, stilt-dancing (not walking, dancing!), and gargantuan puppets who roam the crowd. Contortionists who squeeze themselves into the tightest of spaces round out the group’s roster.

* Wildlife Expert Andrew Simmons — Simmons, who specializes in predators, will bring a baby bear cub for all to see. His presentation focuses on the importance of conservation.

* Circus Arts Camp (Hartsdale) — Kids can learn to balance on a low-wire, ride a unicycle, juggle, spin plates and walk on stilts.

* Museum of Curiosities — Visitors might be awed by a giant mastodon, an Invisible Lady, and a Cabinet of Natural History featuring taxidermy specimens on loan from Teatown Lake Reservation in Ossining.

Returning favorites include: A Different Spin, an act that was formed at Vassar College and melds juggling, daring acrobatics and comedy; and Two by Two Zoo, a conservation group that educates the public about fascinating wildlife. Hopping kangaroos, flying lemurs, hilarious monkeys, pythons, parrots, and goats are some of their traveling stars.

The Wolf Conservation Center returns with ambassador wolf Atka. Other performers include Jennifer Pena’s birds-of-prey demonstration Flight of the Raptor; The Acrobrats; slack rope walker Dikki Ellis; Chris Yerlig as Hoopoe the Mime; fire juggler Will Shaw; storyteller April Armstrong; Fred Greenspan’s Punch & Judy Shows; magician Bob Olson; storytelling, dance, and olden music by Bells & Motley; fortune-telling by mystic Glenda Hughes; and musicians Jim Keyes & Cristal Stevens, and Margaret Vetare & Bill Ochs.

Acts old and new will be introduced by ringmaster – and master storyteller himself – Jonathan Kruk.

Geordane’s of Irvington will provide picnic food and beverages. New this year, visitors can order an entire picnic in advance online. (Orders must be placed by May 23.) Also new this year for the sweet tooth is homemade ice cream from Blue Pig of Croton, featuring ingredients from Hudson Valley sources.

Tickets are $12; $10 for children ages 5-17, free for children under age 5 and HHV members. Visitors who purchase tickets in advance online can get free popcorn for everyone under 18 in their party.

Van Cortlandt Manor is at 525 South Riverside Avenue (off Route 9). Take the Croton Point Avenue exit from Route 9 and follow the signs. For information: 631-8200, .hudsonvalley.org.

M.A.D. men (and women)

2011-05-23T20:00:00.001-04:00

Nine nationally and internationally known artists (alias the M.A.D. group) come together for an inaugural group exhibition to be held in Katonah.

Offerings Gallery in Katonah will exhibit the work from May 22 to June 26, with a reception to meet the artists on May 22 from noon to 4 p.m.

The M.A.D. group has been meeting monthly for over a year to encourage an exchange of ideas about contemporary art-making today.

“Showing work of such power and diversity underscores Offerings mission to make available the highest quality contemporary American art and craft.” says Mindy Yanish, owner of Offerings and also one of the M.A.D. artists.

For 20 years, Offerings gallery has been a Katonah institution, hosting events like this to enhance community and promote the greater good.

The nine artists are A. Eric Arctander, from Putnam Valley; Sharon Nakazato, of Brewster; Jim Sparks of Mahopac; Christopher Staples of Carmel; Jean Tock of Mahopac; Alice Walsh of Carmel; Mindy Yanish and Rina Yeshoua of Katonah, and Susan Zoon of Carmel.

Hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. and noon-4 p.m. Sun. The gallery is at 59 Katonah Ave. 232-9643

Music man

2011-05-23T16:00:00.000-04:00

Landrum’s songwriting workshop at 7 p.m. May 24 in Sleepy Hollow.

Each Wednesday evening for the last seven weeks, students from all over Westchester County and the surrounding region have been meeting to study songwriting with the Grammy Award-winning composer. During these sessions, student musicians discuss the history and techniques of songwriting while analyzing songs from all genres and eras, fostering an appreciation and respect for the art and craft of composition. While instrumental expertise is not required for the class, a willingness to have one’s songs performed is part of the professional experience and the fun.

Composer, arranger, producer Landrum has written scores for the Emmy-nominated “Living the Story: The Civil Rights Movement in Kentucky” (PBS), “A Touch of Fate” (a Lifetime movie starring Teri Hatcher), and songs for albums by John Whelan and Francine Reed. He was the orchestrator of the Broadway musical, “In My Life,” and won a Grammy Award for his work on the TV series “Twin Peaks,” created by David Lynch.

The concert is is free to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.

The center is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to nurturing a community in which literary writers and those who love literature celebrate and further the creative process. The center presents public readings by established and emerging writers, offers a variety of writing workshops in many genres, organizes educational programs for school children and people with special needs, and publishes new works of literature under the imprint of Slapering Hol Press. The mission of the Slapering Hol Press, the small-press imprint of the Writers’ Center, is to advance the national and international conversation of poetry and poetics principally by publishing and supporting the work of emerging poets.

The HVWC is located at the restored historic Philipse Manor railroad station, 300 Riverside Drive. For more information about the center, the New Play Reading Series, and for an updated schedule of readings, workshops and events, call 332-5953 or visit writerscenter.org.

On the 20th century

2011-05-20T12:00:00.000-04:00

Building on its January debut, the Hudson Chorale will present a salute to 20^th-century composers May 21 at Irvington High School.

The 90-voice ensemble will offer a program titled, "Myths and Meditations," featuring works by Morten Lauridsen, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Arthur Bliss.

The 1997 premiere of “Lux Aeterna” swept composer Morten Lauridsen to international fame and has earned him the distinction of being the most-performed American choral composer of our time. He was named an "American Choral Master" by the National Endowment for the Arts and awarded the National Medal of Arts by the U.S .government in 2007 "for his composition of radiant choral works combining musical beauty, power and spiritual depth that have thrilled audiences worldwide."

“The Lark Ascending,” an incandescent work by Ralph Vaughan Williams for violin and orchestra, found inspiration in a poem by George Meredith. Long a favorite in the British orchestral repertoire, this piece debuted in 1914 and blends English folk music with themes inspired by Bach, Handel, Ravel, and Debussy.

The program also includes “Pastoral” by Arthur Bliss, who was appointed Master of the Queen’s Music in 1953 and was knighted for his musical compositions. Following a visit to the Italian countryside, Bliss collected an anthology of poetry depicting a Sicilian day from dawn to evening, and set these poems to music for voice, flute, timpani and strings.

Music director Michael Conley will conduct the 8 p.m. performance at the high school, 40 N. Broadway (Route 9). Conley is also a composer, pianist, organist, and singer.

Tickets are $25, $10 for students, and can be purchased at the door, by calling 462-3212 or by visiting hudsonchorale.org.

Season finale

2011-05-13T19:00:00.000-04:00

It’s been a rough year for the Westchester Philharmonic with the loss of artistic director Itzhak Perlman. But like the troupers they are, the musicians are soldiering on. With Jamie Laredo at the podium, the Westchester Phil concludes its season May 14 at 8 p.m. and 15 at 3 p.m. with three virtuoso works – the overture to Rossini’s “Semiramide,” Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1, featuring Orion Weiss, and Beethoven’s iconic Symphony No. 5.

Weiss will participate in a free pre-concert discussion for ticket-holders on May 14 at 6:50 p.m. and May 15 at 1:50 p.m. The discussion on Weiss’ career and on performing Chopin will be moderated by Executive Director Joshua Worby.

All events take place at The Concert Hall at Purchase College’s Performing Arts Center, Anderson Hill Road between Purchase and King streets. A free open rehearsal is also scheduled for May 14 at 10 a.m. in The Concert Hall.

Concert tickets range from $25 to $90. They’re available at 682-3707, ext. 10. westchesterphil.org

In the Pink(ster)

2011-05-13T12:00:00.001-04:00

Drumming, dancing and dramatic vignettes – along with dining on traditional West Indian and African-American cuisine – make up the Pinkster Festival at Philipsburg Manor in Sleepy Hollow, May 15, from noon to 5 p.m.

Pinkster is inspired by the grand cross-cultural springtime celebrations jointly created by Dutch settlers and enslaved Africans during the colonial period. Originally, Pinkster was a Dutch holiday that combined religious and secular traditions. (The name comes from the Dutch word for Pentecost.) But despite the holiday’s Dutch origins, Africans in New York and New Jersey were so successful at incorporating their own cultures into the celebration that by the early 1800s, Pinkster was actually considered an African-American holiday.

Pinkster was unusual in that both Africans and Europeans took part in the festivities, which featured some elements of role reversal among the races. The enslaved community, for example, would “roast” their white owners during the festival.

For the African community, it was a profound opportunity for family members and friends, many of whom were separated from one another, to come together.

“It was a chance for people, especially those forced to toil in rural, isolated areas, to get together, to see their own relatives and friends,” said Thom Thacker, Philipsburg Manor site director.

Pinkster features African folktales, and cooking demonstrations. Musical performers include a roaming fiddler and a player of the kora, which is a traditional West African instrument.

African drumming and dance demonstrations will be led by Maxwell Kofi Donkor, a Ghanaian native and renowned drummer who is also an award-winning sculptor and art educator. Kofi has shared the stage with drummers such as Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead and Babatunde Olatunji and his Drums of Passion.

Other Pinkster performance highlights include storytelling by April Armstrong and African Colonial dance by Judith Samuel and the Children of Dahomey.

As in historic Pinkster celebrations, two “Grand Events” mark the day. The first is the Pinkster Parade and the Game of Lies, beginning at 12:30 p.m. After this elaborate ceremony of matching wits, the community crowns the Pinkster King. Later in the afternoon, at 3 p.m., the Election takes place, which names the Pinkster Regent, who will be the King for the following year.

Besides the special performances and Grand Events, ongoing activities include demonstrations of coopering and open-hearth cooking, crafts and games, plus tours of the working gristmill and manor house.

The Pinkster Festival is sponsored by Con Edison. Admission is $12 for adults; $10 for seniors; $6 for children 5-17; and free for children under 5 and Historic Hudson Valley members. Philipsburg Manor is at 381 North Broadway (Route 9). 631-3992, hudsonvalley.org.

The ultimate celebrity

2011-05-12T17:00:00.001-04:00

When I was a kid in the progressive ’60s and ’70s, I remember studying the album “Jesus Christ Superstar” in religion class. I thought then as I do now that it was an entertaining rock opera that was more about modern existentialism and our skepticism of celebrity than it was about the historical and theological Jesus.

It is, like many Jesus works, the mirror in which we see ourselves and our times and as such, has held up pretty well, which is why companies keep staging it. (Indeed, it was the first Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice collaboration to be staged, back in 1971.) On May 14 and 15, Lighthouse Youth Theatre’s senior company, Protégé, will join the burgeoning ranks when it presents the musical at Westchester Broadway Theatre in Elmsford.

Protégé is made up of Westchester teenagers age 18 and under, who want to develop their skills in all aspects of the theater, from the classroom to the production crew.

The Lighthouse Youth Theatre, located in Thornwood, was created in 2006 by artistic director John Fanelli, whose goal is to produce high-caliber productions for children and teens in Westchester and the surrounding areas. LYT creates eight full-scale productions annually and runs two performing arts summer workshops.

For both performances, the doors open at 11:45 a.m., with lunch at noon and the show at 1:30 p.m. Tickets are $45; $35 for children age 16 and under; $70 for premium seating (first 2 rows center section). Tickets for groups of 15 or more are $35.

The theater is at 1 Broadway Plaza. For tickets, call 592-2222 or visit broadwaytheatre.com

Kudos…

2011-05-09T12:15:00.000-04:00

…To James A. Attwood Jr., a Bedford resident and managing director of The Carlyle Group, who succeeds Judy Evnin as chairman of the board of trustees of the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts in Katonah. Says Caramoor’s CEO and General Director Michael Barrett: “I’m very excited to have Jim Attwood’s leadership at Caramoor. I’ve been able to get to know him well over the last several years, and I’m confident that with his guidance we will be very successful. I also want to congratulate Judy Evnin on such a successful tenure. I’m glad that she will stay on as our chairman emerita and that Caramoor will continue to benefit from her energy and generosity.”

…And to Vladimira Pipova, a student in the Westchester Community College Visual Arts Program, who won a $1,000 scholarship for her entry in the recent SUNY Student Art Show in Albany. Pipova , a Mamaroneck resident, was honored for “Crimes Against Art,” her striking triptych on the Nazi confiscation of art during World War II.

Secret gardens

2011-05-06T18:00:00.000-04:00

Explore three private gardens in Chappaqua and Mount Kisco, open to the public for self-guided tours on May 7 to benefit The Garden Conservancy in Cold Spring. Special highlights include a checkerboard garden; a Belgian espalier of fruit trees; extensive tree peony, rhododendron and azalea collections; and tulip displays.

Visitors may begin at either of the following locations – the garden of Shobha Vanchiswar and Murali Mani, 76 Castle Road, Chappaqua (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) or Rocky Hills, 95 Old Roaring Brook Road, Mount Kisco (12 p.m. to 4 p.m.). Directions to the Steinhardt garden in Mount Kisco will be provided at these locations.

No reservations are required. The tours take place rain or shine. The cost is $5 per person. Children under age 12 are admitted free. 888-842-2442, opendaysprogram.org.

Westchester Children’s Museum Annual Benefit

2011-05-06T14:01:00.000-04:00

The Westchester Children’s Museum (WCM) will pay tribute to its supporters, educators, and children at its upcoming annual benefit May 6 from 7 to 10 p.m. at The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester in White Plains.

This year’s event, titled “Cheers!,” will help build the WCM’s “Museum Without Walls” program, which provides hands-on learning experiences to children and families across the region who need it most. Additionally, the annual Milton A. Williams, Jr. Scholars in Education Award will be presented to Jeffrey Cole. The award was established by the Westchester Children’s Museum to recognize outstanding and inspirational educators in the Westchester region.

A lease agreement with Westchester County for site control of the 22,000 square-foot Playland Park bathhouse, a historic landmark in Rye, is pending. Until the brick and mortar children’s museum is built, the “Museum Without Walls” program is offered at various locations, including the Port Chester Carver Center, Boys & Girls Clubs of New Rochelle, Greenwich and northern Westchester, and the White Plains YMCA & YWCA. Launched in March 2010, the program has completed more than 100 exhibits for 2,000-plus children ages 3-18 from low- to moderate-income families.

Funds raised at “Cheers!” will be used to further the effect WCM has already had with “Museum Without Walls” and help make its goal of reaching 5,000 children in 2011 a reality.

“The success we’ve achieved in the first year of Museum Without Walls is a testament to the relevance and need for such programs in our area,” says WCM Executive Director Tracy R. Kay. “This year’s benefit will allow us to continue our efforts to grow and meet that need. It’s only the beginning.

“Interactive educational programs are the cornerstone of the children’s museum experience. As school budgets are cut and funding declines, it is imperative that out-of-school programs provide impactful educational opportunities that nurture our future leaders and innovators.”

“Museum Without Walls” programs are supported by donations and grants from individuals, foundations, and corporations. Donors include the Beyer Family Foundation, Con Edison, Junior League of Greenwich, Junior League of Pelham, Junior League of Westchester on the Sound, LEGO Children's Fund, TD Charitable Foundation, and Wachovia Wells Fargo Foundation. Current event sponsors for “Cheers!” are The Ritz-Carlton Westchester, Crop Vodka, Serendipity Magazine, Whole Foods, YL Event Design, and Chatham Imports, Inc. “Museum Without Walls” is administered by more than 40 committee members, current and retired classroom teachers and career professionals in the fields of science and the arts.

“Our educators and volunteers provide invaluable learning experiences for thousands of children each year, none of which would be possible without the support of our visionary donors,” says WCM President Corinne Zola. “In addition to honoring our supporters, we’re also pleased to honor this year’s Scholars in Education Award recipient, Jeffrey Cole, who is an inspiration to his students and fellow educators alike.”

Cole, a Yorktown Heights resident, began his teaching career 10 years ago. Currently an eighth-grade special education teacher for the Seven Bridges Middle School in Chappaqua, he also serves as the extended school year teacher/coordinator, department head for special education, and is a member of the principal’s leadership cabinet.

The Milton A. Williams, Jr. Scholars in Education Award recognizes the invaluable role that teachers play in the lives of our children and honors recipients for their achievements in education. The award was created in partnership with Helen Williams, an educator, in memory of her late husband, Milton Williams, a beloved music teacher, mentor, and administrator for 43 years at the Alice E. Grady Elementary School in Elmsford. (Their daughter, singer-actress Vanessa, serves on WCM’s advisory board.) This year’s award recipient was recommended for the honor by Bettye Perkins of Today’s Students, Tomorrow’s Teachers, who works with the museum and Mrs. Williams to identify honorees annually.

In addition to cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, the WCM benefit will include a silent auction and raffle to win a Ritz-Carlton, Westchester overnight suite bed and breakfast package. A party will follow the festivities at 42 The Restaurant, located on The Ritz-Carlton’s 42^nd floor, where 10 percent of all beverage proceeds will be donated to WCM.

Individual tickets for “Cheers!” are $200,or $1,750 for a party of 10. Sponsorship packages and e-Journal ads are also available. The event is chaired by WCM Board Member Carolyn Carr Spencer of Harrison. For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact info@discoverWCM.org or 421-5050.

Some enchanted evenings

2011-05-03T14:09:00.000-04:00

Theater-goers will remember Robert Cuccioli as the tormented scientist in the musical “Jekyll and Hyde.” Now he’s bringing a different kind of romance to Westchester Broadway Theatre in Elmsford with his cabaret act “A Standard Love” on May 3. Dinner is at 6:15 p.m. with an 8 p.m. curtain. Tickets are $75, plus tax. Reservations: 592-2222, BroadwayTheatre.com

Then from May 6 through 8, the White Plains Performing Arts Center presents “The Wedding Singer” as the third and final mainstage Conservatory Theatre production of the season. Based on the 1998 Adam Sandler movie, about a hapless performer who must get his emotional repertoire in order to win the girl of his dreams, “The Wedding Singer” will be performed at 8 p.m. May 6 and 7 and 2 p.m. May 8.

Tickets are $20; $15 for students. The WPPAC is at City Center, Mamaroneck Avenue and Main Street. (877) 548-3237, wppac.com.

Arts & the Economy study

2011-04-22T11:46:00.000-04:00

By Jim Ormond

In collaboration with Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing culture in this country, ArtsWestchester has just launched Arts & Economic Prosperity IV, an extensive economic study on the impact that nonprofit arts organizations have on Westchester’s economy. ArtsWestchester will assist in the gathering and assembly of detailed economic and event attendance data from nonprofit arts and cultural organizations located throughout Westchester County. The goal is to collect surveys from at least 800 arts and culture attendees in Westchester County during 2011.

The results of the Westchester economic impact study will be placed alongside statistics about the nonprofit arts industry nationally, which this year will include 200 similar nonprofit arts organizations from across the United States.

The study’s findings will include:
•   Total dollars spent by Westchester County’s nonprofit arts and culture organizations
•   Total dollars spent by audiences as a direct result of their attendance at arts and culture events in Westchester County
•   Number of full-time equivalent jobs supported by arts spending
•   Amount of resident, household income—including salaries and wages—generated by arts spending
•   Amount of local and state government tax revenues generated by arts spending

The 2011 Arts & Economic Prosperity IV is a continuation of a 10-year study (1995-2005) that included ArtsWestchester. The previous study (2005) found that Westchester County arts organizations contributed $119.88 million in local economic activity, supported 3,779 full-time equivalent jobs, and delivered $17.6 million in local and state government revenue.

These studies are especially important in times of recession, says Janet T. Langsam, CEO of ArtsWestchester, the largest, private, nonprofit arts council in New York state:
“The results of the last study were a real eye-opener. We knew that the arts had an economic impact here in Westchester. But seeing hard data demonstrating that the arts bring nearly $120 million to the local economy and supported nearly 3,800 jobs demonstrated how vital the arts industry is. Especially during times of recession, having this kind of data can help public officials at all levels make informed decisions when they are deciding on budget priorities.”

Americans for the Arts retains independent professional economists to design and monitor the study. Americans for the Arts President and CEO Robert L. Lynch says that the study “will …evaluate the impact the recession has had on employment and government revenues that are generated by the nonprofit arts industry.”

Local nonprofit cultural organizations also envision Arts & Economic Prosperity IV as providing an accurate picture of the toll of the recent recession “We all have our own stories of how audience participation is down in the past three years,” says ArtsWestchester Deputy Director Joanne Mongelli. However, having a comprehensive overview of the ways audiences are withdrawing, or still participating in the arts, can help us in terms of planning, guiding how we reach out to audiences, and how we allocate our resources. Several organizations are already participating, But we want to bring in new organizations so that we can make this survey as accurate as possible.”

Founded in 1965, ArtsWestchester funds and presents exhibits and other cultural programs, brings artists into schools and community centers and builds audiences through marketing initiatives. In 1998, ArtsWestchester purchased the nine-story neoclassical bank building at 31 Mamaroneck Avenue which has since been transformed into the Arts Exchange, a multi-use resource for artists, cultural organizations and the community.

As part of this process, ArtsWestchester is inviting Westchester County-based cultural organizations and residents to participate. Collecting and/or submitting data for the study is easy. Participants will fill out blind surveys about how much money they spend when visiting cultural events and attractions, and other significant details about their event attendance. Those wishing to participate in the study, or who would like more information, are encouraged to contact Eric Siegel, ArtsWestchester’s Program Associate for Cultural Organization Services, at 428-4220 , ext. 324 or esiegel@artswestchester.org.