CULTURALLY
SPEAKING
Happy
Fall.
The Equinox has passed and we are now into Indian Summer, the beauty of
changing leaves and the last harvests from the gardens. I did get to see
and do some fun things and heard from a number of new galleries.
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The Full Monty is being presented by Westchester Broadway Theater, Elmsford, NY, and can be seen through January 20 (except Nov 22—Dec 23 when Christmas Inn will be on stage). I was invited to the Press Night and was just delighted with this heartwarming story of a group of laid-off factory workers struggling to keep their lives, their dignity, and themselves together. The original story (film) is based in England and the play adaptation by Terrence McNally has the location in Buffalo, NY which works perfectly. This is a musical (music & lyrics by David Yazbek), the film was not. The filled and well-fed audience (this is a Dinner Theatre) tingled with excitement and anticipation as the play opened. How nice to sit in a comfortable chair, sip a glass of wine, and watch the show. Set in a thrust stage, every seat (500 or so) in the house is a good one. this is a professional company with most of the actors equity and this was clearly a professional performance
 (front & rear left to right) Dorina Dilullo (Estelle)-Amy Barker (Vicki)-Melodie Wolford (Joanie) Caroline B. Younger (Georgie)-Nicole Mangi (Susan)-Laurie-Beth Mraz(Pam) David A.White (Horse)-Brian Gligor (Ethan)-Nick Gaswirth (Malcolm) Tad Wilson (Dave)-Joel Briel (Harold) Performing "The Goods" |
Voices and dancing were excellent and a few particularly exceptional;
acting seemed without any hitches, and the direction and choreography
(by Richard Stafford) made for easy flowing stage movements that could be seen by all. The
plot-line has the men desperate enough that the idea of doing a strip
tease, á la the Chippendales©, becomes a reality and they overcome their
shyness, their body image, their awkwardness and hire a hall to do a Striptease
show. The money they make will help support their families until they
find work. The big question of the play is whether they will really do
a final complete strip — the “full monty” — during the performance.
The audience became the larger audience of the play during the last scene
— the performance. Women yelled out “take it off!!” “We love you”
and whistled and made other exclamations as the men began the striptease.
It was a fun evening, lots of laughter, some poignant moments, hilarity
and suspense. You’ll have to find out yourself if they did the FULL MONTY
or not!! Check online at www.broadwaytheatre.com for more information about this very successful Dinner
Theater that has been open for over 32 years. The Full Monty marks
their 148th Production. They do a great job.
 Venezualan Youth String Quartet plays at 2006 Praemium Imperiale Awards at Rainbow Room, NYC |
Praemium
Imperiale was created in 1988 to commemorate the 100th
anniversary of the Japan Art Association and to honor the late Prince Takamatsu who served as the association’s honorary patron for
58 years. The press luncheon, held at the Rainbow Room in Rockefeller
Center, NYC —David Rockefeller, Jr is an Honorary Advisor
(as is Jacques Chirac and Helmut Schmidt), having been the
American Advisor for numerous years. The current American Advisor is William
H. Luers, President of the United Nations Association, a leading
center for policy research. Previous to that position he was President
of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, which preceded a long career
in the Foreign Service. This year’s Praemium Imperiale Laureates are:
in Painting, Yayoi Kusama of Japan; in Sculpture, Christian Boltanski
of France; in Architecture, Frei Otto of Germany; in Music,
Steve Reich of US; in Theatre/Film, Maya Plisetskaya of
Russia. Awards presentation will be held in Tokyo on October 18 where
Laureates will receive gold medals, diplomas from His Imperial Highness
Prince Hitachi and 15 million yen (about $131,000), recognizing the
lifetime achievement in the arts in categories not covered by the Nobel
Prizes. Each year grants are given for Young Artists and this year’s
award went to The State Foundation for the National System of Youth
and Children’s Orchestras of Venezuela. This organization, founded
in 1975, recruits children from lower-income Venezuelan families, and
educates them through the instruction and performance of classical music
both individually and as part of an orchestra. There are 250,000 children
participating in the program and over 210 orchestras have been established
in the country. The foundation will receive 5 million yen (approximately
$43,000) to assist in its efforts to help young musicians. During the
Press Announcement each of the Laureates were introduced with an accompanying
video of their work. Only Steve Reich was in attendance and gave some
remarks in acceptance. Generally the speeches mentioned that the arts
know no ethnic, geographic, cultural, or national boundaries, the great
need to support the arts, and that peace and dialogue can ensue by way
of the Arts.
 Duane Wakeman, Recipient of the ART TMES Award at the Pastel Society of America's Annual Exhibit at the National Arts Club, NYC |
The
season has begun. Many of the Arts Clubs and Organizations have their
annual exhibitions in the fall in NYC, either at the Salmagundi Arts
Club or the National Arts Club. Pastel Society of America
held their 34th annual Open Juried Exhibition For Pastels
Only at the National Arts Club and it was a fabulous exhibition
that showed off the great variety of techniques using the pastel medium.
Work varied from realistic to abstract, small to large, with 202 paintings
exhibited by artists from across the country — and beyond —
including Canada, France, Russia and China. Each year during the duration
of the exhibition there are weekend Demonstrations, Workshops and an Art
of Pastels Materials Fair. The Awards Ceremony included a presentation
to Hall of Fame Honoree Alan Flattmann, PSA for his exceptional
accomplishments as a teacher and painter. David B. Korostoff was
the recipient of Friend of Pastel, an honor given to someone whose
work has generated public awareness of the medium (I was pleased to be
a recipient of this honor in 2001). There are now Pastel Societies in
numerous states and in France. These interchanges have been a delightful
addition to the organization providing exhibit opportunities, workshops,
and extended friendships with other pastel artists. Flora Giffuni,
founder of the society, has worked with great dedication establishing
an Atelier for Pastels held at the NAC, funded the Flora B.
Giffuni Gallery of American Pastels at the Butler Institute of
American Art in Youngstown, Ohio, where selected award-winners from
the PSA’s 34th Annual, and initiated the Pastels in Schools
Program that brings teachers of the medium to an area HS and soon
to a 2nd school. We applaud Flora Giffuni, Barbara Fishman,
President, and the hard working board of directors and members of this
society. Lastly, Gabriela Gonzalez Dellosso (profiled in ART
TIMES July ’04) was the recipient of the Art Spirit Foundation,
Dianne B. Bernhard Gold Medal Award and Duane A. Wakeham, PSA
was the recipient of the ART TIMES AWARD.
This
is also time of year for numerous open studio tours. An organization or
group of artists come together, pick a date, and open their studios to
the public — usually over a weekend. The 4th Annual Studio
Tour in Woodstock, NY, will be on Columbus Day Weekend (Oct
7&8) with well over 30 artists opening their studios. There is a charge
for this tour and the monies will go towards an art scholarship for a
local HS student. Call 845-679-6234 for information
• Also that weekend in Kingston, NY, the Art Society of Kingston’s
Tour will include 40 artists, as well as the usual First Saturday
opening receptions and exhibitions at the numerous Galleries throughout
the city. For lists of artists, maps and information: www.askforarts.org/studiotour or call 845-338-0331 • In the Smithtown,
St. James, Setauket area of Long Island, NY an artist tour will take place on October 14 and on the 15th —
the tour will be in the Huntington, Greenlawn,
Northport Area of LI. For more information call 631-351-3250 • In New Jersey
the 25th Annual Hoboken Artists Tour
will be on October 15, and Jersey City’s Artists Studio Tour
Weekend is Oct 21 & 22. That’s about all I have specifics on,
but check with these communities and organizations for more details. Taking
a tour is always a delightful way to meet artists, see their work, their
studios, and be part of a fun event with many others who love art. Pick
an area new to you and have a great time exploring.
There
are several new galleries in our region: Marina Gallery: Fine Art and
Restoration in Cold Spring, NY will exhibit artists fairly local to
Cold Spring on a consignment basis —artists paying a fee according
to the space they want for their work. The gallery is owned by Marina
Yashina, artist, curator and restorer who hopes to help promote the
cultural events of Cold Spring, NY and surrounding towns. Olga Besen
is the Gallery Director. For more information go online: www.marina-gallery.com or call 845-265-2204 • In Woodstock,
NY, the East Village Collective has opened and owners Serena
& Bahram expect to have frequent shows featuring a variety of artists and work.
Serena, a jewelry designer, and husband Bahram, a marketing specialist
for Apple’s Pro Applications, wanted to live and work in a more peaceful
environment than the East Village of NYC where they met. The current show
Photographs by Benjamin Busch
will be up until mid October. See the website www.eastvillagecollective.com or call 845-679-2174 for more information and their
exhibition schedule • Up River Art (opened several years
ago as The Gallery and announced in this column) seems to have
refocused and will have a grand opening weekend on October 7-9. The gallery,
located in Ossining, NY, will feature paintings and prints by Mary
Ellis and steel sculptures by her son Noah Baumwoll. They will
show their work along with items featuring graphic designs on mugs, glassware,
t-shirts etc. It is their hope to take a leading part in the revitalization
of Ossining. See more at www.upriverart.com or call 914-255-1832 • Years ago, Jersey City, NJ, designated a portion of
the old warehouse district just south of the Holland Tunnel as
an historic neighborhood dedicated to providing affordable housing and
workspaces for artists, and to encourage art galleries to move into the
area. The explosive growth
of Jersey City’s waterfront and the numerous luxury high rises being built
in the area have fueled the development of the Powerhouse Arts District
(PAD), and most recently Nobis Gallery opened in the district
with nearly 300 people attending the ribbon-cutting. Owners Phillip
Stamborski and Kevin Elphick said that they were thrilled to
be part of the Powerhouse Arts District (PAD), and that there just weren’t
enough venues to showcase the artists who live and work in the international
community. Nobis Gallery’s debut exhibit features the paintings of Milena
Filipova, an artist from Bulgaria who has lived in Jersey City since
arriving in the US 5 years ago. Plans for the development of the PAD include
a theater for live performances, bistros, and more art galleries. Stamborski hopes that the lower retail
rents – currently $20-$30 per sq. ft. will encourage gallery owners
to join him as they get priced out of Manhattan, particularly the gallery
row in Chelsea where rents are skyrocketing to over $100 per sq. ft. Learn
more at www.nobis-art.com or call 201-610-1215.