The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Gotta Have Arts

The 57th Annual Armonk Outdoor Art Show

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Saturday & Sunday, September 29 & September 30

10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Rain or Shine

205 Business Park Drive, Armonk, NY 10504

Top Rated and Nationally Ranked in “The Top 50” Fine Art and Fine Craft Fairs, the 57th Annual

Armonk Outdoor Art Show continues its long tradition of showcasing well curated and diverse fine art.

It’s About Art …

The show features 185 juried artists from 28 states, Israel and Canada, including 38 new artists this year.

A broad range of art in every medium and price point will be on display, including painting, mixed mediums, printmaking/drawing/ pastels, sculpture, photography/digital art, wearable art, and fine crafts.

Free personal consultants, trained in fine art and home design, are available to assist visitors in selecting art that best fits their taste and decor.

… And Entertainment!

Music and “Hands-on-Art Activities” for All Ages

Family Activities Tent – Free Fun-Filled Activities under a Big-Top Tent, sponsored by:

The Harvey School- Interactive programs, appropriate for children ages 5-12.

First Five – Hands on projects, appropriate for children ages 1-5 with adult participation

And, an Engaging Alliance of Arts Organizations:

Neuberger Museum Katonah Museum of Art, Clay Arts Center, and Rye Arts Center

Food, Craft Beer and Wine – Diverse Vendors and New Additions!

Luke’s Lobster, Captain Lawrence Brewing and BBQ by Taylored Menus

Gold Sponsors: Boies Schiller Flexner, Equinox, Frank Madonna Real Estate, Northern Westchester Hospital, William Raveis, Rosen & Company, Inc., Toll Brothers, White Plains Hospital Medical & Wellness

The Art Show is sponsored by Friends of the North Castle Public Library, Inc.  

Admission price: $12, $10 for seniors or with coupon, children under 18 free.

Ample free parking on site.  Sorry, no dogs allowed.

For information, and discount coupons, visit: www.armonkoutdoorartshow.org

Facebook /armonkoutdoorartshow | Instagram @armonkoutdoorartshow

I love the Armonk Outdoor Art Show and how it supports the immediate community and welcomes all to attend from near and far. The show is a study in sheer creativity and professionalism. So come check out ‘what’s new this year’ among the works created using so many different artistic mediums. The artists themselves are always so engaging and informative. With delicious food and drink from assorted eateries (always exciting given Armonk’s wonderful dining scene, too) and activities for kids too, hosted by generous sponsors. So come one, come all for a day of appreciating art and maybe picking up something really special, too. Rain or no rain, this show will “Shine.”
– Grace Bennett

Caroline Christie
Colrain, MA
Photography
Ummarid Eitharong
Orlando, FL
Painting: Oils & Acrylics
Robert Hessler
Kingston, NY
Clay
Eugene Perry
Philadelphia, PA
Sculpture

Byram Hills High School unveils Latest Interdisciplinary Art Mural with a Focus on Physics

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF LISA FLAM

At Byram Hills High School, unwelcoming hallways full of cold, bare cinder block wall have become the oversized canvas for colorful, creative and incredibly detailed paintings celebrating subjects like literature, history and chemistry. These eye-catching, collaborative pieces of hallway art have sparked conversation, and maybe even some inspiration as well.

The murals of Byram Hills, created every other springtime, are the product of visual arts teacher John Anthony Lopez, who works with other educators to transform curriculum into carefully crafted artwork. In total, a mural will take 18-months to complete, with students involved in its production the whole way. From the beginning, the jobs of research and image input fall upon students who are taking courses in the mural’s subject area. Later, the mural is finished off with a four week period of painting by Mr. Lopez’s advanced drawing and painting class.

Creating Enduring Artwork

“The goal is, first of all, to create a lasting testament to the students and the curriculum, but also to give students an experience in creating public art,” Mr. Lopez said. “It’s something they can come back to in years, and even decades to come.”

Each mural features an abundance of historical figures, sites and works of art or literature that relate to the curriculum. The murals are painted in the proximity of the classrooms where the subject is taught, sometimes bringing several stretches of cinder block to life.

“They’re an expression of the importance that our faculty sees in their curriculum, and in different ways of expressing it,” Mr. Lopez said. “And it shows a love of the material.”

Music Mural Kicked Off Project

The first mural came about in 2008 when Aaron Lockwood and Marna Weiss of the Music Department worked with Mr. Lopez to make the band and orchestra space feel less industrial in a way that incorporated the curriculum. The result was the two-part band and orchestra mural that features famous artists from Duke Ellington to Mozart.

Mr. Lockwood, the only teacher whose mural is inside a classroom, still refers to it a decade after its creation.

“I find it especially inspiring when I can point to a face on the mural, and make a connection to the composer and/or the style of music being played in class,” he said. “Recently, to generate a conversation about the Mozart piece that we were learning in class, I pointed to the wall and said, ‘Mozart is watching. If he were to comment on your articulation, what would he say?’”

After this success, murals were produced for World Languages, Chemistry, World History, and Literature in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016 respectively.

Einstein Serves as Inspiration for Latest Mural

This spring, the sixth and most ambitious mural to date, was created. It’s called “The Evolution of Physics,” named after the title of Albert Einstein’s famous book.  The mural covers two 30-foot walls that face each other, and features over 30 noted physicists from across history.

For the first time, this mural features 3D elements such as a solar system and golden spheres traveling downhill to demonstrate acceleration. In an interactive twist, QR codes have been included throughout the work of art, which can be scanned for more information (this project is not yet completed; biographies of the physicists that can be viewed once the QR code is scanned are being worked on by current physics students).

Hidden in this mural are meanings and metaphors left for visitors to uncover. Why is Johannes Kepler dropping the apple onto Isaac Newton’s head? Why is Einstein looking toward Newton across the hall? In this mural, placement of the figures is all relative, stimulating realizations and reinforcing material learned in the classroom.

“It’s that surprise factor,” said physics teacher Paul Beeken, who spearheaded the mural with Mr. Lopez. “We’re hoping this will be the hook to keep students interested. By design, this wall involves dozens of different themes all running concurrently. That’s the whole point. We want them to come back to the wall four and five times, and each time see something different. It’s complicated on purpose.”

Dr. Beeken, whose excitement for this project is driven by his passion for physics, hopes the mural will generate student interest in the sciences.

“I’m not trying to turn them into scientists per se, but I do want them to appreciate its importance in their lives,” he said. “I’m shameless in trying to get kids hooked on the idea of learning how science serves them and the framework for understanding our world.”

How successful the mural will be at generating interest in the sciences has yet to be seen, but one thing is for certain, it draws plenty of attention.   

“The walls were really bland before,” said Danielle Cronin, a rising senior at Byram Hills High School who assisted with the painting of the physics mural. “I think the mural really makes people come to the physics hallway to figure out what the mural is about.”

Axial Theatre to Present World Premiere of Howard Meyer’s Senescence

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Compelling play tackles layers of toxicity engulfing a blue-collar town

Axial Theatre Celebrates Its 20th Anniversary Season

Pleasantville, NY – This November, Axial Theatre will launch its 20th anniversary season with the world premiere of Senescence, a compelling new play by Axial’s founder Howard Meyer that takes an unflinching look at the devastating and deadly effects of chemical toxicity and the ire of Mother Nature when an alleged prophet comes to a blue-collar town. Award-winning filmmaker/director James Fauvell will direct.

Senescence will preview Friday evening and Saturday matinee November 2 and 3; open Saturday night, November 3; and run weekends (Friday – Sunday) through November 18.

Says Meyer, “The play is named Senescence because it’s about the lethal power of substances and people to overtake the body and the mind, edging us towards untimely aging and, ultimately, death.”

Senescence tells its tale through the words and actions of three childhood friends who grew up and still live in the oil refinery town of Linden, NJ, and their encounter with an enigmatic stranger who, via a dangerous combination of wisdom and persuasion, upends each of their lives forever.

Axial Theatre founder Howard Meyer, author of Senescence

Meyer’s most recent original work, Paint Made Flesh, just completed a run at The Cell in Manhattan; it was a semi-finalist at the 2015 O’Neill National Playwrights Conference and PlayPenn and selected by The Last Frontier Theatre Conference. Other works by Meyer include Maybe Never Fell, produced at Axial and presented as a staged reading at Cherry Lane Theatre; Radiance, a two-time semi-finalist (2011, 2012) at the ONPC & P and produced at Axial featuring Obie award winner Chris McCann; WELCOME, This is a Neighborhood Watch Community which was invited for readings at The Barrow Group, Naked Angels, and LA’s Pacific Resident Theatre followed by an Axial run directed by Drama Desk award winner, Josh Hecht; and Lost In Paradise which is under an option for a motion picture.

New York City-based filmmaker and frequent downtown theater director James Fauvell had his debut film Other People’s People screened at the Austin Film Festival, at HollyShorts (where it won Best LGBT Film), and at the Florida Film Festival. He regularly works with Tony and Emmy-nominated director Scott Ellis and is a member of the 2017 Lincoln Center Directors Lab. Fauvell produced The Rise and Fall of A Teenage Cyberqueen by Lindsay Joy, (2013 NYIT winner for Outstanding Premiere Production Of a Play) and his upcoming short film, Understudy, and acted in Sleepwalk with Me by Mike Birbiglia and Ira Glass (winner, 2012 Sundance Film Festival’s Next Category). Fauvell will reunite with actor Stephen Palgon (see below); both were formerly with Labrats.

The actors in Senescence include Stephen Palgon as the stranger, known simply as ‘J.’ Palgon is an Axial veteran who starred in the company’s production of The Contract (co-created by playwright/producer Linda Giuliano, now Axial’s co-artistic director together with actor/director/producer Catherine Banks) in 2005. He has acted on stage and in film and both won and was nominated for Emmy awards as a producer. As executive producer of Star Crossed Pictures, Palgon has directed and produced for Madison Square Garden, NFL Network and NHL Productions.

Rudy, a man whose attempt to flee a fatal error only engulfs and entraps him, will be played by actor/director/playwright Ryan Mallon, also an Axial legacy actor.  Mallon, a co-founder of Independent Theatre Arts and Producers, has performed in numerous stage productions ranging from such new works as Megan Mostyn-Brown’s The Rest of Your Life, Mackenzie Lansing’s Lost Boys and Clifford Odets’ classic, Awake and Sing!

Senescence will run Friday, November 2, 9 and 16 at 8 p.m.; Saturday matinees at 3 p.m. and evenings at 8 p.m., November 3, 10, and 17; and Sunday matinees at 4 p.m., November 4, 11 and 18. Tickets are $27.50 general audiences; $22.50 for seniors and students. Axial Theatre is located on the campus of St. John’s Episcopal Church, 8 Sunnyside Ave., Pleasantville, NY. Visit axialtheatre.org for tickets and information.

Hot Ticket: ‘An Evening With Robert Klein’ on June 30th at the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center

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Rolling Stones Magazine Named Robert Klein one of the Top 50 Comedians of All Time

Robert Klein

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Klein will be performing at the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center on June 30th at 8 p.m.. An iconic comedian, Robert Klein has been in the comedy business for over 40 years and continues to have an acclaimed career in comedy, on Broadway, and in film and television. Passionate about making people laugh and sharing his love of comedy with audiences, comedy-legend Robert Klein’s show, “An Evening With Robert Klein,” should not be missed.

Purchase tickets at Ticketmaster: 

https://www.ticketmaster.com/Robert-Klein-tickets/artist/702598

or at: www.chappaquapac.org

Recently I had the opportunity to speak with Robert Klein about his upcoming show and his career in comedy:

 Julia Bialek: Tell me about your new show! What is it about?

 Robert Klein: It’s actually not a “new” show. I’ve written 14 hours of material in my career, but everything seems to be new when people hear about it for the first time! I have developed a large repertoire from the nine HBO specials I did, but I always improvise a little during shows. And this show is particularly fun because it’s local! I live right by the venue.

JB: From where did you draw your inspiration when creating the material?

RK: Everything. When I was starting out, I talked about my short experience as a substitute teacher, which I did after Yale Drama School. Now I talk about being old. There isn’t one theme to my comedy. A million people look at an event or situation, and I look at it, and I find a funny thing in it. That’s my talent, that’s what I have been doing for nearly 50 years. Actually I have been doing it since I was a young boy, but now I don’t get in trouble for it.

JB: Were you a jokester growing up?

RK: Yes. My father was too. I think being a jokester runs in my family. But that is often the case with comedians. It’s an odd way to make a living, but making people laugh is a really wonderful thing. Everyone loves to laugh in good and bad times, and I love to make them laugh. Currently in comedy, a lot of people utilize political satire. I just recently worked with Alec Baldwin on a few episodes of Will and Grace. I reminded him that if he did the material that he does on Saturday Night Live in some other countries, he would be in jail or dead!

JB: Do you have any favorite political material that you have created?

RK: I have often utilized political satire, especially around the time of Watergate. Mind Over Matter was my first comedy album which I devoted a lot of to the Watergate scandal. That is actually the album that influenced a lot of other comedians (Bill Maher, Jay Leno, John Stewart, etc.) to go into comedy since there wasn’t a lot of political satire at the time. The culture was different then, you couldn’t just say whatever you wanted. In fact when I was in a summer replacement show in 1970 with Glen Campbell, I got eight shows and was warned not to do Vietnam materials. My career has spanned all of these changes.

JB: How has stand-up comedy changed over the years?                

RK: As I said, one of the changes is that things are not censored anymore. It’s gone too far the other way actually, where profanity is used for shock value, sometimes as a substitute for wit. That’s one way it has changed–anything goes. Additionally, comedy has gotten much crueler than it used to be. They may call it political correctness, but I think caring about feelings is a value to be admired and pursued. It just means courtesy. Another big change, which is remarkable, is that when I started in the industry, stand-up comedy was not thought of as a profession. It wasn’t something where people said, “I want to be a comedian when I grow up.” Now, there are schools teaching it, and universities have stand-up courses. Tens of thousands of people pursue a profession in comedy!

JB: What made you turn to comedy?

 RK: I went to college pretty young, at 16. When I was at Alfred University in college, I started on the pre-med track, but chemistry, biology, spelling, comprehension, and physics all got in the way. While I was at Alfred, I participated in some of their amazing productions. The two men that ran the drama department told my dad that they could get me into the Yale School of Drama. My dad was incredulous, saying, “An Ivy League for acting?” But I did get in, and that year of graduate school was valuable in that it immersed me in the business, and it set me in the right direction. My biggest break was being hired by Second City in Chicago. It was, and still is, a great organization where I learned improvisation and set pieces. There was a certain amount of luck in that because I didn’t know how to get started, as I knew no one in business. One thing led to another and I’ve been doing this since I was 23. Except for a few months as substitute teacher and a few summer jobs, I’ve never done anything else in life. I am spoiled in that way: I had success quickly. I’ve been in six Broadway shows, over 40 feature films, hundreds of television shows. I’ve also written a book, a screenplay, and comedy albums. I’ve done everything you can do in show business. Working is natural for me and I’ve never thought of retiring. I love doing this and am doing it better than I have ever done it.

JB: Your work in comedy has influenced so many other successful comedians. What do you believe to be your legacy on the comedy community?

RK: That’s an interesting question. I am proud that there is a documentary about me on Starz Network! Unfortunately produced by Harvey Weinstein, it’s called, “Robert Klein Still Can’t Stop His Leg.” In it, all the famous comedians talk about how I influenced them, which I think is a big part of my legacy. I also think I try to be intelligent and tasteful and not too cruel in my work. I have always stuck to my guns. Yes, I use four letter words from time to time, but we’re adults. I like to use profanity like a good writer would. It’s a matter of class and I always thought my material was pretty intelligent. I put on a total show: I like to sing, and I use original material. In this business, there is a lot of stealing; Dickens could more easily have protected his work in 1850’s London than I can now! I always like being original, and I have never stolen from anyone else. I wrote every word of my comedy materials. It’s a legacy of intelligent, good comedy and making people feel better.

JB: Is there anything particular you are looking forward to for this show?

RK: I’m looking forward to the new venue here. I know it has been open for a year, but I’ve never been inside. I’m excited to see Reader’s Digest, which I pass to go to my dentist, and perform in such an intimate theater. I love live audiences because I feel incredibly fulfilled when I perform. I think that even though I’ve been in show business for a while, I still surprise people, especially because I do some music in my show. I also still get a big kick out of it. So tell everyone to come out and watch. Not that I am worried about it for any particular reason, but comedians have a tendency to die. See me before I die! Is that a good sales pitch?  “Come watch me before I die!”

Winners and Finalists in Music Conservatory ‘Colors of Music’ Mural Art Contest!

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 ‘COLORS OF MUSIC’ STUDENT MURAL CONTEST WINNERS!

Local Student Artwork to Be Painted As Community Mural in White Plains

White Plains, NY– The Music Conservatory of Westchester is proud to announce that both Mya Madison Davis, 9th grader at Pelham Memorial High School, and Ciara Sergi, 9th grader at White Plains High School, are winners of the “Colors of Music” Student Mural Contest! Additional finalists were Emma Farley, of New Rochelle, grade 7, Albert Leonard Middle Schoo and Lucy Schwartzreich, of Chappaqua, grade 11, Horace Greeley High School.

Numerous entries were submitted by middle and high school students around Westchester County with the hope that their artwork would be chosen as the basis for a mural to be painted on the Music Conservatory of Westchester’s building on Central Avenue in White Plains. Four finalists were selected by an adjudication panel of art experts and creative community leaders from New York City and Westchester County.

In a tie, based on scores from all eight members of the adjudication panel, both Mya Madison Davis and Ciara Sergi were chosen as winners of the contest. They will collaborate with professional mural artist, Jonathan Villoch, to adapt their winning designs as a large-scale mural representing the theme of “Multi-Cultural Music.” Runners-up in the contest, Emma Farley of New Rochelle, 7th grader at Albert Leonard Middle School and Lucy Schwartzreich, of Chappaqua, 11th grader at Horace Greely High School will attend a mural art workshop over the summer with all four finalists. A new mural will be developed based on the winners’ designs under Jonathan Villoch’s guidance.

“Giving and getting feedback is so important to collaboration and having an open dialogue is essential for artists to communicate productively on any project,” Mr. Villoch said of this once-in-a-lifetime artistic experience.

Finalists in the contest are (in alphabetical order by last name):

  • Mya Madison Davis, of Pelham, grade 9, Pelham Memorial High School
  • Emma Farley, of New Rochelle, grade 7, Albert Leonard Middle School
  • Lucy Schwartzreich, of Chappaqua, grade 11, Horace Greeley High School
  • Ciara Sergi, of White Plains, grade 9, White Plains High School

 

By Mya Davis

Mya Madison Davis described her winning contest submission titled “Rainbow Rhapsody” as, “The bright colors represent diversity of people. The instruments I used are from all over the world. For example, I included a Djembe which is a drum from Africa. I also included a pan flute which originates from Colombia.  I also depicted instruments that would not usually go together like a piano and an electric guitar. An important part of my painting is the silhouette of the conductor’s arms because it shows everyone from all different cultural backgrounds coming together, united in one harmony, all with a common goal.”

By Ciara Sergi

Ciara Sergi described her worldly entry titled “Musical Pangea”: I drew the characteristic instruments from each of the continents as a product of their traditional culture, and used their instruments to depict each continent.”

The Music Conservatory of Westchester thanks all of the talented student artist entrants in the “Colors of Music” Student Mural Contest for their exceptional creative ideas, colors, mediums, and musical and multi-cultural elements that were demonstrated to illustrate the theme.

“Each artist brought his or her creative point of view. Some artists were quite literal in their interpretation; others took the theme to another level of graphic abstraction and conceptualization,” Lynn Honeysett, former Executive Director of the Pelham Art Center said of the art entries submitted by local students for the contest. “I appreciated that all the student artists brought heart and soul to their work.”

By Lucy Schwartzreich

Submissions for the “Colors of Music” Student Mural Contest, supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, were judged in two rounds by eight panelists with art expertise as well as Westchester County community leaders:

  • Margaret Adasko, Curator of Education, Katonah Museum of Art
  • Samantha De Tillio, Assistant Curator, Museum of Arts and Design
  • Michael Dweck, Treasurer and Board Trustee, Museum of Arts and Design
  • Jimmy Fink, Radio Personality and Producer at 107.1 The Peak
  • Lynn Honeysett, Former Executive Director of the Pelham Art Center
  • Kimberlyn V. McKoy, Gallery Associate, ArtsWestchester
  • Amy R. Paulin, Assemblymember for the 88th District
  • Jonathan Villoch, Professional Mural Artist, Collaborating Artist for “Colors of Music” Student Mural Contest

Conservatory Executive Director Jean Newton said, “We are very excited to unveil the finished mural, celebrate and share it with the entire community. Music and art brings people together in a way that nothing else can.”

By Emma Farley

The Music Conservatory of Westchester will celebrate the unveiling of the final mural on Sunday, September 30th, 2018 with a block party on the Conservatory’s grounds. The entire community is invited to enjoy live music, food trucks, and family fun! The Conservatory encourages all students who entered the contest to attend and share in recognizing their fellow students whose creative vision of the vibrant diversity of Westchester County and beyond will be featured as public art for the community.

The Music Conservatory of Westchester was founded in 1929 by a group of community members and renowned artists. Today, the Conservatory provides the extraordinary benefits of music to all in our community, from absolute beginners to advanced artists, with one-on-one instruction, performing ensembles, theory, composition, early childhood classes, lifelong learning for adults, and free community performances, serving 2,900 students each year from 4 months to over 80 years old. As a not-for-profit organization, the Conservatory is dedicated to serving the community and reaching out to those who would not otherwise have access. Our Scholarship Program provides tuition assistance for financially deserving students. The Music Therapy Institute brings music into the lives of 1,900 children and adults with disabilities each year through on-site and outreach programs. Healing Our Heroes offers military veterans a specialized music therapy program to help with recovery after their service. The Conservatory has inspired generations of students, and contributed to a vibrant musical life in the county, the region, and beyond.

Visit musicconservatory.org.