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Ars Longa Est Film explores origins of "Strange Fruit" Disturbed by a horrific photograph of two black men murdered by an Indiana mob, a Jewish schoolteacher wrote the stark verse and brooding melody that is "Strange Fruit." The song was famously recorded by Billie Holiday in 1939 and became the anthem for the anti-lynching movement. On Saturday, April 5th the Highland Park Conservative Temple - Congregation Anshe Emeth will screen a documentary film about this haunting song. Intertwining jazz genealogy, biography, performance footage, and the history of lynching, director Joel Katz fashions a fascinating discovery of the lost story behind a true American classic. The screening will be followed with remarks by Nicole Fleetwood, Assistant Professor of American Studies at Rutgers. Professor Fleetwood will examine the tensions over the song's authorship, the shifts in the song's performance and reception, and the troubled relations between Blacks and Jews committed to civil rights. This film screening and talk are open to the public at no charge, with a $5 donation suggested, but not required. Released in 2002, the film runs 57 minutes and is suitable for teens (please note the later 9:00 PM start time). The synagogue is located at 201 South Third Avenue in Highland Park. For more information, contact Udi Shorr at (732) 819-9850. For more information about Highland Park Conservative Temple - Congregation Anshe Emeth, visit www.hpct-cae.org, or call (732) 545-6482.
Family of voices celebrates 20th anniversary in concert The award winning Cantabile Chamber Chorale will celebrate its 20th Anniversary Season with a spring concert on Saturday, April 5, featuring composer Eric Ewazen and performing the world premiere of Ewazen's God's World. The concert will be held at 7:30 PM at Christ United Methodist Church, 485 Hoes Lane in Piscataway. Cantabile has performed throughout Europe under the direction of Somerset resident Rebecca Scott, a graduate of The Juilliard School. Over the years Cantabile has also been involved in community service, including an award of the New Jersey Cultural Trust Grant. It has introduced choral education to young musicians who are now singing with the chamber chorale. The idea for Cantabile was formed over 20 years ago when a group of singers who had performed together in the Rutgers Musica Sacra Oratorio Chorus asked Rebecca Scott to lead their small chamber ensemble for a summer season. After performing together for three summers, the ensemble expanded in 1987 to a year round schedule with the late David Shillieto as piano accompanist. Concert tickets are $15 in advance or $18 at the door for general admission. Student and senior tickets are discounted. For more information and to reserve tickets go to www.cantabilechamberchorale.org or call 732-560-7132.
Curry Tales makes its American premiere
Curry Tales is a show that the audience can really taste. Ace cook Rani Moorthy employs her culinary skills to break the barrier between the audience and stage, engaging the Kutthu form of South Indian folk theatre. Razor-sharp observation combines with acute characterization in a heady mix of flavors to please the most discerning palate. The play comes to New Brunswick's Tony Award winning Crossroads Theatre after a successful tour of the U.K. and South Africa. Crossroads Theatre Company is pleased to introduce Rani Moorthy and Curry Tales in its American premiere, directed by Linda Marlowe. Rani Moorthy was born in Malaysia and educated in Singapore. As an actress, writer and director, she was part of the vibrant theatre scene in South Asia in the mid 1980s, creating leading roles and touring the region from India to Australia. She also co-wrote and starred in Singapore's first English language feature film, "Medium Rare." Rani later moved to Britain where she and Ed Higginson formed Rasa Productions. Their work draws on theatre and dance from South Asia, blended with western influence. Moorthy debuted her hit play at the Edinburgh Festival 2004. By turns hilarious and moving, the play explores how curry is integral to South Asian culture and its diaspora. Feeding the audience with food for thought, curry is used to uncover character and personality, stories and secrets in a world of chopping and tasting, where bubbling pots hold surprising secrets and unexpected dreams.
Collage painter to exhibit, lecture Alfa Art Gallery, located at 108 Church Street, New Brunswick, presents a personal appearance and lecture by the artist Doree Valenza on March 14 at 7 PM. Valenza will discuss her paintings, collages and her collection of hand sculpted jewelry. Her newly trademarked "Girlfriend Goddesses" collection of personal adornments, along with Doreeís collages and paintings, are on exhibit at Alfa Art Gallery. Both a painter and collagist, Valenza's collage paintings are design puzzles with no preconceived plan. Her inspiration comes from subjects as varied as the cultures of the fertility goddess, ancient cave paintings, Mesoamerica and the American Indian. She lists Mattisse, Kandisky, Gaugin, Calder, and the late art professor Ugo Giannini among her favorites. "I found my favorite fertility goddess" in a college art class, Valenza said. "The Venus of Willendor fascinated me, and inspired the creation of my sculptures and paintings."
Korean folk art gains attention Michael Fenton is a bit of a rarity in the world of Minhwa, an ancient folk art form that has recently been gaining attention in classical art circles. Minhwa is normally painted by native Koreans and rarely shown outside a very small circle of people who know and appreciate its beauty, humor, and optimistic message. It is an art rooted in the shamanistic traditions of ancient Korea and owes much to its derivation from ancient Chinese painting. Lauded by critics for his use of bold color and emotional compositions, the artist has incorporated that feeling into his Minhwa and Minhwa-inspired paintings. His exhibit will debut on March 21, with a reception from 6 to 10 PM at the Alfa Art Gallery, 108 Church Street, New Brunswick. Fenton will present an overview of the history, techniques, and images of this art form.
Portraits, a mixed media series on wood panels by borough artist Katja Valeur, will be on exhibit at the Highland Park Public Library, 31 North Fifth Avenue, from March 9 to April 9. Valeur works with acrylic, enamel paints, powdered glass, collage, glitter, and crayon. She has exhibited in her native Denmark as well as in New York and New Jersey. "My work is a journey and a quest to find and observe the piece develop," Valeur said. "This happens through experimentation with both image and material." For more information about exhibits at the library visit www.hpplnj.org or call 732.572-2750.
Call For Entries: 2008 New Jersey International Film Festival The Rutgers Film Co-op/New Jersey Media Arts Center proudly announces the 13th Annual 2008 New Jersey International Film Festival. The 2008 festival, held in June and July, will showcase the best in independent film and video, featuring premiere screenings of award winning works, seminars, panel discussions, and guest appearances by recognized film and video makers. Winners will be showcased during the 13th annual New Jersey International Film Festival at Rutgers University. The deadline for the receipt of entries is Tuesday, April 1, 5 PM EST. For more information visit www.njfilmfest.com, call 732.932-8482 or e-mail us at NJMAC@aol.com.
Miguel Calderon Miguel Calderon is a Mexican artist working in video, still photography, installation, and painting. Typically provocative in his work, he employs stereotypes and clichés to absurd measures. His painting "Bad Route" was bought by Wes Anderson and shown in the film The Royal Tenenbaums. In keeping with his "low-brow", subversive style, Calderon dressed and positioned the masked gang on motorcycles in the painting, photographed them, and then employed a portrait painter to copy the photo.
Mason Gross Visiting Artist Series: Molly Nesbit Molly Nesbit is an historian, curator, and contributing editor of art forum. She teaches and writes on twentieth century art, film and photography and is noted for her books, Atget's Seven Albums and Their Common Sense. Working within the realm of relational aesthetics, she curated Utopia Station for the 50th Venice Biennial with Hans Ulrich Obrist and Rirkrit Tiravanija.
Zimmerli to show, and tell, illustrator's process The Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum in New Brunswick is opening a Ways and Means exhibit on February 16, 2008: "How Illustrators Plan a Picture Book" will appear through July 20th. Hands-on activities are available for visitors in the gallery. Selected original illustrations with preparatory materials such as thumbnail sketches, storyboards, dummy books, trial layouts, character studies, research materials, preliminary sketches, and media trials, explore illustrators' ways and means of planning a picture book. Artists will include Robert Bender, Roger Duvoisin, Kimberly Bulcken Root, Jean and Mou-Sien Tseng, and Erika Weihs.
Poetry Writing Workshop Poet Maxine Susman will conduct a poetry workshop at the Highland Park Public Library, 31 North Fifth Avenue, on Thursday, February 21 at 7 PM. For more information call the library at 732.572-2750 or visit www.hpplnj.org. Susman will explore the craft of poetry with prompts, discussion, and she will give participants a chance to read their work. Enjoy an informal atmosphere while you play with language. Susman, a professor of English at Caldwell College, teaches Modern and Contemporary Poetry and other English courses. Her poems have been widely published in New Jersey and nationally. Her book Gogama, poems about a young doctor in Northern Ontario during the Great Depression, was a finalist in two competitions. Jazz legend and truth poet bring Sugar Hill to H.P. Artists Now presents a 'meet the artist' performance on Wednesday, February 13, with Dr. Eddie Henderson and Dr. Evie Shockley at the Highland Park Public Library. The artists will speak and perform to bring to life the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 30s. Dr. Evie Shockley, poet and literary scholar, is the author of The Gorgon Goddess (2001) and her poems have appeared in numerous print and online forums, including African American Review, Callaloo, and The North American Review. She is currently an assistant professor of English at Rutgers University, where she teaches African American literature and creative writing. Dr. Eddie Henderson grew up in Harlem amidst one of the most exciting and profound moments in American history. Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Lena Horne, and his early mentors Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis led Henderson to embrace the "Renaissance" as a mantra for a life. Not only the first African American professional figure skater, he became a medical doctor, while creating a legacy as one of the most important jazz artists of the late 20th century. The event features performance and a wine reception at the public library, 31 North Fifth Avenue, beginning at 7 PM. Tickets are $30, with all the proceeds going to benefit the library. For reservations and payment info, contact Kim Hammond at kim@artistsnow.org. American Repertory Ballet rolls out 2008 season On Wednesday, March 5th at 8 PM, American Repertory Ballet will premiere two new works in "Sinatra, Shadows, and Stars," at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton. Shadows in the Attic by Graham Lustig is a new work inspired by the powerful spirit of survival expressed by the family of Anne Frank and their extraordinarily brave Dutch friends whose daily help was essential to the familyís safety. Starry Nights by Lisa de Ribere is a part of American Repertory Ballet's commissioning program, Dancing Through the Ceiling, which promotes classically-based women choreographers. De Ribere's piece about the creative muse is inspired by three paintings by Van Gogh, Starry Night Over the Rhone (1888); The CafÈ Terrasse, Arles, at Night (1888); and The Starry Night (1889). In addition to these two pieces, American Repertory Ballet will perform Sinatra Suite and Barcarolles. For more information about the upcoming 2008 performances, please log on to www.arballet.org or call the ARB office at 732.249-1254. New visual gallery opening in old-town Alfa Art Gallery announces its grand opening on January 30, 2008 from 5:30 to 9:00 PM at the new gallery at 108 Church Street, New Brunswick. In addition to the works of Vesselin Kourtev, Michael Fenton, Doreen Valenza, Kevin Lyons and Valentin Yotkov, soprano Anna Veleva will perform in honor of the Alfa Art Gallery opening. Alfa is the fulfillment of a Vesselin Kourtev's life-long dream to create an interdisciplinary arts-studio-gallery for emerging and well-established artists. Alfa features an open studio where visitors can observe and interact with the exhibiting artists, to deepen their understanding of the art and artistís process. The gallery will also provide a variety of experiences from music to literature to the master silversmithing techniques of Valentin Yotkov. February 2008 will include an exhibition featuring Minhwa (traditional Korean Folk Art) inspired paintings and screens. For more information contact Galina Kourteva at 848.219-4659 or email to Info@AlfaArt.org. POPULAR BOROUGH ARTIST EXHIBITS THROUGH DECEMBER Connie Rubino Schwab, an artist and art professor will be exhibiting her new show, Oil and Encaustic Paintings, at the Highland Park Public Library through December 31. For more information go to the library website at www.hpplnj.org or call 732-572-2750. The popular borough painter will display various paintings that explore very different techniques. Schwab has her M.F.A. in painting from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a B.F.A in printmaking at Ohio State University. The long time Highland Park resident is an adjunct professor at Bergen Community College. She has exhibited at universities, galleries, museums and corporations including Johnson and Johnson, University of North Carolina, St. Johnís Museum of Art, and Duke University. AFRICAN PHOTOGRAPHS: A VISION OF HOPE Rodolfo Juliani, a photographer, was born in Argentina and has been a Highland Park resident since 2000. The Highland Park Public Library will be exhibiting his African Photographs: A Vision of Hope, throughout December in the main hall display case. Juliani is a faculty member in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University. He has been working in Africa to help develop the natural plant product sector for incoming generations. While he has been working in Africa he has also been photographing people, the wealth of the continent, and its natural resources in Ghana, Rwanda, Senegal, Swaziland, and Zambia. A MORTIFYING MISTAKE The greatly abashed Mirror extends apologies to Dr. Rodolfo Juliani, whose name we have been systematically misspelling in all the reporting on his work with the Shiyala Community School in Zambia. Rudolph Giuliani of course is another person entirely. Upstate New Where? "I regret very much that I have painted a picture that requires any description.... " - Winslow Homer Robert Moylan feels no need to explain his realistic, rural landscapes which he painted in the gouache on paper medium. If there is anything nearly as cool as Highland Park, it's probably upstate New York. But even an artist from the north country has to come all the way to B. Beamesderfer Gallery on North Second Avenue to exhibit, so there. Beamesderfer will be exhibiting Moylan's work between November 30 and January 28. There will not be an opening, which I think is punk rock. Gouache offers brilliant color with a matte finish. "They are gentle landscape paintings," said Evan Brownstein, owner of the gallery. "He does a lot of painting out in the field. The settings are agricultural, with a lot of rivers and mills." This is Moylan's sixth exhibition at B. Beamesderfer. According to Brownstein, who has known the artist for many years, Moylan has a big following in our neck of the woods. This should be interesting - the painter was even too punk rock to have a press release. - S.G. Obie Award winner Emergence-See! at Crossroads Artists Now presents a ‘Meet the Artist’ Open House with the American Repertory Ballet (ARB), on Friday, November 9 at 6:30 pm at their New Brunswick studio, located at 80 Albany Street. ARB will be presenting excerpts from Graham Lustig’s Nutcracker, followed by a ‘Meet the Artists’ reception where you can meet and talk with Graham Lustig and his dancers while enjoying cheese and sweets. Artistic Director Graham Lustig and his dancers will provide a behind-the-scenes look at the challenging work of ballet rehearsals and the creation of exciting, lyrical performances. Family tickets are $25, and individuals $10 for the open studio performance and reception. Artists Now, a non-profit, community-based arts organization, has a mission to forge new community connections, to nurture creativity in our children, and to foster a love of the arts in audiences of all ages and experience. The ARB open studio is one opportunity to experience how Artists Now creates intimate encounters with artists -- whether in our schools, homes, or community -- that fully engage audiences in a powerful moment of artistic expression. American Repertory Ballet is New Jersey's leading dance company and one of the state's major arts organizations. Since 1987, it has been designated a Major Arts Institution by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and is the Resident Dance Company at the New Brunswick Cultural Center. Artists Now will use all proceeds from this event towards bringing ARB’s exceptional educational programming to the Highland Park schools. For more information or reservations, email kim@artistsnow.org. Repertory Ballet invites 'Parkers to an open studio Artists Now presents a ‘Meet the Artist’ Open House with the American Repertory Ballet (ARB), on Friday, November 9 at 6:30 pm at their New Brunswick studio, located at 80 Albany Street. ARB will be presenting excerpts from Graham Lustig’s Nutcracker, followed by a ‘Meet the Artists’ reception where you can meet and talk with Graham Lustig and his dancers while enjoying cheese and sweets. Artistic Director Graham Lustig and his dancers will provide a behind-the-scenes look at the challenging work of ballet rehearsals and the creation of exciting, lyrical performances. Family tickets are $25, and individuals $10 for the open studio performance and reception. Artists Now, a non-profit, community-based arts organization, has a mission to forge new community connections, to nurture creativity in our children, and to foster a love of the arts in audiences of all ages and experience. The ARB open studio is one opportunity to experience how Artists Now creates intimate encounters with artists -- whether in our schools, homes, or community -- that fully engage audiences in a powerful moment of artistic expression. American Repertory Ballet is New Jersey's leading dance company and one of the state's major arts organizations. Since 1987, it has been designated a Major Arts Institution by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and is the Resident Dance Company at the New Brunswick Cultural Center. Artists Now will use all proceeds from this event towards bringing ARB’s exceptional educational programming to the Highland Park schools. For more information or reservations, email kim@artistsnow.org. Art space succeeds in provoking thought Two months prior to September's “Arts in the Park” event, a Main Street Highland Park staffer stopped by Space 234 with some “concerns” about potentially offensive art appearing there. Curator Sarah Wellington assured him that her idea for the event was to show some new paintings of her recently deceased grandmother’s living room. But then... “A day before the event some things were happening politically... [Congress] passed an amendment permitting the US military to use force against Iran,” said Wellington. “I think that is a huge problem and I will do anything to stop that.” Wellington felt a responsibility to display a banner: Your Money Is Being Used For Genocide in Iraq. “If you look at the definition of genocide,” she said, “that has occurred already in Iraq, with the money of the American people.” The banner did evoke democratic participation by at least one festival attendee and a gallery representative. The banner is featured as part of Wellington’s work on her website, which was jury-vetted as part of the criteria for participating in Arts in the Park. Death of a Salesman is back in black MONTCLAIR, NJ - Luna Stage's 2007-2008 season opens this fall with the masterpiece Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller. Directed by James Glossman, the play examines the elusive American dream and the stunning personal cost to one close-knit family who believes in its tantalizing promises. Luna's production finds fresh urgency in this classic, setting Salesman in 1952, with Willy, Hap and Biff Loman an African-American family striving to "get ahead" in a white world. The production features a stellar cast. Frankie R. Faison headlines as Willy; Jamahl Marsh as Hap, Brandon O'Neil Scott as Biff, and Marlyne Afflack as Linda. They are joined by Anthony Blaha, Gerard Catus, Chante Lewis, Reathel Bean and Leigh Poulos. The production begins previews October 11 through October 18, opens October 19 and will run through November 11, 2007. Luna is proud to be taking part in the Open Captioning Series in partnership with the New Jersey Theatre Alliance. Luna is one of thirty-two professional theatres in the series. Death of a Salesman will have an Open Captioning performance on Sunday, October 21, 2007. Yes You Could Be Mayan All Mayan Arte Naïf of Guatemala will be on exhibit in the main hall case of the Highland Park Public Library through October. Richard Morgan, the curator of the exhibit, has gathered the work of several Mayan artists from San Juan La Laguna of Lake Atitla located in the Central Highlands of Guatemala. The term 'arte naïf' designates a style of painting that is spontaneous, imaginative and simple. Both oil paintings and ceramic figures represent indigenous customs and traditions. "For many Mayan artists, painting serves as a channel for narrating historical memory, and for this reason, arte naïf painters often see their work in terms of fulfilling a moral responsibility to preserve the memory of the rituals and customs that their ancestors practiced," Morgan said. Morgan graduated from Rutgers in 1964, traveled the world as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army, and settled in Guatemala to run an educational company. For more information about library exhibits call 732-572-2750 or visit www.hpplnj.org. Popular borough teacher shares collection with the library Dr. Robert Knoll, an English teacher at Highland Park High School for more than 33 years, will share his owl collection at the public library, 31 North Fifth, throughout September. The owls are from America, Ireland, Switzerland, Sweden and Swarovski, an Austrian crystal company. Figurines are a variety of pewter, ceramics, and Waterford crystal. Knoll's sister-in-law, who specializes in animal portraits, started off his collection with a painting of an owl that also is in the exhibit. ìI started finding owls because they are the symbol of wisdom in Greek mythology,î said Dr. Knoll. ìThe owl is the sacred animal that stands for Athena, the daughter of Zeus, who sprang from her fatherís head fully formed and wearing armor.î The owl is also the mascot for Highland Park High School. North Fifth Avenue, where both the library and the high school are located, has been designated Avenue of the Owls. ìI like the owl because as a predator, it is both beautiful and lethal,î Dr. Knoll says. Beamesderfer to exhibit wood, synthetic reliefs "Works in Relief," an exhibition of fine art prints by Robert Craig, has something to offer to both the world conscious and fans of still beauty. It will open at B. Beamesderfer Gallery on September 16 with an artist's reception, and will continue through November 16. Part scenery, part war themes, the show will be very much at home in the Highland Park art scene. Landscape, still life and figurative work are all represented in the traditional form of relief printmaking. "The relief process is tactile and almost sculptural in execution, " Craig says in a press release issued by the gallery. "Working with wood and linoleum delivers a beauty of shape, light and line without over-complication or pretense." Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 9:30 AM - 5 PM and Saturday 10 AM - 5 PM. For further information or directions, call the Beamesderfer Gallery at (732) 249-6971. Metuchen painter featured at library "Seascapes and Landscapes: Paintings Over A Lifetime" is the featured exhibit at the Highland Park Public Library through September. Artist Jean Lochet of Metuchen began painting in the 1930's at his French private high school and he has been painting ever since. The former chemical engineer's favorite subjects are warships from the American Revolution and the War of 1812. Featured in this exhibit are two large paintings of the battleship Constitution and the French Fleet going south of the Battle of the Chesapeake. Mason Gross Galleries Welcome Back Show Mason Gross Galleries is sponsoring a Welcome Back Show at Civic Square, 33 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick. Artwork will be on display from September 6-28 from 10 AM-4 PM Monday-Friday and by appointment. There will be a reception on September 6 from 4:30-6:30 PM. For more information, call (732)932-2222 ext. 798. Call for artists: Open Studios event The Highland Park Arts Commission will hold its fifth annual Open Studios event on Saturday, October 21 from 12 to 5 PM. Artists of all levels, residing in Highland Park or neighboring communities, are invited to participate. Artists must be over the age of 15 and works must be original. The registration deadline is Monday, September 10. Registration forms are available at the Highland Park Public Library and online at www.highlandparkartists.org. On the day of Open Studios, artistsí sites will be clearly marked with signs. Tour maps will be available at various locations around town, including the Public Library on North Fifth, the Main Street office at 421 Raritan, the IM Gallery at 235 Raritan, and the Academy of Art of Highland Park, located at 727 Raritan Avenue. Accessibility details and up-to-date information will be available online at the Highland Park Artists web site, www.highlandparkartists.org, and on TV Channel 15 (Cablevision, Local Programming). Preview exhibition for Open Studios New this year in the Open Studios event is a preview exhibition of participating artists at the newly renovated IM Gallery, at 235 Raritan Avenue in Highland Park. This preview exhibition, which will run from September 23 - 30, will allow the public to see the multitude of art media and diverse artistic expression of artists who registered their studios as tour destinations. The public is invited to visit the gallery and attend the opening reception on Sunday, September 23, coincident with the "Arts in the Park" festival hosted by Main Street Highland Park. Annual art contest for young'ns As part of Arts in the Park 2007, Main Street Highland Park is sponsoring the second annual art contest, "My Favorite Place." Create an artistic representation of your Favorite Place, and submit it by September 19 with an entry form, available at Over the Moon Toys, 427 Raritan Avenue. The contest is open to kids and young adults (up to 18 years old). Artwork will be on display at Over the Moon Toys during the Highland Park Arts Festival on Sunday, September 23rd. Artist measures time at the library Borough artist Marsha Goldberg has loaned a woodblock monoprint to the Highland Park Public Library, 31 North Fifth Avenue, where it will hang over the fireplace. Chart (8), one of a series of twelve woodblocks, is constructed from three plywood panels inked with colored litho inks. A press prints the image on rice paper and gives the effect of being a painting. Goldberg received her MFA from Mason Gross School of the Arts and her BFA from Boston University.
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