This and That by JL

Wane One is a happy fella.  In fact, he’s over the moon, so to speak, about the street mural he and his crew are painting in front of the ArtsWestchester building on Mamaroneck Avenue.  Wane One, the name, is actually the “tag” of Wayne Peterkin, who began his artistic career using spray cans to paint […]

Isn’t it ironic?  We are getting ready to celebrate the Centennial of the legislation that gave American women the right to vote, and yet… there are still barriers to the ballot box for many Americans. That’s the subject of “Give Us the Vote,” ArtsWestchester’s compelling fall exhibition. To celebrate the suffragettes, and to gauge the state […]

This week’s blog is a story overheard and shared with me by my executive assistant Megan Thomson Connor.  Artist Evan Bishop had a grand idea. He brought it to ArtsWestchester and was awarded an Arts Alive Individual Artist grant for his “100 Words of Wisdom.” It is a “body art” project in which Bishop is […]

This week’s post is by guest blogger Elena Martinez, Guest Curator for ArtsWestchester’s Folk Arts program. Graffiti is only one component of what has come to be called hip hop. Most people agree that the graffiti writer is one of four main “elements” of hip hop’s aesthetic expression. There is also the MC, who “raps” […]

  In today’s technology-driven world, making music can be done from anywhere. That’s in part why Crain’s New York Business is reporting that 20% of the New York City’s recording studios have disappeared over the past decade, and 25% of live-music clubs have shut down since 2000. The culprit appears to be rising rents and changing entertainment habits. That may […]

Hard to believe that tonight is the 18th year ArtsWestchester is hosting its popular ArtsBash. But, it’s worth remembering that in 1998, we had just purchased a nine story old bank in “as is” condition. For the uninitiated, “as is” means everything is on its last legs in a building that has been vacant for […]

When I think of Romare Bearden, I can actually reproduce in my mind colorful depictions of African American factory workers going about their laborious routines. I am less familiar with the artist’s abstract works, which are at the root of his vision. Now, in part through a $45,000 grant from National Endowment for the Arts […]

Happily, I celebrated International Women’s Day yesterday.  People were tweeting their favorite artists. So I decided I would, too. I am using this occasion to give a shout out to 101 awesome Westchester artists who have exhibited in our gallery. If I missed anyone, please let me know in the comment section. The extraordinary work […]