This and That by JL

Americans seem to love symbols. It’s our shorthand or slang for announcing who we are or how we feel. So it’s no wonder that masks have become as popular as T-shirts, baseball hats or decals as a way of announcing an affiliation or a point of view. As a kid growing up in Far Rockaway, […]

Artist Charles Fazzino says he makes art like he makes lasagna—layer upon layer. We caught up with him recently when he made an unsolicited $5,000 gift to ArtsWestchester’s Artist Relief Fund. As an artist himself, he has been concerned about the plight of many fellow creatives who have been unemployed during  Covid. According to a […]

I usually describe myself as “just a kid from Far Rockaway.” It’s sort of a salute to the modest beach town on the Rockaway peninsula where I grew up. A few blocks away from our house in the Bayswater area was the Gustave Hartman Orphan Home. The kids who lived there were homeless. They had […]

Is art in the workplace just a nice distraction? Or does it have more subtle powers? Studies on this subject seem to infer that art in the workplace boosts both creativity and productivity. With the premise that good design and artful surroundings are positive motivators, Developer Martin Ginsburg launched his latest creative project at City […]

If you’ve been walking to or from The Westchester mall en route to do your holiday shopping, you may have noticed some painterly action on Hale Ave., Maple Ave and South Broadway. For sure, things are beginning to look a lot more colorful in this neighborhood. In fact, three artists are outside painting new murals […]

What do John Shearer, Vickie Morris and Will Crutchfield have in common with Roy Neuberger, Ruby Dee and Sarah Bracey White?  Well, John Shearer was a famous photographer, while Will Crutchfield is an opera guy; and actress Ruby Dee and Roy Neuberger, founder of the Neuberger Museum of Art, might not have crossed paths.  But…they […]

    Sitting here in my office on my ergonomic Aeron chair, I couldn’t help but wonder: How does a chair become a work of art?  Or does it ever? One criteria might be that it has a name like the Eames chair, named after its designers Charles and Ray Eames and produced by the Herman Miller company. […]

Growing up in what may be considered the jazz era, I have learned to tap my feet in appreciation of most any old beat. In fact, it’s an involuntary action. It occurred to me that others may also have feet they can’t control, which led to ArtsWestchester featuring the best of jazz in our historic […]