This and That by JL

This week’s “This and That by JL” is a post by Mary Alice Franklin, ArtsWestchester’s prodigious Communications Manager & ArtsNews Editor, who stayed glued to the TV screen to the bitter end on Oscars night. Seems like Westchester is a county of talent, which Mary Alice has assured us of. Through the blunders and flubs, Westchester […]

It seems that ever since the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) was created, it has been under siege. Although it is a tiny agency, less than 0.006% of the $3.54 Trillion federal budget, it has had enormous impact on the quality, abundance and diversity of the arts in America through its 140,000 grants, totaling […]

There is something so very elegant about Henri Matisse. He can take a line and magically turn it into a portrait so recognizable that only a few strokes of his pen are necessary. This French master was known to have said: “If I trust my drawing hand it is because in training it to serve […]

Dear Friends: These are trying times for all of us: so many needs… so many challenges. It is indeed daunting. I think that if 2016 has taught us anything, it is that exercising our freedom of expression is a fundamental privilege we enjoy as Americans. That is why I believe the arts are so important…because […]

I cheered to myself when I heard Bob Dylan was chosen for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Days later, I was crushed when he didn’t accept the honor. His answer is probably still “blowin’ in the wind.” But, OMG, what a missed moment for the arts! My delight at first was due to the “bravo” […]

  It’s going to be a tough choice no matter how you slice it. No, I’m not talking about the election. I’m talking about the weekend. Jazz Fest is sizzling this weekend in White Plains with a terrific line-up of musicians from Brazil, Africa and New Orleans. Two outstanding evenings are Friday with the Gary Smulyan […]

The evolution of public art is an interesting journey that began as a way to memorialize and revere individuals, sometimes war heroes, for their service to the public. During the New Deal, public art was used to put artists to work during the depression. They created works of art in conjunction with public construction projects. […]

The PepsiCo sculpture garden in Purchase will reopen to the public in March, according to a statement by a PepsiCo spokesperson reported in The Journal News. I say “Bravo”! The collection is one of the most brilliant displays of 20th century sculpture, juxtaposing the individual works against an encyclopedic background of monumental sculpture of our […]