This and That by JL

Ordinarily, one wouldn’t mention the Erie Canal, Carnegie Hall and the Croton Aqueduct in the same breath. But they do have a shared history that will be explored in a new, highly anticipated exhibition called Brick by Brick, which will be presented by ArtsWestchester at its stately White Plains gallery through January 2019. The exhibition tells […]

Just when I think that collaboration is one of the hardest ways to work in the arts world, I become encouraged anew by what I see happening among artists in Westchester. What makes collaboration so difficult is that its success depends upon a shared vision. This shared vision may be hard to achieve, but it […]

Some kids are special. That’s because they have special challenges. Recently artist Diane Cherr wrote me about some special kids she worked with to create a mural at the headquarters of The ARC Westchester. “The mural is a surprise being dedicated to Ric Swierat, the Executive Director who is retiring in June after many years […]

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 […]

It was Times Square at night that inspired Greek-born artist Stephen Antonakos (1926-2013) to begin working his magic in neon. He is said to have loved the garish colors and the tubes of light. Neuberger Museum of Art now reverberates with his spectacular “Procenium” installation, completed in 2000 and designed specifically for the space it […]

While the Supreme Court is deliberating the fate of partisan gerrymandering, artists are depicting the practice as an art form. In her abstract ink drawings, artist Ann Lewis mirrors the actual voter districts to show their randomness. For the uninitiated, partisan gerrymandering is the practice by lawmakers of manipulating the size and shape of electoral districts […]

We all know that as women we like to have our “say.” At least I know I do. That’s why, as we are about to open our exhibition on women’s suffrage, I asked a number of my friends and colleagues what it means to them to have the right to vote. “Everything,” says Taryn Duffy, […]

For reasons I can hardly fathom, voting has always meant a lot to me. Perhaps that explains why as a young married living in Queens, I allowed myself to be dragged (not kicking and screaming, but reluctantly) to a meeting of the Northeast Queens League of Women Voters (LWV). There I was, trapped in an upscale […]