This and That by JL

    Not much was working between the city and the community when John Lindsay became mayor of New York in 1965. He wanted the city to be known as “fun city.” Yet, it was a tough lift at the time, even for the popular Lindsay. Working for the Mayor in the early 70s, I […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 am a great fan of the musical comedy Once Upon a Mattress. It is a hilarious, somewhat silly romp in which a princess is authenticated by her ability to detect a pea under twelve layers of mattresses. ArtsWestchester’s own somewhat-silly romp began when someone found a mattress hidden out of sight in our building. […]

Dear Astrid and Nadia: I am writing to let you know that I believe someday, perhaps within your lifetime, there will be a woman President of the United States (POTUS). I hope you will help make that happen. We are living in a world where possibilities for women are expanding. Girls like yourselves are becoming […]

At my ripe-but-not-old age, I have finally, yet reluctantly, concluded that mothers know best. This message was brought home to me Saturday night by the mother of the famous clarinetist Derek Bermel. She whispered (entre nous) to me “I told him not to play the trumpet.” Thus, she took credit for his world renown as […]

A feisty man with a wide-brimmed hat breezed into my office one day in 1978 at the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. He walked with a cane while playing a harmonica to my staff’s delight. That is how I first met Mark di Suvero, the sculptor whose work will be on view at […]