This and That by JL

    If you remember the handle “Samo(c),” then like me, you hung out in the East Village in the ’70s where Jean-Michel Basquiat was doing his graffiti-style thing. You can visually stroll the streets of “the village” at the Jacob Burns Film Center in May through “FrameWorks 2019: Art on Film,” a curated series […]

    Next week, we will be celebrating philanthropy. Derived from the Greek words “philos,” which means loving, and “anthropos,” which means humankind, philanthropy is just that: a love for humankind. It is centuries old and crosses cultures. Conceptually it is not simply about “giving” but about improving the well-being of humankind. Each year, ArtsWestchester presents […]

There’s something to be said for freezing a moment.  That’s what photographers do. One Westchester photographer I know has been freezing many moments as the construction of the new Mario M. Cuomo bridge has been underway. David Rocco, a retired civil service carpenter, is happy when he is photographing construction projects. For the past few […]

    For as long as I can remember, once a year, a budding teenage artist gets to show his or her talent in Washington, DC as a guest of Congresswoman Nita Lowey. That’s because as busy as she always is representing the 17th Congressional District, she always shines a light on the folks back home. […]

Recently, I have been thinking about walls….not the Berlin wall, the Pink Floyd wall or even Robert Frost’s Mending Wall, but the ironic oppositional interpretations which love walls or hate them depending on their purpose. In this case, I am watching with excitement the new exhibition and partition walls going up in our gallery thanks […]

    Was it by chance? Or, was it ordained… that I would meet the extraordinary widow of James Van Der Zee, the noted Harlem Renaissance photographer at an ordinary gathering of the Mt. Vernon Arts Council. As we went around the room introducing ourselves, I was pleased to meet Donna Mussenden Van Der Zee […]

Comedy has historically been a male-dominated pursuit. But of course, there are some very notable exceptions. Just remembering (I Love) Lucy’s antics can send me into stitches. What was so endearing about Lucille Ball was her ability to laugh at herself. One lady who has that same fervor will be taking the stage at ArtsWestchester […]

Walking along a busy NYC street and amidst the hustle and bustle, one may be reminded of the purest human emotion … Love. So many questions, thoughts and memories are often ignited at the mere mention of this powerful word. Witnessing this emotion is a reminder to stop, to reflect, and to feel. “Public art […]