*Seating is limited
July 10th at the Ritz Theater there will be the New York screening of the movie “American Artifact” by producer, director, AND Newburgh resident Merle Becker. According to their website this is a summary of the movie:
American Artifact chronicles the rise of American rock poster art since its birth in the ’60s. Director Merle Becker crosses the country interviewing rock poster artists from the different eras to discover that America is currently in the midst of a 21st century “rock poster art movement”, where thousands of artists around the country are doing silk screened rock poster art inspired by their local scene, the music of our time, and the spirit of our era.
Tickets are $15 and can be purchased in advance. There will be screen printing kit giveaways, Q & A with the director, and after-party at the Wherehouse Restaurant (119 Liberty Street) with hors d’oeuvres. Their 60’s inspired decor makes a choice setting for this film that is honoring the same era where this all started.
Newburgh is definitely setting itself as a cultural destination thanks to Ferry Godmother Productions. Bring your chairs, blankets, and picnic at this cultural event at Newburgh’s waterfront landing. Celebrate summer at one of the 18 free concerts being offered by many Grammy Award Winning Musicians.
Here is the line up for July:
July 1 Chiku Awali African Dancers & Drummers and A Perfect Gift; All That Jazz
For more information go to:
176 Broadway
It should be noted that this has been a success in other cities like Pittsfield and Northampton, Massachusets. Below is a photo from an empty storefront in downtown Berkley, California that is showcasing artwork in a former shoe store.
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This is even happening across the river in nearby Beacon at their 2009 Windows on Main Street event. So far this will be it’s fifth year running. It will run from August 8-September 12, 2009 this year. I know that a gallery in Beacon is interested in bringing the same thing to Newburgh.
Charleston, SC also has it’s share of empty storefronts. But they have the WALK Gallery (Window Art Local Knowledge). Their mission is to “to expand on the existing dialogue of community art.” The gallery is “capitalizing on shifting the current economic paradigm by enlivening empty spaces to showcase our culture’s commodities by filling these spaces and bringing attention to our most creative class — visual artists.” They are trying to create a neighborhood “where empty becomes full and “vacant” no longer has a negative connotation.”
(source)
So the question is how can something like this be brought to Newburgh? Well all communities seem to have a common thread in common-they are all well organized groups with missions and have a specific plan outlined. Floor One, a gallery in nearby Beacon has expressed interest in organizing such a project. If there are any local artists or more specifically-landlords that would be interested in such a task please contact them 17EastMain@gmail.com . Also the Newburgh Arts & Culture Commission could be contacted as well arts@cityofnewburgh-ny.gov . The local public schools, Orange County Community College, and Mount Saint Mary’s College could also have students work showcased. This idea worked well with a University in Pennsylvania. They painted scenes of busy shops and placed them in the empty storefronts. Perhaps the director of Ann Street Gallery would be interested too. If local people get involved, then they will take pride in their community.
Restaurant week has now come to the Hudson Valley, and Tim and Nina Zagat (from Zagat survey) have signed on as honorary co-chairs to the event. It will take place March 22-April 3, 2009 (Sunday-Friday only). This is a great opportunity to support your local restaurants as they lower their prices to try and generate sales that many are behind in comparison to last year. For more information click on the link: Hudson Valley Restaurant Week.
There are two restaurants in the downtown area of Newburgh participating:
Torches on the Hudson
120 Front Street
Newburgh, NY 12550
845-568-0100
www.torchesonthehudson.com
**reservations highly recommended**
Beebs
30 Plank Road
Newburgh, NY 12550
845-568-6102
www.beebsbistro.net
(Pictures taken from Roll Magazine)Roll Magazine is a great online e-magazine to see what is going on in the Hudson Valley. They offer reviews of music, art, theater and cinema. In the creative living section they offer peeks in to fashion, gardening, and food reviews. You can upload their current January issue online as a PDF file. This is an exciting place to be seen or be heard, so look through all of their links as they have a wealth of information of what is going on.
Ann Street Gallery’s “Collage Logic” show was featured in their October 10-November 10th issue. Writer Abby Luby described the show as, “diverse, powerful, engrossing, and firmly plants the growing Newburgh arts scene on the map.” This is fantastic news and I hope that more shows with such great reviews will be hosted at the Ann Street Gallery. Below is some of the art that was featured:
