Category Archives: Past Events

News about WRITE NOW:
A Participatory Installation

write-now-metro-news

NEW YORK 1
New Yorkers are getting another chance to “post” about their emotions — but in the real world instead of social media.
They’re writing post-it notes at a new installation at a West Village art gallery.

Visitors first choose to make a charitable donation, and then answer one of four questions looking back on the past year, or forward to the new one.

Those responses take the form of words or drawings on post-it notes, which then hang in the gallery.

Organizers say this event is also a reaction to the political landscape.

“A lot of people are very angry and also very concerned about what’s happening here and that we are in New York,” said Karin Batten, Director of the Westbeth Gallery. “We are very multi-cultural and diverse and we want to keep it that way.”

“Events like this are so important,” said Manhattan State Senator Brad Hoylman. “It’s cathartic, it’s participatory but it also points us, I think, in a very positive direction as we start the New Year.”

A similar display popped up at the Union Square subway station last month for people to vent about the Presidential election’s outcome.

The exhibit opened Saturday and runs until New Year’s Eve.

http://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/arts/2016/12/11/west-village-art-gallery-lets-patrons–post–about-their-status-as-part-of-a-new-exhibit–write-now-.html

METRO NEWS December 1, 2016

Write Now exhibit at Westbeth makes the post-it note fad high-brow

By: Amanda Mikelberg

A new interactive art installation looks like a rip-off on the subway post-it note phenomenon, but it’s actually honoring it.

A West Village exhibit is taking a page from the fluttering layers of post-it notes scrawled with messages of hope and frustration that have cropped up in underground passageways around the city since the election.

The “Write Now” exhibit is adopting the zeitgeist — this apparent need among New Yorkers to both purposefully express their feelings and strengthen a sense of community — and is taking it a step further. It’s recognizing the post-it note trend as a very organic form of public art.

“The one we have here is different because we ask for very poignant questions that help lead people through this feeling of what are we going to do? What now?” George Cominskie, president of the Westbeth Artists Residents Council, told Metro.

READ MORE HERE: METRO NEWS

The Magic Forest
Penny Jones Co. Puppets

PENNY MAGIC FOREST APRIL 2017

Make Spring Happen in
THE MAGIC FOREST
Sunday March 26
Sunday April 2
Saturday April 15

11:00 AM and 2:30 PM
at Westbeth 155 Bank St NYC

Fun and funny things happen in the Magic Forest. With games, songs and lots of participation.
The Children help with the magic and raise flowers in the finale. The magical result is the creation of Spring -with a lot of help from the audience. This is many people’s favorite show because the audience gets to do so much.

PENNY JONES & Co. PUPPETS
Early Childhood Puppet Theatre
www.pennypuppets.org

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS! ALL IN THE VILLAGE.

“Very simple, and perfect as an introduction to theatre.” -New York Magazine
“Charming.” -The New York Times
The Magic Forest

“A knack for finding lesser known stories and distilling them to suit the tastes of the very young fans and keep them fascinated with low-key make-believe..The puppets are charming, the 45 min. program never overexcites the audience, although there’s lots of time for participation.”
-The New York Times

“An unpretentious puppet play with real warmth and gentleness. Its success with young audiences is due to the charm and honesty of the presentation they feel from first to last.” -New York Magazine

WATCH THE PREVIEW of THE MAGIC FOREST on YouTube

2016-17 REPERTORY SEASON
WESTBETH Home to the Arts
155 BANK STREET
between West and Washington Street in the West Village

TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT www.pennypuppets.org
or CASH ONLY at the door 20 minutes before the show

Tickets are $10 for all ages
Show Times: 11 AM & 2:30 PM
All Ages – Great for 3 to 8
Stroller Parking
Shows Run about 45 Minutes
Information: (212) 924-0525
www.pennypuppets.org

BUS AND SUBWAY: M14A, M11, M20, (2 blocks)
A, C, E, L, 1, 2, 3 (5 or 6 blocks)
“A Child’s first experience with theater is important and forming. Quality counts.” – Penny Jones

PENNY JONES & CO. PUPPETS has been a mainstay of children’s theater in New York since the 1970’s. The company specializes in informal puppet shows for children aged three to eight, and puppet ballets with live music for audiences of adults, children or both. The company performs in collaboration with chamber ensembles and orchestras. The repertory includes adaptations of classical works as well as original stories and scores. In schools, the company has performed hundreds of times, and Penny has a wide variety of programs from puppet pageants with a cast and crew of 30 to 90 school children, to workshops for small classes, and Penny’s “One on One” – interweaving puppetry, storytelling, movement and arts.

The company has appeared on television, in the Henson International Puppet Festival at the Public Theatre, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, at BAM with the Brooklyn Philharmonic, at City Center, Avery Fisher Hall, and in museums including The Museum of the City of New York, The Children’s Museum of New York, the American Museum of Natural History, at Emelin, Wave Hill, the Washington Square Music Festival, at venues from Macy’s to Barnes & Noble, and with orchestras at Bargemusic, Casa de España, Greenwich House Music School, with the New Jersey Symphony, out on the Piers, up on the Highline and many, many, more…

Film Screening TO KEEP THE LIGHT, created, directed and starring Erica Fae

erica-fae-screening

Inspired by true stories, a lighthouse keeper’s wife struggles with her work and her sanity as she cares for her sick husband in 19th century Maine. When a mysterious stranger washes up on shore, secrets buried in deep waters come to light, and she confronts both her past and her future.

Erica Fae graduated from New York University/Tisch School. Erica creates and produces original work, often from historical research. Her recent play “Take What Is Yours” (in which she stars, and co-wrote) received a Critics’ Pick in The New York Times and Backstage (2012). She appears in Lisa Robinson’s ground breaking short “Hollow”, premiering at Tribeca Film Festival (2013). She has won awards for Best Actress and Best Short for her short films, and has performed at New York Theatre Workshop, The Kennedy Center, Walker Arts Center, American Repertory Theatre, The New Victory, A.C.T., and Robert Wilson’s Watermill Center, and Dance Theater Workshop. Erica teaches physical acting at Yale School of Drama and The New School’s MFA programs. She lives at Westbeth.

More info at: To Keep The Light.com

REVIEW from SANTA FE NEW MEXICAN: “… a gripping portrait… wonderfully mysterious… Fae’s Abbie is an entrancing blend of delicacy and strength, and the cinematography is just stunning.”

REVIEW from NASHVILLE SCENE: “women dominate this year’s NEW DIRECTORS category… TO KEEP THE LIGHT, erica fae’s slow-burning period drama, follows salt-of-the-earth abbie, who is tasked with tending to a lighthouse on a remote maine island during her husband’s illness. fae, who also stars in the film, has garnered praise for her work in theater, and it shows: she reveals her character through exacting body language that makes her situation visceral. inspired by true stories of women lighthouse keepers in the 1800s, TO KEEP THE LIGHT is beautifully shot, building tension against the harsh landscape, and fae proves to be a true new talent.”

TO KEEP THE LIGHT wins BEST OF SHOW: “… a unique film with a fascinating heroine who is as sturdy and distinctive as the maine coastline where the story takes place…”

REVIEW from the ORLANDO WEEKLY:

“first-time writer-director erica fae’s TO KEEP THE LIGHT is a quietly mesmerizing look at the lonely life of a lighthouse keeper’s wife who is struggling with her daily duties – and her sanity – while caring for her sick husband in 19th-century maine. when a mysterious stranger washes up on shore, she is forced to confront both her past and her future. shot much like a haunted-house thriller, the film takes on an ingmar bergman feel in the second half… its beauty and confidently methodical pacing – not to mention a solid performance by fae herself – make it one of the better offerings in the narrative features competition… captures the feel of the period and… features an interesting feminist theme.”

REVIEW from cinema365:

“every shot here is literally a work of art; this movie is like strolling through a museum where one great painting after another hangs on the wall… while this is her first feature film- with work like this, I sincerely hope ms. fae continues her work in the cinematic arts… fae gives the character an inner core that is stronger than steel and grabs the viewer’s attention and admiration. she may be one of the most memorable female characters you’ll see in any movie this year and you certainly won’t be forgetting any time soon after the credits roll…. an early candidate for my top films of 2016.”

REVIEW from THE MANEATER: “…a work of art and surreal beauty, this film is a must-watch because it throws light on obscured aspects of our history and imparts a valuable lesson of taking a stand for what is ours.”

FROM THE COLUMBIA TRIBUNE: ”… weds stunning visuals to the compelling story of a lighthouse keeper’s wife trying to care for her husband, their hime and herself…”

FIPRECI PRIZE ANNOUNCEMENT IN GERMAN PRESS

REVIEW from WILLAMETTE WEEK:

seven new movies to see this week: what to watch in portland (oregon) cinemas

“abbie is the wife of an ailing lighthouse keeper on an isolated island off the coast of 1867 maine. when a stranger washes up on her shore, she’s forced to confront her life and desires. based on the approximately 300 women who served as lighthouse attendants in the 1800s, this film offers a glimpse into the lives of often forgotten heroines…”

from WOMEN IN FILM & TV VANCOUVER:

“fae’s film displays a gift for both masterful composition and mesmerizing drama as she imparts this involving story of an embattled woman relegated to the fringes of society but determined to be respected.”

Film Screening:
FROM HERE TO ETERNITY
Special Guest, Donna Reed’s daughter, Mary Owen

westbeth-movie-night-dec-7-movie-night

On the anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Westbeth Movie Night’s special event features Mary Owen, daughter of Academy Award winner, Donna Reed, to introduce the movie. FREE.

FROM HERE TO ETERNITY is a 1953 drama film directed by Fred Zinnemann and based on the novel by James Jones. The picture deals with the tribulations of three U.S. Army soldiers, played by Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, and Frank Sinatra, stationed on Hawaii in the months leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor. Deborah Kerr and Donna Reed portray the women in their lives and the supporting cast includes Ernest Borgnine, Philip Ober, Jack Warden, Mickey Shaughnessy, Claude Akins, and George Reeves.

The film won eight Academy Awards out of 13 nominations, including for Picture, Best Director (Fred Zinnemann), Adapted Screenplay, Supporting Actor (Frank Sinatra) and Supporting Actress (Donna Reed).[3] The film’s title comes originally from a quote from Rudyard Kipling’s 1892 poem “Gentlemen-Rankers”, about soldiers of the British Empire who had “lost [their] way” and were “damned from here to eternity.”

From Here to Eternity was selected in 2002 for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

source: Wikipedia

Valentina Du Basky receives 2016
Fulbright Specialist Grant to India

Valentina Du Basky RED HORSE AND CRANE

Valentina Du Basky RED HORSE AND CRANE

The Fulbright Specialist Program provides an opportunity to Indian universities and institutions of higher learning to draw on the expertise of U.S. scholars and professionals and develop linkages with American institutions. Specialist grants focus on strengthening and supporting the development needs of institutions and broadening institutional cooperation. Fulbright Specialists work in their areas of expertise as they enhance their understanding (of the cultural and education contexts) of the host country through engagement with the host community.

For more ofthe work by Valentina DuBasky, click HERE

WRITE NOW
A Participatory Installation
December 10 – 31, 2016

write-now-poster-dec-2016

Our world seems to be in upheaval. People are looking for some way to express their concerns and hope for the future. “WRITE NOW” will give them the opportunity to express those feelings in the Westbeth Gallery.

How the show works: Upon entry into the gallery, the participant is asked to donate a $1 or more to canisters representing 5 locally-based New York charities
Planned Parenthood NY •Ali Forney Center • God’s Love We Deliver • Cabrini Immigrant Services • The Alliance for Greater NY

Visitors will use as many post- it notes as they want to express their thoughts about 2016 and their hopes for 2017.

You can draw, collage, paint, write, and sculpt.

Main Room : What Do You Want the World to Bring into 2017?

Rear Room: What Do You Want the World to Leave in 2016?


Side Room 1 : What Do You Want to Bring into 2017?

Small Side 2 Want to Leave in 2016?

We will have a “Westbeth Only Preview Night” on Dec 9th. All Westbeth residents will be invited to post their notes that evening. The Public Opening will occur on Dec 10th. The show will run through Dec 31st.

Beverly Brodsky’s painting featured in Art in Embassies program

art in Embassies Exhibition

BEVERLY BRODSKY’S PAINTINGS FEATURED IN ART IN EMBASSIES PROGRAM IN SIERRA LEONE

For five decades Art In Embassies Program has played a leading role in U.S. public diplomacy through a focused mission of vital cross- cultural dialogue through the visual arts. It was first created by MOMA AND President John F. Kennedy who formalized it in 1963 at the U. S. Department of State.

Beverly Brodsky’s paintings were selected for installation at the American Embassy in Freetown, Sierra Leone, for a period of two to three years and will be open for public viewing as a cross-cultural exchange beginning 2015.

“It is a fulcrulm of America’s global leadership as we work for freedom, human rights and peace around the world.”

– U.S. Secretary of State, John Forbes Kerry