This week, the Westchester County Board of Legislators took a series of non-partisan actions to keep Westchester thriving, by recognizing the importance of the work of the not for profit sector. Democrats and Republicans worked together to restore vital funding for many organizations which support the safety net and quality of life in this county. […]
Some thirty-five years ago, during New York City’s fiscal crisis, a proposal was made to cut the arts. To save them, the chairman of the city’s arts commission likened this foolish notion to the goose that laid the golden eggs. You remember that story: The goose was shot. Disaster. No more golden eggs. Last week, […]
Image: “Peace for Paris” by Jean Jullien It is no coincidence that, in the aftermath of last week’s terrorist attack on Paris, the response heard round the world was one of an original work of art – an image of peaceful protest and compelling unity in the face of tragedy. It was an artist’s original […]
Twenty five years ago, the City of Peekskill announced a new vision. It would boost its revitalization effort by becoming an artistic outpost. At the time, Peekskill hadn’t yet met Livia Straus who, with her husband Marc, established the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art in Peekskill. Livia, a force of nature herself, proceeded to pepper the Peekskill landscape […]
In many ways, it’s been all about the people – five decades of forward-thinking arts advocates, civic and business leaders, arts patrons, individual artists, volunteers and arts professionals – coming together to create a one-of-a-kind organization: ArtsWestchester. It began as a conversation among volunteers in a living room in 1965. Now it is a nationally recognized private arts council, the […]
The opportunity to get a good bowl of Matzoh Ball soup in Westchester is diminishing. Pastrami and corn beef mavins like the Mt. Kisco Deli have disappeared. Thank heaven there’s still two Epstein’s Delis and a Rye Ridge Deli in the county where the menu includes such Yiddish favorites as brisket with stuffed derma and […]
Frank Ronnenberg was a burly, no nonsense corporate executive who deeply cherished the arts for its societal values. With a touch of his unique Irish charm, he offered me the opportunity to become Executive Director of the then Council for the Arts in Westchester. (That was too long ago to remember the date.) I had […]
I used to think September was a breeze – the kind of mellow month when all one had to do was inhale the colorful palette that nature creates every autumn. But now it seems that September has become a challenge with a daunting schedule of occasions. National Arts Education Week and Hispanic Heritage Month have arrived […]
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