This and That by JL

Janet Langsam, ArtsWestchester’s CEO Emerita, reflects on the legacy of Joe Delfino, the former mayor of the City of White Plains who recently passed away.

For many years after my ex-husband Ed and I decided to go our separate ways, his brother Mort would pack his Volkswagen bus with his three children, his ukulele and harmonica, and various Chilean relatives whom he brought here after the fall of the Allende government in Chile. It’s heartfelt to note that back in the 70s, a call from my congressman was sufficient […]

Somewhere between first and second grade at P.S. 104 in Bayswater, Queens, we kids Iearned that George Washington as a boy chopped down a cherry tree. With pre-made stencils, we all crayoned an ax to bring home to our mothers. Later, perhaps in third grade, we learned that George Washington could not tell a lie. […]

Opportunity is knocking on the door of New York State artists. And it is time to consider making a proposal -or two. Developer/builder Martin Ginsburg Companies (GDC), is well-known for integrating art into his projects. This time, he has partnered with ArtsWestchester and the City of White Plains to commission a public sculpture for GDC’s […]

    There’s a reason we named our New York State Grants funding program Arts Alive. That’s because it is a grassroots program that recognizes that arts are an expression of the people. So in every corner of this great County, artists and citizens are working together to bring to residents unique programs that reflect […]

Now that it’s over – past history, at least for this year – let’s talk about the 15th annual Pleasantville Music Festival. What a great all-day event, featuring 18 bands such as Everclear, Soul Asylum and Aimee Mann. But, let’s not get too distracted by the music, or for that matter the food, which was […]

    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 […]