"Relax, He's Married," award-winning photo by William Grabowski.
Member News
Summer 2010
Jane McGraw-Teubner received "Best in Show" at the Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod "For Pastels Only" exhibit held in June in Yarmouth, MA. RIGHT: Jane with awards judge Richard McKinley in front of her painting "Into The Woods."
Peter Tilles, the president of Nassau County Museum of Art's (NCMA) Board of Trustees, announced that Karl E. Willers, Ph.D. has been appointed Director of the Museum. Dr. Willers brings with him a wealth of administrative and curatorial experience at both major urban and focused regional museums. A leader in the museum field, Dr. Willers has published extensively on a broad range of topics, ranging over American and European art from the late 18th century to the present. Constance Schwartz, NCMA's previous director, has been appointed Director Emeritus and will guide efforts to raise funds for the museum's capital campaign.
This past spring, Island Hills Chorus received an award for fourth place at their regional competition in Philadelphia, third place in their division, and an award for the "Most Improved Chorus."
Philip Fusco recently received an "Award of Merit" for his oil painting "Upstate New York" at the Rockville Centre Library.
Mr. Frank Doyle was one of the featured exemplary model teachers in a DVD entitled "NYSSMA Music Views: Standards-Based Teaching and Learning Across the State." The New York State School Music Association received a grant from the New York State Attorney General's Office to create the DVD. From Northport High School, one of the Huntington Arts Council "Journey" Program school districts, Mr. Doyle presented a composition lesson titled "Lennon, McCartney and You Guys" where students compose background harmonies for a Beatles hit.
This past winter, the Hofstra University Museum received a $19,745 gift from the New York State Council on the Arts in support of its exhibition Children's Pleasures: American Celebrations of Childhood. Some of the artists in the exhibit were Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, William Merritt Chase, Winslow Homer, George Luks, William Sidney Mount, Norman Rockwell, and Philemona Williamson.
A watercolor by David Jaycox was accepted into the Salmagundi Annual Juried Painting & Sculpture Exhibition of New York for Non-Members. The Exhibition will be held in the Salmagundi Club's Main Gallery, 47 Fifth Ave., NY, from July 12 - July 23, 2010.
William Grabowski, curator of the Arts Council's Art-trium Gallery in Melville, was honored with third place in Newsday's annual "Explore Long Island" photography competition for his photo "Relax, He's Married." Newsday received more than 5,000 entries for this contest. You can see his photo at the Photography Exhibit at the Main Street Petite Gallery through June 21.
Chuck von Schmidt was in Athens, Georgia this past spring for the opening reception at the Athica Gallery of the Athica Art Center. His works are part of Deluge, a show about natural disasters, which included his entire solo show Antediluvian Memories. One of those pieces had previously been exhibited in both the Anchorage Museum of Art and at Marietta College in Ohio. Another piece, "Antediluvian Memories: Shinnecock," was shown in My Long Island at the Islip Museum of Art. Another piece, "Bamiyan Paper II," received an award at the Circle Gallery, Annapolis, MD in April. His "Bamiyan" series was in a solo exhibit at Noho Gallery in NYC.
Circle of Dance has been the recipient of two New York State Council on the Arts grants for its arts education programs in the public schools. The 2009-10 dance residency program was conducted in 23 schools throughout Queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties, bringing dance to over 15,000 students. The company recently announced that Patricia Kenny Reilly has become Artistic Director and will continue as choreographer, along with Carl Paris and Ja'hain Clark. The company will be premiering three new works in July at the Huntington Summer Arts Festival.
Richard Weiner has three paintings in an Asian Art Show at C.W. Post College opening on June 5 and running through June 18, 2010. He also has two paintings on exhibit at Ward-Nasse Gallery on Prince Street, New York.
Award-winning singer-songwriter Patricia Shih has just released a new CD for kids and families, "Your ImaginEngine!" The concept album has 12 songs and 11 spoken scenes. These include some new ones she has written just for the CD, along with favorite cover songs from other award-winning songwriter friends, Bill Harley, Gregg Karukas, Heather Forest, Toby Walker, Brady Rymer and Robbi K. Shih has also just published a book entitled Truly Rotten Gigs from Hell, containing 75 true, funny, sad and outrageous stories from 35 performers including Pete Seeger, The Smithereens and Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary.
Usdan Center For the Performing Arts announced that Maurice Brandon Curry, a director/choreographer/educator, and former Director of the Joffrey Ballet School, will become Chairperson of the Usdan Center Dance Department beginning in the summer of 2010. Maurice Brandon Curry has directed, choreographed and produced events around the world. His ballets are in active repertoires of numerous companies and his competition choreography has won awards at the Prix de Lausanne and the Varna International Ballet Competition. His students dance with American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, and with dozens of other companies. Usdan has also announced that former American Ballet Theater/Joffrey Ballet star Dennis Nahat, who is Artistic and Executive Director of Ballet San Jose, CA, will be a Visiting Master Teacher this summer, directing selected classes at Usdan. As a choreographer, Nahat has more than a hundred choreographic credits in film, television, on Broadway and with major ballet companies of the world.
An Individual Artist S.O.S. grant was awarded to Tonito Valderrama for his community-based environmental project in Lloyd Harbor.
