Sunday, November 10, 2013

This November The Third Line turns 8!

TTL_NL_Nov_Banner

This November The Third Line turns 8!

It's been a fantastic run so far and we hope to continue contributing to the rapidly growing art community of Dubai and the UAE for many more years to come. We'd like to thank all our artists, friends, visitors and team members for all their support and encouragement.
expo_be_part_of_it_150x150px
In the spirit of celebration we would also like to show our support for the Dubai Expo 2020 Bid. Here's wishing to many years of progress and prosperity!

CURRENT EXHIBITION

Sherin Guirguis

Passages//Toroq

October 30 - December 5, 2013
TTL-SG
Sherin Guirguis, Passages//Toroq - Installation view
The Third Line is pleased to present Sherin Guirguis’ first solo show in the region. Sherin investigates post-colonial themes of political, cultural and social dogma and feminist activism within the framework of the Egyptian diaspora, both in the public and private spheres. Delving deep into the building blocks of culture and identity, specifically from the approach of a diaspora artist, she presents her interpretation of what it means to be defined by the transformative events of the moment.
As an Arab-American artist, and part of the Egyptian Diaspora for more than two decades, Sherin’s art practice has involved studying important works of Egyptian literature, music, poetry, design and architecture of the past to be able to contribute to this discourse in the present. She has developed a unique style by selecting decorative and ornamental elements from these sources and shaping a critique through associative juxtapositions. By invoking many meanings of Egyptian identities – for example, one man, one woman; one writer, one activist; one work of fiction and one biography – the artist defines the apparent contradictions of cultural identity, and at the same time, points to the similarities of diasporic life that have now become the norm for many Arab artists.

PROJECT SPACE

rk_southeast-to-armageddon_lores
Raja'a Khalid, Southeast To Armageddon, 2013, Archival Inkjet Print, 112 x 81 cm

Raja'a Khalid

Southeast to Armageddon

October 30 - December 5, 2013
The Third Line welcomes back Raja'a Khalid in the Project Space with her exhibit Southeast to Armageddon, in which she brings together a small selection of images from the Middle East chapter of her ongoing 'Minor Histories Archive’ project. The photographs in this exhibition center on how the discovery of Middle Eastern oil in the 1930s, was depicted in the popular Western press at the time and the American perception of Gulf oil companies in the forties and fifties. These photographs are intended to question the objectivity of certain, very public documents, which within themselves acquire a type of bizarre topical relevance with Khalid’s retrospective investigation.

UPCOMING EXHIBITION

AHF_The Triangle In The Shattered Square
Amir H. Fallah, The Triangle In The Shattered Square (detail), 2013, Acrylic, collage, pencil, oil on paper mounted to canvas, 5x6 feet

Amir H. Fallah

The Collected

December 11, 2013 – January 23, 2014
The Third Line welcomes back Amir H. Fallah with his third solo show in Dubai, The Collected, which investigates the complex relationship between patronage and art making, collector and artist, and the dynamics of the creative process in today’s art world. All the paintings in the show are commissioned portraits, sold prior to being started, and the artist has complete artistic authority to manipulate the image according to his own interpretation. The process involved initial collaboration with the commissioner, a performative component in the staging, and the element of surprise in the reveal with the patrons being completely unaware of the final image that represents them.
Amir approaches his current paintings as an investigative and analytical historian. Aside from exploring an intriguing twist to art history and the dynamics of modern day art collection and art making, he also reflects upon concerns of identity and representation that are central to his practice.

UPCOMING PROJECT SPACE

Group Show

December 11, 2013 – January 23, 2014
For the Upcoming Project Space, The Third Line will close the year by presenting a salon-style group show of a selection of its own artists as well as others who have previously shown in that space. The works will include paintings, works on papers, photographs as well as small scale sculptures that reflect on the repertoire of younger and mid-career artists working in the region or in the middle eastern diaspora.

The Third Line at Abu Dhabi Art

SH_Unknown_2013_Stainless-Steel,-Polyurethane-Paint,-UV-Powder_560x160x124cm
Sahand Hesamiyan, Unknown, Sculpture by Sea, Aarhus Denmark, 2013
20 - 23 November, 2013
Booth H1 - 12
The Third Line is pleased to be returning to the 5th edition of Abu Dhabi Art and is exhibiting works by Rana Begum, Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, Tarek Al Ghoussein, Babak Golkar, Sherin Guirguis, Sahand Hesamiyan, Pouran Jinchi and Farhad Moshiri.
Beyond - Works by Hassan Hajjaj and Sahand Hesamiyan will also be included in the BeyondSection of the fair. Bringing art to the public arena, the section provides a platform for large-scale sculpture and installations.
Book Launch and Film Screening – Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige will be launching their new self-titled monograph at the fair, which was published internationally earlier this year. In addition to this, curated by Hoor Al Qassimi, the Sharjah Art Foundation will be presenting a series of films around the theme Where are the Arabs? Joanna and Khalil’s filmThe Lebanese Rocket Society will be part of the special screenings take place at the venue.

PECHA KUCHA DUBAI - 14

pechakuch14

THE THIRD LINE ARTISTS

SARA-NAIM-9621
Sara Naim, When The Lights Went Off We Saw, 2012 - Installation view
The Third Line is happy to welcome Sara Naim as the latest addition to its list of represented artists. Sara is a London based Syrian artist and has exhibited in cities across the world including Dubai, London and New York. She is currently pursuing an MFA in Fine Art Media at The Slade School of Fine Art (2014), UK.
YN,Nefertiti,Berlin-2003_LR
Youssef Nabil, Nefertiti, Berlin 2003, Hand coloured gelatin silver print

Youssef Nabil

In collaboration with Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha and the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, IVAM is pleased to host the exhibition Tea with Nefertiti: the making of an artwork by the artist, the museum and the public. Marking the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the Nefertiti bust, the exhibition revisits the contested histories of how Egyptian collections have been amassed by numerous museums from the 19th century onwards.
JHKJ_Dust in the wind (Cedar VI)_2013_Print on diasec, Plexiglas sculpture_75 x 100 x 3 cm_650 copy
Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, Dust in the wind (Cedar VI), 2013, Print on diasec, Plexiglas sculpture, 75 x 100 x 3 cm

Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige

Future Imperfect brings together an international line-up of artists, writers and cultural practitioners to consider ways in which artistic practices can help inform and shape collective futures. Through performances, interviews, panel discussions, and a screening programme, contributors will highlight how present histories and institutions are being shaped through propositional speculations on the future.
In conversation with Anthony Downey, Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige will feature in the segment entitled "1967/1968: What was lost?" to consider the events of that period, which still resonate across the Middle East and beyond. In particular the session will address the question of what was lost in the idealism associated with the period of Pan-Arabism and the radical politics of 1968? And what do those losses tell us about the apparent social, political and cultural impasse that marks the present and the future?
Shirin Aliabadi_Girls In Cars 2_Color photographic print_70x100cm_Ed.of 5
Shirin Aliabadi, Girls In Cars 2, 2005, Color photographic print, 70 x 100 cm

Shirin Aliabadi

City Lives | Bristol Museum and Art Gallery | November 30, 2013 - March 2, 2014
Half of the world’s population lives in a city and it's estimated that by 2050 this will rise to more than three quarters of the projected world population of nine billion.
In City Lives artists from around the world chart the changing landscape, consumer culture, disaffection, subcultures and high hopes in a range of media including photography, video, sculpture and installation. The artists featured invite viewers to understand their visions of life in the city, from our dreams to our anxieties, our past and possible futures.

ONGOING EXHIBITIONS

Sophia Al Maria
Bridge Commission Audio Walks | Serpentine Gallery project, London | September 2013 - September 2014
Tarek Al-Ghoussein
National Pavilion of Kuwait at the 55th International Art Exhibition – la Biennale di Venezia(First official participation) | Biennale: June 1 - November 24
Slavs and Tatars, Farhad Moshiri
Love Me, Love Me Not: Contemporary Art from Azerbaijan and its Neighbours | Tesa 100, Arsenale Nord, at The 55th International Art Exhibition – la Biennale di Venezia | June 1 - November 24, 2013
Abbas Akhavan
4th Athens Biennial | Former Athens Stock Exchange, 8-10 Sofokleous st. | September 29 – December 1, 2013.
Babak Golkar
Dialectic of Failure | West Vancouver Museum, West VancouverOctober 10 - December 7, 2013
Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian
Iran Modern | Asia Society, New York | September 6, 2013 - January 5, 2014
Ebtisam Abdulaziz
EMIRATI EXPRESSIONS | Manarat Al Saadiyat | October 19, 2013 - January 28, 2014
Slavs and Tatars
Asian Art Biennial | National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts | October 5, 2013 - January 5, 2014
SOFT PICTURES | Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin | October 23, 2013 - March 23, 2014
Tarek Al-Ghoussein, Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Babak Golkar, Sahand Hesamiyan
The Blue Route | Villa Empain, Brussels | September 27, 2013 - February 9, 2014
Hayv Kahraman
Echoes: Islamic Art and Contemporary Artists | Nelson-Atkins Museum | August 31, 2013 - March 30, 2014

#fineartmagazine

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Mike Weiss Gallery



  

KAORUKO / Open / 2013 / Acrylic and gold leaf on canvas



Open Through November 16


520 W 24 NYC
212 691 6899

 
KAORUKO / Installation view / 2013 / Mike Weiss Gallery

KAORUKO / Sumo / Detail / 2013 / Mike Weiss Gallery

Mike Weiss Gallery is pleased to present ENNKAORUKO's second solo exhibition with the gallery. Synthesizing a thorough understanding of Western modernism and traditional Japanese artistry, KAORUKO's monumental paintings offer an unabashed glimpse of female figures behind closed doors - uninhibited, disrobed, and mid-gesture. Intermingling silkscreened kimono patterns, sumi calligraphy, rich acrylics, and graphite tracing, an eloquent portrait of hybrid identity emerges which unravels the intricate nature of human connection, as well as the unknown forces of destiny, love, and chance encounter.

KAORUKO / Installation view / 2013 / Mike Weiss Gallery

KAORUKO Oideyo / Detail / 2013 / Mike Weiss Gallery

It was KAORUKO's debut exhibition, Aromako, that first stripped away kimonos and societal expectations to reveal intimate undertones and tap into human essence. Caught interacting within private domestic spaces, pairs of women inhaled each other's scents, acting out of familiarity in place of pristine modesty to embody concepts of endearment, acceptance, and transcendence. As a former teenage pop star, KAORUKO's early experiences projecting the ideal woman have since been layered with four years living in NYC and the challenges of a language barrier, where tuning into gestures, facial expressions, and eye contact afforded her a keen sixth sense for the subtle nuances of interaction. Translating to predestined fate that connects total strangers, ENN expands upon the unseen ties that bind us all.

KAORUKO Red String / Detail / 2013 / Mike Weiss Gallery

KAORUKO / Installation view / 2013 / Mike Weiss Gallery

While this body of work bares the markings of today's cultural trends (cell phones, nail polish, teddy bears and the like), and portrays interiors in the vein of Roy Lichtenstein and David Hockney, its homage to tradition is unmistakable. Gold leaf clouds and floral motifs scatter across a new grouping of female figures, sourcing inspiration from the Byōbu folding screens that filled homes of the flourishing Edo period. In this style of Ukiyo-e "floating world" paintings, works like Sumo push banal, everyday subject matter and daily activities center stage, taking a witty and irreverent approach to representation. Red String tells the Japanese tale of soulmates bound at the pinky by an invisible thread, layering intricate woodblock patterning, textile prints, and the artist's origami signature; and it is Stocking that perhaps best indicates the perspectival depth and hidden meaning lurking beneath the surface.

KAORUKO / Studio view / 2013 / New York

KAORUKO / Oideyo / 2013 / Acrylic and gold leaf on canvas / 84 1/2 x 108 inches

In true sumi fashion, it is with deep feeling that KAORUKO depicts harmony between her native upbringing and 21st century present. Retaining the customs of her homeland while operating from a certain feminist freedom, KAORUKO depicts a marked evolution of artistic practice, societal roles, and the artist herself.

Born in Nagoya, KAORUKO is a self-taught artist with a cult following in Japan. She is now living and working in New York City. 

 
For questions or more information, please contact Lauren Licata at Lauren@mikeweissgallery.com

Mike Weiss Gallery
520 W 24 NYC
212 691 6899
Tues-Sat 10-6
#fineartmagazine

Friday, November 8, 2013

Fashion for Charity "A Night in Havana" Event Poster



Fashion for Charity

"A Night in Havana" Event Poster


by Artist Humberto Benitez


Now available for purchase.

Posters are currently priced at $15.00 unframed, and $75.00 framed (as pictured above).

Call or e-mail to reserve yours today!

Gallery Director: (786) 877-1045
HBenitezart@aol.com



Coral Gables Gallery Location
305 Alcazar Avenue #4
Coral Gables, Florida 33134
M-F 11:30am - 5:00pm

Bird Road Art District Gallery Location
4277 SW 75th Street
Miami, Florida 33155
M-F 1:30pm - 6:00pm

Visit us at 

www.humbertobenitez.com

#fineartmagazine

Louis Stern Fine Arts

#fineartmagazine

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Jay SHinn Neonish 24.7


REMINDER

Please join us for tonight's reception

Jay Shinn
Neonish 24.7


6 - 7:30 pm
568 West 25th Street
New York, NY

 

on view at Leila Heller Gallery's 11th Avenue Windows
through January 11, 2014




Leila Heller Gallery is pleased to present NEONISH 24.7, the gallery’s first collaboration with Texan artist Jay Shinn. Three new large neon wall sculptures will be on view from October 7, 2013 through January 11, 2014 at the Gallery’s 11th Avenue Windows space.

Throughout his career, Shinn has explored minimal geometric abstraction through a variety of mediums, including works on paper, paintings, projected light on murals, neon and Plexiglas sculptures. His most recent investigations address variations of form through the use of slightly altered light, giving viewers the illusion of subtle movement. Shinn transcends dimensions with premeditated precision creating and invigorating metamorphosis of shape, light and color.

Art critic Saul Ostrow places Shinn’s work within the legacy of experimental Op and abstract art from the 1960s. Through his practice, he has successfully been able to push the boundaries of opticality, relational composition, and illusorily constructed shapes. Shinn reconfigures and re-prioritiezes the same mechanics of geometric abstraction and Op art to intuitively create pieces that reconsider space, logic and perception to create a uniquely visual experience.


------------------------------------------------------------

Jay Shinn lives and works between Dallas and New York.  He has a BFA in painting from the Kansas City Art Institute. Shinn has attended residencies at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture and Omi International Art Center. Shinn's work has been exhibited widely in the US and Europe.  Most recent exhibitions include: Galerie Miejska, Bydgoszcz, Poland; University of Colorado, Colorado Springs; Kunstverein Neukolln, Berlin; Marty Walker Gallery, Dallas and Barbara Davis Gallery, Houston.

His work has been acquired by numerous private and public collections including the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, the Neiman Marcus Collection, Microsoft, the Tom Ford Collection, the Houston Hobby Airport, the U.S. State Department and The Langham Hotel, Chicago.
 



Leila Heller Gallery
568 West 25th Street
New York, NY 10001
(Tel) 212 249 7695
www.leilahellergallery.com
info@leilahellergallery.com
#fineartmagazine

Art Transforms Us- Jens Rossen


Art Transforms Us-


#fineartmagazine

Claude Carone

Claude Carone

On Thursday November 7th, there will be a solo exhibition by Claude Carone in the Main Galleries.  The Carriage House will be closed for the winter season. The work will be on display through December 1st with a reception for the artist on Saturday November 9th from 6:00 until 8:00 p.m.


“My paintings use an unlimited vocabulary of space that tries to articulate a border area linking the unconscious and the dream state. My paintings enact a psychological dialogue between these two states of being.
I use color – each of which has a specific weight -- to organize space and pull the elements of the paintings together. The multiple perspectives and organization of planes creates a sense of depth despite the fact that I fit a world of three dimensions into two.
Depth and surface share a mission: to take the viewer to a new level of perceptive consciousness. Like music, my paintings show both major movements and the elaborations that accompany them. And just as silence serves to shape musical mass and duration, the implied space outside the paintings serves to help define the space within."
--Claude  Carone
   2013
Gallery hours are Thursday through Monday, 10:00 till 5:00 p.m.  For further information about the gallery, the artists and upcoming exhibition, visit
www.johndavisgallery.com
John Davis Gallery
362½ Warren Street
Hudson, New York 12534
or contact John Davis directly at 518.828.5907 or via e-mail:  art@johndavisgallery.com.
#fineartmagazine

Lenny Cooke Remember his face

PRESS SCREENING
SHOPKORN PRODUCTIONS 
&
Present
LENNY COOKE
A Film by Josh and Benny Safdie
Executive Produced by Chicago Bull Joakim Noah
OPENING THEATRICALLY ON DECEMBER 6TH, 2013 IN NEW YORK
"A penetrating and ultimately heartbreaking inventory of hard lessons learned on and off the court."
- VARIETY
** OFFICIAL SELECTION, 2013 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL **
PRESS SCREENING

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH
TIME: 11:00AM
WHERE: MAGNO SOUND & VIDEO
REVIEW #2
729 SEVENTH AVE., 2ND FLOOR
NEW YORK, NY 10019


SELECT INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES WITH LENNY COOKE, JOAKIM NOAH, DIRECTORS JOSH & BENNY SAFDIE

Opening in theaters on December 6th, LENNY COOKE was a stand-out at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival where it had its world premiere.  
In 2001, Lenny Cooke was the most hyped high school basketball player in the country, ranked above future greats LeBron James, Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony.  A decade later, Lenny has never played a minute in the NBA.  In this quintessentially American documentary, filmmaking brothers Joshua and Benny Safdie take a candid look and track the unfulfilled destiny of a man for whom superstardom was only out of reach.
LENNY COOKE marks the first feature length documentary by the Safdie brothers, who received the John Cassavetes Award at The Independent Spirit Awards for DADDY LONGLEGS.   DADDY LONGLEGS premiered at the Cannes Film Festival as did their first feature THE PLEASURE OF BEING ROBBED.  
The film was executive produced by two time NCAA champion and Chicago Bull Joakim Noah.
A stand-out at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival, LENNY COOKE premiered to critical praise.

Shopkorn Productions and Brigade will release LENNY COOKE theatrically in New York on December 6th, 2013

#fineartmagazine

LESLIE SACKS FINE ART Brentwood

 LESLIE SACKS FINE ART
Brentwood
 
 
 
Booth 400 at the Park Avenue Armory in New York

 
Christo  Chagall  Close  Diebenkorn  Francis  Hirst  Hockney  Johns
Lichtenstein  Miró  Oldenburg  Picasso  Ruscha  Thiebaud  Warhol

 
 

 

#fineartmagazine
 
LESLIE SACKS FINE ART
Brentwood

Bread & Puppet

BREAD & PUPPET 
Bread & Puppet Shatterer

[scene from 
The Shatterer of Worlds; photo by Mark Dannenhauer]

The Shatterer of Worlds
(chapel with naturalization services for
applicants requesting
citizenship in the shattered world)


November 7 through 24, 2013
presented in conjunction with
The Center at West Park
 

"From the beginning, even in New York,
we have said 'Let's not have a theater
that is dependent on private or government money.'"

(Peter Schumann, founder of Bread & Puppet Theater,
NPR interview with Jon Kalish, 8/24/13)

(New York, NY 10024) 
Bread & Puppet Theater: The Shatterer of Worlds. Presented in conjunction with The Center at West Park. Performances and Cheap Art Sale from November 7 through 24, 2013. Week one: Thurs.-Sun., 8:00 pm: $18 general admission, $15 for students/seniors/groups of 6 & more. Weeks two & three: Wed., 8:00 pm: $15 general admission all tickets; Thurs.-Sun., 8:00 pm: $18 general admission, $15 for students/seniors/groups of 6 & more. Tickets for the performances available for purchase [cash or check only] in the West Park Presbyterian Church one hour before each performance. For advance tickets, visit www.breadandpuppet.org or call 866-811-4111 (toll free). West Park Presbyterian Church, 165 West 86th St. (corner of Amsterdam), NYC. For further information, call West Park Presbyterian Church at 212-362-4890 or visit www.westparkpresbyterian.org and www.thecenteratwestpark.org.

As part of a world-wide birthday celebration of "50 years of sublime arsekicking puppetry," the award-winning Bread & Puppet Theater from Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom presents their 
The Shatterer of Worlds (chapel with naturalization services for applicants requesting citizenship in the shattered world), a political puppet performance enveloping audience and performers alike within the sanctuary of the West Park Presbyterian Church.

The Shatterer of Worlds 
intent, as described by Bread & Puppet's founder and artistic director Peter Schumann:
"At the moment when the first atomic bomb was dropped, Oppenheimer, the chief architect of that bomb, recalled words from the Bhagavad Gita, the Hindu prayer epic: 'Life, the splendor of 1000 suns blazing all at once, resembling the exulted soul, is become Death, the shatterer of worlds.' In view of the latest failed earth summit and faced with the likelihood of multiple planetary shatterings, this sentence is reproduced by the Paper Mac
héAuthorities in the Cathedral of Impermanence for your enlightenment and as a reminder of our possible predicament."
Schumann then further elaborates:
"The overt extrajudicial capabilities of the society system allow the shatterer of worlds to function legally to cultivate destructions so minute and gigantic, the eye cannot perceive and the mind cannot behold them. No politician, no hazardous substance, but a well-established tradition and demon strengthened by endless practices of devastation, the shatterer continues to plot the assassination of existence-as-it-is, while disguising his activities as benevolent maneuvers meant to cure the two ailing adversaries: the planet and humanity. By imitating the miraculous blossoming of the evening primrose, the chapel manages to reverse the original statement: Death, the shatterer of worlds, becomes Life, the splendor of 1000 suns blazing all at once, resembling the exulted soul."
".... as Bread and Puppet fans know, 
distilling political protest into art 
is a kind of magic."

("Bread and Puppet: Hidden soul of the 60's" editorial,
The Boston Globe, Sept. 13, 2013)
In honor of Bread & Puppet's 50 years of producing in-earnest socio-political puppetry, the following events are also being scheduled throughout NYC in conjunction with The Shatterer of Worlds performances in West Park Presbyterian Church. These events can also be found specifically at http://breadandpuppet.org/november-in-new-york-city-special-50th-anniversary-events-dont-miss-it:

The Queens Museum presents: Peter Schumann: The Shatterer, the first solo museum exhibition of Bread and Puppet founder and director Peter Schumann, will open in Fall 2013 at the Queens Museum as part of the first season in its newly expanded galleries. On view from November 9th, 2013–March 2014. Curated by Jonathan Berger and organized for the Queens Museum by Larissa Harris. Opening Reception Monday, November 11th from 6:00-8:00 pm, with fiddle lecture performed by Peter Schumann in the exhibition's "Paper Mache Chapel." Queens Museum, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens, NY 11368. Queens Museum hours: Wednesday-Sunday from 12:00-6:00 pm. Admission: Suggested donation. For more info call: 718-592-9700 or visit www.queensmuseum.org.

Printed Matter presents: NOTHING IS NOT READY: Artists’ Books and Pamphlets by Peter Schumann and the Bread and Puppet Press 1963 – 2013. On view from November 2nd–30th, 2013. Curated by Max Schumann. Opening Reception Saturday, November 2nd, 5:00-7:00 pm, with fiddle lecture performed by Peter Schumann. Printed Matter, 195 10th Ave., NY, NY 10011. Hours: Thursday and Friday from 11:00 pm-8:00 pmSaturday-Wednesday from 11:00 am-7:00 pm. Admission: FREE. For more info call: 212-925-0325 or visit www.printedmatter.org.

Anthology Film Archives presents: Bread & Puppet Theater at 50 Film ProgramTuesday, November 19th, 7:30 pm. Curated by Adam Schutzman. A program including experimental films by Deedee Halleck & George Griffin, Lowell Naeve, and Jules Rabin which feature Bread & Puppet, along with the premiere of a number of recently unearthed archival films from the early days of the theater in NYC and beyond. The event will include live commentary by Peter Schumann, short skits performed by Bread & Puppet, and a brass band to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the theater company. Admission: $10, with all proceeds to support the Bread & Puppet Theater's ongoing preservation of its archives. Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Ave., NY, NY 10003. For more info call: 212-505-5181 or visit www.anthologyfilmarchives.org.

BRIEF BACKGROUND ON BREAD & PUPPET THEATER


Bread & Puppet Theater
 is one of the oldest and most unique theatrical companies in the United States. The theater champions a visually rich slapstick style of street-theater that is filled with huge puppets made of paper maché and cardboard, combined with masked characters, improvisational dance movement, political commentary, and a lively brass band for accompaniment. The company’s performances are described by The New York Times as "a spectacle for the heart and soul."

Bread & Puppet is based on a large farm in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. It was founded by Peter Schumann, German born artist-dancer, in 1963, and for the next decade his giant puppets figured prominently in anti-Vietnam War demonstrations in New York City, Washington DC and other cities in the US and abroad. Indoor performances were both simpler and more complex, ranging from quiet, intense masked shows ("Fire", "Man Says Good-Bye") with 4-6 players, to huge, lengthy spectacles ("Cry of the People for Meat").

In 1970, an invitation from Vermont's Goddard College to be theater-in-residence, facilitated a longed-for change to country life. "Our Domestic Resurrection Circus," an outdoor festival of music, art, puppetry and pageantry, began then, and ran almost every summer, growing to crowds of tens of thousands, until 1998. Since then, a smaller (but with giant puppets intact), more dispersed version continues on Sundays in July and August; the company continues touring and workshopping the rest of the year in New England and around the globe; and Schumann continues as director and artist — and bread baker — with a vengeance!

Bread & Puppet is one of the oldest, nonprofit, self-sustaining theatrical companies in this country. www.breadandpuppet.org


BRIEF BACKGROUND ON THE CENTER AT WEST PARK
The Center at West Park is an urban, shared-space facility housed in West Park Presbyterian Church. Though the church is the initiator and host of The Center, The Center itself is not affiliated with any religious tradition or denomination. The Center is currently incorporated, and is in the process of being designated a 501 (c)(3). 

The community growing in The Center is one of invitation and synergy. It is a community in which people of different ages, ethnicities, cultures, socio-economic backgrounds and religious and spiritual affiliations (or none at all) are called into relationship through a commitment to social justice, community building and service, creativity, skill building across the life-cycle and interacting with its neighbors, both local and global.

The Center at West Park is a place where people can come together to express, explore, create, experiment, generate, invent and connect. It is a safe place for constructive dialogue across differences. A place where one can ask the question, “How are we going to live together in the future?” 
www.thecenteratwestpark.org


#fineartmagazine