West Harlem Art Fund

Loosely Coupled: Group Exhibition

2011-05-23T09:14:00.000-07:00

The West Harlem Art Fund has been selected to present a summer long exhibition on Governor’s Island. Our group exhibition “Loosely Coupled” will be housed in the historic district of Nolan Park. Featured artists include Dianne Smith, Scherezade Garcia, Wayne Liu, Allen Anthony Hansen, Luke Schumacher, Colin Chase, Kristy Schopper, Iliana Emilia Garcia and Peter Goldwater.

Throughout the summer there will be special programming for children, artist talks and performances.

For more information visit www.myharlem.net
Dates and Times
Open House: Saturday, June 11, 2011 12-5PM
Opening Reception: Saturday, June 25, 2011 12-5 PM
Public Hours: Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays 12-5 PM thru September 25, 2011

Location: 17 Nolan Park

Ferry service: hourly

Free to the public

S.....o.....l.....i.....t.....u.....d.....e: S.....O.....L.....I.....T.....U.....D.....E

2011-05-18T11:17:00.000-07:00

S.....o.....l.....i.....t.....u.....d.....e: S.....O.....L.....I.....T.....U.....D.....E: "S o l i t u d e By: Elias Rafael Decena May 17, 2011 “ Man loves com..." Another great blog post by our intern Elias

Dangereuses: Dangereuses

2011-05-13T14:19:00.000-07:00

Dangereuses: Dangereuses: "Dangereuses By: Elias Rafael Decena May 12 th What is danger? The Merriamwebster.com defines it as an exposu..."

Where are They?: Where are They?

2011-05-05T07:38:00.000-07:00

Where are They?: Where are They?: "Where are They? By: Elias Rafael Decena April 29 th From one place to another: After a week or two of my roa..."

By: Elias Rafael Decena

April 29th

From one place to another: After a week or two of my roaming around DUMBO, I went to check out LIC. Ms. Savonna Bailey-McClain together with the whole West Harlem Art Fund Team is on the near-end process of having the Art Tours around New York and one of the destinations is on Long Island City, the reason why I came.

Just a few steps away from The Holiday Inn hotel, where we’re supposed to meet, stands the Fisher Landau Gallery. The gallery was named after Emily Fisher and one not so typical-looking when one view it outside. It’s like an ordinary business building or something. With lots of time to spare I went to check it out only to find out that it was closed for the day *sad*. Why do I always go at the wrong time? *think* Posted on the door of the gallery was a notice saying “2011 MFA Thesis Exhibition. Columbia University School of the Arts” “May 1-22” Dang it! Just a few days away! I should’ve come here on Monday. I felt this deep regret while I was looking at my Metrocard, thinking that it only has $2 on it, just enough to get me home from there *grrrrr*. So I have to refill my card to be able to come back here and that means $20 I love you goodbye! J

May 2nd

“We sometimes encounter people, even perfect strangers, who begin to interest us at first sight, somehow suddenly, all at once, before a word has been spoken”

-Fydor Dostoevsky, Russian Writer

I think it’s going to be a pretty crowded place if I had gotten back here at LIC on the 1st of May for the exhibition’s first day, so I chose this day, a day after, to check out what these students of the university has for the audience. And of course, this will be an opportunity for me to interview some of them for my story-blog. *entering the gallery*

Receptionist: Hi how are you?

Me: I’m good how are you? Hey, can I get some of these (pointing at the pamphlets)

Receptionist: Sure and we have another there

Me: Thank you J *why did I even ask if I could get some, it’s on the table for the people, duhhhh*

Wow! Is this a pamphlet, it’s like a manual or something, I was accustomed to pamphlets just being sheets of papers with description on them, but not like this, it’s like back to school. I opened the pages and saw the list of the names of the students who are supposed to exhibit their work on respective dates. This is a lot! So much for reading, I entered the gallery hall where the art-works are displayed. I was alone, completely alone that I could almost hear the sound of my breathing. Where are they? Still, I proceeded and wandered.

Compared to the galleries of DUMBO, the Fisher Landau gallery, in my perspective, has a select work of art displayed. Given that this is a thesis exhibition for master of fine arts students, one can distinguish that only a number of art is given space inside. Maybe because of the number of students exhibiting their work and the gallery has no space enough for them or the gallery just picks its choice that I don’t know.

It was all very new to me; I had this feeling even before I had seen the work inside this gallery. It’s as if the place had spoken to me of what kind of gallery the fisher Landau is going to be, even before I get a first-hand look at it. I guess this is what staying in DUMBO for two weeks does to someone who always spend time at a crepe café beside galleries *laughs, I miss the crepe*

A variety of forms of art can be seen inside the gallery, photographs, sculptures, digitals, paintings and many more. Back at DUMBO, though I connected with the art, I never felt closer to anything like in here before. Maybe because of my age, being only 19 and writing for the promulgation of art, somehow I feel isolated with what I’m used to do. But here I felt some connection. Of course, they were CONTEMPORARY. New art which speaks to people of present age. Fresh and hot, these arts are mixtures of the influence of the past, dictates of the present and the promise of the future. Though some can be really abstract, one would know how ingenious the artists of these are. The only question I had at the time was: where are they?

I was turning my head side to side, glancing at corners, behind walls back and forth the gallery proper. I was looking for the artists, I was looking for people! So I asked the receptionist

Me: Uhhmm, excuse me, are the artists going to be here today

Receptionist: I’m not so sure, they came here yesterday, but I’m not so sure if they will come here today

Gosh…

So I went home, without any word of an artist featured at the gallery. But I brought home with me a feeling refreshment even though I didn’t see the artists.

Later: Osama bin Laden is dead!

People of America are all rejoicing for this momentous event. And I thought, isn’t it a little soon to celebrate even without SEEING any photo of the guy to confirm that he really is terminated?

But thinking of the time just this same day when I got to Fisher Landau.

Upcoming Friendraiser

2011-05-02T12:32:00.000-07:00

The West Harlem Art Fund, Inc. is having a friendraiser at Covo's located at 701 W. 135th Street off 12th Avenue in West Harlem on Tuesday, May 17th. We are raising funds to support our art tours and new art installation. The West Harlem Art Fund has been approved for Governor's Island. Our installation will focus on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and the importance of remembrance. Our selection is extremely timely given what has happened to Osama Bin Laden. Instead of war, we wish to spotlight peace. So, join us. We are accepting donations from $5 dollars to $25 dollars. Donors of $25 dollars and more will get a free art tour in LIC, DUMBO or Williamsburg.

Welcoming: Welcoming

2011-04-28T12:06:00.000-07:00

Welcoming: Welcoming: "Welcoming By: Elias Rafael Decena April 21 st “ We must welcome the future, remembering that soon it will all be..." Here's another blog post regarding DUMBO!

By: Elias Rafael Decena

April 21st

“We must welcome the future, remembering that soon it will all be past; and we must respect the past, remembering that it was once all that was humanly possible”

-George Santayana

Days before, I was sent with an invitation to the Fellowship party of the A.I.R Gallery at Front Street, Brooklyn. It is said in the press release that 6 new women artists will be announced and introduced to the audience. Since its establishment in 1993, the A.I.R Fellowship program has helped launch the careers of over 40 women artists. Each year, the A.I.R Gallery offers six women grantees of the fellowship to exhibit their art on the gallery. I also learned that Ms. Sam Vernon was a fellowship grantee, enabling her to exhibit her “Think on it then lay it down for good” show which I had written about before (Shadows and Bridge). It’s an amazing feeling I have, knowing that I will have a first look at the artists who would, by a year later, put their art inside the A.I.R Gallery and let people be amazed and awed by their work.

I entered the gallery with much excitement for the induction of the grantees. I took a glass of red wine and sipped until the program starts. I took the sit four chairs far from the program stage and I waited until I see the faces of the artists. People started pouring in and I had no idea who the artists were from the variety of people inside the gallery; there were art enthusiasts, spectators, commoners, photographers and even business men. Seeing this scenario, I realized that art calls beyond artists and to the common people as well.

The program started with a serious ambience in the room, showing the interest of the people inside towards the grantees. The six women artists named: Aimee Burg, Bang Geul Han, Annie Ewaskio, Einat Ember, Katherine Tzu-lan Mann and Regine Romain. They were all presented to the audience and were given a chance to give a brief description of their respective works of art. It would take a year before their art is exhibited to the A.I.R Gallery but as early as this time, everyone is excited to view their work.

The fellowship party came to an end, but after I left the A.I.R Gallery, I took one last look at Sam Vernon’s exhibition. The exhibit would last only to the 23rd of April and I don’t know if I’m going to be here at DUMBO by that time, so I took one last glance at her work. “By two days time, this place where Sam Vernon’s art stands would be occupied by another” I said to myself. By the coming of next year, the art of the six new artists would be displayed inside the halls of this gallery; I asked myself “Where would this go?” looking at Vernon’s art. I looked at the faces of the people inside and saw flashes of amazement and excitement as they saw new artists welcomed by the gallery. I took another look at Vernon’s art panned my head to the people, to the artists, Vernon’s art, to and fro and I thought “It would last”. I knew then on that even when new things come, the past would never be forgotten. Maybe, as I imagined, people who welcomed Sam Vernon to this gallery had the same excitement as the people here have this night. As time goes by, her work is inculcated in their minds and in their hearts. And a year later, this day, it’s time to pass the space to new artists to spread new forms art to the people and pour lots of new inspirations with growing artists.

The fellowship program of A.I.R Gallery really has a mission: a mission for the growth of new artists, a mission for the glorification of their members and a lasting goal of perpetuating the art of which their fellows put their life on.

I went out of the gallery carrying with me old memories and foreshadows of new ones to come.

Vulnerability: Vulnerability

2011-04-20T08:03:00.000-07:00

Vulnerability: Vulnerability: "Vulnerability By: Elias Rafael Decena April 19 th I’m here at a crepe café in DUMBO sipping a cup of coffee. It’s freezing..."

LIC Local Project exhibits new art show

2011-04-19T10:02:00.000-07:00

Local Project is pleased to announce its new exhibition Living tissue (tejido vivo), by Sebastian Garcia Huidobro.

Opening reception Saturday April 23, 6-10 pm.

For his show Living Tissue (Tejido Vivo), Garcia has created a series of deformed digital portraits and other sculptures involving elements of water, light and fire. With a continued interest in re-working material, his pieces reflect on the relationship between humanity and its environment and simultaneously create a dialogue about the catastrophic events that have currently taken place worldwide.

The Chilean artist Sebastian Garcia Huidobro has most recently been invited to the Serbian Biennial to represent Chile in September 2011. Other exhibitions have included the Bronx Biennial, the Tallinn Print Triennial, Roos Gallery-Artist in Residence and the North American Print Triennial. His work has been shown throughout Latin America, North America and Europe. He currently lives and works in Brooklyn.

The exhibition will be on view at Local Project Gallery from April 23-May 8 2011.

Gallery hrs Thurs through Sun 2-6pm

Next Williamsburg: Bushwick, Brooklyn | Crain's New York Business

2011-04-19T09:42:00.000-07:00

Next Williamsburg: Bushwick, Brooklyn | Crain's New York Business Check out the story. We understand why these neighborhoods are hot! And take our art tours to get an insider view. Meet great artists. Talk with gallery owners. Enjoy a vibrant scene right in your own backyard.

Shadows and Bridge: Shadows and Bridge

2011-04-12T07:35:00.000-07:00

Shadows and Bridge: Shadows and Bridge: "Shadows and Bridge By: Elias Rafael Decena April 11th I’m here under the Manhattan Bridge at a park surrounded by different peop..."

By: Elias Rafael Decena

April 11th

I’m here under the Manhattan Bridge at a park surrounded by different people from different walks of life. It’s sunny today, the news announced that it’ll be 75 degrees F, a good day for the Americans but quite an ordinary day back home in the Philippines; Filipinos usually don’t like warm days like this.

As I walked towards the park and the bridge, I noticed that my shadow is leaning towards the streets of DUMBO my motion towards Manhattan. I felt indifferent. As I sit on a bench here on the park, I noticed that all of the people here are all facing the city with their backs on DUMBO.

I can still remember the first time I attended art gallery openings here at DUMBO; it was truly an eye-opener for me. It was my very first time being on a place that catered so much ingenious artists with their different styles of art, art which is a little publicized. I felt again the feeling of amazement of gazing upon fresh art blossoming within the city amidst modernization. Now that it’s my second time here, felt something different, when I approached this area.

Half-way from DUMBO and to Manhattan, within this park, I felt a feeling of detachment. I felt that something was taken from me, something that I had just found and then lost it immediately. Is it the people here, the people from different walks of life? There are people walking their dogs, some are strolling the park, others sun-bathing and some just hanging out. Am I different from these people? Do they feel a different heat of the sun than I do? Is just me, or anyone else can notice that all of these people are facing towards Manhattan and their backs toward DUMBO?

As I sit here on the bench, with a lady eating a bowl of salad, like a goat that hasn’t eaten for weeks, beside me, I remembered my talk with Ms. Sam Vernon, one of the artists I interviewed during my first visit at DUMBO art galleries. I remembered her form of art. Ms. Vernon’s art features Xerox-copied figures. These figures are enlarged during the copying process. As one wonder on the art of Ms. Vernon, one can notice how creatively designed these abstractions are. I distinctly remember seeing a figure of a lady’s hands hanging a sewed blanket, but as I looked carefully, I also saw a figure of a ghostly creature smiling at me. There is a figure of a group of people hugging together to form a mass of shadows. Another, a figure of a lady lying with her body facing towards the skies; with the imaginary lights hitting her body, I saw a black-colored figure of a man under. It’s amazing how Ms. Vernon was able to exude such tedious art, note the fact that it included Xerox-copying and enlargement of the figures, and was able to just use the hues black and white to create such amazing display of abstraction. Ms. Vernon’s art was one truly worthy of one’s wonder. But the kind of art that I really brought me was the use of shadows.

I still sit here on the bench within the park under the Manhattan Bridge and I still gaze upon the people with me here. I think of the fact that these people here are facing the city and their backs on DUMBO. I don’t know why it bothers me so much. Maybe because when I think of it, I also get the thinking that DUMBO art gets so little notice from the people of this place. Is this scenario also an abstraction of people neglecting art?

Sitting here on the bench, with the lady-goat finished with her meal, I found a connection of Ms. Vernon’s shadowy art with the world. Just like her art, people sometimes tend to face towards something bright, creating shadows behind them, overpowering some things so precious. As we move towards a place of fast-phased life and modernized living, we sometimes tend to forget things that we, on some way, used to get there. Art here in DUMBO, is so fresh and little publicized that on the eyes of a wandering writer like me, gets somewhat overshadowed by the glimmering lights of concrete living.

I still sit here with the people, including me, facing the city with our backs toward DUMBO. I say to myself “Are we really moving forward, leaving something behind?”, but I look up and say to myself “Maybe not”, seeing the bridge connect Manhattan with DUMBO. And I see the people still facing the city again I talked with my mind “it’s just a matter of perspective and choice”; because when I stood up and faced DUMBO, with its ingenious artists and untouched freshness of the arts, my shadow is still on its streets the only difference is I’m walking towards them.

A Day in DUMBO- A Shabby-dressed Man (Eye of the Wolf Exhibition)

2011-04-09T07:28:00.000-07:00

I went in DUMBO, Brooklyn for the first time, to accomplish my internship obligation. At 12nn I arrived at reBar restaurant for the first artist I would interview (in an ambush way) Masahiro Ito. Upon entering the restaurant I immediately felt some sort of isolation, the resto-bar was almost empty and few people kept on walking this and that way. Walking up a slightly steep stairs, I noticed paintings on the wall of the bar, they were pastel-paintings of Native Americans, this I know: the exhibition must really focus on them, the paintings however are all of the people, not so much about wolves and the like, that I was expecting because of course the title seem so direct.

I asked a woman at the reception table about where the exhibition "The Eye of The Wolf" (I still really don't have an idea why it's entitled that way) is going to be held. She looked like she knows the event, of course I would think that because she's at a reception table at the place of the exhibition. She told me just to get a pamphlet over a table beside me because she has no idea about what I asked, wonder why? She's a receptionist for the resto, not for the exhibition (embarassing). The moment it dawned upon me that the exhibition was going to be held on a restaurant and the receptionist didn't have an idea about it, I knew, it was going to be a little gathering of art fans and enthusiasts and also that Masahiro didn't want much publicity about it.

I was walking the hallway of the bar and I continue to gaze upon the paintings on the wall, Native Americans, Spirit stuffs, a girl like Pocahontas crying with the world on her palms, profile of a tribe chief and I could almost see myself on a frame on the wall with a look of bewilderness. I really had no idea what I was looking at (poor me). And I was like "how could I write about something I had little and almost no idea about?" and I continued walking.

"Oooh! Dioramas" I said, seeing little figures of people on streets (ghetto style) on a little installation beside another staircase. The installation was small, but you could see that the space was used economically. No space was left untouched by art. Even on the walls of the installation, you could see 3dimensional dragons that seemed to pop-out of the wall with cotton-made fire breaths coming out of its mouth.

The door of the installation was locked, I thought no one was allowed inside, because it was my first time seeing an installation of a diorama I had no idea that people could go inside the room, until a man, wearing shabby clothes, approached the door and tried to open it. "Can I go inside?" I asked "Sure, let me just get the key" he replied, but before the man left i asked again "Why are there no people here for the exhibition? the time's 12 right?" "Ooh, the opening is not 'til 6pm" he answered. That hit me hard! Unfortunately I misunderstood the post 12-6 to 12nn to 6pm! Foolish me! It was supposed to be 6pm to 12am! And I was like "Art never sleeps?" no wonder why there are few people, for a second there I thought art lost its connection to the people of NY. After that revelation that I took so seriously, I still can't forget that shabby-dressed man who will open the door of the installation for me. I thought art was something so suave, polished and smooth, with that, I had the thinking that people connected with art (like the shabby-dressed man, of course his connected) should also be suave, polished and smooth (I'm not snobbish, just see).

And so I waited 'til 6pm, people started arriving, I knew they're artists for a fact- they were mingling with each other talking about the materials used and other things connected with the arts. I wonder where Mr. Ito is? And there I saw him, with a funny magician's hat and a shiny vest! I approached Mr. Ito, introduced myself and talked for a bit.

Mr. Ito narrated to me that his father was a calligrapher and his mother was a kimono (traditional Japanese dress) maker. It's obvious that Mr. Ito though, an American citizen, was Japanese, and so I wondered how his art focused on Native Americans, that I didn't miss to ask. "I went to them, and I was like adopted by them" he said. So why "Eye of The Wolf"? I asked, "Because of my eyes, they say their like a wolf's eyes" Mr. Ito replied. Then I realized, it doesn't really matter much how connected the title is to your event. I knew then , that maybe the words "Eye of The Wolf" mean so much for Mr. Ito that he entitled his exhibition exactly with what the Natives called him. I continued asking Mr. Ito questions about his art, Mr. Ito I found out was very versatile. He could do sculptures, dioramas and paintings. So I asked what is his favorite among them, "Maybe the diorama" answered Mr. Ito, telling me that the diorama was dedicated for the American people. As I finished the interview with Mr. Ito, I wondered around to view all of his works. With me knowing the answer of Mr. Ito why Eye of The Wolf was the title, the paintings meant so much more to me than before. It's like finding a connection to something you've experienced before and living it all over again with art.

But the most interesting find for me of the day was when I saw again the shabby-dressed man before, now he was well-dressed and like ready to attend a social party. "Transition" I said to myself.

And as I walked out of the art exhibition, I brought with me a realization. The man, like art, can change from something odd to something full of meaning. As before I didn't knew what I was looking at but with a little talk with Mr. Ito, I also found a connection with the paintings. And for the man with the shabby-looking clothes before, I realized that the cliche "don't judge the book by it's cover" is still at work. The man was an organizer of the exhibit :-)

Digital Projections

2011-04-06T07:34:00.000-07:00

The West Harlem Harlem Art Fund would like to do more digital projections in the City but also around the country. Our last projection, Bridging Stone Figures was a success during Armory Week. It was delayed for a year because it poured on our original date and the artist had to go back to France. But it was great to see his works on the main anchor of the Manhattan Bridge.

Our first installations was on 8th Avenue in Central Harlem. It was called Reaching for the North Star. A tribute to the transformation of that avenue with permanent public art on 110th Street at the Frederick Douglass Circle and to the north at 122nd Street at the Harriet Tubman Triangle. That projections pushed folks to walk north from 116th to 125th Street and watch three projections of Harlem residents on the sidewalks and then on top of the Magic Johnson Theater.

Two more projections have been done in between those times and they dealt with the issues of water and courage by well known Black boxers. Now, that we are comfortable with developing such installations, we are hoping to get the chance to do more and push the envelope a little.

Gumboot Juba

2011-03-12T10:57:00.000-08:00

During the month of March, 2011 the Mink Building, an old storage facility located on Amsterdam Avenue and 126th Street, was the site for an interactive window and live art installation. Dianne Smith, an accomplished Harlem artist has been selected to create the window installation.

The West Harlem Art Fund has over the past thirteen years, spotlighted the history and beauty of this rich community by producing innovative works, utilizing new technology and weaving great stories.

Installation art can be very site-specific with three-dimensional works that are designed to transform the perceptions of a space. Live installations take this to the next level, involving members of the public and bringing art to public spaces. The installation can be either temporary or permanent, and in either public or private spaces. This genre incorporates a broad range of ideas and concepts, often resulting in evocative themes.

For this particular installation, that began

March 1st, The West Harlem Art Fund decided to reflect inward and deep to an African tradition that has universal appeal – dance.

The installation Gumboot Juba pays homage to Tap, Gumboot, and Step Dancing. Juba, Pattin' Juba, Handbone or Guiba is the name of the dance (West African influence) that Black slaves did in order to communicate with each other on Southern plantations, in the Caribbean and Dutch Guiana. Juba’s later popularity in musical performances and minstrel, indirectly birth American Tap dance in the United States.

South African miners suffering harsh working conditions also came up with a rhythmic way to communicate using hand slapping and body movements. While wearing Wellington Boots or Welly Boots, this dance took the place of drums, a traditional form of communicating in Africa. In our contemporary culture, these movements can also be seen in Step Dancing, a line dance done by African American and now Latino Greek fraternal organizations.

Gumboot Juba will comprise of multiple screens with images and videos of the Juba dance and its many variations. Dianne Smith will also create sculptures made from repurposed materials with a Zulu, Yoruba and African American Aesthetic. The following day at 12 p.m., a Live Art installation will take place where the participants are the installation. They will learn and rehearse the South African Gumboot dance in a routine with an experienced dancer/choreographer. Participants will then change and perform the work while being videotaped for an online viewing.

Dianne Smith was born and raised in the South Bronx and is of Belizean descent. She began her career as a visual artist after living and working in Europe as a model. In 2005 she was invited to be a teaching artist in aesthetic education for the Lincoln Center Institute. She has exhibited in New York, Florida, Arkansas, California, North Carolina, and Philadelphia.
Since 2001, Dianne’s career has been punctuated by national exhibitions (collective and individual) and residencies. Her work has been represented by Gale Martin and UFA Galleries in Chelsea, New York. Her work can also be found in the private collections of Danny Simmons, Dr. Maya Angelou, Cicely Tyson, Terry McMillian, Vivica A. Fox and Rev. and Mrs. Calvin O. Butts, III. Dianne Smith compels us to engage our senses to redefine purpose. Her art installations incite new curiosities in known landscapes, through the use of materials, colors, and shapes that rebirths, remixes and repurposes the elemental aesthetic components of communities and the lives it inhabits.

New Theater/New Art

2010-11-01T08:45:00.000-07:00

The Theater Department of the City College of New York is now offering small theatrical productions for students, local residents, fellow New Yorkers and tourists. This is great news because theater has had a long tradition in Harlem. Eversince Harlem Song ended its run at the Apollo Theater there has been a gap for theater uptown. We are pleased to be working with City College in organizing theater parties and backstage tours. Please come out and support this first effort with the musical Passing Strange.

I HAD TO POST THIS STORY TWICE -- HOORAY FOR OPEN MINDEDNESS!

2010-08-07T04:00:00.000-07:00

August 6, 2010, 3:35 pm
At a Chicago Orchestra, Diversity Is on the Program
By DANIEL J. WAKIN

The Chicago Sinfonietta is an orchestra that was founded in 1987 to give classical musicians who are members of minority groups greater professional opportunities. In a field with a minuscule number of black performers, it prides itself on the racial composition of its players, staff members and board, with roughly half representing minorities.

So the orchestra’s leaders thought long and hard about the issue of race when it came to choosing a successor to Paul Freeman as music director. Mr. Freeman, who is black, started the group and is retiring after next season.

Their answer is Mei-Ann Chen, 37, a Taiwan-born conductor who has been an assistant conductor at the Atlanta and Baltimore symphonies and was recently appointed music director of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. She will take charge of the Sinfonietta in July 2011.

“I endorse her fully,” Mr. Freeman said in an interview. “She’s going to bring a great deal to the Sinfonietta and continue what we have started and bridge the gap with other orchestras, because she’s a rising star.”

James Hirsch, the executive director, said Ms. Chen was one of eight finalists, including six blacks and one Hispanic candidate.

“One candidate just stood head and shoulders above everyone else, and that was Mei-Ann Chen,” Mr. Hirsch said. “She’s the person who we believe is best suited to lead us. She completely embraces the mission.”

Mr. Hirsch said it would be “antithetical to everything Paul Freeman stood for” to overrule someone “just for the color of their skin.”

Ms. Chen said she was contacted by the orchestra and invited to perform with it as a guest conductor, effectively an audition. “My chemistry with the orchestra was instant,” she said. Ms. Chen noted that she has had much experience conducting for black audiences in Baltimore, Memphis and Atlanta.

Evans Mirageas, the Atlanta Symphony’s artistic administrator, also happened to be a search consultant for the Sinfonietta and brought her to the Chicago orchestra’s attention, she said.

Ms. Chen said she was prepared to carry on Mr. Freeman’s legacy. “I embrace diversity and inclusion,” she said.

“My life story is that,” she added, pointing out that she overcame at least one big barrier, that of being a woman on the podium.

Ms. Chen also received high praise from Aaron P. Dworkin, the founder and president of the Sphinx Organization, which works to increase the number of blacks and Hispanics in orchestras, music schools and classical music audiences.

“Everything I know of her is just fantastic,” Mr. Dworkin said in an interview. He and Ms. Chen were fellow graduate students at the University of Michigan.

In a later e-mail Mr. Dworkin said the choice of Ms. Chen should not be understood “as a comment on the lack of capable conductors of color” but part of a broadly understood commitment to diversity.

“Can you imagine if every orchestra in America had an artistic process which could lead to the majority of their finalist pool for an open artistic position represented by people of color?” he wrote. “What change would we see in the landscape of American orchestras?”

Poetry @ Tapestry

2010-08-02T03:40:00.000-07:00

There was a nice crowd Friday night. All of the food was healthy and organic which tied in to the exhibition. Sai Morikawa filmed this video. Thanks Sai. I was exhausted as usual but the event was great and folks had a great time.

Ghost Net [Teaser Trailer]

2010-07-28T12:21:00.000-07:00

The second video by Ghost Net team member Manuel Mansilla tries to bring the problem into some meaningful perspective with some data that will help a lay person understand how we are hurting our ocean like the oil spill in the Gulf. We met in May with the Marine Debris Director, Dr. Lisa DiPinto, for NOAA at Covo's in West Harlem. She came up to New York and was very supportive of our Ghost Net installation. NOAA provided educational materials that we have at the Tapestry Building

Sea Any Bottles? [teaser]

2010-07-28T12:13:00.000-07:00

This short film was done by Ghost Net member Manuel Mansilla. It explains how plastics are hurting our oceans. Check it out and share your comments.

Sleeping Beauty Project 1- Kenjiro Kitade

2010-07-14T21:00:00.000-07:00

We are so excited about this work and we are so grateful for all of the interest we are getting. The video is great for documenting the process. Very rarely do art lovers get to see how a work is made.

The City College of New York :: St Nicholas Park Public Exhibit

2010-06-11T08:32:00.000-07:00

The City College of New York :: St Nicholas Park Public Exhibit

Check out my @constantcontact newsletter

2010-06-09T04:05:00.000-07:00

Check out my @constantcontact newsletter

Washington's anti-urban bias

2010-05-10T13:55:00.000-07:00

Washington's anti-urban bias This is a great story. Cities need support for so many reasons. And the arts are struggling so bad these days within cities. Hear, hear DMI for a needed story.

Mark Bradford Featured in First Museum Survey at Wexner Center

2010-05-10T03:21:00.000-07:00

Mark Bradford Featured in First Museum Survey at Wexner Center Mark Bradford will be one of the artist to watch in the 21st century. It's also refreshing to view such amazing talent from a humble person. One may be able to order the catalog from the museum. I have never been a person to collect catalogs but sometimes exhibitions are far away and this is a show worth following. Learn more about him.Check out his work. He's a winner.

Movements In Dialogue

2010-05-04T02:11:00.000-07:00

Beginning June 16th the exhibition In Dialogue is on display for the general public. But we wish to add some additions to this experience. The West Harlem Art Fund has acquired Dane Shitagi to create ballerina photos on the site. His ballerina project is well known. This exhibition may be the last series he creates. Help support us by donating on Indie GoGo

Skylar Fein's "Remember The Upstairs Lounge" Opens in New York

2010-04-28T04:17:00.000-07:00

Skylar Fein's "Remember The Upstairs Lounge" Opens in New York Last night we went to the VIP reception for Remember the Upstairs Lounge. The West Harlem Art Fund is partnering with No Longer Empty for an exhibition in East Harlem at the Tapestry Building this June. So, we went and got to meet the artist and his gallerist. Talking with the artist was good because we focused on New Orleans and its cultural traditions. I think we learned more about the artist from that intense conversation than the formal talk. I like New Orleans. We talked about Louie Armstrong, the Zulu parades, food and the mix of people there. Great city with many contraditions. And the exhibition spotlighted those contraditions because it's about a gay club that was destroyed by arson and seventy five people died. Very much like Happyland in NYC. One door in and out. But New Orleans is uncomfortable talking about its gay underground scene. Just like it's hard for them to talk about race, poverty and other intolerances. I preferred the recreation of the lounge which actually took me to the place. The larger white box space was more modern and as the curator Dan Cameron shared, it offered a fantasy space to interpret the history that took place. I would strongly suggest if anyone goes to the exhibit, try and meet the artist.
Link: http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=37709

Artist Jeff Koons Presents His Cracked Egg Sculpture at the Pinchuk Art Center in Kiev

2010-04-25T07:32:00.000-07:00

Artist Jeff Koons Presents His Cracked Egg Sculpture at the Pinchuk Art Center in Kiev

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs053/1102908922402/archive/1103337771878.html

2010-04-25T06:41:00.000-07:00

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs053/1102908922402/archive/1103337771878.html

GUEST CURATOR

2010-04-24T18:29:00.001-07:00

WHAF is so honored to have Ms. Sai Morikawa as a guest curator for this year. Morikawa studied at The National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts with Henry Finkelsten and also Mary Beth Mackenzie. She earned a Certificate for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts at the National Academy. Her background in anatomical studies and visual perception is complemented by a focus on the importance of individual expression in the making of art. Her dynamic color brush strokes are influenced by the Abstract Expressionists. She paints mostly from direct observation. She is the curator for our Sleeping Beauty installation that features Mr. Kenjiro Kitade. Public viewing is scheduled for this coming July, 2010.

NEW SCULPTURAL INSTALLATION BY ARTIST KENJIRO KITADE INSPIRED BY THE CLASSIC FAIRYTALE – SLEEPING BEAUTY

2010-04-24T18:24:00.000-07:00

West Harlem/Meatpacking District/Woodside … The West Harlem Art Fund and Ivy Brown Gallery are pleased to announce that they will install Mr. Kenjiro Kitade’s work Sleeping Beauty in July, 2010. According to Executive Director, Savona Bailey-McClain, “We are honored to have Ms. Sai Morikawa as our guest curator and Mr. Kitade as our artist for this exhibition. We welcome the opportunity to push the boundaries of public art even further in NYC”. This installation will be in Woodside, Queens on the triangle at the intersection of Roosevelt and 39th Avenues and 66th Street where there is a substantial Asian population nearby. But the organization wants to expose the broader community which is very diverse to new ways of looking at life from familiar stories. The organizers wish to thank the Urban Art Program at the NYC Department of Transportation.

Description of the Project

Reclining Buddha is the imagery that depicts the moment of Buddha’s passing and entry into Nirvana. In Buddhist teaching, Nirvana is the perfect peace of the state of mind that is free from craving, anger, and other affective state. It is also introduced as the “Absolute Truth”.

According to the artist, Kenjiro Kitade, though using the imagery of “Reclining Buddha” sounds interesting, it is too straightforward and it might give a misleading impression to a viewer that the work is strictly taken from Buddhist teaching. What I wanted to address through this work is what I call “Change of Value”, not the Buddhist teaching.

I started searching for similar imagery with the “Reclining Buddha”. It had to have a separate meaning from the religious message. I focused on the configuration of the image that Buddha is laying down at the center surrounded by people. Then I found an image that perfectly matched. “Sleeping Beauty”: a fairly tale classic, the first in the set published in 1697 by Charles Perrault, Contes de ma Mère l'Oye ("Tales of Mother Goose") and later remake in animation and ballet.

A beautiful Princess was put into sleep for 100 years by enchantment of bad witch. She awakes from long sleep by the kiss of true love. I found several similarities in both imageries; main figure is lying down in the center of the image, main character is watched over by loved ones and they are both surrounded by forest or woods. By mixing and connecting both images, I can make a piece that’s separate from strong religious imagery, at the same time, keep my original idea intact. There are similarities in both stories. The keyword is “Awake”. In both stories, the main characters have experienced passing from one world and entering to another world by “awakening”. Buddha was trying to find the answer to the “Absolute Truth”, one day he became “awaken”, and at the end of his life, he finally reached in Nirvana. In Sleeping Beauty, the princess was put into sleep for 100 years and was in a dreamlike state. This separated her from the difficulties and sufferings of real life. But then she awoke and came back to the reality.

After awakening from long a sleep, the princess had to now face reality. She was lucky enough to fall in love with the prince, her true love and got married. But she was no longer in a dream; she had to face sufferings and difficulties in real life. But by facing, experiencing and overcoming the difficulties of life, one could only walk through the pass to the “Absolute Truth”.

Maybe, we are in a dream; trying not to face reality. We know that there are obvious problems and failure in our current system, such as over production and over consumption, but we cannot simply give up because that system has given us an affluent society. But the clock keeps ticking and time will not wait. Now is the time for us to awake as the princess did and face our “bitter sweet” reality.

Artist Statement
Sheep have been used in many metaphoric expressions, proverbs and allegorical stories among different cultures. “Obedience” and “Cowardice” are the typical imagery of how sheep have been portrayed. The relationship between a shepherd and sheep symbolize the relationship between the rule and the ruled. In the guise of sheep, I can present human frailty. The sheep is a metaphor and is use to spotlight human conditions.

My sheep are imbued with human characteristics, feelings emotions, and often times, form. This blurs the understanding of this easily recognizable symbol and all that the lamb characteristically means. What you see is a creature fixed between two worlds that can now tell you a story. I am – as Japanese who is submerged in a foreign culture-like my sheep, transfixed in a world between worlds. I am seated in the place where I see that both worlds can peacefully coexist as one, but only with the ability to yield.

Gas Mask Symbolism
The gas mask represents "anxiety" toward today's environmental issues. It is a metaphor for how we should address environmental issues on a global scale. I wish some day, that we come up with good solutions for today's environment issues, so that she (Sleeping Beauty) will take off her gas mask and awake from very, very long sleep. This is my representation of "hope" for our future.

The site can be reached from either the 61st Street Woodside or 69th Street Roosevelt Ave. stop on the #7 Train and then a short walk to 66th Street.

In Dialogue Exhibition -- Closer Conversation

2010-04-24T18:15:00.000-07:00

In June, The West Harlem Art Fund and the Humanities and Arts Division of City College are co-producing the outdoor exhibition In Dialogue. One of the installations is called Closer Conversation and features a series of mailboxes for visitors to submit various messages. This prompted me to look at letter writing in light of the fact that most Americans use hand held devices to communicate as well as texting that forces users to abbreviate most words. Making this discovery was quite nice.

Letter writing traditions

The invention of inks paralleled the introduction of paper. The early Egyptians, Romans, Greeks and Hebrews used papyrus and parchment papers. One of the oldest pieces of writing on papyrus known to us today is the Egyptian "Prisse Papyrus" which dates back to 2000 B.C. The Romans created a reed-pen perfect for parchment and ink, from the hollow tubular-stems of marsh grasses, especially from the jointed bamboo plant. They converted bamboo stems into a primitive form of fountain pen. They cut one end into the form of a pen nib or point. A writing fluid or ink filled the stem, squeezing the reed forced fluid to the nib.

By 400 A.D. a stable form of ink developed, a composite of iron-salts, nutgalls and gum, the basic formula, which was to remain in use for centuries. Its color when first applied to paper was a bluish-black, rapidly turning into a darker black and then over the years fading to the familiar dull brown color commonly seen in old documents. Wood-fiber paper was invented in China in 105 A.D. but it only became known about (due to Chinese secrecy) in Japan around 700 A.D. and brought to Spain by the Arabs in 711 A.D. Paper was not widely used throughout Europe until paper mills were built in the late 14th century.

The writing instrument that dominated for the longest period in history (over one-thousand years) was the quill pen. Introduced around 700 A.D., the quill is a pen made from a bird feather. The strongest quills were those taken from living birds in the spring from the five outer left wing feathers. The left wing was favored because the feathers curved outward and away when used by a right-handed writer. Goose feathers were most common; swan feathers were of a premium grade being scarcer and more expensive. For making fine lines, crow feathers were the best, and then came the feathers of the eagle, owl, hawk and turkey.

Quill pens lasted for only a week before it was necessary to replace them. There were other disadvantages associated with their use, including a lengthy preparation time. The early European writing parchments made from animal skins, required much scraping and cleaning. A lead and a ruler made margins. To sharpen the quill, the writer needed a special knife (origins of the term "pen-knife".) Beneath the writer's high-top desk was a coal stove, used to dry the ink as fast as possible.
Plant-fiber paper became the primary medium for writing after another dramatic invention took place: Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press with replaceable wooden or metal letters in 1436. Simpler kinds of printing e.g. stamps with names, used much earlier in China, did not find their way to Europe. During the centuries, many newer printing technologies were developed based on Gutenberg's printing machine e.g. offset printing.

Articles written by hand had resembled printed letters until scholars began to change the form of writing, using capitals and small letters, writing with more of a slant and connecting letters. Gradually writing became more suitable to the speed the new writing instruments permitted. The credit of inventing Italian 'running hand' or cursive handwriting with its Roman capitals and small letters, goes to Aldus Manutius of Venice, who departed from the old set forms in 1495 A.D. By the end of the 16th century, the old Roman capitals and Greek letterforms transformed into the twenty-six alphabet letters we know today, both for upper and lower-case letters.

When writers had both better inks and paper, and handwriting had developed into both an art form and an everyday occurrence, man's inventive nature once again turned to improving the writing instrument, leading to the development of the modern fountain pen.

Secret codes and Spy Writing during the American Revolution
British and American spies used secret codes and ciphers to disguise their communications. A cipher is when letters, symbols, or numbers are used in the place of real words. In order to decode a cipher, the recipient of the letter must have a key to know what the coded letters, symbols, or words really mean.
In the letters to the left, Benedict Arnold used a cipher to deliver his messages secretly to John André. The cipher's key was a standard published book, either Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England or Nathan Bailey's Dictionary. When Arnold composed his letters, he first found the word he wanted to write in the key. Instead of writing the word directly in the letter, he wrote down the page number, the line number, and the number of the word counting over from the left. Therefore, each secret word was represented by a series of three numbers. For example, the second word in the letter of July 12, 1780, is "293.9.7" which stands for "wrote." André explained these methods in a letter he wrote on May 10, 1779.
American spies also used this method. After some letters were captured in 1779 by the British, Benjamin Tallmadge created a code using Entick's Dictionary for the Culper Gang.
Arnold and André also used other sneaky ways to hide the real content of their letters. Arnold and André pretended to be merchants. Arnold deliberately did not disguise some words with the cipher so that the letters seemed to be about normal business transactions. Anyone who intercepted these letters would see such business language and think the letters were part of routine commercial deals.
Civil War writing

One of the many treasures from the American Civil War is the vast amount of personal writings that have survived. There are literally thousands of personal letters and journals are still available today for study. These personal accounts help add a tremendous amount of depth to the core material. It is one thing to read about a battle, it is totally another to see it through the eyes of the soldiers that fought and died in it.

Paper was a valuable commodity to soldiers. Many letters in the Civil War collection have additional writing in the margins or have a torn section after the signature. This was probably done to save the unused portion for another purpose. There are letters that have been written on twice, once in a normal left-to-right horizontal pattern and again with the paper having been turned 90°.

Often, letters are meant to be for one person or a particular set of individuals -- a family, a group of friends. The reception of a letter was an event shared by all. One correspondent addresses his letters to "Dear friends" or to multiple family members. Not only was this to save paper, but to insure that those who were illiterate had the chance to "read" the letter.

With all of the hardships of battle, mail delivery continued to exist in the United States during the Civil War. Although channels of communication between the battlefield and home remained tenuous, the mail that did get through was readily welcomed on both sides. As one soldier wrote to his sister and brother-in-law in February 1863, "I sit myself upon my folded blankets with my portfolio upon my knee to pen a few lines in answer to a more than welcome letter just recd. from your hand & which I haste a reply."

WEST HARLEM ART FUND & THE CITY COLLEGE OF NEW YORK WILL SPONSOR A PANEL DISCUSSION ON PUBLIC ART & ITS IMPACT

2009-11-06T06:54:00.000-08:00

The West Harlem Art Fund, Inc.
www.myharlem.org/ 212-690-0867

Myrah Brown Green, Ph.D./The City College of New York
212-650-8836

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

West Harlem, NY….On Tuesday, December 1st 2009 a prestigious panel of artists and art historian will dialogue together about the future of public art in New York City. Beginning with a reception at 4 p.m. at the Library Gallery of the North Academic Center Building at City College, visitors will also be able to review student proposals from the MFA Program in Studio Art for sculpture installations in historic St. Nicholas Park scheduled for next spring.

Featured panelists include: Chakaia Booker, Colin Chase, Harriet Senie and Sandy Winters. The panel will be moderated by Executive Director, Savona Bailey-McClain of the West Harlem Art Fund, Inc.

As the City of New York explores ways to broaden economic opportunities on multiple fronts, the “fine arts” are finally being recognized as an important industry cluster with quantifiable products and needed services. The benefits of this marketing, production and packaging can best be analyzed from The Gates exhibition in New York City. Artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude made millions for the City of New York. Thousands of visitors swarmed the city, hotels were booked to capacity, souvenirs, tours, publications and renderings were sold by the hundreds. But the artists also pushed New Yorkers to look at open spaces very differently with new purpose and meaning.

Panelists will explore how public art could help expand a necessary dialogue to help our city face new challenges like -- climate change, economic and commercial development, illiteracy and improved quality of life.

In addition to hearing the panelist, a short introduction will be made by Ms. Wendy Feur, Assistant Commissioner for Urban Design & Art for NYC Department of Transportation who will share her agency’s initiative on this front.

For further information contact: Myrah Brown Green, Ph.D., Distinguished Lecturer of Art & Arts Advisor to the Dean, Divisions of Humanities or the West Harlem Art Fund, Inc.
& the Arts
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Tea Lights

2009-10-27T03:06:00.000-07:00

I am very impressed with Canadian artist Amanda Arcuri. Her photographs are absolutely wonderful. The way she integrates nature and man element to make us stop and appreciate what we have on this earth is a gift. I love the photos that uses lights. Forest Tea Lights which is apart of the Presence in Absence series. Just stunning work. Her website is simply http://www.amandaarcuri.com/. I highly recommend that folks check her works out. Maybe I am biased because I am a gardener. From a child, I loved putting my hands in dirt. While my sisters screamed, I got excited when I saw a worm. Worms are always a positive sign. Many people are so disconnected to the nurturing side of life. I will devote some time in sharing what I love about nature with others. One voice. one spirit, one dream can make a difference.

WE GOT AN UPGRADE

2009-10-19T19:41:00.000-07:00

Our digital projection will be at the Pearl Street Triangle at the intersection of Pearl, Front and Water Streets

BRIDGING STONE FIGURES INSTALLATION WILL FEATURE CABARET MUSIC AT THE MANHATTAN BRIDGE

2009-10-19T19:17:00.000-07:00

The West Harlem Art Fund, Inc.
http://www.myharlem.org/ / 212-690-0867

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WEST HARLEM/DUMBO … A collaborative mixed-media installation that will spotlight the art work of French artist Patrick Singh, curator Savona Bailey-McClain, photographer Brenna McLaughlin, ALSO PLUS Technical Services and Queen Esther will take place at intersection of Jay and Sand Street at the foot of the Manhattan Bridge.

Queen Esther & The Hot Five – is a collective of New York City's finest jazz musicians that play intimate reconfigurations of rare all-American standards while creating original modern classics
This group is the brainchild of Queen Esther, a multi-disciplinary artist. Her work as a vocalist, lyricist, songwriter and actor/solo performer and playwright has led to creative collaborations in neo-vaudeville, alternative theater, various alt-rock configurations, (neo) swing bands, trip hop DJs, spoken word performances, jazz combos, jam bands, various blues configurations, original Off Broadway plays and musicals, experimental music/art noise and performance art.
As a featured actor in Bravo TV's documentary series The It Factor, an AUDELCO award-nominated star of George C. Wolfe's Harlem Song, and the Grand Prize winner of the 2008 Jazzmobile Vocal Competition, Queen Esther continues to create solo performance art as well as self-released original music while thriving in ongoing creative partnerships in jazz.
The collective of musicians are under constant rotation and include any five of the following players:

J. Walter Hawkes (ukulele, trombone, vox)
James Zollar (trumpet)
Patience Higgins (saxophone)
Vincent Chancey (french horn)
Matt Ray (piano, vox)
Jeff Lee Johnson (guitar)
Marvin Sewell (guitar)
Andrew Hall (bass)
Doug Largent (bass)
Hilliard Green (bass)
Warren Smith (drums, vibes)

According to Savona Bailey-McClain, Executive Director of the West Harlem Fund, Inc. and curator of the installation, “This is a great opportunity for everyone involved. We are so pleased that we are able to project onto the stone base of the Manhattan Bridge.”
This installation is done in cooperation with the Urban Art Program with the NYC Department of Transportation and the DUMBO Business Improvement District.
For more info on Queen Esther and The Hot Five visit: http://www.queen-esther.com/

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DIGITAL IMAGERY AND MUSIC LIGHTS UP THE MANHATTAN BRIDGE IN DUMBO

2009-10-19T19:11:00.000-07:00

The West Harlem Art Fund, Inc.
www.myharlem.org/ 212-690-0867

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

West Harlem/DUMBO/New York City… In celebration of the centennial of the Manhattan Bridge -- On Saturday, October 24, 2009 along Pearl, Water and Front Streets in Brooklyn, provocative images by visual artist Patrick Singh will be projected on the buttress wall of the Manhattan Bridge. Since 1997, Singh’s career has been punctuated by international exhibitions – collective and individual – along with artistic residencies throughout Europe, South America and Asia. Singh’s work is exhibited in multiple collections, including the Anne Cros Gallery in France.

His visions come to life under his brush without using models. Sudden appearances resulting from his intercultural journeys, which have impregnated him with indelible words, mental photographs, feelings of torment ….

The West Harlem Art Fund in partnership with ALSO PLUS (Lighting/Sound/Projection) and guest photographer Brenna McLaughlin are projecting Mr. Singh’s works in an interactive installation onto the Manhattan Bridge in DUMBO. There will be almost fifty images shown in this one-night outdoor exhibition. Original music will be provided by Queen Esther & the Hot Five.

The West Harlem Art Fund, Inc. (WHAF) has presented six outdoor sculptural works and three digital projections in partnership with the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation and the New York City Department of Transportation’s Urban Art Program. WHAF has also sponsored over 40 individual artist exhibitions, concerts, theatrical events and historical re-enactments.

ALSO + (Aacappella Light, Sound, Organization Plus Inc.) fills a cultural void in underserved areas of New York City. Our organization provides theater arts programs to diverse populations around the city; engages in all aspects of training in production and stage crafts; sponsors internships to children and young adults and maintains a cultural center that encourages everyone to bring the arts into everyday life.

Photographer Brenna Marie McLaughlin attended art school at the Columbia College in Chicago, Illinois. Brenna then went on to the University of Pennsylvania receiving her Master’s degree. She now is advancing her career in arts education and teaches at the Harlem School of the Arts. Originally from New Jersey, Brenna now lives in Brooklyn.

Queen Esther & The Hot Five is a collective of New York City’s finest jazz musicians that play intimate reconfigurations of rare all-American standards while creating original modern classics.

Executive Director Savona Bailey-McClain is pleased to have pulled so many talented artists and creative professionals together for this ensemble installation.

Viewing will begin at 7 p.m.

Manhattan Bridge Fast Facts
Type of bridge: Suspension
Construction started: October 1, 1901
Opened to traffic: December 31, 1909
Length of main span: 1,470 ft.
Total length of bridge including approaches: 6,855 ft.
Location: Connects Flatbush Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn with Canal Street in Chinatown
Clearance at center above mean high water: 135 ft.
Diameter of each of the four main cables: 21.25 ins.
Length of each of the four main cables: 3,224 ft.
Cost of original structure: $31,000,000

History
The Manhattan Bridge is a two-decked suspension bridge that carries automobile, subway and pedestrian traffic over the East River. It connects Flatbush Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn with Canal Street in Chinatown, Manhattan. Because it was conceived after the Brooklyn and Williamsburg Bridges, it was called Bridge No. 3 in its planning phase. The bridge is distinguished by an elaborate stone portal and plaza at its Manhattan end.

The Manhattan Bridge has had a troubled existence from its birth. Hoping to relieve the enormous traffic over the Brooklyn Bridge, Gustov Lindenthal, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Bridges, proposed a steel wire suspension bridge over the East River in 1901. When this design was rejected for aesthetic reasons, Lindenthal came back with much debated plans for another version that featured four main cables made from chains of eye-bars, not steel wire. (Eye bars are flat 10-foot lengths of nickel-steel joined at their ends by steel pins. The arrangement is similar to a bicycle chain.) The cables were to be held aloft by two thin-profile steel towers.

A new mayor who came into office in 1904 appointed a new bridge commissioner, who, in turn, opted for another design, this one by Leon Moiseeiff. The new plan, also a suspension bridge, retained Lindenthal’s thin-profile towers, but rejected the eye-bar chain in favor of steel wire. Most crucial, Moisieff’s overall design relied on an experimental new bridge engineering principle called deflection theory. This theory held that the inherent structure of suspension bridges makes them stronger than was originally supposed; consequently, they did not require massive stiffening trusses like those used, for example, on the Williamsburg Bridge. Deflection theory would not be fully perfected for decades, and as a result, the Manhattan Bridge was, essentially, underbuilt.

Compounding the problem, Moisseiff placed the subway and streetcar lines -- the streetcar tracks were replaced with auto lanes in the 1940s -- on the outer edges of the roadway. The heavy moving loads of the trains put a twisting strain on the lightly reinforced deck, resulting in unending maintenance headaches. To correct the problems for good, a long-term reconstruction of the Manhattan Bridge was begun in the 1980s that has only recently ended, in 2007.
The Manhattan Bridge originally featured two of the most impressive entranceways of any New York City bridge. A stone archway styled after the Porte St. Denis in Paris and designed by of Carrere and Hastings (the architectural firm that designed the New York Public Library building) still serves as the Manhattan-side portal. The somewhat less grand Brooklyn approach, which included two statues by Daniel Chester French – allegorical figures of Brooklyn and Manhattan – was dismantled in the 1960s to facilitate traffic movement. The statues were moved to the Brooklyn Museum.

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Lingerie, Burlesque & Cocktails---N Harlem!!

2009-02-10T14:49:00.001-08:00

Folks are still buzzing about the evening of Thursday, February 5 th at
N Boutique. As one guest said "It is happening here in Harlem...right here on W 116th St...some folks don't realize this is what it's about and where it's at."

About 100 guests attended the Launch of Dirty Dolls Lingerie,
a line inspired by the vintage under-things worn by burlesque stars of the 1920s.

Dirty Dolls Lingerie is bringing glamour back into the everyday. The line offers hard-to-find bra sizes that most retailers do not carry. The bra size range starts at 30C and goes up to 44DDD, guaranteeing that voluptuous women from coast to coast will be able to enjoy fantastic, figure-enhancing brassieres.

The event took place at N Boutique—a stylishly designed bi-level 3500 sq ft. specialty mens/womens boutique that opened in 2006. N stands unparalled as the fresh, new face of retail in Harlem that is single-handedly creating a destination for upscale shopping in a community not known for high-end shopping. N carries top-shelf independent and emerging talent alongside established designers that have never had a presence in Harlem. Says co-owner Larry Ortiz, the buyer, “Who doesn’t love intimate apparel that’s pretty, sophisticated, inspired by the needs of real, contemporary women—and just a dash naughty!”

The highlight of the evening was the 20-minute burlesque show (introduced by Project Runway's Season 5 contestant Suede) by downtown performers The Incredible Akynos, Perl Noire-the Black Pearl, and Carmen Barika, who worked the the crowd into a frenzy as they sang, shook it, vamped, and stripped before a delighted guestlist of fashionable Harlemites, downtown hipsters, French tourists, black, white, gay, straight, corporate execs, creative types, and even two members of the clergy (!). Nuvo provided cocktails.

To get on the N Boutique email list and be among the first to know about new product arrivals, sales, and store events, send your email info to http://www.info@nharlemnewyork.com N Boutique: 114 W 116 St (7/Lenox Aves.) 212-961-1036 Mon closed, Tues 4-8, Wed 2-8, Thurs-Sat noon to 8, Sun noon to 8.

Digital Projections do work in Harlem

2009-02-09T16:55:00.000-08:00

Last November, WHAF painstakingly produced two projections on 12th Avenue and underneath the Riverside viaduct. Though stressful because film was used versus digital images , the impact was important. The art scene in Harlem has been limited to two dimensional art in a studio/gallery or performance art. We are trying to mix it up a bit and get folks to experience art as a part of everyday life. So, check out the image and tell us what we can do to push things forward even during these hard times.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uky9Dcjfp1c

Of Course He Inhaled

2009-02-09T01:07:00.000-08:00

Of Course He Inhaled

2009-01-28T07:58:00.001-08:00

The West Harlem is thrilled to have our new blog up and running. Daily we watch our economy falter with every new report on story in the papers or television. Yet, there is some room for optimism. If we continue to talk about good ideas and why they work, we just might be able to see a new America that is more accessible to everyone and not to the rich and powerful. This humbling experience might force more people to listen.

So, we look forward to our contributors sharing interesting tidbits and stories