* SB Advance Notices / Discounts
* Staten Buzz Site Search
Arts & Culture on Staten Island in NYC
September 2024 / Arts & Culture Staten Island NYC / Staten Island Neighborhoods / Staten Buzz NYC.
This section is dedicated to Arts & Culture section on Staten Buzz NYC.
Page Guide
How to Make the Most of This Section
1. The reports at the top of this section will contain suggestions of current Arts & Cultural things to do on Staten Island.
2. As things change seasonally, but also artistically and culturally, the reports that follow the current things to do, will either reflect reporting on current events or related events in the past.
3. The rest of this section will contain arts & culture reports done previously, which over time we'll organize into Arts, Dance, Music and Theater categories.
4. At the bottom of the page there will be links to these reports and many others, organized into the neighborhoods in which the event occurred.
5. The Staten Buzz website provides visitors with current news and a history of what has happened in Staten Island neighborhoods, generally based on events, issues, locales and sometimes personages. Use the BOOKMARK button at the top of your browser window, to facilitate your weekly visit to find out what's happening on Staten Island NYC.
Thanks for visiting and come back for our weekly & semi-weekly updates.
CLICK here to view our Arts & Culture on Staten Island in NYC section.
Staten Island Summer Theater - Free Summer Theater & Things To Do Staten Island NYC
Staten Island Free Summer Outdoor Theater 2024 SI NYC
Free Things To Do in the Staten Island - Free Summer Theater Park in NYC
July 14, 2024 / Staten Island Neighborhoods / Staten Island Things To Do / Staten Buzz NYC.
Summer is in full swing. A number of community groups, some in collaboration with the NYC Parks Department and oftentimes with some measure of government funding, have put together a summer full of free summer theater in the parks. The free theatre events listed below are designed for young and old alike and they're FREE.
Editor's Note - ONLY ASTERISKED events have been updated to 2024. Pay attention to the performance dates / years. We will be updating / adding this summer theater report through the summer into September, so check back periodically for updates which you can note by the date changing above.
Other Free Things To Do on Staten Island 2024
UPDATE COMING 1ST HALF JULY 2024
Free Theater / Plays in the Park on Staten Island. Click here to view our report on free summer outdoor theater on Staten Island.
Free Summer Movies on Staten Island. Click here to view our report on free movies in the park - summer outdoor movies on Staten Island.
Music / Concerts in the Park on Staten Island. Click here to view our report on free summer concerts on Staten Island.
Current Staten Island Things To Do. Click the header above to view a listing of current Staten Island things to do.
- CLICK HERE to continue to FREE Things to do / Free Summer Theater on Staten Island NYC 2024.
Staten Island Summer Concerts - Free Summer Concerts & Things To Do SI NYC
Staten Island - Free & a Few Paid Summer Concerts 2024
Free Things To Do on Staten Island NYC
July 6, 2024 / Staten Island Neighborhoods / Staten Island Free Summer Outdoor Concerts NYC / Staten Buzz NYC.
Summer has begun. A number of community groups in collaboration with the NYC Parks Department and frequently with some measure of various levels of government funding, have put together a summer full of films and free summer concerts in the parks. The free concerts listed below are designed for young and old alike and they're FREE.
SI SUMMER CONCERTS UPDATE - The Sounds of Summer Concerts sponsored by the Staten Island Borough President's Office will be returning this year [2024]. They made the announcement July 3, 2024 and hwe have just received details.
Contact. For details see - https://www.facebook.com/SIBPVito/ or https://www.statenislandusa.com/
- CLICK HERE to continue to FREE Things to do / Free Summer Concerts on Staten Island NYC.
Staten Island Summer Movies - Free Summer Movies & Things To Do SI NYC
Staten Island - Free Summer Movies 2023
Free Things To Do on Staten Island - Free Summer Movies in NYC Parks
June 20, 2023 /Staten Island Neighborhoods / Staten Island Free Summer Outdoor Movies NYC / Staten Buzz NYC.
UPDATE COMING NEXT WEEK.
Summer is in full swing. A number of community groups in collaboration with the NYC Parks Department and frequently some measure of government funding, have put together a summer full of free summer movies in the parks. The free movie events listed below are designed for young and old alike and they're FREE.
We'll continue to add to this listing of free movies in the park on Staten Island as we become aware of them.
-
Free Summer Movies on Staten Island
- Click here to view our report on free movies in the park - summer outdoor movies on Staten Island.
-
Free Theater / Plays in the Park on Staten Island
- Click here to view our report on free summer outdoor theater on Staten Island.
-
Music / Concerts in the Park on Staten Island
- Click here to view our report on free summer concerts on Staten Island.
-
Free Things To Do on Staten Island
- Current Staten Island Things To Do. Click here to view a listing of current Staten Island things to do.
- CLICK HERE to continue to FREE Things to do / Free Summer Movies on Staten Island NYC.
Snug Harbor Fence Show on Staten Island
69th Annual Art Show Organized by the Staten Island Museum
October 1, 2019 / Randall Manor Neighborhood Staten Island / Things to do on Staten Island / Staten Buzz NYC.
I attended the 69th Annual Snug Harbor Fence Show on Staten Island on Saturday. The show included about 150 exhibiting artists, primarily from Staten Island, but also neighboring NYC boroughs and New Jersey. There were food and beverage vendors, an accomplished jazz group - the Musical Chairs Chamber Ensemble - as well as plenty of interesting artworks that ranged from ceramics, to clothing and jewelry, to all sorts of art on canvass and other materials. The crowd the show attracted was also an eclectic group of art lovers, art exhibitors and curious Staten Islanders [it's free admission]. See video to take in a couple of minutes of the ambiance of the show.
Casa Belvedere and the Festa & Motori D'Italia
9th Annual Festa & Motori D'Italia Keeps the Engine Running on All Cylinders
September 23, 2019 / Grymes Hill Neighborhood Staten Island / Things to do on Staten Island / Staten Buzz NYC.
I attended the Festa & Motori D'Italia at the Italian Cultural Foundation at Casa Belvedere on Staten Island. The following video captures most of what I experienced - save for the delicious aromas floating in the air.
Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art on Staten Island
The Jacques Marchais Museum is Home to an Eclectic Art Collection
August 22, 2019 / Lighthouse Hill Neighborhood SI / Art & Culture Staten Island / Staten Buzz NYC.
A couple of weeks ago I visited the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art. It's located in the Lighthouse Hill neighborhood on Staten Island, which isn't far from Historic Richmond Town. Historic Richmond Town is a popular destination that puts on a number of public programs, so it's easy to include the Jacques Marchais Musem as a second destination if you're interested in Tibetan culture and art.
Ironically Jacques Marchais never visited Tibet, but she was an avid art dealer / collector, and over time she developed a collection of Tibetan art and culture in her art dealings. So much so, that when I had an opportunity to visit, I was struck by the resemblance to the some of the architecture and feeling of being there, as it reminded me of a month long trek I had done in Nepal many years ago.
We'll have more on this interesting destination on Staten Island over time. Stay tuned. Om.
Article 147
Staten Island Holidays & Staten Island Parades - Holiday Events & Things To Do SI NYC
Holidays & Parades on Staten Island in NYC
September 2024 / Holidays & Parades on Staten Island NYC / Staten Island Neighborhoods / Staten Buzz NYC.
This section is dedicated to the Holidays & Parades section on Staten Island NYC.
How to Make the Most of This Section
The reports at the top of the page will reflect the most recent - OR MOST RELEVANT - which sometimes are reports we did a while ago, that continue to have particular relevance / resonance for the current period. Below that are archived reports which we will rotate, again based on their relevancy. Please be patient as it may take a while for us to get this working the way we want. But be assured, we'll do our best to eventually get there.
CLICK here to view our Staten Island Holidays & Parades NYC section.
Staten Island Neighborhoods - Staten Island NYC
Staten Island Neighborhoods SI NYC
September 2024 / Staten Island Neighborhoods NYC / Staten Island Neighborhoods / Staten Buzz NYC.
This section is dedicated to the Neighborhoods section on Staten Buzz NYC.
CLICK here to view our Staten Island Neighborhoods NYC section.
The Road Ahead 2024
A Few Axioms To Keep In Mind Throughout The New Year
December 31, 2024 / Staten Island Neighborhoods / Holidays / Staten Buzz NYC.
For all of us, tomorrow starts the beginning of the new year.
I usedto make new years resolutions that generally lasted a few days or few weeks. Over time I've given that up and have focused on a few guiding principles that I work toward throughout the year, every year.
1. The first guidepost is to keep things as simple as possible by letting things go, so you can change and evolve who you are. Over time it's important to learn to let go of the past which includes letting many of the people, projects and things - once so meaningful and relevant - to fade away with time. This process involves discarding much of what one collects, in order to open up space in your life to make room for new possibilities.
2. The second guidepost is to take care of the vessel that carries one's being - meaning take care of your body because it's the only one you'll ever get, and it has to last an entire lifetime. This means consuming the foods that will enable the body to function properly and ward off disease, while recognizing that satisfying the mind is important too, as it's a part of the body. There are three elements to this guideline.
a _ Try to maximize consumption of natural foods while managing / minimalizing consumption of the delicious processed foods that come in packages. Read package container nutrition labels which indicate the amount of fat, sugar, sodium andcholesterol consumed per serving. You can manage the balance of natural and processed foods depending on what's going on in life, meaning leaning toward natural foods to take care of the body, and leaning toward tasty processed foods to treat your mind.
b _ Reduce consumption of toxins by first paying attention to the quantities consumed of them, and then by substituting the toxins with healthier choices. For example dilute a soft drink with seltzer water [cuts sugar], or swap in a lemonade for a beer [cuts alcohol], or swap in pretzels for potato chips [cuts salt and fat]. Over the years these little substitutions can add up to some fair measure of weight loss or stability, and can aid in maintaining generally good health. But it's also important not to deprive oneself, too much, of some of the simple pleasures in life that keep one going - experience tells us not to be too draconian, or you can expect a subconscious rebellion, and then your program doesn't work.
c _ The third element of this guidepost is to try to walk and bike whenever possible. It's a good way to kill two birds with one stone, as it enables getting somewhere, while also getting some exercise. And be sure to carve out enough time each night, for a proper rest.
3. The third guidepost is to try to move your life in the direction of your interests. This will likely take a great many years, as well as needing to make a good number of economic and other lifestyle trade offs. But if successful, you can then spend most of your time doing the things that totally engage you. It's said that "when someone is doing something they truly love, they'll never have to work another day in their life."
4. The fourth guidepost is to keep on learning, because "luck is when preparation meets opportunity". So the more you learn, and the more experience you get, the better prepared you'll be ... come what may.
May your new year be filled with promise and possibilities. Best wishes for a happy and successful 2019.
Table of Silence Transcends 911
Lincoln Center Dance Commemoration Transcends Hate through Love
September 11, 2017 / Modern Dance Manhattan / Manhattan Buzz NYC.
This morning at 8.15 am over one hundred dancers began a spiritual commemoration of the events of 911 with a modern dance performance in the main plaza at Lincoln Center on the Upper West Side. This was the seventh year of the performance, and its meaning seems to grow - rather than diminish - with time. It's about the classic and timeless struggle, between giving into hate, or striving to love.
The dancers were all dressed in white, and they created a resplendent symmetry mimicking nature's own. The performance was accompanied by a bit of minimalist music - originating from a beating drum, the air passing through a conch shell, and the human vocal cords.
The dancers transformed the plaza at Lincoln Center into a table, with the bountiful water fountain in the middle. Plates appeared, signifying the sharing of a feast ... a spiritual feast ... a prayer for all humanity.
We feel a heavenly sharing of being together, in a single place, at a single time. It's a solemn place, a sagely peace, a peace with each other, a peace within, and a peace with all the world ... even as the world continues to swirl around us, as does the NYC traffic ... but we remain centered ... as one.
At exactly 8.46 am the performance stops. All is still in Lincoln Center Plaza as we observe a minute of silence together. It's a silence within, as we are surrounded by the ambient noise of the city during rush hour. Sixteen years ago at 8.46 am the second of two planes struck the World Trade Center wreaking havoc. Taking lives. Creating chaos.
Cleansed of hate and vengeance - we depart to go on with our days. We have defeated the terrorists, by not giving into their desire for an endless cycle of violence and hate.
Comic Con at Javits Center
12th Annual Comic Con Attracts Record Attendance
October 7, 2017 / NYC Neighborhoods & Boroughs / Holidays in NYC / Gotham Buzz NYC.
I attended the twelfth annual Comic Con Javits Center in Midtown Manhattan on Sunday. The weekend long event starts Thursday and celebrates the fictional comic characters primarily created in the U.S.
Comic Con has become a sort of pre-Halloween celebration, wherein families with kids and adults who continue to nurture the creative child inside, come out in full bloom as you can see in the photo at right depicting a couple of super heroines.
Tickets generally sell out before the event, so you should start looking in late August or early September. The show is generally the first weekend in October at the Javits Center. In 2017 185,000 people reportedly attended the show. Foto 2016.
Architectural Digest Design Show
Provides Vignettes of Living Lovely at Piers 92 & 94
March 21, 2016 / Midtown West Neighborhood / Upper West Side Neighborhood / Fashion & Film NYC / Gotham Buzz NYC _ D.
I attended the Architectural Digest Design Show on Piers 92 & 94 on Thursday afternoon. The show ran through last weekend, providing the public with an opportunity to see the latest and greatest in urban living design and technology.
The show spanned both Piers and included sections dedicated to kitchen, bath, living and dining areas of the home and with a little imagination, possibly the office as well.
The show was well attended by designers, manufacturers, the media, salespeople, buyers and browsers. And the mood seemed buoyant.
Click here to read the rest of our report on the Architectural Digest Design Show incuding the DIFFA on Pier 92.
Article 1348
Man in Profile: Joseph Mitchell of The New Yorker
Columbia School of Journalism Dean Coll Moderates Conversation with Authors Gay Talese & Thomas Kunkel
January 18, 2016 / Upper West Side Neighborhood / Manhattan History / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz.
I received an invitation to attend a conversation at the Columbia School of Journalism about a new book covering the professional life of one of the most prominent writers of The New Yorker magazine. The Columbia University School of Journalism is easily one of the most prestigious journalism schools in the nation; and Columbia also hosts the judging for the Pulitzer Prize, which is considered one of the highest awards a journalist or author can receive.
It was a fairly warm October evening as I made my way north on the subway along the Upper West Side. I got off at 116th Street and walked east through the main campus to the Faculty House. The Faculty House sits atop the Morningside Heights ridge overlooking Harlem, the Upper West Side and the rest of Manhattan.
The entrance into the Faculty House was from an interior courtyard where Columbia University students were hanging around in casual conversations. Once inside, I was directed to an upper floor where the event was being held.
Seated at the head of the room was Gay Talese, a Pulitzer Prize winner and author of numerous books including The Kingdom & The Power. He was in the company of the Dean of the Columbia School of Journalism, Steve Coll, who is also a Pulitzer Prize-winning author having penned several tomes about issues in Asia, most notably the Middle East. And of course, there was the guest author of the evening, Thomas Kunkel, who is the President of St. Norbert College in Wisconsin and who had penned the book being discussed this evening entitled Man in Profile: Joseph Mitchell of The New Yorker.
Click here to read the rest of our report regarding a conversation about the recently published book Man in Profile: Joseph Mitchell of The New Yorker at the Columbia School of Journalism.
Designing for Quality Retail & Community Use
Design Trust Unveils 'Laying the Groundwork' at the Center for Architecture
March 1, 2016 / Village NYC / NYC Building Design Issues / Gotham Buzz NYC _ D.
I had an opportunity to attend the introductory presentation of 'Laying the Groundwork', which was heralded as a seminal document put together under the auspices of the Design Trust in Manhattan. The event was held at the Center for Architecture at 536 LaGuardia Place, just south of Washington Square Park.
The Design Trust was founded in 1995 by Andrea Woodner, the daughter of Ian Woodner who founded the Jonathan Woodner Company, which Ian named after his son Jonathan - Andrea's brother. The company was renamed Woodner and is a diversified real estate management [2,500 units] and development company in the Washington, D.C. and New York metro markets.
Andrea was first and foremost a sculptor. She later obtained a Masters Degree in Architecture from Columbia University and then went on to found the Design Trust with the intent to fuse the expertise of designers with the use of public space. She defined public space as "anywhere you don't need a key to get into". Andrea stepped down earlier this year as the Board President of Design Trust and was replaced by Eric Rothman, President of HR & A Advisors, a consulting firm.
The thrust of Design Trust has been to marry private design work with the development of public space to create win / win situations. The following is a summary of some of their most significant achievements since the organization was founded.
We'll post more at a later date.
Article 1361
In Search Of A Civilization Lost By Mass Media
LaGuardia College Performing Arts Center Uses Theater & Art To Stimulate Cross Cultural Community Conversation
February 9, 2015 / Queens Theater & Arts / Art & Theater in NYC / Gotham Buzz NYC.
It was nearing sunset on Saturday evening as I made my way through a beautifully quiet Flushing Meadows Corona Park. The clean white snow glistened gently in the fading light, and the leafless trees along the road provided what felt like an ancient natural cathedral.
I checked in at the admissions desk and made my way to the second floor of the Queens Museum. The Queens Museum was once the home to the United Nations and hence provided the perfect context for this community conversational performance. The floor to ceiling windows looked out onto the landmarked Unisphere which emanated a universal vibe. In the long wide hallway a crowd was engaged in clustered conversations following the conclusion of four performances shown that afternoon. I had seen the performances at an event earlier in the season.
I began talking to Tasneem, a member of the audience who is shown in the photo at right standing alongside a photo taken by a friend of hers who is shown in the photo. Tasneem came fromJordan twelve years ago, only two years after 911. She said that it's important for the general populace of Muslims to stop being afraid of showing they're Muslim, because otherwise New Yorkers and the rest of America will be left with the picture of Islam as depicted by a few extremists which is amplified and continually repeated by the American mass media.
I couldn't deny it. It seems American television stations, radio stations, newspapers and magazines are obsessed with providing the Islamic terrorists all the publicity they want.
But here, tonight, in the Queens Museum; I would not see any of the faces shown by our mass media. I would see only the faces of everyday Islamic New Yorkers who generally receive no publicity at all. Muslims who hail from dozens of cultures around the world. And there wasn't a single terrorist among them. Hence - and likely not coincidentally - there also wasn't a single mass medium reporter covering this event.
Tasneem told me how she, like many other American Muslims, fears showing she's Muslim because of the stereotypes created by the terrorists and perpetuated and blown up by the American mass media. The notion of a silent majority came to mind.
It occurred to me that the gore of the Islamic extremists must be good for tabloids and TV ratings. And I pondered what it must feel like to be stereotyped by this relentless, distorted depiction of one's culture and people. Andy Warhol's characterization of the mass production of images came to mind.
I thought about what it would be like if I lived somewhere else in the world where the nation's media mass produced stereotypes of Americans, depicting us as murderers, rapists and thieves. That could easily be done if a nation's media decided to portray Americans by solely covering the 5.6 million violent crimes and the 17.1 million property crimes that took place in this country in 2011 alone [source: Wikipedia / Bureau of Justice Statistics]. That just wouldn't be right ... would it?
And yet, it seems that this is exactly what's been happening to Muslims in America, because of the unbalanced coverage of Islam by the big American mass media companies. The TV and newspaper tabloids make a living by sensationalizing - spinning things out of context - but aren't the real journalists supposed to provide perspective by putting things back in context?
This seems generally not to have been done.
And so the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center applied for and received a grant to begin such an effort. An effort to provide exposure to the lives and contributions of the other billion Muslims who go peacefully and productively about their lives each day, just like most of the rest of us. An effort to create a community conversant with a deeper and broader understanding of a millenial and centuries old culture that is embedded in the lives of over a billion people on the planet. People who live in dozens of nations around the globe, and none of whom are terrorists - and hence generally not represented in the American mass media.
I met American born Charles Bernett of Rego Park who had traveled to Cairo in 1979. Thirty-five years ago he was about to embark on his second trip through Africa ... [see photo at right].
The LaGuardia Performing Arts Center exploratory, year-long, theater and arts, cultural endeavor entitled Beyond Sacred: Unthinking Muslim Identity, more of which you can find on our Queens Buzz website. Click here for a related piece done around the same time about Art & Theater in NYC: Exploring Islamic / Muslim identity in America.
Article 1390
Epitaph To An Era: Whitewash In LIC
Long Island City Loses A Bit Of Its Heart & Soul
Jeffrey Leder Art Gallery Showcases Demise Of 5 Pointz Through Artwork Of Its Circle Of Graffiti Artists
April 5, 2014 / Long Island City LIC / NYC Art & Artists / Gotham Buzz NYC.
Saturday evening I made my way into Long Island City to attend the opening night of the Whitewash art exhibit at the Jeffrey Leder Gallery. Whitewash is an exhibit of the art works of a collection of the 5 Pointz graffiti artists. These artists recently lost their artistic and spiritual home - the 5 Pointz building in LIC - and the exhibit opening was part funerary rites and celebration of a new beginning. The photo to your right shows one of the paintings on exhibit at the Whitewash art exhibit at the Jeffrey Leder Gallery in LIC.
As I got off the #7 train, I decided to swing by the building to witness its whitewashed walls. I took a couple of photos of them, recalling prior visits to the outdoor art gallery, where every five to ten feet, in vivid living color, one could witness the creation of a local graffiti artist. The outdoor gallery exhibits would change, piece by piece, week by week, month by month and year by year. There always seemed to be a few artists working the walls. The 5 Pointz building is southeast of the Court Square subway stop, and for drivers it's just across from PS1 MoMA on Jackson Avenue between Crane & Davis Streets.
As I shot photos of the walls and loading dock area, I could still see in my mind, the outdoor parties of the past. I recalled the art exhibits that had been thrown over the years, with music emanating from somewhere. Intellectually we all know it was within the building owner's rights to whitewash his own building. And it isn't hard for anyone to understand why the building owner would want to reap a huge profit by razing the building and erecting a new structure from which the cash will flow. I reckoned we were lucky to have had the years we had, to enjoy the beauty and the beat of the graffiti on the street, seen from the windows of the subway train as it snaked its way through LIC.
So with these thoughts, I headed onto 45th Road, to the Jeffrey Leder art gallery to witness and participate in the Whitewash art exhibit opening night reception. Click here to read our report about Whitewash art exhibit / 5 Pointz in LIC. NYC Art & Artists NYC.
Frieze Art Fair NYC - Randall's Island
Fun Fair Attracts Artists, Friendly Financiers & Fashionistas
May 12, 2014 / Randall's Island Manhattan / Music in NYC / Gotham Buzz NYC.
The Third Annual Frieze Art Fair turned out to be ... in a word ... FUN.
It was held on Randall's Island, which once one makes the effort, turns out to be an easy and enjoyable get-away from the din of the big city. Traffic thins out and slows down, and one can again see the horizon. With the NYC skyline in the background and the East River water slowly flowing on by, the locale almost seems idyllic.
Inside the white tented structure, complete with flowing ribbons and a lofty airy vaulted ceiling, there were literally tons of people milling about. But the fair managers had done a good job of figuring out how to comfortably accommodate the 8,000 people who passed through daily [except Saturday due to rain].
The fair easily encompassed enough space to hold one or more football fields. The structure was designed as a rectangle with four quadrants. And where the quadrants met, there was a cafe / rest area / and outdoor patio space.
We'll post more at a later date including a photo slide show of the 2014 Frieze Art Fair in NYC.
NYC Related Links
Click this link for promotions, discounts and coupons in NYC.
Site Search Tips $element(bwcore,insert_search,N)$
Click for NYC Neighborhoods NYC.
Or send this story to a friend by filling in the appropriate box below.