THE FORWARDIAN GAZETTE January 2025
Let’s Go Forwardian Together Welcome to the first issue of The Forwardian Gazette which is the newsletter for The Forwardian Arts Society. As you may know, The Forwardian Arts Society is a fellowship for people who love the arts sharing a desire to encourage, support, and love individuals and groups as they go forward toward their art related experiences. We thank you for your desire to receive our newsletter which is offered free to members of our fellowship. If you haven’t done so already, please check out our website at forwardianarts.org to learn more about The Forwardian Arts Society and what our members receive when they join. Oh, and along with The Forwardian Gazette, membership in The Forwardian Arts Society is free as well. All you need to have in order to join is a love for the arts and a desire to be a part of our fellowship. In this issue, we’ll share with you some events we attended during the month of December 2024. We hope to publish a listing of events that will be presented by various venues and organizations in future issues. We will also share news about what we’ve been up to and what we’re hoping to be up to in the near future. With that said, we’ve been working on our website. We still have a lot of work to do but we hope we always will as we never want to miss an opportunity to improve on what we do. We’ve also been working on our Facebook Page from which we created several facebook groups. Some are related to the performing and literary arts as well as to the art of photography while other groups were created to enhance The Forwardian Arts Society’s abilities to grow as a fellowship and to help other art related groups and organizations realize their purpose and dreams. We’re creating new groups all the time so, if there isn’t a group that reflects your interests, we’re sure there’ll soon be one. So, what are we planning to do? Well, a lot. This includes curating art exhibitions, hosting film festivals, and so on. But for 2025, we hope to continue publishing The Forwardian Gazette along with The Forwardian Arts Magazine which we hope to publish in April 2025. We are planning to hold a series of Salons which art lovers can gather and share conversations about their love for the arts. We’re also hoping to organize an art networking and panel discussion event in which other art related groups and organizations can share who they are and what they do to demonstrate their love for the arts with an interested audience. Well, that’s enough for this issue of The Forwardian Gazette. Thank you for reading this. We look forward to sending you our February 2025 issue and we’ll keep a good thought for you until then.
Dancing in The Center of Art
The Fusia Center for the Arts celebrated the Grand Opening of their new space at 40 North 2nd St. in Stroudsburg, PA with their first Fusia Community Day on Sunday December 8th. A huge gathering of those who love the art of dance converged upon the school’s new facility in order to partake in the performances given by The Fusia Dance Company, Drye/Marinaro (DM) Dance Company, and In2YouArts. Variety of vendors met the crowd as they entered its thresholds and excited conversations who anticipated the wonders of the day filled the downstairs area of the building. It was during this time when the announcement was made that the performances were about to begin in the upstairs studio. A mass exodus ascended the stairway leading some to miraculously find a seat while others stood wherever they could obtain a vantage point to observe the performances. In either case, an enthusiastic joy filled the area which was heightened when the Center’s Owner and Artistic Director, Francesca Marinaro, and the Owner and Director of In2YouArts, Adriana Stigliano Beers, shared some welcoming remarks with the gathering and introduced the first performance of the afternoon.
A dance number of the In2YouArts’ upcoming production of “The Wedding Singer: The Musical Comedy” filled the performance area and proved to be an amusing beginning to all the performances that were yet to come. Other dance performances were presented by In2YouArts as well as those given by The Fusia and Drye/Marinaro (DM) Dance Companies. The age of the dancers ranged from that of young children and adolescents to adults. The enchanting stylings of the dances were varied as well as their choreography delighted the audience with every movement they made. The afternoon’s performances concluded with a curtain call for the dancers, choreographers, and instructors whose skills and talents made the afternoon a wonderful experience for all who attended. An invitation was issued to partake of the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony with Senator Rosemary Brown of the 40th Commonwealth of PA Senatorial District who represents Lackawanna, Monroe, and Wayne Counties and PA House Representative Tarah Probst of the 189th District who represents Monroe and Pike counties. The celebratory mood of the day was greatly enhanced by the ceremony as success in The Fusia Center for the Arts’ future endeavors were communally shared by all who were present for the Grand Opening. You can learn more about The Fusia Center for the Arts by visiting their website at www.fusiadance.org. Text and photographs for this article were provided by Paul Adam Smeltz (aka Paparazzi Paul) of The Forwardian Arts Society. www.forwardianarts.org
Catching the 530 to Art The exhibition will continue to be on display until February 15th, 2025. The Gallery at 530 Main is located at 530 Main Street in Stroudsburg, PA and shares its facilities with In2YouArts who offers classes in the arts as well as opportunities to participate in their productions. You can learn more information about the production and In2YouArts by visiting their Website at www.in2youarts.com. The Gallery at 530 Main celebrated its Grand Opening on Saturday December 14th with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and an Artists’ Reception for their first exhibition featuring over 100 area artists titled, “Artists of the Poconos.” A multitude of art lovers moved through the many exhibition rooms that created a home-like ambiance while they partook of the marvelous work that was rendered. The plentiful food and drink flowed alongside the conversations that abounded during the early evening hours were filled with a gentle excitement and appreciation for encountering a new abode where the arts could be experienced locally. The gallery is housed in the final location of The Pocono Arts Council that discontinued their operations on September 30th, 2024 after nearly 50 years since they began as The Monroe County Arts Council in 1975. The evening was tempered with a melancholy remembrance of the council’s departure as it encouraged a number of artists whose work were presented in the new gallery. But, this was dissipated by the joys of looking forward to the new possibilities that laid ahead of them and this brought a smile to their heart.
Text and photographs for this article were provided by Paul Adam Smeltz (aka Paparazzi Paul) of The Forwardian Arts Society. www.forwardianarts.org
Places You Can Go for The Arts Saturday January 4th - The Chant Real Estate Inc. in Lords Valley, PA will hold an Artist’s Reception beginning at 5pm for their exhibition titled “The Language of Flowers” featuring the work of Lisa Hannick. The exhibition will be on display until March 27th. Please contact The Chant Real Estate Inc. at 570-775-7337 for more information. Friday January 31st - In2YouArts will present their production of “The Wedding Singer: The Musical Comedy” at the Sherman Theater in Stroudsburg, PA. Performances will continue until February 2nd. Please contact In2YouArts at www.in2youarts.com for more information.
Get Listed in The Forwardian Gazette We invite you to share information about your upcoming Art Related events, educational opportunities, opportunities to participate, etc in our upcoming newsletter. There is no cost involved for the publication of your listings and we would be honored if you would share your endeavors with us. The next issue of “The Forwardian Gazette” is scheduled to be published in February 2025. To be listed in our publications, we would need:
Be A Forwardian Art Lover Becoming a Forwardian Art Lover is Free and open to any individual who loves the arts and wishes to be a part of The Forwardian Arts Society’s Fellowship. Forwardian Art Lovers will receive (if desired) The Forwardian Gazette (a newsletter available only to The Forwardian Arts Society Fellowship) and The Forwardian Arts Magazine (a literary and arts publication that will include art related news and a listing of art related opportunities and events available to the general public) in their emails.
The name of the Art Related events, educational opportunities, opportunities to participate, etc.
Forwardian Art Lovers will receive free admission to or participation in any event or program The Forwardian Arts Society presents singularly or in collaboration with members of The Forwardian Consortium whenever a fee is charged.
A (up to) 20 word description of Art Related events, educational opportunities, opportunities to participate, etc in text.
Forwardian Art Lovers will receive a 50% discount off sponsorship rates for our publications, events, and programs.
The date(s) of the Art Related events, educational opportunities, opportunities to participate, etc.
Forwardian Art Lovers will receive a link on The Forwardian Connections Page to provide online information regarding your art related endeavors you would like to share with the public.
The location of the Art Related events, educational opportunities, opportunities to participate, etc. Contact information (Phone/Text number, email, website) that you would like to share with the public. The submission deadline for the February 2025 issue of “The Forwardian Gazette” is Wednesday January 15th, 2025 and sent to eventlistings@forwardianarts.org
Our Groups of Opportunities The Forwardian Arts Society has several groups on Facebook You can join. Some provide opportunities to explore one’s love for an Artform they’re interested in while others provide opportunities to become a more integral part of our fellowship. They are:
The Forwardian Consortium
The Forwardian Lit Lovers Club
We welcome Art Related Organizations, Groups, and Venues who wish to partake of opportunities to share insights, experience, resources, and to collaborate with other members of The Forwardian Consortium so the planning, promotion, and presentation of each member’s art related endeavor will lead to an enjoyable and meaningful experience.
We welcome all who love the literary arts and would like to encourage authors and poets to share their original works with The Forwardian Lit Lovers Club. We also welcome those who enjoy reading and/or listening to those who share their words with our Club.
The Forwardian Dreamers and Doers We welcome individuals and groups who would like to lend their expertise, insights, and intuitions to help The Forwardian Dreamers and Doers in the planning, promotion, and presentation of events, opportunities, projects of The Forwardian Arts Society in imaginative and resourceful ways.
The Forwardian Lovers of the Performing Arts We welcome all who love the reflective and entertaining aspects of the performing arts and would like to encourage those involved in theater, music, and/or dance to share their experiences and projects with The Forwardian Lovers of the Performing Arts. We also welcome those who enjoy partaking of the talents they encounter in the venues they visit.
The Forwardian Financiers More Groups to Come including We welcome individuals and groups who would like to lend their expertise, insights, and intuitions to help The Forwardian Financiers explore ways to fund the wonderful and meaningful endeavors The Forwardian Arts Society hopes to offer the artistic community and the general public. The Forwardian Hocus Focus Photo Club We welcome all who love the art of photography and would like to encourage photographers to share their original works with The Forwardian Hocus Focus Photo Club. We also welcome those who enjoy viewing the images of those who share them with our Club.
A Group for the visual arts (Painting, Sketching, and Sculpting). A Group for our publications (creating an editorial and graphic design staff along with a press pool). A Group to enhance our membership program. A Group to act as an advocate for artists of all disciplines to help assure their experiences in the venues they present their endeavors will be equitable and valuable. You’ll find more information about our groups through the links on our website at: www.forwardianarts.org/the-forwardian-thin gs-you-can-do
What’s on The Forwardian Gazette Covers Congratulations to Nancy Freeman who won first place in The Forwardian Photography Competition for her work titled "Reflections" which can be found on the front cover of The January 2025 issue of The Forwardian Gazette. Congratulations to Tammy Foland who won second place in The Forwardian Photography Competition for her work titled "Stillness and Peace" which can be found on the back cover of The January 2025 issue of The Forwardian Gazette. Our Thanks to Jody Singer who served as a judge for the competition. Mr. Singer is the founder and curator of Origins Gallery and serves as Vice President of The Pocono Center for the Arts’ Visual Arts Division.
The February 2025 Forwardian Photography Competition The Forwardian Arts Society will hold a photography competition to determine what image will appear on the front and back covers of the February 2025 issue of The Forwardian Gazette. The first place winner will be presented on the newsletter's front page while the second place winner will be presented on the back page. There is a three photo limit. The submission deadline for this event is January 15th. Like us on Facebook for more information. www.facebook.com/forwardianarts
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