River View Observer May 1-May 15, 2024

HUDSON HAPPENINGS

Bayonne Library Announces Its Reopening

The Bayonne Public Library has announced that it will re-open its building at 31st Street and Avenue C. Library Director Melody Scagnelli-Townley said, “It’s time for the news you’ve all been waiting for! We have a reopening date for the library! Our building on Avenue C will reopen from its renovations on Wednesday, May 1!”

She continued, “The temporary Story Court location (16 W 4th St) will be closed on Monday, April 29, and Tuesday, April 30, so that we have time to move our books and technology back to the Avenue C building.”

The main library has been closed for extensive renovations since early 2023.

The renovations have included the installation of a new elevator and a new boiler, the reconstruction of the lobby, the circulation area, and the Children’s Room. In the Children’s Room, patrons will see a new ceiling, new lighting, and stadium-style seating for the Story Time area. Elsewhere in the library, new technology, computer carrels, and furniture have been installed.

The library will reopen for normal business hours (Monday to Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) at the Avenue C location on Wednesday, May 1.

From May 1 onwards, the temporary Story Court library branch will be closed permanently. On Monday, April 29, and Tuesday, April 30, the library staff asks that patrons only return books into the book drop on the 31st Street side of the Ave C building or wait until the reopening on Wednesday, May 1, to return them. ScagnelliTownley said, “We don’t want returned items accidentally getting lost in the shuffle of moving hundreds of books!”

There will be an official grand reopening ceremony on a date that will be announced. Scagnelli-Townley concluded, “We appreciate your patience while we settle back into our new space. We can’t wait for you to see it!”

Fulop Administration Celebrates

Artistic Excellence: $1 Million in Arts & Culture Trust Fund Grants

Awarded to Jersey City Artists & Arts Organizations

Over $3 Million in Grants Awarded in Under 2 Years

Mayor Steven M. Fulop joins the Office of Cultural Affairs to announce the latest boost to Jersey City’s growing arts community, awarding more than $1 million in much-needed funding to 78 local artists and arts organizations through the third round of grants from the Arts and Culture Trust Fund.

To date, nearly 300 Arts and Culture Trust Fund grants have been distributed, totaling $3 million. The grants, designed to

support and nurture local artistic talent, are being awarded to a diverse group of artists and cultural organizations, including: 44 program grants

13 arts education grants

21 general operating grants

20 individual artist fellowships (Jersey City Arts Council)

“The fact that we have allocated over $3 million in less than two years speaks to the fact that the Arts and Culture Trust Fund we implemented in 2020 is working as intended, providing critical funding to support our talented artists and organizations who contribute so much to the vitality and diversity of our city,” said Mayor Fulop. “By investing in our vibrant arts community, we are significantly boosting the local economy and community engagement within Jersey City.”

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HUDSON HAPPENINGS

Fulop

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Arts and culture organizations accounted for $13.5 million in spending in 2022, with an additional $32.4 million in event-related expenditures by their audiences, according to the most recent nationwide study by Americans for the Arts. The study also states that in Jersey City, arts and culture economic activity supported 532 jobs, provided residents $28.2 million in personal income, and generated $7.1 million in tax revenue for local, state, and federal governments.

“These grants provide a lifeline for so many of our local artists where little existed before,” added Christine Goodman, Director of Jersey City’s Office of Cultural Affairs. “These funds will continue to support arts and culture programs with classes and events across all wards of Jersey City for everyone to enjoy.”

Among the talented individuals and organizations selected for funding are musicians, dancers, filmmakers, and community arts initiatives. As decided by the Arts and Culture Trust Fund Committee, each grant recipient demonstrated exceptional skill, innovation, and a commitment to enriching Jersey City’s cultural landscape.

As Director of JC Print Room, Bruno Nadalin credits the Arts and

Bayonne’s,

Culture Trust Fund grant for providing the means to broaden education initiatives and make printmaking accessible to Jersey City residents. “Through the grant, we expanded our educational programming by offering free and low-cost workshops and purchased needed equipment and supplies. Grant funds enabled us to hold our Direct Public Benefit of a free printmaking event in Hamilton Park, where residents were invited to make their own prints and tote bags. We held similar free events in Greenville and free workshops at our studio, all thanks to the grant funds. The grant was indispensable to the fulfillment of our organization’s mission.”

For a full list of the grant awards, please visit the Cultural Affairs website https://www.jerseycityculture.org/

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A TALK WITH HUDSON COUNTY FILM PRODUCER

PJ LEONARD ON HIS LATEST MOVIE

By Tris McCall

Some creators pride themselves on reinvention. P.J. Leonard isn’t one of them. He’s never discarded, or even misplaced, a single idea he’s cultivated during a long and colorful life in Hudson County. The movies he’s produced aren’t just a testament to his vision and his love of cinema. They’re also deeply informed by his experiences in Bayonne and Jersey City: as a poor kid, as a gambler, as a pugilist in the political arena, as a restaurant worker, an educator, a networker, a whistleblower, a passionate opinion-haver.

So when the one-time bookmaker, candidate for elective office, and manager of Nico’s in Jersey City was asked what gave him the right to make films, his answer was typically pungent — and typically honest.

“Me, I have no right,” says Leonard, who doesn’t have a film degree. “But you see that cameraman working on our movie over there?, he went to NYU. You see these people on the set?, they’ve got excellent backgrounds, too. Look at the quality of the actors we’ve got and the movies they’ve made. It’s those guys who give me the right. My job as a producer is to put them all together.”

He’s been at it for two decades. Year after year, through his own Other Side of the River

“MISSISSIPPI SCHOLAR”

of formidably talented people to create highquality features and shorts on reasonable budgets. “Mississippi Scholar,” his latest production, was shot in eighteen days for $200,000. Though it looks and feels like it could have come from Hollywood — with a cast to match, including Sonny Marinelli of “Entourage” and “Boss of Bosses,” Shannon Brown of “Empire” and “Training Day,” and Emmy winner and frequent Leonard collaborator Obba Babatundé, who co-wrote and coproduced the movie — its existence is due to homegrown Jersey resourcefulness.

“It’s all about connections,” says Leonard, who grew up in Marion and attended

beauty, hospitality, conviviality, and rich history of Mississippi, all of which reminded him of home. He was also inspired by the life of another local achiever who transcended a troubled youth in Jersey City to make a success of himself on his own terms: Mahdi Hemingway.

Hudson Catholic on Bergen Avenue. “It’s what you learn in Jersey City: making friends and associations, building rapport with the people who can help you.”

Those themes of upward mobility, ambition, and creativity on the fly are all present in “Mississippi Scholar,” a drama that tells the story of an intellectual African-American kid with daunting hurdles to clear before he can escape poverty and danger. The movie was shot on location in the Magnolia State with help from the University of Mississippi, the small cities of Baldwyn, Fulton, Oxford, and Saltillo, and the film program at Itawamba Community College. Leonard was moved by the natural

“This story really could be called ‘Jersey City Scholar’,” says Leonard, who first met the young Hemingway, now a corporate executive, during his work on thencandidate Steven Fulop’s first run for City Council in 2005. “It was Mahdi’s commencement speech at business school at Johns Hopkins that first inspired me to make this movie. He grew up in the Booker T. Washington projects when it was called Bam Bam Booker. The people around him were gangsters — bloods. I could tell he was special. I told Steve, ‘you need to get that kid to help you.’ I brought him into the campaign, and Booker T voted 90% for Fulop.”

“Mississippi Scholar” continues Leonard’s streak of smart, realistic, hard-nosed stories about difficult choices and the turbulence of everyday life. “The Immaculate Misconception,” his 2006 debut production, sounds like a comedy — a film about a young Jersey City woman who attributes her mysterious pregnancy to divine intervention — and funny

it surely is. But it is, like Leonard’s subsequent movies, poignant and tough-minded, full of colorful characters and driven by themes of family, loyalty, and the chances and cruelties of urban life. Shot on a ridiculously tight budget, it nevertheless boasts production values that put most indie releases to shame. Other Side of the River would build on that success film by film, scoring critical successes with, among others, “The Fallen Faithful,” the tale of a deeply religious man with an intensely violent streak, and “Mysterious Circumstances,” a historical drama about the death of the explorer Merriwether Lewis.

But this spring, “Scholar” is the priority. It’s already won the hearts of the viewers at a packed premiere at The Clairidge in Montclair. People wept. Educators told the producer that the film should be shown in high schools. But that, as P.J. Leonard is quick to concede, was a game played before a home crowd. On May 2, the independent producer from Hudson County takes his movie to the Beverly Hills Film Festival.

“I’m leaving my comfort zone,” says Leonard, realistic as always about the vagaries of the movie business. “On Sip Avenue growing up, we had five bookies within fifty years of each other. I understand being on the fence. You’re going to win some today, you’re going to lose some tomorrow.”

But as P.J. Leonard knows well, even when you’re down, there’s always a story to tell.

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Hudson County Community College Receives $1.75 Million Training Grant from United States Department of Labor

Those present at the news conference announcing Hudson County Community College’s receipt of the United States Department of Labor $1.75 million Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grant included (from left): HCCC Vice President for External Affairs and Senior Counsel to the President, Dr. Nicholas Chiaravalloti; Hudson County Board of Commissioners Chair Anthony L.Romano; HCCC President Dr. Christopher M.Reber; New Jersey Assemblyman William B. Sampson IV; United States Representative Rob Menendez; Hudson County Executive Craig Guy; and HCCC Trustee Jeanette Peña. Read the entire article on www.riverviewobser.net

HUDSON HAPPENINGS

The Garden State New Play Festival: Bridging Art and Community

A New Model for Engaging Playwrights, Audiences, and Communities around the Power of Playmaking

The Garden State New Play Festival is a groundbreaking initiative devised by the Jersey City Theatre Center (JCTC), The New Jersey Play

Lab (NJPL), and the Department of Theatre and Dance’s BA Theatre Studies Program at Montclair State University. This innovative model reimagines the approach to new play development and festivals, fostering a supportive environment for playwrights while actively engaging audiences and communities. By fostering collaboration and growth among playwrights at

all career stages, The Garden State Play Festival seeks to elevate individual artistry through tailored support mechanisms such as dramaturgical guidance, workshops, and exchange opportunities. Through this holistic approach, the initiative aims to dismantle barriers to producing full productions of new plays by cultivating a vibrant ecosystem that values and champions the power of playmaking.

Congratulations to Jersey City Theater Center’s own, Fernando Ayeres for receiving the Award of Excellence from the New Jersey Theatre Alliance. His dedication and talent has truly shined through, and we couldn’t be prouder of his well-deserved achievement. Playwrights must submit and will be chosen for this new play festival in one of the following categories:

Working or Career Playwrights (This category is for writers who consider playwriting to be their primary career path.)

Beginning or NonCareer Playwrights (This category may include writers who are relatively new to the full-length format, or writers who have been creating plays for years but have opted for an alternative professional career path). Playwrights may use this link to send in their submission: https://forms.

PARTY OF FIVE Come relive some memories

Check our Facebook page for upcoming dates May 4

Dominick’s Al Di La East Rutherford NJ 845-216-4755 for Booking Party of Five

Fernando Ayeres Awarded by New Jersey Theatre Alliance

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