Patti LuPone A CAREER IN FULL BLOOM FRIDA KAHLO
IN THE GARDEN
CRISTINA OTTAVIANO AND NEIL BIEFF
FASHION FLOWERS AT MARY JANE DENZER
‘PAGING’ THROUGH THE GARDEN GORDON PARKS
LEGACY FINDS A NEW HOME
50 FOR 50:
AN ARTSWESTCHESTER BOUQUET
Passion
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FLOWERS
WESTCHESTER & FAIRFIELD LIFE MAY 2015 | WAGMAG.COM
The financial implications of aging Taking care of your aging parents
The Mitchell Group’s next speaker series event will cover one of the most important and sensitive topics when it comes to aging for our generation. As we grow older, the relationship with our parents changes, a change that is no more evident than when it comes to their health and well-being. Often, it falls to the adult children to prepare for and facilitate the healthcare needs of their aging parents. Therefore, understanding and planning for the financial implications of your parents’ healthcare needs is of the utmost importance today. Please save the date for this informative panel discussion featuring Kathleen Pritchard of Legg Mason and Steve Calandra of Nationwide Retirement Institute. Hosted by The Mitchell Group Barry P. Mitchell Jr., CRPC®, CRPS® Senior Vice President–Wealth Management Senior Portfolio Manager
Wednesday, June 17 7:00 p.m. The Apawamis Club One Club Road Rye, NY 10580 RSVP Maggie Smith Client Service Associate 212-821-2751 maggie.smith@ubs.com The Mitchell Group UBS Financial Services Inc. 299 Park Avenue New York, NY 10171 212-821-2705
Gary Raniolo Senior Wealth Strategy Associate
ubs.com/team/themitchellgroup This seminar has been funded in part by Legg Mason and Nationwide. Legg Mason, Nationwide and UBS Financial Services Inc. are not affiliated. This presentation is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be relied upon as investment advice or the basis for making any investment decisions. The views and opinions expressed may not be those of UBS Financial Services Inc. UBS Financial Services Inc. does not verify and does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information presented. Chartered Retirement Planning CounselorSM and CRPC® are registered service marks of the College for Financial Planning®. Chartered Retirement Plans SpecialistSM and CRPS® are registered service marks of the College for Financial Planning®. ©UBS 2015. All rights reserved. UBS Financial Services Inc. is a subsidiary of UBS AG. Member FINRA/SIPC. 16.00_Ad_9.25x11.125_NE0417_MitB IS1501450 Exp. 4/17/2016
He survived with our expertise. And his daughter’s love.
Sal Di Vitto Trauma survivor / Dad
It was just another day at work for Sal, or so he thought. But when he suffered severe internal injuries and a crushed foot in a freak accident that day, his life changed forever. Fortunately, Westchester Medical Center’s surgery and orthopedics teams were on the job that day too. Saving Sal’s life and giving a daughter her Dad back.
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E G L O M I S É D E S I G N S , I N C.
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CONTENTS
WHAT’S INSIDE: 12 A Garden State of mind 14 Frida in the garden 18 Dawn’s early light 22 The language of the Japanese garden 26 Richard Ottinger: Pioneering environmentalist 28 Lush landscapes, by design 32 Second life for Gordon Parks 36 Greetings from the garden 38 Nicole Ashey’s design career blooms, again Image from “The Good Garden: The Landscape Architecture of Edmund Hollander Design” (The Monacelli Press), with principal photography by Charles Mayer. See the story on page 28. 2
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40 Required reading for Hillary? 42 Let there be… 44 Chic boutique 46 Sheer to please 50 Fashion in bloom 53 COVER STORY: PATTI LUPONE — PERENNIAL STAR 56 One with the garden 60 A decade of dance 74 A ‘Nice’ artistic collaboration 87 A bouquet of artists signals ArtsWestchester’s 50th
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How does your garden grow?
PATTI LUPONE A CAREER IN FULL BLOOM
FRIDA KAHLO
IN THE GARDEN
CRISTINA OTTAVIANO AND NEIL BIEFF
FASHION FLOWERS AT MARY JANE DENZER
‘PAGING’ THROUGH THE GARDEN
ON THE COVER: Patti LuPone
GORDON PARKS
LEGACY FINDS A NEW HOME
LISA CASH
50 FOR 50:
AN ARTSWESTCHESTER BOUQUET
Passion
WAG: JUDGED BEST MAGAZINE IN NEW YORK STATE
FLOWERS
WESTCHESTER & FAIRFIELD LIFE MAY 2015 | WAGMAG.COM
Photograph by Ethan Hill.
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WE BELIEVE IT TAKES MORE THAN A SURGEON TO SUCCESSFULLY PERFORM BARIATRIC SURGERY. At Greenwich Hospital, we see bariatric surgery as more than a procedure. We see it as one step in your personal journey to a healthier lifestyle. We’ve designed a completely personalized program from preoperative consultation to postoperative support. It includes board-certified surgeons with more than 25 years of experience in bariatric procedures. They’re just part of a team of specialists, from psychologists to physical therapists, nutritionists, program coordinators and specialized nurses, all dedicated to helping you gain the strength and guidance you need to change your life. No bariatric program is more focused on your personal needs. It’s what makes our bariatric team part of
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HEADQUARTERS A division of Westfair Communications Inc., 3 Westchester Park Drive, White Plains, NY 10604 Telephone: 914-358-0746 | Facsimile: 914-694-3699 Website: wagmag.com | Email: ggouveia@westfairinc.com All news, comments, opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations in WAG are those of the authors and do not constitute opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations of the publication, its publisher and its editorial staff. No portion of WAG may be reproduced without permission.WAG is distributed at select locations, mailed directly and is available at $24 a year for home or office delivery. To subscribe, call (914) 694-3600, ext. 3020. All advertising inquiries should be directed to Anne Jordan at (914) 694-3600, ext. 3032 or email anne@westfairinc.com. Advertisements are subject to review by the publisher and acceptance for WAG does not constitute an endorsement of the product or service. WAG (Issn: 1931-6364) is published monthly and is owned and published by Westfair Communications Inc. Dee DelBello, CEO, dee@westfairinc.com
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DANIELLE BRODY is a reporter for the Westchester County Business Journal. She has written for The Journal News and The Scarsdale Inquirer. Danielle is a graduate of the University of Delaware and loves writing and learning about small businesses.
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EVAN FALLOR is a reporter for the Fairfield County Business Journal. He previously worked as a town reporter for the Republican-American (Waterbury, Conn.) and the News-Times (Danbury). He holds a master’s degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. In his spare time, Evan likes to practice his long-distance running and play with his Westie, Larry.
COLLEEN WILSON is a reporter for the Westchester County Business Journal. Colleen grew up in Easton, Md., and is a graduate of the University of Maryland. She has written for The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and the Capital News Service newswire. In her free time, this Brooklynite enjoys playing soccer and tennis, doing crossword puzzles and playing the piano.
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OOPS! The wall sculpture on Page 98 of April’s WAG Watch was incorrectly credited. It is a collaboration between Judith Economos and Jerome Parmet, a prominent sculptor working in metal. Our apologies.
Walls of Color
The Murals of Hans Hofmann May 2 to September 6, 2015
BRUCE MUSEUM
Greenwich, Connecticut 203 . 869 . 0376 | brucemuseum.org
Hans Hofmann (1880–1966) Mosaic mural, north side, 711 Third Avenue, New York (detail), 1956 Works by Hans Hofmann used with permission of the Renate, Hans and Maria Hofmann Trust
Also on view at The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum at Florida International University October 10, 2015–January 3, 2016 Ackland Art Museum The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill January 22–April 10, 2016
EDITOR'S LETTER GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
WHY AM I HOLDING A COPY OF OUR OCTOBER ISSUE WHEN SPRING’S IN FULL SWING?
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Because that issue was judged “Best Magazine” by the New York Press Association recently. But as you can see we’re not resting on our laurels. We’ve got a handy-dandy new size that’s still chock-full of stories and photos. So different but the same — only better. The re-design is something we’ve been considering since acquiring WAG more than four years ago; something we’ve also had requests for from both readers and advertisers. We’re excited — what do you think? This month we celebrate “Passion Flowers” — gardens and careers in bloom. Among these blossoms are two iconic women, each in her own way a vibrant storyteller. Patti LuPone has had a storied career on stage and screens big and small. On May 2, she brings her hit one-woman show, “The Lady With the Torch,” which throbs with songs of unrequited love, to The Performing Arts Center, Purchase College. Mexican painter Frida Kahlo was a bridge of mighty opposites, not the least of which are art and nature. The New York Botanical Garden explores her relationship with the natural world in its latest multidisciplinary blockbuster, “Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden, Life,” opening May 16. Not surprisingly, there are lots of references to this botanical garden in May WAG. Landscape architect Edmund Hollander, subject of a new book and one of Mary’s excellent profi les, attended The New York Botanical Garden School of Horticulture. And Carol Pessin (Mary again), who paints floral greeting cards, has exhibited her work there. But we’ve got gardens galore — from Jane’s lovely look at the neoclassical White Garden in South Salem, part of The Garden Conservancy’s
Open Days Program, to the Japanese garden of Audrey’s poetic musings (accompanied by graceful images from the Hammond Museum & Japanese Stroll Garden in North Salem); from the media-savvy, family-friendly buds and bunnies of Historic Hudson Valley’s “Lightscaapes” show to the dozen diverse Connecticut gardens that inspired Westport photographer Stacy Bass’ latest stunning coffee-table offering, “Gardens at First Light.” But you know how we love to mix our metaphors. We’ve got budding careers (that of fashion designer Cristina Ottaviano) and those that are evergreen (fashion’s Neil Bieff and Stella McCartney, commentator/novelist Nicolle Wallace, interior designer Nicole Ashey, whose Burlock Thread Works plans to employ a number of survivors of domestic violence). And we have a bouquet of 50 artists, honored by ArtsWestchester in celebration of its 50th anniversary. Finally, we welcome three New Waggers, Colleen, Danielle B. and Evan. They’re the latest buds in our garden. Georgette Gouveia is the author of “Water Music” and the forthcoming “The Penalty for Holding,” part of her series, “The Games Men Play,” which is the name of the sports/ culture blog she writes at thegamesmenplay.com.
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A
GARDEN STATE OF MIND
BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
IT’S A RARE TOPOGRAPHICAL PARADISE THAT CAN ACCOMMODATE BOTH CRANBERRY BOGS AND PEACH TREES — NOT TO MENTION CORNSTALKS, TOMATO PLANTS AND STRAWBERRY PATCHES. For this reason, Abraham Browning, speaking at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876, dubbed agricultural New Jersey “The Garden State,” a barrel open at both ends and filled with good foods that Pennsylvanians and New Yorkers alike were only too happy to grab. Of course, not everyone shares that view. In the film “Miss Congeniality,” FBI undercover agent-turned-reluctant beauty contestant Gracie Hart (Sandra Bullock) is asked why New Jersey is called “The Garden State.”
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The New Jersey State Botanical Garden at Skylands Manor, Ringwood State Park.
“Because ‘Oil and Petrochemical Refinery State’ wouldn’t fit on a license plate?” she offers. Perhaps Jersey should be called “The Rodney Dangerfield State”: It don’t get no respect. Mais pourquoi? Why should the home of Sinatra and Springsteen, not to mention the Giants and the Jets, the Devils and the Bulls, the cultivated blueberry, cranberry sauce, the seedless watermelon, the boardwalk, saltwater taff y, the ice cream cone, the postcard, the zipper, the phonograph, the drive-in movie, the dirigible and the first use of a submarine in warfare be so dissed? Certainly, the smoking, malodorous array of refineries that stretches out along I-95, threaded by power lines, doesn’t help, although Jersey is hardly the only state with refineries. (What about Texas?) Then, too, there’s a host of shall-we-be-kind-and-call-them-colorful civic leaders who unwittingly play into political stereotyping, like blustery Gov. Chris Christie, whom The New York Times’ columnist Maureen Dowd once dubbed “the Neptune of the Jersey Shore.” If you’re looking to seal a trifecta, you can always blame the media, for whom “Joisey” is the go-to place for ridicule as well as any story — including some that are very well-made — associated with organized crime, like “The Sopranos” and “Broadway Danny Rose” (one of Woody Allen’s funniest). Others, however — Tom Waits and Bruce Springsteen specifically — have found poetry and even romance in Jersey’s belching cities and storm-tossed piers.
“….Tonight I’m wanna take that ride ’Cross the river to the Jersey side Take my baby to the carnival And take her on all the rides ’Cause down the shore everything’s all right You and your baby on a Saturday night…. Nothing matters in this whole wide world When you’re in love with a Jersey girl.” To be in love with a Jersey girl — or a Jersey boy, for that matter — is to fall in love with Jersey itself — home to a top-ranked college (Princeton University); several first-rate museums, including Montclair and Newark; and enough tony real estate that both Jackie Kennedy Onassis and Richard Nixon had residences there (in Somerset Hills and Saddle River, respectively). My own childhood introduction was much humbler. My aunt and uncle had a summer home on the Jersey Shore in Wildwood. Built by an old sea captain, it was a ramshackle, eggplant-colored clapboard affair with three porches the length of bowling lanes — a screened-in green and red front porch with a sofa swing; a green-andwhite gingham breakfast porch that you could literally roll out onto from the connecting window in the powder-blue bedroom; and a second-story gray and white deck. This was no oceanfront property. The house and its pier sat on a canal that carried the tang of the sea, and there was little in the way of amenities, certainly no TV. But I thought it was heaven on earth, particularly when the day’s chores — the clamming, whitewashing and mowing — ended and we headed to the boardwalk, me running ahead of my sister Jana, who was always stopping to pull up her socks or scratch her mosquito bites.
First stop was the fudge shop, where you could watch the candy-makers struggle to turn the thick fudge in vast copper bowls and where a little girl dressed like Alice in Wonderland handed out samples at the door from a triple-tiered dish. Then it was on to the boardwalk itself where my uncle would hand the merry-go-round operator a wad of tickets, telling him to let us ride until we tired. ’Round and ’round we went, my aunt and uncle never moving. They just stood there waving at us. There were other rides, too, like the red and orange helicopters, which rose on spokes that radiated out from a center. (Here Jana would instruct me to sit on the inside, because I was heavier and if anything happened, I would cushion her fall. “If anything happens,” I told her, “we’ll both be dead.”) We’d dine on hot dogs, chocolate and vanilla swirl ice cream cones and cotton candy, although some nights we went to a fancy restaurant that had a red lobby with brass appointments and a painting of a flapper rising from the sea that I thought was the epitome of femininity. Afterward, we’d head home with our loot and sit on the front porch eating pistachios until the trucks came around to spray for mosquitoes and it was time to go to bed. My last memory of the house is of myself standing in the street, looking up at the “For Sale” sign in a second-floor window and crying. Over the years, I’ve tried to recreate the feelings I had there — all adulthood being a reaction to childhood — even turning my basement into a blue and white and teak “beach house,” complete with a mermaid bathroom. That house, the boardwalk, Wildwood and Jersey will always have a Proustian hold over me. So much so that I only have to scent freshly cut grass or eat a piece of fudge to be back there with my aunt, uncle and Jana, down the shore on a Saturday night, where nothing else matters in the whole wide world.
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Frida Kahlo’s “Self-Portrait With Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird” (1940), oil on canvas. Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin. © 2015 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Frida
garden IN THE
BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
WHEN WE THINK OF FRIDA KAHLO, WE TEND TO THINK OF A LIFE (190754) THAT WAS AS DRAMATIC AS HER PAINTINGS — the bus/trolley car accident that left her body broken and unable to bear children; the volatile marriage to muralist Diego Rivera; the love affairs with men, women and Communism. Among the less-considered facets of that life was a complex relationship with
the natural world that spurred her to go hiking as a child in her native Mexico, learning the proper names of the plants she encountered along the way; to fill the garden of the Casa Azul (Blue House), her home outside Mexico City, with cacti and other succulents; and to paint nature as a metaphor for the balance in duality that she sought. It is this aspect of the painter that The New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx celebrates in “Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden, Life” (May 16-Nov. 1), its latest multidisciplinary blockbuster. Past exhibits have combined elements in the garden’s Enid A. Haupt Conservatory and LuEsther T. Mertz Library “to tell the story of people whose connection to gardens may be little-known or unknown,” says Todd Forrest, The Botanical Garden’s Arthur Ross vice president of horticulture and living collections. This program of shows began with naturalist Charles Darwin in 2008 and continued with poet Emily Dickinson and painter Claude Monet. It’s safe to venture, however, that at a time when immigration has been in the news and when Hispanics have become an increasingly vital part of American culture, “Frida Kahlo” may prove to be the most popular of these exhibits to date, with “Frida al Fresco” evenings of Mexican music, drinks and food, a Poetry Walk studded with the words of 20th-century Mexican bard Octavio Paz; a symposium on Kahlo, Rivera and 20th-century Mexican art; a Mexican film fes-
Spectacular at
SPACES
Stepping Stones
Museum for Children
Host an Event to Remember We know about inspiration. We know how to dazzle the senses. And with just a little bit of Stepping Stones magic, we’ll take your vision and make it a reality. • Mingle among festive galleries and hands-on exhibits • Open air tent for seated dinners, dancing or entertainment • Multimedia Gallery with 35 x 12 foot projection screen for a wide range of events, banquets and performances • Performance stage and seating for smaller gatherings • And more unique spaces to choose from For a personal tour and consultation, call 203 899 0606, ext. 228 or visit www.steppingstonesmuseum.org Mathews Park, 303 West Avenue • Norwalk, Connecticut • Exit 14N or 15S off I-95 • steppingstonesmuseum.org
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The LuEsther T. Mertz Library. Photograph by Georgette Gouveia.
Frida Kahlo’s “Two Nudes in a Forest” (1939), oil on metal. Collection of Jon Shirley. Courtesy of The New York Botanical Garden
tival; a companion book; a scavenger hunt; an interactive puppet theater; cooking demonstrations; and botanical science activities. Though biography is a key influence on any artist’s life, this is not a biographical exhibit. “We’re not overemphasizing her biography,” says guest curator Adriana Zavala, associate professor of modern and contemporary Latin American art history and director of Latino Studies at Tufts University. “There are definitely autobiographical elements, but if we focus on her biography, we limit our understanding of her imagination. What we’re focusing on is the relationship of the plant world to her creativity.” 16
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That exploration is a two-pronged approach — a reimagining of her garden and studio at the Casa Azul (now the Museo Frida Kahlo) in the conservatory by Tony Award-winning scenic designer Scott Pask and an exhibit of 14 paintings and works on paper in the Mertz library. The Casa Azul, where Kahlo grew up the daughter of a German father and a mother of Spanish-indigenous ancestry, came into its own, Zavala says, when Kahlo returned there in 1939. (Rivera, with whom Kahlo had a turbulent open marriage, paid the taxes on the house; she retained the title, Zavala says.) With the help of servants, Kahlo transformed her childhood home from a pale gray country house to what Forrest calls “this glorious color palette” of cobalt-blue walls with pale orange, red and pale green touches. The Mediterranean-style garden of roses, violets and orange trees underwent a similar metamorphosis, giving way to agave, barrel and old man cacti, donkey’s tail, calla lilies and bougainvillea. (The garden today is different yet again — more tropical than desert — as trees planted in Kahlo’s childhood have grown tall, requiring shade-bearing plants.) Over two years, exhibit organizers visited the Casa Azul and neighboring sites, poring over “an archive of photos that’s not out there in the world,” says Karen Daubmann, associate vice president for exhibitions and public engagement: “There’s Frida in the garden with her animals (including spider monkeys and a pet deer), with Diego. We see the sense of place that small space was in her life.” The exhibit team also took thousands of photos, Daubmann says, so that it could transfer her love affair with nature — which also manifested itself in the nature books in her library, the flowers embroidered on her native dress and woven into her braided hair — into what the viewer sees. In the conservatory, that means the garden of Kahlo’s maturity, complete with a scale reproduction of the Aztec-style pyramid that Rivera created for his pre-Hispanic art collection. (In the conservatory, the pyramid will showcase terra-cotta pots containing cacti and other succulents.) Over at the Mertz library, viewers will encounter the well-schooled Kahlo, steeped in art history, whose paintings and works on paper display what Zavala calls “the dualism of opposites — industry and nature, Europe and indigenous society, men and women.” And two more pairs of mighty opposites — life and death, pain and joy. In “Portrait of Luther Burbank” (1931, oil on masonite), inspired by Kahlo’s visit with Rivera to the tree that is the gravesite of the botanist, Burbank’s body becomes the roots and trunk of a tree. As he holds one of his hybrid plants, he, too, becomes a hybrid. It’s a Surrealist fantasy that has its antecedents in art history’s diverse portrayals of Daphne — the classical nymph who prays to be transformed into a bay laurel to elude Apollo’s advances. In “Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird” (1940, oil on canvas), the lush backdrop of nature that includes one of Kahlo’s beloved spider monkeys and cats — suggesting the dreamlike work of Henri Rousseau — contrasts with the Christ-like crown of thorns that becomes a piercing, bloody statement necklace. “Life giving way to death. Death giving way to life,” Forrest says. “It’s nature as complex.” For more on “Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden, Life,” visit nybg.org.
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Dawn’s EARLY LIGHT BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
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The owner of this Connecticut garden chose Allison Armour’s orb fountain as the focal point of the central space.
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TACY BASS IS DEFINITELY A MORNING PERSON.
“There’s something about the dawn,” she writes in the introduction to her new photography book, “Gardens at First Light” (athome books, $60, 224 pages), due out May 5. “For me, it’s the perfect time. It’s quiet, reflective and kind. I can’t pinpoint the exact moment I knew the dawn would be my muse, but then it just was.” Bass — a Westport resident whom WAG introduced to its readers in June 2012 when she published “In the Garden” — elaborates on this in our recent phone conversation. “I think I discovered accidentally that the light was best (at dawn). People have the misperception that you should photograph gardens in the middle of the day when the sun is at its highest. But then you have a lot of shadows you don’t have early or late in the day.” Day’s end, however, doesn’t necessarily bring the peace or the freshness that “rosy-fingered dawn,” so beloved by the poet Homer, can. So daybreak it is for Bass, who rises at 3 or 3:30 a.m. and ventures out when it’s pitch-black so that Arborvitae and boxwoods grace this pastel-tinged Connecticut garden. Garden photographs by Stacy Bass, courtesy of the photographer and athome Books.
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she can arrive at her destination 20 minutes before sunrise. (All of the 12 residential gardens in the book are in Connecticut though the locations have not been identified for privacy’s sake.) Bass uses a Nikon D4, which lets her see what she shoots quickly and adjust accordingly. Not that her subjects are going anywhere. Indeed, it’s one of the big differences between the book and her professional work as a photographer of interiors. There she’s surrounded by colleagues helping her move a lamp to and fro so it doesn’t appear to be growing out of the sofa, she says with a laugh. Alone in the garden, Bass is the one moving about, capturing settings that are thick and wild or stately and manicured, graced by nature’s handiwork or dotted with man’s in the form of sculpture, furnishings, pools, structures and ornaments. In a sense, “Gardens at First Light” is a natural outgrowth of “In the Garden.” “In the first book, we had 18 gardens with an archive of 60 or 70,” she says. “These are gardens we felt should’ve been in the first book but there wasn’t room.” In another sense, however, “Gardens at First Light” offers the reader a departure. Not only are the diverse gardens “very different” from those in the first book but the approach is different. “The only criticism we got of the first book — and it happened more than once — is ‘I’m a real gardener, and it left me wanting more,’” Bass says. That has been rectified through writer Judy Ostrow’s in-depth profiles of “The Edible Garden” or the garden “On the Rocks” or the one that’s “Coming Up Roses.” There’s a “Garden Reference Guide” in the back with drawings by James Gerrity “for those who want to dig deeper into the landscapes.” For those of us, however, who barely know a petunia from a peony, Bass’ alchemy, achieved in the veil of diffuse light, transports us to another garden — Eden — and another dawn, that of creation. Stacy Bass’ “Gardens at First Light” will have its New York City launch May 5 at Lillian August, 12. W. 20th St. in Manhattan, and its Connecticut launch May 7 at White Birch Studio in Westport. For more, visit stacybassphotography.com.
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Stacy Bass. Photograph by Pamela Einarsen.
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The language of the Japanese garden BY AUDREY RONNING TOPPING
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selects worthy plantings, flowers and ornaments and arranges them in a meaningful way according to his or her own theory of gardening. Some prefer function over shapes or color over texture, but all hands-on gardeners are practical as well as creative. They check the pH of the soil, study the climate and investigate drainage problems, costs, time and maintenance. On these counts, Western and Japanese gardens are much the same. But the languages the gardens speak
are different. The words in Western gardens are mainly “beautiful flowers,” “blooms” and “shrubs,” while words in Japanese gardens include “stones,” “streams,” “shadows,” “trees” and “plants.” But in both, the sentences are formed by the system of arrangement that carries the message. Most Western-style gardens are admired for their formal beauty. Their careful geometries celebrate the rational precision of their makers. The Japanese garden is no less structured than its Western counterpart. But its rhythms and patterns — reproducing and symbolizing those of the landscape in the world outside — are established in such a way as to disguise the human hand behind them. Garden stones and trees are laid out asymmetrically to suggest the rugged wildness of nature. Nature, represented by manmade “micro-mountains” and “micro-lakes,” has been the main theme in Japanese gardens since the seventh century, and the same techniques are still used today. A helpful book for landscape
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But not once while looking at this scene did the man say to himself, ‘This is just a garden.’ What he saw was a landscape: alive, unsullied, vast and serene. It prepared him for his day beyond the garden wall.
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GARDEN IS LIKE SPEECH: IT WILL TALK TO ANY OBSERVANT VIEWER WHO IS ALSO A GOOD LISTENER. A BEAUTIFUL GARDEN IS THE EXPRESSION OF A GARDENER WITH NOBLE INTENTIONS AND AN IMAGINATIVE SENSE OF DESIGN. A good gardener
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Pond and Turtle Island
A lantern with azaleas in the background. All photographs by L. Laken. Courtesy of the Hammond Museum & Japanese Stroll Garden in North Salem.
gardeners called “A Japanese Touch for Your Garden” describes an inspirational miniature landscape garden only a few meters square: “The ‘mountain’ was a large stone. The ‘waterfall’ and the ‘stream’ were smaller stones carefully arranged in clefts and tiers. The ‘sea’ was of white gravel, and the ‘windswept trees’ were a few pines (bonsai) trained when they were young. The ‘hill’ was made with soil removed during contouring, and the ‘secluded
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temple’ was suggested by a stone tower from a local garden-supply store. “But not once while looking at this scene did the man say to himself, ‘This is just a garden.’ What he saw was a landscape: alive, unsullied, vast and serene. It prepared him for his day beyond the garden wall.” Gray, green and brown usually predominate in a Japanese garden, a counterpoint to scattered flowers and fruits that mark time’s passage with cycles of change. Empty space, wind, periods of dormancy, shadows and viewing angles are subtler in Japanese gardens. Contrast is important. A whole row of red flowers is never used, only a single red flower in a swell of green. Plants and blossoms, by their structure and poetry, suggest the fine melancholy experienced in nature. Manmade items like lanterns and tsukubai (Buddhist purifying basins) are used to humanize and decorate the garden. Abstract renderings in solid stones that “live,” a winding path of pebbles and gravel, give the impression of moving water and provoke the mind with their union of seeming opposites (water and stone). Such dense interplays produce the effect of seeing nature whole, even though, in some cases, the garden may take up no more than a corner of a yard and consist only of bamboo, a shrub and a stone. Many gardeners take the best from two schools of thought (once bitter enemies) — the formal and the informal, the symmetrical and the picturesque, the geometric and the natural, the classic and the romantic. The origins of the gardens of Japan, of bonsai and of miniature landscape art were intimately connected with the greatest of Chinese arts, T’ang dynasty landscape painting, but they evolved into representing the landscapes of Japan itself — an island country, full of mountains, streams and tall trees. Buddhist themes were explored, but at the heart of the gardens was the ancient Shinto faith, which viewed the world and everything in it within the primeval forces of creation. Tea gardens also developed about this time to create the right mood of austerity for the tea ceremony. The values of Zen Buddhism and the tea ceremony have penetrated deeply into the Japanese sense of what is good and natural, and appropriate to the surroundings. To understand a Zen garden, you must know something of the myths and meanings that lie behind them before their richness and complexity becomes fully accessible. Designing a garden is not an easy thing to discuss theoretically, for each problem brings its own special restrictions and each owner has a different set of tastes and requirements. Style is a matter of taste. Design is a matter of principle. But everyone can listen to the language and silence of all good gardens.
Richard Ottinger PIONEERING ENVIRONMENTALIST BY FRANK PAGANI PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN RIZZO
SINCE ITS FOUNDING IN 1910, THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA HAS PROVIDED MORE THAN 110 MILLION YOUNGSTERS WITH A STRONG FOUNDATION IN NATURE STUDY AND THE ENVIRONMENT. RICHARD L. OTTINGER — the former New York congressman turned founder of the Pace Energy and Climate Center at Pace Law School in White Plains — was one of them. Growing up in Scarsdale (where he attended public schools before graduating from the Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, Conn.), Ottinger enjoyed the experiences he had on the way to becoming an Eagle Scout, scouting’s highest rank, which opened his eyes to the beauty of the natural world that surrounded him. He proudly wore the merit badges he earned. Scouting laid the foundation for what would become Ottinger’s lifelong journey as a passionate champion of the environment. Along the way, he has made an indelible mark as a groundbreaking environmental attorney, legislator, educator and author, who today at age 86 is shaping the next generation of environmental lawyers to continue the cause well into the century. Ottinger takes special pride in his role as founder and faculty supervisor of the Pace Energy and Climate Center, an advocate for clean energy and climate-change remediation that attracts top students for its studies. “We have been a reliable source of information and statistics for scientists, policy makers and industry,” Ottinger says. Among the studies underway at the center is one exploring ways to compensate utilities that are increasingly losing revenue as homeowners and businesses adopt solar energy to reduce their energy bills. Those homeowners include Ottinger, who decided eight years ago to “put his money where my mouth is” by equipping his new home with a geothermal heating and cooling system that does not burn fossil fuel. He was the first homeowner in Mamaroneck to do so, investing $30,000 in the new technology. “It started to pay for itself immediately by cutting my utility bill in half,” he says. In about two years, his investment will have paid for itself with what he has saved on his energy bills. After college (Cornell, Harvard Law School and Georgetown) and military service (U.S. Air Force pilot), Ottinger practiced international and corporate law. But he soon turned to more idealistic pursuits, co-founding — and serving as the second staff member — of President John F. Kennedy’s Peace Corps in 1961 at age 32. As director of programs for the west coast of South America, he helped inspire more than 220,000 young volunteers to serve as citizen ambassadors in 140 countries around the world. Emboldened by this experience of making a difference in society through public service, Ottinger entered politics and won election to the House of Representatives, serving from 1964 to 1970 and 1975 to 1985. He 26
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Richard Ottinger
wasted little time in earning a reputation as an environmental firebrand by taking up the cause of a grassroots organization, the Hudson River Fishermen’s Association (HRFA), forerunner to Riverkeeper. When he attended an HRFA public meeting about reinstating the Refuse Act of 1899, a nearly forgotten federal law that banned the dumping of refuse in navigable American waters except by permit, Ottinger recalls he was “appalled by how the Hudson River had become so polluted by industries along the banks and how local fisheries were destroyed.” Deciding it was time to stop the river from dying by holding the polluters accountable for their actions, he joined HRFA in suing Penn Central Railroad, which for years released petroleum products into the Croton River, a tributary of the Hudson. The railroad lost the suit, beginning a movement that would in time stop the practices of several other major sources of pollutions, including the General Motors plant in Tarrytown, and the City ofNew York, which dumped more than a billion tons of raw sewage into the river every day, and led to the passage of the landmark Clean Water Act of 1972. After retiring from Congress, Ottinger began an entirely new chapter in his environmental career when he joined the Pace Law School faculty to teach environmental law. One can well argue that as a result of Ottinger’s 31-years of considerable contributions to Pace, environmental law has emerged as a significant discipline on the campus, accounting for 25 percent — about 200 students — of the 800-student population. Now professor emeritus, Ottinger has long been honored for remaining at the vanguard of energy policy and sustainability. But his record of accomplishments that unquestionably established Pace Law School as a preeminent leader in environmental law the world over was recognized in a special way two years ago. That’s when dignitaries, family, friends and students gathered to celebrate the dedication of the Richard Ottinger Hall, a new 27,000-square-foot building. Quite the lifetime merit badge. For more on the Pace Law and Climate Center, visit energy.pace.edu.
Lush landscapes, by design NEW BOOK CELEBRATES EDMUND HOLLANDER’S WORK BY MARY SHUSTACK
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E
dmund Hollander, the noted landscape architect with a thriving Manhattan-based business, likes to share something very important with his clients, whether he’s working with them on their sprawling farm in North Salem or waterside property in Greenwich.
The welcome to your home begins long before someone reaches your front door. “We always like to say to people, the entrance to your home, whether you go through a gate or driveway, that’s your entrance.” Your property and how it’s landscaped sets the tone. “The landscape is as much a part of their home as the dining room is.” Hollander, president of Edmund Hollander Design, has three key elements to his philosophy, artfully explored in latest book, “The Good Garden: The Landscape Architecture of Edmund Hollander Design.” Written by Hollander with Anne Raver and featuring principal photography by Charles Mayer, it’s due out next month from The Monacelli Press. Landscapes, he explains, are a response to factors that include the site’s natural ecology (the topography, soil and climate); the human ecology, or the ways a client envisions using the property; and finally, the architectural ecology, the
Edmund Hollander. Photograph by Charles Mayer.
physical details of the house and other built elements on the property. The book is a sequel of sorts to 2012’s “The Private Oasis: The Landscape Architecture and Gardens of Edmund Hollander Design” by Philip Langdon. While that volume focused on the built elements, this latest effort spotlights how plants “breathe life into wood, brick and stone,” as described in the introduction to “The Good Garden.” It is, he adds during a recent phone conversation with WAG, more focused on these living elements of a project, an “important part of what we do.”
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ON THE JOB
Hollander’s firm, with offices also in Sag Harbor, N.Y., includes a team of some 20 landscape architects, environmental planners and horticulturalists whose work is celebrated in “The Good Garden.” “It’s about the different types of gardens and plantings we’ve used on all sorts of projects and properties,” Hollander adds. The book features a variety of residential projects grouped by theme, from specialty gardens to Plantings to Complement Architecture. “It’s really designed to be accessible,” Hollander says. “Not everybody has every element on their property, but they have some of them.” The lavish coffee-table edition is filled with both photographs and prose designed to offer not only practical advice but also fodder for daydreams, or as Hollander says, to celebrate “just the joy of it.” The book, some 300 pages, is “the result of 25 years of doing this kind of work in the area,” he says. But Hollander is far from jaded. “I learn things on every project that we do.” And his enthusiasm is clear. “What’s remarkable is the diversity of areas, from Montauk to Bedford to Bedminster,” he says. “There’s a lot of natural things that need to be understood so the plantings will thrive in that area.” In this region, he notes, concerns include wetlands, bedrock and clay. “Then, it’s our little four-legged friends, the deer,” that make a difference.
“The deer have really altered the habitat. …You either put up an 8-foot-high fence or you dramatically change what you can and can’t plant.” Hollander says the best projects are the result of teamwork. “We also like to work very collaboratively,” he says, from consultations with the builders to conversations with a homeowner about, for example, the importance of soil and maintaining its integrity. In any job, Hollander says, he is always particularly aware of the areas that immediately surround the house itself. “There should be a flow from inside to outside,” he notes. These days, Hollander says he is often working with new owners of existing homes. “There are actually fewer and fewer ‘empty’ properties in the Westchester area,” he says. “People buy properties now for the landscapes, not the homes.” The homes, after all, can be dramatically altered but it’s not as easy, he says, to find “a big old property with the land and views” on which to build from scratch. While each project offers specific challenges and each homeowner has his or her own desires, there are some trends, Hollander says. “People really want to do less,” he says. Clients frequently ask for elements that have less need to be maintained, opting, for example, for a meadow instead of a manicured lawn. When the tastes do run toward the traditional lawn, though, he says there is often a growing awareness of maintaining it in a more eco-minded way.
A SOLID FOUNDATION
All images from “The Good Garden: The Landscape Architecture of Edmund Hollander Design” (The Monacelli Press), with principal photography by Charles Mayer.
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Hollander, who graduated from Vassar College with a bachelor’s degree in history, went on to The New York Botanical Garden School of Horticulture. He then received a master’s degree in landscape architecture from the University of Pennsylvania. He would work for The Delta Group in Philadelphia and then New York’s Clarke and Rapuano before founding Edmund Hollander Landscape Architects with his partner Maryanne Connelly. The firm has come to be known for the way in which it creates landscapes that are seamlessly integrated with the surrounding manmade elements, whether they be a country farmhouse, a contemporary suburban house or even a city rooftop. The company has received industry recognition from groups ranging from the American Society of Landscape Architects to the American Institute of Architects to the Royal Institute of British Architects. Hollander, who describes himself as a “born-and-bred Manhattanite,” still lives in the city. “We work all over the world but home is here,” he says. And that familiarity with the region can only benefit clients here. “We get, obviously, to be more hands-on in Bedford or North Salem than Hong Kong.” But, he says, at the end of the day, everyone’s goals come together. After all, we all want our homes to reflect us and also welcome visitors in comfort and style. With a second home in Sag Harbor and travels that take him throughout the region, Hollander says he’s often got work on his mind and is always checking in on projects he might be near. “I’m inevitably making detours,” he says, with a laugh. And whether it’s on the South Fork of Long Island or Scarsdale, his projects, Hollander says, share something in common. “Everybody’s property is different, but it’s all very important to them.” For more, visit hollanderdesign.com or monacellipress.com.
I Gordon Parks, “Untitled,” ca. in 1948.
SECOND LIFE FOR GORDON PARKS BY BOB ROZYCKI
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T’S BEEN SAID THAT THE ARTIST NEVER DIES.
And the same for the art produced. The late Gordon Parks, whose collection has found a new home in Pleasantville, saw the good, the bad and the ugly in his lifetime and not always in that order or equal amounts. To document the life he saw — racism, discrimination and poverty — he chose a camera as his “weapon,” as he said in his autobiography, “A Choice of Weapons.” The pioneering African-American photojournalist was also a film director (“Shaft) , a writer (“The Learning Tree”) and a musician. He was the first black photographer at Life magazine. It was there that he met and became friends with Philip B. Kunhardt Jr., a managing editor. Their friendship evolved so much so that Parks would become a regular at the Kunhardt’s Chappaqua home, said grandson Peter W. Kunhardt Jr. In addition to being an editor at Life, Kunhardt was part of Kunhardt Productions, which has created numerous docu“Mr. and Mrs. Albert Thornton, Mobile, Alabama, 1956.” Photographs courtesy of and copyright The Gordon Parks Foundation.
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Peter W. Kunhardt Jr. inside the vault containing negatives and images by Gordon Parks. In the foreground is a portrait of boxer Muhammad Ali. Photograph by Bob Rozycki.
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To document the life he saw — racism, discrimination and poverty — he chose a camera as his ‘weapon.’
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mentaries. The latest documentary is “Living With Lincoln,” which shows how several generations of the family ended up dedicating themselves to collecting and preserving photos and artifacts relating to Abraham Lincoln. Known as the Meserve-Kunhardt Collection, it was recently sold to Yale’s Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library and the Yale University Art Gallery. The collection contains more than 73,000 items, including 57,000 photographic prints, as well as thousands of other items. The collection was first kept in the home of Philip B. Kunhardt Jr.’s grandfather before moving on to the Reader’s Digest and then to the Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase College. It was while the collection was at Reader’s Digest that Parks came to see it. Amazed at what he saw, in particular photographer Mathew Brady’s work, Parks said he wanted to preserve his legacy in much the same manner. His visit came none too soon. Parks died on March 7, 2006. His friend and colleague, Kunhardt, died two weeks later on March 21. After the funerals, the work began. A strategy needed to be implemented.
There was a lot of behind-the scenes work to be completed. The negatives, transparencies and prints all needed to be located. In 2007, the Meserve-Kunhardt Foundation acquired Parks’ collection and created The Gordon Parks Foundation, of which Peter W. Kunhardt Jr. is the executive director. The collection, which contains more than 20,000 negatives and 4,000 prints, moved to Purchase College in 2009 where it was cataloged and preserved. Next came a conversation with Gerhard Steidl, considered the premier photography book publisher. The German publisher took on five decades of Parks’ photography and in 2012 released the five-volume box set “Gordon Parks: Collected Works.” The box set served as a “launching pad” of sorts for what was to come, Kunhardt said. Part of the plan was to allow curators at museums and galleries to create exhibits or books that examine specific sections of Parks’ overwhelming body of work. For example, “Gordon Parks: Segregation Story” is a book and a show on exhibit at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta through June 21. In addition, the Adamson Gallery in Washington, D.C., which also makes high-end digital prints for the foundation, is hosting the “Segregation Story” exhibit as well. The Gordon Parks Foundation’s new home at 48 Wheeler Ave. in Pleasantville will also exhibit the “Segregation Story,” beginning May 15. Another way in which the foundation carries on Parks’ vision and good works is through scholarships. Two scholarships are given to each of the following institutions each academic year: • Gordon Parks Foundation Arts Scholarship to Harlem School of the Arts; • Nikon/Gordon Parks Scholarship to School of Art + Design, Purchase College; • HBO/Gordon Parks Scholarship to Ghetto Film School; • Gordon Parks Centennial Scholarship to National YoungArts Foundation; • Gordon Parks Centennial Scholarship to Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation; and • Macy’s/Gordon Parks Scholarship to Fashion Institute of Technology. It is the hope of Kunhardt that Parks’ pro-active humanitarianism continues through fresh young eyes looking through lenses. The foundation will be hosting an awards dinner June 2 at Cipriani on Wall Street in Manhattan. Those honored will be Laurent Claquin, head of Kering Americas; artist Thornton Dial; artist JR; Usher Raymond IV, singer and entertainer; and Robert De Niro and Grace Hightower De Niro, who will receive the Patron of the Arts Award. Pharrell Williams will be performing. For tickets, go to gpfgala@buckleyhallevents.com.
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GREETINGS FROM THE GARDEN BY MARY SHUSTACK PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN RIZZO
Carol Pessin in her studio.
WALKING INTO THE WHOLE FOODS MARKET IN PORT CHESTER, SHOPPERS ARE IMMEDIATELY GREETED BY A BURST OF BLOOMS. THE FLORAL DEPARTMENT NEVER FAILS TO CATCH THE EYE. A step beyond, though, the garden seems to continue. For here, on a display rack, the flowers — sometimes boldly vivid, sometimes delicately quiet — bloom forever on a selection of art cards by Carol Pessin. Choose from dozens of options and know you are not only selecting cards adorned with a rose here or bunch of tulips there, offering birthday greetings or congratulations. Also know they are made just a few miles away, each one individually hand-painted by the White Plains artist who wants to share her work with as many people as possible. “I figured everyone should be able to buy a piece of art,” she says of an attitude that has carried her through nearly three decades of creating her art cards.
CULTIVATING A CAREER Pessin’s skylit studio tops her airy home in a quiet neighborhood. Throughout, paintings dot the walls. Some chairs, and even a few hardwood floors, are also artfully covered in flowers. It’s not at all where Pessin saw herself back when
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she was a young girl, born in the Bronx, who would go on to live in Florida and Westchester. While she always had an interest in — and affinity for — art, she never really pursued its creation. Long influenced by her uncle, the late New Yorkbased artist Sidney Klein, Pessin began creating art later in life. “It never came to me as a kid,” she says, though adding, “As a little kid, I couldn’t wait to be in a museum.” And she did have an artistic flair. “I would put on plaids and stripes and flowers and my mother said, ‘Take it off. It doesn’t go.’ I kept going back,” she says with a laugh. It was no surprise Pessin gravitated toward fashion and went to the Laboratory Institute of Merchandising College in Manhattan with plans to become a buyer. In time, she realized, however, it wasn’t for her. Rather than go with trends and current styles, she liked what she liked. “I guess I was a hippie, and I didn’t know it. Now, I consider myself a ‘glitzy hippie,’” she says. She would go on to marry and have two chil-
dren, with that desire to create finally taking hold, so she began “stenciling, fabric painting, ‘Jackson Pollock-ing,’ it.” “I had to find my medium. I took pastels. I took oils. I took drawing because I wanted to be an artist. …I wanted to create.” Then, some 30 years ago, Pessin and her family were walking through SoHo and she felt pulled into a gallery. “There was this Asian woman, and I said to her, ‘What is this?’ She said ‘Sumi-e,’” Pessin says. “‘What is that?’” she wanted to know. That was her introduction to the art of Japanese brush painting. “Sumi-e is very dramatic and it’s exciting,” she says. Its immediacy captivated her. “When you do a stroke, you do not go back over it. You are one with the brush.”
TENDING HER WORK Pessin has now long studied this art form, and it has affected her work and approach. One moment she’ll paint a bamboo scene, black, white and filled with nuance; the next moment, she’s back to another in her never-ending garden of flowers.
She found her medium. “People are breathing, and I’m painting,” she says. “I have that need. It’s like breathing.” Today, her cards are created using watercolors, acrylics or Sumi ink on recycled linen paper. She also does calligraphy and Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging, a practice she says taught her all about composition. Her floral work also includes fabrics and totes, gift bags and custom work. But when it comes to the cards, it’s a fast-paced creation that’s simply amazing to observe. The designs, she says, are “in my head.” “I’ll start using a color,” and it goes from there. “What colors do I feel like working with today?” Within moments, she will bring a blank card to life, a bloom created in motions that seem like a film on fast forward. On one card, she wonders if she should add a gold flourish to a flower before doing just that. “We’re American. More is more, right?” Her mind, she says, is always on her work. “I get my inspiration from everything,” she says. “I’ll just pick it up.”
THE BUSINESS OF ART “I started this business 27 years ago and I, you know, started doing everything on my own,” she says. It was 14 years ago that her husband, Jeré D. Pessin — “a real entrepreneur” whose background included IBM, PepsiCo and the Air Force — joined her in the business and took over the sales and marketing, helping her create a widespread distribution network that continues today. “Jeré and I used to call this our third child,” she says. His support, she says, was both invaluable and there from the start. “He said, ‘You love it. Do it. Everything will work out,’” she says. “He always believed in me.” She began selling at flea markets, sharing the news every time she made a sale. While she has had countless exhibitions of her paintings — showing and selling work at events and shows run by the National Audubon Society, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and The New York Botanical Garden over the years — Pessin finds the greeting cards her most steady outlet, and today
her cards can be found in shops and boutiques throughout the region and beyond. Of late, there is a somewhat bittersweet note to Pessin’s days. While her business continues to thrive, the success is mingled with a profound sense of loss of her husband, who died less than a year ago. But, she says, his spirit remains with her and she feels his touch in all she does. “I get gifts every single day from life.” These days, she says her children help her with the business, as needed, another sign that she’s on the right path. “I believe the universe will bring everything to you,” she says. And that keeps Pessin going strong, as she fills her days and nights painting her cards, upward of 30,000 each year, one by one. “I paint every single one. Nobody else does it.” Why? “Because I love it. I’m not doing this to be famous. I’m doing it because I’m loving it.” For more, visit carolpessinartcards.com, call 914-328-0544 or email karolv23@aol.com.
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NICOLE ASHEY’S DESIGN CAREER BLOOMS, AGAIN BY MARY SHUSTACK PHOTOGRAPH BY BOB ROZYCKI
AS VIBRANT AS THE MOTIF ON ONE OF HER NEW VENTURE’S PILLOWS, HUDSON VALLEY INTERIOR DESIGNER NICOLE ASHEY’S CAREER IS COMING INTO FULL BLOOM THIS SPRING. Ashey, who heads up the Beacon-based Burlock Interior designer Nicole Ashey with one of the creations of Burlock Thread Works, photographed at Ramos Reupholstery and Fabric Inc. in Newburgh. Interiors, has just launched an offshoot with a decidedly eco-minded — and socially conscious — approach. Burlock Thread Works has begun producing handcrafted home accessories Afterward, Ashey ended up working first in architecture, then retail — she ran an that incorporate repurposed textiles. And work sessions are now under way art-supply and then a home furnishings shop in Beacon — before she transitioned through an initiative that will eventually offer employment to survivors of domesinto home staging and finally, interior design, launching her company in 2010. tic violence. “I started in staging because that was a way for me to leverage myself and springThe fledgling effort, with its first limited-edition pieces just reaching the marketboard into a business,” she says. place, has the energetic woman bursting with details. Sitting down with Ashey in As she hoped, the work helped her develop a solid network. Cold Spring on a recent afternoon, she recaps the path that took her from a child“Interior design is such a word-of-mouth business,” she adds. “I marketed myself hood on Long Island to a career in the Hudson Valley. as a stager, and I got all this decorating work.” She clearly remembers, she says, being 7 years old and telling her father, “I want While she continues to use her architectural background to this day — “I probto be an interior designer with an architect’s background.” lem-solve better because of my training. I’m more resourceful” —Ashey knew inteAnd that is exactly what happened, thanks to undergraduate (Lehigh Universirior design was a better fit. ty in Pennsylvania) and graduate (University of Washington in Seattle) studies in “An architectural project will sometimes take years to come to fruition. With architecture. interior design, I could really roll my shirt sleeves up, play with texture and color.”
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THE PATH The site of the chat is appropriate. It’s Gallery 66 NY, where Ashey participated in the recent “Designer Challenge” that found interior designers tasked with using artwork as inspiration to create a room or vignette. Ashey’s room, a collaboration with visual artists Rebecca Darlington and Donald Alter, was called “Humans for Breakfast,” and it was a playful-yet-thoughtful take on the importance of human connections and working together. In her Burlock Interiors work, Ashey is known for recognizing the quality of life is affected by your home’s design and strives not only to find practical, stylish solutions but to use materials from local resources whenever possible. Her design work, which received a real boost following her participation in the ArtFull Living Designer Show House in Cold Spring in 2012, has been recognized within her field. Ashey is now involved in the forthcoming Dutch’s Spirits, the craft distillery restoration on the Pine Plains grounds of a onetime bootlegging operation funded by Dutch Schultz, and has also been tapped for an 80-unit apartment building in White Plains.
STITCH BY STITCH On this day, however, she’s sharing the news about the debut of her handcrafted home goods. “I did want to have something that I could be putting out as ‘mine,’ or Burlock’s,” she says. Burlock Thread Works has partnered with the Grace Smith House in Dutchess County, a nonprofit that serves the survivors of domestic violence and one Ashey came to know through work on a mural project. Ashey says that her new venture’s goal is to empower the House’s clients by
offering them a living wage and supportive work environment. Right now, she is involved in work sessions to this end, while a traditional production team creates the initial pillow collections. Ashey explains the line incorporates fabric remnants and off-cuts that most companies — including luxury brands such as Brunschwig & Fils —would find unusable and send off to the landfill. “I feel bad for all the fabrics nobody wants,” Ashey says, adding she prefers to take these existing materials and give them a new life. With business partner Justine Porter, who’s in graduate school at Bard College and devoted to social enterprise, Ashey feels Burlock Thread Works has a winning team set to create a distinctive — and stylish — product. “There’s so many new things we can buy that are adding to our carbon footprint. …If I’m going to own a company that’s producing merchandise, I want it to be as good as possible,” Ashey adds. Ashey says she sees the customers for the limited-edition pillows as those with an eye for design — and an appreciation for what’s behind the product. As the effort progresses, Ashey says she hopes to expand into blankets, table linens and rugs, all continuing to made by hand in the Hudson Valley. Barbara Galazzo, owner of Gallery 66 NY and the creator of the ArtFull Living Show House, has followed Ashey’s work and sees this new venture really finding an audience. “She’s always willing to step out and be fun and creative,” Galazzo says. “I love the fact that her new project is helping women who are trying to start over, first of all, (to) get their lives back, but also because it’s made in America.” For more, visit burlockinteriors.com.
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REQUIRED READING FOR
HILLARY? BY RONNI DIAMONDSTEIN
W
WHEN IT COMES TO “VIEWS” NICOLLE WALLACE HAS HAD MANY. From the West Wing of the White House as President George W. Bush’s communications director to political analyst on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” to co-host of ABC’s talk show “The View,” she has seen a lot up front and from behind the scenes. So it was Wallace’s “point of view” about the election of 2008 that propelled her to pen three novels about the high-stakes lives of the first female president of the United States and Nicolle Wallace. Photograph by Ami Vitale. the high-powered women around her. The new “Madam President” (Simon & Schuster/Atria Books) completes the trilogy. “I became obsessed by the ways that Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin were concerns about the effect of the campaign on Sarah Palin’s well-being. When treated differently from their male counterparts by the media in 2008,” Wallace, the campaign ended and I turned to writing pure fiction, I explored what it who served as a senior campaign adviser to the McCain-Palin campaign, says would be like if someone with mental health issues rose to the office of the in an email interview. “During Hillary’s primary contest against Sen. (Barack) vice presidency.” Obama, I observed the most revered figures in the political media establishSince September 2014, Wallace has co-hosted “The View,” on which the politment practically cheering for Obama and nearly sneering at Hillary for staying ical fur often flies. in the primaries.” “It’s a job that makes me feel like I won the lottery, every day. Becoming She didn’t conclude that it was necessarily tied to her gender until she saw friends with Whoopi Goldberg and Rosie Perez is the best thing about working the scrutiny that Palin endured. Some of it Wallace thought was justified, particat ‘The View;’ and ‘The View’ viewers are the most loyal and devoted viewers in ularly where it pertained to her record in Alaska and her position on pressing television. It is a challenge to honor the show’s legacy and the vision that Barbara issues. “But the lines of questioning about her pregnancies and motherhood Walters had 18 years ago when she launched the show.” were truly stunning, and when combined with the harsh treatment of Clinton, Wallace spends her free time with 3-year-old son Liam, husband Mark, who I decided to play with the topic of political power and the unique indignities was a former ambassador to the United Nations, and Vizslas Lilly and Honey, suffered by women seeking it.” whom she calls perfect brown dogs. Wallace says, however, that any resemblance between the characters in her “We spend a lot of time hiking and cooking and riding tractors out at our trilogy — “Eighteen Acres,” “It’s Classified,” and “Madam President” — and the house in the country,” she says, referring to Litchfield County, where the family players on the political stage today is purely coincidental. can be found when they’re not in New York City. “My husband and I are passion“My experience in politics was extremely public, and everyone has theories ate about being with our son as much as possible and we take our precious dogs about whether I’m a thinly veiled Melanie or Dale (White House chief of staff everywhere.” and White House correspondent respectively). I am not. They are both more acWallace reflects on her life: “I never expected to have all of the professional complished than me.” Wallace drew on her experiences as well as those of many opportunities that I’ve had, and I’m grateful that I get to continue learning new close friends in Washington, D.C. to make the characters real, though. things. I also never expected motherhood to transform everything in my life, Wallace speaks candidly about the events that inspired the creative probut I’m so happy that it has.” cess for “It’s Classified,” the second book, featuring a popular female vice So what’s in sight for Wallace? “I’d like to write something for television. Stay president who has her share of secrets. “During the campaign, there were tuned.”
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LET THERE BE… BY DANIELLE RENDA
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Photographs by Tom Nycz. Courtesy of Historic Hudson Valley.
N
estled in Croton-on-Hudson is an illuminated world of enchantment making its second annual appearance. “Lightscapes,” a nighttime light show created by Historic Hudson Valley, is a springthemed walk through garden life, art and media.
“Last year, we drew more than 20,000 visitors, which is just an awesome result for year one,” said Rob Schweitzer, director of marketing, public relations and new media for the nonprofit HHV, which oversees several historic sites, including Van Cortlandt Manor, home of “Lightscapes” and fall’s “The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze.” As with ‘The Blaze,” the audience for “Lightscapes” is “a real mix of folks, but definitely lots of families with kids.” The event features eco-friendly sculptures handcrafted on site by a small HHV team. This year, the team worked with nonprofit Collaborative Concepts on the project. Cathrin Hoskinson of Accord, N.Y., created a “Delft bunny” made from a recycled steel rod covered in spandex and decorated with materials from a blue umbrella, mangled courtesy of the artist’s dog. Sarah Haviland of Crompond
made 1½-foot fireflies, crafted from water bottles, wire and mesh and mounted onto wire rods. Elena Kalman of Stamford fashioned a caterpillar head from wrought iron, aluminum, fabric, spandex, pipe insulation and tubing that serves as the entrance to the “Caterpillar Cavern.” “It’s a light and art show that is … really unlike anything else is the area,” Schweitzer said. At the beginning and end of the experience, visitors can explore a garden-themed gift shop, which includes homemade candy and baked goods from Geordane’s of Irvington and Blue Pig of Croton. “Lightscapes” is held Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings throughout May. Timed tickets are available at hudsonvalley.org.
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WEAR
From left: The Charlotte Dress, four ply silk crepe embroidered swing dress, $2,195; and The Reese Top, thread and sequin embroidered silk organza top, $1,195 with The Christi Short, silk faille shorts, $795. Photographs courtesy Katie Fong.
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CHIC BOUTIQUE KATIE FONG OPENS GREENWICH STORE
BY DANIELLE RENDA
WAG LAST MET WITH KATIE FONG IN JANUARY TO DISCUSS THE GREENWICH NATIVE’S EPONYMOUS BRAND, WHICH SHE LAUNCHED IN 2013. NOW WE CATCH UP WITH THE DESIGNER AS SHE ANNOUNCES THE OPENING OF HER FIRST STORE, THE KATIE FONG BOUTIQUE IN GREENWICH. “Having a storefront will allow us to work more closely with our growing client list,” Katie Fong, founder, CEO and creator director of Katie Fong LLC, has said. When Fong first launched her brand at the age of 22, she was using her parent’s basement as a workspace. Soon after, she moved to Manhattan’s Garment District and now two years later, has found a new home for her designs at 60 Lewis St. “There is a growing niche for affordable luxury goods that replicate many of the details found in haute couture brands, as well as a need for women in prominent positions to have custom designs,” Fong said. For this initiative, Fong is partnering with Taigan, an online marketplace, to offer select products that complement her designs. This is Taigan’s first retail collaboration. “As an e-commerce marketplace focused on helping designers build and
grow their businesses, we are thrilled to partner with Katie on her first brickand-mortar store,” Elizabeth Nichols, CEO of Taigan, has said. “We believe that the Taigan designers she has chosen to present in her new store will be additive to the shopping experience.” The boutique will feature Fong’s ready-to-wear collection, including this season’s selection of floral prints and lace with splashes of color. Part of Fong’s business includes custom design. Clients can either select templates for tops and skirts and customize the color, fabric and size, or they can go the made-to-measure route, where Fong creates a garment entirely from scratch. The custom option has been more popular for events such as graduations and galas; the made-to-measure, for weddings. Either way, Fong’s shop will provide a greater opportunity for the designer to meet directly with clients to serve their needs. The Katie Fong Boutique is at 60 Lewis St. in Greenwich. Fong’s collection is also available at Richards of Greenwich, Wilkes Bashford in San Francisco and through taigan.com. For custom orders, clients can send an email to info@ katiefong.com. For more, visit katiefong.com.
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to PLEASE BY DANIELLE RENDA
Neill Bieff Photograph by John Rizzo.
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ON A RAINY AFTERNOON, WAG CATCHES UP WITH DESIGNER NEIL BIEFF DURING A VISIT TO MARY JANE DENZER’S STORE NEXT TO THE RITZ-CARLTON, WESTCHESTER IN WHITE PLAINS. We last chatted with Bieff about his experienc-
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Almost everything can be adapted to a customer’s needs and figure and reprinted into hundreds of color ways. This is what my business is about.
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O
es in the fashion industry and his finesse for creating clothing that emphasizes the female figure. (See November 2014’s “Power Couples” issue.) Now he shares with WAG his latest creations — a collection of airy, chiffon dresses for the spring and summer months. “For spring, I have boosted the intensity of the colorations, with purple and lilacs predominating, either in the trim or layered underneath with other colors and highlighting the mixed prints I have done,” Bieff says. “I have not done as many printed pieces in years.” Bieff ’s newest clothing includes an assortment of day and evening dresses, in addition to delicate blouses and form-fitting skirts. Bieff consistently uses chiffon and detailed needlework throughout the collection. “I almost always work in sheer or semi-sheer cloth, which affords me the opportunity to layer colors and to vary how and where the body is covered, lightly or heavily, or not at all,” Bieff says. “As for embroideries, all over or as details, they are my signatures.”
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Neil Bieff. Photograph by John Rizzo.
Photographs by Michelle Beck, courtesy Neil Bieff.
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Bieff ’s favorite design is a mid-calf, fitted and flared dress — a combination of his favorite prints with a wide, sheer border of purple organza, fitted with a malachite belt whose reverse side is suede. “It screams warm weather,” he says of the dress. All of Bieff ’s clothing can be customized to accommodate the client’s needs. Understanding that all bodies are different, Bieff tailors his clothing to please the individual, not the masses. “Almost everything can be adapted to a customer’s needs and figure and reprinted into hundreds of color ways. This is what my business is about.” For more on Bieff ’s collection, visit mjdenzer.com or nielbieff.com.
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Magnificent custom built 5300 sq. ft. French Normandy with a grand foyer and open floor plan is designed for comfortable family living and lavish entertaining. Luxurious amenities throughout. Sunken living room, cherry library, two story great room with fireplace, and a 32’x23 entertainment room. Huge gourmet eat in kitchen with maple cabinets and granite countertops lead to the enormous deck. The dramatic curved main staircase and rear stair leads to the spacious master suite with tray ceiling, sitting room, plus a large en-sute marble bathroom. 500 foot screening/play room or fifth bedroom on second floor. California closets, Central Vac, sprinkler system & circular driveway. Set on almost two level acres with a heated Gunite pool, lush landscaping and beautiful backyard in a sought after neighborhood. MLS# 4429046 Price: $1,249,000
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IN BLOOM STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
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Cristina Ottaviano at her recent trunk show at Mary Jane Denzer in White Plains.
I
IF CENTRAL CASTING’S EVER LOOKING FOR A NEW FAIRY-TALE PRINCESS, it need look no further than
budding fashion designer Cristina Ottaviano, whose warmth and charm match her beauty. WAG had a chance to catch up with Cristina recently at Mary Jane Denzer in White Plains, where she held a trunk show of her delicately textured designs. Think floral embroidery on an angled silk faille bodice or bugle beads on lace. Such embellishments are important to Cristina, who learned crocheting and hand-beading lace from her Spanish-born great-grandmother. From her Italian-born father, Cristina absorbed a love of fashion as well as art and architecture. The rest came from hands-on experience. “I started modeling at 16,” she says, “which is how I learned about fit and construction.” After graduating from The Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan, this native New Yorker apprenticed with Marc Jacobs and Oscar de la Renta. Of her time with the late, lamented Oscar, Cristina says, “He was such a joy, so inspiring. To be able to hold up pieces of fabric or a design as he chose this or that, well, I learned a lot.” There’s a touch of Oscar in Cristina’s columns and ball gowns, which accentuate the female figure and often
make bold use of color, particularly ruby red. It was featured along with black and white in the florals amid her Chinese-inspired fall collection. Not surprisingly, she’s chosen a gown from this group for her appearance at The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s May 4 gala celebrating The Costume Institute’s “China: Through the Looking Glass” exhibit. Still, the Spanish filigree in her designs is all her own as is their frothiness. One confection in particular caught our eye — crisscrossing swaths of pale gray tulle fanning out and trailing off, just waiting for some star to wow in on the red carpet. Who needs 50 shades of gray when you can have one by Cristina? For more, visit cristinaottaviano.com.
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FAMILIAR FACES RETURN TO HELM NEIMAN, SAKS ARMED, BUT NOT DANGEROUS, AT THE FRICK CHIC CHOICES
WESTCHESTER & FAIRFIELD LIFE APRIL 2015 | WAGMAG.COM
SEPTEMBER 2014 | WAGMAG.COM
POWER SUITS
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PATTI LUPONE PERENNIAL STAR BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
Patti LuPone. Photograph by Rahav Segev.
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FOR PATTI LUPONE —WHO WON A TONY AND A HOST OF OTHER AWARDS — FOR HER PORTRAYAL OF MADAME ROSE IN THE MOST RECENT BROADWAY PRODUCTION OF “GYPSY” – EVERYTHING KEEPS COMING UP ROSES. She recently finished a star turn as the entertainer Samira in John Corigliano’s lavish, let-them-eat-cake opera, “The Ghosts of Versailles,” at the Los Angeles Opera. She’s about to begin rehearsals for “Shows for Days,” Douglas Carter Beane’s autobiographical valentine to community theater in 1970s Pennsylvania and the force of nature (played by LuPone) who makes it happen. The Jerry Zaks helmer begins previews at Lincoln Center’s Newhouse Theater June 6, opening June 29. Speaking of roles she can sink her teeth into, LuPone will also appear in season two of Showtime’s “Penny Dreadful” (beginning May 3), which is set in a particularly ghostly Victorian London. She can’t talk about it except to say that it is “beautifully written” by creator John Logan. An opera, a play and Grand Guignol telly: LuPone has done and can do it all. “I was trained in versatility at Juilliard, and it never left me,” says the singer-actress, a graduate of the first class of the Drama Division of the Manhattan-based conservatory and a founding member of John Houseman’s The Acting Company, in which she toured nationally for four years. “I don’t have a favorite anything. It’s too limiting.” 54
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Patti LuPone. Photograph by Ethan Hill.
Fans will see that versatility on display when the lady with the big voice (and larger-than-life emotions) brings her acclaimed one-woman show “The Lady With the Torch” to The Performing Arts Center, Purchase College May 2. In the show, each of the 17 songs tells a story within the overarching theme of the night’s playlist, which includes “Frankie and Johnny,” “The Man I Love” and “Do It Again,” with “By Myself” anchoring the beginning, middle and end. “I don’t just sing songs,” LuPone says. “I’m led by the lyrics. I like to tell stories and try to structure them as Patti LuPone. Photograph by Richard Termine. a play. “You have to make it interesting for the audience. You can’t have 14 ballads in tura. LuPone’s brother Robert originated the role of Zach, the director, in “A Chorus a row. You’re taking an audience on a journey. It’s like a rollercoaster with highs Line.” and lows.” Patti LuPone’s credits, of course, read like a dream career — the title role in BroadWorking with Scott Wittman, who conceived and directed the show, and muway’s “Evita,” for which she won her first Tony Award; Fantine in the original Lonsical director Joseph Thalken, LuPone leads listeners on a voyage of unrequited don production of “Les Misérables,” for which she won an Olivier Award; Maria love, the essence of the torch song. Callas in “Master Class,” Mrs. Lovett in John Doyle’s Broadway production of And make no mistake about it, it is a woman’s journey, because men hold all the “Sweeney Todd”; Madame Rose in “Gypsy”; Anna in “The Seven Deadly Sins,” cards — or at least they did when many of these songs were written (by men) in the which marked her debut with the New York City Ballet. first half of the 20th century. So great has been her theatrical career that you might forget her fine work on “Ruth Etting, Helen Morgan, Libby Holman, Billie Holiday,” LuPone says, ticking the big and small screens, particularly the ABC series “Life Goes On,” a family off the names of some of the great torch singers she’s studied. “Rudy Vallee?” she drama that broke new ground with its engaging realism, topical storylines and adds with that well-known throaty laugh. starring role for Chris Burke, an actor with Down Syndrome. Whether soprano, mezzo or contralto, LuPone says, “there is a wail in the voice, These days, LuPone, a passionate woman of strong opinions, says she watches a plaintive quality, a cry.” very little network TV, because it isn’t very good, preferring instead to “computThose cries in “The Lady With the Torch” come from a mix of songs that were er binge” on such cable shows as “Boardwalk Empire,” “Girls,” “House of Cards” familiar or suggested to LuPone or discovered by her. There is only one kind of and “Silicon Valley.” Dividing her time between her home in Litchfield County song she won’t consider: “If I can’t do it service, I won’t sing it.” and one on the beach in South Carolina, LuPone is also a big reader of historical Such open-mindedness about genres and styles no doubt led her to “The novels like Thomas Flanagan’s “The Year of the French,” about a failed 18th-century Irish uprising. Ghosts of Versailles.” Reviewing the Los Angeles Opera production, The New York But she also spends a good deal of time vocalizing and working with a vocal Times’ Zachary Woolfe wrote: “It didn’t hurt that the juicy cameo role of the encoach — depending on whether she’s in a play or a musical — and doing aerobics tertainer Samira, created at The Met by the great mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne, and weight training. After all, she says, she’s getting older. had gone to the Broadway diva Patti LuPone, who dispatched her pseudo-exotic To which we would add, and only better. number with daffy charm.” “The Lady With the Torch” is at 8 p.m. May 2 at The Performing Arts CenThough doing opera is no different from theater from a production standpoint, ter, Purchase College. Tickets are $95, $80, $65 and $55. The $220 package LuPone says, “I was humbled by the voices and the discipline of those singers. includes a prime orchestra seat, a VIP meet and greet with Patti LuPone, the But they accepted me. I was like the vaudeville entertainment in the opera. I even after party and complimentary valet parking. (Or if you already have your made my entrance on a (fabricated) elephant.” ticket, you can add on $125 for these amenities) The $135 package includes “Ghosts,” she adds, had her singing in a register that brought her back to her juthe orchestra seat, after party and valet parking. (Add $40 for these if you nior high school days in Northport, Long Island, where she grew up the daughter already have your ticket.) The college is on Anderson Hill Road between Purof school administrators in a family with musical antecedents. Her great-grandaunt chase and King streets. 914-251-6200, artscenter.org. was one of opera’s finest singers, Adelina Patti, acclaimed for her crystalline coloraWAGMAG.COM
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Woodland sentinels. Photograph by Mary Jasch.
The White Garden in South Salem — widely acknowledged to be one of the finest private gardens in the Hudson Valley — is open to the public in the spring and fall through The Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Program. “We are so proud to be able to share the White Garden through Open Days,” said Laura Palmer, vice president of Open Days and Special Projects for the Garrison-based conservancy. “Since 1999, its May display of thousands of daffodils has been a sign that spring has arrived. In the fall, it is just as special with mature native plantings and, of course, the water features, greenhouse and sculptures are enjoyed year-round.” Picture a mature native oak and hickory forest standing sentinel over a Greek Revival-style stone house surrounded by gardens that fan out exquisitely along trails into the adjacent woods of the 50-acre estate. Near the house, the gardens are classically inspired and include a pergola, a labyrinth and a theater court. Among the additional hidden gardens are a perennial ellipse, an annual garden, a conservatory jungle garden and an Asian-inspired moss garden. Not to be missed is a temple to Apollo, the Greek god of truth, light, the arts and manly beauty, which is sited on an island in the garden’s main pond.
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Landscape designer Patrick Chasse worked closely with property owners Shelby White and her husband, the late Leon Levy, to create The White Garden. “They had attended a lecture I gave on the naturalistic approach to gardening and in the early 1990s contact-
“The house got taller, but we stayed pretty much with the original footprint because of wetlands regulations,” Chasse said. “The first thing I wanted to do was bring a new driveway through the existing driveway and across a brook.” White and Levy added a large swim-
ONE WITH THE GARDEN BY JANE K. DOVE
ed me about doing major remodeling on their South Salem property. There was a modest existing house, a two-car garage, and some daffodils and other garden elements.” The owners, philanthropists and collectors of antiquities, decided to build a stone Greek Revival house on the same site as the existing home.
ming pool and glass-bottom reflecting pool. Chasse’s garden design called for everything to remain as natural as possible. “We envisioned the Greek Revival house to be like a temple in the woods. In ancient Greece and Rome, temples were often placed in sacred groves on the sides of mountains, and I wanted to
incorporate some of this history. We decided to keep the daffodils that had already been planted and have more formal gardens designed to go around the house. We kept the stately old trees near the house and planted some new ones. We also preserved the stonewalls from the property’s days as a dairy farm. Today, Chasse says, his design project has evolved into a serene woodland garden. “We have grottos, waterfalls, two ponds and all kind of interesting sculpture. We have changed the placement of statues to put them in more visually effective locations and moved a lot of large mature shrubs like rhododendron and mountain laurel to different locations. As a result, the house and garden have become much more organized and easy to enjoy and appreciate.” Chasse designed simple woodland paths with chips and some wooden walkways over wet areas to link the different garden areas. “I wanted a unifying theme for the property, and I think I have achieved it,” he said. “(Head gardener/estate manager) Eric Schmidt has been a tremendous help in this area, with his planting of big bunches of massed daffodils and his overall dedication to the property. The White Garden is now almost like a daffodil museum, and visitors can enjoy their old favorites and see many new ones each spring.” For information, visit gardenconservancy.org.
Harry T. Tucker & Sons, Inc
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Stella(r) lingerie for the modern woman BY DANIELLE RENDA
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EMBRACE YOUR FEMININITY WITH “STELLA” — STELLA MCCARTNEY’S SPRING/SUMMER LINGERIE COLLECTION, FEATURING SILKS, METALLIC PRINTS, LACE ACCENTS AND PASTEL SHADES. VIEWING LINGERIE AS THE BASIS FOR A WOMAN’S WARDROBE, MCCARTNEY DESIGNS FOR THE MODERN FEMALE WHILE REMAINING ECO-FRIENDLY. This season, she expands the concept of everyday lingerie by launching her first maternity style, “Reilley Adoring.” “I think there is this kind of myth that shoes are the first thing that dictates your outfit,” McCartney has said. “But for me, it’s lingerie. …It has a big impact on how you wear your clothes, what you wear on top of your lingerie and how you feel in general.” The Stella collection consists of mix-and-match pieces rather than traditional matching sets — a lingerie liberation for working women everywhere. Using recycled metals as well as organic cotton gussets to line the panties, Stella remains environmentally savvy while producing a supportive, yet barely-there fit. “We have the sort of lingerie you can rely on every day,” McCartney said. “It fits you brilliantly and you can put it in the washing machine. Then, we have exciting ranges for those days where you feel you want to give yourself a little bit more… and then we have the very special occasion lingerie.”
The collection — a bouquet of delicate shades, including peony, pale lemon and dusty orchid — offers three bra styles, Stella smooth, Stella lace and Stella mesh. Stella smooth combines thin matte- and satin-finish microfibers to disguise the lingerie underneath the clothing completely, while Stella lace is an everyday option with added support and Stella mesh is a more modern look. The collection is available in a variety of styles, including “Scarlett Weaving,” featuring Japanese leavers lace with wide, elastic accents; “Ava Dancing,” with vintage-inspired embroidery mixing French leavers eyelash trim with geometric mesh and a bow strap detail; and “Gwyneth Gazing,” a floral lace in one of the season’s hottest colors — turquoise. “Reilley Adoring,” the maternity style, features a bra for pregnancy and breastfeeding with full support to accommodate the woman’s changing body. The price range for the collection is $80 to $140 for a soft-cup balconnet bra, $28 to $80 for briefs, $105 to $200 for bodysuits, $55 for maternity briefs, $110 for a maternity bra and $40 to $300 for the bridal collection. Stella is available in Stella McCartney boutiques, Neiman Marcus Westchester and other select stores. For more, visit neimanmarcus.com or stellamccartney.com.
ENTER TO WIN Help Wrigley become a Guiding Eyes dog…
ENTER TO WIN!
Help Nemo become a Guiding Eyes dog…
painting by Victor Mirabelli
RIVERSIDE ART AUCTION
Benefitting Hudson Valley Artists & Garrison Art Center
Live Auction Saturday, May 9, 2015 Viewing & reception 3:30 Live Auction 5:00 On Garrison’s Landing, Garrison, NY 40 works by HV artists offered Auctioneer: Nicholas D. Lowry President, Swann Galleries, NYC Appraiser, Antiques Roadshow 845.424.3960
garrisonartcenter.org
…and you may become the winner of a new Lexus or a Rolex watch! Enter our raffle to win a 2014 Lexus IS 250 or a
Men’s Oyster Perpetual Datejust Watch. Enter our raffle to win a 2015 Lexus ES350 or Rolex a Rolex Watch! 1,000each. tickets will be sold! Tickets are $100 Only 1,000 tickets will be sold. Tickets areOnly $100 Purchase online at each. Purchase online at guidingeyes.org/raffle www.guidingeyes.org/raffle. Guiding Eyes provides guide dogs to people All proceeds benefit Guiding Eyes for the Blind, with vision loss, as well as service dogs tothe children autism. Weschool are that has renownedwith nonprofit guide dog professionally bred and trained guide dogs to passionate about connecting exceptional provided dogs with individuals and families the blind and visually impaired since 1954. for greater independence. All of our services are provided free of charge. Lexus IS 250 sponsored in part by Watch provided Drawing will take place June 9, 2014 at the Raffl eofdrawing will take place 8, 2015 at the Guiding Eyes Golf Classic, Lexus Mt. Kisco by June Rolex Guiding Eyes Golf Classic, hosted by Eli Manning. hosted by Eli Manning. Guiding Eyes for the Blind is a nonprofit guide dog school dedicated to enriching the lives of the blind and visually impaired. Visit www.guidingeyes.org/raffle to purchase a raffle ticket or learn more about the organization. To place a bid in the online auction, visit www.biddingforgood.com/guidingeyes.
guidingeyes.org
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A DECADE OF DANCE STORY AND PHOTOGRAPH BY DANIELLE BRODY
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N A RECENT FRIDAY EVENING, MARISSA SALEMI-GIACOBBE WALKS THROUGH A GROUP OF GIRLS IN THE WAITING AREA OF HER DANCE STUDIO, STOPPING A FEW FROM DOING HANDSTANDS AS SHE MAKES HER WAY INTO THE OFFICE. Salemi-Giacobbe then switches from business owner to instructor, moving to one of the five classrooms in the Pleasantville dance studio. She has been balancing the two roles since she opened the Breaking Ground Dance Center about 10 years ago at age 23. Standing in front of the Petite Company, a group of girls ages 9 to 12 sporting jazz shoes, bright outfits and high pony tails, Salemi-Giacobbe guides and critiques them as they jump, spin and dance to “We Go Together” from “Grease.” The studio owner reminds the girls to count, jump higher Marissa Salemi-Giacobbe, owner of the Breaking Ground Dance Center. and, most of all, smile, showing them her biggest grin. They flash huge smiles in response. After rehearsing for a dance competition the next day — which the Petite Company would go on to win — Salestudio’s 60 students. She wanted to give it her best shot, and if it didn’t work out, mi-Giacobbe divides the girls into two groups to work on presentation. then get a master’s in developmental psychology. Salemi-Giacobbe also spent her childhood dancing, competing with a compaSalemi-Giacobbe hasn’t had time to get that master’s. In 10 years, some 4,000 ny at her dance school in Rhode Island. At age 4 she followed in the footsteps students have come through the studio that now boasts more than 500 students of her mother and grandmother, who were also dancers. The artistic family also and has received local recognition. includes a grandfather, who played the trombone behind Frank Sinatra and Judy Admitting it was hard to start the dance studio at a young age and with no busiGarland, and her brother, an actor. ness background, she read books, attended seminars and workshops and learned A performing arts scholarship at Manhattanville College and the desire to be from her mistakes. closer to New York City brought Salemi-Giacobbe to Westchester. She minored in Salemi-Giacobbe remembers a strict “tough love” teaching style when she was dance and majored in developmental psychology, having always wanted to have a dance student, something she appreciates now but doesn’t follow. She trains the a degree in something outside of dance. faculty to give students encouragement. “I never, ever wanted to be a studio owner,” she says. “People used to ask me “We really want every kid to leave feeling good, with self-confidence,” she says. when I was younger, ‘Don’t you want to own a studio, because you love dance so “Our goal is not to have the best dancers around. Our goal is to produce great kids much?’ I never thought of it as an option for me.” that are ready for the real world.” Once she started teaching children’s dance classes in college, however, she When asked about some of her dancers’ achievements, Salemi-Giacobbe changed her mind as she realized she loved passing on her passion for dance. doesn’t start with competitions won. She gushes about students going on to presShe saw the need for a studio in Westchester that offered the same quality of tigious dance and academic schools and landing great jobs. She is just as excited instruction to casual as well as professionally minded dancers. About a year after about former students going to law school as she is about one who just got acceptgraduation, she found the space in Pleasantville and opened a studio on what she ed into New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. says was a whim, using both her education and dance background to work. “My favorite part is seeing the growth in the students and knowing that we had “I’m so glad I did it then,” she says. a part in that, and that they gained self-confidence through their growth.” She started by teaching classes and enlisting dancer friends to work with the For more, visit breakinggrounddance.com.
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3D Mammography. Exceptional Vision. If you haven’t heard about the life saving benefits of 3D mammography, it’s time you did. This screening test takes more pictures from more angles, which can make all the difference for some women, including those with dense breasts, or at a higher risk of developing breast cancer. White Plains Hospital has 3D mammography available at all three imaging centers with evening and weekend appointments available. Another example of how White Plains Hospital defines exceptional every day. FI N D O U T M O R E A B O U T B R E AST I M AG I N G AT W H I T E P L A I N S H O S P I TA L
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WHEELS
Photograph courtesy The St. Regis New York.
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DAY FOR NIGHT, AUTO STYLE
LOTS OF HOTELS OFFER GUESTS COMPLIMENTARY CAR SERVICE. BUT AT THE LUXURIOUS ST. REGIS NEW YORK IN MANHATTAN, THE EXPERIENCE IS GIVING A WHOLE NEW MEANING TO THE WORD “NIGHTSHIFT.” By day, guests are chauffeured from business meetings to luncheons to private shopping in the hotel’s Moonbeam (Silver) Flying Spur, part of its 2015 Bentley Fleet. By night, they head to dinner, theater or one of myriad galas in the Beluga (Black) Mulsanne. “At The St. Regis New York, we strive to provide unparalleled and inventive luxury experiences to our guests,” says Hermann Elger, general manager of hotel. “By offering access to the Flying Spur during the day and the Black Beluga Mulsanne in the evening, we are providing our guests with the only in-house Bentley car service with different cars for day and evening use. The Bentley Fleet is a perfect representation of the hotel’s innovative spirit and
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commitment to providing guests with above and beyond luxury accommodations.” The changing of the Bentley guard occurs at the beginning of an evening ritual that happens at St. Regis properties the world over. As the black Mulsanne arrives at The St. Regis New York — founded more than a century ago by John Jacob Astor IV — the lights dim and candles are lit. Jazz fills the King Cole Bar & Salon, and afternoon tea gives way to the hotel’s signature Bloody Marys. It would be worth it, it seems, to book the hotel’s Bentley Suite — designed with Bentley Motors — or another accommodation there just to tool around town in these cars. The St. Regis New York’s guests have complimentary access to both vehicles within a 10-block radius of the hotel on a first-come, first-serve basis 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. The hotel is on Fifth Avenue at 55th Street. For more, visit stregisnewyork.com.
The Postmaster’s House
SOUTH SALEM, NY Built ca. 1760, this 8 bdrm, 4 bth, 4353 sf Colonial farmhouse boasts a rich, well-preserved history. Impressive formal spaces for entertaining, EIK w/fireplace, ample accommodation for family & friends. Period details throughout including 8 fireplaces, mellowed wide board floors, exposed beams, wainscoting, and built-ins. On 9+ acres of stunning grounds w/level lawns, mature gardens, and an in-ground pool. MLS#: 4427057 Price: $1,350,000 MCLAIN STREET BEDFORD CORNERS, NY Warm & sophisticated, 4 BR, 3.5 bath, 4700 sq. ft. of single level living. Entry gallery, great rm w/floor to ceiling stone fireplace, DR & kitchen which flow nicely for entertaining. The sky-lit kitchen has an expansive gas range, double ovens, dual dishwashers & an adjoining wine rm. The master suite boasts a generous dressing area & bath. 2 family bedrooms (one en-suite), an office/guest rm, & 1.5 additional baths complete the first floor. Situated on a 2+ acre private, level lot w/a terrace & rm for a pool. Additional land available. MLS #: 4509457 Price: $1,475,000
KATONAH, NY Contemporary home w/soaring ceilings & open spaces. Great room living rm/dining area/kitchen lit by floor to ceiling windows & anchored by a fireplace. SGD’s to the screened porch. A den/office is set off by French doors. Large master suite, w/a balcony overlooking the woods, & a travertine 5-piece master bath. 3 other family bedrooms, one ensuite bath, & one hall bath complete the main level. Loft-like 2nd floor w/2 work/play areas & a full bath. Lower level walk-out rec room with bath. On 4+ lush acres in an estate area close to all. MLS#450983 Price: $1,349,000
NORTH SALEM, NY Your private vacation home w/year round views of the Titicus reservoir. This custom built home includes a gourmet kitchen w/custom cabinetry & state of the art appliances. DR/gas fireplace. Great rm has a vaulted/beamed ceiling & floor to ceiling stone fireplace. Family rm w built-in entertainment unit. Stone & tile baths. Billiard/playroom/ bar/game room/media rm w/bath. The in-ground pool area has an outdoor fireplace, Tiki Hut w/bar & TV, waterfall, stone patios, & built-in barbecue. Gazebo. 3 minutes to Rte.684 & train. MLS#4511565 Price: $999,999
TREETOPS – SOUTHEAST, NY Overlooking the Middlebranch Reservoir, this impeccably maintained home offers rural serenity just 1 hr from NYC. Slate porch w/year-round reservoir views, gracious entertaining spaces, EIK w/ stainless steel appliances & granite counters. 4 BR’s incl huge master suite w/ striking waterviews. 3rd floor bonus rm. In-ground pool, level lawns & mature gardens. Studio/storage over 3 car detached garage. Close to train & trailway. MLS#4513640 Price:$775,000
ONTHEGREEN•BEDFORD•NEWYORK•914.234.3642•VINWHIT.COM
Gifts and new products ideal for any occasion COMPILED BY MARY SHUSTACK
SEASONAL STYLE, DRESSED UP OR DOWN Photograph courtesy AprilMarin
AprilMarin, the Armonk-based fashion company led by April Bukofser and Marin Milio, is welcoming spring (and summer) with flair. We just love the new warm-weather designs, including the stylish ease of the Christine Tube Dress ($198). It features a deep side pocket and flared hem on the 100-percent linen skirt, which flows gently from the 100-percent cotton top. Choose pink (pictured here), aqua — or both.
For more, visit aprilmarin.com.
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BUDDING BEAUTIES (1) The jewelry of Stamford-based Carolee often carries a floral theme, and the new collections follow suit. We’ve been particularly captivated by a selection of necklaces that will take you from a weekend brunch to afternoon cocktails by the pool to a Fridaynight wedding – and, come to think of it, pretty much everything in between. Our favorites include the Gemstone Garden Floral Frontal Necklace ($75), featuring pink enamel and clear crystal and sold at Lord & Taylor; and carried by Bloomingdale’s, the Perennial Beauty Openwork Necklace ($125), a dramatic design featuring goldtone metal and crystal, and the Perennial Beauty Dramatic Collar Necklace ($175), a bold statement piece made out of genuine amazonite, green jade, dyed blue jade and glass-faceted beads.
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For more, visit carolee.com. Photographs courtesy Carolee.
DELICATE BLOSSOMS
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(2) The Dagobert Peche Scattered Blooms tabletop service, exclusive to the Design Shop of the Neue Galerie in Manhattan, includes charming creations in pure white porcelain, delicately hand-painted and edged in gold. The collection ($270-$365), produced by Anna Weatherley based on circa 1913-14 patterns by Peche, the Austrian decorative arts master, allows you to set a table with both springtime elegance and a bit of history. For more, visit shop.neuegalerie.org. Photographs courtesy Neue Galerie.
‘GARDEN’ FURNITURE
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(3) Take a seat in floral splendor. The bespoke Jardin d’Eden Chair by Marcel Wanders for Christofle ($4,200) is a stainless steel piece crafted entirely with one engraving of the iconic Jardin D’Eden pattern. The intricate design continues the partnership between the luxury silversmith and Wanders, one that combines a tradition of fine craftsmanship with a mastery of elegance and fine detail. The statement piece, functional art ideal for a dining or entertaining space, is available with or without a leather seat cushion (customized based on color preference). A work of art in itself, the chair has been displayed as part of a Wanders exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. For more, visit christofle.com. Photograph courtesy Christofle.
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MOMS, GRADS AND CELEBRATIONS
With warm weather comes loving occasions as families get together to celebrate mothers, graduates, weddings and so much more. WAG spotlights florists, jewelers, bakeries, spas and other businesses whose gifts are sure to make lasting impressions.
GORGEOUS BLOOMS TO SHOW YOUR LOVE ARCADIA FLORAL CO. 411 Mamaroneck Ave., Mamaroneck, N.Y. 10543 Phone: 914-777-2800 Website: arcadiafloral.com FLY ME TO THE MOON FLORIST 47 N. Broadway, Yonkers, N.Y. 10701 Phone: 914-476-2200 Website: flymetothemoonflorists.com WILD ORCHID OF WESTCHESTER 29 Mill Road, No. 2, Eastchester, N.Y. 10709 Phone: 914-771-9453 Website: wildorchidofwestchester.com WINSTON FLOWERS 382 Greenwich Ave., Greenwich, Conn. 06830 Phone: 800-457-4901 Website: winstonflowers.com
BEAUTY AND RELAXATION CHRISTOPHER NOLAND SALON 124 Greenwich Ave., Greenwich, Conn. 06830 Phone: 203-622-4247 Website: christophernoland.com OASIS DAY SPA 50 Livingstone Ave., Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. 10522 Phone: 914-409-1900 Website: oasiswestchester.com
THE RED DOOR SPA AT THE WESTCHESTER The Westchester, 125 Westchester Ave., White Plains, N.Y. 10601 Phone: 914-840-8880 Website: reddoorspas.com/locations/Westchester
JEWELRY TO TREASURE
A LITTLE SOMETHING EXTRA
BETTERIDGE JEWELERS 117 Greenwich Ave., Greenwich, Conn. 06830 Phone: 203-869-0124 Website: betteridge.com
JOHN RIZZO PHOTOGRAPHY 10 Cedar St., Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. 10522 Phone: 646-221-6186 Website: johnrizzophoto.com
MOUTH-WATERING, BAKED DELICACIES
D’ERRICO JEWELERS 159 E. Main St., Mount Kisco, N.Y. 10549 Phone: 914-864-2688 590 Central Park Ave., Greenburgh, N.Y. 10583 Phone: 1-800-325-3935 Website: westchesterjewelers.com
THE PURPLE FROG GIFT SET LLC 5 Bailey Ave., Ridgefield, Conn. 06877 Phone: 203-431-3764 Website: purplefrogshopping.com
AUX DELICES 3 West Elm St., Greenwich, Conn. 06830 Phone: 203-622-6644 25 Old King’s Highway North, Darien, Conn. 06820 Phone: 203-662-1136 1035 Post Road East, Westport, Conn. 06880 Phone: 203-557-9600 1075 E. Putnam Ave., Riverside, Conn. 06878 Phone: 203-698-1066 Website: auxdelicesfoods.com LULU CAKES 40 Garth Road, Scarsdale, N.Y. 10583 Phone: 914-722-8300 Website: everythinglulu.com SWEET LISA’S EXQUISITE CAKES 3 Field Road, Cos Cob, Conn. 06807 Phone: 203-869-9545 Website: sweetlisas.com SWEET AND SOCIAL 1935 Palmer Ave., Larchmont, N.Y. 10538 Phone: 914-630-4834 Website: sweetandsocial.com
A 60 minute facial at Christopher Noland is the perfect gift for Mom’s, Dad’s and Grad’s! Purchase a 60 minute facial with Zuzana for $99.00! Call 203/622.HAIR or book online 24/7, christophernoland.com Valid for purchase through June 25, 2015, valid for use until August 25, 2015.
MARVELOUS OCCASIONS ARE OUR SPECIALTY!
124 Greenwich Avenue, 2nd Floor Greenwich, CT 06830 • 203.622.HAIR (4247) Book online 24/7 • christophernoland.com
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WHATS NEW?
THE NEXT GENERATION OF LUXURY BY MARY SHUSTACK
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ROM LALIQUE TO LOUIS VUITTON, VAN CLEEF & ARPELS TO FERRAGAMO, THE WORLD’S LEADING LUXURY BRANDS SHARE MORE THAN JUST A DEDICATION TO CRAFTSMANSHIP AND INNOVATION. Realizing this unwavering dedication has been inte-
gral to their enduring success, they joined together 10 years ago to ensure the next generation will carry on their legacies. And on a recent evening in Manhattan, WAG was among those invited to participate in the 10th anniversary festivities for the Luxury Education Foundation (LEF). The public nonprofit organization was created to focus on educational programs related to the creation and marketing of luxury goods, targeting undergraduate and graduate students in design and business studies at Columbia Business School and Parsons The New School for Design. The night, which kicked off with a glittering reception on the Parsons campus on Fifth Avenue, put the spotlight on how the program has, since its inception, continued to provide students with opportunities to work closely with senior executives in leading luxury firms to gain a better understanding of and develop a deeper appreciation for the industry’s unique elements. The goal is to inspire these students to become the future leaders, both on the business and creative sides, of the luxury field. In welcoming remarks, Henri Barguirdjian, president and CEO of Graff USA and a member of the LEF board of directors, noted that the companies that work with the organization have much in common. “It’s really serious work that we do, and we take it that way,” he said. “None of our companies would be here if we didn’t have these wonderful craftsmen.” As guests mingled and spoke with LEF students past and present, there was a chance to explore some of the iconic projects that LEF has coordinated in its first decade. These ranged from exclusive watch designs created for Graff in 2006 to a launch strategy developed for Balenciaga’s 2013 opening in SoHo. “Vivre Avec Lalique” presented two strategies that showcased the evolution
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Maz Zouhairi. Photograph courtesy Lalique North America.
of the decorative crystal company into a lifestyle brand in 2014. Students collaborated to create a luxury spa concept and also a mobile, modular installation that might travel to events such as Art Basel. Maz Zouhairi, president and CEO of Lalique North America and an LEF advisory board member, said an organization such as LEF continues to provide inspiration for those who have long dedicated their careers to the luxury-goods industry. “For me, personally, it’s great to be part of a group that makes a difference for a young audience.” Lalique, he added, is a company that continues to build on its celebrated history to move ever forward, drawing on its past for inspiration while developing new products and cultivating expanded markets. No matter the season or the collection, there is that need to balance a legacy with an ever-changing world market. “How do you continue to make these brands relevant?” Zouhairi said is an enduring question that propels all luxury firms today. “There’s no better place for us than to start with an audience that’s fresh and bright,” he added, an approach shared by all those who are part of LEF. “We all care about craftsmanship, history and experience.” And on this evening, it was clear that those representing brands that also included Chanel, Dior, Hermès, and Maclaren, for example, shared Zouhairi’s perspective about LEF’s guiding hand in the future of the industry. As he said, “It’s our duty — we’ve been entrusted with all these brands and this history — to keep them relevant.”
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WANDERS
A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY BOB ROZYCKI
A Little Blue Heron tends to her nest sheltered in a tree. WAGMAG.COM
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A 12-foot-long alligator silently plies the waters at Wakodahatchee Wetlands.
Beige sand. Beige seashells. Beige buildings. Beige shorts on shockingly bare legs.
A resident of Green Cay shows off its plumage.
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Only one season: It’s called beige. The beigeness of Florida can be overwhelming. It’s like being in Kansas with Dorothy before she gets conked on the head and her farmhouse crash-lands in the Technicolor world of Munchkinland. If you need a blast of color you have to wait til the orange blossoms pop. Or do you? If you’re heading south on I-95 in Palm Beach County, take a right onto Woolbright Road in Boynton Beach and head west past the strip malls and gated communities until you come to Hagen Ranch Road. Turn left and drive a bit until you see the sign — Green Cay Wetlands and Nature Center. Welcome to Florida’s mini-version of Oz. (Lake Okeechobee would be the bigger version, which also includes longhorn cattle up to their shoulders in swamp water to stay cool.) Green Cay is the result of a collaborative effort between Palm Beach County’s departments of Parks and Recreation and Water Utilities. The two departments worked to create a water reclamation facility that also teaches visitors about the importance of wetlands in South Florida. (Perhaps something that California should pay attention to.) The nearby Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Delray Beach — less than a mile away as the egret flies — was used as a model for Green Cay. Each preserve has sun-bleached silver gray boardwalks that afford you the opportunity to take in the nest-filled cypress trees and cabbage palms and green-hued waters filled with colorful waterfowl — and the ever-lurking alligators. One sign warns: “Although human/alligator interaction rarely results in attack, please stay on the boardwalk to avoid any potential conflicts.” And I might add, don’t bring any Chihuahuas on your walk. The elegant birds that populate the wetlands range from the Great Blue Heron to the Snowy Egret to the Little Blue Heron. Because of their colorful plumage, they were nearly plucked to extinction in the early 1900s by the fashion industry, which used the feathers to festoon hats. Their numbers are still dwindling as their habitats give way to intrusive development — and the land of bland.
A wild iris catches a glint of sun on a cloudy day.
Nectar-gathering time for this honeybee.
A Great Egret stands watch over her eggs. WAGMAG.COM
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Don Nice and his daughter Leslie Heanue.
A ‘Nice’ artistic collaboration STORY AND PHOTOGRAPH BY COLLEEN WILSON
THERE IS A DUSTY AND WINDY ROAD IN GARRISON THAT EVENTUALLY LEADS TO THE HUDSON RIVER, AND NEXT TO THAT IS A 200-YEAR-OLD HOUSE PAINTED A YOUTHFUL YELLOW THAT HAS BEEN IN THE NICE FAMILY FOR 45 YEARS. During that time, it has fostered a father-daughter company — he a painter, she a businesswoman — that has been years in the making and only just recently come full circle. The studio is on the third floor where the aging wooden floor boards creak and sunlight pours in through the room, which is lined with windows. At one end is Leslie Heanue’s desk and stacks of finished canvases resting against a wall. On the other side is Don Nice’s workspace with a Converse shoe atop the desk and a long bookshelf with his sketchbooks that go back decades. In the center of the room sits a canvas of an unfinished Pabst Blue Ribbon can. Nice is sharp and articulate as he chronicles his career in art and describes the methods he experimented with over the years. Not missing a beat is Heanue, who pipes in occasionally during the conversation with comments about the evolution of her father’s artistic journey, and who has had a journey of her own that took unexpected detours before she became the corporate face of Nice’s private collections. The two recounted their relationship as one that “expectedly and unexpectedly” changes from familial to professional all the time. Nice’s career started way before Heanue first got involved as a part-time curator for his work in 2000. Indeed, the artistic turning point for Nice — who studied painting during the 1950s in Europe and has art degrees from the University of Southern California and Yale University — happened in 1966 in a Minneapolis supermarket one day, he said, when a bunch of grapes steered him away from recreating the landscapes of Florence. Nice said he did a series of grape paintings, painting unit by unit until eventually the fruit was 9 feet tall on canvas. “And I thought, ‘This is it. People cannot walk past,’” and then in unison Nice and Heanue said, “A 9-foot bunch of grapes.” The grapes spurred a desire to paint vegetables. Then it was a buffalo Nice saw on an envelope from the U.S. Department of the Interior. If it sounds like shades 74
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of Andy Warhol, Nice doesn’t see it that way. “I was never considered in the Pop movement, because my things didn’t have that kind of banality, didn’t have that kind of easy look. They were a little more difficult to put in context because of the big, single-image thing. Like, ‘What do you do with that? Where do you put that in art history?’” The recognition of his work’s complexity “pleased me a lot,” he said. Finding a place for Nice in history has become a mission, and a job, for Heanue — though not in the way she expected. Heanue graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 1985 with a degree in business and became a clerk for the specialist firm Benjamin Jacobson & Sons LLC. From the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, she went to what was then Chase Manhattan Private Bank where she moved up to vice president of the wealthy family segment. Family challenges then brought her home where she helped create a book of her father’s art and organized exhibitions while running a home daycare facility. In 2004, Heanue saw an opportunity to create a business, the nonprofit Therapeutic Equestrian Center in Cold Spring for people with disabilities. In six years, she came up with a business plan, helped design the building and raised $2.5 million to build the 30,000-square-foot facility. For its first three years, she was the executive director and helped get it off the ground. But then in January of last year, her father developed pneumonia, which led to heart complications. “We almost lost him,” Heanue said. “I just realized that it’s time to come home again.” After getting out of the hospital, Nice decided, at his daughter’s suggestion, to start painting again and get back to his roots in the single image, what he’s best known for. “My reputation is there,” he said. “But it’s not something that’s right up on the forefront. I’m not a blue-chip artist.” And there, daughter interrupts father to add, “Well, not yet.” For more, visit donnice.com.
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WHETTING THE APPETITE
PASTA WITH ZEST
BY JACKIE RUBY PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHAELA ZALKO
INGREDIENTS:
I may be WAG’s Saucy Realtor, but this is one time I say, no tomatoes. Bring on the lemons. This lemon baked ziti with pancetta and shredded chicken is the perfect light dish for spring. Once you make this, your friends will be stopping by for seconds. Enjoy!
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1 pound ziti 12 ounces sliced pancetta 1 cup shredded chicken (optional) ½ stick unsalted butter ¾ cup grated Parmesan 1 teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon white pepper ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 cup chopped basil 2 tablespoons chopped thyme ¼ cup fresh lemon juice Zest of 2 lemons 2 cups shredded mozzarella ½ cup flour 3 ½ cups chicken broth
TOPPING: • 2/3 cup panko seasoned breadcrumbs • 1/3 cup Parmesan
LEMON-BAKED ZITI With Pancetta and Shredded Chicken DIRECTIONS: 1. Cook pasta 8-10 minutes in a large pot of salted boiling water. Drain and put aside. 2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a nonstick pan and add pancetta. 3. Cook until brown and crispy, 6-8 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towel. 4. Crumble pancetta and put aside. 5. Use a 4-quart saucepan and melt the butter over medium heat. 6. Add the flour slowly and whisk constantly to prevent lumps. 7. Gradually add the chicken broth and stir. 8. Remove the pan from the stove and stir in the Parmesan, salt, pepper and nutmeg. 9. In a large bowl, combine the cheese sauce, cooked pancetta, pasta, basil and thyme. 10. Stir in the lemon juice, shredded mozzarella and shredded chicken. Toss until the ingredients are coated. Pour mixture into a greased 13 x 9-inch ceramic baking dish.
11. Sprinkle breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese over the top and drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 350 degrees until top is golden brown – 25 minutes. Serves 8.
For more, contact Jackie at jacquelineruby@hotmail.com. 76
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JOHN RIZZO THE MAN BEHIND THE CAMERA
“The gala held at Marina Del Ray was to celebrate and promote the Bronx. The evening began like a scripted scene out of one of his romantic movies when leading man Richard Gere (there to promote his Yankee baseball themed animated film “Henry & Me”) approached the podium, greeted Chamber of Commerce assistant Geri Sciortino, then quickly flipped her back into an elongated kiss, much to the delight of the audience. Moments later Chamber of Commerce President Lenny Caro shared a good laugh with the crowd about the right way to really make an entrance! “ — Richard Gere
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WONDERFUL DINING
RYE HOUSE
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It’s whiskey and go-go
BY JEREMY WAYNE
UST AS IN THE MAN BITES DOG APHORISM, when a suburban restaurant does well and makes a play for the big time in the city, that’s not news. But when a successful city restaurant branches out to the burbs, well that’s news — or can be. So I was intrigued to see that Manhattan’s whiskey-focused Rye House had launched in Port Chester — although the literalist in me couldn’t help thinking it would have made more sense to open in, er, Rye. The restaurant is located over two floors on a sunny corner site on Port Chester’s flinty Main Street, the first floor being home to a long bar that fronts an area with high tables. These face a long (and comfortable) banquette, which in turn leads to a more restaurant-y area beyond. The large, lounge-y space below stairs, meanwhile, with its sofas and coffee tables, is being used for parties and tastings, and a Friday night music event program, with great acts like the mellow John H. Smith and Band, is already underway. You may or may not like Rye House’s slightly masculine look, with its preponderance of dark oak and its TV screens on either side of the bar playing wall-to-wall sports (and blow me down if that isn’t Tiger Woods back from oblivion, filling the screen and looking as if butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth), but co-owners Michael Jannetta, Rob Lombardi and Dan Forrester clearly know their Dad’s Hat from their Charred Oak. The list of rye and bourbon, neatly subdivided into headings like Fruity, Floral & Grassy or Tobacco, Leather & Spices, runs to nearly 100 varieties, and there are another 50 or so single malt or blended Scotch and Irish whiskies waiting in the wings if American whiskey is not your thing. The list is no slouch when it comes to other spirits either, what with its Hayman’s Old Tom English Gin and its Rhum Clément VSOP from Martinique — and it also has a fine selection of craft beers.
From top: Smoked duck and frisée salad; Challah bread French toast, with crème fraîche and berries.
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General view of the restaurant and bar. Below: Cuban sandwich. Photographs by Steven Newman.
While Chef Anne McKinney’s menu trumpets the great American culinary canon, the kitchen cleverly avoids getting caught up in clichés. McKinney does sweet, unctuous chicken wings with a choice of three sauces, an oh-so-pretty salmon crudo with a zesty citrus dressing, and an umami-rich, truffled grilled cheese sandwich that alone is worth coming on down for. In a dish of drunken mussels, the plump bivalves are given a moules marinière treatment, the more typical white wine replaced with Allagash White, a New England pale ale. It’s a corker of a dish, as is Carolina shrimp and grits, beautiful, firm shrimp with cheddar grits, the texture of a molten polenta. Buttermilk fried chicken is another classic properly done, the chicken’s golden overcoat delivering on crunch, with further bite coming from mustard glazed Brussels sprouts. A great dollop of herby cornbread enhances the comfort factor. You can’t reinvent the wheel with this kind of American cooking, but by using prime ingredients and respecting the seasons, as McKinney seems to do, you can certainly elevate it. If you don’t believe me, try the Rye House Oreo chocolate with salted caramel, which could be a “same old, same old” kind of dessert, but in fact is quite thrilling in its combination of textures, as well as in the density of the chocolate and its sophisticated, salttinged sweetness. Service is able if not hugely willing. On one visit, for weekend brunch on one of the first warm days of spring, I had the distinct impression that the two serv-
ers looking after the room would rather have been elsewhere. One was intent on examining her split ends while the other texted feverishly on his cellphone – and at frequent intervals, what’s more. To their credit, both looked sharper as the restaurant started to fill up. In contrast, on another visit, we sat at the bar, where a cheerily professional bartender deftly mixed me a “Wake Up Call” cocktail (no matter that it was so strong it nearly put me to sleep), and multitasked as she attended to the needs of other guests. She laughed and joked naturally, putting everyone at ease – hospitality clearly in her blood. If the restaurant were mine, I’d put her in charge of staff training, pronto. Final verdict on the Rye House? If you like whiskey and honest American fare, this one’s a go-go. Rye House is open noon to 10 p.m. Sundays through Wednesdays and noon to 11 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays. The bar stays open later. We recommend drunken mussels, the truffled cheese sandwich, buttermilk fried chicken and the Oreo chocolate dessert. To drink, you might choose a flight of rye or bourbon whiskeys, as recommended by the bartender. Most cocktails are priced at $12 and the Mountain View California Chardonnay is not aggressively marked up at $40 a bottle. Rye House is at 126 Main St., Port Chester. For more, call 914-481-8771 or visit ryehousepc.com.
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WINE & DINE
Everything’s coming up Rosé STORY AND PHOTOGRAPH BY DOUG PAULDING
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SEVERAL YEARS AGO, I WAS ASKED TO PICK SOME WINES FOR A NEW YEAR’S CELEBRATION. I picked out some delicious dinner
wines and a variety of Champagnes. Included in my selections were several sparking Rosés produced by Nicolas Feuillate of Epernay in Champagne. When the boxes were opened someone said to me, “I can’t believe you bought Rosé Champagne. I’m not drinking that. It’s too sweet.” And that sums up what many people think of Rosé wines, be they still or bubbly. There are Rosé wines from all over the pricing, flavor, color and sweetness spectrum. There are Rosés with varying amounts of residual sugar, which will produce a sweet- tasting wine. And there are those made with complete fermentation of the natural sugars in the grapes, leaving a very dry wine. Rosé wines all show a fruitiness often mistaken for sweetness. The better Rosés of the world are made by the saignée or “bleeding off ” method. This calls for red wine grapes to be crushed and fermented with skin intact. When the color and sweet flavor reach the preferred house style, the wine is drained off with no pressing of the grape skins and grape material. This creates an easy-drinking wine almost ready for consumption. In the Languedoc-Roussillon region in the south of France, Rosés are made for immediate consumption. Their preferred style calls for almost no reddish color in the wine. In fact, some Rosés from the region need to be held up to white paper in bright light to see even the light onionskin tint. If these wines aren’t sold within a month or so, they will linger on the shelf — a bad thing in the south of France were old for a Rosé is measured in months, not years. In the Navarra region of northern Spain, just over the Pyrenees from southern France, vintners make a lively, fresh, resplendent Rosé ranging in color from orangey salmon to an almost phosphorescent, translucent ruby. The better producers of Navarra are happy to drink fresh Rosés but will often age their Rosés for years, dulling the color slightly but changing the flavor from freshly picked fruit to a more contemplative wine experience. I tasted Rosés, both fresh and aged, from Navarran producers Chivite and Arinzano and they were wonderful. Rosé wines can be made from blending white wines with a bit of red wine to achieve color. Some production areas of the world ban this method and require producers to make the wines using only red grapes with only a short amount of skin contact time. Typical grapes used for Rosé production are Pinot Noir, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Grenache (Garnacha in Spain and
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Chile),Gamay, Malbec and Cinsault. Each production area of the world has its grape and style preference, depending on the terroir and regional legacy. There is a curious relationship between roses, the flower, and grape vines. I have been in many vineyards in both hemispheres and on several continents, and most vineyards have rose bushes planted in the vineyard. Every row or every few rows, you will likely find a flowering rose bush. The flowers do provide a beautiful splash of color in an otherwise mostly brown and green environment. But more important, roses have a “canary in a coal mine” duty. Roses are more susceptible than grapevines to several fungi, including powdery mildew and downy mildew. If these diseases are seen on the roses, it tells the vineyard manager it will soon be on the fruit and foliage of the grape vines and allows time for prophylactic control. The roses also attract beneficial insects that can help control pests of the vines. So roses and Rosés: Nothing says “Spring is here” quite so dramatically. Generally speaking, Rosés are not expensive so it’s easy to pick up several at a time. And if you are entertaining more than a few friends, there’s nothing wrong with uncorking several at once. Look for citrus notes and light lemon, orange, strawberry or maybe raspberry flavors. Rosés are great wines to share outdoors, overlooking a pool, a beach or a garden. And don’t forget the sparkling Rosé. Just like a freshly presented bouquet of roses, these wines will make you smile. Write me at doug@dougpaulding.com.
MODERN LIVING IN AN ENCHANTING, HISTORIC SETTING
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Nestled on Warwick Road within the prestigious Lawrence Park West estate enclave of Bronxville is one of the area’s finest historical structures. The most-admired home, a rarity on the market, is now offered by only the second owner in its storied history. The 1919 Tudor Revival, designed by renowned architect William Bates for one of Bronxville’s pioneers William Frederick
Kraft, is a perfect example of a well-maintained property. The landmarked three-story, stone-and-timber building with a slate roof is a design masterpiece set within more than half an acre of private property landscaped to perfection with mature trees and plantings and complemented by an artistically handcrafted gazebo and a detached two-car garage. After entering through an arched portico you are surrounded by an elegant dining room and living room with a marble fireplace. French doors lead to a four-season, light-filled and stonewalled sunroom/porch. The dining room leads you to a stonewalled breakfast room, where an abundance of windows allow a
light and bright setting that virtually brings the outside in. The home’s interior exemplifies architect Bates’ enthusiasm for designing spaces ideal for entertaining. All were created with the thought to provide ample light throughout, with grouped windows in varying sizes creating the ideal environment for gatherings. Spaces flow from room to room and seemingly right into the outdoors. As it has since its creation nearly a century ago, this oneof-a-kind home promises to provide the setting for an exceptional life for whoever is lucky enough to become its third owner.
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List price: $2,150,000 3,905 square feet 5 bedroom, 4.5 baths Over half an acre Finished/walk-out basement Less than 1 mile to the village of Bronxville and train station • 28 minutes to Grand Central Station MLS # 4508202 FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT LIA GRASSO OF DOUGLAS ELLIMAN REAL ESTATE AT 914-584-8440, 914-232-3700 OR LIA.GRASSO@ELLIMAN.COM
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WELL
A HOLISTIC APPROACH BY EVAN FALLOR
WHEN PROSPECTIVE PATIENTS VISIT NADINE HOKAYEM’S NATUROPATHIC CLINIC, MEDICINE BY NATURE, MOST LIKELY THEY’VE COME THERE FOR ONE REASON. “Usually the first couple sentences out of their mouth are ‘I’ve visited so many doctors and nobody can figure it out,’” Hokayem said. “‘Nobody can help me.’” For 12 years, Hokayem, a trained physician, has made a career in alternative treatments for patients suffering from Nadine Hokayem. everything from gastrointestinal problems to diabetes to fibromyalgia. Their common link: Traditional medicine hasn’t worked for them. Growing up in the Chelsea section of Manhattan in the 1970s and 1980s, Medicine by Nature, on High Ridge Road in Stamford, values natural remedies Hokayem said she was exposed to a progressive way of thinking. over traditional medicine. Instead of aspirin, there’s botanical treatment. Where Organic markets were plentiful, and natural remedies were sold in shops you might’ve received an injection, there’s acupuncture. And where diet pills may throughout the neighborhood. But the movie “Wall Street” had just come out, have been prescribed, instead there is a focus on developing and maintaining a and Hokayem decided to become a banker or something similar. Though she healthy, natural nutrition plan. earned a degree in business administration from Baruch College, she soon had The clinic does a steady business in patients from the tri-state area and Massaan epiphany. chusetts. In her appointments with them, Hokayem delves into their life habits. It’s Hoyakem had loved the sciences while studying at the Milton Hershey not just the feeling of helping others that Hokayem enjoys about her line of work School in Hershey, Pa., so she enrolled in the University of Bridgeport’s Colbut also the lasting relationships she builds through her alternative approach. lege of Naturopathic Medicine, one of only six such schools in the country “I really enjoy catching up with patients every couple months,” said Hokayem. and the only on the East Coast to offer this specialized type of medical pro“I’m always finding out about their personal growth one layer at a time.” gram. For Norwalk resident Bob Lamb, seeing Hokayem was the difference between She now teaches there, serving as a visiting physician. She works primarily life and death. About a decade ago, Lamb experienced chronic stomach probwith fourth-year medical students, an experience she calls a “labor of love.” lems. His internist couldn’t identify the cause. “As I started to mature and understand myself, I saw myself more in-line with His wife, a patient of Hokayem’s, suggested he pay her a visit to see if she could holistic medicine,” she said. “It meant … a body-mind connection and a spiritual provide a diagnosis. connection.” Hokayem examined Lamb and told him it felt like his liver was a little enlarged, When she first started her practice, Hokayem anticipated treating adults, most which could be treated. Then, she noticed an abnormally high pulse rate in his likely in the 30- to 60-year-old range. Then, parents starting bringing in their chilabdominal area. She sent Lamb for an ultrasound, which revealed an abdominal dren and suddenly she had all age groups. aortic aneurism, a potentially deadly condition if not treated. She added that she is not always the primary physician and often encourages It was growing at such a rapid rate that it was at risk of bursting at any moment. patients to continue traditional medicine while they are seeing her. Lamb went through a successful eight-hour surgery, attributing his survival to Hanging on the wall above Hokayem’s desk is a copy of the Hippocratic Oath, Hokayem’s thorough examination. which serves as a daily reminder of her primary purpose. “The aortic artery feeds that whole part of body and it could have burst just “I listen to my patients and I care about them,” she said. “I’m always looking for from lifting heavy items,” Lamb said. “There’s just no chance you survive that. I ways to help them improve their lives.” owe my life to her.” For more, visit medicinebynature.com. 82
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PET OF THE MONTH
POLO, AN ADORABLE 1-YEAR-OLD BASENJI/TERRIER MIX, SEEMS TO HAVE DISCOVERED THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH. Though he’s full-grown, he has that permanent puppy look, which is really cute. He is a happy-go-lucky little guy who loves other dogs and enjoys running around the play yard at the SPCA, so he’d enjoy an active family that would play with him a lot. Indeed, Polo, who was rescued from a high-kill shelter, loves 84
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people so much that his whole body wiggles when you approach him. He has a big-dog personality in a little dog’s body. To meet Polo, visit the SPCA of Westchester at 590 N. State Road in Briarcliff Manor. Founded in 1883, the SPCA is a no-kill shelter and is not affiliated with the ASPCA. The SPCA is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays. To learn more, call 914- 941-2896 or visit spca914.org.
PET PORTRAITS
READER GABRIELLA CUZZOLA OF MOUNT KISCO WRITES IN: “I am sending some of our favorite ‘pet portraits.’ I hope you like them. Giorgio is our fluff y Papillon/Chihuahua (we think) guy and Felipe is our short-haired Chihuahua/ Mini Pinscher (best guess) mix. Last year they ran at the MHA (Mental Health Association) 5K with us. They were both rescued through Anarchy Animal Rescue, Staten Island.”
BEDFORD RESIDENT DR. DAMON DELBELLO AND HIS FAMILY’S RESCUED LABS, KONA AND BAYLAN, snuggle up to each other like brother and sister for an afternoon nap, even though they are years apart in age and from different shelters.
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ARTSWESTCHESTER’S 50TH IN CELEBRATING ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY, ArtsWestchester is celebrating the foot soldiers. “The artists work in the trenches,” says Janet T. Langsam, CEO of New York state’s flagship arts council. “The venues grab the headlines, but we owe a lot to the artists and the arts community.” So much so that the arts council recently saluted 50 visual, literary and performing artists with grants of $1,000 each at its “50 for 50” luncheon. The criteria for admission in the golden group were straightforward enough. Quality was important. So was an established body of work. But key, too, were recent works. In other words, the bloom is far from off these roses.
“It was a hard decision,” she said of winnowing the list to 50. “There are so many that are qualified that nobody should feel disappointed if he weren’t selected.” Langsam would like to see that list and the size of the grants grow. But then, the number of benefactors would have to as well. Unfortunately, she says, “there are very few Medicis, and the arts often have to go asking.” It’s an advocacy that she and the arts council will continue to embrace. “We should support artists,” she says, “for the beauty they give the world.” Here are the selected artists in their own words:
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TIM ARMACOST, COMPOSER, HASTINGS-ON-HUDSON – “I have had the good fortune to live overseas for big chunks of my life and have been enriched by the ease with which jazz incorporates concepts from musical traditions around the world. I’m grateful to have had experiences in Japan, India and Europe that influenced my compositional style. …I like to say that composing and performing jazz isn’t the easiest way to make a living, but it’s a beautiful way to spend your life.”
NANCY BOWEN, VISUAL ARTIST, PURCHASE – “I am a mixed-media artist known for my eclectic mixtures of imagery and materials in both two and three dimensions. My sculptures and drawings exist in an in-between zone of form and idea, of abstraction and representation. My work offers a poetic commentary on our quickly changing material culture. Like an artistic archeologist in this age of globalization and post-industrialization, I salvage (often disappearing) ornament and craft traditions and incorporate them into sculpture and drawings.”
SIDRA BELL, CHOREOGRAPHER, WHITE PLAINS – “I view my company, Sidra Bell Dance, as a group of prolific artists that incubates new forms and ideas in contemporary dance for the next generation of artists. Over the years, I have strived to develop a unique voice in the world of dance as a progressive and forward-thinking choreographer and educator informed by a strong female vision. I am drawn to themes that are life-affirming and seek to create work that ignites the imagination and explores the complexities of the human condition.”
SUZANNE CLEARY, POET, PEEKSKILL – “I want my poems to be entertaining and profound, hilarious and heartbreaking, well-crafted and wild, but when I begin a poem, I am simply trying to think, on paper, about something that has been on my mind. My writing process is one of discovery. I describe, free-associate, link, explore, circle and dive. I play with metaphor, image, spacing and form. This stage of writing is great fun. I welcome each word, each risk. Later will come the harder – equally fun, but in a very different way – stage of crafting the poem. …My favorite question is, ‘Can I get away with this?’”
DEREK BERMEL, COMPOSER, BROOKLYN – “I’m a composer of music in many styles and genres, from symphonic and theatrical to hip-hop and film. Growing up in New Rochelle, I studied clarinet with Ben Armato of The Metropolitan Opera and learned saxophone and piano by transcribing recordings of Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk. …More recently, I’ve been exploring the boundaries of notated music and improvisation, seeking to discover pathways that connect diverse cultural traditions. …For me, the goal of composing is to make something beautiful that also challenges preconceptions and asks vital questions.”
ANDREW COURTNEY, VISUAL ARTIST, CROTON-ON-HUDSON – “My work ascends from an early background in painting, ceramic sculpture, teaching fine arts and activism for social change. It has been a provocative balance. For the past four decades, my medium has been photography, often documentary photography. My image making is concerned with those places and people for whom social struggle is at the edge of transition. … Often, my work has to do with storytelling. …Most often, I render photographs in full frame reflecting an actual conversational learning moment.”
HAYES BIGGS, COMPOSER, BRONXVILLE – “I compose music for chamber ensembles, vocal soloists, choruses and orchestras. I have striven to cultivate as extensive a harmonic and expressive palette as possible. To this end, I increasingly have moved over the past decades toward an idiom that embraces the full continuum of tonal and nontonal qualities. I am inspired by poetry of all kinds and by the possibilities of the human voice. …Most recently, I have begun to explore aspects of the popular music of my youth as well as its instrumentation (electric guitar, electric bass, drum kit, etc.) in more standard new-music ensembles.”
SUSAN COX, VISUAL ARTIST, POUND RIDGE – “As an architect, and now as an artist, I am interested in constructed space and the effects of light. I begin a new work by identifying a significant personal place and building an object from what remains of it within my memories. The structures that develop investigate the evolution of my convoluted recollections concerning place, light, landscape and the passage of time. I think about both the physical and the psychological/metaphorical ideas that I want to convey. Doors, windows, passage, interior and exterior space: The architecture of the idea and the movement of light are all important themes I investigate … primarily in cast glass.”
CHESTER BISCARDI, COMPOSER, BRONXVILLE – “My compositional activity continues along the path I began in the mid1970s – a concern with integrating theoretical and technical elements of music with philosophical and literary ideas. …In the 1980s and ’90s, I began to differentiate between influence (in the sense of direct quotes from a specific composer) and resonance (through which I incorporate sounds used by other composers without imitating their music). … Henry Butler, Emily Dickinson, Denise Levertov, Allen Ginsberg, Muriel Rukeyser, even the American Songbook serve as inspiration and source material for my compositions.”
KJ DENHERT, COMPOSER, OSSINING – “As a girl growing up in the complex late ’60s, I wrote songs to make sense of my feelings. The death of a teacher drove me to write my first song at age 10. Today I write and record songs about what I know, joy and despair, rhythm and harmony. I call my music urban folk and jazz. My guitar is a best friend that keeps me vital and honest along with a wonderful band of nearly 20 years. …In the last 12 months, I have performed in Istanbul, Italy, Cairo, Nepal, Alaska and St. Barth, supporting my 10th album, ‘Destiny’ and reigniting my awe at the diverse world in which we live. Sometimes I wind up a little sleep deprived, living the dream.”
THOMAS DOYLE, VISUAL ARTIST, MOUNT KISCO – “My work combines my formal arts training with a fascination with scale models that began at an early age. My sculptures … utilize supplies and skills favored by model train enthusiasts, museum-diorama artists and dollhouse makers to create uncanny, ambiguous narratives. Typically populated with miniature figures contending with quiet calamities, I often merge quotidian vignettes of American life and scenes of destruction in an attempt to achieve an unsettling equilibrium. By using such radically reduced scales, I seek to evoke feelings of omnipotence in the viewer while encouraging the intimacy one might feel peering into a museum display case or dollhouse.”
MARIE HOWE, POET, BRONXVILLE – “We as human animals know that we are alive and that we will die. Poetry speaks from this condition. It holds the essentially unsayable complexity of our passage. I have hoped to write poems that hold that silence inside lines that celebrate our time here – to hold the contraries of love and joy and pain and loss and bewilderment and wonder in poems that are accessible to everyone.”
KAREN ENGELMANN, WRITER, DOBBS FERRY – “To work as an artist requires bravery and for years I was something of a coward – studying fine art, dabbling with language and working in commercial design and illustration. Nothing wrong with that. It was engaging and often fun. But it took decades to take up my real work – writing long fiction. It felt impossible and highly impractical but turned out to be an irresistible calling. …Mastery is a far-off goal, perhaps more an elusive label. …But the effort promises discovery, connection and the occasional thrill of revelation for artist and audience. Have courage. There is no better work than art.”
CARLA RAE JOHNSON, VISUAL ARTIST, PEEKSKILL – “For me, making art is simultaneously an act of rebellion and a gift. When I am in my studio working, I am defying logical, practical, socially acceptable norms. My work fits no trend or cubbyhole within the defining art establishment. It is neither formalist nor purely conceptual, neither abstract nor figurative, neither narrative nor Surrealist, though it borrows from each of these traditions. I love the spaces between sculpture and poetry, the dream and waking consciousness, movement and stasis, action and contemplation, masculine and feminine, art and science, intellect and passion, truth and beauty….”
MARCY B. FREEDMAN, PERFORMANCE ARTIST, CROTONON-HUDSON – “During my long career as an artist, I have explored many mediums, from painting and sculpture to photography and collage. However, for more than a decade, I have focused my attention upon video and performance art. These genres allow me to address a wide range of contemporary issues. For example, my one-on-one, face-to-face interactive performances are a statement against our growing reliance on virtual forms of communication, such as email, texting, and social networking. I create situations that demand old-fashioned communication – that is, conversation between real people, in real time and real space.”
LAURA KAMINSKY, COMPOSER, BRONX – “My music is often inspired by critical social or political issues of concern in today’s world. I find it impossible to be a creative artist and not make work that responds to the world in which I live. I have been moved to write numerous works that speak to my concern for the environment as well as works addressing war and peace, ethnic cleansing, the AIDS pandemic and issues of self-actualization (as in my opera, “As One,” with its transgender protagonist). It is crucial that I compose profoundly honest music that is both powerful and outwardly directed, in tandem with more introspective and intimate works.”
RICHARD HAAS, VISUAL ARTIST, YONKERS – “I began my activity as a professional artist in the middle of the last century, first as a painter and printmaker and also as an art educator. Later, I added muralist and public artist to those activities. The architecture of America, and especially that of its inner cities, has been a major part of my artwork. …My series of murals in Yonkers, completed in the late 1990s, was a major part of my attempt to both honor that city’s history and improve the environment at the same time. I hope that these murals along with several dozen others across America will continue to be appreciated by the current and future residents of their respective cities.”
MARTIN KRUCK, VISUAL ARTIST, NEW ROCHELLE – “My photographic projects often involve multilayered interpretations of place. Recently, my work has made a study of constructed habitats – those spaces designed to satisfy both the emotional and bodily needs of its occupant. Views of hotels, zoos, museums, parks and other human and animal environments are combined to create new scenes that explore ideas of post-naturalistic photography. More enclosures than landscapes, the works tend to reveal how extremely studied life is. Nature and artifice form inversions throughout the series, adding to the uneasy feeling test subjects have about the spaces we inhabit.”
MICHAEL LEVI HARRIS, FILMMAKER, NEW YORK CITY – “As a filmmaker, I am inspired by the people I’ve met in my life to tell a story that I think is worth telling, knowing it will be different for everyone who receives it. …Perhaps most gratifying is when an audience derives (various) effects simultaneously. It is those audiences who usually like the film the best. I don’t play favorites though. If my film causes someone to think, to feel, to laugh, to act, to change, to cry, to be curious, I consider it successful.”
MALCOLM MACDOUGALL III, VISUAL ARTIST, DOBBS FERRY – “My interest in sculpture stems from a fascination with the natural sciences, in particular microscopy. …The snapshots of bacteria and cellular platelets retrieved by this method are metaphors for my sculptures. …Conceptually, I am also drawn to tectonic plates and how their movement over time remodels the landscape as well as other geological processes such as the effects of erosion. …I seem to encounter gradual moments of realization and discovery through working.” WAGMAG.COM
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JOHN MAGGIOTTO, VISUAL ARTIST, HASTINGS-ONHUDSON – “My earliest experiences with images in magazines, newspapers and television inspired the desire to recreate my world in pictures, pictures that matched the idealized lives I saw in movies and television. …I make photographs. Some are on stone, some are under beeswax, but most are on paper. They are objects to share, invitations to stop and look again. The world doesn’t move too fast; we do. …My best efforts convince some to take a second look.”
DAVID NEUMANN, CHOREOGRAPHER, THORNWOOD – “My multidisciplinary performance work is an irrational response to our perceived place in the universe. I make dances from scratch, bringing to gesture, word and proximity a delighted embrace of our contradictory lives. I utilize experimental dance with a humorous outlook … to create complex, thought-provoking dance works that push the form. I value challenging my own assumptions on ‘how to make a dance’ by giving each work a distinct geography bending the habitual gestures around new shapes.”
BIBIANA HUANG MATHEIS, VISUAL ARTIST, PAWLING – “I am a curious person. Wherever I find myself, I am constantly working toward a greater understanding of the world around me and the world inside me. As a photographer, I use my camera as a tool of expression and exploration. Sometimes I photograph what already exists, finding meaning in simple and unassuming things that are too often overlooked. Other times, I combine installation art, collage and photography to capture the images in my mind and heart. …To truly capture the essence of a subject, there must exist an understanding and a respect for its being. With each photograph, I hope to create a space in which we can be at peace.”
BRUCE ODLAND, COMPOSER, CROTON-ON-HUDSON – “Think with your ears. The whole world is vibrating. The sounds around us are constantly giving us clues to nature, culture and the economy – how we use power and what it takes to keep our food cold, get us to work, deliver our Amazon books, light our cities and fly us to meetings or vacations. This whole story is available anywhere and any time we close our eyes and listen. My work is to remember to listen to the world around me, to find beauty and meaning in the sounds and to make pieces that reward the experience of hearing.”
HOWARD MEYER, PLAYWRIGHT, POUGHKEEPSIE – “With the production and completion of ‘WELCOME, This is a Neighborhood Watch Community’ in 2010, a new movement in my work began – weaving social issues and concerns into dramatic narratives that explore obstructions in intimate relationships. …My newest full-length play, ‘Paint Made Flesh,’ set in Washington, D.C. and the contemporary fine art world, examines the cost … of fame and success. …The play I am currently researching focuses on the effects of the oil refining industry on Raritan Bay, N.J. and the adjoining waterways in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.”
JILL PARRY, VISUAL ARTIST, MAMARONECK – “I am a figurative painter and fiber artist. In my figurative paintings and portraits, my intention is not just to create a likeness, but to express emotions and ideas. My figures are isolated, often confrontational, challenging the viewer to identify with them. ‘The Online Series’ is about the experience of being online, how the screen is seeing us and the isolation of that interaction. In the ‘Reflections Series,’ I am interested in the idea of the reflections of figures, suggesting the relationship we have with ourselves and an attempt to communicate with that self.
CREIGHTON MICHAEL, VISUAL ARTIST, MOUNT KISCO – “My work extends a visual vocabulary that was initiated by the paintings of Mark Tobey and Cy Twombly. For more than 30 years, my studio practice has centered on investigating the diverse facets of drawing from its material composition, its physical articulation or process and its critical relationship with emerging patterns to its association with other marking systems such as musical notation, shorthand, calligraphy and, more recently, digital encoding.”
JERRY PINKNEY, VISUAL ARTIST, CROTON-ON-HUDSON – “Looking back over 50-odd years of creating illustrations, designs and drawings, I have explored many different subjects. …The pull toward my roots is understandable, as personal histories help color the lens through which I interpret the world around me. But I’ve also held a particular, sustained interest in light and how it reflects off objects, at rest or in motion; in nature’s deliberate designs in wildlife; and in facial and hand expressions, which play a central role in my figurative art. My intent is to explore and contemplate the role these elements have played in my work. Lastly, drawing and painting are a pure joy.”
BRIAN MORTON, WRITER, BRONXVILLE – “I write novels in the belief that what D.H. Lawrence said a hundred years ago is still true: The novel is the ‘one bright book of life.’ There’s no corner of experience where the novel is not at home, from continent-spanning political struggles to the subtlest movements of the solitary mind. The novel remains our most sensitive instrument, the artistic form best suited to help us understand what we are and what we might become. I’m not saying that my novels can do all that, but this belief in the novel’s possibilities, along with my awe at what other novelists have done, is a big part of why I write them.”
LISE PROWN, VISUAL ARTIST, PEEKSKILL – “My recent artwork explores the intersection of technology, interactivity and everyday actions and objects. I often create transient artworks and technology-based installations that use the language of popular culture to examine expectations … in the modern world. The goal of my work is to reach as broad a cross-section of viewers as possible while creating artwork that is content-rich and artistically engaging. I often work with my partner, Curt Belshe, creating many indoor and outdoor art installations.”
NALINI RAU, CHOREOGRAPHER, YORKTOWN HEIGHTS – “As a choreographer, dance is a journey into my innermost being even as I reach out to the world. ….Driven to express themes meaningful to me, I found myself writing, which was transformed into dance. I choreographed to poetry, to silence. My portrayal of strong women led me to experiment with music. …Appealing for peace in the face of war and equality among widening differences brought forth everyday movements and theater. …The deepest satisfaction comes when I connect with the audience and take them to the same space I am in. My hope is that it is as insightful for them as it is for me.”
PERI SCHWARTZ, VISUAL ARTIST, NEW ROCHELLE – “It is essential for me to work directly from life. For the past 15 years, the subject has been the interior of my studio and a collection of bottles and jars filled with beautiful liquids. One might expect this narrow subject matter to be limiting. On the contrary, the exercise allows me to uncover a seemingly boundless reserve of compositions, colors and surfaces. The history of each image is often visible in the traces of grid lines or the ghosts of objects I reposition. The viewer has a sense of observing the painting or drawing as it progresses, as if working through the compositional puzzle along with me.”
MARILYN RICHEDA, VISUAL ARTIST, SOUTH SALEM – “I work intuitively, allowing my imagination to dictate the direction of the work. I rarely start to work with a clear visual image of what I will create. I do, however, have an idea of what I want to explore or a feeling I want to express. I keep on working until I feel it’s right. The creatures I create are found not in forests, on the street, or in encyclopedias, but in my imagination. They are otherworldly. …The combination of strangeness and familiarity reveals human concerns and behaviors. The continual process of discovery is my internal drive. I see each of my works of art as a fragment of what will eventually become a lifetime statement.”
BARBARA SEGAL, VISUAL ARTIST, YONKERS – “Personally powerful images compete for my attention – elegant finery, pop and fashion icons, European architecture and Baroque excess. These images pervade my work in the intricate patterns, rich textures, layers of carved lace and soft, sensuous forms. I transform seemingly simple objects into lush, sensual memories of childhood, status and youthful rebellion. I share secrets of coming of age and entomb conflict and disappointment beneath patterned and tiered surfaces. The themes are universally personal.”
CHRISTOPHER ROBBINS, VISUAL ARTIST, BEDFORD – “My work rests on the uneasy cusp of public art and international development. …In 2006, I co-founded The Ghana Think Tank, a public art project with the mission of ‘Developing the First World.’ My collaborators and I start by collecting problems in the so-called ‘developed’ world, and sending them to be solved by think tanks we established in Cuba, Ghana, Palestine, Iran, Mexico and with a group of incarcerated teenage girls in the U.S. Then we work with the communities (in the ‘developed’ world) where the problems originated to implement those solutions – whether they seem impractical or brilliant.”
MICHAEL SHAPIRO, COMPOSER, CHAPPAQUA – “My position as music director of The Chappaqua Orchestra has enriched my musical thinking and compositional style and certainly provided instant lessons in orchestration and, simply stated, what works. As a composer, I am called upon to write for different ensembles throughout the world. These works vary in content, purpose and occasion. I usually know why I am writing a piece. Either someone asked me to write a work, or I write a piece because I want to and have the personal need. My music is definitely shaped by my background … but there is another quotient, something quite irrational that drives my creative impulse. I only have to listen for it, want it and not think too much. The next sound usually takes me where I most probably should go.”
DYAN ROSENBERG, VISUAL ARTIST, NORTH SALEM – “The phrase ‘abstract realism’ has been used to describe my work. My innate sense of form and color guide me in all of my artistic creations. I consider myself a painter, but work also as a sculptor in wood, clay, paper and fiber and have made a recent foray into digital drawings and composites. All of my work is free and spontaneous. I’m versatile and comfortable moving from strong graphic shapes and patterns to loose expressionistic lines. I work in series that involve landscapes, still lifes and figurative pictures, real or imagined, all saturated with color. Color is where the excitement lies for me.”
MAXINE SHERMAN, CHOREOGRAPHER, BRONXVILLE – “As a dancer and choreographer, I breathe life into the human form to express ideas and emotions that cannot be expressed in language alone. My most recent piece of choreography, ‘In a Nutshell,’ is a multimedia work that combines a spoken-word memoir, stagecraft, movement and original music. I transform my memories into a loose narrative and timeline through physical space. Some of my dances are funny, yet poignant. “Does This Make My Butt Look Big?’ raises questions about image and physical limitations as well as society’s campaign for the objectification and perfection of the female form.”
MARISA SCHEINFELD, VISUAL ARTIST, WACCABUC – “I grew up in Sullivan County. The area was a retreat for millions of Americans, predominantly Jews, from the 1920s to ’70s. Often referred to by its colloquial name, The Borscht Belt, the place was known internationally for its food, recreation and entertainment and was comprised of more than 600 resorts and hotels. In 2010, I began documenting the remains of the era, as I found them in various states of ruin scattered among the landscape. While the project originated with my interest in history and engages at times my own memory, this photographic series reveals the growth, flowering and exhaustion of things, and then their subsequent regeneration.”
BETTIJANE SILLS, CHOREOGRAPHER, WHITE PLAINS – “Having danced for George Balanchine in the New York City Ballet, I was exposed to the genius of his creativity. His impetus was always the music, and that is my impetus as well. I strive to project my own voice while, at the same time, using the tools I observed while working with Mr. Balanchine. I am steeped in the tradition of choreography as a visualization of the music and I use the classical ballet vocabulary to represent that concept. I do not choreograph “down” to dancers but attempt to challenge them and give them what they do best.” WAGMAG.COM
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PETER SIS, VISUAL ARTIST, IRVINGTON – “I was born and grew up in a totalitarian Czechoslovakia. The idea of freedom and human rights became the inspiration for my art. My books and my public art projects and even my early animated films are about the world, which is not to be feared but explored. I began by making pictures for other people’s books and then began writing my own stories about my childhood, about leaving home and about exploring the world. I discovered that one doesn’t have to travel to new continents, but that people can explore in their minds even when locked in a prison cell. Books can be my home, my language, my country.”
NEIL WALDMAN, VISUAL ARTIST, WHITE PLAINS – “When pondering the question, ‘Who am I?’ I think to myself, I am first an artist. ... ‘But what type of artist are you?’ you ask. A painter, of course, I say. A landscape painter. For the earth’s landscapes brighten my darkest caverns. They are the beating of my heart, and their glorious color is the stuff I breathe. Raging rivers are my life’s blood. Fields of flowers feed me. Twisted trees and mountain meadows heal my deepest wounds. They are like midwives continually ushering me into sun-sparkled mornings.”
DAVE STECK, FILMMAKER, YONKERS – “Script, movement, light, composition, sound, color and performance. These are a few of the elements I use to tell a story when making a film. Another is vision. Every project starts as just an idea or feeling I want to convey. Once I can articulate it, I know I have a vision of what the project will be and how we will make it. Which makes the final element collaboration. Filmmaking is a team sport, and while sometimes we all wear many hats to fulfill a single artist’s vision, we work collaboratively to draw on our different skills and experience to make the best film possible.”
CHRIS WEDGE, FILMMAKER, KATONAH – “I’ve spent my career looking for new ways to make animation. It sounds quaint today, but along the way I have, with many colleagues, developed and applied technology that creates photorealistic representations of completely imaginary worlds. In a complex marriage of design and technology, ‘Epic’ creates a sensory immersion in a fantasy world that can be as compelling for an audience as the story that is told in it.”
SUSAN TODD AND ANDREW YOUNG, FILMMAKERS, CROTON-ON-HUDSON – We believe in the power of cinematic storytelling to create empathy and understanding about the world around us. Our current two projects are good examples of the varied shapes this process can take. One is a documentary about a bold new peace movement in the Middle East founded by former Israeli soldiers and Palestinian militants. …The other is a nature film that tells the story of 21st century suburban humans from the point of view of the plants and animals that live around them. These two films couldn’t be more different from each other in style, subject and approach, and yet, they are both designed to draw people together and to accelerate a new vision of a future where all life on earth is valued.”
ANTOINETTE WYSOCKI, VISUAL ARTIST, PLEASANTVILLE – “My intention is to create abstract paintings that indulge in materials and focus on the expressive process itself. …Each work begins with action painting, with the focus around gestures and washes, balancing chance and consciousness. The second stage defines the abstracted imagery, pulling out elements, balancing the raw with the saturated. ...I conclude the process by defining symbols through detailed drawings and brushstrokes, the insertion of dialogue and the deciphering of imagery.”
REBECA TOMAS, CHOREOGRAPHER, SLEEPY HOLLOW – “In my work, I strive to find a balance between tradition and innovation. My goal is to remain faithful to the essence of flamenco while asserting my own voice and incorporating contemporary perspectives. In the effort to expose audiences to flamenco as an organic art form that lives, thrives and evolves outside of its context, my choreography employs traditional props in unconventional ways, challenges gender-specific stereotypes within the Spanish art and explores other forms of music and sounds, such as spoken word and children’s music.”
ED YOUNG, VISUAL ARTIST, HASTINGS-ON-HUDSON – “Like a tea leaf in boiling water, dancing in a new state, I was born into a world of chaos. …Academically, I shifted from architecture, visual communication and industrial design to picture books. Like a saturated leaf, I finally settled in Westchester and into storytelling for 40 some years. I see though the Far East and West seem contrary, they offer so much to the other. I started with paper and telegrams. Today’s digital world is pushing them into the past. I feel our future could use the past’s virtues with the present strength of innovation. We live in exciting times.”
EDUARDO VILARO, CHOREOGRAPHER, ARDSLEY – “My work has been a funnel for discovering who I am as a Cuban man extracted from his native land, whether it is creating movement poems that reflect the turmoil of assimilation or the joyous celebration of rhythmic traditions handed down by family and shared by my cultural cousins in Latin America. …My vision is to continue to create and promote dance work that reflects the Latin American experience through the joy of dance, and ultimately, to build a contemporary Latino language of movement that provokes dialogue and breaks stereotypes.
LUCA ZORDAN, VISUAL ARTIST, HASTINGS-ON-HUDSON – “Working with children has always been my passion in photography and has led me to travel the world, encountering children from every culture, every race and (almost) every continent. Through my camera lens, I capture the singular beauty that is present in their eyes, their smiles and their demeanors. Finding their joy shining back at me, and capturing it in a single shot, is the basis for all my work and a reward in itself.”
NOW THROUGH JUNE 13
MAY 2
MAY 3
The Pelham Art Center presents the
The Clay Art Center celebrates its annual
The ninth annual “Walk for Indepen-
2015 Alexander Rutsch Award and Solo
“Spring Fest and Super Seconds Sale.”
dence,” presented by ARI (Always Reaching
Exhibition for Painting winner Lindy
Clay artists from all over the tristate area
for Independence) whose mission is to en-
Chambers, selected from more than
have donated their artwork and one of a
rich the lives of peoples with disabilities and
456 applicants from across the country.
kind pieces for this free annual fundrais-
their families by enabling them to achieve
155 Fifth Ave., Pelham; 914-738-2525,
ing and community event. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.,
their highest potential at home, at work and
pelhamartcenter.org
40 Beech St., Port Chester; 914-937-2047,
in the community. 10 a.m., Cove Island Park,
clayartcenter.org
Stamford; 203-324-9258, ariict.org
MAY 1 THROUGH MAY 3
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The Hudson River Museum’s Kite Fes-
Come join more than 1,000 runners at
“Spring Crafts at Lyndhurst” returns to
tival, emceed by Billy Echevarria and
the “Rock the River: Palisade Half Mar-
Tarrytown for its 31st year with more than
Lucio Parrella from Kites in Motion. Ac-
athon, 5K and 6K Trail Run,” which be-
275 artists and artisans. Enjoy live music,
tivities include a scavenger hunt and
gins/finishes at Ross Dock Picnic Area
specialty foods and children’s activities
“battle of the kites” contests for children
in Fort Lee, N.J. This event benefits the
throughout the weekend.
Lyndhurst
and adults. There will be prizes, music,
Palisade Inter-State Park System and the
Mansion, 635 S. Broadway Tarrytown,
food and indoor activities, rain or shine.
NY-NJ Rail Conference. For more, call The
845-331-7900, artrider.com
Noon to 5 p.m., 511 Warburton Ave.,
Palisade Parks Conservancy (Bear Moun-
Yonkers; 914-963-4550, hrm.org
tain) at 845-786-2701, ext. 252, or visit
❖❖❖ The second annual Yonkers Arts Week-
WHEN & WHERE
rocktheriverrace.com
end (YAW), a celebration of the thriving
❖❖❖
and diverse arts community in that city.
MAY 3
Burke Rehabilitation Hospital pres-
Throughout the weekend, more than 150
“Musicians Without Borders” a con-
ents “Heels & Wheels 5K,” a friendly
local, regional and international painters,
cert of strings and winds performed by
competition encouraging athletes of
photographers, sculptors and musicians
the REBEL Ensemble for Baroque Music.
all abilities — runners, walkers, hand
will converge on Yonkers to showcase
Program features works by Handel, Tele-
cyclists, wheelchair athletes and fam-
their work, making it among the largest
mann, Vivaldi, Goldberg and Veracini. 5
ilies to race side-by-side. The race will
arts festivals in Westchester County.
p.m., Bedford Presbyterian Church, Vil-
begin and end on the Burke campus.
Various venues. For more, visit facebook.
lage Green, (Routes 22 and 172) Bedford;
7:30 a.m., Burke Rehabilitation Center,
com/ YonkersArtsWeekly.
914-734-9537, rebelbaroque.com
785 Mamaroneck Ave., White Plains; 914-597-2849,
burke.org/community/
special-events-programs/5krace
MAY 4 Not-For-Profit Leadership Summit XIII, presented by the United Way of Westchester and Putnam and the Westchester Community Foundation to unite volunteer and professional leaders in the nonprofit sector as well as identify emerging challenges and opportunities, shape new leadership strategies and build organizations that excel. 8 a.m., DoubleTree by Hilton, 455 S. Broadway, Tarrytown; 914-997-6700, ext. 704, uwwp.org/summit.shtml
MAY 5 THROUGH MAY 23 Westport Country Playhouse will open its 2015 season with “The Liar,” an adaptation by David Ives of Pierre Corneille’s classic comedy, which weaves an increasingly intricate web of lies leading to ro-
HUDSON CHORALE- MAY 9
mantic misadventures. Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, Westport;
SPRING CRAFTS AT LYNDHURST MAY 1 THROUGH 3
203-227-4177, westportplayhouse.org WAGMAG.COM
MAY 2015
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MAY 6
MAY 8 THROUGH JUNE 28
MAY 15
The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Mu-
“Rock the Halls” — A John Jay Middle
The Greenwich Chamber of Commerce
seum opens “Childhood Portraits: Our
School Charity Concert, featuring the vo-
presents its “Women Who Matter”
Children, Our Future” in collaboration
cal and instrumental talents of John Jay
Luncheon to celebrate women who
with the Connecticut Society of Portrait
Middle School students with the band
make a difference and have a real ef-
Artists and Stepping Stones Museum for
Halfway to Sanity. Proceeds benefit Guid-
fect on the Greenwich community and
Children. The show features 21 original
ing Eyes for the Blind. 6:30 p.m., John Jay
beyond. Guest speaker will be Carolee
portraits of children by 21 professional
Middle School, 40 North Salem Road/
Friedlander, the founder of Carolee Jew-
artists. 295 West Ave., Norwalk; 203-838-
Route 121, Cross River; 914-763-7500,
elry and Accessories and CEO of Access
9799, lockwoodmathewsmansion.com
guidingeyes.org/rockthehalls
Circles. 12:30 p.m., Millbrook Club, 61 Woodside Drive, Greenwich; 203-8693500, business.greenwichchamber.com
THE HIT MEN MAY 15
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MAY 12
The Friends of Crawford Park present Laura DeLucia, Aaron Gaita and ac-
Visiting Nurse Services in Westchester
claimed jazz/blues guitarist Woody Mann
presents its 17th annual Spring Benefit
at the “Music at the Mansion” Benefit
Gala, recognizing health-care innovator
Concert to raise funds for Crawford Park.
MAY 7
MAY 8
The American Heart Association pres-
House Tour of private homes in histor-
Frank A. Corvino and Dr. Sumir Sahgal.
8 p.m., 122 N. Ridge St., Rye Brook; 914-
ents its 12th Annual “Go Red for Wom-
ic Tarrytown followed by a luncheon at
Michael Gargiulo, an anchor at NBC4
417-9151, musicatthemansion.org
en” luncheon and learning sessions. This
Sleepy Hollow Country Club to benefit
New York, will serve as emcee for the
year’s keynote speaker is comedian Jane
The Open Door Foundation. 9 a.m.,
event, which will feature a silent auction,
Sarah
Condon. Coffee and networking begin at
Sleepy Hollow Country Club, Route 9,
dinner and desserts. 5:30 p.m., Willow
“Talking Funny: An Evening with
9:30 a.m., with health and wellness exhib-
Scarborough; 914-592-1414, opendoor-
Ridge Country Club, 123 North St., Harri-
Standup Comedians.” In conjunction
its and lectures and a luncheon program
medical.org/housetour
son; 914-682-1480, vns.org
with The Writing Institute, award-win-
following. Stamford Marriott Hotel & Spa, 243 Tresser Blvd.; 914-640-3269, west-
❖❖❖ Lawrence
College
presents
ning director, writer and producer Dave Steck hosts a cast of top comic talents,
MAY 9
MAY 14
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Hudson Chorale, Westchester’s largest
Student Advocacy, an Elmsford-based
ing comedy in roundtable discussions
President Judith Huntington of The Col-
chorus, concludes its fifth season with a
nonprofit dedicated to “getting kids on
and performances. 7:30 p.m., Donnelley
lege of New Rochelle will host a “Dinner
program of American composers who
track to school success,” will hold its 20th
Film Theatre of the Heimbold Visual Arts
& Conversation with Mariano Rivera,”
found their inspiration in compatriot writ-
“Overcoming the Odds” Awards Dinner
Center, 915 Kimball Ave., Yonkers; 914-
baseball’s greatest closer. The Rev. Leo
ers. The concert will feature the 80-voice
in Tarrytown. Proceeds support its work
395-2205, sarahlawrence.edu /ce/writ-
J. O’Donovan, SJ, president emeritus of
Hudson Chorale, a full orchestra, the pre-
to help struggling students in Westches-
ing-institute
Georgetown University, will facilitate the
miere of a new work and a pre-concert
ter and Putnam counties. 6:30 p.m. recep-
conversation. Ticket cost is $1,000 per
talk by composer/conductor Michael
tion, with dinner and awards at 7:15 p.m.,
person. Limited availability. The event
Conley and author Barbara Dana. 6:45
Abigail Kirsch at Tappan Hill, 81 Highland
MAY 17
will be held at 7 p.m. at a private home in
p.m., Irvington Middle/High School Au-
Ave. 914-347-7039, studentadvocacy.net
The Friends of Mamaroneck Public Li-
Greenwich. For more, visit cnr.edu/Maria-
ditorium, 40 N. Broadway; 914-462-3212,
noRiveraEvent15.
hudsonchorale.org
fairgoredluncheon.heart.org
who will examine the process of creat-
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brary present the third talk in their lec-
At the third annual Westchester Digi-
ture series “The Great Museums of New
tal Summit, digital marketers will share
York.” This free event will feature in-
their secrets and discuss the future of
formation about the Brooklyn Museum,
marketing, sales and advertising. Key-
The Frick Collection and the Jewish Mu-
note speakers include Jeff rey Hayzlett
seum, presented by artist and lecturer
from C-Suite Network and Likeable Me-
Sue Altman. 2 p.m., 136 Prospect Ave.,
dia’s David Kerpen. 8 a.m., Hilton West-
Mamaroneck; 914-630-5890, mama-
chester, 699 Westchester Ave., Rye
ronecklibrary.org
Brook; 914-490-0253, westchesterdigitalsummit.com
MAY 15
MUSICIANS WITHOUT BORDERS - MAY 3 WAGMAG.COM
MAY 2015
Gladys Knight in concert. The seven-time
The Hit Men, a brotherhood of five mu-
Grammy Award winner, whose career
sicians who’ve worked in the studio and
spans five decades, will entertain at the
on tour with some of the biggest musical
Dana’s Angels Research Trust Gala. 8
names in the business, combine music and
p.m., The Palace Theatre, 61 Atlantic St.,
memories with multimedia footage and vi-
Stamford; 203-325-4466, palacestam-
suals for a nostalgic experience. 8 p.m., The
ford.org. or DanasAngels.org
Palace Theatre, 61 Atlantic St., Stamford; 203-325-4466, palacestamford.org
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MAY 30 Take the Midnight Train ... to Stamford for
for movies and the performing arts
80 East Ridge, Ridgefield, CT (203) 438-5795
ridgefieldplayhouse.org
Sunday Jazz Brunch
Featuring 4-time Grammy Nominee Karrin Allyson Join us in the lobby at 1pm for a prosecco tasting courtesy of 109 Cheese and Wine, brunch items from Bareburger's new spring menu and art exhibit with local artist Megan Marden courtesy of Watershed Gallery
Sat, May 17 • 1pm Brunch / 2pm Show Antigone Rising
Thurs, May 7 @ 7:30PM
With Special Guest PJ Pacifico
The alt-country-all-female-boot-stompin' rockers from New York City!
Chris MacDonald's
Memories of Elvis Tribute Show
Sat, May 30 @ 8PM
The ultimate celebration of Elvis’s life and music with hits “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Love Me Tender,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “Hound Dog” and more.
Gotta Dance!
Leon Russell
Show-stopping numbers from Broadway's hottest dancers! From "Oklahoma!” to “Mamma Mia!” - see how dance has evolved on Broadway over the decades.
Grammy Award Winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer! Best known for hits ‘Tight Rope,’ 'A Song For You', ‘Delta Lady’, ‘Hummingbird’, ‘Lady Blue’ and more!
Fri, May 8 @ 8PM
Wed, June 3 @ 8PM
Whitney Cummings
Femi Kuti & The Positive Force
Comedian, actor, writer and producer – she has appeared on E!’s Chelsea Lately, as well as Comedy Central’s Roast series!
A blend of funk, jazz & African folk with the Afrobeat sensation!
Fri, May 15 @ 8PM
Changes in Latitudes Thurs, May 21 @ 8PM
Kick off the summer in Margaritaville! Costume Contests! Prizes! Margarita Tastings!
Fri, June 5 @ 8PM
Roger McGuinn
Legendary Frontman of the Byrds
Fri, June 12 @ 8PM With hits “Eight Miles High,” “(So You Want to Be A) Rock n Roll Star” and “Turn! Turn! Turn!”
Blues Traveler
An Evening with
With Special Guest Brothers Keeper
Sat, June 13 @ 8PM
Fri, May 22 @ 8PM
Famed 90’s jam band with hits “Run-Around,” “Gina” and “100 Years” return to The Playhouse!
Florence LaRue and The 5th Dimension Fri, May 29 @ 8PM
With hits “Up, Up, and Away,” “Wedding Bell Blues,” “Stone Soul Picnic,” and “Aquarius / Let The Sun Shine In.”
Ottmar Liebert & Luna Negra A mix of subdued flamenco guitar with South American percussion, rock, jazz, and pop influences.
Graham Parker and The Rumour Tues, June 16 @ 8PM
Graham Parker and The Rumour - with all original members tour in support of their newest album “Mystery Glue.” WAGMAG.COM
MAY 2015
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WATCH
COMBATING COLITIS Recently the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) Fairfield/ Westchester Chapter hosted its annual “Cocktail for the Cause” reception at The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester in White Plains. With some 400 people in attendance, the event raised more than $460,000 to fight Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis. Photographs by Dynamic Entertainment Productions 1. Diane Freedman, Lindsay Anfang and Reva Stuckelman 2. Justin Milberg, Frank Bruno, Jill Oberlander, Rachel Weiss, Aryan Shayegani and Joshua Nosanchuk 3. Piero Pozzi, Marilyn Chinitz and Meriden and Alan Gelb 4. Jocelyn Herman, Jody Googel and Jen Topiel 5. Rhondell Domilici and Noah Heller 6. Wendi and Ira Silverman and Jonathan Dulman 7. Nona, Tom and Nancy Ullman
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RISING TO THE CHALLENGE
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Gallery 66 NY’s most recent exhibition, “Designer Challenge,” featured three interior designers’ vignettes in each of the Cold Spring gallery’s rooms. Director Barbara Galazzo, creating a mini version of her ArtFull Living Designer Showhouse from 2012, had the designers collaborate with artists on a fusion of work and play, life and leisure, interior design and fine art. The opening night’s crowd included a mix of the designers, artists and guests. — Mary Shustack Photographs by Bob Rozycki.
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8. Rich and Maryann Syrek 9. Rebecca Darlington and Nicole Ashey 10. Carla Goldberg and Barbara Galazzo 11. Lisa McTernan’s room, “Elements of Nature.” 12. Donald Alter
AND JUSTICE FOR ALL
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Catherine Marsh, executive director of the Westchester Community Foundation, was recently honored with the “Advocate for Justice” award by Legal Services of the Hudson Valley. The award ceremony was part of the annual “Equal Access to Justice” dinner at the Ritz-Carlton, Westchester in White Plains.
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1. Catherine Marsh and Denise Farrell 2. Alfred E. Donnellan, Hon. Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. and Barbara Finkelstein 3. Courtney Rockett and Lawrence Otis Graham 4. Ian Dumain and Joshua E. Kimerling
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SUPPORTING DIVERSITY
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The 27th annual Fairfield University Awards Dinner, held recently at the Grand Hyatt New York in Manhattan, honored accomplished alumni, administrators, faculty and friends of the university. The dinner raised $1.35 million for The Multicultural Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarships to students of diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. 5. Paul J. Huston, Mark C. Reed, Brian P. Hull, Tom Llamas, Elner L. Morrell, Rev. Jeffrey von Arx, Douglas W. Hammond and Shannon Siwinski
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ON EXHIBIT
‘INSURING’ BUSINESS SUCCESS
An opening reception was held recently for “Progressions” at the Renaissance Fine Art Gallery in Orangeburg. Terry S. Mollo, a Rockland County-based sculptor working in stone and clay, is featured in the group show that continues through May 16. Photograph by Risa Hoag
The New York Life Insurance Co.’s White Plains office was the recent setting for a casual, chatty gathering designed to introduce the company’s financial services to local professionals and business people to the company and one another. Guests enjoyed hors d’oeuvres, treats, listening to strategies for success and mingling with one another. Photograph by Georgette Gouveia
6. Terry S. Mollo
7. Santina Tassone, Jackie Ruby, Melina Adornetto and Lia Grasso WAGMAG.COM
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WATCH
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STRAIGHT UP! Harrison Wine Vault recently held its third annual “Whiskey Festival.” The afternoon featured more than 40 whiskey samples, limited edition bottling and food from Jimmy’s BBQ. Proceeds went to NY Pet Rescue, a local charity based in Harrison whose mission is to aid homeless, abandoned and neglected cats and dogs.
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IN THE PINK
Photographs by Carly D’Arpino
Ann’s Place, an organization that provides free cancer support services in the Greater Danbury area, recently received a $15,000 grant from Pink Aid that will be used for its financial aid program. Pink Aid’s mission is to help local underserved women survive breast cancer with dignity and compassion and to empower breast cancer survivors to heal and inspire others.
1. Laura Kelly and Theresa Andre 2. Matt Barbera and Kevin Amodio 3. Erik Wolfe 4. Joe Ryan and Chris and Joe D’Arpino
EGGSTRAORDINARY The Royal Regency Hotel in Yonkers recently hosted its second annual “Easter Eggstravaganza” celebration, an event packed with Easter-themed activities for kids of all ages and their families. It included a buffet-style Easter breakfast, a visit from the Easter Bunny, an Easter egg hunt, face painting, balloon artistry, coloring, dancing and other activities. All profits from the festivities were donated to the Campaign for the Westchester Children’s Museum.
6. Back row: Catherine McGrath, Renee Mandis, Sharon Jaffee, Anthony Zeolla and Su Murdock Front row: Amy Gross, Amy Katz, Elida Gollomp and Susan Blumenthal
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Photographs by True Love Wedding 7. Tracy Kay, the Easter Bunny, and Maria and Nick Pampafikos 8. A child getting her face painted by a member of Lil Kisses Face Painting 9. A child enjoying a Westchester Children’s Museum exhibit 10 Children coloring Easter pages
Photograph by Buzz Creators Inc 11. Guests enjoying face painting
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GOLDEN DAY
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ArtsWestchester in White Plains continues to celebrate its golden jubilee by giving and receiving. At its recent “50For50” luncheon at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Tarrytown, the arts council gave out $1,000 checks and lovely Tiffany crystal votives to 50 visual, literary and performing artists who’ve enriched the area. (See story beginning on Page 87.) But ArtsWestchester also announced that an anonymous donor has pledged a $5 million matching grant to the nonprofit.
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Photographs by Robin Costello 1. Benjamin Boykin and Howard and Elizabeth Meyer 2. Linda Kallian and Camille Coppola 3. David Kornreich and Michael Boriskin 4
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THE BIGGER, THE BETTER The Junior League of Central Westchester recently hosted “BIG NIGHT OUT: Big Night, Big Causes, Big Impact,” with more than 300 guests joining the JLCW in celebration of the launch and success of the JLCW Westchester County Diaper Bank. Attendees enjoyed food and drinks from local area restaurants and beverage purveyors and were treated to a special musical performance by New York Yankee legend and Grammy-nominated musician Bernie Williams.
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WOMEN’S NIGHT The Westchester Community Foundation (WCF) recently partnered with the Jacob Burns Film Center to present the documentary film “She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry.” The film, presented during Women’s History Month, focuses on the buried history of the courageous and brilliant women who established the women’s movement from 1966 to 1971, paving the way for future generations. After the film, guests had the opportunity to participate in a discussion with a panel of local women.
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Photograph by Total Entertainment
4. Nikki Hahn, Jill Mickol, Mark Hersh and Marcy Berman-Goldstein
Photograph by Laszlo Bakos 5. Lisa Tretler, Amy Paulin and Jane Veron
Photograph by LPKimPhotography 6. Bernie Williams
Photographs by Christina Rae, Buzz Creators Inc. 8. Ann Spaeth and Julie Klaber 9. Jennifer Watts, Venetta Amory and Nancy Jasper 10. Theresa Kilman and Maria Imperial
Photograph by Total Entertainment 9
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7. Angela Ho, Beth Keyser, Andrea Weiss, Nikki Hahn, Sarah Roth, Claire Paquin, Alyse Streicher, Alison Messerle and Christine Pasqueralle
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WINING AND DINING The first Phelps Food & Wine Fest welcomed 225 guests to Trump National Golf Club in Briarcliff Manoar and raised more than $40,000 for the Phelps Memorial Hospital Center. Waldy Malouf was in attendance with three chefs from The Culinary Institute of America. Guests enjoyed sampling culinary delights, as well as a silent auction and raffles filled with gift certificates from all the participating restaurants.Â
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1. Michael and Judith Sullivan 2 . Robert and Diane Schneiderman, Arthur and Dr. Ellen Cohen and Arleen and Frank Palazzolo 3. Daniel Blum and Waldy Malouf
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BANNER YEAR AT PAC The Performing Arts Center at Purchase had a memorable 2014-2015 performance season. Here are some of the highlights:.
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Photographs by Roman Dean and Marc A. Jessamy
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4. Betty and Al Osman, Branford Marsalis and Marjorie Gilbert 5. Richard Dannenberg and Martin Oppenheimer 6. Evan Birks, Elizabeth Kurth and Richard and Barbara Dannenberg 7. Jacqueline Bellsey Starr and Lee Starr 8. Jim and Jennifer Sandling 9. Leslie Kelley and Elizabeth Zieglmeier 10. Carol and Gerald Cohen, Ned Kelly and Marjorie and David Lawrence 11. Sara and Taegan Goddard
LOVE ALL AROUND
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The Ty Louis Campbell Foundation held its second annual “Share the Love” fundraiser recently at the Hyatt Regency Greenwich. The event, which raised more than $55,000, featured a cocktail party, charitable casino action and an auction. The night was also filled with dancing, prizes, dinner and cocktails. All proceeds went to the foundation, which supports innovative childhood cancer research in memory of Ty Campbell from Pawling, who lost his battle with brain cancer at just 5 years old.
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Photographs by Donna Tine
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1. Cindy Campbell, Ivan Bellotto, Karla Bellotto, Adam Wallach and Louis Campbell 2. Rich and Mishel DeCola 3. Matthew Perry, Dr. Rudy Gehrman and Eric Goldsmith 4. Milko Campusano and Lauren Graessle 5. Peri and Steve Santodonato
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LOVE IN BLOOM Neither rain nor sleet could keep romantic revelers away from The Ridgefield Playhouse when Grammy winner Chris Botti demonstrated his musicianship at its Valentine’s Day Gala fundraiser. Photograph by Scott Vincent 6. Allison Stockel, Gene Stacy, Ed McGill, Alma Quinlan, Lorella M. Colonna and Dawn Pietrefase
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EXPO-NENTIAL
BFFS
More than 1,500 people turned out for The Business Council of Westchester’s 2015 Business Expo, held recently at the Hilton Westchester in Rye Brook. Merchants and entrepreneurs met new clients, networked with old ones and showcased their businesses. Exhibitors included the region’s best in real estate, banking, law, health care, marketing, nonprofits, hospitality, fitness and insurance.
Recently, the Friends of Westchester County Parks honored several individuals during its annual Best Friends Awards reception at the Glen Island Harbour Club in New Rochelle. “Celebrate a Year of Growth with Friends” paid tribute to Westchester Medical Center, the Business Council of Westchester’s Rising Stars, Robert DelTorto and REI.
7. Mercedes Garcia, Kevin Plunkett, Jeanne Blum, Sierra Quiros, Denise Killeen, Ayesha Khan and William M. Mooney III
8. Mark Tulis, Michael Israel, Joe Stout, Marsha Gordon, Maria Bronzi, David Kiyak, JJ Jameson, Joanne Fernandez, Robert DelTorto and Christine La Porta WAGMAG.COM
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UJA SPRING BREAKFAST Recently at a reception at Old Oaks Country Club in Purchase, Stanley Fleishman, CEO of JRD Holdings, spoke to more than 150 guests of the UJA-Federation of New York’s Westchester Business and Professional Division. Fleishman talked about his company, the food-service industry and new models of business. JRD Holdings operates two cash-and-carry wholesale businesses, Jetro and Restaurant Depot, which see more than 450,000 business customers per week. 1. Stu Seltzer, Ken Fuirst and Karen Roth 2. Budd Wiesenberg, Susan Taxin Baer, Stanley Fleishman, Rick Koh and Leslie Effron Levin 3. Peter Baum, Yehuda Jacobowitz, Jonathan Becker, Aaron Fleishaker and Donald Fleishaker
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SUNDAY SUPPER
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More than 150 philanthropic New Yorkers indulged in a menu highlighting black truffles recently at Restaurant DANIEL, as chef Daniel Boulud, the Citymeals-on-Wheels board of directors’ co-president, hosted his 18th annual Sunday Supper. The event, themed “Black Truffles and Blue Jeans,” raised more than $720,000 (an equivalent of 112,150 meals) for Citymeals, a nonprofit that works with community-based meal centers to prepare and deliver more than two million weekend, holiday and emergency meals for 18,000 homebound elderly New Yorkers every year. Photographs by Konrad Brattke Photography 4. Robert S. Grimes, Leslie Ziff and Daniel Boulud 5. Barbara and Donald Tober 6. Suri Kasirer and Jacques Chibois
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Photographs by Alan Barnett Photography 7. Beth Shapiro and Anne E. Cohen
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SNEAK PEEK
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Recently, Katonah Museum of Art members and sponsors got a “First Look” at the museum’s new exhibits, “Chris Larson: The Katonah Relocation Project” and “A Home for Art: Edward Larrabee Barnes and the KMA.” Guests enjoyed a director’s talk and docent tour as well as cocktails and hors-d’oeuvres.
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1. Jeanne Markel, Chris Larson, Darsie Alexander and Chris Wedge 2. Jim Wood and John Barnes 3. Sarah King, Darsie Alexander, George King and Marty Gold
CINEMATIC Recently, the Jacob Burns Film Center celebrated the unveiling of two new theaters with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, bringing the total number of screens in the complex to five. The completed construction marks the end of the first phase of the Jacob Burns Film Center’s campaign, “Building on Success, Fulfilling a Promise to Our Community.”
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Photograph by Ed Cody 4. Janet Benton, Adam R. Rose, Peter R. McQuillan, Edie Demas and Hugh Price
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Photograph by Lynda Shenkman Curtis
5. Edie Demas and Alex Gibney
PICTURE PERFECT
REGUS AT RIDGE HILL
Recently, a painting of West Point was presented by Boscobel House and Gardens in Garrison to the West Point Museum directly across the Hudson River. The oil on canvas, “View of West Point,” dates from 1856.
Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano joined leaders from Ridge Hill, Forest City and the local business community to celebrate the opening of Regus, the world’s largest provider of flexible workspace, at Ridge Hill.
6. Marlana L. Cook, Barnabas McHenry, Steven Miller, David Reel and James Johnson
7. Anthony Bailey, Aisha Bailey, Mike Spano, Kathy Welch, Andrew Hardy and Whitney Davis-Johnson
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HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?*
WIT WONDERS:
Steven Crabbe
Saskia Eustace
Michelle Florence
Jennifer Hoertz
David Kornreich
Linda Lee
Christa Maldonado
Howard Meyer
Karen Miras
Santina Tassone
Jenny Wan
Stella Zhang
“YOUR GARDEN GROWS THROUGH CAREFUL PLANTING AND SEEDING. YOU’VE GOT TO WATER IT, CHECK FOR WEEDS, CUT THE DEAD WOOD. BUT MOSTLY, YOU HAVE TO STAND BY IT, CHECKING IT EVERY DAY.” – Steven Crabbe,
agent, financial services professional, New York Life Insurance Co., White Plains resident
“I’M VERY COMMITTED TO MY JOB. I KNOW MY COMPANY IN AND OUT. AND I’M ABLE TO USE MY MANAGERIAL SKILLS TO GROW EMPLOYEES.”
– Saskia Eustace,
general manager, Texas de Brazil, Bronx resident
“WITH HOPE AND LOVE.” – Michelle Florence,
financial services professional, New York Life Insurance Co., White Plains resident
“WITH MY FAMILY AND MY PASSION FOR WHAT I DO (MILLINERY). PLUS I DO HAVE CHICKENS.” – Jennifer Hoertz,
WAGMAG.COM
MAY 2015
– Howard Meyer,
playwright, founder of Axial Theatre, Poughkeepsie resident
milliner, Brewster resident
“I’M A CITY BOY WITH A BLACK THUMB. MY WIFE (NANCY GOLD OF THE GOLD STANDARD) IS THE GARDENER. BUT WE’VE ONLY BEEN MARRIED FOR NINE MONTHS, SO I’VE YET TO SEE HER GARDENING SKILLS. BUT I’M HAPPY TO HELP AND I’D LIKE TO ADD YOU’RE NEVER TOO OLD FOR LOVE.”
“I’M LIKE THE MOM OF THE EMPLOYEES, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY MAKE A MISTAKE AND ARE AFRAID TO GO THE BOSS. I’M VERY GOOD AT GETTING NEW RECRUITS. WHEN IT’S TIME TO GET THE FOOD DONE, I’M ON POINT.”
– David Kornreich,
event manager, Texas de Brazil, Yonkers resident
trustee of Copland House and Friends of Music Concerts, Katonah resident
“A GARDEN, A TREE, A FLOWER, WHATEVER IT IS, YOU SHOULD TREAT THEM WELL AND THEY’LL GROW BETTER.” – Linda Lee,
real estate and investment consultant, Scarsdale resident
“WITH PERSEVERANCE, LOVE, RESPECT AND STRENGTH.” – Christa Maldonado, owner, EnVious Events, Rye Brook resident
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“SLOWLY AND WITH GREAT CARE.”
– Karen Miras,
“IT’S HARD TO HAVE YOUR GARDEN GROW. IT NEVER SEEMS TO GROW THE WAY YOU WANT IT TO. BUT IN TIME WITH YOUR COMMITMENT, IT BECOMES YOUR SPECIAL PLACE.” – Santina Tassone,
“I THINK THE GARDEN IS A VEHICLE TO FAMILY AND HONOR….I DON’T GARDEN, BUT MY FRIENDS TAKE CARE OF MINE, SO MY GARDEN IS VERY BEAUTIFUL. I THINK A GARDEN SHOULD HAVE A GOOD DEVELOPING SEASON. YOU HAVE TO MAKE AN EFFORT, TO TAKE CARE OF WATERING AND FERTILIZING IT. THIRD, THE FINANCIAL EFFECT OF A GARDEN IS IMPORTANT. WHEN PEOPLE SEE YOUR GARDEN, THEY UNDERSTAND YOUR FAMILY, YOUR HISTORY, YOUR SELF.” – Jenny Wan,
homemaker, Scarsdale resident
“MY GARDEN BECOMES ALIVE IN THE SPRING. WE HAVE AZALEAS IN PINK, RED, A LITTLE PURPLE AND WHITE. WE DON’T DO MUCH, BUT IN THE SPRING, EVERYTHING JUST COMES ALIVE.” – Stella Zhang,
Realtor, Scarsdale resident
accounting supervisor, The Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services, Valhalla resident
*Asked at a New York Life Insurance Co. networking event and ArtsWestchester’s Arts Award “50 For 50” luncheon.