INSPIRING Community of ARTISTS & BUSINESS

WELL it is almost JULY in Jackson Heights and this has been an extraordinary exhibit along the avenue, showcasing community members who love painting, photography, pastels, sculpture and expressing themselves creatively and sharing their talent.

CLAUDIA SCHELLENBERG

is interested in both photography and pastels. Her love of the outdoors encompasses both plain air and indoor work. She continues to explore the medium through courses and workshops. As a self-taught recreational photographer, she has been shooting in earnest since the winter of 2006, when she set out on her first photo expedition to the Adirondacks.Claudia is a Boardmember of the Sierra Club Photo Committee and has a special interest in nature photography.

BERTINE LAFAYETTE has studied drawing and oil painting at the Art Students League in New York City

She is now working in her current love: watercolors. She enjoys painting various subjects especially landscapes and animals. She has been studying this medium at the Jackson Heights Art Club, at the Brookfield Crafts Center, and with Jairo Toro at the Latino Arts Council. She exhibits in different venues in Connecticut and some of her work may be found in private collections.

MARCUS WOOLLEN grew up in Seattle, Los Angeles, Belgium and New Hampshire and now lives in Jackson Heights, where you're likely to find him over at the new dog park. Marcus’ career as an actor has taken him across the United States three times, and throughout western Europe. Tours include 42nd Street, Zorba, Meet Me in St. Louis, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In New York, he has performed Moliere’s The Miser, Shaw’s Candida, Strindberg’s Dream Play, and Euripides’ Medea. He has appeared on HBO, MTV, and in several independent films and has created and produced a number of original plays. He currently is at a theatrical licensing agency, building websites and social network presence. He has enjoyed taking photos ever since he borrowed his father's old Spotmatic when he was 7 and has photographed some NYC locations recently that emphasis how colorful and magical the city can be.

Due to the groundbreaking partnerships of all the artists & store owners, 37th Avenue became more than a series of shops - it connected our unique restaurants and businesses to a larger audience and offered an opportunity for neighbors to display their creations and show the world that the arts are thriving in Jackson Heights.

JUNE 30th - Babel Art Exhibit at 86-08 37th Avenue,

curated by Hector Canonge

Closing Reception starting at 6pm

come celebrate what Councilmember Daniel Dromm and his culture & development liaison Andrew Ronan have instituted: the recognition of exceptional artists and savvy business owners working together to sustain our industrious neighborhood.

OPENINGS & CLOSINGS

37th AVENUE ART GALLERY

ending on SUNDAY JUNE 27

enjoy the art while you shop and eat and stroll and glance and eat and...

TINA SELIGMAN was spotted at La Portena getting food to go and her good friend

LAURA SCHIAVINA had lunch at Armondo's on Tuesday...

and they are both thrilled to be featured in their favorite restaurants!

Laura M. Schiavina has lived in Jackson Heights since 1951. Included in the Who’s Who of American Art, her award winning work has been collected and exhibited nationally and internationally, including exhibitions at the Islip Art Museum, NY; Sumner Museum, Washington D.C.; DuPont Gallery, Washington, D.C.; Citicorp Gallery, LIC; Eleftherias Park Art Center, Athens, Greece; National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts, NY; New York City College of Technology, CUNY; and Ringel Gallery at Purdue University, IN. One of the first female members of the Salmagundi Club, Laura was chosen by Cynthia Maris Dantzic for her book “100 New York Painters,” published in 2006. She is member of N.A.W.A, National League of American Pen Women, National Art League, Jackson Heights Art Club, Flushing Council on Culture and the Arts, and Audubon Artists. Laura came to New York in 1944 from Springfield, MA to become a fashion illustrator, completing evening courses at the Traphagen School of Fashion, while working in business. Deciding to continue in business, she studied fine art weekends, evenings and vacations from the late 1950's through 1980 with artists including Will Barnet, Carl Molno, Joseph Caine and Paul Puzinas.

Tina Seligman is a mixed media artist, curator, art educator, and writer, who has lived in Jackson Heights for 50 years. Her artwork is represented by Cheryl McGinnis Gallery in New York City, and has been exhibited and acquired by private, public and corporate collectors in Saratoga Springs, NY, Manhattan, Wellfleet, MA, and Queens. Tina has worked as a teaching artist-in-residence at Flushing Town Hall since 2000, facilitating multi-sensory workshops for adults and young people through CASA, Parents as Arts Partners and NYSCA grants. From 2001 through 2006, she contributed a regular column to Magazine.ART and to Art of the Times during 2005. Her poetry and illustrations have been published by several art and literary periodicals including Prehensile Pencil Publications (formerly The Feral Press), Art Times, P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center website, Pudding Magazine, Prayers to Protest and Cicada Haiku Quarterly. After earning a B.A. in Art from Queens College, she has continued her education with several forms of music and dance classes, which often inspire her work. You can visit www.tinaseligman.com

A few blocks east at NOVO tables were filled with art and food and PEACH MARTINI lovers (we mentioned those before!) everyone was celebrating the OPENING of a new exhibit of works by Afzal Hossain and Greg Stowell. The combination of the dreamlike, colorful and anamorphic paintings with the edgy city realism of the black & white photographs really makes for a very dynamic show. Stop by for one of those MARTINIs you keep reading about...

Sparkle and Pizzazz

REMINDER NOVO TONIGHT 6-9 pm - cold drinks warm heart!

Two artists along 37th avenue

just brighten up a window!

Carla Lobmier & Norma Markley

and their exceptional art works are side by side at Ultima Florals and Jahn's on 81st Street

Carla evokes an influence of literature in her work; all pieces are titled and often contain words or are sometimes amended with short passages from literature. Poets are permitted the pursuit of the lyrical, the metaphor, the emotional connection. The very structure of a poem and what can be communicated in such a small form is surprising, yet graceful. Can images do the same?

The notion of surprise as part of visual pleasure stuck. In contrast, a resting of the mind - to invite contemplation - seems part of my visual equation. Reading + poetry + metaphor + Illinois landscape + shadowy interiors + living looking and asking questions = pictures critical of art without visual pleasure.

“It is the clash or intersection of sex and Americana that she paints with cut paper, draws with thread, embroiders on towels, or writes with the glow of neon tubing. Norma coaxes these incongruent elements until they sit well together, creating works that have been described as ‘thoughtful symbols of throwaway culture.’ ” Norma lives in Jackson Heights and works in her Greenpoint, Brooklyn studio. She graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Art and was awarded an MFA in painting from Columbia University

what do art & peach martinis have in common?

Both are appearing at NOVO this week -

ask for the incredible "June in JH Restaurant Deal" with the peach martini ...

and come meet neighborhood artists:

Greg Stowell & Afzal Hossain

Opening Thursday June 24 from 6-9pm

NOVO - 37th ave between 78 & 79

Photography grabbed hold of Greg Stowell when he was a teenager, opening his eyes to the marvels to be found in the mundane, ordinary, everyday life. Much of the work he commenced to do exploited the potential offered by the aesthetic virtues of black & white images (and yes, he still uses film), allowing viewers to be readily transported to another place in our color world.

Neighborhood defining venues such as small businesses, coffee shops, and the like have been warmly enthusiastic hosts to his indirectly referential style of documentary photography. Through his work, they have enjoyed tantalizing allusions to their own immediate experience that readily draw them to places in their minds they have not regularly been.

Early years of life in the working class, bedroom community of Olathe, Kansas found Mr. Stowell was compelled to migrate to New York City, where today he is a resident of the borough of Jackson Heights, New York.

Afzal Hossain is a longtime resident of Jackson Heights and received his Bachelor of Architecture from Pratt Institute and worked as a designer at Robert A.M. Stern Architects.

He later founded BANG Architecture and Design, focusing on small architecture, art, furniture and graphic design projects.

Afzal and his wife Julie Nymann created a space for people to meet and express their art at Espresso 77, an artisanal coffee bar in Jackson Heights which hosts the Gallery 77 program, a series of exhibitions of work by local artists and provides a venue for acoustic performances.

Afzal works explores memory and emotion searching for a universal truth. Early work evoked the nostalgia for family and life in Bangaldesh. Recent works define his new life in New York, the fascination with the way the human condition is affected by natural and cultural forces. Afzal’s paintings offer reflections on being an immigrant, infused with personal history and inspired by new surroundings and possibilities.

KUDOS to Ali and Richard who joined me on SUNDAY (remember Sunday? hot and sticky Sunday?!) for the Walking Tour of 37th Avenue Art Gallery where we viewed the 20 works along the avenue of local artists

click GOOGLE MAP HERE for list of stores and artists

and check them out until JUNE 27

and we will feature the remainder of the artists here at Community Communicato too

Thank you! for a great show to all the businesses and artists in this unique and unusual gallery

See you on the Avenue!

MISSING ARTIST of the DAY FOUND!

LOST ARTIST:

Since the launch of the 37th Avenue Gallery - June 11 -AL TOMBA was listed at La Boina Restaurant at 77-05 37th Avenue (which has great deals for June in Jackson Heights restaurant week) and AL finally made his debut on June 21! -Long Story Short- there will be more of Al to come- in a new show in July! with other local artists.

Details to follow...

Al Tomba was a dedicated art teacher for many years in NYC High Schools - and taught with a passion for art that is evident in his renderings and paintings.. His artistic expression is influenced by his Italian ancestry and the work reflect an inner reflection rather than literal vision. stop by La Boina and see Al before SundayJune 27.

FOUND ARTIST:

WILLIAM SEIFERT is another 37th Avenue Artist who had a successful career as a graphic artist in advertising and design firms. He always love to create works on his own and has shown at a host of galleries throughout New York including The Tompkins Square Gallery and National Arts Club. William attended Pratt Institute - his painting in the show: "Let There Be Music" clearly reveals a designers eye for form, color and placement. Each instrument illustrated stands alone yet is also prominent as part of the group.

SEE THE JH Post Office PIANO painted by artist Alexa Gummifer Matula

& brought to you by the JHBG - visit all the photos and send one in!

Play Me I'm Yours website:

click here to visit Jackson Heights PIANO PHOTOS

+ + MAKE MUSIC NY Performance ARTISTS - JUNE 21st + +

Sunny Knable Band @Espresso 77 -

ONCE AGAIN @ P.O. -

Patty, JHBG Pres. Ed, John,Tom

see you on the avenue-

I LOVE A PIANO!! plus film, art & food of course

ARTIST of the Day: Matt Pych

Matt is a multidisciplinary artist who lives and works in the neighborhood of Jackson Heights in New York City. He was born the youngest of four children and was raised in northern Connecticut where he was surrounded by strip malls, parking lots, and tobacco fields. He was fortunate in his youth to have the opportunity to take classes from a local sculptor, Barbara Scavotto-Earley, where he was exposed to a diverse range of

artists and approaches to creating art.

During this period, Matt Pych received several awards including the top prize for his portfolio from the Connecticut Scholastic Art Awards as well as early admittance to his first choice in art schools, Pratt Institute.

As promised, Jackson Heights did receive the "PLAY ME I'M YOURS" piano - located in front of the post office on 37th Ave between 78th and 79th Street.

The official premiere of this community musical project will be MONDAY JUNE 21 at 4pm- with musical performances planned through July 6.

At the busy JH Post Office on sunny Saturday were

dedicated community members and Councilmember Daniel Dromm urging democrats to sign the petitions for the democratic slate for this year's upcoming elections and to let neighbors know about

www.juneinjacksonheights.com RESTAURANT WEEK DEALS! june 20-june 26

Don & Katha Cato were there too with the

QUEENS WORLD FILM FESTIVAL launch with Danny Dromm...

Caryn Gerega was nice and cool under the trees at PS69 across the street with her beautiful watercolors...The Jackson Heights Art Club just released their Children's Art Camp

schedule-info 718-426-9821

MUSIC & ART & FOOD oh my!!

SO MUCH ART; SO LITTLE TIME

work will be up until June 27th

ARTISTS of the DAY

Two artists with two distinct styles...

Helen Quinn (l) and Maria Bonilla (r)

Helen Quinn was born in Washington DC in 1969. She received a BFA from Rhode Island School of Design and an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Detroit. Her moving sculptures, drawings and animations have been exhibited internationally. She currently lives with her family on 83^rd Street in Jackson Heights. Helen’s practice consists of making sculptures and drawings that investigate the beauty and magic of movement and the elusive presence of grace. She is fascinated by how movement and gesture (be it implied or actual) can remind, startle and delight a viewer. It is this unexpected, sometimes child-like reaction that she wants the work to evoke.

Maria Bonilla attended local schools in Jackson Heights and went on to explore art and design at Queens College. She received her degree in arts education and has taught locally at IS 145 and IS 230 for over 13 years. While inspiring her students to explore cultures and techniques, she also helps them craft lifesize puppets for the annual Jackson Heights Halloween Parade. Her son EJ is also an artist and a student at The Pennsylvania Academy for the Fine Arts in Philadelphia.

Maria's focus on landscape painting, drawing and pastels, has captured scenic views from the gardens of the Chateaus right here in Jackson Heights to the coast of Newfoundland.

ART SUMMER CAMP FOR CHILDREN IN JACKSON HEIGHTS:

JHAC Kids Summer Art Camp

July 7, 14, 21, 28 & August 4, 11, 18, 25

2 Sessions, Morning & Afternoon —Wednesdays
9am to 12 noon & 1 pm to 4pm.

$75 for 8 weeks.

Art Animals — weeks 1 and 2 — Explore the textures & patterns in the world of animals, tame & exotic. Paint & draw giant animal sketches and INVENT your own unique animal!

Underwater Exploration—weeks 3 and 4— Island Adventure! We will explore wonders below the sea... We’ll make our own diaramas, creating underwater sea creatures and plants.

Enchanted Forest — weeks 5 & 6 —Create you own story book and tell your story with drawings & paintings of magical creatures crafted from your imagination that live and work in the Enchanted forest!

In the Hood — weeks 7 & 8 Collect pictures, fauna & flora and memorabilia from Jackson Heights and work on a collage showcasing each child’s experience of living in the Jackson Heights community.

Register Today, call 718 426-9821 to reserve your child’s summer art camp spot.

ART...and FOOD too??!!

SATURDAY_6/19 QUEENS MUSEUM sets up ART for KIDS at Post Office at NOON!

ARTIST of the DAY: ANOWAR HOSSAIN

on display at INNER PEACE 79-24

comes from a family of artists, scholars and supporters of the arts and other cultural events. Early on, his parents discovered that he had a gift for art and encouraged him to explore his talent. As a young man Anowar participated in art shows and competitions; he won many prizes and awards for his work.

Growing up in Bangladesh, Anowar was strongly influenced by the vibrant Bengali creative community, which included the writer Ravindrath Tagore, film maker Satyajit Ray and musician Ravi Shankar. He currently resides in Jackson Heights and has a studio in Long Island City, Queens.

The young artist came to the U.S. in the 1980's and became involved with the flourishing New York art community through his art study and training at the School of Visual Arts and The Art Students League of New York. His works have been shown in many galleries and exhibitions both nationally and internationally and have won many awards. Anowar has sold many artworks and is represented in many private collections around the world, including theUnited States, England, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Germany.

Anowar is very philosophically minded. He believes human life is fully intertwined with nature and the universe; “Every thing we do in our life has a result and we have to remember this.”

we have only 10 days left in the "37th Avenue Art gallery"

CLICK Here for detailed Google Map:

ART WALKING TOUR

SUNDAY JUNE 20 from 5-7pm

Councilmember Daniel Dromm will LEAD the way as we sample art and food delicacies along 37th avenue kicking off FOOD FESTIVAL WEEK! JUNE 20- JUNE 26

visit JuneinJacksonHeights.com for more details about restaurant and bistro $pecial deals and discounts- $ave money while you savor the flavor!

Jackson Height Beautification Group and Make Music NY will launch the "PLAY ME I'M YOURS" Piano in front of the Post Office on MONDAY June 21 evening

The "Play me, I'm Yours" exhibit has gone to cities around the world since 2008

The city is taking street music to a new whole new level this summer.

Starting Monday, 60 pianos, donated by individuals and painted by local students and artists, will be installed in parks and plazas throughout the city.

Everyone is encouraged to try them out.

"It doesn't matter if you're a world class virtuoso like Beethoven or even a guy who took one year of lessons like Bloomberg. You just sit down and start playing. You gather some friends around just like my senior staff meetings at City Hall. Every piano even comes with a song book in case you need some inspiration," said Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The pianos will be donated to schools and hospitals when the exhibit ends on July 5th.

For a list of locations, visit streetpianos.com/nyc2010.

:

37th AVE & BABEL Come ALIVE!

ARTIST of the DAY from 37th Avenue ART Gallery:

Eliot Bassman:

Artist, author and curator, Elliot earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from City College of New York and his Master of Fine Arts degree from Columbia University. Elliot, who also studied at the New York Studio School, mentored by Philip Guston and Jack Tworkov, studied as well at the Skowhegan School, mentored by Brice Marden and Gabriel Laderman. Elliot is a versatile painter who works in a variety of scales with artwork in numerous private and public collections, including David Brown Enterprises, Health & Hospitals Corporation, The Library of Congress, The Robert Cohen Library at City College NY, Bergdorf Goodman.

Elliot includes an abundant range of themes: innovative still-lifes, landscapes, geometric abstraction, reinventions of the ancient world in a contemporary light, jazz and cityscapes. He enjoyed international success on Sotheby’s website. His studio is a joy to visit and his presentations are entertaining and engaging. For more information, you can contact him at elliotbassman@hotmail.com or visit www.elliotbassmancom

HERE is your GOOGLE Map to find the art!

Councilman Daniel Dromm and

BABEL brings artists and community together

Over 200 people attended the opening of an incredible community event:BABEL

curated by Hector Canonge with works from 31 artists and performers

and a very unique and FUN! performance by Derick Melander

http://www.derickmelander.com/works/video/nomad/nomad.htm

Viva La Arte in Jackson Heights!

for upcoming events visit juneinjacksonheights.com:

NEXT WEEK BEGINS the JACKSON HEIGHTS FOOD FESTIVAL

37th Ave:Let your Fingers do the Walking Slideshow

slideshow of the art along 37th avenue...

please enjoy the show and share with your contacts and friends

click "follow me" to keep in touch with more Community Communicato!

Thanks to Danny Dromm for creating the June in Jackson Heights excitement - especially Andrew Ronan who is tireless in pulling it all together: www. juneinjacksonheights.com

Had great feedback from people via email and on Facebook - they have met the artists just by chance at various locations and are really enjoying the displays!

Maybe we will bump into each other on the Avenue! or at the Babel Opening on WEDS Eve...

BABEL begins and JH ART E-scapes

Here is the next Artist of the Day on the 37th avenue Art gallery walk...

Edith de Chiara who is showing at 37th ave photo on 76th ST...

Active involvement as an artist began in 1996 with my retirement from college teaching as a professor of art education. I have always made art, but prior to my retirement as Professor Emeritus from Lehman College of the City University of New York, it was interspersed with writing in the field of art education. My teaching experience includes 25 years at Lehman College, maintaining a private art school for nine years when my children were very young and six years teaching art in Junior High school and then High School. As art educator, I have written numerous articles and the book Art for exceptional children.

SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2010 NOVO Restaurant, Jackson Heights, NY
2010 Works Gallery, New York, NY
2001 Lehman College Art Gallery, Bronx, NY
2000-2001 Pfizer Inc. Headquarters, “Linear Traces”, New York, NY
1999 Art Gallery, Quogue Library, Quogue, New York
1997 East End Arts Council, “Interior and Exterior Realities”, Riverhead, NY

OPENING JUNE 16th!

Another busy day for ART in Jackson Heights- visited Hector Canonge who will begin installing BABEL Exhibit featuring artists near and far...the opening is on WEDS JUNE 16 from 6-9pm

and everyone is invited to stop by 86-08 37th avenue!