Tag: arts

A Celebration of Resilience, Resistance, and Hope

Post author By Jeff Simmons
Post date June 10, 2020

The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, where 13,000 Jews died fighting Nazi oppression –

in April and May 1943, it was the largest single act of resistance during the Holocaust. The Uprising was the inspiration for “Zog nit keyn mol” (Yiddish: “Never Say”), known as the “Partisan Song.”

The song, which exemplifies Jewish resistance to Nazi persecution, is inspiring a special virtual event this Sunday, June 14 –

“We Are Here: A Celebration of Resilience, Resistance, and Hope.” The concert – which will be live-streamed at www.wearehere.live – commemorates the 75^th anniversary of the end of World War II and the 77^th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, even as it speaks to the challenges of the current moment.

“We are all inspired by the example set in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The Partisan Song, which begins and ends this program, speaks to the fight for social justice and fundamental human rights,” said Bruce Ratner, Chairman of the Board at the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust.

The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene, Sing for Hope, and Lang Lang International Music Foundation partnered to organize the event, enlisting more than 100 organizations from across the United States and globe to present it at 2:00 PM EST on Sunday.

And they’ve enlisted a robust array of renowned actors, musicians, and civic leaders to participate. Among them is a four-time Grammy Award and National Medal of Arts-winner, star soprano Renée Fleming, who will perform the world premiere of a new work by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Corigliano based on a text by Kitty O’Meara.

Among the others participating are EGOT-winner Whoopi Goldberg –

Grammy Hall of Famer and Tony-winner Billy Joel, world-renowned pianist Lang Lang; the iconic Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Emmy- and Tony-nominated actress Lauren Ambrose, multi-platinum, Tony-winning Broadway star Lea Salonga, multi-Grammy-winning opera star Joyce DiDonato, and award-winning actress Mayim Bialik.

“Both the recent COVID-19 pandemic and the centuries-old pandemics of racism and antisemitism highlight the need for resistance and resilience,” Sing for Hope Co-Founder Camille Zamora said. Added Sing for Hope Co-Founder Monica Yunus, “As we seek to listen, learn from, and serve our communities in the days ahead, thoughtful organizational partnerships will be key. It is an honor to unite artists and stand together as allies with a global network that fosters resilience, resistance, and hope.”

National Yiddish Theatre Artistic Director Zalmen Mlotek –

and Executive Director Dominick Balletta noted that “In this time of rising antisemitism and global crisis, the themes of resistance, resilience, and hope are more important than ever, and the Partisan Song takes on even more resonance. The song begins with the words ‘Never say this is the final road for you,’ and ends with the words ‘We Are Here.’ It is the song that binds together those who fight for justice.”

The program also will feature an interview by The Forward Editor-in-Chief Jodi Rudoren with Nancy Spielberg, Roberta Grossman, and Sam Kassow about their film Who Will Write Our History, which chronicles the story of Oneg Shabbat, the group that daringly preserved the history of the Warsaw Ghetto.

You can view the list of all participants here. Local viewing times include 11 AM Pacific Time, 2 PM Eastern Time, 7 PM London, and 9 PM Israel.

Tags American Jewish Committee, arts, Billy Joel, covid-19, Culture, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Holocaust, museum, Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, National Yiddish Theatre, Oneg Shabbat, Partisan Song, Pulitzer Prize, theater, Warsaw Ghetto, Whoopi Goldberg

Business Featured Miami News

Christina Lucas, A Leading Voice

Post author By Downtown Magazine
Post date March 1, 2020

If you feel the winds of change blowing through NOHO, there’s a good reason. Christina Lucas is back in town.

Downtown was able to grab a quick chat with Christina about her career, vision, and tenacity.

Fresh off her multi-year world tour with insurance giant AIG –

Christina returns to Manhattan as an executive within Global Claims. It’s a role she’s undeniably suited for, having successfully led hundreds of people and managed multiple business units from Miami to Tokyo to Bulgaria, where she was in charge of over 500 multi-lingual insurance professionals supporting the UK and Western Europe. And everywhere she goes she brings change with her, transforming divisions to deliver groundbreaking results.

Bright and engaging, Christina is naturally drawn to the energy and diversity of life in NoHo. Slipping spur-of-the-moment into a table at Atla, waiting patiently for sushi at Uchū, or shopping at DiPalo’s to prepare an impromptu antipasti platter for friends in her home.

When Christina steps out, she’s always dressed for success –

whether she is heading out for tennis, attending an art gallery showing, delivering a keynote address, or discussing global trends with business leaders. “A solid, 90% of what I wear to work is, St. John,” she admits. “But I feel absolutely inspired when I wear Anya Ponorovskaya. I feel like I can do anything.”

Apparently, Christina can do anything she sets her mind to.

Fearless and courageous even at the age of 8, she boarded a jet from Louisville, Kentucky, for Wiesbaden, Germany, to join her mother who was serving in the U.S. Army. “I knew that I wanted to be a global citizen, to be international and see the world,” Christina says. “Now, I’m so glad to be back in Manhattan. It’s the right change for me right now.”

Christina Lucas is Senior Vice President, Global Claims Business Performance at AIG.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Georgetown University, and a Masters of Information Technology from American Intercontinental University. She currently lives in Manhattan, speaks five languages, and is passionate about the arts, cooking, and tennis.

You can find her on Instagram at Instagram link.

Education Uncategorized

5 Killer Tips for Argumentative Writing

Post author By Downtown Magazine
Post date January 21, 2020

Developing a concise, rich, and compelling argumentative paper –

takes a lot of effort for students not familiar with its major principles. The thing is, this tricky yet rewarding process relies on a number of fundamentals that define its quality and whether or not your paper will be highly evaluated in the end. For this reason, we have compiled the key guidelines of crafting a solid argumentative paper like they do at every professional essay writing service!

Do Research

Before you get down to developing an argumentative paper, it’s essential to conduct in-depth research first. Be sure to check several credible sources, carefully singling out the pieces of information you need in them. The information you will gain from your research should be used in the paper in order to make it persuasive and trustworthy.

Use Valid Statements

As the name of this type of academic writing suggests, it is intended to provide the reader with the statements arguing the paper’s main idea. That being said, in your argumentative paper, you are expected to employ solid statements that will support your main point.

Create a Thesis Statement

This is one of the critical aspects of your writing. A thesis statement is the main point of your entire paper you’ll be arguing all throughout it. In your thesis statement, you have to be as specific as possible, providing an accurate summary of what you will be writing about further in your piece.

Follow the Right Structure

As you proceed with your writing, it’s important to know when it’s better to include the arguments, thesis statement as well as how you should develop your piece. This is where structure gets in the game. Sticking to the proper structure in your paper will make coherent and comprehensible and enable you to present the important details in a professional way.

In a Nutshell

Now that you’ve taken a look at the key principles of argumentative writing, we bet you don’t view it as something challenging and time-consuming, do you? Well, we could say that it indeed is without being aware of what underlies a successful argumentative essay. And, given you are equipped with the weaponry we just covered in this article, you will be able to develop a great argumentative essay in no time!

Tags argumentative writing, arts, paper, school, tips, work, writing

Architecture Design Featured News

A Famous Acoustician Designs For Change in Harlem

Post author By Dan Metz
Post date November 12, 2019

Photos credit WSDG

Acoustician John Storyk has spent the last 50 years working with dreamers and artists to create remarkable music spaces. He’s worked on projects from Jay-Z’s “Roc The Mic” recording studio to Rio De Janeiro’s “Barra Olympic Park.” Now, he’s working on a music space to create dreamers and artists. In April, sources announced that Storyk and his studio, WSDG, would join a group effort to renovate the Harlem School of the Arts. The building, which has stood for more than 40 years, has been will be receiving a major re-vamp throughout.

The Harlem School of the Arts has been inspiring youth and building talent in Harlem for more than 50 years. Just X years before Storyk handed over his first sketch for Jimmy Hendrix’s Electric Lady Studios, concert singer Dorothy Maynor founded the HSA in TK Church across the street from the school’s current location. She believed, as the school still believes, that the arts can stimulate growth in children. To that end, it provides music, dance, theater, art, and design classes for children of all ages. A majority of these students are black or latinx, and half are on some kind of financial assistance. HSA hopes that, with the opportunities they provide, their students can grow and succeed in ways previously closed to them.

Storyk, with his wife and founding partner Beth Walters.

While the renovations to the HSA building will be extensive, Storyk and WSDG were brought on to help design the main lobby of the school, which also acts as a performance space for students. Storyk’s job will be helping to design the acoustics of the space to enhance musical or vocal performances. The most remarkable feature will be a large, slanted glass wall facing the street. The glass wall will open up the lobby space and replace a solid brick wall.

Storyk was added to the team at the recommendation of Herb Alpert, who made the renovation possible with a $6 million donation. When they needed to find an acoustician, Alpert said Storyk was the only choice. “It’s an honor to be on this team,” says Storyk, “Every now and then you get a job like this, with a social conscience and cultural coefficient. I’m not suggesting that doing a private studio for Jay-Z is not important. This is more important.”

Tags Acoustician, arts, design, Harlem, high school, john storyk, Music, theater, theatre

Architecture Art Culture Design Featured

Groundbreaking Harlem Arts School Breaks Ground

Post author By Dan Metz
Post date September 26, 2019

Photos courtesy of the HSA

On September 13th, Harlem School of the Arts broke ground on a $9.5 million renovation project on their upper Manhattan building. The project, called The Rennaisance Project, includes the replacement of the building’s brick exterior and the renovation of the lobby, which doubles as a performance space. The building is set to debut in the Fall of 2020.

Harlem School of the Arts began in a church across the street from its current location. Founder Dorothy Maynor organized the program in 1964 as a way to stimulate growth in the children of the surrounding neighborhoods, primarily low-income brown and black families. Within ten years the program had outgrown its confines. The current building, on 645 St. Nicholas Avenue, opened in 1979.

Since its inception, HSA has maintained a reputation as an excellent, unique, program. It offers four disciplines–music, theater, visual arts, dance–to children from pre-school through high school. More than 1000 each year. Its alumni fill your entertainment feed, from theater to music to television, but they also fill the school. Many of the staff present at the groundbreaking, as well as department heads, were former students who had attained success and returned to teach.

The renovation will be orchestrated by Imrey Studio in conjunction with John Storyk, a legendary acoustical engineer. Imrey Studio will replace a portion of the brick exterior with clear glass, opening up the lobby area/performance space. Storyk, who has worked on projects from Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Lady Studios to the Barra Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro, helped redesign the space to make it an ideal performance space to show off the skills of the students.

If math is not your child’s favorite and are looking for help with their calculus assignments and write – do my math homework online or do my homework choose one of the offered disciplines by HSA. Your child will study with ease and won’t need to order essay online.

The renovation has been made possible through the donations of Herb Alpert, famous jazz musician, and his wife, vocalist and author Lani Hall Alpert. The two donated the full cost of The Rennaisance Project, part of their continued philanthropy and support of HSA.

Tags architecture, arts, Dan Metz, Harlem, Harlem School of the Arts, Herb Alpert, HSA, Imrey Studio, john storyk, renovation, school

Culture Entertainment Events

Immigrant Arts Women’s Empowerment Summit

Post author By Jeff Simmons
Post date August 3, 2018

The Immigrant Arts Coalition, an advocacy support group comprised of New York City-based cultural organizations, will hold its second annual summit from August 5 to 8 at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park. Honoring diversity and empowerment through the arts, the program will feature panel discussions, talks, workshops, performances from distinguished artists and participants representing the tapestry of arts, community leaders, and cultural organizations.

Entitled the Francesca Cernia Slovin Immigrant Arts & Women’s Empowerment Summit, this 4-day celebration of the contributions of those from abroad whose culture has contributed to the country’s vibrant mosaic is hosted by the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene at the Museum at Edmond J. Safra Plaza, 36 Battery Place in New York City.

“It is an honor to come together and celebrate the vibrant culture that has been built here in America by immigrants from across the globe, who came here fleeing adversity and injustice to create a brighter future,” said Chris Massimine, Chair of the Immigrant Arts Coalition and Chief Executive Officer of the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene (NYTF). “We recognize the tremendous contributions immigrants have made to our country and our culture, and look forward to honoring this tremendous legacy at this year’s summit.”

The Coalition began forming in July 2017, when a group of arts and cultural organizations held their first arts summit at the Museum of Jewish Heritage and was officially launched in February. Leaders of the Coalition announced an agenda focusing on key areas of the arts: Advocacy, Diversity Support, Collaboration, Empowerment Through the Arts, and Artistic Engagement.

The summit will feature Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who on June 26 won the Democratic primary in New York’s 14^th congressional district over a long-serving incumbent, who is of Puerto Rican heritage and is slated to become the youngest woman ever elected to Congress this November, and Tony Award-nominated dancer and actress Ariana DeBose (Hamilton, A Bronx Tale, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical) and Leaders representing over 25 national backgrounds from across the globe will come together to participate in the summit.

The summit opens on Sunday, August 5 with a free concert at Robert F. Wagner Junior Park featuring Cosmopolis Collective, an all-immigrant band with award-winning artists from seven countries. The concert will open with the public premiere of IAC’s anthem “Carry On,” performed by recording artist and television personality Kimberley Locke. Written by songwriter Celina Gray, and produced by Mark Ethan Toporek, “Carry On” speaks to the American Immigration experience and reflects the importance of the diversity that comprises the cultural fabric of the country.

“We, as musicians, dancers, and artists, come together to show that traditions of immigrants have bolstered and generated the true beauty of American culture,” said Sita Chay, Musical Director of Cosmopolis Collective and violinist of the Grammy-winning mariachi band Flor de Toloache.

“The current socio-political environment inspired this summit,” said Marlena Fitzpatrick, President of the Immigrant Arts Coalition. “We are excited to come together to discuss the cultural and economic impact immigrant artists, women, and communities from all backgrounds have in the United States of America and Puerto Rico.”

Added Lindsay Beyerstein, Host of The Breach podcast, “The arts are an integral part of women’s empowerment. Through art, we explore possible futures and analyze pressing social issues. An artistic expression is a form of self-assertion, a way of claiming space and finding power.”

Free admission to the Museum of Jewish Heritage will be offered with the purchase of every ticket. For a full schedule and to RSVP, visit www.immigrantarts.org. RSVP’s are managed via Eventbrite and you must reserve your seat in advance. There are only 100 seats available to the closing night event, “The United States of Comedy,” at the exclusive Friars Club.

The Coalition’s Board of Directors includes: Chair Christopher Massimine, National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene; Vice Chair Ayse Eldek, stage and screen actor and director; President Marlena Fitzpatrick, social and music journalist, musician and nationally recognized arts, labor and social justice activist; Secretary Carrie Beehan, artist at GOH Productions; Treasurer Giacinta Pace, actor, producer and journalist; and, Member at Large Laura Caparrotti, actor and Founding Artistic Director of the Kairos Italy Theater in New York and of In Scena! Italian Theater Festival in New York. You can learn more about the Coalition and its principles at www.immigrantarts.org.

Tags arts, entertainment, Free concert, immigrant, National Yiddish Theatre, Ocasio, Robert F. Wagner Junior Park, Sita Chay, summit, Women’s Empowerment