“ArtsFest” returns to New Rochelle and Pelham on Saturday, September 27th and Sunday, September 28th, with a full menu of art events and activities, from behind-the-scenes tours of artists’ studios — including world renowned 3-D artist Charles Fazzino’s Museum Editions studio – and a free guided trolley ride through historic sites in downtown New Rochelle and Pelham, to a classic car show. Hands-on activities include LEGO ® Day at the Huguenot Children’s Library, a community painting project at Library Green guided by Art Par-Tay, a hot metal pour at the Pelham Art Center, a free belly dancing demo class at Westchester Yoga Arts, and the 3rd annual Lincoln Avenue Festival (sponsored by grow! Lincoln Community Garden/Park Conservancy) with garden tours and demos, food and music. Participants will also have the chance to take in a movie – there’s a Sherlock Holmes film festival at the New Rochelle Public Library and screenings of two indie films at The Picture House – and walk through the front doors of New Rochelle’s City Hall to enjoy the Rotunda Gallery’s exhibit “Camera’s Eye View.”
The weekend concludes with a free concert at Library Green on Sunday afternoon featuring the Villalobos Brothers, a trio of virtuoso violinists, singer-songwriters, composers , arrangers, and multi-talented instrumentalists who have performed at venues as varied as the Latin Grammy ® Awards, Carnegie Hall, the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center and the New York Mets field at Shea Stadium. Known as one of the leading ensembles of world music, they have accompanied and collaborated with many artists, including Paloma San Basilio, Paddy Moloney and The Chieftans, and Dolly Parton.
Making this year even more delicious, ArtsFest will be sandwiched between two New Rochelle Restaurant Weeks (September 22nd to 26th and September 30th to October 2nd) featuring special menus at participating downtown restaurants.
Organized by the New Rochelle Council on the Arts, ArtsFest highlights the variety of arts and arts venues in New Rochelle and Pelham, with art exhibits, programs and family-friendly activities that give both visitors and residents alike a window into the city’s rich cultural and artistic diversity. The celebration will include live music, great food, exciting live performances, and eclectic shopping.
“There is a breadth of arts experiences available this year, including more interactive art projects,” says Theresa Kump Leghorn, President of the New Rochelle Council on the Arts. “For example, Highbrook Studio, which is home to five working artists, will have a still life display set up all day so that visitors can draw along with the artists. There’s also a hands-on workshop and “hot metal pour” at the Pelham Arts Center. And we’ve organized a community “paint-in” with Art Par-Tay at Library Green on Saturday afternoon so that anybody who is curious can try their hand at creating their own work of art.”
“There is truly something for everyone at ArtFest this year,” adds Judith Weber, NRCA’s immediate past present who is co-chairing the event with Theresa Kump Leghorn. “from the opportunity to meet Caldecott Medal winner Anita Lobel, who will be reading and signing her books at transFORM Gallery, to being part of an African drum circle at the Lincoln Park Arts and Culture Festival. “
ArtsFest will also highlight some of NRCA’s most recent contributions to the arts, including the Fleur de Lis project, a collaboration between NRCA, the Business Improvement District and the City of New Rochelle to celebrate the city’s 325th anniversary. “You can take a self-guided walking tour and see all of the five-foot-tall sculptures – each decorated by a different artist – that have been installed downtown,” explains Leghorn. “And NRCA’s Rotunda Gallery at City Hall will be accessible through the building’s newly-refurbished front doors, which will re-open to the public in September.”
Making ArtsFest possible this year are “Patron Sponsors” Charles Fazzino and Mercedes Benz of New Rochelle; “Event Sponsors” Alvin & Friends Restaurant; the New Rochelle Business Improvement District (BID); The College of New Rochelle; Iona College; transFORM Showroom and Gallery; “Community Sponsors” Dino DiFillippis DDS and the New Rochelle Fund for Educational Excellence; and “Supporters” including the Friends of the New Rochelle Public Library; AJ’s Burgers; Art Par-Tay; The Picture House; and ArtsWestchester.
For a complete calendar of venues and events visit www.newrochellearts.org.
This year’s ArtsFest includes:
Trolley Tours NRCA presents a free trolley ride through history: Jump on at Library Green or Pelham Arts Center between 10 am and 2 pm on Saturday for a 45-minute guided tour around local historic sites. NOTE: Trolley will not be stopping at venues this year.
Art Par-Tay ( Library Green, 1 Library Plaza, Huguenot at Lawton St., NR) Art is for everybody: Come and get your paint on – a painting party for ages 8 to 108! Materials and instruction provided, no experience necessary. Register in advance at info@artpartay.com. Saturday, 12 to 2 pm
Backstreet Gallery (43 Lawton Street, NR (914) 636-1166 www.backstreetgallery.com) Recent paintings by artist David Bush. 12:30 to 5 pm, Saturday and Sunday.
BID Grand Market (Library Green, 1 Library Plaza, Huguenot at Lawton St., NR, www.newrochellegrandmarket.com ) Farmer’s Market 9 am to 2 pm: Free yoga at 10 am, arts and crafts, cooking demonstrations and live music with Zev Haber at 11 am. Saturday.
Classic Car Show: (North Avenue Parking lot adjacent to City Hall) Accompanied by auto-inspired original photographs by Steven Garnett.12 to 5 pm Saturday
Charles Fazzino Studioat Museum Editions, Ltd. (32 Relyea Place, NR, 654-9370, www.fazzino.com ) Meet one of the world’s premiere pop artists, learn about his process and take part in an interactive demonstrations. Open studio 12 – 5 pm Saturday and Sunday
College of New Rochelle Castle Gallery & Mooney Gallery (29 Castle Place, NR, 654-5423, www.cnr.edu/cg.htm) “Intersecting Editions” in the Castle Gallery, 12 to 4 pm on Saturday and Sunday; “A Retrospective: Harriette Chelnik” in the Mooney Center Gallery, 10 am to 5 pm Saturday and Sunday.
Fleur de Lis Walking Tour Pick up a brochure at the New Rochelle Public Library and take a self-guided tour of the city’s latest public art project “Fleur de Lis”: View a dozen five-foot-tall fleur de lis sculptures, each individually decorated by local artists in spired by New Rochelle’s 325th anniversary.
Gallery Roc (2 Division Street, NR) Visit multiple venues including Barbour Studios Event and Talent Management, Capoiera Performance Arts, the studio of artist Kyu Nam Han, Ogendo/Zasparilla couture fashion design and SUSA Designs graphic design and photography. 12 to 5 pm Saturday.
Ground Floor Coworking (547 North Avenue, NR , 552-1236, www.groundfloorcw.com) “Entre” : New Rochelle’s Historic Entrance Signs, stylized illustrations of the city’s ten historic signs. 12 to 5 pm Saturday, 12 to 4 Sunday
High Brook Studios (222 HighBrook Avenue, Pelham, 914- 582 8432) Still life drawing. Open studios 10 am to 5 pm, Saturday and Sunday.
Iona College Council on the Arts (665 North Avenue, NR 914-637-7796, www.iona.edu ) Exhibition “Sacred Silence: The Practice of Iconography” featuring the work of local icon painters, curated by Chantal Heinegg. 12 to 5 pm Saturday
Jesse Sanchez Art & Design (519 Main Street, NR 914-409-7300, www.jsanchezart.com) Recent work including book jacket designs, paintings and mixed media art. 12 – 5 pm Saturday.
LEGO Fun with Block Stars at The Huguenot Children’s Library(794 North Ave., NR. 914-632-8954, www.nrpl.org/huguenotchildrenslibrary )An afternoon of creative building with Block Stars. Sponsored by the Partnership for the Huguenot Children’s Library. 12 to 4 pm Saturday
3rd Annual Lincoln Avenue Arts & Culture Festival (Lincoln Ave. and Prince St., NR) Sponsored by grow! Lincoln Park Community Garden. Food, games for kids, garden tours and demonstrations, a DJ and musical entertainment. 12 to 6 pm Saturday.
MODHArts Gallery of Contemporary Realism (43 Westchester Place, NR, 914-320-2432, www.modharts.com)
New Rochelle Public Library (1 Library Plaza, NR, 914-632-7878, www.nrpl.org ) The 99th Annual Juried Exhibition of the New Rochelle Art Association, 10 am – 5 pm Saturday, with Reception 5:15 – 7 pm featuring live music by the Emilio Teubal Trio and refreshments. Sherlock Holmes Film Festival, 1 – 4:30 pm Saturday.
NRCA Rotunda Gallery at City Hall (515 North Ave., NR, www.newrochellearts.org ) Celebrate the re-opening of City Hall’s grand doors and visit NRCA’s Rotunda Gallery, featuring “Camera’s Eye View” featuring works by 18 photographers. 12 to 5 pm Saturday
Thomas Paine Cottage Museum (20 Sicard Ave., NR; 914-633-1776, www.thomaspainecottage.org ) Historic house museum featuring artifacts relating to our Colonial and Revolutionary War history and New Rochelle’s Huguenot settler founders, plus a tour of an authentic 19th-century one-room schoolhouse.12 to 5 pm Saturday
Pelham Art Center (155 Fifth Avenue, Pelham, 914-738-2525, www.pelhamartcenter.org) Special One-Day Events: Hands-on Workshop: Hot Metal Pour, 9 am to 2 pm Saturday; Performance: Westchester Harp Ensemble, 12 pm, Saturday; Visual Art exhibits: In the Gallery: “Natural Enemies”; Public Art in the Courtyard: “Stuffscapes”; The Storefront Project: “Outside-In”
Marcelo Pablo Pittari Studio 312(81 Centre Ave., NR) Drawing and painting studio 12 to 5 pm Saturday
RECOLOGIE (49 Lawton St., NR 914-278-9350, www.recologie.com) Exhibit: “Beyond Tile: Retrospective Exhibition of Art Tile by Judith Weber,” reception 5 – 7 pm. Open house for Fair Trade Boutique, Café tasting, 10 to 9 pm Saturday.
Reverol & Co. Contemporary Art (300 Huguenot St., NR; 413-1120, intern@reverol.com) “LEGIT” an exhibit of works by Dan Mountain, Graffiti Pete, Dan Pietrzak and Jimmy Sheehan.
Song Catchers (Garito Manor, 180 Union Ave., NR 914-654-1178, www.songcatchers.org) Intergenerational concert at Garito Manor. Separate and joint selections by singers from the Hugh A. Doyle Center and Garito Manor, accompanied by instrumentalists from the Songcatchers After-School Music Program, directed by S. Beth Dowd. 1:30 pm Saturday
The Picture House (201 Wolf’s Lane, Pelham, 914-738-7337, www.thepicturehouse.org ) Half- price tickets to Boyhood or Frank, plus free popcorn when you mention ArtsFest. Showtimes for Boyhood: Saturday at 1:30, 4:30 and 8 pm; Sunday at 1:30, 4:30 and 7:30 pm. Showtimes for Frank: Saturday at 1:30, 3:30, 5:30, 7:30 and 9:30 pm; Sunday at 1:30, 3:30, 5:30 and 7:30 pm.
transFORM Gallery(20 Jones St., NR, 914-325-3588, www.transformhome.com) “Second Nature, Beauty in the Ordinary” art sale 10 am to 8 pm; reception 5 to 8 pm Saturday. Reading by children’s book author Anita Lobel, winner of the Caldecott Medal, 4 pm Saturday.
Westchester Yoga Arts (49 Lawton St., NR, 2nd floor, 914-632-1101, www.westchesteryogaarts.com) All regular classes just $5; Children’s Acting Academy free program for ages 4 – 16 from 11 am to noon; free Belly Dance Basics at 2 pm abd free Yoga Beginner’s Class 3:30 pm; exhibit “Exploring OM” 5 to 7 pm with free refreshments and live music and performances. Saturday only.