Creative shoppers can save Amazon and the department stores for another day. Instead, gift shops that are housed by Westchester’s local museums and arts organizations present opportunities for holiday shopping that results in one-of-a-kind memorable gifts. For arts lovers, it will be money well spent when proceeds support exhibitions, educational programs, and also artists. Here are some of ArtsWestchester’s picks…
There are only a handful of venues in the New York Metropolitan area that have featured jazz for forty years. Even the earliest incarnation of Jazz at Lincoln Center as a summer program did not debut until 1987. Yet in 1980, Reverend Clinton C. Glenn, Jr. hatched the idea for a Jazz Vespers service in the First Presbyterian Church in Mount Vernon, which eventually moved into the parish hall and formed PJS Jazz Society (PJS). Celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2020, PJS has been presenting about eight concerts per year ever since. Better yet, it has become a jazz institution in the Westchester community.
When The Nutcracker premiered in Russia in 1892, it was arguably a flop. Mixed reviews picked apart the casting, scene transitions, choreography and even Tchaikovsky’s score. By the 1960s, it gained popularity in the United States, largely due to New York City Ballet (NYCB)’s iteration of the ballet, choreographed by George Balanchine. Today, The Nutcracker is often viewed as the quintessential story of wonderment and holiday cheer. Film house screenings, live dance productions, a marionette show and family-friendly adaptations throughout the County are all on the calendar for December.
County Executive Latimer announced his 2020 budget with a 3% increase for nonprofits. We are grateful for this; however, ArtsWestchester has not received an increase of any significance in over a decade and the needs of the cultural community far exceed the funds currently allocated.
Amanda Browder is the type of artist whose work you spot a mile away. Her signature geometric patterns of bright, community-sourced fabrics wrap buildings and structures all around the country – but no matter the location, the pieces are always unmistakably hers. However, according to the artist, these projects are not just hers. Browder encourages people to contribute to her landmark fabric sculptures, providing an entirely new level of accessibility in public art.
