October 2024 Grantee Events
Experience a wide range of art activities by supporting our Creative Engagement, Creative Learning, and UMEZ Arts Engagement grantees and their events this month.
Prelude Opera
Operapalooza!
Saturday, October 5, 2024 at 4:30 PM
Our Saviour's Atonement Lutheran Church 78 Bennett Avenue, New York, NY 10040
Operapalooza! is a double bill of two short children's operas by the composer Edward Barnes. A Muskrat Lullaby and Mystery on the Docks feature opera singers as various animals who put their vocal talents to good use, whether saving them from being devoured by alligators or rescuing them from the rat gang. These will be performed at four venues in Manhattan with piano, including at least one outdoor park performance and one free performance. The two operas last together for a total of about one hour.
Find more information at https://preludeopera.com/tickets/
Grant Program: Creative Engagement & UMEZ Arts Engagement
June E. Townes & Gospera
Songs That Brought Us Through
Sunday, October 6, 2024 at 4:00 PM
Church of the Master, 81 Morningside Avenue, New York, NY 10027
June E. Townes and Gospera are proud to present “Songs That Brought Us Through,” a concert honoring the African American music legacy of spirituals, hymns, gospel, and sacred anthems. Using these musical styles and poetic narratives, the vocal ensemble June Townes & Gospera illustrates the profound influence and lasting resonance of this music, from its beginnings to today.
Find more information at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/953924853917?aff=oddtdtcreator
Grant Program: Creative Engagement
Antoinette Cooper
Speaking in Tongues: A Creative Writing Workshop Series
Wednesdays, October 16 - November 27, 2024 (No meeting on October 30th.) at 6:30 PM
Dirección de Cultura Dominicana en el Exterior, 2406 Amsterdam Avenue (4th floor), New York, NY 10033
"Speaking in Tongues" is a powerful 6-session creative writing workshop series led by writer and facilitator Antoinette Cooper. Participants will explore individual, ancestral, and collective stories, delving into themes of resilience and refusal. Open to writers of all levels, this workshop centers Black and Brown voices, inviting diverse experiences. Through contemplative writing practices, engaging readings, and supportive feedback, participants will nurture their unique voices and honor stories that demand to be told. This series creates a sacred space for reclamation and growth, with future opportunities for community sharing through publishing and readings. Join us on this journey of creative exploration and empowerment.
Find more information at join.antoinettecooper.com
Grant Program: Creative Learning
 
The Japanese Folk Dance Institute of NY
Fun Fest Japan
Sunday, October 6, 2024 at 12:00 PM
Corlears Hook Park, 397 FDR Drive, New York, NY 10002
Presented by The Japanese Folk Dance Institute of New York (JFDINY), FUN FEST JAPAN celebrates Japan and NYC with an all day Japanese cultural festival, featuring traditional performing arts and fun cultural activities for the whole family! Enjoy performances by JFDINY’s own Minbuza (Japanese Folk Dance), Samurai Sword Soul (Traditional Sword Fighting), Taiko Masala (Taiko Drumming), and Yuzu Natsumi (Folk Music). While in our activities area, experienced teachers will lead children in a variety of fun Japanese arts and crafts such as origami, calligraphy, kendama, and kimono dressing. The finale of the day will be the Bon Odori, a traditional Japanese Summer event where everyone joins in and dances together! Come to FUN FEST JAPAN and let’s celebrate NYC!
Find more information at https://www.friendsofcorlears.org/events/japanfunfest2024
Grant Program: Creative Engagement
Hassanatou Camara
Harlem Meet Africa Festival
Sunday, October 6, 2024 at 2:00 PM
Richard Rodgers Amphitheater, 18 Mt Morris Park W, New York, NY 10027
HARLEM MEET AFRICA Festival returns to the Richard Rodgers Amphitheater in Marcus Garvey Park on Sunday, October 6, 2024, from 2:00 - 7:00 PM for its second edition. This free annual festival is fun for the whole family, featuring renowned international and local Harlem performers, spoken word, cultural showcases, and amazing African drummers to celebrate the cultural bridge between Harlem and Africa. The festival will provide an inclusive platform for artists and community members to come together, showcasing the vibrancy of Harlem through music, dance, and art. The Harlem Meet Africa Festival is more than just a cultural celebration - it is a day of unity, education, empowerment, and FUN!
Find more information at https://www.natucamara.com/events/harlem-meet-africa-festival-1
Grant Program: Creative Engagement & UMEZ Arts Engagement
24/6: A Jewish Theater Company
TELEPHONE PLAYS 2024
Monday, October 7th, 2024 at 12:00 PM
Monday, October 14th, 2024 at 12:00 PM
Monday, October 21st, 2024 at 12:00 PM
Monday, October 28th, 2024 at 12:00 PM
Telephone
Come enjoy a short one-person, uplifting, and comedic play followed by a conversation with 24/6: A Jewish Theater Company's Artistic Director. During COVID, the effects of social isolation have been acutely felt by senior citizens and those who are housebound. In response, 24/6: A Jewish Theater Company has commissioned a diverse group of over 20 playwrights to write 10-minute plays that are performed live over the telephone to seniors and those who are housebound. Each Monday at noon a different play will be performed via DOROT's University Without Walls.
Find more information at: https://twentyfoursix.weebly.com/
Grant Program: Creative Engagement & UMEZ Arts Engagement
Trio Fadolín
Trio Fadolín and Dan Tepfer perform Morton Feldman's "Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello" at the New York Studio School
Wednesday, October 9 2024 at 6:30 PM
New York Studio School, 8 West 8th Street, New York, NY 10011
On Wednesday, October 9, 2024, at 6:30pm, the New York Studio School will host a concert of work by the groundbreaking composer Morton Feldman, who was Dean of NYSS from 1969 to 1971. Acclaimed pianist Dan Tepfer will join the celebrated ensemble Trio Fadolín (Sabina Torosjan, Ljova, Valeriya Sholokhova) in a performance of Feldman’s final composition, “Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello” (1987). At nearly seventy-five minutes, the work is emblematic of the longer works of the composer’s late career when he asked himself, “What would I write if I just didn’t think about the length—what would I write if I didn’t think about the audience?” This event is one of many this year that commemorates the 60th anniversary of NYSS.
Find more information at https://nyss.org/special-events/an-evening-with-morton-feldman/
Grant Program: Creative Engagement
Robert Bunkin
Artist's reception for Beyond Likeness exhibition
October 9 - December 20, 2024
Monday - Friday, 9-5; subject to Parlor availability
Artist's reception, Oct. 16, 2024, at 2:00 PM
First Floor Parlor, Greenwich House Center on the Square, 20 Washington Square North, New York, NY 10011
Greenwich House, Center on the Square is presenting Beyond Likeness, a series of portrait paintings done from life, of Greenwich House participants. Each painting is 9 x 12 inches, done over the course of 2024. This represents a composite portrait of the people who attend Robert Bunkin's weekly program Art Talk, which is held at both Center on the Square and Westbeth centers. Along with this unveiling of the series, which will eventually be divided between the two centers and on permanent display, will be a display of approximately 25 portraits from the various communities with which the artist has been involved.
Grant Program: Creative Engagement
Find more information at https://greenwichhouse.org
Elliott Ortiz
Babel: Movements of Contradiction
October 11 & 12, 2024 at 7:00 PM
Sunday, October 13, 2024 at 4:00 PM
El Barrio's Artspace, 215 East 99th Street, New York, NY 10029
Inspired by the myth of Babel, Venezuelan choreographer Elliott Ortiz presents Babel: Movements of Contradiction, a powerful dance-theatrical piece that explores the disconnection between people across cultural and linguistic divides. Through a fusion of modern dance, tango, flamenco and physical theater, the performance explores the complexities of modern society, addressing issues like discrimination, communication barriers, and cultural differences. The narrative follows Peter, a troubled professor, and his AI creation, Hermes, as they journey through a world of fantasies and ghosts within Peter's mind. The stage becomes a metaphorical reflection of our world, where the experience is intensified by a versatile stage featuring towering structures, layered audio/music and videos complete the experience, creating a visually stunning and thought-provoking spectacle. Babel: Movements of Contradiction invites audiences to reflect on how our differences can both divide and unite us in unexpected ways.
Find more information at https://www.d10projectnyc.com/general-6
Grant Program: Creative Engagement & UMEZ Arts Engagement
New York Kurdish Cultural Center
New York Kurdish Film Festival, 8th edition
October 12 - October 19, 2024, at 6:00 PM
Village East by Angelika, 181-189 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10003
The eighth edition of the New York Kurdish Film Festival will take place October 12-19, 2024. Over eight days, we'll present a stunning array of films from all parts of Kurdistan: the areas in Turkey, Syria, Iran, and Iraq—and as well as from the Kurdish diaspora in Europe. Join us in celebrating Kurdish mother tongues—the films are in Kurmanci, Sorani, and even Luri (with English subtitles). In some places in the Middle East where Kurds live, these languages are banned. Let's savor a cultural event where we can speak them freely! In addition to films, our festival will present a musical performance, panel discussions, a book talk, and more. On opening night (October 12), we'll socialize over traditional Kurdish appetizers and chai! Kurds and non-Kurds alike are welcome! Tickets and passes are on sale now. Don't miss this unique event! We're immensely grateful for funding from the LMCC. The events on the last three days (October 17-19) will take place at the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung's New York Office at 275 Madison Avenue, #2114, New York, NY 10016.
Find more information at https://nykcc.org
Grant Program: Creative Engagement
Andrea Arroyo
Faces and Facades New Paintings by Andrea Arroyo
Opening Reception: Saturday, October 19, 2024 at 3:00 PM
Exhibition on view: October 19, 2024-March 23, 2025
Morris Jumel Mansion Museum, 65 Jumel Terrace, New York, NY 10032
“Faces & Façades” is an exhibition showcasing new artworks by Andrea Arroyo. The project is a love letter to the uptown community and the women who hold it together. The paintings in the exhibition blend organic and non-organic forms, taking inspiration from two sources: the female body and the architectural elements of uptown buildings.
Find more information at https://morrisjumel.org/exhibitions/faces-facades/
Grant Program: UMEZ Arts Engagement
Zara Lawler
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Saturday, October 19, 2024 at 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM
333 Edgecombe Avenue, New York, NY 10032
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is an immersive song cycle of music and scenes from Betty Smith’s classic novel. It tells a universal story of the creative blossoming of a girl from an immigrant family, with the tree as a symbol for both resilience and creativity: “Some people called it the Tree of Heaven. No matter where its seed fell, it made a tree which struggled to reach the sky…It was the only tree that grew out of cement.” All the music is taken directly from the book, ranging from folk and popular tunes to works by Schubert, Dvorak and Bizet, woven seamlessly with key moments from the story.
Join us for an immersive performance of music and scenes from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn under the arching boughs of the trees growing in Sugar Hill Community Garden or among the hallowed books of Washington Heights Public Library.
Rain Date: October 20, 2 and 4pm, Sugar Hill Community Garden, 333 Edgecombe Ave, NY NY 10032
Find more information at https://zaralawler.com/
Grant Program: Creative Engagement & UMEZ Arts Engagement
Pedro Giraudo
Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration @ Westbeth
Sunday, October 13, 2024 at 6:30 PM
463 West Street, New York, NY 10014
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month @ Westbeth Artist Housing with the sounds of the Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet feat. dancers Mariana Parma & Leonardo Sardella Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet
Nick Dan
Diego García, cello
Jun Cho, piano
Pedro Giraudo, bass Dancers
Mariana Parma & Leonardo Sardella Hispanic Heritage Month @ Westbeth Artists Housing is made possible in part with public funds from Creative Engagement, a regrant program supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by LMCC.
Find more information at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/celebrate-hispanic-heritage-month-with-the-pedro-giraudo-tango-quartet-tickets-995621770517?aff=oddtdtcreator
Grant Program: Creative Engagement
Tanya O'Debra
Hockey Wives
Tuesday, October 15, 2024 at 3:00 PM and 7:00 PM
La Mama Rehearsal Studios, 47 Great Jones Street, New York, NY 10012
The real action in the last game of the 1995-96 North Quincy High School Hockey season isn’t on the ice with the players—it’s in the stands with their girlfriends. Wendy is new to the group and thinks she’s amongst friends, but she quickly learns that everyone is in the attack zone. written by Tanya O'Debra directed by Sara Wolkowitz featuring Aliza Cosgrove, Abby Gumpper, Julia Corrin Coffey, Isabella Nicdao, and Ritch Duncan
Find more information at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hockey-wives-tickets-1011272000777?aff=oddtdtcreator
Grant Program: Creative Engagement
Maria Niro
Screening of the documentary KRZYSZTOF WODICZKO: THE ART OF UN-WAR
Sunday, October 20, 2024 at 7:00 PM
Anthology Film Archives, 32 2nd Avenue, New York, NY 10003
Screening series of the documentary "Krzysztof Wodiczko:The Art of Un-War". Includes discussions with filmmaker Maria Niro and artist Krzysztof Wodiczko. The film chronicles the life and political work of avant-garde artist Krzysztof Wodiczko. A pioneer of large-scale public projections, Wodiczko’s lifelong investigation into the relationship between war, monuments, and trauma is explored through his urban artistic interventions over more than five decades. The documentary includes works created in the Lower East Side since 1989 and reveals the inner workings of Wodiczko’s collaborative process with marginalized groups such as war veterans, refugees, and the unhoused. Screening live at Anthology Film Archive, in Manhattan. Screening virtually, discussion with Krzysztof Wodiczko, Maria Niro and Douglas Fry (Anthropologist and professor) co-sponsored by the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies (University of North Carolina Greensboro), theSchool of Public and International Affairs (University of Baltimore), and the Russian and Eurasian Studies Program (University of South Carolina).
Virtual Event will be held October 28th at 7:00 PM includes post screening discussion with artist Krzysztof Wodiczko, filmmaker Maria Niro and Anthropologist and professor Douglas Fry. This event is in collaboration with the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies (University of North Carolina Greensboro), the School of Public and International Affairs (University of Baltimore), and the Russian and Eurasian Studies Program (University of South Carolina). The link for the event will be available at www.un-war.com/screenings.
Find more information at http://anthologyfilmarchives.org/film_screenings/calendar?view=list&month=10&year=2024#showing-58208
Grant Program: Creative Engagement
Stephanie Chou
Chinatown Dreams
Wednesday, October 23, 2024 at 6:00 PM
Joe's Pub, 425 Lafayette Street, New York NY 10003
Following April's successful performance of Comfort Girl, Stephanie brings her band back to Joe's Pub for a performance of entirely different material! Stephanie Chou is a composer/saxophonist/singer who blends influences from her Chinese heritage with Western jazz and pop to create a bracingly original sound. Tonight's show will feature premieres of newly-written material and fan-favorites from her eclectic and wide-ranging body of work. Chinatown Dreams is a songwriting album following the journey of a young, second-generation Chinese-American woman, as she and her Chinatown community go through a year of tremendous challenges. This semi-autobiographical story examines the conflict between choosing the safe, expected path vs. following one's heart, a conflict so many second-generation Americans of all sorts face. The music combines the energy of improvised jazz with the precision of progressive rock, an homage to Manhattan's Chinatown. “One of New York’s most socially relevant and ambitious jazz talents." - NewYork MusicDaily
Find more information at https://publictheater.org/productions/joes-pub/2024/s/stephanie-chou-oct/
Grant Program: Creative Engagement
Identity Crisis Theater (Handan Ozbilgin)
Stories Will Not Mend This Broken World
Wednesday, October 23, 2024 at 5:00 PM
Friday, October 25, 2024 at 7:00 PM
Sunday, October 26, 2024 at 4:00 PM and 7:00 PM
Positive Exposure Gallery, 14 East 109th Street, New York, NY 10019 (located between 5th and Madison)
What is the value of art in a world that’s collapsing? In this play, a group of Istanbul theater artists struggle to regain their footing in the aftermath of the 2023 earthquake that devastated Turkey and Syria; Alternating between gallows humor and grief, Stories Will Not Mend explores the effect that violence on a mass scale has on those who witness it from a distance and the inextinguishable drive to create new worlds through art, even when that work feels futile.
Find more information at https://handanozbilgin.com/identity-crisis-theater/
Grant Program: Creative Engagement & UMEZ Arts Engagement
Migiwa Miyajima
Miggy Augmented Orchestra: The War Destroyed My Dream BUT Not My Voice
Sunday, October 27, 2024 at 5:30 PM
315 West 44th Street, #5402, New York, NY 10036
Believing in music's transformative power, Migiwa Miggy" Miyajima, a 6-time Grammy-nominated producer, composer, and pianist, returns to Birdland with her 17-piece Miggy Augmented Orchestra. In this live performance, a part of the suite titled The War Destroyed My Dream But Not My Voice will be presented. The suite is based on the lives of Miyajima's mother, who gave up her dream of becoming a singer due to the impact of World War II, and Miyajima herself. Miyajima's compositions, characterized by contemporary jazz languages and nuances of her Japanese heritage, embody her signature style across diverse genres including classical music, pop, and soul. She is the recipient of numerous grants and awards including the 2020 NYC Women’s Fund for Media, Music and Theatre, and the 2023 MacDowell Fellowship. This program is partially supported by LMCC's creative engagement.
Find more information at https://www.ticketweb.com/event/miggy-augmented-orchestra-birdland-jazz-club-tickets/13823453
Grant Program: Creative Engagement
Caballito Negro + Friends
Birds, Bees & Electric Fish
Sunday, October 27, 2024 at 2:00 PM
Good Shepherd Auditorium, 620 Isham Street, New York, NY 10034
Flute and percussion duo, Caballito Negro, are joined by Lisa Cella (flutes) and Dustin Donahue (percussion), performing their acclaimed, ground-breaking quartet commission from composer Juri Seo, "Birds, Bees, Electric Fish". The concert, presented by Inwood Art Works, also includes works by Emma O’Halloran, Jane Rigler, Will Rowe, and Stuart Saunders Smith. The bicoastal duo, Caballito Negro, (Tessa Brinckman, flutes, Terry Longshore, percussion) curates, composes, commissions and collaborates in imaginative interdisciplinary projects, seeking true cultural exchange with local, regional and international artists. A preconcert bilingual Spanish talk with Carla López-Speziale invites the audience into the unique sounds of instruments from all over the world, the imaginative sounds of animals and nature, as well as the found sounds of everyday junk. This performance is supported by a 2024 grant from Chamber Music America’s Artistic Projects program (funded through the generosity of The Howard Gilman Foundation), a 2024 UMEZ Arts Engagement grant.
Find more information at www.caballitonegro.com
Grant Program: UMEZ Arts Engagement