SEPTEMBER EVENTS North Shore Towers Courier n September 2013 31 Nassau County Museum of Art One Museum Drive Roslyn Harbor, NY 11576 www.nassaumuseum.org On Saturday, September 21, John and Sheila Platt will read poetry by Ann Lauterbach, Carter Ratcliffe, Gerard Malanga, John Ashbery, Bill Berkson, Roberty Creely, Kenneth Koch, and Ted Berrigan. John Platt is familiar to New York audiences as host of WFUV’s Sunday Breakfast, and for his appearances at New York City’s Rockwood Music Hall, and Port Washington’s The Landmark. Sheila Platt’s productions of Wit, Doubt, Misery, Driving Miss Daisy, and Golden Pond make her familiar to Long Island audiences. Admission is $5 for members, students with ID, and children and $15 for non-members. Begins at 3:00 p.m. On Saturday, September 28 and Sunday, September 29, the Nassau Museum of Art will be home to original crafts, family fun, and art in its Crafts and Fine Arts Fair. The outdoor fair is produced by the American Concern for Arts and Craftsmanship and will offer various types of pottery, furniture, leather, glass, and jewelry. There will be a food court featuring international cuisine in addition to daylong craft demonstrations and alpaca sheering. Begins at 10:00a.m. on Saturday and 11:00 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $8 for adults, and children under 12 are free; this does not include museum admission. Every Sunday in September the Nassau County Museum of Art will host Family Sundays. Among the attractions available for adults and their young children are supervised art creations, family gallery talks, and family gallery guides. Reservations are not needed and cost is free with museum admittance. Event lasts from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Flushing Town Hall 137-35 Northern Boulevard www.flushingtownhall.org On Friday, September 13, Immigrant Advancement Matters invites all concerned with social justice issues to an open mic session at Flushing Town Hall. The event will help raise funds for the numerous educational programs I.A.M is associated with, which promote awareness about the question of immigration. Costs $10 for non-members and $8 for students and members. Begins at 7:00 p.m. On Friday, September 20, Flushing Town hall will feature Cross Frets for Tapping, a live event comprised of traditional and contemporary world artists and cross-cultural styles. The line up includes Min Xiao-Fen, Chinese pipa player, Jin Hi-Kim, Korean Cumongo player, and Max Pollak, award-winning rhumba tapper. Begins at 8:00 p.m. and admission is $15 for non0members and $10 for members and students. On Friday, September 27, Flushing Town Hall will host LOVE, PEACE, AND SOUL, a performance headed by acclaimed jazz musician Don Byron. Byron and his New Gospel Quintet combine elements of blues, jazz, and gospel to create a diverse and rich musical infusion. Show starts at 8:00 p.m. and costs $20. The Queens Museum of Art is closed until October. Artist’s life, career like a PHOENIX RISING BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO Rising from the ashes as a survivor of domestic violence, Beverly Cowan has reached a new moment in her life in which her passion for art has served as therapy. Now she hopes it will become a career. Born and raised in Harlem, Cowan always enjoyed working with any form of art. She filled up coloring books and matched up paper dolls with the perfect patterned dresses. She later moved to Staten Island, where Cowan said she reached a dark moment in her life. After losing the father of her two children, Cowan survived an attack by a boyfriend in 1996. She later moved to Long Island City and began a positive new life. “I want to give strength to all women who go through the same thing,” she said. Cowan began participating at her local church as a deacon and choir member. Around 2002, after decorating a vase with artificial flowers and creating a unique piece, she became excited to keep the craft going. “I love what I do,” she said. “I have a passion for it. I didn’t go to school for this, it’s just a gift.” She began her artwork with just arranging flowers inside different vases she would find and then moved into also creating centerpieces out of flowers and other material. Cowan then began covering clear vases in different colored paper and creating one-of-a-kind pieces. She began “Diane’s Creation” as the general name for her pieces of art. Cowan said her mom and church call her by her middle name “Diane” and the business’s name refers to her survival and creating something new for herself. All her vases are done from her home at the Queensbridge Houses in Long Island City and once Cowan comes up with a design in her head, the artwork begins. She begins by gluing on a white paper base on the vase, glazing it over with clear glue, letting it dry, then taking colored papers in different shapes and pasting them onto the base to create various designs, and finishes with a final glaze glue coat. “I just like working with paper,” she said. “Paper is a very unique piece of material. I try to make it as bold and beautiful as I can” Each vase is given a distinct name and includes a felt bottom with a felt heart representing her logo, “Love.” One vase, called “Space in Time,” reflects the times she has survived and the time she has been given to recover, Cowan said. “I had a lot of loss in my life and this is my therapy,” she said. “This keeps me alive and keeps me going on a positive note.” In the past 11 years, Cowan has created over 100 items. Although she said she has never had any form of art education, she visits her local library two to three times a week to study different art books and learn new techniques. The only obstacle Cowan is facing now is being able to continue her artwork financially. She has a list of art supplies she would need to expand further, but at this time cannot afford any of the items. Some include professional paint glaze, paper, flowers and a computer, which would allow her to sell her pieces to a larger market. “I want to go large,” she said. “I want to go far. I believe I’m going to go far, it just takes time.” Cowan’s vases vary in size and each is $50. Beverly Cowan, a survivor of domestic violence, is now living a positive life creating unique artistic vases with paper of different colors, shapes and sizes. THE COURIER/Photos by Angy Altamirano
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