14 times • APRIL 2, 2015 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.timesnewsweekly.com First Ridgewood ARTISTS COALITION EXHIBIT BY KELLY MARIE MANCUSO editorial@ridgewoodtimes.com @timesnewsweekly The Ridgewood Artists Coalition (RAC) celebrated the opening of their first group exhibit on Sunday, March 29, at Finback Brewery in Glendale. The exhibit, titled “Ridgewood Artists Spring Showcase,” features an array of multimedia artwork by local artists in a range of mediums, including painting, illustration, sculpture, photography, video and installation art. Described by its creators as “part survey and part dialogue,” the exhibit is co-curated by RAC founder Emily Heinz and Finback manager Leah Blair. It features local artists who live and work in Ridgewood, Maspeth, Middle Village and Glendale. “The artists involved emerge from a myriad of different backgrounds, spanning the spectrum of age, ethnicity, formal training and relationship to the area,” Heinz and Blair explained in a statement. “This diversity is intrinsic to a New York neighborhood.” Ridgewood-based artist and educator Sara Schraeter Mowers explored themes of isolation, vulnerability and fear of the dark in her photographic portrait titled “Autophobia.” Painter and artist Beata Slazak Zalewski played with bright colors and whimsical form in her painting of a tree branch and leaves titled “Hope.” Multimedia artist and jewelry designer Elisa Velazquez mixed upholstery fabric, beadwork and glitter within her portraits “Whatever Lola Wants” and “Caballo Viejo” to create a rich sense of layered opulence. Her intricate 3-D crochet sculpture “Torn” of a hand holding a heart accompanied her paintings and provided a tactile experience for patrons. “I utilize materials that may be interpreted as toy-like and playful while imbuing a sense of seriousness and drama,” Velazquez said. Co-curator Blair displayed her mixedmedia sculpture “Rope Installations” throughout the exhibit space. She suspended concrete, lavender-colored cinder blocks from the wall and ceiling with yards of intricately woven, GLENDALE BREWERY knotted rope to form a unique juxtaposition between delicate and rough forms. Ridgewood artist Joe Gagliano rendered traditional subject matter in non-traditional materials such as a New York City subway map and vintage tokens to create his stylized mixedmedia portrait “Adam and Eve in the Subway.” “I am a self-taught artist with some inspiration from seeing comic books, pop and folk art as a child,” Gagliano said. The opening reception on March 29 was just as diverse and exciting as the art itself. Patrons were treated to spontaneous live performances from the improvisational dance troupe The 7 Lovelies. Joanna Futral performed interpretative dance while accompanied by fellow troupe member Ben Brody on guitar. Futral returned at the end of the reception to perform an evocative and ethereal dance amid 500 delicate paper origami cranes arranged in a spiral on the floor. When her performance was finished, Futral gave some of the cranes away to the children who were present. Donations were also collected during the reception to help support the Ridgewood Youth Market, a program that trains teens from underserved neighborhoods how to operate small business by working at local urban farm stands. “This collaboration between the Ridgewood Artists Coalition and Finback Brewery is indicative of an emerging art practice that is inclined towards social awareness and local identity,” Heinz and Blair said. The Ridgewood Youth Market is part of Grow NYC and is run in partnership with the Myrtle Avenue Business Improvement District (BID) and the Ridgewood Local Development Corporation (RLDC). BID director Ted Renz and Community Board 5 board member Henry Cross were also in attendance at the March 29 opening. The exhibit will be on display at Finback Brewery through April 26. The brewery will also host a closing ceremony with artist discussions and a Q & A session. For more information about RAC contact them at RidgewoodArtists@gmail.com. Photo by Kelly Marie Mancuso Members of the Ridgewood Artists Coalition, chaired by founder Emily Heinz, first met last year at The Spot cafe in Ridgewood. opens at Environmental topics: CB 5 meeting on April 8 by the Times Newsweekly staff editorial@ridgewoodtimes.com @timesnewsweekly.com Green infrastructure and organics recycling will top the agenda at the next Community Board 5 (CB 5) meeting scheduled to take place on Wednesday, April 8, in Middle Village. As announced by District Manager Gary Giordano, the session will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the cafeteria of Christ the King Regional High School, located at 68-02 Metropolitan Ave. Representatives of the city Department of Environmental Protection will give a presentation on the city’s green infrastructure programs, specifically the installation of bioswales around the area. The session also includes a presentation from the Department of Sanitation regarding the organics recycling program. Thereafter, the board will proceed with its regular agenda, which includes the public forum; a review of liquor licenses and demolition notices; reports from Giordano and CB 5 Chairperson Vincent Arcuri; and committee reports. For more information or to register to speak in advance, call the CB 5 office in Glendale at 718-366-1834. Each public speaker will be limited to three minutes to address the board.
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