WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES APRIL 5, 2018 21
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Glendale church hosts ‘mixed media’ art show
BY RYAN KELLEY
RKELLEY@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
TWITTER @R_KELLEY6
Artists of local and international
fame will put their work on
display in Glendale during the
“Inside, Outside, Upside Down: Mixed
Media in Queens” art show on April 7.
Hosted by the Glendale/Maspeth
United Methodist Church on Central
Avenue, the art show will feature a
unique gallery of works by 13 artists,
an artist talk, light refreshments and
snacks. Marcy Galatioto, the chair of
the church’s Evangelical Committee
who helped set up the event, said the
idea came from one of the members of
the parish who is an artist that will be
featured in the show.
“I thought that it was a very good idea
because one of the things we’re trying
to do is be open to the community,”
Galatioto said.
That artistic parishioner is Joseph
Gagliano, a lifelong Glendale resident
and self-taught artist who runs a parttime
gallery and studio on Myrtle Avenue.
Gagliano used his connections
in the art community to organize the
lineup of artists for the event, who
all have “very interesting work that
comes out of their minds,” he said.
One of the most well-known
creators coming to the show is Sue
Kreitzman, a successful food writer
who suddenly transitioned into art
later in her life. She draws brightly
colored pictures that are simplistic at
fi rst glance, but they are transformed
when she puts them on clothing, dishes
and other household items. On
her website, Kreitzman describes
her work as “completely untutored,
intensely personal and involves
color, food, freedom and the female
landscape.”
Gagliano said that Kreitzman was
largely responsible for coming up
with the name of the April 7 exhibit.
A bit more traditional in nature is
the work of another featured artist,
Archana Santra. Originally from India,
Santra now lives in Queens and
creates oil-based paintings on canvas
that mostly center around the theme
of motherhood and nature. She has
done major art shows in India, Gagliano
said, and her paintings are for sale
online for hundreds of dollars.
The difference in mediums between
Santra and Kreitzman is the
crux of the show, as a wide variety
of materials and styles, conventional
and innovative, will converge in one
place.
There will also be plenty of local
talent represented, such as Ridgewood
residents Giovanni Scalisi and
Rocco Negri. Scalisi creates textured
canvases of architectural features,
including miniature windows that
open to reveal painted landcapes.
Negri has been a successful children’s
book illustrator for decades and creates
prints of many of his illustrations.
More modern and youthful takes
on art will be displayed by artists
like BiZZiD, STK 138 and Rob Phaser.
BiZZiD is a Bushwick-based painter
and curator, meaning he combines
a bunch of small, random objects
to create one larger object. STK 138
is a graffi ti and street art crew, and
Phaser is also a graffi ti artist.
There are many more artists to see,
and Gagliano said he is “expecting
some surprises at the show,” as well
as a possible performance artist.
Gagliano, whose preferred medium
is Sharpie markers, said he is most
looking forward to the artist talk
during the event that will allow the
audience to ask questions and learn
about the art and the artists.
“I’ve been to other shows where I
barely got to meet the other artists,”
Gagliano said. “So this is one show
where we’re going to try hard to get
closer as a community and do other
things together in the future.”
The gallery will be open from 10 a.m.
to 3 p.m. on April 7, with the artist talk
at around 1 p.m.
Maspeth High put on a show for elementary schools
BY RYAN KELLEY
RKELLEY@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
TWITTER @R_KELLEY6
Students at the Maspeth High
School Theater Department
gave back to their community in
March when they put on a free show
for elementary school students in
the area.
From March 22 to 27, the young
actors welcomed students from P.S.
128, P.S. 88, P.S. 31 and P.S. 89 to see
a performance of “Charlotte’s Web”
and get a chance to ask the actors
questions after the show. Mario
Deras, a theater teacher at Maspeth
High School, said the concept came
from his desire to help kids learn
about theater at a younger age, and
it was a big success.
“Seeing the elementary schools
kids’ reaction to the show, hearing
their laughs and cheers highlighted
its successful run,” Deras said. “Many
parents and teachers of these elementary
schools asked if we do these shows
oft en and if they could be invited back.”
Between the public school and
home-schooled students who were
invited to the shows, Deras said that
approximately 600 kids got to see the
rendition of Charlotte’s Web. At fi rst,
however, his students weren’t that
excited about the idea of performing
for a younger audience.
While some of the student-actors
were “gung-ho” about the idea from
the start, Deras said, others needed
to be convinced that the show would
mean something to an audience full
of young children. Deras explained
that the idea was to help those young
students fi nd a love for theater like
the high school students have, but
they were only truly convinced that
they would make a diff erence once
they performed the fi rst show.
“The kids really loved meeting
the elementary school students and
there was a talkback where the young
kids could ask questions about the
story and the costumes,” Deras said.
“Having that interaction was really
benefi cial.”
From there, the actors were already
looking forward to the next
show. While the young students in
the audience got a behind-the-scenes
look at a theater production, the high
school actors also had much to gain
from the experience. Deras said
that it was valuable for his students
to see how diff erent audiences have
diff erent responses and performers
can feed off that energy.
Aft er the run of shows, Maspeth
High School Principal Khurshid
Abdul Mutakabbir released a statement
encouraging the community to
continue enjoying the school’s arts
programming.
“Maspeth High School’s students
offer visual and performing arts
events throughout the school year
that are open to the entire community,”
Abdul Mutakabbir said. “Our
visual arts, theater, choral, string
orchestra and dance students
strive to make Maspeth High
School a cultural arts destination.”
Going forward, Deras said his
students are now sold on his concept
and are already thinking of ideas for
another series of shows. Deras hopes
to turn it into an annual event and
also wants to expand to invite middle
schools to future shows.
Photos courtesy of Mario Matos, Jr.
Students performing Charlotte’s Web at Maspeth High School in front
of an audience of elementary school students.
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