Summerfest 2012
Summerfest events will take place throughout the month of June in various places around Staten Island. Also, as part of Summerfest -- COAHSI presents: LUMEN, a cutting-edge, video/projection art festival on the North Shore Waterfront. If there are any questions about these events, please contact our office at 718.447.3329 x1003.
Bob Wright & Harbortown
Bob Wright & Harbortown will do a performance of 15 songs from their repertoire of original material about Staten Island and the harbor. Some of the songs they will be performing include "Down by the Oyster Barges", "The Oyster Aristocracy", and "Look at the Water". The band includes Bill Doerge, Bob Conroy, and Bob Wright. They all play a variety of instruments including: banjo, guitar, 12-string guitar, double bass, mandolin, accordion, and keyboards. Their sound owes a lot to bluegrass, but they are NOT a bluegrass band, they like to desrcibe themselves as... " Home grown... tap toed... banjo zoned... bluegrass schooled... acoustic fueled music."
Date & Time: Friday, June 8, 8pm -- Summerfest Kick-Off Party
Venue: Tappen Park, Intersection of Canal, Water, and Bay Street
Omnia
Omnia’s music is a fusion of Middle Eastern and American pop music. Her mission is to popularize Eastern sounds in the Western music industry. She believes that through this fusion, tolerance can be achieved in both cultures. Omnia and her five piece band will perform songs from her most recent EP, “The Jailbird”, as well as a variety of new songs. Instrumentation will include drums, bass, electric and acoustic guitar, violin, doumbek, and vocals. Omnia will also perform Middle Eastern dance (belly dance).
Date & Time: Friday, June 8, 9pm
Venue: Tappen Park, Intersection of Canal, Water, and Bay Street
Wafoo
WaFoo is a music group formed in 2004 by Japanese musicians to perform original music composed under the concept of "blending Japanese philosophy into a variety of music styles to create lyrical, aesthetic and delightful sound for body and soul." They will perform original works composed by the group, featuring traditional Japanese instruments such as Sanshin, Shamisen (both 3-string Japanese banjo) and shinobue (Japanese bamboo flute), which gives a more authentic Japanese musical sound.
Date & Time: Saturday, June 9, 2pm
Venue: Art By The Ferry -- Staten Island Ferry Terminal Platform (near Ballpark)
Christine Dixon
Christine Dixon will be performing “Harriet Tubman Herself”, a one woman show based on a series of interviews Harriet gave in 1868 to New York Sunday school teacher and writer of “Scenes from the life and times of Harriet Tubman Herself,” Sarah Bradford. Christine wants to share with her audience the essence of Ms. Tubman, and would like people to remember that she was a real woman who was fighting a real cause. Stick around after the performance for a question and answer session and meet and greet!
Date & Time: Sunday, June 10, 2pm
Venue: Art By The Ferry -- Staten Island Museum Courtyard, 75 Stuyvesant Place
Barbara Wesby
Barbara is an active composer of contemporary concert music. She will perform “The Song in my Heart,” a retrospective of original works for the voice. The program will include: “Here at the Shore” (2011); “Winter 2003”; “An Old Man’s Winter Night” (Robert Frost); “Christmas Bells” (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow); and “Patriot Dreams” (2009). The cycle concludes with a new setting of “O Beautiful for Spacious Skies” by Katharine Lee Bates. Carla Wesby, soprano; Kristen Lamb Kasarjian; mezzo soprano; Ben Baron, clarinetist; Barbara Wesby, piano.
Date & Time: Sunday, June 17, 3:30pm
Venue: Wagner College Performance Hall, Cunard Hall, 1 Campus Road
Melissa West
Melissa is interested in subtle theatricality, allowing for a non-narrative series of images to develop a mood and lasting impression on the action. Her work is often influenced by personal experiences, as well as larger themes, though not in a narrative way. She will present a live post-modern dance performance at the LUMEN festival. The piece will feature 5 dancers and will be an outdoor nighttime installation. The piece will involve shadows, darkness, light, and high physicality.
Date & Time: Saturday, June 23, 6pm-12am
Venue: LUMEN, Atlantic Salt Site, 561 Richmond Terrace
Jay Weichun
Jay will create “The Currents Carried Our Sentiments,” a site specific video and sound installation for LUMEN. Audio recordings will be collected from walks along the North Shore waterfront of Staten Island, specifically from the National Lighthouse Museum site to the Atlantic Salt facilities. Interviewees encountered on the walks will be asked to share their feelings and reflections on the waterfront. The video will become a journey into the sentiment of the location shared by the audience, and those who inhabit it.
Date & Time: Saturday, June 23, 6pm-12am
Venue: LUMEN, Atlantic Salt Site, 561 Richmond Terrace
Raja Rajeswari
Raja and her troupe will perform “Passport to India,” a representation of traditional Indian dance. The dances will include Bharatha Natyam, a classical style of dance that originated in the ancient temples and has survived over 3000 years, recent Folk dance, and Semi-classical dances that borrow from both the classical and folk disciplines. The performance will include traditional costumes, jewelry, and music from India. The audience will be taught several hand gestures throughout the performance, and will be given colorful “Bhindis”.
Date & Time: Saturday, June 23, 3pm
Venue: St. George Library, 5 Central Avenue
HOW TO WORKSHOPS
In addition to the free Summerfest performances, COAHSI is offering five HOW Workshops in various places throughout the island. Take part in a workshop, you'll learn some cool, new things this Summer! ALL workshops are FREE and open to everyone! Have questions about the HOW Workshops? Contact Monica Valenzuela at 718-447-3329 x1004.
Summerfest Kick-Off Party & Silk-Screening Workshop
Join your friends, neighbors, and Summerfest grantees for a fun Summer’s night out! Start your night with a free silk-screening workshop with Chanel Kennebrew of Junkprints. Bring a shirt, and Chanel will help you make it into a work of art. Enjoy music by Summerfest grantees Omnia and Bob Wright & Harbortown, and celebrate with refreshments, including a ‘’Make-Your-Own-Sundae-Bar.’’ Bring a blanket or chair to sit! Free for everyone!
When: Friday, June 8, 6:30-10pm
Where: Tappen Park, intersection of Canal, Bay, and Water Streets
Build your own Pummer Robot
Join your instructor Joseph Pontone of MAKE.SI, as he imparts the skills necessary to make your own Pummer robot. Part robotic plant life, part techno-sculpture, these desktop toys are easy and fun to make. Learn to build your very own R2-D2 or Wall-E! ‘’Beep-boop-bip-beep,” loosely translates to spaces limited, so RSVP today. Free admission!
When: Tuesday, June 12, 7pm
Where: Forest Haven Center for Dance & Music, 358 Forest Avenue
Art Journaling for Health & Wellness
A single image or artwork is a snapshot of a moment, while art journals allow you to note how your visual language naturally emerges and evolves over time. This workshop will use a creative expression called ‘’art journaling,’’ to explore ways to reduce stress, and deal with health challenges through an exploration of the mind, body, and spirit connection. Guided meditation and other creative exercises will be led by Joie Leigh. Participants do not need any artistic skills to attend. Free admission!
When: Saturday, June 16, 2pm
Where: Forest Haven Center for Dance & Music, 358 Forest Avenue
Redesigned, Repurposed, and Recycled
Explore the possibilities of recycling and creating new fashions from existing outdated garments and accessories with Gustavo Galvan. Gustavo has worked on fashion projects that involve people such as Miss America 2010, Kanye West, and Heidi Klum. Breathe new life into an article of clothing from your own closet, leaving the workshop with a one-of-a-kind unique garment or accessory, and ideas for reconstructing your closet. Free admission!
When: Tuesday, June 26, 7pm
Where: Forest Haven Center for Dance & Music, 358 Forest Avenue
Above:
Two Art Lab students learn
how to work with pastels on paper. Art Lab, Inc. has received COAHSI grants over the years.