Nyack Middle School 8^th Grade Interdisciplinary English & Visual Arts Project

Arts Education Grant program of the Arts Council of Rockland:

Photo Essay, inspired by the novel The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

May 22^nd – June 1^st, Gallery, Nyack Schools Administration Building

The interdisciplinary photo essay enabled students to combine the medium of visual arts with literature.  The project was inspired by The Book Theif, one of the books on the 8th grade reading list.  Nyack Middle School English teacher Stephen Tesher, and photographer and art instructor Tamara Novak, began working with interested 8th graders in the Fall of 2011 on the photo essay.

The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, is narrated by Death.  Introduced as a benign, overworked and sympathetic entity with a tendency to define moments by their color (for example a sky turned home-cooked red after a bombing raid), the story is told with vivid imagery ideal for a photographic essay.

This program was made possible, in part, with funds from the Arts Education Grants program of the Arts Council of Rockland and the Arts-in-Education Program of the New York State Council on the Arts.

Additional support was provided by Arts Angels.

The 8^th graders who participated in the project were thrilled to be able to express themselves in a new and unique way.

The exhibit will open at 5PM on May 22nd at the Hilltop Gallery in the Nyack Schools Administration building.  All are welcome.  This is a free community event and will be up through June 1^st 2012.

Location: Nyack Public Schools, Administration Building – 13A Dickinson Ave, Nyack NY

2^nd Annual Pecha Kucha

Local artists and creative members of our community speaking in the traditional Pecha Kucha fashion about what inspires their work.

Cocktail hour and live music

Friday, April 20^th * 7-11pm at Nyack Library

See poster for more details and get inspired…

The nationally-recognized Nyack High School Drama Club tackles the issues of racism, anti-Semitism, hatred, and the fight for justice head-on as it performs the Tony Award-winning musical.

Nearly 100 years have passed since the true events that inspired the play, but the message remains relevant to this day.  The horrific events surrounding this case sparked the resurgence of the then-defunct KKK and the birth of one of the leading civil rights organizations, the Anti-Defamation League.

This is not the first time Nyack High School students have taken on sensitive subjects that affect the nation. In November 2010, the Drama Club performed The Laramie Project. Some of the club’s other most-acclaimed productions include: April 2008 – Phantom of the Opera; March 2007 – Titanic; and March 2006 – Cats.

The acclaimed Director and Set Designer, Joseph J. Egan, Assistant Director and Choreographer, Greg Baccarini, and Musical Director, Kurt Kelley, lead a vibrant, talented cast of 29 who are scheduled to perform Parade on the stage at Nyack High School on March 16, 17, 23 and 24 at 8 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee on March 24.  The orchestra will be as professional-sounding as ever and the stage crew students are very busy building another outstanding set.

We enjoyed the fine tunes of Matt Haviland & Swing It performing live, beautiful views overlooking the Hudson River, and a fine 4-course dinner all as part of the MusicWorks annual fundraiser. 

The proceeds from this event go directly to supporting students in their musical activities and help pay for: travel to competitions and festivals, instruments and instrument repairs, scholarships, lessons, workshops and master classes.

Thank you to the sponsors:  ColumbiaDoctors of the Hudson Valley and OBS-GYN of Rockland at Nyack Hospital. 

www.musicworksfornyack.com

Arts Angels & Rivertown Film are teaming up to present ABBIE: The Story of Abbie Hoffman, a one-man multi-media live performance based on the counter-culture writings of Abbie Hoffman.   The performance will be on Jan 20th, 8:00pm.

Join us as the original Occupy Movement comes to Nyack Center starring Nyack local Bern Cohen, actor and playwright.  The show was recently performed at NYC’s West End Theater and at numerous college campuses.

All proceeds from the evening will benefit the two organizations.  Show begins at 8:00pm at Nyack Center.  Contact Rivertown Film for more info and tickets ($20 regular and $10 students): http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/217960

Raffle items listed below will be available at the event:

Read more about the event on Nyack News & Views.

Friday, Dec 2nd 7-10 pm

at the Nyack Library

HOLIDAY_FUNDRAISER2011-1

   The Chamber Orchestra competed at the 2011 National Orchestra Festival in Kansas City on March 18th. This prestigious event is by invitation only; it is the third year that the Nyack High School Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Ms. Christine Gero, has been invited to the festival.

The Jimerson String Festival

The annual string festival was held on Sunday, May 22nd. This spectacular concert honors Ms. Claudette Jimerson, who founded the strings program over 30 years ago. It brings together the 4th-12th grade students for an afternoon of music.

Every year a graduating student who is pursuing music in college is awarded a special scholarship. The 2010-2011 winner of the Jimerson Scholarship was bassist Ross Richter.

Read about the event in Nyack News & Views:
http://www.nyacknewsandviews.com/2011/05/ns_jimerson20110522

Watch the finale here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wL_MemCR4zo

If you are interested in making a donation to the Jimerson Scholarship Award, please contact MusicWorks at http://www.musicworksfornyack.com/

Students in the Drama Club at Nyack High School kicked off the 2010-2011 season with an unforgettably moving and inspiring production of The Laramie Project in the fall, followed by spring productions of  The Drowsy Chaperone and The Festival of One Acts.

The Laramie Project

The production of The Laramie Project received a great deal of press and was featured in several local and regional news outlets including The Rockland Journal News, Nyack Patch, and Nyack News & Views.

The Laramie Project was created by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project in response to the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard.

Additional photos from the Nyack production:

The Drowsy Chaperone

The Nyack High School Drama Club once again showcased their talent with an amazing production of The Drowsy Chaperone. Read more about it in the Nyack-Piermont Patch.

“What Inspires Us”

Creative members of our community came together in late April to share their artistic inspirations.  All of the artists (actors, musicians, & fine artists) gave a 2-3 minute talk accompanied with a visual slideshow of their greatest influences.  The evening included live music by Andy & The Rattlesnakes.

Local artists participating in the event included: