Love+Unity Week is underway in West Orange. The week-long event includes masterclasses, workshops, and presentations that have been curated to promote diversity, inclusion, love and unity in the community through the arts, according to organizer Carl Brister. A Poetry/Short Essay Showcase was held to support the message of Love+Unity. Students from grades 6-12 submitted essays […]
Twenty-five delegates from China recently visited West Orange as part of a cross country tour to promote good will and enhance the relationship between the Chinese and the American people. West Orange Public Relations Commissioner Josie Velez arranged the visit with the American African Asian Chamber of Commerce of Flushing N.Y. Michael Leung, president of […]
Big talent was showcased on a small scale. The West Orange Arts Council (WOAC) recently held the opening reception for “UNTITLED Small Works” at the West Orange Arts Center Gallery and Gift Shoppe at 551 Valley Road. The exhibit featured the work of 23 artists: Kim Alexander-Cook, George Anderson, Luis Alves, Andrei Averbuch, Balkrishna, Tina […]
“Trauma” is a melancholy song about fear, stemming from a dark childhood experience. It’s a true story about Carl Brister’s first-hand experience of sexual abuse as a child. “I processed it over time,” Brister said. “When I wrote the song, I came to understand that often traumatic situations relegate us to stay in dark and […]
The final plans for the new South Orange Public Library were unveiled last week at a Town Hall Meeting held at the original library site on Scotland Road. Architect Andrew Berman showed off the plans for the library’s design at the meeting that included representatives of the South Orange Public Library and South Orange Village […]
WEST ORANGE — A soft opening and ribbon cutting was held on April 20, celebrating the re-opening of Thomas Edison’s Black Maria. The Black Maria is a replica, constructed in 1954, of the World’s First Motion Picture Studio. It’s located at the Thomas Edison National Historical Park (TENHP). The re-opening of the Black Maria […]
Garden State Arts Weekend spotlights New Jersey’s arts, bringing together artists and the spaces where they showcase. Artist Christine Romanell spearheaded the idea, modeling the weekend after New York’s Upstate Art Weekend, an annual celebration that brings thousands of visitors to art spaces in the New York counties north of The Bronx. The historic Manufacturer’s […]
Durand-Hedden House and Garden recently hosted Columbia High School’s Accomplishing Artists Exhibit and Reception in their Carriage House. Lisa Marinardi, Durand-Hedden House and Garden event coordinator, said, “Ike was amazing putting it all together, in addition to being an artist.” Ike Hempstead, an 18-year-old senior at Columbia rallied the high school artists to make it […]
The Lions Club of West Orange recently held their major fundraiser in the West Orange High School Tarnoff Cafeteria. Lion’s Club Director and West Orange Chamber Board member Roger Schneider got a lot of the credit for the event’s success. “Roger hand delivers invitations. He has the personal touch,” said Mayor Susan McCartney. “He’s […]
The Wilshire Grand Hotel shook and the chandelier began vibrating last week as the force of nature temporarily interrupted the 14th Annual Meet the Mayors of Essex County event in West Orange. Attendees looked at each other quizzically but no one seemed too fazed, and the panel discussion carried on. “We are the most exciting […]