|
Friday, September 8, 2006 @ 8:30 pm & Wednesday, September 13 @11:30 pm
Second
Acts are the stuff of American legend; despite F.
Scott Fitzgerald's assertion that there are no second
acts in America, we all love the hope of redemption
and a chance to improve on the past. State of the
Arts explores the idea of Second Acts with a collection
of stories about people, places, and objects that
are enjoying new lives.
|
second
coming
 The story of the rediscovery of rhythm and blues legend Howard Tate is one of fame without fortune, downright biblical waywardness and fateful synchronicity. During the mid-to-late sixties Tate was one of the biggest names on the R&B scene, topping the charts and touring the world with the likes of B. B. King, Joe Tex, James Brown, the Temptations, Sam Cooke and Wilson Pickett. But despite all that, Tate says he never saw a dime. By the mid-seventies he had turned his back on the corrupt music world that had robbed him, as well as a devoted fan-base. Bitter, depressed and crippled by an all-consuming drug addiction, Tate became a shadow of his former self and lived on the streets of Camden until he was plucked from his self-imposed exile through a series of events that would certainly support the case that somebody up there loves Howard Tate.
His comeback album, Rediscovered, was released in July 2003, and nominated for a Grammy in 2004. Only this second time around, Tate's sole motivation is not material wealth. He's directing his profits toward serving those forces that brought him back by building a drug rehabilitation center in South Jersey.
|
|
crossing
points
|
Pot
by Karen Karnes
|
Mikhail Zakin co-founded the Old Church Cultural Center School of Art in Demarest, New Jersey in 1974; today it is a vital part of the community, with close to 800 students. It's just one of the many ways that Zakin has expressed herself in life -- she is also a teacher, a student of world crafts, a traveler, a mother and wife, and a potter. Now in her 80s, Zakin traces her varied and productive career to particular crossing points, such as when she was introduced to clay by Karen Karnes, one of America's foremost ceramic artists. At the age of 50, Zakin was forced to become her family's provider when her husband became disabled. Karnes got Zakin her first job teaching, a career path that led to the establishment of the Old Church Cultural Center.
- where
to see
The Art School at Old Church (formerly known as the Old Church Cultural Center)
561 Piermont Rd.
Demarest, NJ
(201) 767 – 7160
www.occcartschool.org
|
|
stitches
and time
 While quilts are often assumed to be works of necessity-made by recycling scraps of fabric and discarded clothing--they are actually extremely time-consuming and labor intensive. As a "second act," a quilt is often far more complex than the materials it's made from. An exhibit at the Newark Museum, "Quilt Masterpieces from Folk Art to Fine Art", explored the major role that this art form has played in the creative and communal lives of women throughout American history.
Beginning with beautifully preserved specimens from the early 1800s-which were probably never used as bed covers but passed down through generations as family heirlooms-to contemporary quilts created as art objects by textile artists, the exhibition keeps the focus on the stories that quilts tell. For many 19th century women, a quilting party provided a rare opportunity to escape the drudgery of endless housework and gather together with other women, under the pretext of doing something useful. It was about socializing as much as creating something beautiful. Modern day quilters, on the other hand, approach a quilt as a painter would a canvas, aware of all the possibilities of form, texture, and design that quilting offers.
|
|
victor
reborn
On
the waterfront of Camden, one of America's
poorest cities, developer Carl Dranoff
has opened a luxury apartment complex
named "The Victor", in honor
of its history. The $60 million renovation
of the old RCA building--listed on
the National Register--features 341
loft apartments. It's the first housing
to be constructed in a newly revitalized
district of cultural and tourist attractions.
Constructed
between 1909 and 1916, the structure
was home to the RCA Victor Company
beginning in 1919 and was known as
the "Nipper" building, after
its 75-foot-tall tower's stained-glass
images of the terrier in the RCA logo.
Dranoff
Properties acquired the 525,000-square-foot
complex because "of its vast
impact on a whole city," Dranoff
says. Dranoff believes the RCA building's
rehabilitation will contribute to
the entire city's revitalization,
and help restore the reputation of
Camden.
|
|
|
|
|
