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Past is Prologue on this episode of State of the Arts: The Newark Museum builds on the strength of 100 years; a new sculpture commemorates Matthew Henson, co-discoverer of the North Pole and an African-American; and the Garden State Dance Festival brings together youth and experience.
| The Newark Museum at 100 |
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The Newark Museum celebrates its 100th birthday in April 2009. State of the Arts has been covering its evolution since our first season in 1982, and, in this episode, producer Christopher Benincasa delves into the history of one of the country’s most progressive museums – one of the first to focus on education and open its doors to children, making it the ‘PBS of museums’. This story features interviews with museum director Mary Sue Sweeney Price, curator Ulysses Dietz, art critics Benjamin Genocchio of The New York Times and Dan Bischoff of the Newark Star-Ledger, who all echo founder John Cotton Dana’s proclamation that, “art has flourished where it was asked to flourish, and never elsewhere.”
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1937: Boys from the Junior Museum sketching Hunt Diederich's "The Jockey"
1983: Geology of New Jersey
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| Garden State Dance Festival |
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Every year, emerging choreographers and dancers in New Jersey have a chance to showcase their talents alongside more established companies. Since 2001, the Garden State Dance Festival, under the artistic direction of Suzy Zucker, provides opportunities for emerging dancers and choreographers. A Voorhees resident, Zucker began the festival with a vision to share her passion for all types of dance, from ballet to modern, hip-hop, musical theater, jazz and tap. Her own resume spans the gamut, from dancer to theatrical choreographer – her clients have included Toys R Us, Sunoco, the University of Pennsylvania’s Mask and Wig Club, and (an ongoing gig) the Philadelphia Eagles cheerleaders.
The Garden State Dance Festival begins each season by holding open auditions. Each festival choreographer then selects those dancers that will best express and execute their work. State of the Arts was there for the Festival’s inaugural residency at the Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts, held over a two-week period in March 2009. Producer Susan Wallner talks to Suzy Zucker about her vision for the festival and about her own eclectic career. She also meets emerging hip-hop choreographer Crystal Frazier, whose piece “Free” was featured in the 2009 Festival. Frazier, a native of South Jersey, dances with "Rennie Harris Puremovement" and performs and choreographs for films and other national events. Also featured are two young dancers from the Garden State Dance Festival corps: Angelica Cassimiro, a native of Brazil, immigrated to Newark, attended Newark Arts High, and is now a dance major at UArts in Philadelphia. Jason Collins is a junior at Pennsauken High School. He credits the Garden State Dance Festival with helping him focus his future – he hopes for a career in dance.
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Suzy Zucker
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| On Top of the World: John Giannotti, sculptor |
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“The lure of the Arctic is tugging at my heart. To me the trail is calling! The old trail - the trail that is always new.”
~ Matthew Henson, Co-Discoverer of the North Pole
On April 6, 1909 Peary, Henson and four Eskimos (Ooqueah, Ootah, Egingwah, and Seegloo) reached the top of the world and later became recognized as the discoverers of the North Pole. While Peary received many awards and honors for achieving this feat, his fellow explorer and co-discoverer, Matthew Henson, was largely ignored because of his African-American heritage. In 1912, Henson published a book about his efforts, A Negro at the North Pole, and over the years became acknowledged for his amazing contribution.
Sculptor John Giannotti of Haddonfield has now created an 8 foot high, larger than life statue of Matthew Henson. It was commissioned by the Camden Shipyard and Maritime Museum. The museum is in the early stages of development and will eventually be housed in the historic Church of Our Savior which was constructed from ballast stones stored in the ship from Peary and Henson’s Greenland expedition.
John Giannotti is Professor Emeritus at Rutgers University where he taught on both the Camden and New Brunswick campuses for 33 years until his recent retirement. While at Rutgers he chaired the Department of Fine Arts. State of the Arts visited Giannotti’s studio to see the Henson work in progress, and producer Lynn Kosek Walker was there for the statue’s unveiling on April 6, 2009 at the Maritime Museum in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the North Pole’s discovery.
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Preview
The Garden State Dance Festival’s website
