Wednesday, June 8th, 2011
The sixth annual Staten Island Film Festival starts tonight, Wednesday, June 8th and continues through this weekend. Dozens of short and feature films will be screened for FREE at the St. George Theatre, and the Veteran's Memorial Hall and Music Hall in Snug Harbor.
For a full listing to films visit sifilmfestival.org. Read more about the Film Festival in this Staten Island Advance article.
Saturday, June 4th, 2011
By: Stephanie Slepian, Staten Island Advance
June is the month to discover Staten Island's great cultural attractions!
NYC & Company has made Staten Island their June Culture Spot. Working with si350, the following cultural attractions are offering two-for-one admission through June 30th: Staten Island Museum, New York Chinese Scholar's Garden, Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, Sandy Ground Historical Society, and Historic Richmond Town.
To participate in this program, pick up a coupon at the following locations: www.nycgo.com/culturespot, at the Official NYC Information Centers and Kiosks in Midtown, Harlem, the Times Square Alliance, Chinatown and City Hall, and at the Staten Island Tourism Information Booth in the St. George Ferry Terminal.
Read the Article | Culture Spot Information
Saturday, June 4th, 2011
By: William Meyers, Wall Street Journal
Unlike the rest of New York City, Staten Islanders have long relied on cars (rather than public transportation) to get around. This new photography exhibit at the Alice Austen House features news photos of cars from the Borough's local newspapers.
Fleet Week 2011 commences on Staten Island, and talk about seeworthy
Written byThursday, May 26th, 2011
By: Kiawana Rich, Staten Island Advance
It's that time of year again, when Staten Island hosts the men and women of the US Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.
In addition to public tours of the ships, music, and festivities, the USS New York will be docked at the Stapleton Homeport. This is the first Fleet Week for this ship, which is made with steel from the World Trade Center.
Art Installation at Staten Island Ferry Terminal shows Doily Craft on a Large Scale
Written by
The Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, in partnership with the New York City Department of Transportation’s Urban Art Program, today announced the completion of “Bettina,” a new public art installation at the St. George Ferry Terminal in Staten Island. Created by artist Jennifer Cecere under the Urban Art Program’s pARTners track, the piece is composed of an 8-foot vinyl mesh doily, which will hang outside the terminal 's Ramp E for up to 11 months. "Bettina" enlivens the terminal, which is undergoing a renovation using $175 million in ARRA funds—the largest Stimulus project in the state. The temporary art is a gentle nod to the more permanent transformation taking place at the St. George Ferry Terminal, which includes the complete rehabilitation of eight ramps leading into the terminal, architectural improvements to the bus gates and canopies, enhanced access for pedestrians and the installation of new drainage and paving.
Cecere’s work is inspired from collecting lace and doilies from auctions and yard sales as a child in rural Indiana. Intrigued by the beauty of each doily, and by the fact that they were anonymous works of craft and art, she recreates this art form using modern techniques. Originally named for Mr. Doyley, a dry-goods dealer named in London’s Strand in the early 1700s, “doily” has now come to mean “any small, ornamental mat, usually of embroidery or lace.” After working with found lace and doilies for years in her studio, Cecere began incorporating them into large-scale outdoor works, while still retaining the charm of a handmade look.
“I wanted to take something intimate and domestic—something that was always inside—and make it public, to integrate the flavor of homemade handiwork into the ‘built’ environment,” she said. “Doilies can be made from a variety of materials—aluminum, plastic, vinyl, fabric, mosaic, glass or steel. Doilies hang, divide, adorn, and shelter. They can reference architecture and nature.”
The St. George installation builds on her series of doily-themed installations at Rockland Center for the Arts, Pratt Institute’s Sculpture Garden, and Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City, which featured a 20-foot diameter doily created from 36 pieces of ripstop nylon sewn together and painted with gel to recreate the texture of a handmade doily. A doily design also was selected in a blind competition for DOT’s Concrete Barrier design competition.
The fabrication of the St. George terminal doily is a “big leap forward” for Cecere as an artist. Her computer-generated classic doily pattern was printed onto construction mesh, then hand cut by a tailor. To install it, the artist used a scissor-lift to hoist the doily into place and attached it with climbing ropes and 200 lb. fishing line. Cecere has shown her work at the Museum of Modern Art, the Cooper-Hewitt, the Palm Beach Institute of Contemporary Art and the Assicon Gallery of American Art. More of the artist's work can be viewed at www.jennifercecere.com.
To learn more about the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, visit www.garibaldimeuccimuseum.org
Tuesday, March 15th, 2011
By: Timothy Ledwith, City Limits
Sandy Ground, a small community on Staten Island's south shore, holds and important place in the history of the United States. As the first free black settlement in the country, it became a safe haven for African American's looking to avoid descrimination and to earn a living, primarily as oyster farmers.
Today the community is still inhabited by descendents of the original settlers and is home to four landmarked structures and a small museum.
Cyclists Welcome at Former Staten Island Dump 
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
By: Joey Arak, Curbed.com
What was once the nation's worst ecological disaster is on its way to becoming a world-class 2,200-acre park.
Among the many amenities that will be offered at Freshkills Park will be bike maintenance stations, as well as bike repair-kit vending machines.
These will be the first bike maintenance stations in New York City, complementing Freshkills biker-friendly features such as miles of traditional, mountain, and a high-speed bike trails.
Learn more about Freshkills Park and sign up for a tour.
Friday, March 4th, 2011
By: Angela Tedson, eHow.com
Staten Island is a great destination for children and families. eHow highlights the Borough's many family friendly attractions.
Monday, March 7th, 2011
By: Michael J. Fressola, Staten Island Advance
Staten Island's oldest cultural institution will be breaking ground on their new home at Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden on March 23rd.
After decades of delays, work will begin to retrofit two of the Greek Revival buildings on the Snug Harbor campus for use by the Staten Island Museum. Once complete, they will have a state-of-the-art green facility to display some of the million-plus natural history, art, and scientific artificats that the Museum has amassed in it's 130-year history.
By: Nathalie Handal, Words Without Borders
Ukranian poet, essayist, and translator Vasyl Makhno is interviewed about Staten Island in part one of a series on New York City.
In it he describes the borough's beauty, both apparent and overlooked, as well as some of Staten Island's most famous authors.
Saturday, February 5th, 2011
CBS New York
WCBS 880's Sean Adams speaks with interim Zoo Director Ken Mitchell about the wildlife that calls the Staten Island Zoo home and some exciting new additions that may be coming soon!
Sunday, February 6th, 2011
By: Marine Cole, Crain's New York
A brief look at the history and revitalization of the historic St. George Theatre.
Rossville's Sandy Ground granted landmark status by NYC commission
Written byTuesday, February 1, 2011
By: Stephanie Slepian, Staten Island Advance
Just in time for Black History Month, three homes and the AME Zion Church in Staten Island's Sandy Ground community received landmarked status today.
Founded in the early 19th Century, Sandy Ground is the oldest free Black settlement in the United States and is a place of great historical significance.
Adjacent to these newly landmarked structures is the Sandy Ground HIstorical Society Library Museum.
Read the story | Sandy Ground Historical Society Library Museum
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
By: Donald Laub, St. George Library Center
The New York Public Library follows-up an article by Borough Historian Tom Matteo that provided the history of several writers that called Staten Island home.
Learn about Herman Mellvile, Edgar Allen Poe, and Henrey David Thoreau's Staten Island connections.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
By: Grace Green, The Huffington Post
In the Todt Hill section of Staten Island, a familiar looking house is currently for sale.
Playing the role of the Corleone Family homestead in the Godfather movies, this iconic home was recently toured by Gianni Russo (who played "Carlo") and Barbara Corcoran from The Today Show.
NASA lunar rocks land at Staten Island's Greenbelt Nature Center
Written byThursday, January 20, 2011
By: Deborah E. Young, Staten Island Advance
Specemins from the Apollo lunar missions are on display at the Greenbelt Nature Center.
Anne Hathaway shows up at Staten Island's PS22, says school choir will perform at Oscars
Written byFriday, December 17th, 2010
New York Post
The world famous PS22 chorus recieved a very special invitation last week: Actress and upcoming Academy Awards host Anne Hathaway showed up at the Staten Island school and asked the young singers to perform at this year's Oscars.
{youtube}1gKYFZyvehE{/youtube}
