By Michael Sedon, Staten Island Advance
On May 23rd, seventeen tall ships and ten navy warships will sail into New York Harbor. Three of those ships will be docked on Staten Island for Fleet Week 2012. This year also commemorates the bicentennial of the War of 1812.
There will be events throughout Staten Island all week long, including tours of the ships.
Wi-Fi comes to the South Beach Boardwalk
Written by AmandaJoining Clove Lakes Park, the FDR Boardwalk at South Beach is the second Staten Island Park to be equipped with wireless internet service.
'Mash-Up' exhibit sings praises of Staten Island's rich musical history
Written by AmandaThursday, May 3, 2012
By: Rob Bailey, Staten Island Advance
From the songs of native americans to Christina Aguilera, Staten Islalnd has a rich and diverse musical history. To celebrate more than 500-years of music on Staten Island, Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden is hosting a new exhibit: "Island Sounds: A 500 Year Music Mash-Up". Featuring memorabillia from musicians that have called the Borough home (or just paid it a visit), this multi-media display should not be missed. The exhibit opens on May 12th and also coincides with Snug Harbor's historic Music Hall's 120th Anniversary.
80-Year-Old Widow is the Rage on Twitter
Written by AmandaFriday, May 4, 2012
By: Corey Kilganon, New York Times
Less than 2,000 followers away from her goal of 80,000 followers, Staten Island resident and grandmother Josephine Lamberti (aka @J_Dimps) has become a Twitter celebrity. Known for her sense of humor and missives on life, she has been retweeted by Rhianna, Justing Bieber, Aston Kutcher, and many more.
Read the Article | Follow @J_Dimps
Staten Island's de facto poet laureate is an unsilenced "Witness"
Written by AmandaSunday, May 6, 2012
By: Michael J. Fressola, Staten Island Advance
Lifelong Staten Islander Marguerite Maria Rivas has just published a new collection of poetry: “Tell No One: Poems of Witness” (Chimbarazu Press).
Staten Island's Chamber Music Collective and Philharmonic both have concerts coming up
Written by AmandaBy: Michael J. Fressola
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Both the Staten Island's Chamber Music Collective and the Philharmonic's upcoming concerts are featured.
Read the Article | Staten Island Philharmonic | Collective Tickets
By Michael J. Fressola
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Longtime Brighton-based sculptor Susan Grabel is featured at the Staten Island Museum retrospective "Constructions of Conscience". Her work focuses on social concens, like homelessness and women's issues.
Read the Article | Staten Island Museum
Constructions of Conscience:
The Social Art of Susan Grabel, up through May 28.
Where: Staten Island Museum, 75 Stuyvesant Pl., St. George
When: Monday to Friday, noon to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon- 5 p.m.
All aboard for freedom: Staten Island Connection traced
Written by AmandaWritten by: Ryan Ban
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Staten Island played a significant role in the Underground Railroad. This article highlights the Sandy Ground Historical Society and Sylvia D'Alessandro, the organizations director. Sandy Ground is the "oldest continuously inhabited free black community in the United States.
All aboard for freedom: Staten Island Connection traced
Written by AmandaWritten by: Ryan Ban
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Staten Island played a significant role in the Underground Railroad. This article highlights the Sandy Ground Historical Society and Sylvia D'Alessandro, the organizations director. Sandy Ground is the "oldest continuously inhabited free black community in the United States.
By: Michael Fressola, Staten Island Advance
Starting this spring, artists will have the opportunity to call the grounds of Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden "home".
The Snug Harbor Artists Residency Program (S.H.A.R.P.) will provide living quarters and studio space for eight weeks and two artists at a time.
New York State residents are encouraged to apply. A downloadable application can be found here. The deadline for applications is Feb. 29.
Read the Article | Learn more about Snug Harbor
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.
