chashama Curriculum Vitae 2006

CURRICULUM VITAE 2006

DER HAMMER (December 30, 2006)
Berlin's Extreme Art Auction comes to NYC, organized by Benjamin Rubloff.
Getting Ready for the New Year: Emerging Artists to Destroy Works Rejected by Art Market. More info about the event below. For more info about Der Hammer, please send an email to brubloff@gmail.com.

BERLIN'S EXTREME ART AUCTION COMES TO NYC
Der Hammer is a collaboration between international artists based in NY and Berlin that stages fine arts auctions in which work that fails to meet its minimum bid is destroyed onstage. The first NYC auction/performance will take place at chashama's gallery space, 112 West 44th street, NYC on Saturday, Dec. 30. Preview of works begins at 4pm; the live auction/performance begins at 8pm. "If the bid's not met, then the work is dead"

The artists who participate in Der Hammer's auction events have agreed to put their work on the chopping block in an effort to expedite the market process. "Der Hammer" is a slang term used by Berlin'a youth to connote superlative coolness and freshness. Literally meaning "the hammer", this is a precise term that connotes the finality of judgement in matters of popular culture and the marketplace. 'The artists who participate in Der Hammer's auction events...'

This extreme auction is the brainchild of three young painters based in Berlin: Julien Rouvroy (Paris, 1979), Benjamin Rubloff (New York, 1975) and Betti Scholz (Berlin, 1979). In the hot art capital, Berlin, a city that is being mined for talent and marketability, this trio has devised a method for a more independent and playful engagement with the art market. The auction promises immediacy and the auction hammer is decisive: either work sells, or it is rejected and thus must be destroyed. The performance is a pastiche mise-en-scene of the market forces that foretell success or demise. 'This extreme auction is the brainchild of...'

HellLab 4 (December 29 - 30, 2006)
Organized by chashama Technical Director Darryl Hell at chashama's 217 East 42nd Street Theater Space.
www.s6k.com

In 1995, an event was created to remove the restrictions of traditional music/performance venues. Its name was FurnaceLab. It was part of a series of events produced by Silent Records, SF, US.

2002 saw the resurrection of the event in the form of HellLab, a mixed-media performance laboratory.

Now in a new space and a fresh vision...
we present to you
HellLab 4 [the isolation lounge]
powered by chashama
@ chashama theater 217 E 42nd st. NYC
a twelve hour media landscape
12.29.06 / 9pm to 9am

HellLab 4 returns to the roots of its genesis; artists performing for artists within the framework of a non-competitive and chill environment. We are inviting 40 people to share in the experience and partake in all the festivities.

Darryl Hell
* chashama Arts, Inc.
Technical Director
201 E 42nd St 32nd fl., NYC
www.chashama.org

* sektor 6 kommunikations
Founder & President
www.s6k.com about the event

Play The Dance (December 18 - 20, 2006)
Another round of Erin Malley's highly interactive and cutting-edge window piece, Play The Dance, at chashama's 266 West 37th Street Window Space.
http://playthedance.pbwiki.com

The interactive dance performance where YOU "direct" the show! Push a button on the window! Take a card! Make a cell phone call to one of the dancers and see what happens!

Conceived of and Directed by: Erin Malley
Performed by: Cate Bottiglione, Amanda Burton, Kaitlin Hines, Erin Malley, Stacy Mayer, Cary McWilliam, Emily Regas, Kate Stamper, Lutin Tanner and Teresa Vittucci. about the show

seven minutes in heaven (December 7 - 16, 2006)
A Window installation and interactive photo project by chashama's then-Visual Arts Director Suko Presseau at chashama, 266 West 37th Street Window Space.

come in. relax. close you eyes.
sit.
breathe.
let go of all your thoughts.
breathe.
let go.
sit for five minutes then allow yourself to be photographed for two. about the show

Pink Kid Gloves (December 1 - 22, 2006)
Curated by Jinnine Pak foe exhibition at chashama's Gallery space at 112 West 44th Street. With reception on December 8, 6 - 9p.
jinnine@gmail.com

To Be Loved (November 30th - December 23rd, 2006)
A wry, modern twist on a classic Kabuki tale written by Alex S. DeFazio, directed by Jody P. Person, produced by Faye Rosenbaum and shown at chashama, 217 East 42nd Street.
www.elixirproductions.org

Cast: Bobby Abid (Dis), Albert Aeed (Seigen), Kelly Markus (Dorian), Jesse Soursourian (Paul), Elizabeth Sugarman (Anon), & introducing Brian Sufalko (Nino) and Brady Niederer (The Smiling Man)
Crew: Alexis Gitman (Stage Manager), Amith A. Chandrashaker (Lighting Design), Jessica L. Kosky (Set Design), Mark Richard Caswell (Costumes), Chris Gardella (Graphic Design)
Original Music: Chris Gardella
Photography & Storefront Video Installation: Priyanka Dasgupta
Publicity: William Lessard

Media Sponsors: The Village Voice & Next Magazine
Dorian's Audio Equipment: SOTA Turntables more about the show

HAIR-DOINGS (November 20-22 & 24, 2006)
A collaborative installation in-progress at 266 West 37th Street between Slovenian artist Elena Fajt and American artist Andrea Cote.
www.elenafajt.net
www.andreaspace.net

The two artists met in 2004, discovered common themes and practices in their work and developed a dialogue and common language that crosses international boundaries. Both artists have worked intimately with hair in their respective individual bodies of work for a number of years, creating sculptural, photographic, installation-based and interactive works that explore a myriad of associations with hair including attraction and repulsion, intimacy, ephemerality, and loss. This installation at chashama will be the first in a series of international collaborations between these two artists who share an uncannily familiar sensibility. about the project

Elena Fajt is a visual artist from Slovenia, currently in New York on a residency from the Ministry of Culture of the Rebublic of Slovenia. She has presented work in solo installations and exhibitions throughout Europe, New York, and Philadelphia. Venues have included the The Galleries at Moore at Moore College of Art and Design, Equrna Gallery, Alcatraz Gallery, Korotan Gallery, and Falling Cow Gallery. In 2004-05 she participated in residencies at The Galleries at Moore and Rosemont College.

Andrea Cote is a multi-disciplinary visual artist living in New York. She has presented solo and collaborative installations and performances in Seattle, Miami, Philadelphia, and New York. Venues have included chashama, Henry Street Abrons Arts Center, The Rotunda Gallery, Jack the Pelican Presents, CAVE Gallery, Scope Hamptons 2006, and 2004 Philadelphia Fringe Festival. about the artists

Play The Dance (November 16 - 19, 2006)
An interactive window piece at chashama 266 West 37th Street conceived of and directed by Erin Malley.
Performed by: Cate Bottiglione, Amanda Burton, Kaitlin Hines, Erin Malley, Stacy Mayer, Cary McWilliam, Emily Regas, Kate Stamper, Lutin Tanner, Teresa Vittucci
http://playthedance.pbwiki.com

Bound to Collide (November 3 - 26, 2006)
An exhibit and window performance installation curated by Jigsaw Soul of Brooklyn.
quick schedule: jigsaw soul @chashama
more info and full schedule: myspace.com/jigsawsoul

Jigsaw Soul will be in residence in chashama's storefront window in Times Square at 112 W.44th St., in a month-long public arts project which uses our music with the work of many collaborators in different media. Musicians, performers, filmmakers, and visual artists will be colliding throughout the month in a wide range of performance events, recording sessions, and parties. All events are free and (with a couple of indicated exceptions) open to the public, but the parties and film festivals require invitations in advance. To sign up for our e-mail list, visit myspace.com/jigsawsoul, or RSVP directly to Steve (steve@jigsawsoul.com) for party invitations and to Matt (matt@jigsawsoul.com) for the film festivals.

Including art works by Gokhan Okur, John Scannell, Adam McKee, St. James Bennett, and Chris Reynolds on display in the space throughout the month. about the project

Doe-Eyes (November 4 - 14, 2006)
Socio-political video projections by Susan Ritter run nightly at 266 West 37th Street from 4-9pm during this time period.
Video examples: arrrrrt.com/2006_window_video_installs.html.

Employing elements of text, paintings, consumer/political video captures, advertisements and her doe-eyed figures, the videos address issues such as the economic impact of over-consumption and population growth, subtle and intangible impact of celebrity worship, the cycle of debt and financial struggle at the result of targeting of advertising by global corporations. Additionally, the videos attempt to address the frustration with the current administration, and the cultural and societal shifts occurring because of the current leadership's behavior. about the project

FENWAY: LAST OF THE BOHEMIANS (November 3 - 19, 2006)
by Kelly McAllister & Lisa Margaret Holub, and directed by Tim Errickson of Boomerang Theater.
www.boomerangtheatre.org / www.impetuoustheater.com

It's 1986- and conservatism is sweeping the nation. On a small hippie commune, Fenway and his fellow refugees from the sixties are doing their best to ignore the outside world. When their revered, exiled leader re-emerges as a "born-again conservative" with a young Republican trophy wife in tow, chaos ensues. Can the ideals of the Aquarian Age stand up to the glitter of Reaganomics? about the show

Loading Bays (October 21 & 22, 2006)
a public art project by chashama as part of the Fashion Center Arts Festival Week where five commercial loading bays are transformed into space for Visual Art Installations and Performance Space. (chashama thanks Kaufmann Management Company LLC, Ina Greenfield, and Olmstead Properties Inc. for their generous donation of space.)
project details
www.fashioncenter.com/arts

on 35th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues:
Ryan Frank, Suko Presseau, and Adriana YoTo and TapeArt
on 38th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues:
Phillip Ristaino, and Despina Stamos + Wen-Shuan Yang the artists

jamonit (October 21, 2006)
Organized by Mahogany L. Brown & Jive Poetic, jamonit is a night of poetry and music at chashama, 217 East 42nd Street, without the pretentious stereotypes and featuring the best of the international poetry circuit.
www.jamonitpoetry.com

Mahogany has been performing on the poetry scene since early 1998 as a member of the highly regarded safe sex crew, The Punany Poets (as seen on HBO's Real Sex 24 & 26). In 2004 Mahogany was a NYC louder arts Grand Slam Champion and National Slam Team member. Mahogany can be heard on radio airwaves throughout the country as the poetic voice on Hennessy's Poetry Minute. Who is Mahogany L. Browne?

Jive Poetic has acquired slam titles including Tri-City Grand Slam Champ, Across The Border Team Slam Champ, Njozi Grand Slam Champ, Buffalo Poet of the Year, Nuyorican National Slam Team Member 2003, Providence National Slam Team Member 2004, AIPF Grand Slam Champ 2004, TransAtlantic UK Team Slam Champ 2003 and Pensacola Grand Slam Champ 2004. Who is Jive Poetic?

Mothers of Invention (October 13 & 14, 2006)
a solo show at chashama 217 East 42nd Street written and performed by Laura Poe.
www.laurapoe.com

collage in art, is a collage (Oct.12th - Nov.4th, 2006)
a group show curated by Molly Merson at chashama's 217 E.42nd Street Gallery, with a reception October 12th, 6 - 9p, and a Lecture and Panel Discussion by Sanda Iliescu, Assistant Professor of Art and Architecture, University of Virginia, Saturday, November 4th. Featuring artists, Gisella Adam, Sheila Crider, Sanda Iliescu, Francois Ilnseher and others.
vagabondgallery@mac.com
www.vagabondgallery.net

Merson addresses collage as an art form that reflects the overlap between art and life. The artists challenge our sensibilities and expectations by allowing broken bits and castaways from everyday life to trespass into realm of art. They each do it in individual way shaped by their unique historical and aesthetic experiences. The work is united in the message that art can uncover aesthetic delights all around us. about the exhibit

Open Studios (October 8, 2006)
chashama North celebrates its second summer with a group show of work made during residencies this past summer. Featuring work by: Jeanne Marie Wasilik, Justin Samson, Suko Presseau, Peter Pezzimenti, Evan O'Reilly, Kate McCrickard, Michelle Levy, Sebastian Lemm, Celso, Rachel Kaye, Endless Love Crew, Elaine Defibaugh, Leola Bermanzohn, and Christopher Anderson.

Camouflage Installation (October 6 - 21, 2006 )
An installation by A.M. Bolle, on view 24/7 at chashama's 112 West 44th St. Window Space, free and open to the public. With an opening reception hosted by the artist Friday, October 6th, 5p-9p and a closing reception on October 21st, 3p with tea.
orambolle@gmail.com

Camouflage Installation- camouflage for the 21st Century, contradicts the notion of obscuring one in an environment but rather attempts to blend into the visual cacophany of an urban environment. The installation employs Red, Blue and Yellow as a basis for a Trip Tych with a collage of hovering circles and spheres to create a visual vertigo of motion that blends with any charged commercial strip.

Installed in Chicago's downtown shopping district at Springman Studio for December '03 - January '04, Camouflage installation challenged the visual stimuli of the season. Drawing on more common objects to imply opulence, the collection of circles and spheres gleaned from the city streets creates a filigree of ephemera of motion and glitter. about the installation

Reconstruction (October 4th - 27th, 2006 )
A group show curated by Station Independent Projects (www.stationindependent.com) at chashama Gallery, 112 West 44th Street with opening reception, Wednesday, October 4th from 6-9pm. Featured artists included: Sandra Bermudez, Stephanie Brody-Lederman, Karen Marston, PRAXIS, Orlin Mantchev, Pierre St-Jacques, and Auriane Sokoloski. With performances by PRAXIS & Auriane Sokoloski at the opening, plus other performances at various times throughout the exhibit.

Reconstruction explores the many subtleties and shapes of survival and transformation using all manner of media, from painting to video and performance. The nightly news is a litany of destruction. The wreckage surrounds us—towers fall, waves crash, the world is at war and love is hard to find. But reconstruction and renewal spring eternal even from our contaminated contemporary soil. The stamina of desire and vitality asserts itself anew in the work of these eight artists.

Sandra Bermudez hints at the vagaries of marriage and childhood depictions of commitment with the lush-lashed, dewy eyed "Little Birds" a top towers of white pillows. Stephanie Brody-Lederman's paintings are inspired by the contaminated but nurturing atmosphere in NYC after September 11th. Karen Marston's paintings are dreamy, richly colored imaginings of hearts, lungs and bronchia breathing underwater or entwined with twisting tree branches, organs roosting in nests of veins and twigs. Beneath the surface of these painterly explorations of body and environment, metaphors unfold speaking of pain, loss and regeneration. Performance team PRAXIS constructed a Death Clock for the show which will be displayed continuously, changing daily on the window of chashama to bring awareness to the continuing loss of lives in Iraq. Orlin Mantchev's abstract paintings are of the Newfoundland landspace and deal with how the people, culture and land has been overlooked and neglected but how in the end it has thrived through its own means and traditions. Pierre St-Jacques' video "Clouds and Raindrops" is about the complex nature of human difference and the intricacy of perception and human interaction. Auriane Sokoloski's performance work and photography deals with the female Gothic and the different manners in which women and men experience fear and longing. about Reconstruction

You Will Know From The Lines In My Skin (October 1 – 15, 2006)
A site-specific window installation conceived and performed by ZHENESSE STANIEC HEINEMANN at 266 West 37th @ 8th Ave, free and open to the public, with closing reception, Sunday October 15, 5-10p.

The installation was on display from 11:00am to 8:00pm weekdays with the artist present and working 4:00pm to 8:00pm, and during weekend hours from 4:00pm to 10:00pm.

Embodying mythos, identity is sketched by Heinemann's performance through the various crags, dots and grooves that connect bodies to one another and the world in which they inhabit. The bodies' demarcations are printed and read as texts of past, present and future, personal and social, using the mytho-science of Chiromancy and the hyperbolic stage of durantional performance. Surfaces deepen with meaning, lines become chapters in a personal history rooted in a social reality only understood through those connections of the body – hand to face, foot to ground, lip to lip. Taxonomies of identity scatter across the radar screen of Heinemann's performance, each imprint distinguishing one self from another. Capitalising on the network of (dis)similarity that these lines visually display, Heinemann offers the prints as saleable artwork. Therein noting the comprise of our bodies connection to material goods (each print is exactly the imprint of body that made it) and the propensity to utilize our identity as a product outside of itself - the body as artwork to be wholly consumed.

Zhenesse Staniec Heinemann blends durational performance practice, visual arts aesthetics, and the idea of identity creation within a live encounter. Heinemann's most recent performance installations "MMC" and "Human: Deli Style" have been presented in chashama spaces in the last year. She has also performed at Galapagos, The Slipper Room, New York University, The Red Room, and in the Deitch Art Parade. about "SKIN" & Zhen

IMPACT on the GULF (Sept.28 - Oct.7, 2006 )
At chashama 217's Gallery space, IMPACT on the GULF hosted the work of artists from New York and from the Gulf Coast, creating a dialogue of impressions and interpretations of loss and rekindling. Gallery hours were 12p - 6p, with opening reception September 28th at 6p.

FEATURED ARTISTS: Ari Maldonado Espay, Ellis Anderson, Kids with Cameras, Will Steacy, Joe Tomasovsky, The New Orleans Kids Camera Project, Wyatt Gallery, Carla Shapiro, John Movius, August Goulet, Dreamyard Action Project, Scott Landis, Matthew Harris, Barefoot Workshops.
www.impactfestival.org
www.statementarts.org
www.cultureproject.org
List of events:

An evening with legendary jazz musicians and photographers who captured the cultural heritage of an American tradition that Katrina has left uprooted. WBGO's Joshua Jackson mediates a conversation on the impact of the storms and rebuilding policies on the history and future of jazz. With jazz performances following the proceedings. September 29th, Heritage Lost: The Jazz Age After Katrina

Jane Gennaro's audacious yuletide excursion into the gray matter of altruism, pop culture and Hurricane Katrina. September 30th & October 6th, Heebie Jeebies

On this very special night, GROOP, a "loosely organized but tightly knit quartet of writers," will curate an evening of readings from the rich history of Southern literature. These will be accompanied by Derrick McQueen's transfixing a cappella renditions of gospel spirituals. Proceeds of this benefit will go to the Hancock County Library rebuilding efforts. After the storm, only one library was left standing in the entire county. Now, even as donations of books are coming in, the library faces the dilemma of storing the volumes before another storm threatens to ruin them. Join us to help foster a new generation of writers in the South. October 2, Reading to Renew

Deep Dish TV, Third World Newsreel and MORE: Short and works in progress from filmmakers working in the gulf. Oct.5, Film Night

VOICES FROM THE STORM is a collection of staged readings taken from the experiences of those who were forced to leave their homes by Hurricane Katrina and those who stayed, some finding blessings among the chaos, others sharing the ways that they have reckoned their losses. These heartfelt stories are taken from a number of sources: FLEEING KATRINA, a production that debuted at the Midtown International Theater Festival in New York City this summer; LETTERS TO KATRINA, which premiered last December at the Winter Harbor Theater Company in Portland, ME under the direction of Caitlin Shetterly, who also compiled the pieces; other interviews from Lauren Thompson and Chris Tetens, who have been filming in New Orleans for the past year. Oct.7, VOICES FROM THE STORM

trespass (September 25 - 30, 2006)
by choreographer/performer & co-founder of the Modern Dance Awareness Society, Despina Sophia Stamos at chashama, 266 West 37th Street Window Space. All shows free. With different guest artists daily, including: Wendy Blum, Maria Garvey, Sarah Godbehere, Nequi Gonzalez, Abigail Levine, Marta Storme Sundberg, and others.
tmdas.j-3.org

Despina Sophia Stamos' performance installation, "trespass", was an experiment in "proxemics" at chashama's 266 west 37th Street Window Space. In this piece, she explored our subtle and intricate relationship to space, boundaries and borders.

"trespass" was provoked by current global border disputes and the study of "proxemics", a term coined by Edward T. Hall in 1966 for the interrelated observations and theories of spacial use. His book, "The Hidden Dimension", brings attention to the cultural meaning of space and its distribution. Stamos uses his concepts as departure points from which to investigate how we experience territory culturally, geographically and physically. about trespass

For the Love of My Black Woman (September 15 & 16, 2006)
by director Titus Walker directing the Ujamaa Black Theater at chashama 217.

Open Studios (September 24, 2006)
chashama hosts an open studio reception at its space on 57th Street at 12th Avenue, next to Riverside Park South. Works by over two dozen artists are featured throughout the 1st floor of the warehouse space fromerly occupied by the ArtKraft-Strauss signmaker company.

The Hope Project (September 9 - 30, 2006)
by Trummerkind at chashama, 159 West 119th Street. FREE and open to the public weekends 9a - 11p. This event was the public unveiling of five years of work, featuring an exhibit of temporary tape drawings blanketing the walls and glass storefront, as well as presentations by the artists. Schools and community groups could call to book weekday visits.
tapeart.com/hope

Trummerkind is a collective of artist-citizens based in Providence, Rhode Island dedicated to drawing on buildings with tape, and creating large, temporary art pieces and public collaborations. With a foundation of seventeen years of drawing with tape in schools, museums, and hospitals, the artists drew the 490 firemen and airline passengers who passed away in the collapse of the World Trade Center as life-sized silhouettes on the buildings of Manhattan. The individual tape drawings connect to map out four heart-shaped paths that span the island of Manhattan, (beginning at Fulton Street and weaving north into Harlem). The artists have made this unfunded project universally accessible through their website - tapeart.com/hope. The website presents an assemblage of the 15,000 photographs and supporting narratives documenting the creation of the drawings and their surroundings, and also features 490 podcasts, 1,500 pages viewable on mobile phones, and Google Earth co-ordinates for each drawing. The Hope Project took over 30,000 volunteer hours to complete, and is an act of pilgrimage and contemplation in honor of those who perished on the Eleventh of September in New York City.

"Trummerkind has accomplished one of the most visionary, inspiring and cathartic public art projects. Having donated thousands of hours, this extraordinary artistic effort is a most precious gift of love honoring everyone involved in the catastrophic events of 9/11." - Jerry Beck, Artistic Director of the Revolving Museum, Lowell, MA about Trummerkind & tapeart

Miss Julie (Sept.7 - 10, 2006)
by August Strindberg, directed by Tara Matkosky at chashama 217 East 42nd Street. Featuring: Elizabeth Lee Malone*, Louis Ozawa Changchien*, Sandi Carroll*.
*appearing courtesy of Actor's Equity Association

SUGGESTIVISM AND COLOR (September 5 - 28, 2006)
an exhibition of plastic arts by George Nobl and Teresa Grau at chashama Gallery, 112 West 44th Street.
Opening Reception on September 7, 5-8p

George Nobl follows the principles of "Suggestivism", a movement that has anonymously motivated art while it lurked at its core. Suggestivism, embracing many meanings, rather than trying to depict an "exact reality" based on the prevalent cultural symbols, has been the skeleton of the arts. The endoskeleton is becoming an exoskeleton!

An obvious recent example of Suggestivism are the Beatle's songs, whose meaning is still debated after many years.

George Nobl, whose career spans Ibiza and Madrid in Spain, Amsterdam in Holland, Soest in Germany and New York City, will be working on his sculpture in the window, trying to relate the public to the process of sculpture.

Teresa Grau has a distinguished career in Peru and will be bringing the vibrant coloring of South America that visitors bring back, and that lives on in their memories for years.

The two artists displayed their work at 112 to take advantage of the superb location and display possibilities of chashama's Gallery on 44th Street. about the show

How Do You know What You Know? (Sept 4 - 24, 2006)
At 266 West 37th Street. A reprise of the installation at 112 (see below).

This installation is neither anti-republican / conservative nor pro-democrat / liberal. Its only goal is to give light to the multitudes of evidence that hasn't seen the light of day. Each year since September 11, 2001, we've seen more documentation released, even though the U.S. government has fought the release of every bit of information...even information that had nothing to do with "national security." We believe that as people living in a "democratic society" it is the responsibility of all [who support it with their tax dollars] to know the unedited truth...and then act on it. As you learn more, tell others. about the exhibit

You Never Walk Alone With God (September 2, 2006)
"You Never Walk Alone With God - The Story of the Last Gangster Hustler", a reprise of the musical by Titus Walker directing the Ujamaa Black Theater at chashama 217 East 42nd Street.

between black & white colors (September 1 - 26, 2006)
an exhibition of drawings by Numyi Lee at chashama's 217 E 42nd Street Gallery.
Opening reception: Thursday, September 14, 5-8p
numyil@yahoo.com
www.numyiart.com

How Do You know What You Know? (August 19 - 31, 2006)
An installation at 112 West 44th Street featuring infoArt, powerpoint artwork, multimedia quizzes, and a panel discusion with Liza Politi [spent 1 yr @ ground zero], Luis Colon [s6k.com 9/11 researcher], and others, moderated by Darryl Hell.
Its centerpiece: the most relevant 9/11 documentary to date, Loose Change 2. Played continuously w/sound, except during forums or performances.
event website: www.s6k.com

At chashama's 112 West 44th Street Window Space. Running continuously from August 19, 2006 at 9:00a to August 31, 2006, 9:11p, How Do You know What You Know? was the third annual appearance of a 9/11 exhibit created by Darryl Hell. Its goal is to present the source documentation for the key issues surrounding 9/11, which most people have never actually seen prior. Hell has created what he calls "infoArt" to present information using mixed-media art as a vehicle. about the event

jamonit (August 19, 2006)
Organized by Mahogany L. Brown & Jive Poetic, jamonit is a night of poetry and music at chashama, 217 East 42nd Street, without the pretentious stereotypes and featuring the best of the international poetry circuit.
www.jamonitpoetry.com

Oh, the Places We'll Go... (August 15 - 24, 2006, 5p & 6p daily)
A solo dance installation by Rebecca Whitehurst at chashama's 266 West 37th Street Window, inspired by interviews of NYC apartment dwellers. In it she explores 4 different characters: their stories, their spaces, and their philosophy on 'territory' in the city.

The sagas range from a hilarious young man who lives in a piano-shaped room with a shower head directly over his toilet, to an older woman who simply adores creative space and so now resides in e.e.cumming's old row. The movement vocabulary and use of space differs for each character, gestures interweave with release and acrobatic choreography. Walls and windows are played with, as Whitehurst embodies the varied thoughts and feelings on living space.

Passersby will be able to hear the interviews, witness Whitehurst's accompanying performance, and--if inclined--share their own stories by slips of paper and a box that sit outside the window. more about the show

PANTS AVENGERS (August 14 - 18, 2006)
On stage and in the Window, at chashama, 217 east 42nd street.
Pants Avengers are represented by Jen Bekman Gallery (www.jenbekman.com/pants_avengers).

6pm, in the window: "Canary" A melodrama that is unfolding deep in the mines. A serial presentation: every day another twist of fate! Created and performed by Normandy Sherwood.
7pm, in the window: "Venus in a Half Shell" a live video installation by Zarah Cabañas. (Plays Monday through Thursday)
8pm, in the theater: I SAW THE EVIL ONE - A theatrical event with music--Not a play, not a musical, not a spectacle per se —more like a vaudeville style morality play— but without morality. Written and Directed by Craig Flanagin. Pants Avengers order of events:

THE NEW NOW (August 9 - 26, 2006)
curated by Kate Goyette at chashama 112 West 44th Street Gallery. Reception: Friday, August 11, 6-8 p. This is a group exhibition of young artists working in Boston and New York features paintings, prints, drawings, and video projection/2-D installation. The exhibition includes the work of Tim Campbell, Alex DeMaria, Jules Gaffney, Michael Garrett, Kate Goyette, Sam Jaspersohn, Eric Kuhl, and Katie Westgate.

Reflecting the constant shift of the contemporary art world, these artists themselves have recently entered into a state of transition – having just earned a bachelor's degree from art school or having just returned to art school in pursuit of an MFA. Additionally, these artists move forth into their personal unknown without the influence of one definitive art movement to guide them. These artists simultaneously begin to assert themselves in a relatively traditional two-dimensional media against the predominately "anything goes" art culture of the emerging Post Post Modern. While the subject and content of the artwork vastly ranges, each artist is linked through his or her search for a place within this shifting contemporary art landscape. more about the show

Gospel of the Harlem Renaissance (August 4, 2006)
The 1920's-1930's musical based on the history of Harlem, by Titus Walker directing the Ujamaa Black Theater at 217.

Song as Muse: When Art and Music Meet (August 2 - 28, 2006)
Concert Photography and Mixed Media on Canvas inspired by the Music of TRAIN by Kathryn Gerhardt at chashama Gallery, 217 East 42nd Street. Reception was on August 8, 2006, 6-9p.
http://eireart.com

When I hear a song I particularly relate to it becomes mine -- part of the soundtrack of my life -- I'll sing it like an anthem. This is especially true of a song that puts into words feelings I felt I had no way of expressing.

This series of paintings is based on the songs of the rock band Train. Their music and the lyrics by lead singer, Pat Monahan, have been an inspiration and comfort to me over the last five years.

When the World Trade Center attack happened I had a plane ticket for a trip to Ireland. I was determined to go, regardless of fears, and left on the next plane over there. One of cds I took along with me was Train's "Drops of Jupiter". As it turned out, this album served as my source of solace when the memories of that day would rush over me.

It was on that trip, listening to "Drops of Jupiter" that I began working with the ancient Irish symbols found in the megalithic monument of Newgrange in County Meath, Ireland.

As my work evolved, I began to portray places and myths with the ancient symbols. It only seemed natural to begin illustrating the music that served as an inspiration and comfort to me.

By illustrating these songs, I am able to place myself inside of them -- to become a part of them -- as they have become a part of me. Artist Statement

Kathryn Gerhardt's "Song As Muse" series is another step in the evolution of her paintings based on the megalithic symbols carved in the ancient stone structures of Ireland. In the tradition of the ancients, who used these symbols to tell stories and communicate, Ms. Gerhardt's paintings tell the stories of our modern day "bards," musicians, with a contemporary twist. "These particular paintings are based on songs by the band Train. Their music and the lyrics, by lead singer Pat Monahan, have brought great inspiration and joy to me during difficult periods of my life," says Ms. Gerhardt, "By illustrating these songs, I have been able to place myself inside of them – to become a part of them – as they have become a part of me."

The symbols Ms. Gerhardt uses come primarily from the sacred monument of Newgrange in Co. Meath, Ireland. This cave-like structure was built to the sunrise of the Winter Solstice, which illuminates its darkened chamber on that day to signal the sun is returning. Her paintings of whimsical characters in vibrant colors on black canvas represent the light coming out of the darkness and the hope that it brought these people when the sun had returned.

Ms. Gerhardt's symbol paintings have progressed from colorful designs, representing the Irish countryside, to fanciful worlds of goddesses, fairy tales and music. "It only seemed natural, as my work progressed, to begin illustrating the music that serves as such an inspiration and comfort to me. Music that has made me feel that I am not alone. The true universality of music." says the artist, "My hope is that my work captures just some of the light and energy given off by this site and the joy I take from the music, and that whoever looks at them will take a little of that joy and energy with them."

Ms. Gerhardt's concert photography is also part of this exhibit. As a photographer, she most enjoys capturing musicians in the act of creating their music. "The total concentration on their art, strips away every mask and the true self is revealed. I find great beauty in that," says Ms. Gerhardt.

Originally from Tennessee, Ms. Gerhardt now resides in New York. She has had solo shows in Ireland and New York, has participated in group shows and the Boston-based Human Pixel Project. Ms. Gerhardt was curator of the Estrogenius group show at Manhattantheatresource in 2003. She is a member of the artist collective, The Galaxy Arts (galaxyarts.org). Her photographs appear on such websites as foodpill.com; concertshooter.com; www.myspace.com/stillmerchant, gottrain.com, as well as www.myspace.com/jimmystafford1. about the artist

He(R)evolution (July 27 - 29, 2006)
conceived, written, and performed by Julia Ahumada Grob and directed by Alli Maxwell at 217 East 42nd Street. The July 29, 2p show was free for the Students w/ Educational Outreach Panel and featured a Q & A with the "art-ist" after the show

He(R)evolution is a highly personal, yet universal one woman biographical show that examines the political struggles of a young woman. Themes of political activism, womanhood, spirituality, and fate weave the story together as the playwright/performer comes to understand her identity as link in a chain of women revolutionaries. Based on interviews with the playwright's parents and family friends, as well as her own memories, the actress portrays six characters, including her Jewish-American mother, Chilean father, a female Chilean political-activist, a comical "Gringo" solidarity worker, her namesake, Julia, subject of Lilian Hellman's short story "Julia," and finally herself. Sad, funny, poignant and powerful, He(R)evolution will touch both older and younger generations trying to come to terms with the politics of the time: then, now, and in the future. about He(R)evolution

Oh, the Places We'll Go... (July 26 - August 6, 2006)
a solo dance installation by Rebecca Whitehurst, inspired by interviews of NYC apartment dwellers, explores 4 different characters: their stories, their spaces, and their philosophy on 'territory' in the city, performed in chashama's 112 West 44th Street Window twice daily.

Bard in the Bush (July 25, 2006)
directed by Caitlin Cisek.
Preceded by a short play, "Obscenities!" by Ben Greene & Reid Koster. Performances were free to the public.
more about the Tiv

This performance was inspired by Laura Bohannon's 1966 ethnography, "Shakespeare in the Bush". Today this ethnography is often used in the classroom to teach new anthropology students the principles of a holistic approach and, in an amusing and lighthearted way, demonstrate that the simplest and most understandable things in our lives aren't the same for everyone. As the story progresses the Tiv, an agricultural people of Nigeria, interpret Hamlet's motives and events using their own cultural knowledge and perspective. about the show

Anthropologist: SOPHIA HAAS
Elder: DAVID CISEK
Wife/Ophelia: SARAH CROCE
Elder #2/Claudius: BEN GREENE
Hamlet: ILANA LANDECKER
Ghost/Polonius: REID KOSTER
Horatio/Laertes: CAITLIN CISEK

Stage Manager: HANNAH BACHMAN
Lights, Sound, Pre-Show Music: STEPHEN STANLEY cast and crew

Recollections (July 23 - August 6, 2006)
performed by artist Kendra Ware in chashama's 266 West 37th Street Window.

Recollections is a butoh inspired mediation on the last day in the life of a homeless woman. Adapted in part from Mishima's Sotoba Kamachi, this is a in depth look at the life of a woman who re-lives her painful life daily. This urban exploration is as much about the weight of living with lost love as it is about delving deeper into a womans life as a homeless woman. Blending the classical experimental music of Eric Satie with The Rza and voice-over we are able to peer into the beauteous hell of this womans life. about the show

Kendra Ware is a writer and performance artist who has performed throughout NYC in venues such as PS 122, LA Mama, Pan Asian Rep, Ohio Theater and with such comapanies as Classical Theater of Harlem and Target Margin Theater. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, she will be attending California Institute of the Arts in the fall; She is currently working on her upcoming play, The Menstrual Show, due out next year. about kendra

jamonit (July 22, 2006)
Organized by Mahogany L. Brown & Jive Poetic, jamonit is a night of poetry and music at chashama, 217 East 42nd Street, without the pretentious stereotypes and featuring the best of the international poetry circuit.
www.jamonitpoetry.com

KRIK? KRAK! (July 17 - 31, 2006)
(a Haitian installation) presented by THE BUTANE GROUP (Noel Salzman & Jay Smith), created by Jess Barbagallo, Kate Graham, Noel Salzman, Liz Sharts at chashama, 679 Third Ave., (the former Prince Deli). On view 24 hours/day, 7 days/week, through the end of July. Changed over time, best seen after sundown for full effect.
www.thebutanegroup.org
www.catchseries.org
www.galapagosartspace.com

The installation is composed of images, texts and objects from the early stages of our development of our newest piece, "HAITI (live and let die)," including materials culled from Kathy Acker, Ian Flemming, and Noam Chomsky, among many others.

A work-in-progress showing of "HAITI (live and let die)," will take place on the evening of Saturday, August 19 at CATCH 18 at Galapagos Art Space in Williamsburg. Please see the websites above for all the details.

Special thanks to Risa Shoup @ Chashama about the show

Revealing the Unconscious (July 10 – 29, 2006)
Revealing the Unconscious is a group show at chashama Gallery, 217 E. 42nd Street, featuring works of art from local and out of state artists, including Omar Sangiovanni, Susan Beecroft, Ale Cetrangolo, Eridanus Giffin, Dafina Stojanova, Faith Gabel, Lori Pino, Ingrid Alvarez McNeely, Claudia Drake and Federica Tentor. Curator Federica Tentor chose the artists with the intent of bringing together a vast collection of contemporary artworks, which, in one way or another, testify to the impact of the unconscious on creative thought and practice.
additional info: ghismo2675@yahoo.com

Some of the compositions depict imaginary worlds of organic figures and shapes, which at times bear some resemblance to recognizable images, yet remain unequivocally abstract. Eye catching, busy, floating forms and streaks of paint, or intersections of lines, large brushstrokes and patches of vibrant colors clearly evoke some Abstract Expressionist paintings, yet retain a sense of novelty. While many of the artworks in this exhibit are abstract, some others include, or are entirely, representational pieces, ranging from Surrealist-like works to romantic, colorful compositions that invite the viewer to peek into a series of personal, and sometimes complex, reflections about the artist’s own life. Whether deliberately or not, each artwork in the exhibit depicts emancipated unconscious feelings, images, ideas, and even past events, which re-emerged, or emerged for the first time on the artist’s surface, and became the inspiration and cohesive element of Revealing the Unconscious. more about the exhibit

Federica Tentor grew up in Italy where she was encouraged to discover and appreciate art at a very young age. After attending a High School specialized in Fine Arts, she acquired an art gallery with her father and her godfather. While managing the gallery she also started her own artistic career, exhibiting in various local arenas. In 1996, Ms. Tentor moved to the States where she was encouraged to continue her artistic career by receiving a scholarship for artistic merit. In 2005, Tentor received a Master in Art History, which inspired her to become an independent curator and help other artists in their artistic endeavor. about the curator

I AM KAREN FINLEY (July 10 – 22, 2006)
A dance window installation conceived and created by PAULA HUNTER at 112 West 44th Street, performed at 5p & 7:30p daily.

I AM KAREN FINLEY, a Paula Hunter solo dance performance is typically hilarious—like all of Hunter's work it traffic's in the absurd, the poignant, the bitter-sweet, and most definitely in the downright ludicrous. Residing in the depths of Hunter's bizarre look at the world, her choreography/performance is always true to her non linear, uncensored, and very revealing mode of thinking and expressing what she sees as the beautiful absurdity of life. I AM KAREN FINLEY is not the first time Hunter has taken her work to the confines of a window. Passersby will be entranced by Hunter's transforming performance during which she covers herself in common food products and in the process reveals the beauty of a cheeze whiz shampoo and a simple Hershey syrup sponge bath.

At the beginning of her career, Julinda Lewis, writing in DANCE MAGAZINE summed up Hunter's style and approach: "It would be hard to imagine Hunter, who performed three solos on this program, dancing with anyone else. Her choreography is full of quirky gestures, repeated again and again with different timing, in different directions, and in different order. The movements are culled from sports, street dancing, numerous other styles of dance and the deepest recesses of Hunter's imagination...[the dances] all make you feel as if you've crossed into a time zone where human motion follows laws you've never learned and may never understand." about the show

OASIS 2006 (July 10 - 21, 2006)
chashama's yearly festival of free performance in the 217 East 42nd Street Window Stage featured nearly forty dance acts twice daily with lunchtime and evening performances. Curated by Marc Dale and Despina Stamos. Tech manager: Brendan Regimbal. MCs: Scotty the Blue Bunny, Julie Atlas Muz, and Linda Marraccini. House Manager: Kazu Nakamura. Buskers: Zhen Heinemann, Caitlin Cisek, Leon Hilton.
click for the oasis schedule at 217
click for oasis artists info
About OASIS

Celine Alwen
Kelly Bartnik
Deborah Black
bigGRITs
Blum Dance Theater
Phyllis Bulkin Lehrer & Gloria McLean
Maryanne Chaney
D UNDERBELLY
Charles Dennis
Theresa Duhon
Fearliss Productions/MUD
fivefour
Nicole Harris
Shizu Homma
Sera-Kim Huenergard
Satu Hummasti
Janusz Jaworski & Storme Sundberg
Jump Off Dance
k studio
Kinetic Architecture
Marija Krtolica
Erin Ming Lee
lkb dance
Erin Malley
Lisa Marten
Mashala
Carla Menchinella
the movement movement
Odonata Dance Project
Lisa Parra
Erin Reck/Torque Dance
RETTOCAMME
Rocha Dance Theatre
Leanne Schmidt & Co.
Laura Shapiro
Natasa Trifan
Vicky Virgin OASIS roster at 217

Site Specific Sundays (July 9, 16, & 23, 2006)
presented by chashama in association with Summer on the Hudson @Riverside Park South at Red Shade Plaza, twice daily 3-4p & 5-6p. Curated by Marc Dale and Despina Stamos, co-founder of The Modern Dance Awareness Society.
Site Specific Sundays schedule
click for oasis artists info
About OASIS

(Sunday, July 9)
The Modern Dance Awareness Society
Daniel Linehan
Cathy Richards
Vangeline Theater

(Sunday, July 16)
Human Kinetics Movement Theater

(Sunday, July 23)
Nuevo Butoh Arpa
C. Eule Dance OASIS roster at Riverside Park

OASIS began as Deli Dances at 111 West 42nd Street in 1998 in a (mostly) raw deli space that was generously donated and produced by the Durst Organization through Anita Durst. Despina Stamos, Julie Atlas Muz and later Tony Silva, decided to make it available to other artists by creating an impromptu downtown dance festival in midtown. It was a way for us to share our space resource with the dance community- creating a barebones series of free performances while reaching out to uninitiated audiences - an opportunity to show some experimental dance in midtown. We wanted people to come in and take a look at what downtown artists were up to-hopefully encouraging a new audience to discover for themselves an art form they might not otherwise know, in a neighborhood not known for it.

Now in its 9th year, this free festival has encompassed dance, music, theater, and film and has showcased 153 acts and over 250 performers throughout the years. Both chashama's 42nd St windows and Red Shade Plaza provide a highly public venue where artists can perform in front of thousands of passersby. Artists previously featured include famed downtown artists Penny Arcade, Julie Atlas Muz, Caterina Bartha, Gina Bonati, DD Dorvillier, Clarinda Mac Low, Sarah Michelson, and Edisa Weeks. a little more about OASIS

BODY/SITE (July 3- 7, 2006)
A multimedia window installation created and performed by Andrea Cote at 112 West 44th Street 12-6p daily.

BODY/SITE is an installation and performance that draws on both process-based performance and body art as well as theatrical movement and dance. Working six hours a day in the Window Space at 112 W. 44th Street over the course of a week, the artist will provide viewers a glimpse into her mysterious and enveloping world. Painted white and printed with hair patterns, Cote will print on walls, floor and windows to create a three-dimensional drawing around her body, camouflaging figure into ground. This work is part of an ongoing project examining hair's dual associations with desire and repulsion, as female decoration and display, as a signifier of identity and a disguise. BODY/SITE closes the gap between the artist's body, the artwork she creates, and the studio she inhabits.

Andrea Cote is a multi-disciplinary visual artist and dancer living in New York. She has presented solo and collaborative installations and performances in Seattle, Miami, Philadelphia, and New York. Venues have included Henry Street Abrons Arts Center, Jack the Pelican Presents, CAVE Gallery, Scope Hamptons 2006, and 2004 Philadelphia Fringe Festival. In her work she questions the boundaries that have traditionally divided artistic disciplines, taking on multiple roles, using her own body as subject, object, and medium. For many years she worked as an artists' model, a fully exposed yet invisible presence. These experiences informed her current work, in which she mediates the space between the world inside an artwork and the one our bodies inhabit. about the show

"All That Glitters" & Thru Rain (July 1 - 30, 2006)
A shared exhibit by Aimee Hertog and Howard Skrill at chashama Gallery, 112 W.44th Street, with an Opening Reception on Friday, July 14th, 6-9p.
achertog@aol.com
skrib1@worldnet.att.net

Aimee C. Hertog shares a two-person show with Howard Skrill at the chashama Gallery located at 112 West 44th Street near Sixth Avenue. The show runs from July 1, 2006 through July 30, 2006. Opening reception was on Friday, July 14, 6-9 p. Exhibit hours are noon to 6p every day except for Tuesday, July 4 and Thursdays in July for the run of the show.

Ms. Hertog assembles her pieces with found objects, incorporating them in her surrealistic/abstract sculpture and collages. Materials she uses include resin, glitter, ink, sponges and discarded baby toys that used to belong to her son. She is not afraid of color, and many of her pieces reflect the influence of transcendent art of Miro and Calder.

In the spring of this year, Ms. Hertog was in a group show at Long Beach Arts in California juried by former Metropolitan Museum of Art Curator Darlene DeAngelo. Concurrently, she was in the "Texas National" show, juried by New York artist Paul Brach. Other recent shows include the "War is Over" exhibition at Sideshow Gallery and the "Black and White" show at the Holland Tunnel Gallery, both in Brooklyn. In November of this year, she will have a one-person show at the Mind Puddles Gallery in Houston, and in January of next year, she will have a one-person show at Galeria Janet Kurnatowski in Brooklyn. Ms. Hertog is participating in "…and the levee Broke: meditations on the power of water" traveling exhibition to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina, originated by Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia.

Other recent shows include a group show at the Alpan Gallery in Huntington, New York, juried by former New York Times critic Phyllis Braff and a "Brush with Art," a Havre De Grace, Maryland show juried by Stephen Bennett Phillips, chief curator of the Phillips Collection in Washington D.C. about Aimee's show

Francis Scott Key wrote an anthem appropriate to July and to the exhibition of Howard Skrill's recent paintings 'Thru Rain' at Chashama's 112 W. 44th st. location.

Mr. Skrill has written:

"Upon a boat in Baltimore harbor, during the War of 1812, Key poetically expressed gratitude that the nation's flag still flew through 'bombs bursting in air'. Key noticed that fluttering pendant obscured by radiant glow of massive incendiary devices fired from Britain’s great warships, his vision impeded by sparkling lights and curling smoke.

With a quite vivid memory of incendiary devices that lit upon the contemporary landscape and the contemporary psyche, I can not recall flags sturdily surviving more recent conflagrations.

As a long time landscape artist, particularly of the New York waterfront and New Jersey's wetlands, particularly as seen 'thru' gates, electrical towers and railroad trestles, I had always envisioned and rendered these vistas in the pure light of early September, until early September.

Now these same places form the foundation for 'Thru Rain', with rains and bombs bursting in the in-between, reminiscent perhaps of Key in Baltimore harbor, but less gratifying."

Howard Skrill's work is presently on exhibit in a solo show at Safe-T Gallery in Dumbo, Brooklyn, at 111 Front Street, through July 22. Mr. Skrill is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Art Department of CUNY-Bronx Community College and the International Cultural Studies Program at St. Francis College in Brooklyn Heights, New York.

on exhibit with Aimee Hertog's "All That Glitters". about Howard's show

Skin (July 1 - 21, 2006)
presented by chashama at our 266 West 37th Street Window Space in association with creator "Rachel Kohn". "SKIN" transformed the space into an intricate, abstract landscape that the viewer could enter into. Inspired by things falling apart, pieces coming back together, sickness, surgery, vulnerability and decay, Rachel combined all of these elements and visually romanticized them. The result was a dramatic space expressing tremendous weight and gravitational pull.

This exhibition questioned the role that our skin plays on our own bodies. Often revealing and concealing sickness, scars and fragility, skin can act as a protective shield and a hiding place, masking what is really inside. Interested in the effects of surgeries, being torn apart and sewn back together as a repetitive motion, "SKIN" was Rachel's attempt to unravel, suture and soothe all of these layers. about the show

jamonit (June 24, 2006)
Organized by Mahogany L. Brown & Jive Poetic, jamonit is a night of poetry and music at chashama, 217 East 42nd Street, without the pretentious stereotypes and featuring the best of the international poetry circuit.
www.jamonitpoetry.com

Interface Gallery (June 23, 2006)
at chashama, 217 E.42nd Street.
www.shadowfactory.org
www.bluemusedance.org
Featuring premieres by Ayumi Miki, Mayuna Shimizu (Blue Muse Dance), Ayumi Sakamoto (Photographer), Jyun Matsuzaki/Joyful Sonic Wash (Musician-Junk improviser) and Michiko Hisamoto/Apt.B (costume designer).
Window performance: 12 - 2p, Gallery performance: 7:30pm, Reception: 9p.

Dance & Installation: New Works by Yoko Taketani, Music Arranged by Tsuyoshi Inoue.
Dance: New Works by Aoi Nishimura.
Dance & Slide Show: New Works by Yinnisum Project: Ayumi Sakamoto (Photographer), Soichiro Migita (Sound Engineer) and Mayuna Shimizu (Choreographer/Performer).
Live Music by Jyun Matsuzaki/Joyful Sonic Wash and DJ Qing Lewy.
Costume display: Michiko Hisamoto / Apt.B.
Performers: Yoko Taketani, Mayuna Shimizu, Ayumi Miki, Aoi Nishimura and Yuka Ogata. about the show

Ruins, which sank to the bottom of a deep sea, forgotten away.

Now, they begin to move with their intention
recalling small pains of memory forgotten in the heart.

One love remembered at the moment of awaking
It cannot remember being filled, even if it does so.

And I was loved by whom?

Only fortunate feeling strikes a wave in the heart now.
It is a marine bottom here. Is it actual or a dream?

My completed body. I want to become free.
On the ground, what is? Where is really here?

Vibration is transmitted.
It approaches. Who is it?
It who was me once.

My child.
That body is also here, at the bottom of the deep sea.
That child who forgets what it laughs at.

Us who were wide opened from loneliness.
Us who are not wide opened from the solitary world.

Where is the ending? Where is the end of road?
Do you want to come out from here?

When is it this consciousness will wake up ?
shes getting lost, shes scared to lose her again

I want to hold this feeling quietly as it is
or else it can break. from Yoko Taketani

"Escape to Freedom" (June 22, 2006)
This new dance on camera endeavor held its first fundraiser, "Escape to Freedom" , at chashama's performance space at 217 E.42nd Street, celebrating the beginning of NYU film grad and dancer, Joey Lorraine's dream of creating an organization that can create resources for dance film development and production, praising dance on camera as an art unto its self.
Reception was at 6:30p and performances began at 7p.
www.uptowndanceacademy.com
www.livespacedance.com

Special guest appearances by:
New York State Senate candidate Bill Perkins
Carrie Ellmore-Tallitsch of the Martha Graham Dance Company
Corey Carver from Livespace Dance
Students from the Uptown Dance Academy in Harlem
and Joey Lorraine, previously a dancer with the Morgan Scott Ballet.

Video screenings showcased a ten-minute demo of the dance documentary film "Harlem’s Dancing Queen, Robin Williams and the Uptown Dance Academy". This demo will give birth to a full-length documentary on Harlem dance School Uptown Dance Academy and its founder, Robin Williams; & a five minute demo of "Three Blind Mice, A Journey to Freedom", a short dance video inspired by Dr. King's philosophy of non-violence.

Artwork from Nicaraguan artist Franck de La Mercedes was showcased for a silent auction. about the show

"MIDWAY" (June 15, 2006)
a benefit at 217 E 42nd St. for Parallel Exit's upcoming production "TIMESTEP" with an indoor carnival featuring popcorn, cotton candy, prizes, refreshments and an excerpt of "Timestep".
www.parallelexit.net

"2X4" (June 7 - 11, 2006)
"2X4" is a collection of four vignettes, which examine how relationships are affected when two people become boxed in by their own patterns and beliefs. The script was written by the company members and features James Junio, Ashleigh Lay, Stefanie Maas, Michael Miano, Emily Vick, Scott R. Weigand & Amy Wowak.
www.tipmycup.org

LUMPY, BUMPY & PINK (June 2 - 28, 2006)
Lumpy, Bumpy, & Pink, at chashama Gallery, 112 West 44th Street, was a group exhibition of recent Master of Fine Arts graduates of Purchase College, State University of New York. The exhibition featured work by artists Sasha Kopelowitz, Brian Lund and Jennifer Perry, recent graduates of the Purchase College School of the Arts, School of Art+Design. This exhibition is generously sponsored by Dolly Maass and the Friends of Art+Design at Purchase College. Opening reception held on Friday, June 2, 6-8p.

UNISHRINE (June 1 - 24, 2006)
At chashama's 266 West 37th Street Window Space. Opening and Photo Session on June 2, 2006 6-9p, accompanied by a sound installation by Veronica Dougherty.
www.supercreator.com

UNISHRINE (The one that exists), was a storefront installation created by Jean Loscalzo: Supercreator: "The multi-dimensional Unishrine can comfortably house over one billion gods. Transform yourself into an object of devotion and self-identification. Absorb ancient truths revealed within the sound installation. Step right up and have your photo taken with the god of your choice. Bring your digital camera and take home something to put on your fridge, a daily reminder that spirituality does not discriminate." more info

The Eaten Heart (May 31 – June 4, 2006)
This work-in-progress was the culmination of The Debate Society residency at chashama. This residency and development opportunity was made possible, in part, by the National Endowment for the Arts.
www.thedebatesociety.org

The Debate Society presents "The Eaten Heart", a work-shop performance of the Brooklyn based company's newest play. "The Eaten Heart" draws inspiration from Boccaccio's The Decameron, in which 100 stories are told over 10 days by 10 people - a community gathered together trying to cheat the Black Death that is ravaging the continent. These darkly comedic and bawdy tales serve as the spring board for Hannah Bos, Paul Thureen and Oliver Butler's newest creation: a modern lucid dream that matches The Decameron for hilarious, erotic and occasionally gory twists. more info

Dr. Benstock (May 22 - 26, 2006)
John McDonough & Paul Spencer - Turnable surgeons, play live in the window at chashama @112 (112 W 44th Street between 6th Ave. & Broadway) Monday - Friday May 22-26, 6:00p - Free!

Silence is Health / Silencio es Salud (May 18 - June 11, 2006)
Written by Karina Casiano and presented at chashama @Queens, 29-09 Queens Plaza North, by La Criatura, May 18 - June 11, 2006, Thursdays through Sundays, (Thu & Sat in English). A site-specific documentary play seeking to shed light onto mass psychology, fear, individualism and oblivion, based on official documents, testimonies, historical research and analyses of similar periods in Argentina, Guatemala, Chile, Spain, Germany, Ireland, Israel and the United States. With: David Storck, Elodián Barbosa and José Acevedo, and featuring Antonio Pantojas, as "Padre Amado"
www.lacriatura.org

Icing or Cake (May 17 - 19, 2006)
Created by Bethany Koby & Selwa Sweidan, and presented by chashama in association with Fabrica in the 112 West 44th Window, this installation sought to invoke the participation of visitors to the International Contemporary Furniture Fair by inviting them to wear a couch.

"Icing or Cake" sought to contextualize and activate the Fair by involving two very different parts of New York City in two separate storefront windows; one downtown (The Apartment, at 101 Crosby Street), and one uptown (chashama @112). In the uptown window of the chashama space at 112 W.44th Street, found furniture (couches) from the streetsof New York were stripped of their surfaces, with the aftermath of this 'performance' displayed in a systematic testimony to its construction and made into wearable badges -the "icing" of the couch- to be given to visitors and passersby as a memento. Thus, this installation created an opportunity to explore the relationships between design, designer, producer, shopkeeper and customer. Visitors could take with them an object as well as an experience. more info

Stranger Danger (May 16 - May 31, 2006)
Michael Helland and Daniel Linehan develop and perform their collaborative dance piece in the window at chashama 266 with day-long performances, May 17th, 24th and 31st, 7a-7p. On other days passersby can watch Michael and Daniel as they work to develop the piece. Stranger Danger has been performed previously in Performance Mix at the Joyce SoHo, and at Dance Conversations at the Flea.

Recorded Fashion Installation (May 14 - 22, 2006)
Rick Kariolic scavenged NYC's garbage for cool and weird things to be used by the artists for this project along with the usual paints and things. Artists were to create a scenic backround in the space, then have models come in and photograph them against the background, all to be documented on video. At 112 West 44th Street.
www.kariolic.com

Clocks and Whistles (May 4 - 21, 2006)
Written by Samuel Adamson and directed by Talya Klein in a presentation of Origin Theatre in association with Elizabeth Vardin Newman Productions at 217 East 42nd Street. A winner of the U.K.'s prestigious Time Out Award.
www.origintheatre.com

InsideOut NYC (May 4 - 11, 2006)
INSIDE/OUT is an interactive, site-specific, free-of-charge window performance created by New York- based artists Laura Barnett, who invites passersby to confide their deepest secrets, & Sandra Spannan, who paints portraits of them.
more info

Wounds to the Face (Apr.26 - 29, 2006)
directed by Katie McGehee and featuring the Room5001 Theatre at 217.
www.room5001theatre.com

Manhattan Comedy Collective (Apr.20 - 21, 2006)
Winners Semifinals Thursday, April 20th, 8:00pm
Loser Semifinals Friday, April 21st, 8:00pm
College improv teams match up to compete in this long-form improv tournament.
more info
www.manhattancomedycollective.com

Drawn (Apr.18 - May 12, 2006)
A dance window installation at chashama 266 West 37th Street by Leanne Schmidt & Company, conceived & choreographed by Leanne Schmidt. Performance schedule: Tues-Thurs 12-3p, Weds-Fri 3-6p with special evening performance May 12, 6-9p. All performances free and open to the public.
DRAWN, a duet for 2 women performed in almost complete stillness, is set to the music of New York City based composer, David First and features Company Artistic Director Leanne Schmidt along with performers Josselyn Levinson, Beth Maderal, Amanda Porterfield, Gretchen Weber and more.
www.leanneschmidt.com

The Glass Project (Apr.17 - 30, 2006)
A Window Installation created by Cecile Evans and Ryan Frank for chashama's 112 Window venue.
Chapter 1: The Bathroom, the first in this series of multimedia installations and performances, explores the universal themes of voyeurism, relief, and release associated with this most private and precious of rooms. This exploration of the Glass Family’s history with bathrooms is to serve as a crossword puzzle that has been written over, incompletely erased, yet is still legible to all observers. In an age where paper literature's popularity has shifted towards tabloids, The Glass Project harkens instead to a cultural obsession with a fictional reality.
Opening reception was held April 17th, 7 - 9p.

Douglas P. / Death In June (Apr.16, 2006)
s6k Entertainment and Tesco-Distro USA presented the premier screening of two movies: Behind the Mask, and Death In June, by Voidstar Productions at chashama 217. The event included a special listening party of rare music from Douglas P. of Death in June, featuring DJ Jeremy of Hex! & DI6 give-a-ways, 1 signed by Douglas P. himself.
www.s6k.com

jamonit (April 15, 2006)
Organized by Mahogany L. Brown & Jive Poetic, jamonit is a night of poetry and music at chashama, 217 East 42nd Street, without the pretentious stereotypes and featuring the best of the international poetry circuit.
www.jamonitpoetry.com

The Spring Project (Apr.11, 2006)
A roving workshop for strategies to protest the Iraq War, organized by Richard Schechner at 217.

comedy no victim (Apr.10 - 16, 2006)
Performed at chashama 266 West 37th Street, this project by Arturo Vidich evolved from Ishmael Houston-Jones' class, "The Dancing of Politics," from the MR Festival, 2005. Viewer/participators were invited to bring their own objects and CD's/tapes/instruments. Audience members were strongly encouraged to participate in this unique, welcoming event.

2nd Exhibition and Silent Auction (Apr.4, 2006)
Sparkling Fresh Artists & Auctions hosts their 2nd silent auction event for NYC visual arts at 217, featuring the blood paintings of Jordan Eagles, cubicle art by Jennifer Delilah, and the unique pop-drawing style prints of Daniel Greenfeld. Also on display was art by Eddie Alfaro, Michael Berkowitz, Chris Golden, Daniel Greenfeld, Lori Larusso, Casey Opstad, and Gregory Vershbow. Admission to the event was free.
www.sparklingfreshart.com

Full Exposure (Apr.4 - 28, 2006)
An exhibit of Erotic photo lithographs by Sylvie Covey at chashama's 112 W. 44th St. Gallery. An opening reception was held Tuesday April 4, 6-8p.
www.sylviecovey.com

To Be A Black Man In America (Apr.2, 2006)
The original play directed by Titus Walker with the Ujamaa Black Theater at 217 East 42nd Street.

Fool's Errand (Apr.1, 2006)
Premiere screening at 217 of a short film produced by chashama Programming Director Rachel Fleit.

MMC (Mar.30 - Apr.14, 2006)
A site-specific window installation conceived and performed by Zhen Heinemann at the chashama window venue at 112 W. 44th Street. This event was free and open to the public daily, 11a - 7p.
MMC was a three panel/triptych performative painting exploring the Maiden, Mother, Crone cycle through an American cultural lens. Each panel of the performative painting was displayed for five days, starting with the Maiden from March 30 to April 3. Still photos of all three panels were on view at the reception on April 14.
Zhen's previous installation, "Human, Deli Style," was part of chashama's 2005 False Body series.

I, Marlena (Mar.28, 2006)
"I, Marlena" is a short story/long poem by Courie with an indie-jazz score composed & played by Dan Nettles' Kenosha Kid. The story shuttles between two moments in Marlena's life: the present: a creatively-destructive late-evening office escapade, and the past: a haunting, rainy drive through the development-demolished landscape of her past. The music, improvised at each reading off a series of composed themes, layers Courie's stylized reading with Dan Nettles' bitter-sweet melodies and edgy, distorted guitar.
Today's selection is a work-in-progress: "Last Sad Song", [8 min, 24 sec], music by Dan Nettles, text by Laylage Courie, played by Dan Nettles, guitar; Jeff Reilly, drums, & read by Laylage Courie in the window of 217 East 42nd Street.
www.luminouswork.org

Mobile Mondays (Mar.27, 2006)
Organized by Dan Melinger, this was an informal conference on all things mobile: cellphones, Blackberries, etc. Attendance: 39
http://mobilemonday-ny.com

Playground (Mar.18 - Apr.8, 2006)
A Site-Specific Visual and Sound Installation by artist Marcia Cooper, part of chashama's Window Artist Series location at 266 West 37th Street (between 7th & 8th Avenue), FREE and open to the public. "Play Ground"is comprised of cast-off infant clothing, crafted domestic objects and recordings of vintage sounds and rhymes combined with the architecture of the storefront window to create a fragmented, free-flowing, floating environment.
www.cooperartstudio.com

Gospel of the Harlem Renaissance (Mar.18, 2006)
The 1920's-1930's musical based on the history of Harlem, by Titus Walker directing the Ujamaa Black Theater at 217.

prayer flags (for peace) (Mar.15 - 24, 2006)
Marking the third anniversary of the official declaration of the War on Iraq, artist Vennila nr Kain sets up a delicate network of crisscrossed prayer flags similar to the Tibetan prayers flags strung over sacred spaces. In this case, the artist uses weathered images of fallen soldiers as her prayer flags so that their lives (and death) may bring about the possibility of peace over land. Spread amidst these flags are four numerals corresponding to the current American death toll in Iraq. The floor is littered with shredded pure white paper symbolizing the silent and unknown numbers of Iraqi men, women & children and other incidental human cost of war such as contractors and security guards many of whom are hired from third world nations of this world. Reception held March 17.

This window installation is a part of the ongoing "Send A Salami To Your Boy In The Army" series of peace art created by the artist.
www.sendasalami.com
www.vennila.net
previous installation at 135 W.42nd Street

To Be A Black Man in America (Mar.12, 2006)
Written and directed by Titus Walker featuring the Ujamaa Black Theater at 217.

Love Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry (Mar.11 - May 31, 2006)
An installation by Christian Holstad at LEATHER BEACH, a temporary chashama exhibit venue at 679 Third Avenue (@43rd Street), formerly the Prince Deli. Produced by Daniel Reich Gallery.

wire (Mar.11 & 14, 2006)
Conceptualized and performed by Despina Stamos and Wen-shuan Yang at chashama's 112 West 44th Street Window, "wire" is a performance installation that investigates and distorts multiple perspectives created out of live source input, transforming its environment by accentuating detail and inviting participation from the passerby.

jamonit (Mar.11, 2006)
Encore appearance of the hip-hop poetry event hosted by Mahogony Brown at 217.

ABEX Box (Mar.9 - April 15, 2006)
A survey of 21st Century American Baroque Expressionism by Charles Clough, Janusz Jaworski, Antonio Puri and Mark Wiener at 208 West 37th Street. Reception held on Mar.9th.
www.abexbox.com

film retrospective (Mar.5, 2006)
A retrospective by Bill Brown of all six of Guy Debord's films shown at 217 in chronological order and in the original French, no subtitles, with translations and other relevant printed materials made available.
www.notbored.org

These People Talking at Me (Mar.3 - 31, 2006)
With her These People Project, Rachel Levy sets out to continually document the lives of friends and relatives until her death. The First Series in this project, These People Talking at Me is a study of the very foundation of interpersonal connection: the conversation. The artist documents her subjects as they attempt to communicate directly with her. Exhibited at 217, with a reception held Mar.8th.

Robert Miller & Celso Exhibit (Mar.2 - 31, 2006)
Rob Miller's 10,000 Pages in the back gallery, Celso and the Endless Love Crew in LIES 2006 in the main room of chashama's 112 West 44th Street Gallery. Opening and closing artist receptions + live painting sessions: Saturday March 4th and 25th, & Sunday, March 12th and 19th, 1-6pm.
Robert Miller blog
Celso's website

The Creamery (Mar.2 - 14, 2006)
Visual installation and sound in the 266 window by experimental performance collective The Creamery.
http://dreemykreem.org/TheCreamery2006.html

Toono Videos (February 28 - March 4, 2006)
For five days in the 217 window chashama hosts internationally renowned landscale artist Chaolun Baatar during a presentation of videos made of four of his landscape art projects, all to do with a central feature of Mongolian nomadic architecture, the "Toono", an object of considerable cultural and spiritual significance to the peoples of the Mongolian steppes. A scale model of his work will be on exhibit on the window stage during this time.
Information about these and an upcoming project, "800 Horses Skylight Toono", to take place in Mongolia, can be found on his website: www.chaolun.com.

jamonit (Feb.25, 2006)
A hip-hop poetry jam hosted by Mahogony Brown at 217, featuring local spoken-word artists and DJs.

Fashion Show (Feb.25, 2006)
The stylings of Fashion Institute of Technology student Jessica Encarnacion debut off-camapus at 217.

Girl Gala (Feb.23, 2006)
Guerrilla Girls On Tour (recipients of an AREA award in 2005) hosts the first annual women in theatre networking event at 217.
www.guerrillagirlsontour.com

Gospel of the Harlem Renaissance (Feb.22, 2006)
The 1920's-1930's musical based on the history of Harlem, by Titus Walker directing the Ujamaa Black Theater at 217.

"300 Buildings" (Feb.21 - 28, 2006)
This installation at 266 West 37th Street by Juniper Perlis is a full scale model of everything in a 3 block radius from 266 (300 buildings). Reception on Sunday, Feb.26, 6-7p.

An Evening of Cabaret (Feb.21, 2006)
A benefit for Red Metal Mailbox's upcoming production of OLD TRICKS presented by the Chocolate Factory Theater in May 2006. Featuring song stylings of Desiree Burch, Rosie McDavis (aka Becky Yamamoto), Kyle Jarrow, Matthew Kinney, Nitra Gutierrez, Emily Wilbur, Melanie Bell, and Keith Butler among others, as well as chances to win fabulous prizes, delicious snacks, and the return of the infamous Red Metal Martini. At chashama @217.

For The Love Of My Black Woman (Feb.14, 2006)
Titus Walker directs the Ujamaa Black Theater in a run of his play in honor of Valentine's Day at chashama 217.

Can I Help You? (Feb.8 - 12, 2006)
a multimedia performance installation and an Exploding Moment production directed by Catharine Dill, with Kathryn Alexander, Derek Ellis, Andrew Glasgow, Jennifer Hildner, Gabriel Rivera, Kate Scelsa at chashama 217. This work-in-progress was a culmination of work done in part as a chashama AREA Award, a residency subsidized by the National Endowment of the Arts.

Alexander Berg ONE SHOT project at 112 (Feb.3 - 28, 2006)
Alexander Berg and his ONE SHOT crew return to Times Square to create photographic portraits of the people who inhabit this area by providing free portraits to those who come in and partake of their project. Visitors can also come in just to look at portraits that have already been taken.
ONE SHOT homepage

Inaugural Exhibition and Silent Auction (Jan.31, 2006)
by Sparkling Fresh Artists & Auctions, a new organization dedicated to hosting silent auction events for visual arts in New York City, featuring paintings, drawings, & prints by Michael Alan, Melissa Amernick, Luca Borghese, Jennifer Delilah, Denise DeSpirito, Dublin Durller, Jordan Eagles, Daniel Greenfield, Diana Gurfel, Monica Hernandez, James Kennedy, Casey Opstad at chashama 217.
www.sparklingfreshart.com

Gospel of the Harlem Renaissance (Jan.30, 2006)
The 1920's-1930's musical based on the history of Harlem, by Titus Walker directing the Ujamaa Black Theater at chashama 217.

Land of Make Believe and associated braneworlds (Jan.27 - Feb.27, 2006)
scrapworm returns to chashama with a new installation at 208 W 37th St., ground floor. Opening reception January 27th.
scrapworm's website

AWAKENING (Jan.26 - 28, 2006)
"AWAKENING", Reflections in Life, Death and Everything in Between... Directed by Christopher Goodrich, Lighting Design by Christopher R. Hoyt, A Next Big Thing production at chashama 217.
Featuring: Debra Kay Anderson*, Jack R. Marks*, Tawanna Brown, Mary E. Hodges*, Mando Alvarado*, Maybeth Ryan*, Mollye Asher, Troy Hall, Frank Juliano*, Candace Reid, Aaron Fili, Bonnie Barrios, Kevin Logie.
*appearing courtesy of Actors Equity Association
Work by playwrights: Karin Williams, Peter F. Langman, Dan Trujillo, November Dawn, Christine DiGiovanni, Lia Romeo, Adam Szymkowicz, Jim Dunleavy, Elizabeth Canavan, Catherine Zambri, Dale Anderson, Cristina Pippa, Laura Lewis Barr.
This Woman's Work Theatre Co.

Films of Sam Zalutsky (Jan.25 - 27, 2006)
"Superstore", "Stefan's Silver Bell", and "Smear" shown in the 112 W.44th St. Window, 12-6p.
http://homepage.mac.com/sazam

1st Annual Seed Management Showcase (Jan.21 - 22, 2006)
at chashama 217, featuring olive Dance Theatre, Pasión y Arte, Montäzh Performing Arts Company with special guest Nêgo Gato Music & Dance Ensemble, Pittsburgh PA, "A Roster of dance companies that honor & challenge folk roots with contemporary aesthetics".
jamie merwin or raphael xavier, agents: seed management
www.seedsintact.com

UNVEILED & WARNING SIGNS (January 13th - 14th, 2006)
Two one-woman shows back to back: UNVEILED by Michele Cuomo & WARNING SIGNS by Maggie Surovell at chashama 217 E. 42nd Street.

Nic Hallett (Jan.18 - 20, 2006)
2nd installment of selections of meredith monk's "our lady of late" for voice and wineglass in the 112 W44th Street window in January. All performances free.
www.maisonduchic.com

60x60 (2004) (Jan.09 - 24, 2006)
60x60 is a video concert containing 60 compositions from 60 different composers, with each composition being 60 seconds or less in duration. Performed in succession without pause, one after another, they comprise a 1 hour video installation at 266 W.37th Street.
In 2004 the 60x60 project collaborated with the Japanese video artist Shimpei Takeda. Shimpei Takeda's video captures various naturally occurring abstractions of everyday life, and in it random exteriors and ordinary objects find a new context.
www.voxnovus.com

Nic Hallett (Jan.04 - 06, 2006)
Nic sings selections of meredith monk's "our lady of late" for voice and wineglass in the 112 W44th Street window, reprising his performance at chashama's OASIS 2005 festival in July. All performances free.
www.maisonduchic.com

One Maine / Two Views (Jan.02 - 29, 2006)
Collages by Joseph Coleman
Paintings by Janice L. Moore
Reception Date: Thursday, January 12, 6-8pm
www.janicelmoore.com

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