Hudson River Museum: Seniors Cultural Events (open to everybody)

The Hudson River Museum has been doing once a month cultural events for seniors.  Although designed and marketed  for seniors, they are open to all ages, so if you are un-employed, under-employed, or want to take a day off to play hooky, you are invited too.  More info at http://www.hrm.org

			Wednesday, March 16 Sweet Plantain                        1:30 – 3 pm Nobody bridges the gap between generations or musical genres like Sweet Plantain, a refreshingly new string quartet. Artfully fusing the western classical traditions in which they were trained with the hip-hop, jazz improv, and Latin rhythms on which they were raised, their original writing and live shows educate and entertain. Separately hailing from the South Bronx, New Jersey and Venezuela, together these musicians give voice to a sound that is contemporary, multicultural and very New York.
			Wednesday, April 13 Bartholomew Bland on Chemistry of Color 1:30 – 3 pm Hudson River Museum Curator of Exhibitions, Bartholomew Bland, gives an illustrated lecture on Chemistry of Color: The Sorgenti Collection of Contemporary African–American Art. On loan from the Philadelphia Academy of the Fine Arts, Chemistry of Colortraces developments in African American art throughout the 20th century, beginning with masterworks by Romare Bearden and Jacob Lawrence, including paintings, sculptures, works on paper and mixed-media objects that are vibrant, bold, optimistic and spectacularly colorful.
			Wednesday, May 4 Dr. Jo-Ann Graham: Abstract Expressionism and the African American Artist 1:30 – 3 pm This program, which is free and open to the public, is made possible through the support of the New York Council for the Humanities’ Speakers in the Humanities program. In this illustrated talk Dr. Graham explores the role of the African American artist in the historic and contemporary world of abstract painting. The program will impart a greater awareness of the breadth of paintings that have been created by African American artists. Too often, the common expectation is that Black artists' paintings are limited to representational works. This perception is often void of an informed awareness of the powerful and critically acclaimed work of Black artists who are abstractionists. Jo-Ann Graham earned a Ph.D. from New York University. She was a professor at The City University of New York, where she was a department chairperson and head of humanities. Dr. Graham has been on The Board of The Hammond Museum. She has also been with the Cinque Art Gallery, founded by Romare Bearden, Ernest Crichlow and Norman Lewis. The founding mission of the Cinque Gallery was to establish a not-for-profit institution that would be dedicated to enhancing growth opportunities for Black artists, to provide an exhibition space for the fine arts created by African American artists, and to establish an educational venue for the public. Dr. Graham extends that mission to providing educational presentations on aspects of the fine visual arts that are created by Black artists.