HISTORIC NEW YORK'S OLD-FASHIONED HOLIDAY (c) By Polly Guerin

Have yourself a very merry old-fashioned holiday in historic New York where celebrations abound in museum settings and the streets sparkle with snowflake lights and crimson ribbons. Only in New York, my friends. Only in New York. Here’s the scoop!!!
A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Join in the holiday spirit and marvel at the annual display of Charles Dickens's holiday classic, A Christmas Carol, on view through January 9, 2011 at the Morgan Library & Museum. The manuscript, a fascinating jumble of changes, corrections, additions, deletions, and scribble reveals that Dickens wrote it in a mere six weeks because he needed the money (Mrs. Dickens was pregnant again). The initial 6,000 copies went on sale on December 19, 1843 and sold out, largely because of the hand-colored drawings by a famous illustrator, John Leech. But then the story caught on, and the book went through 24 editions in its original form. The Morgan presents a new concert version of the Dickens’s beloved classic with a virtuoso cast of five actors and musicians who bring Ebenezer Scrooge’s transformative journey to the living stage. Friday December 17th, 7:30 p.m., 225 Madison Ave. (35th St.) www.themorgan.org.
CHRISTMAS COMES TO OLD NEW YORK

Do you yearn to turn back the clock and experience the good old days? Then step into the Merchant’s House Museum (built in 1832) where recreated scenes of holiday preparations reveal old-time holiday customs in a time-capsule setting of the prosperous Tredwell family house, unchanged for nearly a century. Christmas in New York: Tours by Candlelight, Fri Dec. 17 6-9pm, Sat. & Sun. 4-8pm. The house is decked out in holiday decorations, the rooms light by flickering candlelight and costumed actors relate the Christmas tradition of mid-19th century New York. ($20, $15 children) 29 E. Fourth St. (between Lafayette & Bowery) Reservations required: 212.777.1089. www.merchantshousemusem.org.

A CHILD’S CHRISTMAS IN WALES CONCERT

A thousand starry lights envelope the stage at The Irish Repertory Theatre in the reinvention of Dylan Thomas’s “A Child’s Christmas in Wales.” The iconic piece, starring both Irish Repertory favorites and Broadway veterans, features both traditional and contemporary Christmas music woven with the classic story of the legendary snowy Christmas Day in Wales. Adapted and directed by Charlotte Moore, music by John Bell. Through Jan 2, 2011. Performances at 132 W. 22nd St. Wed.-Sat. @ 8pm. Matinees Wed.,Sat., Sun. @ 3pm. Ticket info: 212.727.2737. www.irishrep.org.

THE YULE LOG & Scandinavian Customs

Norway is the birthplace of the Yule log. The word “Yule” came from the Norse word hweol, meaning wheel. Before Christmas, many Norwegians count down the days with their advent calendars. On Christmas Eve, after a goose dinner, Danish families light candles decorating the Christmas tree. After dancing and singing around the tree, the family exchanges gifts. In Finland, Christmas festivities are receded by a visit to the sauna, after which everyone dresses in clean clothes in preparation for the Christmas dinner. The Christmas tree is set up on Christmas Eve and decorated with ap0ples, candies, paper flags, cotton and tinsel.
Ta Ta, darlings!!! I’m wishing you all the warmth of home and love of family and friends, and all the deepest joys of a very Merry Christmas and a Sensational New Year. There’s so much to celebrate. Fan mail always welcome at pollytalk@verizon.net. Or go to www.pollytalk.com and link to one of my Blogs.

NEW YORK'S CRAFTS and CULTURE GIFT IDEAS

The weather outside is frightful but I am so delightful to know that even if it may snow there’s crafts and culture, and tony books in New York to warm up the days with sure fire events. Only in New York, my friends. Only in New York. Here’s the Scoop!!!

CLAY FESTIVAL 5

It’s the holiday season and Clay Festival celebrates its fifth year by showcasing the works of twenty of New York’s talented ceramic artists on Saturday, December 18th from 12 to 7pm at St. Anthony’s Church, Houston & Sullivan Streets in Soho. Peter Davis, the ceramic artist who created Clay Festival, invites you to stop by to browse for gifts and discover a beautiful and rare selection of handmade bowls, mugs, plates, platters, jewelry, sculpture, tiles, teapots ‘n cups, covered jars, cat and dog bowls and many other unique stocking stuffers. Get into the holiday spirit, mingle and meet the artists and find some unique last minute shopping ideas. A tasty selection of baked goods is also available. No entrance fee. Wheelchair accessible, elevator on Houston St. www.clayfestivalnyc.blogspot.com.

PERFORMANCE 9:

Allora & Calzadilla Talking about upside down art there’s a unique experience at MOMA. The Museum of Modern Art’s Performance Exhibition series continues with artist duo Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla, who bring Stop, Repair, Prepare: variations on Ode to Joy for a Prepared Piano (2008) to the Museum’s Donald B. and Catherine C. Marron Atrium for performances throughout the day. For each 30-minute performance, the pianist standing in a hole carved in the center of an early 20th century Bechstein piano, will lean over the piano’s keyboard, playing upside down and backward while moving the instrument around the Atrium. These performances will take place hourly beginning at 11:30 a.m. each day through January 10, 2011. MOMA, 11W. 53rd St. www.moma.org.

JOSEPH URBAN:

The World as Theater Books are among my favorite things but who was Joseph Urban? This Vienna-born architect and set designer, renowned in the 1930s gets his due recognition in John Loring’s magnificent book, “Joseph Urban,” just published in full color by Abrams Books. The book coincides with the exhibition of Urban’s astonishing career, at the RBML, the Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Columbia University. The exhibition, continuing through Dec. 23, contains 152 pieces that cover Urban’s drawings. He prolifically created sets for Ziegfeld Follies, the New York and Boston operas and William R. Hearst’s Cosmopolitan Pictures. His architectural works include the New School of Social Research. At the Butler Library, 6th floor east, 535 W. 114 St. Free, open to the public. Check hours of operation: 212.854.5590. Email: rbml@libraries.cul.columbia.edu.

CECIL BEATON, The Art of the Scrapbook

Now, here’s a blockbuster book idea. Assouline, a French publisher that produces books for luxury gift-giving is over the top with this $250 Cecil Beaton book that reproduces for the first time the iconic photographer’s visual diaries. Only in New York, my friends, only in New York!!! You can visit Assouline’s tony store in the mezzanine of The Plaza Hotel or better yet check out their original offerings at www.assouline.com. For a mere $50 you can buy “Fifty Years of Fantasy Gifts from the Neiman Marcus Christmas Catalogue.”
Ta Ta darlings!!! I’m heading way up town to take in Joseph Urban’s incredible works, and then I’ll return midtown to visit the Bryant Park skating ring. Fan mail always welcome at pollytalk@verizon.net. Go to www.pollytalk.com and scroll over to the left hand column list of Polly’s Blogs; just click the one of your choice and Voila!!! The link takes you there. Enjoy!

A FASHIONABLE HOLIDAY NEW YORK STYLE (c) By Polly Guerin

Fashion aficionados need go no further than stylish New York venues to view historical designer shows, hear the fashion experts reveal the legendary stories and plan next year’s celebrations. Only in New York, my friends, only in New York. Here’s the scoop!!!

BALENCIAGA: SPANISH MASTER
Spanish-born Spanish couturier Cristobal Balenciaga’s daring innovations influenced by royal costumes , regional dress, and the Spanish flair for flamenco dance line up for review on a mannequin exhibit at the Queen Sofia Spanish Institute, through February 19, 2011, at 540Park Ave. Pictured left: Balenciaga's sculpture-like evening ensmble. Curated by Hamish Bowles, Vogue’s European editor at large, many of the pieces have their inspiration from historical royal costumes, Spanish Art and the church while another gallery exhibits the more exuberant side of Spain that inspired Balenciaga, regional design and costumes of the bullfight. Tickets $15. 212.628.0420. www.queensofiaspanishinstitute.org.
THE FASHION INSITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Join Hamish Bowles, curator of the exhibition Balenciaga, Spanish Master for an illustrated lecture about the impact on legendary designer Cristobal Balenciaga of Spain’s cultural and religious history, regional costumes, rich dance traditions, and its great artists, as well as the power and the splendor of the bullfight. Dec. 2, 6-8 pm. Reservations required. Katie Murphy Amphitheatre, 27th St.& 7th Ave.212.217.5970. www.fitnyc.edu.
ALEXANDER MCQUEEN TRIBUTE
New Year Fashion is retrospective. Next spring the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, will stage a comprehensive show celebrating Alexander McQueen’s work over two decades. Andrew Bolton, who is spearheading the exhibit said, “McQueen had such a singular voice and he was a remarkable technician.” Themes will reflect the designer’s fascination with Romantic Gothic, Romantic Exoticism and The Savage Mind. A Cabinet of Curiosities will feature many of the designer’s outlandish innovations. Opens May 4, 2011. www.metmuesum.org.
LEONARDO’S LAST SUPPER
Be among the first to see the American premiere of visionary artist and filmmaker Peter Greenaway’s multimedia interpretation of Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece, The Last Supper at the Park Avenue Armory, 67th St. Visitors are immersed in a series of audio-visual environments, starting with a full-scale replica of the dome of Milan’s Refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie to Greenaway’s meticulously detailed facsimile of The Last Supper, and finally to an ebullient celebration of the Venetian Wedding at Cana by Paolo Veronese. $15 general admission, $12 Members, Students,Seniors. Opens Dec. 3 through Jan. 6, 2011.Tickets are required for all programs. www.armoryonpark.org or call 212.933.5812

Ta Ta darlings!!! Balenciaga leads my fashion scoops this week and I’m also off to hear Hamish Bowles at FIT. Please join me. Fan mail always welcome pollytalk@verizon.net. Go to www.pollytalk.com and scroll over to the left hand column list of Polly’s Blogs; just click the one of your choice and Voila!! The link takes you there. Enjoy!!!

Celebrating The Holiday Season in New York (c) By Polly Guerin

I’ll take Manhattan where Home Sweet Home is in its final week; the Holiday train shows up in the Bronx and the yuletide Christmas tree debuts at the MET, Picasso’s guitar sculptures at MOMA. Here’s the Scoop!!!

HOME SWEET HOME

The Scandinavian American Theater Company’s riveting drama may be about a dinner for a Danish comrade recently returned from Iraq, but if truth be told, the play makes Danish sound like an American tragedy. A pleasant evening turns into a fatal encounter when the three characters, Kim and his girlfriend Iben welcome Carsten, recently returned from service in Iraq to their new home for dinner only to reveal the traumatic experience of war in riveting consequences against a film backup that effectively augments Carsten’s anguish. At 9th Space, PS122, corner of 1st and 9th St: Mon./Tue. +Fri. at 7:30 pm, Sat. Nov. 27 at 4:30+7:30 pm, Sunday Nov. 28 at 4:30 pm. Purchase tickets online at: www.9thspace.org or call 212.352.3101.
HOLIDAY TRAIN SHOW

Winds its way through The New York Botanical Garden through Jan.9th. Wrapped in the glow of twinkling lights, model trains pave their way through an enchanted world featuring replicas of more than 140 New York landmarks, including this year’s new addition: JFK Airport’s complete with planes. Catch “The Little Train That Could” puppet show beginning Nov. 30th, and warm up indoors and decorate gingersnaps at Gingerbread Adventure. Bronx River Parkway at Fordham road. Metro North Harlem line to NYBG. For tickets: http://www.nybg.org/hts/#yourvisit.
CHRISTMAS TREE AND NEAPOLITAN BAROQUE CRECHE

A long-standing yuletide tradition in New York the Christmas tree at The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Medieval Sculpture Hall is on view from November 23, 2010 through January 6, 2011. The brightly lit, 20-foot blue spruce reflects the spirit of the holiday season with a collection of 18th-century Neapolitan angels and cherubs that hover among its boughs with groups of realistic crèche figures flanking the Nativity scene at its base. Christmas music accompanies the daily lighting ceremonies: Tues./Wed./Thurs/Sun at 4:30 pm; and Fri+Sat. at 4:30, 5:30+6:30 pm. www.metmusuem.org.
PICASSO: GUITARS 1912-1914

Focuses on Pablo Picasso’s cardboard and sheet-metal Guitar sculptures bringing together 70 closely connected collages, constructions, drawings, mixed-media paintings, and photographs assembled from over 30 public and private collections worldwide. The exhibition takes as its point of departure Picasso’s first Guitar construction, a sculpture made in 1912. The artist’s silent instrument resembled no sculpture that had ever been seen before as its creation coincided with Picasso’s embrace of a wide range of what were then unconventional materials. February 13-June 6, 2011. At The Museum of Modern Art, MOMA, 11 W. 53rd St. www.moma.org.
Ta Ta Darlings!!! The Christmas tree at the MET is a “must” on my holiday list. Hope to see you there at one of the lighting ceremonies. Fan mail always welcome: pollytalk@verizon.net. Polly’s Blogs can be accessed at www.pollytalk.com, simply click on the blog link of your choice in the right hand column.

The Big Apple's Holiday Pot Pourri (c) By Polly Guerin

Cultural adventures in the fast lane of the Big Apple present a cornucopia of venues to titillate your holiday meanderings from fashion exhibitions to art opens and a Home Sweet Home play. It’s a pot pourri. Here’s the scoop!!!

HIS & HERS The Male/Female Divide THE MUSEUM AT FIT’S new exhibit explores the changing perceptions of “masculine” and ‘feminine” dress including so-called unisex and androgynous dress with side-by-side comparisons of men’s and women’s clothing highlighting their differences and similarities. A pinstriped navy blue woman’s pantsuit designed by Yves Saint Laurent, will be shown alongside a Saint Laurent man’s suit in velvet. While skirts are generally regarded as “feminine” garments in Western culture, garments such as kilts and sarongs are common attire for men in other parts of the world. Opens Nov. 30th, Seventh Ave. at 27th St. www.fitnyc.edu. Due to the popularity of “Japan Fashion Now” the exhibition has been extended through April 2, 2011.
HOME SWEET HOME: Scandinavian American Theater Company Riveting Performance!!! A pleasant reunion becomes a fatal evening in Andreas Garfield’s play, a timely commentary on a welcome home dinner. Inspired by interviews with Danish soldiers “Home Sweet Home” reveals the traumatic experience of war and the unsympathetic indifference of home as refracted through a Nordic country. English translation by Lisa Pettersson. To order tickets go to www.satcnyc.org. or call 212.352.3101. Evenings at 7:30 pm, Sat+Sun at 4:30 pm. Fri. Nov. 19th at 7:30+10 pm. Run ends Nov. 28.
THE HANUKKAH PROJECT

Three major sculptural installations related to Hanukkah are on view at the contemporary gallery at The Jewish Museum, Nov. 19th to Jan. 30, 2011. View works such as Alice Aycock’s Greased Lightning, a motorized kinetic sculpture featuring an oversized moving dreidel, the small, inscribed top that children play with during the Hanukkah holiday which begins at sundown on Wed ./Dec. 1 and continues until sundown on Thurs./Dec. 9th. These works are presented in conjunction with Daniel Libeskind’s bold and dramatic installation featuring 40 Hanukkah lamps. www.thejeweishmuseum.org/hanukkah2010.

ON LINE, DRAWING THROUGH THE 20TH CENTURY

Explores the radical transformation of the medium of drawing through the last century, a period when numerous artists critically examined the traditional concepts of drawing and expanded the medium’s definition in relation to gesture and form. Works of a wide range of artists brings together over 300 pieces that connect drawing to selections of painting sculpture, photography, film and dance. On view from Nov. 21, through Feb. 7, 2011. In conjunction with On Line, five choreographers and performers will stage works with the Museum in January 2011 including Trisha Brown, Ralph Lemon, Marie Cool, Fabio Balducci and Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker. At MOMA, 11 w. 53 St. http://www.moma.org/.

Ta Ta darlings!!! I’m off to His & Hers at The Museum at FIT with my friend Dickie who will wear a kilt and I’ll don the pants. Fan mail always welcome pollytalk@verizon.net. Go to www.pollytalk.com and scroll over to the left hand column list of Polly’s Blogs, just click the one of your choice and Voila the link takes you there. Enjoy!!!

Photo Opportunities Focus in the Big Apple (c) By Polly Guerin

Photographic treasures by masters of the 20th Century art form headline openings this week while Art for Science’s Sake peaks into dioramas and Material Poetry celebrates works by Irish artists. Only in New York my friends, only in New York. Here’s the scoop!!!


NORMAN ROCKWELL
"Behind the Camera!" Little known fact, beginning in the late 1930s, Norman Rockwell adopted photography as a tool to bring his illustration ideas to life. Working as a director, Rockwell staged his photographs, orchestrating every detail. Behind the Camera presents these photographs alongside his paintings, drawings, and related tear sheets to offer a look at the artist’s working process. Pictured here "Tatoo Artist." Organized by the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, MA, just hop on the train to the Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway. Opens November 19th. www.brooklynmusum.org.
THREE MASTER PHOTOGRAPHERS
Three giants of 20th century photography---Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Steichen and Paul Strand---share the spotlight at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, opening November 10th. The diverse and groundbreaking work of these artists will be revealed through a presentation of 115 photographs drawn entirely from the Museum’s collection. On view will be many of the greatest photographic portraits including Stieglitz’s famous portrait of Georgia O’Keeffe. Steichen rivaled the scale, color and individuality of painting in works such as The Pond—Moonrise (1904). Strand incorporated the new language of geometric abstraction into his interest in photographing street life and machine culture. 1000 Fifth Ave. www.metmuseum.org.
ART FOR SCIENCE’S SAKE
The natural history diorama of the early 20th century continues to regale children and their parents at many museum institutions, but leave it to Kevin Avery, associate curator in the Dept. of American Paintings and Sculpture at the Met will shed light on the subject. In a review and illuminated art he will discuss how these dioramas evolved from traditions of both scientific and art entertainment reach back to the late 18th century. FREE Nov. 9th, 6pm. Sponsored by the Metropolitan Chapter of The Victorian Society in America, at The New York New Church, 114E. 35th St. events@metrovsa.org.
MATERIAL POETRY
Irish Eyes Are Smiling at the American Irish Historical Society where an exhibition of Contemporary Objects from Ireland highlights the best of the new wave of design and craft emerging from Ireland. International curator, Brian Kennedy, focuses on Irish makers whose works are infused with a poetic simplicity and a material honesty. Influenced by ancient Irish architectural forms and the majestic Irish landscape the artistic works reveal a deep rooted respect for techniques and a true understanding and love of material in ceramics, furniture, jewelry, glass and wood. At 991 Fifth Ave. Contact: tracy@causeycontemporary.com

Ta Ta darlings!!! Love those Rockwell’s. I can’t wait to see the artist’s photo/painting technique. Fan mail welcome: pollytalk@verizon.net and visit www.pollytalk.com and select Polly’s Blogs in the right hand column.

Cultural Whirlwind Sweeps Into Town (c) By Polly Guerin

As the chill of winter sweeps into town the whirlwind of cultural events in the Big Apple invites you to hunker down indoors. On the scene: Global Artists, an Ancient Egyptian General, the Inventor of Basketball and Weimar Cinema, but bundle up outdoors. Here’s the scoop!!!

ARTIST TALK: KRISTAPS GULBIS >>>>
As we welcome this year’s group of ArtsLink Fellows to their residencies in the US, they return the favor by giving us a glimpse into their own working methods and the contemporary art scenes in their home countries. Kristaps Gulbis, a Latvian artist and sculptor, (photo above) will discuss his public art practices and recent international projects and tell us about his residency experience at LMCC’s New Arts Center at Governor’s Island where the artist maintains a studio at Building 110 through Nov. 17th. The Artist’s Talk, Free and open to the takes place Thursday, Nov. 4th, 6-8 pm, at the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, 125 Maiden Lane, 2nd floor, followed by wine reception.
HAREMHAB, THE GENERAL WHO BECAME KING
One of the most fascinating pharaohs of ancient Egypt, Haremhab was a strong leader in a time of political and religious transition. As commander-in-chief of Tutankhamun’s army, he oversaw important military campaigns and later as the last King of Dynasty 18, he instituted laws that secured the rights of civilians and curbed abuses perpetrated by powerful groups. Haremhab is the inaugural presentation in a series of exhibitions that will spotlight masterpieces from the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection of Egyptian art. 1000 Fifth Ave. Opens Nov. 16th.http://www.metmuseum.org.
BASKET BALL INVENTOR
“Sotheby’s to Sell the Rules that invented the game of Basketball.” Sports enthusiasts and historians check this out. The game “Basket Ball” was the invention of a 30-year old physical educator teacher named James Naismith, who in December 1891 posted a two-page typed document comprising a set of 13 rules to a new, game at a Springfield, Mass. YMCA gym to entertain a restless class of students during the winter months. The two-page typescript started it all with more than an estimated 450 million playing Basketball today. The document on view at Sotheby’s, 72nd St. & York Ave. At auction Dec. 10th it is estimated to bring more than $2 million.
WEIMAR CINEMAS, 1919-1933
MOMA presents the most extensive exhibition of Weimar cinema ever mounted in the United State. Daydreams and Nightmares, Nov. 27-March 7, 2011 surveys the extraordinary fertile and influential period in German filmmaking between the two world wars. The 4-month series includes over 80 films, many rare—a mix of classic films and many motion pictures unseen since the 1930s opens with “Into the Blue” (1929). A selection of original Weimar movie posters and photographs augment the film presentations at The Roy and Niuta Titus Theater, 11 W. 53 St., www.moma.org.
Ta Ta darlings!!! By the way if you haven’t seen the movie, “Inside Job,” DO! This riveting movie tells the story of the economic collapse of 2008 with interviews with key players who perpetrated the debacle. Fan mail always welcome: pollytalk@verizon.net. For a list of Polly’s Blogs go to: www.pollytalk.com and in the right hand column find the link to the Blog of your choice.

Innovative Vernissages For October's End (c) By Polly Guerin

Andy Warhol's Pop Art
Sculptural installations, impressionist and modern art, innovative furniture…all this and a square meal makes October’s last week a treasure trove for museum hopping and auction previews. Here’s the Scoop!!!

KATRIN SIGURDARDOTTIR AT THE MET This Icelandic artist, known for her detailed renditions of places, both real and fictional often incorporates an element of surprise, draws the viewer into a fantasy experience. Entitled Boiseries, the installations are full-scale renditions of 18th-Century French rooms preserved at the Met. Visitors are invited to walk among panels based on the Hotel de Cabris period room and looking through surveillance mirrors, they will be able to see inside the rooms Katrin has created with replica furniture based on the Hotel de Crillon period room in the Met’s Wrightsman Galleries. Simultaneously on exhibit is Innovative Furniture by American designer Charles Rohlfs, which combines elements of Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau. Recently opened. www.metmuseum.org.
SOTHEBY’S IMPRESSIONIST AND MODERN ART
Auction previews offer a superb opportunity to see first hand art works, not in museums, from an early painting by Eugene Boudin from 1868 to a Pablo Picasso canvas from 1970s. The preview prior to the autumn evening sale Nov. 2, also includes important works; Amedeo Modigliani’s nude, Nu assis sur un divan (La Belle Romain), estimated in excess of $40 million and Le Bassin aux Nympheas, a spectacular canvas from Claude Monet’s iconic water lilies series, estimated $20/30 million and Andy Warhol’s Coco-Cola, an icon of the Pop Art movement, estimated at $20/25 million, among others. On view starting Oct. 19th. York Avenue at 72nd, www.sothebys.com.
SQUARE MEAL
I don’t often recommend restaurants, but finding a nice place to have lunch without breaking your budget is of prime concern when one is uptown museum and gallery hopping. One such place is SQUARE MEAL, at 30 E. 92nd St. just off Madison Ave. This restaurant’s weekly lunch Tuesday through Friday from 11 to 2:30 pm has reasonable price points on its rather substantial and original menu. I ordered $10 omelet with twice-baked potato and toasted cornbread and my companion took the Square Meal burger (5 oz.) with oven fries and homemade ketchup $14. Check out the menu at www.squaremealnyc.com.
THE GREAT CRASH OF 1929
This unique annual guided walking tour of Lower Manhattan commemorates the Great Crash of 1929, the Panic of 1907 stock market collapse, and delves into the political, financial, real estate and architectural history of Wall street and New York City. The tour shows that despite such adversities as the Great Fires of 1776 and 1835, and the financial panics and the 9/11/01 terrorist attach and the financial crisis of 2008, New York and Wall Street have always recovered their position as the world’s financial capital. Tour meets at the Museum of American Finance, 48 Wall St., Oct. 30th, 1 to 4 pm. Cost: $15. Email lseeger@moaf.org or call 212-908-4110.

Ta Ta Darlings!!! I think I’ll check out the preview art works at Sotheby’s. Fan mail always welcome at: pollytalk@verizon.net. Do look at Polly’s Blogs. Go to www.pollytalk.com and click on the Blog of your choice in the right hand column.

Manhattan's Rich Cultural Diversity (c) By Polly Guerin

Tomaselli's Bird Collage>>>>>>>>















I’ll take Manhattan and all its cultural diversity from art and magic to looking back on life in Morocco and Porgy & Bess’ anniversary there are enough venues galore to keep score and improve one’s mind. Only in New York, my friends, only in New York. Here’s the scoop!!!

HOUDINI: ART and MAGIC Examines the renowned magician and daring escape artist’s life through 163 objects, including 26 recent works of art inspired by Houdini. His gripping theatrical presentations and heart-stopping outdoor spectacles attracted unprecedented crowds, and his talent for self- promotion and provocation captured headlines on both sides of the Atlantic. Born Ehrich Weiss in Budapest, Hungary, Houdini (1874-1926) was the son of a rabbi who against all odds became an international performer. A recreation of the famous Water Torture Cell is included in the exhibition. Opens Oct. 26, at the Jewish Museum, Fifth Ave. at 92nd St. www.thejewishmuseum.org.

FRED TOMASELLI’S SOLO SHOW Focuses on the trajectory of Tomaselli’s career, from works from the late 1980s to the present including 40 collages and paintings created specifically for the Brooklyn Museum’s presentation. Tomaselli’s work reveals a uniquely American vision. He creates richly decorated surfaces that are composed of hundreds of found objects that move with psychedelic precision in images that amass prescription pills, along with images of birds, plants, flowers and anatomical illustrations. Two new captivating artworks, Night Music for Raptors and Starling, are large-scale painting collages. The former represents an owl composed of hundreds of cut-out eyes. Through Jan. 2, 2011. www.brooklynmuseum.org.

LOOKING BACK: JEWISH LIFE IN MOROCCO This engaging xhibition enlightens the visitor on the beautiful history and culture of the Jewish people and Jewish life, as it once was in Morocco with an overview demonstrating how Jewish communities lived among, and were influenced by, various peoples including the Berbers, the Spanish, the Arabs and the French. Artistically designed textual displays, documents, lithographs and engravings, historic photos, replications of historic documents demonstrate the life of the Jews living throughout this North African country. At the American Sephardi Federation, 15 West 16th St., part of an ongoing year-long program. www.americansephardifederation.org.

THE 75th ANNIVERSARY OF PORGY AND BESS Stars from some of the world’s premiere opera companies will perform highlights of the celebrated 1935 opera. Incorporating a wealth of blues and jazz idioms, George Gershwin conceived of Porgy & Bess as an “American folk opera.” He considered it his finest work, but it was not widely accepted as part of the standard opera repertoire until a triumphant 1976 production, long after his death. On October 28 at 7pm, Elebash Recital Hall, The Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Ave. (at 34th St.) Tickets phone: 212.868.4444, $24 and $18.
Ta my darlings!!! Life in Morocco, Houdini, Porgy and Bess, Tomaselli…all this in one week, a rich cultural diversity. Fan mail is always welcome: pollytalk@verizon.net and for Polly’s Blogs go to www.pollytalk.,com and just click on the link of the Blog of your choice at right on the home page.

A MUSUEM RESTORATION, HEROES AND PURE BEAUTY (C) By Polly Guerin

The Morgan Library & Museum Rotunda
The plethora of cultural events in the Big Apple leaves one no other choice than to set priorities to attend the rich choice of October openings. Only in New York, my friends, only in New York. Here’s the scoop!!!

THE MORGAN LIBRARY & MUSEUM Celebrates with a state-of-the-art face-lift of the J. P. Morgan landmark McKim, Mead and White building at Madison Avenue and 36th Street. Considered one of New York’s great architectural treasures, it underwent a $4.5 million restoration, the first major interior restoration of the architectural gem since its construction in 1906. Revitalized historic spaces of the Morgan include the library’s main rotunda, (photo by Graham Haber)which features figures from literature while the office of Morgan’s original librarian, Belle da Costa Greene, includes the earliest works in the Morgan collection. The public opening/celebration on Oct.30th will feature lecture, guided tours and musical performances. www.themorgan.org.
HEROES: MORTALS AND MYTHS IN ANCIENT GREECE
While Achilles, Odysseus and Helen continue to fire the popular imagination, the very word ‘hero’ has a different meaning in society today than it did in an ancient Greek world when people treasured their Greek heroes and heroines. This rare exhibition casts light on the continuing human need for heroes today and brings together about 100 exceptional artworks focusing on the Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic period ranging from large-scale architectural sculptures to beautifully decorated pottery and miniature carved gemstones. At the Onassis Cultural Center, entrance on 51st St. between 5th and Madison Avenues, FREE Admission. On view: Mon.-Sat. 10 am-6pm.
JOHN BALDESSARI’S PURE BEAUTY
Widely renowned as a pioneer of conceptual art, American artist, John Baldessari, one of the most influential contemporary artists of the last 50 years, steps up to the limelight in an exhibition of his innovative work, as well as his videos, artist’s books, and large-scale installations. In his ground-breaking work of the late 1960s, he challenged historically accepted rules of how to make art turning towards photographic images, transferring the snapshots he took of banal, Southern Californian locales onto his canvases and combined these images with words and painted text. At the Metropolitan Museum of Art, through January 2011 at 1000 Fifth Avenue. www.metmuseum.org.
WOMEN POP ARTISTS: SEDUCTIVE SUBVERSIVE
While men have dominated the pop art scene, women pop artists have their due, at the Brooklyn Museum, where 50 works of 25 female artists exhibit their collages, photorealist paintings, psychedelic works and sculptures. Artist on display include familiar pop artists such as Marisol, Niki de Saint Phalle, Yayoi Kusama and an opportunity to discover iconic pop artists’ works including Martha Rosler’s photomontage “Vacuuming Pop Art.” Through Jan. 9, 2011. www.brooklynmusuem.org. 200 Eastern Parkway.

Ta Ta darlings!!! I’m determined to see Women Pop Artists, yet Pure Beauty is a ‘must see.’ Fan mail welcome: pollytalk@verizon.net. Take a minute, please do, and check out my blog with 45 amazing women: http://www.womendeterminedtosucceed.blogspot.com. Which was formerly called amazingartdecowomen.blogspot.com.

VISUAL PLEASURES: The New York Art Scene (c) By Polly Guerin

The art scene gratifies the senses on a visual level from the Old Masters to modern interpretations and abstract expressionism as only New York’s cultural institutions can deliver. Here’s the scoop!!!

MIRO The Dutch Interiors

Observe how an artist is inspired. Miro’s modernistic paintings are hung alongside the Dutch Golden Age paintings that inspired them. Pictured left: The Lute Player, by Hendrick Sorgh, Dutch, 1661 and above, Joan Miro's, Dutch Interior, 1928. This encounter between the Dutch Masters and Miro, one of the most esteemed advent-garde artists of the 20th century, is a rare opportunity to see how Miro moved from representational sources to his own language. Concurrently Jan Gossart’s Renaissance: Man, Myth, And Sensual Pleasures is the pivotal Old Master who redirected the course of early Flemish painting. Both exhibits through Jan. 17, 2011. At the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Ave., www.metmuseum.org.
DIVINE COMEDY

Sotheby’s investigates the comedic side of art from ancient times to today through the lens of Dante’s epic poem, open to the public (FREE). Visitors to the exhibition will travel through Inferno, Purgatory and Paradise, exploring how for centuries artists have harnessed the power of humor in their work with an undercurrent of wit and satire. The Inferno, for example, will highlight the darker, more horrific side of humor. Featured artists include Salvador Dali, Any Warhol, Jeff Koons, Pieter Brueghel, and Auguste Rodin. Through Oct. 19th. At Sotheby’s New York, 1334York Ave. at 71st St., www.Sothebys.com. This exhibit is a lead in to the New York Comedy Festival which runs from 3-7 Nov. 2010. Tel: 212.606.7000.
ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM

A pivotal moment in modern art at MOMA celebrates the achievements of a generation that catapulted New York City to the center of the international art world sixty years ago. The exhibit traces the development of abstract expressionism from its beginnings in the 1940s to its seasoned maturity in the 1960s. 250 works on display cross a variety of mediums, masterpieces including artists such as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning and Robert Motherwell, as well as works of art that have not been seen together for half a century. MOMA 11 W. 53rd St., www.moma.org.
BEYOND BORDERS: Fine Art from Canada

An exhibition of innovative Canadian art is taking place at the Agora Gallery in Chelsea. The works span the range of artistic expression, with artists imparting, with their unique styles, little pieces of the Canadian spirit. Playful, humorous, saturated with color, and presented in unique fashion, this is an exhibition to delight the senses. Opening reception, Oct. 7, 6PM. On view through Oct. 26. 530 West 25th St., 212.226.4406.

Ta Ta Darlings!!! You can’t blame a gal for improving her mind and pleasing her visual senses. Fan mail always welcome www.pollytalk.com. Please check out Polly’s Blog and google: http://www.amazingartdecodivas.blogspot.com, which has been renamed http://www.womendeterminedtosucceed.blogspot.com/.

Mixed Media Attractions in the Big Apple (c) By Polly Guerin

Emilie Becat at the Cafe des Ambassadeurs --

The end of September calendar is over the top with mixed media presentations with the focus on Monopoly and Degas art venues, Frida Kahlo and Miro, only in New York. You can’t blame a gal for improving her mind. Here’s the scoop!!!
JEWELED MONOPOLY SET and Host Tournament at the Museum of American Finance unveils the display of an 18-karat gold Monopoly set covered with hundreds of precious gemstones designed by Sidney Mobell, on loan from the Smithsonian. Adults and children may participate in a Monopoly tournament, Oct. 15th, 48 Wall St. www.moaf.org. According to the Henry George School, Monopoly was original designed as a Georgist learning tool called the Landlord’s Game and it was later distorted to remove the Georgist message. Hear about “The Monopoly Game Scandal” at 121 E. 30th St. on Oct. 29th.
DEGAS Drawings and Sketchbooks

Introduces more than 20 drawings by Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas from The Morgan Library & Museum collection. Featured is the artist’s dynamic and varied use of drawings depicting contemporary life and portraits of himself, family members, and friends to intensive studies of dancers and performers. Peer into the exhibit and explore Degas’ innovative combinations of essence (thinned oil paint) and pastels as seen in Emilie Becat at the Café des Ambassadeurs. At 225 Madison Ave. Through Jan. 23, 2011.
FRIDA KAHLO: Face to Face

A new book by artist, Judy Chicago and art historian Frances Borzello turns attention to the work of Frida Kahlo, one of the world’s most revered female painters with a handpicked selection of a hundred portraits by Kahlo that speak to the full spectrum of women’s experience. You’ll remember that Judy Chicago’s best-known work is The Dinner Party, an important icon of feminist art and a milestone in 20th century art. At the Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway, Sun, Oct 3rd, at 2 p.m. http://www.brookynmuseum.org/.
MIRO: The Dutch Interiors

On view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art beginning Oct. 5 features the artist’s Dutch Interior paintings which have been hung alongside the Dutch Golden age pictures that inspired them. This encounter between the Dutch Masters and one of the most esteemed avant-garde artists of the 20th century is both unexpected and rare. Viewers will see how Miro moved from representational sources to his own language. 1000 Fifth Ave. www.metmuseum.org.
Ta Ta darlings!!! So much artistic bounty in the Big Apple. Mark your calendar. I’ll be at Frida’s venue. Fan mail always welcome: pollytalk@verizon.net. Check out Polly’s Blogs: http://www.womendeterminedtosucceed.blogspot.com and http://www.thefashionhistorian.blogspot.com.

NEW YORK, AN INTERNATIONAL FAIRYTALE CITY (C) By Polly Guerin

The Contortionist at Amercas Society

New York City, an international fairytale city, ushers in autumn on a high note of magical happenings with cultural digs to art venues, an artistic wonderland and amazing storytellers right here in the Big Apple, the place to be in September. Here’s the scoop!!!

ART and MYTH IN ANCIENT PERU:

Americas Society in collaboration with Museo del Arte de Lima presents, “The History of the Jequetepeque Valley” showcasing Pre-Columbian art from the north coast of Peru. Amazing, only in New York my friends, the exhibit represents 3,000 years of the region’s cultural history. A rare opportunity to view the diverse artistic styles employed by the various societies that occupied the valley with ceramic traditions, in addition to textile and metal objects. Some items exhibit a whimsicality and the spirit of fantasy figures. www.americassociety.org. Till Oct 23, 680 Park Ave. at 68th St.

(photograph: Daniel Giannoni)
ROY LICHTENSTEIN: THE BLACK-AND-WHITE DRAWINGS, 1961-1968 at The Morgan Library & Museum presents the height of the Pop Art movement with Lichtenstein’s highly finished, black-and-white drawings that represent an essential contribution the history of modern art. The artist’s drawings recast tawdry illustrations from packaging, newspaper ads, and comic books into works of striking visual intensity, echoing the clean-edge aesthetic of the 1960s geometric abstractions. Represented imagery, culled from consumer culture, include baked potatoes, BB guns and foot medication to name a few. www.themorgan.org. 225 Madison Ave. (between 36th & 37th Sts.) Opens Sept. 24th.

REJOICE! THE NEW YORK STORY CONTINUES: New York is an international fairytale city filled with dreams, adventures and remarkable tales of resilience and true grit. Regina Ress and Laura Simms, storytellers and magicians of words, celebrate the re-opening of the Provincetown Playhouse with stories, mythic and true life, of ordinary magic. Storytelling at the Provincetown Playhouse, 133 MacDougal St. (between West 3rd St. and Washington Sq.) Admission $5 General. Children and students FREE. For tickets: 212.352.3101. www.nyu.edu/ticketcentral/calendar.
CARNIVAL! Brings out the child in every adult. The Wade Thompson Drill Hall at the Park Avenue Armory transforms itself into a theatrical and artistic wonderland unlike anything New York City has ever experienced. Get ready for the high jinks with a 50-foot Ferris wheel, whimsical performances, rides, games and educational workshops in circus arts. Friday, Oct. 8: 3-9pm, Saturday-Monday Oct. 9-11: 11am-7pm.Tickets available at the door. At 643 Park Ave. (67th St). www.armoryonpark.org.
Ta Ta darlings!!! Count me in to show up at every one of these fascinating New York events. Feast your eyes on the diverse culture of the city. Fan mail always welcome at pollytalk@verizon.net. Polly’s Blogs include: http://www.womendeterminedtosucceed.blogspot.com.

Liberary Lions Usher in Big Apple Culture (c) By Polly Guerin

Khubilai Khan, Yuan Dynasty
What’s the modern kitchen got to do with design? Plenty and plenty more venues usher in the season with Mark Twain and Khubilai Kahn exhibits, plus Manhattan’s Forgotten Cultural Landmarks. Here’s the Scoop!!!

MARK TWAIN: A Skeptic’s Progress: Samuel Langhorne Clemens, , better known by his pen name, Mark Twain, the quintessential American author, humorist lecturer, essayist and master of satire takes up residence at The Morgan Library & Museum celebrating the 175 anniversary of his birth in 1835. In conjunction with The New York Public Library this joint exhibition explores a recurring theme throughout Twain’s body of work: his uneasy, often critical, attitude towards a rapidly modernizing America. Manuscripts, rare books, letters and key nonfiction works include Life on the Mississippi. Opens Sept. 17th. 225 Madison Ave. (between 36th & 37th Sts.) www.themorgan.org.
THE WORLD OF KHUBILAI KAHN
Chinese Art in the Yuan Dynasty at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, showcases extraordinary paintings and sculpture, as well as the decorative arts in gold and silver, textile, ceramics and lacquer. A rare opportunity to view paintings and calligraphy of every major artist and school of the period. A magnificent example is the “cloth of gold,” made famous over the world by travelers to Yuan such as Marco Polo. Visit www.metmusum.org to view details of the exhibit which opens Sept. 28th. At the Met, 1000 Fifth Ave.
COUNTER SPACE: Design and the Modern Kitchen explores the twentieth-century transformation of the kitchen as a space of huge symbolic and practical significance. Its centerpiece is an unusually complete example of the iconic “Frankfurt Kitchen,” designed in 1926-27 by Grete Schutte-Lihotzky, the earliest work by a female architect. Her compact and ergonomic design, with its integrated approach to storage, appliances and work surfaces, reflected a commitment to transforming the lives of ordinary working people. Opens Sept. 15 at MOMA, 11 West 53rd St. www.moma.org .
GOTHAM LOST AND FOUND:
Uncovering Manhattan’s Forgotten Cultural Landmarks is a FREE lecture by David Freeland, historian, music journalist, and author sponsored by the Victorian Society in American, Metropolitan Chapter. Freeland will give a visual tour of forgotten cultural landmarks including Bowery Beer Gardens, a Motion Picture studio in Unique Square and Tin Pan Alley with human stories that continue to define us as New Yorkers. At The New York New Church, 114 East 35th St., between Park and Lexington Ave, Tues. Sept. 21, 6 PM.
Ta Ta darlings!!! There’s so much culture abounding in the Big Apple, but Mark Twain tops my list of visits. Fan mail welcome: pollytalk@verizon.net. Check out my Blogs: womendeterminedtosucceed.blogspot.com and poetryfromtheheartbypollyguerin.blogspot.com.

New York Celebrates September, Music in the Air (c) By Polly Guerin

If music be the language of communication let there be listeners as the Big Apple celebrates with concerts for the masses and special events to mark the ending of summer and fall’s special happenings. Here’s the scoop!!!

ONE WORLD SYMPHONY’s outdoor concert, Sidewalk Sketches, under the baton of Sung Jin Hong, artistic director and conductor, performs a FREE CONCERT FOR New York City on Sat. Sept. 11th 5:45 to 6:30 pm on the front steps of Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Fifth Avenue at 42nd St. Commissioned by The September Concert Foundation, Sidewalk Sketches is a tribute to New York City’s composers and writers and is a site-specific piece scored for winds, brass, percussion, accordion and singers. Not to be missed!!! www.oneworldsymnphony.org.
THE MUSIC OF AL-ANDALUS

A rare illustrated lecture with musical examples, Reynaldo Fernandez Manzano presents music of the ‘barbarian peoples,’ Arabic music and music of al-Andalus (in English with simultaneous English translation) at the Cuny Graduate Center, Segal Theater, 365 Fifth Ave. on Monday, Sept. 13th at 2 pm with a discussion and reception to follow the lecture. Sponsored by the Foundation for Iberian Music. iberianmusic@gc.cuny.edu. Reservations: Tel: 212.817.1819.

TALKING GLASS

Exhibition at the Czech Center is a unique exhibition resulting from a creative encounter of glass artist Borek Sipek and didgeridoo player Ondrej Smeykal. The architect and designer Sipek accepted the offer of Smeykal to create a series of musical instruments made of glass and took it as a great challenge. Their unexpected meeting was documented by Jan William Drnek, who large format photographs became a part of the project. Exhibit ends Sept. 10th. At the Bohemian National Hall 321 E. 73rd St. (Between 1st and 2nd Ave). info@czechcenter.com.646.422.3399.

ALFRED STIEGLITZ's NEW YORK

This groundbreaking, new exhibit at the Seaport Museum features famed photographer Alfred Stieglitz’s iconic New York City photographs. A central figure in the history of photographs and modern art and husband of artist Georgia O’Keefe, Stieglitz lived in New York City most of his life and chronicled its dramatic transformation into the archetypal metropolis of soaring skyscrapers, subways and electric lights. The exhibition opens to the public on Wednesday, Sept. 15 and runs through Jan. 10, 2011. www.seaportmuseum.org.
Ta Ta, darlings!!! I’m off to the Free One World Symphony concert. See you there. Fan mail to: pollytalk@verizon.net. Polly Blogs worth your time…go to http://www.womendeterminedtosucceed.blogspot.com and www.thefashiohistorian.pollyguerin.blogspot.com.

THE BIG APPLE'S FASHIONABLE CURVE (C) By Polly Guerin

The FASHIONABLE CURVE ©
Fashionable fans head for New York for a night out on the town during New York Fashion Week in its new home at Lincoln Center and Notorious & Notable Women of Style at the MCNY Museum. Mark your calendar. Here’s the scoop!!!

Photo: Japan: Gothic/Punk duo wear h.Naoto fashion.

FASHION’S NIGHT OUT

Sept. 10th , almost 1,000 stores have signed up to participate in Fashion’s Night Out and keeping their doors open late until 11 pm. Thousands of customer are expected to show up at fashionista stores have fun, shop, meet designers and celebrities. For the first time, Fashion’s Night Out: The Show, New York City’s largest-ever public fashion show, is scheduled on Sept. 7 at Lincoln Center. Tickets starting at $25 at the Lincoln Center box office with proceeds benefitting the NYC AIDS Fund. The cbs.com network will live-stream the runway show and will also present an hour-long prime-time special on Sept. 14 about the making of the event.

NOTORIOUS & NOTABLE: 20th Century Women of Style heralds the fashionable stylish women of class, bearing and distinction including Gloria Vanderbilt, Barbara Babe Paley, the Duchess of Windsor, Leona Horn, Sunny von Bulow, Diana Vreeland and Marjorie Merriweather Post Hutton to name a few. Famed New York Herald Tribune fashion journalist, Eugenia Sheppard said, “To call a fashion wearable is the kiss of death. No fashion worth its salt is ever wearable.” These women names and faces are iconic in the social history of New York City. They share unique aspects of appearance, which made them distinctive and recognizable. At the Museum of the City of New York 1220 Fifth Ave. at 103rd Street. Sept. 14-Jan. 4 2011.
FASHION CULTURE at The Museum at FIT stages new perspectives on the culture of fashion through a series of Fashion Conversations with leaders from the world of fashion including designer Matthew Williamson and Laura Brown in conversation with Patricia Mears, MFIT deputy director, to mark the release of Williamson’s new book by fashion Historian Colin McDowell. In conversation with Coleen Hill introduces Julie Gilhart, fashion director and senior vice president of Barneys New York, who has inspired many designers to develop “green” product. Japanese Fashion in New York Kicks off with Steven Alan, menswear designer and Bye Bye Kitty!!! And a Lolita Tea Party. All programs are free unless otherwise indicated. However reservations are required: email museuminfo@fit.edu or call for a brochure 212.217.4585.

SHIFING THE GAZE: FEMINISM AND PAINTING at The Jewish Museum features key works by Judy Chicago, Eva Hesse, Nicole Eisenman, Louis Nevelson, Nancy Spero and Hannah Wilke among a cast of over 30 paintings and several sculptures and decorative objects from the Museum’s collection and also some on loan. Taking the visitor through a half-century of art the exhibit, puts women artists in the spotlight and explores the roots of feminist art in Abstract Expressionism, Pop and Minimalism with recent works targeting the representation of women in popular culture. At Fifth Ave. at 92nd St., www.thejewishmusuem.org. Opens Sept. 8th.
Ta Ta darlings!!! Every good fashionista should mark her calendar. I’m getting ready to attend the first ever fashion show during Fashion’s Night Out: The Show. Fan mail to: pollytalk@verizon.net. Check out Polly’s Blogs: http://www.thefashionhistorianpollyguerin@blogspot.com and women galore at http://www.womendeterminedtosucceed.blogspot.com.

Fishing For Culture in the Big Apple (c) By Polly Guerin

As the limpid days of summer drone on it takes a fisherman’s rod to reel in the city’s best catch at the tail end of summer. There’s plenty of cultural fish in the Big Apple pond. Here’s the scoop!!!


FISH FORMS: LAMPS BY FRANK GEHRY colorful, beautiful, playful, whimsical and glowing the sculptural artworks of the internationally renowned architect Frank Gehry explore the significance of fish imagery in Gehry’s work. The exhibition brings together eight of artists’ fish lamps with an accompanying slide show overview of how the fish form has changed from iconic symbol to transformative in Gehry’s ongoing architectural practice. The lamps are displayed in near darkness to create a gallery of glowing sculptural fish lit from within. Opens Aug. 29 through Oct. 31 at The Jewish Museum, 1109 5th Ave at 92nd St. www.thejewishmuseum.org.
WORK OF ART: ABDI FARAH
Is fishing for high praise and compliments. This exhibition of work by the winner of Work of Art, Bravo’s hour-long creative competition 10-part television series features the artist’s figurative paintings, sculpture, an drawings reflecting Farah’s investigation of the human body as a material entity that possess the potential to transcend its physical form. Ten artworks recently created in a variety of media include the centerpiece of the exhibition, a life-size sculpture of two young men sprawled on the floor, it immediacy heightened by the addition of sneakers on the feet of both men. Through Oct. 17. Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway. www.brooklynmusuem.org.
HOWL: The Film is a kind of dramatized drama on the beat poet, Alan Ginsberg’s poem of the same name which keeps you riveted to your seat trying to comprehend the legendary poet’s autobiographical and hallucinatory work that fueled the infamous landmark 1957 obscenity trial. You meet his friends; Jack Kerouac who introduced Ginsberg to new forms of writing and William Burroughs who helped him define his way as a gay man in the 1950, when public models were few. Most of all you’ll come away bewitched with an urge to actually read the poem. Coming to movie theaters in September. At the time of Ginsberg’s death, HOWL, had sold more than 800,000 copies and been translated into 25 languages.
ANNE MORGAN’S WAR
Rebuilding Devastated France, 1917-1924 presents rare photographs and silent film footage documenting the First World War’s devastating impact on France. The exhibition brings to life the extraordinary work taken by a small team of American women volunteers who left the United States to devote themselves to relief work with the dynamic leader, Anne Tracy Morgan, a daughter of financier Pierpont Morgan spearheading the campaign and Anne Murray Dike, a physician, taking the lead organizing activities in the field. . With haunting view of ruined French Towns, portraits of refugees it’s a ‘must see.’ The Morgan Library and Museum, 225 Madison Ave. Opens Sept 3. www.themorgan.org.
Ta Ta Darlings!!! I highly recommend HOWL, the preview was a tour de force, a unique portrait of Ginsberg, the beat poet who found new ways to express himself and in doing so, changed his own life and galvanized a generation. Fan mail always welcome: pollytalk@verizon.net. BLOGS: http://www.womendeterminedtosucceed.blogspot.com and http://www.thefashionhistorianpollyguerin.blogspot.com.

Day Tripping Mini Vacations From NYC (c) By Polly Guerin

What to do on the dog days of summer? Get thee to a watering place or take a nature or history tour. Day tripping to nearby resorts makes the dog days of summer more durable especially when you can get out of town for the day and soak up local culture. Here’s the scoop!!!

NATURE AND HISTORY TOURS

Takes you on an adventure to visit one of the largest and oldest working dude ranches in the Poconos, horseback ride and see the second most powerful waterfall on the east coast, the 77 foot Great Falls, second to only Niagara Falls. The trail rides are both for experienced and inexperienced riders, but if that’s not your choice there’s a swimming pool, rowboats, archery, a Petting Zoo and outdoor games. Sun., Aug. 22, 7 am-7pm. $139. www.HinesTours.com. 1.646.403.5653.
41st ANNUAL FINE ARTS & CRAFTS FAIR

At the Garrison Landing, Garrison, New York is an easy commute. Take the Metro North Hudson Line train and get 50% off admission ($8). Regional artist and craftspeople offer collector quality handmade items, there’s a food court and live music to liven up the day, plus free rides on the sloop Woody Guthrie. Art lovers browse the exhibitions in the galleries and art demos. Aug. 21-22, rain or shine, 10am-5pm . Info: www.garrisonartcenter.org or 845.424.3960.
21st ANNUAL BARD MUSIC FESTIVAL’s

Final weekend in New York’s Hudson Valley features Summerscape with Alban Berg headliner, August 20-22. Listeners will encounter music ranging from the familiar Viennese waltzes of Berg’s youth to the most avant-garde music of the 1920s and 1930s. He created a proper context for new music based on principles that included ample rehearsal and the absence of critics. “No Critic Allowed: The Society of Private Performances” Friday night includes works by Stravinsky, Ravel, Bartok and Berg. “Crimes and Passions”ends the run with works by Berg, Hindemith and Weill. Info: www.bard.edu.
ROOFTOP MOVIES AT THE CZECH CENTER NEW YORK

Cool off the summer heat with sky-high breezes as you enjoy Czech films and Manhattan views on the rooftop every Tuesday at dusk. August 17th, Girls night out would enjoy “Subway with Love,” a romantic comedy about two women who tirelessly seek Mr. Right. In Czech with English subtitles. FREE admission, but space is limited and seating is first come, first served. www.czechcenter.com.
Ta Ta darlings!!! I’m off to Garrison on Saturday for the Arts & Crafts Fair. See you there!!! Fan mail: pollytalk@verizon.net and please do go to Blogs: http://www.womendeterminedtosucceed.blogspot.com, and for fashion http://www.thefashionhistorianpollyguerin.blogspot.com.

Summer Serenades New Yorkers (c) By Polly Guerin

Let there be Chocolate Soldiers, let there be music everywhere. The concrete jungle softens its architectural wonders with musical serenades to give pleasure to native New Yorkers and tourists too. With concerts in gardens and operas, French balladeers breeze in with a bit of fresh air to cool off summer’s sizzling days. Here’s the scoop!!!

THE CHOCOLATE SOLDIER
The 1908 light opera by Oscar Straus based on George Bernard Shaw’s Arms and the Man is a merry romp, a fusion of Viennese operetta and British wit that is sure to charm your creative sensibilities. This comic tale, a boy-meets-girl scenario concerns a handsome deserter who takes refuge in the household of a Bulgarian general and sets all the women aflutter including Nadia the general’s daughter. August 12-14, at 8pm and August 11,14 and 15, at 3 pm. Fisher Center at Bard College www.fishercenter.bard.edu.
WATERLILY CONCERTS
The New York Botanical Garden invites you to listen to the importance of food choices and enjoy after hours viewing of the Edible Garden until 7 pm, followed by a delightful summer concert. Bring a blanket and stretch out under the evening sky. Pack a light repast or purchase a picnic basket complete with beer or wine, crudités, and fruit. Dates: Thursday August 12 and August 29. Adults $10, Seniors/Students $9, children 2-12 $4. Members Free. www.nybg.org.
BRYANT PARK READING ROOM
Step into a tranquil place in the heat of the city, the host site of presentations by authors and poets at 42nd St. Get into the swing Wednesday, August 11th, 12:30 pm. when Word for Word author, Terry Teachout presents his book “Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong,” a portrait of the man behind the music. Sit back and make yourself at home with the music of this legendary jazz master as told by drama and music critic of the Wall Street Journal. Blog.bryantpark.org.
FRENCH CHANSON
Arnaud Fluerent-Didier, a multi-instrumentalist strums up with a taste for 1970s synthesized sounds, owes much to Michel Legrand and the band AIR. His song “France-Culture,’ from his latest album is a headliner. While the music is solidly anchored in its time, the lyrics are a bridge to pre-1968 preoccupations and are reminiscent of the literary dialogue of early Eric Rohmer movies. In the MOMA sculpture garden. Sets performed 5:30 and 7 pm. Cocktails and wine available as well as ice cream treats. www.moma.org.
Ta Ta darlings!!! The fresh air under the cool summer night is enticing reason to hear glorious music all summer. Email pollytalk@verizon.net.
Blogs: http://www.womendeterminedtosucceed.blogspot.com. Fashion friends go to http://www.thefashionhistorian.blogspot.com.

New York Hits The High Note with Musical Venues (c) By Polly Guerin

The Fisher Center for the Performing Arts
Music, Music everywhere at distant shores, French musical singers in the garden, Haitian dancers and artists' talks headline events with last chance to see Picasso. August opens on a high note of entertainments. Here’s the scoop!!!

THE DISTANT SOUND…Franz Schreker’s opera with the American Symphony orchestra, conducted by Leon Botstein takes center stage at the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College and what a performance!!! The lush, sumptuous music introduces a riveting Venetian bordello with 1930’s style Vegas showgirls and Grete the star courtesan with a huge orchestra, sizable chorus and large cast. It tells the tragic story of Fritz, a composer who forsakes Grete, his beloved, for the sound that is a distant echo of her presence. Leaving her she ascends as the star of the bordello, only to descend into the depths of despair as a streetwalker. Wednesday August 4 at 3pm or August 6 at 7pm. Tickets 845.758.7900 www.fishercenter.bard.edu.
HEAR FRANCE AT MOMA

Summer nights a la Francaise begin Thursday, Aug. 5. In celebration of the exhibition Matisse; Radical Invention, popular song-writers draw on various aspects of the “Chanson” heritage with a strong emphasis on literate lyrics. Mocke and Armelle Pioline are the headliners this Thursday and are sophisticated purveyors of the new French genre. Aug. 12th Pascal Parisot and Fredda’s music mixes classical French songs, Latin Beats and Brazilian harmony. In the Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture garden in two sets 5:30 and 7 p.m. but do arrive early to get a seat, these are very popular venues. www.moma.org.
HAITIAN RHYTHMS

Art and entertainment celebrates Brooklyn’s Haitian community Saturday, August 7th , a FREE Target First Saturday event. The performances run all day with the Peniel Guerrier and Tabboula dance troupe, Le Troupe Makandal’s Haitian drumming represents Haiti’s history and Pierre Francillon’s artist talk responds to the works in the exhibition Andy Warhol. Films and a dance party light up the night. www.brooklynmuseum.org
ONLY 3 WEEKS REMAIN:

To see the exhibitions Picasso and American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity both on view through August 15th at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The American Woman is a show within a show, an extraordinary review of fashions with spectacular illustrated backgrounds with images of each era and film clips to augment the fashion images and movie star icons. Not to be missed!!! PICASSO, offers an unprecedented opportunity to see one of the most important collections in the world of the artist’s work. www.metmusuem.org.
Ta Ta darlings!!! I think I’ll go to France via MOMA’s garden and listen to “Chanson.” Fan mail always welcome pollytalk@verizon.net. Check out my Blogspot Blogs: http://www.womendeterminedtosucced.blogspot.com and for fashion fans http://www.thefashionhistorianpollyguerin.blogspot.com.

Flying Down to Rio in New York Venues (c) By Polly Guerin

No need to fly down to Rio!!! It’s time to samba, tango and dance the light fantastic and hear the throbbing music of the Brazilian beat in the garden and in film. Listen to The Distant Sound; see a Colette adaptation and a Swedish crime series. Here’s the Scoop!!!

PREMIERE BRAZIL brings Brazilian filmmakers to New York in a collaboration between The Museum of Modern Art and the Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival. Check the film schedule at www.moma.org. Bye Bye Brazil, Wed. July 28, 8pm, a traveling side show stops in rural villages hoping to mesmerize the townspeople. A young accordionist becomes enamored of the show’s exotic dancer joins show as it sets off deeper into the country’s interior. Lula, Son of Brazil Thurs, July 29, 8pm, presents the emotionally involving, fictionalized biopic about Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, focusing on his poor childhood in the interior of Pernambuco. Film Admission $10, seniors $8. The Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters, 11W. 53 St.
THE SCUPLTURE GARDEN taps into music of the Brazilian-American composer and singer, Kay Lyra’s deep bossa nova roots, which incorporates nontraditional sounds, from the pedal steel guitar to bagpipes. Her oeuvre includes her arrangement of “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” as well as her setting of a Dorothy Parker poem. Her precise, pure voice fills the air this Thurs, July 29 at MOMA. Hear “the daughter of bossa nova with a crystal voice,” sets performed 5:30 and 7 pm. Regular Museum admission applies: 212.708.9400
LISTEN TO THE DISTANT SOUND music and libretto by Franz Schreker explores the complexities of love, eroticism and art-for-art’s sake idealism. It tells the tragic story of Fritz, a composer who forsakes Grete, his beloved, for the sound that is a distant echo of her presence. July 30 and August 6 at 7 pm and Aug 1* and Aug 4 at 3pm. Round trip bus transportation available for Aug. 1 ($20) www.fishercenter.bard.edu Box Office: 845-758.7900.
JULIE DE CARNEILHAN…A literary adaption for the actress Edwige Feuillere—this time a Colette story. As Julie, Feuillere embodies the countess who enters into a scheme to earn millions. A rare screening of this witty and enchanting spectacle, not to be missed. It is the last film of the summer season at the Florence Gould Hall, 55 East 59th Street. Showings 12:30, 4 & 7:30 pm. $10 (members free)
WALLANDER: The Second Season continues at Scandinavia House. Swedish detective Kurt Wallander returns with his all new riveting investigations based on stories by author Henning Mankell. Wednesdays and Fridays at 6:30 pm July 28 and July 30. Individual tickets $10 ($7 ASF Members) 58 Park Ave. (at 38th Street) www.scandinaviahouse.org.

Ta Ta darlings!!! It’s a busy week…mark your calendar. I’m off to listen to The Distant Sound. Fan mail to: pollytalk@verizon.net. Do check out my Blogs: womendeterminedtosucceed.blogspot.com and for fashion fans go to www.thefashionhistorianpollyguerin. Visit: www.pollytalk.com.

Plays and Thriller Art Spice Up Summer Events (c) By Polly Guerin

The Train Kept a Rollin'

Be part of a train wreck, join the circus, witness thriller art and brush up with genius works of art---all this and much, much more awaits you in the Big Apple and beyond. Here’s the scoop!!!

JUDGMENT DAY by Austrian-Hungarian playwright Odon von Horvath rolls roaring onto the stage as part of Bard College’s SummersScape program of theater, dance, music and film. The drama concerns a modest and punctual train conductor whose duty is distracted by a pretty passenger, resulting in a fatal crash. Is he guilty or is he not? That is the question. But driving the play is the remarkable sound affects of the train that jolts one’s safety as that all too real locomotive crashes onto the scene. An experience worth the venture in the gleaming, modern façade of the, Frank Gehry-designed Fisher Performing Arts Center in bucolic Annandale-on-Hudson till July 25th. Followed by The opera Distant Sound, by Franz Schreker and a production of Oscar Straus’ 1908 operetta, The Chocolate Soldier. For details: www.fishercenter.bard.edu/summerscape.

AMERICAN JESUS casts photographer David LaChapelle’s longtime friend Michael Jackson, shot just before his death last year, in a series of iconic Biblical scenes and another one of the photographer’s controversial pals, Naomi Campbell, makes a cameo as Botticelli’s Venus. La Chapelle said about his oeuvre, “I believe Michael in a sense is an American martyr. Martyrs are persecuted and Michael was persecuted. Michael was innocent and martyrs are innocent.” The off-the-wall artfully staged tableaux are on view at Paul Kasmin Gallery, 293 10th Ave. Through Sept. 28th. 212.563.4474 .

ROY LICHTENSTEIN’S back at the Morgan Library & Museum. His signature brightly colored paintings and his subject matter drawn from his Pop Art images is a revealing window into the development of Lichtenstein’s art, from commercial illustrations and comic strips and the famous Benday dots. The exhibition provides a rare opportunity to study the artist’s black-and-white paintings during the 1960s and underscores the two themes that came to dominate the drawings, household objects and comic book scenes of war and romance. Mark your calendar the Black-and-White Drawings opens Sept. 24. http://www.themorgan.org/.

BRING YOUR INNER CHILD to THE BIG APPLE CIRCUS where spectacular acrobats, Russian wizards of the trampoline flying overhead dazzle and delight even adult naysayers. How do those Chinese contortionists do it? Fit into cans and twist and turn with such dexterity? The juggler throws plates in the air where they float overhead and he catches them in a tumble, fiery steeds stomp their way into the arena guided by a beautiful woman while rescue dogs ply their amazing agility and all this with Bello the clown cavorting with his gravity-defying hair and signature tuxedo, white gloves and spats joins in the fun with showman panache. Through Sun. July 25th mostly 12:30 and 4:30 PM performances. At Mill River Park, Stamford, CT. http://www.bigapplecircus.org/.

Ta Ta darlings!!! I’m beating the heat and heading North to bucolic Bard and don’t miss the Big Apple Circus!!! Fan mail welcome: pollytalk@verizon.net. Polly’s Blogs: http://www.womendeterminedtosucceed.blogspot.com and http://www.thefashionhistorianpollyguerin.blogspot.com/.
VISIT HER AT http://www.pollytalk.com/.

Jazzing Up the Summer in the Big Apple (c) By Polly Guerin

Uptown/Downtown all around the town, there's never a dull moment in the Big Apple. Cultural pursuits, Matisse and Jazzy dancing in New York Harbor on Governors Island. Be there!!! Here's the scoop!!!

THE JAZZ-AGE LAWN PARTY

Ladies and sporting gents and tiny tots, too, put on your Flapper duds and sashay over to Governors Island in the heart of majestic New York Harbor. It’s the setting of a true Gatsby affair July 17th and 18th for one of summer’s best party celebrations with Michael Arenella and his Dreamland Orchestra providing swing music. Activities for all ages including food and drink plus a pie contest require pre-register sign up govislandpie@gmail.com. See the 20’s motorcar exhibition and Charleston lessons by Roddy Caravella. $10/door, children under 7 Free. A recession friendly advance admission $7. Order at: http//www.brownpapertickets.com/event/116243.
INDIAN FOLK ART MARKET

Celebrate the tradition arts of India at Asia Society’s Indian Folk Art Market where master artisans will be on hand to display, demonstrate and sell their work. Block printing, tie an dye, embroidery, painting and more as you gain insight into the creative process from the artisans themselves. Sponsored by India Abroad, Indo-American Arts Council and Asia Society and Museum, Thursday July 15th-Saturday July 17th, from 1:00 PM – 4:30 daily. 725 Park Ave. at 70th St. Adm: $10 www.asiasocietymuseum.org.
MATISSE: RADICAL INVENTION

This ambitious exhibition investigates a pivotal point in the career of Henri Matisse through nearly 120 of the artist’s paintings, sculptures, drawings, and prints. The exhibit examines Matisse’s production from his return to Paris from Morocco in 1913 to his departure for Nice in 1917. Over these five years, he developed his most demanding, experimental, and enigmatic works which are reassessed as products of one of the most significant chapters in Matisse’s evolution as an artist. Opens July 18th at MOMA, Museum of Modern Art, www.moma.org.
THE HISPANIC SOCIETY OF AMERICA

Way up in New York’s cultural enclave, Audubon Terrace, the Hispanic Society of America, a treasure trove of cultural lore, lures you back to see the reinstalled Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida murals, featuring 230 feet of colorful contemporary life in Spain, province by province with luminous dancers, cowboys, sheepherders, amusing market sellers and more than at first meets the eye. The Sorolla murals, all with a minimum of text, are worth the vicarious trip to Spain. FREE, 613W. 155th St. at Broadway.
Ta Ta darlings!!! Look for me doing the Charleston at the Jazz-Age Lawn Party. Fan mail welcome: pollytalk@verizon.net.

Take this opportunity to view Polly’s Blogs: http://www.womendeterminedtosucceed.blogspot.com and http://www.thefashionhistorianpollyguerin.blogspot.com.

The Big Apple Heats Up Day Tripping (c) by Polly Guerin

It’s a scorcher to stay put in the city so let’s head out for a day tripper to nearby Connecticut where ‘Bello is Back,’ and Pops in the Park turns up a breezy change of scenario. Here’s the scoop!!!

BELLO IS BACK! At the Big Apple Circus at Mill River Park in Stamford and I’ll be there to see the playful, elegant Bello Nock, named “America’s Best Clown” with his trilling feats of derring-do and stylish sense of whimsy. Spectacular acrobats from Italy, Russian wizards of the trampoline and the flying trapeze, fiery steeds and Chinese contortionists add to the fun with the Big apple Circus Band and Picaso Jr. entertains with his extraordinary juggling act. Runs for 26 performances, usually 12:30 and 4:30 PM through Sunday July 25th. Tickets start at $15 call 888.541.3750. Groups of 15 people or more or wheelchair seating call 800.922.3772, http://www.bigapplecircus.org/.
POPS IN THE PARK IN STAMFORD
Begins Wednesday July 7th with the Columbus Park series of four performances kicking off with Neil Sedaka who has written and performed and inspired countless songs linked to Rock ‘n’ Roll history. Classical pops with the Stamford Symphony under the baton of music director, Eckart Preu on July 14 is followed by a son’s extraordinary homage of his legendary father, Mel Torme on July 21 with Steve March Torme. The series ends with Bowzer’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Party. Adm. Charge $5. 6:30 PM. Call: 203.348.5285 or email annette@stamford-downtown.com.
THE EDIBLE GARDEN
Returns to the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx with an exhibition that celebrates locally grown seasonal food with food and gardening experts every day. Celebrity chefs Mario Batali, Dan Barber narrate the Edible Garden audio tour; other chefs provide healthy cooking demonstrations in the Conservatory Kitchen. Visitors also sample a selection of food and beverage products at the Tasting Terrace. “Cooking for Kids” is every Tuesday and Wed. at 11 AM, “Cooking for Your Health” every Wednesday at 12:30 PM, and “Whole Foods market Fridays” every Friday at 2 PM. Check the Garden’s Web site for more details: http://www.nybg.org/.
CHILL OUT at SCANDINAVIA HOUSE MUSEUM’S
Outdoor garden terrace, serving refreshments by Smorgas Chef right in the heart of New York City, 59 Park Ave at 38th St. A selected series of fresh Nordic musicians perform the first Thursday of the month kicking off with a Nordic Summer Jam in Volvo Hall July 8th at 6:30 PM. $10 ($8 ASFMembers) For reservations: 212.847.9740 or http://www.scandinaviahouse.org/.

Ta Ta darlings!!! Let’s take the Metro North and head of places outside the city for a change of venue. Love to hear from you!!! Fan mail to pollytalk@verizon.net or check out my Blogs: http://www.womendeterminedtosucceed.blogspot.com and fashion news at http://www.thefashionhistorianpollyguerin.blogspot.com.

The Big Apple Kicks Up A Dancing Summer (c) by Polly Guerin

Grab your partner, let’s go!!! There’s music in the air filling the summer nights with dancing feet in a Speakeasy and swing time setting and a New Orleans style Jazz Mass, FREE movies too. A Deco Cabaret chanteuse sings Gershwin and Porter. Here’s the scoop!!!

THE SPEAKEASY at the Museum of the City of New York kicks off the dance craze and invites you join in the Prohibition gaiety every Wednesday starting June 30-August 18, 6-9 PM. Meet Flapper Jane, and enjoy the Fifth Avenue Terrace, with dancing to the swinging sounds of the Jazz Age. $15, $10 for Museum members secretly admits you with one FREE drink ticket and special exhibitions. 1220 Fifth Ave. at 104 St. Tell them “Jerry” sent you. 212.534.1672. http://www.mcny.org/.

MIDSUMMER NIGHT SWING at Lincoln Center holds an outdoor dance party from June 29-July 17 featuring 25 theme nights including swing, tango, rock ‘n’ roll, and more. Each evening begins with a dance lesson at 6:30 PM and the live music begins at 7:30 PM. Battle of the Bands George Gee Orchestra versus The Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra Big Band Swing kicks off the festivities at Damrosch Park at 62nd St. Individual events cost $17 but you can buy a six-night swing pass for $90 or a season pass for $160. Buy Tics online http://www.midsummernightsswing.org/. 212.721.6500.
JAZZ MASS at St. John’s Christopher Street Lutheran Church lets you get into line and experience the Jazz Mass with genuine New Orleans traditional style music that ends with the famous Jazz Parade outside and around the church. Get into the groove with some of New York’s finest Jazz musicians and some from New Orleans, the birthplace of Jazz. Every Sunday at 6 PM. 81 Christopher St. at W. 4th. 212.242.5737.

WEIMAR ON SCREEN at Neue Galerie offers a FREE summer film series featuring the tumultuous years of the Weimar Republic (1919-1933) which despite the turmoil brought about a flowering of art and culture in Germany. Berlin: Symphony of a Great City, a poetic valentine of the German Capital City is shown June 28 and July 5; Pandora’s Box features the free-spirited Lulu played by Louise Brooks July 12 and 19. Mondays at 4 PM in Café Fledermaus. 1048 Fifth Ave. at 86th St. For complete list: www.neuegalerie.org/programs.

Ta Ta Darlings!!! Do join me at Lily’s Restaurant in the Roger Smith Hotel, 501 Lexington Ave. where gorgeous lush voice of Kathleen Landis sings Gershwin and Porter with her trio Thursday and Saturday evenings through Labor Day. Reservations: 212.838.0844 or http://www.opentable.com/.

Fan mail is always welcome at pollytalk@verizon.net Check out my Blogs: http://www.womendeterminedtosucceed.blogspot.com and http://www.thefashionhistorianpollyguerin.blogspot.com.