STAVRINOS, GEORGE Illustrator Extraordinaire (c) By Polly Guerin

A seductive draftsman and fashion illustrator, the renaissance artist George Stavrinos was a gifted designer, photographer, filmmaker and commercial illustrator who gets stellar recognition in the exhibition, THE VISION OF GEORGE STAVRINOS at the Museum of American Illustration/the Society of Illustrators at 128 E. 63rd St. in New York City through October 19, 2013, which features over 100 illustrations highlighting Stavrinos’ career. His works are punctuated by supreme beings, women and men so chic and elegant that they graced the pages of elite magazines and the fashion advertisements of the most prestigious department store advertisements in the city.


A TALENTED STUDENT Like a phoenix rising from the sea Stavrinos emerged as an unprecedented talent in a family that approved his career choice. He studied graphics at the Rhode Island School of Design, moving later in 1973 to New York City where he presented his portfolio to eh prestigious Push Pin Studios where co-founders Seymour Chwast and Milton Glaser recognized his talent and offered him a staff position. Though Stavrinos chose only to be represented by Push Pin, his oeuvre was prolific. He expanded his client list to include the New York Magazine, Bonwit Teller, Psychology Today, Pan Am, Columbia Records, Capezio, Viva, Oui and Gentlemen’s Quarterly to name a few.

A BRILLIANT CAREER George’s career, kicked off in the fast trace and in 1977, when he began producing fashion illustrations for Barney’s and in conjunction with an ad agency, his work quickly became the face of Barney’s, new, chic, upscale look. It was at this time that George contributed work to the Gay Source: A Catalog for Men. Stavrinos was at the height of his métier, a sort after artist and weaver of magical images that live in his illustrations. He also taught at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and was invited to lecture at Tokyo's Designers Gakium College and the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. In 1979, Stavrinos began an association with the retailer Bergdorf Goodman that would launch him into the fashion world's stratosphere.

PARTNERSHIP WITH LGBT Stavrinos’ life was cut all too short in 1990 at the age of 42 from pneumonia related causes and by the AIDs epidemic that swept through an entire generation. Yet, his work steadfastly remains an inspiration for art and fashion today so it is fitting that in partnership with Live Out Loud a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring and empowering LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) youth that a portion of the proceeds generated during the exhibition will be donated to the Live Out Loud scholarship program awarded to college-bound LGBT high school seniors based on leadership, community service, academic credentials, financial need and future goals. Visit: www.liveoutloud.info

The Society of Illustrators, founded in1901, is the oldest non-profit organization solely dedicated to the art and appreciation of illustration in America. Prominent Society members have been Maxfield Parrish, N.C. Wyeth and Norman Rockwell, among others. It is open to the public free of charge on Tuesday, 10-8pm; Wednesday-Friday, 10-5pm; and Saturday, 12-4pm. www.societyillustrators.org.

ENERGETIC BLISS with SHARON DYKERK-LONERGAN By Polly Guerin

In a world filled with the cacophony of city life, the stress of work or personal health concerns it is comforting to know that women seeking the resurgence of harmony in their lifestyle need go no further but turn to Sharon’s Energetic Bliss. Her mission statement says it all. “My belief in the healing arts is deeply profound, providing an Energetic “whole” – istic approach. I pledge to keep the power of gentle professional touch alive by providing an important service to women that can truly improve their quality of life by being the conduit, for their own self-healing.” Sharon is a woman determined to succeed in holistic healing with a subtle approach that underscores the philosophy of Energetic Bliss.


HOLISTIC HEALING Sharon has dedicated her life to the well being of others. She is a woman whose hands have a distinct therapeutic touch that is gentle, yet goes deep into sensitizing where a client’s energy centers need the most attention and revitalization. With soft persuasive hands, Sharon‘s gentle professional touch serves as a conduit that also helps women to heal themselves and clear toxins whether emotional, chemical or both. Her services are tuned into the needs of the individual and her uncanny ability to immediately attune to a client’s concerns makes her a truly sensitive practitioner.

THE SERVICES Sharon practices in disciplines including Reiki, Aromatherapy Massage, Hot Stone Massage, Polarity Therapy and Onnetsu Far Infrared Therapy. The wall in her salon attests to the fact that Sharon has honed her skills and authenticated her diverse practice. The serene salon has a skyline view with windows opening to the sunlight. A warm bed-like massage table, on which a client reclines, in a fully clothed session, provides a soothing experience that calms and restores disharmony in the energy fields of the body. You can almost feel the tension and the burden of everyday concerns melt away.

POLARITY THERAPY I can attest to the Polarity Therapy treatment as I was fortunate recently to experience it. Sharon’s featherlike touch scanned my body reaching blocked currents in the body’s energy field, and at one place in particular, she touched a spot that dramatically resonated to her touch with a gentle but almost electrifying reaction. I assessed this to mean that there may be severe blocking of energy in that area as well in other places. After the session I felt light and euphoric. I now realize that the power of gentle professional touch can truly improve the quality of life by clearing and balancing chakra/energy centers, relieve pain, activate the body’s natural ability to heal itself, relieve stress and release toxins or impurities, to name a few.

ENERGETIC BLISS, Natural Health Care for Women, focuses on your total well-being in treatments that soothe your senses, restore your body and replenish your spirit. Energetic Bliss is located at 121 Newark Ave., Suite 402, Downtown Jersey City, NJ 07302. Tel. 971.239.8479 or sharon@energetic bliss.com By appointment only. Visit her Web Site at www.energeticbliss.com

PROFESSIONAL WOMEN SINGERS ASSOCIATION By Polly Guerin

 It’s not every day that someone turns 200 and that fact givescause for celebration in the year 2013, which marks the bicentennial of Giuseppe Verdi, arguably the most influential musician of his generation. So it is timely and a fitting tribute to the great musical genius that August Ventura, author, film maker and Verdi devotee is preparing a documentary film entitled “27” about the people of the Parma, Italy and their unique relationship with the composer’s 27 operas. Mr. Ventura is a visionary, a man who brings to the audience a rare and provocative essay revealing the famed city of Parma, its celebrated opera lovers in the cafes and Verdi Clubs.

PWSA I was fortunate to have the opportunity to attend an introduction to Mr. Ventura’s oeuvre presented by PWSA, the Professional Women Singers Association, held at the historic landmark Players Club. Founded in 1982 PWSA’s mission is to advance the careers of women singers and promote excellence. It also functions as a network of distinguished singers who support each other in their professional careers. Non singers may also join and PWSA has a "Friends" category. For more information go to their website: www.womensingers.org.  (image: PWSA professional performers)  Marguerite Roberti, the featured diva in the film may be a singer from a bygone era, but she captivates the audience with recollections of performing in the early 60s as well as insights into her own brave career choices.

RETURNING to “27” Mr. Ventura is a writer, historian, archivist, and is as passionate about his film as he is about Verdi operas. He has wedded history and opera in a film that offers a fascinating glimpse into Parma, Italy’s cognoscenti, the Club of 27, the Verdi Clubs, and the city’s famed "loggionisti” at the Teatro Regio. Most captivating are the images of the everyday people whose devotion to opera permeates their life, and as if Verdi was an elixir of love, even the street sweeper bursts out in operatic song. Ventura’s talk was capped by a live-Skype conversation with Margherita Roberti who now lives in California. For more information about the film, go to www.27adocumentary.com.

STRAVINSKY and His World Summer Escape (c) By Polly Guerin

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 Summer just outside the city is ready with a potpourri of events that sweep in on the cool weather promise to stimulate your senses at Bard’s tribute to Stravinsky during the Bard Music Festival.
Advance notice: Mark your calendar for music on the beautiful Bard Campus. Here’s the scoop!!!

STRAVINSKY and HIS WORLD The 2013 Bard Music Festival, scheduled to coincide with the centenary of the scandal at the premiere of The Rite of Spring, explores the full range of this great composer’s elusive and enigmatic personality and career. Through panels, lectures, concerts and cinema, audiences encounter works by Stravinsky—many of them rare---and by Americans he influenced, including Copland, Piston and Carter. Generally considered to be the world’s most influential figure in 20th century music Igor Stravinsky’s long life spanned continents, cultures, and eras. He also resembled Picasso in his gift for radical artistic transformation.

BALLETS RUSSES Success came in 1910, with the commission of The Firebird from Serge Diaghilev, director of the Ballets Russes. Diaghilev encouraged Stravinsky to develop his ‘Russian’ vein commissioning further ballets such as The Rite of Spring, whose premiere prompted part of the audience to riot. Set in primeval Russia Stravinsky did borrow from folk music but transformed them radically. The Rite of Spring portrays a ritual in which a young girl dances herself to death to win the favor of the god of Spring. The ballet is a work of savage ecstasy, driven forward to its powerful, primitive rhythms. Stravinsky’s legacy and Russian Émigré cinema includes The Firebird and The Red Shoes.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR Sunday August 11 schedule includes SIGHT AND SOUND; FROM ABSTRACTION TO SURREALISM in the Sosnoff Theater. Sunday, August 18 brings together several programs including The Émigré in America (Living in exile in Switzerland and France where he pursued “classical” music aesthetics). In 1939, Stravinsky came to the United States and exerted a profound influence on American musical life. For details contact: BARD College Annandale-on-Hudson: In the Frank Gehry-designed Fisher Center fishercenter.bard.edu or 845.758.7900

ORESTEIA BY SERGEY TANEYEV marking the first time this towering work was staged outside of Russia it was performed boasting a strong and predominately Russian cast. Bard’s new and original production, with stage direction by Thaddeus Strassberger, closed with its last performance on August 4 to stand up ovation and applause. The voices were spectacular anchored by mezzo-soprano Liuba Sokolova as Clytemnestra, doomed husband, Agamemnon bass Maxim Kuzmin-Karavaev and an equally excellent supportive cast as well a rich and spontaneous chorus, with many Bard students in the huge ensemble of peasants. The resident American Symphony Orchestra ,with music director and Bard College President, Leon Botstein, was in top form and enriched the performance with equal bravado.

Ta Ta darlings!!! I’m to Bard to visit Stravinsky and his World. Fan mail welcome at pollytalk@verizon.net. Visit Polly’ Blogs at pollytalk.com and click on the links in the left-hand column on Polly’s home page .

FASHIONABLE SUMMER IN THE CITY (c) By Polly Guerin

pollytalkfromnewyork.blogspot Summer in the City hits a fashionable high spot on the social agenda so mark your calendars. From Queer Fashion to celebrating the Dandy, there’s Crystals on the set and fashion heating up the Castle. Here’s the scoop!!!                                               

THE QUEER HISTORY OF FASHION: From the Closet to the Catwalk is a groundbreaking exhibition at The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, the first museum to explore in depth the significant contributions to fashion made by LGBTQ (Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender-Queer) individuals over the past 300 years. With over l00 ensembles, from 18th century menswear styles associated with an emerging gay subculture to 21st high fashion, the importance of gay men as fashion designers is undeniable in the 20th century. “We hope that his exhibition will transform our understanding of fashion history,” said Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of The Museum. “For many years, gays and lesbians were hidden from history, and by emphasizing the important role that fashion and style have played within the LGBTQ community, we see how central gay culture has been to the creation of modern fashion.” Opening on September 13. A two-day symposium (November 8 and 9 2013) complement the exhibition. The Museum at FIT, located at 7th Ave. and 27th Street.                                                                        

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, Mr. Quentin Crisp takes the spotlight at MAD, Museum of Art and Design at Columbus Circle to celebrate the influence and works of this flamboyant 20th Century Dandy through. From the estate of Quentin Crisp a cinema series opens up this treasure trove of material to the public for the first time in films about his life. Film schedule August 2, 9, 16 and September 6, 2013, 6:30-9pm.On this past Saturday visitors had the opportunity to chat, laugh, and strut among a crowd inspired by Crisp’s life and works as the museum turned into a makeshift dandy salon.                                                        

PUNK: CHAOS TO COUTURE at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is in its final weeks: closes August 14. SWAROVSKI ENTERTAINMENT presents “Romeo and Juliet.” That’s right, it’s the film wing of Swarovski Crystal presenting a remake of “Romeo and Juliet,” directed by Carol Cariei and starring Hailee Steinfeld, Douglas Booth and a host of well-known actors. The film will be released in October, but here’s the head’s up. A shrewd move for the brand is the Swarovski crystal “Romeo and Juliet” accessories collection that includes a ring worn by Juliet in the movie, a heart-shaped pendant, and other items that take their cues from symbols in the film, like pearls, swords and crosses. While fashionable accessories are not a bad pairing for any movie, it’s not necessarily a recipe for success. Mark your agenda for this one.         

THE WHITE QUEEN sweeps into your view with the historical fiction drama set to air August 10th on Starz, the medieval miniseries which takes place in England in 1464, during The War of the Roses, Edward IV of England. Played by Max Irons, meets his true love on a roadside, a commoner named Elizabeth Woodville (Rebecca Ferguson) whom he weds. “I focused on a very minimal silhouette and let the textiles talk for themselves,” said costume designer, Nic Ede, a 30-year veteran of the film industry, who used an average of 10 yards of brocade, velvet and silk for each gown. The austere period of “The White Queen,” is a lesson in period costume and a romantic journey into the court of Edward the IV.

Ta Ta darlings!!! I’m nipping off to MAD museum to see Mr. Quentin Crisp. Fan mail welcome at pollytalk@verizon.net. Visit Polly’ Blogs at pollytalk.com and click on the links in the left-hand column on Polly’s home page .

SUMMER ESCAPES to OPERA and BEYOND (c) By Polly Guerin

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THE FURIES, John singer Sergeant 1921

Escape to the country and discover a world of renowned opera, theater and dance to refresh your creative senses and inspire your muse. Stay in the city and revel in multifaceted events, take a tuition-free course. The best of New York and go beyond and see Oresteia’s towering work first time outside of Russia. Here’s the scoop!!!

ORESTEIA by Sergey Taneyev. Bard SummerScape is internationally recognized for staging critically acclaimed opera productions, complete with magnificent sets and costumes and gorgeous music and with Oresteia Bard 's Summerscape does not disappoint with a huge, international cast in this year’s production of Russian composer SergeyTaneyev’s Oresteia. Rather than calling upon Russian history or folk tales, Taneyev looked to Greek antiquity, basing his libretto on Aeschylus’ powerful trilogy---Agamemnon, Choephorae, and Eumenides---which chronicles the calamities that befell the cursed House of Atreus. It tells a gripping tale of lust, murder, and revenge. The production at Bard College’s Sosnoff Theater, Annandale-on-the Hudson, is the first time this towering work is staged in its entirety outside of Russia since its premiere at the Marlinsky Theatre in 1895. Performances July 26, July 28, 31 and August 2 and 4th. Call 845.758.7900 The Furies image, pictured here, courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

SOUNDINGS: A CONTEMPORARY SCORE The Museum of Modern Art presents the first group exhibition at MoMA to single out sound as a form of artistic expression, and one of the first of its kind. Soundings features the work of 16 contemporary artists working with sound from the United States, Denmark, Scotland, Australia, Japan and England to name a few. With a broad understanding of art, architecture, performance, telecommunications and music, these artists move comfortably among mediums. Soundings is a communal exploration of how and what we hear, and what we might make of it. The works include architectural interventions, visualization of otherwise inaudible sound, an exploration of how sound ricochets within a gallery to 59 bells in New York City. WHEW!!! Quite an experience…not to be missed. MoMA at 11 W. 53 St.

BUILD YOURSELF, BUILD NEW YORK Where does a young man or woman go to hone their skills in the building and construction industry? New York City’s Mechanics Institute, an educational program of GSMT, The General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen is now accepting applications for tuition-free evening programs for the Fall 2013 semester. The school continues to provide instruction in trades-related education and provides a unique service to improve job opportunities for New Yorkers in the building and construction industry. Programs include, Electrical Technology, Plumbing Design, Project Manager, Historic Preservation, Construction Documents & Design,Blueprint Reading, and Facilities Management to name a few. Applicants must apply in person at the Institute, 20 West 44th Street. The fall semester begins Monday, September 9th. Registration closes August 12. For more details contact James Loriega at jloriega@generalsociety.org

ESSENCE OF KIMONO – Art, Commerce & Culture is a stunning new exhibit of 50 one-of-a-kind, handmade Kimono and a retrospective of antique Japanese textiles at The Nippon Gallery at the Nippon Club, 145 W. 57th St. The exhibit, a visual feast and a journey across history and culture, highlights exquisite wearable art. It spans two hundred years of history beginning in the late 1700s, from the Edo to the Showa period. Visitors will discover how the far-reaching influence of the Japanese aesthetic has had on fashion, design, and art in the Western World. Hand-painting, gold leaf, embroidery, and shibori tie –dying are just a few of the skills utilized in the couture creations on displays. July 24 through August 23, 2013. FREE admission. 212.582.2223

Ta Ta darlings!!! I’m nipping into the Nippon Club to see those gorgeous kimonos. Fan mail welcome at pollytalk@verizon.net. Visit Polly’ Blogs at pollytalk.com and click on the links in the left-hand column of Polly’s home page















































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CHILL OUT WITH A MUSEUM RESPITE (c) By Polly Guerin

Pollytalkfromnewyork.blogspot

July 15, 2013

By Polly Guerin

CHILL OUT WITH A MUSEUM RESPITE ©

When the heat gets hotter take a respite in a museum where exhibitions both entertaining and educational cool off the senses and stimulate your brain. Only in New York my friends, the best of New York. Here’s the Scoop!!!

MONIKA GRZYMALA Take a breather and float in the magical world of Berlin –based artist Monika Grzymala 's Volumen, a breathtaking large-scale sculptural installation at the Morgan Library & Museum with public viewing starting July 19th through November 3, 2013. Volumen is composed of sheets of handmade paper, some of them printed with images of autograph manuscripts from the Morgan’s literary collections, connected with bookbinding yarn and suspended from the ceiling of the museum’s soaring glass-enclosed Gilbert Court. Location: 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street. Themorgan.org

LE CORBUSIER: An Atlas of modern landscapes reveals the role of locations both real and imagined in the vast varied oeuvre of the pioneering Swiss-born French architect. Holding that functional building and urban planning could improve people’s lives; he famously defines a house as a 'machine a habiter' in his seminal 1923 book, "Vers une achitecture.” Not to be passed over lightly the extensive show includes samples of his works as an architect, interior designer, artist, city planner, writer and photographer, ranging from early watercolors of Italy, Greece and Turkey to models of large scale projects. At the MoMA, the Museum of Modern Art at 11 W. 53rd Street.

THE CYRUS CYLINDER and ANCIENT PERSIA digs deep into ancient history. The Cyrus Cylinder, a 2,600-year-old inscribed clay document, is one of the most famous surviving icons from the ancient world. Excavated in Babylon in 1879, the Cylinder was inscribed in Babylonian cuneiform on the orders of the Persian King Cyrus the Great, after he captured Babylon in 539 B.C. A unique aspect of the exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of art will be its display within the Galleries of Ancient Near Eastern Art, where objects from the permanent collections—including the famous lions from Babylon—provide a stunning backdrop. Engraved cylinder and stamp seals played an important role in the ancient Near East. The impressions they made on clay documents served as permanent visual reminders of the sealer’s participation in the performance of personal, legal, or administrative act. 1000 Fifth Avenue, metmuseum.org

MUNCH/WARHOL and the MULTIPLE IMAGE brings together two of the 20th Century’s most prolific and inventive printmakers. Norwegian Edvard Munch and American Andy Warhol. The exhibit, organized in honor of the 150th anniversary of Munch’s birth, examines four graphic images produced by Munch at the turn of the century, The Scream, Madonna, The Brooch, Eva Mudocci, Self-Portrait and later revisited by Andy Warhol in a little-known by extraordinary series of prints from 1984. At SCAN, Scandinavia House, Docent-led tours Saturday, July 27, 1pm free with price of exhibition admission. At 59 Park Avenue at 38th Street

Ta Ta Darlings!!! Check out Volumen, it’s a sensational experience!!! Fan mail welcome: pollytalk@verizon.net. Visit Polly’ Blogs at pollytalk.com and click on the links in the left-hand column of Polly’s home page.