three things we love
Seymour: An Introduction. A film by Ethan Hawke about pianist/teacher Seymour Bernstein
Ethan Hawke sat next to pianist and piano teacher Seymour Bernstein at a dinner party in New York City at a time when Ethan was soul searching about the meaning of his life. They struck up a conversation that turned into a deep friendship and eventually ended up in a collaboration on this documentary film Seymour: An Introduction. If you love piano music as much as I do, and you want to hear about the life of this very talented, recognized pianist and the reasons why at the age of 50 he gave up a hugely 'successful' career to pour all his energy and soul into teaching, and you want to learn more about what makes Ethan Hawke tick, this is a little gem of a film for you. It is full of wisdom, joy and ruminations on art, music, the meaning of success, and the components on what goes into a rich life...I highly recommend it! If you want more, here is a review of Seymour: An Introduction and a very interesting Q&A session with an audience at Lincoln Center after seeing the film.
Lawrence Ferlinghetti, poet, founder of City Lights Bookstore in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, died on February 22, 2021 in San Francisco, California at the age of 101.
The Falling Angel by Marc Chagall
This is definitely going to date me but my first boyfriend introduced me to poetry (and most specifically the beat poets) when I was 16 in 1972. Lawrence Ferlinghetti, founder of City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco was always one of my favorites. Here is a funny poem he wrote about painter Marc Chagall and one of his paintings from Ferlinghetti's book Coney Island of the Mind.
DON'T LET THAT HORSE . . .
By Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Don’t let that horse
eat that violin
cried Chagall’s mother
But he
kept
right on
painting
and became famous
And kept on painting
The Horse With Violin In Mouth
And when he finally finished
it
he jumped up upon the horse
and rode away
waving the violin
And then with a low bow gave it
to the first naked nude he ran across
And there were no strings
attached
The Falling Angel, painting by Marc Chagall
Last week the world lost one of its true greats and a national treasure. Much has been said about Jacques d’Amboise (1934-2021) as a legendary dancer, member of the New York City ballet and about his relationship with George Balanchine, who choreographed many ballets with him in mind. But what I want to focus on here is his extraordinary contribution to children and arts education. Through his non-profit organization National Dance Institute, Jacques has had an incredible influence on literally millions of children throughout the United States and the whole world, which I have had the great privilege of witnessing firsthand. Founded 45 years ago, NDI began as a way for Jacques to teach his son and a very small group of his friends dance and it blossomed into a program that is currently in forty four schools in the New York area as well affiliate programs across the country and beyond, including a robust program in Shangai, China. Much more than just teaching dance, NDI's mission and belief is that the arts have a unique power to engage children of diverse backgrounds, abilities, and socio-economic positions, and motivate them toward excellence in all aspects of their lives. I still remember my first encounter with NDI--it was a class in P.S. 183, and it didn't take more than a few minutes for me to realize that what I was observing was so powerful and unique, intellectually challenging yet so fun and joyful, and it was evident that the result was kids that felt engaged, successful and confident as they strove towards excellence. My daughter had the good fortune of NDI as part of her fourth grade curricululm and she went on to become a member of the SWAT and Celebrations teams. Her Saturday mornings were spent in rehearsals at LaGuardia High School and I went along for the great ride: sitting and watching every weekend in awe. Jacques' pedagogy engaged the children, made them life long appreciators of the arts, and at the same time taught them the value of practice, discipline, collaboration and hard work. Aside from the In-School program, they produced an Event of the Year based on different themes related to school curriculum every June, which was one of the real cultural highlights of my year and I know many others. They also run an internationally acclaimed teacher training methodology program that goes way beyond dance. Jacques will be sorely missed by so many, but he made sure that the baton was passed years ago, through the brilliance of his "heir" Artistic Director Ellen Weinstein and the incredibly dedicated teaching artists that will keep him alive and continue to represent him and his vision so beautifully for generations to come.
painting of the week
Pam Smilow Maine Series 2 mixed media on canvas 52” x 80”
The second in a new series based on things I have observed during my stays over the years in Maine. I am sure you can see the inspiration from my photograph, taken at the little gem of a harbor around the corner from where I sit.
This week's featured charity:
National Dance Institute, founded in 1974 by Jacques D’Amboise and now in its 45th year, transforming the lives of children through the love and joy of the arts. May it live on for years and years to come. Please consider a donation by visiting their website at https://nationaldance.org/support-us/.
Self Portrait going grey in the time of Covid…
About The Author
New York City based contemporary artist, Pam Smilow created the creative lifestyle blog “things we love” in an effort to foster a sense of community during times of isolation and reflection. To read more about her, check out the essay written by the Hammond Museum's Frank Matheis entitled The Sophisticated Innocence of Pam Smilow.