East End Arts Presents: JumpstART, An Evening of Public Art Events in Downtown Riverhead

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Friday, August 7, 2015, 5 – 10 PM

(Long Island, NY) East End Arts is excited to announce a special evening of free public arts events in Downtown Riverhead – the event titled JumpstART. The arts will take center stage in Downtown Riverhead as East End Arts’ JumpstART artists unveil their public art projects. The evening of free events will feature murals, poetry, performances, live music, dance, art installations and more, all glittering downtown Riverhead.The public is welcome to this free community event, a Suffolk County Destination Downtown Project. For more information, visit: http://www.eastendarts.org/calendar/events.html/event/2015/08/07/eea-presents-jumpstart-an-evening-of-free-public-arts.

A map of events is available at East End Arts (133 E. Main Street, Riverhead NY), as well as businesses and restaurants in Downtown Riverhead.

For more information about the artists and their public arts projects, please visit: http://www.eastendarts.org/programs/jumpstart/2015-artists.html.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Experience JumpstART public arts projects from 5:00 through 10:00 PM throughout Downtown Riverhead! Most installations can be visited throughout the evening. All activities are FREE, unless otherwise noted:

  • 5 – 7 PM – East End Arts’ 4th Annual National Show “The Figure” Opening Reception in the EEA Gallery, 133 E. Main Street. Refreshments will be served.
  • 5 – 8 PM – Enjoy a wine tasting event with Martha Clara Vineyards in the EEA Carriage House, located behind the Gallery, 133 E. Main Street. $5 donation for three wine tastings supports East End Arts.
  • 5 – 10 PM – Live music throughout Downtown, presented by East End Arts, including George Cork Maul and Jeannie Woelker; Mike Gari and Steve Shaughnessy; Satisfaction; EEA School students led by Andrea Modugno
  • 4:30 – 5:30 PM – Peconic Ballet Theatre performance at Grangebel Park Stage
  • 5 – 5:30 PM – “Improvisation Station” activated by “Becoming Our Spaces”, on East End Arts grounds (133 E. Main Street, Riverhead)
  • 5 – 7 PM – “Community Intertwined” hands-on mosaic demonstration at River & Roots Community Garden Pathway at Grangebel Park
  • 5 – 7:30 PM – “Space Picnic” performance, 213 E. Main Street, Riverhead
  • 5 – 10 PM – “All Hands on Riverhead” presented by Riverhead Free Library, in celebration of their 120th year, on Main Street
  • 5:30 – 6:15 PM – “Improvisation Workshop” with Thomas Manuel of the Jazz Loft, on East End Arts grounds (133 E. Main Street, Riverhead)
  • 6 – 7 PM – “A Musical Journey Through Riverhead” concert, 211 E. Main Street, Riverhead
  • 6 – 7 PM – “Veronica’s World” storytelling in the Fresh Pond one-room schoolhouse on East End Arts grounds (133 E. Main Street, Riverhead)
  • 6 PM – Hula Hoop Lessons for all ages by Jaime Foley of Whirl & Dirvish, on East End Arts grounds (133 E. Main Street, Riverhead)
  • 6 – 8 PM – “Dear Riverhead” installation outside the Long Island Science Center
  • 6 – 8 PM  – “The Peconic River Dancers – Secrets of the Wetlands” installation at the Peconic River West Gazebo
  • 6 – 8 PM – “Thoughts that Swim” installation along the Peconic River
  • 6:15 – 6:30 PM – “Improvisation Station Parade to Riverside Rediscovered” from East End Arts grounds (133 E. Main Street, Riverhead)
  • 6:30 – 7:15 PM – “Riverhead Revealed” World Premiere Screening, followed by Q&A (with repeat showings at 8:00, 8:30, 9:00 PM) at 108 Peconic Ave, Riverhead
  • 7 – 7:45 PM – Percussion & Music Improvisation Experience with the Coltrane Home Foundation, on East End Arts grounds (133 E. Main Street, Riverhead)
  • 7 – 8 PM – “Chameleon Mural” Meet the Artist, at mural location on E. Main Street
  • 7 – 9 PM – Steel Silk Band performance, presented by Riverhead Townscape at Grangebel Park Stage
  • 7:15 – 7:45 PM – “A Creative Imaging” presented by “Becoming Our Spaces”, on East End Arts grounds (133 E. Main Street, Riverhead)
  • 8 PM – Hula Hoop Lessons for all ages by Jaime Foley of Whirl & Dirvish, on East End Arts grounds (133 E. Main Street, Riverhead)

JumpstART Artists’ public art projects which will be presented throughout the evening:

  • Poet and writer Maggie Bloomfield of Westhampton Beach and visual artist Anne Drager of Montauk, NY will present “Words & Birds”, a family-friendly, interactive project promoting poetry and art as pathways toward an emphatic and richly cultural Riverhead;
  • Classical singer José Coropuna of Laurel will present “A Musical Journey Through Riverhead”, an outdoor vocal recital in celebration of the arts in the community;
  • Abstract painter Barbara Jones of Greenlawn will present “The Peconic River Dancers – Secrets of the Wetlands”, an outdoor installation which brings to life the magic of dance in the hidden enchanting world of the river spirits;
  • Painter Drew Kane of Huntington Station will present “Chameleon Mural”;
  • Video producer Susan Levy of Quogue will present “Riverhead Revealed”, a video art project that profiles people, projects and places in Riverhead;
  • Visual artist Cara Lynch of Lindenhurst will present “Dear Riverhead”, an installation outside of the Long Island Science Center;
  • Visual artist Andrea Manning of Babylon and theatre artist Becca Seibert of Babylon: “Space Picnic”, an interactive performance art installation that transforms this storefront into a fully immersive, 360-degree environment in which audiences are invited to explore the sounds, shapes, colors, and textures of a fictional alien planet based in deep sea, rainforest, and microscopic imagery;
  • Visual artist Samantha Neukirch of Smithtown will present “Blue.exe”, a mixed media mural project celebrating our local aquatic ecosystem in the 21st century;
  • Abstract photographer Sarah Prescott of Orient will present “Get Paused”, a photographic memoir told in photographs and words about how a brain tumor and stroke changed the life and art of this artist;
  • Mosaic artist Linda Purrazzella of Southampton will present “Community Intertwined”, a mosaic at River & Roots Community Garden that will be created with the help of community members;
  • Illustrator Frank Sofo of East Hampton will present “Veronica’s World”, a project related to several children’s books that the artist wrote and illustrated based on a fictional story of a cat named Veronica who becomes a companion of great artists like Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, and many more;
  • Interdisciplinary artist Courtney Surmanek of Centereach will present “Becoming Our Spaces”, a creative collective dedicated to opening up communal spaces that encourage expressive freedom;
  • Painter Stephanie Walsh of Medford will present “Thoughts that Swim”, a project that harnesses the movement of swimming fish in association with the similar way in which our thoughts and emotions are processed.

For more information about the artists and their projects, please visit http://www.eastendarts.org/programs/jumpstart/2015-artists.html.

East End Arts Executive Director Pat Snyder comments, “JumpstART brings the arts and the community together in a positive way. Last year’s JumpstART filled the downtown area – all restaurants were full with happy people. We are looking forward to another great evening.”

Partners in the JumpstART event on August 7, 2015 in Downtown Riverhead include: Blue Duck Bakery, Coltrane Home Foundation, Martha Clara Vineyards, Peconic Ballet Theatre, Riverhead Free Library, Riverhead Townscape, Riverside Rediscovered, Suffolk Theater, Vines & Hops.

Supporters of this event and the JumpstART program include: Suffolk County Economic Development, Long Island Community Foundation, Town of Riverhead / Community Development, All for the East End (AFTEE), New York State Council on the Arts, Sheldon Gordon / Riverhead Enterprise, Riverhead Business Improvement District, RiverheadLocal.com.

More Information about the JumpstART Program

The JumpstART program was born in 2014 from support by the Long Island Community Foundation to address the needs of artists to develop business skills that would help them better integrate into the business community and for businesses to understand and make use of artists in their business model. As Riverhead and the East End strive to reshape the regional economy, JumpstART lays the groundwork for this new paradigm. It is anticipated to be a project that can be replicated in other communities. JumpstART is a Suffolk County Destination Downtown Project.

It is East End Arts belief that with the necessary tools, an artist is better able to take advantage of creative opportunities that arise and be more likely to be aware of opportunities that exist. With this belief in mind, East End Arts developed this intensive curriculum dedicated to the business side of art. East End Arts put out a call to artists in early 2015 and of the 33 applications received, 16 artists were chosen to participate in this opportunity. The program began in Spring 2015 with a series of intensive workshops led by industry professionals and will culminate with these public art projects, which will be presented in Downtown Riverhead at the JumpstART event on Friday, August 7, 2015. A second 2015 JumpstART event will take place in East Hampton in November with several of this year’s JumpstART artists.

This professional development program for artists provides the opportunity for participants to get a jumpstart on their artistic careers by learning about the fundamentals involved to best grow their business – their art! – all while improving and beautifying the Riverhead landscape by presenting free public art for the community to enjoy. The JumpstART event on Friday, August 7, 2015 is an unprecedented opportunity for the artists to design and implement/present their work in a high visibility, public arena. The JumpstART professional development program is for all visual and performing artists, of any discipline, and participants were selected through an application process.

For more information on this program, visit http://www.eastendarts.org/programs/jumpstart.html.

East End Arts’ JumpstART Program is made possible with funds from Suffolk County Department of Economic Development, Long Island Community Foundation, All for the East End (AFTEE), New York State Council on the Arts, and Riverhead Business Improvement District.

For more information, contact Pat Snyder at 631-727-0900 or psnyder@eastendarts.org.

East End Arts, established in 1972, is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit arts organization, and operates a School of the Arts, an Art Gallery, and presents a variety of events and programs to promote the arts year-round. Proceeds from all events, sales, classes, donations, and memberships benefit the mission and commitment to building and enriching our community through the arts by way of education, support, advocacy, and inspiration.

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