FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Emma Wilcox

Ph. (646) 220-3772

ewilcox@aferro.org

ALL OF IT: Dahlia Elsayed

Midcareer NJ artist re-arranges over 100 paintings for “humorous, anxious, lusty poem.”

Gallery Aferro 73 Market St Newark NJ 07102 aferro.org
Main Gallery 9/11/10-10/2/10
Opening Reception September 11, 2010, 7-10 PM

Gallery Aferro is pleased to announce the opening of All Of It, an ambitious floor to ceiling exhibition of the work of New Jersey artist Dahlia Elsayed. Ms. Elsayed worked for a month in the 2000 sq. ft space to arrange and rearrange over 100 paintings from the last decade alongside new work to create an experience of “being bombarded by text” and physically walking through a “humorous, anxious and lusty epic poem.” Ms. Elsayed is the inaugural recipient of the 18-month Aferro Studio residency for midcareer New Jersey-based artists.

Ms. Elsayed’s painting process is closely linked with writing and in this show the artist performs a kind of editing and revision to selected works to create new and altered meanings. The exhibition will include new site-specific pieces and will be accompanied by an exhibition catalog with essay by short story writer and novelist Alice Elliott Dark.

The impetus for the exhibition comes from a flood that damaged the artist’s studio where she had been working for 14 years. In the frantic effort to remove work, Ms. Elsayed had the realization that “all the work is really just one big piece” and that work from years ago formed a connected narrative to the most recent paintings. Materiality, scale and language have all been choreographed here to function together as a massive meta-narrative.

Ms. Elsayed combines text and imagery to create visually narrative paintings that document internal and external geographies. Her work, influenced by conceptual art, comics, and landscape painting, is informed by autobiography and environment, to create illustrated documents of places and memories.  Her paintings, prints and artist books have been shown widely at galleries and art institutions throughout the United States and internationally, and is in numerous public collections. Ms. Elsayed has received awards from the Joan Mitchell Foundation, the Edward Albee Foundation, Visual Studies Workshop, Women’s Studio Workshop, Headlands Center for the Arts, and The NJ State Council on the Arts. She received her MFA from Columbia University.

Gallery Aferro is located at 73 Market St, Newark, NJ.

Gallery hours are Thurs – Sat, 12– 6 PM and by appt

Residents should drink plenty of fluids, stay indoors in a cool climate, and avoid strenuous activity

Newark, NJ – July 2, 2010 – Mayor Cory A. Booker announced today that a heat wave is expected to hit the City with increasing humidity, and temperatures are expected to be in the mid to upper 90s starting on Sunday, July 4th, and continuing through Tuesday, July 6th.

“During this heat wave, it is imperative that our residents take precautions to protect themselves. It’s important to drink plenty of fluids and avoid alcohol or beverages that contain caffeine, such as soda or coffee, which actually cause you to dehydrate. I also urge our residents to beat the heat by staying indoors in a cool climate, avoiding strenuous activity and limiting exposure to the sun,” said Mayor Booker.

Residents are advised to drink plenty of water, wear loose-fitting, cotton clothing, stay indoors in a cool climate (like a movie theater or shopping mall), avoid strenuous activity, and check on the elderly and young. Symptoms of heat exhaustion and stroke can include heavy sweating, paleness, tiredness, dizziness, and headache. A list of hot weather health concerns, and measures to take, is also attached below.

Residents with questions or concerns can contact the City of Newark’s Non-Emergency Call Center at (973) 733-4311.
___

Hot Weather Health Concerns
Use Common Sense

Remember to keep cool and use common sense:
Avoid hot foods and heavy meals—they add heat to your body.
Drink plenty of fluids and replace salts and minerals in your body. Do not take salt tablets unless under medical supervision.
Dress infants and children in cool, loose, clothing and shade their heads and faces with hats or an umbrella.
Limit sun exposure during mid-day hours and in places of potential severe exposure such as beaches.
Do not leave infants, children, or pets in a parked car.
Provide plenty of fresh water for your pets, and leave the water in a shady area.

Hot Weather Health Emergencies

Even short periods of high temperatures can cause serious health problems. Doing too much on a hot day, spending too much time in the sun or staying too long in an overheated place can cause heat-related illnesses. Know the symptoms of heat disorders and overexposure to the sun, and be ready to give first aid treatment.

Heat stroke occurs when the body is unable to regulate its temperature. The body’s temperature rises rapidly, the sweating mechanism fails, and the body is unable to cool down. Body temperature may rise to 106°F or higher within 10 to 15 minutes. Heat stroke can cause death or permanent disability if emergency treatment is not provided.

Recognizing Heat Stroke

Warning signs of heat stoke may vary but may include the following:

• Red, hot, and dry skin
• Throbbing headache
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Confusion
• Unconsciousness

Heat exhaustion is a milder form of heat related illness that can develop after several days of exposure to high temperature and inadequate or unbalanced replacement of fluids. It is the body’s response to an excessive loss of the water and salt contained in sweat. Those most prone to heat exhaustion are elderly people, people with high blood pressure, and people working or exercising in a hot environment.

Warning signs of heat exhaustion include the following:

• Heavy sweating
• Paleness
• Muscle fatigue
• Tiredness
• Dizziness
• Headache
• Fainting

Heat Cramps
Heat cramps usually affect people who sweat a lot during strenuous activity. This sweating depletes the body’s salt and moisture. The low salt level in the muscles may be the cause of heat cramps. Heat cramps may also be a symptom of heat exhaustion.

Recognizing Heat Cramps

Heat cramps are muscle pains or spasms—usually in the abdomen, arms, or legs—that may occur in association with strenuous activity. If you have heart problems or are on a low-sodium diet, get medical attention for heat cramps.

What to Do

If medical attention is not necessary, take these steps:
Stop all activity, and sit quietly in a cool place.
Drink clear juice or a sports beverage.
Do not return to strenuous activity for a few hours after the cramps subside, because further exertion may lead to heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
Seek medical attention for heat cramps if they do not subside in 1 hour.

We would like to invite you to an evening of wonderful food, drinks, music, and merriment. Please join us for this unique fund raising event, we can really use your help! Index is in the process of establishing itself as a non profit organization. As we are already operating on a limited budget this process seems to have stretched that budget even more. To help us in this endeavor, all you need to do is join us for a barbecue dinner.

The Second annual Shoestring Benefit will take place on Sunday, July 11 at 6:00 pm.
Location: 27 Mix, 27 Halsey Street Newark, N.J.

We request a donation of $40 per person.
Buy your ticket in advance and only pay $35

Your contribution entitles you to:
-A variety of thoughtfully prepared foods, fresh off the grill.
-Your favorite brews served, and included with your donation
-The friendly Index staff as your servers and chef
-Special treats including The Merkel Burger, Mini Beaz, Lisa Loveburgers(veggie), and Hutchins Homemade ice cream!

Please RSVP by July 7th
(Contribution amounts over $35 are tax deductable)

Thank you for your support!

INDEX
585 Broad Street
Newark, NJ 07102
indexartcenter.org
index.gallery@gmail.com
201-218-9725

City will launch a 30-day warning period at intersections of McCarter Highway and Edison Place and McCarter Highway and Market Street

Newark, NJ – June 29, 2010 – Mayor Cory A. Booker, Acting Engineering Director Mehdi Mohammadish, and Police Director Garry F. McCarthy announced today that the City of Newark will expand its “Project Red Light” Automated Photo Enforcement System on July 1, 2010 to two additional intersections with the launch of 30-day warning periods at the intersections at McCarter Highway and Market Street and McCarter Highway and Edison Street. During the one-month warning period, motorists who run red lights will receive warning notices, but no tickets.

On the same day, the City of Newark will also end its 30-day warning period at the intersection of McCarter Highway and South Street. All motorists who run through red lights at this intersection on or after July 1 will be issued an $85 traffic violation. A list of all intersections affected by Project Red Light, pending and active, is attached.

“This program was created for the critical purpose of increasing pedestrian and motor safety at our busiest intersections,” Mayor Booker said. “With our partners, we are now efficiently and effectively pursuing and punishing motorists who disregard our laws and disrespect the lives of our residents by running red lights, and saving many lives.”

The camera installations and activations are part of a continuing initiative to reduce the number of traffic accidents caused by motorists who ignore red lights. Newark is the first municipality in the State to implement this program. The Project Red Light Automated Photo Enforcement system first went into operation on December 16, 2009, at the intersection ofBroad Street and Raymond Boulevard and the intersection of Broad and Market Streets.

In January 2008, Governor Jon S. Corzine enacted Assembly Bill 4314, establishing a five-year pilot program to determine the effectiveness of the installation and utilization of traffic control signal monitoring systems. Under the program, a traffic control signal monitoring system utilizes cameras and vehicle sensors in conjunction with the intersection’s traffic lights to produce images of vehicles disregarding a red signal and running a red light.

“The Red Light Camera Program is supporting our Police Department in its efforts to enforce traffic safety regulations and is improving safety at our intersections for both motorists and pedestrians,” Acting Director Mohammadish noted. Twelve other intersections are also pending approval from the New Jersey State Department of Transportation.

According to Acting Manager Jack Nata, whose Division of Traffic and Signals is overseeing the implementation of the program, the City of Newark selected Redflex Traffic Systems, Inc. of Phoenix, to establish this vital safety program. “The Red Light Camera Program is one of the most important safety initiatives the Department of Engineering has ever pursued. This program is enhancing the safety improvements we have already implemented at these intersections, and has created safer intersections for pedestrians and motorists alike,” Mr. Nata said.

The type of violation issued is similar to one for running a red light captured by a police officer on the street, with the exception that no points will be assigned against the driver or the owner of the vehicle. The penalty imposed for failing to observe a traffic control device is set forth in Title 39 of the New Jersey Statutes. The automated cameras snap photographs of license plates of vehicles that run red lights, which will result in the owners of the vehicles being mailed a ticket for the violation. Violators can view the digital still images and a 12-second video of the violation online. The program is financed by a percentage of the paid violations being collected by the State and disbursed among the State, County, and City.

“The Red Light Camera Program enhances our ability to enforce traffic ordinances and maintain safety for pedestrians and motorists without incurring additional expenses or duties for our officers,” Director McCarthy said. “We are using the latest technology and maximizing those partnerships that enable us to work smarter, and to eliminate the needless tragedies that result when motorists ignore red lights.”

For information on all City of Newark programs and policies, contact the Non-Emergency Call Center at (973) 733-4311.

LIST OF ACTIVE AND PENDING INTERSECTIONS

McCarter Highway and Market Street – Warning Period Launch: July 1
Warning Period Ends: August 1

McCarter Highway and Edison Place – Warning Period Launch: July 1
Warning Period Ends: August 1

McCarter Highway and Lafayette Street – Warning Period Ends: July 15

McCarter Highway and South Street – Warning Period Ends: July 1

Broad Street and Market Street

Broad Street and Raymond Boulevard

Broad Street and Murray Street

Raymond Boulevard and Raymond Plaza West

Raymond Blvd and Prospect Street

Mulberry Street and Market Street

Facing the biggest budget crisis in its history, The Newark Public Library is being forced to reduce its hours and to cut critical services and staff. The city of Newark is cutting funding to the Library by $2.45 million (nearly 20 percent) in 2010 and by $4.9 million in 2011. These cuts represent a reduction of nearly 45 percent since 2008.

The Library has had to shut down all branches on Saturdays and has no choice but to permanently close two branch locations at the end of August.

“The cuts come at a time when our students have never been more in need of our services, and when residents have unprecedented need for library resources to help them find jobs,” said Library Director Wilma J. Grey.

The historic Newark Public Library is the largest municipal library in the state.
Nearly three quarters of a million people visit the Library each year. In the past five years there has been a 63% increase in adult book circulation and a 75% increase in children’s book circulation. The Library has also increased the number of public computers by 74% during that period.

Responding to the cuts from the city, the Library’s Board of Trustees adopted this budget reduction plan at their May 26 meeting.

The permanent closure of two branch libraries – First Avenue Branch, 282 First Avenue and Madison Branch, 790 Clinton Avenue. The last day of service is August 27.
The closure of all branch libraries on Saturdays.
Beginning August 16, the Library will be closed to the public every Monday and Tuesday. The Main Library will only be open four days per week, from Wednesday through Saturday. The eight branch locations will only be open three days per week, Wednesday through Friday.

“These were tremendously difficult decisions for the Trustees, but given the $2.45 million reduction in the Library’s allocation from the City during the last half of this year, we can no longer maintain all of our facilities and services. Many programs for children will be cut. Adult access to computers and computer classes will be limited. The budget for books and research databases will be greatly reduced. We’ve had to lay off 31 of our workers and impose 38 unpaid staff furlough days this year. But we will provide Newark residents with as many services as possible under these challenging circumstances,” said Grey.

Jerry Caprio, president of the Friends of the Newark Public Library, said residents should contact their elected officials and show their support for the Library.

“The Newark Public Library is the pride and joy of Newark,” said Caprio. “It has inspired countless generations of children to read. Now the Library needs the support of the community. I am urging anyone who loves books or who has benefited from the Library in any way to pick up the phone or send an e-mail to their elected officials to show their support for this essential treasure.”

Gitterman Gallery is proud to present an exhibition of contemporary black and white photographs by Emma Wilcox. The exhibition will open with an artist’s reception on Thursday, June 24th from 6 to 8 p.m. and continue through Saturday, July 31st.

This exhibition is comprised of work from Wilcox’s Eminent Domain and Forensic Landscapes series. Wilcox is interested in the various ways that land is marked, be it chemically, visually or textually. Taken primarily within a 5-mile radius of Newark, NJ, these haunting, enigmatic images suggest multiple narratives, hinting at crime, destruction and violence. Artist and critic Tim Maul writes: “progress” has rendered these landscapes ancient, and Wilcox is both a cartographer and guerrilla, staging interventions embedded within photographs that like maps themselves, never succeed as precise conveyors of “truth”. The images bear no obvious time stamp; they serve as a subjective document and challenge the notion of evidence. Though often dark, both visually and conceptually, the work has an underlying note of resilience and perseverance.

Wilcox’s father, great-uncle and grandfather all worked in Newark for periods of time in their lives. Interested in the role that individual memory plays in the creation of local history, Wilcox moved to Newark after college. She began taking photographs at night on foot, developing her own familiarity with the area and its history. In 2005, when she was evicted from where she was living by the state because of eminent domain, Wilcox became determined to claim Newark as a place she refused to leave.

It is difficult to date Wilcox’s work, prompting the question: do her subjects still exist or are they on the brink of disappearing? The gelatin silver process, which uses chemical processes now considered archaic, is an ideal medium for depicting landscapes with a long chemical memory. These photographs are a testament to what endures, ensuring that her subjects will never vanish completely.

Emma Wilcox was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1980. She studied photography at the School of Visual Arts with Tim Maul, Stephen Frailey and Sid Kaplan. Wilcox has had the following solo exhibitions: Forensic Landscapes, Jersey City Museum, Jersey City, NJ, 2007 and Salvage Rights, Real Art Ways, Hartford, CT, 2009. She is the recipient of a NJ State Arts Council Fellowship for photography, the Camera Club of NY residency, the Newark Museum Residency and was a core participant in Night School at the New Museum in 2008. She participated in Emerge 7, Aljira, Newark, NJ in 2006 and AIM 29, Bronx Museum, Bronx, NY in 2009. She is also co-founder, with Evonne M. Davis, of Gallery Aferro, a Newark, NJ alternative space.

Gallery Hours: Wednesday through Saturday, 11 to 6 p.m. & by appointment

Newark, NJ (June 21, 2010) – The New Jersey Performing Arts Center raises the curtain on an exciting, expanded 2010-11 season on September 22, 2010 when classical piano superstar Lang Lang returns to NJPAC’s Prudential Hall stage, which has been dubbed one of his favorite places in the world to play, as a soloist on two works, Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in c, Op. 37, and Liszt’s virtuosic Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat Major, with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, led by Jacques Lacombe in his second performance as the NJSO’s new Music Director. The opening week celebration continues on September 24, 2010, with television comedian Arj Barker, fresh from HBO’s Flight of the Concords, and Grammy-winner for “Walking in Memphis,” songster Marc Cohn on September 25, 2010. And on October 2, 2010, the Women’s Association of NJPAC hosts its annual Spotlight Gala, featuring singer/actor superstar Jennifer Hudson. Single tickets for the 2010-11 season, available now, may be purchased by telephone at 1-888-GO-NJPAC (1-888-466-5722), at the NJPAC Box Office at One Center Street in downtown Newark (open Monday-Saturday, noon to 6pm, and Sunday, noon to 5pm), or online at www.njpac.org.

New additions to the 2010-11 Season, added after NJPAC’s original subscription series was announced in April, include:

A Metro-area exclusive, R&B leading men Jeffrey Osborne, Peabo Bryson, Freddie Jackson and Howard Hewett, in Men of Soul (October 22, 2010);
An NJPAC-exclusive, in their only New Jersey performance, Leo Kotke and Harry Manx (November 5, 2010);
In their only New Jersey performances, Oleta Adams (October 29, 2010); the hilarious Celebrity Autobiography (October 30, 2010), in which comedians read aloud from the pages of big name star’s autobiographies; Buddy “The Cake Boss” Valastro on the final stop of his The Bakin’ with the Boss Tour (November 23, 2010);
The solo, Off-Broadway hit One Man Star Wars Trilogy (June 11, 2011);
Joan Baez with special guest Steve Earle (October 30, 2010); Bebe and CeCe Winans (December 17, 2010); Richie Havens with Dar Williams (April 29, 2011); and the return to NJPAC of Classic Albums Live, this season recreating The Beatles’ Abbey Road (February 19, 2011); The Eagles’ Hotel California (March 19, 2011); and Led Zeppelin’s House of the Holy (April 22, 2011);
An intimate evening or music and behind-the-scenes stories with four of Nashville’s most successful songwriters, River Rutherford, Chris Wallin, Dave Berg and Jim Collins, in The Hitmakers (November 19, 2010).

Tickets for the co-presented Broadway productions under the recently announced partnership between NJPAC and Nederlander Presentations are currently available only as a subscription series. The productions include South Pacific (January 26-30, 2011), Monty Python’s Spamalot (March 29-April 3, 2011), A Chorus Line (April 26-May 1, 2011) and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (June 21-26, 2011).

By choosing any three performances, throughout the entire season, ticket buyers can save up to $5 per ticket. Choose four, and they save up to $7. The savings can be as much as $10 per ticket when choosing just five performances or more.

Other 2010-11 Season highlights:

· In a New Jersey Exclusive, the American Ballet Theatre returns to NJPAC for the first time in over a decade with a program that features three one-act works from three choreographers: Paul Taylor’s Company B; Alexei Ratmanski’s Seven Sonatas; and Benjamin Millepied’s Everything Doesn’t Happen at Once;
· The largest poetry event in North America, The Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival, features four U.S. poets laureate, Pulitzer Prize winners, plus dozens of other poets;
· Four collaborations with the NJSO: the Season Opening Event with Lang Lang; Video Games Live returns, playing some of the very best video game music from games like MarioT, ChonoCrossT and Chrono TriggerT, Final Fantasy VII®, Bioshock, and more, accompanied by video game imagery and audience interactivity; Madama Butterfly presented in collaboration with NJPAC and Opera New Jersey performed in Italian with English supertitles; a screening of Peter Jackson’s full-length film, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, with live orchestral accompaniment, featuring more than 200 musicians, including a full orchestra, two choruses, soloists and a gigantic screen above the stage (being done only at NJPAC and in St. Louis);
· For the first time at NJPAC, Handel’s Messiah Rocks!, a groundbreaking musical event that merges classical music with classic rock for a contemporary take on Handel’s most performed oratorio;
· A Latin Jazz Festival including an NJPAC-exclusive double-bill with two Latin jazz giants, pianist-composer Danilo Perez Trio and percussionist Poncho Sanchez and his Latin Band;
· For the first time at NJPAC, Drumline Live!, a choreographed production created by the same musical team behind 2002′s big-screen Drumline, depicting the rich history era by era of the marching band tradition of historically black colleges and universities;
· A Metro-area exclusive, FLY: Five First Ladies of Dance, with five ground-breaking dancer-choreographers, Carmen de Lavallade, Bebe Miller, Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, Germaine Acogny and Dianne McIntyre each appearing in a rarely-performed, signature solo work (a project of 651 Arts);
· The world’s most recognized orchestras will fill Prudential Hall for five evenings: The Cleveland Orchestra returns to NJPAC after over a decade with its acclaimed music director, Franz Welster-Möst, conducting Wagner’s Tannhauser Overture, Strauss’s epic tone-poem Ein Heldenleben (A Hero’s Life) and, with Pierre-Laurent Aimard at the piano on Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54; Valery Gergiev leads the Mariinsky (Kirov) Orchestra in Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 and Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with Denis Matsuev at the piano; the Israel Philharmonic returns under the baton of Zubin Mehta in Schuber’s Symphony No. 9 in C major, D. 944 (“The Great”), Haydn’s Symphony No. 96 in D major (“Miracle”), and Liszt’s Les Préludes; James Levine conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra in Mozart’s valedictory symphony, the “Jupiter,” Mozart’s “Rhenish” and another work to be announced at a later date; and the annual return of The New York Philharmonic under the baton of its former music director, Kurt Masur, in a concert that features the New Jersey premiere of the Concerto for Two Violas by Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina, Liszt’s stirring Les Préludes and Brahms’s Symphony No. 1;
· An NJPAC-commissioned version of Sleeping Beauty by FamilyTime favorite musician/storyteller, David Gonzalez
· The creators and stars of Mystery Science Theatre 3000 bring the concept of MST3K to NJPAC with Cinematic Titanic;
· For the first time at NJPAC, charismatic baritone Max Raabe and his Palast Orchester bring the high style of 1920s and 1930s Berlin cabaret to the stage of Prudential Hall, with a repertoire of German and American standards;
· Three generations of iconic jazz greats: Sonny Rollins, Chris Botti and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis.
· In its second season, the Alternate Routes moderated discussion series Legacies & Legends features an evening with Tony award-winning modern dance choreographer and director Bill T. Jones and another with the composer Philip Glass;
· A Metro-area exclusive when the Chicago-based Luna Negra Dance Theater performs Danzón by its company founder, Eduardo Vilaro, to live music courtesy of the Grammy-winning Turtle Island Quartet and New Jersey’s own Latin jazz master and an NJPAC favorite, Paquito D’Rivera;
· Spend An Afternoon with Debbie Reynolds, an American entertainment legend, in her first-ever appearance at NJPAC, as part of the cabaret series that also includes Liz Callaway, Marilyn Maye, Maude Maggart and Tyne Daly.

*A COMPLETE 2010-2011 CALENDAR IS AVAILABLE ON THE PRESS PAGE AT WWW.NJPAC.ORG

TICKETS & INFORMATION:
By creating their own series of three events, tickets buyers can save up to $5 per ticket. Choose any four and save up to $7 off the listed prices. The savings can be as much as $10 per ticket when choosing just five performances or more.

For further information about NJPAC’s programming, membership, or to request a brochure, please call 1-888-GO-NJPAC (1-888-466-5722). Visit NJPAC’s website during the season for updates and additions to the schedule at www.njpac.org,

As with previous seasons, check NJPAC’s website at www.njpac.org for updates and additions to the 2010-2011 season calendar.

NJPAC is grateful to the following partners for their commitment and investment in our mission: American Express; Automatic Data Processing; Bank of America; Continental Airlines; Leon & Toby Cooperman; Harrah’s Entertainment Inc., Harrah’s Foundation; The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey; Betty Wold Johnson; The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; The Blanche & Irving Laurie Foundation; McCrane Foundation; The MCJ Amelior Foundation; Merck Company Foundation; National Endowment for the Arts; New Jersey State Council on the Arts; Panasonic Corporation of North America; Prudential Financial; PSEG Foundation; Eric & Lore Ross; The Smart Family Foundation/David S. Stone, Esq., Stone and Magnanini; The Star-Ledger/Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation; Verizon; Victoria Foundation; Wachovia; Judy & Josh Weston; and the Women’s Association of NJPAC. (as of June 16, 2010)

Funding has been made possible through a grant from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State and funds from the National Endowment for the Arts.

New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located in downtown Newark, New Jersey, is the sixth largest performing arts center in the United States. As New Jersey’s Town Square, NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the State’s and the world’s best artists while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city. Through its extensive Arts Education programs, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts. NJPAC has attracted over 6 million visitors (more than one million children) since opening its doors in 1997, and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents. Visit www.njpac.org for more information.

NJPAC is a wheelchair accessible facility and provides assistive services for patrons with disabilities. For more information, call 888-GO-NJPAC.

Art, Christianity and the status of Pan-Africanism will be explored in three lectures hosted by the Newark Public Library over a three week period in July. The James Brown Lecture Series tj take place on July 14, July 21 and July 28 in the Main Library, 5 Washington Street, Newark.

The series of talks are named after Brown, a former librarian for whom the Library’s African American Room is named. The space houses cross-disciplinary materials about African American life, history and culture. All three lectures will take place on the three consecutive Thursdays from 6 to 8 p.m. in the James Brown African American Room on the Library’s first floor.

David “Trust” Graham, the director of the Afrikan Echoes Study Group in Newark will kick off the series on Wednesday, July 14. Graham will speak on “The African Presence in Christianity.”

On Wednesday, July 21, filmmaker and author Hisani P. Dubose will deliver a talk and sign copies of her book, “Do I Have to Be a Starving Artist in the 21st Century?” Dubose’s book offers insight into the entertainment industry, understanding the artistic personality and drawing parallels between artists and entrepreneurs. In 2005, she produced the critically-acclaimed documentary, “The Vanishing Black Male,” which explored why African American women outnumber African American males. The film, shot in Newark was declared the best black documentary in 2005 by film critic Kam Williams.

The lecture series will conclude on Wednesday, July 28 with Dr. Akil Kokayi Khalfani, the Director of the Africana Institute at Essex County College. Khalfani will deliver a lecture on the status of Pan-Africanism. He is the author of “The Hidden Debate: The Truth Revealed about the Battle over Affirmative Action in South Africa and the United States,” which was nominated for the Oliver Cromwell Cox Award and the American Sociological Association’s Distinguished Book Award. He has written articles and book chapters on Pan Africanism, racial classification in South African and population statistics.

The programs are free and open to the public. The Newark Public Library is located at 5 Washington Street in downtown Newark. For more information, please call 973-733-7793 or log on to rsvp@npl.org to reserve a spot for the program.

The City of Newark e-mail system is for business purposes only. This e-mail and any files transmitted with it are confidential and are intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to which they are addressed. This communication may contain material protected by the attorney-client privilege. If you are not the intended recipient or the person responsible for delivering the e-mail to the intended recipient, be advised that you have received this e-mail in error and that any use, dissemination, forwarding, printing, or copying of this e-mail is strictly prohibited. If you received this email in error, please notify the sender immediately by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original mail.

BODY{ background-color : #CCCCCC; font-family: “Trebuchet MS”, Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size : 12px; color: #000000; }li { list-style:disc; } a{color : #665947; line-height:20px;} a:hover { color: #20587F; text-decoration: underline} a:active {text-decoration: underline} .normal {color:#111111; font-size: 12px;} .heading, p.heading {color:#993399; font-color:#993399; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;} .bigheading {color:#993399;font-size: 28px; font-style: bold; font-weight: bold;} .footer {font-size: 9px;} .link {font-size: 10px; text-decoration: none;}

Tune in Thursday, June 17th at 8pm for the next Newark Today, our monthly live call-in show with our guest Cory Booker, hosted by Andrew Meyer.      This week on the WBGO Journal Friday, June 18, 2010 – Hosted By Doug Doyle THE GULF OIL SPILL & THE LOCAL THREAT We’ll take a look at the potential threat to the Jersey Shore from the Gulf oil spill. THE THREAT FROM AL-SHABAB Monica Miller talks with Newark Congressman Donald Payne about the terrorist group two New Jersey men are accused of trying to join, al-Shabab. The same group tried to shoot down a plane in Somalia last year the Congressman was on. A CONVERSATION WITH DAVID DINKINS We’ll have an exceprt of Allan Wolper’s most recent conversation with former New York City Mayor David Dinkins. PLAY ME, I’M YOURS Josh Jackson reports on a new art exhibition taking place throughout New York City which features pianos for all to enjoy in public spaces. REVIEW: BANANA SHPEEL Theater critic Michael Bourne reviews the new offering from Cirque Du Soleil, Banana Shpeel.       Last week on the WBGO Journal Friday, June 11, 2010 – Hosted By Andrew Meyer THE NEW GUY AT DODGE BOOKS & BEYOND CHAOS COOKING AND THE MIKEY GOES TO…. WEB EXTRA: THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS DAGGETT       Also from the WBGO News Room DEP PROPOSES NEW RULES FOR PUBLIC ACCESS TO BEACHES SOME PARENTS AND LAWMAKERS URGE REPEAL OF DECAL PROVISION OF KYLEIGH’S LAW ESSEX COUNTY LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES SHARE INFO WITH NEW INITIATIVE    | WBGO| WBGO News | WBGO Journal | WBGO Journal Arcives | News On-Demand |