You Don't Have To Be Jewish To Enjoy Klezmer Music And Yiddish Songs - You're Invited To Free Sunday Afternoon Concert March 23 At Roosevelt Island RIVAA Gallery

Come enjoy an afternoon of Klezmer music at the Roosevelt Island RIVAA Gallery Sunday, March 23.

According to the RIVAA Gallery:

Klezmer is back! The previously postponed Klezmer concert has been rescheduled for Sunday, March 23 at 3 PM.

You don’t have to be Jewish to love Klezmer music, but you do need to bring high spirits and a willingness to sing along to RIVAA’s first Klezmer concert 🎶

Make RIVAA Gallery your Sunday afternoon destination, and familiarize yourself with this lively music. See you on Sunday at RIVAA.

The band consists of long-time Island residents:

Mitch Elinson - Clarinet, Guitar, Vocals

Debra Drucker - Vocals

Martin Garrat - Keyboard

Farisha DeLorenzo - Guitar, Vocals

Entry is free of charge. Donations are welcome.

Time & Location

Mar 23, 2025, 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM RIVAA Gallery, 527 Main St, Roosevelt Island

Here's a little bit of Klezmer music  

 from the Klezmatics.

Roosevelt Island RIVAA Gallery Open Call For Artists To Participate In Upcoming Pride Month Exhibition Themed Pride & Prejudice - Express Your Interpretation Of Identity And Societal Perception With Painting, Photography, Sculpture, Digital And Mixed Media

Roosevelt Island will be celebrating Pride Month in June with RIVAA Gallery's annual LGBTQ+ artist exhibition. RIVAA Gallery is calling for artists to submit their ideas for participation in the exhibition. 

According to RIVAA Gallery:

We're thrilled to invite LGBTQ+ artists to participate in our upcoming exhibition themed "Pride & Prejudice" at RIVAA Gallery. This year's theme explores the topic of identity and societal perception, focusing on both/either side of the title's coin: the celebration of LGBTQ+ pride and the struggles against prejudice. 

It is also a nod to Jane Austen's celebrated novel. The exhibition is an open call for LGBTQ+ artists based in NYC & will feature works that reflect personal narratives, historical challenges, and visions of a more inclusive society. 

The exhibition will showcase a diverse range of mediums, including painting, photography, sculpture, digital and video art, and mixed media. Feel free to express your interpretation of PRIDE & PREJUDICE (you can focus on either one or contrast both, etc.) through your art.

Submission Guidelines:

• Up to 5 pieces per artist.
• Please upload photos of your art and post the link in this form.
• Explain how your artwork relates to the theme "Pride & Prejudice."
• Artwork must be ready to hang or set on a display surface.

Submission Details:

• Submissions are free.
• If your artwork is accepted, there is a $25 flat fee for participation.
• Drop-off your accepted artwork in-person with the fee at RIVAA Gallery on May 29, 2025.

Important Dates:

• Deadline for submissions: May 15, 2025
• Exhibition dates: June 1-12, 2024
• Opening Reception: Sunday, June 1, 2025 from 5 - 8PM
• Artwork pick-up: June 12, 2025

Location:

• RIVAA Gallery
• 527 Main St, Roosevelt Island, NY 10044

For questions and submissions, please contact us at pride@rivaagallery.org

The submission form is here.

Here are some scenes from the RIVAA Gallery 2024 Pride Celebration exhibition

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and more from the 2024 RIVAA Gallery Pride exhibition.

You're Invited To RIVAA Gallery's Closing Reception Of The Lives That Made The Life We Live Black History Month Exhibition Saturday March 1 - An Evening Of Artwork, Artist Talks, Music, Live Painting And Community

According to the Roosevelt Island RIVAA Gallery (527 Main Street): 

Saturday, March 1, 2025, 6-9 PM at RIVAA Gallery

Back by popular demand! Join us for the closing reception of The Lives That Made The Life We Live, RIVAA’s Black History Month exhibition, showcasing the creativity and talent of local artists. Experience an evening of artwork, artist talks, music, live painting, and community as we honor the stories and legacies that shape our lives.

Donations are encouraged. 

RSVP

We look forward to celebrating with you!

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Here's more on RIVAA Gallery's 

The Lives That Made The Life We Live, 

Black History Month exhibition.

Watch Highlights From RIVAA Gallery Black History Month Exhibition Opening Night Filled With Fabulous Music And Artists Talk Celebrating Unlauded Black Inventors - RIRA Presentation Celebrating Black History Month Tonight Too

RIVAA Gallery shares some highlights from their February 8 Roosevelt Island Black History Month exhibition opening reception honoring unlauded Black inventors. According to RIVAA Gallery Instagram post:

It was a fabulous opening ... night of “The Lives That Matter, The Lives We Live” for Black History Month featuring local black artists filled with music and an artist talk....

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The Lives That Matter, The Lives We Live co-curator Amazia Thompson gave me a pre-opening tour of the exhibition.

Check out the exhibition this weekend at RIVAA Gallery.

Gallery hours are 

Wednesday 6-9pm | Thursday 11-6pm | Friday 6-9pm | Saturday & Sunday 11-5pm

Also, the Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) invites you to a Black History Month 

presentation today, February 21, at Good Shepherd Chapel.

Roosevelt Island RIVAA Gallery Celebrates Black History Month Honoring Unlauded Inventors Of Culture, Tech & Medicine, Take A Sneak Video Tour With Exhibit Curator - You're Invited To February 8 Opening Reception

Roosevelt Island RIVAA Gallery invites you to celebrate Black History Month with their upcoming exhibition highlighting the contributions of unlauded Black inventors. You're invited to the exhibition's opening reception tomorrow night, February 8 from 6-9 PM.

Earlier today, I received a pre-opening tour of the exhibition from co-curator Amazia Thompson.

According to Mr Thompson:

I have co-curators that I've invited from different boroughs. Essentially, this exhibition is focusing on black inventors. It's called The Lives That Made The Lives We Live and it's focusing on a lot of the times whether it be inventors of culture, inventors of technology or inventors of medicine, black hands are interwoven into the fabric of what we sometimes take for granted.

For example ... we have an aspect of other cultures renditions of their divinities depicted as women. We have Mother Earth, the Moon, the Sun, the Water and then the abstract usually takes place with identity. We have one of my favorites which is a rendition of Black Angel Babies and this one was unique to me because oftentimes Divinity is close to Whiteness in a lot of ways and so Light is associated with good, Darkness with bad but this is a reminder that oftentimes perception is not what we think...

RIVAA Gallery adds:

The Lives That Made The Life We Live

Opening reception: Saturday, February 8, 6-9 PM

RIVAA Gallery

On view February 7 – March 2, 2025

The Lives That Made The Life We Live is an exhibition highlighting unlauded Black inventors and their silent impact on our way of living. Through this exhibition, artists explore the effects of Black inventions on the physical world and human psyche in mediums ranging from paint and textiles to photography and film. Serving as a tribute to these forgotten legacies, it calls for recognition and respect for Black creators who touch every part of our lives, often missed and taken for granted, spanning culture, technology, medicine, and everything in between and beyond.

Join us at RIVAA Gallery on Saturday, February 8th, from 6-9 PM for art, music and performances at the opening ceremony of this exhibition honoring Black History Month. 

SUPPORT RIVAA

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 More info about the RIVAA Gallery available at their website.

Roosevelt Island RIVAA Gallery Celebrates Black History Month With Exhibition Highlighting Contributions Made By Unlauded Black Inventors And Their Silent Impact On Our Way Of Living - You're Invited To February 8 Opening Reception

Roosevelt Island RIVAA Gallery invites you to celebrate Black History Month with their upcoming exhibition highlighting the contributions of unlauded Black inventors.

According to RIVAA Gallery

The Lives That Made The Life We Live

February 7 - March 2, 2025

Celebrating Black History Month @ RIVAA Gallery

Opening reception: February 8th, 2025

6:00 - 9:00 PM

Curators: Amazia Thompson | Angie St. Louis | Bleu Pablo | Dhierry Clermont |

Saundra Lamb

The Lives That Made The Life We Live is an exhibition highlighting unlauded Black inventors and their silent impact on our way of living. Through this exhibition, artists explore the effects of Black inventions on the physical world and human psyche in mediums ranging from paint and textiles to photography and film. Serving as a tribute to these forgotten legacies, it calls for recognition and respect for Black creators who touch every part of our lives, often missed and taken for granted, spanning culture, technology, medicine, and everything in between and beyond.

Join us at RIVAA Gallery on February 8th, for art, music and performances at the opening ceremony of this exhibition honoring Black History Month.

Learn about a museum showcasing black inventors being planned in New Jersey.

Sponsored Post - Happy Holidays From The Roosevelt Island Visual Art Association, Thank You For Your Support All Year Long - Come Visit Our Affordable Art Show This Weekend December 14-15

The Roosevelt Island Visual Art Association (RIVAA) thanks the Roosevelt Island Community for your support and wishes you prosperity in the New Year.

We believe there can never be too much art or too many people buying it

Prove us right! Make your holiday season bright with the purchase of art at affordable prices that you can enjoy every day of 2025 and well beyond. Dates and hours of RIVAA's Affordable Art Sale are Saturday and Sunday December 14th and 15th from 11 AM - 5 PM. In addition to tables with artwork and art-related crafts from 43 RIVAA and local artists, there are affordable art walls in the gallery as part of our Gifts of the Heart exhibition.

RIVAA is a member organization dedicated to establishing an art center in its unique Roosevelt Island location on the East River in New York.

When you buy from RIVAA, you are supporting a Roosevelt Island nonprofit and shopping local, supporting the community. Art makes a great gift, so visit RIVAA Gallery at 527 Main Street, and buy art.

Please Support RIVAA Gallery.

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Click here for the RIVAA Gallery website and Instagram page for more info.

Thank You.

Affordable Art Sale At Roosevelt Island RIVAA Gallery This Weekend And Next - Perfect Opportunity To Start Your Art Collection Or Find That Special Holiday Gift

RIVAA Gallery is hosting its annual Roosevelt Island Affordable Art Sale this weekend and next.

According to RIVAA Gallery:

Here at RIVAA, we believe there can never be too much art or too many people buying it.

Prove us right! Make your holiday season bright with the purchase of art at affordable prices that you can enjoy every day of 2025 and well beyond. Dates and hours of RIVAA's Affordable Art Sale are Saturday and Sunday December 7th, 8th, 14th and 15th from 11 AM - 5 PM. In addition to tables with artwork and art-related crafts from 43 RIVAA and local artists, there are affordable art walls in the gallery as part of our Gifts of the Heart exhibition.

When you buy from RIVAA, you are supporting a Roosevelt Island nonprofit and shopping local, supporting the community. Art makes a great gift, so visit RIVAA Gallery at 527 Main Street, and buy art.

Support RIVAA.

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I spoke last year

with RIVVA Gallery artists Laura Hussey and Tony Vita about the 2023 Affordable Art Fair.

You're Invited To Berwick Fiddle Consort Folk Music With Guts Concert Bringing Traditional Music From Ireland, Scotland And Canada To Roosevelt Island RIVAA Gallery Sunday Afternoon November 24

The Berwick Fiddle Consort are bringing their Folk Music With Guts traditional music from Ireland, Scotland and Canada to Roosevelt Island tomorrow afternoon with a concert at the RIVAA Gallery.

According to RIVAA Gallery:

Sunday, November 24 at 3 PM Fiddles and Fortepianos Concert

Join us for an enchanting afternoon featuring the lively sounds of fiddles and the timeless charm of the fortepiano, featuring the talented musicians of the Berwick Fiddle Consort (BFC). Founded in 2018 by Lydia Becker, Julia Connor and Sarah Douglass, BFC will perform traditional music from 18th century Ireland and Scotland, Cape Breton, St. Clare on period instruments, creating new arrangements and experimenting with various aspects of historical performance. They will be joined by Yi-heng Yang on fortepiano.

The concert is on Sunday, November 24 at 3 PM at RIVAA Gallery. Entry is complimentary. There is a recommended donation of $25 for adults and $10 for students / seniors to support the musicians and RIVAA programs.

SUPPORT RIVAA

Here's a little bit of the Berwick Fiddle Consort.