All Over Albany

Sidewalk art on River Street

Renata and Regina scored $300 with this panel.

A bunch of artists got together this past weekend at the Troy River Street Festival to compete in a sidewalk painting (or chalking) contest sponsored by the Arts Center of the Capital Region. The judge's winner, chalked by Renata and Regina Memole, is above. The people's choice winner and a few other pieces are after the jump.

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Sculpture in the Streets

They're happy to share the sidewalk with you.

If you're wandering through downtown Albany (say, on your way to Cone of Our Own) there are 16 new steel sculptures to check out. The Downtown Albany BID just switched out the abstract metal sculpture from last year's "Sculpture in the Streets" installation.

The art is scattered throughout the neighborhood. We found a few of the new pieces outside Capital Rep, in Ten Eyck Plaza and near the footbridge to The Corning Preserve. Fourteen regional artists are featured in the temporary installation, including Steven Rolf Kroeger (the guy who created Albany's 15-foot floating, burning, steel tulip). The downtown BID is holding an official kickoff party and fundraiser tomorrow night, but the art will be up until next April.

Pics of a few more of the sculptures after the jump.

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TvFilm short film screening

So you couldn't make it to Cannes or Sundance this year (scheduling conflicts, of course), but you have a hankering for fresh new independent film. Then you might want to check out TvFilm. WMHT's newest program will showcase films produced by filmmakers here in the Capital District.

The series kicks off on Thursday June 12, but if you're the looking for that Riviera on the Hudson experience (what's Monaco got on Defreestville? -- don't answer that), there's a preview screening this Saturday at 1 pm at the WMHT Studios in the Rensselaer Tech Park. The filmmakers will be there if you'd like to do the meet and greet thing. (The screening is free, but you have to reserve a spot.)

As for what you'll see, it looks pretty eclectic. The 15 films include: a documentary about an infamous Troy madam, a thriller about karma and the human psyche in the age of technology, an artistic exploration of the human form, and a look at growing up from a parent's point of view.

The TV Film blog has all the details. A few trailers are embedded after the jump.

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Crisan: at last, art you can eat

Claudia and Iggy.

It's a bakery! No, it's an art gallery! Hey kids -- it's a bakery AND an art gallery. And the art is edible. Crisan, the long gestating bakery/art gallery on Lark Street finally opened its doors this morning.

Artist Ana Claudia Crisan Calabria and her husband, jazz musician Iggy Calabria, are offering gelato, beautiful pastries and edible jewelery. Wait... what?

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Pay What You Will night at Cap Rep

Tomorrow is "Pay What You Will" night for Capital Rep's production of the Pulitzer prizewinning drama Doubt. Pay what you will works just like it sounds. You pick your own ticket price. Make a little time to stand in line, though. It's understandably a pretty popular event. Tickets go on sale at 5PM Thursday at noon and it's first come first serve. Curtain is at 7:30.

Spectres of Liberty: what it looked like

Spooky--but cool.

What does a giant inflatable ghost church look like? Thanks to our buddy Renée at Almost Foodies, we know. She made it to Friday night's Spectres of Liberty event at Troy Night Out. Looks like it was pretty cool. More pictures after the jump.

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Spectres of Liberty

If you're heading to Troy Night Out, check out the inflatable ghost church. Yes, we said inflatable-ghost-church. The site specific exhibit called Spectres of Liberty recreates a church that burned down in 1941 with the use of inflatable sculpture and video.

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Plugged In Hudson

It sounds like Hudson has something pretty cool cooking over the next two weeks. Here's how Plugged In Hudson describes itself:

PLUGGED IN will be exhibited in and along the mile-long Warren Street, the main business district, in Hudson, New York. From May 17 through May 31, artists will utilize everything from storefront windows to the sides of buildings, to the street itself to exhibit their site specific work. Over the course of the past year we have been working with each artist to find a space which will be both engaging and challenging for their work.

The kick-off party is tomorrow night. Video mashup artists Electic Method will be setting the scene from 6-10 pm in the Parc Foundation building at 330 Warren St. Also in the mix: artist Mike Long will be painting a 10 foot mural all night. And there will be music courtest of Lukomski/Majer/Lail and DJs ESE and Mikey Palms.

The overarching Plugged In exhibition runs from May 17 to May 31.

Paul Katz at Feast Gallery

If you have few minutes in Saratoga during the next month, you might want to stop by Feast Gallery on Beekman (it's at the head of the arts district that's sprouting on the west side.) It's currently exhibing works by Paul Katz. The collection includes small paintings on pages from the New York Times, as well as some mesmerizing iterative works.

It's definitely worth checking out -- and you can stop by downstairs for a drink afterwards at newish pub and tea place The Local.

Edwood film camp

If what you really want to do is direct , here's your big chance.

Inspired by the iconic campy film director Ed Wood, the folks from the Edwood Film Fest are back at work on their 11th local independent film festival. This year organizer Peter Barnett has added a new twist for wannabe filmmakers.

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Boarded Up: art on Grand Street

A sampling of the art on Grand Street.

If you've driven by Albany's mansion neighborhood lately, you may have noticed that the former St. Anthony's Church is looking a little more colorful. Grand Street Community Arts has undertaken a neighborhood beautification project by using the exterior walls of the former church they're renovating on Madison Ave and Grand Street to display pieces by local artists.

Boarded Up! began in March and will continue through May. Each month, local artists will produce works on 3x5 pieces of plywood that are then displayed in each of the nine boarded up basement windows of the church's Madison Ave side. Mediums include paint and collage, and any other technique that can be applied to the plywood board.
GCSA plans to hold a closing event this summer in which all of the displayed pieces will be auctioned off to raise money for their future programs and to continue renovating St. Anthony's.

There's more info -- including details about how to submit a piece -- at the GCSA site.

Sittin' on a Million: Mame Faye premiere announced

Sure, Uncle Sam is better known than Mame Faye, but she has her own movie.

Roll out the red carpet. The much anticipated documentary about Troy, New York's second most famous citizen is about to make it's big local premiere. "Sittin' on a Million" is a look at infamous Troy madam Mame Faye, known throughout the world for her... umm... hospitality. Filmmakers Penny Lane and Annmarie Lanesey are hosting two screenings on June 14th at Troy's recently re-opened Sanctuary for Independent Media, complete with the big band music of The Georgie Wonders Orchestra.

A rough cut of the film shown last year on Mame's birthday played to a standing room only crowd, so reservations are recommended.

Admission is $10. There's a $5 discount for folks who can't afford full price. You can make reservations via e-mail at amlanesey@gmail.com. Be sure to let them know which show you want to attend. Screenings are at 7 pm and 8:45 pm.

Earlier on AOA: The inside scoop on Troy's second most famous figure

Slam poetry at Frequency North

Frequency North, the visiting writers series at The College of Saint Rose wraps up tonight with slam poets Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz and Shappy Seasholtz.

Nerdy is not so much a word you'd associate with slam poetry, but Aptowicz and Seasholtz promise to appeal to your geeky side, or at least the side that appreciates a good geek. Aptowicz is a humorist and the author of, "Words in Your Face: A Guided Tour Through Twenty Years of the New York City Poetry Slam". Her latest is a book of poems called, "Oh Terrible Youth."

Seasholtz is a playwright and actor who has a bit part in the upcoming Seth Rogan movie "Fanboys." Who does Rogan play? A character based on Shappy. You can see the real Shappy tonight at 7:30 at the Neil Hellman Library at CSR.

The Big Read

The Upper Hudson Library System has a bunch of things going on this month as part of a national program called The Big Read, which aims to get people grooved on the "pleasure and enlightenment" of reading.

The book at the center of this year's local program is Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence. If you'd like to read along with everyone else, you can, of course, pick up a copy from any library in Albany and Rensselaer counties. There are also some interesting events (pdf) to go along with the book:

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Melissa St. Pierre

What comes after post-classicism?

We stumbled across this North Adams musician a few weeks ago and her music is kind of awesome. It's funky and mechanical in a way that reminds us of a hive of robotic bees. She's releasing an album, "Specimens," in June. Here's how her MySpace page describes her music:

MELISSA ST. PIERRE tosses classicism and post-classicism overboard, utilizing the prepared piano -- John Cage's notorious instrument of choice -- and electronic enhancement to sail resolutely in the direction of rock & roll. Peppering the strings, hammers, and dampers of the piano with a variety of objects, she transforms the instrument's typical timbre: sparkling gamelans chatter; harrowing voodoo drums call out in the night.

Check out this picture of St. Pierre playing the prepared piano. And there's a video for her song "Fig. VIII" embedded after the jump. It's a little mesmerizing.

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Local premiere tonight for doc about the lives of transgender people

Here's something to look for at this evening's Troy Night Out. Ethan Bach, an MFA student in electronic arts at RPI, will be premiering his documentary short on the lives of transgender people at the 51 3rd Street Gallery.

Ethan says he wanted "Reclaiming the Pieces" to go beyond politics and anatomy to show transgender people who have found their sense of place in life. The 17-minute film interviews four people from across the country. Ethan plans to turn the film into a full-length documentary.

He told AOA that he "wanted to show that we're more than just bodies and chemicals, that we also have things to give back to the community."

"Reclaiming the Pieces" will have its Capital Region debut for one night only. Screenings are scheduled for 5:30, 7, 7:30 and 8:30. A reception will be held at 6 p.m. An accompanying art show will feature works by Ethan and artist Aryn Zev.

Still: Ethan Bach

The scene from the Troy free speech protest

It's a quick clip that captures the scene from the protest in front of Troy City Hall over the code enforcement action taken against The Sanctuary for Independent Media after it showed Wafaa Bilal's "Virtual Jihadi." Uploaded by YouTube user brettuthius.

Harry Tutunjian, the mayor of Troy, has said the code enforcement didn't have anything to do with the Bilal exhibition.

Also, if you'd like to hear Wafaa Bilal talk at length about his experiences dealing with RPI (where the exhibit was originally to be shown), filmmaker Jim Finn has posted an interview on YouTube. Here's RPI's statement about suspending Bilal's work.

Wafaa Bilal update

updated March 14 -- see below

A few websites have popped up to support Wafaa Bilal and the exhibition of his work "Virtual Jihadi."

WafaaBilal.com has posted pictures and other media from the one-night exhibition at the Sanctuary for Independent Media.

And Free Troy Letters is, well, we'll let them explain:

Sparked by the blatant censorship of Wafaa Bilal's artwork in March 2008, Free Troy Letters illuminates attempts to limit democratic governance and discussion at RPI and in the city of Troy by mapping responses to authoritarian practices.

There are already a number of letters posted there.

And if you'd like to hear (or, rather, read) Bilal at length, here's an interview with him.

By the way, we couldn't find the off-campus RPI College Republicans site where someone reportedly called the institute's art department a "terrorist safehaven." If anyone has the link, please send it along or post it in the comments.

Here's the off-campus RPI College Republicans site that's been playing a role in all this. The site doesn't seem to include the "terrorist safe haven" remark.

(Thanks for the link, skfl!)

photo: wafaabilal.com

Frequency North

There are a couple author appearances this evening at St. Rose that look interesting. The Frequency North series is bringing Darcey Steinke and Gregory Pardlo to the campus for an open-to-the-public reading.

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Wafaa Bilal's "Virtual Jihadi" finds a home

Last week RPI closed the exhibit of artist-in-residence Wafaa Bilal's "Virtual Jihadi," a video game mod that casts Bilal as a suicide bomber out to kill President Bush. Now the Sanctuary for Independent Media in Troy has taken in the work and will exhibit the installation a various times throughout the next month.

The first chance to see "Virtual Jihadi" there will be tonight. Bilal will be there for a reception at 6 pm, followed by a showing at 7. Admission is a suggested $10 donation.

There also seems to be a protest against Bilal's work planned for tonight outside the gallery.

Earlier on AOA:
+ More about that artist at RPI who had his exhibition suspended

image: Wafaa Bilal

More about that artist at RPI who had his exhibition suspended

After seeing the article this morning about RPI suspending the exhibition of "Virtual Jihadi," we were curious about Wafaa Bilal - - the artist behind the work. And it turns out he has quite a story.

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The WEXT Top 15

From our friends at Exit 97.7 WEXT, the 15 most-played songs on the station during the last week:

1. If I Had Eyes - Jack Johnson
2. Whose Authority - Nada Surf
3. Love is Free - Sheryl Crow
4. New York - Cat Power
5. Invisible Man - Joe Jackson
6. Broken - Tift Merritt
7. Jigsaw Falling Into Place - Radiohead
8. No One's Gonna Love You - Band Of Horses
9. Breakable - Ingrid Michaelson
10. The Righteous Path - Drive-By Truckers
11. 2080 - Yeasayer
12. Papercut Hearts - Jason Collett
13. Supernatural Superserious - R.E.M.
14. Southside of Heaven - Ryan Bingham
15. Funplex - B-52s

Last week's Top 15.

Two interesting exhibits at UAlbany Art Museum

"Double Fantasy III (dream jobs)" by Jennifer and Kevin McCoy

UAlbany has an art museum? It does. And right now it's featuring two small, but interesting exhibits that examine scale, politics and our modern consumer culture. Or, at least, that's what we got out of them.

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Pay what you will at Capital Rep

If you're looking for some midweek cheap fun and a place to come in out of the cold, tonight is "pay what you will" night at Capital Rep. You can catch the first preview performance of Taming of the Shrew for a donation. How much is up to you but remember, sneaking in for free is just not cricket. Curtain is at 7:30, but the tickets are available at 5:30.

The WEXT Top 15

From our friends at Exit 97.7 WEXT, the 15 most-played songs on the station during the last week:

1. BrokenTift - Tift Merritt
2. Jigsaw Falling Into Place - Radiohead
3. Invisible Man - Joe Jackson
4. If I Had Eyes - Jack Johnson
5. Southside of Heaven - Ryan Bingham
6. Whose Authority - Nada Surf
7. New York - Cat Power
8. Love is Free - Sheryl Crow
9. No One's Gonna Love You - Band Of Horses
10. Giants - Ben Karis-Nix, Pompadour - The Kamikaze Hearts, Old Black Dodge - Sean Rowe (tie)
11. Days Aren't Long Enough - Steve Earle w/Allison Moorer
12. Breakable - Ingrid Michaelson
13. Society - Eddie Vedder
14. Free Life - Dan Wilson
15. 2080 - Yeasayer

Grammy Nominees and you

There could be just a few little degrees of separation between you and a Grammy nominee. Niskayuna resident Jason Bittner competed for his second Grammy in three years last night. Bittner is the drummer for the metal band Shadow's Fall. Their song, "Redemption" was nominated for a Grammy for best metal performance. No, they lost to Slayer. But it's an honor just to be nominated, right? And twice in three years. Bittner says they still get a really cool medal from the Grammy people . And we get to say we get to say we're only a few degrees of separation from a Grammy nominee. Now how many degrees can it be from there to Kevin Bacon?

Free Day at MASS MoCA

An installation by Spencer Finch at MASS MoCA

There's a bunch of free stuff going on at MASS MoCA tomorrow (February 9) from 11am to 8pm. Admission to the galleries? Free. Guided tours of the galleries? Free. Behind-the-scenes tours? Free. Kidspace? Free. Samples of freshly made ice cream (including "Cookie Dough Peanut Butter Swirl")? Free.

There's also a "Bollywood Dance Party" in the evening, with dance lessons arranged by Jacob's Pillow. That, alas, is not free (it's $14 in advance, $18 day of).

photo by Flickr user megananne, used under a Creative Commons Attribution / Share Alike license

A little more about Albany's floating, burning tulip. Because we just had to know.

A scene from WaterFire Providence in 2006

Like Nicki, we too were intrigued by the thought of a floating, burning tulip. It turns out that floating, burning art is sort of a thing right now.

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Your movies on TV

So what you really want to do is direct? Well now there's a new way to get your films seen by local audiences. WMHT is tapping into the growing indie film scene in and around Albany with a series called Tv FILM. The deadline for entry is March 31. Filmmakers must reside in the WMHT viewing area. Sorry Mr. Scorsese.

Indies at the Madison

The Madison Theater is showing a collection of locally-produced indie shorts this week for just $6 (or as the poster says "Six films for $6"). The showcase runs Monday through Thursday, with showings at 7:15p and 9:35p. The Madison's site has more info.

Mame Faye: the inside scoop on Troy's second most famous figure

Mame Faye reportedly told young women of Troy, "Why work in a shop? Don't you know you're sittin' on a million."

Troy's most famous figure may be Uncle Sam, but its second most famous, Mame Faye, ran a string of brothels across from Union Station. Filmmakers Penny Lane and Annmarie Lannesy (that's them below) just completed a documentary on Mame Faye called, "Sittin' on a Million". They gave us the scoop on how this business woman became a wold famous madam to the greatest generation.

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Frozen River

Here's a little more about "Frozen River," the film written and directed by Chatham's Courtney Hunt (and shot in Plattsburgh) that won the Grand Jury Prize this past weekend at Sundance. From the festival's site:

Two days before Christmas in rural upstate New York, Ray Eddy's husband has left her in an impossible situation--not only is he gone, but he has gambled away all of the family's meager savings. Ray's single wage at the Yankee One Dollar Store can't make the house payment, and the situation forces Ray to feed her two sons popcorn and Tang every day. When Ray strikes out to search for her husband, she encounters Lila Littlewolf, a tough, street-smart Mohawk woman who is dealing with her own struggle to make ends meet. But Lila has found a way to do it--smuggling illegal immigrants into the States. The tribal elders disapprove and attempt to stop Lila by forbidding anyone to sell her a car. Ray has a car, and although the two women don't trust each other, they team up and share Ray's Dodge Spirit to make a run across the frozen St. Lawrence River.

And here's a clip from a generally positive review in Variety:

A working mom's efforts to raise cash to buy an upgraded trailer home lead her into a strange netherworld of human smuggling in Courtney Hunt's solid debut, "Frozen River." No trendsetter or breakthrough, this is more than anything else a welcome chance for the fine actor Melissa Leo to finally dominate a film in a terrific and affecting lead role. Sony Pictures Classics acquired the pic at Sundance for under $1 million, spelling limited arthouse biz.

Pic reps a throwback to an earlier brand of Sundance indie film that combined personal touches, geographical specificity, feminist references and Native American social realism, though none of these factors are so foregrounded that polemics or even politics matter nearly as much as storytelling.

Film Threat also gives it a warm review. The IFC blog wasn't so into it, though.

The official site for "Frozen River" has a handful of pics from the production. (That's Melissa Leo up top.)

Bonus tidbit: There was a 1929 film that was also named "Frozen River" -- it starred Rin Tin Tin in his talkie debut.

Stolen state artifacts on EBay, local film wins at Sundance, Thruway Authority scolded, the oldest house in Saratoga

An employee from the state department of education has been arrested on the accusation that she stole hundreds of artifacts from then New York State Cultural Education Center -- and then sold them on EBay. [CBS6]

"Frozen River," a film written and directed by Chatham's Courtney Hunt -- and shot in Plattsburgh, took the top prize at Sundance. It's already been picked up by Sony Pictures Classics. [TU]

The state comptroller says the NYS Thruway Authority shouldn't be raising tolls and that it "could manage its finances a whole lot better." [Business Review]

The McCain campaign has opened an office in Waterford. [Fox23]

The oldest house in Saratoga Springs is up for sale. The current owners say they'd like to find someone who will preserve the house. [Saratogian]

Siena came back from 14 to beat Iona 64-51 on the road. The men's hoops team is now 13-7, 8-2 in the MAAC. [Daily Gazette]