Tag Archives: Hudson County

Art Views, Our Community

Artists’ Advocate-Meredith Lippman, Program Development Specialist for Hudson County’s Office of Cultural Affairs Bridges Artists and Community

 By Sally Deering

Meredith Lippman Artists' Advocate  Artist Meredith Lippman seems the perfect fit for her position as Program Development Specialist for the Hudson County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs/Tourism Development. Lippman empathizes with the artists she advocates for and she works diligently to help them connect with the Hudson community and grow their careers through workshops, newsletters and updates on venues where they can exhibit works.

Hudson’s Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs provides advisory services, technical assistance, grant programs, audience development initiatives, artist round tables and networking events for artists in the community. The Office also hosts tours and lectures on Hudson’s history, promotes historic preservation and presents events that celebrate Hudson’s cultural diversity. Joining Lippman on staff are Eileen Gaughan and Robert Kakolewski, and director William LaRosa. Continue reading Artists’ Advocate-Meredith Lippman, Program Development Specialist for Hudson County’s Office of Cultural Affairs Bridges Artists and Community →

General

Leasing Open at Laguna, Newport, Jersey City’s Newest Waterfront Property

Luxury Building Marks First Development Adjacent to Newport Green Park; Already 40% Leased

 Laguna 1Laguna 2  

 

Jersey City, NJ (July 15, 2013) – Laguna, the newest high-end residential property in the Newport neighborhood of Jersey City, is now available for renting. Already 40 percent leased, the 19-story Hudson River-waterfront building features 158 one, two and three-bedroom residences, ranging in size from 759 square feet to 2,015 square feet. The Laguna marks the first of the master-planned community’s final phase of development, which will surround the neighborhood’s award-winning 4.25-acre park, Newport Green.

“We broke the mold with the Laguna to create a product unique to existing offerings in Newport,” said Jamie LeFrak, principal at LeFrak. “We engaged a nationally-known design firm to add upscale finishes to every home and luxurious building amenities like a screening room and rooftop lounge. Paired with Laguna’s location next to the park, the building represents the 27-year evolution of our vision to transform the Jersey City waterfront into a thriving neighborhood with open green spaces and sidewalks full of residents and visitors.” Continue reading Leasing Open at Laguna, Newport, Jersey City’s Newest Waterfront Property →

General

Earth Day 2013, Jersey City April 20th Liberty State Park

EARTH DAY 2013, Jersey City April 20th from River View Observer on Vimeo.

Sponsored by the Hudson County Improvement Authority, Norman Guerra, Executive Director and in collaboration with Liberty State Park and the Friends of Liberty State Park, Earth Day has become a huge event in Jersey City with many earth friendly activities, enviornmental exhibits, health screeings, safety workshops, free rides, arts and crafts, kids contests and strolling and stage entertainment. And a 5K Run/ Walk.
A wonderful way to celebrate the earth and have a great time in Jersey City on April 20th.
A River View Observer Video

Cover Story, Education

HUDSON COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE ACTS UP!

 

 hccc-logo300dpi Playwright and Professor Joseph Gallo Initiates New Theater Arts Program at Hudson County Community College

 

By Sally Deering

 originalsizeJosephGall,HCCCsnewTheaterArtsCoordinatorIn September 2012, Hudson got a little more artsy when professional playwright Joe Gallo brought Hudson County Community College to a new stage – or rather, brought the stage to HCCC.

 Gallo, whose plays have been performed in Hoboken, New York and other cities throughout the country, is a theater arts professor at HCCC who helped institute a new theater arts degree program. The new curriculum – which began in the 2012-2013 school year – is designed to provide students with a broad-based liberal arts education with core curriculum classes in theater that include Acting, Playwriting and Drama. Students who successfully complete the two-year program earn an Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Arts – Theater, that prepares them to transfer to four-year colleges and universities where they can earn Bachelor of Arts degrees in theater and related programs.

 A theater professional – he’s a producer and Associate Artist at Mile Square Theater in Hoboken – Gallo earned an MFA in playwriting from Ohio University and his plays have been produced Off-Broadway, at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and at other theaters throughout the country. Gallo has taught Playwriting, Acting and other theater-related courses at the School of Visual Arts, Drew University and Kean University.

 Recently, Gallo spoke with Riverview Observer about how he initiated the new Theater Arts program and what prospective students can look forward to if they decide to enroll.

 RVO: Joe, can you share with our readers how the new theater arts program began?

JG: In 2007 HCCC hired to teach creative writing and because I have an MFA in playwriting, I was asked to revamp its Introduction to Acting class. I did that for the college and when I asked why the college doesn’t offer more theater classes, I was told, ‘because we don’t have a theater.’

  Continue reading HUDSON COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE ACTS UP! →

Our Community

H & M Powerhouse Loses Smokestacks Gains Momentum in Jersey City

  Stabilization of  Jersey City  Powerhouse Moves Forward

 

By Sally Deering

 

POWERHOUSE IN JC FILTEREDThe Hudson & Manhattan RR Powerhouse in the downtown section of Jersey City stands amidst the million-dollar high-rises like a drab Cinderella before her Fairy Godmother turns her into a Princess. An icon of the golden age of Jersey City, the H&M Powerhouse that once harnessed electrical power to the Hudson Trains and Tunnel that connected New Jersey and New York before the PATH is now a deconstructed shell of her former self and – just like Cinderella – about to receive a makeover.

 

Located on Washington Boulevard between First and Bay Streets in downtown Jersey City, the H & M Powerhouse is in the city’s Warehouse Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.  Designed by architect John Oakman and his partner W. Powell Robins, the H & M Powerhouse began powering up H & M Railroad’s Hudson Tunnels subway line that connected New Jersey and New York on February 25, 1908. It provided power 24/7 to the cars, lines, stations and terminals here and in New York.  In 1929 the H & M Powerhouse closed and in December 2001, the National Register of Historic Places certified it as a national landmark.  Continue reading H & M Powerhouse Loses Smokestacks Gains Momentum in Jersey City →

Video Views-events and more

STAGEfest 2013 Opening Reception March 22nd, 2013-Loew’s Jersey Theatre, Jersey City

Friends of Loew’s present a weekend of outstanding performance
STAGEfest 2013

Presented by the Friends of the Loew’s.
3 days running from March 22nd to March 24th featuring 20 hours of live performances within the landmark Loew’s Jersey Theatre in Jersey City.
A vibrant and diverse weekend of theatrical and musical performances, celebrating the arts in this reqion and performed throughout the Landmark Loew’s Jersey Theatre.

General

Shoreline Clean-Up at Rutkowski Park Bayonne Set for Saturday, March 23

Bayonne Nature Club Volunteer to Shoreline Clean-up of Rutkowski Park  in Bayonne

 CITY OF BAYONNE SEALBayonne Mayor Mark A. Smith  announced that the Bayonne Nature Club has volunteered to lead a shoreline clean-up at Mayor Richard A. Rutkowski Park on Saturday, March 23, at 10:00 a.m. Rutkowski Park is located in the northwest corner of Bayonne, on Newark Bay, just above the northern end of Stephen R. Gregg-Bayonne County Park. Mayor Smith said, “I would like to thank the Bayonne Nature Club volunteers for spearheading this shoreline clean-up. Their efforts will help to maintain the park in its natural condition. The Bayonne Public Works Department will provide logistical support for the work of the volunteers. The Nature Club and the City of Bayonne encourage any interested organizations and individuals to join the shoreline clean-up on Saturday.”

Continue reading Shoreline Clean-Up at Rutkowski Park Bayonne Set for Saturday, March 23 →

Cover Story, Live On Stage

Curtain Up! STAGEfest 2013 in Jersey City

Mar20thCoverRVO ONE TO USE      The Play’s the Thing at STAGEfest 2013, the Loew’s Jersey Theatre’s First Play Festival

By Sally Deering

In her prime, she was a real looker. Decked out in red velvet and adorned in crystal and gold, the Loew’s Jersey Theatre was a glamorous show palace when it opened in 1929. Today, the Loew’s is a New Jersey Registered Historic Site owned by Jersey City and after many years of restoration by the volunteer group Friends of the Loew’s, the movie palace has ‘come back to life’. Like an aging Ziegfeld showgirl with gorgeous gams. the Loew’s is a grandly vintage venue for film festivals, film retrospectives – even weddings – and for the first time this month, the Loew’s will host its first every performing arts festival, STAGEfest 2013.  

Loew's Theatre, Jersey City hosting STAGEfest 2013 River View Observer
The beautiful lobby of
Loew’s Jersey Theatre
Jersey City, New Jersey

Starting Fri, Mar. 22 and running through Sun, Mar. 24, STAGEfest 2013 raises the curtain on a weekend of theatrical, dance and musical performances highlighting Hudson’s arts and artists.  The festival will feature three days of shows by local playwrights, musicians, dancers and solo-artists who will perform their works not just on the theater’s main stage, but also in its lobbies, salons, promenades and hallways. The weekend event also features a costume exhibit by Leading Lady Costumes and refreshments by local vendors in the Grand Lobby Café.

“This marks the return to live theatre – in addition to classic film and concerts,” says Colin Egan, Executive Director of Loew’s Jersey Theatre.  “We always said we wanted theatre to be part of the Loew’s, but with all the work of renovating it and running the other shows here, we kept putting it off. So STAGEfest is the first of an annual (and maybe more frequent) theatre festival the Loew’s will host.”

THE PRODUCERS

Coordinating the event with Egan and the Friends of the Loew’s volunteers are Christine Goodman, Founder of Art House Productions in Jersey City, and David Zimmerman, Executive Director of the DeBaun Center for Performing Arts at Steven’s Institute of Technology in Hoboken.  Zimmerman knows his way around play festivals; DeBaun formerly hosted the Hudson County One Act Play Festival. Continue reading Curtain Up! STAGEfest 2013 in Jersey City →

General

City of Bayonne, St. Patrick’s Day Parade March 17th, 2013

The parade route was lined with a smiling sea of green as the Bayonne St. Patrick’s Day parade
made its way up Broadway. The River View Observer was there to catch some of the day’s festivities.

City of Bayonne’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade 2013 from River View Observer on Vimeo.

The crowds came out today for the City of Bayonne's St. Patrick's Day Parade.
The River View Observer was there to capture today's festivities.

Education

Two TCNJ Students from Hudson County to Perform at Lincoln Center

TCNJ Students to Perform at Lincoln Center

TCNJ Center for the Arts and the Department of Music are pleased to announce that TCNJ’s Choirs will once again be performing in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall as part of the second annual Project Hand-in-Hand concert.

The following students will be among those performing in the TCNJ Choir:

Sergio Hernandez, a resident of West New York

Agnes Kalinowski, a resident of Bayonne

The choirs, led by Dr. John P. Leonard and Dr. Ryan J. Tibbetts, along with 80 high school students from the earthquake disaster-area in Japan and The Friends of Japan Orchestra, comprised of members of New York City Opera Orchestra, will collaborate to perform Guiseppi Verdi’s Requiem on Friday, March 22, 2013 at 8:00pm. The Project Hand-in-Hand performance serves to support Japan’s long-term recovery efforts as well as a means to express gratitude for the support that has been received from around the world. Continue reading Two TCNJ Students from Hudson County to Perform at Lincoln Center →