Art House Productions’ hit show “In Full Color” is back for Women’s History Month with 20 more women of color from across the nation sharing their stories through monologues, poetry, song and dance.

“In Full Color” has four shows — Thursday, February 16th, Friday, February 17th, Saturday, February 18th at 8 PM and Sunday, February 19th at 3 PM. These performances will be at Transmission, 150 Bay St. Jersey City, NJ 07302, near the Grove Street PATH Station. Advance ticketing for General Admission is $12 and $18 at the door and $10 for Students/Seniors in advance and $12 at the door. Tickets may be purchased at http://www.arthouseproductions.org.

This year, “In Full Color” features women in California, Maryland and Virginia joining Tristate talents. Participants include Yhá Mourhia Wright, Sholeh Wolpe, Amel Khalil, Venida Cheryl Rodman Jenkins, Purvi Patel, Eileen Ramos, Diana Burbano, Yvonne Hernandez, Amanda Andrei O’Connor, Sarah Teed, Paula Ralph Birkett, Sky Ortiz, Ashlei Hardenburg,Tuere Ganges, Audrey Martells, Nancy Méndez-Booth, Dena Igusti and director Summer Dawn Hortillosa. Also, this yearâ€s winning graphic design is by local artist Shirin Terhune Vazir.

There will also be a contemporary dance number opening the show choreographed and performed by Autumn Perez and set to “Stop the World” by up-and-coming recording artist Donna Missal. Missal, who has performed around the country at festivals including Riot Fest in Denver and Chicago, has been featured on multiple music blogs and websites like Billboard and the Fader and has reached the top ten on Spotifyâ€s Viral chart and Hype Machine with her hit single “Keep Lying.”

Hortillosa, who created the concept for the show, says this year is about strength and hope.

“Last year, we almost had to cancel In Full Color when Art House Productions was flooded just weeks before we opened, but two things pulled us through to have yet another sold-out year — first, was community strength. Through the generosity and aid of BGT Enterprises, Jersey City Theater Center and other local sponsors, we were able to literally rise above the tide. Second, of course, was the courage and determination of our incredibly talented cast.

“In 2017, women of color around the country are facing their own tidal waves. Many of us are unsure about the future of our health, our happiness, our human rights. But what we can be sure about is the strength and support of the community around us, and of the strength within ourselves. And I am thrilled to have found the women of this year’s cast, whose stories will surely move, entertain and inspire.”

Audiences will also be able to purchase merchandise to support the program including the In Full Color anthology, a collection of monologues from the show’s first two seasons.

Proceeds will support Thinking In Full Color, an educational outreach offshoot that has brought In Full Color alumnae to schools and community centers. Previous venues include: WORD Bookstores (where the anthology is carried!), Hunter College, Rutgers University, the Jersey City Art & Studio Tour, New Jersey City University, TEDxJerseyCity and Raritan Valley Community College.

Art House Productions is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to the development and presentation of performing and visual arts programs in Jersey City, NJ. Art House presents theater, music, visual art, and dance programming as well as and the citywide arts festival, JC Fridays. For more information about our programs, please visit our website at www.arthouseproductions.org.

For accessibility requests and inquiries, please contact info@arthouseproductions.org or call 201-915-9911.

Made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, A Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; administered by the Hudson County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs/Tourism Development, and by the County of Hudson, Thomas A. DeGise, Hudson County Executive, and the Hudson County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

# # #

The post Art House Productions and 68 Productions present In Full Color first appeared on River View Observer.

 

Paintings by John T. Ruddy of Jersey City: PADMA, MATAJI, and NATARAJ.

(PADMA is on display at Raven Gallery and Boutique in Jersey City)

By Sally Deering

 Artist and Jersey City Fire Captain John T. Ruddy has traveled all over the world and the souvenirs he has brought back include exotic images and motifs that influence many of his paintings.

“I studied Renaissance and Classical painting and Iâ€ve traveled to 50 countries,” Ruddy says, sitting at an outdoor café in his downtown Jersey City neighborhood. “I always head for the cathedrals, mosques and temples first, and I ask myself, what does this culture aesthetically offer? Travel has always been a life-long passion.”

Ruddyâ€s work can be seen as part of the group show UNDERTOW on view through July 25^th at the Raven Gallery and Boutique on Newark Avenue in Jersey City. Active in the Jersey City art community for the past 20 years, Ruddyâ€s work has been shown at ArtHouse Productions, 58 Gallery and Pro Arts. He has had solo shows at Grassroots Community Space and Porto Lounge; and exhibitions at LITM and The Dopeness. Featured in many group shows, in 2013, Ruddy co-curated the Jersey City Artist Studio Tour’s flagship location at the Tenmarc building; and in 2014, Jersey City commissioned him to construct the centerpiece public art installation for the studio tourâ€s opening gala at Exchange Place.

“Iâ€ve been able to work consistently as an artist,” Ruddy says. “I started with classical training and threw out the rules.”

Ruddy paints with acrylics and oils on canvas and board. A lot of his works are sculptural he says and some of his larger paintings feature applied media like jewels. Some pieces have a Hindu reference, and Ruddy says writer/teacher/philosopher Joseph Campbell had a big influence on him both as a person and artist.

“Joseph Campbell opened my mind,” Ruddy says.

Ruddyâ€s paintings are meant to be experienced in person, he says, and heâ€s not about creating images that can be reproduced on T-Shirts or coffee cups. Instead, he prefers creating one-of-a-kind paintings.

“Paintings are stories,” Ruddy says, “like personal mythologies.”

Art Director of 660 Studios, an arts venue in Jersey City known for its eclectic art and music happenings, Ruddy is about to launch www.TheCultureJC.com, an interactive website and mobile application that promotes Jersey City’s art scene. It will have an online calendar of city-wide events and an Apple app. The 660 Gallery which debuts in the fall will be on the first floor of 660 Grand Street where artists can exhibit.

“It will be a building of artists,” Ruddy says.

Ruddy is the son of retired JC Fire Department Battalion Chief John Ruddy. Back when he was 21 with the ink still fresh on his BA degree in Art History from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, the artist was conflicted over whether to pursue his art full-time or get a “real” job. When the chance came to test for the JC Fire Department, Ruddy seized the opportunity and passed. That was 20 years ago. Ruddy now serves as Fire Captain for the 1^st Battalion, Engine No. 2 on Grand Street, and has found a way to balance his work with his art.

“I wanted to be an artist but the pragmatic side of me won out and I became a firefighter,” Ruddy says.  “As a firefighter, my schedule is flexible, so itâ€s the perfect job for an artist.”

For more info, go to www.660studios.com.

To learn more about John. T. Ruddy, check h

The post ARTIST AFIRE- Artist/Fire Captain John T. Ruddy Exhibits at Raven Gallery first appeared on River View Observer.

 By Sally Deering

 Photo by  Diana Zuluaga/@dmz75  

After blowing out her knee in freshman year of college, ballet dancer Melissa Morin-Stewart turned pirouettes into Pilates. Owner and founder of Clarity Fitness in Union City, Morin-Stewart offers her years of athletic prowess in ballet, her Bachelor of Science  and Masterâ€s degrees in fitness and nutrition; and her expertise designing fitness programs for corporate America, to her new role as owner of Clarity Fitness, Morin-Stewartâ€s new health & wellness studio in Union City.

Offering choices beyond the gym, and just a few blocks north of the Lincoln Tunnel, Morin-Stewartâ€s Clarity Fitness is a storefront studio on a somewhat gloomy strip of Park Avenue. But that shouldnâ€t deter visitors from venturing in to take a class. Once inside the open space, visitors will find refuge from the wear and tear of city life, a calm and Zen-like atmosphere to stretch, sweat and get in touch with your inner self and outer flab.

Morin-Stewart brings a trifecta of experience and knowhow to her studio and each of her classes – Fusion, Barre, HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) and Zumba® offer a total body workout. And she knows her stuff. Morin-Stewart holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition from Rutgers University and a Masterâ€s in Exercise Physiology from the University of Rhode Island.  After 15 years managing and teaching fitness programs in New York City, Morin-Stewart decided to bring her  expertise  to Union City where she resides with her husband Teno Stewart who helps her run the studio.

Morin-Stewartâ€s Fusion class is the studioâ€s signature workout, a mix of yoga and Pilates with strength and flexibility movements.  Barre class incorporates core training with traditional Barre choreography to help people achieve a long, lean, sculpted look. HIIT uses “minimal equipment to maximize the use of body weight and functional movements,” and Zumba® blends exercise with dance. Morin-Stewart offers solo classes at $15 a pop; and for $99 a month, you go as often as you like.

On a recent Thursday morning, Morin-Stewart was preparing to teach Barre when she took a moment to share a little about her experiences transitioning from dancer to fitness instructor and opening her first studio in Union City.

RVO: Hot did you get into fitness and nutrition?

MMS: Iâ€m a classically-trained ballet dancer. That was my extra-curricular. I danced from 3 till I graduated from high school. When I went to Rutgers, I tried out for the dance team. During the audition I hurt my knee badly — I couldnâ€t walk and was on crutches. Once I recovered and was able to function, I realized dancing wasnâ€t going to be my career. For rehab, I had to go to the gym. I walked in and didnâ€t know what I was doing, but I kept going, I asked people at the gym what exercises I should do. It became a weekly routine. It was through that I started to feel better, keep off a little weight. Thatâ€s how I got into health and wellness and declared my major in nutrition.  

RVO: Why did you choose to teach this group of classes at Clarity?

MMS: I have been managing group exercise programs in Manhattan and as the years evolve new classes are introduced in the industry, People in New York City love Barre classes. Thereâ€s no question about it.  Strengthening, yoga, body training and Pilates are popular, too.  For the Fusion class, I wanted to fuse all that together, so that people sweat, get a bit of yoga, mind and body strengthening and have an experience.

RVO: In your opinion, why is it important to exercise?

MMS: The stronger you are the better you are protecting your organs, decreasing your risks for injury, and decreasing your stress. We live in the most stressful area in the world. Exercise does decrease stress and increase serotonin and make us happier. The more we can participate in activities like this, we‘re better setting ourselves up for the future.

RVO: How do you choose your staff at your studio?

MMS: I teach most of the classes. The reason is Iâ€m a small business owner. I do have two Zumba instructors, and I let them take the wheel for Zumba.  I have another Barre instructor who lives in Hoboken. That was one of the things that was important to me, to use local instructors.

 RVO:  Why did you choose Union City and not some trendy town to open Clarity Fitness?

MMS:  I wanted to keep it local and get away from the drama from New York City fitness studios.  Itâ€s very competitive in New York, and it can be over-sexualized. In New York City itâ€s all about what you look like, how many clients you can draw. Thatâ€s what I love about this neighborhood and the space. Nobodyâ€s competing and everybody just wants to feel good and have fun. One of the things I wanted to create is not just, a place to work out, but a place to have an experience.

RVO: What is your fitness/health philosophy?

MMS: Itâ€s not all about how you look, itâ€s about how you feel. Thatâ€s the great thing about the studio. We attract a clientele who are trying something new. We have all shapes and sizes, male and female, and everybody starts at the same place and now theyâ€re getting more fit and feeling better about themselves.

If you go:

Clarity Fitness Studio

3515 Park Ave

Union City

(201) 293-2786

www.clarityfitnessnj.com

ClarityFitness@gmail.com

The post Fitness Specialist & Nutritionist Melissa Morin-Stewart Raises the Barre first appeared on River View Observer.

“A Tale of Our City” book festival offers authors, new and established, of all genres and ages, a venue where they can showcase their works and  bring to the reading and buying public in a neutral inspiring setting.- Sonia Araujo/ Chair  “A Tale of Our City.”

 On a beautiful Saturday, September 18th the Jersey City’s 3rd Annual Book Festival was  held in Van Vorst Park. The first author we met was 

 Al Sullivan who works for the Hudson County Reporter papers-Bayonne CommunityNews. Al is a Senior Saff Writer, who reports the news and exhorts about Hudson County  politics in his weekly column.

Al was at the Book Festival to promote and read from his first book “ Everyday People: Profiles of the Garden State- published by Rutgers Press, 2001.  As Mr. Sullivan will tell you about his book “That every life has a story ripe for the telling.”

 

Mr. Sullivan  book features profiles about librarians, tax assessors, hot dog vendors, poets, politicians and everyday people who make not just New Jersey, but anytown, America special. Like his profile on Felix Addeo, who takes time out of his busy schedule to teach middle school kids what its like to be an accountant. Or Biomedical Engineer Lis Ross, who twice a year leads a group of volunteers to clean up a local pond. Through richly detailed stories- a kind  of writing that has all but disappeard form our local newspapers- about small -town people in extrordinary situations, Sullivan depicts the characters that enliven life in the Garden State.”- Rutgers University Press

Priscilla Gardner Library Director at the 3rd Annual Book Festival The Book Festival presented many different Authors with various styles of writing from Biographies like the one on Former Govenor Huges by John B. Wefing who wrote The Life and Times of Richard J. Huges-The Politics of Civility Published by Rutgers University Press, 2009 to poetry which featured Jacqueline Hallenbeck in her book Poem-atic which she self -published in 2009.

The Authors  featured at the Book Festival were:

Jemmine Adams– Running with Fred -self published, 2010

Shobhan Bantwal – The Unexpected Son- Kenisngton Publishing Corp, 2010

Morning Dew– The Sea Flower, During the age of the Winged Warrior-self published by Seaburn Publishing Group, 2009

Hisani DuBose– Do I have to be a Starving Artist in the 21st Century -self published by Createspace, 2010

Cynthia Fabin– Second Hand Art- self published by Strategic Publishing Group, 2010

Kenny Hall-Billy & Me Kenny’s gonna ruin my redneck image- self published by AuthorHouse, 2008

Cythia T. Harris, MLS-Co-Authored with documentary photographer Leon Yost Changing Jersey City : A history in Photographs -published by Schiffer Publishing, 2009/ Available online.

Bob Leach-Young Frank Hague and the Lucky Horeshoe-Published by the Jersey City Free Public Library, Ltd Ed, 2009 Available through, JC Historical Project and online.

Gioya Mc Rae-Life Sentence: 356 Prompts, Challenges & Wild Persuassions for Write -brained People- Self published by Mocha Mind Communications, 2010

Adeyinka Makinde– Jersey Boy: The Life and Mob Slaying of Frankie DePaula -Self Published by iUniverse, 2010 (side note I knew Frankie DePaula-this book names, names and you can’t put it down, once you begin reading it).

also featured: Jane Pedler, Derek and Gina Roce, Sonia Roman,Keith Smith, Patricia Squires and Michael Walters.

For any authors interested in showcasing their work next year, the book festival will be held on September 10, 2010 please call 201-547-4549

The post Visiting Jersey City’s 3rd Annual Book Festival first appeared on River View Observer.

The third annual New Jersey Comedy Festival will be held at college campuses throughout the state starting this fall.  During this fun-filled event, the most comical college students from many New Jersey colleges and universities will compete for the title of “New Jersey King or Queen of Campus Comedy.”

Registered contestants participate in a preliminary event at their own school or a local host college. The comedians are judged based upon originality, stage presence, material and audience reaction. The season-long competition concludes at the Championship Finals on Saturday, January 30, 2010 in the Rutgers Student Center on Rutgers Universityâ€s College Avenue Campus in New Brunswick. Prizes will include the Good Humor Award, a scholarship from the Manhattan Comedy School, the opportunity to perform at The Stress Factory Comedy Club in New Brunswick and a $1,000 cash prize.

Last year, students from 40 New Jersey colleges performed their stand-up routines and 27 finalists were chosen to compete in the Finals. The 2009 winner, Kevin “Vegas” Lancaster from The College of New Jersey, received a scholarship to a renowned comedy school, the opportunity to perform an opening act at one of New Yorkâ€s leading comedy clubs, and a cash grand prize.

According to Dennis Hedlund, founder and executive producer of the New Jersey Comedy Festival, “We encourage students from every college in the state to get involved with the 2009-2010 Comedy Festival.   New Jersey has an amazing number of talented young comedians and we are looking forward to another successful season.”

For information on sponsorships, a complete schedule and list of colleges competing visit www.newjerseycomedyfestival.com or call Dennis Hedlund, executive producer of the Festival at 732-728-0111.

The post College Students to Participate in Third Annual New Jersey Comedy Festival first appeared on River View Observer.