Walkable Eastwood » art

Reasons to be cheerful

Lonnie — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:13:28 +0000

When you stack Syracuse up against other cities, you actually end up with a lot of reasons to be cheerful about living here. Yeah, we get into our scraps about what’s the best way to improve it. But at least people really care! Listening to people who have lived elsewhere is often enlightening:

A newly-minted urban planner, passing through Syracuse on her way from Ohio to Germany, expounded on the many delights she was seeing in Syracuse: “People in Syracuse don’t realize what they have! Unlike out in Ohio, you have parks, lots of them, built on the top of every drumlin in the city. There are beautiful buildings still, and public art popping up everywhere.”

A woman at the arts and crafts festival yesterday (in and of itself a great reason to be cheerful) sold us a purse made of leather from Gloversville, NY, embossed with a machine that’s survived the economic downturn in that city. It’s gorgeous. She took the time to explain to us the difference between “top grain” leather and the leather that is actually inferior marked “genuine leather.” And she commented that, while they go to over 100 arts and crafts festivals per year, Syracuse has the cleanest downtown of all. Until you spend some time in other downtowns, it’s easy to take that for granted.

A couple from Burlinton, Vermont, a beautiful, walkable city in its own right, moved in next door. I pointed out the old vertical clothesline hiding way in the back – the kind that holds two pulleys, one for the upper flat and one for the lower one. Wouldn’t you know, within days our neighbor had strung up a line from her pulley to a new one on the house and some very tiny baby clothes were hung out in neat array. Unlike in Greenwich, CT, where they have banned the use of clotheslines at a public housing development (dryers there cost these elderly folks 90 cents/load!), Syracuse continues its proud tradition of outdoor drying. Look in the back yards of Eastwood and you’ll find a very old clothesline in a good percentage of them. Nothing like the savings and the disinfecting power of sunlight and air that you get with line drying – not to mention the possibilities of actually talking with your neighbor!

What reasons does living here give you to be cheerful?

Two fighters from Eastwood

Lonnie — Sun, 04 May 2008 23:13:03 +0000

Do any Walkable Eastwood readers remember Cliff Hart? The “Blond Bomber Boxer”? Golden Gloves champ? Maybe this bit about the Eastern Golden Gloves Finals from a New York Times article (March 7, 1946) will stir your memory, or at least your soul:

Cliff Hart, a student at Cornell, who recently took off his Navy blues, won the acclaim of the throng with his work in the welterweight class. Representing Washington, Hart was close to defeat in the final but gained the award over Rudolph Cervantes, Army private from Charlotte.

In the semi-final Hart had put Incencio Romero of Puerto Rico down and out in 1:45 of the third. Romero was hit so hard by the ex-sailor that he was out for half a minute and a liberal application of smelling salts was required before he became aware of what had happened.

And how about this, from this site:

…(In 1949) Carmen (Basilio) was considered for a fight in Miami vs. Tony Pellone or a fight against local “Golden Boy” Cliff Hart for the “welterweight championship of the district”, but both bouts fell through, Hart’s because he’d decided to retire. Bill Reddy commented that this was a probably a break for Carmen for, although “Carmen is a comer, Cliff’s experience might have been too much for the Canastota clouter”.

You can see that same man in this wonderful portrait:

This picture was created based on a photo found on the front page of the Syracuse Post-Standard, March 10, 1949. The caption read: “CAN’T SEE ANYBODY BUT DADDY – Little Janice Hart, 18-month-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Cliff Hart of 2114 Teall Ave., is the youngest boxing fan in Central New York and she knows there isn’t any fighter as good as her daddy. Cliff is a former national AAU champion and is now fighting professionally to finance his way thru Syracuse University where he is studying to be a coach and physical director.”

The person who created this piece is the other fighter from Eastwood: Cliff’s other daughter, Ann. Life hasn’t been a bed of roses for Ann, but she has hung in there through all the fights she’s been faced with. Struggling through a tumultuous marriage and finally widowed in 2000, Ann nevertheless raised her children to adulthood and, in the process, became an artist. In a recent conversation with her, she said:

I don’t have work showing anywhere as my portrait service is just that. I create it to give it away, but I keep photographic records of all my work. So what I tell the public is a bit simple but true, that I’m a self-taught artist that can capture the soul of her subject. Its not so much about the sales as it is about bringing delight or tears to the buyer’s face when they see their loved ones in a beautiful portrait transformed from a tiny old black-and-white picture. I’ve always had the gift to really capture faces and mood… how just the slightest curve of the lip or a tiny line can make all the difference. I’ve been told I’m exact. I believe it’s the lessons in life that will teach us more than another artist’s way in a classroom or how many of your pictures are hanging in public.

I have many portraits hanging in homes all around Syracuse and abroad. I also do murals, logos, and illustrations. I’m an artist for hire. It is what it is, Hart~Felt Portraits, a service to the community.

Ann is looking to grow her business and envisions exactly the sort of business we’d like to see in our Eastwood business district: a studio for affordable portraits. Take a look at her website or email her at and consider giving Mom something really personal for Mother’s Day.

Get on the bus!

Lonnie — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:41:02 +0000

This news has nothing and everything to do with Eastwood. Nothing, because it is about an event that doesn’t take place in Eastwood. Everything, because Eastwood, although quite village-like and distinct, is still within the city. What happens elsewhere in the city, for good or for ill, most definitely impacts us. Well, this one is a goodie! So I’m passing along this press release:

‘Get on the Bus’ trip visits CFAC and Syracuse Symphony April 4

On Friday, April 4, the public is invited to join the fourth “Get on the Bus” free Connective Corridor bus ride to get a taste of Syracuse’s multicultural art and culture. The Connective Corridor bus travels the 1.5-mile signature strip of cutting-edge cultural development connecting University Hill with downtown Syracuse.

The ride begins at Syracuse University and will first travel to a rehearsal of Kuumba at the Community Folk Art Center (805 East Genesee St.), a vibrant cultural and artistic hub committed to the promotion and development of artists of the African Diaspora. The Kuumba Project is a free, after-school, pre-professional arts education program developed by local professional artists that is aimed at enriching the lives and developing the artistic talent of creative children ages 11-14 in Syracuse through exposure to and instruction in the arts. Students meet every weekday at the CFAC for instruction in dance, music, theatre, literary arts and studio arts.

Riders will next stop at the Civic Center’s Crouse-Hinds Concert Theater (411 Montgomery St.) for an introduction to the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra.

The trip starts at SU’s Connective Corridor bus stop at College Place at 5:15 p.m. and returns there at 6:45 p.m. Free parking is available in the Quad 4 lot, accessible from Comstock Ave.

This evening event is the fourth of five “Get on the Bus” events curated by students in the SU course, Art in Action. In each case, a Connective Corridor bus will travel to two cultural venues currently operating along the Corridor which have already included such places as Jazz Central, the Red House, Light Work, and the Delavan Art Gallery. The students have coordinated brief events at the venues, and will additionally describe to the bus riders one cultural richness that no longer exists downtown—including the 15th Ward, Native American presence, the Erie Canal, active life around the mansions and large European immigrant groups. By the end of the semester, students will offer proposals for ways of engaging the arts and culture in the revitalization of Syracuse’s downtown.

For more information, contact Imagining America at 443-8590.

Thank you for PAC and its coordinator

Lonnie — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 04:06:43 +0000

On Monday, October 1, at 10:00 a.m., Mayor Matthew Driscoll and Common Council President Bea González held a reception to introduce the members of the City of Syracuse Public Arts Commission. On hand a half hour early were at least a couple dozen friends of the arts who gathered to thank the City for the Public Arts Commission and for following through with an earlier decision to appoint Astria Suparak to the Commission. Coffee from Eastwood coffee roaster, Cafe Kubal, was served before the speeches began. (pictures here)

One person curiously not mentioned in any of the speeches was Eastwood resident Kate Clark, MPA and Fulbright Scholar, and the city’s first ever Public Art Coordinator. Kate oversees the public art process from application submission to project completion and serves as a liaison between the City departments, businesses, the community, and TNT with regard to public art, among many other tasks. Kate has done research involving other cities and members of Syracuse City hall to come up with a streamlined process for public art and a program for it. She has also been the project manager for public art projects here, such as the David Hayes sculptures, Lipe Art Park, Totems Phase II, National Park(ing) Day, and she helped to initiate Urban Video Project, Floating Galleries and the Public Art Trail. She is also the chair of 40-below Public Arts. We are fortunate to have such a bright and hardworking advocate for the arts in City Hall, and she deserves full recognition for her efforts.

A serious blow to town-gown relationships

Lonnie — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 03:30:59 +0000

Syracuse is fortunate to now have a Public Arts Commission in recognition of the fact that art – and the creative people it attracts – make for a healthier, more economically viable city. Why? Because we’re human and we want to have fun, enjoy beauty, get our thoughts provoked once in awhile, and feel like we average folks can enjoy some excellence in the cultural life of the city. People want to live in a city that treats them like people. And people come to a city to see art… and spend money while they’re there.

Today, the Common Council appointed the director and curator of the Warehouse Gallery, Astria Suparak, to the Public Arts Commission. Too bad she may not be around for the full three years’ stint to grace the Commission with her ability to connect with city organizations, businesses and residents. Her superior at S.U., Jeffrey Hoone, fired her last week for reasons yet to be revealed. The arts communities in the city, on the hill, in other states and even in other countries are outraged, as are many of us residents who appreciate what Astria has done in her one short year here. If a creative person of her excellent international reputation is so shabbily treated here in Syracuse, who on earth are we going to get next?

If you care about encouraging creative people to stay in Syracuse, and if you care about Syracuse’s reputation in the world – now sullied by this action – and if you care about Syracuse University reflecting its chancellor’s reminder that “democracy requires that every voice have access to the circle where ideas, opinions and outlooks are exchanged and decisions are made…”, visit these two websites for further information and let your voice be heard:

Syracuse Loses Again

Keep Astria!

Floating Galleries Launch

Lonnie — Tue, 15 May 2007 18:11:50 +0000

Floating Galleries of Syracuse transforms vacant storefronts into 24/7 exhibits. The aim of this project is to give local artists and agencies and opportunity to display their work, while fostering economic development by drawing attention to available retail properties.

Floating Galleries is a volunteer organization, which emerged from The Syracuse Public Art Task Force in 2007.

Floating Galleries launches on Thursday, May 17th, 7-10 pm, at its first location, 220 Warren St, previously the Merchant Bank Building.

Short Program at 7:45pm
Music at 9:30pm

All are welcome to attend this opening / launch party.

Contact floatinggalleriessyracuse@gmail.com for more information.

There are some Eastwood residents who have begun to work on getting a Floating Gallery into Eastwood. Contact me if you’re interested in helping with this.

Latte art and flamenco guitar

Lonnie — Fri, 04 May 2007 18:33:52 +0000

Matt and Rachel Godard were celebrating the opening of their Cafe Kubal last Saturday, so we stopped by to see how he was coming along with the latte art. Sure enough, he was ready for filming! Thanks to Dan Hunter, who kindly did the filming, we have a video so you can see how this is done.

Video of Matt creating latte art

While Matt and Rachel took care of customers, Dave Chu played flamenco and classical guitar, sitting on what has to be the original beanbag chair (a bag of coffee beans).

Latte art and really good decaf

Lonnie — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 22:06:31 +0000

The other day I happened into Cafe Kubal, where Matt Godard is roasting some of the finest coffee in upstate New York. Who should be there behind the bar but Chris Deferio, the man I think of as The Ithaca Latte Artist:

I’d seen him in action at the Carriage House Cafe, where he’s the head barista and director of coffee education (now there’s a job!). Well, he’s been teaching Matt a thing or two, which means that even when Chris is back at his regular job, we in Eastwood can still watch our latte turn into something beautiful as well as delicious.

Matt tells us: “Chris (the artist) is involved with an ongoing enrichment program here at Cafe Kubal. Our aspirations are to have this type of mastery in all our drinks all the time. Here is my modest contribution, thus far, a grape vine, and a feather.”

And here’s an example of Chris’ work that I stole off the web:

So what about the decaf? Most people who really care about coffee have a pretty low opinion of decaffeinated coffee. It’s lacking two important things that make coffee great: caffeine (duh!) and flavor. Well, some of us just can’t drink any caffeine after a certain hour or we will simply never sleep. But until now, our choices for decaf were pretty grim: dull, lifeless, cheap imitations. Matt, however, starts with quality beans decaffeinated in a chemical-free Swiss water process and roasts them to perfection. Honestly, if you buy these beans and grind ‘em yourself just before you brew (or have a cup of decaf at the cafe), you will not be able to tell the difference. And that’s why Chris buys his decaf beans from Matt. That’s recommendation enough for me!

Help kick off National Historic Preservation Month

Lonnie — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 20:50:05 +0000

Please join the Central New York’s Arts & Crafts Society and the Preservation Association as they celebrate National Historic Preservation Month.

Saturday May 5, 2007
Palace Theater, 2384 James Street, Eastwood

10:00 am on the 2nd floor: Registration begins

10:30 am
Honorable Matt Driscoll, Mayor of Syracuse
Opening remarks

11:00 am
Jonathan Massey, SU School of Architecture
Claude Bragdon: Modernism & Preservation

NOON: Gourmet Luncheon – Mike Heagerty

1:15 pm
Ray Stubblebine, photojournalist & Craftsman Farms Foundation Trustee
Stickley’s Craftsman Homes

Samuel Gruber, PACNY director
Closing remarks

Ray Stubblebine will autograph his new book, Stickley’s Craftsman Homes, which documents over 250 home designs from the Craftsman Magazine and Stickley’s Architectural Department.

$15.00 members / $20.00 friends

Syracuse Public Arts and the “coolness factor”

Lonnie — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 20:35:18 +0000

I think a lot about what makes property values – yours and mine – rise in an urban neighborhood. I’ve concluded that it it is, in part, a certain “coolness factor” that is part reality and part perception. What strikes you when you walk through Little Italy or Armory Square? No, neither of them is perfect, but people want to be there for some reason. Downtown apartments are renting for as much as twice what they are in other parts of the city. Why? Because it’s so cool to live where density and diversity make it so interesting!

So what is this “coolness factor”? Is it the number of independent book stores? the availability of things to do after 9:00 pm? a certain number of cafes per capita? beautiful art to look at? sidewalks that people care about and use in their everyday comings and goings?

Eastwood’s “coolness factor” is steadily rising. Witness the successes of the Palace Theater, Laci’s Cafe, Huffstir’s, Cafe Kubal, three bookstores and streetscape improvements. Soon we’ll be seeing more public art, too, and now’s the time to get involved:

Syracuse Public Arts identifies and initiates quality public art projects and events that work to promote a creative culture and shared identity in Syracuse. We are artists, community leaders and volunteers. Join us.

Read more about upcoming meetings and events of Syracuse Public Arts (s.p.a.). Ask questions: syracusepublicarts@gmail.com