Category Archives: art and culture

Harlem Arts Festival hosts Open Mic Jam Session March 27

Posted on March 26, 2013 | Leave a comment

Listen up Harlem! There is a fun event happening tomorrow! The Harlem Arts Festival (HAF) is hosting an open mic jam session at My Image Studios Harlem (MIST Harlem) tomorrow (March 27) starting at 10 pm. HAF is hosting this event to raise money for this year’s 2013 festival.

According to Neal Ludevig, the executive director of the Harlem Arts Festival, organizing a festival is no small task. “The Harlem Arts Festival presented 33 artistic acts on two stages to more than 1,000 people over the course of two days last year and we’re excited to do this again in 2013,” said Ludevig. “The money we raise tomorrow night at the open mic jam goes directly toward providing our artists with the best equipment, promotion, and resources.”

Ludevig also explained that HAF is holding their event at a venue that was specifically designed for events such as an open mic jam. “The late Roland Laird envisioned MIST Harlem as an opportunity to aggregate culture and create a destination to present theater, music, poetry slams, and more, said Ludevig. “In that way, MIST Harlem is a fantastic new space in Harlem that represents what the HAF is all about. We’re both new organizations, trying to embrace and build on the wonderful neighborhoods and communities that are already here.”

Tickets for the Harlem Arts Festival’s open mic jam, costs $10. Interested in attending? Go here for tickets.
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Posted in 116th Street, art and culture, Community, entertainment, Events, Harlem, Harlem blogs

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Casa Frela Gallery to host Harlem Art Walk Tour Exhibition and Fundraiser April 13

Posted on March 26, 2013 | 1 comment

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Harlem’s Casa Frela Gallery will be hosting a Harlem Art Walk Tour Fundraiser (HAWT™) with Silent Auction on Saturday, April 13th, from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm at the gallery’s space at 47 West 119th Street. The fundraiser will feature the works of selected HAWT™ 2013 participating artists, each donating a piece of their work, which will then be offered up for auction to raise funds for the Harlem Art Walk Tour this coming October. The event is open to the public, and free to attend! Refreshments will be served.

HAWT™ Artist’s donated works will be on display at Casa Frela Gallery from April 1st through April 13th . Visitors will have the chance to view the artwork up to 2 weeks prior to the event.

See past blog coverage on the Harlem Art Walk.

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Posted in art and culture, Community, education, Events, food, Free!, Harlem, Harlem blogs

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Attend MillionTreesNYC Tree Care Workshop at Harlem’s Casa Frela Gallery

Posted on March 21, 2013 | Leave a comment

imageMillionTreesNYC will be giving a tree care workshop for the Harlem community on April 6th at Casa Frela Gallery, 47 West 119th Street, 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm.

The workshop will run 2 hours and consist of two parts. The first part will be 30-40 minutes and will take place in the gallery, covering the importance of trees, tree care, and the reasons behind Million Trees NYC’s mission to plant a million more trees throughout the five boroughs. Part 2 of the workshop will be hands-on, where attendees will go outside and actively steward the two new trees on 119th Street — and beyond, time-permitting. At the end of the workshop if attendees pledge to care for a new tree in their neighborhood, Million Trees NYC will give them a free toolkit (collapsible watering bucket, trowel, weeder tool, and cultivator) and a tree care manual with step by step guide to caring for their tree.

To learn more about MillionTreesNYC, visit their website.

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Posted in art and culture, Community, Events, Free!, Harlem, Harlem blogs, health and wellness, New York, New York City, NYC

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Mark your calendar: Harlem Earth Day activities begin April 3

Posted on March 20, 2013 | Leave a comment

Harlem Park to Park (HP2P) released information yesterday (March 19) about their second annual Harlem Earth Day initiative, which begins April 3rd until April 21st. HP2P has lined up free, fun filled activities for the whole family in Morningside Park (April 7th) and Marcus Garvey Park (April 21st); and panel discussions including celebrity chefs, authors and activists every Wednesday evening at MIST Harlem on April 3rd, 10th and 17th! The initiative is sponsored by Con Edison, Land Yoga, MIST Harlem, Friends of Morningside Park, and Marcus Garvey Park Alliance.

Below is an outline of the program and participants. See you at Harlem Earth Day activities!
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Posted in art and culture, celebrities, Community, entertainment, Events, Free!, Harlem, Harlem blogs, kids, Red Rooster Harlem, restaurants, Youth

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Harlem loses one of its celebrities for now, The View’s Sherri Shepherd moves across the Hudson

Posted on March 16, 2013 | Leave a comment

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A HarlemGal reader recently left a comment saying Sherri Shepherd, comedienne, actress, and television personality of ABC’s The View, is not residing in Harlem anymore. My reaction was WHAT! I just saw her online mentioning she’s hanging at the Corner Social in Harlem. So I followed up with the lovely and funny Mrs. Shepherd-Sally to see what’s up.

Shepherd confirmed via direct message on Twitter that she and her family (Lamar and Jeffrey) moved to New Jersey three months ago. But before I explain why Shepherd had to move plan-d-book-mockup400from Harlem, let me quickly point out that Shepherd unequivocally stated that she and her husband Lamar love Harlem and find it to be “a great community and plan to return in a couple of years.” They had an unexpected situation arise and had to react.

I believe Sherri Shepherd and her family will return in the near future to live full-time in Harlem. Why? As an influential celebrity, she could have easily avoided my request.  Shepherd responded in a timely manner and took the time to explain what happened. She was crystal clear in her communication. In my view, this is an example of a Harlemite who deeply cares about the community she lived in and still loves by personally taking the time to communicate what happened. Why even bother explaining to a Harlem blogger? But Sherri did.

As to what happened that caused Sherri, her son and her husband to depart Harlem, it’s a typical New York situation. Shepherd had been renting a beautiful Sherri_Shepherd_Lamar_Sally_s_Wedding_Pics_Harlem brownstone for almost three years. Her landlord gave notice that they planned to move back into the property and gave Shepherd 30 days notice. Shepherd and her husband looked at other places in Harlem because they wanted to stay, but given the time constraints they did not find a place they wanted within their budget so they moved to New Jersey for the time being. That’s it folks! That’s what happened and it happens to most New Yorker’s at one time or another.

Shepherd maybe living in NJ for now, but she has been taking the time to return to Harlem weekly. She visits the Corner Social on Lenox Avenue and 126th Street once a week and she visits Elsie’s Caribbean Cafe twice a month. Her heart is still in Harlem.

Let’s wish Sherri Shepherd and her family all the best with this change and pray for a speedy return back to Harlem. Amen!

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Posted in 125th Street, art and culture, celebrities, Corner Social, entertainment, Harlem, Harlem blogs, Harlem real estate,, Lenox Avenue, Lenox Social, New York, New York City, NYC, real estate, restaurants

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Support Changing Face of Harlem, film in final stretch of completion

Posted on March 3, 2013 | 2 comments

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Changing Face of Harlem, a documentary about Harlem’s ongoing transformation told from the voices of longtime residents, business owners, politicians, developers, and clergy, is in the home stretch to complete the film. This month they have launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise $30,000 to meet final post-production costs. Post-production costs cover final sound mixing, edit, color correction, and costs of archival footage, graphics and music.

To help Changing Face of Harlem meet their goal, go here to donate. The campaign runs for the month of March.

Read prior posts here on Changing Face of Harlem.

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Posted in 110th Street, 116th Street, 125th Street, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd., art and culture, business, Community, education, film, Frederick Douglass Blvd., Harlem, Harlem blogs, Harlem Restaurant Row, history, Lenox Avenue, Marcus Garvey Park, Mt. Morris Park, New York, New York City, NYC, politics, real estate, restaurants, Studio Museum Harlem

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Pulitzer Prize-nominated Eisa Davis performs today at the Harlem School of the Arts

Posted on February 23, 2013 | Leave a comment

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Pulitzer Prize-nominated Eisa Davis will take to the stage in Harlem today for an intimate workshop setting, performing excerpts from her latest musical theater piece,Flowers Are Sleeping. The musical piece is a rare insight into the actor-writer-singer’s artistic process; a culmination of years of script development as well as more recent rehearsals in the Harlem School of the Arts’ studios and its ongoing Family Enrichment series.

Eisa Davis will also be performing at the Apollo Music Cafe in May as well. But today’s event is free

WHERE: Harlem School of the Arts: Gathering Space, 645 St. Nicholas Avenue

When: Saturday February 23, 2013 at noon (FREE)

Who: Harlem School of the Arts, Eisa Davis, Symphony Space,

WHY: Exclusive performance part of HSA’s Family Enrichment series, in promotion of performing arts center, Symphony Space’s world premiere of the full piece during Harlem Resonance Festival in April, 2013.

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Posted in art and culture, Community, education, entertainment, Events, Harlem, Harlem School of the Arts, kids

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AARP New York Launches in Harlem First-Ever Art Exhibition in Celebration of Black History Month

Posted on February 21, 2013 | Leave a comment

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In celebration of Black History Month, AARP New York is launching its first-ever art exhibition, Lasting Legacy: The Journey of YOU on February 27 in Harlem. To inspire people 50-plus to discover their unique talents, explore new possibilities, and create lasting legacies, AARP will feature the works of AARP2celebrated and emerging artists along with a full roster of special events through April 2013. The artists represent New York City’s rich diversity, with African-American, Latino, and Asian artists displaying their works. The exhibition will be held at the LeRoy Neiman Center, which was launched by a generous gift from the renowned painter LeRoy Neiman, and has become an integral arts-based resource in the Central Harlem community.

Opening February 27 through April 10, the show will feature Willie Cole; Betty Blayton; graffiti artist, Nic 707; along with over ten emerging, mid-career and established visual artists presenting works that capture the journey of life while on the path to creating a lasting legacy.

The LeRoy Neiman Center is located at 2785 Frederick Douglass Boulevard near 148th Street. The opening event is February 27 from 6 pm to 9 pm. More information about the artists and the event can be found at www.aarp.org/ny. The hashtag for the event is #lastinglegacyart.
Sarah Dash

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Posted in art and culture, Community, education, Events, Frederick Douglass Blvd., Harlem, New York, New York City, NYC

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Posted on February 7, 2013 | Leave a comment

Alicia Keys recently played at Ginny’s Supper Club in Harlem. Read a full review of how the night unfolded by HelloBeautiful, who were there for the entire evening.

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Posted in art and culture, Bars, celebrities, entertainment, Events, fashion, food, Harlem, New York, New York City, NYC, Red Rooster Harlem, restaurants

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Introducing The Harlem Sound Project, caberet music at The Chipped Cup

Posted on January 30, 2013 | Leave a comment

There is a new concert series uptown for us to check out! It’s called The Harlem Sound Project and it’s happening in the Hamilton Heights area of Harlem. The focus of The Harlem Sound Project is “to bring quality classical music and jazz to the Harlem community.” Their next concert will be on Valentines Day at The Chipped Cup located at 3610 Broadway and West 149th Street. Interested in attending, all the details are here!
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Posted in art and culture, Bars, Cafe, Community, drinks, entertainment, Events, Harlem, music, restaurants

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