Nicole Eisenman Visits Scarsdale
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- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
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I have been an admirer of Nicole Eisenman's work ever since her mother, former Village Trustee Kay Eisenman introduced me to her famed daughter at a Greenacres carnival of all places. When her series of 45 portraits appeared at the Whitney Biennial we paid a visit and were instantly drawn to her approachable and colorful paintings which are as much social commentary as they are art. Unlike many current abstract modern artists, Eisenman's works clearly have a subject and express a point of view. She covers the gamut from politics, to gender, technology and the ironies of modern life. You don't' need to be trained in art history to enjoy her very accessible works.
Eisenman's fame has spiraled in the last few years and she currently has a show at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia, was featured in a show at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, won the Carnegie Prize -- Carnegie International's top award -- and had a solo show at the Contemporary Art Museum in St. Louis.
That's why I was surprised to hear that Eisenman would be appearing at Westchester Reform Temple in Scarsdale with MOMA curator Laura Hoptman. I quickly cancelled my theatre tickets so that I could be there.
It turns out that Eisenman has quite a few admirers. Among them are collectors Marty and Rebecca Eisenberg, who are Scarsdale residents and members of Westchester Reform Temple. They arranged for an exhibition of Eisenman's prints at WRT and the discussion with Hoptman on November 9.
Rabbi Blake introduced Eisenman and told the audience that she had distinguished herself early on in Scarsdale
– winning the Halloween window painting contest, contributing memorable illustrations to the SHS Yearbook and even painting a mural on the walls of the school that was subsequently painted over. Eisenman looked sharp in a sleek black pants and a blazer – adding a touch of humor to her appearance by wearing a Mickey Mouse t-shirt underneath.
Asked about the forces that shaped her development as an artist she mentioned her art classes with teacher Joan Busing, trips to museums, and cartoons in The New Yorker. Hoptman asked where Eisenman gets the ideas for the stories behind her work and Eisenman said, "I believe in story-telling. My father is a psychiatrist and listens to stories, my grandfather was a rabbi and told stories. I believe in narrative." She continued by saying, "I work from an interior place. The takeoff is my own emotional response." And she later added, "My sense of the world comes from what I was taught by my family."
Discussing the creative process, Eisenman said she often sketches first, reads poetry and sits and thinks. For inspiration she visits the studios of other artists, museums and sometimes galleries. About painting, Eisenman said, "When I paint I go into the zone ... into deep right brain mode."
A selection of Eisenman's prints are on display at Westchester Reform Temple until early January. Stop by and take a look.
Halloween Photo Gallery
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Scarsdale was abuzz with activity on Halloween. The day began with Halloween parades at the elementary schools, where parents flocked to take photos of their children and classmates.
The entire staff of the Heathcote school led by Principal Maria Styles dressed as "minions" from Despicable Me. See the teachers above as well as the thrilled students at the Heathcote Halloween Parade below.
We noticed that the fashion item of the day for moms was skull wear – see below.
Fox Meadow School:
The Fox Meadow School parade included a team of Jamaican bobsledders – see their photo here:
Fox Meadow Tennis Club:
Onto Fox Meadow Tennis Club where the womens' paddle committee hosted a Halloween round robin. Couldn't resist sharing these photos.
Trick or Treat in Heathcote:
Later that night, the Kroll's haunted house on Vanderbilt Road in Heathcote was visited by an estimated 240 kids and 100 adults. The house was bedecked with Halloween paraphernalia and Bud, dressed up as Dracula, distributed glasses of blood red wine to anyone over 21. The family has been decorating the house and greeting guests for over 20 years and has become a destination for trick or treater's and their parents.
Crane's Pond Pooch Parade
And in Edgemont the Jr./Senior High School PTA sponsored a Pooch Parade at Cranes Pond the previous Sunday. These photos are just too cute!
Renowned Artist Nicole Eisenman at WRT on November 9
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Internationally-renowned painter, sculptor and printmaker Nicole Eisenman -- who grew up in Scarsdale -- will discuss her work at Westchester Reform Temple on Sunday, November 9. The discussion will be moderated by Laura Hoptman, Curator of contemporary art in the Department of Painting and Sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art. The discussion and reception are open to the public and begin at 4:00pm; there is no charge and reservations are not necessary. A selection of Eisenman's work is on display at the temple until early January.
Eisenman's work ranges from the absurd and irreverent to the abject and meditative. Drawing on sources as divergent as classical mythology and the visual conventions of the art historical canon, her imagery offers a forthright, at times comedic and critical, and invariably probing meditation on contemporary life. Eisenman's uncanny capacity for capturing human joy, pain, embarrassment and ecstasy unites the disparate subject matter.
Nicole Eisenman is currently the subject of the mid-career survey exhibition Dear Nemesis: Nicole Eisenman 1993-2014, at the Institute of Contemporary Art 
Philadelphia. Her work is also featured in Manifesta 10, curated by Kasper König, at the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg. Eisenman was awarded the 2014 Anonymous Was a Woman Award and the Carnegie Prize for the 2013 Carnegie International in Pittsburgh. The artist lives and works in New York.
Laura Hoptman has been a Curator of contemporary art in the Department of Painting and Sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art since 2010, where she has organized Isa Genzken: Retrospective, the first American survey of this artist's work; Ecstatic Alphabets/Heaps of Language, a group exhibition of contemporary art dealing with language; Carol Bove: The Equinox; and Artist's Choice: Trisha Donnelly.
Horror Movies for Scarsdalians, Part 2
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- Written by: Deborah Skolnik
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Sure, by all appearances, Scarsdale is a cozy hamlet. Yet behind every Tudor, there lurk terrors that only we residents understand. These films haven't been made—yet—but we're betting they'd be monster hits.
Scream: State troopers are dispatched to Scarsdale to investigate a howling noise coming from every corner of town. A serial murderer? Nope. An alien invasion? Wrong again: It's the sound of thousands of homeowners simultaneously learning about their tax reassessments.
The Conjuroring: Two days after you've bought airplane tickets and booked a hotel at Disney World, White Plains Court summons you to perform your civic duty on that same week.
The Sick Sense: The way you somehow KNOW that a trick-or-treater with a terrible sense of humor is going to show up on your doorstep dressed like an Ebola victim.
Paranormal Snacktivity: The parents of a teen boy are frightened— why has their food bill skyrocketed? Hidden kitchen cams soon reveal a terrifying truth: Fifteen-year-olds consume twice their body weight in fro-yo from Peachwave.
The Splurge: Thought The Purge was scary? Wait till you see the Scarsdale remake, in which a woman goes insane and blows her month's rent on a faux fur vest from Pamela Robbins.
The Shinning: Your child fails to put on protective gear before hitting the soccer field at Crossway, resulting in dozens of trips into NYC to see an orthopedist.
Poultrygeist: Your daughter's friend is staying over for dinner, so you spend an hour making a lovely meal...then discover she only likes rotisserie chicken from Ruffled Feathers.
Deborah Skolnik is a Greenacres mother of two and the Content Director of Myron Corporation, a large business-gifts company in Maywood, New Jersey.
Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn to Discuss New Book in Scarsdale
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Scarsdale husband and wife team Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn will discuss their new book, A Path Appears: Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity on November 6, 2014 at Scarsdale High School. The lecture begins at 7:30 p.m. with a reception to follow. There is no charge for admission; the lecture is open to all, regardless of residency; high school students are also welcome to attend.
Kristof, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times columnist, is often called the "reporter's reporter" for his human rights advocacy and his efforts to give a voice to the voiceless. WuDunn, the first Asian-American reporter to win a Pulitzer Prize, is a business executive and best-selling author. She works with entrepreneurs in new media, media technology, and social enterprise at a small investment banking boutique in New York City. Their most recent book discusses philanthropic innovators across the U.S. and around the world who are using research, evidence-based strategies, and brilliant ideas of their own to fight some of the twenty-first century's most intractable problems: poor early-childhood education, sex trafficking, inner-city violence, poverty and malnutrition, homelessness, and many others.
Books for signing may be purchased by clicking here. Proceeds of the book sales will be donated to SAS and the Nurse Family Partnership. Books ordered by Tuesday, October 14 will be distributed on Thursday, October 23 from 10:30 a.m. to noon at the Scarsdale Public Library and from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Scarsdale High School. Orders received after the initial deadline will be distributed at the event with limited copies available for purchase on a first-come/first-served basis.
This event is co-sponsored by Scarsdale Adult School, Scarsdale Public Schools Interdependence Institute, Scarsdale Council of Parent Teacher Associations, Scarsdale Teachers Institute, and Scarsdale Public Library.
