Artist Nicole Eisenman Wins Carnegie Prize
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Scarsdale's Nicole Eisenman has won the Carnegie Prize, which is the 2013 Carnegie International's top award for her paintings and sculpture on exhibit at the show. Along with the $10,000 prize, she will receive the Medal of Honor designed by Tiffany & Co. for the first edition of the regular contemporary art survey, back in 1896.
Eisenman was one of just 35 artists selected to exhibit at the show which presents a broad spectrum of contemporary art. The work includes paintings, sculptures and installations – and features a large sculpture of Eisenman's dubbed "Prince of Swords" at the entry. The large-scale figure's hands are blackened from overuse of his cell phone -- a comment on the current state of the use of technology.
According to the exhibit catalogue, "The 2013 Carnegie International brings together a group of Eisenman's paintings, spanning her career from the early 1990s to 2011, on the balcony of the Hall of Sculpture. Like the relics of classical antiquity that surround them, seven of her recent sculptures—freestanding or occupying open plinths along the balustrade—evoke an archaeological playground of modern times. Both bodies of work demonstrate Eisenman's uncanny capacity for capturing the joy, pain, embarrassment, and ecstasy of being human."
A series of 45 of Eisenman's bold and colorful portraits were displayed at the Whitney Biennial in 2012 and were also featured at a solo exhibition at the 
Contemporary Art Museum in St. Louis from January – April, 2014. In addition to painting, Eisenman has more recently turned to sculpture and these life-sized works are now on view at the Carnegie exhibition in Pittsburgh.
A 1987 graduated of Scarsdale High School, Eisenman is the daughter of Scarsdale Village Trustee Kay Eisenman and father Sheldon Eisenman, both of Greenacres. During high school Eiseman studied with Joan Busing, a painter and printmaker who taught art classes in Hartsdale to many local students. Eisenman says Busing was "hugely influential" and introduced her to "a world of art, music and ideas." According to Busing, "I taught Nicole from the time she was fourteen-years-old, from the time she was in eighth grade until she graduated high school. She was definitely very talented and drew very well. She always had a different take on the subject, and would think "outside the box." I love her narrative ability to tell a story. Her drawing and painting skills are exceptional. She has amazing vision, and is extremely innovative. She was definitely one of the most serious art students I've taught that was determined from very early on, to be an artist.
I don't believe I've ever missed a show unless it was in Europe, and I always leave the space with a smile on my face. I believe that she is one of the most important women artists today."
View Eisenman's works at the Carnegie here:
(Pictured at top: Beer Garden with Ulrike and Celeste, 2009)
55 Families Build Scarecrows in Scarsdale
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Despite misty rain throughout the entire event, Scarsdale families had a wonderful time building scarecrows at the Scarecrow Festival at the Scarsdale Pool on Sunday October 6.
According to Assistant Recreation Supervisor Anthony DiDomenico, a total of 66 families signed up, and about 55 families showed up to celebrate fall by making a scarecrow.
Here are pictures of the families and the results of their hard work!
A New Kind of Book Club for Adults
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As a recently published children's author, one of the interesting discoveries I made in the last few years is that grown-ups like to read children's books. It's true! It's no surprise that as a children's writer, I've been reading them for years. My children's writing friends are doing the same, and we shoptalk about our favorite children's books. But it never occurred to me how children's novels can truly resonate with the greater grown-up public as well.
Which is why I decided to create the "Not Your Kids Book Club" at the Scarsdale Library – a book club exclusively for adults that focuses on contemporary children's literature. What does that mean? It means that as a group of adults, we will get to read and discuss once a month, some of the absolutely terrific children's novels that are being published now. Whether you're a parent, an educator, a writer, or a person who loves to read, children's novels are a great way to think about how life has changed since we were young, to familiarize ourselves with the issues concerning our children today, but also, and maybe most important of all, to encounter great writing.
Nowhere else will you find an audience that is impatient for a good story – and fast. Which means an electrifying beginning, page-turning chapters, characters to root for, high stakes decision-making, and an ending that will leave you wanting more. Not just that, but in the best children's novels today, you will find this superb writing, complex social issues, and heightened drama in smaller, ready-to-read packages, that will evoke that wonderful sense of possibility and potential we felt so much when we were young readers.
October's Book Club Pick: UNGIFTED
This month at the Not Your Kids Book Club, we will be reading UNGIFTED, by best-selling author, Gordon Korman: Middle school prankster and underachiever Donovan Curtis accidentally gets sent to a gifted program after a paperwork error. How long will Donovan survive in the gifted program? And how will the other gifted students survive without him?
Gordan Korman is the author of popular books for young people, and is a frequent visitor at the Scarsdale Middle School.
The book club will meet at the Scarsdale Library, Wednesday, October 16, 1:00 – 2:00 pm. The book club is free and open to all Westchester County residents. To register, click here, or call the library's Reference Desk at 914-722-1304.
Sheela Chari is a member Scarsdale Library Writers Center. She is also the author of VANISHED (Disney Hyperion), a 2012 APALA Children's Literature honor book, an Edgar Award nominee for best juvenile mystery, and featured on the Today Show with Al's Book Club for Kids. You can visit her online at www.sheelachari.com.
From the Library: Author Talk on Bullying and Free Magazines Available Via Zinio
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Downloadable Magazines Now Available: A digital newsstand with magazines of interest for every member of the family is now available from the Scarsdale Public Library. Zinio, which proclaims itself as the world's largest newsstand, offers scores of digital publications that can be downloaded to most internet-enabled devices inside or outside the library. Zinio for Libraries was awarded Best New Database of 2012 by Library Journal.
Titles include: Newsweek, The New York Review of Books,, Rolling Stone, Owl (for kids), Runner's World, House Beautiful, The Economist, Popular Science and many more covering lifestyle, public affairs, sports, hobbies and health issues.
"Over the past several years, there has been an increase in our magazine circulation," said Elizabeth Bermel, library director. "In that time we have also significantly increased the use of technology so our patrons can quickly and easily download books, music and information. Now, having Zinio perfectly melds these two and literally puts scores of magazines at cardholders' fingertips."
Patrons have unlimited, simultaneous access to the complete digital magazines including full color pictures, intuitive navigation, key word article search and interactive elements such as audio and video.
To access Zinio and for a full list of publications, visit the library website at scarsdalelibrary.org/news/zinio-digital-magazines/
Author of the Bully Book to Visit October 7 
Eric Kahn Gale will discuss his novel The Bully Book and his personal experiences with bullying at the Scarsdale Public Library on Monday, October 7, at 7:00 pm. He will also answer questions. While this is a topic of concern to many, the program is geared particularly to 5th and 6th grade students and parents.
The Bully Book tells the story of sixth-grader Eric Haskins. It's a compelling account of middle-school bullying, featuring perspectives from both the top and bottom of the school-yard food chain as Eric discovers that he is The Grunt – the person whom the mysterious "Bully Book" instructs must be singled out as an absolute target in order for other students to rise in the social order. The "Bully Book" in the novel reads like a textbook describing how bullies can maintain a position of power. When other students start to calculatedly torture Eric, he begins to discover the existence of the bullying manual and his position as The Grunt, and he sets out to uncover the origins of the "Bully Book" and challenge it.
This is Gale's first novel. He is co-creator of Team StarKid shows Little White Lie and Me and my Dick.
JCC Academic Center Help Students Prepare for College
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This fall, the Academic Center at the JCC of Mid-Westchester is adding three new classes to its portfolio of offerings for high school students. The new classes -- college application essay writing, college interview skills, and a series of "Extra Edge" lectures and workshops that address stress -- are designed to help students through the entire college application process. These programs will expand the Center's full menu of year-round PSAT, SAT, and ACT preparation courses. "Our goal is to go beyond offering only test prep courses by providing programs for students and parents through small classes that help students with all components of the college application process, including learning how to manage stress," said Lisa Itzkowitz, Director of the JCC Academic Center.
Skills for Applying to College
· College Application Essay Writing workshops will focus on writing the personal essay for college admissions, exploring what makes each student unique and working to craft a narrative to best portray one's self in college application essays. According to one parent whose child recently took the class: "The course is a definite winner. The instructor provides expert guidance and encouragement for writing the essay."
· The new College Interview Skills Essentials workshops teach students critical interview skills to help them in both the college interview process and beyond. According to research done by workshop leaders Kyrie Stillman and Peggy Marx, founders of College Interview Counselors, a common myth insists that college admissions interviews are simply a formality. Interviews for admission are offered and encouraged at 95% of the top 75 colleges and 88% of the top 25 universities!
· The new Extra Edge Student Workshops for Peak Academic Performance, led by Dr. Juna Bobby, will teach kids how to practice relaxation and emotional intelligence skills to efficiently improve attention, memory and recall. Studies of K-8th grade students show an average gain of 11-17% on achievement test scores after learning stress management skills. This program is adapted from the Benson Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School.
· Writing Skills Workshop, teach students how to hand in their best writing with proper use of grammar and language, as well as what additional steps to take to ensure a final, polished piece of writing, not just a clean version of the first draft.
JCC Academic Center Lecture Series
Parents and students won't want to miss the Academic Center's fall evening lecture series, featuring:
· Extra Edge Stress Reduction for Peak Academic Performance, an introductory overview with Dr. Juna Bobby on Monday, September 30 at 7:00 p.m.
· 6th Annual Inside the Admissions Office, with deans and directors of admissions from American University, Emory University, Lafayette College, University of Chicago, University of Maryland and Vanderbilt University, on Sunday, October 20 at 7:30 p.m. No fee but registration is required at www.jccmw.org.
· The ABC's of Organizing Teens, with speaker Leslie Josel, on Tuesday, October 29 at 7:30 p.m.
Pre-registration is required for Academic Center lectures and workshops. For fees and other information, visit www.jccmw.org/academic.htm, or contact Director, Lisa Itzkowitz at 914-472-3300, ext. 275; email: [email protected].
The JCC of Mid-Westchester, 999 Wilmot Road, Scarsdale, a proud beneficiary of UJA-Federation of New York, is a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the community by providing cultural, social, educational and recreational/fitness programs, human services and Jewish identity-building opportunities to people of all ages and backgrounds without regard to race or religion.
