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Westchester County Business Journal • ARTSWNEWS


HUDSON RIVER MUSEUM PRESENTS WESTCHESTER WOMEN AND WAR


by Mary Alice Franklin


AFFILIATE SPOTLIGHT: by Jonah Jeng


AUGUST 2012


Taconic Opera Preserves a Lost Art


Amidst the whirlwind of mass media and technological innova- tion, the thrill of opera is often overrun by the sights and sounds of the new millennium. Opera possesses an im- perious, exotic quality rarely seen elsewhere – a raw power that arises from the force


Portrait of Maj.Tanya Penella by Margaret Moulton


Painting of Marguerite Chase by Frances Vandeveer Kughler


In 1944, a small band of Yonkers women enlisted in the U.S. Women’s Army Corps (WAC) was the focus of a portrait series commissioned by the Hud- son River Museum. Painter Frances Vandeveer Kughler teamed up with the museum and with Lieutenant Joanne Coates to encapsulate a moment in time that advanced women’s rights. In 2012, photographer Margaret Moulton captured the images of 12 Westchester female soldiers, of both veterans and those currently enlisted in today’s army. Both sets of portraits, intended to honor the women pictured, are on view in the Hudson River Museum’s current exhibition. Westchester Women and War: Portraits runs through September 9.


“The museum planned this exhibition to recognize the achievements of to- day’s women soldiers [in the same way in which] it honored the first to be mo- bilized in the US armed forces,” says Laura Vookles, Chief Curator of Collec- tions at Hudson River Museum. In 1944, one of the missions of those involved with the project was to document a historic happening. The museum built events that supported these military families. Today, the connection between generations, represented by the 40 pastels and oils on canvas from the 1940s and the 12 photographic likenesses of today’s women, speaks strongly to the advancement of women in the military and in society as a whole.


“The more I learned about these servicewomen and their lives, from the 1940s through today, the more I saw the link between these two generations of women soldiers,” added Vookles. “Both struggled for recognition and equal ranking with their male peers as they gave their all to the war effort.”


Westchester Women and War uses video, paintings and photography to draw a parallel between those women who served in WWII and those who stand proudly as soldiers and veterans today. A video of veterans recounting their military moments adds to the impact of the artwork and draws a stronger link between the two collections.


Maj. Tanya Pennella from Somers recounts her early exposure to the military: “I was ten years old when my father brought me to West Point for the first time and that was the first year women had graduated… And that was such a great influence on my life. That was it. That was what I wanted to do. I wanted to be one of them.”


Kughler’s 1940’s pastel and oil portraits and Moulton’s photographs will become part of the Hudson River Museum’s archival collections. For more information, visit: www.hrm.org/exhibits.


of its presentation and the passion of its ensemble. So much craft and talent goes into every production, from the set designs to the orchestra to the actors whose explosive voices can fill an opera house without the aid of a sound system. Fortunately, opera is an art form with a fighting spirit, and while it might not be as prominent as it once was, it perseveres with gusto. You just have to know where to look.


The Taconic Opera presents one of the richest and most readily accessible ven- ues for experiencing opera. With performance centers at three locations (the Yorktown Stage; the United Methodist Church in Ossining, NY; and the Pepsico Theater at SUNY Purchase), the Taconic Opera features first-rate performances by some of the very best singers in the business. Most singers who audition for parts have at least 15 professional leading roles under their belts and even then only a few are accepted. Past performances this season include: Don Pasquale, a comedy featuring superlative bel-canto singing; and the renowned Nabucco, which features one of the most famous Italian choruses of all time.


But Taconic Opera’s contributions don’t stop there. As an amalgamation of dance, theater and music, opera is an artistic experience capable of impacting audiences in a variety of ways. Taking advantage of this, Taconic Opera carries out multiple school outreach programs every year, using opera as a tool for arts education. Under the Mainstage Opera Performances program, students can view current productions for free on a first come, first serve basis. If commut- ing from school proves to be an inconvenience, they offer in-school outreach performances as well. Taconic Opera's goal is to preserve and revitalize opera within the community, and in the level of its productions and programs, it suc- ceeds magnificently. For more information, visit: www.taconicopera.org.


Standing Ovation


ArtsWestchester salutes its generous friends at Con Edison for their unwavering support of the arts in Westchester. Most recently Con Edison provided major funding for our series of environmental exhibitions…two in 2011 and Fish Tales Around Westchester this summer. Con Edison recognizes that good stewardship of the ecological system involves clean energy, and the company is at the forefront of this movement. We salute ConEdison for "getting into the swim” as a major supporter of Fish Tales Around Westchester as part of their clean energy initiative. Additional support for the “Fish” exhibition was generously provided by Ronald McDonald House Charities.


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