UVP productions can be seen throughout Connective Corridor. Those traveling from the University Hill area or from Downtown can get off at Irving and E. Genesee Street to view the UVP Syracuse Stage display.

For more videos visit Urban Video Project on Vimeo.

Those interested in collaborating with UVP or for information on other productions, please contact Adam Brown, UVP associate producer, at adbrow02@syr.edu.

UVP can be found on Facebook or at www.urbanvideoproject.com.

There’s a bright golden haze on everything about this landmark musical, from Richard Rodgers’ vibrant score, to Oscar Hammerstein’s delightful lyrics and book, to the sparkling characters that populate a particular slice of the Oklahoma Territory. The high-spirited rivalry between the local farmers and cowboys provides the colorful background against which Curly, a handsome cowboy, and Laurey, a winsome farm girl, play out their love story. Although the road to true love never runs smooth, with these two headstrong romantics holding the reins, love’s journey is as bumpy as a surrey ride down a country road.

Directed by David Lowenstein. Presented by the Department of Drama at Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).

The engagement by the Taylor companies is a New York State Long-Term Dance Residency, funded by the New York State Council on the Arts. The residency and performances are also funded through a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

At an age when most artists’ best work is behind them, Taylor H’86 continues to earn acclaim for the vibrancy, relevance and power of his dances. His works offer cogent observations on life’s complexities while tackling some of society’s thorniest issues. A native of Washington, D.C., Taylor studied art and was a swimmer at SU in the late 1940s. He discovered dance and studied at the Juilliard School, and by 1954 had assembled a small company of dancers and presented his choreography.

“We’re thrilled that Paul Taylor, a legend of dance, is returning to Syracuse this fall to celebrate his 80^th birthday with both a residency for his companies and the debut of a new piece,” says SU Chancellor and President Nancy Cantor. “This extraordinary moment is galvanizing our community of experts in the performing arts, highlighting our vibrant and longstanding creative partnership with the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, which is esteemed in its own right and features many musicians who teach and perform as part of SU’s faculty. Paul is one of SU’s own, so this will be as much a homecoming as a birthday celebration for one of the world’s great artists.”

“We are very pleased to be working with Syracuse University and the Paul Taylor Dance Company to bring a new dance work to life right here in Syracuse. We are grateful to the University for suggesting this exciting partnership, and we look forward to collaborating with Paul Taylor Dance Company to present a terrific performance,” says Karen Gahl-Mills, president and executive director of the SSO.

One of the world’s most exquisite dance ensembles, the Paul Taylor Dance Company has performed Taylor’s works in more than 60 countries and 520 cities. It has represented the United States at arts festivals in more than 40 countries and has toured extensively under the aegis of the U.S. Department of State.

In 1993, Taylor established Taylor 2, a six-dancer ensemble, to accommodate performance requests, teach and provide community outreach. Under the direction of Andy LeBeau, an alumnus of the Paul Taylor Dance Company, Taylor 2’s repertoire includes dances spanning the broad spectrum of Taylor’s work that have been reworked for a smaller ensemble.

“There is a need in this community for young dancers to work in a consistent way with dancers of this caliber. The community residency by Taylor 2 is a wonderful and important aspect of this project,” says Carole Brzozowski, University Arts Presenter.

ByJaime Winne Alvarez (315) 443-3784

For more information, click here.

The report, Walking the Walk: How Walkability Raises Housing Values in U.S. Cities by Joseph Cortright, analyzed data from 94,000 real estate transactions in 15 major marketsand found that in 13 of the 15 markets, higher levels of walkability were directly linked to higher home values.

“Even in a turbulent economy, we know that walkability adds value to residential property just as additional square footage, bedrooms, bathrooms and other amenities do,” said Cortright. “It’s clear that consumers assign a tangible value to the convenience factor of living in more walkable places with access to a variety of destinations.”

Walkability is defined by the Walk Score algorithm (www.walkscore.com), which works by calculating the closest amenities – restaurants, coffee shops, schools, parks, stores, libraries, etc. – to any U.S. address. The algorithm then assigns a “Walk Score” from 0-100, with 100 being the most walkable and 0 being totally car-dependent. Walk Scores of 70+ indicate neighborhoods where it’s possible to get by without a car.

The study included 15 metropolitan areas, finding a statistically significant positive relationship between walkability and home values in 13 areas: Arlington, Virginia; Austin, Texas; Charlotte, North Carolina; Chicago, Illinois; Dallas, Texas; Fresno, California; Jacksonville, Florida; Phoenix, Arizona; Sacramento, California; San Francisco, California; Seattle, Washington; Stockton, California, and Tucson, Arizona.

To keep reading or to a download a full copy of the report visit CEOsforCities.

Turner to Cézanne includes 53 extraordinary works of art by 29 world-renowned artists, including Cézanne, Renoir, Monet, van Gogh, Turner and Pissarro. The collection is drawn from a beautiful group of 260 paintings assembled largely between 1908 and 1923 by sisters Margaret and Gwendoline Davies. The exhibition is considered one of the National Museum of Wales’ most remarkable treasures and one of the great British art collections of the 20^th Century.

As a bonus to those visiting Syracuse for the exhibition, the Downtown Committee of Syracuse presents Dinner with the Masters. Bring your ticket or ticket stub from Turner to Cézanne to participating downtown Syracuse restaurants and receive a three-dinner course for $25.  The program runs through Jan. 10, 2010 excluding holidays.

The Everson Museum is accessible through the Connective Corridor bus by getting off at Harrison and S. State Street for those traveling from the University Hill area and downtown Syracuse. It is just one of the many cultural attractions right in our backyard! For tickets call 315-474-6064 or go to www.everson.org.

For more information on “Dinner with the Masters,” visit DowntownSyracuse.

For more information about this exhibit, click here.

“Jazz Central prides itself in being an incubator for not only jazz, but music and talent in all disciplines,” says Executive Director Larry Luttinger.  “We’re now entering our fourth complete season, and we’re the busiest theater in downtown Syracuse, producing more than 150 shows and public presentations.  We are open to both community groups and individuals who need a public space to develop and showcase their talents.”

Founded in 1996, CNYJAF trains more than 4,000 students annually and presents and performs to a public audience of 80,000 each year.  In addition to bringing world-class musicians to Syracuse, CNY Jazz Central is also home to the prize-winning big band sound of the CNY Jazz Orchestra with performances scheduled throughout the region.  CNYJAF is also the principal organizer of the Northeast Jazz and Wine Festival, held in Clinton Square each summer as an anchor event for Artsweek along the Connective Corridor.

For more information on their many programs, visit cnyjazz.org. 

Developed for vacant infill sites on Syracuse’s Near Westside, these residences will provide a new vision for one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods and demonstrate the value of design within a typically underserved and demographically diverse community, incorporating the most advanced thinking about design, sustainability and cost-effective building practices for the single-family house. The three winning firms—ARO and Della Valle Bernheimer, New York; Cook + Fox / Terrapin Bright Green, New York and Washington, D.C.; and Onion Flats, Philadelphia—are leaders in the field of sustainable design. These houses wed high standards of living with advanced technology, providing a range of design approaches to encourage revitalization of the Near Westside and neighborhoods in postindustrial cities across the nation.

The three partner groups worked collaboratively with one another, Near Westside residents and experts from the design and technology fields to bring these homes to fruition. Home HeadQuarters Inc. is committed to creating housing opportunities in the Near Westside neighborhood and throughout Syracuse, and Syracuse CoE is developing and testing “green” technologies that promote human health, creativity, comfort and ecosystem sustainability. UPSTATE: A Center for Design, Research and Real Estate at Syracuse University’s School of Architecture was instrumental in assembling nationally recognized professionals with expertise in architecture, landscape architecture and sustainable design to bring the most current thinking on urban revitalization to the project.

The development of these houses is part of the Syracuse Art, Life, Technology (SALT) District of the Near Westside, which is directed by the Near Westside Initiative Inc. (NWSI), a not-for-profit organization. The NWSI leverages the resources of Syracuse University, the state, the city, private foundations, businesses, not-for-profit corporations and neighborhood residents to achieve its goals. A creative community focusing on art and culture is envisioned that will foster economic development, jobs and stability for the neighborhood and city as well as rich academic experiences for SU students. Current NWSI initiatives include the development of mixed use spaces in vacant warehouses such as the Lincoln Supply Warehouse. Construction of the three “From the Ground Up” houses is planned for completion in late spring 2010.

By Mary Kate O’Brien

For more information, click here. ]]> http://connectivecorridor.syr.edu/2009/10/19/greener-home-construction-begins-in-the-nwsi/feed/ 0 http://connectivecorridor.syr.edu/2009/10/17/first-salt-city-urban-art-craft-market/ http://connectivecorridor.syr.edu/2009/10/17/first-salt-city-urban-art-craft-market/#comments Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:36:08 +0000 jolivare http://connectivecorridor.syr.edu/?p=1794

Local artists, designers showcase work at first Salt City Urban Art & Craft Market

More than 40 local artists, designers and crafters will display and sell their work at the new Salt City Urban Art & Craft Market taking place 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24, at the CASE Supply building on 112 Wyoming St.

The new Salt City Urban Art & Craft Market will provide an alternative marketplace for local independent artists while providing residents in the community an opportunity to discover unique handmade goods, many of them organic and green-friendly.

Participants at the arts and crafts market will include a wide variety of artists, designers and crafters located in the Syracuse area: handcrafted stationery designers, green clothing designers, mineral make-up cosmetologists, soap manufacturers, illustrators, glass artists and photographers, among many others. For a complete list of participating individuals and businesses, visit SALT City Craft Market.

Three Syracuse artists—Justin Moshaty, Paul Carrington and George Mikushkin—have created large-scale street art to be put up in the market space, while a number of local bands will provide musical entertainment ranging from jazz and instrumental to rap and indie rock. Performers include BoMo, The Quartet Trio, Joshua Loomis, Plural Form and ToTs. Food will be provided by Sugar Pearl Café.

The Connective Corridor will provide free bus service during for the event. Attendees are encouraged to park at the Manley Field House lot at Syracuse University and ride the Corridor bus to the CASE Supply Building. Buses will run every half hour between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.

The Salt City Urban Art & Craft Market is the brainchild of local residents Briana Kohlbrenner and Vanessa Rose. Having seen a trend in alternative market places in other cities, Kohlbrenner and Rose teamed up this summer to begin networking with local artists, designers and crafters, leading to the launch of this first art and craft market.

“I see many opportunities here in Syracuse to foster the creative urban life-style. Crafters of the new generation are emerging to provide fun, funky and fresh handmade goods and we aim to provide a venue for these artists and designers to expose themselves to the greater Syracuse community,” says Kohlbrenner, an artist and crafter originally from Brooklyn, who has lived in Syracuse for six years and plans to open a new art and craft store called C2 Craft Chemistry in November.

In addition to a marketplace, the event will provide artists and designers with the opportunity to connect with each other and help foster an environment of artistic collaboration. Kohlbrenner and Rose hope this market will be the first of many that will help increase the opportunity for small, indie businesses.

“When I moved back to Syracuse, I was excited to see a movement toward developing and improving the urban art scene here in town—many people were active in the community, encouraging and producing public art as well as sustaining the arts venues in the area,” says Rose, a Syracuse native who moved back to the city recently after living in New York City. “My commitment to the Salt City Urban Art & Craft Market is founded in the desire to push for finding alternatives to mega-store and mall shopping. I believe that supporting local consumerism in all areas shows a true commitment to our city.” Rose, who crafts every now and then, teaches fourth grade at Enders Road Elementary School in Manlius.

“We are extremely excited to host the Salt City Urban Art & Crafts Market right in the heart of the SALT District. Like the many events that have been going on at the Delavan Center and the Gear Factory for the last few years, this event will be yet another great opportunity to put the SALT District on the map as an exciting place to live, work and play,” says Maarten Jacobs, director of the Near Westside Initiative (NWSI), a not-for-profit corporation organized as a collaborative network of member organizations, institutions and firms that aims to revitalize the Near Westside neighborhood. “Additionally, the market will bring together dozens of artists, craftsmen, musicians, interested market goers, university students and the greater Near Westside community, all right in the CASE Supply building, a future site of commercial and residential revitalization and artistic creativity.”

The mission of the NWSI is to combine the power of art, technology and innovation with neighborhood values and culture to revitalize Syracuse’s Near Westside neighborhood. NWSI projects include renovating two warehouses in the area into mixed-use facilities that will house businesses and artists’ live/work lofts.

To support the Salt City Urban Art & Craft Market, the NWSI will install two large banners on the side of the CASE Supply building facing West Fayette Street—one promoting the art and craft market, and one about the SALT District. The banners will be illuminated by four large spotlights in the evenings. The market is co-sponsored by C2 Craft Chemistry and Syracuse Experimental Film & Video Workshop. Syracuse University’s COLAB will also curate a table displaying several student art pieces.

By Jemeli Tanui (315) 443-5172

For more information, click here. ]]> http://connectivecorridor.syr.edu/2009/10/17/first-salt-city-urban-art-craft-market/feed/ 0 http://connectivecorridor.syr.edu/2009/10/16/syracuse-stage-receives-honorary-national-grant/ http://connectivecorridor.syr.edu/2009/10/16/syracuse-stage-receives-honorary-national-grant/#comments Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:29:05 +0000 jolivare http://connectivecorridor.syr.edu/?p=1832 Syracuse Stage one of 13 theaters in country to receive national grant from Theatre Communications Group

Syracuse Stage is one of 13 theaters across the nation to receive a grant for future audiences from the New Generations Program, a grant initiative cooperatively designed by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Theatre Communications Group (TCG). Syracuse Stage will receive $77,000 to help expand and strengthen existing, unique and innovative audience development programs that have proven effective in reaching young, culturally specific and/or underserved audiences.

“This is terrific news and a great honor for our theater and Syracuse,” says Jeffrey Woodward, managing director at Syracuse Stage. “The grant is a strong endorsement of Tim Bond’s artistic leadership and his vision to expand our audience and make this a theater for all.”

“Theatre Communications Group’s New Generations Program has been an important initiative for the theater field since 2001,” says Ed Henry, president of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. “We are delighted to partner with the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in supporting this ninth round of grantees.”

The first Syracuse Stage event to fall within the parameters of the New Generations Program was Stage’s Open House that took place on Sept. 26. The event drew more than 400 people and included backstage tours, an open dress rehearsal of the Bank of America Children’s Tour, a tech demonstration and complimentary refreshments.

To visit Syracuse Stage theatre using the Connective Corridor bus travelers from the University Hill or from downtown Syracuse can get off at the bus stops  located at Irving and Genesee street.  

Future plans for attracting theatergoers to Syracuse Stage include live music during the post-show opening night celebrations in association with WAER 88.3, LGBT Pride Night Series, Actor Talkback Series, Welch Allyn Signed Interpreted Performance Series, Wednesday @ 1 Lecture Series, M&T Bank Pay What You Can Nights, involvement in Syracuse’s TH3 citywide arts open, and special events in association with area groups.

By Patrick Finlon (315) 443-2636

For more information, click here.

SU’s Pulse Performing Arts Series presents jazz trumpeter Chris Botti as part of SU Family Weekend Oct. 25

Jazz trumpeter Chris Botti will perform a Family Weekend concert on Sunday, Oct. 25, as part of the 2009-10 season of Syracuse University’s Pulse Performing Arts Series. The concert will take place at 2 p.m. in Goldstein Auditorium in the Hildegarde and J. Myer Schine Student Center.

Tickets for the performance are $5 for students with SU I.D. (limit one per person); $16 for SU faculty, staff, alumni, Pulse Partners and SU Family Weekend registrants; and $20 for the general public. Tickets can be purchased at the Schine Student Center Box Office; for more information, call (315) 443-4517. To access the performance using the Connective Corridor bus, for those traveling from the University Hill area can get off at the bus stop located at Irving and Waverly avenues.  If traveling from downtown Syracuse, passengers can get off at University and Waverly avenues. Free parking for the concert is also available in any SU lot.

“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome our guests for Family Weekend this year,” says Colleen O’Connor Bench, director of the SU Parents Office. “It’s a pleasure to produce this fun-filled weekend for students and their families to reconnect and share time together. We have planned a variety of interesting and exciting events for the weekend, and Chris Botti’s performance is sure to be a highlight.”

Botti is a gifted instrumentalist, talented composer and charismatic performer who has sold nearly three million albums worldwide. Since the release of his first solo album in 1995, he has created a series of recordings that have made him one of the world’s top-selling instrumental artists.

Drawing from pop, jazz, classical and other genres, his signature sound transforms contemporary jazz while simultaneously finding success in the pop music sphere. He has earned critical acclaim and mainstream appreciation for his music. His association with the artist Sting, who has appeared on two of his albums, dates back to 1999 when Botti joined the music legend’s band as a featured soloist on the “Brand New Day” tour. Botti’s “What Are You Doing for the Rest of Your Life?” (with vocals by Sting) earned a Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocals in 2005.

Pulse, presented by SU’s Division of Student Affairs, provides SU undergraduates and, in turn, the Central New York community with out-of-classroom opportunities to attend and participate in programs, performances, exhibitions and events in the performing and visual arts. It is a model program, recognized for quality, diversity, innovation and collaboration, while it celebrates and expands the cultural climate of Syracuse University.

The Pulse series seeks to raise the caliber of cultural programming while increasing the number of participating students, and programs the best offerings of local arts organizations with performances of internationally renowned visiting artists. For more information, visit http://pulse.syr.edu, e-mail pulse@syr.edu or call 443-2718.

By Jaime Winne Alvarez (315) 443-3784

For more information, click here. ]]> http://connectivecorridor.syr.edu/2009/10/14/chris-botti-jazz-trumpeter-performs-at-su/feed/ 0