Tag Archives for Pawtucket Teachers’ Alliance

Artist Philippe Lejeune Brings Interactive Installations to Slater Park Fall Festival

Published in Pawtucket Times, September 13, 2013

In writings about his artwork, French artist Philippe Lejeune says, “I play and stage ‘ephemeral images’ that live and move with us in the present time – accurate reflections, illusions of form that relate to our existence. Volatile images that can feed or simply touch our mental images, something one can remember.”

For me, and probably many of my readers,’s comment might just seem a little bit esoteric. On Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 21-22, 2013 at Slater Memorial Park during the upcoming Slater Park Fall Festival, you can meet this new Pawtucket artist and experience his “Glass Project” (www.projeqt.com/tiil). Your trip may well unravel any confusion pertaining to his artistic medium, vision or creativity.

Coming to America

The sixty-two year old French artist, who grew up in a suburb just five minutes from Paris, discovered his artistic talent at age 13 when on a weekend he picked up a pen to sketch his family during a moment of boredom. Years later after graduating high school, his talent would be sharpened by formalized artistic training in printmaking at the “Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts Decoratifs, an acclaimed fine arts school in Paris.

The young man became an apprentice at the printmaking studio of Mario Boni, where he would later work with renowned illustrator Jean-Michel Folon. As Folon’s engraver, Lejeune translated the printmaker’s vision into the medium of print, gaining an international reputation for his mastery of Aquatint, a technique that causes the finished prints to often time resemble watercolors or wash drawings.

In 1984, Lejeune and his wife moved to Westport, Connecticut, where he became an etching artist in his own right, where his etchings were exclusively being distributed world-wide by Cavalicro Fine Arts. As his success grew by leaps and bounds, the artist became disenchanted with the “Art marketplace” because he felt he was becoming just a “producer of commodities.” Three years later, Lejeune would leave his beloved printmaking, branching into painting and sculpture with a more contemporary art approach.

Developing his Artistic Craft

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Lejeune was commissioned to create outdoor aluminum sculptures for private estates and public spaces in both the United States and France. The city of Stamford, Connecticut commissioned a public installation consisting of seven wood, glass, and mirror pieces for the Bank Street Program at the Toquam School. The commission required students to interact with his art work. His huge installations became a vehicle for their own artistic expressions.

In 1992 the French artist returned to his homeland where he later developed a new artistic approach. His site-specific installations were created to challenge the viewer’s perceptions by juxtaposing reality with virtual images, to blur the line between “what is” and “what is not.” Lejeune took his concept to the Centre d’Art Contemporain de la ferme du Buisson in Marne-la Vallee as well as in schools, museums and public spaces around Paris, using his artwork as a teaching tool for expanding the awareness of children as well as adults.

In 1996, the French artist returned to the states, bringing his wife and four children to Cotuic in Cape Cod, residing in a home-built in 1850. A decade later, he moved his family to Boston.

During this time, the French artist began painting trees on plywood, creating what he calls a “plywood forest,” later on experimenting with digital photography within the boundaries with traditional photography, transforming still images into virtual animation. He also became an adjunct art teacher at Cape Cod Community College, teaching drawing and painting, creating a hybrid on-line art classes along with a video blogging class.

Coming to Pawtucket

The high cost to rent artist live-work space in Boston brought Lejeune (now separated) to Pawtucket, to rent a 2,800 square foot studio, owned by internationally acclaimed Glass artist, Great Howard Ben Tre.

The transplanted Massachusetts artist began an exploration of Providence and Pawtucket, reaching out to local art groups and artists. An internet search led him to this writer (who serves as the City’s Economic & Cultural Affairs officer). Learning of Lejeune’s interest in bringing interactive installations to Pawtucket, he was referred to Patty Zacks, an organizer of the Slate Park Fall Festival. Lejeune was invited to bring his “magical confusion” installations to the large outdoor art festival in the City’s largest park. He also was invited to take part in planning the two day event.

For those coming to Slater Park Fall Fest, they will experience Lejeune’s interactive installations, created to confuse the viewer’s senses and perception. viewers don’t just passively look at the art work, they are drawn in to become more physically engaged.

Celebrate the Beauty of Slater Park

Art lovers of every age can greet more than 125 artists and artisans at the Slater Park Fall Festival, which also presents a highlight of the festival performance by the Rhode Island Philharmonic Pops Orchestra sponsored by The Pawtucket Teachers’ Alliance. An exciting addition to this weekend is a performance by the Cowsills, national music heroes with hometown Rhode Island roots (the rain date for the Rhode Island Philharmonic Pops in the Park concert is September 23 at 5:30 p.m. at Slater Memorial Park). Bring your lawn chairs and blankets. A dazzling fireworks show sponsored by Bristol County Savings Bank will take place at the conclusion of the concert.

The Slater Park Fall Festival is a ‘community festival’ where the public has the opportunity to meet some of its local artists, learn about their craft and discover what makes Pawtucket special! This event also features an “open air market” of food trucks, farmers market, and craft exhibitions, a gallery at the Watercolor Society, and tours are available at historic Daggett House.

Other performers and presenters at the two-day event includes: Marvelous Marvin the Magician, Greek dancers, Big Nazo puppets, the Sons & Daughters of Erin Irish Festival, Living Statues by Students of Beacon Charter High School for the Arts in Woonsocket. Enjoy a classic car cruise, Chicken Little dance performance by the Part of the Oath, Poetry Slam, Peace Flag project, and demonstrations by URI master gardeners at Daggett Farm, and Rock-A-Baby RI. This “pet friendly” festival has something for everyone – including the Slater Park (Pawtucket) Dog Park!

Children will enjoy face painting, paddle boat rides, the Pawtucket Bookmobile (Sunday), and the Looff Carousel.

A final note…

So, if classical or oldies music is just not your cup of tea, why not attend the Sept. 22 fundraiser of the Pawtucket Fireworks Committee, scheduled from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at The Met, 1005 Main St., Pawtucket. This fundraiser features Rhode Island’s own Steve Smith & The Nakeds, currently celebrating their 40th anniversary, have proven their staying power as they continue to enjoy a full touring schedule and an ever-growing fan base. Fondly called simply “The Nakeds” by their legion of fans, this band of musicians was inducted in April, 2013, into the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame. Admission: $20.

For more details about the Slater Park Fall Festival or for programming information about tomorrow’s Pawtucket Arts Festival events (Rocktucket, Behind the Scenes Tour of TEN31 and Central Falls Bright Future Festival) or the events scheduled for the final weekend, visit: http://www.pawtucketartsfestival.org or call 401-724-2200.

Herb Weiss, LRI ’12, is a Pawtucket-based freelance writer covering, aging, health care and medical issues. He can be reached at hweissri@aol.com.

City Serves Art a La Carte

Published in Senior Digest on September 2006

Shortly before the final set by the legendary Bob Dylan, Pawtucket Arts Festival organizers and volunteers took their assigned positions at the front entrance of McCoy Stadium to pass out schedules to the thousands of people who attended the kick-off concert.

The much-anticipated arts festival – the city’s eighth annual showcase of visual and performing arts, interactive workshops, music, theater, and dance performances gets into full swing on Sept. 8 with a gala from 6-9 p.m. at the historic Pawtucket Armory.

The main course at the gala will be clam cakes and chowder.  There sill be a variety of appetizers and desserts from more than 50 restaurants, and entertainment will include well-known Ocean State comedian Charlie Hall and Irish musicians the Gnomes.  Admission is $6 for seniors. General admission is $10, and there is no charge for children less than age 6.

A block from the festival gala, Pawtucket YMCA staffers will be conducting their Annual Family Fun Night, starting at 6:30 p.m. in the parking lot across from City Hall off Roosvelt Avenue.  The event is designed for young children. Activities will include face painting, arts and crafts, a rock-climbing wall and a 25-foot inflatable obstacle course. At 8:30 p.m., attendees can even sit back and watch a special showing of a Disney movie at the Veterans Memorial Amphitheater adjacent to City Hall.

Also on Sept. 8, the Pawtucket Arts Collaborative and Rhode Island Commercial Industrial Realty sponsored Pawtucket Open Studios starts. The event is a self-guided tour throughout artistic studios which will be open from  6-9 p.m. on the initial day.  The event continues on Sept. 9 and 1 from 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. This year, artists will open more than 50 studios in 11 mills and commercial buildings to display and sell one-of-a-kind art work.  Mays showing the studios available at the Visitors Center, 175 Main St. daily from 9 a.m.- 5 p.m.

On Sept. 9, the 7th Annual Rhode Island Dragon Boat Race & Taiwan Day Festival will be held at the School Street pier. Rowing teams from across the country will race up and down the Blackstone River in 45-foot Dragon Boats, vying for cash prizes throughout this all-day event.

Throughout the day, people can enjoy an array of musical and dance programs under a big tent, including the Chang Sisters’ Saxophone Quartet and the Formosan Aboriginal Cultural Village Dance Group.

The first full week of the festival concludes on Sept. 10 with the Slater Mill Family Fun Fest. The event at the Slater Mill Historic Site, 67 Roosevelt Ave., is scheduled from noon-4 p.m.

People will find arts and crafts, hands-on activities from children, face painting, a rock-climbing wall, a 25-foot inflatable obstacle course and free samples at the MIX 98.5 ice cream truck. In addition, attendees can listen to musical performances by the Slippery Sneakers Zydeco Band and Amy Famiglietti, watch performances by the All-Children’s Theater and the Providence Circus School or enjoy a sand castle demonstration featuring Sandtasia.

Just down the street from the fun fest, the Downtown Music Fest at the Veterans Memorial Amphitheater will run from 1-7 p.m., featuring Minor Swing, Steve Caddick & the Flying Elbows and the Soul Ambition Band.

Also on Sept. 10, the Fusionworks Dance Company will perform at 4:00 p.m. at the Pawtucket Armory. The exciting troupe will stage a modern dance performance.

In another Sept. 10 event, winners of a City in Focus Photo Contest will receive awards during a ceremony from 2-4 p.m. at the Visitor Center. Sponsored by the city and Camera Werks of Hope Street in Providence, the theme of the contest is historic places in Pawtucket.  Mayor James E. Doyle will announce the winners.

On Sept. 16 and 17, travel to the city’s Daggett Farm at Slater Memorial Park to attend the Stone Soup Folk and Arts Fest, which will fill the festival’s final weekend with music, cultural performances, artist booths and  raku rodeo pottery demonstrations that will showcase some of the finest artisans in the country.

From 10 a.m.-5 p.m., visitors can brose and shop at more than 50 one-of-a-kind art vendor booths from noon to 5:00 p.m., music lovers can experience a variety of performances, including Aztec Two-Step, Tim Grimm, Jose Gonzalez and Criollo Clasico, Gandalf Murphy & the Slambovian Circus of Dreams, Viva Quetzal and Joanne Lurgio and the Homegrown String Band.

On Sept. 16 at 5:30 p.m., the Pawtucket Teachers’ Alliance will present the Rhode Island Philharmonic Pops in the Park Concert. Conductor Francisco Noya will lead the orchestra. Opening for the philharmonic will be the Street Corner Serenade at 4:30 p.m. The rain date is Sept. 17 at the same times.

The arts festival will be packed with a variety of other events, including the six-night Mirror Image Film Festival at the Visitors Center theater. There will be a free night at the Gamm Theatre, Exchange Street, on Sept. 13 at 7 p.m.  The event will involve script reading.

City Comes Alive with Art

Published in Senior Digest in September 2004

Almost six years ago, newly weds Peter and Kristine Kilmartin took a drive through Slater Park. Kristine, a Smithfield native, asked her new husband why the city did not take more advantage of its largest park. “Why couldn’t the city do something like the Scituate Arts Festival in this beautiful park,” she quizzed Peter, a state representative.

This simple question would ultimately lead to the creation of Pawtucket’s annual arts festival, which has become the largest city sponsored event in the 209-acre park at other city sites.

The Kilmartins turned to Mayor James E. Doyle with their idea of creating an arts festival and received his blessings. Pawtucket’s annual festival was born in 1999, with Peter and Kristine being appointed honorary chairs.

Initially tied to Providence’s Convergence in 1999, festival organizers consisted of Pawtucket officials, artists and civic leaders, who spun off from Convergence in 2002 and created an arts festival Pawtucket style. Since its inception, the Pawtucket Arts Festival has offered a citywide showcase of visual and performing arts, interactive workshops, music, theatre and dance performances.

Through the strong support of the local business community, the art festival’s budget has grown steadily in six years, usually set at $20,000 in 1999 to a sky-rocking budget of $105,000. 

More than 230 businesses located in Pawtucket and surrounding communities have donated over $70,000 including almost $200,000 of in-kind donations, making this year’s festival the biggest ever. In addition, more than 55 local restaurants will provide donations of food and drink for the opening gala.

Festival organizers say that attendance to the Pawtucket’s Arts Festival has grown, too, over the last five years.  In 1999, the festival drew just over a few thousand people.  Last year, an estimated 30,000 people traveled to Pawtucket to attend one of the festival’s many events.

The 1999 opening gala attracted about 35 people to the Pawtucket Public Library. In a recent meeting of festival organizers, Rick Goldstein, a mayoral aide recalled, “We had more food than people.” Last year, more than 1,000 people attended the opening gala at the Blackstone Valley Visitor Center, 175 Main St.

Crowds at the dragon boat races held at the School Street pier, have steadily increased over the years, too, from 2,000 at the first races to more than 15,000 last year.

Another big draw last year was the Rhode Island Philharmonic concern in Slater Park. Sponsored by the Pawtucket Teachers’ Alliance, the performance attracted more than 6,000 people.

This year’s festival is scheduled from Sept. 1-26, and events will be held at sites such as the Visitor Center, Slater Mill, Veterans Memorial Amphitheater, Slater Park and School Street Pier.

Although considered an official city event, the festival’s executive planning committee has reached out to the artist community for assistance to developing the artistic and musical programming for the three-week event. “We continue to grow the tradition of having the Pawtucket Arts Festival involve our artists,” says Patricia Zacks, who chairs the Slater Park Fall Fest and services as President of the Pawtucket Arts Collaborative.

“This year we saw a record number of artists wanting to get involved,” she said, noting that her program committee was artist driven. Nine artists, some of whom are members of the Pawtucket Arts Collaborative, sit on the festival’s 14-person executive program committee.

According to Zack’s festival attendees will enjoy quality artistic and musical events provided by many local artisans. With the exception of the opening gala buffet and the Mirror Image Film Festival, all events, which will be of interest to people of all ages, are free.

The jam-packed schedule includes a variety of music, including the Rhode Island Philharmonic pops concern, Patty Larkin and other well-recognized folk singers, the 18-piece SOS Big Band, the Narragansett Bay Chorus, Cape Verdean musician Jao Cerilo, the Rockin’ Soul Horns, Rhode Island’s hottest rhythm and blues band and Latin-American inspired poetry and music by Aurea.

Four art exhibits will be held at the Pawtucket Arts Collaborative Gally, the Rhode Island Watercolor Society Gallery and the two Slater Mill galleries.  There will be a retrospective show, featuring 30 bronze sculptures of Jack Gresko, trolley tours of dozens of artist studios, a free performance of “Enemy of the People” courtesy of the Sandra Feinstein Gamm Theatre, the All-Children’s Theatre production of “The Legend of Juan Bobo,” Arts Fest 2004 – an arts and craft show – and an opportunity to meet filmmakers during the six-night Mirror Image Film Festival.

Another event is Slater Mill’s Ethnic and Heritage Festival, which will feature Revels’ Circle Song. The touring ensemble will present “An American Journey,” using song, dance and story to tell about the early century voyages that brought immigrants from Ireland, Italy, and Eastern Europe to this country.

One of the signature events of the festival are the dragon boat races, scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 11th at the School Street Pier. “This year we received larger and wider boats,” boast’s Bob Billington, president of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, the Pawtucket-based nonprofit tourism organization that oversees the races and the related cultural artistic and musical events. “Nobody has this type of boat in New England,” Billington claims.

Billington says with the phenomenal growth of the festival and closer ties with the government of Taiwan forged by Congressman Patrick Kennedy, this year’s festival will have even more Taiwanese and cultural  events. Added events include an exhibit 30 of the best photographs taken by Taiwanese amateur photographers of different scenes of the country.  G-TECH will host six deaf artists, who will exhibit their work and technique during the races, and a Taiwanese kite master will fly a 1,000-foot kite over the site.

As to non-Taiwanese activities, Billington notes that Pawtucket wood sculptor Billy Rebele will carve an eagle out of a log with his  chain saw, and artist Chris Kane will again organize a metal pour at the pier.

Mayor James E. Doyle said the pops concert scheduled for Sept. 18 from 4 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. is another anchor event of the festival. A $15,000 donation from the Pawtucket Teachers’ Alliance and sponsorships from 46 local businesses enabled the city to bring the prestigious Rhode Island orchestra back to Slater Park, the mayor said.

“Teachers residing throughout Pawtucket and in surrounding communities are strongly committed to building a better cultural community and a place to live,” says Mary Ann Kaveny, president of the Pawtucket Teachers’ Alliance. “Programs such as the pops program are important life experiences that young students should have the opportunity to see and hear,” she added.

Kaveny says that the concert is a great venue for grandparents to bring their children and grandchildren. “We believe that this is the best family-oriented event that is held annually in the city,” she said.

City Councilor Don Grebien, who co-chairs the executive planning committee with his wife Laureen, sees the upcoming festival as a vehicle to bring the city’s growing artistic, blue collar and ethnic communities together.

“The President Arts Festival ties in well with the city’s efforts to create an artist friendly city, Grebien says, making Pawtucket a regional destination site.