Seeking Artists and Crafters for VINES fundraiser

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VINES and Laveggio Roasteria are seeking artists and crafters to create
functional or artistic items from recycled burlap coffee bags to raise
funds for urban gardens and youth empowerment in Binghamton. The challenge
is to create something creative that features the burlap in some way, which
in previous years has ranged from handbags to furniture to paintings and
more. Submissions of items due the week of November 1st. Items will be
featured in a silent auction at the VINES Coffee Bag Silent Auction
Fundraiser on Saturday, November 7th 3pm-5:30pm at Laveggio Roasteria. All
proceeds raised will benefit VINES.
 
Burlap coffee bags are for sale $6/bag at Laveggio Roasteria, 101 Court St,
Binghamton during regular store hours Monday – Friday 7:30-4:00 and
Saturdays 9:00-1:00. Burlap Coffee Bags come to Laveggio from all over the
world carrying 120-150 pounds of unroasted coffee beans.
 
VINES (Volunteers Improving Neighborhood Environments, Inc.) is a 501(c)(3)
non-profit corporation that organized in 2007 to create and sustain
community gardens in the Binghamton area. VINES contributes to a
sustainable and just community food system by bringing together diverse
groups of people, with a focus on youth development, to establish community
gardens, urban agriculture and community green spaces. We strive to develop
and beautify urban sites and empower community members of all ages and
abilities. For more information visit www.vinesgardens.org.

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Photographer Basmann Named Gold Medalist

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Vestal Photographer Named Gold Medalist at International Photographic Competition. Nancy Basmann is honored by peers and jurors for high-quality photography

Vestal photographer Nancy Basmann of Nancy Basmann Photography was named a Gold Medalist during Professional Photographers of America's 2015 International Photographic Competition. Basmann’s work will be on display at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia, Jan. 10-12, 2016. This International Photographic Exhibit is held in conjunction with Imaging USA, an annual convention and expo for professional photographers and several photographic associations

A panel of 43 eminent jurors from across the United States selected the top photographs from nearly 5,200 total submitted entries at Gwinnett Technical College in Georgia. Judged against a standard of excellence, just over 2,100 images were selected for the General Collection and 1,085 (roughly 21 percent) were selected for the esteemed Loan Collection—the best of the best. The Loan Collection images will all be published in the much-anticipated "Loan Collection" book.

Basmann was named a Gold Medalist, meaning that two of her four merited images entered the PPA Loan Collection. In 2015 she was one of only 101 Gold Medalists.

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Reclaiming Ruins: The New York State Inebriate Asylum

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Reclaiming Ruins: The New York State Inebriate Asylum and other "Abandonscapes" by A.D. Wheeler
Thursday, September 17 – Saturday, December 19, 2015

The Binghamton University Art Museum will open its fall exhibitions on Thursday, September 17, 2015. The Main Gallery exhibition, Reclaiming Ruins: The New York State Inebriate Asylum and Other "Abandonscapes" by A.D. Wheeler, is guest curated by Julia Walker, Assistant Professor of Art History. Walker will speak at the opening reception, which will be held Thursday, September 17, 5:00-7:00 pm. The exhibition will be on view through December 19, 2015.

A.D. Wheeler's evocative photographs of abandoned sites in Pennsylvania and Upstate New York speak to the contemporary taste for ruin and decay, but his images go beyond these structures' patinated surfaces to explore their historical content and architectural significance. He is especially interested in obsolete industrial buildings—not just factories and mines, but also the civic institutions that accompanied this pattern of life. Wheeler explores these sites thoroughly, sometimes over the course of several days, in order to identify and capture the particular environments that the passage of time has created within them. Making use of High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography, in which several shots taken at different exposures are combined into a single image, his photographs reveal the visual and historical layers that have accumulated at these sites and make a strong case for their reuse. By drawing attention to the beauty of these disused properties, Wheeler demonstrates their ongoing relevance and advocates for their preservation.

Several public lectures will be offered in conjunction with the exhibition. Photographer, A.D. Wheeler, will give a gallery talk on Thursday, October 1, 2015, 5:00 pm. Roger Luther from the Broome County Historical Society will give two talks: "Binghamton's Castle: Its History and Recent Developments" on Thursday, October 22, 5:30 and "Abandoned Asylums of New York State" on Wednesday, November 18, 6:30. Luther curated the complementary exhibition, The Castle on the Hill, on view in the Museum's lower galleries.

All events are free and open to the public. For more information, visit binghamton.edu/art-museum.

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New Additions to “Sculpture Outdoors”

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Photo:Emily Jablon River Walk Sculpture

BROOME COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL is expanding its on-line “Sculpture Outdoors” catalogue on First Friday September 4th.   New research about 6 additional works will go live at 6:00pm at www.broomearts.org/public-sculpture.  The site currently showcases 13 public sculptures.  The new additions are:
 
·       “Fountain & Sculpture” (attached photograph by Kari Bayait), located in downtown Binghamton
·        “Venus” by Arline Peartree, located in downtown Binghamton;
·       “Wisdom’s Truth” by Nathaniel Kaz, located at Binghamton University’s Fine Arts Building;
·       “Supporting Hands” by Yvonne R. Hobbs, located at Binghamton General Hospital;
·       “Lady Justice”, located atop the Broome County Court House; and
·       “High Point #62” by Genevieve Karr Hamlin, located in Harpursville.

 

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Rally in support of Iran Deal at Hanna’s Office

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A Press conference and rally will be held on Wednesday August 26 at Noon in front of Representative Richard Hanna's office at 49 Court St., Binghamton.  The purpose of this rally is to urge his support for the Iran Nuclear Deal.  Currently he is planning to vote no.
 
Last month, the United States and its P5+1 partners reached a historic agreement with Iran that aims to curb Iran's development of nuclear weapons while allowing the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. It supports a diplomatic initiative that has already begun and will curb the possibility of nuclear action.
 
We are encouraging Congress not to take any actions that could undermine this agreement. Instead, in the words of Bishop Cantú, we "urge Congress to endorse the result of these intense negotiations because the alternative leads toward armed conflict, an outcome of profound concern to the Church."

 

Photo credit by Robert C. Johnston (archival)

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NEW YORK WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE CENTENNIAL CONFERENCE – 1917-2017

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Sponsored by the New York Cultural Heritage Tourism Network
In conjunction with its Women’s Rights & Suffrage Committee

A conference to provide awareness, stimulate interest and nurture partnerships in preparation for the
Centennial Celebration of women’s right to vote in New York State & to explore cultural heritage tourism opportunities for 2017

Holiday Inn – Waterloo/Seneca Falls
2468 NYS Route 414
Waterloo, NY 13165
Thursday, October 1, 2015 – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

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Police Union Misinforming Residents and Rank and File Members About Police Modernization Law

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An Attempt to Scare Residents and Prevent Passage of the Bill?

Binghamton, NY — Misinformation is being spread by the Police Benevolent Association (PBA), the police union, about the content of the Police Modernization Law being considered by the Binghamton City Council.  The public, including many human services and advocacy organizations and religious leaders, has demonstrated strong support for this legislation, and it has the support of a majority of city council members.  This week, however, a memo from the PBA was circulated among the rank and file members, residents and business owners on Binghamton’s West Side stating that if the law is passed, police will no longer be able to respond to information provided by the victim of a crime and will no longer be able to present suspects to crime victims for identification.  These statements are completely false and this memo appears to be an unfortunate scare tactic intended to shift public support away from passage of the law.

In addition to the memo, it has been reported that some Binghamton police officers are telling residents that the law will require them, during minor traffic stops, to ask intrusive questions about their religion and sexual orientation. These statements are also completely untrue.  The law does not require the police to ask anyone about anything.  

What the law does say is that racial profiling and bias-based policing are wrong and illegal and that a person's race alone cannot be used to assign suspicion.  The law still allows police to use race as part of the description of a suspect as long as they have probable cause to believe that the suspect (of that particular race) is linked to specific illegal activity.  What the law does do is establish the following priorities: tracking, analysis and reporting of data collected during standard police investigations; cultural competency and anti-bias training for our officers; and development of a plan to diversify the police force.  And it allows the specific plans for implementation of these priorities to be developed over 6 months, through dialogue and cooperation among the police, city leaders, and the community.  These are all proactive and positive measures to provide our officers the resources and support they need to build trust between the police and residents of color in our community and to prevent a racially charged tragedy, like we’ve seen in the national headlines, from happening in our city.

The Police Administration has stated on multiple occasions that the Binghamton police do not racially profile.  We applaud their commitment to fairness and justice, and ask: if they do not racially profile, why are they so opposed to a law making racial profiling illegal?

The current draft of the legislation can be found here on the City of Binghamton website: http://www.binghamton-ny.gov/city-council-business-meeting-61 or at tinyurl.com/PoliceModernizationAct.

There will be a Public Hearing on the Police Modernization Law (LL15-2) on Wednesday, August 19, 2015 at 6:30pm in City Council Chambers.

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DPA: Two New Murals on Glenwood Ave

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Two murals created at Mural Fest and used here on a boarded up building as part of a blight mitigation project funded by the Chenango Co Arts Council, NYS Decentralization grant and the Hoyt Foundation. The Dept of Public Art, a group of volunteers dedicated to public art, are placing original murals on boarded up properties in Binghamton, in an attempt to bring attention to buildings that can be re-purposed and to bring art to neighborhoods with blighted properties. Three other properties have been chosen for new murals and artists may submit proposals by August 19th. Info binghamtonbridgeATgmail.com.

Photo Left mural panel  painted by Jesse Ryan, and on the right by Mural Arts Students, Bracken, Zizak and Yetsko.

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Brother Sun: : A Free Concert for Johnson City

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First Presbyterian Church of Johnson City would like to invite you to an extraordinary event: A Free Concert for Johnson City on Sunday, September 27th featuring Brother Sun. Fusing folk, Americana, blues, pop, jazz, rock, and a cappella singing, Brother Sun is an explosion of musical diversity and harmony, in the finest of male singing traditions.

After viewing the February 10, 2015 Press and Sun Bulletin article, Johnson City and Binghamton in Top 10 Most Dangerous Places in NY, the congregation decided to raise hope and fellowship within our community. Brother Sun compositions promote love, social justice, and faith in humanity, “where unsung heroes struggle and sometimes win the daily battles of life and love.” The event is totally free, so please invite family, co-workers, and friends.

First Presbyterian Church of Johnson City is covering the first $500 of the $2500 cost of the event. We are asking Johnson City business owners to contribute a $500 match to offset expenses in exchange for a placard demonstrating your donation in support of the Johnson City community.

If you are able to contribute to this event in any way, please contact Diane Olmstead immediately at 759-0467.

The following sponsorships are also available:

$400                Advertising in television, radio, and print media
$300                Lodging for the three musicians
$200                Printing of posters and flyers for distribution
$100                A meal for performers and workers the day of the event

 

 

We hope you will join us in spirit and in person for the this wonderful opportunity to deliver a message to those              residing and working in the Johnson City and Binghamton area that we are still a neighborhood of caring people.

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Year Round Farmer’s Market

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Photo: proposed farmer's market building, architectural drawing

County Exec Debbie Preston has declared the land behind the Cooperative Extension "the perfect place" for a year round farmer's market, but once again she is putting lipstick on a pig. The Cooperative Extension site was a late substitution when the Otsiningo Park location was held up due to finds from the archaeological dig on the site. But neither site is available by walking and the Cooperative Extension site is really only accessible by car, and there are not that many parking spaces at that. In a town that is a food desert in many places, and has many abandoned lots and underused buildings  a more sustainable location could have been available. Several alternative sites come to mind:  Binghamton Plaza, or opposite in the Colonial Plaza where the County Land Bank has taken possession. Or, the old Lumber Yard site off of Lester Ave. across from CFJ Park which has plenty of space, is in the middle of everything, on two bus lines, and with the development currently planned for Johnson City this would fit right in.  Even more promising now that the EJ Victory Building has been secured by the County Land Bank.

But, the county was in danger of losing the money due to a deadline, so they grabbed the Cooperative Extension site.

Sustainability was a buzzword for the Ryan Administration but you won't hear it in the halls of either the county or the city. Sustainability means that we don't rely on automobiles if there are alternatives, that we encourage safe walking and biking. Also, that re-claims land or buildings not being utilized. If you have traveled up Front St. lately you know that the traffic is fierce and that there are no sidewalks or bike paths. Not sustainable to say the least.

Another missed opportunity to do the right thing. And a mistake we will be living with for a long time.

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