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The Irondale Ensemble: Making Our World a Better Place

Authored by Yael Bronner

Photo of Irondale Ensemble

Members of Irondale in “Conversations in Exile.” Photo by Gerry Goodstein.

Imagine a theater company on a mission to educate as well as entertain. The Irondale Ensemble does just this, operating as a “performance think tank” and using the theater as a conduit for learning and growth.[1] Irondale delivers performances on thought-provoking topics and works tirelessly to attract the public through its community engagement programs.  The ensemble, located in Brooklyn, New York, was formed in 1983 and is composed of 12 members including actors, directors and designers.[2] It is funded by prominent cultural organizations such as the National Endowment for the Arts and The New York State Council on the Arts.[3]

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Iceboating: A Local Tradition

Authored by Brittany LaValle

Photograph of an iceboat on the Great South Bay. Mitch Carucci, 2000

Photograph of an iceboat on the Great South Bay. Mitch Carucci, 2000

Bellport is a small town nestled on the south shore of eastern Long Island. Many know it as the waterside summer town that sleeps during the winter months. But during those winter months, a long held tradition comes alive. Residents dust off their coats, hats, and mittens and head towards Bellport Bay. There they gather to begin the long awaited iceboating season. Continue reading →

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The Development of Borough Park

Authored by Laura Dellova

Part of Ward 30, Section 17; Map bounded by 12th Ave., 49th St., 9th Ave.; Including 37th St., 10th Ave., 39th St.

Part of Ward 30, Section 17; Map bounded by 12th Ave., 49th St., 9th Ave.; Including 37th St., 10th Ave., 39th St.

It has been intriguing to rectify the maps through New York Public Library’s Map Warper Program. As I went forth on this project I immediately chose to work with a map from Brooklyn. This map—made in 1905 in the area we now know as Borough Park—shows an address that is very close to my heart. In 1925 my great-grandparents bought a house on 43rd between 12th and Fort Hamilton Avenue. It is the house where my grandmother spent her childhood years and years later the same house is where my parents lived when they first got married.

This is an important piece of my family history and I wanted to look into the development of this neighborhood. This map was made as a result of the areas suburbanization, transforming the once fertile farmland. In 1905 the twentieth assembly district known as Borough Park, the population was in total of 81,365 inhabitants.[1] 76,214 of those were citizens and the remaining 5,151 were foreigners, telling me that this was a neighborhood that catered more to those who were already citizens. This number was important in my understanding of the history and the social as well as physical growth of Borough Park as a community. Continue reading →

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Albert Payson Terhune

Authored By Molly Towers

Albert Payson Terhune pictures with wife Anice Terhune and three of their dogs

Courtesy of Emanuel Einstein Memorial Library: Pompton Lakes, New Jersey

Albert Payson Terhune was born on December 21, 1872 in Newark, New Jersey (2003). He is pictured here with his second wife Anice Terhune on the porch of their home on the Sunnybank estate property-now known as a literary landmark (and dog park) (Haggin, 1999). Terhune is an author (best known for his dog stories) with one of his more popular books being “Lad: A Dog” (1999).  He had a love of dogs and his stories made an impact on many of his readers in a profound way-“…in some ineffable way he transmuted his great loves into the hearts of other people so that they loved them almost as intensely as he did” (Irving, 1977: 7). Continue reading →

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A Glimpse Into The Past Of An Underrated Borough

Authored by Annelisa J. Purdie

This map, from the NYPL Firyal & Pincus Map Division, is the fourth in a series of forty plates. The atlas was first published in 1886.

This map, from the NYPL Firyal & Pincus Map Division, is the fourth in a series of forty plates. The atlas was first published in 1886.

As a third-generation Brooklynite, I knew that I wanted to find something that represented my borough as a part of my AS-L project. Brooklyn occupies a unique place in the cultural memory of New York City. It is a rich cultural hub with a long history, and a “flavor” that is instantly recognizable to those who visit the borough. Even with current concerns over gentrification, Brooklyn has still managed to hold on to the things that make it an attractive spot for residents and visitors alike. Continue reading →

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The Historical Delaplaine

Authored by Olivia Shea

Delaplaine building before reconstruction

Courtesy of the Historical Society of Frederick County, the Mountain City Mill prior to construction of the Delaplaine (circa 1906? – 1958?)

The history of the building that the Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center resides in is as remarkable as the Center itself. What began in 1850 as a whiskey refinery, and later a steam flour mill, now exhibits the art of national and international artists.1 The path from “Mountain City Mill” to “the Delaplaine” was a long and strenuous one. Since its initial use in 1850, the Mountain City Mill has succumbed to two devastating fires, changed owners several times, and faced various funding controversies.2

Yet, despite these obstacles, the Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center was officially opened to the public in 1993.3 To this day, the Delaplaine strives to offer “art for the masses”.4 The mission of the Delaplaine is to “provide the greater Frederick community with opportunities to participate in the creation and appreciation of visual arts and crafts”.5 Art is capable of providing an inclusive forum through which the communication of thoughts, feelings, and ideas can be shared. The Delaplaine does not censor the artwork it displays, therefore giving a voice to all members of the community in an open forum. In this respect, the Delaplaine is an exemplification of the Vincentian core values of respect and truth. By leaving art uncensored and promoting art without bias, the Delaplaine both refuses the ethically controversial practice of censorship and promotes an awareness for all individuals, and artists, in the community. Hence, the official vision statement of the Delaplaine is simply “Everyone deserves art”.6

The strongest account of Vincentian principles at the Delaplaine is apparent in the image above. The image of the Mountain City Mill prior to renovation is indicative of the change that can be accomplished through human excellence and a dedication to serving the community. As Holly writes, “[workers] in the [Mountain City Mill] never could have imagined that 100 years hence paintings would hang on gleaming white walls and sculptures would sit on bleached-wood floors”.7 What remains of the old mill today is a framed flour bag hanging on the wall adjacent to the main exhibition room, which last year alone had 81,870 visitors.8

1Brooke Elizabeth Gleason, A Del ightful History (Frederick, MD: The Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center).

2Karen Gardner, “Delaplaine Receives a Piece of History,” The Frederick News Post, last modified August 30, 2015, http://www.fredericknewspost.com/places/local/frederick_county/frederick/delaplaine-receives-a-piece-of-history/article_3853b5cc-851d-5235-8a08-e20b3dc1dc50.html

3 Gleason, A Del ightful History.

4Susan Holly, “Home is Where the Art is,” Frederick Premiere, 1994, 15.

5Community Bridge (Frederick, MD: Shared Vision), 27.

6“Mission & History,” Delaplaine.org, last modified 2015, http://delaplaine.org/about/mission-history/

7 Holly, “Home is Where the Art is”, 13.

8“Annual Report ’15,” Delaplaine.org, last modified 2015, http://delaplaine.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Annual-Report-FY15.pdf

 

Bibliography

“Annual report ’15.” Delaplaine.org. Last modified 2015.  http://delaplaine.org/wp-content

      /uploads/2016/02/Annual-Report-FY15.pdf

Community bridge. Frederick, MD: Shared Vision. 1995.

Gardner, Karen. “Delaplaine Receives a Piece of History.” The Frederick News Post. Last modified

     August 30, 2015. http://www.fredericknewspost.com/places/local/frederick_county/

     frederick/delaplaine-receives-a-piece-of-history/article_3853b5cc-851d-5235-8a08

     -e20b3dc1dc50.html

Gleason, Brooke Elizabeth.  A Del ightful History. Frederick, MD: The Delaplaine Visual

      Arts Education Center.

Holly, Susan. “Home is Where the Art is.” Frederick Premiere, 1994.

“Mission & history.” Delaplaine.org. Last modified 2015. http://delaplaine.org/

      about/mission-history/

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A Heart Rekindled

Authored by Michael Larson

Refurbished Blue Garden Facade, 2016 ©TriffenDesign

Refurbished Blue Garden Facade, 2016 ©TriffenDesign

Whether it is from the big screen of American Graffiti, Grease or Jack Rabbit Slim’s from Pulp Fiction or the small screen in Happy Days or Scooby Doo, the malt shop is part of the American consciousness. Dallas, a small town of 14,000 in the heart of Oregon wine country, has a treasure in the Blue Garden Restaurant. After being closed for over a decade, Bob Collins, a Dallas resident, purchased the building and is restoring it to its former glory with the intention of reopening the landmark within the year.1 Continue reading →

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Sunrise Bavarian Village

Authored by Kelly K. Ronayne

Menu, program and lyrics to songs at Sunrise Bavarian Village

Menu, program and lyrics to songs at Sunrise Bavarian Village

Sunrise Bavarian Village

 I was tasked with organizing many of the boxes that were left for the Bellmore Historical Association.  As I weeded through the material, I came across a unique looking, pamphlet in the shape of a beer stein.  As I opened it, I noticed it contained photographs of a restaurant and entertainment hall with the entertainers in traditional German garb. In addition to this, song lyrics are given to both English and German songs. There was a notation of September 4, 1936 hand written and I wondered, what is this place? Continue reading →

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A Perspective on Italian Immigration in the 1960s

Authored by Pamela Griffin Hansen

A watermarked image of the Maxime Maurice Caretti letter.

Letter from Maxime
Maurice Caretti

A letter dated June 15, 1963, from Maxime Maurice Caretti of Brooklyn to the House of Representatives Committee on Immigration, is archived in the Endres Collection held by the Center for Migration Studies (CMS). Arthur P. Endres was legal counsel to the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and International Law, from 1973 to 1989. (CMS Archivist 2015) The Endres Collection is comprised of thirteen linear feet of documents and records kept by Mr. Endres as part of his immigration-related legal work for the House of Representatives, ibid. Mr. Caretti’s letter is one of just a few pieces of original correspondence from private citizens found in the Endres Collection, ibid. Continue reading →