tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1522800471258383718.post2072057806420842738..comments2024-03-26T06:56:13.092-04:00Comments on Left Bank Art Blog: Dancing with the DevilCharles Kesslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07068758792988742599noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1522800471258383718.post-64339902713465276052009-07-02T21:25:55.877-04:002009-07-02T21:25:55.877-04:001. I did a lot of devil dancing in my time. I wo...1. I did a lot of devil dancing in my time. I worked as a community activist pretty much full time for twelve years trying my best to realize a dream of creating a vital art district in a restored warehouse district (i. e. WALDO and PAD). Dancing with the devil is sometimes a necessity, and I am an object lesson in how burnt one can get. <br /><br />2. No doubt Schundler’s “Homecoming Weekend” took “egregious political” advantage of the popularity of the studio tour, but, in spite of what Jason Fink wrote about it being combined with the tour, it was a separate event, and in any case didn’t water down the quality of the tour itself. In fact it may have increased the number of tour-goers. <br /><br />3. Finally, how can the article Anonymous so eagerly sites be interpreted as my endorsement of “clowns and hayrides” in the tour? To quote the article: Charles Kessler, president and founder of Pro Arts, an organization of about 100 professional artists, stressed the importance of the WALDO district -- where many old warehouses now act as artists' studios -- in making the city attractive to many of its newest and returning residents. "It's a pathway for the somewhat isolated new development on the waterfront to come into the rest of the city," Kessler said of the former industrial area, where dozens of artists work.Charles Kesslerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13661140719490292370noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1522800471258383718.post-30081644527072575322009-07-01T18:42:37.850-04:002009-07-01T18:42:37.850-04:00The most egregious political misuse of the studio ...The most egregious political misuse of the studio tour took place in 2000 when the Bret Schundler for Governor campaign hijacked the tour for it’s “Homecoming” event. The Jersey Journal article quoted below describes the event with its clowns and hayrides, along with Charles Kessler’s participation and endorsement. Is this an example of the “good old days” your article refers to? Or was that before Schundler, when Gerry Mccann was mayor?<br />Homecoming weekend of wonder, fun<br />Originally appeared in the Jersey Journal on 10/23/00<br />By Jason Fink<br />Journal staff writer<br /> <br />On an unseasonably warm fall day, under high blue skies, thousands of current and former Jersey City residents filled the streets of several neighborhoods Saturday to celebrate what Mayor Bret Schundler called "Jersey City's renaissance."<br />From clowns and hay rides at Exchange Place to historic tours and film screenings Downtown and in Journal Square, the first Jersey City Homecoming weekend seemed to offer something for everyone.<br />City officials raised more than $130,000 from various corporate sponsors for dozens of events that began Friday afternoon and ended last night.<br />Billed as a chance for former residents to come back and see the vast changes that have been made throughout the city - particularly on the waterfront - one of the weekend's big draws was the Developers and Non profit Showcase, held in the atrium of the Harborside Financial Center.<br />Many of the real estate developers that have been in the middle of the construction boom of the past few years joined organizations such as the American Red Cross and the Urban League in setting up tables and passing out literature. Such firms as Mack-Cali, Lefrak, and the Applied Companies of Hoboken even displayed three-dimensional models of future building projects.<br />"It's really great to see the city realizing it's potential," said Kevin Crane, 53, who grew up on Lexington Avenue but moved to Saddle Brook, in Bergen County, 20 years ago. "I'm thrilled, I'm so proud. This is my home town."<br />Crane said he was so impressed by the revitalization of the waterfront and the increase in development throughout the city that he and his wife are considering moving back to Jersey City in the next few years.<br />"It's becoming a little pricey, though," he said. When Schundler, who plans to run for governor next year, addressed the crowd moments later, he echoed some of Crane's impressions of the city's changing face.<br />"You can't help but be tremendously excited by what's going on in our city," he said, referring to development not only along the waterfront but in the city's interior as well. Schundler cited the rehabilitation of the Curries Woods public housing complex near the Bayonne border and the redevelopment of Journal Square as examples.<br /> <br />Charles Kessler, president and founder of Pro Arts, an organization of about 100 professional artists, stressed the importance of the WALDO district -- where many old warehouses now act as artists' studios -- in making the city attractive to many of its newest and returning residents.<br />"It's a pathway for the somewhat isolated new development on the waterfront to come into the rest of the city," Kessler said of the former industrial area, where dozens of artists work. The Jersey City Art Tour, an annual event that was combined with the Homecoming this year, also drew significant crowds.<br />Organizers estimated that between 2,000 and 5,000 people visited the dozens of studios opened to the public yesterday and Saturday.<br />For some artists, it was a chance to recall the days when the waterfront was little more than a few rotting piers and stray dogs roamed the streets.<br />"It used to be so quiet," said John Varriano, a painter who has kept a studio in a former industrial building on First Street since 1991. "Within five years it was just transformed." But Varriano was not the only one who recalled a time when Jersey City was a different place and the idea of a Homecoming festival seemed remote.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1522800471258383718.post-90625547161143108922009-06-28T21:03:50.767-04:002009-06-28T21:03:50.767-04:00The best way to keep one's distance from the D...The best way to keep one's distance from the Devil is not to dance at all.<br /><br />If one must dance, lead, but don't follow. Or should I say "wallow?"Bill in ABQnoreply@blogger.com