Author: Saratoga TODAY

SARATOGA SPRINGS — When the Nazis invaded France in 1940, Jewish parents first ran, then hid, and finally entrusted their children to various organizations and churches to shelter their youngsters. The story of Fanny’s Journey  – Le Voyage de Fanny, a 2016 French and Belgian film – is told through the eyes of some of those children. 

Saratoga Jewish Community Arts and Temple Sinai presents a Zoom discussion of the film Fanny’s Journey at 7 p.m. on Jan. 10.

Fanny’s Journey is based on the life of Fanny Ben-Ami and her two sisters. The story is true, but as a film, elements were fictionalized. Ben-Ami, 85 in 2016 when the film was released, was at first taken aback by the liberties taken in the film, but then reconciled that the film conveys the appropriate message. Fanny did not help eleven children to escape to Switzerland, as portrayed in the film; she travelled with 28 children.

In 1943 France, Fanny had barely turned 13 when her father was arrested in German occupied Paris. Fanny’s mother sent her and her younger sisters to the French free zone until it was no longer safe there, and then they went on to an Italian foster home. She and her younger sisters faced language barriers and Nazi persecution. The young children were again threatened and must once again be on the run. This time, the agency head was determined that they get to Switzerland, obtaining false passports for them, coercing the children to learn new names and backstories, securing them on a train to Switzerland, and then disappears, leaving 13- year-old Fanny in charge. When the war ended, Fanny learned her parents had died in Auschwitz and Lublin. 

The film is based on Fanny Ben Ami’s 2015 memoir. Registration required for Zoom discussion at sjca.sjcf@gmail.com. For more information, visit: Saratoga jewish cultural festival.org; saratogasinai.org. 

BALLSTON SPA — Acclaimed scholar and international social justice activist Dr. James Brewer Stewart will be the featured speaker for the Saratoga County History Center’s January 2021 episode of “Experts Next Door.”

Dr. Stewart, Professor of History Emeritus at Macalester College, is one of the foremost experts on United States politics, law, and race.  His books are assigned reading in both undergraduate and graduate courses, he has appeared in several of the American Experience’s (PBS) historical documentaries, is a co-editor for Louisiana University Press’s series on “Abolition, Antislavery, and the Atlantic World,” and has spoken widely on college campuses.  Equally important, Dr. Stewart has devoted his life to combatting bigotry, racism, and slavery. 

In 2010, he founded Historians Against Slavery, an international coalition of scholars dedicated to raising awareness of modern forms of unfree labor.  In 2016, he spearheaded a national effort to save Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), starting with Tougaloo College (Jackson, MS).  Furthermore, he is the founder and director of the “Celebrate American Heroes Project,” which employs history to inspire a new generation of activists.  In 2020, he launched a national campaign against racism called “Jim Stewart’s Historical Tonic for Fragile White Folks” – a series of online videos that boldly confront 21st century white supremacy.

Stewart’s talk is entitled “From Classroom to Community,” and explores the myriad ways historians today are reaching out to the general public and pushing back against an onslaught of “fake news” and “alternative facts.”  He will also talk about his own personal experiences and his groundbreaking scholarship. 

The January episode of “Experts Next Door” is scheduled for 7 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 14.  Participants need to register in advance (brooksidemuseum.networkforgood.com/events/25669-experts-next-door-episode-7) and will receive a Zoom link. 

Any questions or inquiries should be directed to Dr. Michael Landis, Public Programs Manager, Saratoga County History Center, at mlandis@brooksidemuseum.org. 

An epic global streaming event “A Bowie Celebration: Just For One Day!” will broadcast 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 8. 

Hosted by David Bowie’s longest-standing band member Mike Garson, the stream will bring together an array of artists who worked with Bowie, or were deeply influenced by him and his work, for a celebration on what would have been his 74th birthday and weekend of the fifth anniversary of his passing.

Artists on the all-star lineup include Boy George, Adam Lambert, Duran Duran, Taylor Momsen, Ricky Gervais, Perry Farrell, Peter Frampton, Rick Wakeman, Trent Reznor, and many others. 

Tickets are $25 and can be purchased via the event page at HYFI.com/Bowie, along with options for purchasing VIP experiences, and exclusive merch. $2 per ticket purchase will be donated to the Save the Children organization, a charity important to Bowie and the beneficiary of funds raised from his 50th Birthday Concert held in 1997 at a sold-out Madison Square Garden featuring many of the very artists who will be featured on Jan. 8.

LAKE GEORGE — The Peoples Pixel Project was created to provide audience exposure to professional and emerging videographers, and to foster local interest and growth in the medium. We are excited to relaunch The Peoples Pixel Project (or P3), knowing, now more than ever, how important it is for film makers to have a platform to show their work.

Film Categories: 

1. Tunes: Video where primary focus is music. 
2. Get Reel: Documentary work. 
3.Animated: Stop-action, table-top animation, computer-generated, hand-drawn, etc… 
4. 2020 Rewind: Work that reflects, or was inspired by, the crazy year that was 2020 
5. Narrative: Tell us a story! 
6. Other: Work that doesn’t quite fit into any of our other categories.

Guidelines: 

• Artists must be from NY 
• Artists can submit up to three works (links sent via YouTube or Vimeo) 
• Videos must be 5 minutes or less 
• The Peoples Pixel Project is open to artists ages 11 and up.

Awards and Recognition: 20 select works will be featured on our website, our YouTube Channel and at The Arts Project. There will be two Honorable Mention Awards, and a Peoples’ Choice Award. The Peoples’ Choice Award Winner will have their video screened at the prestigious Adirondack Film Festival in October of 2021.  To submit your work, go to: www.lakegeorgearts.org/submit-your-work/

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) announced that its Student Artist Submission Portal for The 2021 Adirondack Trust Company Festival of Young Artists (FOYA) online gallery is now open at spacfoya.org. 

For the first time, SPAC is awarding one student in each of the three categories – Visual Art, Literary Art, and the Performing Arts – with the distinction “FOYA 2021 Outstanding Artist.”  Each of the three artists selected will receive a $500 Award to support the further development of their craft. Submissions for the Festival, which is themed Metamorphosis, will also be accepted in visual art, literary art, and the performing arts. The deadline for all submissions is Feb. 1. 

The Adirondack Trust Company Festival of Young Artists is an annual event held at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) presenting student art shows, poetry slams, and live performances featuring hundreds of young dancers, singers, actors, and musicians. In the spring of 2020, an online gallery space was created to celebrate the work of the students involved in the 2020 festival, which was cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In March 2021 the online gallery www.spacfoya.org will re-launch to showcase a new exhibit called Metamorphosis, showcasing all of the accepted student submissions for the 2021 Festival. In the event that SPAC is able to host a live festival event in the spring of 2021, all students with accepted submissions will be notified in late-March 2021 to make arrangements to showcase their work at SPAC in late spring.

Each of the three artists selected will receive $500 to support the further development of their craft. 

Students considered for a FOYA 2021 Outstanding Artist Award must meet the following criteria:

• Student must be enrolled in grades 9-12
• Students must live in or be part of an organization or school located in one the following NY counties: Albany, Essex, Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Rensselaer, Warren, Washington
• Student’s submitted work should ideally adhere to the Festival theme of “Metamorphosis.” Definition: A change of the form or nature of a thing or person into a completely different one, by natural or supernatural means.

Works inspired by the Festival theme are strongly encouraged. However, it is not mandatory to adhere to the festival’s theme in order to be considered for inclusion in the exhibit. All submissions are welcome!

PLEASE NOTE: In accordance with the Dignity for All Students Act, any works of art that are deemed discriminatory, derogatory, intimidating, violent, harassing, taunting and/or bullying will not be accepted into this festival.

All Artists will be notified by email whether their submission was or was not accepted by March 1, 2021. For more information, contact the SPAC Education team at education@spac.org.

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Three area performing arts venues have come together to provide a free virtual ‘field trip’ for local students. 

The School of the Performing Arts at Proctors Collaborative, Saratoga Performing Arts Center and Troy Savings Bank Music Hall are bringing Black Violin into classrooms of all grade levels so students may experience artists who fuse traditional and contemporary genres while upending perceptions of what it means to be a classical musician. 

 Capital Region teachers who register may stream the Impossible Tour by classical-meets-hiphop duo Black Violin for students from Feb. 22 through April 2. Black Violin is led by classically trained string players Wil Baptiste (viola) and Kev Marcus (violin); joining them are DJ SPS and drummer Nat Stokes. The group uses their unique blend of classical and hip-hop music, often described as “classical boom,” to overcome stereotypes and encourage people of all ages, races and economic backgrounds to join together to break down cultural barriers.    

“Teachers have been given the enormous and challenging task of teaching their students in person and, or virtually at the ready,” says Christine Sheehan, Director of Education at Proctors Collaborative. “Arts education has suffered during the pandemic. Tens of thousands of students would have visited any one of our venues for educational programming during this school year. Opportunities such Black Violin can straddle the disconnect of social distancing, support wellness and foster creative development and critical thinking.” 

 “SPAC is proud to be working with our colleagues at Troy Music Hall and Proctors on bringing Black Violin back to the Capital Region, this time virtually” says Saratoga Performing Arts Center President and CEO Elizabeth Sobol. “I had the privilege of working with Kev and Will when I was at Universal and we signed them to the label. At SPAC, Black Violin were one of the first bands we contracted to appear on our brand-new SPAC on Stage series and they returned a year later for education events. Their talent, spirit and message are powerful and meaningful, even more so now than ever: they open hearts and help break down stereotypes.” 

 Capital Region teachers can register for this virtual streaming event beginning January 5 at https://school.proctors.org/blackviolin/ Educators who register will receive a study guide and a unique link and access code prior to the event going live.