Charles R. Hale – Artists Without Walls

MITCH TRAPHAGEN’S PHOTOS from ARTISTS WITHOUT WALLS’ SHOWCASE at THE CELL 6/26/2018

Niamh and Charles,

I just wanted to drop a line to express my sheer joy attending last night’s performances.

I literally laughed & cried.

Every single performance was given & accepted in such a heartfelt manner. I was proud to be part of this nurturing environment.

Thank you,

Debi Javier

—–

Niamh and Charles,

The ART community is so very lucky to have your dedication, passion and energy in their corner…with or without walls.

Thank you for another really special night at AWoW. And thank you for continuing to provide this incredible platform where artistic gifts, hugs, tears, laughter and hope are shared. AWoW ….WOW.

This embracing community of richly talented artists sharing their gifts with us; an appreciative supportive audience , makes Tuesday nights very special indeed.

Each diverse performer brought something that each of us could hold close. So happy we could be there last night.

All the best,

clyde berger

Niamh Hyland, Cecil Hooker, Charles R. Hale, Michael Muller, Amanda Mottur, Jillian Buckley, Peter Nolan, Sam Adelman, David Goldman, Katrina Crawford and Martha Pinson

Cecil Hooker and Peter Nolan

“WOMEN WHO HAVE OVERCOME” at LEHMAN COLLEGE, MAY 10, 2018

On Thursday, May 10th, 12:30pm, Artists Without Walls, in conjunction with Lehman College’s City and Humanities Program, presents “Women Who Have Overcome,” a discussion with three women who, despite being presented with major obstacles at different points during their lives, have gone onto successful careers in the arts and education.

Jazz pianist/vocalist Mala Waldron, poet Connie Roberts and singer/songwriter Theresa Sareo will be discussing their lives as well as sharing their talents with the audience. Charles R. Hale will moderate the event. Special thanks to Professor Joseph McElligott for sponsoring this program.

The event will be held in the Lovinger Theatre at Lehman College. For directions to Lehman, click here.

Photo montage by Mitch Traphagen.

**Theresa Sareo, Connie Roberts and Mala Waldron**

ARTISTS WITHOUT WALLS PRESENTS YURI JUAREZ AND HIS AFROPERUANO BAND AT LEHMAN COLLEGE

Yuri Juarez and his Afroperuano band are proof that the music of Peru is fast occupying a prominent part of the world stage. If you haven’t heard these musicians perform you are in for a great treat. Yuri and the members of his band are internationally acclaimed and their shows are nothing short of fabulous.

Come hear Yuri and the Afroperuano group at Lehman College, May 3, 12:30pm at the Studio Theatre. There is no charge for this event, which is co-sponsored by Artists Without Walls and the City and Humanities Program at Lehman College…thanks to Professor Joseph McElligott. Charles R. Hale emcees the program.

MITCH TRAPHAGEN’S PHOTOS from ARTISTS WITHOUT WALLS’ SHOWCASE at THE CELL 04/2018

Mitch Traphagen captured another great night of entertainment at Tuesday’s Artists Without Walls’ Showcase. The next Showcase is on Tuesday, May 22nd, 7:30pm at The Cell, 338 West 23rd St., NYC.

**John Moran, Deborah Lohse and Joanne Shea**

ARTISTS WITHOUT WALLS PRESENTS “CROSSING BOROUGHS” at THE MUSEUM of the CITY of NEW YORK

Artists Without Walls is pleased to announce that it will once again have a show in Origin Theatre’s First Irish Theatre Festival titled “Crossing Boroughs.”

The show will be performed at the Museum of the City of New York, January 28, 3pm.

“Crossing Boroughs” was written by Charles R. Hale and stars Niamh Hyland along with Maya Kronfeld, Jonathan Matthews, Mary Ann McSweeney, Shu Nakamura, Laura Neese, Jack O’Connell, David J Raleigh, and Shirazette Tinnin.

Charles R. Hale/Narrator. Niamh Hyland/Music Director. Charmaine Broad/Director. Mitch Traphagen/Graphics and Images. Christopher Hale/Multi Media and Sound Effect.

For tix, which are $15, and info CLICK HERE

MITCH TRAPHAGEN’S PHOTOS FROM AWOW’S “LOVE FORCE” NIGHT AT SID GOLD’S

Mitch Traphagen’s photos from Artist Without Walls’ “Love Force” benefit Showcase for Stars of Hope at Sid Golds Request Room.

AWoW February 2017 Showcase featuring Walter Parks, Serena Jost, Allison Sylvia, Deni Bonet, Niamh Hyland, J.r. Garcia. Marty Plevel, Charles R. Hale, Dia Luna and Joe McGinty.

THE EXPRESSIVENESS OF SILENCE

THE EXPRESSIVENESS OF SILENCE and SPACE in STORYTELLING, MUSIC and ART

by Charles R. Hale

Recently, a few friends and I gathered in a local pub when the subject turned to “silence and space” in art. When one of my friends mentioned that he once heard Pete Seeger say, “It’s not what you put into a song, it’s what you leave out that counts,” the music of jazz great Miles Davis came to mind. When I began listening to Miles I was struck by his ability to do more with silence and empty space than any musician I had ever heard. Miles didn’t fill every second with sound. He understood the power of silence. Listen to “It Never Entered My Mind.”

Great artists have the ability to create with less, allowing us our own space to develop our own story: Francisco Goya, in his Tauromaquia series used blank canvas and shadings of grey and white to create the feeling of space. In this sketch, Goya uses empty space to dramatize the fury of a singular moment of horror during a bullfight.

Johan Sebastian Bach understood the power of silence and space as well. During Bach’s B Minor Mass, at the end of the section marked Crucifixus (Crucification), the music slowly sinks into silence, followed by a pause—a moment of contemplation, a moment of space—and then, an explosion of joy and revelation in the Et resurrext. (The Resurrection)

A year ago I received a note from a friend. “Would you read a story I wrote? Something’s missing. I’m looking for a word or words that will give the last few paragraphs more impact, more oopmh. Nothing seems to work.” I read her story and while I claim no great editorial skills, I felt the character development was wonderful, the story had great pace, from the inciting incident, which created conflict, through the midsection’s rising tension, right up until the crisis point or conflict resolution. The ending was perfect. I sent my friend a note. “I could see your character in the last scene and I understood his problem. I knew his motivations and I was there with him. You didn’t have to tell me the character was desperate or frantic, you’d done all the heavy lifting earlier. Your shorter words and shorter sentences built a moment of high drama. Your writing shows great respect for your reader; you allow them the space to be creative; you allow them the space to furnish the emotion. Less is more. In my view, that’s what often makes for great storytelling.”

The power of space and silence were never more evident to me than when I spoke before a gathering of college students and their families a number of years ago. The subject was the value of family stories. I was undecided about including the story of my mother’s sister’s death, a baby who died seven hours after she was born, until the moment I began speaking. I feared that I’d have difficultly controlling my emotions, yet, within a few minutes—I don’t know why—I started telling the story.

As I feared, her death and burial, and the emotions that the story evoked in me, were still too raw. I bowed my head and my eyes filled with tears; I had no idea how I would go on. Finally, I looked up. I was astonished. The entire front row was crying. I regained my composure. I was able to finish my story.

The events of the day became clear to me later in the evening. During the story’s build-up a number of listeners were probably experiencing a bond with my grandmother, grandfather or me. They were sharing a powerful story and many may have assumed the role of one of the characters in the story. Other listeners may have experienced the same wound and so they filtered my story of the baby’s death through their past. When I paused, the listeners may have been provided the space in which they could explore their thoughts, furnish their own emotions, and develop their own stories.

Miles Davis once said, “‘It’s not about the space you play, but the space you leave.” Allowing for space and silence may be one of the keys to effective creative expression, not only for the artist, but the artist’s audience as well.

NYC: ASHCAN ART, EDWARD HOPPER AND MY GRANDFATHER

NYC: ASHCAN ART, EDWARD HOPPER and MY GRANDFATHER

By Charles R. Hale

When I began researching my family history I discovered that there were few mementos from the past. There were no letters, only a few old photos—one may have been taken in the 1890’s, and only a few before 1930–a 1913 funeral receipt and an oil painting. The painting captures a nighttime ritual, three NYFD firemen from Engine Co. 14, including my grandfather, (right), sitting around a table, playing poker.

The painting hung on a wall in my grandparents’ NYC apartment and other than Grandpa Charlie using it as a prop for one of his riotous tales, I didn’t know much. I knew that a fireman, Edward Brady, painted it but I never gave much thought to the history of the painting.

As I searched for links to the past–events that would elucidate my ancestors’ space and time–I began considering the painting. I imagined, given my grandfather’s appearance, that it was completed in the nineteen-forties. Once I learned that Edward Brady was a fireman at Engine 14 during the early forties, I was confident in my dating of the painting. As I studied, what I call “Firemen Playing Cards” and American art and artists of that period, I also learned the history behind the style in which Brady painted. It was a school of painting, very different than a generation earlier, and a style that enabled Brady to capture that singular moment in my grandfather’s life.

At the turn of the 20th century American Artists and photographers rebelled against the predominating art of aristocratic portraiture. A new style of painting developed, which was loose and impressionistic, and based on a new subject matter: modern life. Artists developed an interest in human elements: every day subjects in dramatic light. Art became a revelation of life’s experience, both the exciting and the mundane. This school of painting became known as Ashcan Art and included artists such as Robert Henri, John Sloan and George Bellows. Two artists who were greatly influenced by this style of painting, both of whom were associated with New York schools of art during the developmental period of this style, were Edward Hopper and Guy Pene du Bois.

As I studied “Firemen Playing Cards” in greater detail, I noticed that there was a similarity in style or at least a suggestion of Edward Hopper’s painting, “Nighthawks.” Deliberate and spare, each painting captures a singular New York moment in which three New Yorkers seem lost in their thoughts, anonymous and uncommunicative. The diner’s harsh electric light sets it apart from the dark night outside, as does the softer light emanating from the hanging lamp over the poker table.

Brooklyn born, Guy Pene du Bois who, like his good friend Hopper, depicted narratives of inaction and themes of emotional disengagement, differed in style. While Hopper was interested in capturing moments of solitude, using bold, simplified forms to infuse his scenes with drama, du Bois used smooth curves striking a balance between abstraction and realism. And while at first glance there appears to be no similarity in Brady and du Bois’s work, there is one commonality: the hands.

I’d always believed that Fireman Brady could not paint a pair of human hands. The firemen’s hands are nothing like I’d expect them to be, strong, large and rugged, but rather they look childlike and small.

But then I look at the style in which du Bois painted hands and I wonder if Brady was familiar with du Bois? The hands are almost identical. Was Brady familiar with the school of painters who had studios on 14th St. and Union Square, a few blocks from Engine Co. 14, which is located on 18th Street. Did he take lessons at any of these art leagues?

I don’t remember hearing Edward Brady’s name when I was a child. I noticed his name on the painting after his art was bequeathed to me a number of years ago. Looking through old firehouse logs of Engine 14 I was able to determine that Brady and my grandfather were fellow firefighters. And now I stare at the painting every morning, grateful that my grandfather’s friend, a man with whom he risked his life fighting fires, captured this singular moment in my grandfather’s life.

ARTISTS WITHOUT WALLS’ JANUARY SHOWCASE AT THE CELL

Join Artists Without Walls for its January Showcase at The Cell, 338 West 23rd Street, Manhattan, Tuesday, January 24th. Presenters include jazz fiddler Michi Fuji, author and lecturer Suzanne Bernier, singer/songwriter Martina Fiserova, artist and singer Maia Nero, writers Billy Barrett and Mike DeLucia, playwright Brendan Connellan and actor Faye Franzini. Charles R. Hale and Niamh J. Hyland are the evenings hosts and emcees.

The doors and the bar open at 6:45. Performances begin at 7:30. This is a free event.

MITCH TRAPHAGEN ON BILLY JOEL: AN ARTIST WITHOUT WALLS

The Soul of an Artist Without Walls

by Mitch Traphagen

Billy Joel performed his 37th consecutive sold-out monthly show at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 11, 2017. When he began, he said he would keep playing until people stopped showing up. There is no sign of that happening. His 41st concert was just announced.

It would be hard to argue that he needs the money. He is among the best selling recording artists in history. But he is a New Yorker through and through. Born in the Bronx 67-years-ago, Madison Square Garden is in his hometown; it’s his backyard. And for many artists, Madison Square Garden represents the high bar of a goal of which dreams are made. It is a venue known around the world. Performing there places one in a very rarified club.

Now entering my third year as a member of Artists Without Walls, I’ve seen a number of artists that could be playing at Madison Square Garden. For those artists, having seen them perform at an AWoW monthly showcase, the stretch to MSG is not a long one from my outside perspective. But for the artists, it may well appear differently. For them, it is a matter of choosing the path of the heart, and making the sacrifices, often far more than most people could bear, in reaching that stage.

Billy Joel made sacrifices. He was busy performing and didn’t actually graduate from high school until…1992. Was it worth it? In terms of wealth and fame, no doubt it was for him. But he has also long suffered from clinical depression, including after September 11, 2001. And yet he continued. He wants to perform. He wants to play until people stop showing up.

What determines what is “worth it” is the soul of the artist in many cases. Some are lucky financially. Sometimes the sacrifice is simply too much, when living indoors and having regular meals must be chosen over someday dreams of 21,000 people at MSG cheering you on.

Many years ago when I played in a rock band at the tail end of the disco era, we used to joke that dinner for musicians meant going into a diner, ordering a bowl of hot water and grabbing the ketchup bottle on the table. For too many artists today, that probably isn’t far from the truth.

During the concert Billy at times would stop and ask, “Do you want hear this song?…hitting a few keys…or this song?…hitting different keys — but both songs iconic for millions of people encompassing generations.

He spoke of his songs and albums. At one point, he mentioned an album from the mid-70s and asked the crowd if anyone had it — and quickly followed up with, “Don’t worry. It wasn’t one of my best. I don’t even have that album.”

In the end he played for two and a half hours. There were songs that he likely felt he had no choice but to play — the audience was surely expecting them. But he also mixed it up with some Stones and Led Zeppelin. He has long been a Led Zep fan.

There are any number of artists with AWoW who either have or will someday play on that stage or one equal in stature. There are any number of artists who will perform at the Richard Rogers Theatre on Broadway or in front of movie or television cameras, who may one day change lives while playing at the Rockwood Music Hall or Cafe Vivaldi.

There is a reason Billy Joel is performing monthly shows at MSG and it probably doesn’t have much to do with money. There is something else; there is pure, driving passion and there is an “it” factor. Artists Without Walls’ cofounder Charles R. Hale understands it; he is himself an artist, after all. And thus there is a reason such talent takes the stage at the Cell every month for the AWoW showcases. There is a reason such talent exists at all.

From Billy Joel to the many artists with AWoW, from MSG to the Cell, walls don’t matter. The words, the music, the talent…it is in the souls of the artists.