Paris Pt. 2-Inspiration from Paris to Pennsylvania

After going to the European Photography Centre and seeing the outstanding work of Mimo Jodice, Michael van Graffenried, Antoine Poupel, Phillippe Perrin and Servulo Esmeraldo, we headed over to the two retrospectives I was really looking forward to. . . Lisette Model and Willy Ronis.

 Lisette Model's incredible work was on view at Jeu de Paume.  Lisette Model is one of the twentieth century's most significant photographers. After seeing the show,  I saw the very clear influence she had on Lehigh Valley's Larry Fink's work, (one of her more famous students along with Diane Arbus).

I thoroughly enjoyed the retrospective of  Willy Ronis' work at the Monnaie de Paris.  He was the last of a generation of French photographers who were central to the medium's development during the 20th Century.  Like his contemporaries Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Doisneau and Brassai, Ronis showed tender expressiveness while chronicling the romantic vision of Paris now firmly lodged in the public imagination.  I was absolutely delighted to discover several years earlier that my close friend in Easton, Nan Ronis,  is a relative of this incredible French photographer! 

We were lucky enough to be in Paris during 'open studio' night at Les Frigos, part of the underground art scene.

Les Frigos used to be a cold storage warehouse and is one of those mythical places in Paris that is definitely off the beaten path. Since the 1980s, large numbers of artists have squatted in this large building on the banks of the Seine and the building has become synonymous with art, rebellious spirit, and creativity.  After years of trying to expel its tenants, the mairie of Paris bought the building to insure that the artists could stay and create. -- jazz musicians, painters, sculptures, photographers, videographers and craftsmen.  (See the nine photos below.)

The main stairwell

An ephemeral sculptural installation which led to a recording studio 

The walls everywhere were covered with art and grafitti

A painter's studio

A photographer and model in a hallway

Jazz performance in a hallway

Back in the United States, Mass MoCa (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art) is another example of industrial space that's been converted into gallery space, professional offices,  retail shops and restaurants. My daughter, who first introduced us to this wonderful museum years ago,  just began an internship here during her winter term.  (See the eight photos below)

Retail shop

Restaurant

Museum gift shop and Cafe behind it

Entrance hall leading to gallery space

Reading, Pennsylvania's Goggleworks is yet another wonderful example of the reuse of industrial space.  It used to be an eyewear factory and now houses artists' studios, gallery space, retail shops and a film theater. (See the photo below).

The next four photos below are of Easton, PA's Silk Mill Project. The development and reuse of buildings at The Easton Silk Mill is an exciting project in the beginning phase. This summer, "Movies at the Mill" was attended by over one thousand people! 

Films were projected on the exterior wall at the Silk Mill in Easton right after dusk. 

A reception was held inside one of the 13 buildings on site after the movie screenings ended.

The inspiring, Oscar Award-winning film "Music by Prudence" was introduced by its director, Roger Ross Williams, an Easton native!

Once again this year, animated shorts by Magik World were among my favorites. 

I'm looking forward to more exciting developments in the City of Easton in the new year!

Paris Part 1: Tower to Tombs

My husband and I went to Paris to retrieve my daughter after her year studying at the Sorbonne.  We rented a flat near the Saint-Martin Canal and used the Métro and buses to explore the city (much easier when your daughter is your personal tour guide).

I got "the Eiffel Tower that ate Paris" effect when I used my 17mm wide angle lens.

I loved the curved, well-worn wooden staircase in our apartment building, polished by centuries of use.

One of the first places we visited was the Centre Pompidou, which houses the Bibliothèque publique d'information, a vast public library, the Musée National d'Art Moderne which is the largest museum for modern art in Europe, and IRCAM, a music and acoustic research center.

This Métro subway entrance is a whimsical example of Paris' wonderful public art. 

One of the grand public spaces near the Palace of Versaille.

This bridge is a famous spot for lovers who leave locks with their initials engraved on them.

La Cartoucherie is a complex of five theaters (Théâtre du Soleil, Théâtre de l'Aquarium, Théâtre de la Tempête, Théâtre de l'Epée de Bois, and the Théâtre du Chaudron) in a former munitions factory. It lures both cast and spectators into an intimate theatrical world. The resident director is the revered Ariane Mnouchkine. Go early for a simple meal; actors often help serve "in character."

Inside another spectacular church in Paris.

Inside Notre Dame Cathedral.

Looking like tourists in front of Notre Dame Cathedral.

Eglise St-Etienne-du-Mont in Paris is an attractive Gothic church with some unique features inside and out. Its construction spanned more than a century -- between 1492 and 1626.  The church was once part of an abbey dedicated to the patroness of Paris (St. Genevieve).

At Paris' City Hall, we saw the photo-documentary project "Dignity", based on a global campaign by Amnesty International (Demand Dignity).  The project focuses on the centrality of human rights in the fight against poverty, with photographs  by Phillippe Brault, Guillaume Herbaut, Jean Francois Joly, Johann Rousselot, and Michael Zumstein.

The exhibit depicted five stories illustrating basic fundamental rights: land, identity, housing, health and safety, in India, Macedonia, Nigeria, Egypt and Mexico.

We walked among the graves of Pere Lachaise, one of the most famous cemeteries in the world.  It is reputed to be the world's most-visited cemetery, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors annually to the graves of those who have enhanced French life over the past 200 years,  including Edith Piaf, Frederic Chopin, Marcel Proust, Oscar Wilde, Maria Callas  -- and the Doors' Jim Morrison. 

Fresh flowers are placed daily on the composer Chopin's grave by lovers of his music, even 160 years after his death.

Stay tuned for "Paris, Part II".

YPP Holiday Concert at Allentown Symphony Hall

This past weekend I had the pleasure of hanging out during dress rehearsal with the talented members of the Lehigh Valley's Young People's Philharmonic and Junior String Philharmonic.  For over thirty years Nancy and Jerry Bidlack have encouraged aspiring  young musicians across the Lehigh Valley.

Having set up YPP's website several years ago while serving on its Board,  I make it a point to attend the  holiday concert and update the website photos each year.  The children change so much from year to year and it's fun to see them changing from middle school through the end of high school.

Jerry Bidlack conducts the Young People's Philharmonic.

Kenneth Bean conducting the Junior String Philharmonic