EVENTS
Long Beach Art League Theme Winner for February 2008 (Inner Space).
West End Arts offered an innovative summer art program, "Art a la Carte", to the Long Beach Middle School children July and August who attend summer Beach Clubs, East and West, Youth Centers sponsored by Project Challenge of Long Beach. West End Arts Visual Artists Guild, President Rev. Kathleen Regan, came on board to offer art courses to the Beach Clubs. The art workshops, taught by West End Arts teaching artist members offered the children art experiences with professional artists in the community. This year, West End Arts Guild, offered the program “Art a la Carte” funded by a N.Y.S. Special Legislative Grant. The project was a success through the efforts of the West End Arts Guild Officers and administrative staff Scott Miller, and Alison Gilbert. The children created pottery with painter/potter Michael McLaughlin, T-shirt design with clothing designer Ron Emanuele, printmaking with painter/printmaker Kathleen Regan (creator and director of the project), painting on silk with painter/photographer Wal Achmueller, acrylic and watercolor painting with painter Karen Prezioso, crafts with broom maker /crafter Karen O'Neil, portrait drawing with painter Robert Stewart, video production with the "Long Island Artist Habitat" team Barry Rivadue and Alexandra Karafinis, and Bob Shanley (WEA vice-president) photographed the entire summer project . West End Arts and Project Challenge believe that the arts are the greatest tools to prevent kids from being at-risk. The art program was a huge success and sparked the artistic light in many young minds.
West End Arts presented Colors of Long Beach, an Art Expo featuring local artists and craftspeople, live music and dancing, and a buffet for a nominal charge. The event, which took place during the afternoon on Sunday, April 30, occupied 2 floors of the Long Beach Community Center. Colors of Long Beach, which was funded by a grant obtained for West End Arts by State Senator Dean Skelos, was deemed highly successful by all who participated and the hundreds of visitors who attended. A similar event is planned for the near future.
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Polar Bears are not just a bunch of crazy people jumping into the ocean in February. In 2005 the Long Beach Polar Bears raised over $120,000 for the Make-a-Wish Foundation. To find out more about the Long Beach Polar Bear Club and make a donation, check out their website.
WESTWEST END ARTS UNVEILS NEW MURAL
West End Artist's Guild, a newly formed local organization, has enjoyed a creative and dynamic first summer under the guidance of co-directors Alison Gilbert and the Rev. Kathleen Regan.
West End Arts promotes the work of two and three-dimensional artists in Western Long Island, while enhancing cultural awareness and enriching the community.
The City Walls Project, which was launched with a mural painted at King's Pharmacy on West Beech Street, greets visitors and residents entering Long Beach from the west.
Depicting Long Beach's unique recreational sport, surfing, the mural was derived from a photograph taken by WEA member Bob Shanley and designed by the Rev. Kathleen Regan.
