Paintings & Sculptures by NY Academy Artists on Exhibition at Bernardsville Library

A New Day by Kathy  Buist, oil, 36" x 48"

Bernardsville Public Library is pleased to present an exhibition during the month of May of recent work by members of the Alumni Association of the New York Academy of Art (NYAA).  Fifty artists will be represented with over 125 works of art, both paintings and sculpture.  Part of the show will be on view at the library and part across the street at Studio 7 Fine Art Gallery located at 5 Morristown Road.  The public is invited to the opening reception during the May Bernardsville Art Walk on Friday, May 3 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at the library and 6:00 to 9:00 pm at the gallery.  

The New York Academy of Art (NYAA) is a graduate school that combines intensive technical training in the fine arts with active critical discourse.  The school operates with the belief that rigorously trained artists are best able to realize their artistic vision. Therefore, Academy students are taught traditional methods and techniques and encouraged to use these skills to make vital contemporary art.  As such, the Academy serves as a creative and intellectual center for all artists dedicated to highly skilled, conceptually aware figurative and representational art.

The New York Academy of Art was founded in 1982 by artists, scholars and patrons of the arts, including Andy Warhol, to foster a resurgence in the training of figurative and representational art.  The Academy has since developed into a non-profit cultural institution housing the nation’s first graduate school of figurative art, a continuing education program, the region’s most in-depth figurative art library, an extensive exhibition and lecture series, and iconic New York City events such as Take Home a Nude and Tribeca Ball.  The Academy is located in the lower Manhattan historic district of TriBeCa, once a commercial area and the city's primary distribution center for textiles and dry goods.   

The library show will be on display in the Community Room during regular library hours unless a meeting is in progress.  For further information, please call the library at 908-766-0118.  

Splendid Life Meditation @ Bernardsville Library

Basking Ridge resident Fauzia Burke will lead the next monthly guided meditation session at Bernardsville Public Library on Friday, May 3 at 10:00 am.  Ms. Burke’s style of meditation incorporates many cultural traditions and uses the power of word and imagery to facilitate a meditative experience. Each experience is honored as unique and can help reduce stress, generate creativity, and create positive energy. Free. No sign-up is needed.

Jim Nuzzo to Perform @ Bernardsville Library

Jim Nuzzo, the singer/songwriter from Edison, NJ, will perform his original music in free concert at Bernardsville Public Library on Sunday, April 28 at 3:00 pm.  Part of the “Sundays at Three” series, this concert is funded by the Friends of the Bernardsville Public Library.  Doors open at 2:45 pm.  No sign-up is needed.

Mr. Nuzzo is best known for his baseball songs: "Subway," the official theme of the 2000 Subway Series between the Yankees and the Mets, and "The Game Is Over," a cynical look at professional sports.  Both songs are recognized as "cult baseball hits" and are featured in Baseball Almanac.  He also composed a song, "Comin' Home," in the 1989 comedy "Rude Awakening" recorded by Kim Carnes which was co-written by Academy Award winner Franke Previte. Mr. Nuzzo will perform some of his instrumental songs and themes and then will be joined on stage by saxophonist Dave Gonos, bassist Buddy Allen, and drummer Joe Bellia.

There is no charge to attend the concert and no sign-up is needed.  For further information, call the library at 908-766-0118.

University of Can-Do Master's Program @ Bernardsville Library

The next session of the "University of Can-Do Master's Program" will meet on Wednesday, April 24 at 7:00 pm at Bernardsville Public Library. "Do you have a goal that you think you can't make happen?" asks Andrea Mastrobattista who leads the group, "Well, you can, because you have what it takes to accomplish it."

This workshop runs throughout the year, and each month participants discover more skills for cultivating and maintaining the "can-do" determination to make a dream come true.  In this installment of the Can-Do Master’s program, they will master the art of having a positive attitude.   "On the journey toward achieving your goal, you will meet your share of naysayers.  Learn how to deal with the negativity and maintain your positive outlook," says Ms. Mastrobattista.

There is no charge to attend the library workshop, but advance registration is requested.  Register online at www.bernardsvillelibrary.org, and follow the link from Adult Programs, or call the library at 908-766-0118 to sign up.

Does Your Business Plan Make Sense?

If you are thinking of starting a new business or interested in updating your existing business plan, come to this program presented by SCORE®, Counselors to America’s Small Business, on Tuesday, April 23 at 7:00 pm at Bernardsville Public Library.  Jack Boylan and a panel of SCORE experts will walk listeners through the steps involved in developing a successful business plan, including the most important parts of the plan—the marketing component and the finance component.  Whether you need it to approach a financial institution for financing or simply to strengthen your own vision, the business plan is as essential as a roadmap for a traveler planning a major trip.

Mr. Boylan has expertise in domestic and international financial management as well as business startups and turn-arounds.  This workshop is one of many that SCORE® offers on a variety of topics.  Led by a seasoned group of entrepreneurs with over 1,000 person years of experience, the workshops are designed to offer information on identifying needed skills as well as elements in the business environment that are necessary for a business to thrive whether in the first stages of development or in an expansion phase.  Seminar participants have future access to individual free face-to-face counseling with qualified SCORE counselors to follow-up on any questions specific to their particular business.

There is no charge to attend the program, but advance sign-up is requested.  Register online at www.bernardsvillelibrary.org and follow the link from Adult Programs, or call the library at 908-766-0118 to sign up.

Memoirs & Coffee Book Group to Meet

The next meeting of Bernardsville Public Library’s book discussion group, Memoirs and Coffee, will be held on Tuesday, April 23 at 10:30 am in the library’s Community Room.  Pat Kennedy-Grant, Readers’ Services Manager for the library, will lead the discussion of "The Cost of Hope” (2012) by Pulitzer Prize winning author Amanda Bennett.  [The author will not be present.]

The book recalls how when Wall Street Journal reporter Amanda Bennett meets the eccentric, infuriating, yet somehow irresistible Terence Bryan Foley while on assignment in China, the last thing she expects is to marry him. They are so different—classic and bohemian, bow ties and batik, quirky and sensible. But Terence is persistent. “You are going to be somebody,” he tells her. “You’re going to need somebody to take care of you.” Though initially as combative as their courtship, their marriage brings with it stormy passion, deep love and respect, two beloved children, and a life together over two decades. Then comes illness, and the fight to win a longer life for Terence.

The Cost of Hope chronicles the extraordinary measures Amanda and Terence take to preserve not only Terence’s life but also the life of their family. After his death, Bennett uses her skills as a veteran investigative reporter to determine the cost of their mission of hope. What she discovers raises important questions many people face, and vital issues about the intricacies of America’s healthcare system.

There is no charge and no sign-up is needed to join the discussion.  Call the library at 766-0118 for more information.

National Library Week Celebrations @ Bernardsville Library

National Library Week runs from April 14 to April 20 this year, and Bernardsville Public Library is beginning the week with a brief opening reception on Saturday, April 14 from 5:00-6:00 pm.  The theme is 'Communities matter @ your library' which highlights the active role libraries take in supporting their communities.

At the reception, where light refreshments will be served, new READ posters will be unveiled with some surprisingly familiar faces and some great reading suggestions.  During National Library Week, anyone with a library card who says "Communities matter" at check-out will get one free DVD rental.

Bernardsville Library's role in our community has expanded over the last several years.  Core services, such as providing quality literature, popular titles, cultural programs, and supporting children and parents in an appreciation of reading and learning, are still widely used by our community, and the focus on unique collections to preserve the area history and culture continues.  But at the same time, to meet the changing needs of the people in our community, the library is also expanding its services from providing information to guided exploration of knowledge and new technology offering programs on topics such as eBooks and iPads, Internet navigation skills, and resources for job seekers. The goal is to connect with library users and to enrich the community where they live. 

National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April.  

The reception is free and open to the general public.  No sign-up is needed to attend.  For further information, call the library at 908-766-0118.