Introduction by Walter Krochmal, Founder and Executive Director
The Spirit, She Rises to Greet Me is my first-ever photo exhibit. It reflects a lifetime of adventures and misadventures, and because the images stretch all the way back to the acquisition of my first cell phone camera and digital camera back in 1997 (quite advanced for the time), it also draws the arc of this technology’s growth from infancy to what we could now call its young adulthood and how the world has changed.
It encompasses my travels in Honduras, Israel, France and Festival de Cannes, Italy, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, and across the length and breadth of the five boroughs of New York City over the course of four decades living here (on foot, on bicycle and on public transportation), then finally in recent times to the Balkans and points east.
The exhibit springs from what started out as a simple desire to review unexplored areas of endeavor, in this case digital photography, in search of articles of value to which I had not given due attention. Digging into almost three decades of materials gathered while off-handedly documenting what was before me with what I had available revealed to me a vast, unsuspected treasure trove that clamored for an exhibition. Thus motivated, I took on an exhaustive process of compilation, selection, categorization, treatment, printing and archiving which resulted in what you will see in The Spirit, She Rises to Greet Me.
My eye travels to urban art, performance and the stage (which I was practically born on), architecture, nightscapes and cityscapes, the comedic/irreverent, the quirky and the awe-inspiring, abstraction and the random details that emerge from a city when you explore it with mind and senses wide open. Travel the world with that principle leading the way and you will find that all cities and places welcome you. That is why I chose the title, because when the resting woman spirit that gives breath to a city senses my steps from afar… The Spirit, She Rises to Greet Me.
Ajua Ajamu (singer and guitarist)
“Hello Everyone My Name Is Adjua Ajamu. I Am An Artist Of True Soul Expression.” As an independent and self taught artist/musician born in Gary, Indiana and raised in Harlem New York, Adjua Ajamu has been honing his style with a mixture of soul, blues and classic punk rock. Past generations of legends are memorialized through this current artist's tunes.
His blues influences stem from artists like Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Guy, BB King, Ray Charles, Donny Hathaway and many more. Adjua jams with the soul of his home town, creating environments of positivity, love and collaboration.
Adjua Ajamu reveals the hidden sounds of the blues through his artistry, bringing unique licks and style inspired by the genres of soul, blues and psychedelic rock
Take A Listen To his latest single “Perfect For It All” On All Platforms! And Stay tuned for his upcoming single “Lifetime Love.”
Ángel-Manuel Torres, Jr.
The Last Dictator (monologue)
by Charlie Chaplin
Ángel-Manuel Torres, Jr. is a bonafide writer and filmmaker from The Bronx, where he is born, raised, and still lives.
He has cemented his creative journey with free writing, poetry, and his beloved Sci Fi novel, Light Minutes - a book that will soon have its sequel. Light Minutes brought about his first screenplay, which he co-wrote with Stephen Morgan, the screenplay adaptation to Light Minutes.
This then started the domino effect into film. While he is now in pre-production for his third as Writer/EP, Ángel-Manuel has written, directed, and produced two short films in the matter of eighteen months: Unconditioned Opposites and What’s Grief?
Ángel-Manuel continues to push the narrative of experimental storytelling. Keep up with all that’s going on with him on Instagram @Createdby_angel
The Day of Remembrance (scene)
by Nancy Finn
with Elizabeth Caruso and Eve Sorel
The entire action of the play takes place in an auditorium where Nina Hochstein relates what happened to her during the Holocaust. The second character is Nina Hochstein as she was during the Holocaust. At times the characters confront one another. They are one, but not the same. The play centers around Nina Hochstein and her second self.
Elizabeth Caruso lives the spoken word in one language and sometimes, two. She has appeared in productions in New York City, in Philadelphia and in Madrid, Spain.
Eve Sorel has appeared in four countries and all media."
Maximilian enters the theatrical arena from a background in documentary films and radio journalism. As a storyteller, I am interested in the intersection between podcasts and stage plays. I am drawn to overlooked moments in history that serve as the basis for my plays in order to educate the audience about possible solutions to contemporary political parallels. The Barrow Group Theater and Cherry Lane Theater have performed readings of my short plays and monologues. I have training in devised theater from Tectonic Theater Project and vocal training and music from Fordham University.
