Mountainfilm 2024 Showcases Documentaries in Colorado

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Parent Category: Travel Info

Category: Travel Feature

Published on Monday, 20 May 2024 14:38

Written by Brad Balfour

Since 1979, Colorado’s Mountainfilm film festival has brought assembled a lineup of documentaries from activists and filmmakers and change makers with a message. Running May 23 to the 27th in Telluride, Colorado, Mountainfilm features over 90 films from around the world. 

399: Queen of the Tetons follows Grizzly #399, a renowned grizzly bear that inhabits the Grand Teton National Park. see as #399 struggles to raise an unusually large four-cub litter in the face of human encroachment and a rapidly changing climate. While the narrative follows #399’s decisions and the escalating human conflict, 399: Queen of the Tetons raises bigger thematic questions about humans’ relationship with nature, and how we connect, control, consume and conserve it. 

Ghost Resorts: Japan is a short film looking at the abandoned ski resorts dotting Japan’s landscapes. Symbols of Japan’s rapid economic growth in the 80s and the bubble bursting in the 90s, hundreds of these abandoned resorts remain, attracting curious visitors.

In Sugarcane an investigation into unmarked graves at an Indian residential school ignites a reckoning in the lives of survivors and their descendants, including the film’s co-director whose father was born, and nearly buried, at the school. Sugarcane spotlights the lasting traumas inflicted upon Indigenous North Americans from the residential school system, including physical and sexual abuse, the separation of families and the destruction of Native culture and language. 

The festival also includes a speaker series focusing on contemporary issues, art and photography exhibits, early morning coffee talks, outdoor programs, a book-signing party, an ice cream social, student programs and a closing picnic/awards ceremony. Presentations and panels are scheduled throughout the Memorial Day weekend event with a wide diversity of special guests, ranging from artists to adventurers and academics to activists.

To learn more, go to: https://www.mountainfilm.org/

Mountainfilm
May 23 - 27, 2024

Various venues in Telluride, Colorado.

Iconic New York City Restaurant Serendipity3 Celebrates The City and “The Notebook”on Broadway, Opening in March

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Parent Category: Travel Info

Category: Travel Feature

Published on Tuesday, 27 February 2024 17:41

Written by Brad Balfour

Serendipity3
225 E 60th Street
Open seven days a week from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. EST
For more information or to book a reservation, visi twww.serendipity3.com

Though I’ve lived in New York for many years, a stop at Serendipity3, the decades-old restaurant on East 60th Street, eluded me. Until now. Thanks to a recent connection with the romantic musical "The Notebook" — in previews on Broadway -- a new dessert specially designed to celebrate Valentine's Day and the show was unveiled. And I got to sample it in all its super sweet glory.

The Notebook Hot Chocolate Affogato Sundae features a marshmallow rimmed Serendipity goblet filled with two towering scoops of vanilla ice cream, a giant pillow of creamy whipped cream, romantic Valentine's sprinkles. Once the server pours a carafe of super-rich and thick hot chocolate (made with semisweet and bitter-sweet chocolates, rich cocoas, heavy cream, Maldon sea salt and Madagascar vanilla paste) over the ice cream, it’s ready for consumption. The dessert is also topped off with a dusting of iridescent edible glitter, an edible frosting-sheet with "The Notebook" logo, as well as a field of edible butterflies and flowers. Available at the restaurant from Wednesday, February 14th until Thursday, March 14th for $24.95, it became my introduction to this glittery and iridescent palace of pop culture.

Like “The Notebook” — first experienced as Nicholas Sparks debut novel and then as feature film starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams — Serendipity3 is a quintessential piece of 21st century pop culture. Not only does it offer classic restaurant fare such as sumptuous hamburgers and salads but many, many desserts especially sundaes.

When Serendipity3 added "The Notebook" to their list of Broadway collaborations, it was hardly the first. The restaurant is known for bringing extravagant desserts and world-record-breaking menu items to the table. These menu items have captivated a worldwide audience and a celebrity following for decades.

Founded in 1954, it is one of the city's unique dining experiences. The home of decadent desserts such as the Frrrozen Hot Chocolate, Serendipity has been captivating millions of patrons since its inception. It's a quirky place where artists got their inspiration and actors fulfilled their cravings. Beginning with Marilyn Monroe, Andy Warhol, Grace Kelly and Cary Grant in the ‘50s, continuing with a celebrity following that includes Cher, Candice Bergen, Melanie Griffith and Ron Howard, the restaurant continues to attract celebrities such as Beyoncé, Ryan Reynolds, Selena Gomez and Kim Kardashian. In addition, the restaurant has been the setting of three major Hollywood productions, "One Fine Day" (1996) with George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer, "Serendipity" (2001) with John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale, and "Trust The Man" (2005) with Julianne Moore and David Duchovny.

Produced by Kevin McCollum and Kurt Deutsch, "The Notebook" features music and lyrics by multi-platinum singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson and a book by playwright Bekah Brunstetter (writer and producer on NBC's “This Is Us,” The Cake"). The production is directed by Michael Greif ("Dear Evan Hansen," "Next to Normal") and Schele Williams ("Aida," "The Wiz"), with choreography by Katie Spelman (Associate Choreographer on "Moulin Rouge! The Musical").

The show tells of Allie and Noah, both from different worlds, sharing a lifetime of love despite the forces that threaten to pull them apart, in a deeply moving portrait of love's enduring power. The cast features Tony Award®-winner Maryann Plunkett as Older Allie, Dorian Harewood as Older Noah, Joy Woods as Middle Allie, Ryan Vasquez as Middle Noah, Jordan Tyson as Younger Allie, John Cardoza as Younger Noah, Andréa Burns as Mother/Nurse Lori. Playing various roles are Yassmin Alers, Alex Benoit, Chase Del Rey, Hillary Fisher, Jerome Harmann-Hardeman, Dorcas Leung, Happy McPartlin, Juliette Ojeda, Kim Onah, Carson Stewart, Charles E. Wallace and Charlie Webb.

With a book that has sold millions of copies worldwide and a film that’s one of the highest-grossing romantic dramas of all-time, the musical adaptation of The Notebook comes to Broadway following a critically acclaimed world premiere engagement at Chicago Shakespeare Theater in the fall of 2022.

As for Broadway’s "The Notebook," it’s now in previews at the Schoenfeld Theatre (236 W. 45th Street, NYC) and opens Thursday, March 14th. 

For tickets and more info, go to: https://notebookmusical.com/

The Paintings of Artist Marianne Kuhn-Huntington Offer Evocative Images of Ireland

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Parent Category: Travel Info

Category: Travel Feature

Published on Tuesday, 20 February 2024 15:14

Written by Brad Balfour

Cliffs of Moher

When I discovered Marianne Kuhn-Huntington's artwork, I was first drawn to her ethereal fashion images. But as I clicked onward through further exploration of her website, I discovered a plethora of impressionistic images of Ireland. My first thought was what a wonderful way to take a trip, real or imagined. 

Her work has been presented throughout New York City in such places as The Salmagundi Club, Tribeca's Bond Gallery, The Grand Lodge on 23rd Street, Adrienne's on Stone Street, Broad Street's Bitcoin Center and her eponymous studio/gallery at 10 Hanover Square in FiDi.

Kuhn-Huntington's paintings are mostly studies of landscapes based on her travels worldwide. In addition, she paints portraits of people and pets, fashion editorials in water color and oils, plus abstracts based on urban decay and plastics in the ocean. She has created collections of paintings extrapolating images from literature such as James Joyce's "Ulysses" and T.S. Elliot's "The Waste Land."

Born in New Rochelle, New York, the daughter of award-winning artist Gunther Kuhn and accomplished artist Eileen Kuhn, the skilled imagist is proudly following in her parents' footsteps living as a designer/artist in New York City. The sixth-born of a family of 10, Kuhn-Huntington decided, at a young age, to be both a fashion designer and an artist. She followed her dreams and completed a BFA at FIT in NYC, which is where she also fell in love with modern literature. 

As Marianne wrote in an email, “I hope this is a good start. There's always so much to say. In a nutshell, I came from a very difficult childhood (in so many ways) and struggled through with persistence, keeping up with painting throughout the years on and off, sometimes to keep the sanity. I continue to soldier on in the challenging and exciting life of living in NYC, but you get it.”

Living in NYC's UES as an accomplished designer and artist, she is constantly inspired by her travels near and far. Her goal is to create impressionistic oil painting and water colors of images she had collected from her experiences.  

For more info, go to: www.mhunt.net or call 917-855-3520 for an appointment.

Q: Has making visual art always been something you did since you were a kid? 

Marianne Kuhn-Huntington: Yes, My parents were both artists so I was inspired at an early age. My father, who was from Berlin, was a full time fine artist who presented his work many times and was also president of the New Rochelle Art Association. My mother was a full-time mother of 10 and painted for the catholic school we attended, St Gabriels and Blessed Sacrament in New Rochelle NY. She painted large and small projects for the school and the church, from stage sets for school plays to promotional posters for events. I was lucky and grateful to inherit their talents. 

Q: Since you’re also a fashion designer, what came first, the painting or the clothing design?  

Marianne Kuhn-Huntington: Pencil sketching first, however, as I became more interested in fashion as an adolescent, I realized I could use my talents to design clothing. About 15 years ago, I felt the need to paint more seriously to express my talent, so I started doing a different series every month in both watercolor and oil. Each collection was a departure from the previous to exercise the artistic muscles of painting in general. It’s very important that I continue to paint even though I have a full-time job. My son Adam was an inspiration to me as well; there's a story behind that. Presently I do more water colors as it takes up less space in my NYC apartment. 

Q: Where did you go to school?  

Marianne Kuhn-Huntington: I went to FIT from 1985-87 for my associates degree and then, from 1996-'98, for my BFA in Fashion Design. 

Q: When did you first become aware of your Irish heritage? 

Marianne Kuhn-Huntington: When I was a child, my maternal great grandparents were from Ireland and we talked about them occasionally with my grandmother, but I always wanted to know more. There wasn't a lot of information in writing so I had to do a lot of research. My brother Andrew is presently digging deeper and has found a connection in Kildare with my great grandfather.

Q: Knowing that you’re part of this historical experience, one that includes the many ups and downs of Irish history, how did that affect you?

Marianne Kuhn-Huntington: Profoundly, I became very interested in Irish history in general and of course learning more about my own family past. I spend a lot of time researching and learning about Ireland, mostly through the writings of James Joyce. I went to Ireland to visit the area of where my family is from. 

Q: What counties is your family or families from?  

Marianne Kuhn-Huntington: My great grandmother, Bridget Condron is from Mullingar in Westmeath. My Great grandfather, Patrick Condron is possibly from County Offaly, but I'm not sure what town. There's also a County Kildare connection as I mentioned so we still have to sort this out.

Q: When did you first visit Ireland and what were your favorite places?

Marianne Kuhn-Huntington: I first visited Ireland in 2016 and mostly stayed in Dublin for Bloomsday. It was a very Odyssean trip. Then I went back in 2022 for the Bloomsday centennial of "Ulysses," traveling with members of my James Joyce reading group, and we read the provocative part of Nausicaa on the stage in front of Davy Byrnes. It was the ideal way to spend Bloomsday. Then I traveled to Mullingar to see where my great grandmother was from. I then went to Tullamore as I was told by people in Mullingar that it was a town that had close connections to Mullangar. It was a direct route and people traveled back and forth often. I made it up in my head that my grandparents met traveling back and forth from Mullingar to Tullamore or maybe at an Irish dance, but we're still researching that. Some of the paintings are from photos I got from the Irish Consulate's tourism office; that was before I went to Ireland. I plan on visiting more places in Ireland with my family next year.

Q: What led to your Joyce obsession?

Marianne Kuhn-Huntington: Whilst studying for my BFA at FIT, I took a Modern Literature class as an elective.  It was difficult but I stuck with it; at the end of the semester, I looked up from the readings and observed more than half the class had dropped out. After that, I couldn't get Joyce and other writers out of my head, I literally couldn't get enough of modern literature. I went down a rabbit hole and I'm still falling. I am reading “Ulysses” for the fourth time and have read all of his work including "Finnegans Wake," which is unreadable without a guide. What I love most is the community that comes with literature; it's a very rich world to live in. 

Q: Can you fill in more details about the groups you belong to that are related to all this?

Marianne Kuhn-Huntington: For 10 years, I've been part of a James Joyce reading group. We used to meet in person at the Irish Consulate before COVID-19. Now, we meet on Zoom every week to read all of Joyce's work, though it's mostly been "Ulysses." In addition, I have been a member of the James Joyce Society for at least two years, there are many talks and Joyce-related discussions of his life and literary works, which keeps me sated, almost. 

In addition, I have been a member of the International T.S. Eliot Society since 2008. I decided to join the society when I was at a grave turning point in my life and wanted to do something very important to me. I had a heart infection and needed surgery otherwise I would be dead in six months. At that point, I chose to live the rest of my life studying literature as an independent scholar. Two weeks after my surgery, I was on a flight to St. Louis to attend my first of many T.S. Eliot Society conferences. In addition to Joyce and Eliot, I've also studied Gertrude Stein, Virginia Woolf, Joseph Conrad, and many more. 

Q: What do you plan on doing when you return to Ireland?

Marianne Kuhn-Huntington:  I plan to go to all the places I have painted but have not been to yet, Such as the West Coast, Tipperary, and Rock of Dunamase.  I also will go back to where my great grandparents were from, Westmeath and Offaly. And, I believe we have some heritage in Kildare but it needs more research. If time permits, I will visit a friend in Cork. 

Q: And given that your work evokes a kind of romantic image of Ireland as it does with your other subjects, what evokes romance for you?

Marianne Kuhn-Huntington: That's a tough question, I suppose the seaside and water in general, as well as boat rides, small or large. Flowers are great. There's also museums, culture, literature, music and intimate gatherings in dark and quiet restaurants with great wine.