Dans Papers - June 8, 2007 - Painting The Streets

The 11th Annual Riverhead Community Mosaic Street Painting Festival presented by the East End Arts Council on Sunday, May 27 had something fun for everyone. The main event was the spectacular street painting, but there was also a life-sized checkers tournament, storytelling for kids under a tent and West African interactive drumming circles, topping it off with live music amongst the over 40 exhibits of arts and crafts to see and buy. Proceeds from the Community Mosaic go to support scholarship opportunities for students at the EEAC Community School of the Arts.

The Community Mosaic is a FREE, all day celebration of the arts, held on the grounds of the Arts Council on Riverhead's Main Street. Approximately 3,000-4,000 people attended this year's event that has been steadily growing since it began 11 years ago. Patricia Snyder, Executive Director of the East End Arts Council has been there from the beginning, when it was held along the Peconic Riverfront. Starting last year, due to construction along the Riverfront it was moved to Main Street and because of its great success, it was held there again this year.

Event sponsors included Bethpage Federal Credit Union, Riverhead Free Library, Astoria Federal Savings, Cross Sound Ferry, North Fork Bank Foundation, Knapp-Swezey Foundation, Riverhead Chamber of Commerce, Motosport Brokerage, Friends of the Riverhead Free Library, and the Town of Riverhead and Suffolk County Dept. of Economic Development. These businesses sponsored many of the street painting squares for $75-$300. Artists exhibiting could reserve a 10'x10' square for $25. Other squares registered in advance were free or $20 on the day of the event and chalk was provided for all who could participate in this interactive visual art.

While street painters created their masterpieces on Main Street, a life-size checkers tournament was being played out on a giant checkerboard off Main Street. Sponsored by The Urban League and the Council for Unity together with The East End Arts Council, this event was a real winner for kids and adults alike. Near the checkerboard was the Storytelling Tent, sponsored by The Riverhead Free Library, featuring several renowned local storytellers and interactive musicians including Johnny Cuomo, Harvey Heilbrun, and African Folk Heritage storyteller Joyce Duncan. Talking Drum West African interactive drumming circles let kids discover their own musical talents.

As kids enjoyed interactive music under a tent, live music could be heard on stage throughout the day. The EEAC's Local Musician's Showcase on the Riverhead Showstage brought a variety of local musicians to perform. Composer George Cook Maul demonstrated his improvisation; urban poet Ulysses Colon read his poetry; Yvette Malavet-Blum beat to the sound of Latin rhythms; and The Freedom Choir from the First Baptist Church of Riverhead sang their psalms. There was a niche for every kind of music lover. By the end of the day the folk/rock music of Liza Coppola, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, the John Brzoza Band and Jordan Hope were each humming. Quite a musical medley for one day!

And if that was not enough, walking through the many exhibit booths displaying arts and crafts for sale along with food and drink made this a very special day in Riverhead. There was plenty to see and buy from booths, with three-dimensional art made from corks, tie-dyed shirts echoing the 60s, large posters and miniature paintings, and fine jewelry and handmade crafts. For more interactive performances, the Spiral Wave Poi exhibit was the place to be. Here displayed and demonstrated were handcrafted Poi (a tribal dance art form and tool from the South Pacific) by local artist, Susan Blacklocke. Made out of parachute material in every color of the rainbow, Spiral Wave Poi was twirled around in colorful patterns together with music, Zen, yoga, or dance. Kids and adults could all join in the tribal dance form of Spiral Wave Poi.

The 11th Annual Riverhead Community Mosaic Street Painting Festival held this Memorial Day weekend was a true celebration of the arts in Riverhead and a welcome glimpse of what is yet to come to this town on the edge of revitalization.