Arts for All

Celebrating the accomplishments of The Rye Arts Center’s adult participants, the annual Adult and Teen Student Art Show will be on display in the gallery April 29 through May 12. A variety of work will be exhibited, created by talented students over the past semesters giving visitors a chance to view an impressive collection. The opening reception is Sunday, April 29, from 4 to 6 p.m. Entertainment will be provided by some of the center’s talented music school students.

The final program in a series of recitals celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Casavant Freres pipe organ will be held Sunday, April 29, 4 p.m. at Rye Presbyterian Church. The recitalist is Robert Moncrief, organist and music director at Rye Presbyterian Church from 1976 to 1994, during the time the organ was built and installed.

The Rye Arts Center welcomes back John Fumasoli and The Jones Factor, a 10-piece “big” band featuring some of New York’s finest musicians playing be-bop to modern jazz April 27. The music begins at 8 p.m. Last year’s performance sold out Call 967-0700, ext. 33, for tickets.

The final program in a series of recitals celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Casavant Freres pipe organ will be held Sunday, April 29, at 4 p.m. at Rye Presbyterian Church. The recitalist is Robert Moncrief, organist and music director at the church from 1976 to 1994, during the time the organ was built and installed. Mr. Moncrief's program will include works by Max Reger, Louis Vierne, J.S. Bach, Cesar Franck, and William Albright. Mr. Moncrief earned his Master of Music degree at Yale University, where he was a member of the first graduating class of the Institute of Sacred Music. A reception in the library will follow the recital. There is no charge for admission, but free-will donations will be gratefully received.

“It began as a lesson about prejudice; what happened next was a miracle.” The inspirational film “Paper Clips” will be shown at the Rye Free Reading Room Sunday, May 6, 1:30 p.m. The 2004 documentary follows the original project and amazing events that followed when Tennessee middle school students set out to collect 6 million paper clips to represent the Jews killed by the Nazis.

Wainwright House presents Bistro Award singer Jaymie Meyer at a Celebrate Spring Bistro Dinner Friday, April 27, at 7 p.m. Dinner and the show are $75 per person. She has appeared at the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall, The Firebird, Danny's Skylight Room, and the Russian Tea Room. For reservations, call 967-6080.

 Rye Presbyterian Church will host the Westchester premiere of  “The Hard Road Home,” Thursday, May 3, at 7 p.m. The documentary tackles issues involving re-entry from prison in New York. The film focuses on the work of the Exodus Transitional Community, which the church has helped since its founding in 2000.

Exodus is staffed by ex-inmates and helps newly released prisoners build and maintain a stable, crime-free life, said Bob Steed, one of the RPC members who has worked with Sing Sing inmates who are students in a master's program through New York Theological Seminary and with ex-inmates.

Exodus, which is housed in The Church of the Living Hope, 161 East 104th St., New York City, assists men and women right out prison. “We find them jobs and make sure they have enough clothing,” said Mr. Steed.

Julio Medina, an ex-offender who served 12 years in Sing Sing, is the founder of Exodus. He and the director will be at the screening and speak afterwards.

Mr. Steed said that a few thousand people have been through the program. “Recidivism is a terrible problem. Essentially, we've cut the rate in half.” He added, “We hope this film broadens understanding about reentry.”

“The Hard Road Home” is not recommended for young children. The powerful film contains a great deal of raw language.

For information on the film, log on to hardroadhome.org.