Fanwood Arts Council Report 2011
Transcript of Fanwood Arts Council Report 2011
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The Fanwood Arts Council
&
The Carriage House Poetry Series
Report – Summer 2011
Prepared by Adele Kenny, Director
Submitted to
Mayor Colleen Mahr
Borough Council Liaison Councilwoman Kathy Mitchell
Fanwood Borough Council
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The Fanwood Arts Council
&
The Carriage House Poetry Series
History
Fanwood Arts Council History begins with theCarriage House Poetry Series, which was
established in December of 1998 with the support
and assistance of State Assemblywoman LindaStender (former Union County Freeholder andFanwood Mayor) and former Fanwood Mayor Maryann S. Connelly. The initiative began as a project
funded in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Department of State, through a grantadministered by the Union County Division of Cultural and Heritage Affairs. The Poetry Series (named
for the Fanwood Carriage House, now the Kuran Arts Center) was so well received that Mayor Connelly,
sensing the need for a comprehensive arts program within the community, established the Fanwood
Cultural Arts Committee in March of 1999. The committee was originally a special mayor’s committeecomprised of volunteers appointed by Mayor Connelly and chaired by long-time Fanwood resident Adele
Kenny. In June of 2005, Fanwood Mayor Colleen Mahr changed the name of the committee to Fanwood
Arts Council . Also in 2005, Fanwood resident Tom Plante was appointed Arts Council Co-Director withAdele Kenny. The Arts Council’s goals and mission remain the same. Both projects are home-based at the
Kuran Arts Center.
The Carriage House Poetry Series, while remaining independent and under Adele Kenny’s direction,
currently functions as a satellite project of the Arts Council. It has featured some of the finest
contemporary poets, including a Pulitzer Prize winner, a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, a National Book Award winner, an American Book Award winner, and four-time National Poetry Slamwinner. Numerous other poets have included NJ State Arts Council fellowship recipients, Geraldine R.
Dodge Foundation poets, Pushcart Prize recipients, and winners of other honors and awards. While theseries is now nationally known for its high caliber, it is not an elitist project – distinguished local andregional poets are invited to feature, and open readings follow most features to offer audience members
performance opportunities.
From its Poetry Series momentum in 1998 to the present, the Arts Council has presented and scheduled
scores of events (see list on pages 7-15), and scheduling is ongoing. Events have included multi-cultural
and multi-disciplinary arts festivals, art shows, dance programs (including classical and folk ballet, East
Indian, Irish, Chinese and international folk dance), instrumental and vocal music (for several years anannual “Bandstand Concert”), and student performances.
Appointment & Funding
The Mayor appoints Arts Council members. An annual budget for the combined projects is
provided by the Fanwood Borough Council, for which the Arts Council remains profoundly
grateful. Additional funding over the years has come from the NJ State Arts Council, UnionCounty Freeholder grants, donations from Merck & Company, grants from the ScotchPlains-Fanwood Service League, the Fanwood Recycling Association, and through donations
from local individuals and merchants.
ContentsPage
History 2Appointment & Funding 2
Programming 3
Meetings & Calendar 3Awards 3
Goals (Mission Statement) 4Arts Council & Poetry Series Online 4Carriage House Series Book 5
2011 Arts Council Members 6
Events 1998-Present 7-15A Brief History of The Carriage House 16
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Programming
All programs are family-oriented, and admission is always free. TheArts Council provides programming as a service to the community and
for guests who attend from other towns. (Please note: The Fanwood
Performance Series is a recent and separate entity and does not
function in collaboration with the Arts Council in any way.)
Meetings & Calendar
The Arts Council meets as needed. Recognizing that all members are volunteers with busy schedules,meetings are only called when necessary – we do not meet merely for the sake of having meetings.
With a few special exceptions, there are generally no Arts Council events held in January, July, andAugust – these are the severest weather months, and we seek to conserve energy by not using fans or
heating the Kuran Center during these months. Arts Council events are scheduled periodically and, when
possible, in conjunction with Poetry Series events.
The Carriage House Poetry Series readings were held on the second Thursday for the first eight years, but
because of Fanwood’s Municipal Court schedule and related parking issues, the schedule has been
changed to the third Tuesday.
No Arts Council or Carriage House Poetry Series events were held between July 2007 and February 2008during restorations to the Kuran Center.
The Arts Council’s annual Bandstand Concert was incorporated into the annual Fanny Wood Day
celebration for several years (the Arts Council provided and paid for a musical group to perform at anumber of Fanny Wood Day events), but this has recently been taken over by the Fanwood PerformanceSeries. This was not an Arts Council decision, and the Council was sorry to discontinue this service.
Awards
The Fanwood Arts Council has been honored with:
• a special resolution from the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders (1999),
• the Scotch Plains/Fanwood Times “Best Of” Award for the best cultural arts program (2001),
• a State and General Assembly resolution (by Senator Scutari, Assemblyman Green, and
Assemblywoman Stender), which noted, “Whereas, throughout a decade, the leaders andmembers of the Carriage House Poetry Series have worked tirelessly and prolifically in benefit of their community, and are acknowledged and saluted for the exemplary dedication and motivation
that have contributed to the project’s sterling reputation.” (2008),
• a resolution from the Fanwood Mayor and Borough Council, presented by Mayor Colleen Mahr (2008).
• and Arts Council director Adele Kenny was honored with a Women of Excellence Award (Union
County Commission on the Status of Women) in part for her volunteer work with the ArtsCouncil and Carriage House Poetry Series (2011).
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Arts Council and Carriage House Poetry Series Goals (Mission Statement)
• To maintain a cultural arts program that will provide a wide range of arts experiences for
Fanwood’s residents as well as for visitors from other communities; to put Fanwood on New
Jersey’s “cultural map.”
• To create a venue in which New Jersey artists, and artists from other geographic areas, will bringtheir particular gifts and talents to the public.
• To preserve and protect the Kuran Arts Center (formerly the Fanwood Carriage House), and tomaintain its character and integrity, understanding that it is first and foremost one of Fanwood’simportant historic sites and a vulnerable architectural treasure.
• To present programs that will encourage arts awareness, appreciation, education, and participation.
• To work cooperatively with the Fanwood Mayor and Council and other Borough commissions andcommittees for the benefit of local residents and guests to our community.
Fanwood Arts Council & Carriage House Poetry Series Online
Carriage House Poetry Series Website:
http://carriagehousepoetryseries.blogspot.com/
Our Videos on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29-iGfFD9dUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhNWBCDGfwQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ot7cTRP4qTk
The Carriage House Poetry Series on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_222821817728963
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Carriage House Poetry Series Book
Muse-Pie Press, Publisher
Publication Date: December 2008
ISBN: 978-0-918453-22-8
Perfect Bound
$12.00
Order from the Publisher:http://www.musepiepress.com/publications.html
NOTE: This book was professionally printed, bound, and published by Muse-
Pie Press, a literary small press inPassaic, NJ, solely on the basis of literary
merit and at no cost to the Borough of
Fanwood (without grants, donations, or
any other local funding sources).
Poems by selected poets who featured in the series 1998-2008: Renée Ashley, Amanda Berry, Laura Boss,
Robert Carnevale, Catherine Doty, Stephen Dunn, D. M. Dutcher, Martin Jude Farawell, Adam Fitzgerald,Sondra Gash, Maria Mazziotti Gillan, Therése Halscheid, Lois Marie Harrod, Penny Harter, William J.Higginson, David Keller, Adele Kenny, Gina Larkin, Deborah LaVeglia, Diane Lockward, John McDermott,
Peter Murphy, Priscilla Orr, Alicia Ostriker, Rev. Alex D. Pinto, Tom Plante, R. G. Rader, Linda Radice,
Christine Redman-Waldeyer, Susanna Rich, Edwin Romond, Gwen Samuels, Nancy Scott, Gerald Stern,Carole Stone, Madeline Tiger, BJ Ward, Joe Weil, Jack Wiler, Gretna Wilkinson, & Sander Zulauf.
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2011
Fanwood Arts Council
Members
Adele Kenny
Arts Council Director
Carriage House Poetry Series Director
Phone: 908-889-7223
Email: [email protected]
Tom Plante
Arts Council Co-Director
Publicist
Phone: 908-889-5298
Email: [email protected]
Kathy Mitchell
Borough Council Liaison
Phone: 908-322-9410Email: [email protected]
Carol Oakes
Secretary
Phone: 908-322-6238
Rev. Alex Pinto
Email: NonePhone: 732-382-7642
Linda Radice
Phone: 908-313-6443Email: [email protected]
Gary Szelc
Phone: 908-889-7791
Email: [email protected]
George Weiss
Videographer & Member Emeritus
Email: NonePhone: 908-889-1752
David Blechinger
Fanwood Performance Series Director
Phone: 908-322-2468Email: [email protected]
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Fanwood Arts Council
&
Carriage House Poetry Series Events
December 1998 - Present
1998
1. December 10, 1998
Carriage House Poetry Series
Inaugural EventFeaturing National Book Award Winner,Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets,
Gerald Stern
1999
2. February 11, 1999
Carriage House Poetry SeriesFeaturing Stephen Dunn (Pulitzer Prize in 2001)
March 1999
Arts Council & Carriage House Poetry Series
NOTE: Mayor Maryann Connelly established the Fanwood Cultural Arts Committee, a special
mayor’s Committee, to be home-based at the
Kuran Arts Center. Adele Kenny was appointed
director.
The Carriage House Poetry Series, the success of
which inspired the establishment of an arts
committee, is designated to function as an
independent project under Adele’s leadership but
will operate under the auspices of the Arts
Committee with which it will share its budget.
Under Mayor Colleen Mahr, the name of this
committee was changed to “Fanwood Arts
Council” in June of 2005 at which time Tom
Plante was appointed Co-Director of the Arts
Council with Adele Kenny. (Adele remains sole
director of the Carriage House Poetry Series.)
3. March 11, 1999
Carriage House Poetry Series
Featuring Renee Ashley
4. May 13, 1999
Carriage House Poetry SeriesFeaturing David Keller & Maria Gillan
5. June 19, 1999
Carriage House Poetry SeriesFeaturing Alicia Ostriker
6. September 23, 1999
Carriage House Poetry SeriesFeaturing Sander Zulauf & R. G. Rader
7. September 26, 1999
Fanny Wood/Carriage House Poetry Awards in
Conjunction with the Annual Fanny Wood Day
Celebration; Presentation of Awards at the
Fanwood Clock.Judges: Tom Plante & Alex Pinto (167 entries)First Place: Deborah LaVeglia (Cranford)
Second Place: Stuart Leonard (Westfield)Third Place (tie): Robert Selig (Westfield)
and Erin O’Brien (Westfield)
Honorable Mention: John McDermott (Cranford)Special Award for a Poem about Fanny Wood:
Barbara Swindlehurst (Fanwood)
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8. October 2, 9,19,16, 1999
Arts Council & Carriage House Poetry SeriesSaturday Morning Writing Workshops at the
Carriage House in Observation of National Arts &Humanities Month; Participants ranged from Teens
to Seniors; Funded by HEART grant (written by
Adele Kenny), coordinated by Adele Kenny andfeaturing guest instructors
9. October 10, 1999
Arts Council
Multi-Cultural Festival (An All-Day Event Indoorsand Outside under the Rented tent)
Featuring Dance, Music, Vocals, & InternationalFood Booths: Italian/Neapolitan Vocal &
Instrumental Music, Asian Indian BhangraDancers, Hispanic Dance (Ballet Folklorico), Irish
Dance, Chinese Vocal Music & Dance, and
African-American Gospel Singers
10. October 26, 1999
Arts Council & Carriage House Poetry SeriesFeaturing Poets from the Can of Corn Poetry
Project/Food Collection for the Homeless(benefitting the Fanwood Presbyterian Church &
the Elizabeth Coalition for the Homeless)
11. November 18, 1999
Carriage House Poetry SeriesFeaturing BJ Ward & Catherine Doty
12. December 5, 1999
Arts CouncilFanwood’s Winter Festival at the Train Station in
Conjunction with the Holiday and Winter Decorating Committee. The Arts Council provideda two-hour musical concert.
Featuring vocalist/musician Billy Populus.
2000
13. February 14, 2000
Arts CouncilSweetheart NightFeaturing Lyric Soprano Sheila Lounsberry &
Pianist John Bauers
14. March 16, 2000
Carriage House Poetry SeriesFeaturing Penny Harter & William Higginson
15. April 13, 2000
Carriage House Poetry ReadingFeaturing Charlie Mosler
16. May 18, 2000
Carriage House Poetry Series
Featuring Maria Gillan & Laura Boss
17. June 11, 2000
Arts Council
Multi-Disciplinary Festival & Art Show,
Afternoon-long, Indoors & OutdoorsFeaturing Ten Performers & Various Art Exhibits,
including Bagpipe & Drum Performance, DavidIszard Jazz Quartet, Kelly School of Irish Dance,
Al Madison Singing Blues & Soul, the 4-LifeAlternative Rock Band, an “On the Green” Art
Show (Scotch Plains-Fanwood Art Association),
T’ai Chi Demonstration & Instruction, aWandering Minstrel, Face Painting, and the“Balloon Man”
18. June 15, 2000
Carriage House Poetry SeriesFeaturing Joe Weil & Deborah LaVeglia
19. September, 14, 2000
Arts Council
Instrumental Music Featuring Students from theScotch Plains/ Fanwood High School Jazz Band
20. November 16, 2000
Arts CouncilArt Exhibit/Slide Show/Lecture
Featuring Internationally Acclaimed RealistPainter Maria Mijares
2001
21. February 14, 2001
Arts CouncilSweetheart Night
Featuring Students from the ScotchPlains/Fanwood High School Repertory Theater Singing Love Songs
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22. April 7, 2001
Arts Council & Carriage House Poetry SeriesPoetry Writing Workshop in Observance of
National Poetry Month Led by Adele Kenny andLaura Boss
23. May 10, 2001Arts CouncilHow To Write An Arts Grant (Workshop)Featuring Susan Cohen from the Union Country
Division of Cultural and Heritage Affairs
24. June 9, 2001
Carriage House Poetry SeriesFeaturing Students from Middlesex County Arts
High School
25. August 5, 2001
Arts CouncilFirst Annual Bandstand ConcertMusical Variety Show Featuring Five Vocal and
Instrumental Music Groups
26. October 11, 2001
Carriage House Poetry Series
Open Mic
27. December 13, 2001
Arts Council & Carriage House Poetry SeriesMusic & Words Concert
Featuring Students from the ScotchPlains/Fanwood High School Band and Student
Writers (Poetry and Short Stories) from ScotchPlains/Fanwood High School
2002
28. February 14, 2002
Arts Council & Carriage House Poetry Series
Sweetheart Night
Featuring Al Madison Singing Blues Style LoveSongs
& Joe Weil Reading Poems of Love and Loss
29. March 23, 2002
Arts CouncilOpen Mic Instrumental Music Concert Featuring
Local Musicians Recommended by The ScotchPlains Music Store (Park Avenue) with Outdoor
Exhibit of Photographs by Local Photographers
30. April 30, 2002
Carriage House Poetry Series National Poetry Month Observance
Featuring Deborah LaVeglia & Tom Plante
31. May 9, 2002
Carriage House Poetry SeriesOpen Mic
32. September 22, 2002
Arts Council
Bandstand ConcertMusical Variety Show Featuring VariousPerformers: The Bantry Boys, Al Madison, Torch
Singers (Vocals & Instrumentals, Joe Weil &Deborah LaVeglia), and Students from the Scotch
Plains/Fanwood High School Chorus
33. December 12, 2002
Carriage House Poetry Series
Featuring Haiku and Short Poetry by Twelve Open
Readers
34. January 23, 2003Carriage House Poetry Series
Showcase of Union County Poets, Editors, andLiterary Journals
(Including Black Swan Review, Big Hammer,Journal of NJ Poets, Exit 13, and other Small PressJournals)
2003
35. February 11, 2003
Carriage House Poetry Series
Featuring Yictove
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36. March 15, 2003
Arts CouncilArts Symposium
Morning-Long Panel Discussions of Various ArtsModalities by Artists in Dance, Painting,
Literature, Photography, Instrumental Music, and
Vocal MusicFeaturing Instructors from Kean College
37. April 30, 2003
Carriage House Poetry Series
Nation Poetry Month ObservanceFeaturing Five Union County Poets
John McDermott, Joe Weil, Deborah LaVeglia,Tom Plante, and Adele Kenny (emcee)
38. May 17, 2003
Arts Council
How to Prepare a HEART Grant (Workshop)For All Union County Arts Modalities and ProjectsLed by Paula Long from the Union County
Division of Cultural and Heritage Affairs
39. December 9, 2003
Arts Council & Carriage House Poetry Series
Fifth Anniversary CelebrationFeaturing Music by Al Madison
& Open Mic for Poets
2004
40. April 13, 2004
Arts Council & Carriage House Poetry Series
National Poetry Month Salute to America’s Poets
Featuring Readings of Dickinson, Poe, Whitman,and Other American Poets by Edie Eustace
(Director of Poetswednesday at Barron Arts Center in Woodbridge)
41. May 11, 2004
Carriage House Poetry SeriesOpen Mic
42. June 8, 2004
Carriage House Poetry SeriesOpen Mic
43. September 9, 2004
Carriage House Poetry SeriesFeaturing BJ Ward
44. September 18, 2004
Arts CouncilBandstand Concert
Featuring Nashville and Disney Singer/Songwriter Mark Johnson
45. October 3, 2004Arts Council & Carriage House Poetry SeriesFanny Wood/Carriage House Poetry AwardsIn Conjunction with Fanny Wood Day
Judges: Tom Plante & Alex Pinto
(231 Entries)First Place: John Kenworthy (Elizabeth)
Second Place: Barbara Wirkus (Kenilworth)Third Place: Gary W. Szelc (Fanwood)
46. November 11, 2004
Carriage House Poetry Series
Open Mic
47. December 9, 2004
Carriage House Poetry Series“A Celebration of Regulars”
Featuring Open Mic Regulars
2005
48. March 8, 2005
Arts Council & Carriage House Poetry Series
Reading of Famous Poets Works by Selected
Regular Attendees
49. April 9, 2005
Carriage House Poetry Series
Poetry Workshop in Observance of NationalPoetry Month
Led by Tom Plante
50. April 12, 2005
Carriage House Poetry Series
Featuring Winners of the 2004 FannyWood/Carriage House Poetry Contest: JohnKenworthy, Barbara Wirkus, & Gary Szelc
51. May 5, 2005
Carriage House Poetry Series
Featuring Renee Ashley
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62. April 21, 2006
Arts Council & Carriage House Poetry Series“Festival of Famous Poets”
Gala Costume Party and Reading in Observance of National Poetry Month
Featuring
Master of Ceremonies Li Bai (Robert Chang)Elizabeth I (Adele Kenny)Walt Whitman (Tom Plante)Anne Sexton (Deborah LaVeglia)
Gwendolyn Brooks (Gwen Samuels)
Gerard Manley Hopkins (Rev. Alex D. Pinto)Emily Dickinson (Amanda Berry)
Lord Byron (R. G. Rader)Arthur Rimbaud (Adam Fitzgerald)
William Butler Yeats (John McDermott)Elizabeth Barrett Browning (Penny Harter)
Robert Browning (William J. Higginson)
Dylan Thomas (Joe Weil)(Open Mic after Show for Audience Members inCostume)
63. April 30, 2006
Arts CouncilAn Afternoon of Chinese Music and Dance
Featuring the Chinese-American Music and DanceEnsembles (Chinese & Western songs sung by
Children, and Chinese Folk Dances from Various
Provinces in China)
64. May 2, 2006Carriage House Poetry Series
Publication Reading for Tiferet Journal (a national poetry journal)
Featuring Distinguished Poets Whose PoemsAppear in the Current Issue
65. May 11, 2006
Carriage House Poetry SeriesFeaturing Therese Halscheid
66. June 8, 2006
Arts Council & Carriage House Poetry Series“Music and Words”
Featuring Deborah LaVeglia, and Gloria HealyWith Music by Evan LaVeglia & Joe Weil
67. September 14, 2006
Carriage House Poetry SeriesFeaturing Diane Lockward
68. October 12, 2006
Carriage House Poetry SeriesFeaturing Robert Carnevale
69. November 9, 2006
Carriage House Poetry Series
Publication Reading for 5th Anniversary Issue of Edison Literary Review Featuring Editor Gina Larkin, Tony Gruenewald,John Larkin, and Other Poets from the Anniversary
Issue
70. December 2, 2006
Arts CouncilHoliday Concert
Featuring the SomerTomesBarbershop Style Singers
71. December 7, 2006Carriage House Poetry SeriesEighth Anniversary Celebration
Featuring Renee Ashley and Peter Murphy
2007
72. February 13, 2007
Carriage House Poetry Series
Celebration of Black History Month
Featuring Gretna Wilkinson & Gwen Samuels
73. March 13, 2007
Carriage House Poetry Series
Featuring Susanna Rich
74. April 30, 2007
Carriage House Poetry Series“Celebrating Seniors”
National Poetry Month Observance
Featuring New York City Octogenarian Author and Playwright Marvin Cohen with CharlesDeFanti, Ph.D. reading from Plays by Marvin
Cohen (some produced by Plays in the Park)
75. May 8, 2007
Carriage House Poetry SeriesFeaturing Jack Wiler
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76. June 12, 2007
Carriage House Poetry Series“Sonnets, Sestinas, and Villanelles”
Formal Poetry: Lecture and ReadingFeaturing British Poet Anna Evans
77. September 30, 2007 (Fanny Wood Day)Arts CouncilBandstand ConcertFull Count Band Provided by The Arts Council
As Part of the Fanny Wood Day Celebration
Downtown Fanwood (Not in the Kuran Center)
NOTE: No events were scheduled to be held in the
Kuran Center (Carriage House) from July 2007
through February 2008 during the Kuran Center
restorations. The annual Arts Council bandstand
concert for 2007 was incorporated into Fanwood’s
Fanny Wood Day on September 30 th.
2008
78. March 11, 2008
Carriage House Poetry Series
Featuring Nancy Scott & Lois Marie Harrod
79. April 11, 2008
Arts CouncilFolk Dance Recital
Featuring the Morristown Folk Dancers
Performance, Instruction, and AudienceParticipation
80. April 25, 2008
Carriage House Poetry Series“Gothic”: A celebration of the Gothic Tradition in
LiteratureGala Costume Performance and Reading National Poetry Month Observance
Featuring
Bob Carnevale, Catherine Doty, Adele Kenny,Diane Lockward, Tom Plante, Alex Pinto, &Susanna Rich
(Open Reading after Show for Audience Members
in Costume)
81. May 20, 2008
Carriage House Poetry Series
Featuring Priscilla Orr
82. June 17, 2008
Carriage House Poetry SeriesFeaturing Martin Farawell
Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation Poetry ProgramDirector
83. July 15, 2008Carriage House Poetry Series20th Anniversary CelebrationFor Fanwood-Based Literary Journal Exit 13
84. September 16, 2008
Carriage House Poetry Series
Featuring Christine Redman-Waldeyer
85. September 21, 2008
Arts Council
Bandstand Concert
In Conjunction with Annual Fanny Wood DayArts Council Provided Full Count Band Again AsPart of the Downtown Festivities
86. October 21, 2008
Carriage House Poetry Series“An Evening with Muse-Pie Press”
Featuring R. G. Rader, Owner/Publisher Discussion and Reading
87. November 18, 2008
Carriage House Poetry Series
Featuring Carole Stone & Deborah LaVeglia
88. December 16, 2008
Arts Council & Carriage House Poetry Series
Carriage House Series 10th
AnniversaryCelebrationand Book Launch for The Carriage House Poetry
Series Anthology
Featuring Jazz Singer Denise DeLeo &Accompanists on Guitar and BassReadings by Poets in the Anthology
2009
89. February 17, 2009
Carriage House Poetry Series
Featuring James HabaDirector of the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry
Program (1986-2008)
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106. December 14, 2010
Arts Council & Carriage House Poetry SeriesCarriage House Series 12
thAnniversary
CelebrationFeaturing Brian Celardo (Vocal & Instrumental
Music)
and Performance Readings from the Works of Robert Service by Raymond S. Londa, Esq.
2011
107. February 15, 2011
Arts Council & Carriage House Poetry Series
“Sweetheart Night”
Taylor Mali & Marie-Elizabeth Mali
108. March 15, 2011
Carriage House Poetry SeriesFeaturing John Wareham
109. March 20, 2011 Arts CouncilVocal & Instrumental Music Concert
Featuring Kenny Woods
110. April 19, 2011
Carriage House Poetry Series
Featuring Gail Fishman Gerwin & John Amen
111. May 17, 2011
Carriage House Poetry SeriesRobert Carnevale & Madeline Tiger
112. June 21, 2011
Carriage House Poetry SeriesFeaturing Patricia Smith
113. September 20, 2011
Carriage House Poetry SeriesFeaturing Laura Boss
114. October 18, 2011
Arts Council & Carriage House Poetry Series
“Zen-like Poems with Music”Featuring Music by Massachusetts Trombonist andComposer Jeremy Starpoli with Zen Poems byAuthor Vincent Tripi
115. November 15, 2011
Carriage House Poetry Series
Featuring Edwin Romond & Diane Lockward
116. December 13, 2011
Arts Council & Carriage House Poetry Series
“Renaissance Night at the Carriage House”
Proposed FeaturesRenaissance Harpist
• Odarka Stockert
Renaissance Troubadour • (Portrayed by Edmund Baranowski)
Renaissance Poet Richard Herrick • (Portrayed by R. G. Rader)
Renaissance Poet Christopher Marlowe• (Portrayed by Gary Szelc)
Shakespeare’s Dark Lady• (Portrayed by Linda Radice)
Renaissance Monk Singing Gregorian Chants
• (Portrayed by Rev. Alex D. Pinto)Renaissance Poet Emilia Lanier
• (Portrayed by Diane Lockward)Elizabeth I
• (Emcee, Portrayed by Adele Kenny)Details TBA
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A Brief History
of The Fanwood Carriage House
Built in circa 1750, one of the first buildings on theCarriage House site in Fanwood, New Jersey was a
humble pre-Revolutionary War farmhouse. The
identity of the first owners is unknown. During themid-nineteenth century, the farmhouse underwentvarious changes and became a guesthouse for
visitors to the community. In time, a rear wing was
added, and as many as fifty guests could beaccommodated.
Modest beginnings notwithstanding, the changing structure grew to three stories and was distinguished by high
ceilings, wide floorboards, and decorative fireplaces. The realignment of the railroad tracks through the“Fanwood Cut” in 1874-75 brought new numbers of visitors to what was, at the time, a country area. Known
until circa 1890 as the Russell House, the guesthouse grew in popularity as a haven for city dwellers who
sought escape from the confines of urban areas during the hot summer months and as a picturesque site for spring, autumn, and winter retreats.
The Boucher family (two maiden sisters and their brother) purchased the property around 1890 and renamed it
“The Homestead.” A large dining room was designed and became the center for musical evenings, dances, andother social events for guests and invited townspeople. Tennis courts and croquet areas were also added for theguests’ entertainment.
The Homestead included several out-buildings and a carriage house (now known as The Patricia M. KuranCultural Arts Center) that functioned as a barn for horses and as a storage facility for the carriages needed to
transport visitors to and from the railroad station. The nineteenth century building had sliding barn doors and
double-hinged doors with Italianate paneling and, although portions of the original carriage house no longer exist, the structure’s unique Gothic Revival architecture, brick and stone foundation, board and batten siding,
grain bins, and horse stalls remain intact. Two Victorian Era carriages also survive and are displayed annuallyduring the December holiday season.
After the deaths of the Bouchers, around 1931, the Slocum family purchased the property and proceeded with
significant alterations in order to remodel the structure for residential living. Much of the Homestead buildingwas eliminated, including the rear wing and the wide porches that surrounded it.
When the Slocums moved away in 1974, the property (including the Carriage House) was purchased by theBorough of Fanwood. It was hoped that the Homestead might be utilized as a new Borough Hall; however,after considerable study and debate, the building was found unsuitable and was finally demolished in 1978. In
1979, through a campaign spearheaded by former Fanwood Mayor Patricia M. Kuran, the Fanwood BoroughCouncil voted to save the Carriage House. Rededicated in January 1999, the Carriage House is now called the
Patricia M. Kuran Cultural Arts Center and has been designated for limited cultural arts use. Protection and
preservation of the historic building are always a priority.
Recent renovations to the Carriage House include a new staircase, installation of fire safety features, updatedlighting, and a patio on the Borough Hall side of the building. A $50,000 grant made extensive interior
restoration possible during 2007.
Facing Watson Road, across from Carriage House Park, on the grounds of Borough Hall, the Carriage House isnow part of Fanwood’s local historic district and all that remains of the Homestead property.