EVENTS 2016

 
JANUARY 2016
ARTICLE AND PHOTO MONTAGES: JANUARY ISSUE OF THE WORLD & I MAGAZINE "MYSTERIOUS MEGALITHS OF PORTUGAL" By Iris Brooks Photos by Jon H. Davis and Iris Brooks
The word “megalith” comes from the Greek for “great stones,” and there are many types imbued with religious and symbolic meanings, both known and unknown. I discover a dolmen is thought to be a burial site for community leaders, while a cromlech is a sanctuary and gathering place on the winter and summer solstice and for other ancient rituals around a grouping of elliptical stones. In contrast, a menhir, or “standing stone” is a solitary, naturally shaped, phallic rock most likely associated with fertility rites. The word “menhir,” translating as “long stone,” comes from the language of Breton. As I consider the idea of distant messages embedded in stone, the only thing audible on my megalith tour of sacred sites is the gentle patter of rain and the voice of Libanio Murteira Reis, my excellent cultural guide in southern Portugal, bringing history alive as he imparts startling facts, such as evidence of human existence in this area, dating back 100,000 years. -Iris Brooks
TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE, CLICK HEREMysterious_Megaliths.htmlshapeimage_5_link_0
“Men have collected stones since the beginning of time and have apparently assumed that certain ones were the containers of the spirit of the life-force with all its mystery.”  -Carl Jung
Cave Art from Escoural, circa 25,000 BC and Stone Circle from Alemendres, circa 7,000 BC Photographs by Jon H. Davis and Iris Brooks © 2015
FACE - TO - FACE FOOD AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT FORUM UNITED NATIONS - ECOSOC Chamber, New York City January 18, 2016 Internationally acclaimed chefs, the Roca Brothers (Joan, Jordi, and Josep) from El Cellar de Can Roca restaurant in Girona, Spain, spoke eloquently about renewed levels of engagement regarding alleviating hunger worldwide along with a commitment to environmental protection. Their innovative research exploring gastro-botanical use of culinary traditions, introducing wild and forgotten plants species, and a creative approach to food education leading to more nutritional advances, were all part of this presentation. NORTHERN LIGHTS STUDIO was honored to attend this informative and worthy event.  -Iris Brooks
“Food is not just about eating; what we buy has repercussions and an open mind will help future generations.” - Jordi Roca
“Gastronomy can promote sustainability and raise awareness.” - Joan Roca
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FEBRUARY 2016
Photographs by Jon H. Davis © 2016
ARTICLE AND PHOTO MONTAGES: FEBRUARY ISSUE OF THE WORLD & I MAGAZINE "PORTUGAL'S MAGIC CARPETS: AN ENDANGERED ART FORM" By Iris Brooks Photos by Jon H. Davis and Iris Brooks
TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE, CLICK HERETravel_Features.htmlshapeimage_22_link_0
MARCH 2016
ARTICLE AND PHOTO MONTAGES: MARCH ISSUE OF THE WORLD & I MAGAZINE "WHARTON ESHERICK: VISIONARY AMERICAN ARTIST" (An excerpt of the feature article appears below.) By Iris Brooks Photos by Jon H. Davis and Iris Brooks
“If I can’t make something beautiful out of what I find in my own backyard, I had better not make anything.” -Wharton Esherick
Wharton Esherick (1887-1970) designed and created pieces for particular people and places, while balancing aesthetic and structural concerns. He blurred lines between art and craft as his imagination soared, coupled with finely honed skills, creating an impressive, integrated, and distinct body of work. He was a creative thinker, free from societal and artistic constraints, imparting a widespread influence on younger artists, designers, and craftspeople while being true to his imaginative and inventive perspective and aesthetic.  Esherick's work–from hand-crafted spiral oak staircases and artfully designed music stands to his organic sculptures–led to a renaissance of high-end, hand craftsmanship in the United States. Today the Wharton Esherick Museum, designated a National Historic Landmark for Architecture, is a hidden gem west of Philadelphia, where tours lend insight into this artist, who integrated his life with his art and craft. 
“If it isn’t fun, it isn’t worth doing.”  -Wharton Esherick

APRIL 2016

ARTICLE AND PHOTO MONTAGES: APRIL ISSUE OF THE WORLD & I MAGAZINE "CULINARY HERITAGE OF THE ALGARVE & BEYOND" By Iris Brooks Photos by Jon H. Davis and Iris Brooks
Olive oil–once considered an elixir of youth–has a tradition dating back to 3000 BC in the Mediterranean region, when it was thought to be a most “sacred oil.” In addition to its divine associations, it was called upon for food, as a light source, as massage oil, and for its therapeutic properties (in the Algarve it is blended with lemon juice as a home remedy for gallstones). In Portugal, there were royal decrees regulating the cultivation and grafting of olive trees in the early 1800s and today Portugal is the fourth largest producer of olive oil in the world. 
Traditional Olive Oil Press
The olives (hand-picked in the autumn) are cleaned, pressed, and ground on a granite stone mill before extraction, filtration, and bottling. For a glimpse into the history and process of creating olive oil you may visit a small producer, agricultural cooperative, or go to the Olive Oil Museum in Moura, a region with a designated protection of origin for olive oil.
I return to New York juggling jars of artisanal honey, a bottle of prized olive oil, and native cork canisters filled with premium salt. But the flavors and culinary heritage of southern Portugal are not limited to the items in my hand luggage. The tastes–of everything from satisfying pumpkin or partridge soup to succulent pomegranate–will stay alive alongside my sweet and spicy memories of agri-tourism experiences throughout the Algarve region.   -Iris Brooks
“Fruit and bread keep you healthy and fed.” -Portuguese Proverb

FACE-TO-FACE

PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

ANCIENT CHINESE ARTS                                              PHOTOGRAPHS © JON H. DAVIS & IRIS BROOKS

Philadelphia is a city in which to celebrate the history of the country as well as view world class art. The 140-year-old Philadelphia Museum of Art (the 3rd largest art museum in the country) boasts over 200 galleries with a vast and diverse collection, housing everything from ancient armor and a medieval cloister to Dutch tiles, Shaker furniture, and Chinese incense burners as well as the current exhibit on the International Pop Art movement with iconic works by Jasper Johns,  Andy Warhol, and Yoko Ono.

TWENTIETH CENTURY ART                                          PHOTOGRAPHS © JON H. DAVIS & IRIS BROOKS

While the museum is well stocked with European art from many centuries, I am particularly drawn to the simple, yet soulful sculpture of Constantin Brancusi (1876-1957). Inspired by myth and folklore, he created work with a sense of timelessness. Brancusi shines a light on the essence of his subjects, regardless of the medium he chooses.  


-Iris Brooks

"Simplicity

is not an objective

in art,


but one achieves

simplicity

despite one's self


by entering into the

real sense of things." 


                   -Constantin Brancusi

©  IRIS BROOKS

READ THE ENTIRE FEATURE HERE

JUNE 2016

ARTICLE AND PHOTO MONTAGES:

MAY ISSUE OF THE WORLD & I MAGAZINE

"TRADITIONAL JAPANESE GARDENS"


By Iris Brooks

Photos by Jon H. Davis and Iris Brooks

http://www.worldandi.com/images_archive/307001l.jpg

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

ARTICLE AND SELECTED PHOTOGRAPHS:

SPRING ISSUE OF CIDERCRAFT MAGAZINE

“INTO THE MYSTIQUE:

CELEBRATING THE LEGEND AND TRADITIONS OF THE APPLE”


By Iris Brooks

Photos by Jon H. Davis

MAY 2016

FILM SCREENINGS:

EAR INNternational Home Movie Festival

EAR INN 326 SPRING STREET, NYC

SATURDAY MAY 28th - 8PM


SHORT FILMS By Iris Brooks & Jon H. Davis

FILM INSTALLATION:

GARNER ARTS FESTIVAL 2016

55 W. RAILROAD AVE, GARNERVILLE, NY

SATURDAY / SUNDAY MAY 21 & 22 - 11AM-6PM


VIDEO INSTALLATION BY ERIC DAVID LAXMAN

IN COLLABORATION WITH IRIS BROOKS & JON H. DAVIS

JULY 2016

FILM SCREENING & CROSS CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES WORLD MUSIC AND COLOR PRESENTATION:

BORNEO & BEYOND: The Rainforest World Music Festival

and "A WORLD VIEW OF COLOR,"

An Interactive Program

Fairleigh Dickinson University

Teaneck, New Jersey

PHOTOGRAPHS © JON H. DAVIS & IRIS BROOKS

FILM SCREENING & CROSS CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES

LANGUAGE PRESENTATIONS:

LANGUAGES LOST AND FOUND: Speaking & Whistling the Mamma Tongue

AWAKENING LANGUAGES: A Personal Exploration, Sharing, and Questioning

An Interactive Program

Fairleigh Dickinson University

Teaneck, New Jersey

CLICK HERE TO ORDER

AUGUST 2016

ARTICLE:


SUMMER ISSUE OF CIDERCRAFT MAGAZINE

"CIDER FOR BODY & SOUL"


By Iris Brooks

PHOTO © JON H. DAVIS

TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE, CLICK HERE

FACE-TO-FACE:

TREKONDEROGA

Ticonderoga, New York


CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF STAR TREK

Photos and Montage by Jon H. Davis & Iris Brooks

Celebrating 50 years of Star Trek on the bridge of the USS ENTERPRISE-1701 at TREKONDEROGA in Ticonderoga, New York, was a dream-come-true for many devoted fans of the original television series. They came from far and wide to see the meticulously crafted original series set tour and all its various components, as it appeared in the groundbreaking Sci-Fi drama, which had a three year run before it was canceled. The re-creation of the Desilu Studio set was the dream of James Cawley and came into being through his hard work, along with many other devoted fans, as well as assistance from a number of key personnel involved in the original series production. 


If you would like to beam in for a CBS licensed, personalized tour—which is about as close to time traveling as you're likely to get—visit the official website (trekonderoga.com) for further details and directions to the studio, located in the Adirondack region of New York.


-Jon H. Davis

SEPTEMBER 2016

ARTICLE AND PHOTO MONTAGES:

SEPTEMBER ISSUE OF THE WORLD & I MAGAZINE

"EXPLORING SAN FRANCISCO"


By Iris Brooks

Photos by Jon H. Davis and Iris Brooks


I am intrigued by San Francisco, a multicultural city where I encounter kinetic art by Theo Jansen, a prominent Dutch sculptor with an exhibit at the stimulating Exploratorium museum, stay at a charming French, boutique Cornell Hotel de France, offering fine dining and an eye for art, and enjoy island views on a cruise, serving as a reminder of Native American history.

 

-Iris Brooks

“San Francisco is one of the great cultural plateaus of the world–one of the really urbane communities in the United States–one of the truly cosmopolitan places for many, many years. It always has had a warm welcome for human beings from all over the world.”


-Duke Ellington

Jazz Musician

OCTOBER 2016

ARTICLE & PHOTO MONTAGES:

OCTOBER ISSUE OF THE WORLD & I MAGAZINE

"NEW ENGLAND’S MYSTIC SEAPORT:

The Museum of America and the Sea"


By Iris Brooks

Photos by Jon H. Davis and Iris Brooks

        A visit to the Mystic Seaport is a chance to immerse oneself in maritime culture at a living museum with stories of ages past, village shops of yesteryear, and contemporary crafts with a nautical theme. It’s also an opportunity to climb aboard and walk the decks of a well-seasoned, wooden ship, experiencing a historic vessel while inhaling the scent of the saltwater.

       


        Mystic Seaport is a not-for-profit, educational institution open year-round. Its wealth of offerings, remind us of our history, introducing new ideas, concepts, and art. We may be aware that clipper ships (graceful, streamlined boats built for speed and "going at a clip") with names like David Crockett, Red Jacket, Lightning, and Flying Cloud, have been used to transport people (prospectors traveling from the East Coast to San Francisco during the Gold Rush) and products (time-sensitive, fresh tea from China). We can reflect on this while viewing everything from postcards to refined oil paintings of the clippers on exhibit at the Seaport, but many lesser-known facts are also revealed.

       


        Sea life may have hitched a ride on a ship. Known as "blue immigrants," new marine species such as sea snails like the European Common Periwinkle along with the Asian Shore Crab, and Green Crabs, said to devour everything in sight, arrived in this country, sometimes competing for local food sources. Dead Man's Fingers, a type of seaweed, migrated from Japan to Europe and then the United States, impacting scallop fisheries. Immigration from a crustacean's point of view is something I never considered before. And I welcome the new perspectives on marine life and its impact on society, introduced at the Seaport.

  "The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever."

   -Jacques Cousteau

"I feel there is something almost sacred about building a boat . . .


It is almost like creating a living being,

a boat seems to have a soul

and character all her own."

 -John Guzzwell

       "The sea is everything.

       It covers seven tenths of the terrestrial globe.

       Its breath is pure and healthy.

       It is an immense desert, where man is never lonely,

       for he feels life stirring on all sides."

         -Jules Verne

Excerpted from an article, which originally appeared in the World & I magazine, October 2016

NOVEMBER 2016

ARTICLE & PHOTO MONTAGES:

NOVEMBER ISSUE OF THE WORLD & I MAGAZINE

"A CULINARY ADVENTURE:

Oregon’s Rogue Valley"


By Iris Brooks

Photos by Jon H. Davis and Iris Brooks

A greater diversity of berries is found in the Pacific Northwest than anywhere else in the world. The famed Marionberry (named after Marion County, Oregon where it was developed in 1956) is a cross between Chehalem and Oallie berries, but it is the ancient blackberry, written about since the 4th century B.C., which was used for its medicinal properties. It has been credited with healing infections, sore throats, and colds as well as for a pigment to dye textiles.

I learn the tayberry is a cross between the black raspberry and blackberry, but am more impressed with how the whole family pitches in at Pennington Farms. The father, Sam has quotes on a blackboard seeming more appropriate for a philosopher or Zen master than a farmer. Beneath the family history are Sam's thoughts. "No coulda, shoulda, woulda" appears in yellow chalk. Also written on another section of the giant blackboard along with an illustration is, "Hula girl says: Don't look back or you'll wipe out."


-Iris Brooks

CLICK IMAGE ABOVE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE 

ART EXHIBITION: HIDDEN WONDERS

MANDALA ART BY JON H. DAVIS

OPENING RECEPTION - SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 27,  4 - 6 PM


ROOST

623 MAIN STREET

SPARKILL, NEW YORK

DECEMBER 2016

ARTICLE & PHOTO MONTAGES:

DECEMBER ISSUE OF THE WORLD & I MAGAZINE

"THE ART OF CULTURAL CINEMA"


By Iris Brooks

Photos by Jon H. Davis and Iris Brooks

The Mead Festival, celebrating its 40th year of cultural cinema, had quite a variety of films aimed at reconnecting and rediscovering our common humanity as we rethink the world around us. There were 44 films from 50 countries screened during a weekend in October at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. I was particularly drawn to those dealing with endangered cultures, nomadic lifestyles, and indigenous music or ceremonies. Among the highlights were Reindeer in My Saami Heart (Sweden), Belen (Venezuela), and J.C. Abbey, Ghana's Puppeteer (Ghana).

-Iris Brooks

"Our humanity rests upon a series of learned behaviors, 

woven together into patterns that are infinitely fragile 

and never directly inherited."

-Margaret Mead

"If we are to achieve a richer culture, rich in contrasting values, 

we must recognize the whole gamut of human potentialities, 

and so weave a less arbitrary social fabric, one in which 

each diverse human gift will find a fitting place." 

-Margaret Mead, 

Anthropologist

Click here to read the full article in the December issue of the World & I.http://www.worldandi.com/subscribers/feature_detail.asp?num=30949