Seniors Become Consumer Scam Savvy

By Alexis Pencar

SHARON SPRINGS — The Sharon Springs Silver & Gold Senior Club kicked off the new year with an informative presentation about identity theft and consumer scams. The group welcomed Nicole McNamee-Wicks from the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General to its luncheon meeting at the Office for the Aging’s “Spa Ritz” meal site at the Sharon Springs Firehouse on January 10th.

Ms. McNamee-Wicks educated twenty seniors about identity theft, how to protect one’s personal information and what to do if one’s identity is stolen. She indicated individuals should visit IdentityTheft.gov to report an identity theft occurrence and obtain a personal recovery plan.

Ms. McNamee-Wicks also highlighted the emerging threat of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how it’s being exploited to make scams more convincing. She warned seniors to watch out for phishing attacks, family emergency scams and romance scams and shared some ways to protect oneself.

Silver & Gold seniors learned that the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging operates a toll-free Fraud Hotline 1-855-303-9470 where suspicious fraud activities can be reported. The Committee’s “Fighting Fraud” booklet is available at www.aging.senate.gov and educates consumers about common scams, red flags to watch for and tips to protect oneself against bad actors.

Area seniors interested in more information about the club should contact Anne Lennebacker, president, at (607) 547-9055.

Sharon Sr. Congregate Meal Site

Local residents are invited to enjoy good company and a noon-time meal year round (except holidays) at the Schoharie County OFA’s “Spa Ritz” Sr. Congregate Meal Site at the Firehouse (137 Beechwood Road) M-W-F. 8 oz of 1% milk is served with each meal. Orders for meals must be called into the OFA office at (518) 295-2001 before 2:00 PM. for the following day. Effective January 1st the suggested donation for those 60 years old and older is $5.00 per meal. Under age 60? You’re welcome to participate for a fee of $7.50 per meal.

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SSCS Update

Spelling bee at Sharon Springs Central School

By Tori Edwards 

SHARON SPRINGS — Sharon Springs Central School held their annual spelling bee on January 24th with Elizabeth Gokool as the winner of the event. Elizabeth will be representing SSCS at the Capital District Spelling Bee later this year. 

The second-place winner was Bailey Puding and Third place winner was Jack Flanagan. All competitors were fierce and persistent asking for the word to be placed in a sentence rather than being defined. Excellent job students! 

January 31st the Elementary students will hold their Morning program at 8am. The Sweetheart Dance for Kindergarten to 5th graders will be on February 7th from 6pm to 8pm $5 per family. There will be free refreshments with DJ Brian Keller bringing the music. This is brought to the students by the Sharon Springs PTO. Keep being resilient students! Let’s Go Spartans! 

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Statement from the Gathering Place

Dear Cobleskill Gathering Place Members:

This is Kim and I am reaching out to our Cobleskill Gathering Place community to address recent concerns stemming from an article published in this weeks Mountain Eagle. The article contains several inaccuracies and misleading claims, which we feel compelled to clarify.  Unfortunately, the misinformation originates from individuals who were only briefly associated with our organization. While this is disheartening, we remain steadfast in our mission and committed to the truth.

Let me assure you that The Cobleskill Gathering Place is thriving. Like any other nonprofit, we face challenges, but we continue to operate successfully and responsibly. To clarify our structure, The Cobleskill Gathering Place, The Oneonta Gathering Place, and The Everything Shoppes are all part of the Schoharie County Council of Senior Citizens, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization governed by a dedicated Board of Directors. I serve as the Executive Director/CEO, overseeing all operations with Board oversight.

Our organization has a proud history of 53 years operating in our community and employs 57 individuals, including 46 staff members contracted to Schoharie County Public Transportation and the Office for the Aging in order to assist the county in providing services which would not have been possible without our organization. We also own the Cobleskill Gathering Place building outright, further underscoring our stability and commitment to serving the community.

Since its inception in September 2020, The Gathering Place has focused on addressing the critical needs of our aging population. With the Board’s support, we have built vibrant centers that provide meaningful programs, activities, and services for our members. Our staff works tirelessly to ensure these offerings continue to enrich your lives, and I and the Board of Directors stand fully behind their dedication and efforts.

It is important to note that the Schoharie County Council of Senior Citizens, Inc. is a private nonprofit organization and not a membership-based entity. The memberships offered are specific to our centers. Our funding comes from donations, sponsorships, and grants, and we deeply appreciate the trust and generosity you have shown us.

Looking ahead, we have an exciting year planned, including 17 bus trips, two cruises, and an array of new programs and activities designed to promote healthy and active lifestyles. For those who have already renewed your membership for 2025, thank you! If you haven’t yet, we encourage you to do so and continue being part of this wonderful community.

We also want to extend an invitation to an upcoming members-only meeting, where we will address your questions. While certain matters may remain confidential, we will do our best to provide clarity and transparency. Details about the meeting will be shared soon.

On behalf of myself, our staff, and the Board of Directors, thank you for your ongoing support and trust. Together, we will continue to make The Gathering Place a vibrant and welcoming space for all.  Thank you.

Warm regards,

Kimberly Witkowski

Executive Director/CEO

Schoharie County Council of Senior Citizens, Inc.

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SUNY Cobleskill Names Taylor Meacham Fighting Tiger Athlete of the Week

Cobleskill - The SUNY Cobleskill Athletic Department has selected senior women’s basketball standout Taylor Meacham (Berne, NY/Berne-Knox-Westerlo) as the Fighting Tiger Athlete of the Week for the period ending January 26, 2025.

Meacham was instrumental in guiding the Tigers to a 2-0 week with commanding divisional road victories over VTSU-Lyndon, 77-51, and VTSU-Johnson, 76-28. On Friday against Lyndon, the senior guard poured in a game-high 20 points on an impressive 87.5 percent shooting from the floor (7-of-8) and a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. She rounded out her stat line with four rebounds and four assists in an all-around effort.

The next day, Meacham followed up with a stellar double-double performance against Johnson, tallying 11 points and 11 rebounds while adding three blocks, three steals, and two assists. Once again, her efficiency was on full display as she shot 83.3 percent from the field (5-of-6) and stayed perfect at the line (1-of-1).

For the week, Meacham averaged 15.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, three assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1.5 steals per game, shooting an impressive 85.7 percent (12-of-14) from the field and a flawless 100 percent from the free-throw line (7-of-7).

Meacham and the Fighting Tigers will return to action on Saturday, February 1, as they hit the road to face SUNY Delhi in a 1:00 p.m. NAC contest.

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SVCB Valentine Pops “Movie-Theme” Concert Feb. 7

COBLESKILL – Conductor Samantha Baldwin has scheduled the Schoharie Valley Concert Band (SVCB) Valentine Pops Concert for Friday, February 7th at 7PM in the Cobleskill-Richmondville High School Auditorium, with a concert snow date of Saturday, February 8th at 7PM.  Students are admitted free and the performance is open to the general-public.

Conductor Baldwin has selected music from motion pictures for this year’s Valentine Pops Concert.  “Mancini Magic” is a Jerry Brubaker medley of Henry Mancini works including “Mr. Lucky”, “Moon River”, “Baby Elephant Walk”, “Charade”, “The Pink Panther”, and “Peter Gunn”.  

 “Grease” includes the following Olivia Newton John and John Travolta soundtracks from their 1978 film: “We Go Together”; “Summer Nights”; “Born to Hand Jive”; “Beauty School Dropout”; and “Greased Lightnin’ ”. 

“Disney at the Movies” is a collection of 12 Walt Disney melodies from the following movies: “Song of the South”, “Peter Pan”, “The Jungle Book”, “Pocahontas” “Beauty and the Beast”, “Cinderella”, “Aladdin”, “Mary Poppins”, and “The Lion King” which were written by Disney over almost 50 years from 1945 – 1994.

“Pirates of the Caribbean” is the 2003 Disney movie soundtrack written by Klaus Badelt.  The medley arranged by Ted Ricketts includes “Fog Bound”, “The Medallion Calls”, “To the Pirate’s Cave”, “The Black Pearl”, “One Last Shot”, and “He’s a Pirate”.  

“The Imperial March” is from “Star Wars – the Empire Strikes Back”. John Williams’ Darth Vader music theme has menacing brass and strong rhythms which create the impression of a dark abnormal evil  presence in the world and impending doom.  

John Powell wrote the music for “How to Train Your Dragon”, a series of animated fantasy dragon films based on the writings of British author Cressida Cowell.   This arrangement includes  the “This is Berk” theme from “How to Train Your Dragon -1” and the “Come Back Around” theme from “How to Train Your Dragon –2”.

“The Blues Brothers Revue” arranged by Jay Bocook is a medley of music from  the Blues Brothers concert held to raise $5,000 to pay back taxes to keep their childhood orphanage open before they led the Chicago Police Department on a high-speed chase. The medley includes “I Can’t Turn You Loose”, “Soul Man”, “Soul Finger” and “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love”. 

A movie-theme band concert would not be complete without a James Bond film. In the 2012 James Bond film “Skyfall” both the music and the movie portray an older, more physically and emotionally vulnerable Bond, who comes out of retirement to rescue the British secret service.   

The Schoharie Valley Concert Band is open to all area residents including high school and college students.  Rehearsals are held on Thursday evenings from 7-9:15 PM. in the Cobleskill-Richmondville HS band room.  Rehearsals for the Sunday, April 27th  3PM Spring Concert will begin on March 6th.  For information on how to join the band, please contact Conductor Samantha Baldwin at svcbconductor@gmail.com.                

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A Conversation about the Sounds of Silence

By Jean Thomas

When I take my morning walk with the dog, I always think about how quiet it is. Early in the day, especially in the winter, it is rare that a car passes by. An occasional school bus chugs past, but the quiet settles back down like a blanket. I think about this, and a song refrain winds around in my mind, “Sounds of Silence.” Of course it doesn’t apply. My sensible self says that there is never really any true silence because we live in a thoroughly populated world. Not only animals, but the plants have a story to tell. And the snow. On very cold (read sub zero) mornings our footsteps on the snow squeak like Styrofoam  being crushed.  The dog’s paws skritch-skritch  on the pavement, patches of ice left by the plow. Bird claws tap on the hard metallic surface of the feeders. All small sounds, but definitely not silence. Even the plants have a winter song. Pines in the wind creak like the masts on a sailing ship, even though they are departing no shores, just rocking in place. The tall weeds rustle as though small animals were moving between them, but it is only the wind causing the whispers as seeds are strewn about. The only other noisy winter traveler is deer, and they are inconsistent. Sometimes I can watch a string of half a dozen deer stroll across a field making not a sound. Other times they thump around like they’re wearing wooden clogs and using crutches.

There are many more small noises we can hear, given the opportunity. Birds are very busy creatures, always hungry and always alert for danger. The woodpeckers dominate. At almost any given moment during the day, if you pause and listen, you can hear one or more of these colorful characters drumming on a tree trunk, or squawking to a partner or sending up that weird chain of jungle-themed notes they specialize in.  Closer to the rude interruptions we expect from humanity, the Blue Jays are raucous gangsters. They bully and caw at smaller birds, sometimes mimicking hawks just for additional mischief. The daytime raptors, hawks and eagles, are vocal, but usually from afar, so their calls seem faint as they circle high above at a distance where we would never be able to see our next meal, but they do. 

I don’t walk with the dog when it’s dark outside. The night, to me, is never silent. There is probably not a lot of difference in the sounds made by the plant life, but the bird and animal populations behave very differently. The sounds emitted by the creaking trees and whispering dried out weeds are the same, but seem menacing. The predators are more active, emitting screams and howls in their night’s work. I lack the expertise to know if it’s predator or prey doing the screaming, but I don’t want to go find out, either. Only the Coyotes and the owls are easily identifiable to my ears. The  a cappella chorus of the coyotes has a strange beauty, and the owls are such gossips that I love to eavesdrop on their conversations. They seem so urgent. But definitely the night is not silent.

If you’d like to try some immersion into Nature, and do some thinking about the peace we glean from being out in nature, listen to the Nature Calls podcast #63, at https://ccecolumbiagreene.org/gardening/nature-calls-conversations-from-the-hudson-valley/episode-63-nature-and-mental-health.

I have to mention an error I made in last week’s column. The actual column written by me ends with the words, “bird watching is addictive.” The article, however, continued with some material NOT written by me. I had neglected to remove some research notes from the page before I sent it in. The good news is that it was really good information, and I am including the link to the whole article written for and published by the American Bird Conservancy.  The error was wholly mine, and I apologize. https://abcbirds.org/blog21/woodpecker-tongues/

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Whittling Away with Dick Brooks - Medical Friends

As I age gracefully and mature into the full bloom of senior adulthood, I find that my circle of friends and acquaintances continues to expand.  This is a good thing, however upon reflection, it seems that more and more of them are involved in some way with the medical field.  You know you’re starting to age when the receptionist in your Doctor’s office knows your first name and you know hers.  In my case, I also know not only her name but how many children she has, what her husband does for a living and where her mother winters in Florida.

If you know the first names of six nurses and where your primary physician went to college, you’re probably a senior citizen.  I didn’t know I had a primary physician until I became a senior citizen, I thought they were just my doctor.  That was before I started collecting them.  I think it would be a great idea for doctors to have their pictures and vital statistics put on their business cards, this should be done by the AMA in a standardized way, then us folks of the older persuasion could collect and trade them like baseball cards.  It would give us something to do in the waiting room other than reading stale magazines about prostates, kidneys and other bits of human plumbing.

I also find myself giving directions now differently than I used to.  In my wild youth, I gave directions by bars, “turn left by Murphy’s Pub, drive until you get to Gilligan’s Saloon and turn just past the liquor store”.  Nowadays it’s. “Drive past the Medical Center, take the first right at the Drug Store, go right at the Urologist’s and its two blocks past the Eye Associates building”.  People in my age bracket know what I’m talking about, if you don’t, you will.

It does give you something different to do every day though even though a lot of it is redundant.  Yesterday, I went to see a retina specialist.  A new doctor, in an office I had never been to, an adventure!  I drove to the city, turned by the Medical Center, went past the Urologist’s, made a left near my dentist’s and presto, I was there.  I parked in the handicap parking spot as I usually do, got out, saw the blue lines for the handicap parking spot, got back into the car and moved it as I usually do.  

It was a really neat place as are most medical buildings, medical buildings and doctors are always clean.  I took the elevator, which was clean, up to the clean second floor and entered the clean waiting room and was greeted by a smiling, clean receptionist whose first name I didn’t know.

The wait wasn’t long and there was actually a car magazine that was only a couple of months old.  A pretty young lady came through the door and called my name, I rose and followed her into the inner sanctum.  She filled out some required forms, I’m seriously thinking of getting my date of birth tattooed on my forehead to save time.  She then put drops in my eyes and led me back to the waiting room.  I went back to my magazine, which got blurrier and blurrier until I couldn’t read it anymore, so I spent the next ten minutes trying to figure out if the form sitting across from me was male or female, the hairdo was throwing me, with my blurred vision, I couldn’t figure out if she had a really odd haircut or if he was wearing a furry baseball cap.  They went in first so I’ll never know, I could have asked the receptionist except I didn’t know her first name.

My name was called and the pretty young lady, at least I think it was the pretty young lady, led me back down the hall, past the bathroom (seniors always know where the bathroom is) and into a little room.  It had one of those eye exam towers in it, you know, the ones that look like submarine periscopes and a bunch of frames on the wall.  I assume these were the Doctor’s degrees and honors but I couldn’t read them, they could have been the end flaps from Happy Meal boxes for all I knew.  The young lady left and I sat there, pupils fixed and dilated as they used to say on one of the few medical TV shows I used to watch.

The door opened and in came The Junior Doctor, a nice young man, very professional and checked my eyes out.  I got to stick my head into the periscope, I put my chin into the chin rest, after figuring out which chin he wanted and rested my forehead, which I have more of than most folks, against the head band.  I then got to watch a light show that brought me back to the Sixties and my rocking years.  He wrote down some notes and told me that the Doctor would be with me shortly.  I sat there blinking for a very short time when the Doctor appeared.  I couldn’t pick him out of a police lineup but he appeared to be closer to my age than the Junior Doctor.  He examined my eyes closely, made several notes and happily, for me, told me that I had no problems to worry about and that I wouldn’t need any treatment of any kind.  Altogether a most pleasant and knowledgeable man!  I felt my way down the hall to the receptionist’s desk and checked out after learning her first name, just in case.  I walked out into the first sunshine in three weeks, felt my way to my car, found my sunglasses, pulled my baseball cap down as far as I could, adjusted the steering wheel and took a nap for a half an hour or so until the drops started to wear off, at which time I drove slowly down the road, turned left at the Urologist’s and rode off into the sunset towards home.

Thought for the week—A pessimist is never disappointed.

Until next week, may you and yours be happy and well.

Whittle12124@yahoo.com   

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THE CATSKILL GEOLOGISTS BY PROFESSORS ROBERT AND JOHANNA TITUS - The Mills Mansion 1: its Geology and its Planned View

We spend a lot of time across the Hudson River, down at the bottom of the valley. There’s so much to see there. We never get tired of visiting the great mansions that line the eastern shore of the Hudson. This was the land of the Astors, Vanderbilts, and Roosevelts, but most of all, it was the land of the Livingstons. Quite a few branches of that family tree lived there. Many of them built grand mansions on magnificent estates with fabulous views of the Hudson with the Catskills beyond. They are all steeped in history and, surprisingly, a good deal of that is geological. We would like to spend the next month visiting the Mills Mansion, often called Staatsburgh. We know, we know - this is outside of Mountain Eagle territory, but we do think that there is a lot to learn there. 

The story of Staatsburgh began in the 1790’s when an early house was built there. It burned and it was replaced by a 25 room Greek Revival home in 1832. That was inherited by Ruth Livingston Mills, and she lived there with her husband Ogden Mills. They expanded Staatsburgh into a 65 room Beaux Arts, Gilded Age Mansion during the 1890s. It has stood towering over a relatively steep riverside slope ever since. See our first photo. That’s Staatsburgh, way up there, just left of center. In 1938 Mills descendants donated it to New York State. Now the mansion and the grounds are open to the public.

                                                                               

So, maybe you are asking where is the geology? The answer is that it’s right there, in the view. Staatsburgh was positioned at the top of that hill so as to provide it with a fine viewshed. There is a sweeping and picturesque vision all the way down the slope to the Hudson, with the Catskills in the far distance. We are guessing that, way back then, there were fewer trees down at the bottom so the view of the distant river was even better. Perhaps you are still asking “where is the geology?”. Well, it is still in that view. We walked out onto that slope, armed with a barbeque skewer, and went to work with it. Yep, a barbeque skewer; that’s an important piece of scientific equipment always found in the back of our car. We took the skewer with us and found that most of the time, it was easy to slide it into the ground. That happens when there are few or no cobbles or gravel in the ground. And that is typical of a landscape underlain by silty lake sediments. It helps a lot if it has been raining recently.

                                            

Lake sediments!? What are lake sediments doing here? This is a river valley, not a lake basin. The answer to that question is that this used to be a lake basin. That was about 14,000 years ago when the glaciers of the Ice Age were melting. If you visit the Mills Mansion (oops, Staatsburgh), stand on its west side and gaze towards the river and beyond the Catskills. In your mind’s eye imagine a lake stretching out across most of that. Yes, it was a big lake. That was Glacial Lake Albany. It extended south almost to New York City and north past Albany. Here it was about ten miles wide, east to west.

We are guessing that the Mills family did not know much about this, nor did their landscape architects. But the view here is typical of what people worked with when designing most Hudson Valley estates. This view is something that architects call a “planned view.” We spent a lot of time talking about these in our recent book “The Hudson Valley Schools of Art and Their Ice Age Origins.” You should learn about planned views; they are an important part of our Hudson Valley culture. And this is a very good one.

Contact the authors at randjtitus@prodigy.net. Join their Facebook page “The Catskill Geologist.” Read their blogs at “thecatskillgeologist.com.”

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Bruised Fruit #17

By Max Oppen

When this column comes out, I will have 186 days of sobriety. I was off on some previous calculations, which Siri kindly corrected. Today, Monday marks 182 days since I overdosed and nearly died. It's been years since I've gone this long without numbing myself, and let me tell you, they're right when they say putting the drugs down is the easy part.

Now it's time for the real work to begin—the repairing of relationships, the self-forgiveness, the acknowledgment and acceptance of everything I've done. I must remind myself at times that I was and am a good person - I helped many people - helped raise a tiny human being into a beautiful, confident, and successful woman. My point is it wasn't all bad. I wish others would recognize that, but if you remember what I wrote last week, it's not up to me to have others agree. That's on them.

Everything is going so much better in my life. I've moved far past the survival mode I was in during the days and weeks following my overdose. However, I've come to realize that survival mode has different stages. For instance, it's a Monday morning, and I have just been crying for about 20 minutes. Out of nowhere, everything that's happened over the last few years hit me like a ton of bricks. Sometimes, I feel overwhelmed—and I hide it well. You could say I still keep that part of myself concealed in the shadows. It's okay for a grown man to cry. It's healthy. It's relieving and therapeutic.  It means I'm feeling emotions again—which was non-existent for far too long.

Living alone after not living alone for over a decade hurts. My life has completely changed—some changes for the worse, some for the better. I'm still adapting to living alone. I'm a 50-year-old man who has next to nothing. That's what drugs will do to you if you don't stop as soon as you possibly can.

Airing my feelings to whoever reads this is a form of therapy I desperately need. I need to empty my heart to fill it with love again. Everything is temporary. My life won't be like this forever—I know this from experience.

Working at Hunter is kicking my ass. Between that, working for my landlord, and writing, I'm stretched thin. But I love to write, and I love having a roof over my head. Over the past few months, I've grown a lot as a man. I can feel it. I see it in how I look at myself, and at things with a mindset of, "I get to do this," instead of, "I have to do this." I'm grateful for my community rallying around me, even without knowing all the details of my past, and for being receptive to me sharing my personal journey. I genuinely believe it has helped me, and I know it has helped others—or, at the very least, piqued their curiosity. I am so different now. It's mind-boggling. But addiction is a sneaky beast, and I have to be careful. Temptation makes me nervous sometimes, but that's part of the territory.

We all need someone to lean on. I know I have that with my family, but sometimes it doesn't feel like enough. That might sound selfish, but it's how I feel. I know plenty of people don't even have family, so I realize I'm ahead of the game. But yeah, I'm lonely. I went from hanging out with drug addicts masquerading as friends to an empty house and random calls from those same addicts trying to tempt me. Misery loves company, I suppose.

So, I'm in a different stage of survival mode - more of an emotional survival mode. I cook and clean, care for my body and mind, get good sleep, and even stay hydrated. I've moved on to the hard part, which is recovering emotionally and hoping against all hope that those I hurt deeply are continuing to heal. 

Six months have passed in the blink of an eye. My life is far from perfect and likely never will be. I need to do my best, stay honest with others and myself, and continue this new phase of my life. Thank you to those who read these columns. I hope they reach people who need them.

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Why Art? - SOCIAL SCULPTURE

It's how we think.

On 1/11/2025, thirty or so people came to watch and discuss Joseph Beuys/TRANSFORMER, a film I made in 1979, at Good Taste Epicurean, in Franklin, NY.

In the 1970’s, Beuys was Professor of Monumental Art at the Arts Academy in Dusseldorf, Germany. 

It was a time of violence, internationally. Terrorists were bombing factories, kidnapping the wealthy and powerful, hijacking planes for ransom. TV news, print and radio were saturated with these frequent events. Terrorists were dominating the media narrative through fear and violent trauma. They were succeeding.

To counter terrorism, the German government reduced funding for the arts and began a campaign for educating engineers.

The poster we made for the screening shows a smiling Professor Beuys as police officers escort him from the academy. He was expelled for allowing more students than permitted to attend his classes. People also not enrolled at the school. He wanted to expand art education despite the government’s “undemocratic” shut down on culture. 

Within a year, together with writer Nobel Laureate Heinrich Böll, Beuys founded Free International University for Creativity and Interdisciplinary Research. Their project was to expand the definition of art. Beuys continued teaching through the new FIU institution, outside State control. He taught that artists can and should shape society and developed a practice called “social sculpture.” Beuys and Böll were also co-founders of the European Greens, an ecological political party. Beuys ran for office. 

Our intention with the screenings was to bring community together, to have conversations at this critical moment, social and politically. People from diverse stations in life.

NOTES: We began by saying that everyone in the room is actually engaged in shaping or sculpting their lives and the world, being aware of it or not. 

Story. In 1977, I had co-founded Art Corporation of America Inc. We scaled all the bridges in NYC to “put art on the front pages, replacing terrorism in media,” BRIDGING. Beuys and I were introduced through a mutual friend, Ronald Feldman, art dealer. Beuys invited me to Germany to present BRIDGING. We agreed to shoot TRANSFORMER at Beuys’ Guggenheim Museum exhibition, 1979-80.

I describe the film as “television sculpture,” using a 2 dimensional medium, evoking a tactile, physical effect. In it, BATHTUB, Beuys’ sculpture, a child’s bathtub with a lump of fat with a string, relates to creativity. A baby’s first “sculpture,” when shaping material (feces). It means a universal creativity, not limited to artists. The umbilical string – a connection with the womb.

One audience reaction to the art was a welcomed “shock and confusion.” This invited me to describe an aspect of art to stimulate, refresh, to create “sublime trauma” and to evoke a physical, non-conceptual experience of being vividly in our bodies. Art is a placeholder creating a safe, aesthetic disorienting, interrupting our mental patterns and perceptions. 

A woman asks: “Do we need trauma to learn?” “Does trauma teach us to grow, to find wisdom?” 

In TRANSFORMER, Beuys says, “We are all artists. We are responsible for the conditions of the world. It’s not the state or industry. As long as we don’t do something to change it, we are responsible…” 

An audience says, “I don’t know how to solve these problems.”

Through sublime trauma or suspending our preconceived ideas, art offers an open channel and energetic alertness. 

Can we understand how thoughts and patterns appear in our minds? How ideas dictate our speech and social behavior? Can we learn to deconstruct a problem, discovering hidden solutions? Its not up to only one of us to solve the problem. Everyone brings a piece to it.

Solving problems is not about divisionism or turning against each other. Maybe it's about turning toward and respecting “the artist” in in the other.

Like the child first shaping materials, can we shape how our thoughts and behavior impact the world? And when enough of us do this, Aren’t we making social sculpture?  

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A/Symmetrical Worlds - Carol Levine and Helen Quinn at the Headwaters Arts Center

STAMFORD — A/Symmetrical Worlds, a duo show of work by Carol Levine and Helen Quinn, opens at the Headwaters Arts Center with an Artist Reception on February 15, 2025 from 3:00-5:00p. The Artists Reception is free and open to all and the exhibit will be on view through April 5, 2025. There will be an artist talk with both of the artists at the Headwaters Arts Center on March 15th For complete details, visit roxburyartsgroup.org. The Artist Reception will take place on Saturday, February 15, 3:00p-5:00p with the Artist Talk open to the public on Saturday, March 15, 12p-2:00p at the Headwaters Arts Center: 66 Main Street in Stamford.

The artworks in A/Symmetrical Worlds are full of paradoxes and iconic and archetypal shapes that ignite the viewer’s imagination. The artists offer us two very different worlds– between Levine’s colored pencil, and Quinn’s gouache, collage and ceramic– the play between their symmetry and asymmetry compels us to explore themes of balance, movement, growth and protection.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in New Jersey, Carol Levine received a BFA from Pratt Institute with a concentration in painting, and after graduation studied philosophy at the University of Hartford. A recipient of New York’s CAPS Fellowship, Levine’s work has been exhibited nationally. She currently lives and has a studio in Stamford, NY.

Helen Quinn is a visual artist living between Jackson Heights, Queens, and Treadwell, NY. She works in a variety of media including silkscreen, gouache, paper mache, and clay. Helen has shown her work throughout New York state and internationally including in the Czech Republic and Norway. She is the recipient of two New Works Grants from the Queens Council of the Arts in 2020 and 2022. She has attended numerous residencies including a year-long program in Japan with the Henry Luce Foundation and more recently at Poco a Poco in Oaxaca, Mexico. She holds a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art.

Our exhibition programs are generously supported by Roxbury Wine & Spirits. All programs offered by the Roxbury Arts Group are supported by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the NYS Legislature, the A. Lindsay and Olive B. O’Connor Foundation, the Robinson Broadhurst Foundation, The Community Foundation for South Central New York, the Tianaderrah Foundation, The Delaware National Bank of Delhi, and individual supporters.

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