(June 13, 2013) – The watercolors of local artist Dante Bonardi will be on exhibit at the Westfield Memorial Library through July. The library is located at 550 East Broad Street.

 

According to the artist’s statement, he studied oil paintings in his early years of art instruction and took up watercolors much later in life. However, his training in oils influenced his approach to watercolors as he uses the bold colors and dramatic contrasts that are more typical of the former than the latter.

 

Instead of focusing on one subject, Mr. Bonardi prefers a variety of subjects from seascapes to landscapes, farms to lighthouses, and portrait of people, old and young. “I think the diversity of nature and humanity are in themselves most intriguing for an artist,” he wrote. “That is what I strive to achieve.”

 

He has exhibited paintings at the Ocean County College Art Show, the Somerset Art Association; the Pineshores Art Association; the New Jersey Watercolor Society, Associates Exhibit; the Jane Law Art Studio and the Anna Specht Art Studio, to name a few.

 

Mr. Bonardi received the first place award (Professional Category) for his watercolor painting, “Shadows and Reflections,” at the Union County Senior Citizens Art Exhibit. This work was also shown at the New Jersey State Senior Exhibit in East Windsor.

 

Additionally, he received an Award of Excellence for an abstract painting, “Lillies,” at the

New Jersey Watercolor Society, Associates Exhibit.

 

The exhibit can be seen anytime the library is open: Monday through Thursday 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Fridays 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Saturdays 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (closed on Sundays).

 

Founded in 1879, the Westfield Memorial Library—the community’s destination for discovery and ideas—engages minds, entertains spirits and facilitates lifelong learning for people of all ages. For more information call 908.789.4090, visit the library’s website at www.wmlnj.org, sign up for the monthly e-newsletter “Library Loop,” or stop by the library for a copy of the award winning, quarterly newsletter “Take Note.”

 

 

(June 10, 2013) – The Westfield Memorial Library is pleased to present Westfield jazz singer Jean Avery on Wednesday, June 26 at 7:00 p.m. The library is located at 550 East Broad Street.

 

Ms. Avery has an extensive career in theatre, commercials, and television. Born in Georgia, she began singing gospel at three years old at the First Baptist Church. Her love for blues, jazz, soul, gospel and songs from The Great American Songbook have taken her through every possible avenue of performance imaginable.

From 2001 until 2004, she performed as one of The Blues Sisters throughout Pennsylvania. The Blues Sisters Band began in the studios of a National Public Radio Station in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley.

 

In 2005, she met and started performing with Bill Wehbe and has been performing the cabaret show they created throughout New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The show is a cabaret style mix of blues, jazz, standards, and pop hits from the past 100 years.

 

The philosophy of the act is that it doesn’t matter if you’re playing in front of 10 people or 10,000 people; you always give the best performance possible and love every minute of it. Miss Avery is an actress and model in her own right. She has appeared on television, television commercials, plays, and has worked in many movies.

 

The program is free and open to Westfield Memorial Library and MURAL cardholders. (MURAL cardholders belong to libraries that are part of the Middlesex Union Reciprocal Agreement Libraries. Check our website to see if your library participates.) As this show will be very popular, you must register for it by visiting the library’s website at www.wmlnj.org , and clicking on the Calendar tab, or by calling 908.789.4090 option 0.

 

Founded in 1879, the Westfield Memorial Library—the community’s destination for discovery and ideas—engages minds, entertains spirits and facilitates lifelong learning for people of all ages. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday; and closed on Sundays during the summer.

 

For more information call 908.789.4090, visit the library’s website at www.wmlnj.org , and sign up for the monthly e-newsletter “Library Loop,” or stop by the library at 550 East Broad Street for a copy of the award-winning, quarterly newsletter “Take Note.”

(June 5, 2013) – The Westfield Memorial Library is pleased to present the line up for the Summer Foreign Film Festival, which runs from June through August, with all shows on Mondays at 2:00 and 6:30 p.m. The library is located at 550 East Broad Street.

 

The festival kicks off on June 24 with “The Intouchables,” a French film that runs 112 minutes. Driss, a Senegalese man living in a Paris slum, applies for a job as caretaker to a wealthy quadriplegic, but all he wants is to get his paper stamped so he can get benefits. As Driss reluctantly learns to take care of Philippe, the two men discover a blunt but vital humor that not only bridges the cultural and class divide between them, but also gives Philippe a renewed joy in life.

 

On July 8 “Free Men” will be shown. Also in French and running 99 minutes, it takes place in German-occupied Paris during the war where a young Algerian named Younes earns his living on the black market. Arrested by the French police but given a chance to avoid jail, he agrees to spy on the Paris Mosque. At the Mosque, Younes meets an Algerian singer and his transformation from a politically ignorant immigrant into a full-fledged freedom fighter begins.

 

“Elena,” a film in Russian that runs 109 minutes on July 22, is a gripping, modern twist on the classic noir thriller. Mismatched, sixty-ish spouses Vladimir and Elena uneasily share his palatial Moscow apartment. He’s a wealthy businessman; she’s his dowdy former nurse who has clearly married up. But when a sudden illness and an unexpected reunion threaten the dutiful housewife’s potential inheritance, she must hatch a desperate plan.

 

“Quartet,” an English language film directed by Dustin Hoffman, will be shown on July 29. With a running time of 98 minutes, it tells the story of the fictional Beecham House for Retired Musicians. It centers on four opera singers who are busy preparing for the annual Verdi Gala when word spreads about a famous new resident. Will they be able to convince her to sing? After all, her ex-husband is there, and soon unresolved romantic issues begin to boil to the surface.

 

On August 5, the Danish film “A Royal Affair,” which runs 137 minutes, will” be shown. This is the true story of an ordinary man who wins the queen's heart and starts a revolution. Centering on the intriguing love triangle between the ever more insane Danish King Christian VII, the royal physician, and the young but strong Queen Caroline Matilda, this is the gripping tale of brave idealists who risk everything in the pursuit of freedom for their people ... and above all, it is the story of a forbidden romance that changed an entire nation.

 

The film series culminates on August 12 with “A Simple Life,” a Cantonese film that runs 118 minutes. When Roger, a successful movie producer, comes home, he learns that Ah Tao, who has worked for Roger's family as a nanny and maid for most of her life, has suffered a severe stroke and is unable to care for herself. He agrees to help her relocate to a nursing home and as their roles reverse, he comes to understand how much she means to him.

 

The movies are free and open to the public.

 

Founded in 1879, the Westfield Memorial Library—the community’s destination for discovery and ideas—engages minds, entertains spirits and facilitates lifelong learning for people of all ages. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday; and closed on Sunday for the summer.

 

For more information call 908.789.4090, visit the library’s website at www.wmlnj.org , and sign up for the monthly e-newsletter “Library Loop,” or stop by the library at 550 East Broad Street for a copy of the award-winning quarterly newsletter “Take Note.”

 

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For Immediate Release –

Fiction Book Club meets at Westfield Memorial Library to discuss “Defending Jacob”

 

(June 3, 2013) – On Wednesday, June 19 at 7:00 p.m., the Fiction Book Club meets at the Westfield Memorial Library to discuss “Defending Jacob” by William Landay. The library is located at 550 East Broad Street.

 

Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney in his suburban Massachusetts county for more than twenty years. He is respected in his community, tenacious in the courtroom, and happy at home with his wife, Laurie, and son, Jacob.

But when a shocking crime shatters their New England town, Andy is blindsided by what happens next: his fourteen-year-old son is charged with the murder of a fellow student. Every parental instinct Andy has rallies to protect his boy. Jacob insists that he is innocent, and Andy believes him. Andy must. He’s his father.

Yet as damning facts and shocking revelations surface, as a marriage threatens to crumble and the trial intensifies, as the crisis reveals how little a father knows about his son, Andy will face a trial of his own—between loyalty and justice, between truth and allegation, between a past he’s tried to bury and a future he cannot conceive.

Award-winning author William Landay has written the consummate novel of an embattled family in crisis—a suspenseful, character-driven mystery that is also a spellbinding tale of guilt, betrayal, and the terrifying speed at which our lives can spin out of control. (From the publisher)

For a copy of the book, please call Jen Schulze at 908.789.4090 x 7951, email jschulze@wmlnj.org , or stop by the Circulation Desk.

The Book Club is free and open to Westfield Memorial Library and MURAL cardholders. (MURAL cardholders belong to libraries that are part of the Middlesex Union Reciprocal Agreement Libraries. Check our website to see if your library participates.) To register for the program, visit the library’s website at www.wmlnj.org , click on the Online Calendar, or call 908.789.4090 option 0.

 

Founded in 1879, the Westfield Memorial Library—the community’s destination for discovery and ideas—engages minds, entertains spirits and facilitates lifelong learning for people of all ages. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday; and closed on Sunday for the summer.

 

For more information call 908.789.4090, visit the library’s website at www.wmlnj.org , and sign up for the monthly e-newsletter “Library Loop,” or stop by the library at 550 East Broad Street for a copy of the award-winning quarterly newsletter “Take Note.”

 

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(May 22, 2013) – The Westfield Memorial Library continues to stay abreast of the latest trends in technology by offering patrons the opportunity to use their smart phones as a library card.

 

To enter their library card bar-code into their smart phone, patrons can start by visiting www.cardstar.com and downloading the CardStar app. Then they open CardStar, add a card, and select "Other."

 

Next they type in their library card number with no spaces, or scan it with their phone's camera. The final steps are to Save the library card, go into Settings and then choose Codabar AA format so the bar-code will display properly.

 

“We think storing the library card bar-code in a smart phone is a tremendous convenience,” said Phil Israel, Library Director. “Now our patrons can use their smart phones to check out materials without having to search for their card. We have already seen a surge in the number of patrons inquiring about this service.”

 

For more information call 908.789.4090, visit the library’s website at www.wmlnj.org , and sign up for the monthly e-newsletter “Library Loop,” or stop by the library at 550 East Broad Street for a copy of the award-winning quarterly newsletter “Take Note.”

 

Founded in 1879, the Westfield Memorial Library—the community’s destination for discovery and ideas—engages minds, entertains spirits and facilitates lifelong learning for people of all ages. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday; and closed on Sunday through the summer.

 

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