FEATURING
Richard Hull: Man for all Seasons
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- Written by George L. Nitti George L. Nitti
- Category: Education Education
“In order to be a whole person operating on many different levels you have to see how it all interrelates to your past. That’s what we need to impress on future generations.” Richard Hull
For Richard Hull, Warwick’s town historian and retired professor of African History and Civilization at NYU, his own words could not be more apt to describe the multifaceted person he’s become, one who has been shaped by his understanding of the past, both on a personal and global scale. Spending a couple of hours with him at his home in Sugarloaf, NY, situated on Applewood Orchards and Winery, I learned about a few of the defining moments in his life.
Jim Lord: A Hero's Journey Through Song
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- Written by George L. Nitti George L. Nitti
- Category: Music Music
Jim Lord's story is a hero's journey—one fraught with obstacles as he has made his way through the world of song. Today his passion for making music is as strong as ever. I ran into Jim at Ask Tamara's Health Food Store in Warwick, and we sat down for some straight talk on music, art and his life.
Pilgrimage to Pacem in Terris
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- Written by George L. Nitti George L. Nitti
- Category: Art and Photography Art and Photography
"However far you may walk, every pilgrimage is a safari into your own dark interior, an inner journey. For pilgrimages belong to the inner world, to that realm called "the religious." Frederick Franck, Art as a Way: A Return to Spiritual Roots
The life of Frederick Franck is well documented, but one that takes time to sift through, containing many layers, like any rich life. To unearth it, one must dig into the terrain of his world - carefully, slowly, persistently. His story, like any classic, never grows tired, as there is something new to discover upon each return.
On a midsummer’s day, I begin my pilgrimage to Pacem in Terris, a place that Frederick Franck and his wife Claske transformed into one of Warwick's crown jewels. Located off of Covered Bridge Road in Warwick, NY, Pacem in Terris, meaning "Peace on Earth" was a home fit to be condemned when first settled by the Franck's. Frederick writes in Pacem in Terris: A Love Story: "Contractors we consulted immediately diagnosed it as a terminal case, only fit to be torn down at once..." But instead of tearing down, Frederick and Claske rebuilt, resurrecting Pacem from the rubble with the help of a dutch carpenter named Bert Willemse.
The Kumbh Mela: A Rarer Taste of India
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- Written by George L. Nitti George L. Nitti
- Category: Travel Travel
I've continued to be drawn to the art of photographer John Battaglino. I have been to his studio and home in Warwick NY on several occasions, where I've been given first rate hospitality - a tour of his studio, several wonderful lunches, access to his cultural library of books and videos, and priviledge to several conversations about his work. Most recently, John returned from a three week sojourn to Hardwar - India, where he photographed the Kumbh Mela, where the Indian Sadhus (holy men) and Hindu pilgrims gather every twelve years in one of India's most important spiritual and religious gatherings.