Tag Archives: Old Westbury

Old Westbury, New York, U.S. October 19, 2019. Statue is one of 33 by Jerzy Kędziora (Jotka) in his Balance in Nature outdoor sculptures exhibit held at Old Westbury Gardens.

From Poland to Old Westbury Gardens: Sculptor Jerzy “Jotka” Kędziora

From LONG ISLAND – by Ann Parry (annparry.com)
November 4, 2019

Because the Panel Discussion and Closing Reception for the  JERZY “JOTKA” KĘDZIORA “Balance in Nature” sculptures exhibit took place mid-October at Old Westbury Gardens on Long Island’s Gold Coast, Jotka’s sculptures had a gloriously colorful setting.

  • Click on any photo below to see it larger
Old Westbury, New York, U.S. October 19, 2019. Tour, led by (at right) Docent LUCY JAFFE and including (at center, wearing brown hat) visitor ROXANNE BINASO, looks up at Juggler with Cudgels, one of Jerzy Kędziora (Jotka) Balance in Nature outdoor sculptures, during Closing Reception for the exhibit, held at Old Westbury Gardens. (© 2019 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

Old Westbury, New York, U.S. Oct. 19, 2019. Tour, led by (at right) Docent LUCY JAFFE and including (at center, wearing brown hat) visitor ROXANNE BINASO, looks up at Juggler with Cudgels, one of Jerzy Kędziora (Jotka) Balance in Nature outdoor sculptures, during Closing Reception for the exhibit, held at Old Westbury Gardens. (© 2019 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

  • SCULPTURE TOUR

After lunch, the mild weather and autumn leaves helped make for an enjoyable tour of the bronze resin, balancing sculptures throughout the Gold Coast estate grounds.

An unexpected bonus was that the tour partly overlapped the area the annual RISE of the Jack O’Lanterns is held at nights, so we saw over 30,000 (unlit) creatively carved, real pumpkins!

LUCY JAFFE, a volunteer docent, lead the tour I joined, and PAUL HUNCHAK, the Director of Visitor Service & Public Programs, lead the later tour.

  • PANEL DISCUSSION

Kedziora’s flight was delayed. As NANCY COSTOPULOS, the President & CEO of Old Westbury Gardens, gave opening remarks, “Jotka” arrived just in time for Costopulos to introduce him.

Old Westbury, New York, U.S. October 19, 2019. Jerzy Kędziora (Jotka) arrives straight from his flight to the Closing Reception for his Balance in Nature outdoor sculptures exhibit held at Old Westbury Gardens. (© 2019 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

Old Westbury, New York, U.S. Oct. 19, 2019. Jerzy Kędziora (Jotka) arrives straight from his flight to the Closing Reception for his Balance in Nature outdoor sculptures exhibit held at Old Westbury Gardens. (© 2019 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

PANELISTS:

Old Westbury, New York, U.S. October 19, 2019. October 19, 2019. Old Westbury, New York. U.S. L-R, JOANNA RAPICKA, PAUL HUNCHAK, ISABELA GOLA, JERZY KĘDZIORA (JOTKA), NANCY COSTOPULOS, SOHRAB MOHEBBI, MARIE-ÈVE LaFONTAINE, and JENNIFER LANTZAS pose for photo after Panel Discussion during Closing Reception for Kedziora's Balance in Nature outdoor sculptures exhibit at Old Westbury Gardens, which presented the event in collaboration with The Polish Cultural Institute NY, in association with Art&Balance Foundation of Poland. (© 2019 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

Old Westbury, New York. Oct. 19, 2019. U.S. L-R, JOANNA RAPICKA, PAUL HUNCHAK, ISABELA GOLA, JERZY KĘDZIORA (JOTKA), NANCY COSTOPULOS, SOHRAB MOHEBBI, MARIE-ÈVE LaFONTAINE, and JENNIFER LANTZAS pose for photo after Panel Discussion during Closing Reception for Kedziora’s Balance in Nature outdoor sculptures exhibit at Old Westbury Gardens, which presented the event in collaboration with The Polish Cultural Institute NY, in association with Art&Balance Foundation of Poland. (© 2019 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

JERZY KĘDZIORA, Polish artist whose sculptures are internationally exhibited and found in museums, galleries and governmental institutions and public spaces | site: Jerzy Kedziora

IZABELA GOLA, Curator of Visual Art & Design Programming at the Polish Cultural Institute New York, in the field of public diplomacy

Old Westbury, New York, U.S. October 19, 2019. L-R, JOANNA RAPICKA, the Foreign Relations Director of Art&Balance Foundation in Poland; and sculptor JERZY KĘDZIORA; listen to ISABELA GOLA ask Kedziora questions during Panel Discussion of the Closing Reception for Kędziora's Balance in Nature outdoor sculptures exhibit held at Old Westbury Gardens. Gola was born in Poland, and is the Curator of Visual Art & Design Programming at the Polish Cultural Institute NY, in the field of public diplomacy. (© 2019 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

Old Westbury, New York, U.S. Oct. 19, 2019. L-R, JOANNA RAPICKA, the Foreign Relations Director of Art&Balance Foundation in Poland; and sculptor JERZY KĘDZIORA; listen to ISABELA GOLA ask Kedziora a question during Panel Discussion of the Closing Reception for Kędziora’s Balance in Nature outdoor sculptures exhibit held at Old Westbury Gardens. Gola was born in Poland, and is the Curator of Visual Art & Design Programming at the Polish Cultural Institute NY, in the field of public diplomacy. (© 2019 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

JENNIFER LANTZAS, Deputy Director of Art & Antiquities at NYC Parks

Old Westbury, New York, U.S. October 19, 2019. JENNIFER LANTZAS is outdoors at the Closing Reception for Jerzy Kędziora Balance in Nature outdoor sculptures exhibit held at Old Westbury Gardens. Lantzas, who was a panelist at the event’s Panel Discussion, is the Deputy Director of Art & Antiquities at NYC Parks. (© 2019 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

Old Westbury, New York, U.S. Oct. 19, 2019. JENNIFER LANTZAS is outdoors at the Closing Reception for Jerzy Kędziora Balance in Nature outdoor sculptures exhibit held at Old Westbury Gardens. Lantzas, who was a panelist at the event’s Panel Discussion, is the Deputy Director of Art & Antiquities at NYC Parks. (© 2019 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

MARIE-ÈVE LAFONTAINE, curator of modern & contemporary art, including “The Empty House” exhibit in Berlin

Old Westbury, New York, U.S. October 19, 2019. MARIE-ÈVE LAFONTAINE, eating lunch outdoors at the Closing Reception for Jerzy Kędziora Balance in Nature outdoor sculptures exhibit held at Old Westbury Gardens. LaFontaine, who was a panelist at the event, is an independent curator of modern and contemporary art, and former curator at Schinkel Pavillon in Berlin and at TRAFO Center for Contemporary Art in Stettin, Poland. (© 2019 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

Old Westbury, New York, U.S. Oct. 19, 2019. MARIE-ÈVE LAFONTAINE, eating lunch outdoors at the Closing Reception for Jerzy Kędziora Balance in Nature outdoor sculptures exhibit held at Old Westbury Gardens. LaFontaine, who was a panelist at the event, is an independent curator of modern and contemporary art, and former curator at Schinkel Pavillon in Berlin and at TRAFO Center for Contemporary Art in Stettin, Poland. (© 2019 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

SOHRAB MOHEBBI, a writer & Curator at SculptureCenter


The event ended after the Panel Discussion and some group photos. When a visitor asked to have her photo taken with Kędziora, Jotka didn’t let jet lag throw him off balance!

Old Westbury, New York, U.S. October 19, 2019. L-R, JERZY KĘDZIORA and a visitor pose for photo at end of Closing Reception for Kędziora’s Balance in Nature outdoor sculptures exhibit held at Old Westbury Gardens. (© 2019 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

Old Westbury, New York, U.S. Oct. 19, 2019. L-R, JERZY KĘDZIORA and a visitor pose for photo at end of Closing Reception for Kędziora’s Balance in Nature outdoor sculptures exhibit held at Old Westbury Gardens. ( (© 2019 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

Along with seeing Jerzy Kedziora during the Panel Discussion, I particularly enjoyed seeing his “Charlie Chaplin” balancing sculpture during the tour, as The (bronze resin) Little Tramp made his gravity defying climb up a high ladder, complete with the technicolor background of autumn reflected in the pond behind him. 

Old Westbury, New York, U.S. October 19, 2019. CHARLIE CHAPLIN sculpture suspended over reflecting pool is one of the Jerzy Kędziora (Jotka) Balance in Nature outdoor sculptures seen during the tour part of Closing Reception for the exhibit, held at Old Westbury Gardens. (© 2019 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

Old Westbury, New York, U.S. Oct. 19, 2019. CHARLIE CHAPLIN sculpture suspended over reflecting pool is one of Jerzy Kędziora (Jotka) Balance in Nature outdoor sculptures seen during the tour part of Closing Reception for the exhibit, held at Old Westbury Gardens. (© 2019 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)


  • FEATURE PHOTO at top of post: Old Westbury, New York, U.S. Oct. 19, 2019. The suspended sculpture is one of 33 balancing sculptures by Jerzy Kedziora in “Balance in Nature” outdoor exhibit at Old Westbury Gardens.


Reception for Jerzy Kędziora Exhibit: PHOTO GALLERY

Old Westbury Gardens

Art&Balance Foundation of Poland

My 8/2019 blog post: Balance in Nature

CONTACT ME

Old Westbury Gardens Winter Holiday – Now & Then

From LONG ISLAND – by Ann Parry (ann-parry.com)
December 23, 2017

Last Sunday, while entering the snowy grounds of Old Westbury Gardens with my friend Bob, I thought back to 2007, when I visited the Gold Coast estate during a biting, heavy snowfall.

PAST – 2007

That day 10 Decembers ago, I stayed outside capturing photos until I absolutely had to go to Westbury House, beg mercy from volunteers in the Entrance Hall, take off my gloves and boots, and stand toasty close to the fireplace.

Old Westbury, New York, USA. Dec. 5, 2007. At Westbury House, the Entrance Hall window with black wrought iron grill gives hazy glimpse of snowstorm. (Ann Parry/Ann Parry, Ann-Parry.com)

Old Westbury, New York, USA. December 5, 2007. At Westbury House, the Entrance Hall window with black wrought iron grill gives hazy glimpse of snowstorm. (© 2007 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

Slowly defrosting in the impressively elegant wood and marble hall, I imagined myself back outside the mansion, but during the Great Blizzard of 1947, when the John and Margarita Phipps family lived there….

FANTASY 1947

I was a trespasser with a noble mission – wielding my Kodak in the snowstorm to capture ghostlike images of trees – and, alas, flirting with hypothermia.

Without warning, a tall stranger swept me off my numb feet and whisked me to the mansion. As we took off our coats, I noticed he, too, had a camera strapped around his neck.

We sat in front a fireplace surrounded by books, and he put his hand to his chest. “Victor, Victor Hasselblad – a… a husgäst of Phipps,” he said softly and with a melodic accent. “And you, lilla frusen lövsångare?” 

“Oh my,” I said, “You’re THE Victor Hasselblad!” 

The genius nodded. 

“You’ve just GOT to develop a Hasselblad camera for civilians!” I said, and then started to tell him why….

Old Westbury, New York, USA. December 17, 2017. A lighted Christmas tree decorates the formal dining room of Westbury House at Old Westbury Gardens during its Winter Holiday event. (Ann Parry/˙ 2017 Ann-Parry.com)

Old Westbury, New York, USA. December 17, 2017. A lighted Christmas tree decorates the elegant dining room of Westbury House at Old Westbury Gardens during its Winter Holiday event. (© 2017 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

PRESENT – 2017

Now I’m, at times, better about coming in from the cold before losing feeling in my extremities.

But I always do my best to protect my camera. So last weekend when Bob and I arrived at Old Westbury Gardens and stepped out of the car on to slippery icy snow-covered grounds, we headed straight to Westbury House.

Once inside, we heard what sounded like live music coming from the Ballroom just ahead. We were right, for in a far corner of the vast room, pianist ANGELINA FUSCO was playing traditional Christmas music on a Steinway grand piano, backlit by large windows. Capturing the atmospheric scene was a fun challenge.

  • CLICK on any photo to see larger image
Old Westbury, New York, USA. December 17, 2017. Pianist ANGELINA FUSCO plays Christmas music on Steinway grand piano to entertain visitors at Old Westbury Gardens museum, a former estate of John Shaffer Phipps, during snowy winter holiday weekend on Long Island's Gold Coast. (© 2017 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

Old Westbury, New York, USA. Dec. 17, 2017. Pianist ANGELINA FUSCO plays Christmas music on Steinway grand piano at Old Westbury Gardens museum during Winter Holiday weekend. (© 2017 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

The Main Hall was a must see, especially for families with children, since that’s where Santa sat surrounded by a Christmas tree, fireplace that was a great setting for holiday photos, and stairway strewn with stuffed animals looking as if they’d spilled out of Santa’s bag as he made his way up to the Children’s Quarters on the Third floor.

Old Westbury, New York, USA. December 17, 2017. Santa sits ready for visitors next to a Christmas tree on second floor of Westbury House at Old Westbury Gardens museum during snowy winter holiday weekend. (© 2017 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

Old Westbury, New York, USA. December 17, 2017. Santa sits ready for visitors next to a Christmas tree on second floor of Westbury House at Old Westbury Gardens museum during winter holiday weekend. (© 2017 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

Bob lingered longest in the bedroom with a large-scale model train traveling around the room, disappearing for a while each lap as it followed tracks under the bed.

Visitors of all ages also enjoyed the charming scene in Mrs. Phipps’s bathroom, where deer and penguins watched a fawn take a bubble bath in the green and white bathtub.

Old Westbury, New York, USA. December 17, 2017. In the Westbury House children's sunny bathroom of Old Westbury Gardens museum, deer and penguins watch over fawn taking a bubble bath. (Ann Parry/Ann Parry, ann-parry.com)

Old Westbury, New York, USA. December 17, 2017. Deer family and penguins watch over a fawn taking a bubble bath in Mrs. Phipps’s bathroom at Westbury House at Old Westbury Gardens, a Long Island Gold Coast estate. (© 2017 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

As closing time neared, we visited the Porch facing West, with its three walls of windows, and enjoyed hot cider and the panoramic, ungilded dusk view.

Old Westbury, New York, USA. December 17, 2017. At Westbury House, two Christmas trees flank the Porch facing West, with panoramic view of snowy grounds during Winter Holiday event at Old Westbury Gardens. (© 2017, Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

Old Westbury, New York, USA. December 17, 2017. At Westbury House, two Christmas trees flank the Porch facing West, with panoramic view of snowy grounds during Winter Holiday event at Old Westbury Gardens. (© 2017 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

And when it was time to go, we made our way through the snow once again.


Old Westbury Gardens Winter 2017:  PHOTO GALLERY

  • Old Westbury Gardens:  SITE  •  JOIN

CONTACT ME