Arts & Culture

The popular national television program "Craft in America" came to Rochester to record world renowned sculptor Albert Paley at work in his studio.

The television crew captured video for a future program expected to air nationally  sometime this Fall. "Craft in America" airs Sundays at 2:00 p.m. here in Rochester on WXXI-TV.

Paley is presenting the 2nd Annual  Gateway to healing Art Showcase & Auction to benefit the Finger Lakes Regional Burn Association Saturday, May 12 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the RIT University Gallery in Booth Hall.

An annual Rochester film series - aiming to dispel the stigmas of mental illness - expands this year including artwork by artists suffering from mental health problems.

The Reel Mind Film Series at the Memorial Art Gallery will feature 50 pieces of artwork from the Mental Health Association's Creative Wellness Coalition. Veronica Weider is the director of the coalition. She says melding the art exhibit with the film series would help eliminate misconceptions and fears about mental illnesses.

When author and illustrator Maurice Sendak entered the world of children's books, it was a very safe place. Stories were sweet and simple and set in a world without disorder. But Sendak, who died Tuesday at age 83, broke with that tradition. In Where the Wild Things Are, Sendak explored the darker side of childhood. Upstairs in young Max's bedroom, a jungle grows, and he sails off to a land of monsters.

John Cech, a professor of English who wrote a book about Sendak's work, says Where the Wild Things Are fit perfectly into American culture of the 1960s. It came out just before the Beatles' first tour of the U.S.

Greece Athena High School senior Michael Leadbetter is being honored with the 2012 Presidential Scholar of the Arts award.

The program recognizes high school students for their grades, artistic achievement as well as community involvement and leadership among other criteria.

“It was honestly very surprising but it feels great. It's just surreal to be recognized on a national level,” Leadbetter said.

He was selected from 3,300 applicants nationwide and he's the only recipient from the Rochester area.

Leadbetter says he hopes to pursue a career in acting or musical theater. He says he’s auditioned for several colleges including Ithaca, Nazareth, and the University of Cincinnati.

WXXI's Steve Dawe interviews Karl LaPorta and Cecilia Calloway about the inaugural induction ceremony for the Rochester Music Hall of Fame held Sunday, April 29 at 7:00 p.m. at The Eastman Theatre.

LaPorta is the organizer of the event and Calloway is the daughter of Rochester native and music legend Cab Calloway. Cecilia Calloway spoke on her family's behalf at the ceremony and performed a medley of her father's music.

Among the other inductees are Chuck Mangione, Jeff Tyzik, George Eastman, Gene Cornish, Charles Strouse and more.

You can more information about the event at RochesterMusic.org.