The Fifth Annual PortFest is a community-wide arts and music festival organized and hosted by HEARTS (Help Enrich the Arts of Port Washington). HEARTS is an independent, grassroots nonprofit community organization whose mission is to add meaningful value to children’s lives and the community by supporting and enriching the arts in Port Washington and its public schools. Damon Gersh, founder and chairperson of HEARTS, started PortFest because he believes passionately in the importance of arts in public schools. The event takes place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Schreiber fields.
Stage and Talent Acquisition Manager Jane Ronis said, “After three years of stage managing PortFest, I feel well-prepared to keep things rolling on both our main stages as well as the newest addition, the Acoustic Art Café (last year’s poetry café), which this year will hold all of our student art along with acoustic guitar players/singers who will be there throughout the day. There is no greater feeling than standing in front of the stages at 11 a.m. and watching everything kick-off with the staff who has worked countless hours [along with] the volunteers and guests. Music and art are the only international languages and that is what makes PortFest so special.”
Musical Talent Lineup:
• Bach to Rock Staff Band
• Guggenheim Chorus
• Weber Brass and Woodwind Ensemble
• Curtains Up
• Weber Jazz Lab
• Weber Pop Choir
• Guys & Dolls (Weber Drama)
• Schreiber Band (25 students)
• Schreiber a cappella
• How to Succeed in Business (Schreiber Musical)
• Big Fish (Port Summer Show)
• Schreiber Strings (50 students)
• Little Sammy and the Funked Up Daddys
• Flashmob to “Thriller,” led by Olga Berest
• Quebec
• Dave Diamond Band
• Azwel
In addition to music, talented local artists will be displaying their work and holding demonstrations.
Michele Garfield and Rachelle Krieger, cochairs of the Art Tent, welcome you to take a stroll through the PortFest Art Exhibit to view artwork by local artists. Enjoy viewing a variety of different styles and mediums including watercolors, oil paintings and photography. The works on display are all for sale and 50 percent of the proceeds will benefit HEARTS. Your purchase will support arts education in our public schools as well as support local artists. Come to the PortFest Art Exhibit to meet some of the talented artists from our community and learn more about their work and their artistic process.
Featured Artists:
• Lawrence Chrapliwy: Plein air oil painting demonstration. Throughout the day, Lawrence Chrapliwy will discuss his work and demonstrate his technique in painting with oils en plain air (open air).
• Michelle Shain: Watercolor demonstration. Join a hand-on lesson in painting with watercolors from a still life.
• Sandy Jo Hyman and Stan Strauss: Photography demonstration. Learn about the various things that you can do with digital photography and the digital darkroom.
Exhibiting Artists:
• Lawrence Chrapliwy
• Lynne Chrapliwy
• Ronald Cooper
• Alexandra Feigin
• Barbara E. Fishman
• Michele Garfield
• Tani Gilani
• Shelley Holtzman
• Sandy Jo Hyman
• Rachelle Krieger
• Jade Kuei
• Diane Luger
• Eileen Neville
• Shellie Schneider
• Mike Selbach
• Victoria Selbach
• Marcos Sinconegui
• Stan Strauss
• Nancy Wright
• Will Wright
