Artists, Lisa D’Amico, Michael Craft and Aviva Sakolsky have been lifelong friends with a shared love of the arts. So, when the coronavirus cancelled the in-person Rockland Arts Festival, they joined forces to ensure that the event would still go on but in the safety of a virtual format.
“We need the arts and friendship now more than ever. Just like friendship, the arts feed our souls, and enrich our lives,” said Aviva Sakolsky. The Rockland Arts Festival is not only a celebration of the outstanding local talent but a show of support and commitment.
The Rockland Arts Festival hopes to bring the quality and diversity of the local arts to the community along with a full calendar of free, live streaming arts events. “We also hope that this effort will provide much needed support to our exhibiting and performing artists, who are facing many event cancellations due to the COVID-19 crisis,” said Michael Craft.
The Rockland Arts Festival will be hosted virtually from April 1 – 30, 2021 at www. RocklandArtsFestival.org with over 100+ local visual artists giving viewers the unique opportunity to enjoy works ranging from ceramics to sculpture to watercolor from the comfort and safety of their homes. Plus every Sunday and Monday at 7:00pm during April, there will be a live-streaming arts event hosted on the Rockland Arts Festival‘s Facebook page and available on Zoom.
These family friendly events will include live music concerts, ballet performances, gallery and studio tours, independent films, panel discussions and art demonstrations with the festival finale on Thursday, April 29th at 7:00pm. The calendar of online events is on the festival’s website and attendance free to the public.
In 1921, an unknown World War I American soldier was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. This site, on a hillside overlooking the Potomac River and the city of Washington, D.C., became the focal point of reverence for America’s veterans. Similar ceremonies occurred earlier in England and France, where an unknown soldier was buried in each nation’s highest place of honor (in England, Westminster Abbey; in France, the Arc de Triomphe). These memorial gestures all took place on November 11, giving universal recognition to the celebrated ending of World War I fighting at 11 a.m., November 11, 1918 (the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month). The day became known as “Armistice Day.” Armistice Day officially received its name in America in 1926 through a Congressional resolution. It became a national holiday 12 years later by similar Congressional action. If the idealistic hope had been realized that World War I was “the War to end all wars,” November 11 might still be called Armistice Day. But only a few years after the holiday was proclaimed, war broke out in Europe. Sixteen and one-half million Americans took part. Four hundred seven thousand of them died in service, more than 292,000 in battle. Armistice Day Changed To Honor All Veterans The first celebration using the term Veterans Day occurred in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1947. Raymond Weeks, a World War II veteran, organized “National Veterans Day,” which included a parade and other festivities, to honor all veterans. The event was held on November 11.