Yearly Archives: 2023

Stony Brook University holds its inaugural Dental Educators Day

by Press Release - October 6, 2023

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0-4 — School of Dental Medicine academic leaders during a panel session at the School’s first Dental Educators Day. From left: Sri Myeni, DDS, MS, PhD; Rekha Reddy, DMD; Christine Valestrand, DMD, and Thomas Manders, DDS. Photo by Brett Mauser

Event is designed to highlight an academic career path to fill a national need

Driven by the shortage of dental school faculty in New York and across the United States, Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine hosted its inaugural Dental Educators Day on October 5. The event was held in conjunction with World Teachers’ Day, and will be celebrated at Stony Brook on the first Thursday in October each year.

“By sharing the innumerable benefits of being a dental educator, we hope to inspire students to pursue such a pathway, whether their career is here at Stony Brook or elsewhere,” said Patrick M. Lloyd, DDS, MS, Dean of the Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine. “We also hope that other dental schools – in the U.S. and beyond – recognize the value of such a forum and that they consider hosting a dental educators event in the coming years.”

With the increase in class size of many dental schools as well as the emergence of more than a dozen new dental schools in the last 15 years, the need to reinforce the faculty workforce has never been greater. According to an article in the Journal of Dental Education, over 40 percent of full-time dental faculty in the United States reported to be over 60 years of age. Recruitment of faculty is challenged as well by private practice opportunities that often provide greater levels of compensation.

Stony Brook is uniquely positioned to help dental students interested in an academic career get a head start. It is one of few institutions where students can earn an education degree — a Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration — while in dental school with no additional tuition costs. Furthermore, Stony Brook’s general practice residents may complete a second year of training that is focused on developing their skills as didactic and clinical instructors.

“There are many tangible and intangible rewards that I have enjoyed as a faculty member at Stony Brook,” said Thomas Manders, DDS, Director of Stony Brook’s Division of Endodontics, who was one of four panelists to speak with students attending the afternoon’s question-and-answer session with dental faculty. “Dental Educators Day has been a great opportunity to share what motivated me to stay in education at my alma mater, as well as advice for current students who are considering a similar path.”

High school novel stirs controversy among Three Village parents

by Mallie Jane Kim - October 6, 2023

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WardMelvilleHS-9-11Flags-17-9-11-17w-1 — Ward Melville High School. File photo by Greg Catalano

By Mallie Jane Kim

Internet controversy over a novel taught to Ward Melville High School juniors spilled over into the public comment section of a board of education meeting Wednesday, Sept. 27, when two concerned parents stood up to support the book and caution against efforts to ban it.

The book in question, “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie and a multi-award winner, is a semi-autobiographical novel about a young Native American growing up on an Indian reservation who leaves his underfunded reservation school in favor of a majority-white public school in a neighboring town. The problem expressed by some parents is that in this coming-of-age story about a teenage boy struggling to discover his identity, there are a few passages where the speaker discusses his sexual self-discovery.

The administration has received calls in favor of and against the novel, but there have been no official requests from parents of students actually studying the book, according to Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services Brian Biscari. “It’s a bigger online issue than an actual issue,” Biscari said.

The controversy started when a parent shared a passage mentioning self-pleasure in a screenshot on a local Facebook group, Three Village Moms, where it was both attacked and supported in a series of nearly 500 comments. Some commenters expressed concern over sexualizing children too early, or that the passages may be too explicit for required reading in a Regents course.

Others asked their peers to consider the passage in context of the entire book, or worried the rhetoric might foment into a movement to ban the book, in light of efforts to censor literature at school districts nationwide.

The American Library Association has noted a “record surge” in requests to remove books from libraries and public schools during the first eight months of 2023, and primarily books “by or about a person of color of a member of the LGBTQIA+ community,” according to a Sept. 19 statement.

At the board meeting, district parent Ian Farber said exposure to an unfamiliar point of view is one of this book’s strengths. “This book provides a valuable perspective of a Native American who grew up on a reservation, a perspective that would be foreign to many of us without books like this one,” said Farber, who has also been a part of the district’s budget advisory committee.

Farber shrugged off the concerns over the passages about an aspect of human sexuality that, he said, most students know about by 11th grade. Instead, he praised the “robust and diverse” curriculum in Three Village school district and emphasized that the passages causing outrage are not even a main point of the book.

“He had a teacher that inspired him to do more with his life than previous generations — we should all want our children to achieve more than we have. This is a key part of the American Dream, and as such this book is patriotic in the best sense of the word.”

Anne Chimelis, a retired teacher and parent in the district, agreed in her public comment. “If we start banning books due to a single word that makes some people uncomfortable, we’re going down a very slippery slope,” she said.

Biscari noted that the district is happy to provide a list of novels taught in Three Village schools to parents who ask, and there is a clear process for parents to request for a materials review for novels in their child’s grade level if they have a concern. If that process does not go the way parents hope, he added, each parent is also welcome to opt a child out of a particular book.

On Alexie’s book, though, Biscari said most of the calls he’s gotten are from parents “who love the fact that there’s a book their kids can read and relate to.”

Rainy skies, bright smiles: Port Jeff Station/Terryville chamber ignites fall fun

by TBR Staff - October 6, 2023

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Members of the Backstage Studio of Dance attend Family Fun Day at Port Jefferson Station’s Train Car Park. Photo courtesy Joan Nickeson

By Aramis Khosronejad

Over the rainy weekend and despite the weather, the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce, determined to kick start the fall season, hosted a community celebration on Saturday, Sept. 30.

The chamber held its annual Family Fun Day celebration at the Train Car Park in Port Jeff Station, where this unique site goes well beyond Saturday’s festivities.

Members of the League of Women Voters table during the event. Photo courtesy Joan Nickeson

The chamber is “trying to make it the hub of Port Jeff Station,” said PJSTCC president Jennifer Dzvonar. “We’re trying to bring a central sense of community here.”

Family Fun Day has taken place since 2018. However, this year was the first the event was back after a two-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, among other factors. The event consisted of many local vendors and businesses, various performances, games for children and adults, and apple pie and scarecrow contests.

One of the local businesses that performed at the event was the Backstage Studio of Dance, a volunteer group that teaches young adults various dances, including ballet and boys hip hop, among others. “My kids can perform and not feel pressure of competition or anything else,” said Gwenn Capodieci, the executive director of the dance studio. “They’re just up there having fun.”

Pies are on display. Photo courtesy Joan Nickeson

Capodieci added what this event means for the community: “Support your local business while having fun with your family.”

Dzvonar noted that the event aims to “bring something to our community that encompasses everybody — the local businesses, families, our community.”

The original incentive, she added, was to create a simple, fun space where families can gather and enjoy each other’s company while supporting their local businesses.

Dzvonar also mentioned how the event “is really highlighting our kids, our next generation and our future.”

Wei Yang, innovator in cancer metastasis studies, joins SBU

by Daniel Dunaief - October 6, 2023

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sbweiyangatpostersession — Wei Yang at a poster session for a conference. Photo by Dr. Bo Zhou

By Daniel Dunaief

When cancer spreads, it becomes especially dangerous. Indeed, metastatic cancer accounts for 90 percent of deaths from this disease.

Stony Brook University Associate Professor Wei Yang, who joined the Pathology Department on August 1st, hopes to reduce metastatic mortality.

Yang is looking both upstream for the kind of molecular biological signals that might make cancer more likely to spread and downstream, for processes that overcome the body’s natural defenses and that lead to increased morbidity and mortality.

As he described, the goal is to prevent micrometastases, which are metastatic tumors that are too small for a radiographic scan, from growing into clinically relevant macrometastases that can be detected through imaging such as X-ray scans.

Micrometasases can form at an early stage, sometimes even before the detection of primary tumors. They are typically asymptomatic and are rarely lethal, as many cancer survivors die with, but not of, these micrometastases.

In work he conducted in California at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Yang focused on the protein kinase RIPK2, which is over expressed in prostate cancer.

By inhibiting RIPK2 kinase in cell culture and animal models, Yang reduced prostate cancer metastasis by over 90 percent after four weeks of treatment. Inhibiting this protein made cancer progression over 10 times slower.

Innate immune cells and epithelial cells express RIPK2 at various levels. RIPK2 is over expressed in about 18 cancer types and the high expression is generally associated with worse patient outcomes.

RIPK2 is localized in the cytoplasm, which is inside the cell, rather than on the cell surface, which makes it difficult to train the immune system to destroy it. Small molecule compounds, however, can penetrate into the cytoplasm of tumor cells.

Developing oral drugs to shut off RIPK2 is a promising approach to disrupting this protein.

Repurposing an existing drug

The Food and Drug Administration has already approved a multi-kinase inhibitor called Ponatinib, which can inhibit the pro-metastatic RIPK2 signaling pathway in prostate cancer.

Yang believes it is “very promising” to repurpose this drug to treat prostate cancer patients who don’t respond to hormone therapies.

His animal experiments showed that RIPK2-higher tumor cells can grow into macromestases in multiple organs, such as bones, liver and adrenal glands. RIPK2 was also detected in cancers such as kidney and breast. Its expression levels are typically higher than in normal tissues.

Yang is the first to demonstrate that targeting RIPK2 reduces cancer metastasis.

He has been working on prostate cancer since he conducted his postdoctoral research at Harvard University/ Boston Children’s Hospital in 2006.

He started by analyzing three comprehensive and publicly available clinical databases. Using stringent criteria, he identified seven promising drug targets in prostate cancer metastasis. Among the seven, RIPK2 was the most significantly overexpressed and its expression increased along with prostate cancer progression from benign to lethal cancer.

Most patients diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer die within two to three years. About 31 percent live five years or longer.

For Yang, who earned his PhD from Peking University, the goal is to understand and prevent the lethal process of metastatic progression. He aims to develop clinically actionable drug targets and biomarkers.

Upstream and downstream

Yang is searching for genes and proteins that regulate the expression of this protein kinase, to find out what increases the expression of RIPK2 in tumor cells.

He has identified three transcription factors that are important for the expression of RIPK2 mRNA in prostate cancer cells. Previous studies showed that these factors are key drivers of prostate cancer aggressiveness.

He explained that it’s promising that patients with the overexpression of these transcription factors may benefit from targeting RIPK2 to reduce cancer aggressiveness. He is also identifying a gene signature associated with RIPK2 signaling activity. This will allow him to identify additional patients who may benefit from inhibiting this protein.

Seeking collaborators

Yang said he came to Stony Brook University for a host of reasons, including to have more lab space where he can employ two post doctoral researchers, two or three graduate students, one research support specialist and two undergraduates.

He is in the second year of a five year National Cancer Institute grant and is also in the second year of a three-year Department of Defense grant.

Yang would like to find collaborators at Stony Brook who can bring specific levels of expertise in areas such as lipid signaling.

In addition to RIPK2, Yang also focuses on palmitoylation signaling in cancer metastasis. Palmitoylation is a type of lipid modification on proteins and is a reversible post-translational modification whose deregulation contributes to diseases including cancer.

Stony Brook has a “world class lipid signaling research center,” he explained in an email, and he would like to find collaborators in this arena.

Hobbies

Married with a 14-year old son, Yang enjoys traveling with his family to cities and national parks and reading history and science fiction books. One of his favorite authors is Yuval Noah Harari.

As a child, Yang was particularly interested in science. Cancer affected his family, as his grandfather had liver cancer that was diagnosed early enough to receive treatment and his aunt is living with lung cancer.

While he has a sense of urgency to study metastatic cancer, Yang said the field does not receive as much funding and attention as other areas of cancer research. He estimates that about 10 percent of the cancer budget supports investigations into metastatic cancer.

His approach, he said, will remain focused on actionable plans and on efforts that have “high translational potential,” he explained.

Ward Melville Patriots girls volleyball blanks Bay Shore

by Bill Landon - October 6, 2023

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Patriots score. — Above, Patriots celebrate after a score. Photo by Bill Landon

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By Bill Landon

The Ward Melville girls volleyball squad sat atop the League I leaderboard two games ahead of second place Patchogue-Medford when they hosted Bay Shore in a nonleague matchup Saturday, Sept. 30.

Bay Shore, a League II team at 6-2, gave the Patriots a run for their money by forcing Ward Melville to a tight second set. The Patriots weathered the storm and were able to keep Bay Shore at bay, winning the match 25-22, 27-25, 25-19.

Ward Melville made it back-to-back wins with a 3-0 shutout at home against Riverhead Monday, Oct. 2, winning 25-19, 25-18, 25-15 in league play.

This win lifted the Patriots to 9-0 in the league. Next up was a road game against Walt Whitman Oct. 4, but the result was too late for press time.

— Photos by Bill Landon

Shoreham-Wading River field hockey enjoys big shutout victory over Babylon

by Bill Landon - October 6, 2023

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Shoreham-Wading River Wildcats stand alone atop the Division II field hockey standings as only one of two teams that remain undefeated in Suffolk County. The Wildcats made short work of visiting Babylon with a 7-0 shutout victory at Thomas Cutinella Memorial Field Monday, Oct. 2.

Maddi Herr led the way for the Wildcats with three goals, Sophia Minnion had one goal and three assists, while Haylie Abrams rocked the box with another goal. Mae Kilkenny and Kayla Corso rounded out the scoring for the Wildcats with one goal apiece. Goalkeeper Maggie Andersen had a quiet day protecting the box.

The win lifts Shoreham-Wading River to 10-0 overall just beyond the midway point in the season. The team has allowed only two goals against, with five games remaining before postseason play begins.

— Photos by Bill Landon

Slip sliding away: Ward Melville girls soccer beats Northport 2-0

by Steven Zaitz - October 6, 2023

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By Steven Zaitz

A soggy day got even soggier for the Northport Lady Tiger soccer team, as it dropped a 2-0 decision to its top-of-the-table rival and reigning New York State champion Ward Melville this past Saturday.

The Lady Patriots scored one very early and another very late to secure the win and, in between, used a suffocating brand of defense that allowed Northport nary a chance to even sniff a scoring opportunity. This was an especially impressive feat by Ward Melville, considering Northport had obliterated Walt Whitman two days earlier, 7-0.

Lady Pat senior Peyton Costello scored on a penalty kick in the 16th minute of the game, her eighth goal of the year, and freshman Aliyah Leonard knocked in a header off a gorgeous centering pass from Marissa Tonic with 13 minutes remaining for the knockout punch. Leonard was able to get a large piece of not only the ball, but Tiger goalkeeper Kaleigh Howard’s arm, as Howard was rising up to catch Tonic’s curving crosser. Howard never gained control and the ball squirted free and over the goal line.

The Lady Patriot defense did the rest. Fullbacks and sisters Adriana and Ale’ Victoriano were twin terrors on the backline with Sarah Jablonsky, Samantha Ruffini and Tonic at center midfield. The Patriots forced Tiger stars Madison Howard, Jamie Inzerillo and Brooke Heffernan into slippery decisions and often missed connections as Ward Melville goalkeeper Kate Ronzoni had a reasonably easy day at the office.

Northport had outscored its previous five opponents by a combined 21-2. Saturday in Setauket, however, was a different story for the Lady Tigers as they mustered only two shots at Ronzoni’s net.

For the Patriots, it’s business as usual. Only one team scored against them all season and it was non-league Syosset. Ward Melville won that game anyway 7-2. So far this season, nine other teams have tried and failed to slip one past Ronzoni — including Northport.

“Our team is a mix of such good players from different club teams in Suffolk,” senior captain Tonic said. “Everyone works so well together, and we have such a great defensive shape.”

Ward Melville remains undefeated at 9-0-1 and has used that defensive shape to achieve a goal differential of 32-2 this year. Northport falls to 7-2-2.

The game was played just hours after historic amounts of rain fell across Long Island and while the rain had tapered off considerably at game time, it was still played under slick conditions. Northport wasn’t using it as an excuse.

“Ward Melville has a very strong defense,” said junior captain and striker Madison Howard, who is Kaleigh’s sister. “I think we came out a little tentatively because there was a lot of hype surrounding this game. But if and when we see them again in the playoffs, we’ll know what to do.”

With their unblemished 8-0 record in Suffolk Division I, Ward Melville has a simple focus — repeat as state champs.

“We have a completely different team now than we had last year,” Costello said. “We are very young but still very hungry to win it all again.”

Northport, also with lofty aspirations, is now a respectable 6-2-1 in the division and currently seeded fifth. The top two teams in the conference will earn a bye in the first round of the playoffs. The victory by Ward Melville was a big step toward that pot of gold, but Northport is not done chasing that rainbow.

“We always try to stay positive,” Madison Howard said. “We will win as many games as we can and see where we end up.”

With opponents including Connetquot and Commack in the coming days, the Lady Tigers hope to crank up the machine again and render this loss a wet and wild one-off.

Ward Melville intends to keep the good times rolling with upcoming games against Bay Shore, Connetquot and Walt Whitman.

David Mills of Setauket dies at 75

Obituaries

by Press Release - October 6, 2023

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David Mills, of Setauket, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Friday, Sept. 22, at the age of 75. He is survived by his loving wife of 52 years, Mary Lu; his five children, Jared (Jancie), Ethan (Maura), Johanna (Ronan), Emily (Laura) and Liza (Brett); and his eight grandchildren, Scarlett, Beckett, Helena, Adelyn, Cormac, Seamus, Piper and Calum. He leaves behind his siblings, Stephen (Christine), Carl (Barbara), Barbara (Michael) and Ellen (Nancy) and a large extended family. He was predeceased by his parents, Dr. R. Sherman Mills and Marie Magner Mills.

David was the fifth generation of the Mills family to reside in Setauket. He spent his childhood and adolescence riding horses and exploring the open waters of the Long Island Sound. He graduated from Earl L. Vandermeulen High School in 1966 and attended the University of Miami before graduating from Hofstra University in 1973.

Early in his professional career, David worked for RIF International Corporation, which allowed him the opportunity to travel extensively in Europe and the Middle East. He later started his own construction business and sustained a long career managing residential and commercial building projects throughout the Northeast.

David was a recognizable presence in the community, known for his no-nonsense demeanor, warm heart and willingness to help anyone. He was an integral contributor to the Three Village lacrosse program as a coach, president and then a loyal supporter, where you could hear his booming voice on the sidelines of countless lacrosse games throughout the years.

David will be remembered for his dry sense of humor, love of history and literature, passion for working with his hands and steadfast dedication to his family.

There will be a celebration of his life on Saturday, Oct. 14, at Harbor View Farm, 87 Shore Road, East Setauket, from 2 to 5 p.m., with words of remembrance at 3 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the National Kidney Foundation in his memory either online at www.kidney.org or to the National Kidney Foundation, 30 East 33rd St., New York, NY 10016.

Onward and Upward: A tribute to Dom Famularo

by TBR Staff - October 6, 2023

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By Michael Tessler

In the face of great loss, we often grapple with the inexplicable question of how someone so full of life could ever truly be gone. These past few days, I have wrestled with this question, trying to reconcile the vibrant spirit of Dom Famularo with the solemn reality of his passing on Sept. 27 at the age of 70.

Undoubtedly, there will be countless tributes to the legacy of this marvel of a man. I’m sharing with you just one experience on how he changed the trajectory of my life.

I first had the privilege of meeting Mr. Famularo when I was just a fourth-grader. His son and I became fast friends. His eldest son proudly declared his dad was famous. Turns out, he was telling the truth!

Mr. Famularo was one of the greatest drummers of our time, described as the “global ambassador of drumming” who traveled the world teaching his craft. His students and admirers included famous names from nearly every genre of music and hailed from every habitable continent.

He was more than a musician. He was a motivational speaker, an entrepreneur, and a public servant. His generosity knew no bounds, touching the lives of countless individuals.

He was a world-traveler, a man who often knew more about a place than the locals who called it home. He was a student of history, who somehow found time to be well-read on subjects that spanned all eras of history.

For years, I’ve had the good fortune to consider myself an honorary Famularo. Their cousins felt like my cousins, and we shared countless family gatherings and experiences that bound us together.

There was a time when I moved back to New York, feeling lost in life. I had no place to live, no job, no college degree, and no clear direction. It was Dom and his incredible wife Charmaine who took me in, offering me a bed and ensuring I had something to eat.

It was Mr. Famularo who inadvertently kickstarted my film career. One morning while I was moping in their kitchen, ready to throw in the towel on a fruitless job hunt, he gave me a pep talk and suggested I peruse the Classifieds in the Port Times Record. It was there that I found my job selling advertisements that would eventually lead to my work on TBR News Media’s first feature film.

Those were tough days, filled with long hours and a juggling act of night classes at a community college, full-time work, and a part-time job at a pawn shop on the weekends. Yet, every morning as I quietly had breakfast and sipped on coffee, Dom would come downstairs, as if ready for battle, energized and full of life, exclaiming, “MIKEY BOY! IT IS A BEAUTIFUL MORNING!”

Living with Dom answered the question, “Is he really like this ALL the time?” The answer was an unequivocal yes. Dom’s magic lay in his ability to light up a room with his presence, to make everyone feel like they were the most important person in the world. Quick-witted, smart, and full of innuendo, he had the remarkable ability to make even those who were upset with him burst into laughter and be in awe of his charm.

Despite being a famous musician with a massive international fanbase, Dom Famularo gave himself wholeheartedly to this community. He somehow found time to serve on committees, becoming an expert on matters as mundane as metered parking. Even in his final months, he found the strength to go to Village Hall and confront a bully. He was a public servant, a true advocate for his community, a relentless voice for reason, kindness, and doing what is right.

But Dom’s secret power was not his public speaking ability, his magnificent drumming, nor his uncanny ability to make you feel like the most important person in the world. Of all the things to admire about Dom Famularo, it was his family that shone the brightest.

Dom’s parents were remarkable, a testament to the greatest generation. He and his siblings carried forward their legacy. I’d never seen such a close-knit and special family before. His pride and joy were his three boys. Each unique, kind, brilliant, generous, and, like their father, hysterical.

Of all his great achievements, none rivals marrying Charmaine. He would be the first to admit that she was his better half. In addition to raising three incredible boys, she managed to build Dom’s drumming empire, and has always been his secret weapon. Her strength, her heart, and her remarkable resilience never stops leaving me in awe.

Our last conversation was at the beginning of summer. Somehow, despite a ferocious battle with cancer, he found the energy to greet me with that same familiar “MIKEY BOY!” that I had heard countless times before. I will treasure that conversation forever.

Mr. Famularo, you gave me a home when I had none. You gave me a purpose when I was lost. You believed in me before I believed in myself. You spent your life hoping to leave a mark, to make a difference, to live relentlessly — you did more than that. You’ve inspired countless others to do the same. You are magnificent, the embodiment of magic, and more than anything you are loved now and forever.

So I’ve found the answer to my question. Dom’s mantle is not one that any single individual will ever be able to carry, but between all of us who knew him and have loved him — we will ensure his light will never diminish. As we find a way to move onward, Dom moves upward. Serving now as a great North Star, reminding us just how bright we can shine…if only we’re willing to share our light.

Illuminations 2023: The Many Faces of Home heads to Heckscher Museum of Art

by Tara Mae - October 6, 2023

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Illuminationspg9 — 'Illuminations' will be presented during the Long Island Fall Festival on Oct. 7 and 8. Photo courtesy of Heckscher Museum

By Tara Mae

As Columbus Day weekend draws near, many look forward to the annual Long Island Fall Festival at beautiful Heckscher Park in Huntington. Presented by the Huntington Township Chamber of Commerce, the four day event, from Oct. 6 to 9, will feature carnival rides, an international food court, music, over 300 vendors, and much more.

One of the highlights of this year’s festival is a multimedia art installation titled Illuminations 2023: The Many Faces of Home.

If home is where the heart is, then leaving one home for another is perhaps a sort of heart transplant. A fresh lease on life: wistful and wondrous. On Oct. 7 and 8, from 7 to 8 p.m., the digital art show will spotlight the physical and emotional journeys immigrants undertake as they settle in foreign places and seek to make them familiar.

Featuring the work by Stony Brook University adjunct art professor and digital artist Han Qin as well as other international artists, this digital art show features three intricately connected yet distinctive works, which will be projected onto the facade of an artistic hearth: the Heckscher Museum of Art located in Heckscher Park.

“It feels like the perfect space for such an event,” said Heather Arnet, Executive Director of the Heckscher Museum.

My New Home, by Qin, depicts and celebrates the immigration experience through a 3D image projection showing portraits of diverse community members who immigrated to Huntington and made it home.

Journey Home, also by Qin, is an animated film projection. In ocean hues, it spotlights a school of fish that transforms into groups of people swimming to their new island home.

The Grand Finale is a collaborative collection of engaging animation by six different international artists: Blake Carrington, Koi Ren, Yehwan Song, Silent Desautels, Shuyi Li, and Colton Arnold.

The show is choreographed to original music composed by Professor Margaret Schedel, co-director of Stony Brook University’s Computer Music Program. “Margaret’s music…has dark energy that transforms into immense joy,” Illuminations co-curator Chiarina Chen said.

Shown consecutively, the elements of Illuminations likewise take patrons on a sojourn of the soul: from pensive introspection to audacious hope. The show immerses its audience in artistic excavation of existential inquiries.

These questions were initially posited by Qin as part of her continuous exploration of, and meditation on, the identity quandaries immigrants may endure as they transition from their homeland to the precarious promise of a settled future.

“My digital art piece works with the community of immigrants who speak different languages on Long Island. Its purpose is to show this group of marginalized immigrants — who they are looking to become or who their kids are looking to become, who holds the community together…this is a self-help project to figure out who those immigrants become,” Qin said.

Such an investigation is personal for Qin who, during lockdown, began examining feeling adrift in her own immigrant identity: not quite of China, her nation of birth, nor the United States, her country of choice.

“I was looking for a way to find people who know who they are,” Qin added. She got involved with different organizations that focused on the immigrant experiences of adolescents and adults. The relationships she formed through these endeavors answered questions her art was striving to ask.

With a New York State Council of the Arts (NYSCA) grant processed through the Patchogue Arts Council, she was able to develop her artistic thesis from a intuitive theory into an expansive experience.

As Qin crafted personal connections that revealed uncovered communal correlations, she utilized her professional network to recruit colleagues in curating and creating the third segment of Illuminations.

“We invited six very interesting, talented international artists of various backgrounds. We have six parts in that: traversing memories, dreams, identities that are searching for belonging-cohesive with unique parts…digital art can be a public art form that brings people together, a sort of enchantment,” Chen said. “When connected stories are projected on the building, it becomes another level of togetherness.”

Schedel’s music both belies and enhances the union. She composed six segments of music. Each has its own tempo and mini theme that nonetheless coalesces into a cohesive whole. Included in the piece are interviews with community leaders as well as water sounds; many people interviewed mentioned water as part of their immigration experience.

“It is a piece of music I composed to go along with the timeline that Han and I developed together, thinking of structure, movement, and emotion,” Schedel said.

In its entirety, Illuminations is a medley of form, motion, and feeling. At its essence, the art is an overture of communal acceptance and understanding.

“Illuminations celebrates immigrants, their influence on our community, and why they chose Long Island…It [seems] like a wonderful opportunity for the museum,” Arnet said.

This is the Hecksher Museum’s first exhibition specifically designed for the Long Island Fall Festival, although the concept of home is one that is currently studied in its Raise the Roof exhibit, which is a study of the spaces people inhabit.

Arnet approached Qin, who has pieces in the museum’s permanent collection, about doing a digital art projection on the front of the building. Qin was already in the process of developing My New Home and Journey Home. Illuminations was born of those discussions.

“What is exciting is that we are trying something new, which always involves risk. This is innovative, we are trying out the unknown, none of us quite know what it will be like…I am very interested in moving beyond four walls, engaging community in unique ways,” Arnet said.

Illuminations 2023: The Many Faces of Home at the Heckscher Museum of Art, 2 Prime Ave., Huntington is free to the public. For more information, call 631-380-3230 or visit www.heckscher.org

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