Arts & Entertainment

From left, Lorraine Bracco, Talia Shire, Brenda Vaccaro and Vince Vaughn in a scene from 'Nonnas'. Photo by Jeong Park/Netflix

Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel

At Enoteca Maria we celebrate cultural diversity by serving cuisines from around the world, but we do it in the most uniquely authentic way possible. Real grandmothers from every country across the globe are invited and hired as chefs to cook the recipes handed down to them that they cook at home for their families, that make up the fabric of the culture they were born and raised in. We aspire to build cultural connections through the universal language of cooking […].

Culture is a resource worth preserving. After all a tree can’t grow and change without its roots. 

— from the Enoteca Maria website

In Nonnas, Netflix offers a highly fictionalized but loving celebration of Joe Scravella’s Staten Island restaurant, Enoteca Maria. Novelist-turned filmmaker Stephen Chboksy leaves his edge behind in directing Liz Maccie’s by-the-numbers screenplay and presents a heartfelt but wholly predictable salute to family and food.

The film opens with young Joe (Theodore Helm) and a Sunday dinner in Brooklyn, watching his mother and grandmother in the kitchen, while the extended clan eats, sings, and dances in the living room. Observing his grandmother add ingredients to the sauce pot, the boy asks, “How do you know how much to use?” His grandmother responds: “You feel it in your heart. You put in your heart.” The rest of Nonnas’ two hours fall along the same line in simplicity and intent.

The story fast forwards several decades. The grown Joe (Vince Vaughn) has lost his mother to cancer. Saddened and more than a little broken, he stares into the emptiness stretching before him. After some emotional struggle, he uses the two hundred thousand dollars inherited from his mother’s insurance policy to open a restaurant to honor her memory. His concept is simple: he will hire “nonnas” (Italian grandmothers) as chefs.

He first recruits his mother’s best friend, the irascible Roberta (Lorraine Bracco). He then runs an ad in Craig’s List, garnering a “retired” nun, Teresa (Talia Shire), and Antonella (Brenda Vaccaro), the neighbor of Joe’s high school prom date, Olivia (Linda Cardellini). His mother’s hairdresser, Gia (Susan Sarandon), rounds out the staff, serving as pastry chef. His childhood friend, Bruno, with a touch of strong-arming from Bruno’s wife, Stella (Drea de Matteo), reluctantly serves as contractor. 

Nonnas follows this rag-tag crew as they benignly bicker and quickly join forces to open the restaurant. They face predictable challenges—code issues, building violations, a kitchen fire (from an incinerated sheep’s head used for Capuzzelle), opening in a thunderstorm to no business, a snobbish food critic (Campbell Scott), etc. The problem is that the hurdles feel artificial; therefore, nothing plays on two levels—whether grief or goals. No point is allowed to simmer; everything must come to an immediate boil, then taken off the stove. There is a brief food fight, a makeover montage, and a vague drinking scene with personal revelations, but no surprises.

The dialogue is a string of clichés and aphorisms: “The tomato is the heart of your dish. If you don’t have heart, you don’t have nothin’.” “You make the food. People eat the food. You make people happy.” “Food is love.” “Age is not a disease.” And, stated more than once, “One does not grow old at the table.” 

Vince Vaughn is not plumbing any depths; his performance falls into his long line of likable everymen. But his wide-eyed charm and easy earnestness hold center. The same is true of the entire cast. The quartet of kitchen cooks play to type but are delightful as they do so. Cardellini’s widow is just the right romance-light that Joe—and the story—needs. Everyone seems to be in on the celebration and having a terrific time. 

While Nonnas could easily be accused of overly sentimental (tipping occasionally into saccharine), its genuine sincerity comes through. The combination of food-porn-with-a-point and making the family you need synthesize in this Italian Valentine. Borrowing from another culture’s cuisine, Nonnas is pure schmaltz.

Enoteca Maria opened in 2007 and, unlike as portrayed in its cinematic counterpart, was an immediate success and continues to thrive. If Nonnas is not quite art, it cannot help being a boon for the restaurant and its mission.

Rated PG, the film is now streaming on Netflix.

See trailer here.

 

Photo courtesy of Optimum

Optimum, a provider of fiber internet, mobile, TV, and phone services, recently announced the winners of the sixth annual Optimum Innovator Awards, which recognizes FIRST Robotics Competition teams for their innovation and efforts in areas such as community engagement, technology, inspiration, diversity, and sustainability. This year, Optimum is distributing over $25,000 worth of grants to five winners, five runners-up, and 18 honorable mentions to support their continued growth, creativity, and innovation.

With the 2025 season of FIRST competitions completed, the Optimum Innovator Awards recognizes the drive and hard work that teams have displayed throughout the year – from donating Braille STEM kits to launching a “Protect the Pollinators” project that aims to spread the word about pollinators. As FIRST students prepare for the next competition season, the Optimum Innovator Awards further supports their efforts to find new and innovative ways to design and engineer their robots as well as inspires them to create a positive change in the world.

As a long-time supporter of FIRST, an organization that provides students with mentor-based programs to build science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills, Optimum is committed to deepening its community presence as well as championing local programs that help inspire and educate future innovators. Optimum’s continued partnership with FIRST is a concrete example of the company’s dedication to celebrating what makes each of its local communities unique and making a positive impact for the residents, businesses, and organizations that call these places home.

This year, Optimum demonstrated its unwavering commitment to FIRST by sponsoring over 70 teams and six regional competitions within its footprint. These efforts helped provide essential resources and tools for FIRST teams to build and program their robots. Furthermore, Optimum employees actively participated by volunteering at regional competitions and mentoring FIRST students. The company also awarded $1,000 grants to 18 of their sponsored teams that qualified to compete in the prestigious FIRST Championship, a four-day international event that marks the culmination of the robotics competition season.

Optimum Innovator Award winners will receive grants of $2,000; runners-up will receive $1,500; and honorable mentions will receive $500. To continue celebrating the winners’ accomplishments, Optimum will host recognition events with local officials and key community partners joining to show their support.

2025 Optimum Innovator Award Winners

Inclusion Award 

  • Winner: Delta Overload Robotics (Indianola, MS)
  • Runner-up: Rebel Robotics (Great Neck, NY)

Excellence in Technology Award 

  • Winner: Horsepower (Kingwood, TX)
  • Runner-up: Ossining O-Bots (Ossining, NY)

Community Impact Award

  • Winner: POBots (Plainview, NY)
  • Runner-up: Bionic Bulldogs (Kingman, AZ)

Inspiration Award 

  • Winner: The Soaring Colts (Dix Hills, NY)
  • Runner-up: Regal Eagles (Bethpage, NY)

Sustainability Award

  • Winner: Putnam Area Robotics Team (Winfield, WV)
  • Runner-up: Bionic Panthers (Liberty Hill, TX)

Honorable Mentions

  • Brooklyn Blacksmiths (Brooklyn, NY)
  • MEGALODONS (Brooklyn, NY)
  • FeMaidens (Bronx, NY)
  • 8 Bit RAMs (Clarkstown, NY)
  • Tech Devils (Denville, NJ)
  • Warhawks (Edison, NJ)
  • Hauppauge Robotics Eagles (Hauppauge, NY)
  • Hicksville J-Birds (Hicksville, NY)
  • SWLA Tech Pirates (Lake Charles, LA)
  • Westerner Robotics (Lubbock, TX)
  • Longwood RoboLions (Middle Island, NY)
  • Bomb Squad (Mountain Home, AR)
  • Knightronz (Nanuet, NY)
  • Cybercats (Old Westbury, NY)
  • Full Metal Jackets (Rockwall, TX)
  • The Mechanical Bulls (Smithtown, NY)
  • SMART (Sylva, NC)
  • uNReal (Thiells, NY)

Click here to learn more about Optimum’s long-standing partnership with FIRST and the Optimum Innovator Awards.

'Pond at Bayard Cutting Arboretum' by Ross Barbera will be on view through June 15.

By Heidi Sutton

As flowers and trees bloom across Long Island and the weather warms, the beauty of the season heads inside for the Setauket Artists’ Spring Exhibition at Deepwells Mansion in St. James.

Featuring over 100 works of art from 34 artists displayed on the first and second floors of the mansion, the stunning exhibit will open this weekend with an artist reception on Sunday, May 18 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.

“It will be a beautiful show painted by talented artists who are attuned to the beauty of the local area,” said Paula Pelletier, publicist for the Setauket Artists and a member for over15 years. 

Participating artists include Ross Barbera, Shain Bard, Kyle Blumenthal, Sheila Breck, Joyce Bressler, Renee Caine, Al Candia, Gail Chase,  Anthony Davis, Julie Doczi, William Dodge, Paul Edelson, Margaret Governale, Melissa Imossi, Flo Kemp, Karen Kemp, Joanne Liff, John Mansueto, Daniel McCarthy, Jane McGraw-Teubner, Eleanor Meier, Fred Mendelsohn, Muriel Musarra, Annette Napolitano, Paula Pelletier, Joan Rockwell, Robert Roehrig, Carole Link Scinta, Barbara Jeanne Siegel, John Taylor, Susan Trawick, Maria Lourdes Velez, Marlene Weinstein, and Patricia Yantz.

Many of the paintings are inspired by Long Island landscapes and seascapes of the Sound. This year’s Honored Artist is Anthony Davis whose oil paintings of the ever-changing surf will grace the walls of the mansion. Other paintings reflect artists’ travels and daily inspirations, which range from butterflies (Maria Lourdes Velez), birches (Shain Bard) to barns (Al Candia), according to Pelletier.

Mediums include oil, watercolor, acrylic and pastel. Additionally, hand-painted photographs and cyanotypes by Marlene Weinstein. All paintings are for sale. 

The first floor of the mansion will also feature a gift boutique where one can purchase original scarves, greeting cards and books, matted and unframed works (some originals, others giclee prints), as well as pottery by Russell Pulick. In addition, four paintings ­— generously donated by Patty Yantz, Paul Edelson, Eleanor Meier, and Carole Link Scinta — will be raffled off.

“The artists are excited to return to Deepwells with its floor-to-ceiling windows and extraordinary light. While there, visitors can admire its 19th century Greek-Revival architecture, learn the history of this beautiful mansion built in 1845 and view restoration projects,” said Pelletier.

“We would like to thank the members of the Setauket Artists community who work so hard and spend so many hours working to make our exhibits successful. In particular we would like to thank Renee Caine, Rob Roehrig and Patty Yantz for their time, energy, good humor and administrative skills,” she added.

Sponsored by Steven Baroumis of SBNY RE, the exhibit will run through June 15 at Deepwells Mansion, 2 Taylor Lane (corner of Route 25A and Moriches Road), in St. James. Admission is free. For more information and to view a selection of the paintings, visit setauketartists.com.

Setauket Neighborhood House. File photo

New location! Emma Clark Library has moved the Ellen Bogolub Chamber Music Concert to the Setauket Neighborhood House, 95 Main St., Setauket on Sunday, May18 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Join them for an afternoon of Haydn, Mendelssohn, and Florence Price’s “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” performed by a  string quartet from Long Island Chamber Music. No registration required. Questions? Email [email protected]

Joseph Lloyd Manor garden. Courtesy of Preservation Long Island.

The Caribbean American Poetry Association (CAPA) and Preservation Long Island (PLI) invite students in Grades 6-12 across Long Island to share original poems as part of the 2025 Caribbean American Heritage Month/ Juneteenth Poetry Celebration on Thursday, June 19 in Lloyd Harbor. This event will pay homage to Jupiter Hammon (1711–c. 1806), recognized as the first published Black American poet. The event will take place at Joseph Lloyd Manor where Hammon authored his most significant works about the moral conflicts of slavery and freedom in the early United States while enslaved on Long Island.

In honor of Hammon’s legacy, CAPA and PLI invite students to submit their original poetry for the open-mic segment of the Juneteenth event. Students are encouraged to share verses on themes of liberty, resistance, and the power of writing, all of which resonate deeply with Hammon’s work. Entries will be accepted from students in Grades 6 through 12. Those who wish to participate must submit their original poetry on or before June 1, 2025. Poems should be no more than 40 lines long. Click HERE for details and guidelines for teachers and students. Poetry submissions are due by June 1, 2025.

The student open-mic will follow performances by featured poets, Dr. Lindamichelle Baron, Keisha-Gay Anderson, and Yasmin Morais. The program will begin with tours of Joseph Lloyd Manor and live Caribbean music. It will also include a dramatic historical hip-hopera by award-winning playwright, author, and poet Marsha M. Nelson, and a Taste of the Caribbean Table featuring signature dishes donated by local Caribbean eateries. The event is free; however, guests are encouraged to RSVP.

Support

The Juneteenth Poetic Tribute to Jupiter Hammon is funded in part by Poets & Writers with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. For more information about sponsorship opportunities or to participate in The Taste of the Caribbean Table, please contact CAPA at: [email protected].

About CAPA

The Caribbean American Poetry Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing Caribbean poetry in the United States, promoting the work of Caribbean American poets, and bringing Caribbean American poetry to the widest possible audiences.

About Preservation Long Island

Preservation Long Island is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to celebrate and preserve Long Island’s diverse cultural and architectural heritage through advocacy, education, and the stewardship of historic sites and collections. http://preservationlongisland.org

About Joseph Lloyd Manor

Located in the Town of Huntington, Joseph Lloyd Manor (c.1767) is one of Preservation Long Island’s historic houses and a site that enslaved generations of people of African descent. The house was designated as a National Literary Landmark™ in 2020 by the United for Libraries and Empire State Center for the Book in honor of writer Jupiter Hammon’s literary achievements. https://preservationlongisland.org/joseph-lloyd-manor/

Pixabay photo

By Britt Burner, Esq.

Britt Burner Esq.

For those who pass away in 2025, the federal estate tax exemption stands at $13.99 million per individual—or nearly $28 million for a married couple. This historically high exemption is a result of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), which temporarily doubled the prior $5 million exemption (indexed for inflation).

But there’s a catch: the increased exemption is set to expire at the end of 2025. Without congressional action, the exemption will revert to approximately $7 million per person, adjusted for inflation. This change is already written into the law, so unless Congress intervenes, the reduction is inevitable.

What can be done? Estate planning strategies will vary based on a number of factors, including the types and total value of assets, family structure, access and control considerations, and intended beneficiaries. However, there are several proactive steps individuals can consider now to take advantage of the current exemption before it sunsets:

Because the federal exemption applies to both lifetime gifts and assets transferred at death, one effective strategy is to gift up to the full exemption amount before the end of 2025. Gifting $13.99 million in 2025 removes that amount from your taxable estate, and the IRS has confirmed it will not be “clawed back” later, even if the exemption is reduced.

These gifts can be made to irrevocable trusts specifically designed to protect assets and control how they are used by beneficiaries. Depending on the trust’s terms, beneficiaries may include children, grandchildren, charities, or even a spouse.

In addition to the lifetime exemption, individuals can gift up to $19,000 per recipient in 2025 without affecting their lifetime exemption. These annual exclusion gifts are a simple and effective way to gradually reduce the taxable estate over time. Making charitable gifts, whether made during life or at death through a will, trust, or beneficiary designation, can further reduce your taxable estate while also meeting your philanthropic goals.

For New York residents, planning must address both federal and state estate taxes. Unlike Florida, which has no state estate tax, New York currently imposes estate tax on estates exceeding $7.16 million per person. Importantly, New York does not offer “portability,” meaning a surviving spouse cannot use the unused exemption of a deceased spouse.

To preserve the state exemption, planners often recommend a credit shelter trust (also called a bypass trust). This allows assets up to the exemption amount to be held outside the surviving spouse’s estate, thereby reducing the combined estate tax liability for the family.

Plan now! Even for estates that may not be taxable today, planning ahead can provide significant tax savings and peace of mind. For high-net-worth individuals, early planning is especially critical. While some strategies may require a “wait and see” approach, having a team in place—including a trusts and estates attorney, accountant, and financial advisor— ensures that you are ready to act quickly once the future of the federal exemption becomes clear.

Britt Burner, Esq. is a Partner at Burner Prudenti Law, P.C. focusing her practice areas on Estate Planning and Elder Law. Erin Cullen is a graduate of the Maurice A. Dean School of Law at Hofstra University. Burner Prudenti Law, P.C. serves clients from New York City to the east end of Long Island with offices located in East Setauket, Westhampton Beach, Manhattan and East Hampton.

Photo courtesy of Vanderbilt Museum

As the weather warms on Long Island, the popular Architecture and Collections Tour returns to the picturesque Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum, 180 Little Neck Road, in Centerport.  

Take an intriguing walking tour of the Vanderbilt Estate with knowledgeable Museum educators. Learn about the history of the Eagle’s Nest estate; Warren & Wetmore’s design and exterior architectural details of the 24-room Spanish Revival mansion; and the striking ironwork of Samuel Yellin, considered the greatest iron artisan of the early 20th century, and visit the marine, natural history, and cultural artifact collections.

William K. Vanderbilt II (1878-1944) spent summers at his Eagle’s Nest estate and mansion on Northport Bay between 1910 and 1944. He and his wife, Rosamond, hosted intimate gatherings and entertained well-known guests, such as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Pierre Cartier, Conde Nast, Charles Lindbergh, and the Tiffanys. Eagle’s Nest is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Created by the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum Education Department, the 2025 season will begin on Saturday, May 17, with tours offered at noon and 1:15 p.m. Other dates include June 21, July 25, August 15, September 27 and October 19.

“The grounds are beautiful this time of year and the walking tour is a perfect way to be introduced to the history of the estate. There is an abundance of beauty in the eclectic architecture and the unique details that reflect William Vanderbilt’s interests,” said Beth Laxer-Limmer, Director of Education.

Tickets are $16 adults; $15 seniors and students $15; $14 children ages 5 to 17. Free for members. To purchase tickets, visit www.vanderbiltmuseum.org.

Stony Brook, NY; Stony Brook University: Science on Stage member Heather Lynch

The League of Women Voters of Brookhaven will welcome renowned Stony Brook University scientist Heather Lynch to speak at their monthly meeting at Comsewogue Public Library, 170 Terryville Road, Port Jefferson Station on Friday, May 16 at 1 p.m.

Many of the medicines and products that we rely on have been created by scientists working on research grants from the federal or state government.

Lynch, a quantitative ecologist and a professor at Stony Brook University, will speak on “The role of grants to universities: How are they selected and monitored?” and “How will current changes to grant funding impact our scientific competitiveness?”

Dr. Lynch is the Institute for Advanced Computational Sciences Endowed Chair for Ecology and Evolution and leads the Collaborative for the Earth, which facilitates university-wide research, education, and public policy engagement around global environmental crises. Her research is dedicated to the population dynamics of Antarctic wildlife, with a particular focus on penguins and other seabirds.

Dr. Lynch’s research in Antarctica has been funded by a range of federal and non-governmental organizations, including through a National Science Foundation Career award—the most prestigious NSF award that supports early career faculty. Dr. Lynch was the first ecologist ever to win the Blavatnik National Medal for Life Sciences, the world’s largest unrestricted prize for young scientists.

All are welcome to attend this event. No reservations necessary. For more information, call 631-928-1212.

By Daniel Dunaief

 

Dr. Patricia Bruckenthal
Photo from Stony Brook School of Nursing

 

People put their lives in the hands of unseen airline pilots who have enhanced and sharpened their skills using simulators. These simulators can prepare them for a wide range of conditions and unexpected challenges that enhance their confidence on the fly.

The same approach holds true for nurses, who seek to help patients whose symptoms may change even as the nurse is working with several people at the same time.

In an initiative designed to provide in depth training to nurses throughout the state, while filling a shortage of these vital professionals, New York State recently announced a $62 million contribution to three nursing simulation centers: SUNY Buffalo, SUNY Canton and Stony Brook University. With $10 million of state funds that the university will match with $10.5 million of its own money, SBU will increase the number of nurses it trains.

“We are very fortunate here at Stony Brook that we get many, many qualified applicants for our nursing program [for whom] we have not, to date, been able to offer seats,” said Dr. Patricia Bruckenthal, Dean of the School of Nursing at Stony Brook. This will enable the school, as well as the other programs, to train more students.

Effective training

While Stony Brook offers nursing simulation training, the additional funds will greatly expand the size and scope of that effort.

The NEXUS-Innovation Center, which stands for Nursing EXcellence Using Simulation, will take about two years to build and will have a phased in enrollment approach. In the third year, the school will add 56 baccalaureate nursing students. In the fifth year, Stony Brook will have space for 80 more students.

The current simulation center is about 1,850 square feet, which includes a nursing skills lab, exam room and debrief/ flex room. 

The new center will add 15,000 square feet. 

The simulation center will have 16 hospital style beds, with all the equipment nurses would normally see in a hospital room, including suction, air, oxygen, otoscope, ophthalmoscope, monitoring, and a call bell system. The center will also have eight examination rooms.

The proposal also includes the design of an apartment with a laundry, kitchen, bathroom and shower, helping train nurses who will help people in residential settings.

Among other features, the center will have a control room where instructors and operators manipulate the AV equipment and patient simulations, observe and document performance, collect data and prepare for debriefing.

Bruckenthal is planning to hire a faculty member in the next few months to become simulation coordinator who will work with the Director of the Learning Resource Center.

Within the next two years, Stony Brook anticipates hiring one more nursing faculty Clinical Simulation Educator and one Simulation Operations Specialist, who will ensure that all technical aspects of the center are functioning correctly. This new hire will also troubleshoot equipment, while performing emergency repairs on equipment and arranging for vendor repairs.

All of this equipment and expertise provides opportunities to create scenarios that build expertise. The conditions can change, as a patient goes from an expected outcome to one in which the conditions rapidly deteriorate.

In addition to expanding capacity and giving nurses an opportunity to understand and react to patients who have a wide range of conditions they might not see during routine clinical training, the center will also enable these students to build their competence and confidence in a low-stakes environment.

“It provides for a safe learning environment,” said Bruckenthal. “Students can make mistakes without risking patient safety. It’s much less stressful.”

Future nurses can also continue to work in the simulation lab on a particular skill until they feel confident in their abilities.

Several studies have validated the effectiveness of educating and preparing nurses in a simulated setting.

A landmark study in 2014 conducted by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing compared the clinical competence of nurses in training across three groups: one that had no simulation training, a group with 25 percent of their clinical training replaced by simulation, and a third group with 50 percent clinical training through simulation.

The nursing certification pass rate scores were the same for all three groups. Simulation trained nurses performed as well or better in areas like critical thinking and clinical judgment.

Additionally, follow up studies showed that employers found that nurses trained using high fidelity simulation were just as effective as those who were trained in the clinic in areas including patient safety, communication and evidence-based practices..

The center can also pivot to provide nurses with training for expanding local health threats, such as a simulated version of a measles outbreak, Lyme disease or a spike in other conditions that might cause a surge in hospital visits.

“We can build and design cases that meet those needs,” said Bruckenthal.

The center can build in disaster training, giving nurses a chance to interact with colleagues in other health professions during any of a host of other scenarios. When interacting with other healthcare professionals, nurses can practices the SBAR technique, in which they describe the Situation, provide Background, give an Assessment, and offer a Recommendation.

The expanded simulation center will incorporate design elements such as soundproofing, lighting and ventilation and will align with the university’s goals towards sustainability and green-oriented design.

Long term commitment

Bruckenthal has been contributing to Stony Brook for 44 years, ever since she graduated from the nursing school in 1981.

Her first job as a nurse was at the newly opened hospital. She and Carolyn Santora, Stony Brook Medicine Chief Nursing Officer, have worked together since 1981 and went through the Stony Brook master’s program together. They have established the Stony Brook Nursing Alliance.

Bruckenthal is energized by the opportunities ahead.

“Nursing is one of those careers where you can always keep yourself new and find new and exciting opportunities,” she said.

In the early days of her nursing career, she recalled that nurses weren’t exposed to all the types of conditions they might face in various settings.

“Having the opportunity to have nurses practice in this low risk environment and build that confidence and skills is a better way to prepare nurses to be ready for the work force,” she said

With nurses involved in so many aspects of patient care, Bruckenthal dreams of creating a nursing innovation incubator.

Nurses can offer insights into developing innovative ways to improve health care, whether working with biomedical engineers or biomedical informatics and can help design human-centered technology. Such a center could allow nurses to learn more about technology and business while enabling them to become leaders and entrepreneurs.

“Nurses have a problem-solving mindset,” Bruckenthal explained. “Sustainable and scalable solutions are really going to take a joint effort between educators, clinicians and industry partners.”

Last chance to view Building the Ballot Box at the Long Island Museum. The exhibit closes on May 18. Photo courtesy of LIM

By Heidi Sutton

On International Museum Day, Sunday, May 18, the Long Island Museum in Stony Brook is partnering with The Heckscher Museum of Art in Huntington and the Whaling Museum in Cold Spring Harbor to celebrate the important roles museums and other cultural institutions play in our communities. 

At the Long Island Museum, 1200 Route 25A, Stony Brook, visitors can enjoy free admission to the museum from noon to 5 p.m., special “I Love Long Island Museums” buttons (while supplies last), and receive 10% off your purchase at the Gift Shop. This will also be the last day to view Building the Ballot Box: Long Island’s Democratic History and the Colors of Long Island student art exhibition in the History Museum. www.longislandmuseum.org

At the Heckscher Museum, 2 Prime Ave., Huntington, visitors will enjoy free admission to view exhibitions Robert Graham Carter: The Art of Reflection and Long Island’s Best 2025 from noon to 5 p.m. Take home a free button and tote bag too while supplies last. www.heckscher.org

And over at the Whaling Museum, 301 Main St., Cold Spring Harbor, visitors will receive a complimentary pin for every paid admssion, library passes included from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Available in five different designs, the special pins are the Museum’s way of thanking the community for their support. Visitors can view the Monsters & Mermaids exhibit, make up-cycled ocean crafts, take part in a Release the Kraken scavenger hunt and tour the museum’s exhibits. www.cshwhalingmuseum.org