Episode 3: Social media, AI, and sharing third spaces
This week’s episode went into unexpected terrain: we discussed AI and the internet—the ethics and boundaries, advances in technology, and impact on the arts and society. We got meta and deep. We also remembered Guy Klucevsek and discussed our recent interview with Tony Quera.
Community Events
Visit https://statenislandarts.org/culturecalendar/ to discover what’s happening in the community!
Punk Rock Mini Golf - Night 1 w/ THICK, Screamin' Rebel Angels, Iridescent Pools & More!
Maker Park
Sat, Jun 21, 3:00 PM
Punk Rock Mini Golf returns for its 5th Year to Maker Park in Staten Island, NYC.
It is as ridiculous and great as it sounds: A 9-hole golf course with each hole paying homage to Punk Rock History. Many artists contribute to the artwork and build, and we level up a bit every year. This highly anticipated event kicks off with a killer lineup:
THICK @thickinbrooklyn
SCREAMIN' REBEL ANGELS @screaminrebelangels
IRIDESCENT POOLS @iridescentpools
WEIRD GOO
TOXIC TITO @toxictitonyc
Kids ten and under have free entry. Entry includes as many golf games as you want & bands.
Golf opens at 3pm - Bands start at 6pm. This event is all ages and pet-friendly.
Food and beverage vendors available, no coolers please. Limited seating.
To get to us via PT, take the fast or free ferry to ST. George is in Staten Island. Inside the SI Ferry Terminal, go down to the SIR (subway, we only have one line) and take it two stops to Stapleton. Walk 1/2 block to the water, turn right, and go two blocks to Thompson and Front.
Punk Rock Mini Golf continues June 21-22 and June 28-29. Learn more here!
Alice in Cyberland
73 Wave Street, Staten Island, NY 10304
Saturday, June 21st
6:00 PM - 2:00 AM
Tickets: Pre-sale: $15 | At the Door: $20
Step into a futuristic wonderland at Alice in Cyberland, an immersive art installation that blurs the line between reality and cyberspace. Experience live performances that ignite the senses, an electrifying cyberpunk-themed showcase of cutting-edge styles, and a curated selection of vendors offering one-of-a-kind creations. With pulse-pounding beats from our top DJs, this event promises to transport you into a world where digital and physical realms collide. Get ready for a journey like no other!
Hosted by Unicorn Empress 🦄 and 🧟♂️ Rotting Flesh Productions
Castleton Avenue Block Party
June 21, 4-8 PM. DJ’s, Food, skate jam, art.
Activities for all ages. Visit Richmond Hood Company’s Instagram and website for more information.
Pizza Party 2025
Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden
1000 Richmond Terrace Staten Island, NY 10301
Saturday, July 26 · 12 - 4 pm
General Admission: $81.88
Kills Boro Brewing Company
Join us on July 26th for “PIZZA PARTY!,” a craft beer and pizza fundraiser aimed at raising money for Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden.
What can you expect? A 4-Hour, Outdoor Picnic-style event
Unlimited Beer Samples from Kills Boro Brewing Company and other Local Breweries!
Fresh Pizza made by some of the best Staten Island Pizzerias in NYC.
Stapleton Saturdays
Corner of Beach St and Water St, Tappen Park, 10304
Saturday, June 21,
2:00 PM
Stapleton Saturdays welcomes three excellent singer-songwriters: Phoebe Blue, Carrie Ann, and Comfort Cat! Phoebe Blue is a quirky antifolk beatnik of sorts who gets involved in creative performances like this from time to time. Other times, she’s hosting an open mic, bartending, or hanging with her cat Lala. You might spot her in the wild on Staten Island walking around aimfully. Carrie Ann is a singer-songwriter from Staten Island whose music revolves around love, loss, and storytelling. Comfort Cat is a singer-songwriter and violin teacher living in St. George with her cat, Jack.
Juneteenth Festival
SICA 5th Annual Juneteenth Freedom Festival! 'Family Reunion'
Saturday, June 21 · 12 - 6pm EDT
The Staten Island Community Alliance (SICA) proudly presents the 5th Annual Juneteenth Freedom Festival — Family Reunion Style: "Celebrating Family, Freedom, and the Future." In partnership with Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden and Staten Island’s leading Black-led organizations, this year’s festival invites the entire community to come together for a celebration of culture, history, and unity.
This special event will feature a Libation & Candle Lighting Ceremony, live music and dance performances, art exhibits, and cultural displays in song and ceremony, along with delicious food and a vendor market. A Health & Wellness Village will be available, offering services for the mind, body, and spirit. Children can enjoy many activities with free admission to the SI Museum and SI Children’s Museum. The festival will also include notable celebrity performances and much more!
The 5th Annual Juneteenth Freedom Festival is more than just a celebration — it’s a homecoming. We invite all families, friends, and neighbors to join us for an unforgettable day of reflection, joy, and community spirit — Family Reunion Style.
Proudly Supported By:Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden, Community Health Action Staten Island, Sun River Health, Frederick Douglas Memorial Park, Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. - Alpha Beta Pi Omega Chapter, Lambda Kappa Mu, National Council of Negro Women, Staten Island Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Public Administrator Edwina Francis Martin, Esq., Gift of Experience LLC, Black & Minority Chamber of Commerce, SI Museum, SI Children’s Museum, St. George Theatre, Pride Center of Staten Island, Staten Island Advance, Asili’s Boutique, District Attorney McMahon, Community Media of SI, Liberty Beverage, NYCID, Seamen's Society for Children and Families, Noble Maritime Collection.
Universal Temple of the Arts' Love in Bloom
Saturday, June 28 · 7 - 9pm
Brighton Heights Reformed Church. 320 Saint Marks Place Staten Island, NY 10301
Love in Bloom is a performance featuring dance, music, visual art and poetry. It explores the breadth, depth and power of love using artistic expressions to convey love as the supreme emotion, a healing power and the most valuable gift.
In a world filled with global conflicts and stress, Love in Bloom resonates with compassion, offers a tactile embrace, and timeless performances of headliner Antoinette Montague, Jazz Woman to the Rescue (awarded a 2024 Jazz Hero by the Jazz Journalists Association), Nubia Braithwaite, Dorian Lake, Joy Martinez, Gregory Thomas, Professor Charles Thomas, Brocton Pierce, the Brighton Heights Youth Orchestra, and many more talented performers. Under the musical direction of Dr. Darrell Smith Love in Bloom is a community theater production that enriches mind, body and soul and attracts an annual loyal audience.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/universal-temple-of-the-arts-love-in-bloom-tickets-1378887813569
Artist Opportunities
Howard Gilman PARC Residency
Performing Artists
DUE: JUNE 30 - Info Session online
Learn more: https://statenislandarts.org/grants/hgf-parc/
With the ongoing support of Howard Gilman Foundation, Staten Island Arts continues the Performing Arts Residency Cohort (PARC) for performing artists for a third year (2025-6). This program supports the creative practice of 10 performing artists living and working in Staten Island through a 6-month residency cohort. This residency opportunity does not focus on project creation, and does not come with space, but rather focuses on nurturing each artist’s creative practice through peer mentorship and professional development.
The PARC program will support individual performing artists across dance, theater, and music at any stage of their careers. Participating artists will be required to attend monthly cohort meetings from September 2025 to February 2026 at the Staten Island Arts offices. The meetings will serve as space to share more about your creative practice and process, including working ideas, challenges, and needs. This model aims to break down the siloed community structure in Staten Island across different forms of expression and bring more support to creative practice without an explicit focus on outcomes or products.
Awarded individual artists will receive $6,000 in support of their creative practice. These funds may be used to support project creation, but that is not a requirement in this grant category. Please note this award does not come with space but space rental is an eligible expense. A budget is not required to apply. Awarded artists will also receive 1:1 mentorship from performing artists based in NYC and senior-level Staten Island Arts staff.
All artists will be asked to share with the cohort about their creative practice in an introductory meeting, with senior-level SIA staff facilitating a relationship- and trust-building environment for the group. In the subsequent 5 meetings, artists will create more focused, in-depth, multimedia presentations of their practice to create space for sharing and feedback from the full cohort. All artists will be asked to engage in this peer-mentorship feedback model, with the additional encouragement to attend cohort activities (workshops, presentations, etc) outside of the established meeting structure. Between cohort meetings, throughout the residency period, SIA staff and professional NYC-based performing artists will be available to cohort members for 1:1 professional development to be scheduled throughout the 6-month residency period.
All eligible cohort members may apply to existing SIA project-based regrants opportunities separate from the cohort process. No creative space, materials, or other line items will be offered by SIA as part of the residency program, though artists will be able to put their stipend towards the area of their own choosing in support of their creative process. At the conclusion of the residency, SIA leadership will ask to meet with each cohort participant 1:1 to gather feedback from the artist.
Applicants must be at least 18 years old, not a full-time student, and be a Staten Island resident. This category is for individual artists whose work is based in the performing arts, including music, dance, and theater.
This grant is funded with generous support from the Howard Gilman Foundation.
Call to Action
In the past two episodes, we discussed cuts to federal government agencies, including the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. To participate in actions and awareness, we invite you to—
Raise your voice:
Write and call your representatives to let them know you do not support cuts to the NEA and other agencies or the proposed elimination in the 2026 budget proposal. https://5calls.org/issue/national-endowment-for-the-arts-nea-cuts/
Vote:
New York City residents can vote in the upcoming primary and general mayoral election. Early voting is taking place now, and Election Day is on June 26, with polls open from 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM. https://www.nycvotes.org/ and https://www.vote.nyc/elections