On April 1st, American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Misty Copeland alongside ABT Studio Company, joined us to celebrate the future of ballet at The Pocantico Center. Before the event, Copeland met with Theodore D. Young Community Center’s talented group of youth dancers, who we were lucky to have join us for the evening. Following a live performance from ABT Studio Company, Copeland screened her short film FLOWER, a ballet-on-film that tells the story of a family caregiver struggling with housing insecurity in Oakland, California. FLOWER premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2023 and was screened at major film festivals across the United States, as well as at the White House. It was nominated for an NAACP Image Award. After the screening, Copeland sat down with our audience for an in-depth conversation, exploring how ballet can grow and evolve to meet this moment, its ability to bridge diverse communities, and the years-long process of how FLOWER came to be. Photo Credit: Margaret Fox (fb)

SKETCHING LIGHT: Chagall’s Windows for Union Church foregrounds the unfinished, the evolving, and the exploratory, reminding us that great art emerges from the courage to pursue vision through works-in-process. Marc Chagall’s sketches for his Union Church windows offer a rare, intimate glimpse into the artist’s creative process and deepen the viewer’s understanding of the final stained glass works. The finished windows, vibrant with color and symbolism, balance religious themes with Chagall’s unique style, but the sketches reveal the path he took to get there— full of revisions, hesitations, and breakthroughs. In 27 works on paper, Chagall uses fabric, paper, and paint to represent the translucency of glass and moving figures. Recognizing the importance of these preparatory works, David Rockefeller acquired them from Chagall in 1975. Artistic exploration has long been nurtured at Pocantico, where residencies provide time and space for artists to work. The David Rockefeller Creative Arts Center opened in 2022 with the vision of providing a public venue dedicated to fostering and showcasing the creative process. SKETCHING LIGHT is on display at the David Rockefeller Creative Arts Center through May 17.   Photo: Marc Chagall, Color studies for three of the eight nave windows for Union Church [detail], 1965-66. Watercolor, pencil, paper, and fabric collage. © 2024 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris. Collection of the Rockefeller Archive Center. Photo by Mick Hales. (fb)