Former Tennesseean Unites PV’s Culturally Talented Putnam Valley Arts planning event for this weekend

"It’s all about giving, sharing, and talent, it’s great," says Carol Turrentine about her role as Chairperson for the Putnam Valley Arts. "The arts," she says, "have helped to bring Putnam Valley together."

Chairperson Turrentine explained that the Putnam Valley Arts group promotes the many talented artists in town, as well promoting art to the public. They provide venues for artists to perform at, and turn these events into traditional happenings in Putnam Valley. Sometimes they’ve brought in artists from outside the town like Jay Unger and Molly Mason, "But there was still a connection with the town," she says, "because thirty years ago Unger and Mason performed at Camp Alicia, which is now the Camp Combe YMCA."

Typical of how Putnam Valley Arts promote the various artists in town is their upcoming recognition day, to be held at the Camp Combe YMCA facilities on Peekskill Hollow Road. On Sunday afternoon, January 13th at 2:00 P.M. they will be honoring two local artists and Putnam Valley residents, Jim Brown and John Cohen.

Jim Brown will be honored for his work with television’s Public Broadcasting Station where he wrote, produced, and directed a four part television series entitled "American Roots Music." The series traces the roots of American music, and in one segment, John Cohen was interviewed about his knowledge of old time music.

John Cohen is being honored for the publication of his new book, and because of his efforts in getting the Putnam Valley Arts group started some four years ago. Mr. Cohen’s book is about his experiences some nineteen years ago, while he was a performing musician. He would interview and record other musicians, especially old time musicians down in Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, the Bronx and other places. John Cohen would photograph them, interview and write about them, and record their music. His book has an accompanying CD with many of these recordings.

Carol Turrentine was active in the Putnam Arts Council and a trustee for the Bell Levine Art Center in Mahopac, when she and others got a call to attend a meeting almost four years ago, because the Town was interested in forming an Arts Council. Talented people with all types of backgrounds showed up, including writers, musicians, craftsmen, performers and artists. The Town Board established the Putnam Valley Arts group with a seven-person membership, and Carol Turrentine was appointed Chairperson.

"We didn’t realize there were so many of us," she said, "We really do have a lot of talent here. Artists have kind of been hiding out — you know, you move from the city or from wherever, you move up to Putnam Valley to kind of be quiet."

Their first event was Town Day, followed by a Harvest Festival in the fall. Funding for the events comes from grants, the Town budget, and money raised from sponsored events. The goal is not to make money, but to provide venues for the various artists to become known and eventually go off on their own.

According to Chairperson Turrentine, there has been a steady growth in the number of events sponsored by Putnam Valley Arts, and the number of artists and performers they are attracting, especially the teenagers. A popular event coming up for them is the "Lollapalooza," where High School and Middle school kids have a stage, audience, real sound technicians and a safe place to perform. One of the groups to come out of this program was a teen-age band called "The Illusions." They performed at this year’s Town Day before hundreds of people, rocking the crowd into the fireworks display.

Carol Turrentine grew up in a small town in Tennessee where everybody knew every one else, and moved to New York City in 1979, seeking anonymity. She got work photographing weddings and special events, and eventually went out on her own in 1986. As a freelance photographer, she turns many of her creative ideas photo essays, like her recent series on the "Black Patch Tobacco Wars," of the early 1900’s, where a lot of people died because of this type of tobacco. "I thought this was fascinating stuff," she said. Her tobacco series has toured around the United States in museums and Universities.

While living in New York City, she met her future husband, eventually deciding that, "We liked waking up in Putnam Valley better than our apartment on 19th street and Gramercy Park."

"People are interesting and this town is full of interesting people," she says. "I’ve been up here now for ten years. My husband and I are always amazed this is where we live. We go away and come back and say this is where we live."

One of the things that impresses Carol Turrentine is the way Putnam Valley residents come together at Town meetings to speak their minds. "Isn’t this wonderful," she marvels. "We are a town full of issues and the community is well informed about all of them."

The Putnam Valley Arts group recently held their annual fall Harvest Festival at the Tompkins Corner Church and donated all the money raised to a family affected by the World Trade Center disaster.

"After the last song was played, nobody got up," said Ms. Turrentine, "Everyone was waiting for an encore. It was so good, it was almost spiritual, connecting everyone, we felt great. It’s all about giving, sharing, and talent."