[CPProt.net] Isabella Stewart Gardner Heist

[Charles V. Sabba]

Waterfront Journal
Ahn Behrens
10 Nov 2005

Wander into the story of stolen works of art. 'The Heist Project' speaks to protect the art world from thievery.

How often is art stolen from the public? Let me count the ways- or better yet, allow me to recommend "The Heist Project," a new multimedia play by Art House Productions at Victory Hall Cultural Center in Jersey City through Nov. 19.
Forget everything you know about conventional theatre including the outdated idea that quality productions only happen in Manhattan. Directed by Jack Halpin and created by Christine Goodman, "The Heist Project" features topnotch performances, writing and visual arts by some of Jersey City's most talented artists.
Ripped from the headlines it draws powerful parallels between two sad, but true stories- the largest unsolved art theft in American history at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston and the displacement of more than 150 artists who lived and worked at 111 First St., right in our city.
Like a living, breathing art exhibition "The Heist Project," which features music by David Amram, is a thoroughly engaging, interactive experience that takes you on a journey into the mind of the artist. Your tour guide for the evening is Isabella Stewart Gardner (1840-1924) played with authority by Marcella Smith, whose flawless performance contains all the charm, infamy and humor this important patron of the arts possessed.
You'll visit the museum she built, modeled after a 15th century Venetian palazzo, which opened to the public in 1903 to share her worldclass art collection. You will find out that she personally arranged each and every object- mixing furniture, textiles and decorative arts from different cultures and time periods with paintings and sculptures by European masters, stipulating in her will that nothing in the museum could ever change.
Thirteen works of art, valued at $500 million, are featured in the play. Out of these works personal stories are spun by artists in various disciplines including a singer (Emily Beatty) who stands beside Vermeer's "The Concert" (1660) and doubts her capabilities; a writer (Shanti Wesley) who compares writing to Rembrandt's "The Storm on the Sea of Galilee" (1633) and a painter (Kevin Janaway) who pleads with the audience to Google Manet's "Chez Tortoni" (1878-1880) to understand its fate. On the night of March 18, 1990 thieves broke into the museum and stole these artworks, leaving blank walls where they once hung.
"If there is no one left to remember," a dancer pleads with his partner in another scenario, "did it ever happen?"
"The Heist Project" is about memory and documentation. Check out the labels on the reproduction of these famous artworks, they reveal extraordinary information. You will note, for example, Rembrandt's "Self portrait" (1634) is not a print: It's an interpretation by Jersey City artist Nyugen Smith, and discover Joe Del Priore wrote portions of Rembrandt's (Frederick Backus) videotaped dialogue. Other standouts include the spoken word performance by Kathryn Pfau, Nadia Gan and Kathleen Brown whose voices overlap as they stand in awe before Degas's "Le Sortie de Pesage."
What does this have to do with 111 First St.? Everything. You'll see artwork by Bex Goyette, Norm Francouer, Maggie Ens and Ed Fausty- who lived and worked in the historic building and bare witness to the second act, which features a powerful film about this legendary grass-roots art community with poignant interviews with art stars like Kelly Darr, Bill Rybak and Bill Rodwell.
"The Heist Project" ends on a truly innovative note putting the audience on stage and the actors in the audience. You've got to go to believe it! But more importantly this must-see play is part of a much bigger picture. It's about what's happening to the arts in America. Art thieves come in many guises. Stealing art from the public is criminal. It must be stopped. "The Heist Project" is a good start. 
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