General Meeting of Modjeska Club - June 23 at 5 p.m., Pasadena

A quick reminder that the general meeting of the Modjeska Club and the elections of the new President and Board are scheduled for Saturday, June 23, 2012 at 5 p.m. at the hospitable home of Danuta and Wieslaw Zuchowski in Pasadena. The address and other details have been provided in an email and letters to all Club members who have paid the dues. Whoever did not pay the dues yet and is not eligible to vote, may come to the meeting, pay the oustanding yearly dues, and pick up the ballot to exercise their right to vote.

Over the course of the last two years, the Bylaws of the Modjeska Club have been revised by a committee lead by Andrew Z. Dowen and the resulting text has been sent to all members in good standing with a ballot for approval. The English version is the legal document, and a Polish translation has been posted on the website: www.modejskaclub.org/

Prof. Norman Davies (center) surrounded by the Modjeska Club members. L to R: Andy Dowen, Jola Zych, Krystyna Bartkowska, Bozena Szeremeta, Dorota Olszewska, Elzbieta Kanska, Krystyna Okuniewska, Maja Trochimczyk, Helena Kolodziey, Krystyna Kuszta and Bogdan Plewnia, May 19, 2012, Beverly Hills. Poster by Lech Majewski, commissioned by Consul General Joanna Kozinska-Frybes jako dar dla Klubu.

The Club has hosted 15 events in the 39th season (2010-2011) and 13 events in the 40th anniversary season (2011-1012), including presentations by artists, writers, actors, musicians, and politicians from Poland, Polish-American poets, musicians, and scholars specializing in Polish culture.  Additionally two events focused on presentations of the Modjeska Prizes to Marian Dziedziel and Anna Dymna. Several events were organized in collaboration with Polish and American partners, to mention only: the Bowers Museum, Jacaranda Music Group, the UCLA Hammer Museum, Instytut Adama Mickiewicza, USC Polish Music Center, Polish Film Festival in Los Angeles, and, our greatest supporter, Consulate General of the Republic of Poland.

Our events were mostly open to the public and about 50% used English as the main language. The "members-only" events included meetings with Prof. Jerzy Balcerowicz, former Chairman of Poland's National Bank in 2010, and with Prof. Norman Davies, a British expert on European history in 2012 

We received honors and recognitions from the City and County of Los Angeles. We have instituted a new award, called the "Modjeska Prize" and given in recognition of outstanding achievements by actors in Poland. Jan Nowicki, Marian Dziedziel and Anna Dymna have received the Modjeska Prizes so far.

Much progress was made in documenting the Club's history as new sources came to life from the collections of the Polish Museum of America in Chicago thanks to the President's reasearch.  In addition, founding members, active in the club's first decade (Wanda Baran, Jerzy Zagner) have also contributed important sources and information.  Research continues. The results will be published in the book "A Grand,  Historical Album" ("Album Wielce Historyczny") that is currently being edited. The publication of the Polish version will be scheduled for the fall 2012. The book will include biographical notes about important artists, writers, scholars and scientists who have belonged to the Club over the 40 years of its history.

It has been a pleasure to serve as the Club's President for the past two years and I'm proud of our collective accomplishments.  I've been assisted by an amazing, dedicated, hard-working, and cohesive Board of Directors: Krystyna Kuszta, Vice-President; Danuta Zuchowski, Treasurer; Krystyna Bartkowski, Secretary; Andy Dowen, Krystyna Okuniewska, Wanda Presburger, Bogdan Plewnia, and Bozena Szeremeta.

Anna Dymna Receives the 2011 Modjeska Prize in Poland

 On May 29, 2012 in Kraków, the eminent Polish actress, Anna Dymna accepted the Modjeska Prize 2011 awarded to her by the Helena Modjeska Art and Culture Club in Los Angeles in October 2011 for her extraordinary contributions to Polish culture.

The low-key, warm and friendly ceremony took place at a luncheon sponsored by the US General Consulate in Krakow and held at a gourmet Avanti restaurant, featuring Italian cuisine. The attendees included the Public Affairs Officer in the US General Consulate in Krakow Benjamin Ousley Naseman, and Mrs. Maria Brzostek the Educational Adviser in the Consulate, the President of the Board of Directors of the Polish American Historical Association, Prof. Neal Pease, the President of the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences in America, Prof. Mieczysław B.B. Biskupski, Prof. Dorota Praszałowicz of the Jagiellonian University, and many other scholars from several countries who participated in the Fifth Workshop on “American Ethnicity: Rethinking Old Issues, Asking New Questions” organized by Prof. Praszałowicz and her team.

The award was presented by an émigré music historian and poet, Dr. Maja Trochimczyk, the President of the Modjeska Club and a Board member of the Polish American Historical Association. In addition to the 2011 Modjeska Prize, Ms. Dymna also received a certificate of congratulations from the City Council of Los Angeles.

Anna Dymna studied acting at the celebrated Theater School of Kraków and started her illustrious career while still a student, performing for the Julius Słowacki Theater in 1969. She joined the National Helena Modrzejewska Old Theatre in Kraków immediately after her graduation in 1973 and has performed on its stage since then. Like Modrzejewska, recognized for her talent and beauty, Dymna starred in major plays from the classical repertoire and in numerous films and television series, appearing in over 250 roles to a great critical acclaim. In 2002, she established a Poetry Salon presenting readings by the most celebrated poets and actors and recognized as one of the most interesting cultural activities in the region.

Dedicated to her charity work, in 2003 Dymna established her charity foundation Mimo Wszystko (“Against the Odds”) to provide services to the disabled. She is a recipient of numerous awards for her artistic achievements including the Golden Mask (1996, 1999, 2000), the Golden Screen (1984), and the Golden Lions (1994). In 2004, she received the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta and The Order of the Smile from disabled children.

Ms. Dymna, accompanied by the Director of her charitable foundation Mimo Wszystko that provides assistance to disabled children, Mr. Marek Kowalski, was gracious and personable in her acceptance speech. She talked about her appreciation of this distinction and her pride of having been honored by an émigré organization maintaining its strong ties with Poland and named after her famous predecessor, actress Helena Modrzejewska. Another poignant link was provided by the fact that for over 40 years, Ms. Dymna has been performing at Kraków’s distinguished cultural institution, the Old Theater (Teatr Stary), named after Helena Modrzejewska.

She also explained the multitude of charitable and artistic duties that she has been engaged in that had prevented her from traveling to Los Angeles to accept the award in person in California. The current projects include a premiere of a new theater show Chłopcy [Boys) by Stanisław Grochowiak, ongoing series of widely popular Poetry Salons in Kraków, and several large-scale charitable events, including Zwyciężać Mimo Wszystko [To Win Against All Odds].

The international group of scholars gave the beautiful actress a standing ovation, in appreciation of her decades of astounding artistic contributions and over ten years of generous charitable activities, helping many children and individuals in Poland. With her talent and heart, Ms. Dymna knows how to make the world a better place.

The Modjeska Club created its Annual Modjeska Prize In 2010, in order to commemorate its patron, the famous Polish actress Helena Modrzejewska (known in America as Modjeska). The Modjeska Prize is awarded to recognize the achievements and contributions of actors to Polish culture. Other past recipients of Modjeska Prizes include actors Jan Nowicki and Marian Dziędziel.

For those who did not make it to Krakow, here are the links to a Photo Album from the Award Ceremony and, as a special treat, to the Krakow's signature melody - Hejnal Mariacki:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1Mn7URfw14.

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NOTICES FOR CLUB MEMBERS

1. General Election Meeting of the Modjeska Club will be held on June 23, 2012 at 5 p.m. at the residence of Danuta and Wieslaw Zuchowski in Pasadena. Only members in good standing can vote.

2. The Revised Bylaws will be sent for approval to all Club members in good standing next week.  The vote will be either by mail to Chair of the Bylaws Committee, Andrew Z. Dowen, or in person at the General Election Meeting. We have updated the official English version of the Bylaws and will post the Polish translation on our website.

3. During the General Meeting a preview copy of the Modjeska Club History book will be available for review - Polish version only. If any Club members have pictures or memorabilia, especially from the early period, we are looking forward to receiving photographs for inclusion in the book.

3. We would like to organize a summer trip to Modjeska's House, Arden, in Orange County. The house is open for tours only twice a month and advance reservations are required. Further details will be posted after the elections.

Historian Norman Davies Visits the Modjeska Club!

The Board of Directors of the Modjeska Club is honored to inform you about a lecture by the eminent British historian, Prof. Norman Davies, “European History: Aspects Non-Europeans Don’t Always Know” (in English, with discussion in Polish). This extraordinary event will take place on Saturday, May 19th, 2012, 4:00 p.m., at the elegant residence of Helena and Stanley Kolodziey in Beverly Hills, CA.

Prof. Norman Davies (b. 1939) of Welsh descent, was educated at Bolton School, Magdalen College, Oxford, the University of Sussex and at several universities including Grenoble, Perugia and Kraków. His academic career centered on the School of Slavonic Studies, University of London, where he was successively Lecturer, Reader and Professor. Throughout his career, Davies has lectured in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, China, Poland, and the rest of Europe.

Davies holds honorary doctorates from Jagiellonian University (since 2003), Lublin, Gdańsk and Warsaw (since 2007), and his alma mater, University of Sussex. He is a member of the Polish Academy of Learning (PAU) and the Academia Scientiarum et Artium Europaea, and fellowships of the British Academy and the Royal Historical Society. Davies is also an honorary citizen of Warsaw, Wrocław, Lublin and Kraków.

Davies' first book, White Eagle, Red Star: The Polish-Soviet War, 1919-20 (1972) was followed by God's Playground (1981), a comprehensive overview of Polish history, and Heart of Europe (1984) a briefer history of Poland. Europe: A History (1996) and The Isles: A History (1999), about Europe and the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, respectively.

Davies' book Rising '44. The Battle for Warsaw and Europe at War 1939–1945: No Simple Victory (2006) focused on World War II. In 2002, he co-authored a history of Wrocław / Breslau. President of Poland in exile, Edward Raczyński decorated Davies with the Order of Polonia Restituta. On 22 December 1998 he received the Grand Cross (1st class) of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland.

This event is open only to Club members in good standing and VIP guests of the Polish Consulate. For more information email Maja Trochimczyk, President at: prezes@modjeskaclub.org.

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CLUB CALENDAR

June 23, 2012 - General Election Meeting, Pasadena, CA. For club members in good standing.

September 30, 2012 - "Pola Negri" - Polish Theater at Magicopolis.

Piano Keys & Clouds with Maciej Grzybowski, May 11, 2012, in Santa Monica

Keys and Clouds – A Piano Recital by Maciej Grzybowski


Friday, 11 May 2012, 7:30 p.m.


The First Presbyterian Church (1220 2nd St., Santa Monica, CA 90401)

The Board of Directors of the Modjeska Club, in association with the Adam Mickiewicz Institute of Poland, and the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Los Angeles has the pleasure to invite you to a piano recital by one of most eminent Polish pianists, Maciej Grzybowski.

The Keys & Clouds Recital will take place on Friday, May 11th, 2012, 7:00 p.m., at the First Presbyterian Church (1220 2nd St., Santa Monica, CA 90401).

The program will include music by Polish composers (Paweł Mykietyn, Witold Lutosławski, Paweł Szymański, Fryderyk Chopin), and Western classics – Johannes Brahms, Claude Debussy, and Maurice Ravel.





Born and educated in Warsaw, Maciej Grzybowski is the winner of the First Prize and the Special Prize at the 20th Century Music Competition for Young Performers in Warsaw (1992). He made numerous phonographic, radio and television recordings as a soloist and chamber musician and collaborated with Sinfonia Varsovia conducted by such maestros as Jan Krenz, Witold Lutosławski and Krzysztof Penderecki. From 1996 to 2000 Grzybowski was a co-director of the "NONSTROM presents" concert cycle in Warsaw. He took part in numerous music festivals in Poland, e.g., the Warsaw Autumn, Musica Polonica Nova, Witold Lutoslawski Forum, Warsaw Musical Encounters, and Polish Radio Music Festival. He also performed at the Biennial of Contemporary Music in Zagreb, Hofkonzerte im Podewil, Berlin and festivals in Lvov, Kiev, and Odessa (Ukraine).

In March 2005 Grzybowski’s recital at the Mozart Hall in Bologna was recognized as the greatest event of the decade. After Grzybowski’s U.S. debut in New York, in August 2006 EMI Classics released his second solo CD with works by Paweł Szymański. He also appeared in three concerts at the critically acclaimed Festival of Paweł Szymański's Music in Warsaw. In February 2008, he premiered a Piano Concerto by an unjustly forgotten composer, Andrzej Czajkowski. Bohdan Pociej, one of the most famous Polish music critics said: “How refreshing and exciting it is to be in the presence of such great art of interpretation akin to a genius!”

The event is free to Club members and a $15 donation will be collected from guests. Reception to follow. Please do not forget to stock our buffet with beverages and desserts. Affordable public parking is across the street.

Beth Holmgren's Modjeska at the Bowers Museum, April 22, 2012 at 1:30 p.m.

The Helena Modjeska Art and Culture Club is proud to co-sponsor a lecture by Prof. Beth Holmgren (Duke University), “On Tour with Madame Modjeska.” The lecture will take place on Sunday, Apr 22 1:30 pm to 2:30pm, followed by a reception at Bowers Museum (2002 N. Main St., Santa Ana, CA 92706, tel. 714.567.3600). Free with museum admission tickets ($8.00).

Beth Holmgren, Ph.D. Professor of Slavic Cultures and Theater Studies, and chair of the Department of Slavic and Eurasian Studies, Duke University, will read from her recently published biography of the great Polish-American actress Helena Modjeska (1840-1909). This lecture will feature numerous photographs from the Bowers Museum collection. The book signing will follow.

Starring Madame Modjeska: On Tour in Poland and America (Indiana University Press, 2011) traces the meteoric rise to international fame of Poland’s leading actress, Helena Modrzejewska (1840-1909), who emigrated to the U.S. in 1876. After the failure of her plans to establish a utopian community on an estate in Orange County, CA, she changed her name to Modjeska and quickly became a leading star on the American stage, where she reigned for the next 30 years. During this time, she established herself as America's most esteemed Shakespearean actress, playing opposite such celebrated actors as Edwin Booth and Maurice Barrymore. Prof. Beth Holmgren is author of, among other books, Women's Works in Stalin's Time, editor (with Helena Gościło) of Poles Apart: Women in Modern Polish Culture, and translator and editor (with Helena Gościło) of The Keys to Happiness by Anastasya Verbitskaya.

The event is presented in association with the Helena Modjeska Foundation that sponsors their own event on Saturday, April 21, 2012. See the attached flyer. For more information, please e-mail education@bowers.org or call 714.567.3677.

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Modjeska Luncheon and Book Signing

for the Helena Modjeska Foundation of Orange County

will take place on Saturday, April 21, at 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

at the Irvine Ranch Historic Park:

13109 Old Myford Road

Irvine, CA 92602


Tickets are $30 for lunch. Advanced reservations are required.
Call (949) 923-2230 with questions.

Modjeska Club Wishes and Plans for April and May

Best wishes of wonderful holidays of Easter and Passover to all our members and friends!

Wszystkiego Najlepszego!!!

from the President and the Board of Directors



Next event: Beth Holmgren's Book Reading from Starring Madame Modjeska, Bowers Museum, Santa Ana, April 22, 2012 (Sunday), at 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. $8 Museum admission.

Beth Holmgren, Professor of Slavic and Eurasian Studies and Theater Studies at Duke University, has recently published Starring Madame Modjeska: On Tour in Poland and America (Indiana University Press, 2011). The biography traces the meteoric rise to international fame of Poland’s leading actress, Helena Modrzejewska (1840-1909), who emigrated to the U.S. in 1876. After the failure of her plans to establish a utopian community on an estate in Orange County, CA, she changed her name to Modjeska and quickly became a leading star on the American stage, where she reigned for the next 30 years. During this time, she established herself as America's most esteemed Shakespearean actress, playing opposite such celebrated actors as Edwin Booth and Maurice Barrymore.

Starring Madame Modjeska traces the actress's extraordinary life and career from her birth in poverty in Kraków, to her successive reinventions of herself as a star in both Poland and America. Prof. Beth Holmgren is author of, among other books, Women's Works in Stalin's Time, editor (with Helena Goscilo) of Poles Apart: Women in Modern Polish Culture, and translator and editor (with Helena Gościło) of The Keys to Happiness by Anastasya Verbitskaya.


MOTHER'S DAY CONCERT BY MACIEJ GRZYBOWSKI
Friday, May 11, 2012, 7:30 p.m.
First Presbyterian Church, Santa Monica, CA

A special treat for Mother's Day - a virtuoso from Poland will present Polish music for Modjeska Club members (free) - and our friends and guests - 15 dollars donation per person. Public parking at nearby lots. Dessert reception to follow.



ALBUMS FROM OUR RECENT EVENTS:

1. Polish-Lithuanian Connection, Piano Recital by Aron Kallay at USC Newman Recital Hall, March 23, 2012 and Guided Tour of Alina Szapocznikow Exhibition at the UCLA Hammer Museum on March 23 - Picasa Web Album for USC and the Hammer Museum

2. 40th Anniversary Ball, 4 February 2012 at the Mountaingate Country Club, Brentwood, CA: Web Album by Grazyna Gasiorowska

Guided Tour of the Szapocznikow Exhibition, Hammer Museum, 3/23/2012

The Board of Directors of the Modjeska Club is pleased to invite you to join us at a special guided tour of the exhibition

Alina Szapocznikow: Sculpture Undone, 1955-1972

at 2:00pm on Saturday, March 24, 2012.

Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90024 (310.443.7000)

About the exhibition

Alina Szapocznikow: Sculpture Undone, 1955-1972
February 5 – April 29, 2012

Alina Szapocznikow: Sculpture Undone, 1955–1972 is the first museum survey in the United States devoted to this Polish artist. The exhibition brings to light the extraordinary oeuvre of Alina Szapocznikow, one of the most significant yet lesser known sculptors of the 20th century. At the core of Szapocznikow’s art is the ephemeral condition of life and the human body. Her work oscillates between permanence and impermanence, from carvings in Carrara marble to the precarious assemblages of lips and breasts cast in polyester resin. The exhibition includes approximately 60 sculptures and 50 works on paper, as well as a poignant group of photographic works, demonstrating the tremendous range and scope of Alina Szapocznikow’s art.

Alina Szapocznikow: Sculpture Undone, 1955-1972 is organized by WIELS Contemporary Art Centre, Brussels, and the Museum of Modern Art, Warsaw, in collaboration with the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, and The Museum of Modern Art, New York. The exhibition is curated by Elena Filipovic and Joanna Mytkowska.

This exhibition and the accompanying catalogue are generously supported by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. The Hammer Museum’s presentation is made possible through major gifts from Erika Glazer and Alice and Nahum Lainer. Generous support is also provided by Herta and Paul Amir. The exhibition is made possible by additional support from the National Endowment for the Arts, Rosette V. Delug, Alisa and Kevin Ratner, The Audrey & Sydney Irmas Charitable Foundation, and the Consulate General of Poland, Los Angeles.

About the Event

A special tour of the exhibition will be led by Allegra Pesenti, the coordinating curator of Alina Szapocznikow: Sculpture Undone, 1955–1972. Pesenti joined the Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts at the Hammer Museum in 2007, where she recently curated Rachel Whiteread Drawings (2010).

She earned her PhD in 2006 from The Courtauld Institute of Art in London, and has been involved in the organization of exhibitions of old master drawings at the Metropolitan Museum in New York and at the Louvre in Paris. She formerly served as Assistant Curator of Drawings at the J. Paul Getty Museum.

This Modjeska Club event is organized by Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago Marjorie Susman Curatorial Fellow Joanna Szupinska.

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Images:

Petit Dessert I (Small Dessert I), 1970-71. Colored polyester resin and glass. 3 3/16 x 4 5/16 x 5 1/8 in. (8 x 11 x 13 cm). Kravis Collection. © The Estate of Alina Szapocznikow/Piotr Stanislawski/ADAGP, Paris. Photo by Thomas Mueller, courtesy BROADWAY 1602, New York, and Galerie Gisela Capitain GmbH, Cologne. © 2012 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris.

Allegra Pesenti. Photo by Margo Graxeda.