One art form inspires another at Huntington’s Live Art Fusion
Put a jazz band and a bunch of local artists in a room and what do you have? Live Art Fusion, that’s what.
Live Art Fusion is an event created thanks to the effort of artists and business owners looking to showcase artistic talent on Long Island.
“Nine out of 10 artists you see in the city are from Long Island,” said Eric Hurnyak, one of the artists who planned the event. “So save the gas and check out what we’re doing here.”
At each weekly event in Huntington, a jazz band plays live music while 10 artists “speed-paint” their empty canvases with whatever the melody and the audience interaction inspires them to paint.
One of the finished products from the Feb. 15 Live Art Fusion weekly showcase (LIR Photo by Jimmy Robinson)
Hurnyak had this sort of project in mind for some time. He wanted to find a way for Long Island artists to get more exposure.
It all started in a basement, when Eric and some other Suffolk County artists met with the goal of someday making it big. That idea eventually evolved into the Long Island Creative Vortex, which brought together artists on a weekly basis to discuss art, philosophy and music.
However, the group wanted to grow more rapidly, so they joined forces with the East End Art Council—a non-profit organization devoted to exposing art—who suggested that the two organizations form one event.
Before doing so, Hurnyak said he wanted to “take it a step further, travel the island and build up interest.”
“I spent two months booking gigs and talking to different people,” he said.
One of those people was Rich Ravkin, a local musician with an experienced background in producing events on Long Island that combine art and music. He’s a percussionist who plays for the sake of art and talent and claims that profit has never been his motivation. And in reality it isn’t, because admission to Live Art Fusion is free, and the only benefit comes from selling the art works after the show.
“I met Rich, and it was a great fit,” said Jarid Futerman, owner of 841 East Lounge, the venue that hosts Live Art Fusion every Wednesday evening.
Futerman is one of the small business owners across Long Island who has jumped on board with the idea that the musicians, like Ravkin, and artists, like Hurnyak, are developing.
“Eric is creating a reality of art traveling across the island, and it’s constantly evolving and changing,” Futerman said. “A lot of people are getting involved.”
To get involved with or find out more information about Live Art Fusion, visit the group’s Facebook page.
