Interim director for Flushing Town Hall

Flushing Town Hall has selected an interim director to take the reins of the cultural institution until June 2007, Nanette Rainone.
For nearly 25 years, Rainone headed the Brooklyn Information & Culture (BRIC), which was founded in 1979 to promote cultural programming in Brooklyn, and for the past four years, she has worked as a consultant for several cultural groups, including the New York City Opera and the Lower East Side Print Shop.
&#8220The Flushing Town Hall is a well-thought-of institution in New York City. It is very familiar to me in the kind of institution it is,” Rainone said. &#8220That's what I've done in the past - ran a multi-disciplined arts organization.”
A former speechwriter for the Brooklyn Borough President as well as a radio producer-interviewer for WBAI in New York, Rainone said that she had always been drawn to the arts.
&#8220I really like artists because they look at the world in very idiosyncratic, individual ways,” she said. &#8220Their way of looking at reality and portrayal of it makes your see things in a different way.”
As President of BRIC, Rainone oversaw the programming at Rotunda Gallery, a visual arts gallery in Brooklyn Heights, the annual &#8220Welcome Back to Brooklyn Homecoming Festival,” and the now 28-year-old &#8220Celebrate Brooklyn” performing arts festival, held every summer at the Prospect Park. In addition, she ran the organization's tourism board, which arranged historic walking tours and local calendars to promote the borough and its history. The organization also devoted much of its resources and space to Brooklyn-born, -bred, and -affiliated artists.
&#8220The reason for doing the Brooklyn angle at the time was because people were not aware of Brooklyn and the artists who were there,” she said.
Over the past decade, however, both Brooklyn and Queens have become recognized as cultural hubs.
&#8220Everyone I know who is moving is moving to Jackson Heights,” Rainone said. &#8220Now, that awareness exists.”
Although she said it is too early to definitively announce her goals and plans for the institution, Rainone said that she hopes to continue to present the multi-national programs as the Flushing Town Hall has done in the past.
&#8220Flushing Town Hall really does exemplify in its programming the multi-cultural nature of the community,” she said.
For the upcoming months and holiday season, the Town Hall will present several family-friendly events, including &#8220The Nutcracker” ballet, on Sunday, December 17 at 2 p.m. and Saturday, December 23 at 8 p.m.; a &#8220Peter and the Wolf” puppet show, on Tuesday, December 26 at 2 p.m.; and the &#8220Silly Jellyfish” play, on Wednesday, December 26 at 2 p.m.
Meanwhile, Rainone and the Town Hall staff are busy planning programming for the next season - 2007-2008.
When asked what her first actions will be as interim director, Rainone said that what tops her list is &#8220making everybody there feel comfortable and confident, and for the most part I think they do already.”
&#8220Building team spirit and getting everyone together to go forward” are also on Rainone's immediate agenda. &#8220There is no going sideways or backward at all, only forward.”