Vanity Fair writer Nicole Sperling hails the career and upcoming role that our very own Russell Hornsby is playing in the soon to be released movie The Hate U Give. The movie is a screen adaptation of the New York Times bestselling novel about a teenager, Starr, balancing the conflicting worlds of her inner-city neighborhood and her exclusive private school. Hornsby plays Starr’s father and reformed gang member Maverick Carter. The film had its debut this fall at the Toronto International Film Festival. The acting career of Hornsby began at Boston University where he graduated from the School of Fine Arts, excelling in all dimensions of his preparation. In many respects, his quiet presence on the Vineyard mirrors his impressive but largely unheralded career.

Russell and his brother Jonevan purchased a cottage in the hospital district some 10 years ago and spend time with their many family members here in Oak Bluffs. Uncle Frankie and Sharon Redd live next door in adjoining lots, his Aunt Kathy and yours truly are close by near Monroe avenue and uncle Ed and Shirley Redd are also in Oak Bluffs. Their mother Eva Redd Hornsby moved from Boston to Oakland, Calif. decades ago where he was born and grew up. The family enjoys the summer months but Russell his wife Denise and their two sons especially enjoy the July Fourth and Thanksgiving holidays on the Island. No fanfare, no publicity, no public appearances as the outstanding theater, television and film actor that he is might normally command. Just quiet time with his family.

Sperling reminds us of some of the sterling roles that he has played including in the 2016 Oscar-nominated Fences, and his role in the ABC Family series Lincoln Heights and the role that he played as detective Hank Griffin in the long-running NBC sci-fi drama Grimm. Russell laments his own lack of popularity in the mainstream consciousness of the American public: “Ever since my first gig, $217 a week for a theater role, I’ve been an unsung hero of sorts, the go-to guy. I could always get a job. I could always do a TV show. People say ‘Man, he’s a great actor, but he hasn’t popped.’ Nobody knows him.” But if this film is as terrific as the early previews suggest and Hornsby continues with the brilliant acting that has distinguished his career, he might well receive the public adulation and acknowledgment that he richly deserves. Stay tuned, it’s a wrap!

Harry Seymour is a very cerebral man who retired from academia in 2002 but keeps his mind sharp by returning to his early childhood love of art. But it is both his medium and his social justice consciousness that gives his artistic gifts an unusual thread. Because of a rather serious allergy to paint, he was challenged to find a way to way paint without using paint. His research, trial and error methods and his ingenuity resulted in him developing a unique process of integrating pastel waxes with scratch procedures involving sharp instruments and dull woods. Necessity has given birth to a method of painting that he would never abandon and sets his artwork apart perhaps from all others. On Sept. 22, he had a chance to combine his pedagogical past with his current profession when he was visited by the Boston Chapter of the Links Inc.

The Links is a prestigious national women’s organization that his wife Charlena joined. The organization does a lot of local philanthropy and volunteering. They came to the Vineyard for a retreat to focus on their strategic direction for the coming year and stopped by Harry’s Gallery for a lecture on his art and his mission. The dialogue was facilitated by Oak Bluffs resident Lynette Glover and her daughter Robyn. Harry is especially proud of two versions of a three-person portrait of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr. and President Barack Obama called CHANGE. His first effort was a scratch art version that positioned Obama in the middle but slightly behind the two other figures. His second version, reflecting the passage of time where the work of the 44th president has become much more appreciated, he is positioned firmly in the center of the other transformative national figures.

The Links were treated to a lecture and many visual treats from a person that has found his passion after retirement that generates art for the public and that energizes him to race to see each new day. Paint on!

Paradise on earth is the Vineyard experience. Enjoy it as life is fleeting!

Oak Bluffs town news can be sent to rtaylor@mvgazette.com.