MY FRIEND CARI JACKSON'S BOOK- THE GUIDE TO ODD NEW YORK - IS IN THE DAILY NEWS!

Photo Credit: Egan Chin

Check out the review of my friend Cari Jackson's book The Guide to Odd New York in The Daily News!

ELIZABETH CATLETT - SCULPTOR, PRINTMAKER & SOCIAL ACTIVIST STILL STRONG AT 95

In the October 2010 issue of Ebony, there is a nice two-page piece about printmaker, sculptor, and social activist Elizabeth Catlett who is still going strong at age 95. She is quoted as saying "I mainly do Black women as sculpture or printmaking because they are completely ignored in art."

Catlett, who is known for prints such as Sharecropper and Malcolm X Speaks for Us, recently collaborated with her son David to make a 13-foot sculpture of Mahalia Jackson for the New Orleans Park.

To read more about this living legend, check out these articles about her:

National Visionary Leadership Project (includes video)

PBS

Wikipedia

ArtCyclopedia

HAPPY 65TH BIRTHDAY TO EBONY MAGAGINE!

This is a great issue of Ebony, and a momentous occasion as well.

For more information about the contents and making of this issue, visit the Ebony Website and click on Current Issue.

F.O.K.U.S. + TRIOMPH + ART IN BROOKLYN + CREATIVE TIMES = AWESOME COMMUNITY ART PARTY!

Last night, I experienced one of the best vibes in a room that I ever have. More than 150 people from Brooklyn, the Bronx, Harlem, New Jersey and beyond gathered at Triomph to celebrate the work of 20 Brooklyn artists.

The evening, a collaborative effort of F.O.K.U.S., ArtinBrooklyn, Triomph, Fresh Industries, and Creative Times also featured locally-made ice cream, two DJs, and drinks donated by Teany (Moby's tea company).

It was so great seeing everyone mixing and mingling, reaching out to each other, and celebrating the awesome creativity of Brooklyn artists.

Let's hear it for art, collaboration, and community-building all under the same roof!

I HEART MY MARIMEKKO PILLOW

For a year, I have been holding onto a wedding gift certificate for Crate & Barrel, waiting to find something really great. When I learned that Marimekko was coming to C&B in SoHo, I held on tightly to the certificate until the Merimekko portion of the store opened.

My memories of Marimekko go way back to when I was a kid and they had a shop in San Francisco. I always loved looking at the sharp prints featured on their fabrics. A Finish company, M dates back to the early 1950s. For more about them, take a peek at their website.

I felt like a youngin' let loose in a candy shop when I walked into the new M store tonight. So much color, pattern, texture and fun! I decided to get 2 pillows in the design above to spruce up our living room. These pillow designs remind me of the paintings of my good friend Cecilia Abs Andre.

FLOWERS ABOUND AT HOUSING WORKS BOOK CAFE IN SOHO

On Friday night, I swung by the Housing Works Book Cafe in SoHo. It's one of my favorite diggs in Manhattan. The joint had shut down early, and from the fancy frocks of folks standing by the door, it looked like a wedding might be happening.

On Sunday, I came back to HW and it was filled with the prettiest fall-colored floral bouquets. (See above for blurry cell phone pic!) When I asked the volunteer working at the cafe if there had been a wedding there over the weekend he said "Yeah, three!" Evidently, HW Book Cafe has become quite the place to have parties. Housing Works even has their own catering company, appropriately called The Works.

A great thing about using the Book Cafe or The Works for an event is that the money goes towards services and programs for folks living with HIV and AIDS.

GOOD NEWS! FAITH RINGGOLD, WHOSE ART WAS JUST ON EXHIBIT AT ACA GALLERIES , HAS HER OWN MUSEUM IN THE WORKS!

Faith Ringgold, a painter, quilter, and children's book author/illustrator that I have been following for many years now just had a show on exhibit. So bummed I missed it by a day!

Coming to Jones Road Part II & Other Story Quilts

September 9-October 9

ACA Galleries

529 West 20th Street, 5th Floor NY

212-206-8080

http://www.acagalleries/

http://www.faithringgold.com/

And exciting news straight from Faith's blog:

"The Faith Ringgold Museum of Children's Art and Storytelling will be sited on Sugar Hill, the epicenter of Harlem and Faith's neighborhood of origin."

For more information about the museum, CLICK HERE and HERE

OCTOBER 16TH - BROOKLYN ART, ICE CREAM, DJ - BE THERE!

BROOKLYN, NY - F.O.K.U.S. PRESENTS INSIGHT VOL. III ART EXPERIENCE - OPENING NIGHT Oct. 16th.

Come celebrate the release of the third issue of INSIGHT: Volume III.

The opening reception will be on October 16th, 2010 at Triomph Fitness (540 President St., Brooklyn, NY 11215).

Also view work from issues one and two of the current volume of INSIGHT Magazine. This art experience will feature work by Bishop203, Laura Galvin, Victor Giganti, Michael Malik Jones-Robinson, Jamie Killen, Rick Midler, Michael Sorgatz, John Tebeau, Johanna Treffy, Alejandro Guzman, Bud Ramsay, Maria Baraybar, Peter Patchen, Spring Hofeldt, Cat Celebrezze, Ward Yoshimoto, Steve Riley, Brian Dupont, James Chen-Feng Kao, Jisoo Lee, Genesis Tramaine and more.

Feast on delicious homemade Brooklyn ice cream from Phinizy & Phebe (free scoop of ice cream to the first 11 people), gourmet rice crisps from riceworks and refreshing beverages from Teany. Additional sponsors include Art in Brooklyn, Creative Times, Triomph Fitness and Fresh Industries.

Music by DJ Smoke L.E.S. and DJ Polarity

F.O.K.U.S. presents INSIGHT: Volume III Art Experience
Saturday, Oct. 16th, 2010
7 - 11pm
Suggested donation of $5

Triomph Fitness
540 President Ave. (btwn. 3rd Ave. and 4th Ave.)
Brooklyn, NY 11215

Directions via Train:
N/R to Union St or F/G to Carroll St.

About F.O.K.U.S.
Founded in the summer of 2003 by Alma Davila-Toro and Atiba T. Edwards, F.O.K.U.S. is dedicated to using the arts to unite diverse communities. F.O.K.U.S. is led by young adults and produces events, workshops and publishes INSIGHT, a quarterly arts magazine. We believe the arts enable people to rise above barriers in society.

F.O.K.U.S. brings together various art forms and genres to expand the views of what is considered art and show art's ability to bring together people from different walks of life. To see the various events, art and also read issues of INSIGHT- visit http://www.onefokus.org

About Triomph Fitness
Triomph Fitness, Health & Wellness reflects the essence of energetic, relaxed and confident individuals. It was conceived and created from the grassroots level by a group of experienced health professionals each offering their own personal flare, professional knowledge and innate desire to guide others in their physical, mental, and spiritual transformation. We share our knowledge about health in a supportive environment. Our clients receive individualized guidance based on their needs and goals. One on one health consultants are no longer considered a luxury but are for anyone who wishes to start exercising safely, change their eating habits, focus their mind, relieve stress and improve their over all sense of well being. http://www.triomph.us/home

About Art In Brooklyn
Art In Brooklyn was founded by Michael Sorgatz to promote the work of local artists. To see the on-going collection of work from local artists as curated by Michael Sorgatz, visit - http://artinbrooklyn.com/

About Creative Times
Creative Times is run by Eleanor Traubman. She is a promoter,community-builder, professional organizer and culture maven who is passionate about uniting creative people through humor and the arts. http://creativetimes.blogspot.com/

About Fresh Industries
Fresh Industries is a design collective inspired by the infinite consciousness. The infinite conscious has no set beginning or end, it just is. Under this concept one lives for themselves first and foremost rather than give concern to how one’s style will be judged by others. http://www.fresh-industries.com/

IS MULAN A PRINCESS?

This question was at the center of the conversation of a group of kindergarteners that I sat with yesterday while we drew and cut. (I am an assistant teacher in a K classroom in Brooklyn.) One girl commented that Mulan doesn't wear a dress. Another girl replied that a princess does not have to wear a dress.

Most Disney female characters are, in fact, princesses (or mermaids in very revealing outfits) so I could understand how the children would be thrown off by Mulan, who disguises as a boy so that she can go to battle in place of her father.

I love all the open-ended conversations that take place in Kindergarten. My role is to ask the children questions to elicit their thinking on these topics.

The next topic of conversation was "Are mermaids real?" Instead of answering the question, I asked each child at the table "What do you know about mermaids?"