Kehinde Wiley: An Economy of Grace

Astounding documentary of the work of one of the most respected and admired living artists as he pays homage to everyday people.

Fashion ReDesign Birthday Parties and Deck Design Workshops

Are you in NYC or North Jersey and have a 'tween or teenager have a birthday coming up? Show him/her that you're the COOLEST parent ever and book a Fashion ReDesign Birthday Party at The Crop Shop! (Hosted by me) Your child and his/her 9 besties will explore how to transform everyday items into fashionable accessories and garments.

Activities may include:
• Upcycle Market Bag
• Gemmed Wooden Clutch
• Fabric-Covered Bangles
• Leather Earrings
• Studded/Chain Zipper Bracelets
• Recycled Denim Bib Necklaces
• Floral Sandals/Chain-Trimmed Boots
• Upcycled Sweater Totes
Book your emerging fashion designer's party at www.crop-shop.com today!

And for skaters (adults, 'tweens and teens), they will LOVE you for enrolling them in THIS class:

Students will learn techniques to create personalized artwork on skateboards.  They will learn how to mix paints, create stencils using the tape masking method, and learn how to protect their artwork with protective coatings. The completed skateboard is intended to be used as a work of art, however, they will be functional decks and their safety lies at the sole discretion of the handler. All materials and tools are included in class fee. While an artistic inclination is helpful, it is not necessary and no artistic experience is required to succeed in this class. Class in taught by industrial designer Keith Kirkland.

Register now at www.crop-shop.com. Spaces are limited.

Sick of Men Telling You Smile?

Street harassment lead to artist Tatyana Fazlalizadeh to create this video and series of posters called, "Stop Telling Women To Smile." Tatyana is touring the country in 2014, creating new pieces along the way and leading local group discussions about street harassment. Check out the STWTS blog for tour dates.

Get Inspiration from Artist Shantell Martin

The work of Shantell Martin is a meditation of lines; a language of characters, creatures and messages that invite her viewers to share a role in her creative process. Part autobiographical, and part dreamlike whimsy, Martin has created her own world that bridges fine art, commercial art and the everyday experience — conversations, objects and places.

Using her simple trademark – black ink and white surfaces, Martin’s illustrations transform everything from walls, found objects, ceramics, luxury goods, sneakers, and even faces into a visual narrative. Martin’s diverse portfolio illustrates her gift of navigating many worlds. Her commissions at Asia’s ultra-high end department store Lane Crawford and Y&R’s global headquarters were met with the same amount of fanfare as her live talks and drawing demonstrations.

Martin has been featured on the Jimmy Kimmel Show, and her hand-illustrated bedroom walls graced the cover of the New York Times home section in May 2012. Her work has appeared in Creative Review Magazine, and she is still honored to have been named French Glamour’s New York’s “coolest it girl” in 2011. Her latest fashion collaboration with fashion brand Suno was featured in Vogue in August 2013.
ARE YOU YOU, curated by Isissa Komada-John, is a site-specific installation exploring change, flow and identity. This is Shantell Martin’s first solo museum exhibition. (MoCADA)

Check her FRESH here and meet her in person during her stay at MoCADA. She'll even draw on you, if you're nice. :)

Designer Profile: Blacksmith & Cobbler

Keith Kirkland

Who: NJ-born Artisan/Engineer/Designer Keith Kirkland
Where: Harlem, USA
What: Handbags and leather goods, lighting, dog wearables, innovative drawing devices, props, drinking glasses, mailboxes, women's footwear, kinetic sculptures and conceptual product and space design.

Latest projects: Hand-painted custom skateboards and accompanying leather carrying straps for them, as well as Mondrain-inspired mailboxes.

Hand-painted Maple Wood Skateboard

Mondrian-inspired mailbox includes Mondrian's story inside.

Pedigree: Engineering degree from Rutgers University; Accessory Design degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology. Currently earning MFA in Industrial Design at Pratt Institute.
Has designed for Calvin Klein, LeSportSac and Coach.

International pursuits: Recently returned from Mexico with a group of designers that individually worked one-on-one with local artisans to create their one-of-kind, handcrafted creations. In his collaboration, he and the artisan produced a metal, leather and hand-knitted lounge chair. Keith is headed to Japan next!

Hammock-inspired chair by Blacksmith & Cobbler

Artist statement: The underlying theme for my work is simple, rustic and modern. It has to be interesting and it has to be challenging. I am also very technical, both in my idea generation and execution. I enjoy works that create simplicity through complex considerations.


Shop Now! Prices range from $28-$170.

The Art of ALEX

The weekend before last, on Mother's Day, my little family and I spent the day hanging in NYC taking in art and other random fun. We dropped in the Parallax Art Fair for some inspiration and to spy the venue. One of the incredible artist we met while there was Alex Benitez. His work is so colorful, fun and child-like and he was thoughtful and kind enough to draw an impromptu abstract sketch of my daughter, totally free of charge.

How awesome is that?

Check out his work and purchase a few pieces knowing that you're buying beautiful artwork from a genuinely nice guy.
www.theartofalexbenitez.com

Alex drawing an impromptu picture for Miss J

My pumpkin with her Alex Benitez portrait

The Young Designers Collective: Designs for Giving

As an indie designer, I am always seeking opportunities that allow me to use my God-giving gifts to be a gift to others. I don't make things strictly for consumption but the hope is to improve the end user's living experience, even if by just a tad. A luxurious leather clutch in your hand that gets compliments all evening will make a girl want to SING. Same for a supple suede pillow or a fun pair of fingerless gloves. And on the back-end, using a generous portion of the proceeds I earn to donate to causes and help individuals is another way I am blessed to use my gifts to give.


So finding out about this group of artists and designers based in New York City who design for non-profit organizations to promote good will as well as gain exposure for the causes they believe in totally made my day. Their mission is "...to bring appreciation back to the artist behind the designer, to quality or handmade products, and to a more sustainable future. From design to production we believe in fair trade and source our materials with this in mind. By “doing well by doing good” we connect our designers to non-profit organizations in order to create a favorable outcome for both parties."

Love that!

The Collective consists of 3 designers, including the founder and CEO Shilpa Iyengar; Harmony Pilobello; and Hanh Lam. All are graduates of Parson School of Design.

Recently, YDC presented their designs at Christie's Auction House and auctioned online. All proceeds went to the Navigators USA, a national youth scouting group formed in response to the discriminatory practices of the Boy Scouts of America.  
Check out their publication to see the full collection.: http://www.blurb.com/books/4055520-designs-for-giving

 

All pieces are custom made and still available for purchase. Feel free to contact YDC if you are interested.  
It is great sustainable fashion for great causes.

Find out more about The Young Designers Collective here:  http://www.youngdesignerscollective.com/







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A Pen That Writes in the Air: Welcome to The Future!

I'm gonna need this in my life so I'm hyped that they are fully funder via their Kickstarter campaign! For more info: http://www.the3doodler.com

Turning Graffitti Artists into PAID artists

Streetcraft LA is an outreach project that aims to help youths divert their creative impulses into products that could earn them a profit instead of a trip to the police station.

The organization operates in the low-income area of Wilmington, where a type of graffiti known as tagging has become a problem. Streetcraft LA hopes to encourage youngsters who commit this type of vandalism to use their artistic talent in ways that won’t land them in jail – which could affect their opportunities later in life. Instead, the initiative is offering kids the skills and facilities to put their art onto products such as t-shirts, skateboards and even furniture, which are then sold in the Streetcraft store. Profit from each item sold is then split between the organization and its young creators. The artists are also helped in devising their own marketing strategies, helping them to continue to sell their goods once they graduate from the program.

FiberPhiladelphia2012-Get Your Fiber ON!

FiberPhiladelphia2012 is in progress. New exhibitions are opening; presentations and workshops are taking place in venues around the city.
 
Full list of exhibits

FiberPhiladelphia is an international biennial and regional festival for innovative fiber/textile art. Exhibitions are planned for 40 locations including major institutions and independent venues. They will include work by renowned international artists and a new generation of artists breaking into the field.

For more information:
http://www.fiberphiladelphia.org/

Beauty is Strength! Nzingah Designs

Imagine my surprise to open my mail and find these beautiful earrings and a hand-crafted greeting card from fellow artist/designer and sister-friend Nzingah. I barely remember her asking me for my address so the gift really caught me off guard. And the fact that she's just sharing her fly kindess and love just for the sake of doing so.....is just SO DOPE!
This is the kind of artist/brand you want to get behind and support. Someone who embodies love and kindness and spreads it with no expectations.
Her tagline is "Where strength is beauty and beauty is strength." Nzingah, a Florida native residing in NY, is the breathing manifestation of beauty and strength as an Activist, Painter, Writer, Musician, Dancer, Jeweler, Designer, Teaching Artist and so much more!


See more of Nzingah Designs:
Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/sankofaschild
Website: http://www.nzingahdesigns.com
Facebook fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/BeautyisStrength

Now Casting: New Design Show & New Cooking Show

NOW CASTING NEW DESIGN COMPETITION SHOW! From High Hoon Entertainment, the company that brings you House Hunters, My First Place, Bang for Your Buck, HGTVʼd and Food Network Challenge. A Major Cable Network specializing in home design is casting a new show that challenges designers to think outside the box to win a cash prize! Interior Designers, Artists, Stylists, Graphic Designers, Event Designers, Sculptors, Product Designers and other Highly Skilled Creative Professionals THE SHOW: Contestants will be challenged to transform a plain white space into a show-stopping room using outlandish and unorthodox elements. WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR: - Personality that pops - People of all artistic and creative backgrounds that are at the top of their game and aren't afraid to push the boundaries to prove they have what it takes to win! - Resourcefulness and innovation are a must! HOW TO APPLY: New York Applicants- Email designshowcastingny@gmail.com with: - Application - Resume - Contact information - 2 recent photos of yourself - 6 photos of your design work Deadline to Apply: 11/4/11 Los Angeles Applicants- Email designshowcastingla@gmail.com with: - Application - Resume - Contact information - 2 recent photos of yourself - 6 photos of your design work Deadline to Apply: 10/31/11 All Other Applicants- Email designshowcastingvideo@gmail.com with: - Application - Resume - Contact information - 2 recent photos of yourself - 6 photos of your design work - 3-minute home video  Deadline to Apply: 11/4/11 The application, home video instructions and further details on how to apply can be found on our website, www.DesignShowCasting.com. For additional information about the show, please visit www.DesignShowCasting.com.

Food Network is Now Casting Season 2 of SWEET GENIUS! We are in search of PASTRY CHEFS, BAKERS and those who have MASTERED THE ART OF SWEETS. AMERICAʼS SWEETEST SHOW IS SEEKING CULINARY MASTERMINDS TO COMPETE FOR A $10,000 PRIZE! If you or someone you know has the skills, personality and passion for pastry, we want to hear from you! HOW TO APPLY- Email the following information to sweetgeniuscasting@gmail.com: -       Name -       Age -       Contact information -       Photo of yourself -       Culinary resume -       Paragraph describing yourself For additional information about the show, visit www.sweetgeniuscasting.com. For questions, please contact the casting team at sweetgeniuscasting@gmail.com.

New Children's Book: Bodies of Water

My wonderful friend and fellow artist, Daniel Patrick Helmstetter, has written an amazing children's story about about happiness, and loss, and ultimately a story about learning to live in the world exactly as it is.
It tackles the impossible topic of death, and does so in a way that parents will be not only comfortable, but also eager, to share it with their kids. Though Bodies of Water is written for children, the depth of it will impact, and hopefully bring a bit of peace, to anyone of any age.

Daniel and I were both resident artists at Solo(s) Project House so I've had the pleasure of seeing this project unfold. I am super excited for him and trust me, the success couldn't happen to a nicer guy. So please make a pledge to back the book. He needs $6000 and he's so close! Plus, with your pledge, you'll get an autographed limited edition hardcopy of the book just in time for Christmas! Pledge here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/danielpatrick/bodies-of-water

Could a Painting on a Drug Dealer’s Storefront be the Last Work of Jean-Michel Basquiat?

Fascinating story about my favorite abstract artist, Basquiat, in New York Magazine. So eery and upsetting but amazing all at once. Read the story here.

METAMORPHOSIS: Have you ever seen 1000 butterflies in 1 place?

"...it is an incredible installation and a great concept done for the first time ever in Philly...an installation of thousands of butterflies in the color spectrum throughout Philadelphia. The installation launches June 1st and is up until July 28th. it will be installed in all of these locations at all times : Bus Stop Boutique, Carmelita Couture, Vintage Wine Bar and the historic Head House Shambles. The main purpose of this installation is...to make people move through 3 different locations of Philadelphia: Queens Village, Old City, Midtown Village and Society Hill.
All of the buterflies are cut out by hand by Conrad Booker, an incredible local artist, and are made out of recycled fashion magazines and recycled soda cans. They are elaborate and just purely beautiful."~Curator Zivile Pupinyte

Opening receptions with specialty cocktails sponsored by Absolute Vodka and conversations with the artist will be held on the following dates:

• June 1, 2011

            ‘Mourning Cloak’

5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m

BUS STOP Boutique

750 S. 4^th st. Philadelphia

• June 8, 2011

            ‘Scarlet Jezebel’

5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Carmelita Couture

17 N. 3^rd st. Philadelphia

• June 15, 2011

            ‘Blue Doctor’

5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Vintage Wine Bar

129 S. 13^th st. Philadelphia

Closing reception: July 28, 2011 @ Headhouse Square Shambles. Begins at 5:30PM, 2nd & Lombard Streets, Philadelphia PA.

Curated by Zivile Pupinyte http://ziv-a.com/Curating.html

About the artist:

Conrad Booker - Booker is an architect/designer with more than 20 years experience as creative director for a local architecture and interior design firm. He also assists antique textile pillow designer MaryJane McCarthy, whose pillows can be found in high-end stores including Bergdorf Goodman, Takashimya and Bloomingdales. A Queen Village resident, Booker combines his architecture and design experience to create new conceptual pieces of artwork that use common materials in an unusual way. Booker is donating the tabs from the cans he uses to a local charity.

For more information on the artist contact Conrad Booker @ 610 416 8688,

Julie Chen: Book Artist

Invented Landscape-closed

Invented Lanscape-ope

For those of us who didn't really know there was such a thing as a book artist, see what you've been missing.

Book Arts encompass binding, letterpress, printing and printmaking, combined with three-dimensional art. The finished products are unique three-dimensional pieces of art that include text.  Julie Chen’s books are considered exceptional for their craft and quality, while playfully teasing the conceptual limits of books. Always mindful of the reader who will interact with her structures, she selects paper to delight the eye and appeal to the touch, while creating forms that function as “vessels” for text, images, ideas and meaning. Despite the nontraditional forms it often occupies, the text in Chen’s creations is letterpress printed.

In addition to teaching Book Arts at Mills College and operating Flying Fish Press, Chen regularly lectures on bookmaking and teaches workshops nationwide. 

Julie Chen, Panorama, Sibila Savage photograph

Julie Chen, Ode to a Grand Staircase, in collaboration with Barbara Tetenbaum, Sibila Savag

All of the above is from CraftInAmerica.org
Learn more about Julie Chen at her website: http://www.flyingfishpress.com/
Learn more about Crafts in America at http://www.craftinamerica.org/

Roberto Capucci @ Philadelphia Museum of Art

Today I enjoyed a lovely outing at the Art Museum. On exhibit were the "sculptural dresses" of Roberto Capucci in his own room with an audio guided tour. It was truly phenomenal. The craftmanship speaks for itself, the craftmanship has truly inspired me as an artist. Learn about the exhibit here: http://www.philamuseum.org/exhibitions/411.html

Italian fashion designer and artist Roberto Capucci (born 1930) is revered by contemporary designers for his innovative silhouettes and masterful use of form, color, and materials. This exhibition--featuring over eighty works, as well as original drawings and sketches--will be the first survey of his work in the United States. It includes work ranging from the beginning of his career as a boy genius of Italian fashion to his legendary sculpture-dresses--including his seminal 1978 "Colonna" silhouette, based on the Doric column--as well as his series of sculptures from 2007 honoring the city of Florence.

Capucci refers to his work as "a study in form" inspired by art, architecture, and nature. His early career was intertwined with the rise of the Italian fashion industry and of Italian high fashion following World War II. He opened his first couture salon in Rome in 1950 at age twenty, and by 1956 the international press had declared him Italy's best designer, lauding his "vigor, imagination, and uninhibited originality." In 1962 he moved to Paris, where he created both classical and experimental collections, incorporating surprising materials such as plastic and stones. Capucci returned to Rome in 1968, where he has continued his work as couturier and artist.

Philadelphia Art Museum
www.philamuseum.org - 26th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - (215) 763-8100

Become the next Roberto Capucci. Emerging designers, learn how to design a collection to present to stores. Read my book ENVISION: The Young Accessory Designer's Guide to Collection Development. Get the softcover or download it instantly.

Braving the wind/rain in the name of art & design

In the abstract art room

Artina Slaughter, Fine Arts Graduate Student/Fiber Artist/Fashion Designer of Mashulu

 PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF-- My name is Artina Slaughter. I am a 2001 graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA. Currently I’m attending Norfolk State University in Norfolk, VA for graduate school. I am originally from Hampton Virginia.



HOW DID YOU GET STARTED ON YOUR CREATIVE PATH?--My father is an artist and comes from a long line of crafty folks. It was his hope for me, as his first born, to carry on that tradition, hence naming me ARTina. I started out drawing and then I transitioned into sewing by making my own Barbie doll clothes as a young girl.

WHAT DO YOU CREATE?--I create handmade accessories such as handbags, hair accessories, and crochet earrings. On a local level I also do alterations and garment construction...but not so much lately because grad school is so demanding.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO CREATE?--My inspiration is mostly color and fabric. Sometimes I will see a piece of fabric that I simply must have because something about it "tells" me what it should be when I look at it. As I don't have any definite knowledge of what cultures truly make up my family tree, I am also very inspired by other languages, clothing, and customs. I also just like drafting patterns and putting things together! Sometimes I don't produce as much as I would like because as I'm making one item, I'm envisioning how I could make it better and the next thing you know, I'm redrafting the pattern!

HOW HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO MAKE A LIVING BY BEING YOUR AUTHENTIC, CREATIVE SELF?--I am positive that if I could get my creative ADHD in check I could live off of what I make. In the meantime my creative fix is mostly a decent side hustle for myself.

WHAT NEW PROJECTS ARE YOU WORKING ON?--Well, as far as school goes (I'm working towards my Master of Fine Arts degree), I am producing various types of fiber arts using skin modification (tattoos, piercing, scarification, etc.) as inspiration. So far I've made a few "extreme" handbags and I'm working on dolls. As far as MASHULU I'm making clutches, shoulder bags, and oversized bags that could also be used as baby bags, overnight bags, or carry-ons. I would love to throw in some funky appliquéd tanks and tees in the spring. We'll see.

HOW CAN PEOPLE FIND & SUPPORT YOUR WORK? My main site is where I will have all my newest pieces and where you can request custom items: http://www.mashulu757.com/.
I also Tweet (@MASHULU757
I have a fan page on Facebook
I blog http://mashulu.blogspot.com/ and my creative "experiments" may be purchased on Etsy at discounted prices http://mashulu.etsy.com/.