Category archives: New York
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4 years ago
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New York City based non profit Art for Progress has launched an online music resource for NYC students and anyone who's interested in learning how to produce music, play an instrument or vocal instruction.
In response to the school closures and what seems like the
inevitable end of the school year, Art for Progress is taking a progressive
approach to providing instruction for our students in both our elective music
classes, after school programs and our BREC campus wide after school music
program.
To address this challenge, we will be providing weekly educational videos that will align with what was being taught in the classrooms prior to the school closures- instrument instruction, vocal instruction and music production. New content will be posted along with a narrative for each video, and our teachers will be available to take questions, arrange chats and for follow up meetings.
We expect to launch the online program on Monday, March 23rd and as we come up with more creative ideas we will continue to add more to the program. At this point, we will provide as many resources as possible to be sure that this is the best experience we can provide outside of the classroom.
We’re excited to do this for our students and for anyone who wants to learn through this new resource. For any inquiries, please contact admin@artforprogress.org.
Please subscribe to the channel and follow us here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbEUTEdVVFNtY49A7D01-ZA
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5 years ago
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Gregory Siff, "You" ink, oil, crayon on canvas 2019
After missing the December shows in Miami, I was determined to get out and see what New York had to offer at Armory Week. I had planned to attend the Art on Paper opening on Thursday, but I wasn't able to make it. So, Saturday was my day to get my art fix. I got an early start with the idea of beating the crowds and catching up with some artists and curators I haven't seen for a while.
Michael Flomen, "Full Moon Rain, Number 3," 2016
First stop was Plan B, which was one of the smaller shows- a pop up art show created by a group of gallery owners when Volta was cancelled. Sometimes you can find some really intriguing work at the smaller shows. For example, this piece by Michael Flomen ("Full Moon Rain, Number 3") caught my attention. It's quite minimal, but very creative. The Canadian born Flomen collaborates with nature using photogram's to create these unique pieces. The black pigment, cracked surface and contrast got my initial attention and required a closer look.
The other artist that caught my attention at Plan B was Jongmin Joy Kim, a NYC transplant from Korea. His expressive, colorful abstract work was fun and had a street art vibe.
Jongmin Joy Kim, untitled, 2018
Our next stop, which is usually very good in Miami was Scope. I did attend Scope in New York in 2018 and found it to be disappointing. So, I was curious to see how the show would compare to last year's show.
Upon entering, the [...]
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5 years ago
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Now in its 9th edition, DOC NYC—America’s largest documentary film festival—runs from November 8 through 15. More than 300 films and events are included in a variety of categories, including American Perspectives, Behind the Scenes, Fight the Power, International Perspectives, Portraits, Jock Docs, Modern Family, Science Nonfiction, Sonic Cinema, and True Love. In most cases, filmmakers (and often their subjects) will be on hand to answer questions, post-screening. Awards will be given in several sections, including an overall Audience Award.
The gamut of films this year includes epic portrait Beyond the Bolex, Alyssa Bolsey’s doc about her great-grandfather, the groundbreaking movie camera inventor Jacques Bolsey; Afterward, in which Jerusalem-born director and trauma expert Ofra Bloch visits victims and victimizers in Germany, Israel and Palestine; Lindsey Cordero & Armando Croda’s timely I’m Leaving Now, about an undocumented worker in Brooklyn facing a difficult crossroads; and We Are Not Done Yet, a short directed by Sareen Hairabedian and produced by actor Jeffrey Wright, about U.S. veterans combating their traumatic military histories through art, poetry and performance.
A few more highlights:
Dennis and Lois
A doc by Chris Cassidy that will resonate with music fans, Dennis and Lois is a portrait of a 60-something couple who have been music superfans for over 40 years. The Brooklyn-based duo, together since 1975, live in a house stuffed with band mem[...]
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6 years ago
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Art for Progress (AFP) is thrilled and honored to present a night of empowering original music, created for a special evening to benefit AFP’s art education programs. Music for Progress will take place on Friday November 30th at NYC’s quintessential listening room, Rockwood Music Hall (stage 2) and feature psychedelic world-jam group Toubab Krewe, Brooklyn power trio Bad Faces, and 3Bridge Records and Flemcy Music recording artist and DJ, Gatto. Get your tickets [HERE]
Blending American and West African influences into a sound all its own, Toubab Krewe has set "a new standard for fusions of rock 'n' roll and West African music" (Afro pop Worldwide). Since forming in 2005, the magnetic Asheville, NC based quintet has won a diverse and devoted following while performing everywhere from Bonnaroo to the Festival of the Desert in Essakane, Mali. Mixing American rock with the musical traditions the band fell in love with on their travels to Africa, their sound also nods to surf and zydeco. This fusion of sound is what the Village Voice describes as "a futuristic, psychedelic, neo-griot frenzy" and Honest Tune hails as "one of the most innovative voices in music today."
Bad Faces are a Brooklyn power trio as deeply rooted in American traditional music as they are reaching for new stratospheric heights in their improvisational explorations. Led by singer/guitarist Barry Komitor, a fixture in New York's vibrant folk and bluegrass scene, the group has amassed a strong local foll[...]
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6 years ago
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This summer, thanks to a grant from the Matisse Foundation, I had the great pleasure of teaching the music portion of the Art for Progress Summer Arts & Music Program for high school students and young adults interested in pursuing creative careers. Consisting of series of four workshops held on Sunday mornings during July and August at the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural and Educational Center, the program was designed to explore the many real-world considerations inherent to careers in the arts and music. The focus was to look at some of the dynamics at play in the music and art worlds, and to provide support in the development of specific skills in the various media. Each week, a professional working in the arts was invited as a guest speaker and to host a short discussion. The speakers were happy to answer questions and were very informative and animated as they enlightened the group about the day-to-day life of a working artist. Everyone seemed to have a great time and to get a better sense of how to approach their work professionally going forward. On a personal note…I had the fantastic opportunity to study visual art in Paris while in college, and later jazz theory and improvisation, so it was auspicious to me to be able to work with the foundation representing French painter Henri Matisse, a personal favorite and early influence. Matisse was known to love American jazz music, and that added to my special sense of personal investment in this project. We at AFP are[...]
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6 years ago
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By Evan Jake Goldstein
August 30, 2018
It's hard to believe that nearly eight years have gone by since House of Vans Brooklyn first opened their doors, promising free concerts, art installations, and curated events for all to attend. Originally intended as a pop-up spot for Vans to showcase their signature skate style shoes, the repurposed Brooklyn warehouse became a major hot spot for skaters, hipsters, punks, and music connoisseurs alike. The first come, first serve, RSVP ticketing system for their free summer concerts offers equal opportunity for anyone to attend their events. You can't buy your way inside if you miss the sign-up period or are late to line up at the door. There are no $8 water bottles or VIP bathrooms, no balcony seating or members-only presales.
House of Vans feels like a magical place where beers are free for anyone of age willing to wait on line, and t-shirts, tote bags and posters are given away to attendees upon arrival and departure as souvenirs. Hispanic teenagers from the Bronx mosh with the middle-aged white businessmen of Manhattan, their mutual love for the music binding them. They book artists spanning all genres, decades,and levels of fame. The well-curated shows typically feature a headliner, a supporting act of the lead’s choice, and an unsigned opener. The penultimate show at House of Vans Brooklyn featured Deerhunter, Circuit des Yeux, and Standing on the Corner.
Post-post-genre openers Standing on the Corner were the first to hi[...]
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6 years ago
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One of the things I used to detest so much as a child was watching the Spanish actress Charo shaking her ass and screaming out “cuchi, cuchi!" on stage. Her famous act would make my blood boil. Please, Charo, forgive me (for we are both Spanish, Latin women) but you're capitalizing on broken English and the need to be sexy all the time, and I wonder if you helped shape the brand, image for Latin women.
There is more to my personal history with Charo's legacy than growing up watching her on television: my paternal grandmother was a performer too and there was a crossing of paths between these influential Latin women. Seeing such a beautiful Latin woman depicted in Charo’s characteristic way was beyond me. I questioned this image constantly, wondering about the advantages of being famously sexy and vulnerable. As opposed to all the women in my family who were immigrants and championed higher education. They worked as professionals, speaking fluent English, and every single one of them was extraordinarily attractive.
On one hand, I saw Charo as a brilliant entrepreneur. She seized the opportunity to commoditize a stereotype and hence became a star with a net worth of twelve billion dollars. In a society where money is synonymous with power, that is a ton of power.
In contrast to Charo's sexy Latina character, Panamanian artist Sandra Eleta tapped into another Latin female stereotype by photographing housemaids, albeit, with a much different attitude depicted in her su[...]
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6 years ago
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It was the industrial revolution that first attempted to record sound “as a medium for preservation," activating the phenomena of noise as an integral source when documenting history. Thomas Edison received notoriety for the phonograph in 1877, but it was really Edouard-Lèon Scott de Martinsville who invented the phonautograph in 1857, the first recording device. The device was specifically created to study frequency found in sounds, an intention much different from the phonograph invented by Edison which was to play and “reproduce the recorded sound… originally recorded onto a tinfoil”. As per historical reference ( author unknown ), “The phonograph revolutionized the art of music. Performances were recorded and people could listen to them at their leisure. It also made music and communication more public. The invention signaled the birth of a new form of entertainment and an entirely new field of business that fed the demand for the new invention, the music industry”- hence both inventions put an end to the masses' naiveté to the sense of hearing, and introduced the start of audio’s sensational future possibilities.
When we fast forward through the history of music and sound, we could say that the underground rave music scene (which famously erupted somewhere in between Chicago and the UK during the late 80’s), had a lot of thanking to give the founding fathers of sound, more so Edison’s phonograph. It was the phonograph that gathered groups of people before a speake[...]
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6 years ago
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It never ceases to amaze me. The abundance of extraordinary talent in the NYC music scene is obvious to anyone who seeks to experience it. Yet, so many people talk as if the scene is terrible and how difficult it is to find quality music at the venues in NYC. I will admit, the Bleeker Street music clubs do leave much to be desired, but one venue, le possion rouge, is certainly doing it the right way. LPR has made a name by bringing in experimental, eclectic and alternative artists over the past 10 years, and this past Saturday night was no exception.
Yonatan Gat performed in support of his new album, "Universalists" which was recently released on Joyful Noise Recordings. He played three different sets, and we were fortunate to catch the last two which were truly epic. The long transplanted New Yorker showed off his masterful guitar skills, (The Village Voice named him "Best Guitarist in New York, 2013.") shredding through an eclectic mix of ethnic sounds with merely a vocal, but it didn't discourage fans in attendance as they marveled at his guitar playing skills. I was also impressed with his band as they were on point throughout the set, and as the sound changed, their energy was consistent and at a high level throughout. Gat's sound is clearly focused on guitar, but I couldn't help but watch his drummer relentlessly pounding on the skins and his evident passion for the music. This brings to mind the most anticipated part of the evening for me and apparently man[...]
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6 years ago
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Dear Artem, welcome to Art For Progress. You are a New York City based artist. Please tell us about your work.
Hi Nerea, yes as you describe, I am a New York based artist, curator and entrepreneur. My imagination allows me to create a new world within each frame while drawing connections with different cultures and to my own heritage. History and mythology play a large role in influencing my work, often igniting the creative process. I am fascinated about mythology, and I am a space time voyager at heart. Traveling is also one of my biggest catalysts for art. I have traveled extensively, experiencing diverse culture, spirit, architecture and ways of life, which helped me to shape my perception and artistic vision of the world. A sketchbook always accompanies me on my journeys. When words alone cannot describe what I envisions in my mind, I just draw...
What inspires you to create such awesome paintings and landscapes?
I absorb everything around myself and filter it through my "art filter." Books, music, architecture, friends, strangers, other artists, travel, relationships, etc inspires me to create my own world of landscapes and adventures.
I love depictions of ancient civilizations, philosophy, present society, and the exploration of " the nature of man.”
As I have mentioned, I draw a lot of inspiration from my readings. History and mythology play a large role in influencing my work, often igniting the creative process. I am fascinated by how the tw[...]
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6 years ago
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Jean-Michel Basquiat was a well known plastic artist based in New York and sponsored by Andy Warhol. Music was very important in the life and work of this artist, and in 1979 he formed an experimental band with the artist and actor Vincent Gallo.
They named the band "GRAY" as a tribute to the book of anatomy published by Henry Gray in 1950.
The band arises in the middle of the punk explosion of New York, but especially to a more experimental branch known as No wave. No wave has a very industrial sound where the electric guitar is used not as a musical instrument, but as a tool that generates noise. He was also interested in the frenetic and eclectic rhythms of the seventies and eighties, like the incipient rap of the hip hop movement.
Basquiat played the clarinet and the synthesizer and the band frequented famous venues like CBGB where Blondie and The Ramones made their debut, the Mudd Club, etc.
The music from "Gray" can be heard in several films including "Downtown 81," starring Basquiat, talking about his life as an artist in New York.
Nerea T. Ruiz
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6 years ago
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Pedro, welcome to AFP, we are pleased to have you here. Please tell us when you started playing and producing electronic music? Tell us about your first project.
I started experimenting with audio edition software when I was 16. At first, my intention was only pure distraction and fun. Before, I used to listen to lot of music, not only electronic music but also good rare versions of everything that you can imagine. I have a brother who is a music lover. I was also an amateur guitar player in a band.
It's my understanding that you've produced music under different artistic names and musical projects in the past? This was before your personal projects, correct?
When I was 22, I started to mix music using the name Pettre and was using it for many years. I published a track on Hivern Discs with John Talabot and Pional. Afterwards, with my project duo called Aster, I have worked for years at Hivern Discs and also at the famous label Mathematic Recordings, based in Chicago. With my recent project Pedro Vian and also with the Aster duo, I've had a presence in important festivals such as Sonar and Primavera Sound.
How do you define your style?
It is impossible to me to categorize it in a single style, because it is a mixture of many. Basically, I don't know how to define it. The experimentation is predominant; many times I feel myself with a foot on the dance floor while the other foot is in the spiritual and ambient side.
https://soundcloud.com/pedro-vian
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