Category archives: Artist Pages
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6 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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8 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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8 years ago
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Milly Cardoso was born and raised in Miami, Florida and is the Director and Curator for the University of Miami Gallery in the Wynwood Art District. Prior to joining University of Miami, she worked for the Miami Art Museum (Pérez Art Museum, Miami) and the Mitchell Wolfson, Jr. Private Collection.
Milly is currently organizing an all-female group exhibition titled " Yes, I'm a Witch" to be presented at FATVillage Projects on September 24 – October 28, 2018, strongly supporting the works of local artists residing in South Florida.
I decided to chat with Milly about America's obsession with the topic, what or who determines a witch and the '' mass hysteria" ( of sorts) we still face today.
Interview with Milly Cardoso:
BB: From my understanding, it's been stated, you title the exhibitions you curate after songs? Why is that?
MC: Not for every exhibition, but yes, I’m very inspired by music. Lyrics inspire me. I hear a great lyric and think “that would make a fantastic exhibition.” I like every genre; I feel sorry for people who only listen to one form of music. They don’t know what they’re missing.
BB: What song, in particular, has most personally affected an exhibition? How so?
It’s difficult to pick a favorite, but it would have to be Clang, Boom, Steam. It’s an exhibition I curated in 2013 with male artists that focused on the state of masculinity in contemporary art. Clang, Boom, Steam is a song by Tom Waits. It’s only 52 seconds long, but it delive[...]
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8 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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8 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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8 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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8 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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8 years ago
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"A professional studio starts at around $50,000 and up" according to Rick Camp, who has produced the music of Dr. Dre, Beyonce and the likes. However, he also asserts that "a home studio, or a project studio, can cost anywhere from $300-400 dollars." With such a wide range of music production equipment out there, creating your own home studio has never been easier, cheaper and more accessible. Expensive equipment isn't always necessary to produce top quality work, as many low to mid range products on the market are actually competing with some of the top brands. Here are the top 3 tips on how to start producing your music without spending too much or sacrificing the quality of your sound.
Research the best equipment in your price range
When you begin any new practice, research is always key. And with an art form as technical as music production, it's almost essential to look into what audio interfaces you need and how to use them. If you go in blind, then you risk overspending on unnecessary, fancy equipment. In order to feel at ease with what you're doing, don't let yourself feel out of your depths:
Break down what you need: the interface, a mic/instruments and sound outputs
Research what both the amateurs and pros use
Compare the equipment based on quality and price
Take advantage of free recording software
Whilst 'freemium' software may not always have the advanced functions that paid software does, it's still useful when you're starti[...]
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8 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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8 years ago
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Savina Tarsitano is a visual artist born in Calabria, Italy. She enjoys traveling around the world, but her main interest is experiencing new cultures and countries while sharing her ideas and art across the world. Thanks to her artistic research, she obtained several fellowships and artist residencies. Her work has been selected for the Biennal of Venice, and exhibited in many countries. Savina's work has also been published in several books and catalogues. She is a member of the European Cultural Parliament and Ambassador for the Rebirth project of Michelangelo Pistoletto and Cittadellarte.
Savina, nice to meet you and welcome to Art for Progress. Please, tell us about your art.
My art is focused on the idea of the landing, after different sojourns in theme- places like islands, abbeys, castles, military fortresses and so on. My works are made with different languages that represent embodied visions from the relationship with space, which in my representation is not only a real, but also an imaginary territory. During the period I, I developed three main projects: The Icons of the Chaos, Emotional Architecture and Creativity in Motion for Social Integration through Art and The Island You Want. Through The Island You Want, I was investigating the character and the specific difference of island spaces and landscapes through which I developed an artistic theme. This hermetic operation touches upon both nature, history and culture.
My stays on the island of [...]
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8 years ago
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Art for Progress wants to say goodbye to 2017 with the best electronic music albums of the year.
Below you find our year-end top ten AFP picks that we have selected especially for you. The list includes a video and the label info where the records have been published.
2017! It was a great year for music in the world with many awesome, high quality albums created by the most talented artists from across the world.
Enjoy the new year and may your 2018 be full of good music!
Happy 2018!
1. LCD Soundsystem - American Dream. DFA and Columbia Records.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKeJFxwuBBE
2. Björk - Utopia. One Little Indian Records.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sqbv7cCM5AI
3. Laurel Halo - Dust. Hyperdub.
4. Four Tet - New energy. Text Records.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWInZ4N6C2g&t=2357s
5. Bonobo - Migration. Ninja Tune.
6. James Holden - The animal spirits. Border Community.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj35YNtP3IE
7. Powerdance - The Lost Art of getting Down. Powerdance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHrBXKtc0Sc
8. Charlotte Gainsbourg - Rest. Because Music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRwgL_PrQYQ
9. Errorsmith - Superlative Fatigue. Pan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fsCgZh6E8k
10. Arca - Arca. XL Recordings.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZqsyBiYZFQ3bQ6wAHoeYkkt[...]
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8 years ago
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On Wednesday 17th November, Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece Salvator Mundi, became the most expensive artwork ever sold, after being purchased for £450M during an historic event celebrated at Christie’s auction in New York.
The two hour auction took place at Christie’s with a total of sold artwork in the amount of $692 million ($785.9 million with fees), on 58 lots. The sale unexpectedly turned into a historic show.
Since the auctioneer Jussi Pylkkänen announced lot nine: Leonardo Da Vinci's Salvator Mundi (circa 1500), it took 19 minutes to sell the artwork for $400 million ($450 million with fees). People clapped and laughed during the unbelievable show. The sale of Davinci’s painting resulted in the most expensive piece ever purchased at an auction and broke all the previous records in the history of art, including the $179.4 million for a Pablo Picasso painting at Les Femmes d'Alger in 2015.
The crowd came to Christie’s expecting a show, and in the end they finally got history.
Salvator Mundi represents a secular image of a a serene-looking Christ dressed in blue and holding an orb. It also shows an ambiguous gender aspect about his appearance that makes it very mysterious and special.
The picture is one of fewer than 20 works by Leonardo still in existence. It's hilarious that the painting was sold by London's Sotheby's auction house in 1958 for less than 50£ when experts refused to believe Da Vinci painted it. For many years it was considered as t[...]
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