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Category archives: Artist Pages

  • "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Soho Playhouse

  • 9 years ago
  • Art for Progress is proud to announce their upcoming production of Much Ado About Nothing. One of Shakespeare's most beloved comedies, Much Ado also takes a complex look at love, relationships and searching for "self," This production will use the classic language of Shakespeare in a modern setting - demonstrating the relevance of the writer's work in present day. This incredible show will also feature some of NYC's finest actors, comedians and public servants all on stage for a good cause. After production costs - all profits will go to Art for Progress's Education Program - helping young people tap into their artistic abilities. Soho Playhouse (15 Vandam Street), (212) 691-1555 SHOWS: Friday, May 29th - 8:00 pm Saturday, May 30th - 8:00 pm Sunday, May 31st - 7:00 pmFriday, June 5th - 8:00 pm Saturday, June 6th - 8:00 pm Sunday, June 7th - 7:00 pm To purchase tickets for $25 Director: Alexis Confer Producers: Frank Jackson (Art for Progress), Jennifer Park, Erin Marsz, Demetri Kofinas Stage Manager: Angelica Katz Cast: Erin Marsz, Jerrod Bogard, John Purdy, Kevin Bartini, Langston Belton, Clio Contogenis, David Shakopi, Sam Parrott, Eric Ryan Swanson, Ellen Cheney, Chablis Quarterman, Natalie Hoy, Matt Mykityshyn, Cecilia Faraut, Allison Guerra, Anders Adams, Kezia Tyson, Xiomara Rolon, and Conrad Cohen.  "Creative Culture Accelerating Social Change"

  • This Is Why Pianist Eva Novoa Loves Her Floral Infinity Scarf

  • 9 years ago
  • Barcelona-born Brooklynite, pianist Eva Novoa  has produced two cds, her debut Trio (with Masa Kamaguchi on bass and Marc Lohr on drums), and Quartet (with Ernesto Aurignac on alto saxophone, Masa Kamaguchi on bass and André Sumelius on drums), both released on the label Fresh Sound New Talent. Before moving to Brooklyn, she lived many years The Hague, Netherlands, studying, and eventually teaching at Koninklijk Conservatorium.   It was in Holland, that she not only learned Dutch curse words,  she also how to live in shitty weather: "It's much worse than New York. It may rain 6 days out of 7, she says while chatting in her kitchen, over espresso and Spanish shortbread cookies. "Wherever you go, you're soaked, shoes are dripping water." Find out about her beloved fashion accessories after the jump, and learn more about this gifted musician at EvaNovoa.com. Jacqueline Colette Prosper, @yummicoco   Floral Infinity Scarf I found this floral scarf on my way to work at a musical theatre in Holland. In a country where there's so much wind, and you're on your bike, your scarf eventually flies away. So you just do this [EVA MAKES A DOUBLE LOOP WITH THE CLOSED-LOOPED FABRIC], and you don't lose it. It's really warm! In Holland, you always have to wear a scarf. even in the summer. The weather sucks, and you have to wear something [warm], or else you'll get sick.    Vintage Little Black Dress From Grandma For the anniversary of the mus[...]

  • Wearable Art: Prohibition Bakery's Leslie Feinberg Loves Her Jameson Whiskey Hoodie

  • 9 years ago
  • What Leslie Feinberg and Brooke Siem of NYC's Prohibition Bakery find most fun about baking amazingly delicious alcohol-laden cupcakes is doing something that makes people happy. “There’s very few people who are incorporating boozy cupcakes into a sad occasion, Feinberg says with a laugh. “It’s always a good time. It’s always a positive experience.” Their magical cupcakes even helped to bring Leslie Feinberg and her boyfriend together. "He was actually one of our first customers," she shares. Before they started dating, in the early days of Prohibition Bakery, Feinberg delivered to her now-boyfriend's job. "He knew that if we delivered cupcakes I would have to hang out with him, she chortles. "So I delivered to his job and I told everybody that it was his birthday, which it was not. They all sang to him and it was wonderful." In retrospect, Feinberg remembers it as a pretty adorable moment. "One of his co-workers said, “Dude, she definitely likes you, she says. "I would say within weeks we were dating." Now isn't that sugar and spice, and everything nice! Click on link below to find out more about this boozy baker’s most prized fashion items after the jump. Jacqueline Colette Prosper, @yummicoco Hoodie  Oddly enough, this hoodie is kind of one of my favorite things. I got this at an event when I was still bar tending, in the very early days of the bakery. I was working at a terrible gastropub in Murray Hill, and I went to a Jameson event, where the[...]

  • Wearable Art: Comedian Gina Brillon Shares Fave FluffyShop.com Finds

  • 9 years ago
  • Gina Brillon is incredibly funny. Since jumping on the comedy scene at age 17, the Bronx native made appearances on Comedy Central’s “Live At The Gotham,” ABC’s “The View,” E!’s “Chelsea Lately” and comedian Gabriel Iglesias’ theatrical release, “The Fluffy Movie.” She’s also the first (and only) Latina winner of NBC’s “Stand Up for Diversity Showcase.” Discover more about her at GinaBrillon.com And, if you are in the Denver-area, Brillon will be performing at Denver Improv from March 19 to March 22, 2015. She’ll be doing a college tour in April, and then performing in San Antonio, Texas from May 27 to May 31, 2015! Click on link below to find out more about this comedic artist’s most prized fashion items after the jump. Jacqueline Colette Prosper, @yummicoco Red Shoes I have a pair of red BCBG shoes that I wore for my first hour-long comedy special [“Pacifically Speaking”] that are literally the perfect shade of red. They go with so many different dresses, I fell in love with them the minute I saw them. I knew they were going to be a hit, and everybody loves them when I wear them. They are super sexy, in a ‘not-over-doing-it kind of red.’ I’d say the color is more like an orange red. I love them. I would wear them with every outfit if I could. It’s not a chunky heel, it’s more slender—sort of like a stiletto, but a little asymmetrical in the design. The outside of the foot is covered and the inside has a dip where it shows a little more of the arch [...]

  • Katya Grokhovsky: Challenging the Status Quo

  • 9 years ago
  • Katya Grokhovsky has been climbing up the ladder of success within the art world for the past five years. Most recently the School of the Art Institute of Chicago MFA graduate's work was featured in the Huffington Post in an article entitled “Ten Badass Emerging Female Artists You Should Know.” This coincides with Katya's work in the show Immediate Female is on display through March 8th at Judith Charles Gallery. It is Katya's tremendous work effort and the bold subjet matter of her art that is helping her to make waves. Currently Katya is the artist in residence and teaching assistant at the New York Studio Residency Program in DUMBO. She is also working with the Philadelphia based gallery and performance space Vox Populi as their curatorial fellow in addition to with her own online platform. I recently spoke with Grokhovsky about her work, feminism and where she thinks the role of interdisciplinary artists fits into today's ever evolving world. Anni Irish: What do you think it means to be an interdisciplinary artist in today's art world? Katya Grokhovsky: I am still grappling with the various labels attached to being an artist today. I see the term interdisciplinary even though I use it as a band aid--an explanatory metaphorical bridge for all the various mediums an artist utilizes in their practice. I am more inclined to think of disciplines as fluid, mediums as transitory, ideas as central and genres as limitless. AI: So do you think that means that labeling [...]

  • We Learn Dances: Tales from Better Days

  • 9 years ago
  • I recently had the distinct pleasure of compiling an oral history of the seminal underground New York club Better Days, a ’70s and ’80s contemporary of spots like the Paradise Garage—though Better Days was much smaller and, possibly because of that, less lauded. (You can read that piece in full here, on the Red Bull Music Academy website.) One of the main interviewees for the article was Bruce Forest, an iconic DJ (and later, prolific producer) who was on the Better Days decks throughout most of the ’80s. (In the ’70s, the late, great Tee Scott ran the show.) Forest has a great memory and is a fantastic teller of tales—but, for reasons of space and clarity, some of his best stories had to be omitted from the history. So we figured, why not share a couple of his best ones here? Loleatta Holloway This story concerns how the inimitable disco diva Loleatta Holloway’s between-song patter became one of the most ubiquitous samples in dance music history. It was all Forest’s (accidental) fault. Bruce Forest: “It was not easy to have live performances there. It was a very, very hard room to do live sound in; it was a round room with tons of bass. But we would do it sometimes anyway. Jocelyn Brown probably performed there seven or eight times. And there was Lolleata Holloway. She was one nasty woman when she wanted to be. And she was big; she could have easily kicked the shit out of me. Anyway, when she performs, she does five or six songs, but in between the songs, s[...]

  • "Science, Fiction" at David Zwirner

  • 9 years ago
  • “Science, Fiction” is the latest show of video artist Diana Thater on view at David Zwirner's 533 West 19th street space. Thater who is one of the most influential artists working in film, video and installation today, has transformed the Zwirner gallery into a multimedia experience. Drawing on Thater's larger body of work which explores the interplay between mediated experiences and the natural world, “Science, Fiction” offers a fresh take on this subject matter. Thater who is no stranger to the art world, earned her BFA in Art History from New York University. She would go onto pursue an M.F.A at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. This is her eighth solo exhibition at Zwirner and her work as also been shown internationally. In the fall of 2015, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art will be hosting a mid career survey of Thater's work. The show consists of two video pieces and an installation which take over the second half of the Zwirner gallery space. As you enter the space, The Starry Messenger and Sidereus Nuncius are shown on two large flat screen video pieces facing one another against opposite walls and give way to Thater's installation in the larger gallery space. The video work as well as the installation explore tension between the natural and constructed world. Thater's installation conjures up elements of sculptor Dan Flavin's work through her use of light boxes in various colors ranging from blue to green in the installation. The[...]

  • Wearable Art: Painter Buddy Miano Shares Her Colorful California Cool

  • 9 years ago
  • Hailing from the westside of Los Angeles, painter Buddy Miano, 30, would like to say she is totally fashionable and cutting edge, “but I dont have the ego or money for that.” Ms. Miano tries to wear what she feels comfortable in and what is appropriate for the activities she will be doing that day. “Being from L.A., weather hasn’t really been much of a factor, she says. “I usually get away with black leggings or dark denim with a mix of patterns.” For Buddy, the more it doesn’t go together the more likely she is going to wear it. And just like her vibrant paintings, filled with clashing, maddening colors, Buddy’s wardrobe also consists of crazy hues and patterns. “My family often says I look like I got dressed in the dark, she says. I caught up with Buddy to watch the sunset at Dockweiler Beach in west L.A. Our chat centered on her new life in the San Francisco-bay area, and her sudden need for socks on account of the Bay's cooler climes. “That’s new for me!” Discover more about Buddy’s favorite personal fashion possessions after the jump. Then check out where you can see her works here: buddymiano.blogspot.com Jacqueline Colette Prosper, @yummicoco   Coat I like this coat because I got it for ten dollars and it’s very luxurious. It’s wool, and it has this fancy velvet collar that makes me feel like a classy lady. When I saw the coat, I said, hey, look at this fancy thing, and then I bought it. I found it at the Goodwill in Berkeley, off of [...]

  • We Learn Dances: Four Fave NYC Tracks of 2014

  • 9 years ago
  • Yes, we’re almost two weeks into 2015, so please forgive the lateness of this list—we’re just now recovering from a great New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day spent with the Bunker and 718 Sessions crews. But it’s never too late to support the home team, right? In the underground-clubbing realm, the fact that there’s been so much great music created by Gotham artists and/or released on local labels over the past twelve months is another sign of the scene’s strength—and really, we would could have made this a Forty Fave NYC Tracks list without breaking a sweat. But, for now, let’s go with the five below—click on the images to hear the tracks. Enjoy! Siren “Gauntlet” Compost There’s a windswept feel to “Gauntlet, ”the long-awaited first fruits of a studio partnership between Metro Area’s Darshan Jesrani and the Disques Sinthomme label’s Dennis Kane. It might be the majestic guitar chords, or the wailing vocals (from Apollo Heights’ Daniel Chavis), or the cut’s spacious arrangement and willingness to take its time to get wherever it’s going. Whatever it is, the song is something of an overlooked modern classic. And holy crap, does that pumping bassline hit the spot! There’s a fine remix from London groove machine Ray Mang that tightens up the song’s feel a bit—he basically houses it up, toughening up the rhythm and accentuating the acid bleep, giving it an added sense of urgency. But for our money, the sprawling original does the trick just fine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?[...]

  • Judith Scott: “Bound and Unbound” at the Brooklyn Museum

  • 9 years ago
  • “Bound and Unbound” which is currently on right now at the Brooklyn Museum is the first ever retrospective of artist Judith Scott. The show is curated by Catherine J. Morris of the Sackler Gallery and Matthew Higgs director of White Columns Gallery. Drawing from her seventeen-year art making practice, the show features over forty sculptures and drawings that span Scott’s career. Many of the works in the show are objects that have been wrapped with various pieces of yarn, fabric and other materials that Scott worked with. The bundled package-like-sculptures sit on low display structures throughout the two rooms of the gallery’s space. Born in 1943, with Down Syndrome, Judith Scott would go onto become an internationally recognized fibers artist. Scott spent the first thirty-five years of her life living in a institution geared towards individuals with disabilities. In 1987, she was introduced to the through her twin sister and legal guardian, Joyce Scott which helped to put her on a creative path. The CGAC was founded in 1974 in Oakland, California by artist Florence Ludnis-Katz and her husband psychologists Elias Katz. CGAC is still active today and offers art based programs and residencies to individuals with physical and mental disabilities. The time that Scott spent at CGAC would not only greatly change the way in which she would be able to communicate but also allowed her to grow as a person and artist. Scott was also famously featured on the cover of academic writer a[...]

  • Wearable Art: Accessories Brand Nicoli Is Adding Some Sparkle To Hollywood Red Carpets

  • 9 years ago
  • Recently, a publicist at CLD PR in Los Angeles sent me information about Nicoli, an upmarket accessories label based in United Arab Emirates that is expanding their international reach from Singapore to Hollywood red carpets.  I liked the beautiful, intricate designs and wanted to introduce you, dear reader, to one of their creations, The Snake Clutch. As the company describes: The world of Nicoli is not just exclusive, it is elegant, unique with a touch whimsical. Created as the perfect accessory to life's most beautiful, luxurious and memorable moments, Hollywood glamour and Italian styling is behind, and can be seen in everything we do; from our exquisite handcrafted evening handbags, purses and clutches to our glamorous diamanté embellished shoes. The Nicoli brand was founded in 2004 by Khurram Rafique and is proud to be an integral part of His Highness Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s vision for the U.A.E. to lead the world in the global luxury goods market. Discover more about Nicoli Shoes and find out more about the creation of The Snake Clutch after the jump. Jacqueline Colette Prosper, @yummicoco Inspiration: As you may know, new and refreshing takes on animal prints have been spotted all over the Fall catwalks and you could say that it is a go-to style that can forever live in a woman’s wardrobe. Our team always endeavors to keep up with and stay ahead of the latest trends, colours and styles [...]