-
-
-
9 years ago
-
Forget this year's Oscars! The 2016 Screen Actors Guild Awards offers a wildly gorgeous array of surprisingly fresh looks that will surely influence future fashion to come. (It also showed that 69-year-old Susan Sarandon is still too legit to quit.)
The January 30th telecast, featured television and film luminaries wearing unpredictably dope designs from up-and-comers including Erdem and Peter Pilotto.
To use two-time 2016 SAG Award winner Idris Elba words to best summarize the gowns seen at last night's SAG Awards: "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to diverse TV."
Check out five stand-out progressive styles that's definitely pushing awards show fashion forward.
Daring Statement Makers
Photo Credit: Getty Images
While actress Mad Men's Sola Bamis stole the red carpet wearing a marigold-hued bow dress by Lola Wusu, American Horror Story's Sarah Paulson surprised many with a black velvet and jewel-toned fringed gown.
New Spins On Vintage
Wearing a bespoke Rachel Comey dress and turquoise grandma heels, Transparent's Gaby Hoffman, is the best example of vintage as new-and-modern. Another stand out: Alicia Vikander's Louis Vuitton number featuring traditional color-blocking of black, silver, and gold. And while the actress took home an award for best female actor in a supporting role for The Danish Girl, her look was already a winner in itself.
Unexpected Colors
Photo Credit: Steve Granitz/Wireimage
2016 SAG Award winner [...]
-
-
-
-
9 years ago
-
I came across Katy Grannan's photographs at Salon 94 after visiting the New Museum next door. While individually they remain striking portraits, albeit not vastly unique in the photographic spectrum, what makes her work important lies in her documentary approach to the sleepiness, strangeness, and pathos of Modesto, California.
Also the setting of her upcoming documentary, The Nine, the pieces ranged from large-scale individual portraits, to landscapes, and video clips. The portraits are blazing in their preciseness and their size allows for the individuals to tower over the viewers, commanding the most space and attention in the room they are in. The men are shirtless, and the women sport outfits that look like they're from the 80's. A look of disillusionment permeates through their faces, however, and in the case of the women, it betrays the vibrancy of their clothing.
What's really at the heart of Grannan's work is a commentary on the American class system - ripe in the media these days thanks to shows like Making a Murderer - and "the other side of the American Dream." Modesto was the location in The Grapes of Wrath and Dorothea Lange's photograph Migrant Mother, both gripping portrayals of The Great Depression's physical and emotional effects on the psyche and physicality. And essentially, Grannan's work from Modesto serves as the setting of our contemporary depression. And the photographs speak for themselves in this regard - the subjects are present but not f[...]
-
-
-
-
9 years ago
-
I once read that people who see faces in inanimate, non-portrait objects, are neurotic, and the article did not mean that endearingly. If that's true, then children who make animal and human shapes out of clouds (so many) are neurotic. And truthfully, most artists are too. So with that, I will use this post to talk about an artists who plays with this idea in a rather beautiful way, and to tip my hat to those individuals who choose to and are able to view the world in a more fascinating way.
Jane Lafarge Hamill's paintings combine traditional portraiture with modern abstraction. Her works first appear as a slather of saturated, vibrant colors, enhanced by her thick application of paint. However, though appearing haphazard, the way she has manipulated the paint allows for a vague, albeit familiar, image of a human's face to come through. Depending on how she has arranged the lines sometimes the face is in profile, sometimes face front.
What really allows for the portraits to be visualized is not in the revelation of facial features, as they are pretty blurry, but in the way the lines make up the shape of the head - the forehead, jawline, and neck specifically. While this alone makes her painting style unique, what makes her work beautiful is her use of color. Her pieces are not exceptionally large, rather they are on the smaller side, yet they instantly pop out due to the layers of applied color and the vibrancy of the palette.
What is especially contemporary [...]
-
-
-
-
9 years ago
-
NYC Arts Non Profit Heads West in Support of Local Arts Programs
Convergence: Saturday, November 14th, Studio Maesto, Santa Monica, CA.
On Saturday, November 14th New York City based non-profit Art for Progress (AFP) will host a fundraiser in support of Studio Maesto’s Arts Collective Program in Santa Monica, California. The event will take place at Studio Maesto’s dance and photography studio at 1547 6th Street, Santa Monica, and will feature visual art from three Los Angeles based artists who have exhibited with AFP in the past- Sona Mirzaei, Lichiban and Pablo Damas. The night will also showcase live performances from Barry Komitor (NYC based band Bad Faces), DJ sets from NYC’s Gatto, LA based DJ/Producer Elliot DeHoyos and a myriad of local performance artists. Net proceeds from ticket sales and a percentage of art sales will go to support the studios arts collective program (details below). Tickets ($15) will be available at the door. Tickets include a drink and light fare. Additional beverages will be available for purchase. Studio Maesto, 1547 6th Street, Santa Monica, CA - Hours: 7:30pm – 11:00pm
Over the last 12 years, Art for Progress has produced over 50 major events in NYC, Miami, San Francisco and Washington DC. With a focus on multimedia productions, AFP has garnered valuable press coverage for artists in world renowned publications such as The New York Times, Women’s Wear Daily and The Village Voice. While supporting and promoting artists through these[...]
-
-
-
-
9 years ago
-
I once had a friend ask me, "What exactly is graphic design?" The answer seemed pretty easy, as the name appears self-explanatory: design using graphics. But, truthfully, it was harder for me to get into the details of what exactly it is, even though it has been one of the most prolific and widely-used art forms in the modern era. And not unlike some other forms of modern art, there is the hackneyed response, "I could totally do that" while viewing graphic design that has been elevated to a higher status. In fact, I even heard it at the Cooper Hewitt's long-running installation How Posters Work.
Amazing to hear that response, given the museum's breadth of information presented about not only about the history of the medium but also contemporary approaches to it. Furthermore, the beginning of the exhibit, before really immersing the viewer in the posters themselves, contains a section attempting to relay just how graphic designers see, and how it subsequently affects how we decipher messages from images, be they subversive or overt. For example, how designers use black space, how they visualize colors to lay over each other and blend, and the ways in which they see text aligned on a poster to result in certain reading patterns. That was particularly interesting as areas of posters are darkened except one swirl-type shape, and it notes that eyes begin at the thicker portion of the illuminated swirl, and move down to the thinner part across the page. Images are placed alo[...]
-
-
-
-
9 years ago
-
Zeitgeist-identifier and design icon Marc Jacobs perfectly captures the spirit of New York City as the hub of the fashion world in an ultra-specific, ALL CAPS party invitation. Promoting the release of the book Gloss, Marc's glitter-soaked party will happen sometime during New York Fashion Week, (between September 10 and September 17) at fabled 1980-90s nightclub Tunnel.
This glamorous fête is separate from the September 10 book signing event at Bookmarc that looks to be open to the public.
The fabulousity of the strict "dress to kill" party guideline, expertly delineated in the invitation, seems to be even more exciting than the party itself. So much so that it's been getting lots of attention online thanks to Yahoo! Style, who first posted the colorful dress code.
As we await hungrily for images from the event, you won't believe what sort of look requirements Marc lays out for select guests after the jump!
Set for a September 1 launch, the book "Gloss" pays tribute to the glamorous photographer Chris Von Wangenheim, who's life was cut short in 1981. Known for juxtaposing the evil and grotesque with the beauty and glitz of the disco era, the Fashion Week release party dress code looks to be staying true to the overall energy of that time period.
Photo Credit: Instagram/Mao PR
The insanely "strict" and specific AF look requirement is as follows:
STRICT DRESS TO KILL CODE WILL BE ENFORCED: FUR COATS OVER LINGERIE, LIP GLOSS, JERRY HALL SIDE-SWEPT HAI[...]
-
-
-
-
9 years ago
-
The AFP crew was inspired and motivated for the road trip up to the great city of Montreal. By the time the Greenpoint (Haven) rooftop event was in the books, it was late Sunday afternoon and Friday morning gave us just enough time to rest up for the 3 day festival. We mapped out the car ride and the artist performance schedule. Our Day 1 (Friday) plan was to arrive at Parc Jean-Drapeau by 3:30pm to see Run the Jewels. After a couple of snags we arrived a little later, but we did make it on time to see one of our more anticipated performances- The Kills.
Sadly, the band had some technical issues on stage, but despite their frustrations they rocked on and ended with a killer rendition of No Wow. Thirsty from the ride, we found ourselves guzzling Molson's at a rather rapid pace as we strolled over to see Chet Faker on an adjacent stage. He quickly went into his popular hits like Gold and 1998 with the electric soul vibe that we have been digging. It was obvious that many festival goers were excited to see the Australian perform, and he didn't disappoint.
As we made our way to the main stages (Riviere and Montagne), some of the original sculptures and art installations caught our attention. By the way, Osheaga is not just a music festival, but also an arts festival (heavy on the music). Some of the work was highly creative (images below) and seriously involved. The participating artists for 2015 were Station 16 Gallery, animators from the NFB, graduates of UQÀM’s D[...]
-
-
-
-
9 years ago
-
Holy mandels, New York Fashion Week: Men’s edition premieres this week with designers like Thom Browne and Public School and Rag&Bone, Hickey Freeman presenting looks for Spring 2016! As you keep from sweating, waiting in anticipation for Women's fashion week to kick off September 10, check out some of the fresh, masculine looks hitting the runways this week!
What's interesting about this week's Men's Fashion Week in New York, which kicked off on July 13, and closes July 16 with a showcase by John Varvatos is that the biannual event might just get the attention that's it's been so eager to receive for a very long time, on account of the uptick in menswear sales.
Business of Fashion reports that, in the UK, "men have become so fashion-conscious that they are now outspending women on items like shoes." As Euromonitor International reports: "By 2019, menswear is expected to contribute close to US$40 billion in sales to the global apparel market."
So here are three things you need to know about Men's Fashion Week:
1) If You Want To Know What's Hot, You Need To Follow @StevenKolb
With respect to this year's fashion week, Steven Kolb, chief executive officer of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, or CFDA, the group that organizes New York’s fashion weeks, is the Grand Poobah of the week.
He's everywhere you'd want to be, hobnobbing with celebs, and capturing excellent looks from the front row, and immediately posting images and Vines on his Twitter pa[...]
-
-
-
-
10 years ago
-
Show Details
Name: Much Ado About Nothing
Dates: May 29th - June 7th
Location: SoHo Playhouse, 15 Vandam St, New York, NY 10013
Prices: $25 General Admission (special discounts for students and groups)
Click on the banner above to purchase tickets and support arts education!
-
-
-
-
10 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. We hope you can contribute towards this important work and look forward to seeing you at the show.
We need your support to present 'Much Ado About Nothing'!
Your donation will go to:
•Theater rental
•Our musicians
•Rehearsal space and rehearsal pianist
•Publicity
To thank you for your support we have the following perks:
•VIP tickets to the show
•Signed programs and posters from our cast and crew
•An invitation to our wrap party
•A private concert in your home
•And much more!
Any funds we receive will go towards paying our production costs. Any additional funds past our goal plus all tickets sales will go directly to Art for Progress in support of their educational programming.
Please help us spread the word about our fundraising campaign, Arts for Progress: Much Ado About Nothing, and our upcoming performances!
•Share our[...]
-
-
-
-
10 years ago
-
This week, Brandon Ballengée, artist/ biologist/environmental activist, is preparing to transform the Feldman Gallery booth at The Armory Show into a space to mourn the massive extinction of species. It's an incredibly weighty topic, often referred to as the Holocene or Sixth Great Extinction, which continues at an alarming rate. In promotion of this important showcase, called "Frameworks of Absence," I requested to interview Ballengée, asking him to share with Art for Progress his favorite personal fashion items. After hesitating, Brandon said "oh well, that would be fun!"
Pioneering in ecological art, Ballengée has been described by the critic and curator Kim Levin “as taking these issues to a new level of intensity.” His work has been included in Documenta 13 (Germany), Prospect 2, (New Orleans), 3rd Moscow Biennale (Russia), Biennale for Electronic Arts, (Australia), and the Venice Biennale (Italy). And, Ballengée was awarded a Conservation Leadership Fellowship from the National Audubon Society’s Together Green Program in 2011-2012. "Frameworks of Absence" features physically cut images of missing animals from historic prints and publications printed at the time in history when the depicted species became extinct. A portion of proceeds from Ballengée's "Frameworks of Absence" will support the Natural Resources Defense Council's (NRDC) efforts to defend and protect endangered wildlife and wild places. To find out more about this thrilling exhibition, go t[...]
-
