Category archives: Uncategorized
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10 years ago
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AFP Arts Education Program had a great summer this year and we look forward to the start of the new school year! The summer music program wrapped up with a great session that included recording a new song, learning more about the recording and mixing process, and vocal instruction. As I mentioned in my last post, each participant was asked to choose a song to work on learning to sing. The selections were very interesting and varied, and we had a lot of fun working them out. AFP is also excited to explore the possibility of partnering with City Kids on some future projects and programs, which could open up some new possibilities.
In this summer’s last session of the AFP music program, we recorded “The Cut”, a new song by the band newly formed by the kids, called Static Vision. We set up all of the instruments in the music classroom at Humanities Prep, using tables as gobos to separate the sound sources a little bit. We mic’ed all of the drums and amplifiers, and recorded live together, a technique that is employed less and less these days in the age of overdubbing and “in the box” production. It was a great opportunity for the band to seek to achieve excellence as a group, and to focus on listening to each other, while performing with energy and accuracy. It’s a tall order, but it brought out the best in everyone, and we got a few near perfect takes, which we will be editing and mixing in sessions that will be held during the coming school year. As intense as the recording[...]
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10 years ago
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When Saturday evening rolled around the lines started to form outside an old police precinct in Gramercy Park, but this wasn't your ordinary art opening. Our friend Robert Aloia and his crew were at it again as they took over the building and invited many great street artists to do their thing. The sprawling 5 floor show features many great artists with an impressive range of work which included several installation pieces.
The show runs through next weekend. Here's a list of participating artists.
Adam Dare, Al Diaz, Amanda Marie, ASVP, Bad Pedestrian, Ben Angotti,BEAU, Bill Claps, Bishop203, bunny M, Cash4, Chris RWK, Chris Soria, Coby Kennedy, Curb Your Ego, Curtis Kulig, D. Gaja, Danielle Mastrion, Damon Johnson, Dasic, Dizmology, Duel, ELLE, Erasmo, Esteban del Valle, Faust, Ghost, GIZ, Hellbent, Hue, Icy & Sot, Iena Cruz, Jesper Haynes, Joseph Meloy, Justin Carty, Ket, Lexi Bella, Li Hill, Lorenzo Masnah, Matt Siren, Mr. Toll, N. Carlos Jay, Nepo, Net, Never, Nick Tengri, Noxer, Pesu, Phil, Pixote, Queen Andrea, RAE, Rambo, Ricardo Cabret, SAE, Savior Elmundo, Sheryo & The Yok, Shiro, Smells, Tone Tank, URNY (Ski & 2esae), Vexta,VFR, X-O, Zoens
Hosted by: Albert Diaz & Frankie Cedeño
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10 years ago
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There is nothing like mid-August to get us thinking about a fresh start. Maybe it's the long standing habit of buying school clothes, but refreshing one's wardrobe will soon be the order of the day. The interesting thing is that, now more than ever, there really are no rules in fashion. From solids, stripes and color blocking, silhouettes are crossing the spectrum. Even florals were trending in the resort collections this year.
What this means for self-expression is all good news. Recent trends and collections feature both Boho and structured looks, along with strong colors and varied skirt lengths. With a full range of both staples and frivolous accents, our options are endless. The best part of having no rules is that we can focus on self-expression and individuality with pieces we already have in our closets. By adding in a few fresh separates or colorful accessories, an entire wardrobe can be revived. So here's to enjoying these last few weeks of summer, while looking forward to getting dressed again. Not to mention NY Fashion Week in September!
Fashion and art are always flirting with each other, finding ways to intertwine craft with creativity and function. When it is successful, it allows people the freedom to be creative while maintaining their integrity. The fall 2014 collections showed us how color, functionality and creativity come together. A few standout collections seen on Style.com from Dries Van Noten, Christopher Kane, and Billy Reid menswear....
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10 years ago
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Definition of the word HOME- -n- the place in which one’s domestic affections are centered; adv-deep; to the heart ♥ ; v. to navigate toward a point by means of coordinates other than those given by altitudes.
H.O.M.E. - as an acronym it can be interpreted as wherever you call home. Some might say it’s "wherever you lay your head at night" and that definition may or may not be odds with the dictionary, but it may still be correct. The word HOME has many meanings to many people.
Hence the title of our film, H.O.M.E., as an acronym
home-print
This is where the genesis began. To feature the themes of individuals in New York City who are experiencing urban alienation through an immigrant perspective. Throughout this writing process we decided that eliminating one of the previously planned 3 stories would create a stronger body for the script that would allow the 2 stories to complement each other to still retain the idea that these are not stand alone accounts but a multitude that would convey the essence behind the themes of the film. Hence the synopsis
H.O.M.E. is a feature film about the human condition, comprised of 2 different but related stories involving characters who have intimate and meaningful encounters through the lens of a disconnected and alienating city. Set in New York City, the characters in these stories find themselves in an internal struggle with their environment and proceed to navigate through their path of understanding.
The basis for th[...]
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10 years ago
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Having finished up a great school year, including the amazing Humanities Prep Student Music Showcase, our summer programs have hit the ground running. A new music enrichment program was launched with the Upper West Side JCC for K-4th graders four days a week, and AFP is hosting a summer music program at Humanities Preparatory Academy.
Since the bulk of my work with AFP involves school programs, in addition to AFP's summer Jazz program for older kids, Frank, Allyson and I are always looking for opportunities to contribute to the rest of the community through workshops during the summer. This summer, I have been going to 97th Street four mornings a week to introduce music to students enrolled in the JCC’s Summer Enrichment Program. The program is for under-served kindergarteners through 5th graders, and boy, do we have a good time! I bring my guitar, and a bunch of drums and percussion instruments for everyone, including the teen tutors in the class, to play. Before we get to jamming, I show everyone how to clap in time and count out measures. We play rhythm games and try to follow each other, and the kids get to make up their own rhythms, first on the whiteboard, then on the instruments. It is amazing how quickly kids will pick up the basic concepts that are the foundation of reading and playing music in the context of a game. On my second day, the class I had worked with on the first day marched into the other class ten minutes before the end of class with their own homem[...]
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10 years ago
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As a relatively new member and contributor to Art For Progress I wanted to take this opportunity to explain what drew me to the organization and what it has meant to me over the past year and a half. I also, wanted to congratulate all of those who have helped the organization to serve the local community for 10 years. That is truly an amazing feat! As we look ahead to the second half of the summer, I thought it might also be a good idea to give a little preview of what to expect for the rest of the summer from our local music scene in NYC.
Firstly, any great organization is made up of great people and I realized early on that AFP was no exception. The dedication of the teachers and volunteers was evident from the first event I attended and has not waned since. This first event was a workshop at the gallery of an AFP artist called NOoSPHERE ARTS. The workshop was aimed at introducing young children from the LES to music, art and photography. At one point in the day two young kids started making music, one on the cowbell and one on the keyboard. It was at this moment that I truly understood the impact of what AFP was doing and the passion of the teachers who dedicate their time to this organization.
AFP is a true grassroots effort and that was one of the things that attracted me to it. This past fall and winter we organized a monthly live music event called “Homegrown,” that featured local acts from the NYC area, ten in total. The quality of the music was a testament[...]
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10 years ago
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As AFP has now launched its new website, I am excited to be the fashion blogger. As the Fashion Director of Art for Progress, I have worked with the organization from our first event over ten years ago. The organization has matured from a small group of local artists and designers, into a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization comprised of an international representation of art and fashion. I look forward to bringing my insight and love of fashion to the AFP blog. I welcome your comments as well.
Here we are in that time of year where fashion has to stand up to the heat. That usually means style comes in at a distant second to comfort and coolness. With trips to the beach and alfresco dining, everyone wants to be free of complicated ensembles. Now that summer is officially here, lets be cool and comfortable with flair! As artists and art lovers convene here at the AFP site, fashion reflects our sense of creativity and individuality. Here are a few images from some interesting designers who manage to combine ease and versatility.
-Allyson Jacobs
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11 years ago
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Are you ready for Art for Progress 2.0?
This month AFP will celebrate its 10 year anniversary. Over the last 10 years we've produced over 50 major events in NYC, Miami, San Francisco and Washington D.C. AFP has worked with thousands of students in the NYC Public Schools and with each year our programs are growing. AFP's Arts Education Program is supported by a generous grant from the Sansom Foundation which enables AFP to support programs that have lost funding, provide alternative programs for gifted students and community workshops in the summer. We are committed to taking AFP from a small growing organization to a large prospering organization that can have a greater impact for children and artists. Our first step is to launch our new artist blog website (May 19th).
We're only a couple of weeks away from launching the new site and we're excited about all the possibilities. With plans to have guest bloggers writing about the arts, education and events, the site will have plenty of fresh content. We'll also need the artists to do their part by writing in their personal blogs and updating & sharing their work. The new site has all the bells and whistles that modern technology offers, and we're going to do everything we can to make it a huge success. We have a marketing budget to provide the proper exposure for the new site, and our site already ranks on the first page of Google for a number of important searches. Along with the launch of the new site, we'll be kicki[...]
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11 years ago
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Dear Art for Progress Member,
We are excited to announce that we are in the process of creating a new, advanced website for our members. Our current website was created in 2005. As you know, through the years there have been huge advancements in technology for websites. We have updated the site periodically with various improvements, but we decided recently to develop a totally new website. The new website will still have the great functionality, but the new site will be an interactive blog with many advanced functions.
We are planning to launch our new designed web site including an interactive blog section in a few weeks’ time! This process began quite a while ago. Unfortunately, we experienced many challenges along the way, but we are very close now, and we hope that you will be as excited as we are to experience the new site!
We are also updating the artist page section. For visual artists, the process for uploading your work will be the same. For music and video, you will now be able to embed your music via Soundcloud, Mixcloud and other similar sites. In the video section, you will be able to embed links via YouTube or Vimeo.
In your personal blog section, you will be able to post your work, daily activities, anything related to your artistic passions, or even something that you feel is worth sharing. As an active AFP member you will also have the ability to easily connect with other AFP members. Some other features include; the three most read blogs, as w[...]
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11 years ago
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We're hard at work creating the new AFP site and we're planning to launch it very soon. The new site will be a blog based website with each artist also having a personal blog and many new features. Everyone is super excited to experience the new site and you won't have to wait much longer.
In the meantime, we just launched this very cool new music series.
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11 years ago
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On Sunday, we have another spectacular line-up of music & art, and the festivities get started just around the time the parade ends. Sunday's DJs & performers will take us on a bit of a different trip with a little more electro, a hip hop beat, or two and of course that big pop remix, but we're not trying to categorize Mr. Tedd Patterson. That would be impossible.
When Tedd steps to the decks a true musical journey will begin. Those who are familiar with his sets understand what to expect- a perfectly selected fusion of many dance music genres, and even a little bit of the unexpected. Tedd's long running residency at NYC's Cielo is a mainstay in the dance music community and a place where dance music aficionados gather every month to experience Tedd's creative, dynamic sets. On the other hand, if you like the more popular vibe in today's dance music sound, we have plenty of that as well.
We're pleased to have Ms. Chaisley Lussier playing with us for the first time, Chaisley will be joining us from Philadelphia where she's been creating a name for herself with her many talents. Though she hales from the city of brotherly love , NYC has a lot of love for Chaisley too. You can find her playing at some of the cooler spots around town quite regularly.
Next to take the stage will be AFP favorite Kevin Graves. When Kevin's not remixing the latest pop chart buster, he's traveling internationally spinning at top spots, creating major buzz and doing what he does bes[...]
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11 years ago
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After an inspiring night of live music, DJs will takeover the spotlight Saturday and they will set the tone for a night of dancing under the stars in the greatest city in the world. While many of the performers are veterans of the underground NYC scene, we do have a long time NYC favorite who's at the top of his game right now, and that DJ is Hector Romero.
Hector, once known as "Baby Hec" in his early years in the biz, is a taste-maker, a so-called DJs DJ, who always delivers for the masses. Currently, you can find him tantalizing crowds from Italy to Tokyo with his eclectic sets that cross dance music genres. We're fortunate to have him for this special night in support of equality and art education in NYC. But, before we get too far ahead of ourselves, we'd like to introduce our other talent on hand for the evening.
Brooklyn's Sal Leone is stepping back into the scene after a short hiatus and we're sure Sal will bring his best Saturday. Sal formerly part of the Deepa crew, who have thrown raucous deep house parties around these United States for many years, knows how to rock a party and he's not just spinning deep house anymore!
Next up is Atilla Da Hun who's the ever-present Saturday resident at his East Village mainstay Key Bar. Atilla has a keen sense of knowing what his guests want to hear and on any given Saturday you can catch him playing extended sets of great house music to a dedicated crowd that knows who they came to see.
AFP's own, DJ Gatto brings [...]
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