Tags archives: Art For Progress
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8 years ago
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Is That You? and Fatima, both opening on Friday, explore different kinds of love in very different ways. The first film follows a middle-aged man's attempt to rekindle a past relationship; the second is a look at an struggling immigrant's devotion to her children.
“Dear Rachel: Is that you?,” writes Ronnie (a soulful Alon Aboutboul) to an ex-girlfriend he knew 30 years ago. Though they haven’t been in touch since she left their native Israel for the United States, he thinks about her often. So when he’s fired from his projectionist job and is compensated with plane ticket to America, Ronnie’s path is laid out for him.
Is That You?, from Israeli filmmaker Dani Menkin (Dolphin Boy, 39 Pounds of Love), is an off-beat drama that makes up for its somewhat ramshackle quality and quirk overload with genuine warmth and nice performances from its leads. Though its motif about trying to reconnect with the past gets a bit repetitive at times, Is That You? is a poetic, not altogether predictable meditation on the theme, an admirable achievement in itself.
When Ronnie arrives in upstate New York, he stays with his outgoing car salesman brother, Jacob (Rani Bleier). Coincidentally, Jacob has recently run into Rachel (Suzanne Sadler), who asked about Ronnie. With the help of Jacob’s son, they find several women named Rachel Golan on Facebook and narrow down Ronnie's search. The couple once made a pact to be together on her 60th birthday, which happens to be in two days. Jacob g[...]
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8 years ago
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Designers, looking for ways to connect your brand with clients? Master class is in session, y'all! Brand activation is the go-to marketing strategy for spurring direct consumer engagement via an event, campaign, or experience.
"Brand activation is not just about gaining affinity -- it's about inspiring consumers to act," says Amanda Hansen for Ad Age. A brand must present a flawless, harmonious, and fluid union of all available communication vehicles in a creative platform in order to activate consumer interest.
And it would appear that the women's e-commerce website Revolve Clothing are the experts at brand activation, and they have the ad-dollars to prove it!
Even their macaron game is on point.
They work with celebrities, jetsetters, model, style influencers in order to create an overall exciting and enticing image in order to drive consumers to their e-commerce checkout line. And this past month, the brand invested in a 6,636 square foot Hamptons beach rental that costs about a $37,500 a month to rent.
For the stunt, Revolve hosted tastemakers, including pay-for-play bloggers who boast a following of over 1 million on Instagram like Natasha Oakley (1.8 million), Danielle Bernstein (1.5 million), Chiara Ferragni (6.3 million), Eleanor Calder (3 million), Kristina Bazan (2.4 million), Negin Mirsalehi (3.2 million) and Camila Coutinho (1.9 million), according to Fashionista.
Revolve covered all of the bloggers' travel expenses, appearance fees, and[...]
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8 years ago
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With the weather forecast calling for temperatures in the upper 90's on Friday, we did our best to prepare for an all day event in the sweltering NYC summer heat. But upon entering the venue, it was clear that the organizers of the Panorama Festival planned appropriately for our day. With many free water kiosks, tents and air conditioned art & music areas, it was easy to cool down if you were feeling overwhelmed by the oppressive heat.
And although it's not so easy to get to Randall's Island, our timing was very good, and as we walked in Here We Go Magic was just starting to play in the huge tent to the north side of the venue. I was happy to finally here the band live. Some years ago I interviewed Luke Temple, but lost touch with the band's more recent happenings. They had a decent crowd for the early part of the day, and although they apologized for some technical difficulties, we were impressed with their set.
As we made our way over to the main stage, we could hear Algier's set was already in full swing. Algier's set was only 30 minutes, but their powerful, dark soulful sound was evident throughout. While listening we were able to cool down over at the American Express spot. We snapped together some complimentary sunglasses and enjoyed some refreshments for a bit before heading back to the pavilion to hear Preservation Hall Jazz Band. A rather large, enthusiastic crowd was now gathered and grooving to some of the best New Orleans style jazz you can fi[...]
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8 years ago
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The new documentary Lucha Mexico is an entertaining, enlightening and, ultimately, poignant look at Lucha Libre, the colorful, acrobatic form of professional wrestling that has been popular in Mexico for decades. Filmmakers Alex Hammond and Ian Markiewicz give us a truly inside view of the sport and its wildly popular superhero personalities, its intense physical demands and its widespread influence throughout the country. Even nonfans of spectacle wrestling can appreciate this in-depth look at the longtime phenomenon and its myriad masked players.
From the get-go, the filmmakers take us right into the ring for up-close scenes of amusing and highly energetic matches featuring dramatic, larger-than-life (in some cases, literally) stars cheered on by thousands of adoring fans. We also see glimpses of life outside of the arena, as the luchadores train, meet fans, and talk about their lives. One of the film’s main spotlights follows the popular and likeable Shocker, who is used as a sort of guide through Lucha Libre, as we see him working out, posing for fan photos, touring the country to compete in matches big and small, and receiving brutal-looking medical treatments for a devastating knee injury (he opens a restaurant during his recovery). Former strength competitor Jon “Strongman” Andersen provides another veteran point of view, as he talks matter-of-factly about the realities of the profession. We also see him in various settings, including home with family and at the[...]
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8 years ago
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Who would've thought that a classic summer white look could be effortlessly elevated with a pair of Kanye West-designed heels?!
This week, rising star Margot Robbie surprised many show fanatics while promoting her latest film The Legend Of Tarzan in London. She fashioned her chic ensemble with a pair of Lucite Yeezy Season 2 heels — a shoe that is part of the rapper's latest collection which hit stores last month on June 6.
Below: Lucite Yeezy Season 2 Heel
Photo Credit: YourNextShoes.com
What's amazing is that just last year, West was the subject of many takedowns, characterizing him as a joke designer that was fooling the fashion world with "beige under-things" and "broken-down basics."
"I don't read the reviews," West told Vogue's shuttered website Style.com sometime after the debut of Yeezy Season 1.
And now, it would appear that West's passion for fashion is becoming less of the laughing matter with the fashion bible now describing the Lucite heel as the "most-sought-after footwear of the summer."
Below: Kayne West appearing to have the last laugh.
Photo Credit: Kevin Mazur / Getty Images
And if you think that a bad review is actually a bad thing, think again.
According to Racked, one of Kayne biggest naysayers, legendary fashion critic Cathy Horyn, (the scribe responsible for the "broken-down basics" remark) is known for taking swipes at design stars.
Horyn once equated Oscar De La Renta to a hot dog, and she "famously has been banned from shows by[...]
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9 years ago
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Art for Progress’ after school music enrichment program at Hudson High School for Learning Technologies was especially inspiring this spring semester because of a dynamic group of multi-talented, and eager students. The program was reinstated this spring thanks to the efforts of principal Nancy Amling. The program had been inactive for the fall semester because a lack of funding, Ms. Amling was influenced in her decision to restart the program by an exceptional young student and musician named Terelle. Terelle’s enthusiasm and hunger for new knowledge were the ultimate catalyst for the formation of the program.
Tarelle wanted to learn about how music works beyond the shapes he was learning on the guitar. Hudson HS currently offers a beginning guitar class as a part of the school’s regular curriculum. The class is focused on the mechanics of playing the instrument, but like most beginning guitar classes, it did not address the underlying music theory necessary for students who to build their skills beyond the basic guitar vocabulary.
The group of students that comprise the AFP after school program at Hudson range from 9th-12th graders, and are led by Terelle. He expressed a desire to learn some more universal musical concepts in order to set up a foundation upon which to develop their musicality. They were made up of aspiring singers, guitarists, pianists, and bass players of varying levels of experience. We explored the construction of scales, chord building and common[...]
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9 years ago
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Formed in 1978, Human Rights Watch is one of the world’s leading independent organizations devoted to defending and protecting human rights. Having long recognized the power of film to educate and bring change, the organization’s New York-based Human Rights Watch Film Festival screens approximately 500 films in 20 cities around the world each year. The 2016 edition of its New York City event is presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and IFC Center from June 10 through 19, featuring 18 feature films and three interactive programs. Here are some highlights:
Opening Night selection is Hooligan Sparrow, which documents the efforts of filmmaker Nanfu Wang to track Chinese activist Ye Haiyan (aka “Hooligan Sparrow”) in her mission to prosecute a school principal who arranged the rape of schoolgirls by government officials. Sparrow, a women’s rights advocate who first made headlines by speaking up for sex workers, seeks to close a loophole in China’s child prostitution laws that has enabled officials to elude rape charges by claiming that the victims were prostitutes. Hooligan Sparrow shows its protagonist and a small group of fellow protestors being harassed regularly by government-hired thugs, as Wang uses hidden cameras to record interactions with uncooperative police officials. Sparrow avoids arrest by fleeing to several cities during the course of the film, including her home village, as she awaits the verdict in the schoolgirl case. For Hooligan Sparrow, Wang [...]
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9 years ago
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Ok, fashion creatives, now let's get in formation! If you are passionate about streetwear design, be sure to create brand merchandising that seamlessly promotes your brand in a unique and fun way, and that stands out with Beyoncé-level swag.
After all, it's not only a spectacular way to strengthen customer allegiance, it also pushes word about your company further into the world.
Below: This week, a model sporting an old-school style logo tee at Gucci Cruise 2017 at Westminster Abbey. Crafted by creative director Alessandro Michele, this season's layered looks also embrace logo design
Photo: Getty Images
Even outside of the fashion world, Internet giants like Reddit and Mailchimp have discovered great success in brand merchandising.
For Reddit, their first run of promotional gear sold out in 24 hours. And, as spirits company Sweet Tea Vodka points out, company swag is a more widespread form of advertising: [Fans become like] "billboards walking around, which is great," he says. "The beer companies have done it forever."
As journalist Tim Donnelly writes in Inc., "brand merchandise is a great way to create new loyalties with your customers and enlist them to spread your name to new audiences."
However there's a caveat: "You have to do it in a way that creates viral sensations, not just oversized promotional T-shirts that end up at the bottom of someone's closet."
Below: Looks like Alessandro Michele took a risk using oversized promotional gear for a look th[...]
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9 years ago
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Veteran documentarians Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker, (The War Room, Startup.com) have teamed up again for a timely film about a subject that has been much in the news lately: animal rights, specifically the issue of humans keeping and imprisoning animals—as pets, for experiments, or for other reasons. Unlocking the Cage follows the efforts by attorney Steven Wise, president of the Nonhuman Rights Project, to change the way animals are regarded in the eyes of the law. As he sees it, “The line between humans and nonhuman animals is at an irrational place.” Specifically, Wise is fighting for great apes, elephants and cetaceans (dolphins and whales)—all acknowledged as cognitively complex beings—to be considered “persons” as opposed to “things,” from a legal standpoint. After all, as he persuasively argues, corporations, ships and other inanimate bodies have achieved legal personhood and its accompanying rights; why not a thinking, feeling chimp? Wise describes his mission early in the film as “a hell of a war,” but one whose time has come.
The film shows how Wise and his legal team (Monica Miller, Natalie Prosin and Liddy Stein) bring several lawsuits before various New York State courts, on behalf of captive chimpanzees. Wise, who possesses a gentle, avuncular personality, tells about his epiphany as a young, idealistic lawyer, upon reading Peter Singer’s seminal 1975 book Animal Liberation. Having always wanted to represent the underdog, he found his ideal special[...]
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9 years ago
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At The James Baldwin School in Chelsea, AFP's program is in its 3rd year, offering after school digital audio production, musical instrument instruction and performance coaching. Students range from 9th to 12th grade and come to the program with a variety of individual goals in mind. The sessions vary, and participants usually work individually or in small groups.
The class combines a combination of elements which are often going on simultaneously. One group may be learning how to sequence beats to a metronome track on one computer, while another student is involved in the more advanced stages of a fully fleshed out track on the next. At the same time a vocal duo may be working out harmonies to a rock ballad, while others are learning how to build scales and chords on the piano. In all cases, the fundamentals of music making are uncovered and explored. The focus is always on building a working musical vocabulary and developing the ability to use music for self-expression.
This year at Baldwin I have seen remarkable progress on every front. Beat-makers have progressed from struggling at playing simple kick and snare patterns, to building complete tracks and having their friends rap over them. Drummers who had never played a drum-set maintain a groove behind a full band. I’m especially impressed with Reshwan and Katana who had never met before. Within a few short months they have become a powerful cohesive duet act eagerly learning the theory to support their development[...]
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9 years ago
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The Art for Progress music program at Humanities Preparatory Academy, now in it’s fourth school year, is the flagship of AFP’s arts education programs. Instituted in the Fall of 2012, the program serves two classes of 12-18 students four days per week, with each day’s lunch period serving as an additional class period enabling students to seek further instruction or individual practice time. The class is open to students of all high school years (9-12) allowing a rare occasion for teens of different ages to interact on a level playing field in a collaborative setting.
There are also two after school sessions per week, which give students an opportunity to either practice alone, or to join in group music-making, which is the ultimate intention of all AFP music programming. Faculty also participate, further enriching the overall experience of the students, and the teachers learn just as much as the kids!
The goal of the program is for every student to be able to play at least one complete song. Toward this goal, all students learn the basic mechanics of music in general, and to develop proficiency on least one instrument. Although much of the class time is spent building and developing skills, the focus of the program is ultimately on giving students the tools to express themselves.
The semester begins with discussions about students’ musical interests and experiences, with everyone having an opportunity to choose a song by an artist or group that they like to share wi[...]
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9 years ago
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Thanks to Chanel's recent Cruise 2017 fashion show in Havana, Cuba, it's official! The fashion world is truly fascinated with the beautiful and mysterious island nation of Cuba.
Karl Lagerfeld in Cuba. Photo Credit: Jezebel
From gorgeous architecture to free healthcare, Cuba is a country that is definitely top of mind right now. And the Chanel Cruise collection gleaned inspiration from "Cuba’s cultural richness, traditional guayaberas, and Tropicana-influenced bouclé separates, ruffle skirts, fedoras, and berets."
Chanel models taking over the Paseo del Prado street in Havana. Photo Credit: Rex
And with a country that boasts a 99.8% literacy rate, not to mention the first ever lung cancer vaccine, the Chanel showcase is a history-making event that Karl Lagerfeld once thought would be never happen. “It was like a private joke because I thought it was impossible,” Lagerfeld told Women’s Wear Daily.
According to Yahoo!, the showcase involved 700 models, editors, and celebrities, including Gisele Bündchen, Tilda Swinton, Vin Diesel, and more.
These lucky ducks were transported to the Caribbean island via cruise ship from Miami. How amazing!
Another scene from Chanel carnival that followed the showcase. Photo Credit: @SarahMower_
“I think that [Chanel is] taking advantage of this moment in which Cuba is in view on a worldwide scale,” Glensy Palay Alonso, a psychology student at the University of Havana, tells Refinery 29.
“Suddenly, Cuba is the most tal[...]
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