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2 years ago
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Art for Progress (AFP) is set to launch its annual summer program for NYC public school students in July. Now in its sixth year, the program continues to evolve to address the needs of NYC’s young artists and musicians attending public schools across NYC.
The program, funded by The Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation, offers students interested in careers in the arts and music, summer guidance and instruction. For 2023, the program will shift to a mentorship focused program that offers select students the opportunity to work closely with professional artists across multiple genres including visual art, fashion design, music, and music production.
Teaching artist Paula Parker addressing students- Art for Progress Summer Arts Program
The long running program endured the challenging COVID years by creating an impactful online program that continued through 2021. In 2022, Art for Progress was very pleased to receive a three-year renewal for the funding of the program from The Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation in 2022. With much joy, we returned to normal, in-person programming last year. A focused group of students and our energized teachers made the 2022 program a big success.
Knowing the foundations approach and goals for the summer program, AFP’s Founder Frank Jackson set out to make the 2023 program the best one yet. The message from the foundation has always been, what will you do to improve the program, and how will the program evolve over time to addres[...]
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2 years ago
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Over the last several years if not longer, there's been an exodus of nightclubs in Manhattan. High rents and the burgeoning scene in Brooklyn took a toll on the once king of the boroughs for nightlife.
Over the last 6 months, some new spots began to pop up in the city. Last Thursday night I decided to check out this new club called Virgo in the LES. Some DJ friends were talking about it online. So, I decided to venture down to Grand Street to see what this new spot had to offer.
Upon arriving, there was a small cue with some dudes in line that had no shot at making it inside. A rather funny conversation was going on, but we won't get into that. The maze like entrance led us to a long bar where we grabbed some lovely drinks from Luciano (bartender) before finding our way to the main area, dance floor. The first thing that caught my attention, was the high quality sound and the creative lighting that brought a cool vibe to the room. The DJs were spinning some funky tech house for a fun mix of downtown clubbers who were ready to party.
Virgo is a refreshing addition to the NYC nightlife scene and a spot where you can hear quality house music without all the hang ups of going to a big club in Brooklyn.
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2 years ago
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Art for Progress launches a new series of monthly events featuring local, NYC based artists across multiple genres. The first in the series kicks off Saturday, October 1st at Seven House Gallery in Bushwick.
Immerse yourself in visual art, live music, DJ sets and visuals..
October 1st-
an art exhibit by Artem Mirolevich, Valery Yershov
a live music performance by Big Sweater (acoustic)
DJ sets by Gatto, Eric Shans, Achille
digital art and visuals by Igor Molochevsky
Seven House, 35 Meadow Street, Brooklyn (L train to Grand)
Get ADVANCE TICKETS.
Doors: 6PM - Midnight, $10 Suggested Donation, $20 donation includes open bar (beer and wine)
Funds raised will go to support the artists and Art for Progress' arts education programs in under-served communities in NYC
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3 years ago
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We are a little sad that next week will be our last week of the program and of course, summer is also winding down. We are fortunate and thankful that we can provide this program for NYC public school students. It was great getting to know many of our students. They were eager for the opportunity to learn from professional artists and find out more about careers in the arts.
LOCATION: Bayard Rustin Education Complex, 351 West 18th Street, Room 341, New York, NY. CONTACT: Barry Komitor (347) 661- 2469
The program will offer some workshops that will be ongoing while others will be one-offs. Each week we'll post the schedule for the various workshops that will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Mondays will be open arts day where students can work on music, visual arts and fashion design in an open, fun learning environment. Collaborations are encouraged! Special guest artists and speakers will also join us on Mondays.
Our main teaching artists for 2022 are Barry Komitor (music) and Beláxis Buil (visual art, fashion). We are planning to have many guest artist teachers and speakers this year as well.
Week 6: August 8th - August 12th
Monday, August 8th - 12:00PM - 3:30PM - Open Arts
Open Arts happens each week and gives students the opportunity to choose what they want to work on. Our teachers and special guest teachers will offer guidance and assistance.
*This weeks special guest artist speaker is fashion designer Gabe Pa[...]
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6 years ago
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Tina La Porta opens her first solo exhibition, Side Effects in South Florida on September 29th in the FAR Gallery at FATVillage Projects. The presentation is a candid oeuvre on La Porta's encounter with mental illness and her skilled approach to creating a pharmaceutical, candy-like frenzy to the viewer's eye and psyche.
Far Gallery is a long corridor of two walls facing North and South to the main entrance, making the task for any curator or artist challenging to organize works within the space without it becoming predictable. Nonetheless, La Porta and curators Vee Carallo and Leah Brown strategized the area by assembling the wall sculptures in a non-linear format, concentrating on colors, geometric designs within the works and by the story of each prescription pill.
Although La Porta is open about her way of life and how her functionality depends on the suppression her pills provide, she also comments in Indian Summer (2003) on the comfortable accessibility people have to order any prescription online. With its deceiving romantic shades of pink and old rose, Indian Summer 2003 exudes an ill feeling to a morning-after pill, direct from India without any proper instructions or what damaging side effects one is to expect from it.
From La Porta's grueling process to crush each pill, comes the construction of a larger disk or shape resembling a small tablet filled with an array of smaller capsules sprinkled in vibrant colors and delicious enough to want to bite. The scu[...]
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6 years ago
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By Evan Jake Goldstein
August 30, 2018
It's hard to believe that nearly eight years have gone by since House of Vans Brooklyn first opened their doors, promising free concerts, art installations, and curated events for all to attend. Originally intended as a pop-up spot for Vans to showcase their signature skate style shoes, the repurposed Brooklyn warehouse became a major hot spot for skaters, hipsters, punks, and music connoisseurs alike. The first come, first serve, RSVP ticketing system for their free summer concerts offers equal opportunity for anyone to attend their events. You can't buy your way inside if you miss the sign-up period or are late to line up at the door. There are no $8 water bottles or VIP bathrooms, no balcony seating or members-only presales.
House of Vans feels like a magical place where beers are free for anyone of age willing to wait on line, and t-shirts, tote bags and posters are given away to attendees upon arrival and departure as souvenirs. Hispanic teenagers from the Bronx mosh with the middle-aged white businessmen of Manhattan, their mutual love for the music binding them. They book artists spanning all genres, decades,and levels of fame. The well-curated shows typically feature a headliner, a supporting act of the lead’s choice, and an unsigned opener. The penultimate show at House of Vans Brooklyn featured Deerhunter, Circuit des Yeux, and Standing on the Corner.
Post-post-genre openers Standing on the Corner were the first to hi[...]
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7 years ago
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Art for Progress is pleased to announce a summer music & arts program for NYC high school students. The program is designed for students who are interested in a career in the arts and music.
Workshops in music and visual arts will be offered over four dates between mid-July and mid-August. These 4 hour workshops will include guest speakers, professionals in both the visual arts and music. The guest speakers will share their knowledge, guidance and experience as professionals in the art world.
The main objective of the program is to provide continued instruction over the summer months for students who are considering a future career in the arts. Students can also be graduates who are looking for additional instruction before heading off to college or art school.
The planned student to teacher ratio will be 10-15 students with a total of 40-50 students for each date. Space will be limited, and will be on a first come first serve basis. Students can choose to attend one or more workshops, but we suggest you attend all four. Please sign up as soon as possible to secure your place. The specific dates, location (Manhattan) and times will be available soon.
These are the dates for the workshops:
Workshop 1- Sunday, July 22nd- 10:30am - 2:30pm (lunch provided)
Workshop 2- Sunday, July 29th- 10:30am - 2:30pm (lunch provided)
Workshop 3- Sunday, August 5th- 10:30am - 2:30pm (lunch provided)
Workshop 4- Sunday, August 12th- 10:30am - 2:30pm (lunch provided)
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7 years ago
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It never ceases to amaze me. The abundance of extraordinary talent in the NYC music scene is obvious to anyone who seeks to experience it. Yet, so many people talk as if the scene is terrible and how difficult it is to find quality music at the venues in NYC. I will admit, the Bleeker Street music clubs do leave much to be desired, but one venue, le possion rouge, is certainly doing it the right way. LPR has made a name by bringing in experimental, eclectic and alternative artists over the past 10 years, and this past Saturday night was no exception.
Yonatan Gat performed in support of his new album, "Universalists" which was recently released on Joyful Noise Recordings. He played three different sets, and we were fortunate to catch the last two which were truly epic. The long transplanted New Yorker showed off his masterful guitar skills, (The Village Voice named him "Best Guitarist in New York, 2013.") shredding through an eclectic mix of ethnic sounds with merely a vocal, but it didn't discourage fans in attendance as they marveled at his guitar playing skills. I was also impressed with his band as they were on point throughout the set, and as the sound changed, their energy was consistent and at a high level throughout. Gat's sound is clearly focused on guitar, but I couldn't help but watch his drummer relentlessly pounding on the skins and his evident passion for the music. This brings to mind the most anticipated part of the evening for me and apparently man[...]
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7 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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7 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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7 years ago
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Art for Progress (AFP) is thrilled and honored to present a night of musical improvisation featuring a one-time super group, created for this special evening to benefit AFP music and art education programs- The bill will feature Billy Martin, Nels Cline (Wilco), Marc Ribot and special guests, Brooklyn power trio Bad Faces, and AFP’s sensational student band, Big Sweater.
The Art for Progress Band - Billy Martin, Marc Ribot, Nels Cline and Special Guests - Best known as the drummer for the avant-groove band Medeski, Martin, and Wood, Billy Martin called up some friends to join him for a one off charity event titled “Once in a Lifetime.” When guitarist Marc Ribot, who’s released over 20 albums under his own name and has played on countless records (Robert Plant, Elvis Costello, John Mellencamp, Elton John) and Nels Cline, best known as Wilco’s lead guitarist and one of Rolling Stone’s “100 greatest guitarists” accepted, The Art for Progress Band was formed.
Bad Faces are a Brooklyn power trio as deeply rooted in American traditional music as they are reaching for new stratospheric heights in their improvisational explorations. Led by Singer/Guitarist Barry Komitor, Manager and teacher of AFP’s music education programs and fixture on New Yorks bluegrass and rock scenes, Bad Faces rhythm section is powered by Brian Stollery, one of the best known figures in NY jam music on bass, and NY’s most exciting young jazz drummer, Ethan Kogan.
Big Sweater is a unique blend o[...]
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7 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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