Category: new york
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The Art of Serendipity: James Van Der Zee & Derek Fordjour
I love little moments of artistic serendipity. I come across them often and they are the fuel behind this site. Today, while looking at the work of photographer James Van Der Zee, I came across this picture: It immediately reminded me of a painting by Derek Fordjour that I fell in love with a few months ago.…
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Art + Practice Re-Visits “Bad” Painting
“Not Bad Meaning Bad, but Bad Meaning Good.”-Peter Piper, Run DMC In 1978 the New Museum opened “Bad” Painting, an exhibition featuring artists that eschewed conventional artistic practices to create work that challenged precepts of high culture and countered Minimalist/Conceptualist art. “It is figurative work that defies, either deliberately or by virtue of disinterest, the classic…
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Unmentionables: Zoë Buckman at Papillion
Peering through a gallery window at lingerie hanging from the ceiling made me feel like a voyeur. Catching a glimpse of Papillion while closed was probably the best way to experience their latest exhibit by Zoë Buckman called Every Curve. In this body of work the artist explores the polarities between feminism and hip hop and the cultural dynamics of both existing within…
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The Ghost in the Machine: Mark Bradford & Robert Glasper Combine Creative Forces
Art and music collide in a beautifully explosive Steinway & Sons collaboration that showcases the Spirio piano in a new light. The Steinway Commission pairs visual artists with Steinway musicians to create unique works of art that reflect their collaborative vision and process. This three year project makes its debut with a Steinway Spirio piano that…
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My Mourning of Synergy: The Legacy of Phife & a Tribe Called Quest
When De La Soul “officially” came on the scene with “3 Feet High and Rising” in the spring of 1989, I was in High School walking a not so fine line between my obsession with new wave synth pop and my love for rap (frankly I jumped between worlds), but when “Me Myself and I”…
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Artist a Day Challenge 2016-27: Ebony Patterson
Last year I took a class with the Sotheby’s Institute of Arts where a fellow student shared the work of Ebony Patterson, and I have not forgotten their work since. One particular piece stands out to me as one that honors the past while challenging the viewer to see the present. In Patterson’s 2014 performance…
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Artist a Day Challenge 2016-20-21: Kadir Nelson & His Tribute to the Schomburg Center
The latest cover of the New Yorker features the work of artist/illustrator Kadir Nelson who pays homage to the artists, writers, performers and intellectuals of the Harlem Renaissance. This piece also celebrates the Schomburg Research Center in Harlem. The Schomburg is a branch of the New York Public Library that is dedicated to the documentation, preservation…
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Artist a Day Challenge 2016-18: David Hammons
Most of David Hammons work is aligned with assemblage (the practice of incorporating found materials in art), so this particular piece departs from his traditional aesthetic. Despite this, the work remains contextually rooted in some of his earlier themes. In the 1980s Hammons created the “Basketball Hoops Series” to address the myth of sport as…
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Artist a Day Challenge 2016-15: A Ruckus on the Runway: Black Models in Fashion
On November 28, 1973 America found itself officially placed on fashion’s map after the legendary Battle of Versailles runway show. This walk-off pitted American designers against French designers in an elaborately designed show that catapulted the U.S. to design prominence. The 5 American designers who showcased their work to an international crowd featured 10 black models- an unprecedented move in fashion. To…
Colony Little, Culture Shock Art 