SALT in New York City

Alicia Hansen founded NYC SALT after working with disadvantaged youth.
Image: oregonstatefair.org

When artistic and nonprofit endeavors collide it’s a beautiful thing. A nonprofit organization designed to help inner city youth flourish creatively, while providing them with tools to carve out brighter futures for themselves sounds pretty phenomenal.

NYC SALT is doing just that. SALT is a non-profit that has grown immensely since its 2005 beginnings when founder Alicia Hansen accidentally stumbled into working with New York City youth while following her love of photography.

NYC SALT was founded in 2005 by Alicia Hansen.
Image: Twitter

Her life was changed forever after learning from and teaching disadvantaged inner city teens about how to harness their artistic potential and channel it into photography. In the beginning, her handful of students participated in an after-school style program in which they used point and shoot disposable cameras to grasp the basics of photography. Now, SALT exists as a photography and mentoring program that hosts many experienced photographers who teach NYC teens how to use professional cameras and equipment, as well as how to develop their own artistic voice through the lens of a camera.

Hansen believes that proof of the organization’s impact on inner-city youth is in the tools it gives them to succeed in their futures. Many graduates of the program go on to study photography in college, using portfolios cultivated at NYC SALT to attain scholarships to institutions of higher education.

On June 13^th, the organization will be putting on “SEE SALT” at Bath House Studios, a gallery show of student and alumni photography celebrating the graduation of its NYC SALT seniors. All proceeds from the show, and from the purchase of students’ prints, goes towards cameras and equipment, field trips, as well as some college expenses.

Visit the NYC SALT Gallery to view student photography, and to learn more about the organization’s story.

NYC’s HERE Hosts queerSpawn

QueerSpawn is probably not a word that most folks hear on a daily basis. Is it a derogatory remark? A video game? Is it even a real thing, and if so, what?

queerSpawn is a new play by Mallery Avidon that follows the story of a boy raised by same-sex parents.

A word that has been acknowledged by LGBT scholars and authors as a term used to label the children of gay and lesbian parents, “queerspawn” is now also the title of an off-Broadway performance written by playwright Mallory Avidon.

The show, a comedic drama for adults, features a high school freshman known only as “The Kid,” who is continuously tormented by his peers for being gay. The twist is, The Kid isn’t actually gay at all, but is assumed to be because of his two lesbian moms. He isn’t gay, just the son of queer parents, which brands him regardless of his sexual orientation, queerSpawn.

QueerSpawn, acted and produced by the New York City based performance collective A Collection of Shiny Objects, is directed by Jesse Geiger, and is being hosted by the HERE Arts Center. HERE couldn’t be a more fitting space for the show, or A Collection of Shiny Objects, a group committed to exploring representations of gender, race, sexuality, and class in the form of multimedia and performance art. HERE is equally devoted to bringing visibility to artists seeking to share and create groundbreaking contemporary works that are often controversial.

In queerSpawn, “The Kid” is bullied for having two moms.

Avidon’s queerSpawn demonstrates how performance can be used as a medium to explore bullying, the experiences and struggles of young people today, and the differences between all of us. Her research for this play was supported by Colage, a national organization that unites and supports people with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer parents, some of which she was able to interview and learn from personally. Whether or not queerSpawn will delight audiences with its dark humor, it’s a performance piece that can create important dialogue surrounding LGBT issues.

For more information about HERE and queerSpawn, visit http://here.org.

Also be sure to check out Charles Isherwood’s review of the performance in the New York Times.

Season of Cambodia Takes NYC

Performers use shadow puppetry to tell stories.
Image: boredommd.com

Cambodia once had a rich artistic culture, but it was nearly extinguished during the Khmer Rouge of the 1970s. It wasn’t until the 1990s that the restoration of artistic tradition began in earnest. Arn Chorn-Pond searched through the country, seeking out master artists to train a new regime of artists. Now, twenty years later, that vision has been realized.

Season of Cambodia is an initiative of Cambodian Living Arts, which was created by Arn Chorn-Pond in 1998 as the Cambodian Master Performers Program. He wanted to restore Cambodia to its status as a leader in Southeast Asian arts—music, dance, theater, and cinema were once well-established traditions there. CLA is more than just a provider of support for artists—it is an enabler.

After decades of work, the Season of Cambodia has finally come to New York City. Hundreds of young artists have come to celebrate the rediscovered traditions of the Cambodian culture, and it is a sight to see. The 125 visiting artists are paving the way for future generations to keep the culture alive and well.

The festival features music, dance, ritual & theatre, visual art, film, and humanities. It’s a culture that people like Khema Wright, whose family fled Cambodia when she was just a child, haven’t seen for decades.

Performances included the Royal Ballet of Cambodia.
Image: cityofwater.wordpress.com

 

“I can’t express how beautiful it is and I’m so excited, and I’m so lucky to have been here,” she said. “To see my culture actually here in the United States, in New York, it’s amazing. I feel so privileged.”

Even more touching was a statement made by Chhaya Chhoum, who runs a community organization called Mekong. “A lot of our community members talk about how they just want to live to die, because they’ve suffered so much,” she said. “And I think the art really rejuvenates and awakens peoples’ sense of community, love and trust for one another again.”

For many, art has healed the wounds they never thought would go away. In the future, we hope that Season of Cambodia returns again and again to celebrate a culture rich in artistry and tradition.

Lobster Rope Art Takes Madison Square Park

New York artist Orly Genger has taken over Madison Square Park with her art—which is made with recycled lobster rope. Genger crocheted miles’ worth of the rough and heavy rope to create a braided landscape of colors throughout the park. Red-, yellow- and blue-painted rope has been strenuously arranged to form enclosures for kids and adults alike to enjoy.

Dyed yellow lobster rope braided to form walls.
Image: Madisonsquarepark.org

Genger’s art is like crocheting in the extreme—the rope is heavy and hard to shape, and she must muscle every crook and curve into place by hand. This latest installation took a whopping 1.4 million feet of rope, which is almost enough to cross Manhattan twenty times. After 9,000 hours of intense labor and 3,000 gallons of paint, Genger was ready to install her 100,000 pounds worth of rope art. That’s a feat indeed.

“She takes the domestic art of crocheting to a masculine level,” said President Debbie Landau of the Madison Square Park Conservancy. “When you look at the rope you could think they’re nautical knots but it’s repurposed lobster rope. It’s scratchy, it’s hard. You have to use muscle to tame it. She takes what we think of as traditional knitting to a very different realm of wrestling an unforgiving material.”

The new installation in Madison Square Park is appropriately called “Red, Yellow and Blue,” and was commissioned by Mad. Sq. Art. Besides the fact that people can interact with and touch Genger’s art, it’s also using repurposed materials. Lobster rope can only be used for one year because after that it can harm the environment. All the rope Genger uses has had its one-year tenure. It’s wonderful to know that rather than going to the landfill, it’s creating art for everyone to enjoy.

Robot Art On Display At Yotel Hotel

Starting in May, a new art display will be installed at the Yotel Hotel in Manhattan. Artist Matt Whistler of Brighton, England, plans to display his robot art in the hotel lobby alongside the existing “Yobot,” a mechanical arm that stores and retrieves luggage for hotel guests.

The Yobot was originally a run-of-the-mill robotic arm used in factory assembly, but Yotel partnered with MFG Automation to adapt it so that it can manage customers’ luggage. Since the hotel already has a robotic theme going with the Yobot, Whistler’s art will fit right in.

Artist and comedian Matt Whistler will have his robot artwork featured at NYC’s Yotel Hotel. Featured above is Whistler’s “Harry BOT”

“I’ve been an artist for 20 years but I’ve never revealed my obsession with robots before,” Whistler said. “When I was a child I used to draw robots using felt tip pens to try to impress my dad.

“I’m trying to create the idea of art through recycling. I suppose it is quite a green concept,” he added.

Matt Whistler is an established and respected comedian who incorporates a hilarious and unique combination of visual and physical elements within into his acts. He found his way to fame in 2010 when he created his “Surfin’ Bird Christmas No. 1″ video to the song “Surfin’ Bird” by The Trashmen. The song was subsequently propelled to the No. 3 spot in the UK.

Image from Matt Whistler’s Twitter (@mattwhistler)

This year, Matt Whistler has been invited to the Cannes Film Festival, where he will contribute to a Troma Productions video about independent filmmaking. The festival will take place from the 15th to the 26th of May.

Yotel hotel, where Whistler’s art will be displayed,  offers a modern take on the traditional hotel experience; the company has airport hotels situated inside of terminals that can be booked by the hour for busy travelers looking to catch a little shuteye before flights. The hotel has terminal locations at Gatwick Airport, Heathrow Airport, and Amsterdam Airport Shiphol.

Yotel also has a flagship location (opened in 2011) in New York City, which is where Whistler’s robot art will be displayed. In 2012 Yotel was awarded the LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for green building leadership, which only makes Whistler’s use of repurposed materials fit in even better.

Yotel Hotel in NYC is modern and sleek.

The futuristic looking hotel “cabins” at Yotel and the robot art have wonderful synergy, so it’s no surprise that Whistler’s work caught the eye of the hotel chain. Check out Whistler’s website (www.mattwhistler.com) to see a selection of his artwork.

A special thanks to Matt Whistler, who helped with several revisions to the original post, which had previously implied that Whistler had designed the “Yobot” and did not give a full background on the artist. Mr. Whistler, I appreciate very much the feedback and helpful insights.

We the People Tells Real NYCHA Resident Stories

Earlier this month, Manhattan District Attorney Vance and NYC Police Commissioner Kelly announced that more than sixty members of gangs had been indicted, pulling dangerous people off the streets and out of public housing.

“This is a huge step forward in ensuring the safety and security of the thousands of children, seniors and families that live in our developments,” said Cecil House, NYCHA General Manager. “As part of Plan NYCHA, our strategic roadmap for providing safe and secure housing, NYCHA has been working to create neighborhoods where residents, employees and their visitors can feel safe.”

Public housing has long come with a stigma attached—one that convinces people that pubic housing is chock full of criminals, drug addicts, and low-lifes. But in truth, most public housing residents couldn’t be farther from criminals—instead, they are a diverse set of people rich in character, work-ethic and history.

Washington and Yanagawa tell the stories of real NYCHA residents.

Two previous residents of NYCHA public housing developments, Rico Washington and Shino Yanagawa, are out to tell the stories of real NYCHA residents. Their project, We the People: The Citizens of NYCHA in Photos + Words challenges stereotypical views of public housing developments by taking a close-up look at fifty different NYCHA residents.

“We the People is a testament to those who have weathered the storms from urban blight to urban renewal,” reads the project’s website. “Through these collected stories, a genuine document of the marginalized and the maligned emerges.”

Rico Washington is a journalist who has interviewed celebrities like Chris Rock and Bernie Mac. He has contributed to several print and digital publications, and has worked with musicians composing bios and CD liner notes. Originally from Washington, D.C., he now lives in the East Village neighborhood of New York City. His project partner, Shino Yanagawa, is a photographer and Tokyo native. She has published photos on several notable publications, and has worked with subjects like Beyoncé and Wyclef Jean.

JR Takes NYC

JR is a name many have heard; it is the name of a French street artist who is known for his global project, Inside Out. After winning the 2011 TED Prize, which granted him $100,000 to use towards “one wish to change the world,” JR launched Inside Out.

For the project, he let photograph subjects take the helm; participants took photos of themselves and upload them to the Inside Out website. JR’s studio then prints the black and white photos on 36” x 53” sheets of paper and mails them back to them to paste in their communities. Thousands of photos have been taken since 2011, pasted in locations all around the world.

JR says he wanted to “transform messages of personal identity into pieces of artistic work,” a project for which he calls himself “just the printer.”

Now the project is coming to NYC. Inside Out New York City has already started, with pictures of Superstorm Sandy victims decorating Times Square. But now there is a photo booth truck planted in Times Square, where anyone can take self-photos for the project. The finished portraits will decorate the ground of Duffy Square.

New Yorkers’ faces will be pasted on the ground in Duffy Square.
Image: insideoutproject.net

Again, JR’s role is just to print and paste the photos. “The subjects of JR’s work don’t serve his personal statement or message, but represent themselves,” writes Neil Callender in the Tokyo Art Beat. “In his use of the photo booth and his readiness to let others make the images, JR renounces the idea of himself as artist. Instead he has become like a curator; and the world is his gallery.”

Orlando Bloom, Condola Rashad to Star in Broadway’s Romeo & Juliet

Orlando Bloom will play Romeo this fall.

Orlando Bloom is back to acting this year with a Broadway production of Romeo & Juliet, directed by David Leveaux. Bloom will star as Romeo opposite Condola Rashad, who will play Juliet. In Leveaux’s version of the play, the doomed star-crossed lovers will be an interracial couple—but not because the director was on a mission to do so.

Leveaux chose Orlando Bloom and Condola Rashad because together they were “producing sparks,” and he followed his gut in making the decision to cast them together. “They could have been any number of different ethnicities,” he said.

“I’m not about to turn a contemporary version of Shakespeare into a sociological or political point,” Leveaux said. He also says his choice to cast the entire Capulet family as an all-black and the Montagues as all white was less a comment on race and more a reflection of reality.

“We know there are families from one background or another who would reject their children getting together with someone from another group. Romeo and Juliet reject that notion. It is still the case that children try to oppose the cultural expectation thrust upon them, the rigidity of tribes, the rigidity of fundamentalism.”

Bloom’s first stage debut was in 2007 in London’s Duke of York Theater, where he played a lead role in David Storey’s drama, In Celebration. Rashad was recently nominated for a Tony Award for her performance in the Broadway show Stick Fly. She also received a Theatre World Award for her debut performance in the off-Braodway production of Ruined.

Romeo & Juliet will begin previews on August 24^th and will open on September 19^th at the Richard Rodgers Theater in New York City. Other cast members that have been announced include Jayne Houdyshell (Nurse) and Joe Morton (Lord Capulet), with additional announcements promised.

Google Art Project

Have you heard about Google’s “Art Project”? We hadn’t either, at least not until recently. Google has partnered with 151 “acclaimed art partners from across 40 countries” to bring art to the digital age and therefore to the masses. Works that are featured on the Google Art Project’s website are complete with information from experts and high resolution zooming capabilities that allow users to see “brushstroke level detail.”

Visitors to the website can look at artwork and almost feel like they are seeing it in person. But instead of just viewing the image, they also have access to a wealth of information about the artists, the works, and the museums where they are located. Users can take a virtual tour of the museum and even build their own “collections” online that can be shared or returned to later.

With over 40,000 works already catalogued into Google Art Project, the experience is truly revolutionary. None of us will ever be lucky enough to see every museum, every amazing piece of art, or even all of our favorites—and that’s just what Google Art Project supplements. The website features paintings, drawings, calligraphy, sculpture, architecture, photographs, manuscripts, artefacts, and much more.

More and more museums are jumping on board with Google to bring art to as many people as possible. The New York City Center for Jewish History just contributed about 600 new artworks to the project, a valuable historical addition to the collection. The works include paintings, portraits of Sigmund Freud, and paper works that made it through the Holocaust.

Reminiscent of the Museum of Modern Art’s Digital Art Lounge, Google Art Project provides audio tours, notes, videos, and more to visitors all for free—but for more museums than just MoMA. It’s not only a great tool for individuals interested in art, but also for teachers to use in educational settings. It’s hard to get kids excited about art when they can’t even see it up close—and Google Art Project does its best to make the experience so much more real.

That’s a Latte Art!

It’s good to be reminded that it’s okay not to take yourself or your work too seriously. That’s what Mike Breach, coffee artist and “expressionist” is helping to do. Breach is a barista at Smile To-Go, and he’s become a master at foam art. Using milk, espresso, and foam as his medium, Breach has created images of the NYC skyline, Beyoncé, Edward Scissorhands and more—all on the top of a latte made for a customer.

“The whole thing kind of is a joke because they dissipate after a while, because it’s going to be gone in like three minutes,” he says. “I kind of want to be like Willy Wonka with coffee. You know, make it something interesting and fun for people, take the pretentiousness out of it, take the seriousness out of it.”

 

It seems like a lot of work for a drink that’ll soon be gone, but Breach doesn’t really mind. He first taught himself how to create the art when he worked in the back of a hotel and had hours to himself with an espresso machine. He surprised even himself when he discovered he could make faces in the drinks.

“This doesn’t last forever and I think that’s what makes it special,” he says, adding, “That’s what makes it something more personal to me, because it’s like I’ve actually just painted it for that person to see. I didn’t really do it for myself, to have it hanging in my apartment or whatever… it’s purely for them. It’s personal.”

Breach has a Tumblr blog called Baristart, where he posts pictures of his creations—which include portraits of the rich and famous, of individual customers, of teddy bears, of the NYC skyline and more.