SCULPTURECENTER (LONG ISLAND CITY, NY)

Recently visited SculptureCenter (Long Island City, NY) and must say that the space is great (and probably the best part). The institution was started in 1928 by a group of artists with the purpose of offering an exhibition space to experimental and innovative sculpture works.

There is an underground area where the piping, etc., is still visible and you can walk around (not recommended for claustrophobics).

Upcoming Exhibitions: September 10 - November 28, 2011 Sanford Biggers’s Cosmic Voodoo Circus, in which he “exploits the carnival aesthetic to address profound issues of identity, the power of objects, as well as spiritual and cultural transmigration.” Can’t wait.

*IMAGES: First image courtesy of Paul Goldman. Second image property of SculptureCenter & Sanford Biggens.

MOUNTAIN MAN

After getting a phone call early in the morning from my sister demanding that I go see Mountain Man play at Mercury Lounge (NYC) this past week, I grudgingly went. My mood completely changed once I heard these girls' voices, which I can only describe as lovely, raw, and beautifully haunting. The show began with an a cappella song, followed by songs accompanied only by a guitar and ending in a cappella once more. Not only was the audience completely silent the entire performance, but as I walked out I turned to see several people with tears running down their faces.

I had the pleasure of meeting two of the singers who humbly told me that they had no idea they would ever be making a living from this. I wonder if they saw the photographer from the New York Times taking photographs from the corner...

Despite their young age, these girls already give one mind-blowing performance, and we'll definitely be hearing from them in the coming years.

*I do not claim any ownership of the above videos.

MoMA - "TALK TO ME"

Got a sneak peek of MoMA's exhibition “Talk To Me: Design and the Communication between People and Objects” this past Tuesday (opens to the public July 24). Well over a thousand people were present at the preview, including a curious Stefan Sagmeister. The exhibition brings together everything from small gadgets to large technological installations that serve as “gateways” (emotionally, sensually, or intellectually) between people and other people/things. This is a must see for anyone interested in the advancement of technology in regards to communication.

*I do not claim ownership of above image.

NEW HORIZONS - EXPERIAN CHEETAHMAIL, MEX AND THE CITY

The past couple of months have been CRAZY. There's been work to be done left and right, with two things standing out:

I'm currently working as a full-time Creative Services Designer at Experian's CheetahMail, "the trusted service provider of email marketing and customer intelligence technologies for top enterprises worldwide." Our clients include top brands like Adidas, RadioShack, and Starbucks, to name a few. I have only good things to say about CheetahMail and its people and am totally proud to have joined the team.

I've also started working with Mex and the City by writing a Weekly Post on their site in which I explore the foodie and other Mexican-inspired happenings in New York. I hope to collaborate with them on some art/design projects soon (see Previous Post on the collective for more info). What better way to get to know the City than a la Mexicana? ;)

And finally, I've moved into a beautiful new studio. Now that the dust is settling again, you'll once again be seeing the latest Art & Design happenings here (hint hint: MoMA private reception coming up).

Gros Bisous,
Lily Ann

*IMAGES: (Top 4) Logos: Experian CheetahMail, Adidas, RadioShack, & Starbucks Coffee Company; (Last) Lily Perez intro on Mex and the City site.
**I do not claim any ownership of the above images/logos.

NEON DESERT MUSIC FESTIVAL (EL PASO, TX)

The much-anticipated Neon Desert Music Festival went down in my hometown, El Paso, TX this past Saturday, April 30th. What is the Neon Desert Music Festival, you ask? It's the next Coachella and/or Austin City Limits to hit the music scene (among other great things happening in El Paso is the ongoing Plaza Classic Film Festival). The lineup included some 30 great bands, among them the Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Group (shown below), Dirty Vegas, Kinky, and Los Amigos Invisibles (below). More than 10,000 people showed up to the festival in its debut year. How many will we expect next year? And the year after that? The stars have definitely aligned in El Paso's favor... And to my fellow El Pasoans, if you have any groovy videos/pics from the festival you'd like to share, please feel free to send them my way and you may just see them up on this Blog soon.

*(VIDEO) I do not claim ownership of the above video.
**(IMAGES) Images 1, 2, & 4 provided by Shayne Huffman. (Image 1) Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Group. (Image 2) Los Amigos Invisibles. (Image 3) Property of Neon Desert Music Festival.

MEX AND THE CITY

Was introduced to the Mex and the City blog not too long ago and simply fell IN LOVE. Their site promotes the efforts of young Mexican creatives by giving a voice to their personal stories in the City and how they adapt and contribute to the ever-changing culture of New York. I was invited to attend their one year Anniversary Party at Hous Projects and got the scoop on how it all began: Mex and the City began as a group of young Mexican women sharing their scandalous stories in the City through the means of a blog. People became interested and soon nicknamed the ladies "Mex and the City" (see: Sex and the City). The word kept spreading until they were eventually featured in all sorts of Press. They've now "grown beyond a blog into a budding creative consultant agency, developing cultural initiatives with existing and emerging brands and communities in NYC". How can you not love them with posts like these (video below)?

*I do not claim any ownership of the above photo or video.

LATEST WORK - OLIVIA FOX CABANE

Just had the pleasure of working with Olivia Fox Cabane on some printed Branding material. She was not only a complete sweetheart, but she has quite the interesting career: Olivia Fox Cabane is a well-known Leadership Coach who travels around the world to help people "increase their ability to help influence, persuade, and inspire others". She has been featured everywhere from The New York Times, to Bloomberg, Businessweek, & The Wall Street Journal. Why can't we all have a job like this? Video below of this charismatic lady in action:

*I do not claim any ownership of the above video.

NEW "DO" BY STYLIST DERRICK KEITH

What happens after a late night of philosophizing about life and how hard the times are for everyone? An impromptu “Do” for me by Derrick Keith, of course! Although it may seem that all I’ve been writing about lately is about the stylish people I meet (next post will be about some new work + a fantastic cultural group that’s going to explode), I couldn’t help but show off this very special Stylist. Derrick has given everyone from Fergie, Halle Berry, Ciara, Ashanti, to Oprah Winfrey (just to name a few) their stylish (Hair) “Do’s”. To see a complete list of what Campaigns this Stylista has been part of, what Magazines have featured his work, and what Awards he has won, checkout his Website. Love it!

*IMAGES: (First 6) Derrick Keith's work; (Last) My new "Do". **I do not claim any ownership of the first 6 images.

CARMEN ARTIGAS - FASHION DESIGN, ALEXANDER MCQUEEN, & REBIRTH

Mexican-born Sustainable Designer Carmen Artigas and I recently met at a free textiles workshop, where she jokes that I seemed "possessed and working as if I was getting paid by the hour" (I was on a mission to sew a coat and hardly spoke with her). This past Sunday I had a chance to sit down and talk with her one-on-one about her life and work so far, and what a lovely surprise I got:

"Carmen received a grant to study fashion in Milan and, against all odds, was hired right after graduation by the hottest designer working at the time, Romeo Gigli." Here, she tells me, she had a chance to work alongside one of the most respected fashion designers in the world: Alexander McQueen. They were both only 19 at the time and still fresh fish in the fashion world. Carmen mentions that McQueen ("Lee," as she knew him) was always extremely sweet and down to earth.

Carmen continued moving to bigger and better things, later landing a much-coveted job with Donna Karan, where she worked as Assistant Designer for the Season's Collections. After that, she went on to do everything from curating the only Shoe Museum in Latin America; to designing costumes for movies, commercials, & dance; to finally showing her own line in the great city of New York.

Then came her 4-month trip to India... which changed her world. Here Carmen experienced the totally different sustainable lifestyle and realized she could never go back to the fashion world she knew. From that moment on, she chose the way of Sustainable Design and has since launched her latest collection: Viva La Vida, products made by prisoners in Mexico who have found positive outlets for their energies. Carmen also teaches an Ethical Fashion course at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). Ole!

*IMAGES: (First 6) Carmen Artigas designs; (Last) Carmen Artigas & Alexander McQueen at Romeo Gigli studio, 1990.
**I do not claim any ownership of the above images.

TEXTILE ARTS CENTER MENDING BRUNCH

Because I've been increasingly interested in learning about Textiles and how to manipulate them (previously having hand-sewn clothing, printed designs onto clothing, and knitted scarves for everyone on the block), I've been attending as many workshops as possible offered at the Textile Arts Center (Brooklyn, NY). The space is absolutely gorgeous, very open and full of light, with thread and fabric in every color imaginable. This last time I went to the Textile Arts Center was to attend the Fashion Week Mending Brunch hosted by Sewing Rebellion NYC. Mimosas & materials were provided, as well as free classes on how to do everything from dyeing/printing onto clothing, to quilting, to making the coats your mother always buys two sizes too big more fitted (I was able to rescue a few of mine ;) What a great, great way to meet people of all backgrounds. And for now, the granny in me is totally addicted to textiles...

*I do not claim any ownership of the above images.

HELP JAPAN!

7 Ways To Help Japan's Earthquake & Tsunami Victims: TIME ARTICLE. It can be as easy as texting "REDCROSS" to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

THE ARMORY SHOW 2011 (NYC) / ARRONIZ GALLERY REPRESENTATIVE

I was asked to represent the Arróniz Arte Contemporáneo Gallery (Mexico City) this past weekend at The Armory Show, NYC. After four tireless days of showing/selling artwork, I finally have a chance to write about it:

The Armory Show, coined "America's leading fine art fair devoted to the most important art of the 20th and 21st centuries," is a huge four-day event that takes place in Manhattan every March. It brings fantastic Galleries, Curators, Artists, Collectors, and Celebrities from all over the world to enjoy a full array of Armory Arts Week events hosted throughout the NY area. The opening reception was held at MoMA with performer Kate Nash.

The Arróniz Arte Contemporáneo Gallery represents artists from Mexico and Latin America working in varying media (incl. installation, film, photography, sculpture, painting, & video) who are relatively young and pushing the limits in Contemporary Art. The three artists we represented at the fair were multi-media installation artist Nicola López, paper artist Daniel Alcalá, and multi-media artist Omar Barquet. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Nicola López was among the artists we were showing, as I had first come across her work several years ago in Texas through mutual friends, and had later run into the artist again recently at several reunions in Brooklyn (small world!). Her work is now part of MoMA's permanent collection as well as at El Museo del Barrio.

We had a great turnout and received a lot of love from renown museums, collectors, and the public in general. Oh! And among the artists we spotted was the fabulously eccentric Chuck Close. Loooove it. We finished the events celebrating with my bubbly, newly-befriended Stylist Derric Keith (shown below) and other cozy company. More craziness planned for this coming week and hope to be one of the artists exhibiting at The Armory Show soon ;)

*IMAGES: (Center, Right) Nicola López site-specific piece; (Center, Center) Omar Barquet site-specific pieces; (Center, Left) Daniel Alcalá site-specific pieces.
**I do not claim ownership of top 2 images. VIDEO: Nicola López interview (I do not claim ownership of this video).

SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS (NYC) - CONTINUING ED

This past Fall I decided to enroll in two night-time Continuing Education courses at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in NYC: Business of Art (taught by Steve Cranford at Whisper Branding), and Silkscreen (taught by Printmaker Dominick Rapone). Even though I was half dead by the time I got to each class from all day of work (one of the classes ended at 10:00 PM), I can’t deny that it was completely worth the sweat and tears. Steve’s insights into knowing how to market yourself as an Artist or Creative Business and all the fine details of making a Business Plan were great, and Dominick’s amazing Printmaking talent goes without saying. Although I had previously owned a small Printmaking business (The Active Printmaking) in Texas, I learned a whole new set of printing techniques. Low-quality Blackberry pictures of some of my work at the Silkscreen class shown below (the last image is of a print by Dominick Rapone titled Eve in the Garden).

*Last image used with permission from the artist.

JOANN BERMAN - LOCA, LOCA, LOCA

A friend and I were invited by the lovely Sustainable Designer Carmen Artigas (who we recently met at a Textiles Workshop which I’ll write about soon) to the Sustainable Fashion NOW Showcase 2011 (NYC) this past weekend. I went in thinking that all I would be seeing was a lot of hippie madness and the usual trade show situation (designers/sellers attacking you from every angle) when I came upon a very beautiful, crazy lady: JoAnn Berman. I was instantly hypnotized by her collection, which took me back to my stay in London many years ago. It was edgy, Punkish, and extremely colorful like the crazy London street fashion, with spots here and there taken from Mexican culture. We spoke for what seemed ages about brujería (Spanish for witchcraft), culture, and everything in between. Hope to see more of this free spirit in the coming shows. Check out her latest Spring/Summer Collection 2011.

*"Loca" is Spanish for "Crazy". I do not claim any ownership of the above images.