it's what's inside that counts, right?

in the last decade there's been an ongoing struggle
within the art world to find the balance between
designing institutions that provoke the idea of creativity,
and showcase the art held within their walls.

there are many examples of museums that are extensions of
the work inside - the guggenheim both in new york and bilbao,
as well as the younger, extremely interesting massachusetts
MoCA. it is a delicate argument with equally balanced for and
against sides. one being of the belief that the institutes exterior
needs to evoke a level of thought equal to he work inside, the other,
wanting to play it safe and let the work do the talking - the museum
is then simply a frame.

the current argument is surrounding the proposed design for the new
miami art museum. the architects at the center of it all are no strangers
to the fight. jacques herzog and pierre de meuron are the swiss team
responsible for the tate modern in london, and their schaulager in
basel, switzerland that houses a mixture of galleries and art storage
spaces. this time, in miami it would appear they are playing it safer in
hope of avoiding the wrath of the art world....almost attempting to fly
under the radar.

for more detailed info check out the new york times article, and view the
slide show for the proposed miami art museum design:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/24/arts/design/24mam.html?
pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=design

**image sourced from new your times website

10 days by rico

this is a very, very interesting take on the things we are bombarded
with daily. during a residency in vienna, ripo took one headline
every day over a ten day period from the bbc's online news.
just like in the media, it was painted over the next day with the
next big story.

at the completion of the project layers were stripped away to reveal
partial aspects of the headlines. not unlike the fragments of stories
we recall from the over saturation, hype and media domination of
our day-to-day lives. ripo's lettering, color and composition paint
more than just a well composed picture, but an interesting way to
view such a huge part of our information culture.

check the video out on juxtapoz.com - it is well worth watching!

http://www.juxtapoz.com/Current/creclaiming-news-with-10-days-by-ripo

* image sourced from juxtapoz.com

BANDE À PART

anyone craving a little bit of that old new york....little gritty,
little exciting, little lo-brow perhaps?

the good people over at clic bookstore & gallery have answered
the call. this saturday november 14th their BANDE À PART
exhibition will be opening and giving us the next best thing
to being there- a true documentary recollection of all things
downtown nyc from the 1960's through early 1980's.

this isn't some journalistic, outsiders view but instead a series
of images from the participants themselves - blondie, the ramones,
talking heads, patti smith to name just a few.

so if gentrification is bringing you down, head over to clic and this
may just cheer you up!

for more information check the clic website:

http://clicgallery.com/info/2009-11-bande-a-part/

* image sourced from clic website

fashion for rainn

we are always supportive of people using their 

craft for a greater good, so when photographer ryan 

kalivretenos approached us to help with the 'fahion 

for rainn' project we were happy to donate studio time.

the project seeks support from the fashion and retail 

communities to raise awareness for the rape, abuse and 

incest national network (rainn) and is promoted via 

volunteers from the industries various facets. 

the initiative fashion for rainn comes from model, 

tv personality and recording artist krishnar lewis and 

his personal drive to see that those effected by the  

aforementioned ills can have their voices heard, 

and hopefully prevent more cases. through speaking 

up, and the issues being known the industry can 

bring it out into the open, and create a solid support 

network.

photographer ryan kalivretenos was super passionate 

about his commitment to the cause which has no doubt 

added to the depth of his work. with a visible care for 

what he has shot in this campaign we realize there's is 

something bigger possible when we get involved.

for more information on rainn and fashion for rainn 

please visit their website:

http://www.rainn.org/get-involved/fashion-for-rainn

* all images property of and supplied by: 

ryan kalivretenos photography/fashion for rainn

can you tell me how to get to...?

brooklyn public library has always been a place that nurtured
its community. starting november 14th we have a chance to
celebrate one of our most special childhood memories with
the 'sesame street: a celebration of 40 years of life on the street'
exhibition.

bpl also have a ton of great events throughout the shows duration,
which runs until february 21st. check their website for more info
and if you need a little hit of 'the street' to remind you just how
special this show was throughout your youth, and to the youth
of today check out singer/songwriter feist and her cameo on the
show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ9WiuJPnNA

take a peep at the exhibition and events on the bpl website:

http://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/events/sesamestreet/

* image sourced from brooklyn public library website

dress codes at ICP

if you haven't made it to the international center for photography for
a while, now is a fantastic time to change that pattern. from now right
through january 17th they will be showing the third triennial featuring
contemporary international photo + video work.

the exhibition will close their 2009 year of fashion, and centers around
the themes and use of style, image and personal presentation. there is
great exploration of what image making today means and all that
comes along with it. from explorations of identity, to the production
and consumption of images the exhibition covers the whole spectrum.
as a member of the photographic industry it is something relevant to us
all, whether or not fashion is your focus.

check out their website for more info:

http://www.icp.org

* image sourced from icp website