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July 31, 2009

Moment as Monument at Thomas Erben Gallery NYC

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Moment as Monument

Hemali Bhuta - Ajit Chauhan - Siamak Filizadeh - Chitra Ganesh - Barbad Golshiri
Matthias Müller - Yamini Nayar - Vijai Patchineelam - Srestha Rit Premnath
Mahbub Shah - Kiran Subbaiah - Jaret Vadera - Haeri Yoo

August 18-25, 2009
Opening Reception: August 17, 6-9 pm

Travancore Palace - New Delhi
Kasturba Gandhi Marg, Connaught Place, near Bharti Vidya School

Thomas Erben Gallery and Aparajita Jain of Seven Art are excited to present Moment as Monument, a curated exhibition of work in a variety of media by thirteen artists from Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Iran, Pakistan and the United States, many of whom are part of the South Asian diasporas.

Moment as Monument explores the dynamic relationships between the temporal and the authoritative, in the overlap where politics, social systems and cognitive structures intersect. Through varied strategies, processes and materials, the artists in the exhibition all seek to question, challenge, expose or destabilize the often unacknowledged ideological, social, psychological, aesthetic and philosophical constructs that surround us daily.

The concept of "moment" implies sequentiality, a before and after. The criterion of isolating one moment from another is marked by intensity - of a political nature, for example, in Rit Premnath's (b. 1979, Bangalore) Surrender, a photograph of Somali pirates buzzed by a U.S. Navy helicopter. Cropped and reframed as a triptych, the singularity of the scene assumes the quality of a cinematic event. In his interactive video-installation, Kiran Subbaiah (b. 1971, Sidapur, India) heightens our awareness of the moment by duplication and temporal displacement whereas Barbad Golshiri's (b. 1982, Tehran) Jxalq [(d_ælgh) v.t. & i. act of creating a masturpiece], in part, is a meditation on the mutability inherent in the cyclical, or "looped" in video parlance.

Mahbub Shah's (b. 1978, Sindh, Pakistan) seemingly unorganized arrangements of dots cropped from colorful magazine ads solidify a scintillating universe in which shifting patterns and structures emerge. Similarly visually fragmented, Haeri Yoo ((b. 1970, Korea) systematically suspends in her paintings stories of disrupted feminist and cultural narratives. This new body of work evidences her shift towards the dissolution of a linear narrative, testing the inherent possibilities in the foundational language of painting itself.

By its function, the monument solidifies the moment and, through amplification, projects itself as an overriding principle pushing other moments into oblivion. Interested in the detritus of buried narratives, marginal figures and parallel histories, Chitra Ganesh (b. 1977, Brooklyn) ink-jets, in a new body of work, disparate visual materials and languages onto unstretched canvas which she further elaborates upon with paint additions and collaged elements.

Siamak Filizadeh (b. 1970, Tehran) uses the visual language of advertising with its authorial intentions, not only as a tool to mock Iranian's high end consumerist aspirations but also ironically points to the impossibility of the production of these products in contemporary Iran.

Yamini Nayar's (b. 1975, Rochester, NY) photographs of meticulously constructed and intervened, small-scale architectonic works situate themselves at a very specific place of time defined by an intersection of personal, historical and psychological story lines that converge for an instance and diverge again. Keeping the images in flux, her formal skills transform the transient and ephemeral into iconic images. Similarly, the paintings and photographs of Vijai Patchineelam (b. 1983, Rio de Janeiro) are trapped in a perpetual state of transit. Idea and result are conflated into a present continuous, which is both the impetus behind and the product of the work.

Jaret Vadera (b. 1976, Toronto) is exhibiting work from the Here be Dragons series where he layers photographic prints - taken from experimental paintings - and re-presents them on light boxes. The resulting, back-lit images float back and forth between something abstract and decipherable, clinically cold and subtly seductive, digitally high-tech and biomorphic.

Vacancy, a collaged travelogue by Matthias Müller (b. 1961. Bielefeld, Germany) explores the city Brasilia, "the ultimate utopia of the 20th century" (Umberto Eco), abandoned by its inhabitants - kept alive today only by its staff. The film exudes a strangely obsessive feeling of time and space, documenting this vast and failed modernist utopian monument.

In her installation, Hemali Bhuta (b. 1978, Mumbai) uses cacti as her primary, unwieldy and literally prickly material to create a visceral experience for the viewer that elicits synesthetic associations. She processes her materials formally and uses accumulation to create large-scale environments.

All of these works finally demonstrate that such categories as moment and monument are inextricably linked, constantly shifting and forever being reconfigured. Their malleability is finally determined through each artists strategies and processes, and, ultimately within the viewer.

Thomas Erben, Curator

Thomas Erben Gallery

526 West 26th Street, floor 4
New York, NY 10001
212.645-8701
www.thomaserben.com
info@thomaserben.com

July 30, 2009

80's video flashback: Bob Giraldi

Bob Giraldi directed some of the greatest music videos of all time like Michael Jackson's Beat It. He directed the now infamous Pepsi commerical as well as videos by Paul McCartney, Pat Benatar and Jermaine Jackson. Take a stroll down memory lane with these great vids from the 80's.

Gallery Plan B Dog Days sale

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Remains of the Day curated by Vadis Turner at Lyons Wier Gallery in NYC

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Remains of the Day
curated by Vadis Turner

Opening Reception for Remains of the Day is Monday, August 3rd, 6 - 9PM

- Exhibition Dates: FIVE DAYS ONLY August 3rd to August 7
- Opening Reception: Monday, August 3rd from 6-9 pm
- Closing Date: Friday, August 7, 2009
- Gallery Hours: Monday - Saturday 11-8, Sunday 12-8 pm
- Gallery Address: 175 Seventh Ave @ 20th St.
- Nearest Subway: C, E to 23rd St., or 1, 9 to 23rd St.

"Remains of the Day", curated by Vadis Turner, is a five-day exhibition featuring artwork by Ivin Ballen, Carlton DeWoody, Graham Gillmore, David Goodman, Midori Harima, Cassandra C. Jones, Mike Quinn, Leslie Roberts & Saya Woolfalk whose work serves as evidence of circumstances from the past. The work visualizes the documentation of time or a construction born from a deconstructive process.

Harlem Arts Roundup

Reel Sisters at Imagenation Film Festival

Marcus Garvey Park
DATE: August 10, 2009 · 7 pm

African Voices and Imagenation Film Festival present
an evening of music, poetry and film

Harlem jazz sensation Bill Saxton and poet Autumn Ashante will perform before the screenings!

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Now through Monday, August 31, 2009

New York International Latino Film Festival 'I am Happy' ('Eu Sou Feliz') Premier

This week the City is hosting the New York International Latino Film Festival. Soraya Umewaka is a documentary filmmaker from Tokyo. Upon winning Princeton's Labouisse Fellowship in 2006 she went to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to make a documentary entitled 'I am Happy' on the creative culture that resides in the slums of Rio. Her prior documentary 'Street Witness' debuted at the Miami Film Festival with critical acclaim.

Clearview Cinemas (260 West 23rd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues)

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RUINED
EIGHTH AND FINAL EXTENSION!
Must Close September 6, 2009
From Lynn Nottage, the Obie Award-winning author of such plays as Fabulation and Intimate Apparel comes this extremely topical and highly acclaimed new work. A co-production with the Goodman Theatre, where it debuted to a shower of rave reviews, RUINED is a haunting, probing play about the resilience of the human spirit during times of war.

See RUINED now through September 6 for just
$49.50 (Reg. $75)

Tickets:
ONLINE: CLICK HERE or visit www.nycitycenter.org/ and enter code 4519.
PHONE: Call CityTix® at 212-581-1212 and mention code BTO.
IN PERSON: Bring a printout of this offer to the NY City Center box office at 131 West 55th ST., (between 6th and 7th Aves.) up to two hours before curtain.

BOX OFFICE HOURS: Mon-Sat 12-8pm; Sun 12-7pm
Performance Schedule:
Tues 7, Wed-Sat 8; Wed, Sat, Sun 2

GROUP SALES (15+): Marcia Pendelton/WTG Group Sales
646.467.7393 | wtggroupsales@aol.com

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Harlem Stage The Bachata Roja Legends

Featuring singers Ramon Cordero, Augusto Santos and "El Chivo Sin Ley" (The Lawless Goat), guitar giant Edilio Paredes; and young bachatero star, singer-guitarist Joan Soriano a.k.a. "El Duque" (The Duke); with Frank Mendez - guitar, Samuel Paredes - bass, Roberto Santos - guira and Randy Alejo - percussion.

Saturday, August 15, 2009
2:00 - 7:00 pm - Rain or Shine in the PS 161 Field - entrance at Amsterdam and West 134th Street
2:00 pm: Gates open

FREE!

For more information visit HarlemStage.org or call 212-281-9240, ext. 19 or 20
No chairs allowed. Bring a blanket to sit on.

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The Riverside Theater
Thursday, August 6 - Monday, August 17
The Riverside Theatre and BeBop Theatre Collective present two one-act plays celebrating the bold spirit of poet and Black Arts Movement playwright Sonia Sanchez.

8:00 P.M.-August 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 17
3:00 P.M.-August 9, 16
$20 General Admission
$30 OPENING NIGHT PERFORMANCE & RECEPTION CELEBRATION

The Riverside Theatre
91 Claremont Ave @120th St.
For tickets, call
212 870-6784
www.theriversidetheatre.org

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Cote Di'voire CIDW Festival
Saturday, August 8, 2009

Festivities at: MORNINGSIDE PARK, HARLEM USA
Including Musical performances, Food, Face Painting
Danse workshop, Fashion Show, Art Exhibit, Health Screening

For More Information Contact:
George Konan, CIDW Executive producer
email: cotedivoire7@gmail.com
Join FACEBOOK: COTEDIVOIRE7

July 28, 2009

Merce Cunningham (April 16, 1919 - July 26, 2009): Profile of a creative genius

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Anyone who knows anything about me or my work knows that along with Gordon Parks, Jean Michele Basquiat and the other African-American artists who inform and inspire my work there are 3 greats who have a huge influence upon me; Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenburg and Jasper Johns. Each of these 3 artists were friends with and in some capacity worked with Merce Cunningham and his life partner, composer John Cage. John, Andy and Bob Rauschenburg passed away some time ago and now we've also lost Merce Cunningham.

Below I have reprinted his bio as presented on the website of his dance company and I will also post videos of some his experimental and groundbreaking choreography. This has truly been a summer of reflection and loss. The gift in all of this has been that the world has been moved to examine and appreciate the work of American artists in a way we haven't been moved to so in quite some time.

Farewell Merce, Michael, Farrah, and E. Lynn. You will all be missed greatly, but yor work will live on in our collective memory and in the work of those of us who build upon the foundation you laid out before us.

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MERCE CUNNINGHAM, born in Centralia, Washington, received his first formal dance and theater training at the Cornish School (now Cornish College of the Arts) in Seattle. From 1939 to 1945, he was a soloist in the company of Martha Graham. He presented his first New York solo concert with John Cage in April 1944. Merce Cunningham Dance Company was formed at Black Mountain College in the summer of 1953. Since that time Cunningham has choreographed nearly 200 works for his company. In 1973 he choreographed Un jour ou deux for the Ballet of the Paris Opéra, with music by John Cage and design by Jasper Johns. (A revised version was presented there in 1986.) The Ballet of the Paris Opéra also performed a revival of his Points in Space in 1990. His work has also been presented by New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, White Oak Dance Project, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Zurich Ballet, and Rambert Dance Company (London), among others.

Cunningham has worked extensively in film and video, in collaboration first with Charles Atlas and later with Elliot Caplan. In 1999 the collaboration with Atlas was resumed with the production of the documentary Merce Cunningham: A Lifetime of Dance. In 2004/2005 they collaborated again on a new piece whose final form is in two versions, Views on Camera and Views on Video. This was funded by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; further projects under this grant include films of Split Sides (2003) and Ocean (1994, revived 2005). Cunningham's interest in contemporary technology has led him to work with the computer program DanceForms, which he has used in making all his dances since Trackers (1991). In 1997 he began work in motion capture with Paul Kaiser and Shelley Eshkar of Riverbed Media to develop the decor for BIPED, with music by Gavin Bryars, first performed in 1999 at Zellerbach Hall, University of California at Berkeley. Another major work, Interscape, first given in 2000, reunited Cunningham with his early collaborator Robert Rauschenberg, who designed both décor and costumes for the dance, which has music by John Cage.

“If a dancer dances–which is not the same as having theories about dancing or wishing to dance or trying to dance or remembering in his body someone else’s dance–but if the dancer dances, everything is there. . . Our ecstasy in dance comes from the possible gift of freedom, the exhilarating moment that this exposing of the bare energy can give us. What is meant is not license, but freedom. . .”

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In August 2001 Merce returned to the stage in the first theatrical presentations of John Cage’s An Alphabet, at the Edinburgh Festival, with subsequent engagements in Berlin, Champaign-Urbana (Illinois), Berkeley, California, and Perth, Western Australia. In the revival of How to Pass, Kick, Fall and Run (1965), first performed in the 2002 Lincoln Center Festival at the New York State Theater, Merce Cunningham, together with David Vaughan, read the accompanying stories by John Cage. In the 2002–03 season the Merce Cunningham Dance Company celebrated its 50th anniversary, beginning with performances at the 2002 Lincoln Center Festival in New York City and ending in the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Next Wave Festival in October 2003, when a new work with music by two rock bands, Radiohead and Sigur Rós, Split Sides, was presented. The décor was by the photographers Robert Heishman and Catherine Yass, with costumes by James Hall and lighting by James F. Ingalls. In the summer of 2005 MCDC again appeared in the Lincoln Center Festival, presenting a revival of the 1994 work Ocean. Cunningham’s latest work, eyeSpace, was presented at the Joyce Theater in New York in October 2006.

In October 2005 Merce Cunningham received the Praemium Imperiale in Tokyo. Other honors and awards include: the Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize (2000); the Handel Medallion from the Mayor of New York City (1999); the Bagley Wright Fund Established Artists Award, Seattle (1998); the Nellie Cornish Arts Achievement Award from his alma mater, Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle (1996); the Golden Lion of the Venice Biennale (1995); and the Wexner Prize of the Wexner Center for the Arts at Ohio State University, Columbus (with John Cage, posthumously, 1993). Cunningham was also a recipient of the National Medal of Arts in 1990 and the Kennedy Center Honors in 1985, in which year he also received a Laurence Olivier Award in London and a MacArthur Fellowship. In France, he was made Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters in 1982 and first Chevalier (1989) and then Officier (2004) of the Légion d'Honneur. Cunningham has collaborated on two books about his work: Changes: Notes on Choreography, with Frances Starr (Something Else Press, New York, 1968), and The Dancer and the Dance, interviews with Jacqueline Lesschaeve (Marion Boyars, New York and London, 1985). The latter, originally published in French, has also been translated into German and Italian. Merce Cunningham/Dancing in Space and Time, a collection of critical essays edited by Richard Kostelanetz (second edition), was published in 1998 by the Da Capo Press. Merce Cunningham: Fifty Years, chronicle and commentary by David Vaughan, archivist of the Cunningham Dance Foundation, was published in 1997 by Aperture and in French translation by Editions Plume. A digital supplement (CD-ROM) entitled Merce Cunningham: Fifty Forward was produced by the Cunningham Dance Foundation in 2005. Aperture published a book of Cunningham’s drawings and journals, under the title Other Animals, in the spring of 2002.

A major exhibition about Cunningham and his collaborations, curated by Germano Celant, was first seen at the Fundació Antoni Tàpies in Barcelona in 1999, and subsequently at the Fundação de Serralves, Porto, Portugal, 1999; the Museum moderner Kunst Stifftung Ludwig, Vienna, 2000; and the Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, Castello di Rivoli, Turin, 2000. A trio of exhibitions devoted to John Cage, Robert Rauschenberg, and Merce Cunningham, curated by Ron Bishop, were shown in the spring of 2002 at the Gallery of Fine Art, Edison College, Fort Myers, Florida. Merce Cunningham: Dancing on the Cutting Edge, an exhibition of recent design for MCDC, opened at the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami, in January 2007. The major exhibition Invention: Merce Cunningham & Collaborators at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts will close on October 13, 2007.

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http://www.merce.org/index.html

Merce Cunningham: Videos

Merce Cunningham created a very unique style of choreography that broke new ground, tore down barriers between different disciplines of dance and even shunned the notion that dance required music. He was a pioneer and fierceky creative soul who has left us with a new way to see and experience movement. he will be missed.

July 27, 2009

E. Lynn Harris

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I've been away spending quality time with my paternal family during our annual family reunion which was a lot of fun. While I was away we lost another great. I decided NOT to blog or Tweet while I was away as this time was for family. However, I have returned and I wanted to make sure that readers of Urban Pop Life know that I am pained to hear of E. Lynn Harris' untimely death at the age of 54.

This has clearly been a bad summer for black icons, but death is an unfortunate and inescapable companion to life. Death gives life meaning and in this way even death is a ultimately a blessing. Not knowing how long we have should inspire each of us to never take anything for granted.

E. Lynn Harris was a highly successful writer who stood up and wrote stories that were true to his own experiences as a black gay man in a time period that was less open to discussing black male homosexuality so publicly. For his contributions to the conversation about HUMAN RIGHTS and UNIVERSAL love E. Lynn Harris will always hold a special place in my creative heart.

I met him at a book signing event at a friends home in Los Angeles over a decade ago and I found him to be a kind and seemingly gentle soul. My condolences go out to his family and friends and my respect will flow forever.

Please find below his obituary courtesy of The Associated Press.

LOS ANGELES (AP) - E. Lynn Harris, a pioneer of gay black fiction and a literary entrepreneur who rose from self-publishing to best-selling status, has died, his publicist said Friday. He was 54.

Publicist Laura Gilmore said Harris died Thursday night after being stricken at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills, and a cause of death had not been determined. She said Harris, who lived in Atlanta, fell ill on a train to Los Angeles a few days ago and blacked out for a few minutes, but seemed fine after that.

Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said only that a man matching Harris' name and date of birth had died Thursday night at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, which was confirmed by hospital spokeswoman Simi Singer. Gilmore said an autopsy would be performed Monday or Tuesday.

An improbable and inspirational success story, Harris worked for a decade as an IBM executive before taking up writing, selling the novel "Invisible Life" from his car as he visited salons and beauty parlors around Atlanta. He had unprecedented success for an openly gay black author and his strength as a romance writer led some to call him the "male Terry McMillan."

He went on to mainstream success with works such as the novel "Love of My Own" and the memoir "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted."

His writing fell into several genres, including gay and lesbian fiction, African American fiction and urban fiction. But he found success in showing readers a new side of African American life: the secret world of professional, bisexual black men living as heterosexuals.

"He was a pioneering voice within the black LGBT community but also resonated with mainstream communities, regardless of race and sexual orientation," said Herndon Davis, a gay advocate and a diversity media consultant in Los Angeles. "Harris painted with eloquent prose and revealing accuracy the lives of African American men and the many complicated struggles they face d reconciling their sexuality and spirituality while rising above societal taboos within the black community."

Harris published 11 novels, 10 of which were on The New York Times best-seller list. There are over 4 million copies of his books in print, according to his publisher, Doubleday.

"We at Doubleday are deeply shocked and saddened to learn of E. Lynn Harris' death at too young an age," said Doubleday spokeswoman Alison Rich, his longtime publicist. "His pioneering novels and powerful memoir about the black gay experience touched and inspired millions of lives, and he was a gifted storyteller whose books brought delight and encouragement to readers everywhere."

In an interview last year, Harris recalled the first time he realized he was poor, when as a young boy his family was invited to the housewarming of a well-to-do family in his hometown of Fayetteville, Ark. Fresh from an afternoon of playing outside, he tried desperately to tuck his bare, dusty f e et underneath the sofa after another guest remarked on his appearance.

"I didn't grow up in the kind of environment that my characters grew up in, or the kind of environment that I live in now," he said. "It was one of the things that I always aspired to."

His 1994 debut, "Invisible Life," was a coming-of-age story that dealt with the then-taboo topic.

"If you were African American and you were gay, you kept your mouth shut and you went on and did what everybody else did," he said. "You had girlfriends, you lived a life that your parents had dreamed for you."

Harris was not living as an openly gay man when "Invisible Life" was published, and could not acknowledge the parallels between himself and the book.

"People would often ask, 'Is this book about you?' I didn't want to talk about that," he said. "I wasn't comfortable talking about it. I would say that this is a work of fiction."

Harris said that the courage readers got from the book em p owered him to be honest about himself. He continued to tell stories dealing with similar issues, to tell black middle class readers about people they knew, but who were living secret lives.

For years, he was alone in exposing the "down low," but the phenomenon exploded into mainstream culture in 2004, a decade after "Invisible Life." That year, J.L. King's "On the Down Low: A Journey Into the Lives of 'Straight' Black Men Who Sleep With Men" hit bookstores and the author appeared on Oprah Winfrey's TV show.

His 10th novel, "Just Too Good to Be True," focused for the first time on a straight relationship, telling the story of a 21-year-old football star, his mother, and his cheerleader love interest. Harris taught writing classes at his alma mater, the University of Arkansas, and leaned on his students there to gather material for the book.

The last book Harris published, "Basketball Jones," focused on a hidden relationship between a successful business prof e ssional in New Orleans and an NBA star.

Janis F. Kearney met Harris when the two were among a handful of black journalism students at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. The two became fast friends and their relationship deepened as they both evolved into authors. Kearney, who now lives in Little Rock, Ark., recalled Harris' huge heart.

"I've seen him help so many people," Kearney said. "He was very open, very giving, very caring, someone you felt so fortunate to have in your life. He's just one of those people I'll never stop missing."


Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press

* Invisible Life (1991 Self Published – 1994 Mass Marketed)
* Just As I Am (1995) *
* And This Too Shall Pass (1997)
* If This World Were Mine (1998) **
* Abide With Me (2000)
* Not A Day Goes By (2000)
* From the Book Got to Be Real - 4 Original Love Stories by Eric Jerome Dickey, Marcus Major, E. Lynn Harris and Colin Channer
* Any Way the Wind Blows (2002) *
* A Love Of My Own (2003) *
* What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted – A Memoir (2004)
* I Say a Little Prayer (2006)
* Just Too Good To Be True (2008)
* Basketball Jones" (2009)

* Winner of Blackboard's Novel of the Year Award
** Winner of James Baldwin Award for Literary Excellence

http://www.elynnharris.com/

July 21, 2009

Urban Pop EXCLUSIVE - Whitney Houston listening event at Jazz at Lincoln Center

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For anyone who has doubts about Whitney Houston’s ability to deliver hot new music and inspire with her golden voice, rest assured the diva still delivers.

Last night in the Allen Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center Clive Davis personally hosted a once in a lifetime listening event to premiere Whitney Houston’s new album “I Look To You.”

It was the kind of event that you just knew was going to be special from the time we arrived. The event was a star-studded affair with celebrities, music biz legends, media and next generation tastemakers in attendance. The night promised to be special and it was just that. Attendees included Diane Sawyer, Cissy Houston, Dionne Warwick, LA Reid, Martha Stewart, Vivica Fox, and several contributors to the new release including Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys whose collaboration called ”Million Dollar Baby” kicked off the evening’s journey.

Clive Davis played host for the evening kicking off the nine song listening session with Million Dollar Baby written specifically for Whitney Houston by Alicia Keys and produced by Swizz Beatz. The song is a club banger with attitude. Whitney rides the track with a joyful and triumphant vocal. The lyric is dope, uplifting and empowering and Swizzy’s beat is just crazy! The industry crowd not known for showing emotion went bananas!

Whitney teams up with Akon on the island-influenced mid tempo joint called “Like I Never Left” The song features a nice melody and laid back, but passionate vocals from Houston and Akon.
“Worth It” is quite likely my favorite song on a release full of potential singles. The song was written by Jonte Austin and produced by Eric Hudson. I just love this tune! It’s grooving without trying too hard and positive without being sappy. The track moves along with an understated funk that makes your head bob as you get caught up in the terrific melody and lyric.

Other contributors to the release include Diane Warren and David Foster who wrote and produced the pop ballad “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength”; Danja who produced Nothin But Love; Stargate who produced both the Jonte Austin penned midtempo romp “Call You Tonight” and the release’s only cover tune which we’ll get to a bit later.

R. Kelly penned the urban pop joint called “Salute” as well as the spiritually uplifting title track “I Look To You.” The title song embodies the over all tone of the release which is one of triumph over adversity and finding ones strength in something higher than self.

The evening came to a close with a truly original reworking of the Donny Hathaway classic “A Song For You” which after starting with a powerful vocal sung over piano chords, kicked into high gear with a club friendly track courtesy of Stargate. During the song the artist herself made her way onstage to personally thank everyone for attending.

Whitney looked incredible in a form fitting black dress and was clearly happy to be back. She’s in great voice, good spirits and apparently ready to remind us all why we fell in love all those years ago. As we all still grieve for genius lost, I’m happy to be able to proclaim “this is it!”

"I Look To You" will be released on September 1, 2009. It almost makes me look forward to the end of summer.

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For more info on me visit my official website
www.rickyday.net






Whitney Houston album preview event: An emotional evening of song

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Everyone loves a winner. With that being said get ready to fall in love with Whitney Houston all over again.

The diva is set to return on September 1, 2009 with her first studio release in 6 years "I Look To You."

Last night at The Allen Room in Jazz at Lincoln Center music 77 year old legend Clive Davis stood on the stage and personally previewed nine new songs from Houston's upcoming release. During the evening he shared Whitney's thoughts on the material and her journey to this point and it was an emotional night to say the least.

The room chalked full of entertainment icons in their own right could barely hold back their own overwhelmingly heartfelt joy at seeing Whitney return in great voice and looking absolutely beautiful in black. Alicia Keys danced and raised her arms in the air while her contribution to the release "Million Dollar Baby" produced by Swizz Beatz pumped through the massive sound system. Other attendees on hand included Gayle King, Martha Stewart, Diane Sawyer, Stephen Hill and Debra Lee (BET), LA Reid, Andre Harell, Dionne Warwick, Cissy Houston and her beautiful daughter Bobbi Christina who looked overjoyed to see her mommy receiving so much love and adoration!

Celebrity is like a pact with the devil, it has its perks AND it's price and Whitney has lived both in equal measure. After the tragic loss of Michael Jackson just weeks ago, it is even more wonderful to see this beautiful sista not only survive the ups and downs of life, but to thrive again doing what she does best.

For the past few years I've had this constant conversation with dear friends who said Whitney's best work was behind her and that she'd never make another great record again. My reply was shut up and let's just pray that this wonderful talent who has blessed us with so much joy over the years can make her way through it all and emerge triumphant and healed. I'm so glad to be able to turn to the naysayers and happily say to each of them "I told you so." Never count a human being out. As long as we have a breath in our lungs or a beat in our hearts all things are possible. Whitney has emerged from it all a tested survivor who appears to be in love with life itself.

The title track "I Look To You" penned by R. Kelly captures the spirit of the CD. It's a spiritually uplifting pop ballad that proves Whitney's in great voice and shares the sentiment that sometimes you have to look to a power greater than self to lift you up when all seems lost.

Whitney we love and appreciate you and we're glad to have you here with us. Congratulations my Leo sista. Our prayers have been answered. The diva has returned.

July 20, 2009

Luck of The Draw:Photos from the event

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Surface Magazine contest: Please go vote for me

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Yo I've entered the Surface Magazine Avant Guardian photography contest. Click on the link below and vote for me. Popular vote is 20% of the final judging so your votes will help. The contest site doesn't appear to be searchable so I cut and pasted a link. However, I'm not sure if the page I am on will change as more people enter the contest...so please do me a favor, if you don't see me on the page that corresponds to the link then just browse through a couple of extra pages and I'll probably be right there.

This is also a great way to see a few sample images from my on-going portrait series This is The Life which is coming next year.

Have a great day and make sure you pop!

Surface Magazine

For more info on me visit my official website
www.rickyday.net





Like the Spice presents Off the Clock a group exhibition

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Let me start this blurb with one simple statement I LOVE LIKE THE SPICE GALLERY!!!!!

Like The Spice is a very cool little gallery in Brooklyn, New York. Marisa Sage (Sage, Like the Spice...get it? lol) is a talented artist and instructor who was my first photoshop instructor. The gallery focuses on contemporary art and artists and hosts several great shows every year. Marisa also hosts regular artist dinners in which a group of art lovers engage in a stimulating discussion of art and culture with an exhibiting artist over a homegrown, delicious and healthy meal. Below is a blurb on the new exhibition in the space. Check it out.

Like the Spice is pleased to present Off the Clock, a group exhibition of works by artists who work or have worked as studio assistants to other artists, featuring works by Rachel Beach who has assisted Roxy Paine, Jason Bryant who assists Kehinde Wiley, Allison Edge who has assisted McDermott & McGough and Jeff Koons, Charlie Ledbetter who also has assisted Jeff Koons, Jenny Morgan and David Mramor who assist Marilyn Minter and Reuben Negron who assists Papa Colo. The seven artists in this show have each spent a considerable amount of time working in another artist's studio. Here we present their personal artwork, giving viewers an introduction to the next generation of artists who may one day have assistants of their own as well as a chance to consider the studio assistant's place in the art world more generally.

Rachel Beach makes wooden sculptures with a tromp l'oeil kick, playing three-dimensional reality against two-dimensional illusion. Jason Bryant's cropped, photorealistic paintings of models and celebrities bring mystery and humanity back to the age of overexposure. Allison Edge investigates tween psychology, innocence, and nostalgia in her highly detailed oils. Charlie Ledbetter combines images inspired by multiple texts in compositions that playfully evoke grand literary themes. Jenny Morgan's portraits conflate the physicality of paint and person, psychology and physiology. Her collaborative works with David Mramor, investigate the tension and fluidity of portrait and landscape, abstraction and representation. In his sensuously painted watercolors, Reuben Negrón explores the private lives of people in love and lust, exposing and elevating them at once.

LikeTheSpice.com

Peek through the doors of Like the Spice Gallery, and you'll see an example of how art can be clever
and all-encompassing at the same time. In our space at 224 Roebling Street, between S 2nd and S 3rd, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Like the Spice promotes art that carries both meaning and beauty.

Like the Spice artists are encouraged to push their limits and find new directions in their work, bringing
art that is resonating, not just hanging. From pencil and oil to sculpture and video; our paintings are fresh and our digital art is not just about the pixels.

Like the Spice is happy to be a part of Williamsburg 2nd Fridays. Click here to learn more!
{224 Roebling Street. Brooklyn, NY 11211} {718-388-5388} {info@likethespice.com} {Wed - Sun 12-7, Mon by appt. only}

Google Maps

For more info on me visit my official website
www.rickyday.net





Chaperone John Waters' Desperate Living (1977) w/ Kalup Linzy WEDNESDAY, JULY 22. 7PM

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Chaperone John Waters' Desperate Living (1977) w/ Kalup Linzy
WEDNESDAY, JULY 22. 7PM. FREE. EFA Project Space, 323 W. 39th Street, 2nd Floor

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"For a long time, I was a fan of John Waters' film Serial Mom with no familiarity of his previous work. Shortly after beginning the Conversations Wit de Churen series, I was accepted into the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. There, the faculty and my mentors suggested I look at early John Waters films. One film in particular,Desperate Living (1977), captured my imagination the most. Having first viewedDesperate Living a quarter of a century after its release, this classic film gave me the courage to freely and subversively explore subjects of race, gender and sexuality in my own video work - in particular, Conversations Wit de Churen 4: Play Wit de Churen and KK Queen Survey. In these particular works, psycho-sexually charged domestic drama, bad nerves, irreverent relationships, and characters who often could care less about each other's feelings all reflect Waters' influence." - Kalup Linzy

From June 10th through July 29th, 2009, EFA Project Space presents Chaperone. This weekly series consists of films handpicked by a group of artists, all whose work provocatively explores disparate aspects of our culture's love affair with mediated reality.

For more info on me visit my official website
www.rickyday.net





Exhibition extended at Kinkead Contemporary in LA

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Kinkead Contemporary is pleased to announce that Heather Cantrell's exhibition, A Study in Portraiture: Act 1, curated by Caryn Coleman, will be extended through August 15, 2009.

Heather Cantrell - A Study in Portraiture: Act 1
June 20 - August 15, 2009
Curated by Caryn Coleman
Opening reception Saturday, June 20, 6-9pm.


Heather Cantrell, A Study in Portraiture (Laura Howe), 2008. Silver rag archival ink jet. Ed. Unique (2 A.P.s), 15" X 12.5".

A Study in Portraiture deals with the subversion and altering of identity through portraiture and how those issues manifest themselves through Heather Cantrell's exploration of tribes and subcultures, specifically those of the art world. The project explores her usage of theatricality and references to historical artworks within her chosen medium of photography to document the performative. Involving much more than mere photography, Cantrell's artistic practice entails a conceptual strategy that incorporates performance, theater, painting, sculpture, and sociology. The resulting photographic image represents this in one captured moment with all its beautiful ambiguity and intrigue - it is a 'play-still.'

Kinkead Contemporary will be turned into an "in-house" photography studio for Heather Cantrell's A Study in Portraiture: Act I where members of the Los Angeles art community will be invited to participate in the performative act of having their portrait taken. Using hand-painted backdrops and a variety of costume and prop materials, Cantrell pushes her role as a director, embracing ideas of the theater, by making each exhibition of A Study in Portraiture an act in a play (hence the titling "Act I" and "Act II" etc.) where each individual has the ability to realize and portray a character. Referencing West African photographers Seydou Keita and Malick Sidibe as well as the 18th century society portraits of British painter Thomas Gainsborough, she addresses the subject's complicity in constructed identity and the role the artist also has in creating this. Like these artists, she does this while simultaneously documenting a generation - hers being an ethnographic exploration in the exclusivity of the contemporary art world.

Cantrell's portrait studio will remain in the main gallery throughout the exhibition functioning as the site for scheduled sessions throughout the show (these will occur both privately and publicly) and as an installation object when not in use. Also on display will be selected framed portraits and a wall where small photographs will be added as each session occurs. The website www.studyinportraiture.com is a documentary component to the series featuring project history, images of the sessions, portrait photographs, news, and interviews.

KinkeadContemporary.com

For more info on me visit my official website
www.rickyday.net





July 19, 2009

Vote for Me please...

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Yo I've entered the Surface Magazine Avant Guardian photography contest. Click on the link below and vote for me. Popular vote is 20% of the final judging so your votes will help. The contest site doesn't appear to be searchable so I cut and pasted a link. However, I'm not sure if the page I am on will change as more people enter the contest...so please do me a favor, if you don't see me on the page that corresponds to the link then just browse through a couple of extra pages and I'll probably be right there.

This is also a great way to see a few sample images from my on-going portrait series This is The Life which is coming next year.

Have a great day and make sure you pop!

Surface Magazine

LeBasse Projects presents: 'A Distorted Lens' New work from David Flores and Lisa Alisa

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LeBasse Projects presents:
'A Distorted Lens'
New work from David Flores and Lisa Alisa

Artist reception: Saturday, July 18th, 7 to 10pm
Music and Beverages sponsored by DailyduJour

LeBasse Projects is proud to announce, 'A Distorted Lens,' a two-artist exhibition featuring gallery artists David Flores and Lisa Alisa. Both artists have worked with the gallery since the first group show hosted by director Beau Basse in 2005. Coming full circle, the artists are each presenting new bodies of work to open the summer season at LeBasse Projects' new gallery.

In his first Los Angeles show since 2006, Flores delivers all new artwork that embodies his unique interpretation of pop iconography. In addition to his paintings he has embellished dozens of vintage fashion, music and news magazine spreads with his vision of the world around him. Flores' stained-glass window style creates a warped view of the pop icons he simultaneously idolizes and mocks.

Lisa Alisa is clearly influeced by Japanese artists like Hayao Miyazaki and Takashi Murakami, but her work tends to have much more bite. Generally featuring thinly veiled self-portraits, her paintings are what she refers to as 'new feminist' artwork. While bloody and violent, the paintings are a metaphor for both the brutality of life and the desire for change within the artist herself. There's a thick vein of dark, surreal humor running through the images

The pair both paint in the 'superflat' style, but have clearly found their own voices in making their individual commentary on society. Alisa is openly shouting her feminist views while Flores' work is subtly, but undeniably masculine. Together Alisa and Flores reflect both sides of the dynamic that distinguishes between men and women.

For additional inquiries or preview please contact us at:
contact@lebasseprojects.com or 310.558.0200

www.lebasseprojects.com

July 17, 2009

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(American Flag - Robert Mapplethorpe)

Arts Happenings in Harlem

A Dialogue Between CORNEL WEST and CARL DIX

The ascendancy of Obama...and the continued need for resistance and liberation. A dialogue between Cornel West and Carl Dix.
July 14, Tuesday, 7pm
Harlem Stage at Aaron Davis Hall
150 Convent Avenue at west 135th Street
Tickets: $20 - Premium Tickets: $100. Group rates also available.
To purchase tickets:
From Revolution Books: 212-691-3345, or on line at www.revolutionbooksnyc.org/Purchase.htm
From Harlem Stage: 212-281-9240 ext.6, or online www.harlemstage.org
For more information or to volunteer, call Revolution Books at 212-691-3345, Email: cornelcarldialogue@gmail.com

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African Voices Presents Tips on Using the Internet to Promote Your Book

Saturday, July 18, 2009, from 1:30 pm-2:45pm
African Voices magazine will host "Doin' It: Promoting & Selling Your Book Online," a discussion on the resources available for authors to successfully use new technology to promote and sell their book online.

Guests will include a panel of publicists, authors, and other professionals who specialize in Internet marketing, everything from blogs, e-newsletters, social media networking, and the use of mobile phones will be covered in this exciting presentation. Learn how to get the word out about your new book without having a multi-million dollar marketing budget!

The program is a part of the historic Harlem Book Fair and will be held at County Cullen Library, Auditorium (Corner 136 St. & Malcolm X Blvd.). For information call: 212 865-2982.
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Dwyer Cultural Center Community Works Presents:
Inaugural Summer Programs
July 7 - August 31, 2009
Affordable cultural and performing arts events for the community!
Group Rates and discounts for youth and seniors!
Jumpin' @ The Dwyer
All Performances are at 11 AM and 1:30 PM

IMPACT REPERTORY THEATRE
Tuesday, July 14
Join this Oscar-nominated group as they celebrate the extraordinary talents and unique visions of Harlem's young people; addressing issues important to all communities through energetic song, dance and spoken word. Post show discussion.

SARAFINA
Thurs. July 16
A screening of the acclaimed movie musical about South African students involved in the notorious 1976 Soweto Riots in opposition to apartheid. An inspirational story about having the courage to fight for a better world at any age! Please join producer Voza Rivers who brought this award winning film to Broadway and Harlem in 1984 for an in- depth post discussion on this groundbreaking film.

For more information on these events go to
http://www.dwyercc.org/
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New York African Chorus Ensemble : The Gathering IV

A night of African Traditional, Popular, and Art music & Awards ceremony Directed by Joyce Adewumi
Featuring: Mai Lingani-Vocal, Yacouba (Cora) Mahamadou (Dejembe), Aya Kato-Piano, New York African Chorus Ensemble Inc, South African Harlem Voices

Place: The Riverside Theater (91 Claremont Ave., 120th street)
Donation $10.00
Date: Saturday July 18, 2009
Time: 7pm sharp

For Tickets Call Joyce at 212-862-4858, Gloria at 212-368-5444, Paul at 917-539-7271
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Gospel Uptown - Harlem's Inspirational Place

Friday, July 24 - 8:00pm
$30 cover
Call For Ticket Information:
(212) 280-2110

Hezekiah Walker
Bishop Hezekiah Xzavier Walker, Jr. (born December 24, 1962, in Brooklyn, New York) is a Grammy Award-winning gospel music artist, founder and leader of the Love Fellowship Choir, and Pastor & Bishop of the Love Fellowship Tabernacle, with locations in Brooklyn, New York, and Bensalem, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Bishop Walker is also the Founder and Overseer of the Covenant Keepers International Fellowship, which spiritually covers, giving guidance and direction to, numerous pastors and their churches in the US - including multiple Love Fellowship Tabernacle - The Kingdom Church, with locations throughout the US and in South Africa.

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Sonia Barnett Art Exhibit "Evolution"

Hamilton Grange Branch Library at 503 West 145th Street between Amsterdam and Broadway

Exhibition Dates: July 1, 2009-October 31st, 2009.
Reception: Wednesday, July 1st. 5:00 PM-7:00 PM.

Open to the Public

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Exhibitions Curated by Laura R. Gadson

Harlem Sewn Up: Quilted Reflections of a Community
June 20th - November 2009
Dwyer Cultural Center, 258 St Nicholas Ave @ 123rd St.
Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 11am-5pm

A group quilt exhibition featuring Faith Ringgold, Michael Cummings, Ife Felix, Laura Gadson, Dindga McCannon, Myrah Brown Green, Bisa Butler, Adriene Cruz, Diane Pryor Holland and the Harlem Girls Quilting Circle.

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Jewelry as Art - an exhibition featuring the fine work of Jewelry Artisans
July 2nd - Aug. 16th
Gallery M, 123 West 135th Street
Tues - Sat: Call for gallery hours (212) 234-4106
Jewelry artisans are often not recognized in a formal visual arts setting. This exhibition will shine a bright light on their artistry and celebrate their craft.

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Sincere's Heart, a play by Brandi Webb
Opening Wednesday, July 8th, 2009!

Show Dates/Location: July 8th through the 12th at Producers Club Grand Theatre at 358 West 44th St. (btw. 8th & 9th Aves.) NY, NY 10036.

Synopsis: Sincere struggles to support his two teenage sisters however, his transition from brother to parent proves him to be ill-prepared. Tensions surface when his uncle, Jerold - a drug addict, steps in as the legal guardian of his sisters. Is either one of them fit to raise the girls?

"Romanticism," an exhibition of new photographs by Lou Reed at Adamson Gallery in D.C.

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Lou Reed, Untitled (Santa Fe), 2009. Pigment print, Image size: 8 x 12 inches, Paper size: 16 x 20 inches
Romanticism
July 25 - September 5, 2009

Opening Reception:
Saturday, July 25th
6:30 - 8:30 pm
Adamson Gallery is pleased to present "Romanticism," an exhibition of new photographs by Lou Reed - stunning black and white images of landscapes and architectural motifs, shot on the artist's travels to Scotland, Denmark, Big Sur and elsewhere. The photographs are taken with a digital camera that Reed had adapted to "see" in the infrared zone, which gives them as aura of strangeness, or otherworldliness. They have a timeless quality but are simultaneously very modern, like Reed himself. They are surprisingly small in scale, making these striking natural images personal, portable, and intimate.

First with his group, The Velvet Underground and then as a solo artist, Lou Reed has been making innovations in music since the 1960s. His name has become synonymous with the New York avant-garde, and with the city itself. With his photography, Reed has been moving out of New York, while his first collection featured portraits of the city, this new one focuses on more pastoral settings.

This collection of photographs takes its name from the 18th and 19th century art movement that sought a return to the emotion, beauty, and unknowability of the natural as a counterpoint to industrial era's emphasis on technological development and the pursuit of rational knowledge. Reed's images recall this impulse: they focus on the aesthetic and the sublime; the splendor of a single tree against a cloudy Scottish sky, suffused with light. There is, however, also something uncanny and eerie about some of the photographs; the absence of human figures, a road leading over a bridge into a dense, shadowy forest. Reed has recently adapted the poet and writer Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven, the supernatural is a theme that underwrites much of his recent work. Perhaps, like the Romantics, Reed is commenting on another Industrial Revolution - the rapid developments of globalization are once again placing the natural into both literal and metaphoric danger - the beauty of his landscapes takes on a more urgent meaning.

Reed says of his work, "I love photography. I love digital. I love digital. It's what I'd always wished for. Being in the camera and experiencing the astonishing accomplishment of the creations of life sparked through the beauty of the detailed startling power of the glass lens. A new German lens brings a mist to me. The colors and light I come to see through the beauty of the camera. A love that lasts forever is the love of the lens of sharpness - of spirit warmth and depth and feeling. It makes my body pour emotion into the heartbeat of the world. A great trade and exchange. I think of the camera as my soul. Much like a guitar. My lovely Alpa has rosewood grips. What more could you need?"

Lou Reed has been working in multiple media for over thirty years. Along with his band, The Velvet Underground, he was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. He has acted in and composed music for a number of films, and is the recipient of the Chevalier Commander of Arts and Letters from the French government. He is the author of Pass thru Fire: The Collected Lyrics and the play The Raven. His previous books of photography, both published with Steidl, include Lou Reed's New York and Emotion in Action.

For more information, please contact Laurie Adamson or Erin Boland at (202) 232-0707 or email gallery@adamsongallery.com.
ADAMSON GALLERY
1515 fourteenth street nw
washington dc / 20005
phone: 202.232.0707
web: www.adamsongallery.com
email: gallery@adamsongallery.com

July 14, 2009

Fritz Helder and The Phantoms at Mr. Black

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Last Friday I went to Mr. Black to catch the NYC debut of the band I told you about called Fritz Helder and The Phantoms. they were every bit as wild ans carefree and funky and engaging and escapist as i thought they'd be! They're the kind of band that clearly doesn't take themselves too seriously while still being serious about making music. I'll admit immediately that the music aint for everybody, but then everybody aint for the music.

It's kinda hard not to be a cliche in 2009 when so many great artists have done so many great things over the years. I most definitely peeped some influences that were quite apparent in their look from early Prince to Andre 3000 and DeeLite. The music while rooted in pop, rock and electronica sounds of the past feels amazingly new and kept the mostly gay crowd moving. There were moments when the energy and crowd reaction ebbed and flowed a bit, but in NYC where it's hard to keep anyone focused on anything for more than a couple of minutes they did just fine.

I can't say if the band is gonna work for you, but I can say they worked for me and I think you should check them out as soon as you can. The party at Mr. Black was actually a lot of fun too featuring a very diverse crowd of gay men, straight women and people from around the world. There were great club beats, classic house and electronica on one dance floor and the other floor featured R&B and POP (you know how I love my Pop!!!!).

I would have taken pictures but a close friend and fellow blogger STILL HAS MY EFFING CAMERA. Adam...Adam...can you hear me? LOL

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Bio
Fritz Helder & The Phantoms bring new meaning to the words pop couture. One listen to their debut disc, Greatest Hits: Platinum Edition, is like having an all-access pass to the fetes and front-rows of Paris, New York, Milan and London Fashion week. Threading together rich runway references, hip-hop-induced street cred and a multi-fierceited sound that blends electronic music’s past and future—the Toronto-born band is as rare as the vintage Yves Saint Laurent collections that inspire them.

Led by chameleon-like front-man Fritz Helder—a keytar wielding, contralto vocalist whose grandiose presence can only be described as fourth dimensional—the quartet’s energy is as tremendous in-studio as it is on-stage. For proof, take a listen to their debut disc’s jewel-in-crown track “Making A Scene”. During the song’s catchy first verse Fritz raps about “dancefloor beats rocking it hard” amongst a plethora of carefully-crafted synth riffs and an onslaught of wild cowbells. The track reflects Greatest Hits: Platinum Edition as whole, working listeners into a frenzy at every turn of note, all while Helder sensually sings about the clubland vision of “disco balls and leotards” surrounding him.

Speaking of vision, it’s no wonder pop queen Nelly Furtado and design legend Karl Lagerfeld are counted as Fritz Helder & The Phantoms fans. The group’s avante-garde image (think hi-fashion, high-gloss, and high concept) and connection to chicness and beauty can be comparable to Roxy Music’s glory days in the 70s or Grace Jones at her most raw and risqué. Take for instance the band’s exquisite first single “Lagerfeld Lady”, a tribute track recorded for their idol, the Kaiser of fashion himself. Laden with a funk-laden forté of slinky rhythms and Prince-worthy lyrics, the tune—which is accompanied by a slick video filmed in Paris—fits fabulously into underground DJ sets and party playlists as much as it does FM radiowaves.

Yet Fritz and his talented crew of merry men and woman—a troupe that includes the glamorous Pastel Supernova (vocals), the cunning Diego Superstar (beats / keys / vocals) and electric-guitar player and vocals, Silk Helder—aren’t about fitting in at all. Blending funk, disco, hip-hop, punk, ska, comedy and tragedy into their first album’s tracklist as well as mixing energetic choreography and envelope-pushing costume work into their live performances, the band breaks conventions effortlessly.

As songs such as “Work It” , “Sex Robot” and the Anna Wintour-worrying “You Ain’t Vogue” prove, the band’s stylish mission is to stand out, be heard and have fun while doing so. With so many groups ready-to-wear themselves out into the cookie cutter confines of safe, formulaic music, Fritz Helder & The Phantoms stand apart, producing an all-style, all-substance brand of pop couture that will undoubtedly be making a scene for years to come.

www.fritzhelder.com
www.myspace.com/fritzhelderandthephantoms

Release Date: Fritz Helder & The Phantoms *Greatest Hits: Platinum Edition” (Nelstar Music) July 7, 2009

Hey Detroit check this out

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Contact: Dane Young For Immediate Release
313.790.9027
be_young_pr@yahoo.com


THE CONFESSIONAL

On July 31st 2009 Art Nouveau Magazine and HOP Models and Talent Agency will invade the city of Detroit to present an evening of glitz, glamour and fashion.

For one night only the industrial Tangent Gallery will be transformed into a battleground where sophistication and chic meets the urban streets. Find out what happens when models stop being polite and start getting real, “The Confessional”, Detroit.

“The Confessional” is a production that explores fashion capitals of the world, with an added element of reality. “The Confessional, is our take on America’s Next Top Model and the Real World” according to event coordinator Dane Young. This show will give the audience an insight on what it takes to put on a production as well as introduce the models as fictional reality tv show characters. “Over all fashion as never looked so real.”

The show features designs and styling by local artists Deante J, Gunk, 323, S.N.O.B.B, Esther & Ruth, Paper Dolls and many more. Opening reception is at 7pm, with meet and greet, and show will start immediately following.

When: July 31st 2009
Where: Tangent Gallery
715 Milwaukee St.
Detroit, MI 48202
Time: Doors Open at 7pm
Advance tickets are $10

After Party at same location from 11pm-3am


To RSVP and secure media coverage for the “The Confessional” please email Dane Young at be_young_pr@yahoo.com

For additional or for Interview Requests please contact:
Branden Young
313.790.9027
byoung@artnouveaumagazine.com

PS1 Summer

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After eleven years of presenting the best in experimental music and live DJs, Warm Up has become the highlight of the New York City summer. This year's lineup includes performances by Glenn Branca, Stars Like Fleas, Timmy Regisford, and DJ Danny Wang, among many others. Occurring every Saturday from July 4 through September 5, Warm Up coincides with the installation of Afterparty by MOS, winner of the 2009 MoMA/P.S.1 Young Architects Program competition.

PLOT/09: The World & Nearer Ones » A public art extravaganza in New York

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PLOT/09: The World & Nearer Ones »
A public art extravaganza

Installation of Anthony McCall's Between You and I, 2009
This summer, Creative Time launches New York's first public art quadrennial, PLOT, with The World & Nearer Ones, an exhibition on Governors Island featuring 19 individual artists and artist collectives from nine different countries. Minutes away from Manhattan and Brooklyn by ferry, Governors Island in New York Harbor was home to the US military for more than 200 years, but now its fortresses, officer's houses, chapel, theater, and other sites hold contemporary art. Exhibition curator Mark Beasley divides the work, which engages the island's history and future, between indoor and outdoor locales — making the discovery of the artists' projects an adventure.

Light and sound are popular mediums for several of the featured artists. Anthony McCall uses video projectors and haze machines to construct parallel sculptures that move slowly through the darkened Saint Cornelius Chapel and eventually, almost imperceptibly, trade places with one another. Krzysztof Wodiczko presents a video installation — deep in a dark, dank munitions room in old Fort Jay — of a candle flame that flickers with the voices of soldiers recalling the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Elsewhere, Susan Philipsz amplifies sound from an outdoor speaker, singing "By My Side" from the musical Godspell, asking, "Where are you going? Can you take me with you?" of the not-so-distant Statue of Liberty.

Judi Werthein incorporates another symbol of American patriotism, the national anthem, into the two-channel video installation La Tierra de los Libres (The Land of the Free), which captures two views of Columbian refugees singing their own lively version of "The Star-Spangled Banner." Adam Chodzko tackles patriotism, or at least duty, with his video installation Echo; presented in the ballroom of the former Officer's Club, it mixes tales of a swapping game, which "military brats" supposedly played, with imaginary reflections by current staff and both newly shot and found-film footage. Contrastingly, The Bruce High Quality Foundation satirizes the island's resurgence as an art destination and the current economic death of the art world in Isle of the Dead, a 19-minute zombie film shot and screened in the abandoned movie theater.

July 11, 2009

Caren Golden Fine Arts to close it's doors

To our Friends and Supporters

Caren Golden Fine Art will suspend regular exhibitions at the close of the Nicola López's
Shadowland on July 10th. Despite our hard work and a successful string of recent exhibitions,
I have decided to take the gallery underground and focus on dealing, consulting and curating privately. While I am eager to begin the next chapter of my involvement in the contemporary art world, it is difficult to give up the energy that comes with the monthly cycle of exhibitions presented in a pubic gallery space. That said, I look forward to reducing the demands and overhead that a physical space requires, and hope that this freedom will allow me to pursue a deeper and more
varied relationship with the contemporary art scene.

I will continue to support and promote the CGFA artists and welcome inquiries about them
for sales, exhibition and representation, while I look forward to reinventing myself as a private art dealer, advisor, curator, and more. The challenge will be to keep the spirit of the gallery alive without the public presence of an exhibition space -- but, with commitment, drive and your support,
the gallery's vision will endure.

Heartfelt thanks to the many supporters of Caren Golden Fine Art and to the talented artists
whose work has hung on the walls and inspired us for fifteen years. I wish I could have contacted
each of you individually with this news, but time would not allow.

Please stop by for our final week of exhibition, July 5th through 10th,
to take a last look, reminisce and share your thoughts about the changing nature
of the today's contemporary art world.

Caren

July 09, 2009

Michael Jackson Memorial Service programs are here

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I thought you'd all enjoy these keepsakes.

Ricky

Download file

Download file

For more info on me visit my official website
www.rickyday.net





July 08, 2009

2300 Jackson Street

I was in Chicago for the 4th of July. I had a great time with family and friends and my best friend Akim joined me for the trip. We did a lot of stuff far too much to mention in detail, but let's just say we had a great time. Much like Stella I got my groove back, spent quality time with my family and hung out with old friends. A few friends from Ne York were in town and we all hung out as well.

One of the highlights of the trip happened a couple of days ago when we made the pilgrimage to Gary, Indiana to see the Jackson Family home at 2300 Jackson Street. The house was tiny, the neighborhood quaint and you could feel the love in the air. This is a community of people who have lived in the area the entire lives and although the area is economically depressed the sense of community and love was apparent.

Of course I took a ton of images of the tiny home and I wanted to share them here with you. I am not including any of the family images because I want to preserve their privacy. Hope you enjoy the images as much as I enjoyed being there to take them.

For more info on me visit my official website
www.rickyday.net

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Luck of The Draw TONIGHT AT RUSH ARTS

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I am a participating artist in a great event TONIGHT in New York City. Come check us out at Rush Arts.

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TONIGHT Wednesday, July 8th, for Luck Of The Draw, a raffle of small artworks with proceeds supporting future exhibitions at Rush Arts and Corridor Gallery.

For ticket information and to RSVP please contact Rush Arts: 212.691.9552 or 718.230.5002

Individual tickets are $175 and guarantees a choice of artwork based on the order of the draw. Artwork will be presented anonymously; artist name will be revealed after the work is chosen.

For 13 years, Rush Arts has introduced to the art world some of the best and brightest creative talent who have gone on to make significant cultural and artistic contributions - several of which have gone on to international fortune and fame. This is a perfect opportunity to show your support and win a great piece of art at the same time.

This festive evening will include music, a live performance, refreshments and end with the raffle call. There will also be artworks for silent auction.

Donating Artists:
Aaron Gilbert
Adam Pendleton
Anthony Fuller
Arjan Zazueta
Arlene Rush
Ashanti Chaplin
Ayana V. Jackson
Bayeté Ross-Smith
Boris Rasin
Bradley Dean Wollman
Breanne Trammel/ Peter Segerstrom
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D-Nice
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Individual Raffle Ticket $175 Individual Party Ticket w/o Raffle $50

Michael Jackson: Excerpts from the memorial part 2





July 07, 2009

Michael Jackson donates over 300 million dollars to charities

From Blackweekly.com

Michael Jackson's Charity and Good Works
January 10, 1984: Michael visits the unit for burn victims at Brotman-Memorial Hospital in Los Angeles.
April 9, 1984: David Smithee, a 14-year-old boy who suffers from cystic fibroses is invited to Michael's home. It was David's last wish to meet Michael. He dies 7 weeks later.
April 14, 1984: Michael equips a 19-bed-unit at Mount Senai New York Medical Center. This center is part of the T.J. Martell-Foundation for leukemia and cancer research.
July 5, 1984: During the Jackson's press conference at Tavern On The Green, Michael announces that his part of the earnings from the Victory Tour will be donated to three charitable organizations: The United Negro College Fund, Camp Good Times, and the T.J. Martell-Foundation.
July 14, 1984: After the first concert of the Victory Tour, Michael meets 8 terminally ill children backstage.
December 13, 1984: Michael visits the Brotman Memorial Hospital, where he had been treated when he was burned very badly during the producing of a Pepsi commercial. He donates all the money he receives from Pepsi, $1.5 million, to the Michael Jackson Burn Center for Children.
January 28, 1985: Michael and 44 other artists meet to record "We Are The World", written by Michael and Lionel Ritchie. The proceeds of this record are donated to the starving people in Africa.
1986: Michael set up the "Michael Jackson UNCF Endowed Scholarship Fund". This $1.5 million fund is aimed towards students majoring in performance art and communications, with money given each year to students attending a UNCF member college or university.
February 28, 1986: After having had a heart-transplant, 14-year-old Donna Ashlock from California gets a call from Michael Jackson. He had heard that she is a big fan of his. Michael invites her to his home as soon as she is feeling better. This visit takes place on March 8th. Donna stays for dinner and watches a movie together with Michael.
September 13, 1987: Michael supports a campaign against racism. He supports efforts of the NAACP, to fight prejudices against black artists.
October 1987: At the end of his Bad Tour, Michael donates some personal items to the UNESCO for a charitable auction. The proceeds will be for the education of children in developing countries.
February 1, 1988: The Song "Man In the Mirror" enters the charts. The proceeds from the sales of this record goes to Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times, a camp for children who suffer from cancer.
March 1, 1988: At a press conference held by his sponsor Pepsi, Michael presents a $600,000 check to the United Negro College Fund.
April 1988: Free tickets are given away for three concerts in Atlanta, Georgia to the Make A Wish Foundation.
May 22, 1988: Michael visits children who suffer from cancer in the Bambini-Gesu Children's Hospital in Rome. He signs autographs and gives away sweets and records to the little patients. He promises a check of 100,000 pounds to the hospital.
July 16, 1988: Before a concert at Wembley Stadium Michael meets the Prince of Wales and his wife Diana. He hands over a check of 150,000 pounds for the Prince's Trust, and a check of 100,000 pounds for the children's hospital at Great Ormond Street.
July 20, 1988: Michael visits terminally ill children at Great Ormond Street Hospital. At a unit for less critical patients he stays a little bit longer and tells a story.
August 29, 1988: At his 30th birthday Michael performs a concert in Leeds, England for the English charity-organization "Give For Life". The goal of this organization is the immunization of children. Michael presents a check for 65,000 pounds.
December 1988: Michael visits 12-year-old David Rothenburg. His father had 5 years earlier burned him very badly in an act of revenge against his former wife.
January 1989: The proceeds of one of Michael's shows in Los Angeles are donated to Childhelp USA, the biggest charity-organization against child-abuse. In appreciation of the contributions of Michael, Childhelp of Southern California is founding the "Michael Jackson International Institute for Research On Child Abuse".
January 10, 1989: The Bad Tour comes to an end. Under-privileged children are donated tickets for each concert and Michael donates money to hospitals, orphanages and charity-organizations.
February 7, 1989: Michael visits the Cleveland Elementary School in Stockton, California. Some weeks earlier a 25-year-old man had fired at the school's playground. 5 children had been killed and 39 had been wounded.
March 5, 1989: Michael invites 200 deprived children of the St. Vincent Institute for handicapped children and of the organization Big Brothers and Big Sisters to the Circus Vargas in Santa Barbara. After this event he invites them to his ranch to introduce his private zoo at his Neverland Ranch to them.
November 13, 1989: The organization "Wishes Granted" helps 4-year-old Darian Pagan, who suffers from leukemia to meet Michael. Michael invites the little boy to a performance of Canadian acrobats.
December 28, 1989: Young Ryan White, who suffers from hemophilia, spends his holidays on Michael's ranch. Ryan had been infected with AIDS by contaminated blood transfusions in 1984. After he was excluded from his school in Kokomo, Ryan fought against the discrimination of AIDS victims.
January 6, 1990: Michael invites 82 abused and neglected children through Childhelp to his Neverland Ranch. There are games, a Barbeque and a movie show provided for them.
July 1990: 45 children from the Project Dream Street, Los Angeles, for children with life-threatening illness are invited to Neverland Valley.
August 18, 1990: Michael invites 130 children of the YMCA summer program of Los Angeles and Santa Barbara to his Neverland Ranch.
May 6, 1991: Michael is invited to the Jane Goodall Charity event. Michael supports her, an advocate of behavioral research concerning chimpanzees in Gombe, Nigeria for more than 30 years.
July 26, 1991: Michael pays a visit to the Youth Sports & Art Foundation in Los Angeles. This Foundation supports families of gang members, and helps dealing with drug-abuse. Michael talks to the kids and presents them with a wide-screen TV set and a financial gift.
December 1991: Michael's office MJJ Productions treats needy families in Los Angeles with more than 200 turkey dinners.
February 1992: Within 11 days Michael covers 30,000 miles in Africa, to visit hospitals, orphanages, schools, churches, and institutions for mentally handicapped children.
February 3, 1992: At a press conference at the New York Radio City Music Hall, Michael announces that he is planning a new world tour, to raise funds for his new "Heal The World" Foundation. This Foundation will support the fight against AIDS, Juvenile Diabetes and will support the Camp Ronald McDonald and the Make A Wish Foundation.
May 6, 1992: Michael defrays the funeral-expenses for Ramon Sanchez, who was killed during the Los Angeles riots.
June 23, 1992: At a press conference in London, Michael makes an announcement about his Heal The World Foundation.
June 26, 1992: Michael presents the Mayor of Munich, Mr. Kronawitter, with a 40,000 DM-check for the needy people of the city.
June 29, 1992: Michael visits the Sophia Children's Hospital in Rotterdam and presents a check for 100,000 pounds.
July 1992: Michael donated L. 821,477,296 to La Partita del Cuore (The Heart Match) in Rome and donated 120,000 DM to children's charities in Estonia and Latvia.
July 25, 1992: On the occasion of a concert in Dublin, Ireland, Michael announces that he will give 400,000 pounds of the tour earnings to various charities.
July 29, 1992: Michael visits the Queen Elizabeth Children's Hospital in London. To the surprise the children, he brings Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse from Euro-Disney to the hospital.
July 31, 1992: On the Eve of his second concert at Wembley Stadium, Michael presents Prince Charles with a check of 200,000 pounds for the Prince's Trust.
August 16, 1992: 6 year old Nicholas Killen, who lost his eyesight caused by a life aiding cancer surgery, meets Michael backstage in Leeds, England.
September 1992: Michael donated 1 million pesetas to charity headed by the Queen of Spain.
September 30, 1992: President Iliescu of Romania inaugurates a playground for 500 orphans which Michael has financed. Michael discusses his Heal The World Foundation.
October 1, 1992: Michael chooses a concert in Bucharest, Romania for worldwide television broadcast. Bucharest is a logical choice due to the numerous orphanages the country is known for.
November 24, 1992: At Kennedy Airport in New York, Michael supervises the loading of 43 tons of medication, blankets, and winter clothes destined for Sarajevo. The Heal The World Foundation collaborates with AmeriCares to bring resources totaling $2.1 million to Sarajevo. They will be allocated under the supervision of the United Nations.
December 10, 1992: During a press conference at the American Ambassy in Tokyo Michael is presented with a check for $100,000 for the Heal The World Foundation by Tour Sponsor Pepsi.
December 26, 1992: During a broadcast request for donations to the United Negro College Fund, Michael declares: "Black Colleges and Universities are breeding some of the leading personalities of our time. They are on top in business, justice, science and technologies, politics and religion. I am proud, that the Michael Jackson Scholarship Program enabled more than 200 young men and women to get a qualified education."
January 19, 1993: Michael is one of the stars to perform at the Presidential Inauguration of Bill Clinton. Before he sings "Gone Too Soon" he draws the attention to the plights of the victims of AIDS and mentions his friend Ryan White.
January 26, 1993: At a press conference held at Century Plaza Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles, Michael is presented with a $200,000 donation from the National Football League and the Sponsors of the Super Bowl. He gets another $500,000 from the BEST Foundation for his Heal The World Foundation. At this occasion the foundation of "Heal L.A." is officially announced.
February 1993: In association with Sega, launched an initiative to distribute more than $108,000 of computer games and equipment to children's hospitals, children's homes, and children's charities throughout the U.K.
March 1993: The foundation of an independent film company is announced. They will produce family-oriented movies. A part of the earnings will go to the Heal The World Foundation.
March 27, 1993: At a meeting at Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, Michael gives a 5-minute speech to 1200 teachers and politicians.
April 26, 1993: Within his "Heal LA" tour, Michael visits the Watta Health Foundation, and two schools in Los Angeles South Central.
May 5, 1993: Former President Jimmy Carter and Michael, who are chairmen of the "Heal Our Children/Heal The World" initiative, are in Atlanta to promote their "Atlanta Project Immunization Drive".
June 1993: Michael has announced that he will donate $1.25 million for children who have suffered from the riots in Los Angeles.
June 1993: 100 children from the Challengers Boys and Girls Club visit Neverland.
June 10, 1993: Michael promotes the new DARE-program. The purpose of the program is to inform children about the dangers of drug abuse.
June 18, 1993: Michael pays a visit to a hospital in Washington. He spends several hours with the young patients and plays chess with some of them.
August 1993: With Pepsi-Cola Thailand, donated $40,000 to Crown Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn's charity, the Rural School Children and Youth Development Fund, in support of school lunch programs in rural villages in Thailand.
August 1993: In conjunction with Pepsi-Cola International, donated new ambulances to the Contacts One Independent Living Center for Children in Moscow, Russia and the Hospital de Ninos Dr. Ricardo Gutierrez in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
October 1993: Donated $100,000 to the Children's Defense Fund, the Children's Diabetes Foundation, the Atlanta Project, and the Boys and Girl Clubs of Newark, New Jersey.
October 22, 1993: Michael visits a hospital in Santiago.
October 28, 1993: Michael makes it possible for 5000 underprivileged children to visit the Reino Aventura Park, where the whale Keiko ("Free Willy") is living.
November 5, 1993: Michael is guest at a children's party at the Hard Rock Cafe in Mexico City.
December 1993: With the Gorbachev Foundation, airlifted 60,000 doses of children's vaccines to Tblisi, Georgia.
December 16, 1993: The Heal The World Foundation UK supports "Operation Christmas Child" delivering toys, sweets, gifts and food to children in former Yugoslavia.
1994: Michael donates $500,000 to Elizabeth Taylor's AIDS Foundation.
January 7, 1994: On the weekend of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, Michael gives a party for more than 100 underprivileged children at his Neverland Ranch.
February 22, 1994: "The Jackson Family Honors" is televised. The earnings of the show are given to their own newly formed charity, "Family Caring for Families".
August 6, 1994: Michael and his wife Lisa Marie are visiting two children's hospitals in Budapest. They distribute toys to the ill children.
1995: Michael wants to free dolphins who have been locked up for years. He believes there should be legal guidelines about the way dolphins have to live in zoos and parks.
March 1995: Little Bela Farkas received a new liver. Michael and Lisa Marie met this 4-year-old boy during their trip to Hungary in 1994. Michael did everything to help Bela, whose only chance to live was getting a new liver. The Heal The World Foundation covered the surgery and the cost for caring.
June 21, 1996: Michael donated a four-times platinum disc of "HIStory" in aid of the Dunblane appeal at the Royal Oak Hotel, Sevenoaks in England.
July 18, 1996: In Soweto, South Africa Michael is laying down a wreath of flowers for youngsters who have been killed during the fights involving Apartheid.
September 1996: The first Sports Festival "Hope" was held for orphans and disadvantaged children. 3000 children and 600 volunteers took part in the Sports Festival and Michael Jackson was a special guest.
September 6, 1996: Michael visits the children's unit of a hospital in Prague.
October 1996: Michael visited a hospital for mentally challenged children in Kaoshiung, Taiwan and offered 2,000 free tickets to the sold out performance in Kaoshiung.
October 1, 1996: Michael donated the proceeds of his Tunisia concert to "The National Solidarity Fund", a charity dedicated to fighting poverty.
October 3, 1996: Michael visits a children's hospital and brings small gifts for the patients during a HIStory tour visit in Amsterdam. A room in the hospital (for parents who want to be with their children) is named after Michael.
November 1, 1996: Michael donates most of the earnings from a HIStory concert in Bombay, India to the poor people of the country.
November 7, 1996: Before his first concert in Auckland, New Zealand, Michael fulfills the wish of little Emely Smith, who is suffering from cancer, who wants to meet Michael.
November 25, 1996: Michael visited the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, delivering toys, signing autographs, and visiting with children.
December 9, 1996: During a HIStory tour visit in Manila, Michael visits a children's hospital. He announces that a part of his concert earnings will be donated to the renovation of the hospital.
January 25, 1997: Michael waved his personal fee for his Bombay appearance and donated $1.1 million to a local charity helping to educate children living in slums.
April 4, 1997: British magazine "OK!" is publishing exclusive photos of Michael's son Prince. The magazine pays about 1 million pounds for the photos. Michael donates the money to charity.
June 18, 1997: Michael signed the "Children in Need" book auctioned by the charity UNESCO.
September 1998: Michael meets 5 year old Aza Woods, who suffers from cancer, at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas. Michael introduces Aza to the attraction "Star Trek: The Experience" and spends the rest of the afternoon with the little boy. Finally Michael invites Aza to spend some time with him at his Neverland Ranch.
November 16, 1998: Michael arrives in Harare, Zimbabwe. He is a member of the American Delegation invited by the Minister of Defense. The delegation thanks the government of Zimbabwe for helping to keep the peace in this area.
September 4, 1999: Michael presented Nelson Mandela with a check for 1,000,000 South African rand for the "Nelson Mandela Children's Fund."
January 22, 2000: During Christmas last year a violent storm ravaged the park of the Chateau de Versailles and destroyed 10,000 trees in the park. The estimated cost for rebuilding the park is around $20 million. Some celebrities are supporting the restoration of the park. French officials are reporting that Michael Jackson is one of them. He was one of the first people to donate money to this cause.
October 28, 2000:Michael painted a plate to be auctioned for the "Carousel of Hope Ball" benefiting childhood diabetes research.
March 6, 2001: Michael donated a black hat, a birthday phone-call and a jacket worn at the Monaco Music Awards in 2000 to the Movie Action for Children auction, an event being given by UNICEF with all proceeds will going to UNICEF's efforts to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission in Africa.
March 26, 2001: Michael handed out books to young people at a Newark, NJ theater. The event, which helped to launch the Michael Jackson International Book Club, part of his new Heal the Kids charity, aims to promote childhood reading and encourage parents to return to reading bedtime stories.
September 15, 2002: Michael donated 16 exclusively autographed items consisting of CD's, videos and 2 cotton napkins to aid in the support of the victims of a severe flood in Germany. These items were auctioned off for charity and managed to raise 3935 Euro (US$ 3,814).
October 12, 2002: Michael Jackson invited more than 200 Team Vandenberg members, who recently returned from overseas deployments, and their families to his Neverland Ranch. This was to show his appreciation for the sacrifices the military in his community make.
November 19-29, 2002: Michael donated an autographed teddy bear dressed in his likeness to Siegfried & Roy's celebrity teddy bear auction. This auction benefits Opportunity Village which is a non-profit organization based in Las Vegas (USA) that enhances the lives of individuals with intellectual disabilities and their families. Michael's autographed teddy bear raised $5,000 for the charity.
November 21, 2002: Michael donated a jacket to the The Bambi Charity Event in Berlin which raised $16,000.
April 25, 2002: Michael Jackson performed at a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee at the Apollo Theater in Harlem helping to raise nearly $3 million dollars towards voter registration.
June 2003: The Wolf family, who experienced serious damages to their belongings during the flood in Saxony, Germany last August, was invited to Berlin by Michael Jackson when he was at the Bambi Awards. On that occasion Michael invited them to Neverland. In June, they spent three days at Neverland, meeting Michael and his children.
Charity Awards
May 14, 1984: At a ceremony in the White House President Reagan presents Michael an award for special efforts; he is honored for his participation in a national ad campaign against drunk driving.
January 1989: The "Say Yes To A Youngsters Future" program honors Michael in recognition of his efforts to encourage children to natural sciences and award him with the "National Urban Coalition Artist/Humanitarian Of The Year Award".
March 1989: At the Universal Amphitheater in Universal City, California, Michael receives the Black Radio Special Award for his humanitarian efforts.
September 22, 1989: The Capital Children's Museum awards Michael with the Best Of Washington 1989 Humanitarian Award in recognition of his efforts to raise money for the museum, and for his never-ending support of children.
February 3, 1990: From Japan Michael receives a Role Model Award.
April 5, 1990: During a ceremony, where Michael is awarded as "Entertainer Of The Decade", Michael meets President George Bush, who honors him with the "Point Of Light" award. Michael receives this award for his philanthropic activities. President Bush explains Michael's humanitarian commitments to the press.
September 14, 1990: The Council of the American Scouts honors Michael with the first "Good Scout Humanitarian Award". Michael receives this award for his humanitarian activities by supporting the Make A Wish Foundation, the Prince's Trust, the United Negro College Fund and Childhelp USA.
October 23, 1990: Michael Jackson and Elton John will be the first recipients of the award in memory of Ryan White, which will be handed over in 1991.
May 1, 1992: President George Bush presents Michael with the "Point of Light" award for his continuing support of deprived children. During his stay, Michael visits little Raynal Pope, who had been injured very badly by dogs.
June 3, 1992: The organization "One To One", who is caring for better living conditions of young people, honors Michael with an award for his commitment to deprived youngsters.
July 1993: The American Friends of Hebrew University honors Michael with the Scopus Award 1993.
August 1993: The Jack The Rapper Awards are presented and Michael is honored with the "Our Children, Our Hope Of Tomorrow" award.
November 17, 1993: Michael rejects the Scopus Award. He was nominated for this award, which was planned to be given him on January 29th, 1994.
April 12, 1994: On occasion of the 2nd Children's Choice Award ceremony at Cit Center in New York, Michael is presented with the "Caring For Kids" award. This award is to honor celebrities, who take time for young people. 100,000 children and young people from 8 to 18 years old gave Michael their vote of confidence. The Children's Choice Awards are sponsored by Body Sculpt, a charity organization, that offers drug-prevention programs for young people.
November 2, 1995: Michael receives the award "Diamont of Africa".
March, 30, 1996: The Ark Trust-Foundation, who wants to draw the attention of the public eye on animal's problems, presents the 10th Genesis Award. Michael is presented with the 1995 Doris Day Award. He gets this award for the "Earth Song" video, which draws attention to the plight of the animals.
May 1, 1999: At the Bollywood awards in New York, Michael is presented with an award for his humanitarian activities. The award is signed: "Though he comes from the young American tradition, Michael is the embodiment of an old indian soul. His actions are an expression of the philosophy of Weda, which asked to work for the people - not for one's own interests."
Organizations
The Millennium-Issue of the "Guinness Book Of Records" names Michael as the Pop Star who supports the most charity organizations. The following projects are supported by Michael Jackson:
AIDS Project L.A.
American Cancer Society
Angel Food
Big Brothers of Greater Los Angeles
BMI Foundation
Brotherhood Crusade
Brothman Burn Center
Camp Ronald McDonald
Childhelp U.S.A.
Children's Institute International
Cities and Schools Scholarship Fund
Community Youth Sports & Arts Foundation
Congressional Black Caucus
Dakar Foundation
Dreamstreet Kids
Dreams Come True Charity
Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation
Heal The World Foundation
Juvenile Diabetes Foundation
Love Match
Make A Wish Foundation
Minority Aids Project
Motown Museum
NAACP
National Rainbow Coalition
Rotary Club of Australia
Society of Singers
Starlight Foundation
The Carter Center's Atlanta Project
The Sickle Cell Research Foundation
Transafrica
United Negro College Fund
United Negro College Fund Ladder's of Hope
Volunteers of America
Watts Summer Festival
Wish Granting
YMCA - 28th Street/Crenshaw
Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America
This is the oldest mentoring organization serving youth in the USA.
BBBSA has provided one-to-one mentoring relationships between adult volunteers and children at risk since 1904. BBBSA currently serves over 100,000 children and youth in more than 500 agencies throughout all of the United States.
BMI Foundation
From jazz to musical theater, from music education for gifted youngsters to support for the work of accomplished concert music composers, the BMI Foundation seeks out the best and most promising of today's and tomorrow's musical creators and offers a platform of support that fosters their growth and ensures the continuation of the heritage of American musical ingenuity for generations to come.
Childhelp USA
Childhelp USA is dedicated to meeting the physical, emotional, educational, und spiritual needs of abused and neglected children focusing efforts and resources upon treatment, prevention.
Children's Institute International
This is a private, non-profit organization specializing in the treatment and prevention of child abuse and neglect.
Over the past 90 years, CII has evolved from a shelter for single mothers and their babies to an internationally recognized model of comprehensive care and assistance for at-risk children and their families.
CII assistance includes child and family assessment supported by 24-hour emergency residential shelter care, family treatment services, therapeutic day care, child health clinic, long-term foster family care, and substance abuse treatment and prevention services.
Make A Wish Foundation fulfills the favorite wish of any child between the age of 2 and 18 who has a diagnosed life-threatening illness.
Camp Ronald McDonald
Camp for children with cancer.

More great stats at http://jacksonaction.com

With 750+ Million Records Sold
Michael Jackson Has Given More Than
$300+ Million to Charities!

Please Remember Mr. Jackson for His Good Works...

Please forward this email to everyone you know!

"In My Father's House" By VICTOR EHIKHAMENOR & NEW WORKS By STANLEY AGBONTAEN at International Visions Gallery (Washington DC)

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"In My Father's House"
By VICTOR EHIKHAMENOR
&
NEW WORKS
By STANLEY AGBONTAEN

July 18th- August 15th, 2009

Conversations with Victor Thursday, July 16th, 6-8pm

Left- The Heart of the King is in the Hands of God by Victor Ehikhamenor
Right- Rush Hour by Stanley Agbontaen

Victor Ehikhamenor was born in Udomi-Uwessan, Edo State. He graduated from BendelState University, Ekpoma (now Ambrose Alli University) with a BA degree in English and Literary Studies. He also holds an MS in Technology Management from University of Maryland, University College, Adelphi; and in 2006 the department of English at the University Of Maryland, College Park awarded him a fellowship/scholarship to pursue a Masters of Fine Art in Creative Writing.

A resident of the United States since 1996, he has been prolific in producing abstract, symbolic works with unmistakable ties to his Nigerian background. He has had numerous exhibitions with strong following mostly in US and Nigeria.

Terra Kulture recently hosted Ehikhamenor's largest solo exhibition ever - "Mirrors and Mirages". The week-long exhibition held in Victoria Island, Lagos brought crowds of collectors and was covered by major press. Ehikhamenor's most recent body of works featured in "In My Father's House" provides visual commentary on the issue of exploitation - from oil, to gold, to diamonds and the trail of blood and poverty that occur at the source of this "wealth".

Stanley Osaheni Agbontaen grew up on Benin City Edo state, South-south Nigeria. He began his training in the arts at The Creative Art Academy and before finishing his second year he gained admission to a national diploma in General & Fine Art in Auchi Polytechnic. He stood out as one of the best sculpting students of his time, though to much surprise, he majored in painting. During his studies he developed a strong passion for colors because they give him inner joy and fulfillment.

The US state department in 2007, nominated and sponsored Agbontaen on the International Visitor and Leadership Program. He toured nine states of the US in a workshop, Promoting Tolerance through the Arts. Agnontaen is a full time studio artist, participating in several group exhibitions including, Two American Icons & Six Young Nigerian Contemporary Artists, where he exhibited along side Jacob Lawrence an Lois Mailou Jones in 2006. He also had an exhibition in the US in February 2008 where it was put together by the International Visions Gallery.

60's at Cardwell Jimmerson Contemporary Art in Culver City, CA.

60's:

July 18- August 29, 2009
Artist Reception: July 18, 2009 6-8 p.m.

A group exhibition featuring artworks in the abstract, pop and
minimal idioms, proposing a counter history to the dominant narrative of
Southern California art in the decade of the 1960’s. Artists include John
Barbour, Stan Bitters, John Coplans, David Cressey, Robert Dowd, Tom
Eatherton, Jim Eller, June Harwood, Phil Hefferton, Ynez Johnston, Roger
Kuntz, Ron Miyashiro, Clark Murray, and Michael Olodort. These artists
are perhaps less well known than their more celebrated contemporaries.
Yet each is represented here by one or more period artworks of
sufficient force to put the once-settled matter of historical reputation
back into question.

Cardwell Jimmerson Contemporary Art
8568 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
310-815-1100
www.cardwelljimmerson.com
Gallery@CardwellJimmerson.com

July 02, 2009

Kim Keever at Adamson Gallery in Washington DC

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Kim Keever, west 152g, 2009. Pigment print, various sizes, Editions of 5

Adamson Gallery is pleased to announce the representation of New York-based photographer Kim Keever, and the concurrent release of nine new prints by the artist.

Keever's fascinating and powerful images play on themes of the eternal landscape and our perceptions of it from Caspar David Friedrich to Tolkien. For each exquisitely staged diorama, Keever handcrafts stones, vegetation, and clouds, which are then arranged in a large aquarium filled with water. Colored lights and pigments are then added to the scenes, creating a unique and otherworldly aura.

The nine new works by Keever are available in three sizes: 34 x 44 inches, 52 x 68 inches, and 62 x 80 inches. Each size is available in an edition of five, and are printed on Hahnemühle Barayta paper. Each is printed and published by Adamson Editions. To view all nine available prints, please click here.

Keever's work is included in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC, among others. He has exhibited extensively throughout the United States and abroad.

For more information please contact Laurie Adamson or Erin Boland at (202) 237-0707, or email gallery@adamsongallery.com.

ADAMSON GALLERY
1515 Fourteenth Street NW
Washington, DC 20005

tel: 202.232.0707
email: gallery@adamsongallery.com
web: www.adamsongallery.com

Hours of Operation:
Tuesday - Saturday
10:30 am - 5:30 pm

For more info on me visit my official website
www.rickyday.net

Introducing Fritz Helder and the Phantoms

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I'm coming out of my Michael Jackson mourning period and returning to normal life. I received an email today about a hot new act that I'm kinda excited about because they are quirky, creative and coming to town. The name of the band is Fritz Helder and the Phantoms. The video is creative and reminds of the 80's. They sorta seem like Scissor Sisters meet DeeLite and yes I think there may be some same gender lovin going on too. Of course anyone who reads this blog has matured past that being an issue...LOL.

The will be performing at Mr. Black on July 10 and I plan to check them out. They are the first act signed to Nelly Furtado's label and I suspect she will be in attendance and may even hop on stage with them at some point. If you miss this, just know that I tried to put you on early!!!!!!

Check out the special shout out they did to Urban Pop Life and then peep the video. Their bio is coming soon.

Shout out

www.fritzhelder.com

For more info on me visit my official website
www.rickyday.net