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A GREAT BIG WORLD – GLOWING

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A GREAT BIG WORLD ANNOUNCE AUGUST 27 RELEASE DATE FOR THIRD FULL-LENGTH ALBUM PARTICLES AND UNVEIL NEW SINGLE GLOWING

PERFORMING TRACK ON LIVE WITH KELLY AND RYAN JULY 29

Today, GRAMMY award-winning multiplatinum duo A Great Big World have officially announced the August 27 release date of their third full-length album Particles and unveiled their new single “Glowing.” Album pre-orders begin July 29 with additional instant tracks made available in the weeks leading up to its release.

“Glowing,” which signals finding light in the darkest places, starts with tender piano keys before wrapping in a big orchestral moment with cinematic strings. When speaking about the track, A Great Big World vocalist and pianist Ian Axel revealed, “It started off as a lullaby I used to sing to my son when he was a newborn. I just wanted him to feel safe and loved. In a way, I was also singing it to myself. When writing it I always imagined a love shield of sorts surrounding us, getting brighter and brighter while deflecting the scary things around us. We wanted to capture that in the recording. The track starts off really simple, and ends with lush, sweeping orchestrations.”

The duo will perform the song for the very first time on nationally syndicated morning talk show Live with Kelly and Ryan July 29.

A Great Big World’s album title Particles came from wanting to explore the idea of the infinite the mirror image of the infinitely small with the infinitely large (Particles vs. A Great Big World). This process led to a collaboration with contemporary artist Kysa Johnson who created the artwork for the album, “Glowing” and their previous single “Boys In The Street.”

Axel shared, “We believe that the entire universe and all of its mysteries exist in every particle, and each of us is made up of tiny particles containing the whole. Kysa’s art is exactly that. By painting tiny subatomic particle decay patterns, she is able to illustrate enormous cosmic images. The instant we discovered her work, we knew it was exactly what we were looking for. It’s been such an inspiring collaborative process, with countless Zoom calls, looking through Hubble space images, discussing ghosts and UFOs, and pondering our existence in the universe.”

A Great Big World vocalist Chad King continued, “The songs on this album were written from an incredibly honest and vulnerable place. It was a cathartic and therapeutic process for us. Our hope is that by being vulnerable, others can connect with us, and we can all feel a little less alone in the universe.”

“Glowing” follows the release of “Boys In The Street,” a breathtaking rendition of Greg Holden’s song by the same title, and “Fall On Me“ with Christina Aguilera, both of which will be featured on Particles. The latter has generated more than 30 million streams worldwide and reunited A Great Big World with Aguilera following their 7x platinum GRAMMY award-winning hit “Say Something.” Aguilera invited Axel on stage at the Hollywood Bowl with the LA Phil this past weekend (July 16 and 17) for an astounding surprise performance of “Say Something,” which Billboard described as “cinematic,” and Broadway World said “quietly stunned.”

Stay tuned for more news from A Great Big World soon.

About A Great Big World

A Great Big World find wonder and meaning in significant and small moments alike. The story of the GRAMMY award-winning multiplatinum New York duo Ian Axel and Chad King began in humble fashion. Ian and Chad first met during college in 2005. After years of writing songs, they resonated with listeners worldwide via the 2013 single “Say Something” with Christina Aguilera. It went 7 times platinum and notably received a 2015 GRAMMY award in the category of “Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.” In its wake, their first full-length, Is There Anybody Out There?, bowed at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, garnered a gold certification, and generated north of a billion streams. Between sold out gigs on multiple continents, they captivated audiences on dozens of television shows and released the fan favorite sophomore effort When The Morning Comes. Along the way, they also lent their songwriting to a myriad of artists, ranging from Ingrid Michaelson to Andrea Bocelli and Ellie Goulding. In 2019, A Great Big World set the stage for the next chapter with “Fall On Me” with Christina Aguilera. It gathered 30 million streams as they reunited with her for a powerful performance at the American Music Awards. Now, A Great Big World connect on the grandest scale yet through their third full-length album, Particles, coming August 27 via Ingrooves and led by singles “Boys In The Street” and “Glowing.”

WELCOME TO THE METAVERSE

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LA ART SHOW ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH SUPERRARE AS THE OFFICIAL NFT MARKETPLACE OF THE SHOW

From Analog to Digital For 26 Years LA Art Show Has Embraced Art Trends And Conversations

In just a few short weeks, LA Art Show, the most comprehensive international contemporary art show in America, officially kicks-off the city’s 2021 art season at the Los Angeles Convention Center. This special Summer Edition–on the heels of the landmark 25-year anniversary and now with new director Kassandra Voyagis – takes a closer look at some of the latest technological trends in the art world, while still offering a conventional lens for art from around the globe. Taking a leap into the future, while remaining cognizant of the traditional contemporary and historical programming, the LA Art Show has incorporated a focus on women, art, and technology. Upholding a longstanding convention of paving the way for other fairs to follow suit, this year marks the LA Art Show as the first LIVE show to join one of the most buzzed-about conversations in art: NFTs. As a show with a strong traditional reputation, the integration of NFTs and other new technology is monumental, emphasizing the legitimacy and wonder of digital art. To supply the most comprehensive and accessible NFT introduction, the show has partnered with SuperRare as official marketplace partner, meaning patrons will be able to purchase the work immediately at the fair with the help of experts, removing anxiety surrounding the new kind of transaction.

To present the most striking and comprehensive NFT debut, the LA Art Show welcomes Vellum LA, the first physical gallery for NFT-backed digital art in Los Angeles, ahead of their launch in September. Vellum LA was created with the goal of meaningfully situating the digital and crypto art communities within the context of art history, while also educating the public on the potential of NFTs to impact the future of art. Aiming to bridge the gap between the physical and the digital world, the crypto and the traditional art collectors, Vellum LA presents carefully curated shows designed to be relevant to patrons on either end of the digital-analog spectrum, and anywhere in between.

This year’s LA Art Show is the ideal platform for Vellum LA programming, prioritizing NFTs whether it be an introduction for many of the patrons of the fair or an exciting addition for those who are already fans of the genre. Crafting the optimal first impression, Vellum LA presents Sea Change, a physical NFT exhibition in partnership with SuperRare, the show’s official marketplace partner. Sea Change will feature the works of 11 new media artists, whose work embraces our inevitable technological immersion, exploring the new language, materiality, and logic of the metaverse. The exhibition will include works by Claudia Hart, Auriea Harvey, Krista Kim, Marjan Moghaddam, Itzel Yard (Ix Shells), Blake Kathryn, Nicole Ruggiero, Sam Clover (PLANTTDADDII), Sabrina Ratté and more. Curated by Nxt Museum curator Jesse Damiani and Vellum LA curator Sinziana Velicescu, Sea Change is a model of collaboration in the art world. Bringing together not just artists, curators, but tech companies as well, this exhibition is a worthy preview of what NFTs have to offer. The show caters to the collector, both the already avid NFT fans and those who might not even know what NFT stands for yet. Thanks to the partnership with SuperRare, a pioneering online peer-to-peer marketplace for premium single edition NFTs built on the Ethereum blockchain, purchasing NFTs at the fair is highly accessible for anyone, whether they be tech savvy or previously luddite (just make sure to secure some ETH for purchases ahead of the event). Although NFTs have been around for a while now, the technology patrons will see is brand new, featuring state-of-the-art StandardVision LumaCanvas displays developed specifically for Sea Change and designed to be the first ever collector/museum-grade digital art display canvases.

The return of in-person programming has generated quite a few questions about the future of the art world, but it is becoming increasingly apparent that many artists want to have their work seen in person, and that is true of digital art as well. Velicescu is thrilled to bring this new kind of viewing experience to this special LIVE summer edition of the LA Art Show, noting that the return of live programming is important for NFTs and digital programming just as it is important for analog art.

“Having curated work for large scale media facades at StandardVision, I understand the importance of the in-person experience. I think with everything re-opening, people will crave these experiences more than ever and I think there’s an opportunity to show this work in ways that hasn’t been shown before, taking into consideration all the complexities of digital art–some of the work is time based, some has the capability of being fully immersive, some involves AR.”

The technology revolution does not stop there. White Cross Gallery is bringing their expertise from over 5 years of NFT experience along with 5 new releases, and NFT giveaways. Continuing the theme of technological advancements, one of the most highly anticipated traditional elements of the show is getting an upgrade as well, with the return of DIVERSEartLA. This important part of the fair, curated by Marisa Caichiolo, will focus on the presence, contributions, research, and documentation of women and non-binary artists at the forefront of work at the intersection of art, science, and technology, represented by guest museums and institutions. Continuing the theme of juxtaposing old and new, this fan-favorite section will expand upon previous years into new, more interactive, and technological ground. This year’s tech-focused exhibits include a wide range of mediums from AI to video and plenty in between. The San Marcos Museum of Art (MASM) from Lima, Perú, which will bring a new media project by Peruvian artist Angie Bonino. “THE SYMPHONY OF NOW,” consists of a video installation, and interactive sound installation focusing on the Andean techno de-colonial shamanism. Museum La Neomudejar from Madrid is bringing _DATA | ergo sum | RELOADED by artist Ana Marcos, an interactive art installation that visualizes the capability of viewing machines using artificial intelligence to extract data by a simple observation of visitors. Art Museum of the Americas (AMA) has joined with a special project curated by Fabian Goncálves, that will feature a compilation of material and an exhibition of the work of women artists who have played a central role in the development of new media practices throughout history and women and non-binary people whose forward-thinking practices are currently reshaping the field. The UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center is bringing a special project curated by Chon Noriega titled Immersive Distancing by LA-based artists Carmen Argote and Zeynep Abes, which will examine recent media art produced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Continuing the Los Angeles presence, Now Art LA and Building Bridges Art Exchange have joined forces as local non-profit organizations to exhibit the work Agua by Luciana Abait, a video projection created as part of LUMINEX Project by Now Art LA. This work is inspired by the flood-myth motif that occurs in many cultures, in which water acts a healing and rebirth tool, often referencing ideas of creation, purification, and sustaining life.

This year’s diversification of mediums continues with Tiffany Trenda, a multidisciplinary performance artist, known for exploring the relationship of the female body to today’s ever-changing technologies. In partnership with DIVERSEartLA, Trenda is safely bringing live performance to the art fair. Through the use of QR codes, she is coordinating a unique viewing experience for attendees. Each person can use their own smartphone to participate in real-time via volumetric video recording, creating an interactive and compelling experience.

The LA Art Show is excited to broach new artistic waters, welcoming back old friends and joining new ones for the first time. With the draw of a long-awaited in-person event, in conjunction with the groundbreaking new technology, tickets for this event are likely to sell quickly. Please visit the official website to learn more, tickets can be purchased here.

About SuperRare

Founded in 2017, SuperRare is a pioneering online, peer-to-peer marketplace for premium, single edition non-fungible tokens (NFTs), most notably CryptoArt, built on the Ethereum blockchain. Created with the goal of reinventing art collecting for the digital age, SuperRare has facilitated artists and collectors around the world to sell and purchase more than $71M worth of art in the last year alone. On the heels of a successful first round of funding in 2021, SuperRare continues to work with key art curation and auction partners across the globe.

About the LA Art Show

The LA Art Show creates one of the largest international art fairs in the United States, providing an exciting, immersive, insider art experience to sponsors, their select guests and VIP clients. The show attracts an elite roster of national and international galleries, acclaimed artists, highly regarded curators, architects, design professionals, along with discerning collectors. This innovative, exceptional cultural environment attracts executives and board members of Southern California businesses, state, county, and municipal government representatives, as well as leaders of the region’s cultural institutions. Attendees are trendsetters, influencers, and alpha consumers, who seek and demand the newest and the best in all areas of their lives—art, design, food, technology and travel being specific passion points.

Secrets for Healthier Hearts and Sharper Minds

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Secrets for Healthier Hearts and Sharper Minds By Dr. Stephen Sinatra, cardiologist, Healthy Directions

A sharp mind and a healthy heart are both keys to living a long, healthy life. However, did you know that your heart and brain – two seemingly different organs – are highly connected? In fact, they are highly dependent on one another. As a result, your brain and heart act almost as a figurative game of dominos – when one falls, the other falls with it. That’s why I’ve made it my mission as a cardiologist to focus as much on brain health as I do on heart health.

Making the Connection Between the Heart and Brain

Your brain acts as the control center of your body, giving orders here and there to ensure that your natural bodily functions continue without issue. However, there are times when the signals your brain is sending to the different parts of your body can go awry. This can directly affect the heart because faulty signals can send its rhythm into haywire.

These two organs are further intertwined because of their relationships with the vascular system, which both depend on to bring them oxygen and nutrients while carrying away any waste.

Plus, both organs are highly susceptible to several ailments that can affect their efficacy. The main culprits include oxidative stress, disruptions in blood flow and chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation can be brought on by a lack of exercise, poor diet and exposure to pollutants, among other triggers. The intricate network of your brain and the 100 billion cells (or neurons) that make it up are even more vulnerable than your heart to these stressors.

The good news is that many of the same recommendations I make for keeping your heart healthy also boost the health of your brain and entire body. Here are some of the most important things that you can do to nurture the heart-brain connection:

Switch Up Your Diet: I’ve always been a proponent of the Mediterranean diet. Another diet that I recommend for heart and brain health combines elements of the Mediterranean diet with elements from the Asian side of the Pacific Rim, also known as the Pan-Asian Modified Mediterranean (PAMM) diet. This diet puts an emphasis on healthy fats derived from sources like fish, nuts and seeds, avocados, olive oil and DHA-fortified eggs, supporting overall brain health. In addition, the diet includes considerable amounts of vegetables and fruits. While doing this, you should also keep in mind the importance of limiting processed sugars and simple carbohydrates, two major contributors to inflammation.
Be Wary of Chronic Stress: Believe it or not, stress can play a major role in the health of your brain and heart. When you are stressed, your body releases cortisol, also known as the “stress hormone.” Short-term stress is okay because the body can return to normal. However, chronic stress accompanied by high levels of cortisol can affect the regions of the brain associated with memory and emotion, causing your autonomic nervous system to be on constant alert. Making time for exercise, maintaining health sleep cycles, and connecting with people around you can help combat stress. Additionally, you can practice meditation, yoga and breathing exercises to help.
Put the Kibosh on “Invisible” Brain Threats: When people think of invisible pollutants, they typically think of carbon emissions and greenhouse gases. However, there are other invisible pollutants out there that can affect the brain directly. Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are emitted by everything from cell phones to wireless networks. Even home appliances can emit these EMFs that affect the electrical currents within your body, including the crucial ones tasked with regulating your heartbeat and the synapses in your brain. Limiting EMF exposure can be tough, but it’s also extremely important. Some steps include using a corded landline and only using your cellphone on speaker, which limits the exposure of radiation to your brain. You can also hardwire your computer instead of using Wi-Fi. Lastly, you can engage in earthing, which is when you connect to the Earth by walking barefoot or using a grounding pad, protecting you from EMF radiation.
Know the Link Between Your Brain and Statins: When looking at your medication list, it is crucial to be aware of cholesterol-lowering statins. These drugs suppress the production of cholesterol and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), resulting in brain fog. Additionally, lowering your cholesterol too much can also affect brain function since it depends on cholesterol to process information.
Keep a Close Eye on Your Blood Pressure: High blood pressure can pose a threat in ensuring your brain gets the oxygen it needs. Your brain takes about 20% of the oxygen you breathe, so a healthy blood pressure of around 120/80 mmHg will help maintain that. Include foods like beets, garlic, onions, and apples to keep your blood pressure at a healthy level.
Step Up Your Supplement Game: If you don’t have a solid supplement routine, now is the time to find a regimen that works for you. I recommend starting with a good multivitamin, CoQ10 (100 mg daily if you are taking a statin), omega-3 and magnesium. All these supplements will help support brain and heart health. For added protection, my new Focal Point Plus supplement uses a unique combination of clinically validated ingredients including Longvida Optimized Curcumin, CogniBoost American Ginseng, and vitamin K2 menaquinone-7 (MK7), which together can help support cognitive health and memory, healthy blood flow and arterial health.

As I mentioned at the start, think of your heart and brain as two dominos sitting next to one another. In optimal positions, they work in tandem—but when one falters, it can take the other one with it, leaving your entire body vulnerable. So, it’s important to keep both organs in tip-top shape so they can support you for a lifetime.

About Dr. Stephen Sinatra

Dr. Stephen Sinatra is one of the most highly respected and sought-after cardiologists whose integrative approach to treating cardiovascular disease has revitalized patients with even the most advanced forms of illness. He has more than 40 years of clinical practice, research, and study, starting his career as an attending physician at Manchester Memorial Hospital in Connecticut. He is known as one of America’s top integrative cardiologists, combining conventional medical treatments for heart disease with complementary nutritional, anti-aging, and psychological therapies. He is an author, speaker and adviser for the research and development of nutritional supplements with Healthy Directions. Sinatra is a best-selling author of more than a dozen books, including, “Heartbreak and Heart Disease,” “The Great Cholesterol Myth,” “Reversing Heart Disease Now “Heart Sense for Women,” “The Sinatra Solution” and “Metabolic Cardiology.”

NEVADA MUSEUM OF ART

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NEVADA MUSEUM OF ART CELEBRATES 90 YEARS AS THE STATE’S PREMIER ART INSTITUTION, HOSTS PROGRAMS FOR THE LATIMER SCHOOL

On this milestone anniversary, Museum to highlight paintings by Lorenzo Latimer, the plein air water colorist renowned for his depictions of the Sierra and Northern Nevada.

One of the Silver State’s oldest cultural institutions, the Nevada Museum of Art, opened its doors in Reno 90 years ago. To punctuate an ongoing celebration, the Museum will showcase over 100 paintings from the San Francisco-based artist and teacher Lorenzo Latimer, along with works by Nevada artists he mentored including Mattie S. Conner, Marguerite Erwin, Dora Groesbeck, Hildegard Herz, Nettie McDonald, Minerva Pierce, Echo Mapes Robinson, Nevada Wilson, and Dolores Samuel Young. In 1921, these artists joined together to formally establish the “Latimer Art Club,” the founding volunteer organization of the Nevada Art Gallery, known today as the Nevada Museum of Art.

The Latimer School: Lorenzo Latimer and the Latimer Art Club opens July 31 and will run through March 27, 2022.

“Without the Latimer Art Club’s commitment to the visual arts in our region, the Museum wouldn’t be the institution it is today. It is fitting to acknowledge the foresight of the Latimer Art Club,” said Ann M. Wolfe, the Museum’s Andrea and John C. Deane Family Senior Curator and Deputy Director. “Our institution’s unique emphasis on art, nature, landscape, science, and the humanities sets this Museum apart from other interdisciplinary art museums and has its roots in the history of the Latimer Art Club,” she said. Wolfe co-curated the exhibition, with Jack L. Bacon, a Reno-based art consultant and former gallery owner specializing in historical Nevada art.

Lorenzo Latimer first visited Fallen Leaf Lake on the south side of Lake Tahoe in the summer of 1914 to teach en plein air (outdoor) painting classes. In 1916, he was invited by two students to teach a painting class in Reno. He ultimately became a cherished member of the Northern Nevada arts community, returning annually to teach his signature watercolor style to burgeoning artists of Reno. In 1931, the Latimer Art Club was invited by Dr. James Church, art collector Charles Cutts, and other community leaders to join to incorporate the nonprofit organization known as the Nevada Art Gallery, now the Nevada Museum of Art.

Historic Latimer Art Club paintings–featuring the Truckee Meadows, Washoe Valley, Lake Tahoe, and Pyramid Lake – are foundational to the history of Northern Nevada’s outdoor painting tradition. The Latimer Art Club remains active today, with over 90members who come together for meetings, workshops, and to paint regularly throughout the area.

“To truly understand the art history of our region, we must acknowledge the contributions that the Latimer Art Club has made over the years to enrich the cultural fabric our community,” said Wolfe.

BOOK

The anniversary exhibition will be accompanied by a lavishly illustrated 350-page book with an essay on the history of the Nevada Museum of Art by Wolfe and a biographical essay on Latimer by Alfred C. Harrison, a nineteenth-century painting scholar and art historian with a special emphasis on California art. The book is co-published by Jack Bacon & Company in association with the Museum and is available in the Museum store or online here.

SPONSORS

Lead Sponsor is the Wayne L. Prim Foundation. Major sponsor is the Bretzlaff Foundation. Sponsors: The Thelma B. and Thomas P. Hart Foundation, Sandy Raffealli | Bill Pearce Motors, The Phil and Jennifer Satre Family Fund at the Community Foundation of Western Nevada, Jenny and Garrett Sutton | Corporate Direct. Supporting Sponsors: The Chica Charitable Gift Fund, Michael and Tammy Dermody, Dickson Realty, Irene Drews in memory of J. George Drews, watercolor painter and longtime instructor in the Nevada Museum of Art E. L. Cord Museum School, Edgar F. Kleiner, Sierra Integrated Systems, Betsy and Henry Thumann. Additional support: Enid Oliver, Financial Consultant & Wealth Manager.

JURIED EXHIBITION

In conjunction with the exhibition, the Museum has organized The Latimer Art Club: Celebrating 100 Years –A Juried Exhibition from July 10 to September 1, 2021. This year, the Latimer Art Club celebrates its 100th anniversary. To honor this important milestone, the Museum presents a juried exhibition of present-day Latimer Art Club members.

Several opportunities commemorating the Museum’s anniversary are planned in the coming months.

PROGRAMS

Art Bite: Latimer Art Club Yesterday and Today

Friday, July 30 | noon

Discover the origins of the Latimer Art Club with Eileen Fuller, the Club’s current Art Show Chair

$10 | FREE FOR MEMBERS

Ann M. Wolfe on Art, Nature and the Founding of the Nevada Museum of Art

Friday, September 10 | 6pm

Ann M. Wolfe, Andrea and John C. Deane Family Senior Curator and Deputy Director, looks back at the history of the Nevada Museum of Art. With an emphasis on the Museum’s early ties to the San Francisco Bay Area, the Bohemian Club, Fallen Leaf Lake, and the University of Nevada, Wolfe will review the roots of the Latimer Art Club from the 1910s to the critical role the Club played in the founding of the Museum.

$10 | FREE FOR MEMBERS

Jack Bacon on The Latimer School

Thursday, December 9, | 6pmNevada art specialist Jack Bacon and co-curator of the exhibitionThe Latimer Schoolwill share stories of the Latimer Art Club’s founding members, many of whom came from pioneer families as far afield as Tuscarora, Virginia City, and Carson City.

$10 | FREE FOR MEMBERS

A Closer Look: Landscapes in Nevada

First Fridays, August 6 –March 4, 2022 | 1pm

Experience a guided tour of The Latimer School. Docents will host conversations centered around landscapes in Nevada and beyond.

FREE WITH ADMISSION

BTS × LOUIS VUITTON

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BTS Generates Millions of Impressions for New Louis Vuitton Collection, K-Pop Stars Have Become Fashion’s Most Powerful Influencers

Louis Vuitton’s new partnership with K-Pop superstars BTS proves the band has a monumental impact on every brand they touch. Louis Vuitton designer Virgil Ablog surprised the world this morning with the release of a spin-off fashion walk film named “Hope,” dedicated to his fall/winter 2021 menswear collection modeled by the world’s biggest boyband. Earlier this year, BTS became LV house ambassadors and have been advocating for the monogrammed pieces ever since.

The film marks their first big showcase for the brand. Directed by Jeon Gowoon and Park Syeyoung, each member presents a new look designed by Abloh as they navigate through an industrial space filled with Vuitton models, and a seemingly endless maze of staircases. Because this is their first official high-fashion collaboration (previously only with athletic brands such as Puma and Fila), the BTS fanbase ARMY was absolutely geeking out on Twitter.

Thanks to their appearance in Louis Vuitton’s #LVMenFW21 fashion show in Seoul, where members of the group modelled the new collection, social media posts featuring BTS accounted for 9 of the top 10 most engaged fashion-related posts in the past week. BTS-related LV posts generated 5M interactions for the brand in just 7 days, compared to less than 400K mentions for all non-BTS mentions of LV in the same period.

Not to mention, with their ever-growing popularity; BTS bounds onto the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart at #1 with their new single “Permission to Dance.” The boyband supplants itself at the top spot, as their previous single “Butter” falls to #7 after seven consecutive weeks at #1.

The dominant influence of K-Pop is just one of many surprising trends that has changed the way consumers engage with fashion and beauty brands over the past year. The latest Fashion & Beauty Industry Report from consumer intelligence platform, Talkwalker, reveals how apparel and cosmetics brands are adapting to the latest changes in post-pandemic consumer behavior, from the rise of athleisure culture to the resilience of makeup tutorials as a content cornerstone even during the work-from-home era.

“Whether people are working from home or in the office, how they look and feel remains a consistent topic of online conversation. What’s changed is who people look to for their sense of style and self,” said Todd Grossman, CEO of Talkwalker Americas. “K-Pop stars like BTS have shown a tremendous ability to excite fans to engage with brands on a seismic level, bringing far more attention to a legacy brand than it could otherwise generate on its own.”

KIDROBOT × SDCC VIRTUAL CON EXCLUSIVES PREVIEW

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KIDROBOT UNVEILS SDCC 2021 VIRTUAL CON EXCLUSIVES

Kidrobot is bringing the Comic Con Exclusives to you with the Kidrobot SDCC 2021 Virtual Con. This special online-only event starts July 23rd at 10am MT / 12pm ET.

Starting Friday, July 23rd at 10am MT, Kidrobot will begin pre-orders for 3 exclusives. Once they sell out, they are gone for good. First to complete check out get them.

The Stars My Destination 8″ Astronaut Dunny

SDCC Exclusive ORION Edition

From the dawn of space exploration to current and ongoing missions… Here’s to space travel! This summer, Kidrobot takes one giant leap for DUNNY transporting us to a new destination with the first Astronaut The Stars My Destination “ORION” 8-inch Dunny. Dunny is prepared to explore the extraordinary in a fabric Kidrobot Dunny Astronaut space suit and shielded helmet. 3… 2… 1… Blastoff! Coming 2021 from Kidrobot.

Limited edition of 500 pieces, $100 each

Backstab Smorkin’ Labbit 14″ Plush by Frank Kozik
SDCC Exclusive Black Edition

Perhaps he was involved in a hideous kitchen accident. Or maybe he was betrayed by his closest friend. Either way, this 14” plush Backstab Smorkin’ Labbit seems entirely unfazed by the (removable) knife protruding from his back.

Labbit is a smoking, unshaven rabbit character created by legendary pop artist & Kidrobot Chief Creative Officer, Frank Kozik. Originally featured in Kozik’s famous nineties rock poster art, Labbit and his signature butthole (pink satin-lined in this instance) were adopted by Kidrobot in 2003. This beloved chain smoker is a born classic. But who cares? Labbit doesn’t.

Limited edition of 1000, $34.99 each

Kidrobot x Elton John “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” Satin Jacket SDCC Exclusive

Pulled from the cover of Elton John’s bestselling album to date, this bomber jacket inspired by the one on Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is a style sensation worthy of the legend himself! Shiny pink satin with dazzling glitter embroidery reads “ELTON JOHN” across the back and features 2 pockets plus green-and-white striped knit trim. Polyester, fully lined.

Limited edition of 900 pieces, $150 each

GET MORE INFO AND FAQS AT KIDROBOT.

ABOUT KIDROBOT
Founded in 2002, Kidrobot is acknowledged worldwide as the premier creator and dealer of limited-edition art toys, signature apparel, and lifestyle accessories. An innovative cross between sculpture and conceptual art Kidrobot offers not only a powerful medium for today’s international designers, illustrators, and artists, but also the creative canvas for emerging street trends and pop art. Our products can be found online and in select retailers worldwide.

StruXure – Pergola X

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Outdoor Details Worth Splurging On This Summer With Scott Selzer, CEO of StruXure

Site, function, and budget are all important factors to consider when designing an outdoor space: What can my property accommodate? What kind of space do I want/need? How much money am I willing to spend? However, it’s also important to think about outdoor upgrades in terms of return on investment. How can I create a space that can be used year-round? Will the upgrades increase my property value? The answers to all these questions will help inform choices well beyond furniture selection, like whether to add fixed structures, water features, or built-in appliances.

Adding an adjustable louvered pergola by StruXure to one’s home is not only a great idea for providing shade to an outdoor space, but it can also help reduce interior heat gain by protecting exterior walls.

Summer is synonymous with spending more time outdoors, but without proper planning it can also mean sunburns, bee stings, and heat exhaustion. We hear it all the time, “I’d spend a lot more time in my backyard if I could get some relief from the blazing sun.” A pergola with pivoting louvers, that can be adjusted at the touch of a button, gives you the protection you need from sun, wind, and rain showers, not only in the summer months, but all year long.

Thanks to social distancing protocols, it has become the norm rather than the exception to eat outdoors, and not only at restaurants. Recreating the al fresco dining experience at home is becoming increasingly popular. A pergola with automated pivoting louvers helps protect diners, whether in a commercial or residential setting, from direct sunlight and other weather conditions.

If we learned anything during the pandemic, it’s that everyone can use technology. From a dramatic increase in video calls to prolific smart hub use, people are no longer afraid of technology. Many who thought “smart gadgets” weren’t for them are now capable users. The Pergola X by StruXure uses a Somfy motor to activate its louvers, which can be operated by remote control or through use of an app on a personal device.

As with interior design, a well-designed outdoor space needs to offer both comfort and function. Without both, it won’t get used. In addition, an outdoor space must be designed to withstand the elements. Even the most well-curated outdoor lounge or kitchen will remain underutilized unless it can be protected from rain, sun, and extreme temperatures. StruXure pergolas offer protection and durability. The motorized pivoting louvers, which can be shifted at the touch of a button to let the warm sunshine through or to optimize shade, can be fully closed on rainy days. StruXure products are made from durable, powder-coated extruded aluminum, which makes them scratch-resistant, non-corrosive, and nearly maintenance-free. Pergolas can also serve as anchors, helping to define unique spaces within a larger, multi-purpose backyard design.

Treat your outdoor space as new-found square footage and look for ways to maximize the value of that space. One way is by adding a high-quality pergola that will stand the test of time—one that can be matched to your home’s architecture and color scheme—and then turning that protected space into any “room” your family desires: outdoor living room, theater, kitchen, spa. The benefit of a sturdy, fixed structure with pivoting louvers is that it can be utilized in every season, whether you want shade, airflow, sunlight, or rain protection (our products can even withstand snow loads). And as outdoor living continues to rise in popularity, statistics show that homes with comfortable outdoor spaces are increasingly attractive to buyers.

About StruXure

Founded in 2011 by CEO and Chief Product Architect Scott Selzer, StruXure has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing privately held companies in America for six years in a row. Steady growth at- tracted top talent and led the company to open a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility and corporate headquarters just north of Atlanta, GA in 2016. A West Coast Fulfillment Center and Showroom, located just outside of Las Vegas, NV, was added in the Fall of 2017. With StruXure dealers from Canada to the Caribbean, the company is poised and ready to lead the way to more innovative outdoor living across North America and beyond.

Data Privacy Core Principles

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No one likes being watched, offline or on. And it is especially unnerving when a brand oversteps that boundary and pops up everywhere you go online.

Invisibly is on a mission to ensure companies have your direct consent for using your data and compensate you for the use of it. Invisibly believes in Seven Core Data Privacy Principles that can change the way companies acquire and use personal data. You can control who sees your data, where and when.

But what are these principles, and why should you care about them? These principles represent the spirit of data collection, are the basis of The Data Protection Act, the California Consumer Privacy Act, and shaped the European Union’s GDPR. The foundation of data privacy in the current digital world, Invisibly believes everyone should know the principles as we move towards a people-centered data economy.

Lawfulness, fairness, and transparency

People should always know what data is being collected, by whom, and why. Furthermore, your data should never be used against you- as in tracking your internet browsing secretly to sell you a product later.

Purpose limitation

Your data should only be used in the way it was intended. Your data shouldn’t be collected for research purposes, and then turned around for marketing.

Data minimization

Only relevant data should be collected. A company should not collect all possible data on you- your mother’s maiden name, first pet, and favourite teacher does not apply for a survey on what type of coffee you use.

Accuracy (holding)

Your data should be updated on a regular basis. Outdated data does no one any good- you or the company who wants it.

Storage limitation

Data should not be kept forever! Your data should only be kept for as long as necessary, and not reused.

Integrity and confidentiality (security)

Companies should always keep your data safe. This prevents bad actors from accessing it and keeps it safe from any cybersecurity breaches. You should never have to worry if your information is at risk.

Accountability

Companies must show that they are taking reasonable action to meet these principles.

More information on Fox 26 and CBS.

GirlzLuhDev – Day One Starter

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Rapper, singer, ex-basketball star, and – quite possibly – America’s next great hitmaker. 17-year-old senior GirlzLuhDev from California’s Inland Empire has already landed a viral hit, the raunchy but blissed out “Tooka.” With over two million streams and a Tooka TikTok challenge formed, the song is supported by simple beats and rich keys, and we get a glimpse of his youthful energy in this bright blend of bars, warbled melodies, and ad libs that sound like smack talk beamed down from a distant planet.

Dev was born in Inglewood amid tragedy – his father was shot and killed in a liquor store while his mother was pregnant with him – but as a kid he found diversion and direction in sports. While he has fond memories of playing pickup basketball in Rogers Park and football for the Inglewood Jets, Dev’s interests broadened as he found Vine and Musical.ly growing up. And while he was a dynamic point guard being groomed by his coaches for a future pro career well into high school, his rap obsession took over, citing Lil Uzi Vert as his first musical love (alongside established artists like Drake, Future, and Chris Brown).

Sophomore year, Dev was cut from the JV basketball team for missing a game. But that loss would lead to something new. Dev was bored, “So one day in P.E.,” he says, “I just started singing this hook. I made it into a freestyle video, and it got, like, 7,000 views in three days.” Naturally, he kept making videos. The second one did just as well, and then, while plotting his third, he decided to make full songs. “Rover” and “We Can Go” were his first two – recorded in his friend’s garage studio – and they took off locally, cranking at high school rallies. You can hear why: Dev’s voice was like water, swishing and swirling over West Coast production. He twisted words into new shapes, and the Auto-Tune made his notes sound like sunbeams.

With his mind fully in music and posting up north of nearly 25 million streams in the U.S. alone, GirlzLuhDev drops his debut, Day 1 Starter on Capitol Records. He paved the way for the project with “Dead Bro” that quickly racked 100K streams, and it also received praise from HotNewHipHop dubbing it “equally funny as it is infectious, and GirlzLuhDev’s charm is the cherry on top.” Between “Day 1 Starter (feat. Remble),” “Mario Chalmers,” and the viral single “Tooka,” tracks from the EP have already impressively amassed over 17 million total streams prior to release.

Last week, I got the chance to speak with Dev about his life prior to music, what has changed for him since, and about his Day 1 Starter project release.

With Tooka blowing up on TikTok, how do you feel about the support and reactions to the song? What has this changed for you?

“The support was good, very good, and still good to this day. Overall, it was a good song, and they love it. Till’ this day, I still find thousands of videos playing it. A hundred different [TikTok] sounds were added to the song like slow reverb, and it’s a pretty big shot. Every day I still find myself thinking oh damn, they did that to my song?”

You talk about giving up sports (hoop sauce) for music. Was this a difficult decision to make?

“Let me tell you… It was a difficult decision to make. I love basketball! When I was a kid in L.A., it was strictly sports. But it was like I made a song, and it did good, and I wanted to take a break because this culture is weird. And then I just fell in love with the love I was getting from the music I was making, and people were telling me I got what it takes. Giving up hoop hurt, but it was the best decision ever. I’m glad I’m here and the bars are in me.”

Is there a story behind your rapper name you’d like to share with anyone just getting into your music?

“One of my homies gamer names was GirlzLuhJohnny, and that name was hard to me. And we made a little clan, and I just had to be GirlzLuhDev and ran with it.”

Can you talk about your inspirations? Or anything you’d like to tell us about your visual for Day 1 Starter?

“My visuals for my new songs are actually gonna be my biggest visuals. My thing now is that I wanna make strictly movies, I want all my songs to have the visual and meaning. I actually got two videos stored up right now, by far my best visuals ever. Better than Tooka and Dead Bro. Even though those were all fire. This new stuff though… I’m prepared to come up like a young superstar, so they view my music how I want it to be viewed.

Dev spoils the unreleased tracks for us, and the opener “BNB” pairs his melodic verses with piano and a glitchy beat. Finger-snaps maintain the tempo of “Dangerously N Love” as his hummable bars melt into the production with smooth energy. He leans into an off kilter bounce on “Used To” with one final hypnotic chorus. GirlzLuhDev asserts himself as a rapper to watch in 2021 and, of course, a Day 1 Starter.

Day 1 Starter TRACKLISTING

1. BNB

2. Mario Chalmers

3. Dangerously N Luv

4. Day 1 Starter (feat. Remble)

5. Make Perfect

6. Dead Bro

7. Feel Away

8. Tooka (feat. DACHINC)

9. Used To

HELMUT JAHN: LIFE + ARCHITECTURE

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Chicago Architecture Center Announces HELMUT JAHN: LIFE + ARCHITECTURE

A Design Retrospective Opening July 23 in CAC’s Skyscraper Gallery

New exhibit part of an international outpouring of appreciation for Jahn’s design legacy following his death in May

The Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) announces HELMUT JAHN: LIFE + ARCHITECTURE, a career design retrospective of Helmut Jahn’s innovative work that has left an enduring legacy around the world and in his adopted home of Chicago. The exhibit, organized after Jahn’s death in May, will include numerous scale models of Jahn’s pathbreaking designs throughout his career. HELMUT JAHN: LIFE + ARCHITECTURE opens on July 23 and runs through October.

“Helmut Jahn and Chicago were made for one another,” said Lynn Osmond, President and CEO of the CAC. “Helmut’s larger-than-life persona and his inventive and surprisingly original buildings remade Chicago in the 1980s. His brash designs and relentless pursuit of excellence invigorated Chicago, helping the architectural community move confidently beyond mid-century modernism. Helmut was, in turn, embraced by ‘the city of big shoulders.’”

HELMUT JAHN: LIFE + ARCHITECTURE will include personal and professional items generously loaned by Helmut Jahn’s family and firm. Visitors to CAC’s Skyscraper Gallery will see scale models of some of Jahn’s most recent designs, including 1000M (Chicago) and Pritzker Military Archives (Somers, Wisconsin) currently under construction. Visitors will also see scale models of buildings designed at key points in Jahn’s career, including Post Tower (Bonn, 2002), Sony Center (Berlin, 2000) and the James R. Thompson Center (Chicago, 1985). Together, these buildings, represented by scale models in the exhibit, introduce visitors to Jahn’s enduring design legacy.

“Helmut was a great mentor.” said Tom Lee, Principal, Eastman Lee Architects. “He had a profound influence on me and my career and that of so many other architects in the city and around the world.”

The Thompson Center, an example of innovative post-modern design, is in the news as it is currently to be sold by the State of Illinois without protection for its historic design. A nomination to the National Register of Historic Places seeks historic tax credits for incentivizing adaptive reuse, but this process is still ongoing. To support a debate on the future of The Thompson Center, the CAC and the Chicago Architectural Club created the James R. Thompson Center Design Competition that challenges architects to envision a new future for Jahn’s post-modern masterpiece. The winning designs will be exhibited at the CAC in late summer.

“With a burst of shattering, curving and bulging glass in a rainbow of colors, Helmut Jahn danced onto the international architecture scene in the 1980s, translating the discipline of Chicago Modernism into new programs and forms while melting and fragmenting its grids into a post-disco delight of shaped buildings,” said Aaron Betsky, Director of the School of Architecture + Design at Virginia Tech. “We better save the Thompson Center, which is not only one of his greatest designs, but one of the few true celebrations of government as a public good.”

HELMUT JAHN: LIFE + ARCHITECTURE caps the CAC’s 2021 reopening with all-new and updated exhibits in its 10,000 square feet of galleries. The Chicago Gallery, home to the Chicago City Model Experience, is completely overhauled with new displays on Current Chicago Projects, Chicago’s neighborhoods and the new exhibit, Housing for a Changing Nation.

The CAC’s spring 2021 reopening began with the April launch of new CAC Walking Tours and the Chicago Architecture Foundation Center (CAFC) River Cruise aboard Chicago’s First Lady. Both walking tours and the river cruise have been popular options for Chicagoans and visitors eager to rediscover the beauty and inspiration of Chicago architecture.

For updates on offerings visit the official website.

About the Chicago Architecture Center

The Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1966, dedicated to inspiring people to discover why design matters. A national leader in architecture and design education, the CAC offers tours, programs, exhibitions and more that are part of a dynamic journey of lifelong learning.

Opened to the public in 2018, its riverfront location is in the heart of the city, where Michigan Avenue meets the Chicago River, featuring nearly 10,000 square feet of exhibition space with views of a century of iconic skyscrapers.

Through partnerships with schools and youth-serving organizations, the CAC reaches approximately 30,000 K–12 students annually, while teacher workshops provide educators with tools and resources they need to advance STEM curricula in their classrooms. Committed to serving under-represented communities in construction, engineering and design professions, the CAC offers many of its education programs—and all of its programs for teens—at no cost to participants.

CAC programs for adults and members include talks with acclaimed authors and practicing architects, in-depth presentations on issues and trends in urbanism, and classes unlocking subjects related to the built environment

Proceeds from programs, tours and the CAC Design Store, as well as from grants, sponsorships and donations, support its educational mission. Visit architecture.org to learn more and follow Chicago Architecture Center’s Instagram and #chiarchitecture on social media.