The world leader in interior design publishing, ELLE Decoration’s most recent addition showcases inspiring interiors, avant-garde trends, design hotspots and pro tips from creators, both Canadian and international – including a cover story about the ultra-luxurious penthouse of a Montreal fashion entrepreneur, whose Little Italy triplex is bringing nature inside. Inspired by the Italian renaissance – think loggias and colonnades – the hidden oasis includes a 200-square-foot inner courtyard featuring burnt wood, tons of plants and a Japanese bath.
In another lush feature, a Manhattan-based, Canada-born designer offers a fresh take on old-school luxury with a redesign of an urban glass home, complete with rooftop English garden. “Walls provide a certain privacy, just like a garden,” says Garrow Kedigian, whose clients include members of the royal family and the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
In decor trends, green is taking centre stage, so the debut edition features absinthe, teal and fern designs for your outdoor oasis; gardening tips and “Perfection” fennel; ultra-stylish transportable grills for everything from Neopolitan-style pizza to s’mores; and even handmade Vietnamese bowls made with food-grade varnishes and cashew apple resin.
Looking back while looking forward, it also covers the history of cane and rattan furniture as well as modern interpretations worth getting excited about, from panel lighting to cocoon loungers.
Like its 26 international siblings with their more than 10 million total readers, the Canadian edition of ELLE Decoration extends beyond the home, in this case digging into the story of a top Canadian chef who goes from painstakingly assembling culinary art on handcrafted ceramic plates to ladling it into takeout containers in a story that covers everything from restaurant design to the ethics of dinnerware).
Plus, moon-inspired decor; rebellious interpretations of everyday objects; and getting cozy with Danish hygge via simplicity, functionality… and plenty of light.
The edition even features a new Champagne bottle design, just in time to celebrate the magazine’s launch!
The first issue of ELLE Decoration Canada will hit stands on April 19th, 2021.
It’s time to spruce up your space. Giving your home a makeover is all about being resourceful and strategic. Let’s take a look at a handful of makeover tips to get you pointed in the right direction. We’ve listed the top efficient tips to give your space the ultimate makeover!
Get Organized
Being organized is key to having a well-put-together space. Waking up every morning and before going to bed every night, look around and pick up anything or everything that isn’t where it is supposed to be and put it in its designated spot. Purchasing storage organizers and matching bins are an easy and effective way to keep the space clean. There are so many shops with affordable and aesthetically pleasing organizers such as Marshalls, HomeGoods, Target, Amazon, and any home stores that they can think of. Designate a time out of the day to a particular spot in the space and focus on that space until it looks brand new. Once it reaches that clean and organized look, all that needs to be done is make it a habit to keep it that way.
It’s Time to Say Goodbye
Some clothes haven’t been worn in 3 years, or a kitchen filled with appliances that will never be needed or will never be used can be hard to get rid of sometimes. But please do get rid of it. Make a rule to his or herself while decluttering: “if I haven’t touched it in a few years, I need to get rid of it.” Getting rid of unnecessary products or appliances can help space feel ten times better. Getting rid of things can be challenging for some people, but once it is accomplished, they won’t look back. It will be refreshing to look around the space and only see things that are constantly needed and used and not having to worry about excess items.
Figure Out Your Style
There is no need to rush the process when changing the home or moving into a new space. It’s exciting, so sometimes people buy the first items they see without thinking about it for a little bit. It’s key to figure out his or her style because when they are surrounded by things that make them calm, happy, excited, the energy will radiate off of the environment they are in. If they love color and bright settings, but the place is dark and grey, they will feel that energy without realizing it. If they feel calmer in a spa-like environment with whites and plants, but the home is dark wood and blacks, the same thing happens, it will radiate the energy they are surrounded by. This is why it is so essential figuring out what spaces that give that calm and happy feeling. There are budget-friendly and not-so-budget-friendly ways to provide him or her what they are looking for. Either way, it is possible and crucial if this is the place where they go to bed at night and wake up in the morning.
Accessories
Accessorizing is the best part of updating a space. Accessorizing can be so fun and customizable. A popular way of accessorizing is candles and plants. There are so many candles out there that are incredible decorations and smell amazing, and who wouldn’t want their house to smell amazing? Places to look at for unique and lasting candles could be Anthropology, Nest, Le Labo Santal, and Chester Candle Company. Having plants (real or fake) bring in calming nature and awakens space. If they are into the music, they can create a section for the records and wall art of favorite artists. If they are into statement pieces of art, they can purchase beautiful pieces from the Pastel Paradise line through Desenio. If they are into fashion, they can purchase a clothing rack and place favorite pieces on display. If they love to host, make a bar cart and decorate it with sleek bottles and vintage glass wear. There are so many unique ways to accessorize to his or her liking.
Make it luxury without breaking the bank
Celebrities always have the most unique, modern, and fascinating homes, but it can be costly to get them how they are. There are so many other ways to make the space look luxurious without spending too much. Going neutral and accessorizing with exciting and unique things is key. Making the walls, light fixtures, and furniture neutral and simple can allow them to have so much fun in other ways. They can add texture and patterns to spice it up.
Make those ceilings tall
A lot of homes and apartments have shorter ceilings which can make space feel smaller. When it comes to windows, a trick to know hang the drapes close to the wall rather than directly above the window. Doing this creates an illusion that the window is taller than it is.
Bring in sunlight
Whenever I get the chance, I open up my shades every morning and open a window to let the sunshine in and listen to the outdoor sounds. This makes my space feel so calming and always makes me feel better to breathe in some fresh air every day without going outside. Even on a rainy day, listening to the rain as background noise while sitting at home is always fantastic. This is a great and extremely easy trick that everyone can manage.
NEW SS21 INTERIOR TRENDS: INTRODUCING PASTEL PARADISE
This week, Desenio is launching the third of its four key trends for SS21. Inject some color and happiness into your life with the Pastel Paradise trend, an aesthetic that focuses on creating delight and an element of surprise through pastel color blocking and self-expression. Here are some tips for bringing the Pastel Paradise trend to life.
MAKE IT JOYFUL
“This trend brings much-needed happiness to our homes, focusing on playful, pastel colors in home decor and art,” says Desenio’s Executive Creative Director, Annica Wallin.
Pastel colors have been scientifically proven to have an uplifting effect on your mood. Bring joy and spontaneity to your home by choosing pastel posters, focusing on imagery that makes you happy, and sprucing up your space. The Pastel Paradise trend incorporates prints with joyful colors to surprise and delight.
DARE TO BE CREATIVE
“Changing posters in your home to new colors is a very easy way to give your home a new look,” says Annica Wallin.
Don’t be afraid to take risks in your choices: a beautifully playful effect is created when you have the freedom to choose posters and home accessories in a variety of pastel shades and forms. Mix graphic art with other styles in soft tones to create your own pastel paradise.
BRING A HINT OF THE 80S
“Influences from the 80s pastel color palette bring a sense of nostalgia from a time that was fun and carefree,” says Annica Wallin.
Indulge in creative self-expression with the use of bold colors and styles. The Pastel Paradise trend updates neon hues for 2021, giving them a softer, more palatable tint. It’s up to you how you incorporate these colors into your space: be bold and make them a key color scheme or use them as subtle accents in your home.
Nike has filed a federal trademark infringement lawsuit against MSCHF shoes that released a controversial customized version of its sneakers “Satan Shoes” with rapper Lil Nas X. In the lawsuit filed today, Nike accused MSCHF Product Studio, Inc. of trademark infringement over the designer’s 666 pairs of modified Nike sneakers made in collaboration with the “Old Town Road” singer. All 666 pairs sold out Monday.
Fara Sunderji is a partner at the international law firm Dorsey & Whitney in its New York office. Sunderji has extensive expertise in all stages of trademark, copyright, clearance, prosecution, maintenance, enforcement, and litigation. Of the lawsuit she says,
“Nike’s swoosh is probably one of the most recognizable non-word trademarks in the world. You see it and you automatically think of Nike as the source of the good on which it appears. This is how trademarks are supposed to operate, as a source identified. Nike’s case here is pretty simple to understand: MSCHF is selling Nike Air Max 97’s that have been modified in a way in which Nike does not approve. People see these “Satan Shoes” and think they come from Nike and some people don’t like that. Nike, therefore, claims that the release of these “Santa Shoes” is harming its valuable brand,” Sunderji says.
“MSCHF will likely argue that they are protected under a theory called the First Sale Doctrine, which allows third parties to resell trademarked goods that have already entered the marketplace. But the doctrine is limited to the sale of genuine goods. The doctrine is based on the premise that consumers are not being deceived because they are receiving what they have bargained for, the trademarked good. Under Second Circuit case law, goods are not genuine if they do not conform to the brand owner’s quality control standards, and it is easy to guess Nike’s take on this issue – Just don’t do it,” Sunderji says.
According to NBC News, the lawsuit states “We don’t have any further details to share on pending legal matters,” Nike said. “However, we can tell you we do not have a relationship with Lil Nas X or MSCHF.”
Trademark attorney Josh Gerben of Gerben Perrott PLLC stated to CNN Business that “It’s a legal rationale that grants artists who purchase and repurpose individual copyrighted products the ability to express and profit off their own creativity.”. He also pointed out Nike shoe redesigners like MSCHF commonly sell their work on online marketplaces. “You’ve got all kinds of artists that go out there and they take a shoe, and they’ll do a whole bunch of custom art on the shoe and maybe resell it for $1,000-3,000,” Gerben said. “This is something Nike is well aware of and has done absolutely nothing to mess with because there’s a sneaker culture here.”
Lil Nas X isn’t named as a party in the lawsuit. Representatives for the musician did not respond to calls or emails requesting comment.
The backlash from social media is incredible with thousands of people expressing their opinions with the shoes and the representation they bring:
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem tweeted “Our kids are being told that this kind of product, is not only okay, it’s “exclusive.” But do you know what’s more exclusive? Their God-given eternal soul. We are in a fight for the soul of our nation. We need to fight hard. And we need to fight smart. We have to win.”.
NBA star Nick Young tweeted “My kids will never play Old Town Road again… I’m still debating about wearing Nike after this come Nike a drop of blood for real”.
On Instagram, celebrity musician Miley Cyrus shares a photo proudly wearing the controversial sneakers, captioning the post “Can you see Satan?”.
The controversial ‘Satan Shoes’ were strategically dropped after the release of Lil Nas X’s music video for “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)”, which has already been viewed more than 54 million times.
Lil Nas X took to Twitter in his true fashion posting “I spent my entire teenage years hating myself because of the shit y’all preached would happen to me because I was gay. So I hope u are mad, stay mad, feel the same anger you teach us to have towards ourselves.”
THE WEEKND TO RE-RELEASE LANDMARK DEBUT MIXTAPE HOUSE OF BALLOONS IN ITS ORIGINAL FORM ON ALL DIGITAL SERVICE PROVIDERS FOR 10YEAR ANNIVERSARY
MIXTAPE AVAILABLE MARCH 21
LAUNCH TO INCLUDE 1,000 LIMITED EDITION VINYL AND EXCLUSIVE MERCHANDISE
Ten years ago, an anonymous force emerged from the shadows in Toronto and took the first step towards changing popular music forever. The story started before nominations at the Academy Awards and halftime shows at the Super Bowl. On March 21, 2011, The Weeknd first unveiled his groundbreaking debut mixtape House of Balloons. A decade later to the date, it will be made available on all streaming platforms for the first time in its original incarnation, including original samples. This marks the first time House of Balloons has appeared on DSPs in its purest and most powerful form.
Additionally, The Weeknd will unveil an exclusive merchandise drop to celebrate the moment. Among many highlights, it features a collaboration with Daniel Arsham’s new interpretation of the iconic cover art and 1,000 limited-edition vinyl. Fans may purchase on the website on March 21 @ 3 PM EST for 48 hours only.
In Daniel Arsham’s words, “the summer of 2011 will always be marked by House of Balloons. Like a time travel device, the album transports me back to that specific moment in time every time I listen. It is a great privilege to work with The Weeknd and the XO Team to reimagine the iconic album art of House of Balloons as an eroded sculpture for the ten-year anniversary. Alongside the transparent vinyl and eroded album artwork – we also worked on a collection of merchandise including a Varsity Jacket, blending my own aesthetic with that of The Weeknd’s.” The interior of the varsity jacket will feature a custom camouflage pattern, mixing The Weeknd’s silhouette with Arsham Studio colorways inspired by and reminiscent of The Weeknd’s outfit at his first live show in 2011 at Toronto’s Mod Club.
Capping off 2011, House of Balloons graced over a dozen year-end lists. Complex christened it the “best album of 2011,” while it landed in the Top 10 of annual roundups by Stereogumat #5, The A.V. Club at #6, and Pitchfork at #10. It closed out the year as Metacritic’s “third-best reviewed project of the year.” As the genesis of The Weeknd’s mythos, its influence only continues to grow.
Spring is a few weeks away, and holidays are coming up too. Many want to put some spring-like decorations on the table or use them as a centerpiece. But some don’t know where to begin. Lively Root wants to guide you through the process so you can use what you have on the shelves while also using your indoor plants!
What type of container? Let’s build a table arrangement together. Start with digging through your old Easter baskets, containers of any shape, size, or color (painting is optional later). Set them all out.
Gather the Extras Then pull together any accessories you might want to use in your display. You can use Easter motifs like eggs, crosses, bunnies, carrots, cabbages, etc. We will use birds, eggs, and nests for our presentation so the arrangement could be in use for longer than just one holiday. You may even venture out on a walk and pick up bits of nature to use too. Mosses, twigs, dried cones, or leaves can also be a part of the collection.
Grouping Plants and What to Consider Next, gather your houseplants in the 4-6″ grower pot containers that you have. Different heights would be excellent, as well as those that have pretty colored leaves or blooms. For this presentation, the kalanchoes and Neanthe Bella Palm, Snake plant, English ivy gold child, spider plant, and pink polka dot plant are compatible because they all like to dry out between waterings. As you assemble plants in groupings, you’ll want to consider their light needs as well as watering and humidity needs. You may want to use this assembly temporarily or for several weeks. It will be easier to maintain if all the plants take basically the same type of care.
Recycle and Repurpose If this will be semi-permanent, you’ll want to make sure that your container drains well. If your planter doesn’t have a drainage hole, get out your handy-dandy drill and drill a few holes in the bottom.
You may want to recycle an old Easter basket or gift container you got a gift in prior. You may find something but not like the color anymore! That’s when a paintbrush and chalk paint comes in handy. It’s easy to use and easy to clean up.
If you don’t have a collection of has-beens, drop by the local resale store and rummage through their cast-aways. You’re sure to find the perfect container.
Create Groupings Once you have your containers, clean them up, paint them and let them dry. Next, assemble your plants and accessories. Do small groupings to see what you like best. Place the plants (in the grower pot) in your chosen container just to see how the arrangement looks before assembling. Take a picture with your phone to remember the setup. Then remove all the items. We use a screen to place over the container’s bottom to help hold the soil, so it doesn’t drip through and clog the drainage holes.
Next, select the correct potting soil for the plants you assemble. At this point, you can either keep the plants in the grower pot and set them in the container and cover them with craft moss or pot them straight into the decorative container. It’s up to you. If it is a temporary selection, then the grower pot assembly may be the easiest way to go. We use a cactus and succulent mix with a little well-draining potting mix together for these plants. Plant and Assemble You will want to build the soil up a bit before placing the plants. Remember to leave the soil line below the top of the container about 1/2-1 inch so there won’t be water spillover. If using it temporarily, you can keep the plant in the grower pot and place them on the soil. If you’re using it as a more permanent collection, remove the grower pot and place the plant where you want it in the assembly. As you go, fill in around each plant, tucking soil in between each one so the roots are covered and secure.
Do the rest the same way. If needed, make a funnel out of a plastic container or poster board and feed the soil through it to get to the tight spots where your hands don’t fit. Tamp down the soil with your fingers or a spoon. Be careful not to bury the top of the stems in soil but just up to your plant’s soil line. You can add a top dressing of time-release fertilizer or use a balanced liquid fertilizer when watering. Once it all is assembled, use a clean paintbrush to brush any excess soil on the leaves. Then check the soil moisture around each plant and water as needed. Next, top dress with craft moss or colored rocks.
Then slide in your accessories to make it festive!
Mix Nature In Another fun way to decorate around the house is to use the nature items you might have picked up outside. Bark, twigs, and moss can be a part of the next project. Inspect the items for ants, bugs, or the like before assembly and remove them.
Keep your plant inside its grower pot. Use a hot glue gun to glue the pieces around the grower pot and assemble them in an organic arrangement.
Finish it off with some twine or raffia. Set these on a side table or in a collection together. Or you can use them at each place setting as a take-home gift for your guests.
Now, once you’ve got your decorations finished, snap a photo and share it with us on Instagram or Facebook! We’d love to see your plant creations! Tag us with #LivelyRoot and share the love!
Extra bonus: Use your children’s leftover Easter baskets to repurpose into a summer arrangement by following the same instructions as above. We didn’t plant them in the soil this time but left them in the grower pots and tucked moss around the containers. When it’s time to water, just disassemble, water, let drain, and then place back into the basket. We included a clear plastic saucer to protect the basket in case of leftover dripping
At Lively Root, the green spaces created have been instrumental in development as horticulturists, for an ideal green space. Lively Root’s plants are home-grown and full-scale fulfillment centers. They only sell eco-friendly products that are packaged and delivered right to your doorstep. Founding members have over a century of horticultural experience as growers, retailers, and landscapers, ranging from small plants to indoor plants, outdoor plants, large trees, and flowering shrubs. They have planted & maintained trees on residential and commercial properties. Plants improve health by purifying the air, soothing stress, making people feel happier, and offering style and ambiance.
It’s Black History Month, which gives the planet time to reflect on how African American achievements have contributed to US history and how African achievements have contributed to the world. Although, don’t forget it is important to highlight and celebrate Black accomplishments year around. Due to the current global climate, it’s important to become more knowledgeable and celebrate the Afro-Latinx population for its contributions to US history and the world.
After 2020, it is an especially important time to embolden the community to take part in the celebration of Black culture. This year, the Black History Month theme is “Black Family: Representation, Identity and Diversity” which explores the African diaspora and their contributions.
To really understand the African diaspora it is essential to acknowledge that there were more African slaves to Latin America than to the United States. “There were 11.2 million Africans who came to the New World in the slave trade and of that 11.2 million, only 450,000 came to the United States,” Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. said in a discussion about his PBS documentary series Black In Latin America. He added, “The real black experience, in terms of numbers, is all throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.”
Today, Latinx should understand their roots, which have an undoubtedly long history of African heritage. Hispanics & Latinx identities are beautifully complex, multifaceted and multidimensional. A Pew Research Center survey of Latinx, adults shows that one-quarter of all U.S. Latinx self-identify as Afro-Latinx, Afro-Caribbean, or of African descent with roots in Latin America. This is the first time a nationally representative survey in the U.S. has asked the Latinx population directly whether they considered themselves Afro-Latinx.
Many Latinos identify with their ancestral countries of origin – Puerto Rico, Colombia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Cuba, Peru, the Dominican Republic, etc. Others may also identify with their Indigenous roots and all of these experiences made contributions to Black History. A goal to have moving forward is to celebrate global Black History and continue to recognize the contributions African-Americans have made to the world, including achievements made by Afro-Latinxs & Afro-Indigenous people. It’s imperative for Latinxs to acknowledge their African & Indigenous heritage given that history and cultures are inextricably linked to slave trade in the Americas, genocide and the African Diaspora.
Here’s a growing list of amazing Afro-Latino (a,x) heroes and their contributions.
1. Arturo Alfonso Schomburg
(January 24, 1874 – June 10, 1938)
Place of birth: Santurce, Puerto Rico
Contributions: Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, born to a Black mother and father of German descent, was a historian. Mr. Schomburg is considered to be one of the Fathers of Black History & a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance. Schomburg’s lifework consisted of research and preservation—work that would lead him to become one of the world’s premier collectors of Black literature, slave narratives, artwork, and diasporic materials.
2. Dr. Marta Moreno-Vega
(January 3, 1942)
Place of birth: East Harlem, New York
Contributions: Dr. Marta Moreno-Vega is an Afro-Boricua who established the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI). Dr. Moreno Vega has been an advocate for cultural equity, cultural studies and education. As the second director of El Museo del Barrio, one of the founders of the Association of Hispanic Arts, Network of Centers of Color and the Roundtable of Institutions of Color, Dr. Moreno Vega has contributed to assuring that the contributions of African and African descendants are integral to the lives of civil society in the Americas.
3. Celia Cruz
(October 21, 1925 – July 16, 2003)
Place of birth: Havana, Cuba
Contributions: Celia Cruz was a singer & recording artist born and raised in Havana, Cuba. She was one of the most iconic artists of the 20th century. Her many honors included three Grammy Awards and four Latin Grammys for recordings such as Ritmo en el corazón (1988; with Ray Barretto) and Siempre viviré (2000).
4. Dr. José Celso Barbosa
(July 27, 1857 – September 21, 1921)
Place of birth: Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Contributions: Dr. José Celso Barbosa was a Physician, Sociologist and Politician. Known as the father of the Statehood for Puerto Rico movement, Barbosa was the first Puerto Rican, and one of the first persons of African descent to earn a medical degree in the United States.
5. Ruth Fernández (Ruth Noemi Fernández Cortada)
(May 23, 1919 – January 9, 2012)
Place of birth: Ponce, Puerto Rico
Contributions: Ruth Fernández, “El Alma de Puerto Rico Hecha Canción” (“The Soul of Puerto Rico Turned Song”) was a Puerto Rican contralto, actress, and a member of the Puerto Rican Senate. She was the first and only singer ever elected to the Senate of Puerto Rico. She was considered by many to be the Rosa Parks of Puerto Rico when she refused to enter the Vanderbilt Hotel in San Juan through its back entrance because she was a woman of color. The owners of the hotel stated that blacks had to enter through the rear of the building, but during one evening where she was set to perform at the hotel’s ballroom, she marched into the hotel via its front entrance. After this event, the hotel changed its policy.
6. Cardi B (Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar)
(October 11, 1992)
Place of birth: Manhattan, New York
Contributions: Afro-Latina Cardi B is a Dominican & Trinidadian rapper, songwriter, and actress raised in the Bronx, New York. Recognized by Forbes as one of the most influential female rappers of all time, Cardi B is known for her aggressive flow and candid lyrics, which have received widespread media coverage. She is the highest certified female rapper of all time on the RIAA’s Top Artists (Digital Singles) ranking, also appearing among the ten highest-certified female artists and having the two top-certified songs by a female rap artist.
She is the only female rapper with multiple billion-streams on Spotify and became the first artist to top the inaugural Billboard Global 200. Her accolades include a Grammy Award, eight Billboard Music Awards, five Guinness World Records, five American Music Awards, eleven BET Hip Hop Awards and two ASCAP Songwriter of the Year awards. In 2018 Time magazine included her on their annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, and in 2020, Billboard honored her as Woman of the Year.
7. Rosa Alicia Clemente
(April 18, 1972)
Place of birth: Bronx, New York
Contributions: Afro-Boricua Rosa Alicia Clemente is the 2008 United States Vice-Presidential Candidate, Producer, Journalist, Political Commentator & Scholar-Activist. Rosa is a graduate of the University of Albany and Cornell University. She is currently a doctoral student in the W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies of University of Massachusetts Amherst.
8. Congressman Ritchie John Torres
(March 12, 1988)
Place of birth: Bronx, New York
Contributions: Ritchie Torres is an Afro-Boricua politician who is a member of the Democratic party. He is the US representative for New York’s 15th congressional district. Torres was the first openly gay candidate to be elected to legislative office in the Bronx, and the youngest member of the city council. Torres won the November 2020 general election and assumed office on January 3, 2021. This makes him one of the first openly gay Black men elected to Congress (along with Mondaire Jones). This also made Torres the first openly gay Afro Latino elected to Congress. As such, he is one of the nine co-chairs of the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus in the 117th United States Congress.
9. Zoe Saldana (Zoë Yadira Saldaña Nazario) *Trending Now
(June 19, 1978)
Place of birth: Passaic, New Jersey
Contributions: Zoe Saldaña is of mixed ethnic heritage, with her mother being of Puerto Rican descent and her father hailing from the Dominican Republic. Zoe is the only performer to get star billing in more than one movie that grossed over $2 billion worldwide with Avatar and Avengers: Infinity War.
10. Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos
(September 12, 1891 – April 21, 1965)
Place of birth: Ponce, Puerto Rico
Contributions: Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos was a Puerto Rican attorney, social activist, nationalist and the son of a mixed-race mother who was the daughter of slaves and a Basque father from a farming and landowning family. The latter not only provided no financial support but also did not legally recognize his son until he was 19, and Albizu Campos grew up in poverty. In 1912 he was awarded a scholarship to study chemistry and engineering at the University of Vermont. He transferred a year later to Harvard University, majoring in chemistry and literature and becoming the first Puerto Rican Harvard graduate. Many people in Puerto Rico consider Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos the father of the Puerto Rican Independence Movement.
11. Carmelo Kyam Anthony
(May 29, 1984)
Place of birth: Brooklyn, New York
Contributions: Carmelo Anthony is an Afro-Latino professional basketball player. He has been named an NBA All-Star ten times and an All-NBA Team member six-time Anthony also played in the 2016 Olympic Games, his fourth straight stint in the Olympics, which was a record for a US male basketball player, breaking the old record of having played in three Olympiads he shared with James and Robinson. He has celebrated his roots by giving back to Puerto Rico, remodeling basketball courts in a poor neighborhood 3 years in a row now.
12. La La Anthony (Alani Nicole Vázquez)
(June 25, 1981)
Place of birth: Brooklyn, New York
Contributions: La La Anthony is an Afro-Puerto Rican actress, host, producer and New York Times best-selling author. La La Anthony has supported charities such as the Elton John AIDS Foundation, Gabrielle’s, Angel Foundation, GLAAD and Voto Latino.
13. Rosie Perez (Rosa María Perez)
(September 6, 1964)
Place of birth: Brooklyn, New York
Contributions: Rosie Perez is an Afro-Latina actress, choreographer and community activist. Rosie was appointed to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS by President Barack Obama in 2010. Among many honors, Rosie was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Fearless as well as three Emmy Awards for her work as a choreographer on In Living Color (1990–1994).
Perez has also performed in stage plays on Broadway, such as The Ritz, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, and Fish in the Dark. In addition, she was a co-host on the ABC talk show The View during the series’ 18th season.
14. MJ Rodriguez (Michaela Antonia Jaé Rodriguez)
(January 7, 1991)
Place of birth: Newark, New Jersey
Contributions: MJ Rodriguez is an African American and Puerto Rican actress who is among the largest cast of transgender actresses on the show Pose. MJ made history by becoming the first Trans woman to ever sign a beauty deal with Olay Body. MJ was awarded the Hispanic Heritage Special Trailblazer Award at the 31st Hispanic Heritage Awards in Washington D.C.
15. Ramon E. Contreras
(22-years-old)
Place of birth: Brooklyn, New York
Contributions: Ramon Contreras is a young political activist, advisor and filmmaker who is changing the nature of civic engagement by championing and encouraging minorities to participate in politics. Ramon is a fierce gun control enthusiast and founded YouthOverGuns, a platform advocating for change in underserved communities of color. He led a protest of thousands across the Brooklyn Bridge and is the National Strategist for the nation-wide organization, March for Our Lives.
16. Laith Ashley De La Cruz
(July 6, 1989)
Place of birth: Harlem, New York
Contributions: Laith Ashley is a model, actor, singer-songwriter and entertainer of Dominican descent. He was the first transgender man to be featured in a Diesel campaign. Laith has been on the cover of countless magazines and has had featured stories published on countless others all around the world; ie, British GQ.
Laith was on the cast of the reality TV series, “Strut,” executive produced by Whoopi Goldberg, and raised the heart rates of viewers in his appearance on hit series, “Pose,” on FX. Ashley is also an activist, particularly in transgender issues. He worked with FLUX, a division of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which is dedicated to raising awareness and providing support to trans and gender-nonconforming people.
17. Dianne Morales
(June 21, 1967)
Place of birth: Brooklyn, New York
Contributions: Double Ivy League graduate Dianne Morales is an Afro-Boricua with degrees from Harvard University and Columbia University. Dianne is the former CEO of several multi-million dollar social service nonprofits and is also the first Latina / Afro-Latina candidate for New York City Mayor.
18. Johnny Pacheco
(March 25, 1935 – February 15, 2021)
Place of birth: Santiago De Los Caballeros, Dominican Republic
Contributions: Johnny Pacheco was one of the most influential artists of Latin music. He was one of the creators of The Fania All-Stars and Fania Record (#latinmotown), the most successful record label in the history of Latin music.
Contributions: Aida Rodriguez is a comedian, host, producer, actress and the first Latina / Afro-Latina (Puerto Rican & Dominican) to appear in two comedy specials airing in one month on both HBO and Showtime. Aida’s latest comedy special premiered on Netflix as part of the “They Ready” series hosted by Tiffany Haddish. Rodriguez has also appeared on Comedy Central’s This Week at the Comedy Cellar, The Nightly Show, five-time host of the PBS Imagen Awards, NBC Last Comic Standing’s finals, TRUtv’s Laff Tracks and is also a regular contributor for The Young Turks.
20. Indya Moore
(January 17, 1995)
Place of birth: Bronx, New York
Contributions: Indya Moore is of Haitian, Puerto Rican, and Dominican ancestry. They are an actor among the largest cast of transgender on the show Pose. Moore does not identify as a Latinx, and instead identifies as Afro-Taíno. In June 2020, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the first LGBTQ Pride parade, Queerty named them among the fifty heroes “leading the nation toward equality, acceptance, and dignity for all people.”
21. Gina Torres
(April 25th, 1969)
Place of birth: Manhattan, New York
Contributions: Gina Torres is an actress and the first Afro-Latina to create, produce and star in her own show, ‘Pearson’. Torres won the ALMA Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Syndicated Drama Series for her role in Cleopatra 2525. Gina also received the Best Supporting Actress award by The Imagen Foundation (Spanish for “image”) Awards, the only premier Latino entertainment awards program dedicated to honoring the positive portrayal and creative excellence of Latinos and Latino cultures on screen.
Fact Check: We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn’t look right, contact us!
KO Media is pleased to unveil the Summer issue of ELLE Canada, covered by chart-topping talent Dua Lipa, who released her much-anticipated new album during the COVID-19 pandemic, delivering a crop of hits able to make audiences both dance and cry. “I think it’s important to talk about your emotions and to be vulnerable and to show that you’re human,” says the artist in the candid conversation, also opening up about her isolation uniform and cooking-at-home adventures.
The escapist Summer issue equips readers with all the fashion, celebrity, style, beauty, health, and political conversations readers crave. The issue includes a primer on Canadian designers changing the industry, an intimate chat with Canadian powerhouse Shay Mitchell, the best ways to protect our skin this summer, a horoscope special to help navigate the season and a dreamy assortment of easy pastels and crisp whites fit for hot summer dressing. But the Summer issue also grapples with stuff-of-life questions: How do you manage relationships between two ambitious alpha partners? How can the COVID-19 slowdown present an opportunity for us to reassess breakneck-speed spending?
Vitally, ELLE Canada remains dedicated to showcasing diverse voices and reflecting the lived experiences of all Canadians. Though the Summer issue went to print prior to the global protests against anti-black racism, readers can turn to ElleCanada.com for up-to-the-minute coverage of the civil rights movement unfolding across the country and engage with difficult, frank, and thought-provoking discussions about how White silence is tantamount to violence against BIPOC Canadians, why Canadian media continues to shirk its responsibility to showcase Indigenous voices, and how we can come together to grapple with freeing our society from the burdens of systemic racism and oppression. “Activism and allyship are defined by effort and by taking action,” says Editor-in-Chief Vanessa Craft. “We will continue to do the work necessary to honor and support all Canadians.”
Three-Time Grammy Winner Dua Lipa Announces Her Third All-New Wax Figure for Madame Tussauds New York
On the heels of her third Grammy award and three nominations at The BRIT Awards 2021, global pop superstar Dua Lipa will be honored with a third wax figure, which will be featured at the iconic Madame Tussauds New York location in Times Square.
Unique, direct access to A-List celebrities allows Madame Tussauds to create the best wax figures in the world. Celebrities are intimately involved in the figure-making process, which begins at the ‘sitting’ where Madame Tussauds studio artists work with talent to capture exact measurements, hair color, eye color, and skin tone. The figure will take around six months and 20 studio artists to create in London before it’s ready for its place in the spotlight in the Big Apple. In the meantime, fans can visit her first two figures at Madame Tussauds London and Madame Tussauds Amsterdam.
The Summer issue of ELLE Canada will hit stands on Monday, June 29th, and the digital edition can be bought here.
360 Magazine is live at the NYBG KUSAMA Cosmic Nature Media Preview featuring Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. The KUSAMA Garden and Gallery Pass include access to all of the outdoor and indoor installations (1-9), Haupt Conservatory, Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, Tram Tour, and Garden grounds. The installations include:
Pumpkins Screaming About Love Beyond Infinity
Flower Obsession
Mertz Library Building Gallery
Paintings, collages, early sketches, other works
Walking Piece
Haupt Conservatory Galleries
Horticultural displays, tropical and desert collections
KUSAMA Garden Pass includes access to all outdoor installations (6-9), Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, and Garden grounds:
I Want to Fly to the Universe
Narcissus Garden
Ascension of Polka Dots on the Trees
Dancing Pumpkin
In addition, Infinity Mirrored Room – Illusion Inside the Heart: Exterior now on view to all ticket holders; interior access planned to begin this summer; separate timed-entry ticket required for interior access. More information is available on the NYBG website.
Garden Navigator – Explore the one million plants across NYBG’s 250 acres and find what you want to see. Visit the website for the navigation tool.
Forest Bathing: A meditative audio experience – Be fully present on this self-guided tour. Bathe your senses in the sights, smells, sounds, and sensations of the Thain Forest.
Audio Tours – Look for signs with instructions at stops throughout the Garden to learn about specific plants, gardens, and collections.
My Day At The Garden: Family Guide – Embark on an adventure with their kids and family activity guide, available at any ticket window or on the website.
Spring For Nature – 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Kids of all ages can take a closer look at the wonders of plants and animals across the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden.
Bloomberg Connect App – Featuring audio tours, detailed plant images, and more; there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Free download available here.
Tickets Go on Sale to the Public on March 16, 2021, for The New York Botanical Garden’s Exclusive Presentation of KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature Featuring New Work by Celebrated Artist Yayoi Kusama
The exhibition, related programs, and accompanying publication reveal Kusama’s lifelong fascination with the natural world and its countless manifestations beginning in her childhood spent in the greenhouses and fields of her family’s seed nursery in Matsumoto, Japan. The exhibition includes works from throughout Kusama’s prolific career and multifaceted practice. By integrating seasonal horticultural displays, KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature further illuminates the power of nature that pervades the artist’s practice and dynamic body of work.
Multiple outdoor installations, including monumental sculptures of flora transform the Garden’s 250-acre landscape and the visitor experience. Her signature polka-dotted organic forms and mesmerizing paintings of plants and flowers are also represented. Recent vivid observations of nature, shown alongside earlier works that have never been publicly exhibited and those that are presented for the first time in the United States, trace Kusama’s connection to the natural world throughout her career.
Among the works created for and debuting in the exhibition are:
Dancing Pumpkin (2020), a monumental sculpture presented on the Haupt Conservatory Lawn.
I Want to Fly to the Universe (2020), a 13-foot-high biomorphic form presented in the Visitor Center; and,
Infinity Mirrored Room Illusion Inside the Heart(2020), an outdoor installation reflecting its environs.
Spectacular seasonal displays complement the artworks on view, making each visit unique as new plantings, textures, and palettes are introduced. Glorious outdoor displays of tulips and irises in spring give way to dahlias and sunflowers in summer, and masses of pumpkins and autumnal flowers in fall. In and around the Conservatory, Kusama’s plant-inspired polka-dotted sculptures are nestled among meadow grasses, bellflowers, water lilies, and other plantings. Stunning floral presentations bring to life one of Kusama’s paintings on view in the Mertz Library Building through a seasonal progression of violas, salvias, zinnias, and other colorful annuals. In fall, displays of meticulously trained kiku (Japanese for chrysanthemum), one of that country’s most heralded fall-flowering plants) will create a dramatic finale for the Conservatory displays.
KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature guest curator Mika Yoshitake, Ph.D., said, Kusama, cosmic nature is a life force that integrates the terrestrial and celestial orders of the universe from both the micro- and macrocosmic perspectives she investigates in her practice. Her explorations evoke meanings that are both personal and universal. Nature is not only a central source of inspiration, but also integral to the visceral effects of Kusama’s artistic language in which organic growth and the proliferation of life are made ever-present.
In the Garden
On the Conservatory Lawn, visitors encounter the monumental Dancing Pumpkin, a 16-foot-high bronze sculpture painted in black and yellow. Both playful and powerful, it is sited in an immersive landscape of river birches, flowering plants, grasses, and ferns. The setting is inspired by the sculpture itself and the birch forests near Kusama’s childhood home.
Visitors can marvel at the bright, purple-tentacled floral form with a vivid yellow primordial face of I Want to Fly to the Universe in the Visitor Center Reflecting Pool, and then behold Ascension of Polka Dots on the Trees (2002/2021), where soaring trees adorned in vibrant red with white polka dots pop in the landscape along Garden Way.
Narcissus Garden (1966/2021), 1,400 stainless steel spheres each nearly 12 inches in diameter, is installed in the 230-foot-long water feature of the Native Plant Garden. The reflective orbs float on the water’s surface, moved by wind and currents, each mirroring the environment around them to captivating effect.
With interior access planned to begin this summer, Kusama’s new Infinity Mirrored Room will operate per New York State and City guidelines for social distancing and visitor safety. The installation, Infinity Mirrored Room Illusion Inside the Heart (2020), responds to natural light through colored glass throughout the day and seasons. Reflecting the seasonality of NYBGߣs landscape, the exterior will be on view with the opening of the exhibition. A separate timed-entry ticket will be required for limited-capacity access.
In the Galleries
In Flower Obsession, visitors may apply coral-colored floral stickers to the furniture and household objects. Over the course of the exhibition, the accumulating stickers will transform the greenhouse. Through works like this, Kusama employs the repeating patterns and forms of flowers to represent the concepts of obliteration, infinity, and eternity.
Three galleries in the Conservatory feature a horticultural celebration of Kusama’s self-proclaimed biophilia. My Soul Blooms Forever (2019), colossal polka-dotted flowers made of stainless steel and painted in dramatic colors, greet visitors under the recently restored dome of the Palms of the World Gallery.
In the Seasonal Exhibition Galleries, the pink-and-gold mosaic Starry Pumpkin (2015) is featured in a woodland garden of foliage and flowers chosen to harmonize with the sculpture’s pink polka dots. Using Kusama’s vibrant painting Alone, Buried in a Flower Garden (2014) as inspiration, NYBG horticulturists have designed a living work of art to mimic the painting’s bold shapes and colors, with plantings changed seasonally. The patchwork of shapes in the painting reads as garden beds seen from above.
In the Conservatory Courtyard Hardy Pool, the exuberantly colored and patterned sculpture Hymn of Life Tulips (2007) depicting outsized, fiberglass flowers are positioned among water lilies and other seasonal aquatic plantings. The Courtyard also features plantings including an array of tulips in spring and colorful annuals in summer that complement the dynamic sculpture on display.
Pumpkins Screaming About Love Beyond Infinity (2017) comprises a glass cube reflecting an infinity of glowing polka-dotted pumpkins within it. The work, one of Kusama’s signature mirrored environments, is installed in the Visitor Center Gallery. Viewed from the outside, the installation changes over time as pumpkins illuminate and then fade to darkness in a meditative choreography. Kusama has said of pumpkins, My pumpkins, beloved of all the plants in the world. When I see pumpkins, I cannot efface the joy of them being my everything, nor the awe I hold them in.
On display in the Library Building, Kusama’s 1945 sketchbook reveals the 16-year-old artist’s keen eye for detail in some 50 drawings capturing the bloom cycle of tree peonies. This work is an early product of a lifelong connection with the natural world that has inspired her practice across mediums. It also portends avant-garde ideas she developed while living in New York City between 1958 and 1973, as a contemporary of Joseph Cornell, Eva Hesse, Donald Judd, and Claes Oldenburg, and continues to explore rigorously today.
The Library Building presentation also features examples of her botanical drawings, works on paper, biomorphic collages, assemblage boxes, sculptures, and paintings on canvas depicting flora and its limitless variety of patterns.
Kusama’s considerable body of performance works is represented in the Ross Gallery by a projection of Walking Piece (ca. 1966/2021), a performance in which Kusama walked the streets of New York City wearing a bright-pink floral kimono and carrying an umbrella decorated with artificial flowers. Art historians have analyzed Walking Piece as a carefully calculated representation of the artist’s ethnicity and gender, one that was intended to demand attention.
From monumental polka-dotted pumpkin sculptures to abstract paintings that resemble cells magnified thousands of times, Kusama’s works suggest the patterns that can be observed all around us. The self-guided Patterns in Nature Tour, featured on the Bloomberg Connects mobile app, examines the visible and microscopic patterns found in nature. Visitors will discover what the patterns of leaf placement, flower petals, and magnified laboratory specimens reveal about what makes species unique as well as how all living things are connected at the genomic level.
Karen Daubmann, Vice President for Exhibitions and Audience Engagement at the Garden, said, “We are delighted to mount this very special exhibition this year, having postponed it in 2020 due to the pandemic. Yayoi Kusama kindly shared a message with us. On March 6, 2021, she wrote, in part, Dancing through our universe are noble souls whose magnificent forms are saturated with mystery. I invite you to explore the endlessly expanding ode to the beauty of love that is my art. We look forward to sharing her singular vision at the nexus of art, nature, and the cosmos at the Garden site uniquely suited for this once-in-a-lifetime presentation.
Programs and Publication
KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature is accompanied by a roster of public programs for all ages, including pop-up performances by musicians, jugglers, and puppeteers; self-guided Kids Get Cosmic; activities in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden; and more. Signature exhibition merchandise is available for purchase at NYBG Shop.
Coming in summer 2021, a fully illustrated exhibition catalogue, co-published with Rizzoli Electa, will include essays by KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature guest curator Mika Yoshitake, art historian Jenni Sorkin, curator Alexandra Munroe, and other contributors, including curators and a scientist from NYBG. The publication will focus on Kusama’s lifelong engagement with nature and the ways her interest in nature and plants has formed her career-long investigation of themes of the cosmos and the interconnectedness of all living things. Images of works displayed in The New York Botanical Garden landscape will be featured.
Ticketing
Since reopening July 28, 2020, the Garden has incorporated safety measures based on best practices and guidelines from health authorities and government agencies. Admission to the Garden is currently available through the advance purchase of timed tickets. Visit the website for more information.
KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature has a new, limited, timed-entry ticketing system to stagger visitors arrivals and promote social distancing. Advance purchase of timed tickets is required and will be confirmed by e-mail with the option to print or download a mobile ticket.
The following options are available:
KUSAMA Garden & Gallery Pass includes access to all KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature outdoor installations across the grounds and access to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, installations in the LuEsther T. Mertz Library Building and Ross Gallery, as well as interior access to Flower Obsession and Pumpkins Screaming About Love Beyond Infinity in the Visitor Center Gallery, plus the Tram Tour and Garden features including the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden and outdoor collections.
KUSAMA Garden Pass (Non-NYC Residents) includes access to all KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature outdoor installations across the grounds, plus Garden features including the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden and outdoor collections.
KUSAMA Garden Pass (NYC Residents) includes access to all KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature outdoor installations across the grounds, plus Garden features including the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden and outdoor collections.
A separate timed-entry ticket will be required to access the interior of Infinity Mirrored Room Illusion Inside the Heart. More information will be provided as it becomes available.
NYBG welcomes Bronx Health Care Heroes and Bronx Neighbors to KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature with complimentary tickets. Communities in the Bronx are among the most severely impacted by COVID-19 in New York City. Through these community access initiatives, the Garden seeks to acknowledge, with gratitude, the dedication, strength, and resilience of Bronx frontline health care workers and residents. Additional information about these initiatives is available at this website.
Visit NYBG for additional ticketing information and pricing and to sign up for e-mail alerts about the exhibition.
Exhibition on view April 10—October 31, 2021. Tickets available at nybg.org/kusama
Advance, timed tickets go on sale to the public on March 16 for The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) 2021 exhibition KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature, featuring work by internationally celebrated Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. NYBG is the exclusive venue for KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature. On view April 10 through October 31, 2021, the exhibition will be installed across the Garden’s 250-acre landscape, in and around the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, and in the LuEsther T. Mertz Library Building. Highlights include new works made especially for NYBG. Spectacular seasonal horticultural displays will complement the artworks and an array of programs and activities will make each visit unique. Pictured above, Hymn of Life-Tulips, 2007, will be displayed in the Conservatory Courtyard Hardy Pool.
Visit this website for additional ticketing information and information about NYBG’s offerings.
About The New York Botanical Garden
Founded in 1891, The New York Botanical Garden is the most comprehensive botanical garden in the world and an integral part of the cultural fabric of New York City, anchored in the Bronx. Visitors come to the Garden to connect with nature for joy, beauty, and respite, and for renowned plant-based exhibitions, music and dance, and poetry and lectures. Innovative children’s education programs promote environmental sustainability and nutrition awareness, graduate programs educate the next generation of botanists, while engaging classes inspire adults to remain lifelong learners. The 250-acre verdant landscape—which includes a 50-acre, old-growth forest—and the landmark Enid A. Haupt Conservatory support living collections of more than one million plants. Unparalleled resources are also held in the LuEsther T. Mertz Library, the world’s most important botanical and horticultural library with 11 million archival items spanning ten centuries, and William and Lynda Steere Herbarium, the largest in the Western Hemisphere with 7.8 million plant and fungal specimens. Committed to protecting the planet’s biodiversity and natural resources, Garden scientists work on-site in cutting-edge molecular labs and in areas worldwide where biodiversity is most at risk.
The New York Botanical Garden Announces Updates on Major Exhibition
KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature, Featuring New Work by Renowned Artist Yayoi Kusama
New block of advance, timed tickets and separate, limited-capacity tickets to Infinity Mirrored Room Illusion Inside the Heart for August 3–October 31 go on sale June 24
New richly illustrated catalogue documents landmark exhibition KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature on view exclusively at The New York Botanical Garden through October 31
The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) announces its release of a new block of timed tickets beginning on June 24 for admission to KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature from August 3 through October 31, 2021. The acclaimed exhibition features work by internationally celebrated Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, including four new sculptures and mirrored environments created especially for this presentation. The exhibition showcasing the artist’s lifelong fascination with the natural world is installed across the Botanical Garden’s landscape, in and around the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, and in the LuEsther T. Mertz Library Building and includes seasonal horticultural displays. NYBG is the exclusive venue for KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature, which is on view through October 31, 2021. Advance, timed, limited-capacity tickets for the landmark presentation are required and are on sale at this website.
The exterior of Kusama’s new Infinity Mirrored Room Illusion Inside the Heart (2020) has been on view since the opening of the exhibition, reflecting the seasonality of NYBG’s landscape. Interior access will begin on August 3, with separate limited-capacity tickets that will also go on sale on June 24. The immersive experience responds to varying natural light through colored glass throughout the day and seasons.
KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature Catalogue
The hardbound, 176-page catalogue, KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature–published by Rizzoli Electa in association with The New York Botanical Garden–features essays, little-known work by Yayoi Kusama, archival images, and installation photography. It will be available at NYBG Shop beginning June 15, 2021. Edited by the exhibition’s guest curator Mika Yoshitake and Joanna L. Groarke, Director of Public Engagement and Library Exhibitions Curator, NYBG, contributors include Barbara Ambrose, Director of Laboratory Research and Associate Curator of Plant Genomics, NYBG; Karen Daubmann, Vice President for Exhibitions and Audience Engagement, NYBG; Alex A. Jones, writer and independent scholar; Alexandra Munroe, Senior Curator, Asian Art, and Senior Advisor, Global Arts, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum; and Jenni Sorkin, Associate Professor, History of Art & Architecture, University of California, Santa Barbara.
La Grande Dame by Veuve Clicquot Partnership
NYBG announces its partnership with Veuve Clicquot, the French champagne house with which Yayoi Kusama has previously collaborated. In September 2020, Veuve Clicquot unveiled the results of their latest collaboration Kusama’s exceptional reinterpretation of the newly released La Grande Dame 2012 vintage champagne with her signature polka dot and floral motifs. The floral creation was reprised in My Heart That Blooms in The Darkness of The Night, a sculpture inspired by La Grande Dame champagne honoring Madame Clicquot, an industry visionary. Images of the collaboration are available here.
Following its presentation at NYBG’s annual Spring Gala on June 3, a large-scale version of My Heart That Blooms in The Darkness of The Night will be on view to diners in NYBG’s Hudson Garden Grill through the close of the exhibition on October 31. Veuve Clicquot’s La Grande Dame and Yellow Label champagne will be available for purchase.
“We are excited to offer special champagne and food pairings at the Hudson Garden Grill featuring Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame as part of the champagne house’s collaboration with Yayoi Kusama,”said Nelson Siavichay, Chef de Cuisine. “The vintage pairs beautifully with our farm-to-table cuisine and NYBG’s current exhibition showcasing works by Kusama.”
About The New York Botanical Garden
Founded in 1891, The New York Botanical Garden is the most comprehensive botanical garden in the world and an integral part of the cultural fabric of New York City, anchored in the Bronx. Visitors come to the Garden to connect with nature for joy, beauty, and respite, and for renowned plant-based exhibitions, music and dance, and poetry and lectures. Innovative children’s education programs promote environmental sustainability and nutrition awareness, graduate programs educate the next generation of botanists, while engaging classes inspire adults to remain lifelong learners. The 250-acre verdant landscape which includes a 50-acre, old-growth forest and the landmark Enid A. Haupt Conservatory support living collections of more than one million plants. Unparalleled resources are also held in the LuEsther T. Mertz Library, the world’s most important botanical and horticultural library with 11 million archival items spanning ten centuries, and William and Lynda Steere Herbarium, the largest in the Western Hemisphere with 7.8 million plant and fungal specimens. Committed to protecting the planet’s biodiversity and natural resources, Garden scientists work on-site in cutting-edge molecular labs and in areas worldwide where biodiversity is most at risk.
KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature is presented by:
Major Sponsors: Tom and Janet Montag; MetLife Foundation; and La Grande Dame by Veuve Clicquot
Generous support provided by: Citi and Delta Air Lines
Digital experience provided by: Bloomberg Philanthropies
Additional support provided by: E.H.A. Foundation, Inc.;
Arthur F. and Alice E. Adams Charitable Foundation; and the Japan Foundation
This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts; and
The New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature
Exhibitions in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory are made possible by the Estate of Enid A. Haupt.
Exhibitions in the Arthur and Janet Ross Gallery are made possible by the Arthur and Janet Ross Fund.
LuESTHER T. MERTZ CHARITABLE TRUST:
Providing leadership support for year-round programming at NYBG
The New York Botanical Garden is located at 2900 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York 10458. For more information, visit this website. The New York Botanical Garden is located on property owned in full by the City of New York, and its operation is made possible in part by public funds provided through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. A portion of the Garden’s general operating funds is provided by The New York City Council and The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation. The Bronx Borough President and Bronx elected representatives in the City Council and State Legislature provide leadership funding.
Some of the world’s leading contemporary artists are invited to breathe new life into centuries-old glassmaking in Venice ― maestros of glassblowing from the legendary Berengo Studio residency help artists manifest their visions.
Among the 34 artists: Ai Weiwei, Fred Wilson, Joyce J. Scott, Jimmie Durham, Ugo Rondinone, Fiona Banner, Vik Muniz, Monica Bonvicini, Jake & Dinos Chapman, Laure Prouvost, Renate Bertlmann, Thomas Schütte, Loris Gréaud, and Erwin Wurm.
“There is every reason this year to have a world view,” says Irvin Lippman, the Boca Raton Museum of Art’s Executive Director, as South Florida boldly ushers in the new year with the national premiere of Glasstress 2021 Boca Raton.
“Three years in the making, with 2020 being such a challenging year to coordinate an international exhibition of this size and scope, the effort serves as an important reassurance that art is an essential and enduring part of humanity.”
“This is also a tribute to the resilience of Venice’s surviving the floods and continuing to make art through the pandemic,” adds Irvin Lippman.
The new exhibition runs January 27 through September 5, 2021 and the Museum will feature online initiatives for virtual viewing. Watch the video here featuring interviews with some of the artists in the new exhibition. The 34 artists in this new, never before seen edition of Glasstress were all invited by Adriano Berengo to work alongside his master glass artisans at the Berengo Studio on the island of Murano in the Venetian lagoon. Most of these works in glass have never been seen elsewhere, and were handpicked by Kathleen Goncharov, the Museum’s Senior Curator who traveled to Italy in 2019.
With incredible energy, the Studio has brought a new vision on how to stimulate today’s leading artists into thinking how the medium of glass can be made into dramatic and provocative works of contemporary art. Most of these artists have, during their careers, been invited to participate in the Venice Biennale. Some of the works were created during the pandemic lockdowns, with artists collaborating remotely via Zoom with their glass artisan partners after initial on-site work at the studio in Venice.
“Unlike the past and the present, what comes next for our world presents itself as constant possibility, always transforming as we move forward in time,” says Adriano Berengo. “This concept of transformation has always held an affinity with glass, a medium which – as the name Glasstress suggests – exists in a state of constant tension. Life needs tension, it needs energy, and a vibrant exchange of ideas.”
The exhibition presents 34 new works that explore some of today’s pressing subjects, including human rights, climate change, racial justice, gender issues and politics. The Boca Raton Museum of Art has dedicated more than 6,500 square feet of exhibition space to this collection. A fully illustrated catalogue is also available.
The mission of Glasstress is to restore the visibility and reputation of Murano glass, after decades of closures of ancient, centuries-old glass furnaces. Instead of creating decorative objects with glass, these artists are invited to create original works, often on a massive scale. They collaborate with glass masters whose expertise has been developed over generations in Venice. Most of these artists have never worked with glass, so they unite their artistic ideas with the technical expertise of their skilled collaborators.
The results are breathtaking. The first installation visitors to the Museum will encounter is Sala Longhi by Fred Wilson. He created this series at Berengo Studio after the Biennale exhibited his work about Black residents of Venice from the Renaissance to the present. This installation features an ornate white chandelier with 29 glass panels that mirror 18th-century Venetian artist Pietro Longhi’s paintings. Instead of canvases, Wilson shows the viewer only the whites of the eyes of his Black subjects through cutouts in black reflective glass.
“We have brought Glasstress to countries around the world for ten years, seeking to expand and enliven international awareness of the variety and richness of contemporary artists using glass in their creative practices,” adds Adriano Berengo. “In the past, its place in the art world might have seemed uncertain. But now in this latest edition of Glasstress, the first after a global pandemic, one thing we know for certain: glass endures. Life is fragile, just as glass is fragile, yet in this fragility there is also strength.”
“It is in this spirit of experimentation that Glasstress Boca Raton 2021 explores the limitless potential of glassblowing. “We realize how far we have come as we approach the 60th anniversary of the American studio glass movement that launched in 1962 through the efforts of Harvey Littleton and Dominick Labino,” adds Irvin Lippman. “This presentation of Glasstress is also a tribute to them.”
This show also unveils the Museum’s new acquisition for its collection, created in the Berengo Studio – Glass Big Brother, a sculpture by Song Dong, one of contemporary Chinese art’s leading figures. The large-scale ceiling installation is 11 feet long and reaches all the way to the floor. Thirty surveillance cameras are ensconced from top to bottom, looking out at all directions around the chandelier.
The installation Rosemarie’s Divorce, by Renate Bertlmann, unites aspects from Rosemarie’s Baby (1983), her multi-part installation about the ambivalent relationship between mother and child, and Discordo Ergo Sum, a field of knife-roses she exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 2019. The monstrously enlarged glass pacifier is an image she has used since the mid-1970s referencing sexuality and motherhood. It is flanked by two knife-roses made of deep black glass.
The Italian artist Monica Bonvicini’s deeply psychological work addresses themes of sexuality, power, and relationships in male-oriented domains. Her visits to sadomasochist nightclubs with Gay male friends are the inspiration for Bonded. She won the prestigious Golden Lion award at the 1999 Venice Biennale. DNA HAS NO COLOR is a new statement from Nancy Burson that is a powerful work about the illegitimacy of racism. This is a continuation of the project that Zaha Hadid commissioned Burson to develop for the London Millennium Dome. Burson is known for biology-related work, including her use of cutting edge facial morphing technology for art that shows what individuals would look like as a different race.
The Pandemic Oculus, (2020), by Tim Tate, whose work explores the worlds of loss, memory, recovery, and hope. As an HIV-positive man, he lived through the worst of the AIDS epidemic during the 1980s and 1990s, and now through the current pandemic. In the Museum’s exhibition catalogue, the artist states that Pandemic Oculus also honors the many unsung heroes around the world: nurses, teachers, essential employees, grandparents caring for children so that parents can work, and so many more. Tate is the co-founder of the Washington Glass Studio in Washington, DC. He is also the co-moderator, along with William Warmus, of the 21st Century Glass group on Facebook, which has shared and discussed over 10,000 images of sculptural glass from around the world.
Erwin Wurm’s wry sense of humor permeates his most famous works and has served him well in creating a poignant cultural commentary throughout his career. Wurm produced this triad in cold hard glass at the Berengo Studio. They are smaller versions of the massive bronze sculpture of a hot water bottle with legs, Big Mutter, that he created for the Venice Biennale in 2020. In the exhibition catalogue, the show’s curator Kathleen Goncharov describes these “mothers” as neither warm nor comforting . . . their stubby little legs imply flight when called upon to be caregivers.
At the Berengo Studio, Jimmie Durham created a series of eight giant cougar heads suspended on metal armatures. Caught in suspension as they gaze at one another, their collective roar remains frozen between them. The cougar is one of the most sacred animals in Cherokee mythology, and the influence of Native-American culture vs. Western rationalism is evident in his work. The artist’s long trajectory includes his work during the civil rights movement and as a political organizer for the American Indian Movement. In 2019, Durham was the recipient of the GoldenLion for Lifetime Achievement award at the 58th Venice Biennale.
In the Museum’s exhibition catalogue, curator Kathleen Goncharov describes Prune Nourry as no stranger to illness . . . her work always dealing with science and bioethics from a feminist perspective, a focus that has intensified since her breast cancer diagnosis in 2018. At the Berengo Studio, she created River Woman, a transparent skeletal sculpture based on an anatomical drawing of the human vascular system. While its form may be human, the arteries resemble rivers, streams and trees that suffer in their own way too, from human abuse rather than disease.
Ugo Rondinone represented his home country in the Swiss Pavilion at the 52nd Venice Biennale (2007). In this work, the twelve glass horses cast in beautiful shades of blue all face different directions, creating delicate light games with their reflections and shadows in continuous motion. In the context of this installation, the reappearing motif of a horse (which has a long tradition in the history of art), evokes alienation and a subversive twist emblematic of Rondinone’s works.
