DESIGN

Amanda Williams: Chicago Work

Chicago Works: Amanda Williams
Presented by the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
July 18 – Dec. 31, 2017

Amanda Williams is elated about her first major museum exhibition, Chicago Works: Amanda Williams at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. Amanda will be presenting several new works that are an extension of my breakout painted house series, Color(ed) Theory, which gained national acclaim during Chicago’s first Architectural Biennial in 2015 [learn more about the Biennial here].

For the MCA, She has created an immersive set of site specific installations, original works on paper and sculptures that highlight how color, race and space have shaped the lives of south side citizens. This exhibition raises difficult questions about the social and political fabric of our city.

**Save the Date**
MCA Talk: Grace Deveney on Amanda WiIliams Tue, Aug 8, 12-1 pm

 

Uppity Negress garden installation on view at The Arts Club of Chicago
June 17 – Sept. 23, 2017

A site-specific installation for The Arts Club Garden Projects series, Uppity Negress addresses the layered roles gender and race have played historically in black women’s ability to navigate their position in urban space.

**Uppity Negress included in the NewCity Art Top 5: July 2017**

 

MEDIA

Chicago Magazine July Feature Story

Pick up the latest Chicago Magazine and flip to the Culture section (page 28). Peep the feature titled, “The Upcycle Artist”  written by Novid Parsi, where Amanda shares her thoughts on finding value and meaning in overlooked elements of the South Side of Chicago.

In Stores Now!

WDCB JAZZ – The Arts Section

Award-winning visual artist Amanda Williams is a guest of Gary Zidek on the morning radio series “The Arts Section.” The Bronzeville resident talked about a number of topics including her transition from architecture to art, her upcoming MCA exhibit & A Tribe Called Quest.

Listen Here

 

ENGAGEMENTS

Amanda Williams named to Leadership Greater Chicago 2018 Class of Fellows

This select group of 40 accomplished and diverse individuals represents a cross-section of professionals from the corporate, nonprofit, government, and education sectors. They share the organization’s goal of effecting real change in the community. The class will explore challenges facing Chicago and the region to help effect real change in the community. (Photo: Tony Smith)

Read It

CELLINI HOSTS A SPECIAL GREUBEL FORSEY EXHIBITION

NY — July 5, 2017

Cellini Jewelers and Greubel Forsey are presenting an exhibition that illustrates the celebrated Swiss atelier’s evolution since its 2004 debut. Open to the public from July 10 to 24, the “20 Calibres Retrospective Exhibition” will be held in Cellini’s boutique at 509 Madison Avenue. This special engagement offers collectors a rare opportunity to experience Greubel Forsey timepieces firsthand. The featured pieces spotlight a number of the company’s greatest achievements and span its entire collection, from the extraordinary Grande Sonnerie unveiled earlier this year to the Double Tourbillon 30° — the first calibre the brand ever created.

Highlights of the upcoming exhibition include:

• The Double Tourbillon 30° Technique Sapphire, which features a case carved from a single piece of sapphire crystal. Greubel Forsey will only produce eight of these timepieces and the one on display is among the last in the limited-edition series.

• The Double Balancier is one of the most technically advanced non-tourbillon pieces the brand offers. Guests will see the one-of-a-kind, blue-dial version that Greubel Forsey made exclusively for Cellini.

• The QP à Équation’s remarkable list of functions includes a tourbillon that’s set at a 25° angle and rotates once every 24 seconds, as well as a bi-directional perpetual calendar, equation of time, and indications for seasons, solstices and equinoxes.

Cellini’s NYC boutique is open Monday to Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

 

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FELICIA TEMPLE: SINGER, SONGWRITER + SURVIVOR!

Originally from New Jersey, Felicia Temple was born into a musical family. Her dad, a touring musician, performed with renowned hip-hop group The Sugarhill Gang for as long as Felicia can remember. She grew up playing piano and learning sheet music, and was even called “Felicia Keys” around school [after one of her greatest influences – Alicia Keys]. As a singer/songwriter and pianist, Felicia honed her musical chops at the famed Village Underground in New York City, and went on to win audiences over at NYC’s famed SOB’s, DROM and Milk River where she headlined several sold-out showcases. Felicia has opened for acts including Angie Stone, Keke Wyatt, The O’Jays and SWV, and has performed the national anthem at numerous NBA and NCAA basketball games. Her music has also gone overseas with her touring in Moscow, Russia.  

 

While music has always been her greatest passion, Felicia was always fascinated with medicine and helping people – she obtained a degree in nursing while also pursuing a solo career. In June 2015, she was diagnosed with carcinoid cancer. While undergoing six rounds of chemotherapy and extensive abdominal surgery, Felicia wrote and recorded her EP, “The Balancing Act.” She states, “This EP came to be as a way to cope while I was dealing with cancer. I wrote music to help me get through an extremely dark time. I put my heart and soul in it, completely writing and producing it with all live instrumentation. It is, without a doubt, my strongest body of work to date and a reminder that something beautiful can come out of something so horrible.” Today, while she still goes in for regular check ups with her oncologist, there is no evidence that the disease exists in her body. 

 

In February 2017, Felicia joined the cast of NBC’s “The Voice,” competing on Blake Shelton’s team.  She was a stand out from day one, singing show-stopping ballads including: “All I Could Do Was Cry,” “Titanium,” “My Heart Will Go On” and “Defying Gravity.” Felicia’s story inspired millions of cancer survivors and musicians alike and set the stage for the release of her EP.


SOCIALS

http://www.facebook.com/feliciatemplemusic/

http://twitter.com/feliciatemple

http://www.instagram.com/feliciatemple

 

You can see Felicia competing on “The Voice” (April 2017) here:

http://www.nbc.com/the-voice/video/felicia-temple-my-heart-will-go-on/349483

DAVID BOWIE + TREVOR JONES!

David Bowie and Trevor Jones’ iconic soundtrack to Jim Henson’s mesmerizing and enduring fantasy classic, Labyrinth, will be released on limited edition green and lavender vinyl on August 4 via UMe. Limited to 1500 copies of each worldwide, the special colored vinyl variants are available exclusively at UDiscover and now available for pre-order. Additionally, a second pressing of the album on high quality 120gm black vinyl will be made available the same day due to popular demand following the incredible response from the album’s release on May 12, which marked the first time the album has been released on vinyl since its original 1986 release. Long out of print, the album was remastered at Capitol Studios and includes the faithfully replicated original jacket and artwork, including the original EMI America logo and the printed inner sleeve featuring photos of Bowie from the film. Pre-orderLabyrinth here: http://UMe.lnk.to/LabyrinthLP

 

Praised by film critics and moviegoers alike for its astonishing imagery and distinct characters, Labyrinth has been celebrated for being wildly ahead of its time. Directed by Jim Henson and executive produced by George Lucas, the film, which stars David Bowie as Jareth, The Goblin King, is full of memorable creatures brought to life by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop™, working closely with acclaimed artist and conceptual designer Brian Froud.

 

In a 1986 interview with Movieline, Bowie recalled his first meeting with Henson to discuss the film: “Jim Henson set up a meeting with me while I was doing my 1983 tour in the States, and he outlined the basic concept for Labyrinth and showed me some of Brian Froud’s artwork. I’d always wanted to be involved in the music-writing aspect of a movie that would appeal to children of all ages, as well as everyone else, and I must say that Jim gave me a completely free hand with it. The script itself was terribly amusing without being vicious or spiteful or bloody, and it also had a lot more heart than many other special effects movies. So I was pretty well hooked from the beginning.”

 

Described by The Atlantic as “101 minutes of Bowie rock opera and Hensonian spectacle,” Labyrinth was the second major soundtrack that Bowie worked on, falling between his 16th and 17th studio albums, Tonight and Never Let Me Down. He wrote and recorded five original songs for the film, including “Underground,” “As The World Falls Down” and “Magic Dance” with its famous oft-repeated opening: “You remind me of the babe/What babe? The babe with the power/What power? The power of voodoo/Who do? You do/Do what? Remind me of the babe.” All songs were performed by Bowie except “Chilly Down” which was sung by Charles Augins, Richard Bodkin, Kevin Clash, and Danny John-Jules, the actors who voiced the ‘Firey’ creatures in the film. In the aforementioned interview with Movieline around the film and soundtrack’s release, Bowie revealed an obstacle he encountered while recording. “With ‘Dance Magic’ – the song for Jareth and the baby, sung by them and the goblins in the castle throne room – I had problems,” Bowie explained. “The baby I used in the recording studios couldn’t, or wouldn’t, put more than two gurgles together, so I ended up doing the baby-gurgle chorus myself! It’s an up-tempo song, and visually exciting.”

 

The 12-track soundtrack is rounded out with Trevor Jones’ memorable score. The synth-based instrumentals, described by All Music Guide as “synthesizers blended cautiously into orchestral ensembles to provide a suitably ethereal tone,” represent pivotal moments from the film and include “Into the Labyrinth,” “Sarah” “Hallucination,” “The Goblin Battle,” “Thirteen O’Clock” and “Home at Last.” Jones and Henson previously worked together on the live action fantasy classic, “The Dark Crystal.”

 

Labyrinth celebrated its 30th anniversary last year and the film and soundtrack have only grown in popularity since its release on June 27, 1986. Last year, a newly restored 4K version of the movie was released back in theaters with a limited engagement theatrical run in the United States giving fans the opportunity to see it back on the big screen. On September 20th, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the film on Blu-ray, next-generation 4K Ultra HD™, and as a multi-format 30th Anniversary Collector’s Edition complete with unique “mirrorbox” packaging that included a mini replica of the film’s climactic and iconic final scene. All versions include a host of all-new bonus content and a gorgeous 24-page Digibook filled with rare photos and a look behind the scenes.

 

LABYRINTH OST TRACK LISTING

SIDE 1

1. Opening Titles Including Underground

2. Into The Labyrinth

3. Magic Dance

4. Sarah

5. Chilly Down

6. Hallucination

 

SIDE 2

1. As The World Falls Down

2. The Goblin Battle

3. Within You

4. Thirteen O’Clock

5. Home At Last

6. Underground


INTERSCOPE HOSTS ANNUAL BET AWARDS PRE-PARTY

(Los Angeles, CA- June 25, 2017) Last night, Interscope Records hosted their annual BET Awards Pre Party at ROKU/Blind Dragon in West Hollywood. Musicians, tastemakers and industry professionals alike gathered to celebrate a night of music to remember. The soiree, sponsored by Martell Cognac, Clairol Professional and PRG brought out some of the industry’s biggest names including Playboi Carti, A$AP Rocky, J. Cole, Lana Del Rey, Steve Rifkind, Big Baby D.R.A.M and Tina Knowles. DJ Reflex and DJ A-OH spun the hits and kept the dance floor going until 2AM. Additional party sponsorship was provided by Finish Line, Fanta and MEZZ. See all the photos from the A-list affair below. 

Playboi Carti

QUIN

Soraya

Rich The Kid

(All Photos by Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for Interscope Records)

Josh Levi

Josh Levi is an 18yro recording artist, actor and activist who began singing in church at the age of four years old. Best known as being one of the top finalists on the X-Factor (USA), where he gained worldwide recognition for his singing talent, he amassed a huge fanbase and signed to Island Records. With his new band, Citizen Four, they just to released their latest single, “Want You Back,” with the video following right after.  After writing his last solo single, DOCTOR, it surpassed one Million+ streams on Spotify. Josh has starred in major network shows such as: Days of Our Lives, Friday Night Lights, The Thundermans and Disney’s Nu Skool Records. He also starred as Oliver Twist in Debbie Allen’s Broadway show TWIST (based on Oliver Twist). Josh has toured with Digifest in Toronto, Abu Dhabi, Mexico and throughout the UK and the US. After headlining Vidcon, Josh came to the attention of AwesomenessTV founder Brian Robbins who then decided to produce one Josh Levi branded music video a month and provide him with guest star opportunities on their shows such as Beachin’ and Life’s So Rad. 

(Photos: Blair Caldwell)

Jayce Baron

Jayce Baron is a writer, an entrepreneur and an advocate for the LGBTQ millennial. Born and brought up in Southern California with a degree and background in communications, he has devoted his skills and experience to advancing his community with flair. With first-hand knowledge as an openly gay black male raised in the Baptist church, his stories have been able to guide not only the LGBTQ ecology, but anyone who has been confronted with internal conflict and acceptance within their culture and household.

 

He has always found a way to flex his creative ideas into a reality. In February 2015, he produced and hosted the first Kiss & Tell LGBTQ panel in Downtown Los Angeles. Kiss & Tell Networks has now launched quarterly LIVE shows, youth programs, podcasts (Kiss & Tell Radio) as well as digital magazine issues. Jayce’s efforts have been nationally recognized as one of the “#16Heros” by Together For Girls alongside of US Vice President Joe Biden and Ashley Judd; the “Image Award” by In the Meantime Men’s Group in LA and “Best Youth Organizer” by Ivan Daniel Productions. Furthermore, he’s been highly revered by the Mayors of both Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

 

In fall 2016, Jayce told his account of sexual assault through his column on HIV Equal Online. He was called to speak at a California State Capitol press conference to address rape culture from a male’s perspective; pushing SB 813, which revokes the statute of limitations on assault in the state of California. Governor Jerry Brown signed the bill on September 2016, removing the limit along the rights of victims to press charges against their assailant.

 

With the motto, “People are my passion!,” Jayce continues to broaden the mindset of society and moderate the personal journey to self-discovery.

 

As of late, Jayce has been a TV correspondent for TMZ and MADE WITH PRIDE (UK’S first LGBTQ televised radio show). His comedic gay novel, “Absolutely Me” debuted Spring of 2016 and the sequel, “Absolutely Us” was released Spring of 2017.

NEMR COMEDY 👑

Nemr (pronounced  like  simmer Lebanese/American  Stand… but  hotter) is  a  comedian  who  is credited  with  establishing  and  pioneering  the  standup  comedy  scene  throughout  the  Middle  East. Nemr grew  up  in  San  Diego  and  then  moved  back  with  his family  to  Lebanon. Inspired  by  comedy  and healing  powers  of  laughter,  he  went  on  to  break  down barriers  and  unite  people  in  a  region  where  bombing on  stage can have  a completely  different  meaning. 

As  an  accomplished  comic,  it  is  no  wonder  Nemr’s  latest  tour  was  met with  unprecedented  success,  selling  out  prestigious venues  such  as  Caroline’s  in  New  York and the  Wilbur Theatre  in  Boston.  This is the first global  comedy  event  to  successfully  stretch  from  the  US  to  the  Middle  East,  with  continued  sell  outs in  Houston,  Dallas,  San  Francisco,  Washington  DC,  Michigan,  Cleveland,  Oman,  Qatar and Lebanon where  he  set  a new crowd record with 5,000 people in  one night.  Nemr  has  numerous  television  credits  from  major  networks  in  the  Middle  East,  has  been  seen  on CNN  and  recently  appeared  on  “The  Nightly  Show  with  Larry  Wilmore.”  He  has  also  released  two feature  specials  as  cinematic  experiences  and  his  own  prime  time  TV  show.    

In  May  of  2014, he  was featured  on  the  cover  of  Rolling  Stone  Magazine  (Middle  East)  solidifying  Nemr’s  legacy  as  the biggest  name  in stand up  in that region. On  the  heels  of  his  hugely  successful  tour,  Nemr  will  continue  his  2016  international  comedy  tour adding more  than 20  cities across the  US  and will  soon announce dates in Europe  and Australia. 

NEMR FOR PRESIDENT 20/20 🙌

Jimmy Wong – Actor + Musician

James “Jimmy” Wong, is an American actor and musician best known for his 2011 music video, “Ching Chong: Asians in the Library Song” and for his role as Ted in the web series Video Game High School. His newest project with Disney XD, Polaris Primetime will debut July 2017.

 

Wong garnered national news coverage in March 2011, when he uploaded his music video, “Ching Chong: Asians in the Library Song” to YouTube. He created the video as a response to a UCLA student’s vlog rant against Asian students using mobile phones in the UCLA library, one which MSNBC qualified as “offensive.” NPR suggested that Wong’s video response was one that “effectively turned the tables on the original rant,” offering an alternative method of defense against cyberbullying. Wong later said in an MSNBC interview that while he was initially frustrated by the video rant, he realized that humor offered a better response, as he hoped to “put a positive spin on all of it.” The video has seen a resurgence due to the current political climate. Wong is very passionate about social issues and politics and is something that drives him to create every day. He aims to create justice for all and especially for representation in Hollywood as an Asian American.

 

Prior to releasing the video, Wong began spearheading the YouTube world, collaborating with other largescale YouTubers, including the very successful Joey Graceffa. This period proved to be invaluable. At the end of 2010, the web series Feast of Fiction was born, a cooking show dedicated to making food from movies, TV shows, cartoons, video games, and other fictional properties. The show kicked off strongly with the first video passing the 100,000-subscriber mark almost immediately. Due to it’s success, media company Tastemade partnered with the successful web series which allowed for guests like Grace Helbig, Hannah Hart, Anthony Padilla from Smosh, and Rosanna Pansino from Nerdy Nummies.

 

In 2016 Wong was asked to host the pilot for a gaming show, Polaris Primetime, on Disney XD. Disney XD is creating a new channel  block, similar to Adult Swim or Teen Nick, called Disney XP that will air this show and others like it exclusively daily from 9PM to 3AM. Polaris Primetime is a gaming variety show with guests from all across the YouTube and TV world. Special guests that have already been on the show include Nolan Gould (Modern Family) and Marcus Scribner (Blackish).

 Twitter.com/jfwong 

 


LOVE + OTHER FORMS OF PAIN

     

LOVE AND OTHER FORMS OF PAIN

ALEPH Projects @ Beit Kandinof  |  Group Exhibition

July 1 – August 1, 2017

Artists: Eden Mitsenmacher, Eliott Paquet, Mit Borrás and Yoni Passy


ALEPH Projects is pleased to present “LOVE AND OTHER FORMS OF PAIN”.

Hosted at Beit Kandinof, the group exhibition features four young artists, Israeli and international, whose video works face the notions of love and defeat, stimulation and obsession in times of digitized communication.

The Israeli / American artist Eden_Mitsenmacher videos and new media works are frequently dealing with longing and loneliness. In “Back to Reality” (2016), the artist is recorded singing the 90’s hit “Back To Life” of Soul II Soul as it is rhythmed by smartphone notifications. Mitsenmacher’s “singing-to-the-mirror-while-switching-and-forgetting-words” version of the song is voice-overing a dreamy artificial animated image of a storm cloud. As Eden Mitsenmacher states: “hyper-worlds, built from cultural stereotypes and clichés, pushed to the brink of emotional overload”.

In “Partage (Clothilde)” (2016), the French artist Eliott_Paquet transcribes his last conversations over social media with his ex-girlfriend. The dialogues, translated to Chinese and narrated by a computer speech software, are set up in a 3d rendered environment of an ocean where two suns are crossing each other paths before setting down.

“Liquid Marble” (2017) by Spanish artist Mit_Borrás, depicts a marble surface slowly swirling into a storm. The cold still stone is animated to portray a dramatic scenery of trapping movement and dizziness, pulling forces. Next but at the same time opposite to the linear and silence of it, the work “Techno Light” (2016) displays a short brutal house music beat looping endlessly with flashing lights.

Israeli artist Yoni_Passy’s “Never the Same” (2017) is a 14 hours length video, composed of over 25,000 still images that the artist collected on the Internet over the course of the last 12 years. Taking different shapes throughout the years- the artist’s blog “Internet My Love”, and later the online show “Never the Same” (2015)- the volume acts as an epic mosaic portrait, a compulsive manifestation and a prism to the human condition in relation to imagery inflation as it is projecting landscapes, pornography anonymous family archive pictures and many more in a random order.

 

“LOVE AND OTHER FORMS OF PAIN” is the first collaboration between ALEPH Projects and Beit Kandinof. The exhibition is accompanied by a special sale offering a collection of affordable prints and magazines picked and curated by ALEPH Editions.

 

 

  • ALEPH Projects is a contemporary art and design platform focusing on selected Israeli and international artists. Run by gallerists and curators based in Tel Aviv and Paris, it provides expertise in the shaping of public projects, as well as consultancy for private collections.

ALEPH Editions offers artworks in affordable prices.

 

  • Beit Kandinof is a new art hub and bar in the heart of Jaffa that showcases local artwork in rotating exhibitions, five artist studios, and runs classes in the arts.

 

  • Featured Artists:

Mit Borrás (b.1982) was born in Spain and lives in Madrid and Berlin.

Eden Mitsenmacher (b.1987) was born in the USA and lives in Rotterdam and Tel Aviv.

Eliott Paquet (b. 1990) was born in Paris, where he lives and works.

Yoni Passy (b. 1982) was born in Israel, he lives and works in Tel Aviv.

 

LOVE AND OTHER FORMS OF PAIN

ALEPH Projects @ Beit Kandinof | Group Exhibition

July 1 – August 1, 2017

Artists: Eden Mitsenmacher, Eliott Paquet, Mit Borrás and Yoni Passy

Beit Kandinof, Hatzorfim 14, Tel Aviv Yaffo, 03-6502938

Opening Reception: July 1, 7 P.M.

Opening Hours: 10 A.M. – 12 P.M.

For Further Details:

ALEPH Projects

Email: info@alephprojects.com  |  Website: http://alephprojects.com