It’s been said the first 100 days of the year are critical to sticking with your resolutions. If you get that far in keeping a consistent pace, you just might have developed a new habit. But three months and ten days is a long time,
and most folks….
Looking back, I can’t remember a more turbulent and fearful time as this year has been. You would have to be at least 115 years old to remember a worse time than 2020, whether it’s the 1918 Spanish flu, the 1940 great depression, or the fighting and rationing held during the two world wars.
What an incredible year … It seems so extraordinary as to seem impossible…..
This year’s Pandemic Holidays may leave room for doing something slightly different such as celebrating some of the traditions of The Three Kings’ Day (“El Dia de los Reyes”). So what exactly are those traditions? For most (not all) this holiday, which includes gift-giving is also celebrated with a special cake baked for this occasion….
I recently came across a quote that both horrify and sadden me. The quote was by Sir David Attenborough, a naturalist and well-known BBC broadcaster and environmentalist, which states the following “The question is are we happy to suppose that our children may never see an elephant except in a picture book?” Pretty devastating when you think of how much destruction we as human beings continue to extract on this planet…
As I continue to spotlight urban artists in understanding how they are surviving or thriving during this pandemic, I was encouraged by a colleague to meet Ricardo Roig. I was intrigued by Ricardo’s imaginative artistry and that he lives and works in Hoboken, NJ where he combines the best of what Japanese woodblock printing offers with his innovative paper cutting chops channeling a younger Henri Matisse…..
During my last trip to Miami before the recent peaks in COVID cases, I took a flight on a seaplane with a couple of friends to explore the wonders of Miami’s spectacular coastline. Emerald waters with sandy beaches and luxury high rises side by side offers the most captivating panorama landscape that will fill your eyes. The wow factor of taking off from the water into the sky where you can still smell the ocean as you are climbing up towards the clouds is indescribable. My memories and photos will have me yearn to do this again…..
On my Facebook feed, I recently came across the work of an emerging artist named Armisey Smith who has taken on a uniquely challenging COVID inspired art project and to my delight accepted to be part of my blog’s Spotlight Artists Series #2. When I first came across Armisey’s recent COVID inspíred series entitled “ Side Eye, Pink Eye,” I was intrigued, and immediately connected emotionally with the pain that she was able to dramatize in the faces of these women….
If you are living in New Jersey, a significant portion of the state’s boundaries are touched by the Atlantic Ocean, where one can quickly arrive at the closest shore within an hour’s reach. The only issue is that the New Jersey coast is just not that attractive…. long strips of sandy beaches with not so blue waters. There are several coastal communities that have a wonderful historic vibe or scenery worthy of visiting throughout most of the year (Atlantic City is not one of them unless you like to gamble). One that I love is the historic town of Cape May….
Americans just love their lawns, and COVID has certainly made folks “lawn care crazy” striving for that perfect lawn that is so much part of a suburban lifestyle. However, throughout the summer, there’s been a growing number of lawn signs protesting the hate and divisiveness we see in our politics, social media, and cable news.
Surviving a pandemic has been different for everyone. For many, it has been devastating, having lost a loved one, a job, or bankrupting a once-thriving business. For others, it’s been an inconvenience, a readjustment, or in some cases, an opportunity. In a paralyzed Art World, it pains me to see what is happening to all forms of art and the impact that this will have on young people. I often wonder how artists of color are surviving in what is an environment of steep privilege and limited opportunities.
In a paralyzed Art World, it pains me to see what is happening to all forms of Art and the impact that this will have on young people. I often wonder how artists of color are surviving in what is an environment of steep privilege and limited opportunities. How do these tumultuous times impact their ability to create while paying their bills and protecting themselves and their families? As minority artists, how are they dealing with the racial divide, COVID, and the declining economy, and how does this get interpreted in their creativeness?
For the remainder of this year, I committed to interviewing four emerging minority artists primarily from urban centers in New Jersey to be able to learn and share their stories on what surviving, or thriving is like for each of them and how these uncertain times has influenced their artistry.
