[Moonlight Bowl with Stars :: Nancy Taliaferro]

...and speaking of my friend Nancy (see previous entry), her new website is up!  I am the proud owner of a number of Nancy's dreamy creations and am always eager to see what she is working on whenever I go to her house for a visit.  Her talent boggles the mind, I tell you.  {sigh} 

I saw The War of Art:  Break Through the Block and Win Your Inner Creative Battles on the nightstand of my friend Nancy and loved the fierce title.  I just ordered it and can't wait to sink my teeth into it! 

"Novelist Steven Pressfield (The Legend of Bagger Vance; Gates of Fire) goes self-help in The War of Art: Winning the Inner Creative Battle. Dubbing itself a cross between Sun-Tzu's The Art of War and Julie Cameron's The Artist's Way, Pressfield's book aims to help readers "overcome Resistance" so that they may achieve "the unlived life within." Whether one wishes to embark on a diet, a program of spiritual advancement or an entrepreneurial venture, it's most often resistance that blocks the way. To kick resistance, Pressfield stresses loving what one does, having patience and acting in the face of fear."  -Publishers Weekly
 

Get ready to gorge on popcorn and let the film geek in you run wild - the LA Film Fest is almost here:

"The Los Angeles Film Festival, held annually for ten days in June, showcases the best of American and international independent cinema. With an expected attendance of over 100,000, the festival screens over 175 narrative features, documentaries, shorts, and music videos. Now in its fourteenth year, the festival has grown into a world-class event, uniting new filmmakers with critics, scholars, film masters, and the movie-loving public."  -LAFF website 

Mati McDonough - our blog banner designer of the month - has collaborated with Kristen of Mood Swing for a one of a kind jewelry line to debut this summer here and here.  Yeah Mati!! 

The Architecture & Design Museum of Los Angeles has a number of cool exhibits going on right now.  This is definitely on my list of upcoming field trips!  "After The Flood- A Movement Performance Piece Based On The Writings Of Tennessee Williams And Andrei Codescu" on June 22 looks especially intriguing. 

From the ISM website:

"ISM: gallery presents a playful take on the journey from student to professional artist. A group of student artists from a Community College, a State School and a Private University will exhibit their work in an environment that provides anonymity from the school they attend, showing amongst their contemporaries in a true celebration of the creative impulse.
 
During the opening reception, visitors to the ISM: gallery will get the opportunity to vote for the artist they feel is "Best In Show". The winner will be revealed on our website where they will be celebrated for their talent as an artist and as a student, not of any one school but of art itself."

Saturday May 31st // 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.

Visit the ISM Community website for more details and to see what other fun projects ISM is up to! 

Melissa Moss has a new selection of original drawings for sale over in her Etsy shop.  Her creations fly of the shelves, so act fast!

Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy is now exhibiting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC through September 1, 2008:

"The symbolic and metaphorical associations between fashion and the superhero are explored in this compelling exhibition. Featuring movie costumes, avant-garde haute couture, and high-performance sportswear, it reveals how the superhero serves as the ultimate metaphor for fashion and its ability to empower and transform the human body. Objects are organized thematically around particular superheroes, whose movie costumes and superpowers are catalysts for the discussion of key concepts of superheroism and their expression in fashion."  -MMA Website

Read an article about the exhibit here! 

Mentor Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker in conversation with her Protégé, Anani Dodji Sanouvi.
Brussels, Belgium, 2006

The Rolex Mentor and Protege Arts Initiative is one of the coolest projects I've seen in a long time.  Visit their website and be inspired!!

"The Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative is an international philanthropic programme devised by Rolex and run by a team at the company’s headquarters in Geneva. It seeks out highly talented young artists from around the world and brings them together with great masters, for a year of creative collaboration in a one-to-one mentoring relationship."  -RMPAI Website 

Scott Schuman was recently selected as one of Time Magazine's Top 100 Design Influencers...here's a quick taste of what his blog, The Sartorialist, is about:

"I started The Sartorialist simply to share photos of people that I saw on the streets of New York that I thought looked great. When I worked in the fashion industry (15 years), I always felt that there was a disconnect between what I was selling in the showroom and what I was seeing real people (really cool people) wearing in real life."  -Schuman Bio

Over Rainbows and Down Rabbit Holes: The Art of Children's Books is now on display at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art through June 15, 2008:

"This magical presentation features approximately 70 works of art created specifically for children’s books.  These original works, seen as independent creations while connecting with their literary context, inspire the imagination and celebrate the creativity of making picture books for readers of all ages."  -SBMA Website 

I read an article about Randy Pausch many weeks ago and haven't been able to stop thinking about.  Trying to make the most of his final days as well as impart wisdom to his children and the world, this is Mondo Beyondo, bittersweet inspiration.

Have a very wonderful weekend.