ALUMNI CAUSE // Jeweler Christy Cole Struggles to Recover from Brooklyn Bike Accident

"I had come up with all of these ideas and was spending all this time at 3rd Ward--and then I had the accident and stopped being able to work," jewelry designer Christy Cole tells us.

The accident she's referring to occurred while biking through Greenpoint and encountering an inconviently-placed pothole, resulting in bad fall and ultimately a separated shoulder. Having no health insurance, Cole was slapped with a $20,000 surgery bill.  So, doing what any wise entrepreneur would do, Cole took to the internet to raise the cash for the operation.

"I actually raised enough for my down payment, so I had the surgery, but I've got a ways to go until I can pay all the doctors," Cole reports. "It's hurting less every day, but I've got a long way to go with recovery and physical therapy."

One of the things Cole says she's most excited about is returning to 3rd Ward--"I could be a spokesperson, I just love 3rd Ward!"--and of course, jewelry-making.

Some of Cole's creations.Cole originally moved to New York from Texas to go to acting school and upon realizing that acting wasn't for her: "I started taking classes to figure out what I did want to do, and I just fell in love with jewelry." As soon as she took her first class at 3rd Ward, she says her jewelry-design calling clicked into place. She describes her style as both edgy and organic, and we sincerely hope to have her back soon.

--Layla Schlack

ALUMNI UPDATE // Gina Pollack joins team of internationally-renowned photographer JR

Gina Pollack (second from left) in the South Bronx working on a group action for JR's Inside Out project.

Today we check in 3rd Ward member with 3rd Ward alum Gina Pollack, who got her current job, working in the studio of renowned French photographer JR, through 3rd Ward's exclusive Membership Newsletter.

After graduating from NYU, where she studied Photography and Journalism, Pollack worked for a while as a photo re-toucher in a commercial studio, doing mostly cosmetic product photography. "Not surprisingly, I hated it," she says. And then one day the Member Newsletter arrived in her inbox. "I immediately noticed JR's name and the opening to work in his studio on the Inside Out project," she says. "I applied immediately and was called into the studio the next day."

Now Pollack works full-time on Inside Out, a large-scale participatory project. "JR won the TED Prize for 2011 and his wish was to get everyone involved in street art to tell their own stories," she says. "People everywhere from Tunisia to Abu Dhabi upload portraits with personal statements everyday. We approve their submissions at the studio, print their photos into posters and mail them with pasting instructions. Donations are accepted but not required. It's important that anyone can participate."

In addition to being inspired by creativity and diversity that the project has attracted, from group projects on child monks in Thailand to gay rights in Russia to the homeless community in San Francisco, Pollack has learned the unique skill of pasting. "I worked on the wall at Bowery/Houston and Grand/ Wooster, mounting images of Native Americans from a reservation in North Dakota, as well as a project celebrating women in the South Bronx, where we pasted faces from the community holding the eyes of women over their own," she says.

Right now Pollack is working a group action for the anniversary of September 11th, as well as upcoming large-scale actions around the world in places like the Middle East, Detroit and Philadelphia.

Outside of her work with JR, Pollack freelances for the Village Voice, shooting restaurants and concerts, and works on her own travel and documentary projects. "I've self-published a book called 'Sorority Girls,' which documents sorority life in Southern California, and I hope to gain more access to sorority houses to continue the project in the near future," she says. "Last Fall, I photographed an outsider's view of israel, highlighting the many groups (Jews, Muslims, Christians, Yeminites, and Palestinians) and the way they all co-exist in such a beautiful, war-torn country. I am currently working on a new project to document graffiti on ads in the New York subways."

Hit the jump to check out some of Gina Pollack's photography below and swing by her website.

Also, Pollack tells us that JR and his crew are always looking for participants, so if you are interested in leading a group action or submitting a portrait, visit his website and get in touch.

ALUMNI UPDATE // skinnyskinny's products get picked up by Urban Outfitters

It all started with soap. 3rd Ward alum Clara Williams decided to make some bars as gifts for her family, and in the process she realized that she wasn't happy with most bath and body products that were available on the market. She started making her own organic, naturally-scented and well-packaged soap, and skinnyskinny was born.

skinnyskinny began in the Bronx in 2006 and then grew here at 3rd Ward when Williams rented space to make handmade packaging. At first it was just a web-based company, but it's blossomed into much more, with a product line that includes a full range of organic bath, body, hair care and home products, as well as a retail store and workshop on Roebling Street in Williamsburg. Bath salts? Check. Pet care products? Check. Lip Balm? Check. We could go on, but you get the idea.

And now we're excited to hear that Urban Outfitters has decided to start carrying to skinnyskinny's products beginning this month! "We make really amazing, unique products, and Urban Outfitters as a retailer is always on the lookout for great, innovative products for their demographics," says Williams. "It's really a great match."

The skinnyskinny story is truly one of incubated talent. "3rd Ward is such a hub of resources and ideas," Williams says. "We always know that we can make just about anything we could ever possibly want or need."

In addition to the Urban Outfitters news, skinnyskinny also has other exciting things on the horizon. "We plan on moving into a new retail space very soon," adds skinnyskinny's Stephanie Gunther. "We'll be launching a line of organic skin care that we couldn't be more thrilled about! It's coming very, very soon, and we have tons of ideas for many more amazing organic products in the future."

Check out all of skinnyskinny's products on their website or drop by their store/workshop at 129 Roebling and congratulate them on their continued success! You can also find the skinnyskinny line at other retailers across the country.

--John Ruscher

ALUMNI EXTRAORDINAIRE // Mike Rugnetta Writes a Book

The MemeFactory guys in a minimalist rendering

Can you imagine seeing Goatse in a college textbook? Mike Rugnetta sure can. Composer--and former 3^rd Ward education coordinator--is writing a book about the internet with his performance group, What We Know So Far. You may be familiar with WWKSF as they collectively produce the MemeFactory lecture series. The book’s Kickstarter page promises that it will be a usable classroom text, but may also feature an appearance by the internet’s earliest gross-out meme. 

MemeFactory is what Rugnetta calls a “really fast-paced multimedia lecture-based performance,” dealing with internet media trends and culture in a pretty funny way. MemeFactory performances have been going on since 2009, so the guys have come up with a lot of ideas about how people interact with the internet--though some seemed a bit too serious for the show. Not sure what to do with the heavier content, a friend finally suggested, “Dudes, you should write a book.”

So far, the book's Kickstarter campaign has raised $17,493--$1,493 over their initial goal.  WWKSF's giving the extra funds to a charity; with one possible cause that includes providing internet access to disadvantaged kids and defending net neutrality.

Roughly? The book's about internet memes, internet culture and the internet famous. Rugnetta explains that it’s not just for 4chan habitués, but anyone who uses or is even remotely interested in the internet: “My mom doesn't know what a 'lolcat' is, but would easily follow the stories we're trying to tell and ideas we're trying to develop. And (she'd) definitely laugh at all the funny pictures... of which there will be MANY.”

Regarding his tenure at 3rd Ward, Rugnetta says, “3rd Ward was my introduction to the Brooklyn—and, by extension, NYC—arts community. 90% of everyone working there is extremely friendly and interested in what they are doing in an earnest and un-self conscious way. Really simply: there are no suckas.”

In addition to working on the MemeFactory book, Rugnetta is working overtime as a composer. You can hear his pieces at CPR (Center for Performance Research) on May 13^th, with choreography by Benn Rasmussen; and at the Chocolate Factory in Queens on May 17^th, with performer Madeline Best. He's also working on pieces with choreographer Aynsley Vandenbroucke, and director Brian Rogers, and has written music for two pieces which will have their outdoor premieres this summer: “Light and Shade” by Hilary Easton, and “H to Oh” by Pele Bauch.

Sounds like Mike's doin' A-OK out there.

-- Anastasia Friscia

DRINK UP // Caroline Mak's Brooklyn-Made Soda

Caroline Mak wants to get you carbonated. Mak, a former 3rd Ward teacher, and her partner Antonio Ramos, have gone and launched their very own homemade soda company, Brooklyn Soda Works. Intimidatingly donning a bachelor’s from Stanford in Biological Sciences and an M.F.A. from the University of Chicago in Sculpture and Installation, Mak's sort of a force to be reckoned with.  In addition to her newfound company, Mak's visual work is about to be displayed at two upcoming shows (more on that below),

Brooklyn Soda Works started last year, when Mak and Ramos “wanted to make the perfect ginger beer for our dark ‘n’ stormies." Mak tells us, "We didn’t have a particular passion for sodas, but just wanted to make a fizzy drink that we'd enjoy drinking and mixing with for cocktails.” So far, they've got cucumber, lime & sea salt, apple & ginger, and grapefruit, jalapeno & honey.  All are made with fresh juices (ain't no syrups here!) -- and all make us want to whip up a cocktail first thing this morning (don't judge.)

After a successful Kickstarter campaign got BSW off the ground, the two applied for a spot at the Brooklyn Flea and--unsurprisingly--got in. Now, in addition to being sold at the Flea on weekends, Brooklyn Soda Works is available on tap at Beer Table in Park Slope, 61 Local in Carroll Gardens and Untitled at the Whitney Museum. With a few limited bottles being sold at Palo Santo in Park Slope, Porsena in the East Village, and Blue Hill Manhattan.

Not a bad start, BSW.

Of her time at 3rd Ward, Mak says, “I liked the flexibility that 3rd Ward gave me in creating a syllabus. I have a diverse academic background so it was nice to know that 3rd Ward were supportive in the lecturers that they hire.” Adding, “The classes are as wide-ranging as the artists in Brooklyn are!”

And about those gallery shows of hers: both are coming up this September. Starting September 17^th and running for a month, she’ll have a solo show at Gallery Aferro in Newark. Mak says, “I’ve been fascinated with the idea and process behind biological repair for a while… scabbing, bone healing, etc, and have been applying that concept to found objects.” And starting September 23^rd, she’ll be transforming the hallway of the Brooklyn Arts Council into a continuous wall installation as part of the DUMBO Arts Festival.

In the meantime, put down the Four Loko and get your hands on some of that delicious-soundin' Brooklyn Soda Works bubbly.

-- Anastasia Friscia

3RD WARD ALUMNI ALERT // Hunter Kaczorowski designs costumes for The Human Comedy in Queens, heads to Yale

One of Kaczorowski's design sketches for The Human Comedy.Hunter Kaczorowski, a 3rd Ward alum, puppet designer and award-winning costume designer, has some big things on the horizon...

First: He outfitted the characters in the Astoria Performing Arts Center's production of The Human Comedy, which debuts at the Good Shepherd United Methodist Church this Thursday, May 5.

His designs are not your easy razzle-dazzle costumes, but more subtle pieces that carry the telling details of everyday life. Here's an excerpt from an interview about his work on the musical:

My role in this production is looking at how these characters dress themselves and thinking about where they get their clothes.

Since the central story of The Human Comedy is about family, I’m also looking at where things are hand-me-down clothes.

As a designer, I want to make this world as specific as possible and particular to these characters. A lot of what I’m doing is carving out how these characters live, who they are, what they do, where they’re from and trying to inform all that into how they dress.

Read the rest of the interview here and check out Hunter's impressive and diverse portfolio in costume design, puppetry, and craft here.

Kaczorowski is no stranger to the New York costume design scene -- he's contributed to more than 20 productions around the city, and his designs have graced the stages of venues including The Living Theatre, St. Ann's Warehouse and the Midtown International Theater Festival.

Soon, though, he'll be saying goodbye to the Big Apple and hello to New Haven, Connecticut, where he's entering the Yale School of Drama to earn an MFA in Costume Design. Congrats, Hunter!

And make sure to check out The Human Comedy this month in Astoria. It runs from May 5 through May 21 at the Good Shepherd United Methodist Church, with shows at 8pm Thursday through Friday and 2pm and 8pm on Saturdays. Grab your tickets here.

-- John Ruscher