Call For Entries: Submission Deadline for the Crest Hardware Art Show Now Extended Through Friday

The 11th Crest Hardware Art Show is less than a month away, but you still have time to submit your hardware-themed artwork for this time-honored showcase. The deadline for submissions has been extended through this Friday, June 8, and the show will kick off on June 30 with the always fun Crest Fest.

If you're in need of some inspiration, you might peruse some work the show has featured in previous years on We Heart New York, L Magazine and Craft or on the show's Flickr page. Personally, we'd love to see something inspired by Crest's resident animals: Franklin, a pot-bellied pig who's been featured in the New York Times and has his own Facebook page, and Finlay, an African Grey parrot who's been known to play tricks on cell phone-weilding customers.

For more check out our previous post about the show and the full guidelines and entry form. Following the June 30 opening, where you'll be able to enjoy music art, food and more, the show will remain on display through August 31.

We'll leave you with a brief video of "Running Man," an amazing zoetrope by Greg Barsamian that was featured in the show back in 2008:

-- John Ruscher

Call For Entries: Apply To Be One of Lady Liberty's First Artists-In-Residence

 

No, you won't get studio space in her crown, but the new Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island artist-in-residence program, which kicks off in July and is accepting applications through May 21, could give you the chance to get pretty close to Lady Liberty. 

According to the National Park Service, the residency "aspires to share with the public the scenic beauty and stories of Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island through the world of art" and will challenge artists "to make this park come alive for all—to generate excitement about it for visitors and strangers alike."

A jury will select between three and six visual artists, who can choose to participate in a two-, three- or four-week residency. This includes studio space in the New Jersey City University Visual Arts Building in Jersey City, campus housing, and "unparalleled access to the park's resources, including the museum, library, oral histories, and other places not normally accessible to visitors, such as our archives and extensive museum collections not publicly displayed." Don't worry, New Yorkers—local artists will have the choice of living at home and commuting. There's no stipend, but studio space, housing and bragging rights as one of the Statue of Liberty's first artists-in-residence sounds like decent compensation to us.

Work created during the residency will be exhibited as part of the Statue of Liberty's reopening in late 2012 (it closed last October for renovations), and artists will also be asked to donate two pieces and present two hour-long public programs and a three-hour workshop/demonstration.

For more information, including the application form, head over to the National Park Service website.

-- John Ruscher

Call For Entries: Be Part Of This Summer's Crest Hardware Art Show

A hand truck and shopping cart crocheted by Olek. A skull made out of Phillips-head screws. A chandelier with snaky spirals of rubber tubing. These are just a few of the creations that have been featured in past editions of the legendary Crest Hardware Art Show at Williamsburg's Crest Hardware, and you have until May 31 to add to that list by submitting your own work for this summer's exhibition. 

The 11th Crest Hardware Art Show opens on June 30 with Crest Fest 2012, a day-long throw-down full of art, music, food, beverages and other great stuff from local vendors, and the art will remain on display through August 31.

Per tradition, all work "must be about, made with or inspired by hardware," so keep that in mind when crafting and submitting your entry. Check out the full guidelines and official entry form, and soon you, too, could be part of what Time Out New York has described as "a cadre of talented artists capable of turning lug nuts, bolts and rivets into show-worthy pieces."

For additional inspiration we'll leave you with this Brooklyn Independent Television segment about Crest Hardware and its renowned art show:

-- John Ruscher

Be Part Of Make Music New York, NYC's Largest Music Festival

Iannis Xenakis' Persephassa performed on Central Park Lake for MMNY 2010

New York is an exceptionally musical place every day of the year, but there's one day when it gets really musical. That's because of Make Music New York, an annual festival that takes place on the first day of summer and features hundreds upon hundreds of free concerts throughout the city.

This year Make Music New York is happening on June 21 from 10am to 10pm, and if you're musically inclined or interested in hosting a performance, you have until April 21 to register and finalize your own event. The folks at MMNY can help you coordinate your concert with others in your neighborhood, secure the necessary permits and promote it through Time Out New York, Metro New York and WNYC.

Past MMNY highlights include an amazing rowboat-based performance of Iannis Xenakis' Persephassa on Central Park Lake (check out the video clip above) and Punk Island, in which dozens of punk bands invaded Governors Island. Of course your event doesn't need to take place on an island or body of water. It could be anything from a "acoustic sidewalk setup to a full-scale amplified block party." For the last two years the festival has featured over 1,000 concerts, so sign up, tune up and hit the streets.

-- John Ruscher

Future Fashion Stars: Project Runway Holding An NYC Open Call This Monday

Back in February we told you that Project Runway was looking for the best new fashion designers to star in its 10th season. If you didn't get your application together by the March 15 deadline, don't worry—you still have a chance to earn your spot as Tim Gunn's next protege.

Next Monday, April 9 Project Runway will be holding an open casting call right here in NYC. They'll be setting up shop at the Hilton New York at 6th Avenue and 54th Street from 10am to 4pm, so gather together your best creations and show them what you've got. Tim and Heidi probably won't be there, but you never know! Both of them do live here, after all.

Here are the details:

Please bring 5 or 6 of your garments that demonstrate your sewing skills and your fashion point of view. Please do NOT bring bridal, costumes or garments designed by you but sewn by someone else. Be prepared for only two of your garments to be looked at so choose accordingly. No models please. Also, bring a portfolio if you have one.

Whether you're an aspiring star or just discovering your love of fashion, there's always more to learn. Our many fashion classes can teach you everything from sewing and patternmaking to hatmaking and shoemaking.

-- John Ruscher

Mu Pan, Our Summer Open Call Winner, Finishes His Epic 'One Thousand and One Noon'

A detail of Mu Pan's One Thousand and One Noon

Last month we gave you an early peak at some of the amazing work that our Summer Open Call winner Mu Pan will be presenting in his March 23 solo show at 3rd Ward--including the first panel of his One Thousand and One Noon, an epic watercolor work that takes its title from One Thousand and One Nightsand High Noon. 

Pan has now finished that piece's other two panels, and...just...wow. There's really no way to adequately describe this astounding triptych, so we'll just let you explore some of its vast expanses, intense images and rich themes in the details below.

For more on Mu Pan, watch a video profile after the jump and check out this a recent interview by Japan Cinema. And, of course, mark those calendars for March 23—you truly don't want to miss this one.

-- John Ruscher

Call for Entries // The Tribeca Film Institute New Media Fund Supports Innovative Cross-Platform Storytelling

18 Days in Egypt, which launched this week on the one-year anniversary of the beginning of the Egyptian uprising, captures that historic moment throught an interactive collaboration that brings together citizen journalism and multimedia. This is the kind of innovative project that the Tribeca Film Institute is supporting with its newest program, the TFI New Media Fund.

"The ultimate goal of the New Media Fund is to push the boundaries of storytelling and take the audience beyond traditional screens," says 3rd Ward member Opeyemi Olukemi, who is part of TFI's Digital Initiatives team. 18 Days in Egypt was one of the first six projects funded through the program last year, along with others such as Map Your World, which encourages children to help improve their communities by mapping, tracking and sharing the changes that they are making. There's also an interactive online companion to the documentary film The Tillman Story.

"The Fund aims to support non-fictional, social issue media projects that engage audiences and challenge them to explore these stories in an innovative approach," Olukemi adds. Think you've got a project that fits those criteria? TFI will be accepting submissions for the fund through March 6, and this summer four to eight projects will be awarded between $50,000 and $100,000.

Olukemi recommends starting with an idea that inspires you. "I would advise each applicant to find an issue that is important to them—whether it be human engagement with wildlife (NFB's BEAR 71), black male identity in America (Question Bridge), or city life in dense spaces (NFB's Out My Window)—and think of how their community can explore it through a different fashion," she says. "Think beyond the film screen and start creating what you wish was being done!"

For more information, check out the TFI New Media Fund Wiki or get in touch at newmediafund[at]tribecafilminstitute.org

-- John Ruscher

Upcoming Show // Open Call Winner Mu Pan Brings His Epic Art To 3rd Ward In March

We announced the winners of our Fall 2011 Open Call last week, but we're also excited to tell you that we've set the date for a solo show by Mu Pan, the Grand Prize winner of our Summer Open Call. The Taiwan-born, Brooklyn-based artist will be showing his work at 3rd Ward on March 23.

Pan tells us that he's working nonstop to get finish up the artwork that he'll be presenting, including some massive oil paintings and watercolor works. One of those is the astounding One Thousand and One Noon, pictured above. "This is about America entering the Islamic world, and the bitter war we have been fighting for the past decade," he says. "I am a huge fan of Indian miniture paintings, so I wanted to do something like that with the subject of what is going on today in that part of the world.  I used a very narrow and ignorant view point to make this project, because I want to emphasize how ignorant people are about Muslims in this country, especially this city. As you can see, I love to put what I like in my images, so this time I borrowed so many elements from those Sinbad series movies I loved when I was very little."

The scene above, which is only one panel of the One Thousand And One Noon triptych, took Pan about two months to finish. He'll have all three ready panels ready for March's show. The piece's title, Pan tells us, is a combination of One Thousand And One Nights, the famous collection of folk tales, as well as the classic Western film High Noon.

As our Grand Prize winner, Pan was also featured in Art Tapei back in August, and he tells us that it was a great experience, though somewhat sentimental. "I've only gone back three times since I left there in 1997, and I can still feel the love and acceptance from my people after all these years," he says. He sold most of the work that he brought for the fair and was featured in an article about Art Taipei in one of Taiwan's major newspapers.

Hit the jump for a few details from One Thousand and One Noon, as well as a sneak peek at more work that Pan will be presenting here. Mark your calendar for his show on March 23.

-- John Ruscher

CALLING ALL RESTAURATEURS // We're Accepting Restaurant Proposals for 3rd Ward Philadelphia

Do you know someone who might want to open a restaurant in Philly? If so, send them our way this week.

3rd Ward's new location in the City of Brotherly Love's Northern Liberties/Old Kensington neighborhood, which is scheduled to open this summer, will feature a restaurant, and that fine establishment could be yours. Just imagine: your very own restaurant, with over 2,000 square feet of interior space, 1,000 more for potential outdoor seating, and shared event space. And you'll also have the rare opportunity to open, grow and thrive alongside 3rd Ward's vibrant creative community. Members work up quite an appetite while pursuing their many amazing endeavors, and its usually hard to pry them away from their projects and passions, so there'll surely be plenty of appetites to satiate.

We need letters of intent for all proposals by this Friday, January 6, and final proposals are due on February 3. We're excited to hear about your dream restaurant. Let's build this together.

And, for some additional inspiration, hit the jump to check out behind-the-scenes images of 3rd Ward Philadelphia as it begins to take shape.

The second floor after being sandblasted.

Evaluating the third floor ceiling medallion, a masterpiece and icon-in-the-making, for restoration

Newly excavated elevator pit for brand-new building elevator.

Wall demolition and putting up steel for the shop.

Welding steel beams on top of the shop to create new structural support for green roof.

Welding more steel beams for the shop.

-- John Ruscher

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS // Hand-Typed, Letter-Pressed Journal Harlequin Creature Seeks All Kinds Of Print Media

 

There are tons of literary and cultural journals out there asking for submissions, but you won't find many that'll treat your work with the same level of hands-on care as Harlequin Creature. The journal's cover is crafted by letter press, and every page of every copy is hand-typed on a vintage typewriter. No photocopying or inkjets here. The Harlequin Creature crew produces each copy of their journals through "typing bees," where Smith Coronas, Underwoods and Royals bang away and carefully placed keystrokes forge every letter.

After selling out of their first issue, which came out back in the fall, Harlequin Creature is looking for submissions for the followup. They welcome "any printable media is welcome, i.e. prose, poetry, sheet music, collage work, etc.," and are asking for prose between 500 and 1,500 words and no more than 3 poems. The deadline is February 10, or January 13 if you'd like them to return your piece with suggested changes by January 27.

For a little more info on the spirit of Harlequin Creature, here's a quote from their website:

this is a journal sure to be unconventional in today's overwhelmingly digital age, and i think, at the same time, very much in touch with a nostalgia for an earlier era, when the factories of pittsburgh and detroit were still bumpin' and steel was in. with a circle of friends that spans from los angeles to new york, every single journal is hand typed on high quality paper, and the covers will all be set by a heavy, centuries old letter press in ann arbor, michigan. each copy is then hand bound, and a limited number include artwork by a featured artist.

Check out some more images of their first issue and army of typewriters after the jump.

-- John Ruscher