Contemporary Music Organization "Ear To Mind" Asks David Karlins To Take Their Vision From Mind To Screen

David Karlins and Ear to Mind co-director Inhyun Kim meeting in the conference room.

Since its beginnings in 2010, contemporary music nonprofit Ear to Mind has relied on a typical cookie cutter blog-style website as their online home. It did the job, but with an upcoming concert at illustrious Carnegie Hall, the organization decided they'd like something more original and reflective of their adventurous artistic identity. For that they turned to 3rd Ward Web Design teacher and prolific author David Karlins.

"They felt it was essential to create a Web presence more in keeping with the creative energy and spirit of what they are all about," Karlins says. He met up with Ear to Mind co-director Inhyun Kim and worked to create an online destination that achieves just that.

"A substantial focus of my Web consulting involves working with artists, musicians, performers and particularly venues, organizations that promote the arts," Karlins says. "While my main activity is writing books and developing online teaching materials for publishers like Dummies and teaching material for Adobe, I do keep my fingers on the pulse of cutting edge Web challenges by continuing to do design projects."

Karlins' upcoming book is Web Sites for Dummies All-in-One. Here at 3rd Ward he teaches classes including Web Design with Adobe Creative Suite (both regular and condensed) and Intermediate Web Design // CSS3 and loves soaking up our positive vibes. "My meetings with the principles and people involved at 3rd Ward allow us to absorb and bounce off the diverse activity and creative energy here, and in turn feed into my work on books, my live and online classes, and the teaching materials I create here," he says.

The Ear to Mind Carnegie Hall concert that prompted Karlins' design work happens on April 19 and will feature pianist award-winning Jenny Q Chai playing a variety of music, including the world premier of a new composition by Inhyun Kim.

-- John Ruscher

Kitchen Shortcuts from 3rd Ward Teacher, Orianne Cosentino

Think kitchen prep work is a drag? That’s because it is – unless you have some quick kitchen shortcuts.

Here’s Epicuriosity instructor, Orianne Cosentino, with some easy but incredibly valuable tips that will instantly make you more nimble in the kitchen. See below for some 30-second tutorials on how to mince garlic and stem greens like a pro. 

Orianne has worked in kitchens in France, Mexico, and Greece and was born and trained as a chef in NYC.  Learn more about her and the tips she’s accumulated throughout her career on her blog, http://upchefcreek.com/.

3rd Ward in the Press // Get Back to the Land

3rd Ward gardening class

Meg Paska, courtesy of New York Post

Just in time for spring’s arrival, 3rd Ward teacher and Brooklyn homesteader extraordinaire, Meg Paska, has been profiled by the New York Post.

You don’t need to live in the country to enjoy fresh eggs, grow fresh vegetables, and make your own jams and pickles. In her home in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, Meg keeps chickens and bees, composts, and forages through Brooklyn’s many green spaces.  

Now’s the time to get in touch with your urban homesteader. Enjoying the NYC farmlife is easier and more accessible than you might think. New 3rd Ward classes in rooftop beekeeping, urban food production, and raising chickens start as soon as May 1st. See the full list here.

Read the full New York Post article here and learn more about Meg on her blog.

Teacher Pursuits // Exploring Queens Through Design

CROSSCURRENTS: Queens College CUNY MFA Group Exhibition

NY Studio Gallery, 154 Stanton Street

March 23, 2011 through April 2, 2011

Reception: Friday March 25 7-9pm

Curated by Omar Lopez- Chahoud

Patty Harris, our InDesign Instructor, will be showing her work in a group show at the NY Studio Gallery.

A “crosscurrent” is defined as a current flowing into or across another current. The works in this show represent Queens' cultural and ethnic diversity through creative processes.

For example, Osaretin Ighile's industrial debris collected from garbage dumpsters morph into beautiful sculptures such as the portrait of President Obama. Antonia A. Perez's assemblages of everyday consumer products transform into formal, delicate, abstract works. Artists such as Joyce Chan and Karen Cintron explore traditional materials such as paper through weaving and collage. Becky Franco's haunting paintings of domestic spaces blur the line between the familiar and the unfamiliar. Indeed, the Queens College location is a fertile ground for these artists to emerge.

Learn from Patty in her InDesign class here and learn more about CROSSCURRENTS here.



Make This // Turn a logoed bag into something yours

Banish logos for your own custom floral design.So you need a new spring bag? 3rd Ward Instructor, Kat Roberts, has a great way to spruce up an old tote with some easy and pretty flowers you can easily make at home (no sewing experience necessary).

1) Start off with a sturdy bag. This second-hand American Eagle was perfect, from the color to the shape to the size -- it's just a matter of concealing the words. Thrift stores tend to be packed with cheap logo-ed items, so look there for materials! 

2) To make the flowers:

-- Choose contrasting fabrics and cut them in shapes of varying diameter, from 2" to 4". If you want, use a circle template, or cut the flowers freehand for a more oblong bloom.Sew a running stitch around the perimeter of each circle.

-- Sew a running stitch around the edge of the circle edge, making sure to leave a couple extra inches of thread when the stitch comes back to its origin point.

-- Finish the flower by pulling the thread tight so the circle bunches in on itself. Tie it off and there's your first flower!

-- Repeat with as many flowers as you like and hand sew them onto the tote in a cascading pattern, trying to conceal the stitch marks as much as possible.

3) Finishing touches:

-- Replace any uninspiring straps by Have fun with colors, textures and shapes -- it's your bag.just cutting them off and replacing with strips cut out from an old leather belt.

Congratulations! You've made your own custom tote. Learn some more smart, fashion-forward up-cycling techniques at Kat's website here.



Instructor Pursuits // From Thai Monk Bowls to Tiffany’s Trophies

When Preston Jones (Teacher since ’10) isn’t teaching Casting in Pewter, he works as a silversmith at one of the only producers of hand-wrought silver in the nation: Tiffany & Co. Though known for their jewelry, Tiffany’s has a distinguished legacy in hollowware, and has long made the silver trophies for the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals and more.

But here's a surprise -- Preston didn’t start off on 5^th Avenue. After studying at SUNY New Paltz and FIT, Preston took off for Thailand, where he studied with silversmithing monks. See below for some of his work.

Want to study with this well-traveled East-West metal master? We just posted a new Casting in Pewter section for this May. Sign up here today!