TEACHER FEATURE // Elizabeth Waugh // Book Release

Photographer, writer and Unlimited Member  Elizabeth Waugh will be releasing her new dual book, Pantheon, at 3rd Ward on Sunday, July 24! Two art forms collide with the release of Pantheon, a two-volume collection of evocative photography and writing. Imbued with archetypes, the collection leaves a poignant and lasting impression. This will be 26-year old Elizabeth’s ninth release since the start of her career at age 17.

The 8x10 inch hard bound book of photographs and the 6x9 inch paperback collection of short stories will be on display and available for order at the exhibition for $50. Plus, uests will also have the opportunity to participate in a live photo shoot at the event and will receive a digital copy of their portrait.  Swing by Studio C from 1 to 4 pm to get involved!

TONIGHT // Photo Teacher Christopher Labzda Opens His Gallery

Christopher Labzda, a fine artist and teacher of our Alternate & Historical Photographic Processes class, is opening a gallery!

Labdzda is launching Toomer Ladzda with his wife Helen Toomer Labzda, an independent curator, and their inaugural exhibition is flat pack, the first solo US show by British artist Mia Taylor. The opening reception is TONIGHT from 6-8pm, and will be accompanied by complimentary hors d'oeuvres & a cocktail specials at Grotto, which is located right below the gallery.

Here's an excerpt from the press release for the exhibition:

flat pack, Taylor’s first US solo exhibition is comprised of wall based sculpture and watercolor works on paper. Taylor applies paint to plastic and fluorescent washes to timber, creating assemblages of pedestrian objects, which cautiously cling to the wall. Her watercolors share the same delicate sentiment in construction and geometric form

Taylor’s work borrows modernist ideals, which appear caught in a state of flux. She chooses nomadic, ephemeral and weightless materials that as objects, fall static and remain embedded in the space. The palette, scale and minimalist form unwittingly nods to a nostalgic feminine sensibility and unsteady purity of play.

The exhibition is an editor's pick on Artcards and the gallery has also been highlighted by curator and author Edward Winkleman and Pattern Pulp.

Following the opening reception, Toomer Ladzda will be open Wednesday through Sunday from 11am-6pm, and flat pack will be on display through August 6. The gallery is located in the Lower East Side on at 100A Forsyth Street, between Broome and Grand. See y'all there!

Take a look at one of Taylor's artworks and some photos of the gallery after the jump. 

 

 

 

OPEN CALL FEATURE // Mike Brown

Mike Brown, set for Arthur Miller's The Price Today's 3rd Ward Open Call featured artist is Mike Brown. He creates interior architecture: stage sets for theater, immersive branding experiences, fashion presentations and more. Sometimes dark and mysterious, sometimes light and fun, but always a unique and narrative experience.

Don't forget... if you submit by Friday you'll be entered to with the $1,000 Early Entry Award. Start here.

MEMBER PROFILE // Robert Collins' One-of-a-kind Frame Designs

We're sad to say farewell to Robert Collins, who's headed back to Florida after a productive year as a 3rd Ward member.

Collins is frame artist who creates some seriously unique pieces. "Either I check out people's homes and craft something for them that'll go well with their persona and environment, or a random idea will come to mind and, depending on what materials I can get my hands on, that's what I'll use," he says. "I like to use materials that aren't very common to cover my frames, such as animal skins and leather. Everything today is so mass-produced—it's good to give people something they know for a fact no one else in the world will have."

He won't leave Brooklyn empty-handed, though. "With the skills I've learned at 3rd Ward I've been able to turn my ideas into reality," he says, citing everything from woodworking and design courses to our Business Plan Workshop and Branding Class. "I started from scratch over a year ago. I now have my own frame design business. I feel like a jack of all trades."

Right now Collins is working on a 65"x45" frame for a print of the Brooklyn Bridge. "It's a very thick frame, very rugged," he says. "Rustic wood painted black with bronze pyramid tacks going horizontal and vertically along the frame."

It's inspiring to see everything that Collins has done in just one year, and we wish him all the best in the future! He plans to continue developing and perfecting his craft and enjoy the Sunshine State. "I need a little beach in my life," he says.  (Our mantra exactly.)

CONTEST // Win a Custom-Made Piece from Macha Jewelry

Our friends at Macha Jewelry are presenting a pretty amazing contest. All you've gotta do is sign up for their e-mail list and you'll have a chance to win a bespoke jewelry piece worth $350. Pretty fair trade if you ask us.

Macha was conceived while Irish designer Bernice Kelly was living in New York in 2007, realized in London a couple years later, and it's now based right here in Brooklyn. "Pieces are traditionally handcrafted in Brooklyn and have a laid-back feel, replacing the notion that jewelry should be flash and polished," Kelly says.

Macha also specializes in working with clients to create custom-made pieces, which is what you'll get if you win the contest. "We offer the bespoke service for clients who are inspired by a concept we have developed, but would prefer to own it in another form," Kelly says. "Clients can browse products at the online store, find a product they and click on 'ask a question' to start a discussion based on a product they find interesting. When we have agreed on the options, a 'listing' is then created in the bespoke section of the online store for them to purchase. These collaborations lead to an ever-evolving line which is in tune with customers needs."

That approach has led to organically-developed designs like Macha's nicely understated/pretty damn gorgeous Rockwell Line. "The line now has over 10 rings in the series which can be produced in everything from silver to platinum," says Kelly. "I also encourage collaborations that aren't specific to jewelry. Graphic artist Brandi Strickland produced some collage work which is currently inspiring a new collection of outsized sculptural pieces."

Head on over to Macha's website to enter the contest. You'll also have a chance to enter at our next Wind-Up networking meet-up on June 30—look out for the sign up sheet!

OPEN CALL FEATURE // Emi Brady

Here's another favorite from our current NYC + Taipei Open Call. Meet Emi Brady, whose large scale installations investigate notions of social identity through the allegory of "swarm patterning" amongst birds. Composed of paper relief prints and goauche, Brady's works are fragile reminders of the mob mentality pervasive in contemporary culture-where carbon copies reign and identity is a flimsy concept.

Emi Brady Want your chance at international stardom? Learn more about our biggest and best Open Call ever and start your portfolio here. Plus, submit by this Friday and you'll be entered to win the $1,000 Early Entry Award. Remember, Members submit for FREE. Just use the email you have on file here.

OPEN CALL FEATURE // Amy Joy Watson

Amy Joy Watson

Our latest Open Call just launched and the submissions have been great. So great, in fact, that we want to share some with you!

Amy Joy Watson's balsa wood constructions are painstakingly hand-stitched together by thread, then delicately stained with watercolor. Inspired by the 1928 folk song, "Big Rock Candy Mountain", Watson's sculptures are an homage to an imagined world, where her sculptures exist as living things, far beyond the realm of possibility.

Stay tuned for more Open Call artist features. This is the biggest and best Open Call yet, where the winner gets to show in New York AND Taipei. Learn more and create your portfolio here >>>

MEMBER WORK // Bleeding Hearts, a multimedia installation of love

Bleeding Hearts
June 30th, 2011, 8pm
REBEL NYC, 251 W 30th St
Tickets: $25-100

3rd Ward Members and Brooklyn-based band, Futurists, have created a multimedia installation and interactive art event from submissions of love letters, poems, and more. The final product, Bleeding Hearts, will be a walk through experience of their new album, War Is Yesterday. Their volunteer based project was successfully funded by Kickstarter and has involved over 42 of New York City's most innovative young artists using music, lighting, projections, and interactive technology to create a multi-sensory environment that will uplift, challenge, provoke, and adorn - all in one magical evening.

Check out this video to learn more >>>

Bleeding Hearts: Introduction from curtis peel. on Vimeo.

Get tickets here and embark with them on a journey of love.

Top 5 Reasons to Submit to 3rd Ward Open Call: NYC + Taipei

Get your passport ready. Now for the first time, you can travel the world as the 3rd Ward Open Call winner. Here are just a few reasons why this Open Call is the biggest and best ever.

1 – Show your work at two world-class exhibitions. One, a solo show in NYC at 3rd Ward. And across the globe, a solo feature at Art Taipei, the longest-standing art fair in Asia, with some of the world's top galleries and collectors. Last year, Art Taipei had 111 exhibitors and over 40,000 visitors.

2 – Get international cred in all the right places. New York: the epicenter of contemporary art. Taipei: the center of the exploding Asian art market. The world: yours.

3 – 3rd Ward Open Call is accepting art in all mediums: Sculpture, Installation, Painting, Drawing, Photography, Design, Illustration, Film, Video, Animation, Performance, Sound, Conceptual Proposals and more. We want to feature arresting, surprising, thought-provoking world here and abroad.

4 – The top 25 portfolios will be featured on our website for all the world to see.

5 – 3rd Ward Members submit for FREE. You've created amazing works here. Now here's a chance to show them to the world.

The prizes are greater than ever. The international art world is yours for the taking.
Get started HERE >>>

EXCLUSIVE // August Magazine Cover shoot

A-list celebs love 3rd Ward, too. Just last week Member Chiun-Kai Shih (Chunky to his friends) shot Zachary Quinto (Heros, Star Trek) at 3rd Ward for the cover of Malaysia's August magazine. They sweated it out on one of the hottest days of the summer, but the photos prove it was all worth it. Look for the issue out in October. Thanks to Chunky and all the day's sponsers: Profoto, Leica S System, O.N.E Coconut Drinks & Fiji.

All images are shot with Hipstamatic's Chunky Lens with Cano Film. Left to right: Zachary loving his new hat designed exclusively by Stitch; Marcus Teo, fashion editor, working his styling magic with Zachary; Saria showing Zachary how to download the Chunky Lens on Hipstamatic on the iPhone; Sei Hamada from Warren-Tricomi Management getting Zachary camera-ready; Chunky with his Leica and very own Hipstamatic lens; Zachary and Jason Goodman.