A FEW THINGS TO MAKE YOU GIGGLE

I am in full force productivity mode these days as the semester draws to a close, but with that focus comes the occasional binge on YouTube (who's with me?!).  Here are a couple of videos I have stumbled across recently that made me giggle, smile or generally forget my massive to do list for a couple minutes. Hope you enjoy!

above | they are doing a ton of facade work on my building right now and the noise is basically like this, with the added bonus of guys in cherry pickers popping by my window every few minutes . . . just a bit distracting, ha!





above | sometimes I feel like every girl in New York is like this; either way, this is a pretty funny parody of a show I regularly watch to make myself feel like my life is reasonably put together (is that too honest?)






above | james corden is hilarious, jennifer hudson is the shiznit and this video just makes me miss having a car . . .





above |  . . . though if I were to be doing my own car karaoke, it would probably sound more like this . . . .



Hope you have a productive day full of laughter and dance/karaoke breaks!

30 FOR 30: A MAD COOKIE BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR THE AGES

Last weekend I threw a 30th birthday party. For myself. It was reasonably epic, thanks in large part to the wonderful turn out (thanks, friends!) and the super fun theme: chocolate chip cookies! And not just any chocolate chip cookies—the party was a 'March Madness' style bracket to determine the best chocolate chip cookies in New York City from among 30 contenders (get it? 30 for 30!). (I was inspired by this lovely lady.)

I ate so many cookies that I had a stomach ache for several hours afterwards. Now if that isn't the sign of a good party, I don't know what is!

In planning the fete I took the opportunity to put together a bunch of fun crafty decorations that I thought you might enjoy. After all, now that I have put the idea in your head you are totally going to go out and throw your own cookie party, right?

Click through the link to see some more photos of the fun!

SHAKE SHACK'S RETRO CHIC GRAPHIC IDENTITY

A couple months ago the beloved NYC burger spot, Shake Shack, went public on the stock market. Having in recent years expanded to cities across the country, indeed across the world, Shake Shack is looking to be our era's foodie version of McDonalds. In honor of their growing global recognition, Fast Co. Design did a very cool blogpost about the details behind the retro icons, friendly fonts and neon colors used in the business's unique graphic identity. Turns out the impressive Paula Scher of Pentagram originally planned this singular identity to match the restaurant's original location—a modernist metal shed in New York's Madison Square Park—and has been surprised to see how well the look has translated to countless other locations across the globe. Even though Shake Shack opened over a decade ago (in 2004), the identity still looks as fresh as ever—a sure sign of a job well done.Needless to say, the article is worth a read, as it provides some fascinating insights into the 'look' of a brand that seems to have every detail down pat and has always struck me as the perfect combination of sophistication and silliness.Read all about it here, and learn more about Paula Scher here.

THE GREAT HALL EXHIBITIONS: FELIX GONZALEZ-TORRES

This week something exciting happened. For the past nine months my colleague, Susanna Temkin, and I have been hard at work on the latest iteration of the Institute of Fine Art's Great Hall Exhibition series (this past fall we showcased the work of the fabulous Marta Chilindron). I am pleased to tell you that our work has come to fruition in a beautiful show—if I do say so myself—of the work of conceptual installation artist Felix Gonzalez-Torres, which opened this past Monday. 

The exhibition takes place at the IFA's historic Duke Mansion is open to the public every day from 1-4pm until May 1. If you happen to be in Manhattan and like contemporary art—or even if you just want to see the inside of our fancy mansion—I highly recommend you stop by and see the show.

Learn more about the exhibition and the Great Hall Series here; read a press release here.

all installation photos above taken by yours truly

IMPROV EVERYWHERE: THE PIRATES OF CENTRAL PARK

I haven't posted an Improv Everywhere stunt in a while, but went I saw this latest mission I thought 'arrrrrr-ight' (this poor pun brought to you by Puns R Us! Puns R Us, we'll make you laugh whether you like it or not!). I love the idea of marauders in an ersatz row boat in the middle of Central Park, though I think the addition of a canon ball fight with other boats, perhaps foam canon balls?, would have put it over the top!

The video is lots of fun anyway. Check out the details of the mission here and lots more funny projects here (details on my favorite past project here, past close second and third here and here).

EXPAND//FOLD//COLLAPSE//SCULPTURES BY MARTA CHILINDRON

Big news, folks! I have spent the last several months working like crazy with my dear friend Susanna on an exhibition of work by Marta Chilindron and it opens TONIGHT! Her colorful, geometric, manipulable sculptures are seriously amazing and we are so excited to showcase them in the gorgeous Great Hall space at the Institute of Fine Arts.

If you are in New York City tonight the opening starts at 6pm, but the show runs until December 5th. If you can't make it in person, you can always check out the interactive e-catalogue we published (embedded above, also available here), co-written by Susanna and I and designed by yours truly. And check out the super cool preview video our webmaster and social media guru Jason Varone put together for us below. Hope to see you tonight!




Already in love with Marta's work? Me too! Find out more about her (and see more video demonstrations) on her artist's gallery page here.


(All images courtesy of Cecilia de Torres, Ltd. Top to bottom: Artist with Hexagon Spiral, 2013; Convertible Circle, 2009-2014; Ring, 2013) 

DANCE, DON'T WALK

After six years of living in New York City, I have to say I have picked up some naughty habits. I take brunch very seriously, I grocery shop at 11PM, and I approach walking on the sidewalk as a speed-tested obstacle course. You know what would make that walk-sprint more enjoyable? This awesome dancing stop light! It's a project created by smart—yes, the tiny car company—and it aims to encourage people to wait at a stoplight instead of jaywalking (something I am regularly guilty of!). Cool, right? What will they think of next?!


(Thanks to swissmiss for the tip.)

I'M BACK! AND I HAVE MISSED SO MUCH!

Well, hello there! Remember when I said I would try to post while I was traveling in Italy? Ha! The moment I stepped off the plane I fell head over hells into the glory that is gelato every day, pasta at every dinner, warm sunshiney days, and long evening walks through historic town centers and, well—surprise!—I completely forgot about blogging. Isn't that a sign of a good vacation though?

Finally returning to the real world today, I am frantically trying to catch up on all the media I missed. I found all kinds of delightful things I clearly would have shared with you if I had not been in a gelato-induced haze, so here's a quick round up for your perusal. Because you weren't really planning to get any work done today, were you?


Apple debuted new iPhones (I am due for an upgrade!) and, in a development surprising to no one, an Apple Watch. But I was most impressed with the hilarious Ikea catalogue parody of an Apple announcement above.

This crazy cliff-clinging house looks like a superhero secret lair, no?

I haven't spent a weekend in NYC since April (yes, April!), so I am excited to use this cool site to explore my home city.

Love. Animated.

A very important campaign: yes means yes.

I struggle with this all the time. Great tips for saying no  . . . now I just need another version for social occasions. Because, let's face it, mostly I want to stay home in my pjs with a pint of ice cream and my Netflix queue.

I just got back from vacation but I want to pack my bags and head to this cerulean paradise immediately.

Dominatrix in a NYTimes crossword? Sacrebleu!

If only I had had this handy tool on my trip, I would have been instragraming up a storm!

Tried and tested in Italy, new favorite gelato flavor is definitely coconut. This is the best brand buyable stateside.

Cell phones have ruined our sense of social responsibility.

I want to hang this on my wall.

Lately I have gotten back into yoga and I am really reaping the benefits. These poses would be a great addition to my practice, if only to offset the hours I spend everyday trolling the internet for blogger inspiration.

Obviously in Italy, I saw Vespas everywhere. I have new respect for them (though they are still terrifying, buzzing in and out of traffic, even when their drivers are in three piece suits!) knowing their cool history.

A fascinating design dilemma—how to show people texting on tv and in movies without pulling focus from the face.

Color coded photos, appealing to my chromatic compulsions in all the best ways.


I have so many fun things to share in the next couple weeks, including photo essays from my travels and recaps from the fabulous 60th birthday fête we threw for my Mom this weekend. Lots of stuff to look forward to, I can't wait! Clearly, I missed you guys. :)

QUEENS MUSEUM MOST WANTED

Last week I took a little field trip out to the Queens Museum. Shamefully, I had never been there, even though I have lived in New York for six years (I am blushing as I type this, trust me!). I chose a beautiful sunny day and took the long subway trip out. Disembarking from the train, I frolicked through the World's Fair grounds and past the amazing Unisphere . . . (more photos I snapped of that here)

I popped into the museum's famous panorama. It is a scale replica of every building in New York City; when new buildings are added or renovated the museum staff even update it! Plus they have tiny planes flying in and out of the model to JFK. The whole thing is quite a spectacle, even if it does contain the occasional pair of dropped sunglasses in the Hudson River!

Then I checked out the impressive Andy Warhol exhibition about his controversial contribution to the American Pavilion at the 1964 World's Fair—a large 20' x 20' paneled painting depicting the photos of the FBI's thirteen most wanted men. The show was well researched and informative, calling on Warhol's practice as a whole and fleshing out the mitigating political and practical factors involved in the removal (technically the painting over) of Warhol's work just days after the opening of the fair. It was fascinating to see all the pertinent historical materials gathered in one place—copies of bureau info packets on the criminals at large, letters sent between people involved in the project (including Warhol's friends complaining about FBI raids on his studio!), newspaper articles recounting the removal of the work, etc.—intermingled with Warhol's concurrent silkscreens and the museum's models of the fairgrounds themselves. The show—and the museum's recently renovated space itself—is quite fun to explore and I recommend you take advantage of these last few sunny days of summer and pop over there before the Warhol show closes on September 7. You can also find out more information about the exhibition here and the museum itself here.

After my visit I came home to reread some of the reviews of the show, mostly to see what kind of critical attention it had garnered. I was pleasantly surprised to discover a new article in the New York Times that chronicles an unusually personal backstory; Mr. George Lawler stumbled upon a review of the exhibition earlier this year and was surprised to see his father's face illustrated in one of Warhol's 'most wanted' paintings. The Times story, while brief, recounts Lawler's abandonment by his parents and the unique perspective he has on Warhol's classic decree that 'everyone will have their 15 minutes of fame'. It's a cool article and I recommend you check it out here.

A BEAUTIFUL TRASH CAN?

When you live in a tiny NYC apartment, space is at a premium. Combine that spatial concern with my obsessive interest in minimalist design and you have me drooling over this prototype: the Swing Bin. This small trash can is—dare I say it?—gorgeous. Even better? This spectacularly cinematic promotional video.

Join me and back the Swing Bin kickstarter campaign created by its designer Shigeichiro Takeuchi.


(thanks to swissmiss for the tip)


p.s. I have some fun party-inspired posts coming up this week. Get excited!

IKEA CATALOG LAUNCH PARTY

Hi guys, remember me? This week has been jam packed with fun activities which means I have a lot of fun things to tell you and no time to share it. (Catch-22!) First things first, I want to fill you in on a fun event I went to last night: the NYC launch party for Ikea's 2015 catalog!I have been an Ikea fan for as long as I can remember, so I was tickled pink when I got an email from their marketing team asking me to attend a pajama party celebrating their new catalog last night. I had been drooling over sneak peaks of their new PS line, so this seemed liked the perfect opportunity to see some of the goodies in person.

Adorably, they served cocktails made with almond milk and cookies—perfect for a chic slumber party.

And they had professional stylists braiding our hair. My tangled tresses have never looked so cool.

 

In keeping with the slumber party theme, the pop up space had been styled with various bedroom, closet, and vanity displays from Ikea's new catalog. I really like the new stand alone pieces they were offering: cozy chairs, blanket racks, and adjustable wardrobe bars.

Of course my favorite was the colorful new textiles they are offering; Ikea fabric has been incredible recently! How cute are those orange striped pillowcases and that colored checkered duvet cover? Plus that white standing mirror is fabulous, right?  

One of the most inspirational parts of the party was the way it was styled. I loved the groupings of products on large planks of wood; how cool does that photo wall or this group of clocks look?Anyway, I had a great time at the event (thanks Amanda for being my date!). In case you want to see more, check out my Instagram feed here and my Pinterest page here.
This post was not sponsored by Ikea or anyone; I just had a blast at the party and wanted to share!

GOOD THINGS: WEEKEND RECAP

Hi friends! How are you? How was your weekend? I had a lovely weekend and am happy to report that this week is shaping up to be pretty good too! If it's cool with you, I would like to gush a little bit about some fun things that have happened recently.

On Saturday I found out that Refinery29—the amazing fashion and lifestyle website—did a fabulous feature on our wedding! You may remember the post Martha Stewart Weddings did about it in February; being included on Refinery29 too is a dream come true!

The hubby and I also spent the weekend in Durham, North Carolina for the wedding of two very dear friends. We spent hours and hours wandering through the lush Sarah P. Duke Gardens on the Duke University campus. It's in full spring bloom right now and was spectacularly fragrantly floral.

We also ate ourselves silly in true southern style: fried chicken and sweet potato waffles with herbed mac and cheese at Dame's, blue cheese bacon burgers at Only Burger, and strawberry rhubarb ice cream sandwiches with chocolate fudge cookies at Parlour. Needless to say we practically had to roll ourselves home! 

The wedding itself, of course, was beautiful. Set in the Duke Gardens, it was blessed with beautiful weather, great company, tasty food and gorgeous decorations. Plus an adorably happy couple! Congrats Susie and Curt! 

Thankfully we also had an incredibly easy return trip to New York that culminated in this breathtaking view of Manhattan as we began the descent into LaGuardia. It felt like we were in a helicopter filming a panoramic movie shot! Definitely the coolest airplane landing I have ever experienced!Last but not least I got a lot of great professional news this weekend too! I found out my sis-in-law just got offered an insanely prestigious position for next year. I can't tell you the details but let's just say that she is one smart cookie! Congrats Kate!Also I just found out that I have been selected to co-curate two exhibitions through this program next year (with one of my best friends!). As a budding curator-to-be I am very excited for this incredible opportunity to show off my skills and get some experience under my belt. Can't wait to get started!So, all in all, things are good on my front. I hope they are with you too. I have a major school deadline in the next two weeks—a chapter draft of my dissertation is due at the end of the month—so please bear with me if I am a little radio silent for a while. I will just be working hard and staying happy; that's all you can ask for, right?

MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS: NYC SPRING AND SUMMER 2014

On Tuesday I gave you a quick rundown of the public art projects I am most excited about this summer. Today I want to share some of the museum exhibitions happening in New York in the next couple months that are highlighted on my calendar. Here's what I am looking forward to:

Jeff Koons: A Retrospective Exhibition, The Whitney Museum | June 27 - October 19 | "This exhibition will be the artist's first major museum presentation in New York, and the first to fill nearly the entirety of the Whitney's Marcel Breuer building with a single artist's work. It will also be the final exhibition to take place there before the Museum opens its new building in the Meatpacking District in 2015."

Ai Weiwei: According to What?, The Brooklyn Museum | April 18 - August 10 | "Ai Weiwei is one of China's most prolific and provocative contemporary artists. Featuring over forty works spanning more than twenty years, Ai Weiwei: According to What? explores universal topics of culture, history, politics, and tradition, showcasing the artist's remarkably interdisciplinary career as a photographer, sculptor, architect, and activist." (image from here)

Mel Bochner: Strong Language, Jewish Museum | May 2 - September 21 | "Across a selection of more than 70 works, Mel Bochner: Strong Language focuses on the artist's career-long fascination with the cerebral and visual associations of words. In his spectacular recent paintings, Bochner juxtaposes the vernacular and the proper, the formal and the vulgar, and the high versus low, using terms often appropriated from Roget's Thesaurus." (image from here)

Lygia Clark: The Abandonment of Art, 1948-1988, Museum of Modern Art | May 10 - August 24 | "The Museum of Modern Art presents a major retrospective devoted to the art of Lygia Clark (Brazilian, 1920-1988), the first comprehensive exhibition in North America of her work. Lygia Clark: The Abandonment of Art, 1948-1988 comprises nearly 300 works made between the late 1940s and her death in 1988. Drawn from public and private collections, including MoMA's own, this survey is organized around three key themes: abstraction, Neo-Concretism, and the 'abandonment' of art. Each of these axes anchors a significant concept or constellation of works that mark a definitive step in Clark's career. While Clark's legacy in Brazil is profound, this exhibition draws international attention to her work. By bringing together all parts of her radical production, the exhibition seeks to reintroduce her into current discourses of abstraction, participation, and a therapeutic art practice."

13 Most Wanted Men: Andy Warhol and the 1964 World's Fair, Queens Museum | April 27 - September 7 | "50 years have passed since an up-and-coming Pop provocateur named Andy Warhol sparked a minor scandal at the 1964 New York World's Fair. As part of a prominent set of public commissions for the Philip Johnson-designed New York State Pavilion's exterior, Warhol chose to enlarge mug shots from a NYPD booklet featuring the 13 most wanted criminals of 1962 . . . . Later in the summer of 1964, Warhol produced another set of the Most Wanted Men paintings with the screens he had used to make the mural and nine of these are assembled in New York for the first time since their creation, forming the core of the 175 or so objects in the exhibition."

The Roof Garden Commission: Dan Graham and Günther Vogt, The Metropolitan Museum of Art | April 29 - November 2 | "This installation by Dan Graham is the second in a new series of site-specific commissions for the Museum's Roof Garden. Comprising curves of steel and two-way mirrored glass set between ivy hedgerows, Graham's structure is part garden maze, part modernist skyscraper facade. Viewers who enter the work are transformed into performers; in glimpsing their own reflections, they are also made acutely aware of the act of looking."

Which shows are you looking forward to? Anything I missed?

ANNIE LEIBOVITZ IS AMAZING

Last night I went to a lecture at the 92nd Street Y featuring Annie Leibovitz and Adam Gopnik. I fell in love with Leibovitz's photography all over again. I think you will too. That is all.


(all photos from my random Leibovitz inspiration folder; sorry no sources!)