HOW FAIR IS BOSTON BEING TO FAIREY?

It seems that the famous graffiti artist Shepard Fairey (his claims to fame of late: designing the infamous Obama Hope poster, being featured on the tv network USA as a "Character to Watch" and being the feature artist of a large ICA show in Boston) is rubbing the Boston bourgeois the wrong way.  Remembering tags created nearly ten years ago, it seems that so many Boston residents complained about the welcome this "criminal" (since graffiti is still a crime) was receiving in accordance with the opening of his ICA show.  It apparently was so overwhelming that the Boston police arrested Fairey for an outstanding warrant from 2000 for a graffiti crime that carried a fine of all of $100.

So what do you think?  Should he been held accountable for his tags or should the boston police be spending more time solving violent crimes, stopping drunk drivers and avoiding the Boston snobbery in Back Bay and Brookline?  Drop me a comment or read more about the issue at the boston.com article here.

BOSTON MARATHON TRAGEDY

As a former Boston resident and a devoted marathon spectator, yesterday's events at the Boston Marathon have shaken me. I have never before seen a terrorist attack in a city I knew, let alone a place that I have walked 100 times. It was equally frightening and sad.

I come from a family of marathoners. Between my parents and my in-laws they have run over ten of them. I have long been an attendee of these epic races, often finding myself with tears in my eyes at the incredible outpouring of support for the runners among the thousands of spectators. Perfect strangers cheering each other on. Helping each other. Marathons—particularly the Boston Marathon, which falls on a state-wide holiday so that the whole city seems to turn out to watch the race—are uplifting, spirit-building events. Yesterday that was shattered along with the explosions.

As President Obama said, Boston is a strong city and will certainly come together in support and healing. To do that we must follow the wise words of Mr. Rogers: when you are scared, when something bad happens, just look for the helpers. I am proud to say that my father-in-law, a surgeon at a Boston-area hospital, was among those helpers yesterday, as were countless other brave people who raced towards the blast sites to tend to the injured and ailing. As we learn more about these inhumane events, we can at least rest easy knowing that many showed the greatest humanity and selflessness in the face of the horrible acts of a few.

I hope you take time to hug the ones you love—marathoners or not—today. Normal posts will resume tomorrow. Until then, please join me in praying for all those affected.

BOSTON MARATHON UPDATE

As the events surrounding the Boston Marathon bombings continue to unfold in terrifying fashion this morning, I thought you might need a little bit of positive energy. This wonderful clip from The Colbert Report on Tuesday strikes the perfect note, a combination of disgust for the perpetrators, admiration for the city of Boston and it's strong citizens and hope for a better humanity going forward.

Let us all hope that this manhunt for the remaining suspect is resolved quickly and safely. In the meantime, for all my friends, family and fellow readers in Boston please stay inside and be careful. Our thoughts are with you.

GOLDENSTACH IS MY CHICKEN SOUP

  
  
  

So I am home sick today (stupid sore throat ruining my food service) and am contenting myself with researching "GoldenStash": a street artist here in Boston that I have recently seen everywhere!  The first photo (top left) was taken by me at the corner of Commonwealth and Fordham St. in Allston.  The remaining photos I found in the GoldenStash Flickr album here.  Interested in finding out more?  I also found a video piece on GoldenStash, done by the Boston Pheonix, here.  Since I have long wanted to start stickering myself, I am using GoldenStash as my Boston inspiration and will keep photographing his work whenever I come across it.

I have recently encountered a couple of really great pieces of street art and have decided to post a semi-regular "Boston Underground" segment.  Consider this volume 1.

AT LAST . . .

After college I lived in Boston for a year, working at an art gallery/art education center. I kept up with the arts scene in Boston by following the amazing website 'Big Red and Shiny', which posted all of the city's best exhibitions and events. It was fabulous to have everything listed in one reputable, easily accessible place. Unfortunately, Big Red and Shiny shut its electronic doors in August of this year. Thankfully you can still read through their archives here.

Imagine my excitement when I came across the website 'Creative Everyone' on swissmiss yesterday. As their site describes, "We started Creative Everyone to be a single, go-to guide to all the most interesting creative-oriented events guide curated and edited by interested members from the creative community (our editors)." Right now it is in beta-stage testing and features U.K. cities (Manchester, London, Glasgow) and U.S. cities (Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York). With our help and input perhaps we can encourage them to introduce it to new cities (Boston or Chicago, anyone?)!

It turns out that you can get involved in many ways: post your own creative events, become an editor for your city/interests, add events to your diary, saves searches to be notified about relevant events and follow the events your friends and colleagues are interested in.

The site looks all-around incredible and I will be bookmarking it immediately! Check out the goodness here.

P.S.

In case you are in the Boston area this weekend, make sure you go check out the Boston Handmade Marketplace in Union Square, Somerville on Saturday from 3-7pm.  There will be music, goodies to buy and kindly people (say hi to my friend Jessica!).  Here are some of my favorites from the Boston Handmade family (top to bottom) which you can, in a pinch, find on Etsy:

• ReclaimedToYou
• twigsandheather
• Mimi Kirchner

REVELATIONS FOR THE NOVICE BOSTONIAN!

Leave it to a New York City girl to introduce me to the wonders available to a lost city dweller.  The dear Rachel Schwatzman, visiting Boston during this past weekend, has told me about the following wonderful sites.  Perhaps you were using these sites back in the 90s and are scoffing even as you read this post.  If not (and let's hope not), prepare to have your mind blown! 

• menupages.com is the place to go to check out local eateries and decide whether that sign with the missing letter hides a dump or your new favorite breakfast joint.  The website lets visitors rate and comment on each restaurant (listed by city neighborhood and restaurant style), noting pricing, value, service and food.  Rachel promises immediate addiction, so proceed with caution!
• hopstop.com details the fastest path from point A to point B in real city terms, detailing the various forms of public transportation to take, all the stops which you will encounter (great for a narcoleptic girl like me who tends to fall asleep and then wake up with a start, worried that I have missed my stop) and where to get off/change means of transport.  

Now for my little two cents: Ork Posters!  Ork is a design company that "maps" out various American cities (Boston, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Washington D.C., etc) by writing out their neighborhoods.  For instance, the label for my neighborhood in Boston (Brighton) demarcates its physical space, leaving the viewer for a neighborhood name-based map of their favorite city.  Better yet, the posters now come in a handful of different colors and are only $22!  It would make a great gift (hint, hint) . . . . . 

JAUNTFUL: CUSTOM TRAVEL MAPS

I like to travel. And as an obsessive planner, I like to head out of town with a plan about the best sights, eats and cultural spots to explore. For years I have tried to keep track of these elaborate lists through google maps, random notebooks, and convoluted email chains . . . . you name it, I've tried it.

Enter Jauntful, a new site that allows you to create, share and print personalized maps for any place in the world. It's still in preview mode so they are working out some kinks but I have been testing it out for a few weeks and I love it! I particularly like that you can search other users maps for fun insider tips to any place you can dream up. I have already used it for a brunch and bookshop recommendation and can't wait to look for more.

In between browsing sessions I have started my own maps for restaurants to remember in New York, things I want to do in North Carolina (headed there for a wedding next weekend!) and guides to my hometown of New Haven, CT and my beloved Boston (below).

Best of Boston for Design Lovers

The Best of the Elm City


Interested in seeing more? Sign up to join the preview here and check out my page here. And happy (imaginary) travels!


(images from the Jauntful Facebook page)

FRANKLIN EVANS

    

There is beauty in colorful chaos.  That seems to be the mantra of Franklin Evans - an artist represented by both Gregory Lind Gallery in San Francisco (a home to many superstars) and the Julie Chae Gallery right here in Boston (my favorite Boston gallery and old stomping ground).  Evans' work manages to be loudly colorful and yet subtly intimate - something I wold willing stare at for hours and hours.  I want his sense of color and may use sections of his work as palettes for decorating my house . . . is that allowed?

MARATHON MONDAY

Today Boston was consumed with the celebration of Marathon Monday.  My neighborhood was full of amazing, celebratory, supportive fans enjoying the race and the beautiful weather.  I was really moved by how kind everyone was: the clapping was non-stop, the signs were adorable, and I saw more runners high-five passing fans than I have ever seen at a road race.  All in all an incredible way to spend a morning.

Photos via boston.com.

NICOLE DEPONTE AT THE JULIE CHAE GALLERY, BOSTON

     

The Julie Chae Gallery, run by a fellow Williams alum, is in the Harrison Galleries in South Boston.  The gallery itself is beautiful - antiqued hardwood floors, 1200 square feet - but the artwork Julie showcases is even better!  Her show right now, "Blow Me Away", features the amazing artist Nicole Deponte, whose work focuses on lovely floating microcosms.  Check out the gallery and Nicole's work here.

AROUND THE WORLD

First things first:  many many apologies for being MIA recently.  This past week has been a whirlwind of activity (thanks to all those folks who came to visit me at Newton Open Studios despite the gorgeous weather!  It was a success!) and I am happy to say that I am now back in action.  To get back in the swing of things I thought I would highlight items with my favorite subject matter: MAPS!

Here are just a couple of examples I found in my perusing of Etsy (it almost hurts me to tell other people about them since I want them all for myself!), from top to bottom:

1. Rand McNally Portrait Globe, whiteelephantvintage
2. Crossing Paths, amandajean
3. Atlas Envelopes, Bombus

Need to get your map fix in person?  I recently discovered two major map-related sites in Boston: A) the Globe Corner Bookstore in Cambridge which only sells maps, travel guides and travel related literature and B) the Mapparium in the Christian Science Center, a 3-story  stained glass globe.  Perhaps one day you will find yourself there . . . 

LINER LOVE

For the past year or so I have been fascinated with the security patterns lining my bills and bank statements thanks to my dear friend (and fabulous former boss) Ceci Mendez.  One evening she kindly showed me her vast collection (she has been collecting envelopes for over a decade) which serves as her inspiration and becomes material for her beautiful envelope collages.  Unfortunately Ceci's portfolio is not up online, but you can read more about her from a past show on the Boston-based blog Big, Red & Shiny here.  You can also contact Ceci through the New Art Center website, an organization that benefits from her supreme wisdom and creativity every day, to find out more about her work (which also encompasses many other media).

(Collection of envelope patterns at top is from a Flickr set found here.  The bottom is image is a collage by Ceci Mendez featured here.)

Update: Reading Black*Eiffel's recent guest blog post on collecting produce stickers reminded me that Ceci also has a great collection of these as well!  She has the best eye for design . . .  I wish I had my own collection of these.  How lovely would they looked framed in a grid in your kitchen (which Ceci actually has, of course!)?

WHERE CAN I GET ONE?

Design*Sponge interviewed one of the Chronicle Books (drool) design editors today named Vanessa Dina.  Not only is her apartment basked in beautiful light BUT her mantel is decorated with these gorgeous San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency monthly passes . . . why can't Boston catch on to this? See more photos here.

BACK IN BUSINESS!

Did you have a good holiday? You may have noticed I was gone a bit longer than I promised. Whoops! I was in Vermont with my husband's family two weeks ago—enjoying lots of delicious food and hours of reading and playing with my sister-in-law's puppy—and last week I was in Boston doing archival research for my dissertation at Harvard. It was a whirlwind of fun, relaxation and research and in the midst of it I didn't pop in to say hello. Apologies!

Even though I was off the blogging grid, I did manage to sock away some sweet finds to share with you. I couldn't wait to share this awesome video. I have a geeky love of acapella (music made solely with one's voice, including instrumentals) and I found myself watching the television competition show 'The Voice' several years ago when this amazing five-person group Pentatonix rose up through the ranks.  Now they are touring (hooray!) and making incredible videos for our enjoyment. I recommend all of them but this evolution of music (not unlike this) is so well done it's hard to believe it covers hundreds of years!

Learn more about the group here.

UPDATE: I am also obsessed with this song!

NSS: RECAP, PART THREE

The Knock Knock booth, not surprisingly, was incredible. It was filled with all sorts of hilarious goodies: a 'suck it up' coffee mug, an 'oh my f*ing god' notebook, a paper tweet notepad and, my personal favorite, self-inking stamps with funny phrases (I love the "Blah Blah Blah" stamp!). Everyone I spoke to there was equally wonderful; I was super happy to hear that all the writing for the products was, until recently, done by the president of the company! Amazing products and amazing people . . . a fabulous combination. Check their stuff out here.

I also popped into the booth for Smudge Ink, a Boston-area stationer that has an awesome selection of bright patterned cards. I love their holiday selection and their gorgeous party/birthday invitations. Even better? They have a partnership with the Harvard student-run charity 'Circle of Women'--a great organization that helps build and run sustainable schools for girls all over the world. Smudge Ink provides Circle of Women with cards that they can sell to raise money for the cause. A great product and a great organization! Check out Smudge Ink here and Circle of Women here.

I also fell in love with the fabulous offerings at the Jack & Lulu booth and had the great pleasure of meeting co-owner Karen! Karen told me that 'Jack' and 'Lulu' were fictional characters in love stories written for her business partner by her partner's husband while they were dating long distance. How cute is that?

Anyhow, the ladies behind 'Jack & Lulu' had a distinct nautical and national theme going on . . . I loved the little Bag of Flags and the 'Whistle' tote bag (a big preppy tote with a shiny whistle attached to it . . . must have it!). I also loved the stripey recycled paper straws--they would make a glass of lemonade look very festive! In all, I am constantly impressed by the fabulous products on offer by Jack & Lulu and I can't wait to see these tasty treats in stores! Until then, check it all out here.

FRIDAY AFTERNOON VIDEO REDUX

Well, I don't know about you, but I am ready for the weekend. And what better way to kick it off then with a handful of videos to inspire, amaze and incite goofy laughter (we all need some of that every once in a while). Without further ado, I present . . .



 . . . a beautiful view of our mother earth from above. NPR has used this as evidence of a fascinating (and terrifying) new source of light in the middle of the barely inhabited plains of North Dakota. No matter what caused them or what they entail, the lights in these NASA videos are breathtaking . . .




. . . a crazy video of 138 people breaking the vertical skydiving record last year and forming complex patterns in the sky while they do it (insert dumbfounded, mouth agape image here) . . .




. . . and, last but not least, a silly video parody for my fellow football fanatics (die hard Boston fans like me have a nerve-wracking weekend coming up!).

Hope you have a lovely weekend! I am traveling all of next week in Seattle & San Francisco so posts will be sporadic. But I will be back at the end of the month with fun recaps of all my west coast escapades.

IT'S THE SIMPLE THINGS

  

This morning several small, but exciting things occurred that made my previously sniffly outlook decidedly more hopeful.  They are as follows:

1. The afternoon turned unexpectedly sunny and warm here in Boston, blowing a fresh breeze through my windows.  Bring on spring!
2. I found out my Adobe Design Suite Software has arrived!  New business cards, website banners and promo cards are soon to come . . . 
3. At Whole Foods I bought a bunch of daffodils (photographed above in a nook in my apartment) and some delicious Peach/Mango/Orange juice.  That means lots of tasty orange/yellow in my living room!
4. Last both not least: I got into the Art History PhD program at the Institute of Fine Arts, NYU!  I am very honored and excited!  

It is amazing how a series of happy little things can turn your outlook around.   I hope today brings you your own smile-worthy events . . . 

THESE ARE THINGS

I am totally digging these new city maps designed by These Are Things (which I have written about here). Wouldn't it be lovely to have a line up of this, this and this on your wall? You would look like such a world traveler!


These new city maps feature Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Portland, Seattle, Minneapolis . . . the options go on and on! Get yours for $59 here.