Did You Miss the Fieldhouse Forum? Another One Coming to Vinegar Hill on July 11

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Site of future Fieldhouse on Furman Street  Photo: BBPC

NYC Fieldhouse, the group offering to underwrite a $40 million recreational and cycling facility (Velodrome) in Brooklyn Bridge Park near Pier 5, will be holding a fourth community forum to discuss the project.

This latest forum will take place on Wednesday, July 11 in the cafeteria at P.S. 307, located at 209 York Street in Vinegar Hill / DUMBO, from 6:30-8:15 p.m.

Fieldhouse staff, along with the facility’s architect and representatives of Brooklyn Bridge Park, will be on hand to discuss the project and listen to the community’s comments on programming and overall design.

The proposed facility will be located on Furman Street at a site now occupied by an old one-story warehouse building used by the park for storage and construction (shown above)

The Fieldhouse is envisioned to include a 200-meter inclined track for cycling and a 22,000 sq. ft. infield for high school, collegiate or professional sporting events (basketball, tennis, track, etc.). It also includes amenities such as a public boathouse, public restrooms, and maintenance and operations space for BBPC.

To date, Fieldhouse staff have conducted three forums – one at Long Island College Hospital in Cobble Hill, the second at South Brooklyn Community High School in Red Hook, and the third at St. Francis College in Brooklyn Heights.

While no RSVP is required, for planning purposes, members of the community are requested to email NYCFieldhouse@gmail.com

More about Rechnitz and NYC Fieldhouse here.

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d O C U M E N T A (13) DAY 3, Kassel, GERMANY

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Kassel, Germany, Hauptbahnhof outside of the Northern Wing
dOCUMENTA (13)
Photograph by Katy Hamer

On the dOCUMENTA (13) website, there is a section called "Glossary". If clicked on, several participants (artists) names will appear and feature a short one-minute video sharing his or her definition of various words, movements, actions, and states of being ranging from Surrealism to Failure to Occupy. Just the existence of this link brings many contemporary art issues to our attention. Has the definition of "time" (also part of the Glossary) in direct reference to contemporary art, become so inaccessible that it needs to be expounded upon in a contemporary art context? Obviously according to curator Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev that answer is yes, otherwise it wouldn't exist as an option on the website. The curator herself speaks on Precariousness. She defines the word as per her own personal experience with the term as heard in the early 1980's and proceeds to offer meaning as it is used currently in a contemporary context. Each definition video is short and concise but also rather complex in the individual (yet collective) offering and attempt to define words that may or may not be directly associated with art. In a recent review of dOCUMENTA (13) art critic of New York Magazine, Jerry Saltz used the term Post Art to describe his experience and much of the work that is being exhibited in Documenta. In the article, titled "A Glimpse of Art's Future at Documenta", dated the 16th of June, 2012, the critic states 

"Three quarters of the art at Documenta 13,... is innocuous or worse." Then later, "But let's forget the bad 75 percent and look at the rest of what's here, because, once you get beyond the claptrap, Documenta 13 comes tantalizingly close to realizing one of its enticing goals: rethinking how we define art altogether, opening it up exponentially. Indeed, here and there, in glimpses, we get what I call Post Art. And it hums with promise." 

In rethinking how art is defined within contemporary terms, Post Art, might be a particular terminology that some gravitate towards. But in doing so, it seems to be the opposite of defining art. Post Art, used in this format, appears as if it negates what art is in general and everything that has come before and lead up to the very moment we are in right now.  While I usually agree with Jerry Saltz in his opinions on art, it is here, meeting on the grounds of Kassel for dOCUMENTA (13), where we differ. I didn't necessarily see the future of art. Instead, I found a culmination of our very recent past, visually, physically and emotionally represented leading up to this very moment. During my three short, very full days at the exhibition, I marveled at many of the works on view scattered in the numerous locations in Kassel. I didn't marvel because of the material execution, but rather the immediacy and relevancy of the artists' works chosen, which very readily reflect the current state of contemporary art and in doing so also represent many cultures, countries and processes of thought. A steady thread of politics runs through most of the artwork and if anything is missing regarding content it is sexuality and evidence of gender dynamics, still a relevant part of our political state. The only artist that I came across who represents this topic very clearly is Zanele Muholi, female, black, lesbian, South African artist whose photographic portraits are on view in the Neue Galerie.  

Kudzanai Chiurai, Untitled, 2012
Installation with olive wood, bronze, paint and other media
Hauptbahnhof, Southern Wing, dOCUMENTA (13)
Photograph by Katy Hamer

Also as a tab on the dOCUMENTA (13) website is a link titled Materials which was previously called Resources or Research. The tab now provides information on essays and writing from 2008 adding multiple layers on top of the already existing verbal accounts and arguments in text for much of the visual information that we are given the option to receive via the exhibition. A P A (Art Project Attendants), sprinkled throughout the exhibition are given the task of sharing and/or answering questions for the duration of the exhibition. Curator, Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, covered as many bases as possible in order for dOCUMENTA (13) to run as smoothly as possible. As curator, she extends and accepts the task of being both organizer, artist/participant selector, representative, conceptual cheerleader, and task master. Her physical presence at the exhibition as well as her representation online is intellectual, informative, sometimes comical and therefore also a bit performative. She is able to make those around her giggle, a bit purposefully and a bit uncomfortably. As a curator, Christov-Bakargiev is a character and participant herself. Being able to add humor to many of her dialogues takes away from art pretentiousness yet also makes her agenda at times a bit hard to follow. However, her curatorial itinerary with dOCUMENTA (13) is quite present, although at times hard to clearly decipher. The unexpected humanity that she is willing to share (and take slack for) brings us again to the previous idea of Post Art. However, rather than seek to define what art is or isn't, I believe that what Christov-Bakargiev has set out to accomplish is the diagnostic challenge that a large portion of the responsibility of the exhibition is given and handed over to the guests. By including, artists, poets, fiction writers, and scientists she designates a particular task rendering most who will visit the exhibition to be somewhat powerless in the arduous inexplicable task of defining art.  By enlisting these A P A (Art Project Attendants), the curator provides an available access to possibility, in what is or what isn't correct in content assumption, or what is or isn't art. Nothing seems necessarily to be true or even false. Rather most of the work in the exhibition reaches a level of equilibrium, tapping into a spiritual response instead of a cerebral one. 
I am reminded of a conversation that I had not long ago with Whitehot Magazine Editor, Noah Becker. We spoke on the present state of art and what the future holds. Noah, suggested a realm and movement towards Post Conceptual art. In this mentality and approach, contemporary loses its association with a particular frame of time and instead lends itself solely as a movement of art that not unlike "modern" will soon be part of our past. From Noah Becker: 

“What happens after contemporary art?” was the question I asked certain powerful figures in the art world - they responded: “Nothing will happen, it will be contemporary art forever, contemporary art is the last genre Noah.”  This bewildered me and kind of scared the hell out of me at the same time."

Seth Price, Folklore U.S., 2012
Hauptbahnhof, Southern Wing, dOCUMENTA (13)
Photograph by Katy Hamer

Gustav Metzger, Installation view
Various drawings and paintings in glass cases
covered with tan, nondescript fabric
Documenta-Halle, dOCUMENTA (13)
Photograph by Katy Hamer

This being said, if Post Contemporary exists we may already be part of it, or as the art world members approached by Becker suggest, contemporary art may indeed last forever. Either way, it somehow feels more relevant to discuss much of the work at dOCUMENTA (13) as contemporary or rather Post Contemporary in lieu of Post Art.  On my third and final day at the exhibition, I visited many venues including documenta-Halle where I found the most promising artists represented to be the elusive Gustav Metzger, the affable Julie Mehretu, and German sculptor Thomas Bayrle whose mechanical sculptures made of car parts and motors are congenial while also being compelling objects that are extended beyond any realm of function. His works, such as Prega per noi, 2012 consists of a Motoguzzi motor and a sound installation. The motors that he uses have a somewhat familiar, regular movement that is comforting, however they almost take on a robotic stance, gesturing as if attempting to communicate with humanity, beautifully unaware of their own short-comings.  The work in Documenta-Halle is wide-ranging and while much of it would exist outside of the group dynamic, certain situational pairings, such as Metzger next to Mehretu, work while others become a bit visually overwhelming and could easily be overlooked or forgotten.

Julie Mehretu, Mogamma (A Painting in Four Parts), 2012
Installation view, documenta-Halle, dOCUMENTA (13)
Photograph by Katy Hamer

After visiting documenta-Halle, I once again ventured into Karlsaue Park, this time in search of a Ryan Gander work I was unable to find the previous day and later discovered is an actor, sitting at a restaurant alongside the Orangerie. With this in mind, I diligently searched many of the faces and tables of the restaurant in hopes of locating the work. Unsuccessful, I succumbed to inquiry with several members of the wait staff before venturing inside only to be told the individual was on a well-deserved break. Time being of the essence, I decided to retreat and sought out the project by Critical Art Ensemble, founded in 1987 in Tallahassee, Florida. The CAE recruited students from Pacific College of Northwest Art based in Portland, Oregon and offered helicopter rides (or rather a ten minute hover) for one day only. Accessible through a scratch-off lottery or the purchase of special VIP tickets, which the Guidebook lists as 150 Euro but I was told they were being sold for 300 Euro, by 4:30 in the afternoon, 44 VIP tickets had already been sold. The work attempts to translate a political issue often tackled by the Occupy Movement. Visually represented by a tall banner placing the 99% close to the ground, while the 1% equals the height the helicopter would fly, precisely 225 meters.  A particular novelty captured the attention of about 30 people who stood scratching away at their lotto tickets, a small group of four who were waiting for the next flight and others who just looked bored. The novelty wore off after about 15 minutes of waiting, and I wandered to my next destination disappointed but also glad to have not taken part in a work that appears to be a parody of itself. The elitist declaration and proposal to "view the world from the height of the 1%"is a presumptive delusion which beyond the gimmick of the helicopter ride itself, seemed to backfire in a self-combustive manner. If the purpose of the group was to allow those who are part of the 99% to arrive at a calculated height of the 1%, why sell tickets for 300 Euro? Especially considering the VIP tickets were most likely purchased by members of the 1% in one of the weakest, if mildly entertaining, moments of dOCUMENTA (13).

Haris Epaminonda and Daniel Gustav Cramer, detail, 2012
Hauptbahnhof, Northern Wing, dOCUMENTA (13)
Photograph by Katy Hamer

The Hauptbahnhof, originally the main train station in Kassel, is a facility still in use but no longer the hub that it was. As part of dOCUMENTA (13) 31 artists are scattered throughout five buildings including William Kentridge, Seth Price, Lara Favaretto, Willy Dougherty, Haris Epaminonda in collaboration with Daniel Gustav Cramer. Also at the Hauptbahnhof are screenings by Francis Alÿs and others, which during the Press and Professional Previews were sold out (free tickets) within minutes.  The shear size of each edifice and rectangular layout is in a spatial dialogue with the Arsenale, a construct used in each edition of the Venice Biennale. Shuffling between buildings and large galleries, several of the stand-out artists are those who I've listed above.  The most ambitious project is by Javier Téllez, originally from Venezuela and currently dividing his time between New York and Berlin. Here he presents Artaud's Cave, 2012, a film installation based on Antonin Artaud's text The Conquest of Mexico (1934). The artist shot the film at the Fray Bernardino Alvarez Psychiatric Hospital in Mexico City and the work is installed in an elaborate, dense yet artificial grotto, which must be amass of cement/stone. 
The final work that I viewed was by Haris Epaminonda and Daniel Gustav Cramer. Epaminonda was featured in an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York this past year and is a young artist  (born 1980, Cyprus) who for dOCUMENTA (13) has collaborated with Berlin based artist Daniel Gustav Cramer. Their work occupies a former office building in the Northern Wing of the Hauptbahnhof. Collectively they use everyday materials such as found photographs, texts, objects and artifacts in a way to negate obvious culture and time-specific reference. The untitled installation is a meditative exploration in interior relationships.  Acting as a scientific diagram their work confuses and enlightens assuming a position of absent narrative. Both Epaminonda and Gustav Cramer allude to an idyllic existence in a place that is nondescript, sans-technology, and while appearing to be based in someone's reality, likens itself more to fantasy. Not yet Post Contemporary, not necessarily Post Art, but rather, dOCUMENTA (13) is an inky fingerprint, identifiable as it is mysterious and uniquely universal in a broad yet specific dialogue that is all at once impeccably human.  
dOCUMENTA (13) is on view daily from 10am-8pm. Curated by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, the exhibition is held in Kassel, Germany only once every five years. It will remain open to the public until September 16th, 2012. There will also be related exhibitions in Kabul, Afghanistan June 20th-July 19th, 2012, Alexandria-Kairo, Egypt July 1st-8th, 2012 and Banff, Canada from August 2nd-15th, 2012.
More soon.xo

Silverdocs - Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey

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Silverdocs opened with Don't Stop Believin, Ramona Diaz's (second from the left) film about Arnel Pineda, a Phillipino singer who got discovered on YouTube by iconic American band Journey and is now their lead singer. It was great to have such a joyful film to kick off the festival, and it was cool seeing Neil Shohn (fourth from the left) in the flesh - I can't believe Arnel wasn't there himself, though. That was kind of a disappointment.

The story follows Arnel on his first tour with Journey, then when he goes back to the Phillipine's afterwards. They interweave this with Arnel's personal history as well as the band's history. Arnel really is a great singer and while he doesn't seem like an obvious choice for Journey, you sort of get used to seeing them together after a little while and he gives a little international flavor to the all-American classic rock group.

The film is so much fun! And for a high pressure, extensive national tour, there's not much drama. My main critique would be that the film could be about 15-20 minutes shorter (precisely because of the lack of drama). It starts to feel a bit repetitive after a while and some stuff could definitely be taken out without hurting the story. But the music is great, Arnel is a loveable character and it was a really nice look inside the band Journey. Overall an enjoyable film and an interesting story that would be almost unbelievable if it weren't a documentary.

valentine's date staycation

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Elliott and I weren't together on Valentine's Day (I was holed up in New Jersey). And to be honest, we've just had a pretty hectic past six weeks. Not complaining, but between the stomach flu, Luke staying with us, the week in New Jersey, and Elliott working long hours on an [extra] project, we needed a little break.

So Saturday, we headed into the city and had dinner at The Standard Grill and stayed the night at the Standard Hotel in the meatpacking district. The hotel (and the whole neighborhood) is pretty trendy, not really our scene, but it was fun to shake things up. The person who checked us in at the hotel said he had seen more locals checking in that night than out-of-towners, so I guess we were in good company. The food was honestly just okay. We've had some delicious meals in New York for birthdays and holidays (and every time we eat at Roebling, obvs) and this was just okay. But we still had a good time, and, honestly you could do a lot worse than eating mediocre eggs benedict in bed. On Sunday we walked up and down the High Line in the sunshine before heading back home.

love's such a delicate thing that we do

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We spent the long holiday weekend in Arkansas with our families, mostly to celebrate baby brother David's graduation. All five siblings graduated from Little Rock Christian (or Walnut Valley), and with David being the last (I'm not going to say empty nest, but), it just seemed best that we would all be there (NB: I went to every one of my sibling's graduations with the exception of John, who was VALEDICTORIAN. I'm sorry, John).

It was fun to be home with everyone and it be not Christmas. And I'm excited that we will all be home again soon.

[Unfortch, airplane travel just seems to be getting worse (almost lost luggage, stuck in Chicago overnight, 2-hour delays on plane, and of course, PAT-DOWNS!). We managed, it was just the two of us, but imagine if Desmond had been along? Or if we [in the hypothetical future] have a child? How do people do this? Please please please build me high-speed train.]

SmorgasBar Just In Time for Thirsty Williamsburg Crowds

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Build it and they will come: On Saturday "SmorgasBar" opened at the Williamsburg food destination Smorgasburg and we've never seen the place so packed.

The bar (above) and tables (below) were set up inside a simple roped-off area. We got carded! Hilarious!

The hot weather made beer very necessary. Organizers say that shade will be coming soon.

The humongous Renegade Craft Fair also took place on Saturday, right next to Smorgasburg. We actually broke down and bought stuff.

This jewelry made out of old skate boards was actually quite pretty.

Photos by MK Metz

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I'll rest my eyes to the rivers in the sea

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Friday night we finally got to see The National. I don't know why I was so resistant to listen to this band, but when I finally did, High Violet hit me like a load of bricks (a sad, beautiful load of bricks). I listened to it constantly last summer and slowly made my way back through the older albums. I briefly considered driving to Boston or Philly to see them, when they didn't have any shows scheduled in New York for the longest time, but they finally they set a six-night run at Beacon Theatre and by the luck (which is usually unluck) of ticketmaster, I got tickets in the third row, front and center, for the fifth night.You can see the setlist and more pics here. I was particularly pleased that they played "Think You Can Wait." I sort of felt like I was at a "rock show," especially in comparison to the opener, My Brightest Diamond, but I didn't really care at all. So good.

valentine's date staycation

To contact us Click HERE
Elliott and I weren't together on Valentine's Day (I was holed up in New Jersey). And to be honest, we've just had a pretty hectic past six weeks. Not complaining, but between the stomach flu, Luke staying with us, the week in New Jersey, and Elliott working long hours on an [extra] project, we needed a little break.

So Saturday, we headed into the city and had dinner at The Standard Grill and stayed the night at the Standard Hotel in the meatpacking district. The hotel (and the whole neighborhood) is pretty trendy, not really our scene, but it was fun to shake things up. The person who checked us in at the hotel said he had seen more locals checking in that night than out-of-towners, so I guess we were in good company. The food was honestly just okay. We've had some delicious meals in New York for birthdays and holidays (and every time we eat at Roebling, obvs) and this was just okay. But we still had a good time, and, honestly you could do a lot worse than eating mediocre eggs benedict in bed. On Sunday we walked up and down the High Line in the sunshine before heading back home.

love's such a delicate thing that we do

To contact us Click HERE
We spent the long holiday weekend in Arkansas with our families, mostly to celebrate baby brother David's graduation. All five siblings graduated from Little Rock Christian (or Walnut Valley), and with David being the last (I'm not going to say empty nest, but), it just seemed best that we would all be there (NB: I went to every one of my sibling's graduations with the exception of John, who was VALEDICTORIAN. I'm sorry, John).

It was fun to be home with everyone and it be not Christmas. And I'm excited that we will all be home again soon.

[Unfortch, airplane travel just seems to be getting worse (almost lost luggage, stuck in Chicago overnight, 2-hour delays on plane, and of course, PAT-DOWNS!). We managed, it was just the two of us, but imagine if Desmond had been along? Or if we [in the hypothetical future] have a child? How do people do this? Please please please build me high-speed train.]

beach [lady day]

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It is redundant to write a blog post when you have already instagrammed the pictures, right? That's how I always feel which is one reason I haven't been posting as much. Because that's all people want anyways, right? The pictures?Oh well.Saturday I went to the beach with two of my favorite ladies. We took the 9:30am Rockabus (it took some cajoling to get Amanda up on a Saturday, but it was well worth it). We played in the ocean, ate tacos and lobster rolls, and drank beer. I can't help it, I love New York in the summer. There is just so much to do and people like to be outside doing it. I'm also just really happy to have girlfriends to spend the day with. I think lady days are some of my very favorite. [PS Although Elliott is done with school, he is still very busy with various freelance projects, so I haven't exactly had as much hang time with him as I might have thought...]

valentine's date staycation

To contact us Click HERE
Elliott and I weren't together on Valentine's Day (I was holed up in New Jersey). And to be honest, we've just had a pretty hectic past six weeks. Not complaining, but between the stomach flu, Luke staying with us, the week in New Jersey, and Elliott working long hours on an [extra] project, we needed a little break.

So Saturday, we headed into the city and had dinner at The Standard Grill and stayed the night at the Standard Hotel in the meatpacking district. The hotel (and the whole neighborhood) is pretty trendy, not really our scene, but it was fun to shake things up. The person who checked us in at the hotel said he had seen more locals checking in that night than out-of-towners, so I guess we were in good company. The food was honestly just okay. We've had some delicious meals in New York for birthdays and holidays (and every time we eat at Roebling, obvs) and this was just okay. But we still had a good time, and, honestly you could do a lot worse than eating mediocre eggs benedict in bed. On Sunday we walked up and down the High Line in the sunshine before heading back home.

love's such a delicate thing that we do

To contact us Click HERE
We spent the long holiday weekend in Arkansas with our families, mostly to celebrate baby brother David's graduation. All five siblings graduated from Little Rock Christian (or Walnut Valley), and with David being the last (I'm not going to say empty nest, but), it just seemed best that we would all be there (NB: I went to every one of my sibling's graduations with the exception of John, who was VALEDICTORIAN. I'm sorry, John).

It was fun to be home with everyone and it be not Christmas. And I'm excited that we will all be home again soon.

[Unfortch, airplane travel just seems to be getting worse (almost lost luggage, stuck in Chicago overnight, 2-hour delays on plane, and of course, PAT-DOWNS!). We managed, it was just the two of us, but imagine if Desmond had been along? Or if we [in the hypothetical future] have a child? How do people do this? Please please please build me high-speed train.]

precious remedies

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Full disclaimer: Vito is the pastor of our dear Resurrection Presbyterian Church, where we have been members since 2009. In fact, we found out about the church when the first album, Welcome to the Welcome Wagon was released (and after our first visit to the Sunday evening service, we knew we were there to stay). So I'm definitely biased.
Nevertheless, I thought I should come out of my blog silence to say that I think this album is really something special. I've had it on almost constant repeat since the release show on June 5th. There are some songs I'm drawn to more than others, but when you listen to the album as a whole, it's pretty perfect and [I think] much more cohesive than the first album.I don't listen to "Christian" music very often. For various reasons, but most of the time I just don't think that musically it is very good, and beyond that it rarely feels genuine to me. Right or wrong, that's just how it is for me. And if I'm really being honest, music about Jesus probably hasn't truly touched my heart since my days at New Life Ranch (seven years, for those of us keeping tabs). So when I can say that songs like Remedy (amazingly, a cover?), Lo He Comes With Clouds Descending, Draw Nigh, and The Strife is O'er make me feel joyful and hopeful, that is really saying something.The music feels like such a natural out-pouring of Vito's work as a pastor. It doesn't feel like an alter ego or moonlighting as a rock star. It feels humble and earnest. Here in this Q&A, Vito talks about the difference between preaching and songwriting:

I think I’ve grown as a preacher the more I actually talk to people that I know in my congregation. The more you interact with and talk with and weep with the people in your congregation, the more you’re going to know them and what they need to hear. It takes a long time, because sometimes you know what they need to hear, but you just can’t say it. Or you’re not going to be able to articulate it in a way they can hear it. I think if you ask God, he’ll help you and the longer you’re at it, he just matures you and you can get at it a little bit better.

As a songwriter, it is a little bit different. For me, most of songs I have written have started with music. They all start with chords or a melody line, or it starts to serve something that I’ll just emote or I’ll speak words that don’t mean anything. So I’m kind of starting with more raw feeling than I am with ‘I think my congregation needs to hear this.’ I think there are a lot of parallels there, but I have an easier time talking about it when it comes to preaching because I’ve been doing it longer. Music’s just a little more mysterious. I think preaching is really mysterious too, but there’s something about music that touches people in a way that’s hard to describe. With preaching there’s a heart-to-heart kind of element where you’re just looking people in the eyes and telling them Good News. I want to do that with music, but there’s something mysterious about a pedal steel guitar or one chord sliding into another that says something that’s hard to put a finger on.

Also, I really like this album review, talking about replacing anger with joy in music.

Basically what I'm trying to say is that yes, you can listen to the album for free on Spotify, but I'd really recommend getting a copy of your own here.

Photoville from United Photo Industries Comes to Pier 3

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If you have the time before July 1 to get to Pier 3, it may just be worth your while. At the moment, 27 different exhibits are on display there, creating a “photographic village.” The display is being put on by United Photo Industries with creative director Sam Barzilay.

United Photo Industries has described its mission as,

“A Brooklyn-born, art-presenting cooperative dedicated to identifying, harnessing, and occasionally conjuring unexpected exhibition opportunities. All in the name of fostering conversation, championing new directions in photography, and cultivating ties within an ever-expanding, globe-trotting community of photographers.”

As Barzilay explained, “There’s never going to be enough galleries in New York City. We clearly as a startup can’t go out and rent out a giant space in Chelsea, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make great shows.”

Visitors will find 27 photo exhibits which feature a number of Brooklyn natives, and also include photographers from around the world.  Trying to create an inclusive feel, they are fencing in an area of Pier 1 to include food trucks, a dog run, a beer garden and the exhibit space.

As Barzilay explained it,

“If you go to Chelsea or SoHo, you’re not going to walk in with a dog. You’ll feel funny. We’re saying this is about being inclusive. It’s about actually getting people to have fun and see good photography. If you have a dog, come with your dog. If you have a child, come with your child.”

Each photographer will have a container within which to highlight his own work and his own vantage point.  Bedford-Stuyvesant photographer Russell Frederick, for instance, will show his work in one of the containers. Called “A Dying Breed,” he has documented the changes in his neighborhood for over a decade.

Another artist, Josh Lehrer, is planning to wrap his shipping container with reproductions of his photos, which capture images of homeless transgenders.

As one website described the event, “Photoville will comprise a mix of free exhibitions, talks, hands-on workshops, nighttime projections and a photo dog run along with a summer food & beer garden, creating a photographic destination like no other.”

From EventsNewYorkNY.com about United Photo Industries.

New York to Be Mosquito Playground This Summer

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Increased Mosquito Numbers Could Bring Larger Threat of West Nile Virus

Experts are expecting a worse than usual mosquito problem this coming summer. The warmer than normal winter, combined with a mild and wet spring are factors contributing to an explosion in the number of mosquitoes visiting New Yorkers for their meals in the months to come.

Mosquitos breed in standing water, such as birdbaths, un-emptied buckets, and ponds. These pesky pests have even been known to lay their eggs in paper cups and bottle caps. One superintendent from the Mosquito Vector Control Center for Suffolk County has recommended that citizens participate in reducing the egg laying possibilities for mosquitoes by emptying all standing water after every rainfall.

Mosquitoes are not just an annoying nuisance that buzz in our ears when we are trying to sleep, or sting us while we are enjoying an outdoor concert or picnic, or give us itchy, painful welts impossible not to scratch. Because mosquitoes are vectors for serious illnesses, such as West Nile Virus, which caused 11 people to become sick in 2010, two of whom died, the mosquito problem is a serious issue for Department of Health officials.

When the mosquito population gets out of control professionals are called into action. Jim Skinner, the owner of A&C Pest Management Company commented on the situation:

“Everybody’s talking about how bad it could be,” says Skinner. “You know when you have a cold winter, regardless of the species, you get a good kill. And so without a winter, it should be a really good year for insects. And mammals, too. We’ve seen an uptick in mice already.”
 

Saturday Evening in Huntington: La Bouche performs at Long Island Pride in Heckscher Park

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Although we were really busy this afternoon and had to miss the Long Island Pride parade and the earlier high heel race, we at least got to spend a bit of time this evening at PrideFest in Huntington's beautiful Heckscher Park, where we made it our business to see La Bouche, the dance-pop duo we remember fondly from the mid-90s, with Lane McCray and Dana Rayne and sweet memories of the late great Melanie Thornton.It was wonderful to see so many hundreds of people out for Long Island Pride 2012. We arrived after 6 p.m., just in time to catch PrideFest's fabulous host, Sir Honey Davenport, introduce La Bouche to an incredibly enthusiastic crowd celebrating LGBT pride. Long Island Pride traces its origins to 1991 when Long Island Lesbian and Gay Pride Freedom Committee founders Leah Gustavson, David Kilmnick, Cara Wilson and Steve Henaghan approached the Town of Huntington to grant a permit to hold the first Pride Parade. The request was denied by the town on the grounds that only “traditional” parades were allowed on Huntington’s streets. The committee was represented by the ACLU and the matter was heard in a federal court on May 28, 1991 by Judge Leonard D. Wexler who ruled in favor of the committee and granted the parade permit. The first Long Island Pride Parade was held on June 9, 1991, exactly 21 years ago.We've been coming to Huntington since our dad and uncle and their partners opened their first Pants Set store in the Walt Whitman Shopping Center here in 1966 when we were a 15yo high school junior beginning to have the pleasure of noticing other boys in a way we hadn't quite done so before. And although we haven't spent much time in Huntington lately, we have fond memories of afternoons at the Cinema Arts Center and Book Revue, just hanging out in town, and lunches at the house of an older gay couple who lived by the bay.For about an hour on the park's Chapin Rainbow Stage, La Bouche put on an incredible show, featuring hits from back in the day that a lot of the people here probably weren't around to listen to when they were first hot: "Be My Lover," "You Won't Forget Me," the duo's delicious covers of "Fallin' in Love" and our favorite, "Sweet Dreams."And then there's the gorgeous song "In Your Life," producer Frank Farian's marvelous 2002 release of the previously unreleased number, which now serves as tribute to Marie Thornton after her death in a plane crash -- and it works spectacularly well, as it always did, for GLBT audiences.Community groups and vendors set up tents and booths in Hecksher Park, and in the pavilion there was HIV testing and other health screenings. Also on hand were eight gourmet food trucks, along with a children's area featuring cotton candy, face painting, magicians, and other cool stuff for kids.Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves near the end of the day at LI Pride.We're grateful we got to see La Bouche perform tonight and really grateful for all the people who worked so hard to make Long Island Pride such a great event for those of us who attended.(Parade photo courtesy Newsday)