Hope for my own home? Hm...

Work hard, I always believed, and someday I'd fulfill my very American dream of owning my own home. Alas, hefty student loans and other insane expenses tore asunder my dream of ever owning property... Until now.

See why, here.

A year of unemployment

Two days ago, on September 8th, it had been a year since I was laid off. The days when I wore four-inch heels and tight wool skirts seem like ancient history.

I've accomplished a lot this last year. A solo show of my work, a lot of time spent finishing my book, my embroidery (which is now being noticed quite a bit- it's even being featured in an upcoming issue of NY Magazine!).

It's now autumn, that time of the year when I tend to become a little more reflective... The last few days, the words, 'it's all an illusion' drift inexplicably through my head. My money woes are not me any more than the clothing I wear. I've told myself these things a lot lately... Yet right now I'm feeling a pressure- a weight- that I've never felt before. I'm feeling- gasp- a little stuck! Last night my last thought before falling asleep was that I need a change. A big one.

Time to get to work.

More of Clare Hambly's photographs

OK, Clare, time to put all of your pictures together in one spot... They need to be shown!

Fashion Wire Press: Top 10 Events for Fashion's Night Out

As you may know, tomorrow evening, from 6-11, I'll be embroidering at the Madewell store in Soho as part of Fashion's Night Out. Although I happen to think this will be the coolest event of the night, Fashion Wire Press has thrown out a list of their top-ten picks.

Hope to see you tomorrow!

10. Rag & Bone Guys, this is for you: Rag & Bone will turn their Christopher Street store into an Irish Pub, complete with free beer, a sawdust floor, and a live Irish band. We might just end up calling it a night here. 100 Christopher Street.

9. Adam Lippes Not content to party until 11pm, Adam’s Meatpacking store will stay open until 1am with free cocktails. He’ll also have special edition personalized T-shirts for sale, and in case you’ve missed them thus far—the Havaianas customizing crew! All proceeds from the sale of the Havaianas will go to the 9/11 fund. 678 Hudson Street.

8. H&M Even though all area H&Ms will stay open late, it’s the Herald Square store that’ll celebrate the most. Surrender yourself to their stylist and then pose for their “celebrity photographer.” Your photo will then be projected onto their big billboard overlooking the Meatpacking District. 1328 Broadway.

7. Kirna Zabete It’s Kirna’s 10th anniversary, so they’ll be celebrating double-time by bringing in Narciso Rodriguez, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler, Thakoon Panichgul, Jason Wu, and Peter Som to debut their exclusive items for Kirna. Want to snap up a Wu sketch or a Proenza Schouler tote bag? This is the place to do it. 96 Greene Street.

6. Juicy Couture With Anna at Macy’s, it’s only proper that Hamish Bowles be at Juicy, right? He’ll be at their Fifth Avenue flagship to read from the works of Noel Coward as shoppers lounge in a “gentleman’s club, reminiscent of founder Gela Nash-Taylor’s eccentric English manor (featured in Vogue’s September issue).” 650 Fifth Avenue.

5. Chanel Actually hosting two large events at different stores, Chanel will cater to both the rich and the poor. At 139 Spring Street, they’ll debut the jade nail polish with free mini-manicures and a DJ set by Alexa Chung. Meanwhile at 15 East 57th Street, for the first time ever, Chanel will have a create-your-own-handbag studio. “Choose your favorite lambskin color, lining, hardware, and chain—and be among the first in the United States to own a customized, monogrammed Chanel classic bag.” Oh yes, and there will be champagne of course.

4. Bergdorf Goodman If this doesn’t get you to BG, then nothing will: Andre Leon Talley hosting a fashion game show with “teams led by Donna Karan, Linda Fargo, and Robert Verdi.” Also, Annie Leibovitz will be around, Padma Lakshmi will host a cook-off with Cynthia Rowley and Peter Som, Zac Posen will be selling his paintings, Alexander Wang will drop in and Isaac Mizrahi will hold a talk. This is some crazy shiz right here; make sure to jot down the exact times for the event you most want to see. 754 Fifth Avenue.

3. Alice + Olivia Right alongside the Fashion Week tents in Bryant Park, the Alice + Olivia boutique will become a photo studio, with auditions to be a model in the Alice + Olivia presentation the following week. Hopefuls won’t be left to their own devices either; they’ll get pro hairstyling, makeup and wardrobe styling before stepping in front of the camera. Here’s something for the resume. 80 West 40th Street

2. Opening Ceremony In the spirit of Chinatown, OC will take their celebration to the streets, with special-edition items sold out of the backs of vintage automobiles (example: a Thai truck sporting Band of Outsiders gear). In addition, you’ll able to meet and greet with the designers behindRodarte, Band of Outsiders, Proenza Schoulder, Fendi, and of course Alexander Wang. Munch on food from neighborhood restaurants and enjoy DJ sets by “friends” of Opening Ceremony. 35 Howard Street.

1. Barneys As expected, Barneys will be killing it during Fashion’s Night Out, hosting such famous faces as the Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen bartending, Isabel Toledo, Alexander Wang for runway lessons, Juan Carlos Obando teaching salsa and more. Oh yea, and they’ll be teaching knitting and hosting a fashion green market curated by Vogue editor Tonne Goodman. There’s too much to list here; click above for all the details. 660 Madison Avenue.

First day of third grade!!

My girl started school today. Her school, which was at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge last year, has moved to the Lower East Side. As we got off the train and walked to school, I realized what a 'city kid' Anevay is... so smart, savvy, cool.

God, I love her so much. It's weird not having her home with me!

Yankees fans

Yes, Anevay and I are recent converts... But we're fans nonetheless, and felt a certain amount of pride after Swisher's walk-off last night gave the Yankees their 90th win. I'm pretty sure this means we're bonafide New Yorkers... My mom has already told me there might be trouble if I turn away from the Red Sox (members of my family are big Sox fans), but I'm willing to brave the stormy seas.

Home run!
Pie in the face = Swisher rocks.

I think we might have been the only ones in the stadium sans Yankees shirts, but we had our hats.

Thanks, Kiki, for the game, sausages, and beer!

Body Trauma

I'm pleased to announce that my dear friend Sebrina Fassbender's photographs will be shown again here in New York, in a group show at the Wallace Gallery. This past summer, Sebrina's highly sexualized, painful, and often graphic photographs of women, were shown alongside those of LaToya Ruby Frazier at Higher Pictures. For the upcoming show, Sebrina's work will be shown in slide-show format. In a recent email, Sebrina wrote, "I made the show very raw and passionate. I think I have made break throughs with my work. There is no holding back!" Please read below about the show. I'd hack off my right arm to see it... Fortunately, there's a bus that'll take me there, so I think I'll be keeping all my limbs:

Body Trauma

September 15 – October 15, 2009
Artists: Sebrina Fassbender, Heide Hatry, Eunah Kim, Aki Sasamoto
Curated by Hyewon Yi
Opening Reception: Tuesday, September 15, 2009, 4:30 – 7:30 pm
Performance program: Saturday, October 10, 2009, 3 pm

The Amelie A. Wallace Gallery at SUNY College at Old Westbury is pleased to announce a group exhibition of four women artists whose artistic expressions emerge from traumatic experiences, either their own or those of others. Through their chosen media of sculpture, photography, performance, and video, these cutting-edge artists deliver intensely dark reflections on the human condition, transcending the seemingly unbearable through fictional narratives and rich imaginative constructs. They also offer deep insights into their own work, from firsthand observation of the grim reality of prostitutes to the fashioning of sculptural portraits made of animal skins.

Sebrina Fassbender (b.1977, U.S.) documents sex workers in New York City, creating remarkable social portraits of individuals whose private lives are intimately revealed, thanks to the trust established between the photographer and her subjects—a technique that participant-oobserver photographers such as Larry Clark and Nan Goldin pioneered in the 1970s. The women’s thin bodies, showing tattoos and needle marks, are often recorded in chaotic domestic environments where the subjects are seen alone or with their clients. Their disturbing psychological, sexual, and bodily abuse is captured through the empathetic eyes of the artist. Fassbender orchestrates the discordant colors of the scenes, using artificial lighting and abrupt composition, conveying a haunting beauty and an intensely raw emotional experience. More than a hundred images will be presented in a slide show for this exhibition.

Heide Hatry (b. 1965, Germany) presents a series of photographs of puppet-like female heads made of untreated pig skins and eyes, raw meat, wigs, and clothing. The startlingly life-like sculptures are further enlivened by accompanying texts by female writers such as Mary Caponegro, Jennifer Belle, Heather Hartley, Can Xue, and Selah Saterstrom. The fictions offered by these women writers, describing each of the female personas created by Hatry, often reveal the darker side of life—violence, abuse, pain, illness, aging, death—occasionally offset by beauty, motherhood, and love. The daughter of a Bavarian pig farmer, Hatry has a long-standing affinity for meat as an artistic medium. Her observations on mortality, previously expressed in provocative performances, has culminated in this recent sculpture project wherein, like a taxidermist or a mortician, she creates an illusion of life.

Eunah Kim (b. 1973, Korea), who has traveled extensively and now resides in Cambridge, Mass., presents a wide range of conceptual sculptures inspired by ancient Egyptian art and medicine, Native-American culture, and shamanism. Works such as A Preserved Heart for the Use of Next Life (2005), featuring the picture of a heart placed over an ice box, and Casket (2004), made of animal bone cast inside white molded plaster, explore the notion of preserving life after death. Shortly after she made these works, Kim faced her own life-threatening illness. The resultant trauma to her body inspired her recent series Medallions (2009), in which miniature internal organs (liver, lungs, stomach, kidney, spleen) are cast in bronze and hung like medals on the wall, expressing her wish to restore strength to body organs that once were “humiliated” through a diminishment of function and physical power. Blood red color appears often in Kim’s work: red duct tape, for example, which she employs with great frequency, transforms ordinary objects into talismans and symbols of the vigor and vitality to which Kim aspires.

Aki Sasamoto (b. 1980, Japan) contributes remembering/modifying/developing, a performance that draws on memories of the intense weeks she spent as an eighteen-year-old patient in a mental hospital in Wales. A student at the time, with no contact with her parents, the young Sasamoto observed the mental patients’ peculiar behaviors, gathering impressions that she eventually developed into this work during her graduate school years at Columbia University. During her performance, Sasamoto constantly interacts with sculptural arrangements assembled from found objects. She choreographs tasks that resemble everyday activities while lecturing, drawing diagrams, throwing potatoes attached to bungee cords, and dragging objects on the floor. Wearing a green jumpsuit (a reminder of her hospital attire perhaps), she exudes athletic energy and nonsensical narratives, positioning herself somewhere between Dada and Fluxus actionism.

A reception to mark the opening of Body Trauma will be held between 4:30 pm and 7:30 pm on Tuesday, September 15, 2009. The performance by Aki Sasamoto is scheduled on Saturday, October 10, 2009, at 3 pm. The exhibition remains on view through October 15, 2009. Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday between 12 pm and 5 pm, and by appointment.

The Wallace Gallery has arranged complimentary bus service to both the opening reception and the performance program. Guests will be picked up at 32nd Street and Park Avenue South near Chase Bank at 5 pm on Tuesday September 15, 2009 and at 2 pm on Saturday, October 10, 2009. As space is limited, please contact Hyewon Yi to reserve seats.

For further information about Body Trauma, please contact gallery director/curator Hyewon Yi at yih@oldwestbury.edu or 646-421-5863.

Damien Hirst, eat your heart out

While lazily perusing 'Art News Blog' this morning, I came across the following. Even though I haven't yet had my espresso, I smiled:

This fake Damien Hirst work of 44 peanut M&Ms is called "The fear of becoming fat expressed in the joy of being colorful"



Other works include Thoughts on eternal life by someone living a mundane life in a tiny flat, The price of being a virgin in the world dominated by people who's virginity could never be proven, and Snow White and the seven dwarfs without the seven dwarfs actually being the seven dwarfs. See more on the Damien Hirst spoof site here.

Here's a couple more, um, 'Hirsts':

"Useless apparition of pearblossom joy on the artist's birthday" by Damien Hirst

Description:

Human piss in the shape of an unicorn.

Dimensions: 10 x 15 cm

Price: 1€

"Reappearance of falling emotion in a partly deserved absence in purity" by Damien Hirst

Description:

"Wrigley's Orbit winterfrost™ sugarfree chewing gum that I kept chewing until it started to lose its taste to make it as not sticky as possible to be able to make a nod out of it but in the end I realized the only way to do it was to apply soap on it and keep repeating FTW (for the win) on a white plastic windowsill" on a photograph

Dimensions: 10 x 15 cm

Price: 1€

Just what we needed

We had the best time doing nothing besides swimming.

And reading.
And playing with the pups.
And drinking some sort of South African alcohol that tasted a lot like Bailey's.

And more drinking of that stuff.
And more swimming.
Splashing.
Jackie O'ing.
Peering.
Flippering.
Monkeying.

Spying.
BBQing.
Eating.
Heading home, exhausted.

Episode 1 - Stingray Sam

Check out info about the Stingray Sam premiere, here.

Monster Island Block Party, or New Jersey pool party?

Hands down, the Monster Island Block Party is going to be the best block party of the summer. Hosted by Secret Project Robot, there will be two art exhibitions: Fit for Habitation; and The Sky Show, as well as many of the best and grittiest Brooklyn bands coming out to play in the streets (if you haven’t yet seen Golden Triangle, winner of the 2009 Dickies Battle of the Bands in Austin, that’s reason enough to head to the party).




Plus, it’s Todd P.’s birthday… One should expect the unexpected when this local legendary party/music/fun promoter is part of the event! Oh, did I mention the party is free? And that libations will be provided? Sigh. Life just doesn’t get much better than this....

Well, unless one has been invited to go to a fabulous pool party. Although I feel a little torn over missing the block party, I think hanging poolside on one of the last gorgeous days of summer will be wonderful.

Click here for more info about the block party (including location), and let me know how it goes! Hurry up and get your ass over there- it starts at 3!

S. 5th Street - Williamsburg street art

Last gasp of summer?

Now without sleeves!

From my Etsy shop description:

Carlos Alvarez was a friend taken too soon. If you knew Carlos, then these glasses made sense to you. If not, they're pretty cool regardless!

$10.00 from every shirt will go to Carlos' family.

Read more about Carlos on my blog:

http://meliferasmusings.blogspot.com/2009/08/rip-carlos-alvarez.html

Or in the NY Press or NY Post articles:

http://www.nypress.com/article-20277-in-memory-of-carlos-alvarez.html

http://www.nypost.com/seven/08222009/entertainment/remembering_carlos_alvarez_185715.htm

All 100% cotton shirts made by Anvil; hand embroidered over two hours by yours truly. A special little bit of love goes into each and every one of these babies.

When ordering, send me a note regarding whether you'd like a male/female cut, in small, medium, large, xtra large. The female cut is a bit more form fitting. Shirt is black, with grey embroidery. If you prefer another color, let me know.

Thanks to Steve Pestana for the idea, and for Heidi Tullman, who's design I used as a model.

Please consider placing an order, here, or, if you're not into the shirt, a donation directly to the family, here.

Thanks.

Kimmy Gatewood, of The Apple Sisters, is coming to NY for three weeks! Catch her September 9th at Ars Nova. A couple of years ago, Anevay performed two shows with The Apple Sisters- since then, we've closely followed each of the three 'Apples'. I love the work of each of them.

Be there... or be lame.

Just for fun

Just found some pics from Metardo's at New Year's two years ago. Thought I'd share. If you know me, and if you know Metardo, then you'll think this is really, really funny.

Ryan O'Rourke

Click here to see more images of Ryan O-Rourke's work, along with my write-up, at Lost at E Minor.

New wedding items up on Etsy!

Grandma Hankie






Wedding Heirloom CUSTOM WORK



Best Dude Hankie.

I've always loved weddings. I get giddy just thinking about them, in a way forward-thinking, freedom-loving women apparently shouldn't. Oh, well. I guess it's similar to how many of my friends are into some of the more constraining couture from yesterday... it looks good, there are aspects about it that feel good, so, why not? Hm. Come to think of it, I'm also into constraining couture from yesteryear... But that's a post for for another time...

Back to weddings. See, I'm a hopeless romantic. Throughout my life, love has come in waves. Unfortunately, most of those waves have totally knocked me under, nearly drowning me. Sigh. I'm holding out, people... I think, at the very least, I've become a better swimmer.

Ugh- my terrible metaphors are killing even me.

Anyway, if love never happens for me in the big way I dream, at least I can make pretty little things for all of the blushing brides out there.

Now, do me a favor, and invite me to your wedding, please. I'm a good guest. I cry at all of the appropriate times, dance like crazy at the reception, talk up all the crazy aunts, and who knows, I might just make-out with your best man, providing you with story-fodder for years to come... (i.e. there was this crazy girl at my wedding who [fill in the blank]...)

Oh- a note to my parents: If you're reading this, please ignore the second picture of the custom work... It's a gift to you guys, but couldn't wait to share it! Classic Melissa...

Jandek plays on September 6th!!

Mystery has shrouded Jandek since the ‘band’s’ music arrived on the scene in 1978 (although calling Jandek a ‘band’ is rather misleading). Since then, Jandek has produced over 60 self-released, often atonal avant-garde blues and folk, albums.

Widely revered by a fan-base consisting of stalwart rockers Sonic Youth, Jandek is believed to be a one-man operation. Part of the musical project’s allure is the often ambiguous mix of performance art with the music. A nameless ‘representative’ from Corwood Industries (Jandek’s label) played the ‘band’s’ first show in 2004. Since then, this ‘representative’ has appeared a few times a year to play with some of the best musicians in the world.

Click here to read my full write-up in Lost at E Minor.

(Note- Jandek will be playing with the wonderful Ryan Sawyer, best drummer this side of the galaxy!)

Max and the Siamese Twins

Hey All,

I've just started to contribute some writing to Lost at E Minor, an online publication consisting of "inspiring art, illustration, photography, music, fashion, film, and more, featuring [the] latest discoveries in the ever-changing world of contemporary pop culture."

Cool.

Below is the first of what I hope to be many small reviews. Check it out at Lost at E Minor, here. Be sure to check out the site to see more of my reviews and musings.


What do you get when you mix a dark fairy tale involving Siamese Twins with paintings by fifty of the most innovative, off-the-cusp artists in the art world? A gorgeous, limited edition first printing of the book, Max and the Siamese Twins. Intrigue, lust, love, burlesque, and a whole lot of trouble, that’s what you can expect to find as you peruse the pages of this eighty-page volume.

Already going against my own decisions.

This past weekend, I decided to be a little more selfish. I'm fully aware of how this sounds, but after years of cultivating friendships that are mostly one-sided, I had had enough. I realized that the amount of time I spend on people who aren't often there for me, should be shifted to the people who truly matter... my family and good friends.

Yet perhaps the problem isn't that I want to share myself with people, only that I've expected things in return? Today, as usual, I turned to Hafiz, who's words I often read for comfort. I opened to this poem:

It happens all the time in heaven,
And some day

It will begin to happen
Again on earth-

That men and women who are married,
And men and men who are
Lovers,

And women and women
Who give each other
Light,

Often will get down on their knews

And while so tenderly
Holding their lover's hand,

With tears in their eyes,
Will sincerely speak, saying,

"My dear,
How can I be more loving to you;

How can I be more
Kind?"

And so, today I'm left to wonder, is it really that horrible a thing to continue loving people? My life is full- I am happy. Why not share the wealth, even to those who haven't quite figured out the art of selflessness?

Flamingos

Before New York, I lived in Madison, Wisconsin.

Oh, Wisconsin, fair state that have doth deemed the Badger, Muskellunge, Sugar Maple, White-tailed Deer and Wood Violet its state symbols. And now... Move over, Robin, 'cause there's a new state bird in town!

Read below:

One of the greatest college pranks ever has inspired Madison leaders to name the plastic pink flamingo the city's official bird.

The Madison City Council voted 15-4 on Tuesday to give the plastic bird the distinction.

The reason dates to the classic 1979 prank orchestrated by leaders of the Pail and Shovel Party, which were in charge of student government at the University of Wisconsin at the time. They organized the surprise placement of more than 1,000 pink plastic flamingos on Bascom Hill, the steep incline that leads to the dean's office.

Resolution sponsor Alderwoman Marsha Rummel says that event "signifies something that makes us a very special place" is "captured in our imaginations forever."

Click here to see the full story.

Angelic

Picture of Carlos Alvarez, by Laurel Bell.

Please, consider making a donation to Carlos' family, here.

Eastern Europe

I thought the East/West division largely ended with the fall of the Iron Curtain? Oh well... Thanks to some kid for defining a geographical boundary for an area that is conceptually often difficult to define.

Spotted on a construction site on Bedford, of course.