Documentary Films: Witness of the Real
Musings on what matters to us.
The line stretches over two city blocks, and for a Friday afternoon, just after 5 p.m., it was said by many a friend to be the best time to go. What is causing this must-see frenzy at the abandoned asbestos-laden Domino Sugar Factory in Williamsburg’s Water’s Edge? Continue reading “Kara Walker’s Sublime Sphinx Exposes Our Complicated Sugared Past”
#Vancouver: The breathtaking beauty and the heartbreaking addicted.
I was attending #SLA2014, a great conference for curious people who want to help others achieve their goals through innovation and gathering the most current information.
I have traveled the world and never seen a more beautiful city. The conference was terrific. Included in these photos is a picture of a former police officer, Julie Clegg, who now works with Toddington International on helping clients find people who don’t want to be found on the Internet with an array of cyber tools and geo tracking.
It was by far the most talked about session of the conference.
A few blocks from the pristine conference center is East Hastings Street, one of the most infamous and largest drug hubs in North America if not the world.
Some of the people spoke with me. Others chased me away or were too sick to speak. 
Why take pictures of the sick? 
Because the addicted and mentally ill are invisible, and they need to be included in the everyday conversation. They are us, our families, friends, neighbors, colleagues and community.
Kris, 42, a prostitute, who says she was just visiting Hastings for the afternoon.
Shannon, 30, and Ms. Diva, who says she is old enough. Ms. Diva is in a wheelchair after being run over by a car and dragged for three blocks, crushing her leg and breaking other bones. Shannon has been dealing drugs since she was 14-years-old. She has a seven-year-old daughter, and hopes to go back to school and get a job in early childhood education. She was one of the brightest people I spoke with and could make the transition if she was willing to work hard to get off the streets. There are social services like the Vancouver Women’s Health Collective that could help her, but it would require a lot of work.
The PEN World Voices International Literature Festival Turns 10 this April. Continue reading “PEN World Voices International Literature Festival Turns 10: A Review Of Year One”
Paper clips, plastic coffee stirrers, broken umbrellas, are just the tip of the iceberg of found objects that entrepreneur and fashion designer Shelly Xu, uses to create art and high fashion.
Continue reading “Shelly Xu Transforms The Mundane Into Art and High Fashion”
For an emerging artist or writer juggling many a day job to keep food on the table, a fellowship at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, MA is pretty much heaven on earth. A fellowship includes a studio, an apartment, and a stipend for seven months. The only requirement: create. Continue reading “Emerging Artists and the Fine Arts Work Center, Provincetown, MA”
Former President of Bank of America’s Global Wealth and Investment Management division, and one of the most visible women on Wall Street, @SallieKrawcheck has set her sights on Washington, bank regulation, social media and sponsors, not mentors, to help women navigate their careers.
Former President of Bank of America’s Global Wealth and Investment Management division, and one of the most visible women on Wall Street, @SallieKrawcheck has set her sights on Washington, bank regulation, social media and sponsors, not mentors, to help women navigate their careers.
http://storify.com/jaycorcoran/salliekrawcheck-and-the-hit-women-have-taken-on-w
As winter approaches and darkness descends just after 4 p.m. and temperatures plummet into single digits, some people’s spirits can spiral into that proverbial black hole of winter doldrums. Not so for Shanghai art curator, Rebecca Catching, Director, OV Gallery. She sees winter as a plethora of possibilities. “If we didn’t have winter, how could we appreciate the beautiful summer?” she said. Continue reading “OV Gallery: How To Survive In The Shanghai Art Scene”