Embracing Our Differences :: An Art Exhibit Celebrating Diversity

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever does.
-Margaret Mead

Those are some pretty powerful words. Words like these are at the center of the Embracing Our Differences art exhibit.

This past week we had the opportunity to check out the Embracing Our Differences Long Island art exhibit. Embracing Our Differences is an outdoor art exhibition celebrating diversity. The Long Island exhibit was put together by the Suffolk Center on the Holocaust, Diversity & Human Understanding.



The art exhibition, together with related activities and events, is intended to demonstrate, in a positive way, that diversity enriches our lives and that active rejection of prejudice and hatred enhances our own freedom.

The exhibit featured about 25 or so designs that were displayed as 12x16' billboards. Each piece of work contained a message focused on subjects such as diversity, unity, acceptance, coexistence, peace, and togetherness. Works on display were done by students, amateurs, and professional artists.



We are very excited and pleased to announce that one of our designs, 'The Same But Different', was part of the exhibit. Sticking with our Famous Seniors theme, our colorful graffiti inspired design pays tribute to Dr. King, Evita, Gandhi, & Mother Teresa; four people who actively encouraged the rejection of prejudice and hate during their lifetimes.



It was a blast checking out all of the designs and it’s always fun seeing different takes on a common theme. While taking a look at the designs was cool, the true highlight of the day was a brief talk about prejudice and acceptance from Holocaust survivor Werner Reich. Mr. Reich spoke about some of his personal experiences and raised the point that hatred is a feeling that has no bounds; the only cure for hatred is the complete elimination of the feeling.



The exhibit will be on display at the Grant Campus of Suffolk County Community College thru 10.31.10. The exhibit will then travel around a bit and will be on display at various events.

We would like to congratulate all artists that were part of the exhibit and we invite all of our readers to check out photos of the event. We would love to hear about which designs move you and which are your favorites.

In addition, there is currently an open call to artists for the 2011 Embracing Our Differences exhibit in Florida; for more info about the exhibit and entry process click here.

Men and women, young and old, black, white, red, brown, and yellow; varied people, cultures, and perspectives throughout the world. People - the same but different.
-senioritis

Sketchbook Project :: Part 5

Well, things have been pretty hectic recently and truth be told we haven't made much progess on our sketchbook the last few weeks. The plus side; however, is that we started super early and have until January to complete the project ;)

With that being said, this past week we started to lay out the plot for our story. We don't have many sketches yet but the story is coming along pretty well. For those who may have missed earlier updates, our theme is 'The Greatest Story Ever Told' and we are going to create a comic inspired design!

Looking forward, this week we plan to continue working on the plot of our comic and laying out a bit of the storyboard. We'll keep everyone posted.

We'll be giving a weekly update on the project here on our blog as well as posting progress photos on our Arthouse Co-op page.

If you're participating in the Sketchbook Project please let us know as we would love to follow your progress as well!

A Very Big Week

Yesterday we had our first big show in New York City. We want to send a big thank you to the folks who organized the Crafts in Chelsea event as well as everyone who stopped by our booth. We had a blast getting to know some of our etsy friends and followers. For those of you who couldn't make it, here's a brief recap:

We started off the day optimistic, but a bit apprehensive about the weather. Winds were predicted at speeds of up to 40mph yesterday. It was our first time using our new huge, totally fantastic tent, and we had no idea how it would hold up in the wind. We definitely came prepared, though, bringing tent anchors, hoodies, and those nifty gloves without fingers. Despite the wind predictions, the hardest part wasn't keeping the tent standing, but getting it up in the first place. Where are those IKEA photo directions when you need them?

Once we were up and running, the day flew by. Our postcard-size prints were a huge hit, and we couldn't have asked for better guests in our booth. From little kids, to schoolteachers, stockbrokers, and tourists - we met all kinds of people and had a terrific time discussing our Famous Seniors and their notable quotes with everyone. Our booth was located just across the street from PS 11 and its fabulous Fall Festival. Unfortunately, we weren't able to hit the bouncy castle, but we did partake in bake sale goodies and get to see one of the most colorful murals we've encountered anywhere in Manhattan. If you haven't checked out this 50-foot mural in Chelsea, we suggest heading over there while the weather is still nice. You'll also find terrifically inspiring and vivid painting covering the outside walls of the elementary school. What a great place for a craft fair!



Some more photos of the event can be seen on Flickr.

Crafts in Chelsea was no doubt an excellent way for us to kick off the next very big week for Senioritis. You may have read about our selection in the Embracing Our Differences Exhibit. If anyone is going to be in the Long Island, New York area during the next week, we highly recommend that you stop by the exhibit and check out the billboard-sized winning designs. We guarantee you'll leave inspired.

And now, we're off to enjoy the rest of the weekend. Happy Sunday!

Featured Artist :: Lunabee

This week's featured artist is Lunabee!

Senioritis: Hey Lunabee, thanks for sitting down with us. Where are you from?
Lunabee: Newcastle, UK

Senioritis: Can you tell us a little about yourself please?
Lunabee: I am an illustrator with a love of creating cute characters with a darker side to them. I illustrate digitally with my trusty wacom tablet and mac and I also paint toys which I have been doing for just over a year.
Senioritis: Very cool! We love your characters and your custom toy work. We have yet to try using a tablet but would love to pick one up at some point; looks like much more fun than a mouse ;)

Senioritis: Marlon Brando: Streetcar Named Desire or the Godfather?
Lunabee: Either, I'm not a fan!



Senioritis: Lunabee, how would you describe your work to someone who has never seen it before?
Lunabee: Cute, Creepy, Fluffy, and Bright.

Senioritis: What's the best business tip you have ever received and who gave it to you?
Lunabee: My Dad who told me, in the nicest way possible, to 'toughen up kid' when I first started out with my design/illustration business. I think there's a fine line between being nice and being walked over.
Senioritis: Excellent tip indeed and I think it's something we all need to be reminded of every now and then.



Senioritis: Lunabee, what's your favorite sport to either watch or play?
Lunabee: I love cycling but I don't have the patience to sit watching sport, I'd rather be off doing something creative.
Senioritis: Interesting point. I find that even when I'm watching some type of sporting event I usually have my laptop in front of me and I'm working on something.

Senioritis: Chevy Chase: Fletch or Three Amigos
Lunabee: I adore Chevy Chase. I'd prefer National Lampoons Christmas Vacation but Fletch if I have to choose between these two :)
Senioritis: We would go with Fletch as well & all of the Vacation movies are classics. Chevy Chase is a comedic genius!

Senioritis: Do you have a favorite quote?
Lunabee: 'All I can do is be me, whoever that is' - Bob Dylan
Senioritis: Ahh yes, the wisdom of Mr. Dylan!



Senioritis: If you could jump in the DeLorean and go back in time; what’s one thing you would do differently in your business?
Lunabee: Speaking solely for the 'toy painting' side of my business, I really don't think I would change anything. It's been a steady learning curve that I am still on and I'm enjoying every minute of it. I've probably made a few errors of judgement along the way but I've learned from them and that’s the most important thing.
Senioritis: When we first got into collecting vinyl we tried to make a custom and man was it a disaster. We have since given up on the custom side and stick to the collecting side ;) I'm not sure people truly appreciate how much time, energy, and effort goes into designing and painting pieces that are sometimes no bigger than the palm of your hand. We think your designs rock and we're glad to hear you're still enjoying the process!

Senioritis: If the $100 bill needed a redesign, who would you put on it?
Lunabee: Well being from the UK I'd feel pretty guilty having it be my choice but if it was I think I would have to go for Bob Dylan. I am a massive fan of his music and him as a person; he is utterly inspirational to me. It’s a very personal choice so I'm not sure everyone would be happy with that!
Senioritis: It's ok Lunabee, there are quite a few Dylan fans on this side of the pond who we're sure would have no objection ;)

Senioritis: Where can we find you on the web?
Lunabee: lunabee.co.uk is where you can find any toys I have up for sale. I try to ensure that I get 1 -2 toys up a month at least :) The lovely TOYSREVIL blog is normally very much on top of all my releases and news. I also have my twitter account which I use daily to keep my followers up to date on what I'm working on.



Senioritis: James Bond: Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan, or Daniel Craig?
Lunabee: Daniel Craig all the way, Bad ass Bond is awesome!
Senioritis: While many of our featured artists are partial towards Mr. Connery, we're with you. While we appreciate all Bond films and actors we're a bit partial towards the newer films with Daniel Craig. The newer Aston Martins aren't too shabby either ;)

Senioritis: Any shoutouts Lunabee?
Lunabee: Huge thank you to my very good friend Cris Rose for getting me involved in the whole toy customizing scene in the first place, I wouldn't be doing any of this without his guidance and support. :) Also a shoutout to my favorite artist 64colors who constantly inspire and amaze me with their work!

Thanks for taking the time to sit down with us and let us know a bit more about the person behind Lunabee's awesome creations. We wish you continued success and look forward to seeing your new designs. Please swing by Lunabee's site to check out her new LE skelanimal release and pick up some of her sweet work!

Socratic Method-Legally Blonde is fairly accurate

Let me first begin by apologizing for my several-month-long hiatus. Between my internship this past summer and preparing for law school blogging just didn't make the top priorities list although it probably should have.

All of this is behind us now, I have survived my first month of law school and can now get back to my pre law school rituals such as sharing my life with all of you. Law school is both exactly how I pictured it and not at all how I imagined it to be. The first couple of weeks were a breeze, all my professors seemed incredibly nice and understanding and we moved at a glacial pace through the material. Sadly, this trend ended after the third week. Suddenly I was assigned five or six cases a night per a class and had at least two writing assignments per week. I, who had been thinking I could handle law school no problem, had one of those "oh sh!t" moments where it suddenly hit me: Law school is hard. I took several law classes in undergrad and got through them with relative ease. Sure they had been more work than my other classes but nothing I couldn't manage while still finishing my work in time to watch Gossip Girl at 8. I imagined I was well prepared for law school and would get through my classes just fine.

While I still believe I will make it through, I now realize it will require a whole lot more effort. It is not enough to have simply read the cases for class. I must know the cases, know the facts, the reasoning behind the court's decisions, and how a court would apply that law to subsequent cases. Not only must all this info somehow make it to my brain but I need to be able to apply it and analyze it quickly when called upon in class. This is where the real accuracy of Legally Blonde comes into play. I first learned of the Socratic Method when Elle was called on at random during her first class at Harvard Law School. Just as in the movie my professor's all have seating charts and since my school is nifty those seating charts are equipped with each student's picture. Professors take a look at the seating chart and call out a name. This poor student is then asked a series of questions which can take as little as five minutes or the entire hour class period. Unfortunately, I have a simple name "Jill" so my contracts professor has learned it by heart. I am often the student called on to give a brief of at least one of the cases we had to prepare for that class. While it is terrifying to be called on it has really made me be prepared for class. I now know what my professors are looking for and what they expect me to get from each of the cases we have read. So I might be crazy but I kinda like the socratic method.

So while I spend most of my hours reading away in the library, I have managed to maintain a mildly active social life. Weekends take on a whole new meaning and importance when you really are busting your butt five days a week. Luckily, Vermont is gorgeous and offers a plethora of distractions if you choose to accept them. From farmer's markets, to wine tastings, to hiking trails, and rugby games I never have trouble finding something to take my mind off my studies. Now that the leaves are changing it is absolutely breathtaking here and so I take every opportunity I get to go outside. Sadly the leaves changing coincides with the temperature dropping so I need to always be sporting a hoodie. I suppose that is the price I pay for choosing a school in New England.

Alas, I must be going. It is 1:20 and I still have two more classes, a meeting, a study group, and about a bajillion pages to read for tomorrow. Until next week, stay lazy friends, I wish I could.

Sketchbook Project :: Part 4

This marks the fourth week with our moleskin sketchbook! We started preparing for a craft show that's in a couple of weeks so we didn't have a ton of time for sketching this week but we were able to draw Jack's back.

Jack has been our mascot for some time now but surprisingly enough we never drew him from the back (I guess not too many people would be interested in a tshirt or sticker of his back). The plan was basically to reflect our regular drawing of Jack vertically and then fill in his face with hair ;) Here's what we came up with:



For those of you who had a chance to check out our October newsletter, we announced that we have decided to give our sketchbook a comicbook look!

This week we hope to start coming up with the plot of our comic and laying out a bit of the storyboard. We have to continue preparing for the show as well as finish an article design before its deadline so we'll see what we can accomplish ;)

We'll be giving a weekly update on the project here on our blog as well as posting progress photos on our Arthouse Co-op page.

If you're participating in the Sketchbook Project please let us know as we would love to follow your progress as well!

Happy Sunday ;)