Posts from — May 2012

This Bronx girl will always light up at the sight of a bit bling and graf. The sound of a spray can calls me back home to simpler yet grittier times in NY, when the streets were alive with the works of some of the best street artists alive today (and when I say simpler, it’s because I was like, 9).

I’m always excited to see what’s happening at Self Help Graphics – It’s one special place that reminds about the process of art making before the world takes note. I was invited to their annual fundraiser dinner about a month ago, and had the absolute honor of sitting at the same dinner table with artists Patssi Valdez and . They pimped out the Lexus turned canvas you see above. Highlight of the night had to be hanging out in Vyal One’s impressive art studio. I quickly realized that being BX born doesn’t mean one can throw down on a wall piece. The ability to spot a Taki 183 means nothing. I suck, and pretty much use a spray can like a blow torch. Vyal One kindly showed me several times how to get soft lines, use my wrist and hold the can properly. I will spare you the result of my work. The movement is like a dance and requires a tremendous amount skill. I left with a new found respect for graf. I’d only experience the illusion of ease artists posses when creating a piece. But then again, that’s the beauty of SHG - you experience art first hand. Cocktail dress and all.

Makeup, monuments and fashion bloggers – I mean, that’s why I love Mary Kay. And not just the products, but the actual people behind the pretty lip glosses and that “I swear by it” Lash Love that gives me the flirty eye my naturally bare lid often craves. Mixing business with pleasure, we sipped on mimosas while managing a beauty session and photo shoot around DC. Luis Casco, Demetress Valentine, Patti Nelson and worked it on out making sure all the lovely ladies looked fabulous. Ana and I probably should have asked for concealer because by the end of the day, we had a panda thing going on. But when you love what you do, it’s not work, right? I also got to bond a lot with – too amazing for words – , and , who happened to mention me in her Latina Magazine article. (Thank you V)

I’ve been running off at the keyboard about Mary Kay, so if you want to know more, you can see another write-up here or you can peruse my Facebook tribute .

I felt so honored to be invited to the White House as one of the top Latina Bloggers – an event created by the wonderful women of LATISM. And as you guys know (if you’ve read my blog more than once) I work for Latina Bloggers Connect so I was also there to ensure that all the fabulous bloggers in attendance were spoiled with beauty goodies courtesy of our client Mary Kay.

We arrived to the Helix on Saturday to familiar faces and lots of hugs before heading out to dinner at Cuba Libre with Mary Kay and a group of fab Latina fashion bloggers. The next day was all about monuments, touring DC, photo shoots, tacos, gelato and blogger arrivals – We pretty much crammed in 5 years of activity into one day. There were professional development sessions, a beauty bar and of course – The White House. We were given the extraordinary opportunity to address our concerns to the Obama administration. A range topics were on the list – Classroom size, special needs children, immigration, undergrad and grad school accessibility, just to name a few. Bloggers got to share their personal stories – Experiences that resonated with me, spoke to my family, my culture, my concerns as a mother and my work in arts education. It made me realize that so much needs to be done. We broke some ground, but there are still many mountains to climb. But – We were there. We made our voices heard. Empowerment to its fullest. I uploaded pics of the experience on FB.

When I was a child, I had a dream of being an artist and an actress. I used to love to sing and dance, and especially draw. But it wasn’t anything I thought I could do for a living. From my bedroom in the Bronx, it seemed like a reality for other people. At night, I would hang out in my room and listen to music with a sketch book in hand. Fortunately I had a mother who was very encouraging and I had several awesome art teachers. As time went on, I developed a portfolio of work and decided to major in Commercial Advertising – I wanted to create concepts for brands. During my Freshman year, I took a required painting classes, and fell in love with it. I knew it was something I needed to do more. My art teacher encouraged me to go to an art school (I was in a Catholic College) and study painting. My mom, excited about this possible new venture, helped me fill out out applications for art school and attend interviews with the admissions departments. With a portfolio filled with years and years of drawings, I got accepted into the Illustration and Arts Education program at the School of Visual Arts. During my four years of college (pretty awesome years!) I challenged myself as an artist while working at the most amazing museums in NYC as part of my student teaching program. And – the rest is history. I went from thinking I could never be a part of the art world to lecturing at the Guggenheim. My drive, my mother and my education played a major role in the realization of my dreams.

So here I am, a woman who has had a career in the museum field for over 17 years. I also lived out my to dream to be an actress – with several films and national commercials under my belt. And remember my passion for creating content for brands? I’m writing this post in collaboration with – which I’m so excited to be a part of. I’m wearing a maxi from their Sofia Vergara line. So funny how life works sometimes. What are/were your dreams?

Thanks so much for the pictures Vianessa.

(dress/sofia vergara for kmart, jewelry/kmart, shoes/zara, lipstick/revlon coral. Post in collaboration with Kmart)

I’m sensing a Getty Villa theme going on here. We headed back last week. I wanted to show my son the Aphrodite exhibit, stroll the grounds for National Public Gardens Day and go over the gods he is learning about now in Social Studies. We are tackling the next chapter – Ancient Greece – and I couldn’t think of a better place than the Getty Villa to bring Greek mythology to life. And have you eaten at their cafe? May have been the best burger I’ve had in a long time.

Hope you have a fabulous weekend! I’m heading to Washington DC tomorrow for a Top Blogger Retreat. Seriously beyond excited about this. I will be . Join me, and I’ll see you back here on Monday!

From yarn sushi to James Franco in drag – the art world never disappoints. Now, now if you’re an art critic (from NY) you can go ahead and express your anguish over this post. You’ve made your feelings about Deitch and Franco very clear – everywhere. Wait, if you’re an art critic you’re likely not reading my blog. It’s way too pretty and I like Deitch. But if you happen to pass by – Hello. I totally get what all the backlash is about. I do. However, I must be honest. I love it when feathers gets ruffled in the art world. It gets people into museums. And when this museum educator sees people line up to see a show, my heart gets all mushy inside.

If you’re in LA, REBEL is your opportunity to see the work of James Franco, Douglas Gordon, Harmony Korine, Damon McCarthy, Paul McMarthy, Terry Richardson, Ed Ruscha and Aaron Young’s work all in one space. The exhibit is an ode to the movie Rebel Without A Cause and includes photography, video installation, painting and sculpture all nestled in familiar Hollywood structures and avenues. Over all, I enjoyed the exhibit. But I strongly suggest you leave the kids at home.

Between the yarn sushi rolls and multi-colored mochi, I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Children’s Day. Oh, and add Sumo wrestling and Japanese drumming to the mix, and you’ve got yourself a pretty awesome festival celebrating all that is family, culture and DTLA. We attended the first-ever LA Bloom Festival hosted by the Japanese American Cultural Community Center, and had ourselves quite the afternoon of art, food and music. The highlight for my son was Byamba. We’d seen him perform a while back at The Torrance Art Museum (here) during their Gateway Japan exhibition. This time, we got to speak to him, ! (It’s a bit windy and noisy. I’m no George Lucas, that’s for sure.)

Here’s a close up of the bracelet I wore in yesterday’s post. It was a gift given to me by my dear friend Ana. She’d gone to Haiti as part of the program #Bloggers4Haiti and came back with beautiful handmade items, as well in-depth accounts and photographs of her experience in Haiti. One of her posts took me into the world of the she met, who are creating beautiful pieces like the one you see here. Mother’s Day is around the corner, and I can’t think of a better gift than one that gives back. To learn more about how you can give a gift with purpose this Mother’s Day check out . The details up close are simply beautiful.