I’ve been a big fan of New York-based curator Jen Bekman’s efforts to encourage art ownership and viable livelihoods for photographers and creators for quite some time. Her online print store 20×200 sells a diverse range of collections under the idea that “(limited editions × low prices) + the internet = art for everyone.”
When Women 2.0 collaborator Jazmin Hupp and I met Jen, she talked about the importance of living with art and how the Web has empowered her curation. It was great to hear her talk about her thought that she’d never work again after the Internet bubble burst and her decision to open a brick and mortar gallery location and subsequent online print outlet.
Creators and fashionistas looking for an inspiring (and green) way to kick back at the end of this week will be making their way to the Stewart+Brown trunk show during happy hour on Friday. Vallejo Street eco-conscious boutique EcoCitizen and style site Ecofabulous will host “organic pioneers” Karen Stewart and Howard Brown as they describe the creative process they use to create their sustainable clothing lines. Lest you’re thinking of forgoing organic cotton tops or hemp jersey dresses, the local chapter of Teens Turning Green will receive 10% of the proceeds from spring and summer collection sales.
Conference lunches tend to run the same–mad dash for sandwiches, email checks, and noontime networking. Meeting Kimi Gros of the book series Megan Hearts at the Gravity Summit at Stanford this afternoon was a nice surprise not only for the session break, but because her series provides positive messaging for girls age four to eight. Gros, who learned how to fly a plane at 19 and toured with a country band at 20, told me about her goal to encourage young girls to pursue wide-ranging hobbies and recognize the value of serving people beyond themselves.
The 64-page books will include “Megan Hearts Uganda,” “…the Aquarium,” “the Medical Field,” and “Guitar” (which will feature Sony artist Jordyn Shellhart). They follow the adventures of a young girl as she explores different activities and is based on Megan Fate (above), a college basketball coach and Kiwanis speaker. Gros and Fate have started partnerships with Tom’s Shoes and Mother’s Against Drunk Driving to create positive content for the series (a great gift for a female niece you’d like to empower).
Creative submissions have been extended until midnight tonight for Friday’s Slideluck Potshow, a collaborative artistic slideshow presentation and chance for food, drink and conversation sharing at the SOMA photography center LeftSpace. Area and international creators alike present thought-provoking creative work around a theme. As this month’s theme is “nourishment,” participants are encouraged to bring a dish to pass (suggestions include seven-layer dip, lobster ravioli, barbecue tofu, or Meyer lemon bars—it’s a foodie group, after all). Photographer Michael Jang will serve as the guest curator for the event, which is a collaboration with the community and food movement organization Eat-Ins.
New York transplant Miki Johnson had been looking for a vibrant arts and photography community when she moved to San Francisco last year. She started working with Slideluck Potshow founder Casey Kelbaugh on putting together local events. “They were always so much fun — interesting people, good food, great art — so when he mentioned doing a slideshow in San Francisco, I was eager to help,” she said. “It’s been a great way for me to connect with art communities in the Bay Area and, I hope, will help them to connect with each other.”
After screening at the Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year, the documentary film “City of Borders” about the patrons of Jerusalem’s lone gay bar has made its way to the festival currently running in the City by the Bay. Director Yun Suh tells the story of Sa’ar, the city’s first openly gay public official and owner of Shushan, the dynamic underground sanctuary where Palestinians and Israelis gather for entertainment and community.
Simone Nelson, the film’s co-producer and the president of Bay Area Women in Film in Television, explains, “We in the Bay Area (and the U.S.) sometimes live in a bubble and cannot imagine that there’s a place where there is only one location for gay people to meet openly. The participants in the film shared their stories at their own personal risk to help remind us that tolerance, peaceful existence and acceptance in our homes and cities should be basic human rights for all of us.”
Creative submissions have been 