DindyWrites

Secret Santa - Friend or Foe

2011-12-01T16:06:00.001-05:00

Good natured pranks at the office reign supreme on April Fools Day but holiday parties and Secret Santa gift exchanges are not the appropriate place to poke fun at a co-worker or the boss.

The gist of the “game” as some call it is that identities are withheld and the recipient is challenged to unmask the giver. Instead of playing, most of us want to slink off way behind the water cooler to lick our wounds and calm the sting of derision implied by the gift at hand.

A spectacular way to avoid the strum and drang of this prickly holiday tradition is to take a page from an as yet unidentified Secret Santa in Pennsylvania. Kelly Bayliss reported today, December 1, on nbcphiladelphia.com following up on an article in The Reading Eagle, a Secret Santa handed out $20,000 in $100 bills to 200 residents in Reading, PA. Wishing to remain anonymous, this uber-generous Secret Santa said that upon learning that Reading, PA is the poorest city in the country, “It’s time for us to step up, not step back.” Bravo!

Money and/or gifts are not the issue here; it is finding a need and filling it with goodness – what better example to set for gift giving at anytime of the year. Spend some time thinking about a charitable organization that would be meaningful to your “Secret Santee” and make a donation. The guessing fun is still in play but instead of a useless deer antler headband or a snarky g-string for the macho man in the office, a little goodwill go a long way. No clue where to find a charity or one with a specific mission, check out www.causecast.com or www.kickstarter.com.

The Internet has how-tos and answers for nearly any question and the ins and outs of creating a Secret Santa program is no exception. Secretsanta.com provides the rules and a free GuestList program that is quick to set up and manages the entire process online. Other options for online assistance include www.bestsecretsanta.com and www.elfster.com.

Still intent on pursuing the game in its time honored tradition? A few tips to make it a joyful, fun and generous holiday:

• Set a maximum price – one that takes into account those further down the salary rung.
• Rig the recipient selection to prevent office meanies from bullying their usual prey.
• Have the organizer vet the gift selections before the exchange takes place.
• Select a theme (food, travel, movies – you get the idea), an easy way to give those who are too stressed out to be creative a general idea of what to purchase.
• Imbibe after the exchange to minimize snide comments. Office parties are not the best place to be intoxicated for any reason but that’s another article entirely.

These thoughts and recommendations are applicable to Secret Santa exchanges among friends and relatives, in addition to your office family. Don’t just put everyone’s name in a hat and buy one more item to perch on an already crowded desk – put some thought into gifting and a merrier time will be had by all.

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More etiquette articles available at http://www.examiner.com/x-13446-Etiquette-Examiner.

Dindy is also the Long Island Literature Examiner. Read her reviews at http://www.examiner.com/literature-in-long-island/dindy-yokel.

Dindy Yokel

, Etiquette Examiner

December 1, 2011 - Like this? Subscribe to get instant updates.

Continue reading on Examiner.com Secret Santa - Friend or Foe - National etiquette | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/etiquette-in-national/secret-santa-friend-or-foe-1#ixzz1fJrhrsYc

Changing Face of Publishing: Staying Focused with Rochelle Melander

2011-11-21T09:53:00.000-05:00

Changing Face of Publishing: Staying Focused with Rochelle Melander

I Am A Reader, Not A Writer: Author Interview & Book Giveaway: Write-A-Thon by Rochelle Melander

2011-10-28T08:52:00.000-04:00

I Am A Reader, Not A Writer: Author Interview & Book Giveaway: Write-A-Thon by Rochelle Melander

An Exclusive Love by Johanna Adorjan

2011-09-29T16:01:00.000-04:00

“On 13 October 1991 my grandparents killed themselves,” the first sentence of An Exclusive Love, a memoir by Johanna Adorján grabs the reader and does not let go until the end. Reported without emotion - but not without beauty - as a news reporter does best, (Adorján is a cultural journalist), the reader immediately knows the ending but not the infinitesimal details, so worth paying attention to, of the path that leads one there.

Shocking to the reader, still reeling from the harsh beginning, is presented succinctly but no less forceful when Adorján recounts the final entry in the official folder of the suicide. One last punch before book closes is from the Danish police file is the bill from the locksmith who opened the door of her grandparents’ home - $297 kroner. The reader sees the door open and imagines the scene beyond it.

Grandparents are an enigma. The tales they tell are often about our parents when they were young as if the near past was more important than decades that came before. In An Exclusive Love we are privy to not only the author’s memories but also the intimate thoughts of people from each stage of her grandparents’ (Vera and Istvan) life.

The recent passing of Dr. Jack Kevorkian evokes the polarizing discussion of “death with dignity.” Some called him “Dr. Death” and opposed his methods. Some called him the “angel of mercy.” The Federal Government has recused itself from the conversation and handed the reins to each state to determine if and when assisted suicide is legal. A private matter and a private choice, Vera and Istvan did not ask permission from anyone but each other.

An Exclusive Love is a painful and engrossing detail of the day that Adorján’s grandparents acted on their suicide pact. Throughout the memoir, the author stays gently in the background allowing her grandparents their contemporaries and family members to re-construct the days, hours, and minutes leading up to their mutual suicide in 1991. Timing is everything and Adorján graciously inserts herself into the story calling forth her conversations and experiences with her beloved, mysterious forbears.

In the early 90s the Hemlock Society was operating covertly in the United States and its book, Final Exit was impossible to find except via the Internet. Founded in 1980 by Derek Humphry, The Hemlock Society’s mission was to help people like his wife Jean and reform the laws about doctor-assisted suicide.

Aware of the book, Vera locates it, reads it and the suicide pact is in place. Planned and painless at the end, quietly so that nobody would attempt to intervene, Vera and Istvan slip into the next realm together as they have been for decades.

A graceful shift into dialogue between her grandparents on the Sunday morning that is the focal point of the story shows a couple who have lived with and loved each for 50 years. They survived the Holocaust and reconstructed their life – not obliterating the past - once settled in Copenhagen.

“She goes into the kitchen to wash the ashtrays she has collected from the guestroom and the front hall. Everything must be neat and tidy. She doesn’t want to cause any hassle. No one must find her decision a nuisance.” The grandmother’s internal dialogue continues to rend the readers’ heart.

Page after page the reader finds another snapshot of the day that causes tears to flood the page. “You must say goodbye to each other now,” says Adorján’s grandmother. The grandfather holding Mitzi, their dog, kisses her nose, strokes her head and squeaks out goodbye.

The beauty of An Exclusive Love is the twofold – the memory of the event and the words carefully selected to convey it. In the tradition of Joan Didion’s 2007 memoir The Year of Magical Thinking, this intensely personal telling of exceptional love and loss is one to read over an over again reminding us why we read. To find ourselves through the stories of others, find out why we are here and what we ultimately want for ourselves.

Adorján resides in Berlin and is an editor of the Allegemeine Zeitung’s culture section. An Exclusive Love is her first book. Based in the U.K., Anthea Bell is an award-winning translator of a range of work including W.G. Sebald’s Austerlitz and the Inkworld trilogy by Cornelia Funke.

Dindy Yokel

Long Island Literature Examiner

September 29, 2011 - Like this? Subscribe to get instant updates.

Continue reading on Examiner.com An Exclusive Love by Johanna Adorján - Long Island Literature | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/literature-in-long-island/an-exclusive-love-by-johanna-adorj-n#ixzz1ZNDTtEz4

2011-09-12T16:24:00.001-04:00

NETTIE PARKER'S BACKYARD

Home > Book Reviews > Children's > Juvenile Fiction >

ForeWord Review

C.V. Smith's protagonist in her novel Nettie Parker's Backyard breaks with traditional book format, creating a three-dimensional adventure wherein she invites the reader directly into her story: "Why don't you meet me there?" asks Halley. The second-person narration is one of the literary devices that Smith handles deftly throughout her book about intolerance throughout history, whether by race, religion, or disability.

The novel's message cuts a wide swath, taking events from a global perspective to the personal experience of the heroine, Halley's elderly neighbor, Nettie Parker. Shifting from Halley's point of view to Aunt Nettie's, the novel reaches back in time to the Middle Passage, the Holocaust, segregation in the US, and more. All are recounted in Nettie's calm voice during an interview she gives to Halley for a history project.

The Middle Passage, as presented by Nettie, is a compelling and accurate history, relating the capture of Africans and the horrific conditions of the boats carrying them to the United States where they were sold into slavery. The details of this first leg of indentured servitude are not soft-pedaled for the young reader.

Segregation on the scale it once existed is incomprehensible to young people today. Nettie, exposes the reader to Martin Luther King, Jr. and other well-known events not well known to those born before the 1970s. Swinging back to the personal, Nettie tells Halley's class of the humiliation she and her mother experienced during their annual shopping trip to Beaufort, South Carolina.

Nettie also speaks of her husband, Jonas, to focus on the history of the Tuskegee soldiers. Her telling illustrates that African-Americans were obviously deemed fit to fight in World War II, but nonetheless did not reap the benefits of white soldiers.

The novel continues to peel the layers of history from the horrors of the Holocaust to the celebration of Bar Mitzvah, a rite of passage for thirteen-year old Jewish children. Nettie's stories about prejudice go beyond racism to detail the sub-standard treatment of physically challenged people.

"I wrote this book for children aged nine to twelve, the time when one questions everything," says Smith. An educator for thirty years in the Los Angeles Unified School District, she worked with ESL and Special Education students and authored Stuff, an anthology of rap, poetry, and prose for children in crisis.

Dindy Yokel
August 3, 2011

Are you there Ms. Blume? It's me, Dindy. | Dindy Yokel | Blog Post | Red Room

2011-09-12T11:46:00.000-04:00

Are you there Ms. Blume? It's me, Dindy. | Dindy Yokel | Blog Post | Red Room

Dindy Yokel

Are you there Ms. Blume? It's me, Dindy.

BLOG POST BY DINDY YOKEL - JUN.16.2010 - 3:34 PM

Are you there Ms. Blume? It's me, Dindy.

Margaret Simon and I have been friends for 36 years since Mrs. Feldman, the librarian at the now-defunct John F. Kennedy Elementary School, introduced us. I connected with Margaret, the glorious girl that you created and she showed me that I wasn't alone. It clicked at that moment, I would be a writer and repay the kindness (pay it forward in hackneyed parlance).

Reading was (and is) my refuge, the perfect hiding place for a shy girl who was the first in sixth grade to get her period. How the entire grade found out I will never know, but news like this travels fast. Margaret was the gentle friend I needed at the time.

You made me laugh and cry, you gave me a friend and you gave me a career. For decades I have given your books, particularly "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret," as gifts to young women who need a respite from the crazy, super sonic world. It is still one of my favorite gifts to give.

Ms. Blume, you inspired me to read and keep reading, to write and keep writing and I know you inspire those who I introduce to you and your creations.

Thank you for giving birth to Margaret and so many other realistic, hilarious and wise characters and stories.

Love, Dindy

Keywords:

letter to my favorite author

FRANK WARREN PUBLISHES CONFESSIONS OF LIFE, DEATH, AND GOD

2011-09-01T13:09:00.000-04:00

FRANK WARREN PUBLISHES CONFESSIONS OF LIFE, DEATH, AND GOD

Strays Reviewed in ForeWord Reviews

2011-06-08T12:35:00.000-04:00

Dogs, spiders and snakes - oh my!

Bob Dylan New York Book Honors the Musician on his 70th Birthday

2011-05-24T10:16:00.000-04:00

Bob Dylan celebrates his 70th birthday today. The original North American troubadour, Dylan’s career spans six decades and shows no signs of ending - good news for his ardent fans.

June Skinner Sawyers has penned Bob Dylan New York, the newest addition to the MusicPlace Series. The cover photo, courtesy of PBS, depicts a young Dylan not long after his arrival in New York City in 1961. The night Dylan arrived he scored a gig at Cafe Wha?, the free spirited epitome of Greenwich Village coffeehouses.

According to the author, Dylan was in search of his musical hero, Woody Guthrie, for whom he wrote, “Song to Woody.” His inimitable poetry set to music has maintained its clarity and commitment to Dylan’s values and integrity.

New York City serves as Dylan’s home base and the maps designed by Kim Rush create context. For those not intimately familiar with the cafes, shops, taverns, live music locations, hotels and neighborhoods, the maps parallel Dylan’s adventure from the early 60s to the present day.
Since 1962, Dylan has recorded more than 50 albums of his inimitable poetry set to music. Many consider Dylan a Folk Singer but that moniker does not scratch the surface of a man who has worked without a pause.

A.O. Scott presciently wrote in the New York Times on May 17, 2011, “Devotees who use the age of their idol to calculate their own dismaying senescence may be shocked that he is so old, but to many more of us he has always been around.”
Many around the world grew up with Dylan as the soundtrack to exact moments in life, relationships, and whereabouts. One’s momento mori comes into sharp focus when a particular track is heard. Skinner Sawyers’ compact book is a primer for those who are unfamiliar with Bob Dylan and a cherry atop a hot fudge sundae for those who can recite every lyric to every song.

Search the Internet and one will find more than 38 million entries and 1.3 million birthday wishes, articles and celebrations dated within the past few days. Look again and there are more than 1,700 books in print about Bob Dylan. For a man who rarely granted interviews throughout his career to date, there is a mammoth range of music and print media to draw on.

Cue up whichever albums make you sing and dance along and in Dylan’s words, may you stay “Forever Young.”

About the author: June Skinner Sawyers’ themes include music, literature, and travel. Her credits include more than 20 books and untold articles and reviews. Her subjects have included the Beatles and Bruce Springsteen. She currently teaches at Loyola University’s School of Continuing and Professional studies and at the Newberry Library.

About the publisher: Roaring Forties Press’ MusicPlace Series portrays the links between musicians and the cities they call home. According to the publisher’s note, each book in the series is “Packed with details about the musician’s life, and work and stories about the city’s neighborhoods and night spots, each volume in the series captures the mood, the culture and the sounds of a revolutionary ear in popular music.”

Copyright Dindy Yokel 2011

Bob Dylan New York
Roaring Forties Press
ISBN # 978-0-9843165-9-5

Continue reading on Examiner.com: Bob Dylan New York Book Honors the Musician on his 70th Birthday - Long Island Literature | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/literature-in-long-island/bob-dylan-new-york-honors-the-musican-on-his-70th-birthday-review#ixzz1NHMclyh4

2011-05-24T10:09:00.002-04:00

The Dissemblers by Liza Campbell - A Unique Take on the Art World - Long Island Literature | Examiner.com

2011-04-22T13:39:00.000-04:00

The Dissemblers by Liza Campbell - A Unique Take on the Art World - Long Island Literature | Examiner.com

Peace in the Heart & Home by Charlotte Mikulka

2011-04-22T11:02:00.000-04:00

Amidst all the chaos today of natural disasters, financial implosions and the general "decline and fall," of our hemisphere, aren't we all looking for peace and harmony? Charlotte Mikulka gives readers just that in Peace in the Heart and Home.

Ice Pop Joy by Anni Daulter

2011-04-22T10:44:00.000-04:00

Summer is nearly upon us and our minds and palates turn to yummy cooling treats. Anni Daulter's Ice Pop Joy features easy-to-make recipes with organic ingredients, fruit, vegetables, agave nectar and coconut sugar.

Alexandra DeFurio's gorgeous photography firmly places the reader in idyllic meadows, backyards and parks with lush flora and fauna and smiling faces.

Haiti Noir Anthology Edited by Edwidge Danticat

2011-02-07T12:01:00.000-05:00

Haiti churns out bad news daily whether it is a cholera epidemic, a returning dictator or two or the aftermath of the earthquake of 2010. Visitors to the island nation know there is beauty, culture and miraculous people. The armchair traveler has a plethora of news books out this year written by Haitian authors to choose from. The best way to jump in feet first is with Haiti Noir edited by Edwidge Danticat.

Authors and publishers are taking up the mantle of doing well by doing good. Rebecca Skloot and her foundation for the Lacks family benefitting from book sales is a superb example. In Haiti Noir a publisher’s note informs readers that, “a portion of the profits will be donated to the Lambi Fund of Haiti, a nonprofit organization working toward economic democracy, and alternative sustainable development in Haiti.” As if one needs a reason beyond outstanding fiction writing to indulge in this superb anthology.

"Even before the earthquake, life was not easy in Haiti. There was always the risk of dying from hunger, an infectious disease, a natural disaster, or a crime. But there was also hope, laughter and boundless creativity," writes Danticat.

A series of readings and appearances is scheduled now through May 13, 2011, for details please visit the publisher’s website. Authors included in the Haiti Noir anthology will accompany Ms. Danticat to locations in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Baltimore, MD.

Each story is fresh and heart wrenching whether for the lost people, lost beauty or lost time. Danticat has orchestrated an outstanding selection of voices that reach into every nook and cranny of life in Haiti.

18 new stories, including one by Danticat and two by non-Haitians, Madison Smartt Bell and Mark Kurlansky, bring the sounds, aromas, colors, and landscape of Haiti to life. The Rainbow's End by M.J. Fievre is a father-daughter story that transcends the island's borders to resonate with fathers and daughters everywhere. The story is Haiti-specific in the rhythm and syncopation of the words including the oft-repeated "Because Ben Knows Where I live."

Gary Victor's The Finger shocks and surprises in a creepy crawly way but leaves readers Googling him and the 17 other authors craving more work to read by these sensational voices. Paradise Inn by Kettly Mars pays homage to the magical realism of Isabel Allende. Mars has a superb voice and her lyricism gallops without stumbling from word one.

Izzy Goldstein is the protagonist in Mark Kurlansky's The Leopard of Ti Morne and possesses a unique and funny voice and spirit. Kurlansky puts the reader smack dab in the middle of Goldstein's Miami Beach apartment with his lush and intimate description.

In an email conversation with Madison Smartt Bell about his story, Twenty Dollars, Bell said. “I started going to Haiti in 1995, once or twice a year, to research my books and then because I got to love it.”

This is not the first time Bell has written about Haiti and when asked about his fascination with the island the author sums it up with a declaration by his character and alter ego in Twenty Dollars, Charlie Chapo. “Haiti is a place where magical thinking actually works.”

Born in Haiti in 1969, Edwidge Danticat moved to the United States at the age of twelve. Create Dangerously, Danticat’s new memoir just out from Princeton University Press, is a collection of essays exploring the responsibility of immigrant artists “to bear witness when their countries of origin are suffering from violence, oppression, poverty, and tragedy.”

Danticat is the author of Breath, Eyes, Memory, an Oprah Book Club selection, Krik? Krak!, a National Book Award finalist. Brother, I'm Dying, her memoir, was a 2007 finalist for the National Book Award and a 2008 winner of a National Book Critics Circle Award. In 2009 Danticat was awarded the prestigious grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. She lives in the Little Haiti district of Miami with her husband and daughter.

Akashic Books launched the Noir Series in 2004 with its award-winning best seller Brooklyn Noir. The anthologies include all new stories, each set within a distinct neighborhood or location within the title city. Haiti Noir is the 36^th book in this series.

Haiti Noir

Edited by Edwidge Danticat

Akashic Books

Hardcover ISBN# 9781617750137

Trade Paperback ISBN# 9781936070657

Cover Photo: Steve Lindridge/istockphoto.com

Cover Design: Jon Resh/Undaunted

www.examiner.com/literature-in-long-island/dindy-yokel

December 10 - Reverb10 Prompt - Wisdom

2010-12-10T16:56:00.000-05:00

Gave my old laptop in excellent condition to the grandkids of the woman who cleaned my apartment in Atlanta. Made her life better as she didn't have to sit around in the library after a day of hard work while the kids waited in line to use the computer. In fact, I centered most of my giving on these four little girls. Information about Women's History Month and a book from the website - anything to add some education on top of what they get in school. Another joy, mentoring at Kipp Strive in Atlanta via the Wren's Nest former home, now a house museum, of the gentlemen who wrote the Uncle Remus books. Met some super people, was happy to learn about a school that does what a school is supposed to do - enrich, educate and enliven. Loved meeting my 5th grader mentee, Kwesi, and working with him to write the essay about his grandfather which was included in a book published in time for the Decatur Book Fair. He is a cutie patootie and so bright. Good decisions both - got me out of my box and out of the house among kids. Ignited fire in my soul encouraging kids to write. Loved getting the book reports I assigned. Being with kids is wondrous, calming, inspiring and joyful. Noisy, aggravating and exhausting too. Spend more time with kids in 2011 was a wise decision and is on my to do list for 2011.

December 9 - Reverb10 Prompt - Party

2010-12-09T20:46:00.000-05:00

My 30th High School reunion - had avoided previous reunions but the stars aligned on this one - best friend Hillary came in from Cap d'Antibes and we met up with dear Jimmy before heading off to the event. Bonus time spent with Alessandra and Juliana her adorable daughters - we went to Big Apple Circus with Paulette (grand mere). So we came into the house on the grounds of the Merchant Marine Academy three-strong. DJ playing 80s dance music - didn't sound good to me then and hasn't improved with age. So busy talking to people I barely remembered that I didn't make it to the buffet - heard I didn't miss anything. In the middle of this a member of the class entered in full Scottish regalia playing the bagpipes in remembrance of our classmates who are no longer with us. Odd choice as most of us are Jewish. Didn't remember the piper nor most of those pictured on the screen without accompanying names. Cut out as soon as we could and headed off to Scobee Diner - closed early - little did we know that in the following weeks Scobee would close permanently followed by an auction of the guts of our favorite hang-out. Who would want an old booth, grease embossed counter top and those gnarly rotating cake display units. It was a great evening, haven't stayed out until 4:30 am in I don't know how many years. Good to connect with my history and those I don't have to explain where I come from to.

Beautifully Different - Day 8

2010-12-08T14:26:00.001-05:00

What makes me "beautifully different," is that I care and people sense that along with my generosity of spirit, information, time and money. I give whatever I have because I believe that tomorrow will bring me more of whatever I need. I've been told that my smile is infrequent but worth waiting for. Had a client once who said that I "give good leg" his vernacular way of complimenting me. It is all what is in my head and heart and that's what I look for in others - physical beauty comes and goes, changes with the trends though classic beauty is always in style. Nothing better than a crisp white button down shirt, jeans, a good belt and pair of sneakers, hair back in pony tail (wish there was an elegant way of describing this hair style) and some simple but "good" jewelry. Think the Hepburn women - my style icons and their charitable way of living is my working model - Audrey with Unicef and Katherine with the cultural center in Connecticut. Doing well by doing good is my modus operandi.

750words

2010-12-07T16:07:00.000-05:00

HIllary, Me and Jim at my 30th High School Reunion -
now that's something to write about.

Writing is what I do. Always on the lookout for a way to jump start my day and have employed Julia Cameron's Artist Pages for at least a decade. For those who don't enjoy a journal and pen here's a super new place to get your 3 pages written www.750words.com. I like the mind dump so much that I am willing to try it online and do it twice a day. Wondering what to send me for the holidays? Mont Blanc Cartridge refills. Not expensive and much appreciated. Another super application for writers of any stripe is www.ommwriter.com - locks out everything but the writing until you tell it otherwise. Plays subtle music which helps me concentrate and you can silence this as well. If you are stuck or too easily distracted put down the Ritalin and check out these two programs. Back to writing...

Reverb10 - Day 7

2010-12-07T15:50:00.000-05:00

Community - among my favorite words. Found community upon my move to East Hampton by reaching out to publisher Marty Shepard at www.permanentpress.com a neighbor in Sag Harbor. Received a warm welcome with open arms and a first invitation to visit him at the "office." His German Shepherd, Monty, is my new bff. Left with an armful of books including his current memoir, ON THE RECORD. Read it in one clip. Second invitation, dinner to meet his wife and business partner, Judy, and three wonderful writers who also make this super cold part of Long Island their home year-round. Jenny, Joan and Mary. What a treat. Third invitation is for dinner tonight. Can't wait to discover more about my new friends.

Reverb10 - Day 1

2010-12-07T15:43:00.001-05:00

It is day 7 on Reverb10 but my day 1 so I'll kick this off by covering the prompts in the first six days together. One word from someone who writes for a living - hah! Breathe, that's it. Breathe in life, family, friendship, love, writing, reading and the glorious winter weather in New York. Writing - what can I eliminate that doesn't contribute to my writing? Shopping - do it all online and only for those who truly deserve gifts. One moment this year? When I drove off route 27 and arrived in East Hampton - early morning, crisp air, sun that didn't burn, trees lots of trees but no palm trees. I had arrived home and my body relaxed and my mind ramped up. Cold weather is where I belong. How did I cultivate a sense of wonder this year? Facing my laptop out toward the woods, pausing to watch the deer and wild turkeys, the leaves blowing off the trees and the first snow fall. I let go of people who just had an outstretched palm. Done with the takers and on to the sharers. Make. Just finished knitting Wool & the Gang's Jane collar in a luscious bulky caramel color yarn. Re-working the pattern on a thinner yarn in cream - almost finished. Simultaneously I knitted an infinity scarf with Artyarns gorgeous green bulky yarn. So yummy I haven't taken it off except to sleep. That covers the first six days of #Reverb10.

The Passing of Purvis Young

2010-08-04T11:13:00.003-04:00

ARTS & OPINION

Art Culture Analysis

Vol. 9, No. 4, 2010

into eterntiy
THE PASSING OF PURVIS YOUNG

by
DINDY YOKEL
___________________

When I think about Purvis Young, a movie-trailer of moments runs through my mind -- from our first meeting until his death on April 20, 2010. Each snippet a story and education unto itself; run together these clips span three years in Miami.

The S & S Diner on NE Second Avenue located across the street from the cemetery is a favourite Miami breakfast spot. Despite twelve years of counter dining where I zipped in and out of this rundown and so-called dangerous part of town, I somehow I missed the secret art studio of Purvis Young across the alley. How many times were we at the diner simultaneously, me eating eggs or pancakes and Purvis his daily tuna fish sandwich? How privileged I was to eat with him at the diner many times after we met.

We first met in 2006 when Young was selected as Director’s Choice for the 17th annual Art Miami Contemporary Art fair. Walking into the studio was like walking into one of his paintings. Wildly colourful, everything is recycled or “found” including the red velvet fainting couch that was Young’s favourite perch. My eyes adjusted and I found the artist sitting quietly, petting his rescue dog Goodbread, named after his renowned Goodbread Alley art installation. Weighing in at close to 300 lbs at the time, Young’s girth did not overwhelm the petite couch nor overtake the studio. His serenity counteracted his size.

No matter the time of day a television droned on in a back room

where Young napped; he rarely slept a full night. One evening after an interview with theMiami Herald, I was departing and bent down to give Purvis a hug and kiss on the cheek. He was surprised. “I am 60 years old and you are the first white woman that has touched me.” This shocked me as a true New Yorker, race did not preclude people from touching each other, and hadn’t since the 50s and here it is the first decade of the 21st century in southern Florida and race was still an issue.

There are at least two schools of artists: those who have said all they have to say through their work and those who love to wax erudite about their work. Talking with Purvis about his paintings satisfied my need to understand without hearing a ton of artist-speak. When I inquired about his work he had sharp, short and sane answers.

The figure of a nude pregnant woman with her arms stretched to the sky is one of Young’s significant icons appearing alone or in groups throughout he work. “My pregnant woman stands for hope which comes from birth and God,” said Young. Hope, as Young continued, “is a common wish without attention to our colour or religion.” Simple, eloquent and something that we can all relate to and desire. The viewer doesn’t have to “get” Young’s work or be given an interpretation by art world experts. The work appeals on a visceral level, the story is obvious, the colours glorious and the materials are those we encounter everywhere and not only in art supply stores.

Scores of people, either white or black, populate his paintings. The black groups represent Purvis’ “tribe” and those upon horseback are the leaders. Horses represent freedom. Succinct and easy to grasp, we all have our groups whether by race, religion or location. We yearn for community and belonging and Purvis understood this well. He often spoke about “finding” and rejoining his African tribe after death.

Many considered Young simple of mind and unstable as examples of his belonging to the genre of outsider artist. Having known Purvis, he was neither. He was very private and shared his thoughts with those in his very tight circle of family and a smattering of friends, many of whom have been in his life for decades.

Young also received these labels due to his unfortunate dealings with people who stole from him, misrepresented him and used him for their own good. What this came from was his willingness to trust people, regardless of warnings from others and foul treatment experienced first hand. He kept people in his world long after they proved themselves untrustworthy -- Purvis gave people unlimited opportunities to redeem themselves with him. Somebody must be crazy to allow others to take and take without putting an end to the problem, don’t they?

Purvis wasn’t crazy -- he was a people-pleaser. People wanted his art and so he painted prolifically. People wanted to lay claim to him and he acquiesced not because he didn’t know better but because he wanted to give everyone in his life whatever they wanted. He was generous and loving. He treated Eddie Mae’s children and grandchildren as if they were his own. Nothing illustrated his sanity better than observing Purvis talk with his grandchildren -- but this was private. As was his sadness when his dog “disappeared” after a stint in the hospital. He was convinced that those meant to care for Goodbread simply let him go in the streets. Until the last days of his life Purvis missed this sweet dog.

His trusting nature yielded financial problems and mishandling of his career by others. A simple Google search will bring these names to light but have no business here as they have benefited enough from Purvis. During the final years of his life misery was his frame of mind as his ability to run his own life was legally stripped from him.

All Purvis wanted was freedom and this was something he never had. He wanted to live life his way and paint what he wanted when he wanted and these options were taken from him. Others had their opinion of him shaped by the courts, doctors and the public. He preferred not to fight or rebel other than through the messages in his art. “I realized that standing up for what I believe and fighting for it would only land me in jail. I went once and that was enough. From then on, I expressed my thoughts through my paintings instead of through my fists.”

His legacy is already being mishandled and his work sold at bargain prices when it should be increasing in value because there is no more and yet there is so much. He was a treasure and but never regarded as such. Purvis was a kind and loving man, a family man who deserved a better life. He will be missed and those of us who were privy to his intuitive and insightful thinking will wish more had been written down so that others could know the man and not the portrait painted by others.

Goodbye my friend, I hope you have found your tribe in heaven and are resting easy.

Also by Dindy Yokel:

Paradise Gardens of Howard Finster
The Art of Purvis Young
Quilts and Quips

Images are courtesy of Doug Hirsch.

Kim Severson to Read from New Memoir on May 5 at Decatur Library

2010-05-03T10:58:00.003-04:00

Kim Severson to Read from New Memoir on May 5 at Decatur Library

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Author Jean Kwok To Read on Tuesday, May 4 at DeKalb Public Library

2010-05-03T10:58:00.001-04:00

Author Jean Kwok To Read on Tuesday, May 4 at DeKalb Public Library

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Kim Severson to Read from New Memoir on May 5 at Decatur Library

2010-05-03T10:57:00.003-04:00

Kim Severson to Read from New Memoir on May 5 at Decatur Library

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Kim Severson to Read from New Memoir on May 5 at Decatur Library

2010-05-03T10:57:00.001-04:00

Kim Severson to Read from New Memoir on May 5 at Decatur Library

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Kim Severson to Read from New Memoir on May 5 at Decatur Library

2010-05-03T10:56:00.001-04:00

Kim Severson to Read from New Memoir on May 5 at Decatur Library

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Artist Purvis Young Dies at 67

2010-04-26T14:13:00.003-04:00

Photo Credit: Larry Clemons

April 24, 2010

Purvis Young, Folk Artist Who Peppered Miami With Images, Dies at 67

By BRUCE WEBER

Purvis Young, a self-taught painter who emerged from prison as a young man and by dint of his striking, expressionist vision of urban life and mammoth output over more than three decades transformed a forgotten Miami neighborhood into a destination for contemporary art aficionados, died on Tuesday in Miami. He was 67.

The cause was cardiac arrest and pulmonary edema, said Dindy Yokel, a friend. Mr. Young was a diabetic and had several health problems in recent years, including a kidney transplant in 2007.

Mr. Young, who never attended high school, was often called an outsider artist or a street artist, and he lived a life that only intermittently surfaced on the art-world grid. But he was influenced by a number of artists — including Rembrandt, El Greco, van Gogh and Delacroix — whose works he pored over in art books in the public library.

“His great ability was to twin urban contemporary culture with high-art motifs,” said Brooke Davis Anderson, a curator at the American Folk Art Museum in Manhattan, which has 20 of Mr. Young’s pieces in its collection, 14 donated by the Rubell Family Collection in Miami, which bought the entire contents of Mr. Young’s studio, as many as 3,000 pieces, in 1999.

His work can also be found in the collections of the Bass Museum in Miami, the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, the High Museum in Atlanta, the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, among many other places.

Painted or drawn in ink on found materials as diverse as cardboard, discarded doors, orange crates, telephone bills, printed book pages and manila folders, Mr. Young’s work often concerned itself with cacophonous, urgent representations of urban strife. He lived most of his life in the Overtown section of Miami, a once-thriving community that was ravaged by the construction of an interstate highway through it in the 1960s, and he painted what he saw around him.

His work featured writhing calligraphic lines often denoting crowds of people, frenzied bursts of color and repeated symbols — a personal iconography that included horses, which, as he explained in interviews, denoted freedom; angels and large floating heads, which denoted good people and the possibility of goodness in a strife-riven world; and round blue shapes, sometimes coalescing into eyes that denoted an all-seeing establishment.

He often painted images of trucks, trains and railroad tracks to suggest possibilities of escape and methods of connection between the inner city and the outer world. Indeed, there is a storytelling aspect to his paintings; they resonate with the consequences of racism, the plight of the underprivileged, the atmosphere of daily violence, the world’s pervasive hypocrisy.

“I don’t like the luxury I see of a lot of these church people while the world is getting worser,” he said in a mid-1990s interview reprinted in “Souls Grown Deep: African-American Vernacular Art,” by William and Paul Arnett. “What I say is the world is getting worser, guys pushing buggies, street people not having no jobs here in Miami, drugs kill the young, and church people riding around in luxury cars.”

Purvis Young was born in Miami on Feb. 2, 1943. He was introduced to drawing by an uncle, but he gave it up at a young age. In his late teens he was convicted of a felony — it has been variously reported as breaking and entering and armed robbery — and spent between two and three years in a Florida prison, where he began drawing again and perusing art books.

“I didn’t have nothing going for myself,” he said. “That’s the onliest thing I could mostly do. I was just looking through art books, looking at guys painting their feelings.”

When he got out, in the mid-1960s, he was inspired by Vietnam War demonstrations and by the protest art he read about from other cities — notably the Wall of Respect mural in Chicago, painted by members of the Black Arts Movement. In the early 1970s he created a mural of his own, plastering a wall along a deserted stretch of Overtown’s Goodbread Alley with dozens of his works.

The mural drew attention from the news media and from Miami’s art establishment, including an eccentric millionaire, Bernard Davis, who owned the Miami Museum of Modern Art and briefly became Mr. Young’s patron, providing him with painting supplies. (Mr. Davis died in 1973.) From then on, Mr. Young grew into something of an urban legend, a local celebrity, a frequent interview subject and an art-world star.

“He became part of the itinerary for people going to Art Basel,” the Miami Beach art fair, Ms. Anderson, of the Folk Art Museum, said.

Mr. Young’s survivors include his longtime partner, Eddie Mae Lovest; two sisters, Betty Rodriguez and Shirley Byrd; a brother, Irvin Byrd; four stepdaughters, Kenyatta, Kentranice, Taketha and Elisha; and 13 step-grandchildren.

By most accounts Mr. Young never paid much attention to his finances, and in his last years he became involved in a tangled legal battle with a former manager, Martin Siskind, whom Mr. Young sued for mismanaging funds. Mr. Siskind successfully petitioned a judge to have Mr. Young declared mentally incompetent, and his affairs were placed in the control of legal guardians. Several of Mr. Young’s friends say that he was in no way incompetent, and that the arrangement had left him destitute.

In an interview, Mr. Siskind said that he and Mr. Young had settled their suit amicably, and that Mr. Young retained ownership of 1,000 paintings and had plenty of money, although he said he had contributed $1,000 to help pay for Mr. Young’s funeral.

Mr. Young frequently seemed nonplussed by reactions to his work.

“It was mostly white people interested,” he said in the mid-1990s, recalling the days after he was discovered. “Some people would say stuff, say I looked like Gauguin, all different artists they say I looked like. A lot of black people seen them, but they didn’t say much to me about it. Some of them said I was mad, some cursed me out, some liked it, some of them admired me, some didn’t. A friend of mine — he’s passed away now — say to me: ‘I look at your paintings but I don’t see nothing. But every time I turn around you’re in the newspaper.’ ”

Correction: April 24, 2010

An earlier version of this obituary referred to Art Basel as a Miami art fair. It is in Miami Beach.

La's Orchestra Saves the World by Alexander McCall Smith

2010-03-19T14:44:00.001-04:00

La's Orchestra Saves the World by Alexander McCall Smith

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Little Bee by Chris Cleave

2010-03-02T09:43:00.001-05:00

Little Bee by Chris Cleave

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Gee's Bend Quilt Auction to Benefit Clinton Bush Haiti Fund

2010-02-21T14:16:00.007-05:00

BERNICE STEINBAUM GALLERY TO HOST GEE’S BEND AUCTION TO BENEFIT HAITI
Clinton Bush Haiti Foundation to Receive Funds Raised

MIAMI, FLORIDA – (March 11, 2010) -- The Bernice Steinbaum Gallery announces an auction of quilts from Gee’s Bend and Friends of Gee's Bend to benefit the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund in association with the Haitian Cultural Arts Alliance. The auction takes place on Saturday, March 13, 2010, from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at 3550 North Miami Avenue, Miami, FL 33127. Judge Karen Mills-Francis, star of the television series, Judge Karen’s Court, and author of Stay in Your Lane, is the auctioneer. The auction is open to the public.

The auction items include seven quilts by individual Quilters of Gee's Bend, one intaglio print by Mary Lee Bendolph donated by Paulson Bott Press, and one quilt from fiber artist, Mary McCarthy, a friend of the Gee's Bend quilters. The highlight of the auction is a collaborative quilt -- by 20 of the Gee's Bend quilters - entitled Gee's Bend Quilters Outreach to Haiti. Reserve prices range from $2,000 to $25,000. Judge Karen Mills-Francis will serve as auctioneer.

In addition to the donation of the artwork by the Quilters of Gee’s Bend, the Bernice Steinbaum Gallery has generously donated its commission and the cost of packing and shipping following the auction.

"The women of Gee's Bend make quilts that are eye-dazzlingly beautiful. How moving that these women who are descendants of slaves offer their work for auction to help the Haitian people who are suffering from the after effects of the earthquake. How appropriate for this auction to take place in an art gallery; the Quilts of Gee's Bend prove definitively that the quilt is off the bed and on the wall," says Bernice Steinbaum.

In the aftermath of the earthquake the Gee’s Bend Quilters Collective determined that an auction of quilts to raise much-needed funds was their path. Bernice Steinbaum and artist Edouard Duval Carrié (through his role as Director of the Haitian Cultural Arts Alliance) were contacted and an event was born. Miami is the locus of Haitian life in the United States and thus the perfect location for an auction. Once partners were secured, the Gee’s Bend Quilters Collective contacted the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund to coordinate efforts ensuring that the funds raised would be channeled properly to Haiti.

“The earthquake in Haiti brings to mind the disaster that took place in Gee’s Bend in 1930. My father, Rev. Purnell Bennett, born September 17, 1917 in Gee’s Bend, told us the story of the tragedy often to remind us how we overcame with the help of others. In 1930 a local merchant who had extended credit to the residents of the Bend died. His heirs demanded immediate repayment of all debts. To meet the demands, families sold their animals, tools and seed to raise the money. The community survived thanks to the Red Cross. They provided rations and the acts of giving, a lesson passed down from generation to generation in our community. We survived this tragedy with the assistance of others and that’s why we are giving from our hearts. Our quilts have warmed families for hundreds of years and through this auction we will raise funds that will provide Haitians some comfort and necessities. Residents of Gee’s Bend will donate cash to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund to provide additional support,” says Lovett Bennett, President of the Gee’s Bend Foundation.

More than 20 quilters will be featured at the auction on March 13, and reserve prices range from $2,000 to $25,000. Mary Lee Bendolph and Loretta P. Bennett are donating quilts entitled “Road to Recovery” and “Strong,” respectively. The list of quilters donating to the auction includes Marlene Bennett Jones, Qunnie Pettway and Nettie Young among others to be named shortly. (Images are available upon request). The Quilters of Gee’s Bend are designing a tribute quilt specifically for the auction. This group endeavor is comprised of individual squares created by the group then pieced and quilted.

Paulson Bott Press is donating an intaglio print entitled, Black & Brown, 2005 by Mary Lee Bendolph. The reserve price is $2,000.
# # #

About the participants:

Clinton Bush Haiti Fund

The earthquake that rocked the coast of Haiti killed or injured a devastating number of people. Even more were left in need of aid, making this is one of the major humanitarian emergencies in the history of the Americas. In the aftermath of the disaster, President Barack Obama asked President Bill Clinton and President George W. Bush to raise funds for immediate, high-impact relief and long-term recovery efforts to help those who are most in need of assistance. In response, the two Presidents established the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund (CBHF) to respond to unmet needs in the country, foster economic opportunity, improve the quality of life over the long term for those affected, and assist the people of Haiti as they rebuild their lives and “build back better.” The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund will do this by working with and supporting the efforts of reputable 501(c)(3) nongovernmental and nonprofit organizations. Presidents Clinton and Bush oversee the CBHF through their respective nonprofit organizations, the William J. Clinton Foundation and Communities Foundation of Texas. One hundred percent of donations received by the Clinton Foundation and the Communities Foundation of Texas go directly to relief efforts. For more information, visit www.clintonbushhaitifund.org.

Quilters of Gee’s Bend

Gee’s Bend, a miniscule rural community, is nestled into a curve in the Alabama River southwest of Selma, Alabama. Founded in antebellum times on the site of cotton plantations owned by Joseph Gee, the town’s women developed a distinctive, bold, and sophisticated quilting style with a geometric simplicity reminiscent of Modern Art. The women of Gee’s Bend passed their skills and aesthetic down through multiple generations to the present and in 2002, an exhibition of 70 quilt masterpieces from the Bend premiered at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston.

“The Quilts of Gee’s Bend” exhibition has been presented at more than a dozen major museums, including the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. Newsweek, NPR, CBS News Sunday Morning, House and Garden, and Oprah’s O Magazine are just a few of the hundreds of print and broadcast media organizations that have celebrated the quilts and history of this unique town. Art critics worldwide have compared the quilts to the works of important modern artists, such as Henri Matisse, and the New York Times called the quilts “some of the most miraculous works of modern art America has produced.” For more information, visit www.quiltsofgeesbend.com.

Bernice Steinbaum Gallery

The Bernice Steinbaum Gallery first opened its doors in New York City in 1977. Considered a pioneer for galleries showcasing women artists and artists of color the gallery remained in New York City for 23 years before moving the center of its operations to Miami, Florida in 2000.

The gallery shows a collection of stories made by artists that promote, explore, and appreciate the contribution of diverse people made across the globe. These stories foster a greater understanding of human history and promote cross-cultural communication.

Steinbaum is proud to represent three Macarthur “Genius” award winners; Pepon Osorio, Amalia Mesa and Deborah Willis, five Guggenheim, multiple National Endowment Winners, two Annenberg fellows, among other grant winning artists. In addition the gallery regularly organizes group shows which travel to various museum facilities, an unusual activity for a gallery which occurs primarily because of the director’s own academic art history background. www.bernicesteinbaumgallery.com

Judge Karen Mills-Francis

Miami native Judge Karen practiced criminal defense law in Florida for 13 years in the Office of the Public Defender, as well as in private practice. She was appointed a Traffic Magistrate by the Dade County Chief Judge in 1998 to hear non-criminal traffic cases. Driven by the lack of diversity in the court system, Judge Karen decided to run for a judgeship in 2000, winning her first election by overthrowing a longtime incumbent and becoming the second African American woman to serve on the bench in Miami-Dade County.

Judge Mill-Francis is famous for the lines “Stay in your Lane, I know how to Drive.” 2010 finds her back in session on television with Judge Karen’s Court. Judge Karen is the author of newly published “Stay In Your Lane: A Navigational Guide to Living Your Best Life.”

After twice being elected to the position of Miami-Dade County Judge, Judge Karen made it her mission to support those who are at risk of getting lost in the legal system. Inspired by her previous work at the public defender’s office in the juvenile division, she has become known as an ardent backer of children’s advocacy programs and domestic violence prevention programs and regularly calls on lawyers to act on behalf of children in crisis. She became a foster mother herself to a child she first encountered in court and over the years she has repeatedly opened her home to children in need.

Edouard Duval Carrié

A figurative artist who works on canvas, installations, and sculpture employing found objects, resin and now aluminum fiber optics, Edouard Duval Carrié was born and raised in Haiti. He is not outside the mainstream; he is engaged with artists in the U.S., Europe, Latin America, Africa, and of course the Caribbean. His art deals with symbols of violence in colonial society and the ways of war, exile, displacement, all universal themes for the strife of peoples worldwide. His work deals with the history of Haiti, its legacy of slavery, its uneasy relations with other countries, its internal political, racial and class struggles. His art and his imagination is also engaged in the Afro-Haitian worship of voodoo. He has founded the Haitian Art Relief Fund in response to the January 2010 earthquake.

Haitian Cultural Arts Alliance

The Haitian Cultural Arts Alliance (Alyans Atizay Ayisyen, Inc) was founded in 1994. It is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Afro Caribbean history, with an emphasis on Haitian culture, focusing in the areas of music, literature, dance, and the visual arts. HCAA is the home of the Haitian Cultural Alliance Archive, which houses a priceless collection of historical documents. This collection includes manuscripts, documents signed by founding fathers, maps, architectural renditions, new and old books, photographs, and films on Haiti and the Afro-Caribbean. HCAA takes pride and joy in facilitating and mounting art exhibits, presenting poets, musicians, and artists of all genres to a larger South Florida audience. HCAA also facilitates the Haiti Pavilion at the prestigious Miami International Book Fair annually. Through this effort, countless writers have been introduced to the public, raising the awareness of our rich cultural diversity. http://www.haitianalliance.org/

Paulson Bott Press

Specializing in limited edition intaglio prints, Paulson Bott Press emerged from the San Francisco Bay Area’s rich tradition of fine art printmaking. Paulson Bott Press’s philosophy is to facilitate rather than direct an artist, creating an environment where artists can do their best work.

Founders Pamela Paulson and Renee Bott were trained to help artists explore the parameters of this unique art form. Paulson and Bott gained invaluable experience working as master printers under the tutelage of Kathan Brown at Crown Point Press. While there they worked with a broad range of artists including John Cage, Richard Diebenkorn, Judy Pfaff, Pat Steir, and Wayne Thiebaud. Paulson holds an MFA in painting from the San Francisco Art Institute and Bott holds an MFA in printmaking and drawing from the California College of Arts. http://www.paulsonbottpress.com.

Delicious Debut Fiction from Superb Southern Voices Authors Reading in Atlanta on January 21

2010-01-20T13:32:00.001-05:00

Delicious Debut Fiction from Superb Southern Voices Authors Reading in Atlanta on January 21

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Seven New Books Celebrate African American Identity

2010-01-11T17:22:00.001-05:00

Seven New Books Celebrate African American Identity

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Puppies, Prozac and Humor - The Bright and Dark Sides of Dog Companions

2009-12-31T10:50:00.001-05:00

Puppies, Prozac and Humor - The Bright and Dark Sides of Dog Companions

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2010 Calendars with a Charitable Twist a Real Resolution

2009-12-28T11:54:00.001-05:00

2010 Calendars with a Charitable Twist a Real Resolution

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StoryCorps booths preserve past, present | accessAtlanta

2009-11-09T12:45:00.003-05:00

StoryCorps booths preserve past, present | accessAtlanta

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The Social Media Bible a How-to that's Darn Right

2009-11-08T17:26:00.001-05:00

The Social Media Bible a How-to that's Darn Right

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October is National Book Club Month - Eat, Read, Discuss Together

2009-10-05T13:35:00.001-04:00

October is National Book Club Month - Eat, Read, Discuss Together

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New Gee's Bend Quilt Kits & Fabrics

2009-09-29T15:41:00.004-04:00

Deep Fried Kudzu

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Project Mayhem

2009-09-23T16:23:00.000-04:00

Project Mayhem

QUILTERS OF GEE’S BEND & WINDHAM FABRICS ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP

2009-09-23T14:38:00.002-04:00

GEE’S BEND, AL – (September 23, 2009) – Just in time for the holiday season Gee’s Bend and Baum Textiles/Windham Fabrics announce a partnership to present four quilt kits and 19 Gee’s Bend solids. The kits and solids will be shipping to quilt stores worldwide in November 2009. The quilt kits include instructions, fabric for the quilt tops and binding; batting, backing; thread, needles, and thimble are additional. The suggested retail price for the quilt kits is $60 to $70 and the suggested retail price for Gee’s Bend Solids is $9/yard. For a full list of colors, kits and retailers please visit http://www.baumtextile.com/cgi-bin/fabricshop/gallery.cgi?Category=399 or www.windhamfabrics.com. “It is our pleasure to encourage every quilter to be inspired by the vision and courage of these modern quilting pioneers, and create their own masterpiece,” states Windham Fabrics.

Based on designs by acclaimed Gee’s Bend Quilters, Mary Lee Bendolph, Mary L. Bennett, Qunnie Pettway and Rita Mae Pettway, Windham Fabrics encourages “every quilter to be inspired by the vision and courage of these modern quilting pioneers.” The four quilters will share a percentage of the royalties with The Gee’s Bend Quilters Collective and The Gee’s Bend Foundation.

According to Windham, “we have recreated the genius that this group of quilters in rural Alabama has made famous. Every bit of the distinctive style that has made these remarkable quilts come alive is now available in a kit from Windham Fabrics.”

The Strips and Strings quilt kit is based on Mary Lee Bendolph’s design of that name. The manufacturer’s style is # 30552 and the final quilt measures 75” x 50”. Mrs. Bendolph (b. 1935), the 7th of 17 children, descends from generations of accomplished quilt makers. She learned to quilt from her mother, Aolar Mosely and a network of aunts and female in-laws. She worked in the Alabama fields and attended school intermittently until she was 14, when she began her own family. Bendolph was one of many Gee’s Benders who accompanied Martin Luther King Jr. in his march at Camden, AL in 1965. Her quilt making style marries a flair for improvisation to traditional construction techniques that emphasize rectangles and squares. Her minimalist patches, small compositions of cloth, build to create intricate overall compositions that contain humorous touches and autobiographical references.

Housetop 4-Block Variation is 57” x 65” and styled after the work by the same name by Mary L. Bennett – manufacturers style # 30550. Mrs. Bennett (b. 1942), granddaughter of Delia Bennett (1892-1976) ancestor of many quilt makers in Gee’s Bend. Mary L. Bennett pieces primarily “Housetop” and “Bricklayer” compositions and imaginative variations on them. “I was born down here in Brown Quarters and got raised by my grandmother. I started out working in the fields for my uncle Stalling Bennett. I didn’t get no schooling – every now and then a day here and there. Didn’t nobody teach me to make quilts. I just learned it by myself, about 12 or 13. I was seeing my grandmamma piecing it up, and then I start. I just taken me some pieces and put it together, piece them up till they look like I want them to look. That’s all," states Mary L. Bennett.

Lazy Gal Variation, based on the design of the same name by Qunnie Pettway measures 52 “x 62” – manufacturers style # 30549. Mrs. Pettway (b. 1943) is the great-granddaughter of Dinah Miller who is said to have arrived in the United States aboard a slave ship from Africa -- the Clotilde that docked in Mobile Bay, Alabama prior to the Civil War. Qunnie learned to quilt House Tops under the tutelage of her mother, Candis Pettway. In 1960 after she married, she found her unique artistic voice and began making patterned quilts including Wedding Ring - which she learned from her sister - Chestnut Bud, Bear Paw and Crazy Z. Qunnie's daughter, Loretta P. Bennett is one of the youngest quilters actively creating extraordinary quilts today.

Housetop, measuring 52” x 64” is based on the same titled design by Rita Mae Pettway – manufacturers style # 30551. Mrs. Pettway (b. 1941) made her first quilt at the age of 14. She was raised by her grandmother, quiltmaker Annie E. Pettway, and still lives in the house that her grandfather built for the family in the 1940s. "Onliest thing we did after everything else was done, we sit by the fireplace in the wintertime and piece up quilts. Me and my grandmama Annie. She didn't have no pattern to go by; she just cut them by the way she know how to make them," says Rita Mae. Piecing quilts, according to Rita Mae, was done individually but quilting "we all did together." Rita Mae, along with her ancestors and her daughter, renowned quilter Louisiana Bendolph share a penchant for creating strip quilts in concentric squares resulting in Housetops or Hog Pens, each artist though has a unique style and variation on the theme.

About the Gee’s Bend Quilters

Gee’s Bend, a miniscule rural community, is nestled into a curve in the Alabama River southwest of Selma, Alabama. Founded in antebellum times on the site of cotton plantations owned by Joseph Gee, the town’s women developed a distinctive, bold, and sophisticated quilting style with a geometric simplicity reminiscent of Modern Art. The women of Gee’s Bend passed their skills and aesthetic down through multiple generations to the present and in 2002, an exhibition of 70 quilt masterpieces from the Bend, organized by Tinwood Alliance of Atlanta, Georgia, premiered at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. Since then, “The Quilts of Gee’s Bend” exhibition has been presented at more than a dozen major museums, including the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. Newsweek, NPR, CBS News Sunday Morning, House and Garden, and Oprah’s O Magazine are just a few of the hundreds of print and broadcast media organizations that have celebrated the quilts and history of this unique town. Art critics worldwide have compared the quilts to the works of important modern artists, such as Henri Matisse, and the New York Times called the quilts “some of the most miraculous works of modern art America has produced.” For more information, visit www.quiltsofgeesbend.com.

About the Manufacturer

A family run business since 1955, Baum Textile Mills, Inc. has produced the finest quality WinterFleece™, flannel and Flurr™ fabrics for the home sewing industry. In 1995, after recognizing a need for more quality quilting and crafting fabrics, Baum began to add beautiful cotton sheetings to its collections and saw the popularity of these lines grow rapidly. In response to this growing market, Baum decided to focus its efforts on the needs of the independent quilt shops and introduced a new division, Windham Fabrics. Working extensively with quilt historians, industry experts, an in-house design studio, and well-known designers from all around the world, Windham Fabrics has become a leader in the marketplace. Known for its authentic reproductions of antique fabrics, Windham also offers florals, textures, retro and many other fabric collections exclusively for quilt shops only.

Coco Chanel Three Weeks 1962

2009-09-10T17:48:00.001-04:00

Coco Chanel Three Weeks 1962

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Fourth Annual Decatur Book Festival

2009-09-01T13:41:00.001-04:00

Fourth Annual Decatur Book Festival

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Quilts of Gee's Bend and Baum Textiles Introduce Quilt Kits

2009-08-31T19:03:00.003-04:00

The Quilters of Gee's Bend and Baum Textile Mills announce their collaboration on Quilt kits based on designs by Mary Lee Bendolph, Qunnie Pettway, Rita Mae Pettway and Mary L. Bennett. The four kits and 19 Gee's Bend solid fabrics sold by the yard should hit stores late November/early December. More than a year in the making we are thrilled that this has come to fruition. A percentage of sales will be given (as a royalty) to the four women, the Gee's Bend Quilters Collective and the Gee's Bend Foundation.

South of Broad by Pat Conroy

2009-08-11T16:01:00.001-04:00

South of Broad by Pat Conroy

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Salute the Right Sex

2009-08-06T14:22:00.001-04:00

Salute the Right Sex

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Driftwood Summer by Patti Callahan Henry

2009-08-03T17:21:00.001-04:00

Driftwood Summer by Patti Callahan Henry

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Undone by Karin Slaughter

2009-07-30T17:31:00.001-04:00

Undone by Karin Slaughter

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Etiquette App Debuts for iPhone and iTouch

2009-07-13T18:41:00.001-04:00

Etiquette App Debuts for iPhone and iTouch

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Howard Dean's Prescription for Real Healthcare Reform

2009-07-09T14:11:00.002-04:00

Healthcare reform plays a major role in discussions and the media today, but it is confusing, overwhelming, boring and seemingly unsolvable to most people. Howard Dean presents the problems and solutions in plain language in his new book, Howard Dean's Prescription for Real Healthcare Reform. For Dr. Dean’s appearance schedule please visit the publisher’s website

Hear someone utter the word Healthcare and the emotion that rises up and continues to spiral nearly out of control is anger. Dean writes, “according to a recent report from the Center for American Progress, in March 2009 alone almost 11,000 workers a day lost their health insurance.” Do the math and the anger turns to outrage – 341,000 people lost their health insurance in a 31-day period.

There are “47 million Americans who don’t have health insurance. But the healthcare debate should also focus on the fact that 25 million working-aged Americans have health insurance but still cannot’ afford to see a doctor,” states Dean in his introduction. Terrifying statistics compounded by information from the Commonwealth Fund, “many go without needed care, not filling prescriptions, and not following up on recommended treatment.”

Howard Dean is eminently qualified to write about healthcare reform for several reasons. He is graduated from Yale in 1971 with a BA in Political Science. He received his medical degree from Columbia University during which he spent one month at the American Medical Association following Senators Jacob Javits and Ted Kennedy as they attempted to create a healthcare bill during President Carter’s first term. His was elected the first Democratic Governor of Vermont since 1853. His efforts during his Governorship insured that 99% of Vermont citizens under the age of 18 had access to healthcare coverage, expanded prenatal care, community health centers and dental clinics in schools serving low-income children.

But it is his one simple statement at the end of the preface that says it all. “All change grows from the grass roots. Real healthcare reform won’t happen without you.” He is clearly directing his thoughts at the everyman/woman – he is writing for the people who need healthcare insurance or worry that their insurance will come to an end due to loss of job or steep rate increases.

Dean clarifies, finally a politician that realizes what the people want to hear and how they want to hear it, the difference between healthcare reform and health insurance reform. “So, the real debate about healthcare reform is not a debate about how large a role government should play. The real issue is: Should we give Americans under the age of sixty-five the same choice we give Americans over sixty-five? Should we give all Americans a choice of opting out of the private health insurance system and benefitting from a public health insurance plan?”

He further states, brilliantly making his point absolutely current, “Americans ought to be able to decide for themselves: Is private health insurance really health insurance? Or is it simply an extension of thing that have been happening on Wall Street over the past five to ten years, in which private corporations find yet new and ingenious ways of taking money from ordinary citizens without giving them the services they’ve paid for?” Does the Madoff ponzi scheme ring a bell here? Money invested with absolutely no return on investment not to mention complete loss of all funds. Who hasn’t paid for insurance month after month and not received coverage when they needed it the most?

Dean details the profit vs. care issue and succinctly discusses the problems with private, for-profit insurances companies that “must meet two obligations that are often mutually exclusive.” These private behemoths are responsible for maximizing profits for their shareholders while shouldering the responsibility for good service to their customers. Is this even possible given the way private health insurance companies are structured coupled with the lobbyists who ensure that they have more or less free-reign with blatant disregard for the welfare of their enrollees.

Chapters cover the trials of small business owners and individuals and uses real-life examples to drive home the point. He strongly states that “America most shift from an illness-based healthcare system to a wellness-based model.” He writes of the necessity to change the national lifestyle toward one of prevention and healthier living. A goal that neither political party nor business or individuals could argue with – who wouldn’t want to be healthy?

Dean covers the challenges briefly but completely and spends a good portion of the book providing solutions. “Americans need real healthcare reform, not just insurance reform, and nobody should mistake the two,” he states. “Real healthcare reform should offer coverage to the employed, the unemployed, the sick, the healthy, the young, the old. Everyone.”

He puts forth five sound and achievable principles that “real healthcare reform must include.” Everybody In, Nobody Out; No more Healthcare Bankruptcies: Take it to Go; Choose or Lose and Improved Care, Quality and Efficiency. He reviews President Obama’s healthcare initiative; how to control costs; developing a revenue stream to pay for the initiative; and “who’s been standing in the way.”

Dean avows that change is possible through the citizens, calling for change and action. He writes of how this affects people in different walks of life and details, “What you deserve, and should fight for.” He staunchly recommends how citizens can and should take action; educate themselves; contact their local and national officials; contact corporations and organizations and keep the conversation going until change happens.

The last sentence makes Dean’s position clear, “Fights like this are won by ordinary people who decide that they care enough about something to fight for it.” Prescription for Real Healthcare Reform should be required reading for every American over the age of 18. This is the most comprehensive and accessible presentation of a situation that deeply affects each one of us.

About the author:

Physician Howard Dean is the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee. He served six terms as Governor of Vermont and ran for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in 2004. Dean founded, Democracy for America, a grassroots effort that organizes community activists, trains staff and endorses progressive candidates.

Photo Credit: Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images
Cover Design: Peter Holm

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Skin & Bones

2009-01-08T12:58:00.000-05:00

A month had passed and I had learned enough Spanish and been to the supermarket enough with my husband that I could venture out on my own to shop for lunch – or so I thought. One of the cultural traditions that I truly enjoyed in my adopted country was the siesta – a two hour break each day for lunch when husbands would return home – this phenomenon cut the loneliness that pervaded my early days living at the end of the Baja peninsula in 1995.

Setting off down the street toward the one traffic light in town, I drove my white VW around chickens, roosters and the neighborhood strays. San Jose del Cabo, the “real” Mexican town on the other side of the 15 mile corridor from Cabo San Lucas of “Love Boat” fame was a hamlet of unmarked streets without stop signs – perilous for most and unnerving for a New Yorker.

Arriving at the one supermarket just west of the Pacific Ocean, I parked and entered feeling confident and wifely. Fresh vegetables and fruit were a snap, I just selected what I wanted – no conversation needed other than an infrequent “permiso” if I wanted to get by another woman. Other than the workers there wasn’t a man in sight. A handful of Serrano peppers and the divine Mexican tomatoes and a large white (really white) onion – the three basic ingredients of salsa needed to make a meal complete – were easy to scoop up and put in the basket. I started to feel at home. Certainly easier than running a New York City public relations & marketing agency – this life seemed to be a snap.

Off to the deli counter to order some cheese – I just needed a bit but suddenly realized that the only weight for sliced goods that I had learned was “un quarto.” But a quarter of what? A pound, a kilo, I had no idea. Soon enough I had a quarter kilo of soft creamy ricotta-like cheese, enough for the entire convent located just across the street from my home.

Standing still in the middle of the aisle – sneering looks coming at me like arrows – my black jeans and t-shirt obviously inappropriate in the middle of the day – was I the only woman in the market wearing pants? I considered the in-store bakery or the panaderia closer to home and probably fresher. But the 112º heat of the day was fast approaching – it was past Noon – lunch didn’t begin until 2pm – there was no way to leave the groceries in the car without the air-conditioning and so the bakery a few aisles over was my next destination. It was easy enough to order cuatro bolillos – the soft crusty rolls that the middle and upper classes ate with meals instead of tortillas.

Now for the challenging part of the expedition, ordering the chicken from the butcher. Time and again I had watched my husband (now my ex) order skinless, boneless chicken breasts. Waiting my turn I practiced in my head, “por favor, dos pechugas des pollo, sin hueso y sin piel,” I chanted. Soon I was up at bat and repeated the phrase I had committed to memory. The butcher smiled and nodded. I murmured “gracias” as he handed me the package wrapped in neat white paper. Score! I had done the shopping and was soon in line to check-out. Who says a New York Jewess couldn’t move to a rural town in Mexico, learn the language and chill out while making lunch for her new husband? I was queen of my world and couldn’t wait to return home and start cooking.

Arriving home I quickly stowed my bounty in the refrigerator and took Chloe, my shih-tzu for a walk – my best friend in this desolate town –she deserved this and so much more. The hum of women cooking and the luscious aromas sailing out of kitchen windows was around us challenged only by the bougainvillea that grew like a majestic weed throughout Mexico. For the first time in weeks my breath was unlabored and the anxiety that had become my constant companion seemed to abate.

Back home I removed from the refrigerator the items necessary to make lunch, starting the water boiling for rice and washing the vegetables and fruit. It was then that I discovered the secret of the white wrapped paper package – I had a bag of bones and skin – not a sliver of chicken breast in sight. Tears rolling down my face I thought of calling my mother but our phone hadn’t been installed yet (this took 3 months and $2,500 to accomplish). What to do?

There wasn’t enough time to run back to the supermarket, I needed to make a meal now. I then heard the soft singing of our housekeeper, she came daily and usually was in and out so quietly I hardly knew she was around. I found her in the master bedroom changing the sheets. She looked at me and said, “Si Senora?” But I found myself struck dumb, could I tell her what I needed? I had failed miserably at buying lunch, what made me think I could explain this to her and ask her advice. Pulling myself together, I muttered through tears the dilemma. A smile spread across her face as she announced, “cuando tiene piel y huesos hay solamente una causa que puede hacer, sopa de pollo.” Of course, chicken soup, why didn’t I think of that?

A pot, some water, the skin, bones, onions, tomato, cilantro, salt, pepper and the stock was boiling. When the rice was finished I tossed this into the soup pot, stirred and added a little more salt. I cut tortillas into strips and toasted them. Avocado cut into chunks, grated white cheese. Now it was time to set the table, an extraordinary wood and glass dining set that had been a wedding present from my husband’s friends at work. Chop the Serranos trying not to rub my eyes as I excavated each and every seed, then mixed with chopped onion and tomato and a sprinkling of fresh cilantro. Lunch was nearly finished as the key turned in the door.

Many months later I told my husband the tale of the first lunch I made totally on my own. Just one of many insane or hilarious, or were they insanely hilarious moments, that peppered my time in Mexico, not only a country away from the United States but a world away from my culture, my city, my beloved New York.

# # #

Savannah on My Mind

2009-01-08T12:43:00.000-05:00

Arriving in Savannah, Georgia mid-afternoon on an unseasonably cold and rainy day in October the warmth of the taxi dispatcher washed away the aura of anger reverberating from my fellow flyers. Hearing my accent, the dispatcher - Norman Whipple – knew I was from New York and presented me with his business card indicating that he was Georgia’s Regional Director of The Guardian Angels. Suddenly I felt at home – now I had two angels in Savannah; Mr. Whipple and the renowned statue that graces the cover of John Berendt’s true crime tome, “Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil,” that brought international acclaim to this sweet southern town. This was just the first in many coincidences.

The Catherine Ward House was my first outpost. Leslie the proprietor, who is warm and offbeat, puts the quirk in quirky, but her knowledge of who to see and where to eat are encyclopedic. The bed & breakfast is idyllic, beautifully appointed, the rooms and baths spacious, clean and luxurious and centrally located. Each morning chefs studying at the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) arrive to prepare breakfast for the lodgers; fresh fruit; orange walnut French toast – hard to put my fork down but reminding myself I had many more meals to go before the day was over.

Visiting a long list of museums, historic homes, art galleries and Savannah’s amazing culinary trail what comes to the fore rather quickly is the residents fervent protection of Savannah’s legacy coupled with Southern eccentricities. The 2.5 square miles of the Historic District of Savannah may sound diminutive but a week is not nearly enough to walk through every park; dine in each exceptional restaurant; drink at each bar; shop; sightsee; visit museums and get to know the people who make the town tick. Savannah takes its role as the belle of the south quite seriously and private and government funds and elbow grease have been dedicated to restoring and up-keeping of, according to the Convention & Visitors Bureau, is the largest urban historic district tin the United States with its stately homes (many open to the public) and 22 lush green public squares and parks.

Each square has a unique style that tips its hat in homage to local, national and international heroes as well as local scandals. From Troup Square (new-age-y in feel) to the classic Bull Street (the dividing line between east and west) Squares, lovingly captured in “The Movie” shot on site in 1997, just one of the 20 movies filmed in Savannah. On a morning stroll I encountered a trio of women deep in search of “Forest Gump’s” bench. With a pride that came out of nowhere (Savannah had apparently wrapped me in her loving arms) I explained that this was indeed Chippewa Square where the bench was located in the movie, but that it was now on view at the Savannah Historical Museum. The Spanish moss dripping from the majestic oak trees shade the squares from the southern sun creating a dramatic green canopy over the city.

Just a few days before Halloween, it was clear to see how much fun the locals have (any reason to celebrate is welcome in Savannah) – dogs and cats dressed to the nines sauntered through the squares and shops, urging their owners along to the next outstretched hand bearing a treat.

To say that dogs are important in Savannah is an understatement after spending an hour with attorney Sonny Seiler – owner of Uga, the English bulldog mascot for the University of Georgia – his attire is hand sewn by a professional local seamstress. Don’t make the mistake of calling Uga cute in Seiler’s presence – noble, tenacious, strong are terms better suited and nearly demanded by the imposing elder statesman. When not attending games and writing books about Uga (I came away from the visit with an autographed copy of “Damn Good Dogs!”) Seiler is a prominent attorney best known for defending Jim Williams who was tried for the murder depicted in “Midnight of the Garden of Good & Evil”; though Seiler played the role of the judge in “The Movie.”

I had the temerity to ask Seiler to name another case that he would like to be remembered for and he cited the intellectual property trial regarding the trademark Vidalia Onions; properly pronounced “Vie-dahl-ya” according to Seiler. As with so many experiences with Savannah personalities, spending time with Seiler was like peek inside an exclusive men’s club with a character right out of an ante bellum novel. “Williams – who died of congestive heart failure eight months after being released from prison -- was “being tried for being homosexual not for murder,” stated Seiler who worked diligently reminding the city of how much Williams did to restore the many buildings including Seiler’s elegant office. Near the end of our visit Swan, Seiler’s daughter, Director of Public Relations for Georgia Power, popped her head in to say hello and a softer glimpse of this good ole boy brought the hour full circle. “We’ve got it all right here in Savannah,” says Seiler more than proud of his hometown and his family including seven grandchildren – none of which are attorneys.

Savannah is home to more than 10 major festivals annually and October features the Savannah Film & Video Festival (produced by SCAD and citing attendance of 40,000 this year) and Oktoberfest. In the spring Ron Gibson runs the music festival which is “absolutely fabulous,” according to Esther Shaver. There’s a yuletide tour of Historic Homes (Jingle Bells was written in Savannah); the infamous St. Patrick’s Day Parade in March; the Gay Pride Parade and many more. Savannah lays claim to being the city that invented the “to-go” cup as the law allows one to drink openly in public and the locals and visitors enjoy this option with abandon.

Savannah has been dubbed America’s Most Haunted City. And, I was informed that my room at the President’s Quarters (a luxurious duplex suite) was haunted. Had a ghost arrived in my room he would have found me in a deep sleep from all the walking and dining. If ghosts, goblins and ghouls intrigue you then Savannah serves up the right pinch of otherworldliness with walking lantern tours, rides in a converted hearse; a haunted pub crawl and the thousands of ghost stories told by those who dwell among the spirits.

The only time a car was needed was for a brief day-excursion to Tybee Island – via the Bonaventure Cemetery, where the brave were having cocktails on All-Hallows eve. I had the best “low-country boil” at The Crab Shack in Tybee. Also known as Beaufort Stew or Frogmore Stew, this simple one-pot meal includes shrimp, potatoes, corn, onions, and sausage – and each chef has their own secret ingredients which none would divulge.

Savannah is the culinary capital of the American South and has its own unique way with local fish and spices realized in recipes handed down from generation to generation at places such as Mrs. Wilke’s Boarding House; The Lady & Son’s (Food Network TV’s Paula Deen’s family run boite) to the Pink House, home-made chocolates and roasted pralines with southern flair. The Mellow Mushroom is the best pizza shop in town and dinner at Alligator Soul is a must if you are celebrating as the chef serves dessert amidst a highly creative flaming circle. Dining at Chef Chris DiNello’s ringside table in the kitchen is just one more reason to visit. Dinner and live music at Jazz’d Tapas Bar is also a relaxing way to end the day or rev up for an evening of live music at several venues.

Arrive early to stand on line at Mrs. Wilkes as lunch is the only meal served and reservations are not accepted. Lunch is $16 for all you can eat and cash is the only form of payment accepted. At 11:30 a.m. on the dot the staff leads the diners in prayer and the onslaught of hearty dishes served family style descend on the table. This meal is worth every calorie and every penny. One of my table mates, when noticing how shy I was about asking for the dishes to be passed stated that it was okay, “to reach across the table as long as one foot remained on the floor,” – must be where the term “boarding house reach” evolved from. The menu that day included a true southern repast: fried chicken, black eyed pea, creamed corn, red rice, collard greens, raisin, carrot & pineapple salad, butter beans, beef stew, mashed potatoes, okra, biscuits, cornbread, the list goes on including a superbly light and not overly sweet banana pudding for dessert. But the staff doesn’t let grass grow under the diner’s feet as customers “bus” their own dishes back to the kitchen before lining up to pay for the meal.

Several cooking schools offer programs for locals and visitors. I joined a group at the 700 Kitchen Cooking School at the Mansion on Forsyth Park (ultra-luxurious hotel). Chef Darin Sehnert leads one of the most entertaining and instructional hands-on classes this writer has ever attended. “No grits, no cake” is his cri de Coeur and the Yankee in me rebelled until I hesitantly tested his truly creamy grits. In any case the students and I would have spooned up dirt in order to get to Pecan Praline Angel Food Cake for dessert. Chef Sehnert, with a wink, says that “the Pecan Glaze constitutes Georgia’s four major food groups: butter, flour, maple syrup and pecans – just add bacon for a full day’s nutrients.”

After several years as director of food services at SCAD, Chef Joe Randall opened his cooking school in a one-room cottage just outside the historic district. A u-shaped counter serves as seating for students and the friendliest man not born in the south teaches everything from the basics to the ins and outs of southern cooking. “Low country cooking is rice-based,” says Chef Randall. “Africans were brought to the south to plant, tend and harvest rice and rice was served at every meal,” he continued. One-pot meals are a southern staple and Chef Randall’s Purlu stew elevates the one-pot to a gourmet meal including rice, oysters, shrimp, ham and bacon all simmered together. Georgia’s oldest African American community is in Savannah where the Gullah and Geechee people, descendants of African slaves, infused the area with their own food, music, religion and culture. A third cooking school is ensconced in a superb shop, Kitchens on the Square, features group and private classes.

SCAD, celebrating its 30th year, is a vital catalyst in the community bringing students and visitors from around the world to study at largest art school in the United States. SCAD injects creativity, youth and vigor into the community. The Gryphon Tea Room is one of four restaurants owned and operated by SCAD. The school’s Executive Director of Communications, Leanne Hand, met me at The Gryphon where we discussed the film festival over coffee and discovered that we lived just blocks apart in Atlanta where SCAD opened for classes in 2005. It’s the place for incredible macaroni and cheese on a cold afternoon and flakey croissants in the morning. Walking back in the early evening from a student art exhibition at Alexander Hall, Lulu’s Chocolate Bar was an oasis of plump, sweet dark chocolate covered strawberries a perfect interlude before dinner.

Culture, most specifically art, architecture and garden tours are one of the highlights of a trip to Savannah. 45 cultural and historical attractions include the Telfair Museum of Art (the oldest art museum in the South); the world-class contemporary art-filled Jepson Center for the Arts where Gospel Brunch on Sundays is the only place to be and the museum has several excellent children’s exhibition areas and an outstanding museum shop. The Telfair’s Executive Director, Stephen High, returned to Savannah in 2006 to take the post. During our visit he mentioned that his first job as a student was at The Telfair – another coincidence and one more person who has left the area and returned to participate in a city that is continuing to grow while maintaining strong ties to its history. The mission of The Telfair is to collect and exhibit art from the three centuries of Savannah’s existence and a $15 pass admits one to all three buildings (The Jepson, The Telfair and Owens-Thomas House). There is also a civil rights museum and a maritime museum in town.

The people are Savannah’s greatest treasure and on a sunny afternoon I met Stratton Leopold whose family has been in town since 1919. A successful Hollywood producer (Mission Impossible 3 – Paramount’s largest budget film ever made), Mr. Leopold has re-opened his family’s ice cream shop on Savannah’s main boulevard, Broughton Street. “Savannah is home,” said Leopold, “it’s what grounds me.” Chatting while he scooped ice cream for his guests, “made with cane sugar, no trans fats and egg yolks as emulsifiers instead of chemicals.” Following a shrimp sandwich of locally caught shrimp, I tasted the homemade coffee, pistachio and SCAD’s commemorative flavor, Sourwood Honey amidst Hollywood posters and old fashioned movie cameras. As one conversation leads to another, Leopold mentioned his favorite Greek Restaurant in town, Olympia Café on River Street. And the talk turned to Avgolemono soup, a recipe for traditional Greek Chicken soup that I have been perfecting over the years. Leopold and his wife Mary are of Greek descent and an invitation for dinner was proffered for a few days hence. It seems in Georgia that a stranger is just a friend one hasn’t met yet.

Leopold is currently at work on a documentary (Clint Eastwood is Executive Producer) about one of Savannah’s brightest stars, Johnny Mercer, who swept floors at Leopold’s Ice Cream shop at the age of 11, for a dime a day. The film will debut next year, the centennial of Mercer’s birth, along with a series of events indicating a perfect time to plan a visit to the area.

For those who prefer outdoor activities there are more than 30 golf courses; Tybee Island (Savannah’s beach area on the Atlanta Ocean); fishing; dolphin tours; hiking; biking; canoeing and kayaking. Strolling along the waterfront on River Street where restaurants inhabit restored cotton warehouses and live music abounds.

If shopping is one’s brand of relaxation there are antique shops, galleries and shops selling handcrafted items along with City Market, a pedestrian mall, which includes the artist’s colony, restaurants and shops. Savannah Artworks is one of the most interesting shops. According to owner Beth Martin, she sells “functional, folksy art for regular folks.” Hand forged oyster knives; bags and t-shirts made from recycled materials, paintings, sculptures and other must-have items made by Georgia artists are her stock in trade. Shaver’s bookstore was a pioneer retailer in the historic district when it debuted in 1975 and Mrs. Shaver is a fountain of great reading recommendations and knowledge about Savannah. While browsing I discovered a new illustrated version of the writer’s companion, “
The Elements of Style,” and couldn’t resist adding it to my collection. A quick visit to Deborah and Shane Sullivan’s The Book Gift Shop opened my eyes to the variety of things one can create to market a brand – the shop sells all things concerning “Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil” from the book, to cds, clothing, brick-a-brac and other items to silly to mention.

Harriet Meyerhoff is second generation in Savannah; a city she says was built on religious tolerance. Touring with Mrs. Meyerhoff was more like a friendly drive around town than a formal tour for which she is known. Relating facts and figures of interest (the first white child born in Savannah was Jewish) she escorted me through the synagogue (the oldest in the South founded in 1733 when a ship carrying 41 Sephardic Jews made land) and other Jewish-related icons and stops in town before dropping me off at the annual Jewish Food Festival. I sipped an authentic New York egg cream made with Fox’s U-bet Chocolate syrup, seltzer and whole milk while strolling and listening to live music. Good thing I was clocking about 20 miles a day on foot as gaining information (not weight) was the order of the day. Coincidence number 2; the gentleman who served me a hot dog was none other than Ron Schwartz, the father-in-law of a dear friend from Miami.

Just off Monterey Square is V&J Duncan’s Antique Maps, Prints and Bookstore where John and Virginia Duncan’s Cavalier King Charles spaniels, Emma and Sally, greet browsers. Like other residents, the Duncans had small speaking parts in “The Movie,” and to date has sold 12,000 copies of the book. “Savannahians are house-proud,” says John Duncan as he escorts me on an impromptu tour of his four-story home atop the shop; built in 1869, remodeled in 1897 and purchased by the Duncans in 1976. “People who live in houses with stairs live longer,” states the 71-year old Duncan. Stepping out onto the porch overlooking a sumptuous garden a bloom with roses and a bubbling fountain I am entranced and concur when Mr. Duncan avows that, “heaven will be a disappointment.” Just before leaving, Mrs. Duncan reminds me to visit The Telfair Museum where their collection of silhouette art is currently on display.

Speaking of “The Book” just one final time, a trip to Savannah isn’t complete without a tour of The Mercer House (built in 1860) the backdrop to the murder that inspired both the book and the movie. Take the guided tour with Marsha Dodd who has been a docent since the beginning. Jim Williams who singlehandedly restored many of the elegant homes designed an incredible home at Mercer House both serious and humorous in décor. His sister, Dorothy Williams Kingery, resides in the house to this day and if one is still her voice and movements above the main floor, the only part open to visitors, can be heard.

After a day of walking and films it was time for a bite and I stopped into the much-lauded 45 Bistro. While the bar was open the restaurant was closed because its culinary team was providing the fare at the film festival. Southern hospitality sprang anew when the bartender ordered a pizza from Vinny-a-Go-Go’s delivered to me right at the bar – service indeed!

Always independent I was one of the few young women for whom the Girl Scouts held no interest – but decades later after spending a few hours with Fran Powell Harold, the Director of the Girl Scouts, I changed my mind and was enamored of Juliette Gordon Low – who founded the Girl Scouts in Savannah in 1912 – one of the first truly integrated organizations in the south.

Mrs. Gordon Low – Daisy to her friends and family -- was born in Savannah and her home is now a museum and the national program headquarters of the Girl Scouts. What turned the tide was the telling by Mrs. Harold of the inception of the Girl Scouts. Mrs. Gordon Low was in London at a dinner party – chatting amiably with the man seated next to her. As the story goes, she was in an unhappy marriage and casting about for something to do that would truly make a difference in the world. Her dinner companion introduced her to the concept of the Boy Scouts which had recently formed in London and she realized that this was her answer; creating an organization that would prepare young women for a life beyond the home – a way for young women to support and care for themselves – a truly forward thinking concept given the year. Who couldn’t suddenly adore a woman who had everything, didn’t need to accomplish anything as her role in society was set and yet she put her efforts and her money into creating an organization that is still going strong internationally nearly 100 years hence?

The United States Army outpost in Savannah creates another unique group of residents – the military including spouses and children – add to the continental flavor of the city. Friendly and younger than I expected, Lt. Colonel Daniel W. Whitney, who runs the base, is very involved in the community. “Our soldiers volunteer to give back to community and many remain here long after their initial assignment because the quality of life and the superior public school system,” commented Whitney who is proud of the Base’s adopt-a-school mentoring program.

During recent months the electronic age has backfired on itself and the onslaught of bad news from the hi-tech universe of up-to-the-minute information about stock markets, banking institutions and corporations crashing creates the urge for a time and place of a gentler tone. Savannah, Georgia provides an authentic, elegant, down-to-earth genteel southern American experience that has enough to see and do to keep it truly interesting. With my return visit already in mind I keep the memories alive while replicating the recipes of Savannah’s finest chefs and restaurants in my formerly Yankee-oriented kitchen. Indeed, to echo John Duncan, heaven will certainly be a let down.

Purvis Young - Art & Opinion Magazine

2009-01-08T12:34:00.000-05:00

Arts and Opinion
Vol. 6, No. 3, 2007

[Purvis of Overtown is the name of the DVD that introduced me to a most remarkable artist -- Purvis Young. His art is not only vibrant, lively, and colourful, it’s also very difficult to categorize. I invite our readers to visit Purvis’s paintings on the internet at www.purvis-young.com as did I did; it will be a treat. The following article is by Dindy Yokel, a Florida art collector/agent and friend of Purvis Young. I thank her for taking the time to answer my questions about Purvis, his creativite life, the sort of life he leads and who collects his remarkable creations. Ed. Lydia Schrufer]

The Art of
PURVIS YOUNG

by
DINDY YOKEL
_____________
In the world through which I travel, I am endlessly creating myself.
Franz Fanon

Dressed in a paint-splattered Hawaiian shirt, Purvis Young is relaxing in an Adirondack chair at his studio in Ft. Lauderdale just 28.5 miles north of his studio in his town of Miami -- a place he longs to return to once his law suit with former business associate, Martin Siskind, is settled. The brilliant sunshine is no match for the smile on Young’s face. He is five months past his kidney transplant, feeling fit and looking far younger than his 64 years. He’s painting and there’s lightness in his voice, his touch and his being that hasn’t been there in decades.

The Rubell’s have recently donated 90+ pieces of Young’s work to the Tampa Museum of Art where they’ll be on exhibit until July 22, 2007. Other retrospectives are in the works as are major books chronicling Young’s career. Purvis of Overtown, released in 2006, is a superb documentary that has already garnered several well-deserved film festival awards.

Young is thankful for what he views as a second chance to do right by his father and the world around him. He is tired of listening to others and painting what they want – it’s his time to paint what he wants, how he wants. “I can't solve the world's problems. I paint the world's problems,” says Young.

In considering Young’s work, William Arnett, an expert in African American vernacular art and co-editor of Souls Grown Deep, Volume’s I and II (along with son Paul Arnett) says, “Almost every day, Young searches the streets of Overtown for materials to incorporate into his artwork.

Young’s paintings are more than paintings. They are assemblages made from an array of urban detritus carefully selected by the artist according to his sense of their aesthetic and philosophical compatibility. His haul may include plywood, broken furniture, mirrors, window shades, carpet scraps, splintered wood, metal trays, record albums, wallpaper samples, glass and paper correspondence, manila folders, bank statements, bills, memos -- thrown away by small manufacturing plants and offices still remaining on the fringes of the community. The materials are chosen for more than texture, colour, and form: Young considers each object’s original use, and in his final creation -- gathered, selected, arranged, nailed or glued together, painted, and framed -- each component carries its own subtle and highly esoteric definition.”

Environmentally conscious and unwilling to contribute to further deforestation, Young's canvases are made of recycled products including found wood, discarded library books, old political posters, used furniture and various surplus items from construction sites. Young's paint includes latex, acrylic, enamel and combinations of new paint blended with the old that he has had for over 25 years.

For decades people -- including Robert Man and ‘Papa’ -- have brought Young what many would consider trash; however the items are carefully culled according to the artist's specific needs. Even though he has plenty of raw materials stored up, he does not turn anyone away for in most cases they have walked many miles with these heavy items in tow; and in the case of Man and ‘Papa,’ they have been providing Young with the materials for 40+ years.

There are many who say that Young is too prolific, but in his own words, "people don't say that birds fly too much, that Shakespeare wrote too much or that opera singers sing too much. But, it don't bother me that they say I paint too much, I just paint what I see and feel."

Dr. Bernard Davis (deceased in 1973), owner of the Miami Museum of Modern Art, was among the first to collect Young's work and sponsored his very first exhibition. Davis discovered the artist in Goodbread Alley and became his champion, ensuring that he was well-stocked with painting supplies.

Out of necessity, Young has developed a complex painterly langauge in order to express what he sees and experiences in the world around him in all its unpretentious stark reality. His symbols convey the on-going economic and cultural divides so prevalent in Miami and beyond, through recurring images of black and white horses, pregnant women, highways and overpasses, convoys of trucks and trains, railroad tracks, airplanes, angels and Zulu warriors (whom he considers his tribe).

"My feeling was that the world might get better if I put up my protests (in the form of paintings)," said Young, in Bill Arnett's Souls Grown Deep: African American Vernacular Art. "Even if it didn't, it was something I had to be doing. I make like I'm a warrior, like God sending an angel to stop war, like in my art."

In 2005, after 14 years of blindness in the left eye, surgery performed by Dr. Carol L. Karp at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute has restored Young's sight. Young also had a pacemaker installed in 2006. Despite his varied illnesses, Young painted and studied the world’s history without stopping, so consumed with his art that he rarely saw the light of day.

* * * * *

Born on February 2, 1943 in Miami's Liberty City to Vera Mae Wright, Young learned the art of drawing as a little boy watching his maternal Uncle Irving, a figurative artist. This corrects the previously held belief that Young is an outsider or self-taught artist. His brother David, who passed away 10 years ago, was a cartoonist and painter: clearly art is an integral part of the family heritage.

Young attended school up to the 8th grade during which time he swam at Dixie Park (now called Gibson Park) and he was invited to paint a mural on the Overtown Library, adjacent to the pool. With the guidance of two of Miami-Dade Public Library System's finest, Barbara Young (Librarian Curator of the Permanent Collection, Art Services and Exhibitions Programs) and Margarita Cano (Administrator of Community Relations), Young buried himself amongst the books, hungry for knowledge that could explain the world to him.

Young, who prefers to be known solely as a painter, has recently been called an Urban Expressionist painter, a category much better suited to his body of work. When thinking of an outsider artist, the term generally reflects one who is naïve, isolated and disassociated from contemporary life; none of these terms is applicable to Young. The artist has spent countless hours studying the masters, especially Rubens, Van Gogh and Delacroix. He is passionate about the History Channel, Public Television, National Geographic Magazine and CNN. He devours news and history as a marathon runner gulps water – it is necessary to his life and his work. "I was put on this earth to paint, not to live," says Young.

For the first 50 years of his life, Young remained within the county lines of Miami. It was not until his 6th decade that he travelled to other states and cities and learned that he was famous, a fact he missed while art dealers encouraged him to seclude himself in his studio.

"I always made my own money, didn't want anyone else to pay for anything. I worked to support my habit and my habit is painting," explains Young. "There was an old man who owned The Palate in Wynwood, a shop that sold artists’ materials. He was always very nice to me and I have never forgotten this."

Young's common law wife has four daughters whom he has called his own since they were little. Of the seven grandchildren, two have already showed an interest in art.

Today, Young's work is in more than 60 public collections and numerous private ones; in 2006 alone he had six exhibitions. His work hangs in The Bass Museum of Art (Miami); American Folk Art Museum (New York); The Corcoran Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.); High Museum of Art (Atlanta): Lowe Art Museum (University of Miami); Museum of Fine Arts (Houston); New Orleans Museum of Art; Philadelphia Museum of Art; the Smithsonian American Art Museum among many others. On December 24, 2006, the Sun-Sentinel’s Emma Trelles named the Boca Raton Museum of Art's Purvis Young exhibition #1 in the art category for the year in South Florida

The Purvis Young Studio is located at 255 NW 23rd Street, Miami, Florida and is open by appointment by calling (786) 285-0034.

All images © Purvis Young

Gee's Bend - Art & Opinion Magazine

2009-01-08T12:33:00.001-05:00

Vol. 7, No. 1, 2008

Artistry We Take for Granted

HAVE QUILT WILL TRAVEL

[I’m talking about crafts as a creative art, but all too often summarily dismissed, that give us pleasure in our homes. Objects that, although of great beauty, are taken for granted as less important because they are utilitarian and therefore not considered art. We can derive great pleasure from these lovely objects, be it a well turned bowl or pitcher, a carving, a hand woven basket or an intricate, finely stitched quilt. We give even less thought, for the most part, to the creative artists who craft these objects so masterfully. Those artists take their works every bit as seriously as ‘fine artists’ whose work is framed and hung. It is for this reason that I was dismayed to hear about a law suit recently filed against the Arnett Family, who with the blessings of the local quilt makers, have written books, created documentaries, documented the quilts of Gee’s Bend Quilters Collective, curated museum exhibitions and organized programs that have introduced the women quilt makers and their art to the world. The lawsuit brought against the Arnetts negatively impacts the quilters by impeding sales and cancelling exhibitions. Dindy Yokel, who represents the quilters, tells it as she sees it. Lydia Schrufer, Arts Editor].

WHAT IS BUILT BY MANY MAY BE DESTROYED BY THE FEW

by
DINDY YOKEL

Hillary Clinton wrote, “it takes a village to raise a child.” And in Gee’s Bend it takes a village to create a body of art work spanning five generations. The quilts created by the women of Gee’s Bend have gone from beds to museums and gallery walls in less than a decade thanks to the dedication and selfless commitment of one family -- the Arnetts of Atlanta, Georgia.

But with the blink of an eye, three women have brought shame, lawsuits and loss of income to this tiny hamlet in rural Alabama, "alleging they have been inadequately compensated from royalty agreements."

In the 2nd quarter of 2007, Annie Mae Young and Loretta Pettway, two former members of the Gee’s Bend Quilters Collective, filed lawsuits* against the Arnetts. Not long after they were joined by Lucinda Franklin Pettway of Mobile, Alabama, who is neither a quilter nor resident of Gee’s Bend, but a descendant of a quilter.

Despite being mired in legal work, the Arnetts have continued their work on behalf of the quilters (45+ members in good standing of the Gee’s Bend Quilters Collective) with exhibitions currently at the Speed Museum of Art in Louisville, Kentucky and the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In celebration of the upcoming Black History Month (February 2008), the Arnetts arranged for AT&T to commission a quilt by the artists -- a glorious montage of individual squares created and quilted by all the women of the Gee’s Bend Collective -- a pure indication of what a village can do when it works together.

On January 10, the artists issued a press release showing their steadfast support of the Arnetts and their disagreement with the lawsuits and the women that filed them. The Arnetts are continuing to keep the artwork and tradition of Gee’s Bend alive and in the public eye.

* U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama - Northern District: Case # 07-317 Annie Mae Young Vs. Tinwood Ventures; Case # 07-423 Loretta Pettway Vs. Tinwood Ventures and Case # 07-438 Lucinda Pettway Franklin Vs. Tinwood Ventures.

Note: Dindy Yokel represents the Gee's Bend Foundation and the Arnetts and Tinwood.

Drumming and Dancing in Little Haiti

2009-01-08T11:41:00.001-05:00

The sun is setting in Little Haiti at Ray’s Farm where Kepler Philippe is tapping on his drum – amidst the goats, chickens, kittens and emus -- in preparation for playing with Papaloko’s band Loray Mistik. Philippe arrived in Miami via boat in 2000 and is currently studying criminal justice. He’s known in his hometown of Jeremie (in the South of Haiti) as the “Father of the Poor” though he’s not yet 30. He along with David Sylvain (who are 100% of the Vodou faith) run a charity called Copa which both seed from their pockets to feed the poor back in their island nation. Sylvain arrived in 2007 and is too shy to speak English as yet and communicates in French, Creole or through Philippe. His has a visual arts degree from Haiti and when not painting portraits for a living he is drumming with the band. Philippe also writes poetry in English, Creole and French and wants to educate people as he sees “education as the key to open the door.”

The arranger or Maestro as the band refers to him is Clark Cajuste. He was born in Port-au-Prince but travelled via plane to New York City and then to Miami where he grew up with his family. He is among the original band members and plays drums and keyboards – visually striking with long dredlocks, Cajuste’s smile is outshone by his eyes that dance along with the music. Togbivi, known as “Bivi” is the final drummer in the group – he arrived in Miami when he was 15 -- and is also among the founding members of the band. He is currently studying at university though the music to a song honoring the spirit Ogun soon put a stop to conversation.

The drumming takes off and Papaloko – dressed all in a flowing white tunic and pants has a small white triangular cap perched on his head – begins to sing and drum. Rena Llaves, who moved to Miami from New Mexico seven years ago – begins to dance and adds a percussive beat with a rattle from Brazil. Rena, who is of Navajo and Apache ancestry, met Papaloko through dance. Her heritage of dance she believes is similar to the Haitian dances as both cultures have a similar beat (Afro-centric according to Rena) dance for nature including dances for the rain, sunshine, love and in honor of their antecedents.

The guests have brought candles from Elsie’s botanica featuring the faces of the black and white spirits Erzuli Danto (more aggressive of the two) and Erzuli Freda (the most feminine of the spirits) along with a case of Heineken (the band’s drink of choice). The band is set-up on a rustic porch overlooking the barnyard and adjacent to a wooden house in charming disrepair. Ray, the owner of the farm is well-respected in Little Haiti though none could cite his last name. He has spent his own money buying up the crack houses, renovating them and renting them to new people who are making the north end of Little Haiti the next hot place to live in Miami.

Llaves and Papaloko move to the center and dance a sensual and inviting pattern that has the guests joining in before the sun completely moved down in the sky. Joy and peace light up the band’s faces and the easy laughter and teasing moves between them and the guests creating an honor of respite from the working day as the singers opine about “La Sirena que Bailan.”

Healer Ingrid Llera

2009-01-08T11:35:00.000-05:00

Many offer to perform traditional Haitian religious ceremonies but all in the know point to Ingrid Llera as the authentic “serviteur” or priestess/healer in the area. She arrived via boat by herself in Little Haiti at the age of 16 in 1980. The crossing took an agonizing 11 days but Ingrid had no doubt that she was going to make it, she “needed to make the journey to obtain the wisdom and respect for life,” that she passes to her three children and those who seek her counsel. Today she resides in Homestead (south Miami) with her husband, Ovia Alva (he arrived in 2004 also via a frightful boat trip) as the farming life and smaller community brings her “closer to Haiti” and yet she makes the hour drive to Little Haiti 3 to 4 times each week for cultural activities.

According to Ingrid, and echoed by many, in Vodou there’s no sexual discrimination – men and women are equals – racism doesn’t exist – spirits are black and white and even Indian – good and bad doesn’t exist. “Vodou is a place where people can express themselves and be respected regardless of sex or sexuality.” She visits all churches with her children, she wants them to be worldly and educated but “they know who they are.”

Amanda, one of Ingrid’s children, “has the calling” and will follow in Ingrid’s and her grandmother’s footsteps as serviteur. While chatting with Amanda she informs the visitor that her schoolmates ask her about her Vodou culture – some are afraid, some ask if it is witchcraft. She explains that it is a religion and a culture and she is very proud to be part of the next generation. Ingrid considers Vodou a “natural way of life that everyone, regardless of race or religion, has the energy inside of them,” she further states that Vodou is the religion of the “human race.”

Taking one’s nose out of the books it is back to Homestead for a ceremony in Ingrid Llera’s Peristyle (a Haitian Traditional Temple) which is located in her garage. Festooned with tributes to the spirits, the room is filled with candles, potions, scarves, paintings, fruit offerings, traditional clothing and the paraphernalia for the ceremonies. The aroma of popped corn fills the air along with roasted nuts, bread, coconut and brewed coffee. Snowflake the dog winds in and out among the legs of the family members as they move back and forth between the kitchen, the outdoors where they are collecting rainwater in a large enamel bowl, and the Peristyle preparing for the tribute to St. John the Baptist as requested by the three men who arrive bearing white rum, Jack Daniels Whiskey and cigars in homage to the spirits.

After the stage is set Ingrid, her daughters and mother – called Ya-Ya but named Suzanne – repair upstairs to change into all white for the adults and summery party dresses for Amanda and Annabelle – the four women descend barefoot– their heads covered with scarves – and invite the guests into the temple. The men, dressed in slacks and button down shirts, their blue-tooth devices blinking in their ears settle in as the candles are lit and Ingrid begins to draw an image on the cement floor with yellow powder that one later learns is farina. As Ingrid pours rum into hollowed out lemons and limes the guests are instructed to twist tuffs of cotton into points and pray for whatever we wish for. These tuffs are then placed into the lemons and limes and this is then floated in the basin of rain water and the ceremony begins in earnest.

Ya-Ya takes a low seat next to her granddaughters as they select from the toasted corn, bread and coconut, seven of each item to place in the seven cups of water that they have laid out on the floor adding coffee to each cup. White wine is then added to each and a white candle is lit and affixed to the largest of the seven cups. Ya-Ya then begins to ring a bell to invite the spirits to enter the room while singing a song in Creole that translates to “St. Pierre Open the Door.” The guests are then handed the mix of charred items to be added to the cups. Ingrid and Ya-Ya gracefully kneel down offering their hands and voices up in prayer to the four stations of the room and the young daughters follow suit. The scent of basil fragrances the room as it is added to the large basin. A brown liquid resembling molasses is drizzled around the room and the sweet popcorn is passed around among all along with small bananas – sustenance for our voyage. A bottle of rum was opened, drops poured throughout the room to appease the spirits while the guests sipped from ice cold Heinekens and penned wishes on small scraps of paper which were then burned without being read.

Anticipation is heavy in the room as rum is poured on the floor then put aflame while Ingrid and Ya-Ya wash their hands with the fire-y rum and rub it over their bodies. The guests are then invited to do the same to bring energy into their bodies. Asson (casaba gourd with bell attached) in hand, Ingrid then calls to the spirits. A subtle change occurs in Ingrid as she waves a yellow scarf around like a toreador at a bullfight and then lights a cigar evident that a spirit has entered her body. “The same way the smoke rises so do our dreams. If we believe in the spirits then we can have whatever we need in the future,” states Jean the spirit ushering forth from Ingrid. After a brief tussle of Ingrid’s spirit and the masculine one that has also inhabited her mother a shift in energy thus reveals that Ingrid is now engaged by the spirit Erzuli Freda, a purely feminine vision retiring to a throne-like chair in the corner spraying herself and the men in the room with sweet perfumes while completely ignoring the women in the room. The men paid honor to Ezili Freda by bathing her feet and sitting adoringly on the floor around her.

The spirit in Ingrid sings to each guest in the room, holding hands and sighing in Creole, “we are the same blood and cannot let each other die.” This is followed by a hug and the touching of foreheads. She moves toward one of the guests and puts ashes from her lit cigar into each of his palms and places his hands in his pockets. At this point a rash of whispering goes on where Ingrid tells him his wishes for health and abundance for his family will be granted. A wave of change flushes over Ingrid’s face as the spirits depart and the lights are turned on. Guests are invited to partake of the fruit offering and to drive home safely noting that when the water evaporates in the silver bowl the wishes will come true.

Musings on Little Haiti and Papaloko

2009-01-08T11:32:00.000-05:00

It was a steamy Miami day but the air is cool and the colors are vibrant in Jude Papaloko’s Jakmel Gallery (3501 NW 2nd Avenue). Jacmel is a town in Haiti where Papaloko’s mother comes from and it is considered the handicrafts capital of the island. The artist himself, with dreadlocks down his back, is dressed in a comfortable t-shirt, baggy printed pants and pointy boots. His quick smile and warm spirit brightens the studio and one doesn’t know where to look first, at the artist, at the paintings, the hand painted furniture or the band set-up in the far corner past the bar. While not currently located in Little Haiti, Papaloko is opening the Jakmel Art Café on Biscayne and 76th Street (scheduled for August 2008) and is fast at work designing tables and chairs for his newest venture which will serve a menu featuring Haitian and Vegetarian cuisine. When not creating art he can be found teaching drums; running his non-profit organization Papaloko For Kids; playing with his band Loray Mistik (Creole for Mystic Thunder) or painting a large piece that was commissioned for the counter at the entrance of the new Haitian Cultural Arts Center on 59th Street, adjacent to Edouard Duval-Carrie’s studio. Born in Port-au-Prince (Haiti) Papaloko arrived in Miami in 1986. As a young child he often found himself in an inexplicable trance state and around the age of 13 began painting what he saw while in this state – a surreal vision that celebrated the spirits of Traditional Haitian religion – his work continues to be informed by this today.

Papaloko (who will be 43 in October 2008) is not Jude’s given name but rather the name he assumed for religious and artistic purposes. Papaloko (the spirit) is the leading male priest in the Haitian Vodou religion and he is the one who bestows the asson (the sacred rattle used for calling the spirits which made of the calabash, filled with grains, a bell is attached and the gourd is adorned with colored beads) when others ascend to priesthood within the religious order. It is Papaloko’s responsibility to maintain relationships between the spirits and the entire community and to preserve the songs and rituals from generation to generation. Jude Papaloko continues the tradition of the spirit whose name he proudly bears through his artwork and music. His work (which starts at $4,000) is prominently featured at a Haitian restaurant located on Miami Beach called Tap-Tap.

As he guides a visitor around the studio his deep spirituality and kindness is resplendent in all that he says as well as in his work. His paintings (acrylic and fluorescent paint on canvas coated with resin) celebrate the Vodou Lwa’s or spiritual entities. The images that visitors have seen in restaurants, botanicas and studios in and around Little Haiti begin to take on life and meaning as Jude explains who they are including the Gede, the spirit of the cemetery who straddles life and “the other side;” the Simbi (spirit of the ocean which resembles a sensual mermaid); Mamazile (the mother of all female energy); Dombala and Aida Wadeau – the husband and wife snakes who are healers and protectors that also signify the circle of life and Ezili Freda (the spirit of love, abundance, refinement). The artist’s signature imagery is the branch because it “reaches out with love and respect.”

Lotus House Celebrates 2nd Anniversary

2008-03-30T09:39:00.000-04:00

LOTUS HOUSE SHELTER CELEBRATES SECOND ANNIVERSARY WITH OPENING OF RESOURCE CENTER

SUNDAY, MARCH 30TH, Noon TO 4 PM
LOTUS HOUSE WOMEN’S SHELTER
217 NW 15TH STREET
OVERTOWN, MIAMI

Lotus House was established in March 2006 to provide shelter, sanctuary and support to women who are homeless, whether due to domestic violence, untreated medical or mental health issues, disabilities, loss of employment or other economic reasons. Just a year later, we opened our “maternity wing” to serve homeless women who are pregnant and their infants. On this, our second birthday, we are proud to announce the grand opening of a long awaited community resource center that will enable us to expand our programming and services at the shelter and for the women and children in our community.

With comprehensive support services and access to a wide range of resources, Lotus House is not a typical short term shelter, but a place where the minds, bodies and spirits of women most in need are nurtured and supported to empower them to improve the quality of their lives on every level, achieve greater self sufficiency, and transition to permanent homes. More than 175 women have been served and are the proud mothers to more than 20 children, with more on the way.

The Lotus House is operated by The Sundari Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-denominational, public charity dedicated to the education, advancement and social inclusion of poor, disadvantaged and homeless women and children. For more information, please contact Ciara Jones, outreach@lotushouseshelter.org, or Constance Collins, president@lotushouseshelter.org, (305) 365-2478 or (305) 613-1573!

Bidding for Good

2008-03-23T10:13:00.001-04:00

New York Times
March 23, 2008

Comings and Goings

Bid for Travel and Donate to Charity
By HILARY HOWARD

If you buy one week in a Squaw Valley Lodge condo near Lake Tahoe in California, you’ll be contributing to scholarships at the Westmark School in Encino, Calif. If you buy a 12-night cruise of the Greek islands and Egypt, a percentage of the money will go to the Nanuet Hebrew Center in New City, N.Y. And if you buy seven nights on the Mexican Riviera, you’ll be contributing to animal welfare through United Animal Friends. These are just a few of the trips currently being auctioned off on Biddingforgood.com, a new Web site where users may bid on trips (and other items) that have been put on the block by various nonprofit organizations to raise money (91 percent of proceeds up to $100,000 goes to the sponsoring charities; 100 percent after that). Users may search by category (travel, toys, tickets), and may sort auctions by cause or state.

Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company

Thoroughly Modern Do-Gooders

2008-03-22T05:24:00.000-04:00

March 21, 2008
OP-ED COLUMNIST
Thoroughly Modern Do-Gooders

By DAVID BROOKS

Fashions in goodness change, just like fashions in anything else, and these days some of the very noblest people have assumed the manners of the business world — even though they don’t aim for profit. They call themselves social entrepreneurs, and you can find them in the neediest places on earth.

The people who fit into this category tend to have plenty of résumé bling. Bill Drayton, the godfather of this movement, went to Harvard, Yale, Oxford and McKinsey before founding Ashoka, a global change network. Those who follow him typically went to some fancy school and then did a stint with Teach for America or AmeriCorps before graduate school. Then, they worked for a software firm before deciding to use what they’d learned in business to help the less fortunate.
Now they work 80 hours a week, fighting bureaucracies and funding restrictions in order to build, say, mentoring programs for single moms.

Earlier generations of benefactors thought that social service should be like sainthood or socialism. But this one thinks it should be like venture capital.
These thoroughly modern do-gooders dress like venture capitalists. They talk like them. They even think like them. That means that aside from the occasional passion for heirloom vegetables, they are not particularly crunchy. They don’t wear ponytails, tattoos or Birkenstocks. They don’t devote any energy to countercultural personal style, unless you consider excessive niceness a subversive fashion statement.

Next to them, Barack Obama looks like Abbie Hoffman.

It also means that they are not that interested in working for big, sluggish bureaucracies. They are not hostile to the alphabet-soup agencies that grew out of the New Deal and the Great Society; they just aren’t inspired by them.
J.B. Schramm created a fantastic organization called College Summit that provides students with practical guidance through the college admissions process. Gerald Chertavian, a former software entrepreneur, created Year Up, which helps low-income students get apprenticeships in corporations and packages its fund-raising literature in the form of an I.P.O. prospectus.

The venture-capital ethos means instead that these social entrepreneurs are almost willfully blind to ideological issues. They will tell you, even before you have a chance to ask, that they are data-driven and accountability-oriented. They’re always showing you multivariate regressions or explaining why some promising idea “didn’t pencil out.” The highest status symbol in their circle is a Rand study showing that their program yields statistically significant results.
Bill Gates, who fits neatly into this world, came to dinner with journalists in Washington last week. He looked utterly bored as the conversation drifted to presidential campaign gossip. But when asked about which programs produce higher reading scores, the guy lit up and became a fountain of facts and findings.
The older do-gooders had a certain policy model: government identifies a problem. Really smart people design a program. A cabinet department in a big building administers it.

But the new do-gooders have absorbed the disappointments of the past decades. They have a much more decentralized worldview. They don’t believe government on its own can be innovative. A thousand different private groups have to try new things. Then we measure to see what works.

Their problem now is scalability. How do the social entrepreneurs replicate successful programs so that they can be big enough to make a national difference?
America Forward, a consortium of these entrepreneurs, wants government to do domestic policy in a new way. It wants Washington to expand national service (to produce more social entrepreneurs) and to create a network of semipublic social investment funds. These funds would be administered locally to invest in community-run programs that produce proven results. The government would not operate these social welfare programs, but it would, in essence, create a network of semipublic Gates Foundations that would pick winners based on stiff competition.

There’s obviously a danger in getting government involved with these entrepreneurs. Government agencies are natural interferers, averse to remorseless competition and quick policy shifts. Nonetheless, these funds are worth a try.

The funds would head us toward this new policy model, in which government sets certain accountability standards but gives networks of local organizations the freedom to choose how to meet them. President Bush’s faith-based initiative was a step in this direction, but this would be broader.

Furthermore, we might as well take advantage of this explosion of social entrepreneurship. These are some of the smartest and most creative people in the country. Even if we don’t know how to reduce poverty, it’s probably worth investing in these people and letting them figure it out.
They won’t stop bugging us until we do.

Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company

River Oyster Bar

2008-03-04T08:28:00.001-05:00

It's a "Lesson on the Half Shell" tonight at River Oyster Bar - a seat or two for this intimate class with Chef David Bracha may still be available. Call 305-530-1915.

Biscayne Times March 1, 2008

2008-03-03T06:09:00.000-05:00

Artistic Genius Meets Artful Dodger

For painter Purvis Young, the encounter was devastating

By Tiffany Rainey
BT Staff Writer

Though renowned Overtown artist Purvis Young will tell you that he is, and always has been, a loner, these days it’s rare to find him alone. He seems constantly to be surrounded by friends and advisors, as he was on a recent Sunday afternoon. Young lazed with eyes half closed on a dilapidated easy chair inside his newly acquired Wynwood studio space as manager Leon Rolle, attorney Bob McKinney, and publicist Dindy Yokel lounged nearby, carrying on a languid, meandering conversation.

Long-time friend Rolle, with whom Young currently lives, is a steady force in his life. Rolle and his wife oversee everything from Young’s medical appointments (necessary to monitor the 65-year-old artist’s transplanted kidney) to arranging his business meetings. McKinney and Yokel, also trusted friends, may not be a continuous presence, but lately they’ve been close at hand. One reason is their concern for Young’s fragile health following last year’s transplant. Another is their effort to help Young reorganize and rebuild his art enterprise. And yet another is the persistent threat of scam artists, people like former manager Martin Siskind, insinuating themselves into Young’s life.

Siskind is not a welcome face among the artist’s allies, and hasn’t been since Young filed a lawsuit against him last year. That suit was settled just a few weeks ago and resulted in Siskind claiming about 20 percent of the prolific Young’s unsold artwork, some 200 individual paintings. Little wonder that mere mention of the man’s name evokes a palpable hostility. Rolle notes with some wariness that, not an hour earlier, he had spotted Siskind driving by the studio.

“Any time I’m around him,” observes Young, shaking his head in disgust, “he still comes up to me like we’re friendly. We argued all the time. We just didn’t get along.”

Young’s involvement with Siskind began in 2005, when the two met thanks to neighboring warehouse spaces. Those close to the artist say Siskind became a fixture when he noticed the attention Young was getting from a film crew making a documentary of his life. Before long, they entered into a verbal business agreement that would split profits 50-50 on any artwork Siskind helped the painter sell. Siskind also promised to set up a bank trust to help Young manage his income. Problems arose when Siskind did not supply requested accounting records of the partnership’s assets.

“I kept asking him about my money and he kept telling me it was going to be another month,” Young says. “It went on and on and on.”

Then attorney Bob McKinney, who looks after Young’s legal interests, stepped in and insisted that Siskind and accountant Terry Forman produce a report of all earnings. McKinney set a deadline. Siskind ignored it.

On February 8, 2007, Young filed a petition for an injunction in civil court, demanding that an accounting be made. It alleged that Siskind obstructed the sale of certain paintings, denied Young access to the 54th Street warehouses where his work was stored, failed to record the money received from artwork sales, and refused to disburse any of the profits owed to him. Siskind strictly controlled Young’s money, and gave him a meager allowance ($500 per week) for living expenses.

Less than a week later both Siskind and Forman filed detailed affidavits with the court asserting that they had not been given adequate time to pull together the records Young wanted. They also suggested the artist was withholding money that rightfully belonged to the partnership. Then Siskind did something that changed everything: He sought to have Young declared incompetent.

In Florida, any adult can file a petition in probate court arguing that another individual is incompetent, cannot properly care for himself, and should become, in effect, a ward of the state. After such a petition has been filed, and after a judge deems it to be legitimate, a committee of two health professionals and one lay person conducts an investigation into whether the person is in fact incapacitated. Part of that investigation involves psychological testing.

Young, who was recovering from his kidney transplant surgery at the time, had no choice but to submit to the tests. The results were startling.

For years, many people understood Young to be an eccentric, but also a self-taught artistic genius. His compulsion to paint gritty scenes of urban life, as well as heavenly visions, compelled him to use any materials he could find — ordinary house paint, scraps of wood as canvases. He filled entire blocks of Overtown with his distinctive murals, and created literally thousands of individual works. Eventually his singular talent attracted the attention of the established art world, and his paintings began to sell. Was he a meticulous money manager? No. But neither are many driven artists. Still he survived and, in his own way, prospered.

By the time Siskind alleged that he was incapacitated, Young had earned a worldwide reputation in a genre sometimes called “outsider art.” But when the legal system took a measure of him, none of that mattered. The probate judge declared him to be incompetent and stripped him of his right to conduct his life as he saw fit. Two guardians were appointed to manage his affairs — one for personal matters, another for his property. And with that, Siskind effectively neutralized Young’s lawsuit against him.

Siskind’s crafty legal gambit was only the latest in a long history of questionable business dealings. In 1984 an English court convicted him of “obtaining services by deception,” “obtaining property by deception,” and “evading liability by deception.” He was deported back to the U.S., but kept his British accent and his penchant for con games. Over the years, Miami New Times devoted three lengthy cover stories to his various subterfuges. In 1991 he was accused of illegally obtaining and selling property belonging to two elderly Canadian sisters from whom he rented a residence. Then in 2001 Siskind was accused of falsifying records to gain public funding for the Advocacy Foundation, a nonprofit organization that was supposed to help Miami’s black community. A year later he initiated the suspicious takeover and sale of an Overtown apartment building belonging to the estate of the late Rev. Clennon King. Despite these and other suspected scams, Siskind has successfully evaded criminal prosecution.

“I was warned,” Young admits, adding that Siskind even showed him the New Times articles and claimed they weren’t true. “I was going to give him a break.”

McKinney says the probate court was unaware of the lawsuit Young had filed against Siskind, and by the time the judge was notified, the guardianship process had gone too far for reconsideration. And so David Mangiero, a respected Miami attorney and guardianship expert, was appointed to be Young’s property guardian. He inherited the artist’s lawsuit. But rather than take the case to court, Mangiero, acting in what he believed to be Young’s best interest, began negotiations to settle the case. This did not sit well with Young. “The guardians listened to [Siskind] more than they listened to me,” he asserts. “It’s like [Mangiero] wasn’t even concerned about me. All he talked about was [Siskind].”

Adds Leon Rolle: “When the guardians got involved, the whole thing shifted to settlement. It just looked and felt funny. It was just a question of how much art was going to be lost.”

Mangiero, who did not respond to messages seeking comment, came to terms with Siskind. The settlement, approved by a judge this past December, required Young to hand over approximately 200 of his pieces to Siskind in a painstaking process meant to give each party an equal chance to walk away with the paintings he wanted. Approximately 1000 pieces were at stake. For the first 100, Young got eight for every two Siskind could lay claim to. The remaining 900 were divided this way: Siskind could claim 10 for every 40 chosen by Young.

Young himself did not participate in the selection process, which took place at the warehouse on 54th Street on January 5. He asked his friend Larry Clemons, a Fort Lauderdale gallery owner specializing in Young’s works, to serve as his proxy. Mangiero was also present to document the process on Young’s behalf. Says Clemons: “I tried to do the best I could to move forward. I just wanted to get this guy [Siskind] away from Purvis. No one can ever measure the strain this has put on him.” (Young’s guardianship will remain in place until the court decides he is no longer incapacitated.)

McKinney believes that if Young’s lawsuit been allowed to go to trial, he wouldn’t have lost any of his work and that he could have retrieved the money Siskind allegedly still owes him. He points to Florida commercial-relations statutes that specifically address the business relationship between an artist and the person to whom he or she consigns work for sale or exhibition. The statutes require, among other things, that an artist receive an accounting for all sales made by the consignee, and that proceeds from all sales are to be held in a trust for the artist. Violation constitutes a second-degree misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment and fines. An accounting of sales never was produced by Siskind, and according to Young, a trust was never formed. The settlement agreement doesn’t even mention money from sales, the essence of Young’s lawsuit.

Many questions linger in the minds of Young and his friends. What happened to proceeds from all the paintings supposedly sold over the 14 months Siskind was involved with Young? If no sales took place and there are no revenues, as Siskind claims, what happened to the several pieces Young says were missing from the collection that was divided in the settlement? “Martin has sworn that he doesn’t have any artwork, but we know he does,” McKinney says.

Though Young may never get answers to these questions, he and his team are relieved to be rid of Siskind. “He’s gotten too much attention,” says McKinney. “We need to get Martin Siskind behind us. We’ve already wasted too much time and energy. In all my 30 years as an attorney, I’ve never seen anything like this. Siskind should be in jail.”

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Fairchild Tropical Gardens Miami

2008-03-01T08:18:00.001-05:00

Botero, Chihuly and Lichtenstein at Fairchild Tropical Gardens - off to see it today.

Alabama Morning at Mary Lee's

2008-02-27T07:04:00.000-05:00

Beyond peaceful, aroma of leaves burning mixed with the familiar coffee fragrance. No phones ringing, no televisions blaring, no dogs barking.

Thinking about lunch

2008-02-25T09:32:00.000-05:00

All the running makes me hungry...going to Abokado (newly opened in Mary Brickell Village) for lunch - Viva Roll (pictured here) is my favorite.

Heading toward South Beach

2008-02-25T09:28:00.000-05:00

Running back toward South Beach this morning.

Monday Morning on the Venetian Causeway

2008-02-25T09:25:00.000-05:00

This is why I live in Miami - early morning run on the Venetian Causeway.

AT&T AND GEE’S BEND QUILTERS CREATE ARTWORK TO COMMEMORATE BLACK HISTORY MONTH

2008-02-25T09:09:00.000-05:00

Quilt Celebrates the Spirit and Contributions of African-Americans

SAN ANTONIO, February 2008 — To commemorate Black History Month, AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) has announced the unveiling of a specially commissioned quilt that celebrates the spirit of African-Americans and highlights the unique talents of the renowned Gee’s Bend Quilters.

The AT&T Gee’s Bend Quilt, which measures 95 inches by 82 inches, was created by 46 members of the Gee’s Bend Quilters Collective and features colors based on the AT&T brand palette. The artists, ranging in age from 19 to 90, worked together for more than 250 hours to complete the artwork, which is destined to become a part of black cultural history. The quilt symbolizes the individuality of the quilters and their multigenerational approach to African-American art and culture. During February, the quilt will tour the U.S. and make stops at AT&T locations in Atlanta; Birmingham, Ala.; Detroit; Los Angeles; Chicago; and St. Louis. The tour will be supported by members of Community NETwork African American Telecommunications Professionals of AT&T, who will provide visitors with the history of the Gee’s Bend Quilters. Ultimately, the quilt will be donated to the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW).

“The collaboration with the Gee’s Bend Quilters has given us the unique opportunity to create a piece that will help not only to tell their story but to highlight the important cultural contributions of African-Americans,” said Tracy McDade, AT&T associate director of Multicultural Marketing. “As we celebrate Black History Month, we hope this will be a tool that inspires people to preserve and pass on their traditions.”

“Working with my mother, Leola Pettway, on our two squares for the commissioned quilt for AT&T was wonderful because it brought back memories of the old days, when we went from house to house quilting with all the women,” said China Pettway, member of the Gee’s Bend Quilters Collective and member of the board of the Gee’s Bend Foundation. “We sewed our history right into this quilt and are proud to celebrate Black History Month. This gave us the chance to sit with a large group of the women, singing and sewing together.”

Quilts made by Mary Lee Bendolph, a member of the collective, were featured in an AT&T broadband marketing campaign that was introduced last summer and included television, direct mail and Internet ads. As part of that campaign, AT&T also sponsored a three-city Gee’s Bend Quilters tour to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, featuring appearances by several quilters.

The Gee's Bend Quilters Collective is a group of more than 50 women who live in Gee’s Bend, Ala. The history of quilting in Gee’s Bend dates back to the 1800s, when the women of Gee’s Bend — which remains a small, isolated, all-black rural community outside Selma, Ala. — developed a style that featured distinct, bold, sophisticated designs. Blending the cultural influences of the area — European, American Indian and African aesthetics — the unique style and designs of the Gee’s Bend Quilts have been developed and passed down through many generations. The quilts are internationally acclaimed — The New York Times pronounced the quilts as “[among] the most miraculous works of modern art America has produced.”

AT&T’s long heritage of serving the African-American community stems from the company’s commitment to diversity at every level. The relationship with the Gee's Bend Quilters Collective is just the most recent commitment to celebrate and preserve African-American culture. The company also invests in cultural events, such as San Antonio’s Beyond the Dream celebration to commemorate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Additionally, AT&T’s activity has been recognized, with more than 20 notable diversity awards in 2006 and several distinctions last year, including being named 2007 Corporation of the Year by 100 Black Men magazine and being ranked No. 1 among DiversityInc magazine’s Top 10 Companies for African Americans.

About The Quiltmakers of Gee’s BendGee’s Bend is a small rural community nestled into a curve in the Alabama River southwest of Selma, Alabama. Founded in antebellum times on the site of cotton plantations owned by Joseph Gee, the town’s women developed a distinctive, bold, and sophisticated quilting style with a geometric simplicity reminiscent of Modern Art. The women of Gee’s Bend passed their skills and aesthetic down through multiple generations to the present and in 2002, an exhibition of 70 quilt masterpieces from the Bend, organized by Tinwood Alliance of Atlanta, Georgia, premiered at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. Since then, “The Quilts of Gee’s Bend” exhibition has been presented at more than a dozen major museums, including the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. Newsweek, NPR, CBS News Sunday Morning, House and Garden, and Oprah’s O Magazine are just a few of the hundreds of print and broadcast media organizations that have celebrated the quilts and history of this unique town. Art critics worldwide have compared the quilts to the works of important modern artists, such as Henri Matisse, and the New York Times called the quilts “some of the most miraculous works of modern art America has produced.” For more information, visit www.quiltsofgeesbend.com.

About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates, AT&T operating companies, are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. Among their offerings are the world's most advanced IP-based business communications services and the nation's leading wireless, high speed Internet access and voice services. In domestic markets, AT&T is known for the directory publishing and advertising sales leadership of its Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations, and the AT&T brand is licensed to innovators in such fields as communications equipment. As part of its three-screen integration strategy, AT&T is expanding its TV entertainment offerings. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com.

© 2008 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T and the AT&T logo are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property. For more information, please review this announcement in the AT&T newsroom at http://www.att.com/newsroom.

Sunrise on Food & Wine Festival

2008-02-22T07:21:00.000-05:00

Sunrise on the first day of the 2008 Wine & Food Festival in South Beach. So much to drink and eat and so little time.