FREE FILM: AT THE MALCOLM X AND DR. BETTY SHABAZZ MEMORIAL, EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL CENTER (FORMERLY THE AUDUBON BALLROOM) IN HARLEM 2.8.09

QUICK NOTE HERE... IN A BIG RUSH...,

BUT I HAD TO POST THIS INFO ABOUT THIS FILM SCREENING UPTOWN IN HARLEM AT WHAT USED TO BE THE AUDUBON BALLROOM, THE SAME BUILDING WHERE MALCOLM X WAS ASSASINATED, AS BEEN RENOVATED AND REDEDICATED AS THE MALCOLM X AND DR. BETTY SHABAZZ MEMORIAL, EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL CENTER.

THEY HAVE DONE A BEAUTIFUL JOB IN RENOVATING AND BRINGING LIFE BACK TO THIS SPACE.

LAST WEEK THEY HAD THE 44TH ANIVERSARY OF THE ASSASINATION OF MALCOLM X ALL OVER HARLEM, I WAS UNABLE TO POST THIS MOVING TRIBUTE BEFORE THEY HAPPENED... BUT AT LEAST I'M LETTING YOU KNOW THAT THE SPIRIT AND THE WORK OF MALCOLM X AND DR. BETTY SHABAZZ IS CONTINUEING IN THE SAME BUILDING THAT MALCOLM X LOST HIS PRECIOUS LIFE.

YOU CAN SEE THE WONDERFUL SCULPTURE OF MALCOLM X AS YOU ENTER THE CENTER ON THE FIRST FLOOR, AND THE MURAL THAT IS ON THE SECOND FLOOR.

I WILL TRY TO KEEP YOU POSTED ON ALL THE HUMAN RIGHTS PROGRAMS THAT THEY HAVE GOING ON THERE.

The Shabazz Center
3940 Broadway
New York, NY 10032
(212) 568-1341
admin@theshabazzcenter.net

A, C or 1 Train to 168th St.

The Shabazz Center is located at 3940 Broadway in Harlem, New York. The Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial, Educational and Cultural Center honors the lives and legacies of Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz by promoting human and civil rights through the knowledge of the history and culture of the African Diaspora; education and self-empowerment; family values; and facilitates racial and religious reconciliation. For more information about the event call (212) 568-1341 or send an email to admin@theshabazzcenter.net.

http://campaign.constantcontact.com/render?v=001YVkTxAH8eCBYfL5i8lNgv3K1E41d9-Hl3bN5DQk3bBcpObcqcRtWr3ZuyJvScAqCe_pQ1m2wjitJYj-Cc2OgE6G8Z3w5YhjU0BANTQrpbGwJNmJrQqS7ln4WGw5WAiFg

THANK YOU LADY'S FOR A DELIGHTFUL "SUPERNATURAL" FIBER ARTS TEA GATHERING WITH ME AND THE GREAT FOLKS @ KNITTY CITY IN NYC, 2.13.09

WOW!!!... I MUST SAY.... THIS DAY STARTED OUT AS A FRIDAY THE 13th FOR REAL,... I WON'T BORE YOU WITH ALL THE DRAMA & DETAILS, BUT!... IT HAS TO DO WITH DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY.... THANKS TO MY GALLERY, STUX GALLERY, RUSH ARTS GALLERY, SHAWN (MY HOME-BOY) AT CREATIVE CAPITAL, PHYLLIS HOWE, THAT NICE GUY CUSTOMER THAT WALKED INTO KNITTY CITY THINKING HE WAS GOING TO BE A HONORED CUSTOMER BUT GAVE US UNDIVIDED AND SELFLESS HEEELLLLLP... THE OWNER OF KNITTY CITY'S SON FOR RUNNING TO RADIO SHACK.... I SAY ALL THAT TO SAY, WE DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM, BUT WE SURE ENOUGH FOUND OUT "WHO LOVE'S US BABY"!!

THANK YOU PEARL CHIN FOR THE PLACE AND THE SPACE... WHAT A BOSS LADY!!!...

THANKS FOR GRACING THE SPACE DORA OHRENSTEIN... THE PUBLISHER AND HEAD LADY IN CHARGE OF A WONDERFUL ONLINE CROCHET MAGAZINE CALL CROCHET INSIDER.COM CHECK IT OUT. WONDERFUL INTERNATIONAL INFO FOR CROCHETERS,... GIRLFRIEND IS WORKIN THAT BLUE CROCHET MINI CAPE SHE MADE, AIN'T SHE.... "YOU GO GIRL"...

HEY THERE SHARON... MY BROOKLYN "BACK IN THE DAY, AROUND THE WAY, "HOME-GIRL" THANKS FOR SHOWING UP, GREAT SEEING YOU... DID I SEE A CROCHET HOOK IN YOUR HAND?

THANK YOU TO ALL MY HONORED TEA GUEST, YOU ALL MADE THE EVENING A SPECIAL EXPERIENCE, AS WE PRESS OUR WAY TO A SUPERNATURAL LIFESTYLE WITH OUR "EVERYDAY-PEOPLES MASTER-PIECES"..... ONE STITCH AND A THOUGHT AT A TIME!!... THIS WAS OUR FIRST GATHERING,.. BUT IT WON'T BE OUR LAST.... WE'VE FINALLY FOUND EACH OTHER!!..... THANKS FOR YOUR INTEREST AND THE MEMORY.



THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR JOINING ME WITH THAT WONDERFUL CROCHET WRIST ADORNMENT... THE BEST OF EVERYTHING TO YOU!!.



THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENCE, YOUR TALENT AND YOUR WITTY SPIRIT LISA,.... EVEN THOUGH YOU WERE KNITTING: )... CHECK OUT LISA'S AMAZING CROCHET BRACELET.... I WILL POST A DETAILED VIEW SOON,... SUCH STYLE!!








THANK YOU TO THE STAFF AT KNITTY CITY FOR BEING SUCH WONDERFUL HONORED TEA MASTERS IN TRAINING AND ANSWERING ALL MY ABSENT MINDED QUESTIONS.

A "SUPERNATURAL" FIBER ARTS TEA GATHERING WITH FIBER ARTIST XENOBIA BAILEY @ KNITTY CITY IN NYC

FRIDAY THE 13th/VALENTINES DAY EVE 2.13.09, FROM 6-8:00PM. THE MOST FABULOUS YARN STORE, THIS SIDE OF THE HUDSON RIVER, KNITY CITY,... IS HOSTING A VERY SPECIAL EVENING.

TITLED: THE HEART OF CROCHET: A "SUPERNATURAL" FIBER ARTS TEA GATHERING WITH FIBER ARTIST XENOBIA BAILEY... ( that's me folks )

THIS WILL BE ONE OF THOSE WARM GATHERINGS ( minus the fireplace ), WHERE I SHARE PARTS OF MY CREATIVE CROCHET JOURNEY AND INSPIRATIONS WITH A POWERPOINT PRESENTATION,... PLUS,... I WILL SHOW & TELL (no instructions) A FEW SAMPLES OF MY WORK AND WORKS IN PROGRESS... WHILE WE ALL NIBBLE ON LITE BITE SIZE SNACKS, AND SIP OUR DELICIOUS CUPS OF MY SPECIAL BLENDED, FULL BODIED TEAS, FROM THE RICH CONTINENT OF AFRICA.

EVERYONE ATTENDING IS ASKED TO BRING THEIR FAVORITE TEACUP OR MUG, FOR THE TAKING OF COLOR DIGITAL PORTRAITS ( portraits shot by me ) FOR DOCUMENTATION AND PERSONAL MEMOIRS FROM THIS CREATIVE GATHERING, AMONG THE SHOPS NATURAL FIBERS, TEA, BOOKS AND OUR IMAGINATION OF DELIGHT, IN THIS SHOP ON THE UPPER WESTSIDE.... THE IMAGES WILL BE BURNED ON CD'S, TO BE PICKED UP AT A LATER DATE.... BUT NOT TO LATE.

WE'ER LIMITING THE NUMER OF ATTENDEES TO 25, SO BE SURE TO SIGN UP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, TO INSURE YOURSELF A SEAT. THE LOCATION IS 208 W, 79th ST, ( BETWEEN BROADWAY & AMSTERDAM ), NEAREST SUBWAY: 1 Train to 79th Street walk half a block east on 79th... TELEPHONE: 212. PURL-TWO (212. 787.5896)

THERE WILL BE A CHARGE OF $25.00 TO HELP DEFRAY COSTS,... BUT THIS IS SURE TO BE, ONE OF THOSE "BACK IN THE DAY" MOMENTS,... A VERY SPECIAL GATHERING,... WE ALL WILL EXPLORE IN THOUGHT, FOR A WHILE,.... OUR OWN ELEMENTS OF MYSTICAL WONDERMAKING IN HANDMADE ITIEMS FROM NATURAL FIBERS "THROUGH THE ART OF CROCHET".

HOPE YOU CAN MAKE IT.

TEAS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR SELL AT KNITTY CITY.
http://www.knittycity.com/newsletter

THESE ARE THE LABELS FOR MY BLENDS OF TEAS THAT I JUST LOVE....

MASTERFUL FIBER ARTIST NICK CAVE'S SPELLBINDING SOLO EXHIBIT AT JACK SHAINMAN GALLERY, CHELSEA, NYC, 1.8.09-2.7.09

LIKE THE EXHIBIT NEO HOODOO AT P.S. 1, I WAITED UNTIL THE LAST FEW DAYS TO VISIT JACK SHAINMANS GALLERY IN CHELSEA, TO SEE NICK CAVE'S MASTERFUL WORK, THIS IS MY VERY FIRST TIME SEEING THE SOUNDSUITS IN PERSON, AND I MUST SAY THIS BODY OF ART WORK IS SOMETHING TO SEE.

NICK CAVE'S WAS IN TOWN FRIDAY TO SHOTOI A VIDEO OF HIMSELF DANCING IN THE SOUNDSUITS AT THE JACK SHAINMAN GALLERY ON SUNDAY, HE TOLD ME THIS VIDEO WAS FOR HIS NEXT MAJOR TRAVELING EXHIBIT THAT WILL OPEN AT YERBA BUENA ART CENTER, IN SAN FRANCISCO CA.IN MARCH.

WHEN I FIRST WALKED INTO THE GALLERY, I WAS MET BY A NEW (TO ME AT LEAST) SCULPTURAL WORKS OF NICK'S. A VERY CLEVER STUDY OF FOUND OBJECTS AND RECONSTUCTION OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN ICON OF THE PAST CENTURY... VERY GOOD USE OF MATERIAL... VERY WELL THOUGHT OUT VISUALLY... AND AS USUAL.... MASTERFUL CRAFTSMANSHIP.

THEN... WHEN I WALKED INTO THE OPEN GALLERY SPACE... I NOT ONLY TOOK OFF MY HAT!!... I HAD TO THROW IT ACROSS THE ROOM.... I HAVE FINALLY "SEENT" THE FUTURE... NICK CAVES HAS CLOSED THE AESTHETIC TIME GAP OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN AESTHETIC IN MYSTICISM, THE DECORATIVE ARTS AND THEATER AS RITUAL.... VERY INSPIRING WORK.

THESE FAKE FUR PIECE HAD REAL PRESENCE AND A LIFE OF THEIR OWN.... THIS IS THE KIND OF COSTUMES THAT I WANTED TO CREATE WHEN I WAS WORKING IN MY NIEGHBORHOOD THEATER "BLACK ARTS WEST" IN SEATTLE WASHINGTON.

THE ONLY PROBLEM WAS, THE SCRIPTS HAD NOT BEEN WRITTEN.... I AM VERY EXCITED TO SEE WHERE NICK TAKES THIS WORK.

NICK TOLD ME FRIDAY WHEN I SAW HIM AT THE GALLERY, THAT HE WAS PLANNING TO CREATE 90 SOUNDSUIT AND THEN TAKE THEM INTO THE COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY FOR LOCAL DANCERS TO PERFORM IN THE SUIT... ALL I CAN SAY IS.... MY!.. MY!!.. MY!!

NICK IS A MAJOR COLLECTOR OF OBJECTS AND TEXTILES FROM THE THIFT STORES.... FROM THIS PASSION FROM COLLECTING ITEMS THAT CATCHES HIS FANCY, COMES A HIGHLY DEVELOPED SELF TAUGHT SKILL OF ASEMBLAGE AND COMPOSITION.

HE CAN ALTER THE MOST COMMON DOMESTIC DECORATIVE OBJECT INTO A PERFORMING SHRINE...

SPENDING TIME IN A GALLERY WITH THIS BODY OF WORK, WILL SET THE IMAGINATION OFF INTO ANOTHER ORBIT....


HERE YOU CAN SEE THE SKILL THIS MAN HAS WITH VERY COMPLEX COMPOSITIONS WITH DECONSTRUCTING AND PATCHWORKING TEXTILES TOGETHER.... HE HAS CREATED HIS OWN VISUAL LANGUAGE THAT WORKS FOR HIM.

THIS TOWERING WORK OF ART, IS MADE FROM CROCHET HATS ASSEMBLED TOGETHER.... CAN YOU BELIVE THIS?...

DETAIL VIEW OF TOP.

DETAIL VIEW OF MIDDLE.

DETAIL VIEW OF THE MOST "FANCY-EST FEET I EVER DID SEE".

DETAIL VIEW OF PATCHWORKED SEQUINCED DRESSES THAT WAS DECONSTRUCTED, THEN RECONSTRUCTED TO CREAT THIS STRONG DECORATIVE TEXTILE SURFACE, AND THEN THE ARTIST FINE HAND STITCHED QUILTED THE ENTIRE SURFACE.

DETAILED VIEW OF FOUND SEQUINCE GARMENT, THE ARTIST ADORNED WITH WHITE BUTTONS.... THERE HAD TO BE MILLIONS OF BUTTONS AND BEADS IN THIS WORK.

DETAILED VIEW OF EMBROIDERD FOUND OBJECT FINELY HAND QUILTED, WITH PATCH WORK BUGLE BEADS APLIQUE. ON TOP.

THIS IS A REAL GOOD CLOSE-UP SO THAT YOU CAN SEE A FEW OF THE MILLIONS OF TINY HAND STITCHES THAT GOES INTO THIS BODY OF WORK.

THE COLLECTION OF FOUND OBJECTS (COLORFUL MID 20Th CENTURY TIN TOYS) ALONE ON THIS PIECE IS ENOUGH TO MAKE YOU STOP IN YOUR TRACKS.

THE BODY OF THIS PIECE IS TOTALLY COVER WITH CROCHET PATCHES...


YOU CAN SEE MORE OF THE ARTIST SURFACE HAND QUILTING.


THIS MAN REALLY KNOWS HOW TO WORK WITH PATTERNS.

CHECK OUT HOW HE WORKS WITH ADORNING THE FEET... DO'NT THIS JUST (REALLY, TRULY) KNOCK YOUR SOCK OFF....




GO ON, NICK CAVE'S, WITH YOUR BAD SELF!!!






ALL I COULD SAY WHEN I LEFT THE JACK SHAINMAN GALLERY WAS.... CRAZY.... CRAZY.... CRAAAZY!!!.... NICK CAVES REALLY GOT A HOLD ON SOMETHING HERE... YOU CAN MARK MY WORD.

I AM SO PROUD TO HAVE STUDIED WITH HIM.... TRULY A YOUNG MASTER!!!