A conversation about strategies for civic engagement
9727 Gallery – Los Angeles, CA
5/19/09
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Our good friends, Big City Forum will be hosting their fourth event this time curating a discourse on strategies for civic engagement.  The forum will be featuring Mike Blockstein and Reanne Estrada (of Public Matters) as well as James Rojas (of Latino Urban Forum.) →

Limited Edition N.A.S.A Skate Board – Designed by Coachella Valley Art Duo The Date Farmers and Manufactured by Girl Skateboards
Everything about N.A.S.A’s debut album The Spirit of Apollo has centered around creative collaborations.  The concept for the record began when two DJs – Squeak E Clean (aka Sam Spiegel) from Los Angeles and DJ Zegon (Ze Gonzales) from Sao Paulo, Brazil – bonded over vintage Brazilian soul and funk at a party.  The collaborative essence carried into the recording, which featured songs crafted by Spiegel and Gonzales and over 40 guest vocalists, including Kanye West, Tom Waits, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, M.I.A, David Byrne and dozens of others →

Origami Vinyl just hosted Record Club at El Prado in Echo Park yesterday and will continue to do a weekly gathering every Tuesday.  Record Club started as an intimate gathering of friends at their humble abodes in Echo Park and Silverlake, where each person invited (generally around would bring 2 songs to play for everyone.  →

Stevie Wonder Inaugurates the 30th Edition of the Festival
Place des Festivals – Montreal, CANADA
6/30/09
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The Festival International de Jazz de Montréal is extremely proud to offer our loyal fans another gorgeous gift as part of this 30th anniversary: a very special free outdoor concert by American music giant Stevie Wonder, in his first-ever visit to the Festival. Alain Simard has dreamt of the show for years, the programming team has regularly discussed it, and it’s finally a reality! →

FIN:The Migration Group Show | Studio1636 closes its doors.
Studio1636 was started 3 years ago initially to be used a photography studio. After the first show the managers realized all of its potential to become a thriving space for artists to express themselves on its walls, which is exactly what it has done. Since March 2008 they’ve held numerous underground art events, film screenings and presented work by David Lynch, Wu-Tang, Kofie’One and many talented emerging local LA artists. →

The 2nd Annual New York Photo Festival ’09
Aperture Panel Discussions, Book Signings, & Booth
PowerHouse arena – Brooklyn, NY
5/14/09
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Join Aperture at the second annual New York Photo Festival 2009 (NYPH09), taking place in Dumbo, Brooklyn, Wednesday, May 13, through Sunday, May 17. →

Since 2002 Korean designer Wooyoungmi has been injecting a little bit of architecture into the clean aesthetics of her her signature menswear line. A little bit graphic, a whole lot of modern, Wooyoungmi’s attention to detail and sharp tailoring take a simple, structured approach to men’s dressing that is timeless and timelessly appealing.

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DJ or not, your behind knows a good set when it hears one.  It’s science.  And it’s also why DJ Times Magazine and Pioneer Pro DJ think you’re the most-qualified panel to choose the best American DJ for 2009.  They’ve painstakingly selected 100 of the best American-born DJ’s and put them in an online poll here.  →

Photos courtesy of archdaily, licensed under Creative Commons

Italian skate/snowboarding collective Comvert has just introduced a flagship store/office for its Bastard brand in Milan, and it’s set our beloved Internet on fire!  Kanye West and a host of others have already covered it, and why not?  It’s an irresistible blend of skateboarding, architecture and childish fantasy that exemplifies modern-day urban architecture and skating. →