First off, shmession is a word.

Secondly, are you broke?  Because I am.

Thirdly, do you like free stuff? Because I certainly do.

Helping the environment? Eh. Why not?

And so FreeCycle was born.

Been dying to get rid of that set of espresso cups that you never use? Or how about that old TV? You know those flatscreens are sexy.

Wouldn’t you really like a new television stand for your new sexy flatscreen?

Shit.  You spent all your money on high definition heaven.

Well, problem solved, log onto freecycle.org and trade your old granny TV and espresso cups for a new stand that your sleek princess so deserves.

Membership is free.  They have groups all over the world, in every city.

Tons of free stuff!  Environmentally friendly! and… Good karma! Oh my!

While shopping for my endless list of books for this semester on amazon, I stumbled across this adorable collection of illustrations.  Adding to cart. Check. Out.

“Self-taught photographer Alex Prager has been widely exhibited since 2001, in cities such as Los Angeles, New York, London and Miami. Born and still based in the City of Angels, though splitting her childhood between Florida, California and Switzerland, she came to photography through the work of William Eggleston; her pictures too showing eye-popping saturated colour, narratives broken and snatched moments in time. Having contributed to publications including Details, i-D and Elle Japan, Prager won the London Photographic Award in 2006, with her first, 2007 solo show earning front page status of the LA Times’ Arts and Entertainment section.”

-wesc.com

The Week-end exhibit will be featured at the Yancey Richardson Gallery in New York City from January 14th to February 20th and the M+B Gallery in Los Angeles from January 30th to March 6th. Some of her work can also be seen at www.alexprager.com.

“As we see it, there are a lot of people out there who want to sell their art and a lot of people who’d like to buy it. They just have a hard time finding each other. The internet is the perfect place to bring those people together, and we’re exactly the right people to make it happen. We’re passionate about art and the internet at20×200. We’re really excited about creating a place where almost any art lover can be an art collector.

We introduce two new pieces a week: one photo and one work on paper. Most images are available in three sizes. When we first launched, the smallest size was reprinted in the largest batch – an edition of 200 – and sold at the lowest price – $20. Hence the name 20×200. (200×20 just didn’t sound as good.) We’ve since gotten a little more creative with our editions and print sizes. While we’ve always offered bigger prints for bolder collectors – 17″x22″ editions of 20 for $200, and 30″x40″ editions of 2 for $2000, we now also offer something in between – 11″x14″ editions of 500 for $50 and 20″x24″ editions of 50 for $500. We may occasionally offer editions at other sizes and price points. Every single print is delivered with a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist. Usually, the original artwork is also available so let us know if you want the one-and-only!

That’s what we’re all about. Read on for some background on how we got started.

20×200 is a big idea built of a lot of little pieces.

Jen Bekman opened her pocket-sized gallery on the Lower East Side nearly 5 years ago with the mission of supporting emerging artists and collectors, and she’s made a name for herself doing just that. 20×200 takes the mission one step further, making art available for everyone.

On a Sunday night back in January2007, Jen came up with a formula: 
(limited editions x low prices) + the internet = art for everyone

It was the big idea, but she couldn’t make it all add up on her own. All fired up, she managed to convince some of thegreatest people ever to help complete the equation.

20×200 has received a lot of attention since Jen first mentioned it in GOOD Magazine back in April 2007. There have been online write-ups and there’s some good old traditional print press too: Domino Magazine, the New York Times, New York Magazine, GQ, Sunset Magazine, PDN, Houston Chronicle, New York Post, ReadyMade, STEP and Dwell Magazine have all done features on us so far, and there’s more to come.”

Visit http://www.20×200.com to take a looky!

(above is one of the prints that I purchased: Praia Piquinia 
by Christian Chaize)

I want a pair!  Soooo, if anyone wants to buy me a birthday present…. hint hint.

Richard Avedon (1923–2004) revolutionized fashion photography starting in the post-World War II era and redefined the role of the fashion photographer. Anticipating many of the cultural cross-fertilizations that have occurred between high art, commercial art, fashion, advertising, and pop culture in the last twenty years, he created spirited, imaginative photographs that showed fashion and the modern woman in a new light. He shook up the chilly, static formulas of the fashion photograph and by 1950 was the most imitated American editorial photographer. Injecting a forthright, American energy into a business that had been dominated by Europeans, Avedon’s stylistic innovations continue to influence photographers around the world.

This exhibition will be the most comprehensive exploration to date of Avedon’s fashion photography during his long career at Harper’s Bazaar,Vogue, The New Yorker, and beyond. Working closely with The Richard Avedon Foundation, ICP curator Carol Squiers and guest curator Vince Aletti will present new scholarship on the evolution and extraordinary, ongoing impact of his work. The exhibition will feature more than 200 works by Richard Avedon, spanning his entire career, and will include vintage prints, contact sheets, magazine layouts, and archival material.

During the summer of 2009, one thousand artists from around the world will document their lives in 24 frames using a simple disposable camera with a flash.

On September 25th, 2009, an exhibition housing over 24,000 photographs will be constructed to take you on an adventure through the lives of these thousand artists.

In an effort to bring the exhibition to the masses, they’ve decided that in addition to its opening in September at Art House Gallery in Atlanta they’re going to bring the exhibition to the U.S. city that has the most participants.

Please help bring the exhibition to your city by spreading the word to your friends (hello my fellow new yorkers!). They’re looking for real people – that includes professional photographers and everyone that wouldn’t normally consider themselves an artist. Anyone can participate.

So hop on the non pretentious artistic wagon and sign on up at:http://www.arthousecoop.com/projects/amlp

Admitted, I have a bit of a girl crush, but come on.  I think it may be trouble ahead if you find yourself being type-casted as a cigarette smoking, twitching, helpless, yet undeniably magnetic and beautiful crazy person.  Sienna Miller goes that extra mile towards crazy town in the music video for The Hours’ single, “See The Light”, including hospital gowns, throwing Prada, and cows blood.

Watch, and then rip that Alfie poster off your wall.

So, yeah, I saw this commercial in a movie theatre a while back, and its stayed with me ever since, so I’m sharing it with you. Could be that its in black and white. Could be that its backwards. Could be the fashion, the drama, the music.  Could be that its all in the name of a pair of jeans.

Stephen Sprouse was a major influence on the downtown scene during his early years in New York City as a designer, working alongside Debbie Harry and Andy Warhol, and later with Axl Rose and Duran Duran.  Louis Vuitton and creative director Marc Jacobs launched the welovesprouse website to celebrate the late Stephen Sprouse (and The Stephen Sprouse Book, which is being released in January).  The website includes a glimpse into Sprouse’s life, artwork, collaborations, and other fashion projects.  Awesome site!  My favorite parts being the video interviews (featuring Marc Jacobs, Debbie Harry, Jeffrey Deitch, and other ‘80s punk scenesters describing their experiences with the late artist) and especially Sprouse’s New York.  If you love the ever changing yet reminiscent  big apple and some eighties punk glam aesthetic (don’t we all) then give this site a lookie.

www.welovesprouse.com