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Spring is on our steps, so it’s time to pack for either a short trip to Long Island or a longer trip to Europe in search of the most appealing and titillating art exhibitions to keep our spirits high.
1. On Becoming an Artist: Isamu Noguchi and his Contemporaries, 1922-1960, through April 24, 2011, The Noguchi Museum, Long Island, New York
This year, The Noguchi Museum, one of New York’s lesser-known cultural jewels, marks its 25th anniversary with an exceptional exhibition exploring the relationship between Isamu Noguchi (1904-88) and dozens of important creative figures in the worlds of art, architecture, design and theater, among them, Constantine Brancusi, Frida Kahlo, Buckminster Fuller and Martha Graham.

If there’s anything that history has proven again and again over centuries of art-making it is that art is perpetually informed by the work that preceded it; reconfigured and recontextualized for new generations of viewers and new understanding. Each of the Old Masters are remembered not only for the styles they innovated but for what their work contributed to the art historical milieu at large. Enter Eddie Martinez.
His work–a colorful and crudely-rendered assortment of tablescapes and recurring abstracted figures–is at all times evocative of the still lifes and portraits that dot the landscape of art history, executed in a manner not only revelatory of their influence but aesthetically on par with something else entirely. Now after years of developing his own remarkable and distinct pictorial language with little formal education, and an international career that has seen an incredible rise in recent years, Martinez is well poised to significantly influence future generations of artists as a kind of new master.
Eddie Martinez, Untitled, 2009, Mixed media on canvas, 24 x 30

In late November 2010, I attended a discussion panel featuring renowned sportscaster Bob Costas in which he and three other panelists discussed the current and future state of sports. (Full discussion can be seen here.) In response to what is most different about the world of sports today as compared to previous generations, all the panelists unanimously agreed that it was the role the media plays in sports. Said Bob Costas, “Watch ESPN from noon until five. There are a half dozen or more shows which take the same ten or twelve topics, just with different panelists, and they present the same questions, all of which are ginned up to be more and more

I think one of the great joys of my job is learning how to make dishes straight from the chefs who create them in the best restaurants in NYC. I file those recipes away in my email and look them up whenever I have a dinner party or a special date night coming up. But this spring, I want to embrace the eating spirit and share with all.
I did a round up of some of the most delish but simple spring dishes that will be debuting around town on spring menus. You can make them before the rest.
Spring Pea Papardelle at Po
Courtesy of Chef Lee McGrath
Serves 2
Ingredients:
8 oz papardelle
2 cups green peas
1 large red onion
1 cup chicken stock
4 oz parmigiano
2 oz butter
10 mint leaves
Teaspoon olive oil
Dice onion, saut 1 3/4 green peas with 1/2 of the red onion in olive oil season it with salt and pinch of sugar then puree in the food processor.
Bring one gallon of salted water to boil, saut remaining onion in olive oil, add pea puree, butter and the chicken stock set aside.
Add pasta to boiling water for 4 minutes, drain it, and add to the pea puree with mint, cheese and mix well.
Spring Mussels at Wall & Water
Courtesy of Maximo Lopez May
Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 cups of cherry tomatoes
2 whole fennels
2 cup of white wine
1 tablespoon of fennel seeds
1/2 tablespoon saffron
1 cup parsley leaves
4 whole garlic cloves
2 whole jalapenos chilies
45-60 fresh mussels
Dice the fennel, tomatoes, parsley, previously toasted fennel seeds and reserve.
Mix the mussels with the white wine, lemon juice, crushed whole garlic clove, halved chilies and saffron.
Cook the mussels mix for two minutes on a hot pot with a lid.
Add the diced vegetables mix and let it cook for another 3 minutes.
Spring Ginger Smash at Employees Only
Can’t go into spring without some spring-y

There is always a gap between what a political system stands for and the reality of everyday life under that system. Ours is government that ostensibly stands for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. A government of, by, and for the people. Yet, when it comes to marijuana, democratic principles take a back seat to fear, ignorance, and political expediency.
Look at New York, Montana, and the federal government for recent examples of how governments ignore or actively subvert the will of the people.
In his first run for elected office, Mayor Michael Bloomberg admitted to smoking and enjoying

While Japan struggles to recover from the devastating effects of the earthquake and tsunami of March 11, artists and arts organizations around the world are coming together in a show of support for the island nation. Japan-related events in New York as part of this month’s Asia Week are being recast as tributes or fundraisers for earthquake victims, while artists in various countries are coming up with creative ways to respond to the disaster and raise needed funds for the victims and their families.
Yuriko Matsuda’s “Rock Paper Scissors,” 1995
/ Courtesy of Dai Ichi Arts, Ltd.
Asia Week — the annual series of art exhibitions, auctions, and lectures — will take place as scheduled from March 18 to 26, with exhibitions and auctions representing art from a variety of periods and Asian countries. The only gallery from Japan, Kyoto-based Hiroshi Yanagi Oriental Art, is still planning to participate, and will exhibit Japanese scroll paintings, sculpture, and ceramics ranging from the 14th century to contemporary times. Another highlight is Joan Mirviss’s show of avant-garde sculptural forms by Japan’s Sdeisha ceramic movement.
In connection with Asia Week, an exhibition titled “Bye Bye Kitty!!! Between Heaven and Hell in Contemporary Japanese Art” will open March 18 at the Japan

You’re an expert chef with a beautiful restaurant, friendly staff and great food. In the past, you’ve successfully managed your customer flow through traditional advertising in local newspapers and you sponsor the local little league. Business is great, but a similar restaurant just opened up a few blocks away, and it’s generating lots of buzz. The restaurant is using social media to its advantage, growing its customer base at an accelerated pace, and you’re starting to lose market

I first moved to New York City in 1996, and I have no need or desire to live anywhere else in the world. After living in New York City for over half of my adult life, I still find myself in many New York moments that remind me why I’m living in the greatest city in the world. Strolling in Central Park in the summer with my kids, we might come across a line of people who waited overnight to see Shakespeare in the Park with some of the world’s best actors, take in the sights and sounds at the Boathouse restaurant and arrive at the amazingly entertaining Rose Planetarium at the Museum of Natural History. On the tiny island of Manhattan, endless opportunities arise for entertainment, stimulation and

According to The Hill, Peter King will be holding hearings this morning to fulfill his “congressional duty and probe one of the most serious threats to national security.”
Really? That’s interesting because back in 2002 when 9/11 families were fighting for the creation of the 9/11 Commission, Peter King–Republican Congressman of NY–had no interest in supporting it.
Indeed, as one of the 9/11 widows who lobbied Congress seeking support for a 9/11 Commission to probe one of the most serious attacks to our nation, I distinctly recall walking into King’s office and noticing his Sinn Fein mementos strewn about his office, along with several photos of King with Gerry Adams–a terrorist.
In fact, at one point I recall even being invited to a gathering to meet Adams. As I tried to figure out just what kind of person’s support I was trying to get, my head swam. I mean, I was a woman whose husband was just murdered by

Congressman Peter King (R-NY), the Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, faced protests from hundreds of New Yorkers and interfaith leaders this weekend over his plans to single out Muslim communities in upcoming Congressional hearings. While Rep. King seeks to look tough on terrorism by scapegoating people for their religious beliefs, last week he showed his willingness to leave New Yorkers and millions of other Americans vulnerable to a catastrophic terrorist attack on dangerous chemical plants.
Instead of ensuring that the highest risk chemical plants convert to safer technologies, King joined Representatives Dan Lungren (R-CA) and Tim Murphy (R-PA) and Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) in supporting weak chemical plant security standards. Championed by chemical industry lobbyists, these rules leave 110 million Americans threatened by these pre-positioned weapons of mass

The New York Times’ devastating series of investigative reports about the rapid expansion of natural gas drilling reveals an industry that has spewed contaminated wastes across the US and is poorly regulated and powerfully connected. NRDC colleague Eric Goldstein explains why the reckless technique of fracking endangers people throughout the country, and why a state like New York should think twice about allowing this kind of drilling before studying the threats it poses to its drinking water reservoirs.
The New York Times just published the third part of Ian Urbina’s powerful investigative series on the dangers associated with the controversial natural gas drilling technique known as fracking. Taken together, the three articles paint a devastating picture of current gas drilling practices in many parts of the country and lay out numerous problems that must be solved before any new fracking activities should be allowed in New York State.
In part one of the series, the Times highlighted the lax regulatory framework governing fracking and raised troubling questions about disposal practices for the huge volume of potentially radioactive wastewaters that are left at the end of the drilling process. In part two of the series, the Times documented how industry promises to recycle and properly treat hazardous waste from gas drilling operations have frequently and brazenly gone

(Photos from www.millesimerestaurant.com)
I watched Billy Elliot on Broadway this weekend. More like, I gawked as this awesome 12-year-old showed me he would school me in a dance-off. (I guess the lawnmower can only take you so far.)
Following the show, I was itching for somewhere to go that was laid back but still classy; I mean come on, we had just been to the theatre (said British-ly).
My co-theater-goer and I came upon the recently-opened Millesime in the Carlton Hotel. The entrance on the corner is a set of mysteriously cool-looking stairs that go

You almost hate to hear it: Making your own bitters at home? Yeah, it’s actually not that difficult.
Because there’s no excuse now — and you start to think, how could I not have been doing this all along? Ideas for black cherry-ginger, or coffee bean-cocoa nib bitters rush in.
If you’re tapped in to the cocktail zeitgeist, odds are you already have bitters on the brain. (If you’re not, here’s what you need to know: Classic cocktails? Having a major

If you ever get the chance to visit New York’s West Village you may have the wonderful opportunity to run into the one of the neighborhood’s most enchanting women. At 90 years old, artist and performer Ilona Royce Smithkin is busier than ever. She walks around in her signature brightly colored get-ups, fiery red hair, and long eyelashes ready to put a smile on the face of any passerby. Like many of her friends, I met Ilona after approaching her walking down the

Though her name may evoke romance, Pamela Love is certainly not an X’s and O’s kind of designer. Her jewelry, known for its hard-edged vibe, is more likely to incorporate aortas than hearts. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t rife with raw emotion. For Fall 2011, the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist revealed a collection that added new-agey, hand-carved metal crystals to her signature claws and

It was cold out, but the workers crowding the steps of City Hall Wednesday morning were fired up. New Yorkers shouted in support of public workers in Wisconsin battling their governor’s effort to destroy their unions by taking away workers’ rights to bargain and their unions’ ability to support itself through dues. “We Stand with Wisconsin Workers!” read a hand-lettered sign. But the retail employees, clerical workers, UAW members, actors, domestic workers — and yes, city and state employees — who made their way through the long security line to rally outside City Hall were also talking about New

Getting a deal on a ticket can be an arduous process, requiring everything from haggling, to leveraging family connections, to some tasteful fondling if you think the officer’s receptive. Hooking you up with deals on tickets of the event variety: ScoreBig.
With years of industry experience (Ticketmaster, NFL, NBA…) and a desire to see unused tix end up directly in the hands of fans, the team behind SB’s created a members-only service that saves users from 10-70% on “thousands of live events”, though if you want to see them all, you’ll still have to throw a lot of copper.

read full news from www.huffingtonpost.com

I caught a glimpse of them from the bodega across the street. From the sidewalk they were clearer, and I hurried to cross 7th Avenue. I entered the bustling gallery and saw the photographs, finally, in the kind of perfect clarity only a personal viewing can provide. Before me were six achingly poignant moments of quotidian life frozen in time and rendered significant.
Six

The one thing that still stays in my mind from Christmas 2010 is the media coverage of the “fat sugarplum fairy.” Following The New York Times article calling the ballerina allegedly chubby (claiming she had “eaten one sugar plum too many”), I went to go see the New York City Ballet’s rendition of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, not only to get into the mood for Christmas, but also because I found it highly improbable that a ballerina would be anything close to “fat.”
Unfortunately, ballerina Jenifer Ringer wasn’t performing the night I went to Lincoln Center, but nonetheless, the ballet did the job of making me feel like going on a sleigh ride… with a bag full of candy. Halfway through the gumdrops and cookies and sugarplums and whatever else, I was sincerely curious how anyone can make it through the Nutcracker without a trip to the concession stand.
My date and I decided on Po, the small West Villager that is best known as one of the first eateries where Mario Batali got his

Recipes that call for ingredients like “bacon-infused bourbon” and “housemade tangerine and serrano vodka” needn’t send novice home bartenders running. Liquor infusions are not just a trick reserved for experienced and creative-minded mixologists. Just ask Mark Comer, bartender at New York’s New Leaf Restaurant & Bar.
His biggest piece of advice for first-timers? “Don’t be intimidated.” The process is meant to be fun, and experimentation is

I’ve avoided skiing for three decades. Throughout the years, I’ve dodged any opportunity that has come my way because of fear of embarrassing myself on the slopes. See, ever since I was a child, I haven’t been the most coordinated or flexible person around. I’ve gone to the gym for the last decade and have improved, but recent self-headlines reinforce what I’ve known for quite some time:
I’ve torn ligaments between my right big toe and second toe

With the Winter 2011 season starting in New York, I thought I’d post a Q&A with Calvin Klein designer Francisco Costa. Calvin Klein is, after all, one of the most quintessential American fashion labels. Here, Costa talks about his career, creative process and what it means to be a fashion designer working today.
Blue Carreon: When did you first realize that you have made it big?
Francisco Costa: I won’t say I’m big at all. There is so much to do

I consider myself lucky for various reasons. I live near Prospect Park, have “Botticelli” curls, and am the co-author of a cookbook. Not least, I have a very sweet, handsome boyfriend whose idea of a champion dinner is a bowl of well-seasoned beans. Just recently, after all the indulgences of the holidays, I made a pot of curried lentils and onions and some rice, and his face absolutely lit up when he walked in the

Jana Leo’s Rape New York, published by The Feminist Press, takes what is often pushed into silence — rape — and blows it open as a social construct, and something everyone who lives in a community has to inevitably interact with in some form. Leo analyzes everything from the construction of cities, to the layout of apartment buildings, and the way developers, mayors, police and landlords construct their roles to avoid responsibility. It’s a complicated tale of how we ended up in a society where one out of four women are raped. But Leo takes this too-often-silent reality and pulls her readers through a dark but necessary analysis of how we got