Fresh, Fly, and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style April 30, 2023
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: 50 years of hip hop, art, FIT, Hip Hop, NYC, photography
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Truth be told I am not a fan of Hip Hop. I was sure 50 years ago when it all began that it was a passing fad. Whoa! Was I ever wrong. Why am I not a fan? Mostly because I never understood a word in the songs. The fashion, however, was definitely something that caught my eye. Not enough to stop my wearing black all of the time but definitely eye-catching. Another truth is that I saw Fresh, Fly, and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style at the Fashion Institute of Technology in February. The photo folder got lost amidst all of the other clutter on my desktop. So even though this exhibit ended last week I thought I would share what I saw. From the website (link above): ‘Over the last half century, hip hop has taken over the world. Its beginning is marked by Cindy and Clive Campbell’s (aka DJ Kool Herc) legendary back-to-school party held in the recreation room of their apartment building in the Bronx on August 11, 1973. Since that time, hip hop has spread around the globe, lending its influence to innumerable spaces. Style is one of the most pervasive and visible manifestations of the culture, and twenty-first century fashion, from luxury labels to everyday dress, owes a debt to hip hop. The genre’s artists and fans transformed and popularized streetwear, athleisure, and logo-mania, to name only a few significant and enduring fashion movements.During the 1980s and 1990s, many brands distanced themselves from the hip hop market. A watershed moment occurred in 2004 when Sean Combs won the Menswear Designer of the Year Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America. He was the first Black designer to achieve this honor and showed the industry that hip hop fashion was not only different from what they expected, it could not be ignored. The status of hip hop in fashion did not change overnight, but in 2023, hip hop references are pervasive, hip hop artists lend relevance and exposure to fashion brands, and designers steeped in the culture, from Virgil Abloh to Pharrell Williams and Rihanna, are well-respected in the industry’. 
All in Good Time March 12, 2023
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: art, Art exhibit, Clocks, Horological Society, James Arthur, NYC, photography, time pieces, watches
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It is that time of year when we spring our clocks forward one hour. There are lots of opinions about this issue. I don’t have an opinion about changing the clocks – I just love clocks. I have more clocks in my house than I need and I like looking at them. And by the way – I am never late. My sister Terry alerted me to The Horological Society of NY because she knows how passionate I am about clocks. Located in a beautiful old building in midtown Manhattan it is a gem of a find. The collection on view now is from James Arthur. Lots and lots of pocket watches. Wonder if the ladies of the day had watches. Did they even have pockets? Tempus fugit my friends. 
It’s a Small World After All February 26, 2023
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: art, Art exhibit, Miniature art, NYC, photography, Small is Beautiful
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Run, don’t walk to see this wonderful, fun, inspiring exhibit that opened this week in Manhattan (718 Broadway). Small is beautiful, Miniature Art presents 32 international artists and their work. ‘It is an incredible journey and a unique experience that offers behind-the-scenes access to small-scale universes full of artistry and poetry, whose only limit is the creative vision of their authors’. I left my own reflection in some of these photos so you can see how very small the artwork is. This is a delightful voyage inside creative minds and their worlds. It is suitable for the entire family. Don’t forget to watch the video towards the end of the exhibit. And of course you exit through the fun gift shop. They told me it will be there through August. 
Let Me Entertain You February 5, 2023
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: art, art exhibitions, Entertainment Nation, National Museum of American History, nostalgia, photography, ruby red slippers, travel, Washington DC
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I assure you we were most definitely entertained by this fun exhibit at the National Museum of American History On my recent visit to DC we were fortunate to be there on opening day. ‘Through the National Museum of American History’s extraordinary collection of theater, music, sports, movie and television objects, the exhibition Entertainment Nation will feature a powerful, ever-changing selection of objects and interactive experiences. Through the objects and their stories, the exhibition will explore how, for over 150 years, entertainment has provided a forum for important national conversations about who we are, and who we want to be’. The museum has 1.8 million objects that document our culture. Next time you are in DC I encourage you to visit. It is lots of fun and filled with nostalgia.
Outsider Art January 8, 2023
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: Amrican Folk Art Museum, art, Morris Hirshfield, NYC, RISD
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I attended art school (RISD) and appreciate the academic side of art but I am drawn to Folk Art for its singular vision, cultural heritage and diversity. NYC’s Folk Art Museum is one of my favorite spots. Their latest exhibit Morris Hirshfield Rediscovered is marvelous. I went when it first opened in September and returned over the holiday season. You can still catch this visionary art thru January 29. Did I mention the museum is free?
‘Tis the Season December 11, 2022
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: Arsenal Gallery, art, art exhibitions, Central Park Zoo, NYC, NYC Parks Dept., photography, Wreath Interpretation
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I go to this fun exhibit every year. The NYC Parks’ annual Wreath Interpretations exhibition returned to the Arsenal Gallery (the Arsenal is near the Central Park Zoo). This year’s collection of wreaths was created by artists, designers, and creative individuals of all ages who have used inventive and unexpected materials to re-envision the traditional holiday decoration. Wreaths included in this year’s exhibition use a wide range of unusual materials, including caution tape, traffic light reflectors, safety pins, bath sponges, rulers, Mardi Gras beads, and sugar meringue. They explore a wide range of themes, such as family history, volunteerism, endangered animals, and chemistry. Each wreath is accompanied by a short artist statement that tells gallery visitors about the meaning behind the wreath. The Arsenal Gallery is located on the third floor of NYC Parks’ Headquarters in Central Park, on Fifth Avenue at 64th Street. Gallery hours are Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., except holidays. Admission is free. 
The Tree (no, not that one) December 4, 2022
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: animals, art, Christmas Tree, creche, Madison Square Park, Metropolitan Museum, NYC, photography
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The Rockefeller Christmas tree steals all of the hype and publicity but my favorite holiday tree is at the Metropolitan Museum. The ornaments and figurines were donated in 1964 by private collector Loretta Hines Howard. The crèche is much older than that. It was made in the 18th century by Italian sculptor Giuseppe Sanmartino from Naples.The magnificently lit 20 foot blue spruce looms over the 18th century Neapolitan Nativity scene surrounded by an abundant array of lifelike figures with robed angels hovering above. You can see this beauty thru January 8 2023. New York City’s first public Christmas tree was actually located in Madison Square Park in 1912. The tree arrived in Madison Square Park on December 21,1912, measuring 60 feet tall. The tree was draped with 2,300 colored electric bulbs donated by the Edison Company. Emilie D. Lee Herreshoff. She proposed a way that would allow everyone, even those who couldn’t afford their own tree, to celebrate the holiday season and participate in the tree lighting. 
The Great Five Boro NYC Bake-off November 20, 2022
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: art, Five Boro NYC Bake-off, Gingerbread, Museum of the City if NY, NYC, photography
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The Museum of the City of New York has begun a great tradition with the Five Boro Gingerbread Bake-off. Bakers from each of the five boroughs were tasked with creating a gingerbread display from their neighborhood home borough. I was very excited to see that not only was my neighborhood represented for Manhattan but my actual building was featured as well (directly across for the Flatiron building). Other than the overwhelming smell of gingerbread it was a fun experience. It is on display until January 8th. 
Junk in the Trunk November 13, 2022
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: art, Louis Vuitton, NYC, photography
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On August 4, 2021, visionary Louis Vuitton would have turned 200 years old. To celebrate the man, his innovative spirit, and his ongoing legacy (try to avoid the Nazi collaboration part), the company invited 200 visionaries spanning the fields of art to science across the world to express their creativity. In response these creative people have shared their dreams, fears, ideas and reflections. An amalgamation of the past, present and future. This is a fun, wild, colorful, quirky exhibit in the former Barney’s on Madison Avenue and 60th Street. It is free with a timed ticket and runs thru the end of December, 2022.
Razzle Dazzle October 16, 2022
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: art, Machine Dazzle, Museum of Art and Design, NYC, photography, Photography Workshop, queer maximalism
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I love the Museum of Art and Design. They always have fascinating and unique exhibits. If you are not sure what you will be wearing this coming Halloween I suggest you get some inspiration from this amazing exhibit. ‘Queer Maximalism x Machine Dazzle is the first solo exhibition dedicated to the genre-defying artist Matthew Flower, better known as Machine Dazzle. A provocateur commanding an expanding repertoire of stagecraft, design, performance, and music, Machine Dazzle is a virtuoso practitioner of queer maximalism’s aesthetic language of liberation. The exhibition brings together nearly 100 of the artist’s creations for stage, spectacles, and street theater, alongside a variety of environments, ephemera, material samples, photography, and video. The result is an explosive “queer maximalism” aesthetic that joyfully counters the prejudices of high culture regarding extravagance and the overly decorated and embraces these associations as queer for affirming hybridity over purity, rejecting cultural hierarchies, and valuing different kinds of bodies.
Last chance to sign up for next Sunday’s adult photo sessions at the Central Park Zoo. We are featuring my favorite – PUMPKINS! It is being held on October 23rd and you can sign up here. See you there! 
While at the Zoo 