gravity and grace

A friend sent me a link to the art work of El Anatsui after she saw his work at the Brooklyn Museum. El Anatsui " converts found materials into a new type of media that lies between sculpture and painting, combining aesthetic traditions from his birth country, Ghana; his home in Nsukka, Nigeria; and the global history of abstraction." His show, Gravity and Grace, at the Brooklyn Museum has "over 30 works in metal and wood that transform appropriated objects into site-specific sculptures." 

new collection launched

Recently I shot my newest collection of jewelry with the help of three amazingly talented women- Kelli Ryder, my teammate at Rue and a talented stylist, Anna Marks, an wonderful photographer, and Sarah Long of Sarah's Ambitions, shown here as my stunning model.

I'm thankful that they got a great reception at the Rue office and our Editor-in-Chief chose to give a sneak peek of the still-in-development lookbook on Rue Daily. I've saved my favorite images for Rue so hurry over and check it out.

Then get your summer shopping done online on my online shop or BRIKA.

read more: richard rogers on an architect's duty

"In my generation the idea was you'd build for the future... The idea is that we have a responsibility to society. That gives us a role as architects not just to the client but also to the passer-by and society as a whole."
- From Denzeen

futurebrite

A while I ago I assisted a friend, Karen, on the creation of a music video for her band, Futurebrite. We filmed in one of the few towns in the Bay Area that allows fireworks (even sparklers are banned in most places, shocking to this girl from the South.) My job mainly consisted on lighting sparklers and trying to avoid littering. Nonetheless, it was fun to dabble in a new creative medium and seeing the finished project is very exciting.



If you are loving this video, you can vote for Futurebrite on The Deli music blog to be San Francisco Artist of the Month. Voting ends July 2.

read more: africa's new cities

"Africa is bracing itself for the arrival of the New Cities. That’s the term being used by urban scholars to describe the continent’s next urban phenomenon: Comprehensively planned, independent, relatively self-contained communities, usually built from scratch, and large enough to provide within their borders housing, public facilities, socio-cultural opportunities and employment for their residents...

Based on the assumption of a shared longing for new urban spaces, these cities come with promises of impressive amenities and functioning systems that will enable the urban lifestyle most Western cities provide. And they’re branding themselves accordingly – they’re sometimes called Eco-Cities or Smart Cities — and boast that they will be more connected, global and sustainable than traditional cities.

What is worrying is that there is little recognition of place, economy, context and even poverty in these cities. This begs several questions. To whom do these cities belong? Who is planning them? Are they inclusive cities, or simply profit-driven businesses?"
- Jane Lumumba, Why Africa Should Be Wary of It's 'New Cities' 

read more: re-regulation and government adaptation

"New businesses and the entrepreneurs that create them are intrinsically adaptive, responsive to change and driven by market realities. If they don’t possess these traits they fail." 
- Charles Luzar, What The Government Can Learn from Crowdfunders

rue pop up shop on brika

For the past few months I've been selling percent jewelry on the amazing online shopping site, BRIKA.  The two founders, Jen and Kena, carefully select each artisan on the site so I'm honored to be included. This week, I'm twice as excited because Rue Magazine is hosting a Pop Up Shop on BRIKA. (My jewelry is included, check out the top center!) I love that these two parts of my life have come together, and I even got to interview Jen and Kena for Rue Daily. I love what they have to say about taking a big leap to pursue their passion and A Well Crafted Life.

Hurry over to BRIKA, there is a ton more to see but the shop is only up until April 22!