Sidewalk Catwalk Presents Mannequin Art and Fashion Exhibition

Donna Karan

Norma Kamall

Nicole Miller

Catherine Malandrino

Stephen Burrows

Adame Lippes

Kenneth Cole

Naem Kahn

Emily Saunders and Niyati Karwat

Isaac Mizrahi

Thom Browne

Jason Wu

Carlos Falchi

Tommy Hilfiger

Badgley + Mischka

Jill Stuart

Rebecca Taylor

Elle Tahari

Isabel Toledo

Christopher Ciaccia and Ariel Penzer of FIT

Diane Von Furstenberg

Yeohlee Teng

Michael Kors

Nanette Lepore

Rebecca Moses

Rachel Roy

Prabal Gurung

Carmen Marc Valvo

Betsey Johnson

Maria Cornejo

A pedestrian mall in Manhattan has turned into a fashion show runway. Sidewalk Catwalk recently launched a public art installation in the Garment District featuring mannequins donning couture made of weather-proof materials, created by famous fashion designers. The public art display will remain up through September 3rd along the pedestrian mall between Herald Square and 42nd Street. After the exhibit, the mannequins will be available through auction. Proceeds will go to Material for the Arts. To place your bid, click here.

Play Me, I'm Yours (Luke Jerram's Street Pianos Art Installation)

British artist, LUKE JERRAM is touring the project called PLAY ME, I'M YOURS which is currently being presented by SING FOR HOPE in New York City. From 9 AM to 10 PM each day, 60 pianos are made available to play across the five boroughs of New York City. The pianos are located in public parks, streets and plazas for anyone to play and engage with. The photos above were taken on Broadway at 42nd Street (June 26), and near the Astor Place train station (June 27). The art installation will run through July 5, after which the pianos will be donated to local schools and community groups. The pianos were individually decorated by local artists and student volunteers.

“I’m so excited to see what will happen. The pianos are a blank canvas for everyone’s creativity so it’ll be interesting to see just how much talent is out there. I’ve always had the feeling that this artwork was meant to be presented here. When the pianos arrive on the steet they’ll belong to the people of this great city. Enjoy!” said Luke. “The idea for Play Me, I’m yours came from visting my local launderette. I saw the same people there each weekend and yet no one talked to one another. I suddenly realised that within a city, there must be hundreds of these invisible communities, regularly spending time with one another in silence. I hoped that by placing a piano into the space acts as a catalyst for conversation. Listening to this BBC world radio service program, it seems to be working.”

Founded by a group of opera singers, Sing for Hope mobilizes more than 600 world-class artists from classical musicians to photographers to Broadway performers who donate time and talent in volunteer service programs used to benefit schools, hospitals and communities.

2010 BUBBLE BATTLE NYC in Times Square's Red Steps

Hundreds converged earlier this afternoon by the Red Steps in Times Square with their bubble toys, bubble generators for the Bubble Battle NYC. The event is loosely based on Dr. Seuss classic, The Butter Battle Book.

2010 HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival

The HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival, a New York summer tradition, kicked off last Monday with the screening of the movie Goldfinger. In this festival, the films are projected in 35mm onto a screen 20 feet high by 40 feet wide. All films begin at dusk (usually between 8 pm and 9 pm), but the lawn opens at 5 pm for blankets and picnicking. Before the feature presentation, classic animation courtesy of Warner Bros is also presented.

2010 Bryant Park Film Festival Schedule

Monday, June 21 – Goldfinger

See Sean Connery as James Bond, classic Bond villains Goldfinger and Oddjob, and the memorably named Ms. Pussy Galore.

Monday, June 28 – Carousel

This movie version of the 1945 Broadway hit shows the dark side of Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Monday, July 5 – The French Connection

Gene Hackman is Popeye Doyle, 1971 New York's toughest, most foul-mouthed narcotics detective.

Monday, July 12 – My Man Godfrey

See William Powell and Carole Lombard in this classic screwball comedy about a society girl and her pet project.

Monday, July 19 – The China Syndrome

This 1979 thriller is about three good guys (Michael Douglas, Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon) trying to expose a cover-up at a nuclear power plant.

Monday, July 26 – Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Shout along with the movie with the other Monty Python maniacs at a screening of this brilliant film about King Arthur, the Knights Who Say Ni, witches (burn her!), and much more.

Monday, August 2 – Rosemary's Baby

In this creepy Oscar winner, a pregnant Mia Farrow finds that her beautiful new Manhattan apartment comes with some serious downsides (the creepy neighbors are just the beginning).

Monday, August 9 – The Goodbye Girl

Neil Simon's 1977 romantic comedy starts Richard Dreyfuss and Marsha Mason as unlikely New York City roommates.

Monday, August 16 – Twelve Angry Men

This no-frills 1957 courtroom drama is still riveting today -- thanks to fantastic writing and a great performance by Henry Fonda.

Monday, August 23 – Bonnie and Clyde

Faye Dunaway's Bonnie and Warren Beatty's Clyde are two hot bank robbers on a Depression-era crime spree.

8th Annual SOLSTICE in Times Square - Yogafest 2010

Today, thousands of people gathered to practice yoga on the morning of the summer solstice in New York's Times Square. The eighth annual Solstice in Times Square event brought out thousands of participants to celebrate the year's longest day. 

In Chinese astronomy, the phenomenon known as Xiazhi roughly corresponds to the summer solstice – it begins when the sun reaches the celestial longitude of 90° and ends when its celestial longitude is 105°. Xiazhi usually begins around June 21, and ends around July 7, though the term sometimes refers in particular to the day when Sun is exactly at the celestial longitude of 90°. In the USA, Canada, and some other countries, the summer solstice is regarded as the start of summer. In other countries, including Ireland, the UK, China, and Japan, the summer solstice is regarded as midsummer. For example, in Ireland, summer begins on May 1 and ends on July 31. Similarly, traditional East Asian calendars refer to the summer solstice as the "extreme of summer" and not the start. (From timessquarenyc.org)

"FRANCOISE GILOT New Works: A Series of Monotypes" at the BLT Gallery

Image at the door of BLT Gallery (June 20, 2010)

BLT Gallery is currently presenting the most recent monotypes of artist FRANCOISE GILOT in an exhibit called "Francoise Gilot, New Works: A Series of Monotypes." She is one of the most enduring artists of the post World War II School of Paris. Gilot's approach to the monotype is rapid, but her well-trained eye and hand eloquently layers images, color and collage. The monotypes present multi-dimensional space, color and contemplation of the natural. Gilot and her works are intuitive and vibrantly full of context in terms of visual, aesthetic, and historical invitation. The exhibit runs through August 15. The BLT Gallery is located at 270 Bowery Street, Second Floor.

Born in Paris in 1921, Françoise Gilot is a highly esteemed international artist who has exhibited her work for more than 50 years in major art institutions in Europe and North America. She divides her time between New York City and Paris. She is regarded as a significant link between the School of Paris of the early 1940s and the contemporary art world. Her vibrant and colorful paintings, drawings, and original prints are part of permanent collections of museums and art institutions as well as private collections throughout Europe and North America. At 21, Françoise met Spanish painter Pablo Picasso and would ultimately raise both their children, Claude and Paloma. Their relationship which lasted from 1944 through 1953 is the subject of a Merchant-Ivory movie, “Surviving Picasso.” The passionate drama tells the story of Françoise, "the only lover of Picasso (played by Anthony Hopkins) who was strong enough to withstand his ferocious cruelty and move on with her life." Eleven years after their separation Françoise wrote “Life with Picasso,” a book that sold over a million copies in dozens of languages. She also authored other books including “Matisse and Picasso: a Friendship in Art.” In 1955, she married Luc Simon but they separated in 1961. Nine years later, Françoise married renowned scientist and polio vaccine pioneer, Dr. Jonas Salk in Paris who died in 1995.