Happy Loving Day!
What is Loving Day? Well, read on.
Maya Soetoro-Ng.
We previously told you about the Mixed Roots Film & Literary Festival, an art festival dedicated to celebrating the multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and hapa experience, going on all weekend. At the festival, Maya Soetoro-Ng, whose father is Indonesian and brother is the POTUS, and Kip Fulbeck will be discussing identity, culture and growing up multiracial in America in the Japanese American National Museum‘s on-going series “Conversations,” tonight, Saturday, June 12, beginning at 7:30 pm in the Tateuchi Democracy Forum.
Artist, author, filmmaker Kip Fulbeck.
Also at the presentation, the Loving Prize will be awarded by the Mixed Roots Film & Literary Festival. The Loving Prize is named in honor of the aptly named June 12, 1967 Supreme Court decision, Loving v. Virginia, in which the remaining anti-miscegenation laws in 16 states, which banned marriages between the races, were finally struck down. Groups and organizations around the nation now commemorate that landmark case by celebrating June 12 as Loving Day.
The Loving Prize is awarded annually to outstanding artists, storytellers and community leaders for inspiration dedication to celebrating and illuminating the mixed racial and cultural experience.
So head on over to the festival today or tomorrow.
And if Loving Day has special meaning to you or your loved ones, check out Asian American designers Ken & Dana‘s specially made rings in honor of Loving Day.
Ken & Dana Designs "Loving Day" sterling silver band and gold band, etched with the Supreme Court case number and date of "Loving v. Virginia," $220 each.
Ken & Dana Designs "Rights - Loving Day" ring, $95.
A jumbo cluster of gilt and crystal. Raw, like a gold ore. But encrusted with sparkles and shine. Try not to stop traffic — or happy hour conversation — with this stunner.
Certainly not for the meek. But also perfect for those who’d rather make a statement without saying a word.
Lisa Paik "Versailles" ring.
A tangle of dainty silver wires strung on a minimalist sterling silver strand. Nestled within are two delicate grey pearls. What does it mean to you? Perhaps you and your adorable boyfriend. Or maybe the twins on the way, or your little boy and girl. Or it could be you and your best friend, just two peas in a pod, so to speak.
Allison Dayton delicate silver strung nest necklace.
Allison Dayton Jewelry Designs features a whole slew of thoughtfully designed, handmade jewelry, from rings to necklaces, even for the little girl in your life. And now we’ve got three of her stunning nest necklace for our lucky readers.
Just comment below and you may win one of three necklaces. Remember, you have until June 16, 2010, 11:59 pm to enter, and you must have a U.S. mailing address to win. Good luck!
Aarti Sequeira, a contestant on season 6 of The Next Food Network Star.
In our Must-See Shows: Summer TV post last week, we highlighted contestant Doreen Fang of season 6 of The Next Food Network Star, airing on Sundays at 9 pm on The Food Network.
Well, we forgot to mention Aarti Sequeira, a contestant who is of Indian descent! The 31-year-old Los Angeles native was born in India and raised in Dubai. The CNN producer-turned-host of online cooking show “Aarti Paarti” specializes in Indian flavors incorporated into American classics.
Sequeira says her favorite food destination is Dubai for its diversity of global cuisine, including that of Iran, India and the Philippines. And if she had to make a special dinner, she’d make samosas, tandoori chicken, her mom’s potato salad, mango-dusted roasted cauliflower and coconut sorbet. Mmmm.
Catch Sequeira and the other contestants on The Next Food Network Star, airing Sundays at 9 pm.
I’m not a hobo bag fan. I like my bags either messenger style, oversized in a clutch, or structured. That’s just me.
But there’s something about the Amber Pollard “The Picnic” hobo handbag. Sure, it’s technically a hobo shape, but with its sharp pleat and reinforced stitching, it’s very structured and not at all sloppy, as I tend to envision hobos. In fact, it’s quite chic.
Amber Pollard "The Picnic" hobo in melon daiquiri.
But beyond looks, this bag is also totally functional. Why do you think they call it “The Picnic”? The interior of the bag is waterproof and contains a removable insulated lunch sack made of black poly-taffeta fabric with white monogram. Its hot and cold retentive interior, mesh ice pack pouch and beverage holder makes this bag just about the most stylish food carrier ever.
(P.S., it’s made of completely vegan hemp fabric with vegan leather trim, too!)
Our summer TV preview continues. Earlier this week, we highlighted new show Pretty Little Liars starring Asian American Shay Mitchell, and the return of favorites Drop Dead Diva with Margaret Cho, The Next Food Network Star, and True Beauty. Here, some more mindless fun on the small screen.
Work of Art: The Next Great Artist, Bravo
Premieres Wednesday, June 9, 11 pm
China Chow, the host of Work of Art: The Next Great Artist.
They’ve done chefs, fashion designers, dancers, singers, hair stylists and interior designers. There’s even talk of a new bartender competition reality show. So it only makes sense that contemporary artists would be the next to join in the reality show fray. Except this one is produced by Sarah Jessica Parker and hosted by Chinese American model China Chow, art enthusiast and daughter of the late model and fashion icon Tina Chow and restaurateur Michael Chow (of the famed Mr. Chow and Eurochow restaurants).
Work of Art: The Next Great Artist is Bravo’s latest entrant into the reality show arena. Fourteen contemporary artists will compete for a solo show at a nationally recognized museum and a cash prize.
Born in London, Chow moved to New York at the age of 5 and grew up in the ’80s art world of Manhattan. Counting famed artists like Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Julian Schnabel and Francesco Clemente as family friends, you can say Chow pretty much grew up in art. Chow even learned how draw elephants from renowned artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Trong Nguyen, a contestant on Work of Art.
Even more exciting, the early buzz on the show paints Vietnam-born artist and curator Trong Nguyen as a front-runner. The Brooklyn-based Nguyen has exhibited his work all around the world, and has been reviewed by The New York Times, Paper, Village Voice and loads of other publications. He is currently working on a “metaphysical GPS” application for the iPhone and runs his artist-as-company project, Humanitarians Not Heroes.
HGTV Design Star, HGTV
Premieres Sunday, June 13, 10 pm
HGTV Design Star judge Vern Yip.
Award-winning architectural and interior designer Vern Yip returns to judge the cult hit reality show, HGTV Design Star.
Yip, who just announced that he adopted a baby boy with his partner, runs his own design company in Atlanta, Ga., Vern Yip Designs. With a master’s in management, and a master’s in architecture from The Georgia Institute of Technology, Yip transforms rooms, houses and restaurants — on television and in his private practice — ranging in budget from frugal to eight-figure projects for high-end clients, including the design for a high-profile Oscar party in 2006.
This season, one of the contestants on Design Star is Julie Khuu, a 29-year-old interior designer from Santa Ana, Calif. An interior design graduate from The Art Institute of California, Khuu works on everything from hospitality design to home consultation. A self-described overachiever and socialite, Khuu calls her design style “modern global glamour” and says that her favorite projects involve designing spaces for nightclubs.
HGTV Design Star contestant Julie Khuu.
Top Chef: Washington D.C., Bravo
Premieres Wednesday, June 16, 9 pm
Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi.
Host Padma Lakshmi is back. This time, the Indian American model will be judging the culinary contenders in Washington, D.C.
One of the first internationally successful Indian models, Lakshmi has since written two cookbooks, the best-selling Easy Exotic, for which she won the International Versailles Event for best cookbook by a first time writer, and her memoir-filled cookbook Tangy, Tart, Hot & Sweet. She’s also hosted a variety of cooking and food shows, including Padma’s Passport, and the documentary series Planet Food on The Food Network and worldwide on the Discovery Channel.
Top Chef contestant Arnold Myint.
But her talents don’t stop there. Lakshmi launched a line of fine jewelry last year at Bergdorf Goodman in New York. And this year, Lakshmi became the new face of Pantene’s Nature Fusion line.
Among the contestants Lakshmi will be judging is Arnold Myint, a 32-year-old Thai-Burmese American from Nashville. He’s the owner and chef of Cha Chah (voted Best New Restaurant by Nashville Scene in 2009), PM, and Suzy Wong’s House of Yum, all located in Nashville. The competitive professional figure-skater-turned-chef is expected to bring his own colorful personality into the mix this season.
You want your clothes to amplify your personality. Some days, a simple T-shirt just doesn’t cut it. Then there are the days when making accessorizing look “effortless” seems more daunting than the task of merging oil and water. Why not channel your inner art junkie and let your T-shirt do the talking instead? If, when you look through your T-shirt drawer, all you find are too-cutesy cartoons spewing corny lines, obscure pop culture references you no longer find cool, and faded charity event logos, this is the shirt for you.
Update your statement tee with this lightweight crew neck by The Public Zoo. You’ll never compromise comfort for style or sass in this effortless top. Besides — who can say no to a psychedelic panda named “hickup”? – Audrey Sunu
The Public Zoo "Propaganda" tee.
Census 2010 shed light on the gaps in our understanding of race — especially what happens when our cut-and-dry textbook definitions of race collide. Multiracial individuals and transnational adoptees are among those who may have paused at an uncomfortable length when asked to indicate their race(s). A simple check-mark won’t do. “The mixed experience”, which refers to interracial and intercultural relationships, transracial and transcultural adoptions, and anyone who identifies as having biracial, multiracial, hapa or mixed identity, prompts more than Census form complications; explorations of the mixed experience unearths twists and turns in ancestry, geography, language, self-identification, social constructs and American nationality — all of which make for good stories and food for thought.
A portrait by Kip Fulbeck.
Maya Soetoro-Ng.
To that end, the Third Annual Mixed Roots Film & Literary Festival, an arts festival held at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, seeks to share and nurture storytelling of the mixed experience with its exciting roster of readings, short and feature films, activities, speakers, panels and a marketplace. In particular, multicultural and global educator Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng (that’s right, President Barack Obama’s sister) will lead a discussion on identity, family and what it means to be multiracial in America, with slam poet, filmmaker and author Kip Fulbeck (Mixed: Portraits of Multiracial Kids by Kip Fulbeck), moderated by actor Amy Hill, in a special ticketed presentation on Saturday, June 12.
– Audrey Sunu
DETAILS
A portrait by Kip Fulbeck.
The Third Annual Mixed Roots Film & Literary Festival, June 12-13, 2010
Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, CA
Most events are free and open to the public.
Artist, author, filmmaker Kip Fulbeck.
For tickets to “Conversations & Loving Prize* Presentation with Kip Fulbeck & Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng,” go to MXroots.org and Janm.org, or call (213) 625-0414.
And don’t miss Kip Fulbeck’s newest collection of works, called “Mixed: Portraits of Multiracial Kids by Kip Fulbeck,” in a family-friendly exhibition that offers a playful yet powerful perspective on contemporary American identity. On display now through September 26, 2010.
Hello Drama "Live Wire" necklace in sapphire blue.
Kaila Yu is the lead singer of the Asian girl band Nylon Pink. As they like to say, they sound like “Hello Kitty on acid.”
So it makes sense that if Yu is going to venture out into jewelry design for her line Hello Drama, you’d expect nothing less than punked-out cuteness. With a penchant for bloody cleavers, slashed teddy bears and heart-shaped handcuffs, Yu does not disappoint.
Kaila Yu.
The “Live Wire” necklace is one of her more wearable designs. A beautifully etched Lucite lightening pendant hanging from a delicate sterling silver chain. Because as punk as you like to think you are, not many can pull off a bloody hypodermic needle ….
I don’t know about you, but after a winter of leggings, tights, woolen socks and boots, my legs and feet end up a bit neglected. Inevitably, when the weather starts to warm up, I’ll do my routine inspection of the pale, dry, rough skin on my legs and sigh. Thence begins the work of exfoliating, moisturizing and self-tanning before any warm weather debut becomes even remotely possible.
MCK Labs M2 Body Refinish 15%.
I wouldn’t have to have worked half as hard if I had known about this however. MCK Labs has a M2 Body Refinish 15% that does the exfoliating and moisturizing in one easy step.
It’s not just a lotion; it’s a treatment. Indeed, it feels more like a serum than a lotion. And they say it transforms dry, sun damaged skin with its high potency blend of mandelic and malic acids.
Now, if you don’t know what mandelic and malic acids are, they’re essentially alpha hydroxy acids. That means they exfoliate dulling dead skin cells and eliminate the look of damage and discoloration.
But unlike typical AHAs, mandelic and malic acids have a slightly larger molecular structure, which results in slower, more even penetration and less irritation. This allows people who are normally unable to tolerate high concentrations of AHAs (like me) to enjoy the collagen-promoting benefits of M2.
And because the M2 Body Refinish has plenty of humectants, this treatment can serve as your daily moisturizer as well as an exfoliant. Its natural antioxidant properties also help fight free radicals in the skin, which can contribute to skin damage.
So getting bikini ready — or even shorts ready — this summer got a whole lot easier.
