How do you go from struggling, emerging or even semi-established artist to selling a complete show for $198 million? It’s a big art world out there, but maybe this is one place to start!

Magical Elves (Peabody Award-winning Project Runway, Emmy Award-winning Top Chef) and Sarah Jessica Parker (Golden Globe- and Emmy Award-winner) and her production company, Pretty Matches, are teaming up for an hour-long creative competition series among aspiring contemporary artists who will create and compete to conquer the art world!

If you’re an emerging or mid-career artist with a unique, powerful voice that demands a bigger stage – well. . . Here. It. Is.

We want contemporary artists. Your medium could be one of many (or several of many) – painting, sculpture, installation, video, photography, mixed-media – we want voices that believe in their art and want the world to know.

Attend one of our four regional casting calls around the country and we will consider you for participation in this groundbreaking show.

DATES:

LOS ANGELES
Saturday, July 11 & Sunday, July 12, 10 AM – 2 PM
LAXART
www.laxart.org

MIAMI
Tuesday, July 14, 10 AM – 2 PM
Fredric Snitzer Gallery
www.snitzer.com

CHICAGO
Thursday, July 16, 10 AM – 2 PM
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Sullivan Galleries, 33 State Street
www.saic.edu

NEW YORK
Saturday, July 18 & Sunday, July 19, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
White Columns
www.whitecolumns.org

PLEASE BRING THE FOLLOWING TO THE OPEN CASTING CALLS:

1) YOUR COMPLETED AND SIGNED APPLICATION FROM THE WEBSITE (NOTE: YOU WILL NOT BE ADMITTED TO THE OPEN CASTING CALL UNLESS THIS APPLICATION AND THE CERTIFICATION OF VERACITY IS COMPLETED AND SIGNED);

2) A “DIGITAL PORTFOLIO” WITH REPRESENTATIONS OF AT LEAST 10 PIECES OF ARTWORK, PREFERABLY MORE. THE DIGITAL PORTFOLIO MUST BE ON A CD-ROM OR USB FLASH DRIVE/JUMP DRIVE THAT IS CLEARLY LABELED WITH YOUR NAME, PHONE NUMBER AND EMAIL ADDRESS. THE DIGITAL PORTFOLIO WILL BE LEFT WITH CASTING AND NOT RETURNED TO YOU;

3) A HARD COPY PORTFOLIO THAT SHOWS YOUR RANGE/DEPTH OF WORK. THIS HARD COPY PORTFOLIO WILL BE REVIEWED ON-SITE BY CASTING, SO PUT YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD. THIS HARD COPY WILL NOT BE LEFT WITH CASTING;

4) IF POSSIBLE, ANY ORIGINAL ARTWORK THAT IS EASILY TRANSPORTABLE. THESE PIECES OF ARTWORK WILL BE FOR REVIEW ON-SITE AND YOU WILL NOT LEAVE THIS ARTWORK WITH CASTING; AND

5) AN UPDATED RESUME.

For more info visit: www.bravotv.com

Limité Magazine is an academic journal dedicated to capturing the echelon of modern world culture - elevating the unique and inspiring in fashion, design, travel, the arts, and pure expression. Fueled by a desire to serve as the voice uniting cultures from around the globe, Limité celebrates diversity, creativity, and the modern lifestyle of today’s man and woman.

Whether derived from the styled catwalks of Milan or the graffitied streets of Brooklyn, it is the select works that alter the way we see our world that become Limité features. The men and women who are the tastemakers, entrepreneurs, visionaries, and determined underdogs all contribute to the living trans-world culture that is Limité.

Ideal Candidates:
We feel this position is ideal for college students (but not limited to) looking to gain valuable REAL experience with a fast-paced, up & coming online media company that focuses on dissecting pop culture in a relevant and intelligent manner.

Contributor Duties:
You will be responsible for various cultural and product reviews, conduct interviews and manage press release submissions for the online magazine. Experience is not necessary for the position, although we do recommend a writing background (literature, communication or any other liberal arts majors).  Most importantly, we need those with a lot of fire and enthusiasm and the ability to learn and contribute great editorial ideas. 

Incentives:
The position/internship is currently unpaid, but affords lots of networking opportunities at exciting industry events, school credit, work reference and valuable editorial experience. We also give you the opportunity to bolster your writing portfolio and provide an expansive PR platform to build on your own creative projects.

Contact:
If you are interested in this position, please drop an email inquiry to the Limité Staff at: limite@freshmediainc.com

Starting in June, CODE magazine, based in the Netherlands, will be going international. CODE, is a fashion magazine that specializes in documentary photography. Currently, distribution covers Benelux, Paris and Japan and starting in June New York City. CODE is looking for an amazing free-lance American editor. Someone who loves pop culture. But also understands and loves style, journalism and perfect edits.
For more info on CODE visit: www.codemagazin.eu or www.code-mag.nl.
For more info on the job, e-mail: peter@codemagazine.eu

Check out this live, cross-cultural musical gem from August 24, 1973 at Yankee Stadium. It features Manu Dibango on sax and vocals with Ray Barretto, Mongo Santamaria and Roberto Roena on percussion! Happy Easter everyone!!

[ via: raquelcepeda ]

By Juleyka Lantigua

As any friend of mine will tell you, I am a huge supporter/lover/believer/consumer of all things Japanese. From their curiously exotic snack food (think shrimp-flavored chips) to their mind-bending fashion trends (hey, Gwen Stefani, I chatted up some Harajuku girls waaaay before you put them in your video) to their admirable sense of honor and loyalty to family. I was lucky enough to have lived in the Land of the Rising Sun some years ago, and have returned several times since my soul sister is a hip Tokyoite.

So imagine my unfettered delight upon learning that in the heart of Quisqueya Heights (the Dominican epicenter in the U.S.) an enterprising and visionary tenth-grade teacher named Keiko Takenaka is teaching boys and girls to speak Japanese.

At New Heights Academy, a charter school on Amsterdam Avenue and 150th Street, Japanese is the only foreign language offered to students whose classes are conducted in a tailored combination of English and Spanish, depending on their language strengths.

Besides fundamentals in math, science, English and social studies, all 10th and 11th graders are required to complete the Japanese language program. ‘‘Being bilingual or trilingual is an extraordinarily marketable skill, and it is important to us that we equip our high school graduates with many competitive advantages to help them succeed in college and the work environment,’’ Stacy Winitt, the school’s founder and executive director, told a Japanese newspaper recently. 



Many of us will no doubt agree with that sentiment, while scratching our heads as to why pick Japanese….

The answer: phonetics!

Much like Spanish, which is one of the native tongues spoken by many of the Academy’s students who are 82% Latino, spoken Japanese is entirely phonetic: what you see is what you get. You pronounce words almost exactly as they are written.

Arigato. (Thank you.)
Watashi wa America-jin. (I am American)
Ja ne. (See you later.)

In choosing Japanese, Winitt-san and her staff also considered the insular nature of Washington Heights, which is predominantly Latino in culture.
‘‘Not only did I want my students to learn a new language, but I wanted the opportunity to expose them to a new culture as well,’’ she said.



The similarities between Japanese and Spanish sounds and vowels have been a big encouragement to the students. “They can speak better. Their pronunciation is way better than other English-as-a-first-language students,’’ Takenaka-san said.

What’s more, in October 2008, the United States-Japan Foundation awarded New Heights a grant of $15,000 to build a Japanese resource library, filled with literature, new textbooks, software, and visual aids.

Yokudekimasheta!!

Well done and hooray!!

And domo arigato Takenaka-san and Winitt-san!

Juleyka Lantigua is a writer whose work has appeared in books, magazines and newspapers around the country.

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Note: All pop-up content embedded into articles are selected by our site editors and not individual contributors. They are purely for informational and contextual purposes and do not constitute an endorsement by individual contributors to the República Update.

By Juleyka Lantigua

Inspired by the current Facebook craze that compels people to tell everyone stuff no one really needs (or wants) to know, I decided to put together 25 random things you may want to know.

1.    While Latinos make up 13.5% of the U.S. population, they account for only 7% of the bachelor’s degrees. Only one in four college-age Latinos is actually in college.
2.    The estimated circulation of newspapers targeting Latinos is 16M.
3.    Latinos have a combined buying power of over $452B.
4.    JPMorgan Chase, Citibank, SunTrust, HSBC and Citizens Bank all have indicated they will stop issuing student loans to students who attend community colleges.
5.    About 6.2M students attend community colleges, adding up to 40% of all undergraduates.
6.    Latinos make up 13.5% of the U.S. population but 19% of new HIV infections each year.
7.    An estimated 28% of Latino students drop out of high school, compared to 7% of white students and 13% of Black students.
8.    Nearly 50M adults (ages 20-74)—or 27% of the adult population—are obese.
9.    Overall, more than 108M adults, or 61% of the adult population are either obese or overweight.
10.  Ethnic minorities are 50% more likely than whites to live in communities with hazardous waste facilities.
11.  Close to 90 municipalities in 27 states have drafted—and a handful have enacted into law—ordinances that prohibit landlords from renting to undocumented immigrants.
12.  Among them are: Farmers Branch, Texas, Palm Bay, Fla., Valley Park, Mo., Riverside, N.J., and Hazleton, Pa.
13.  13.9M people (including 4.7M children) belong to families in which the head of the household is an undocumented immigrant.
14.   There are more than 1.5M adopted children in the United States, accounting for 2% of all U.S. children.
15.   An adoption law in Florida requires that, before putting a child up for adoption, a pregnant woman publish in a newspaper the names of partners, their physical descriptions, and locations where conception may have taken place if she does not know the father’s identity.
16.   Florida, which ranks fourth nationwide in adoptions, is the only state with such a law.
17.   In Florida, a woman does not need to consult the biological father to get an abortion.
18.   By law, more than 100 New York City agencies must offer assistance, documentation, interpretation and publications in six foreign languages: Spanish, Russian, Italian, French Creole, Korean and Chinese.
19.   170 languages are spoken in New York City.
20.   In L.A. County, at least 224 languages have been identified, with publications being produced in about 180 of them.
21.   Miami is probably the most truly bilingual city in the entire U.S., with 58.5% of the county’s 2.4M residents speaking Spanish.
22.   31 percent of American adults—63M people—know someone who has used a dating website.
23.   About 15% of—30M—know someone who has been in a long-term relationship or married someone he or she met online.
24.   58 percent of Latino consumers own a desktop computer.
25.   More than 16M Latinos are online.

Juleyka Lantigua is a writer whose work has appeared in books, magazines and newspapers around the country.

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Note: All pop-up content embedded into articles are selected by our site editors and not individual contributors. They are purely for informational and contextual purposes and do not constitute an endorsement by individual contributors to the República Update.

This year Younity's 3rd exhibition entitled FRESHER! will host 40 female urban artists who will participate on an exhibition indoors and outdoors dedicated to bringing community awareness to environmental issues like; recycling, consumerism, global warming, pollution, health and renewable energy. Along with the exhibit YOUNITY will self publish it's second collectors book series that will help keep the message alive. Throughout the exhibit YOUNITY will host youth workshops, mural projects, and panel discussions to help educate the community about the importance of living GREEN.

FRESHER! CALL FOR ENTRIES - ( WORLDWIDE )
10 -15 new artists will be chosen to showcase their work at the Younity FRESHER exhibition in the fall of 09'.
Each artist is asked to create a piece based on one or more of the environmental issues listed below.
• Please note that if your work is chosen each artist will be responsible for shipping to and from YOUNITY NYC studio.
• Please be conscious of size, weight, and fragile artwork.

RE-FRESH THE STREETS!  -  ( WORLDWIDE )
Artists / crews worldwide are asked to participate in a street art/mural project entitled "RE-FRESH THE STREETS" using one or more of the following environmental issues below. The street art/mural created must include Younity's FRESHER! stencil logo provided to be able to unite and identify the project worldwide. We will select 10-15 images from various cities/ streets/ communities which will be included in the 2009 "FRESHER!" exhibit.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES INCLUDE:
• recycling
• consumerism
• global warming
• pollution
• health
• renewable energy

REQUIREMENTS:
• Entry Fee: $10.00 per submission ( limit 3 submissions per artist )
• Paypal: contribute@theyounity.com
• For Checks or Money order payments please email us at: info@theyounity.com
• e-mail your JPG submission to: info@theyounity.com with the subject heading:

FRESHER & SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
Please include the following:
• Artist Name:
• City:
• Website link and/or myspace link:
• Size:
• Title:
• Medium:
• Short Bio:

* * * DEADLINE: JUNE 1st 2009 * * *

For more info, click here here to download the call for entries guidelines or visit:

WEBSITE: www.theyounity.com
BLOG: www.theyounity.wordpress.com 
MYSPACE: www.myspace.com/younityspace

ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER (NYC)
Flavorpill is seeking an experienced online salesperson to sell advertising space across our network of email magazines and websites. The ideal candidate thrives in the fast-paced environment and enjoys the agility and responsibility of being a part of a small, expanding team.

Responsibilities:
• Generate revenue by identifying prospects, developing strategic plans, preparing presentations, negotiating rates and schedules, and communicating results to management.
• Maintain and expand the advertising client base in a variety of categories such as: automotive, beauty, fashion, home furnishings, jewelry/watches, wine and spirits, travel, and luxury goods.
• Develop and maintain relationships with key advertising decision makers.
• Reach or exceed quarterly sales quotas.
• Represent Flavorpill at industry events to promote business, where appropriate.
• Complete forms and process paperwork for assigned accounts.

Requirements:
• 1-3 years of online media sales or online planning / buying experience.
• Excellent interpersonal communication and negotiation techniques.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office.
This position is full-time and work is located in our Soho office. Some travel (approximately 25%) is expected. Salary commensurate with experience. Email your resume to hiring [at] flavorpill.com.

LOCAL SALES MANAGER (LOS ANGELES, SAN FRANCISCO AND CHICAGO)
Flavorpill is seeking an experienced sales person to sell a new online product that focuses on local cultural institutions and venues. The ideal candidate thrives in a fast-paced environment and enjoys the agility and responsibility of working independently while being part of a small, remote team.

Responsibilities:
• Secure deals with 30-40 key local cultural institutions and venues and sign them to six month contracts for our new product.
• Complete forms and process paperwork for assigned accounts.

Requirements:
• 1-3 years of media sales.
• Excellent interpersonal communication.
• Knowledge and passion for local culture and the targeted institutions.
This position is part-time and the work is done from home and on location at the clients' locations. This is primarily a commission position with a potential salary commensurate with experience. Email your resume to hiring [at] flavorpill.com

INTERNSHIPS
Flavorpill also has several internship openings. They are seeking to fill the following positions: Intern, Technology, Music Intern, Editorial and Intern, Editorial.

For more information please visit: www.flavorpill.com

By Juleyka Lantigua

About half way through this month, it hit me that I had not ever considered whether Black Latinos, some of whom prefer to be called Afro-Latinos, are or should be part of the celebration of Black History Month. (Might be because I, myself, am what Dominicans affectionately call jaba [“high-yellow” might be the vernacular translation]. I am, therefore, uniquely unqualified to discuss the nuanced particularities of being Afro anything.)

No matter. Despite not having any cultural connoisseurs or hip historians to consult, I decided to add my own small, but meaningful celebration to this auspicious month. Let’s hear it for my Afro-Latina sisters doing their damn thing!

Gina Torres—Cuban; actress, power wife, sci-fi goddess. She owns any screen her beautiful face graces.

Zoë Saldaña—Dominican/African-American, and yes, that is the correct spelling of her name; actress and Hollywood mover and shaker; saw her losing her mind front row at the Juan Luis Guerra concert in NYC and have loved her even more since. She reps being Dominican with style and gusto.

Rosario Dawson—Puerto Rican/African-American; actress, infuses two-dimensional characters with soul and lust.

Nelly Rosario—Dominican; gifted author, teacher, fierce spirit.

Rita Marley—Cuban; singer, Bob Marley’s widow; as a backup singer in his band, she contributed to the legacy of one of the greatest musical revolutionaries ever.

Gwendolyn Ifill—Panamanian; PBS anchor, author, political commentator; emerged as a media force after owning two major presidential debates.

Mitzi Miller—Panamanian/African American; author, journalist, natural superstar. One of my GLFs (Girls For Life) and the hardest working woman in the media business. Oprah and Tyra better enjoy it while it lasts.

Christina Norman—Puerto Rican/African-American; MTV President but still anchored to her Latina roots; had the brilliance to launch MTV3 and allow a fellow Latina to run “Cribs,” their monster brand.

Kelis—Puerto Rican/Chinese/African American; on the musical vanguard with her sexy/eclectic sound, and standing on the cusp of true stardom. I’m ready and waiting for her to ascend to greatness.

Josefina Baez—Dominican; an enigma of an artist, whose creative journey has enlightened many around her, including me. (Dominican)

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Juleyka Lantigua is a writer whose work has appeared in books, magazines and newspapers around the country.

For those with a love and passion for all things Brasil, here's a little audio treat from our good friend Daniel Roversi who's started a hot little radio show entitled Viva-Brasil in conjunction with the folks at viva-radio.com...enjoy!

www.viva-radio.com