Northalsted Market Days: Celebrating Diversity, Art, And Community In Chicago

By in Art World News

Northalsted Market Days: Celebrating Diversity, Art, And Community In Chicago

Chicago, known around the world as the Windy City, is famous for its vibrant culture, diverse communities, and a rich history of arts and entertainment. Among the plethora of events and festivals that take place throughout the year, Northalsted Market Days stands tall as a celebration of inclusivity, creativity, and unity. This iconic street festival, held annually in the Northalsted neighborhood, attracts visitors from all over the world.

The History of Market Days

Northalsted Market Days, often referred to simply as Market Days, is a two-day event that takes place in the heart of Chicago’s Boystown neighborhood, located in the Lakeview district. It is an inclusive celebration that welcomes people of all backgrounds and orientations.

The roots of Northalsted Market Days can be traced back to the mid-1980s when the neighborhood sought to create a lively event that would not only showcase the unique charm of Boystown but also foster a sense of unity among its residents. Over the years, the festival has grown from a small community gathering into one of the largest street festivals in the Midwest, attracting thousands of attendees each year.

What to Expect

As travelers step into the festival grounds, they are met with an explosion of colors, sounds, and aromas. The streets are lined with vendors, food stalls, and artists showcasing their creations. From handmade crafts to exquisite artworks, there is no shortage of unique finds at Northalsted Market Days.

One of the festival’s highlights is the diverse range of live performances. Stages are set up throughout the area, featuring local bands, musicians, and renowned artists from various genres. There’s everything from pop and rock to electronic dance music and jazz, creating an electric atmosphere that resonates with the festival’s lively spirit.

Community Impact

Beyond the colorful festivities, Northalsted Market Days plays a vital role in supporting the local community. The festival attracts a significant influx of tourists, boosting the local economy and supporting small businesses in the area. Restaurants, bars, and shops all benefit from the increased foot traffic, helping to sustain the vibrant neighborhood throughout the year.

Additionally, a portion of the proceeds generated from the event is often donated to various charitable organizations and causes, making Northalsted Market Days a festival with a heart.

Tips for Attending

If you plan to experience the excitement of Northalsted Market Days, here are some helpful tips:

1. Plan Ahead: Check the festival’s official website for dates, schedules, and a map of the event grounds to make the most of your visit.

2. Arrive Early: The festival attracts large crowds, so arriving early allows you to explore comfortably and enjoy the various activities.

3. Stay Hydrated: Chicago summers can be warm, so carry a water bottle to stay hydrated throughout the day.

4. Bring Cash: While some vendors may accept card payments, it’s advisable to bring cash, especially for smaller purchases.

5. Respect and Enjoy: Embrace the spirit of inclusivity and enjoy the diverse array of performances and offerings with an open mind and heart.

Northalsted Market Days is more than just a festival; it is an embodiment of Chicago’s commitment to diversity, acceptance, and community. As visitors wander through the bustling streets of Boystown during the festival, they experience the unique blend of art, culture, and pride that defines this iconic neighborhood.

High Country Photographer Captures Viral Photos of Rare Phenomenon

By in Photography

High Country Photographer Captures Viral Photos of Rare Phenomenon

LINVILLE, N.C. — High Country photographer Leslie Restivo struck gold atop Grandfather Mountain last weekend.

“To catch the illusion was magical.”

The illusion? A Brocken specter. Formed when an object’s shadow is projected onto a cloud, these ethereal sights get their name from a mountain in Germany. But Restivo knows firsthand you don’t need to go to Bavaria to see them.

“And the second I crossed onto Linville Peak and crossed the Mile High Bridge, the sun came right behind me and this gorgeous rainbow, a glory, was around my body. It almost appears as if you’re an angel flying in the sky. It’s really cool.”

Her photos have gone viral, being seen by millions on social media and were even featured on-air by The Weather Channel. Restivo says she feels amazing.

“I just feel really lucky. I love what I do. I love photography. I love being able to work for Grandfather.”

Here’s her advice for those new to the photography game.

“Get out there. Keep your camera with you at all times, and never give up,” Restivo says.

“Nature can change your life. Photography can change your life… Some of the best days I’ve had are after rain and that’s when this Brocken happened. So, even if it’s a rainy day, get out there and explore and see what you can find.”

Leslie Restivo is a self-taught photographer working for the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation and “Our State” magazine. You can follow her on Instagram @leslie_restivo and on Facebook at Leslie Restivo Photography.

El Paso Museum of Art Presents Exposure: Native Art and Political Ecology – El Paso Herald Post

By in Native

El Paso Museum of Art Presents Exposure: Native Art and Political Ecology – El Paso Herald Post

The El Paso Museum of Art (EPMA) invites the community to the opening of a new exhibit, Exposure: Native Art and Political Ecology, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. TODAY, July 28.

“Exposure” is an exhibition of contemporary art that documents responses from international Indigenous artists to the impacts of nuclear testing and accidents, and uranium mining on Native peoples and the environment.

The traveling exhibition gives a voice for artists to address the long-term effects of these man-made disasters on Indigenous communities in the United States and around the world.

“The El Paso Museum of Art is committed to presenting authentic cultural expressions from diverse communities,” said El Paso Museum of Art Director Edward Hayes Jr. “We are proud to host “Exposure,” an exhibition that speaks to the power of collective reflection and healing through art from across three continents, including neighboring indigenous communities in the Southwest U.S.”

Indigenous artists from Australia, Canada, Greenland, Japan, Pacific Islands, and the United States utilize tribal knowledge, traditions and contemporary art forms to inform their thought-provoking artworks that are highlighted in the exhibit.

Exposure: Native Art and Political Ecology is organized by The Institute of American Indian Arts Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, Santa Fe, NM. Support for this exhibition is provided by the Ford Foundation, Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, and by Air Tahiti Nui. Additional support is provided by the Mellon Foundation, the Texas Commission on the Arts, El Paso Museum of Art Foundation, and the El Paso Museums and Cultural Affairs Department.

For more information on the El Paso Museum of Art, including programs and activities and an upcoming member’s only collaboration with the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, visit www.epma.art.

Black Belt Eagle Scout’s latest record inspired by return home to Swinomish tribe’s ancestral lands

By in Native

Black Belt Eagle Scout’s latest record inspired by return home to Swinomish tribe’s ancestral lands

CHICAGO (AP) — The beginning of the pandemic was devasting for the leader of the indie rock band Black Belt Eagle Scout, Katherine Paul. All her tours, including one headlining across North America, were canceled and she feared her ascending music career might be over.

She got a day job at a nonprofit and returned to the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community’s homelands in Western Washington. But as Paul, or KP to her friends, spent time in the cedar forests and walked along the Skagit River, she turned to her guitar to deal with the isolation and stress. Those snippets, recorded on her phone, provided the foundation for what would become songs on her powerful, grunge-soaked new record “The Land, The Water, The Sky.”

“I feel like if the pandemic hadn’t happened, I probably wouldn’t have made this record,” said KP, who writes the songs, sings and plays guitar in the band that was the only Native American artist at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago this month.

“I spent a lot of time outside. I spent a lot more time than normal going on hikes, being part of the land,” she continued. “It’s not like I never do that stuff but it brought me back to a place where this is who I am.”

The new record, which came out in February, helped launch what has probably been the most successful year so far for Black Belt Eagle Scout. The band toured Europe and will go to Australia later this year. Two of her songs, “Soft Stud” from an earlier record and “Salmon Stinta” from her latest, appear this season on the television series “Reservation Dogs.”

Reservation Dogs Music Supervisor Tiffany Anders said she was introduced to the band’s music by the show’s creator, Sterlin Harjo, when they started working on the second season.

“It’s always been important for us on this show to include Native American artists, but beyond representation, Black Belt Eagle Scout’s music is beautiful and emotional, and fits these characters, their world and landscape — and the vibe of the show,’” she said in a statement.

Then there was Pitchfork, a three-day festival that is a significant milestone for indie musicians. The festival is held every year in Chicago’s Union Park and this year’s headliners included Bon Iver, Big Thief and The Smile, which has members of Radiohead.

She admitted stepping on that stage last weekend was nerve-wracking given her high hopes for the show, a feeling compounded by concerns that storms could scuttle their performance. But as she launched into the blistering set of mostly new songs in front of thousands of eager fans, KP found solace in her guitar. She launched several long jams that were punctuated by her twirling her jet-black hair around to the point it obscured her face.

“It was totally a moment,” she said with a laugh.

“I kind of cried after we played because it felt so meaningful,” she added. “Like, I’ve always wanted to play this music festival. I remember trying to play one of the years before the pandemic when I was touring and it didn’t happen. This year, I was just so stoked to play.”

Reaching Pitchfork has been a long journey for the 34-year-old artist, who is a member of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community and left her home on the reservation in LaConner, Washington, when she was 17 to attend Lewis & Clark College in Oregon and play rock music.

Growing up on the reservation off the Washington coast on islands in the Salish Sea, she drummed and sang cultural songs. As a teenager, she discovered local Pacific Northwest bands like Mount Eerie and the sounds of the Riot Grrrl movement and played one of her first gigs at a small bar called Department of Safety. She moved to Portland, Oregon, due to its outsized role in the indie scene that featured bands like Sleater-Kinney and quickly immersed herself in the music scene playing drums and guitar.

She joined an all-female outfit whom she met at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp for Girls in Portland. She went on to play a lot of small, basement shows with bands like Genders — whose wolf tattoo she still has on her left arm.

But she wanted to write her own songs and formed Black Belt Eagle Scout in 2013. Her early music was defined by her ethereal singing about love, friendship and healing — often only accompanied by minimal guitar strumming. But she did rock out on songs like “Soft Stud,” which featured searing solos.

“She is a really an authentic musician and she carries a lot of power on stage with her presence and sound,” Claire Glass, who plays guitar in the band and first saw KP seven years ago.

KP has said her Native American identify has always been present on her records. But her latest music paints a more vivid picture of life on the Swinomish reservation. There are references to chinook salmon, which are traditionally fished, and a powwow dance.

“I started thinking of feeling grateful for the life that I have been given; this place that I’m from; how much the land, the water, the sky means to me — being surrounded by it,” KP said of writing the song ”Don’t Give Up.” “It has so much more meaning because the land, that’s where my people are from.”

Her songs aren’t meant to directly confront issues like the crisis of missing and murdered Native American women or tribes’ forced relocation. It’s not the way she writes songs. Instead, she envisions them connecting with people, drawing more Native Americans to indie rock shows in places like Minneapolis, which has a vibrant Native American community, and inspiring young Native Americans to connect with her after shows.

“Isn’t me like being here existing with my music good enough? Can’t I just be who I am?” she asked, adding she doesn’t need to speak out from stage about these issues because being Native often means she is already wrestling with them. A judge, for example, ruled in March that BNSF Railway intentionally violated the terms of an easement agreement with the tribe by running 100-car trains carrying crude oil over the reservation.

“As a Native person, you know someone who is missing. Your tribe is trying to get your land back. Those are topics that are part of your every day life,” she said. ”I care about those things deeply but there are certain ways in which my music is, maybe not as direct, but it can be healing.”

KP also doesn’t want to be seen just as a rock musician or as a Native artist. “I am a musician who happens to be Native, but I am also a Native musician … I think I am always both,” she said.

Her latest record aims to show that.

“I kind of had in the back of mind, just kept thinking what would Built to Spill do,” KP said of the guitar-heavy, indie-rock band from the Pacific Northwest. “I’ve gone on tour with them and seen their three guitars at one point playing together and how they overlap and all these other things.”

It’s also a more collaborative effort with more musicians playing on the record— a departure for KP, who is accustomed to doing everything herself. A cellist who played with Nirvana, Lori Goldston, is featured on several songs, as are two violinists, as well as a saxophone and mellotron player.

Takiaya Reed, a first-time producer who is also in a doom metal band, described the experience of working on the record as “beautiful and amazing” and said the two bonded over their love of punk. Reid also brought her classical training and love of “heavier sounds” to the studio.

“We approached it fearlessly. It was wonderful to be expansive in terms of sonic possibilities,” she said.

KP also wanted to find a place for her parents, whom she had grown especially close to during the pandemic, to play on the record. She chose the song “Spaces,” which she described as having a “healing vibe.” Her dad, who is one of the main singers at the tribe’s cultural events, embraced the idea of lending his powerful powwow chant to the song. Her mom sang harmonies.

KP said: “It meant the world to me to have my parents sing because it felt like it was full circle in who I am.”

Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

How to Improve as a Photographer

By in Photography

How to Improve as a Photographer

Everyone wants to be a better photographer, but with as complex as the craft is, it can be difficult to know how to create a focused plan to really bring you to the next level. If you would like to improve your work, check out this fantastic video tutorial that features an experienced photographer sharing a wealth of valuable advice. 

Coming to you from Scott Choucino of Tin House Studio, this excellent video tutorial discusses some of the best ways to become a better photographer. One that I think is particularly important is shooting series of images or projects, not just single photos. One of the hallmarks of a professional photographer is not just the ability to create a good image, but to consistently make compelling photos. On top of that, working on a unified set of shots will help you to establish a creative identity, which will, in turn, help you to land clients, as they will be able to better anticipate what sort of photos they will receive and thus, can make more informed decisions. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Choucino.

If you would like to learn more about the business of photography, check out “Making Real Money: The Business of Commercial Photography With Monte Isom!”

Redefining Success: What Truly Makes a You A Successful Photographer

By in Photography

Redefining Success: What Truly Makes a You A Successful Photographer

Success in photography is a fairly vague metric. Some measure it by the number of followers on Instagram, others by ratings on photography forums, and some people by the gear you use. However, none of these three things mean success. In fact, a photographer who shoots on the latest gear, gets 5-star ratings on forums, and has a million followers is not necessarily successful. Here is what an actually successful photographer is.

I had a period where I was really trying to measure my success as a photographer using the wrong metrics. I don’t have a huge following on Instagram, nor are my images particularly liked on photography forums. If anything, I hear a lot of photographers saying that my work is fairly simple and anyone can do it. This led me to believe that my work is, at most, middle grade. This is because I was looking at it from a point of view that was not appropriate for measuring success. I am not the next Jordi Koalitic or Peter McKinnon when it comes to social media and photographer appreciation. If you are in the same boat, you might just feel better about yourself after reading this article.

Client List

Who is hiring you? Take this as an example. You are aiming to shoot for National Geographic, and the local wildlife magazine, as well as nature reserves, are hiring you. While not National Geographic, this is the right track to being hired by your dream client. The important thing is to have a clear distinction between who is your client and who is not. For example, someone who wants to hire you to do their LinkedIn picture, and your goal is to shoot wildlife for National Geographic, they are not your client. Unless they work within the wildlife industry and it is a good connection. This relates closely to another point in my article, niche. You need to have a distinct look and genre in your work; you can’t be working with anyone who needs pictures in your city. Successful photographers have a very selective approach when it comes to taking clients and only work with the people who are relevant to the work they do. If the client is within the genre/industry you are pursuing, they are for you.

Soft Skills

Another trait I see successful photographers have is excellent soft skills. As photographers, we may be creating the most incredible work; however, at the end of the day, it is ourselves that we are selling. You need to be a memorable and ideally likable person. This means having empathy, being able to read the room, being approachable, but also not being shy to state your own opinion when asked. Things such as professional email communication, dressing appropriately, and being able to hold a conversation not about work also add to this. After all, when someone hires a photographer, they hire a human, not just a photo machine. Successful photographers are both great at their art and also good to be around. If you are like me, and your soft skills are not the best, seek help and work on it, as it will help you develop your ability to land more jobs.

Publications

As photographers, we rely on editorial content to show off our work. Be it portrait, fashion, landscape, or train photography, there is a magazine for everything. Be sure to note that it is not easy to get into the biggest magazine about any subject. People can easily spend decades before they shoot their first Sports Illustrated or Car magazine cover. Successful photographers have editorial publications all the time, be it in a small or a large magazine. The main thing is that the magazine is not read by other photographers, but the people interested in the subject of your photography. The reason I say this is because what photographers like might not be what the clients need. The amount of fake product commercials is there to show that. Just look up “epic product commercial” on YouTube, then look that product up on Google, and I promise you that the actual commercial looks nothing like the thing you saw. This is all because what photographers think is commercial photography has nothing to do with actual commercials. The analogy can be made with any genre of your liking.

Relevance

Having a sense of zeitgeist and knowing if your work is relevant to today’s market is another trait of successful photographers. Just look at how trends have changed in the past 20 years. We went from liking super smooth skin tones to almost no retouching. The list goes on and on. Epic lay-flat food photography got replaced by pop-art advertisements, etc. While you should not change your work to fit the pop culture, be sure to include elements of the visual style that is popular and steer in the direction of what is popular at the moment.

Niche and Style

Photographing in the style that you like is also a significant factor that contributes to your success as a photographer. Knowing what influences you and what you like seeing in visual imagery is crucial. Creating personal work that follows your visual aesthetic is one of the components that will help you book bigger clients and get more money. Take Elizaveta Porodina’s approach. She considers herself an artist and photographs campaigns, editorials, and personal work in the same exact way and approach. The same applies to every other successful photographer. You should not be able to tell that it’s a campaign if the photographer was hired for what they do rather than for the ability to set a light and press a button.

Don’t Let Your Ego Get in the Way

One of the things I hate about modern success culture is the amount of feel-good content. It is crafted in the most generic way to make anyone feel good about themselves. This results in a bunch of lazy folks who just feel good about themselves. It’s almost like watching a motivational video instead of doing something about your life. This article is not one of those feel-good pieces. I strongly encourage you to swallow your ego and be as humble as you can be. In other words, you are as special as the next person. Keep your ego down, and remain an approachable person. Even if you are told that you are great every day. Don’t let the hype get to you. As an artist, you must question yourself all the time.

Closing Thoughts

So there you have it, success in photography is measured by the people you work with, your ability to sell yourself as a photographer, how relevant your work is in the current market, as well as which market publishes it. Last but not least, it is also important to have a niche and style, which are perhaps the most important factors to your becoming a successful photographer.

8 tips to take better pictures on your smartphone

By in Photography

8 tips to take better pictures on your smartphone

People have tried to calculate how many photographs are now in existence — one estimate putting it at a mind-boggling 12.4 trillion — with the vast majority snapped since the invention of the smartphone.

I have 14,524 photographs on my phone. But that pales in comparison with Nicholas Cullinan, the director of the National Portrait Gallery (NPG), who, as of last week, has 35,220. “I have all these family photos up until ten years ago, and then everything is on my phone,” he says.

How many thousands more will be created this summer? Trips to the seaside, city breaks, children and families gathered around a pool — all captured on 6in of glass. Squinting eyes, blurred bodies, smudged sun loungers — most, we already know,

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