#techung

[narrativelysignificantturtleduck]

the last airbender.

aang's playlist is divided in threes, with each set of three representing a different stage in his character arc.

trio 1 ("kyepotang - have fun" - techung, "the big sky" - kate bush, "is it cold in the water?" - SOPHIE)

this trio is about aang's life with the air nomads, ending with running away and freezing in the iceberg. there is a translation of "kyepotang - have fun" here, which reveals it's basically the dancing scene from the "the headband", but i put it at the beginning to reflect the air nomads' culture. in making these playlists, it was important to me to include at least a few songs that reflect the show's real-world inspirations.

trio 2 ("happiness is..." - yungchen llamo, "a lot's gonna change" - weyes blood, "long and lost" - florence + the machine)

this trio is aang waking up from the iceberg, grappling with a new world and mourning what he has lost. while i can't find a translation for "happiness is...", i found it via this post by atlaculture where it is described as a song about rising above transient pleasures of the world to find true happiness. it's more meloncholy sounding, though, which is apt for aang's character at this point.

trio 3 ("pushin against the wind" - kelsey lu, "whirlwind" - JOSEPH, "the lion's roar" - first aid kit)

this trio is about aang's relationship with the avatar state and his role as the avatar. "whirlwind" and "the lion's roar" take the outsider perspective, awe at the strength of his power and belief in the hope he brings. the title of this playlist comes from "whirlwind". a lot of lyrics sites say it's lies, not lives, but "the breath of a thousand lives in the whirlwind" is such an on-the-nose description of aang in the avatar state that i'm not going to let a little thing like being wrong stop me. and now that am a curator on musixmatch, i make the rules :)

trio 3 ("paprika" - japanese breakfast, "a trick of the light" - villagers, "space song" - beach house)

this trio is similar to the last one, but less about the avatar state and other people's perceptions and more about him personally figuring out how to keep up hope. how being a beacon of hope weighs on him ("paprika") but how he has to believe anyway ("a trick of the light"). in the end, "you wide-eyed girls, you get it right" - a nod to katara.

trio 4 - ("nightflyer" - allison russell, "astral plane" - valerie june, "cosmic dancer" - t.rex)

aang is finally at peace with himself and his place in the avatar cycle. the most floaty and ethereal songs on this very floaty and ethereal playlist. i made a short video to nightflyer here.

[gamat3000]

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Conversations | Changing the World With Your Art, While  Maintaining a Work-Life Balance

Find out how to stay focused and keep your mind, art, and heart inspired with a few tips from the IAP Interview Archives.

Below you’ll find top tips and advice for immigrant artists and creatives collected from conversations featured in IAP Newsletters across the years. Whether you’re telling your personal story, looking for a residency, or balancing a 9-to-5 job with your artistic practice, read on to learn more about the fine art of wearing multiple hats in the art world. For the full conversations, click on the interviewees' names below. 

NYFA: What advice would you give to artists who are looking to share their personal story in the hopes of inspiring large social change but who do not know where to start?

Ambika Samarthya-Howard: I think the hardest part of sharing your personal story is that when people reject it, it feels like they are rejecting you. This is true if you are a writer or a video producer, or a painter. Art is always hard because it’s a reflection of your identity in so many ways, but it’s even harder when it’s a personal story that’s already fraught with vulnerability, like stories of trauma.

My advice is to first step back and ask yourself if you want/need to tell this story. I’ve often found telling my story to be key to personal growth and very cathartic and so whether it’s accepted in a film festival or publication, I was happy to tell it. Second, do you want to put this story out there? Artists can have personal projects that they don’t share and I think it’s worth asking, especially with sensitive subject matters, if it makes sense to put this out into the world. How would a public critique or rude comment on YouTube make you feel? Lastly, connecting to community and other artists can often make this process easier and help through the journey of not only producing the work, but also the much harder process of sharing it and finding the right channels for distribution.

Martita Abril: I found it was critical to be comfortable with myself and my own style and to embrace and engage my fellow immigrant artists like the community embraced me.

Techung: Well, immigrant artists naturally face more challenges, but they should never give up on their art and instead work toward finding possibilities. There are a lot of kind people out there—organizations such as NYFA and others who will support, give feedback, and guidance—but the drive should come from the artists themselves. It takes time and energy to succeed and one must not feel shy or discouraged to ask for help. Keep your mind, heart, and art inspired.

Angélica Dass: For me, the role of an artist is to start a conversation. Because, in the end, I really believe that I can’t change the world; the only person that I can change is myself. But if we talk more about these issues that you feel are not right outside (and as an artist you are able to put these inflections in the making of art), maybe other people can decide they want to change themselves. So that is why I see the role of the artist as someone that uses something (photography, archive, images, etc.) to generate empathy and propose a discussion that can have a direct impact on our collective future. 

I always have the same advice for my students and it is: “Be honest!” It looks like something very basic, but really, be honest! You know it when you are doing something that is not right, not coherent, in a work of art. This is something that I miss in the art world, sometimes. Maybe we can be too critical and too political in a piece, but the truth is that we are just showing one side. My other advice is to give back. Give back to the community that you’re working with and try to be coherent and respectful of them.   

Sébastien Sanz de Santamaría: When artists are applying for opportunities, they should ask these four questions: What do I need to advance my creative practice? Does this opportunity (grant, residency, workshop, etc.) provide the resources and means for me to advance my practice? Do I have all the requirements necessary to apply? Have I reviewed all the details of the program entirely? I think to be successful you must select the right opportunity at the right time. After that, I think perseverance is very important. Normally, one successful experience takes you to the next one, in a process that is connected with your artwork.

Ronny Quevedo: If there is something you need help with, reach out to someone that can help you. We shouldn’t be ashamed of our unfamiliarity with something. For example, I didn’t know how to develop a budget for a very long time. Try not to hide what you think you are not good at, instead be more proactive about facing what challenges you.

NYFA: What are your tips for balancing a job with an artistic practice?

Gisela Insuaste: I think of them [my job and artistic practice] as part of my identity as a human being (and engaged in activities that are important to me), and avoid thinking of these as separate, vying for my time and energy. I see them in collaboration.

Ideally, the administrative work connects, informs, or inspires my artistic practice and vice-versa, but most importantly, aligns with my values. Actually, that’s the case for all activities, relationships, etc. in my life. I’d like to say that once your values are aligned, then everything is perfect! But that’s not the case—it’s also about time management and prioritizing the work, making adjustments, always. Sometimes, administrative work will require more time, while a creative project takes back seat. Shifting gears for a 35-mile bike ride in the hills is just as important if your body and mind need to be outdoors.

A good practice for me is to take moments to play and socialize during intense work, either in the office or studio, with friends or colleagues. If need be, set parameters with people or spaces to manage time—decide what’s important to get the work done and surround yourself with what you think you’ll need. Assess where you’re at with your projects/personal well-being. Sleep, eat well. Go outdoors for a walk and get some Vitamin D!

Marco Antonio Castro: I have been active in the New York arts community since my arrival in 2005. I co-founded and curated MoD (Monitor Digital), the first Interactive Art Festival in Guadalajara, Mexico. We brokered partnerships in the public and private sector to give new audiences an access point to explore digital art and performances. From 2007 to 2013, I guided the vision, curatorial strategies, fundraising, and assessment for the annual festival, while tapping the diverse arts community that thrives in New York. MoD’s public programs, workshops, performances, and artists expanded the festival’s reach to ultimately serve as a pipeline for international artists to connect and collaborate across borders. The festival has helped me understand the process and care needed to reach new audiences and how to make a digital exhibition as inviting as possible without lowering the quality of the content. This has helped me in my practice to make sure I know how to talk about my projects in different ways, to make them understandable by different audiences.

Catherine Yu: For an art form so bound to structure and plot, remember with relief that life works differently from art. Life often goes off-script. For those who feel daunted by the unknown, allow me to quote the great poet Rainer Maria Rilke: “The future enters into us in this way in order to transform itself in us long before it happens.”

Leeza Ahmady: One of the skills I’ve managed to develop is to keep the insight that the art world has many parts and that each part plays an important role at the forefront of my mind. I see it as an ecology, a landscape. Because of this perspective, I’ve been able to include and engage with all spectrums of the art scene: the nonprofit and for-profit museums and galleries, academic institutions, art biennials and festivals, smaller arts organizations with similar missions, community organizations, and artistic collectives as well as auction houses and art fairs. I have achieved this by being conscious of each entity’s mission and by creating and envisioning programs that appeal and address the needs of all these varying operating sectors while keeping the empowerment and promotion of artists at the very top of ACAW’s priority. It’s all about making practical, conceptual use of what resources are already there and sharing the spotlight without being invasive of any one’s territory.

- Interview Conducted by Alicia Ehni, Program Officer at NYFA Learning

This interview is part of the ConEdison Immigrant Artist Program Newsletter #120. Subscribe to this free monthly e-mail for artist’s features, opportunities, and events.

Images from Top: Angélica Dass, Yo Soy Somos, Courtesy the artist; Ronny Quevedo, no hay medio tempo: there is no halftime (detail), 2017, Queens Museum, Photo Credit: Hai Zhang

[allbrooklynveganposts]

Blood Orange, Angel Olsen and Stephin Merritt are among the performers for the 2018 Tibet House benefit that happens at NYC's Carnegie Hall on March 3. Also performing are Philip Glass, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, Rhiannon Giddens, Resistance Revival Chorus and Techung...

Continue reading…

[pemakharpo]

Tibetan Music Awards 2013 Best Song

[latticelight]

Techung - Kelsang Sungla Yardo (Auspicious One, Melodiously Ascending)

[narrativelysignificantturtleduck]

@aangweek day 7: love

a playlist for the best boy! some thoughts i had making this playlist + links to lyric translations under the readmore:

i think for aang playlists, there’s an impulse to go really upbeat and happy. “best day of my life” kind of vibe. that’s definitely valid, but my music taste just isn’t like that and there’s a lot more to aang’s character. there’s this enormity to aang: enormous responsibility and enormous power from being the avatar, and the enormous grief of losing his people. the songs i've chosen are expansive, sometimes abstract, and often tragic, in an effort to convey that sense of scale.

the playlist spans the course of aang's life, beginning with his carefree air nomad youth, moving to his grief at their loss and his struggles accepting his responsibility and power, and finally coming to a sense of peace at the end. for best effect, i recommend that you listen to it in order.

you can read a translation of "kyipotang" by techung on his bandcamp here. while i can't find a translation for "happiness is..." by yungchen lhamo, here's an interview where she talks about the song's meaning.

thanks to @bakodas for putting "kyipotang" on their kataang playlist and to @atlaculture for recommending yungchen lhamo on their blog 💜

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Conversations | Techung

“Immigrant artists naturally face more challenges but they should never give up on their art and instead work toward finding possibilities.”

Techung is a Tibetan folk and freedom singer/songwriter/performer living in exile and a recipient of a 2018 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship in Folk/Traditional Arts. Last year, he was a guest speaker at the NYSCA/NYFA Artist Resources Talk at Lake Placid Center for the Arts, where he performed and shared the impact of the award on his career.

Over the decades, Techung has recorded more than a dozen albums. With the goal of reaching Tibetan children, Techung released his first Tibetan children's music album, Semshae – Heart Songs, in 2010. This is one of the first Tibetan albums dedicated to children and is the result of seven years of research and composition. The primary goal of the project is to ensure that the Tibetan culture of compassion is preserved through children’s music. 

NYFA: How has living in New York State influenced your career?

Techung: New York is a large state and at this point in my career I enjoy sharing my music and culture in smaller towns rather than in a big city. Smaller communities are more receptive to culture from outside and engaging with them is also cost-effective. I enjoy upstate New York, and the Adirondacks are good for the heart and soul.

NYFA: What opportunities are available for Folk and Traditional Arts artists in the New York State art scene?

T: As folk and traditional artists we need to stay organized and seek diverse opportunities like schools, universities, churches, house concerts, or other events. It’s also good to research for opportunities online.

NYFA: You received a NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship in 2018. What impact has it had on your career? 

T: The NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship Fellowship inspired me to seek support from national and international organizations, such as NEA and others. I am so thankful for the fellowship.

NYFA: What advice can you give to immigrant artists?

T: Well, immigrant artists naturally face more challenges, but they should never give up on their art and instead work toward finding possibilities. There are many kind people out there—organizations such as NYFA and others who will support, give feedback, and guidance—but the drive should come from the artists themselves. It takes time and energy to succeed and one must not feel shy or discouraged to ask for help. Keep your mind, heart, and art inspired.

NYFA: You’ve been doing a lot of traveling lately. Do you have any other news to share with our readers?

T: Yes, I am in Dharamsala, India, visiting my mother. She is well and the weather is gorgeous here. I am happy to share some good news with you. About nine years ago, I worked on an album for children to learn the Tibetan language, which is now for sale. My website now has Tibetan writings. I am inspired to do this by the Tibetans in Tibet, especially the youths, who have against all odds revived our language. 

- Interview Conducted by Alicia Ehni, Program Officer at NYFA Learning

About Techung After moving to the United States, from exile in India (he was born and raised in Dharamsala), Techung co-founded the San Francisco-based Chaksampa Tibetan Dance & Opera Company in 1989, which performed Tibetan music, dance, and opera at various music festivals and at the Carnegie Hall in New York. Over the decades, he has recorded more than a dozen music albums. His voice and music have been featured on the soundtracks of the IMAX film Everest, as well as feature and documentary films.

Techung has performed regularly at the Tibet House Annual Benefit Concert at Carnegie Hall, joined by prominent artists such as Philip Glass, Patti Smith, and others. He has shared stages with Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bjork, among others to promote Tibetan music and generate awareness about Free Tibet. In recent years, Techung has had the honor of opening for His Holiness the Dalai Lama's public talks in the USA, Costa Rica, and Japan.

Support Techung's Tibetan Music Preservation Project.

This interview is part of the ConEdison Immigrant Artist Program Newsletter #116. Subscribe to this free monthly e-mail for artist’s features, opportunities, and events.

Image: Techung, Photo by Judy Detor

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Event | NYFA Resources and Services Talk with NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship Info Session in Lake Placid, NY

Artists of all disciplines are invited to join us in Lake Placid, NY on Saturday, September 15.

The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), in partnership with New York State Council on the Arts’ (NYSCA) State & Local Partnerships program, will present a free public event for artists of all disciplines in collaboration with the Lake Placid Center For the Arts. This programming is part of NYFA’s entrepreneurial training in the Lake Placid region including Essex, Franklin, Clinton, and Warren counties.

NYFA will present an overview of its free and low-cost national programs and services. Whether you’re trying to raise money to finish a particular project, seeking feedback on your work, looking for an artistic residency, or trying to find a job, NYFA has resources that you can use to help you sustain and grow your artistic practice. Particular emphasis will be placed on providing information on the NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship, an unrestricted grant of $7,000 for which artists residing in New York State are eligible.

As part of the event, Techung (Tay-Choong, Fellow in Folk/Traditional Arts ‘18) will share his artwork and experience receiving a NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship. Techung is a Tibetan folk and freedom singer who is regarded as one of the key holders of Tibetan traditional music. He plays dranyen (drum-nain) and other traditional musical instruments, and has toured internationally and performed in all the Tibetan Freedom Concert series alongside the Beastie Boys, U2, REM, and others. In recent years and on numerous occasions he has opened for His Holiness the Dalai Lama, performing in advance of the spiritual leader’s public talks. 

Program Title: NYFA Resources and Services Talk Program Date: Saturday, September 15, 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM Location: Lake Placid Center For the Arts, 17 Algonquin Drive, Lake Placid, NY 12946 Register: RSVP here via Eventbrite

This event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

This program is made possible through New York State Council on the Arts, State & Local Partnerships, with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

This program is part of NYFA Learning, which includes professional development for artists and arts administrators. Sign up for NYFA’s free bi-weekly newsletter to receive updates on future programs.

Image: Bridging the Gap between the Studio and the Audience, June 2018; Photo: NYFA

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Introducing | NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship Program Recipients and Finalists

NYFA has awarded $623,000 to 89 New York State artists.

The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) has announced the recipients and finalists of the NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship program, which it has administered for the past 32 years with leadership support from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA). The organization has awarded a total of $623,000 to 89 artists throughout New York State in the following disciplines: Fiction, Folk/Traditional Arts, Interdisciplinary Work, Painting, and Video/Film. This year’s recipients range in age between 26 and 77. Fifteen finalists, who do not receive a cash award, but benefit from a range of other NYFA services, were also announced. A complete list of the Fellows and Finalists follows.

The NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship Program makes unrestricted cash grants of $7,000 to artists working in 15 disciplines, awarding five per year on a triennial basis. The program is highly competitive and this year’s recipients and finalists were selected by discipline-specific peer panels from an applicant pool of 3,071. Since it was launched in 1985, the program has awarded over $31 million to more than 4,500 artists.

“Artists deepen humanity and help us to understand the world and each other through their work,” said Michael L. Royce, Executive Director, NYFA. “We’re proud to collaborate with NYSCA to offer unrestricted grants to artists of all disciplines across New York State to support their artistic visions,” he added.

“We recognize that at the heart of the arts is the individual artist,” said Mara Manus, Executive Director of the New York State Council on the Arts. “These grants provide artists in a multitude of disciplines with financial support so they can take risks and flourish in their work, fueling the creative capital of New York.”

Sejal Shah, a Fellow in Fiction from Rochester, NY, reflected on the award saying: “Receiving the NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship means it is possible for me to teach less, worry (a little) less, and write more. It is allowing me to focus on the big picture and helps me to believe that what I am doing has value to someone other than me. As an artist, I feel freer to take risks with my work, to experiment, and to continue to write about gender, race, silence, and speech.”

Kim Brandt, a Fellow in Interdisciplinary Work from Queens, NY, shared the following about her fellowship: “Receiving a NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship is a real gift—both a vote of confidence and a sigh of relief. On a practical level, it supports a continued commitment to my work by easing the financial burdens of its costs. For a contained stretch of time, I can pay for studio space and materials, take time away from my jobs, and travel for a residency with less worry and reduced stress. Yet to have my work recognized and acknowledged by NYFA and their panelist of arts professionals, peers, and colleagues, to be included in a roster of previous awardees whose work I’ve long admired and respected—this is the deeply meaningful support that doesn't run out once the last penny is spent. This kind of support feeds and fuels long past the fellowship period, and its value is immeasurable and unlimited.”

Fellowship Recipients and Finalists by Discipline and County of Residence:

Fiction Fellows

Caitlin Cass (Erie) Diane Chang (Queens) Martin Cloutier (Kings) Dana Czapnik (New York) Nicole Dennis-Benn (Kings) Eric Gansworth (Niagara) Susanna Horng (New York) Naomi Jackson (Kings) Swati Khurana (New York) Lisa Ko (Kings) Marie Myung-Ok Lee (New York) Haifa Lakshmi Koleilat (Rockland) Lissette J. Norman (Richmond)** Bino A. Realuyo (Queens) Mike Scalise (Kings) Jennifer Sears (Kings) Sejal Shah (Monroe) Kelli Trapnell (Kings)

Fiction Finalists    

YZ Chin (New York) Adalena Kavanagh (Kings) Yahaira Lawrence (Westchester)       

Fiction Panelists  

Roohi Choudhry (Kings) Janet McNally (Erie) Anne Panning (Monroe) Edward Schwarzschild (Albany) Cathie Wright-Lewis (Kings)       

Folk/Traditional Arts Fellows

Douglas Barr (Richmond) Danielle Brown (Kings) Moris J Cañate (Queens) Helen Taylor Condon (St. Lawrence) William Crouse Sr. (Cattaraugus) Wafa Ghnaim (Kings) Zhong-hua Lu (Rensselaer) Potri Ranka Manis (Queens) Tashi D Sharzur (Techung) (Essex) Jake Shulman-Ment (Kings) Salieu Suso (Bronx)**

Folk/Traditional Finalists

Martin Macica (Saratoga) Halyna Shepko (Ulster) Alicia Svigals (New York)  

Folk/Traditional Panelists  

Mary Tooley Parker (Westchester) Blanka Amezkua (Bronx) Naomi Sturm (Richmond) Elinor Levy (Dutchess) Carrie Hill (Franklin)

Interdisciplinary Work Fellows

Noel W Anderson (Queens) Kim Brandt (Queens) A.K. Burns (Kings) Tyler Coburn (Kings) Ayana Evans (New York) Allison Janae Hamilton (New York) Kathy High (Rensselaer) Sue Jeong Ka (New York) Baseera Khan (New York) Mary Mattingly (Kings) Christie Neptune (Kings) Ernesto Pujol (Columbia) Elise Rasmussen (Kings) Aki Sasamoto (Kings) Kuldeep Singh (Kings) Tiffany Smith (Kings) Tattfoo Tan (Richmond)

Interdisciplinary Work Finalists  

Keren Benbenisty (New York) Kameelah Janan Rasheed (Kings) Aida Šehović (New York)    

Interdisciplinary Work Panelists

Matt Bua (Greene) David Court (Ulster) Glendalys Medina (New York) Rachel Fein-Smolinski (Onondaga) Jaimie Warren (Kings)       

Painting Fellows

Samira Abbassy (New York) Maria Berrio (Kings) Gabe Brown (Ulster) Tom Burckhardt (New York) Ginny Casey (Kings) Elizabeth Colomba (New York) Lisa Corinne Davis (Kings) Lydia Dona (New York) Donise English (Dutchess) Derek Fordjour (New York)* Clarity Haynes (Kings) Vera Iliatova (Kings) Julian Kreimer (Kings) Joel Longenecker (Dutchess) Kathryn Lynch (Kings) Sangram Majumdar (Kings) Tracy Miller (Kings) Patrick Neal (New York) David Opdyke (Queens) Paul Pagk (New York) Luisa Rabbia (Kings) Gretchen Scherer (Kings) Emily Mae Smith (Kings) Michael Stamm (Kings) Amy Talluto (Ulster) Leslie Wayne (New York) Deborah Zlotsky (Albany)

Painting Finalists

Jordan Casteel (New York) Clayton Schiff (Queens) Don Voisine (Kings)

Painting Panelists

Julia Whitney Barnes (Dutchess) Franklin Evans (New York) Elliot Green (Columbia) Sarah McCoubrey (Onondaga) Mie Yim (Kings)    

Video/Film Fellows

Abbesi Akhamie (Kings) Jessica Beshir (New York) Ira Eduardovna (Kings) Fernando Frias de la Parra (Kings) Brent Green (Ulster) Devin Horan (Kings) Haisi Hu (Kings) Hannah Jayanti (Kings) Steffani Jemison (Kings) Ekwa Msangi (Kings) Shayok Mukhopadhyay (Westchester) Iva Radivojevic (Kings) Jessie Jeffrey Dunn Rovinelli (Kings) Lynne Sachs (Kings) Fern Silva (Kings) Sasha Wortzel (Kings)      

Video/Film Finalists

Melanie Crean (Kings) Case Jernigan (Kings) Nikyatu Jusu (Kings)   

Video/Film Panelists

Justin Ambrosino (Richmond) Zia Anger (Columbia) Shirley Bruno (Kings) Megan Roberts (Tompkins) Bhawin Suchak (Albany)

*Deutsche Bank Fellow **Gregory Millard Fellows made with the support of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs

Click here for more information about the NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship Program.

Funding Support

NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowships are administered with leadership support from New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Additional funding is also provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA), Deutsche Bank, the Milton & Sally Avery Arts Foundation, and individual donors.

Images, from above: Maria Berrio (Fellow in Painting ‘18); In a Time of Drought, 2016, collage with Japanese papers and watercolor paint, 60”x72”; Haisi Hu (Fellow in Video/Film ‘18), New York After Rain, 2017, claymation and cel animation (still); Kim Brandt (Fellow in Interdisciplinary Work ‘18), Untitled, 2014, Performance, Presented at The Kitchen, NYC, Photo Credit: Paula Court; Tashi D Sharzur (Techung) (Fellow in Folk/Traditional Arts ‘18), Semshae, Heart Songs, Performance for Tibetan children, Tibet House, NYC, 2013, Photo Credit: Kurt Smith

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Announcing | NYFA Holiday Gift Guide

‘Tis the season for gift giving, and we’re here to help with ideas for the artists and arts lovers in your life.

Get creative with your gift giving and inform your own wish list this holiday season, courtesy of NYFA! All purchases help support the work of NYFA affiliated artists and entrepreneurs. 

NYFA Gift Ideas

The Profitable Artist: NYFA’s comprehensive “how-to” guide identifies common challenges of being an artist; examines specialized areas of strategic planning, finance, marketing, law, and fundraising; and distills these topics in such a way that artists of all disciplines can digest them and apply them to their own experience and practice. Authored by NYFA’s expert staff in conjunction with outside professionals. Purchase the book here.

NYFA Coaching Gift Certificate: This holiday season, give the artist or arts administrator in your life the gift of time with an expert NYFA staff member. Help your loved ones and friends take their career to new levels in the new year with a one-on-one NYFA Coaching consultation. Our coaches give personalized feedback and actionable next steps to help artists grow their careers and further expand their resources. Each gift certificate is ready to be printed immediately after purchase. To redeem, recipients book their own appointments through the NYFA Coaching website by using the unique code listed on the certificate. Gift certificate options here.

Art by NYFA-Affiliated Artists: Purchase an original artwork this holiday season, created by a NYFA-Affiliated Artist. A portion of proceeds from your purchase will go towards supporting NYFA and the artists we serve. View available artworks here.

Art, Objects, & Art Books

Dawoud Bey (Fellow in Photography ’86, ’90)’s Seeing Deeply is a 40-year career retrospective of the award-winning photographer that features images ranging from street photography in Harlem to a commemoration of the 1963 Birmingham church bombing. Purchase the photo book here.

Zhong-hua Lu (Fellow in Folk/Traditional Arts ’18) learned traditional brush painting during the Cultural Revolution in China, secretly practicing until Chairman Mao died in 1976. His delicate, nature-inspired work is available for purchase in the form of notecards or matted prints. Purchase Lu’s prints here.

Sara Lynch (MARK ‘09)’s one-of-a-kind jewelry and ceramics are handmade in New York State. Find items including a custom tea bowl of your favorite animal; pyrite, labradorite, and amethyst dangle earrings; and a moon cycle porcelain cup in her Etsy shop.

Helen Taylor Condon (Fellow in Folk/Traditional Arts ’18) has been designing and making hand-braided rugs for nearly 50 years. Her Adirondack-themed baskets and wreaths are available for sale this holiday season and are functional works of art for your home. Purchase hand-braided baskets and wreaths here.

Tim White (Fiscally Sponsored)’s 16mm film bookmarks are composed of 40 16mm film frames from the production of the short film “3-22-11.” Each bookmark is one-of-a-kind and helps support the film’s completion. Visit this page for more information, and scroll to “The Perks of Donating” section to purchase.

Fiction and Nonfiction Books

Artist-scholar Danielle Brown (Fellow in Folk/Traditional Arts ’18)’s book East of Flatbush, North of Love, is an ethnographic memoir that examines life growing up in the West Indian enclave of East Flatbush, Brooklyn. She uses music to teach the reader about life in this immigrant community, as well as in her parents’ native Trinidad. Purchase the book here.

Caitlin Cass (Fellow in Fiction ’18) makes comics, drawings, and counterfeit historical exhibits that folklorize historic failures and foretell grim futures. One of her latest works, Pre-History (Vol8 Iss6), is an artful hand-folded book about extinction and life. Purchase the book here.

YZ Chin (Finalist in Fiction ’18)’s Though I Get Home re-examines the relationship between the global and the intimate. Central to the book is Isabella Sin, a small-town girl—and frustrated writer—transformed into a prisoner of conscience in Malaysia’s most notorious detention camp. Purchase the book here.

Dana Czapnik (Fellow in Fiction ’18)’s forthcoming The Falconer: A Novel is a coming-of-age story that provides a snapshot of 1990s New York City and America through the eyes of the children of the Baby Boomer generation who are grappling with privilege and the fading of radical hopes. Pre-order the book here.

Monique Duncan (Boot Camp ’17)’s children’s book When Mama Braids My Hair captures a young girl’s experiences of having her hair braided and the bond it creates with her mother. Readers will enjoy going on an adventure with the main character and learning about the origins of the popular braided hairstyles of today. Purchase the book here.

Eric Gansworth (Fellow in Fiction ’18) is an enrolled Onondaga writer and visual artist. His most recent book, Give Me Some Truth, is a Native American coming-of-age story that navigates loud protests, even louder music, and first love. Purchase the book here.

Wafa Ghnaim (Fellow in Folk/Traditional Arts ’18)’s Tatreez & Tea: Embroidery and Storytelling in the Palestinian Diaspora celebrates the centuries-old folk art tradition of Palestinian embroidery through 40 patterns, nine family recipes, and a complete guide to the techniques, meanings, and origins of each embroidery thread and color.  Purchase the book here.

Marwa Helal (IAP ’14, ’16, ’18)’s forthcoming book of poems, Invasive species, centers on urgent themes in our cultural landscape, creating space for unseen victims of discriminatory foreign policy: migrants, refugees—the displaced. Helal transfers lived experiences of dislocation and relocation onto the reader by obscuring borders through language. Pre-order the book here.

Sigrid Nunez (Fiction ’06)’s The Friend follows the story of a woman who unexpectedly loses a lifelong friend and mentor to suicide and finds herself burdened with an unwanted dog he has left behind. It was recently awarded the 2018 National Book Foundation award for Fiction. Purchase the book here.

Garrett Robinson (Boot Camp ’15)’s Beauty Beyond Reason is a collection of lyrical poems celebrating performance dance. Through this short story collection, Robinson expresses his appreciation for the sacrifices and commitment made by dancers while illustrating the important lessons that art teaches humanity. Purchase the book here.

Hugh Ryan (Fellow in Nonfiction ’17)’s forthcoming When Brooklyn Was Queer: A History is a never-before-told-story of Brooklyn’s vibrant and forgotten queer history from the mid-1850s to today. Pre-order the book here.

Amanda Stern (Fellow in Fiction ’12)’s memoir Little Panic: Dispatches from an Anxious Life documents the transformation of New York City in the 1970′s and ‘80s, through a deep, personal, and comedic account of the trials and errors of seeing life through a very unusual lens. Purchase the book here.

Music 

Master folkloric percussionist Moris J Canate (Fellow in Folk/Traditional Arts ’18) is the founder of Afro-Colombian musical ensemble Group Rebolu. From traditional songs to original compositions, the Robulo repertoire is loaded with energy, history, and danceability. Purchase an album here.

Parthenia (Fiscally Sponsored)’s Nothing Proved - New Works for Viols, Voice, and Electronics creates a rich tapestry of stories from works that were written for and premiered by Parthenia over the past decade, by three women composers. Purchase the album here.

Maggie Roche (Music Composition ’02)’s Where Do I Come From is a two-CD set of 24 songs with four previously unreleased tracks, released posthumously after Roche’s passing in 2017. The collection spans forty years and her entire musical career, providing an immersive and poignant look at an original American songwriter. Purchase the album here.

Violinist Jake Shulman-Ment (Fellow in Folk/Traditional Arts ’18) is among the most highly regarded klezmer musicians performing today. Shulman-Ment’s band, Midwood, features some of the most exciting performers on the international music stage. Purchase their first album, Out of the Narrows, here.

Salieu Suso (Fellow in Folk/Traditional Arts ’18) was born into a family of farmers and traditional musicians/historians from Gambia, West Africa. He plays the 21-stringed Kora (West African harp); his father is a renowned Kora player and he is a descendant of the originator of the instrument. Purchase an album by Suso here.

Techung (Fellow in Folk/Traditional Arts ’18) is a Tibetan folk and freedom singer/songwriter/performer living in exile. His music captures the traditional soundscapes of Tibet, but also transcends description through collaborations with musicians from other heritages. Purchase an album by Techung here.

Experiences

Nomi Ellenson (Boot Camp ’17) is offering empowering boudoir photography shoots for those who want the experience of feeling like a supermodel and confirmation that a super-vixen resides within. Ellenson’s goal is to help clients discover their beauty and creatively explore their alter-egos and inner divas. Book a “Boudoir On-the-Go” session here.

See new work by Justin Peck (Fellow in Choreography ’13) as part of New York City Ballet’s “New Combinations” program in late January and February 2019. The Resident Choreographer’s work will be joined by encore performances of Kyle Abraham (Fellow in Choreography ’10)’s Fall 2018 world premiere “The Runaway” and the first full staging of “Herman Schmerman” since 1994. Purchase tickets here.

Taylor Mac (Inter-Disciplinary ’09)’s Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus is coming to Broadway, beginning previews in March 2019. Nathan Lane and Andrea Martin will star in the comedy, which takes place just after the conclusion of William Shakespeare’s first tragedy, Titus Andronicus. Purchase tickets here.

Marlon Mills (Boot Camp ’17) is offering group or private dance lessons to those interested in experiencing the excitement of dance this holiday season. His expertise includes Salsa and West Coast Swing as well as partner dances including Bachata, Cha Cha Cha, and some Ballroom. Contact the New York City-based Mills for more details at marlon.intl@gmail.com. 

More Ways to Give

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Images from Top: Amy Cheng (Fellow in Painting ’90, ’96), Gorgeous Wish, 2011, archival pigment print, available to purchase through Artspace; The Profitable Artist, Photo and Artwork Credit: Marco Scozzaro (IAP ’16); 16mm film bookmarks by Fiscally Sponsored artist Tim White, from the project “3-22-11;” Moris Canate (Fellow in Folk/Traditional Arts ’18), Grupo Rebolu, 2016, Photo Credit: Diana Bejarano; Marlon Mills (Boot Camp ’17) teaching salsa outdoors at Pier 45 in Manhattan.