We photographed the beautiful and talented Julia Ormond during our trip to L.A. last month. Ormond, perhaps best known for her roles in films like Legends of the Fall and Sabrina, was in a celebratory mood when we saw her, after recently winning an Emmy Award for her supporting role in the HBO movie Temple Grandin. The joy and her passion for performance was evident throughout the photoshoot, as she effortlessly segued from one gorgeous look (and one gorgeous outfit) to the next.
But as we found out during our time with Ormond, there is a lot more to her than just acting. She’s a dedicated mother, and also a tireless activist, who has been working to bring awareness to the issue of human trafficking and slavery for more than a decade. In fact, her celebratory mood was on view again a few days later as she presided over the signing of the “California Transparency in Supply Chains Act” — a bill that forces companies to post online their policies for ensuring their supply chains are free from slavery and human trafficking.
Ormond may be best known for her film and television appearances, but it’s a project like this that makes us really appreciate — and truly celebrate — the tremendous work that she is doing.
Make sure to pick up Issue 8 of Corduroy, coming soon, to see the complete set of photos from our shoot and to read our interview with Julia Ormond.
Corduroy is pleased to be an official sponsor of The New Jersey Museum of Contemporary Art (NJ MoCA) Inaugural Exhibition, taking place on Saturday, October 23rd. The evening celebrates New Jersey’s entrance onto the cultural world stage, with its first museum of contemporary art and its inaugural exhibition, entitled “It’s All American.”
The exhibition, curated by Alex Gartenfeld and Haley Mellin, brings together 34 local and international artists whose works explore the artistic and folk traditions that characterize and define Americana. Featured artists include Rob Pruitt, Jessica Houston, Ryan McGinley, Rita Ackermann, Heather Rowe, Zak Prekop, and Aurel Schmidt. This will be the largest exhibition of contemporary art ever presented in New Jersey.
The NJ MoCA is celebrating the occasion with a Benefit Cocktail Gala and After Party at the historic Paramount Theatre and Convention Hall Mezzanine in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Tickets are now available for the gala, as well as for the after party — with a special price for students.
We are thrilled to be presenting such a momentous event, and the gala promises to be a lot of fun. Check out the flyer below for details on the event. And even if you don’t get a chance to attend the gala, make sure to stop by the Paramount Theatre, where the “pop up” exhibition will be running until November 18th.
Kahlo. Rivera. Botero. All names that inform our perception of Latin American art. But that was then and this is now, and these days, one doesn’t necessarily point their finger south of the equator when discussing the latest goings on in the fickle art world. Well, that’s all about to change. Last week, Corduroy was fortunate enough to attend arteBA ’10 (pronounced art-eh-ba), Latin America’s largest contemporary art fair which ran from from June 25th to the 29th in beautiful Buenos Aires. But before we immersed ourselves in the madness that lay ahead, we had a chance to explore the city’s historic San Telmo district — a bohemian neighbourhood rich in classic architecture and culture; a neighbourhood that our friend Astrid from Think Argentina told us is “filled with a thousand little secrets.”
We spent our first night in the stunning Moreno hotel, a perfect embodiment of derelict San Telmo. The quintessential Art Deco building was designed by German/Hungarian architect Johannes Kronfuss in 1929 and has retained all of its old world charm, much like Buenos Aires itself. Yes, the rumours are true: this city is easy to fall in love with. It’s a sprawling cultural melting pot; a crossroads between Paris’ haute aesthetic and Latin American warmth. It ‘s the ideal venue for a city-wide art fest that rivals Miami’s Art Basel in both size and scope.
But as we awaited the opening cocktail festivities and the string of lavish parties that would no doubt follow, we decided to flee the city for some last minute R&R. The majestic Iguazu falls are only a short plane ride from Argentina’s capital, and by all accounts a must-see. We were lucky enough to stay at the recently opened Posada Puerto Bemberg, a gorgeous colonial mansion-turned hotel that seamlessly combines art, natural history, literature, and of course wine. Named after its former owners the Bemberg family (patriachs of Argentinia’s national beer Quilmes), the remote estate is situated in the heart of the Atlantic rain forest, but doesn’t let its geography detract from its luxury. Strategically located on the expansive Parana river, The Posada features an epic library of over 2500 books, mostly on Latin American art, the perfect primer for the week ahead. After several hours of perusal, we stumbled on a series of arteBA anthologies from years past. With history as an indicator, we knew we were in for a special treat. Stay tuned for Corduroy’s complete recap and coverage of arteBA ’10 from Buenos Aires!
We make it a point here at Corduroy to not only introduce you to new faces in every issue, but also to re-acquaint you with a couple of old favorites. Check out these photos of singer Joey McIntyre (shot by our creative director Peter Ash Lee at Artistic Cube in New York a few months back) and then tell us whether or not you’re liking this new look for the “New Kid.”
We interviewed McIntyre for our latest issue of Corduroy, as he arrives at an exciting crossroads for both his personal life and career. With a new solo album out (his fourth original studio disc) and an infant son to look after, there’s a lot to look forward to, and a lot of new decisions to be made. Pick up Issue 7 of Corduroyonline or at your local bookstore to read the full story and to see more photos from the shoot.
We didn’t mean to cause problems. Honest. But when we heard rumors that the line to our Issue 7 Launch Party had wrapped around West 15th Street (and this was at 9:20 — only 20 minutes after the doors had opened), we knew we were in for quite a night. Fortunately for everyone involved, the party inside lived up to the hype. With drinks flowing and BP Fallon, Sean Lennon, Adam Green, Charlotte Kemp Muhl, Lenny Kaye and (our gracious host) Irina Lazareanu performing, it felt like an old school New York party — the kind of gig where people rocked out unpretentiously, and intimately, among a gathering of their closest — and coolest – friends. Hopefully, they also got a chance to view some of the gorgeous prints up for auction (with proceeds benefiting micro-lending non-profit Kiva) and grab a copy of the magazine or two to peruse in calmer and — dare we say — less debauched settings.
A HUGE thank you to Milk Studios and We Work for sponsoring the event. Their replica “office space” at the event (above) proved to be a hit with savvy partygoers looking for a quiet spot to relax, or curious artist-types wanting to check out the stylish boutique digs. When you find such great partners to work with, it’s hard not to believe in the power and spirit of the artistic community. The whole idea was to build a collaborative event that would link the art, music and fashion circles with a deserving charity. And thanks to the generosity of our sponsors and all the artists and musicians involved, we’d like to think, on some level, that we accomplished our goal.
And as far as Peter goes, it’s still hard for us to fathom how he was able to make it 3000 miles across the Atlantic to New York, but couldn’t make the 20 miles from JFK to Milk. Irina and her friend (Corduroy’s fashion director) Liz McClean, as well as BP Fallon, spent the entire day at the airport waiting for him, and talking to customs officials, but sometimes things just aren’t meant to be. We take it as a huge compliment though, that he was willing to fly all the way here to support the magazine and make a charity appearance for Kiva. In the end, Pete was sent back to London, but not before asking, we imagine, what the heck he had gotten himself into? We feel like he probably wasn’t the only one thinking that on Thursday night. And well, all we can do now is shrug a little, smile a little, and say, “if you thought the party was good, just wait until you read the magazine!”
Check out some photos from the event after the jump:
