22nd Int'l Contemporary Furniture Fair, Design Week and Conference

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Parent Category: Expos and Conventions

Category: Previews

Published on Thursday, 13 May 2010 15:20

Written by Brad Balfour

Design is part of our cultural consciousness where it's both process and product, verb and noun--and a way of solving problems great and small for both the larger environment and one's own comfort space. From May 15 to 19,  Design Week 2010 takes place, centered around the ICFF.

To discover how design goes beyond the call of style, ICFF -- the International Contemporary Furniture Fair -- offers a confluence of various streams of the design-savvy community to debate and display examples of good design at its very best.

The ICFF offers the latest in contemporary furniture design -- and a visual feast for anyone seeking new ideas for television shows, film sets or theater productions.

Part of the four day-long celebration is also a series of off-site open-houses that happens throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn at various design stores and companies; the list of events can be found at the Javits and here.

During the four days at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, from Saturday, May 15 to Tuesday, May 18, the Fair's 145,000 net square feet (14,500 net square meters) will teem with more than 23,000 people including:

interior designers
architects
retailers
facility managers
wholesalers
store design professionals
hotel and restaurant designers
manufacturers
students
and members of the general public.

More than 500 exhibitors will be on hand displaying:

contemporary furniture
seating
lighting
carpet and flooring
wall coverings
textiles
accessories
kitchen and bath
outdoor furniture
and materials for residential and commercial interiors.

The combination of domestic and international exhibitors provides easy access to the best and hippest home and contract products. 

The ICFF creates a global nexus of design so the Fair welcomes representatives from the following diverse range of countries:

Argentina
Australia
Brazil
Canada
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
India
Israel
Italy
Japan
Lebanon
Mexico
Monaco
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Peru
Poland
Portugal
Singapore
Spain
Sweden
Thailand
United Kingdom

Contingents from five nations will also make the annual quest to this celebrated design hub:

BEDG (British European Design Group)
Brazilian Trade Bureau (Brazil)
Federlegno-Arredo (Italy)
ICEX (Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade)
and Royal Danish Consulate General (Denmark).

Though a largest part of the show is for the trade, there is a day devoted to the public--Tuesday, May 18, from 10:00 am-4:00 pm--where for $50, one can experience where the professionals are at and where they are going.

And on Monday, May 17, there will be full-day event, The Metropolis Conference @ ICFF-- titled "Design Entrepreneurs: What’s Next" -- beginning at 10 a.m. in the Javits Center's ICFF Theater.

If you’re a designer, architect, business owner, manufacture or educator, or just looking for inventive ways to navigate the new economy, this day will provide useful insights into what other creative people are doing. Whether you are  reinventing yourself or your practice be part of this timely conversation...

This program is registered for continuing-education credits. For more info go to: www.metropolismag.com/story/20100401/icff-conference

10–10:15 a.m.
Welcome
Susan S. Szenasy, Metropolis’s editor in chief and the conference facilitator

10:15–11:15 a.m.
The Third Annual ASID New York Education Legacy Fund’s Horace Havemeyer III Keynote Address: Universal Design Now and Next
Valerie Fletcher, executive director of the Institute for Human Centered Design, asks: With the Baby Boom retiring and the millennials pushing the marketplace to new levels of creative problem-solving, what will the designs of our homes, workplaces, and public places need to become? What do we need to know? What’s in the works?

11:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
Art and the Manufacturer
Andreas Dornbracht, the charismatic leader of the world-wide bathroom products company that bears his name, traces his firm’s unique arts program, how it’s evolving to reflect the new social consciousness about sustainability, and what it communicates about the firm’s vision and product offerings in a global market.

12:15–1:15 p.m.
Making the Financial Argument for Green
John Williams, teacher at Columbia University’s Center for Environmental Research and Conservation and HDR Engineering’s senior vice president of sustainable development, offers useful pointers on how to convince your clients that green design is profitable design. What’s your next step in communicating green value and values?

1:15–1:45 p.m.
Lunch Break

1:45–2:45 p.m.
Green Design for the Desert
b, associate partner at Foster + Partners, discusses Abu Dhabi’s famous and infamous MASDAR City, publicized as a zero-carbon development. We travel with Häpp and Russ Wheeler, president of Hansgrohe North America, from the master plan and the architecture to the bathroom fixtures. What’s next for large-scale developments and water-related products?

2:45–3:45 p.m.
Design Policy and World Trade
What can the U.S. learn from countries with strong design policies? Robert Kloos from the Consulate General of the Netherlands; Andrej Kupetz of the German Design Council; and Leif Verdu-Isachsen, head of operations at the Foundation for Design and Architecture in Norway, report on programs that support design-oriented manufacturing as the backbone of successful global businesses.

3:45–4:45 p.m.
Design Innovations: Rapid-Fire Presentations

     Jennifer Leonard
     The IDEO designer reveals the plan behind the firm’s collaboration with Design
     21 on Livingclimatechange.com.

     Dan Wood
     WORK Architecture Company’s Edible Schoolyard is about to be built in
     Brooklyn. Lessons learned?

     Grace La and Mike Tennity
     La, associate professor in the School of Architecture and Urban Planning at the
     University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and Mike Tennity, vice president of design
     and development, KI, will discuss the value of collaboration between academia
     and manufacturing, and the increasing importance in educating the next
     generation of architects and designers. La and Tennity will draw from their
     collaboration through a graduate student Studio led by Professors La and
     Dallman at UWM-SARUP.
    
     Yves Béhar
     Founder of fuseproject, Béhar shows objects designed by students using solar-cell
     technology developed by Swiss chemist Michael Grätzel. (The Sunny Memories
     collection, powered by the sun’s energy, is now on display at New York’s Center
     for Architecture.)

4:45–5 p.m.
The Next Generation of Design
Meet Metropolis’s 2010 Next Generation Design Competition honorees and learn about their brilliantly simple but far-reaching fixes that will make our environment better.
Space is limited. Metropolis is a registered provider with the American Institute of Architects Continuing Education Systems. Credit earned on completion of this event will be reported to CES Records for AIA members by the provider. Certificates of completion for non-AIA members are available upon request.

Design Entrepreneurs: What’s Next is sponsored by the American Society of Interior Designers, Dornbracht, and Interiors from Spain.

For ICFF info go to: http://www.icff.com/page/home.asp

the International Contemporary Furniture Fair
Saturday, May 15th to Tuesday, the 18th,
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
(between 34th St. and 37th St. at 11th Ave.)

9th Annual East Coast Black Age of Comics Con

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Parent Category: Expos and Conventions

Category: Previews

Published on Wednesday, 12 May 2010 22:52

Written by Chris M. Barkley

The Ninth Annual East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention 2010 will be held Friday, May 14 and Saturday, May 15, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Philadelphia Center City.

The ECBACC was founded in 2002 by Yumy Odom, director of Temple University's storied Pan-African Studies Community Education Program. This annual event highlights the ongoing effort to promote literacy and creativity in youth and show the African-American experience through comics, fantasy and science fiction storytelling, films and other media.

This convention brings together comic book artists, writers, creators and publishers of African descent, along with their colleagues and fans from across the country, to explore art and images in comics, and to discuss a myriad of other pressing issues. Needless to say, there will be comic book workshops, autograph sessions, panel discussion and a marketplace with comics, books and other media-related items for sale.

Among the featured guests will be:

L.A. Banks -- author of The Vampire Huntress Legends series and, under various pseudonyms, romance, women’s fiction and crime/suspense thrillers. She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Wharton undergraduate program, with a Master’s in Fine Arts from Temple University.

Eric Battle -- a native Philadelphian who has worked with both DC and Marvel Comics, penciling for Spiderman, Batman, Aquaman, Green Arrow and Green Lantern, among others. Eric has been a panelist at previous East Coast Black Age of Comics Conventions.

Jerry Craft -- the creator of Mama’s Boyz, an award-winning comic strip that has been distributed by King Features Syndicate since 1995.

William Foster III -- a long-time comic book collector and researcher, he is an expert commentator for both CNN News and National Public Radio and the author of Looking for a Face like Mine, published in 2005 by Fine Tooth Press. He is currently a Professor of English at Naugatuck Valley Community College in Waterbury, Connecticut.

Roland Laird -- founder and CEO of Posro Media, an entertainment production company that explores African-American history and culture in a variety of formats including comics, books, radio, video and film. He is also the co-author of Still I Rise: A Graphic History of African Americans, which was re-issued in February 2009.

Shannon Newby -- the creator/producer of Heavy Sedation, a short film series which uses comedy, science-fiction and mystery to tell stories. Heavy Sedation is nationally and internationally syndicated on 42 television stations in North America and the United Kingdom.

Alex Simmons -- created/wrote and independently published a critically acclaimed adventure comic book series, Blackjack, about an African-American soldier of fortune in the 1930s. He has also authored Scooby-Doo comic book stories, three mini series for Archie Comics; created 12 interactive mysteries for The Tiger Toys’ Who Done It; and has co-written a middle grade mystery series, The Raven League for Penguin Books.

Larry Stroman -- has been a mainstay at Marvel Comics for over the past decade, having worked on the Uncanny X-Men, Alien Legion, X-Factor and most recently the Black Panther.
 
Rob Stull -- has worked for every major publisher in the comic book industry. His credits include Spider-Man Adventures, Sensational Spider-Man, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (The Back in Black campaign), Iron Man, Uncanny X-Men, X-Force, Wolverine and New Mutants for Marvel Comics; 52, Supergirl and the Legion of Super Heroes, Nightwing, Secret Files and Firestorm for DC Comics; and Tellos for Image Comics.

On Friday evening, between 7 p.m. – 9 p.m., the ECBACC will also be presenting the Glyph Comic Awards, which recognize the best in comics and celebrates the accomplishments of black artists and writers by, for, or about African Americans. Although the award is not exclusive for black writers and artists, it strives to honor diversity in the medium and those who have made significant, social, critical and commercial contributions in comics industry.

2010 Glyph Comics Awards Nominees:

The panels of judges for the 2010 awards competition are:

    •    David Brothers, comics’ blogger, 4th Letter!
    •    Carol Burrell, editorial director, Graphic Universe/Lerner Publishing Group
    •    Brian Cronin, writer, Comic Book Resources
    •    Katie Merritt, co-owner, Green Brain Comics; former president, Friends of Lulu
    •    Dan Merritt, co-owner, Green Brain Comics

Categories:

Story of the Year

    •    Luke Cage Noir; Mike Benson & Adam Glass, writers; Shawn Martinbrough, artist
    •    The Original Johnson; Trevor von Eeden, writer and artist
    •    Unknown Soldier #13-14; Joshua Dysart, writer, Pat Masioni, artist
    •    War Machine: Iron Heart; Greg Pak, writer, Leonardo Manco, artist
    •    World of Hurt; Jay Potts, writer and artist

Best Cover

    •    Final Crisis Aftermath: Ink #1; Brian Stelfreeze, illustrator
    •    Luke Cage Noir #1; Tim Bradstreet, illustrator
    •    The Original Johnson; Trevor von Eeden, illustrator
    •    Unknown Soldier #8; Dave Johnson, illustrator
    •    Unknown Soldier #10; Dave Johnson, illustrator

Best Writer

    •    Joshua Dysart, Unknown Soldier
    •    Jeremy Love, Bayou
    •    Greg Pak, War Machine
    •    Jay Potts, World of Hurt
    •    Alex Simmons, Archie & Friends

Best Artist

    •    Chriscross, Final Crisis Aftermath: Dance
    •    Jeremy Love, Bayou
    •    Shawn Martinbrough, Luke Cage Noir
    •    Jay Potts, World of Hurt
    •    Trevor von Eeden, The Original Johnson

Best Male Character

    •    Black Lightning, Black Lightning Year One; Jen van Meter, writer, Cully Hamner, artist; created by Tony Isabella and Trevor von Eeden
    •    Isaiah Pastor, World of Hurt; created by Jay Potts, writer and artist
    •    Jack Johnson, The Original Johnson; Trevor von Eeden, writer and artist; inspired by the life of JackJohnson
    •    Luke Cage, Luke Cage Noir; Mike Benson and Adam Glass, writers, Shawn Martinbrough, artist; created by Archie Goodwin and John Romita Sr.
    •    Moses Lwanga, Unknown Soldier #13-14; Joshua Dysart, writer, Pat Masioni, artist; inspired by the character created by Robert Kanigher & Joe Kubert

Best Female Character

    •    Aya, Aya: The Secrets Come Out; created by Marguerite Abouet, writer, Clement Oubrerie, artist
    •    Lee Wagstaff, Bayou; created by Jeremy Love, writer and artist
    •    Michonne, The Walking Dead; created by Robert Kirkman, writer, Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn, artists
    •    Misty Knight, Immortal Iron Fist; Duane Swierczynski, writer, Travel Foreman and Tom Palmer, artists; created by Tony Isabella and Arvell Jones
    •    Nola Thomas, NOLA; created by Chris Gorak & Pierluigi Cothran, writers, Damian Couceiro, artist

Rising Star Award

    •    Jiba Molei Anderson, The Horsemen
    •    John Aston, Rachel Rage
    •    Kerry & Tawanda Johnson, Harambee Hills
    •    Julian Lytle, Ants
    •    Jay Potts, World of Hurt

Best Reprint Publication

    •    Aya: The Secrets Come Out; Drawn & Quarterly
    •    Bayou Volume 1; DC/Zuda
    •    Icon: A Hero’s Welcome; DC/Milestone
    •    The Life and Times of Martha Washington in the 21st Century; Dark Horse
    •    Static Shock: Rebirth of the Cool; DC/Milestone

Best Comic Strip

    •    Bayou; Jeremy Love, writer and artist
    •    Jump Start; Robb Armstrong, writer and artist
    •    The K Chronicles; Keith Knight, writer and artist
    •    The Knight Life; Keith Knight, writer and artist
    •    World of Hurt; Jay Potts, writer and artist

Fan Award for Best Comic

    •    Adam: Legend of the Blue Marvel; Kevin Grevioux, writer, Mat Broome, Sean Parson and Alvaro Lopez, artists
    •    Black Lightning Year One; Jen Van Meter, writer, Cully Hamner, artist
    •    Final Crisis Aftermath: Ink; Eric Wallace, writer, Fabrizio Fiorentino, artist
    •    Luke Cage Noir; Mike Benson and Adam Glass, writers, Shawn Martinbrough, artist
    •    War Machine: Iron Heart; Greg Pak, writer, Leonardo Manco, artist

The Glyph Comic Awards reception and awards ceremony is free and open to the public.

The opening reception and kick-off will be held on Friday, May 14, 2010, from 6:30 pm until 9 pm, and is open to the general public. The full con will be held on Saturday, May 15, 2010; from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m.

Admission will be $15.00 for adults and teens in advance and at the door. Children 12 and under will be admitted free.

For more information, please visit:

www.ecbacc.com
www.facebook.com/ecbacc
www.myspace.com/ecbacc
www.comicspace.com/ecbacc

The 9th Annual East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention
Friday, May 14 - Saturday, May 15, 2010
the Crowne Plaza Hotel
Philadelphia City Center

BookExpo America Has New Tricks Up Its Booksleeves

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Parent Category: Expos and Conventions

Category: Previews

Published on Wednesday, 12 May 2010 22:18

Written by Laura Blum

From May 25 to 27, 2010, BookExpo America (BEA) will once again reclaim its position as North America's leading publishing fair, drawing between 20,000 and 30,000 industry hands to the Jacob Javits Convention Center. Apparently, its organizers and attendees didn't make it to Macworld Expo 2008, where Apple CEO Steve Jobs reportedly said, " …the fact is that people don’t read anymore."

Besides its roughly 500 authors and 1,500 exhibitors, the show also serves book sellers, distributors, marketers, editors, literary scouts and agents, librarians and publicity professionals.

Opening on a glamorous note, Barbra Streisand will headline the New York event on the evening of May 25. Though the iconic actress, singer and director won't be cracking a tune, she will be interviewed about her upcoming book, My Passion for Design, to be published November 16 by Viking.

With more than 75 educational confabs planned, BEA 2010 offers plenty of other chances to catch live interviews with established and emerging authors. For the first time, it will add "Midtown Author Stages" to its Uptown and Downtown platforms.

Other new arrows in its quiver include the "DIY Authors Conference & Marketplace." Here writers seeking to self-publish or get published can score handy information and meet with do-it-yourself service providers such as Amazon, Author Solutions and Blurb.com

The DIY gathering will be jointly presented with the Gotham Writers' Workshop and The Writer magazine. It will take place on May 24, the start of Book Week and a day before Expo officially launches.

This year, the American Booksellers Association will bring its Opening Plenary session to the BEA, on the morning of May 25. Its focus, the "Value of a Book," was partly inspired by a recent New York Times Op-Ed piece by Jonathan Galassi, President of Farrar, Straus & Giroux, titled "There’s More to Publishing Than Meets the Screen." The CEO Panel, moderated by Galassi, will tackle critical issues of "value" in books facing diverse segments of the industry – who will be strategically assembled in one room.

Speakers include:

• Bob Miller, Group Publisher, Workman
• Esther Newberg, EVP, International Creative Management
• Skip Prichard, CEO, Ingram
• David Shanks, CEO, Penguin Group (USA)
• Oren Teicher, CEO, ABA
• Scott Turow, author,  incoming President, Authors Guild

That 2010 is a pivotal year in the evolution of electronic reading – as more and more consumers seek out eBook gadgets, apps and content – hovers over many if not most of BEA 2010's events.  

"Digital Book 2010" is but one more example. Jointly organized by the International Digital Publishing Forum and BEA, this May 25 conference will present panels, demos and case studies where digital content publishers and device manufacturers will catch the latest trends in the digital publishing industry. Sessions will consider the ePUB standard, eBook production and eBook piracy as well as best practices for digital newspapers, magazines and interactive content, among other topics.

On May 26 and 27th, IDPF will debut the "Digital Book Zone" on the pavilion floor. Among the exhibitors are Sony, E-Book Systems Inc, Aptara, BookRix, Entourage Systems, Hanwang Technology Co. Ltd and iScroll.

"The New Title Showcase" will reprise its worn groove as a favorite sneak preview of upcoming releases. Bookworms can browse to their eyes' content along the seemingly endless shelves of this Showcase co-sponsored by the Combined Book Exhibit and Reed Exhibitions (which acquired the EBA from American Booksellers Association), including its London Book Fair.

As definitive proof that someone still reads, this year, BEA planners took to heart visitors' feedback, and moved the exhibition from its weekend slot to mid-week.

Some new and returning Expo features include "Digital Book Stage" and "New York Book Week." And once again, to serve the ever-expanding Latino market, the "Global Market Forum Spanish Publishing" will operate its entrepot.

For devoted networkers -- or merely the weary -- the Librarian Lounge and the Independent Publishers Lounge will provide sanctuary from the Expo onslaught. Listen up and you'll hear the words of Dorothy Parker, written more than a half a century ago " ...I have gone down under the force of numbers, under the books and books and books that keep coming out and coming out and coming out, shoals of them, spates of them, flash floods of them, too blame many books, and no sign of an end."  

The more things change...

For a comprehensive roster of the Expo activities including a list of all the authors doing the signings go to: www.bookexpoamerica.com

BookExpo America
May 25 - 27, 2010
Jacob K Javits Convention Center
635 West 34th Street
New York, NY
800-840-5614