Week of November 1 - November 8, 2010

Hello GEM NYC followers, I hope you all had a great and safe HALLOWEEN. Before you get started discovering this week’s new GEMS I would like to remind you and encourage you to vote tomorrow, November 2nd!

Voting is a fundamental right and when we make our voices heard, we can keep moving our nation forward, building a fairer, stronger, and just more America…

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COMEDY

NEW YORK COMEDY FESTIVAL
Featuring Gabriel Iglesias Known as the "fluffy" comic in the Hawaiian shirt, comedian Gabriel Iglesias says he gets his material from things that happen every day. His comedy style - telling stories with characters and sound effects that bring all of his personal issues to life - has entertained audiences on numerous televisions shows and in comedy clubs all over the country. Thursday, 11/4. Town Hall, 123 West 43rd Street.

For more information call (212) 840-2824 or visit www.the-townhall-nyc.org. 8 p.m. Tickets, $46.50.

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EXHIBITION

BORIMIX PUERTO RICO FEST 2010 OPENING NIGHT: VEUVE CUCARACHA
Veuve Cucaracha is an exhibition that seeks to honor through contemporary art, the tremendous literary legacy of Pura Belpré (circa 1899-1982) through specific pieces dwelling on the timeless love story between Perez the Mouse and Martina the Roach. The selected work will include a broad cross-section of Puerto Rican, Latino and a diversity of other New York artists. Curated by Miguel Trelles.

Friday, 11/5. Society of the Educational Arts, Inc. (SEA), 107 Suffolk Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY. For more information call (212) 529-1545 or visit www.sea-ny.org. 6 p.m.

SHATTERED GLASS: RETHINKING THE MUSEO DE ARTE CARILLO-GIL COLLECTION
Through the study of recent Mexican, Latino, and Latin American art and Mexican high modernist masterpieces in the collection of the Carrillo Gil Museum of Art, the curatorial team reexamined a series of important pieces to reveal how bodies and ruins, placed together, relate to an established colonial narrative, making it possible to reassess the significance of images of violence in contemporary Mexican art and rewrite some of that narrative. Extremely brutal images, such as José Clemente Orozco's landscapes of New York, were frequently designed as a commentary on metropolitan modernity. They form the core of the curatorial focus of the exhibition, which, along with the catalogue essays, will present these concepts from four vantage points, each represented by a section in the exhibition.

Exhibition opening, Saturday, 11/6. Americas Society, 680 Park Avenue, New York, NY. For more information call (212) 249-8950 or visit www.americas-society.org. 2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

*IMAGE CREDIT: León Ferrari, Apocalípsis, 1988, Collection of Museo Arte Carrillo Gil

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FAMILY ACTIVITIES

DIA DE LOS MUERTOS CELEBRATION AT THE AMERICAN INDIAN
COMMUNITY HOUSE
Celebrate El Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) with fun activities for the entire family. There will be workshops for children and adults from 12 Noon to 5 p.m., candle light procession with Aztec dancers at 6 p.m., and music and refreshments at 7 p.m.

Tuesday, 11/2. The American Indian Community House, 11 Broadway, 2nd Floor, New York, NY.
For more information call (212) 598-0100 or visit www.aich.org.




GALLERY TOURS AT EL MUSEO DEL BARRIO
Hear the stories behind El Museo’s history, far-reaching permanent collection, and exciting temporary exhibitions on display. The gallery tour will be led by El Museo's artist educators. Every Saturday in November. El Museo del Barrio, 1230 Fifth Avenue (at 104th Street) New York, NY. For more information call (212) 831-7272 or visit www.elmuseo.org . Gallery tours begin at 3:00 p.m. Admission to all gallery tours is FREE with museum admission. All tours meet at the entrance of the galleries five minutes prior to start time.

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FOOD

BUDDY VALASTRO: THE CAKE BOSS IN THE BAKIN’ WITH THE BOSS TOUR
TLC’s “Cake Boss” will share the stories behind his hit TV series and his colorful Italian family, answers audience questions, and give a live demonstration of the techniques that have made him one of the most successful and renowned cake artists in the nation. Buddy will even invite audience members to join the fun on stage. Wednesday, 11/3. Town Hall, 123 West 43rd Street. For more information call (212) 840-2824 or visit www.the-townhall-nyc.org. 8 p.m. Tickets, $59.50, $49.50 and $39.50.

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LEARN

PIENSA DIGITAL
El Diario La Prensa, New York’s Spanish Language newspaper is hosting its’ 1st Annual “Piensa Digital” FREE seminar offering (3) levels of online learning tracks from beginner, intermediate, and accelerated, led by experienced professionals in the digital field. Join El Diario La Prensa and sponsors STAPLES and HP at this full day of learning and hands-on experience with topics ranging from” how to troubleshoot basic computer issues” to paying your bills on-line. All instructors are bi-lingual.

Saturday, 11/6. Hostos Community College, 500 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY. To register for this event call (212) 807-4625. Once you are confirmed for this event, registration will begin at 10 a.m. on 11/6., classes begin at 11 a.m. through 4 p.m. FREE.

Week of September 20 - September 27, 2010

"By all these lovely tokens


September days are here,

With summer’s best of weather

And autumn’s best of cheer."

- Helen Hunt Jackson, September, 1830-1885

I hope you enjoy this week’s GEMS and please feel free to share your own GEMS with us by emailing us at Gem@ulmedia.net.

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DRINK

WINE TASTING

It may seem a little premature to some, however, the holiday season is upon us. Soon we will find ourselves planning the Thanksgiving feast, the Nochebuena dinner and wondering what hostess gift we should bring along as we visit friends and family over the holidays. Why not take advantage of this chance to taste 70 wines including some ultra premium selections, a great oppor
tunity to preview extraordinary holiday wines, find gifts and sample excellent bottles for every day enjoyment.

Thursday, 9/23. Blue Streak Wines & Spirits. 4720 Center Boulevard, near Gantry Plaza State Park, LIC NY. (718) 706-9463. 8pm to 10pm. Ticket price: $45 (includes tastings of 70 wines).

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STREET FESTIVALS
SAN GENNARO FEAST

Think delicious sausage and peppers, fresh zeppoles and entertainment for the whole family by over 300 street vendors set up along Mulberry Street. The 84th Annual Feast of San Gennaro, is New York City’s longest-running, biggest and most revered religious outdoor festival in the United States.

Through Sunday, 9/26. The feast runs along Mulberry Street, between Canal Street (on south) and Houston Street (on north). It takes place east to west on Grand Street, between Mott and Baxter Street, and east to west on Hester Street, between Mott and Baxter Streets. Feast hours; Monday through Thursday, 11:30am to 11:30pm and Friday through Saturday, 11:30am to midnight. Free and open to the public.

LATIN GRAMMY STREET FESTIVAL

In celebration of the upcoming 11th Annual Latin Grammy’s, which will air on Univision on 11/11. The Latin Grammy street festival will feature live performances by Gilberto Santa Rosa, Oro Solido, Zion y Lenox, and more. Be sure to visit the Las Vegas kiosk to sign up for a chance to win a VIP trip to Las Vegas and attend the 11th Annual Latin Grammy’s. Sunday, 9/26. Boulevard East between 54th and 60th streets, West New York, NJ. Festival begins at 12 Noon. Free and open to the public.

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CONTEST

BEST OF NEW YORK

El Diario La Prensa, New York’s largest Spanish language daily newspaper is running a “Best of New York” competition, featuring the best Latino friendly restaurants, supermarkets, services and more. Help support these “Latino friendly” businesses and vote for your favorite picks by picking up a copy of El Diario La Prensa through 10/21, complete the entry form and mail it in. You can win a $500 cash prize and/or additional prizes. The “Best of New York” winners as well as the contest winners will be featured in El Diario on 10/29.

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CULTURE

CELEBRATE MEXICO NOW FESTIVAL

Is New York City’s first—and only—annual festival of contemporary Mexican art and culture. Encompassing cuisine, dance, film, literature, and music. Celebrate México Now has helped bring over 200 artists and projects to more than 60 of New York’s leading cultural institutions, proving that Mexico is overflowing with creativity in every discipline, and that New Yorkers from all backgrounds find these artists and their work invigorating, insightful and meaningful. Through 9/30. For more information and a complete listing of events, locations and time visit www.mexiconowfestival.org.

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TELEVISION

CACHAO “UNO MAS”

The Grammy-winning bassist Israel “Cachao” Lopez died in Coral Gables, Florida in March 2008, almost 90-years old. A maestro of legendary status on the world stage and ultimately considered one of the greatest Afro-Cuban musicians of all time, he had made his home in the United States for the past four decades. Coming from a family of classical musicians, he had formal conservatory training and held a seat in the Havana Philharmonic Orchestra for 30 years, performing under the direction of all of the legendary international conductors of the time – beginning at age 10!

American Masters pays tribute to the Father of Mambo in the series’ bilingual film, Cachao: Uno Más. Monday, 9/20. 9 p.m. (ET) on PBS. For more information visit www.pbs.org.

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CALL FOR PROPOSAL

NEW YORK FOLKLORE SOCIETY

This year, in collaboration with NYU’s Latino Studies and Latin American Studies Departments, we invite graduate students to present their work on Latino Folk Culture and Expressive Traditions. The NYFS seeks to encourage young scholars to continue their studies and become active contributors to the fields of folklore, ethnomusicology, anthropology and more.



Theme: Latino Folk Culture and Expressive Traditions

A cumbia group belting-out Colombian tunes at an outdoor cumbiamba, a Peruvian curandero diagnosing a patient through the use of animals, a Mexican family building a Diá de los Muertos altar in their home, a décima verse sung by a Puerto Rican jibaro—all of these are examples of Latino Expressive Traditions. While some of these forms have roots in African traditions and others have roots in Indigenous traditions, all are considered Latino Expressive Traditions or Folk Arts. These traditions speak to what Latinos say, believe, make, know and do—things that they first learned from their families and community.



The length and breadth of Latino traditions literally covers two continents; and transnational migration to major U.S. cities such as Miami, Chicago, San Antonio, Newark, and New York have ensured that the impact of Latino culture continues to be profound. We support papers which explore the topic of Latino Expressive Traditions from both the homeland perspective and immigrant perspective. We particularly encourage papers that address Latino traditions in New York’s tri-state area.



Students can cover any number of topics related to traditional performing arts, materials arts, vernacular culture, sacred arts, etc. as long as the research is with a particular Latino group. While attendees should be graduate students from any academic program, they do not have to major in folklore or Latino studies. Participants can be ethnomusicologists, anthropologists, historians, etc.

Submissions are due by Thursday, 9/30. For more information visit www.nyfolklore.org.