ART COUNTS

My mom has been a high school art teacher for over thirty years. She is the most dedicated and passionate teacher I know (and no, i'm not that biases). She often spends an absurd amount of time after school in her classroom prepping a giant still-life, grading/leaving comments on pieces, and planning out the next project for her kids. So when someone who cares so much about what they do has to see the funding for it getting cut every year it totally takes a toll. I can't count the number of times i've heard her despair over the cutbacks that happen every time the school budget gets voted on. For some reason Americans have decided that the arts and drama departments in grade schools are totally expendable. Well, they fucking aren't.

When I received an email today from Taylor, high school student in Louisville, Kentucky, asking if I'd do a little PR for her school's submission to the Vans "Custom Culture" Contest I of course jumped on it. The competition is sponsored by Vans and is a shoe customization contest in which the winning school gets $50,000 for their art department! Since Taylor's art department's funding was recently slashed he realized that it's basically up to the students to get proactive!!

Taylor's school (Eastern) has made it to the Top 50 round and needs to beat out the other 9 schools in the Southeast Finalists category to go on to the next level. PLEASE take a minute or two to vote for Eastern's submission. . . They are in the column all the way to the right (Southeast Finalists category) and are the second set of shoes down. They are NECK and NECK with another school so let's do this!!! The voting for this round ends at midnight Monday, May 2.

Obviously take a gander at the other shoes they're up against. . . but i know you'll realize Eastern's submissions are the coolest.

VOTE HERE FOR EASTERN HIGHSCHOOL (Louisville, KY)

*Eastern's submissions are pictured below. Taylor and her twin sister designed the pair in the upper right hand corner!

GOOD MORNING SUNSHINE

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WHEN I HEAR MY NAME.

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FREE

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NEW RACKK AND RUIN PIECES

I just added a bunch of new pieces to my Etsy site. . . Check out the rest HERE

ELISA

Elisa Sednaoui - D la Repubblica, April 2011

Ph: Stefano Galuzzi

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OH HEY GIRL

Why do i love seeing celebrities without makeup so much? It's like when i see a photo of a celebrity with cellulite. . . Thank god, you are a real person.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALDEN!!

SEEING STRIPES

Malgosia Bela by Inez Van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin for Vogue Paris May 2011

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BROTHERLY LOVE

My buddy Evan and his brother Oliver (who I featured a while back) seem to be popping up all over! The Scout did a great write up on them in mid-April for their Design section (Evan and Oliver are the creators of Brooklyn-based hOmE) and now the Haslegrave brothers are modeling in J.Crew's May catalogue! When Evan first told me a few months ago that he had spent a day modeling for the catalogue, he mentioned that the stylists had cut a whopping 5 inches off his beard. . . I guess J.Crew didn't think that May was really the month for a mountain man look. Don't worry Evan, you look great, and the beard will grow back!

More photos from The Scout Magazine article here