November 20, 2015 – March 6, 2016

Celebrating an extraordinary and transformative gift of more than 850 works collectively given to the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Centre Georges Pompidou by Thea Westreich Wagner and Ethan Wagner, both institutions will present consecutive exhibitions featuring a selection of works from the gift. The Whitney’s presentation of Collected by Thea Westreich Wagner and Ethan Wagner opens on November 20 in the Museum’s new downtown home and runs through March 6, 2016. The Pompidou’s exhibition follows the New York presentation, opening in Paris on June 9, 2016. The exhibition is organized by Elisabeth Sussman, curator and Sondra Gilman Curator of Photography, Whitney Museum of American Art, and Christine Macel, chief curator and head of the department of contemporary and prospective creation, Centre Pompidou, with Elisabeth Sherman, assistant curator, Whitney Museum of American Art. An illustrated catalogue documenting the collection will accompany the exhibitions.

Bernadette Corporation, Creation of a False Feeling, 2000. Inkjet print: sheet, 70 1/2 × 49 13/16 (179.1 × 126.5); image, 60 11/16 × 47 1/16 (154.1 × 119.5). Promised gift of Thea Westreich Wagner and Ethan Wagner P.2014.10

Adam D. Weinberg, the Whitney’s Alice Pratt Brown Director, noted, “We are delighted to present this exhibition in honor of the magnanimous gift of art we received from Thea Westreich Wagner and Ethan Wagner—one of the largest in the Whitney’s history and a tremendous statement of support for the Museum and its new building. Thea and Ethan are among the most astute collectors of late twentieth-century and early twenty-first-century art and their gift adds enormous strength to the Whitney’s collection. We are deeply grateful to them and are pleased to be collaborating with our friends at the Pompidou.”

This exhibition celebrates this remarkable gift as well as the perspicacious collecting of Westreich Wagner and Wagner by exploring several of the ideas and themes that recur in the collection across generations, mediums, and nationalities: the rise of mass media and the darker side of advertising; the adoption of street style and the punk aesthetic; the decorative arts and their ability to communicate often political messages; reflections on how technology has radically altered commerce, communication, and industry; and the artist as celebrity, among others.

Charline von Heyl, Boogey, 2004. Acrylic, oil, and charcoal on canvas, 82 1/16 × 78 1/8 (208.4 × 198.4)
Promised gift of Thea Westreich Wagner and Ethan Wagner P.2011.472

Westreich Wagner and Wagner began collecting art in the 1980s and continue to collect today. They have consistently focused their attention on emerging artists, acquiring works soon after they were made, often straight out of the artists’ studios. Many of these artists were relatively unknown at the time, but have since become some of the most heralded figures of their generation—notably Robert Gober, Jeff Koons, Richard Prince, Cindy Sherman, and Christopher Wool. The couple has also pursued a specific interest in photography, building deep holdings of the work of landmark figures such as Lee Friedlander and Robert Adams while also acquiring photographs by a diverse range of artists, including Liz Deschenes, Philip-Lorca diCorcia, Annette Kelm, and Josephine Pryde. Continuously motivated by the learning challenges posed by new expressions and ideas, the two have examined the world around them through the eyes of the artists whose work they follow and acquire; their collection is a unique, personal reflection on the “contemporary moment” as it has evolved over the last several decades.

Liz Deschenes, Green Screen #7, 2001. Chromogenic print: sheet, 49 9/16 × 66 (125.9 × 167.6)
Promised gift of Thea Westreich Wagner and Ethan Wagner P.2014.12

The gift to the Whitney encompasses nearly five hundred and fifty works, representing a cross section of mediums, by more than seventy-five artists and collectives. In some cases works are by artists who will enter the collection for the first time and in others they add depth to our holdings of artists we have championed. The Pompidou is receiving more than three hundred works by some forty European artists. While the collection is divided between the two institutions, with works by American artists going to the Whitney and by non-American artists going to the Pompidou, the exhibitions draw from both gifts aiming to reveal the international dialogue intrinsic to contemporary art.

Robert Gober, The Ascending Sink, 1985. Plaster, wood, wire lath, steel, and enamel, two parts: 92 × 38 × 27 (233.7 × 96.5 × 68.6) overall. Promised gift of Thea Westreich Wagner and Ethan Wagner P.2011.167

Ms. Westreich Wagner and Mr. Wagner noted, “We are thrilled that audiences will be able to experience these exhibitions at the Whitney and the Pompidou. These are works by artists whom we deeply admire and want to share with the world.”

Among the artists in the Whitney exhibition are Robert Adams, Diane Arbus, Larry Clark, Tony Conrad, Dan Flavin, Lee Friedlander, Robert Gober, Jeff Koons, Zoe Leonard, Steven Parrino, Richard Prince, Cindy Sherman, Lawrence Weiner, Christopher Williams, and Christopher Wool. A considerable number of the works in the exhibition were produced by younger artists over the last two decades, including Anne Collier, Liz Deschenes, Gareth James, Jutta Koether, Sam Lewitt, Klara Liden, Lucy McKenzie, Philippe Parreno, Josephine Pryde, Eileen Quinlan, Reena Spaulings, Frances Stark, Simon Starling, Cheyney Thompson, and Danh Vo.

Among the works to be shown in the exhibition are: Robert Gober’s The Ascending Sink (1985); Bernadette Corporation’s Creation of a False Feeling (2000); Richard Prince’s Nancy to Her Girlfriend (1988); Diane Arbus’ Puerto Rican woman with a beauty mark, N.Y.C. (1965); Larry Clark’s 42nd Street (1979); Charline Von Heyl’s Boogey (2004); Christopher Wool’s Incident on 9th Street (1997); Jutta Koether’s Demonic Options (large format #1) (2010); Matias Faldbakken’s Untitled (Locker Sculpture #01) (2010); Philippe Parreno’s White Marquee (2008); Philippe Parreno and Rirkrit Tiravanija’s Puppets (2009); Ken Okiishi’s (Goodbye to) Manhattan (2010); Gilbert and George’s Up (1980); David Robbins’ Talent (1986); Danh Vo’s16:32:15, 26:05 (2009); Lucy McKenzie’s After G. Hobe, Salon Library for the Great Exhibition, 1902, Turin (2006); Laura Owens’ Untitled (1998); Liz Deschenes’ Green Screen #7 (2001); Sam Lewitt’s Weak Local Lineament (ICF 01) (2013); Hito Steyerl’s Red Alert(2007); Antoine Catala’s Image (2012); and Cheyney Thompson’sChronochrome 11 (2011).

Major support for Collected by Thea Westreich Wagner and Ethan Wagner is provided by the National Committee of the Whitney Museum of American Art. Generous support is provided by The Brown Foundation, Inc.

Colin Farrell, The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, and STOPAIDS Host a Gathering of Top Advocates and Influencers at the Elizabeth Taylor “Grit and Glamour” Exhibit in London

The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF), STOPAIDS, and Actor Colin Farrell hosted an event at Getty Images Gallery on Monday to announce a unified commitment to achieving the UNAIDS 90-90-90 goal in Malawi’s Mulanje District. In collaboration with the Elizabeth Taylor Trust and The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, Getty Images Gallery will produce a major photographic exhibition to mark 30 years since Ms. Taylor first began her leadership in the fight against HIV/AIDS. A portion of the sales will benefit The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. Photographs on show and on sale will include images never before seen by the public that span decades of her legendary career as an actress, and a behind-the-scenes look into the life of one of the most photographed women of all time.

The ambitious yet achievable 90-90-90 target conceived by UNAIDS calls for rapid scale-up of proven HIV interventions so that by 2020, 90% OF PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV ARE DIAGNOSED, 90% OF THOSE DIAGNOSED BEGIN TREATMENT, and 90% ON TREATMENT WORLDWIDE REACH VIRAL SUPPRESSION. Targeting the hardest-hit, least supported and most difficult-to-reach communities is vital to reach this goal.

Press conference to announce a new push to fast-track the end of the AIDS epidemic in the Mulanje District of Malawi at Getty Images Gallery on October 12, 2015 in London, England. The initiative is being led by The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and STOPAIDS. (Photo by Tabatha Fireman/Getty Images)

Annie Lennox and Colin Farrell at the press conference to announce a new push to fast-track the end of the AIDS epidemic in the Mulanje District of Malawi at Getty Images Gallery on October 12, 2015 in London, England. The initiative is being led by The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and STOPAIDS. (Photo by Tabatha Fireman/Getty Images)

Press conference to announce a new push to fast-track the end of the AIDS epidemic in the Mulanje District of Malawi at Getty Images Gallery on October 12, 2015 in London, England. The initiative is being led by The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and STOPAIDS. (Photo by Tabatha Fireman/Getty Images)

As part of the global push to fast-track the end of the AIDS epidemic, ETAF, STOPAIDS, and allied organizations called for additional funding and services to achieve 90-90-90 in Malawi’s rural southern Mulanje District. Mulanje is a remote area with inadequate health infrastructure, extreme poverty, and an adult HIV prevalence of 17% – approximately 70,000 individuals living with HIV – making it one of the worst afflicted regions in the world.

Dame Elizabeth Taylor established The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) in 1991 to support organizations delivering direct care and services to people living with HIV and AIDS, often to the most marginalized populations. Today, ETAF also provides funding for HIV prevention education and advocacy programs throughout the world, including existing organizations creating new and innovative techniques that help spread awareness of HIV prevention and treatment to targeted communities.

Press conference to announce a new push to fast-track the end of the AIDS epidemic in the Mulanje District of Malawi at Getty Images Gallery on October 12, 2015 in London, England. The initiative is being led by The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and STOPAIDS. (Photo by Tabatha Fireman/Getty Images)

STOPAIDS is a network of 80 UK agencies working since 1986 to secure an effective global response to HIV and AIDS. STOPAIDS achieves its impact through its membership, which works directly with more than 130 million people worldwide, and by engaging decision-makers through the development of policy, identifying best practice, lobbying and conducting public campaigns. Over three decades STOPAIDS has helped to secure high-level international commitments to universal access as well as UK government leadership in the response.

American actress Elizabeth Taylor reclining in bed. (Photo by Baron/Getty Images)

6th March 1964: Elizabeth Taylor gives her future husband Richard Burton (1925-1984) a cursory haircut. (Photo by William Lovelace/Express/Getty Images)

The extraordinary efforts of healthcare workers and the Malawi Ministry of Health, supported by many organizations and funders working in country including ETAF and the Global AIDS Interfaith Alliance (GAIA), have contributed to a reduction in HIV prevalence from 20% to 17% in the Mulanje District since 2004. Now, ETAF is challenging and calling for more partners to join a coordinated new surge of mutually reinforcing strategies to achieve 90-90-90 in Mulanje District under the leadership of the District Health Office.

The new Elizabeth Taylor Grit and Glamour photo exhibit at the Getty Images Gallery served as the backdrop at the event, featuring images that spanned decades of her career as an actress and activist. Colin Farrell opened the evening welcoming guests and honoring the late Elizabeth Taylor noting, “three weeks ago marked the 30th anniversary that Dame Elizabeth began fighting the then new epidemic—AIDS.” He went on to share with guests that it was Ms. Taylor’s idea to implement a mobile health system in Mulanje, specifically because of the chronic lack of access to healthcare and the great need for HIV/AIDS testing, treatment, and prevention methods in the region.

Press conference to announce a new push to fast-track the end of the AIDS epidemic in the Mulanje District of Malawi at Getty Images Gallery on October 12, 2015 in London, England. The initiative is being led by The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and STOPAIDS. (Photo by Tabatha Fireman/Getty Images)

Press conference to announce a new push to fast-track the end of the AIDS epidemic in the Mulanje District of Malawi at Getty Images Gallery on October 12, 2015 in London, England. The initiative is being led by The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and STOPAIDS. (Photo by Tabatha Fireman/Getty Images)

Press conference to announce a new push to fast-track the end of the AIDS epidemic in the Mulanje District of Malawi at Getty Images Gallery on October 12, 2015 in London, England. The initiative is being led by The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and STOPAIDS. (Photo by Tabatha Fireman/Getty Images)

Press conference to announce a new push to fast-track the end of the AIDS epidemic in the Mulanje District of Malawi at Getty Images Gallery on October 12, 2015 in London, England. The initiative is being led by The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and STOPAIDS. (Photo by Tabatha Fireman/Getty Images)

Speakers including Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale, First Minister of Scotland 2001-2007, and architect of the Scotland-Malawi Co-operation Agreement and Joel Goldman, Managing Director of ETAF went on to urge support for a united coalition to scale up testing and treatment funding and prevention programs in Mulanje District.

Singer/songwriter and UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador Annie Lennox closed the program, thanking the organizations in the room for their commitment to achieving the UNAIDS 90-90-90 goal in Malawi. She said, “Worldwide, AIDS is the leading cause of death among women of reproductive age and the leading cause of adolescent death. Last year alone, 2 million people were newly infected with HIV – over a million people died and a quarter of a million babies were infected. As a woman, mother and global citizen, I am appalled by these horrific facts and as the years go by, I still don’t honestly think that the world has fully grasped the scale of the devastation AIDS has wreaked upon the lives of women, girls and young people in general.”

Press conference to announce a new push to fast-track the end of the AIDS epidemic in the Mulanje District of Malawi at Getty Images Gallery on October 12, 2015 in London, England. The initiative is being led by The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and STOPAIDS. (Photo by Tabatha Fireman/Getty Images)

After the event, Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS shared his sentiments about the announcement. “Activism, optimism and dedication have brought people living with HIV to the centre of the response, given a voice to the voiceless and enabled 15 million people to have access to lifesaving treatment. I am inspired to see so many countries and partners, like The Elizabeth Taylor Foundation, uniting around UNAIDS Fast-Track targets to ensure that together we end the AIDS epidemic by 2030,” said Sidibé.

Speaking at the event, Lord McConnell said, “It’s great to see increasing political momentum behind HIV / AIDS, but just because we’re travelling in the right direction doesn’t mean we can take our foot off the pedal.”

Joel Goldman concluded by saying, “The tide of the HIV / AIDS epidemic is turning. In Malawi and other countries, deaths are down, prevalence is falling, and new infections are reducing. But now it’s time for a knockout punch – and we all need to work together to achieve it.”

Guests in attendance included: Cornelius Baker, PEPFAR’s Acting Deputy Coordinator for Affected Populations and Civil Society Leadership; Colin Farrell; Annie Lennox; Mike Podmore, Director, STOPAIDS; Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale; Joel Goldman, Managing Director, The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation; Tim Mendelson, co-trustee for the Elizabeth Taylor Trust and Officer of The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation; Firooz Zahedi, American Photographer (and one of Dame Elizabeth’s favorites), and more.

Wildlife Expeditions of Teton Science Schools, known for its exceptional biologist-led tours of Yellowstone National Park, has created a new small-group U.S. safari to experience and photograph the park’s famous wolves. Offering an unparalleled intimate eight-day wildlife adventure for March 2016, the Wolves of Yellowstone Photography Safari includes a scenic flight for breathtaking aerial views of wolf habitat.

A trip-of-a-lifetime opportunity for photographers and wildlife enthusiasts, Wildlife Expeditions of Tetons Science Schools‘ exciting new March 2016 Wolves of Yellowstone Photo Safari provides a photographer’s eye view of the Lamar Valley – known as the American Serengeti – and the wolf packs that call it home. Incorporating a scenic flight for breathtaking aerial views of Yellowstone National Park and beyond, the all-new eight-day tour is open to all levels of photographers who wish to see and photograph one of North America’s wildest places. Recently recommended by The New York Times, the new adventure travel experience combines useful tips and techniques from Wildlife Expeditions’ expert photographers with the deep knowledge and wildlife spotting skills of the group’s highly skilled biologist guides. The rare small-group U.S. safari is available to a limited number of people on specific dates from March 6 – 28.

A once in a lifetime opportunity for all levels of photographers, the new Wolves of Yellowstone Park Safari from Wildlife Expeditions promises wight days of adventure. (Photo by Paul Maddex)

Over the course of eight days, small groups of just six people per customized Mercedes-Benz safari vehicle will have the opportunity to discover some of the U.S.’s most remarkable scenery and wildlife – while gaining skills to capture the adventure through a camera lens like a pro. The tour begins in Bozeman, Mont., heading to Yellowstone’s Paradise Valley and on to explore the geothermal features of Mammoth Hot Springs.

Snowboots and poles are supplied for a Yellowstone hike and guests travel in style via a cozy Mercedes-Benz safari vehicle for Wildlife Expeditions March 2016 Wolf Photo Safari. (Photo by Sean Beckett)

Next, guests experience three days in the Lamar Valley, known for its one-of-a-kind wolf-viewing opportunities. In addition to the extensive focus on the wolves, the Lamar Valley leg of the tour will also provide the chance to see and photograph other wildlife that may include bison, pronghorn, elk, eagles, bighorn sheep and bears. Groups will comfortably ride in Wildlife Expeditions Mercedes Sprinter safari vehicles customized with large viewing windows and sunroofs, perfect for photography. Overnights in Montana hotels will be arranged by Wildlife Expeditions, as well as daily meals and snacks.

Big horn Sheep are one of the many species to see and photograph on the new 2016 Yellowstone safari trip from Wildlife Expeditions (Photo by Sean Beckett)

Lunch Tour Winter Yellowstone: Clients eat lunch near Canyon in winter in Yellowstone National Park. Wildlife Expeditions provides snacks, meals and accommodations for safari guests for a unique and comfortable experience while esploring the wild. (Photo by Jay Goodrich)

The seventh day of the new wolf photography safari offers a scenic private flight over wolf habitat in Yellowstone National Park, as well as the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River, Old Faithful and possibly the Tetons and Jackson Hole, weather permitting. The tour then returns to Yellowstone for an afternoon hike on snowshoes, followed by an overnight at Chico Hot Springs Resort. Groups will depart from Bozeman on the final day of the tour.

The new Wolves of Yellowstone Photography Safari is offered on three sets of dates in 2016: March 6 – 12, March 13 – 20 and March 21 – 28. Each trip is limited to six people to accommodate photography equipment as well as comfortable riding space in the custom vehicles, and guests will receive expert photography instruction using their own cameras and equipment. The cost of the eight-day adventure is $4,495/person.

Wildlife Expeditions of Teton Science Schools has a well-earned reputation of leading exceptional safari tours and locating wild animals in the wilderness in and around Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. As Jackson Hole, Wyoming‘s premier and original safari provider, Wildlife Expeditions offers family-friendly educational tours year-round in a stunning natural environment. The tour company has been recognized by national media including Conde Nast Traveler and USA Today’s “10 Amazing Adventures under $1,000.” Teton Science Schools is an authorized concessioner of the National Park Service, providing snowcoach tours, ski and snowshoe trips, photography and chartered programs in Yellowstone National Park. For more information or to book a Wildlife Expeditions tour, visit www.tetonscience.org.

The James Beard Foundation is proud to announce the final nominees for the 2015 James Beard Foundation Awards presented by Lexus. The nominees were announced today during a breakfast at the James Beard House in New York City, hosted by Susan Ungaro, James Beard Foundation president; executive vice-president, Mitchell Davis; Emily Luchetti, chair of the Foundation’s board of trustees; and John Washko, trustee and chair of the Awards committee. The 2015 James Beard Foundation Book Awards For books published in English in 2014. Winners will be announced on April 24, 2015. The winner of the Cookbook of the Year Award and the Cookbook Hall of Fame inductee will be announced on April 24, 2015.

Nominees in 59 categories were announced in the Foundation’s various awards programs, including Restaurant and Chef, Restaurant Design, and Book, Broadcast and Journalism. In addition, previously announced special achievement award honorees were highlighted, including Lifetime Achievement, Humanitarian of the Year, Who’s Who, and the America’s Classics.

Photo Credit: http://www.jamesbeard.org/

Multiple James Beard Award–winning TV host, author, and chef Alton Brown will host the 2015 James Beard Foundation Awards presented by Lexus. The highly anticipated James Beard Awards ceremony and gala reception will take place on Monday, May 4, 2015, at Lyric Opera of Chicago. On Friday, April 24, 2015, Carla Hall, co-host of ABC’s The Chew, will host the annual James Beard Foundation Book, Broadcast & Journalism Awards Dinner, an exclusive event honoring the nation’s top cookbook authors, culinary broadcast producers and hosts, and food journalists, at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers in New York City.

The James Beard Foundation Awards Ceremony and Gala Reception will be open to the public, and hand out awards for the Restaurant and Chef including America’s Classics and Restaurant Design categories will be handed out, along with special achievement awards including Humanitarian of the Year, Lifetime Achievement and Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America. A gala reception will immediately follow, featuring top chefs and beverage professionals from across the country.

A native of Nashville, Hall’s food journey began at L’Academie de Cuisine in Maryland, after returning from a trip throughout Europe that awakened her passion for food. Upon completing her culinary training, she went on to work as a sous Chef at the Henley Park Hotel in Washington D.C. and later served as Executive Chef at both The State Plaza Hotel and The Washington Club. Hall’s approach to cooking blends her classic French training and southern upbringing, both of which she has carried through to her artisan cookie company, Carla Hall Petite Cookies, as well as her restaurant, Carla Hall’s Southern Kitchen, slated to open in New York City later this year.

The 2015 James Beard Foundation Awards Nominees are:

2015 James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards

Winners will be announced on May 4, 2015

Outstanding Chef Presented by All-Clad Metalcrafters Presented to a working chef in America whose career has set national industry standards and who has served as an inspiration to other food professionals. Candidates must have been working as chefs for at least the past 5 years.

Michael Anthony, Gramercy Tavern, NYC

Sean Brock, Husk, Charleston, SC

Suzanne Goin, Lucques, Los Angeles

Donald Link, Herbsaint, New Orleans

Marc Vetri, Vetri, Philadelphia

Rising Star Chef of the Year Presented by S.Pellegrino® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water A chef age 30 or younger who displays an impressive talent and who is likely to have a significant impact on the industry in years to come.

Tanya Baker, Boarding House, Chicago

Alex Bois, High Street on Market, Philadelphia

Erik Bruner-Yang, Toki Underground, Washington, D.C.

Jessica Largey, Manresa, Los Gatos, CA

Cara Stadler, Tao Yuan, Brunswick, ME

Ari Taymor, Alma, Los Angeles

Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH)

Curtis Duffy, Grace, Chicago

Jonathon Sawyer, Greenhouse Tavern, Cleveland

Paul Virant, Vie, Western Springs, IL

Erling Wu-Bower,

Nico Osteria, Chicago

Andrew Zimmerman, Sepia, Chicago

Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (D.C., DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)

Joe Cicala, Le Virtù, Philadelphia

Spike Gjerde, Woodberry Kitchen, Baltimore

Rich Landau, Vedge, Philadelphia

Greg Vernick, Vernick Food & Drink, Philadelphia

Cindy Wolf, Charleston, Baltimore

Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI)

Paul Berglund, The Bachelor Farmer, Minneapolis

Justin Carlisle, Ardent, Milwaukee

Gerard Craft, Niche, Clayton, MO

Michelle Gayer, Salty Tart, Minneapolis

Lenny Russo, Heartland Restaurant & Farm Direct Market, St. Paul, MN

Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, NY STATE, RI, VT)

Karen Akunowicz, Myers + Chang, Boston

Barry Maiden, Hungry Mother, Cambridge, MA

Masa Miyake, Miyake, Portland, ME

Cassie Piuma, Sarma, Somerville, MA

Andrew Taylor and Mike Wiley, Eventide Oyster Co., Portland, ME

Best Chef: Northwest (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY)

Greg Denton and Gabrielle Quiñónez Denton, Ox, Portland, OR

Renee Erickson, The Whale Wins, Seattle

Blaine Wetzel, The Willows Inn on Lummi Island, Lummi Island, WA

Justin Woodward, Castagna, Portland, OR

Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi, Joule, Seattle

Best Chef: New York City (Five Boroughs)

Marco Canora, Hearth

Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi, Carbone

Mark Ladner, Del Posto

Anita Lo, Annisa

Ignacio Mattos, Estela

Jonathan Waxman, Barbuto

Best Chef: South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, PR)

Vishwesh Bhatt, Snackbar, Oxford, MS

Justin Devillier, La Petite Grocery, New Orleans

Jose Enrique, Jose Enrique, San Juan, PR

Slade Rushing, Brennan’s, New Orleans

Alon Shaya, Domenica, New Orleans

Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV)

John Fleer, Rhubarb, Asheville, NC

Edward Lee, 610 Magnolia, Louisville, KY

Steven Satterfield, Miller Union, Atlanta

Jason Stanhope, FIG, Charleston, SC

Andrew Ticer and Michael Hudman, Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen, Memphis

Tandy Wilson, City House, Nashville

Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, CO, NM, OK, TX, UT)

Kevin Binkley, Binkley’s, Cave Creek, AZ

Aaron Franklin, Franklin Barbecue, Austin

Bryce Gilmore, Barley Swine, Austin

Hugo Ortega, Hugo’s, Houston

Martín Rios, Restaurant Martín, Santa Fe, NM

Justin Yu, Oxheart, Houston

Best Chef: West (CA, HI, NV)

Matthew Accarrino, SPQR, San Francisco

Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski, State Bird Provisions, San Francisco

Michael Cimarusti, Providence, Los Angeles

Corey Lee, Benu, San Francisco

Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, Animal, Los Angeles

Outstanding Pastry Chef

A chef or baker who prepares desserts, pastries, or breads and who serves as a standard-bearer for excellence. Candidates must have been pastry chefs or bakers for at least the past 5 years.

Dana Cree, Blackbird, Chicago

Maura Kilpatrick, Oleana, Cambridge, MA

Dahlia Narvaez, Osteria Mozza, Los Angeles

Ghaya Oliveira, Daniel, NYC

Christina Tosi, Momofuku, NYC

Outstanding Restaurant Presented by Acqua Panna® Natural Spring Water Presented to a restaurant in the United States that serves as a national standard-bearer for consistent quality and excellence in food, atmosphere, and service. Candidates must have been in operation for at least 10 or more consecutive years.

Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Pocantico Hills, NY

Highlands Bar and Grill, Birmingham, AL

Momofuku Noodle Bar, NYC

Per Se, NYC

The Spotted Pig, NYC

Outstanding Restaurateur

Presented to a working restaurateur who sets high national standards in restaurant operations and entrepreneurship. Candidates must have been in the restaurant business for at least 10 years. Candidates must not have been nominated for a James Beard Foundation chef award in the past 10 years.

JoAnn Clevenger, Upperline, New Orleans

Donnie Madia, One Off Hospitality Group, Chicago (Blackbird, Avec, The Publican, and others)

Michael Mina, Mina Group, San Francisco (Michael Mina, RN74, Bourbon Steak, and others)

Cindy Pawlcyn, Napa, CA (Mustards Grill, Cindy’s Back Street Kitchen, and Cindy’s Waterfront at the Monterey Bay Aquarium)

Stephen Starr, Starr Restaurants, Philadelphia (The Dandelion, Talula’s Garden, Serpico, and others)

Best New Restaurant Presented by True Refrigeration® – Presented to a restaurant opened in 2014 that already displays excellence in food, beverage, and service and is likely to have a significant impact on the industry in years to come.

Bâtard, NYC

Central Provisions, Portland, ME

Cosme, NYC

Parachute, Chicago

Petit Trois, Los Angeles

The Progress, San Francisco

Spoon and Stable, Minneapolis

Outstanding Baker

Joanne Chang, Flour Bakery + Cafe, Boston

Mark Furstenberg, Bread Furst, Washington, D.C.

Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery, NYC

Belinda Leong and Michel Suas, B. Patisserie, San Francisco

William Werner, Craftsman and Wolves, San Francisco

Outstanding Bar Program Presented by Tanqueray No. TEN® presented to an establishment that displays and encourages excellence in cocktail, spirits, and/or beer service.

Arnaud’s French 75 Bar, New Orleans

Bar Agricole, San Francisco

Maison Premiere, Brooklyn, NY

Trick Dog, San Francisco

The Violet Hour, Chicago

Outstanding Service Presented by Goose Island Beer Company – Presented to a restaurant that demonstrates high standards of hospitality and service. Candidates must have been in operation for at least the past 5 years.

The Barn at Blackberry Farm, Walland, TN

Marea, NYC

Quince, San Francisco

Restaurant August, New Orleans Topolobampo, Chicago

Outstanding Wine Program – Presented to a restaurant that displays and encourages excellence in wine service through a well-presented wine list, a knowledgeable staff, and efforts to educate customers about wine. Candidates must have been in operation for at least 5 years.

A16, San Francisco

Bern’s Steak House, Tampa, FL

FIG, Charleston, SC McCrady’s, Charleston,

SC Spago, Beverly Hills, CA

Outstanding Wine, Beer, or Spirits Professional Presented by BACARDÍ® GRAN RESERVA – Presented to a winemaker, brewer, or spirits professional who has had a significant impact on the wine, beer and spirits industry nationwide. Candidates must have been in the profession for at least 5 years. Sam Calagione, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, DE

Ron Cooper, Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal, Ranchos de Taos, NM

Ted Lemon, Littorai Wines, Sebastopol, CA

Rajat Parr, Mina Group, San Francisco

Harlen Wheatley, Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, KY

2015 James Beard Foundation America’s Classics

Archie’s Waeside, Le Mars, IA. Owner: Robert Rand

Beaumont Inn, Harrodsburg, KY Owners: Elizabeth and Dixon Dedman, Helen and Chuck Dedman

Guelaguetza, Los Angeles. Owners: The Lopez Family

Sally Bell’s Kitchen, Richmond, VA. Owners: Martha Crowe Jones and Scott Jones

Sevilla Restaurant, NYC. Owners: Jose Lloves and Bienvenido Alvarez

2015 James Beard Foundation Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America Inductees

The James Beard Foundation’s Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America is a list of the most accomplished food and beverage professionals in the country. Though they represent a diverse cross-section of the food and beverage industry—from chefs to journalists to farmers to business executives to scholars—each has been identified by his or her peers as having displayed remarkable talent and achievement. Begun in 1984 by Cook’s Magazine, the Who’s Who has been administered by the James Beard Foundation since 1990. Each year, a ballot of 20 possible candidates is created and distributed to the entire Who’s Who group for voting.

“This year’s Who’s Who honorees join an impressive group of over 250 of our country’s most respected food industry leaders,” said Susan Ungaro, president of the James Beard Foundation. “Their impact on cultural cuisine, food production and mixology is both substantial and exciting.”

Allan Benton, Pork Producer and Purveyor, Madisonville, TN – The owner of Benton’s Smoky Mountain Country Hams, Allan Benton has been described by Saveur magazine as “one of the most respected producers in the United States.” Benton grew up in a family that raised hogs and cured their own country hams and bacon, and he has continued this tradition ever since giving up a career as a guidance counselor and purchasing a small, ramshackle ham business in 1973. Since then Benton’s hams and bacon have become the standard against which all others are measured. Slow-cured with salt, brown sugar, and sodium nitrate and aged for at least 9 months, the meat maestro’s pork products are sought after by top chefs like Sean Brock, David Chang, and Hugh Acheson.

Dale DeGroff, Mixologist, NYC –  Master Mixologist Dale DeGroff, a.k.a. King Cocktail, developed his extraordinary talent tending bar at esteemed establishments, most notably New York’s famous Rainbow Room, where in the 1980s he pioneered a gourmet approach to recreating classic cocktails. DeGroff has since been credited with reinventing the bartending profession and setting off a cocktail revival that continues to flourish. Winner of the 2009 James Beard Award for Outstanding Wine & Spirits Professional and author of The Essential Cocktail and The Craft of the Cocktail, DeGroff has been hugely influential in the bar world for over three decades. He is also a partner in the award-winning bar training program Beverage Alcohol Resource (BAR) and the founding president of the Museum of the American Cocktail.

Wylie Dufresne, Chef and Restaurateur, NYC – Wylie Dufresne is a celebrated chef and restaurateur and a pioneer of molecular gastronomy. Dufresne began his career at the International Culinary Center (formerly the French Culinary Institute) before working for Jean-Georges Vongerichten at JoJo and Jean Georges in New York and Prime Steakhouse at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. In 1999 Dufresne became the opening chef at 71 Clinton Fresh Food, where he quickly established himself as a culinary trailblazer. He opened wd~50 in 2003, where his creative, eclectic, hyper-modern cooking earned national acclaim and a three-star review in the New York Times from Frank Bruni in 2008. The restaurant also received one star from the Michelin Guide in 2006, an accolade it retained in each subsequent year until its closing in November of 2014. Dufresne has been nominated for multiple James Beard Awards, including seven consecutive years in the running for Best Chef: New York, an award he won in 2013. Alder, Dufresne’s second restaurant, opened in Manhattan’s East Village in March 2013.

Nathalie Dupree, Cookbook Author and Television Personality, Charleston – Nathalie Dupree is the author of fourteen cookbooks and the host of more than 300 national and international cooking shows that have aired on PBS, the Food Network, and the Learning Channel. She has earned wide recognition for her work, including three James Beard Awards and numerous other honors. Dupree is best known for her approachability and her deep understanding of Southern food; her 1986 book and television series, New Southern Cooking, helped introduce the rest of the country to both traditional and modern Southern cuisine. A former chef, Dupree spent ten years directing Rich’s Cooking School in Atlanta, where she taught thousands of students. She is a founder and past president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP), a founder and board member of Southern Foodways, and a founder and past president of two chapters of Les Dames d’Escoffier, who awarded Dupree the prestigious national honor of “Grande Dame.” The Maître Cuisiniers de France gave Dupree its 2013 Woman of the Year Award. She continues to write about food and is currently working on a memoir.

Maricel Presilla, Chef, Restaurateur, and Cookbook Author, Hoboken, NJ  – Maricel E. Presilla is an award-winning author, chef, and restaurateur who is widely recognized as one of the nation’s preeminent experts on the cuisines of Latin America. In 2013 her magnum opus, Gran Cocina Latina: The Food of Latin America, was honored as Cookbook of the Year by the James Beard Foundation and Best General Cookbook by the IACP. She was named the Beard Foundation’s Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic in 2012, and is a semifinalist for the 2015 Outstanding Chef award. A Cuban native and Miami émigré, Presilla is currently the chef and co-owner of restaurants Zafra and Cucharamama, as well as Latin gourmet market, bakery, and chocolate shop Ultramarinos, all of which are in Hoboken, New Jersey. Presilla is also extremely knowledgeable about Latin American chocolate production: in addition to having authored The New Taste of Chocolate: A Cultural and Natural History of Chocolate with Recipes, she’s also the president of Gran Cacao, a Latin American marketing company that specializes in heirloom cacao beans, a board member for the Fine Chocolate Industry Association and America’s partner of the International Chocolate Awards, the world’s largest independent chocolate competition.

2015 James Beard Foundation Humanitarian of the Year – Michael Nischan, CEO, President and Co-Founder of Wholesome Wave Westport, CT

2015 James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award – Richard Melman Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, Chicago

2015 James Beard Foundation Outstanding Restaurant Design Awards. Winners will be announced on May 4, 2015

75 Seats and Under  – For the best restaurant design or renovation in North America since January 1, 2012

Design Firm: Bureau of Architecture and Design

Designers: James Gorski and Tom Nahabedian

Project: Brindille, Chicago

Design Firm: Condor Construction

Designers: Matthew Maddy

Project: Colonia Verde, Brooklyn, NY

Design Firm: Michael R. Davis Architects & Interiors

Designers: Michael R. Davis and Ronald J. Nemec

Project: Fish & Game, Hudson, NY

76 Seats and Over

For the best restaurant design or renovation in North America since January 1, 2012

Design Firm: Parts and Labor Design

Designers: Andrew Cohen and Jeremy Levitt

Project: The Grey, Savannah, GA

Design Firm: Shea, Inc.

Designers: Cori Kuechenmeister and David Shea

Project: Spoon and Stable, Minneapolis

Design Firm: SOMA

Designers: Michel Abboud

Project: Workshop Kitchen + Bar, Palm Springs, CA

American Cooking:

Heritage, Sean Brock (Artisan)

The New England Kitchen: Fresh Takes on Seasonal Recipes, Erin Byers Murray and Jeremy Sewall (Rizzoli New York)

Texas on the Table: People, Places, and Recipes Celebrating the Flavors of the Lone Star, State Terry Thompson-Anderson (University of Texas Press)

Baking and Dessert Baking Chez Moi: Recipes from My Paris Home to Your Home Anywhere Dorie Greenspan (Rux Martin/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

Della Fattoria Bread: 63 Foolproof Recipes for Yeasted, Enriched & Naturally Leavened Breads, Kathleen Weber (Artisan)

Flavor Flours: A New Way to Bake with Teff, Buckwheat, Sorghum, Other Whole & Ancient Grains, Nuts & NonWheat Flours, Alice Medrich (Artisan)

Beverage

Death & Co: Modern Classic Cocktails, with More than 500 Recipes, Alex Day, Nick Fauchald, and David Kaplan (Ten Speed Press)

Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail, Dave Arnold (W. W. Norton & Company)

Sherry: A Modern Guide to the Wine World’s Best-Kept Secret, with Cocktails and Recipes Talia Baiocchi (Ten Speed Press)

Cooking from a Professional Point of View Bar Tartine: Techniques & Recipes Nicolaus Balla and Cortney Burns (Chronicle Books)

Never Trust a Skinny Italian Chef Massimo Bottura (Phaidon Press)

Relæ: A Book of Ideas Christian F. Puglisi (Ten Speed Press)

Focus on Health

A Change of Appetite: Where Healthy Meets Delicious Diana Henry (Mitchell Beazley)

Cooking Light Mad Delicious: The Science of Making Healthy Food Taste Amazing Keith Schroeder (Oxmoor House)

Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans Henry Fong and Michelle Tam (Andrews McMeel Publishing)

General Cooking

The Kitchn Cookbook: Recipes, Kitchens & Tips to Inspire Your Cooking Faith Durand and Sara Kate Gillingham (Clarkson Potter)

Marcus Off Duty: The Recipes I Cook at Home Marcus Samuelsson (Rux Martin/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

Saveur: The New Classics Cookbook The Editors of Saveur (Weldon Owen)

International

The Cuban Table: A Celebration of Food, Flavors, and History Ana Sofía Peláez (St. Martin’s Press)

My Paris Kitchen: Recipes and Stories David Lebovitz (Ten Speed Press)

Yucatán: Recipes from a Culinary Expedition David Sterling (University of Texas Press)

Photography

In Her Kitchen: Stories and Recipes from Grandmas Around the World Photographer: Gabriele Galimberti (Clarkson Potter)

A New Napa Cuisine Photographer: Jen Munkvold and Taylor Peden (Ten Speed Press)

Sherry: A Modern Guide to the Wine World’s Best-Kept Secret, with Cocktails and Recipes Photographer: Ed Anderson (Ten Speed Press)

Reference and Scholarship

Butchering Poultry, Rabbit, Lamb, Goat, and Pork: The Comprehensive Photographic Guide to Humane Slaughtering and Butchering Adam Danforth (Storey Publishing)

Inventing Baby Food: Taste, Health, and the Industrialization of the American Diet Amy Bentley (University of California Press)

The Spice & Herb Bible (Third Edition) Ian and Kate Hemphill (Robert Rose)

Single Subject

Bitter: A Taste of the World’s Most Dangerous Flavor, with Recipes Jennifer McLagan (Ten Speed Press)

Charcutería: The Soul of Spain Jeffrey Weiss (Agate Surrey)

Egg: A Culinary Exploration of the World’s Most Versatile Ingredient Michael Ruhlman (Little, Brown and Company)

Vegetable Focused and Vegetarian At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen: Celebrating the Art of Eating Well Amy Chaplin (Roost Books)

Plenty More: Vibrant Vegetable Cooking from London’s Ottolenghi Yotam Ottolenghi (Ten Speed Press)

Vegetarian Dinner Parties: 150 Meatless Meals Good Enough to Serve to Company Mark Scarbrough and Bruce Weinstein (Rodale Books)

Writing and Literature

The Chain: Farm, Factory, and the Fate of Our Food Ted Genoways (HarperCollins Publishers)

The Language of Food: A Linguist Reads the Menu Dan Jurafsky (W. W. Norton & Company)

The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food Dan Barber (Penguin Press)

2015 James Beard Foundation Broadcast and New Media Awards Presented by Lenox Tableware and Gifts For television, webcast, and radio programs aired in 2014. Winners will be announced on April 24, 2015.

Podcast

Eat This Podcast

Host: Jeremy Cherfas

Producer: Jeremy Cherfas

Airs on: eatthispodcast.com

The Feed

Podcast Hosts: Rick Bayless and Steve Dolinsky

Producers: Matt Cunningham and Steve Dolinsky

Airs on: soundcloud.com/thefeedpodcast

Gravy

Host: Tina Antolini

Producers: Tina Antolini and the Southern Foodways Alliance

Airs on: southernfoodways.org/gravy

Radio Show/Audio

Webcast All Things Considered’s “Found Recipes”

Host: Melissa Block, Audie Cornish, and Robert Siegel

Producers: Julia Redpath Buckley, Serri Graslie, and Melissa Gray

Airs on: NPR

Hidden Kitchens World

Hosts: The Kitchen Sisters (Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva)

Producer: The Kitchen Sisters (Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva)

Airs on: NPR

Quick Bites

Host: Vivian Goodman

Producer: Vivian Goodman

Airs on: WKSU

Special/Documentary

A Film About Coffee

Director: Brandon Loper

Producers: Dalia Burde and Brandon Loper

Airs on: vimeo.com/ondemand/afilmaboutcoffee

Food Chains

Host: Forest Whitaker

Director: Sanjay Rawal Producers: Hamilton Fish, Smriti Keshari, Eva Longoria, and Eric Schlosser

Airs: iTunes and Netflix

Hey Bartender

Host: Douglas Tirola

Producers: Susan Bedusa and Douglas Tirola

Airs on: Showtime

Television Program, In Studio or Fixed Location

Bobby Flay’s Barbecue Addiction

Host: Bobby Flay Producers: Bobby Flay and Kim Martin

Airs on: Food Network

Martha Stewart’s Cooking School

Host: Martha Stewart

Producers: Greta Anthony, Kimberly Miller Olko, Martha Stewart, Calia Brencsons-Van Dyk, and Lisa Wagner

Airs On: PBS

Sara’s Weeknight Meals

Host: Sara Moulton

Producers: Natalie Gustafson, Adrienne Hammel, and Sara Moulton

Airs on: PBS

Television Program, On Location

Bizarre Foods

Host: Andrew Zimmern

Producers: Andrew Zimmern and Tremendous Entertainment

Airs on: Travel Channel

A Chef’s Life

Host: Vivian Howard

Producers: Cynthia Hill, Vivian Howard, Ben Knight, Selena Lauterer, Malinda Maynor Lowery, and Rex Miller

Airs on: PBS

The Mind of a Chef

Host: Anthony Bourdain

Producers: Jared Andrukanis, Anthony Bourdain, Joe Caterini, Chris Collins, Michael Steed, and Lydia Tenaglia

Airs on: PBS

Television Segment

CBS This Morning’s “The Dish”

Host: Anthony Mason and Vinita Nair

Producers: Brian Applegate, Greg Mirman, and Marci Waldman

Airs on: CBS

The Hungry Hound

Host: Steve Dolinsky

Producer: Irit Nayden

Airs on: ABC 7 Chicago

WCCO This Morning’s “DeRusha Eats”

Host: Jason DeRusha

Producer: Jason DeRusha

Airs on: WCCO

Video Webcast, Fixed Location and/or Instructional

ChefSteps

Host: Grant Lee Crilly and Chris Young

Producer: Kristina Krug

Airs on: chefsteps.com

Thirsty For…

Producers: Jay Holzer and Eric Slatkin

Airs on: youtube.com/tastemade

You’re Eating It Wrong

Hosts: Dan Pashman

Producers: Joe T. Lin, Alex Lisowski, Fritz Manger, Justin Marshall, Max Osswald, Adam Silver, and Michael Singer

Airs on: cookingchanneltv.com/wrong

Video Webcast, On Location

food.curated

Host: Liza de Guia

Producer: Liza de Guia

Airs on: foodcurated.com

Kitchen Vignettes

Host: Aube Giroux

Producers: Aube Giroux

Airs on: pbs.org/food/blogs/kitchen-vignettes

The Perennial Plate: Africa and the Americas

Hosts: Mirra Fine and Daniel Klein

Producers: Mirra Fine and Daniel Klein

Airs on: theperennialplate.com

Visual and Technical Excellence

A Chef’s Life

Producers: Cynthia Hill, Vivian Howard, Ben Knight, Selena Lauterer, Malinda Maynor Lowery, and Rex Miller

Airs on: PBS

The Grill Iron

Producers: Jay Holzer, Gab Taraboulsy, and Clenét Verdi-Rose

Airs on: tastemade.com

Wall of Fire: A ChefSteps Story

Producer: Kristina Krug

Airs on: chefsteps.com

Outstanding Personality/Host

Host: Vivian Howard

A Chef’s Life

Airs on: PBS

Host: Ina Garten

Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics

Airs on: Food Network

Host: Pete Evans

Moveable Feast with Fine Cooking

Airs on: PBS

2015 James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards For articles published in English in 2014. Winners will be announced on April 24, 2015. The winner of the Publication of the Year Award will be announced on April 24, 2015.

Dining and Travel

“Eating Well at the End of the Road”

Julia O’Malley

Eater

“How the Vikings Conquered Dinner”

Brett Martin

GQ

The India Issue

The Editors of Saveur

Saveur

Food and Culture

“The Lost Apples of the South”

Rowan Jacobsen and the Southern Living Test Kitchen

Southern Living

“The Toxic, Abusive, Addictive, Supportive, Codependent Relationship Between Chefs and Yelpers” Rebecca Flint Marx, San Francisco Magazine

“What Happens When All-Star Chefs Get in Bed with Big Food?”, Mike Sula, Chicago Reader

Food and Health

“Against the Grain”, Michael Specter, The New Yorker

“Bred to Perfection”, Ben Paynter, Wired

“The Wild World Within”, Gretel H. Schueller, EatingWell

Food-Related Columns

“David Chang’s Kitchen”, David Chang, GQ

“The Food Lab”, Kenji López-Alt, Serious Eats

“Unearthed”, Tamar Haspel, The Washington Post

Food Coverage in a General-Interest Publication

GQ, The Editors of GQ

Los Angeles Magazine, Lesley Bargar Suter

Roads & Kingdoms, The Editors of Roads & Kingdoms

San Francisco Chronicle, The “Food + Home” Staff

Food Politics, Policy, and the Environment

“California Goes Nuts”, Tom Philpott, Mother Jones

“Hungry for Savings,” “Save Money. Live Better,” “The Secret Life of a Food Stamp”, Krissy Clark, Slate/Marketplace

“The Quinoa Quarrel: Who Owns the World’s Greatest Superfood?”, Lisa M. Hamilton, Harper’s

Group Food Blog

First We Feast

Food52

Grub Street

Home Cooking

“Cabbage Craft”, Kathy Gunst, EatingWell

“Lunch al Desko”, Julia Kramer, Bon Appétit

“The Truth Behind Cookbook Recipes”, Julia Bainbridge, Yahoo! Food

Humor

“Giving & Thanking”, Ben Schott with the Bon Appétit Editors, Bon Appétit

“Goodbye to All That Sugar, Spice, and Fat”, Lisa Hanawalt, Lucky Peach

“Underfinger”, Chris Stang, The Infatuation

Individual Food Blog

Orangette, Molly Wizenberg

Poor Man’s Feast, Elissa Altman

Three Little Halves, Aleksandra Mojsilovic

Personal Essay

“Deus X-Mas China”, Lucas Peterson, Lucky Peach

“Life in Chains: Finding Home at Taco Bell”, John DeVore, Eater

“Requiem for a Fish Sandwich”, Rick Bragg, Garden and Gun

Profile

“Élite Meat”, Dana Goodyear, The New Yorker

“Jeremiah Tower’s Invincible Armor of Pleasure”, John Birdsall, Eater

“The Leftovers: Paula Deen and the Martyrdom Industrial Complex”, Taffy Brodesser-Akner, Matter

Visual Storytelling

“Food52’s Guide to Thanksgiving” Ryan Hamilton, Michael Hoffman, Timothy McSweeney, Ryan Merrill, and James Ransom, Food52

“Le Kale Project”, Caitlin Riley, Dark Rye

“Make”, Gillian Duffy, New York

Wine, Spirits, and Other Beverages

“In New Orleans, Terrific Cocktails Never Went out of Fashion”, M. Carrie Allan, The Washington Post

“Into the Vines”, Gabrielle Hamilton, AFAR

“OMFG it’s the PSL!”, Allecia Vermillion, Seattle Met

Craig Claiborne Distinguished Restaurant Review Award

“Abe Fisher,” “Mole Poblano,” “Volvér Lays It on Thick”, Craig LaBan, The Philadelphia Inquirer

“Artisanal-Everything Roberta’s Defies the Stereotypes” “Once an Icon, Per Se is Showing its Age,” “Six Reasons Why Cosme is One of NYC’s Most Relevant New Restaurants”, Ryan Sutton, Eater

“Bollywood Theater’s Spicy Sequel in Southeast,” ”Charting the Rise of Portland’s Hottest UnRestaurants,” “How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Måurice”, Karen Brooks, Portland Monthly

MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award

“Fixed Menu”, Kevin Pang, Lucky Peach

“Life in Chains: Finding Home at Taco Bell”, John DeVore, Eater

“That Fish Cray”, Adam Gollner, Lucky Peach

Established in 1990, the James Beard Awards recognize culinary professionals for excellence and achievement in their fields and further the Foundation’s mission to celebrate, nurture, and honor America’s diverse culinary heritage through programs that educate and inspire. Each award category has an individual committee made up of industry professionals who volunteer their time to oversee the policies, procedures, and selection of judges for their respective Awards program. All JBF Award winners receive a certificate and a medallion engraved with the James Beard Foundation Awards insignia. There are no cash prizes.

The 2015 James Beard Foundation Awards are presented by Lexus; in association with HMSHost, the Illinois Office of Tourism and Mariano’s; and the following partners: Premier Sponsors: All-Clad Metalcrafters, American Airlines, BACARDÍ® GRAN RESERVA, Lenox Tableware and Gifts, True Refrigeration®; Supporting Sponsors: Acqua Panna® Natural Spring Water, Brand USA, Breville, Fine European Wines from Bulgaria, Goose Island Beer Company, Lavazza, S.Pellegrino® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water, Skuna Bay Salmon, Valrhona; Gala Reception Sponsors: Braveheart Black Angus Beef from PERFORMANCE Foodservice, Celebrity Cruises®, Ecolab, Groupon, Tanqueray No. TEN®, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts; with additional support from: Chefwear, VerTerra Dinnerware, and Wisconsin Cheese. The James Beard Foundation also gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the Chicago Department of Aviation, Choose Chicago and the Illinois Restaurant Association.

Founded in 1986, the James Beard Foundation celebrates, nurtures, and honors America’s diverse culinary heritage through programs that educate and inspire. A cookbook author and teacher with an encyclopedic knowledge about food, James Beard, who died in 1985, was a champion of American cuisine. He helped educate and mentor generations of professional chefs and food enthusiasts, instilling in them the value of wholesome, healthful, and delicious food. Today JBF continues in the same spirit by administering a number of diverse programs that include educational initiatives, food industry awards, scholarships for culinary students, publications, chef advocacy training, and thought-leader convening. The Foundation also maintains the historic James Beard House in New York City’s Greenwich Village as a “performance space” for visiting chefs. In September of 2012, JBF launched the Diplomatic Culinary Partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Protocol and helped create the American Chef Corps as a way to champion American chefs abroad, promote American food products, and foster an interest in American culinary culture and history through international programs and initiatives. One such project is the next world’s fair, Expo Milano 2015, for which the James Beard Foundation is co-leading the effort for the State Department to design and produce the USA Pavilion, a global gathering of 147 countries addressing the challenges of how we will feed ourselves in the future. The pavilion, whose theme will be “American Food 2.0: United to Feed the Planet,” will showcase America’s contributions to global food security and gastronomy. For more information, please visit jamesbeard.org. Find insights on food at the James Beard Foundation’s blog Delights & Prejudices.

When The Whitney Museum of American Art‘s new Renzo Piano-designed home on Gansevoort Street (99 Gansevoort Street, New York, NY 10014 (212) 570-3600) opens its doors on May 1, 2015, the inaugural installation will be the largest display to date of the Whitney’s permanent collection. The inaugural exhibition, America is Hard to See, presents a distinctly Whitney narrative drawn entirely from the Museum’s unparalleled permanent collection of 20th- and 21st-century American art. This ambitious display will offer new perspectives on art in the United States since 1900, following the Whitney’s in-depth analysis of its collection of more than 20,000 works, an initiative that has been underway since 2012. The opening presentation will fill over 60,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor exhibition space, utilizing all galleries in the building, and it will celebrate the Whitney’s extraordinary new home and the richness of American art. The sweep of the collection is echoed in the building’s magnificent multiple perspectives: the new Whitney looks south toward the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, east into the city, and west across the Hudson toward the expanse of the country.

The Whitney Museum of American Art. View from the Hudson River, October 2014. Photograph by Tim Schenck.

Following this distinctly Whitney narrative will be an array of exhibitions devoted to the work of Archibald Motley, Frank Stella, Laura Poitras, and David Wojnarowicz, as well as a show of hundreds of works gifted to the Whitney and the Centre Pompidou in Paris by Thea Westreich Wagner and Ethan Wagner.

“The Whitney has been steadily building a remarkable world-class collection of American art since our founding by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney in 1930, much of which has remained largely unseen,” said Adam D. Weinberg, the Whitney’s Alice Pratt Brown Director. “This transformative moment—the opening of our beautiful new home downtown—calls for a fresh look at ourselves and is the perfect occasion for us to celebrate our collection, the essence of who we are.”

Led by Donna De Salvo, Chief Curator and Deputy Director for Programs, a team of Whitney curators, including Carter Foster, Dana Miller, and Scott Rothkopf, has conducted an unprecedented study of the collection in consultation and debate with other members of the curatorial department as well as artists, curators, and scholars from a variety of fields. Throughout this process, the team has rediscovered forgotten works and figures that will be shown alongside the Museum’s iconic treasures in order to provide a challenging and revealing take on more than a century of art in the United States. This narrative will be propelled by a dynamic sense of invention and even conflict, as artists struggled to work within and against established conventions and often directly engaged their political and social contexts. Works of art across all mediums will be displayed together, acknowledging the important ways in which modern and contemporary artists have engaged various modes of production and broken the boundaries among them.

Miss De Salvo noted, “The new building is a game changer for the Whitney and, we hope, New York’s cultural landscape. Our program—a mix of exhibitions, screenings, performances, and permanent collection presentations—will demonstrate that while the Whitney remains committed to embracing the art of the present, it can now do so against the backdrop of over a hundred years of history. Our aim is to present history and artistic production as an open, rather than closed chapter.”

On the occasion of the opening of the new building, the Museum will publish an expanded handbook of the collection, its first since 2002, featuring 350 artists. A companion volume will explore the Whitney’s core philosophy through essays discussing the Museum’s history and the ongoing reinvention of its display strategies and changing definitions of American art in a global context. Following is a list of selected exhibitions that will be presented during the Museum’s first year downtown.

ARCHIBALD MOTLEY: JAZZ AGE MODERNIST
OCT 2, 2015–JAN 17, 2016

Archibald Motley (1891—1981) was one of the most important figures associated with the Harlem Renaissance and is best known as both a master colorist and a radical interpreter of urban culture. Archibald Motley: Jazz Age Modernist is the first full-scale survey of his paintings in two decades. The exhibition will offer an unprecedented opportunity to carefully examine Motley’s dynamic depictions of modern life in his home town, Chicago, as well as in Jazz Age Paris and Mexico. Specifically, it will highlight his unique use of both expressionism and social realism and will resituate this underexposed artist within a broader, art historical context. The exhibition will be presented in the sky-lit eighth floor galleries of the new Whitney during its inaugural year.

Archibald Motley: Jazz Age Modernist is organized by the Nasher Museum at Duke University and curated by Professor Richard J. Powell. The installation at the Whitney Museum will be overseen by Carter E. Foster, Steven and Ann Ames Curator of Drawing.

FRANK STELLA  – OCT 30, 2015–FEB 7, 2016

Frank Stella, Gran Cairo, 1962. Synthetic polymer on canvas, 85 1/2 × 85 1/2 in. (217.2 × 217.2 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase with funds from the Friends of the Whitney Museum of American Art 63.34. © 2010 Frank Stella / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

The Museum will present a career retrospective of Frank Stella (b. 1936), one of the most important living American artists. This survey will be the most comprehensive presentation of Stella’s career to date, showcasing his prolific output from the mid-1950s to the present through approximately 120 works, including paintings, reliefs, maquettes, sculptures, and drawings. Co-organized by the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and the Whitney, this exhibition will feature Stella’s best-known works alongside rarely seen examples drawn from collections around the world. Accompanied by a scholarly publication, the exhibition will fill the Whitney’s entire fifth floor, an 18,000-square-foot gallery that is the Museum’s largest space for temporary exhibitions.

This exhibition is curated by Michael Auping, Chief Curator, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, with the involvement of Adam D. Weinberg, Alice Pratt Brown Director, Whitney Museum of American Art.

THE WESTREICH/WAGNER COLLECTION
NOV 20, 2015–MAR 6, 2016

Christopher Wool, Untitled, 1990-91, Enamel on aluminum, 108 × 72 in. Promised Gift of Thea Westreich Wagner and Ethan Wagner. © Christopher Wool

Co-organized by the Whitney and the Centre Pompidou and composed of selections from the noted collection of Thea Westreich Wagner and Ethan Wagner, this exhibition celebrates American and international work from the 1960s to the present day. Featuring renowned pieces by, among many others, Diane Arbus, Robert Gober, Jeff Koons, Sherrie Levine, Richard Prince, and Christopher Wool, the exhibition will also include recent work by artists such as Liz Deschenes, Sam Lewitt, Laura Owens, and Frances Stark. Of the 800 works included in the gift from Thea Westreich Wagner and Ethan Wagner, 500 will enter the Whitney’s permanent collection, and approximately 300 will become part of the collection of the Centre Pompidou.

This exhibition is curated by Elisabeth Sussman, Sondra Gilman Curator of Photography, Whitney Museum of American Art, and Christine Macel, Chief Curator, Centre Pompidou, Musée national d’art moderne, Paris. The exhibition travels to the Centre Pompidou after debuting at the Whitney during the inaugural year in its new building.

LAURA POITRAS – FEB 5–MAY 15, 2016

Laura Poitras (b. 1964), Laura Poitras filming the NSA Utah Data Repository construction in 2011. Photograph by Conor Provenzano

Artist, filmmaker, and journalist Laura Poitras will create an installation of immersive environments using materials, footage, and information that build on themes she has been exploring in her filmmaking, including NSA surveillance and post-9/11 America. This exhibition continues the Museum’s involvement with Poitras, whose work was included in the 2012 Whitney Biennial. It will extend beyond the discrete gallery space through extensive programming that will occur concurrently at the Whitney and in close collaboration with the artist. Poitras’s reporting on NSA surveillance was recently awarded a Pulitzer Prize. This exhibition is organized by Jay Sanders, Curator and Curator of Performance.

DAVID WOJNAROWICZ – FALL 2016/WINTER 2017

David Wojnarowicz, Untitled (One day this kid . . .), 1990. Photostat, 30 × 40 1/8 in. (76.2 × 101.9 cm). Edition of 10. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase with funds from the Print Committee 2002.183. Courtesy of The Estate of David Wojnarowicz and P.P.O.W Gallery, New York, NY

This exhibition, a must see event, presented during the new Whitney’s inaugural year, will be the first major, monographic presentation of the work of David Wojnarowicz (1954–1992) in over a decade. Wojnarowicz came to prominence in the East Village art world of the 1980s, actively embracing all media and forging an expansive range of work both fiercely political and highly personal. Although largely self-taught, he worked as an artist and writer to meld a sophisticated combination of found and discarded materials with an uncanny understanding of literary influences. First displayed in raw storefront galleries, his work achieved national prominence at the same moment that the AIDS epidemic was cutting down a generation of artists, himself included. This presentation will draw upon recently-available scholarly resources and the Whitney’s extensive holdings of Wojnarowicz’s work. This exhibition is co-curated by David Kiehl, Nancy and Fred Poses Curator, and art historian David Breslin.

The Whitney Museum of American Art is the world’s leading museum of twentieth-century and contemporary art of the United States. Focusing particularly on works by living artists, the Whitney is celebrated for presenting important exhibitions and for its renowned collection, which comprises over 20,000 works by more than 3,000 artists. With a history of exhibiting the most promising and influential artists and provoking intense debate, the Whitney Biennial, the Museum’s signature exhibition, has become the most important survey of the state of contemporary art in the United States. In addition to its landmark exhibitions, the Museum is known internationally for events and educational programs of exceptional significance and as a center for research, scholarship, and conservation.

Founded by sculptor and arts patron Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney in 1930, the Whitney was first housed on West 8th Street in Greenwich Village. The Museum relocated in 1954 to West 54th Street and, in 1966, inaugurated its present home, designed by Marcel Breuer, at 945 Madison Avenue on the Upper East Side. While its vibrant program of exhibitions and events continues uptown, the Whitney is constructing a new building, designed by Renzo Piano, in downtown Manhattan. Located at the corner of Gansevoort and Washington Streets in the Meatpacking District, at the southern entrance to the High Line, the new building, which has generated immense momentum and support, will enable the Whitney to vastly increase the size and scope of its exhibition and programming space. Ground was broken on the new building in May 2011, and it is projected to open to the public in spring 2015.

Renzo Piano’s design takes a strong and strikingly asymmetrical form—one that responds to the industrial character of the neighboring loft buildings and overhead railway while asserting a contemporary, sculptural presence. The dramatically cantilevered entrance to the Museum along Gansevoort Street shelters an outdoor plaza or “largo,” a public gathering space steps away from the southern entrance to the High Line. The upper stories of the building stretch toward the Hudson River on the west side and step back gracefully from the elevated park of the High Line on the east side. Renzo Piano Building Workshop is designing the building in collaboration with New York-based architects Cooper, Robertson & Partners.

The 220,000 square-foot building, comprised of glass, steel, and concrete, includes approximately 50,000 square feet of indoor gallery space and 13,000 square feet of outdoor galleries and terraces; an Education Center offering dedicated space for state-of-the-art classrooms; a multi-use black box gallery for film, video, and performance with an adjacent outdoor gallery; a 170-seat theater with double-height views of the Hudson River; and a Works on Paper Study Center, large art Conservation Lab, and Library Reading Room. The classrooms, theater, and study center are all firsts for the Whitney

A highlight of Philadelphia’s multiday Fourth of July celebration, the fireworks over the Philadelphia Museum of Art wow onlookers along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and all over the city. In Fairmount Park, Lemon Hill is perfectly perched for optimal viewing, and those in the know head to the lesser-known spot to watch the dazzling show. Credit: Photo by J. Fusco for VISIT PHILADELPHIA™

When Fourth of July rolls around, Philadelphia—America’s birthplace—paints the town red, white and blue thanks to eight days of music, exhibitions, Colonial characters and re-enactments, patriotic ceremonies and fireworks. This year, the city (through the efforts of VISIT PHILADELPHIA^®) amps up the revelry surrounding the annual Wawa Welcome America! festivities with Tall Ships Philadelphia Camden, the largest sailing event in North America; and a citywide celebration of the 50^th Anniversary of the Gay Rights Movement.

On VISIT PHILADELPHIA^®’s official visitor website and blog, visitphilly.com and uwishunu.com, visitors can explore things to do, upcoming events, themed itineraries and hotel packages. Compelling photography and videos, interactive maps and detailed visitor information make the sites effective trip-planning tools. Along with Visit Philly social media channels, the online platforms communicate directly with consumers. Travelers can also call and stop into the Independence Visitor Center for additional information and tickets.

Here are a few highlights of Philadelphia’s patriotic party:

When the Tall Ships Philadelphia Camden pulls into port from June 24-28, 2015, visitors can watch the colorful parade of sail that includes the Gazela (pictured here) and L’Hermione, a replica of the ship that brought General Lafayette to the aid of the fledgling United States during the Revolutionary War, along with many other vessels from around the world. Ships will be docked on both sides of the river at Penn’s Landing and along the Camden Waterfront. Also on tap: live entertainment, hands-on activities and a dazzling fireworks display. Credit: Photo courtesy of Draw Events

• The billowing sails of more than a dozen majestic vessels mark the arrival of the Tall Ships Philadelphia Camden festival. Docked along both sides of the Delaware River waterfront will be elegant tall ships from France, Brazil, Canada and all around the globe. Visitors can tour the ships, including the L’Hermione, a replica of the French naval ship that brought General Lafayette to America to help fight the British. Also on tap: live entertainment, hands-on activities, games and a spectacular fireworks display to close out the largest sailing event in the United States in 2015. June 25-28. Penn’s Landing, Columbus Boulevard at Walnut Street; Camden Waterfront, tallshipsphiladelphia.com

Hundreds of aspiring salsa dancers dance the day away on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway for the Party on the Parkway, one of many events taking place during Wawa Welcome America!, Philadelphia’s multi-day celebration of the country’s birthday. Credit: Photo by R. Kennedy for Visit Philadelphia™

• Wawa Welcome America! kicks off with a lively block party and wraps up with the nation’s largest free Fourth of July concert and a fireworks grand finale. In between are movies, a concert by the Philly Pops in front of Independence Hall, patriotic ceremonies, Wawa Hoagie Day and more free, family-friendly fun. Various locations. June 27-July 4. (215) 683-2202, welcomeamerica.com

Some of the top names in music have performed at the annual Fourth of July concert at Penn’s Landing. The event, which draws huge crowds every year, is a favorite during Wawa Welcome America!, Philadelphia’s multi-day Independence Day celebration. Credit: Photo by J. Smith for Visit Philadelphia™

• Signature events marking the 50^th Anniversary of the Gay Rights Movement take place over Fourth of July weekend, with a reenactment of the Reminder Day demonstrations in front of Independence Hall, a wreath-laying ceremony at the historic marker that acknowledges the site of the demonstrations, panel discussions, a festival, concerts and more. July 2-5. Also on view throughout the weekend and beyond: Speaking Out for Equality: The Constitution, Gay Rights, and the Supreme Court, an exhibition at the National Constitution Center that tells the story of the gay civil rights movement through artifacts, photographs and legal precedents. June 5-September 7. During the weekend, visitors can delve into other aspects of LGBTQ history at exhibitions at the Free Library of Philadelphia, Taller Puertorriqueño, the National Museum of American Jewish History and The African American Museum in Philadelphia. Constitution Center, 525 Arch Street, (215) 409-6700, constitutioncenter.org; various locations for other happenings, reminder2015.org, lgbt50.org

Philadelphia’s rainbow colors shine brighter than ever during PrideDay in June, International Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. A fun, colorful and prideful parade winds through the Gayborhood, Historic Philadelphia and Penn’s Landing, where food, drinks, performances and more celebrating await. Credit: Photo by R. Kennedy for Visit Philadelphia™

The month of July also includes the following events:

Through July 2015
FRAMING FRAKTUR: A CONTEMPORARY RESPONSE. The Free Library of Philadelphia collaborates with contemporary visual artists to reinterpret and reframe the Fraktur collection through a contemporary lens. The exhibition features a group of artists with thematic ties to Fraktur. (215) 567-7710, freelibrary.org

July 1-October 31, 2015
NIGHTSCAPE: A LIGHT AND SOUND EXPERIENCE. This innovative display at Longwood Gardens takes guests on a colorful journey throughout the grounds as they experience moving imagery and lights timed to music. (610) 388-1000, longwoodgardens.org

July 7-12, 2015
QFLIX PHILADELPHIA. This annual festival celebrates all genres of film that pertain to or were created by members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities. This year’s venues are clustered along and near the Avenue of the Arts: Kimmel Center, Prince Music Theater and The University of the Arts. qflixphilly.com

July 10-12, 2015
BLOBFEST. This three-day extravaganza in Phoenixville is centered around the horror/sci-fi flick The Blob and includes screenings, themed competitions, a street fair and the recreation of the pivotal scene where hundreds of scared townspeople flee the Colonial Theatre. (610) 917-1228, thecolonialtheatre.com

July 11, 2015
BASTILLE DAY. The masses storm the castle on Eastern State Penitentiary as re-enactors and audience members playfully recreate the storming of the Bastille at the nation’s first “modern” prison. Emceed by “Edith Piaf,” Philly’s version of this historic event includes performances by experimental cabaret troupes, dancing baguettes, Napoleon, Joan of Arc and Marie Antoinette throwing more than 3,000 Tastykakes out to the assembled crowd. (215) 236-3300, easternstate.org

July 24-26, 2015
XPONENTIAL MUSIC FESTIVAL. WXPN, the public radio station of the University of Pennsylvania, brings together musical legends and new performers at Wiggins Park and the Susquehanna Bank Center on the Camden waterfront. xpn.org

July 30-August 2, 2015
BLACK STAR FILM FESTIVAL. Hailed by Ebony magazine as “the black Sundance,” this festival screens dozens of films about the global black experience and films by people of African descent. (267) 603-2755, blackstarfest.org

VISIT PHILADELPHIA^®, formerly known as Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, makes Philadelphia and The Countryside^® a premier destination through marketing and image building that increases the number of visitors, the number of nights they stay and the number of things they do in the five-county area.

What are some other words for summer fun? Tall Ships. Fireworks. Festivals. Beer gardens. Pop-up parks. Philadelphia. This summer will go down as a season of non-stop, pull-out-all-the-stops fun in the city that scored a #3 placement on The New York Times’ influential “52 Places to Go in 2015” list.

As the birthplace of America, Philadelphia knows how to shine. Fireworks blazing over the Philadelphia Museum of Art are a Fourth of July tradition during Philadelphia’s multi-day Wawa Welcome America! bash. Timed perfectly with exhilarating live music, the fireworks paint the skies over the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
Credit: Photo by G. Widman for Visit Philadelphia™

Some of the summer highlights include the Tall Ships Philadelphia Camden Festival; the launch of Indego, Philadelphia’s bike-sharing program; the eagerly awaited return of the acclaimed Spruce Street Harbor Park; and the season-long showing of Discovering the Impressionists: Paul Durand-Ruel and the New Painting at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Add in plenty of pop-up beer gardens and public art displays for an unforgettable Philly summer.

Here’s a look at what’s happening:

New Amenity: Bike Share:

West Philadelphia is one of the most easily traveled areas of the city. People can easily access the neighborhood from Center City via cabs, the Market-Frankford Line (also called “the el” for its elevated section) and one of the nation’s few remaining streetcar networks. The trolleys run from City Hall down Market Street and through University City, with lines servicing the neighborhood’s three main corridors of Lancaster, Baltimore and Woodland Avenues. West Philly also boasts some of the most bicycle-friendly streets in the city, with a network of roughly 25 miles of bike lanes. Credit: Photo by J. Fusco for Visit Philadelphia™

• What has 1,200 wheels and runs on pedal power? Indego, Philadelphia’s bike-share program set to launch this spring. The long-awaited human-powered public transportation system launches with 600 bikes available at 60 kiosks in Center City and parts of North, South and West Philadelphia. The easy-to-use system allows riders to rent a bike at one location and drop it off at another. May. Various locations. rideindego.com

Special Events:

• 2015 marks 100 years for the S. 9^th Street Italian Market Charter, but the monthly celebratory events prove that the market itself still boasts a youthful energy. Food is always at the forefront of events here, and hungry visitors can chow down at the annual S. 9^th Street Italian Market Festival (May 16-17) and the Vendy Foods Awards Winners Circle Food Truck Event (June 19). Also on the docket are Multicultural Music Month activities (July) and the bocce and scopa tournaments (August). 9^th Street between Wharton & Fitzwater Streets, (215) 278-2903, italianmarketphilly.org

Always a bustling neighborhood, the Italian Market turns it up a notch during the 9th Street Italian Market Festival in May. Live entertainment and games accompany the mouthwatering cannolis, homemade sausages, imported meats and cheeses, luscious cappuccino, specialty cookware and fresh pastas that have made the market a favorite for visitors and residents alike. Credit: Photo by R. Kennedy for Visit Philadelphia™

Standing directly across the street from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell Center at 6th and Chestnut Streets, this historic marker was erected to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the first Annual Reminder, a demonstration led by gay activists on July 4 from 1965 to 1969. Credit: Photo by K. Ciappa for Visit Philadelphia™

• The 50^th Anniversary of the Gay Rights Movement kicks off in June with three exhibitions, including the opening of Speaking Out for Equality: The Constitution, Gay Rights, and the Supreme Court at the National Constitution Center. Other exhibitions and activities celebrating LGBT culture and heritage are planned for the William Way LGBT Community Center, the Free Library of Philadelphia, The African American Museum in Philadelphia, the Opera Company of Philadelphia and Taller Puertorriqueño, among others. The celebration’s signature events take place over Fourth of July weekend, with a reenactment of the Reminder Day demonstrations in front of Independence Hall, a wreath-laying ceremony at the historic marker that acknowledges the site of the demonstrations, panel discussions, a festival, concerts and more. June-December. Constitution Center, 525 Arch Street, (215) 409-6700,constitutioncenter.org; various locations for other happenings, reminder2015.org, lgbt50.org

When the Tall Ships Philadelphia Camden pulls into port from June 24-28, 2015, visitors can watch the colorful parade of sail that includes the Gazela (pictured here) and L’Hermione, a replica of the ship that brought General Lafayette to the aid of the fledgling United States during the Revolutionary War, along with many other vessels from around the world. Ships will be docked on both sides of the river at Penn’s Landing and along the Camden Waterfront. Also on tap: live entertainment, hands-on activities and a dazzling fireworks display. Credit: Photo courtesy of Draw Events

• The billowing sails of 15 majestic vessels mark the arrival of the Tall Ships Philadelphia Camden festival. Docked along both sides of the Delaware River waterfront will be elegant tall ships from France, Brazil, Canada and all around the globe. Visitors can tour the ships, including the L’Hermione, a replica of the French naval ship that brought General Lafayette to America to help fight the British. Also on tap: live entertainment, hands-on activities, games and a spectacular fireworks display to close out the largest sailing event in the United States in 2015. June 25-28. Penn’s Landing, Columbus Boulevard at Walnut Street; Camden Waterfront, tallshipsphiladelphia.com

Pop-Up Parks & Gardens:

The Delaware River Waterfront Corporation’s new Spruce Street Harbor Park offers a summer getaway right in Philly. From June 27 through August 31, visitors can enjoy festivals, concerts and movies on the Great Plaza; relax in one of the giant hammocks in the Hammock Lounge; cool off under the Mist Walk; lounge under an umbrella at the Urban Beach; and indulge in their favorite summer foods and beverages at The Oasis, a series of floating barges accented with a lily pad garden and hang-out area.
Credit: Photo by M. Edlow for VISIT PHILADELPHIA™

• Following a smashingly successful first season that earned “Best Urban Beach in the World” status from The Huffington Post, Spruce Street Harbor Park returns to Penn’s Landing to brighten up the summer. The hammocks, lounge chairs, oversized games, floating beer garden and twinkling lights all return, along with some new surprises. Opens May 22. Spruce Street at Columbus Boulevard, (215) 629-3200, delawareriverwaterfront.com

Back on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway for its second summer of outdoor fun, The Oval features food, musical performances, movies, mini golf and a beer garden on Wednesday through Saturday nights through August 16. The pop-up park is sandwiched between two spectacular views: the Center City skyline and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Credit: Photo by M. Fischetti for VISIT PHILADELPHIA™

• Philadelphia is one of four cities from around the world and the only U.S. city to host Saint-Gobain’s never-before-seen traveling exhibit Future Sensations, a high-concept, immersive experience featuring five distinct ephemeral pavilions. Science, storytelling and art highlight the innovations, wonders and advancements that have changed the face of the world over the past few centuries and show off future innovations. Founded in 1665, Saint-Gobain celebrates 350 years as a world leader in high performance materials and solutions for sustainable building with this epic traveling exhibit, making stops in China, Brazil and France. May 30-June 6. The Oval, 24^th Street & Benjamin Franklin Parkway, (215) 422-4169, theovalphl.org, futuresensations.com

Arts Inside & Out:

Internationally known for its collection of artwork by three generations of Wyeths and other Brandywine River School artists, the Brandywine River Museum exhibits American illustration, still life and landscapes depicting the rolling Chester County countryside. Visitors can also enjoy the wildflower and native plant gardens in bloom around the museum.
Credit: Photo by J. Smith for Visit Philadelphia™

• Horace Pippin: The Way I See It is the nation’s first major exhibition of the artist’s works in more than two decades. The show at the Brandywine River Museum of Art features more than 60 works that capture Pippin’s bold, colorful and candid paintings reflecting life in the African-American community and commenting on race, religion, war and history. April 25-July 19. U.S. Route 1 by Creek Road, (610) 388-2700, brandywine.org

Barnes Foundation architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsiem designed a “gallery within a garden and a garden within a gallery,” a concept that honors the work of both Dr. Albert Barnes and his wife Laura. Blending art, nature, education and aesthetics, the 4.5-acre Barnes campus is a fitting addition to the culturally rich Parkway. Philadelphia’s tallest building, the Comcast Center, stretches 975 feet high in the distance.
Credit: Photo by B. Krist for Visit Philadelphia™

• Mark Dion, Judy Pfaff, Fred Wilson: The Order of Things features three new large-scale installations by these internationally renowned artists. Commissioned for the show, each work is a response to the unconventional way that Dr. Albert C. Barnes chose to display his collection. The exhibition also features an installation designed by Barnes—a small room in the Merion gallery building that was replaced by an elevator shaft in the 1990s. May 16-August 3. The Barnes Foundation, 2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, (215) 278-7000, barnesfoundation.org

Meg Saligman’s “Philadelphia Muses” at 13th and Locust Streets is one of 3,000 works commissioned by the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, which began in 1984 as a component of the city’s Anti-Graffiti Network.
Credit: Photo by K. Ciappa for Visit Philadelphia™

• There’s big, bigger and then there’s Mural Arts’ new project: Open Source: Engaging Audiences in Public Space, the city’s biggest site-specific public art project to date. Fourteen artists from around the world work in various communities around the city to create a major piece of public art resulting from their interactions. Among the artists, whose works range from sculpture to murals to street art, are JR, Shepard Fairey, Sam Durant, Odili Donald Odita, Sterling Ruby, SWOON and Michelle Angela Ortiz. June launch, with most events taking place in October. Various locations. (215) 685-0750,opensource.muralarts.org
• Opera Philadelphia, will celebrate its 40^th anniversary with a season of premieres and casts that possess an unprecedented roster of operatic firepower. The acclaimed Lawrence Brownlee will star in the world premiere of Charlie Parker’s YARDBIRD, a dramatic imagining of the tortured jazz soloist’s personal purgatory, revisiting the inspirations, demons and women who fueled his creative genius. June 5-14. Kimmel Center, Broad & Spruce Streets, (215) 893-1018, operaphila.org

The area’s largest outdoor juried arts and crafts festival takes place every June along energetic Main Street in Manayunk. Each year, the Manayunk Arts Festival presents an eclectic variety of fine arts and crafts from about 300 artists from across the country.
Credit: Photo by J. Fusco for VISIT PHILADELPHIA™

• Main Street transforms into a giant outdoor art gallery for the Manayunk Arts Festival. The juried show represents works by more than 300 artisans from around the country. June 20-21. Main Street, (215) 482-9565, manayunk.com

The Philadelphia Museum of Art was forever immortalized in the classic Rocky film franchise. While the “Rocky Steps” draw a slew of visitors who want to reenact Stallone’s on-screen training regimen, the museum is even more impressive inside. The astounding art collection here comprises more than 200 galleries housing more than 227,000 works in media, including photography, sculpture, paintings, textiles and more.
Credit: Photo by M. Fischetti for Visit Philadelphia™

• Discovering the Impressionists: Paul Durand-Ruel and the New Painting celebrates the ambitious and visionary Parisian art dealer who supported and helped elevate a new style of painting. On view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, its only U.S. stop, the exhibition showcases approximately 95 impressionist works, making it bigger and more comprehensive than its showings at the Musée du Luxembourg in Paris and the National Gallery in London. Art lovers enjoy works by Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, Sisley, Degas, Manet and others. June 24-September 13. 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, (215) 763-8100, philamuseum.org

The region’s premier horticultural wonderland, Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Chester County rambles over 1,050 acres of gardens, woodlands and meadows. The illuminated fountain shows brighten the vast gardens at night during the summer and holiday seasons.
Credit: Photo by B. Krist for Visit Philadelphia™

• Come for the flowers, stay for Nightscape: A Light & Sound Experience at Longwood Gardens. As visitors wander through the evening gardens, they encounter moving images that originated in the studios of the Klip Collective, but use the plants, trees and landscape as the canvas. Enhancing the visual images are choreographed lights, specially commissioned soundscapes and scores by John Barthmus, Julian Grefe and Justin Geller. July 1-October 31. 1001 Longwood Road, Kennett Square, (610) 388-1000, longwoodgardens.org

A Historical Perspective:

The world’s only museum dedicated to the U.S. Constitution, the National Constitution Center puts into historical context the most famous four pages ever written through multimedia exhibitions, sculpture, film, artifacts and interactive displays. In Signers’ Hall, visitors walk among the life-sized statues of the 39 signers of the Constitution—and they can choose to sign their own John Hancock or to dissent. Credit: Photo by J. Smith for Visit Philadelphia™

• Creating Camelot: The Kennedy Photography Of Jacques Lowe offers a peek into the private and public lives of President Kennedy and his family in the years leading up to his election. The 70 photographs in the exhibition at the National Constitution Center, many of which have never been seen before, were among the few that could be restored after more than 40,000 of Lowe’s original negatives, which had been stored in a vault in the World Trade Center, were destroyed. Through September 7.525 Arch Street, (215) 409-6700, constitutioncenter.org

Visitors to Historic Philadelphia can’t help but notice the striking National Museum of American Jewish History, located right on Independence Mall just steps from the Liberty Bell. The glass façade reflects the open nature of America and the perennial fragility of democracy, and the Religious Freedom statue welcomes all who enter.
Credit: Photo by M. Kennedy for Visit Philadelphia™

• The National Museum of American Jewish History is the exclusive U.S. venue for Richard Avedon: Family Affairs, featuring striking photographs that helped define America’s perceptions of beauty, politics and power. The exhibit showcases more than 70 works by the renowned photographer, including a massive mural of beat poet Allen Ginsberg and his family, a group portrait of Andy Warhol and the Factory and a series of portraits published by Rolling Stone on the eve of the 1976 presidential election. April 1-August 2. 5^th & Market Streets, (215) 923-3811, nmajh.org
• From an illiterate, unsophisticated warrior to a world conqueror, Genghis Khan evolved into one of the most powerful leaders in history. In The Franklin Institute’s blockbuster interactive exhibition Genghis Khan: Bring the Legend to Life, visitors can time travel to 13^th-century Mongolia. Vibrant marketplaces and battlegrounds, hundreds of weapons, jewels, saddles and armor recreate a vanished world. They can even launch catapults and fire arrows and play a general, princess or spy. May 9-January 3. 222 N. 20^th Street, (215) 448-1200, fi.edu

A Family Affair:

• It took a staggering one million-plus LEGO bricks to create The Art of the Brick, on view at The Franklin Institute and comprised of more than 100 works of art made using the popular toy. All ages will appreciate the LEGO recreations of acclaimed artworks such as van Gogh’s Starry Night and Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, a 20-foot-long T. rex, a Liberty Bell created especially for the Philadelphia iteration of this exhibit and much more. Through September 6. 222 N. 20^th Street, (215) 448-1200, fi.edu

The Philadelphia Zoo, the nation’s first and one of the most animal-packed zoos in the country, sits among a charming 42-acre Victorian garden. With tree-lined walks, ornate iron cages, animal sculptures, and wide-open exhibits, visitors can connect with hundreds of animals in a naturalistic setting.
Credit: Photo by J. Fusco for VISIT PHILADELPHIA ™

• Recycling is second nature at the Philadelphia Zoo, so, of course, their new art installation Second Nature is fashioned from recycled materials. A dozen artists have reused and repurposed unexpected materials to draw attention to the plight of endangered animals. The exhibit includes a 13-foot-tall blue gorilla sculpted entirely of recycled car parts, two giant nine-foot-tall pink rabbits fashioned from recycled plastic and a menacing five-foot-long alligator molded from chewing gum. April 11-October 31. One month later on May 16, the zoo opens its Gorilla Treeway, the newest addition to its first-in-the-world animal travel and exploration trail system called Zoo360. The treeway gives the zoo’s Western lowland gorillas the ability to enjoy long-distance travel in a mesh passageway positioned overhead. 3400 W. Girard Avenue, (215) 243-1100, philadelphiazoo.org

Kids go wild over the Rock Around the Block Parade at Sesame Place, the only theme park in the nation featuring the popular TV show’s most lovable characters, including Zoe and Big Bird. A water park, rides, interactive activities, fireworks and the brand new Sunny Day Carousel add to the fun.
Credit: Photo by R. Kennedy for Visit Philadelphia™

• Sesame Place turns the big 3-5 this year and celebrates with a birthday-themed parade, birthday décor throughout the park and three new seasonal rides. Even Elmo’s Eatery gets a makeover for the occasion. As always, everyone’s favorite, furry monsters pop up to greet their adoring fans. May 2-December 31. 100 Sesame Road, Langhorne, (866) GO-4-ELMO (464-3566), sesameplace.com

At more than 200 years old, The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University is America’s oldest natural history museum. Visitors of all ages can wander through a tropical garden filled with live butterflies, meet live animals, see three continents of wildlife in their natural habitats and get face to face with towering dinosaurs.
Credit: Photo by J. Fusco for VISIT PHILADELPHIA™

• It’s slimy, stinky and downright yucky, which means kids will love Animal Grossology, an exhibition about the ickiest creatures on earth. Based on the best-selling children’s book series Grossology, the interactive exhibit at The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University oozes with disgusting science and entertaining learning games that explain why the dung beetle is called nature’s pooper scooper, why cows chew cud and how snail and slug slime could potentially become medical treatments. May 16-August 30. 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, (215) 299-1000, ansp.org
• Fans of Lyle, the city-dwelling crocodile that lives in a Victorian brownstone with the Primm family, will be delighted with the exhibition Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile And Friends: The Art Of Bernard Waber at the National Museum of American Jewish History. Original illustrations and writings reveal how Waber created the lovable hero of the classic children’s picture books and also highlight his work as a designer. Special activities and programs are also in the works. August 27-November 1. 101 S. Independence Mall West, (215) 923-3811, nmajh.org

Annual Favorites:

Back on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway for its second summer of outdoor fun, The Oval features food, musical performances, movies, mini golf and a beer garden on Wednesday through Saturday nights through August 16. The pop-up park is sandwiched between two spectacular views: the Center City skyline and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Credit: Photo by M. Fischetti for VISIT PHILADELPHIA™

Beer lovers sample the suds during Philly Beer Week’s Opening Tap kickoff night. Brewers and ale aficionados come from all over the U.S. and beyond for the 10-day festival, overflowing with dinners, tastings, tours, workshops, meet-and-greets and more that highlight Philly’s brewing culture.
Credit: Photo by G. Widman for Visit Philadelphia™

• It’s the largest beer celebration in the United States. Lasting 10 days and nights, Philly Beer Week attracts people from all over who come together for beer-pairing dinners, beer gardens, spirited homebrew competitions, citywide pub crawls and meet-and-greets. New this year: a one-day stop in Philly for Street Pub, the world’s biggest transportable bar; special activities for Yards Brewing Company’s 20^th anniversary; and Beer Oyster Cult, a special night of oyster and beer pairings at various bars and restaurants. May 29-June 7. Various locations, phillybeerweek.org

Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson of the pioneering hip-hop group The Roots adjusts his signature hair pick during the second annual Roots Picnic at Penn’s Landing on June 6, 2009. The Roots are Philadelphia’s honorary creative ambassadors for 2009, part of the new Philly 360º initiative that highlights the city’s creative scene. The day-long concert also featured Philly’s own Santigold, Writtenhouse, Back to Basics, TV on the Radio, The Black Keys, Public Enemy and others.
Credit: Photo by M. Kennedy for Visit Philadelphia™

• For music lovers, the unofficial start of summer begins with the Roots Picnic, a daylong festival featuring Philly’s hometown heroes and house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Once again, the guys have locked down some of the hottest names in the music business, including The Weeknd, Erykah Badu, A$AP Rocky, Phantogram, DJ Mustard and Rae Sremmurd. May 30. Festival Pier, Columbus Boulevard & Spring Garden Street, rootspicnic.com

Before crossing the finish line on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the international field of pro cyclists must complete the grueling 156-mile course, which includes 10 laps up the infamous 17% grade Manayunk Wall. This event is commonly called the “Bike Race.”
Credit: Photo by R. Kennedy for Visit Philadelphia™

• Cheering crowds pack the streets for the giant neighborhood party that accompanies the annual Philadelphia International Cycling Classic. This race brings some of the world’s best riders to take on “The Wall,” Manayunk’s steepest topographic challenge. New this year, recreational cyclists can ride the closed course before the pros. June 7. philadelphiainternationalcyclingclassic.com

The Odunde Festival, held each June on Philadelphia’s South Street, is the largest African-American street festival in the nation. The festival covers 12 city blocks and features 100 art, craft and food vendors, as well as two stages of live entertainment by African and Caribbean performers.
Credit: Photo by M. Edlow for Visit Philadelphia™

• Based on Yoruba traditions, ODUNDE, the largest African-American street festival in the country, celebrates its 40^th anniversary in 2015. The festival marks the New Year for Africans and African-Americans around the world with a procession, ceremonial offering, live entertainment and an African marketplace with crafts from more than 100 vendors stretching over 12 city blocks. June 14. (215) 732-8510, odundefestival.org

Singers, dancers, color guards and entertainers highlight Philadelphia’s Independence Day Parade, just one of the many activities that is part of the city’s Wawa Welcome America! celebration. The festivities also include several fireworks shows, family activities, patriotic ceremonies and the nation’s largest free outdoor Fourth of July concert.
Credit: Photo illustration by G. Widman for Visit Philadelphia™

• Philadelphia celebrates America’s birthday like no place else. In the week leading up to Independence Day, Wawa Welcome America! lights up the city with concerts, fireworks, historic re-enactments, Wawa Hoagie Day and other family-friendly activities. Then on July 4, the granddaddy of all concerts takes over the Benjamin Franklin Parkway with chart-topping artists hitting the stage and a grand-finale fireworks display. June 27-July 4. Various locations. welcomeamerica.com

VISIT PHILADELPHIA® makes Philadelphia and The Countryside® a premier destination through marketing and image building that increases the number of visitors, the number of nights they stay and the number of things they do in the five-county area. On VISIT PHILADELPHIA® ’s official visitor website and blog, visitphilly.com and uwishunu.com, visitors can explore things to do, upcoming events, themed itineraries and hotel packages. Compelling photography and videos, interactive maps and detailed visitor information make the sites effective trip-planning tools. Along with Visit Philly social media channels, the online platforms communicate directly with consumers. Travelers can also call and stop into the Independence Visitor Center for additional information and tickets.

August Sander, German, 1876–1964
Artists’ Carnival in Cologne, 1931 from People of the 20th Century: Festivities
The Museum of Modern Art, New York
Acquired through the generosity of the Sander family

The Museum of Modern Art announces the acquisition of a complete set of August Sander’s People of the Twentieth Century (1892–1954), the artist’s comprehensive visual examination of German society that remains among the most ambitious undertakings in the history of photography. Produced over a 60-year period, the 619 photographs are widely celebrated for embracing photography’s unique ability to capture detail, and its potential to evoke meaning through straightforward description. MoMA acquired the set through the generosity of the Sander family, and is the only museum to hold the body of work in its entirety.

August Sander, German, 1876–1964
Blind Miner and Blind Soldier, c. 1930 from People of the 20th
Century: Idiots, the Sick, the Insane and Dying
Gelatin silver print, 10 3/16 × 7 3/8″ (25.8 × 18.7 cm)
The Museum of Modern Art, New York
Acquired through the generosity of the Sander family

All 619 works were printed with extreme sensitivity from the artist’s glass plate negatives by Gerd Sander, the artist’s grandson and a leading authority on his work, and Jean-Luc Differdange between 1990 and 1999 in an edition of seven. The only public exhibition of the complete project was at the 30th São Paulo Biennial, in 2012.

August Sander, German, 1876–1964
The Painter Otto Dix and his Wife Martha, 1925-26 from People of the
20th Century: Woman and Man
Gelatin silver print, approx. 7 3/8 × 10 3/16″ (18.7 × 25.8 cm)
The Museum of Modern Art, New York
Acquired through the generosity of the Sander family

August Sander, German, 1876–1964
Farming Family, 1913-14 from People of the 20th Century: The Farmer’s Family
Gelatin silver print, approx. 7 3/8 × 10 3/16″ (18.7 × 25.8 cm)
The Museum of Modern Art, New York
Acquired through the generosity of the Sander family

Sander first exhibited a selection of 100 prints in 1927 at the Cologne Art Union. Two
years later, 60 portraits from this body of work were published in the book Antlitz der Zeit (Face
of Our Time), which marked the beginning of its international recognition.

“In the history of photography there are few works that rival August Sander’s People of the Twentieth Century in scope or influence,” said Quentin Bajac, The Joel and Anne Ehrenkranz Chief Curator of Photography at MoMA. “It is exhilarating to bring it into the collection to contextualize not only Eugéne Atget and Walker Evans, but also the Bechers, Diane Arbus, Judith Joy Ross, Rineke Dijkstra, and many others who cite his achievement as essential to the development of their own.”

August Sander, German, 1876–1964
Publisher [Kurt Neven DuMont], 1933 from People of the 20th Century:
The Businessman
Gelatin silver print, 10 3/16 × 7 3/8″ (25.8 × 18.7 cm)
The Museum of Modern Art, New York
Acquired through the generosity of the Sander family

August Sander, German, 1876–1964
Revolutionaries [Alois Lindner, Erich Mühsam, Guido Kopp], 1929 from
People of the 20th Century: Working Types–Physical and Intellectual
Gelatin silver print, 10 3/16 × 7 3/8″ (25.8 × 18.7 cm)
The Museum of Modern Art, New York
Acquired through the generosity of the Sander family

PHOTOGRAPHY BOOK OF OVER 200 LGBT STUDENT ATHLETES BY JEFF SHENG, AFTERWORD BY JASON COLLINS 

All Images courtesy of Jeff Sheng, Fearless Project

“If there is any great theme of the book, it’s that of family. And the love of one’s family to their LGBT child.” – Jeff Sheng, Writer, Sociologist, Photographer, Artist, Founder, The Fearless Project 

After 13 years of photography by American artist and photographer Jeff Sheng, a very successful Kickstarter campaign, and 3 years of writing, design and production, Fearless: Portraits of  LGBT Student Athletes will finally become a book and be released in late June 2015.  Somebody Books announces the release of FEARLESS, a photography book and personal memoir by Jeff Sheng. Recalling his experience as a closeted high school student athlete in the 1990s, Sheng uses his own story as a foundation for a wider exploration of the current LGBT rights movement.

Derek on the cover of FEARLESS: Portraits of LGBT Student Athletes, a photography book and personal memoir by American artist Jeff Sheng. Photo courtesy Jeff Sheng, Fearless Project/www.jeffsheng.com

Working this on book, says Sheng, “I have mostly learned about the power of the individual. And hard work and perseverance. I never thought that this book would come out as beautifully as it did. It hasn’t fully hit me yet – having worked on something for 13 years, to finally see it in print. I’m sure the emotion will get to me soon at some point.”

Woven throughout the 316-page book are photographic portraits of 202 lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender high school and college athletes from the United States and Canada taken by the author over a 13-year span between 2003 and 2015. The book also includes intimate writings from some of the featured athletes and concludes with an afterword essay by retired professional NBA basketball player Jason Collins, the first player in the NBA to come out as openly gay while still competing.

The titles for the images use first name, sport(s), school, and the year in which the photograph was taken. For high school athletes, the state of their high school is noted and also a varsity distinction if that was told to Sheng at the time of the shoot. Most college athletes are varsity NCAA team athletes, though a few are on club/recreation teams. This distinction is not made in the title for college athletes. In certain cases, select photo shoots were done in the year or two following the athlete’s graduation, but most were done while the athlete was still in school and competing.

Fearless is truly a revelation. In the first three chapters, Sheng talked about his childhood, his teenage years (“Growing Up Jeffrey, 1980 -1998“), early years in college (“Into A New Life, 1999-2002“) and the post-grad years of searching for a purpose (“Step Inside The Court, 2003-2005“) in an open, honest way that is quite reminiscent of an earlier autobiography, 1973’s The Best Little Boy In The World (written by Andrew Tobias as “John Reid“),  a classic account of growing up gay in America, which is also voiced in equal parts honesty and logic and humor. The same can be said of Sheng’s story Fearless. It is told not in a straight line narrative but a story that circles back, time and time again, to the ideal that one should be true to one’s self if one is to be truly happy, a sentiment we should all embrace and hold near. The early years, it should be said, informed his future and propelled him to begin, shepherded through the good (and bad) times and bring to fruition the Fearless Project.

Jeff Sheng is an American artist whose photographic work over the last decade has focused on the 21st century LGBT rights movement. Please see www.jeffsheng.com for more information about the artist. (Photo Credit: Jeff Sheng)

Chapter four (“To Change The Way People See, 2006-2008“) delved into the process of photographing the student athletes, and the way in which his interactions with them served to change him for the better. I have never been more affected by a photograph than I was as I view each image of the 202 student athletes dispersed throughout Fearless. There is indeed something very fearless about these young people. The way they look dare you to judge them (at your own peril) give me hope for the next generation of LGBTQ leaders. We are in good hands with these guys.

The last chapter (“This Is Our Collective Story, 2012-2015“) and the individual essays that followed it is, absolutely, the underlying reason to buy and read this book. These essays allowed some of the featured student athletes to tell their stories, all the better to understand and celebrate their accomplishments as students, athletes, successful human beings and budding leaders of America and the free world.

Alyssa Sialaris, a four-time all-American collegiate athlete, on the cover of FEARLESS: Portraits of LGBT Student Athletes, a photography book and personal memoir by American artist Jeff Sheng. (Photo Credit: Jeff Sheng/www.jeffsheng.com)

The emotion heart and soul of Fearless belongs to Alyssa Sialaris, a four-time all-American collegiate athlete Sheng had photographed just a few months earlier in 2013, who had suddenly and unexpectedly passed away (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-sheng/photographer-responds-to-parents-of-lgbt-athlete-who-passed-away_b_7542036.html). Her loss is deeply felt, from her photo on one of the covers to the heartfelt essay written by her close friend, Jordan Vega.

Sheng praised the young people profiled: “I don’t want this book to be about me. It’s about the athletes, the 202 brave young individuals who had the courage to come out while still in high school or college, something that I could never do as a student athlete.  While the book is my personal memoir, it is also a celebration of everyone’s collective accomplishments as an LGBT community, each one of us doing out part to advance our rights to just be who we are. It’s our collective memoir for the movement.”

Photo courtesy Jeff Sheng, Fearless Project

To capture the diversity of the LGBT community, the book has 8 different speciality covers, each one with a different athlete from Fearless, representing the wide spectrum of sport, experience, race/ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation/gender identity of the LGBT sports community. When stacked together, the 8 different book versions form a three-dimensional representation of the original 1978 LGBT pride flag. While each of the 8 covers is different, the inside of every Fearless book is the same.

FEARLESS: Portraits of LGBT Student Athletes (Hardcover, 8.5” x 11” vertical, 316pp, published by Somebody Books, is now available for sale ($39.50) at [fearlessbookstore.com]) and will start shipping to the public the last week of June, the timing coinciding with the 45th anniversary of the first LGBT pride marches held in New York and San Francisco in 1970. It was printed using five-color process inks, by offset lithography, and Smyth sewn in 21 signatures. The book was designed by New York-based design firm Isometric Studio and printed by Colonial Printing, a division of Integrity Graphics Inc., in Warwick, Rhode Island.

Jeff Sheng is an artist, photographer, writer and sociologist based in Los Angeles. For over the last decade, his work has explored issues of LGBT rights and acceptance in the 21st Century, and his photography on this topic has been published by Time Magazine, Newsweek, the New York Times Magazine, the Advocate, and The New Yorker, among others.

Since 2006, his photo series Fearless, which this book is based on, has been exhibited at over 70 different venues, including the headquarters of Nike, Goldman Sachs and ESPN, as well as select locations at the 2010 Winter Olympics and the 2012 Summer Olympics. His other well known series, Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (2009-2011), about closeted United States military service members, was profiled in 2010 by The New York Times, ABC World News Tonight, and CNN.

Sheng completed his undergraduate degree at Harvard College in Visual and Environmental Studies (VES), and has a Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) in Studio Art from the University of California, Irvine.  He is also a PhD Candidate in sociology at Stanford University.

Ultimately, FEARLESS will reach a wide-ranging audience across the spectrum but Sheng has a primary target audience in mind:  “The book was designed with the target audience of ‘PFLAG parents’ in mind. Seriously. We thought that the person who should read it the most were the parents of an LGBT high school or college student, and who wanted to understand and connect with their child more.  If there is any great theme of the book, it’s that of family. And the love of one’s family to their LGBT child.”

Jason Collins is a retired American professional basketball player of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Collins was selected in the first round of the 2001 draft and played for 13 years until his retirement in 2014. Throughout his career he played for New Jersey, Memphis, Minnesota, Atlanta, Boston, Washington and the Brooklyn Nets (formerly the New Jersey Nets). After the 2012-13 NBA season concluded, Collins publicly came out as gay in a cover story for Sports Illustrated, becoming the first active male player in any of the four major American professional sports to announce that he is gay. In April 2014, Collins was featured on the cover of Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World.”

Collins writes: “Coming out is one of the bravest actions that a person can take. The fact that these individuals are so young, still in high school and college, makes their decision to step forward even more remarkable. It gives us hope and makes us proud to see the next generation boldly embracing their true selves at such a young age. They are individuals that come from different races, religions, genders, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Their images displayed in this book are truly inspirational.”

(All the photographs taken between 2003–2013 were shot on medium format, 6×7 film. The photographs in 2014 and after were all taken with a digital SLR Nikon D810 Camera.)

Somebody Books is an independent publisher based in Los Angeles. The firm works with artists, photographers, and graphic designers, connecting them with funding sources and production agents, to oversee the creation of specialty books and works of art that would normally not be produced by mass-market publishers.

Featuring Instagram–famous photographers, YouTube hit “Through The Lens” documents the inspiring stories of social media’s most popular image-takers; more photographer collaborations and events coming soon from Adorama, plus – 7th episode just released.

“Through The Lens” documents the inspiring stories of social media’s most popular image-takers

Adorama, one of the world’s largest photography, video, audio, imaging and electronics retailers, recently launched a new web docuseries called “Through The Lens” on its AdoramaTV online channel. An insta-hit, the YouTube series profiles Instagram’s most popular photographers, highlighting their unique photography styles in each episode. Followed by hundreds of thousands of social media users, these artists share their journeys, biggest inspirations, tools and best tips in brief AdoramaTV episodes, which has gained popularity with every new release. Most recently, episode 7 of “Through The Lens” featuring Jason Peterson was just released yesterday – watch now here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ4ua-CaETU.

“Through The Lens” offers an interactive experience that caters to the young, social media savvy

“Through The Lens” documents the inspiring stories of social media’s most popular image-takers

audience, introducing them to photography from a relatable perspective. A second season is already in the works, and it is set to showcase even more photographer collaborations, tips and inspiration, plus concurring local events to give the audience a more immersive experience with “Through The Lens” artists.

“The feedback from our audience has been overwhelmingly positive,” states Salvatore D’Alia, video content producer at Adorama. “They really appreciate the message of the show and admire the production value. We’re really proud of how ‘Through The Lens’ has taken off and are looking forward to working with more inspiring photographers.”

The first six episodes of “Through The Lens” have been extremely well received, earning statuses as some of the most liked and commented on videos on the channel. Featured Instagram

photographers are also pleased with the response from the show, saying:

“Since being featured on ‘Through The Lens,’ I have received such great feedback on how I’ve inspired others to follow their passion for photography. It has given me an even greater sense of determination to give back and connect deeper with the community.” – Jose Tutiven aka@Tutes “Through The Lens,” Episode 2

“Being able to share my photography journey and inspire my fans through Adorama’s ‘Through The Lens’ has been an absolute honor.” – Natalie Amrossi aka @Misshattan “Through The Lens,” Episode 5

(To watch full episodes of “Through The Lens,” please visit http://adorama.nyc/category/through-the-lens/.)

Go “Behind The Lens” on a Photo Walk With Antonio Jaggie and Sony
On Sunday, July 19th, Adorama will host a Sony Day PhotoWalk with featured “Through The Lens” episode 3 photographer Antonio Jaggie. Taking place on the scenic streets of Chelsea, attendees can explore New York City through their own lens and capture great moments. Food and beverages will be provided by Telegraph Coffee before the photo walk commences at Adorama, where the friendly staff from Sony will be showcasing their newest cameras for the crowd to test out. (Register for Adorama’s Sony Day PhotoWalk now: http://www.adorama.com/alc/browse/pages/instafamous-photowalk-antonio-jaggie-presented-sony.)

Selected from more than 17,000 entries, an underwater photograph of divers swimming near a humpback whale taken by Anuar Patjane Floriuk of Tehuacán, Puebla, Mexico, has won the 2015 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest grand prize. Floriuk wins an eight-day National Geographic Photo Expedition to Costa Rica and the Panama Canal for two. Shot near Roca Partida, an island off the western coast of Mexico, the winning photo is titled “Whale Whisperer.”

Diving with a humpback whale and her new born calf while they cruise around Roca Partida Island, in Revillagigedo, Mexico. This is an outstanding and unique place full of pelagic life so we need to accelerate the incorporation of this islands into UNESCO as natural heritage site in order to increase the protection of the islands against the prevailing ilegal fishing corporations and big game fishing.

“The photo wasn’t planned,” Floriuk said. “I was taking photos near the head of the whale, and all of a sudden she began to swim toward the rest of the diving team. The divers gave the whale and her calf space, and I just clicked at the moment when the flow and composition seemed right.”

Faisal Azim of Chittagong, Bangladesh, placed second for his photo “Gravel Workmen.” He will receive a six-day National Geographic Photo Expedition: Winter Wildlife in Yellowstone for two. The third-place photo, “Camel Ardah,” was shot by Ahmed Al Toqi of Muscat, Oman. He wins a six-day cruise for two from Schooner American Eagle and Heritage. Seven merit-prize winners will receive a $200 (USD) gift certificate to B&H Photo and theNational Geographic Masters of Photography course on DVD. All winners will receive a subscription to National Geographic Traveler magazine. The winning photos may be viewed online on the Traveler Photo Contest website.

“National Geographic Travel celebrates and illuminates destinations around the globe, and it was exciting to see that same theme captured in the contest entries,” said Maggie Zackowitz, editor-in-chief of National Geographic Traveler magazine. “I was blown away by the creativity of the photographers.”

This year’s contest received more than 17,000 entries from photographers around the world. There were four categories: Travel Portraits, Outdoor Scenes, Sense of Place and Spontaneous Moments. Judging consisted of two rounds of evaluation based on creativity and photographic quality.

As grand-prize winner, Floriuk will embark on the National Geographic Sea Lion for the Costa Rica and the Panama Canal Photo Expedition, an eight-day voyage with a National Geographic photographer and a team of photo instructors. Tracing the Pacific coasts of Costa Rica and Panama, guests on board the vessel will explore the Manuel Antonio National Park, Osa Peninsula, Isla de Coiba and much more on the way to the Panama Canal. The trip is provided by National Geographic Expeditions, the travel program of the National Geographic Society, which offers guided trips spanning all seven continents and more than 80 destinations.

Outdoor Scenes – Third Place – Camel Ardah, Photo and caption by Ahmed Al Toqi. Location: Badīyah, Ash Sharqiyah, Oman.

“Camel Ardah, as it [is] called in Oman, is one of the traditional styles of camel racing … between two camels controlled by expert men. The faster camel is the loser … so they must be running [at] the same speed level in the same track. The main purpose of Ardah is to show the beauty and strength of the Arabian camels and the riders’ skills. Ardah [is] considered one of the most risky situations, since always the camels reactions are unpredictable [and] it may get wild and jump [toward the] audience.”

Outdoor Scenes -Merit Winner – Sauna in the Sky, Photo and caption by Stefano Zardini. A sauna at 2,800 meters high in the heart of Dolomites. Monte Lagazuoi, Cortina, eastern Italian Alps.

Outdoor Scenes – Merit Winner – Romania, Land of Fairy Tales, Photo and caption by Eduard Gutescu. Location: Bran, Brasov, Romania. White frost over Pestera village.

Travel Portraits – 2nd Place – Gravel Workmen – Photo and caption by faisal azim. Location: Chittagong, Chittagong, Bangladesh.

“[This] gravel-crush working place remains full of dust and sand. Three gravel workmen are looking through the window glass at their working place. Chittagong, Bangladesh.”

Sense of a Place – Merit Winner – A Night at Deadvlei, Photo and caption by Beth McCarley. Location: Windhoek, Khomas, Namibia.

“The night before returning to Windhoek, we spent several hours at Deadvlei. The moon was bright enough to illuminate the sand dunes in the distance, but the skies were still dark enough to clearly see the Milky Way and Magellanic Clouds. Deadvlei means “dead marsh.” The camelthorn trees are believed to be about 900 years old but have not decomposed because the environment is so dry.”

Spontaneous Moments – Merit Winner – White Rhinos, Photo and caption by Stefane Berube.

“The night before this photo, we tried all day to get a good photo of the endangered white rhino. Skulking through the grass carefully, trying to stay 30 feet away to be safe, didn’t provide me the photo I was hoping for. In the morning, however, I woke up to all three rhinos grazing in front of me. Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, Uganda.”

Spontaneous Moments – Merit Winner – Kushti, Indian Wrestling, Photo and caption by alain schroeder. Location: Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India.

“Kushti is the traditional form of Indian wrestling. Wearing only a well-adjusted loincloth (langot), wrestlers (pelwhans) enter a pit made of clay, often mixed with salt, lemon, and ghee (clarified butter). At the end of a workout, wrestlers rest against the walls of the arena, covering their heads and bodies with earth to soak up any perspiration and avoid catching cold. This relaxation ceremony is completed with massages to soothe tired muscles and demonstrate mutual respect.”

Traditional haymaking in Poland. Many people continue to use the scythe and pitchfork to cut and sort the hay. © Bart Omiej Jurecki / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest

Two boys are trying to catch a duck near a waterfall. # © Sarah Wouters / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest

Susanne Bartsch with Gage of the Boone, 2013. Photo © Wilsonmodels.

Susanne wearing a dress by Rachel Auburn, Liberty Theatre in Times Square, 2014. Photo by Robin Souma.

The Museum at FIT presents Fashion Underground: The World of Susanne Bartsch (Special Exhibitions Gallery, September 18 – December 5, 2015), featuring approximately 80 looks from the underground fashion impresario’s personal collection of clothing and accessories, including designs by Rachel Auburn, The Blonds, Leigh Bowery, John Galliano, Jean Paul Gaultier, Pam Hogg, Stephen Jones, Alexander McQueen, Thierry Mugler, Rick Owens, Vivienne Westwood, and Zaldy, thanks to the generosity of the Couture Council and MAC Cosmetics.

Susanne and François Sagat in Switzerland hosting an AIDS benefit. Dress by Mathu and Zaldy, 2011. © Patrick MettRaux and Lukas Beyeler.

Born in Switzerland, Susanne Bartsch moved to London as a teenager, living there for a decade. “We called her the Swiss Miss,” say old friends from London, where Bartsch was a key figure among the New Romantics. Arriving in New York on Valentine’s Day 1981, Bartsch opened a boutique in Soho while still on a tourist visa. An enthusiastic proponent of 1980s English fashion, she was one of the first New York retailers to import Vivienne Westwood. She also organized fashion shows, such as New London in New York and London Goes to Tokyo, that showcased designers Leigh Bowery, Body Map, and Stephen Jones. But life in 1980s New York was not just a party; AIDS was devastating the community. As her friends began dying, Bartsch notes that she “survived this period by becoming a fundraiser.” In 1989, she organized the Love Ball, one of the first and most important AIDS benefits. Over the next few years, she raised a total of $2.5 million for AIDS research and advocacy.

The catwalk crew at Marquee, 2013. Photo by Jason Akira Somma.

Susanne Bartsch has also been the longtime reigning queen of New York City nightlife since the 1980s when she became renowned for creating spectacular parties where she and a diverse mix of individuals—uptown, downtown, gay, straight, multiracial—dressed up in their own versions of high fashion, street style, drag, and Mardi Gras extravaganza. Her first party took place in 1986 at a club near The Chelsea Hotel, where she has lived for many years. “It was about seeing and being seen,” says Bartsch.

Bartsch and her friends have long constituted a fashion underground of creative individuals who take dressing up to the level of performance art. “Style is about expressing yourself,” adds Bartsch. “You can be whatever you want to be—a silver-screen star, a Marie Antoinette baroque creature, a Victorian punk. I love that about fashion and makeup.” A muse for fashion designers and makeup artists, Bartsch has also been a catalyst for the cross-fertilization of ideas between creative people in a range of fields. Today, she is increasingly creating events that explicitly link fashion and art.

Photo by Robin Souma

Fashion Underground: The World of Susanne Bartsch opens with a small introductory gallery of images and videos about Bartsch and her world. In the main exhibition gallery, the first section focuses on the 1980s English fashions that Bartsch introduced to New York displayed in a tableau evoking her surreally styled boutiques. The second and largest section features a variety of the creations that Bartsch and her friends have worn at her famous club nights at Savage, Copacabana, and Le Bains, with a special section devoted to the AIDS balls. The final section evokes her apartment at the Chelsea Hotel, the center of her creative world. Videos and projected photographs throughout the exhibition document Bartsch’s 30 years of sartorial self-expression and its influence on the global fashion scene.

Susanne at a Swiss dance event at the Tribeca Grand Hotel, January 2015. Photo by Robin Souma

Susanne Bartsch, 1990s. Photograph by Andrea Barbiroli.

The exhibition, curated by Valerie Steele and Susanne Bartsch and designed by Kim Ackert after a concept by Thierry Loriot, will be accompanied by a book by Steele and Melissa Marra. A two-day symposium will feature a range of designers, performers, and scholars speaking on fashion, creativity, nightlife, and performance art.

The Museum at FIT, which is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, is the only museum in New York City dedicated solely to the art of fashion. Best known for its innovative and award-winning exhibitions, the museum has a collection of more than 50,000 garments and accessories dating from the 18th century to the present. Like other fashion museums, such as the Musée de la Mode, the Mode Museum, and the Museo de la Moda, The Museum at FIT collects, conserves, documents, exhibits, and interprets fashion, with a mission is to advance knowledge of fashion through exhibitions, publications, and public programs.

The museum is part of the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), a State University of New York (SUNY) college of art, design, business, and technology that has been at the crossroads of commerce and creativity for 70 years. With programs that blend hands-on practice, a strong grounding in theory, and a broad-based liberal arts foundation, FIT offers career education in nearly 50 areas, and grants associate, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees. FIT provides students with a complete college experience at an affordable cost, a vibrant campus life in New York City, and industry-relevant preparation for rewarding careers. Visit fitnyc.edu.

The Couture Council is a philanthropic membership group that helps support the exhibitions and programs of The Museum at FIT. The Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion is given to a selected designer at a benefit luncheon held every September.

Continuing a legacy of artistic collaboration that spans centuries, Hennessy has partnered with multi-disciplinary artist Ryan McGinness to create the new Hennessy V.S Limited Edition by Ryan McGuinness Bottle, now available for purchase online and at select wine & spirits retailers nationwide. McGinness will also embark on a global tour with Hennessy beginning in August, with four US stops: New York, Miami, Philadelphia and Los Angeles.

Hennessy V.S Limited Edition by Ryan McGinness Bottle and Case

In 2015, the Maison Hennessy celebrates 250 years of an exceptional adventure that has linked the Hennessy and Fillioux families for seven generations and spanned five continents. It began in the French region of Cognac, the seat from which the Maison has constantly passed down the best the land has to give, from one generation to the next. Hennessy’s success and longevity are also the result of the values the Maison has upheld since its creation: a constant quest for innovation, and an unwavering commitment to Creation, Excellence, Legacy, and Sustainable Development.

The new Hennessy V.S Limited Edition is the fifth in a series that has included critically acclaimed artists, KAWS, Futura, Os Gemeos and Shepard Fairey, the collaboration with McGinness is a perfect embodiment of Hennessy’s 250 years of dedication to the art of blending. McGinness acknowledges the strong similarities between his artistic approach and the creation of Hennessy Cognac: “My process of combining elements and compounds to form mixtures parallels Hennessy’s artful blending of eaux-de-vie to create Cognac. The shared approach to our crafts is part science and part art.“

Hennessy V.S Limited Edition Bottle by Ryan McGinness glows in the dark under black lighting

The label on each individually numbered 750ml bottle features an innovative brand first: a radiating pattern in bright fluorescent colors that is illuminated when the bottle is placed under a black light. True to his style, McGinness also re-interpreted icons within Hennessy’s motif, including the brand’s coat of arms, and highlighted the bottle’s metadata – information found on the back of the label in fine print – through unique visual symbology. Known for using the visual language of contemporary symbology, the New York-based McGinness is credited with elevating the status of the icon to fine art. His works have been exhibited in museums around the world.
“Ryan McGinness’ work reflects a fresh, energetic use of multiple elements- from colors to icons-to create designs of enduring impact. We are thrilled to be partnering with Ryan McGinness during our 250th Anniversary year. This new Hennessy V.S Limited Edition bottle design embodies his passion and commitment to his craft, the same characteristics Hennessy has pursued since 1765,” said Rodney Williams, Executive Vice President of Spirits, Moet Hennessy USA.
In addition to the 750ml bottle ($32), a limited number of deluxe sets in commemorative gift boxes ($150) are available. The Hennessy V.S Limited Edition by Ryan McGinness Deluxe Set features two individually numbered 750ml bottles with different adaptations of the design by the artist in black and fluorescent colors on a black background. The Deluxe set also includes a keepsake booklet, providing a special inside look at the collaboration, and two exclusive artwork coasters.

Ryan McGinness holds the Hennessy V.S Limited Edition bottle in his Chinatown Studio

American artist Ryan McGinness is one of the most noted visual virtuosos of our time. Amidst a 20-plus year career of professional design work and exhibition, the Virginia-born artist has been heralded as “an art star” and “a leading pioneer of the new semiotics” by internationally regarded publications like The New York Times, Black Book and Vogue. McGinness has created some of the most renowned symbol-driven vernacular in the contemporary art world and his works have graced prestigious galleries and museums in United States and around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, MUSAC in Spain, and the Misumi Collection in Japan.
For more information about the Hennessy V.S Limited Edition bottle by Ryan McGinness, visit Hennessy.com

Young photographers are invited to take part in National Geographic’s International Photography Contest for Kids, with the U.S. grand-prize winner receiving an eight-day National Geographic Grand Canyon, Bryce and Zion National Parks Family Adventure, and the worldwide grand-prize winner receiving a trip to visit National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C. The worldwide grand-prize-winning photograph and the winning images from each of the four subject categories from the U.S. contest will be featured in the May 2016 U.S. edition of National Geographic Kids magazine. Open to children ages 6 to 14, the contest is hosted by National Geographic Kids magazine in the United States and through 10 local-language editions in Australia/New Zealand, China, Egypt, Germany, Indonesia, the Netherlands, Slovenia, South Africa, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

U.S. Contest: U.S. contestants may enter now through October 15, 2015, by submitting one photo in any or all of four categories: Amazing Animals (photos of pets, zoo animals, or wild animals); Dare to Explore (photos of outdoor scenery); Weird But True (photos that capture something odd or funny); and Wild Vacation (photos taken during vacation travels). Photos may be black-and-white or color and shot with a digital camera or with conventional film. Entries may be submitted online at natgeo.com/kids/photo-contest or via mail to International Photo Contest for Kids/KB, National Geographic Kids, 1145 17th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036-4688.

A panel of National Geographic Kids photography experts will select and announce the U.S. winners in November 2015 and feature them on the National Geographic Kids website. Four first-place winners and four second-place winners will receive digital cameras, memory cards, and a selection of National Geographic Kids books. The first-place winners will compete for the U.S. grand prize of the eight-day National Geographic Grand Canyon, Bryce and Zion National Parks Family Adventure. Their photos will go on to compete against first-place-winning entries from international editions in the worldwide contest.

International Contests: International contest deadlines vary by country, and contestants should check local-language editions for details. More information is also posted here.

Worldwide Contest: In December 2015, each participating international local-language edition will submit its winning entry in each category to National Geographic headquarters to be judged alongside the winning U.S. entries for the grand prize of the global contest: a trip for two to National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C. The grand-prize-winning photograph and the winning pictures from the U.S. contest in each category will also be featured in the May 2016 issue of the U.S. edition of National Geographic Kids magazine. The worldwide winners will be featured on the National Geographic Kids website. 

Hear explorers’ thrilling reports from the field, be inspired by National Geographic photographers, go on assignment with a Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist and experience the excitement of Telluride Mountainfilm, all without leaving Washington.

National Geographic Live announced its 2015 fall season lineup of events at National Geographic’s downtown Washington, D.C., headquarters. The fall schedule features 11 fascinating events that reflect National Geographic’s belief in the power of science, exploration and storytelling to change the world, including presentations by Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Lynsey Addario and renowned climber Jimmy Chin. Tickets go on sale Aug. 10 and may be purchased online at natgeolive.org/dc, via telephone at (202) 857-7700 or in person at the National Geographic Museum ticket desk between 10 am. and 6 pm. All events take place in National Geographic’s Grosvenor Auditorium. Free parking is available in the National Geographic underground garage for programs that begin after 6 pm.

National Geographic Live is the live events division of the National Geographic Society, a global nonprofit membership organization driven by a passionate belief in the power of science, exploration and storytelling to change the world. Drawing from a broad roster of talent including renowned photographers, scientists, authors, filmmakers and adventurers, National Geographic Live’s critically acclaimed programs have connected with audiences worldwide for over a century.

“We look forward to providing Washingtonians with another season of illuminating programming that offers inspiration and entertainment to audiences of all ages. They will have the opportunity to see, hear and, in some cases, even taste the experiences our incredible explorers and storytellers have to share,” said Andy van Duym, National Geographic’s vice president for National Geographic Live.

The fall season kicks off on Sept. 16 with “Pope Francis and the New Vatican,” a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the August 2015 National Geographic magazine cover story and corresponding book, with National Geographic magazine Editor in Chief Susan Goldberg, writer Robert Draper, photographer Dave Yoder and special guest Archbishop of Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl. The season closes on Jan. 16 with the first ever National Geographic Photo Fest, where the audience will have the opportunity to meet and be inspired by renowned National Geographic photographers on the heels of the annual invitation-only National Geographic Photography Seminar.

The Nat Geo Live fall schedule also includes two student matinees featuring modified versions of the evening presentations geared toward students. Nat Geo Live’s student matinees are supported by education sponsor Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions. On Nov. 4, photographer and National Geographic Fellow Joel Sartore will present to students about Photo Ark, his ongoing quest to document biodiversity by photographing the world’s most endangered species before they disappear. A Photo Ark exhibition will be on display in the National Geographic Museum beginning Nov. 5. The fall student matinee schedule wraps up on Dec. 8 with photojournalist Ami Vitale and “Rhinos, Rickshaws & Revolutions.” Nat Geo Live’s student matinees are open to school groups for $10 per student, which includes admission to the National Geographic Museum. For tickets or more information on the student matinees, call (202) 857-7281.

SEPTEMBER 2015

POPE FRANCIS AND THE NEW VATICAN

SEPT. 16, 7:30 PM

A week before the first papal visit to the United States since 2008, join National Geographic magazine Editor in Chief Susan Goldberg for a behind-the-scenes look at the August 2015 cover story of National Geographic magazine, “Will the Pope Change the Vatican?” National Geographic was given special access to the pope and permission to document his daily life inside the Vatican for the story. Goldberg will moderate a conversation about this remarkable man with writer Robert Draper, photographer Dave Yoder and special guest Archbishop of Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl. A sale and signing of Draper and Yoder’s recently published book, POPE FRANCIS AND THE NEW VATICAN, will follow. The event is sponsored by The PNC Foundation.

OCTOBER 2015

WHEN TOUGH MEETS TECH: EXPLORATION’S NEW FRONTIER

OCT. 15, 7:30 PM

National Geographic explorer Mike Libecki is on a quest to conquer the world’s last unclimbed peaks. Follow Libecki as he tackles mud and mayhem on the massive Poumaka Tower in French Polynesia, encounters fear and friendship on the Bamiyan slopes of Afghanistan and dodges polar bears while exploring Greenland’s icy waters, all backed by the technology that helps his teams summit and bring the stories back to us. The event is sponsored by Dell.

THE DEFENDERS: INSIDE THE WILDLIFE TRADE

OCT. 22, 7:30 PM

Get an insider’s look at National Geographic’s new Special Investigations Unit (SIU), which was established to expose elephant poaching and combat the illegal wildlife trafficking that’s driving many animals to extinction. The unit’s director, investigative reporter and National Geographic Fellow Bryan Christy, will take the stage to share how the SIU is going undercover to report surprising stories that are making a difference around the globe.

NOVEMBER 2015

BUILDING THE PHOTO ARK

NOV. 4, 7:30 PM

Photographer and National Geographic Fellow Joel Sartore is on a mission to capture portraits of the world’s most endangered species before they disappear. With ingenuity, wit and a serious Midwestern work ethic, Sartore has created the Photo Ark project, the largest archive of its kind, with 5,000 images and counting. Hear about his comical mishaps, endearing encounters and personal stories to document a world worth saving. A Photo Ark exhibition will be on display in the National Geographic Museum beginning Nov. 5.

IT’S WHAT I DO: A PHOTOGRAPHER’S LIFE OF LOVE AND WAR

NOV. 11, 7:30 PM

Go on assignment with Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Lynsey Addario to the world’s most dangerous conflict zones. Addario has survived death threats and two kidnappings to bring back powerful images from hotspots such as Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan for National Geographic magazine and The New York Times. She’ll share the heart-pounding reality of working in war zones and explain what keeps her going back to places to which most of us would never venture.

TELLURIDE MOUNTAINFILM

NOV. 12-14, 7 PM

Over three unique evenings, enjoy a rich selection of films moderated by Telluride Mountainfilm’s director David Holbrooke and the unveiling of National Geographic’s 2016 Adventurer of the Year nominees. Since 1979, this festival held high in the Rockies has been one of the major events in the adventure film circuit, immersing audiences in issues that matter, cultures worth exploring, environments worth preserving, adventures worth pursuing and conversations worth sustaining.

PRISTINE SEAS

NOV. 19, 7:30 PM

National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Dr. Enric Sala reports on his journey to save the last untouched places in our oceans. Through National Geographic’s Pristine Seas project, Sala and his team work tirelessly to inspire the creation of vast marine protected areas, from tropical paradises like the Seychelles to the Pitcairn Islands. Book sale and signing of PRISTINE SEAS: Journeys to the Ocean’s Last Wild Places will follow. Attendees can also visit the Pristine Seas exhibition in the M Street lobby of the National Geographic Museum to learn more about National Geographic’s Pristine Seas project.

DECEMBER 2015

THE MAKING OF MERU

DEC. 1, 7:30 PM

Join renowned climber Jimmy Chin and filmmaker Chai Vasarhelyi for a behind-the-scenes look at the award-winning film “Meru.” This thrilling feature documentary follows Chin and fellow climbers Conrad Anker and Renan Ozturk’s quest for the summit of Shark’s Fin on Mount Meru in Northern India. Chin and Vasarhelyi share the thrills — and challenges — the climbers faced, including a serious head injury to Ozturk and a terrifying avalanche slide for Chin. Through film clips, never-before-seen images and gripping firsthand accounts, Chin and Vasarhelyi deliver an exciting tale of adventure and inspiration.

THE SCIENCE OF TASTE

DEC. 3, 7:30 PM

Savor a deliciously surprising and delightful evening celebrating the story “The Science of Taste” featured in the December 2015 issue of National Geographic magazine. Awaken your senses and mind with innovative food and drink pairings during this unique event. Also, learn the science and art behind what tastes good, what tastes bad and why we even taste at all.

RHINOS, RICKSHAWS & REVOLUTIONS: MY SEARCH FOR TRUTH

DEC. 8, 7:30 PM

Experience our world through the eyes of award-winning photographer Ami Vitale, whose career has brought her face-to-face not just with violence and conflict, but also with surreal beauty and the enduring power of the human spirit. Her work has taken her to more than 90 countries. She’s lived in mud huts and war zones, contracted malaria and donned a panda suit — all in keeping with her philosophy of “living the story.” Vitale will share her personal odyssey through the images and adventures that have made her a celebrated global photojournalist.

JANUARY 2016

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PHOTO FEST

JAN. 16, 9 AM-6 PM

Enjoy a day of inspiration and exclusive access to National Geographic magazine photographers and editors. In the morning, see powerful presentations from the world’s best photographers. Then, choose your own adventure: Go on a Your Shot photo walk; have your portfolio reviewed; or experience live photo shoots and get tips for taking pictures of your own family and pets. Celebrate the day’s close with a not-to-be-missed party.

Currently, National Geographic Live events are held in 32 cities around the world, including New York, Seattle, Chicago, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Singapore and Sydney. In each of these cities, speakers share behind-the-scenes stories from the front lines of exploration on stage alongside stunning imagery and gripping footage. In 2014, National Geographic Live events were attended by over 150,000 people. For the full fall schedule, visit http://events.nationalgeographic.com/events/washingtondc/dc-fall-2015-events/.

Since his ascent to the papacy in 2013, Pope Francis has electrified the world and infused the Vatican with unprecedented energy. National Geographic photographer Dave Yoder was given over six months of special access to the pope to document his daily life inside the Vatican. POPE FRANCIS AND THE NEW VATICAN (National Geographic Books, $40) beautifully captures the spirit of the new Vatican and the transformation sweeping through the Catholic Church.

Timely and poignant, POPE FRANCIS AND THE NEW VATICAN reveals this spiritual revolutionary through a new lens. Yoder and Draper take readers on a stunning journey through the complexities of the new Vatican under Pope Francis, his early life and journey to the papacy, and the Church’s relationship with our rapidly changing world.

Through breathtaking photography and exclusive reporting, POPE FRANCIS AND THE NEW VATICAN showcases the pope’s public life and personal convictions as never before. Yoder’s photos and the stories behind them, written by acclaimed author and journalist Robert Draper, highlight the deep love and mercy that lies at the heart of Francis’ ministry. Draper spent a month in Rome interviewing Vatican officials and three weeks in Argentina interviewing dozens of Pope Francis’ lifelong friends, many of whom had never spoken with the media before. Draper’s essays reveal the themes that have been woven through the pope’s entire life.

The Vatican finds the pope to be a paradox. Known as the “available pope,” a contradiction in terms, he is hailed by the press as a reformer, a radical and a revolutionary. Those close to him in Rome say he is all of these things, and yet none of them. The answer to the question reverberating around the world remains a mystery: Will Pope Francis change the Vatican, or will the Vatican change him?

“He won’t change doctrine. What he will do is return the Church to its true doctrine — the one it has forgotten, the one that puts man back in the center,” says the pope’s longtime friend, Franciscan priest Ramiro de la Serna.

Publishing just ahead of Pope Francis’ first trip to the United States in September 2015, the book is being released in conjunction with the August issue of National Geographic magazine, which features Yoder and Draper’s work on the pope and the Vatican as the cover story. The magazine is presently available on digital newsstands and print newsstands.

For National Geographic’s youngest fans, National Geographic Kids is simultaneously releasing a Level 1 reader, POPE FRANCIS (978-1-4263-2253-2; $3.99), available in English and Spanish.

National Geographic Books & Home Entertainment creates and distributes books, videos and other print and digital media that inform, engage and entertain diverse audiences about our world. Annually, the group publishes more than 125 new books for adults, families and kids and releases 250+ new DVDs and digital downloads of the Society’s films and TV shows, and these National Geographic titles are available in more than 35 local-language editions. While special photographic and film collections, travel books, nature shows, birding guides and atlases are a core focus of the Society’s products, books and videos dealing with subjects as diverse as animals, the human mind, history, world cultures and the cosmos are also produced. For more information, visit nationalgeographic.com/books.

New Prints of Classic Greenwich Village Images Available For First Time 

Photos.com proudly announces the addition of the Fred W. McDarrah Collection. His work brings a new and unique selection of images to the collected works of an already world class Photos.com lineup including the legendary works of celebrated photographers Alfred Eisenstadt, Margaret Bourke-White and Ansel Adams.

The Beatles in New York City by Fred W. McDarrah (Image courtesy of Photo.com by Getty Images)

Jimi Hendricks (in concert) by Fred W. McDarrah (Image courtesy of Photo.com by Getty Images)

Coney Island Cyclone Rollercoaster Ride (by Fred W. McDarrah (Image courtesy of Photo.com by Getty Images)

For The Fred McDarrah Collection, the editors at Photos.com have selected more than 200 of McDarrah’s most delightful and inspiring images, with an eye towards their ability to work as wall décor. The images shown here (and many others) has been made available to the consumer market for the very first time.

Fred W. McDarrah (November 5, 1926 – November 6, 2007) was the most curious, knowledgeable, and indefatigable chronicler of the New York scene over the second half of the 20th century. He bought his first camera at the 1939 World’s Fair for 39 cents, but he did not start taking photographs as a vocation until he was a paratrooper in occupied Japan following World War II.

He rose to prominence during his 50-year association with the Village Voice newspaper, the house organ of the post-war counterculture. The New York Times has described McDarrah as the “Bachrach of New York’s Bohemia.” I would go even farther and say that he was the “Zelig” of the New York cultural scene at the time. If it happened anywhere in New York City, he was there with his camera memorializing the event.

Untitled Image by Fred W. McDarrah (Image courtesy of Photo.com by Getty Images)

Subway Car, 1977: Interior view of a graffiti-covered subway car, New York, New York, February 25, 1977. (Photo by Fred W. McDarrah/Getty Images)

”Let There Be Neon’: Interior view of ‘Let There Be Neon’ (451 West Broadway), New York, New York, September 28, 1972. (Photo by Fred W. McDarrah/Getty Images)

He photographed the artists, writers, musicians, and actors who frequented the bars, theaters, galleries, and cafes in Greenwich Village. He documented political rallies, museum openings, breaking news, feminism, experimental theater, the rock and folk music scenes, dance, and the civil rights and anti-war movements. In a style simple and direct, McDarrah created street and studio portraits of luminaries, politicians and celebrities that were often definitive and iconic. He was one of the first to photograph Bob Dylan. He photographed people at the time of the Stonewall Riots.

Rolling Stones On Fifth Avenue: View, from below, British musician Mick Jagger of the rock band the Rolling Stones, New York, New York, May 1, 1975. The band announced their ‘Tour of the Americas ’75’ with a performance on a flatbed truck on 5th Avenue. (Photo by Fred W. McDarrah/Getty Images)

Andy Warhol by Fred W. MacDarrah (Image courtesy of Photo.com by Getty Images)

Untitled Image by Fred W. McDarrah (Image courtesy of Photo.com by Getty Images)

But his favorite subject may have been his beloved New York City; often roaming the city on his bicycle, he documented the streets, buildings, landmarks, parks, beaches, pushcarts, subways, architecture, landscapes, churches, signs, cobblestones, storefronts and rooftops.

In his book The Artist’s World in Pictures, co-authored with Thomas B. Hess, McDarrah documented the New York art world, the New York School and the world of Abstract expressionism in New York City during the late 1950s.

His other books include The Beat Scene (Corinth Books, 1960); The Greenwich Village Guide: Sixteen Historic Walks, Includes Soho, Tribeca, and the East Village: Antique Shops, Bookstores, Theatres, Clubs, Restaurants, Art Galleries and More. (Fred W. McDarrah, and Patrick J. McDarrah, Chicago, IL: Chicago Review, 1992); Gay Pride: Photographs from Stonewall to Today. Fred W. McDarrah, Timothy S. McDarrah, and Robert Taylor, Chicago, IL: Cappella, 1994); Kerouac and Friends: A Beat Generation Album (Fred W. MacDarrah and Timothy S. MacDarrah. New York: Thunder’s Mouth, 2002); Anarchy, Protest & Rebellion: And the Counterculture That Changed America (Fred W. McDarrah, Gloria S. McDarrah, and Timothy S. McDarrah, New York: Thunder’s Mouth, 2003), Beat Generation: Glory Days in Greenwich Village (Fred W. McDarrah, and Gloria S. McDarrah, New York: Schirmer, 1996) and Fred A. MacDarrah, Artists and Writers of the 60s and 70s: An Exhibition of Vintage Prints at Steven Kasher Gallery, November 9, 2006-January 6, 2007. New York, NY: Steven Kasher Gallery, 2006.

In 1960, he married Gloria Schoffel; they had two sons, Timothy and Patrick. MaCDarrah died in his sleep at his home in Greenwich Village (he never left) a few hours after his 81st birthday.
McDarrah’s photographs have been exhibited at numerous museums, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Wadsworth Atheneum (Hartford, Connecticut) and the Centre Georges Pompidou-Paris; and are in private and public collections including the National Portrait Gallery, the J. Paul Getty Museum, the New York Public Library, the Andy Warhol Museum, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Built on Getty Images’ unrivaled archive and exclusive collections from a wide range of world-renowned photographers, Photos.com by Getty Images is a full service printing and framing e-commerce business.  Every image is available in four sizes and five framing options: paper, canvas, acrylic, birchwood & aluminum, and arrives at your doorstep framed and ready-to-hang. With more than 250,000 images spanning current events and famous faces to world culture, contemporary concepts and iconic black-and-white photography, there’s something to inspire and complement every interior style.

Photos.com by Getty Images is not affiliated with the J. Paul Getty Trust or its operating programs including the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Getty Research Institute, the Getty Conservation Institute, and the Getty Foundation.

The Annenberg Space for Photography (2000 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, CA 90067, www.annenbergspaceforphotography.org) announced a photographic interpretation of life on Earth from the Big Bang to the present by acclaimed National Geographic photographer Frans Lanting. LIFE: A Journey Through Time is based on Lanting’s epic, multi-year project and features more than 70 images with texts and stories about the works, as well as an innovative timeline of life on our planet. Exclusive to the traveling exhibition’s presentation at the Annenberg Space for Photography are an original documentary short film and four short videos that explore the human connection to life around us. On view from October 24, 2015 to March 20, 2016, LIFE explores the story of our planet from its earliest beginnings to its present diversity, captured in images that evoke the complex wonder of nature through time.

“We are delighted to bring the majestic work of Frans Lanting to the Annenberg Space for Photography,” said Wallis Annenberg, Chairman of the Board, President and CEO of the Annenberg Foundation. “Lanting’s photographic journey combines provocative storytelling with new scientific insights. His seemingly omnipotent ability to look at situations in the natural world provides us with, to quote Lanting, ‘a window into its past.'”

For The LIFE Project, Lanting set off on a journey of photographic discovery that led him to remote locations such as Western Australia’s Shark Bay and Siberia’s Kamchatka Peninsula to capture primordial landscapes—and into unique museum collections to explore fossils and microscopic life. The result is a celebration of planet Earth that aims to educate and inspire through images and stories of the incredible biodiversity that surrounds us.

Organized in sections, the exhibition begins with “Elements,” to interpret Earth’s early history and show interactions among the five classical elements: earth, air, fire, water and space; “Beginnings” traces life from single-celled origins into more complex forms in the sea; “Out of the Sea” evokes the time when life first ventured ashore; “On Land” covers the period when plants and animals colonized solid ground; “Into the Air” highlights the evolutionary innovations of birds and flowering plants, ending with the cataclysmic events that caused the demise of the dinosaurs; “Out of the Dark” portrays the rise of mammals; and the concluding chapter, “Planet of Life,” envisions the collective force of life as a sixth element shaping our planet. An outdoor component of the exhibition, “Future of Life,” portrays present-day challenges to global biodiversity caused by the impact of humans on the planet in an era many scientists now call the Anthropocene.

“The simple idea of looking for the past in the present grew into a challenging photographic undertaking that extended over several years and continues to influence my work today,” said Lanting. “My mission was to create images of nature—from volcanoes to tree frogs—that could evoke a sense of time and origins. I wanted to apply both new scientific ideas to my subjects and new photographic concepts to my images. My approach has been that of a storyteller who draws on characters for the sake of telling a larger tale.”

An original documentary film commissioned by the Annenberg Space for Photography and produced by award-winning director Steven Kochones and Arclight Productions takes viewers on a journey through time via the remarkable images and story of Lanting’s LIFE Project, while recounting Lanting’s own evolution from wildlife photographer to visual chronicler of life on Earth. The film will include interviews with Lanting in his Santa Cruz studio; natural history writer, editor, videographer and longtime Lanting partner and collaborator Christine Eckstrom; horseshoe crab expert Dr. Carl Shuster; Harvard University evolutionary biologist Dr. Andrew Knoll; National Geographic Senior Photo Editor Elizabeth Krist; Ecological Research & Development Group President Glenn Gauvry; Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) geologist Dr. Abigail Allwood; JPL Mars Program Office Chief Scientist Dr. Richard Zurek; pioneering sociobiologist Dr. Edward O. Wilson; UC Santa Cruz Institute of Marine Sciences Director Dr. Gary Griggs; and renowned primatologist and conservationist Dr. Russell Mittermeier.

For the first time, the Annenberg Space for Photography Skylight Studios will be partnering with explore.org to offer programming to complement the LIFE exhibit. Utilizing content and live camera footage from explore.org, Skylight Studios will offer an immersive environment that celebrates species in the sea, on land and in the air. Skylight Studios will also continue to host the popular Iris Nights lecture series with exhibit-related speakers. The full schedule of events will be announced at a later date. The Annenberg Foundation provides bus funding to Title 1 schools, allowing educators to bring students to the Photography Space, free of charge, to experience LIFE‘s wondrous presentation of natural history. The exhibition-related book LIFE: A Journey Through Time will be available for purchase at the Annenberg Space for Photography and at Skylight Studios.

The Annenberg Space for Photography (2000 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, CA 90067, http://www.annenbergspaceforphotography.org)

The Annenberg Space for Photography is a cultural destination dedicated to exhibiting photography. The intimate environment features state-of-the-art, high-definition digital technology as well as traditional prints by both world-renowned and emerging photographers. It is the first solely photographic cultural destination in the Los Angeles area. The Photography Space conveys a range of human experiences and serves as an expression of the philanthropic work of the Annenberg Foundation and its directors.

Hours: Wednesday through Sunday: 11 am–6 pm; closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
Admission is free.
Parking with validation is $3.50 Wednesdays–Fridays and $1.00 on weekends.

Facebook.com/annenbergspaceforphotography
Twitter.com/annenbergspace
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Youtube.com/annenbergspace

National Geographic invites photographers from around the world to enter the 2015 National Geographic Photography Contest. The grand-prize-winning image will be published in National Geographic magazine, and the winning photographer will receive $10,000 (USD) and a trip to National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C., to participate in the annual National Geographic Photography Seminar in January 2016.

National Geographic logo. (PRNewsFoto/National Geographic Society)

Eligible contestants can visit natgeo.com/photocontest to submit photographs in one or all of three categories: People, Places and Nature. Entries will be submitted through National Geographic’s photography community, Your Shot, where members may comment on and “favorite” photos. The entry fee is $15 (USD) per photo, and there is no limit to the number of submissions per entrant. Entries must be in digital format and must be submitted electronically. The contest ends Monday, Nov. 16, at 12 p.m. EST (U.S.).

“National Geographic uses photography to inspire, illuminate and teach our readers about our world and beyond,” said Sarah Leen, National Geographic Magazine’s Director Of Photography. “The National Geographic Photo Contest is an exciting opportunity for our photo community to participate in documenting the Earth, its creatures and its people. We look forward to seeing photographs that are passionate, skillful, surprising and beautiful. I’m very excited about seeing the entries we receive this year.”

Judging consists of three rounds of evaluation based on creativity, photographic quality and genuineness/authenticity of the content. One first-place winner will be chosen from each category, and the winning photographs will be published on www.nationalgeographic.com. The overall grand-prize winner, announced in December 2015, will be chosen from the three category winners, and the grand-prize-winning photo will be published in National Geographic magazine.

The Peninsula Hotels in Asia, North America and Europe are again thinking pink for a purpose this October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Marking its fifth anniversary in 2015, the Peninsula In Pink Charitable Initiative is undergoing a creative makeover to become “The Art of Pink.” In keeping with The Peninsula’s global commitment to the arts, each hotel will exhibit specially commissioned pink-inspired artworks by acclaimed global artists, including internationally celebrated photographer Chen Man in Shanghai, renowned Chinese contemporary painter and installation artist Qin Feng in Beijing, Thailand’s best-known cartoonist Chiratorn Chirapravati in Bangkok, internationally recognized Peruvian artist Grimanesa Amorós in New York, French sculptor Nathalie Decoster in Paris, and prominent Korean artist Choi Jeong Hwa in Chicago.

“The Art of Pink” at The Peninsula Hotels, designed to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer charities in the hotels’ local communities. (All Images Courtesy of The Peninsula Hotels Communications Department)

The pink masterpieces exclusively created for Peninsula will be exhibited at each hotel and auctioned, with the proceeds donated to local breast cancer charities.

Supporting innovative public art around the world is an ongoing commitment at The Peninsula Hotels. The Art of Pink Campaign builds on the partnerships each hotel has created with leading art museums, galleries and private collectors to provide guests with privileged access to groundbreaking art by established global masters and emerging local artists.

French sculptor Nathalie Decoster (All Images Courtesy of The Peninsula Hotels Communications Department)

Internationally celebrated Chinese photographer Chen Man (All Images Courtesy of The Peninsula Hotels Communications Department)

Highlights of The Art of Pink in 2015 also include pink-themed gala fundraising events featuring charitable auctions of the pink art masterpieces, plus special Peninsula dining and spa promotions and exclusive items donated by partner brands. Each Peninsula hotel will adopt its own creative theme for the event. Examples of giving back in a fun way include The Peninsula Bangkok teaming up with selected independent restaurants to present an evening of fine cocktails and cuisine in a pop-up format, and The Peninsula Hong Kong partnering with leading global auction house Christie’s for a first-of-its-kind gala and live auction of pink-themed luxury items.

A popular part of every Peninsula in Pink campaign is the Pink Afternoon Tea. This October, guests at The Lobby of each hotel will relish a creatively themed The Art of Pink Peninsula Afternoon Tea, featuring rose-tinted sweet and savory treats served on a tiered silver platter, and accompanied by rosé wines and bubbles.

Guests at Peninsula hotels can also participate by purchasing the specially commissioned pink ribbon pin during October, together with enjoying the collection of pink-infused gourmet dining and spa experiences, with part of the proceeds donated to local breast cancer charities.

The creative theming of each Peninsula In Pink Campaign is designed to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer charities in the hotels’ local communities. In its first four years, the Peninsula in Pink campaign has raised over USD 500,000. A dedicated webpage, www.peninsula.com/pink, will be launched in October featuring information on all Art of Pink initiatives, including the campaign’s history, photographs and videos.

The funds raised by Peninsula in Pink help local organizations to provide improved breast cancer-care facilities and services to patients in need. Examples include The Peninsula Manila, which is supporting the construction of a new and improved Breast Care Center at the East Avenue Medical Center, and The Peninsula Chicago, which helps transport breast cancer patients to and from medical appointments in the hotel’s fleet of MINI Clubman cars.