Lost at E Minor x Shepard Fairey

by CH Contributor

by Derrick Ableman

Contemporary artist Shepard Fairey is hijacking our favorite weekly email publication, Lost at E Minor, by plotting a kamikaze course through a posse of his favorite street artists, photographers and left-of-center bands next Tuesday, 20 January 2009.

First achieving international exposure with his ubiquitous Andre the Giant sticker, Shepard Fairey's clever and iconic stencil work has quickly become entrenched in our physical and cultural landscape, appearing everywhere from lampposts and apparel to Barack Obama's historic presidential campaign, a sample of which graces the cover of Time Magazine's Person of the Year issue.

A titan behind the design of our time, Fairey will clue us in on his top art picks of 2008, such as the French photographer JR, whose multi-story Xerox blow-ups have adorned buildings across the globe, including London's Tate Modern. Fairey's turn at the wheel takes us under the radar and out of the box, name checking an unknown and soon-to-brake wave of makers and thinkers, all spoiling to share their worlds and work.

A regular contributor to CH, Lost At E Minor is an online publication featuring their latest favorites from the flux of contemporary pop culture, including art, illustration, photography, music, fashion, film, and more. Since 2005, their global network of editors and writers have kept their collective ear to the rail of the 21st century, inspiring readers with the most daring and inventive work this changing world has to offer.

Room 26 Cabinet of Curiosities Blog

by Karen Day

A blog for lovers of ephemera, Room 26 Cabinet of Curiosities is dedicated to Yale University's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, which houses the world's largest collection of rare papers, manuscripts and books in the fields of literature, theology, history and the natural sciences. It's easy to lose track of time while perusing these unusual traces of time, which include interesting bits of history such as New Year's resolutions from 1904 or lottery tickets issued to support the Revolutionary War. The archive contains a wide range of unique oddities, including photos of antique artifacts, like Walt Whitman's eyeglasses, publications that went to print that many of us may have never known about, like the promotional magazine for the Sex Pistols, and a love letter written by Georgia O'Keefe. No matter if you're a history buff or a generally curious person you're bound to find this site fascinating.

In addition to general enjoyment, the blog is a valuable reference guide and helpful link to news and events happening at the Beinecke Library.

Core Apple Vodka

by CH Contributor

by Laura Neilson

For those who prefer an "Appletini" that doesn't conjure a Jolly Rancher, Harvest Spirits' Core Apple Vodka is produced from real Hudson Valley apples (not potatoes or corn), and the flavor is far more delicate and subtle than most apple-infused spirits on the market.

Small-batch production began this spring when Derek Grout of Golden Harvest Orchards, opted to opted to make more than just cider and donuts with the farm's nearly limitless supply of apples. In a three week-long process, apple cider is first fermented with yeast to yield hard cider, which is then triple-distilled down to pure alcohol before being diluted with water and bottled. Although 20 gallons of apple cider are distilled down to one 750ml bottle of vodka, the flavor profile is deceptively un-apple-like.

Under the label Harvest Spirits, New York state's only farm-class distillery, Grout plans to release more apple-based spirits in the next few years, including gin, schnapps and brandy.

Each bottle of Core Vodka includes a small handwritten sticker on the front indicating its batch number. Since quantities are limited, stock up for holiday gifting. Core is available from Brooklyn's The Greene Grape for $37. For a list of availability, check out the Harvest Spirits website.

FTW-Crew: Berlin Photoshop Graffiti

by CH Contributor

Writers from the FTW-Crew (Mr. Tailon, Baveux Prod., Kone and Epoxy) were recently spotted altering posters of Britney Spears, Leona Lewis, and Christina Aguilera in the Berlin metro. In a clever form of adbusting, they superimposed the Photoshop steps it takes to make the ladies look so picture perfect, both a lesson in design and a gentle reminder of our urban airbrushed landscape.

Illustrator Michael Camarra

by Lost At E Minor

If you're a sucker for good strong figurative work with a flair for the unexpected, you'll like the work of New York illustrator, Michael Camarra for sure.

I've known Camarra since our days back at Pratt, when he still painted with a brush and a tube of paint. Now that Camarra has moved on up into the realm of digital painting, I'm amazed at how, incredibly, the digital paintings lose almost none of the raw spontaneity his traditional paintings possessed but instead introduce a somewhat cleaner edge overall, which lends itself to his cleaner graphic sensibilities.