Having our gallery opening and show up at the RS POP shop was a wonderful experience! The location is amazing — in the middle of Manhattan and right by Grand Central station for easy access to the shop. There are always lots of passersby, both locals and tourists, and the window front on Lexington is an incredible draw. People were always stopping outside our window display to admire Gabrel Barcia-Colombo’s video sculptures, then wander on inside (so be sure to have an eye-cathing display!).
As a brand new pop-up gallery, we were focused on getting as much exposure as possible to help build our clientele, and RS POP certainly helped us do that by putting us front and center in a very elite neighborhood. More importantly though, the hotel’s strong art focus was a fantastic match for us and helped us connect with our target audience. It seemed like there was always some sort of arts-related event or opening going on, whether it was at the LAB Gallery installation space on the corner or the Solarium Room in the hotel, and the people in and around the hotel were all art enthusiasts, including the owner, James Knowles, who is the artist-in-residence there.
The staff is also a remarkable asset and support system. John and Melissa and the Panman Productions team were a pleasure to work with and helped us ensure that everything went smoothly. They also checked in often to make sure we were having the best experience possible and gave us notice when an arts-related event was happening at the hotel so we could be prepared. As a new business, it was so helpful to have that kind of support system in place, and we really can’t thank them enough for all their efforts.
In short, we highly recommend booking the RS POP shop! Great people, great space, great location.
Roger Smith Pop Review by Gail Travis
“Participating with the RS Pop up Shop team has undoubtedly helped to promote and expose my new knitwear label, N:F:P. Such a unique experience being able to build out my own boutique the way I have envisioned for my brand. It is rare to find not only a space to create as your own for up to a months time, but also have the expert support staff to help execute a special trunk show/cocktail party event, and social media tools such as videos, links to blogs, etc. to gain diverse promotion of any new art form.
Melissa Gonzalez is truly an amazing entrepreneur who was always there to help. She was never without an idea to creatively launch my first two collections to the public; either through the shop or online promotion. Melissa, and lets not forget her dog Mila, are the most adorable team with the most motivating and energizing spirit. No matter what the idea, she was ready to make it happen.
I am looking forward to continuing a strong partnership with John Knowles and his RS Pop Team to launch and promote my future collections of New Form Perspective. Their service has become an integral part of the N:F:P selling and branding platform. The midtown location has grown my customer list to include numerous new international clients and contacts, as well as a growing local NYC customer base. Truly a wonderful experience and encourage anyone starting their own business to look into the opportunity. The possibilities are endless and the team thrives on new creative techniques to try!!
Thank you John, Melissa, Abi, and Alek for everything!! Can’t wait to work together again soon!!”
Father and Son, James and John Knowles, talk about the Urban Crystals and what it means to be Live on the internet. A highlight of our first Roger Smith Live Broadcast, shot outside of 125 East 47th Street. We have come a long way but have maintained our stride and interest in the arts. Creating original content and building relationships like arching bridges, we press on regardless.
What kind of artists medium would you like to see us profile in our future art investigations? Please Leave a comment below with your feedback and present us with your ideas. Thanks for watching. Till next time, stay tuned for the Live event.
The reality is, you can do a lot with a fryingpan. You can cook with it, use it as a weapon, and use it as a symbol of style and sexiness. The collaboration between Panman and Dolita Paris has been one of Magic. She has proved that anything is possible and you actually can do a lot with a fryingpan.
In your opinion which item from the collection do you think should be massed produced? Please comment, share and engage.
By Chrysa Pik
Reminiscing back to the eighties, I can say for myself, that Joan Jett was a familiar name during that time, and a name that for many, sparked a mental image of the iconic female rebel of rock n’ roll. One thing that both Jett and I have in common, is that we were both born on the same month and day of September 22nd, making us both Virgoans on the cusp of Libra. Other than that similarity, I would have to say that I never started an all girl rock band, or had a #1 hit cover, or been the epitome of coolness, at least outside of my own mind.
Although, I didn’t really know that much about The Runaways, the all girl teen-aged rock band, that Jett started in 1975, I knew that they came to fruition somewhere in the 70s, and were one of the predecessors in paving the way for other exceptional females, such as The Go-Gos, The Bangles, Hole, Bikini Kill, L7, and The Donnas. The curiosity to know more about Jett’s history as a musician, and the band’s history as a whole, is what really prompted me to go see the movie.
The Runaways, is based on the book, Neon Angel: A Memoir of the Runaways, which is written by Cherie Currie, and Tony O’Neill. Currie was the lead singer of the The Runaways, and O’Neill, a New York based author and one time musician.
The film is directed by Floria Sigismondi, and produced by Joan Jett, Kenny Laguna, and Brian Young. Sigismondi is known for directing music videos for artists such as Marilyn Manson, David Bowie, Bjork, The Cure, The White Stripes, Interpol, Incubus, Christina Aguilera, Muse, Sigur Ros, and Incubus.
Director, Floria Sigismondi
The opening scene did grab my attention, primarily because it involved bodily fluids. A drop of blood on the street as two teenaged girls dressed in skirts cross to the other side, running to the bathroom, to switch underwear. The menstruating victim turns out to be Cherry Currie, played by Dakota Fanning, and the movie opens, as it focuses on her close relationship with her sister Marie Currie. Marie Currie is played by Riley Keough, daughter of Lisa Mary Presley, and oldest grandchild of Elvis.
The two sisters grow up in California, in a dysfunctional family, with an alcoholic dad, and a self-obsessed mom who impulsively decides to just get up and move to Indonesia with her fiancée. Marie is the more boring and responsible older sister, who works a steady job at a fast food joint, while Cherrie escapes her empty family life by fantasizing about rock n’ roll, specifically David Bowie. We see her idolization of him at her high school talent show, where she lip syncs to “Lady Grinning Soul” with her face dressed in glam rock makeup. Students boo her off the stage, and she walks off while flipping the bird to the audience with both hands.
I was curious to see Dakota Fanning, being that I haven’t really seen her in anything since War of the Worlds, so for me this was going to be my first viewing of her in a more “adult” role, even though she is only 15 in the movie. Great role for Fanning to break out with, as her unspoken announcement to the world that she is no longer a child actress, incase there were those who weren’t aware.
Fanning plays a drug induced Currie, who was also only 15-years old when the band started, and is scantily clad in a corset, fishnets and platform boots. I was particularly impressed by her acting in a specific scene where the group was being filmed in Japan during their performance of “Cherry Bomb”. Crushing uppers beneath her platform boots, right before snorting them off the floor, she lets it all out on the stage, and performs as the 16 year old Currie did, more than 30 years ago.
The idea that Twilight star Kristen Stewart was playing Jett, was one of the reasons why I didn’t want to see this film. I’m not a big fan of Stewart, being that she is not exactly known for her high-energy acting, and sometimes watching her act is as exciting as watching a dog urinate. I must admit though, that I actually think she wasn’t as bad as I thought she would be, compared to her previous roles. Even though critics, and Joan Jett herself, claimed she did such an impressive job, describing her work as “quiet intensity”, I still wasn’t all that moved by her performance.
I was surprised to see that Fanning seemed to steal the show, being that Stewart seemed to be more of the focus in previews. Fanning’s role dealt with the most struggle and inner conflict, and the band’s existence seemed to revolve around her, so for those reasons, she took the lead on this one.
Although, Stewart’s character is significant, because after all Jett is the pivotal reason the band comes together, but she doesn’t seem to say all that much in the film, and her part seemed to be somewhat underwritten. Although, I have read that Jett has been described by some as being quiet, until she performs.
It was impressive to see that both Stewart and Fanning actually sang themselves, in the movie, which helped in adding to the believability of the band.
Something else that helped in strengthening the movie was Michael Shannon, who played eccentric and eyeliner wearing producer Kim Fowley, son of actors Douglas Fowley and Shelby Payne.
Jett convinces Fowley after just meeting him outside a rock club, that he should start an all girl rock band, in which he agrees to, and then introduces her to drummer Sandy West. Jett and West practice in a garage until Fowley realizes that they’re missing something. That something is sex, and so, they go out to the local club searching for an attractive girl to front their band, which is where Currie comes in the picture.
Shannon, who was nominated for an Academy Award for Revolutionary Road (2008), does a great job with his eccentric performance as Fowley, and was casted well in this part. Shannon comes across effectively as blunt and crude, and also brings some humor into the movie, although according to some, Kim Fowley was nothing more than a sexist who made money off of exploiting the vulnerable females, especially Currie.
“He’s a genius,” said Kim Fowley about Shannon in an interview with Chris Estey from KEXP Blog.” “He’s the new Christopher Walken. And I’m privileged that he was able to get enough of me to make it watchable. It transcended the printed page. He’s working with Martin Scorcese on his Broadway project, that’s what he’s doing now. This guy’s like John Garfield or Humphrey Bogart playing you. I mean, wouldn’t you like that?”
The Runaways existed from around 1975-1979. Band members included Joan Jett (rhythm guitar and vocals), Cherie Currie (Vocals), Lita Ford(Lead Guitar), Sandy West(Drums), and both Micki Steele and Peggy Foster played bass guitar briefly but were replaced in 1975 by Jackie Fox. In 1977, Vicky Blue replaced Fox on bass, and in 1978 Laura McAllister replaced Blue.
The actual band, The Runaways. From left: Joan Jett, Sandy West, Cherrie Currie, Jackie Fox, and Lita Ford.
Overall, the movie was entertaining, on a superficial level. The Runaway’s unraveling, from the middle to the end of the movie, happens so fast, and without any depth, that it’s hard to understand the dynamics within the band that ends up destroying them. We get the obvious gist that there was a whole lot of sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll involved, but the only person it seems to affect in the most negative sense is Currie, not being able to deal with all the attention and addictions, while Jett just seems to be more concerned with her music.
At the end of the movie, the focus then transfers over to Jett, and the viewer gets a sense of how she goes off on her own to start the beginning of her very own career.
The film on a whole seemed to be more concerned with projecting the bands image, and I can already foresee its marketing tactics succeed as a bunch of teenaged girls will most likely be running around wearing “The Runaway” tee-shirts tucked in their tight leather pants.
“And Jett hastens to explain that ‘The Runaways’ is absolutely not a biopic,” said Gary Graff, writer from Film Journal. “It’s not fact-for-fact. What they did was basically take elements from the Runaways story and created a parallel narrative.”
Not really a movie to take seriously, but a fun flick, to watch. It was interesting to learn about the backgrounds of the singers and how they came together. The Runaways made me want to revert to my younger years, when mortality was overlooked and life seemed everlasting. It also made me want to do a lot of drugs, listen to music, and be really irresponsible. Unfortunately, I had to wake up early the next morning to go to work, so I opted instead to just have a cup of coffee, and went to bed an hour later than usual. What can I say… it’s the rebel in me.
The Art Interactive experience with Mark Wiener and Etienne Charles in the Penthouse of the Roger Smith Hotel was an exploration into Art, Jazz and Video Experimentation.
Etienne and Mark played off each other to create a unique live experience. The event, which was broadcasting live from New York, was also projected in real time at at the Decorazon Gallery in Texas.
#SMartCAMP introduces Molly Crabapple of Dr. Sketchy at the Roger Smith Hotel.
Molly Crabapple is an award-winning artist, author and founder of Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School. She has been called “One of New York’s coolest denizens” by the NY Post, “a downtown phenomenon” by the New York Times, and “THE artist of our time” by comedian Margaret Cho. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Marvel Comics, and she has spoken at the Museum of Modern Art, South by Southwest Interactive, and Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art in Helsinki. Molly calls New York her home, but travels internationally speaking, exhibiting art, and spreading the Sketchy’s gospel.
Dr. Sketchy’s in the Solarium @RShotel
The amazing Raquel Reed (@ihateraquelreed) in the Solarium of the Roger Smith Hotel.
These sketches were created by Ruth Kim, an aspiring artist residing in New York City.
It is a military notion to centralize communication tools so that everyone within an organization, community or ecosystem is operating within a similar structure. With many blog platforms to choose from, I believe that tumblr is the right fit to increase our community engagement. John Birdsong has written a very thorough explanation of the platform and its functionality which will be able to help you understand how this system really works.
To look internally and think locally is the objective. The people on this list are members of the greater Roger Smith Community who interact with you on a daily basis. It is my goal to broaden our community engagement and open the flood gates to the potential of our team as a whole.
I encourage you to sign up and follow anyone you know in an effort to increase internal awareness of our online presence. If you have any concerns of questions, please don’t be too shy to ask. It is a sharing platform that will allow for media to spread efficiently within our network.
What can you expect? When Panman Productions began its relationship with the Roger Smith Hotel we engaged in a series of dailies which were quick snapshots of the the work that were engaged in at the moment. It is my goal to re-instate the daily notion and open the interactions to all members of the Roger Smith Community. Know that you can be a simple observer or an active participant in content distribution. If you have any question on how to engage in the process I am happy to help facilitate you interests.
Tribal identity is no longer a function of ethnic heritage or geographic locale. It is a choice. You express this choice to the outside world through your personal style.
At Tribal Couture their mission is simple: Enhance your personal style and express yourself …. with jewels that are just as bold and unique as you are!
A Live art installment will take place on February 23rd from 7-9PM in the Roger Smith Popup Shop. Join us for one night of projection entertainment by Panman and Freakcast to compliment the Bold Jewelry line Tribal Couture.
For Christmas I received the best present I have gotten in a really long time…
It was an awesome terra bite drive from the Panman Team. For those of you who don’t know, that’s a lot of space to put lots of media files. What could make a girl happier? (O.K. flowers are cool. I love flowers, but you get the point .)
Anyway, as a result of this really great gift, I was inspired to clean up my old storage drives, and during this process I started watching all the work I had shot and edited over the years. (Admittedly some pieces were better than others.) Nevertheless, as we approached a new year, I thought it was appropriate to take a look back …… not just on the last year, but the last ten.
This is a medley. Not just a year in review, but a cleansing of my drives and releasing of content I have been holding onto for years. Hopefully it is a fond farewell. I like what I have done in the past, but as they say, your only as good as your last story… So alas, I must press on.
This year has been a huge period of change for me. I find myself in a completely different place than I was in January 2009, and I look around with amazement. The only constant in life is change, and therefore I must go with the flow and facilitate that momentum within my work.
I want to re-approach my traditional way of creating content and start the New Year off fresh, with a cleansed pallet.
I am not looking to banish the past, but rather release it. I want to evoke the storyteller inside me and really think about new ways to create and live, but first this process was necessary.
Oh one last thing…
There are a few shots I borrowed from other members of the Panman team, so thanks guys for making me look good….again.
The music is from the “IN C REMIXED” project. I highly recommend music lovers check it out. Jad Abumrad, a composer and radio producer created the version I used. Among other things he’s one of the hosts and creators of RADIO LAB. I insist if you haven’t heard it, you must. It’s my lifeblood. If you’re curious, start with THIS EPISODE, but listen to them all. You’ll Laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll learn something new. This is the direction I hope to take my story telling.
-Abianne Prince
