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Saturday, August 20, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
NYAA ARTIST STEPHEN SHAHEEN 9/11 MEMORIAL PROJECT
NATION’S LARGEST COMMUNITY-CREATED 9/11 MEMORIAL NEARS COMPLETION
After 10 years, a grassroots group of volunteers complete a 100-ton stone sculptural memorial
AUGUST 17, 2011 – HIGHLANDS, NJ - A group of dedicated volunteers based in New Jersey prepare to inaugurate the nation’s first all-inclusive community-created September 11th tribute, which has been in development for over nine years. On this year’s anniversary of 9/11, all surviving family members will finally have a memorial to honor their loved ones during a sundown event at Veteran’s Memorial Park in Highlands, NJ planned for 6:00 p.m. EDT.
It is a rewarding conclusion for those working on The Memoria Project. After nearly a decade of work and planning the project is ready to be installed, uniting five granite boulders in Vermont engraved with all 2,983 victims with the centerpiece statues created in 2002. The result is a 100-ton tribute collaboratively created by thousands of participants--from local families to international supporters all over the world.
“Creating the memorial was the easy part,” observes Memoria Project President and Artist Stephen Shaheen. “Our community needed a way to heal after the devastation of 9/11 when our friends and loved ones disappeared without goodbyes. The act of physical participation in something tangible and larger than ourselves was a chance to cope with personal and communal losses.”
The project was not without setbacks. “Our effort has faced many challenges since we started nine years ago, but our organization and the local community never gave up,” stated Evan Urbania, Chairman of The Memoria Project. “Everyone on the Project’s Board is looking forward to some form of closure with the memorial’s completion. There is an undeniable passion and drive from our supporters to finish this memorial, and we are very pleased to complete its installation in time for the tenth anniversary.”
Unforeseen factors such as a defect appearing in one of the stones that required replacement, exhaustive name-checking prior to the engraving and funding issues due to the organization’s all-volunteer structure made the project’s aggressive timeline stretch out longer than expected.
Despite the delays, The Memoria Project has been fueled by an outpouring of community support and generosity over the years. With no commission or government funding, the group succeeded in raising funds and in-kind services from thousands of individuals and companies. RED Graniti, Vermont Quarries and Virgina Mist donated over 100 tons of high-quality stone. Contractors, engineers and landscapers have offered their services for everything from concrete foundations to irrigation. The New York Stock Exchange made a major gift and hosted a fundraiser honoring 9/11 advocates. Most recently, one of Europe’s top lighting companies, Reggiani Illumination, donated $20,000 worth of high-end light fixtures for the project. The organization continues to seek final support and funds for the installation and long-term care of the memorial.
“We believed in the idea of a community coming together in a time of need,” says Shaheen. “This project has proven repeatedly that resolve and collaboration trump forces of destruction.”
About The Memoria Project
The Memoria Project was formed in 2002 by local New Jersey residents in response to the trauma of 9/11. With the assistance of many generous individuals and companies, The Memoria Project succeeded in creating two 20-ton marble statues on Sandy Hook, Gateway National Recreation Area. The statues were carved outdoors, where visitors and surviving family members could watch and participate. The Project ran over 30 educational programs surrounding the creation of these statues including courses in sculpture and art history, as well as special programs focusing on art as therapy for those who lost loved ones on 9/11. Programs often highlighted the traditional sculptural techniques used under the direction of New York-based sculptor Stephen Shaheen and two master stone carvers flown in from Italy.
For more information about The Memoria Project visit www.memoriaproject.com. Images, descriptions and captions can be found online via Flickr at http://cbla.st/memoriaproject.
About Stephen Shaheen
Stephen Shaheen is an artist and designer residing in Brooklyn, NY. He has trained extensively in Italy and earned his MFA from the New York Academy of Art in 2005. He is the recipient of a Ludwig Volgestein grant, the Italian Cultural Institute/La Fortuna Foundation Fellowship, and a 2009-2010 Residency at the Digital Stone Project. Shaheen’s indoor and outdoor installations are in public and private collections in the United States and Europe. He currently teaches at the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts, the New York Academy of Art, and is the director of Tuscany Study, an intensive art program in Italy. Stephen’s art has evolved from stone to drawings to plastic found objects, recently receiving widespread recognition for his Metrobench constructed from 5,000 New York City Metrocards. For more information, visit www.stephenshaheen.com.
| A Letter From The Memoria Project's Executive Director, Evan Urbania |
September, 2003
The events of September 11th and what they mean for us in our personal or professional lives are still very close. Even after two years, I believe many of us still lack any real sense of perspective on it.
For me, September 11th was a helplessly surreal experience. I happened to be in Italy with sculptor Stephen Shaheen, and was emerging from an 800 year-old church when we received the first pieces of information. After watching the horror unfold from 3,000 miles away, I returned home to a community severely crippled and traumatized by the events of that day.
I personally spent the following months in reflection, remembering the shock and sorrow on the faces of my friends, loved ones and community members. It has been an overwhelming and wrenching experience for me, and I share the anguish of the families and colleagues of the missing.
The Memoria Project grew from a commitment to help begin the process of healing through art. I am proud and honored to be part of a project that is already successfully on its way to achieving its mission. This success can be seen and heard in the personal letters sent to us by surviving family members, in the active community participation in our education programs, and through participation by surviving family members during the first phase of construction. Our goal to include the public and surviving family members in the actual sculpting of the statues was as important as the creation of the memorial itself. We believe that art heals, and we strive to give everyone affected by September 11th the opportunity to take part in the process of creation – and hopefully the process of healing.
It is an exciting time for The Memoria Project as we enter the second phase of construction. This involves the preparation and polishing of five large granite boulders and engraving almost 3,000 victims’ names. This process is being executed by an advanced stone facility in Vermont, and will be complete by the end of 2005. Information and photos will be available on our website as the process advances.
Due largely to efforts made by Congressman Christopher Smith, Congressman Frank Pallone, and State Senator Joseph Kyrillos, representatives from the National Park Service and local surviving family members met to discuss permanent placement on Sandy Hook on July 21, 2003. We are grateful that the National Park Service is listening to the community’s request, and look forward to continued discussions.
On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to thank all of our donors and supporters for making financial or in-kind contributions to our effort. Your generosity has truly touched us all, and you have directly assisted a community-involved effort to create a permanent tribute to all those who perished, and all those affected by September 11th. We are particularly grateful to Judith Stanley Coleman for hosting last year’s fundraiser and to PNC Bank and The New York Stock Exchange for making generous lead gifts that helped set the tone for our fundraising campaigns.
The Memoria Project is proud to be collaborating with Rutgers University, the State University of New Jersey. In addition to hosting a forum on memorial art in New Jersey on September 12, 2003, the University will be archiving all aspects of The Memoria Project at the main campus art library so that future generations of students and artists may benefit from the experiences and lessons learned while creating this memorial.
Special thanks should be extended to our talented and dedicated Board of Directors and volunteer committee members for their continued support throughout the year. Without them, The Memoria Project would simply not be possible.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank our partners who have offered their expertise and resources to further our effort: The National Park Service, Congressman Christopher Smith, Congressman Frank Pallone, State Senator Joseph Kyrillos, The Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders, Rutgers University, The Highlands Business Partnership and the Borough of Highlands. I extend special appreciation to Stephen Shaheen, my colleague and my friend who had the creative vision and compassionate desire to create what has now become The Memoria Project.
Finally, as we continue to make progress and work towards project completion, I would like to thank the surviving family members in our community who have stepped forward and shared their personal stories of how the events of September 11th affected them. Your strength, resolve and bravery is astounding, and we at The Memoria Project are as committed as you are to create a lasting tribute to the victims, and survivors, of September 11th, 2001.
Evan Urbania
Executive Director
The Memoria Project, Inc.
Monday, August 15, 2011
TRIBECA FLASHPOINT ACADEMY'S CAREER TECH PROGRAM INCLUUDED IN CRAIN'S NEW TECH ARTICLE
How Chicago's new tech execs are deploying their freshly minted wealth in the city's philanthropic scene
Kevin Willer, president and CEO of the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center
Photo by: Erik Unger“A lot of technology entrepreneurs are really about reinvesting back into the start-up community,” says Kevin Willer, president and CEO of the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center. “There's an unwritten rule that if you have success as a start-up person, you should reinvest your earnings—your winnings—back into the next generation of early-stage leaders and companies.”
Mr. Willer, who co-founded Google Inc.'s Chicago office before taking on his role at the CEC in March, is planning to do that himself. He's on the boards of several civic groups and non-profits, including the Illinois Technology Assn. and Urban Students Empowered, which aims to make college a reality for low-income Chicago students.
Mr. Willer notes that many technology entrepreneurs are also focused on youth education initiatives. “The start-up community is driven by having the right, talented workforce to run and grow these high-growth companies,” he says. “It's about, how can we be sure that the next-generation workforce is prepared for these types of jobs and that a company doesn't have to move away because they can't find the talent here?”
Mr. Willer notes that many tech entrepreneurs are focused on youth education initiatives.
He points to Eric Lefkofsky and Brad Keywell, founders of Groupon Inc., as examples of the trend. The duo also has a venture-capital fund, Lightbank. Mr. Keywell is planning “Chicago Ideas Week,” a non-profit festival slated for October that will feature scores of speakers giving short talks on ideas that could spawn new businesses or civic projects. “This weeklong celebration of ideas and innovation—Brad did that,” Mr. Willer says. “He didn't need to do it. He could have just written a check, but he's all about, ‘Let's do things differently and let's do things new.' “
Mr. Lefkofsky and his wife, Liz, also run the Lefkofsky Family Foundation, a charitable trust supporting scientific, civic and educational causes, with a special focus on women and children.
'CIVIC-MINDED'
Another local technology entrepreneur, Matt Moog, founded BuiltinChicago.org, a blog and networking hub for Chicago techies. He also feels technology entrepreneurs are interested in growing the start-up ecosystem and financing the educational and entrepreneurial projects that support it.
“It's more civic-minded—the idea that, what else can we do to help the next generation of entrepreneurs get together and succeed?” Mr. Moog says.
He contends that many more education groups serving low-income and minority students are getting attention from technology entrepreneurs, groups like the Chicago Technology Academy, I.C. Stars, Future Founders and the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship.
Tech entrepreneur Howard Tullman created Chicago-based Tribeca Flashpoint Academy of the Media Arts and Sciences, a for-profit school that offers associate's degrees in film and broadcast, recording arts, animation and visual effects, and game and interactive media. Mr. Tullman meets with city officials regularly to offer ideas for using technology to make government more efficient. He says the city administration is calling on technology leaders for more collaborative work on public-private projects.
One example is the Chicago Career Tech Initiative, a workforce-development program subsidized by city and state funds. Mr. Tullman's academy has trained about 100 students in a social media and marketing class through the program, which serves unemployed, middle-income students looking to enhance their job skills.
Leaders at Lumity, a Chicago-based non-profit that provides technology resources to other non-profits, say the city's economic crisis has prompted more collaborative work among technology leaders and government.
“The biggest trend and where Lumity is going is having the public and private sector come together,” says Kara Kennedy, Lumity's executive director. “Societal issues are only growing and government budgets are shrinking, so you'll see more coordinated efforts to address issues.”
© 2011 by Crain Communications Inc.
NEW WORK BY TULLMAN COLLECTION ARTIST FRANCIEN KRIEG FEATURED ON POETS AND ARTISTS BLOG
Francien Krieg (1973) lives and works in The Hague, The Netherlands.
In the studio of Francien Krieg a glass is displayed with bird skulls and a small fetus in a jar. It is noticeable that transience of nature intrigues her. In the work of Krieg the theme of transience concentrates on the naked body of elderly women. Krieg paints the naked woman unpolished and realistic, as a pure human being. The beauty of imperfection becomes clear in her raw, poetic art and has the capacity to touch the observer.
Krieg always painted human beings. At first she was intrigued by the form of the human body, but gradually her fascination with the texture and the colors of the human skin increased which is expressed in her realistic style. She tried once to show the inner side of human beings, but that did not appeal her. ‘I think the inside is bloody and nasty, while the outside is interesting for me. The wrinkles and varicose veins of the elderly are to most people an illustration of imperfection, but to me they depict beauty.
According to me, a smooth, polished skin is less interesting then an aged skin. Painting the unpolished, aged skin is a way to express the inside.’
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Chicago tech veterans reach way back with relaunch of uBid
Chicago tech veterans reach way back with relaunch of uBid
At a time when it's easier than ever to start a web company from scratch, some well-known Chicago tech veterans are trying to revive a faded dot-com instead.
Angel investor Bob Geras paid $1.9 million for Itasca-based uBid.com in a foreclosure sale, wagering that the auction site's brand name and 6 million registered users can be worth far more.
Now he's enlisted a who's who of backers that spans Chicago's turn-of-the-century tech heyday and its current boom. They include Howard Tullman, who was a director of uBid during the late 1990s; John Walter, ex-CEO of R. R. Donnelley & Sons Co. and former Groupon Inc. board member, and Brian McCormack, a founder of InnerWorkings Inc., a Chicago online printing broker. Some have invested only time; others have invested money as well.
They're testing the idea that battered websites are a better bet than new ones as the Internet gets more crowded. The odds are long, even for a veteran turnaround investor such as Mr. Geras. Growth in e-auctions has peaked, and the space is dominated by eBay Inc., a $9.2-billion-a-year giant based in San Jose, Calif. These days, discounts such as daily deals are what excite consumers.
“There have been plenty of companies that have tried that (turnaround) strategy, and there have been a number of them that failed,” says R. J. Hottovy, an analyst at Chicago-based Morningstar Inc. “The auction business is very competitive.”
PEAKS AND VALLEYS
Founded in 1997, uBid has twice been a public company and has had six owners— including serial dot-com buyer CMGI Inc. of Delaware and Minnetonka, Minn.-based Petters Group Worldwide, whose founder was a convicted Ponzi schemer—and nearly as many CEOs and variations on its business plan. It enjoys the dubious distinction of having been both a penny stock and a shooting star with a market cap of more than $1 billion.
Mr. Geras, 74, got involved in uBid in 2007 and was its largest creditor when the company defaulted on its loans in 2010.
It might have been easier for Mr. Geras to cut his losses. Annual sales were headed below $16 million from a peak of $103 million in 2003. Since it was founded, uBid piled up more than $200 million in operating losses.
“It was a fairly easy decision for me,” says Mr. Geras, president of LaSalle Investments Inc., who declines to disclose his own investment. “I saw tremendous potential here. The company is in the right place at the right time. It's countercyclical. Everyone's looking for a bargain.”
UBid's core business is auctioning refurbished computers and other electronics that it buys from manufacturers such as Hewlett-Packard Co. and Sony Inc. Of uBid's 6-million subscriber base, more than half are men, with an average age of 45 to 55.
“We want to skew it younger,” says Mr. Koerner, who's betting that aggressive use of social media could quickly open the door to 25- to 35-year-olds who buy plenty of computer gear.
He says uBid is unique because sellers are companies, not consumers, and its auctions often feature multiple-item lots that attract a different type of buyer. That differentiates uBid from popular discount sites such as Overstock.com or Tiger Direct.
UBid will have to beef up marketing, and it's already spending to update the look and feel of the website itself, which is a technological patchwork pieced together over the years. But Mr. Koerner says the core business is solid, and financials already have shown improvement, though he declines to disclose them.
“It's a restart with a lot of assets in place people would be happy to have,” Mr. Tullman says. “Turning it around is no easy job for anyone. We're going to see whether uBid can re-envision itself in a new world of social media and reinvigorate users.”
Also on uBid's board: Chicago lawyer and investor Richard Doermer; Basil Falcone, a former vice-chairman of local pharmaceutical distributor General Drug Co., and Cars.com Senior Vice-president Alex Vetter.
© 2011 by Crain Communications Inc.
CEO Scott Koerner hopes the aggressive use of social media will help turn around uBid.
Photo by: Erik UngerAngel investor Bob Geras paid $1.9 million for Itasca-based uBid.com in a foreclosure sale, wagering that the auction site's brand name and 6 million registered users can be worth far more.
Now he's enlisted a who's who of backers that spans Chicago's turn-of-the-century tech heyday and its current boom. They include Howard Tullman, who was a director of uBid during the late 1990s; John Walter, ex-CEO of R. R. Donnelley & Sons Co. and former Groupon Inc. board member, and Brian McCormack, a founder of InnerWorkings Inc., a Chicago online printing broker. Some have invested only time; others have invested money as well.
They're testing the idea that battered websites are a better bet than new ones as the Internet gets more crowded. The odds are long, even for a veteran turnaround investor such as Mr. Geras. Growth in e-auctions has peaked, and the space is dominated by eBay Inc., a $9.2-billion-a-year giant based in San Jose, Calif. These days, discounts such as daily deals are what excite consumers.
“There have been plenty of companies that have tried that (turnaround) strategy, and there have been a number of them that failed,” says R. J. Hottovy, an analyst at Chicago-based Morningstar Inc. “The auction business is very competitive.”
PEAKS AND VALLEYS
Founded in 1997, uBid has twice been a public company and has had six owners— including serial dot-com buyer CMGI Inc. of Delaware and Minnetonka, Minn.-based Petters Group Worldwide, whose founder was a convicted Ponzi schemer—and nearly as many CEOs and variations on its business plan. It enjoys the dubious distinction of having been both a penny stock and a shooting star with a market cap of more than $1 billion.
Mr. Geras, 74, got involved in uBid in 2007 and was its largest creditor when the company defaulted on its loans in 2010.
It might have been easier for Mr. Geras to cut his losses. Annual sales were headed below $16 million from a peak of $103 million in 2003. Since it was founded, uBid piled up more than $200 million in operating losses.
' The company is in the right place at the right time.'
But Mr. Geras doubled down, submitting the winning (and only) bid for uBid in a court- ordered auction in October. He then hired CEO Scott Koerner, a former merchandising executive at Boca Raton, Fla.-based Office Depot Inc. who had been working on a turnaround plan with uBid's previous management. — Bob Geras, president,
LaSalle Investments Inc.
LaSalle Investments Inc.
“It was a fairly easy decision for me,” says Mr. Geras, president of LaSalle Investments Inc., who declines to disclose his own investment. “I saw tremendous potential here. The company is in the right place at the right time. It's countercyclical. Everyone's looking for a bargain.”
UBid's core business is auctioning refurbished computers and other electronics that it buys from manufacturers such as Hewlett-Packard Co. and Sony Inc. Of uBid's 6-million subscriber base, more than half are men, with an average age of 45 to 55.
“We want to skew it younger,” says Mr. Koerner, who's betting that aggressive use of social media could quickly open the door to 25- to 35-year-olds who buy plenty of computer gear.
He says uBid is unique because sellers are companies, not consumers, and its auctions often feature multiple-item lots that attract a different type of buyer. That differentiates uBid from popular discount sites such as Overstock.com or Tiger Direct.
UBid will have to beef up marketing, and it's already spending to update the look and feel of the website itself, which is a technological patchwork pieced together over the years. But Mr. Koerner says the core business is solid, and financials already have shown improvement, though he declines to disclose them.
“It's a restart with a lot of assets in place people would be happy to have,” Mr. Tullman says. “Turning it around is no easy job for anyone. We're going to see whether uBid can re-envision itself in a new world of social media and reinvigorate users.”
Also on uBid's board: Chicago lawyer and investor Richard Doermer; Basil Falcone, a former vice-chairman of local pharmaceutical distributor General Drug Co., and Cars.com Senior Vice-president Alex Vetter.
© 2011 by Crain Communications Inc.
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