Paula Parrish, one of our favorite photographers, is the first featured artist at an event by Palatte, a place whose mission “is to strike a delicate balance between palate and palette by serving fine Belgian style gourmet dishes, artfully layered in glasses, in a comfortably romantic and visually stimulating décor”. Located just off of Madison Square Park, Palatte offers up all its walls and floors to New York-based artists to give them much-deserved exposure to a more mainstream sector of the city.
     Those interested can take part in a “night of toasts and tapas” this Thursday while surrounded by Paula Parrish’s gorgeous works. Steven, the organizer, tells us, “I was introduced to Paula’s work by a mutual friend and even though our initial intention was to do a painting opening exhibit, I liked her work so much we really wanted Paula to do it. And luckily she agreed.”

The event will take place this Thursday, August 12 at 7:30 p.m at 66 Madison Avenue. RSVP to andrea@palattenyc.com.
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Watching the oil spill unfold in the Gulf has been devastating to witness.  And “devastating” is even an understatement — from the ubiquitous photographs of oiled pelicans to the recent news that the amount of oil flooding the gulf is actually far more than we were told, meaning that the equivalent of the Exxon Valdez disaster has been spewing into the ocean every 4 to 6 days — there are simply no words capable of expressing the dismay and anger that we all feel as witnesses to this horrific level of environmental destruction. Bill McKibben, who we interviewed recently about his new book, has eloquently written about the wider ramifications we’ve missed in our coverage of the spill. We urge you to take a look.
While many of us live far from the coasts of Louisiana and Florida, where the oil is literally lapping at the shores, we can each offer what we are able in the form of monetary donations. For those readers in the area, or with access to it, there are also many organizations looking for volunteers. For all of us who feel the urge to do something — anything — to help, what follows is a list of non-profit organizations that we recommend donating to, or volunteering for:
     The National Wildlife Federation is accepting donations to help them save the more than 400 species of animals threatened by the spill, as well as looking for volunteers to observe the coast for signs of oil and injured wildlife. The Audobon Nature Institute is accepting donations to fund their triage units which treat marine animals such as otters and sea turtles. The Mobile Baykeeper is an Alabama-based organization currently devoting their efforts to the gravely threatened coast.
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We did a piece last year on mockups for the international pavilions slated for this year’s World Expo. Now that they are actually all built and the expo is officially open, we wanted to show you how some of the finished structures turned out.

All images courtesy of Dezeen
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Loomstate Organic, an ecologically minded clothing company based in New York, brings Earth Day back to its psychedelic roots with a unique celebration of the environmental holiday’s 40th anniversary this Wednesday.
      Forty drummers — led by Hisham Akira Bharoocha of Soft Circle and including musicians from the bands Aska, Oneida, and Lichens, among others — will take part in a drumming ceremony to commemorate the occasion, followed by DJ sets by Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear. Opportunities to explore a “twenty-foot-tall pyramid interactive psychedelic installation” abound alongside carnivalesque offerings such as face painting and psychic readings.
     All interested Earth lovers in NYC can celebrate forty years of Earth Day in the free-wheeling atmosphere of its original decade with free shuttle service from the Bowery to the event location in Midtown.
     Our Magnificent Earth will take place at Good Units on Hudson, 356 West 58th St (between 8th & 9th Ave.) this Wednesday, April 14 from 7-10 p.m. All interested in attending should notify RSVP@loomstate.org for free bus pick-up every 30 minutes from 6:30-9 p.m. from Rogan Store, 330 Bowery St. (corner of Bond).

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