gregory moncada art pop-up

June 25, 2016 by Sara Radin in event

the opening for glued to the screen was pretty perfect -- great weather, great (eclectic) crowd, great times. the art is still for sale and up 'til july 6 at muchmore's @ 2 havemeyer street in williamsburg. greg's work truly fits in with the colorful, graphic space -- and i couldn't have imaged doing this pop-up with anyone else.

gregory moncada // bike rose // 11" x 14" // framed digital collage

gregory moncada // hands and color // 11" x 14" // framed digital collage

thanks to my girl alix h. luntz for the event photos! and thank you to amelia for the tunes <3

cultureisland event recap // sweet as... // walk the west vintage + heather garland art pop-up

June 22, 2016 by Sara Radin in event

a few friday's ago, i hosted a pop-up (sweet as...) in collaboration with walk the west vintage and artist heather garland. it was a true greenpoint gathering and the perfect summer evening with delicious ice cream by weezy's and tasty cocktails thanks to duke's liquor box next door. heather's artful plates truly complement the killer vintage clothing perfectly. the pop-up is still happening through the end of june, so be sure to check it out @ 170 franklin street -- p.s. all of the artwork above is by heather and it's still for sale, so contact me if you're interested (1cultureisland@gmail.com)!

cultureisland + yogamargo event recap // collage for a cause // may 2016

June 13, 2016 by Sara Radin in event

a little over a month ago, a small group of us gathered at georgia vintage on the lower east side and made art for a cause (projectart). that night, happiness was simply a pair of scissors, a stick of glue and some good friends and strangers collaging on the floor. while the collage for a cause event was the smallest cultureisland turn out yet, it was still so special. size simply didn't matter. if anything, it was more intimate than my past events and it allowed for a stronger bond between those who came out that night. the evening started off with a meditation session led by margo, who shared these insightful thoughts:

"we are used to thinking of making decisions as the hard part. but the truth is that often the more difficult thing is realizing that there is a decision to be made, that we have a choice." - tal ben shahar.

power lies in realizing we have a choice.

margo continued: #projectgoodness is an example, where one chooses to focus on what's going well -- on the goodness in and around them. another is project art, its founder adarsh noticed a lack or what was missing in education, and choose to do something about it -- to start project art and give many more kids access to arts education.

collaging is all about choice...

tal ben shahar also says, "choice is creation. to choose is to create. through my choices i create my reality. at every moment in my life i have a choice. moments add up to a lifetime, choices add up to a life. what kind of life do i want for myself? what kind of choices will create this kind of life?"

after that, everyone had the opportunity to cut, paste and truly connect with themselves and one another. together we created a safe space for relaxing and creating without inhibitions or worries from our busy, everyday lives. as margo shared, "the room was filled with ease." one guest was a teacher in town from west africa where she teaches young girls. she had found our class somewhere on the internet and wanted to try it out so she could do a similar activity with her students. it was super special to hear this, that she had plans to take inspiration from our workshop back to her students living in such a different place, half way across the world. collaborating with margo continues to feels easy, natural, flawless and magical -- a rare, seldom and special feeling when collaborating with others. we hope to do another workshop together in the coming months, so stay tuned! thank you to georgia for hosting us again, we are eternally grateful.

culture island event // glued to the screen // gregory moncada art pop-up

May 30, 2016 by Sara Radin in event

my friend diana has been curating shows at muchmore's for a few years now so i was pretty pumped when she approached me to guest curate their june one. i've been wanting to curate a pop-up with my pal gregory moncada for a while now -- we first met in miami at art basel last december and have a ton of mutual friends. greg is like my spirit animal as there's a lot of synergy in how we approach our work. i've been eyeing his scan collages for a while now, and he was the first person i thought of when this opportunity came up. super excited to collaborate with him, and my friend amelia who will be curating the playlist.

more about our collaborative partners:

+ cultureisland: cultureisland is a passion project by sara r. radin in which sara curates events and collaborates with emerging creatives, brands and non-profits. this will be her 18th event since february 2015 and she has many more in the works.

+ gregory moncada: born, raised, living and working in new york, gregory moncada is a visual artist and art industry professional. classically trained in fine arts in florence, italy and a work ethic learned from the streets of new york city, moncada has had constant involvement in creating and exhibiting art, as well as a hand in behind the scenes art world operations. as a communicator, collector and curious explorer who works with passion, moncada consistently searches and experiments with inspiration. details and observations are filed away as source material. papers and visual elements are mentally and physically gathered, then intentionally placed to create expressive works of art. from managing the operations at jonathan levine gallery to the private sales department at christie's auction house, gregory has constant hands on experience with culturally significant works of art. this exposure allows the artist to have a literal finger on the pulse of art history and current worldly exhibitions. the knowledge is transferred into the studio practice and later translated into various visual art expressions.

moncada's artwork takes on several forms. mixed media collage paintings and digital photo interventions, as well as travel sketchbooks and lifestyle photography are among the few. a colorful palette and abstract visual language brand the work with room for continual evolution. marks are made with intention, yet remaining experimental. the subject matter is accessible. the work is made to be understood by the common pedestrian as well as discussed in a formal art critique.

glued to the screen will feature his recent series, scan collages, which use hand selected vintage paper ephemera with colorful digital interventions.

+ amelia holt: amelia is a mexican born, brooklyn based DJ. she currently has a biweekly internet radio show called the fix on kpiss.fm (bushwick radio station) where she plays house and techno music with her co-host eli fola.

facebook event

cultureisland event // sweet as... // art + vintage pop-up

May 28, 2016 by Sara Radin in event

i have two events coming up in june -- the first is a pop-up with walk the west vintage and artist heather garland! i first came across walk the west at my greenpoint coffee shop, budin, where the company hosts monthly pop-ups. when i found out the owner was doing a month long pop-up in our neighborhood, i asked if i could bring some art into the space and immediately thought of heather's work. i only discovered heather's work a few months ago at her recent exhibit with honey ramka. heather's studio is also in greenpoint so we finally met during open studios. she's totally magical and i'm obsessed with her work -- it's so clever and playful and i love how she incorporates thrifted items and objects bought from 99cent stores. the inspiration for the event name came from a quote heather said about her work: “i am interested in things sounding or looking so sweet it almost hurts. i am interested in different conceptions of love and domesticity. in the sweetness of domestic life there can also be darkness and mystery.” i liked the idea of playing on the word sweet, since we are also partnering with weezy's ice cream.

more about our collaborative partners:

+ cultureisland: cultureisland is a passion project by sara r. radin in which sara curates events and collaborates with emerging creatives, brands and non-profits. this will be her 17th event since february 2015 and she has many more in the works.

+ walk the west: brooklyn and london based, walk the west stocks mostly all made in the usa vintage and american made goods like cuchara, a toronto based jewelry company, brooklyn made skincare by ellis and brooklyn poured soy candles.

+ heather garland: heather garland is a brooklyn based visual artist who received her mfa from pratt institute in 2010. her work brings together her obsession with hearts, flowers and rainbows along with her love for thrift store kitsch. she will be showcasing her series, "love is like a butterfly" in which narratives develop from applying oil paint and other adornments to collectable and functional plates.

+ weezy's ice cream: weezy's cultured cow creamery was started by louise carter who, after a three-pint ice cream binge and one too many netflix food documentaries, pondered a world where the words “regret” and “guilt” didn’t exist. weezy’s is now a small batch premium ice cream company whose philosophy is ice cream that feels like you’re treating, not cheating. the brand uses only local ingredients and homemade mix-ins.

+ duke's liquor box: duke's sells all natural craft spirits with a strong focus in the best spirits they can get our hands on. they will be hosting a novo fogo tasting on this night.

* there will be free ice cream and special cocktails thanks to weezy's ice cream, duke's liquor box + novo fogo *

facebook event

cultureisland event recap // delicatessen // montreal art pop-up with sarah osborne

May 10, 2016 by Sara Radin in event

there was something magical about my collaboration with montreal painter sarah osborne -- while we planned the delicatessen event completely through the interwebs, it was totally flawless and one of my favorite pop-ups yet.

both sarah and the deli owner, jeff, were an absolute pleasure to work with and i had the best time pulling this event together. we actually got some press, which was super exciting (see here and here). after spending a week in montreal, i learned that all montrealers are super kind and approachable. sarah, jeff, their friends and all the new people i met on that trip were incredibly warm and welcoming -- i can't wait to go back and do another project there!

p.s. all of the works are still for sale, so contact me if you're interested 1cultureisland@gmail.com

cultureisland + yoga margo event // collage for a cause // may 3 @ 7-9 pm

April 22, 2016 by Sara Radin in event

i'm teaming up with yoga margo and georgia nyc vintage again for a collage workshop that will benefit project art! tickets are $25 through eventbrite HERE with proceeds going to project art. margo will lead a short meditation session and then we will collage -- all supplies are included + there will be provided snacks plus free coffee and tea courtesy of pintail nyc. georiga is offering a discount on really rad vintage clothes this night, with a percentage of store sales going to projectart too. p.s. there are only 15 tickets available!

more about our collaborative partners:

+ cultureisland: cultureisland is a passion project by sara r. radin in which sara collaborates with emerging creatives, non-profits and brands to create unique experiences. she loves nothing more than bringing people together, introducing her friends and celebrating all kinds of creativity. this will be sara's 16th event since february 2015 and she has many more in the works.

+ yoga margo: margo chabot, or yoga margo, is a certified yoga instructor, health coach, artist, and founder of #projectgoodness -- a community dedicated to noticing and adding to the goodness that surrounds us always. she is passionate about giving people the tools to live happier, healthier, and more fulfilling lives through teaching the importance of gratitude, mindfulness and self care.

+ projectart: projectart is an award winning nyc based arts education nonprofit, providing free after school visual arts classes in public libraries across the city. founder adarsh alphons not only believes art is a right but that it also saves lives.

+ georgia nyc: georgia nyc was founded by georgia fenwick in june 2014. a londoner who moved to nyc at age 13, she has had a transatlantic upbringing, being inspired by both europe and america. georgia nyc is a women's vintage clothing shop, focusing mostly on styles from the 60s and 70s. georgia has created a space that encourages experimentation with clothes that have individuality and are accessible.

+ pintail coffee: michael little, the owner of lost weekend (lower east side's former coffee + surf shop) has opened a new coffee counter inside georgia nyc. thank you to pintail for providing us with coffee and tea!

+ allison stefanoni: allison is a current student at FIT studying fashion business but in her spare time she collages under the name magazine hacker. she created our invite as part of a "girls who collage" exchange with sara.

RSVP/buy tickets here

cultureisland event recap // intercourse // dinner party

April 11, 2016 by Sara Radin in event

back in february, i hosted my first dinner party, intercourse, with some new friends sandra and claire. it fell on valentines day and we raised money for scarleteen, a sex education non-profit. sandra runs girl party, an awesome female focused event production company and claire is a chef who hosts dinner pop-ups. both also live in greenpoint so it was fun to partner with some rad ladies from around the neighborhood! i must admit this event was a lot of work but it was a super rewarding and enjoyable experience. it was the first time i fully rented/paid for a space and there were a lot more elements that went into it than my typical pop-ups -- preparing a full meal for our guests, bar service, decor, food service, trying to heat the venue on a freezing cold day, etc. 15 guests celebrated the day of love with us, and all seemed to have a great time. one couple had found out about in on greenpointers, the local news site, through a feature they did about where to spend valentines day. a friend from my birthright israel trip came along with his girlfriend, which was lovely since i hadn't seen them in forever. we also gave out party favors (below) including condoms, lube and illustrated sex education comic books by isabella rotman.

cultureisland event // delicatessen // art pop-up with sarah osborne

March 30, 2016 by Sara Radin in event

my next event is in montreal, meaning cultureisland is going global! super excited about this one:

sara r. radin, nyc based curator of cultureisland, presents delicatessen, a pop-up exhibit of artwork by montreal’s emerging fast food painter, sarah osborne.

more about sarah osborne:

+ originally from montreal, painter sarah osborne received her undergraduate degree in visual arts at uqam | université du québec à montréal. she is currently pursuing an mfa at concordia university. sarah’s interest in capturing food started with a series of paintings she did last summer on the subject of jehane benoit. after leaving for paris to study at la sorbonne, benoit came back to quebec and became the first person to document the traditional quebecois food, cusine canadienne. as sarah was creating this series, she was simultaneously working at hof kelsten, jewish bakery where she grew curious about jewish traditions and cuisine. this ultimately inspired her to create contemporary still life paintings of food including bagels, deli sandwiches and pickles.

more about sara r. radin:

+ sara radin is a writer and curator who lives in brooklyn, new york. full time sara is an art, culture and travel editor for fashion trend forecasting publication, wgsn. in her free time, sara runs cultureisland, a platform for sharing the work of emerging creatives through online interviews and pop-up art events. sara is also a contributing writer for the huffington post and thought catalog, documenting her learnings and journey as a young, creative female navigating new york city.

sara and sarah were first introduced through a mutual friend/artist greg moncada over facebook. sara immediately fell in love with sarah’s paintings of deli sandwiches, hamburgers and hotdogs. together, the two came up with the idea of showing sarah’s paintings at a montreal deli. for several months, sara and sarah have been orchestrating this event over email and skype. they look forward to finally meeting in person, bringing this concept to life and celebrating with friends, family and strangers!

thank you to hof kelsten for hosting + helping us make this idea a reality! wine and mini deli sandwiches will be served with a $5 suggested donation.

rsvp // fb event

* view more of sarah's work on her website or instagram *

cultureisland event recap // the denim disco 2 // february 13, 2016

March 25, 2016 by Sara Radin in event

despite frigid cold temperatures, the denim disco 2 was another smashing success. so many people came out, donated their denim and rang in my 27th birthday with me. juan (wamoo papez) played a great mix of disco hits and contemporary tunes that blended seamlessly with the video alix and i put together last year. the event fell on the 13th of february, marking a year since i started doing cultureisland pop-ups, and my 13th event -- the perfect way to celebrate my birthday! pumped to be embarking on another year of collaborating with great people. plus, things are really starting to pick up i.e. people approaching me with exciting opportunities. thank you for your support! oh and a party highlight was when a rad british chick i met the night before at a bakery, showed up with a box full of donuts.

* photos by chris cawley + alix h. luntz *

cultureisland event recap // LADIES // a los angeles pop-up

March 22, 2016 by Sara Radin in event

back in january i went out to la and hosted the ladies event at otherwild. this was my first time orchestrating an event outside of new york and it went so well! first off, i couldn't believe how many people came out -- friends from college and high school i hadn't seen in years, friends who also happened to be in town from nyc and even a girl i had met at the broad museum the day before. the ladies who participated got along really nicely and at the end of the night they all swapped their artwork and exchanged phone numbers. it was amazing to see such a supportive group of strong, creative gals. many thanks to otherwild for hosting this thing and helping me make a dream a reality. the experience was so special and gave me the confidence to continue hosting events outside of new york.

thank you to movement buttons for these ladies pins!

thoughtful gesture from the coolest lady sera sloane.

snail mail from la ladies julia and jillian! — snail mail from la ladies julia and jillian!

and then my heart melted thanks to an old college galpal.

cultureisland event // intercourse: an alternative valentines day dinner party

February 04, 2016 by Sara Radin in event

i'm hosting this valentines day dinner party in collaboration with two other greenpoint gals!

the greenpoint, brooklyn ladies behind cultureisland, girl party and cooking with claire are coming together for an exciting, alternative valentines day dinner party. the secret location will be announced prior to the event and it's definitely a place you wouldn't want to miss (hint it's not far from our neighborhood). we are also collecting a suggested donation of $15 for scarleteen, a sex education nonprofit. please note there are only 20 tickets available.

more about our collaborative partners:

cultureisland: cultureisland is a passion project by sara r. radin in which sara collaborates with emerging creatives, non-profits and brands to create unique experiences. she is a writer and a curator.

girl party: is a brooklyn based event company, connecting extraordinary women in our communities through unconventional gatherings. founded in the summer of 2015, girl party partners with neighboring businesses, individuals and teams to create all-new experiences and opportunities for women to meet, collaborate and play.

cooking with claire: cooking with claire, based in greenpoint, brooklyn, is a private cooking service that focuses on connecting people through personalized, intimate events featuring simple and healthy meals. recently chef claire phelan has focused on pop-up dinners and in-home group cooking lessons. claire is also the editor of online zine, meat stories.

scarleteen: scarleteen is an independent, grassroots sexuality education and support organization and website. founded in 1998, scarleteen.com is visited by around three-quarters of a million diverse people each month worldwide, most between the ages of 15 and 25. it is the highest ranked website for sex education and sexuality advice online and has held that rank through most of its tenure.

maría conejo: maría is a mexico city based artist and designer. her artwork consists of mixed media in drawing, embroidery and an experimentation of materials. “The body of my artwork consists of abstractions of female bodies; it is more of a gesture rather than the sexualization of it. My intention is to generate symbols to create a universal encyclopedia of emotions.” María's designed the figure on our invite.

facebook event // tickets can be purchased via eventbrite

cultureisland event // the denim disco 2 // saturday february 13th

January 28, 2016 by Sara Radin in event

i'm bringing back my first cultureisland event, the denim disco! join us for a denim themed party + bring an old pair to help a great cause.

back story on the denim disco: last year i wanted to do something different for my birthday, a denim themed party. then i found out about Blue Jeans Go Green™ which uses recycled denim to create insulation for homes in need. i thought, everyone should wear denim AND bring a pair to donate to a good cause. the year before, i attended bowl train at brooklyn bowl, where questlove dj's soul train hits with tv's playing clips from the show. i also wanted disco music and a projected film to be a part of this event. so the denim disco became a hybrid theme party. i'm really excited to bring it back again, only slightly different from its original form!

(this event is FREE and we will be in the BACK ROOM of jeromes)

more about our collaborative partners:

+ cultureisland: cultureisland is a passion project by sara r. radin in which sara collaborates with emerging creatives, non-profits and brands to create unique experiences. she loves bringing people together, introducing her friends and celebrating all kinds of creativity.

+ washhouse denim/bpd washhouse / bpd expo: bpd washhouse is the only commercial full service denim development studio on the east coast. the consulting company also launched their own brand for men's under the washhouse denim label. their latest venture is the only interactive denim trade show globally, bpdexpo 3.0 is scheduled for june 2016 in soho nyc.

+ Blue Jeans Go Green™: all denim collected will benefit Blue Jeans Go Green™, a denim recycling program run by Cotton Incorporated. since 2006, the program has diverted over 600 tons of denim from landfills across the nation and recycled it into UltraTouch™ Denim Insulation. a portion of this insulation has been distributed to help communities in need -- learn more @ BlueJeansGoGreen.org!

+ wamoo papez: juan alvarez, or wamoo papez, is a musician, dj and sound artist. juan is a native new yorker who recently released an instrumental lp, zebra. juan will play a blend of disco and disco inspired music.

+ chris cawley: chris cawley is a photographer who recently moved to new york city from philly. he can often be found sneaking photos of you on the subway or on the streets of manhattan. chris will be shooting portraits at the event.

+ alix h. luntz: alix h. luntz is a new york based photographer and filmmaker. her work explores questions of contemporary fandom, fashion and masculinity in film. she is currently an agent at muse management and is the founder of a's tv list. alix and i will be showing the projected film of clips from the 70s that we created for last year's party.

hope to see you there + please pass onto friends!

fb event // eventbrite

(p.s. this party falls on the eve of my 27th birthday)

cultureisland event recap // the souvenir shop // a holiday pop-up at community 54

January 20, 2016 by Sara Radin in event

i was honored when my guys from community 54 asked me to curate their holiday pop-up. i had a blast pulling this one together. we had a great mix of cool stuff, like collages by mike desutter, merch by villainous new york, pins by movement button pins, books by new york pizza project, and ceramics by saint karen. all of which are still for sale in the shop, so check it out while you still can @ 186 avenue b! we got lucky with the weirdly warm winter weather + everyone was able to hang in the shop's backyard. it was a great turn out + even greater times.

also, read community 54's blog post on mike's collages here.

thank you alix h luntz for the photos and thank you rizzos + radiant pig beer for sponsoring!

cultureisland event // LADIES // a los angeles pop-up

January 09, 2016 by Sara Radin in event

some twelve events later and i'm officially taking cultureisland to the west coast next week. this is truly a dream come true and i'm freakin excited to collaborate with some awesome los angeles based females on this event.

more about our collaborative partners:

+ allie pohl: allie pohl (ideal woman) is a los angeles-based conceptual artist whose work explores the social and cultural constructions of contemporary western society. pohl created the “ideal woman” symbol to question the notion of perfection. ideal woman jewelry and stickers will be available along with man merrit badges from her peacocking series

+ julia jeanguenat: julia is a graphic designer + art director by day and a collage artist by night. she is a self-proclaimed paper hoarder with an affinity for vintage magazines, ephemera and other printed items. this habit lent itself to a collection of handmade collages that dissects these materials to create playful, quirky or surreal graphic relationships — often focused on re-contextualizing female subjects found in traditional media. she recently moved to long beach, california.

+ lyndsay phaneuf: lyndsay is a fashion designer who moved to los angeles a few years ago by way of new york city. the move inspired her to rekindle her love of baking and led to her starting i bake bitch, a line of guilty pleasure baked goods. she makes delicious cookies, brownies and desserts based on many of her grandma’s recipes.

+ jillian evelyn: jillian is an la-based illustrator and a print/graphic designer for toms shoes. jillian’s illustrations are moody with feminist snark and no filter. her work is bold, graphic and it uses a limited color palette including mostly black and white.

+ sera sloane: sera is an la-based hair stylist and artist. she describes her work as “devotional love slogans” and “teenage bedroom art.” sera creates poetic phrases with sticker letters and puts them on posters, pins, cards and mylar balloons. she will also cut bangs on a first come first serve basis for $10. you'll also be able to shop some of her favorite products by r+co.

+ otherwild: otherwild was founded within, and inspired by a vast, multidisciplinary community of talented artists and designers. it operates as a graphic studio, a store, a community center, a workshop and an event space in echo park, los angeles. it is owned by rachel berks.

RSVP via facebook // eventbrite // evensi

hope to see you there + please pass onto LA friends!

cultureisland event recap // sideways // a vision board workshop

January 04, 2016 by Sara Radin in event

our sideways event was pure magic. it turned out to be the perfect evening -- a small, intimate gathering of some good friends and friends of friends sharing a fully present and open space. georgia's already cozy, cool shop was converted into a moody lounge as we dimmed the lights, laid out furry blankets on the floor and lit candles all over the shop. once everyone arrived, margo led a meditation session that i found totally accessible; i've never been very good at meditating, but i found comfort in her calm, familiar voice. as i closed my eyes, let go of my day and became more aware of my breath, margo asked:

what would you like to invite into your life? to bring into the new year? where do you see yourself in the coming year? what do you want for yourself? draw up an image or word in your head. hold onto it. keep it close.

she also said that by being there (both physically and mentally), everyone was not only doing good for themselves but for others. in that moment, i remembered this is exactly what i'm all about.

she then led the group in making vision boards, saying that vision boards allow us to open up and identify areas of exploration, not just improvement. we were to sort through magazines, tear out things that resonated with us (tearing is innately very therapeutic) and create a visual representation of the things we would like to invite into the year ahead. the two of us didn't get a chance to participate, but we happily watched as the others mindfully ripped out little bits of inspiration and pasted them to their boards. then, we did a group show of the boards. margo explained an important part of this process is presenting and sharing what you've made. everyone walked around with post-it notes, admired each other's work and left a nice note or new year's wish for the creator.

margo shared some helpful tips for making these visions realities:

1) start small: start with mini goals that make it super easy to succeed

2) celebrate the little successes: be proud of yourself!

3) don’t be too hard on yourself

4) create a “cheer squad”: act as cheerleaders and coaches for each other, encouraging each other, and celebrating each other’s progress.

5) keep at it: practice, practice, and practice.

at the end, chris, our friend/event photographer, snapped a polaroid of each person with their board. throughout the night, the mood was light, airy and there was a special energy in the room.

and as margo said the next day, "everyone was there, fully there, ready to have fun, get creative and open up."

last sunday, we got together to mail out everyone's polaroids and made our own vision boards together, the perfect way to end this process. we're talking about doing some more related events, so stay tuned! i'll also be sharing the polaroids here separately along with a reading list margo and i compiled of our favorite reads soon.

* many thanks to everyone who attended / chris cawley for the photos / georgia for hosting / and grapeful for the wine / collectively we raised almost $300 for projectart! *

cultureisland event recap // on paper // jason turner art pop-up + mind breath magazine launch party

December 21, 2015 by Sara Radin in event, recap

i think the on paper party was likely cultureisland's best turn out yet. the space was jam packed with people -- many of which we didn't know, nor did they know us. i've been getting better about posting these events on other websites and it was wicked cool to see strangers come out and support what we're doing. we were all pretty blown away by the crowd. at these events, people really connect. i see my friends from all different aspects of my life engaging with each other. i make a point to introduce friends doing similar stuff -- i love when my worlds collide and i'm even more excited when these introductions turn into friendships and collaborations of their own.

alix (cultureisland's photographer) decided to pick up some disposable cameras and capture the party that way -- i had to post the color and black/white versions here, cause they're too good. she also perfectly captured the moment i was offered a job at this party.

p.s. jason turner's work is up at la petite mort til january 13th and lizzy scholnick's mind breath magazine is still on sale there, both in person and online. shop jason's work here and lizzy's magazine here.

cultureisland event // sideways // a vision board workshop

December 07, 2015 by Sara Radin in event

can't wait for this event happening next tuesday, december 15th from 7-9 pm!! i met my friend margo through being involved with projectart some months ago + we instantly bonded over all things mindfulness. margo is a yoga instructor and the founder of #projectgoodness. we've been trying to do an event together for a while now, but finding a venue wasn't easy. then i met georgia, of lower east side vintage shop georgia nyc, over instagram -- she was wicked cool and totally down to host something. margo and i decided on a vision board workshop as a way to celebrate the new year approaching. i saw this quote recently that inspired the title of the event -- "it's only those who grow sideways that will change this world for the better," by david gillespie. so come make a vision board with us and let's see how we can grow sideways in 2016 :)

this will be my first ticketed event with proceeds going to projectart! tickets are $25 through eventbrite HERE -- all supplies are included + there will be free wine, courtesy of grapeful. georiga is offering a discount on really rad vintage clothes this night, and a percentage of sales will go to projectart too. also, thank you to my friend/amazing illustrator laura supnik for our lovely invite design.

more about our collaborative partners:

+ cultureisland: cultureisland is a passion project by sara r. radin in which sara collaborates with emerging creatives, non-profits and brands to create unique experiences. she loves nothing more than bringing people together, introducing her friends and celebrating all kinds of creativity. this will be sara's 11th event since february 2015 and she has many more in the works.

+ laura supnik: laura supnik is a new york city based artist specializing in illustration and small pantings drawn from everyday life and fantasy. laura designed our invite.

+ grapeful: grapeful provides anyone (as long as you are of age!) the ability to raise funds through the sale of wine. have a cause, organization or charity you support? do you and your friends love wine? host a grapeful party or create a dedicated order site and friends, fans and followers can buy great wine to help your fundraising efforts. a portion of each bottle sold is directed to your selected cause. is there a better way to raise money? let’s get your party started!

cultureisland event // the souvenir shop // a holiday pop-up + sock drive

December 01, 2015 by Sara Radin in event

i was super excited when my mentor and former collaborative partner, daymon green, asked me to curate a holiday pop-up shop for his store, community 54. i was even more excited when he gave me full creative freedom on this event. it's so wonderful and rare to find people as humble, approachable and supportive as daymon. many months ago i wanted to plan a holiday pop-up using the name the souvenir shop -- it's pretty amazing to see ideas i put out into the world happen organically.

join us on 12/11/15 for a holiday pop-up shop featuring art + merch by some of my favorite people. we will also be running a sock drive benefiting the bowery mission, which collects clothing donations for the homeless of new york city -- please bring new, clean or gently used socks!

more about our collaborative partners:

+ cultureisland: cultureisland is a passion project by sara r. radin in which sara collaborates with emerging creatives, non-profits and brands to create unique experiences. she loves nothing more than bringing people together, introducing her friends and celebrating all kinds of creativity. this will be sara's 10th event since february and she has many more in the works.

+ community 54: community 54 is a neighborhood lifestyle boutique inspired by creative nostalgia and owned by partners daymon green and jason jacobs. known for their curated vintage streetwear as well as new indie brands, the store serves as a connecting point for thinkers to collaborate and put out new ideas.

+ saint karen: according to thewirecutter, "saint karen ceramic collection teeters between the imaginary and the practical, like geometric architectural elements that fell off an escher landscape and then got retooled into one-of-a-kind vases, mugs, or planters that wouldn’t look out of place on the set of pee-wee’s playhouse." karen is based in brooklyn, new york.

+ movement pinback buttons: movement pinback buttons makes custom pinback buttons, by hand, in new york. in 2011 they bought their first button machine for use with personal art projects and events. today they strive to be the number one maker of custom buttons in the nyc area.

+ villainous new york: villainous new york is an nyc born and bred collective that creates clothing, accessories and other special projects inspired by the streets of new york.

+ michael desutter: michael desutter is an artist and graphic designer who creates hand cut collages from vintage print materials. his work focuses on connecting the formal qualities of everyday recognizable objects. michael was raised on a farm in indiana and moved to nyc in 2003 to work on his craft. he currently works and resides in brooklyn, new york.

+ the new york pizza project: the new york pizza project is a coffee table book documenting the heart and soul of new york city’s last authentic pizzerias through photography and interviews. the book, created and published by five 30-year-old native new yorkers, is the first of its kind – focusing not on the pizza, but the people and places behind new york city’s favorite food.

many thanks to rizzos les and radiant pig beer for sponsoring this event!

fb invite // eventbrite

hope to see you there + please pass onto friends!

cultureisland event recap // pizza pop-up party // october 21st, 2015

November 06, 2015 by Sara Radin in event

a few weeks ago i organized a pizza pop-up party at rizzo's on the lower east side. we sold new york pizza project books, all-you-can-eat press pizza maps and pizza pins by movement buttons. my friend juan (wamoo papez) did the tunes, featuring classic new york hits from all eras. it was amazing. everything came together seamlessly and it was a really great turn out. i say this every time i plan an event, but time and time again i am blown away by the people who come to these things. for example, two people i met two days prior came out... as well as the owners of community 54 where i previously did a pop-up. i go into these things with little to no expectations and it's wonderful when all kinds of people turn up and really enjoy themselves. with each event, i am more and more grateful for the support i receive. even when someone can't make it but text me to let me know, i'm grateful. thank you to all those who participated and attended as well as those who continue to support me! it truly means the world. and the process of planning these things becomes more and more enjoyable as i go. stay tuned for more to come!

many thanks to alix h. luntz for the photos + wamoo papez for the playlist. these two have become part of the cultureisland family and i love working with them / watching each of us grow through the process.