Events – Happens For A Reason

Poptails and Pop Art!

April 18, 2017April 18, 2017Posted in Events, new york cityTagged art, art exhibit, art gallery, artist, blog, drinks, Events, health, lifestyle, new york, new york city, Things to doLeave a comment

Hi friends! If you follow me on Instagram or like my Facebook page, then you are probably familiar with FrutaPop, a beverage company that has reinvented the ice pop with a boozy twist. Yes, these alcohol-infused ice pops or “poptails” exist, and they are so delicious. FrutaPOP also specializes in detox and coffee pops. All of their pops are made out of natural fruits and juices, and they offer seasonal flavors so your can have your pops year-round. With a poptail in hand, you’re brought back to your childhood days, with an adult twist of course.

Throughout the month of April, FrutaPOP has been proudly sponsoring The Art of POP: An Ode to Andy Warhol exhibition located at 548 West 28^th Street in Chelsea. Until the end of the month, this POP up exhibition will highlight work from artist and co-founder of FrutaPOP, Laurance Rassin. Rassin is also the artistic director and founding member of The New Blue Riders, a twenty-first century contemporary art movement. This POP up exhibition pays tribute to POP icon Andy Warhol. Pop Art is one of my favorite art movements, and I was delighted to see pop art pieces with a modern twist. If anyone wants to buy one of these pieces for me, please let me know 😉

Every Thursday during the month of April, FrutaPOP will host a series of poptail parties. Come join us on the 20^th and 27^th of this month. You’ll have the chance to try FrutaPOP’s limited edition, alcohol-infused “Andy POPs,” which feature some of Rassin’s Pop Art works from this exhibition on the label.

Please visit Eventbrite (click here) to get your free tickets to one of the next poptail parties!

The POP up exhibition is open until April 30^th, 2017, and hours are Tuesday – Saturday from 10am-5pm.

Also, these pops make the perfect beverage at any event or party, especially now that Summer is around the corner—talk about refreshing! Click here to read more about their flavors and how to order a batch today.

Please follow FrutaPOP on social media!

Instagram: @frutapop

Twitter: @Fruta_POP

Facebook: FrutaPOP

Hope to see you on the 20^th and 27^th6-9pm!

Xx Marisa

Beautiful Vulnerability

January 11, 2017January 11, 2017Posted in art, Events, MuseumsTagged art, artist, culture, current thoughts, Events, feelings, LES, life, lifestyle, manhattan, New Museum, new york, new york city, Pipilotti Rist, quotes, reflections, relationships, reviews, spirituality, the universe, Things to do, thoughts, vulnerability1 Comment

There is something beautiful about being vulnerable. A friend told me this about a year and a half ago. I remember cringing as he said this to me. The person I was at the time responded very differently to these words back then.

At the time, we were sort of dating, and he told me this statement in order to get me to loosen up a bit. He was asking all the tough questions, attempting to break down walls I had spent years building up. I dodged his questions (successfully…so I thought) and chose not to self-disclose. That’s when he said, “You know, Marisa, there’s something beautiful about being vulnerable.”

I remember my body physically responding to that statement—muscles tightening, jaw clenching, body overheating—I was resisting in so many ways. It makes me think about what else I was resisting at that time in my life. I was so closed-off and afraid of being vulnerable, even to a person who was completely open and receptive to my vulnerability. I felt so awkward, and it was so obvious. All I could think was how do I get out of this conversation? Somehow, probably with a bad joke or some kind of lame humor, I escaped the conversation. He knew he was pushing me to my limits, but I just wasn’t ready to answer the tough questions. I maybe couldn’t even answer them for myself. It was safe to be transparent, but I couldn’t do it. I felt attacked, although he was coming at me from a loving and caring place.

A year and a half later, I still struggle with times like these, although now, I wholeheartedly believe that there is something beautiful about being vulnerable.

It’s straight up frightening to be vulnerable. I used to see it as a sign of weakness, but that’s so far from the truth. I shake my head at my younger self for thinking that. Yes, you feel exposed and yes, exposure is scary, but if you own that exposure, nobody can use it against you. Not one single person. Trust me.

So, as part of owning my own vulnerability, I really want to start writing more, specifically about my life (more personal and meaningful topics) and how I live it. This blog is a great creative outlet for me, and I’d like to take it to the next level. #WatchThisSpace for what’s to come in this new year 😉

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All of these amazing photos are from Pipilotti Rist’s exhibit titled Pixel Forest, which is now on display at the New Museum (located in the LES, 235 Bowery). I have seriously been trying to go to this exhibit since it opened in October, but just never found the time! Due to all the press and hype, the exhibit was extended, and I finally took the opportunity to go yesterday.

Rist is a Swiss video artist known for her mesmerizing and hypnotic video and multimedia installations. Her video, film, and image projections incorporate themes of gender, sexuality, and the human body.

Pixel Forest occupies the main three floors of the New Museum. The exhibit includes works that span over the artist’s entire career, emphasizing the progression of technology and how this evolution has affected her art.

The kaleidoscopic projections, soothing audio, rhythmic lighting of each piece make you feel as if you are transported from your everyday, monotonous world into a tranquil, dreamlike environment.

I love entrancing LED installations, so naturally my favorite piece was Looking Through Pixel Forest, a hanging LED installation and video projection piece (pictured above and below). The hanging LED lights changed to all colors of the rainbow in a rhythmic pattern while two videos played on the adjacent walls. The video, audio, and lighting combination made me feel like I was in a pixel forest, straight out of the movie Avatar or something. I felt like I was in a completely different world, and I loved every moment of it.

This exhibit ends on January 15th!! That’s in 4 days, so I strongly suggest making it a priority to check it out yourself!

Read more about Pipilotti Rist and her Pixel Forest here and here.

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Xx Marisa

PUMA x DSW Vikky Platform Launch

November 18, 2016November 18, 2016Posted in Events, FashionTagged blog, DSW, Events, launch party, lifestyle, new york, new york city, nyc, products, puma, reviews, shoesLeave a comment

Hey friends!

This week I had the opportunity to attend the Puma x DSW Vikky Platform launch party! Puma’s Vikky sneaker now has a new look incorporating a higher platform.

The empowering theme of the event was “They follow, I lead,” encouraging you to be your authentic self, be the leader of your own life, and “do you.”

Check out some photos from the event below:

And let’s not forget the new & fabulous Vikky Platform Puma’s

Processed with VSCO with f2 preset

Thank you Puma, DSW, and Bloglovin’ for having me! I can’t wait to wear my new kicks!

The post is brought to you by Activate by Bloglovin and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

Warming up at MoMA PS1

June 9, 2016June 9, 2016Posted in art, Events, Museums, MusicTagged art, art gallery, Concert, eatprayblog, MoMA, museum, Museum of Modern Art, Music, new york, new york city, nyc, Outdoor concert, Queens, summer, summer in the cityLeave a comment

Warm weather is here and outdoor concert season is upon us! MoMA PS1 (affiliated with MoMA, Museum of Modern Art) just released their Warm Up line up for summer sixteen. Warm Up is an outdoor concert series, which takes place in the courtyard of this well-known art establishment located in Long Island City, Queens. Warm Up features an array of music genres and artists, both local and international. You’ll be able to experience anything from techno to live drummers, and if you get there before 6pm, take a stroll around the art exhibitions!

Warm Up starts Saturday, June 11th and runs every Saturday through August 27th. Hours are 3pm-9pm, doors open at 12pm. Tickets are $22 in advance and $25 the day-of. Cocktails and snacks are available for purchase.

What a fun and upbeat way to spend a Saturday!

Click here for the lineup and more info about MoMA PS1.

P.s. It’s called MoMA PS1 because the building was previously a school, and it now attracts over 150,000 visitors a year!

Jeff Koons “Gazing Ball”

December 23, 2015May 14, 2016Posted in art, EventsTagged art, art gallery, blog, chelsea, eatprayblog, gagosian gallery, gazing ball, jeff koons, manhattan, new york city, nycLeave a comment

The Gagosian Gallery recently exhibited Gazing Ball, a series of paintings by Jeff Koons. Through these paintings, Koons connects his work with legendary artists of the past, including Monet, Manet, Titian, El Greco, Rembrandt, Klimt, Van Gogh, and more. Koons, known for his stainless steel pieces with mirror-polished, reflective surfaces (i.e. Balloon Dog), exhibits glass, blue “gazing” balls paired with paintings from the past. These gazing balls sit on small painted aluminum shelves, which are attached to the front of the painting. Similar to Koons’ other mirror-polished works, viewers are able to interact with the work, as both the viewer and the painting are reflected in the gazing ball.

Having seen “Jeff Koons: A Retrospective” last fall at the Whitney Museum, which featured the Balloon Dog (Yellow) (1994-2000) and a range of works from his past, including Bananity (1988), Equilibrium (1983-93), and Made in Heaven (1989-91), I had high expectations for this exhibit. Jeff Koons is one of my favorite artists, but honestly, I was a bit disappointed, as the exhibit was not what I expected. Each ball was placed in the center or slightly below the center of the painting. Every painting was paired with the same blue ball and relatively in the same place. I was hoping for a bit variety in terms of size and placement of the gazing balls, perhaps to give viewers a different perspective among each work. Although I love the relationship Koons creates with renowned artists from the past, the exhibit was overall a bit mundane compared to “Jeff Koons: A Retrospective,” exhibited at the Whitney Museum last year. Please note that this specific exhibit at the Gagsonian Gallery solely featured Koons’ paintings. Koons also pairs his gazing balls with statues, such as Gazing Ball (Belvedere Torso) (2013) and Gazing Ball (Farnese Hercules) (2013), which I personally would have enjoyed seeing. Regardless, taking a selfie in Koons’ works always makes for a great photo.

Cindy Crawford @ AOL Build

October 23, 2015November 13, 2015Posted in EventsTagged AOL, AOL Build, blog, Cindy Crawford, model, modelingLeave a comment

Before Gigi, Kendall, Cara, and Karlie took the modeling world by storm, there was the iconic and legendary supermodel Cindy Crawford who graced international runway shows, magazines, and T.V. in the 90’s. A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend Cindy’s AOL Build interview, where she spoke about her new book Becoming, which is dedicated to her husband and two children. Cindy, ever so beautiful, timeless, and just shy of turning 50 years old, reflected on her remarkable career in the fashion industry and the universal lifelong lessons she learned along her journey of becoming Cindy Crawford.

Her book highlights the pivotal moments in her modeling career (i.e. Vogue, Playboy, MTV, and that iconic Pepsi ad), while also touching on some of her favorite shoots, unpublished works, personal life, insecurities, including her trademark mole, adventures, and becoming a wife and mother. The glossy photos capture Cindy in some of her most imaginative poses and shoots. As you turn the pages, you can watch her evolve as each photo brings into focus the evolution of her beauty, poise and style. Nowadays, Cindy’s life features both a beauty line and a furniture line, and she still makes time for her career and other passions. She is married to Rande Gerber and is a full-time mother of two, Presley and Kaia (Cindy’s “mini me” who is just beginning to explore modeling). Cindy’s career has spanned over two decades, and I for one will definitely be waiting to see what she will “become” next.

Check out her AOL Build Interview here!