Today is James Baldwin's birthday

He was born in Harlem in 1924, became an accomplished writer in his twenties, moved to France and got involved in the cultural radicalism of the Left Bank, achieved massive success in his thirties with Go Tell It on the Mountain and Giovanni's Room, returned to the United States and became a social and political activist. Aside from novels, Baldwin wrote tons of essays, plays, and poetry during his lifetime. He died from Esophageal cancer in 1987 in Saint-Paul-de-Vence and was buried in New York.

To commemorate Baldwin's birthday, here's I Heard It Through the Grapevine, a free-form, feature-length documentary produced in 1982. The film, made by Dick Fontaine and Pat Hartley, follows the writer as he revisits the settings of civil rights struggles of the 1960s in the Deep South and reexamines the movement's ideals twenty years later.

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When chocolate meets art

I heard it's National Chocolate Day, so I thought I'd share this video about Orlando's newest and sweetest attraction.

'The Immigrant' by Michael Murphy

Michael Murphy is a master when it comes to optical illusion. His most recent work, The Immigrant , is a three-dimensional composition made of 2,300 black wooden spheres suspended with translucent fibers. When you view the sculpture from the right angle, the seemingly chaotic array of objects suddenly aligns to form an image of Michael's partner Natasha Vladimirova. The imagery was inspired by the contributions immigrants make in enriching the society and economy. Natasha is an immigrant and it is with her help that the artwork was made possible. Michael studied sculpture at Kent State University and received his masters degree from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The Brooklyn-based artist became famous when he created the first fine art portraits of Barack Obama during his 2007 presidential campaign. His work has been featured in various publications and websites and can be seen in numerous permanent installations around the globe.

Hand-Painted Bags That Tell Your Story

Most bags today look like they were produced by bored machines in a dimly lit factory. You can walk into any mall and find rows of identical leather (or “leather-like”) things, all claiming to express individuality. Ironically, though, they all look exactly the same. Then there’s Abby Verano . Her bags are not mere accessories; they’re declarations. Each one is hand-painted, touched by an actual human being with an imagination. Abby doesn’t just sell you something to put your wallet and smartphone in; she sells you a story, a vision, a little revolt against the tyranny of sameness. Her tools are simple — brushes, acrylic paint, bags made from pandan leaves, and creativity. No duplicates. No clones. Just one-of-a-kind art pieces you can carry.

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