The Trove: Erin Robinson July 23, 2011

With schoolgirls in Banda Village, Rwanda. Erin Robinson loves summer thunderstorms and she got one as we chatted in her childhood home in Washington, DC over the July Fourth weekend, her sweeping gestures and sound effects underscored by the distant thunder and gentle rain. We noshed on fresh fruit and spoke of mutual travel glories: [...]

The Trove: Ludlow Beckett July 10, 2011

The distinguished proprietor. Back in 1999 one handsome, stylish LB, Lloyd Boston, hipped me to another, Ludlow Beckett. Ludlow had just opened his Fort Greene shop, Yú Interiors and Lloyd was spreading the word about his friend’s new venture. Given Lloyd’s clean, modern tastes I knew it would be good. Since then the emporium of [...]

The Trove: Marcia Jones July 7, 2011

The artist at her recently opened exhibition, Live and in Stereo(type) Photo: Gantt Center. In 2009 visual artist Marcia Jones chose to inaugurate her brave and unabashedly personal blog, untitled 1972 –truthBE told on December 12, the anniversary of her conception.  Teens Paul Davis and Christine Jones with their infant daughter; from “Open letter to [...]

The Trove: Eisa Ulen Richardson & Ralph Richardson July 2, 2011

On the Fundy Trail. On each other: “He is my rock…She is wonderful, loving, giving.” Capricorn hip-hop heads Eisa Nefertari Ulen and Ralph Richardson, Jr. lived parallel lives near to, yet unaware of each other. Born in the city of Brotherly Love, each eventually moved with their families to idyllic Columbia, Maryland in the 1970s. [...]

The Trove: Anu Prestonia June 16, 2011

Advancing the acceptance of natural beauty, the radiant hair care icon. So certain that their first-born child would be a boy, Barbra Jean and Preston Newsome awaited son Preston, Jr. When their Aries daughter arrived, they named her Prestonia and called her “Toni.” She would one day become “a new” Prestonia when spirit would dictate [...]

The Trove: Reed Morano Walker June 7, 2011

Shooting the Oscar-nominated, Sundance hit, “Frozen River.” The year 2008 was a busy one for cinematographer Reed Morano. In January the exquisitely shot Frozen River (starring Melissa Leo who scored an Oscar nom for her performance) premiered to critical acclaim at Sundance (Reed’s first festival entry.) In June she gave birth to her remarkably beautiful [...]

The Trove: djassi daCosta johnson May 26, 2011

Mrs. Verini: djassi daCosta johnson, 2 months pregnant. djassi daCosta johnson adores her “ridiculously amazing family.”  It is in the haven of their embrace and the freedom of their trust that she’s been able to move fearlessly through her life. Her educator parents Awolowo and Orundun, of whom she speaks reverentially, anointed their eldest daughter [...]

The Trove: Malene Barnett April 18, 2011

Malene and her limited edition “Tap Tap” carpet. Inspired by the colorful buses of the same name in Haiti, she donated the profits from the sale of this carpet to Aid to Artisans Haitian Artist Recovery Fund. Since the 2009 launch of Malene b Custom Handmade Carpets, principal Malene Barnett has enjoyed enviable and well-deserved [...]

The Trove: Nicole Landaw April 5, 2011

Mover of Metal: Goldsmith & Jewelry Designer, Nicole Landaw. A few weeks ago, gloriously pregnant and furiously nesting, the lovely Nicole Landaw welcomed me for lunch at the Williamsburg home she shares with her handsome hubby, architect Mark Maljanian.  I’d been introduced to Nicole and her gorgeous jewelry designs a few years back by our [...]

The Trove: Aisha Cousins February 17, 2011

Aisha Cousins: Capricorn from the Sun to the Moon. In 1990′s Fort Greene, amid a flourishing poetry scene at his Brooklyn Moon Cafe, proprietor Mike Thompson began showcasing the works of visual artists in his popular venue. I became the curator of those exhibitions and was introduced to the joyful Aisha Cousins, then studying Studio [...]