Experienced in and deeply passionate about marketing, social media and public programming in the nonprofit cultural sector and in the visual arts. I believe that creativity will be the currency of the 21st century.
Oversees the administration of a communication, donations and marketing strategy for Birthright Israel Foundation, Birthright Israel North America and Taglit; not-for-profits who have a reach of over 340,000 participants from 62 countries.
• Responsible for providing strong conceptual and strategic direction and clearly presenting those ideas to the company;
• Hosts discussions with Development Team and executive committee on ways to integrate social media within stewardship and donations management;
• Develops new, productive website and social media features; enhances and executes social strategy to acquire new fans, donors and brand advocates;
• Builds partnerships with other organizations to drive funding, collaboration, engagement and volunteer participation;
• Optimizes Landing Pages for Lead Generation & Conversion; uses analytics to make recommendations for placement of Birthright Israel information on websites;
•Monitors and reports on web, email, and social media traffic performance and results - globally and by region;
• Conducts all duties associated with Organic Search Results and Search Engine Optimization, including keywords & tags; ongoing analysis & recommendations; Adwords and other campaigns in Google, Yahoo and other venues.
• Surveys alumni and participants to stay in tune with intended audience;
• Shares best practices with international teams and trip organizers
• Manages relationships with external agencies and vendors
• Works with engineering, design, and product development teams to ensure social media tools (e.g Pin It buttons) are integrated and maintained properly;
• Manages social media campaigns and day-to-day activities on social networking sites including Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram;
• Assure that Birthright Israel website and other communication platforms include accurate, up-to-date, and complete content on Birthright Israel’s global activities.
Assists in the administration of the communication and marketing policy and strategy for Birthright Israel Foundation, Birthright Israel North America and Taglit; not-for-profits who have a reach of over 330,000 participants from 62 countries.
• Oversees social media strategy and tasked with expanding reach on networks including Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Google+;
• Responsible for supporting all organizational branding, marketing, online marketing and publicity efforts;
• Assists in the creation, graphic design and execution of creative collateral material needs;
• Assists in the creation and execution of all foundation events, galas, and contests;
• Handles the execution of targeted mailings, creates lists and coordinates with mail house;
• Manages vendor relationships in obtaining quotes and invoicing; assists with ad buys in online and offline media;
• Assists in updating website content and SEO, SEM, Click Dimensions, and CRM attributions;
• Manages and edits photo, video and testimonial archives; creates a usable database for stories, quotes, and photos.
• Raised funds for upcoming and current exhibitions including Beauty in All Things: Japanese Art and Design, Crafting Modernism: Midcentury American Art and Design, Korean Eye: Energy and Matter, Picasso to Koons: The Artist as Jeweler
• Researched prospective donors, helped plan curated Museum tours for current members, sent out annual mailings, and kept Raisers Edge records up to date
• Maintained and updated the Tumblr website for special events at the museum including “LOOT 2011: MAD About Jewelry” and “VISIONAIRIES! 2011”
• Brainstormed and strategized the Museum’s first FourSquare membership and lifestyle plan attempting to link New York city visitors to the museum through various shopping destinations. Research included the study of other comparable FourSquare programs including those at The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, The Metropolitan Museum, The Brooklyn Museum, and The Museum of Fine Arts
Art Cart was an intergenerational arts legacy project that connected aging professional artists (62+) with teams of graduate students to undertake the preparation and documentation of their creative work, offering both groups an educational experience that helped shape the future of our cultural legacy.
• Created the curriculum for an intergenerational and interdiscipilinary pilot program at Columbia University that assisted aging visual artists 62+ with the document of their artwork
• Catalogued and documented six artists catalogue raisonnés using Gallery System’s TMS, embARK, and WebKiosk. Over 1,000 images, slides, and paintings were documents and archived.
• Program is being replicated at New York University, Columbia University, Catholic University, Howard University, The George Washington University, American University, Georgetown University, The Phillips Collection, The Corcoran Gallery, and The National Institute on Creative Aging
• Built and maintained public websites for ART CART through CourseWorks Education Platform, Google Education Platform, Moodle, and Facebook
• Raised funds via Rocket Hub to create a documentary that followed the students' experiences in collaborating with aging visual artists including interviews with the artists, fellows and faculty to capture multiple perspectives. The film has won several awards.
• Researched business opportunities for Jen Bekman Projects and assisted in the development of the partnerships with ZYNC by American Express and AOL.
• Created and analyzed sales and testing reports that helped supplement Google Analytics data relating to website sales, return visits, search engine optimization, adwords, and click-rates.
• Wrote blog entries and updated social media including Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Polyvore.
• Photo Editing published in: Visions of Paradise, Photo Coordinator: Life of a Photograph, Copy Writing, Assistant Staff: Declassified, Leonardo’s Universe, The Atlas of the Civil War, Odysseys and Photographs, Lincoln’s Extraordinary Era
• Edited, planned, researched, and acquired illustration content for Society book projects through photo agencies such as Getty, Magnum, SPI, NASA, and Corbis.
• Compiled and maintained the photo databases of caption, credit, and source information while filing Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data. Worked with color management and production teams to ensure highest quality reproduction of illustrations and photographs.
• Supervised and helped to produce all B-Footage and HD shots for the National Geographic Channel’s one-hour special entitled, Lost Nuke. The program aired on February 24th, 2009 and received high Neilsen Ratings, a 0.49 household and 0.26 demo rating.
Keren Richter is an illustrator and designer who works within a wide range of mediums and industries. Her work has appeared in the form of textiles and signature products and she loves working in collaboration with fashion (for Opening Ceremony), music, and lifestyle brands.
What first drew me to this artist, let’s be honest, is that we both shared the rather rare name “Keren”.
Doug, Gouache paintings on paper. From Giant Artists group show at THIS gallery show, 2012, Keren Richter
tile 1 // tile 2 // tile 3 // flower hook // dipped vase // sofa // rug // table //
Deeply saturated and richly pigmented, the unique portrait by Keren Richter is both folksy and modern. The geometric patterns and monochromatic palette give the room a whimsical and bright outlook. The cool blue recounts oceans, skies and sapphires.
A bouquet of hydrangeas, delphinium, hyacinth, bluestar and bellflower; not included.
Quartz is the second most abundant mineral in the Earth’s crust, only after feldspar. This is funny to me because I don’t think I have thought about, or even uttered the word feldspar since my 8th grade Earth Science course. So although quartz might be number two according to the earth, I would definitely rank the semi-precious gemstone higher.
A simple quartz bookend by Pine and Main.
Quartz is varied! Like a middle school mood ring, these rocks range from citrine to smoky grey, from milky white to kitten-nose pink. Because the mineral is so ubiquitous, it has been linked to human history in Irish burials, Pre-Columbian American tools, Australian aboriginal mythology and in East Asian jewelry.
A "wonder-room"-inspired black lucite box // Volcanic rock, rainbow-colored and sturdy coasters // Sculptural crystal on a stand //
Today, yours truly, sits atop the stuff! Under Manhattan Island is a 542 million year old Paleozoic crystalline rock formation that is made up of garnet, silliminate and quartz. Thanks to its strength, the island is still around. Pretty solid (on the Moh’s scale, har har)!
From the office space of Sequins & Stripes.
Just because it’s common doesn’t mean its uncool.
“Sally sells seashells by the seashore.
The shells Sally sells are surely from the sea.”
Although I cannot say the above tongue twister three-times fast, I can decorate with Sally’s proverbial seashells! The temperatures in NYC have been rising, the mercury has reached a lovely 79 degrees fahrenheit, and I found my thoughts drifting to the tidal patterns of the shoreline. Oh to be on a beach!
Excerpt from Liz Lange”s Westchester, New York home as designed by the inimiatable Jonathan Adler. The large ottoman is upholstered in Hinson’s Montauk Texture in Aegean. The chevron rug brings a touch of mod, sixties contrast. Image via House Beautiful.
This beach abode is elegant and pure. The airy, white chairs, mantle and blinds allow the light to flow freely. Many of the textile details have an almost chinoiserie vibe. The framed coral samples on the wall, and drift wood in the fireplace keep this place from looking too polished and cliche. Image via Heather Scott Home & Design.
Power couple Ali Wentworth and George Stephanopoulos share their eclectic pad with Elle Decor. Inspired by vintage issues of National Geographic and their world travels, Wentworth’s collection of lilac sea fans, coral, and shells lines the minimal, cream shelves. If you have ever met met, or gone antiquing with yours truly, you will know that my dream is to live in a room with hundreds of specimen containers, cloches and chemistry sets. All of this is tied together with lilac accents and a purple, moroccan pouf. Photography by Simon Upton.
Create a large eye-catching, mural-style gallery display by grouping smaller prints together. Photography by Nancy Nolan for Tobi Fairley Interior Design.
Jenna Lyons, J. Crew president and creative director, and all around well-dressed woman, sold her Park Slope, Brooklyn town-home in 2012. She moved back into Manhattan, into the downtown, abandoned-factory rich area of Tribeca. Prior to selling, we voyeuristically got a peek inside the trendsetter’s digs, thanks to Sotheby’s. In a wondrous tight-rope act, the space is modern yet antique, glamourous yet minimal.
Step inside, and learn to recreate this renovated 1880′s Brownstone.
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Where woodsy, lumberjack and animal-fur viking decor meet elegant, ballroom chandeliers and gilded mirrors.
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Where polka-dots dance upon high contrast black and white accents, wire rimmed chairs, wood pallets and glossy floors.
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This closet has a limestone mantle. Yes, I am jealous of the myriad shoes, but a fireplace in a closet puts me over the edge!
Opulent, decadent, grandiose, modern, symmetrical and drenched in deco inspired geometric flourishes. Welcome to Mr. Gatsby’s world ala Baz Luhrmann’s new period cinema.
“In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars.” ― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
Chandelier / Mirror / Decanter / Pen / Side Table / Chair
Art Deco Ad / Tea Kettle / Napkin / Cutlery Set / Dinnerware
“The city seen from the Queensboro Bridge is always the city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and beauty in the world.” ― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
Inspired by a post found via Fabulous K Style.
David Weeks is an American designer known for lighting, furniture, and household products. He has created capsule collections for Areaware, Kikkerland and Ralph Pucci International. His unique, geometric, modular and cone shaped chandeliers can be found in such famous places as Kate Spade boutiques, Barney’s New York, The Juilliard School, Saks Fifth Avenue, The MGM Grand Las Vegas and in the Brooklyn Museum of Art. Weeks is the recipient of several design awards, a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, and a proud Brooklynite.
You have probably passed a David Weeks lighting fixture, desk lamp or lounge chair over a dozen times without even realizing it. His designs are unobtrusive and functional yet, upon further glance extremely delicate and whimsical.
A custom David Weeks Torroja chandelier with black Bottle shades hangs in the dining area of a Boerum Hill, Brooklyn townhouse. Featured in Dwell magazine, February 2013 via David Weeks Studio Blog.
High ceilings and an open concept loft space on Fifth Avenue allow this office space with a large marble-top table modern, yet inviting. The chairs are by Paul McCobb and the hanging chandelier is by David Weeks, available at Ralph Pucci). The rug was made in Turkey from Angora-goat hair and seems ready for toes to sink into. Courtesy of Madeline Weinrib via New York Magazine.
In Julianne Moore’s remodeled, West Village brownstone, a floor lamp by Brooklyn designer David Weeks illuminates a corner of the wood-centric dining area via Remodelista. The wood-beamed ceiling and high archways only add to this rustic, city meets country vibe.
In the dining and living areas of a duplex loft, chandeliers by Lindsey Adelman and David Weeks accent the art collection, which includes pieces by Keith Haring, Damien Hirst, and Andy Warhol. Images of the airy Manhattan loft, with enviable views, via Interior Design.
Hans Wegner’s CH20 Chair is line the table in the formal dining room of an upper east side apartment. A David Weeks light draws the eye in several diagonals and lights the space in a clever fashion. Interiors by Tori Golub Interior Design. Photography by Aaron Fedor via Suite NY.
Raw wood, bare, black metal lines are accentuated by a deep purple couch, and mobile-esque presentation of the Weeks chandelier. Image found at Daily Dream Decor via Aubrey Road.
Soft cream details, dark and glossy wood floors, an animal skin rug, a David Weeks fixture and bare timber ceiling beams combine to make this the perfect Aspen Mountain Retreat by Emily Summers Design Associates.
A very spartan home uses a David Weeks lighting design for its visual interest found via home & interiors.
Co-founder of Remodelista, Francesca Connolly’s, Brooklyn Heights brownstone. The owner explains ”I have this chaise in my bedroom covered in pale blue velvet. It’s a reproduction that Lost City Arts makes. Perfectly proportioned; lean and sleek, and surprisingly comfortable. A great spot for kids that have wondered in in the middle of the night.” See more of Francesca’s sophisticated home, featured in a past issue of Elle Decor.
Bedside table by Christian Woo, art work by Joshua Van Dyke, lamp by David Weeks Studio (looking strangely like an alien lifeform) via Provide Home‘s Flickr.
I am undecided whether the chandelier or the view is the best part. Both are pretty spectacular.
A happy, mod and sixties vibe: oranges, yellows, creams and high gloss accents make this oblong living space. Do you pick up the candy or the coffee-table book first?
A David Weeks Studio Boi Sconce graces a room by Magdalena Keck Interior Design, NY. Photographed by Jeff Cate.
Weak at the knees for Weeks!
Room: I have been majorly smitten with this Zebra print wallpaper ever since Wes Anderson introduced me to it in the Royal Tenenbaums. Years later, I still cannot get over the Scalamandre design. The eclectic, vermillion, safari-inspired foyer was created by Rikki Snyder.
Artwork: Zebra Bandits by Andrea Wan by the Working Proof. This piece was originally illustrated to accompany a short children’s story published in Nido, a German parenting magazine. The story is about a small lurch who saved the smell of the circus from a group of Zebra bandits. The giclee print also serves a humanitarian purpose – 15% of of the gross sale of this print goes to: Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders.
Room: Designer Elizabeth Dinkel’s choice of twin beds for Her Guest Room have a mystical yet feminine quality. The room’s teal design veers towards a fashion-forward approach – with detailed tailoring and velvet textures punched up with exotic Moroccan trappings. The colors are seaside, but the style is exotic. Room found at The Great House at Greystone Estate, an unoccupied mansion which recently blossomed under the care of some of the most distinguished interior and landscape designers in the industry via Veranda.
Artwork: Artist Mario “nerosunero” Sughi explores biking’s introspective powers in this archival, bamboo print titled, Escape/Blue Landscape via UGallery. Mario explains that he sees his chic biker in the midst of “crossing an abstract landscape both physically and mentally.” She moves from chore to chore with shopping bags in tow and a mind buzzing with activity.
I thought of that while riding my bicycle. — Albert Einstein (on the Theory of Relativity)
Room: Leather edges and a lift-out tray let the Tray Chic Ottoman multitask as table, bench, and footstool. The Nailhead Sofa is in solid velvet, so patterned throws and pillows can easily change its look. All textiles by BeeLine Home. Curtains made of Indian bedspreads frame an urn from John Rosselli Antiques & Decorations. The room is verdant, lit and very 1970′s in its color palette. Avocado mixes nicely with caramel brown and orange peel. Image by Thomas Loof, via House Beautiful.
Artwork: A reproduction of Jules Olitski’s Purple Golubchik from1962 via Artriver. Olitski was an American abstract painter, printmaker, and sculptor. His modern art is known for its brilliant colors, dynamic movement, unexpected harmonies and chromatic shifts. The print almost seems to be moving, tumbling, spinning.
THE BEST PART of modeling an entire room after the aforementioned artworks? They are all affordable prints at under $100 each!
In French, the word toile (phonetically “twall”) refers to a simple woven fabric, in fact the word in French means “linen cloth” or “canvas”. However, in interior design and haute couture, the term toile is mostly used in reference to ”toile de Jouy” – a cloth from Jouy-en-Josas France which originated in the 18th century. This type of decorating pattern usually consist of a white background, on which a repeated pattern depicting complex scenes, can be found. The scenes are of pastoral farm life, picnics, high society, and any number of classic architecture motifs. The pattern consists of a single color, most often black, dark red, or blue. The fabric was extremely popular in France and Great Britain during the 18th century, and late in America during the Colonial Era.
It’s time for the resurgence of this trend!
Colefax and Fowler does a modern take on toile wallpaper. Bright printed pillows, and a graphic (zigzagged!) patterned throw bring this bedroom into the 21st century. A turquoise, gilded headboard doesn’t hurt either. Photograph by James Merrell via Design Gumbo.
London Toile Brights by Timorous Beasties offers a neon take on English cityscapes.
Somehow this match-matchy room, wherein the stuffed animals match the pillows which match the wall, comes off looking extremely cute, french and modern. Image via Le Petit Chou Chou
Pink Toile on Toile via Manuel Canovas, Paris.
A toile, Japanese print screen acts as a headboard. The bed’s dust ruffle and chair bring the nautical, fresh and revitalized Colonial bedroom to the present. Image via Surrender the Pink.
A grown-up office space. I imagine myself closing envelopes with wax seals in this sohpisticated nook. The geode bookends match the Toile pattern perfectly.
Like an aristocrat from days gone by, feel free to cover every surface with bucolic, toile scenes. Add some edge to the space by playing on the contrast of farm-scenes with more modern, colour-blocked upholstery. Midcentury Modern and geometric design elements finish off the eclectic space. Image via House to Home.
In the guest room of his Manhattan townhouse, Architectural Digest decorator Geoffrey Bradfield experimented with a black-and-white toile depicting the city skyline to create a modern take on a traditional design concept. The upholstered headboard was inspired by one in a Dubai hotel. Image via Architectural Digest, September 2005. Photography by Durston Saylor.
Toile drapes, pops of red, long mirrors and classic bathroom floor tiling allow this bathroom to be a space which I would not mine relaxing in for hours. I particularly love the industrial pipes-meets-marble His and Hers sink station.
‘Harlem Toile De Jouy’ Wallpaper from Sheila Bridges home. Somehow a Domino Magazine article from 2007 is still relevant, and even, forward thinking! The minimal, Scandinavian cuckoo clock is also wonderful. Featuring a canary yellow wallpaper backsplash found here.
If you can’t commit to toile drapes or upholstery, might I suggest leaving these cute sneakers in your doorway? Product via Keds for Opening Ceremony.
Toile meets watercolor and hints of gestural drawing techniques via the Swedish-based design company, Mimou.
A sophisticated Purchase, New York home rei-magines a 1950′s diner palette via the Mendelson Group.
The Beastie Boy’s Mike D helped to design this Brooklyn Toile Wallpaper, along with Matt Manson. The vision was to pay tribute to all things Brooklyn in a way that would appear to be a traditional French Country Toile, but when you step to it the pattern reveals elements and vignettes that make up the truth about Brooklyn (such featured design elements include the Notorious B.I.G, Hasidic Jews, and the Brooklyn Bridge).
A bumblebee color palette is uber contemporary when matched with a super graphic toile scene. This dining room is full of classic, no-fuss style. Image via House to Home.
A dark, intimate bedroom mimics the gentility and noblesse of Versailles. Stacked coffee table books featuring one on Louis Vuitton hammer home this interior’s obsession with “haut monde” French. Image via SF Magazine.
-K.V.
P.S. Also unrelated but, guess what? I don’t know how, but suddenly I’ve become an organization guru, featured on Home Made Simple! This runs contrary to everything most people know about me…click through for the article which I am very excited to share – HERE.
Michelle Edgemont is a Brooklyn based wedding designer who specializes in custom crafted decorations, flowers, and styling for couples looking to throw conventionality out the window – and bring their own whimsical, warm, sparkling personalities into their wedding day. Her style is bright, sunshine bright, rainbow laden, a little bit sixties and with a lot of modern quirkiness. She is extremely approachable, a cross between your favorite kindergarten teacher and your scrap-booking best friend.
Michelle offers a wide range of services. She can style, decorate and make you a rustic boutonniere all in an afternoon. She’ll embroider you a ring bearer’s pillow while setting a dreamlike tablescape; she will defy gravity by hanging bunches of stemmed carnations upside down! Her clients hire her to create custom crafted elements and funky floral arrangements that scream their own unique sense of awesome.
Let’s get to know her through The Walkup’s EAT / SEE / DO / SHOP series!
I used to be of the thought that “glitter was the herpes of the craft world” but lately my stance has changed. I am now all for a little strategically placed sparkle on nails or down the aisle!
The importance of photographs is closely tied to the importance of memory. Creating pictures is akin to remembering great nights and moments! Snap a polaroid and hang it by a clothespin. Put vintage images in menu holders! Spread the cheer by showing off the most important people in your life.
Geometric modernism meets Great Gatsby detailing! The devil, and the time period, is indeed in the details.
Garland, string lights, fresh flowers, handmade cocktails and pops of color. Michelle can do no wrong (are you spotting her expertise in textile design? She earned a degree from Fashion Institute of Technology)!
If you love flowers, stars, rainbows, unicorns, geometric shapes and optimism, visit Michelle’s blog for her beautiful images. Live colorfully!
They say “nothing gold can stay” however, these pieces at least will look pretty while visiting…
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White, wood and Gold Metal Spanish apartment by Mikel Irastorza.
And now to nerd out for a moment, “All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost. “― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
Watercolor wash of pale salmon white floods out from the middle of paper with a tiny head of Fuller with loose hair at the center presented on a dark green/ blue ground/ In the foreground an assortment of artist tools: palette, triangle, compass, inkwell, t-square, brush, paint tube, as well as a top hat, are animated with stick figure arms and legs in various antic poses of worship and amaze in the light flooding from by A Loïe Fuller, 1895.
How to live in a high-brow, Gothic den featuring, French graffiti artist, MISS VAN, who breaks the formal tone of the space.
More at The Walkup in this week’s bedroom breakdown.
[Assiette] (pivoine). ([1866-1878])
Collected by Samuel Putman Avery, etched by Félix Bracquemond.
[Owl and goose talking.]
Brooke, L. Leslie (Leonard Leslie), 1862-1940 — Artist
From Johnny Crow’s garden: a picture book
[Infallible Charm against poison.] (1818) Narrative of an expedition to explore the river Zaire, usually called the Congo, in South Africa, in 1816.
For those vintage aficionados out there: I don’t mean to romanticize conquistadors, the age of exploration, the spread of disease, and so forth – but I do love the typeface, arched masonry, wrought iron balustrades, styling and reserved grandeur of colonial villas. Here’s a guide on how to live in “THE NEW WORLD.”
The barber. (1875)
Weed, Parsons & Co. — Printer Of plates. Southworth, Alvan S. — Author
Stair Case - Buckingham House. (1819) Bennett, W. J. (William James), 1787-1844 — Engraver
The History of the Royal residences of Windsor Castle, St. James’s Palace, Carlton House, Kensington Palace, Hampton Court, Buckhingham House, and Frogmore.
Yours truly just got engaged! Read about the story and the heirloom ring from 1880’s Morocco by clicking HERE.