Seated Ballerina

May 19, 2017 Joseph McKeown

Famed neo-pop artist Jeff Koons has a new piece in Rockefeller Center. The forty-five feet tall blonde inflatable ballerina, on display through June 2nd, is co-presented with Art Production Fund and Kiehl’s in order to raise awareness for National Missing Children’s Month. Koons says the installation is meant to convey a sense of inner strength and optimism, telling the New York Post: “I wanted something that anyone could look at and realize their own potential and dreams.” This ballerina is actually an oversized version of a sculpture from Koons’ “Antiquity” series that was inspired from a little Hungarian figurine he keeps in his home. The reflective metallic surface engages viewers by mirroring its surrounding environment. “I hope the installation of Seated Ballerina at Rockefeller Center offers a sense of affirmation and excitement to the viewer to reach their potential," Koons tells Artnet. "The aspect of reflectivity emulates life’s energy; it’s about contemplation and what it means to be a human being. It’s a very hopeful piece.”

Have You Ever Been Arrested?

May 18, 2017 Matthew Bray

Whether and how to divulge one’s history of contact with law enforcement is an area of substantial confusion among applicants for admission to the US under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) as well as for applicants for visas, Green Cards, or citizenship. Not only can such a simple question conjure the very worst moments in someone’s life, the appearance of the question alone can portend a potential delay or denial of the benefit foreign nationals are seeking.

Washington Post: “A Muslim cook wanted to stop the hate. So she started inviting strangers to dinner.”

May 16, 2017 Joseph McKeown

When Amanda Saab—a social worker, amateur chef, and practicing Muslim who wears a hijab—heard then-presidential candidate Trump’s call for a ban on Muslim immigrants to the US, she realized that a lot of Americans must not know any Muslims. “Have I played a part in that?” she asked herself. “Have I not reached out to people and given them an opportunity to meet me?” Her solution? Invite strangers to dinner.

Keep On

May 15, 2017 Joseph McKeown

Hippo Ballerina

May 12, 2017 Joseph McKeown

I love Bjorn Skaarup's adorable Hippo Ballerina. Inspired by Degas’ “Little Dancer Aged Fourteen” and the dancing hippos of Walt Disney’s “Fantasia,” the Hippo is a copper tutu-clad bronze sculpture standing over fifteen feet tall by the Danish artist. The piece "vividly illustrates the artist’s ability to reinterpret subjects and themes found in ancient myths, art history, modern animation, and contemporary popular culture in playful ways that engage the viewer." The Hippo is at Dante Park near Lincoln Center through July 31, 2017. Go on. Dance with the Hippo. People won't stare too much.

Union and Peer Group Consultation Letters for O Visa Petitions: a Q&A

May 11, 2017 Carolyn Szaiff Alvarez

Obtaining a US work visa can be a complex and daunting process. To obtain an O-1, for example, petitioners/sponsors must gather evidence to establish that the foreign national they wish to employ or represent is extraordinary. This evidence may include press citations, critical reviews, samples of the foreign national’s work, contracts, endorsements, testimonials, and evidence of high salary, among other items. So it’s understandable that after all the evidence is obtained and the O-1 petition is prepared and signed, many petitioners and their foreign national beneficiaries are surprised to find out that before their cases can be filed with US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS), the petitioner/sponsor needs to obtain a “consultation letter” from a relevant labor organization or peer group.

New York Times: "Why Even a Live-Tweeting Senator Couldn’t Stop a Deportation”

May 9, 2017 Joseph McKeown

Last Wednesday, Senator Bob Casey from Pennsylvania tried to stop a deportation on Twitter. The senator had been informed about the plight of a Honduran woman and her son who had tried to seek refuge in the United States after hit men killed her cousin in Honduras. She crossed the US/Mexico border in Texas in December 2015, but failed to pass her credible fear interview, which is necessary to seek asylum. After being held at a detention center in Pennsylvania with her son for over a year, she was going to be returned to Honduras that day.

Thank You for Loving Me

May 8, 2017 Joseph McKeown

Our New Italian Outpost

May 5, 2017 Protima Daryanani

Puglia, a southern region forming the heel of Italy’s “boot," is famous for its whitewashed hill towns, old farmland, and miles of beautiful Mediterranean coastline (the most coastline of any region in mainland Italy). Alberobello, picture here, and the Itria Valley feature many “trulli,” white-washed stone huts with those distinctive conical roofs. Lately we've been thinking that perhaps it would be a good idea to open up a location abroad, and so I took it upon myself to look for potential new office spaces. Think this might be a good place? Before you answer have another glass of red wine, some homemade orecchiette with cime di rapa (broccoli rabe) and garlic, and, to finish it off, a pasticciotto, a traditional regional dessert with a flaky outer crust filled with creamy custard. Yes, this would be a good place.

New York Times: "Office to Aid Crime Victims Is Latest Step in Crackdown on Immigrants"

May 2, 2017 Joseph McKeown

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) last week announced the creation of an office to assist victims of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants, part of an effort by President Trump to aggressively curtail undocumented immigration. The office, called Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE), is part of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency tasked with deportations, and was created in response to President Trump’s January executive order, Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States, which also prioritized the removal of large numbers of the unlawfully present immigrant population and expanded the “expedited removal” process.