TATYANA FAZLALIZADEH’S

 “STOP TELLING WOMEN TO SMILE” AND YAEL MELAMEDE & DAN ARIELY’S “THE TRUTH BOX”

Opening reception: Thursday, August 7, 6-9 p.m. Exhibit closes Aug. 20, 2014

July 25, 2014, Brooklyn, NY— The Made In NY Media Center by IFP announced two new upcoming exhibits at the Media Arts Gallery. The exhibit of painter and illustrator Tatyana Fazlalizadeh’s “Stop Telling Women to Smile” and Yael Melamede & Dan Ariely’s “The Truth Box”.

The ”Stop Telling Women to Smile” art series addresses gender-based street harassment by placing drawn portraits of women, composed with captions that speak directly to offenders, outside in public spaces. Tatyana Fazlalizadeh is an illustrator and painter based in Brooklyn, mostly known for her oil paintings. Having recently branched out into public art as a muralist, “STWTS” was born out of the idea that street art can be an impactful tool for tackling street harassment. “STWTS” started in Brooklyn in the fall of 2012, and is an on-going, traveling series that will gradually include many cities and many women participants. Street harassment is a serious issue that affects women worldwide. This project takes women’s voices, and faces, and puts them in the street – creating a bold presence for women in an environment where they are so often made to feel uncomfortable and unsafe.

Photographs of Fazlalizadeh’s wheat paste illustrations installed around the world will be on display at the Media Center, along with an original chalk illustration. Visitors are encouraged to participate in the series and respond to the work via social media using #STWTSmile.

ARTIST BIO

Tatyana Fazlalizadeh is visual artist and native of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Fazlalizadeh, who currently lives in Brooklyn, NY, after years in Philadelphia, is a traditional oil painter. Her painting work crosses genres from muralist to freelance illustrator. She exhibits her paintings in galleries across the country, while completing illustration commissions for magazines, films, and books. Her work focuses on portraiture with social/political themes. Over the past year, Fazlalizadeh’s work has been covered by the New York Times, NPR, MSNBC, and other media. She has lectured about her work at Brooklyn Museum and colleges across the country. Currently, Tatyana is producing a public art series titled “Stop Telling Women to Smile” that has garnered attention around the world for bringing light to street harassment and women’s rights via visual art. http://www.tlynnfaz.com

The “Stop Telling Women to Smile” exhibition is presented under the auspices of Envision, a collaboration between IFP and the United Nations Creative Community Outreach Initiative, and as part of a special event entitled The Fight for Social Justice: Faces of LGBT and Gender-Based Discrimination The event, which also includes a film screening and conversation, is presented in association with the United Nations Free & Equal campaign, an initiative of the UN Human Rights Office that seeks to promote greater respect for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people worldwide.

THE TRUTH BOX

Opening the same night, “The Truth Box” is a traveling story booth that is part of The (Dis)Honesty Project – a collaboration between behavioral economist Dan Ariely and filmmaker Yael Melamede – which aims to improve our behavior and ethics. “The Truth Box” invites participants to share the truth about a lie they have told on camera. Material recorded in “The Truth Box” may become featured content on the project website, social media platforms and in the feature documentary (Dis)Honesty – The Truth About Lies.

“The Truth Box” is made possible by a grant from the Templeton Foundation and support from Apple, Inc.

CREATIVE TEAM

Yael Melamede (Co-Creator) is the co-founder of SALTY Features – an independent production company based in NYC whose goal is to create media that is vital, entertaining and enhances the world. The (Dis)Honesty Project is a multi-platform project that includes the documentary feature film, (Dis)Honesty – The Truth About Lies, that Melamede is directing as well as producing (slated to premiere in 2015).

Melamede’s producing credits include numerous award winning films: Inocente, directed by Sean and Andrea Fine – winner of the 2013 Academy Award for Best Documentary Short; Desert Runners, directed by Jennifer Steinman; When I Walk, written and directed by Jason DaSilva and Alice Cook; Brief Interviews With Hideous Men, written and directed by John Krasinski – based on the book by David Foster Wallace; The Inner Life Of Martin Frost, written and directed by Paul Auster; and My Architect, directed by Nathaniel Kahn and nominated for an Academy Award in 2004. Melamede trained and worked as an architect before becoming a filmmaker. http://saltyfeatures.com/

Dan Ariely (Co-Creator), the James B. Duke Professor of Psychology & Behavioral Economics at Duke University, is dedicated to exploring questions about human behavior in order to help people live more sensible – if not rational – lives. His interests span a wide range of behaviors, and his creative experiments are consistently interesting, amusing and informative, demonstrating profound ideas that fly in the face of common wisdom. In addition to appointments at the Fuqua School of Business, the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, the Department of Economics, and the School of Medicine at Duke University, Ariely is also a founding member of the Center for Advanced Hindsight, and the author of the New York Times bestsellers Predictably Irrational, The Upside of Irrationality and The Honest Truth About Dishonesty.http://danariely.com/

Designer: Stephen Carter; Software Design: Liza Gouger & Alen Shapiro; A/V Design: Phillip White; Graphic Design: Eric Helmin

Twitter: @The_Truth_Box; youtube.com/thedishonestyproject; Facebook.com/dishonestyproject

For more information, images, interviews, or to attend the opening reception contact: Jody Arlington, Director of Communications, [email protected] or 202.316.4316 cell.

ABOUT THE MADE IN NY MEDIA CENTER BY IFP

The Made in NY Media Center by IFP is where storytellers from multiple disciplines, industries and platforms create, collaborate, connect and incubate across a spectrum of programs, events and experiences. The Center brings together innovators in film, video, gaming, technology and more through education, mentorship, entrepreneurship and content creation. The 20,000-square-foot facility is located on the ground floor of 30 John Street in DUMBO at the intersection of John and Jay Streets features co-working spaces, talent incubator, 72-seat screening room, art gallery and café in addition to dedicated spaces for classes, conferences, meetings and tenancy. Through a combination of membership-driven and public-access programming our Center champions the future of storytelling in the digital age through a unique focus on cross-platform and cross-discipline media innovation. Follow us on twitter @NYMediaCenter, like us on facebook/NYMediaCenter, More info at www.nymediacenter.com.

ABOUT ENVISION

Since 2009, through ENVISION, a unique collaboration between IFP and the United Nations Creative Community Outreach Initiative (CCOI), annual gatherings have connected UN experts and NGO advocates with some of the most creative minds in filmmaking and new media. The ENVISION partnership offers filmmakers and social change activists opportunities to incubate creative ideas and productions that promote their causes and reach wider audiences. Fellows receive a six-month incubator residency with tailored mentoring and collaboration.

ABOUT THE UNITED NATIONS CREATIVE COMMUNITY OUTREACH INITIATIVE

The Creative Community Outreach Initiative (CCOI) is the first point of entry to the United Nations for the content creators and the international entertainment industry. We provide film, new media, television, and documentary professionals around the world with access to information about the work of the UN and its priority issues. More info at outreach.un.org/ccoi.

ABOUT THE UNITED NATIONS FREE & EQUAL CAMPAIGN

Launched by the UN Human Rights Office in July-2013, Free & Equal is an unprecedented United Nations global public education campaign that aims to raise awareness of homophobic and transphobic violence and discrimination, and promote respect for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The campaign has the strong support of UN Secretary-General Ban-Ki-moon and senior UN leaders, as well as celebrity equality champions from around the world. Since its launch, more than one billion people have read, seen or heard campaign messages online, on TV and radio. To learn more, visit www.unfe.org.