Arditi wants to infuse the future of visual art with the power of its primitive past. “I want to be as close as possible to what art started as, but with a modern twist,” he said when I visited his studio this month. He pulls pigments from natural sources like flowers, rocks, dirt, soil, clay, crystals — anything earth-produced that has a distinct color. He dyes a thick lacquer with the pigment, and then uses the solution to paint. “I want my art to be simple and accessible. I want art for the masses because that’s where art began. It has since turned into pretense and facade. The earth was the original canvas.”

Lorin Stein, the current editor of the Paris Review, has been described by literary agent Ira Silverberg in a New York Times profile piece as “the best thing to happen to The Paris Review since George Plimpton.” That rather bold statement is not the least undeserved. The magazine has undergone some highly lauded renovations since Stein assumed the helm, among which are the redesign of the magazine itself and, more notably, the overhaul of the Review website, which now includes free online access to the celebrated Paris Review interview archives. 

Eugene Durante is a contributing writer at Highbrow Magazine. He is a Police Officer and former Welfare Fraud Investigator. Born in Brooklyn, Durante is a fourth-generation resident of Coney Island. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice. He is an avid poker player and frequently writes about topics related to New York. 

As the art market grows and in turn splinters into a plurality of labels, styles, and movements, artists are faced with a decision – is it better to adhere to definition and face certain limitations in the public reception of their work, or shirk association and push forward into new and possibly little understood territory? Brooklyn-based artist, Keith Pavia has wrestled with this dilemma of late, as he attempts to break through the boundaries of Outsider Art, a label that has undoubtedly helped foster his career.

When earlier this year the Argentinian newspaper, La Nación, bought ImpreMedia, the publisher of El Diario-La Prensa, La Opinión and other US-based Spanish-language newspapers, they made assurances, like most buyers initially do, that not much would change. However, recent changes they have announced for their new properties seem to point to the real possibility that El Diario-La Prensa' s days may be numbered. The city's Latino community may have to speak up now if they want to see this historic paper (and now news site) to continue to operate. 

Oheka Castle is the largest private renovation and the second-largest private residence in the United States, located in Huntington Long Island. It is known as the Otto Kahn Estate because it was originally built by the financier Otto Kahn in the early 1900s. It is a haven for celebrities and socialites. The castle is also host to Nassau County Independent Party Chairman Rick Bellando as well. Karin Murphy Caro, founder of Blu Chip Marketing and Alysia Stern interviewed Bellando for Highbrow Magazine at a brief lunch at Oheka.

It’s 2012, and the grilled cheese has received a facelift in many restaurants, cafes and bars. Not only that, but it’s hit the streets as well. A comfort classic is being revamped with added elements and variations -- not just from your mama’s kitchen. Some of these dolled-up concoctions literally present an entire meal pressed between two slices of bread. For example, a fried chicken grilled cheese at Melt Shop, 601 Lexington Ave. in Midtown Manhattan, has all the fixings for a fine meal: buttermilk fried chicken, jalapeno jack cheese, cabbage slaw and “melt sauce” on top.

Located somewhere in the vast landscape of human emotion is the intersection of playfulness and sadness, a crossroads at which Italian artist Lara Favaretto has set up shop to ply her trade. Over the past 15 years, she has amassed a body of work that explores and celebrates the absurd and the existentially tragic. In the first-ever survey of her work, Lara Favaretto: Just Knocked Out, MoMA PS1 has given over several of its galleries to the display of her most important works to date, including a site-specific installation in the museum’s atrium and another throughout the exhibition.

An estimated 1 million potential voters could be added to New York state’s rolls should forthcoming legislation be enacted, according to the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law. At the heart of the legislation (co-sponsored by State Sen. Michael Gianaris), crafted with assistance from the Brennan Center and other organizations, is a mandated shift from the current paper-based voter registration system to one reliant on electronic records.

Jean-Michel Basquiat, the Brooklyn-born painter who sold a piece for $14.6 million post-mortem started his career as a graffiti artist under the name, “SAMO.” This could be argued as the first modernistic conversion of basic graffiti into pop art, but is there even a significant difference? For more than 25 years, New York has been a hub for graffiti artists, so why is Los Angeles now declaring itself the street art capital of the world and, more importantly, why is no one challenging the claim?