The Standard

Downtown for Democracy's Pocket Guide to Politics Launch

May 02 2012

Kilo Kish

• “Artists and their acolytes gathered atop The Standard Hotel yesterday evening to celebrate, naturally, progressively inclined participatory democracy … The raison du fête: the publication of The Pocket Guide to Politics, a compact, gorgeously designed little book that illustrates, through clever artwork by Aurel Schmidt, Terry Richardson, Casey Neistat, Dan Colen, and Andrew Kuo, among others, abstract things the purview of governmental agencies, the collateral damages of the war in Iraq, the legislative process, etc. Think Schoolhouse Rock! with a dash of America: The Book, as published by Phaidon.” [Vanity Fair]

• “Helmed by Audrey Gelman, a D4D board member and Scott Stringer’s press secretary, and published by OHWOW’s Aaron Bondaroff, it was created as a primer for their creative friends, many of whom were at the party, from Theophilus London to Lena Dunham to Mia Wasikowska to Andre Saraiva.” [Paper]

• “Gelman took the mike to champion voter activism. Later, the Virgins banged out a couple songs on a baby grand piano. It wasn’t your usual indie band music, but the guests didn’t seem to mind.” [Style.com]

• Artist-slash-DJ Nate Lowman manned the wheels of steel. [@halfgallery]

• Post reporter Annie Karni thought she saw a UFO. [@anniekarni]

• … and effervescent designer Cynthia Rowley was even more stoked than usual. [@cynthiarowley]

• Party presented by Kanon Organic Vodka. Get your copy of The Pocket Guide to Politics here!