Color Magazine - Edition 44 by Color Media Group, LLC

Edition

44 March 15th April 15th

2012

in a city rich in shades, here is a COLOR that includes all...

Mom-trepreneur creates touch-screen learning device for kids

The Paradox of Diversity by Karen Stephenson

Q+A with

Catherine Chung Author of Forgotten Country

‘I’m Beautiful’ Go Ahead, Say It by Jay Calderin

FOREVER GREEN: Celebrating 100 Years of Girl Scouting As we near 100 years of Girl Scouting, we claim our rightful place as the premier leadership organization for girls. We celebrate today’s girls and look forward with anticipation to the powerful energy they bring to leadership. The beauty, pride, and power of Girl Scouting has stood the test of time. This phenomenal sisterhood is as sustainable and vital as ever, 100 years after it began.

Join us in celebrating 100 years of Girl Scouting FOREVER GREEN GALA CELEBRATION The Fairmont Copley Plaza, Boston, MA Thursday, March 29, 2012 6:00 p.m. Special Guest: Chelsea Clinton We will tailor a sponsorship package to meet your company’s interests. 857-453-5325 events@girlscoutseasternmass.org

Every Cookie has a Mission: TO HELP GIRLS DO GREAT THINGS Find your cookies at www.hergirlscouts.org

Contents

Feature

with Catherine Chung. Forgotten Country is a superbly written debut from this young new talent

12 | Q&A

Entertainment

16 | African American Artist Tour at the MFA Boston 17 | Yvette Freeman: Renowned actress returns to the stage

Lifestyle

18 | Belgian Beer and Beyond by Trond Arne Undheim 20 | Review: TICO sizzles in Boston’s Back Bay 22 | ‘I’m Beautiful’ Go Ahead, Say It! by Jay Calderin

— 01 — 02 — 03 — 04 — 05 — 06 — 07 — 08 — 09 — 10 — 11 — 12 — 13 — 14 — 15 — 16 — 17 — 18 — 19 — 20 — 21 — 22 — 23 — 24 —

MARCH

Benchmarks

5 | VINCI: Mom-trepreneur creates touch-screen learning device for kids 10 | Una Via: How this cosmetologist became a champion for women Business

6 | CThe Paradox of Diversity by Karen Stephenson Dialogues

8 | Leading Our Own Lives First: Lessons from Bateson’s Composing A Life

Cover and feature photos by Ayano Hisa Photography

www.colormagazineusa.com March 2012

Welcome

From the publisher

uring Women’s History month,

we are reminded of the women in our lives who have been and continue to be inspirations. It is not merely the success stories of their careers but, the intricate decisions they make on a daily basis that influence and provide guidance to others.¶ I am fortunate to be surrounded by many such women – women reflected in the pages of Color Magazine and beyond. Sitting on my desk, I am moved by the pages of Bill and Kerry Brett’s new collaborative book “Boston, Inspirational Women.” I find comfort in reading about their paths and am impressed and motivated by their journeys. As entrepreneurs, as professionals, we all need that which pushes us forward. Finding that in someone else makes your path that much more accessible. Josephina

In a city rich in shades here is a color that includes all… Color Magazine is the premier all-inclusive monthly magazine that highlights and promotes professionals of color. 4 Copley Place | Suite 120 Boston, MA 02116 (617) 266.6961 sales@colormagazineusa.com Publisher

Josefina Bonilla

josefina@colormagazineusa.com Editor

Michael Chin

michael@colormagazineusa.com Event Strategist

Desiree Arevalo Social Media/Marketing Coordinator

Yaritza Pina Marketing Director

Paola Mesadieu Publisher

Color Media Group, LLC Distribution

GateHouse Media Advisory Committee

Sandra Casey Buford Mark Conrad Beverly Edgehill Yvonne Garcia George Gilmer Kimberly Y. Jones Samson Lee Juan Carlos Morales Pussel Pergament John A. Sims, Jr.

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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Joanne Choi is a freelance journalist who also regularly contributes to AsianBoston Magazine. Her passion is staying up-to-date on people and society. She is working on her first novel.

Dr. Karen Stephenson is a corporate anthropologist and lauded as a pioneer in the growing field of social capital metrics. She received her Ph.D. in Anthropology at Harvard University, an M.A. in Anthropology at the University of Utah, and B.A. in Art & Chemistry at Austin College, TX.

MAGAZINE March 2012

Lex Schroeder is a Boston-based writer/ editor and host of conversations on leadership, mindful work, and creativity. She currently offers retreats exploring the intersection of writing and embodiment practices as well as workshops on Gen Y leadership in the 21st century. Learn more at www. lexschroeder.com.

Paola Mesadieu is currently pursuing both of her passions, cooking and writing. In addition to managing the marketing and social media strategy at Color Magazine, she is a prep cook at Rialto. Previously she was the Manager of Content and New Media at Boston World Partnerships.

Trond Arne Undheim is an entrepreneur, speaker and author. He lives between Boston and London, speaks six languages and has a Ph.D. in sociology. He writes frequently on wine and society.

Jay Calderin is the author of Form, Fit & Fashion,’ and Fashion Design Essentials. Jay is an instructor and the Director of Creative Marketing at the School of Fashion Design, as well as the Executive Director of Boston Fashion Week, which he founded in 1995.

benchmarks

VINCI Mom-trepreneur creates touch-screen tablet for kids By Joanne Choi

e laugh when we see kids,

even toddlers, using their little fingers to adroitly navigate their parent’s iPad or touch-phone. It’s a reflection of modern life and children needing stimulation at all times. When Dr. Dan Yang – creator of the VINCI Tab, a touch screen tablet designed for children – saw her own daughter doing this, she saw an opportunity.¶ Prior to starting VINCi, Yang was a successful telecom entrepreneur, an experience that helped her launch VINCI. “Finding a problem and finding a  solution is already in my blood,” Yang said.

The inventor and mother converged to ask: “What is she learning? What is she getting out of this playing?” In order for it to be beneficial to a small child, she felt it needed to be about learning and correct stimulation as opposed to a knowledge transfer. “What is important is to not just remember A-B-C but to understand what it takes to go from A-B-C to spelling and reading comprehension. Learning

to think, thinking capability, is the core of our system.”   VINCI was conceived and financed solely by Yang. The device is an Android-based device that  includes a camera and red grip handles made with little hands in mind.  According to Yang, the handle is the key physical feature. “My daughter takes it to the museum, which is why I have a camera  design. She will see something like a dinosaur and snap a photo and  review it.” The age range for VINCI products is 18 months up to 5 years and the  digital content reflects different developmental stages. Level  One is more basic with sensory development and music; Level Two  goes into verbs, basic counting, time & sequence; and Level

Three has  reading, comprehension, and general knowledge of the world.  “It is very interesting when you look at the psychology point of view. Young children are fascinated by shiny screens to begin  with. The reason they like to play with it is because [they can control it themselves] and view it according to their will.  It boosts their confidence and gives them further interest to  continue. “If you just imagine that you are this little person, who is  around all the giants in front of you, probably most of the time  nobody listens to you. While all of a sudden something is moving  along to your will and that is so powerful. They studied it, [as to]  why kids are so interested in touch screens. Basically a realization  of self. Younger ones want to repeat, repeat, repeat, they get  confidence.” VINCI debuted in the Fall of 2011 and their products retail for $389 and $479.  Yang hopes that parents view a tab purchase as an investment in their children and choose VINCI for its curriculum,  safety, and portability features. It is available through Amazon, Skymall, DataVision (New York) Ron Robinson (L.A.). They are opening up a presence at the Natick Mall as well. For more information visit www.vincigenius.com.

www.colormagazineusa.com March 2012

Business PART II of III

This article is the second installment in a three-part series of cases examining the root causes underlying failed change initiatives. The previous article explained why most cultures drift back to “the way we were” instead of embracing “yes we can.” This article is about why we find ourselves trapped in a paradox of supporting diversity when there are forces that take us in the opposite direction. The next installment will be focused on how globalization may accelerate fragmentation rather than lead to unification and the democratization of information.

The Paradox of Diversity By Karen Stephenson

The Paradox:

“Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?” The word “diversity” has become politicized over the years, taking away from the real issue of majority versus minority subcultures in (ascending from small to large populations): Communities (immigration, ghettos, criminality) Corporations (discrimination, affirmative action, glass ceilings) Countries (refugees, pogroms, emigration) We don’t have the space here to take on all three issues of community, corporation or country, so this article will only focus on the corporation. First, let me, the anthropologist, take the apology out of anthropology by defining what I mean by minority. A ‘minority’ can be a man or a woman, any race or ethnicity, an outsider or an insider, have’s and have-not’s, etc., and these types of distinction among classes or categories of people are ancient. A corporation’s human resources (HR) policy attempts to adjudicate this constantly changing demographic landscape in the interest of achieving equity, opportunity or ‘fairness.’ Even when seemingly sound HR policies are put in place to redress imbalances, unintended consequences or perverse outcomes can result. For example, consider the following cases. 6

MAGAZINE March 2012

Case 1: J.P. Morgan In 2001, I was asked by head of the European office of J.P. Morgan, headquartered in London, to analyze his director population, a horizontal slice across the firm. This population totaled 3,000 and surprisingly was comprised of 1,500 men and 1,500 women, all of them directors, peers and domiciled in the European capital cities. This kind of statistical parity is rare and begs the question, “How did this come about?” The president of Europe confided to me that a decade ago he had embarked on a mission of overturning the abysmal statistic of a 2-3 percent director pool of women. He proceeded to (surreptitiously) hire talented women over equally talented men in order to balance the books and in seven years he had achieved his goal of statistical parity that had held constant for another three years. His goal in asking me to analyze the networks was to see if the network patterns reflected the statistical parity he had achieved over a decade of selective hiring. When I examined the networks, I made an unexpected discovery. Networking measures among the female directors were 75 percent less than that among the male directors. On interviewing the women, I discovered that the women directors who were hired (or promoted) over the last seven years consistently reported that their prior female predecessors had been connected to significant and influential male mentors at the firm. Instead of “dress for success” it was more like “mentor for success,” so they mimicked the behavior. Recognize

however, that the early female pioneers were truly in a minority. Over successive years, the statistical gap closed but the behaviors did not change. Adopting a male mentor was a behavior that came to be imprinted on successive hiring generations, resulting in inefficiencies as statistical parity was attained. The women directors still perceived themselves in a statistical minority when the reality was that they were a minority in mind only. Case 2: UCLA In the 1990’s, I was asked by the National Science Foundation to analyze the social networks of the professorial ranks in the School of Education. For 10 years, the director of the Leadership Institute had instituted a program for professional female mentoring as part of the leadership curriculum. She encouraged all the female professors, assistant, associate and full, to attend this course as part of their professional training. Remarkably, over the course of 10 years she had programmatically changed the demographic face of the school from the abysmal 2-3 percent of tenured female faculty to a whopping 48 percent. No other department or school on the UCLA campus had such a program and as a consequence, their tenure rate held at a consistent at 2-3 percent. What made the difference here? In the JP Morgan case we saw that mentoring occurred but not at a programmatic level. The UCLA School of Education departed from JP Morgan because the women professors were looking after the women professors. There was a strong, trusted network of women connecting to women to ensure that their careers did not go off the rails and their high tenure rate was proof of the success of this approach. So mentoring really does matter – minorities can break the stranglehold of majority legacies if mentoring is done consistently and programmatically.

Conclusion But hold on! In these two cases it took 10 years to achieve change. However, a decade is far better than the empty promises we hear decade after decade of “It’s in the pipeline.” Most glass ceilings stay in place because individual efforts cannot overcome the policy of divide and conquer etched into the glass. Hiring minorities and women doesn’t necessarily mean that corporations or universities are doing a good job of promoting them.

Moral Measure your networks! It’s one way (and a subtle one at that) in which you can reliably validate your policies and manage for real change!

Image: colored scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a lung cancer cell.

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PUBLICATION WO # 138057

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602510

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DIALOGUES

Leading Our Own Lives First Ageless Lessons from Mary Catherine Bateson’s Composing A Life By Lex Schroeder

t least once per year I read Mary

Catherine Bateson’s incredible book, Composing A Life, and I learn something new each time. First published in 1989, it explores the life paths of four different women — all friends and colleagues of Bateson’s — who have enjoyed both a rewarding professional/creative life as well as a fulfilling personal life. I mention the book because it offers insights and lessons just as relevant today as they must have been 20 years ago. And the women Bateson profiled for the book didn’t stumble across such rich, balanced lives by chance; each woman chose to live her life with deep intention, responding creatively to those challenges she inevitably faced.¶ A writer, cultural anthropologist, wife, and mother herself, Bateson was interested in the decisions women make in balancing multiple commitments over time as well as the recurring themes that only become visible in a person’s life over time. She was equally interested I think in how creative people, no matter their gender, go about crafting careers that support lifelong learning and inquiry — a subject near and dear to my own heart.¶ I return to this book again and again — and speak about it in connection with women’s history and women’s leadership now — because as Marie Wilson of The White House Project says, “You can’t become what you can’t see.” (Wilson and others explore this idea further in the fantastic documentary on women in the media, Miss Representation.) And in Composing A Life, Bateson shows women of all ages what it looks like to live and work with a steady degree of mindfulness and courage, respecting one’s own desire for meaningful work right up alongside one’s desire for love, and in many cases, family and children. Bateson shows us what it looks like to honor our own independence within all the places we create community and care for others in our lives.

MAGAZINE March 2012

These stories are important because when I think about how desperately the world needs women leaders right now, I want to remind myself and others that leadership can and must look like many different things. Most of us think of leadership as something positive, yes, but also something loud and highly visible most of the time. Sometimes it is and should be… Leadership often means running for office or assuming a position of power and influence; it can mean founding or leading an innovative organization or business. But just as often, and perhaps first and foremost, real leadership means making good choices for ourselves, big or small, on a daily basis and over time about how we live in the world. Choices that we can believe in, that feel authentic and true for us as women and creative people; choices that often go against the grain and feel difficult; and choices that as much as possible, sustain us individually as we seek to do good work in the world. When I think of my own goals and the goals so many of my women friends and colleagues have for themselves, I remind myself of Bateson’s wisdom on the subject of achievement. She warns us — and this is especially helpful for young women — that “goals too clearly defined can become blinkers,” and encourages women to worry less about continuity or ‘success’ and focus more on the creative potential of where we find energy in our lives. With very real project deadlines and financial needs before us, this is much easier said that done. Nonetheless, these are timeless lessons for us all, and particularly useful ideas when we find ourselves at a professional or creative crossroads or when we forget about our own well-being somewhere in the midst of a busy work life. Every so often I meet with a few women friends and colleagues for a pot luck gathering we call the women’s social entrepreneurship circle. We don’t meet as often as we originally planned, but when we do meet, we share ideas and stories, laugh, and leave feeling energized. We’re meeting next week, and for me, I know I’ll be bringing Bateson-inspired questions into the conversation. Where do I feel creative potential in my life? How can I support myself in “composing” the kind of life I wish to lead, and how can I support others in doing so? These are questions worth exploring during women’s history month or any time of the year, with our women friends and with men. More than 20 years later, Bateson’s book continues to be an remarkable gift to women leaders.

THE CLOUD IS

DIVERSE At EMC we live diversity. Our global talent pool is creating technology which will transform the world’s largest IT departments into clouds. It’s the biggest technology shift in decades. Join us. Learn more at www.EMC.com.

At Boston Medical Center, our diversity sets us apart. As a central component of the greater Boston area, our commitment to serving individuals with various cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds is an essential part of who we are at Boston Medical Center. We know that by bringing together differences — a rich variety of traditions and viewpoints — we can remain truly engaged in providing the utmost service to our community. In fact, we offer our patient population on-site, person-to-person interpretation services in more than 30 languages, 24-hours-a-day. This same commitment to diversity encompasses our careers. Within our strong, all-inclusive workforce, you have the opportunity to discover the full potential of your own personal and professional strengths. You belong with the best. At Boston Medical Center (BMC), you can join a team of individuals who don’t simply strive for excellence – they set the standard for it. Visit our website to discover opportunities and enjoy an exceptional career at BMC – The Exceptional Choice: www.bmc.org/hr/taleo

True diversity knows no exceptions: EOE. www.colormagazineusa.com March 2012

benchmarks

Una Via Cosmetologist does more for women than their makeup By Joanne Choi p h o t o s M a r i e ll e C a r d o n e

hrough her using her one-stop image consulting and make-up services brand Una-Via and her non-profit One-Way Treatment, Silvia “Via” Leary is improving the lives of women. To understand how Leary became a champion for women, you have to look to her tumultuous past.

For more information about Una Via and One-Way Treatment visit www.una-via.com.

MAGAZINE March 2012

Leary was born in Guatemala, but her mother (who is Mayan) gave her up for adoption so that her daughter might find a better life. “My [birth] Mom thought I was going to die,” she said, “Guatemala is third or fourth in the world for [percentage of] orphans. Stepfathers don’t accept children. Mothers will give them up.” After being adopted by American parents, Via came to the United Sates at age seven and grew up in Massachusetts. Unfortunately, Via did not escape the suffering her birth Mother wished she would. In July 2008 she was the victim a brutal act of domestic violence that left keloid scars on her arm and leg. Now, she is speaking at shelters and providing transformative makeovers to victimized women. The women receive hair styling, make-up application, before and after photos and business attire. Leary can relate to many of these women and the intent is that by sharing her story, she can influence them positively. Leary credits having played sports with giving her strength to persevere through the tough times. The other program that is part of OneWay Treatment is Sunday Clinics for young girls. Currently, she is coaching basketball at the Marblehead/Salem Y. Last year it was a soccer program. Leary is adamant that educating young girls about their bodies, instilling healthy eating habits and teaching them how to be part of a team. “I am such an advocate for sports. If young girls play sports, it teaches them self-esteem, [to] be secure about their body. You can be athletic and still feminine.” At the end of the two-month program, she likes to bring a special guest to interact with the girls. Last year, it was former New England Patriot player Kelley Washington who played soccer with the girls, and signed autographs. Cognizant of the blessings afforded her, which include her own business, a healthy daughter, and a home, Via wants to also be an advocate for the young girls who don’t have a voice or options. “I feel like I do it for all the little girls in Central America who get treated worse because they are women. They are never going to get the opportunities that I got. Hopefully one day – I don’t know yet – create a bridge between Guatemala and the United States.”

3RD

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MAGAZINE March 2012

Q+A WITH

Catherine Chung Forgotten Country is a superbly written debut from this young new talent P h o t o s b y Aya n o H i s a P h o t o g r a p h y

atherine Chung has been enchanted by writing ever since she first put a #2 pencil to paper in elementary school. As the daughter of Korean immigrants, she has a unique relationship with English: it’s not the language of her family, but it’s not quite a second language. Add into the mix a degree in mathematics from the University of Chicago and a MFA in creative writing from Cornell University, and the result is a style of writing akin to a mathematical proof – concentrated, clean and elegant.¶ Forgotten Country – her debut novel about a KoreanAmerican family’s struggles with relationships, isolation and loss – is a striking display of her storytelling ability, mature voice and refined style. Chung has earned numerous recognitions for her prior writing and is active in several artist’s communities, including serving as an advisory board member of the Paris Press. We spoke to her about her literary journey, next book and the grade-school haiku that started it all.

www.colormagazineusa.com March 2012

CM: Where do you think your passion for writing came from? CC: I think it’s always been my relationship with language. English wasn’t my first language, Korean was. I actually learned how to read and write faster than how to communicate orally in English, and I think there was something in that that felt really freeing. I always loved writing for that reason. CM: Did you feel you could express yourself better or that you were just as good as anyone else when it came to writing? CC: I think so. And I think even when reading, there’s something about the written word that seems to be able to express different things. It can cut across or get to certain kinds of emotions or experiences that are sometimes harder to communicate verbally. CM: What made you switch from math to writing? CC: I don’t think I ever really did switch from math to writing. I wanted to be a writer since I was eight. I studied math and I worked in the econ side of things right out of college, but I was always writing. After college I wrote my application for MFA programs. It never really felt like the kind of switch it looks like on a resume. CM: What happened when you were eight that made you want to be a writer? CC: I wrote a haiku. [Laughs.] It was about leaves falling and stuff, and then I made a little water color painting too. I can’t exactly explain it, but it was sort of magical, and I knew this was what I wanted to do. CC: There are experiences that are easier to express in writing than verbally. I think part of it is when you’re a kid you don’t talk to other kids about the falling leaves and the changing of seasons. It’s easier to express the bigger things in writing. CM: You’re style of writing has been compared to a mathematical proof in its clarity and elegance. How did you come across that style? CC: I think it was just the style that appealed to me the most. But I also think that it was partly because English wasn’t my first language – I learned it when I was five, so it’s not truly a second language, but English was not the 14

MAGAZINE March 2012

language of my family. I think a lot of people’s relation to language comes from their family and their culture, there’s some sort of comfort in the way they speak or they’re more comfortable speaking slang. I didn’t really have access to language in that way. I remember my friends would always talk in slang, and it was always very exciting to hear that, but I never really felt as comfortable in those less formal ways of speaking, and it took me a while to catch on. And I think for that reason partly too, my writing style doesn’t contain those colloquialisms, and it’s more the way the language is taught. CM: I’ve heard actors say that acting in a second language sometimes can be easier because the words don’t have any inherent meanings to them and they can kind of shape how they want them to be. CC: Yeah, that makes sense to me. Like when I speak Korean, I’ve been told that it sounds outdated because I use these words I learned from my parents, which is outdated slang and I don’t even know it. I feel like my English doesn’t have that. CM: What were the best lessons you learned as a writer? CC: I think perseverance and discipline. With a novel you have to stick with it for a really long time, and have faith even though a lot of times it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, and you just have to push through. I think it was writing that taught me that. CM: Writing a novel seems so daunting to even start and, as you mentioned, part way through one has doubts. What was that process like for the first time?

CC: Well, exactly how you imagine it. [Laughs.] It was tremendously daunting, because it’s such a large project. I think because I had never done it before, I didn’t actually realize how daunting it would be when I started it. And then in the middle of it I realized I was in a lot of trouble. CM: Who did you go to or what did you do when that happened? CC: My professors at Cornell and the other writers at Cornell were really helpful in terms of giving encouragement, or commiseration, what ever the case may be. One of the things that was really helpful was I started reading children’s books to see how they worked. I could somehow dissect them better than I could other kinds of books. I started being able to look at things in a really technical way, to see how narrative elements worked in a technical way, and that was really helpful. CM: Which books did you read? CC: I read the Dark is Rising series, I read Little House in the Prairie – some old favorites. I think that was partly what made them work for me, they were books I had read a lot so they were both familiar and reassuring. When I read them and saw story elements in them, I don’t know that I applied them, but I was able to start thinking about the story in a more structural way. CM: You are involved in a lot artist’s communities. In particular you’re on the advisory board of the Paris Press. Why is their mission important? CC: Paris Press is amazing, and they actually have been really important to me in my career. I met with Jan Freeman who is the director of Paris Press, when I first started writing my book. She was so enthusiastic, and she said my book would definitely find a home, which really helped me keep going. I think it’s really important there is an organization like Paris Press that ensures that really important women voices that have been overlooked by mainstream publishing, for whatever reason, Paris Press makes sure those voices are heard. So they publish people like Virginia Woolf and Zdena Berger; they published Ruth Stone before she got the National Book Critics Circle Award. There are so many voices – whether they are the voices of women or coming from marginalized communities – that can get lost. Small, independent presses are just really important. CM: There are some parallels between your family history and the story of the family in Forgotten Country. What experiences from your own life influenced the novel the most? CC: You know, that’s an almost impossible

It's easier to express the bigger things in writing. question to answer, because I feel like the book is not autobiographical in terms of the events of my life. I feel like it maps out the inside of my mind in a certain way. The things that are major in the book are the things that I think about a lot, but it’s hard to say a certain event influenced it. I spent a lot of time thinking about the stories we tell our children and how they affect how they grow up, in particular the stories we tell our girls. And how those stories affect the narrative we set for ourselves growing up, as well as how different cultures tell different stories, that changes how we see ourselves. And also the themes of disappearance, cultural loss and isolation. CM: When you started out writing the book, did you have something that you wanted to get across that encapsulated all those themes, or did you just want to talk about these different themes? CC: I think when I started out I had almost no idea what I was embarking on. I just kind of started writing. There were three feed stories that got me writing. They’re in the book but I don’t know if they are even noticeable they are so small. The story about the hermit girl who was raised by her father in isolation – that was a real story. There was a story about my father’s sister who disappeared, and I was really interested in disappearance. And then there was a story about a monk who used to ordain trees in Thailand to save them from being cut down. I knew that they were somehow linked, but I didn’t know how. CM: What is the link that ties them all together? CC: I think it’s about all these different people trying to hold onto a world that is already lost or in the process of going away. Also, the desire to save something even after it has already been lost. CM: You give a stark portrayal of Korea’s history in Forgotten Country. Was that somewhat enlightening to you, to go back and research where your family came from? CC: It was and it wasn’t. The stuff that hap-

pened to the family in the book is made up of course. The way in which it was enlightening or helpful was that it allowed me to imagine the past. So even though it was probably quite far from the specifics of my family’s situation, it allowed me to imagine the environment, which was actually helpful in terms of where I came from and what shaped the decisions that were made. Like why so many people immigrated to America even if they weren’t fleeing some kind of political blacklist, why leaving might have been appealing. CM: Are you working on a second novel? Can you tell us anything about it? CC: Yes... I can’t tell you too much about it because the thing about writing novels is they change. Right now I know that there is going to be math and physics in it, and I know that it will take place partly in Germany and partly in the States. I think that’s all I can say.

inspiration for this novel? CC: That one I can answer easily. I read this article about the five most influential female mathematicians, almost none of those women were allowed to matriculate. Most of them actually ended up getting professorships or honorary Ph.D.’s after they did their work – after revolutionizing whatever field they were working in. They had to do things like teach themselves Latin and Greek, or pose as boys in order to get lecture notes. So I read this article and started to get really curious about what kind of person would persevere on her own, and have such faith in her own talent and vision that she would go against what society said was acceptable. That was the seed.

CM: What did you find yourself using as

www.colormagazineusa.com March 2012

entertainment

LEFT: Still Life:

Past Revisited by Eldzier Cortor ABOVE: Cocktails by Archibald Motley

African American Artist Tour at the MFA B y J o h n B l a ck

“I

sort of regarded myself as a recorder, or you might say a storyteller...”¶ Looking at Rohan Crite’s painting, Tire Jumping In Front

of my Window, it’s easy to let your imagination run wild and imagine what inspired the artist to paint such a lively street scene. Imagine how much fun it would be to simply push a button and hear the artist’s inspiration explained in his own words:¶ “…the simple idea that I had in the back of my head as I made these drawings is just simply to show black people as ordinary people, human beings that had their loves and their distresses, their joys and happiness and sorrows.”

MAGAZINE March 2012

Last year, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston acquired 67 works by African American artists, transforming it into one of the leading repositories for paintings and sculptures by African American artists. Thanks to a new multimedia guide, 10 of those works on display in the museum’s Art of the Americas Wing can be explored in depth at the touch of a button. It all starts on level three of the Wing with the voice of your audio host – Barry Gaither, director and founder of the National Center of Afro-American Artists and curator of past exhibitions at the MFA – giving a general introduction to the collection and explaining how to use the MP3 player hanging around your neck. The objects are not exhibited together, but rather spread out in the various galleries of the wing, which makes it a bit of a scavenger hunt, so the tips Gaither gives you are extremely helpful. Pay attention. Although, there’s no right or wrong way to take the tour, the multimedia guide takes some getting used to. As an example of how it can be used, let’s look at Stop Number 373 on the tour: Eldzier Cortor’s Still Life: Past Revisited. It’s almost as if the voice in your head is reading your mind… “It’s as if we’ve just opened a door into an attic. Light falls on the set of shelves, with its neatly arranged groupings. On the left there’s a jumble of precariously balanced furniture. It takes a little while for our eyes to start to focus on individual objects; but as soon as they do, we notice things related to African American history…” The voice goes on in great detail describing what each of the objects in Cortor’s ‘attic’ represents, both to the artists and as an artistic interpretation of Black culture and history. “It’s like an autobiography,” the artist is quoted as saying, “like a second hand shop with the things that, as a black American, I know people will identify.” Instead of just lecturing you about what is in the painting, though, the audio tour encourages you to look closely at the painting to figure things out for yourself. Do you see the reference to jazz musicians Art Tatum and Erskine Hawkins? Can you see his tribute to Marcus Garvey’s back to Africa movement? What comment is he making on the racially charged trial in Scottsboro, Alabama, in the 1931 trial? Of course, if you didn’t know any of the things talked about on the audio tour, it would still be well worth you time to walk through the halls of the Arts of the America’s Wing at the MFA and search out these paintings. The insight you gain from the audio tour, though, transcends the enjoyment into an education that will last a lifetime.

entertainment

Yvette Freeman Renowned Actress comes to Huntington Theater for production of August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom B y J o h n B l a ck

vette Freeman was a young woman with a dream of becoming an actress when she first arrived in New York City after graduating from the University of Delaware with a few dollars to her name and the names of two people she hoped would help her make her dream come true.¶ “The first person I contacted told me, frankly, to go to H-E-double L. There was nothing they would do,” Freeman said in an interview with Color magazine. “The second person was a lot nicer and did what they could to assist me and get me started.¶ “I still see that first person every now and then,” she added, “and I try not to be nasty about how she treated me, because it was the other person who taught me a valuable lesson. It’s so important in this business to help those who need it in any way you can, especially for other black women who have a dream of sharing their art with other people.”¶ Given her long and successful career as an actress and as a singer, Freeman could easily help other actresses just by serving as an example. It wasn’t too long after that one person told her off, after all, that she found herself appearing on Broadway in the Fats Waller musical, Ain’t Misbehaving. She also played Nurse Haleh Adams on the NBC drama ER for all 15 seasons. She’s been in numerous plays, television shows and movies, all the while building a second career as a singer. Along the way, she’s garnered numerous awards for her art, including NAACP and Ovation Awards.¶ Standing as an example of what hard work and talent can get you, though, isn’t enough for this talented woman. That’s too passive a role for her. She wants to be much more active in helping the next generation of black woman realize their dreams. She uses her experience starring at the Huntington Theater in Boston in the August Wilson play, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, as a reminder of just how important it is to pass the torch.¶ “It’s so inspirational to be in an August Wilson play, especially as an actor because there’s so much to work with. In Ma Rainey, there’s the story of a blues singer living in Chicago during the 1920s, which was a very influential and explosive time for black people in this country. But like in all his plays, there are layers and layers to explore beneath

that story, layers for you as an actor to work through and layers for the audience to discover as they watch the show,” she said. “If he had just written one play like this, he would be a great writer, but August Wilson wrote a 10-play cycle that captures the essence of Black American life – the comic and the tragic, the beautiful and the not so beautiful – and left it to us as his legacy.”¶ And so, as she rehearses the play, Freeman continues to think of ways to make a connection with other artists to share her experience, her knowledge and her faith that they, too, can realize their dreams. “The first thing I want to do is to get more people into the theater to see shows like this, so I’ll do interviews and table readings and meet and greets … whatever it takes,” she said. “Art has to be accessible. That’s what I love about regional theaters like the Huntington; it’s accessible. Broadway is too expensive for most people and the worst thing that can happen to art of any kind is for it to make people feel it’s out of their reach.” www.colormagazineusa.com March 2012

Westvleteren Abbey

LIFESTYLE

Belgian Beer and Beyond By Trond Arne Undheim

eer is not immediately something

you reflect too much about. You

grab one during a barbecue, a game or with pizza. You drink it, that’s pretty much it. But lately, many are starting to explore beers and brews beyond lager. In the United States, the trend has been exacerbated by bold moves from neighborhood bars turning into micro breweries. Why is this happening? What’s the big deal with beer? Does it have the complexity of wine?

Let’s start with Belgian monks. In return for a life of “seclusion, prayer, manual labor and ascetism,” small monasteries developed and safeguarded the methods and means to make beer into a sophisticated beverage. The word “beer” is a 15th century Dutch term which simply meant “drink.” However, beers that have alcohol levels of eight percent or higher and are full-bodied can be cellared. Eight Trappist abbeys — six from Belgium (Orval, Chimay, Westvleteren, Rochefort, Westmalle and Achel), one from the Netherlands (Koningshoeven) and one from Germany (Mariawald) make high end beer. In a world craving the unique, finding luxury, limited production beer is just what it takes to catch the interest of a global audience. In Belgium, each beer is poured (quickly or slowly) depending on type and served in its

own special glass, with a unique shape and producer’s logo. Belgium has 178 beer producers and more than 500 beer varieties: white, blond, amber, reddish and brown colored, fruity, acid or bitter beers that can be drunk as an aperitif, with seafood, with cheese, with meat, with dessert or just as is. The ingredients of beer are simple: water, malt, hops and yeast. Good beer is brewed with water from good terroir, its mineral composition influences the color and taste of beer. Hops gives the beer its typical bitter taste and flavor, but can also include less bitter, more aromatic oils. Yeast is the micro-organism that converts the sugars into alcohol, and Belgian beers have three types of fermentation: high, low and spontaneous. According to the trade association for Belgian Brewers, beer is good for your health. Historically, it was used to “treat fevers, wounds or sleep disorders,” and nowadays the main benefit is “reducing the risk of cardiovascular

diseases,” “provided you drink two drinks a day for men and one for women”. This is from a country where the Police famously lobbied against a new law to reduce the legal blood alcohol levels for driving, arguing it went “against Belgian culture.” In the end, they did not prevail, and the limit is now 0.5 milligrams, but the police have few if any breathalyzers installed in their cars. With this context, everything is set for Belgium as a beer paradise, but perhaps not such a great place to be a pedestrian. Due to the market developments, Belgian beer is now quite readily found in the United States. Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s largest brewer now owns several Belgian beer brands, such as the crisp Stella Artois lager which originates in Leuven, Belgium and the full-bodied and aromatic Leffe and the refreshing, zesty Hoegaarden white beer. However, the artisan look and feel of Belgian beers can also be explored in your local micro brewery, who often try to emanate the Belgian style.

At Fidelity, our differences define us. Join Fidelity in celebrating Black History Month.

diversity.fidelitycareers.com 18

MAGAZINE March 2012

Fidelity Investments is an equal opportunity employer.

Trond’s Picks

The Diversity Difference.

Westvleteren

(2011, $40, 94/100) This is as good as it gets. Rich, dark color, and extremely complex aromas of caramel, dark fruits, spices, and feels slightly different every time and depending on your mood and accompaniment. Combines the needed bitterness with a slightly sweet, extremely dense mouthfeel and long bouquet. Westvleteren has the smallest output of the Trappist breweries, with only a small part of their production available outside of Belgium. One would have to admit that this beer is slightly overpriced, even served in Belgian bars.

Leffe Brune

(2011, $9, 90/100) This deep brown colored, abby beer variety has a rich aroma of roasted caramel, vanilla and clove, and comes with a sweetish finish. While it pairs well with sweet and savory cuisine, it is also excellent as a standalone. For an everyday taste of European tradition, this comes relatively cheap.

Others Talk.

We Lead.

There’s a difference between talking about diversity and inclusion, and implementing real initiatives that create a more welcoming and more comfortable environment. Join us at Massachusetts General Hospital and you’ll join an organization with energy, commitment and a richness of programs designed to create a hospital and a workplace that’s more vibrant than ever before. Our commitment to the working women and working mothers who contribute so much to MGH includes the following resources and amenities: Hospital Subsidized Childcare at two MGH-owned facilities. The MGH Office for Women’s Careers, dedicated to the promotion of women into leadership and faculty positions and the retention of women faculty. Job Sharing and Flexible Scheduling, allowing employees in many roles to better balance both their work and personal commitments.

Hoegaarten White Beer

(2011, $2, 89/100) Despite its designation as a white beer, this beer pours a cloudy straw color, and has spicy and fruit smells. Brewed with unmalted wheat and bottled unfiltered, Hoegaarden has a light body and zesty, citrusy and coriander flavors. This is an excellent beer for enjoying with a meal, and it pairs well with chicken or any lighter fare.

Belgian Beer Links AnHeuser Busch InBev www.ab-inbev.com Belgian Beer Specialist Blog belgianbeerspecialist.blogspot.com Belgian Brewer’s Association www.beerparadise.be

Tuition Assistance, Employee Scholarships and Onsite Training Programs The Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine offering programs that focus on the relaxation response, positive coping strategies, physical activity, nutrition, social support, and other wellness programs. On-Site Fitness Center, Hair Salon and Banking at our Main Campus. The Mothers’ Corner, a private, comfortable space where new mothers can express their milk while at work.

Join us. MGH offers career opportunities in all areas of patient care, research, administration and operations. To see a complete list of our current opportunities and learn more about our benefits, please visit our website.

www.mghfordiversity.org

Brew Pub Zone (list of U.S. microbreweries) brewpubzone.com St. Bernardus (abby and beer) www.sintbernardus.be/en/beers.html Westvleteren (abby and beer) www.sintsixtus.be/eng/home.htm

By embracing diverse skills, perspectives and ideas, we choose to lead: EOE. www.colormagazineusa.com March 2012

LIFESTYLE

COLOR EATS

Review:

Tico Chorizo risotto with pasilla chiles, scallion and parmigiano

Latino restaurant adds some flare to Boston’s Back Bay B y Pa o l a M e s a d i e u

ico, a Spanish, South American and Mexican restaurant, is adding some much needed spice to Boston’s Back

Bay. Housed in the same location as the now defunct Cottonwood Cafe, Tico is the latest addition to Michael Schlow’s culinary empire. Diners accustomed to Schlow’s refined dishes and sultry decor at Radius, Via Matta and Alta Strada, will find Tico to be similar in both atmosphere and quality of food but unique in flavor and energy.

The menu includes traditional Latino fare, like homemade chorizo, but offers non-traditional yet complimentary ingredients like crunchy edamame and shishito peppers. At first glance, the extensive list of small plate options can be slightly overwhelming – however, if you’re indecisive and adventurous, the chef offers a tasting menu governed by your level of hunger. You can choose a tasting option based on whether you’re “Kind of Hungry” ($35 per person), you “Forgot to Eat Lunch” ($55 per person) or you want the “Full on Tico Experience” ($85 per person). Should you choose to dive right into the menu, Tico’s small plates do not disappoint in terms of taste. Almost every dish includes a 20

MAGAZINE March 2012

touch of attention grabbing chili or sauce - the tender grilled octopus accompanied by aji amarillo and panca is bold without overpowering the palette; the chicken in spicy pomegranate sauce has a balanced flavor of spice and zest. The risotto with pasilla chiles, scallions and parmigiano is creamy with generous amounts of chunks of smokey chorizo. On the downside, the serving size of the tapas-esque plates leave much to be desired. If you’re looking for a filling dish, go straight for the entrees. The catch of the day, grouper when I visited, is seared to form a crusty shell around a thick cut of moist and flaky fish. Special mention goes to the tacos. The charred marks on the tortillas

Tico 222 Berkley St. open seven days, 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. For more information visit ticorestaurant.com.

resemble the dark markings found on tortillas prepared with a comal, a Mexican griddle used to warm tortillas, toast spices and sear meat. These warm and smokey tasting cornmeal tortillas wrap around meaty fillings like lobster and avocado – an enjoyable small plate that combined the textures of lobster meat, avocado puree and the thinly sliced radishes. Much like its lengthy menu, Tico hosts a cornucopia of tequila from multiple brewing classification, from Blanco (clear and typically un-aged) to Reposado (darker hued tequila, aged in oak barrels). The cocktail list features flavorful concoctions such as the Hot and Skinny Martini ($12), a pomegranate drink mixed with ghost chile infused tequila that comes with a powerful bite, and familiar staples like fresh and citrusy margaritas. The deliciously aromatic spicy chocotini, a dark chocolate cocktail infused with vodka and chili, gives off an intoxicating and inviting scent of dark cocoa that draws you in and lightly masks the sharp taste of the hot chili pepper. In terms of the restaurant layout, the wide open floor plan and dim lighting gives the space a tavern feel. Given its proximity to the John Hancock Tower and Copley Square, the space gets packed pretty quickly by the after-work business crowd. But the friendly and fast service more than makes up for the noise level and mild foot traffic.

ion: on:

ale:

Together makes stuff happen. It finds consensus, creates solutions, and binds communities. We salute Together — in all of its forms, languages, and backgrounds. hillholliday.com

Embracing Diversity HHcr-corp-72126 HHCR 1/4 page Color 1:1 None

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LIFESTYLE

‘I’m Beautiful’ Go Ahead, Say It! B y J ay C a l d e r i n

row. Although some of the greatest dangers of undermining self-esteem in women of all ages manifest themselves as disorders like bulimia, anorexia nervosa and body dysmorphia, every single visual, verbal and written message that tells us we are lesser than, must be protected against.

“Nothing makes a woman more beautiful than the belief that she is beautiful.” - Sophia Loren

The road to beauty is paved with good intentions. Giving fashion and beauty professionals the benefit of the doubt, we will agree that most set forth to create beautiful objects and life enriching services. However, somewhere on the way to the consumer the messages that accompany these things often end up chipping away at the very self-esteem they are designed to boost. The primary reason for this is that the definition of beauty has become so nar22

MAGAZINE March 2012

“The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman is seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides. True beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It’s the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows and the beauty of a woman only grows with passing years.” - Audrey Hepburn

Audrey Hepburn is considered one of the great beauties of all time, and yet when she began her career the prevailing standard of beauty was considerably more robust and voluptuous. Edith Head was a Hollywood costumer known for her ability to disguise figure flaws. In Hepburn’s case she was charged with correcting a long neck, flat chest, thin arms and dancer’s legs. Thankfully Audrey Hepburn had little interest in a makeover of this magnitude, and instead accentuated traits that would eventually become a new standard of beauty. The New York Times described the phenomenon, “Thanks to their first glimpse of Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday, half a generation of young females stopped stuffing their bras and teetering on stiletto heels,” while director Billy Wilder later said, “This girl, single-handedly, may make bosoms a thing of the past.”

2% The Campaign for Real Beauty has become one of the most innovative marketing strategies for beauty products because DOVE set out to broaden beauty standards rather than dictate them. They used powerful images and copy designed to provoke a dialogue around issues of beauty as they pertain to age, body proportions and race. They also shed light on how hair, makeup and Photoshop contribute to the glorification of unrealistic, and often unattainable standards of beauty in the quest for an arbitrary measure of perfection. Is the fact that these standards will remain elusive to all but a select few what makes us desire them so fervently? Or are we just being sold a bill of goods? The idea for the campaign stemmed from a global study called The Real Truth About Beauty: A Global Report in which only 2 percent of 3,200 women from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Portugal, United Kingdom, and the United States, considered themselves beautiful. How sad is it that when you look around you, such a small percentage of the women in your life feel beautiful? While character, kindness, passion, confidence, wisdom, dignity, authenticity and humor all contribute to the perception of real beauty, these attributes are not generally what end up on glossy pages or a catwalk. The New York Times recently pointed out that although Marc Jacobs is said to have been inspired by the flamboyance of stylish women as they mature (women like Gloria Vanderbilt, Lynn Yaeger, Cindy Sherman and Anna Piaggi) most of the models that made it onto the runway of his Fall/ Winter 2012/13 collection show were very young, two in particular under the Council of Fashion Designer’s of America recommended age of 16.

LAWS of ATTRACTION “Girls do not dress for boys. They dress for themselves, and of course, each other. If girls dressed for boys, they’d just walk around naked at all times.” -Betsey Johnson

Several universal characteristics that define physical attractiveness can be attributed to a basic instinct for survival. Signs of health and fertility explain in part why youthful appearance, symmetrical features, full lips, breasts and hips in a woman may be appealing at a very primal level. However, gauging beauty becomes more complex when factoring in cultural, social and individual preferences. There is also the inclination to be attracted to people who display qualities similar to your own. Beyond baseline standards rarity becomes another driver in attributing value to appearance. Angelina Jolie’s lips are technically too big for her face. Jennifer Lopez boasts a very ample posterior at a time when waif-like figures are celebrated. Both features are out of proportion with the rest of them, and yet they have become the iconic symbols of their exotic beauty and desirability.

“Beauty is also submitted to the taste of time, so a beautiful woman from the Belle Epoch is not exactly the perfect beauty of today, so beauty is something that changes with time.”

“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.” - Marilyn Monroe

Unconventional beauty Rossy de Palma has often been compared to a Picasso painting. Well known as an actress, most notably for her performances in Pedro Almovodar films like Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, she has also become a fashion model and muse for designers like Jean-Paul Gaultier and Thierry Mugler and had a role in Robert Altman’s fashion film satire Prêt-à-Porter. The way in which she crafts her presence reminds me of the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi, which describes beauty as imperfect, impermanent and incomplete. Rather than attempting to conceal or distract from her natural features de Palma challenges us to defy preconceived notions of beauty and appreciate her for how truly unique she is inside and out.

EDUCATED STANDARDS - Karl Lagerfeld

The Golden Ratio is a mathematical equation that is sometimes also called the divine proportion. As far back as the Renaissance, artists have used the 1 to 1.618 ratio to achieve aesthetically pleasing works of art. Dr. Stephen R. Marquardt developed the Golden Decagon Mask, a two-dimensional template that is now widely used by plastic surgeons to “correct” the structure of a face. Have our bodies simply become canvases for today’s artist who wields a scalpel instead of a paintbrush?

“Today, fashion is really about sensuality — how a woman feels on the inside. In the ‘80s women used suits with exaggerated shoulders and waists to make a strong impression. Women are now more comfortable with themselves and their bodies — they no longer feel the need to hide behind their clothes.” - Donna Karan

As an educator I make a point of introducing the topic of beauty and the subjectivity involved in defining it. In order to serve their clients well, good designers must understand the body and the many variables that make up a unique individual both on paper and in the real world. When developing a croquis (the figure a designer will use as their model on paper) they must be aware body types (ectomorph, mesomorph and endomorph) as well as different frames (sometimes described as apple, pear, ruler and hourglass). An extensive menu of hair color and texture, skin tone, the shape and size of facial features, height, weight, race and age help refine the designer’s muse even further. A consumer with understanding and appreciation of these elements will be better equipped to engage fashion on their own terms. “It’s the kind of clothes that mothers and daughters can wear, in terms of concept, ... It’s not about age. It’s about taste, and it’s about lifestyle. I believe women of all ages can wear anything.” - Ralph Lauren

ROLE MODELS

I think there is something to be said about grouping a bunch of Asian models together. I think in a way that feels almost like a fad and a trend versus something that just feels like a melting pot of beauty.” - Joe Zee

A recent visit to the set of WCVB-TV’s CityLine – where I was interviewed by Karen Holmes Ward about model diversity in the world of fashion – brought up some very salient points about the relationship between the public and the worlds of fashion and beauty; consumers want to see themselves represented on the pages of fashion magazines, in advertisements, and on runways; women do not want to be patronized with representation that treats their ethnicity, body type or age as a novelty versus being an authentic and valuable part of the big picture of fashion and beauty. But most importantly, an educated and empowered consumer has the purchasing power to change the industry. www.colormagazineusa.com March 2012