Anna Gragert

"I'm kind of the last stop before destruction," says Emily Hillburg, whose pieces wreak havoc on the idea that caring for china is women's work. Sourcing subjects from vintage and thrift stores, the 39-year-old L.A. artist uses blood-red paint to upcycle porcelain figurines and ceramics, turning the featured damsels of our past into modern femmes who say things like, "Boys ain't shit," "Don't fuck with me," and, simply, "No."

During a recent appearance on Good Morning America, Jennifer Garner gave her thoughts on a 13 Going on 30 sequel. "What? Like, 15 Going on 50?” she said. “Let's simmer down, and then let's leave well enough alone." Though sequel culture is having a moment, Garner seems to understand one fundamental truth: Certain films are perfect as-is. 13 Going on 30, which celebrates its 15th anniversary on April 23, is one of them — and one of the best parts about it is the fashion.
The 2004 film tells th...

Between “something something, based on your zodiac sign” articles, Urban Outfitters’ constellation-themed home decor, and #astrologymemes on every social media feed, it would be an understatement to say that astrology is having a moment. More than ever, learning about our birth chart is giving us a chance to connect with others — and the best part is that everyone with internet access was born, and therefore, everyone can participate. And if you’ve ever logged on to the Co-Star Personalized A...

Over the last 20 years, graphic designer Bonnie Siegler has worked with some incredible clients. These clients include Saturday Night Live, Jimmy Fallon, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and HBO, just to name a few. Named one of the 50 most influential graphic designers working today by Graphic Design USA, Siegler has worked hard for the success she has achieved in her career.
After majoring in graphic design at Carnegie Mellon University, Siegler got her start working for MTV, before moving on t...

Me. Standing on pavement peppered with plastic. Alone. Waiting. Surrounded by man-manipulated metal.
Unsure of the direction. No compass rose. Eyes wide. Standing before a construction site. Work in progress.
Lovers brush by. Hands held. Lips pursed. A man strides past. Briefcase: shined. Shoes: shined. Forehead: shiny. The wind whips around buildings. It beats me.
A herd of men appear. Talking loud. One man pauses. His right finger in his left nostril.
He looks at my shoes. Sees through them...

You’ve likely been impacted by Eugenia Loli’s work before, whether it be from a quick glance at a book cover, while sorting through album art, flipping through a magazine, or while scrolling through social media. This is a credit to Eugenia’s prolificacy, with her resume containing as much depth as it does length. Though Eugenia is a collage artist, an illustrator, and a filmmaker, it feels wrong to refer to her in such few words. These descriptors are indeed accurate, but you will quickly no...

There is art that makes you stop and stare, hypnotizing you as it draws you into a world built within the human imagination. There is art that wrinkles your brow, posing questions without answers (or, conversely, too many answers all at once). Then, there is art like Robin Eisenberg’s — art that has you take a good look at your reflection, reminding you that certain answers can only be found by looking right into your own eyes.
Robin’s work transports viewers to lands inhabited by women (and ...

“My mother got cancer when I was sixteen and died when I was 22. Don't feel sorry. Bad things happen.”
Rather than listing off her accomplishments or waxing poetic about her stylistic choices, this is how Martha Rich begins her artist statement. Amid these 20 words, one can recognize what they see in the creator’s work: dialogue. Whether literally or symbolically, Martha’s artwork starts a conversation about the spectrum of life, from the difficult to the seemingly trivial. Such conversations...

Places | At Work
All it took was one drive past a cemetery with friends for me to realize that my relationship with graveyards is unconventional. While they’d pinch their noses and puff out their cheeks to make it clear that breath was being held within—so spirits wouldn’t be able to “get inside” them—I’d look on, puzzled. I couldn’t understand why one would fear cemeteries and their entombed inhabitants. After all, I grew up inside their gates, playing amongst the crypts and watching my moth...

When I walked into the courtyard of the Los Altos Apartments, I felt the world shift around me. One minute, I was walking down the sidewalk, with typical L.A. traffic zooming by, and the next? I was surrounded by greenery, palm trees, fairy lights, and the sounds of a bubbling fountain. This is the location The Craft actress Rachel True picked for our reading, and I could instantly see why.
I soon learned that this particular building (the first co-op in Los Angeles) was built in 1926, and ha...

At age 14, Hailee Steinfeld starred opposite Jeff Bridges (*the* Dude) in True Grit, which led to her being nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award. When she was 15, Hailee took on the iconic role as Juliet, and all the pressure that comes with it, while remaking Romeo and Juliet. Two years later, the actress joined the Pitch Perfect franchise and also snagged a role in the music video seen ’round the world: Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood.” Just last year, Hailee was nominated for th...

Take a moment to remember what was going on in your life at age 17. If you’re anything like us, memories from this part of your life bring up a cloud of emotion, hormones, and mental distress. Now, imagine coming across a YouTube video entitled “The Ugliest Woman in the World” at that age — and realizing it’s all about you. It’s easy to envision such a video propelling one into the darkness — yet Lizzie Velasquez used this hurtful situation to not only find the light, but to bring others alon...

When I received an email with “Angela Bassett” in the subject line, I immediately bypassed all my other emails and gave that one a hearty click. And then, when I saw that I was being asked to interview *the* Angela Bassett, I could feel my body being enveloped by a bubble of panic. But, I mean, how could I not? Especially considering the cause that was behind this request.
The For Your Sweetheart movement is one that aims to raise awareness about the link between type 2 diabetes and heart dis...

It’s been said time and time again: Never meet your heroes. But when you’re stubborn like me, you tend to ignore this stock phrase, throw caution to the wind, and face your heroes (and your fears). That’s exactly what transpired after I learned that author Sarah Dessen was coming out with a new book, Once and for All. That lightbulb above my head burned bright, powered by a single query: Can I interview Sarah Dessen, the woman who shaped me as a reader and a writer?
I always liked to read, bu...

Gypsy Rose Blancharde is serving 10 years in prison after taking part in the murder of her abusive mother, Dee Dee Blancharde, with the help of her then-boyfriend. In the powerful HBO documentary, Mommy Dead and Dearest, we learn about Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a mental illness in which a caretaker secretly makes their dependent ill in order to gain attention, sympathy, and/or power.
This particular case of Munchausen syndrome by proxy is noted by psychologists as one of the worst cases e...