First: Kara Walker's sugar baby is NOT public art. It is big sculpture. To qualify as public art, the work must be accidentally available to any person in real space. The best public art engages a public space that is truly owned and protected by a community of people. Once behind the walls - like a strip club - the vast public allows anything as long as the establishment does not attract … [Read more...]
Street Artists and Airplanes
With os gemeos's completion of the FIFA airplane for the Brazilian World Cup Team, I noticed the on-going exhibition in Pima, Arizona of street artists who have painted abandoned planes at the famous airplane "boneyard" and now museum. We can't forget Calder for Braniff in the 1970s and the unknown-to-me artist for Ecuatoriana. Please forget Peter Max for Continental. "The Bone Yard … [Read more...]
Kara Walker Tangents: Sexual Sphinx
As I considered Walkers' sugar baby, I wanted to know about sphinx sculpture in general. I was very surprised to learn the 17-18th century feminization of the sphinx with a subtle dose of sexuality in Europe. In the ancient times, the memorable sphinx's are male with a sense of pride and self-importance, not sex. The great sphinx at Giza Egypt fools the memory as a female with its head dress … [Read more...]
Billboards of the Sky
A few images of billboards by artists to remind the viewer of the sky. … [Read more...]
Recalling a Tom Finkelpearl Moment on the Way to Director of NYC Cultural Affairs
In honor of Tom Finkelpearl's appointment as the director of Cultural Affairs for the City of New York, let's recall one of Tom's great battle's in his efforts to the support that artists that worked for the community. After years working with communities in the Bronx, John Ahearn was selected to create three sculptures for the NYC Public Art Program under Tom's leadership. Due to opposition by … [Read more...]
More Joy: Pita and Bloom
I am tracking "Joy", an emotion I don't understand, but see in others. Perhaps Pita and Bloom wants Beauty as a more high-minded ambition. Joy is the better objective. Here is the another joy. http://www.architectmagazine.com/architects/florencia-pita-and-jackilin-hah-bloom_o.aspx [contextly_auto_sidebar id="oSSJjCSPY2xo2uFq1w6MipIxeMwc4WYf"] … [Read more...]
Bring me your Ladders! Charlie Brouwer makes Art
Since he turned 60 in 2006, America artist Charlie Brouwer has become popular in the Carolinas and Virginia for "Rise Up". He asks for donations from the garage, basement or truck. The old ladders of the handy man, the working man and grandpa touch my heart. The ladders are spotted with paint, chipped, dented and a slightly broken - but "darn good" for cleaning the gutters. Thanks … [Read more...]
Design-Build Weekends: Vermont, Germany, UK and Arizona
Looking for a little hands-on, artistic rejuvenation. Try Studio in the Woods in the British countryside for only £165 in July. Or the 72-Hour Urban Action in Germany's Ruhr Valley in July. Other collaborative Design-Build workshop options include Yestermorrow in Vermont, USA and Arcosanti north of Phoenix, USA. Both year round. Yestermorrow is $350 for a weekend and $875 for week. … [Read more...]
Dallas Memorials: Kennedy and Police
Never been to Dallas, Texas. Two memorials to learn from: JFK Memorial , 1970, by Philip Johnson and the Dallas Police Memorial by Ed Baum. Both are under-successful works of architects caught in transition. Johnson has several quirks such as tiny, tiny experiments with decoration showing a crack in his modernist faith. He raises the walls to show the feet and calves of visitors inside the … [Read more...]
Working the House in America #publicart
Mike Kelly’s Mobile Homestead opened to the public this month in Detroit. His video shot from the window of the Mobile Homestead starts touring around the world. Self-taught or folk artist homes are regional tourist attractions, but actual single-family houses have a limited history of artistic intervention by the finer arts. Why - primarily … [Read more...]