published July 6, 2011 at 4:30pm CDT
MUSICAL MONDAY: GENIUS IN MY COMPANY
So what’s “Musical Monday”? Just pick the book you’re currently reading and#40;or just finishedand#41;, then think of a song or album that best matches the book. Even hitting shuffle on your musical player will do the trick. I don’t know about you, but songs pop into my head all the time when reading books, or the perfect song will start playing while reading it and it feels like two atoms exploding in my brain! Plus, it’s a fun way to introduce artists that others might not know about. The Book: The Pleasure of My Company by Steve Martin The Song: Genius Next Door by Regina Spektor -or- Click here for an alternate link! The Reason: The song has such a sad tune and even though the words DO NOT match the book, the melody does. Plus, it has “genius” in the title. Cop out, but whateves. If you have a “Musical Monday” post, I’d love to hear about it! Post your link below! [Read More]published February 23, 2011 at 11:34am CST
RAISING THE BARRE: THE REINVENTION OF CLASSICAL BALLET
If you think Swan Lake or The Nutcracker when you think of ballet, think again. Many contemporary troupes are forging new ways to enchant modern audiences by demonstrating that ballet is a living dance form. Check out just a few of the ways in which ballet is being reinvented. Indie Rock Ballet: Goodbye Tchaikovsky, hello…The Shins? Last month, choreographer Trey McIntyre debuted with San Francisco’s Smuin Ballet a series of eight dance vignettes, set to tracks off the The Shins’ Oh, Inverted World album. Not only was there nary a pointe shoe in sight, but the male dancers shuffled across the stage wearing shorts and crew socks that evoked American Apparel more than Capezio. Avant Chamber Ballet: The Shins aren’t the only indie artist to receive the ballet treatment. The New York City Ballet’s Justin Peck recently choreographed a performance inspired by Osso’s Run Rabbit Run, a reinterpretation of Sufjan Stevens’ Enjoy Your Rabbit record. Performed this past weekend [Read More]published November 9, 2010 at 4:00pm CST
ART AND THOUGHT: THE MOURNERS: MEDIEVAL TOMB SCULPTURES FROM THE COURT OF BURGUNDY
A procession of mourners stands upon a black slab of stone. The bishop carries a staff in his left hand and an open book in the other. His face is furrowed with wrinkles, and his eyes are closed, as if deep in thought. His heavy robes, brooch, and decorated headdress enhance the solemnity and wisdom found in his peaceful though melancholy expression. The bishop stands just inches away from the deacon in front of him who carries a cross that is now broken. Unlike the bishop, the deacon’s expression is one full of sadness. He arches his head back, his eyes peering up at the heavens while his two hands grip both ends of the cross. The simplicity of the boy’s robes elevates his innocence. Viewers get the sense that his heart is still too vulnerable for the emotional gravity of such ceremonies, and that he is learning in these times the true nature of life: that all life must eventually come to an end, even for the young. The bishop and the deacon are only two figures in a collec [Read More]published April 25, 2010 at 2:07pm CDT
published April 18, 2010 at 3:27pm CDT
ART AND THOUGHT: CELEBRATION: THE BIRTHDAY OF CHINESE ART
When I was young, every birthday was celebrated like a grand occasion. My parents would rent out the private dining room in my favorite Chinese restaurant, and they would invite all my relatives - even distant cousins I had never met before - to gather together to celebrate my birthday. In the hour before my parents and I left for the restaurant, I would pose in front of a camera, wearing a lace dress my grandmother brought home all the way from Taiwan. My mother, having always been the nostalgic one in the family, still keeps these photographs in the same decorated and frilly scrapbook she has put together since my birth. Following the traditional birthday dinner, all my relatives would flock to my home where they would place gifts and shopping bags on the table for me to open. After I tore the wrapping paper off of each box and read the card, I would have to go to that relative, peck him or her on the cheek, and express my gratitude. In one birthday, I could receive a whole co [Read More]published April 11, 2010 at 1:36pm CDT
ART AND THOUGHT: PABLO BRONSTEIN AT THE MET
In the Metropolitan Museum, I stand in front of a large ink drawing. The skies are flushed in shades of pale gray and brown. The land is barren. A Hellenic column juts pitifully out from the earth like the last pillar of humanity after the apocalypse has struck. However, in the backdrop of all this emptiness is a magnificent building undergoing construction: a museum. The drawing evokes all varieties of fairy tales and epic myths, and viewing the piece, it is almost like hearing a narrative played out in front of me, as visually appealing and daunting as a dance performed onstage or a film screening. “The Museum Nearing Completion as Seen from Fourth Avenue” imagines the construction of the Metropolitan Museum, shrouding the iconic building in a veil of mystery and intrigue. Layers of scaffolding enclose every wing of the splendid structure, endowing the museum with a vulnerability and incompleteness that is rarely seen today. In the past few months, I have admittedly favo [Read More]published April 8, 2010 at 6:27pm CDT
ART AND THOUGHT: TUTANKHAMUN’S FUNERAL
We had been friends since elementary school, and we could not have been more different. Even in the first grade, she was considered fashion forward with her sparkly pink t-shirts, pigtails, and leather pants. She held the most parties out of all the other girls in class, celebrating every Easter, Halloween, and Christmas with a Barbie-themed bonanza that drove all of us, and even a few boys, wild. Our friendship had gotten off to a rocky start. I had refused to lend her my new colored pencils, and she envied the wide range of colors I had, especially the five shades of pink I put on special reserve for all important art assignments. Finally, she stole them, and what ensued was a temper tantrum on my part that brought in the nurse, the other first grade teachers, and my parents. Since the incident of the pink colored pencils, everything else that has occurred in our friendship has been smooth sailing. Now, the same girl who I befriended many years ago was standing beside me, dre [Read More]published March 28, 2010 at 9:42pm CDT
DON’T FORGET- TOMORROW IS SWAN (SUPPORT WOMEN ARTISTS NOW) DAY
Tomorrow, March 27, is third SWAN and#40;Support Women Artists Nowand#41; day across the country and the world. It’s really easy to participate in your community. Here’s why the day was created: SWAN Day/Support Women Artists Now Day is a new international holiday that celebrates women artists. It is an annual event taking place on the last Saturday of March and#40;Women’s History Monthand#41; and the surrounding weeks. By focusing attention on the work of women artists, SWAN Day helps people imagine what the world might be like if women’s art and perspectives were fully integrated into all of our lives. People celebrate this new holiday by participating in SWAN Day events and by making donations to their favorite women artists. The long term goal of SWAN Day is to inspire communities around the world to find new ways to recognize and support women artists as a basic element of civic planning. There were over 170 S [Read More]published March 26, 2010 at 6:57pm CDT
ART AND THOUGHT: PLAYING WITH PICTURES: THE ART OF VICTORIAN PHOTOCOLLAGE
“What is that exactly?” My friend crossed her arms and cocked her head to one side. Her eyes had the tendency to get bigger when she was confused, and at the present moment, they were large green orbs, glistening over with both confusion and interest. “Well,” I began slowly, not wanting to appear completely out of the loop, though I was admittedly just as baffled as she was. “It appears as though these women’s heads are attached to the bodies of a few ducks.” We tore our eyes away from the picture and looked at each other. What followed was a fit of giggles and laughs that turned a few heads in the museum, including one tired-looking security guard. Naturally, we weren’t the only ones in the gallery who felt a little amused by the whimsical nature of these Victorian photocollages. Several other visitors, including two couples, were whispering and chuckling at the pictures in front of them. A proper-looking woman, clad in a traditional lace-embroidered dress [Read More]published February 28, 2010 at 2:18pm CST