Now that a new schoolyear has started, I am looking forward to seeing my children yearn and thirst after knowledge as they always do each school year. But, as each year passes, especially for my younger children, I notice that there is less and less emphasis on the visual arts–the type that requires some imagination, creativity, and a little messiness. It especially concerns me when I see my son more drawn to a handheld computer game than a pencil and pad to draw or paint on. That one-on-one time with an electronic system leaves him a little disconnected and withdrawn sometimes….And that worries me! So, I guess it is true that progress does come with a downside.
Of course, it just makes parenting a little bit more interesting and creative. Those electronic overload times offer me an opportunity to step up and meet my son’s educational/artistic needs– and all of my children’s needs– in a different way. These different approaches encourage me to offer him a few moments to unleash that pent up creativity to find out how much it connects him to the world around him, to actively pursue his passions, and to further empower him to take control of his educational outcome.
See, all of that can be done with a few few strokes of a paintbrush, an afternoon stringing beads, and an evening seated outside with a pencil and notebook to draw the shape of the leaves, the trees, the clouds, the moon, and the many stars. Those are all things that we can do to reconnect our children to the world around them–it’s a connection worth saving and nurturing. Today is the day to restore and nurture those connections.
Often referred to as a “Harlem Renaissance painter”, Aaron Douglas (May 1898 – February 1979) spent his early years in Topeka, Kansas and moved to NYC in 1925.
Douglas worked with flat forms and hard edges. “In paintings, murals, and book illustrations, he incorporated elements from music, dance, literature, and politics to produce powerful artistic forms that had a lasting impact on American art history and the nation’s cultural heritage”
The exhibit, 9/11 thru 11/30/08, will showcase his four 1930’s murals from the Schomburg’s Reading Room.
Why I Love NYC (For Art’s Sake)
Walking through NYC today was much like wading through a bowl of luke warm, New England clam chowder. Nasty. Still, I left the comforts of AC, inspired by my friend, Michelle Haimoff’s mention of a Keith Haring “exhibit downtown”. One of the greatest aspects of living in New York, is even when you spend every waking hour seeing, experiencing, hearing art, you will still miss out on some great shows. The Haring piece has been up since April and I had no idea. (more…)
Came across a review in Times Online where the critic goes on about Hammershois repetitiveness of gray and somber tones in all of his paintings, like, where is the color, why so depressing etc.
Back in 1998, the NYC Guggenheim Museum had a showing of Hammershois work and I remembered liking them. I thought of “I Remember Mama” – Edward Grieg’s music was used for the 1950’s TV show (not Danish but Norwegian, close) and “Dagmar” (Robin Morgan who I met while working at N.Y.P.L.) the little girl that everyone seemed to love. It was a ritual, our family and sometimes our neighbors would join us to watch this program, which was about a family that on the surface looked to be very different from ours. I don’t remember any of the story lines, but what Hammershois paintings did was to recall for me something that our family did and enjoyed doing together.
Go see art, listen to music, watch dance and make up your own mind. Don’t let some one decide for you what is not worth seeing.
The Hammershoi exhibit got some unfavorable reviews at the time and it would have been a shame to have paid attention to them and missed out on memories that the show brought up.
Going back to those days of hanging out in caves, wall paintings and banging on rocks just looking to tell a good story. A story about ourselves, what we wanted and what we could use a little less of. We also told story in dance, except we didn’t call it dance, it was just talking with our feet.
He knows how to move bodies in space, how to layer his phrases and, above all, how to make dancers look good.GIA KOURLAS NYTimes
Earlier this month Rennie Harris Puremovement preformed in NYC Central Park and in reading the NY Times review along with this photograph of Mr. Harris, I was intrigued. Out here in the desert, during the summer there is no Central Park. Central Park and the free shows, concerts and the park itself are all reason to miss New York every once in while.
The Guggenheim Museum will have some special exhibits thru the summer until mid- September highlighting art from their permanent collections.
“New York In the 1940s”
European artists escaping the turmoil of World War II came to New York during the ‘40s to work and exhibit. A lot of their paintings, some in the Surrealist style, were collected by the Guggenheim and are shown here.
“Thannhauser Collection”
The vast art collection of Justin Thannhauser, son of an art dealer, was acquired by the Guggenheim and includes works by Cezanne, Manet, Monet, Picasso, Renoir and more.
“Vasily Kandinsky: Beginnings”
Guggenheim started to collect Kandinskys paintings and water colors in 1929. Those will be on display along with samples of the artists graphic arts and print making styles.
Came across a review in 
Going back to those days of hanging out in caves, wall paintings and banging on rocks just looking to tell a good story. A story about ourselves, what we wanted and what we could use a little less of. We also told story in dance, except we didn’t call it dance, it was just talking with our feet.
