Adele has an engaging stage presence without any gimmicks. Not putting down gimmicks, they can be fun, but its refreshing to get a glimpse of something that appears to be genuine. Watched this recent video performance and got such pleasure in watching Adele enjoy and have fun with herself and the audience. Because there were not fifty thousand people there, she could see them. And they could easily see her.
Looking for humor and discovered more. Some parts of the film are very funny and it does a great job showing us how flawed we all are. Great performances by all the folks we know, Julianne Moore, Annette Bening, Mark Ruffalo and a beautiful portrait of a young lady by Mia Wasikowska (Joni) who I did not know.
The film is a portrait of a contemporary family, (same-sex parents and sperm donors etc.) with an expanded storyline that includes the question that we are always asking of ourselves, how did we become who we are, are we our mothers and fathers and could we have been different. And can our kids escape our flaws and become something totally different, their own person?
The Kids are All Right, good flick
The Guggenheim Museum in New York City has an exhibit exploring a particular segment of art created during the early 20th Century. More than 100 pieces are included in “The Great Upheaval: Modern Art from the Guggenheim Collection, 1910–1918” on display until June 1, 2011. 
“When Vasily Kandinsky and Franz Marc formed Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) group in late 1911, the artists predicted a watershed in the arts, a große Umwälzung (great upheaval) that would radically challenge traditional artistic production. Undoubtedly, tremendous creativity and innovation characterized the years leading up to World War I, especially 1910–14.”
The Great Upheaval: Modern Art from the Guggenheim Collection, 1910–1918 *Until June 1
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
1071 5th Avenue (at 89th Street), NYC
Images: Gino Severini, “Red Cross Train Passing a Village”, (1915) and Kandinsky “Composition VII” (1913)
A joint exhibition by Gennaro Garcia and Joe Ray • May 6 – 30
After Hours Gallery
116 West McDowell Road
Phoenix, AZ
Exploring aspects of mythology, religion, iconography and lust. This exhibit celebrates female deities from above and below. A full participation of life, before, during, and after.
Choreographer and Artistic Director Jawole Willa Jo Zollar-photo by: Antoine Tempé
Some anthropologists believe that the first form of human communication was dance. Embedded in the dances’ message was and still is the basic need of any community to stay together. Dance always tells the truth.
Urban Bush Women’s mission is to create dance and to create community.
“Urban Bush Women Resistance & Power” at the Harlem Stage Gatehouse , there are still tickets available for tomorrows’ performance. Sunday May 1st, 2011 3PM
John Hawkes - Winter's Bone
This wonderful small film was not for me a detective mystery as some have called it, but rather a portrait of America’s primal self. A portrait that is not at all flattering, like racism, poverty and ignorance that we desperately wish would stay hidden in the shadows.
The film immediately lays the groundwork: opportunity (next to none), respect (yes mam, no sir), family and women. The mystery is less important then the culture. We are watching a lion’s pride, not a cartoon, this is real. The pace of the movie and the soundtrack adds to its realness and I can relate to the desperation. Unlike a documentary, I never get the chance to feel distant and sorry for the people whose lives are portrayed on screen.
Life is simplistic, we will all do whatever is called for in order for us to survive another day. For me, that is the real story. Not the “who did it” or the perils of drugs (Meth), we are all looking to get by.
The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg is a beautiful building and museum that houses many wonderful works of art that are not often seen outside of Russia. Many of the galleries are setup in saloon style and the viewer can be overwhelmed by a wall full of Picasso’s or Matisses hung so close together that on first look they resembled wallpaper.
Madonna and Child - Leonardo da Vinc
I visited the Hermitage in 1994 and was a little uncomfortable with how the work was hung. There seemed to be no air or white space, with some of the older paintings hung in direct sunlight, which could not be good.
I’ve been spoiled by the extravagant and often over the top displays of art in the United States. Some museums show how the amount of white space surrounding a painting on view has come to mean “increased value”. One thing that is consistent, museums contain more art from conquest than purchase, therefore visiting can be an interesting way to study history.
If you like the cold, St. Petersburg and the Hermitage deserve a visit. You might be able to find a reasonable airfare.
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Paintings and Mixed Media Assemblages by Kim Kristoff & Shari Bombeck at Trinity Cathedral & the Olney Gallery! Also “The Just Society Film Festival” will host “Somewhere near Tapachula”
Trinity Cathedral
100 W. Roosevelt St.,
Phoenix AZ 85003
I love watercolors and I’m pleased to report that the Art Institute of Chicago/ AIC is currently showing a collection of artist John Marin’s work – “John Marin’s Watercolors: A Medium for Modernism”.
“During his lifetime, American modernist John Marin (1870–1953) was the country’s most celebrated artist. His improvisational approach to color, paint handling, perspective, and movement situated him as a leading figure in modern art and helped influence the Abstract Expressionist movement.”
“While Marin worked prolifically in watercolor, etching, and oil during a career that spanned more than 50 years, it was the medium of watercolor that encouraged his development of a bold, original style that is both contemporary and authentically American.”
“John Marin’s Watercolors: A Medium for Modernism” – Until April 17, 2011
AIC, Art Institute of Chicago, 111 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois
(Image: “The Red Sun-Brooklyn Bridge”, 1922)
Lisa Hannigan
Interpretation is also creativity. There was a time when everyone, singer and musician would perform or record music that had been introduced by another artist. There must be at least 20 versions of “Round Midnight” or “Lover Man” none of which are copies of the others. Having someone re-interpret music opens it up to a new audience and possibly invigorates old audience. In the 1970’s everyone wanted to do their own material and their audience settled for music that needed to sound the same, every time. We got locked into lip-sync, digital overdubbing and fireworks.
I’ve listened to Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin” maybe thousands of times in the 1960’s, when the times did change. Overtime, listening to the original, I remember the words but not the meaning. On the Imagine Project, Hancock, Lisa Hannigan and The Chieftans have me paying attention again.
The “Imagine Project” may or may not be as big of a commercial success as Herbie Hancock’s last two compilation albums and success is not the goal here. What is important I feel is that songs like Peter Gabriel’s “Don’t Give Up”, which was first released almost 25 years ago, gets a hearing by a new audience.