October 9 – November 21, 2015

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. —1 Corinthians 13.11

Skarstedt London (23 Old Bond Street, London W1S 4PZ, UK; t: +44 207 499 5200; f: +44 207 491 8805. london@skarstedt.com, @skarstedtgallery) is pleased to announce its forthcoming exhibition Childish Things, to coincide with Frieze Masters at the London gallery. Featuring iconic works by Vija Celmins, Robert Gober and Mike Kelley, the exhibition engages with the deeply personal and often repressed memories of childhood. Looking back on this formative period from adulthood, the artists incorporate keepsakes and domestic objects charged with emotional and physical connotations, to emphasize the influence of childhood on their personal and artistic development.

Mike Kelley, Ahh…Youth!, 1991 (detail).

At first glance, Soup by Vija Celmins is an image of a humble meal and yet the painting reveals itself to be much deeper in meaning. For Celmins, who grew up in Latvia during the war, soup is not only symbolic of a European tradition and a family ritual of mealtimes together, it connotes nourishment, the protective warmth of home, and stability in the chaos of war. In this painting, Celmins captures the fears and anxieties, as well as the comforts of a child whose world is contained within the domestic sphere.

Speaking with Robert Gober, Celmins affirms the lasting impression of her childhood memories on her artistic creativity: Your work may have been coloured by your religious experience, or whatever, and I think mine was coloured mostly by the chaos of my early childhood in the war…It was like, this is it, you’re born, you’re here, you have to deal with it. I was so afraid of being abandoned and lost in it. But later, in the studio, I think I relived all these things …

In Mike Kelley’s Ahh…Youth the juxtaposed images of smiling teddy bears and a self-portrait taken from his high school yearbook is at once humorous and strange. Distancing his own childhood experiences from those explored in his work, Kelley invents fictions based on a pastiche of childhood objects, stories, fears and fantasies: My biography is fairly dull. It’s much better to fill in these empty spaces with fiction than the boring truth. I filled in the blanks with pastiches of things that had affected me when I was a child: cartoons, films…

The cinematic suite of images gives credence to Kelley’s admission to creating fictions around his own childhood and also invites the viewer to project their own experience of youth onto the work. Although seemingly playful and innocent, the alienation of the images in single frames heightens the discord between the happiness of childhood play and the disaffections of the adult artist, conscious of the traumatic memories such images may harbor.

Playing with the tension between the everyday objects used in their work and the power of these objects to unseat our emotions, Mike Kelley and Robert Gober employ humor, irony and seriousness to enable us to enter their work and engage with more challenging and fraught material. Gober’s Tilted Playpen, is a prime example of the artist’s ‘psychological furniture’. Positioning the familiar and strange in opposition, the associations of this universally domestic object with protection and child well-being are called into question by the object’s slanted pose. The playpen can no longer be seen as a safe haven, the element of ‘play’ is absent and instead the object becomes a ‘pen’ – a site of entrapment.

Uniting all of the works in the exhibition is the recourse to familiar objects which not only resonate with the artists, but which also speak to the viewer. Robert Gober said: “Memory is like looking up at the stars, it’s not a linear thing”. The artists’ recourse to childhood memories does not follow a clear narrative, instead it raises questions, affects our emotions and challenges the idea that to become an adult one must put aside the childish things of youth.

Skarstedt Gallery was founded in 1994 by Per Skarstedt to mount historical exhibitions by Contemporary European and American artists that had become the core of his specialty in Sweden and New York in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. The New York gallery’s program remains focused on artists of the late Twentieth Century whose work explores concepts such as representation, authorship, identity and sexual politics across a wide-range of media. Skarstedt’s unique relationships with artists allows it to present exhibitions both on the primary and secondary markets, creating a dialogue between the generations.

Skarstedt opened its London space at 23 Old Bond Street in 2012 with the inaugural exhibition “Andy Warhol: The American Indian.” Skarstedt London presents exhibitions and publications devoted to the gallery’s established area of expertise while also seeking to evolve and expand its focus and is committed to sharing both its aesthetic perspective and philosophical approach through high-quality exhibitions and collaborations with top international museums and private collections.

Skarstedt opened its Chelsea space at 550 W. 21st Street in May 2014 with the inaugural exhibition “Klein and Warhol: Fire and Oxidation Paintings.” The additional gallery space enables Skarstedt to expand on its core program of museum-quality, historically researched exhibitions from modern and contemporary masters.

OCT 16, 2015–JAN 3, 2016

Jared Madere will receive his first solo exhibition in the United States at the Whitney Museum of American Art, with the opening of a new installation in the first-floor John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation Gallery. On view from October 16 through January 3, 2016, the exhibition features a large-scale installation that resembles a fountain with a statute of a mother holding her child. Inspired by decorative water features found in parks and urban commons, Madere seeks to highlight the civic nature of the gallery, which is free to the public. The exhibition, organized by associate curator Christopher Y. Lew, is also the inaugural presentation within the Whitney’s series of exhibitions by emerging artists, which Lew will oversee.

Jared Madere, exhibition view at Armada, Milan, 2015. Photo Beppe Raso. Courtesy of Armada.

Making use of diverse materials and sculptural techniques—from concrete to LED lights—Madere describes his untitled installation as one that has passed through many multi-dimensional portals and bears physical evidence of its journey through time and space. His new work depicts a mother and her child as the infant’s body seems to transform into a harp. Madere embraces the range of thought and belief that his installation might suggest, and welcomes viewers to ascribe a variety of associations to his composition. Some elements of the work seem to have been uncovered from the ancient past, while other sections seem to stem from the present or distant future. Madere combines timeless construction methods with recent technologies, alluding to alternate dimensions of reality in which unrelated ideas, materials, and styles may coexist in probable and improbable ways.

Jared Madere, Exhibition View (Detail) at Armada (Detail), Milan, 2015. Photo Beppe Raso. Courtesy of Armada.

Jared Madere, Exhibition View (Detail) at Armada, Milan, 2015. Photo Beppe Raso. Courtesy of Armada

Madere (b. 1986), who is based in New York, is part of an emerging generation of artists who embrace a gritty, abject aesthetic that is decidedly different than the polished, technology-based work associated with many young artists today. He primarily creates installation-based works featuring disparate materials such as salt, flowers, foodstuffs, and plastic tarps that are assembled and aggregated in a manner that insists on their material connections to society, economics, industry, and human emotion. Madere has participated in numerous exhibitions at venues including David Lewis, New York; Bortolami Gallery, New York; Michael Thibault Gallery, Los Angeles; Croy Nielsen, Berlin; and Le Magasin, Grenoble, France; and he is also the founder of Bed-Stuy Love Affair, an artist-run gallery focused on emerging art.

Jared Madere, Exhibition View (detail) at Armada, Milan, 2015. Photo Beppe Raso. Courtesy of Armada.

An online essay on Jared Madere’s work will be available at www.whitney.org/JaredMadere. Support for this exhibition is provided by Judy Chen and Kevin Yao.

Centerpiece Exhibition is Emperors’ Treasures: Chinese Art From The National Palace Museum, Taipei Featuring Rare Imperial Masterpieces, Including Celebrated “Meat-shaped Stone,” Make Their U.S. Debut at the Asian Art Museum-Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture, San Francisco.

On Sept. 29, The Asian Art Museum–Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture, San Francisco (200 Larkin Street, San Francisco, CA 94102) announced that it will mount an unprecedented exhibition of imperial Chinese masterworks from The National Palace Museum, Taipei—marking the first time that many of these historical treasures, including the iconic jasper stone carved into the shape of a pork belly, will be exhibited in North America. Opening on June 17, 2016, Emperor’s Treasures: Chinese Art from the National Palace Museum, Taipei is the flagship exhibition of the Museum’s 50th anniversary year, which launches in 2016 with a robust series of exhibitions and programs that will advance the Museum’s mission of cross-cultural education and exchange.

The Asian Art Museum–Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture, San Francisco (New) Logo

On Feb. 26, the museum will open Pearls on a String: Artists, Patrons, and Poets at the Great Islamic Courts, an exhibition of 74 striking artworks from the Islamic world, which tells the stories of a writer in 16th-century Mughal India, a painter in 17th-century Safavid Iran and a patron in 18th-century Ottoman Turkey.

The museum’s second spring exhibition is China at the Center: Rare Ricci and Verbiest World Maps. The exhibition will showcases two rare and monumental 17th-century maps, including A Complete Map of the Ten Thousand Countries of the World, created by Jesuit priest Matteo Ricci and his Chinese colleagues at the Ming court in 1602.

In celebration of the museum’s 50^th anniversary, the museum exhibit 50 artworks that together reveal the unique physical and symbolic aspects of gold in Hidden Gold: Mining Its Meaning in Asian Art.

The water lily pond (detail), 1900, by Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926). Oil on canvas. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Given in memory of Governor Alvan T. Fuller by the Fuller Foundation, 61.959. Photograph © 2015, MFA, Boston.

Looking East: How Japan Inspired Monet, Van Gogh, and Other Western Artists
Oct. 30, 2015–Feb. 7, 2016
Japan’s opening to international trade in the 1850s after centuries of self-imposed isolation set off a craze for all things Japanese among European and North American collectors, artists and designers. The phenomenon, dubbed japonisme by French writers, radically altered the course of Western art in the modern era. The Asian Art Museum delves into this sweeping development in the traveling exhibition Looking East: How Japan Inspired Monet, Van Gogh, and Other Western Artists. The exhibition features more than 170 works of paintings, prints, furniture and decorative arts drawn from the acclaimed collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. It traces the West’s growing interest in Japan, the collecting of Japanese objects, and the exploration of Japanese subject matter and styles. The works shown represent most of the major artistic movements of the late 19th and early 20th centuries with masterpieces by the great impressionist and post-impressionist painters Vincent van Gogh, Mary Cassatt, Edgar Degas, Paul Gaugin and Claude Monet, among others. Western paintings, prints and other objects are juxtaposed throughout the exhibition with artworks by celebrated Japanese masters including Kitagawa Utamaro, Utagawa Hiroshige, and Katsushika Hokusai. Organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Accompanied by a catalogue.

Extracted
Nov. 6, 2015–Aug. 14, 2016
Where is the line between history and mythology? In Extracted, artist Ranu Mukherjee eclipses the boundaries between the two, placing them in the same universe through colorful, collage-like video, textiles and works on paper. Drawing inspiration from California’s Gold Rush, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the museum’s expansive collection, Mukherjee invites you into otherworldly landscapes inhabited by miners, a Chinese goddess with a leopard tail and tiger teeth, and other fantastical beings. Through its countless layers—image over image, fact mingled with fiction—Extracted creates tension between history and myth. Organized by the Asian Art Museum.

Govardhan (attrib.), Abu al-Fazl Presenting the Akbarnama to Akbar, from the Akbarnama (detail), Mughal India, ca. 1600–1603. (C) The Trustees of the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin (In 03.176b).

Artists in the Court Atelier From the Akhlaq-i-Nasiri (Ethics of Nasir) Inscribed Kahim Karan Mughal India, ca. 1590–95 Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper 23.9 × 14.2 cm Aga Khan Museum, Toronto (AKM288.12). – See more at: http://www.icjs.org/upcoming-courses/pearls-string#sthash.ceZXlPkV.dpuf

Pearls on a String: Artists, Patrons, and Poets at the Great Islamic Courts
Feb. 26–May 8, 2016
An international loan exhibition of Islamic art organized in collaboration with the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Pearls on a String: Artists, Patrons, and Poets at the Great Islamic Courts emphasizes the role of human relationships in inspiring and sustaining artistic creativity at imperial courts. The exhibition spans a geographic range from the Bay of Bengal to the Mediterranean Sea and dates from the 16th to the 18th century—a period marked by the global movement of ideas and technologies and increased interaction among various cultural and religious communities. Pearls on a String is organized into three vignettes, each pivoting around a main protagonist in three different centuries and in three empires of the Islamic world. Through 74 exquisite artworks, Pearls on String tells the stories of a writer in 16th-century Mughal India, a painter in 17th-century Safavid Iran, and a patron in 18th-century Ottoman Turkey. Organized by the Walters Art Museum and the Asian Art Museum. Accompanied by a catalogue.

China at the Center: Rare Ricci and Verbiest World Maps
March 4–May 8, 2016
China at the Center showcases two rare 17th-century maps, including A Complete Map of the Ten Thousand Countries of the World, created by Jesuit priest Matteo Ricci and his Chinese colleagues at the Ming court in 1602. Monumental in size (roughly 5 feet by 12 feet), and called the “impossible black tulip” because of its rarity, the map will be presented in China at the Center: Rare Ricci and Verbiest World Maps. On loan from the James Ford Bell Trust, the Ricci map is one of six complete copies in the world today and the oldest known Chinese map to depict the Americas. Ferdinand Verbiest, another Jesuit, made his 1674 A Complete Map of the World for the Chinese court. On loan from the Library of Congress, this copy of the Verbiest map has never been exhibited. These two maps are among the earliest, rarest and largest woodblock-printed maps to survive from the period. Both maps tell captivating stories about the world of the 17th century and illustrate how Europe and Asia exchanged new ideas about geography, astronomy and the natural sciences. Organized by the Asian Art Museum in partnership with the University of San Francisco. Accompanied by a catalogue.

Mother-of-Pearl Lacquerware from Korea
April 29–Oct. 23, 2016
Featuring nearly 20 objects, most from the museum’s collection, Mother-of-Pearl Lacquerware from Korea showcases the significance of Korean mother-of-pearl lacquer wares, highlighting aspects of their aesthetics, creation, use and conservation. It will be the first in-depth exhibition in the United States to explore this remarkable subject matter. Organized by the Asian Art Museum.

Liu Jianhua
Spring 2016
As a 50th anniversary gift to the museum, the Society for Asian Art has commissioned a major work by Liu Jianhua, one of China’s best-known contemporary ceramic sculpture artists. The work comprises approximately 2,500 pieces of white porcelain formed into letters of the English alphabet and components of Chinese characters, suspended from the ceiling of the second-floor Loggia. The artist provides only the building blocks of words, leaving it to viewers to create meaning. The artwork’s location is especially apropos: the space offers an opportunity for dialogue with the original engraved literary quotations on the Loggia’s walls, dating to the building’s previous incarnation as San Francisco’s Main Library. Organized by the Asian Art Museum.

Hidden Gold: Mining Its Meaning in Asian Art
March 4–May 8, 2016
In 2016 the Asian Art Museum will celebrate its 50th anniversary, a “golden” milestone. Hidden Gold: Mining Its Meaning in Asian Art is an exhibition of 50 artworks that together reveal the unique physical and symbolic aspects of gold—qualities that make this precious metal so important in the history of both Asian art and California. Ranging from a Qur’an manuscript to a Daoist ceremonial robe to a Mongolian Buddha bronze sculpture, the artworks reveal specific aspects of gold production and usage across Asia. In addition, an innovative installation including both California gold nuggets and Asian coinage explores how gold is extracted and transformed into money. San Francisco’s position on the world stage—as well as the prominence of Asia and Asian culture in California—stems from the area’s Gold Rush legacy. It’s a history that continues to inform today’s culture in the Golden State. Organized by the Asian Art Museum.

Emperors’ Treasures: Chinese Art from the National Palace Museum, Taipei
June 17–Sept. 18, 2016
Serving as the centerpiece of the Asian Art Museum’s 50th anniversary year is Emperors’ Treasures: Chinese Art from the National Palace Museum, Taipei. The museum is partnering with the renowned Taiwan-based museum, to arrange for the rare presentation of more than 150 imperial artworks, many of which are making their U.S. debut.

On view June 17 through Sept. 18, 2016, Emperors’ Treasures presents examples of the finest craftsmanship and imperial taste, including 30 extremely rare masterpieces, some created by the emperors themselves. Highlights include a vase from the official Ru ware of the Northern Song dynasty; one of only two surviving blue-and-white Ming vases depicting West Asian entertainers; the “holy grail” of Chinese porcelains, a cup with a chicken design; the White Falcon painting by Italian Jesuit Giuseppe Castiglione; and a calligraphy piece by Emperor Huizong, recognized for his “Slender Gold” style. In addition, the celebrated “Meat-shaped stone,” a jasper stone intricately carved into the mouth-watering shape of a braised pork belly, will travel to the U.S. for the first time.

The exhibition is co-curated by Jay Xu, director of the Asian Art Museum, and Li He, associate curator of Chinese art. “By providing visitors with an unprecedented opportunity to experience this remarkable collection of masterpieces from imperial China, the Asian Art Museum is renewing and deepening its 50-year commitment to illuminating the artistic traditions of Asian cultures for our local and global audiences,” said Xu. 

This exhibition will explore the identities of nine rulers—eight emperors and one empress—who reigned from the early 12th through early 20th centuries. They will be portrayed in a story line that highlights artworks of their eras, from the dignified Song to the coarse yet subtle Yuan, and from the brilliant Ming until the final, dazzling Qing dynasty. The exhibition will dissect each ruler’s distinct contribution to the arts and examine how each developed his or her aesthetic and connoisseurship. By exploring the richness of each subject, style and type of craftsmanship, the exhibition outlines how Chinese art came to develop and flourish under Han Chinese, Mongol and Manchu rulers. The exhibition will feature paintings, calligraphy, bronze vessels, ceramics, lacquerware, jades, textiles, enamelware and documents.

Emperors’ Treasures is made possible by a generous grant from Presenting Sponsor The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation. “This important support from The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation enables the Asian Art Museum to curate and present Emperors’ Treasures, which will expose a global audience to the beauty and depth of Chinese art and culture,” said Xu. 

Ted Lipman, CEO of The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation, noted: “This exhibition marks the third collaboration between the Asian Art Museum and The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation. A key mission of the Foundation is to promote Chinese culture and the arts to Western audiences to increase understanding and appreciation of this ancient legacy. Nowhere does the 5,000 years of Chinese history manifest itself more beautifully and comprehensively than the exquisite imperial collection, which has been lovingly conserved and displayed at the National Palace Museum, Taipei. Through support for this significant exhibition, the Foundation seeks to provide visitors with an unprecedented opportunity to witness China’s vibrant cultural heritage at first-hand.”

Following the Asian Art Museum’s presentation, the exhibition will travel to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (Oct. 23, 2016–Jan. 22, 2017).

EXHIBITION ORGANIZATION
Emperors’ Treasures: Chinese Art from the National Palace Museum, Taipei was co-organized by the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco and the National Palace Museum, Taipei. Presentation is made possible with the generous support of The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation, East West Bank, Robert and Vivian Tsao, Diane B. Wilsey, BizLink Technology, Inc., Lee Chen, Douglas A. Tilden, The Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang Fund for Excellence in Exhibitions and Presentations, Julia K. Cheng, Winnie and Michael Feng, Mary M. Tanenbaum Fund, and Rita Wong. For more information, go to www.asianart.org.

The Rama Epic: Hero, Heroine, Ally, Foe
Oct. 21, 2016–Jan. 15, 2017
The Rama Epic—recounting the struggle of Prince Rama to defeat a powerful demonic king, rescue his abducted wife and reestablish virtuous order in the world—has been a prime subject for visual and performing arts, literature and religious thought in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia for many centuries. A huge number of artworks of all kinds relating to the Rama legends have been made over the course of 1,500 years in a dozen countries. The Rama Epic: Hero, Heroine, Ally, Foe illustrates some of the most important episodes involving the four primary characters: the hero, Rama; the heroine, Rama’s wife Sita; the ally, Rama’s faithful monkey lieutenant Hanuman; and the foe, the ten-headed demon king Ravana. The exhibition tells the story in a new light using more than 130 artworks, ranging from paintings to puppets to decorative arts to contemporary works to ephemera, inviting visitors to find echoes of their own experiences in the stories of each character. Organized by the Asian Art Museum. Accompanied by a catalogue

Asian Art Museum Collection Galleries
Ongoing
More than 2,500 extraordinary works from the museum’s renowned collection are displayed in the second- and third- floor galleries. Together these works constitute a comprehensive introduction to the major cultures of Asia. Immense Indian stone sculptures, intricately carved Chinese jades, vibrant Korean paintings, mystical Tibetan thangkas (ritual paintings on cloth), serene Cambodian Buddhas, richly decorated Islamic manuscripts, and colorful Japanese kimonos are just a few of the treasures on view. Every six months, the museum refreshes dozens of artworks from each geographic region with new selections from storage, providing visitors a unique perspective on each visit. These items are indicated with “Newly on View” tags on the labels.

Dates and exhibitions are subject to change. Please visit www.asianart.org to confirm information.

The Asian Art Museum–Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture is one of San Francisco’s premier arts institutions and home to a world-renowned collection of more than 18,000 Asian art treasures spanning 6,000 years of history. Through rich art experiences centered on historic and contemporary artworks, the Asian Art Museum unlocks the past for visitors, bringing it to life while serving as a catalyst for new art, new creativity and new thinking. Information: 415.581.3500 or www.asianart.org.

HOURS: The museum is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 AM to 5 PM, with extended hours during spring and summer until 9 PM. Closed Mondays, as well as New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

GENERAL ADMISSION: FREE for museum members, $15 for adults, $10 for seniors (65+), college students with ID, and youths (13–17). FREE for children under 12 and SFUSD students with ID. General admission on Thursdays after 5 PM is $5 for all visitors (except those under 12, SFUSD students, and museum members, who are always admitted FREE). General admission is FREE to all on Target First Free Sundays (the first Sunday of every month). A surcharge may apply for admission to special exhibitions.

ACCESS: The Asian Art Museum is wheelchair accessible. For more information regarding access: 415.581.3598; TDD: 415.861.2035.

Renowned Collection of Tiffany Lamps to be Displayed in a Dazzling Glass Gallery Center for the Study of Women’s History is First of Its Kind for a U.S. Museum Permanent Collection Displays to Reimagine Historical Artifacts in Bold New Ways

The New-York Historical Society today shared plans for the transformation of the Henry Luce III Center for the Study of American Culture on the fourth floor of its home on Central Park West, which will be redesigned to feature highlights from its outstanding collection as never before, as well as a groundbreaking new center for scholarship focused on women’s history. The centerpiece of the re-imagined fourth floor will be New-York Historical’s preeminent collection of Tiffany lamps, displayed in a sparkling glass gallery designed by architect Eva Jiřičná. The new Center for the Study of Women’s History will be a permanent space devoted to women’s history exhibitions and scholarship—the first of its kind in a U.S. museum. A re-imagined display of the permanent collection will increase public access and engagement with New-York Historical’s holdings and bring new artifacts to light. Renovation of the fourth floor has begun and the space is scheduled to open to the public in early 2017.

“The new fourth floor was inspired in part by New-York Historical’s discovery of the secret history of Clara Driscoll and the ‘Tiffany Girls,’ who designed and created many iconic Tiffany lampshades, and whose overlooked contributions offer a window into the history of American women, labor and a changing New York in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, stories that New-York Historical is uniquely capable of sharing with the world and that will come together in this exciting new space,” said Dr. Louise Mirrer, President and CEO of the New-York Historical Society.

“The renovated, refurbished, and re-imagined fourth floor will be a transformative next chapter in the extraordinary and ever-expanding story of the New-York Historical Society, New York’s first museum,” said Pam B. Schafler, Chairman of the Board of the New-York Historical Society.

Tiffany Gallery
The Tiffany Gallery will be a sparkling glass showcase for the Museum’s renowned collection of lamps by Tiffany Studios, which is among the world’s best in range and quality. Designed by architect Eva Jiřičná in her first major New York project, the 3,000-square-foot, two-story space will feature a dramatic glass staircase. One hundred Tiffany lamps will be on display in the darkened gallery, dramatically lit to allow visitors to experience the glowing lamps as they were intended.

Curated by Margaret K. Hofer, Vice President and Museum Director of the New-York Historical Society, highlights on view will include a Wisteria lamp (ca. 1901), made with nearly 2,000 pieces of glass to portray the cascading blooms; a Magnolia shade (ca. 1910–13), with “drapery” glass that was folded while still molten to capture the fleshy texture of the blossoms; a Cobweb shade on a Narcissus mosaic base (ca. 1902), designed during a period of transition from fuel to electricity and depicting spider webs among the branches of an apple blossom tree; and a Dragonfly shade (ca. 1900–06), one of Tiffany Studios’ most popular designs, featuring dragonflies with brass filigree wings and gleaming glass, jewel eyes.

Special attention will be given to the recently discovered role of Clara Driscoll and her Women’s Glasscutting Department, the actual designers and creators of many popular Tiffany shades, including the Wisteria and Dragonfly. Honoring Driscoll and her team of “Tiffany Girls,” who remained hidden in Louis Tiffany’s shadow until the discovery of Driscoll’s correspondence in 2005, the exhibition will provide a powerful connection to the Center for the Study of Women’s History, also on the fourth floor. The installation will also explore the history of Tiffany Studios, their marketing of luxury goods, the various styles of lighting produced by the firm, and the significant impact of the advent of electricity on the lives of Americans at the turn of the century.

The mezzanine level of the Tiffany Gallery will delve deeper into the making of Tiffany lampshades, from preliminary sketches and design cartoons, to the selection and cutting of glass. The “Design-a-Lamp” interactive will allow visitors to select glass for a Dragonfly shade and see the immediate results on a three-dimensional illuminated model. Visitors will also learn about trademark details that distinguish original Tiffany creations from contemporary Tiffany-style lamps.

Center for the Study of Women’s History
The Center for the Study of Women’s History will be the first of its kind in a U.S. museum to focus on women’s history on a permanent basis, presenting special exhibitions, public and scholarly programs, and an immersive multimedia film. Organized and curated by Valerie Paley, Vice President and Chief Historian of the New-York Historical Society, the Center will feature two to three exhibitions annually in the Joyce B. Cowin Women’s History Gallery, alternating between historical and art-focused installations. Planned exhibitions include an inaugural show on 18^th century American women’s role in helping to create the first modern democracy, and an exhibition that focuses on women and the 19^th century Progressive movement. A digital interactive wall, Women’s Voices, will explore and contemplate women’s words and actions, and invite visitors to participate in the dialogue by sharing their own stories.

New York Women in a New Light, a 15-minute immersive film created for a new theater space, will sweep visitors into the world of early 20^th-century New York and feature the stories of remarkable women like Zora Neale Hurston, Frances Perkins, Eleanor Roosevelt, Margaret Sanger, and Lillian Wald. The narrative will express the lasting impact and profound change affected by New York women. The theater space also will be used for teacher workshops, classes, and small conference gatherings.

The Center for the Study of Women’s History will be a vibrant educational resource for scholars, students, and the public, as well as a venue for discussion and exchange focused on women’s history. The annual Diane L. and Adam E. Max Conference in Women’s History will convene scholars and thinkers to discuss topics concerning women’s issues and their relevance to broader movements. The inaugural conference will take place in March 2016 and will focus on the female-dominated garment industry. Panel discussions will investigate production, shifting workforce demographics, the role of female organizers and labor unions, and the complicated relationships between class, fashion, and consumerism.

Scholarly initiatives will also include three Andrew W. Mellon Fellowships in Women’s History that will enhance New-York Historical’s robust fellowship program. The fellows will develop new exhibitions, organize programs, and pursue relevant materials that will enrich the Museum’s public offerings. The Center will also co-host an online course on women and work, taught by Columbia University historian Alice Kessler-Harris. In addition, it will develop educational resources and opportunities for K–12 students on-site and online, enabling them to engage with primary sources and curricula focused on the history of women’s labor and social reform in New York. A mobile app, in development, will offer a walking tour of historical sites in the city that welcomed or excluded women.

Permanent Collection
Transforming the Museum’s former Luce Center, the re-imagined display of New-York Historical’s permanent collection highlights will significantly increase public access and engagement with the Museum’s holdings. Organized by a curatorial team under the direction of Margaret K. Hofer, the suite of displays will harness the potential of objects to capture the imagination and illuminate history.  Traditional presentations will be supplemented by interactive technology, allowing visitors to engage with historical narratives from a variety of vantage points.

The North Gallery, a large expanse of the fourth floor, will feature a dynamic display of artifacts and works of art. A series of provocative displays, “Windows onto History,” will showcase object-driven explorations of historical themes. These focused, diorama-like installations will alternate with soaring tower cases with dense displays of objects organized by medium. Featured objects will include the Draft Wheel (ca. 1863), which sparked the Draft Riots of July 1863 in Civil War-torn New York; the tool chest and nearly 300 woodworking tools of Duncan Phyfe (1770–1854), one of the nation’s most celebrated cabinetmakers; and the lone surviving marble survey marker that once marked a Manhattan street intersection, put in place after the Commissioners’ Plan of 1811 established the grid plan that still defines the cityscape today.

Just outside the Tiffany Gallery, the Silver Hall will feature a display of silver and jewelry by the famed retailer Tiffany & Co., founded by Charles Tiffany, the father of Tiffany Studios’ Louis C. Tiffany. Included will be a colossal punch bowl presented in 1913 by Frank Woolworth to Cass Gilbert, architect of the Woolworth Building; a controller handle used by Mayor George McClellan to drive the first subway car in 1904; and a whimsical hot air balloon trophy made in 1907 by a Tiffany & Co. competitor. Opposite the Silver Hall, visitors can view highlights of New-York Historical’s important collection of early American silver, including the earliest surviving New York teapot, made for Elizabeth and Johannes Schuyler in 1695; and the iconic Lewis Fueter salver, presented by Royal Governor William Tryon in 1773. The work of the celebrated colonial Jewish silversmith Myer Myers will be explored through a selection of domestic and ceremonial silver.

The West Gallery will feature an Object Timeline, displaying a chronological feast of objects spanning the 1600s to the present day and combining objects of every media. Visitor-accessible drawers beneath will house related light-sensitive objects such as documents, photographs, and printed materials. Also in the West Gallery will be Collection Concepts, a series of thematic displays exploring topics such as “Health,” “Dining Out,” and “Faith,” through the juxtaposition of objects old and new. In the South Gallery, “Curiosa,” a modern take on the traditional cabinet of curiosities, will display small relics linked to important people, places, and events in American history.

New-York Historical Society is grateful to the following generous institutions and individuals for their leadership gifts in support of this project: the New York City Council, Norman S. Benzaquen, Joyce B. Cowin, Richard Gilder, Roger Hertog, Diane and Adam E. Max, Bernard L. Schwartz, Michelle Smith and Sue Anne Weinberg, along with many additional supporters.

The New-York Historical Society, one of America’s pre-eminent cultural institutions, is dedicated to fostering research and presenting history and art exhibitions and public programs that reveal the dynamism of history and its influence on the world of today. Founded in 1804, New-York Historical has a mission to explore the richly layered history of New York City and State and the country, and to serve as a national forum for the discussion of issues surrounding the making and meaning of history.

Costume Institute Benefit May 2 with Co-Chairs Idris Elba, Jonathan Ive, Taylor Swift, and Anna Wintour, and Honorary Chairs Nicolas Ghesquière, Karl Lagerfeld, and Miuccia Prada

Exhibition Dates: May 5–August 14, 2016
Member Previews: May 3−May 4
Exhibition Locations: Robert Lehman Wing and Anna Wintour Costume Center

The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced today that The Costume Institute’s spring 2016 exhibition will be manus x machina: fashion in an age of technology, on view from May 5 through August 14, 2016 (preceded on May 2 by The Costume Institute Benefit). Presented in the Museum’s Robert Lehman Wing and Anna Wintour Costume Center, the exhibition will explore the impact of new technology on fashion and how designers are reconciling the handmade and the machine-made in the creation of haute couture and avant-garde ready-to-wear.

Ensemble, Sarah Burton (British, born 1974) for Alexander McQueen (British, founded 1992), fall/winter 2012–13. Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photo by Catwalking

“Fashion and technology are inextricably connected, more so now than ever before,” said Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of the Met. “It is therefore timely to examine the roles that the handmade and the machine-made have played in the creative process. Often presented as oppositional, this exhibition proposes a new view in which the hand and the machine are mutual and equal protagonists.”

manus x machina will feature more than 100 examples of haute couture and avant-garde ready-to-wear, dating from an 1880s Worth gown to a 2015 Chanel suit. The exhibition will reflect on the founding of the haute couture in the 19th century, when the sewing machine was invented, and the emergence of a distinction between the hand (manus) and the machine (machina) at the onset of industrialization and mass production. It will explore the ongoing rhetoric of this dichotomy in which hand and machine are presented as discordant instruments in the creative process, and will question this oppositional relationship as well as the significance of the time-honored distinction between the haute couture and ready-to-wear.

Wedding dress, Karl Lagerfeld, (French, born Hamburg, 1938) for House of Chanel (French, founded 1913), fall/winter 2014–15 haute couture, front view. Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photo by Catwalking

Wedding dress, Karl Lagerfeld, (French, born Hamburg, 1938) for House of Chanel (French, founded 1913), fall/winter 2014–15 haute couture, back view. Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photo by Catwalking

The Robert Lehman Wing galleries on the Museum’s first floor and court level will present a series of pairings of handmade haute couture garments and their machine-made ready-to-wear counterparts. The galleries will be arranged enfilade (an axial arrangement of doorways connecting a suite of rooms with a vista down the whole length of the suite.), with a suite of rooms reflecting the traditional structure of a couture atelier and its constituent petites mains workshops for embroidery, feathers, pleating, knitting, lacework, leatherwork, braiding, and fringe work. These will be contrasted with ensembles incorporating new technologies including 3D printing, laser cutting, thermo shaping, computer modeling, circular knitting, ultrasonic welding, and bonding and laminating.

Evening dress, Yves Saint Laurent (French, 1936-2008), 1969–70; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Baron Philippe de Rothschild, 1983 (1983.619.1a, b)
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Dress, Silicon feather structure and moldings of bird heads on cotton base, Iris van Herpen (Dutch, born 1984), fall/winter 2013–14. Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photo by Jean-Baptiste Mondino

In a departure from previous exhibits, The Anna Wintour Costume Center galleries will present a series of “in process” workshops, including a 3D-printing workshop where visitors will witness the creation of 3D-printed garments during the course of the exhibition.

Coat, Paul Poiret, (French, 1879–1944), ca. 1919; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. David J. Colton, 1961 (C.I.61.40.4). © The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Designers in the exhibition will include Gilbert Adrian, Azzedine Alaïa, Christopher Bailey (Burberry), Cristobal Balenciaga, Boué Soeurs, Sarah Burton (Alexander McQueen), Pierre Cardin, Hussein Chalayan, Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, Giles Deacon, Christian Dior, Alber Elbaz (Lanvin), Mariano Fortuny, John Galliano (Christian Dior, Maison Margiela), Nicolas Ghesquière (Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton), Hubert de Givenchy, Madame Grès, Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough for Proenza Schouler, Yoshiki Hishinuma, Marc Jacobs (Louis Vuitton), Charles James, Christopher Kane, Mary Katrantzou, Rei Kawakubo (Comme des Garçons), Karl Lagerfeld (Chanel), Helmut Lang, Mary McFadden, Issey Miyake, Miuccia Prada, Paul Poiret, Paco Rabanne, Noa Raviv, Yves Saint Laurent (Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent), Mila Schön, Raf Simons (Jil Sander, Christian Dior), Maiko Takeda, Riccardo Tisci (Givenchy), threeASFOUR, Philip Treacy, Iris van Herpen, Madeleine Vionnet, Alexander Wang, Junya Watanabe, and others.

“Traditionally, the distinction between the haute couture and prêt-à-porter was based on the handmade and the machine-made, but recently this distinction has become increasingly blurred as both disciplines have embraced the practices and techniques of the other,” said Andrew Bolton, Curator in The Costume Institute. “manus x machina will challenge the conventions of the hand/machine dichotomy, and propose a new paradigm germane to our age of digital technology.”

Jonathan Ive, Apple’s Chief Design Officer, said, “Both the automated and handcrafted process require similar amounts of thoughtfulness and expertise. There are instances where technology is optimized, but ultimately it’s the amount of care put into the craftsmanship, whether it’s machine-made or hand-made, that transforms ordinary materials into something extraordinary.” (Apple is the main sponsor of manus x machina.)

In celebration of the exhibition opening, the Museum’s Costume Institute Benefit, also known as the Met Gala, will take place on Monday, May 2, 2016. The evening’s co-chairs will be Idris Elba, Jonathan Ive, Taylor Swift, and Anna Wintour. Nicolas Ghesquière, Karl Lagerfeld, and Miuccia Prada will serve as Honorary Chairs. This event is The Costume Institute’s main source of annual funding for exhibitions, publications, acquisitions, and capital improvements.

manus x machina is organized by Andrew Bolton, Curator of The Costume Institute. Shohei Shigematsu, Director of OMA New York, will lead the exhibition design in collaboration with the Met’s Design Department. Raul Avila will produce the Benefit décor, which he has done since 2007. The exhibition is made possible by Apple. Additional support is provided by Condé Nast.

A publication by Andrew Bolton will accompany the exhibition. It will be published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and distributed by Yale University Press, and will be available in early May 2016.

A special feature on the Museum’s website, www.metmuseum.org/manusxmachina, provides information about the exhibition. (Follow on Facebook.com/metmuseum,
Instagram.com/metmuseum, and Twitter.com/metmuseum to join the conversation about the exhibition and gala benefit. Use #manusxmachina, #CostumeInstitute, and #MetGala on Instagram and Twitter.)

October 20, 2015–July 31, 2016 (rotation in early February)

Exhibition Location: Arts of Japan, The Sackler Wing Galleries, second floor, Galleries 223–231

A spectacular array of Japanese works of art will be on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, in a special exhibition featuring works of art drawn from the recent landmark gift to the Museum by the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation. Opening on October 20, Celebrating the Arts of Japan: The Mary Griggs Burke Collection is a tribute to the discerning New York City collector who built what is widely regarded as the finest and most encompassing private collection outside Japan.

Beginning in the 1960s, over the course of nearly 50 years, Mary Griggs Burke (1916–2012) assembled an unparalleled art collection. It was exhibited by the Tokyo National Museum in 1985, the first-ever Japanese art collection from abroad to be shown there. The themes selected for the current exhibition, including numerous works added to the collection since the Bridge of Dreams exhibition at the Met in 2000, reflect Mrs. Burke’s own collecting interests.

The works on view will include masterpieces—paintings, sculpture, ceramics, calligraphy, lacquerware, and more—dating from the 10th to the 20th century. Among the highlights are a powerful representation of the Buddhist deity Fudō Myōō from the studio of the celebrated sculptor Kaikei (active 1185–1223), a sumptuous set of early 17th-century screens showing Uji Bridge in Kyoto, and Itō Jakuchū’s (1716–1800) tour-de-force ink painting of plum blossoms in full bloom illuminated by moonlight. Organized by theme and presented in two sequential rotations, the exhibition will reveal, through a single, distinguished collection, the full range of topics, techniques, and styles that are distinctive to Japanese art.

Sublime Buddhist Art: The first gallery of the exhibition, flanking the entrance to the Buddhist altar room, will feature a pair of wood and lacquer sculptures of the protective deity Fudō Myōō and the compassionate bodhisattva Jizō. Both are from the atelier of the master sculptor Kaikei, who, like his contemporary Unkei, is renowned for tempering the powerful realism of the Kamakura period (1185–1333) to create universally compelling sculptures.

Kaikei, active ca. 1183–1223, Fudō Myōō
Japan, Kamakura period (1185–1333), early 13th century. Lacquered Japanese cypress (hinoki), color, gold, and kirikane, inlaid with crystal. H. 20 1/4 in. (51.5 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of The Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015. Photo: Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Shinto Icons: Traditions of the Shinto religion that are indigenous to Japan are captured in rare, 10th-century examples of male and female Shinto deities carved from single blocks of sacred wood. A highlight in this group of rare early sculptures and paintings is the late 14th-century Deer Mandala of the Kasuga Shrine, which expresses the magical powers of the animal that served as a messenger for Shinto deities.

Court Calligraphy: In the ninth century, the creation of the kana script to inscribe vernacular Japanese led to a flowering of literature, painting, and calligraphy. Mrs. Burke, who had a special interest in Japanese courtly literature, was drawn to fine examples of kana, which in ancient times was often referred to as onna-de (literally, the “women’s hand”), since it was practiced and perfected by female calligraphers at a time when courtiers were expected to master Chinese-style calligraphy. Several outstanding examples of kana calligraphy from the 11th to the 13th century will be included in the exhibition.

Shibata Zeshin, Japanese, 1807–1891, Jūbako with Taro Plants and Chrysanthemums
Japan, late Edo (1615–1868)–Meiji (1868–1912) period, 19th century. Colored lacquer with gold and silver maki-e. H. 16 1/2 in. (41.9 cm); W. 9 in. (22.9 cm); D. 9 5/8 in. (24.4 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of The Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015. Photo: Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Zen Ink Painting: At first shown exclusively in temples, ink paintings with Zen themes soon moved to the secular world. A highlight of this section will be a painted handscroll, Ten Oxherding Songs (dated 1278), in which the actions of a young herdsman and the powerful ox he tends serve as metaphors for the quest for enlightenment. The Burke Collection is renowned for its strong representation of evocative ink landscapes by Zen monk-painters of the medieval period.

Soga Shohaku, Japanese, 1730–1781, Lions at the Stone Bridge of Tendaisan
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868), 1779. Hanging scroll; ink on silk
Image: 44 7/8 in. × 20 in. (114 × 50.8 cm). Overall with mounting: 79 × 25 1/2 in. (200.7 × 64.8 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of The Mary andJackson Burke Foundation, 2015. Photo: Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Great Stylistic Transition: This section will demonstrate Mrs. Burke’s fascination with a critical juncture in the history of Japanese art, the period of radical transformation in stylistic tendencies between the 16th and early 17th centuries. The new tendency can be detected through the many magnificent examples—not only in painting, but also in the decorative arts, especially lacquer—that will be on view in this section. Another of the great strengths of the Burke Collection is its array of screen paintings, and the Metropolitan Museum has received some 30 spectacular examples. The screen paintings on view will include a dramatic evocation of Uji Bridge in Kyoto, famed for its literary associations, and the six-panel screen Women Casting Fans from a Bridge, a rare and important example of the rise of genre painting.

Literature in Art: The Mary Griggs Burke Collection is also significant for its works in every medium that illustrate scenes from traditional Japanese narratives, especially the courtly classic of the early 11th century, The Tale of Genji. A painting based on an episode from the 10th-century Tales of Ise, by the celebrated 17th-century Kyoto painter Tawaraya Sōtatsu (died ca. 1640), will be featured in the second rotation.

Willows and Bridge, Japan, Momoyama period (1573–1615)
Pair of six-panel folding screens; ink, color, gold, and copper on gilded paper. Each 67 x 136 in. (170.2 x 345.4 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of The Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015. Photo: Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Willows and Bridge, Japan, Momoyama period (1573–1615)
Pair of six-panel folding screens; ink, color, gold, and copper on gilded paper. Each 67 x 136 in. (170.2 x 345.4 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of The Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015. Photo: Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Tea and Austere Beauty: The vibrant quality and tactile surfaces of ceramics produced for use in the tea ceremony, first codified in the 16th century, also illustrate the aesthetics of the period. Outstanding examples of Ko Seto, Black Seto, White Shino, and Kyō-yaki ware will be presented in this section, juxtaposed with paintings and calligraphy resonating with the wabi aesthetic, which prioritizes unaffected, serene, and even rustic qualities of rough-hewn tea wares.

Literati Painting: The development of the Nanga School provides another example of the way in which Japanese artists were open to new themes, techniques, and ways of seeing during the Edo period. Artists in this school based their work on the art of Chinese literati masters. Works on view will include the renowned screen painting Gathering at the Orchard Pavilion, by Ike Taiga (1723–1776).

Ideals of Feminine Beauty: The final section of the exhibition will focus on sumptuously colored paintings of beauties by artists of the Ukiyo-e school. Paintings in this genre were among the first objects acquired by Mrs. Burke and her husband, Jackson Burke, when they began collecting seriously in 1963. The late-17th-century Beauty of the Kanbun Era, illustrating changes in fashion during this period, is just one of the exquisite works in this group that will be on view.

Celebrating the Arts of Japan: The Mary Griggs Burke Collection is organized by John T. Carpenter, Mary Griggs Burke Curator of Japanese Art, with Monika Bincsik, Assistant Curator of Japanese art, and Aaron M. Rio, Jane and Morgan Whitney Fellow, all from the Metropolitan Museum’s Department of Asian Art. The exhibition is made possible by the Mary Griggs Burke Fund, Gift of the Mary Livingston Griggs and Mary Griggs Burke Foundation, 2015. In conjunction with the exhibition, the Museum will offer a variety of education programs.

The publication Art through a Lifetime: The Mary Griggs Burke Collection, a catalogue raisonné edited by Miyeko Murase, includes illustrations of all of the works given to the Metropolitan Museum by the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation. An earlier Met publication, Bridge of Dreams: The Mary Griggs Burke Collection of Japanese Art, also includes many works that will be on view in the exhibition.

The exhibition will be featured on the Museum’s website, as well as on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter via the hashtags #ArtsofJapan and #AsianArt100.

Modernism Week’s Signature February Festival Will Take Place February 11-21, 2016, Highlighting Midcentury Modern Design, Architecture, Art, Fashion And Culture In The Palm Springs Area Of Southern California.

Modernism Week’s signature February Event is an annual celebration of midcentury modern design, architecture, art, fashion and culture. The mission of Modernism Week is to celebrate and foster appreciation of midcentury architecture and design, as well as contemporary thinking in these fields, by encouraging education, preservation and sustainable modern living as represented in Palm Springs.

Julius Shulman and Juergen Nogai, photo 2007, The Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands; A. uincy Jones and Frederick E. Emmons, 1966

Modernism Week 2016 Logo

This exciting festival takes place in February in the Palm Springs area of Southern California. Modernism Week features more than 250 events including the Modernism Show & Sale, Signature Home Tours, tours of iconic homes, a world-class lecture & film series, architectural walking, biking, lectures, Premier Double Decker Architectural Bus Tours, tours of the historic Annenberg Estate at Sunnylands, a Palm Springs Walk of Stars dedication for architect Richard Harrison, vintage fashion, classic cars, garden tours, nightly parties and live music, walking and bike tours, fashion, classic cars, modern garden tours, a vintage travel trailer exhibition, Modern Giants – a celebration of the area’s largest collection of midcentury modern commercial buildings at Eisenhower Medical Center and more.

In addition to the events in February, Modernism Week hosts the “Fall Preview” over Columbus Day weekend in mid-October. Partner organizations collaborate to produce a “mini-Modernism Week” to kick-off the active social and recreational season in Palm Springs.

Modernism Week is also a 501 (c) (3) charitable organization, providing scholarships to local students pursuing college educations in the fields of architecture and design; as well as supporting local and state preservation organizations and neighborhood groups in their efforts to preserve modernist architecture throughout the state of California.

“Coming off the tremendous success of Modernism Week’s tenth celebration in February 2015, we’ve expanded this year’s slate of events geographically,” explained Board Chairman, Chris Mobley. “February’s schedule includes exciting tours and activities throughout the Coachella Valley and beyond, and long-time supporters of Modernism Week will be thrilled with the selection of appealing new programs.”

The Kaufmann House designed by architect richard Neutra helped establish the style that became known as Deser Modernism. Completed between 1946-47, the iconic project was built as a winter vacation home. Photo Credit: David A. Lee

A highlight during the first weekend of Modernism Week is “Party at the Yacht Club – An Exclusive Taste, Toast and Tour of Albert Frey’s Historic Masterpiece” (2/12), a celebration of Albert Frey’s North Shore Beach & Yacht Club (1959) being officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). A direct shuttle will depart from Modernism Week’s CAMP headquarters to the Salton Sea, where guests will enjoy an exclusive tour of the yacht club, lunch, the unveiling of the NRHP plaque, and the premiere of the Salton Sea Art Show – a curated collection of paintings, sculptures and photography.

Modernism Week will also take a trip to the Museum of Pinball in Banning, one of the greatest kept secrets of the midcentury modern revival. ‘Retro Pinball Mania’ (2/15) will be an evening of partying in a midcentury modern atmosphere while enjoying unlimited free-play on more than 700 beautifully restored vintage arcade and pinball machines.

The Desert Modernists Cover

One of the most special and unique evenings ever offered by Modernism Week will be an exploration of “Modern Cuba,” (2/16) an exclusive culinary experience hosted by Shari Belafonte, daughter of legendary musician Harry Belafonte. At this intimate affair in a stunning residence, Shari will share her family’s Cuban recipes and stories, while preparing a multi-course feast of her favorite dishes infused with Caribbean influences.

Named by The Hollywood Reporter as the “#1 Must-See Event of Modernism Week,” Traditional Home and California Homes magazines present The Christopher Kennedy Compound: Modernism Week Show House. For a third year, Kennedy will bring together ten of the nation’s most prominent tastemakers to create unique rooms in a spectacularly sited home on the fairway of the Indian Canyons Golf Resort, a favorite of Hollywood stars like Frank Sinatra, Walt Disney, and Bob Hope. The show house will open with a Red Carpet Gala (2/13), offering cocktails, tastings, live music, and an opportunity to mingle with television stars and international design and building leaders. Daily tours will be offered during the week.

CAMP, Modernism Week’s ‘Community and Meeting Place’ and headquarters for tours and events, will move to an architecturally significant venue in downtown Palm Springs – soon to be announced. Introduced in 2015 as a central location for attendees to meet, shop, dine, learn, and relax between tours and parties, CAMP will feature stimulating programs and opportunities to meet authors, designers, and other industry luminaries such as acclaimed midcentury architect Hugh M. Kaptur through a variety of planned activities. Ferguson, Modernism Week’s exclusive Kitchen & Bath Sponsor, will present a series of panel discussions called “Renovation Insights,” and Makerville will offer popular ‘Think and Drink’ cocktail hour events titled “Modernism with a Twist.”

A new offering at CAMP is a series of fashion events presented by Susan Stein, Fashion Editor for Palm Springs Life Magazine and Creative Director of Fashion Week El Paseo. Kicking things off is a “Then and Now” fashion show (2/15), followed by “Inside, Outside, and Side-by-Side” (2/17), an insightful lecture drawing comparisons between the inspirations behind fashion and architecture. On 2/19 celebrity makeup artist William Squire will join Stein to present “Your Signature Modernism Style,” offering tips to help fashion conscious modernistas look their best for any occasion.

One of Modernism Week’s most highly anticipated events, the 16th annual Palm Springs Modernism Show & Sale at the Palm Springs Convention Center (2/12-15) will feature 85 premier national and international dealers offering furniture, decorative and fine arts representing all design movements of the 20th century. Produced by Dolphin Promotions, whose shows are among the leading venues for antiques and collectibles in North America, the Show & Sale will open with an Early Buying Preview Reception (2/12) to benefit Modernism Week.

All events are open to the public and tickets go on sale November 1, 2015 at 12 p.m. PST at modernismweek.com. As new events are finalized they will be added on the first of each month.

The City of Palm Springs is the Presenting Sponsor of Modernism Week. The Hilton Palm Springs Resort, Modernism Week’s official host hotel, is offering a special room rate for a limited time only. Contact them directly at 760-320-6868. Please visit modernismweek.com and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

The 16th Century Spanish Tall Ship Sails Into Pensacola on October 21.

After sailing more than 40,000 nautical miles and visiting dozens of countries, El Galeon, a Colonial-era Spanish galleon replica, will sail into Pensacola Bay on Wednesday, Oct. 21, and dock at Plaza de Luna in Downtown Pensacola. The historic two-masted tall ship is owned and operated by the Nao Victoria Foundation, a Spanish non-profit organization.

El Galeon originally came to the United States from Spain in 2013 to celebrate Florida’s 500th birthday and has been traveling around the country ever since. The ship has made more than 25 ports of call since its arrival in 2013. The ship is set to depart Pensacola on Monday, Nov. 2, depending on weather and sailing conditions.

El Galeon is a full-scale reconstruction of the popular 16th Century sailing cargo vessel. Built by the Nao Victoria Foundation in 2009, the ship measures 170-feet long by 125-feet-tall, has a 30-foot beam, weighs 495 tons and draws 10.5 feet of water. The ship is commanded by Capt. Rosario Fernandez Rodriguez and maneuvered by 22 crewmembers. The galleon is similar to the one that Tristan de Luna, governor of Florida in the 16th Century, sailed when he arrived to what today is called Pensacola Bay.

EL GALEON will be open to visitors daily from 10 AM. to 7 PM starting on Thursday, Oct. 22, and ending Sunday, Nov. 1. Five of the six decks will be available for tour. Admission cost is $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 5-12. Children five and under are free. School groups are welcomed and invited to tour the ship with advanced arrangement.

“The Port of Pensacola is so happy to be a part of bringing another Spanish tall ship to Pensacola for a visit,” said Amy Miller, Port Director. “Our city’s rich nautical history is rooted in our deep ties to Spain and our Spanish ancestors who first settled this region more than 450 years ago. It’s exciting to be able to bring a piece of history to our downtown waterfront.”

“Pensacola represents the mutual history of Spain and the United States,” said Maria Davis, honorary vice consul of Spain in Pensacola. “Spain was the superpower of its day and in 1559 the Spanish made their first settlement in Pensacola. Even though that settlement was destroyed, Pensacola persisted being a Spanish colony.”

“An example of the importance of Pensacola to Spain is King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia’s visit here in 2009 to commemorate the 450th anniversary of Pensacola’s first settlement,” she further added.

For more information on El Galeon or to purchase tickets, visit www.elgaleon.org.

Visit Pensacola leads the effort of economic development through tourism in Escambia County. Comprised of over 200-member businesses, Visit Pensacola’s mission is to position the Pensacola Bay Area as a premier year-round travel destination through tourism marketing, communications, meetings and conventions, reunions and group tour initiatives. For more information about Visit Pensacola, call 1-800-874-1234 (toll-free) or go to VisitPensacola.com.

Jean Paul Gaultier is more in demand than ever before: Beginning on September 14 and 18, 2015 the French designer will be staging the exhibition spaces of the two Swarovski Kristallwelten Stores Wien and Innsbruck in his own inimitable manner. The result is a unique combination of art and Haute Couture. The new installations can be admired on the performance stage and in the glass bay windows of Swarovski Kristallwelten Store Wien from September 14th, and in Innsbruck in the Chamber of Wonder from September 18th.

VIENNA, AUSTRIA – SEPTEMBER 15: attends the Installations By Designer Jean Paul Gaultier at the Swarovski Kristallwelten Store Vienna on September 15, 2015 in Vienna, Austria. (Photo by Franziska Krug/Getty Images for Swarovski Kristallwelten)

Swarovski crystal fascinates people throughout the world. In 1995, on the 100th anniversary of the company’s founding, a special place opened that turned crystal into a living experience: Swarovski Kristallwelten (Swarovski Crystal Worlds). Together with the Swarovski Kristallwelten Stores Innsbruck and Wien, they collectively form D. Swarovski Tourism Services GmbH. As sparkling places of wonder, they combine art, lifestyle, and Austrian traditions with an internationally successful model for tourism.

VIENNA, AUSTRIA – SEPTEMBER 15: Jean Paul Gaultier attends the Installations by Designer Jean Paul Gaultier at the Swarovski Kristallwelten Store Vienna on September 15, 2015 in Vienna, Austria. (Photo by Franziska Krug/Getty Images for Swarovski Kristallwelten)

Designers such as Philip Treacy and Marios Schwab have also recently unveiled their art in these extraordinary exhibition spaces. Carla Rumler, Cultural Director Swarovski says: “Swarovski has always had strong ties to art, culture, and design. This has led to numerous innovations. The same applies to the close cooperation we have had with Jean Paul Gaultier for many years. We are particularly pleased with the exhibition he designed especially for our Swarovski Kristallwelten Stores Wien and Innsbruck.”

VIENNA, AUSTRIA – SEPTEMBER 15: The Installations By Designer Jean Paul Gaultier at the Swarovski Kristallwelten Store Vienna on September 15, 2015 in Vienna, Austria. (Photo by Franziska Krug/Getty Images for Swarovski Kristallwelten)

VIENNA, AUSTRIA – SEPTEMBER 15: The Installations By Designer Jean Paul Gaultier at the Swarovski Kristallwelten Store Vienna on September 15, 2015 in Vienna, Austria. (Photo by Franziska Krug/Getty Images for Swarovski Kristallwelten)

VIENNA, AUSTRIA – SEPTEMBER 15: The Installations By Designer Jean Paul Gaultier at the Swarovski Kristallwelten Store Vienna on September 15, 2015 in Vienna, Austria. (Photo by Franziska Krug/Getty Images for Swarovski Kristallwelten)

For Stefan Isser, Managing Director of D. Swarovski Tourism Services GmbH, the displays by Jean Paul Gaultier in Vienna and Innsbruck are yet another mosaic piece for the Swarovski Kristallwelten Stores: “Thinking and trying out new things has been the hallmark of Swarovski for generations. The joy of playing, creating, and imparting moments of wonder has always driven us. We want to make people dream, create poetry and magic.”

Jean Paul Gaultier displays highlights from his recent haute couture collections on mannequins designed especially for each location. “It’s nothing less than a love story with Swarovski. I feel like we already have children together and there are new ones to come,” says the designer. He demonstrates not only his virtuoso handling of crystal as a material, but arranges the display in his usual manner, with that typical Jean Paul Gaultier twinkle: In Vienna, for instance, he presents a mannequin in a wheelchair, and reveals it all under Marilyn Monroe’s uplifted dress as she stands on a raised cube in her legendary pose from the film The Seven Year Itch. Other mannequins are displayed under the glare of neons, dressed in nothing but crystal and tattoos – one of Jean Paul Gaultier’s strongest trademarks.

VIENNA, AUSTRIA – SEPTEMBER 15: The Installations By Designer Jean Paul Gaultier at the Swarovski Kristallwelten Store Vienna on September 15, 2015 in Vienna, Austria. (Photo by Franziska Krug/Getty Images for Swarovski Kristallwelten)

VIENNA, AUSTRIA – SEPTEMBER 15: The Installations By Designer Jean Paul Gaultier at the Swarovski Kristallwelten Store Vienna on September 15, 2015 in Vienna, Austria. (Photo by Franziska Krug/Getty Images for Swarovski Kristallwelten)

Swarovski Kristallwelten Store Innsbruck

Innsbruck welcomes visitors with a glance at haute couture creations from recent years. The models are dressed in unconventional designs, each serving as a perfect backdrop to the crystals. The low-ceilinged space intensifies the drama of the mannequins’ setting, positioned diagonally before the visitors.

Under the guidance of Managing Director Stefan Isser, a team of 380 employees devote themselves to ensuring that visitors can constantly enjoy new interpretations of the crystalline. In line with this, 2015 will see the expansion of Swarovski Crystal Worlds into a unique place of wonder. D. Swarovski Tourism Services GmbH is always surprising and always modern – a reliable partner for the tourism industry and an ongoing attraction for travelers through Austria. More than twelve million visitors from all over the world have visited Swarovski Crystal Worlds, making it one of the most popular attractions in Austria.

On view at the Jewish Museum from September 25, 2015 to February 7, 2016, Becoming Jewish: Warhol’s Liz and Marilyn presents a close look at two of Andy Warhol’s muses, Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe, exploring the Jewish identities of Warhol’s most celebrated subjects. Becoming Jewish: Warhol’s Liz and Marilyn is organized by Joanna Montoya Robotham, Neubauer Family Foundation Assistant Curator.

Publicity Still of Elizabeth Taylor, Source for Warhol’s ‘Silver Liz,’ 1957. Collection of The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh. Image provided by The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh.

Andy Warhol, Liz, 1964, offset lithograph on paper. The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. 1998.1.2374. Credit: The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc/Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Marilyn Monroe, Source for Warhol’s ‘Marilyn’ Series, c. 1953. Collection of The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh. Image provided by The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh.

Both Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor converted to Judaism in the 1950s. Warhol was fascinated by their star power and used publicity stills to create his now iconic portraits in the early 1960s. This intimate, single-gallery exhibition features several portraits of these renowned actresses alongside a large selection of photographs, letters, and ephemera, shedding new light on their relationships with Judaism and Warhol’s interest in celebrity culture.

John Huston, Marilyn Monroe, Arthur Miller. Image shot 1961. Exact date unknown. Image provided by Photos 12/Alamy

DN8Y3N Aug. 26, 2002 – MIKE TODD, ELIZABETH TAYLOR and EDDIE FISHER., 1957. (Photo Credit: NATE CUTLER). Images provided by ZUMA Press, INC./ALAMY, http://www.ZUMAPRESS.com

In 1959, at the age of 27, Elizabeth Taylor converted to Judaism in a ceremony at Temple Israel in Hollywood. She considered converting to Judaism prior to her marriage to theater and film producer Mike Todd, but it wasn’t until after Todd’s death that she began to study with Rabbi Max Nussbaum at Temple Israel. Taylor remained an ardent supporter of Jewish causes throughout her life.

William John Kennedy, Homage to Warhol’s Marilyn, 1964, East 47th Street Factory, New York City, Gelatin silver print, 28 x 22 in, from William John Kennedy: The Warhol Museum Edition. Courtesy of www.kiwiartsgroup.com and www.warhol.org/editions.

Evelyn Hofer, Andy Warhol standing in the Factory with a Liz painting and several screens in the background, January 29, 1964, Gelatin silver print, Overall: 14 x 11 in. (35.6 x 27.9 cm) The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, TC31.115.8. Images provided by the estate of Evelyn Hofer.

Prior to her wedding to playwright Arthur Miller, Marilyn Monroe expressed interest in converting to Judaism. She was impressed with Jewish ideals and she studied with Miller’s rabbi, Robert Goldburg, to learn more about Judaism. Rabbi Goldburg performed Monroe’s Ceremony of Conversion preceding the couple’s wedding in June 1956. Although Monroe and Miller divorced in 1961, Monroe expressed to the rabbi her unwavering commitment to the Jewish faith.

Becoming Jewish: Warhol’s Liz and Marilyn is divided into three sections—“Celebrity,” focused on Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor’s public image; “Conversion,” detailing their personal lives and Jewish identities; and “Myth & Legend,” exploring Warhol’s fascination with these celebrities and the impact of his work on their iconic status.

Elizabeth Taylor on the cover of Screen Stories, September 1959

Marilyn Monroe on the cover of Modern Screen, November 1956.

The “Celebrity” section features photographs, newsreels, and magazine covers demonstrating the public’s fascination with Monroe and Taylor. Highlights include video clips of Taylor’s Oscar speech, Monroe performing for American troops in Korea, and fan magazines such as Modern Screen, Screen Stories, and Motion Picture that surfaced in the 1950s to feed the public’s hunger for celebrities. Photographs and newsreel excerpts illustrate the public’s obsession with the actresses’ movie feats, love affairs, and broken hearts, as well as their struggles with the limelight.

12 May 1959, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA — Original caption: 5/12/1959- Las Vegas, NV- Eddie Fisher and Elizabeth Taylor are shown after their wedding at Temple Beth Shalom. No pictures were allowed during the actual wedding ceremony. — Image by © Bettmann/CORBIS

1975, Jerusalem, Israel — Elizabeth Taylor at Western Wall — Image by © David Rubinger/CORBIS

“Conversion” traces the Jewish journeys of Monroe and Taylor, featuring a case of conversion-related material including a rarely-heard audio recording of Elizabeth Taylor’s conversion ceremony and a facsimile of Monroe’s Certificate of Conversion. This section will also explore the actresses’ Jewish lives through ephemera such as her musical menorah, letters from Rabbi Goldburg describing his relationship with the Marilyn Monroe and the Miller family, and documentation of Taylor’s lifelong commitment to Jewish philanthropy.

Andy Warhol, Marilyn, 1967, screen print on paper. The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. 1998.1.2374. (Credit: The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc/Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Andy Warhol, Blue Liz, 1963, synthetic ink on canvas. Private Collection. The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc/Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York.

The exhibition concludes by examining the legacy of Monroe and Taylor through the lens of Andy Warhol’s now-iconic portraits. Featuring four Warhol works—two paintings and two prints—the “Myth & Legend” section reveals how the portraits reflect the glamorous yet complex identities of these subjects. Monroe and Taylor represented themes of great interest to Warhol: glamour, beauty, scandal, death, and media spectacle. His canvases of the actresses in the early 1960s coincided with his initial explorations of silkscreen painting and serial imagery. The repeated use of a single image altered slightly, either at the hand of the artist or due to the silkscreening process, enhanced Warhol’s exploration of the celebrity persona as illusion. Warhol’s artistic process in creating these portraits is explored through photography and ephemera from his studio, further demonstrating the artist’s obsession with celebrity and with Monroe and Taylor in particular.

Becoming Jewish: Warhol’s Liz and Marilyn is made possible, in part, by the Neubauer Family Foundation.

Located on Museum Mile at 1109 Fifth Avenue at 92nd Street (Fifth Avenue and 92nd Street), the Jewish Museum is one of the world’s preeminent institutions devoted to exploring art and Jewish culture from ancient to contemporary, offering intellectually engaging, educational, and provocative exhibitions and programs for people of all ages and backgrounds. The Museum was established in 1904, when Judge Mayer Sulzberger donated 26 ceremonial objects to The Jewish Theological Seminary as the core of a museum collection. Today, the Museum maintains a collection of over 30,000 works of art, artifacts, and broadcast media reflecting global Jewish identity, and presents a diverse schedule of internationally acclaimed temporary exhibitions.

Museum hours are Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, 11am to 5:45pm; Thursday, 11am to 8pm; and Friday, 11am to 4pm. Museum admission is $15.00 for adults, $12.00 for senior citizens, $7.50 for students, free for visitors 18 and under and Jewish Museum members. Admission is Pay What You Wish on Thursdays from 5pm to 8pm and free on Saturdays. For information on The Jewish Museum, the public may call 212.423.3200 or visit the website at TheJewishMuseum.org.

To commemorate the opening of EXPO CHICAGO, the International Exposition of Contemporary & Modern Art, The Peninsula Chicago unveiled Alchemy, a significant art installation by renowned Korean artist Choi Jeong Hwa and curated by Pearl Lam Galleries. A celebration of Chicago’s place at the heart of the global contemporary art scene, the installation will be displayed in The Lobby at The Peninsula Chicago through March 20, 2016, as a part of The Peninsula Hotels’ global art and Breast Cancer awareness initiative, The Art of Pink.

The Peninsula Chicago debuts art installation by renowned Korean artist Choi Jeong Hwa for Expo Chicago (PRNewsFoto/The Peninsula Chicago)

An artist, architect and designer of furniture and furnishings, Choi Jeong Hwa creates art from the most humble of materials, finding inspiration in soda bottles, shopping bags and colorful plastic dishes. Inspired by the harmony and chaos of the urban environment, he often goes outside the hierarchy of the museum by installing his pieces on their exteriors. He created a 10-story installation from 1,000 discarded doors and decorated Seoul’s Olympic Stadium with garlands made from 2 million pieces of trash, transforming the building’s surface into a glittering jewel. In other pieces, he explores ideas of artificiality and permanence through the use of plastic food and flowers. He declines to categorize his work, leaving the audience to define his pieces on a personal level. As his motto states: “My art is your heart.“

Renowned for his colorful installations using materials often sourced in Korean street markets, Mr. Choi has exhibited at the Korean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, the Hayward Gallery in London and in solo shows at museums worldwide. Alchemy, his site-specific light installation for The Peninsula Chicago, consists of found LED lights, plastic bowls and steel in 24 “totem pole” pillars. Mr. Choi personally oversaw the installation of the work in the Peninsula’s main lobby, the heart and social center of the hotel.

EXPO CHICAGO/2015, The International Exposition of Contemporary & Modern Art, is presented by Art Expositions, LLC. Now in its fourth year as a leading international art fair, EXPO CHICAGO (Sept. 17 – 20, 2015) is a four-day art event featuring more than 140 leading international galleries and offering diverse programming including /Dialogues, EXPO VIDEO and IN/SITU. Under the leadership of President and Director Tony Karman, EXPO CHICAGO draws upon the city’s rich history as a vibrant international cultural destination, while highlighting the region’s contemporary arts community and inspiring its collector base. Vernissage, the opening night preview benefiting the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, took place Thursday, Sept 17, 6 – 9 p.m.

Additionally, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Mr. Choi has donated one of the pillars from Alchemy for the hotel to auction to raise funds for Chicago’s Lynn Sage Cancer Research Foundation.

The partnership with Pearl Lam Galleries is the latest representation of The Peninsula Hotels‘ ongoing support of innovative public art around the world. The group has collaborated with museums, galleries and private collectors on pioneering works by established masters and emerging artists at Peninsula’s 10 hotels in the United States, Asia and Europe. Programs include The Peninsula Hong Kong‘s partnership with the UK’s Royal Academy of Arts to a residency program for emerging contemporary artists at The Peninsula Beijing, to a rotating collection of significant contemporary works on display at The Peninsula New York and art-related Peninsula Academy programs in each hotel.

“We hope that this collaboration will contribute to Chicago’s position in the international arts community, and the growing recognition of our city as an arts hub,” said Maria Razumich-Zec, Regional Vice President and General Manager of The Peninsula Chicago. “Ultimately, we would like to realize a dream, which is to showcase pioneering public art that excites, challenges and spurs dialogue.”

Pearl Lam, founder of Pearl Lam Galleries said, “We are excited to exhibit the dynamic work of Choi Jeong Hwaat The Peninsula Chicago, as it continues the Galleries’ mission of encouraging cross-cultural exchange and discussion between the East and West. The aesthetics of Choi’s work make it easily accessible to the public, yet there is a great depth beyond the surface.” Mr. Choi added: “Your heart is my art. Your shopping is my art. Plastic is … immortal.”

Throughout October, Peninsula is supporting local cancer organizations with art-related fundraising initiatives at every hotel. In Chicago, guests and visitors are invited to submit a sealed auction bid for a pink LED piece from Alchemy that will be personally selected by Mr. Choi. This is a unique opportunity to own a piece of a world-renowned artist’s installation while supporting a worthy cause. Proceeds from the auction will benefit Lynn Sage Cancer Research Foundation. For rules and additional information, please contact the hotel Concierge at +1 (312) 573 6530.

Smithsonian Exhibition Highlights Multi-Dimensionality of Celebrated Painter’s Art

For nearly five decades, Kay WalkingStick (Cherokee, b. 1935) has charted an artistic career that is not bound by singular definition. While her early work with Native themes celebrate heroic American Indian leaders with stately, abstract compositions and her more recent heroically scaled paintings recast American landscapes as Native places, WalkingStick’s artistic persona originates from roots in the New York art world of the 1960s and 1970s and her immersion in considerations of abstraction, minimalism and feminist art. “Kay WalkingStick: An American Artist” is the first major retrospective of WalkingStick’s work, including more than 75 works that trace her dynamic career from the 1970s to the present.

The exhibition will be on view from November 7, 2015 through Sept. 18, 2016, in the National Museum of the American Indian’s third-floor gallery (4th St & Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20560, 202-633-1000) and is co-curated by Kathleen Ash-Milby (Navajo), associate curator, and David Penney, associate director for museum scholarship. It features both well-known works, such as WalkingStick’s “Chief Joseph” series and hallmark diptychs, as well as never-before-seen works, richly illustrated sketchbooks from the artist’s personal collection and a gallery film featuring the artist discussing her work and process.

Kay WalkingStick (Cherokee, b. 1935), Chief Joseph series, 1974–76. Acrylic, ink, and wax on canvas, 20 x 15 in. each. (27 panels of a 36-panel series). National Museum of the American Indian

“For her entire career, Kay WalkingStick has been rewriting the narrative about Native peoples through her artwork, which has defied categorization,” said Kevin Gover (Pawnee), director of the National Museum of the American Indian. “These seeming contradictions and complexity are part of being an American Indian today, and what makes her an American artist. Our nation itself is built upon diversity of culture and expression. WalkingStick’s background and art reflect this same richness and diversity.”

The organization of the exhibition is chronological and features five major sections: “The Sensual Body,” “Material and Meaning, “Two Views: Diptychs,” “Italian Romance” and “Landscape: The Power of Native Place.” WalkingStick’s career progressed from an early focus on feminism and minimalism to spiritual explorations of landscapes through use of abstraction. Beginning in the 1980s, she began to more directly confront Native identity, both personal and within national histories, a practice that is still reflected in the artist’s most recent paintings. After several semesters teaching and living in Italy spread over 17 years as a professor at Cornell University, the influence of Italian art and environment is also prevalent in many of her later works.

Kay WalkingStick (Cherokee, b. 1935), New Mexico Desert, 2011. Oil on wood panel, 40 x 80 x 2 in. Purchased through a special gift from the Louise Ann Williams Endowment, 2013. National Museum of the American Indian. Photo by Lee Stalsworth, Fine Art through Photography, LLC

“Kay WalkingStick is arguably one of the most important American painters working today,” said Penney. “But her resistance to a narrow program and insistence on defying categorization makes her enormous accomplishment less subject to summary and generalization.”

“Even avid followers of WalkingStick’s work will be surprised at the depth and breadth of her art practice,” said Ash-Milby.

WalkingStick’s biography is inextricably intertwined with her art. The exhibition examines key moments of her life, which further illuminate the artist’s methods and motivations. Her entrance into the male-dominated New York art scene in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with her exhibition of vivid, playful explorations of the body, set the pace for a career of innovation and unique expression, breaking down barriers for both women and American Indian artists. Although her family moved from the Cherokee Nation to New York state before she was born, her exploration of Native history and her own identity is underscored in later evolutions of her work that focus on landscapes of the American West—a journey that continues to unfold.

The museum will hold a free symposium in honor of WalkingStick, titled “Seizing the Sky: Redefining American Art,” Thursday, Nov. 5, from 1 to 5:30 p.m. in the museum’s Rasmussen Theater, featuring a diverse roster of nine scholars, artists and curators, including Cornell University’s Jolene Rickard, the renowned artist Robert Houle (Saulteaux) and Lisa Roberts Seppi of State University of New York in Oswego. The program celebrates the artist and uses her groundbreaking work as a launch­ing point for a fresh perspective and dialogue about contemporary American art and how other Native artists are redefining it.

National Museum of the American Indian, Washington D.C.

The show catalog, Kay WalkingStick: An American Artist, (November 2015. Price: $50/Pages: 208. ISBN: 978-1-58834-510-3. Smithsonian Books) features more than 200 of WalkingStick’s most notable paintings, drawings, small sculptures and sketchbooks—as well as the diptychs for which she is best known. In this first comprehensive catalog of her artistic career, WalkingStick’s fascinating and complex biography is finally captured in vivid relation to her artwork, a life story that has only been glimpsed before in disparate pieces. The biographical timeline and extensive bibliography make this an outstanding resource. The catalog is edited by Ash-Milby and Penney, with a forward by Gover; major essays by Ash-Milby, Penney, Kate Morris, Margaret Archuleta (Tewa/Hispanic), Seppi, Lucy Lippard; and contributions by Jessica Horton, Houle, Miles Miller (Yakama/Nez Perce), Judith Ostrowitz, Erica WalkingStick Echols Lowry (Cherokee) and WalkingStick, herself. It will be available in bookstores, online retailers, including www.SmithsonianStore.com, or by phone at 1-800-242-6624.

For additional information about the National Museum of the American Indian, visit www.AmericanIndian.si.edu. #KayWalkingStick

The “Chrysanthemums And More!” Exhibition Features Vibrant Chrysanthemum Displays, Family-Friendly Activities And More, Now Through To November 1.

Christmas and Holiday Traditions Around the World to Follow

The Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is pleased to present the fall exhibition, “Chrysanthemums and More!” now opening to the public. This exhibition, the largest of its kind in Michigan, features expansive displays of chrysanthemums, fall foliage and family-friendly activities. The exhibition will be on display until November 1.

One of the world’s most significant botanic and sculpture experiences, the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park (1000 E Beltline Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525) serves nearly 600,000 visitors annually. Meijer Gardens was recently ranked in the top 100 most-visited art museums worldwide by Art Newspaper, the leading publication in global art news. The 158-acre grounds feature Michigan’s largest tropical conservatory (The Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory); one of the largest children’s gardens (The Lena Meijer Children’s Garden) in the country; arid (Earl and Donnalee Holton Arid Garden) and Victorian (Earl and Donnalee Holton Victorian Garden) gardens with bronze sculptures by Degas and Rodin; a carnivorous plant house (the Kenneth E. Nelson Carnivorous Plant House); outdoor gardens (The Gwen Frostic Woodland Shade Garden, The Leslie E. Tassell English Perennial & Bulb Garden, and The New American Garden); and a 1900-seat outdoor amphitheater (The Frederik Meijer Gardens Amphitheater), featuring an eclectic mix of world-renowned musicians every summer.

The Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory at the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.

The internationally acclaimed Sculpture Park features a permanent collection including works by Rodin, Oldenburg, Weiwei, Moore, Serra, Bourgeois and Plensa, among others. Indoor galleries host changing sculpture exhibitions with recent exhibitions by Picasso, Degas, di Suvero, Borofsky, Calder and Dine. In June 2015, the 8–acre Richard & Helen DeVos Japanese Garden at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park opened. Created by renowned designer Hoichi Kurisu, the garden features sculpture by Anish Kapoor, Zhang Huan and Guiseppe Penone, among others.

Chrysanthemums in bloom at The Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park fall exhibition, “Chrysanthemums and More!” now opening to the public. (Image provided by The Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park)

Chrysanthemums in bloom at The Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park fall exhibition, “Chrysanthemums and More!” now opening to the public. (Image provided by The Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park)

This year’s focus will be on the historical significance of the chrysanthemum to many cultures, including the Japanese people, which ties in with Meijer Garden’s 2015 theme: Welcoming the World. The Japanese prominently place images of bright, golden yellow blooms on the imperial seal of the emperor, and in honor of The Richard and Helen DeVos Japanese Garden, yellow will be this season’s featured color. 

Chrysanthemums and More! is the largest of its kind in Michigan, featuring expansive chrysanthemum displays, fall foliage and family-friendly activities. Indoors, the Seasonal Display Greenhouse features a cascading chrysanthemum-covered wall as the main focal point. Presentations of chrysanthemum spheres, large disbuds and beds of colorful planting complement this display in the nearby Victorian Greenhouse. Outdoors, expansive beds of lush chrysanthemums are arranged in large sweeps of scarlet, purple, orange and gold.

“Chrysanthemums & More has become a true fall tradition. Mums provide a bold impact of color that transforms Meijer Gardens,” explained Steve LaWarre, Director Of Horticulture, “We’re brushing landscapes with bursts of gold and yellow in honor of the Japanese tradition.”

Hundreds of mums for the exhibition are gathered in the growing greenhouses, pre-exhibit at The Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park (Image provided by The Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park)

Deborah Butterfield’s Cabin Creek, a sculpture in the permanent collection of the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. Known for her craftsmanship and creative use of materials, Butterfield portrays the essence of the creature’s spirit and energy, bringing equine sculpture into contemporary prominence. (Photo by William J. Herbert/Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park )

Visitors will be greeted with chrysanthemums throughout the Grand Entry Garden and Cook Entry Arbor, and delighted by abundant floral arrangements as they walk through the main building. Upon entering the Seasonal Display Greenhouse, a statuesque chrysanthemum column will present itself as the main focal point. Presentations of chrysanthemum spheres, a five-sphere topiary, large disbuds and beds of colorful planting will complement this feature in the nearby Victorian Greenhouse.

Outdoors, expansive beds of lush chrysanthemums will be arranged in large sweeps of orange, purple and gold and will be balanced by ornamental cabbage and kale.

Activities, such as the Fall Bonsai Show, Giant Pumpkins and Hallowee-Ones, are full of family fun throughout the exhibition. Mum Day on October 18 will give visitors a chance to take a walking tour lead by horticulture staff, enjoy informational demonstrations and learn more about the chrysanthemum.

The Taste of the Gardens Café will feature seasonal daily dinner specials on Tuesday evenings, with some seasonal ingredients coming from Meijer Gardens’ own Michigan’s Farm Garden.

Exhibition Programming

Herb & Gourd Fest

Herb & Gourd Fest

Saturday, September 19, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, September 20, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Be inspired with new ways to use herbs and gourds at this year’s Herb & Gourd Fest. Discover a variety of ways to use chives, oregano, turmeric and lemon verbena, and sample foods made with them. Discover this year’s “Herb of the Year,” savory, and learn about the many different types and uses. This event is included with admission to Meijer Gardens.

Fall Bonsai Show

Saturday, October 3, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, October 4, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

See a variety of bonsai, from trees in the early stages of training to lovely older trees, displayed by members from the West Michigan Bonsai Club. Shop for bonsai supplies and trees. Learn about materials and techniques used and vote for your favorite tree. This event is complimentary.

Fall Family Days

Sunday, October 10 and 11, 1 to 4 p.m.

The Lena Meijer Children’s Garden at the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. (Photo Credit: Michael Barera)

Visit the Children’s Garden for fall family fun. Activities include something for each of the senses: flower prints in the Kid-Sense Garden, weaving autumn tales in the Storytelling Garden and old-fashioned games in the Log Cabin. This event is included with admission to Meijer Gardens. 

The Lena Meijer Children’s Garden is one of the most interactive children’s gardens in the country. Here children can look through viewing ports to answer questions about sculpture, dig into the sand quarry to uncover information about fossils and build bridges over the Great Lakes water feature. They can explore tree houses, a log cabin, a butterfly labyrinth, a sense garden and a child-sized beaver lodge. Highlighting hundreds of plants as well as whimsical, child-oriented sculptures, it is perhaps the only children’s garden in the United States with natural wetlands running right through the middle of it.

Giant Pumpkins at Michigan’s Farm Garden

Saturday and Sunday, October 17 and 18, 1 to 4 p.m.

Michigan’s Farm Garden at the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. (Photo Credit: Michael Barera)

Weighing in at hundreds of pounds, these pumpkins will amaze kids and adults alike. Enjoy a cooking demonstration (1:30 and 3 p.m.) that will highlight the versatile use of this popular fall gourd. This event is included with admission to Meijer Gardens.

Mum Day

Sunday, October 18, 1 to 4 p.m.

Enjoy walking tours lead by the horticulture staff as well as informational demonstrations. Make a big, eye-catching tissue paper mum choosing from an assortment of fall colors. This event is included with admission to Meijer Gardens.

Hallowee-Ones

Friday, October 23, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. (Parade at 10:15 a.m.)

Dress your child in costume and enjoy this special event designed for the youngest visitors. Children are invited to join in a costume parade and listen to Halloween-themed stories. This event is included with admission to Meijer Gardens.

The “Chrysanthemums and More!” exhibition is sponsored by The Meijer Foundation and the Botanic and Sculpture Societies of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. Michigan Radio serves as the media sponsor. It will be proceeded by the annual Christmas and Holiday Traditions Around the World, a celebration that takes place every November and December – featuring more than 40 different cultures and customs from around the world, trees and displays both indoors and out, more than 300,000 Christmas lights, horse-drawn carriage rides, visits from Santa and educational activities to coincide with the exhibition. The Railway Garden expands through three lush indoor gardens with a model train traveling past glittering lights and over high trestles. Within the garden are buildings modeled after Grand Rapids landmarks, all handmade of natural materials by Applied Imagination.

The Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park opened in April 1995 after 13 years of planning and fundraising by the West Michigan Horticultural Society. In 1990, Fred and Lena Meijer were asked for their support, and they embraced the concept of a major cultural attraction centering around horticulture and sculpture. The original vision– to promote the enjoyment, understanding and appreciation of gardens, sculpture, the natural environment and the arts–has turned Meijer Gardens into a top cultural destination in the Midwest region, known internationally for the quality of the art and gardens. Since it opened, it has attracted more than nine million visitors.

Meijer Gardens‘ dream and commitment is to create a legacy of lifelong learning, enjoyment and a rich cultural experience for generations to come. One of the nation’s most significant sculpture and botanic experiences, Meijer Gardens includes Michigan’s largest tropical conservatory; five indoor theme gardens; outdoor gardens, nature trails and boardwalk; One of the nation’s most significant sculpture and botanic experiences, sculpture galleries and a permanent sculpture collection; library; a café; gift shop; classrooms; and meeting rooms. Both indoors and outdoors, the 158-acre main campus is barrier free and handicap accessible.

The Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory is a five-story, 15,000 square-foot facility featuring rock landscapes, a waterfall and a variety of exotic plant selections. The conservatory houses tropical plants from around the world, including fig trees from India, exotic orchids from Central and South America, Asiatic bamboo and banana trees. Additional indoor gardens include the Kenneth E. Nelson Carnivorous Plant House, Earl and Donnalee Holton Arid Garden (featuring Saguaro cacti), the Earl and Donnalee Holton Victorian Garden, and the Grace Jarecki Seasonal Display Greenhouse.

The outdoor gardens feature four-season plantings that can be enjoyed throughout the year. To foster an educational awareness of the numerous ecosystems in West Michigan, the Wege Nature Trail winds through a forested section while the Frey Boardwalk introduces visitors to the natural wetlands. Featured on these walks are bird watching sites, a tadpole pond and vistas. From watching the snow fall to the leaves changing color, these areas are perfect for experiencing Michigan’s changing landscapes.

The Gwen Frostic Woodland Shade Garden commemorates the artistic influence of this well-known naturalist artist and features woodland plants like ferns, hostas, bleeding hearts, rhododendrons and azaleas. The Leslie E. Tassell English Perennial & Bulb Garden and the New American Garden are two additional outdoor features highlighting the organization’s continuing commitment to horticulture.

The sculpture program at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is composed of both an internationally-acclaimed permanent collection and dynamic exhibition programs. The permanent collection features nearly 300 works including important examples ranging from Auguste Rodin and Edgar Degas, to Henry Moore and Alexander Calder to Louise Bourgeois and Richard Serra. Works are sited in both interior settings such as the conservatories as well as featured outdoors across the gardens and grounds. The greatest concentration of work is featured in a 30-acre sculpture park, which plays host to both colossal and more traditional scale works sensitively sited in a natural environment. Of special interest are recent acquisitions by Ai Weiwei, Lee Ufan and Coosje van Bruggen. In addition, Meijer Gardens hosts three temporary exhibitions every year. A suite of indoor galleries offers approximately 4,000 square feet of display space. For example, major presentations of artists ranging from Magdalena Abakanowicz to George Segal, Dale Chihuly to Anthony Caro have captured widespread critical acclaim. Frequently, temporary exhibitions are complemented by outdoor installations in the lawns of the Balk Specialty Collection Garden or on the Keeler Sculpture Terrace.

In addition, Meijer Gardens hosts three temporary sculpture exhibitions every year. A suite of indoor galleries offers approximately 4,000 square feet of display space. For example, major presentations of artists ranging from Magdalena Abakanowicz to George Segal, Dale Chihuly to Anthony Caro have captured widespread critical acclaim. Many temporary exhibitions are include outdoor installations on the lawns of the Balk Specialty Collection Garden or on the Keeler Sculpture Terrace.

The Richard & Helen DeVos Japanese Garden is the most recent addition to Meijer Gardens, which opened in June 2015. The eight-acre project, designed by Hoichi Kurisu, features traditional components such as waterfalls, elevation changes, extensive boulder placement, authentic Japanese structures and a functioning teahouse. The Japanese Garden, located in the middle of the campus, embraces the essence of traditional Japanese gardens—tranquility, contemplation and beauty while incorporating Contemporary sculpture by international artists. The design effectively uses space to highlight contrasts between still and rushing water, between quietly intimate spaces and expansive open spaces, and between manicured and natural areas.

The Lena Meijer Children’s Garden is one of the most interactive children’s gardens in the country. Here children can look through viewing ports to answer questions about sculpture, dig into the sand quarry to uncover information about fossils and build bridges over the Great Lakes water feature. They can explore tree houses, a log cabin, a butterfly labyrinth, a sense garden and a child-sized beaver lodge. Highlighting hundreds of plants as well as whimsical, child-oriented sculptures, it is perhaps the only children’s garden in the United States with natural wetlands running right through the middle of it.

Michigan’s Farm Garden is reminiscent of a 1930s family farm. This delightful setting includes an heirloom vegetable garden, an orchard, a barn, a sugar shack, a produce stand, a windmill and a ¾ scale replica of Lena (Rader) Meijer’s childhood farmhouse. Sculptures of farm animals complete the picture.

The Frederik Meijer Gardens Amphitheater is a distinguished venue for the Fifth-Third Bank Outdoor Summer Concert Series and other musical events each year. The outdoor amphitheater boasts brilliant acoustics and tiered lawn seating for 1,900 people. Artists who have been featured on the Meijer Gardens stage include Bonnie Raitt, Steve Miller Band, B.B. King, Lyle Lovett and Willie Nelson.

It is a non-profit organization, privately funded by grants, foundations and individual and corporate gifts. The organization is operated by almost 200 full and part-time staff, more than 800 volunteers and supported by gifts from more than 23,000 member households and many donors.

Shortlist Announced For Leading Culture Destinations Awards 2015

The shortlist for the Leading Culture Destinations Awards, including the world’s most visionary museums and cultural institutions, has been announced. The award celebrates the vibrancy and vitality of museums and cultural institutions around the world, which are constantly evolving. Today cultural destinations are not only dedicated to art experiences and education; they have become social hubs for visitors to spend time, dine, shop, work and even sleep.

In appreciation of this, the jury selected the Leading Culture Destinations Awards shortlist, according to five categories: Exhibitions and Programming; Architecture and Spatial Design (presented by EcoWorld Ballymore); Digital Experience; Eating and Drinking and Shopping (presented by Selfridges & Co).

New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) and London’s Victoria & Albert Museum have been nominated alongside the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg and the recently opened Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris designed by Guggenheim Museum Bilbao architect Frank Gehry.

Now in its second year, the organizers has expanded the list to include ‘Emerging Culture Destinations’ from all over the world, sparking lively debate across creative communities everywhere about the changing role of museums and galleries. The 31-strong ‘Emerging Destinations’ shortlist includes the recently opened Canadian Museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg, and the spectacular Sifang Art Museum in Nanjing, China.

Finally, the Traveller’s Awards for Best Art Experience in a Hotel and Best Emerging City for Culture, recognize a hotel and city with outstanding art collections, programs and offerings, highlighting the role of culture as the main catalyst for tourism and lifestyle.

This year the judging panel is chaired by Gail Dexter Lord of Lord Cultural Resources, one of the world’s leading consultancies for cultural capital. It includes Justine Simons OBE, Head of Culture at the Mayor of London’s office, fashion designer Neil Barrett, and ArtNet CEO Jacob Pabst.

The shortlist and winners was carefully selected by the jury from a long list of nominations put together by global Ambassadors, who are drawn from the community of the world’s most influential and traveled creative professionals – all of them cultural nomads, committed to supporting the arts and innovation wherever in the world they might be.

This year’s shortlist for the ‘Leading Culture Destinations’ Awards are:

Leading Culture Destination – Best Exhibitions & Programming

Tate Modern, London (UK)

Museum of Modern Art, New York (USA)

Victoria & Albert Museum, London (UK)

New Museum, New York (USA)

Serpentine Gallery, London (UK)

Leading Culture Destination – Best Architecture & Spatial Design presented by EcoWorld Ballymore

Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris (France)

Guggenheim Bilbao, Bilbao (Spain)

State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg (Russia)

Museum of Islamic Art, Doha (Qatar)

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York (USA)

Leading Culture Destination – Best Digital Experience

Tate Modern, London (UK)

Museum of Modern Art, New York (USA)

Victoria & Albert Museum, London (UK)

Getty Center, Los Angeles (USA)

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (USA)

Leading Culture Destination – Best Eat & Drink

Centre Pompidou, Paris (France)

Tate Modern, London (UK)

Serpentine Gallery, London (UK)

Palais de Tokyo, Paris (France)

Somerset House, London (UK)

Leading Culture Destination – Best Shop presented by Selfridges & Co

Victoria & Albert Museum, London (UK)

Museum of Modern Art, New York (USA)

Palais de Tokyo, Paris (France)

Tate Modern, London (UK)

Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris (France)

The Shortlist For The ‘Best Emerging Culture Destination Of The Year’ Includes:

EUROPE

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (Netherlands)

The Foundation Louis Vuitton, Paris (France)

Barcelona Design Museum, Barcelona (Spain)

Whitworth Gallery, Manchester (United Kingdom)

Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, Moscow (Russia)

Fondazione Prada, Milan (Italy)

ASIA

Museum SAN, Wonj (South Korea)

Asia Modern, Wufeng, Taichung (Taiwan)

Sifang Art Museum, Nanjing (China)

Oita Prefectural Art Museum, Oita (Japan)

Pinacothèque De Paris (Singapore)

AFRICA

Museum Mohammed VI, Rabat (Morocco)

Museum MMP +, Marrakech (Morocco)

Ouidah Museum of History (Benin)

Thread by Foundation Annie & Josef Albers, Sinthian (Senegal)

NORTH AMERICA

Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Winnipeg (Canada)

Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, New York (USA)

The Aspen Art Museum, Aspen (USA)

Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (USA)

Mana Contemporary, New Jersey (USA)

SOUTH AMERICA

The Biomuseo, Panama City (Panama)

Museum of Memory and Tolerance, Mexico City (Mexico)

Museo Soumaya, Mexico City (Mexico)

La ene – Nuevo museo energía de arte contemporáneo, Buenos Aires (Argentina)

Museu de Arte do Rio (MAR), Rio de Janerio (Brazil)

Gran Museo del Mundo Maya de Mérida, Merida (Mexico)

MIDDLE EAST

Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, (Qatar)

Oman National Museum, Muscat (Oman)

Design Museum, Holon (Israel)

Dubai Moving Image Museum, Dubai (United Arab Emirates)

Salsali Private Museum, Dubai (United Arab Emirates)

The Traveller’s Award Shortlist: Best Art Experience in a Hotel

La Colombe d’Or, Saint-Paul-de-Vence (France)

Gramercy Park Hotel, New York (USA)

Rome Cavalieri Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resort, Rome (Italy)

Gladstone Hotel, Toronto (Canada)

Swatch Art Peace Hotel, Shanghai (China)

Palace Hotel Tokyo, Tokyo (Japan)

Best Emerging City for Culture

Manchester (UK)

Oslo (Norway)

Palma de Mallorca (Spain)

Mexico City (Mexico)

Venice (Italy)

Florian Wupperfeld, Co-founder of Leading Culture Destinations, said, “We are delighted to present the second edition of the Leading Culture Destinations Awards and are particularly excited to be recognising emerging institutions across varied regions for the first time this year. London, Paris and New York might be world leaders in museums and cultural institutions, but a growing number of cities in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America are starting to provide serious competition.

“The museums selected for the Leading Culture Destinations Awards are making a vital contribution to the international cultural panorama and should also be considered in view of their visionary approach and offer, from iconic architecture to audacious programming and management structures, from cross-sector collaborations to Michelin-starred restaurants, late night openings and music performances.

“We want to recognize innovators and leaders from around the world, and to become a platform to discuss the challenges and opportunities that characterize the sector while sharing the best practices by both established and emerging institutions.”

The winners will be announced at a ceremony on Friday 9th October 2015 at Jumeirah Carlton Tower Hotel in Knightsbridge, London, where the category winners each will receive their trophy designed by United Visual Artists.

Keep up to date with news on the awards with #lcdawards #lcdtravel #lcdcities #oscarsformuseums

Find out more at http://www.lcdawards.com

Fall—and winter, for that matter–is one of the best times to visit Miami Beach. The city’s year round comfortable temperatures is never more enjoyable and make it easy to experience and participate in an assortment of activities and events late into the year. The city is bursting with a wealth of offerings from film and food festivals to an exciting arts program at the Bass Museum and of course, the opening season of the New World Symphony.

Miami Beach is like no other place in the world. Recently awarded 2014 and 2015 Magellan Awards by Travel Weekly in the categories of “Destinations | Mobile App” and “Overall Spa Destinations| U.S and Canada” respectively, Miami Beach is a favorite destination among travelers worldwide. Renowned for its unparalleled culinary offerings, extravagant nightlife, rich culture, luxe shopping and plush hotels, Miami Beach is home to unique museums, Miami City Ballet, Miami Beach Convention Center, international festivals and art exhibitions, boat and auto shows, over 187 boutique and resort hotels and 12 public parks. It is no wonder the beautifully diverse city is one of the world’s most popular vacation destinations.

The choice of culinary, cultural and social events are so immense, travelers will want to book a flight and a hotel stay as soon as possible. And of course, let’s not forget the cultural event of the season, the king of all Miami Beach fall events, Art Basel Miami Beach at the Miami Beach Convention Center (and all the art shows, parties, store openings, did I mention parties, that revolves around the Big Whale itself).

Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority (PRNewsFoto/Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority)

“Miami Beach is certainly busy and fun all year long, but fall is one of the most active and engaging times to visit the city,” notes Peggy Benua, Chair, the Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority (MBVCA). “From the New World Symphony to the Bass Museum, from the Italian Film Festival to the Seafood Festival, and a variety of exceptional events in between, the city’s hotel room capacity should be at high levels all season long.”

In 2014, consistent with previous years, Miami Beach remains the most common area for visitor lodging in Miami-Dade County with the majority of visitors (48%) traveling to Miami Beach.(1)

“Miami Beach remains continuously intriguing and entertaining, with so much to do besides beaches, restaurants and nightclubs,” says Grisette Roque, Executive Director, MBVCA. “Our visitors have options here, far more than they even realize when they book a stay. That’s what makes Miami Beach a new and return favorite for travelers and the Fall season amps up the activity level considerably.“

Where to go, what to do? The choices are endless in Miami Beach. As fall arrives, visitors and residents are dazzled by the assortment – and quality – of selections. A small sample of some of fall’s major events and happenings are below with something for everyone under the sun.

IT’S FALL 2015. HERE WE GO:
– As part of the Bass Museum of Art‘s bassX series, famed sculptor Rachel Harrison‘s best work will be on display. Harrison is best known for her colorful and witty work that addresses the conventions of art and mass culture. bassX is a series of solo projects, exhibitions, talks, education programs and events that will take place in a pop-up gallery space across the street from the museum in the Miami Beach Library at 227 22nd Street (22nd St. & Liberty Avenue) while the museum is closed for an internal expansion. https://www.bassmuseum.org/art/bassx/

– For visitors who love la Dolce Vita, head to the Italian Film Festival (Oct. 8-13) to experience the best short films and documentaries from Cinema Italia. Since 2002, the Italian Film Festival has been promoting Italian culture through cinema and art in the US and internationally. http://www.cinemaitaly.com/

The New World Symphony’s Main Facade is Part Projection and Part Glass Curtain Wall (Credit: Claudia Uribe) (PRNewsFoto/Miami Beach Visitor and…)

– The New World Symphony will be kicking off their extraordinary 28^th academic season (Oct.10-11) with the 14-member Dmitri Pokrovsky Ensemble led by conductor and artistic director Michael Tilson Thomas. Drama and power will ring out as the ensemble lends voice to Stravinsky’s one-act chamber opera, The Fox, before bringing Russian vows to life in The Wedding. http://www.newworldcenter.com/EventDetail.aspx?EID=858

– Hosted by Miami-Dade Parks and Skyward Parks, the 22nd annual Kitetober Festival at Haulover Park (Oct. 18) is a chance for the whole family to play together. The sky over Miami Beach will be covered in a wide array of colors and figures. People of all ages are encouraged to participate by making their own kite or by purchasing a pre-made kite. Live music and local food vendors will also be available for those who just want to enjoy the colorful show. http://www.skywardkites.com/kite-festivals/

– Celebrate South Florida’s seafood and the kickoff to stone crab season with Hess Wines South Beach Seafood Festival (Oct. 21-24). This multi-day seafood bonanza features season selections from celebrity chefs, live music, culinary and mixology demonstrations; a kids zone, health village, and VIP hospitality benefits. Ticket prices start at $25 per person and vary depending on the event. https://sobeseafoodfest.com/main/

Boasting seven miles of breathtaking beaches, Miami Beach is easily accessible from the Port of Miami and Miami International Airport. The City of Miami Beach has been named one of the top cities worldwide for ‘walkability’ and is equally easy to navigate by bike or boat. Known for its year-round sunny skies, the vibrant destination not only produces its own branded sun care line, MB Miami Beach Suncare, but has been ranked by TripAdvisor as number one in 2011’s Top Winter Sun Vacation Rental Getaway Destinations and was also part of Top 25 Beaches in the World and Top 25 Destinations in the U.S.

Visit MiamiBeachGuest.com for more information.

(1) http://partners.miamiandbeaches.com/~/media/files/gmcvb/partners/research%20statistics/annual_report_2014

THE VILCEK COLLECTION FEATURES MORE THAN 60 MASTERWORKS OF AMERICAN MODERNISM FROM EARLY 1910 THROUGH THE POST-WAR ERA, MANY ON VIEW FOR THE FIRST TIME IN SANTA FE.

The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum reveals its latest exhibition, From New York to New Mexico: Masterworks of American Modernism from the Vilcek Foundation Collection, an exhibition organized by Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa Oklahoma in cooperation with The Vilcek Foundation New York, opening Friday, September 25th, 2015. With more than 60 works, the exhibition represents one of the country’s finest collections of American modernism from the period 1910’s to the Post-war era.

From New York to New Mexico: Masterworks from the Vilcek Foundation Collection captures the unique perspectives of the American modernism movement and provides insight into a group of artists defining American abstraction. Organized by the Chief Curator and Curator of American Art at the Philbrook Museum, Catherine Whitney, in cooperation with The Vilcek Foundation, New York City, this is the first time many of these noted Modernist works have been accessible to the public. Jan and Marica Vilcek, both immigrants to the United States from former Czechoslovakia, became interested in American modernism due in part to Marica’s art history career at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Dr. Jan Vilcek’s interest in collecting, and a shared desire to give back to the country that gave them so much as new immigrants.

The Vilcek Collection reunites three of four most important still lifes by Stuart Davis—painted in 1922. The painter was responsible for the Vilcek’s initial foray into American modernism; when in 1990, they purchased a work by Davis entitled Tree (1921) on a trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Vilceks credit this acquisition with their “firm, yet not always easy,” commitment to Modernism.

The exhibition, which comprises paintings, sculptures and works-on-paper divides the collection into four parts. The first section, “Nature” includes the work of Georgia O’Keeffe, Marsden Hartley, Arthur Dove and Max Weber — the first generation of abstract artists to translate the transcendent qualities of nature into metaphors of color, geometry and line.

The second section of the exhibition, “Cubism” explores the aesthetics and philosophical constructs of Cubism as applied to American subjects. Highlights include the aforementioned Stuart Davis still lifes: Still Life with Dial, Still Life, Brown, and Still Life, Red, which the artist described as “rigorously…American.”

“Town and Country” the exhibition’s third section, examines modernist views of structure, industrialization and architecture. Rockefeller Center (1939) by painter Ralston Crawford evidences the construction of Rockefeller Center in New York City.

Finally “The Southwest” recognizes the importance of this region as the inspiration for many of the artworks in the collection. Nearly one third of the Vilcek collection’s paintings were painted in New Mexico. In the period after World War I, many New York artists spent time in New Mexico experiencing the landscape, investigating spiritualism, and taking up residence at the Mabel Dodge Luhan art and writer’s colony in Taos.

“The Vilcek Collection is one of the finest collections of American modernism ever gathered. It explores the emergence of America’s first truly homegrown, avant-garde art movement. We are pleased to feature this important exhibition that explores a generation of abstract artists who truly made the 20th century an American century,” said Cody Hartley, Director of Curatorial Affairs at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum.

From New York to New Mexico: Masterworks from the Vilcek Foundation Collection is on view through January 10, 2016 at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. Also on view from September 25, 2015 to January 10, 2016, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum is pleased to present David Bradley After Georgia O’Keeffe. Rife with sly references to O’Keeffe’s art and life, David Bradley’s painting O’Keeffe, after Whistler (2007) is on loan from the Denver Art Museum, to be shown with works from the permanent collection that inspired this ironic homage.

The neighboring New Mexico Museum of Art celebrates: The Fall of Modernism: A Season of American Art, supported by two exhibitions: The New Mexico Museum of Art presents O’Keeffe in Process and An American Modernism. O’Keeffe In Process is on view from September 11, 2015—January 17, 2016. An American Modernism opens October 2, 2015 through February 21, 2016.

To inspire all current and future generations, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum preserves, presents and advances the artistic legacy of Georgia O’Keeffe and modernism through innovative public engagement, education, and research. Opened in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1997, the Museum counts O’Keeffe’s two New Mexico homes as part of its extended collection. The Museum’s collections, exhibitions, research center, publications and educational programs contribute to scholarly discourse and serve a diverse audience. For more information, please visit okeeffemuseum.org.

The Museum partnership offers joint ticketing, allowing visitors to see both exhibitions for a single price.

Tickets

Out-of-state visitors: $18

New Mexico residents: $12

Museums Members of each respective museum: Free

Museum members can visit the partner museum for a reduced rate:

In-state O’Keeffe Museum members can visit the Museum of Art for $5; Out-of-state Museum members for $8

Foundation members can visit the O’Keeffe: $7; Out-of-state members for $10

In addition, joint ticket holders will receive a 10% discount in each museum store.

Tickets can be purchased at either the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum or the New Mexico Museum of Art.

November 07, 2015–March 20, 2016

Edward Steichen Photography Galleries, The Agnes Gund Garden Lobby, and the Bauhaus Staircase

Lele Saveri (Italian, born 1980). The Newsstand. 2013-14. Mixed medium installation, approximately 11 ft. 4 7/8″ x 11 ft. 8″ x 9 ft. 9″ (347.7 x 355.6 x 297.2 cm) overall. Courtesy the artist. ©2015 Lele Saveri

New Photography, MoMA’s longstanding exhibition series of recent work in photography and a vital manifestation of the Museum’s contemporary program, will return this fall in an expanded, biannual format. On the occasion of its 30th anniversary, New Photography is expanding to 19 artists and artist collectives from 14 countries, and includes works made specifically for this exhibition. Ocean of Images: New Photography 2015 will be on view throughout the entirety of the Museum’s Edward Steichen Photography Galleries, as well as The Agnes Gund Garden Lobby and the Museum’s Bauhaus Staircase.

Katharina Gaenssler (German, born 1974). Model for Bauhaus Staircase. 2015. Site-specific photo installation (work in progress). Laser prints and wall paper paste, 12′ 5″ × 32″ (378.5 × 975.4 cm). © Katharina Gaenssler and Barbara Gross Gallery, Munich, Germany

Since its inception in 1985, the New Photography series has introduced the work of nearly 100 artists from around the globe early in their careers, including Philip-Lorca diCorcia, Rineke Dijkstra, Rachel Harrison, and Wolfgang Tillmans. This year’s edition explores contemporary photo-based culture, specifically focusing on connectivity, the circulation of images, information networks, and communication models.

John Houck (American, born 1977). Copper Mountain. 2014. Pigmented inkjet print, 22 × 27″ (55.9 × 68.6 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. The Photography Council Fund. ©2015 John Houck

Natalie Czech (German, born 1976). A Poem by Repetition by Allen Ginsberg. 2013. Three chromogenic color prints, three frames, museum glass, overall 55 3/16 × 96″ (140.1 × 243.9 cm). Courtesy Capitain Petzel, Berlin and Kadel Willborn, Düsseldorf. © 2015 Natalie Czech/VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn

Ilit Azoulay (Israeli, born 1972). Shifting Degrees of Certainty (detail). 2014. Installation view Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art. Pigmented inkjet prints, individually framed, 8′ 3″ × 29′ 7″ (251.5 × 901.7 cm) overall. Courtesy the artist, Andrea Meislin Gallery, New York, and Braverman Gallery, Tel Aviv.. ©2015 Ilit Azoulay

Probing the effects of an image-based post-Internet reality, Ocean of Images examines various ways of experiencing the world: through images that are born digitally, made with scanners or lenses in the studio or the real world, presented as still or moving pictures, distributed as zines, morphed into three-dimensional objects, or remixed online. The exhibition’s title refers to the Internet as a vortex of images, a site of piracy, and a system of networks, which is reflected in the work of the 19 included artists and collectives. Ocean of Images presents new and recent bodies of work that critically redefine photography as a field of experimentation and intellectual inquiry, where digital and analog, virtual and real dimensions cross over. Coinciding with the opening of the exhibition, MoMA will also launch an online platform housing the live archive of the New Photography series, featuring documents and images from its history.

Anouk Kruithof (Dutch, b. 1981). Subconscious Travelling (detail). 2013. Installation view Het Nederlands Fotomuseum, Rotterdam, 2013. Installation of 99 photo stickers and 5 pieces of coloured glass, each 9 1/16 × 7 1/16″ (23 × 18 cm). Photo credit: Dennis Guzzo. Art © 2015 Anouk Kruithof

Basim Magdy (Egyptian, born 1977). The Hollow Desire to Populate Imaginary Cities. 2014. Installation view Art in General, New York. 30 chromogenic color prints from chemically altered slides on metallic paper, each 13 3/8 × 20 1/16″ (34 × 51 cm). Photo: Charles Benton. Commissioned by Art in General, New York and HOME, Manchester, U.K. ©2015 Basim Magdy

David Hartt (Canadian, born 1967). Belvedere I. 2014. Chromogenic color print, 36 × 48″ (91.4 × 121.9 cm). © 2015 David Hartt, Courtesy David Nolan Gallery, New York

Lucas Blalock (American, born 1978). Strawberries (forever fresh). 2014. Pigmented inkjet print, 16 × 20″ (40.6 × 50.8 cm). Courtesy the artist and Ramiken Crucible, New York. ©2015 Lucas Blalock

The artists in Ocean of Images are: Ilit Azoulay (Israeli, b. 1972), Zbyněk Baladrán (Czech, b. 1973), Lucas Blalock (American, b. 1978), Edson Chagas (Angolan, b. 1977), Natalie Czech (German, b. 1976), DIS (Collective, founded in New York in 2010), Katharina Gaenssler (German, b. 1974), David Hartt (Canadian, b. 1967), Mishka Henner (Belgian, b. 1976), David Horvitz (American, b. 1982), John Houck (American, b. 1977), Yuki Kimura (Japanese, b. 1971), Anouk Kruithof (Dutch, b. 1981), Basim Magdy (Egyptian, b. 1977), Katja Novitskova (Estonian, b. 1984), Marina Pinsky (Russian, b. 1986), Lele Saveri (Italian, b. 1980), Indrė Šerpytytė (Lithuanian, b. 1983), and Lieko Shiga (Japanese, b. 1980).

Yuki Kimura (Japanese, born 1971). KATSURA. 2012. Installation view 2012 São Paulo Biennial. Nine gelatin silver prints mounted on alpolic, frames, iron, and plants, 15 x 17 ft. (4.57 x 5.18 m) overall. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Committee on Photography Fund. ©2015 Yuki Kimura

Ocean of Images is organized by Quentin Bajac, the Joel and Anne Ehrenkranz Chief Curator of Photography, Roxana Marcoci, Senior Curator, and Lucy Gallun, Assistant Curator, Department of Photography, MoMA.

Zbyněk Baladrán (Czech, born 1973). Diderot’s Dream (still). 2014. Two channel HD video. Courtesy the artist and Hunt Kastner, Prague. ©2015 Zbyněk Baladrán

Major support for the exhibition is provided by MoMA’s Wallis Annenberg Fund for Innovation in Contemporary Art through the Annenberg Foundation. Generous funding is provided by the Annenberg Foundation, The Contemporary Arts Council of The Museum of Modern Art, David Dechman and Michel Mercure, and Courtney Finch Taylor. Education programs for this exhibition are made possible by a partnership with Volkswagen of America.

The First Of Two Four Seasons Locations In The Colombian Capital Re-Introduces An Esteemed Hotel As A Signature Four Seasons Experience

Casa Medina, long the favorite of the city’s power players and an international clientele ranging from rock stars to heads of state and a beloved landmark, now begins a new chapter in its storied history with the opening of Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina Bogotá (Avenida Carrera 7 #69a-22, Bogota, D.C. Colombia, +(57-1) 325 7900, http://www.fourseasons.com/bogotacm/) on October 15, 2015. Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina Bogota will be the brand’s first opening in the Colombian capital, to be followed by Four Seasons Hotel Bogota in early 2016.

Originally built in 1946, Casa Medina was the creative vision of artist and architect Santiago Medina Mejia, who was born in Medellin and educated in Paris in the early part of the 20th century. Salvaging architectural treasures from the recently demolished colonial convents of San Agustin and Santo Domingo, he brought stone columns, flooring and hand-carved wooden doors to the building he planned as an exclusive enclave of beautifully appointed apartments. He personally oversaw the crafting of intricate wrought iron details to enhance the historic elements.

Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina Bogota (All Images provided by The Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina Bogotá)

In 1984, Casa Medina was designated for its architectural heritage. In 1988, the building was restored and transformed into the Hotel Casa Medina Bogota, which quickly established itself among the city’s power elite and international travelers of note. Now under new ownership, Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina Bogota is now accepting reservation for its early October opening.

“I am among those who remember Casa Medina fondly, so it’s both an honor and a pleasure to reintroduce this very special hotel as a signature Four Seasons experience,” says General Manager Luis Argote, who leads a team that includes many familiar faces who look forward to welcoming return guests and proudly showing off their city’s charms to a new generation of visitors. “If you haven’t been to the city in a while, it’s an opportunity to rediscover Bogota in new ways, and if you’ve never been here before, now is the time.”

Bogota, Columbia (All Images provided by The Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina Bogotá)

Situated 2,621 meters (8,600 feet) above sea level, Bogota continues to re-invent itself. The cicloviá – when city streets banish cars in favor of cyclists and pedestrians – originated in Bogota decades ago and has since been adopted by urban centers around the world. The Jardín Botánico José Celestino Mutis (or Botanical Garden) highlights the city’s 5,200 parks (yes, 5,200!), and hikers needn’t go far to find plenty of open space, with the climb up Monserrate offering a particularly rewarding view of the city and surrounding Andes Mountains from 3,152 meters (10,341 feet). the Jardín Botánico José Celestino Mutis collects and displays the flora of all the regions of Colombia, from Andes to Amazon, including endangered species, xeric plants and thousands of orchids.

Looking toward the Usaquen area of capital city of Bogota, Colombia, in South America from the heights of La Calera at sunset time. The setting sun hits the buildings both tall and small at an oblique angle. The road that can be seen in the foreground is Carrera Septima; it is congested because offices have just closed. To the left of the photo is some smog. In the distance, are the Andes Mountains. Horizontal format; copy space. (All Images provided by The Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina Bogotá)

Bogota is the gateway to both commerce and growing tourism in Colombia. Nearly one-third of the country’s domestic companies are headquartered in this modern city of skyscrapers. Yet the capital also reflects its colonial past, most evident in the charming streetscapes of the old town known as La Candelaria.

The city’s many cultural institutions, theater, music and film festivals, as well as the cultural sophistication of its people (Bogotanians), have earned it the nickname “Athens of South America.” In recent years, UNESCO selected it both as a City of Books and a City of Music – and not merely for the sound of the native Colombian cumbia. As Colombia produces more than half the world’s emeralds, Bogotá might also be called “Emerald City.”

The Iglesia de San Francisco (Church of San Francisco), located in La Candelaria, remains one of the oldest churches in Bogotá. (All Images provided by The Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina Bogotá)

La Candelaria (All Images provided by The Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina Bogotá)

An emerging food scene has re-christened an area of the city Zona G – for Gastronomy – near the financial and commercial core, where Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina is also located. Since pre-Hispanic times, art has always been important to local culture as seen in the city’s many historic churches and the spectacular Museo del Oro (Gold Museum), and today it’s exemplified in the internationally-renowned Museo Botero featuring Colombia’s own Fernando Botero as well as many other artists. Juxtaposition with the city’s highly developed graffiti culture vividly illustrates the many facets of modern Bogota.

For elegant romance by candlelight or the very best table for a high-powered business lunch, the Zona G is the place to eat in Bogotá. Whatever your taste, choice after choice in five-star dining waits side by side within just a few blocks. The Zona Rosa, and especially the Zona T at its core, is not only where it all happens for Bogotá nightlife, but where the chic come for upscale shopping – including centers such as the exclusive El Retiro – and every flavor of top restaurants. No country in the world produces more high-quality emeralds than Colombia, and the International Emerald Museum, a small private museum, gives visitors a glimpse into their production and beauty. An added perk: bird’s-eye views of Bogotá from the 23rd floor of the tower.

With its cobbled streets and 17th-century villas, the neighborhood of Usaquén is a picturesque setting for its lively Usaquén Sunday Market. Peruse the colorful stalls, bargain for handicrafts with local artisans, and watch street performers. Colonials began constructing the Iglesia de San Francisco (Church of San Francisco), located in La Candelaria in 1557. It remains one of the oldest churches in Bogotá. On your visit, take in its 17th-century interior, magnificent altar and mysterious statue of Christ.

Careful restoration of the residential-style hotel has retained the French and Spanish-influenced design details of artist and architect Santiago Medina Mejia’s original 1946 building, while technologies have been fully updated and modern luxuries added for today’s most discerning travelers and local guests. Sixty-two rooms and suites – no two alike – have been beautifully redecorated taking advantage of unique features such as fireplaces or beamed ceilings.

Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina Bogota Front Desk (All Images provided by The Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina Bogotá)

Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina Bogota Hotel Entrance. (All Images provided by The Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina Bogotá)

Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina Bogotá – Hotel Staircase (All Images provided by The Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina Bogotá)

An all-new dining concept will also be unveiled upon opening: Castanyoles Raciones y Tapas, named for the traditional hand-held percussion instruments also known as castanets. With a wood-burning grill and Spanish tiles inside and a broad terrace beneath a new glass atrium outside, Castanyoles will serve a Spanish-influenced menu for breakfast, lunch, dinner and cocktails, as well as offer gourmet items and Colombian coffee to go. With most seating in a new, naturally-lit courtyard with glass atrium as well as a covered outdoor terrace, this new concept promised to be a favorite of the city’s power elite as well as visiting dignitaries, executives and celebrities. The 16-seat private dining room is ideal for intimate celebrations, family dinners and business meetings.

Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina Bogotá‘s Castanyoles Raciones y Tapas will serve a Spanish-influenced menu for breakfast, lunch, dinner and cocktails, as well as offer gourmet items and Colombian coffee to go. (All Images provided by The Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina Bogotá)

Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina Bogotá‘s Castanyoles Raciones y Tapas, with most seating in a new, naturally-lit courtyard with glass atrium as well as a covered outdoor terrace, this new concept promised to be a favorite of the city’s power elite as well as visiting dignitaries, executives and celebrities. (All Images provided by The Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina Bogotá)

The hotel has 62 guest rooms, including 17 suites, including the 108 square meter (1,163 square foot) Penthouse Suite with in-suite kitchen for entertaining. Each accommodation is unique, featuring colonial-style beamed ceilings and hand-crafted wooden doors.

Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina Bogotá – Junior Suite (All Images provided by The Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina Bogotá)

Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina Bogotá – One Bedroom Suite Parlor (All Images provided by The Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina Bogotá)

Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina Bogotá – Penthouse Suite Bedroom (All Images provided by The Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina Bogotá)

Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina Bogotá – Premier Room (All Images provided by The Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina Bogotá)

Additional features include a full-service spa retreat offering modern therapies and pampering for weary travelers in an intimate four-treatment room and a 71-square-meter (764 square foot) 24-hour gym for the exclusive use of Four Seasons guests.

Graciously appointed event spaces include the Casa Medina Room for up to 120 guests to dine or 200 for a reception, as well as several other rooms for smaller gatherings or breakout meetings (the smaller El Nogal and La Merced rooms), plus two new boardrooms – one on the ground floor, and one upstairs on the second floor. Of special interest is the Los Rosales Room, formerly the hotel’s restaurant, with its handcrafted wooden walls, stone columns and wrought iron rails. It can accommodate groups from 25 for a meeting to 60 for a reception.

Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina Bogotá – Outdoor Atrium at Castanyoles Raciones y Tapas (All Images provided by The Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina Bogotá)

Business travelers need only stop by the front desk to fulfill any needs, and families will find the thoughtful amenities and services for which Four Seasons is renowned worldwide. World-renowned Four Seasons service includes: an expert multi-lingual concierge team providing access to the city’s hottest tickets, fashionable restaurants and shopping, as well as exploration of the region’s culture and history, exclusive Four Seasons airport and transportation services, twice-daily housekeeping, laundry services, complimentary morning coffee and international newspapers and round-the-clock in-room dining.

General Manager Luis Argote is a native of Venezuela who grew up in Bogota and 29-year Four Seasons veteran. Luisa Amelia Pinto, architect and Fernando Reyes Elicechea, designer worked on the 1980s hotel conversion; while Milena Vargas, architect; Lauren Rotette, designer; and Saul Sasson, restaurant designer were instrumental in the 2015 remodeling.

In celebration of its grand opening, Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina Bogota is offering the Experience More package, which includes a USD 100 hotel credit. For reservations, call (57-1) 325 7900 or book online. For restaurant reservations at Castanyoles, call (57-1) 325 7900. For groups planning meetings, weddings and other social events from November 15, 2015 onward, call the same number to speak to a Four Seasons Event Specialist.

In Conjunction With MoAD’s 10th Year Anniversary, Local Artists Tim Roseborough and Cheryl Derricotte Awarded Exhibition Space as First EAP Winners Beginning Nov. 11

The Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) announced Tim Roseborough and Cheryl Derricotte as the winners of the museum’s inaugural Emerging Artists Program. The two San Francisco Bay Area artists were selected among 45 applicants for the opportunity to exhibit at MoAD.

MoAD Logo (Provided by MoAD,/www.moadsf.org)

The Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD, 685 Mission Street at 3rd, San Francisco, California 94105, (415) 358-7200) is an arts and cultural institution dedicated to preserving the stories of our common African heritage and sharing those stories with audiences from around the world. Situated in the heart of the Yerba Buena Arts District in San Francisco, MoAD is actively engaged in building a community that inspires, educates and connects people of all ages and backgrounds.

Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) (Photo Credit: http://www.freelon.com)

MoAD‘s mission is to build a deeper understanding of the African Diaspora through art, programs and events that cultivate wonder and excitement about the ways in which our personal histories are connected. As a nonprofit organization, the museum’s operations and programs are supported by grants and contributions from public and private sources. As a Smithsonian Institution affiliate, MoAD has access to the Smithsonian Institution’s 136 million artifact collection for research, exhibits and programming. MoAD joins a network of more than 190 organizations in 45 states, Puerto Rico and Panamá with a shared goal of creating lasting experiences that educate, inspire and broaden perspectives on science, history, world culture and the arts.

Applicants submitted works that address the cultural and artistic richness of the African Diaspora which elaborated on MoAD’s four themes: Origins, Movement, Adaptation and Transformation. Roseborough is the first artist to exhibit in the museum’s multipurpose artwork space in the Salon gallery. His Four Themes exhibition is on view Nov. 11, 2015–Jan. 18, 2016. Derricotte’s exhibit, Ghost/Ships, is on view Jan. 27–April 3, 2016.

“MoAD responded to local artists’ requests to creatively address issues around the Diaspora with new and fresh perspectives,” said MoAD’s director of exhibitions, Emily Kuhlmann. “One of our key goals is to provide opportunities for the arts community to share their Diaspora story through MoAD’s mission and vision. We’re excited by the interest in this year’s program and look forward to seeing both of these exhibitions come to life.”

Panelists Kuhlmann, along with Michael Warr (MoAD’s deputy director), Dr. Sarah Ladipo Manyika (professor of literature at San Francisco State University and board member) and Melorra Green and Melonie J. Green (both local arts professionals) selected the winners of the program.

Four Themes: San Francisco-based Tim Roseborough literally leveraged MOAD’s mission and four themes by translating them into his unique Englyph writing system.

Four Themes

San Francisco-based Tim Roseborough literally leveraged MOAD’s mission and four themes by translating them into his unique Englyph writing system. Four Themes is one of the two collections of works that consists of seven digital prints and an animated video that joins all of the artwork thematically. His practice includes a series of artworks rendered in Englyph – a conflation of “English” and “hieroglyphics”.

Englyph was inspired by hieroglyphics – the hermetic language system of Egypt – whereby he weds the ancient tradition to contemporary digital culture. Englyph is a part of his ongoing effort to balance the worlds of form and idea in artworks that are both visually appealing and conceptually rigorous.

Roseborough is a digital artist whose work has been featured in numerous publications such as the San Francisco Chronicle, Artforum and SF Examiner. He has performed and showcased at the 2012 and 2010 ZERO1 New Media Biennials, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and SOMArts Cultural Center, among others. He has also been awarded residencies at the Kala Art Institute in Berkeley and the School of Visual Arts in New York.

“My generation is notable for being exposed to an ever-expanding array of screens: motion pictures, televisions, computer monitors, cell-phones and hand held devices,” said Roseborough. “My work is informed by this “screen culture:” film, television, virtual reality and video games. I incorporate contemporary aesthetics into my art, but my work injects these “screens” with ambiguity, questions and challenges.”

He continued: “From paint tubes in the 19th century, to acrylic paint, silkscreen technique and portable film and video cameras in the 20th, artists have seized upon new technologies in their practices, thereby reinvigorating art for each age. Following in this tradition, I utilize a range of what is broadly termed “Digital Media,” including 2-and-3-dimensional modeling and animation, video, digital photography, Web sites and digital printing. My practice involves traditional artist’s skills including drafting, sketching and coloring, while incorporating 21st Century aptitudes such as programming and digital design and modeling. My work is informed by Minimalism, Conceptual and Video art and infuses these influences with a provocative vision and singular visual aesthetic.

In my Englyph series, I have devised a new way of writing English and other Latin alphabet based languages. This process, implemented in a variety of media including Web sites, animations and digital prints, has a distinctive style and, literally, its own visual vocabulary. My animations, installations and videos focus on events, media and cultural phenomena and artifacts that have been lost, ignored or forgotten, mining the past and the subconscious of our culture to highlight profound, yet under-recognized, notions and ideas.”

Cheryl Derricotte pays homage to Fred Wilson’s Mining the Museum by “mining the library” (the British Library) for images related to the global slave trade. This show includes approximately 20 works that reveal images of people from African descent who come from diverse locales and were involved in the trade.

Ghosts/Ships

Cheryl Derricotte pays homage to Fred Wilson’s Mining the Museum by “mining the library” (the British Library) for images related to the global slave trade. This show includes approximately 20 works that reveal images of people from African descent who come from diverse locales and were involved in the trade.

Images of ships and oceans reveal how the art and culture of the African people have been dispersed all over the world. The exhibit will include portraits of enslaved people from the Diaspora, ships, oceans and botanical illustrations of cotton, which was a central crop to the institution of slavery and the basis of much of the early craft art.

Originally from Washington D.C., Derricotte is a visual storyteller who currently resides in Oakland, Calif. She holds a master of fine arts from the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) and has been awarded Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass‘ Inaugural Visionary Scholarship and a D.C. Commission on the Arts & Humanities /National Endowment for the Arts Artist Fellowship Grant. She’s exhibited at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, Florida State University Museum of Fine Arts and the San Francisco Airport Museum.

Four Themes and Ghosts/Ships are concurrent with MoAD’s 2015 fall/2016 winter exhibitions, Alison Saar: Bearing and Who Among Us…: The Art of Kenyatta A.C. Hinkle. Both open on Nov. 11, 2015 and end on April 3, 2016. To learn more and to support MoAD, visit www.moadsf.org.

Exhibit Honors The Work of U.S. Army Combat Photographers

Alert and Alive, 1968. A soldier with the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division keeps a watchful eye for the enemy at Phu Bai Combat Base, south of Huế in central Vietnam. Photo by Sergeant First Class Howard C. “Harry” Breedlove, U.S. Army.

Captured by the Special Operations Photographers of the Department of the Army Special Photographic Office (DASPO), These Photos Provide A Unique Perspective Of The War.

Original photographs and motion pictures by the men of Department of the Army Special Photographic Office (DASPO) are at the center of a new exhibit, FACES OF WAR: Documenting the Vietnam War from the Front Lines, by the Pritzker Military Museum & Library on the Vietnam War, now on view. This collection of photographs and motion pictures captures the Vietnam War as it was experienced by some of the 3.4 million Americans who served in the Southeast Asian Theater—the aggression, the misery, and the hope—as well as the millions more who attempted to carry on as the conflict waged at their doorsteps. Produced in partnership with the DASPO Combat Photographers Association, the Museum & Library’s new FACES OF WAR exhibit and permanent online gallery are largely supported by the contributions of private donors and the DASPO veterans themselves.

Rootin’ Tootin’ Raspberry, 1969. A member of the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division sets smoke for a helicopter extraction near Tam Kỳ in the Quảng Tín Province. Photo by Captain Roger Hawkins, U.S. Army.

Digging In, 1965. Photo by Second Lieutenant James R. Lowell, U.S. Army.

The exhibit—titled FACES OF WAR: Documenting the Vietnam War from the Front Lines—includes dozens of rarely seen photos and motion pictures from Vietnam; a collection of artifacts, including original cameras, gear, and equipment; and an audio tour with commentary by DASPO veterans on their experiences and the legacy of their work. The men of DASPO were dedicated professionals who took pride in documenting United States Army activities around the world. Putting their lives on the line, these still photographers and motion picture cameramen covered every United States Army campaign of the Vietnam War.

The Vietnam War (1955-1975) traces its roots to the colonization of Vietnam by France in the late 19th Century. In 1884, all of Vietnam fell under French rule; in 1887, it was fully integrated into French Indochina. France developed a Western system of education throughout its colonies, propagated Roman Catholicism, and developed a plantation economy to promote the export of tobacco, indigo, tea, and coffee. French settlers moved mostly into southern Vietnam and based themselves around the city of Saigon. Independence movements against French rule developed at the start of colonization, but France maintained control of Vietnam until World War II (1941-1945), when Japan occupied the country.

Anticipation, 1968. A Huey UH-1D helicopter carrying members of A Company, 5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry, U.S. Army 1st Air Cavalry Division approaches a landing zone. Photo by Specialist 5 Richard A. “Dick” Durrance, U.S. Army.

Base Camp Operations, 1968. Members of the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division pass sand bags down the line at Phu Bai Combat Base, south of Huế in central Vietnam. Photo by Sergeant First Class Howard C. “Harry” Breedlove, U.S. Army.

During World War II, a national liberation movement formed under the direction of communist revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh to combat the French and the occupying Japanese forces. The Viet Minh, as they were known, coordinated their efforts with Allied troops fighting in the war’s Pacific Theater until the eventual defeat of Japan in 1945. After the war, the Viet Minh moved to the city of Hanoi in northern Vietnam and proclaimed national independence under a provisional government—a move that would lead to the outbreak of the First Indochina War (1946-1954) as France sought to reclaim its colony.

Backed by communist governments in the Soviet Union and the newly formed People’s Republic of China, the Viet Minh held their ground. In 1950, the fighting escalated to a Cold War crisis as the Korean War raged to the north. At the Geneva Conference of 1954, an accord was reached with the hope of finding a peaceful resolution, calling for the separation of Vietnam at the 17th parallel with French loyalists moving to the south and communist sympathizers moving to the north. The Geneva Accords stipulated that Vietnam be reunified by a national election in 1956, but as unification efforts stalled and Cold War tensions continued to build, the United States became increasingly involved. In addition to contributing equipment and millions of dollars in financial aid, the U.S. soon deployed a contingent of non-combat personnel with its Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) to train Republic of Vietnam (RVN) forces and to oppose the spread of communism into South Vietnam.

Home Cookin’ 1967. A member of the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division eats his first hot meal in five days after operating in the Quảng Ngãi Province. Photo by Specialist 5 Robert C. Lafoon, U.S. Army.

Hoochmate, 1968. An infantryman with the 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry, 2nd Brigade, U.S. Army 4th Infantry Division displays above his tent a skull that he found on patrol near Camp Warrior in Pleiku Province. Photo by Specialist 5 Richard A. “Dick” Durrance, U.S. Army.

I’m Walkin’ 1968. An infantryman with the U.S. Army 1st Air Cavalry Division carries an M-60 machine gun on a road approaching LZ Stud in Quảng Trị Province, in north Central Vietnam. Photo by Specialist 5 Richard A. “Dick” Durrance, U.S. Army.

With the Soviet Union similarly supporting its communist allies in North Vietnam—officially called the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV)—and stepping up its Cold War rhetoric with the U.S. government, tensions continued to mount over the next several years. In early August 1964, the controversial Gulf of Tonkin incidents—during which the United States alleged two separate confrontations with the North Vietnamese Navy, including an unprompted attack on USS Maddox by a trio of torpedo boats—gave the impetus for the passage of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution by Congress, enabling President Lyndon Johnson to authorize direct military action without a formal declaration of war.

Drained, 1967. An exhausted soldier from the U.S. Army 25th Infantry Division takes a break inside a M113 Armored Personnel Carrier near Củ Chi. Photo by Specialist 5 Robert C. Lafoon, U.S. Army.

By February, 1965, the U.S. had begun sustained bombing raids throughout North Vietnam and, after several attacks on air bases, deployed 3,500 United States Marines to Southeast Asia. In spite of this support, the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) continued to suffer significant losses, leading U.S. Army General William Westmoreland—then the head of Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV)—to advise President Johnson to increase the presence of American ground forces in June.

Established Perimeter, 1968. Members of B troop, 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry, U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division operate north of Huế. Photo by Sergeant First Class Alfred “Bat” Batungbacal, U.S. Army.

Fire Dragon, 1969. An M42 40 mm Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun in an open turret provides road security along Highway 19 between Qui Nhơn and Pleiku. Photo by Captain Roger Hawkins, U.S. Army.

For most of 1965, American troops were limited to Search and Destroy missions to combat the guerilla warfare tactics used by the DRV, which often relied on ambushes and hit-and-run attacks to surprise their targets—a practice used throughout the war, leading many veterans to question whether the conflict ever had a “front line” at all. Finally, on November 14, the first conventional engagement and major battle of the Vietnam War was waged as members of the United States 1st Air Cavalry Division clashed with DRV units in the Ia Drang Valley of the Central Highlands. Both sides considered the battle a victory.

As the U.S. continued its efforts to expand, equip, and train South Vietnam’s forces and to gradually assign them an increased combat role, the numbers of U.S. troops in Southeast Asia were steadily reduced. By the end of 1970, American ground forces had participated in their final major operation of the war and their total numbers stood around 330,000. A year later, that number had been reduced by more than half to 150,000.

The peace talks originally begun in 1968 progressed slowly until January 1973, when representatives of the United States, the DRV, the RVN, and South Vietnam’s Provisional Revolutionary Government met in Paris to sign the “Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam.” Negotiated primarily by U.S. National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger and North Vietnamese politician Lê Đức Thọ—who were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts—the Paris Peace Accords of 1973 ended direct U.S. military involvement and resulted in a temporary ceasefire between North and South.

With the U.S. no longer standing in its way, North Vietnam quickly began to rebuild its military infrastructure and to reestablish its vital supply lines to the south. In March 1975, the PAVN and the Viet Cong launched a large-scale series of attacks that quickly overwhelmed the South Vietnamese defenses, and on April 30, the capitol city of Saigon was captured. In its final act of non-military aid, the United States helped evacuate more than 130,000 refugees whose lives were at risk in South Vietnam. With martial law in effect, many more would lose their lives trying to escape.

Civilian Casualties, 1968. Injured civilians flee their homes in Da Nang on the first day of the Tet Offensive. Photo by Specialist 5 Richard A. ‘Dick’ Durrance, U.S. Army.

Refugee, 1975. A South Vietnamese refugee cries upon her arrival at Eglin Air Force Base near Valparaiso, Florida. Photo by Specialist 5 Bryan K. Grigsby.

In the years immediately following the war, more than one million South Vietnamese were forced to enter reeducation camps, where they were imprisoned for years without formal charges or trials. A million more, mostly city dwellers without direct ties to the military or government, were forced from their homes to the jungles, where they were made to develop farmland. Tens of thousands were tortured or killed. As a result of these practices, some two million “Vietnamese Boat People” fled their homeland between 1975 and 1995, seeking asylum in neighboring countries and leading to a humanitarian crisis that ended with more than half of the refugees being resettled in the United States.

Today, after decades of reforms that began in earnest in 1986, Vietnam’s economy is one of the fastest growing in the world. The Vietnamese government has established strong dipolomatic relations with the United States, even allowing American citizens—including Vietnam War veterans—to visit recreationally. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese-American community has prospered in the United States, with thousands serving in the U.S. military—including U.S. Army Brigadier General Viet Luong, who in 2014 became the first Vietnamese-born general in the history of the American armed forces.

Burning Hooch, 1966. Members of B Company, 2nd Battalion, U.S. Army 14th Infantry look for signs of the Viet Cong as they search a deserted farmhouse in the Xa Ba Phuoc Province during Operation Wahiawa. Photo by Sergeant First Class James K.F. Dung, U.S. Army.

“This exhibit is a reflection of the Vietnam that every American soldier witnessed firsthand—from the jungles to the cities and everywhere in between,” said Museum & Library President & CEO Kenneth Clarke. “And it’s thanks to the extraordinary courage and dedication of the special operations photographers of DASPO that the Museum & Library is able to share their stories with the public.”

First activated by President John F. Kennedy in 1962 with the objective of providing non-biased information to the U.S. Department of Defense, the Department of the Army, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the United States Congress, DASPO had a permanent unit stationed in Southeast Asia by 1968. Deploying aboard helicopters, Air Force C-130s, and even non-military aircraft, teams of DASPO photographers operated much like civilian journalists covering the war, but with nearly unlimited access—producing some of the most iconic and important images from Vietnam.

Sawadee, 1967. General William C. Westmoreland, Commander of United States Military Assistance Command in Vietnam, attends ceremonies welcoming the Royal Thailand Volunteers. Photo by Specialist 5 Robert C. Lafoon, U.S. Army.

Wingman, 1969. Members of the U.S. Army 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized) prepare to chase Viet Cong units in Bình Dương Province. Photo by Captain Roger Hawkins, U.S. Army.

Zonked, 1969. A member of B Troop rests after night guard duty at Box Bridge. Photo by Specialist 5 Bryan K. Grigsby, U.S. Army.

“I’m proud of the men of DASPO with whom I’ve served, and we are grateful to the Pritzker Military Museum & Library for supporting us and giving us the opportunity to inform the American public about who we were as combat photographers and what we and our fellow veterans went through,” said Bill San Hamel, a former captain in the U.S. Army who now serves as president of the DASPO Combat Photographers Association.

San Hamel and fellow DASPO veteran Ted Acheson—each of whom will participate in the Citizen Soldier program along with photographer Dick Durrance—were instrumental in helping to plan and execute the exhibit, raising more than $30,000 to cover operating costs from members and supporters of the association. Additional funds were raised through private donations and a Kickstarter campaign, which remains active.

The exhibit is scheduled to run until May 2016 and is accompanied by an online gallery of images that will remain viewable indefinitely at http://www.pritzkermilitary.org/DASPO. Learn more about “FACES OF WAR” or register to attend the exhibit opening by visiting http://www.pritzkermilitary.org.

The Pritzker Military Museum & Library is open to the public and features an extensive collection of books, artifacts, and rotating exhibits covering many eras and branches of the military. Since opening in 2003, it has become a center where citizens and Citizen Soldiers come together to learn about military history and the role of the Armed Forces in today’s society. The Museum & Library is a non-partisan, non-government information center supported by its members and sponsors.