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The Magic of Modern Art Is at the Publisher!
Hooray, hooray! The Magic of Modern Art: How to Love the Art of Our Time has been submitted to the publisher! I hit “send” on Saturday, July 31st at precisely 4:18 pm Central Time. (Let the record show that this fulfilled my promise to have the book complete and sent to the publisher by that day.) This accomplishment is the culmination of untold hours, days and years of loving labor—and one of which I am most proud. People Who Contributed When I say untold years, I’m including all the runs I’d made at writing this book starting almost forty years ago! I got really serious about it four years ago.…
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The MOMA Interviews
All of the chapters in my soon-to-be-published book, The Magic of Modern Art: How to Love It, have been written, edited and fine-tooth-comb edited. Except one that is yet unwritten. It’s the one in which I share the most delectable verbal morsels culled from live interviews I conducted with fifteen different art professionals. They include artists, art teachers, professors, gallerists and art directors, all of whom share a profound love of Modern Art (by which term, I include Contemporary Art, as well). I inquired with each one into the ways that Modern Art engages and delights them. I asked them to expound on the issues I think I would want…
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Silver Lining
Here we are in a new year. I don’t know about you, but I never thought we would still be in the throes of the COVID19 pandemic with all its catastrophic ramifications nor that there would be the level of political dissonance and unrest that we’re currently experiencing in the United States. I also never thought that opportunities to see art in person would be so limited for so long. Although it’s not a life-or-death issue, this is a biggie for some of us. Naturally, we find ways to compensate, like viewing reproductions or scheduling an appointment to see an occasional art exhibit. We can watch great art films and…
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Celebrating Art in the Season of Celebration
It seems to me that it must not be an accident that the big celebration holidays – Chanukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice — all come toward the end of the Gregorian calendar year. The end of a year and the start of a new year create an imaginary line between the past and the future. Many of us use it as an opportunity to take stock of the past year and create some goals, commitments and visions for the next. So, I’d like to take the opportunity of this season to celebrate today’s art and to celebrate the fact that art continues to be created. When I take a moment…
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In Search of Great Venues
It was while I was working at the modern museum in Fort Worth that I acquired the itch to turn everyone on to the glories of modern and contemporary art. Then, I lived in Dallas and worked as an artist for 18 years. Both Fort Worth and Dallas are excellent cities for art lovers (and pretty good for artists, too). I moved to Austin 20 years ago. I was attracted to its laid-back atmosphere and hill-country beauty. Before moving here, I knew that Austin was a live music center. I quickly discovered that it also has a very healthy theater and film scene. However, I didn’t know that it’s not…
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Arts or Crafts?
I’m thinking about the difference between art and craft. There’s a reason why those classes are called “arts and crafts.” The words “arts” and “crafts” are not synonymous. I’ll start with craft. Crafts are functional. A craft object is made by hand and is both useful and aesthetically pleasing. Great attention is given to making it aesthetically pleasing. Although they are hand-crafted, crafts don’t have to be one-of-a-kind. Especially exquisite crafts are often referred to as “fine crafts.” For twelve years starting in the early 1980s, I made my living creating both functional and non-functional ceramic objects. Most of them were one-of-a-kind commissioned works of fine craft. But I also…
