His research on the neuroscience of aesthetics suggests that people crave the human touch. “If they think something is made by a person, they like it more; if they think it’s made by a machine they don’t like it.” He does not mention Twinkies. Or the late Joan Rivers. Presented with the Viñoly Foundation.
This scholar says, “What made American fashion different is that it was to be wearable, comfortable, practical.” But not on the red carpet at the Oscars, she did not add. We spoke in conjunction with her exhibition Art X Fashion currently at the Museum at FIT.
Can local government protect us from the enormities perpetrated by the White House? Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer is not entirely comforting, but it is encouraging to hear a public official who is competent, honorable, knowledgeable, respected by (and respectful of) her constituents – qualities not conspicuous around the Oval Office. It’s also nice … Continue reading »
Best known for his work with Peter, Paul and Mary, he has much to say about music as a political force, but his most surprising comment was this: even when writing songs, he thinks visually, in shapes not sounds. And he has great stories about “the most feared person in Greenwich Village” and Mary … Continue reading »
Among life’s most liberating experiences is finding yourself unambiguously wrong: your mind is cleared of cant, and the world is transformed. (This requires the wit to perceive your error and the courage to acknowledge it, apparently not presidential qualities.) Max Krohn, a cofounder of SparkNotes and OKCupid, had such an experience as an undergrad … Continue reading »
Is meditation fundamentally conservative, a spiritual tranquilizer that helps us accept what we’d do better to oppose? Meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg demurs. Used properly, these techniques can help us gain the clarity and calm to take action. Plus a paean to the Statue of Liberty as a quasi-Hindu deity and anti-Trump emblem. And music from Max … Continue reading »
At 22, she designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial; she’s since created the stirring Wavefield at Storm King and is currently working on the Smith College library. So, artist or architect? “There are architects that make art, and then I think there are artists who make architecture,” she says, “and I would sort of see myself … Continue reading »
Madonna wasn’t drawn to New York City by tax breaks but by its cultural life, creative community, good transportation, and great bars. But if she arrived today, could she afford a place to live? Alicia Glen, deputy mayor for housing and economic development, sees the pop star as a business model, revealing the city’s … Continue reading »
Life is constructed from the stories we tell, suggests this splendid musician, film-maker (and more). “What else is there but stories?” she asks. “Well,” I reply geriatrically, “there’s the truth.” Or is there? She has a more nuanced view (or perhaps just a darker one). A conversation about myth-making, with side trips to the Venice … Continue reading »
Do happy artists produce better work than gloomy artists? Renee Cox contemplates her own work and says yes. I say: Beethoven. We considered the matter at the Interntional Print Center in conjunction with their exhibition Black Pulp. The featured musical performer was Norris Bennett of the Ebony Hillbillies, whose work made me so joyful … Continue reading »
Art often fails. Writers discard first drafts (and second, third, and fourth). Painters trash early sketches. And even when completed work enters the world, some is transcendent, but much is hopelessly earthbound. Or so I believe, but Heidi Rodewald and Stew, creators of the musical Passing Strange, demur. “I don’t think art is ever wrong,” … Continue reading »
2016 was a big year: she won three stages of the Giro Rosa, the most acclaimed race in women’s cycling; she rode on the US Olympic team at Rio; she set the one-hour time trial record, and at year’s end she retired from pro racing. She is a rational person, but during the one race when … Continue reading »
What do we make of a person who acts dubiously for much of his life and then, after a transformative event (or retirement), does unambiguous good? Andrew Carnegie? St. Paul? The green developer Jonathan Rose examines this question in regard to his boyhood hero and fellow developer James Rouse, challenging both my conclusion and my … Continue reading »
If an artist begins a work not with an abundance of ideas or an outpouring of emotion but only in puruit of a paycheck, is the work doomed? Painter Katherine Bradford took up this question at Planthouse Gallery with sharp analysis and grim personal experience – my favorite combination. Plus astute remarks about Philip Johnson … Continue reading »