Thursday, March 11, 2010

Michael Ondaatje at the de Young

“Coming Through Slaughter changed my life.” That is the answer I received from a friend, writer and fan of Michael Ondaatje. To aspiring authors there is no greater admiration. My only experience with Ondaatje thus far had been with the film, The English Patient, based on Ondaatje’s brilliant and harrowing novel of love in the midst of World War II. As is often claimed, the book was better than the movie, an Academy Award-winning Best Picture often described as a masterpiece. Hard to believe, yet Ondaatje proved me wrong. Having written memoirs, books of poetry, and novels, he has proven himself to be an exceptional and versatile writer. And always, beneath the novelist, in the foundations and soul of his writing, lies a poet.

His latest work, Divisadero, tells the story of families torn apart. By this description from guest reviewer Jhumpa Lahiri, Ondaatje ascribes his trademark of taking a story and unfolding the layers and intricacies of life to reveal its true character. “Every sign of the author's genius is here: the searing imagery, the incandescent writing, the calm probing of life's most turbulent and devastating experiences,” explains Jhumpa Lahiri.

I picked up Coming Through Slaughter without expectations. The book, about the mad and talented cornet player, Buddy Bolden, will soon be made into a movie. The novel is told with simplicity and grace. What lies in history is the story of obsession, addiction and seduction in notorious Storyville, New Orleans, and of music by a legendary artist... [more]

Posted by: Andrea Martin | March 11 at 4:46:55 PM
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Listed under: General News

Friday, March 5, 2010

A Word From Joe, the de Young's March Artist-in-Residence

Making quilts for most of my life, I have learned my way around certain parts of the world, the quilt world especially. What happens is that you fly to some conference site, or some town with a large quilt group, give a talk, teach a class, schmooze with the local quilters and fly home. Sometimes I teach four or five days worth of classes or give a series of lectures. None of it is like this residency at the de Young. At the moment I’m feeling a little overwhelmed, even though the staff at the museum has done everything they could to smooth the way and make me feel welcomed.

I think the thing that is causing me to feel anxious is the enormous gulf between the quilt world and the art world. Quilts exist in their own sort of realm. Since the majority of quilts are made as gifts, usually for a family member, and since they are so rarely shown in art galleries or anywhere sanctioned by art institutions, they have escaped notice by most of the art world. Exhibitions like the current one at the museum, Amish Abstractions: Quilts from the Collection of Faith and Stephen Brown, are becoming less rare, but still serve to introduce many museum goers to the astonishing idea that quilts made by "little old ladies" can have such graphic strength and ingenuity.

So, part of my job here, as I see it, is to be an ambassador of quilts, to demonstrate that quilters can have ideas and techniques to make things that can exist happily in the space. It makes me want to make something for this project that will live up to the beautiful space, to the building, and to the rest of the art in the museum... [more]

Posted by: Cheryl McCain | March 5 at 5:03:52 PM
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Listed under: General News

Monday, January 25, 2010

Fun with Patterns

FAMSF presents Amish Abstractions: Quilts from the Collection of Faith and Stephen Brown in the Caroline and H. McCoy Jones Textile Gallery at the de Young. The exhibition, which runs through June 6, 2010, features 48 full-size and crib quilts that showcase the diversity of the Amish quilt tradition. As an exhibition supplement, the textile education gallery is devoted to quilts and visitors of all ages are invited to create their own quilt patterns using wooden blocks.

This week, I explored the education gallery. Within a few minutes of being there, I had assembled a Sunshine and Shadow pattern by arranging the colored blocks from lightest to darkest. Next, I designed a Bowtie pattern; it was like working with a puzzle. The group beside me learned how to design a Roman Stripe pattern by arranging the blocks in squares divided diagonally into two triangles, one half in a solid color, the other striped. It was fun to experiment with quilt geometry. By learning just a few simple concepts, I was able to understand how Amish quilt-makers created their patterns. I left thinking that I could create a quilt pattern of my own.

After spending time in the education gallery, I walked through Amish Abstractions with a new understanding of how each quilt was designed and how the arrangement of individual squares formed the overall pattern. The quilts are visual distillations of the Amish culture and a truly unique contribution to American textile history.

The admission for Amish Abstractions is included in the permanent collection ticket at the de Young... [more]

Posted by: Cheryl McCain | January 25 at 3:48:05 PM
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Friday, November 13, 2009

2009 Jolika Fellowship Wrap-up

Martin Morububuna and Purago Marabe completed their one-month-long residency in the Kimball Artist Studio on November 1, 2009.

Martin created a vibrant mural showing Papua New Guinea as a panoramic collective of plants, animals, houses, boats, people and their bilas. Bilas is a word in Melanesian Tok Pisin that refers to the array of headdresses, necklaces, belts, armbands, and aprons that people use to adorn themselves for dance and ceremony. The mural expresses Martin’s wish for all people to honor the past and keep traditional values strong.



Simultaneously, Martin worked on some partly finished canvases that he brought with him from Port Moresby. These canvases might make another appearance in Victoria, British Columbia at the Alcheringa Gallery where Martin’s work will be included in Hailans to Ailans.







Meanwhile, Purago offered our visitors pairings of his poetry and his paintings such as Hanuabada... [more]

Posted by: Christina Hellmich | November 13 at 2:44:13 PM
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Listed under: de Young News | Public Programs and Events | Collections | Artist Studio

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

A Spooky Night at the Legion

Hors d'oeuvres in Gallery 12



Frida Kahlo, Dennis Eckersley, and Roxie Hart



Guests dancing to DJ Shissla

Last Friday, ArtPoint hosted a ghoulish costume gala at the Legion of Honor. Hundreds of art enthusiasts braved the Richmond fog to dance the night away in tribute to Halloween and the opening of Very Postmortem: Mummies and Medicine. The exterior columns of the Legion looked spooktacular with purple and blue lighting. As guests made their way to the entrance, creepy music played from the dark corners of the Court of Honor.

The doors opened at 8 pm. Upon entry, waiters greeted partygoers with signature cocktails including the Pernod Absinthe Sour, Poison Appletini, Embalming Fluid and Zombie Killer. Hors d'oeuvres were served in the front galleries while black-and-white horror films were projected on the walls and the pipe organ howled Halloween classics. Guests snacked on dessert as they had their palms read by witches.

Around 10 pm, DJ Shissla mixed sets that had the crowd moving in the Rodin Gallery. Pop Rocks performed live in the café complete with mummy go-go dancers. I was amazed by how creative the costumes were. At one point, I noticed Cleopatra, Tiger Woods, and Audrey Hepburn enjoying a drink together on the terrace. ArtPoint would like to thank the attendees for making this event a big hit!

Posted by: Cheryl McCain | November 3 at 4:49:55 PM
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Listed under: General News