Tag Archive "furniture"

Art Miami and Design Miami, 2011

On the way to Art Miami, held this year in the midst of a group of other fairs in Wynwood, across the bay from Miami Beach, I ran into Jayson Musson who was heading off to see a friend at Scope, one block south.  Jayson had come to Miami to do Hennessy Youngman Presents: His History of Art at the NADA fair on December 1, and commented that the entry price to Art Basel Miami Beach was prohibitive. It was. I mentioned that those of us in Philadelphia wish him well, but also wish his descriptor, living in New York ... More » »

Utopian impulses in wood – Francis Cape and Kevin Strickland

Francis Cape‘s 20 spare poplar benches at Arcadia University Art Gallery imply people sitting together purposely (if not comfortably) maybe in church or while eating a meal in a dining hall. Cape’s benches, all hand-made by the artist in the last two years, are replicas of seating used by the Shakers, Hutterites and 14 other utopian communities.  They are functional furniture, but more than that, they are a conceptual art project. Lined up in rows, each bench facing the center of the room, Cape’s benches represent the idea that sitting on the same bench is about something more than just ... More » »

Exhibitions Currently in in D.C.

I was in D.C. once again for Arts Advocacy Day and, unfortunately for those of us in the arts business, it was the least pressing issue on the hill. I saw some very good exhibitions during my time there, however. In the tower of the National Gallery of Art‘s East Building, is a small exhibition of Nam June Paik’s work – and it should be smaller still, because One Candle, Candle Projection (1988–2000) is worth the ascent all by itself, even if the climb has to be done entirely by foot (although there is an elevator; a very slow one).