Our contributor Dereck Stafford Mangus’s day job is museum guard at the Baltimore Museum of Art, but Dereck also works as a member of the museum’s conservation crew dusting the sculptures in the sculpture garden. Recently, the dusting tasks came up against the demolition of a building next door to the museum, on the campus of Johns Hopkins University, triggering Dereck’s thoughts about demolitions in general and the labor of artists and conservators. Enjoy this behind the scenes look at a different kind of museum work. All photomontages by Dereck Stafford Mangus.
Read MoreDereck Stafford Mangus reflects on moving from Boston to Baltimore, and into a building clad in Formstone. Dereck compares Formstone’s shaped-stucco facades to art forgeries, calling them “urban kitsch.” But he’s learned to appreciate them as part of what makes Baltimore …Baltimore!
Read MoreMandy Palasik and Kemuel Benyehudah spent a large part of the pandemic working on a collaborative piece about issues of sustainable design and public space, and we’re proud and excited to present their dialog on the complex issues.
Read MoreThe new book, Hotel Chelsea: Living in the Last Bohemian Haven by Colin Miller and Ray Mock tells of current residents and their struggle with the Hotel’s developer-owners and explores the history of this artistic incubator-cum-living space.
Read MoreMichael Lieberman reviews Pulitzer Prize winner Inga Saffron’s ‘Becoming Philadelphia.’ The book, a selection of the architecture critic’s Inquirer articles from the past 20 years, tells an intricate story about Philly’s 10 year tax abatement and construction boom– both its part in revitalizing the city, and its part in harmful gentrification and increased inequality.
Read MoreIn a new series “Art following epidemics” triggered by thoughts during the COVID-19 pandemic, Andrea Kirsh refers back to her field of Art History to examine art made during or after other epidemics.
Read MoreDereck Stafford Mangus shares his thoughts on current trends in urban development and the connection with Brutalism and Legos.
Read MoreMandy Palasik visits Kentuck Knob, the lesser known residential work by Frank Lloyd Wright, and explores the surrounding nature!
Read MoreOur contributor Mandy Palasik visits The Shed, the new performance and art space in New York’s Hudson Yards area and speaks with Elizabeth Diller, one of the lead architects in The Shed’s design group.
Read MoreMandy Palasik, Artblog’s resident architect, takes a trip up to Governors Island in New York Harbor to survey the site’s innovative fusion of public art and architectural preservation. In the process, she comes away with some great recommendations for our own fair city! In addition to the work described here, readers should also check out the 11th annual Governors Island Art Fair, which opens September 1 and runs every weekend through the end of the month.
Read MoreArtblog’s resident architect, Mandy Palasik, attends this year’s Louis I. Kahn Memorial Award + Talk, and reports back on awardee, Sir David Adjaye’s presentation of his own work at the event. She reflects on his innovative approach to translating inspiration into material form and on his commitment to delivering quality design regardless of budget.
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