Category Archives: THE ARTS

September 16, 2011 · 2:53 pm

Mass MOCA – for huge art!

Last week, we thoroughly enjoyed a visit to the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (aka Mass MOCA) in the old factory town of North Adams, near Williamstown. It was raining, which made it easier to spend a September day inside – and we were impressed not only by the exhibits but the building itself – a huge sprawling weathered old factory. The show on oppressed workers (see description below) was engrossing – as was the semi-permanent (“on view through 2033” according to the website) retrospective of bold colorful Sol LeWitt wall paintings (especially engrossing was a video of young people creating  these paintings, following LeWitt’s instructions.)

I thought the Tate Modern in London was huge – but Mass MOCA is even huger and the enormity of some of the art installations (by Nari WArd and Katarina Grosse) is astonishing. The museum also has a good cafe (Lickety Split) with large well-done salads and sandwiches. And if it had not been raining, would have been fun to poke around town a bit, especially some of the galleries that have sprung up in the wake of Mass MOCA.

THE WORKERS exhibit: “What does work look like today in a global economy marked by outsourcing, rapid migration, disruptive economies, and a state of labor that seems fractured, precarious, and almost invisible? With video, sculpture, photography, and performance art from 25 artists, this exhibition examines the way labor is represented today (and how some contemporary workers choose to represent themselves). “

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April 26, 2011 · 2:04 am

who would’ah thunk it: spotted George Hamilton at Des Moines restaurant

On a Monday night in Des Moines, hard to imagine seeing anybody out for dinner, let alone perpetually tan actor George Hamilton who was dining at a table near us at Alba in the East Village. The director of the Greater Des Moines Civic Center was his host so that was a tip off – apparently the civic center unveiled its next season today and George will be returning in October (unless he’s staying here til then, as if) in La Cage Aux Folles.)

I”m particularly excited about Billy Elliot which will be in DM in June 2012.

DES MOINES, Iowa — The Civic Center of Greater Des Moines announce its new 2011-2012 season on Monday night.The schedule includes La Cage Aux Folles, which headed to Iowa direct from Broadway — and stars George Hamilton. Wicked returns to Des Moines. Billy Elliot The Musical also is coming to the Civic Center.

2011

  • Oct 11-16:  La Cage Aux Folles (Staring George Hamilton)
  • Nov. 9- Dec. 4:  Wicked

2012

  • Feb. 7-12:  West Side Story
  • Feb 28-March 4:  Bring It On: The Musical
  • April 24-29:  Memphis
  • May 15-16: Rain: A Tribute To The Beatles
  • June 6-17: Billy Elliot The Musical

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April 14, 2011 · 10:31 pm

Bright Eyes tix for Aug. 8 concert in Des Moines – on sale tomorrow

I had to alert my son (who’s at college in Illinois) that tix for the Bright Eyes concert at  Des Moines’  Val Air Ballroom on Aug.8 go on sale tomorrow through ticketmaster – so thought I’d alert all of you too. Meanwhile, I’m looking forward to seeing the unlikely duo John Doe and Jill Sobule perform here on Sunday!

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April 11, 2011 · 11:12 pm

Avant-garde artist feted in Iowa city

Lil Picard – cabaret actress, Andy Warhol Factory workerbee, avant-garde artist – is the subject of a show at the University of Iowa’s Black Box Theater through May 27. The show is organized by the U of I’s Museum of Art.

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April 9, 2011 · 10:02 pm

Here’s how to book a room at the FLWright-designed hotel in mason city

Here’s the scoop on staying at the new  FLWright-designed hotel that’s reopening in August for business (101 years after it opened.) The hotel – which falls under Stoney Creek Inn auspices – just started taking reservations this week, through one person who I’ve yet to reach. The rooms are available in August (don’t know when specifically). There are 27 guest rooms according to the website. Prices still unknown.

To find out info go to : http://www.stoneycreekinn.com/locations/parkinn.cfm; to call for a reservation call 1-800-659-2220 (press 3 after the first spiel; then press 4 after the next spiel.)

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April 8, 2011 · 9:23 pm

Last remaining Frank Lloyd Wright-designed hotel reopening sept. in mason city

Finally, after over 20 years effort, millions of dollars, and a massive painstaking renovation, the world’s last remaining hotel designed by Frank Lloyd Wright is scheduled to reopen  in Mason City, Iowa in early September (with a soft opening in July, word has it).  No word yet on how many rooms or what it will cost to stay at what will be known as “The Historic Park Inn Hotel” (first opened in 1910).

The hotel is one of several architecture-related reasons to visit this northern Iowa city, which has worked hard to preserve and promote its Prairie School buildings. A new Architectural Interpretive Center formally opens in May. Next door to the center is  The Wright-designed Stockman House – which I toured last fall and is well worth a visit. Tour season  begins in May, I believe. And there are walking tours of all the other Prairie School homes in the area.

Here’s more details:

  • The Historic Park Inn Hotel – first opened in 1910 – will reopen as a boutique hotel. A celebration is being planned for Sept. 6-11 (the week marks the 101th anniversary of  the hotel’s original opening).
  • The long effort to revive the hotel cost about $18.5 million project,  spanned three different owners of the property, most recently a citizens group that bought the building for $1 from the city after the hotel got no takers on eBay.
  • First opened with an adjoining Wright-designed bank, the hotel (one of six designed by Wright) started deteriorating in the 1920s and closed in 1972. It fell into further disrepair after being converted into apartments and small businesses.
  • Mason City is well-known to architecture enthusiasts for its Rock Glen/Rock Crest National Historic District, the largest grouping of Prairie School homes unified by a common natural setting in the U.S.

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March 28, 2011 · 2:14 pm

Brunch on the west side, the Jewish Museum on the east side

Warmer today and just as sunny – we had a very nice brunch at Henry’s, on Broadway near 107th Street. Good service, good food (bacon! eggs! french toast et.al.) and no wait for a table on a Sunday midday. Then to the Jewish Museum on 92nd Street and Fifth Avenue which I’ve never been to and thoroughly enjoyed (sometimes it’s good to be among my own….) The Maira Kalman show was a lot of fun – thoroughly enjoyed. Also liked the gift shop a lot which had fun Passover items, good books, etc. Since we were in the neighborhood, we checked on the 92nd Street Y on Lexington which I’ve long heard about but never been to. Great bastion of culture – a concert and dance performance were going on during our visit.

We walked south along Madison Avenue windowshopping, admiring the lovely formal children’s clothing, the housewares (my friend bought beautiful shower curtain material at a French shop, Madera), the designer boutiques, chocolate shops. We bumped, literally, into large colorfully dressed crowd that had performed in what was apparently a parade celebrating all things Greek. Further south, we dropped in at The Plaza Hotel and walked through the new (or new to me) fancy food court in the basement, tried to get tea in the Palm Court (it was 5 p.m. too late), and paid a visit to the Eloise portrait (a sentimental favorite.) Then taxied back to 108th and Riverside Drive. Nice New York day!

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March 19, 2011 · 3:51 pm

Exploring downtown Chicago

I have walked past the Chicago Cultural Center dozens of times without ever noticing it – why, I don’t know. But today, I finally noticed and entered and was amazed at what a gorgeous building it is, full of intricate bejeweled mosaics, high ceilings with elegant mouldings, elegant glass domes including one by Tiffany. My son and I wandered through the public spaces and galleries (which were a bit tricky to find.) We stopped by the Vivian Maier show, which was worth a visit although not very extensive and seemed to be as much photos from New York and beyond as from chicago.

On the first floor, lots of people had gathered in seats in front of a stage where four musicians played a free concert. A sandwich bar in the lobby looked like a good lunch option.

For lunch, we went to The Gage, a lively gastropub on South Michigan – I had a hard time selecting an item from the menu because about all of them looked great. I finally settled on the mussels vindaloo – a huge bowl of freshly steamed juicy musles in a light burnt-umber colored broth with the not-over-powering Indian spice (Vindaloo can often mean searingly hot spice but this wasn’t.) My son had a huge hamburger with blue cheese that fortunately came with the upright fries piled into a mug-like bowl. All very good, pleasant and swift service, nice ambiance. Will definitely return.

We stopped at the Chicago Art Foundation to browse in the gift shop, one of the best around, and admire the huge model of downtown Chicago buildings. It’s got every building west of Oak Street and way past the loop. Incredibly cool. And every 15 minutes, the lights dim to simulate the sun hitting the buildings, casting some in high relief.

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March 7, 2011 · 8:06 pm

Anecdote to a drab winter’s day in Des Moines: The Des Moines Art Center

We’ve had several days of grey damp dreary weather – so yesterday I tried to chase the blahs away by visiting the Des Moines Art Center with two friends.  It was quiet on a Sunday afternoon and peaceful. Admission is free – which always amazes me given the $18 to $25 fees charged to get into big city (albeit bigger) museums. I try to drop in a few bucks donation regardless.

The Art Center’s  new exhibit – large modern installations by German artist Anselm Reyle – didn’t do much for me but worth a look. And I always enjoy wandering around the galleries – for the art and the architecture. The IM Pei wing’s giant windows offered a dramatic view of a snow squall blowing across the Andrew Goldsworthy Cairn sculptures and Greenwood Park’s frozen rose garden which will soon, I hope, be full of blossoms.

Before visiting the Reyle exhibit it does help to read the art center’ s blurb about him:  (I must look up the word: perspicacity)

Anselm Reyle is a taxidermist. He breathes life into the exhausted or dormant visual motifs of Modernism and reenergizes these familiar forms to make them new. Reyle frequently utilizes clichéd modernist shapes, artificial colors, and non-traditional materials such as Mylar foil and straw bales to extend the prevailing aesthetics of painting and sculpture. In the process, he constructs a bond between art and popular culture, while simultaneously questioning the authorship of the artist and forging a distinct bond between the production of art objects and the marketplace. (

Reyle updates the history of modern art by borrowing its visual elements that have become overused or even considered tasteless in contemporary dialogues. These elements range from stripes to gestural drips of paint to fractured abstractions. Each format in Reyle’s arsenal recalls a predecessor and reflects his interest in the codes of taste that determine our attitudes and thoughts. Although an enlivenment or reconsideration of the past is a cornerstone of post-modern thought, Reyle’s approach retains vestiges of the modern era through his emphasis on the personal experience afforded by abstraction. This archeological memory, its subsequent manipulation, and the resulting shift in perspicacity formulate Reyle’s contributions to the art of our time.

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January 16, 2011 · 9:59 pm

A little culture to escape the Des Moines winter

The DM Register wisely, thoughtfully, ran a list of upcoming cultural activities that should make it worth leaving the cabin even in subzero weather. On my list:

– Philobolus Dance Theater, the acrobatic contortionists, who will be at the Greater DM Civic Center on Jan. 26, kicking off a first-time (i think) three group dance series. Not my favorite companies but a good start.

– Middle States, an exhibit starting on Jan. 28 at Drake University’s Anderson Gallery of paintings by six contemporary Midwestern artists. Regionalism in the vein of Iowa’s own Grant Wood  and Thomas Hart Benton might not be cutting edge but who cares? I like rural landscapes and small-town street scenes. Always have.

– Anselm Reyle show opening Jan. 28 at the DM Art Center – a high-profile show of an up and coming German artist who does odd things with Mylar foil, mirrors, bits of plastic, LED lights etc. We shall see.

– Next to Normal – the rock musical that won the 2009 Tony at…the Civic Center March 15-20. Cool!

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