Real•World•Connections

Ken Holden's Photograph, in de Young Museum Collection

A typical museum displays artwork, of people, animals, or scenery, by various artists from different time periods.  Ken Holden, artist and photographer, took a different approach.  Instead of having a museum showing his art, his art shows a museum.

Ken Holden has an exhibit at the Art Museum of Los Gatos entitled “The de Young Museum Project”. Ken took over forty photographs of the famous de Young Museum in San Francisco.  The photographs are abstract and they chronicle visitor reflections off of the de Young building itself.

Ken Holden's Photograph, from de Young Collection

I had the fortune of previewing the exhibit many weeks ago as I met with the photographer himself.  This abstract approach to photography is interesting and aesthetically pleasing.  Ken hopes to have the photographs displayed in the de Young Museum itself.  The exhibit in Los Gatos will run until October 16th, 2009.

If you are interested in finding out more about Ken Holden and his job as a photographer, check out www.opensourceteaching.org for my interview with him.  If you are interested in seeing more of his photographs online, look at his website here.

Photographs and Information from Ken Holden’s Website, see link above.

Gallery at the Sacramento Art Walk

The trend of the “Art Walk” is rapidly spreading.  Cities are closing off their streets on weekend nights to have street festivals.  Galleries open their doors to the public, bands play, food vendors come out, and hundreds of people come out to enjoy themselves.  Sacramento has an art walk on the second Saturday of every month.  Sacramento’s Art Walk was the first time I ever heard the phrase, but after doing a little bit of internet research I quickly discovered that this is a nationwide trend.  In California, there are art walks in Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Rafael.  New York, New Orleans, and other major cities across the U.S. also host these walks.  People of all ages come- old couples, families with children, teenagers, and young adults.

Sandy Ostrau's Painting

Sandy Ostrau is an artist who has shown her artwork a number of times at a gallery in Sacramento that participates in the art walk.  She describes it as a fun event fit for anyone.  Individuals can walk in and out of exhibits that interest them, and the best part is- it’s free!  Minus the food of course.  Her most recent show was in the art walk at the 20th Street Gallery in Sacramento.  It was a “50-50″ exhibit where each artist creates a series of 50 small paintings.  The paintings all follow the same theme, and they are lined up on the wall.  She is having another exhibit right now at the same gallery called “Visual Impact“, which runs through July 31st.  If you are interested in hearing more about Sandy and her life as an artist, check out www.opensourceteaching.org soon for an interview with her.

For those of you who are in the Bay Area, come down to Sacramento on August 8th for their upcoming Art Walk.

The Bicycle Film Festival (also known as the “BFF”) is coming to town this week in San Francisco!  The annual art, film, and music festival is an event that takes place at major cities around the world- including Chicago, Tokyo, Las Vegas, Copenhagen, and of course, San Francisco.  The BFF celebrates the bicycle, hence its name, and it is different in every city.  At each event, bands play music, art galleries put on shows for visitors, and indie films are screened at different venues.  The festival is from July 14-19 in SF.  Blonde Redhead is playing on the 14th and 15th.  Although a lot of the BFF events are ticketed, it will be worth it.  So, grab your bike and come down to the city!

Bicycle Film Festival Logo

I had the pleasure of meeting one of the owners of the Ever Gold Gallery in SF, which will put on an exhibit for the Bicycle Film Festival.  Alex Braubach helped start the gallery six months ago.  He and his friends were driven by their passion for art. They run the gallery on their free time and for no profit.  A lot of their art is novelty art and local art from San Franciscan painters, sculptors, and photographers.  If you go to the festival, you should check out their gallery on 441 O’Farrell St.  If you are interested in finding out more about Alex Braubach, the Ever Gold Gallery, and his life as an artist and gallery owner- check out www.opensourceteaching.org.

Note: Logo taken from the BFF’s website.

Dog Perceiving Time (HowStuffWorks.com)

I recently came across a website which has become my favorite pasttime.  Howstuffworks.com is an intriguing website that shows you literally…how stuff works!  It answers all of those peculiar questions that you have such as why your stomach growls, how dogs perceive time, or how 3-D television works.  There is a section for Art on the website, which of course is my favorite section, but the best part is it is fun and educational.  I know I sound like an infomercial person saying this, but it’s true!  You can find out how Cirque du Soleil (the famous circus) works or how Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel.  There are videos, instructions, and interactive quizzes throughout the site.

Marshall Brain, Founder of HowStuffWorks.com

Browsing through the website made me wonder who came up with the site.  The man who founded HowStuffWorks.com has an appropriate last name for the job- Brain.  Marshall Brain is the founder.  He originally put up the website but he did not expect many people to visit the site.  He put up a few articles on how engines work and eventually he started winning awards and thousands of people started to visit his site.  If you are interested in finding out more about Marshall Brain and his involvement with the website, you should check out an interview about this life and involvement with Howstuffworks.com here.

Note: Information and photographs taken from Howstuffworks.com.

Model in Dress designed by Rodan

Famous Mural of The Kiss, on the Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall, that once represented violence and separation in Germany, is now becoming a fashion statement.  The famous graffiti murals on the side of the Berlin Wall have inspired the German designer, Daniel Rodan, to create a collection based on these murals.  The collection is an ode to the fall of the Berlin Wall, uniting East and West Germany, exactly 20 years ago.

Rodan has named his collection “Wall Clothes”.  The t-shirts, jackets, and evening gowns in the collection display the famous murals including the mural where Erich Honecker, from East Germany, is kissing Leonid Brezhnev, a Soviet leader.

German Celebrities Modeling Rodan's Clothing Line

Rodan has transformed the mural art into a different kind of art- clothing.  His new line, released last week, has caught the attention of many.  Rodan’s clothing line will be modeled by German celebrities next year, and the proceeds will go to charity.  These murals and symbols of struggle are now being transformed into something bold and beautiful.  I can’t think of a better way to pay tribute to the momentous fall of the wall in 1989.

Note: Information and photographs taken from AP Press and MSCNBC News Website

Photograph by the Sartorialist

Until a few years ago, I never recognized photography as art.  I figured anyone could be a photographer if they wanted to be- that was until a friend showed me the site, “The Sartorialist“.  “The Sartorialist” is a fashion blog where renowned photographer, Scott Schuman, posts all of his photographs.  I was originally interested in the fashion aspect of the blog, but gradually I have come to appreciate Schuman’s photography skills and techniques.  I suppose being a photographer is not that easy after all…

Photogaph by the Sartorialist, NYC

Schuman brings out the vibrant colors in the clothing and he plays with light and dark in the photographs.  The blog is more than retouched photographs from fashion shoots- he photographs random individuals walking down the street.  Schuman lives in New York, so most of his photographs are set there, but he makes numerous trips to fashion capitals all over the world including Paris, Milan, and Florence.  For those of you who live in the Bay Area, he does make occasional trips to San Francisco so dress your best just in case you cross his path!  Schuman has been recognized for his photography, as his work has been displayed in Vogue and Elle Magazine.

My interest in Schuman’s photography has helped me appreciate the photography of many others.  Jeff Whetstone is a photographer, based in North Carolina, who specializes in Black and White photography.  His subjects and his use of lighting add to the proficiency of his photos.  He has also been recognized for his photography as he was recently named the Critic’s Pick in May, 2009, in ARTnews.  Whetstone also won a Guggenheim fellowship (for more info. on fellowships- check out my article “It Runs in the Family..”)  in 2007.

Photograph by Jeff Whetstone

If you are interested in Whetstone’s life as a photographer, check out the interview with him here.  If you would like to find out more about Schuman and his blog, check out his website here.

Note: All information and photographs taken from “The Sartorialist” and “Jeff Whetstone Photographs”.

The love of art ran in the Guggenheim family.  Solomon and Simon Guggenheim were two of seven children who are best known for the distinguished foundations that they established, which are still in action today.

Guggenheim Museum in NYC, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright

The name “Guggenheim” is most commonly associated with the Guggenheim Museum in New York.  This museum was opened by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, which was originally founded in 1937 by Solomon himself to allow others to appreciate modern art and architecture.  The Guggenheim museum was moved in 1959 to the sleek, white, modern structure designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.  For those of you who have never been (although it is well worth it), you probably know the museum for it’s spiral structure.  The museum celebrated it’s 50th anniversary on May 15, 2009.  To honor Frank Lloyd Wright, there is a special exhibition honoring his work that will run until August 23, 2009.

Edward Hirsch, President of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation

The other art lover in the family, Simon, established the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.  It was established in 1922, and the organization awards Guggenheim Fellowships, which are grants (averaging $43,200 per person- wow!), to talented individuals in the art world.  Individuals must apply, and the foundation determines who is eligible for a grant.  The intention is that these individuals use the money for their work.  A number of the fellows are Nobel Laureates and Pulitzer Prize winners.  President Edward Hirsch announced in April 2009 that the Guggenheim Foundation was able to award 180 Fellowships to talented individuals for this year.  Hirsch is an interesting man himself, as in addition to being the President of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship himself.  Hirsch is a writer and a poet.  To find out more about his current career with the Foundation, and his interest in poetry and writing- check out the interview with Edward Hirsch here.

Solomon and Simon live on through their legacies today, as both of their foundations are still going strong.

Note: All information and photographs taken from the Guggenheim Museum website, and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation website (both linked in the text).