ArtsÉtoile

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to buy a piece of original art, knowing that it would not only look gorgeous in your house but also help someone in a meaningful and concrete way? Piece by Piece is a nonprofit organization that sponsors mosaic art workshops free of charge for Los Angeles’ underserved communities in Skid Row and South Central Los Angeles.

You can preview and purchase the beautiful mosaic art of talented Piece by Piece artists at the James Gray Gallery‘s current group show, which also includes a diverse range of multimedia work by established artists Ellen King, Daina Falk, and Francesca Quintano.

The goal of Piece by Piece workshops is for participants to create saleable works of art under the tutelage of professional arts instructors, simultaneously enhancing self-esteem, artistic ability, and fostering entrepreneurship. The rapidly growing organization was founded by the visionary Sophie Alpert after she had witnessed successful arts workshops for HIV positive women in South Africa. She realized that providing skills training and raw materials to Los Angeles’ underserved communities could lead to the crucial first steps towards positive change.

You can help support Piece by Piece by purchasing one of the many beautiful works of art at the James Gray Gallery or by making a donation.

Piece by Piece artists are also available to create customized works of art, ranging from centerpieces for your next big corporate event, wedding, or bar mitzvah, to original pieces of furniture, mirrors, and stunning murals. The options for commissions are endless and the end result is a great way to give back to the community.

Click here to see available work by Piece by Piece artists.

-Emily Waldorf

Filed under: galleries, Los Angeles, non profit spaces | 1 Comment
Tags: art nonprofit, Bergamot Station, Daina Falk, Ellen King, Francesca Quintano, James Gray, Los Angeles, mosaic art, mosaic art sale, nonprofit, opening reception, Piece by Piece, workshops

The Billy Rose Art Garden: An Al Fresco Treasure in Jerusalem

12Oct09

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A trip to Jerusalem is not complete without a visit to the Israel Museum, the largest cultural institution in the State of Israel. The museum was founded in 1965 and houses over 500,000 biblical and Holy Land archeological objects, including the Dead Sea Scrolls and a fascinating Second Temple Era model of Jerusalem.

The most enchanting collection is scattered along the western slope of the museum’s campus. The Isamu Noguchi designed Art Garden is organized in the style of a Japanese Zen garden, featuring crescent-shaped gravel paths, rough fieldstone walls, water elements, exposed concrete, and fragrant trees and plants native to the Holy Land.

The diverse sculptures reveal themselves along a winding path and include some of the 19th and 20th century’s most renowned artists, such as Henry Moore, Claes Oldenburg, Pablo Picasso, Auguste Rodin, James Turrell, Menashe Kadishman, David Smith, Sol LeWitt, Donald Judd, Magdalena Abakanowicz, Richard Serra, and Joel Shapiro. A visit to the Billy Rose Art Garden is lovely way to enjoy the fusion of East meets West artists against the beautiful backdrop of the rolling hills of Jerusalem.

-Emily Waldorf

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Filed under: antiquities, education, museums, sculpture, travel | 4 Comments
Tags: art, Billy Rose Art Garden, Israel, Israel Museum, museums, sculpture

Downtown Los Angeles Art Tour

12Oct09

On September 24th, I led a diverse group of women on an art tour in downtown Los Angeles. The field trip started out with a visit to artist Kori Newkirk‘s studio, where he discussed his trajectory as an artist, his creative process, the inspiration behind the materials he uses, and his current work.

Our next stop was a tour of the amazing permanent collection at MOCA with a wonderfully interactive guide who challenged us to really look at what we were seeing. We learned about works by Jackson Pollock, Robert Rauschenberg, Claes Oldenberg, Mark Rothko, Donald Judd, and many more.

We finished off the day with lunch at Ciudad, where I led a moderated discussion about what we learned over the course of the day, current trends in the art world and how to encourage awareness about local contemporary art programming.

If you are interested in being added to the invitation list for future cultural field trips or would like to learn more about designing a custom tour for a private group, sign up here.

– Emily Waldorf

Filed under: artist studios, contemporary art, education, Los Angeles | 5 Comments
Tags: art tour, artist studio, Claes Oldenburg, cultural field trip, custom, Donald Judd, Jackson Pollock, Kori Newkirk, Los Angeles, Los Angeles art tour, Mark Rothko, MOCA, Robert Rauschenberg, visits

Culture Clicks: Weekly Art News Roundup

05Oct09

Takashi Murakami and Kirsten Dunst via The Wall Street Journal

Pakistani Art at Asia Society (NY Times)

Painting the Ancient, Invisible Dream: Aboriginal Art (NY Times)

All the Books You’ll Never Catch on a Kindle (NY Times)

Hollywood Justice: The Roman Polanski Drama (WSJ)

The Artist and the Director: Takashi Murakami and Kirsten Dunst (WSJ)

Fleshy Nudes Abound in Paris Show of Late Renoir Works: Review (Bloomberg)

Blum & Poe Times Four: The Gallery’s New Space in LA (ARTINFO)

Party Pics: William H. Johnson Foundation for the Arts (ARTINFO)

Party Pics: Scene & Heard International Coverage (ARTFORUM)

Filed under: art market, books, celebs, collecting, contemporary art, dealers, film, galleries, Los Angeles, Paris, party pics, reviews | Leave a Comment
Tags: Aboriginal Art, Amazon kindle, Asia Society, Blum & Poe, Hollywood, Kindle, Kirsten Dunst, Pakistani Art, Paris, Renoir, Roman Polanski, show, Takashi Murakami, William H. Johnson Foundation for the Arts

The Artist Interview: Nancy Macko

04Oct09

Nancy Macko, Still #85, Bee Stories, 2006, digital video, 8:11 min. Image courtesy of the artist.

In this in-depth interview, noted multimedia artist and professor Nancy Macko talks to Emily Waldorf about her ongoing HIVE Universe project and recent group show, “Gaia and Global Warming: Women Artists Champion Nature,” at the Center for the Arts in Jackson Hole. Ms. Macko also touches on eco-feminism, how she balances teaching and creating, working on Judy Chicago’s Dinner Party, and her study of ancient matriarchal cultures.

EW: How did you get started as an artist?

NM: When I was in high school one of the art teachers noticed my work and displayed it. It wasn’t much to speak of, it was good from a design perspective, but that interest was enough for me to begin exploring my inner world. It took years of study in several colleges before I felt ready for the commitment that graduate school represented. Once that process began, I knew that I was on the path that was right for me….practicing art and teaching. I credit my studio art professors in those undergraduate school programs with helping me focus and get on course. Continue reading ‘The Artist Interview: Nancy Macko’

Filed under: artist projects, contemporary art | Leave a Comment
Tags: Banff Centre for the Arts, Cheese Factory, eco-feminism, feminist art, Gaia and Global Warming, green art, Hive Project, Hope Sandrow, Housewife Blitz, Judy Cotton, Lowery Stokes, Margaret and Christine Wertheim, Nancy Macko, Peggy Digs, Petaluma, Scripps College, women artists, Women Artists Champion Nature

Culture Clicks: Weekly Art News Roundup

24Sep09

Andy Warhol's "Flowers" (1964) was estimated at $500,000–700,000 and sold for sold for $1,082,500. Via ARTINFO

America, Captured in a Flash by Robert Frank (NY Times)

Art Among Friends is Up for Sale (NY Times)

The Angel in the Architecture: Kandisky at the Guggenheim (NY Times)

Behind Duchamp’s Door at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (WSJ)

Hockney, Wolfe, Mailer Draw Themselves in Quirky Portraits Sale (Bloomberg)

Kapoor Fires Canon, Makes Mess at Royal Academy: Interview (Bloomberg)

LACMA Presents a Fuller Image of Korea (LA Times)

Christie’s ‘First Open’ Sale Sets ‘Confident Tone for the Season’ (ARTINFO)

Top 5 Fall Museum Shows in Paris (ARTINFO)

Pacific Design Center Offers Free Space to Galleries (ARTINFO)

International Art Party Pics: Scene & Heard (ARTFORUM)

Filed under: collecting, contemporary art, galleries, London, Los Angeles, modern art, museums, New York, Paris, party pics, photography, reviews, sculpture | Leave a Comment
Tags: Anish Kapoor, Christie's, David Hockney, Guggenheim, Kandisky, Korean art, LACMA, Marcel Duchamp, Norman Mailer, Pacific Design Center, Paris, party pics, Robert Frank, Royal Academy, top 5 museum shows

Culture Clicks: Weekly Art News Roundup

14Sep09

Open the Storeroom: Let’s Put on a Show at MOCA (NY Times)

Subway Riders Are Greeted With a Blast of Sol LeWitt Color (NY Times)

Fortune in Warhol Pop Art Stolen in Los Angeles (LA Times)

Leibovitz Buys Back Control of Photos, Real Estate (Bloomberg)

Gagosian in Talks to Open Paris Gallery, Dealers Say (Bloomberg)

Phillips de Pury & Co Doubling Down on the Art Market (WSJ)

Newer Art Elicits a More Emotional Response, Study Finds (ARTINFO)

Midsummer Madness Party Marks Warhol’s 81st Birthday (ARTINFO)

Filed under: art market, auctions, collecting, contemporary art, dealers, galleries, party pics, photography | Leave a Comment
Tags: Annie Leibovitz, Gagosian, MOCA, Paris, party pics, Phillips de Pury & Co, Sol LeWitt, Warhol 81st birthday, Warhol stolen, Warhols stolen, Weisman

August in Barcelona

03Sep09

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by Lauren Dickinson

Barcelona has a lot to offer but a bit less so in August as many residents vacate the city, so I can’t make any claim just yet about the top 5 of anything, but after a month here a few things have stood out. I will save the intensive tapas bar reviews for later as that is a work in progress. I also decided to wait out the tourist crowds, so I promise to get to Gaudi a little later. Consider this an end of summer suggestion list instead.

Day trips: Sitges is only about 20 minutes south of the city by train yet is a huge departure from the city beaches. I had never rented a paddle boat with a slide before but the combination was irresistible and I highly recommend it. Cadaques is roughly two hours north but a fun place to spend the night, you can visit Dali’s house and get some culture with your sun. The narrow streets and whitewashed buildings are lovely, as is fresh octopus and a bottle of rosé.

Boutiques in Barcelona tend to shut down for the month so I was relieved to find QK Barcelona in Saint Gervasi open, the brick walled store is filled with bohemian luxe clothes that fit Barcelona’s laid back style and you can have a drink or espresso while you shop. There might be more on this neighborhood later- it was hard to tell through the shut windows but it looked very promising!

One of the areas of the city that thrives in the summer unsurprisingly is Barceloneta and Porto Olimpico down by the beach, many of the city’s most popular clubs like Opium Mar are located here and dancing outside near the water is not a bad way to spend the night. Bestial is a solid start to the night, the cool décor Continue reading ‘August in Barcelona’