art + inspiration
Baryshnikov and French Bistro Chairs
Hey hey kids! Look at us, barreling toward summer! I know, I know, I’m getting ahead of myself. But this morning the gardener came and mowed the grass for the first time this year, so can barbecuing and outdoor naps be far behind? A fella can dream. Hey, I’ve assembled a gallery of cute, uplifting bits of ephemera, designed to inspire. I sure hope they do the trick. Enjoy!
From the Mark Morris archives: Mikhail Baryshnikov rehearsing. Exquisite.
PBS has a new doc coming out about Mary Oliver this summer: Saved By the Beauty of This World. Must Watch.
Beneath the Sky, Among the Stalks, Esther Oyeyemi, Love this: an artist doodled on the menus from 40 different LA restaurants. They’re on display now at the iconic Johnie’s Diner in Los Angeles.
I invite you to spend some time on this site, dedicated to Finnish design. Once you do, I ask: don’t you wish the world had more Finnish design in it? (I’d like this vacuum jug, for starters.)
Best cartoon of all time. Robert Leighton in the New Yorker, 2017 Great new piece of public art in downtown NYC
Juicy convo with Japanese installation artist, Tadashi Kawamata, and a sampling of his recent work:
Great piece on the art in the Obama Presidential Library.
I dream of owning a set of classic French bistro chairs by Maison Drucker.
A fabulous counter to the Met Gala.
Interesting work by this artist who paints, sews, makes sculpture and more. These are memorial portraits she creates within the bowls of spoons.
This is really more of a short film than a dance video — feel free to scroll around the 13 minutes of screen time— but the dance is glorious, and the world and culture it captures is fresh and alive. I’ll admit: these three guys charmed the hell outta me.
OK, the video’s not great, but I’m hoping you’ll get the point, and the vibe, and the deep joy of this project. Maia Kamil is a wonderful singer/songwriter whom I’ve known for many years—she performed at The Secret City a couple of times, and I’ve seen her live, and watched her grow up! Last weekend, she performed a song of hers with the Brooklyn Choir Project, and it’s a song I love entitled Send it to Me Better. You can find her music here, and the single here, but do watch the video with the choir. Amazing.
Thanks, friends, for spending part of your weekend with me. I’m wishing the mothers of all creatures, a wonderful day of celebration. Thanks for all you do. XChris
Thank you for cheering me up, dear one.
Oh gosh we have to wait until August 25th for the Mary Oliver episode!