2013 Stamford Art in Public Places, Abstract Sculpture

First,  Kudos to Sandy Goldstein President of Stamford's Downtown Special Services District, SAC CAPITAL ADVISORS L.P. and all the other generous partner- sponsors for this year's provocative and inspiring outdoor summer exhibit representing a unique 20 year Stamford tradition of ART IN PUBLIC PLACES.

 Also, congratulations to all the dedicated acolytes of art who produced such an attractive 4-color, slick booklet entitled Downtown Abstractions. A glance at this sterling piece will make up for all and any deficiencies of my short blog. It presents bios of the 18 artists, pictures of the 43 sculptures they loaned to our city, lists of the our sponsors and a sculpture exhibit map for this show as well as for the nine permanent sculptures in downtown Stamford.

 You can access this brochure in pdf format online. Click here.

 Dictionary.com defines abstract art as "A trend in painting and sculpture in the twentieth century. Abstract art seeks to break away from traditional representation of physical objects. It explores the relationships of forms and colors, whereas more traditional art represents the world in recognizable images."

 Enough said!....almost done.

 I enjoyed my journey through the Downtown  (including First Stamford Place just across Metro North) and time permitting I will add more photos to the slide show. So do tune back in.

 For my coverage of previous outdoor summer exhibits and other outdoor art pieces and sculptures here in Stamford click here.

And, finally, if I have piqued your interest just a little about my fascination with the power of the abstract and you have patience and a few moments more, then learn and appreciate, as I did, how a truly great 20th Century artist-- Wassily Kandinsky --brilliantly pursued the path from the concrete to the abstract. If so, then click here.

If you haven't seen the show, hurry and get out to experience all the colorful vibrant pieces. The show ends on Labor Day.

Have a gr8 day, all!

Kudos to two fall ladies fashion magazines: WSJ. from the Wall Street Journal and T , The New York Times Style Magazine

In a recent post, on Why I Blog, I briefly touched on the success of fashion print magazines such as Vogue, Elle and Harper's Bazaar--especially the September issues.

First there's Vogue weighing in with 902 pages total and 663 ad pages; next comes Elle with 652 pages total and 442 ad pages. Heavy, indeed.

Not bad for those who say PRINT IS DEAD!

However, of greater interest to me are the two fall fashion magazines of our two most prominent newspapers: WSJ. The Wall Street Journal Magazine and the New York Times Style Magazine.

Cover of the Wall Street Journal Magazine

September 2013, Women's Style

Both magazines are a pleasure to peruse and read. (If you don't have copies. get them from your local library.) They are also available online.

The ads are beautifully designed and do effortlessly and seamlessly --with a little bit of help-- lead us gracefully to intriguing articles.

Isn't that what top of the line magazine journalism is supposed to do--to draw us into the mostly textual sections that can and should matter to us, perhaps, even make a difference in our lives?

Put another way, the sensuality of the models and products featured in the ads are designed to quicken our senses- male and female- then goad us to open up our wallets and buy!

Isn't that our expectation?

Then, hopefully, we should be in a frame of mind to expect and then, indeed, discover the quality of journalism that is the mark of these two papers.

The Times is 252 total pages and WSJ. is 160 pages. (Size is not the issue--it's layout, it's content. Agreed?)

Each has museum quality ads from Ralph Lauren, Armani and Chanel vying for the front and back cover ads -- as usual. After all, this publication is a showcase for their wares and they will renew their ads only if pleased with placement and quality of layout and content of articles.

With some 75 plus full page ads dominating the WSJ. publication, what room is there left  for content?

Sounds like a tug of war of sorts: ads fund the publication and hence must be prominent -- but should this bottom line consideration be at the 'expense' of articles?

The Editor's Letter offers a clue as to what to expect in each. So, kudos to both editors Kristina O'Neill of WSJ. and to Deborah Needleman of the Times.

Kristina O'Neill, Editor in Chief of WSJ. She

replaced Deborah Needleman who moved over to T Magazine 

(Photo courtesy of Fashionlogie.com)

In her Editor's Letter entitled Hidden Treasures, the globe-trotting Kristina first flies southward to South America where she heaps praises on Inhotim "an extraordinary installation of contemporary art in southeastern Brazil." She then directs our 'sails' to a Parisian superstar designer, the "effortlessly chic" Isabel Marant.

Her itinerary then has us fly across the Channel to London where "we spend time with founders of Saturday Group, fashion consultants who wear a dazzling array of creative hats."

Other venues include Sir Richard Branson's private game reserve Ulusaba in South Africa -- to 'meet' daughter Holly and her brother and a meeting with Guido Palau "the legendary hair stylist whose creativity is behind some of fashion's most iconic moments."

Collage of Venice from Wikipedia: at the top left is 

the Piazza San Marco, followed by a view of the city,

 the the Grand Canal and (smaller) the interior

 of La Fenice and lastly the island of San Giorgio Maggiore

The destination that impressed me the most is the Venice Biennale.

Why the Biennale?

It has lots and lots of outdoor public art especially in the Giardini and I am a great fan of public art!

My keen interest in public art and magazine media is depicted and exemplified by many blogs (ranging from the Rodin exhibit at the sculpture garden of the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University,  Stamford's Downtown Outdoor Art in Public Places exhibits, to Kandinsky and Picasso at the Guggenheim and Kandinsky: His Paris Years 1906-1907 and as editor and publisher of Brooklyn's Community Magazine ).

Cover of Mort Walker's The Best of Times

featuring original artwork by Mort 

I also served as advertising director at Mort Walker's Best of Times Magazine. (Mort just turned 90 and is as spright and alert as a man 30 years his junior).

I am fascinated by Venice -- a city I visited as a teenager -- where every two years "the city is transformed into a grand exhibition of contemporary artwork from around the globe."  It is as Mera Rubell said "so incredible because the contemporary art interacts with the historical context..."

The online slide show is a pleasure to scroll through as we encounter the portraits of the artists and curators and gallerists and collectors. The outstanding photography is by Daniel Jackson.

The article inspires me to visit Venice for the next Biennale. Any joiners out there?

Thank you WSJ. and staff and I look forward to your Men's Style issue just posted online.

Look for my hopefully shorter blog on T, The New York Times August/Fall Fashion Ladies Style Magazine. (Click here)

The August 25, 2013 cover of the Women's Fashion Issue

from the New York Times Style Magazine

My Favorite Sculpture at Stamford's Art in Public Places 2011 Show: Personalities by Judith Peck

In my June 1, 2011 post, I presented a slide show of a representative sampling of the sculptures to be featured in Stamford's Art in Public Places Summer 2011 show. (Last summer, I posted a slide show of the Reigning Cats and Dogs Outdoor sculpture show as it was being readied for exhibition at the Landmark building.)

So, as you already know, Stamford has no dearth of outdoor art and part of my passion is to try to catch up with just a few with my trusty digital camera.

This year is no different. Just sample the 'difference': here's one for a spring day. 

As it turns out, this year my favorite piece, hands down,  is Personalities by Judith Peck, sponsored by SAC Capital Advisors, LP. Here is a slide show.



What makes this piece so captivating is the free form movement of the four white silhouetted figures.

You can almost feel and experience their movements as their young supple bodies sway freely on the swings and lateral ladders.

Each figure is in a different mobile position: one is crouching on a moving swing; another is doing a somersault; a third appears to be running on a track as his body is tilted to the right; finally, the fourth is leaning to his left on a plane above all the others.

Though the artist captures and isolates each figure , there is a unity of motion and a harmony of vibrant spirit common to all four.

The show is a must visit for all Stamford citizens.  The sculptures are primarily clustered along Bedford, Summer, Atlantic and Broad Streets downtown.

Personalities (number 17 on the map, click below)  is aptly located in Latham Park opposite the Avon Theater.

Now that you know which piece is my favorite, I want to know which is your favorite!

Here is a map to this year's Wit and Whimsy Outdoor show.

Why Stamford is a great place to live in

I could have entitled this blog: We commemorate the end of the Third quarter with 10 good reasons to celebrate living in Stamford and looking forward to the fourth quarter.

 1. The weather has been great the last few days temps in the 70's and cloudless skies and there is no finer place than Stamford downtown to dine alfresco; the restaurant patrons have been out today at tables set up in front of San Remos Pizza and Lucky's Restaurant basking in the sun.

 2. The road maintenance crews do a great follow-up job; during the summer they dug up streets laying new pvc tubings; they are now out in full force in my neighborhood preparing the roads to lay down new smooth surfaces.

 3. Stamford's Ferguson library has been hosting The Civility in America series with the support  of Mayor Pavia and the City of Stamford , The Dilenschneider Group,  Purdue,  Hearst Media Services and Sacred Heart University. We have been fortunate to hear Senator Olympia Snow, Faye Vincent, William Bratton and Joel Klein  to name a few personages.

 Set aside Tuesday, October 15th at 6 PM.  S.Georgia Nugent, past president of Kenyon College in Ohio is an advocate for liberal arts education. She will be speaking about Civility in American Society.

 4. Stamford Downtown hosts an outdoor summer art show entitled Art in Public Places. This summer thanks to presenting sponsor SAC CAPITAL ADVISORS and many other local supporters, we had 43 sculptures by 18 artists. 

 5. Our town has other permanent outdoor pieces such as J. Seward Johnson's Uninvited Advice. See the slide show by clicking here.

 6. The Curtain Call theater has been  presenting free outdoor Shakespeare performances On the Green for the last 14 years. . This year we enjoyed Othello under the stars.

  In nearby Rowayton, Shakespeare on the Sound performed As You Like it

 7. Major stars host performances in our town. Art Garfunkel, a classmate of mine, can be seen at Stamford's Ferguson library on November 8, 2013.

 8. Mill River Park has recently opened. Designed as a downtown oasis of walking paths, lawns, cherry trees, plants, benches, a carousel, skating rink and fountain, the Park now consists of 12 acres and will grow in future years to 28 acres.

     Projected cost will be $60 million. of which $14 million has been raised.

 9. Excellent public schools is another draw.

  Success Symposium 2013, featuring a panel of educators, will discuss strategies for public education. David Kirp, professor of Public Policy at UC Berkeley, is the keynote speaker. It airs at Ferguson Library this Wednesday, October 2nd from 4 to 6 p.m.

 10. Stamford hospital boasts the Van Munching facility, one of the Northeast's premier acute inpatient rehabilitation centers.

All of the above are good reasons Stamford stands out....

Stamford's Art in Public Places Summer 2014: Street Seats

Prior  inspiring  Art in Public Places shows, sponsored by the Stamford Downtown have been reported  and include slide shows of :  Reigning Cats and Dogs, Best of the Outdoor Sculptures,  Horsin Around and  last year's Downtown Abstractions. 

This year's show, entitled Street Seats features 40 originally designed and painted wooden benches found in the downtown area including our parks. Visit www.Stamford-downtown.com for a map to tour the exhibit.

Here are a few images from the exhibit to whet your appetite.

"Know your Roots" by Future 5 Art Students:

Lewis Derogene, Mykeyla Brown,Stefany Espinoza and Izzy Gomez

Sponsor: TORMAR Associates  LLC of Stamford 

One of my favorites: Can you guess 

where this bench is located? 

Again, kudos to Sandy Goldstein and her staff at Stamford Downtown for a very imaginative and  inspiring show and of course all the many sponsors of this year's exhibit.  

   

In Case You Missed Roam Around in Stamford

The 2009 Stamford 16th annual downtown Outdoor Summer Arts presentation, Art in Public Places, featured 42 sculptures created by 18 different artists.

Alas, what a beautiful and inspiring show and a pity the show has come and gone so quickly. Fortunately, on September 3rd, I was able to catch the last hours of some of the 42 'stars' of the show in our community as they were being assembled and loaded onto moving trucks on their way to Loveland, Colorado.

All the pieces are incredible including some my Power Shot was fortunate to capture for this slide show; of particular interest is Del Pettigrew's Gracle Mania (blackbirds) and Two's Company, Kent Ullberg's bear Waiting for Sockeye and Thomas Ottenberg's But, I Feel Fine (the upside down gymnast balancing on a horse with one hand) and Tundra by Virginia Sperry.

For more photos and information about the show, log onto the Stamford Downtown website Enjoy this year's show. See you next year!

Stamford's Art in Public Places: Carlos Dorrien's Sculpture of Justice

Front and Rear Views of Carlos Dorrien's Sculpture of

Justice at Entry Plaza of Stamford Courthouse, Stamford, Connecticut

As one enters the Courthouse at 123 Hoyt Street in Stamford, one cannot ignore a massive stately sculpture of the figure of Justice adjacent to another figure representing the Scales of Justice. The latter doubles as a seat for the weary.

The piece was executed in 2005 by Carlos Dorrien an Argentine native, who now lives in Wellesley, Massachusetts. It is a large granite figure with a figurehead who shows no emotions. Her eyes are seemingly blank as if to suggest that justice cannot show any favoritism and must often shut her eyes to emotion and consider the facts as presented.

It is a welcome addition to Stamford.

A Preview of Stamford's Art in Public Places, June-August 2012, Horsin' Around

4/29/2012

Stamford Art in Public Places Summer 2011 is a happening event