Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2018 i Artists Magazine

In addition to the “how” and “why” questions on art making that Artists Magazine focuses on, in this issue we explore questions about “where.” At the risk of stating the obvious, where an artist makes art has a significant impact on what that art will be and how it’s made. For example, would Robert Henri and his fellow Ashcan School painters have taken up social realism had they not been young artists struggling in New York City? Conversely, Monet began with a vision and shaped the environment accordingly—creating a breathtaking water garden to memorialize on canvas. Where are the best places for an artist to live? Having surveyed our readers, we note their top choices in “Art City, USA” (page 58). Once you’ve found your idyll, practice expressing its charms…

the post-World War II American Dream—trumpeted everywhere from glossy magazine spreads to bank boardrooms and legislative chambers—associated “making it” with a suburban split-level ranch, a white picket fence and a two-car garage. That said, beating a hasty retreat to the suburbs was not entirely a matter of choice or preference. In many respects, powerful business lobbies linked with anti-urban government policies fueled the flight. One woman, however, dared to oppose those forces—Jane Jacobs. Journalist, activist and author of the influential book The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Jacobs (1916–2006) fought throughout the 1950s and 1960s to preserve city neighborhoods threatened by urban-renewal projects. Funded as “slum clearance,” these plans sought to raze city blocks and replace existing homes and small businesses with upscale high-rises. Jacobs’ opponents included Robert…

Key Affordable Housing Artists’ Enclaves Museums & Galleries Bookstores & Cafes Inspiring Environment When one thinks of Monet, what comes to mind is his garden in Giverny. Georgia O’Keeffe conjures up the desert wildflowers of Taos, and Thomas Cole's landscapes apotheosize the sublime Hudson River Valley. It’s as if the artist and the place are one. Recognizing the symbiotic relationship of maker with place, we explored with our readers the leading cities conducive to an artful life. Aiming to winnow a large list of contenders to 10 destinations, we asked community members to rank locations based on affordability, community engagement, cultural attractions and inspirational environment—attributes we feel best support an artist’s lifestyle. The results offer a welcome diversity in terms of size, location and other attributes, proving there’s a promised…

Affordable Housing Inspiring Environment Artists’ Enclaves Bookstores & Cafes take in the mountainous landscape and explore all the vibrant art and historic architecture that Asheville, North Carolina, has to offer. Nestled among the Blue Ridge Mountains, the city of Asheville has everything a visiting tourist, artist or wayfarer may want—not to mention a reasonable cost of living for those looking for a big life change. For the grand experience, there’s the dome-topped Basilica of Saint Lawrence, and you can’t go through the city without a trip to the 19th-century Biltmore Estate, which displays artworks by such masters as Renoir. For an artsy afternoon, there are the 310 ART gallery, the Asheville Gallery of Art, the Folk Art Center and other galleries. Just outside of the downtown area is the River…

Museums & Galleries Bookstores & Cafes chicago exists at the crossroads of America—both geographically and culturally. With so many stories converging in one place, it’s not surprising that the Windy City is host to a multitude of well-established and flourishing art communities. In addition to mainstays like the Art Institute of Chicago (known for one of the greatest collections of Impressionist paintings outside of France) and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago is home to a plethora of other museums that represent the richness of the city’s population—such as the National Museum of Mexican Art and the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art. The nonprofit Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art (Intuit) is a pioneer in promoting outsider and self-taught artists. Gallery crawlers won’t want to miss the three-floor Mars Gallery…

Inspiring Environment visitors to Denver are never hard-pressed to find gasp-worthy vistas. Take in the vast blue skies of the High Plains to the east. Stop and stare as the sun gilds the Rocky Mountains to the west. As the capital of Colorado and also the highest city in the United States (at an altitude of exactly one mile above sea level), Denver is a place where Mother Nature puts on her best. The city delivers more than 4,000 acres of urban and traditional parkland and another 14,000 acres of skyline mountain parks. Day-trippers can explore hundreds of miles of forest—studded with lakes, waterfalls and wildlife—at Rocky Mountain National Park, or merge onto the Mount Evans Scenic Byway—the highest paved road in North America—which twists and turns as it rises…

ArtWorks—Cincinnati, Ohio ArtWorks, a nonprofit organization in Cincinnati, Ohio, invests in creativity. Founded in 1996, it employs and trains local artists to create art and impact the community through three programming areas: public art, art therapy and entrepreneurships. It contributes more than $800,000 in wages to youth and professional artists annually. “We accomplish this through murals, sculptural installations, vinyl applications, photography and film, light-based art, performative work, entrepreneurship, and superhero capes for children experiencing emotional and physical challenges,” says Cori Wolff, the director of programs at ArtWorks. The mural program, established in 2007, is arguably the activity for which the organization is best known. ArtWorks employs and trains 120 young artists (“apprentices”) between the ages of 14 and 21 each summer to work with professional artists in creating murals throughout…

Pantone’s 2018 Color of the Year, ultraviolet, is a vivid, deeply saturated purple. According to Pantone, “PANTONE 18-3838 Ultra Violet communicates originality, ingenuity and visionary thinking that points us toward the future.” But how can one go into the future without honoring the past? Seen below is Canigou in Snow by James Dickson Innes. In this snowy landscape, the artist incorporates various shades of purple, each breathing life and otherworldliness into a setting that could’ve otherwise been very bleak. Innes wasn’t alone in his use of violet. Artists such as Claude Monet, Georgia O’Keeffe and Andy Warhol all incorporated this purple hue into their work—showing us that it’s as versatile as the artists themselves. With the old comes the new, and ultraviolet—as well as purple’s many shades—will be inspiring us…

SIGHTS Your visit should start with a tour of Mission Santa Barbara, completed in 1820. From there, stroll toward the center of town, taking in the Fox Arlington Theater, the Santa Barbara County Courthouse, El Paseo and the Presidio, before continuing to the crescent-shaped beach and the harbor. Nearby Montecito is home to most of the large estates, and two of the best of them are open to the public. Casa del Herrero, completed in 1925, was designed by George Washington Smith. Lotusland, designed by Reginald Johnson, is known for its remarkable gardens created by Ganna Walska. EATS After retiring in Santa Barbara, the great chef and food writer Julia Child declared La Super Rica Taqueria the “best Mexican food in the Americas.” The relatively new Santa Barbara Public Market,…

Affordable Housing Museums & Galleries Inspiring Environment Artists’ Enclaves Bookstores & Cafes four hundred years of practice make perfect. In Santa Fe, art, history and culture harmonize in ways seldom experienced anywhere else. A longtime mecca for creatives and dreamers of all sorts, Santa Fe’s roots run deep. Indigenous peoples have lived there for thousands of years, and the Spanish arrived in 1610—that’s 10 years before the Mayflower set sail. The city’s mixture of Native, Spanish and Anglo cultures makes it a hotbed of cultural and artistic happenings, and its vibrant gallery scene and packed calendar of events mean nobody there need be at a loss for something to do. Pair that with Santa Fe’s jaw-dropping collection of museums (don’t miss the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum) in a relatively compact, walkable…

Affordable Housing Inspiring Environment Artists’ Enclaves Bookstores & Cafes where does one begin to take in the art scene in Portland? Without stepping inside a building, you can view at least 2,000 pieces of public art—largely thanks to Forest for the Trees, which commissions such works and holds a yearly festival. Galleries aren’t to be overlooked either. Three monthly art walks feature venues across the city or in specific art districts. Musicians, street performers, restaurants and food venders add to the vibe. Need studio/living space? Check out the Old Town District, with three buildings converted to lofts, some with storefront studios. Looking for art education? There’s Pacific Northwest College of Art, Ampersand Gallery & Fine Books and the Portland Art Museum—the oldest art museum on the West Coast. Need a…

Museums & Galleries Artists’ Enclaves it may be most closely associated with the entertainment industry, but Los Angeles, and the sprawling metropolitan area surrounding it, offer serious rewards for fine artists. It’s not the most picturesque destination in this list—as the filmmaker and historian Thom Andersen has observed, “Los Angeles may be the most photographed city in the world, but it’s one of the least photogenic”—but the surrounding landscape offers abundant natural beauty, from the coastal views of the Palos Verdes peninsula to the San Gabriel Mountains, which rise to the north of the city’s skyline. On the museum front, big names include the Getty and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Midsize institutions include the Norton Simon Museum, the Long Beach Museum of Art and the Japanese American…

Museums & Galleries philadelphia wears its art history on its sleeve; monuments dating from the nation’s founding coexist with more recent creative works. Independence National Historical Park, home of the Liberty Bell and the site of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, is just a short walk from downtown Philly. Complementing the 18th-century Georgian architecture and statuary are more than 2,000 murals, making the city a contender for the mural capital of the world. Philadelphia’s museums include the Barnes Foundation, the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Rodin Museum (the largest collection of Auguste Rodin’s work outside Paris). And don’t miss Philadelphia’s Magic Garden, where you can enjoy live music or just explore the outdoor labyrinth of…

Artist, curator and educator Peter Drake recently mounted a one-person exhibition titled “Re-picture” at Linda Warren Projects in Chicago. The show comprises Drake’s acrylic paintings on canvas, completed over the last five years, as well as more recent black-and-white works on canvas and paper. The work explores a narrative steeped in Americana with imagery stitched together from popular TV family sitcoms (Ozzie and Harriet, The Brady Bunch), vintage House Beautiful magazine ads and favorite childhood toys—all reassembled to relay a more realistic, nuanced and, at times, vaguely sinister everyman tale. “All of my work collages bits and pieces of cultural detritus into new narratives,” Drake says. “By cropping, omitting and adding to found imagery, I shed light on small, strange moments.” WAKING FROM THE SUBURBAN DREAM America’s suburbs—emblematic of the…

Xu Longsen: Spiritual Landscapes ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO • CHICAGO • ARTIC.EDU THROUGH JUNE 24 Xu Longsen has established an international reputation for his brush-and-ink landscapes that depict not only land and water forms but also the inner states evoked by inspiring natural vistas. This Chinese art form, which originated in the 10th century, is called shanshui. The term translates literally as “mountain (shan) water (shui).” Characteristically, the shanshui artist combines into one painting multiple views of the subject as seen from different vantage points. Longsen executes his work with traditional tools but often in monumental proportions, some works soaring in height to 30 feet. “Xu Longsen: Light of Heaven,” is the name of the exhibition that features the artist’s installation Light of Heaven, created specifically for the Art Institute…

from November through April, Miami is hopping—a tropical paradise replete with coral beaches, boutique hotels and de rigueur bars. But none of these attractions compares to the sizzle of Art Basel, Miami Beach—a best-in-class art fair that draws thousands of visitors from around the globe. The fair has grown exponentially since its 2002 launch, spawning a half dozen independent breakout fairs spilling into various Miami neighborhoods—most notably North Beach and Wynwood. The latter, reimagined from a gritty neighborhood to Miami’s Design District, has become synonymous with chic galleries, design studios and fashion boutiques. Near Wynwood lies Little River, an “in-between” neighborhood that attracts emerging artists looking for inexpensive and accessible workspaces while waiting to be discovered. Stuart Sheldon moved his studio to Little River two years ago—and christened it Fancy…

one might assume that today an urban-design firm would use exclusively digital processes for conceptual imagery and plans. That’s not the case at Urban Design Associates (UDA), a firm that still relies on the tradition of hand-drawn sketches and illustrations, as well as the most current digital tools, to bring their ideas to life. A recent interview with David Csont, a principal and the chief illustrator at UDA, revealed the major role fine art plays in the studio of these designers and architects. Csont became involved with UDA more than 20 years ago. One of the first documented urban-design companies in the country, UDA pioneered many of the techniques that are now standard in the urban design and planning industry. “We’re in the business of communicating ideas, and drawing has…

“They’ll sell you thousands of greens. Veronese green and emerald green and cadmium green and any sort of green you like; but that particular green, never.”—Pablo Picasso You can make a wide range of greens with just a few pigments. In fact, the fewer colors mixed, the better, since the more colors that are mixed together, the muddier the result. Here we’ll look at a few different color combinations that will get you that perfect green. YELLOW + BLUE Green, a secondary hue, is a mixture of yellow and blue. The choice of blue affects the resulting green hue. These charts show gradients of greens produced by mixing the same yellow with a small amount of different blues. 1. Cadmium yellow light and cobalt blue: The resulting green resembles permanent…

Museums & Galleries Inspiring Environment Artists’ Enclaves Bookstores & Cafes new York is expensive and crowded, yet artists flock to the metropolis, lured in part by a gallery system that fuels a robust art market and offers an array of employment opportunities. Frommer’s travel guide notes that Manhattan alone has more than 500 private art galleries. All those flocking artists offer an immediate consolation prize, should the one-person show be long in coming. Hanging out with artists is fun and inspiring. It can also incite competition—not a bad thing if you need incentive to keep working. There’s a lot of art to look at in NYC. Gallery viewing is free, and there are hundreds of cultural institutions. Manhattan’s “Museum Mile” boasts some of the world’s finest museums, including El Museo…

Affordable Housing Inspiring Environment Artists’ Enclaves to many, the capital city and cultural epicenter of the Lone Star State are the same—Austin. With the slogan “Keep Austin Weird,” the city takes pride in the offbeat and eye-catching. Art, no surprise, is a significant part of that mix. Both East and West Austin boast of yearly open studios put on by Big Medium, a nonprofit promoting contemporary art in Texas. Art Alliance Austin connects the city’s community with artists and makers through festivals, fairs and collaborations. Austin Art Garage is one of many galleries in the city putting hometown makers first, offering affordable artworks ranging in style from street to folk to Texas-inspired. In Austin, you’ll find a 60-ton Cathedral of Junk and a monumental building designed by Ellsworth Kelly at…

Affordable Housing Inspiring Environment if you’re bored in New Orleans, you’re not doing it right. There are plenty of museums to choose from—like the New Orleans Museum of Art and the Mardi Gras Museum of Costumes & Culture. There’s no shortage of good food or drink, either. The Carousel Bar & Lounge, located in the Hotel Monteleone, is a merry-go-round bar that’s been revolving since 1949. But what you’re really in the Big Easy for is, of course, the music. Whether you’re walking down Bourbon Street or popping into one of the many music clubs, like Preservation Hall, you simply can’t escape the magic that is New Orleans jazz. And did I mention Mardi Gras? Two weeks of parades and costumes, with the traditional colors of purple, green and gold—a…

The artist Donald Judd collected more than 13,000 books, many of which are now housed in a curated library in Marfa, Texas, the town Judd made his home from 1979 until his death in 1994. Curiously, Judd organized his books not alphabetically or by subject but in order of their authors’ birth. Like much of what Judd touched, this system seems idiosyncratic but reveals, on closer inspection, a certain logic. The same can be said of the town. In Marfa, things aren’t always the way you expect them to be, and that’s in large part what has made this place deep in the Chihuahuan high desert one of the most talked-about, if unlikely, art destinations in decades. Marfa’s reputation as an overnight sensation doesn’t give the town its full due;…

“The most distinctive, and perhaps the most impressive, characteristic of American scenery is its wildness,” wrote the painter Thomas Cole (1801–48) in an 1836 essay. “It is the most distinctive because in civilized Europe the primitive features of scenery have long since been destroyed or modified.” With his powerful understanding of the primeval nature of the land itself, Cole can rightly be called the founding father of American landscape painting, an artist whose work communicated the vast magnificence of the New World wilderness with a directness and vitality that set it apart from European painting. Yet, as his ambitions grew, Cole’s work formed a passionate critique of the new American values, with their embrace of raw commercialism, sprawling industrialization and the destruction of natural settings in pursuit of gain. More…

Travel Guide Planning a trip? Be sure to consult Street Art (Lonely Planet) to find the exact locations of the best urban art in 42 cities across the globe—plus a list of 15 awesome street-art festivals. Plentiful photos will keep even the armchair traveler happy. Mountain View Join watercolorist Stephen Quiller in the Colorado mountains—via streaming video. In Painting en Plein Air: Bird’s Eye View (Artists Network), Quiller shares tips and techniques while giving an on-site painting demonstration featuring a rocky, evergreen-spiked mountain scene overlooking an abandoned mine. MAP IT! How to Make Hand-Drawn Maps (Chronicle Books, 2018) by Helen Cann covers the expansive territory of illustrated maps with 30 projects for mapping everything from neighborhoods and cities to story plot lines to genealogies. Additional features include overviews of cartographic…