A moving exhibition on Black spirituality, the AOC effect on political design, symbols of Los Angeles. And should Blue Boy hit the road? Our arts newsletter
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[Click to view images]An enhanced image of Ruby Dee from âEcstatic Experience,â 2015, by JaâTovia Gary â from the group show âEnunciated Life,â at the California African American Museum. (JaâTovia Gary) In a selfless act of service journalism, L.A. Taco has published my dream list: a guide to [the best mango and sticky rice in the city]( which Iâm going to work on starting ... now. Iâm Carolina A. Miranda, arts and urban design columnist at the Los Angeles Times, here with the weekly Essential Arts newsletter, which bears all the culture news â and spangly Italian pantsuits. Dwelling in vulnerability It begins with a snap of the neck, after which the head slips back and the eyes roll with it, leaving a person gazing at the sky â a connection with the celestial, with realms beyond our reach and our mental grasp. That movement is known as âthe breakâ and it was a concept that curator Taylor Renee Aldridge was studying at a 2018 movement workshop in Trinidad and Tobago organized by the [New Waves! Institute](. It is a movement she describes in [an essay]( published in April in the Los Angeles Review Books, that is about âletting the spirit in, relinquishing control.â The idea of surrender â of opening mind and body to forces greater than ourselves â is at the heart of âEnunciated Life,â an exhibition that Aldridge has organized for the California African American Museum, where she was appointed visual arts curator last year. The show, which explores these vulnerable states within the context of Black spiritual practice, is both moving and enlightening. [An installation view of a gallery shows paper church fans displayed in Plexiglas stands]
A view of church fans created by Marianetta Porter in the group show âEnunciated Lifeâ at the California African American Museum. (Elon Schoenholz / CAAM) The show takes its core concept â and its name â from the writings of religious scholar Ashon T. Crawley, author of [âBlackpentecostal Breath: The Aesthetics of Possibility.â]( In that 2016 work, he describes the power of breathing as a way âto enunciate life, life that is exorbitant, capacious, and fundamentally social, though it is also life that is structured through and engulfed by brutal violence.â Itâs âthis irreducible openness in the body which allows you to think about your body being vulnerable and free,â Aldridge tells me. âIn a Black body in this country that can be detrimental, but it can also offer these ecstatic moments.â Those moments of ecstasy are embodied in roughly two dozen objects, videos and installations â including several original commissions â that explore ways in which Black spiritual practice offers the safe psychological and physical space for such release. An architectonic installation by Pittsburgh-based artist Shikeith takes some of the aesthetic and psychological similarities between Black churches and nightclubs and renders them as a single structure titled âSermon for a Longing in Blue.â The piece, one of the showâs original commissions, is crafted from dark mahogany and features interiors rendered in a plush, blue fabric. It conjures the spaces that can elicit a break, be it by offering religious sanctuary or the sanctuary of the dance floor. The intersection between religious life and night life is one that Aldridge also addresses in her essay, noting the shelter these spaces offer to Black and queer bodies. The ecstatic experience, she writes, âI found it in relation with other women, in nightclubs where house music is played, in all the places where those marginalized from their orthodox upbringings retreat to find peace, pleasure, people.â [Emerald blue light emanates from a geometric, architectonic structure in the middle of a museum gallery]
âSermon for a Longing in Blue,â 2020, by Shikeith, which was commissioned for the exhibition, unites aesthetic elements of Black churches and nightclubs. (Elon Schoenholz) Elsewhere, an installation by Marianetta Porter features a series of paper fans inspired by the ones employed in Black churches, while the large-scale paintings of Steffani Jemison â canvases of fabric and clear plastic film studded with symbols â spill onto the floor with visual elements inspired by unknown languages, such as glossolalia (the act of speaking in tongues). It is language, explains Aldridge, that exists outside of colonial frameworks. Particularly engrossing is an installation by Tiona Nekkia McClodden from 2020, titled âI, MELISMATA,â which features an audio compilation of melismatic singing, when multiple notes are sung to a single syllable. (Think of the undulating musical runs in gospel or R&B.) The artist isolates these moments, transforming them into a joyous meditation on the nature of breath. Across the gallery, a 2015 video piece by JaâTovia Gary features the late actor Ruby Dee narrating an oral history by Fannie Moore, a woman who was born into slavery. Moore recounts the story of her mother, who, one day, while in the fields, erupts into an enthusiastic whoop. Despite the threats of a foreman, she continues to shout joyously, telling him: âI ainât gonna grieve no more. No matter how you all done treat me and my children, the Lord has showed me the way. And some day, we ainât never gonna be slaves no more!â Gary has sketched on the film, surrounding Deeâs face with pulsing lines and cosmic halos, bathing swathes of the film in splashes of color. She has also spliced in footage from contemporary events. It is absolutely hypnotic. (A version of it can be seen [on CAAMâs website]( but it is infinitely more powerful to see it projected at a larger-than-life scale at the museum.) Itâs a piece, says Aldridge, that âjust brings in so many aspects of spiritual incarnation that we donât normally think about as an act of resistance, an act of rage, an act of protest.â âEnunciated Lifeâ required some surrender by its artists and curators as well. The show was supposed to open in 2020, but it was repeatedly delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The showâs theme, says Aldridge, is about submitting âto spirit or circumstance; being forced to do that in the planning of this was something. âSo I just surrendered,â she adds, âand when I surrendered, we got a date.â âEnunciated Lifeâ is on view a the California African American Museum through Aug. 15; [caamuseum.org](. ADVERTISEMENT BY Grand Central Publishing
[Grand Central Publishing]( Aloysius Archer, the straight-talking World War II veteran fresh out of prison, returns in A Gambling Man, the new thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci. In A Gambling Man, Archerâs looking for a fresh start as a private eye in California. But will he find the promised land out West, or is he on the road to perdition? Find out why People magazine calls David Baldacci âA master storyteller.â A Gambling Man is on sale now wherever books are sold. [Click for more](. End of advertisement Symbols of L.A. My colleague Matt Pearce is known for spending July 4 tweeting photos of flaming palm trees with phrases like âDEATH TO PALM TREES. GOD BLESS AMERICA.â But in a new essay, he argues that perhaps [itâs time to retire the palm tree as a symbol]( of Los Angeles. âPalm trees,â he writes, âwhen they are not being symbols, are kind of a problem to live with.â Besides functioning as July 4 kindling, the trees provide zero shade, fronds can strike passersby when they tumble, and worst yet, kill tree trimmers in some truly heinous work accidents. I tackle another important L.A. symbol: [the cityâs new tourism logo](. Designed by Shepard Faireyâs Studio Number One, in collaboration with House Industries, a design shop led by Andy Cruz, the logo is evocative of those Ocean Pacific tees from the â80s, and features the words âLos Angelesâ in an ebullient, gradient script that is capped by a setting sun. Itâs a beachy view of L.A., one that âis nostalgic for VW buses and surfer magazines.â Did I buy [this OP T-shirt]( featuring a throwback, geometric pattern that evokes a setting sun while reporting this story? Yes. Yes, I did. [A logo that reads "Los Angeles" in turquoise, pink and orange also features a setting sun.]
The Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board unveiled a new logo for Los Angeles late last month. (Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board) All the â80s design talk got people talking on Twitter about the very PoMo Solo cup with the âJazzâ brush pattern in blue and purple. Which makes it a good time to resuscitate [this great 2018 story]( by Thomas Gounley in Missouriâs Springfield News-Leader, about Gina Ekiss, the woman that designed it. The pattern has such a cult following that the Springfield Cardinals [put it on their jerseys]( three years ago. Design time Contributor Alexandra Lange looks at the ways in which U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez [ties together fashion, graphic design and social media]( to craft a new brand of political messaging. Her campaign posters have done away with the typical palette of red, white and blue. The art for the Green New Deal is inspired by [national parks posters created]( by the WPA-era Federal Art Project. And, in the past, she has even revealed what shade of lipstick she wears. âThe old way of image-making is to dismiss lipstick questions as irrelevant,â writes Lange, âto present all messaging from behind a podium and to rely on other peopleâs cameras to capture the politician in casual moments.â Enjoying this newsletter? Consider subscribing to the Los Angeles Times Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. [Become a subscriber.]( Architect Robert Rock, principal of Living Habitats, has [designed a bridge]( to allow wildlife to cross over the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills. Environmental activists are now working to raise the remaining $27 million needed to bring the project to fruition. âMountain lions are prone to wander,â Rock told my colleague Louis Sahagún. âA wildlife crossing here is our best hope for keeping them from wandering into extinction.â [A rendering shows a bridge covered in wilderness landscape over the 101 Freeway]
A rendering of a proposed mountain lion bridge spanning the 101 Freeway â which, if built, would be the largest of its kind in the world. (National Wildlife Federation / Living Habitats) Since weâre on the subject of design, if you are receiving this newsletter in your inbox, you may have noticed that Essential Arts has a hot new lewk. For that, we can thank illustrator Alfredo Ponce. You can see his portfolio [here]( or, better yet, follow him on [Instagram](. If you are not currently receiving this newsletter in your inbox, well, you should be. Sign up [here](. Itâs free! ADVERTISEMENT
Art report Thomas Gainsboroughâs 18th century canvas âThe Blue Boy,â which has not left the Huntington Library since 1922, is [now set to travel]( to London for an exhibition at Britainâs National Gallery. But, as The Timesâ Christopher Knight reports, that journey was opposed by a panel of nine art conservators that the Huntington convened in 2018 to determine the paintingâs condition. âSending the picture abroad was unanimously opposed by the expert team, who believed travel puts the prized work at grave risk,â he writes. âThey warned of potential structural damage to the 250-year-old canvas from the arduous trip. Museum administration overruled their advice.â [A paintings conservator looks up Gainsborough's "Blue Boy" while holding an X-ray of the artwork]
Paintings conservator Christina OâConnell, holding an x-ray of Thomas Gainsboroughâs âBlue Boy,â stands before the painting at the Huntington Library in 2018. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) Visits to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which opens in late September, will not come cheap. Deborah Vankin reports that [adult admission has been set at $25](. This puts it $5 above its neighbor, LACMA, and $9 above the Petersen Automotive Museum across the street. What Iâm reading I was riveted by [this gripping and horrifying account]( about the crackdowns against Uyghurs and Kazakhs in Xinjiang, China, reported by Raffi Khatchadourian in the New Yorker. In addition to arbitrary roundups and imprisonment, he describes a form of iconoclasm known as âminiaturization,â in which Uyghur mosques are razed and then rebuilt at a fraction of their former size. I [have been meditating]( on filmmaker Rodrigo Garciaâs soon-to-be released memoir, âA Farewell to Gabo and Mercedes: A Sonâs Memoir of Gabriel GarcÃa Márquez and Mercedes Barcha.â In this slender, poignant volume, he chronicles the deaths of his father, the globally famous Colombian Nobel laureate, and his mother, the astute partner who ran his fatherâs affairs. As his father lay dying, Garcia says he found himself taking notes. âThere is a compelling irresistible force,â he tells me, âto put it down on paper.â [Rodrigo Garcia stands in an archway under a staircase at his home in Santa Monica]
Los Angeles-based filmmaker Rodrigo Garcia has directed films such as âNine Livesâ and âLast Days in the Desert.â His latest project, however, is a memoir. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) Times editor Steve Padilla will host a conversation with Garcia as part of The Timesâ Book Club at the end of the month. Get all the deets [here](. Essential happenings Matt Cooper has got [the 10 coolest events]( for the hot weekend ahead, including a work of dance theater inspired by âHansel and Gretelâ at REDCAT and a presentation of abridged versions of âJulius Caesarâ and âA Midsummer Nightâs Dreamâ at Will Geerâs Theatricum Botanicum. [Three dancers in dark clothing embrace in a huddle in a scene from "Sugar Houses"]
âSugar Houses,â staged by the L.A.-based company Rosanna Gamson/World Wide, reimagines âHansel and Gretelâ in dance. (Rosanna Gamson)
Passages Mickey Muennig, a pioneer of Californiaâs organic architecture movement, who designed countless buildings around Big Sur, has [died at 86](. William Fagaly, a curator who helped build an important collection of African art at the New Orleans Museum of Art over five decades, is [dead at 83](. As part of their âOverlooked No Moreâ series of obituaries, the New York Times devotes a belated obit to Si-lan Chen, a mixed-race dancer of Chinese and Afro-Creole origin, who, over the course of her life, dined with Chiang Kai-shek, worked for Hollywood producer Joseph Mankiewicz, and danced on stages around the world. She [died in 1996](. In other news â [A map]( of L.A.'s Indigenous languages.
â Art writer Jessica Lynne has [an interesting piece]( on the role of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in U.S. visual culture. âThese colleges and universities,â she writes, âwhich have served as a critical nexus for Black cultural production for more than 150 years, should be seen as integral to any assessment of contemporary visual art tout court.â
â More than 140 Cuban cultural figures have signed a letter [demanding the release]( of artist Hamlet Lavastida after he was detained in Havana following a residency in Berlin.
â Land artist Nancy Holtâs [archives]( are headed to the Smithsonian, including documentation for two projects the artistâs foundation still hopes to complete.
â Mount Rushmore is a prominent U.S. monument. Indigenous activists want to [change its meaning](.
â The Tree Equity Score map [records the presence of shade trees in U.S. cities](. Big takeaway: The poorest neighborhoods have 41% less coverage than the wealthiest ones, reports Linda Poon at CityLab. Plus, among major cities, L.A., San Diego and Houston have the highest need for trees.
â As master planning proceeds on the L.A. River, reporter Miles Griffis, of High Country News, looks at how the river has [long served as a source of food]( to the cityâs poor and unhoused.
â The American Institute of Architects Los Angeles has [announced its 15 Presidential Honorees]( for 2021. Lorcan OâHerlihy, whom I have [profiled in the past]( took the Gold Medal.
â [There will be a ceremonial groundbreaking]( on Sunday for a long in-the-works Armenian American Museum in downtown Glendale, designed by Alajajian Marcoosi Architects. The museum will be part of the cityâs [revamped Central Park]( (a design studded with palm trees â sigh). And last but not least ... This weekend, Iâll be pouring one out for Italian chanteuse and icon Raffaella Carrà , [who died Monday](. Pay your respects with some repeat viewings of the video for her sexual liberation anthem [âA far lâamore comincia tuâ]( (âDo It, Do It Againâ). RIP to a performer who knew how to rock a spangled pantsuit. P.S. Iâm takinâ off for a coupla weeks to find myself, along with some dastardly things to eat. My multitalented colleague Charles McNulty will be picking up the reins next week. See you on the other side! ADVERTISEMENT
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