I arrived in the East Village at the very beginning of the 90's when the epic days of art and experimentation were just winding down. Nonetheless, I could tell that there had been a substantial shift in the art world there and that NYC would never be the same. Club 57, a no-budget venue for music and film, was located in the basement of a Polish Church at 57 Saint Marks Place. It was the epicenter of a counterculture fueled by low rent, the Reagan presidency, and a hankering for experimentation. Today the world of Club 57 continues to thrive in the consciousness of those who lived it or wished they did. Club 57: Film, Performance, and Art in the East Village is new exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art, the first of its kind to pay examine the impact of this alternative space. Now through April 1, 2018 at MoMA.
What I am Reading... Everything I Want to Eat
Must See... Beach Rats
My husband, Paul Mezey is a New York based independent film producer who has made a career out of telling stories that dissect and celebrate out humanity. His newest film Beach Rats, directed by Eliza Hittman, was awarded Best Director honors at Sundance last January. It opened last weekend in New York and Los angeles to rave reviews, with wide release across the country in the coming weeks. Harrison Dickinson is brilliant. He is already the name on everyones lips. (photo credit: Tayarisha Poe)
What I am reading... Jackson Pollock
Finally this compelling Abrams classic is back in print celebrating the genius of Pollock in the continuum of his times. This seminal work recreates the social and cultural milieu on New York City in the 40s and 50s. With extensive knowledge of Pollock's habits, the books he loved, and the art exhibitions he frequented, the author creates a luminous and compelling portrait of the man.
Frank Lloyd Wright at MoMA
Marking the 150th anniversary of the American architect’s birth on June 8, 1867, MoMA presents Frank Lloyd Wright at 150: Unpacking the Archive, is a major exhibition that critically engages Frank LLoyd Wrights's multifaceted practice. The exhibition comprises approximately 450 works made from the 1890s through the 1950s, including architectural drawings, models, building fragments, films, television broadcasts, print media, furniture, tableware, textiles, paintings, photographs, and scrapbooks, along with a number of works that have rarely or never been publicly exhibited. Structured as an anthology rather than a comprehensive, monographic presentation of Wright’s work, the exhibition is divided into 12 sections, each of which investigates a key object or cluster of objects from the Frank Lloyd Wright Archive, interpreting and contextualizing it, and juxtaposing it with other works from the Archive, from MoMA, or from outside collections. The exhibition seeks to open up Wright’s work to critical inquiry and debate, and to introduce experts and general audiences alike to new angles and interpretations of this extraordinary architect. Through October 1.
Sculpture at MoMA
Ah, spring in New York.... the perfect time to visit MoMAs sculpture garden where you can spend a quite afternoon outdoors amid the stars of their collection. The current installation brings together a selection of sculptures from the Museum’s collection made in the 1960s. Included are David Smith’s Cubi X (1963), an abstract construction of stainless steel geometric forms that evokes the human figure, and Alexander Calder’s Sandy’s Butterfly (1964), a 13-foot-tall colorful steel sculpture with a mobile top that the artist gave to MoMA in 1966. These works join longtime Sculpture Garden inhabitants, such as Barnett Newman’s Broken Obelisk (1967). Favorites like Pablo Picasso’s She Goat (1950) and Aristide Maillol’s The River (1943) will remain on view alongside these works from the 1960s.