Written on: Friday, August 28th, 2009 | Filed under:
Blog, Art
| Art Chat
[DJ Hall addresses the audience]
Renowned artist reflects on painting and more at West Hollywood event
On Wednesday, August 19th, Beverly Boulevard’s LA Art House gallery welcomed artist DJ Hall for a lively talk and Q & A. Renowned for her hyper-realistic depictions of people (often in sunny settings) in candid and intimate moments, Hall opened up to gallery visitors about her personal artistic process.
[Performance of “Welcome to Nowhere,” directed by American Kenneth Collins, as part of this year’s Young Director’s Project]
Dries Verhoeven’s “YOU ARE HERE” takes home honors at the Salzburg Festival
Out of the field of four participating productions at this year’s Young Directors Project Powered by Montblanc at the Salzburg Music Festival, Dries Verhoeven’s and his innovative “YOU ARE HERE” stood out from the rest, winning the competition, its €10,000 prize money, and a Montblanc “Hommage à Max Reinhardt” Salzburg Special Edition fountain pen.
Participation in the Young Directors Project offers young directors from all over the world the unique opportunity to present themselves for the first time to the international press in the German-speaking area of Salzburg. Some past participants have since started outstanding careers.
[Torben Giehler, “Mont Blanc,” 2002. Acrylic on canvas. Collection of the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation]
Exhibition showcases selections from the collection of Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation
A short drive up Pacific Coast Highway from Los Angeles is the Frederick R. Weisman Museum, part of Pepperdine University’s Center for the Arts. Removed from the hustle and bustle of the city, the museum stages a number of provocative exhibitions staged in an tranquil and intimate setting just a stone’s throw from the Pacific Ocean.
Just this last weekend, the Museum opened up its latest show, Elements of Nature: Selections from the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation. According to the museum, the exhibition gathers together works of art that reflect on how the four elements of nature have meaning in our lives.
[Actress Eva Green and Montblanc International CEO LutzBethge reveal the Montblanc Meisterstück ‘Signature for Good’ Special Edition]
World-renowned writing instrument manufacturer and UNICEF team up
In an effort to help UNICEF’s worldwide education and literacy programs, Montblanc recently unveiled the Montblanc Meisterstück “Signature for Good” Special Edition, a new version of the classic Montblanc Meisterstück, the renowned penmaker’s 85-year-old flagship line of pens.
According to Montblanc, the new pen reinforces a commitment to UNICEF, a partner it has been working closely with since 2004. The special edition Meisterstück is part of a larger ‘Signature for Good’ collection of writing instruments, jewelry and accessories specially created to help raise funds to support UNICEF in its work addressing inadequate schooling and illiteracy. This first launch of the ‘Signature for Good’ collection is part of a one-year charity initiative to benefit UNICEF’s education and literacy programs. Montblanc will be donating 10% of the retail price from each Meisterstück ‘Signature for Good’ Special Edition with the overall aim of raising at least US$ 1.5 million in the next 12 months through various global fundraising initiatives.
Written on: Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 | Filed under:
Blog, Design
| Art Chat
[Art complements the decor in an Orange County, California residence. Photo by Steven Barston]
SoCal designer pushes the boundaries of art in interior design
“Every room is important to me,” says Trip Haenisch, ASID. Indeed, this prudent designer hates to see any room go to waste. For Haenisch, each room should have a purpose; each room should be put to use and, most importantly, each room should be beautiful.
Trip Haenisch has been working as a designer since the mid-80s, first with Waldo Fernandez and later with business partner Martyn Lawrence-Bullard. Today, he heads his own six-person firm in West Hollywood, working on thirty high-end projects for a clientele that includes celebrities, socialites and media moguls. He has been honored by HG magazine as a “New Tastemaker” and his work has been featured in over seventy publications, including the cover of Architectural Digest. Each Trip Haenisch project is as unique as the client who commissioned it. “I don’t like to repeat myself, ‘ he says modestly.
[Artists exhibited at Step Up on Second’s Art Heals event with their work]
Santa Monica foundation looks to art as a way to help individuals with mental illness
Step Up on Second in Santa Monica is a rare institution, working with people in the community who suffer from a variety of mental illnesses. Step Up’s uniqueness lies in its magnanimous approach, providing counseling, support, friendship, homes, and especially involvement in the arts.
President and CEO Tod Lipka has launched two new housing projects, scheduled to open in 2009 that will, as he explains, “provide 54 units of permanent supportive housing for individuals struggling with mental illness.”
[Alyce Morris and others at the ribbon cutting of the Jeffrey Foundation’s Special Child and Family Resource Center. Image courtesy of the Jeffrey Foundation]
Alyce’s Morris’s project of devotion provides aid to children in need
Alyce Morris turned a profound personal problem—a need for day care for her son—into the Jeffrey Foundation, one of few centers nationwide serving special needs children exclusively.
When Morris and her son Jeffrey (who was afflicted with muscular dystrophy and later died in 1980) moved to California, she found no childcare for disabled children. In 1972, Morris opened the Jeffrey Foundation in Los Angeles to care for her son, while helping other families in similar circumstances.
[Bernard and Shirley Kinsey. Courtesy of the Bernard and Shirley Kinsey Foundation for the Arts and Education]
Southern California-based foundation provides support for education and African American history and culture
Bernard and Shirley Kinsey’s lives embrace art, philanthropy, African American history and artifacts, community outreach, education, and nearly every person and group they meet.
The Kinseys work, play and often fundraise from their ocean-viewing Pacific Palisades home, filled with one of the largest private collections of African-American art and artifacts. Key selections, including sculptures, paintings and documents, have shown at the California African American Museum and at museums in Florida and Cincinnati, among others.
World-renowned philanthropist opens up about giving and her own artistic inclinations
If philanthropist Glorya Kaufman had been born in the animal kingdom, she might have flourished as a bird, soaring and swooping through the air, given her delicate physique, her bright eyes and her penchant for movement. As a child, she grew up in Detroit, Michigan in a loving family where dance at family gatherings was considered a joyous slice of life. As a teenager, it wasn’t unusual for her to win a bottle of wine in a dance contest in the clubs that she and her friends frequented. Also, recreationals, held at the homes of friends, were opportunities to dance and socialize with neighborhood boys.
Written on: Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 | Filed under:
Blog, Cuisine
| Art Chat
[Nobu Matsuhisa. Photo by Steven Freeman]
In Los Angeles and around the world, Nobu Matsuhisa continues to blaze new culinary trails
At Nobu LA, it’s clear that no expense has been spared. Chic and modern décor, dark hues with well-placed flares of color and light, and an almost club-like atmosphere give way to a dining room filled with some of the most fortunate individuals on La Cienega Boulevard—that is, fortunate enough to experience the masterful creations of Chef Nobu Matsuhisa.
Written on: Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 | Filed under:
Blog, Cuisine
| Art Chat
[Image courtesy of Frank Family Vineyards]
Former studio exec Rich Frank made the jump from Hollywood to Napa with astounding success
With a warm and inviting tone (similar to the reputation of his family’s winery and tasting room), Rich Frank of Frank Family Vineyards in the Napa Valley couldn’t be a better proponent for what a wine experience should be.
A former Hollywood executive with Disney, Paramount, and the USA Network, Rich is by nature a creative soul. While the early years of his career were spent aiding in the design of movie posters or ad campaigns, now the majority of his time involves working on things like developing one of the first see-through labels on a Napa Valley wine bottle or deciding what shape the bottles should be for his various varietals. Rich prides himself on being involved at every level. His passion for wine, his creativity, and his warm, convivial personality convey a sense of familiarity and comfort.
[Arizona State University Walter Cronkite School of Journalism exterior. Image courtesy of the architect]
Arizona State University’s recently opened building shows off Southern California-based firm’s flair
Steven Ehrlich’s new Walter Cronkite School of Journalism in downtown Phoenix seems to send architecture over the airwaves: Vertical stripes painted on the building’s metal façade symbolize the bandwidths of the U.S. radio frequency. “The activity and energy inside the building is broadcast to the community and beyond,” says Ehrlich, who served as design architect in collaboration with AE Architects of Phoenix.
[Rendering of 714 Westbourne. Image courtesy of the architect]
Developer Monte Stettin and Bruno Bondanelli’s 714 Westbourne combines spaciousness, simplicity and sustainable design
Not all duplexes in West Hollywood attract spillover crowds at their open houses. The exceptions are the units on Westbourne Avenue developed by Monte Stettin and designed by Bruno Bondanelli, which to tend draw people from all over the city. Their second and most recent effort at 714 Westbourne is a case study in the way to insert green housing in the tightly packed neighborhoods of this dense little city, where housing is sought-after and land for development is almost non-existent. Nearing completion, 714 is also an essay in the elegance that the builder can achieve when the commitment to sustainability is married to a love of materials.
[Table and bar stools provide the setting for art at the Ritz Carlton, South Beach’s Bistro One LR. Image courtesy of the Ritz Carlton, South Beach]
Miami hotel amps up the artistic hotel movement
Since its founder, Cesar Ritz, was crowned the “king of hoteliers and hotelier to kings” at the end of the 19th century, the Ritz-Carlton has grown up into a group of 72 hotels all over the world. The chain embodies a legend of luxury and passion—especially a passion for the arts.
Opened in Miami in 2003, the Ritz-Carlton South Beach is not only known for its quality service, Carita Spa, and cuisine crafted artfully by chef Thomas Connell, but also for its fantastic, multimillion dollar art collection, on permanent loan from Diana Lowenstein Fine Arts.
SoCal hotel melds historical tradition with modern design excellence
Located in Del Mar, California, the Del Mar Race Track-adjacent L’Auberge Del Mar has been a hot spot for Hollywood celebrities throughout its long history. It was fitting, then, that designer Barclay Butera—who is known for a highly regarded classical design aesthetic with a contemporary twist—was chosen as creative director for the recent renovation of the historic hotel. An expert in residential interiors and an admirer of the early Hollywood era, Butera has owned several significant homes, including those of Frank Sinatra, Bette Davis and Desi Arnaz, Jr. Of these properties, Butera is certain of one thing: “I felt like I was respecting their era through their homes,” he reveals.
[Rendering of Loftique hotel. Courtesy of Addis English and Associates]
Worldwide hotel brand melds two hot trends–loft living and boutique hotel vacationing–into one
Natalie Addis, successful co-founder of Addis English and Associates and winner of both Hospitality Design magazine’s “Wave of the Future 2007” and Boutique Design magazine’s “Boutique Design 18 2008,” is turning heads around the world with her cutting-edge work. Her latest project, Loftique hotels, encompassing 200 hotels in Europe, and Asia, is meant to be “the hotel of tomorrow” for business travelers, employing experimental design and the latest technology.
Written on: Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 | Filed under:
Blog, Art
| Art Chat
[Emma Ferreira, “Lady Luck.” Image courtesy of the artist]
Exposure highlights new photography by Los Angeles-based artist
Opening September 13th at Bergamot Station’s Frank Pictures Gallery in Santa Monica, California is a collection of new work by painter and photographer Emma Ferreira. It’s definitely “exposure” in a couple senses of the word — this show is composed of photographic male and female nudes from her series Bare/Fever in addition to never-before-seen new works.
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