Sunday, January 30, 2011

Patron Agnes Gund, Lorna Simpson Show + Wings for Super Bowl

ART PEOPLE: 
Agnes Gund
Agnes Gund has received the President's National Medal of Arts, a Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy, NYC's Doris C. Freeman Award, the NY Governor's Award, the Montblanc de la Culture Award, the ArtTable Award, Service to Visual Arts Award, four honorary doctorates and the Garden Lobby of MoMA is named for her. 

Agnes Gund is one of the great art collectors of the world. The second of six children born to George Gund II, President / CEO of Cleveland Trust Company. He made his fortune with Sanka decaffeinated coffee. Agnes hated being forced to go to art exhibits with her family as a child, but then she fell in love with art. In the early 1980s, Gund earned a master's in art history from Harvard. She was on MoMA's Board of Trustees for years and served as president emerita for more than a decade. As an advocate for arts education she founded the "Studio in a School" program which places artists as teachers in public schools.


Her personal collection is quite large and includes: de Kooning, Lichtenstein, Pollack, Rothko, Stella, Louise Bourgeois, Cai Guo-Qiang, Chuck Close and Jasper Johns' iconic work, "MAP". She has already gifted 150 works to MoMA.
(Ms Gund is the panelist in the red suit in this video discussing art education.)


When recently asked what direction she is pursuing with her collecting, she answered: "Now, a lot of my attention is going to buying drawings or smaller works of art by artists like... Lorna Simpson... somewhat newer on the block, but you can still get good pieces....

"I just bought six gouaches of women's heads by Lorna that are just beautiful. In this series, she's looking at how women's hair fits around their faces. Her handling of it is really minimal, but she makes a gorgeous statement about not only the silhouette of women, but the content embodied in a hairdo.
"When I was a little girl, it was popular for families to get these paper silhouette cutouts of their children, similar to those (black on white) Civil War-era silhouettes. My family would go down to Stewart's department store every year to get our silhouettes made. So with Lorna's heads, I see that store in my mind, even though I know she is telling a different story."





(Head drawings, © Copyright Lorna Simpson from her 2008 series, "Ink" at Salon 94 Gallery.)






Gund's limited edition book
Published by the Cleveland Museum of Art:
Drawing Modern: 
Works from the Agnes Gund Collection, 
Illustrated. $179. by Carter E FosterJeffrey D Grove, and Patrick Shaw Cable 
ISBN13:9780940717749  
ISBN: 0940717743 
Trade Paperback  152 pages
Cleveland Museum of Art , 2004
------------------------------------------------

NOW SHOWING: 
Lorna Simpson's
"Gathered" at
Brooklyn Art
Museum


Simpson has collected large numbers of historical images of unidentified African Americans posing for photo-booth portraits and integrated them into a series of multipart pieces. For this unique installation, Simpson recombines three of these works into one large arrangement.

The photo booth debuted in New York City in 1925, quickly becoming a popular form of entertainment while also serving as a practical and inexpensive way for people to make images of themselves. Coinciding with the mass availability of this new technology was the “Great Migration” of an estimated two million African Americans from the southern states to the industrialized North, an exodus driven by a search for employment opportunities and escape from the overt racism of the South. In this context, private photo-booth portraits take on greater cultural significance, as many were carefully crafted messages sent back home to loved ones. While the portraits are captivating, the lack of information and personal detail about the sitters add to the enigma. This sense of a missing history is reinforced by the shadow images interspersed among the photographs. Simpson has compared these to the paper residue found in old photo albums where images have been torn out. This show will be up until August 2011.
Lorna Simpson: Gathered at the Brooklyn Art Museum, in the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, 4th Floor. (Source press release, Brooklyn Art Museum)


FOOD: Wings

for the Super Bowl!

It is only a week until the Super Bowl and many people are planning Buffalo-style Chicken Wings for their game day buffet. The original Buffalo chicken wings were invented at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, NY and are deep-fried, but wings baked in a hot oven also work.  
For NYC, chicken wings take out or delivery, here are three recommended choices: 1. Bonnie's, 2. Wogies, 3. The Wing Bar. 





Contact Info:, 1) Bonnie's Grill, Take Out only, 278 5th Avenue, Brooklyn NY 10001; 212-369-9527; bonniesgrill.com , 2) Wogie's Bar and Grill, Delivery and Take Out, 39 Greenwich Avenue, New York NY 10014; 212-229-2171; wogies.com3) The Wing Bar, Delivery and Take Out, 275 Smith Street, Brooklyn NY 11231; 212-237-2728. Check online for other options near you. 
What is the cost to Cook vs Delivery? Fresh, raw, chicken wings cost roughly $2 per pound at the grocery store (36 wings for $10) + hot sauce $2 + celery $1 + dressing $4 + misc. $.50. $18.50 total. Delivery of chicken wings can cost from $.65 to $1 each + Tip or $18 to $25 for 20 wings. (Tax applies to both). It comes down to: Do you want to cook and clean-up VS the convenience of just watching the game and tossing the mess out?


Home Cooked Buffalo Chicken Wings
Makes 36 Wings
Prep and Cook Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:
  • 36 chicken wing pieces (one wing makes 2 pieces - the "flat" and the "drum")
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons Louisiana hot sauce (Frank's is the brand used in Buffalo)
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine
  • celery sticks
  • blue cheese or ranch dressing
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  1. If needed, cut wings into flats and drums. In a bowl toss the wings with the oil, and salt. Place into a large bag, add the flour, shake to coat evenly. Remove wings from bag, shaking off excess flour, and spread out evenly on oiled, foil-lined baking pan(s). Do not crowd. Bake for about 20 minutes, turn the wings over, and cook another 20 minutes, or until the wings are cooked through and browned. 
  2. While the wings are baking, mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a pan, and over low heat bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and then turn off. 
  3. After the wings are cooked, transfer wings to a large mixing bowl. Pour the sauce over the hot wings and toss with a spoon or tongs to completely coat.
Serve with celery sticks and blue cheese or ranch dressing on the side.

Early wing eater comments: spuddy98
“Back in the early 80's I often visited a bar 90 miles south of Buffalo for chicken wings. The proprietor was a good friend of mine and I'd spend a great deal of time in the tiny kitchen while he prepared hundreds of chicken wings. He told me that he had visited the anchor bar (probably in the late 70's) and had seen how they prepared their famous wings. This is how he then did it, as I witnessed it: Fry the wing pieces in Fish Fry oil until they float. He said the oil was very important to the flavor. You can go a bit longer to make them crispier. Next, after draining them for a short time he transferred them to a skillet on the stove. He would do one order of 12 or 24 at a time. Throw the wings in and shake the pan around over medium heat, then add a squeeze of Parkay Margarine over the wings, just so the pan appeared wet. This was his plain wings. Next he'd add salt and pepper. These he called mild wings. Finally he'd dose the wings with hot sauce. I don't recall if it was Frank's or Tabasco, but either works fine. Shake around until they are all covered but not too long as to evaporate all the vinegar in the sauce. These were medium. Now this gentleman took it as a personal challenge when someone ordered HOT wings. He'd make sure his wife Peggy (the waitress) would warn the customer about the hotness. It was simple by today standards. He'd simply continue on with the recipe and add cayenne pepper to the mixture, after adding the hot sauce. This mixture would spend just a bit more time in the pan. The intention was to be sure the wings were coated, but quickly enough so they didn't become soggy. These were his hot/suicidal wings. I only tried these one time. I said ""Bob, I'm ready for your hot wings!"" It took three Miller Lites to get them down. He watched me and laughed. His recipe for the dipping sauce was not plain bleu cheese dressing. Instead he'd use a creamy french onion dip,  mix crumbled bleu cheese in and made it the correct consistency by adding a little red wine. Bleu cheese dressing is okay, but his sauce was premium.”

-----------------------------------
The following segment was inspired by a NY Times Center Conference titled 99%. 
Getting Our Creative Work Done.
In January we psych-up and set our goals, in February the "Work" really starts! Creativity moves civilization forward and the old adage about creativity: it is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration is true. After we have a specific problem defined in our head, and after conscious reflection, most good ideas (inspirations) come to us in "the bed", in "the bath" and on "the bus" when we are not focused on the problem. But all ideas are worthless without action. If an idea actually works or not can only be judged after we put in the time and effort to work on it, make it a reality and see if the idea produces the result we suspected. 
-----------------------------------
Gorilla takes a risk, 
tries a new approach - 
colleagues shocked!


Real World 2001
"Dawn of a New Day"



WORK ON IMPORTANT TASKS FIRST:
In this digital era, most of us start our work day with a media check. e-mails, voice mail, Facebook, etc., then we look up and its noon. We must make this electornic check to know what others have sent us or asked of us. The problem is: mornings are prime-time in a normal productivity cycle. Many times, our most important work doesn't get attended to until late afternoon, our least productive time of the day.
MIT - Do The Most Important Tasks First.
1) Spend no more than 30 minutes on your electronic / social media check.
2) Then close all e-mail windows and remove all distractions. Focus for 3 hours on your Most Important Tasks
3) Take your Lunch away from your work space, to recharge.
4) Devote post-lunch time to time consuming, reactionary work.
Make it work for you. Some people's engines do not warm-up until mid-morning, they should skip lunch and do MIT for their 3 hours of peak performace time. They should work on the mind-numbing tasks and at putting out fires on either side of prime time.


Frans JohanssonFor Success with new ventures, we must test the idea and be able to make adjustments to arrive at a workable product. 

Until later, 
Jack

© ARTS&FOOD,(ARTSnFOOD.blogspot.com) All rights reserved, © Copyright Jack A. Atkinson 2011 Under All International, Digital, Intellectual Property and Copyright Laws. Images © Copyright individual Creators, Lenders or Fabricators.



Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Wang Qingsong, Model Sailing Ships + Lobster Rolls

ART: Worlds Collide!
International Center of Photography
1133 Avenue of the Americas at 43rd, NY, NY 10036
January 21, 2011 - May 8, 2011
Buddha, played by artist Wang Qingsong,
holds up Western "material wealth" icons which now have become
integrated into contemporary Chinese life. 
Title: Requesting Buddha No. 1, 1999 
© Wang Qingsong. Courtesy the artist and ICP
This exhibition "When Worlds Collide" marks the first U.S. solo show of Beijing artist Wang Qingsong (wong ching-song). He is considered one of China's most highly regarded contemporary artists. Wang's photos are commentaries about Chinese culture, both past and present. He says, "When two worlds collide, neither survives intact. Out of the fragments, a new world emerges." As our two countries become inter-dependent, how much like the US will China become? How much like China will the US become?
Competition, 2004. © Wang Qingsong. Courtesy the artist and ICP.
ART / FOOD:
Grand Hotel Pub
Has an Exhibit of
Antique Model Ships
For more than a century, the Ship Tavern at the Brown Palace Hotel (c.1892), in downtown Denver, has exhibited a group of model sailing ships collected by the original owner, Henry C. Brown. These antique, hand-made ships create a comfortable, sophisticated and nostalgic tone for the dine-in Pub. The ships and the updated (early 20th century) nautical-themed interior, make a bowl of New England clam chowder and a cup of their fabulous dark house blend coffee (brewed using water from their private artesian well) a unique experience for land-locked Colorado. The room has the ambience of a 19th century men's club and in the early days, it is said that a nearby tunnel in the hotel connected with the Navarre building across the street, which was a gambling casino and brothel at the time. The pub is a gathering spot where power brokers have traditionally lunched and an unknown number of "deals", from national and local politics, to cattle, to oil, have been agreed to with a handshake at Denver's historic Ship Tavern.

ART SHOPPING:
Hand-Crafted
Models of Grand
Sailing Ships 
Create your own museum with a collection of these hand-made tall ship models, beautifully detailed and constructed.  There is something about models of sailing ships that appeals to me. I fantasize about some salty mariner, slowly and lovingly making these beauties in his lighthouse home overlooking the Atlantic! Probably not, but I'm happy to know they are still being hand-made somewhere by someone! Enjoy. (Click link for description and visual details.)




















Are you more intersted in models of Classic Ocean Liners or Wooden Speedboats from the '30s and '50s? Go to the following link.  http://www.nytstore.com/Models












FOOD: Mid-Winter Lobster Rolls

Looking forward to Summer during this cold winter and (now) thinking about Sailing Ships and the Sea. Go to Luke's Lobster Roll, NYC's most affordable, freshest lobster roll.


Twenty-something Luke and his family are a part of Maine's lobstering community. He says, "It doesn't take a master chef to make a great lobster roll; it takes fresh, sweet lobster meat and we know who catches them and those lobstermen reserve their best catch for my rolls." His a-la-carte roll is a generous portion of chilled lobster meat on a Maine style top split, toasted bun, with a swipe of mayo, some lemon butter and a sprinkle of his special seasonings for $15 or order a bowl of New England Clam Chowder $7 (in a bread bowl $10).
http://www.lukeslobster.com/a-lobster-tale/
East Village - 93 E. 7th at 1st Ave.
Upper East Side - 242 E. 81st at 2nd Ave.
Upper West Side - 426 Amsterdam Ave. at 80th
Sun - Thurs. 11am - 10pm  •  Fri & Sat 11am - 11pm  •  Closed Sundays.



Anyone who lives in the continental US and is craving a very fresh Lobster Roll from Maine should contact the Lobster Guy, who ships lobster roll kits via Fed-Ex, overnight. We had a dinner party using this overnight shipping from Maine and it went like clockwork. It cost no more than buying the ingredients locally and the guests loved the fresh lobster and the authenticity. Orders taken Mon. - Thurs. / Friday orders, with a Saturday delivery, are available only to some cities and have additional shipping charges. Email questions to: Capt. Tim sales@thelobsterguy.com  (Link) http://www.thelobsterguy.com/catilorokitf.html


Thursday January 27th is Mozart's 255th birthday, the world's favorite composer.
Until later,
Jack
© ARTS&FOOD,(ARTSnFOOD.blogspot.com) All rights reserved, © Copyright Jack A. Atkinson 2011 Under All International, Digital, Intellectual Property and Copyright Laws. Images © Copyright individual Creators, Lenders or Fabricators.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Old Masters Week, VIP Starts, Winter Antiques Sale + Chicken Fricassee

ART: 
Big Week 
for Collectors 
There are three major events in the world of art and collectibles worth visiting this week. January 22-30, 2011, Something for every collector.




1) Sotheby's introduces its first Old Masters Week show & sale, New York City.
An old master work is any European work of art from 1280 through 1850. Sotheby's Auction House has created the Old Masters Week incorporating an "Old Master Paintings Sale", an "Old Master Drawings Sale", a "European Works of Art Sale" plus two single collectors sales of old masters' works. View all of the works at Sotheby's gallery/showroom this week in NYC.

Sacra Conversazione, by Titian
estimate: $15 million to $20 million.
(Courtesy of Sotheby's)
VIRGIN AND CHILD: "Madonna of the Cherries,"
by Giampietrino Estimate: $700,000 to $900,000
(Courtesy of Sotheby's)
OLD MASTERS WEEK 2011,
SALES:


Sotheby’s

And at Christie’s - January 26 - Old Master and 19th Century Art (Parts I & II).

See two more wonderful videos titled: "What Makes a Master", one about "Van Dyck" and the other about "Jupiter and Antiope", plus find information on lectures associated with Sotheby's Old Masters Week by going to the following link:

2) VIP Art Fair. Com
OPENS -
View or buy some of the best Contemporary Art in the World, online this week.
Available at David Zwimmer Gallery.
If you are interested in art created by living artists, you could see more from this single online art fair, than you could in many exhausting visits to galleries. Mainly you will see New York's great galleries and galleries from around the US and the world. All of this from the comfort of your home and it is so fast to go from one gallery to the next. Each gallery presents their best artists. You might just find something you love.


Attending this online fair is FREE. Search by gallery, artists or artwork and you can search the site using the fair's halls. There are 5 halls: large galleries, medium galleries, single focus, emerging artists and art publishers. Click on the gallery to see the work. Once in the gallery booth, browse using the red arrows. The white space represents a 10 foot high gallery wall and a scaled figure is available to help you to judge the size of the art. You can click directly on an artwork to enlarge it, zoom and drag to see the details. Click on the artist's name to read info about the artist and click on special boxes to create your favorites list as you go through the fair. Prices are not shown unless you purchase a VIP entry ticket. ($100 USD for 1st two days) and allows for unlimited access for the remainder of the fair. After January 24 the VIP entry costs only $20 and still allows unlimited access through the remainder of the fair. To attend, sign in at this link: www.VIPartFair.com
Note: VIP Art Fair web pages are not optimized for Internet Explorer. The website also does not support mobile devices or the iPad. 
3) Winter Antiques Show, 2011

The Winter Antiques Show, in New York City, will also include an exhibition of masterworks from historic Charleston. More than fifty objects from Charleston museums, historic homes and from private collections are in the exhibition, many on public view for the first time. A five-part lecture series related to the Charleston exhibition will be presented during the run of the show.
Courtesy of
Gerald Peters Gallery
New York
One of the highlights of the show is a monumental vase designed by American sculptor Paul Manship for the Gwinn Estate in Cleveland. The oldest objects in the antiques show date back thousands of years including a 3000 year old Egyptian sarcophagus, beautifully carved with a woman's face and  hieroglyphics. If you like antique shops or going to small museums of artifacts, you will enjoy this show and sale. Daily admission is $20 and includes the catalogue. Find out more about this show at the link below: 
http://www.winterantiquesshow.com/information/
The 57th Annual Winter Antiques Show runs Jan. 21 - 30, 2011, at the Park Avenue Armory, Park Ave. at 67th Street, NYC. Open Monday. Wednesday, Friday & Saturday 12 p.m. - 8 p.m. and Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday 12 p.m. - 6 p.m.

ART COLLECTING:

A personal note

The first rule of Art Collecting is to buy only what you like. Art has proven to be a good financial investment for some, but hoping for a profit should never be the central reason for collecting art. Art is one of the most speculative investments a person can make, what is "in" can quickly fall out of favor. But, the good news for Art Collectors is you still will own the artwork! Thinking of art only as a financial investment removes the collector from the most enjoyable aspect of art collecting, becoming a part of the artist's process. The goal for all artists is for their work to be "seen, enjoyed and appreciated" by others. If the art you purchase pleases you (the collector), your return on investment will mostly come in small "bits" during your lifetime of ownership. Collectors often say they get enjoyment from a work of art not only when they spend time with it, but with every passing glance. Art is an investment in "quality-of-life" and the pleasure derived is a subtle one, as if the artwork quietly whispers to all, "Look at me, I am wonderful", releasing euphoric endorphins for the collector who lives with the art, thinks about it, shows it proudly to friends or walks by it.

FOOD:
Chicken Fricassee

Serve this delicious entree at your next winter dinner party, its a real crowd pleaser! It tastes great with a side of steamed brussels sprouts, some crusty bread and partnered with either a red or white wine, or even champagne.


Chicken Fricassee:
- Season the chicken on all sides with sea salt and white pepper.
- In a deep skillet, combine the oil and butter, over moderate heat. When the fats are hot but not smoking, add the chicken in batches - do not overcrowd, skin side down and brown until golden, about 5 minutes, do not blacken the skin. Turn and brown exposed meat side, 3-4 minutes, when browned remove the chicken with tongs.
- Discard the fat in the skillet and add the two vinegars, de-glazing the pan. Add the wine and the shallots, cook (covered) over low heat until softened, 2-3 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan. Cover and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a large piece of aluminum foil and enclose to keep warm. 
- Add the tomato sauce and the stock to the skillet, stir to blend throughly. Add the sour cream and stir to incorporate, cook (covered) over medium heat for 5 minutes, taste for seasoning. Return the chicken to the skillet, turning the pieces to coat and absorb the sauce. Cook over med heat for 3 to 10 minutes until done, turning often to coat. (Do not overcook the chicken.)  Serve the chicken with the pan sauce ladled over it.

Ingredients:
6-8 chicken breasts with skin, at room temperature.
(Sea) salt to taste
Fresh ground white pepper to taste
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup best-quality white champagne vinegar
1/3 cup best-quality red wine vinegar
1/3 cup white wine
2 shallots, peeled and finely minced
3/4 cup Tomato Sauce (saute sliced onion & minced garlic, add pureed tomatoes, simmer uncovered with bouquet garni for 15 minutes, salt to taste)
1 2/3 cups homemade chicken stock
1/2 cup sour cream

Recipe adapted from Bresse Poultry, France.

Until later,
Jack
© ARTS&FOOD,(ARTSnFOOD.blogspot.com) All rights reserved, © Copyright Jack A. Atkinson 2011 Under All International, Digital, Intellectual Property and Copyright Laws. Images © Copyright individual Creators, Lenders or Fabricators.