The first Ruben: Veggie Ruben at Foodswings -- rye bread, faux swiss,
sauerkraut, mustard, the works. oh, and grilled tempeh.


Foodswings, Grand Street, Williamsburg


The second Rubin, 17th Street, Manhattan


Mongolian mask, 19th century, lion protectorate deity


This one was made of coral.

Attention quilters, and friends of quilters. You don't have much time left, but you must see Infinite Variety: Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts at the Park Avenue Armory. The installation is heady. The 650 red and white quilts are double-hung and dazzling. The show is free, and is presented by the American Folk Art Museum. Yes, this is what I would call a happening. Friday, March 25 – Wednesday, March 30, 2011.

Remaining Times:
Monday, March 28, 11 am–7 pm
Tuesday, March 29, 11 am–7 pm
Wednesday, March 30, 11 am–5 pm

I am kind of interested in this Red Book Dialogue at the RMA. John Adams. More opportunities for learning. Why not. Here's an excerpt from his opera, Nixon in China. And here's his Website.

Many of the dialogues are sold out at the Rubin, but there are still plenty available. The first dialogue with Bob Thurman was very rewarding, so I am kind of interested in going to another.

A still from Aronofsky's 2006 film, The Fountain

Darren Aronofsky, one of my favorite directors, will be at the Rubin Museum of Art. On my birthday! Too bad, I have plans to be there the next night. In case you are interested:

The Tree of Life in the Wheel of Becoming

WHEN Thursday, 3/19 7 p.m. PRICE $20 / $18 for members $7 student standby

Film director Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler) re-examines the quest for eternal life initially explored in his film The Fountain. Is man's yearning for eternal youth genetically predetermined? Is the longing for everlasting life part of our survival instinct? Or is the quest one our minds fabricate to insulate us against the fear of dying? He is in conversation with Patrick Grim, Distinguished Teaching Professor of Philosophy at Stony Brook, who works in logic, philosophy of mind, computer modelling, ethics and metaphysics. Grim is author of The Incomplete Universe, The Philosophical Computer, editor of Mind & Consciousness: 5 Questions and founding co-editor of over twenty volumes of The Philosopher's Annual.

Rubin Museum of Art
150 West 17th Street
New York, NY 10011
212.620.5000

We saw Jeff Koons on the Roof at the Metropolitan Museum back in August, and it was a scorcher. I think I might like to return to this spot in a few weeks to view the Fall foliage. Hmm. That is a good idea.

Dine in a modern setting at The Modern

Staycation schmaycation. Maybe you simply LIKE the urban setting, and thus seek out urban things to do. Well, I have a civilized and very air-conditioned suggestion. Spend the entire day at the MoMA. There is a Salvador Dalí retrospective on view through September 15 which includes over 130 of his works and full-length films in each gallery. Believe me, you cannot digest this show in one day. All the better. You have to come back multiple times for more enrichment and enjoyment.

If you arrive hungry, fear not. You can opt for a savory crepe at the cart across the street from the museum (mushroom & cheese or spinach & cheese are each just $5). Or if you want to have an elegant meal and experience to remember, try The Modern, which is The Museum of Modern Art's fine dining restaurant, just off the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden on the first floor. The Bar Room at The Modern offers a excellent menu with entrees sized suitably for lunch, priced around $18. Here is the menu. My husband and I each had the Wild Salmon with horseradish crust, pickled cabbage, exotic mushrooms, and Riesling foam. For an appetizer we shared the Upsidedown Tuna Tare Tarte with fennel, Japanese cucumber and aioli. Yes, this was a meal to remember.

If you are a planner, then by all means make a reservation to be seated in the main dining area of The Bar Room. If you are a spontaneous type, you will be seated along the comfortable black leather sofa at one of the small cafe tables on the perimeter. Not the best seat in the house, but still most definitely in the middle of the excitement, and quite enjoyable.


The Modern
The Museum of Modern Art
Reservations for the Bar Room
accepted 28 days in advance
212.333.1220
9 West 53rd Street (5th & 6th Avenues)
New York, NY 10019

[image: dcist.com]

The Kogod Courtyard at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery, designed by London-based Foster + Partners, was recently featured in the June 2008 issue of Achitectural Record. In an article by Martin Filler entitled "New Museums: The good, the bad, and the horribly misguided" he describes the glass-roofed courtyard as "one of the most pointless fads in recent museum history" where the "growing compulsion to glaze over museum courtyards everywhere smacks of suburban commercialization."

What do you think? Is the new courtyard a "gratuitous display of engineering virtuosity" as Filler puts it, or an exquisite juxtaposition of classic and modern?

The New Museum on Bowery
glistening in the Memorial Day weekend sun.

Looking up from the front entrance.
Ugo Rondinone, Hell, Yes!, 2001.
Click to read more about the Facade's Sculpture Program.

When you enter the New Museum, a brand new shiny museum entirely wrapped in metal mesh and designed by Japanese architects Sejima + Nishizawa/SANAA, the staff instructs you to take the elevator to the 7th floor and work your way down. I almost hate to give away what you will see when the doors open. Suffice it to say, my photos don't do justice to the amazing view! Be sure to linger awhile, and perhaps have a beverage. What could be better than a relaxing afternoon at a museum?

Currently on view:
Tomma Abts
through June 29

Paul Chan: The 7 Lights
through June 29

Double Album: Daniel Guzman & Steven Shearer
through July 6


New Museum
235 Bowery
Lower East Side
New York

212.219.1222

A view from the seventh floor veranda.

A close-up of the building's metal mesh "wrapping" material.


Pleasant surroundings on the seventh floor.
A view of lower Manhattan, a spacious sitting area with modern furniture,
and the New Food mini cafe.


New Food at the New Museum.
I like the way the menu resembles the building itself.
Why do snacks at a museum always taste better? It must be the atmosphere.

Brooklyn Museum logo by Murakami

The much-anticipated Takashi Murakami exhibition opens today at the Brooklyn Museum! By now, you probably know all about the controversial museum store featuring Murakami's designs for Louis Vuitton. Yes, well...

If you feel game to brave the crowds this afternoon, you might want to check out the Target First Saturday free tie-in event beginning at 5pm.


© MURAKAMI
April 5 - July 13, 2008
Brooklyn Museum
200 Eastern Parkway
Brooklyn, NY
718.638.5000
click here for directions

Gert Tobias and Uwe Tobias, Untitled (figure), 2005, Woodcut, 78 3/4 x 64 15/16"
The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Fund for the Twenty-First Century.

I am constantly attracted to the sort of colors (brights mixed with grey) and paint quality (flat but with texture and signs of decay) in Gert and Uwe Tobias' large scale woodcuts at MoMA, now through February 25, 2008. An interesting side note: Gert and Uwe are twins (b. 1973) and collaborate on their artwork which includes woodcuts, drawings and sculpture.

We caught the 11:51 to Poughkeepsie from Grand Central on Saturday, and off we went to the Dia:Beacon. Traveling up the Hudson by rail is pretty fantastic. The scenery! It was a grey day, but at least it didn't rain. When the sun came out for a few seconds, the fall leaves really came to life. The reds and yellows! For now, I will show you a little of the train trip. (I have left the truly dramatic parts of the river out, because I think you need to see it in person to really experience the beauty and the grandeur of the Hudson River. Take the train!) Later, I will show you the museum. If you like minimalist art and romantic train trips, I recommend the package deal.

We are toying with the idea of taking a daytrip to the Dia:Beacon this weekend. Apparently Beacon, NY is supposed to be a beautiful old town on the Hudson. Sounds great. Via Metro North, it seems pretty convenient. I saw an ad on the subway for a discounted rail and admissions package. Here is the link, just in case you think it sounds like a good idea too. It takes 80 minutes to get there. I am pretty excited to explore the Dia, which I read has over 240,000 square feet of gallery space! I hear rumors that they have Richard Serra sculptures. I hope!

I have to do more research on spots for lunch and other points of interest in Beacon, and consult the weather. But it seems like a pretty good adventure to take. Yikes, it is going to be cold. Sunday seems like the better day. FYI, if you purchase online, you have to allow time for them to physically mail you the tickets! I know, I too was shocked. So I think we will purchase them in person at Grand Central and get slightly less of a discount. It seems that museum admission and round trip train fare is $27 per person.

I wish to bring you a public service announcement by way of this subway poster public service announcement. The new New Museum opens December 1. Don't forget to pay them a visit!

The old New Museum was located on 11th Avenue and 22nd Street in Chelsea. Perhaps you visited the Andrea Zittel exhibit in the old space in March 2006, or the Designers and Agents fashion trade show there in September 2007.

The new New Museum is designed by Tokyo-based architects Sejima + Nishizawa/SANAA. The firm does not have a Website, so I have linked to an article about them on HenryArt.org and a book they published, Works 1995-2003. And an interview with the duo on designboom.com. That should keep you busy learning for the afternoon.

how the New Museum looks today (added on 11/12)

Night Presence IV

And I am sorry you did. I didn't, however. I saw the Louise Nevelson (1899-1988) retrospective in all its glory at The Jewish Museum before it closed on September 16. The exhibition was just down the street, 92nd Street, that is, from the permanent installation of Night Presence IV (1972, cor-ten steel) on the green median strip of Park Avenue. Nevelson donated the sculpture as a gift to the City of New York. The original model for this work was included in the retrospective.

I have good news for you. The show will travel to the de Young Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco for a brief showing, October 27-January 13. It is a rare opportunity to see so many of Nevelson's pieces under one roof, gathered from private collections and museums around the world. Her works in series have been reassembled as cohesive installations to create a new harmony among the forms. I saw details I never saw before, and understood her work in a new context.

If you are in the neighborhood of 92nd Street and Park Avenue, you must pay a visit to Night Presence IV, and then take trip to San Francisco to complete your study on this great sculptor.

As promised, pining away at the facades of the Museums, see above and below

I am so good at just missing interesting art exhibits at museums large and small, that I just had to take the time to tell you that. I planned today to go to the Whitney Museum at Altria and the Scandinavia House after my swim, because both are so close to my Y, and because I have never been to either. Well I picked the wrong day. I just missed "Matthew Brannon: Where Were We" (on view March 28 - August 26, 2007), which looked like a great exhibition about graphic design. Here was the description:

Matthew Brannon employs a signature combination of printed materials, design strategies, and text to create work inscribed with psychological content and critique. In various modes of production including letterpress prints, screenprints, and posters, Brannon constructs an indeterminate graphic identity that veils a pointed sensibility. For his first solo museum exhibition, Brannon expands this practice in an installation commissioned by the Museum that explores the complex relationship between art, design, ambition, and taste. Drawing on the graphic iconography of corporate, commuter, and New York cosmopolitan lifestyles, Where Were We presents letterpress and screenprint imagery ranging from men's toiletries to sushi dinners arranged as framed prints on a series of custom display structures designed by Brannon. Another, large-scale commissioned work is on display in the Sculpture Court windows.

I am crushed. Does this show travel? To the Scandinavia House just down the street, perhaps? Oh wait. That is closed from August 20 - September 4 due to summer housecleaning. I am going to go anyway, just to pine away at the facades and take pictures (to post later) of what might have been.


Whitney Museum at Altria
120 Park Avenue (42nd Street)
New York
917.663.2453
Gallery: M-F 11-6 ; Th 11 -7:30
Sculpture Court: M-Sat 7:30am-9 :30pm
Sun 11-7
Admission Free

Scandinavia House
58 Park Avenue (37th & 38th Streets)
New York
212.879.9779
Galleries: T-F 12-6
Admission $3
AQ Cafe: M-F, 10-5

I will keep this short and to the point. We only have 6 more days to see Tacita Dean, winner of the Hugo Boss Prize 2006, at the Gugghenheim. I cannot tell you more than this, because I haven't seen it yet. But I intend to! Luckily I thought of it in time.

More to follow.

I have been meaning to take a wander over to The Museum at F.I.T. to view the Ralph Rucci exhibit, before it closes. Well luckily, we still have ten more days. Rucci is a fellow minimalist, also inspired by Japan and by architecture. I am looking forward to seeing his work in person and pouring over the fine details. I will make a point to fit this into my schedule. The museum is located on 7th Avenue at 27th Street. Pictures to follow. [images: from fitnyc.edu]

Currently on view:

She's Like a Rainbow: Colors in Fashion
November 11, 2006 - May 9, 2007

Ralph Rucci: The Art of Weightlessness
January 12 - April 14, 2007

Lilly Daché: Glamour at the Drop of a Hat
March 13 - April 21, 2007