ALEXANDER CALDER at OCMA

Sunday I attended opening day of a new exhibition at the Orange County Museum of Art in Newport Beach, CA, which I highly recommend, if you're in Southern California. It runs until September 4, 2011, and it's called:

Alexander Calder and Contemporary Art

Form, Balance, Joy

Calder (American artist, 1898-1976) invented the mobile. They did not exist before him. And if you think building a mobile is easy, I encourage you to get some wire and some shapes, cut out of whatever material you find, (even pipe cleaners and paper) and try it. It's very hard to get the balance right, and to create something that looks so effortless. And graceful. And joyful.

Apparently, Calder's art has not always been considered serious enough to be important. It's interesting, because what I like most about him is his joyfulness and playfulness. Maybe Calder makes it look too easy...

It's just shapes hanging from a few wires...

A funny bird, made from old cans and wire...

A face made from discarded glass and wire...

Or one of many figures and faces he sculpted from wire. He called it "drawing in space" with wire, creating a sculptural line drawing.

Just go to Google and search Images for Alexander Calder, to see some of what he created. And then search for Calder's Circus, to watch a big kid at play. So inventive, creative and fun.

Or go to the Calder Foundation page at

http://calder.org/home

His art makes me smile. How can bits of steel, scrap metal and paint cause a positive emotional reaction like that? How can he make heavy steel look so graceful and balanced? I think that's an amazing accomplishment for an artist.

This exhibition also includes the works of several contemporary artists who show the influence of Calder's earlier works. It's interesting to see his influence in more recent interpretations. But his pieces are still my favorites in this group.

This exhibition first opened at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. (In fact, I viewed it there, on Day One of my 30-days of travel in September 2010.) In Chicago they included more of Calder's pieces, and I'm glad I got to see them. But I'm thrilled to be able to see it again in California.

For information, go to the OCMA website:

http://www.ocma.net/index.html?page=current

Click on "Visit" for directions, admission, etc.

And while I encourage you to support the museum by paying admission, if you're on a tight budget here's a tip.... Free Second Sundays, sponsored by Target (thanks, Target).

For more information about Calder, Artsy.net has compiled some great information. Here's the link to their Calder page:   https://artsy.net/artist/alexander-calder

Bravo to Bravo TV's "Work of Art"

Bravo TV has continued their skill competition-reality show genre, which started with Fashion Designers (Project Runway, which is now on Lifetime), and Chefs (Top Chef and Top Chef Masters), with a look at Artists. Work of Art (on Wednesday nights, currently on its 8th episode) features artists, competing with limited time and materials (just like the Fashion and Chef shows) and some specific parameters, to create a work of art. They're not just random characters being arbitrarily "voted off" a reality show. They are people with a specific set of skills/talents/abilities/knowledge, so seeing how they think through a challenge is fun to watch.

It's a fascinating look at the creative process. You may not agree with who wins or loses, you might debate whether a "work of art" is actually a "work of art". But to bring that debate about art and creativity to a wide television audience is, I think, a really great thing. Even if you're not a fashion designer/chef/artist, you find yourself thinking, "hmm, what would I do with that assignment?" A few of my friends have discussed doing each assignment ourselves and having our own competition each week, though it's hard to find the time in our busy daily lives, which is a shame.

Creativity (right-brain thinking) is less emphasized in our schools than logic and reason (left-brain thinking). So I think it's important and valuable for the general public to have a look at just how creative people create. How do they do it? What is the thought process? How did they think of that? Sadly, too many people believe "I'm not creative at all. I can't even draw a straight line." I always say, well, that's okay, because a straight line is not creative at all!

It's good for more people to see and learn how new ideas form and change, throughout any creative process. Creativity is an important problem-solving skill. It is, by definition, thinking outside the box (I hate that expression, but I think people understand the concept), and thinking of things that haven't been thought of before, creating something new. A new idea, new product, new process.

On the official website (www.bravotv.com) you can read more about the show, and read commentary about and by the artists who competed.

And there's a great feature at the New York Magazine website. Jerry Saltz, the NY Magazine Art Critic (I hope that title is right), was one of the Work of Art judges. He is writing recaps of the show after it airs each Wednesday. So, he's watching it with the rest of us, now that it's been edited and aired, but was also part of it when it taped months ago. His perspective is unique and a great discussion goes on in the comments section each week. Mr. Saltz is graciously responding to many of the comments and questions about the show, his experience, the artists, art, etc. It's really fascinating and adds a great deal to the show each week. You can check it out at:

http://nymag.com/tv/work-of-art/

Some commenters debate the artistic value of what's being created, but I think the exposure to the creative process to a larger audience is the most valuable thing going on here. This is essentially a TV show, after all. A TV competition show where someone will win a reward at the end, but a TV show just the same. The producers' first job is to make a good, interesting TV show that lots of people want to watch.

You need good artists, but if they were all too shy and afraid to talk to the camera, then you have a boring TV show. So personalities do enter into it. I think that the key to this type of show is in the casting and editing. The casting of talented people, with a blend of interesting and varied personalities, is combined with editors who can take a gazillion hours of tape (perhaps not an exact figure... just an estimate) and edit it down into an interesting story, told in about 42 minutes each week. That's a challenge that is more difficult than people think. But these Bravo shows typically do it very well, and Work of Art is no exception.

Sarah Jessica Parker is one of the producers who created this show, and I'm glad she did. It's fascinating, fun to watch, and interesting to talk about it afterwards, and read the discussions that follow each show. I hope Bravo picks up this exploration of the creative process for a 2nd season.

Will Right-Brainers Rule The Future?

Now that we're in the 21st Century, can we tell what changes are occurring from the 20th Century that is now behind us? Can we predict what will change? What jobs and careers will develop that didn't exist before? What skills will we need?

The transition from the 19th to the 20th Century saw many changes. We changed from an Agricultural Age to a new Industrial Age -- making steel, cars, heavy industry. In more recent decades, we moved into an Information Age -- workers off the assembly line, now sitting at a computer monitor.

Currently, the emphasis in many jobs is on the logical, linear, analytical -- Left-Brain thinking. In the future, will companies begin to give equal importance to our Right-Brain abilities, which are more intuitive, creative and empathetic?

That's the theory behind a great book that I am re-reading:

A WHOLE NEW MIND

Why Right-Brainers Will Rule The Future

Written by Daniel H. Pink

Pink explains it all much better than I can, but let's see if I can cover some basics. He refers to the era we're entering as The Conceptual Age.

Computers are good at doing logical, sequential work. And many computer programming jobs are easy to outsource. But it is harder to outsource creativity, inventiveness and design.

While logical, linear thinking is still important, it's no longer enough. Creativity, design, and seeing the big picture are also valuable.

We tend to value the logical, left-brain as being the smart, more important side. The creative, artsy right-brain, has often been thought of as silly, or not as important. But that may be changing. For example, they have found that a well-designed hospital room that uses certain colors, can actually help people heal faster. So, perhaps good design is not silly.

For my own selfish reasons, I hope this theory is correct. The many jobs I've held over the years have mostly utilized my left-brain abilities (organization, administration, common sense). But if I could also use my right-brain skills (writing, art, design, inventive ideas) it would be so much more interesting and enjoyable. Most positions want you to pick one or the other, especially in large corporations, where they like to categorize and pigeon-hole people.

This book was written in 2005. In the last 5 years, I wonder if the author has started to see this change taking place in many companies... any companies? Change always takes time, and if we're in the midst of it, we may not realize it's changing until sometime in the future, as we look back. I hope it is happening. It would be nice of we could introduce more artistry, creativity, empathy, storytelling and play into our work days, wouldn't it?

Artist Jeanne-Claude

So sad to hear of the death of Jeanne-Claude. Her husband, Christo, is perhaps the more well known name, but together they've created amazing things. I was fortunate to see both The Umbrellas in Southern California in 1991 and The Gates in New York Central Park in 2005. Check this YouTube link, for a short video of my experiences with both projects:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l14w4izSXfA

Their projects sometimes caused controversy, but I was always amazed, first of all, how they even came up with such bold, inventive ideas, and then, how well executed the projects were. Before The Gates opened in NYC, I read an interview with Jeanne-Claude. I may not have the quote exactly right, but here's how I remember it. She said when asked, about The Gates, "What are they for?" she replied, "They are not for anything. It is art. That is all."

Both The Umbrellas and The Gates made me smile. Inventive, playful, bold ideas, for art, for beauty, to make people smile. What can be wrong with that? It's very right-brain thinking.

I hope Christo will continue to create the inventive works he's known for, though I'm sure it will be difficult without his life and art partner.

Project Runway

Now that Project Runway has moved from Bravo to Lifetime, fans wondered if the show would change. Except of course, that the show was filmed months and months ago, while their eventual place of broadcast was still being, uh, let's say debated. (that's what lawyers do, right? debate...)

So it looks very much the same as it did on Bravo. They're in LA instead of NYC, but since most of the action happens indoors (the sewing room, the runway set, their apartments), what's going on outside the window is not as noticeable as one might think. I keep forgetting they're in LA actually.

Project Runway episodes are fun to watch twice. The second time, it's interesting to watch the creative process, as they struggle with the design and execution, all the while knowing who ended up winning and losing. It does appear the judges this season are quickly disposing of the ... how shall I say... the more avant garde, more wacky designers rather quickly. These designers might not be as commercially viable on a broad basis if they were to eventually win, but they sure can be fun to watch.

I always counted on Bravo to rerun episodes so I could either catch up if I missed one, or catch it a second time. To be fair, on Bravo, I often accidentally found the repeats, was never quite sure when they would be on. Still not sure how Lifetime is handling their repeats, hopefully fans will be able to catch episodes that we miss or want to re-view.

The biggest change now, I think, is that both Project Runway and Top Chef have just started their new seasons. Bravo used to rotate them, so they were usually either airing one or the other. Now we're getting to know both the new chefs and the new designers at the same time, figuring out who we love and who we love to hate. Well, at least they're on different nights, so we don't have to choose a favorite. ... Wouldn't it be nice if these were the biggest problems we had to face in our daily life? It's true, they're just TV shows ... but they are fun to watch.

Top Chef Masters

As a fan of television, and having worked in the industry, I do enjoy watching TV. I worry that scripted dramas and comedies are becoming too scarce, and hope that we can achieve some kind of balance, so both scripted and reality-based shows have equal airtime opportunies.

That said, there are a few reality shows that I really enjoy. Top Chef and Top Chef Masters are both fun to watch, as skilled and talented chefs compete, using those unique skills.

Top Chef Masters has often been such a love-fest among all the chefs. It's nice to see experienced professionals, in a friendly competition, earning money for charity. They obviously respect each other and love what they do. Not as much conflict as on other shows, but, really, do we always need to see so much conflict? I realize it is the key to drama, but it seems like there's plenty of conflict in the world as it is.

As successful Chefs become more well-known through television, it must help their restaurant business. Personally, since Top Chef Masters, I want to go to San Francisco right now, and splurge on a meal at Fleur de Lys, Hubert Keller's restaurant. And I would love to have a meal by and/or with Art Smith, he has so much joy in what he does. And I want to try the Mexican cuisine so carefully prepared by Rick Bayless. It's interesting to see how people's personalities come across on television. Some people are so likable, you just want to sit down with them over a beer and chat. Others... not so much...

A recent episode had a bit more tension, as one of the Masters seemed to question if the regular Top Chefs from past shows were really qualified to assist him. It didn't show him in the best light, but it seemed to me that perhaps he had never watched Top Chef in the past, or he would have known that all the contestants had, at the very least, basic chef skills.

There is more conflict in the regular Top Chef. Those chefs aren't as established as the Masters, and they're competing to personally receive money and to advance their own careers. It's not usually quite as friendly, they all take it a bit more seriously, as they have a more personal stake in the outcome.

Bravo TV does a great job with this type of show. I enjoy quite a bit of Bravo's programming.

I'm also a fan of Project Runway, and most fans realize that Bravo lost that show to Lifetime in a somewhat strange and drawn out legal battle. I'm still not sure how that happened, but it does appear that Lifetime is trying to expand their programming beyond just replaying Movies of the Week. Project Runway also involves competition between people with a certain set of skills and talents (fashion design).

I think viewers enjoy playing along at home, let's see, what would I make, using only ingredients or materials from a grocery store or a vending machine? Then the pros come up with things that we would have never thought of, and we think, wow, what a great idea! Creativity and inventiveness at work.

Tonight the new season of Top Chef starts, as well as the final episode of Top Chef Masters. I will be watching, cheering for my favorite Masters, and getting my first impressions of the new chefs. Also this week the new season of Project Runway starts, first time on Lifetime. It will be interesting to see if a change in networks (and the change from NY to LA) will change the show.

Ceramics at the OC Fair

The Orange County Fair in Southern California is in its final week, ending August 9. I have volunteered a few days at the Ceramics area, in Crafters Village. There are people throwing pots on the wheels, but since I don't know how to do that, I'm demonstrating hand-building, and have worked on some small sculptures. Here's a picture, (not my best look, but oh well) on a night when I worked on a tree, a tiny bust, and in my hand... is a clay hand. The hand looked a bit creepy actually, looked kind of real... Now I have to decide if I will have these fired to make them permanent.

I have one more shift to work, this Friday afternoon, August 7. It's been fun, chatting with fairgoers about art and clay and various things. It's interesting how many people stop and say, "I used to do that, back in high school." I have encouraged them to try to find time for creative projects, but everyone seems so stressed about finding time. It's understandable, but it's a shame. Kids like to stop and look, since it's basically playing with mud. One boy asked me, "What if you make a mistake?" I said, "That's okay, it doesn't matter. You do make mistakes, and you just keep going." He looked a little shocked, actually. I guess we're so focused on doing things "right", whatever that is, that I think it keeps people from doing creative things. Somewhere in my readings about art, it said you had to be willing to do a lot of bad art, so I try to remember that and just keep going. I think it is the key to doing anything creative, to not worry about everything being perfect... or even good... but to just keep going. It's often easier said than done.

Working on art at the Fair in front of people can be difficult. It's intimidating, especially when you're just starting, and you have a blob of clay in front of you. People pause and look, puzzled, trying to figure out what on earth you're making. Another lesson I learned at some point is that in a situation like this, you have to just not care. And I mean that in the most positive way possible. You can't worry about what people are thinking, you just have to keep going. Even if, as happened the other day, you're working on a sculpture of a woman dancing... and several people think it's a chicken.

Free Art

Today I'm feeling Overwhelmed and All Alone... hmm, I should write a country song.

Having recently been laid off from my office job, it is time to regain my own balance. I have escaped from the cubicle! Now what? Will I end up back in the cubicle world? One never knows. Honestly, it was beginning to feel like I was living in a Dilbert Cartoon, so maybe in the long run, it's good to be out of the cubicle... at least for me. Perhaps I can create something new, by creating some new things... those right brain activities of creation and invention.

In the meantime, while I search and rebalance, it's good to see what others are creating, and it's even better (when one has no current source of income) if you can do these things for cheap or for free!

Here are 2 weekend tips for free art in Southern California. One in LA, one in OC:

Saturday and Sunday, there's a craft fair in downtown LA, called the Renegade Craft Fair. I have nothing to do with this, and apparently it's the first Renegade Craft Fair in LA (looks like they've done this in other cities.) I don't know if I'll get there this weekend, but it looks kinda cool. And.... it's free! http://www.renegadecraft.com/los-angeles?site=la

Also, the Orange County Museum of Art has their Target Free Second Sunday on July 12. Thanks Target for sponsoring arts organizations like this one, giving us free admission to the museum for the day. For more info, the museum website is http://www.ocma.net/

If you go to a museum free admission day, it's nice to donate a little something while you're there, if you can. I think even a dollar or two, if that's all you can afford, would be appreciated. Support the Arts! ... even a dollar at a time will help.

Those are your Frugal Fun tips for today. Get out and see some creativity in action!

What is Cafe Marian?

I'm all over the map, racing to keep up with the creative monkeys who are spinning around in my head!

Okay, that starts to sound like some sort of psychological problem, but there is so much in the world to see, fascinating new things to learn and interesting new places to explore. I've never been very good at concentrating on only one thing for very long. The world seems to want us to specialize, but that's hard for me. I get bored and restless.

After years of living in my left brain (that practical, rational, analytical, logical place where most of us reside), I'm working to spend more time in my right brain (creativity, inventiveness, intuitiveness, empathy and joy). I believe the key to it all is balance. Balance seems easy enough, but the trick is finding the balance point that works for you. And beware, that point is constantly moving, so when you lose your balance... and you will... readjust and keep on going.

So, here we are, at Cafe Marian, a gathering place where I can write and share the stories I find that are interesting, smart, amazing, fascinating, genuine, amusing, impressive, clever, inventive, creative and fun.