Tag: museum

A master in the craft of glasswork, beginning in 2004 he took upon himself the four-year task of reinterpreting the Met’s so-called “sputniks” for his work “Island Universe.” The five sculptures he made, along with related works on paper and a 20-minute film, are on view at Stanford University’s Cantor Arts Center through Aug. 18. Following repair in 2016 of the machinery that raises and lowers the Metropolitan Opera’s crystal chandeliers, the Met produced this video to announce that the light fixtures “once again rise elegantly to the ceiling to signal the beginning of each performance.” The chandeliers partly inspired Josiah McElheny’s “Island Universe.” This video by the Metropolitan Opera, used by permission, is not the artist’s film shown in the exhibition. McElheny was awarded a MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” in 2006. He is surely the only glass artist to achieve that distinction, and it was based primarily upon the conceptual rigor of his work, not his exquisite craftsmanship. Or, as in the case of “Island Universe,” teases out the significance that lies behind the ornamental surface of utilitarian objects. Hans Harald Rath, designer for the Austrian glassware company Lobmeyr, worked closely with architect Wallace K. Harrison, who so wanted to invoke space and the stars that he sent to Rath a book by a prominent astrophysicist, marking specific pages. It was 1963, just as the Big Bang theory of the origin of the universe was entering popular consciousness. McElheny’s installation at the Cantor is evidence of an ever deeper investigation, referencing ideas of our universe as just one “island” among many. “The center is everywhere,” Blanqui wrote, which suggests a democracy of the physical world. “Josiah McElheny: Island Universe”: 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Wednesday-Monday; until 8 p.m. Thursdays.

Errol Louis is the host of "Inside City Hall," a nightly political show on NY1, a New York all-news channel. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion articles on CNN. The film, which harkens back to "The Wiz" and "Jesus Christ Superstar," is the brainchild of writer and actor Harry Lennix, who stars in the NBC television series "The Blacklist," with movie credits in blockbusters like "Man of Steel." Lennix told me, "I think most people in the United States are religious. I also think everybody, regardless of religious beliefs, loves good music." And here's where things get interesting. Instead of launching the movie in Los Angeles or New York, Lennix's film premiered at the Museum of the Bible, a huge, $500 million building founded by billionaire Steve Green. Green, an outspoken social conservative is the president of the arts-and-crafts chain Hobby Lobby, which drew liberal ire by winning a 2014 Supreme Court case that allowed the company to opt out of the required contraceptive coverage under Obamacare. But instead of using the museum as a place to fight cultural battles, Green has taken pains to make it a welcoming space.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Petani Semasa is a significant exhibition on contemporary art about the Patani region of Southern Thailand, that privileges local artists. Currently on display at the Ilham gallery in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the works are deeply complicated, and largely unsettling. Featuring 27 artists, the show never resolves into a unified voice, but showcases the diversity of practice and experience of the region. Patani Semasa adopts poetic means of representation from a region largely internationally defined by its enforced marginality. This conflict has been simmering for decades, perhaps peaking in 2004 with the Tak Bai incident wherein approximately 78 men were tragically killed by Thai police (some reports put the number of the dead higher). While the majority of the artists of Patani Semasa deal with the contentious politics of the region, they don’t propose solutions, or lean on simplistic answers. While many works on display are dark and violent, the exhibition is successful because of its much more subtle, even quotidian representations of the Patani region, which are equally worthy of our consideration. Another powerful work made from local materials is Jamilah Haji’s, “The Spirit of Faith 7,” (2011). Like Waji’s work, the figures in “The Spirit of Faith 7,” are expertly crafted and really pop from the frame, though with a dramatically different affect. Everyone can appreciate a good meal.

Luke talks about judging ABC's 'American Idol' with Katy Perry & Lionel Richie, and reveals what it was like having dinner at Lionel's house. Jimmy Kimmel Interviews 20-Year-Old Attacked by Snake, Bear & Shark https://youtu.be/L3XD2TpVzdc SUBSCRIBE to get the latest…