Artist citizen

A couple of things that I came across this week were relevant to the cross roads of politics and arts that I now find myself at. I am preparing for the Philadelphia Museum show night and day. However, I also am glues to the political news.

One item of interest was an article in American Style magazine that mentioned the NEA report on artists as professionals. There are twice as many working artists (including dancers, writers, architects and and many others), than there are lawyers. We number 2.2 million. Not an insubstantial number. See the report here: www.arts.gov

I also heard this conversation on my favorite radio station. It is from a series called 30 issues in 30 days. Finally, A serious conversation about the candidates and the arts! Listen to it here. Not, mind you, that I was undecided, but I always like to sink my teeth into conversations about art in society.

NOLA

Last week I took a trip to New Orleans, as previously mentioned. I discovered that the creative spirit is alive and well in the city, even if many other things are not. I am rarely disappointed to return to NY after being away, but I did feel a certain lack of exuberance on my return. I am not just talking about drinking on the street either. The proportion of eccentrics and free spirits is so much lower here.... I overheard my husband asking our cat is she wants to be a Louisiana kitty... I'll keep you posted on that!


I felt a connection with the ornate buildings in the french quarter, but I also had the chance to see many other parts of the city too. I highly recommend taking a trip to this spirited city to see the beautiful parts, but also the dilapidated and decimated parts. The first ever New Orleans art biennial will open in early November, and for lovers of music, of course, you can always find that in spades.

I had the chance to visit the galleries of both Thomas Mann and Katy Beh, and I found them to be moving forward full steam ahead. From my observation, the urge to adorn is very strong in New Orleans, with all of the festivities throughout the year. I was fascinated by a couture gown atelier in the french quarter (photo above), which had ballgowns with a very particular eccentric flair.

So, get down to New Orleans, don't be shy!

Preoccupied??

I know I have certainly been preoccupied lately. Some watch sports teams and the post-game analysis, I love to watch debates and the post-debate analysis. Between that and all of the other shocking news lately, I have been distracted to say the least.

In the meantime, I have been watching the orders for a couple of my rings flowing in. The biggest hit by far has been my Bold Wrought Ring, pictured at top. It is blackened silver with a bit of 18K and an enhanced color sapphire. I went through a large stash of the sapphires already and I just picked up another few dozen. Once this latest group of stones is finished, there is no guarantee that I will be able to get more. So, click here to order while they last. I may change to another stone going forward, but the orange sapphire is really great with the black..

I am off to New Orleans for a wedding. I expect to see a lot of very interesting architecture and wrought iron while there. I just got a smaller camera, so that should be more conducive to a more visually rich blog. I am also proud to note that I made the rings that will be exchanged. That moment in the ceremony always stands out for me.