- The Museum of Arts and Design. Photo credit: Hélène Binet.
The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) is itself work of art. The somewhat recently redesigned MAD building is modern and does a better job of representing the intensely awesome art that is on display within it than the building it replaced. The architect, Brad Cloepfil, called his work “editing” because the building was worked on while it was still standing (Robin Pogrebin, “Renovation Slowly Adds Some Light to Lollipops”, New York Times, 5 June 2007).One of the most radical changes was the opening up of many rooms by cutting away part of the building. Cloepfil then filled these openings with glass as to create views of Central Park and more importantly shed some of the much needed light on all of the artwork. The old building was ill equipped to be used as an art museum because the inside held little space for large exhibits. Now, thanks to Cloepfil’s work, the building can easily and efficiently function as a museum, with its own restaurant too. [click to continue…]
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Lee Krasner's "Mosaic Table" in "Crafting Modernism" at MAD Museum. Photo Credit: Pollock-Krasner Foundation/Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Have you ever thought whether design and art was the same concept? Well, they are not. There are actually many differences between them. Having spent ten weeks at the Museum of Arts and Design (the MAD Museum), I’ve come to some conclusions.
According to dictionary.com, the literal definition of design is to “prepare the preliminary sketch or the plans for (a work to be executed), especially to the form and structure of:” In other words, it can also be defined as to plan skillfully. Designs are in a commercial sense and are calculated. They are more of a problem solving through communication. Communication is a way to figure out what the designer conveys. Some questions you should ask yourself when you come across a design are: what does this mean? or What is the message that the designer is trying to tell us? These questions are made to make you think and analyze the piece. [click to continue…]
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Jennifer Trask's "Intrinsecus" in the exhibit "The Flora and The Fauna." Photo Credit: Ed Watkins.
As is often the case with human beings, we cannot help but fingerprint all that we touch. In the MAD Museum‘s exhibition of Flora and Fauna, the unique imprint of humanity is almost tangible, even amid the foliage. A sea of surreal sculptures and sketches, the array of artwork contains the esoteric air of natural beauty compiled with a distinctly human element. From a twisted vine entwined necklace resembling a crown of thorns to the butterfly guided wings of a plane, each piece evokes a sentiment of pseudo-serenity. However upon closer examination, the gallery at it’s basest level is marred by the cherubs and chains of human creation. [click to continue…]
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From L-R: Zandile Blay, Emil Wilbekin, Bethann Hardison, Lola Ogaunnaike
On Thursday, April 7th, I attended a panel at our partner organization the MAD Museum titled The New Black: Fashion and Design on Branding Culture. The panel featured three prominent, black figures in the fashion world: Zandile Blay (fashion editor of Essence Magazine and editor of ASD and the Blay Report), Bethann Hardison (legendary model and Editor-At-Large of Vogue Italia), Emil Wilbekin (Managing Editor at Essence.com), and Lola Ogaunnaike (of CNN and is also a well-known writer and television personality).
So yes, I sat there in the Museum auditorium for two hours and listened to these giants debate topics such as branding, empires, entrepreneurs, the internet, and bloggers. Although amazing points and quips were made regarding these ideas (i.e “What’s your brand, boo?!” – Emil), they all agreed on one thing: business measures and opinions can truly hinder the growth of a talented designer. [click to continue…]
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YINKA SHONIBARE, MBE. “Black Gold Toy Painting 6,” 2006.Acrylic paint on Dutch wax printed cotton canvas. 38 1/2 X 41 inches.
Unfortunately, many Americans’ knowledge of African culture and society extends only as far as “Oh, it’s that place that Bono went to right?” and such enlightened familiarity. “The Global Africa Project” at the Museum of Art and Design (on view through May 15, 2011) sought to remedy this ignorance of Africa’s great and diverse artistic influence by exhibiting not only works and artists of African origin, but also works influenced by traditional African style and art. The exhibition featured many examples of different varieties of visual artwork, from wonderful paintings to professional, stylistic photographs to installations with sight and sound factors. Fashion and design projects were also prevalent, with innovative chair and table designs positioned carefully throughout the gallery, bright colorful dresses adorning figurines, and brightly lit lamps and chandeliers hanging from the ceilings.
Yet out of all these wonderful pieces of art, several works stood out above all. A painting by African-born and UK resident Yinka Shonibare, “Black Gold Toy Painting”, was a canvas drowned in a sea of thick, black acrylic paint, with big gold swirls jutting out from the edges. Toy soldiers and airplanes impaled on wooden sticks bordered two sides of the painting. In the artist bio, Shonibare explained that the painting expressed his viewpoint of our world’s dreadful dependence on oil, as well as presenting influences from both his African and English backgrounds. [click to continue…]
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The MAD Building
by Oliver Diaz on January 25, 2012
in Editorials and Commentary,Feature Articles,Teen Reviews,TRaC,Visual Arts
The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) is itself work of art. The somewhat recently redesigned MAD building is modern and does a better job of representing the intensely awesome art that is on display within it than the building it replaced. The architect, Brad Cloepfil, called his work “editing” because the building was worked on while it was still standing (Robin Pogrebin, “Renovation Slowly Adds Some Light to Lollipops”, New York Times, 5 June 2007).One of the most radical changes was the opening up of many rooms by cutting away part of the building. Cloepfil then filled these openings with glass as to create views of Central Park and more importantly shed some of the much needed light on all of the artwork. The old building was ill equipped to be used as an art museum because the inside held little space for large exhibits. Now, thanks to Cloepfil’s work, the building can easily and efficiently function as a museum, with its own restaurant too. [click to continue…]
Tagged as: Brad Cloepfil, Museum of Arts and Design, The MAD Museum
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