My top arts events from 2009

My top ten list is always a tease. I took in an array of incredible exhibitions, concerts, author talks and so forth in the Palo Alto area in the past 12 months. But now I'm reminded of everything I didn't get to see. Rewind!

Here's my list of the 10 favorites I did see in 2009 -- in no real order, as it would be like comparing apples to gooseberries.

New event: World Music Day, Palo Alto
The festivities kicked off beautifully, and WMD wasn't hard to find. We wandered through a balmy downtown from one free outdoor concert to another: klezmer, jazz, hip-hop, Latin and Balkan and Celtic music, and practically every other kind of tune you could think of. Bravos to Claude Ezran and the other organizers. Let's hope this becomes a tradition.

New song: "A Change is Overdue" from "Tinyard Hill," TheatreWorks
After I sat in on a rehearsal of this Tommy Newman-Mark Allen musical that premiered at TW in July, I kept playing this song on Newman's website. I love the open, hopeful feel of the line "I want to twist it, forge it, bend it into something new."

Exhibition: "From Their Studios," Cantor Arts Center
A remarkable diversity of voices characterized this show of work by Stanford faculty artists. John Edmark's kaleidoscope-like "Geometron," Robert Dawson's haunting photos, and Enrique Chagoya's satirical prints were highlights. This show is still open, through Jan. 3. (My list continues after this particularly eerie Dawson photo.)



Exhibition #2: "Treasures From the Mexican Museum," Palo Alto Art Center
It was hard to look away from a riveting lithograph of artist David Alfaro Siqueiros (those deep-set eyes), but this 150-work show had a wealth of other pieces to see, including spirited Day of the Dead papier-mache works and pre-Conquest vessels.

Metamorphosis: Tom Gough in Dragon Productions' "Greater Tuna"
Gough didn't actually hit a high C on stage, but I wouldn't have been surprised. The guy utterly transformed himself into the choir-singin', hip-bumpin', bubble-gum-pink-wearin' Bertha Bumiller for this goofy comedy. Amen, sister.

Metamorphosis #2: Kevin Kirby in Palo Alto Players' "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
This mild-mannered Weekly theater critic let the zingers fly as George in the classic marital rumble. Disclaimer: Kevin is a friend, but he doesn't know I'm writing this. Hi, Kevin. (Liza Zassenhaus was another stand-out in this production as Honey, fragile yet quirky. But I've never met her, so I don't know whether this was a true metamorphosis.)

Metaphysical music: "The Metaphysics of Notation," Mark Applebaum
This brilliantly enigmatic score hangs in the Cantor Arts Center, where every Friday afternoon a different musician interprets it in a free performance. No standard staff and notes here; the Stanford composer penned a visual work of art with symbols, designs and curves that challenge musicians to climb inside its world. Performances continue through February.

Music talk: John Adams, Cantor Arts Center
His son performed "Metaphysics" in May, but John Adams may have a few musical credits as well. The Pulitzer Prize-winning composer brought a new string quartet to Stanford Lively Arts this year, and also took part in a wonderful free-flowing talk at the Cantor with violinist David Harrington. Adams seemed friendly and candid. He even cracked a musical-theater joke. The museum and Lively Arts periodically bring in musicians for these free talks; a "jazz/tech talk" is set for Jan. 21.

Author talk: Sarah Dunant, Stanford Continuing Studies
Another delightful speaker this year was the historical-fiction author Sarah Dunant, who talked about writing her trio of books about women in the Renaissance. Her November talk was inspiring to any would-be novelist, providing lively insight into her lengthy research process.

Film: "Motherland," directed by Jennifer Steinman
This documentary about six American women grieving the loss of family members, then taking a life-changing journey to South Africa, was shown on the Peninsula to benefit Palo Alto's Kara organization. The film was compelling and highly moving without being overwrought; it told the women's stories with grace.

Pictured: Top: Mark Fiebert, front, and Alex Ran of Accidental Klezmer playing at World Music Day. Photo by Veronica Weber.
Above: Robert Dawson's 2005 photo "Outermost house, Arctic Circle, Iceland." This jet print from digitally scanned film is part of the "From Their Studios" exhibition at the Cantor Arts Center.

Gratitude Give Away

Three days before Christmas and I'm excited about still being a design blogger going into 2010. There were times this year that I was ready to throw in the towel and put my time and energy into something else....For a while I stopped writing. When I least expected it I'd receive emails that encouraged me...Again, I was excited to get back to my computer and write about one of the activities I absolutely love writing about....design.  I've met wonderful fellow bloggers, clients and a few vendors too. In saying that I'm offering a gratitude give away! Between now and New Year's Day you can enter the give away by leaving a comment telling us what you are grateful for as we enter 20010.... It's that simple.
The winner will be announced on my birthday, January 2nd.  This is a great give away selection.... Pillows from the Thomas Paul pillow collection. There are two 100% cotton pillows with a neutral canvas background and dark chocolate print. These pillows will the perfect accent  on a multiple of solid and patterened sofas.

Thomas Paul Pillow Collection - "Zinnia" & "Nest"

Looks Like Christmas

Here, in northern Virginia it just began to feel like Christmas. I can't remember the last time we had snow during the holiday season from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day, but oh boy it's beginning to feel like Christmas today.  The entire east coast has more than enough snow on the ground, malls are closed in some areas and I can't help but get outside. I couldn't take pictures today...too hard to walk in 18" of snow without snow boots. So I'm posting these beautiful holiday exterior  doorways to get excited about....enjoy.

The Nate Berkus Show

For those of us who are huge fans of decorator Nate Berkus, we're about to see more of him. We know Nate from appearing on Oprah for the past six years and now it's paying off for him in a big way. Harpo and Sony Pictures Television will announce next week they are creating a show for Berkus that will probably appear this fall...look for, "The Nate Berkus Show", in September.

Calling all outdoorsy artists

You could whine about turning 40, or you could celebrate by publishing a coffee-table book about yourself. Well played, Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District.

The district, which those in the know call MROSD, plans to mark the big 4-0 in 2012 by putting out said book, and is calling all poets, painters and other artists to take part. The tome will feature words and images inspired by MROSD's open-space preserves. If a hike moves you to bust out the watercolors, you may be just the person.

Guidelines for submission include the statement "We are especially interested in images reflecting the wide range of habitats across District lands, including riparian, grassland, chaparral, and redwood environments." Cool. What rhymes with "riparian"?

Info here. Photography submissions are closed, but people can still submit other types of art.

Another note on art en plein air: Stanford biologists including former university president Donald Kennedy have launched a new podcast series that gives listeners a tour of the campus' plants, animals and outdoor art. Artworks will be viewed "through a science lens as examples of Science Art." I'm not sure what that means, but I'm looking forward to taking the tour once I find my mud-proof shoes.

Pictured: Wildlife in the Monte Bello Open Space Preserve, photographed by Strether Smith. Image drawn from the district's desktop wallpaper gallery at openspace.org.

Still a party in the pressroom

Last night I went to my only party of the season that features fudge made by the district attorney. It was the annual holiday fete in the pressroom in the county Hall of Justice in Redwood City.

The pressroom is my old home sweet home: I was stationed there for a few years as a reporter for the San Mateo County Times. This was back in the dot-com boom, but because I worked for ANG, I had no Internet. If I wanted to look something up online, I had to go to the library. Or make nice with a Chronicle reporter across the room and use one of their snazzy machines. My computer typed only in orange.

Still, the pressroom wasn't a bad place to be. We had a creaky leather couch and a wall of shame of misspelled headlines, always good for a laugh. (Beware the "rouge ship.") There was also a nice camaraderie among the reporters when we weren't trying to scoop each other. When we set off to cover a meeting of the board of supervisors, we'd often amble down the hall together -- then sit in a clump and whisper when the debate flagged. The pressroom was convenient. If a supe or a DA ducked your calls, sometimes you could grab him or her outside in the hall or even spot the person through the window from your desk. Ha. I once bolted all the way across the courtyard to catch a quote. We were younger then. Reporting is a good job for people who can run.

At one point I think we had three Times reporters, four from the Chron, one from the Mercury News, one from Bay City News Service and one from a legal publication. It was bustling in there. We had Christmas lights year-round.

Now there are two reporters in the pressroom. Plus a lot of empty desks, a drawer of dusty coffee mugs, ANG time sheets with no one to fill them out, and even -- until recently -- a few left-behind Chron computers. In '99 I would have killed for those.

Last night, it was definitely a smaller party than in years past. Some writers, some county employees. I swapped recollections with fellow old-timers, but the younger reporters, who mostly work in other offices, didn't think we were that funny. (Come on! How can you not laugh about the Times doing a story about Merv Griffin and accidentally running a photo of Supervisor Mary Griffin?) But there was still plenty of lively talk about stories, sources and editors.

And I heard that many of my former cohorts who have left newspapers are doing pretty cool things. One works for San Mateo County, something that has interested me since my days as a poli-sci major. Another is in the foreign service and headed for India, while Michele (Marcucci) Ellson, a former Times pressroom denizen, writes and edits the Alameda online news source "The Island."

Of course, some of us soldier on as ink-stained wretches. It can be tough to feel like the last one standing, especially as an arts journalist (a particularly endangered breed). But I'm as proud as ever of what we do. Someone's got to keep an eye on the store.

Photo of a typewriter -- which would have been better than the computer I had in the pressroom -- courtesy of morgueFile.com.

Washington White House Christmas

The First  family opened the Christmas season this week with festivities at Presidential Park and the White House. First Lady Michelle Obama hosted a tour of the decorated White House.  More than 80 volunteers from 26 states worked on the decorations.... I wonder how you get on that decorating committee... .If you missed it I'll share some of it with you here....

The annual White House Christmas Tree Delivery... This year an 18 foot Douglas fir is delivered to the Blue Room which is the official location of the White House tree. 

Lions tigers and bears....Oh my!

 

This is a beautiful LED tree....Yep it works Mr. President.

Wednesday was the official lighting of the national Christmas Tree in Presidents Park.

The Douglas Fir decorated in the Blue Room.

 

I absolutely love the decorated Red Room.

A nod to Christmas past Former First Lady Laura Bush...East Room, Christmas 2008

 

Then First Lady Hillary Clinton, Christmas 1993.

  The Reagans in the Blue Room... Christmas mid 1980's

 The Kennedy's, Christmas 1961

 

The last time we had young kids in the White House... Christmas, 1962

Holiday Tablesscapes

This is holiday week and we open the holiday season with Thanksgiving this Thursday... I can't wait!! This is also the time when we decorators like to pull out all the stops with beautiful tablescapes and imaginably creative wasys to decorate our houses or someone elses... Organic tablescapes... colorful dining rooms... mix old with new. It's also the time to use what we have. Haven't we all acquired so many beautiful things over the years?.... Something old accompanied with something new, something borrowed mixed with something blue. This tradition need not wait for the wedding season.  I'm going to California for Thanksgiving.  I plan to take a few items with me to add to the family table... my favorite napkin rings, maybe a silver platter.... hope to post some pics in a  few days.... Until then....I'm thankful. I'm grateful.

Happy Thanksgiving.... Red River Inteirors.

Make it Special

Make it Organic

Make it Beautiful

 

Make it Blue

Make it Red

My Design Picks

Today I'm posting a few of my top design picks in home furnishings. They're unique and would be a great addition to any space. They're fresh...and  stylish.... that's what I like about these designs.The companies represented by these picks have an international flair and represent contemporary style... click the links below to discover more.

 Imola Chair - Bo Concept

The Imola comes in leather,vibrant felt colors and additional upholstery fabric.

 

Kikko Modern Chaise -Contemporary Furniture.com

What a great place to lounge. The headrest are movable...made in the Netherlands

The Austin Chair - Outer Limits

Ya gonna love it...it hugs the body

Metal Blinds in Umber - The Shade Store

A stylish metal shade works well in a contemporary space. Try it in the office or at home.

String Panel Window Treatment - The Shade Store

This innovative window treatment can be used in a small or large space as well as a room divider.

A photographer's vision in oil

About four years ago, Edward Burtynsky's titanic and disturbingly beautiful photos made up the most powerful exhibition I've seen at the Cantor Arts Center. Mining and refining leave scars on the Earth, but Burtynsky finds color and light inside.

Burtynsky now has an exhibition focusing on oil up at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. (in case you happen to be passing through). Sprawling images of old derricks, ship-breakings and trashed cars are compelling even online.

Magazine writer and blogger Tyler Green also has an interesting snippet of Burtynsky's life story up on his blog, "Modern Art Notes."

Pictured: Edward Burtynsky's photograph "Oil Refineries #23, Oakville, Ontario, Canada, 1999." From www.edwardburtynsky.com.

Window Fashion Dealer

I love window treatments. I started selling blinds about ten years ago but decided to become a dealer of several vendors this year. Red River Interiors has always sold drapes and has lots of fabric vendors to choose from... But now we're excited to add the following companies to our line of window treatments... Click the links below for more product information and email us to set up a design consultation.

Hunter Douglas

click on company name to link

Horizon Blinds & Shades

Skandia Window Fashions

The Woven Company

More 'metaphysical' music at the Cantor

Friday still means free experimental music at the Cantor Arts Center, and today I was back to watch more musicians with new takes on Mark Applebaum's wild "Metaphysics of Notation" score. (I was last there in May for Sam Adams and his laptop.)

Today featured the Weekly's A&E intern, violist Be'eri Moalem; and his cellist girlfriend, Julia Jurkiewicz. The pair originally met playing a Brahms quartet together. They took on Applebaum's score of symbols, flowers and dots with verve. I enjoyed the rich range of sound: mournful, smooth, intricately patterned, minimalist, lively.

At one point, Be'eri stomped and Julia knocked rhythmically on her cello, creating a sort of fast-paced folk dance. Later, I peered at that section of the score to see what had inspired them, and found sharp diagonals emanating out from peaceful centers, and curving lines wrapping around like ribbons.

Other moments were very familiar: I heard pieces of Bach and hints of "Avinu Malkeinu" and other Jewish songs. Be'eri said later that some of the notation's imagery reminded him of the emotions called up by other pieces of music. He has more to say about the score online.

The upstairs balcony where the score lives is a very resonant space, which players have enjoyed. It's also, of course, surrounded by visual art. In the middle of today's concert, I slipped into the neighboring Frank Lobdell figure-drawing exhibition for a moment. It was a pleasure to hear the gorgeous sounds of the strings ebbing into the gallery as I admired Lobdell's deft drawings of women. One moment the music added more grace to the women's curves; another, it contributed drama to the inky shadows drawn behind them. Each art form helped me find more to appreciate in the other.

Concerts are planned through February, with recordings of past performances up at the museum.

Pictured: Be'eri Moalem and Julia Jurkiewicz playing at the Cantor. Photo by Rebecca Wallace.

Holiday Guest Room

It's November. We're about to enter the holiday season. Airline ticket prices are down...so, isn't this the perfect time to fly home for the holidays? I plan to head to the coast. No staycation here. I've done enough of that. I do remember my way to San Jose.... California that is... silicon valley... the Bay Area. It's time to visit family and friends. But, if you're staying put and having overnight guest....why not spruce up that unused guest room? You know the one that doubles as an office, craft room and a catch all.
Airline travel can be tiresome and rushed during the holiday season so before your guest arrive pull out all the decorating stops. Paint, de-clutter, buy new bedding, update accessories. Give the room the formality of being the designated guest room. If... only for a week.

Transitional and Glamours
This room has the feel of a boutique hotel

image: Coastal Living

Sleek and Contemporary
Just a bit moody.... Love It

Traditional and Refined
Anyone traveling to the low country?

Where's the girly girl?
Ya got ta love her.

image: Red River Interiors

'Country Living"
Serene small space in the attic

Image: Country Living

For the lady who loves red... I know I do.

image: Red River Interiors

Sing me a cimbalom

It wasn't your everyday orchestra moment at the Palo Alto Philharmonic on Saturday: In the middle of a concert, somebody brings out a cimbalom.

But, hey. If you're playing the folk-rich "Hary Janos" by Kodaly, you've got to have a concert hammered dulcimer from Central/Eastern Europe. The cimbalom is a particular star in the "Intermezzo" movement of the opera. "Intermezzo" leaps like a peasant dancing girl (landing, of course, on the first syllable like the Hungarian language does), and the cimbalom adds a rippling depth. At times I could picture a girl's tiny feet tripping across the strings, as though she had jumped up to dance on the instrument itself.

The concert was definitely an international experience, Hungarian-themed with works by Bartok and Dohnanyi, and people chatting in Hungarian. (For an even more international flavor, watch this YouTube video of a Japanese orchestra playing the "Intermezzo.")

Cimbalom player Roman Titcu kindly let us climb up on stage after the concert to look at the gleaming instrument. I'm now in favor of having someone walk in with a cimbalom on many occasions. Long city council meetings, maybe. Or while you're stuck in line at the bank. Imagine.



Pictured: Top: Cimbalom player Roman Titcu with his instrument on stage at the Cubberley Community Center Theatre, last Saturday after performing. Above: A close-up look at the cimbalom. Photos by Rebecca Wallace.

Office Style

I love style and style makers. The designers that influence the style of First Lady Michele Obama have interior style of their own. I love to see offices of creative people....what inspires them and how they work. The shots below of fashion designer Jason Wu and J. Crew Creative Director Jenna Lyons are Mrs. Obama's top style choices. Take a peak with me of the inside of their work spaces. See what inspires them.

Jason in his New York office.... he gets great light in there.

Mrs. O, You're so Vogue... she loves the sweater set look. I'm also loving that comfy velvet couch.

The office of J. Crew creative director Jenna Lyons.
Mrs. O and the girls have a special relationship with this retailer.

Things that inspire Jenna Lyons.