Remembering a relief effort

"It is no light matter to be in the midst of a starving population and to be only able to feed about 10% of them." So said a relief worker during the effort to alleviate a widespread 1921 famine in Russia.

The worker's words were quoted by Stanford author Bertrand M. Patenaude in his 2002 book "The Big Show in Bololand: The American Relief Expedition to Soviet Russia in the Famine of 1921." They are far from the only dramatic element in the book, which is filled with stories of dark days and humanitarian deeds, and striking photos of those struggling.

Next month, the book premieres in a new format: It's been made into a documentary film that will be shown on TV as part of PBS' "American Experience" series. "The Great Famine" was written and produced by filmmaker Austin Hoyt and will be broadcast nationally on April 11.

Closer to home, a free public screening of the film at Stanford is planned for Wednesday, April 6, at 7:30 p.m. at Lane History Corner, Building 200, Room 2.

The famine-relief campaign, led by Herbert Hoover, lasted two years and included the efforts of many former World War I doughboys, Patenaude said. For his part, Patenaude took 14 years to research and write the book, delving into documents in Stanford's Hoover Institution Archives.

More trucks and cheese, please

This is one of those Fridays when I'm left with several interesting tidbits that I wish could've made it into the print edition this week. Paper stretches only so far, especially these days.

So ... presenting another installment of "Other Stuff From the Arts Editor's Desk":

* I'm kind of a Eurail girl, but there's something appealing about Jerome Peters' "Old Trucks" series of paintings. A Palo Altan and retired firefighter, J.P. has done acrylics of fire engines and helmets but now gravitates toward Chevys and Fords. He has a new show opening April 1 at the Portola Art Gallery in Menlo Park.

* Take that, fromage. Hidden Villa is hosting a "Dueling Cheeses" program this Sunday afternoon. In one corner: three fromages from France. In the other, a trio from California. Class attendees get to taste-test and judge, of course, but they also get a lesson on terroir, and wines to match. Totalement tasty.

* Also on the food beat, former Gourmet Magazine editor Ruth Reichl is scheduled to give a free talk on "The Intersection of Food, Culture and History" on Tuesday at Stanford. Maybe you can ask her why there are so many burger joints opening up on University Ave.

* Best book title of the week: "Moonwalking with Einstein." Author Joshua Foer is on the Kepler's schedule for a free author talk Monday evening on the aforementioned book, whose ambitious subtitle is "The Art and Science of Remembering Everything." The guy went from science journalist to U.S. Memory Champion. And then wrote a book. But I would still laugh on Monday if he couldn't find his keys.

Pictured: Jerome Peters' acrylic on canvas "Chevy Truck."

Pretty Spaces

These days there's so much in the news that's distressing.  That's rather normal for the news but for the past month the distress factor has risen.  Today I just want to get away and look at pretty spaces by some wonderful designers...it's a privilege to do so.

Pacific Palisades: Designer Heather Bland -Love the flat Roman Shades

LA Times

Designers Kit and Tim Kemp's London townhouse: They like the many shades of pink as much as I.

Stylish Manhattan apartment feels like a cloud above the city scape.

Brooklyn Townhouse: Designer Jonathan Berger- Who wouldn't want those pink leather chairs?

House Beautiful

unique house

Modern-day music at M-A

It's not just high school students taking advantage of that spiffy semi-new theater at Menlo-Atherton High. Now two Stanford graduates, Jason Federmeyer and Alexander Sigman, have started a new musical organization and plan to bring in a slew of guest artists to M-A.

Last year, the pair founded the ambitiously named Menlo-Atherton Academy of Contemporary Music, with plans to bring in "cutting-edge" 20th- and 21st-century music and musicians: concerts, lectures, master classes and workshops. Now they're publicizing their first concert, which will feature the Berkeley-based composer Luciano Chessa, player of piano, musical saw and many other instruments.

On April 9, Chessa is scheduled to perform with others including Stanford professor and visual artist Terry Berlier. The program includes "Always rings twice," with Chessa playing the piano and Vietnamese dan bau; and "Louganis," with Berlier using video on plasma.

Chessa teaches at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and has many compositions to his name. As a former Aggie myself, I cannot fail to mention the work "Inkless Imagination IV," which premiered at U.C. Davis in 2008 and featured viola, turntables, percussion, video projection with Berlier and other musical and visual media.

Pictured: Luciano Chessa, in his San Francisco Conservatory of Music faculty photo.

Red Hot !

Red Hot  is a new series that will introduce a weekly list of inspiring design trends and products.  These are products  and ideas that offer a fresh approach to any interior project. I haven't tried all of them put aspire to. Join me in choosing something Red Hot for your next interior project.

1. Painted Ceilings -  Open up your space with painted ceilings. Don't you want to see something up there other than white space?  I do. I know this is uncharted territory for some but the possibilities are endless. 

Apartment Therapy

Painting the ceiling a soft turquoise adds an ethereal fell to the space. Put your hand over the painted ceiling and observe how the room feels. Color changes everything.

Domino

 

2. Lighting -  Shades of Light lighting store and web site has some of the most unique lighting fixtures anywhere. These are two of my favorite. If you're in Virginia Beach or Richmond stop by one of their stores.

I absolutely love the simplicity of design in the Retro Flowers Drum pendant. It's a must have in a mid century modern interior. It also comes in a blue/green combination.

Retro Flowers Drum Pendant

"Everybody is a star." That's what the song says?  So why not add this hottest of light fixtures flush to your ceiling?

Vintage Star Flush Mount

3.The Color Honeysuckle - Call it hot pink or call it honeysuckle but the Pantone color for 2011 is hot! It pops any room. Layer it with softer shades to create a  monochromatic look or contrast it with chocolate or black. This color makes me happy.

Country Living



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The story behind the face

"Eddie Currents was a dreamer. The men at the bank where he worked called him crazy Eddie, and told him to straighten his hat. Serious guys wear their hats directly across their heads, he said. But Eddie only laughed..."

Thus begins Colleen Craig's short story "Eddie Currents," inspired by the work of one of my favorite local artists, Kenney Mencher. As a painter with a taste for short fiction, Mencher decided to start what he calls "an Internet-based literary, graphic design and painting collaboration." On his blog, he invited writers from the U.S. and U.K. to craft short stories based on his mixed-media portraits -- which in turn were based on vintage and antique photography.

Once a story was chosen, Mencher then designed a graphic environment around the portrait. You'll have to read Craig's story to get the mermaid reference.

Craig won the writing contest for the dreamy collage, oil paint and graphite drawing "Eddie Currents." Now she and other writers will be showcased along with Mencher's art in a bricks-and-mortar exhibit. The ArtHaus Gallery in San Francisco is displaying the project, "Renovated Reputations: Recent Paintings by Kenney Mencher," in April.

Meanwhile, Mencher is still continuing the project. It may have an illustrated monograph in its future.

And for those who dream of seeing their faces as well as words in an art gallery, the ArtHaus reception on April 8 will feature a photobooth. Folks who are appropriately dressed just might end up in a future Mencher portrait. Don't forget the fedora.

Pictured: "Eddie Currents" by Kenney Mencher