But for now, please continue keeping up with my love for all things art, design, food and inspirational at www.the-typewriter.tumblr.com
About a week ago I started a tumblr site as an extension of this blog: www.the-typewriter.tumblr.com. I found myself wanting to get a little more creative with my blog space and thought this was the right way to do it. With this "new" blog, I hope to be a more intentional, regular writer. It's already very image-heavy, mostly because images often inspire me just as much as words do. If there's ever a time where I feel like my words would fit better on this site, I'll do so.
But for now, please continue keeping up with my love for all things art, design, food and inspirational at www.the-typewriter.tumblr.com
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Here are the last two stories I wrote for D CEO during my internship at D Magazine.
You Need to Know: Linda McMahon of The Real Estate Council Weir's Furniture Plans Big Expansion Read my latest review of PS:Gallery's Fall Exhibit 2010 (yeah, there's only 10 days left to see the show, so hop to it!) In 1953 Robert Rauschenberg had an idea. He would ask Willem de Kooning, an established Abstract Expressionist, for one of his drawings. Then, he would erase it. de Kooning went along with it; he even said that he would have to choose a drawing that he would miss. What resulted was "Erased de Kooning Drawing." The implications of the act were numerous. Rauschenberg was trying to deal with the art that came before him. He was facing whatever it was that he'd have to live up to or depart from. And while many might find his idea pompous or disrespectful (or perhaps it was a little of both), it was also boldly showing de Kooning that there was no denying his impact on the art world. It was a tribute in its own peculiar way. I've always loved this story. I mean, it is a true story after all. But what I like about it is the desperation I see in it. To me, it seems like Rauschenberg made the most honest statement of all: where do I go from here? Every artist (person, really) asks himself that at one point or another and reacts to it on a daily basis. That's how movements shift throughout history. Pop Artists departed from what Abstract Expressionists had been living out for years. Contemporary artists are carving out their own places in the world today. And not just artists, but writers too. Vanity Fair recently posted a conversation with writer Jonathan Safran Foer. He published Tree of Codes, a book and work of art created by cutting out chunks of writing from Foer's favorite novel, The Street of Crocodiles by Bruno Schulz. Foer says: "It’s a book I’ve always loved. Some things you love passively, some you love actively. In this case, I felt the compulsion to do something with it. Then I started thinking about what books look like, what they will look like, how the form of the book is changing very quickly." Jonathan Safran Foer's book/artwork, Tree of Codes. Like Rauschenberg, Foer's removing what was there to make it his own (although according to several commenters, Foer's idea isn't groundbreaking. Here's something similar). Foer says, "This book is mine." It is, after all, a completely different story in the end. I just wonder what Schulz would think; would he be as understanding and encouraging as de Kooning was toward Rauschenberg? Would you? Gone are the days of hayrides and pumpkin picking at fall festivals. Welcome to the adult festival, where hot apple cider is kicked up a notch with rum and BBQ sandwiches are replaced by Perini Ranch Steakhouse mesquite smoked peppered beef tenderloin. Stephan Pyles celebrated his restaurant’s fifth year in the Arts District with just this kind of fall festival last night. Local farmers and vendors served up delicious samplings of cheeses, wines, meat, coffee, chocolates, and desserts, while the restaurant prepared various flatbreads, ceviche, butternut squash soup, and more.
Some highlights included my first taste of pure honeycomb from the Texas Honeybee Guild. Besides being naturally sweet and indulgent, local honey is nature’s immune system booster. Another first for me was a taste of Scardello’s cheese with a lavender- and coffee-coated rind, an odd yet unexpectedly good combination. My sweet tooth got the best of me with tastes of Dude, Sweet Chocolate’s “Crack in a Box” (salted and candied whole hazelnuts, almonds, macadamia, and soy nuts covered in dark chocolate) and Pure Chocolate Desserts by Zach’s “Passionata” (milk chocolate tangerine mousse, passion fruit gelée, white chocolate banana mousse, and chocolate almond sacher cake soaked with dark rum). A live cooking class gave guests the chance to make last-minute tweaks to their Thanksgiving menus with Stephan Pyles’ original recipes for roast turkey and blue corn chorizo stuffing, cranberry mojo, chocolate bourbon pecan pie, and blue corn-serrano muffins. With live music playing while guests ate, drank, and were merry, there really was a festive atmosphere at this fall festival celebration. Live in each season as it passes;
breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each. -Henry David Thoreau, 1853 Just when I thought I was getting the hang of this Dallas thing... ...baseball takes over a football luncheon.
I never took that course in college, "Art Appreciation." It makes me kind of sad that most of the people I know that did take the class kind of hated it. But I do wonder what the gist of the class was: here's how to appreciate art. I mean can you really teach that? Maybe you can, I don't know. I know that I've appreciated art for most of my life, and I'm sure part of that was due to my first art history class in high school.
But if you want a sure-fire way to appreciate anything, I say try it. I, for instance, appreciate runners. Is that weird? Maybe. I admire them, for sure. Because when I "try" running, I'm reminded that I am no runner and find new admiration for those who put feet to pavement for miles upon miles. So last month when I got the chance to be an extra in the Dallas Opera's production of Don Giovanni, I gained a new appreciation for the entire process of putting a theater production together from start to finish. Because I only got to be a part of rehearsals for the first two days, I witnessed the very early stages of rehearsals and the constant stop and go that needs to take place in order for it to look seamless on opening night. It's not like I never appreciated actors and singers before, but this gave me a more well-rounded look at everyone involved in a production (actors, the chorus, supernumeraries, directors, stage managers, the maestro, dancers... the list goes on!) My suggestion next time you don't fully understand something or "appreciate" it is to try being a part of it somehow. Be an extra in a play or movie. Take an art class. Sit in a rehearsal of a musician. I promise you'll get a unique experience that will teach you to appreciate something in a completely new way. (To read about my experience, read my post on D Magazine's arts blog, FrontRow. And the Dallas Opera's blog posted a link to my story under the "punny" header "Dallas Opera Gave Her the Slip.") One night I'm enjoying dinner at a restaurant opening...
... a few days later I'm overcoming fears and covering a mayor luncheon. Another day I'm being introduced to the State Fair of Texas via fried cake balls... ... and then sipping fair trade coffee and learning about wonderful organizations. Somewhere along the way I experience a costume fitting and a few days' rehearsals as an extra in the Dallas Opera (stay tuned). It might not "pay" to be a journalist sometimes, but it non monetary ways, it wholeheartedly does. I started a fall internship at D magazine two weeks ago. In the midst of moving to a new city it's been wonderful to be excited to go to work everyday in a fun office environment surrounded by supportive interns (two fellow MU alums!) and staff. Besides daily rounds of fact-checking information, anything from verifying listings of upholstery shops and mechanics to stories about ex-Dallas mayors and hole-in-one insurance brokers (yes, you really do learn something new everyday), I've gotten to do a bit of writing already! Take a look for yourself. Both are featured on D blogs, the FrontBurner and SideDish. One is about a luncheon featuring Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert; the other covers the grand opening of Buttons Restaurant in Addison, Tx.
Funny thing is, at the orientation for this internship we were asked to write down three things that, if asked to do, would probably terrify us. The catch? We would meet one-on-one with the president of D and work on overcoming one of these "fears." The kicker? Pretty sure covering a luncheon with the mayor qualified as one of my fears. Well, now that I've got that crossed off... |
AuthorValeria Turturro is a journalist with a love for art and architecture, cooking, learning and connecting people through storytelling. Archives
January 2011
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