It's a bird, it's a plane, it's ART??!!

The usual (and unusual) suspects in Macy's 82nd annual Thanksgiving Day Parade

Keith Haring's "Figure with Heart" Balloon

Tom Otterness' "Humpty Dumpty": the inaugural balloon for the Blue Sky Gallery series 

Jeff Koons' "Rabbit" for the 2007 parade

In the spirit of Thanksgiving (and due in part to the quiet that has overtaken Emily Amy Gallery on Black Friday) I thought it would be fitting to blog about a long-standing Thanksgiving tradition, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  As most families do, my husband and I woke up early on Thanksgiving morning to prepare our family's feast.  In order to get ourselves in gear for the big day of cooking, conversing, and cleaning ahead, we opted for some coffee and a small dose of the 82nd annual parade.

All of the usual suspects were represented this year, cartoon character balloons, clowns, bands, Broadway performers, and a special treat...ART!  For the third time since 2005, the "Blue Sky Gallery Series" continued with Keith Haring's "Figure with Heart."  Aiming to inject some art into the pop culture phenomenon, the Blue Sky Gallery Series was inaugurated in 2005, when officials invited artist Tom Otterness to create a balloon version of one of his classic humpty dumpty's.  In 2007, the series was revisited, when Jeff Koons created "Rabbit", modeled after his 1986 materpiece of a mylar bunny that was cast in highly-polished stainless steel.  A tradition that many are calling 'Pop Art in the Sky' is, in my opinion, a fantastic addition to the tired line-up of cartoon characters and 30-second performances.  Infusing pop art into this 80+ year tradition adds a little more culture into this widely televised and heavily attended event.  Now, the children (and grown-ups) that are in attendance or watching couch-side are able to learn a little bit about contemporary art without leaving their comfort zone.

Haring's "Figure with Heart" was introduced this year as a tribute to the artist, who would have turned 50 in 2008.  Working in conjunction with the Keith Haring Foundation, the Macy's Parade Studio re-created a pen and ink on paper of Haring's from 1987, entitled "Untitled (Figure with Heart)".  As only the third float in this 'Pop Art in the Sky' succession, I have to confess, that now more than ever, I will wait in eager anticipation of the next Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  

  

Magritte and his Legacy

Today's Google Logo

Golconda (1953)

The Son of Man (1964)

The Empire of Light II (1950)

To celebrate what would have been Rene Magritte's 110th birthday, today Google's logo mimics three famous Magritte paintings; most directly Golconda (1953), The Son of Man (1964) and likely, a piece from the The Empire of Light series (1950s).  

Magritte became a leading member of the Surrealist movement after leaving his native Belgium for Paris in 1927, where he then spent 3 years.  The illusionistic and dream-like quality of his paintings (and the present Google logo) is characteristic of a more "representational" style of surrealism rather than the "automatic" style seen in the works of the leader of the Surrealist movement, Joan Miro, and the like.  His works were often witty and amusing, playing with ambiguity and visual truth in painting.  Magritte states, "My painting is visible images which conceal nothing; they evoke mystery and, indeed, when one sees one of my pictures, one asks oneself this simple question, 'What does that mean?'.  It does not mean anything, because mystery means nothing either, it is unknowable."

It made my day today to see the "Magritte-ified" Google logo.  It is the little things in life that spark the curiosity of the young and old to discover more about art and its amazing history.  I hope that I was not the only one who searched and read all about Magritte's life and work after my first Google search of the morning.  I stopped to take in a small bit of culture during an otherwise mundane morning and feel that much more cultured for it.  I promise you will too.  

 

So many artists, so little time

Whitney Wood

Shelby Case

Silas Breaux

This past Thursday, my husband and I attended open studio night at SCAD. The amount of great (young) talent in the Atlanta arts scene never ceases to amaze me. Shown above are a few of my favorite finds from the evening.

I am pleased to report that the event was also surprisingly well-attended, for all the gloom and doom currently in the media. For most, art is certainly a "luxury," but as I was reminded, seeing so many students and young professionals there purchasing, for some (like myself) it is still a necessity.

Constantly curating

This past Friday night was the opening of my second exhibition at Emily Amy Gallery, which was a great success!  Since I am the only one currently employed by the gallery, the title of owner/director encompasses many things.  Although many of my odd jobs are not so glamorous, one of my favorite "tasks" in preparing for a show is curating.  

Curating gives me the liberty to really showcase my skills in art placement and artist recruitment.  It also gives me the thrill of hanging the galley with all new work, which makes the gallery so much more exciting to return to on a daily basis.  For this show I chose 5 gallery artists and worked around the theme of how different artist depict nature in a show entitled, Nature Interpreted.  

Coincidentally, as I was reading through Coco+Kelley's blog the other day, I discovered Urban Curators.  Urban Curators is a project "highlighting interesting and unexpected areas in urban environments."  The objective of the collaborative is to "celebrate the beauty of the abandoned, unused, and decaying spaces in the city."

While speaking with Laura this past Friday at the opening, our discussion turned to how blogging made us stop and appreciate all the beauty in the world that we may not have noticed before.  There is truly so much to be thankful for, even during these hard times.

Nature Interpreted

Cara Enteles, Bees do it Best, 12" x 12" Oil on acrylic sheet

This Friday night, I am hosting the second exhibition at the gallery since we opened.  The show, entitled Nature Interpreted, explores the way in which different artists take vastly different approaches to representing nature.  Whether it be oceans, flowers, mountains, birds, bees, or leaves, artists have long been fascinated with nature's depiction.  These five talented artists from across the country have come together to display the way in which they each interpret nature.

Please join me in welcoming them to Atlanta at a reception for the artists, Friday November 7th, from 7-10 pm.  I hope to see you here!