About Two Squares is a book for children by Russian artist El Lissitizky that was first published in a dense art journal called “De Stijl” in 1922. The book weaves together the rigor of Lissitizky’s studio art practice with the mode of a children’s picture book. Different than most children’s books, you can read this book and …
I had two things on my mind when we started this road trip a few weeks ago. First, I am raising three white boys in Alabama, and I wonder what they will grow up to think about race and power. Second, I am so loved. My partner-in-crime surprised us by arranging an adventure to see …
My children and I consume a lot of art together. As they grow up, I see glimpses of how sharing art together affects them. Since, I’m not the first artist (or art professional) to raise a child, I have begun asking adult children of my colleagues how experiencing art from a young age has impacted …
My 3 year old took off weaving through this installation. Even though most of the walls came up to his waist (at most his shoulders), he suddenly started wailing because he felt trapped between the Great Wall of China and the Berlin Wall. “Yo no quiero ver mas a mis vecinos,” (I Don’t Want to See My Neighbors Anymore) is …
“One of the constants in the work of Anish Kapoor is the creation of openings on the crust of the world,” says Pier Luigi Tazzi (source). Earlier this week, I wrote about our experience of Anish Kapoor’s artwork “Aima.” His whirlpool “Descension” is in Brooklyn Bridge Park all summer. Below are more moments of descension and ascension the …
In 2004, Anish Kapoor opened up the floor of this chapel at Castello di Ama. I visited it last summer with my husband and two preschool aged boys. I’ve been writing about our trip for a while, including my experience touring this art collection and winery. Walking into the oldest chapel in the village, there is …
Meet the Artist: David Hockney is an art activity book illustrated by Rose Blake for Hockney’s current retrospective at the Tate Britain. The illustrations are fresh and unique. The activities invite you to play like you are in Hockney’s studio, giving you a great picture of Hockney and being an artist. Below are snapshots from the book and …
Castello di Ama is winery located in a very small hamlet in Tuscany. Over the last 17 years, the owners have commissioned remarkable site-specific artworks. I wrote about our visit with our family in an earlier post. I highly recommend this stop in Italy with or without your children. One of the more recent commissions in the collection …
Castello di Ama publishes small catalogs on each artwork they commission. Full of beautiful photographs, they unwrap the process and trigger the sense of the installation. Since these site-specific artworks won’t be traveling, I am so glad I brought these thick brochures home. I also picked up a few postcards with simple line drawings of some of …
Driving through the landscape in Chianti is just like the books. You pass vineyards, rolling hills, and bicyclers. Even if you are driving on point, it feels like you are lost (in a good way). Finally, at the top of a hill and the end of the dirt road, we came to a few medieval buildings and very …