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mark mothersbaugh's myopia at the MCA
Attending a parochial preparatory school on the Upper East Side of Manhattan during my teenage years probably wasn’t the best thing for me. But in a renewed effort to find the positive in things, I’ll admit that I got a great education even if the school wasn’t the right fit. Another advantage in spending so much time around 78th Street was the exposure I had to art. The Frick, the Met, the Guggenheim and the MoMA were all walking distance from my high school. Upon dismissal (or let’s be honest, when I occasionally skipped out on gym class- sorry mom) I would head over to one of the nearby museums. I loved art and there was a lot of it.
I’ve been trying to increase Otis and Theo’s exposure to art and music. I have memories of coloring and painting at a young age, and I began playing piano when I was 6…so I just a few months older than Otis is now. I don’t have many regrets in life, but I wish I had stuck with piano, which ended when my teenage attitude got in the way of practicing. I also wish I kept making art.
My high school art teacher encouraged me to pursue creative endeavors so I immersed myself in painting, sculpture and art history. I never thought I would make a career of it, but art was an outlet that gave me a lot of satisfaction, and quite frankly, a lot of joy.
I wasn’t the best artist in my school, but my teacher thought highly of my creative output and she encouraged me take the Advanced Placement Art during my senior year. I worked tirelessly on my portfolio and was happy with the final product. That is, until the grades came back and I scored a 1. In case you’re not familiar with AP scoring, that’s the bottom of the barrel.
Being an impressionable teenager, I found myself demoralized. I stopped painting and using clay completely. The work I had been so proud of, well, I thought it was awful after that score came in. But now at 38, armed with the benefit of self-confidence and perspective, I could kick myself for thinking such a thing. Why did I let an anonymous judge derail an activity that made me happy?
Over the long Thanksgiving weekend I took the boys to see
Myopia, Mark Mothersbaugh’s new exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art here in Denver
. It was awesome; we all loved it. It’s hard to capture the right words that could express what it was about Mothersbaugh’s artwork that reignited my desire to paint and be more creative, but it did. I’m so glad we got to see it…
Here’s to creative endeavors that enrich your life, being inspired and not letting silly numbers get in the way of the things you love.
Enjoy your weekend,
xx,
Batya
friday favorites: holiday gifts under $100
friday favorites: glass objects
I've mentioned before that I'm a huge fan of glass, so much so that 7 years ago I enrolled in a glassblowing class at Urban Glass in Brooklyn. Unfortunately I never really got the hang of it - trust me, it's harder than it looks- and all I was left with, after months of practice and hard work, was a few sad looking vessels that have almost no practical functionality.
Thankfully, there are some really talented glassblowers and glass makers out there. Here's a round up of my favorites, some old and some new.
Happy weekend!
xo,
Batya
1. Matterhorn Glasses by Tale Design via Cool Material
2. Table by Glas Italia via Trendland
3. GlassMount for Bomma by Arik Levy
4. Tapio Wirkkala for Venini
5. Iittala Ruutu Vase by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec via Designythings
6. Vaso-Sake Set by Sempli
7. Sini Rame Nesting Bowls by Sempli
8. Lighting by Niche Modern (PS: Factory Sale this Saturday in Beacon, NY)
9. Luxe Carafe Set by Niche Modern
10. Hazy Days by Marset
11. Laguna Glassware by Attico
12. Water Pitcher Block by Antonio Arico via Design Milk
cook the mag: bon appetit's feta with sumac and black sesame seeds
If you would have said to me, say three years ago, "Batya, how are the Broncos doing this season?" I would have shrugged and stared back at you blankly. The confused look might have been followed by something like, "You mean the football team, right? The one from Denver?" But that would have been the extent of it. I come from a long line of Yankee stock, and other than baseball, we didn't follow other sports. Football hardly registered at all.
Things changed exactly one year ago when my husband's cousin Melissa gave us tickets to see the Denver Broncos, a gift for our 5th anniversary. It was my first trip to the stadium, and even though I was hopped up on meds (following a diagnosis of acute tonsillitis with an extreme form of strep), I fell in love with the sport. Football is a religion around here, and I've become a pretty faithful practitioner. I'll admit that I don't know every rule or intricate detail of the game, but my heart is definitely in it.
In addition to cheering for the home team, Sunday football has become a catalyst for our weekend gatherings too. Sometimes we head over to our neighbors' house, other times we host at our home. And since there's never really enough time to clean the house and cook a meal, I opt for dishes that are big on flavor and easy to make. Last week's menu included olives (the good kind), a cheese plate, hummus (2 ways),shakshuka (sauce made the night before), and this feta sumac spread from Bon Appetit. Though our team didn't win the game (don't worry, they're still in 1st place), we all had a great time. And isn't that what football gatherings are really about? (S
xx,
Batya
Feta with Sumac and Black Sesame Seeds (Courtesy of Alison Roman for Bon Appetit Magazine, October 2014)
Ingredients
1½ pound feta, sliced ¼” thick
1 tablespoon fresh oregano or marjoram leaves (optional, I made it with and without)
1½ teaspoon black sesame seeds
1½ teaspoon ground sumac
Olive oil (for drizzling)
Crackers (for serving)
Preparation
Divide feta among small serving dishes. Top with oregano, sesame, and sumac. Drizzle with oil; serve with crackers.
Notes:
If you're looking for really good cheese, olives, crackers- that sort of thing- and you live in Denver, head over to the Truffle Cheese Shop on 6th Avenue. It's one of the best in the city.
Sumac, a tart, citrusy spice, is available at Middle Eastern markets or specialty foods stores. I have a friend who brings back sumac from the Middle East (Lebanon), but when I run out I head over to Arash Market in Aurora.
friday favorites: hexagons
Thank you to Carly Loman, my colleague at DLD PR, for helping me put this collage together!
I enjoy traveling, photography, hiking, street art, design, architecture, food trucks, gardening, the cosmos, cooking with the seasons, political activism and wallpaper! I know my interests span a variety of categories, here's where they all come together.
