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Arts Reviews

An Evening of Tango

by Marj O'Neill-Butler on August 30, 2010

There was a full house at the Colony Theatre on Miami Beach this past Saturday night for a fantastic performance called Eras Del Tango. A live orchestra, a wonderful vocalist Cristina Longo and three pairs of tango dancers made the theatre come alive. To add to the performances, there were slides of photographs and paintings of tango dancers from the past.

I must start with the music that included a man playing the traditional Argentinean concertina called a bandoneon. Sometimes it squawked, sometimes it was melodic, but it brought us the sound of Argentina in every piece. Unfortunately the musician wasn’t credited in the program so I can’t give him personal kudos. All of the musicians were excellent and played continually throughout the show during dance numbers, vocals and their own orchestra pieces. Wonderful to hear this music live!

Cristina Longo, the vocalist with a delightful and powerful voice, sang six different songs throughout the evening. The pieces were all in Spanish and even though I don’t understand the language, they spoke to me. You could feel a collective swaying in the audience when she sang music that was familiar.

And then there were the dancers: three couples. Each had their particular style. The opening part of the program gave us a look at tango styles from previous eras. Picture a man and a woman both in suits, each with a hat; he with spats. The dance was sexy and funny and brilliantly executed by Jeremias Massera and Mariela Barufaldi, choreographers and producers of the show.

Next came a period piece in formal dress nicely danced by Jerry and Christine Perez.

My favorite of three wonderful couples was the youngest pair: Diego Blanco and Ana Padron. Their first appearance in Taquito Militar was a flirtation between a serviceman and a young girl who wanted his money. Their footwork was like lightning, their focus strong, the sense of comedy marvelous.

There were several group tangos that showcased all their talents including difficult lifts and turns. The dancers were beautifully lighted by Ron Burns, who added washes of color and pools of light to highlight each dance.

The costumes were excellent, the women’s dresses in particular. Each moved beautifully with the dancer. And each new dance brought on more and more costume changes that enhanced each number.

This company produced two performances on Saturday. I hope they will continue to produce and perform in South Florida. The audience was most appreciative.

Ain't It Grand – Art Deco on the Concourse

by Irene Sperber on August 10, 2010

South Floridians live with personal knowledge of Art Deco power. This architectural miracle transformed Miami Beach from a desolate has-been to the pulsing enclave we now inhabit.

A little Art Deco background: After Paris’ Universal Exposition of 1900, a selection of French Artists formed a group La Société des Artistes Décorateurs (the society of the decorator artists), the aficionados of moderne design. The last word in high style after WWI, the 1925 Exposition International des Arts Decoratifs et Internationale Modernes (International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts) in Paris, was the impetus in coining Art Deco from Art Decoritif. The moderne style of STREAMLINE was close on Art Deco heels, aerodynamic shapes were easily and effectively ensconced within Art Deco.

Hundreds of structures on Miami Beach, built from 1923 to 1943, add up to the largest Art Deco grouping in the world, giving heft to the Art Deco District being listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, thanks to a relentlessly dedicated group of locals. Linda Gail Polansky, a former banker, got into real estate only to look for buyers of deteriorating Miami Beach "streamlined modern" or Art Deco buildings. Our savior, Barbara Capitman, founded the Miami Design Preservation League (MDPL) in 1976, working tirelessly with designers Leonard Horowitz and Lillian Barber to successfully preserve the Art Deco District.

The Grand Concourse in the Bronx, just north of New York City, is hopefully perched on the brink of following Ocean Drive down the rabbit hole to Historic Designation. Once called the “Park Avenue of the middle class,” the Concourse is a four-and-a-half-mile-long eleven-lane roadway. Compared with Ocean Drive and the Champs-Élysées in Paris because of its amazing Deco architecture in a relatively small area, it made an impact on the City Beautiful Movement (the turn of the last century (1800/1900s) brought North American Architecture and planning to the forefront with an idea of bringing beauty and grandeur to our cities. The Grand Concourse plan first sprang to life in the 1890s to meld Manhattan with the Bronx. Designed by Louis Alys Risse, an Alsation Engineer, the Concourse opened in 1909. Art Deco apartment buildings emerged in the 1920s & '30s.

On my July foray to the Northeast in an unrealized search for cooler air, I ventured up to the Bronx from the Upper West Side of Manhattan with some trepidation as the area has not been known for a genteel manner in many a decade. Not unlike South Beach history, the South Bronx succumbed to a darker side in the 1960s and 1970s: urban blight prevailed though there were efforts to preserve the Grand Concourse as a sort of buffer that would prevent the whole of the Bronx —including it’s wealthier neighbors like Riverdale and Marble Hill from deteriorating to arson and crime: “Abandoned buildings, collapsing schools and hospitals, rampant crime, drugs, and of course the fires in the night sky became the defining image of these once solid and tranquil blocks” quotes one article I read. The blame is not immediately obvious: drugs, public housing rising in nearby areas, the economy, white flight, expressways, rent control; no one is crystal clear on the first step down that slippery slope.

Dragging around a dog-eared in-depth newspaper clipping of a Grand Concourse Art Deco tour for several years, it was time to make my leap. Over the past decade, grassroots advocates are trying for landmark status, only recently gaining traction. During the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s public hearing on the issue recently, support was forthcoming for designating a section from 153rd Street to 167th Street. A final decision will be in the near future. Celebrating its centennial year in 2009, I was surprised to find that the Grand Concourse still does not give up its jewels willingly. You have to do some heavy (observational) lifting while using up a little shoe leather. It was a challenge in the historic July New York heat wave of 2010.

Offering private bathrooms and central heating, big perks of the day, Deco apartments still boast sunken living rooms, wrap-around windows and an open and airy feel. Lobbies are ringed with still beautiful, albeit dirty, murals, mosaics and killer terrazzo floors with brass inlay. I don’t think I’ve ever seen more spectacular pieces of Terrazzo art, and I do not use the term “art” loosely. Terrazzo is broken marble dust and pieces imbedded in cement creating strong colors and contrasts delineated by brass inlay.

One of the big surprises, found at 166th Street, was the 1924 limestone house of the late Andrew Freedman, a wealthy New Yorker. It has been compared to the Palazzo Farnese in Rome. My excitement peaked when I saw the gate was open because of workmen accompanied by an architect. I thought it was a big stroke of luck as I started to plead to be let inside, but it was actually housing public Social Services Programs. Dynamic from the outside, there was no grand stairwell and any interior architectural wonderful-ness had been long removed.

The most exciting Deco piece was an apartment building I almost overlooked. A medium-sized dirty mosaic mural of marine life decorated the front façade of the FISH building at 1150 Grand Concourse. I read of the gorgeous interior lobby, but as I peered in through the pedestrian double doors to a grubby entryway, my survivor instinct came into play. I instructed my “body guard,” played by my long-suffering husband, to hold the main doors ajar while I peeked in through the second layer of interior doors. I was let into the main lobby by a bored Super completely disinterested in my curiosity, but willing to play along. A long–term resident and historic advocate was conversing with the Super. She proceeded to bombard us with information overload. I wanted to ask to be invited up to her sunken living room, two-bedroom apartment with two original bathrooms — one with cobalt blue fixtures with yellow and blue tile, the other with plum-colored fixtures and rose-colored tile, but was a little taken aback by the onslaught of words and found myself attempting to disengage from the grip. I regret this move. I should have pushed for a viewing. A spectacularly designed terrazzo lobby floor with brass inlay lay at our feet; marble walls and painted murals were all around. It was a feast for the eyes. I began to ache for this woman and her 20 year quest to pray for salvation of this marvelous moment in architectural history.

888 Grand Concourse is another hidden gem of black granite, bronze, marble mosaics and gold. It appears a bit ratty in person, but in my photos it still has “the look” that makes you melt. Thirteen beautiful murals of American workers painted by artists Ben and Bernarda Bryson Shahn line the Bronx Post Office walls. We were alone in noticing on a busy Wednesday afternoon.

The Loew’s Paradise Theater, Poe Park, the Lorelei Fountain by Yankee Stadium and many more Deco apartment buildings line the Concourse along with the Bronx Museum of the Arts. Let’s all hope the Bronx can salvage this amazing bow to their past as successfully as Miami Beach. Famous Residents include: Poet Joyce Kilmer, Margaret Bourke-White, Daniel Libeskind, Chaim Potok, Woody Allen, Bella Abzug, Mark Twain; an endless and varied list.

Books for more information: Intersections, The Grand Concourse at 100, AIA Guide to New York City, Boulevard of Dreams by Constance Rosenblum, and Art Deco in Shanghai and Miami Beach by Chinese photographer and Shanghai resident Deke Erh.

 Photos by Irene Sperber

 

 

 

JUST KIDDING

Children’s Summer Art Programs

by Irene Sperber on July 03, 2010

Summer has a long way to go, you are having a marvelous time with the children and/or grandchildren; frolicking about, oblivious to life’s pesky “must-do” list. Perhaps you might take time out and attend to a few things and, quite frankly, could stand to pry little fingers off the latest technological wonder to jam in a bit of culture before the summer has completely melted away into a hot, soupy blob.

 

I have amassed a selection of suggestions to aid this noble endeavor in order to enhance your “mini-me’s” ability to assimilate later in life.

Let’s start with the obvious:

Miami Children’s Museum has a multitude of programs for all age groups (no, not yours); from your sweet wide-eyed youngest through the ….let’s just say, LESS wide-eyed teen years.

MCM is OPEN every day from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Miami Children's Museum, 980 MacArthur Causeway, Miami. Call 305.373.KIDS (5437) or visit www.miamichildrensmuseum.org.

1) Have a birthday party!

For birthday party reservations, Call 305.373.KIDS (5437), ext.112 OR Email: yanet@miamichildrensmuseum.org

2) Bal Harbour Beach Camp (Available on a weekly basis)

Presented by the Miami Children's Museum

Located at the Seaview Hotel in Bal Harbour

Through September 3, Monday-Friday/9 a.m. - noon.

Week 5: July 5-9 - Young Einsteins

Week 6: July 12-16 - Splashes of Summer

Week 7: July 19-23 - Around the World in 5 Days

Week 8: July 26-30 - Up, Up and Away

Week 9: August 2-6 - Green Team

Week 10: August 9-13 - Cook Books

Week 11: August 16-20 - Fairy Tale Fantasy

3) Creative Island Summer Camp? thru September 3, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Available on a weekly basis.

(Before and After-care available) Art, music, cooking, science, call 305.373.5437 ext 112 or visit www.miamichildrensmuseum.org.

4) Story Time

Everyday at 11a.m., in You, Me & Teddy Bears Too!

Meet the Archeologist

Saturdays, 3:30 p.m.

MCM Players Open Rehearsals

Thursdays at 3 p.m., in The Auditorium.

MCM Kids Cooking Club

1st Sat. of every month, 3:30 p.m.

5) Educational Tours for appropriate age groups

Registration: Call 305.373.KIDS (5437), ext.100 or ext. 112

Visit MCM’s Administration office on the 2nd floor, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Be sure to check time and availability with the Museum before you pitch up.

The Art Culture Center of Hollywood has something fun for any age or temperament.

Nathan Sawaya: Replay

Sculptures made up exclusively of LEGO® brick.

Art & Culture Center of Hollywood, 1650 Harrison St., Hollywood. Call 954.921.3274 or visit www.artandculturecenter.org.

Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) is continuing to be a major force in South Florida’s art world. They have not left young up-and-coming residents high and dry this summer. Reviewing these options, I was sorry there is an age limit!

Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Joan Lehman Building, 770 NE 125th St., N. Miami. Call 305.893.6211 or visit www.mocanomi.org.

Creative Arts Summer Camp

Thru August

Full Day Program 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. (Free After-Care until 5:30 p.m.)

July 12-16 - It Came from Outer Space: Art Inspired by Astronomy and Science.

July 19-23 - Learning Animation and Claymation: Making Moving Sculptures and Drawings?August 2-6 - Art Inspired by Natural Wonders: Locally and Globally.

August 9-13 - Art Inspired by Music from Different Cultures and Times.

August 16-20 - Art Inspired by Ecology from Around the World.

For teens there is Portfolio Drawing Class, Photography, Junior Docents & Journalism.

Contact: Education Programs, Lark Keeler at 305.893.6211 or lkeeler@mocanomi.org.

Miami Beach Botanical Garden

And now that your refrigerator door is crammed with Basel-worthy art work, how about rallying your tiny troops to get into the Culinary Arts…..after you admire the fridge door, open it and gorge on your progenies' more practical talent.

Miami Beach Botanical Garden, 2000 Convention Center Dr., Miami Beach. Call 305.673.7256 or visit www.mbgarden.org.

Culinary Kids

Cooking instructor Cindy Hill will conduct a two-week summer camp for July 19 to 30, Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. at the Garden. Whole food cooking instruction, nutritional facts, multi-cultural recipes, gardening and field games. Students prepare nutritious lunches daily. Call 305.496.4591.

OR: The Garden’s Art & Craft Summer Classes

Tuesday morning from 10 a.m. - Noon. Art activities in environmental themes, using plants and recycled materials. For information email wboltusa@hotmail.com.

If none of the above has captured your imagination here is a Quick List to jump-start your heat-addled brain:

Bass Museum Miami Beach

IDEA@thebass inventive art classes.

July –November Call 305.673.7530 or visit www.bassmuseum.org/programs.html.

The Lowe Art Museum

The Beaux Arts Summer Camp for children ages 5-12 includes drawing, painting, sculpture, paper-maché and ceramics. Call the Beaux Arts Hotline at 305.668.8499 or visit www.miami.edu/lowe OR contact Community Relations at 305.284.5500 or UMNEIGHBORS@MIAMI.EDU for more options and ideas.

Miami Children’s Theater

Creative Camps: Training in Acting, Voice, Dance, Musical Theater, Auditioning and Performance. 12-18 years old. Previous experience. Call 305.274.3595 or email info@miamichildrenstheater.com.

FOCUS ON JOSE IRAOLA

by Irene Sperber on June 24, 2010

I visited Miami-based artist/photographer Jose Iraola in his spacious, moderne studio after being introduced to his impressionistic photographs. A charming and ebulliently expressive soul, Iraola’s enthusiastic energy bubbles up from the innovative nature of a creative being. Jose uses “discovery and development to then build with intention”.

For the past five years he has been enthralled with a happy accident of technology. One of Jose’s digital cameras decided to go on the fritz. After three vain attempts to fix the stubborn box of sensors and chips, he had a flash of insight. The distorted images were quite lovely as they were. The smear of light changed photographs of his garden’s floral bounty to an ethereal dysmorphic “other-ness”. As the camera continues shooting, images become more floating as heat builds up in the unit. Coupling this timed heat change with different lighting effects gives Iraola some control over output. Photographs do not show the full depth of the pieces; there is a glowing, textural quality in person. The surface is not unlike layers of pigment on an old wall, with irregularities showing through many paint applications.

Quick note: Perhaps the next time we become incensed with technological glitches, we might sit back and see the positive instead of heaving double vanilla lattes at the insipid contraption.

Jose Iraola was born in Ciego de Avila in central Cuba, studying at the University until temporarily suspended from engineering and sent to the Photography Studio. He never looked back. It would appear that Mr. Iraola’s life is a succession of divine intervention. He eventually made his way to Miami in 1988 via a circuitous route.

Another side to Iraola encompasses his passion for film. The “Memoria Television” work isolates still photographs directly off the telenovela “Laura,” complete with subtitles in sequences, reflecting a different form of communication. His extensive video collection underlines this fascination with the cinematic form. His website homepage quotes a Charlton Heston character: ”There’s something wrong here somewhere.” Kind of sums up the meaning of life on some days, doesn’t it?

In 2008, Jose exhibited in “Listen Darling…The World is Yours,” at the Ellipse Foundation in Portugal, coming full circle to “show alongside many artists that formed him.” Now, he was showing with them. Ah, we all should have such a moment.

Jose’s work is in permanent collections in The Museum of Latin American Art in Los Angeles and the J.P. Morgan Collection, among others.

You can see some of Jose Iraola’s work at the David Castillo Gallery in DCG Open, an exhibition of Miami-based artists, until July 3. David Castillo Gallery, 2234 NW 2nd Avenue, Miami. Hours: Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and by appointment. For more information visit www.davidcastillogallery.com or www.joseiraola.com.

 

Past perfect - The Jewish Museum

by Irene Sperber on June 15, 2010

“Shaping Lincoln Road with Lapidus, Hertz, and Sirkin: The Un-Told Story"

The Jewish Museum of Florida hosted Deborah Desilets, bringing her endless knowledge of Miami Beach history to life with an exhibition and lecture (June 9th) ) JEWISH CONTRIBUTIONS TO MAKING LINCOLN ROAD, aided by remembrances of numerous heirs of three “fathers of invention.” Desilets was an associate and personal design architect with Morris Lapidus. The exhibition of accompanying memorabilia will be displayed at the Jewish Museum until June 25th.

The eve of Lincoln Road’s 50th Anniversary (12/2010) is an appropriate time to elucidate our beginnings in order to clarify our continuing journey as an inventive community. Miami Beach is now attracting many of the movers and shakers of the Architectural world today, adding to the vision base of Morris Lapidus, Harry “Pop” Sirkin and Hal Hertz.

Linking the Beach and evolving Bay side presence, Lincoln Road began as a motor road; people could drive up to the exclusive shops and conveniently manage their shopping escapades from curbside. In the early ‘60s, Hal Hertz, owner of the very high-end Hertz Ross Shoe store, had an inspiration to turn Lincoln Road into a pedestrian Mall. Hertz took an overlay of the proposed pedestrian Mall to Lapidus who immediately saw the potential of a conversion. Hertz went to all 198 store owners with the ultimately convincing overlay plans.

The Sirkin family had the largest ownership of Lincoln Road property. “Pop” Sirkin stopped the street closing from happening all the way to the ocean, lest shoppers balk at having to walk up to his properties. Lapidus possessed the vision to complete this task, calling his modern fixtures on The Road “bangles & beads.” Only the second pedestrian Mall in the country, The Lincoln Road Mall was fashioned after a mall in Rotterdam.

Lapidus once said “As I grow older, architecture has less to do with brick and mortar and more to do with soul.” You better hoof on down to SoFi ASAP if you want to catch a bit of this town's soul at the Jewish Museum of Florida.

The Jewish Museum of Florida has it’s own remarkable history. It was Architect Henry Hohauser’s first project (1929) on Miami Beach and is currently on the National Register of Historic Places. The Jewish Museum of Florida is located at 301 Washington Avenue in Miami Beach. For information call 305.672.5044 or visit www.jewishmuseum.com. Open Tuesdays – Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

WAIT! There’s more!

A Quest for Emotion and Motion in Architecture ?featuring items on loan from Deborah Desilets' Private Archives of Morris Lapidus?? runs until July 18. Showing the 'Big 8' resort hotels designed by Morris Lapidus, the father of Miami Modern Architecture.

ArtCenter / South Florida, ?800 Lincoln Road?, Miami Beach. For more information call 305.674.8278 or visit www.artcentersf.org.

 

“Let’s Get Metaphysical”

by Irene Sperber on June 04, 2010

Walking Through Walls by Philip Smith

You never know who meanders amongst us. Keep an open mind and we just might stumble over a healer, a noted artist utilizing sacred geometry, or an author with a memoir that will make your family look normal. Yes, Schmoopy, it’s true; your family is not the be-all and end-all of strange and wondrous behavior.

All these realities are rolled into one native Miamian named Philip Smith. Literally handed his book to read on a trip to New York, I zipped through in record time.

Mr. Smith’s 2008 memoir, Walking Through Walls, reads as two stories; each one memorable, eye-opening entertainment.

Tale #1: A well documented account of Philip’s 1950s & ’60s childhood in Miami; a town filled with humidity, spotty A/C, creatures of all sorts and sizes happily communing without and within your home and little culture to speak of. Bizarre cannot begin to describe Miami in it’s earlier days: Everglades denizens, northerners escaping their birthplace with Gawd-knows-what personal re-invention and a nouveau leisure class loaded with joie de vivre; an odd place full of odd people.

It’s an enjoyable personal history lesson on South Florida’s quirks. Author Philip Smith amusingly and competently paints us into his childhood journey with two very colorful parents. Which brings me to…

Tale #2: Philip’s father, Lew Smith, described as the only straight decorator in Miami, and Mom, ready at all moments for her close-up. Style was the worshiped entity until Lew discovered his psychic healing abilities on a large scale, turning their lives from panache-laden to transcendent. The man left no stone unturned in the world of macrobiotics, spirits, healers, channeling and generally poking around in other peoples minds; much to the chagrin of little Philip, yearning for the pedestrian parenting of our youth. Smith’s love and ultimate respect for his father comes through as pages unfold, despite the damage of constant parental surprises to the delicate nature of the teen-age sensibilities.

Walking Through Walls reads like a manual for expanding horizons outside the box of everyday life. Put your current thoughts of reality on hold and walk through a few walls with the Smiths. How perfect to have so uneventful a surname.

Philip Smith successfully grew into adulthood; surviving a father instantly knowing all, um, youthful indiscretions. (Can you imagine? Makes you shudder, doesn’t it?)

The influence Lew Smith had on his only child comes through in Philip’s intriguingly contemplative paintings. “Like Tarot Card readings, the images find their own placement on the canvas,” says Smith. Applying the paint, sandwiching together various hues, he then scrapes away layers with a screwdriver. To this artist, the method echoes Mayan, Inca, Aztec, Egyptian or Native American images etched into stone or sand. The technique is called Sgraffito; a top layer scratched to reveal the color beneath. An oil pigment and beeswax combination adds depth to his pieces.

The double helix is evident in a large number of paintings. Philip explained his use of the DNA symbol as a bridge between Geometry, Physics and Metaphysics. Other Sacred Geometry iconography is found in the work: Genetic Wheel, Tree of Life, Flower of Life, Tetrahedrons or Merkaba (a healing and protection tool). All these symbols are shapes found in nature. The inclusion of numbers bows to his father’s study of Numerology.

As the years progress, you can see the work become simpler and more concentrated which Philip attributes to his many years studying the Japanese art of Karate; likening his later pieces to understanding, through Martial Arts, that every move must be carefully executed to hit it’s mark.

Philip Smith’s work is in the permanent collections of the Bass Museum of Art and Miami Art Museum (MAM) in Miami; the Whitney Museum in NYC, Dallas Museum of Art, and the Detroit Institute of Arts as well as gallery representation in Munich, Aspen and Boca.

 

One more little footnote; as Philip Smith was preparing to publish Walking Through Walls, more of his father’s papers came to light; apparently a 1971 message from the beyond had asked Lew if he had a son, and that one day this son would compile a book on his father.

For more on Philip Smith's art visit www.philipsmithart.com. For more information on his book Walking Through Walls visit www.walkingthroughwallsthebook.com.

IX Annual Congress of the Cuban Cultural Center of NY CUBAN ARCHITECTURA-A Historical Legacy

by Irene Sperber on May 22, 2010

A symposium of significant architects from around the globe amassed at this one day (5/15) Conference to discuss Cuban Architecture; A Retrospective with an eye to the future, held at the stunning new Cooper Union School of Architecture building in Manhattan. Opened in 2009, this “green” edifice by Morphosis utilizes many of the old demolished building materials. I was knocked out by design elements. Walls and ceiling of the lecture hall were made of metallic matte screening scrunched into an undulating pattern. Blue and terra cotta lighting tones glowed from above the ceiling screens. Thick banisters were placed further away from walls as you descended the staircase. A fitting entry to a day of historic design discovery.

By some quirk, I was informed of this Congress a week before a previously planned trip to New York. Convincing myself that my presence was fated, off I went. Making a plan to meet a like-minded Miamian on site, the day turned out to be a remarkably great twist to my northern visit.

Attendees were predominantly renowned architects and Cuban architectural historians; lectures ran throughout the day and into the evening. It was a delight of information starting with an informal “meet & greet” breakfast at 8 a.m. featuring a fruit /cheese design shaped like the stained glass semi-circle (medio punto) over many a Havana doorway. Even the food was architectural. The lack of proper Cuban coffee was lamented as participants attempted to rally without the potent brew. There were many joking references to “Cuban time” as scheduling ran off the rails from the get-go. But never mind.

The day was organized by the Cuban Cultural Center of New York and the Society of Cuban-American Engineers and Architects with the sponsorship of the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, the Municipal Art Society, the Architectural League of New York, and the Global Dialogues Committee of the New York chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

The IX Congress was dedicated in memory of Cuban and American Architect Mario Romañach (1917-1984) professor of architecture at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Fine Arts, well-known for his Community planning in Havana and for his architectural firm, Romañach Partnerships with daughter Maria who delivered the Conference dedication.

Miami resident Nicolas Quintana gave the keynote address, a “Historical Overview and Legacy of Cuban Architecture.” This Cuban architect never disappoints as a very competent lecturer of vast knowledge; since 1951 Quintana has worked as principal, in charge of design, in approximately 200 projects in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Aruba, Bahamas, Brazil, New York, Los Angeles and Florida; he practiced architecture and urbanism in Cuba in the 1950s and has taught for many years at the Florida International University School of Architecture.

We were riveted as Quintana explained the excitement of the ‘40s & ‘50s, a “national movement of great intensity, that brought many moments of brilliance” to Havana. Architects from all over the world…..Neutra, Philip Johnson, Niemeyer, Le Corbusier, Gropius, Van de Rohe….were interacting with Cuba and Cuban architects. Havana at that time was awash with a cluster of talented people such as Quintana, writers Jose Lezama Lima and Lydia Cabrera, illustrator Jose Luis Diaz de Villegas, sculptor Juan Jose Sicre, artists Wilfredo Lam, Sandu Darie and many others. Quintana is a cornucopia of facts: Havana’s series of plazas encompasses over 16 miles of covered spaces; Vedado was beautifully oriented to the winds; the top cupola of Capitolo National was raised so it would be 3 feet taller than the one in Washington. He considers Havana to be the first green city.

Morning lectures encompassed the “The Colonial Period and the Cuban Republic” with Narciso Menocal from the University of Wisconsin, Architects Raul Rodriguez and Carlos Fleitas; Eduardo Luis Rodriguez on the Modern Movement, author of The Havana Guide, a terrific book recognizing Cuba's modern architecture in detail.

Afternoon lectures concentrated on Revolution and Post-Revolution Construction and Deconstruction from 1959 to the present with architects Belmont Freeman, filmmaker Florian Borchmeyer (“The New Art of Making Ruins” ), Architectural Conservator and Historian Hansel Hernandez Navarro, and Hervin Romney, founding partner of Arquitectonica.

Copious photographs reflected the influence of North America, Spain and Africa. There is a need to preserve not just the highly publicized 900 Colonial building of Havana but the whole entity, including Tropical Modernism or “Mambo Style.” Established architects left Havana after the revolution. Young well-trained idealistic architects remained, steeped in modernism, to make their mark. The (prefabricated) Multiflex system was developed by students of the School of Architecture, University of Havana, which allowed for the growth of a structure in all directions supported by a central support structure.

Cuban architect and author Ricardo Porro, an important figure of the Cuban Modernist Movement, was guest of honor.

A round table discussion with the many notable architects ended the day. I must admit, an allergy attack sent me home after a mere 12 hours at the Congress and I missed the round table of great architectural minds coming together with ideas on “Cuban Architecture and Urbanism Full Cycle, Present Trends and a Post-Revolutionary Future.”

Suffice to say, this was a day to reflect upon, as the world…..and Cuba….move inexorably forward.

Post Script: Stumbling out of the Cooper Union building into the Manhattan twilight, I encountered a Ukranian Block Party; celebrating their heritage complete with costumes, food and dancing, it took a moment to switch cultures, but was a unique post script to a unique day.

Dance Now! Produces Beautiful Dance

by Marj O'Neill-Butler on May 17, 2010

DNE Program II: TEN YEARS OF NOW! Dance Now! Review

 

The dancers of the Dance Now! Company are physical artists and the lighting by Thomas Aranthana Fonseca shows them off beautifully. It has been a long time since I have seen a dance concert so well lighted.

Opening in fog and one down light, the opening piece moves from a solo to groups of dancers. The company is beautifully rehearsed, and moves in and out of shadows created by front and side lights. Particularly impressive is Lavonna Anthony who dances to the finger tips of her expressive hands.

The first act was a bit limited by the fog that stayed throughout the three pieces. I know it wasn’t meant to be, as I could see a stagehand in the wings madly fanning the air trying to dispel it. It didn’t really distract from the dances because they were so committed to the moment.

A duet came second with Zultari Gomez and Walter Gutierrez. Gomez moved on point, which was interesting and unexpected; Gutierrez showed his strength as her partner. The music by Radiohead was too loud and distracting.

The final piece in the first act, “Night Run,” featured six dancers moving from group pieces to duets and trios. Lavonna Anthony and Mikhail Nikitine were brilliant in an early duet. A sextet with all the dancers was exciting as well. Mention must be given to Sorgalim Villarrutia and Jessica Merritt, both are engaging dancers to watch.

The second act featured a variety of styles and music. Of particular interest was a duet featuring Hannah Baumgarten and Mikhail Nikitine, a solo by a fiery Walter Gutierrez and another solo featuring Lavonna Anthony who danced with her own shadows. Again, beautifully lighted.

I kept thinking these dancers are athletes with form; ultimate form featuring bodies that are trained to perfection. This production was a part of the Miami Dance Festival held every spring in South Florida. If you haven’t seen this company or the others featured in the festival, next year you must make an effort to attend. The large crowd at the Byron Carlyle Theater was very appreciative of the fine work they saw. For more information about Dance Now!, visit www.dancenowmiami.org.

HDR, A&M, and MMS = a Synergistic Stew

by Irene Sperber on May 11, 2010

Translation:

High Dynamic Range Photography

Academy of Arts & Minds

Miami Marine Stadium

High Dynamic Range Photography……ever heard of it? Unless you are a Photoshop junkie this may not ring a bell, but it’s worth exploring. The work of Jay Koenigsberg, a Miami lawyer with a passion for the Photographic Arts, is exhibiting his fantastical images of the Miami Marine Stadium over the next two weekends (May 8/9,15/16, 7-10 p.m.) at the Academy of Arts & Minds, Coconut Grove.

High dynamic range (HDR) images record a much greater range of tonal detail than a camera could capture in a single photo. Jay worked 20 hours on his largest piece from the Stadium. My response: “Is that all?”

Friends of Miami Marine Stadium was formed to protect one of Florida's most threatened landmarks. This all-volunteer coalition of individuals and organizations under the administrative aegis of Dade Heritage Trust (Miami-Dade’s foremost preservation organization) is continuing to insure our magnificent resource is preserved. A plan has been created to maximize its public use. Built in 1964, this Virginia Key gem was recently named to the World Monuments Fund 2010 Watch List.

For more information and photos go to the web site: http://www.marinestadium.org/

The Academy of Arts & Minds in Coconut Grove is a 6 year old Performing Arts Charter High School, specializing in a Renaissance approach to develop well-rounded rather than niche-oriented artists. The county-wide student body is exposed to many arms of the art world at A & M: Visual, Graphic, Dance, Music (vocal/instrumental), Theater and Film. Co-Founder of the Academy (along with Lily Renteria) Manuel Alonso-Poch, a Member of Friends of Miami Marine Stadium, was knocked out when he saw Koenigsberg’s HDR photos of the Stadium. The three factions took advantage of their ability to bring these different parts of Miami life together for the knowledge and interest of all involved: Architecture, artists, historic preservation and education. Artist Koenigsberg has offered all proceeds from the sale of his art to go to the Academy and the Stadium in equal shares.

Opening night of the exhibition read like a who’s who of Miami/Dade movers and shakers. Speakers included Mayor Tomas Regalado, Hilario Candela (principal designer of the Stadium). Miami architect Jorge Hernandez, Academy of Arts & Mind co/founder Manuel Alonso-Poch, Becky Roper Matkov (Executive director of Dade Heritage Trust), Don Worth (co-founder of Friends of Marine Stadium) and photographer Jay Koenigsberg.

For more information on the Academy go to their website: http://www.aandm.net/

Jay Koenigsberg is Chairman of the Palm Beach Photographic Center: http://www.workshop.org/

The South Beach Chamber Ensemble Review

by Roger Martin on May 05, 2010

Concert Review

MUSIC IN BEAUTIFUL SPACES

Picture this: six o'clock on a South Beach evening, clear skies, warm breezes, tropical fragrances amidst the lush growth. We enter the all-white, simple meeting room of the Miami Beach Botanical Garden. Rows of white chairs and we are sitting four and a half feet away from Luis Fernandez. He's playing the violin. Entrancing.

There are sliding glass doors in this room and through them we can see the gardens. Two cats stroll by, enjoying the evening. Poor cats, they're missing the music.

It's Simple Symphony by Benjamin Britten being performed by the South Beach Chamber Ensemble.

Next to Luis sits violinist Tony Seepersad, Michael Andrews playing the cello and Rafael Ramirez with his viola. The musicians, as is the audience, are casually dressed, because this is a casual affair. Not that you think that when you watch the performers' faces. They are in love with their art, and it shows.Founded by Michael Andrews in 1997, the Ensemble's program this evening features Early 20th Century English composers and starts with Britten, and then Edward Elgar's String Quartet in E minor, Op 83.

Cuban poet Carlos Pintado has written three poems, reading one before each movement of the Elgar. He reads in Spanish, but English translations are provided. The first stanza:

“The ship sails away and I am the traveler

Who stares at me from the ship

Or more than the traveler himself I am his rising hand

by the evening light and against the the sky.”

Despite the music, or perhaps because of it, it is a quiet evening, relaxing, refreshing. It's music in the home. At intermission the audience wanders the gardens, mingling with the musicians, and then the performance concludes with Ralph Vaughn Williams' “Fantasie on a Theme” by Thomas Tallis and the St Paul Suite by Gustav Holst.

There is a simple reception in the garden to end the evening. Bottles of wine and dark chocolate truffles.

I'm not a music critic; far from it. I watched Lady Gaga's Telephone video with Beyoncé (the uncensored version) this afternoon and thought it was swell, so maybe I'm not qualified to tell you how well the musicians played, but I'm saying it anyway. Music is to be enjoyed and that's what the South Beach Chamber Ensemble gave us. Pure enjoyment. I know I'll be going back.

Miami Beach Botanical Garden is located at 2000 Convention Center Drive in Miami Beach. For more information regarding their music series call 305.673.7256 or visit www.mbgarden.org. For more information on The South Beach Chamber Ensemble call 305.673.2183 or visit www.sobechamberensemble.org.