The Sublimity of High Places
“High places” can mean many things, including: (1) geographically high places (mountains, polar regions); (2) aesthetically sublime high places (beautiful mountain landscapes); (3) materially and symbolically high places (sacred mountains); and (4) metaphorically high places (moral high ground, achievement, status, power). Cartographers have long struggled to visually map the magnitude, beauty, and complexities of geographically high places…
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The Subversive Power of the Doodle
Until 1936, doodlers in 20th-century America were said to be “pixillated”… as in, under the spell of pixies (fairies). For some, doodlers’ illogical marks represented symptoms of either a spiritual trance or neurosis 😳 (Maclagan, 2014). What changed in 1936?
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Revitalization or Bust
A couple years ago, I began exploring the reported resurgence and renewal of Detroit while creating the below painting. When I finished it, I wrote a bit about the many exciting and innovative projects involved in the city’s revitalization. But it’s not such a simple story.
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Wicked Problems
Have you ever been on a safari? If so, did it change how you think about zoos? The contrast of life in the wild Serengeti versus life in a cage felt utterly unbearable afterwards.
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Archives and Doodles
Do you doodle? Ever wonder what your doodles mean? Recently, I edited an academic article by a couple of Chinese historians. Due to some translation difficulties and unfamiliar formatting of archival citations, I had to find various “Top Secret” correspondences…
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Degenerate Art
Ever had a “brilliant” plan backfire? Hitler once had a “brilliant” (aka horrible) plan to kill modern art… it failed spectacularly…
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A Rap Feud and a Renaissance
In the 1920s and 30s, Harlem was home to an explosion of Black American artistic expression. Fast forward to 2016—in his iconic performance at the Grammys, Kendrick Lamar….
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So Unsisterly!
Did you know that San Francisco used to have a sister city? I learned that in March while there for the Superfine Art Show.
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Deskaheh, the “Great Trouble Maker”
Secret: I used to think history wasn’t relevant. That’s why I try hard to show my students how history unfolds around us every day. It’s simple pedagogy, but I have so much fun with it! You may already know this story….let me know if you do!
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Chromophobia
Are you a chromophobe? Or perhaps a chromophiliac? You know how things and spaces in the West tend to be saturated with neutrals, earthy tones, and a minimalist aesthetic? Why? Why do wardrobes (guilty!), homes, streets, and other spaces in Western societies exclude colour? Might be the result of centuries of anti-colour conditioning, a.k.a. chromophobia…
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