This week’s weekender takes a cue from the Manetti Shrem to take time for contemplation; and we have the Mondavi Center's tribute to John Prine as well as an upcoming David Sedaris performance (for fun).
Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum encourages reflection
The theme for this week’s Manetti Shrem At Home newsletter is “Taking Time,” chosen in “celebration and contemplation of artist Stephen Kaltenbach's 80th birthday.” Many of Kaltenbach’s works, including his famous time capsules, revolve around the concept of time. Read on to explore articles, activities, and videos on the subject of time.
- Professor of Art History and recent Guggenheim Award winner Heghnar Watenpaugh reflects on imagined memories, what it means to call a historical site “timeless” and how places hold great meaning for people even when they are unable to visit in person.
- In a 2012 TEDx Talk, Professor Andreas Albrecht, a leading theoretical cosmologist, explains the relationship between destruction and the flow of time that shapes our universe and offers an updated metaphor for the COVID-19 era.
- Close your eyes. Think back to when you last spent a long stretch of time outdoors. What do you see? What do you smell? Now take time to draw your memory.
- Conceptual artist Stephen Kaltenbach reflects on time, permanence and the premature closure of The Beginning and The End at the Manetti Shrem Museum in this recent video interview. Experience Stephen Kaltenbach’s digital work Heartbeat (2001) as it counts down the number of seconds left in the artist’s life if he were to live as long as his mother.
Read more of this week’s newsletter, “Taking Time,” here. Subscribe to the Manetti Shrem At Home newsletter here.
Mondavi Center to virtually post David Sedaris; honors John Prine
Read a Mondavi Center tribute to folk singer and songwriter John Prine here. Prine passed away due to complications from COVID-19 on April 7, 2020. Don Roth, executive director at the Mondavi Center, recalls fond memories of Prine, from Prine’s recent performance at the Mondavi Center to a chance encounter in Roth’s youth.
During the closures, Mondavi continues to offer free virtual concerts. The virtual concerts will be shared on the dates the shows were scheduled to occur. This week, enjoy wit and humor at “An Evening with David Sedaris” on Wednesday, May 13. Click here to view the full schedule of virtual concerts.
Crocker Art Museum incorporates art and wellness with technology
The Crocker Art Museum has moved its popular Art Rx program online. Art Rx is a free program run in conjunction with UC Davis Health that offers art appreciation and social connection as a means of relief for chronic pain sufferers. Read more about how the Crocker is combining art, wellness, and technology here. If you want to participate from home, step-by-step instructions are at the bottom of the linked article.
SFMOMA offers a way to recreate art
Have you been inspired by reading the Arts Blog’s articles and watching video links? Try your hand at creating your own art. The SFMOMA has an Open Studios program that offers step-by-step art instruction. These projects aim to “... connect high school teachers and students with the ideas and inspirations of leading contemporary artists.” However, anyone can enjoy these artist-designed activities. Check them out here.
Verge Center for the Arts offers subscriptions
The Verge Center for the Arts is offering Verge DIY Kids Pack Subscriptions. According to their website, “The Verge DIY Packs are a great way to bring art education into your home. All activity packs use basic household supplies to create fun and engaging art activities for kids of all ages. Packs are available for ages toddlers-adults so there’s sure to be something for any skill level. All packs include a list of supplies, activity instructions, and an artist profile.”
A subscription with bi-weekly activity pack downloads costs $5, and a subscription with weekly downloads costs $10 a month. Learn more and sign up here. Several previous activity packs are available for free at the bottom of this page, if you’d like to try before you buy.
Coming up
Art Studio Visiting Artist Lecture goes online
Artist, author, and educator Harry Gamboa Jr. is next up in the Art Studio Visiting Artist Lecture Series. His lecture will take place online on Thursday, May 21. The lecture begins at 4:30 p.m. followed by a Q&A. Registration is free. Click here to learn more. Register for the meeting here.
Art social media of the week
This week we have two stunning art tweets. One offers information from an alum, and some good virtual art.
And we feature an SFMOMA tweet with life truly imitating art.
The best of Arts Blog newsletter
Go to our full newsletter, Art in the Time of Coronavirus, here. This newsletter, published Tuesday, gives an overview of the last six weeks of Arts Blog coverage you may have missed. If you are a subscriber, you already received it. If not, become a subscriber now.