Royal Ontario Museum: Friday Night Live’s ‘Volcanic Bash’

The last night of the Royal Ontario Museum: Friday Night Live’s ‘Volcanic Bash’ was on point.  Full on with their eye for impeccable details, Pompeii Roman themes, volcano nods and enough warmth emanating from the space to soothe our cold bones from the winter’s chill.

The night’s theme was ‘Volcanic Rocks’ celebrating the soon to be closing (on January 3, 2016) ‘Pompeii: In the Shadow of the Volcano’ exhibit.  We made sure to check out the space which told the dramatic story of an ancient civilization frozen in time and features 200 remarkable objects, many of which appear for first time in Toronto. Check it out before it closes!  http://www.rom.on.ca/en/Pompeii

This week we checked out House DJ Conor Cutz at the Currelly Mainstage who was spinning some old school beats.  FNL’ers were already on the floor and dancing when we arrived.  We grabbed some cocktails from the Cocktail Lounge under the dinosaur to inhale some of the friendly and chilled vibe already a brewing.

We carried on to get some dinner at Tita Flips in the Chinese Architecture space.  We used our ROMBUCKS on her Palabok (Cornstarch noodles in special sauce topped with hard-boiled eggs, shrimp, crushed pork rinds, tofu, minced green onions) and Fried Lumpia (Deep fried Vegetable spring rolls with vinegar-garlic sauce).  They satiated us, were flavourful and for a mere $6 a meal – we could have eaten more! But we had more to see and taste!  Check her out http://titaflips.com/!

As we glided upstairs to the second floor we found the Ice Volcano Ice Cream booth in Earth’s Treasures.  Ice Volcano Ice Cream is not only about the delicious gourmet ice cream, you also get to experience the thrill of watching it being made right in front of your eyes.  The extreme coldness of the liquid nitrogen and your customized ice cream appears in a matter of seconds. The simple combination of milk, cream and sugar is quickly turned into ice cream in under 60 seconds.

The Ice Volcano Ice Cream fit perfectly into the ‘Volcanic Bash’ theme of the night.  The flavour we indulged upon was the Blueberry Cheesecake which had all the makings of a gourmet cheesecake.  Breads crumbs and all!  It was rich, tasty and dreamy.  Next time you attend FNL – get to the Ice Volcano Ice Cream booth early.  Their queues get long after 9 p.m..  http://www.icevolcano.ca/home.html

We also grabbed some additional dessert at Curbside Bliss in the Biodiversity:  Life in Crisis area.  As per the Curbside Bliss website, ‘Curbside Bliss is Canada’s first mobile gourmet bakery. Our elegant, mobile bakery cruises around the GTA bringing supreme taste bud BLISS to those wanting a sweet fix. All of the prepping, baking, frosting, packaging and ultimately – you taking some BLISS home to enjoy – the entire process is done right from the mobile kitchen truck.’

We indulged upon the Red Velvet cupcakes which can be described as ‘Red velvet sponge with cream cheese frosting’ and Strawberry Cupcakes, ‘Strawberry sponge infused with whip cream and topped with fresh strawberry frosting.’  They were fresh, tasty and a perfect palate cleanser after our earlier eats.  Check her out, http://www.curbsideblisscupcakes.com/.

As we finished up for the night on the dance floor.  We grabbed a pint of Peroni and sauntered back down to Level One to dance the night away with ‘The Damn Truth’ a rock & roll band from Montreal.

It was truly a volcanic night at the ROM.  Fun, good energy and chillaxed folk.  Looking forward to celebrating with you and the ROM in 2016!

http://www.rom.on.ca/en#/gallery/recent

Museum of Contemporary Craft: ShowPDX A Decade of Portland Furniture Design

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Founded in 1937, Museum of Contemporary Craft (MoCC) in partnership with Pacific Northwest College of Art is a vibrant center for investigation and dialogue that helps expand the definition and exploration of craft. Through dynamic exhibitions and provocative public programming, supported by the Museum’s collection and archives, the Museum advances the conversation on the role of craft and design in contemporary culture while at the same time honoring the history of the studio craft movement.

The Exhibition Galleries, 4500 square feet on two floors, at any time feature multiple exhibitions that look to the present, future and past of craft through the focused viewpoint of today. Along with featuring some of the leading contemporary national and international artists, exhibitions frequently draw from the rich archives of the MoCC collection, a public legacy of over 1000 objects that documents the active role of both the Museum and the Pacific Northwest in the evolution of craft over the last seven decades.

In addition to the exhibitions on view, the MoCC experience is complemented by The Gallery at Museum of Contemporary Craft—one of the primary destinations in the Pacific Northwest for purchasing exceptional contemporary crafts. The Gallery represents craft artists from across the nation working in ceramics, glass, wood, metal, fiber and mixed media. Gallery artists routinely visit the Museum for public gallery talks and hands on demonstrations.

Review:

ShowPDX: A Decade of Portland Furniture Design

Created by Jennifer Jako and Christopher Bleiler of fix studio

October 31, 2014 – January 31, 2015 Curated by: Nicole Nathan

ShowPDX Innovative + Functional Furniture Design is a biennial exhibit presented by fix studio. Show2014 displays over 60 examples of unusual and stimulating furniture design while providing designers/fabricators/makers with a place and resource for peer and public recognition, support and dialogue.

In 2001, small group exhibits by local designers and fabricators inspired the birth of a regular venue for furniture design in Portland. Created by designers Jennifer Jako and Christopher Bleiler of fix studio, Show2002 was the first of its kind in Portland. The exhibit was a curated show of furniture design, featuring local designers, fabricators, and makers. Through the spirit and support of the ShowPDX curatorial group, Show2014 continues to fuel collaboration, inspire students, create dialog amongst colleagues, promote business and inspire events by other independent designers and regional designers at locations across the country.

In October, Show2014 opens to the public. ShowPDX: A Decade of Portland Furniture Design at Museum of Contemporary Craft is the first retrospective of this landmark juried invitational. The exhibition will bring together ten-years of ShowPDX, showcasing the evolution of furniture design in Portland.

I loved the space at the Museum of Contemporary Craft and especially the ShowPDX: A Decade of Portland Furniture Design.  It was easy to navigate without a hipster nose up in your business.  I really enjoyed Portland’s ode to nature and the using of natural fibres and materials.  This makes so much sense and I feel drawn to waning to create by observing a tree stump made of manmade materials, an interesting coffee table to house art books, a woven stool, a bark desk nook and a fantastic purposeful desk.

The works were contemplative, interesting and rich with ideas that perhaps you can emulate into your home and workspace.  It’s always since to see what designers are bringing to the table.  Perhaps we may not be able to afford it (just yet) but we sure can ponder its relevance in our lives.

Museum of Contemporary Craft in partnership with

Pacific Northwest College of Art

724 NW Davis Street

Portland, Oregon 97209

Tel: 503.223.2654

Fax: 503.223.0190

info@MuseumOfContemporaryCraft.org

http://mocc.pnca.edu/

Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago

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Whenever I travel I love to check out the city’s Museum of Contemporary Art.  Every city has their own version of cool Avant Garde work and interesting artists I have never heard of.  Last summer whilst in Chicago I checked out the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (MCA).

One of the nation’s largest facilities devoted to the art of our time, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (MCA) offers exhibitions of the most thought-provoking art created since 1945. The MCA documents contemporary visual culture through painting, sculpture, photography, video and film, and performance. Located in the heart of downtown Chicago, the MCA boasts a gift store, bookstore, restaurant, 300-seat Theater, and a terraced sculpture garden with a great view of Lake Michigan.

Even though the exhibit has now passed, I really enjoyed Martin Creed’s installation at the MCA.

In works that ranged from intimate poetic objects to large-scale neon signs, Martin Creed revaluated the status of art with a generous sense of humor. As part of a yearlong residency at MCA Chicago, Creed brought his avant-garde sensibility to the building and the city. In each month of 2012, Creed unveiled an artwork in a different space of the MCA, progressing upward through four floors of the building and extending his work outward to the sculpture garden and plaza and into the city of Chicago. Some works lived as sculptures in the museum’s public spaces, and some projects were site specific—for instance, murals in the atrium and café. Others still, such as a work that takes the form of crumpled balls of paper placed in each of the museum’s public spaces, play with the notion of the carefully curated object.

The artist’s work and projects enlivened the museum and the city and involved visitors in unexpected ways.

Chicago indeed is a city of skyscrapers.  Creed’s art was symbolic in its layered tall art energy.  The symbiosis of his art and stepping outside MCA and being greeted by real life metal living giants was inspirational and added another layer of depth to the beautiful architecture of Chicago.

Skyscraper: Art and Architecture Against Gravity

Lastly, if you are in Chicago this summer pick up Skyscraper: Art and Architecture Against Gravity from the MCA bookstore.  It’s a fantastic read and examines contemporary works of art that take as their subject the form, technology, myth, message, and image of that iconic building structure, the skyscraper.

Skyscraper brings together a wide-ranging group of artists from around the world and across the twentieth and twenty-first centuries to explore this enduring fascination. The exhibition features the work of Fikret Atay, Jennifer Bolande, Roger Brown, Jeff Carter, Roe Ethridge, Jonathan Horowitz, Bodys Isek Kingelez, Jakob Kolding, Vera Lutter, Abelardo Morell, Eliza Myrie, Ahmet Ögüt , Claes Oldenburg, Gabriel Orozco, Enoc Perez, Monika Sosnowska, Thomas Struth, Jan Tichy, Andy Warhol, Peter Wegner, H. C. Westermann, Wesley Willis, Catherine Yass, and Shizuka Yokomizo, among others.

See you again in August MCA!

Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago

220 East Chicago Ave,

Chicago, IL 60611

http://mcachicago.org/