By staying a week longer in Merida, I was able to partake in what was seven days of events celebrating the Day of the Dead recognized by the Mayans as Hanal Pixan, meaning “feast of the souls”. Indeed, it is! A well-orchestrated series of communal events to honor the spirits of those who have departed this world by welcoming their return. Celebrating and reconnecting with those that are no longer with us……
For those who are not familiar with my blog, 2023 became the year for revamping my entire life by closing my 38-year-old consulting practice, downsizing all that I have hoarded over the years to fit into two 10×10 storage units and become a nomad. Besides a 6 week stay in New York City, I have already moved to Mexico with plans to stay for 6 months and then to Italy through next year. Here is what those first 30 days of beginning a new chapter have been like….
During the September Labor Day week, the art world was back in full swing in New York with five art fairs and multiple gallery openings and exhibitions. For art lovers, NYC offers so many opportunities to attend art fairs during the months of May and September. I attended two art fairs during the weekend that did not disappoint. Both offered cutting edge, experimental discoveries of what the human mind is capable of creating. Here’s what I like and didn’t much care for …
This past summer I was curious to attend the recent Broadway musical directed by David Byrne on the rise and fall of the infamous First Lady, Imelda Marcos of the Philippines, titled “Here Lies Love”. The musical steps away from the usual typical stage show as the entire theater is converted into a nightclub scene with the audience becoming part of the show. Here is my take on the show….
There has been a growing interest on the part of museums to curate fashion exhibitions as part of their programming. By chance, in 2023, I attended 4 fashion exhibitions among New York City museums. This prompted me to raise the question is fashion art? Not everyone thinks it is. Some have debated that the gallery space should be used for traditional forms of art. Yet attendance at these exhibitions have helped museums increase both traffic and admission fees. Both are good reasons to continue the trend. If you are planning to be in the city any time between now and November 2023, two of the four exhibitions are still on view. Here is my critique of each of them…..
“Si te quieres divertir con encanto y con primor sólo tienes que vivir un verano en Nueva York”— El Gran Combo
The song “Un Verano en Nueva York,” which translates “A Summer in New York,” performed by the popular Puerto Rican salsa band “El Gran Combo “ captures people’s fascination with the city’s vibrancy and scale. It is a timeless homage to the Big Apple from the Latino community. A community whose history and cultural roots have left its imprint on the city’s landscape. Its lyrics evoke memories and dreams of living in the city, longing to return or be there. In my case, it was about being there as I have never lived in the city. Spending 6 amazing weeks in Midtown, a bucket list dream I won’t forget soon. Hopefully inspiring others to make a similar leap. So how much was I able to cramp in those 6 weeks? Enough to want to come back again and again. Here’s what happened….
Since the High Line Park opened in 2009, I have been enamored with its development over the last 14 years, its significance to the city and how we as a society can reinvent historic abandoned structures to conform to a new future. This is known as “creative place making” and NYC has many exemplary models of how it does this. For me, the High Line, (a green oasis in the sky surrounded by skyscrapers), remains an exceptional prototype of what is possible. Here is a bit of my perspective on why a visit to this place is good for both your imagination and soul…
I always loved the idea of living in New York City without the hassle of a job, just being a city traveler navigating this urban jungle of cement, steel, glass and its many famous landmarks. Over the years, I have been enamored with how the Chelsea neighborhood has become this vibrant and evolving community, a veritable melting pot of everything I love about city life. For too many years, I have been a suburbanite. A six-week stay in the center of Chelsea, 2 blocks from the High Line is a dream come true. Here is what I have experienced just in my first two weeks…..
As someone who loves both art and fashion, I didn’t want to miss seeing the Karl Lagerfeld exhibition even if the options were to go on the last day and in the rain. Karl Lagerfeld was both a controversial figure and a genius designer, although you would not know from viewing this exhibition, which focused on the latter. This brings to question what exactly should be the role of museums in storytelling. Do they not have a responsibility to present the entire profile of an artist? Does society not benefit from knowing both the art and the artist?….
The month of May is when the Big Apple is celebrating its Art Week, stretching it from May 5th through 22nd, where museums, galleries and art fairs come together to share the best of what the art world offers. For art lovers, this is a great time for a spring break or a weekend stay in NYC when the weather is generally at its best behavior. I managed to attend three art fairs on the last weekend of this extravaganza before it ended. Here’s what I like and didn’t much care for….
