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Wednesday Woman: Magdalena Abakanowicz
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Jun 11

Wednesday Woman: Magdalena Abakanowicz
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Magdalena Abakanowicz was a Polish sculptor whose pioneering work redefined the boundaries of textile art. She is best known for her large-scale, organic fiber sculptures called Abakans.
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Born in 1930 in Falenty, Poland, Abakanowicz grew up during the turmoil of World War II. Her experience coming of age under Nazi occupation and Communist rule in Poland left a lasting mark on her artistic vision. Abakanowicz studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, where she navigated a conservative educational environment marked by the imposition of a restrictive and propagandistic doctrine of Socialist Realism.
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In the 1960s, Abakanowicz began weaving monumental forms using sisal, rope, and canvas. She transformed textiles into dynamic, three-dimensional works that hung from the ceiling or sprawled across walls. Her Abakans evoked natural forms like cocoons or shells and blurred the line between sculpture and tapestry.
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Later, Abakanowicz also expanded into bronze and wood. She explored themes of individuality and the collective through repeated, headless human forms that suggested vulnerability, anonymity, and resilience. Through her bold experimentation with material and form and deeply human themes, Abakanowicz has left a profound impact on contemporary sculpture.

Wednesday Woman: Hildreth Meière
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May 14

Wednesday Woman: Hildreth Meière
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Hildreth Meière was an American muralist and designer who played a key role in introducing art deco to the United States.
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Born in Flushing, Queens, Meière designed costumes, sketched, and painted from a young age. After her high school graduation in 1911, Meière made a trip to Florence, where she was captivated by the mastery of Renaissance frescoes, and replaced her dream to become a portrait painter with a determination to carve out a life as a muralist. “I fell in love, once and for all, with mural painting and great, beautiful walls,” she reflected later on in life. Trained at the Art Students League of New York and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Meière developed a style that merged classical traditions with the bold geometry and color of modernism.
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Meière gained national recognition for her large-scale murals, mosaics, and stained glass designs, brought to life by her trademark flattened forms, Byzantine-style imagery and almond-shaped mandorlas. Among her most famous works are the vibrant roundels on the façade of Radio City Music Hall, the radiant mosaics of the Nebraska State Capitol, and decorative commissions at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine and the U.S. Marine Corps Chapel in Washington, D.C. She also designed the legendary “Red Room” at One Wall Street, which features more than 7,791 square feet of abstract red and gold glass mosaic tesserae. The space, which has been closed to the public since 2001, has been reimagined as both a shoe salon and cocktail bar inside the new Printemps New York store.
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Meière broke barriers at a time when women were not routinely afforded large mural commissions. She became the first woman appointed to the New York City Art Commission, the first vice president of the Architectural League of New York, and served as president of the National Society of Mural Painters.

Two major public parks designed by ...

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May 13

Two major public parks designed by @nelsonbyrdwoltz (NBW) were revealed to the public in late last month: Memorial Groves at @memorialparkconservancy and @piedmontpark.
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The transformative 100-acre project plan for Memorial Groves reimagines a historic section of Houston’s Memorial Park. Rooted in the site’s origins as Camp Logan, a WWI training camp, Memorial Groves will serve as a living tribute to the 70,000 soldiers who once trained there. “This landscape-scale memorial utilizes thousands of newly planted trees and savanna restoration to evoke the immensity of transformation, sacrifice, and bravery of those individuals," said Thomas Woltz. The $42-million initiative, part of the Memorial Park Master Plan, will feature more than 2,000 bald cypress trees, immersive historical exhibits, and new public amenities, including trails, a visitor center, and restored native landscapes. This project is designed to connect visitors with the park’s rich history while enhancing its ecological and recreational value for future generations.
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The history of Piedmont Park, one of Atlanta’s most iconic and beloved public spaces and the city's “beating green heart,” spans two centuries, and its 200 acres host more than six million visitors and hundreds of events each year. NBW's plan will serve as a guide for the Piedmont Park Conservancy and the City of Atlanta to expand access and invigorate the park for all who visit through park-wide initiatives that promote biodiversity, enhance community connectivity, and restore the park’s ecology. “Piedmont Park is a place of refuge, recreation, and beauty. It has also been the central stage for some of Atlanta’s most significant historic events,” says Woltz. "We are humbled by the opportunity to contribute to ensuring the park’s iconic cultural, historic, and ecological legacy.”
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Congratulations to @nelsonbyrdwoltz 🌟 Looking forward to seeing these parks develop into more-vibrant community spaces over the next few years.

📸 courtesy of Nelson Byrd Woltz and Piedmont Park Conservancy

"Evening Star" by Kiki Smith 🦉💫 ...

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May 8

"Evening Star" by Kiki Smith 🦉💫
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2023, aqueous archival inkjet, acrylic archival inkjet, white gold leaf on Hahnemühle rag paper, 60" × 43."
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From Kiki Smith's 2023 exhibition "Spring Light" at @pacegallery in Seoul.

Wednesday Woman: Margot Schürmann
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Apr 30

Wednesday Woman: Margot Schürmann
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Margot Schürmann was a German architect whose work helped shape post-war architecture in Cologne. Born in 1924, she studied architecture in Munich and Darmstadt and graduated in 1949. That same year, she married fellow architect Joachim Schürmann, with whom she formed a lifelong professional partnership. Together, they established the firm Schürmann & Partner in Cologne in 1970.
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One of Schürmann’s early projects was the modernization of two Romanesque churches in Cologne which had been lying in ruins since the end of WWII. Over time, her and her husband made a considerable contribution to the face of the city that had been repeatedly destroyed in the war. Their work extended to residential buildings, ecclesiastical architecture, and urban redevelopment.
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Schürmann’s architectural approach was marked by a commitment to simplicity, precision, and craftsmanship. Her designs often featured clear geometric forms and meticulous detailing. Critic Manfred Sack described the purpose of her architecture as “aimed at reproducing a certain perfection approaching that of an egg, from which nothing has been omitted but to which nothing can be added.”
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In recognition of their contributions to German architecture, Margot and Joachim Schürmann were posthumously awarded the Großer BDA-Preis in 2008.

“I can feel the space in the sound of a water ...

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Apr 30

“I can feel the space in the sound of a water spout." - Kawai Gyokudō
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"Spring Drizzle" (1942) 🌸

"Cherry Blossoms at Daigo-ji Temple," by...

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Apr 30

"Cherry Blossoms at Daigo-ji Temple," by Togyū Okumura, 1972.
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Okumura first visited Kyoto's Daigo-ji temple ten years before he painted this, while he was traveling home from Nara. Captivated by the sublime beauty of the weeping cherry tree, he spent several days sketching at the site from dawn to dusk. In 1972, when Okumura was 83 years old, he visited the temple again as the cherry tree was in bloom and was finally able to complete this work. 🤍

Thank you @kateakassin of @bonappetitmag for this ...

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Apr 22

Thank you @kateakassin of @bonappetitmag for this gorgeous feature on the restaurants that @post_company has designed from Manhattan to San Diego. The story, which is in the May issue, highlights the firm's process - an "anthropological exercise" that helps bring each space to life.
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"Whether it’s a hotel restaurant a guest will dine in multiple times during a stay or a neighborhood anchor, each space is a revelation in its own right—a focused expression of design and a distinguished sensibility that makes you want to linger."
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📸 @gentlandhyers @mkisiday @nicole_franzen @readmckendree @christianharder

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