Because It’s December As the calendar year comes to an end, Americans are inclined to think more than usual about money. Depending on one’s circumstances, thinking about money takes many forms. One of them, that includes so many of us, is Christmas spending, which imposes a different form of stress in every part of the… Continue reading Because It’s December
Tag: San Francisco
Really, Thank the Hippies
We’re having a revolution in America, although now it’s resistance and protection rather than joyous social change, like the ‘60s. In the last post I put up on this site, about the outrageous amount of corruption in San Francisco, I make the light-hearted suggestion that I need to find a partner for ArtHouse from the… Continue reading Really, Thank the Hippies
The Dead City
City Hall’s interior, strangely resembling a high-end mausoleum. I regret to say that I’ve given up on convincing San Francisco to save itself. For almost a decade, I’ve tried to restore the arts community that made this place so fascinating for more than a century, by creating co-op housing and venues for the creative people… Continue reading The Dead City
San Francisco: Will You Ever Learn the Lessons of History?
The city of San Francisco has concluded that if they’re going to unwind the doom loop, maybe they need to bring in some art to give Market Street visual appeal. Marco Cochrane’s 40-foot tall metal sculpture of a naked woman, R-Evolution, installed where Market meets the Embarcadero, was an excellent choice, aesthetically and symbolically. Flanked… Continue reading San Francisco: Will You Ever Learn the Lessons of History?
Upzoning and the Death of Aesthetics
At this moment in San Francisco, we’re faced with questions argued by philosophers for centuries: what constitutes beauty, why is it important, and what is the danger of ignoring it? Our politicians, funded by—or in the same social circles as— ultra-rich developers could care less about such trivia. The soulless big boxes they can’t wait… Continue reading Upzoning and the Death of Aesthetics
Why We Need Artists More Than Ever
The Nazis were so afraid of the German-Danish painter, Emil Nolde, that they confiscated his paint brushes. A lot of his most famous watercolors were done with cotton swabs. *************** For the last nine years, I’ve had a small nonprofit, ArtHouse, dedicated to creating co-op artists’ housing and venues in San Francisco. Over these years,… Continue reading Why We Need Artists More Than Ever
Proust Speaks: Part 3
Proust rises from the grave to attend the 100th Anniversary Wake The hastily made dead Proust cake, with feet collapsed in transit,the requisite platter of madeleines, and a Proust portrait by Alex Segal In this last part of Proust’s speech, at his 100th Anniversary Wake, the re-animated author concludes with a pitch. It was also… Continue reading Proust Speaks: Part 3
Proust Said That 