Courtesy of Martin Creed at the Parrish Museum, Water Mill, New York
three things we love
Thanksgiving Myth
“It is the one day out of the year when every American bows their head and gives thanks for everything that was taken from us....”
I have written about Heather Cox Richardson a few times before in my blog and I really do believe that this historian and Boston College professor is a true national treasure. She has outdone herself with her latest November 24th entry on Thanksgiving and democracy--a must read and not to be missed. She proves, once again, that history repeats itself and that "those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it. "
And for another in-depth analysis of the myth of Thanksgiving, the New Yorker published an article in their November 25, 2019 issue The Invention of Thanksgiving
When Airlines Were Cool
Emilio Pucci flight attendant uniforms as part of the SFO Museum display entitled Fashion in Flight
Mary Wells Lawrence was behind the award winning ad campaign for Braniff Airlines
Uniforms designed by Emilio Pucci
Definitely a cooler and bolder airplane interior…
While killing some time at the San Francisco Airport a few weeks ago, I browsed through the SFO Museum's current exhibition on flight attendant fashion over the years. What stood out to me was Braniff Airline's collaboration with Emilio Pucci that lasted from 1965 to 1973.
Braniff was one of the
coolest airlines around at the time and I remembered, too, that this was the same airline that gave Alexander Calder an opportunity to paint the outside of their planes (one of my lifetime dreams!).
These innovative ideas were actually the brainchild and part of the genius of Alexander Girard, as part of Braniff's rebranding and "End of the Plain Plane" campaign. Architect, interior/furniture/industrial/textile designer Girard was a fascinating figure in the design world, working on textiles for such luminaries such as Charles and Ray Eames and George Nelson and designing interiors and furniture for companies such as Herman Miller, George Jensen and John Deere among others. According to John Nance in his book Splash of Colors, "The Braniff project gave Girard the opportunity to work with textiles, color, and graphics on a grand scale, redesigning everything from the sugar packets to the ticket counters to the color of the planes themselves. He used colors like light and dark blue, beige, ochre, orange, turquoise, and lemon yellow to make the planes recognizable from the ground. Italian couturier fashion designer Emilio Pucci designed attendant uniforms."
Andrew Garfield on Grief
Actor Andrew Garfield
Jonathan Larson who wrote the rock opera Rent
The highly acclaimed actor Andrew Garfield stars in the recently released film on netflix Tick Tick Boom about the life and premature death of American composer and playwright Jonathan Larson but he recently made news speaking about grief and the loss of his mother Lynn on the Stephen Colbert Show this past week. From someone who has experienced grief in their life, I was very moved to hear his description--perhaps the best and closest description of what it has been like for me... Vanity Fair wrote about it recently too. And while we are at it, here are Anderson Cooper's thoughts on grief through a conversation he had with Stephen Colbert on their great losses as young boys and how he feels it is important that we bring it out into the open and make the subject less taboo.
charity of the week
Kevin Strickland spent 42 years in jail for a crime he did not commit.
I don't usually ask so directly for money on this blog but the case of wrongful conviction of Kevin Strickland is heartbreaking and the inhumanity of the state of Missouri shocking and that they are providing absolutely zero compensation for his 43 years in prison. Please consider donating by clicking the image above to get him back on his feet.
painting of the week
Recently installed painting in a New York City client’s home. Looks beautiful there if I might say so myself…
Gifts for the Holidays
I’ve decided to embrace the gray…
About The Author
New York City based contemporary artist, Pam Smilow created the creative lifestyle blog “things we love” in an effort to foster a sense of community during times of isolation and reflection. To read more about her and her art, visit her website and check out the essay written by the Hammond Museum's Frank Matheis entitled The Sophisticated Innocence of Pam Smilow.. And by the way, let me know in the comment section what you think of the new haircut...