♪ >>> COMING UP ON "NYC ARTS," A TRIP TO THE GUGGENHEIM WITH ARTISTS NICK CAVE, LUCY LABRITZ, FOUND OBJECT AND INSTALLATIONS TAKE ON NEW MEANING.
>> AS AN ARTIST OF COLOR, I THINK ABOUT HOW I AM THE VOICE FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE.
YOU KNOW, I'M ALSO A BLACK GAY MALE.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN I THINK ABOUT MY SORT OF RESPONSIBILITY, THE WORK HAS TO SERVE AS A COMMUNAL SPACE TO REFLECT, A PLACE TO IMAGINE.
AND SO IT'S ME SORT OF OPENING THAT UP AND WELCOMING ALL OF IT.
>> A VISIT TO NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND THE UNIQUE EXHIBITION, "I'LL HAVE WHAT SHE'S HAVING: THE JEWISH D D DELL."
>> NOT ONLY DOES IT SHOW HOW THE DELI IS DEVELOPED, IT'S AN EXHIBITION OF MEMORIES.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE JEWISH TO HAVE MEMORIES OF THE DELI IN NEW YORK.
♪ >> A LOOK AT "FACE-TO-FACE: PORTRAITS OF ARTISTS" BY TASITA DEAN, RASHITA OPE, ON VIEW AT THE NATIONAL CENTER OF PHOTOGRAPHY.
THE PORTRAITS INCLUDE FIGURES SUCH AS MAYA ANGELOU, RICHARD AVEDON, LIEU ARE LOUISE BOURGEOIS, JOAN DIDION, DAVID HOCKNEY, MARTIN SCORSESE, KAREN WALKER, AND SO MANY MORE.
AND A TRIP TO THE AMERICAN FOLK ART MUSEUM.
>> THE CENTER OF THE QUILT IS EMBLAZONED WITH A LARGE LETTER "L." ALSO INCLUDED IS A MUSICAL STAPH AND NOTES.
WHEN CLARA AND HER FAMILY MADE THE JOURNEY BY COVERED WAGON, INCLUDED WAS HER PIANO.
>>> FUNDING FOR "NYC ARTS" IS MADE POSSIBLE BY -- THEA PETSCHEK IERVOLINO FOUNDATION.
JODY AND JOHN ARNHOLD.
THE LEWIS "SONNY" TURNER FUND FOR DANCE.
THE AMBROSE MONELL FOUNDATION.
ELISE JAFFE AND JEFFREY BROWN.
CHARLES AND VALERIE DIKER.
THE MILTON AND SALLY AVERY ARTS FOUNDATION.
THE NANCY SIDEWATER FOUNDATION.
THE ELROY AND TERRY KRUMHOLZ FOUNDATION.
AND ELLEN AND JAMES S. MARCUS.
THIS PROGRAM IS SUPPORTED IN PART BY PUBLIC FUNDS FROM THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY COUNCIL.
ADDITIONAL FUNDING PROVIDED BY MEMBERS OF THIRTEEN.
"NYC ARTS" IS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY FIRST REPUBLIC BANK.
>> FIRST REPUBLIC BANK PRESENTS "FIRST THINGS FIRST."
AT FIRST REPUBLIC BANK, FIRST REFERS TO OUR FIRST PRIORITY.
THE CLIENTS WHO WALK THROUGH OUR DOORS.
THE FIRST STEP?
RECOGNIZE THAT EVERY CLIENT IS AN INDIVIDUAL WITH UNIQUE NEEDS.
FIRST DECREE.
BE A BANK WHOSE CURRENCY IS SERVICE IN THE FORM OF PERSONAL BANKING.
THIS WAS FIRST REPUBLIC'S MISSION FROM OUR VERY FIRST DAY.
IT'S STILL THE FIRST THING ON OUR MINDS.
>> AND BY SWANN AUCTION GALLERIES.
>> SWANN AUCTION GALLERIES.
WE HAVE A DIFFERENT WAY OF LOOKING AT AUCTIONS.
OFFERING VINTAGE BOOKS AND FINE ARTS SINCE 1941.
WORKING TO COMBINE KNOWLEDGE WITH ACCESSIBILITY.
WHETHER YOU'RE A LIFELONG COLLECTOR, A FIRST-TIME BUYER, OR LOOKING TO SELL.
INFORMATION AT SWANNGALLERIES.COM.
♪ ♪ >>> GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO "NYC ARTS."
I'M PIERRE de MONTEBELLO AT MADISON AVENUE AND 36th STREET.
THE MORGAN BEGAN AS THE PRIVATE LIBRARY OF FINANCIER PIERPONT MORGAN, ONE OF THE PREEMINENT ART COLLECTORS AND CULTURAL BENEFACTORS IN THE UNITED STATES.
FOUNDED IN 1906, THE MORGAN NOW SERVES AS A MUSEUM, INDEPENDENT RESEARCH LIBRARY, MUSIC VENUE, ARCHITECTURAL LANDMARK, AND HISTORIC SITE.
THE MORGAN OFFERS VISITORS CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH GREAT WORKS OF HUMAN ACCOMPLISHMENT.
ITS COLLECTION OF MANUSCRIPTS, RARE BOOKS, MUSIC, DRAWINGS, WORKS OF ART, COMPRISE A UNIQUE AND DYNAMIC RECORD OF CIVILIZATION, AS WELL AS AN INCOMPARABLE REPOSITORY OF IDEAS AND THE CREATIVE PROCESS FROM 4000 B.C.
TO THE PRESENT.
CURRENTLY ON VIEW IS CLAUDE GILOT, "SATIRE IN THE AGE OF REASON."
GILOT WAS IMMERSED IN THE CULTURAL LIFE OF PARIS IN THE DAWN OF A NEW CENTURY.
OVER 70 DRAWINGS, PRINTS, AND PAINTINGS, INCLUDING EXCEPTIONAL WORKS FROM THE LOUVRE, THE EXHIBITION EXPLORES THE ARTIST'S INVENTIVE AND HIGHLY ORIGINAL DRAFTSMANSHIP.
AROUND 1700 AS LOUIS XIV MOVED THE COURT TO VERSAILLES, PARIS FLOURISHED.
THE CITY SAW A DYNAMIC EMERGENCE OF ARTISTS INCLUDING GILOT.
FORGING A CAREER OUTSIDE THE ACADEMY, GILOT DESIGNED EVERYTHING FROM OPERA COSTUMES TO TAPESTRIES.
KNOWN PRIMARILY AS A DRAFTS MAN, HE SPECIALIZED IN SCENES OF SATIRE, INCLUDING THOSE THAT EXPOSED HUMAN FOLLY.
HE FOUND HIS SUBJECTS AMONG THE E IRREVERENT COMEDY AND THE WRITINGS OF SAT LISTS WHO DEBATED ABOUT JUDGMENT OF LITERARY AND ARTISTIC MERIT.
WHILE GILOT'S AMUSING CRITIQUES HERALDED AN AGE OF RATIONTY AND REASON, HIS INNOVATIVE APPROACH SAW TALENT INTRODUCED TO HIS STUDIO.
THE EXHIBITION IS ON VIEW THROUGH MAY 28th.
>>> TONIGHT, A VISIT TO THE GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM FOR AN EXHIBITION OF THE WORLD-RENOWNED ARTIST NICK CAVE.
IT'S TITLED "NICK CAVE FOREVER MORE" AND FEATURES THE ARTIST'S ELABORATE SCULPTURE AND FOUND OBJECT INSTALLATIONS, INCLUDING HIS ICONIC SOUND SUITS WHICH BLEND SCULPTURE, PASSION, AND SOCIAL PERFORMANCE.
THE SUBTITLE OF THE EXHIBIT, "FOREVERMORE," IS A NEW WORD CREATED BY CAVE THAT SYMBOLIZES THE ARTIST'S CONTINUING COMMITMENT TO PROVIDING SPACE FOR THOSE WHO FEEL MARGINALIZED, ESPECIALLY WORKING-CLASS COMMUNITIES AND QUEER PEOPLE OF COLOR.
"NYC ART" SPOKE WITH THE ARTIST, WHO REFLECTS ON THE WORK HE'S MADE THROUGHOUT HIS EXPANSIVE CAREER.
>> MY WORK HAS NEVER BEEN FOR MYSELF, IT'S ALWAYS BEEN FOR OTHERS.
AND IT REALLY IS ABOUT INCLUSION.
YOU KNOW, HOW DO I SORT OF MAKE SPACE FOR ALL?
AS AN ARTIST OF COLOR, I THINK ABOUT HOW I AM THE VOICE FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE.
YOU KNOW, I'M ALSO A BLACK GAY MALE.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN I THINK ABOUT MY SORT OF RESPONSIBILITY, THE WORK HAS TO SERVE AS A COMMUNAL SPACE TO REFLECT, A PLACE TO IMAGINE.
AND SO IT'S ME SORT OF OPENING THAT UP AND WELCOMING ALL.
"FOREVERMORE" CAME FROM ME SORT OF THINKING ABOUT BLACK BODIES AND TO NOT BE FORGOTTEN.
I'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET TO BRONZE FOR PROBABLY FIVE YEARS.
AT THE SAME TIME, MONUMENTS WERE COMING DOWN.
THE REMOVAL OF CONFEDERATE SCULPTURES.
YOU KNOW, PLATFORM COMES OUT OF ME QUESTIONING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM AND THE PROTEST THAT HAPPENS AROUND THAT.
THE KNEELING OF THE KNEE.
THE FIST OF AGENCY AND URGENCY.
YOU'LL FIND THESE OVERSIZED GRAM MOW PHONES CREATING PUBLIC SPACE TO BE HEARD.
THERE IS LOCKING HANDS COMING DOWN.
IS IT A DIVISION?
IS IT A WALL OF SORTS?
OR IS IT THIS SORT OF MOMENT OF UNIFYING AS ONE?
SO I LOVE THE FACT THAT THERE ARE THESE SORT OF MULTIPLE WAYS IN WHICH WE CAN READ THE PIECE.
I'M NOT REALLY COMMITTED TO ONE PARTICULAR MATERIAL AS OPPOSED TO THE MEANS NECESSARY TO SUPPORT THE IDEA.
THE FIRST SOUND SUIT WAS CONSTRUCTED FROM TWIGS.
I THOUGHT I WAS BUILDING A SCULPTURE.
IT JUST DAWNED ON ME MIDWAY THROUGH, I COULD PUT THIS THING ON.
AND THE MOMENT THAT I BROUGHT IT TO THE BODY AND STARTED TO MOVE, IT MADE SOUND.
IN TERMS OF NUMBER OF MADE, MY GOD, PROBABLY 500 IF NOT MORE.
MATERIALS RANGE FROM TWIGS TO BEADS TO BUTTONS.
YOU'LL SEE THIS ENORMOUS BUNNY ABOVE THE HEAD OF ONE OF THE SCULPTURES, AND THAT BUNNY WAS FROM RUSSELL STOVER'S CANDY STORE THAT I FOUND IN A FLEA MARKET, BUT IT WAS SO FANTASTIC.
IN A LOT OF CASES IT MAY BE BASED OFF AN IMPULSE OF SOMETHING THAT I SORT OF FIND AS I'M OUT SHOPPING THAT WILL SORT OF DICTATE HOW IT'S TO BE THEN BUILT IN AND CREATED.
I'VE ALWAYS BEEN INTERESTED IN CREATING THESE THREE-DIMENSIONAL SORT OF SURFACES THROUGH A NUMBER OF SORT OF APPLICATIONS AND TREATMENTS AND TECHNIQUES.
YOU KNOW, WALL RELIEF, I SEE IT AS A PAINTING.
REALLY LOOKING AT LANDSCAPE.
THINKING ABOUT MY GRANDFATHER TALKING TO ME ABOUT PROPERTY.
I NEVER KNEW THAT THEY OWNED PROPERTY AS A KID.
AND I STARTED TO THINK ABOUT WHAT THAT MAY LOOK LIKE.
AND SO I STARTED TO CREATE THESE -- WHAT I CONSIDERED TO BE THESE SORT OF GARDEN PLOTS.
AND THEN PUTTING MYSELF IN THE POSITION OF AN ANT LOOKING UP INTO THE SORT OF VAST WORLD.
AND IT'S MADE ALL OF THESE FOUND MATERIALS, FROM METAL TULLE, FLORAL TULLE, THERE'S LARGE GRAMOPHONES IN THE PIECE THAT SORT OF ECHO AND CREATE THESE SORT OF LARGE MORNING GLORIES.
THEN IT'S COVERED IN THE SORT OF CRYSTALS AS I'M THINKING ABOUT THE MORNING DEW AND THE REFLECTION OF THAT.
SO YOU ARE SO CONSUMED BY THE SORT OF SURPLUS AND SO CONSUMED BY THE VISCERALNESS OF THE SURFACE AND THE RELIEF AND THE DEPTH OF THE SURFACE THAT YOU FIND YOURSELF JUST SORT OF IN THESE PAINTINGS.
YOU KNOW, I THINK WHEN I WAS 19 AND I CAME TO THE GUGGENHEIM, YOU KNOW, AS A YOUNG ARTIST, I MEAN, YOU KNOW -- I COULD ONLY DREAM THAT THIS COULD BE POSSIBLE.
I AM CURIOUS TO SEE HOW THIS SHOW WILL SERVE THE COMMUNITY.
♪ ♪ >>> NEXT ON OUR PROGRAM, WE'LL VISIT THE NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND THE EXHIBITION ENTITLED, "I'LL HAVE WHAT SHE'S HAVING: THE JEWISH DELI."
THE TITLE IS A NOD TO A MEMORABLE LINE FROM THE ICONIC FILM, "WHEN HARRY MET SALLY."
THE LINE WHICH WAS DELIVERED AT THE FAMED LOWER EAST SIDE INSTITUTION, KATZE'S DELI.
THE EXHIBIT ITSELF IS AN EXPRESSION OF THE JEWISH IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE THAT MADE THE DELICATESSEN SO INTEGRAL TO NEW YORK CULTURE.
>> THE JEWISH DELI IS SO VERY IMPORTANT TO THE CULTURAL HISTORY OF NEW YORK BECAUSE A LOT OF JEWISH PEOPLE IMMIGRATED HERE IN THE LATE 19th, EARLY 20th CENTURIES.
THEY BROUGHT WITH THEM FOOD AS PART OF WHAT THEIR HERITAGE WAS.
THE IDEA OF THIS EXHIBITION IS THAT NOT ONLY DOES IT SHOW WHAT WE HAVE IN THE DELI, SHOWING HOW THE DELI HAS DEVELOPED, BUT IT'S AN EXHIBITION OF MEMORIES.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE JEWISH TO HAVE MEMORIES OF THE DELI IN NEW YORK.
WE START WITH THE IMMIGRATION AND VARIOUS OBJECTS THAT THE IMMIGRANTS BROUGHT WITH THEM.
THEY HAD TO BE SMALL OBJECTS BECAUSE THEY SPENT WEEKS ON THE BOAT COMING OVER HERE.
A LOT OF THE IMMIGRANTS CAME WITH CAN ANK CANDLESTICKS.
THEY'RE SMALL, CAN BE PUT INTO A SUITCASE.
THEY'RE A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF CELEBRATING SHABBAT.
MANY FAMILIES TODAY STILL HAVE THOSE CANDLESTICKS THEIR GRAND PARENTS.
GREAT GRANDPARENTS BROUGHT WITH THEM WHEN THEY CAME OVER ON THE BOATS.
THE IMMIGRANTS FIRST BEGAN TO SELL FOOD ON THE FOOD CARTS.
THE PUSH CARTS LIVED OUT IN THE RAIN AND THE SNOW AND PROBABLY ROTTED SO THIS IS A REPLICA, BUT IT'S A PRETTY GOOD REPLICA.
THEN THEY DECIDED, OH, WELL, MAYBE WE SHOULD HAVE A STORE SO WE DON'T HAVE TO BE OUTSIDE ALL THE TIME.
THEY SET UP A STOREFRONT.
THEN THEY THOUGHT, MAYBE WE'LL ADD SOME TABLES AND CHAIRS AND WE CAN HAVE A RESTAURANT, AND THE DELI DEVELOPED FROM THERE.
SEND A SALAMI TO YOUR BOY IN THE ARMY WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS DONE BY KAETZE'S DELI.
THE BOYS, 18, 19 YEARS OLD, FIGHTING IN WORLD WAR II, EATING RATIONED FOOD.
SOME OF THEM WERE JEWISH AND TRIED TO BE KOSHER, BUT THEY OBVIOUSLY COULDN'T DO THAT VERY WELL IN THE TRENCHES.
WE HAVE A LETTER FROM A G.I.
IN ITALY.
AND HIS PARENTS SENT HIM A SALAMI.
AND HE WAS SO EXCITED ABOUT IT, HE WROTE HIS FIANCEE BACK HOME IN THE U.S.
HE SAID, "I HAD A SALAMI, AND IT WAS GREAT AND QUITE A DIFFERENT FARE THAN WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN EATING IN THE TRENCHES."
IT WAS QUITE AN EXCITING LETTER.
AFTER THE WAR ENDED, THE DELIS BECAME A HAVEN FOR SOME PEOPLE.
AND SOMEWHAT OF A SECULAR KIND OF SYNAGOGUE WHERE THE SURVIVORS COULD GO AND FIND COMMUNITY WITH OTHER SURVIVORS.
SOME OF THE SURVIVORS CAME HERE AND WORKED IN THOSE DELIS, THEY OPENED THEIR OWN DELIS BECAUSE IT BECAME A HOME, A NEW HOME, AFTER THEY ESCAPED EUROPE.
WE HAVE A HUGE SIGN FOR THE 2nd AVENUE DELI.
IT WAS DISCOVERED IN A DUMPSTER AND RESCUED.
IT'S A BIG PRESENCE IN THE EXHIBITION, ALL LIT UP AND RENOVATED, SO TO SPEAK.
IT'S AN EXCITING THING TO COME AND SEE THESE NEON SIGNS FROM THE '50s AND '60s, IN ENGLISH AND HEBREW.
THEY DON'T MAKE SIGNS LIKE THAT ANYMORE.
WE KNOW THAT IN NEW YORK, A LOT OF PEOPLE MOVED OUT OF TOWN TO THE SUBURBS.
THAT JEWISH CLIENTELE THAT USED TO GO TO THE DELIS CHANGED.
AND THEN WE GET SOMETHING LIKE THE LEVY'S RYE BREAD AD CAMPAIGN IN 1963 WHERE IT SAID, "YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE JEWISH TO LIKE LEVY'S."
THE NUMBER OF DELIS IN NEW YORK BY THE END OF THE 20th CENTURY HAS DECLINED QUITE A BIT.
THERE WERE THOUSANDS OF DELIS IN NEW YORK AND THE BOROUGHS, NOW JUST A HANDFUL OF DELIS.
I READ ONE REVIEW THAT SAID, EAT BEFORE YOU COME TO THE SHOW, OR ELSE PLAN TO GO INTO A DELI AFTER YOU SEE THE SHOW BECAUSE YOU'RE GOING TO BE HUNGRY.
♪ ♪ >>> FOR MORE INFORMATION ON CULTURAL EVENTS IN OUR AREA, PLEASE SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE WEEKLY EMAIL AT NYC-ARTS.ORG/EMAIL.
>>> TOP FIVE PICKS.
WE'LL KEEP YOU UP TO DATE ALL YEAR ROUND.
BE SURE TO CONNECT WITH "NYC ARTS" ON FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, AND TWITTER.
♪ >>> NOW A LOOK AT "FACE-TO-FACE: PORTRAITS OF ARTISTS BY TASITA DEAN, BRIDGET LA COMB, AND KATHERINE OPIE AT THE CENTER NATIONAL CENTER OF PHOTOGRAPHY.
ON VIEW ARE PHOTOGRAPHS OF ARTISTS BY THREE OF THE MOST PROM NAENT PORTRAITISTS OF OUR TIME.
IT IS THE FIRST MAJOR SURVEY OF PORTRAITS TO DEBUT AT ICP'S NEW DOWNTOWN LOCATION.
CARRYING A SENSE OF INTEREST WHAT'S AND EXPOSURE, "FACE-TO-FACE" FEATURES MORE THAN 50 PHOTOGRAPHS BY LA COMB AND OPIE AND TWO FILMS BY DEAN.
THE PORTRAITS INCLUDE FIGURES SUCH AS MAYA ANGELOU, RICHARD AVEDON, JOAN DIDION, DAVID HOCKNEY, MARTIN SCORSESE, KAREN WALKER, AND SO MANY MORE.
ON FILM IS "PORTRAITS" WHICH CAPTURES DAVID HOCKNEY'S APPROACH TO ART IN ITS LOS ANGELES STUDIO.
WATCHING HOCKNEY READ AND SMOKE, THE VIEWER WITNESSES THE ARTIST'S PROCESS, APPRECIATING THE SMALL MOMENTS THAT MAKE UP HIS PRACTICE.
IN CONTRAST, DEAN'S "150 YEARS OF PAINTING" RECORDS A CONVERSATION BETWEEN THE 99-YEAR-OLD PAINTER USHITA URTADO AND THE 49-YEAR-OLD ARTIST JULIAN MERITOIS.
THEIR COMBINED AGES INSPIRED THE TITLE OF THE FILM.
THE SELECTION OF BRIDGET LA COMB'S PHOTOGRAPHS ARE ARTISTS IN THEIR OWN STUDIOS.
THE INTIMATE DETAILS OF HER WORK CATCH THE VIEWER'S EYE.
FOR EXAMPLE, THE GAP BETWEEN HILTON ELLE'S FRONT TEETH.
THE WAY JOAN DIDION'S LEFT EYE IS A BIT HIGHER THAN HER RIGHT ONE.
AND THE HINT OF A SMILE ON FRAN LEIBOVITZ'S FACE.
LA COMB ALSO HAS A LONG-TERM PROJECT OF PHOTOGRAPHING MARTIN MORE SKEESS'S MOVIE SETS ARE HER IMAGES SHOW ACTORS AT WORK AND DEPICT AN ONGOING PORTRAIT OF SCORSESE.
KATHERINE OPIE IS KNOWN FOR HER IMAGES OF MEMBERS OF THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY.
SHE USES TRADITIONAL PORTRAITURE TO BRING UNDERREPRESENTED PEOPLE INTO THE MAINSTREAM.
THE SERIES OF PORTRAITS SET IN FRONT OF A RICH, BLACK BACKDROP, THE FEATURED ARTISTS ARE IN SHADOW.
OFTEN THE SITTER DOES NOT MEET THE GAZE OF THE CAMERA, SUCH AS THE SEATED VIEW OF KARA WALKER AND THE SMOKE-FILLED IMAGE OF LAWRENCE WEINER.
THE RESULT IS ARTISTS PLUNGED INTO THEIR OWN FAULTS.
"FACE-TO-FACE" IS ON VIEW UNTIL MAY 1.
♪ >>> AND NOW, ANOTHER CURATOR'S CHOICE.
SINCE 1961, THE AMERICAN FOLK ART MUSEUM HAS BEEN CELEBRATING THE CREATIVITY OF ARTISTS WHOSE TALENTS HAVE BEEN REFINED THROUGH PERSONAL EXPERIENCE RATHER THAN FORMAL ARTISTIC TRAINING.
ITS COLLECTION INCLUDES MORE THAN 8,000 WORKS OF ART, FROM FOUR CENTURIES, REPRESENTING NEARLY EVERY CONTINENT.
>> THE AMERICAN FOLK ART MUSEUM HAS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT COLLECTIONS OF QUILTS IN THE COUNTRY.
AND ONE OF OUR MOST SIGNIFICANT RECENT ACQUISITIONS IS A CRAZY QUILT THAT WAS MADE BY A WOMAN NAMED CLARA LEON.
CLARA LEON WAS AN IMMIGRANT FROM GERMANY, ONE OF THE THOUSANDS OF JEWISH IMMIGRANTS WHO CAME TO THE UNITED STATES IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 19th CENTURY.
SHE LANDED IN NEW YORK CITY, MET HER HUSBAND, PINCUS LEON, AND THE TWO OF THEM MOVED TO THE NEW MEXICAN TERRITORIES, TO LAS VEGAS, NEW MEXICO.
THE QUILT THAT CLARA LEON MADE PROBABLY IN THE 1880s REFLECTS THE IDIOM OF THE CRAZY QUILT.
THIS WAS A KIND OF CONSTRUCTION THAT WAS INTRODUCED AFTER THE AMERICAN CENTENNIAL EXPOSITION THAT INTRODUCED JAPANESE DECORATIVE ARTS TO AMERICAN AUDIENCES FOR THE FIRST TIME.
SO WOMEN SAW PORCELAINS WITH CRAZED AND CRACKLED SURFACES AND GLAZES AND EXOTIC MOTIFS LIKE SPIDERWEBS AND QUARTER FANS.
AND THEY VERY QUICKLY INTRODUCED THIS NEW AESTHETIC INTO THEIR QUILT-MAKING.
SO CLARA LEON, ONE OF 36 JEWISH FAMILIES IN THE PIONEER FRONTIER COMMUNITY OF LAS VEGAS, MEXICO, COMING TO AMERICA WITHOUT A TRADITION OF QUATE-MAKING AT ALL, INTERPRETED AND ADAPTED THE CRAZY QUILT TO REFLECT THIS NEW AESTHETIC THAT WAS INTRODUCED AT THE JAPANESE PAVILION OF THE PHILADELPHIA CENTENNIAL.
THE CENTER OF THE QUILT IS EMBLAZONED WITH A LARGE LETTER "L" FOR HER FAMILY NAME, LEON.
ALSO INCLUDED IS A MUSICAL STAFF AND NOTES.
AND THIS REFLECTS THE MUSICAL BACKGROUND OF HER FAMILY.
IN FACT, ONE OF THE FAMILY STORIES IS THAT WHEN CLARA AND HER FAMILY MADE THE ADJOURN THOUGH BY COVERED WAGON, INCLUDED ON BOARD THE COVERED WAGON WAS HER PIANO.
AESTHETICALLY, SHE DID SOMETHING WITH THE BORDERS THAT'S UNUSUAL.
THERE IS A FLORAL BAND ON EACH SIDE OF THE QUILT.
AND TYPICALLY, THIS WOULD BE IDENTICAL TOP, BOTTOM, LEFT, RIGHT.
BUT IN FACT, SHE'S REFLECTING THE SEASONS.
SO THERE ARE AUTUMN LEAVES, SPRING FLOWERS, SUMMER DAISIES, AND WINTER SPRAYS.
QUILTS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A MEDIUM FOR WOMEN TO EXPRESS THEIR OWN THOUGHTS AND THEIR OWN PARTICIPATION IN AMERICAN LIFE.
AND CLARA LEON CLEARLY TOOK THAT TO HEART WHEN SHE DECIDED WHAT MOTIFS AND WHAT TECHNIQUES WERE GOING TO BE USED IN HER BEAUTIFUL QUILT.
>>> NEXT WEEK ON "NYC ARTS," A PROFILE OF FLUTIST CLARE CHASE, WHOSE LOVE FOR THE INSTRUMENT HAS MADE HER A CHAMPION OF NEW MUSIC AROUND THE WORLD.
>> IT'S FAR FROM THIS THING OF YOUR GRANDMOTHER'S FLUTE RECITAL THAT I HOPE YOU CAN IMAGINE.
♪ >>> AND A VISIT TO THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY AND ITS REVITALIZED NORTHWEST COAST HALL.
>> THE GREAT CANOE IS THE LARGEST SURVIVING CANOE OF ITS SIZE THAT WE KNOW OF IN THE WORLD.
IT SHOWS THE COMING-TOGETHER OF THOSE PEOPLES WHO IN THE DISTANT PAST DID NOT HAVE A FRIENDLY RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH OTHER.
IN RECENT YEARS, THEY'VE RENEWED THAT RECONCILIATION.
♪ >>> I HOPE YOU'VE ENJOYED OUR PROGRAM THIS EVENING.
I'M PHILIP DE MONTEBELLO ON LOCATION AT THE MORGAN LIBRARY AND MUSEUM.
THANK YOU FOR WATCHING AND I'LL SEE YOU NEXT TIME.
TO ENJOY MORE OF YOUR FAVORITE SEGMENTS ON "NYC ARTS," VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT NYC-ARTS.ORG.
♪ ♪ ♪ >>> FUNDING FOR "NYC ARTS" IS MADE POSSIBLE BY -- THEA PETSCHEK IERVOLINO FOUNDATION.
JODY AND JOHN ARNHOLD.
THE LEWIS "SONNY" TURNER FUND FOR DANCE.
THE AMBROSE MONELL FOUNDATION.
ELISE JAFFE AND JEFFREY BROWN.
CHARLES AND VALERIE DIKER.
THE MILTON AND SALLY AVERY ARTS FOUNDATION.
THE NANCY SIDEWATER FOUNDATION.
ELROY AND TERRY KRUMHOLZ FOUNDATION.
AND ELLEN AND JAMES S. MARCUS.
THIS PROGRAM IS SUPPORTED IN PART BY PUBLIC FUNDS FROM THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY COUNCIL.
ADDITIONAL FUNDING PROVIDED BY MEMBERS OF THIRTEEN.
"NYC ARTS" IS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY FIRST REPUBLIC BANK.
>> FIRST REPUBLIC BANK PRESENTS "FIRST THINGS FIRST."
AT FIRST REPUBLIC BANK, FIRST REFERS TO OUR FIRST PRIORITY.
THE CLIENTS WHO WALK THROUGH OUR DOORS.
THE FIRST STEP?
RECOGNIZE THAT EVERY CLIENT IS AN INDIVIDUAL WITH UNIQUE NEEDS.
FIRST DECREE.
BE A BANK WHOSE CURRENCY IS SERVICE IN THE FORM OF PERSONAL BANKING.
THIS WAS FIRST REPUBLIC'S MISSION FROM OUR VERY FIRST DAY.
IT'S STILL THE FIRST THING ON OUR MINDS.
>> AND BY SWANN AUCTION GALLERIES.
>> SWANN AUCTION GALLERIES.
WE HAVE A DIFFERENT WAY OF LOOKING AT AUCTIONS.
OFFERING VINTAGE BOOKS AND FINE ARTS SINCE 1941.
WORKING TO COMBINE KNOWLEDGE WITH ACCESSIBILITY.
WHETHER YOU'RE A LIFELONG COLLECTOR, A FIRST-TIME BUYER, OR LOOKING TO SELL.
INFORMATION AT SWANNGALLERIES.COM.