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Jul 12, 2021 By IIDA HQ
Scratch Pad: July
What to explore, read, and watch in July
By IIDA HQ Jul 12, 2021
Published in

Above image: The Safety Patrol, 2018 © Bisa Butler, courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago, Cavigga Family Trust Fund

WHERE TO GO

Bisa Butler: Portraits
Art Institute of Chicago
Runs through September 6, 2021


Bisa Butler’s intricate portraits of black life interrogate the marginalization of her subjects while using textiles to present a complex richness in the subjects and stories behind them. In her first solo museum show, visitors get an up-close look at her highly detailed quilted works. Created out of velvet, chiffon, and bold patterns she connects her American subjects with their African roots.

Kusama: Cosmic Bloom

New York Botanical Gardens
Runs through October 21, 2021


Yayoi Kusama’s vision is unmistakable from her whimsical botanical interpretations and iconic polka-dot motifs that explore the concepts of eternity, infinity and self-obliteration. Her installation serves as a delightful marriage of art and nature of which Kusama says "Dancing through our universe are noble souls whose magnificent forms are saturated with mystery. I invite you to explore the endlessly expanding ode to the beauty of love that is my art."

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I Want to Fly to the Universe (2020), Yayoi Kusama, image courtesy of the New York Botanical Gardens
I Want to Fly to the Universe (2020), Yayoi Kusama, image courtesy of the New York Botanical Gardens
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Site-specific art as featured in Destination Art: 60 Degrees (2002), by Kevin O Dwyer, image courtesy of Kevin O Dwyer
Site-specific art as featured in Destination Art: 60 Degrees (2002), by Kevin O Dwyer, image courtesy of Kevin O Dwyer

WHAT TO READ

Destination Art, By Amy Dempsey (Art Essentials Series)

(Thames & Hudson, March 2021)

Art historian Amy Dempsey takes readers on a worldwide tour of the most destination-worthy and renowned site-specific art without having to leave your favorite chair. From some of the world’s most massive environmental works of art, and sprawling sculpture gardens, to ghost towns and urban environments, you’ll get a contextualized and accessible peek at art that you would otherwise need to travel to see.

The Future Happened
Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)
Online Exhibit


A virtual exhibition that explores how innovation in design and technology deepens our relationship to music. Centered on artists and creatives that invent new realities and radical narratives, you can explore how the past and present become one through the lenses of Healing, Power, Community, Tech, and Timelessness. Featuring statements, conversations, and work by designers, visual artists, musicians, and community builders, you’ll see how the past influences the future, and how visual art enhances the experience of music.

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The Future Happened multimedia exhibit, courtesy of the Museum of Design, Atlanta
The Future Happened multimedia exhibit, courtesy of the Museum of Design, Atlanta
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Ewan McGregor as Halston, image courtesy of Netflix
Ewan McGregor as Halston, image courtesy of Netflix

WHAT TO WATCH

Halston
(Netflix, 2021)


The rise of famed American fashion designer Halston from anonymity to celebrity against the backdrop of the 70’s and 80’s in New York. From the pillbox hat that Jackie Kennedy made iconic to his ultrasuede shirtdress, luxury caftan designs, and line at JCPenney, Halston had a hand in the aesthetic of the times. The series nails the glam of the time, and his inner circle Liza Minneli, Elsa Peretti, and Victor Hugo.

The Criterion Channel's July 2021 lineup

Art-House Animation, Neonoir, World of Wong Kar Wai, and Paul Muni: An Actor Among Stars are among the collections to peruse for the month of July. Also featuring essential Criterion Edition films like Hedwig and the Angry Inch (John Cameron Mitchell, 2001), Othello (Orson Welles, 1952), Slacker (Richard Linklater, 1991), The Black Power Mixtape 1967–1975, and many more.

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