Blog
Elegy Written In A NH Barnyard: The Passing of Summer
The curfew tolls the knell of parting day, The pecking hens winds slowly o'er the lea, The groundskeeper homeward plods his weary way, And leaves the farm to darkness and to me. Now fades ... Read More
Charles Eames Discusses: The New Covetables
Amongst the greatest characters of mid century design are Charles and Ray Eames. They were a motorcycle riding, pipe smoking husband and wife duo that have influenced every generation ... Read More
Happy Birthday, Ralph Waldo Emerson!
On this day (May 25) in 1803, the essayist, philosopher, and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Today we know him as on of the "Founding Fathers" ... Read More
EARTH DAY 1970: A Question of Survival, EARTH DAY 2010: A Question of Sustainability
This planet is threatened with destruction and we who live in it with death. The heavens reek. The waters below are foul. Children die in infancy. And we and the ... Read More
SLOW DESIGN: The Domesticity of The Avant-Garde and Other Tactile Tales
We're totally down with the philosophy of Slow Food. We support the strategy behind Slow Money. How about SLOW DESIGN? Hell, yes. A recent article in the Financial Times, "The Riches of Stitches," ... Read More
A Thanksgiving Day Hike in The White Mountain National Forest
Thanksgiving morning, I woke up especially early in anticipation of finally hiking Mt. Chocorua, the stately peak that overlooks the farm. I filled my pack with rain gear (90% chance ... Read More
AITA Adventures Abroad: Discussing The Farm in Europe
Some entertaining tidbits from my recent trip across the pond...I was surprised and delighted to discover that at least the IDEA of the New American Organic "Farmer" seems to be ... Read More
NO PASSING ZONE: Can America Slowwwww Dowwwn During Lean Times?
For as long as I can remember, industrial and economic efficiency was synonymous with speed. Fast food, fast cash, Disney FastPass, Instant Savings, Instant Rebate, Quick Oats?, Minute Rice? Frankly, the list ... Read More
CULTURE TAX: Frankly, My Dear Pennsylvania…WTF?!
Last week, The New York Times reported an enraging tidbit in the Arts section. Hold onto your knickers, all ye citizens of The Keystone State... A provision in the newly-agreed-upon state ... Read More
10 Things I Have Learned: New Hampshire Redux
Milton Glaser isn't the only designer with reflecting to do. As we enter the last stretch of ineluctable "dog days," one can't help but ruminate upon the just-lived months of ... Read More
A Treatise On Fruits & Creatures of Solitude
There is a lot to be said (not out loud) for learning to live alone. Becoming sincerely comfortable with a generally solitary day-to-day is truly a skill that one must ... Read More
AGRO-FABulous: Agriculture Enters The Discourse of Site-Specific Installation
WATCH OUT CHRISTO & JEANNE-CLAUDE! I'm coming down the tracks with a 4 foot long roll of white, gauzy fabric! I'm ready to wrap the immediate landscape like you've never ... Read More
The Tamworth Sleep Commandments
One of the most ostensible life changes that I have experienced in my short two weeks of rural living is what I affectionately nominate, The Tamworth Sleep Commandments. Here are the ... Read More
Alright, I need to begin with an admission. While sitting in the Thomas Paine panel discussion last Monday, what most struck me was how little I knew—and, actually, still do ... Read More
A Relevant Summer Reading List thus far: Look To The Mountain by LeGrand Cannon, Jr. Summer Cottages In The White Mountains by Bryant F. Tolles, Jr. Great Hill Farm is featured in here... Country ... Read More
"Society is produced by our wants, and government by wickedness; the former promotes our happiness positively by uniting our affections, the latter negatively by restraining our vices. The one encourages ... Read More
A “Lifestyle” List: What I Will Miss About Philadelphia
June is for soul-searching. June is for psychological indulgence of every "what if," so I can get them all out of my system and stop feeling like a yellow-belly. The ... Read More
An Exciting 2 Weeks, According To My Slingshot Planner
Monday, May 11: Pullman Strike begins, first revolutionary strike on continental European model (1894), Salvador Dali born (1904) Tuesday, May 12: Lusty Lady workers take over operations at theater (2003) Wednesday, May ... Read More
Book Covers As Art: Fontana Modern Masters
Coolest find of the weekend, courtesy of a pal. (Covered by click opera, the journal of Scottish artist and Berlin resident, momus.) Hearkening back to the 1970's, "Fontana Modern Masters was a ... Read More
Bryce Dessner of The National Does “The Lincoln Shuffle”
Bryce Dessner of The National will present an evening of original Lincoln-inspired compositions at the Rosenbach Museum & Library on Thursday, April 2nd at 6:30 pm. "The Lincoln Shuffle" is Dessner's ... Read More
OUTRAGE: Burger King Studio & Have It Your Way Tees
Burger King has launched an artist apparel collaboration program. The title? Burger King Studio. The line? Have It Your Way Tees. Yes. You heard me correctly... Burger.King.Studio. This is the bane of my ... Read More
The Textile Files: Walter In The Wild & A Plethora of Other Fabric Delights
The Textile Files, the musings of Solveigh Goett (German textile artist and researcher living in the south of England), is my new favorite blog. Simple and unassumingly poignant in nature, ... Read More
ESSENTIAL MANIFESTO: The New Typography, Jan Tschichold
Two years ago, one of my most awesome and favorite design professors instructed me to get my hands on a copy of this tiny volume as fast as I possibly ... Read More
Curated Apothecary Brand Profile: Moss Botanicals
Moss Botanicals (based out of Ojai, California) is a line of aromatherapy mists and roll-on fragrances derived from natural indredients and essential oils. Stacey L. Moss, the owner and founder ... Read More
POINT OF VIEW: The Art Gallery/Retail Space Ain’t Nothin’ New!
Yesterday, an article in The New York Times, "All Dressed Up Like Art Galleries," highlighted several high-end boutiques in Chicago, NYC, and LA that had stumbled upon quite an innovation: "...mounting ... Read More
Taxation for (Artistic) Creation: Benjamin, Roosevelt, & Obama
Walter Benjamin wrote his critical essay "The Work of Art In The Age of Mechanical Reproduction" (1936) at the height of The Great Depression in America. Though German by birth ... Read More
The Franklin Fountain: History, Antiques & Delectable Confections…Just Around The Corner!
Brothers Ryan and Eric Berley serve far more than beverages at the magical Franklin Fountain in Old City. Pennsylvania history experts, rare antique purveyors, and delightful intellectuals - The proprietors ... Read More
WHO I’M DYING TO MEET: Backyard Economists Harriet & Marge of PRESERVE, Portland
Last week I was tipped off to PRESERVE, a Portland-based coalition of two women on an urban farm, Harriet Fasenfest and Marge Braker. The goal of PRESERVE is "to educate ... Read More
The Work of Art In The Age of Mechanical Reproduction…In 30 Seconds
You can watch this video quicker than you can say "Art In The Age of Mechanical Reproduction", three times fast. Ridiculous PowerPoint music, good points. Rather interesting that most of ... Read More
Walter Benjamin & Interior Decorating?! The Arcades Project & The Bourgeois Apartment
An awesome and insightful article from Drinking Upstream: Real clear thoughts on the philosophy of dwelling really got me thinking... Shane Waggoner writes, "In The Arcades Project, Walter Benjamin described ... Read More
IMAGE NECESSITIES: Walter Benjamin Symposium (Part II)
This is the second and last piece in a pair of documentation posts for IMAGE NECESSITIES: A Symposium on the Media-Theoretical Writings of Walter Benjamin. [caption id="attachment_521" align="alignnone" width="199" caption="A Gathering ... Read More
IMAGE NECESSITIES: Walter Benjamin Symposium (Part I)
On Friday, I had the honor and pleasure of attending IMAGE NECESSITIES: A Symposium on the Media-Theoretical Writings of Walter Benjamin. The two-day Event O' Academia was held at Princeton ... Read More
Cabinet Magazine: “Getting High With Benjamin & Burroughs”
Housed within the pages of the latest issue (No. 30) of the ever-compelling art/lit publication, Cabinet, is an essay on Walt Benjamin, William Burroughs, and hallucinogens. [caption id="attachment_496" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="The ... Read More
Walter Benjamin and Ways of Seeing: “Nomadic Colors” on The Web?
BlogLESS, writings on design restraint, brought up a very interesting application of our friend Walt Benjamin's ideas on the reproduction of art in contemporary society. The article, entitled "Colors for ... Read More
Photoshop As Art: What Would Walter Say?
Check out this recent blog commentary on Contemporary Digital Media as art from Carla Moloney. Thinking Points From The Post: a) If reproducibility decreases the "aura" of an artwork, does it also ... Read More
Musings on Our Society of Spectacle: Lawler, Benjamin, and Friends
Benjamin thinks on Louise Lawler's "Pollock and Tureen, Arranged by Mr. and Mrs. Burton Tremaine, Connecticut" - 1984 A recent post by art history students at The University of California in ... Read More
