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
CAUSE: Historic Gettysburg Casi-NO!!!
Pennsylvania businessman David LeVan (former Conrail CEO) has again brought a proposal before the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board for Mason Dixon Resort & Casino, a slots and table games establishment ... Read More
The Bad and The Ugly: Gas Drilling Continues in PA
On Thursday June 3, Natural gas and polluted wastewater blasted out of a well in Northwestern Pennsylvania for 16 hours before being contained Friday. It is estimated that ... Read More
Grocery Store Truths: Organic Corporations
Ever wonder who owns the farms producing the certified organic products you buy at most grocery stores? Chances are it’s no longer the family farm that’s been passed down through ... 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
A Need for Local Beef: USDA Acknowledges the Horror of School Lunch Mystery Meats
America's public school students can look forward to lunchtime with a little less fear and fatalism. On Friday the USDA announced that it will require all ground beef purchased for ... Read More
This Month (and EVERY Month): Get Caught Reading!
Starting in 1999, the Association of American Publishers (AAP) celebrates May as Get Caught Reading Month. The movement to encourage kids and adults across the nation to read for fun ... Read More
Organic Farming for the World?
image from BUSINESSWEEK.COM Among the debates over the movement toward organic and sustainable farming, the most contentious refers to the movement's scalability – could it work for the whole world? Is ... Read More
New Urbanism: Why The ‘Burbs Are Losing
For much of the previous century, American cities were perceived as dangerous and unsustainable, and a steady flight ensued to the safety and cookie-cutter shopping plazas of suburban areas. In ... Read More
CAUSE REPORT: Stop Natural Gas Drilling in PA!
Over a mile below the earth's surface in many regions of Pennsylvania, there is a mostly untapped reservoir of natural gas in a type of dark rock form known as ... 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
The Blushing of Spring: “The world is mud-luscious”
New-England-born poet, e.e. cummings described the view out my back door the best with his poem "In Just–"... In Just- spring when the world is mud- luscious ... 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
Peter Menzel’s “What the World Eats”
We've spent the last hour poring over a fascinating series on Time's website by the California photojournalist Peter Menzel. In 2005 Menzel took a photographic survey of the diets of ... Read More
Whole Foods Health Plan – The Whole Answer?
As the obesity pandemic shows no sign of waning and government responses remain ineffectual, local interventions – variously simpleminded, whimsical, and inspired – are proliferating. In particular, John Mackey’s new ... Read More
Recent émigrés from the Keystone State - as well as keen environmentalists - we at the AITA Farm are aghast at recent developments that threaten our state's natural splendor. Recent months have ... Read More
Think Locally, Act Locally: SEECLICKFIX In YOUR City!
No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent... and His/Her Community! How can one voice be heard in a sea of urban chaos? ... Read More
FARM UPDATE: Winter is icummen in; Skiddeth bus and sloppeth us
Thank you, Ezra Pound, for giving rhythm to my thoughts today. WINTER! That strange and wonderful fourth season is truly upon us...forsaken by many who flee to more southern terrain, ... Read More
A Museum of Early American Tools…AITA-Farm-Style!
A recent article in The Inquirer ("They Dig Garden Tools" - 11/20/09) featured Harold Sweetman, Director of The Jenkins Arboretum, who is also a collector of "horticultural antiques." Stated more ... 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
PHOTO TOUR: The Gilman Forest - Tamworth, NH
Invigorating news to report! 68% of the fundraising goal for The Gilman Forest Preservation Project, undertaken by the Tamworth Conservation Commission, has been reached! The Commission is more than halfway ... 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
Olden Days Are Here Again: Woodstove 101
Over the past two weeks, temperatures have dropped well into the 30's at night! Luckily, I have welcomed a new tenant into my home...a refurbished Vermont Castings "Vigilant" Woodstove! She's a ... 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
KEEP NH FOREST UNDEVELOPED: Art In The Age Helps To Protect The Gilman Forest
New Hampshire is one of the most unique states in the union in that it has one of the highest percentages of undeveloped forest (85%, topped only by Maine at ... Read More
The Beginning of a Beautiful Organic Garden at The Farm
A Nursery (no pun intended) Rhyme for Tamworth, NH Robin, RobinAccustomed to bloggin'How does your garden grow?With blisters and sweatIn a rivuletAnd hours of roto-tillingAll in a row -------------------------- Reading, Riting, and 'Rithmetic ... Read More
Designer Interview Series: Sara Moffat, Teo Griscom & Riley Salyards of Jackson, Johnston & Roe
Fall is creeping up, and while I am anxiously awaiting my first glass of hot apple cider (or any spicier ROOT concoction, if it is one of those days) I ... 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
Designer Interview Series: Melissa Coker of Wren
Melissa Coker, a Lake Forest, Illinois native, founded her line, Wren, in 2007. The line is named for Jenny Wren, a character from Charles Dickens' Our Mutual Friend. Jenny Wren ... 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
Only YOU Can Save Civil War History in Philadelphia!
CIVIL WAR MUSEUM SOUNDS ALARM ON LEAVING PHILA & TWO WEEKS NOTICE: CIVIL WAR ARTIFACTS MAY LEAVE PHILLY These were the headlines of 2 disturbing articles published in the Philadelphia Inquirer yesterday. THE ... Read More
Sound in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction
Professor David Suisman drew quite a crowd to the store Tuesday night for his lecture on sound in the age of mechanical reproduction. While listeners sipped ROOT cocktails, Dr. Suisman ... 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
DEATH’S SCYTHE: A Tribute to Farm Tools, Old and New
Another change that I am slowly easing into, is that over the course of the day, excluding any meetings with maintenance/repair people, I don't say very much out loud. My ... Read More
The Future Is Here….Greyworld’s Kinetic Sculpture
When I think of the future, I think of robots and the end of the world. As far as Art, anything goes. Greyworld, a UK based group of artists, founded ... Read More
“A Titan Courage”: The Steel Will of New Hampshire Women
This is a portrait of Katherine Sleeper Walden. Much has been written in local history on this Founding Mother. -------------------------------------------------- On Katherine Sleeper Walden from The Tamworth Narrative, 1958... Tamworth village has its ... Read More
In the "wilderness" you can forget about Guardian Angels. People up here learned long ago that praying won't save you. In New England, you don't ask for a miracle to ... Read More
WORKSHOP OF THE WORLD—A Selective Guide to the Industrial Archaeology of Philadelphia
The Philadelphia of To-Day, The World's Greatest Workshop: America's largest ... Read More
The New Hampshire Scoreboard - Insects: 1, Robin: 0
It is said, in jest, that New Hampshire's REAL State Bird is the Black Fly. I say, NOT in jest, that New Hampshire's REAL State Bird is The Black Fly, The ... Read More
Louise Naunton Morgan is a recent design/illustration graduate who "believes we are losing the essence of human production and craft to the machine." To combat the resulting "soulless utilitarianism," Louise ... Read More
FARMADELPHIA: An Interview with Yen Ha & Michi Yanagashita of Front Studio
Philadelphia has much to offer visitors and residents alike - from the swank Avenue of the Arts, to the cobblestone streets of Old City, to the ethnic flavors of the ... 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
WE WANT YOU: To Help Change The American Automobile Industry, 50 Miles At A Time
It's short notice, but we would like to draw your attention to a very determined individual who NEEDS YOUR ASSISTANCE in order to embark upon a very worthy, very cool ... 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
“Art is an investment, you can live with” so you must have this photozine..or not?!
...so reads the tag-line on the Myspace page of Blemish Zine, a wee photo compilation I picked up at Needles & Pens in San Francisco a few weeks ago. The ... 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
Oh, For The Love of Gluttony! The Art of Cooking: The First Modern Cookery Book
Maestro Martino of Como is known as the world's first "celebrity chef" and considered by some to be The Father of Italian Cooking. He lived and cooked in the 15th ... Read More
Keep Support for The Arts In The Stimulus Package! Write Your Congressman!
Image: from The Daily Swarm A totally disturbing article was brought to my attention today from The Daily Swarm. In "Why Is The Stimulus Package Screwing The Arts?", David Prince reports ... Read More
BACK 2 SCHOOL: The New Face & Guts of Tyler School of Art
On January 23, Inga Saffron, an architectural critic for the Philadelphia Inquirer, penned an article entitled Changing Skyline: Temple's Artless New Building. Saffron launched a scathing review of the NEW ... Read More
UPDATE: Philadelphians For Egg Farming!
Last week, we shed some light on an important rallying point for concerned Philadelphians: Bringing EGG FARMING (& Chicken-Keeping) to The City of PHILADELPHIA! We now have an AWESOME original ... Read More
AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA: The Stimulus Plan & Environmental Catastrophe
Dear President Obama,We're all for stimulating the economy. But, here at Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, we're also all about protecting small family farms and the environment in ... Read More
Philly’s Iconic Shirt Corner to Get A New Façade, Courtesy of Art In The Age
Two days ago, Philadelphia Inquirer reporter, Monica Yant-Kinney, wrote an article (Turning A Corner In Old City: A Landmark Store Will Depart 3rd & Market) regarding the closing of Marvin ... 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
We Must Stop “Investing” In Art: The Rose Art Museum Sale
The president of Brandeis University recently announced the University's controversial decision to sell their prized Rose Art Museum art collection and to close the museum altogether. The collection, valued at ... Read More
JOIN THE CAUSE: Philadelphians For Egg Farming!
At Art In The Age, we are advocates of eating, buying, growing, and producing the items we consume locally. We believe in knowledgeable consumption and supporting the local Philadelphia/Pennsylvania economy. ... 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
HAPPY INAUGURATION DAY! Today heralds the start of a new era in American politics. With the changing political atmosphere, many citizens have renewed hope for change across all areas of ... 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
BOOK REVIEW: Seventy-Nine Short Essays on Design
Dear All Folks Who Call Themselves Graphic Designers, Do yourselves a HUGE favor. Get your hands on this book immediately. Consume contents. Repeat...79 times. Michael Bierut (principal at Pentagram, blogger extraordinaire, former ... Read More
INTERVIEW: Historian Dr. David Contosta on Lincoln…and Darwin?!
In anticipation of our February Exhibition commemorating the bi-centennial of Abraham Lincoln's Birthday, I have been doing a fair deal of research on The Man, The Martyr, The Legend, and ... Read More
Happy Christmas, One & All! A Pictorial Santa Claus Tableau…
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Joyeux Feasting! While perusing the web for one iconic, "old timey" image of Santa Claus to post as an e-greeting, I stumbled upon many varied images ... 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
Roberta Fallon and Libby Rosof are at every gallery show I ever go to. They are on the front line of art reporting in Philadelphia. Their blog "Artblog" has been ... Read More
