Aline Weber Hangs Out At Prada As We Drop Into Marfa, Texas
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Snuggled in a vast expanse of desert, nearly 20 miles from the next town and some 200 from the nearest major airport, the place is the subject of much modern lore—people return awestruck from the tours of the Chinati Foundation, filled with wonder from the desert landscape and starry nights, and amped up on their great Instagram snap in front of Prada Marfa. Needless to say, Marfa has amassed a lot of hype.
Aline Weber Hangs Out At Prada In Marfa, Tex By Marc Pilaro For ODDA Spaces Issue
When Prada first opened a store in Marfa, Texas, lots of people were incredulous. After all, in 2007, Marfa Texas, population 2,485, went dark. The town was so broke that it couldn't pay its electricity bills, requiring the new mayor to turn off Marfa's streetlights -- every last one.
"Today, Marfa lights up the sky," wrote City-Journal in a recent article. In 2015 an estimated 38,000 tourists -- mostly art lovers -- traveled from worldwide destination to this West Texas town. More than 45,000 are expected this year.
Marfa has become more than a place. It is a “destination,” an arts-world station of the cross, or, to mix religious metaphors, a mecca of minimalism. What Lourdes is to ailing Catholics, Marfa is to aficionados of conceptual sculpture and painting. Think Art Basel in Miami, or Documenta in Germany. The temperature here in June can be scorching, but Marfa, in any season, has become supercool. “London, Paris, Rome, Marfa,” boasts a popular T-shirt sold at Squeeze, a tiny deli in the heart of town that specializes in chocolates and fruit and vegetable drinks.
In March 2016, Vogue writer Steff Yotka spent a weekend in Marfa, writing:
Snuggled in a vast expanse of desert, nearly 20 miles from the next town and some 200 from the nearest major airport, the place is the subject of much modern lore—people return awestruck from the tours of the Chinati Foundation, filled with wonder from the desert landscape and starry nights, and amped up on their great Instagram snap in front of Prada Marfa. Needless to say, Marfa has amassed a lot of hype.
GQ toured 7 of the Coolest Homes in Marfa, Texas in their current issue.
Writing about Tom Ford's new Golden Globe nominated film 'Nocturnal Animals', Mr. Porter drops into West Texas, with a stop in Marfa. Actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson was nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Amy Adams for Best Actress. Tom Ford received nominations for Best Director of a Motion Picture and Best Screenplay of a Motion Picture.
Michelle Obama Raises Her Torch For Global Girl's Education In 'We Will Rise'
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Michelle Obama Raises Her Torch For Global Girl's Education In 'We Will Rise'
It's factual to say that I'm in total avoidance psychologically and emotionally over the Obamas leaving the White House and the Trumps moving in. I do not intend to watch the inauguration and will probably be sobbing -- as I was last night watching CNN's film 'We Will Rise' about Michelle Obama's global education initiative for girls. CNN's Isha Sesay is joined by Freida Pinto and Meryl Streep as they travel to Liberia and Morocco in advance of Michelle Obama's arrival.
Watching the First Lady's plane land first in Liberia, I simply lost it totally and the tears were endless. I was so proud watching that big jet with USA emblazoned on it touch down, and my pain was acute knowing that most probably all the girls' and women's initiatives launched first by Hillary Clinton as Secy of State and then continued by Michelle Obama will be lost in a Trump Administration. Can you imagine Melania and Ivanka touching down In Liberia and Morocco -- unless it's Marrakech and the refurbished La Mamounia hotel? No, you can't.
Interviewed by CNN about her commitment to girls' education, Michelle Obama says: "This issue is personal for me".
For me, education was power.
Tati Cotliar Wears Chanel Cruise In 'Cuba Libre' As Hotels In Havana Soak Up The Food Supply
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Tati Cotliar Wears Chanel Cruise In 'Cuba Libre' By Chintoo For L'Officiel Malaysia
Last May Karl Lagerfeld put Chanel on the map as the first luxury house to hold a runway show in Havana, Cuba. The designer flew 700 guests and 45 models to Cuba for a weekend-long celebration of Cuban culture through the lens of Lagerfeld's romanticism. "This is all about my vision of Cuba," Lagerfeld told The Cut. "But of course, what do I know about Cuba? It is very childish, my idea."
New York Magazine's 'The Cut' wrote in-depth about Lagerfeld's arrival in Havana. The designer followed up in October 2016 with a cruise campaign featuring Mica Arganaraz and Stella Tennant.
The impact of fashion and travel in Cuba has brought a mixed bag reality for its people. Due to the American embargo and poor government planning on the island, food shortages are worse than ever wrote the New York Times this week. Private restaurants now take priority over Cuba's citizens in the flow of scarce resources like green peppers, onions, cucumbers, garlic and even lettuce to hungry mouths.
Cuba experienced a record arrival of 3.5 million tourists last year.
While many Cubans have long been hardened to the reality of going without, never more than during what they call the “Special Period” after the collapse of the Soviet Union, a new dynamic that has emerged in recent months threatens the nation’s future, experts warn.
“The government has consistently failed to invest properly in the agriculture sector,” said Juan Alejandro Triana, an economist at the University of Havana. “We don’t just have to feed 11 million people anymore. We have to feed more than 14 million.”
“In the next five years, if we don’t do something about it, food will become a national security issue here,” he added.
Related: Amid Grim Economic Forecasts. Cubans Fear a Return to Darker Times New York Times
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The Cuban rumba and dance troupe Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, scheduled to be part of the “¡Sí Cuba!” festival coming to New York this spring. The Cubans are coming in a two-month long festival, called “¡Sí Cuba!” that runs from March 31 to June 16 all around New York. Organized with strong leadership from Karen Brooks Hopkins, president of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the festival will showcase the richness of Cuban culture.On Site: Decoding Betye Saar's Uneasy Symbolism At Milan’s Fondazione Prada
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Writing for Hyperallergic.com, Seph Rodney surveys the work of American artist Betye Saar at Milan's Fondazione Prada. AOC wrote about Saar in advance of the exhibition opening, but Rodney's impressions put the works in an environmental context and also filtered through the writer's own personal thought universe.
My favorite work in the show is a small teal room titled “The Alpha and the Omega” (2013–16), which contains a related suite of individual works, including a suspended structure threaded with neon tubes and representing a ship. Below, a small playpen holds a collection of inflated balls, two empty chairs face each other across a board set up for an unfamiliar game, and two fancy birdcages sit quietly with entire worlds contained within them. This room is a bit more enigmatic and quietly serene. According to the gallery guide, the installation looks to represent the entire journey of a human life. “The Alpha and the Omega” also demonstrates that Saar can do more than manipulate racist icons; she can give you a glimpse of her internal life, tell you that she is ready for tomorrow to arrive.
Related: Racist Objects: Confronting Racist Objects The New York Times
A Painful Past Still Present The New York Times
For a more detailed discussion of the art of Betye Saar, read our exhibit opening overview: Assemblage Artist Betye Saar Shows 'Uneasy Dancer' At Fondazione Prada Opening Sept 15-2016
