SLICE Ann Arbor

Food Writer/Culinary Editor/Author Former editor-in-chief, Gourmet magazine Former restaurant critic for The New York Times/Los Angeles Times Spencertown, New York ruthreichl.com

Photo: Michael Singer

SPECIAL GUEST SERIES

In this, our 124th issue of SLICE ANN ARBOR, we are honored to present acclaimed food writer, culinary editor, and author Ruth Reichl. Reichl talks with SLICE about her long and storied career at Gourmet magazine, her passion for memoir writing — and life. 

Special to this issue and time, Reichl shares some thoughts about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. She is currently self-quarantined at her home in Spencertown, New York.

_________________________________________________

INTRODUCTION

Ruth Reichl is a food writer, culinary editor, and the author of five critically acclaimed memoirs: Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir, For You, Mom. Finally, Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise, Comfort Me with Apples: More Adventures at the Table, and Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table. Reichl served as editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine from 1999 to 2009. Prior to this, she was a restaurant critic for The New York Times and the food editor and restaurant critic for the Los Angeles Times. Reichl is the recipient of six James Beard Foundation Awards for her journalism, magazine feature writing, and criticism. In 2015, she provided commentary for the Chef's Table (Netflix) series featuring Dan Barber, chef and co-owner of Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, New York. Reichl also served as a judge on Top Chef Masters. She is the author of the novel Delicious!, and the cookbooks: My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes That Saved My Life, and Mmmmm: A Feastiary. Reichl earned a B.A. and an M.A. in art history from the University of Michigan. When she's not working, you can find her cooking, walking, or reading. Reichl resides in upstate New York in a house on top of a mountain with deer, wild turkey, and the occasional bear prowling around outside, with her husband, Michael Singer, a television news producer, and two cats.

FAVORITES

Book: You must be joking!  One book? It's usually whatever I'm reading at the moment, which is, right now, Hilary Mantel's The Mirror and the Light.

Destination: Any urban city with good walks and great museums.

Motto: The secret to happiness is finding joy in ordinary things.

Sanctuary: My writing cabin

THE QUERY

Where were you born? 

Greenwich Village, New York City

What were some of the passions and pastimes of your early years?

I have loved reading, cooking, and prowling the streets of the city since I was a very small child.

What is your first memory of food as an experience?

I am two. My mother feeds me a spoonful of something so disgusting I cannot swallow it. It is cold and fuzzy on my tongue and if I could have named the flavor I would have compared it to moldy herring. I spit it out. My mother looks surprised, takes a taste of the vile substance and says, ‘What is wrong with you? This is delicious!’ In that moment I understand that my mother cannot be trusted; she and I do not taste the same way. My mother was, in fact, totally taste blind. She had combined the dregs of three different cartons of melted ice cream, poured them into an ice tray, put it in the freezer and left it, uncovered, for weeks to absorb the various flavors of every leftover in the refrigerator. This was her idea of ‘dessert.’ Now, seventy years later, I can still taste it.

What intrigues you most about the art and science of food?

I believe that absolutely everything about food is interesting. The culture of cooking is what distinguishes us from other animals; we cook, they don't. We define ourselves as individuals and as members of society by what we choose to eat. Food brings us together — and sets us apart. And, above all, food is a source of immense happiness.

How would you describe the significance of Gourmet in the history of American culinary culture?

Gourmet was America's first epicurean magazine, and for almost 70 years it chronicled the way Americans were eating. If you want a snapshot of American history from 1941 to 2009, you could do worse than flip through the pages of the magazine. What you see is a country becoming increasingly conscious of the place that food has in our society. I was enormously fortunate to have been given the magazine just as Americans were beginning to understand that food is much more than something to eat, and that an epicurean magazine might offer more than recipes and travel articles. I hope that, at that pivotal moment in our history, Gourmet was able to help steer the national conversation about food to include issues of climate change, ethical eating, farm policy, gender and race — along with all the pleasures of the table.

Was there a period along the way [at the magazine] that presented an especially important learning curve?

For me the seminal moment was publishing David Foster Wallace's essay, Consider the Lobster. When he turned in what was, essentially, a piece about bioethics, I was stunned. It was a beautiful and important piece of writing, but I was also terrified. Were Americans ready to read about the morality of eating animals in a mainstream epicurean publication? As it turned out, they were not only ready, but eager to consider those questions — and it emboldened all of us to tackle the increasingly complicated issues that cooks face every day. 

How did you begin to realize your fascination with the art of memoir writing?

I'd been a newspaper journalist for most of my career, and I wanted to see if I could write long. When I thought about what to write, it occurred to me that I wanted to write about growing up at the table — about the many extraordinary people who had influenced my ideas about cooking and eating. I intended it as a group of short stories, but it grew into a memoir. As I was writing I began to see that memoir really was my genre. It's not that I think my own life is so interesting; everyone's life is interesting, but mine is the one I know best. And isn't the point, really, to underline our common humanity?

Do you have a creative process you typically follow as you begin a project?

I wish!  All I can say is that I just sit at my desk and wait for it to happen. And then rewrite, rewrite, rewrite.

How do you envision the future of the culinary enterprise?

We're at a turning point right now and the future very much depends on how we go forward. Since the end of World War II, when the American government made food a crucial part of the cold war, our country has been focused on cheap food. The result of these policies — which involved the industrialization of farming, the overuse of antibiotics and fertilizers, the creation of animal confinement facilities, the overfishing of the oceans, I could go on and on — has given us the cheapest and most abundant food in the world. It has also contributed to climate change, the destruction of rural America, the devastation of our waters and a crisis of obesity and diabetes. The result is that six out of 10 Americans suffer from chronic disease. We are only beginning to realize the consequences of the policies of the last 75 years. We can change. My hope is that the generation of young people who have been brought up in a culture of food, a generation who understand that eating is an ethical act, will do their best to undo the damage and create a more sustainable world.

In all your travels, what stands out as the most memorable meal you shared with others?

It was in Crete. I was on my honeymoon, visiting a beloved art professor who taught a course called "Light and Motion." He took us up a mountain for dinner.  We came to a tumbledown shack, with a huge pile of onions standing next to it. An old lady came out, set some chairs on the porch, and poured some olive oil into a dish. She picked herbs on the hillside and sprinkled them into the oil. She sliced onions. Set out some olives from her own trees. Gave us a loaf of bread she'd baked, and wine made by her neighbor. Then she picked up a fishing pole and went down the mountain. We drank wine. We ate bread and olive oil. We talked. The sun set. The air was fragrant with thyme. The moon was rising as the old lady returned and lit a fire of grape vines to grill the fish.There were some greens that she'd grown, more onions, and more wine. And for dessert, yogurt from her own sheep. It was a very simple meal. It was perfect. It could only have happened in that place, at that moment. And I realized that the professor had wordlessly made his point: in the right hands, food is art.

Who has had the greatest influence on your life, and why?

My parents. From my mother, who suffered from bipolar disease, I learned to be deeply grateful for my own sanity. And from my father, a book designer who loved what he did, I learned that if you follow your passions there is great joy in work.

Is there a book or film that has changed you?

I read The Grapes of Wrath when I was eight or nine, and it made me think about where our food comes from and all the people who grow it. As a city girl, I hadn't really considered that before. It made me see how much our community depends on food and farming — and it gave me a real desire for social justice for the people who work the land.

What do you consider your greatest life lesson?

Life lesson; it's such an odd concept. One of those words they always use to describe books. Not quite sure how to answer this, but I'll say that the word that I try to live by is generosity. If you always follow your most generous impulses, you can't go wrong. I mean that in every sense: be kind, be available, give away as much as you can. Be there — for your family, your friends, your co-workers. Even when your instinct is to say no, say yes instead.

How would you define a life well lived?

All you can ask, of anyone, is to live up to the best in themselves. Realize your own potential. Work hard, be kind, and have as much fun as you can.  

What are you most proud of in your long and storied career?

Sometime in the late 80s I became the food editor of the Los Angeles Times (I was already the restaurant critic). At the time it was the biggest food section in the country with two sections, 60 pages every week. For the next five years, Laurie Ochoa and I reimagined what a newspaper food section could be. We thought of food as culture, not just recipes, and we tried to take as big a bite out of the world as we could. We covered the politics of food, science, agriculture, history, and anthropology. We did profiles. We brought in great people: Jonathan Gold, Charles Perry, Russ Parsons, and David Karp. We encouraged Toni Tipton to stop writing about nutrition and think bigger. We begged writers who'd never written about food to write stories for us. The paper's editor, Shelby Coffey, was skeptical at first, but after a while he said, ‘You've shown me that food can be a great way for a paper to cover the city.’ It was enormous fun. I was really proud of that section, and it ultimately became the template for what we would do with Gourmet magazine.  

How would you like to be remembered?

I've been writing about food for fifty years. I hope I had some part in making other people think that it's an important subject. As MFK Fisher said, ‘I cannot count the good people I know who, to my mind, would be even better if they bent their spirits to the study of their own hungers.’

_________________________________________________________

Special to this issue and time, Reichl shares some thoughts about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. She is currently self-quarantined at her home in Spencertown, New York. 

How are you weathering life in the days of COVID-19?

Like everyone else I'm edgy and irritable. As the days go by, it comes closer; people I love have died, others have tested positive. And I know this is only the beginning. At the moment I'm in self-quarantine. I read, I write, I do a lot of cooking.

What are you cooking in your home kitchen?

Fortunately I'm a condiment whore and my pantry is full of wonderful flavor enhancers. My freezer is filled with fruits and vegetables I put up last summer, and I live in the country, surrounded by farms and dairies so meat, milk, and eggs are easy to come by. And since it's just me and Michael, I basically get up every morning and ask, ‘What do you want to eat today?’ And then I make it. Lately it's been a lot of pizza, pasta, and Asian stir-fries. And of course, I'm baking bread. Isn't everyone?

How do you envision the future of the restaurant industry as it tries to rebuild in the months ahead?

Illustrator/Author/Designer New York, New York mairakalman.com

Photo: Rick Meyerowitz

SPECIAL GUEST SERIES

Maira Kalman is a Manhattan based illustrator, author, and designer best known for her New Yorker covers and narrative drawings for The New York Times. She has also written and illustrated 28 children's and adult books. Kalman’s most recent titles include: Swami on Rye: Max in India (2018), Cake (written by Barbara Scott-Goodman, 2018), Beloved Dog (2015), Thomas Jefferson : Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Everything (2014), My Favorite Things (2014), Food Rules: An Eater's Manual (written by Michael Pollan, 2011), The Principles of Uncertainty (2009), and The Illustrated Elements of Style, 2008 (written by William Strunk, Jr. and E. B. White). She published her first children's book Stay Up Late in 1985 to illustrate the lyrics of musician David Byrne. 

In 2017, Kalman collaborated with her son, Alex Kalman, to create Sara Berman's Closet, an exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City showcasing her mother's [Sara Berman] life from 1982-2004 when she lived in a small apartment in Greenwich Village. 

That same year, Kalman was awarded the AIGA Medal for her work in "storytelling, illustration, and design while pushing the limits of all three.” She has collaborated with Isaac Mizrahi, Kate Spade, and Michael Maharam to design fabrics and accessories, created ballet sets and costumes for the Mark Morris Dance Company and mannequins for Ralph Pucci. Kalman is the recipient of numerous honors from the Art Directors Club, The Society of Publication Designers, and The American Institute for Graphic Arts. In June 2019, Atlanta's High Museum hosted an exhibition exploring her work in The Pursuit of Everything: Maira Kalman's Books for Children. Kalman’s work has also appeared in books published by the Museum of Modern Art and Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. She is represented by the Julie Saul Gallery in New York City. 

When Kalman is not working, you can find her walking around. She resides in Manhattan in a sun-filled apartment with miles of bookshelves.

FAVORITES

Book:  In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust

Most valued possession:  Books

Motto: Sorry, the rest is unknown.

Destination: A garden anywhere in the world.

THE QUERY

Where were you born?

I was born in Tel Aviv and moved to New York with my family at the age of four. I was raised in Riverdale, the Bronx.

What were some of the passions and pastimes of your early years?

The usual pursuits. Ballet lessons. Piano lessons. Bike riding. Reading. Reading. Reading.

How did you find your style in writing and illustrating children's books?

My style has always been compatible with a child. And my mind as well. There is a whimsy and freedom. An ability to be stupid and smart. And writing for children forces a rigorous editing process. The audience is open minded and the book does not go on too long.

What intrigues you most about the art of illustration/narrative drawing?

It's a good way to tell a story, if you need to tell a story. What compels one to do that is a mystery to me.

How did the concept for Sara Berman's Closet [both exhibition and book] take shape?

We adored my mother. An irreverent, loving woman with a great sense of humor (see her map of the United States). She only wore white. And her closet was a study in perfection. Ironed. Folded. Lined up. When she died, I stood in her closet and thought it should be a museum exhibit. My son, Alex Kalman, fortunately runs a small museum in a defunct elevator shaft in lower Manhattan. It is called MMUSEUMM. We installed the pristine closet there on a grungy alleyway. And then it went to The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What has been most gratifying about that endeavor?

To know that an idea can be realized in a meaningful way. Not every idea can be real. But this felt so true that it had to be. It may take longer than you imagine. But it can happen.

What led to your collaboration with author Michael Pollan to create illustrations for Food Rules: An Eater's Manual?

Michael and I are friends and we share an editor. His wife thought it would be a nice idea that I illustrated the book. We all agreed, and we are happy we did.

In what ways has your style of storytelling and illustration evolved since entering the profession?

I am a better painter now after all these years. But I am not so sure that is an asset. I speak basically the same way to adults and children. I try to say less. I am as uncertain as I am certain.

What surprised you most about the charge of creating cover illustrations for The New Yorker?

It is thrilling to be asked. And the reach is immense. There is a magical place in the world for these covers. It's good to be part of the history of it all. What you discover is that there is no rule or formula. Each idea is unique. Many ideas do not make it. And there is no way to predict what works and what does not.

Is there a book or project along the way that has presented an important learning curve?

And the Pursuit of Happiness was a great learning experience. When The New York Times sent me on this assignment to write and paint about American democracy and history every month for a year, it was something I had no interest in at all. But it was fascinating and filled me with a greater respect for and interest in history. And I am now definitely more compassionate in general.

What three things can't you live without?

Family. Books. Music.

From where do you draw inspiration these days?

Absolutely everywhere and everything. Walking. Looking at people, dogs, buildings, trees. Music. Film. Reading. Travel. The obits.

Who has had the greatest influence on your life, and why?

My mother, my late husband, and my children. They are the source of meaning and love. And they were and are great fun.

How would you define a life well-lived?

To have work that you love and people that you love.

What one person, dead or living, would you like to have dinner with?

Abraham Lincoln

What's right with the world?

There will always be horrific things happening in the world. That is nothing new. The point is to focus on meaningful things in your life and to do the best you can. Momentous events happen in tiny moments during the day.

What do you consider your greatest life lesson?

There is no one state of being. No destination to a permanent human mood. You can't always be happy. There is happiness and sadness and they inhabit the same space and continue to vie for attention.

How would you like to be remembered?

Food & Drinks Editor, Esquire Magazine Author/Food Journalist Hudson Valley, New York jeffgordinier.com noma.dk Photo by Andre Baranowski

SPECIAL GUEST SERIES

In this, our 122nd issue of SLICE ANN ARBOR, we are honored to present food journalist and author Jeff Gordinier. Gordinier talks with SLICE about his new book Hungry: Eating, Road-Tripping, and Risking It All with the Greatest Chef in the World — and life.  

Jeff Gordinier is the food & drinks editor at Esquire and a contributor to The New York Times, where he was previously a reporter. In his latest book, Hungry: Eating, Road-Tripping, and Risking It All with the Greatest Chef in the World, Gordinier chronicles four years spent traveling in Mexico, Australia, and Denmark with René Redzepi, a Danish chef and the creative force behind Noma, often referred to as the best restaurant in the world. Gordinier provided commentary for an episode of Netflix's Chef's Table series featuring Jeong Kwan, a Buddhist nun in South Korea and an avatar of Asian temple cuisine. His work has appeared in Travel + Leisure, Real Simple, Entertainment Weekly, Details, Elle, Fortune, Creative Nonfiction, Spin, Poetry Foundation, and anthologies such as Best American Nonrequired Reading. A graduate of Princeton University, Gordinier is also the author of X Saves the World and coeditor of Here She Comes Now. When he’s not working, you can find him taking care of his four children. Gordinier lives north of New York City with his wife, Lauren Fonda; they have a view of the Hudson River from their bedroom.

[Jeff Gordinier will be at the Shinola Hotel in Detroit on Tuesday, July 23, 2019, to celebrate the release of Hungry: Eating, Road-Tripping, and Risking It All with the Greatest Chef in the World, where he will be in conversation with chef George Azar, owner of Flowers of Vietnam, Detroit. The discussion will be moderated by Devita Davison, executive director of FoodLab Detroit]. 

FAVORITES

Book: Impossible to say, but for now, Patti Smith's Just Kids, James Schuyler's Selected Poems, Alexander Chee's How to Write an Autobiographical Novel.

Destination: Anywhere I have never been before, so I will say Japan.

Motto: "I promise I will get back to you."

THE QUERY

How [and when] did the concept for Hungry originally take shape?

When I first met chef René Redzepi, in 2014, I was working as a food writer on staff at The New York Times, and it's safe to say I was wary of the fame he had achieved and skeptical about the New Nordic movement that he had instigated. Redzepi and I wound up traveling through Mexico together for a story I wrote for T Magazine, and that led, over time, to more Noma-oriented encounters and experiences. I soon started spending my own money to check out what Noma was doing in Copenhagen and in Australia, et cetera, and eventually I became intrigued enough that I quit my job to join the circus: I left my post at the Times and began tagging along on the trips that make up the bulk of Hungry. (My gig at Esquire gives me a lot of leeway to travel, and the only way to tell this story was to be free to hop on a plane at a moment's notice.)

For decades I've been a fan of the D.A. Pennebaker documentary Don't Look Back, which captured Bob Dylan at a crucial moment in his career, with all of the friction and frustration that that entails. We're lucky that Pennebaker managed to be present to get footage of Dylan, this pioneering cultural figure, when the singer-songwriter was in the midst of so much pressure and transformation. I guess I hoped to do a similar thing, in a book, with Redzepi — I felt as though I had warts-and-all access to this influential person during a genuine inflection point, and I didn't want those observations to go to waste.

What if, I thought, you were riding alongside Dylan from, say, 1965 to 1968 — from the moment he (controversially) went electric all the way through the recording of Blonde on Blonde and John Wesley Harding? That sort of framework seemed available with Redzepi, because he and the Noma crew were preparing to embark on a series of risky, difficult pop-ups (in Japan, Australia, and Mexico) at the same time that the chef was planning to shut down the restaurant that had made him famous and reopen it in a new form on a site that looked like an abandoned nuclear dump. It was a dramatic set-up - and impossible to resist.

What was your overall vision for the book, before you embarked on the journey?

I had embarked on the journey long before I envisioned it as a book. I was just taking these crazy trips. Along the way I got to thinking that I might have material for a book. The structure of the book came together finally, in my mind, when I realized that it was a cult narrative: Hungry is ultimately the story of a lost man (that would be myself) who found clarity and purpose by joining a cult, only in this case the cult happens to be a restaurant called Noma.

How would you describe the evolution of your relationship with René Redzepi, from day one to the end of the travels? 

He talked. I listened. At first I was slightly dubious regarding the whole mission of Noma, but eventually I realized that there was no point in trying to say "no" to this chef. It was more fulfilling to say yes.

What was a typical day like as you worked your way across the globe?

A lot of eating, a lot of driving, a lot of talking, a lot of analyzing. By the end of each day I tended to be exhilarated and exhausted. But I should point out that I didn't perpetually travel with Redzepi for years on end. Most of the time I was simply back home with my family, working on articles, et cetera. And Redzipi was back in Denmark with his family and his restaurant team. We would take these trips now and then, usually on a whim, over the course of about four years.

Who did you meet along the way from the culinary world (or from other worlds) that you'll likely never forget, and why?

Reporting the book was like being stuck in a culinary version of The Canterbury Tales, because famous chefs floated in and out of our orbit as we moved along. David Chang, Kylie Kwong, Danny Bowien, Enrique Olvera, Roberto Solís, Rosio Sánchez, to name but a few. What I won't forget is the summer day when René and Nadine Redzepi held a picnic in their backyard at which some of the world's top chefs got together and cooked: Jacques Pépin, José Andrés, Danny Bowien, Kylie Kwong, Jessica Koslow, Gabriela Cámara. Daniel Patterson, Bo Bech, Alex Atala. That was wild.

Is there a moment that stands out as most remarkable during the journey?

Really it was one remarkable moment after another. That's why I kept going back. It felt like an amplified version of life.  

How has Redzepi changed the global culinary dialogue about wild and cultivated sourced ingredients?

Answering that would take a couple of days.  

Why did Redzepi "have to do this," a question you asked early in your travels, referring to the closing of Noma in 2015 and its reopening/reinvention in 2018?

Most chefs work hard in a ridiculously challenging environment. Many chefs are perfectionists. But Redzepi is unlike anyone I have written about in the sense that he is never satisfied with sitting still. As readers of Hungry will see, he's allergic to coasting. At this point he and the Noma crew could just keep cranking out the most popular dishes. Customers would continue to beg for tables. But Redzepi seems convinced that his creativity would dry up if he let that happen. So he's always conjuring new challenges — exercises in team-building and flavor-searching that would wear most of us out.  

How did this experience ultimately create reinvention in your life; how did it change you?

When I first met Redzepi, I was feeling stuck, which is something that happens to a lot of us, of course. Redzepi's philosophy — his whole approach to living — represents the opposite of stuckness. Like so many intensely creative people (from Bowie to Beyoncé), he's adept at escaping stuckness by propelling himself forward. He doesn't like to dwell on the past; he doesn't like to stay put. When he and I met, I was in a period of my life that was pretty much all about dwelling on the past, and that contrast seemed narratively fruitful to me. (The book starts off by quoting the first lines of Dante's Divine Comedy, which is sort of an inside joke, because from one vantage point the Divine Comedy can be read as an extravagant metaphor for Dante's midlife crisis.) I felt like both Redzepi and I were at pivotal moments in our lives. As readers will see, I wound up getting kicked out of my mental rut.

What is the wisdom of tearing it all down and starting over?

I think what drew me to Redzepi, long before I tasted his cooking, was his crazy commitment to making the most out of his life and the opportunities that have come his way. For those of us (and maybe it's all of us) who toy with the notion of reinventing ourselves, well, Redzepi comes across as a kind of mad avatar of renewal. He has reinvented Noma itself over and over, and he has also, in a way, reinvented Copenhagen, almost single-handedly turning it into one of the most compelling culinary cities in the world. It can be seductive and intoxicating to be around people who have that kind of energy.

What do you think the Danish chef might have learned from you along the way?

Associate Curator of Architecture and Design San Francisco Museum of Modern Art San Francisco, California sfmoma.org

Photo by Matthew Millman

SPECIAL GUEST SERIES

Joseph Becker is associate curator of architecture and design at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He has contributed to over twenty exhibitions at the Museum, including the curation of Tomás Saraceno: Stillness in Motion – Cloud Cities (2016-17), and Field Conditions (2012), as well as the co-curation of Nothing Stable Under Heaven (2018), Typeface to Interface: Graphic Design from the Collection (2016), and Lebbeus Woods, Architect (2013-14). During his 11-year tenure, Joseph has also been responsible for numerous major acquisitions for the Museum’s collection, as well as exhibition design and visual direction of many of its architecture and design exhibitions. He has served on architecture, design, and public art panels; been an invited juror at national architecture programs; led workshops on exhibition and experiential design; moderated public dialogue; and lectured internationally. Joseph earned both a bachelor of architecture and a masters of advanced architectural design (in design theory and critical practice) from the California College of the Arts, where he is currently a visiting professor. When Joseph is not working, you can find him sailing his 1979 Columbia 9.6 on the San Francisco Bay, or working on a slow remodel of his 1948 house in Bernal Heights.

FAVORITES

Book: I really avoid playing favorites, and I love books, so I’ll just say that Reyner Banham’s Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four Ecologies is always on my list of required reading, both because of my interest in architecture and as a native Angeleno. I don’t have much time to read for fun, so I’m currently picking at short stories by George Saunders. Just the right amount of weird.

Destination: Marfa. Worth the journey. I’ve been lucky to visit a handful of times over the past few years, doing research on Donald Judd’s furniture practice. The wide open sky of West Texas has a very special quality.

Motto: I once had a keychain that said “Screw it, Let’s do It.”

Prized possession: Right now I’m really excited about my 1953 O’Keefe and Merritt stove, which I just put into my kitchen. I have many small collections of really wonderful and quirky objects, but I love the four-inch pine needle basket that my mom wove for me at our family forestry-service cabin in the Sierras, where I am right now.

THE QUERY 

Where were you born?

At home in Los Angeles.

What were some of the passions and pastimes of your earlier years?

Certainly when I was a child I was a big Lego fan. But I also took art classes at Dorothy Cannon’s renown studio in North Hollywood, which exposed me to paint and clay and charcoal. She was an amazingly encouraging teacher.

What is your first memory of architecture as an experience?

When I was four, my parents bought their 1930s ranch house across the street from my mom’s sister, and worked with an architect to build an addition. I have early memories of exploring the house under construction, and especially sitting at the bottom of the empty swimming pool and marveling at the scale and curves and very different quality of space inside the concrete shell.

How did you begin to realize your intrigue with architecture and design?

I think I was always interested in building and making things, even as a child. My dad and I used to make model rockets, and we built my bedroom furniture to my designs when I was around 13. I also remember traveling with my parents in the UK when I was 14, and chose to take them to the Design Museum in London because of an ad I saw in the underground. It was a Verner Panton exhibition, and from then on I was hooked on the idea of total environment. The psychedelic aspect was pretty good, too.

Why does this form of artistic expression suit you?

I think I’m interested in the logic of design and architecture – the creative response to problem solving. But I really get excited when the boundaries break down, and the architecture or design response is an artistic critique of societal conditions, and perhaps a vision for an alternative future.

What led to your coming on board with the San Francisco Museum of Art?

I knew I wanted to study architecture, but not necessarily practice it. My interest in art led me to explore curatorial practice as a way to combine the two.

What is your greatest challenge in this role?

Each exhibition or program has unique challenges. Working with living artists is a really exciting challenge – pushing and pulling in a dialogue while keeping their vision pure. I think the greatest challenge is that I never feel like I have enough time for robust scholarship on any exhibition, no matter how far in advance I begin planning.

Is there a project along the way that has presented an important learning curve?

Each project is an opportunity for growth in a different arena. I think my very first project at SFMOMA, which was designing the giant walk-in freezer that housed the Olafur Eliasson ice-covered hydrogen powered race car chassis called Your mobile expectations, set a high bar. The car fit in the freight elevator by two inches and we had a pretty hard time calculating what it would weigh once laden with its frozen shell.

What exhibition remains most memorable, even today?

There are two exhibitions I have curated that I actually see as a continuation of a single idea. Field Conditions (2012) and Tomás Saraceno: Stillness in Motion – Cloud Cities (2017) each deal with pushing the boundaries of architecture as conceptual spatial practice, with foray into the hypothetical and visionary. I worked with some amazing artists in Field Conditions, and was very excited to put drawings by Lebbeus Woods on view that I had studied in undergraduate school. I acquired those drawings for the Museum collection, and then co-curated the first comprehensive survey of Woods’ work after his passing.

How would you describe your creative process?

As a curator, you’re always looking around for new artists and projects, and connecting them to explorations in the past. I think my process is really just about trying to see as much as possible and trusting my instinct when it comes to what I think is interesting, and want to share with the Museum’s audience.

What three tools of the trade can’t you live without?

I’m completely indebted to our museum library, and the ability to access hundreds of amazing publications. Obviously the internet is an indispensable research tool, but I try to not get mesmerized by it – you can get tangential quickly. And without my glasses I’d have a hard time doing anything, so I have to credit LA Eyeworks for keeping me bespectacled with their amazing frames.

How has your aesthetic evolved over the years?

I lean toward simple and beautiful things, often with history, or some sense of timelessness.

Is there an architect/designer living today that you admire most?

For many reasons, I tremendously admire Olafur Eliasson. His multivalent practice spans many of my interests, from complex geometry to color and light. Beyond sculpture, he works in architecture and design, as well as humanitarian and socially driven design work. And his studio culture is really quite incredible, revolving around food and collaboration.

What has been a pivotal period or moment in your life?

I lost the 1907 loft that I had lived in for a decade to a house fire in 2014. It was a 2,000 square foot unfolding architecture project that I had spent ten years building and rebuilding, and was the center of my world. A fire at the other side of the building ended up red-tagging the entire structure, and all the tenants were subsequently evicted. I spent the next few months in formative self reflection, and can attest to the power of pushing through.

Do you have a favorite artistic resource that you turn to?

I spin through a handful of different art, design, and architecture websites. I think biennials and triennials are amazing opportunities to see so many contemporary projects at once.

From where do you draw inspiration?

Inspiration is everywhere, if your eyes are really open.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Certainly to remain open to new ideas and experiences. Say ‘yes’ until you have to say ‘no.’ This can be problematic when you say ‘yes’ to too many exciting projects. Really, the best advice is to just show up, and see where it goes.

Is there a book or film that has changed you?

I have always been fascinated by Film Noir for its portrayal of architecture, and the city as a character that is laden with nefarious potential. I love the art of storytelling, whether in cinema, poetry, or history.

Who in your life would you like to thank, and for what?

I am in general incredibly grateful for so many people who have had a positive impact on my life, from family to friends and colleagues. Two people I would love to thank, but can’t, would be both of my grandmothers, who were each incredible artists in their own right and taught me how to look, and see, the creative potential inside me and in the world beyond.

What are you working on right now?

I just delivered a commencement address for the graduate programs at the California College of the Arts, so that was something that I had been focusing on until last week. I’m currently wrapping up the details on an exhibition catalogue that I am the co-author of, with my colleague Jennifer Dunlop Fletcher, on The Sea Ranch, which will launch when the show opens at the Museum in December. Next month I’ll open a small show of Steve Frykholm’s playful Summer Picnic Posters for Herman Miller, which he created from 1970 to 1989. And, in two months, I will be opening an exhibition that I am curating on the furniture practice of Donald Judd, which I am very excited about. We will have Judd-designed chairs outside the gallery that our visitors can sit in!

What drives you these days?

Director of Education & Community Engagement University Musical Society Ann Arbor, Michigan ums.org

Photo by Peter Smith

Jim Leija serves as director of education and community engagement for the University Musical Society (UMS), the 139-year-old nonprofit performing arts presenter affiliated with the University of Michigan, and 2014 recipient of the National Medal of Arts. He began at UMS in the marketing department, serving first as public relations manager and later as the manager of new media and online initiatives. Jim was promoted to the position of director of education and community engagement in 2011. In his current role, he provides the strategic direction for UMS's community, University, and K-12/youth engagement and education programs, and leads the team that produces over 125 free or low-cost education events. In 2014, he was publicly elected to a four-year term as a trustee of the Ann Arbor District Library, where he serves as treasurer. Additionally, he is a trustee of Dance/USA, where he is chair of the dance presenters council. Jim is an occasional filmmaker and performer, and took top prize in the 2014 University of Michigan Stamps School of Art & Design Alumni Exhibition. His non-fiction performance essay, “dance or die,” is published in the anthology Queer and Catholic (Routledge). Jim holds three degrees from the University of Michigan: a master of fine arts in art and design, bachelor of arts in sociology, and bachelor of fine arts in musical theatre. He lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with his husband, Aric Knuth, and their two rescue dogs, Maisie and Olive.

FAVORITES 

Book: Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin

Destination: Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico.

Motto: Everything doesn’t happen for a reason, but every single thing can be made useful. 

Prized possession: My wedding ring.

THE QUERY 

Where were you born?

St. Clair Shores, Michigan; a suburb of Detroit, about 15 miles north of the city in the much-discussed (post-election) Macomb county.

What were some of the passions and pastimes of your earlier years?

I was the prototypical music and theater kid. I think my first documented public performance was in the first grade at a school talent show. I performed an acapella rendition of “Do-Re-Mi” from The Sound of Music. We had been to Frankenmuth recently where my mother bought me some kiddie lederhosen…so I really looked the part. I went to Catholic school for 12 years, and much of my musical training came through church music. I was in the choir, and took piano lessons from the church music director. In high school it was band, show choir, community theater, school musicals, forensics – just all of these things.

What is your first memory of art/performance art as an experience?

As a child, I was really lucky to benefit from many of the cultural assets of Detroit, and I have vivid memories of field trips ­to the Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit Historical Society, Belle Isle Conservatory (a particular favorite of our family during the long Michigan winters), and performances at (the now demolished) Ford Auditorium. I was always dazzled by the theatricality of the “Old Streets of Detroit” exhibit at the Historical Society. I loved the warm-weather escapism of the Conservatory, and the monumentality of Diego Rivera’s mural is imprinted upon me for a lifetime. In terms of performance, I have an early memory of seeing a ballet at Ford Auditorium – probably first or second grade, and I have no idea what ballet or what company. It was the whole experience: such a big deal to “go to the city,” both thrilling and scary for a young person, and being with all the other kids from Detroit and the suburbs, in a space created for kids. How absolutely dazzling it was when the lights went down and the curtain came up and we were all transported. The arts really do transport us - literally, intellectually, and emotionally.

How did you begin to realize your intrigue with the fine arts/musical theatre?

The Birmingham Theater used to be a small regional theater and produced a season of plays and musicals (now it’s a movie theater). My mom had planned a trip with her friends to see Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific. At the last minute someone couldn’t go, so they decided to give the extra ticket to me. I was in the 5th grade (just about 10 years old), and I was absolutely captivated. Up until that point, I hadn’t seen such a fully produced, professional, and adult piece of theater. Think about it: in South Pacific you have racism, war, politics, interracial marriage, blended families, and on and on. Not to mention one of the most beautiful scores in musical theater repertoire.That was the first moment when I understood that the making of theater was a professional pursuit as well as an artistic one, and that the theater could really say something important about our society. When I saw the revival of South Pacific a few years ago at Lincoln Center, I was still so moved by it. At the end of the play, Nellie Forbush (from Little Rock, Arkansas) makes the decision to confront her own racism and bias, and stretch herself beyond her personal comfort zone. The show was written sixty-plus years ago and it still means something.

Why does this form of artistic expression suit you?

I’m a naturally expressive person, and theater and music have always been a space where I’ve felt comfortable being myself.

What led to your decision to work with the University Musical Society in January 2008?

After finishing the MFA program in art & design at the University of Michigan, I went out looking for jobs at performing arts organizations. In graduate school, I learned a lot about digital media, and was exploring how to use the very new platforms of YouTube and Facebook to distribute my own artistic work. I figured I had something to offer in terms of digital and social media, and I eventually became UMS’s first social media manager. 

What is the greatest challenge you face in your current role as director of education and community engagement?

Very simply, we have limited resources, and we can’t do everything. Setting our priorities and sticking to them is extremely important. Last year, the education and community engagement program created a strategic work plan that lays out our purpose and priorities for the next several years. We’re placing a particular emphasis on accessibility and permeability in our programs, and on using the arts to engage in important and necessary conversations in our community. For anyone who is interested, you can find our strategic work plan on the UMS website.

How are you changing K-12 youth engagement and education programs in the Ann Arbor community?

One of the major goals of our strategic work plan is to reach many more underserved youth through the School Day Performance program. We’ve set a goal that by 2020, 65 percent of participants in UMS K-12 programs will qualify as underserved. We define underserved in a few different ways: schools where 50 percent or more students qualify for free or reduced lunch, schools where there is no full-time arts teacher, classrooms that primarily serve students with disabilities or special needs, and/or schools that have never had an experience with UMS before. Many schools qualify in more than one category. One of our partners in this work is the University of Michigan Credit Union which has helped us launch the Arts Adventures Program through a major endowment gift. Through Arts Adventures, we’re able to offer bus and ticket grants to support underserved schools in attending school day performances. This year we’ve given away over $10,000 in grants, with about 40 percent of grants going to schools in Washtenaw County, and the other 60 percent beyond Washtenaw. $10,000 is a great start, but we need to continue to grow this resource so that we’re able to remove any financial obstacles to participation.

Is there an educational event (K-12) you’ve worked on which remains most memorable, and why?

Last season, we presented a documentary theater production for local high school students of Ping Chong+Company’s Beyond Sacred: Voices of Muslim Identity. The show featured the real-life stories of several young Muslims from the New York City area, most of them in their early 20s. The show landed in Ann Arbor in February 2017 just as Trump announced his travel ban on several Muslim-majority countries. In that moment, I was quite proud to be presenting a show to young people in our community that confronted Islamophobia head-on. The Q&A after the show got heated at moments as there were Muslim students in the audience who had been directly affected by the travel ban, and there were also students who came from communities that supported Trump. That UMS was able to create a space of dialogue and debate for young people about a pressing social issue speaks to the power of the arts to shape the way young people see the world.

What do you enjoy most in your role as trustee/treasurer at the Ann Arbor District Library?

I hear all the time from people in our community how much they love the library, and it’s incredibly gratifying to know that my service on the board is supporting an institution that people truly care about. From a philosophical standpoint, I love serving on the library board because it is one of the most inclusive and democratic spaces in Ann Arbor. As treasurer, I’ve enjoyed learning about the ins and outs of governmental budgeting (I’m a little nerdy that way), and I do feel a responsibility to make sure our valuable tax dollars are spent responsibly and in a way that will have the most impact.

Is there a project on your radar you'd like to bring to the Library?​

I’m really proud to have contributed to the process surrounding the new Westgate Branch. The old branch was 5,500 square feet, and we were able to expand into a beautifully remodeled space that is now 21,000 square feet with study rooms, a large kids area, bookable meeting rooms, and a café provided by Sweetwaters Coffee. The feedback on Westgate has been excellent, and the branch has been transformed into a bustling, vibrant community space. Westgate is a kind of prototype for how we might reimagine our downtown Branch. I believe that Ann Arbor deserves an absolutely top-notch downtown space. The AADL staff have made so many creative changes to the way we use the downtown branch in order to accommodate hundreds of programs and thousands of visitors every year. But the fact remains that we’re operating in a space that doesn’t have the infrastructure to support the incredible usage. For the past year, the board has been engaged in a process of considering the future of the downtown library branch. As a community, I hope that we’ll arrive at the conclusion that we deserve a downtown branch that supports the vibrancy of our community and our community’s love of lifelong learning.

How would you describe your creative process?

I’m improvisatory and iterative, and I love working in groups. I need to be in a space where I can try out ideas in front of others and get feedback in real time. I like to generate as much as possible before organizing, prioritizing, and strategizing my final output.

Is there a project along the way that has presented an important learning curve?

In January, UMS introduced a new series called No Safety Net, which presented four theater performances engaged very explicitly with pressing contemporary social issues. Over three weeks we explored terrorism, racism, transgender identity, and mental health/radical healing; each performance was accompanied by an array of community educational events. The series was an enormous undertaking both logistically and psychologically. As an organization, both the staff and board went through an almost yearlong process of educating ourselves about these issues, and confronting the possibility that we might offend and shock our audiences with some of the presentations. We learned a lot together, especially how to take strategic risks and respond to a fuller range of audience reactions.

What three tools of the trade can’t you live without?

A great network of trusted colleagues. An open-mind and a curious attitude. A really great cup of coffee

How has your aesthetic evolved over the years?

Lately I find myself drawn to live performances that are engaged with contemporary social issues, but in ways that are unexpected, poetic, challenging, and often abstract. Dance and movement artists hold a special appeal to me because, in certain ways, the expressive capabilities of the body are so much greater than anything that can be conveyed in words. I’m surprised that I find myself drawn more and more to performances with few or no words. I enjoy ambiguity and the challenge of making meaning for myself.

Is there an artist/performer living today that you admire most?

This is an impossible question to answer! I find myself inspired by so many artists! If I have to name one artist, I would say Taylor Mac. Taylor has created a 24-decade history of American popular music that is a 24-hour performance. UMS commissioned three decades of this project in February 2016. Taylor is a kind of drag-queen-shaman-clown-goddess-rebel figure whose show is a wildly creative reimagining of American history through a queer, radical lens. Taylor’s genius is in using humor and charm to convince a very mixed audience to go on a journey that tackles racism, sexism, homophobia, classism, and capitalism. Because the work is being presented across the United States by major presenters like UMS, Taylor attracts a mixed crowd…and by mixed, I mean that not every person in the room identifies with Taylor, and, yet, most everyone is willing to go along for the ride. I think there’s real power in that – to be able to preach to the choir while simultaneously educating others.

Do you have a favorite artistic resource that you turn to? 

I rotate between The New York Times, The New Yorker, and Vulture (New York Magazine). For cultural commentary, I’m an avid reader of the feminist culture and news blog Jezebel. And I’m a big fan of The New York Times podcast Still Processing hosted by Jenna Wortham and Wesley Morris. Wortham and Morris are having one of the most interesting ongoing conversations about contemporary Black life in America at the intersection of arts and culture, tech, politics, and social justice. If you’re not listening, you should be.

From where do you draw inspiration?

As a queer Latinx person, I’m really inspired by the proliferation of new voices and stories from people of color, queer people, transgender people, and women across film, television, online media, and theater. There is a new wave of creators telling stories from the margins, and there are audiences for these stories. I think this is most pronounced in television where you have shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race, Insecure, How To Get Away With Murder, Transparent, Dear White People, and Eastsiders. And, of course, Black Panther has been an absolute tidal wave of success in shaking up the otherwise conventional space of superhero movies. I hope this kind of storytelling and media representation is a harbinger for a more politically, socially, and economically integrated society.

What three things can’t you live without?

DVR (we are in the golden age of television). Classic 8-inch Wusthof Chef’s Knife (an essential tool for the home cook). My dogs, Maisie and Olive.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

My mom always says to me, “one day at a time.” Sometimes that pisses me off because it just seems like impossible advice to take. But for someone like me, who says ‘yes’ to just about everything and is constantly juggling lots of projects and passions, it’s absolutely essential advice.

Is there a book or film that has changed you?

The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan was really transformational for me. In lots of ways, that book is the manifesto of the contemporary locavore movement, and it still resonates for me today. I read the book when it came out 11 years ago. I was in my late 20s and starting to really question what I knew about food - where it came from, how it was produced, how it was prepared, packaged, and delivered to me. Some of my interest had to do with being an overweight teen and adult, and I was trying to discover better ways to take care of my body. That book truly changed the way I interact with food. I became a devoted home cook, and now I try to eat as seasonally as I can and take full advantage of the Ann Arbor Farmers Market throughout the year. Since reading that book, we’ve had a farm share with Tantre Farm in Chelsea, Michigan, and it really is a privilege to know Richard and Deb, the farmers who grow the food and to be able to actually visit the place where the food is grown. Our community is extremely privileged to have access to this kind food system.

Who in your life would you like to thank, and for what?

My maternal grandmother, Mary Miller taught me how to lead with a spirit of unconditional love and strive to create community in every context. My mom, Mary Beth, has supported my wild artistic dreams my whole life and never made me feel like the arts wasn’t a good path for me. My dad, Jim, for my irreverent sense of humor. The UMS staff is awesome and does incredible work, and I’m particularly grateful to my core team of colleagues in education, programming, and production who make it all happen. And, of course, my husband Aric Knuth, for his willingness to go on any adventure with me.

What drives you these days?

Photographer/Director New York City, New York Los Angeles, California joaocanziani.com

SPECIAL GUEST SERIES

João Canziani is a New York City-based photographer and director specializing in advertising, editorial portraits and travel, and personal work. His photographs have been featured in such publications as Afar, Bloomberg Markets, Travel & Leisure, Monocle, New York, Fast Company, Outside, Esquire, Real Simple and Wired, among others. João’s client list spans the likes of Apple, Nike, Delta Airlines, American Express, Microsoft, Verizon, and Lyft. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada, and a BFA in photography at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles. The recipient of numerous awards, João has been recognized by American Photography and PDN Photo Annual. When he’s not working, you can find him bouncing his nine-month-old daughter, Paloma, on his lap, or running around Prospect Park when he’s “had enough with retouching or taking care of business.” João lives in Brooklyn with his wife Jordan, daughter, and “little pipsqueak of a dog” called Reggie. 

FAVORITES

Book: I’ve been reading Werner Herzog’s The Conquest of the Useless over the past few months, and I love it, but it’s been difficult to finish. I blame Paloma and the stop-and-go nature of my job. But also, I’d rather talk about favorite movies than favorite books. And if there’s one movie I’ve loved over the past year, it’s Call Me by Your Name. So if you’re reading this, and you haven’t already done so, go see that movie.

Destination: For shooting, most likely India. The light is incredible due to the smoke, I suspect. But that would be nothing without the rich, complicated, and chaotic culture there. There are a thousand stories happening at once on the street, and the moment you click the camera, you get sucked into wanting to dig at it more. Also, drop me anywhere in Italy.

Motto: It sounds so cheesy and somewhat banal, but for me it is, “You only live once.” I strive to live by it, and bug dear friends from time to time that they should too.

Prized possession: My iPhone. I really don’t know what I would do without it. Everything in my professional life goes through it. But I guess I would be liberated if I’d lost it.

THE QUERY 

Where were you born?

Lima, Perú.

What were some of the passions and pastimes of your earlier years?

I liked to draw when I was a kid - elaborate drawings of machines and vehicles and things, inspired by the gadgets of James Bond and Star Wars and such. I was set, I thought, to be an industrial designer or architect.

What is your first memory of photography as an experience?

I don’t think I can remember the first memory, but I do remember, after we moved from Perú to Canada, bugging my dad to no end when I repeatedly asked him to stop the car so that I could take a picture of the landscape when we took our weekend family road trips.

How did you begin to realize your intrigue with the art and science of photography?

I started shooting the last couple years of high school, and I took a photography class with a very nice teacher. Then at home, I took what I learned and I built myself a little black-and-white darkroom in the basement bathroom. I used to lock myself in there for hours. The pictures weren’t very good, but I loved being in there.

Why does this form of artistic expression suit you?

As I mentioned, I thought I’d be an industrial designer or architect. I also loved graphic design. But somewhere along the line, I decided that I didn’t want to be stuck in an office or studio all day. Photography offered me the chance to know the world, and then it taught me that I could enjoy the aspects of photography such as color and composition.

When and how did you get your start in the profession?

I moved to the U.S. from Canada in my late twenties so that I could study photography at the Art Center in Pasadena, California. I finished the full eight terms of school without a break inbetween, but unfortunately I graduated right before September 11, 2001. I was actually in New York for the first time when it happened. Long story short, this event halted my plans and career for a bit, as everything got disrupted. As you could imagine, starting a photography career right after that was quite tough, if not impossible. So for the next couple of years I assisted other photographers instead and got a little lazy and unmotivated. But slowly I got up, built a more relevant portfolio of personal work I had, and starting knocking on magazines’ doors. It took a while, but a magazine called The Fader called me back, and I started shooting small but really rewarding assignments of upcoming actors and music bands.

Is there a project/period along the way that has presented an important learning curve?

Yes, right after I moved to NYC, in 2009. I had another awakening, as if the world of photography became my oyster, and I started pushing myself to produce work that I was really happy with. I left this feeling of complacency behind.

Where have your travels taken you on assignment work?

Very fortunate to say that to quite a lot of places around the world. I’m currently in South Africa for the first time. First time in Africa, in fact. And after this I fly to Barcelona for another assignment. There’s still a huge chunk of Asia I don’t know either.

Is there a most memorable shoot, and why?

Yeah, I think this series of shoots I did for Apple toward the end of 2013. I worked alongside a director that inadvertently planted the seed in me to pursue more motion projects. If I’m allowed to name-drop one person, then let it be him (people that know me are likely really tired of me mentioning him, but I have to here, one last time): Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki, cinematographer extraordinaire of films such as The Revenant, Children of Men, and Birdman. Apart from that, these shoots were so special because they took me to India and China for the first time. I fell in love with India.

Do you have a favorite photographic image in your portfolio?

Oh man, it’s tough to pick just one. But if I have to, I suppose this blurred image of the moon and the forest in Patagonia that I shot in June of last year when I profiled chef Francis Mallmann for Esquire magazine.

What is the greatest challenge in capturing a very personal portrait?

Trying to break through the inhibitions and/or complexities of a person, particularly when that person has rarely been photographed (a “real” person, the somewhat ridiculous term people like to call those that don’t get shot for a living).

How would you describe your creative process? 

Hmmm, that’s a good question. Striving for balance in life I guess: feeling confident and good about oneself. For me, this means going running (or swimming in summer), enjoying good food and a good bottle of wine on occasion, spending quality time with my family, and most importantly shooting often, whether personally or for clients. I find this balance is the only way that I can feel creative enough to be able to try to discover new ways of seeing, for myself.

What three tools of the trade can’t you live without?

A camera, computer, and credit card.

How has your aesthetic/style evolved over the years?

I used to strive to shoot in a more formalistic way, as I shot a lot of 4x5 and medium format film. I used to think of complete and very neat (in the orderly meaning of the term) compositions and right angles. But I started breaking that down and trying to be a bit less derivative and boring. I began to get excited with infusing more color into my work, and striving to be a bit more intense and visceral.

Is there a photographer living today that you admire most?

Yes, indeed. Maybe these two if you’re asking me this question at this very minute: Christopher Anderson and Erik Madigan Heck.

What has been a pivotal period or moment in your life?

It used to be the first couple of years in New York, but now most definitely the birth of my daughter in the spring of last year. I know the repercussions of this event are still developing and growing in front of me, meaning that I know that over the years she will keep on inspiring me, but today is just the beginning.

Do you have a favorite artistic resource or inspiration that you turn to?

Oh boy, the first thing that comes to mind is Instagram. Take it or leave it, but I get inspired a lot there, particularly when I’m unable to go to a museum or a gallery because we’re at home with our daughter. But actually, other than that, I love watching movies and well-written TV shows. And, other photographers’ work I find through Instagram or online (it used to be Tumblr). Music. Music! But a bit of everywhere really.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Maybe an implicit advice I tell myself: Some things are just not meant to be. Give it a good fight, but know when to move on.

Is there a book or film that has changed you? 

Not sure if there’s something that has “changed” me like that, completely. But so many films or books have changed me gradually, over the years, nourishing and developing the way I see the world creatively.

Who in your life would you like to thank, and for what?

My wife for giving me the most precious gift.

What are you working on right now?

Currently editing this assignment I just finished in South Africa, and getting ready to embark on another in Spain.

What drives you these days?

Artist/Stylist/Author Ann Arbor, Michigan laurenfriedman.com

Photo by Emma McAlary

Lauren Friedman is an artist, stylist, and the author/illustrator of 50 Ways to Wear a Scarf (2014), 50 Ways to Wear Denim (2016), and her newest title, 50 Ways to Wear Accessories, slated for release in July 2018, all published by Chronicle Books. She is also the creator of the My Closet in Sketches project, an illustrated-style blog launched in 2010. Lauren’s work as a professional illustrator has appeared in numerous publications, including Travel and Leisure, The Washington Post, and Lucky. Her books have been featured at the Museum of Modern Art, The Paper Source, Target, and other fine retailers globally. Lauren graduated from Wellesley College, where she studied political science and played on the varsity field hockey team. Upon graduation, Lauren moved to Washington, D.C., where she lived for over nine years. Lauren has worked in a variety of fields, including posts as a production assistant, operations manager, financial educator, optometry salesperson, yoga teacher, barista, chalk artist for restaurants/cafes/businesses, mural artist, stylist, closet consultant, and, finally, as a freelance fashion illustrator.  When she’s not working, you can find her reading, dancing, and taking long walks in the woods. A native of Ann Arbor, Lauren returned to her home town in May 2017 and lives on the West Side.  

(Click here to pre-order Lauren’s latest book) 

FAVORITES

Book: I could never pick just one, but I’m currently in the midst of rereading (and loving) The Clan of the Cave Bear series by Jean M. Auel.

Destination: A body of water within walking distance to a great place to grab good food and a cold beer.

Motto: Your reality is what you make of it.

Prized possession: Any of the number of accessories or clothing items passed down from my family members.

THE QUERY 

Where were you born?

Ann Arbor, Michigan.

What were some of the passions and pastimes of your earlier years?

I loved drawing clothes and people, trying on countless outfits, writing stories, reading stacks of books, and poring over magazines. I consider my life to be a success because my current passions and pastimes align closely with what I spent time doing as a kid. 

What is your first memory of art/illustration as an experience?

When I was five or six, I wrote and illustrated a book called The Miracle of the Rainforest through one of those services that turn your words and pictures into a real, hardcover-bound book. It is the tale of an unlikely friendship between a sloth and the daughter of a logger baron who ends up saving the future of the rainforest. I’m not sure I could write a better story today!

How did you begin to realize your intrigue with fashion and design?

Fashion and design has always been my reality, from birth. From the moment I could dress myself and hold a crayon or book, I had a burning desire to express myself through what clothes I wore and what art I created.

When/how did this segue into your entering the profession of illustration?

I created the blog My Closet In Sketches in 2010 in the middle of a creative drought. I’d just graduated from college and was working a 9-5 job as an operations manager. I found that the best part of my day was getting dressed for work, combining my own clothes with wonderful pieces passed down from my grandmother and mom. I began a nightly practice of dreaming up fun outfits and drawing them when I got home from work. Within a year of creating the site, (the now defunct) Lucky magazine approached me about illustrating a monthly beauty advice column. I’ll never forget how stressed I was during that first month’s batch of drawings, but I taught myself how to draw professionally through that two-and-one-half year experience.

Why does this form of artistic expression suit you?

It combines both of my passions of fashion and art. However, I still need to honor my creative desires through other fluid, non-professional expressions including collage, painting, clay, and whatever other mediums I can get my hands on.

What did you enjoy most about the illustration component of My Closet in Sketches?

The pursuit of excellence. As a self-taught illustrator, I always have more to learn. I enjoy acting as my own coach, boss, intern, and student. 

How did you approach the writing element of the series?

The art of writing is as important to me as the illustration component. The early concepts are always written by hand, and then, when it’s time to bring it to the computer, I do not allow my brain to filter any words as they are typed. Nothing is deleted. The editing will come later.

How would you describe your creative process?

Almost every idea starts as a scribble or doodle in my journal. These quick, unfiltered ideas may take days or years to germinate. I enjoy the process of witnessing my mind turn concepts around, both consciously and unconsciously. By the time of final creation, I generally have a good idea of what it will look like — but there is always room for surprise. The biggest discipline required is to learn when to step back and let something rest rather than belaboring it into overworked territory.

When/how did the concept for 50 Ways to Wear a Scarf take seed?

This is a true story about being careful what you wish for. When I struck out on my own as a professional illustrator in 2010, a friend suggested that I make a list of my one, five, and ten year goals. Boldly, I wrote, “publish a book with Chronicle Books” under my one year goals - I always loved their offerings, which are consistently colorful, informative, cheeky, and a pleasure to read. Fast forward a year and a half later - I received an email from an editor at Chronicle Books who had seen this post about how to wear a scarf, asking me if I would write and illustrate a book about scarves. I was shocked. I knew I couldn’t say no, even though I didn’t know the first thing about writing a book, but I had no choice but to give it a try. It combines my two biggest passions: art and words.

What did you find most challenging in creating your three books?

Each book takes me over a year of full-time dedicated work. My biggest challenge isn’t the motivation to undertake this work, but rather the daily transition back to the of the rest of my “real-life.” In many ways, while doing this work, I become like a god of my small universe - the only limits being the boundaries of the page. I imagine myself an astronaut, taking a daily journey through space, performing these acts of creation in an exultant, weightless, timeless manner. Figuring out how to land back down on the ground when the work day is done requires a constant vigilance of meditation, yoga, quiet walks, and lots of boundary setting.

Where do you do most of your work?

When I’m illustrating, I work from my home studio. When I’m writing, I do some of my best work at coffee shops or cafes.

What three tools of the trade can’t you live without?

Paper, pencil, and markers.

Is there a period/project along the way that has presented an important learning curve?

I had no experience illustrating professionally when Lucky magazine hired me. Through the tireless help of their art director, I learned how to ask the right questions, advocate for my work, and remain flexible when things (inevitably) change.

How has your aesthetic/style evolved over the years?

The only constant to my aesthetic and style is change.

Is there an artist /illustrator living today that you admire most?

If I could draw a line with half the grace of David Downton, I would die a very happy fashion illustrator.

Do you have a favorite artistic resource that you turn to? 

I tear out pages for my inspiration files from Vogue, Glamour, Teen Vogue, Seventeen, The New York Times Style Magazine, Elle, and The Gentlewoman. 

From where do you draw inspiration?

Inspiration comes from everywhere. I try to follow one of the main tenants from the book The Artist’s Way (by Julia Cameron) by taking myself on an artist date once a week. That could mean going to a museum, watching a film, or sitting on a street corner watching the fashion walk by. The important thing is to just keep feeding the creative fire with fresh kindling.

What three things can’t you live without?

A Moleskine unlined notebook, a Pentel .7mm mechanical pencil, and my eyeglasses.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

It’s never about what it’s about.

Is there a book or film that has changed you?

Women Who Run With Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés. Also Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion and Clueless.

Who in your life would you like to thank, and for what?

No amount of talent can prosper without a support system. My family, friends, and teachers all indelibly, persistently, unconditionally give me the space and encouragement to take my goals and creative instincts seriously.

What drives you these days?

Cellist The Dover Quartet Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Photo by Carlin Ma

SPECIAL GUEST SERIES

Camden Shaw is cellist of the Dover Quartet, a string ensemble dedicated to bringing the tradition of string quartet performance into 21st century relevance. Since its formation in 2008, the Quartet has performed more than 500 concerts spanning North America and Europe. The ensemble will open the 2018 season with a European tour, including a debut at the famed Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, returning only days later to appear at Carnegie Hall with acclaimed violinist Janine Jensen. Throughout the years, Camden has collaborated in chamber music with such renowned artists as Daniel Hope, Leon Fleischer, and Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, and maintains an active career as a soloist with performances of the Beethoven Triple Concerto with the Artosphere Festival Orchestra, where he also holds the principal chair. The ensemble recently released their debut recording Tribute: Dover Quartet Plays Mozart (Cedille), paying homage to the great Guarneri Quartet, with whom the Quartet studied. A new documentary about the ensemble is also in progress, focused on the life of young classical musicians and the sacrifices and joys that come with a successful career. Other Quartet members are first violinist Joel Link, violinist Bryan Lee, and violist Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt. Camden graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music in 2010, where he studied with Peter Wiley. When Camden is not working, you can find him enjoying a cup of coffee with friends or in a secluded cabin somewhere, sipping bourbon. He resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

FAVORITES

Book: The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt

Destination: The Pacific Northwest

Prized possession: My Zygmuntowicz cello, made in 2010.

THE QUERY

Where were you born?

I was born in Ashland, Oregon.

What were some of the passions/pastimes of your earlier years?

My whole childhood, I was obsessed with sailboat design. I come from a family of sailors (both my parents and my sister now live on boats full-time), and I loved the way boat designers have to synthesize aesthetics with functionality. I spent countless hours pouring over hull designs. There's something magical in curvature, and I think it's that same sense of curvature that makes musical lines beautiful as well.

What is your first memory of music as an experience?

I remember falling asleep at one of my parent's concerts (they were both musicians) when I was little. I had a twitch in my sleep and accidentally kicked the back of the chair in front of me; the woman sitting in it was not amused. That’s when I first knew that listening to music was serious business.

Why does this form of artistic expression (playing the cello) suit you?

I love the playing of an instrument because it challenges every single part of my brain. Physical skill, intellectual understanding, and emotional intelligence are all tested daily, and I love that. In terms of quartet playing, I love the collaboration of different artists to create a cohesive vision, and I find that the interpersonal relationships in a quartet are helpful in learning how to speak purposefully but with tact.

What is the significance of the name “Dover?”

We’re named after the piece Dover Beach by Samuel Barber. Barber is one of the most famous alumni of the Curtis Institute of Music, where we founded the Quartet as undergraduate students. Barber also wrote Dover Beach for himself to perform with the Curtis Quartet. In a way, “Dover” is a sneaky way of showing our relationship to Curtis.

How did the Quartet begin to reach its mark nationally/internationally?

That’s a tough one. I think the road to enduring success as a performer comes down to pretty much only one thing, which is making audiences happy. However, for that to happen, you have to appear in front of audiences. This can happen for any number of reasons: personal connections, winning competitions, etc. I think winning the Banff International String Quartet Competition in 2013 really raised the demand for the Quartet, and at that point it was our opportunity to lose. Thankfully, I think we’ve left our audiences happy enough that we are still booking gigs- that’s really all one can hope for as a musician.

Is there a performance that remains most memorable, even today?

Our debut at Carnegie Hall will always be special in our memory. It had been a dream of all of ours since childhood, so having that dream become reality was surreal. We really tried our best that night, determined to make the performance deserving of the memory we knew it would become.

What did you enjoy most about your performance with the Quartet on A Prairie Home Companion in November, 2016?

Seeing the ease with which the pros on Prairie Home performed was inspiring. The sound effects guy - holy cow! I had no idea those sound effects were created live with actual physical objects. None of it is done digitally with sound files. Also, knowing that we were being heard by a sizable part of the country was awe-inspiring and a little scary.

Why is Barber's Adagio for Strings significant/what does this piece mean to you?

The Barber Adagio is a feat of composition. Barber’s use of a quartet to convey that kind of orchestral sound is astounding, and he also creates one of the most tragic pieces in history while using mostly major chords - something that often goes unnoticed. Something about that piece is magic, and it is even closer to our hearts knowing that Barber walked the same halls in the Curtis Institute that we did as youngsters.

How is the Quartet's commitment to sharing its music with underserved communities as part of Music for Food important to you and the other members of the ensemble?

It’s easy for artists of any kind to profess the power of their art for good - but often this remains a beautiful sentiment, unrealized. We’re increasingly aware of the responsibility of the artist to use art to raise awareness, and I think the power of music brings out a generous spirit in people. It connects us to one another, and we become more aware of humanity of a whole when we experience great music.

What is your favorite piece of music and/or composer?

This is a TOUGH one, and frankly it changes every year or so. This year, my favorite piece is Verklarte Nacht by Schoenberg. I think it is one of the most beautiful experiences, in terms of manipulating conflict and resolution, of any piece.

What music can we find you listening to in your down time?

I listen to a lot of folk music, Bob Dylan and the Canadian Stan Rogers are a few of my favorites. I also deeply respect and love the music of the Dirty Projectors, an indie band that’s really more like Beethoven than might meet the eye at first.

From where do you draw inspiration?

For me, there’s nothing more inspiring than watching a human being achieve greatness and mastery in whatever craft inspires them. When I see Olympic athletes training and competing, that’s beautiful. Someone creating a startup and growing it into a successful company is beautiful too. I guess I get the most inspiration from people going after their dreams, whatever that might be.

What are you working on right now?

I had a bit of a revelation recently about the left arm; that efficient movement is so complex and so hard to describe in words, that the best way to replicate it is to trust the aesthetic of the movement. In other words, producing machine-like precision might rely more on the movement of dance than the movement of machinery: nothing is as consistent as our aesthetic vision.

Who in your life would you like to thank, and for what?

Chef Owner, The Standard Bistro & Larder Ann Arbor, Michigan The Standard Bistro & Larder The Frame 

Photo by Joe Vaughn

Alex Young is an award-winning chef and the owner of The Standard Bistro & Larder, a new Parisian-style bistro in Ann Arbor, Michigan, slated to open its doors in late January 2018. The Standard will feature regional French foods and custom butchery, including classic entrees pot-au-feu, pan bagnat, Alsatian choucroute garni, pissaladiere, and ravioli bolognese. Prior to this, Alex served as founder, chef, and managing partner of Zingerman’s Roadhouse in Ann Arbor for over 15 years. A James Beard Foundation award-winner in the Best Chefs in America category, Alex traveled to the James Beard American Restaurant at the World’s Fair in Milan, Italy, in 2015, showcasing American food. In an earlier post, he served as first corporate chef of the Hilton Restaurant Group. For three evenings, on December 1, 2, and 3, 2017, Alex will transform Frame, of Hazel Park, Michigan, into a Parisian Bistro with an eight-course preview of The Standard. He resides in Pinckney, Michigan, with his German Shepherd, Sadie, by the lake.

FAVORITES

Book:  The Way To Cook, by Julia Child

Destination:  The beach

Motto:  Do it with pride, style, and joy.

Prized possession: My hands

THE QUERY

Where were you born?

I was born in London, England, and raised on the coast of northern California.

What were some of the passions/pastimes of your earlier years?

I liked to ski, ride mountain bikes, and seek out great food.

How did you begin to realize your intrigue with the culinary arts?

By the age of 11 (1976), it was clear that pleasing people with food made me happy.

What is your earliest memory of food as an experience?

It was my mother’s spaghetti bolognese.

When and how did you make your entry into the profession?

At the age of 17, I moved to New York City and worked as a busboy at the Central Falls Restaurant in Soho. While there, I learned that the kitchen needed a hand, so I volunteered and landed my first cooking job. From there, I worked in several different kitchens throughout the country, helping to open New York’s China Grill with Chef Mako Tenaka; working for Chef Reed Heron at San Francisco’s Corona Bar and Grill; and opening The Pittsburgh Fish Market in Pennsylvania.

What led to your coming on board with Zingerman’s Roadhouse in 2003?

I wanted to make great food, and stay in Southeast Michigan at the same time, where my family lives. I happened to meet Ari Weinzweig and Paul Saginaw, founders and managing partners of Zingerman’s Community of Businesses, through a mutual friend. Not long after, I called Ari to begin a conversation about the possibility of a new restaurant within the Zingerman's Community that would focus solely on great American food. I had an idea in mind, so I introduced the concept for Zingerman's Roadhouse to the partners, and planning and building began. It was only a matter of months before we opened our doors.

What did you enjoy most about your tenure at the Roadhouse?

Working with so many really wonderful people.

How did this post segue into your launch of the Roadhouse Farm, now an 18-acre farm in Dexter, Michigan, just eight miles from the Roadhouse?

My passion for local agriculture and farming steered me to launch the Roadhouse Farm, which now grows more than 50 varietals of vegetables, bringing the farm-to-table dining experience to life in Southeast Michigan. Educating the staff, patrons, community, and local students on the importance of farming and knowing where food comes from, I earned the honor of being among the founding 12 top chefs from around the country named to the James Beard Chef Action Network.

When and how did the concept for The Standard Bistro & Larder take seed?

I wanted to return to my first love (and idol in Julia Child) of French cooking in opening a whole new restaurant. We began brainstorming the concept in 2016. The idea was for the restaurant to feature regional French foods, and custom butchery available over a retail butcher counter. The decor is reminiscent of the 1930s Parisian bistro, with hand-painted tile, a beautiful wood ceiling, and artwork created by my father, Alfred Young. 

What is the guiding philosophy of The Standard?

To set a new standard in regional French cuisine.  

Is there an entrée on the menu that you are especially proud of?

Pot-au-feu. This is a traditional French boiled beef entrée, made with our custom beef, and boiled in broth that we cook in perpetuity. The taste is very delicious and deep.

What types of wine will you feature at The Standard?

Our wine list explores the French terroir and cocktails grounded in the history of classic French liqueurs and seasonal ingredients. For example, we'll feature wines from Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Champagne; and a host of cocktails, including variations on the French 75, Side Car, and Vieux Carre.

What can customers find at the artisanal butcher counter situated at the restaurant?

Our Larder represents the height of old-world butchery, offering dry, aged, and custom cut beef, pork, and lamb, along with classic charcuterie and our house made pastas, breads, and take-home dishes.

How did you get involved with the Child Nutrition Act?

Working with the James Beard Chef Action Network, I marched on Capitol Hill to lobby for re-authorization of the Child Nutrition Act; the reduction of overuse of antibiotics in animal agriculture; as well as the overuse of genetically engineered plants. I also routinely visit K-12 public schools to help educate young people on the benefits of whole food vs. processed foods; hold farm tours; and speak at the University of Michigan on food policy.

How has your aesthetic/approach evolved over the years?

I used to lean toward fancy concoctions. Now, it’s all about simplicity and authenticity.

What three tools of the trade can’t you live without?

Japanese fish tweezers, nine-inch tongs, and my hands.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Repetition equals excellence.

What drives you these days?

Director/Cinematographer
 Los Angeles, California
 ericsaarinenfilms.com

Photo by Perigrin Jung

SPECIAL GUEST SERIES

Eric Saarinen is a Los Angeles-based director and cinematographer best known for his work in feature films, documentaries, and wide-ranging commercial projects. The son of architect and designer, Eero Saarinen, and the grandson of architect, designer, and educator, Eliel Saarinen, Eric’s latest documentary project, Eliel Saarinen, now in development, is a tribute to his grandfather’s life and architectural contributions in Finland and the United States. He also co-produced, hosted, and was the director of photography on the documentary, Eero Saarinen, The Architect Who Saw the Future, part of a 2016 PBS American Masters series about his father. In earlier years, Eric served as director of photography in feature films by Albert Brooks, including Lost in America, Modern Romance, and Real Life. He also filmed music videos for Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix, Pat Metheny, The Rolling Stones, Neil Young, and others. The recipient of numerous awards for his commercial work, Eric received 13 Clios, four MOMA’s, two Gold Hugo’s, and the Grand Prix at Cannes. He is a member of the Director’s Guild of America and was the first director of photography ever to be inducted into the American Society of Cinematographers for “Extraordinary Achievement in the Field of Television Commercials.” Eric earned a bachelor of arts at Goddard College, and a master of fine arts in filmmaking at UCLA. He was also inducted into the Finnish Society of Cinematographers. When Eric is not working, you can find him searching for the perfect woman. He resides near Los Angeles, in Harbor City, in a house filled with Mid-century modern furniture and art. Eric has two sons, Eliot and Evan.

FAVORITES

Book: The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

Destination: Places no one has seen.

Motto: “Dare to be great” - Gordon Willis.

Sanctuary:  Mantaharyu, Finland (Midsummer’s Eve)

THE QUERY

Where were you born?

Detroit, Michigan

What were some of the passions and pastimes of your earlier years?

Pretending to be an Indian in the forest at the Cranbrook Educational Community, building a machine gun nest on the roof of the abandoned barn behind our house, and underwater kissing at Hilltop Camp, Northern Michigan.

What is your first memory of film as an experience?

When I was young, I made a film in a cardboard box with two cranks and paper images viewed through a large hole cut in the box. It seemed important at the time, although I don’t remember any plot twists.

How did you begin to realize your intrigue with cinematography/film?

By forgetting to close the gate in a 16mm Bolex camera, and later learning how beautiful a mistake can be. I felt that every frame I shot was proof that I was alive, then and there. I was legally blind and walleyed when I was young, so I taught myself the painter’s tricks of how to make three dimensions out of two.

How did you get your start in the profession of filmmaking/directing?

I made art films after UCLA film school for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Gemini GEL, a publisher of fine art limited edition prints and sculptures. I went to EXPO ‘70 in Osaka, Japan, and worked with artists of that period. I decided to try to work with other directors and bought a camera and worked my way up to feature films, shooting as a director of photography for more than 15 features.

Was there a project/period along the way that presented an important learning curve?

In 1981, my cameraman’s reel was shown to an agency, and someone had ‘mistakenly’ labeled it ‘director/cameraman.’ I directed a spot for the San Diego Zoo that went on to win best commercial in California (The Belding). This was the beginning of Plum Productions, a thriving commercial production company that my partner, Chuck Sloan, and I ran for 28 years.

What role did your father play in the creation of the Cranbrook community in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan?

Eero came to the United States when he was 13 years old. At that time, Cranbrook didn’t exist as a school. Growing up, Eero participated in the design of many of the details, placemats, school logos, chairs, gate designs, interior furnishings, etc. at Cranbrook. Years later, after studying at Yale, he came back to Michigan and taught architecture at Cranbrook. Charles and Ray Eames (my godparents), and my mother, Lily, studied there under Eliel Saarinen and Carl Millis. In its entirety, the educational community took about 15 years to build. Meanwhile, Eliel (then president at Cranbrook) and my father worked together on eight other projects before my grandfather passed away in 1950.  

How did the concept for the PBS American Masters documentary Eero Saarinen, The Architect Who Saw the Future, take seed?

Robert Zeigleman, an architect who worked for my dad, wanted to make a documentary about Eero. He did some research, found Peter Rosen, a seasoned documentary producer/director, and approached businessman and philanthropist, A. Alfred Taubman (he designed the shopping mall) who was a fan of my father’s work. Peter called and asked me if I wanted to shoot the documentary, and I turned him down. At the time, I still hated my father, largely because he had an affair with another woman, in 1953, when I was eleven years old. A divorce followed, and my mother, sister, and I had to leave Michigan. It was an unsettling time for me.

A year after I turned down the Eero documentary offer, I read the love letters between my father and Aline, and was able to put myself in his shoes. He was in love. Peter wisely filmed my journey back in time…looking at my father’s work, some I never had seen before. He let me shoot Eero’s work, design the shots, and so on, while he filmed my own discovery process - making it a multi-level story. I shot most of my father’s architecture in high definition (6K), to repurpose later, and donate to architectural causes.  

What was the greatest challenge in making this documentary?

I wanted to film my father’s work for people, now and in the future. I was working for him, and I had to ask myself repeatedly what my dad would say, as I planned and executed the shots. He had been a very hard taskmaster.

What wisdom emerged as a result of the making of this project?

The making of the documentary changed me. Ultimately, I forgave my father after studying and filming his work and raising him up again. It also turned out to be a way of forgiving myself. I realized it was no one’s fault. There is a huge benefit in forgiveness, even if it comes 50 years later. I finally felt centered in my own life.

How did the concept for your new documentary project, Eliel Saarinen, take seed/develop?

Being in the Eero film, as the through-line, I realized it was important to have a strong grasp of the truth in telling this story. I gathered all the books on my father and read and reread them. I had to be able to set the record straight, so to speak. Under that tall pile of books was Eliel’s little book, The Search for Form in Art and Architecture, published in 1948, which became the philosophy that both Eliel and my father practiced. For example, one of the tenets was to never imitate anyone; not even yourself. That was why every building that Eliel and Eero designed had its own style - to best solve the particular set of problems that were revealed.

For Dulles Airport, the problem was that travelers would be walking for miles, so the mobile lounge was created so each passenger had to walk no more than 150 feet. My father made this structure to express the new age of jet travel as a grand entrance…to enhance man’s self esteem.

In the early 1900s, train travel was similar. In designing the Helsinki Railroad Station, Eliel created a grand vision of the future of train travel. That building, too, was expressive and totally unique.

For additional information about the making of the Eliel Saarinen documentary, please visit ericsaarinenfilms.com.

What was your relationship with your grandfather?

“Farfar” or “father’s father,” we called him in Swedish, spoke to me before I knew words. We would spend time at Cranbrook, and he would let me run free in the woods. Christmas Eve was always spent there. Art was everything and Cranbrook became a favorite place for me…kind of like heavenly Elysian Fields. I would see the great scale, and ride on the wonderful sculptures by Carl Milles, and ask myself – who were these people that made this timeless and transcendent world? Eliel died when I was just eight years old. He was a very warm grandfather. I learned by watching him. He was very methodical.

In filming the Eero and Eliel documentaries, where did your travels take you?

In the United States, we scouted, and later filmed, so we went everywhere twice, including the General Motors Technical Center in Warren, Michigan; Saarinen office building in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan; John Deere International Headquarters in Moline, Illinois; Irwin Miller House in Columbus, Indiana; MIT Auditorium and Chapel in Cambridge, Massachusetts; CBS Black Rock skyscraper in New York, New York; North Christian Church in Columbus, Indiana; The Ingalls Hockey Rink, and subsequently the Morse and Stiles Colleges of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut; and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri. Of course, we also filmed at Cranbrook in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. In Finland we went to Eliel's Hvittrask Museum in Kirkkenonummi; Finnish National Railroad Station, Finnish National Museum, and Pohola Building in Helsinki; and Lahti City Hall in Lahti.

What architectural work of your grandfather’s do you find most beautiful?

Cranbrook was Eliel’s city plan: The Cranbrook School for Boys; Cranbrook Kingswood Girl’s School; Cranbrook Academy of Art; Cranbrook Institute of Science; Cranbrook Art Museum; and Cranbrook Library all used different forms. As president for many years, Eliel ended up bringing a large group of artists and architects together at Cranbrook, which became a focal point of Mid-century art and architecture. Eliel always said, “We don’t teach architecture at Cranbrook - the students learn it.” Eliel won the AIA Gold Medal for Cranbrook.

How would you describe your creative process?

Deductive, which is similar to my father’s process. You don’t start with a vision; instead the vision should be the result of problem solving. The first step is to find what the real problems are. That comes by understanding the client, and what he/she wants and needs. Ideally, it is a collaborative partnership. Then you gather the smartest people around and generate more ideas. Once you have the strong bones of the story, you figure out how to shoot it and where, and develop a kind of model, or pre-visualization, and then revise it. During filming, I try to stay low key - knowing I can trust the people around me.

What three things can’t you live without?

Passion, originality, and honesty.

Is there a filmmaker living today that you admire most?

Ridley Scott

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

“Success is 97% hard work and 3% talent.” - Eero Saarinen 
“Work is the key to creative growth of the mind.” - Eliel Saarinen

What drives you these days?

Graphic Designer Deputy Art Director, The New York Times Magazine Brooklyn, New York nytimes.com/section/magazine bengrandgenett.com

Photo by Kathy Ryan

SPECIAL GUEST SERIES

Ben Grandgenett is a Brooklyn-based graphic designer and deputy art director at The New York Times Magazine. His work spans the conceptualization and design of feature stories and cover pages for the Times Magazine, including The Olympics Issue; The Culture Issue; and this summer's special print-only section The Great American Eclipse of 2017. The recipient of numerous awards, Ben received the Young Guns 15 by The One Club for Creativity, 2017; Society of Publication Designers’ Gold and Silver for Feature Opener Design, 2017; Graphis’ New Talent Annual Platinum, 2014; School of Visual Arts’ Silas Rhodes Medal, 2013; and Society of Publication Designers’ Student Competition, 2nd place, 2013. A graduate of the School of Visual Arts, New York, New York, he earned a BFA in graphic design in 2013. When Ben is not working, you can find him wandering around the city and catching up with friends. He resides in Brooklyn, New York.

FAVORITES

Book: Too difficult to pick one novel, but I tend to come back to the design book titled, Printed Ephemera, by John Lewis.

Destination: The next place that I’m traveling to.

Motto: Measure twice, cut once.

Sanctuary: Mission Chinese Food, New York, New York

THE QUERY

Where were you born? 

Grand Island, Nebraska

What were some of the passions and pastimes of your earlier years? 

As a kid, I was mostly interested in playing any sport I could, and watching TV and movies.

What is your first memory of art/design as an experience? 

I don’t think I grew up as a typical person who ended up going to art school and becoming a designer, as I don’t have a lot of memories of drawing or being very artistic as a small child. Actually, I didn’t really develop a passion for art until my sophomore year of high school. I went to a public school that had just one art class per year called … Art. It was there that I started to really enjoying making images and using that part of my brain.

How did you begin to realize your intrigue with graphic design? 

At a certain point in high school, I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do for a career, and ultimately asked myself what subject I enjoyed most during the day. Art became the obvious choice. During that period, a small art school in Omaha came to give a presentation about their curriculum and introduced the idea of graphic design and being able to make a living doing it.

Why does this form of artistic expression suit you? 

I’m always eager to learn new things. In design, the subject often changes and you are tasked with researching and inhabiting new topics or voices. This is especially true in working at a magazine.

When and how did you get your start in the profession? 

A large incentive for me in going to school in New York was the opportunity to get an internship while there. By the time I graduated, I had been through five different internships; the last being The New York Times Magazine.

What led to your current position as deputy art director at The New York Times Magazine? 

The print version of The New York Times isn’t circulated throughout Nebraska, so it wasn’t something I grew up with. I first discovered the Times Magazine via research for an assignment at the School of Visual Arts, and quickly realized that I wanted to work there. It was the perfect balance of the type of design and content I wanted to work with. I was lucky enough to be taken on as an intern, and even more fortunate to be hired as a junior designer immediately upon graduation by the then-design director, Arem Duplessis. A few months later, I was promoted to an open designer position where I spent the next four years growing and developing my skills in design and art direction. Around April of this year, the deputy art director position opened up and I applied.

How would you describe a typical day-in-the-life at the Times Magazine?

A typical day involves collaborating with editors, photo editors, illustrators, and the art department to make decisions on various designs and images that will appear in the Times Magazine.

What do you enjoy most about these collaborations?

Watching the artist’s process at work and how each person gets to the end result. It’s exciting for me to be a part of it in some way, especially when I’m able to work with so many artists I truly admire.

How do you typically approach the conceptualization/design of a feature story or cover?

My process always starts with examining the content and trying to get a sense of what our writers and editors want to say about it. From there, it varies on whether we have already commissioned a photographer for the story or if it requires an illustrative approach - but it always comes back to trying to make a connection to the writing in a way that is dynamic and engaging.

How far in advance do you lead with the design of each issue?

Working at a weekly magazine, the pace can be pretty quick. We ship an issue nine days before it appears in the Sunday paper, but will create it in the span of one week. Art direction typically starts beyond the week we ship, but when it comes to designing, for the most part, I’ll have around two days to work on a feature story. For situations like special issues, which require a more holistic approach to the design and content, we might have a bit more time to work on it.

Is there a project along the way that has presented an important learning curve?  

The Times Magazine puts out about 15 special, themed issues every year. Past examples include: The Olympics Issue, The New York Issue, The Culture Issue, and more. For each issue, a designer from the art department is tasked by our design director, Gail Bichler, to create a visual language that extends throughout the entire issue. This provides a unique opportunity to gain a lot of experience in a short amount of time for both art direction and seeing a vision through from start to finish.

Which Times Magazine issue remains most memorable, and why?

In 2016, I created a custom font for our Fall food package titled, Feast in New York, based on vintage New York subway signage. I had been creating custom typography for magazine stories for awhile, but this was the first time that I had created a full font. In starting, I didn’t intend to create a font, but the process sort of naturally led me there.

How do you define creativity?

Unique and authentic expression.

What three tools of the trade can’t you live without? 

Coffee, Adobe InDesign, and Undo/Command+Z.

From where do you draw inspiration?

It’s a bit cliche to say everywhere… but everywhere. The design process is so much about making connections between things and from that I’ve found that everything ends up connected to design in some way.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Don’t worry so much.

What are you working on right now?

I just finished designing our annual Tech & Design Issue, which focuses on the future of cars and imagines a world of autonomous vehicles. I’m also wrapping up a few freelance projects, a restaurant identity project, as well as the announcement for American Photography’s annual call for entries.

What drives you these days?

President, University Musical Society University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan ums.org

Photo by Jesse Meria

In July 2017, Matthew VanBesien became the seventh president of the University Musical Society of the University of Michigan. Prior to this, Matthew served for five years as president of the New York Philharmonic, where he developed and executed programs such as the NY PHIL BIENNIAL in 2014/2016; The Art of the Score film and music series; Jeanne d’Arc au bucher with Marion Cotillard; and Sweeney Todd with Emma Thompson. A former French horn player, Matthew performed with the Louisiana Philharmonic for eight years before joining the League of American Orchestras’ management fellowship program. From there, he assumed the roles of general manager, executive director, and CEO of the Houston Symphony for seven years. Matthew serves on the Board of Directors of the League of American Orchestras and the Executive Committee for the Avery Fisher Career Grants. He earned a bachelor of music degree in French horn performance from Indiana University. In May 2014, Matthew received an honorary doctor of musical arts degree from the Manhattan School of Music. He resides in Ann Arbor with his wife, Rosanne Jowitt, an accomplished geoscientist in the oil and gas business. 

FAVORITES

Book: A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers

Destination: The Luberon in Provence - no place like it!

Motto: Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

Sanctuary: My wine cellar at home.

THE QUERY

Where were you born?

St. Louis, Missouri, but I grew up mostly in Denver and Carbondale, Illinois.

What were some of the passions and pastimes of your earlier years?

To be honest, I was a pretty normal kid with no particular interests (other than Star Wars, which came out in 1977 when I was eight and I became totally obsessed with the film and its music) until I picked up a French horn at the age of 12 or 13. It was really then that I not only found music, but playing an instrument really became the central driving force in my youth and into adulthood.

What is your first memory of music as an experience?

My mother used to laugh about the fact that I became a professional musician because when I was very young she desperately tried to interest me in music through the Young People’s Concerts on LP, and taking me to concerts at Wolf Trap outside of Washington, DC — all with little or no effect. She did note, however, that I enjoyed running up and down the hill at Wolf Trap.

How did you begin to realize your intrigue with orchestral music?

I remember my first time ever playing in an orchestra — I was a freshman in high school and had the great fortune to perform with the local university orchestra on Brahms’ Requiem. The piece still gives me chills and brings back a flood of memories every time I hear it.

What remains most memorable about your time with the New York Philharmonic?

Helping lead the Philharmonic was so wonderful and memorable — every day was really exciting, challenging, and even humbling to play a part in the history of such an organization and orchestra that was once conducted by Bernstein, Toscanini, and Mahler. For me, the most memorable aspects were helping to select the next music director, Jaap van Zweden, who in many ways was not an obvious choice but will be very successful I am certain; working to develop new projects with partners like UMS and those in Shanghai; and developing a relationship and trust with conductor Alan Gilbert and the musicians in the orchestra — these are relationships I still treasure today.

What led to your decision to come on board with the University Musical Society this year?

It was knowing that UMS is not only one of the best arts presenters in the country, but because of ‘how’ they think about presenting great work and artists on and off their stages. There is such history here, but also great potential - working with U-M, people across SE Michigan, and beyond.

How does it feel to become only the seventh president in UMS’s 138-year history?

It feels so good to know that the leaders that preceded me were very committed to UMS — Ken Fischer was here for 30 years, his predecessor Gail Rector for 40 years, and Gail’s predecessor Charlie Sink for 60 years. I’ve certainly got my work cut out for me!

What is the focus of the programs/initiatives that you will lead with as you begin your tenure?

Our focus at UMS is always about quality — about inspiring and uncommon experiences for our audiences and the artists who engage with them. UMS’s next chapter will certainly focus on expanding our creative platform and audiences; looking at how we partner and program geographically; incorporating and addressing today’s issues around social justice through our programming; and looking to develop some kind of flexible, dynamic home or “HQ” space for UMS.

Is there an artist/musician living today that you admire most?

For me, Wynton Marsalis has the greatest combination of artistry, enormous talent, fierce determination, humor, and an uncanny ability to connect with others to articulate why music is so important.

What three things can’t you live without?

Noise canceling headphones, great wines from France, and my wife Rosie — not in that order!

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Always stay focused on quality.

Is there a book or film that has changed you?

2001: A Space Odyssey, which premiered a year before I was even born, strikes me as one of the most beautiful, haunting, thrilling, and simply audacious films ever. Kubrick was a master on so many levels — cinematically, musically — you name it. It is a film that captures a moment in time but really looks forward to what might be possible — good and bad.

Whom in your life would you like to thank, and for what?

My wife and partner Rosie is simply the best — I would not have had anything close to the career I’ve been able to have without her, period.

What drives you these days?

Deputy Director and Chief Conservator Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum New York, New York guggenheim.org

Photo by David Heald, Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation

SPECIAL GUEST SERIES

Lena (Carol) Stringari serves as deputy director and chief conservator of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. In this role, she works closely with the conservation and curatorial staff to identify research initiatives and priorities for collections care, as well as the treatment, safe transport and installation of works for both domestic and international exhibitions. Lena was a member of the Guggenheim team who conceived of the Variable Media Initiative, an early and then innovative exploration of media artworks and their preservation. She was co-curator of an exhibition related to this initiative entitled Seeing Double: Emulation in Theory and Practice in 2004. In addition, Lena has carried out research and treatment on a wide range of artworks including those by Vincent Van Gogh, László Moholy-Nagy, Robert Ryman, Alberto Burri, Eva Hesse, and Ad Reinhardt. In 2008, she curated an exhibition entitled Imageless, highlighting a long-term research project on the scientific analysis and experimental laser treatment of a damaged study painting by Ad Reinhardt. Lena is a founding member of the International Network for the Conservation of Contemporary Art; adjunct professor at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University; and has lectured throughout the world on ethical considerations and the conservation of contemporary art. She earned a BA in art history from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MS from the art conservation program at Winterthur Museum, University of Delaware. In an earlier post, Lena also worked at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, as a paintings conservator. When she’s not working, you can find her creating sculpture, gardening, watching films, and studying architecture and design. Lena resides in Washington Heights with an unobstructed view of the Palisades.

FAVORITES  

Books:  I love books. I have hundreds of books waiting to be read.  And I am terrible at choosing just one. A few favorites: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou; The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov; Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein; anything by Joyce Carol Oates, and spy novels, there are too many to choose from.

Destinations:   Southern India; Hotelito Desconocido in La Cruz de Loreto, Mexico; and Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California.

Motto:   Reinvent yourself every day.

Sanctuary: I find sanctuary though Kundalini practice at Esalen in Big Sur, California.

THE QUERY 

Where were you born?  

I was born in the Pine Barrens of South Jersey.

What were some of the passions and pastimes of your earlier years?

Reading, reading, reading, painting, writing, fashion, sewing, swimming (both in pools and blue holes), and biking.  

What is your first memory of art as an experience?

My first memory of art as an experience was from The Barn Studio of Art in Millville, New Jersey, where I studied drawing and painting as a young girl – closely observing the natural world with the exceptional teacher and landscape artist, Pat Witt.

How did you begin to realize your intrigue with the restoration and preservation of artworks?

I began to foster my interest in restoration and preservation while practicing as a painter and sculptor, and studying art history and communications at the University of Pennsylvania. I had always loved to work with my hands, but I was also fascinated with physics and science in general.  My path was circuitous and fortuitous. I moved to Florence, Italy, where I supported my artwork by working in a commercial restoration studio. My proximity to important historical artifacts was intriguing, and I was overwhelmed with the vast artistic genius surrounding me in Italy. At that time, I decided that there was far too much mediocre art in the world. I didn’t want to add to that, and henceforth, my artistic endeavors shifted to preserving what I felt was most important to humanity. I returned to the United States to obtain an MS in art conservation and the rest is history.

Why does this form of artistic expression suit you?

After several decades as a hands-on conservator, I am now primarily in an administrative position at the Guggenheim, so I would not consider what I do to be “artistic expression,” although I do believe that my work is creative. Currently I am most interested in exploring where disciplines overlap and looking at the bigger picture. How do the fields of art and science speak to each other? What does cultural heritage mean for us as human beings? Why do we preserve the past? How can we open a dialogue about material culture with teens and young people who live their lives immersed in a digital world?

What led to your current position with the Guggenheim Museum in 1992?

I initially accepted a position at the Guggenheim in order to work on the implementation team for the construction and inaugural exhibition of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. After working on that project from 1992-1997, I shifted my focus to the collection here in New York, primarily contemporary works and the ethics of preservation involved in time-based media and unconventional art materials. Exhibition installations and materials research took me all over the world from 1997-2004. I became senior conservator for contemporary art, then chief conservator and finally, my current position of deputy director and chief conservator, which comprises  oversight of collection care and preservation, fundraising, strategic planning, and working with the executive cabinet to plan, prioritize, and set goals for programming and fulfillment of the foundation’s mission.

How would you describe a typical day-in-the-life at the Museum?

No day is typical. That is something I love about my job.

What are the key steps involved in the restoration process of a damaged painting? 

Research, close observation, scientific analysis, critical thinking, excellent hand skills, dialogue, and comparative viewing.

How do chemical and physical tests factor into the restoration and preservation strategy?

A key component of what conservators do involves the interweaving of technical art history, visual observation and analytical testing, all of which inform any hands-on treatment or preservation strategy.

What challenges did you meet in overseeing the restoration of Jackson Pollock’s Alchemy?

Overseeing any restoration requires close observation, historical research, and fitting all the pieces of the puzzle together. I enjoy working with and learning from my colleagues who are all  talented experts in their disciplines. We discuss the protocols and strategies for analysis and treatment. With the recent Jackson Pollock Alchemy treatment, which was carried out by our conservator at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, my oversight involved the discussion of ethics and criteria, protocols for cleaning, and interpretation of the scientific data collected. I also co-curated an exhibition. presently on view in the Sackler Center for Education, which illustrates the rich historical research, scientific analysis, and treatment of Alchemy. This project involved collaboration with my colleagues at the Peggy Guggenheim as well as the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence; an exemplary model of art historians, conservators, and scientists working together to inform the treatment of this iconic work.

Where have your travels taken you throughout the years in working on Museum projects/initiatives?

Various research projects, courier trips, oversight of installations, reviewing sites for exhibitions, and lectures/symposia have taken me throughout the world. I have traveled extensively through all of Europe, Asia, and many places in the United States, Canada, and Central America. Additionally, I have spent considerable time in Bilbao and Venice, both wonderful places with great museums and excellent food!

What one trip/destination remains most memorable to this day?

My most memorable trip was to the Soviet Union in 1991, immediately before the dissolution. It was quite intense.

Is there a period in your life that has presented an important learning curve?

Each period in my life represents a different type of learning curve. Growing up in the “boonies,” so to speak, required a very steep learning curve. As a first generation student at the University of Pennsylvania, I had to move quickly to catch up to my peers and find my voice. After many years in the field, I find myself at a moment of reinvention. I am seeking to do things that bring me joy, improve my listening skills and tolerance, and draw upon my creativity to engender new initiatives that shatter assumptions.

How would you describe your creative process?

My creative process unfolds late at night. It is a wonderful time to ruminate and reflect in total silence: no calls, no e-mails, no interruptions.

Do you have a favorite artistic resource that you turn to? 

Art - the physical manifestation.

From where do you draw inspiration?

Children – I love their flexible minds and spirits. I am an activist when it comes to progressive education; I fear that education can kill the child’s sense of wonder. I volunteer and support creative endeavors for education and young children in the inner city, such as Time-in Children’s Arts Initiative. My own children are grown now, but they have taught me so much about myself and the world around me.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Listening is one of the most important life skills…be conscious, non-judgmental, and practice empathic listening.  

Is there a book or film that has changed you?

Once again, I find it difficult to choose one – I love films by and about strong women. Frida (2002), Thelma and Louise (1991), and Safe (1995). I also love the quiet nostalgia of Tarkovsky films.

Whom in your life would you like to thank, and for what?

I would like to thank my mother, whom I never knew, but her death when I was an infant contributed to my zest for life, my resilience, and my complete and total adoration and appreciation for my own daughters.

What drives you these days?

Curator Incoming Director, University of Michigan Museum of Art Ann Arbor, Michigan umma.umich.edu

Christina Olsen, curator and past director of Williams College Museum of Art in Massachusetts, will step into her new role as director of the University of Michigan Museum of Art in Ann Arbor, Michigan, effective October 30. In a career spanning more than two decades, Christina has curated and produced groundbreaking exhibitions and initiatives, including Shine a Light, an acclaimed annual museum-wide exhibition and event in Portland, Oregon; Object Stories, an installation, audience, participation, and outreach initiative in 2010; WALLS, a student art loan program at Williams College, and Accession Number, an exhibition at the Williams College Museum of Art. In earlier posts, she was an associate producer at the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco; curator of Art Access, one of the first digital museum collections at the J. Paul Getty Museum; and a program officer at the Getty Foundation, where she managed the Foundation's $4M in global grants for museum-based research and interpretation. Christina earned a bachelor's degree in history of art from the University of Chicago, and a master's degree and doctorate in art history from the University of Pennsylvania. When she's not working you can find her running in the Arboretum. Christina resides in Ann Arbor with her husband and two teenage daughters.

FAVORITES

Book: No single one. At the moment I’m rereading and deeply enjoying The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera.

Destination: NYC

Motto: Don’t be afraid of anyone.

Sanctuary: Maine Coast and the hills of Echo Park in Los Angeles.

THE QUERY

Where were you born?

New York City

What were some of the passions and pastimes of your earlier years?

Reading novels, writing short stories, drawing, and watching lots of TV.

What is your first memory of art as an experience?

Lying on the marble floor in the Met’s Armor galleries taking a drawing class for kids.

How and when did you make your entree into the profession of museum curation?

Slowly and circuitously, first as a museum technologist working at the Getty in Los Angeles thinking about the implications of first generation online collections; and then as curator of public programs thinking about the work of a group of contemporary artists in Portland and the changing museum-going public.

Why does this form of artistic expression suit you?

The form of museum curation suits me because I’m interested in art’s evolving relationship with people and places over time - how something made a long time ago continues to live and create meaning for viewers centuries later. I like the strangeness of museums - how nineteenth-century they are as a typology, and how they’re evolving.

What are your top priorities as you begin your tenure at UMMA?

Making exciting, ambitious exhibitions that matter right now, and understanding the local cultural and art context of Michigan and UMMA’s role in interpreting it.

How do you envision the future of the university art museum?

University art museums should produce groundbreaking research; they should produce and attempt new forms of exhibitions and new forms of museums themselves. They should be the bleeding edge of the field of museums; doing and trying things other museums can’t, and gathering ideas from the university’s many disciplines into their projects and publications. And they should be radically open; offering broad and deep access to their collections and resources, and supportive of the experiments and ideas that they help make.

What themes are you most drawn to in your research?

How artists ingest and transform ideas, and how in turn the culture ingests and interprets artists’ ideas.

Looking back over exhibitions you've worked on, is there a show that stands out as most memorable?

Probably my exhibition Accession Number, because it’s recent and the ideas it explored are still really current for me. It was about the numbering system museums use to inventory works of art, and a particular set of objects that entered the museum from 1960 to 1962. I wanted to explore how much a museum collection, unedited by curation, can tell us about an institution’s ambitions, anxieties, and tastes. So the show was a form of institutional critique in a way, exploring Williams College and the college museum in the early 1960s by way of a set of objects it acquired.

How would you describe your creative process?

I take notes on a lot of different things - books, exhibitions, movies, things I see, conversations, impressions, lectures, etc - and I keep a running list of projects and exhibitions I’d love to do. I think out loud with people from different backgrounds and disciplines. Sometimes I have an idea and am uncertain of the form or timing for it, and I’ll tuck it away for a long time, sometimes years. I think ideas often gestate for a long time, and often combine and recombine unexpectedly, so I believe in quantity and chance.

Do you have a favorite artistic resource that you turn to?

Radiotopia’s podcasts; art blogs Two Coats of Paint and BrooklynRail; and The New Yorker.

How has your aesthetic/style evolved over the years? 

Good question. I used to be stricter and more judgmental, aesthetically preferring things and spaces that were really beautifully made and clean looking. I’ve become more open and eclectic, and I really like contrasts these days -juxtaposition of styles and ideas, especially in museums and fiction.

From where do you draw inspiration?

Books, long drives, walks, and plane trips. Wherever I have time to think and wander, mentally.

What three things can’t you live without?

My family, art, and New York City.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Make something every day.

Is there a book or film that has changed you?

I considered this question very seriously. I’d say there are a few, but I’ll mention the one that’s less known these days: Legend, Myth, and Magic in the Image of the Artist: A Historical Experiment by Ernst Kris and Otto Kurz.

Whom in your life would you like to thank, and for what?

My mother, for her intelligence and kindness, and my father, for his joy in living.

What drives you these days?

Wine Director Blue Hill at Stone Barns Pocantico Hills, New York bluehillfarm.com

Photos courtesy of Blue Hill at Stone Barns

SPECIAL GUEST SERIES

William Carroll serves as wine director at Blue Hill at Stone Barns located within Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in Pocantico Hills, New York, just 30 miles north of New York City. In 2015, the restaurant was featured in an episode of the Emmy-nominated Netflix docuseries Chef’s Table, showcasing chef, restaurateur, and food writer Dan Barber. In this role, William oversees the entirety of beverage services for Blue Hill at Stone Barns, along with an extensive wine cellar that spans 2,000 references of wine, beer, and spirits. His first big break came at the age of 19 when he took a job as a back waiter at Daniel in New York City where he discovered a newfound fascination with fine dining and wine. Months later, William headed to Paris where he went on to graduate from Le Cordon Bleu Wine & Management Programme at the ripe age of 21. During this time, he also worked under renowned sommelier Antoine Petrus of restaurant Lasserre. William resides in nearby Tarrytown, New York, a great match for him given its abundance of coffee shops and close proximity to the running trails at Rockefeller State Park Preserves.  

FAVORITES

Book: Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

Destination: Park City, Utah

Motto: Caffeine and dreams

Sanctuary: The Candlelight Inn, Scarsdale, New York

THE QUERY

Where were you born?

St. Louis, Missouri

What were some of the passions and pastimes of your earlier years?

I was really into lacrosse growing up. With the exception of a brief stint in standup comedy, I’ve been obsessed with food for as long as I can remember.

How did you begin to realize your intrigue with the science and study of wine and winemaking?

It all started at my first restaurant job bussing tables at Fairview Country Club in Greenwich, Connecticut. One evening, a private collector was generous enough to send a glass of “something French from the 70s” to the kitchen, and the chef was kind enough to let me taste. That sip was the most complex, delicious thing I’d ever had, which isn’t saying much for a palate of Hot Pockets and Bud Light that sustained me. Seven years later, I ran into that chef and discovered that the wine I tasted was Château Climens, Sauternes 1971.

What remains most memorable about your training at Le Cordon Bleu Wine & Management Programme?

It was the two weeks I spent working the harvest in Chinon. I was out of my element - nobody at the winery spoke English and I subsisted on nothing other than Nutella, pâté, and red wine (sounds like a good time, but not for a fortnight). Despite the culture shock, I gained an appreciation for wine that I couldn’t have otherwise. It’s shocking how much hard work it takes to produce a great bottle.          

When and how did you make your entry into the world of wine as a sommelier?

I didn’t even know what a sommelier was until I worked at Daniel. It was there that Raj Vaidya and the rest of the wine team were willing to share their knowledge and enthusiasm with me. More importantly was the service experience I gained with bussing tables. I was horrible when I started and not great when I left, but it was that strong Michelin 3-star foundation that opened the door at Restaurant Lasserre, and eventually at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. It would never have mattered how much I knew about Burgundy if I couldn’t carry a tray or flip a tablecloth.  

What led to your coming on board with Blue Hill at Stone Barns in 2015?

I was on my way into the city one morning heading to work at Murray’s Cheese during my brief stint as a cheesemonger. I’ve always made a habit of monitoring industry job sites to see what’s out there from time to time, and happened to see an opening for a sommelier position at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. It seemed, and turned out to be, the opportunity of a lifetime. I sent my CV in right away and interviewed the following week.  

How do typically approach the selection of wine pairings at Blue Hill at Stone Barns?

This question calls for a tricky and (sorry!) wordy answer because our pairing approach has evolved so much during my two years with the restaurant team. At first, we were rigidly focused on finding the perfect pairing with every single bite, which, with practice, isn’t the hardest thing to do. For me, it’s always been a matter of treating your wine cellar like a spice rack - taste the dish, then arrange the flavors with different wine memories, season the food one way or another based on structure (acid, body, sweetness, tannin, alcohol), and then aroma.

After awhile the wine team decided to loosen our pursuit of these perfect pairings because it started to feel more imaginative than truly creative. On top of that, we finally accepted that most guests aren’t obsessively analyzing the interplay between the food and wine the way we do. And, even if they did, it probably wouldn’t make for the best overall dining experience. A few months back we ditched the whole formula and now follow the kitchen’s lead in curating a unique experience for each table. Even, if for some reason, a guest had the same menu as another table, they wouldn’t have the same progression of wine, beer, and cocktails.  

What have you enjoyed most about working with Dan Barber?

I probably get the most fulfillment out of the daily challenge of trying to keep up with Dan and the restaurant at large. There’s a constant change of ingredients, no menu structure, a creative and energetic chef de cuisine, and a service style built on storytelling. Trying to get a wine program to fit that mold is tough, but thankfully, I’ve been given the freedom and cellar space to make it a lot of fun.

Why is the guiding philosophy of Blue Hill at Stone Barns a good fit for you?

Working in wine can feel pretty self-serving at times. At the end of the day, I make a living out of sounding smarter than I actually am, and having a hedonistic devotion to all things alcohol-related. As cheesy as it may sound, working here fills a need to be part of something bigger than that.

Is there a period/project along the way that has presented an important learning curve?

My entire time at Blue Hill at Stone Barns has been one big learning curve, with no end in sight. From the beginning, the Barbers and Charles Puglia (the former wine director at Blue Hill at Stone Barns), allowed me to take charge of more and more elements of the wine program, despite the risk of me absolutely botching it.

In all your travels, where have you tasted the best wine?

I’m not sure about a specific travel destination, but the best wine of my life was Sine Qua Non Syrah, 2008. I enjoyed it with the Lasserre wine team in Paris at three in the morning, post service - with a massive cheeseburger. I generally don’t gravitate toward that style of wine, but no bottle has ever fit so perfectly into a particular setting.

Do you have a favorite wine resource that you turn to?

Guildsomm.com is definitely my favorite resource, but I probably obsess over the book, Grand Cru: The Great Wines of Burgundy Through the Perspective of its Finest Vineyards, by Remmington Norman more than any other.

What three tools of the trade can’t you live without?

Crocs, scotch tape (it keeps the neck tie in place; I’ve never been big on tie clips), and almonds. Almonds are definitely the best cellar snack, as they hold a crunch in the humid wine cellar.  

From where do you draw inspiration?

The kitchen team at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. It’s really hard to whine or find excuses when you see how hard they work.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Put the potato chips on the sandwich.

Is there a book or film that has changed you? 

A Brief History of Everything by Ken Wilber. It paints a pretty beautiful map of the world.

What drives you these days?

Artist/Food Writer Founder, All the Restaurants in New York New York, New York  alltherestaurants.com  Instagram: @eat.draw.repeat powerhouseon8th.com

Photo by Aurora Donohue

SPECIAL GUEST SERIES

John Donohue is an artist and the founder of All the Restaurants in New York, a visual exploration of New York City’s culinary offerings. Just about every other day, since January 1, 2017, he has posted his sketches of the facades of such New York mainstays as Babbo, Balthazar, Bistro Vendome, The Odeon, Tribeca Grill, Grand Central Oyster Bar, Scarpetta, Craft, Prune, Gramercy Tavern, Katz’s Delicatessan, Esca, and Buttermilk Channel. To date, John has drawn nearly 100 restaurants, with the simplicity of nothing more than archival inks on paper. He is also the editor of Man with a Pan: Culinary Adventures of Fathers Who Cook for Their Families, a 2011 best-selling anthology featuring contributions from Mario Batali, Mark Bittman, Mark Kurlansky, Stephen King, and Jim Harrison. Prior to starting this project, John was an editor at The New Yorker magazine, where he also published cartoons. John draws every day, and also writes, only occasionally now, about cooking at home on his blog, Stay at Stove Dad. He resides in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife and children.

FAVORITES

Book: Moby Dick

Destination: Anywhere I have my pen and drawing pad.

Motto: Just draw.

Film: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

THE QUERY

Where were you born?

I was born in the suburbs north of New York City.

What were some of the passions and pastimes of your earlier years?

I learned all of my pop-culture references backwards, through the warped lens of Mad Magazine. My parents never let me see movies, and the only way I could stay current with my friends was to follow the parodies in its pages. I also spent hours in my parents’ den looking through old volumes of New Yorker cartoons.

What is your first memory of art as an experience?

I liked drawing boats as child. I was proud of the way I figured out how to draw the waves under the hull. My first-grade teacher thought I was talented and wanted to give me lessons. Unfortunately, I didn’t trust her as she had a reputation for disciplining kids by pulling them out of their chair by their hair, and I missed out.

How did you begin to realize your intrigue with drawing/illustration?

I took up drawing in earnest after I got married. I started with Betty Edward’s Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. I took classes at the Art Students League. I practiced on the subway while commuting to work. But I didn’t really get serious about drawing until a few years ago when I came to recognize its unbelievably powerful effect on my state of mind.

Why does this form of artistic expression suit you?

I do it for the result it has on my state of mind and not the result it leaves on the page. Twenty minutes of it is powerful medication. Whenever I draw I am calmer and much more alive.

What led to your work as an editor with The New Yorker magazine?

I wanted to be a writer and I got lucky when a friend from college connected me with people there. I started as a messenger, back when the magazine still had them.

What types of projects did you enjoy working on most while in this post?

I most enjoyed the company of my colleagues at The New Yorker. I learned more than I could have imagined from working alongside them.

How and when did the concept for Every Restaurant in New York  come to you?

I thought of it about two years ago. I had developed a daily drawing practice, which I continue to this day, of rendering my dish rack. I wanted to draw something that might have more universal appeal. I have a great interest in food and cooking (I created and edited the anthology Man with a Pan: Culinary Adventures of Fathers Who Cook for their Families, in 2011) and lit upon restaurants as a possible subject.

What are your hopes and dreams for this project as it evolves?

I really want to draw forever. I hope people continue to support the project so I can continue to do so. I discovered that the finished drawings bring great joy to people, just as the process of making them brings me joy, so it’s a virtuous cycle. I’m donating a portion of the proceeds to hunger-relief organizations, so I hope to be able to continue to do that. I like fostering virtuous cycles that are expanding.

What led to your decision to follow the 20-minute drawing session rule for each illustration?

It’s less of a rule than a fact. I just find that when I’m done about twenty minutes have passed.

How would you describe your creative process?

My drawing is all about being in the moment. Drawing places me emotionally in the present in a way that Buddhist texts and self-help books often suggest is possible. It is experiential. I reflect that aspect of my practice by offering my prints in lots of 365. Each one then becomes a beautiful reminder of how our days are numbered.

Where do you do most of your work?

I draw first thing every morning at my dining room table. I draw every evening sitting on my kitchen counter. When the weather and my other professional and personal responsibilities permit, I go out and draw restaurants. I finish my drawings at a temporary workspace in my dining room or at a studio I share with a more accomplished artist, though I find it hard to get there often.

What three tools of the trade can’t you live without?

My pens, my drawing pad, and my eyeglasses.

Why is the dish rack illustration, and archive, key to your daily regimen?

It’s like practicing scales for a professional musician or like running laps for a professional athlete, but on a more basic and essential level it very simply keeps me sane.

What have you found most gratifying about selling your prints in part to raise money for hunger relief organizations?

I absolutely love that I can literally create something out of thin air that feeds people. It’s like being a magician. And it’s a concrete way to express my gratitude for the opportunity to practice my gift.

Will other shows follow your debut exhibit of nine signed, limited-edition prints at the PowerHouse bookstore in Park Slope, Brooklyn earlier this year?

Absolutely, and that show in Park Slope has been extended through September 12, due to popular demand.

What led to the creation of your online store Eat Draw Repeat?

I mentioned virtuous cycles, and creating a way for people to pay for my work is the most virtuous of virtuous cycles I can imagine.

Is there a book in the works based on your current illustration project?

Yes, as of the middle of July I have a proposal circulating among editors at various publishing houses and I am engaged in a series of conversations.

How has your aesthetic/style evolved over the years?

There’s that line about 10,000 hours of practice. I think I passed that at some point and the confidence in the line shows. Just as sustaining a reader’s state of disbelief in a novel is important, so it is with an artist. It doesn’t matter so much where the line is so long as the line belongs there.

Do you have a favorite artistic resource that you turn to?

Life itself.

From where do you draw inspiration?

Everywhere around me.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Just show up.

Is there a book or film that has changed you?

Mostly books. On the Road changed me as a college student. The Red and the Black changed me as a young adult. So did Moby Dick. It’s really a function of age. Right now, I’m trying (for the second time) to read Don Quixote. It somehow seems appropriate, and I could use a good laugh.

What drives you these days?

Multi-Disciplinary Artist Artist-in-Residence/Interim Head, Print Media Department Cranbrook Academy of Art Huntington Woods, Michigan susangoethelcampbell.com

Photo by Tim Thayer

Susan Goethel Campbell is a multi-disciplinary artist whose work focuses on the intersection of nature, culture, and the engineered environment. For the past year, Susan has served as artist-in-residence and interim head of the print media department at Cranbrook Academy of Art, where she will continue for the 2017-18 academic year. She also earned an MFA in printmaking at Cranbrook Academy of Art. Susan’s work has been exhibited internationally in Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, and Slovenia, and nationally at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Queens Art Museum, Crystal Bridges Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Grand Rapids Art Museum, Detroit Institute of Arts, The Drawing Center New York, and International Print Center New York. In 2009, she was one of 18 artists selected for the inaugural Kresge Artist Fellowship. Susan has also been awarded residencies at the Banff Centre for the Arts, Flemish Center for Graphic Arts, Jentel Foundation, Beisinghoff Print Residency, and Print Research Institute of North Texas. She taught studio art for 15 years at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, and has been a visiting artist in numerous institutions in the United States and abroad. Susan is represented by the David Klein Gallery, Detroit; Aspinwall Editions, New York; and Galerie Tom Blaess, Bern, Switzerland. When she’s not working, you can find her traveling in the United States and abroad enjoying both urban and rural environments. Susan’s studio is located in Ferndale, Michigan, and she resides nearby in Huntington Woods.

FAVORITES

Book: Rebecca Solnit’s A Field Guide to Getting Lost

Destination: Bern, Switzerland in August to work on a print project with Tom Blaess that will be exhibited at his gallery next April.

Motto: Ars longa, vita brevis (art is long, life is short). Don’t wait, do it now.

Sanctuary:  My studio

THE QUERY 

Where were you born?

Grand Rapids, Michigan

What were some of the passions and pastimes of your earlier years?

Doing anything outside - biking, horseback riding, skiing, ice skating, and participating in and experiencing nature.

What is your first memory of art as an experience?

My mother exposed me to art at a very early age. When I was five she attended classes in the basement of the Grand Rapids Art Museum, and on several occasions I would come along. I specifically remember the ceramics studio and the contrast in smells of the clay, from dry to dusty to damp. Watching adults intently transform a material on a wheel or by hand was impactful. The intensity of their concentration seemed to merge mind and matter into form. I thought this must be what art is.

How did you begin to realize your intrigue with the visual arts?

The visceral experience of working with materials in my childhood was the starting point for me, and my intrigue expanded from there. Also, my father, a paper salesman who sold paper to printers, would bring sample books with Japanese papers home for me to play with. I remember him talking about troubleshooting with commercial printers about how ink sat on paper. It is no surprise to me that my primary medium is printmaking.

Why does this form of artistic expression suit you?

I love working with process and materials. Traditional printmaking is steeped in process. A print can be anything from singular and painterly to photographic and time based to sculptural and repetitious. The flexibility of the medium suits me; allowing me to adapt the concept of recording information from one material to another in new ways.

How and when did you get your start in the art world?

There is not one event that gave me a start in the art world; rather it has been an evolutionary process. Being an artist takes hard work and perseverance. I would not be where I am today without the support and encouragement of my mother in my formative years, and my late husband. I also had many supportive teachers along the way. My start came from getting my work out of the studio and into juried exhibitions. Eventually this led to other  opportunities. 

What formats do you typically utilize in your practice?

The formats I use in my practice are broad. I select a format that is best suited for the ideas I am considering. My work has become more installation-based over the past several years because it allows me to engage a physical space. Other formats I use fall into the realm of social practice and a non-gallery platform. These projects are intended to engage a broad audience with local and global environments.

What led to the conceptualization of Aerials, a series of woodblock prints focused on aerial views of cities and atmospheric phenomena?

I started working on the Aerial series while engaged in a year-long project of recording the weather over the city of Detroit with a web cam. The camera took still images of the city throughout the day and night. I loved the transformation of the city at night into tiny patterns of light under different atmospheric conditions. Also, I travel a lot and started documenting other cities at night while flying. I used the original photographs as inspiration for the woodblock prints. After inking a block and transferring the ink to paper, imperfections in the wood and unique grain pattern allow me to create the nuance of atmosphere. 

How would you describe your creative process?

My creative process almost always starts with a question and playful experimentation of a material or an idea. Somewhere along the line my hope is that these things merge and the work takes on a life of its own. There are many failures along the way, but when I find new terrain I will explore it for years.

What materials do you prefer to work with?

I continue to work with a variety of materials but will always return to ink and paper in some form. For the past four years, I have been using grass and earth in a project called Grounds. I make my own vacuum-formed molds and grow grass in the trays until the roots conform to the contour of the tray. Once the grass is root-bound, I remove the trays and flip the grass root side up and exhibit the low relief forms on the floor in repeating patterns.

What was the greatest delight, and challenge, in creating Detroit Weather: 365 Days?

The delight of this project was in seeing a year’s worth of weather in a three-hour video, however, I wound up splitting the video into two channels at the summer and winter solstice to reduce the length. The greatest challenge of this project was in managing the huge amount of data to be archived. The web camera was programmed to take a single, still image every minute, 24 hours a day for one year. The stills were then compressed into the video format and run at 22 fps. I had to pull images off the server about every three or four days or it would crash.

What three tools of the trade can’t you live without?

A Japanese drill punch, large rubber roller, and etching press.

Is there a period/project along the way that has presented an important learning curve?

In the late 90s, I decided to branch out from primarily making works on paper to creating interactive objects that had narrative content. I made a series of magnetic, brick-shaped books inspired by the decline of rustbelt cities like Detroit, along with suburban sprawl. This was a pivotal project because I started working with objects, new formats, and materials. The learning curve of working with non-traditional materials and new formats was huge but immensely rewarding.

What themes/topics dominate your work?

My work is focused on landscape, impermanence, and the anthropocentric environment; basically questioning nature made by humans.  

How has your aesthetic evolved over the years?

In my late 20s and early 30s, I worked with a collage aesthetic which literally and physically allowed me to work with disparate elements. My work has evolved to a more minimal aesthetic over the years and has become more conceptually based.

Who are some of your artistic influences?

Very early influences were Romare Bearden, Kurt Schwitters, and Paul Klee. I was especially inspired by Klee’s writings and Schwitter’s idea of Merz, which means to create connections, preferably between everything in this world. Other influences include the Hudson River painters, Robert Ryman, Agnes Martin, Eva Hesse, the video work of Bill Viola, and the installations of Doris Salcedo. The choreography of Pina Bausch, Merce Cunningham, Trisha Brown, and Tywla Tharp has also been an influence.

Do you have a favorite artistic resource that you turn to?

I like the work of minimalist composers and often play this type of music in my studio. Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians is a piece I always listen to when I need to get centered and focused.

From where do you draw inspiration?

Being present.  

What three things can’t you live without?

Light, space, and plants.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Stay focused and true to yourself.

Is there a book or film that has changed you?

There are several books and films that have impacted me. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is one, as are the poems in The Voice of Things by Francis Ponge. Both authors write from a lucid and unexpected place that feels both ordinary and profound. As far as film, Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now had a huge impact on me. It was dark, poetic, and culturally significant.

What drives you these days?