Mingei - A Coincidence?

I find it interesting that Afro Mingei opened and closed so quickly, as we were just starting a conversation on art, culture and community. Coincidentally, did you know that that there is a conversation continuing literally right across the street on Flora?

The Crow Museum of Asian Art of The University of Texas at Dallas opened a new exhibition titled Japan, Form & Function: The Montgomery Collection, which includes artifacts from the Mingei movement founded in the 1920s by Yanagi Sōetsu. As stated on the Crow Museum website, "The Montgomery Collection is widely acknowledged to be the largest and finest collection of Japanese folk art outside Japan."

In April, I had the chance to meet the curator, Mr. Luigi Zeni, and the collector, Mr. Jeffrey Montgomery (or in his words "the keeper"). I also had the privilege to tour the exhibition with Mr. Montgomery and Mr. Zeni to better understand the collection of 240+ works on display, including works on paper, ceramics, wood, metalwork, and even textiles!

Many of the works are from the Mingei movement. Mingei focuses on everyday objects produced by the common folk, as opposed to highly refined works of art produced by professional artists. Mingei is typically: anonymous/unsigned, representative of the region it was produced, mass produced by hand, made of natural materials, inexpensive at the time of production, used by the people/folk, and functional in daily life. It can also be understood as a response to Japan's rapid industrialization, as it elevates objects made in large quantity by ordinary people, rather than in a factory. In this way, it can also be perceived as a method of cultural and historical preservation. Some of the key artists in the movement were Yanagi Sōetsu, Bernard Leach, Hamada Shōji, and Kawaii Kanjirō.

The exhibition will be on view for a full year, until April 14, 2024, so please don't miss this exquisite, yet comprehensive survey of Japanese folk art from north to south. As Master Oogway said in Kung Fu Panda, "There are no coincidences in this world.” I think it really means that you are traveling down the right path.

#CrowMuseum #TheMontgomeryCollection #Mingei

Afro Mingei

You may be asking yourself the question, Where should I go next? Afro Mingei is located at the crossroads of community, art, culture, food/drink and music. In case you need more specific directions, Afro Mingei can be found at 2001 Flora Street in the corner gallery at the Nasher Sculpture Center.

This very cool pop-up concept, a collaboration between the Nasher Sculpture Center and artist Theaster Gates has a limited stay until April 29th. Bring your curiosity, passion, taste buds, and an open mind to experience a surprise meetup of the sights, sounds and tastes by Theaster Gates.

The Nasher describes Afro Mengei as a "a convivial gathering space exploring the intersection of Japanese and African American philosophy, aesthetic modes and cultural classifications." I couldn't say it any better, but you will have to experience it for yourself.

Check the Nasher website for upcoming events at Afro Mingei. When you go, I highly recommend the Uji Matcha Imperial tea paired with the Milky Hojicha ice cream, all served in clay vessels created by Theaster Gates. Hope to see you there soon!

Updated April 2023

Photo: courtesy of Nasher Sculpture Center

You never know who you may run into at Afro Mingei. I had the pleasure of meeting the 2018 Nasher Prize Laureate, Theaster Gates. Here is a short video courtesy of the Nasher Sculpture Center. Remember Afro Mingei closes on April 29th, so hurry before you miss it.

Video: courtesy of Nasher Sculpture Center

#TheasterGates #NasherSculptureCenter #AfroMingei #Matcha

Sonic Thump

In my last post on Sculpting Sound, I ended with a sonic boom. This led me to the question, what does the next generation of supersonic aircraft sound like? The answer is more like a sonic thump.

At the beginning of 2022, the X-59 spent a couple of months in Fort Worth at Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works facility. Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to see or even hear it.

Source: NASA/Carla Thomas

In November 2022, Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works Palmdale, California facility installed the F414-GE-100 engine. According to NASA, "the 13-foot-long engine from General Electric Aviation packs 22,000 pounds of propulsion energy and will power the X-59 as it flies at speeds up to Mach 1.4 and altitudes around 55,000 feet." As you will see below, I have my ticket for X-59s first flight, but it looks like our flight may be delayed until 2023.

This new technology could also be applied to commercial flight in the near future. Boom, Spike and Hermeus are developing supersonic (or in Hermeus' case, hypersonic) private and commercial aircraft to reduce travel times to your favorite destination. They will be extremely fast with all the inflight amenities, but will likely come fully equipped with a LOUD SONIC BOOM!