When the newMoynihan Train Hallopened in January, one of the big stars of the hall was the public art installed throughout. Installations by Kehinde Wiley,Stan Douglas, and duoElmgreen & Dragsetbrought excitement and creativity to the brand new space. The$1.6 billion hall transformed the oldJames A. Farley postal building, a 1912 Beaux-Arts-style design byMcKim, Mead and White, into a museum of its own.

Join Untapped New York on a tour of the artistic side of Moynihan, with a little bonus trip over toPenn Stationto talk about a rarely recognized artistic remnant of the old Penn Station. Of course, there will be frameable handouts!On the in-person tour, unearth all the exciting art in Moynihan Train Hall. Hear the stories about the creation of the art and the artists themselves. Learn about some of the new art on the way to Moynihan. Explore some of the outdoor art which usually gets ignored. And discover a Penn Station remnant art piece not featured on our publicRemnants of Penn Station tour. The event is free forUntapped New York Insiders(and get your first month free with code JOINUS).

Moynihan Train Hall Art Walk

The artworks, which cost $6.7 million, were commissioned through a partnership between Empire State Development and thePublic Art Fund. Kehinde Wiley created a hand-painted glass triptych titledGofor the ceiling at the West 33rd Street entrance.This was Wileys first permanent site-specific installation in glass. The work depicts Black New Yorkers in breakdancing-inspired poses against a blue sky, drawing from some of his earlier works.Wiley also based a woman pointing her finger on MichelangelosCreation of Adamat the Sistine Chapel. The artist stated that he wished to play with the language of ceiling frescoes because in ceiling frescoes, people [express] a type of levity and religious devotion and ascendancy. Wiley is best-known for works likeNapoleon Leading the Army over the Alpsand the official portrait of PresidentBarack Obama, which is on view at the Brooklyn Museum.

Stan Douglas conducted archival research to recreate nine moments from the old Penn Station. To capture this history, he cast 400 actors to dress in period costumes over four days 100 on each day of shooting then used digitally recreated interiors of the demolished building as a backdrop. Douglass photographic panels, including one in which Blackvaudevilleperformers staged a show for passengers after a 1914 snowstorm and another of a depiction of outlaw Celia Cooney, hang along the stations 80-foot-long waiting area.

As part of Emgreen & Dragsets workThe Hive, over 30,000 pounds of futuristic skyscrapers hang upside down by the West 31st Street entry. The 91 real and fictional buildings contain windows that glow with tiny lights of 72,000 LEDs, and six of the buildings can change colors. DragsettoldThe New York Timesthat the installation was named The Hive to reflect how the diversity and richness of cities can function because people accept certain rules for coexisting.

In a global city synonymous with art and culture it is fitting that these works which dazzle in their beauty, humanity, ambition, and technical mastery capture the spirit of this remarkable new transit hub, said Public Art Fund director Nicholas Baume in a statement. Captivating and powerful, each work is inspired by New Yorks rich heritage, its diverse and talented people, and its irrepressible creativity.

Join Untapped New York on a tour of the artistic side of Moynihanwith a little bonus trip over to Penn Station to talk about a rarely recognized artistic remnant of the old Penn Station. The event is free forUntapped New York Insiders(and get your first month free with code JOINUS).

Moynihan Train Hall Art Walk

Next, check out Justin Rivers Op-Ed Moynihan Trail Hall is Not Perfect, But its Close Enough.

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Explore the Art of Moynihan Train Hall on This New Tour - Untapped New York

Track lighting is a type of indirect illumination, typically installed in offices and other commercial spaces. Track lights are mounted to the ceiling or wall and are often encased in decorative metal housings that can be positioned anywhere along the track. They can be used individually or combined with other types of lamps for an even broader range of light effects.

The track lighting system comes with a metal surface that is mounted to the ceiling or wall, known as the track. The track is connected to a power source and can be extended however long you need it to be. There are numerous options available types of tracking lighting.

Halogen track lights are the most commonly used type of track lighting. These fixtures have an incandescent bulb with a halogen capsule, which provides higher lumen output than standard bulbs at a lower wattage. This allows for more lumens per watt than other bulb options.

Halogen track lights can be installed in wall or ceiling tracks and are typically used in commercial applications that require high-quality lighting with a longer life span.

Like other track lights, halogen models are available in a variety of styles and finishes to complement the surrounding dcor.

LED track lights operate on small, low-voltage DC units. This is great for people who have to track the amount of energy their lighting uses carefully. LED lights are known for using up to eighty percent less electricity than other types of bulbs.

One major drawback to LED track lighting is that the light they produce tends toward a blue-green spectrum. This is not true of all LED lights, but its a good idea to sample them before you buy if thats an important feature for your space.

LED lighting is typically used in residential settings, but they are also gaining popularity for commercial spaces. They are ideal for areas with a lot of moisture, because LEDs dont create any heat.

A floodlight track light has the ability to produce broad area illumination as well as narrow spot lighting. They are typically mounted near the ceiling and aimed down onto a targeted area.

Floodlights are often used in kitchens or dining areas, where they can be aimed at the area where food preparation takes place. This type of track lighting is also great for illuminating large, open floor plans.

Floodlights are often used in combination with uplights, which is a track light that is mounted on the ceiling above and pointed down at an angle. Uplights usually use linear lighting modules that offer directional illumination.

Fluorescent track lights are the least expensive type of lighting on the market. These fixtures have a long life span and T5 fluorescent bulbs, which produce more light per watt than other types of bulbs.

Fluorescent track lights are often used in offices or warehouses that need low-cost, high-quality lighting for a wide variety of purposes.

The biggest disadvantage of these fixtures is that they emit a large amount of heat. They are also one of the noisiest types of lights available, making them unsuitable for homes with kids or pets.

Fluorescent track lights come in a variety of sizes. Some are designed to sit on the floor while others can be mounted on a wall.

Because fluorescent track lights contain fluorescent bulbs, the light they produce is very white. These bulbs are also ideal for highlighting items that need to be seen clearly because the light produced by these fixtures does not distort colors like incandescent bulbs can.

Because of the additional parts required, fluorescent track lights often cost more than other types of lighting fixtures. In order to make most out of your investment, make sure to choose the right type of fixture.

Low-voltage track lights have a lamp that plugs into the wall and then has a wire coming out of it that is connected to an LED or fluorescent tube. The tubes can be suspended from the ceiling, placed on the floor, or attached directly to the wall. This type of lighting is often used in basements or other areas that will be repainted frequently.

Low-voltage track lights are often placed along a wall. The positioning of the fixture is used to spotlight an area or display certain items.

Low-voltage track lights are easy to install, but they do not provide much flexibility in terms of positioning the tube. They can only be positioned vertically or horizontally.

OLED track lights have a very long life span, and they produce virtually no heat. These are the most expensive type of track lighting systems on the market, but theyre also known for their high-quality lighting.

Since OLED track lights produce no heat and are both energy efficient and longer lasting than other lamps, these fixtures can be used in places where they are exposed to the elements and will not be repainted regularly.

OLED track lights are designed to be attached directly to the wall. They also come in both a fluorescent and LED design.

One disadvantage of OLED track lights is that the light they produce has a blue tint. This makes them ideal for highlighting certain items but not so great for general illumination.

Since OLED track lights do not need to be cleaned often, you should also consider how easy it will be to replace parts when they start to wear out.

The HID type of track lighting is the most common. They feature two bulbs: one that produces a blue light, and another that produces the white light. This creates a pleasant combination of warm color temperatures to illuminate your space while still providing ample illumination.

Like most other types of track lighting, there are HID track lights that have fluorescent and LED bulbs.

When it comes to HID track lighting, there are two wattage options: 35 watts or 50 watts. The higher-wattage lights typically last longer, and they also produce more lumens (light). Therefore, if you want a brighter light in your space, these fixtures might be a suitable choice.

HID track lights use high-intensity discharge lamps to produce a very bright light. These lights are typically used for retail lighting, stage lighting, or any other place where you need a lot of light over a wide area.

Because they require high amounts of energy and are not as energy efficient as LED or fluorescent bulbs, they come with a high initial cost. However, they are among the most durable and longest-lasting track lights around.

A linear track light system is composed of individual fixtures arranged in a line. These systems are used in warehouse or office spaces, or anywhere where long stretches of uninterrupted lighting are needed.

Linear track lights are energy efficient, and they produce very consistent illumination along their entire length. Linear systems often come with endcaps that can be adjusted using a remote control.

Linear track lighting is often used behind retail showcases where it might be subject to damage. The fixtures on these lines are more durable than others and can withstand a higher amount of pressure.

Linear track lights are often suspended directly above showcases in order to display merchandise. In this situation, the light is used as both illumination and advertisement for the products below it.

A circular track light system is composed of individual fixtures arranged in a circle. Circular systems are used primarily for highlighting artwork in museums and art galleries. They can also be found as accent lighting in retail spaces or other areas where highly focused illumination is needed over a smaller area.

These lights are not very energy efficient, but their brightness makes up for it. However, they do produce a lot of heat, so theyre often used as accent lighting or as supplemental lighting to larger systems.

Circular track lights are typically suspended from the ceiling. They are also found in residential applications as well, where they can be used to highlight a piece of art, create an interesting lighting pattern on the ceiling, or provide ample illumination for reading at night.

A ceiling-mounted track light system is composed of individual fixtures which mount directly to the ceiling. These systems can be arranged in a line, circle, or any other arrangement you choose. Ceiling-mounted track lights are used primarily for illuminating retail spaces or showcasing artwork.

Because they do not take up any floor space and typically have a very long life-span, theyre often good options when trying to illuminate large areas at an affordable price. This is one of the main reasons they are often used in retail spaces.

Ceiling-mounted track lights are also a very popular choice for highlighting artwork in galleries or museums. This type of lighting avoids glare, which makes it easier to see the details on a painting (for example).

A flush-mounted track light system is composed of individual fixtures which are mounted to a surface such as the wall, ceiling or floor. These systems can be used anywhere that lighting needs to be highly focused in one direction, rather than dispersed over an area.

Because these lights can be placed in places with limited space, they can be used as task lighting or accent lighting without changing the way a room looks. They are also popular for highlighting artwork, plants, and other decorative pieces.

These types of track lights are often found in kitchens and bathrooms, where they can be mounted to the underside or side of cabinets. They can also be used to highlight artwork on ceiling-mounted doors.

Linear track lights are longer, while circular systems provide more focused (and therefore brighter) light. They also differ in terms of their construction; because a linear system contains multiple fixtures that run parallel to one another, it must have some sort of support mechanism in order for them to be spaced evenly.

Ceiling-mounted track lights are suspended directly from the ceiling. They can be arranged in a line, circle, or any other arrangement you choose. Flush mounted systems do not take up any floor space and typically have a very long life-span. This makes them very popular when trying to illuminate large areas, but they can be difficult to place near windows and doors because of their protruding fixtures.

Track lighting systems are generally not the most energy efficient option since installation is more costly than surface-mounted options like recessed lighting and pendant lights. However, they do produce a lot of light while using relatively little energy; this is one of the reasons track lighting systems are often utilized in retail spaces where electricity costs can be high.

Track lighting systems typically take standard E26 halogen bulbs or CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps). Although LEDs are not compatible with track lighting systems because they produce too much heat, there are 12 volt LED bulbs that are designed for surface-mounted track lights.

If you have a track lighting system in your retail space, be sure to keep the bulbs clean and well-maintained. Not only will this save you money in the long run, it will also reduce your carbon footprint.

The term linear describes how track lighting systems are arranged with respect to one another. Linear track lighting means that the bulbs are parallel to each other, rather than perpendicular or overlapping each other (as in a circular system). This is what makes the difference between linear and circular track lights.

The name becomes more important when you want to replace a lightbulb; each system will work with common E26 halogen bulbs, but youll want to make sure the replacement bulb is compatible with your system. Halogen bulbs are also known as incandescent lights and they use a filament that glows white-hot when electricity is run through it.

A type of flush-mount track lighting system, the under cabinet system typically consists of a series of bulbs mounted to a flat surface with very small fixtures that give off bright light without glaring. This is most often used to illuminate jewelry in retail spaces or for security reasons because it makes it harder for burglars to hide in the shadows.

Yes, absolutely; you will typically need basic hand tools and a power drill when installing track lighting systems. If youre uncertain about your wiring abilities, you can always hire an electrician to do the work for you. This installation kit comes with everything you need except the light bulbs.

Track lighting was originally designed for use in retail spaces where energy efficiency is crucial and people are walking around all day. Some designers are also using it for lighting outdoor bars and patios because it can help keep the mood of the party going without drawing a lot of attention to itself.

You can also use track lighting for home design projects and you may find that this type of light source is perfect for illuminating a long hallway or space with many doors; in fact, most track lights are designed for installation in hallways or retail spaces.

In conclusion, there are many different track lighting types and sizes that you can use. The choice of the type, style or size depends on what you want. Lighting is an important element to make a room look brighter and attractive for your eyes.

It is important to know the different track lighting types for your room and also easy to install it at home.

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11 Track Lighting Types Explained And Easy Guide On Different Them - vermontpressbureau.com

His Stanford studio is one of several places where artist Ala Ebtekar worked on the handmade clay tiles for Luminous Ground.Ala Ebtekars installation at the Asian Art Museum offers a look at the universe, with layers of meaning.

Ala Ebtekar is well aware that some museumgoers will seek out his latest work, Luminous Ground, intent on snapping a selfie. After all, composed of 1,800 handmade tiles that capture the cosmos and line a 55-foot-long wall of the new rooftop terrace at the Asian Art Museum, the artwork makes for a striking backdrop. But the Berkeley-born artist is optimistic that when the installation opens to the public later this fall, visitors will come away with much more than social media fodder.

One of the major things for me is creating these contemplative experiences and creating work that speaks in different ways, says Ebtekar. It doesnt mean that every person is going to get all of those things. Theres enough richness in just one facet, but you do have these multiple facets. And if some people just want to take a selfie with it, thats cool, too.

Ebtekar has long been enamored with the exquisitely tiled edifices of his parents native Iran, among them the 16th-century Ali Qapu palace in Isfahan, with its vaulted ceiling depicting heaven. Initially trained as a painter he earned a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute and an MFA from Stanford University, where he is a lecturer in the department of art and art history Ebtekars own foray into tilework dates back several years. For a 2018 exhibition at Napas di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art, he fabricated 1,000 cyanotype tiles, relying on a photographic printing method invented in the 1840s. The tiles referenced an image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and covered a 10-by-22-foot area of the gallery floor, mirroring the dimensions of the skylight overhead.

The words of 11th-century Persian astronomer, mathematician and poet Omar Khayyam served as inspiration: Drink wine and look up at the moon and think of all the civilizations the moon has seen passing by. Says Ebtekar: We often romantically look up at the moon, but think about how long the moon has gazed at us.

Since Ebtekar had participated in various Asian Art Museum exhibitions and programs, Karin Oen, then an associate curator for contemporary art at the museum, was already familiar with his practice when she heard about the site-specific installation in Napa. Even so, it made an impression. I was intrigued by how layered it was, she recalls. The overlay of a cyanotype-like process on handmade California clay tiles, the amalgamation of space-age imagery from the Hubble telescope with a longstanding human interest in both astronomy and astrology, an engagement with the architecture of sacred spaces and Medieval Persian poetry.

One of the major things for me is creating these contemplative experiences and creating work that speaks in different ways. Ala Ebtekar

Oen reached out to Ebtekar about a commission for the Asian Art Museums East West Bank Art Terrace, designed by Kulapat Yantrasast of WHY Architecture. Ebtekar once again employed a Hubble image in this case, representing 12 billion years of cosmic history and the cyanotype technique. The two-and-a-half-year undertaking started with mining soil in California and mixing it to create a white-bodied clay. The clay was pounded, rolled and cut into 5-by-5-inch tiles, which were then fired.

Working in the Central Valley his head ceramicist, Ritsuko Miyazaki, along with assistants Hannah Desch and Racquelle Justo, are based in Fresno Ebtekar was struck by the regions history, particularly as it relates to labor and immigration. Amador County, for example, has a rich mining past and was home to Fiddletown Chinatown. Ebtekars use of soil kindles a connection to the Central Valleys agriculture industry and its immigrant workforce. Theres a lot there in terms of the history of California and America in general, he observes.

From Fresno, the tiles were transported to the Peninsula, where Ebtekar maintains a studio. In a darkroom, he brushed an altered cyanotype solution over the tiles, which were subsequently divided into sets of 25. Ive taken this image and basically broken it into 72 negatives, Ebtekar elaborates. Each negative is around 27 by 27 inches and provides coverage for about 25 tiles.

With the negative on top of the tiles, clamped between sheets of glass and wood, he exposed them to the sun. Back in a dark environment, the tiles were washed with water. Once they were thoroughly dry, the final step entailed four coatings of what Ebtekar describes as a homemade glaze that weatherproofs the tiles and prevents further sun exposure. Theres so many variations in this mosaic, he says of the end result, noting that in addition to being birthed by light, the four elements fire, water, earth and air coalesce in the tiles.

Joining Luminous Ground on the museum terrace are Ai Weiweis Fountain of Light, an illuminated twisting sculpture comprised of thousands of strung glass beads; Pinaree Sanpitaks stainless steel Breast Stupa Topiary series, whose forms draw on the female breast as well as the stupa, a hemispherical Buddhist shrine; and Dont Mess With Me (aka The Pink Lady), street artist Jas Charanjivas response to the gang rape and murder of a young woman on a Delhi bus in 2012.

According to Oen, the works are all connected by the theme of past, present and future an appropriate jumping-off point for the first installation of a space following a major transformation of a historical museum. The 7,500-square-foot outdoor platform and 8,500-square-foot Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang Pavilion that it sits atop are part of the Asian Art Museums multimillion-dollar expansion project, which was initiated in 2017.

Reflecting on the multivalent Luminous Ground and the myriad individuals who played a role in its creation from the NASA/ESA team to tile glazer Miguel Suarez Ebtekar likens his largest endeavor to date to a movie, when you see the cast come up, he says. Theres a lot of hands involved in this. They dont necessarily know each other, but then it all comes together. Its a collective of voices in that way.

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Arts & Culture: Out Of This World - Nob Hill Gazette

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Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugan, a former product manager, testifies before the Senate Commerce Committee's subcommittee on consumer protection on Oct. 5. Julia Nikhinson

Workers in protective suits clean oilon Oct. 5 in an inlet leading to the environmentally sensitive Talbert Marsh wetlands after a 126,000-gallon spill from an offshore oil platform in Huntington Beach, Calif. The heavy crude oil spill has affected close to 25 miles of coastline in Orange County, with authorities closing beaches in the vicinity. Mario Tama/Getty Images

President BidenJoe BidenBiden remembers Gen. Odierno: 'Part of some of our most poignant memories' Building back better by investing in workers and communities Internal battles heat up over Biden agenda MORE leaves the Oval Office for Marine One as he heads to Lansing, Mich.,on Oct. 5 to promote the bipartisan infrastructure bill and his Build Back Better agenda. Yuri Gripas/UPI Photo

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Iowa Sens. Joni ErnstJoni Kay ErnstTrump heads to Iowa as 2024 chatter grows Photos of the Week: Manchin, California oil spill and a podium dog Senate GOP seeks bipartisan panel to investigate Afghanistan withdrawal MORE (R) and Chuck GrassleyChuck GrassleyTrump says Grassley has his 'complete and total endorsement' Trump heads to Iowa as 2024 chatter grows Photos of the Week: Manchin, California oil spill and a podium dog MORE (R) laugh as they wait for a press a conference Oct. 6 to discuss the situation at the border. Julia Nikhinson

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A staff member for Sen. Rand PaulRandal (Rand) Howard PaulJournalist Dave Levinthal discusses 'uptick' in congressional stock trade violations McConnell vows GOP won't help raise debt ceiling in December after Schumer 'tantrum' Photos of the Week: Manchin, California oil spill and a podium dog MORE (R-Ky.) takes photos of her puppy Jefferson on a podium before a press conference Oct. 7 to introduce legislation that would end the Food and Drug Administration's mandate that experimental drugs must be tested on animals before they are used on humans in clinical trials. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

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Photos curated by Greg Nash, Julia Nikhinson and Madeline Monroe.

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Photos of the Week: Manchin, California oil spill and a podium dog | TheHill - The Hill

Scotland boasts some of the most stylish restaurants, bars and hotels in the UK. Here, Paul Trainer and Ailsa Sheldon reveal their personal top 20 of our best new and long-established venues.

Its easy to walk past Divino Enoteca, nestled into a dark corner of tiny Merchant Street though once youve discovered this cavern of delights you wont forget how to find it. With its dark walls, exposed brick, walls of wine bottles, leather seating and mood lighting, this restaurant certainly knows how to set the scene especially on live jazz nights. The heated secret courtyard is lovely too. With classic, sophisticated Italian cooking and an impressively long and interesting wine list (including 32 by the glass), Divino Enoteca is an atmospheric delight. (AS)

5 Merchant Street, Edinburgh, EH1 2QD

A stylishand contemporary brasserie and bar on St Vincent Place, the venue underwent a complete refurbishment and rebrand during lockdown. An impressive marble bar is the focal point for the dining room with a separate whisky room and private dining area named The Boardroom, in a nod to the buildings history as the former Scottish headquarters of the Bank of England. Ask for a table in the elegant but relaxed garden room where you can enjoy panko crusted bass or roasted butternut linguine. (PT)

25 St Vincent Place, Glasgow G1 2DT

A Speyside hotel with modern and traditional stylish nods to the Highlands of Scotland, Craigellachie is a comfortable, rural retreat with an impressive food offering. Guests are quickly distracted by The Quaich Bar, a celebration of whisky equipped with over 800 bottles. It was opened 120 years ago and exemplifies romantic Scotlands vision for hospitality, seen through a progressive, modern lens. Take a seat in this cosy sitting room built into a bar, and allow staff to guide you through a single malt odyssey. (PT)

Seton a 520-acre estate overlooking St Andrews, Fairmont is known for its dramatic cliff-top views, peaceful setting and championship golf courses. Theres destination dining at its St Andrews Bar & Grill with River Tay cured rainbow trout, Crail crab salad, whole grilled St Andrews Bay lobster and dry-aged steaks cooked on a Josper grill. An extensive refurbishment in 2016 brought a new sense of space to the hotels huge atrium, incorporating a 60-metre-long ceiling sculpture by artist George Singer, eclectic furniture styles, and softer furnishings. Upholstery, fabrics and art in the hotel is influenced by local history and landscapes with the fishing villages of Fife providing inspiration and a sense of place. (PT)

With stained glass windows, nautical ephemera and a giant Bjrk print, it shouldnt really work - but somehow it really does. This is Nobles, a lovingly restored familyrun pub where contemporary art meets Victorian glamour with some of the best food and drink in Edinburgh. Its stylish and sophisticated, without taking itself too seriously. Enjoy a cracking Bloody Mary with brunch, pop in for a pint, or book a table in the evening to explore the delights of the a la carte menu. Whatever the occasion, Nobles is always a good port of call. (AS)

44a Constitution Street, Leith EH6 6RS

THE 485-acre The Macallan Estate is a world-leading hospitality destination set in serene countryside. Alongside the focus on single malt whisky, there is fine dining, fishing, tours and events. The distinctive distillery experience was designed by architects Roger Stirk Harbour + Partners and unveiled in 2018. It features an imposing circular vault warehouse and a dining room where you can enjoy pan-seared Highland venison, west coast scallops and locally-caught salmon. (PT)

Italianbrewer Doppio Malto has transformed a landmark location on Glasgows George Square to create its first venue in the UK. The kitchen brewery includes a basement bar with a ceiling installation featuring colourful umbrellas and a 180-seat restaurant, complete with traditional terrazzo flooring and terracotta plant pots. The menu offers a wide selection of Italian dishes including pizza, pastas, speciality meats cooked on the grill, and desserts. Visit for 16 variations of Doppio Malto craft beers from Erba and Iglesias. (PT)

Thecalm minimalist interior of Argyle Place has made this family-run coffee shop a firm favourite with Edinburgh aesthetes think exposed brick, concrete, elegant wooden furniture and plenty of plants. Squint and you could be in Copenhagen, not Marchmont. With Mr Eion roasting coffee in the basement and super-skilled baristas, this is the perfect place to savour a flat white near the Meadows. Stay for the food, too enjoy generously filled homemade focaccia, tasty tarts and brioche bacon rolls. Grab a seat by the window and savour the friendly atmosphere. (AS) 25-28 Argyle Place, Edinburgh, EH9 1JJ

A tearoom on a working farm, the rustic setting is revealed within a glass greenhouse with grape vines on the ceiling and interior walls. Your neighbours are 130 dairy cows that provide the milk to make the award-winning Isle of Mull Cheddar and Hebridean Blue. Enjoy homebaking and sourdough bread alongside pork and cheese from the farm. A short drive from Tobermory, the cafe and shop provide scenic views over the Isle of Mull. (PT)

Sgriob-ruadh Farm, Tobermory, Isle of Mull, PA75 6QD

Inventive tasting menus are the order of the day at Aurora and are best suited for adventurous palates. The floor and shelving in Aurora are crafted from reclaimed scaffolding wood, with wine racks made from repurposed bread cages. Simple furniture, industrial-style lighting and bold paintings by Edinburgh-based South African artist Jonathan Freemantle complete the look. This little gem of a restaurant is not in the trendy part of Leith, but definitely deserves a place on the radar of Edinburgh food-lovers. With only 20 covers it can be hard to get a table but for those who do, the culinary journey through the menu and the intimate setting make for a memorable evening. (AS)

187 Great Junction St., Edinburgh, EH6 5LQ

21212 is a delightful boutique hotel in a leafy Georgian terrace in central Edinburgh. With just four bedrooms above the Michelinstarred restaurant, this is a truly special place to stay. The look is dark, glamorous and decadent without the chintz, and rooms are the epitome of luxury. Dinner is five courses dont let the apparent simplicity of the menu fool you. Supremely talented Paul Kitching, right, is at the helm of the elegant restaurant so prepare to be dazzled, and very well taken care of. Make sure you take time to wander in the private gardens by Calton Hill, a special secret spot in the heart of the city. (AS)

3 Royal Terrace, Edinburgh, EH7 5AB

Elliotts is a proud neighbourhood cafe, where seasonal salads, tasty brunch dishes and delicious home baking are served in an effortlessly chic but relaxed style. Run by food stylist and cookbook writer Jess Elliott Dennison, every detail has been considered and the overall modern rustic feel is stylish and homely. Menus are chalked up and change with the seasons, fruit and vegetables take centre stage with inventive salads and baked dishes, plus plenty of pickles, jams, homemade cordials and ice creams all of which you can enjoy on the benches outside. There are plenty of lovely groceries, plus beautiful and useful kitchen utensils to take home, too. (AS)

27 Sciennes Road, Edinburgh, EH9 1NX

Whatis better than wine and cheese? Well, how about sitting in elegant wine bar Smith & Gertrude in Edinburghs popular Stockbridge and enjoying the best of both? Wine flights are the speciality every two weeks the team formulates two different wine flights, with optional but heartily encouraged cheese pairings. This is a wonderful way to try new and unexpected wines and hopefully discover some new favourites. With a warm wood interior, perfect people-watching windows and a very warm welcome, Smith & Gertrude is the ideal combination of sophistication and relaxation whether youre popping in for a glass of something delicious, or settling in for the evening. (AS)

26 Hamilton Pl, Stockbridge, Edinburgh, EH3 5AU

TheGothic glamour of the dining room at The Witchery continues across nine luxury suites hidden in a historic tower in Jollies Close, just off the Royal Mile. Each is theatrically decorated to fit with a theme, including the dramatic, velvet-draped Sempill room and The Guardroom with rooftop views to Princes Street, a salon-style sitting room, and a four-poster bedroom. The Witchery is one of the most atmospheric places to stay in Scotland, displaying a total commitment to flamboyant style. Each room is bedecked with antiques, luxurious drapes and baronial decor. An immersive experience, when you stay here you will be blissfully unaware that you are in one of the busiest tourist areas of the capital. (PT)

352 Castlehill, Edinburgh, EH1 2NF

How many of us in busy working and homeschooling households in these busy months of Covid have dreamed of escaping to a spa? No children or Zoom calls, no distractions and only relaxation on the schedule. At Stobo Castle, your daydreams are a reality. From the beautiful pool overlooking trees and hills to the gorgeous gardens and ornate art-filled drawing rooms, every detail in this stately home-style hotel is designed to calm and restore. Book a massage or wallow in the Jacuzzi and steam rooms. With its multiple spa of the year awards, Stobo is worth saving up for. (AS)

Stobo Castle Health Spa, Stobo, Peeblesshire, EH45 8NY

The Grandtully Hotel in rural Perthshire is sister hotel to Ballintaggart Farm but has a distinctive style and personality all of its own. The Grandtully has only eight rooms, all individually designed some with roll-top baths or riverside views, one with a record player but all equally perfect for a much-needed relaxing break. Downstairs, the elegant bar The Tully serves up some of the finest cocktails in Perthshire. Try a perfect Negroni with some Loch Fyne oysters or Great Glen charcuterie. Move into the dining room all warm wood and flickering candles and be treated to a delicious seasonal and inventive menu thats perfect for sharing. (AS)

The Grandtully Hotel, Grandtully, Perthshire, PH9 0PL

Seaviews dont come better than this. With glass walls overlooking the beautiful West Sands beach (as well as the world-famous Old Course), this is seaside dining at its best. The Seafood Ristorante specialises in the best of Scottish seafood with an Italian twist. Currently holding the title of Catering in Scotlands Scottish Restaurant of the Year, this airy, elegant restaurant is becoming an iconic dining destination. Enjoy the panoramic views with delicious garlicky Anstruther lobster, Pittenweem halibut straight off the boat, or perhaps enjoy a crisp glass of Gavi out on the terrace. (AS)

Bruce Embankment, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9AB

Hotelier James Thomsons Prestonfield House in Edinburgh is a riot of elaborately ornamental decoration and rococo antiques. Set in a private park at the foot of Arthurs Seat, you find yourself minutes away from Edinburgh city centre but transported into another world of Scottish country house splendour. Think four-poster beds so high they require steps, imposing oil paintings, ornate ceiling cornices, rich fabrics and antique furniture. The individuallycharacterful bedrooms are a delight and you will enjoy impeccable service and five-star Scottish hospitality. Prestonfields Rhubarb restaurant showcases Scottish produce in gloriously opulent surroundings with monkfish, smoked salmon, Tweeddale Scotch lamb and Angus beef among the homegrown delights on the menu.(PT)

Priestfield Rd, Edinburgh, EH16 5UT

TheDowans Hotel sits in the heart of Scotlands malt whisky industry, instilling its impressive bar with a sense of purpose. Set high above the Spey Valley, with views across the village of Aberlour, this magnificent family-owned hotel boasts a collection of over 500 bottles, displayed in a beautifully designed whisky library. Its one of the most impressive settings for a dram in Scotland and a must visit on every whisky aficionados bucket list. (PT)

A recentarrival on Lynedoch Street in Glasgows west end, Fly South is a wall-to-wall celebration of cocktails featuring bespoke cabinets that house a range of interesting spirits. Six months of refurbishment on the first floor of a period property included restoring the original cornicing, adding a marble top bar, parquet wood flooring, chandeliers and stained glass. Dundee-based Macmerry 300 opened the bar following the debut of its two other stylish properties in Glasgow, The Bull on Great Western Road and The Luchador in the southside. Abandon Ship on Mitchell Street will complete the set in September. (PT)

Best of Scotland magazine is published monthly in The Herald on Sunday and Sunday National newspapers.

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Best of Scotland: 20 of the most stylish places to eat, drink and stay - HeraldScotland

Three things stand out about the current edition of Greater New York, a survey at MoMA PS1 of artists living and working in New York, which happens every five years: pitch-perfect politics, intense nostalgia and an underwhelming display of new art.

Organized by a curatorial team led by Ruba Katrib, Greater New York which opened Thursday is both a show of our moment and one that attempts to escape it through the trap door of history. In the art world at the moment, its safer to celebrate the underknown, underrecognized and under-acknowledged artist who was radical half a century ago than to dive into the actual messy politics of the present.

The best work here, overwhelmingly, is the art made decades ago, not within the last few years. That is unfortunate, because it gives the impression that great art isnt being made right now. Meanwhile, art in New York is vibrant, which you can see on any given day, particularly in galleries on the Lower East Side, Chinatown and TriBeCa, and in pockets of Queens.

However, this is still a deeply political show. Every large exhibition trains you how to observe it, and here you quickly learn to look at the wall labels, which focus in many cases on the ethnicity of artists. This is interesting information but the hazard is that art is turned into a rhetorical instrument rather than a bearer of illuminating or speculative ideas.

The show features the work of 47 artists and collectives and bridges documentary photography, surrealism, painting and video. Here are dominant threads and standout contributors.

The excavation of history weighs so heavily in Greater New York, it calls to mind classic narratives of our metropolis: Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallaces masterpiece, Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898 (1999); Luc Santes Low Life: Lures and Snares of Old New York (2003); the film Downtown 81 (2000), which starred a young Jean-Michel Basquiat and a pre-gentrified Lower East Side.

Some of the work here is directly linked to these histories. Alan Michelson (a Mohawk artist) has created an installation, Midden (2021), in which a video created along the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn and Newtown Creek on the border of Queens glides over a pile of oyster shells, a food mainstay in New York for millenniums, until the oyster beds were stripped away during colonization and industrialization.

Two installations by the collective Shanzhai Lyric draw from the history of Canal Street, which started off as a swamp and a waterway and later became an artery for commerce, including bootleg luxury goods and T-shirts. A dedicated room at MoMA PS1 displays the contents of the collectives Canal Street Research Association storage unit: foam Statue of Liberty crowns, miniature Empire State Buildings and other tourist curios. Near the museums entrance, their installation of T-shirts manufactured in China and printed with odd phrases in English creates a disjointed poem.

Hands down the best paintings in the show are the bright, colorful abstractions by Paulina Peavy (1901-1999), an artist who said she had an encounter with a U.F.O. while attending a sance in California in 1932 and later moved to New York, where she lived and worked until age 97. Peavys paintings here, made between the 1930s and 60s, are part of a wave of resurrections of lesser-known women artists in the 20th century, including Agnes Pelton, Hilma af Klint and Emma Kunz, whose abstract paintings were based in spiritual or healing practices rather than the formal arguments and battles of mainstream art movements.

The best photographs in Greater New York are also historical ones. Hiram Maristany served as the official documentary photographer for the Puerto Rican Young Lords, a group that arose from the Black Power movement in the 1960s. His black and white images from that period are a powerful representation of an artist preserving his own community, as he says in the wall text. After a year of the most documented protests in history (Black Lives Matter), it would be nice to see more recent documentation of the current social justice movement.

Marilyn Nance traveled to Lagos, Nigeria, in 1977 to document FESTAC 77, the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture that drew thousands of artists, writers and activists. A range of her New York street photographs from the 70s and 90s are on display, capturing people jumping subway turnstiles, musicians and circus elephants sauntering down a nocturnal city street.

A 1989 video of the poet Diane Burns (identified as Chemehuevi and Anishanabe) reciting a punk poem on the Lower East Side crackles with humor around Indigenous politics, gentrification and displacement. Regina Vaters two Saudades do Brasil videos, from the mid-70s and mid-80s, compare New York with gritty Brazilian cities. There are also drawings, photographs and paintings from the 80s by artists like Ewao Kagoshima, Julio Galn, Peter Hujar, Andreas Sterzing and Luis Frangella that offer a window into an edgier, largely pre-AIDS New York as well as the rise of various aesthetics around graffiti and L.G.B.T.Q.I.A. art.

While many of these artists have been overlooked, a fraction of the historical displays would suffice. They allude, however, to art being produced right now. Swing by the gallery Higher Pictures Generation in Dumbo for a tutorial on contemporary photography. For queer art and work that explores and celebrates intersectional identities check out Queer Thoughts, Company, Fierman, PPOW or the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art. For overlooked artists of all stripes, go to Ortuzar Projects in TriBeCa. And for painting by emerging artists, check out small galleries like 56 Henry, Jack Barrett, Charles Moffett or Housing, at 191 Henry, which aims to support Black artists in particular.

A wave of anti-Asian hate crimes, Donald Trumps presidency and the reinvigorated #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements have challenged curators and institutions to highlight diversity and right historical wrongs. Here are some notable presentations that intelligently address these issues.

The Seneca author and artist G. Peter Jemisons excellent works on paper reference the Canandaigua Treaty of 1794, its impact on the Haudenosaunee the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy and campaigns by churches and schools to eradicate the culture and language in northeast North America. His use of humble paper bags is what is most exciting about his work.

Similarly, Curtis Cuffies sculptures from the 90s address where art flourishes and is displayed. He saw the sidewalk as his primary venue and used scavenged materials clothing, objects and trash items. They were originally installed around Astor Place and the East Village, which was undergoing intense gentrification. (If Cuffie, who died in 2002, were a young artist today, his witty assemblages and costumes would likely appear on Instagram or TikTok.)

Yuji Agematsus impactful wall of detritus collected on daily walks during the pandemic and stuffed into cellophane cigarette-box wrappers is a scruffy update of On Kawaras conceptual Date Paintings, which marked the days, starting during the Vietnam War.

Steffani Jemisons Similitude (2019) is a wry commentary on cultural appropriation filmed in anonymous sites across New York. The video, starring a Black actor trained in mime, recreates gestures and actions of people carrying out daily activities. Politics here are drawn from everyday life and question the idea of language and mimicry.

Some of the most powerful aesthetic statements last year appeared in the form of monuments covered with graffiti, torn down, or removed. Images of activists in Bristol, England, removing the statue of the slave trader Edward Colston last year suggested a wave of empowered community action, joy and possibility.

I thought of this when viewing Doreen Garners sculpture Lucys Agony (2021), which references gynecological experiments carried out on African American women by doctors like J. Marion Sims. A statue honoring Sims was removed from its prominent site on Fifth Avenue in 2018, but it was not destroyed.

Garners sculpture borrows the 90s installation shock tactics of artists like Mona Hatoum, Robert Gober and Pepon Osorio, but it also conjures battles over the Covid-19 vaccine, and modern-day inequities in medicine.

A typical phenomenon in large surveys is to include merely acceptable art by extraordinary artists. Too often, it gives a lukewarm introduction to people who have made exceptional contributions but whose best works may not be available. This challenge was met here by curators presenting paintings and works on paper by Milford Graves, who started off as a percussionist and became a visionary healer, teacher, visual artist and martial arts master. Graves, who died in February, has an exhibition opening in a few days at Artists Space, where I expect he will be better represented.

Look, too, for works on paper by Rosemary Mayer (1943-2014), though her recent show at Gordon Robichaux gallery featured examples of her best work: billowing fabric suggestive of womens anatomy.

The bulk of the art here by younger contemporary artists unfortunately replicates, without much vision, the dreamy, quirky, surrealism of artists like Marc Chagall, Leonor Fini or Remedios Varo; early Modernist abstract painting and sculpture; experimental photography from the 1920s and 30s; and the bodily sculpture of Kiki Smith.

One of the most enduring and important factors in the art world class remains largely invisible in this show. Rents are still high in New York, and artists are expected to have costly graduate degrees. The wealth of museum patrons and trustees, has become a sticking point among protesters and groups like Decolonize This Place. While wall labels describing the ethnicity of artists feels quaint at this point, what would be truly radical would be to include the artists debt load, which literally determines many contemporary artists ability to participate in the studio-based art world. (Moreover, the faulty assumption that artists from so-called developing nations are not among the wealthy classes in their countries of origin is a huge oversight.)

One of the dont-miss works addressing class is Marie Karlbergs satirical video The Good Terrorist (2021), which updates Doris Lessings 1985 novel of the same name. It features several well-known artists (Nicole Eisenman, Jacolby Satterwhite) playing entitled revolutionaries occupying a luxury apartment on the Upper East Side.

Here, identity politics actors include people of color and some who are gay are seamlessly woven into a work in which radical leftists attempt to coexist and effect change in the world. Perhaps the most telling feature is that their privilege as famous artists cozy in the museum world goes unmentioned in the wall text.

Greater New York 2021

Through April 18, 2022, MoMA PS1, 22-25 Jackson Ave., Queens; (718) 784-2084; moma.org. Entry to MoMA PS1 is by advance timed ticket.

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Greater New York, a Show of the Moment, Dwells in the Radical Past - The New York Times

Wayne Binitie displays his sculpture

Antarctic snowfall two-and-half centuries old forms the basis of a new artwork by Wayne Binitie, titled 1765 - Antarctic Air. It forms the centrepiece to the Polar Zero exhibition in Glasgow throughout the UN climate summit COP26. Binitie says he wants his piece to provide an artistic marker of how much the earth's atmosphere has altered since the crucial date of 1765.

The slightly battered old statue of the inventor James Watt on Glasgow Green stands a couple of miles from the city's modern Science Centre. There's an obvious connection: Watt (who died in 1819) has long been acclaimed as one of the great figures of Scottish science and engineering.

But thanks to Binitie, a Royal College of Art PhD candidate, there's currently a more specific link as well.

In 1765, crossing the parkland where the statue now is, Watt successfully thought through how steam engines - increasingly vital to industry - could be redesigned to become hugely more efficient.

The year 1765 is regarded by some as the start of the Industrial Revolution.

But Binitie says it's also when humans started to do serious damage to the atmosphere which sustains us all. In an unusual artistic collaboration with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) he's built the significance of that year into the small but striking installation 1765 - Antarctic Air at the heart of the Polar Zero exhibition.

1765 - Antarctic Air

"We wanted to offer some proximity to what's quite a remote conversation now taking place about global warming," he says. "Because of COP26 the Glasgow Science Centre was the obvious place to do it. We're offering a sense of touch and what it means to be in touch with ice and air.

"As you enter the oval-shaped room there's a cylindrical glass sculpture on one side, housed in a floor-to-ceiling black steel frame. The cylinder contains a visible area of liquid silicone and above that is air, carefully extracted from polar ice dating from 1765.

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The ice core mined from deep in the snow of the Antarctic

"On the other side of the room is a second cylinder of Antarctic ice. It's intact but you see it melting all the time: it will be replaced during the run of the exhibition with other ice we have in store."

Visitors can touch and hear and if they're brave even taste the second lot of ice. In addition there is a highly evocative soundtrack in the room, blending music and the sounds of nature.

The man who mined the ice for the British Antarctic Survey is glaciologist Dr Robert Mulvaney. He's been visiting the Antarctic for 25 years, staying for up to 80 weeks in a tent to drill out ice-cores before returning to the British base station.

"The essence of what we're doing as scientists is to record what happened to the ice-sheet over a period of many thousands of years: that way we can investigate what happened to the climate and to the atmosphere.

Artist Wayne Binitie documents his work with the Antarctic ice

"For instance next spring I shall be making a trip to Greenland where the ice-sheet can give a record going back around 120,000 years. But in Antarctica we've already been back over 800,000 years and a new project will we hope take us back up to 1.5 million years."

Given those mind-boggling figures the water dripping slowly from Binitie's installation - the ice had already been in storage for 30 years - may seem of minor importance. "We've done all the science on it now and it was surplus to requirements.

"So the British Antarctic Survey was delighted to cooperate on the art project because we want people to understand what's happening to the polar regions. 1765 is usually accepted as the beginning of the period in which human beings changed the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels on an industrial scale."

Robert Mulvaney (left), Graham Dodd and Wayne Binitie examine their collaboration on the sculpture

Dr Mulvaney makes uncovering ice from 256 years ago sound like child's play - once you've set up your tents around 1,000km from the home comforts of the Antarctic base station.

"Snow falls in Antarctica year by year - but there's no melting going on. So the snow builds up and compresses all the years of snow beneath. As we drill down we're driving further and further into the past - a bit like counting the rings of a big tree.

"What helps is that every so often we know that a certain volcano blew up in a particular year and we may find evidence of that. So using our drills to find a specific year isn't quite as hard as you would imagine."

Analysis shows that in 1765 carbon dioxide made up 280 parts per million in the air. By the 1960s that had already increased to 315 parts per million. But today the figure is 415 per million - an obvious increase in the rate of change.

The ice supplied for the Binitie artwork came from 110 metres down. The deepest Dr Mulvaney has drilled is around 3,200 metres.

The Antarctic gas being extracted

Binitie was meant to experience all of this courtesy of the BAS but Covid got in the way. It's obvious how much Dr Mulvaney delights in describing the experience of being there. Asked if satellite phones keep the small team safely in touch with the world he says he does his best not to use them: "It brings the troubles of the world onto the site and I need to be focused on the work."

Once the ice core was extracted, the job was to release the flecks of air trapped in the Antarctic in 1765. Binitie's concept is to establish this as a starting line: the purest possible air trapped in ice just before the modern world started to pollute it. The international engineering company Arup helped out with some of the practicalities.

Graham Dodd of Arup says encasing 256 year-old air within glass was a challenge. "After a lot of thought we decided the right technique was to make a casing with a void inside which we then filled with fluid. We had to find a way so Robert could then inject into that space the air extracted from the ice that the BAS had given us.

Antarctic air up close

"The other artistic challenge was to find a way to display the other column, which is simply ice. As an artist, Wayne needed visitors to see and hear the ice dripping away very slowly as that makes the point about global warming. Arup's engineering job was to ensure it doesn't disappear too quickly."

Binitie thinks the global warming conversation can sometimes feel too generic, with issues almost too big to comprehend. "So I hope our installation in Glasgow will persuade people that the polar regions are a sufficiently precious thing to care about. Some perspectives are political or theoretical or economic but we're trying to supply a poetic perspective too.

Binitie hopes some of the VIPs attending COP26 nearby will come to see his installation. "We'd like 1765 - Antarctic Ice to surprise them. I want to do something to encourage a collective conversation: if we move forward collectively we know we can achieve a lot."

Polar Zero is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation.

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COP26: The sculpture created from 1765 Antarctic air - Yahoo News

There are two words that best describe Denvers new Meow Wolf exhibit: sensory overload. From a hall of mirrors to self-playing instruments to an extraterrestrial rainforest, the Mile High Citys newest interactive art exhibition is sure to keep your head spinning from the second you enter its psychedelic world to the moment you leave.

Meow Wolf is a New Mexico-based arts and entertainment company known for its extremely popular immersive and transportive art exhibits. The companys first permanent exhibition opened in Santa Fe, N.M., in 2016, followed by a Las Vegas establishment earlier this year. Denvers permanent location, called Convergence Station, opened Sept. 17.

As an interactive art exhibit, Meow Wolfs Convergence Station is rather hard to explain. Imagine hidden rooms to explore, walls camouflaged by galleries of masks and faces, otherworldly creatures hanging from the ceiling, all presented through the lens of a quantum travel themed narrative. The unique textures and ethereal lighting are limitless, with every room leading to a sensory surprise.

After four years of construction and installation, Convergence Station is located in a 90,000-square-foot building off of Interstate 25, with four stories to display the work of 110 Colorado artists and more than 90 others from around the country.

The Denver exhibits impressive ticket sales speak to Meow Wolfs celebrity: 35,000 tickets were sold within the first 24 hours. Prices are $45 for general admission; $40 for children, military and seniors; and $35 for Colorado residents. Unfortunately for out-of-state students, you can only receive the state resident price if your billing address is in Coloradonot just your shipping address.

With such a hefty price tag, is Convergence Station worth it? There is no denying that the exhibition makes for a fun and interesting night outespecially for date night, as the museum-like activity allows you to get to know one another while falling back on the art itself when the conversation runs dry.

Yet, there were many parts of the exhibit that were confusing. For example, upon entering the building, it is unclear where to go in order to start the experience. One might easily get stuck waiting in a line meant for purchasing additional features, thinking it is the line to the exhibit.

Furthermore, there were several seemingly interactive installations that were, in fact, not interactive at alltelephones that would not call, despite phone numbers being displayed nearby; screens that would not change when prompted. It is possible that features such as these were unlocked by purchasing the add-ons, but the fact that this was unclear demonstrates poor communication.

Perhaps the most confusing of all was the underlying storyline of the exhibit. Was the art meant to speak for itself or was there some discernible narrative in the hecticness of all the colorful rooms?

As it turns out, the four floors of installations are indeed linked through a backstorya tale of dirty politicians, the disappearance of four women, a life-altering cosmic event called the Convergence and the collecting and trading of memories. Yet, this backstory was not easily found on Meow Wolfs website, and while the art can be enjoyed and appreciated without it, knowing the narrative ahead of time would certainly add to the experience.

A notable point to keep in mind before entering the world of Convergence Station yourself is that limited parking is available at the Meow Wolf building. However, there is a $5 lot just a short walk away. Public transit also makes the exhibition easily accessible from DU, as taking the light rail six stops to the Empower Field at Mile High Station will drop you off five minutes from the exhibitthree minutes if you walk briskly.

While the tickets are sold by timeslot, the times are rather arbitrary, as nobody monitors how long you stay in the exhibitwhich will likely be around two hoursmeaning the rooms do get overcrowded. You also have to pass through security upon entering, including a metal detector. Fear not though, ladies, because the pepper spray on your lanyard should not pose a barrier to entry. Facemasks are also required at all times, and unlike many places during the pandemic, the Meow Wolf security guards actually enforce the rule.

While Convergence Station proved a funalbeit wackynight out, this expensive exhibition might leave you questioning whether Meow Wolf lives up to the hype. The exhibits slogan, Arrive as you. Leave transformed feels a little too dramatic for what the experience offers.

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Meow Wolf Denver: Is it worth the hype? DU Clarion - DU Clarion

As a graduate student of sculpture in the 1970s, Maren Hassinger had little affinity for traditional fibers used in weaving class.

I didnt like weaving with flexible materials, Ms. Hassinger said in a phone interview from New York. One day in a junkyard I found some wire rope, and it changed my career.

With wire rope, I could make self-supporting objects with a strength and linearity that appealed to me.

Ms. Hassinger is one of nine sculptors represented in a show at theWaddington Custot gallery in London during Frieze Week. Titled Making It: Women and Abstract Sculpture, the show tackles the sweeping theme of the artists contribution to the development of abstraction in modern sculpture.

Two years ago, we had the idea to show women artists who have been forgotten or overlooked by the art world, said Stphane Custot, co-founder of the gallery in an interview from London. We went looking for artists who had brought something new to the history of art with techniques or materials that were unusual, even extravagant, for their time.

Inside the sprawling 2,260-square-foot gallery, 22 pieces, some historical or sourced from private collections, showcase the varied ways those artists, five of whom are living, explored the possibilities of sculpture, starting in the 1960s and 70s.

An additional piece, a black and white bronze abstraction by the Greek-born Sophia Vari titled Trouble Essentiel, is displayed outdoors on New Bond Street as part of a public sculpture trail organized by Art in Mayfair and as a teaser for the Making It gallery show nearby on Cork Street.

It is fun to show sculpture outdoors because you can see how it changes in the natural light and lives with everything that happens around it, Mr. Custot said. It also piques the publics curiosity to come inside the gallery and see what else we are showing.

Like Ms. Vari, Lynda Benglis, Olga de Amaral and Louise Nevelson are established names, while others like Beverly Pepper, Franoise Grossen, Mildred Thompson, Ms. Hassinger and Barbara Levittoux-Swiderska, are getting new attention.

Women have been overlooked from the greater narrative of sculpture, a practice long seen as macho and dependent on an ability to wrestle with physical material, said Natalie Rudd, senior curator of the Arts Council Collection, the largest public loan collection of British art, speaking from Nottingham, in the north of England.

It is interesting to look at artists working in the 1960s and 70s when a collision of interests, starting with the second wave of feminism, the emergence of postminimalism in sculpture, and a move away from solid blocks to a wider range of materials, created a real opportunity for women to carve their own space, Ms. Rudd said.

Uncommon materials found objects, latex foam, fibers, horsehair or wire rope helped these artists create works that challenged convention by expanding the definition of monumental sculpture and by using abstraction to invent new forms of three-dimensional art.

A floor-based blob of red and orange polyurethane foam (or melted latex), an early work by Ms. Benglis called Untitled (1970-71), for instance, challenges the verticality of traditional sculpture.

Some of the artists used fibers, wood or other everyday materials to make arresting objects, applying artisanal techniques often associated with the domain of women and domesticity.

An oversized woven tapestry in the show titled Manto de Greda (Clay Mantle), made with wool and horsehair using Indigenous techniques, is the work of the Colombian-born artist Olga de Amaral, a figure of postwar Latin American abstraction.

A wood assemblage by Mildred Thompson, an African American artist from Jacksonville, Fla., reflects her experimentation with found wood.

Fire, a monumental floor-to-ceiling suspension made of sisal, rope and metal, is one of three large pieces by Barbara Levittoux-Swiderska, an avant-garde artist largely unknown outside her native Poland.

What is fascinating is the range of these women, Ms. Rudd said, their bodily relationship with the work, their physical engagement with the material and the handmade quality of their pieces.

There is also a precariousness in their pieces seen in the notion of balance and in the way the works lean or hang.

Untitled Vessel, (Small Body) (2021) by Ms. Hassinger illustrates her longtime fascination with the rigidity of wire rope.

I use wire rope because it describe me personally, Ms. Hassinger said. It is tough and unbending, it never disintegrates, and I have to fight it to work with it.

Ms. Hassinger, 74, a director of the Rinehart School of Sculpture at the Maryland Institute College of Art, has been a teacher, performance artist and sculptor since the 1970s.

Back then, very few women showed their sculpture, Ms. Hassinger said. I quickly realized that there were many obstacles in my way as a woman and an African American.

I felt underappreciated, but I wasnt hostile about it. I decided that I would continue to do my work even if there was no place to show it. So I made art, I was a teacher, and I raised my kids.

Institutional validation of her work came when Ms. Hassinger was in her 70s. MoMA was one of the first museums to buy my work three years ago, she said.

In the show Close to You at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, Ms. Hassingers piece Embrace/Love (2008/2018) shows her range. A wall installation of pink plastic bags filled with human breath, it is on display through January 2022.

Today, public institutions are broadening the historical narrative around sculpture and it is becoming obvious that women have contributed so much to that narrative, Ms. Rudd said.

Fueled by the attention from public institutions, commercial galleries are taking a new look at female artists like Ms. Hassinger, who had her first solo show at the Susan Inglett Gallery in New York last spring.

I had given up showing my work, Ms. Hassinger said. Suddenly, this year, I was invited to join a gallery.

The show at Waddington Custot may be well timed, but it is undeniably a gamble for Mr. Custot to present artists without salable name recognition.

Commercially speaking, the show is 100 percent risky, Mr. Custot said. Art buyers today prefer to buy a certain brand of artist.

But I see our job as gallerists as complementing the work of institutions, he said.

We want to be part of the conversation that museums have started.

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How Women Made Their Place in Abstract Sculpture - The New York Times

SAN FRANCISCO Artists with shorter and less varied careers have been celebrated with retrospectives, so its hard to believe that an icon such as Judy Chicago has had to wait this long for her flowers. But that injustice makes the experience of seeing Judy Chicago: A Retrospective at San Franciscos de Young Museum the exhibitions only venueeven more rewarding. This blockbuster show spanning six decades of the artists career may actually be worth the wait its expansive and satisfying, leaving the viewer with much to think about.

The exhibition, curated by Claudia Schmuckli, takes a unique approach by presenting Chicagos work in reverse chronological order, with each room organized around a theme. The first room contains her most recent body of work, The End: A Meditation on Death and Extinction (2015-19). One is immediately confronted with Mortality Relief (2016), a life-size bronze relief depicting Chicago on her deathbed holding a bouquet of flowers. A series of small-scale, intimate paintings on black glass show Chicagos meditations on death and dying in other cultures as well as a deeply personal sequence on How Will I Die that asks questions such as Will I die in my husbands arms? Along the opposite wall are companion paintings in the same style on the theme of extinction, lamenting the destructive impact of humans on plant and animal species including rare orchids, endangered elephants, and sharks that are cruelly mutilated to harvest their fins. The parallel focus on her innermost fears what will happen to me? along with the most all-encompassing grief what are we doing to the planet and other living things? is both astute and incredibly moving.

Holocaust Project: From Darkness into Light (1985-1993) is a series of mostly paintings and sculptures and a tapestry mural representing the artists examination of her Jewish heritage and the atrocities of the Holocaust. This body of work culminates in a darkened room with black walls where a magnificent stained-glass piece, Rainbow Shabbat (1992), literally lights up the space with a vision of a more equitable world represented by diverse individuals seated together, heads turned towards a standing Mother Teresa-like figure at the head of the table.

The huge canvases in the PowerPlay series (1982-87), exemplified by Driving the World to Destruction (1985), portray muscular male figures engaged in acts of aggression, subverting the classical beauty of Renaissance nudes by showing the ugliness of patriarchy and toxic masculinity. Two paintings of oversized, square-jawed faces depict expressions of anguish with the words Hold Me and Help Me appearing in the figures open mouths like a silent wish to express vulnerability. Many of the paintings showcase Chicagos trademark rainbow palette, but whats truly striking is how relevant they are to the present moment and the lingering turmoil of the Trump presidency, even though these works were made more than 30 years ago.

No one can deny that Chicago tackles big topics like the environment and genocide, but paradoxically its her most intimate and personal work that comes across as universal. While her recent output reflects on the end of life, Birth Project(1980-85) contains some of her most famous artwork celebrating female bodies, the act of childbirth, and various creation myths. These tapestry and mixed-media works exemplify Chicagos interest in elevating fringe techniques such as needlework and embroidery, often maligned as too domestic or feminine for serious art. Many of them were created collaboratively with women who specialized in needlepoint, weaving, and quilting.

Its impossible to write about Judy Chicago without mentioning The Dinner Party (197479). This monumental installation consisting of a large, triangular table adorned with intricate embroidery and 39 sculptural place settings named for important women in history such as Virginia Woolf, Georgia OKeeffe, and Sojourner Truth, along with a tiled heritage floor inscribed with more than 900 additional names was first exhibited at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in 1979 and is now permanently housed at the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum. While the installation itself is not included in the De Young exhibit, an entire section is devoted to a variety of test plates featuring suggestive floral and vaginal imagery that caused a huge sensation when first exhibited, plus sketches of some of the designs and a short film. The work is essential to an understanding of Chicagos career and influences, although she has expressed her frustration that it tends to overshadow the rest of her oeuvre. Indeed, it was created more than 40 years half her lifetime ago.

Chicagos work has been written about extensively, and more recent scholarship pays tribute to the breadth and ambition of her achievement while acknowledging shortcomings. She has said that she intentionally creates art that will be legible to mainstream viewers, eschewing the cool detachment and irony of postmodernism. That accessibility is both a blessing and a curse it has the potential to reach a broader audience, but its literalness is also its downfall. For example, her effort to be inclusive with The Dinner Party by listing hundreds of women from history only served to highlight who was noticeably left out. There are only a handful of Black, Indigenous, and Latinx women, and no women at all from Asia, South Asia, or the Pacific Islands (unless you count the Hindu deity Kali). Notable women from the most populous region of the planet are completely absent. Its a perfect example of the limitations of art with a social justice lens: The more noble the intention, the more harshly it will be judged.

The works featured in the Feminist Art Project section offer a fascinating glimpse into Chicagos feminist awakening. Theres a memorable advertisement from a 1970 issue of Artforum in which the young artist, then known as Judy Gerowitz, publicly divested herself of the patriarchal convention of taking her fathers and then husbands name in order to freely choose her own name: Judy Chicago. A short film documents Womanhouse (1972), a collaboration with Miriam Schapiro that was a house in Burbank, California filled with installations focused on conventionally female topics such as the body and domesticity made by Chicago and her art students as part of the feminist arts education program she established at Cal State Fresno, which later moved to California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). The work from this period is important as it marked her radicalization and subsequent focus on making art outside of and often in opposition to the male gaze. Although celebrated as one of the pioneers of feminist art, Chicago speaks candidly about being rejected by the male-dominated art establishment and the difficulty of forging her own path largely unsupported.

The final room in the exhibition presents Chicagos earliest work under the theme of Minimalism and Atmospheres, which includes the large-scale sculpture Rainbow Pickett (1965, recreated 2004), groovy painted car hoods, and a playful series of lifesaver paintings and other minimalist compositions. Videos of her Atmospheres (smoke performances) play in the adjacent hallway.

Just outside the main exhibition space, past the museum gift shop, is a set of large banners in jewel tones hanging from the ceiling, on the theme of What If Women Ruled the World? It was unclear to me whether these were actually part of the retrospective they are excluded from the catalogue and audio tour, and I had to ask museum staff for more information. The banners are from The Female Divine, a project commissioned by Dior for its 2020 spring couture show held at the Rodin Museum in Paris. My first thought was that the banners didnt fit the overall narrative for the exhibit one focused on Chicagos outsider-ness and pursuit of a vision that was oblivious to trends and uncorrupted by the art market. The invitation to collaborate with a prestigious high fashion brand was the greatest creative opportunity of my life, according to Chicago, and perhaps a prelude to her recent resurgence. (In addition to the De Young retrospective, Chicagos work is currently featured in at least two other Bay Area venues an exhibit on art and feminism at the Berkeley Art Museum, and an exhibit focused on the lyrics of Leonard Cohen at the Contemporary Jewish Museum.) One cant claim to be anti-fashion and then suddenly show up on a Dior runway.

But the more I thought about it, the pieces from The Female Divine provided a more fitting close to the exhibit than her early experiments with minimalism. They echo the utopian impulses of her most explicitly feminist work and bring us full circle back to the present. The banners speculate on what life might be like if women were in charge Would God be female? Would men and women be equal? Would there be equal parenting? Would the earth be protected? and they invite us to imagine a future that is better than the hyper-polarized, pandemic-ravaged world we live in today. With everything weve been through, its undeniably appealing to dream of being reborn into a society thats less divided, less hostile to women, and more just for everyone. To me, Chicago is at her most powerful not when she shows us what is, but when she asks us, what could be?

Judy Chicago: A Retrospective continues at the de Young Museum (50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, San Francisco) through January 9, 2022. The exhibition is curated by Claudia Schmuckli.

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Judy Chicago Retrospective Brings the Artist Full Circle - Hyperallergic