Michael H. Hodges Detroit News Fine Arts Writer Published 6:54 PM EST Dec 10, 2018 Such splashy purchases, however — often not cheap — can feel extravagant when buying for one's self. But they've got just the right touch of "special" to wrap in gorgeous paper and present to a favorite on your list. Some suggestions, just out this year: Michigan architecture "Michigan Modern: An Architectural Legacy" by Brian D. Conway with photographs by James Haefner. Visual Profile Books, $60. This is Brian D. Conway's second book on Michigan's decisive role in shaping architectural modernism, and it's a stunner. With luminous photographs by James Haefner, this 300-page volume takes us from the dawn of modernism at Cranbrook to the 2012 Eli and Edyth Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University. Conway notes the state was lucky to be blessed with considerable wealth, a dominant industry with tons of designers, and institutions like … [Read more...] about Gift Guide: From Aretha to MI architecture, big books make great gifts
Shape architecture
Building Boston to shape morality
Visit The Boston Globe Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Comment on this Scroll to top of page By Justin T. Clark April 14, 2018 Blessings sometime come unexpectedly from defeat. When President John Adams lost re-election to Thomas Jefferson in 1800, he scarcely suspected that his Federalist party had begun the longest losing streak in Oval Office history. In hindsight, New England’s quarter-century-long political banishment transformed Boston from a dilapidated and declining shipping port into the genteel birthplace of two great cultural movements, Transcendentalism and Spiritualism. These high-minded movements weren’t plucked from thin air. Instead, much of what scholars call the American Renaissance originated from Boston’s streets: a crooked, cramped, vice-ridden urban labyrinth, piled high with “night soil,” and riven by the same inequality that haunts us today. Boston’s elites placed an outsize blame for their political woes … [Read more...] about Building Boston to shape morality
Classicism for dummies: Three quick lessons about traditional architecture
Understanding classical architecture is sort of like playing the guitar: It's easy enough to start but can take a lifetime to master.And the folks at the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art would like to see more people start what they hope will be a lifelong journey toward appreciating a style of building that goes back millennia.To that end, the ICAA and local teachers and architects held a sort of classicism crash course in Charleston recently.Edith Platten, the ICAA's director of education, said the two-day school was intended for students, including those at the College of Charleston, Clemson and the American School of Building Arts, who want to learn more. But professors and others were welcome, too.Peter Lyden, president of the ICAA, noted that this sort of teaching has disappeared from many schools. Those who have their appetites whetted can consider enrolling at the ICAA's longer program in New York during the summer, an intense, month-long course."We're filling a … [Read more...] about Classicism for dummies: Three quick lessons about traditional architecture
Individual Flair Marks Bridal Fashion For 2018COMMENTSFeaturesWJU Prof Earns Fulbright To Study German ArmyCalm Cool Collected: Architectural Digest Design Show Full of Fresh IdeasPasta Salad Adds ZING to SpringAngel Food Cake Gets a MakeoverSoup Uses Brisket LeftoversAppalachian Rhapsody: Wheeling Native Eager for Hometown PremiereNailers’ Silence Is DeafeningMonarchs Keep On RollingPirates Pull Away From CubsOhio Valley Law Enforcement Agents Earn Accolades From Mothers Against Drunk DrivingKnights’ Boys Beat BrookeWheeling Man Arrested For Alleged Contracting ScamsNewsletter
This photo provided by Etsy shows Liskeard, England-based designer Sophie King's crafted veil. King offers the beautiful tulle, appliqué and embroidery veil for her shop Crown and Glory on Etsy. She also makes floral headpieces, and crystal star headbands. (Crown and Glory/Etsy via AP)Individuality is in when it comes to bridal fashion and accessories. “Brides today want to look and feel like themselves — their most beautiful selves,” says Amy Conway, editor in chief of Martha Stewart Weddings. “That means bringing their own style into their look. They’re customizing with color or pattern, dramatic jewelry, bold shoes or other accessories with personality.” Some of the new looks: THE DRESS “This year, embroidered details are a ‘must-have’ style,” says Dayna Isom Johnson, a trends expert at Etsy.com. She says the site has seen a 40 percent increase in searches for embroidered bridal wear this year. This photo provided by … [Read more...] about Individual Flair Marks Bridal Fashion For 2018COMMENTSFeaturesWJU Prof Earns Fulbright To Study German ArmyCalm Cool Collected: Architectural Digest Design Show Full of Fresh IdeasPasta Salad Adds ZING to SpringAngel Food Cake Gets a MakeoverSoup Uses Brisket LeftoversAppalachian Rhapsody: Wheeling Native Eager for Hometown PremiereNailers’ Silence Is DeafeningMonarchs Keep On RollingPirates Pull Away From CubsOhio Valley Law Enforcement Agents Earn Accolades From Mothers Against Drunk DrivingKnights’ Boys Beat BrookeWheeling Man Arrested For Alleged Contracting ScamsNewsletter
As deadline looms, a look at how taxes shaped our architecture
It’s not just architects and developers who have defined our built environment over the past few hundred years. The hidden hand of the tax collector has also helped to shape our homes, skylines, and cityscapes — though maybe not in ways you’d expect. If you’ve ever visited a historic house, you may have heard a tour guide describe how tax laws of yore influenced the architecture of the day, as builders and homeowners sought to skirt fees on everything from windows to doors to closets. They’re great stories, but unfortunately, there’s not much evidence such taxes existed in early America. For example, some say that narrow “shotgun houses’’ gained popularity in New Orleans because homes there were taxed by their street frontage or that those beautiful oversized windows that reach the floors in the city’s Garden District were a response to a per-door tax. But if such taxes existed, historians haven’t been able to find any … [Read more...] about As deadline looms, a look at how taxes shaped our architecture