"Your smile reminds me of one shining soul sincere." - Kira Neris, Un Été Sans Fins
As we walked into The Resnick Pavilion on opening night, Melle talked about wanting to know more about the people who endowed and supported The Arts and charities in such great financial ways. Locally, those are the Annenbergs, the Chandlers, and, now, the Resnicks (amongst others). These people with their names on the sides of buildings or whose names are spoken at every sponsor break on our favorite public radio stations.
I know a little. The Chandlers owned the Los Angeles Times and are, really, one of LAs founding families. The Resnicks, as we were informed upon entering the new building named after them, own, amongst other things, Fiji Water and POM Wonderful. And we are grateful for their support of the Arts.
The Resnick features some very old Olmec era stone work that sparked a conversation about what the craft must've been like at that time. How does one keep the vision of what they are making in their head and accurate in an age before paper? What types of tools were used? Who commissioned pieces of such size and grandeur? The placards associated with the pieces provide just a hint of the history there.
That sense of wonderment continued into the Fashioning Fashion exhibit. There, though, I was less concerned with how the clothes were made and more interested in what the lives were like of the people wearing them. We mock those who wear flashy suits today but these outfits showcase that flossing and peacocking aren't new inventions and aren't reflective of low culture but of high. It's the elite that are most likely to be funky fresh dressed to impress ready to party in these luxurious frocks.
And, so, yes, we are very grateful for all those who provide their ample resources to allow us to see these things affordably. Access to art and history ignites my mind.
But.
I'm also mindful, though, that in New York, the great patron of The Arts is David H. Koch who counters his great altruism there with aggressive spending in causes and politics that aren't aligned with mine. A man whose business ethics are regularly called into question is also the backer of Opera Houses and The Met.
Thankfully, in this case, the Resnicks, Lynda especially, has politics after my own heart. She was an anti-war activist during Vietnam and has been under great scrutiny by our government for her activism.
My kind of woman.
So, you know, thanks. It's nice to know that I can spend less of my time having my eye on you and more having it focused on the art.