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The Art of Seating at MOCA • Cummer’s 50th Anniversary • Go LO in San Marco • Intuition Ale Works free monthly guide to entertainment & more | january 2011 | eujacksonville.com 2 JANUARY 2011 | eu jacksonville monthly contents JANUARY 2011 feature theatre + culture pages 4- 5 the art of seating at moca page 22 theatre events page 5 dolf james interview join EU on page 23 legally blonde interview page 6 cummer museum anniversary facebook! page 7 art basel 2011 music page 8 dan soloman interview page 24 sound check page 8 up & cummers events page 24 spotlight: lady daisey page 9 the art of logos page 25 synconation page 10 art events page 26 featured music events pages 12- 13 go lo: san marco follow us on twitter! pages 27- 31 music events + upcoming music Look for @EUJacksonville and dish on screen @EU_Music where you page 14 matthew’s libations page 32 january movies can get daily music and page 15 the organic adventurer page 33 special movie showings page 16 dish update + events entertainment updates page 34 imax wgv renovations page 16 intuition ale works page 35 view from the couch eu staff life + stuff publisher page 11 one ocean vacation William C. Henley page 17 2011 predictions managing director on the cover Shelley Henley page 18 on the river The Art of Seating at MOCA, cover design by creative director page 19 fashion: shades of grey Rachel Best Henley Brunet-Garcia Agency. Read more about the page 20 family events exhibit & local artist installation on pages 4 & 5. copy editors Kellie Abrahamson page 21 shannon miller interview Erin Thursby music editor food editor Kellie Abrahamson Erin Thursby chief photographer Daniel Goncalves contributing photographers Richard Abrahamson Fran Ruchalski contributing writers Brenton Crozier Emily Moody Jack Diablo Anna Rabhan Rick Grant Tom Weppel Dick Kerekes Madeleine Wagner Liza Mitchell Published by EU Jacksonville Newspaper. P.O. Box 11959, Jacksonville, FL 32239. Copyright 2011. Repro- duction of any artwork or copy prepared by EU Jack- sonville is strictly prohibited without written consent of the publisher. We will not be responsible for errors and/ or omissions, the Publisher’s liability for error will not exceed the cost of space occupied by the error. Articles for publication are welcome and may be sent to info@ entertainingu.com. We cannot assume responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts and photographs. For information concerning advertising phone 904-730-3003 or email [email protected]. eujacksonville.com | JANUARY 2011 3 son. For example, a Victorian-era centripetal chair designed by Thomas E. Warren features a patented spring base, which was incorporated in later de- The Art of Seating: 200 Years of American Design at MOCA signs used in railroad passenger cars to absorb the shocks of bumpy train rides. Eventually, that spring base found its way into a number of chair designs for private homes. American ingenuity is further exemplified in the Wire Seat Side Chair designed in 1876 by George Hunzinger, considered bold and brash for its day. The chair features a unique bracing system that strengthens the back of the chair because Ameri- cans enjoying tilting back while sitting. The second TAKE A SEAT unique aspect is that the seat itself was not made from natural fibers, such as rush or cane, but from thin straps of steel encased by a woven wool and cotton covering. Designed and Manufactured by Wenzel Friedrich, Texas Longhorn Arm Chair, c. 1890, photo by Michael Kortya “What we’re looking at,” says Jacobsen, “is the cultural, social, political and economic history of America, embodied in these chairs.” Each chair has a story to tell-- whether of an American community, an individual artist, an engi- neering innovation or even natural epidemics. Jon Brooks’ 1970 design of the Solid Elm Ball Chair emerged when Dutch Elm disease ravaged the for- ests of New England. Created from a single piece of affected elm, Brooks sculpted its rounded shape following the natural split of the wood. Reflecting the Counterculture’s values of returning to nature and the rise of ecology, the work is representative response of some American artists’ desire to return to more natural materials after the chaotic and irrev- erent Pop Design movement of the 1960s. Two chairs- Cyrus Wakefield’s 1885 peacock rattan design and Wenzel Friedrich’s 1890 Texas Longhorn design- are early examples of functional artworks created from found and repurposed materi- Can everything that has been shaped by a human into a history and our history in arts,” Thompson explains. “Furniture als. The gorgeous Peacock chair is crafted from dis- thing of beauty or interest be considered art? One of Jackson- design might be as important, or even more important, than carded rattan, a vine used extensively in the 18th and ville’s foremost collectors of art, Dr. Diane Jacobsen, believes paintings because of its functional nature.” 19th centuries to secure packages during shipping. that even something as seemingly utilitarian as a chair can fit Jacobsen didn’t set out to have a collection of chairs, but Anything but rustic, Wenzel Friedrich’s Texas Long- the definition. Her collection of chairs, spanning 200 years, is as she bought more, she says that she “became enamored with horn chairs use the steers’ horns and their natural the basis of the “The Art of Seating: 200 Years of American chairs. [It was] the sculptural quality, the innovation, the design curves to form its arms and legs. The upper horns Design,” opening at the MOCA on January 21st. and the fact that these were truly American.” are capped with ivory balls, while Tiffany glass balls What started as the purchase of a single chair about six As the collection expanded and more research was con- for the chair’s feet adorn the lower horns. The bright years ago has evolved into a love for the American chair’s ducted, a treasure trove of remarkable patent drawings for inno- blue silk fabric, beautifully tufted seat and rich col- sculptural quality, innovation and distinct design, says MOCA vative chair designs was found. The drawings highlight how the ors have a distinct Bohemian influence, but the chair Curator Ben Thompson. “Chairs have a place in our rich cultural United States was at the forefront in patenting, explains Thomp- also mirrors the growing power of Texas ranchers in Eames “LCW” (Lounge Chair Wood) (c. 1954) 4 JANUARY 2011 | eu jacksonville monthly the late 1800s and America’s emerging love of the Wild West. who made furniture to fit with the aesthetic of his buildings, as well The upholstery on some of the older chairs might seem very as the sculptural compressed cardboard Easy Edge High Stool from bright for antiques. Thompson explained that some of the upholstery Frank Gehry. Some of the “antiques,” such as designs by the Shak- fabrics on the older chairs have been either replaced or restored. When ers, still look modern yet timeless. Famed furniture makers such as it comes to antique chairs, the frames are never touched, but the soft the Stickley Brothers and modern seating from Knoll, Charles and goods, such as fabric and passementerie are replaced, with an effort Ray Eames, Isamu Noguchi and Herman Miller help to round out this to find or make fabrics as close to the original . incredible exhibition. “It’s a balance between restoring objects as they were and show- “After looking at this collection, it will be difficult to deny that ing their history by leaving the wear,” says Thompson. chairs can be utilitarian art,” says Dr. Debra Murphy, chair of UNF’s The chairs have been meticulously researched to ensure that Department of Art and Design. “The exhibition provides us with an the restorations are accurate. The Longhorn chair, for example, was opportunity to see readily recognizable pieces mixed with some restored by looking at the colors on original trade cards for the chairs. gems rarely seen by the public. It is one of the most comprehensive Trade cards were used as advertisements to entice people to order retrospectives of American chair design, and it is such a proud ac- things such as furnishings. complishment that it is originating in Jacksonville.” Although some chairs are 200 years old, they represent even For more information about “The Art of Seating: 200 Years of more than antiques; they are touchstones of design and art move- American Design” and its related activities, visit www.mocajackson- ments. You’ll find a chair from architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright, ville.org or call MOCA at 366-6911. Kendall McKinley Chair (1894-96) Dolf James’ MOCA Installation ReeXAMINE THE COMMON CHAIR BY JACK DIABLO Are you sitting down? What are you sitting in, an office chair, barstool, recliner, rocking chair? Do you have a favorite chair or do you have fond memories of one that made you feel a certain way to sit in it? These are not questions we ask ourselves on a daily basis. For the most part, the majority of us would probably only go so far as to comment on whether a chair was comfortable or not and fail to consider the significance of the apparatus upon which we seat ourselves. Local artist Dolf James has a mind to change the way you perceive the common chair. “I believe chairs hold an enormous amount of information that we sel- dom actually think about,” he says of his upcoming chair-themed installation in the Atrium Gallery at MOCA. Consider all the different types of chairs to be found; from lawn chairs to thrones, Louis XV style armchairs to your father’s La-Z-Boy.

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