March is when Women’s History Month is celebrated and hundreds of museums and National Museum of Women in the Arts are joining the third annual #5WomenArtist campaign. “Can you Name five women artists?” The campaign is designed to spark conversation about gender parity in the arts. Yes this issue is everywhere you guys. This year’s campaign focuses on women artist of color. Which gives me an excellent excuse to post the portrait of Michelle Obama painted by Amy Sherald. If you are asking yourself why Michelle Obama’s portrait is in sort of a gray scale, there is a very interesting and historical explanation. Interesting how art is so meaningful and deep and it can be so expressive once studied and explained. Sherald’s technique is analyzed in detail here.
“(Girls and girls of color) will see an image of someone who looks like them hanging on the walls of this great American institution. … And I know the kind of impact that will have on their lives because I was one of those girls,” the former first lady said at the official unveiling.
New York
All kinds of design and art related events are starting to happen in New York.
Armory Week Art Fair March 8th – 11th
The Armory Show features presentations by over 200 leading international galleries, innovative artist commissions and dynamic public programs.
Collective Design Fair March 9-11
Collective Design Fair used to take place in the month of May during New York’s Design Week. This year, collective Design is joining Armory Show week bringing established and emerging galleries together to Manhattan’s Skylight Clarkson North. The Fair is a commercial and educational platform highlighting curated works from a global roster of galleries alongside rich and varied programming.
Dine by Design at Pier 92 March 22-26
DIFFA’s – Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS – 21st annual Dining by Design returns to Pier 92 in beautiful NYC on March 22-26. Dedicated to a great cause, local and international designers will create once again over-the-top table tops, transforming a raw space into a showcase of gorgeous environments for its annual fundraiser.
Architectural Digest Design Show at Pier 92 & 94, March 22-25
In its now 17th year, the Architectural Digest Design Show presents the world’s leading brands in furniture, accessories, lighting and more. The show offers thousands of products to source and shop—both from independent makers and established manufacturers. It also offers, design seminars, culinary demonstrations, and special appearances.
London
London Design Week March 4-9
For six days in March, London Design Week is the center of creative excellence – an unmissable event that is essential for anyone who wants the inside track on the latest design thinking.
Paris
Mary Cassatt an American Impressionist in Paris at Musee Jacquemart-Andre From March 9 through July 23
Mary Cassatt, discovered by Degas in the 1874 Salon, was the only American painter to have exhibited her work with the Impressionists in Paris. The exhibition focuses on her fifty major works, comprising oils, drawings, pastels and engravings. For any American lover of art and visiting Paris, this is a most see exhibition dedicated to a unique artist.
Le Saut Hermes at the Grand Palais March 16-18
The theme of the year for Le Saut Hermes is “Let’s Play”
“this ninth Saut Hermès at the Grand Palais is a celebration of the horse and of the sport, imbued with a strong spirit of the game. Over here you see a rocking horse, over there a giant chess piece; and close by are the arcades of the Paris store at 24 Faubourg Saint-Honoré in miniature… all set out in the arena. A playful nature is helpful to imagine them as jumps at the Saut Hermès at the Grand Palais, a competition that, since 2010, has drawn the world’s finest riders and enables them to gain points for the international rankings.” SH
