American Streamlined Design: The World of Tomorrow

Exhibition of 20th-century industrial design highlights futuristic visions from the past

With a focus on the curvaceous forms and clean sleek lines that characterized design in post-depression America, the exhibit “American Streamlined Design: The World of Tomorrow” next visits the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, OK, following presentations in Miami, New York City and Montreal. The show captures the collective hope in the American psyche about the future during a period of economic and social …

Breaking Bread

Suit shopping with Retna on the eve of his Hallelujah World Tour

Behind gate 37E on Washington Street lies a warehouse with a Buick Regal parked inside. Photographers are snapping away, laptops are out, and well-dressed critics buzz throughout the space. This was the scene when I visited “Breaking Bread,” the first stop on Retna’s three-continent-spanning Hallelujah Tour on the day before its opening. Sponsored by VistaJet and Bombardier, the tour will see the L.A. graffiti legend …

Matt Shlian

New obsessively process-oriented sculptures by a paper engineer

As teacher, paper engineer and artist Matt Shlian explains on his site, “researchers see paper engineering as a metaphor for scientific principals; I see their inquiry as basis for artistic inspiration.” His geometric sculptures elegantly reflect this strong connection to the education and scientific communities, exploring the physicality of paper with his curiosity-driven approach. Creating his work through problem solving and experimentation, Shlian’s deceptively simple …