Isamu Noguchi's utopian landscapes: the sculpture of playgrounds and gardens

This paper tells the story of Japanese-American sculptor Isamu Noguchi and highlights his lesser-known landscape works. Noguchi was an artist of profound integrity and insight. His landscapes include playgrounds, monuments, and Japanese-inspired gardens. He chose landscapes as a medium for their inherent social value and as an artistic contribution to society. He was interested in the use and function of sculpture and wanted sculpture to encompass a larger vision and communicate on a grander scale. Moving beyond the limiting tradition of sculpture for the sole purpose of aesthetic, his was a sculpture for the common man. Noguchi was inspired by his childhood in Japan, by the high modernist movement, and by his involvement in the New York School of abstract artists that became prominent in the 1930s. Examination of Noguchi's work allows artists and the larger community to question the nature and definition of art and design. Noguchi pointed us to a new way to understand art. His work breaks free of a stagnant aesthetic, bringing a fresh viewpoint to the ancient and profound

Minnesota prairie style: John Howe and the Menomonie public library

Research article with illustrations.This paper highlights and analyzes architect John H. Howe’s 1986 design for the Menomonie Public Library, and the preliminary designs leading up to its completion. A prolific Midwest architect in his later career; Howe was Frank Lloyd Wright’s chief draftsman for 27 years. He was known for his speed and proficiency at architectural drawings, which illustrated the profound integration of Wright’s buildings into the landscape. He closely followed Wright’s philosophies and later adapted Prairie School architecture for Minnesota’s unique climate. The Menomonie Public Library illustrates the primary elements found in Howe’s designs. It is based upon a geometric structure and is tailored to suit the characteristic of the site and the needs of the client. Carefully selected natural and modern building materials as well as the surrounding landscape serve as the inspiration for the design. The Menomonie Public library is a unique and functionally beautiful example of organic architecture in the Midwest.University of Wisconsin--Stout. Research Service

Dante and Han-shan: masters of visual communication

This paper explores the works of poets Dante Alighieri and Han-shan, focusing on their communication through detailed visual descriptions of their subjects. This technique results in a vivid literary painting, informed by the poet's religiosity and personal experience. Dante was a known public figure in 12th century Florence, who later suffered exile from his home. His work is both political and overtly religious. He expresses a dynamic, dogmatic spirituality informed by the theology of 12th century Christianity. He was educated, versed in the science of optics and utilized allegory in his work. Han-shan was an educated recluse, his poems not as overtly religious. In his poetry, he addresses Buddhist concepts of stillness, endurance, and close observation of nature. The beauty of nature largely influenced his work. Both poets observe, criticize, and comment upon the spiritual and political issues of their time. Their poems enlighten, instruct, and provide inspired insight upon spirituality and the human condition

Color fields : what designers need to know about color

The goal of this report is to identify what designers today need to know or understand about color and—consequently—what design educators should be teaching design students about color. While designers use color intuitively like artists, they also use color instrumentally as a means of communication and a medium for creation. Fine arts paint-mixing models of instruction have long dominated color education for designers. While traditional color education holds much value, I propose that today, designers need a more complete understanding, which includes color theory, color systems, color materials and color management. Design educators therefore need to teach more about the practical use of color in practice: color management, color science, color systems and color standards (such as CIE, Pantone, NCS and Munsell) that are used today in design, commerce and industry. I seek to help designers and educators achieve a more comprehensive understanding of color through a series of artifacts designed to illustrate color concepts and through a curated list of existing print and online color resources. These artifacts and resources provide methods for design educators to teach a more contemporary, comprehensive and practice-based understanding of color. The artifacts at the center of this project are didactic toys that demonstrate important concepts in color theory and form a system that illustrates the technical and practical aspects of color as well as an updated framework for understanding color and its production.Desig

Isamu Noguchi's utopian landscapes: the sculpture of playgrounds and gardens

Color poster with text and image