Latest news with #ItalianRenaissance-style
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Mark Bennett: Fred Nation guiding Swope through makeover, then stepping down
A couple strolled through the Swope Art Museum earlier this month, eyeing the paintings, sculptures and drawings. Initially, it was the couple's tall stature that caught Fred Nation's attention. Then, Nation — the Swope executive director — talked with the visitors and learned they'd traveled to Terre Haute from Denmark. Curious, Nation asked why. 'We came to see the Larry Bird Museum,' they told Nation. 'Who would've guessed?' Nation said Wednesday afternoon, recalling the moment. Museums are Terre Haute tourism niche, with nearly a dozen. The Haute's museums-per-capita ratio was 86th-best out of 1,318 places in the last year's Best Small Cities in America rankings by WalletHub. Coupled with downtown improvements and an 'open and welcoming' atmosphere, Terre Haute's future looks bright to Nation, a lifelong resident and active advocate for his hometown. 'This community's on the map for its cultural amenities,' he said. Nation has overseen one of Terre Haute's oldest museums, the Swope, for more than eight years — at first on an interim basis, and then as its full executive director since 2019. He's the 13th person to serve in that capacity since Terre Haute artist John Rogers Cox led the Swope's opening in 1942. Nation's stint is likely the third longest, according to his research. Now, Nation is guiding the museum through a major renovation project that will require the Swope to close to the public from June 1 through Jan. 1, 2026. He's also steady-handedly steered fundraising efforts for the makeover, with contributions already totaling $6.3 million of an estimated $7-million project. Famed sports artist captured 'motion' of 1962's classic Indy 500 In this 2021 photo, Theo Nation, then 4, grasps an imaginary steering wheel and makes the sound of a racecar as his grandfather, Fred Nation, executive director of the Swope Art Museum, points out the cars in a colorful scene in a painting by LeRoy Nieman in one of the museum's galleries. Once the project is done, and 2025 is done, Nation also will done as executive director. The 81-year-old intends to retire from his Swope post by Jan. 1. 'It's just time for a younger person, with new ideas and new energy,' Nation said from his office inside the Italian Renaissance-style building at the corner of Seventh and Ohio streets. 'It's just time. 'And to be fair to my wife [Nancy] and family, I should probably spend more time' with them, he added. The Nations have been married 60 years. Nancy is a longtime Swope supporter and member of its Board of Advisors, and is essentially the museum's 'co-executive director,' as he puts it. They've lived in the same Terre Haute house for 58 years. They raised a family of four children, who fittingly are all involved in community service — Todd as a Terre Haute city councilman, Tim as the Indianapolis Peace Learning Center, Tonya as a Terre Haute North High School math teacher and Indiana state representative, and Thad as owner of Nation Consulting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Nations also have 15 grandchildren. Nation's duty as Swope executive director has put a 'capstone,' he said, on his long career of community and state oriented work. The Schulte High School and Indiana State University grad started that path as a Terre Haute Star reporter in the 1960s, before serving as Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College's public relations director and vice president of development. Afterward, he took over the Saturday Spectator newspaper and 'took on the establishment,' reviving that longtime publication; worked for U.S. Sen. Birch Bayh's unsuccessful 1980 reelection campaign; joined Brian Miller's marketing and graphic design firm; agreed to guide Evan Bayh's successful 1988 campaign for Indiana governor, and then wound up leading Bayh's staff for the next eight years; and finally became executive VP for communications for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar Racing, before retiring in late 2011. That same year, Nation also ran for Terre Haute mayor, but incumbent Duke Bennett won that race. 'If I'd been elected, I'm not sure I'd still be alive,' Nation said. 'It's a very stressful job.' A different job eventually arose, anyway. The Swope needed an interim leader in 2018 after museum executive director Susan Baley moved on to lead a Tulsa, Oklahoma, gallery. Nation's leadership background, and Nancy's years of volunteering with the Swope, made Fred a logical choice as interim executive director. 'More relevant now than ever' Scott Sanders, an archivist from Antioch College (middle) shows Nancy and Fred Nation an original work by Terre Haute artist Gilbert Wilson that Sanders brought from Yellow Springs, Ohio, for a 'Moby-Dick' book release party at the Swope Art Museum in 2019. In 2019, the Swope Board of Managers asked him to stay in that role, minus the 'interim' label. 'I liked the [job], said yes, and had no idea I'd still be here' at the Swope in 2025, Nation recalled. He became its first executive director without an art background. He serves on a staff of five full-time museum employees, along with seven part-time staffers and a group of volunteers arranged by the Board of Advisors. Those volunteers include docents, who helped lead tours for fifth-graders from every Vigo County elementary school and other Wabash Valley schools. The presence of youth is crucial for an art museum. In fact, one of the most memorable images captured at the Swope in recent years, snapped in 2021 by Tribune-Star photographer Joseph C. Garza, featured Nation showing some of the museum's 2,500 artifacts from almost exclusively American artists to his 4-year-old grandson Theo. Future generations loom large for museums' health. Many struggled through the COVID-19 pandemic, with nearly all closing to the public through at least a portion of 2020. Data from the American Alliance of Museums shows that 19% of museums experienced a decrease in operating performance as a result of the pandemic, while 57% saw increases in activity, and 24% no change. Nation steered the Swope through its pandemic years, and helped maintain the momentum of the capital fundraising campaign, which had restarted in 2019 after being paused in the wake of the 2008-09 recession. Murray Pate, a longtime Board of Managers member, praised Nation's 'wisdom and insight' through the pandemic and renovation project. Nation's efforts will also benefit the next executive director, he said. 'What Fred is about, is making sure his successor is well-equipped,' Pate said Thursday. The original script for the Swope's operations emerged from Sheldon Swope's will, penned in 1903, long before his death in 1929. Swope, a Union Army combat veteran from the Civil War and downtown jewelry store owner, had a progressive streak. His will called for the Swope to be governed by a three-member Board of Managers, and required at least one of the three to be a woman. He set that policy 17 years before American women received voting rights. It's been a hub of arts progress ever since, through ups and downs over time. Nation is confident the Swope's financial status and future are strong. He sees strength in his hometown, too. 'My sense is that our community is more open and welcoming than it's ever been,' Nation said. 'And that is going to be a real asset.'
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Emilio Pucci Spring 2025: A Show With a View
PORTOFINO, Italy — Stocks globally may be tanking and the fashion industry may be coming to terms with the new wave of Trump tariffs, but leave it to Pucci and artistic director Camille Miceli to bring a whiff of much-needed respite with her joyful and colorful designs. Miceli chose the stunning La Cervara, a former abbey on the coastal road to Portofino, for her spring 2025 show. First erected in the 12th century, the abbey complex is a designated National Monument of Italy, with a breathtaking view of the Tigullio Gulf, an Italian Renaissance-style garden that directly faces the sea and a wisteria pergola. Miceli timed the show for around 230 guests shortly before sunset, leading to numerous Instagrammable moments. More from WWD How Much Will Hermès Birkins, Chanel Flap Bags and Fendi Baguettes Cost After Trump's Tariffs Hit European Imports? The Power of Flowers Celebrated in Paris New York Fashion Designer Kenny Bonavitacola Dies at 71 It was the ideal setting for her fashion show, centered on the Marmo, a marble-like print she revived since her first collection in 2022, and inspired by the reflection of the sun onto the sea. This season, the print was revisited in soft sorbet and powder pink hues, winding around black waves on flowing silk pants and shirts. It was also reproduced through printed sequins or metal eyelets and through black and white sea shells, hand-stitched by the Pucci artisans — still at work backstage, sewing one shell at a time on a blouson top or a fringed skirt. In fact, for this collection Miceli raised the bar on craftsmanship, for a sophisticated lineup that featured more black than in past lineups. Pucci's signature prints were recurring, but at times merely details on the hem of a sleeve of a little black dress or appearing through the fringes of a dress or a cape. The Stella print, an homage to the moon and the stars, and the Maddalena, or 'gocciolone,' reminiscent of an expanded drop, defined by sleek and graphic curves, appeared on a caftan or a minidress. Iride and Orchidee were also signature prints that Miceli revisited. 'I change the colors but never the names,' said the designer, who always pays tribute to founder Emilio Pucci. Miceli said she wanted her designs to look airy, with fluid shapes, and she worked with 'disproportions,' narrower skirts under larger 'balloon' blouses in poplin cotton. 'I like the idea of the trompe-l'oeil; they look like two pieces, but it's actually one dress,' she said. She also created silver bijoux that looked like tattoos on the skin, reproducing the marble print. 'I remember how Karl [Lagerfeld] said that when you wear Pucci, it's as if you have a tattoo,' remarked Miceli. The laces of the sandals also wove around the models' legs, looking like tattoos. Miceli staged her first runway show for Pucci in Florence in 2023, following up with Rome last year. Before that, she opted for multiday lifestyle 'experiences' in such jet-set destinations as Capri and Saint Moritz — resort towns that, like Portofino, have attracted European aristocracy and the international jet-set since the 1950s. Asked about this location, Miceli said she had wanted to stage a show in a home 'for some time' — although the estate, now privately owned, is not your average abode. 'I know this was an abbey, but for me, I see it as the house of the Pucci woman. The gardens, the view, what more do you want? And I love the small stones of the black and white floor.' Indeed, while reminiscent of the marble print, she said she does not design her collections with a location in mind. Reflecting on the changing habits of consumers, Miceli said 'we are very lucky because things are going very well — knock on wood — and I think women come to Pucci because when they wear the brand they want to feel special, they don't want to be part of a uniform crowd, and this is increasingly so compared with the past. And also because Pucci is synonymous with joy and femininity.' America continues to be a very strong market for Pucci, which will open a store in Houston this month. The Portofino boutique was just redesigned with the help of architect Pierre Passebon. Keeping prices in check and in line with the brand is also key for Miceli, targeting different women — which was reflected both in the casting that also included the likes of Kristen McMenamy, Karen Elson and Naomi Campbell, who closed the show — and in the pool of young influencers dancing in their seats to the the soundtrack by Nada. 'I like how Pucci has a very clear identity,' said Pierre-Emmanuel Angeloglou, who was named deputy chief executive officer of Christian Dior Couture last month. (Pucci is controlled by LVMH Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy). 'The challenge is to always bring novelty to the brand respecting its identity, maintaining its lightness, accessibility, joy, and sophisticated femininity that I find beautiful. And Camille transmits a laid back attitude and an energy that is contagious.' The executive, speaking ahead of the show, also talked about the see now, buy now format for Pucci, 'fitting for the brand, which has its own visibility outside the fashion weeks' schedule. And how perfect to be able to show when the days get sunnier, in a beautiful location and you can choose to wear these [summery] clothes right away.' Marisa Berenson also enthused about the show, 'beautiful and brilliant. Camille is so talented and creative, she modernized the brand but kept the Pucci DNA.' She was also happy about returning to Portofino. 'It brings back so many wonderful memories for me; I've been here many times in the past when I was young,' she mused. Wearing a stunning necklace in mother -of-pearl and crystals, she said it was part of her own namesake jewelry line. 'I live in Marrakech now so I make them there. I regenerate there, where I have a little corner of paradise but then I love being out in the world,' she said. Berenson next week will be in Milan as Michela Bruni Reichlin will be selling her jewelry in her showroom on Via Montenapoleone. She is also in the middle of filming between Paris and the south of France a movie she described as a 'psychological investigation.' Launch Gallery: Pucci Spring 2025 Ready-to-Wear Collection Best of WWD Windowsen RTW Spring 2022 Louis Shengtao Chen RTW Spring 2022 Vegan Fashion Week Returns to L.A. With Nous Etudions, Vegan Tiger on the Runway
CBS News
25-03-2025
- General
- CBS News
Detroit Public Library's history marks 160 years of books and community resources
The Detroit Public Library has reached its 160th anniversary, having officially opened on March 25, 1865. The initial collection of 5,000 books was kept in a room of the old Capitol High School on Griswold Street, according to history notes on the library's website. A committee from the Detroit Board of Education governed the library until 1881 when the Detroit Library Commission was formed. The first dedicated library building opened in 1877 in Centre Park, on the site of the current Skillman Branch library. The first branches opened in 1900 inside Central High School, Harris School on the east side and Western High School. The new main library building on Woodward Avenue opened in 1921. Architect Cass Gilbert designed the Italian Renaissance-style library building. Construction was partially funded by a gift from Andrew Carnegie, whose philanthropic efforts included financial support. over 1,600 libraries across the United States. The Cass Avenue wing expansion opened in 1963. Today, the library system's 23 branches and its mobile library service provide books and resources for the community along with study spaces, book clubs, cultural programming, career and employment help, obituary searches and publicly available computers.
