The works of Derrick Adams are being seen all over Chicago during this years’ Expo Chicago 2023.
His Funtime Unicorns, interactive sculptures based on spring-mounted playground furniture, are on view at Navy Pier, in Polk Bros Park, waiting to be ridden by children.
For the Art on the Mart public art program, Adams was commissioned to install an animated digital work of art. The work, Funtime Unicorn–Ruby Rides Through Four Seasons, is based on his sculptures and inspired, he said, by his goddaughter, Ruby. The work is projected on the giant Art Deco Merchandise Mart Plaza along the Chicago River. It will be shown nightly at 8:30 through July 5, 2023.
Adams, who lives and works in Brooklyn, is planning to open his Last Resort, invitation only, artists retreat in his hometown of Baltimore. His focus has always been on joy, relaxation and resilience in the Black community.
His message is being heard and embraced, based on recent commissions he’s received from the Art at Amtrak initiative in Penn Station and the National Mall in Washington, D.C. and the praise from critics for his recent show I Can Show You Better Than I Can Tell You at the Flag Art Foundation in Chelsea.
The works and persona of Andy Warhol, who died in 1987, continue to impact the art and culture of our world today.
When composer Michael Daugherty was asked, by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, to create a work to celebrate the orchestra’s 125th anniversary, Daugherty thought of Andy Warhol, who was born and raised in Pittsburgh.
He created Fifteen: Symphonic Fantasy on the Art of Andy Warhol. The title is a reference to Warhol’s quote, “In the future everybody will be world famous for fifteen minutes.” The symphony consists of five movements, each reflective a period and focus of Warhol’s work.
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra premiered the symphony in February, 2022. The Ocala Symphony Orchestra, in central Florida, is performing at the Reily Arts Center on April 28th and 29th.
On April 24th, the Whitney Museum held a ceremony to dedicate new Forever stamps in honor of Roy Lichtenstein.
Thomas Marshall, general counsel and executive vice president of the Postal Service, served as the stamps’ dedicating official and said. “Roy Lichtenstein certainly deserves this recognition because of the remarkable creativity and innovation he demonstrated throughout his career.”
The stamps can be purchased at: usps.com/shopstamps
The Whitney, which owns more than 400 works by Lichtenstien, announced that a retrospective of his work is planned for 2026.
References:
Corey Akers. Derrick Adams’s unicorns are taking over Chicago. The Art Newspaper. April 10, 2023.
Vittoria Benzine. Derrick Adams Inaugurates 5th Season at Art on the Mart. Fad Magazine. April 18, 2023.
Roberta Smith. Derrick Adams Takes Off. The New York Times. February 16, 2023.
Sarah Cascone. Pop Artist Roy Lichtenstein Is Getting a Retrospective at the Whitney—and a Stamp of Approval From the USPS, Too. Artnet News. April 24, 2023.
U.S. Postal Service Honors Roy Lichtenstein’s Pop Art on New Forever Stamps. USPS News. April 24, 2023.
Daily News Staff. New Forever stamp honors Roy Lichtenstein. Palm Beach Daily News. April 25, 2023.
Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly. Whitney Museum and USPS Celebrate the Centenary of Roy Lichtenstein’s Birth. The Observer. April 25, 2023.
