Book of the Day Posted Feb 16, 2021

Book of the Day > Ramen Forever: An Artist’s Guide To Ramen

● Purchase ● Is the ramen craze over? While Lucky Peach’s Chris Ying might think it’s waning, and says so in the preface to this book, the new compendium RAMEN FOREVER: AN ARTIST’S GUIDE TO RAMEN is a resounding rebuttal to that claim. Over a decade after gourmet noodle shops began opening throughout the United States, ramen is here to stay and has never looked or tasted better!
 
More than a cookbook, RAMEN FOREVER is an illustrated love letter to this deceptively simple dish initiated by San Francisco-based artist and SWIM Gallery director Yarrow Slaps, whose obsession with ramen of all kinds has led to his visiting ramen shops around the world and to having deep conversation with top chefs, foodies and food bloggers, and the artists that have lived off of instant noodle soup packets before ramen became a trend. Interviews with ramen heroes including Moe Kuroki (Boston’s Oisa Ramen), Yoshihiro Sakaguchi (Taishoken, San Mateo), Hans Lienesch aka “The Ramen Rater,” Esther Choi (Mokbar - NY), and Sam White (Ramen Shop Oakland) give an insider’s view into gourmet ramen spots across the global diaspora. For those that can’t travel to all of these ramen spots, this book will inspire major mouth envy!
 
Don’t fear, however, because RAMEN FOREVER has plenty of inspiration for creative home cooks. Over 80 of the urban art scene’s most celebrated artists, including Justin Hager and Kristen Liu-Wong, contribute their own illustrated instant noodle recipes that have gotten them through struggle times. The recipes range from playful (“Hot Trash Ramen—best when you’re drunk”) to critical (“Opium War Lamian—a rustic and flavorful noodle soup enjoyed by belligerents during an unjust, cruel, and brutal colonial conflict”) to restorative (“Radiant Recovery Ramen”), showcasing the true versatility of ramen as a dish for every occasion, for people of every background and every budget.
 
A feast for the eyes and the belly, RAMEN FOREVER should be your next coffee table book, and makes a great gift for the art lover and ramen eater in your life—and that can be you, too.
Book of the Day Posted Feb 13, 2021

Book of the Day > Raymond Molinar: Polaroids 2007 – 2018

● Purchase ● Film Photographic presents a beautiful collection of photographer Raymond Molinar’s original Polaroid Time Zero film photographs spanning 11 years and published for the first time in Polaroids 2007 – 2018.
Book of the Day Posted Feb 12, 2021

Book of the Day > Where Art Might Happen: The Early Years of CalArts

● Purchase ● From Fluxus to conceptualism and feminism, an inside look at how California's legendary school nurtured a generation of exciting, experimental artists.
 
Founded in 1970 by Walt Disney, CalArts was envisioned as a place where students could exchange ideas and learn multiple means of self-expression along the lines of the Bauhaus School and Black Mountain College. Disney's original impetus was to revive the moribund field of animation; he likely never dreamed that the school would become a trailblazing educational model. This multifaceted exhibition catalog focuses on the school's early years as it brings together for the first time the parallel development of the Conceptual Art, feminism, and Fluxus movements.
 
Chronologically arranged, the catalog traces how CalArts created fertile ground for situations in which, as founding teacher John Baldessari put it, “art can happen. "It follows the institutional establishment of Baldessari's" Post-Studio "course and Miriam Schapiro and Judy Chicago's Feminist Art Program. It explores the school's unique pedagogy, which placed students and teachers on equal footing, and illustrates how the school reflected social issues of the time by challenging authority and patriarchal power structures. Over one hundred works — many never before published — from forty-one artists, along with several enlightening oral history interviews with CalArts protagonists, edited by Verena Kittel, capture a unique and important moment in American arts education.
Book of the Day Posted Feb 11, 2021

Book of the Day > Walter Chandoha: Dogs

● Purchase ● Walter Chandoha’s remarkable legacy as the 20th century’s greatest pet photographer lives on in this sequel to his critically acclaimed Cats. Featuring over 60 breeds, photographed in a variety of styles and locations, the book includes color studio and environmental portraits, black-and-white street scenes, dogs roaming free in the countryside, and vintage dog shows. Each image brims with Chandoha’s tenderness and empathy for these charming canines.
 
Spanning a 50-year period, the book is divided into six sections, and each chapter reveals Chandoha’s exceptional combination of technique, versatility, and soul. The opening chapter “In the Studio” focuses on formal portraiture; next it’s “Strike a Pose” where our canine companions ham it up for the camera; in “Out and About” they get to roam and play, often photographed with Chandoha’s own children; next it’s “Best in Show” with Chandoha using his reportage skills to capture vintage dog shows from the Mad Men era; in “Tails from the City,” the dogs are hitting the streets of mid-century New York; and in the closing chapter “Country Dogs,” it’s back to nature, the fields, and the beaches. Dogs is an unleashed photographic tribute to these lovable and loyal creatures.
Book of the Day Posted Feb 10, 2021

Book of the Day > The First Pair

● Purchase ● In The First Pair, Christyna Pourhabib sits down with sneaker enthusiasts as they remember the first pair of sneakers that made them feel fly. Featuring interviews and photographs taken on the streets of Los Angeles and New York, The First Pair considers how shoes embody and evoke the past. It brings to life the dynamic and diverse world of sneaker culture and considers how sneakers transcend cultural boundaries.
Miscellany Posted Feb 09, 2021

Re-Opening Wednesday, February 10th!

We're soooooo happy to be re-opening. Our dooors open for regular hours (Tuesday-Sunday, 11-7) starting Wednesday, February 10th.
 
Thank you all for your kindness, support, and good wishes during this rough time. Everyone is 100% healthy and ready to see you again soon at Arcana!
 
Photo from the utterly delightful RESIST PHONY ENCORES! by Gruff Rhys & Mark James from the good people at Hat & Beard Press.
 
 
Book of the Day Posted Feb 07, 2021

Book of the day > Neil Leifer. Guts & Glory. The Golden Age of American Football 1958-1978

Purchase Here. The most memorable moments since the birth of pro football in America.
The best of sports photographer Neil Leifer's 10,000 rolls of football pictures, including hundreds of previously unpublished images. Presented in a custom slipcase and limited to a total of 1,500 copies signed by the photographer, this Collector’s Edition is a companion to Neil Leifer’s instant sell-out success, Ballet in the Dirt: The Golden Age of Baseball, published by TASCHEN in 2007.
In 1958, sports photographer Neil Leifer took the picture that remains one of his most famous to this day. The day he got the shot—Alan Ameche’s game-winning “Sudden Death” touchdown—was Leifer’s 16th birthday. This game, called “The Greatest Ever Played,” signaled football’s emergence as America’s new national pastime; formerly half-empty stadiums welcomed sold-out crowds seemingly overnight, while football surpassed pro baseball and college football in national television ratings. Starting then, on any given Sunday, Leifer was most likely shooting a football game somewhere in America. His 1961 photo of legendary Giants quarterback Y. A. Tittle dropping back to pass landed Leifer his first cover for Sports Illustrated and cemented his close connection to the sport.
While best known for his iconic photograph of Muhammed Ali towering over a fallen Sonny Liston, and for the enormous diversity of subjects he covered in and out of the sports world, it is his football pictures Leifer considers his best. This collection represents the best of his best, culled from over 10,000 rolls of film on the sport, including hundreds of previously unpublished pictures. It’s impossible to conceive of Peyton Manning hovering over an impromptu wood fire on the sidelines during a blizzard, but Leifer captured Tittle’s Giants doing exactly that during the coldest game in his living memory (the 1962 Championship in New York, a game “far colder than the famous Ice Bowl”). From Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers dynasty to the Miami Dolphins’ perfect season in 1972 to the Minnesota Vikings’ terrifying Front Four—the “Purple People Eaters”—they’re all here.
Following an introduction assembled from the best football columns of the era by famed sports columnist Jim Murray, this collection is divided into four chapters: “On Any Sunday” is Leifer’s homage to the game. “The Legends” includes heroes like Johnny Unitas, Jim Brown, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Namath, Dick Butkus, Frank Gifford, and “Mean” Joe Greene. “The Bosses” delves into the victories on and off the field of immortal coaches Vince Lombardi, John Madden, Tom Landry, Weeb Ewbank, and others.
Finally, “The Big Game” traces major championship games from 1958 through Super Bowl XII. The in depth captions put the images into their historical context, making the book highly accessible and informative. For this Collector’s Edition, master sports photographer https://www.taschen.com/pages/en/search/neil-leifer sifted through over 10,000 rolls of film, selecting his absolute best shots, including hundreds of previously unseen pictures, to trace pro football’s most memorable moments. From the Miami Dolphins’ perfect 1972 season to the Minnesota Vikings’ “Purple People Eaters”—it’s all here, complemented by Jim Murray’s top football columns of the era for complete guts and glory nostalgia. Limited Collector’s Edition of 1,500 copies, numbered and signed by Neil Leifer.
Book of the Day Posted Feb 06, 2021

Book of the day > Ebony: Covering Black America

Published by Rizzoli. ●Purchase Here● “In 1945, Ebony's legendary founder John H. Johnson set out to create a magazine for Black America much like that of the trailblazing Life Magazine, and that he did.
 
For the African American community, Ebony has been a breath of fresh air, speaking on issues and events from the Black perspective, celebrating Black standards of beauty and elevating heroes of Black America--athletes, entertainers, activists, elected officials, or some combination thereof. Ebony: Covering Black America, by Lavaille Lavette, is a celebration of the treasure trove of the magazine's rich history, glamorous covers, groundbreaking cultural impact, and authentic coverage of Black American life from the magazine's inception to the present. "Ebony was Black America's social media long before the birth of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram", says Lavette.
 
Curated by Lavette, this all-out feast of a book is packed with exclusive contributions by a host of celebrities, influencers, and cultural icons, including Common, Gabrielle Union, Dwyane Wade, Sean Combs, Kimora Lee Simmons, Ciara, and Venus Williams. The book also includes more than 600 covers and photographs featuring political forces such as Martin Luther King Jr., Michelle and President Barack Obama, and Congresswoman Barbara Jordan; entertainers such as Diana Ross, Sidney Poitier, Dorothy Dandridge, Oprah Winfrey, and Prince; as well as sports heroes like Serena Williams, Muhammad Ali, Russell Westbrook, and Simone Biles. Lavette has chosen select articles, features, and reportage of note, including Martin Luther King Jr.'s advice column, and Ebony Fashion Fair photo shoots, divided into categories found within the magazine, including Civil Rights & Social Justice, Love & Family, Ebony Men, Ebony Women, and Ebony Music.
 
Unique in the quality of its photographs and contributors and chronicling everything from fashion and food to politics and social change, to sports and entertainment, Ebony: Covering Black America is a monumental milestone in African-American history and culture, and will be a treasured volume for the magazine's legion of loyal readers.”
Book of the Day Posted Feb 03, 2021

Book of the day > Textiles of India

●Purchase here● Published by Prestel. "This magnificently illustrated and deeply researched volume takes the reader on a journey throughout the Indian subcontinent to explore the history and traditions of its textiles. India's rich and vibrant textile tradition boasts an enormous range of techniques and extraordinary level of artistry. Drawn from one of the world's finest collections of Indian textiles, this book presents a fascinating overview of several centuries of artistic production from every corner of India. Each section examines a different region to reveal its distinct textile traditions, patterns, and processes: Patola silks from Gujarat, lampas weaves preserved in Tibetan temples, mordant resist dyed cottons exported to Indonesia, silk saris from Murshidabad and embroideries from rural Bengal and Punjab. The book also delves into the roles that textiles have played in daily life over the centuries, from household and dowry textiles to devotional pieces and exquisite materials crafted for rich patrons. Each object is photographed from multiple angles and reproduced in meticulous detail. Many of the antique pieces featured here are exceedingly rare, which makes this book an invaluable resource. Gorgeously illustrated, this volume makes a stunning gift for anyone interested in the history and craftmanship of one of the world's oldest textile traditions." By Helmut and Heidi Neumann.

Events Posted Feb 03, 2021

Lorcan O’Herlihy + Frances Anderton discuss Architecture is a Social Act

On Thursday, February 18th from 6:30 to 7:30PM, please join Lorcan O’Herlihy, FAIA, and Frances Anderton for a livestream discussion about LOHA’s latest monograph Architecture Is a Social Act. The event is organized by the Helms Bakery District.
 
Lorcan and Frances will talk about his work, and how he navigates tight budgets and stakeholder needs to integrate common space.
 
He will also share insights into 410 Rossmore, his latest Los Angeles project, where he will add five new floors of co-living space to the 90-year-old apartment building in Hancock Park.
 
The virtual event is FREE - Please register here. Once you register, a Zoom link will be emailed prior to the event date.
 
To purchase a signed copy of the book, click here!
 
 

 

 

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