SAN FRANCISCO Artists with shorter and less varied careers have been celebrated with retrospectives, so its hard to believe that an icon such as Judy Chicago has had to wait this long for her flowers. But that injustice makes the experience of seeing Judy Chicago: A Retrospective at San Franciscos de Young Museum the exhibitions only venueeven more rewarding. This blockbuster show spanning six decades of the artists career may actually be worth the wait its expansive and satisfying, leaving the viewer with much to think about.

The exhibition, curated by Claudia Schmuckli, takes a unique approach by presenting Chicagos work in reverse chronological order, with each room organized around a theme. The first room contains her most recent body of work, The End: A Meditation on Death and Extinction (2015-19). One is immediately confronted with Mortality Relief (2016), a life-size bronze relief depicting Chicago on her deathbed holding a bouquet of flowers. A series of small-scale, intimate paintings on black glass show Chicagos meditations on death and dying in other cultures as well as a deeply personal sequence on How Will I Die that asks questions such as Will I die in my husbands arms? Along the opposite wall are companion paintings in the same style on the theme of extinction, lamenting the destructive impact of humans on plant and animal species including rare orchids, endangered elephants, and sharks that are cruelly mutilated to harvest their fins. The parallel focus on her innermost fears what will happen to me? along with the most all-encompassing grief what are we doing to the planet and other living things? is both astute and incredibly moving.

Holocaust Project: From Darkness into Light (1985-1993) is a series of mostly paintings and sculptures and a tapestry mural representing the artists examination of her Jewish heritage and the atrocities of the Holocaust. This body of work culminates in a darkened room with black walls where a magnificent stained-glass piece, Rainbow Shabbat (1992), literally lights up the space with a vision of a more equitable world represented by diverse individuals seated together, heads turned towards a standing Mother Teresa-like figure at the head of the table.

The huge canvases in the PowerPlay series (1982-87), exemplified by Driving the World to Destruction (1985), portray muscular male figures engaged in acts of aggression, subverting the classical beauty of Renaissance nudes by showing the ugliness of patriarchy and toxic masculinity. Two paintings of oversized, square-jawed faces depict expressions of anguish with the words Hold Me and Help Me appearing in the figures open mouths like a silent wish to express vulnerability. Many of the paintings showcase Chicagos trademark rainbow palette, but whats truly striking is how relevant they are to the present moment and the lingering turmoil of the Trump presidency, even though these works were made more than 30 years ago.

No one can deny that Chicago tackles big topics like the environment and genocide, but paradoxically its her most intimate and personal work that comes across as universal. While her recent output reflects on the end of life, Birth Project(1980-85) contains some of her most famous artwork celebrating female bodies, the act of childbirth, and various creation myths. These tapestry and mixed-media works exemplify Chicagos interest in elevating fringe techniques such as needlework and embroidery, often maligned as too domestic or feminine for serious art. Many of them were created collaboratively with women who specialized in needlepoint, weaving, and quilting.

Its impossible to write about Judy Chicago without mentioning The Dinner Party (197479). This monumental installation consisting of a large, triangular table adorned with intricate embroidery and 39 sculptural place settings named for important women in history such as Virginia Woolf, Georgia OKeeffe, and Sojourner Truth, along with a tiled heritage floor inscribed with more than 900 additional names was first exhibited at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in 1979 and is now permanently housed at the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum. While the installation itself is not included in the De Young exhibit, an entire section is devoted to a variety of test plates featuring suggestive floral and vaginal imagery that caused a huge sensation when first exhibited, plus sketches of some of the designs and a short film. The work is essential to an understanding of Chicagos career and influences, although she has expressed her frustration that it tends to overshadow the rest of her oeuvre. Indeed, it was created more than 40 years half her lifetime ago.

Chicagos work has been written about extensively, and more recent scholarship pays tribute to the breadth and ambition of her achievement while acknowledging shortcomings. She has said that she intentionally creates art that will be legible to mainstream viewers, eschewing the cool detachment and irony of postmodernism. That accessibility is both a blessing and a curse it has the potential to reach a broader audience, but its literalness is also its downfall. For example, her effort to be inclusive with The Dinner Party by listing hundreds of women from history only served to highlight who was noticeably left out. There are only a handful of Black, Indigenous, and Latinx women, and no women at all from Asia, South Asia, or the Pacific Islands (unless you count the Hindu deity Kali). Notable women from the most populous region of the planet are completely absent. Its a perfect example of the limitations of art with a social justice lens: The more noble the intention, the more harshly it will be judged.

The works featured in the Feminist Art Project section offer a fascinating glimpse into Chicagos feminist awakening. Theres a memorable advertisement from a 1970 issue of Artforum in which the young artist, then known as Judy Gerowitz, publicly divested herself of the patriarchal convention of taking her fathers and then husbands name in order to freely choose her own name: Judy Chicago. A short film documents Womanhouse (1972), a collaboration with Miriam Schapiro that was a house in Burbank, California filled with installations focused on conventionally female topics such as the body and domesticity made by Chicago and her art students as part of the feminist arts education program she established at Cal State Fresno, which later moved to California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). The work from this period is important as it marked her radicalization and subsequent focus on making art outside of and often in opposition to the male gaze. Although celebrated as one of the pioneers of feminist art, Chicago speaks candidly about being rejected by the male-dominated art establishment and the difficulty of forging her own path largely unsupported.

The final room in the exhibition presents Chicagos earliest work under the theme of Minimalism and Atmospheres, which includes the large-scale sculpture Rainbow Pickett (1965, recreated 2004), groovy painted car hoods, and a playful series of lifesaver paintings and other minimalist compositions. Videos of her Atmospheres (smoke performances) play in the adjacent hallway.

Just outside the main exhibition space, past the museum gift shop, is a set of large banners in jewel tones hanging from the ceiling, on the theme of What If Women Ruled the World? It was unclear to me whether these were actually part of the retrospective they are excluded from the catalogue and audio tour, and I had to ask museum staff for more information. The banners are from The Female Divine, a project commissioned by Dior for its 2020 spring couture show held at the Rodin Museum in Paris. My first thought was that the banners didnt fit the overall narrative for the exhibit one focused on Chicagos outsider-ness and pursuit of a vision that was oblivious to trends and uncorrupted by the art market. The invitation to collaborate with a prestigious high fashion brand was the greatest creative opportunity of my life, according to Chicago, and perhaps a prelude to her recent resurgence. (In addition to the De Young retrospective, Chicagos work is currently featured in at least two other Bay Area venues an exhibit on art and feminism at the Berkeley Art Museum, and an exhibit focused on the lyrics of Leonard Cohen at the Contemporary Jewish Museum.) One cant claim to be anti-fashion and then suddenly show up on a Dior runway.

But the more I thought about it, the pieces from The Female Divine provided a more fitting close to the exhibit than her early experiments with minimalism. They echo the utopian impulses of her most explicitly feminist work and bring us full circle back to the present. The banners speculate on what life might be like if women were in charge Would God be female? Would men and women be equal? Would there be equal parenting? Would the earth be protected? and they invite us to imagine a future that is better than the hyper-polarized, pandemic-ravaged world we live in today. With everything weve been through, its undeniably appealing to dream of being reborn into a society thats less divided, less hostile to women, and more just for everyone. To me, Chicago is at her most powerful not when she shows us what is, but when she asks us, what could be?

Judy Chicago: A Retrospective continues at the de Young Museum (50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, San Francisco) through January 9, 2022. The exhibition is curated by Claudia Schmuckli.

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Judy Chicago Retrospective Brings the Artist Full Circle - Hyperallergic

A mural wallpaper of an eye (psychology.about.com) is applied directly to a temporary wall as part of Tabitha Sorens Surface Tension installation at Mills College Art Museum. Credit: Michael Halberstadt

Berkeley photographer Tabitha Soren wants us to slow down and consider the images we absorb with our eyes and then pass along on our devices. In her new series Surface Tension, 45 images on view at the Mills College Art Museum in Oakland until Dec. 12, Soren questions how contemporary society consumes and disseminates information.

There is a connection between what troubles us and what distracts us, Soren said. We use what distracts us to evade what troubles us.

Using a large-format camera, Soren captures screenshots of images culled from text messages and web searches on sites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr. Some are private moments: a child blowing an emailed goodnight kiss to her mother, another asleep in bed. Others are more public: a man raising his fist in a Black Lives Matter protest, buildings ablaze in the Paradise fire. A process of applying colored gel to the surface of her iPad before she shoots reveals patterns of fingers and handprints that resemble abstract brushstrokes. These are the grimy traces left behind as the images are apprehended, then swiped through on a digital screen. The result is a tangible, forensic record of what compels attention, what is consumed, manipulated, and dismissed in a constant search to feed an endless craving for entertainment.

Soren is well versed in the intersection of technology and culture. Before moving on to fine art photography, she was a Peabody Award-winning journalist and former reporter for MTV, ABC, and NBC News. Her layered approach allows her to explore the interactions between the viewer and the image, between the authenticity of the source, and the whims and desires of the consumer.

Surface Tension is Sorens first solo museum show in the Bay Area, where she makes her home in Berkeley with her husband and children. Its wonderful to have my art world family view the work in such a gorgeous space, Soren said. Additionally, she was excited by the museums impressive exhibition history, which has included shows by renowned artists such as Jay Defeo, Faith Ringgold, and Hung Liu. Motivated by the venue and its participation in the Feminist Art Coalition, Soren created three new pieces specifically for the installation.

A mural-sized close-up of an eye greets the viewer as soon as they enter the museum. The image was sourced from psychology.about.com. Across the surface of the eye, traces of white fingerprints have left a residue of trail marks in their wake. Touch, Soren suggests, has become less physical and more virtual as we constantly meander through the digital realm.The centerpiece of the exhibition is an installation Soren refers to as Hall of Mirrors. Commissioned and acquired by the museum, Soren crafted an immersive environment of resistance: 15 images culled from the Black Lives Matter protests, the Womens March, the Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the recent insurrection at the Capital. Hanging each image from the ceiling on thin cables enabled Soren to back them with mirrored plexiglass. Using a reflective material on the back allows the viewer to be reflected into the protests, Soren said. Yet surfing the web is also a way of not interacting. It steals the time we might actually enact change, she added.

Continuing the theme of reflection, the multi-channel video and sound installation Narcissus serves as a space contemplation in the back room. Three light-boxes positioned on the floor project images of colored thumb and fingerprints that look like rocks scattered at the bottom of a river bed. The title refers to the Greek myth of Narcissus, the beautiful youth who yearned after his reflection until he pined away and died. Scientists are studying how our interaction with these devices affects the way we treat each other, Soren explained. One result is a condition they call digital narcissism.' She is referring to the habit so prevalent now of posting and sharing selfies and other intimate moments on social media.

Finally, a dramatic cluster of large-scale photos of the natural world: the Great Barrier Reef, shrinking glaciers, and the Arctic Ocean reminds us that human interaction human touch can be dangerous. A dark blue photo of Greenland is overlaid with swirls of yellow and red fingerprints that burst across the surface like consuming flames over the ice. Like forensic evidence gathering at a crime scene, these shots, with their greasy coating of human marks, imply that our fingerprints are on everything. We have not left any part of our planet untouched and unharmed in our quest to consume and populate information around the globe.

Surface Tension is an ambitious series that maps our pervasive reliance on technology to engage in the most basic human interaction: touch. The forgotten traces that Sorens camera makes visible remind us that touch can be as delicate as a good night kiss, it can be dismissive, and it can be harmful. Touch is, in the end, a record of our existence.

Gabrielle Selz is an award-winning author. Her books include the first comprehensive biography of Sam Francis,Light on Fire,andUnstill Life: Art and Love in the Age of Abstraction. Her essays and art reviews have appeared inThe New Yorker,The New York Times,The Los Angeles Times,Hyperallgic, Art & Object, Art Papers, The Rumpus,andThe Huffington Postamong others. She makes her home in Oakland, California.

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Surface Tension: Tabitha Soren's photographs touch on politics, culture and the natural world - Berkeleyside

I still hear the turbines over everything. Whenever theres been a few really bad nights in a row, I drive my car down to the beach and sleep in it. Your body feels tight, your head feels in a compressive state. You just have to get out of the place.

For Mr Uren, who moved to a different property three years ago, it was the unpredictability of the turbine noise that most triggered him.

It was worse in cold weather and when the wind came from a certain direction. Some days Id look at the forecast, see cold days and dread the roaring I knew was on the way.

The duos grievances have culminated in a challenge in the states highest court that will hear both sides final arguments on Tuesday.

The case typifies an increasingly common dispute in Victoria: residents protesting against the installation of noisy wind farms in what is a rapidly expanding sector.

As the Andrews government pursues its emissions reductions targets of 28 to 33 per cent by 2025 and 45 to 50 per cent by 2030, at least 14 of the states 34 wind farms have been built since 2015. A further 22 are under construction or awaiting approval.

Similarly to Mr Zakula and Mr Uren, the construction of a 215-turbine, $2 billion wind farm in Golden Plains Shire, west of Melbourne, has been unsuccessfully challenged by local farmer Hamish Cumming on three occasions.

Wind farms have surged as Premier Daniel Andrews government pursues ambitious emissions reduction targets.Credit:Getty Images

A Supreme Court challenge against a 26-turbine wind farm by 25 residents from Hawkesdale, south-west Victoria, was also unsuccessful in August.

Win or lose, Mr Zakula, represented by Dominica Tannock from DST Legal, hopes his case emboldens others in his situation to question how the industry operates.

Its costing us a fortune against these big multinational mobs. Id like the entire compliance regime to be investigated and reconsidered after this, he says.

On the second day of the trial, Justice Melinda Richards started by noting her associate received a phone call that morning from Andrew Dyer, the Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner and former national wind farm commissioner.

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Mr Dyer apparently wanted to let me know that there is a range of resources on his offices website and he also offered to speak with me about issues in the case, she said.

Needless to say, I will not be consulting the website and I will not be speaking with Mr Dyer.

Mr Dyer apologised to the court later that week.

After starting the case as a group of 12 last year, Mr Zakula and Mr Uren are the only remaining plaintiffs following mediation and the death of two group members.

Living off-grid, Mr Zakula is keen to dispel any suggestions he or his neighbours are anti-renewables.

I live down here to enjoy the environment. I havent been able to do that for years.

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Wind farm owners denied turbines were too loud, yet claimed compensation for them - The Age

Yes, Paris is for art lovers, and its not hard to see whyin the City of Light, anything and everything can be elevated to an art form, from the Arc de Triomphe to a loaf of bread.

Of course, the capital is hardly the only place in France with an art scene. From the gritty port city of Marseille to the countryside idyll of Aix to the ever-splashy Cte dAzur, Provence has long been a magnet for creatives of all stripes.

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Pariss Grand Palais phmre. Patrick Tourneboeuf.

See and Do: After going online-only last year, Pariss Foire Internationale dArt Contemporain (FIAC) is back IRL with 160 Modern art, contemporary art, and design galleries from 25 countries participating in its 47th edition (from October 2124, 2021).

The fair will occupy the Grand Palais phmre and the Galerie Eiffel, sustainably designed by architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte to mimic their namesake monuments on the Champ-de-Mars. (The temporary structures are hosting all of the exhibitions, fashion shows, and sporting events that would normally be held in the glass-roofed Grand Palais Nave, which is closed for renovations until the 2024 Olympic Games.)

Fifty additional galleries will present exclusive digital exhibitions via FIACs online viewing rooms. And October 10 will see the return of Gallery Night, with 100 art spaces across Paris open late (until 10 p.m.). Meanwhile, FIAC Hors les Murs will bring art outdoors and across the city, from site-specific installations at the Jardin des Tuileries to Alexander Calders monumental sculpture Flying Dragon (1975) on the Place Vendme.

Urs Fischer, Untitled, 2011 (detail) in the Rotonde of Pariss Bourse de Commerce, the new museum of the Pinault collection. Urs Fischer. Courtesy Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Zurich.Photo: Stefan Altenburger.

Beyond the fair, following a three-year restoration led by Japanese architect Tadao Ando, the ca.-1889 Bourse de Commerce (Pariss former stock exchange) reopened this spring as a museum with 10 galleries to house Franois Pinaults 10,000-work-strong collection of contemporary art. The inaugural show, Ouverture, contains nearly 200 pieces, from a group of never-before-shown works by the elusive David Hammons to a quasi-replica of Giambolognas Renaissance statue The Abduction of the Sabine Women, which the Swiss artist Urs Fischer sculpted in wax. Doubling as a candle, it melts in dialogue with the 19th-century iconography painted on the walls of the glass-domed Rotonde (until December 21, 2021).

Inside Galleria Continua Pariss Truc a faire, curated by JR. Photo: Sara De Santis. Courtesy of the artists and gallery.

The Marais recently welcomed a couple of fun Italian imports, including the Kengo Kuma-designedMassimo De Carlo Pice Unique, which shows just one artwork at a timecurrently from the American multimedia artist Doug Aitken (until October 17, 2021). Situated in a former leather wholesaler,Galleria Continua is running its inaugural, JR-curated showTruc Faireuntil October 31, 2021, featuring works by the likes of Anish Kapoor and Ai Weiwei displayed alongside books and groceries on hundreds of shelves in a presentation that is, as the French photographer and street artist put it, halfway between a cathedral and a supermarket.

Lvy Gorvy also recently set up in the Marais, tapping Luis Laplace to restore a space originally designed by Jean Nouvel. From October 7 until November 13, 2021, the gallery is showing the third chapter in its four-city exhibition, Mickalene Thomas: Beyond the Pleasure Principle. It is premiering a series of the artists large-scale Resist paintings, which feature silk-screened images and archival photos focused on Black American Civil Rights activism from the 1960s to the present.

Mickalene Thomas, Jet Blue #25, 2021(detail). Mickalene Thomas / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Nearby, Lafayette Anticipations Fondation des Galeries Lafayette gave Martin Margiela carte blanche for Martin Margielanot as a designer, but as an artist (October 20, 2021January 2, 2022). The legendary and legendarily enigmatic fashion figure designed the exhibition as a total artwork that visitors enter through the emergency exit, with disappearance and transformation as themes. More than 40 of his multimedia works are on public display for the first time.

Avenue Matignon is becoming something of an art hub in the 8th arrondissement. Home to the expanding headquarters ofChristies, it recently welcomed new locations from Marais galleriesAlmine Rech andEmmanuel Perrotin. And it is here that LondonsWhite Cube has its Paris office, which is hosting a show featuring Georg Baselitz, Tracey Emin, and Takis during FIAC (October 18November 12, 2021).

Two influential galleries focused on African contemporary art are also moving in. The Abidjan- and Dakar-basedLa Galerie Cecile Fakhoury will open its first space outside the African continent at 29 Avenue Matignon later this month, showing new works by Senegalese painter Kassou Seydou and Ivorian American mixed-media artist Ouattara Watts (who worked closely with Jean-Michel Basquiat), among others.

Mariane Ibrahim has a new gallery on Pariss Avenue Matignon. Courtesy of Mariane Ibrahim Gallery.

Star Chicago art dealerMariane Ibrahimwho lived in France before moving to the U.S. in 2010 and has championed Black artists from across the African diaspora, from the Ghanaian market star Amoako Boafo to the American photographer Ayana V. Jacksonis unveilingher first international outpost in a three-level Haussmann building at number 18. The first exhibition, Jai Deux Amours, pays homage to the namesake Josephine Baker song, with new works by the gallerys roster of multicultural artists (until October 13, 2021).

Eat and Drink: Food lovers have been flocking toForest, the new restaurant at the Muse dArt Moderne, where the young Parisian chef Julien Sebbag serves up a menu that is an artful and eco-conscious ode to plant life along with cocktails inspired by the elements. After spending the summer on the terrace overlooking the Eiffel Tower, the restaurant has moved into a minimalist indoor-outdoor space.

Rose Chalalai Singh, chef-owner of the fashion worlds favorite Thai restaurant in Paris, Ya Lama, recently opened her tiny Rose Kitchen at Le Marche des Enfants Rouges, the citys oldest covered market, in the Marais. With a menu of Thai comfort foods featuring recipes passed down from her grandmother, it is already a go-to spot for the art and style sets, hosting dinners for everyone from Chanel to Gagosian.

Stay: Leave it to LVMH to open the most stylish new hotel in town. Designed by the architects Peter Marino and Edouard Franois with 72 rooms and suites, not to mention its Dior Spa,Cheval Blanc Paris has the vibe of a private residenceone that just happens to be ideally situated between the Marais, le de la Cit, and the Louvre. Between the Vik Muniz canvases and the staircase featuring woven metal crafted by Sophie Mallebranche, art is a central part of its appeal.

The pool inside the new Cheval Blanc Paris has mosaics handcrafted by Michael Mayer and a virtual Oyoram fresco. Alexandre Tabaste.

Worth a quick detour: Airelles Chteau de Versailles, Le Grand Contrle recently opened as the first and only hotel within the Palace of Versailles grounds. Built ca. 1681 by Jules Hardouin-Mansartthe preferred architect of Louis XIVto host European ambassadors and artists, the site was restored to its original splendor over the course of four years. Expect 14 old-meets-new rooms and suites with Baroque art and objets, plus exclusive access to the palace, the Trianon Domain, and the Orangery gardens. Airelles also has a new hotel in Saint-Tropez, Chateau de la Messardire.

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Frank Gehrys stainless-steel Luma Arles tower was inspired by the regions rock clusters and Van Goghs Starry Night. Iwan Baan for LUMA Arles, 2021.

See and Do: After more than a dozen years in development, June saw the launch ofLuma Arles, a 27-acre campus devoted to creativity and contemporary art in the ancient Roman city of Arles, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its centerpiece is a twisting, 12-level tower that Frank Gehry designed from 11,000 gleaming, stainless steel panels inspired by the regions rock clusters as well as Van Goghs Starry Night. Selldorf Architects turned four former train factories into performance spaces to accompany the galleries inside, which host commissions by artists Etel Adnan, lafur Elasson, and Rirkrit Tiravanija, while Koo Jeong A created a glow-in-the-dark skatepark outside. All of this is the brainchild of Swiss mega-collector and philanthropist Maja Hoffmann, with Tom Eccles, Philippe Parreno, and Hans Ulrich Obrist as advisors.

Since it opened ca. 2013 along the seaport in Marseilles, with an exhibition space designed by Roland Carta and Rudy Ricciotti and another in the historic Fort Saint-Jean, the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations, orMucem, helped bring a new wave of interest to the gritty capital of Provence. Its collections span all things Mediterranean, from Neolithic artifacts to contemporary art. The latest exhibition, The grand Meze, focuses on the food (until December 31, 2023).

The new Richard Rogers Drawing Gallery appears to float above the vineyards at Chteau la Coste, in Provence. Photo: Stphane Aboudaram | We Are Content(s).

Halfway between Aix en Provence and the Luberon Regional Nature Park, youll find Chteau La Coste, a biodynamic vineyard that has grown into a destination for site-specific art and architecture. Over the past decade, Louise Bourgeois, Renzo Piano, Hiroshi Sugimoto, and others have been invited to choose a part of the landscape that speaks to them and create a work to live there. This year, the Chteau unveiled the Richard Rogers Drawing Gallery, cantilevering off a hillside above the ancient Roman ruin of La Quille. On view there now are abstract works by the Korean artist Park Seo-Bo (until November 15, 2021). Next year will see the opening of an Oscar Niemeyer pavilion.

In the Cte DAzur, the late, great Eileen Grays seasideVilla E-1027 just reopened to the public after a 5.5 million ($6.4 million) restoration spearheaded by the Association Cap Moderne, a local nonprofit that also saved Le Corbusiers nearby Cabanon. The multidisciplinary Gray designed the airy villa, inside and out, to foster a sense of well-being; built between 1926 and 1929 with her companion and fellow architect Jean Badovici, it had since fallen into disrepair, in part due to wear and tear from the Mediterranean climate. Artisans from six countries repaired and recreated every aspect of the Modernist masterpiecefrom the concrete structure to the nickel-plated steel writing table to the abstract natural-fiber rugsusing the Irish designers original methods and materials; a few of its Le Corbusier murals were also restored.

Eileen Grays Villa E-1027, newly restored on the Cote dAzur. Photo: Manuel Bougot.

The Paris-based Fondation Carmignac has turned the tiny, protected Ile de Porquerollesthe setting for Jean-Luc Godards French New Wave classic, Pierrot le Fouinto a contemplative destination for contemporary art. After a 15-minute ferry ride from the mainland, visitors are greeted with an herbal tea made from local flora and asked to remove their shoes before exploring the Villa Carmignac and its sculpture gardens, which are hosting The Imaginary Sea until October 17, 2021. Partly inspired by the villas architecture, with its water-filled ceiling, the exhibition features aquatic works such as Bruce Naumans One Hundred Fish Fountain and a new, Neptune-like installation by Miquel Barcel; afterwards, youre invited to wade barefoot into the actual sea.

Eat and Drink: The renowned French chef Hlne Darroze just took over the kitchens at Chteau La Coste and its on-site hotel, with its 28 villa suites. Set in a terraced, glass-walled pavilion that seems to levitate above a mirror basin with a Louise Bourgeois sculpture of an embracing couple suspended from the ceiling, her new restaurantHlne Darroze at Villa La Costefocuses on fruits and vegetables from the region, with a wine list featuring the estates own organic varietals.

Make time to visit Menton, the pearl of the French Riviera, even if only to dine at Italian-Argentine chef Mauro ColagrecosMirazur. The biodynamic restaurant holds three Michelin stars, a Michelin Green star, and the number one spot on the Worlds 50 Best Restaurants list. Its new CosmoCuisine menu follows the lunar phases: Depending on the day, youll be immersed in one of the four Mirazur UniversesRoot, Leaf, Flower, or Fruitfeaturing plant-focused dishes that largely pluck from the kitchen gardens.

Chef Mauro Colagrecos Carrot dish, part of his Root menu at Mirazur, in Menton. Matteo Carrasale 2021.

Colagreco has a new restaurant, Ceto, that takes inspiration from the sea, which it overlooks from the top floor of the soon-to-openMaybourne Riviera. Built on a rocky peninsula above Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, the Jean-Michel Wilmotte-designed hotelfrom the London-based group behind Claridges and The Connaughtwill have specially commissioned art, objects, and furnishings from local artists and makers alongside work by everyone from JR to Le Corbusier and Gray.

Stay: The Luma Foundations Maja Hoffmann brought the Cuban American artist and sculptor Jorge Pardo to Arles, where he turned a historic htel particulier intoLArlatanwhich is basically a bookable work of art. Pardo designed each of its 34 rooms with handcrafted mosaic-tile floors and walls (at least in the bathrooms) as well as doors that double as canvases for his figurative paintings. Almost all of the furnishings and fixtures were made by hand in his studio.

The family-run, art-filled Hotel Lou Pinet recently opened with sunny 1960s vibes in Saint-Tropez courtesy of the Paris-based architect and interior designer Charles Zana. Expect 34 bright, spacious rooms and suites with abstract tapestry headboards and bespoke ceramic lamps, each with its own private garden and outdoor lounge.

A suite at Hotel Lou Pinet, recently opened in St. Tropez. Courtesy of the hotel.

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If Youre Looking for an Excuse to Visit Paris, FIAC Is Back. And Theres a Lot of Art to Love in the South of France, Too - artnet News

By Jon | on October 07, 2021

Every homeowner has a defined budget he or she can allocate toward a remodeling project. Even if funds were unlimited, its still in a homeowners best interest to secure the best value for each dollar invested in a remodeling project, ultimately increasing the value of the home.Consider these tips from the National Association for the Remodeling Industry to help save money on your next project.1. Determine how far your budget will go. Create a wish list of everything you want to accomplish. Disregard cost and simply write down everything you can dream of. Prioritize items from must haves to nice but not necessary. Find a contractor who will work with you to determine whether your wish list is attainable for the funds you are willing to invest in your home.2. Decide how to handle budget overages. If you cant get far enough down the list with the available money, you could choose to stop the process and continue saving, investigate financing options, re-evaluate your wish list or consider material substitutions.3. Make material selections you can afford. Every project will have a set of required materials, but there are options when it comes to variety, style and quality, such as: Cabinets: Subtle changes like forgoing custom rustic cherry cabinets with plywood cabinet sides for regular cherry cabinets with furniture board sides can achieve the same look at a lower cost. Countertops: Natural stone and quartz countertops are popular, but advances in the design options for lower cost countertop materials have rejuvenated their popularity, too. With the proper usage and protection, nearly all countertop materials can support everyday needs. Millwork: Painted millwork has dominated the market for many years and solid maple is the preferred choice because the tight grain allows for a beautiful, smooth surface. However, the cost is multiple times that of vinyl and equally appealing when finished properly. Flooring: Advances in synthetic materials make them difficult to distinguish from natural products. Synthetics generally come with lower cost and more durability, making them a simple substitute for natural products like stone, wood, brick and marble.4. Pay attention to project details. Its critical to ensure every detail of labor and material is specified in the agreement with the remodeler. If its not included in the written agreement, its likely not included in the work scope. Ask your remodeler what labor and materials are not included and determine what additional expenses youll likely incur to complete the project.5. Ask how you can help reduce costs. Talk to your contractor about tasks or materials you can provide that would reduce the project cost without affecting its schedule. This might include jobsite cleanup or obtaining certain materials the contractor would otherwise spend considerable time securing.6. Plan ahead for project timing. Ask for a potential timeframe for completing the project, as well as any factors that could affect the schedule so you can anticipate costs, such as eating out more often while the kitchen is being renovated or renting living or storage space.7. Know how youll resolve disputes. Because of the unique stresses induced by remodeling projects, its a good idea to determine before you begin how disputes will be resolved, such as adding an arbitration clause to the agreement that eliminates expensive legal representation. A few deep breaths and a solution-minded approach can also save more than money if conflict arises.Find more money-saving advice for your next remodeling project at remodelingdoneright.com.

This information was provided courtesy of Family Features.

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Seven steps to save money on remodel - Akron Leader Publications

The remodel includes a new produce department, more grab 'n go options, and a food hall

KIRKWOOD, Mo. Attention Schnucks customers, one location just got a big upgrade. The store remodel at the Kirkwood location is complete.

The updates include a refresh to the exterior of the building and a new look inside. One of the major themes of the update is "fresh choices," according to a release from Schnucks. There will also be an expanded grab 'n go meal section.

Shoppers can grab a bite to eat at the new food hall. It features several local restaurants including The Shaved Duck, Seoul Taco and The Greek Kitchen. They each have their own service counter and share a seating area.

There's also a spot to grab some St. Louis-inspired gear. Arch Apparel has its own section in the store offering customers several clothing choices.

We thank our shoppers for their patience as we worked to bring them an updated store with many new offerings and amenities, said Store Manager Vicky Reiling in a press release. Now that the remodel is complete, were proud to bring the Kirkwood area and our customers a modern store but with the same focus on great customer service.

Schnucks is hosting a grand re-opening to celebrate the remodel. It'll be on Sunday, Oct. 10. Customers can participate in free yoga from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., family fun activities like arts and crafts, a bubble bus, and some other surprise visits from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., said the release.

Schnucks has been part of the Kirkwood community since 1954, the release states. The Kirkwood location at 10233 Manchester Road opened in 1987 and replaced the original location.

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This Schnucks location just got a makeover, with new dining hall and apparel store - KSDK.com

Bulletin Staff| Baxter Bulletin

The 15 building permits issued by the City of Mountain Home in August reflect slightly more than $1 million in construction. For August, the city issued nine permits for commercial signage, four permits for residential construction and two permits for commercial remodeling projects.

All of the August residential building permits were issued to Hobbs Investments LLC. All four houses will be located on Ozark Avenue, with two having an estimated construction value of $125,000 apiece with the other two dwellings each having a construction value of $110,000 each.

A commercial remodeling permit was issued to the BRMC Physician's Clinic, located at 310 Buttercup Drive, for a commercial plumbing project estimated to cost $240,000. The other commercial remodeling permit was issued to Rick Hoover for a project at 1060 Hometown Common Unit F. The remodeling project is estimated to cost $246,500.

Boston Mountain Rural Health Center was issued a sign permit for 444 Hospital Drive. That sign is estimated to cost $23,750.

A permit was issued to Animal Health Center, located at 2175 Highway 62 East, for a sign valued at $15,000.

American Freight was issued a permit for a sign located at 1171 Highway 62 East with an estimated value of $8,000.

A permit was issued to O'Reilly Auto Parts, located at 205 South Main Street, for a sign valued at $5,000.

Mountain Gear and Outfitters was issued a permit for a sign located at 322 Highway 62 East with an estimated value of $2,500.

A permit was issued to Edward Jones, located at 92 Highway 62 West, for a sign valued at $1,000.

American Safeguard Insurance was issued a permit for a sign located at 1002 Highway 62 East with an estimated value of $800.

A permit was issued to Backyard Blossoms, located at 1559 Glenbriar Drive, for a sign valued at $200.

Vikings Edge was issued a permit for a sign located at 1310 Eastside Center No. 9. No estimated value was listed for that sign.

Mountain Home collected $5,238 in revenue in August from issuing building, electric, mechanical and plumbing permits.

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MH issues 15 building permits in August - The Baxter Bulletin

This is not a tiny house, but it is mobile. Instead of being able to roam from location to location on a towable trailer, this house sits on a platform that allows it to make full rotations, so views change as often and as quickly as residents desire it. Its the work of Vojin Kusic, a 72-year-old man from Bosnia, who built it as a means to prevent his wife from complaining.

Kusic is a true legend back home, in the small town of Srbac, and its due to his incredible home. Speaking to Reuters just recently, he says the first home he built for himself and the wife failed in one major respect: it did not allow the wife, Ljubica, to see who was coming up to it on the road. So he did extensive remodeling, tearing down walls and rewiring stuff to change rooms, and have the living facing the road.

When the youngest child moved in with his family upstairs, Kusic understood he was in for more remodeling of the old house. Anticipating new demands from Ljubica, he promised her a new house that she could spin whichever way she wanted.

Six years later, the rotating house is almost completed, as you can see in the video below. Kusic cites as inspiration for it the works of Nikola Tesla and Mihajlo Pupin.

The house sits on a platform that spins around a 7-meter (23-foot) axis using electric motors and wheels from an old military transport vehicle, he says for the media outlet. He built it by himself, from the design stage to the actual construction. Speed is adjustable, too: Kusic says the house can be set to make a full rotation in 24 hours, or as fast as 22 seconds, though the latter would arguably cause serious dizziness.

This is not an innovation, it only requires will and knowledge, and I had enough time and knowledge, Kusic explains. He jokes that he only took one break from the project, when he was hospitalized for a heart issue, and while in hospital, he asked doctors to help him live longer to finish it because no one would have been able to.

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Rotating House by Self-Taught Inventor Is Awesome, a Testament of Love - autoevolution

The Herkimer Housing Authority is now Stone Ridge Residences and a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday morning celebrated both the rebrand and the completion of the $22 million remodeling and construction project.

The project included the remodeling of all of the apartments at Eastern Gardens, now called The Mills; construction of a new 15-unit apartment building on Harter Street; and a child care center, Stone Ridge Daycare, on John Avenue, according to Stone Ridge Residences Executive Director Richard Dowe.

Mohawk Valley Community Action Agency runs the child care center, which can take up to 53 children. The space at both Eastern Gardens and Creekside Courts that was formerly used for child care has been turned back to the residents for community space, Dowe added.

Housing development: Development update: Herkimer Housing Authority adds 15-unit apartment building

Business growth: Amazon, Pepsi headed for Herkimer County as developers fill business parks with new projects

The authority also has a new website, http://www.StoneRidgeResidences.com.

For Holly Warner, a former resident of Creekside Courts who moved into the new building in July, her new first-floor apartment offers a chance to live on one level a welcome feature since she has difficulty negotiating stairs. Warner opened her apartment to visitors following Wednesdays ribbon cutting.

Warners apartment, like the others in the building, features a kitchen and living room area and a hallway leading to one or two bedrooms, bathroom and closet storage space.

Some apartments offer lower countertops and stoves with space to roll a wheelchair underneath, said Dowe. Others include louder doorbells and strobe lights to accommodate those with impaired vision or hearing.

The authority currently holds 216 apartments across its properties with 52 Section 8 vouchers for low-income residents. The recently completed project is not the end of the improvements Stone Ridge Residences will be making to its facilities.

The second phase will include the remodeling of all of the apartments at Creekside Courts, renamed Stone Ridge Orchards, on Protection Avenue and of Midtown Apartments, now Stone Ridge Gems, on North Prospect Street, where some apartments will be changed from studio to one-bedroom units. The Nathan Castle Apartments, housed in the former Tuger Elementary School on South Main Street, will be totally rehabilitated. The housing authority acquired the facility last year and there will be 16 apartments available there.

This phase of the project will also include the construction of new 24-unit apartment building, Stone Ridge Flatts, at 250 E. Steele St. The dilapidated former bottling plant at the corner of East Steele and King streets will be razed and the space converted into a parking lot for the new building.

Dowe said the authority is working with the county and village to take title to the old bottling plant building. He expects work on the second phase of the project to begin late this year.

Darren J. Scott, director of development, Eastern New York, for New York State Homes and Community Renewal, said bundling the various parts of the project's second phase together into a single financial deal is an efficient way to move ahead with the plan.

The first phase has resulted in 63 new energy-efficient homes, he said. He praised local officials for approving a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) agreement for the project. "Affordable housing needs a PILOT," he said.

Herkimer Mayor Mark Netti said he first became aware of the project the authority was planning shortly after taking office and was impressed with the comprehensive plan. He said he looks forward to working with Stone Ridge Residences on the remainder of the project.

"I love to see resources returned," said Assemblyman Robert Smullen,R-Meco. "This is our money coming back to our community."

"This is part of the rebirth of the valley," said Assemblyman Brian Miller, R-New Hartford.

Donna Thompson is the government and business reporter for the Times Telegram. Email her at donna@timestelegram.com.

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Herkimer Housing Authority, now Stone Ridge Residences, completes first phase of project - The Times Telegram

See a tour of the HGTV Urban Oasis home in Indianapolis

This year's HGTV Urban Oasis home is a three-bedroom "cozy cottage" in Broad Ripple.

HGTV, HGTV

HGTV's Urban Oasis home in Broad Ripple isn't what most Indianapolis-area residents would expect.

When you first see the home's forest green exteriors,you might not guess it hasbright mustard living roomwalls, contrasted by a crisp white fireplace.

Or when you stroll through the home's main living spaces and soak in theblush tones, you might be taken aback by the 40-inch retro disco ball gracingthe dining room.

And then there's the drama in the guest bathroom,monochromatic black,from the tiles and floors to the bathtub.

See the photos: Here is this year's 'HGTV Urban Oasis' home in Indianapolis

"The whole idea was to really capture that super carefree, happy, supportive vibe that you see in Broad Ripple," said Brian Patrick Flynn, the Atlanta-based HGTV interior designer behind the house.

Each year, HGTV's "Urban Oasis" contestgives away a remodeled, fully furnished home toone lucky winner, with the purpose of highlighting the beauty and functionality of city living." Previous locations have included Asheville, North Carolina, Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Portland, Maine. HGTVis accepting entries to win this year'shouseuntil Nov. 22.

The home's reconstruction and remodeling began in Dec. 2020, but Flynn truly immersed himself inBroad Ripple over thesummer, spending about six weeks getting to know the area and playing "Queen's Gambit."

Looking for a new home?Enter 'HGTV Urban Oasis' sweepstakes to win an Indianapolis 'cozy cottage'

Thats how Flynn describes his creative process, akin to the Netflix showsprotagonist, Beth Harmon, and her imaginative chess strategizing looking up at the ceiling and watching pieces on a chess board.For Flynn, interior designing a home can be just as three-dimensional and dream-like.

You know, when all of a sudden her mind gets into that zone and you see the animation go in her brain? That is exactly how it works with me, Flynn said. I walk into a room, I immediately know where windows should be, where the door (should) be, where the light should access the room.

He knew right away when he first walked into the Broad Ripple houselast yearthat it should be more inthe "funky world."

He notes this last year "was not the best year," so he wanted to do something fun and funky with the home, he says, turningto the "sexy modernism" of the late '70s, early '80s and '90s.

"I just kept thinking about like, what would be hip and what wouldbe young and what would be fun, that would fit like the millennials and the Gen Xers who live in the neighborhood," Flynn said. "And also have a little bit of a nostalgic feelfor people of my parents' generation, the baby boomers, to be like 'Oh, I remember that. I loved that."

And while he is a fan of risky design choicesandcomplex color schemes he uses the analogy of the unused colors in his crayon box growing up those bold creative decisions came with the potential homeowners and nearbycommunity in mind.

"I try to think of things that would be cohesiveto get together but would appeal to all different types of walks of life," Flynn said, noting how the home's bolder elements are balanced out with neutral, calmer aspects, including bleached white oakflooring and "very classic and simple" kitchen cabinetry.

Though the home is being highlighted on the national stage,there areHoosier touchesthroughout,both indesign elements and art.

Bespoke Construction, an Indianapolis-based company, led the remodeling of the home. Flynn commissioned Iron Timbers, a woodworking company in southern Indiana,to make a custom cocktail table for the back porch.A Carmel artist, Nathasa Rae, was hired to make warrior pen drawings near the dining area.

"I just thought of Broad Ripple asbeing super inclusiveand also being something that just had like a really cool ... almost like a sexy street vibe," Flynn said. "I want people to walkinto the house and see themselves entertaining friends there and also kind of pushing the envelope and feeling a little fashion forward."

Contact Rashika Jaipuriar atrjaipuriar@gannett.comandfollow her on Twitter @rashikajpr.

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How Broad Ripple's vibe was reflected in the design of HGTV's 'Urban Oasis' home - IndyStar