art – Stylish Heath

The 16th Street scene in Washington DC

2020 has certainly been a challenging year to say the least, as the past few weeks have definitely been a wake up call for America. I’ve been absorbing and collecting so much information as our Black communities continue to face injustices of racism, hatred and brutal intimidation of the opposition. An organized effort to end racial discrimination in the United States began in the late 1940’s. Steps were taken to change laws, but were never enforced. Why has it taken the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and most recently George Floyd to bring us to the realization that these events occurring in the 21^st century have set us back decades.

The time has come where we CANNOT not sit silently, it is important that we speak up to include the voiceless and for those whose voices go unheard. We must be relentless in our pursuit to learn about, understand, and embrace each other’s differences in order to live civilly and peacefully together.

Additional items for supporting our communities:
Consider learning about and possibly donating to the NAACP, ACLU, Black Lives Matter, and Color of Change. Follow black journalists and activists, such as April Ryan, Yamiche Léone Alcindor and Nikole Hannah-Jones.

Lastly, I will always continue to support locally black owned restaurants for their ethnic cuisine that define the dining scene of the DMV.

Stay safe,
Kathleen

During our recent visit to Paris it was inspiring to see the notebooks of Da Vinci that held hundreds of sketches and ideas on his varying interest. His expertise encompassed anatomy, engineering, astronomy, mathematics, natural history, architecture and painting to name a few areas that made Da Vinci one of the most versatile geniuses.

But, another exceptional creative power that we learned about while in this city was Yves Saint Laurent, whose fashion designs exerted an influence over most women of the world. What was intriguing are the notebooks and bookshelves of publications that served as sources of inspiration to these artists.

Musée Yves Saint Laurent 5 Avenue Marceau 75115, Paris

I was transfixed by Da Vinci’s notebooks, but when you walk through Saint Laurent’s studio one is totally mesmerized. The workspace is a bright, quiet, neutral space with a mirrored wall as a main feature so, the couturier could study a model’s reflection which offered the necessary distance for evaluating a garment. The simplicity of his desk is striking, which is a piece of plywood wrapped with muslin and set on sawhorses. Items are strewn around the desk with precious ornaments and talismans, including the walking stick of Christian Dior.

The studio setting offers an atmosphere that prevailed during preparations for a fashion show, when six or seven team members worked alongside Saint Laurent each day.